doitstory Chapter 592: The Terms of Surrender
Chapter 592: The Terms of Surrender
Louisa blinked through her damp eyelashes, her chest still heaving slightly as she tried to comprehend the absolute ease with which he had granted her first condition. Realizing she actually held power in this negotiation, she swallowed the lump in her throat and gathered her courage for the second demand.
"Then... then I want my mother to always stay with me," Louisa whispered, her voice tightening with fierce protective instinct. "You can’t separate her from me, and you can’t cast her out."
"Whoa, hold on a second," Ethan interrupted, a look of pure, unadulterated amusement washing over his handsome face as he let out a low chuckle. "Your mother left this room entirely on her own two feet, Louisa; I didn’t kick her out. If she wants to pull up a chair and watch while I thoroughly breed you, or if she wants to jump into this mattress so I can take you both together, she has my absolute, unconditional approval."
Louisa’s jaw dropped, her mind freezing at the sheer, scandalous audacity of his words.
"I would never dream of casting her out," Ethan continued, his tone shifting into a smoother, more genuine note of sincerity. "I actually like Mary a lot. She is a phenomenal woman, and she has my complete and utter respect for the brutal, clever ways she kept you and Roy alive on this lawless frontier. She is a survivor. Why would I ever banish someone like that?"
A small, involuntary giggle escaped Louisa’s lips before she could stop it. The sheer absurdity of his mental image shattered the last remnants of her rigid terror. She looked up into his deep violet eyes, searching for a punchline. "You... you are just playing around with me, right? That’s a joke."
"Do you want it to be a joke?" Ethan murmured back, his voice dropping into a dark, velvety baritone that sent an electric shiver straight to her core.
Louisa’s playful mood instantaneously vanished, replaced by a fresh wave of breathless panic. She brought her small hands up, giving his hard, bare shoulder a series of frantic, playful little slaps. "If you wanted to bed my mother so badly, why didn’t you just choose her from the start?! Why target me?!"
In an instant, the playful atmosphere evaporated.
With a movement so fluid and blindingly fast it left her completely breathless, Ethan caught both of her wrists in a single palm, pinning them effortlessly against the mattress right above her head. His massive, muscular frame immediately blanketed her smaller body, trapping her entirely beneath his burning heat as his amethyst eyes flared with a heavy, rawly possessive light.
Before she could even utter a gasp, Ethan leaned down, his lips crashing hungrily against hers.
He didn’t give her room to breathe. His tongue aggressively forced its way past her teeth, swirling deep within her mouth to taste the vintage wine and the sweet, frantic essence of her submission, completely dominating her senses until her toes curled tightly beneath the heavy sheets.
When he finally pulled back, a thin glistening thread of saliva connected their lips in the dim moonlight. Ethan looked down at her flushed, thoroughly dazed face, a dangerous, intoxicating smirk curving his mouth.
"And who exactly told you," Ethan whispered, his breath hot against her swollen lips, "that I don’t want to completely devour you too?"
"I am feeling incredibly generous tonight," Ethan whispered, his deep voice vibrating directly against her chest as he kept her wrists pinned to the mattress. His amethyst eyes burned with a dark, untamed hunger that left her completely breathless. "State your third and final condition, Louisa, before I make you completely and utterly mine."
Her heart was hammering so violently it felt like a continuous strike of lightning radiating through her entire body. She looked up at him in the dim moonlight. Ethan was an absolute masterpiece of flesh and bone—a peak genius, ruthless yet devastatingly magnificent, and right now, he was holding her down with a raw, undeniable desire. Was this horrific situation not also her secret, wildest dream come to life?
The heavy reality of the frontier hit her hard. She had him. Perhaps she wouldn’t have him all to herself forever, but he was hers right now. What could she possibly ask a man of his caliber for? Eternal love? Absolute fidelity? Such promises were worthless breath on the frontier. After a few agonizing seconds of thought, she looked directly into his eyes, her voice cracking with a fragile, beautiful vulnerability.
"Just... please, never abandon me," she whispered.
Ethan didn’t say a single word. He leaned down and crashed his lips onto hers in a deep, burning kiss that sealed her request into the very fabric of the room. As he drank her sweet sighs, his grip on her wrists finally loosened. The moment her hands were free, Louisa didn’t try to push him away; instead, driven by a sudden, volatile wave of pure instinct, she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, pulling his massive chest closer.
Ethan’s large, calloused hands slid down her torso, firmly massaging her breasts over the thin fabric of her clothes. He broke the kiss for a fraction of a second, leaning down to press his lips directly against her ear.
"I will never let you go anywhere, Louisa," Ethan murmured in a low, possessive baritone that sent an electric shock straight down her spine. "You will always stay exactly where you belong. Right beside me."
Louisa nodded her head shyly against his shoulder, her entire body melting beneath his touch. She was about to be thoroughly claimed by the most powerful, magnificent man she had ever laid eyes upon. The lingering fear in her chest had completely transformed into a heavy, intoxicating wave of pure, unadulterated euphoria.
"Now," Ethan whispered, his hands sliding down to the hem of her skirt. "It is time for my three rules."
"Tell me," Louisa panted softly, her eyes locked onto his dark profile.
"Never betray me, never lie to me, and belong to me for eternity," Ethan commanded flatly.
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From this moment forward, to avoid confusion regarding cultivation ranks, I will include this footer with the current established levels.
Note: These are only the ranks mentioned so far to avoid spoilers.
Body Refinement Realm
Skin Refinement / Bone Refinement / Organ Refinement
Spiritual Gathering Realm
Spiritual Perception / Spiritual Mist / Spiritual Condensation
Spiritual Core Realm
Core Solidification / Core Awakening / Spiritual Collapse (Half-step Spiritual Core)
Spiritual Soul Realm
Spiritual Soul Awakening / Soul Nourishing / Soul-Core Fusion
Golden Core Realm
Prime Fusion / Core Perfection / Core Destruction
Spiritual Sea Realm
Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??
Dao Manifestation Realm
Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??
Spiritual Transcendence
Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??