As we approach the town plaza, the music and raucous laughter are getting louder and louder. The smell of food is also in the air. It's cooler now, but it is still warm, that a kilometer of walk makes me all sweaty, including my palm that is still tightly held by Theo.
He gives me a beverage bought from a vendor with black hair, black eyes but a fair complexion. Then he buys a very irregular-shaped fried potato with spicy sauce at the top. It is also very delicious. Then he pulls me into another booth selling skewered meat that smells like lamb or chicken. It's cooked over braziers of charcoal. It's become very hot, that I removed my coat. I am covered with sweat and he grins at the way I look, probably wet and disheveled in the afternoon heat.
So, he pulls me into a shaded area, my hand in his left hand, and his right hand holding the skewered meat. He sits on the bench and pulls me with him.
"Are you not hot?" I ask, wiping the sweat off my shoulders.
"I am," he answers, then removes his coat and hood. He is as wet as I am. Then he turns his face away from the crowd, so no one will recognize him. Besides, there are a lot of men with black hair. The violet highlights in his hair are not noticeable unless people come close.
"Here," he says. He pushes the skewered meat onto my lips. I frown at him. "Bite on it."
I did. I take a bite from the skewered meat and almost shivered at the taste. Damn! Even if I am already full, this is still really delicious. Suddenly, Theo takes a hold of my chin and licks the side of my mouth.
"You seem to be enjoying it, so I'd like to have a taste too." He looks seductively at my mouth and adds, "Yummy," he teases.
I know I am flushing scarlet, but I hope he thinks that it's only due to the heat. "You have the other meat, why not bite from it?"
"I found out that if it comes from you, food becomes more delicious."
The corner of my lips raised in annoyance. He really is a massive flirt. Even if I am angry at him, I can't help but feel that I want to kiss him too. Annoyed, I take the meat from his hand and devoured all of it. He laughs at my attempt to displease him.
"Adorable," he whispers and kisses my mouth again.
To say the least, I start to not struggle. I let him nibble on my lips with his fingers lightly touching my cheeks. He parts my lips and I open my mouth for him. The kiss is gentle, our tongues only lightly teasing each other. None of the ferocious kisses he shows when we are alone in the bedroom.
He pulls back, but his eyes are still on my mouth, with his thumb gently rubbing on my lips. A shy smile appears on his lips. "Should we continue our exploration?"
I am still making sense of what he means by exploration when he takes our food and drinks and pulls me up again.
As we walk along the streets, looking for more food and activities, I stay silent. Once again, I allow him to kiss me. Once again, I allow myself to feel this desire clawing in the pit of my stomach. And then the sense of betrayal that follows. I hate this.
I am still mulling over the contradictions of what I am feeling, when suddenly, Theo stops. "Hmmm, they have this activity again," he comments.
I look at what he is looking at. In front of us, is a table with two people handing out… what looks like an advertisement.
"What is it?" I ask.
I move closer to the table. Theo attempts to stop me with our interlaced fingers, but this time, I pull him with me.
"A couple! Here! You might want to try this challenge!" the man on the table exclaims.
"No," Theo answers for us. He fixes his hood and coat, to make sure that the man won't recognize him.
I shift my attention to the paper. The challenge is to traverse a steep mountain, walking around it, and returning to this place. In the picture, it does not look daunting, but there is a prize money for anyone who will be able to complete it.
An idea comes to mind. If I do this, I can explore with Ami tonight and probably tomorrow morning. I look around the area. Behind me, there are many people, but in front, and this place, in particular, has lesser citizens roaming around. The music is toned down as well. In front of us, there is a wooden gate and for the first time, I notice the wind blowing from there towards us.
I take a step towards it and I hear the man at the table saying, "Oh! The lady is interested!"
Then I see it, the chasm below us and the mountain that I need to traverse to earn the money. Its rocks with little vegetation. There is a waterfall below and some people are in the water. Although, they are too far for me to know if they are playing around or swimming or whatever. All I know is that in this depth, a human might die if he falls. But if I fall, I can just turn into my wolf form and I will be able to traverse the side of the mountain as gracefully as possible.
I smile. I can do this. In fact, I am not afraid to try it, because I know that even if I fail, the height won't kill me. It will injure me, but at least, I will live.
"Kaiya!"
I turn around to see Ami, Nadif, Elroy, and Klevon–who glowers at me. Then I notice the way Ami pauses when she realizes who I am with. She bows her head but never mentions a thing about Theo being her King.
"Hi, Ami," I greet as the four of them approach. I shift my attention to the other three. "Nadif, Elroy, and Klevon," I greet, and make a short bow.
"Are you out later? Let's play around!" she invites.
"She will be with me the whole day," Theo interrupts.
"Oh! Your job is until tonight?" she asks innocently, which makes Theo jerk. That might have surprised him.
"I will be available in a few hours," I answer and Theo's hand on me tightens.
Oblivious, Ami makes a small squeal of delight. "We plan to visit a club for women. It will be fun," she whispers conspiratorially.
"I'd like to try, but first I need to earn money."
"Earn money? Ah!" She glances at me and then at the table and into the start of the challenge area. "You might know wind magic, but you are not skilled enough to do it! Even I will not risk doing it!"
"I can try."
"Captain Klevon will be able to finish the challenge. And once he does, he will treat us to the club. Just let him do the challenge."
Instead of answering, I withdraw my hands from Theo and ask the man at the table. "How will I join and earn the prize money?"
The man beams. "It is free! Few people will attempt this, anyway. Also, I earn from the people who will watch how you will traverse the mountain."
"I will do it too," comes Klevon's voice.
"Ah, not you again. You are disqualified from taking this challenge. No one would watch if people know that you will just complete it with no trouble!" He turns his attention back to me and says, "This young woman though is welcome to try. She is a new face so I am certain, people will come to watch."
"If you need money, I can give it to you. You don't need to trouble yourself," Theo says.
Trouble me? "You think I will fail too?"
"There is nothing you can't accomplish, but this is still a trouble."
Damn, my heart is warming up again. This confidence in me is disconcerting, especially when I was thinking about the what-if in case I fail. So, smiling up at him, I tiptoe and place a quick kiss on his lips before whispering, "Thank you."
Before he can respond to my kiss, I get away from him and sign my name up on the mountain challengers.