Chapter 29
If Keane were the one driving, he might have tried to lighten the mood with a casual topic. But compared to the emotionally intelligent Keane, Silas, for all his sharp looks and combat skills, had the social instincts of a kindergartener.
Sonia tried several times to strike up small talk with Lucius, hoping to close the distance between them, but each attempt fell flat.
By the time they arrived at the Woodward résidence, the rain had subsided. She reluctantly stepped out and said, “Thank you for taking me home tonight, Mr. White.”
“Get some rest.” That was all Lucius said before signaling Silas to drive on. It was nearly midnight by the time they returned to Azure Bay.
Pushing open the double doors to the master bedroom on the third floor, Lucius was so shocked by the scene he saw that he felt a rush of blood.
Valerie lay stretched out on the king-sized bed with satin sheets, wearing her usual black silk nightgown. Her sleeping posture was anything but graceful as the hem of her nightgown had ridden up to her waist, exposing her long, pale legs.
Lucifer was wrapped around her like a vine, its nearly six-foot-seven-inch-long serpent body coiled possessively.
For a moment, the sight struck him like a fairytale —an elfin beauty with seaweed-like hair trapped by a wicked serpent in a forest, waiting for a prince to save her.
That visual contrast of a monster and a beauty stirred something in him.
After that brief moment of stunned silence, reality hit him. Had Valerie been scared to death
by Lucifer?
Yes, Lucius was worried that Valerie might have been scared to death, not poisoned. Lucifer was non-venomous and had a strikingly beautiful color, but it was still a massive serpent,
notorious for its temper. Even Keane and Silas avoided it.
Panic tightened in his chest as he quickly strode toward the bed.
Sensing movement in the room, Valerie’s eyes opened in alert, just to meet his concerned gaze. He let out a quiet breath, relieved to see her alive.
Wrapped around Valerie, Lucifer sensed his approach and mischievously flicked its tongue at
him.
“Get down here, Lucifer,” Lucius commanded in a low voice.
Lucifer ignored him entirely and stayed wrapped around Valerie.
After waking up, she stretched lazily and raised her arm to gesture slightly. Instantly, it uncoiled from her waist and slithered up to wrap around her wrist instead.
Lucius stared in surprise. “Aren’t you afraid of it?”
Stroking Lucifer’s head, Valerie replied, “Why would I be? It’s such a beautiful little thing.”
Blue-blooded serpents were rare and valuable, with an enchanting appearance. Owning one was equivalent to owning a priceless Ferrari.
To her, it was simply a beautiful little pet. Lucifer preened, writhing softly and slithering around her arm in delight.
Lucius wouldn’t have believed it if he hadn’t seen it himself. It shocked him that the usually temperamental, cold Lucifer had such a cuddly, adorable side.
Valerie yawned, wiping a tear of drowsiness from the corner of her eye. “To be staying out there until this late, you must have an eventful private life, Mr. White.”
Lucius arched a brow. “Already using your new title as Mrs. White to keep tabs on me?”
She responded with another yawn before saying, “You barged in and woke me up, yet you act like you did nothing wrong. Not everyone’s immune to waking up grumpy.”
“This is my room.”
She rolled her eyes. “Do you think I’d be here if I’d found a second bed in this villa?”
