Chapter 1088: Chapter 1086-Slow Burn To Full Blow.

“Come sit with me, Austin.”

Krave whispered, her hand sliding smoothly down from the lapel of my coat to intertwine her cold, pale fingers with mine.

“Lead the way.”

I replied. She guided me away from the edge of the pearl railing, her sheer, midnight-blue sea-silk gown trailing silently across the polished dark crystal floor. We moved toward a curved obsidian lounger situated in the very center of the pavilion, beneath a thick canopy of glowing sapphire vines.

Krave sank onto the plush, velvet-kelp cushions with a liquid, predatory grace. She didn’t sit on the far end of the lounger. She positioned herself right in the center, ensuring that when I sat down beside her, the physical distance between us would be virtually nonexistent.

I took my seat, letting my shoulders drop a fraction of an inch to shed the hard, rigid armor of my usual commanding posture. Our sides pressed together.

“So, I say this trip was very relaxing, right?”

Krave murmured, turning her body slightly toward me, her shoulder pressing firmly against my arm.

“You can say that.”

I said softly, letting my gaze drift to the mesmerizing pulse of the bioluminescent vines above us before slowly returning to her face. She did not pull her hand away from mine. Instead, she lifted my hand, resting it gently upon her lap.

“Most wouldn’t have played around with my games or actions. You played around with me, had fun, and even played the gods around and soon we shall be causing chaos on the surface, maybe for just a small time.”

Krave said. She raised her free hand, her pale index finger tracing slow, deliberate, circular patterns over the back of my knuckles. Every touch was a nice feeling I say. I let my breathing hitch.

“We got to settle on and have some rules, if you will be traveling with us, some powerful rules.”

I said.

“Sure, that is fine with me, but what kind of rules are we setting?”

She smiled as she said so, the expression breathtakingly beautiful and entirely devoid of genuine warmth.

“Rules that will make sure that what we say and do won’t be used by you to attack me in the back, just trying to survive, you see.”

I whispered, looking down at our intertwined hands. My words caused the atmosphere to pause, like I just opened up something that shouldn’t have been opened up at all.

“Hmmm….. you don’t trust me after all we have been through?”

‘Bitch, what have we been through?’

Holding that thought, Krave moved her thumb brushing smoothly over the cuff of my sleeve.

“The law of the jungle is surviving, and survival needs a careful life. Forgive me but I like to be careful.”

I said.

“Fair. The world is indeed an uneven place.”

Krave said, the sharp probing edge of a master manipulator hiding flawlessly beneath her honeyed tone.

“Good, so what kind of contracts are you comfortable with?”

I asked, allowing a brief flicker of feigned exhaustion to cross my features.

“Something very hard I say~”

Krave said softly, leaning in closer, the sheer sea-silk of her gown dragging across my leg.

“Of course, I have something very hard for you after we settle the deal.”

She tilted her head, her dark fathomless eyes searching mine. I took that look with stride as we had reached a level of finally showing each other that we are neither stupid nor have not seen through each other. Right now we have reached the level of simmering.

The past few days Luna played her role, I played the fool. I thought I played it well enough to fool her but it seems I was wrong. She did figure it out, and then later I figured out that she figured it out.

[The whole ‘I know, he knows, she knows’ situation. Told you, you can’t fool her. Not like this. She is not like the rest. You entered the big leagues now….]

‘The last part was not needed.’

[I wanted to make it dramatic.]

‘That you did.’

Focusing back, I looked at Krave. My attraction to her still active and quite hot I say. Still, she is indeed dangerous and like my system said, I have to be careful. So some actions need restrictions on her part.

“Make an oath to the Creation Goddess and we are set.”

“What will the oath be?”

“Simple. You swear an oath to never divulge what you see on the trip with me and will never use the people I show and meet against me, or make any move to hurt them or divulge that information. A strict oath I say.”

My words sounded out, making Krave narrow her eyes. A certain resisting spark in them, but in the end she relented.

“Fine, I will make the oath.”

Thus under my eyes Krave fully made the oath, and I made sure each word was perfect and no loophole was left. Soon a small light formed around Krave and I felt the strength of the pact tied to me. If she breaks it I will know and she will suffer the consequences.

Now the two of us were standing facing each other, sly smiles on our faces. The two of us looking at each other with a certain heat flowing between us. The truth of the matter lay that the two of us were enjoying tricking and trying to trick each other. Somehow it made the two of us very much hotter for each other.

Krave might try to hide it but I found it out. Those subtle ways we played with words and the things we did laid the foundations to a lot of stuff. Pretending, dropping hints for her, everything was a power play. Even now I am not 100% sure that everything was her plan to get me till here. That’s how many tricks we were pulling on each other. From the touches to the display of weaknesses, everything was a game between us from the very beginning itself.

From the moment I told myself I liked her internally, from the very first moment we met to till now, we have been trying to fool the other. It’s like when a hunter meets another hunter, we just know. And now that moment has cultivated till here. I won’t deny it, I am indeed attracted to her. Something about her takes me closer to her.

Because for just as much ruthlessness and all she worked through to get where she is, she also protected the oceans and loves it with that much ruthlessness too.

“You killed and grew to this place to reach such a position not for yourself, but to protect the oceans, to protect the waters.”

I said, not a question but a statement right to her. No change in her expression came. All that came to me was a subtle sensual-like smile from Krave as she replied.

“Who knows?~”

But to my eyes I could tell. In fact I could know.

“I can tell you know. Because we walk the same path. I did it a bit differently from you, to protect the ones close to me too. I didn’t let everything go to reach a place to protect them all.”

Once again Krave just smiled as she replied.

“That’s quite courageous. Makes you more….. unique….”

Krave said as she walked up to me, closer and closer, soon standing very close. I could feel her breath and all her eyes looking at me. Not to mention the tentacles around her were vibrating with a lot of excitement.

“Let’s stop with all these words and now talk with action. You promised me something….. hard, remember?”

Krave said as she whispered into my ears, sticking close to me, the suckers behind her very excited as they made certain pop…pop…sounds.

“You left Luna behind and told her what we will be doing, right? I already set a room aside for us.”

I felt my cock twitch a bit at those words.

“Lead the way.”

Was all I could say.