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Ch. 14: Cooling Off
Hayward shrugged his shoulders. He wasn’t, by nature, particularly cuddly, but he found he enjoyed the post-coital intimacy a great deal, depending on the partner. In her case, there was enough attraction beyond just wanting to fuck her over and over that he found the idea appealing. “A hot bath sounds lovely right now,” he replied, smiling. “I might—might—have had second thoughts if you said you liked them freezing cold.” He followed her toward the door, licking his lips again. There were a hundred ways this trip could go wrong, but he was going to have a lot of fun, regardless.
She laughed at the idea of a cold bath. “I’m not a monster...” she replied, opening the door and trotting down the stairs. There was definitely a spring in her step now. She told him not to give her bedroom eyes, but currently, if anyone crossed their path, she was the one that was far too chipper for her normal self.<
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“I'm sorry my exploits have been much less entertaining stories. They're not really worth sharing.”She hadn’t had that many, and they weren’t particularly interesting. At 16 she had fallen in love with one guard a few years her elder. They had a secret love affair for months. Though no one ever addressed her about it, she felt fairly sure her father was aware, as one day he was mysteriously reassigned. There’d been one diplomat just passing through, the stable boy, one married nobleman, and one unmarried peasant. Then... the prince.“You’re a princess, and you’ve already had a more interesting life than any I’ve met. They tend to be rather... sheltered... back in Aasleagh.” He turned toward her, resting a hand on her inner thigh. “But maybe we’ll do something about your lack of entertaining stories while I’m here.” With that, he leaned in and kissed her deeply once again.He cer
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She stood up, the water level sinking steadily, and grabbed one of the nicely folded towels on the table beside the bath. Wrapping one around herself, she stepped out and handed him the other. They were large and soft, comfortable enough to be worn like a robe if one wanted. She tucked the top corner in, so it stayed in place around her. Hayward had long believed that there were few things sexier than a woman wearing nothing more than a towel, and Elissa only reinforced that. He slowly licked his lips and then followed her out of the bath. He took a moment to wipe himself down (just so he wasn’t dripping wet), then tied the towel around his waist. “Well, I imagine we’ll sleep well tonight,” he mused. “Sleeping in is always nice, but it’s more fun with someone else, and that’s probably not a good idea yet.” He shrugged. “And if we have to put off hunting for a day, that’s not the end of the world either.” “I wouldn’t know...” she replied
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Catalyst Ch. 18: Third Wheel
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Catalyst Ch. 19: Brewing Tensions
The old man nodded. He didn’t like the plan, but he understood it. “Very well. Good luck. And try not to die.” Hayward chuckled. “I’m pretty good at that, I’d say.” He started rifling through his bags again until he found what he was after: inconspicuous weapons and armor. Hayward put on a shirt that looked like it was merely a little stiff but actually had thin metal plates concealed in the fabric. He then concealed a pair of bracers and knives under his sleeves. If he was very lucky, he wouldn’t need any of it. Satisfied, he headed for the stables. He wasn’t sure what to tell the princess. It would have to wait for now. He arrived shortly after she did, waving to her and whistling sharply for his horse. As it approached, he raised one arm with his forearm horizontal in front of his face. The horse settled down as it neared him, stopping a few feet in front rather than running right into him. “That’s a good boy,” Hayward said softly as he walked up and rubbed the horse’s nose. It di
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Catalyst Ch. 21: The 5th Soldier
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Catalyst Ch. 22: I'll be very cross if you die
Hayward rolled onto his back. He glanced briefly around, seeing the terrible shape the Elven guards were in. It looked like one of them might make it, if the doctor got to him immediately, but Felix had been a skilled and efficient killer: there was no hope for the rest. The prince held up his arm again and looked at the arrow stuck in it. “I think I need to see a healer, or doctor, or whatever you have...” he trailed off, then pointed at the badly wounded elf. “But not as bad as that guy.” Then he put his arms down again and shut his eyes. “Oh yeah... this... hurts...” As far as he was concerned, his life was no longer in danger, but the adrenaline was wearing off, and he was going to crash soon. But he’d survived. Thankfully, her brother’s wounds were minor. Kohl appeared to be in shock, standing
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