After a while, Xuan Long’s body slowly relaxed against hers. His breathing evened out slowly, brushing lightly against her collarbone.
Su Qinglan looked down.
His face was resting against her bare shoulder, his long lashes fanning his cheeks, his expression soft like a sleeping child who finally found comfort.
For a moment, she just stared at him quietly. Her chest ached for him. She could guess he was afraid of something, but what it was, she had no idea. And suddenly, she did not want to leave him.
He looked so peaceful now. She didn’t have the heart to wake him up.
"Sleep..." she murmured softly.
She tried to move him a little, just to lay him down properly on the stone bed, but he didn’t let go. His arms stayed around her even in his sleep.
A small, helpless smile came to her lips.
"Even asleep, you don’t let go..." she whispered.
With a soft sigh, she gave up and carefully lay down beside him. Hu Yan was already lying on the other side, still sleeping soundly.
So now, the three of them ended up lying awkwardly on the same bed... one tiger, one snake, and one female in the middle.
Xuan Long’s arms were still wrapped around her waist, refusing to leave her.
She was too tired to fight it. Her eyelids were heavy, her body weak, and slowly, she too drifted into sleep.
The cave turned quiet again. Only the soft wind from the entrance and the sound of slow breathing filled the air.
After a long while, Xuan Long’s eyes opened slightly. He looked at her sleeping face, her lashes resting like feathers on her cheeks.
Something warm flickered in his chest.
He didn’t move. He just tightened his hold a little, resting his head closer to her chest like a pitiful man seeking warmth.
Then he closed his eyes again, a small sigh escaping his lips.
And in that silent cave, the two of them slept like that, wrapped in each other’s quiet warmth, while the moon outside slowly climbed higher in the dark sky.
Su Qinglan woke up suddenly in the total dark. The air was cool in the cave, but she felt incredibly hot, almost sweating right there.
She was pressed against something very warm and solid, and a hot breath was fanning against her cheek.
And soon her heart dropped as she realized that the something hot sliding right down her bare shoulder was tears.
She struggled in the middle of the bed, confused by the dimness, but she stopped herself quickly when she heard the quiet, broken crying sound right beside her ear.
She looked up and saw that Hu Yan had already transformed into his human form. His big hand was clutching her waist like he was afraid to lose her, and he was crying silently into the space between them.
When she looked at him, he looked back at her with red eyes and whispered, "Did I wake you up?"
But before he could say anything else, he suddenly broke down more, the silent crying turning into ragged, painful gasps.
"I am sorry, I am sorry, Su Qinglan! I could not protect you! I am such a big loser, and now you have to struggle for me too!"
Her heart squeezed tight. She hated seeing him hurt himself like this.
"Oh, stop being such a crybaby," she said, her voice soft but firm. "It was not your fault at all. The beast man took me by surprise, not you. See, I am perfectly fine."
She reached out, took his big, warm hands away from his face, and placed them firmly on her stomach, right on her belly.
"See?" she murmured, rubbing the backs of his hands with her thumb. "The cubs are fine. They are also very happy to meet you! Why are you crying like a crybaby? What if your cubs learn this from you?"
Hu Yan was still very, very sad for himself. The suddenness of her strange joke made him almost laugh, but it also made him cry harder from the relief. He was so glad she was perfectly fine.
He could not believe she was finally here, perfectly alive and well, with nothing wrong.
He suddenly let go of all his worries, and the beast inside him took possession. He just wanted to worship her.
He felt so much overwhelming gratitude to the Beast God for keeping his female perfectly fine and protecting her.
Only he knew how terrified he had been when that owl beast man kidnapped her, and he had agonized over all the possible bad things that could happen.
Now, seeing her fine, he couldn’t stop himself and started kissing her all over her face and body because he was too overwhelmed. He wanted to imprint her scent on himself.
She pushed him back softly, laughing. "Stop! You are tickling me! Why are you behaving like such a big puppy? Are you not a cat?" she said, trying to get out from his clutches that refused to budge.
But Hu Yan did not stop. He needed to touch every part of her to confirm she was real. He kissed her again on her cheeks, on her nose, on her forehead, hard on her lips, and then down to her collarbones, letting the wave of immense relief wash over him.
Hu Yan still did not control himself. He leaned in close and whispered hot, sweet nothings right in her ear.
"Lan Lan, only I know how much I felt when I suddenly lost you," he murmured, kissing the edge of her ear. "So never, never leave me again," he whispered.
Su Qinglan instantly realized how emotional and broken he was right then. She started comforting him, saying, "Don’t worry, everything is fine, I am safe," and so on.
But Hu Yan shook his head, pulling her closer so her back was pressed against the hard muscle of his chest. He stopped her comforting words.
"Female," he said, and his voice was thick with tears again. "I have realized I really love you. Don’t abandon me, please."