I find out that the wind magicians' names are Elroy, Ami, and Nadif. They all came from Owusu and are trained in combat. However, it's wind magic that they came to love due to its convenience for navigation. They are all fun-loving people. In fact, once the sun sets, they request me to return to my room, because they want to relax by drinking with Klevon.
So, sweaty and tired, I ask a passing maid for a bath inside the room I share with Theo, but she says that it's already done and waiting for me. And that doesn't bode well for me.
Anxious, I peek inside the room. It seems to be quiet so I slip in. I lightly close the door and am about to get fresh clothes from the dresser when I see Theo crouching over documents at the study table.
He shifts his attention towards me and orders, "Take a bath and eat your dinner, Kaiya. I will join you in bed later. Let me just finish these papers."
I raise my brows. He is acting as if we are still in a relationship. Nevertheless, I did eat my dinner and take a bath. I choose the thickest nightdress I have and slide into the covers. Maybe, I should create my own makeshift bed on the floor. Besides, personal guards don't share their charge's bed.
When my body touches the bed, I moan in relaxation. It is an exhausting day. Those three Wind Magicians are worse than Klevon as teachers, and they're not even half of Klevon's skill in magic. I wonder… is he really too easy on me?
"Kaiya…"
My eyes open at Theo's begging voice. I gaze at him at the same time that he takes off his clothes. When he starts to pull at my clothes too, I groan and turn away from him. I thought he would force me to look at him, but instead, he wraps his arms around me and pulls me close to his body.
His warmth and scent are suffocating, so to prevent myself from being aroused, I cover my face with the blanket. But for him, it's not enough, he tightens his hold on me. The way he embraces me is akin to a boa constrictor about to swallow its prey. It's as if he is afraid that I will disappear at any moment.
"Theo, loosen your arms and legs around me."
Instead of listening, he rubs his face against the back of my head. I shiver. He might have sensed it because his hand slips into my clothes. I struggle against him, but when he cups my chest, I freeze and bite my lips. The sensation is too much!
"Kaiya, do you like this?" Then he imprisons my nipple in his fingers. I cover my mouth to stop a moan from coming out. "How about this?" he whispers in my ears as he lightly pinches it.
"Stop…" I whisper, but I no longer have the energy to struggle against him.
"What do you want me to do?"
He plays with my chest incessantly, making it throb in desire. I try to get away but I am utterly imprisoned.
"And this?"
Without a warning, his other hand slips into my pants. I moan, especially when he touches my throbbing mound.
"Say that you still want me."
My breathing is uneven, and I start to sweat. He makes me open my legs to his fingers, and deftly, he dips into me. I moan, no longer hindered by my hands or the blanket.
However, his torture is persistent. His fingers continue to massage my folds until he finally finds my clit. He circles it, and my back bends towards him. This mate bond still has its power over me, I hate this! Then, I feel it. That blasted pleasure that engulfs me with nothing but a throbbing delight. Still sensitive and trembling under his ministrations, he starts to fuck me with his fingers, continuously, until for the second time, I come into his fingers.
I am already breathing hard when I say to him, "Liar, you said you won't touch me."
"Without your consent," he adds. "But from the way your body reacts, I feel like I have the consent already."
Then, he licks his fingers which are coated with my juices. "Let's continue, Kaiya. This time, allow me to enter you."
I push at his shoulder and shake my head. "No!" Not because I don't want it, but because, once he's inside me again, I don't think I will be able to stop myself from falling so deeply in love with him again.
He swallows hard, before saying, "Fine. But, I should warn you, I am planning to do this every night," he promises. He stands up from the bed and I watch him walk toward the bathroom.


**********************
And Theo did not break that promise. Every single night, after I have returned from my wind magic training, he pleasures me with his fingers, caresses my body, and gives small kisses on my face. I feel as if I am being tamed to give my all to him again. And every night, he tries to make love, only to be stopped by my remaining sanity.
It is an exhausting battle. I am not sure how long I can last like this with him. I am so frustrated, that every time I see him, my default expression is to scowl at him. I hate how he can make me feel so good, and how I always forget about what he had done to me before.
"Miss Kaiya, I was wondering if this time, you'd like to come with us for a drink?" Ami asks. "It won't take long. You can still return to the King in an hour."
I smile. "You know what? I don't think I want to return this soon as well." I'm just hoping that when I return, Theo is already asleep. No more of those stupid pleasures. "Let's drink!"
Ami beams. "At last! I will have a woman I can talk to this time!"
"You can still talk to us though," Nadif points out.
"But Miss Kaiya is welcome to our nightly drinking session," Elroy agrees.
"Then… shall we?" I ask, grinning at the three. They look to be in their early twenties. Probably, twenty-one and twenty-two?
We leave the decks and climb the ladder towards the captain's office. Nadif goes inside, saluting the old man who looks at me curiously, then proceeds towards a door behind. When the door closes, I look around the room. It is a quiet place, contrary to what I imagined to be a drinking hub. I am also delighted to see shelves of books all around the room. There are blankets and pillows on the floor and a low table at the middle.
Ami turns on the lights and says, "We always drink at the crow's nest, but I don't think the four of us can fit there."
"So this place is?" I ask.
"The captain's room. Perfect for drinking quietly," Elroy answers. "Pretty comfortable, right?"
"It is."
"It is also soundproof like what the captain wanted," Nadif informs, winking at me.
Ami hits him on the head and apologizes, "Sorry about this guy's crudeness. Sometimes he doesn't know how to talk to women."
"She's the King's concubine though!" Nadif complains.
"Even so-"
"I am not," I interrupt. The three look at me. "I am not a concubine," I repeat.
"Not a concubine? But aren't you and the King… well…"
"Yes, the King and I have sex, but I am just his lover. I have no designation, power, or influence."
"Oh," Ami exclaims. "That's bad."
Elroy raises his brows at her. "How is it bad? She has the King's affections. Ain't that being lucky?"
"I think my wife will not think so," Nadif says, while opening a bottle of liquor and Ami places four glasses on the table. "My wife wants us to marry because she wants security."
"Ain't that because your wife doesn't have a job?" Elroy asks.
"Well, Miss Kaiya here doesn't have a job either."
Ami looks at me and asks, "You are a warrior now, right?"
"A warrior with no pay," I answer.
"Ha! You are also poor then! Then the first shot of glass will be for you!" Nadif says. They all raise their glasses towards me and I can't help a smile from forming.
Then Ami comes next. She is an independent one. A middle child who loves adventure too much that she escapes her fiancee with Elroy and Nadif. Her family in Owusu thinks that she is with Elroy.
Elroy comes next. He reveals that he can't find women attractive, but sees the King as someone so attractive. Thus, he still thinks that my life is not so hard for having a lover like the King.
Then Nadif starts his speech by saying thanks because liquor is free on the ship. Then he continues describing his beautiful wife and his two lovely children–the important people he'd like to provide for, even if that means that he needs to be away most of the time.
Then, they talk to me about the Owusu stronghold-Stronghold because the castle is nothing but bricks and stones. None of its rooms are comfortable, except for the massive library underneath. Also, miles and miles of forest surround the castle and the small town around it. The huge forest is also where their citizens forage for food. It is a quaint old place and somehow, my chest constricts as if it is a place that I've always wanted to be.
The hours passed and I didn't even notice when it's become midnight. I am already dizzy with alcohol. I look around the room with my half-shut eyes and realize that we have already downed a couple of bottles.
Nadif is sleeping, and Elroy has his head on the table but still wants to continue drinking. Ami, on the other hand, is laughing so hard, as if she finds everything funny.
"The King will have all our heads!" she gleefully says. "It's past midnight and you are already drunk!"
I grin and empty another glass of whiskey. "One more glass and I will leave."
"Ah~~ don't leave. You are such a nice girl…" Elroy drags on. "That's why Captain Klevon is so in love with you… I want him too."
"He's not going to share your bed!" Ami giggles.
Elroy sits up. "What if, I learn glamour and make myself look like Kaiya? He will make love to me, right?"
"You have the wrong hole!" she guffaws.
I stand up. "Let's see… There should be a book about glamour here," I say.
I am unsteady on my feet as I make my way to the bookshelves. Suddenly, I trip on Nadif, who just complains in his sleep. The three of us laugh.
"I know! I remember how to use it!"
I crawl towards Elroy and touch his face. Slowly, his face turns into mine. It starts from his eyebrows, to his nose, and eyes until he mimics the way my lips look.
"Wow! Uncanny resemblance!" Ami exclaims. "But he has the wrong body!"
"Do more!" Elroy persuades. "And make it last for days. I'm going to enjoy Captain Klevon for days!"
The illusion of him and Klevon is too much that I grin again. "It will only last for a few hours. So you need to go and seduce him before it vanishes!"
"Right, I should get him now," Elroy stands up, and he is as unstable as me. He is about to push at the doorknob when suddenly, it bursts open. The door hits his face and Ami and I guffaw.
Nadif sits up and asks, "What… What?" And then goes back to sleep.
We laugh and then, I hear their laughter no more. I look behind me, to know the reason while taking another glass of alcohol.
When I see who it is, I choke on my drink. Theo is standing at the entrance with the old captain behind him.
"Kaiya, aren't you having such a great time?" he admonishes.