The cabin was a pressure cooker of pine-scented air and high-stakes silence. Outside, the crunch of gravel under Mr. Henderson's heavy boots signaled the rhythm of his patrol—sixty seconds of visibility as he passed the window, followed by three minutes of shadow.
Chen Yue didn't move when the flashlight beam swept across the ceiling. She stayed pinned against me, her silk robe sliding off one shoulder to reveal skin that glowed like polished jade in the dark.
"Henderson thinks a flashlight can stop a merger," she whispered against my ear, her teeth grazing the lobe. "He has no idea how high the buy-in is."
She was proactive in a way Sylvia wasn't. Sylvia was a black hole of need; Chen Yue was a strategic conqueror. She straddled me, her weight a deliberate, agonizing pressure against my thighs. Her hands, cold and soft, slid beneath my shirt, mapping my ribs with a proprietary curiosity.
[ SYSTEM ALERT: LUST CONVERSION ACTIVE ]
[ HARVEST RATE: +12 LP PER SECOND ]
I reached up, my hands tangling in her silk-soft hair, pulling her face down to mine. Our kiss was a clash of egos, a battle for dominance that tasted of expensive lip gloss and raw, unbridled ambition. She let out a soft, sharp moan that she immediately choked back, mindful of the thin log walls.
As Henderson's boots faded toward Cabin Eight, I flipped the script. I rolled her over, pinning her wrists above her head against the rough-hewn headboard. The contrast was intoxicating—the elite, high-society dragoness held captive by the "plumber" in a room that smelled of woodsmoke.
I didn't rush. I traced the line of her silk robe with my tongue, feeling her shudder beneath me. Every time she tried to cry out, I caught the sound with my mouth, turning her gasps into a shared, suffocating heat. The danger of being caught—of the "clerical error" being revoked in disgrace—acted like a catalyst, pushing the intensity to a level that made the Behemoth roar within.
She arched, her body a taut bow of silk and muscle, her legs locking around my waist to pull me deeper into her orbit. We moved in a frantic, silent rhythm, a dance of shadows timed to the intervals of a PE teacher's flashlight. When the climax hit, it wasn't just a release; it was a surrender. Chen Yue's eyes went wide, her nails drawing blood on my shoulders as she shuddered through a peak that shattered her icy composure.
[ LP HARVESTED: +180 ]
[ TOTAL LP: 520 ]
I woke up to the sound of a whistle that felt like a drill to the skull.
"UP AND AT 'EM! REVEILLE IN FIVE MINUTES!" Henderson roared outside.
Chen Yue was already dressed, looking immaculate in a high-end athletic set. If I hadn't seen her shattered and gasping an hour ago, I'd have thought she was a statue. She looked at me, a lingering, possessive spark in her eyes that told me the "merger" was now permanent.
The morning activity was "The Trust Fall and Trek." The class was gathered at the edge of the creek, where a steep, muddy embankment required partners to haul each other up.
"Chaycer! You're with Rishie," Henderson barked, looking at his clipboard. "Chen, you're with Stevens. Let's see some teamwork!"
Rishie stood by the mud, her face a mask of cold fury. She didn't look at me; she looked at the faint, fresh scratches on my neck that matched the ones on my back. She wasn't stupid. She knew exactly what had happened in Cabin Seven.
"Grab my hand, Lucas," she said, her voice dripping with venom. "Or are you too 'exhausted' from your evening activities?"
As I grabbed her hand to pull her up the ridge, the tension was physical. I could feel her heartbeat through her palm—fast, erratic, and hurt.
"Rishie, it's not what you think," I started, but she yanked her hand away the moment she reached the top.
"I don't care what you do, Lucas," she hissed, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "Just don't pretend you're the same person I used to know. That guy didn't treat people like they were disposable."
From the top of the ridge, Chen Yue watched us, her arms crossed, a small, satisfied smile on her face. She had marked her territory, and she was enjoying the fallout.
[ SYSTEM WARNING: PLAYBOY STYLE STABILITY DECREASING ]
[ RELATIONSHIP: RISHIE (HURT/JEALOUS) ]
[ RELATIONSHIP: CHEN YUE (OBSESSED/ALLIED) ]
I stood between them—the girl who knew my past and the girl who wanted my future. The Ozarks were beautiful, but the woods were getting smaller by the second.