I look at Theo's sleeping face. He is sleeping soundly with his arms and legs over my body. We are both naked underneath since we spend the weekend in bed together. Our lovemaking is nonstop that I start to feel the soreness between my legs. He compares our sex to vanilla and I think I would like to taste vanilla more. It's always been crazy with him, and the servants are always red in the face every time they enter our room. It must have been the smell and the way we look-looking deliciously devoured by each other. Vanilla is amazing.
I lightly touch Theo's cheeks. He should be with his harem, but he went against his general's wishes and stay in bed with me, reasoning that I will be busy for the whole week, so he will spend the weekend with me instead.
I smile. This might be his way of compromising. It makes me forgive him, but I still want him to be mine alone. He is my mate, so it's natural to be greedy, even if he is a King and needs heirs.
I continue to watch his sleeping form. I can look at his face forever. And it's not only because he is handsome. Every time I look at his face, it feels like I am looking at something irreplaceable. My mate. Someone that should be mine alone.
Ah! How great it would be when all he needed is me and our children? And if I bear him a child, will that make him happy? It will, right? As long as our child is not the firstborn.
I scoot closer to his body and breathe in his familiar scent. Lavender. Oh! How I love it.
I am enjoying my stay in his embrace when suddenly I feel a jolt. I open my eyes. Why did it become so cold? And… it's warm too. No, that's the smell of fire! Or is it the embers? It's weird.
"Theo…" I whisper.
He stirs in his sleep, so I shake his shoulders again. His eyes open and grins at me. Suddenly, I squeal when he pins me on the bed and showers kisses on my face and neck.
"Stop, Theo! Feel the air!" I say, pushing at his face.
"Waking me up, you should know what's coming to you!" he playfully says and pins my hands on top of my head.
"Theo, stop! I feel Brandon's magic!"
"General Brandon's? I don't-" He stops and alarm replaces the desire on his face. "Dress up. Something is happening."
We both jump from the bed and take our clothes, something that can be worn outside. We both go out of the room and follow the smell of fire and Brandon's magic.
All the while, we are telling the guards and servants to wake up the generals as there is a fire and we feel Brandon's ice magic.
When we reach the cause of the smell, Theo lets go of my hands as he stares at the harem building in front of us. It's burning, or rather, it's frozen while burning. The fire is still there, but ice is trying to envelop it to stop it. The fire is blue, which tells us that it's made of magic, a magic that will continue to burn until its target becomes ashes. It looks like my fire, but my magic is not as persistent as this.
We move towards Brandon. He's in front of the building. He's pale as he continuously tries to contain the fire. And his magic output is increasing as time passes.
"Let go, Brandon! It's just a building," Theo says. He knows Brandon is at the last drop of his magic.
"The harem women, I don't see any of them outside. I can't let the fire spread until they are out."
"I will get them out if they are still there," Klevon interrupts. Obviously, he came as soon as he woke up. He is half-naked as he hugs himself to fight off the cold.
"How are you going to come inside when you are naked?" I ask.
"Oh, you are looking at my body," he teases. "Did you like what you see?"
"This is not the time for that!" I scold.
Frustrated at him, I ‌move towards the building, but Klevon stops me. "Sorry, take care of Brandon. He's being overwhelmed by his magic. I will enter the building and check. I have fire magic if you don't remember."
Without even hearing my reply, he runs towards the harem building with live fire being continuously engulfed by Brandon's magic.
After Klevon, the other generals and soldiers continue to arrive. Like Klevon, they enter the harem building while muttering about how the other unsuccessful women are still in the building. One by one, they take women out of the building. Most are unconscious, while some are shivering in the cold.
I watch Brandon. He is straining with his magic. "Are there any other ice magicians around?" I ask Theo, who is busy maneuvering the rescue operation. "Or water magicians?" How I wish I can use water magic effectively. Mine is only a squirt of water. Useless in this kind of fire. I should study more under Klevon.
"No one," he says and returns his attention to ‌saving the women.
I shift my attention to Brandon. He is kneeling on the ground now. And instead of outstretched hands, he is touching the ground instead. Yet, his concentration is still on the burning building. But upon closer inspection of his face, I notice that his eyes are red… No, it's not, it is blood. He is crying blood because of exertion! How long has he been trying to contain the fire?
I touch his shoulder, and I instantly withdraw my hands. He's freezing cold! Like a block of human ice, and he seems to be out of it already.
"General Brandon, that's enough. Let the building burn," Theo orders.
However, Brandon only growls in answer.
"Brandon!"
Brandon takes his hands off the ground. He stands up and faces Theo. Black is creeping on his cornea. It looks scary and weird. He shakes his head, but the black is engulfing his eyes.
And when he looks back at Theo, he says, "Eugene Theo Pitchford. You arrogant, shrewd, *asshole King."
However, the voice doesn't sound like Brandon's voice. The sound is scratchy, as if the owner of the voice hasn't been using it for a long time.
Theo looks at Brandon. His brows furrowed. This might also appear weird to him.
"I will kill you for even trying to impregnate her!!" Brandon screeches. "She is mine!"
Touching her? Is Brandon in love with someone in the harem? Someone from the five women who bear Theo a child?
"I will destroy you! You will pay for even touching what's mine! I will curse you for life!"
Suddenly, Brandon attacks Theo. And it scares me. My gut feeling tells me not to let Brandon touch Theo. In a split-second decision, I run after Brandon and wrap my arms around his waist, behind him. We fall and I activate my fire magic before my arms get crushed by both our weights. I grunt in pain, feeling my joints dislocate.
"Kaiya!" Theo screams for me.
He moves towards me, but I scream, "Don't come close!"
At the same time, I let my magic out, just enough to thaw the coldness in Brandon's body. He struggles against my hold.
"Miss Kaiya, let go of him! He is possessed!" one of the General says.
"Possessed?" Klevon asks. "By what?!"
I hear Klevon's footsteps and then Theo.
"Don't come any closer to her. Only people with fire magic can touch him now."
"I have fire magic," Klevon says.
"Not as strong as hers or Brandon's ice magic. You'll be killed the instant you touch them!" the same general says.
Brandon hits me, but somehow he is weaker than normal. I know, somewhere inside him, Brandon is fighting, and he doesn't want to hurt me. I increase the output of my magic, a little at a time, and when he peaks, I start to decrease my magic.
Slowly, Brandon weakens under me, until he completely slumps on the ground, my arms still tight behind him.
"That's enough, Miss Kaiya. I am fine now." It is Brandon's voice.
There's no scratching on his voice now, so I get up from his hold, and I realize that my arms are aching. Although, I hope it's not completely useless. There are bruises on my head and upper body. He might have hit me multiple times, but I am focusing too much on my magic that I didn't notice the pain. Strange. I even focus more on the surrounding voices rather than the feeling of Brandon's punches in my body.
I shift my attention to his eyes, and I see that his eyes are back to normal. No more black in it. He's also not crying in blood, but there are still splotches of it on his face and shirt.
"Are you back?" I ask.
I wince, realizing that my cheeks and jaws are also hit. In a surprise, he reaches for my face and smiles. "Thank you for saving me, Miss Kaiya. It's the worst episode ‌I had."
He presses on my cheekbones, and I grimace in pain. He looks worried and apologetic. Then suddenly, he pulls me into his embrace. I blink. I look at Theo, who is now walking towards me and lifts me away from Brandon's hug.
"I understand that you are grateful for my Kaiya," Theo says, as he pulls me into his embrace instead.
I smell him, lavender. I smile and snuggle into his chest, despite the pain in my body. I even wrap my arms around him. He is definitely my comfort. I feel like my wounds and bruises no longer matter every time I am in his embrace.
"But hugging her for too long is not allowed, except for me," he says, his hands massaging my back, and my stomach flutters.
I hear Klevon scoff at the way I bury myself in Theo's embrace. Embarrassed, I pull away. Theo allows me, especially when he notices that I am flushing scarlet.
"Take care of everyone wounded, and send a physician to Kaiya's room," Theo orders. He lifts me and I bury my face in his chest again, out of embarrassment and the need to hide myself.