“Drink! Drink! Drink!” is the chant of the people at the bar where Silvino works. Ami holds a pitcher of alcohol and chugs down its alcoholic content. When she empties the pitcher, I clap with the others. “To my friend, Kaiya!” she slurs. “I will chug another for you.” Unsteadily, she leans towards me and whispers, “I know you are not allowed to drink so I will do it instead.” I smile at her and she adds, “For you!” “You just want to drink more,” Nadif comments which Ami answers with a bright smile. “You got it right!” she admits while beaming at him. She heavily sits beside me and says, “To my friend, turned to best friend, who can’t even drink a glass of alcohol, I feel bad for you.” “What’s happening now?” Silvino asks as he walks towards our table. “My handsome lover~~” Ami coos. She stands up and wraps her arms around his waist. “What time will you be out?” “I can play with you now,” he says. He places his arms around her and adds, “One room is freed up so the five of
I sit on the edge at the foot of the bed. Klevon and I rented an inn room. Right now, he is in the bath while I comb my wet hair. I am the one who proposed this; I am even in my bathrobe and yet, I feel like I am doing something wrong. Why would I though? It is Theo’s fault for having multiple women, why am I any different? Why can’t I have multiple lovers?‘Because you are not a King with duties to a nation,’ my mind screams but I keep it pushed down.I remember the way Ami shakes her head at me as Klevon and I are leaving the bar. Nadif and Elroy have their mouths open. And Silvino is looking curiously at us.I shake my head and close my fist. I am here now. I already said that I will fuck Klevon, so there is no turning back now. I glance at the shower. He is still inside and is taking his sweet time. He is even taking a longer time to shower than I did, and I am the one who is uncertain about all of this.Suddenly, the door to the shower opens, and I instinctively look away.“I int
I open my eyes with the light sifting through the window of the inn room. I shift and realize that Klevon has his massive arms around me. I look up to see him sleeping peacefully. And events of last night appear in my mind. That dizzying intensity of my release. The dark thoughts that accompanied it. The weeping afterward.And now, I feel ashamed. After giving me pleasure, I wasn’t able to keep the end of the bargain. All I did was apologize until I fall asleep. I am not just a whore; I am a very selfish whore. Now, I know how kind Klevon really is, or maybe, he did like me. If not, he could have forced me last night.His eyes open and upon laying his eyes on me, he smiles, “Good morning, beautiful. Feeling better now?”I nod. “I’m so—”He places a chaste kiss on my mouth. After pulling back, he grins. “Sorry is not the first word I’d like to hear from your mouth. I heard it a lot already, so I’m quite miffed by it by now.” He thinks for a while and adds, “How about a thank-you? That
Klevon and I are making our way toward the ship when we encounter the Duran royalty returning from the port. The Duran King is not present. As per Klevon, it’s only the oldest prince—which is really old–who is on the parade. If I estimate the prince’s age, he’s over sixty years old which makes the Duran King, probably, close to ninety years old. We are about to climb the ship when Klevon abruptly stops. He places his arms in front of me to impede my advance. He sniffs and scours the area. “Something is wrong,” he says. Without even asking for my permission, he wraps his arms around my waist and activates his wind magic. I hang unto him as we float over the ship, even without the help of a hover. “Damn that King,” he curses. “We are surrounded by ocean. How could he let himself be attacked again?” “Attacked?” I ask. “Look closely, Kaiya. There are shimmers in the air. That is why it’s too quiet.” “And there’s no one in the deck too,” I notice. “Is this glamour?” I ask, rememberi
Klevon’s chest rises and falls in his sleep. The healer says that the heavy magic that hits him has rendered his magic into a state of chaos. However, it was minimized because I was in front of him. Unfortunately, the healer is unsure why I am not affected by the magic. Does it have something to do with me being a werewolf? But Klevon has magic running through his veins too. They are like hybrid humans, created to hunt werewolves. His eyes open, and I peer at him. “Are you feeling fine now?” I ask. A broad grin appears on his face. He taps my nose and responds, “Why, my little werewolf, are you worried for me?” I heave a sigh of relief. He’s back to his previous, annoying self, which means he’s okay already. I stand up from the chair. “Then, I will leave you to recuperate. I will also ask for your food.” I am about to leave when he catches my wrist. “Stay for a while. It’s nice seeing your face the moment I open my eyes.” I patronize him. I sit right back on the stool at the si
After half an hour of walking, Ami and I arrive at the place where she said that Princess Kissa and Theo are. Only, it’s not only the two of them. It’s also not what I expected. Theo is inside a thatched house surrounded by Duran women. Princess Kissa is in front of him. She is looking lost as she stares at the strange group. Upon entering, my eyes meet Theo’s, and a look of pain passes over his features. Seeing the pain on his face, it’s as if I felt his pain, too. “What’s happening?” I ask, confused by the situation. “Who is this, slight little girl!?!” one of the women beside Theo growls. Another woman kneels beside Theo and hugs his legs to her. Theo is only wearing a small cloth to hide his crotch. I feel jealous at the way the woman presses her huge chest to him. Other than Princess Kissa and the other women in Pitchford, am I to share him with these Duran women, too? “My King, please return to us. We’ve been delayed enough already. We need to return to Pitchford.” Anothe
It is late afternoon and the promotion ceremony is underway. Klevon and I are in the front yard and are standing together with all the other warriors. The Pitchford six generals are in front of us, lining up close to Theo. I am promoted to First Lieutenant because of the number of times I saved the King’s life. However, I believe Harbin has done something to it too. I jump six positions just from saving the King’s life three times. Klevon, on the other hand, jumps from Captain and becomes the seventh General. Rumor is that he was supposed to take one of the remaining general positions years before, but he keeps on declining the offer. So it’s a grand celebration that he finally accepted it. Other than that, there is also another piece of news the Kingdom has to celebrate. Princess Kissa is pregnant, and she is now officially Theo’s first concubine. His other pregnant concubines also have ranks now–second to fourth concubines. And those who will be unable to bear him a child within
I scrunch my nose as I enter Theo’s room—lavender mixed with alcohol. The windows are closed and there are over a dozen bottles of alcohol on the coffee table. Princess Kissa is not here. Theo is leaning over the couch with his arms covering his eyes. “Harbin, I said don’t nag me,” he says. “I want to be alone, unless you can force her to come see me, then don’t come here.” He laughs bitterly by himself. “That is, if you can drag her to me because lately, that’s the only way she will see me other than to perform her duties to me.” He laughs again, and then, he abruptly stops and keeps silent. General Brandon and I look at each other. “Laquisha can work too, King Theo,” General Brandon says. I approach him. Theo looks… ragged. He snorts. “Then, I should have a thousand of those made. Do you think you can make that happen, General Brandon?” “A bow and arrow made of laquisha are already enough,” I say. “I don’t need a thousand of laquisha.” Theo freezes and he removes his arm over