Why doesn't she believe me? "There aren't any beast cores of Rank 10 in here, yet you promised Silas five of them. Were you planning to trick him?" Marcus wouldn't deceive Silas, right? "Confess for leniency, or I'll punish you." Emma lifted her hand and caught the ear Marcus hadn't folded back. "If you don't tell the truth, I'll twist this right off." Marcus was dumbfounded. His huntress was fierce, yet unbearably cute. At that moment, all he wanted to do was kiss her. Leaning closer until his lips almost brushed her cheek, he finally spoke, voice still tinged with wounded innocence. "Ms. Tibarn, I already told you. Those beast cores, I… snatched them. Well, not really snatched. They were given to me." That was all he had left. The ones he'd given Silas and Lucien were gone; the rest he'd handed to Corvin. "They were given to you?"Emma's tone stayed skeptical. Who in their right mind would give away that many Rank 10 beast cores? "So who exactly gave them to you?" Emma asked. "The Drakonid," Marcus answered with a straight face. "They're obsessed with hoarding treasures. Their vault's packed with Rank 10 beast cores." Even Rank 11 ones. Last time, he'd only taken a few and passed them to Corvin and Lucien. As he spoke, Marcus suddenly took Emma's hand and pulled her upright. "Ms. Tibarn, come, I'll show you where to get some." Perfect timing. I am out of beast cores anyway; might as well restock. Who knew when we would return? I have to take plenty this time. Marcus moved fast. Before Emma could react, he'd whisked her straight to the Drakonid treasure vault.The guards at the entrance turned pale the instant they saw him. Then they spun around and bolted. Emma stared, dumbfounded. "They just… ran? Didn't even try to stop you?" Even if they can't win, shouldn't they at least pretend to fight? This was their own vault after all! Marcus looked utterly innocent. "Ms. Tibarn, I told you. They give it to me. When I come, they don't stop me." Except for the very first time—when he'd fought them—no Drakonid had ever blocked his way again. The fleeing guards heard that and screamed internally. It wasn't that they didn't want to stop him; they couldn't! Besides, Mr. Smith and the elders had instructed them that if Marcus ever returned, they were not to engage, only to report to Mr. Smith. The guard captain, panting as he ran, barked to his men, "Go! Find Mr. Smith and our Second Elder! Tell them the demon Marcus is back again!"Thero heard the report and merely waved a hand, entirely unfazed. "Leave him. Let him take what he wants." Mr. Smith's mental power was fractured; he couldn't stop Marcus anyway. Let the wolf do as he pleased. He never took much anyway. "Stand watch at the door. When he leaves, send the Third Elder in to check what he took. We'll claim the losses from the Frostveil Wolf Clan later." Whatever Marcus took, the Wolf King always repaid. They'd never make losses. … Inside the Drakonid vault, the moment Emma stepped in, she sucked in a sharp breath. The place was enormous—like an entire mountain hollowed out. Giant luminous pearls and crystal stones lined the walls.Beast cores, crystals, star coins… Treasures she'd seen, treasures she hadn't—piled high beyond counting. "The Drakonid are loaded!" Emma spoke with open envy. "Ms. Tibarn, come with me." Marcus tugged her deeper inside. The outer section was filled with ordinary goods. The real treasures lay within. Emma stopped him, shaking her head. "We can admire them, but we're not taking anything." If this had been a Chitinid vault, she'd have stripped it bare. But this was the Drakonid's vault. They were on good terms with the Drakonid; blatantly robbing them would be wrong. "You don't like what's here?" Marcus asked, puzzled. How could she not like it? Of course she did. But a wise woman took riches by rightful means. "I love these things," she said, "but no matter how much I love them, they're not mine. We're close with the Drakonid now. Stealing from them isn't right." She finished and gave Marcus' ear a playful twist. "From now on, you're not allowed to come here and 'borrow' stuff, understood?" Emma gave his ear one last pinch, then froze. Marcus was just about to nod when he noticed her sudden stillness. "Ms. Tibarn, what's wrong?" Is something off about me? Emma didn't answer. She raised a hand and twisted his arm instead. She used a touch more strength this time. Still, it didn't hurt Marcus in the slightest. But he knew it would hurt her. "Ms. Tibarn," he said softly, "don't lay your hands on me."