Time of the Blind Beast - Chapter 56

He was always a man who made Rose’s heart tremble. From the day they first met until now, without change, always.

No matter how much she thought about it, she felt she had no right—she felt so brazen that she couldn’t even bring herself to utter his name. And yet…

Even so.

The truth was, she had known for a long time.

That all the times she told herself it was fine no matter what he did to her, that it was okay for him to treat her however he pleased—those were merely excuses to justify this feeling.

If her feelings for him had been only guilt, she might have waited on him in many ways, but she wouldn’t have gone so far as to share her body. She wouldn’t have found herself waiting for the coming night, day after day.

She knew. It was a feeling she wasn’t allowed to have.

And still, just once—just once, she wanted to speak this unspeakable feeling.

“Then you should’ve said it more often.”

A playful smile spread across his naturally cold face.

Following the tilt of his head, his disheveled black hair tickled her chest. Rose cautiously reached out and stroked it. Unlike her own long hair that could be grasped in handfuls, his hair was short, barely covering his forehead, always slipping through her fingers like grains of sand no matter how much she tried to gather it.

Even that slipped away when Ezekiel moved down past Rose’s hips and began to tease between her thighs, selecting the most sensitive spots to suck deeply.

“Rose, do you know I can feel your pulse here too?”

Lifting her leg, Ezekiel pressed his lips to the back of her knee.

“It’s like a song. If you listen quietly, I mean. Fast and soft.”

The warm sensation crept slowly up the inside of her thigh. What felt merely ticklish around her calf and knee turned gradually more tingling as he neared her core.

“Mmgh…”

Wherever he lingered, her heart seemed to pound. Her fingers curled involuntarily. A ticklish sensation deep inside made it hard to bear. Rose clawed at the sheets with her fingertips.

Come to think of it, on the first night they shared their bodies, it had taken a long time for him to explore and map every part of her with his hands. But now, his movements flowed without pause. He gripped her waist with one hand, pressing firmly into her soft skin to leave marks freely. Then he unerringly found his destination and laid his tongue upon it.

“Ah!”

A sweet pleasure burst through her, dragging a helpless moan from her throat. At the same time, the thick presence of his erection pressing against her leg only grew more pronounced. A man who ought to show no emotional fluctuations even in crisis—as a soldier should—displayed unfiltered desire only before her. It was as if he were begging to enter her, to become one.

Her body, already familiar with the ecstasy he would bring, grew wet from within. The fluid that flowed coated Ezekiel’s lips. The sound of pressure, of rubbing, of licking, gradually thickened in viscosity.

“You don’t even know how sweet you are.”

At his crude remark, spoken as he savored her taste, Rose’s cheeks flushed crimson.

After tormenting her for a while, he finally aligned the tip of his erection with her entrance. As the soft flesh rubbed against hers, their fluids mingled. Only after slicking his shaft with his large hand did he attempt to enter.

Though her entrance was well-lubricated and yielded to his advance, the size difference made it just as overwhelming for her to receive as it was for him to press in.

Slow, shallow thrusts followed. Relying on sensation, he pushed in slightly, then pulled back when her inner walls tightened in pain. He kissed her nose bridge, her cheeks—softening her tension.

His tenderness was so overwhelming, it made her heart ache.

Not because it was too kind, not because it was overwhelming or joyous, but because it made her sad. Instead of fullness, her heart felt increasingly hollow. It chilled her.

She wanted to be submerged more deeply.

Or melt away completely.

“…Ahhk!”

The veined shaft, which had been slowly biding its time, finally drove in, filling her completely. The pressure pushing up into her abdomen made her head spin and her breath catch. Rose thrashed in response to the surging shudder that struck her.

“Strange… It feels deeper inside than usual today.”

Perhaps even her body knew. If today was to be the last, then it understood this desperate desire to be joined with him more tightly than ever. The urgency to be left with more of him, to hold onto him as long as she could.

The blunt tip of his shaft dragged over her most sensitive spot. Once, twice, three times—each pass elevating her sensitivity further.

A small climax struck.

“Ah, wait, hngh…”

Her walls clenched tightly around him. Rose’s unguarded response blurred Ezekiel’s reason. Every time he thrust in deep and pressed into her, her moans shattered from the contact with her core.

“Rose.”

Ezekiel called her name. Even as she trembled in the haze of uncontrolled sensation, Rose pulled together what remained of her reason.

“Haa… yes…”

“Rose.”

He called again. His voice somehow sounded deeper.

“…Yes.”

“Rose.”

“……”

Rose opened her half-lidded eyes. And met Ezekiel’s fevered gaze hovering near her face. His dark blue eyes, filled with bliss, failed to find her and stared askew at something far off.

A chill ran down her spine.

Who was he seeing now with those eyes? And what kind of figure was he imagining?

The woman he was so devotedly calling must be that illusion—the one with red hair and green eyes.

That woman was—

“Just wait a little longer, Rose. I’ll see you soon.”

…Not me.

It happened in an instant. Without even a chance to calm her heart, her vision welled up and spilled over. Rose quickly turned her head to the side. She didn’t want this tear to be seen.

Ezekiel, clinging tightly to her sweat-dampened body, began to thrust faster. Rose found herself astonished that, despite such a gulf between body and heart, she could still be swept up by such a blinding climax.

Neither her body nor her mind was under her control.

It was as though she weren’t even herself anymore.

What about this man—did he want tonight to pass quickly, or did he want it to linger?

“Rose, are you tired?”

“…No.”

“You were too quiet. Just checking. What time is it? Is it already past midnight?”

She felt as though he’d read her mind. Swallowing the dull ache in her chest, Rose shook her head.

“…Not yet.”

Through the uncovered window, the stars twinkled suspiciously bright, but she turned away, pretending not to see.

“Today isn’t over yet.”

When morning came, he would undergo surgery.

She wished this night—this “today”—wouldn’t end.

“Good. I like long nights.”

Even after ejaculating deep inside her, he didn’t pull out. Instead, he gave a few more slow thrusts. The afterglow that had begun to fade was reignited.

“Rose.”

Ezekiel pressed his forehead to hers.

“As long as you’re beside me, that’s enough.”

A familiar promise. A declaration any lover might make—an expression of affection and a natural expectation of the one they love.

But it wasn’t natural to Rose. It was the hardest promise of all. A reply she couldn’t return pained her.

He had no idea what her silence meant. This man had never once doubted her. He had always offered her his trust and belief.

And yet Rose had continued to lie to him. The more she thought of it, the more her actions felt pathetic and pitiful. At times, even shameful.

“Rose, promise you’ll stay by my side during the surgery.”

It was a relief that he had asked for something she could actually answer.

Rose pulled his sweat-drenched neck close and whispered, “I will.”

This, at least, she could promise with confidence. She was glad it wasn’t a lie. As long as she could stay by his side, she would go nowhere.

Two hearts beating in sync lay closely pressed together.

Rose gathered her languid body. Their long, sticky union usually ended in something like unconscious sleep, but tonight was different. She stayed awake, bearing the fatigue until the very end.

At last, Ezekiel’s eyes closed, his lids slowly descending.

Feigning sleep, Rose held her breath and carefully traced every contour of the man’s beautiful features.

Until the moon waned and the night dimmed.

Until the early dawn once again turned the sky a pale gray.