Klevon and I separate in front of the restaurant inn. It is the same place where I promise Theo to meet him once I return during the night. As expected, the young woman is present and is sweeping the floor when I enter. She makes a small squeal of delight and approaches.
"King Theo is on the second floor. Room 8," she whispers, then hands me a key. "Please reconcile with him. He seems conflicted."
I nod and go to the mentioned room. There is a magic barrier surrounding the room which makes me curious about who is the owner of the inn and who put up the barrier. It even looks safer and more sturdy than the one in Pitchford. Whoever did this, maybe I can learn a thing or two from him if ever I return?
Then, I insert the key into the keyhole. I feel the magic shimmers and then an entrance opens on the barrier. It's surprising. If I don't know about wind magic, I won't be able to sense these things.
Inside, Theo is on the right side of the bed which is at the center of the room. He is half-naked like how he usually sleeps, except during the times that we make love. I approach him and I kneel before the bed.
I nudge him and say, "Theo, it's morning. We need to return to the ship."
His eyes flew open. His eyes shift on me, and his confused expression is quickly replaced with rage. He sits on the side of the bed and grabs my arm. I wince.
"Where have you been?!" he screams at my face. "It's already morning! You promised you will return to me!"
"I am here now, so I did return," I say, grimacing at the pain he is causing me. I try to remove his hands on me, but it's even harder than a vise grip.
He leans towards me and sniffs my neck. Then I felt it, madness. His rage is almost desperate. When he pulls back and looks suspiciously at me, I am able to place a name on what he is feeling. Frantic Jealousy.
He is glowering at me, the same way that he looks angrily at Coe or his other concubines–every time they cross him. This man in front of me is no doubt a King. He is used to getting everything he wants. I balk at that. I try to pull back from his grip, but fail miserably.
Then, in a quiet voice, he asks, "Are you with Klevon the whole night?"
"I-"
"Did something happen between the two of you?!" he cuts me off.
"No, I-"
"Damn it!" he curses.
In a split second, he lifts my entire body and drops me on the bed. "What are you-" He pulls down my pants and underwear, and I kick at push at him. "Stop!" Or I will use magic against the person I am guarding!
"Silence!" he screams at me. He pushes me down on the bed as his fingers go to my crotch.
"Stop, Theo! What are you doing?!"
I push at his shoulder and my legs flail around. His left hand is on my neck and I scratch him but he's not letting me go. Suddenly, his right hand finds my private area. I squeal. Then, he pushes his finger inside and I jerk at the sensation.
My tears fall and his grip on my neck loosen. His fury vanishes at the same time that I stop struggling against him.
"You didn't have sex with him…" he says. "I thought that you…"
He could have just asked me! Why does he need to check it himself?! Am I too untrustworthy?! Have I ever lied to him?! Should I always take a bath every time I spend time with another man so he won't get this jealous?!
I hit his chest and say, "Why are you doing this to me?!"
Guilt etches his face. He is about to kiss my neck when he pauses, then his face is a picture of jealousy again.
"You didn't have sex with him, but you are still with him all night," he accuses. "Did he kiss you? Where did he touch you?!"
"Just let me go," I say.
He clenches his jaws. "No, I will disinfect you until I can no longer smell another man in you."
"No, I don't want that…" I whimper.
"You are mine, Kaiya! No one is allowed to touch you! Not even my well-decorated captain!"
"Theo, please, we are no longer lovers. Stop this…"
"That might be true, but unless I reject it, you can't take another lover!"
"Let me go…"
"No," he says. He takes off his clothes before me, and I start to crawl away from him. "Where are you going, Kaiya?"
"I am just your personal guard. I can't-"
He grabs my waist and forces me down on the bed. Even with my struggle, he takes off my pants and clothes. I look at the night lamp and think of whether it can make this King lose unconscious or maybe I should shift into my werewolf form or I-
"Look at me, Kaiya! You are making me crazy, do you understand that?!"
He presses on the side of my torso and asks, "So, did he touch you here?"
"Let me go," I say. Instead, he licks and kisses my side.
"How about here?!" He grabs my chest. When I also did not respond, he places my nipple in his mouth. He sucks on it and I feel my desire rising. And for each and every part of my skin that he touches and sucks, he asks if I am touched on those areas.
I am already a mess in just under five minutes. My mind doesn't want this. Yet, my body is responding to each of his movements. The bedsheets are drenched with both my sweat and juices. I know that he is completely overwhelming me with sex and passion. I am completely possessed and I am completely his. And so, without control, my body submits to him.
So, without another choice, I weep. My body starts to tremble, not because of my orgasm, but because of the pain of knowing that I will always be a prisoner to his touch, to our mate bond.
Theo stops worshiping my body and looks at my face. My breaths are uneven. My body is shivering. And I am already so wet and ready for him. I hate these reactions.
"Why are you crying?! You also enjoy this!" he scolds. He wipes his mouth, but my crying only gets louder. He pushes my body on the bed and I whimper. "What is so bad about me?! Why can't you just love me the same way that I love you?!"
He grabs my chin and asks, "Maybe, it is a child you want? Fine, I will give you a firstborn child. I will make your child my heir! I will make you-"
I sob all the more. And my arms, despite being weakened by this disconcerting desire, push at his shoulders. Then, I pound at his chest while I mutter something incomprehensible.
"What did you say?" he asks. "Say it louder!"
"I hate you…" I whisper. "I hate you so much."
He freezes. Slowly, he sits up and moves away from me. His shoulders drop and he slumps on the edge of the bed. Finally, free from his grasp, I sit up and scoot away from him.
He gazes at me and whispers, "Kaiya, until when should I beg for your love? I am also just a human. I get hurt too. Can we just be together forever?"
"Don't touch me anymore," I hiss instead.
"Why? I know that you like it too. Your body responds to me every time you forget that you are angry at me."
"Because every time you do, all I can think of is the way you asked to kill our child!" I scream at him. "Every time I drown in our passion, I wake up the next day with crushing regrets! Every time you-"
"But those moments with you, are the moments I treasure the most," he says, cutting me off. "Every time you give yourself to me, I am assured that in your heart I still exist. Do I need to make you intoxicated in alcohol so your inhibitions will disappear?"
I glare at his question. "How can I remove this…" I pause. "... this taxing infatuation you have for me?!"
"It's not just infatuation…" he whispers. After a few minutes, he swallows. "Do you want that? Being away from me? Me not pursuing you… is that what you need from me?"
I clench my jaws. "That's what I've been asking you for a long time."
"What if I bring other women in my bed? Is it still what you want?"
I forget to breathe. I am certain that if he will be with another woman, it will hurt me. No doubt about it. But maybe, if he is no longer my mate, the pain would be less.
"You can reject our mate bond too," I suggest.
"I can't do that. It's only been a year. The rejection will hurt you," he says.
He crawls towards me, and I cower from him, afraid that his nearness might make me lose my mind again and I attack him in my passion.
I notice the clenching in his jaws and he says, "Then, I will try to learn to let you go. Just one condition… Give me a few years before you break our mate bond. Give me time to move on before you take on another lover."
"And you?" I ask. "Can you wait for a few years before you can take another lover? And before you touch your concubines?"
"Unfortunately, as a King, that is something I cannot afford."
My mouth hangs open. He is so unfair! My tears fall. This is so one-sided. I wipe my tears. This is our difference. He is a King. I am previously his slave... and his whore.
Lifting my chin, I say, "Okay, I accept that. We will cease to be each other's lovers. But we will break the mate bond after three years."