Page 20 of The Breeding Cave

CHAPTER TWENTY

LUCIANO

“Can we start in the hot spring?” Yeosin asked, standing at the edge of the cave later that night, as if she were afraid to come in to see me. She shifted from foot to foot, hands clasped in front of her body. “Please.”

I stalked toward her, noticing that her breasts seemed fuller than usual, her hips wider, and her eyes were almost glowing underneath the dim moonlight that flooded in from outside the cave. I had been inside her twice already today—not that she knew that—but my beast had been getting greedy.

Too greedy.

My fingers found her chin, and I gently drew the pads of my fingertips across her cheek. She stared up at me through soft brown eyes. I cupped her chin and lifted it a bit higher, trailing my fingers down her neck, the soft spot tingling against me.

Mark her , my beast growled inside me. We need to mark her.

“Please,” she whispered. “I need it.”

After releasing her chin, I forced myself to step to the side. “Go.”

She bowed her head as a thank-you and scurried deeper into the cave and down the walkway that led to the hot spring. When we reached the steaming body of water, she kicked off her shoes and peeled off her coat.

Instead of taking the rest of her clothes off, she faced me and nodded. “You go in first.”

“I’m not going into the hot spring.”

“Please,” she said, the word faint and desperate.

What is going on with her tonight?

Once I realized she wasn’t going to budge—maybe I had been too rough with her earlier and she needed to relax—I slipped into the hot spring and rolled my shoulders forward from the hot, relaxing water.

Yeosin chewed on the inside of her cheek for a couple of moments, then swallowed hard and peeled off her shirt.

Is she nervous about me seeing her naked? I have seen her body so many times now that it shouldn’t matter.

She stepped into the water, moving farther and farther into it until it reached her waist. Then she paused, her face contorting into one of pain. She stepped farther into the water so her entire body was submerged and winced.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, moving closer, the water rippling around us.

“Nothing.”

“Come here.”

After another moment’s pause, she swam toward me, the water up to her shoulders.

I moved behind her and placed my hands on her shoulders.

She was more tense than usual, or maybe I was just shit at giving her proper aftercare.

I had just run out of that elevator earlier, mostly in fear that I’d lose it right then and there in front of the secretaries.

If Yeosin was stressed out, it would make getting her pregnant harder.

My hands traveled further down her back. When my fingers pressed against her lower back, she winced. Immediately, I pulled my hand away from that spot and snaked it around her waist. Her body had never reacted that way before tonight.

“Did I hurt you?” I asked.

“No.”

Her breasts were tender, and so was her lower back.

When I gently placed my hand on her backside again, her entire expression scrunched into one of pain. I picked her up in the water and brought her back toward the rocks that led down into the hot spring.

“No,” she exclaimed. “I’m fine. I’m fine!”

“You’re lying,” I said. “I always know when you’re lying.”

“I’m fine,” she said, wriggling in my arms.

I placed her belly-first on the rocks, lifting her hips out of the water, and I saw a huge bubble on her lower back from what looked to be like … a burn. I thought I had been too rough with her in the elevator, but I couldn’t have done this.

“Who did this to you?” I growled.

“N-nobody!” she cried, clutching her back as if she knew exactly what I was talking about.

She turned over, fell down into the spring, and stared up at me, but the light was shining from overhead so she couldn’t see my face.

But I could see the glow from my red eyes on her face. “It was nobody, I promise!”

“Who?” I snarled. “Who fucking did this to you?!”

“I was clumsy this morning,” she whispered. “I-I spilled hot tea on myself.”

“On your back?” I asked through gritted teeth. “You spilled hot tea on your back?”

“Yes,” she said, nodding and staring up at me through innocent eyes that I almost believed. “I spilled tea on my back. That’s what happened. That’s why my back is burned … I swear it is.”

“I’m going to ask you one more time, Yeosin,” I whispered, trying hard to contain my emotions before they claimed my beast and took hold of me. “And if you lie to me, I’m going to fucking lose it.”

“You’re going to lose it either way,” she said, scurrying back to the wall.

“Who hurt you?”

She gulped and shook her head. “I can’t tell you. I don’t want … I don’t want you to look at me any differently,” she finally whispered, tears welling up in her eyes. She dropped her head and wiped a tear away with her shoulder. “I’m embarrassed, and if you find out …”

“If I find out who did it to you, I’ll kill them.”

She sucked in a sharp breath and snapped her gaze up to mine. “No, you can’t.”

“Why not?”

“They’re strong,” she said. “My ex-boyfriend was really messed up with them. They don’t care who you are or how much power you have; they’ll hurt you. And I …” She wrapped her arms around herself. “I don’t want them to hurt you.”

Suddenly, my chest tightened, and I froze.

“I don’t want them to hurt you.”

What did she mean by that? Did she … care about me? Surely not. No, she couldn’t. And I couldn’t feel anything toward her. The only reason why I had gotten angry over this entire thing was because she was supposed to carry my pups.

Not because I liked her.

Really, I didn’t.

Not at all.

As I swept my fingers over her jawline and she leaned into my touch, my fingers tingled.

Fuck.

“Who are they?” I asked one final time.

“They’re part of this gang,” she whispered. “A clan.”

Fury overtook my beast, and I hurled my fist into the rock beside her. “The Dragon Clan?”

Her brown eyes widened. “How … how do you know about them?”

“Is that why you need the money in cash?” I asked.

She dropped her gaze. “Yes, but seriously, you don’t have to do anything. I just need the money in cash, and then everything will be settled. I swear, you’ve already done so much for me by providing me the money, and I?—”

“Is that why you left work today during lunch?” The words left my mouth before I could stop them.

“How did you know that I left? Are you following me? What did?—”

“Don’t try to get out of this, Yeosin,” I growled. “How long has this been going on?”

She pressed her lips together and shook her head.

“How long?”

“Since the night before we met,” she whispered, bursting out in tears. “They’ve been threatening me.” She wrapped her arms around my torso and buried her face into my chest. “Hurting me … so badly. I … I don’t know what to do. Please, help me.”