[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-interstellar-beast-world-all-my-husbands-are-pow":3,"chapter-interstellar-beast-world-all-my-husbands-are-pow-interstellar-beast-world-all-my-husbands-are-pow-chapter-224":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Interstellar Beast World: All My Husbands Are Powerful and Rich!",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1305352,1733,"Chapter 224: Rest","interstellar-beast-world-all-my-husbands-are-pow-chapter-224",224,"\u003Cp>Vincent yielded easily, sinking back onto the soft bed. He looked up at Rory, indulgence and a faint smile lingering in his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh?\" he murmured, voice low and slightly hoarse, deliberately softened into something deeper, more magnetic. \"And how does Rory intend to punish me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn’t answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, Rory leaned down, bracing her hands on either side of him, caging him beneath her shadow. A strand of her hair slipped forward, brushing lightly across his cheek—a teasing, feather-soft touch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The first punishment,\" she said at last, her voice gentle as drifting silk, yet edged with quiet authority, \"is for hiding your injuries from me... and making me worry.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the words had fully settled, she lowered her head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her lips, warm and impossibly soft, pressed against a newly healed scar near his collarbone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The kiss was light—utterly devoid of desire—yet it struck deeper than any seduction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment their skin met, Vincent’s body stiffened, his breath catching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His throat tightened; his Adam’s apple bobbed as he struggled to steady himself. He opened his mouth, about to speak, but Rory lifted a finger and pressed it lightly against his lips, silencing him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Shh. I said I wouldpunishyou tonight.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her fingertip was cool against his warmth, the contrast sharp, intimate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The second punishment...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her breath brushed over his lips, carrying her faint, clean scent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...is for not taking care of yourself. For letting yourself get hurt like this.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her fingers traced slowly down the line of his jaw, lingering at his throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she bent her head and gently bit the most vulnerable place at his neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A muffled groan escaped him before he could stop it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sharp sting sent a rush of heat through his body—blood surging upward, then crashing back in a dizzying wave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instinctively, he wanted to pull her into his arms, but he remembered her earlier command.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His hands tightened into fists instead, veins rising along the backs as he forced himself to endure, restraining the urge to hold her close.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At last, Rory straightened, a small, satisfied smile tugging at her lips—softened by a hint of tenderness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her fingers lingered, still brushing lightly over his lips. \"As for the third punishment...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She drew the words out deliberately, then leaned close to his ear, her voice lowered to a whisper meant for him alone:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...tonight, you are to rest properly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vincent froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The heat in his eyes flickered, then stilled—giving way to something like pure astonishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rory wasn’t unwilling to deepen their bond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she remembered what Lola Brandon had once told her—for the firebird clan, forming a bond was sacred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was never something done casually or in passing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They built a nest of their own feathers for the one they loved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a vow, a ritual—something that could not be rushed, and certainly not done in someone else’s domain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing his expression, Rory raised a brow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What are you looking at? I know your clan values ceremony. You don’t just form bonds anywhere.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, she tugged away the towel at his waist, pulled the blanket over both of them, and settled comfortably into his arms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tonight, we sleep.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"When we return... we’ll complete the bond properly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vincent looked down at her, something inside his chest softening, as though brushed by the gentlest feather.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had thought she didn’t know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The firebird clan’s bonding ritual was etched into their blood—a sacred instinct.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not merely a union, but a vow of life itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When courting, a male firebird would dance his most brilliant dance beneath heaven and earth, declaring his love.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And when accepted, he would pluck the finest, strongest feathers from his own chest, one by one, weaving them into a nest for his beloved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That nest was more than a place—it was a promise, built from flesh, spirit, and devotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each feather carried his power, his protection—everything he could give.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only when he welcomed his partner into that nest, within a domain formed entirely of his presence and strength, could the bond truly be completed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had to be done at his strongest—not like this, hurried and incomplete, on strange territory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vincent pulled Rory tightly into his arms, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Warmth surged through him—so fierce it almost hurt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The restless heat she had stirred in him moments ago now seemed insignificant compared to this quiet, profound understanding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Rory...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice was rough—not with intention this time, but with emotion barely held in check.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...thank you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He thought she had come tonight to complete the bond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If she had insisted, he would never have refused, but there would have been regret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead... she came knowing they would wait.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rory nestled closer into his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re my partner. If you keep thanking me, I’ll bite you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Alright, alright.\" He raised his hands in surrender, his eyes bright with gentle affection. \"I won’t say it anymore.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He paused, holding her tighter, breathing in her familiar, calming scent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Just—Rory...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice softened further, almost a murmur against her skin, carrying the faintest trace of grievance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This ’punishment’ of yours... is a little too effective.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She could feel his warm breath against her neck, his low voice sending a subtle shiver through her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You... you deserve it.\" She bit lightly at his shoulder. \"That’s interest—for hiding your injuries.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And the main bill?\" he asked with a quiet laugh, his lips brushing her ear. \"We’ll settle that when we return.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rory smiled against him. \"When your nest is ready... we’ll settle everything—the main bill and interest.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Deal.\" Satisfied, Vincent adjusted their position, letting her rest more comfortably in the crook of his arm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sleep,\" he murmured, gently patting her back, his voice soft enough to melt into the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tonight, I’ll listen to you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mm.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rory truly stilled this time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Resting against his steady heartbeat, wrapped in his warmth, she felt her lingering fears slowly fade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At some point, she realized that as long as Vincent was there, she could always find peace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beneath the sea, currents swayed softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elsewhere, Paros stirred awake in his chamber, glancing around in confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rory was nowhere to be seen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Big sister?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was a hint of urgency in his voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Awuu...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Terry, roused by the sound, mumbled sleepily from his hair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Daddy... are you looking for Mommy?\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1058,"2026-06-05T18:17:47.496Z",1,"novelbin.me","1c1d8214b4b5b43e87e78fdf60df96eea899d74c06c7defecf5eb581596be054","interstellar-beast-world-all-my-husbands-are-pow-chapter-225","interstellar-beast-world-all-my-husbands-are-pow-chapter-223",315,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Finterstellar-beast-world-all-my-husbands-are-pow-cover.jpg"]