My Scumbag System Chapter 647: My Stupid Decisions

I didn’t turn around. Didn’t look at his face. Didn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing whatever expression my own face was making.

"Stay hidden. Stay safe. And next time you want to have a family reunion, maybe give me more than twelve hours notice."

I walked out into the morning light.

Maki stood beside the sedan, her tail swishing impatiently. "That took forever. Did the old man talk you to death?"

"Just gave me a lot to think about."

"Thinking is boring. Did he at least have snacks?"

"No snacks."

"Worst father ever."

I climbed into the driver’s seat. The satchel sat heavy on my lap. The crystal pulsed with faint light against the leather.

Three days of isolation. Complete integration. Power beyond anything I’d achieved.

And all it would cost was becoming exactly what a cosmic horror designed me to be.

No pressure.

The drive back to the city took two hours. Natalia’s presence burned steady through our bond, her silence more eloquent than words. She was processing. Analyzing. Building contingency plans for contingency plans.

My phone buzzed with messages I’d been ignoring since leaving the cabin. Reyna checking in about her recovery. Skylar sending cryptic warnings about increased surveillance. Emi asking if I was eating properly.

And one from Seraphina Vance.

"Enjoyed our conversation. Looking forward to productive partnership. Please report any unusual contacts immediately. S.V."

I typed a response. "Took a morning drive. Nothing unusual. Will update if anything changes."

The lie tasted like copper on my tongue.

Maki watched me from the passenger seat. "You’re not going to tell her about the old man."

"Not yet."

"Smart. Never show your cards until you have to." She stretched luxuriously, her human form shifting in ways that drew attention to assets I was actively trying to ignore. "So what’s the plan, Master? World domination? Cosmic warfare? Afternoon nap?"

"First, I go home. Then I spend some quality time with Natalia before her parents get back. Then I figure out how to contact Helena Vasquez without getting murdered by the VHC’s black ops division."

"That sounds complicated."

"Welcome to my life."

We reached the city limits as the morning sun climbed toward noon. Traffic picked up. Familiar landmarks passed by the windows. The Academy where I’d first discovered what I could do. The street corner where I’d fought Julian Valerius at the Gala. The skyline dominated by the Apex Tower where Seraphina Vance plotted humanity’s survival from her glass cage.

My phone buzzed again. This time it was Natalia.

"Almost home. Parents delayed another day. Conference extended."

I felt her anticipation through the bond. Her relief that I’d survived the meeting. Her hunger for answers and for something more immediate than answers.

Twenty minutes later, I pulled into the garage of the Nakano-Kuzmina residence. Natalia stood in the doorway wearing nothing but one of my shirts, the hem barely reaching mid-thigh. Her purple hair cascaded loose around her shoulders. Her violet eyes burned with an intensity that made my throat tighten.

"Maki. Go find somewhere else to be for the next few hours."

"But I want to watch."

"Now."

The familiar huffed dramatically and dissolved into shadows, slinking away toward whatever dark corner she found comfortable.

Natalia crossed the garage in three quick strides. Her hands found my collar. Her lips found my mouth. The kiss tasted like desperation and relief and something that might have been love if I let myself believe in that word.

"Inside," she breathed against my lips. "Now."

I barely remembered to grab the satchel before she dragged me through the door.

We made it to the living room before her patience ran out. She shoved me onto the couch and straddled my lap, her thighs gripping my waist with surprising strength. The shirt rode up as she moved, revealing black lace that did absolutely nothing to hide what was underneath.

"You scared me," she said, her fingers working at my buttons. "You walked into that cabin knowing it could be a trap. Knowing you might die."

"I had backup."

"Maki is not backup. Maki is a horny cat with lightning powers who would probably watch you die just for the entertainment value."

"Fair point."

She pulled my shirt open and ran her hands across my chest. Her touch left trails of heat on my skin. The pendant between us pulsed with shared sensation, every nerve ending alive and screaming.

"Three days," she said. "That’s what you’re planning. Three days of isolation to complete this integration process."

"You were listening."

"I’m always listening now. We’re connected. Your thoughts are my thoughts. Your secrets are my secrets." Her eyes hardened. "And your stupid decisions are my stupid decisions to clean up after."

"Natalia..."

"Shut up." She kissed me again, harder this time. "I’m not done being angry. You don’t get to make me feel better yet."

Her hips rolled against mine. The friction drew a groan from somewhere deep in my chest. The shirt slipped off one shoulder, revealing the curve of her neck where I’d left marks three days ago. Faded now, but still visible.

"Three days without you," she continued between kisses. "Three days without this. Without feeling you through the bond. Without knowing if you’re alive or dead or transformed into something I don’t recognize."

"The process is supposed to be safe."

"Nothing about your existence is safe. You’re a science experiment created by a cosmic horror using your father as a willing accomplice." Her fingers found my belt. "The universe is literally conspiring to make you into something inhuman."

"When you put it that way..."

"I put it the way it is." She freed my belt and tossed it aside. "So before you go off to become the weapon of an incomprehensible entity, you’re going to spend the next twelve hours reminding me exactly what you’re fighting to protect."

Her hand slipped beneath the waistband of my pants. My hips jerked involuntarily.

"That’s not a request."

"Didn’t think it was."

The shirt came off entirely. She sat atop me in nothing but black lace that left absolutely nothing to the imagination. Her body was perfect in the way that only serious training and genetic lottery could achieve. Full breasts that strained against the thin fabric. A waist I could span with both hands. Hips that flared into thighs that could crush a man’s skull if she wanted.

The Natalia who had despised me six months ago would rather die than show this vulnerability. The Natalia straddling me now wore her desire like armor, daring me to deny her anything.

I didn’t plan to deny her anything.

"Bedroom," I said. "Or we’re going to traumatize the couch."

"The couch has seen worse."

"Has it?"

She smiled. The expression transformed her face from imperious queen to mischievous girl in an instant. "Movie night. Remember?"