Like how we left our room, Klevon swoops into it through the window. He deposits me on the floor and I beam at him. I feel like it’s the first time I smiled since I lost my baby. “Thank you,” I say. Crouching on my windowsill, he says, “Turn around.” I did and I find Theo sitting on the chair of my study table. His eyes transfer from me to Klevon and back again. “What is this? Where you’ve been?!” he asks, suspicious. An introduction to his pain and anger. I shift my attention to Klevon and say, “You should leave.” “He is angry. I think I should stay.” “Leave!” I order. Besides, I don’t want him to see this. I doubt Theo’s love for me is real, but I never doubt the depth of his possessiveness over his whore—me. I braced myself for his jealousy. Yet, I am more afraid of myself. If he pushes me, if he forces me into the bed, I doubt that I can fight the mate bond. I will cry and struggle, but nevertheless, my body will enjoy it. And that debasement is something that I don’t wa

I try to stay awake as long as possible. Klevon and I decided to leave two hours before midnight. So, two hours after dinner, I went to bed and try to stay awake as long as possible. I hear the commotion outside my room. I place my book on the bedside table and cover myself with the blankets. Lavender. Theo comes to check on me tonight. I lie on my side, with my back on the door, and fake that I am sleeping. I sense him sitting on my bed in front of me. I can clearly smell his heady scent, and instead of being drowsy, the alluring smell is just waking me up. The tip of his fingers lightly brush against my left cheeks and temple. I can sense the warmth from it. He gently plays with my hair. And then, I feel engulfed by his frame. The lavender smell becomes stronger and I realize that he is leaning over me with both his arms on either side of my body. He places a light kiss on my jaw and whispers, “I love you, Kaiya. Good night.” After a long time, he gets up from the bed, and when

Looking at what I have done, especially at the way I killed the three monsters, I take a deep breath and saunter back to where Klevon is sprawled on the ground. “You’re weaker than before. But your shift is pretty fast. I think you are the fastest shifter that I know,” Klevon comments. Then I see the way his eyes scour my body. I groan. Right, I am completely naked because of my shift, and I parade myself as if I am wearing some thick clothing. I am about to get my clothes when I notice his erection. I glare at him. “You are such a fuck-up! Why are you getting an erection when you are dying?! Besides, my life is also at risk while fighting it!” “I can’t help it. It’s physiological, you are strutting around in your birthday suit. You even spread your legs in front of me.” “That’s only because I will be killed if I don’t! How could your mind work like that when my life is at risk?!” “The point is, I’ve seen everything. So, how about we take care of this erection at a nearby inn?”

After my bath, I return to Theo’s office. He is still there, thankfully. At least, I won’t suffer from guarding him outside his harem rooms. Realizing that I need to announce myself first, I unconsciously touch my clothes. It’s new. I burned my previous clothes even though I feel bad for it. It is completely fine, but since General Lorant said that the green blood is dangerous, I needed to do it.   “King Theo, I am back.”   “Come inside, Kaiya. It will be cold outside soon.”   I look at the window in front of me. It will be a few hours before it becomes cold, so I stay my ground. Suddenly, the door opens and Theo pulls me inside. Closing the door behind me, he presses his body against me and I hit my back on the door.  

I wake up with fingers tracing down and up my spine. I lazily open my eyes and see Theo looking down at me, with his head propped up by his right arm. I am still snuggling against him. He feels warm and cozy. I gaze up at his eyes, not knowing what to say, or how to make sense of all of these. “Maybe, I should always bring you with me every time I travel. We have the most peaceful moments when we travel.” My brows knit and I look away. I remember. I am angry at him for not choosing our child. I remove his arms from me and sit up. I look around and I realize that without my studies, there is nothing to do on this ship until we reach Orttenburg. And that will take weeks of travel. Suddenly, Theo wraps his arms around my shoulder and presses his forehead on my neck. “What do you want to do today?” he asks. I untangle his arms around me and climb out of the bed. I check on the cabinets, dressers, and desk drawers, all the while I can feel his gaze on me. “What are you looking for?” h