In the twilight hours, when the world lay hushed and still, Franceska Mila Rose would often be caught in a restless dance between wakefulness and slumber. The accumulated weariness from the rigorous training with Apacci and Visored would force her to sleep about the whole day on the living room's couch, leaving her wide awake at night.
Whenever she found herself unable to sleep — which she usually did — she would roll around in the bed, tune into the television, and then take a nap and repeat until the sunlight spilled through the window. Her lusterless night schedule couldn't fill the gap left in her heart by Kazuya, and to a certain extent, Cirucci. She could understand Kazuya's absence from her side, but Cirucci… Her old friend had moved into her own room to look after her precious little kittens.
The memory of Cirucci's departure still stung whenever she found herself alone in her room; it was like a thorn embedded in the proud flesh of her soul.
'You can stay here with them!' Mila Rose had pleaded to Cirucci. 'I won't eat them, I promise.'
'Franceska, you don't stay still when you sleep. You're gonna crush my kittens if we stay together!'
Mila Rose had tried every trick that day, from throwing a tantrum to acting cutesy. Yet nothing could put a dent in Cirucci's determination. The fierce adopter of kittens had made it her life's purpose to protect them.
Suffice to say, Mila Rose would lose most of her cheerfulness without true companionship.
Today, too, she was lying on her bed, hoping to fall asleep watching the most mundane weather recaps of drama shows. Yet even as her eyelids grew heavy, sleep remained just beyond her grasp.
As if summoned by her yearning for companionship, a familiar scent wafted through the open window, carried on by the night breeze. In an instant, Mila Rose's senses stirred, her nose twitching as she inhaled her true companion's aroma.
"Kazu!"
Grinning with joy, she struggled to contain a shiver of excitement. She jumped off her bed and crouched on the ground. Then she launched herself at the open window in a perfect trajectory like an arrow let loose by a bow.
Outside, the garden below became a blur of shadows as she pumped her legs with Reiatsu, as much as she could conjure inside her Gigai body, and transitioned her dive into a makeshift Sonído step.
The speed boost allowed her to fly straight at the young man, who quietly walked through the garden in hopes of staying low profile. He obviously noticed her and let out a sigh of defeat before taking a stance to brace himself. She crashed into him with all the force of a meteor striking the earth.
Thud! With an audible crash, they both tumbled into the bushes. Mila Rose, triumphant in her goal, pinned Kazuya beneath her, her eyes gleaming with a primal hunger that sent shivers down his spine.
"Rose, what the hell are you doing?"
She hugged his neck and rubbed her face against his own before affectionately licking his cheek like a cat. "Who're you trying to hide from, Love?"
A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "It's impossible for me to hide from you, isn't it?"
"Haha. You shouldn't even try that, mate." Mila Rose smirked smugly and tapped her forehead. "Your scent is stored here. I can sniff you out from another town."
He could hide his Reiatsu but he couldn't cover up his scent. Well, he could, but it would take too much effort, and there would still be a chance of his efforts failing in the face of a creature of instinct like her.
Shaking his head in fond exasperation at her extraordinary capabilities, Kazuya gently pinched her cheeks. "My sharp-nosed lady, why exactly are you up this late?"
"Couldn't sleep," Mila Rose confessed, her hands brushing his chest as if to memorize the very shape of his body. She raised herself and licked her lips like she had seen the most scrumptious feast of her life. "Now, I don't wanna sleep."
"Rose, not here. Anyone on the street can see us."
"I have done more shameful things with you and Snake," she said in an assertive voice and gripped his collar. "Do you think I give a fuck now, huh?"
She could drag him back to the sanctuary of her room, a more private place, where the equally passionate Sung-Sun could foil her plans. Or she could give in to the wild urgings of her heart and claim him here.
The stupidly courageous lioness chose the latter.
Recognizing the futility of resistance, Kazuya's hands found their way to her waist. "No, probably not. I've taken away all your shame if there was any in the first place."
She threw her head back and laughed boisterously. "I'm the alpha lioness. How can I lead the pride with you if I shy away from everything?"
He couldn't help but nod, acknowledging the truth in her words. "Valid reason. I'll let you win this time."
She had let Cirucci take away her twenty minutes in their last meeting. It would be criminal of him to not give her some bits of happiness.
"I love how my mate puts up zero resistance." She leaned down and gripped his chin before giving a peck on his lips. "I'll have so much fun riding you till sunrise~."
"I don't have that much time," Kazuya replied with a gentle smile, tempering her expectations even as desire coursed through him. "Let's end it in fifteen minutes."
"Huh?!"
***
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