?Chapter 226:


    Alice couldn''t quite understand what was happening, but her lips had already responded to his.


    Their mouths moved together instinctively, and their tongues intertwined, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.


    The sensation was so real.


    Alice began to wonder if she was really in the afterlife.


    Caden took a sip of water and gently gave it to her, repeating the gesture carefully, over and over.


    Soon her lips went numb and her face started to hurt.


    Only then did she try to pull away.


    As soon as she did, Caden yfully bit her soft skin, showing his displeasure.


    She let out a small moan of pain.


    At that moment, he realized she wasn''t dead.


    The memories he had before were just a dream.


    Once the ss was empty, Caden wiped his lips and looked at her.


    "Do you want more?" he asked.


    Alice shook her head, feeling satisfied.


    She had epted the fact that she was still alive, but there was something that puzzled her.


    “How did you know about my dream?” she asked.


    How did he know she had dreamed about hell?


    Caden put down his ss and smirked.


    “Because you were talking in your sleep,” he replied.


    Alice was stunned.


    Seriously? Was I talking in my sleep?


    The revtion took her by surprise and she found it hard to believe.


    “That can’t be true,” she muttered.


    Without a word, Caden pulled out his phone and yed a recording.


    His own voice filled the room.


    “I like you… a lot.


    You’re handsome, fit, and exceptionally skilled in bed.


    ” Alice felt mortified.


    The voice on the recording was unmistakable, too clear to be a sleep conversation.


    Worse, Caden wasn''t just listening; he was conversing with her.


    "I love sleeping with you.


    It makes me feel amazing," the recording continued.


    Alice''s heart sank as the words continued to ring.


    Realizing what was happening, a surge of adrenaline coursed through her.


    She stood up and searched desperately for her phone, but Caden deftly pulled it out of her reach.


    "I love being in your arms.


    I love the way you fuck me, the way you look at me and kiss me.


    "


    Before she could finish her sentence, panic gripped Alice.


    "Caden! Caden! Turn it off now!" he shouted.


    Caden didn''t bother to turn it off, but his scream drowned out thest word.


    The recording stopped abruptly.


    Alice blushed with embarrassment.


    She red at him.


    “How could you do this to me?”


    Caden smiled slyly.


    “Did I force you to say those things with a knife to your throat?”


    Alice had no answer.


    He wanted to reply but couldn''t find anything to say.


    Without saying anything else, he closed his eyes and pretended to sleep.


    Caden fiddled casually with his phone.


    “Looks like I have more of an advantage over you now, Alicia.


    ”


    Instead of losing herposure, Alice found a strange sense of calm in her embarrassment.


    She pulled herself together and replied, “Power? I was just being honest, though.


    You’re good in bed, aren’t you?”


    Caden’s smile widened.


    “And you just admitted that you like me.


    ”


    Alice fell silent.


    Acknowledging her feelings seemed more humiliating than talking about their physical connection.


    I didn''t want to give him the satisfaction of an answer.


    When they had finished eating, the innkeeper came to change Alice''s bandages.


    When she took off her clothes, she found that she had dark bruises scattered over her body from her fall down the mountainside.


    His shoulder was fractured and back pain suggested possible spinal injuries.


    As Caden left the room, Alicia turned to the innkeeper.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    "Was he badly hurt?" asked Alice.


    The innkeeper raised an eyebrow, looking slightly amused.


    “You mean that man? Isn’t he your boyfriend?”


    Alice looked down, shaking her head.


    “No, it isn’t.


    ”


    “Oh, yeah? Then why did you go to all that trouble to save him? When I found you, he was on top of you, practically suffocating you in the snow.


    You were barely breathing.


    How far did you take him? Your bones are broken.


    ”


    Alice paused, trying to piece together her vague memory of what had happened just before she lost consciousness.


    At the time, nothing else mattered.


    Her only thought had been to save him.


    She had acted on pure instinct, but now, looking back, it seemed foolish.


    In a low voice, she whispered, “Please don’t tell him any of this.


    ”


    Before the innkeeper could respond, the door creaked and Caden entered.


    He was carrying a set of clean clothes in one hand and looked between them.


    “Don’t tell me what?”


    Alice looked surprised.


    “It’s nothing.


    ”


    Sensing the tension, the innkeeper smiled knowingly and excused herself from the room.


    Caden handed Alicia a freshlyundered shirt.


    “Here, put this on.


    ”


    Without a word, she pulled it over her head.


    Caden had borrowed the clothes from the innkeeper''s husband, who was not around.


    The three of them were the only ones in the small, quiet inn.


    Alice looked up at the pitch-ck sky as the snow continued to fall.


    “Did you manage to get through to the rescue team?”


    "Yes.


    They know we are safe, but the snow has blocked the road.


    It will take them a week to get there.


    "


    Alice blinked in surprise.


    “A whole week?”


    However, with the injuries they both had, the idea of ??resting here for so long didn''t seem so bad.


    As the night progressed, Caden took a bath, though the effort nearly exhausted him.


    When he finally emerged, he went straight to Alicia''s bed and settled in without hesitation.


    “Are you staying here?” Alice asked, feeling tense.


    Caden saw no reason toplicate things.


    “There’s no room anywhere else.


    Unless you don’t want me here,” he replied.


    Alice ced her hands firmly on his chest, trying to create some space between them.


    “We shouldn’t share a bed.


    I’m a woman, you’re a man.


    It’s better if we sleep separately to avoid unnecessary situations.


    ”


    She didn''t say it outright, but Caden easily understood her hesitation.


    Ignoring her protest, he pulled her into his arms.


    “Have you ever heard of the Moss family of Averibon?”


    Alice, still in pain, could barely respond.


    Her voice came out muffled as she said, “Yes.


    ”


    ?The Wards and the Mosses have known each other for a long time.


    For generations we have been linked, both by friendship and by business.


    More than twenty years ago, Dorian Moss was at the top of the scientific world, and his daughter, Ynda, inherited that brilliance.


    I need his knowledge for something important.


    ?


    Alicia paused for a moment, suddenly remembering the business card Ynda had given her.


    Ynda has nothing to do with me emotionally.


    She only works for me.


    Do you understand?