Chapter 51

Zai warped us directly into our living room to avoid any witnesses. I checked my phone and saw that a lot of people had been listening to my song. The comments were mostly positive—over a hundred people said they were excited about the album release. No one is more excited than me, though… because once it's out, I'll finally have my own income. Maybe I can plan a new surprise for Zai.

"You look happy…" Zai pointed out.

I rushed over to him and showed him my screen. "Look! My song post has over 20k views!"

He ruffled my hair."That's wonderful," he said.

"That's right!"

His eyes narrowed, and my heart trembled—half-expecting him to finish what he'd tried to start back in the prison hallway. But instead, he sighed and walked away, sitting on the couch.

"I don't want to ruin your mood," he said while staring out the window to his left, "but if I don't talk to you now, I won't feel up to it later."

"You can tell me." I put my phone away and sat beside him, making sure not to leave even a millimeter of space between us.

"…I fought the Lightning Chosen of Infaniya a few years ago. Not many can see what I am, but he noticed right away…"

They fought? That makes no sense. Then why isn't Zai a wanted criminal? Why doesn't anyone know he's an Afarion?

"He was much older and had some battle experience, but my trainer gave me the ability to absorb electricity. So as the fight went on, he grew weaker and I grew stronger. Other factors contributed to my victory, but… I knew he wouldn't let me live a peaceful life. In the end, I had to kill him."

My eyes widened. The mood shifted immediately. I know he didn't have much of a choice—but still. It's crazy to imagine.

"Seems Smoke thinks I'm the Infaniyan Chosen of Lightning, just pretending to be dead to stay out of the war."

"…That's… trouble." If Smoke's convinced Zai is the Guardian of Lightning, then he'll definitely be suspicious when the real one reincarnates in the next few years.

"Seems like you understand," Zai muttered. "I guess I went a little too overboard in our last fight."

The one I didn't see…

"Smoke's a hundred years older than you. How did you beat him so easily?"

He scoffed. "Did that look easy? Hmm… Well, to be honest, once I mastered my own element, I asked Valin to teach me the basics of Earth. I needed something to cover my weaknesses. Earth can purify poisons, slightly control gravity, negate lightning, and absorb… It seemed like the best secondary element to practice."

I need to focus, but right now I'm curious—what kind of teacher was Valin?

"Smoke won't say anything," I said, trying to sound confident.

Zai frowned. "Do you know him well enough to make that claim?"

I hung my head. I can't be certain… Just a few weeks ago, I was sure he'd never kiss me.

"I do hope you're right." He put his arm around my waist. "There's too much tension in here… put some music on."

I quickly picked up my phone and started playing an album from a singer I grew up with.

"…Wow. That's an old song."

Does he know it?

"Is this your favorite?" he asked.

"Oh… um, no. Should I play my favorite?"

He nodded, so I switched over to the song I loved most.

"Hm… If this is your favorite, we'll play it at the wedding."

My heart fluttered. Zai leaned in closer, brushing his nose against mine and making me giggle before kissing me deeply—massaging my tongue with his. I made a few weird sounds before turning away bashfully.

"Do you think less of me now? Should I give you space?"

I was surprised he'd even ask. I knew he'd killed before—we're in a war. From what he told me, he barely had a choice.

"As soon as I decided to love an Afarion, I accepted that your past wouldn't be clean," I said honestly. "That's not it… It's just hard to shift my mindset when the conversation was so serious a moment ago."

He tilted his head, confused. "Is the music not working? Would it help if I sang to you?"

That excited me, so I nodded rapidly.

He laughed and restarted the song—then sang along, perfectly on pitch.

His voice was smooth and soulful, weaving perfectly with the instrumental. My chest ached from how much I loved him in that moment. I watched his lips form every word. I wanted to kiss them again, but I held back.

When the song ended, another began automatically. Zai leaned in again, kissed me with the same tender intensity, and I kissed him back, melting into it.

When we finally parted, I whispered, "I could never think less of you. I'm always on your side, Zai. I trust you. In everything you do. I just want to be here for you."

He gazed into my eyes and grinned.

"I'm starting to feel like you're too good for me."

His hands slid under my skirt, slipping off my underwear with practiced ease.

"D-Don't say that… I'm just right for you," I stammered.

He kissed me again, and I heard the soft unzip of his pants. He held my chin to keep me from looking away, his other hand braced behind me on the armrest.

"I feel like I deserve you less and less every day," he whispered, his voice barely audible over the music. "You're too good to me, Snowe… I promise."

Then he lifted me effortlessly and lowered me onto his lap. Even though I was on top, it was clear who was in control. His hands guided me, his gaze never wavering. He made me feel both wanted and safe.

When it was over, he wrapped his arms around my waist, holding me close—our bodies still connected.

His face buried in my neck, his breath tickled my skin. I took all my willpower to regain my composure and say,

"I want to… be even… b-better to you…"

I was breathless. He chuckled low against my neck.

"Me too." Then he bit me—not too hard, but enough to make me gasp. He licked the spot, soothing it. "Let's move to the bedroom," he whispered, his breath warm against my ear.

The next morning, I woke to the rare sight of Zai sleeping beside me. His hair fell across his face in soft waves, and his chest rose and fell in a peaceful rhythm.

He looked so sweet like this. So unguarded. I feel blessed to be able to witness this.

"I can feel you staring at me," he murmured.

His eyes opened before I could look away.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

He chuckled. "No… I think it's cute that you still get excited just from looking at me."

"That's not true!" I said, mortified.

He pulled me against him, our bare bodies flush.

"Silly Snowe… I know when you're lying."

Just then, his phone rang.

Zai groaned and rolled away to answer it, brushing his hair out of his face.

"What is it?" he said gruffly. Is that really how he answers the phone? "I was on vacation… Yeah… Fine. I'll get it done tonight."

He hung up.

"What was that about?" I asked.

He tossed his phone into his desk chair. "Business."

"Oh! I've never heard your phone ring before. I was a bit shocked."

"I have important numbers on emergency bypass," he explained. Then, as if to distract me, he began leaving soft kisses on my shoulder. "I'll… make you breakfast."

He pulled away reluctantly and put on sweatpants before heading downstairs.

I took my time getting up.

By the time I reached the kitchen, the smell of pancakes and warm butter filled the air. He was cooking with a quiet grace, every movement efficient, smooth—almost like he was dancing.

When I sat at the bar top, he slid a plate toward me—fluffy pancakes topped with strawberries, syrup glistening.

He sat beside me with blueberry pancakes, resting his shoulder gently on mine as we ate.

"Thank you for making me breakfast," I said, pouring syrup over my food.

"Are you going to thank me every time I cook? Because I plan to do this a lot," he teased. "We've got a long life ahead of us."

"I plan to! I'm going to thank you every day, and tell you I love you every day, and remind you that you're beautiful every single day!"

His cheeks turned red, all the way to the tips of his ears.

"You're ridiculous," he muttered—but he was smiling. And that made everything feel perfect.