Chapter 260: Midnight Assault

Adam let out a slow breath, leaning back against the tree trunk behind him. His crimson eyes fixed on the ornate box resting on the damp earth.

"We’ll find a way to fix it," he said, his voice quiet but steady. "There has to be someone who can repair legendary artifacts."

Lilith, seated beside him with her silver-threaded gown pooling on the ground, inclined her head. Her crimson eyes met his.

"And if there isn’t?"

A flicker of frustration crossed Adam’s face, but his crimson eyes held steady.

"Then we go to the Wasteland without it."

Isolde’s head snapped toward him, her pale eyes wide with disbelief. Her voice came out sharp, incredulous.

"That’s suicide! Without the compass, you’ll wander until you die of thirst or madness. There’s no other way to navigate that place. You know that."

Adam’s expression didn’t change.

"It’s the only way."

Isolde pushed off from her tree, her hands clenching into fists at her sides. Her voice rose, edged with desperation.

"I won’t follow you on a suicide mission. I refuse to throw my life away for nothing."

Adam’s crimson eyes met hers, calm and unyielding.

"Then don’t."

Isolde’s breath caught. Her hands trembled.

"You... you’d just let me go? After everything?"

Adam shrugged, the motion stiff, pained.

"You’re not a prisoner, Isolde. You never were." His voice softened, just a fraction. "The poison was to keep you from betraying us. But if you want to leave... I won’t stop you."

Isolde stared at him. Her pale eyes searched his face for deceit, for cruelty, for anything that would make this easier to hate.

She found nothing.

"You’re an idiot," she whispered, her voice cracking. "A complete idiot."

She turned and walked back to her tree, her back to the group, her shoulders shaking.

Adam watched her go, his gaze lingering on her trembling shoulders before he looked away.

Lilith’s hand found his, her fingers cool against his torn skin.

"She’ll stay," Lilith murmured, her voice soft, certain. "She has nowhere else to go."

Adam’s eyes remained closed, his breathing slow and steady. The bark of the tree pressed against his back, rough and grounding.

"Whatever she decides," he said quietly, "is up to her. Right now, we rest. I need my strength back before we go anywhere."

"You’re right," Lilith said quietly, her crimson eyes fixed on Isolde’s retreating back. "If she’s afraid, she can stay behind."

Ignis, still sprawled on the ground, her flames a faint, warm glow, nodded sleepily. "Yeah. Maybe the Wasteland isn’t as scary as everyone says. We’ve survived worse."

Adam exhaled slowly, his voice heavy with exhaustion.

"You two..." He shook his head, too tired to argue. "Enough. I’m too exhausted to think about this right now. I need to sleep."

Ignis stirred immediately, pushing herself up on her elbows. Her golden eyes, still hazy with fatigue, fixed on Adam with sudden determination.

"Then I’m sleeping next to you." Her voice was firm, almost defiant. "I don’t want to be alone."

Lilith’s eyebrow rose. Her tone was dry, teasing.

"You’re an adult now, Ignis. Surely you can sleep by yourself."

Ignis’s cheeks flushed. Her flames flickered with embarrassment.

"I don’t want to! It’s cold, and... and I just don’t, okay?"

Adam glanced at Lilith, his expression tired but patient.

"It’s fine, Lilith. It’s better this way, anyway."

Lilith studied them for a moment, Ignis’s flushed face, Adam’s weary acceptance. Then she inclined her head, a small smile curving her lips.

"Very well. You two rest. I’ll keep watch."

Ignis didn’t wait for further permission. She crawled to Adam’s side, curling against him, her head finding its place on his shoulder. Her arm wrapped around his chest, pulling herself close. The warmth of her flames, dimmed but still present, seeped through his torn clothes.

"Goodnight," she murmured, her voice already thick with sleep.

Adam stiffened for a moment. Ignis’s chest pressed against his side, soft and warm, and he could feel her heartbeat. His arm, hesitant at first, came up to rest across her back.

"Goodnight, Ignis."

Her breathing slowed. Within moments, she was asleep, her flames flickering gently in rhythm with her breath.

Lilith watched Ignis’s sleeping form, the young drake’s flames now a soft, rhythmic glow that pulsed with each breath. A faint, amused smile curved her lips.

"She falls asleep so quickly," she murmured, almost to herself. Her crimson eyes shifted to Adam. "You should rest too, Adam. Sleep while you can."

Adam’s eyelids were already heavy, his body sinking into the exhaustion he had been holding at bay. He nodded, the motion sluggish.

"Alright... If anything happens, wake me, Lilith."

Lilith’s voice was soft, steady, reassuring.

"Of course. I’ll make sure everything stays safe."

Adam’s lips curved into a faint, tired smile. His eyes drifted closed.

’Lilith... she’s reliable.’

The thought surfaced, warm and unguarded, as consciousness slipped away.

His breathing slowed. His body relaxed against the tree, Ignis still curled against his side, her warmth seeping into his chilled skin.

For a few hours, there was nothing but darkness and the slow rhythm of breathing.

Thsn Adam stirred in the darkness, a low groan catching in his throat before it could escape. A warm, insistent pressure was stroking his cock with slow, deliberate movements. Pleasure coiled sharp and sudden through his exhausted body, dragging him out of deep sleep.

His crimson eyes snapped open.

Thin, silvery threads shimmered faintly in the moonlight, wrapping around the small clearing like a delicate cage. They stretched between the trees and over their bodies, creating a private, almost translucent barrier. Ignis was still curled tightly against his side, breathing slow and deep, her flames reduced to a soft, rhythmic glow. She hadn’t stirred.

In front of him, Lilith knelt between his spread legs, one hand slipped beneath the torn fabric of his pants, her cool fingers wrapped firmly around his hardening length.

Lilith’s crimson eyes met his the moment he woke. A small, knowing smile curved her lips.

"Hmm?" she purred softly. "Did I wake you, Adam?"

Adam’s breath hitched. He tried to shift, but the threads around his wrists and waist held him gently but firmly in place. His voice came out low, hoarse, and tense.

"Lilith... what the hell are you doing?" His gaze dropped to where her hand was moving slowly along his cock. "Why is your hand on my— fuck..."

"Shhhht..." Lilith whispered, pressing a finger from her free hand against her own lips, then against his. Her voice was velvet and sin. "Be quiet for a moment, Adam. I’ll make you feel good..."

She stroked him again, firmer this time, thumb gliding over the sensitive head. Adam’s hips jerked involuntarily, a sharp breath escaping through clenched teeth.

"Hey— Lilith, not now," he whispered urgently, voice strained and quiet, trying not to wake Ignis. "I’m still weak... and Ignis is right beside me. If she wakes up—"

Lilith leaned closer, her breath warm against his ear while her hand continued its slow, torturous rhythm. The threads tightened slightly, keeping his body open for her.

"She won’t wake," Lilith murmured, lips brushing his jaw. "Not unless you get too loud. Just relax... let me take care of you."

Adam’s breath came out ragged as Lilith’s hand continued its slow, expert strokes. Her fingers were cool, yet somehow ignited heat wherever they touched. Every glide made his cock twitch and harden further despite his exhaustion.

Adam’s hips bucked weakly into her fist. Pleasure shot through his sore body like lightning, mixing painfully with the dull ache of his wounds.

"Damn it, Lilith..." he hissed through gritted teeth, trying to keep his voice down. "This isn’t... ah... the right time—"

Ignis made a small, sleepy sound and shifted closer against him, her soft breasts pressing tighter into his side, one leg draping lazily over his thigh. The movement only made Lilith’s hand brush against the drake girl’s knee for a second.

Lilith’s eyes gleamed with wicked delight. She didn’t stop. Instead, she lowered her head and let her warm tongue trace a slow, wet line from the base of his cock up to the leaking tip.

"Then you’ll just have to stay quiet, won’t you?" she whispered before taking him into her mouth, lips sliding down halfway in one smooth motion.

Adam’s head fell back against the tree with a muffled grunt. His free hand shot down instinctively, fingers tangling in Lilith’s white hair, not pushing her away, but gripping tight as waves of pleasure crashed through him.

"Fuck... Lilith..." he breathed, voice hoarse and breaking. His body trembled with the effort of staying silent while her mouth worked him deeper, hotter, wetter.

Ignis remained blissfully asleep, unaware, her gentle flames pulsing softly against his skin.

Adam’s grip tightened in Lilith’s hair as her mouth sank deeper, taking him almost to the hilt with sinful skill. Wet heat enveloped him, her tongue swirling around his shaft while she sucked with deliberate, torturous pressure. Pleasure burned through his exhausted body like liquid fire, making his wounds throb in protest even as his hips twitched upward.

’Fuck... she’s too good at this.’

His crimson eyes narrowed slightly in the moonlight, breath ragged and barely controlled.

’This girl... Is she holding a grudge because I once dominated her?’