Aliandra stepped away from the door as her husband closed and locked it.

  “What was that?” Her husband shouted, grabbing her by the arm.

  She yanked her arm free of his grasp and glared at him. “Do not take that tone with me, dear husband!”

  Her husband ran a hand down his face as he recomposed himself. “Forgive me, Aliandra. But why would you allow our daughter to go with that… that… man?”

  Her glare intensified. “Have you forgotten my unique affinity for Life Essence?”

  Her husband's eyes bulged.

  “Of course you did. Well, for your information, Keyvarah is with child, and June is the father.”

  His face remained in a perpetual state of shock as she continued. “Now, I only allowed him some grace due to the fact that he saved our daughter and didn't abandon her the moment he discovered she was carrying his child. That, at least, shows that he has some semblance of honor. Just not enough to wed our daughter, though.”

  Her husband remained transfixed like a gargoyle.

  “Besides, the Life Essence radiating from the man dwarfed even the late prince.”

  Her husband's eyes narrowed at that remark, pulling him from his statuesque state. ”He is… stronger than Prince Eshtall?”

  “Yes.”

  “I have to notify Her Majesty and Her Highness,” her husband said after a long bout of silence.

  She nodded in agreement. “I'll be in the dining hall. Come when you've finished.”

  Her husband nodded as a communication crystal appeared in his hand.

  Reyah sat perched upon the settee, her legs pulled tight against her chest. The sound of pots clinking came from the adjoining room across from where she sat as Innes prepared some tea for them.

  She had messed up big time. How was she supposed to face June now?

  A scowl fell upon her face.

  Why did it bother her so? He had left, and she was now free. That was all that mattered.

  But she knew why. The thought of having such a man as hers was just… mmm… delicious, like the taste of his Divine blood.

  She couldn't help herself. An image of June on top of her, pinning her down to a bed, popped up in her mind. His stormy eyes would roam over her body, drinking in all that she had to offer him.

  Just as he leaned down to steal a kiss, she abruptly jumped from her perch on the settee. “God's be damned!”

  Her face burned from arousal, shame, and anger as she stomped toward the washroom.

  “Is everything okay in there?” Innes shouted from the cookery.

  “Yes!” she shouted back before slamming the door to the washroom.

  She sighed as she looked at her reflection once more and grunted with disgust at what she found.

  Pathetic!

  She freshened up and exited. Her eyes landed on the lavender dress, and she hissed when Innes held the dress towards her.

  “Here, try it on.”

  “No,” she said before walking around Innes's back to the settee.

  She plopped down into it, putting on an air of indifference as she crossed a leg over the other and stretched her arms over the backrest.

  “Where’s the tea?” she asked after not having found any on the end table before her.

  Innes scowled at her and tossed the dress onto the settee. It landed beside her, and she did everything in her power to ignore it as Innes strutted up to stand before her.

  “Still boiling.”

  The room went dead silent as they just stared at each other. Innes glared with annoyance, while hers remained defiant. It only broke when Innes huffed a breath before trudging into the cookery.

  With Innes no longer there, she relaxed, but only slightly as her eyes fell on the dress beside her. A pang of guilt shot through her like the rush she got when feeding. She stood from her seat and made her way into the cookery. There, she found Innes standing ?before the brick hearth, pulling the pot of tea off the grate.

  She hesitated at the entryway, unsure of what to say. She then blurted out the first words that came to mind. “I’m sorry!”

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  Innes turned to look at her. An angry scowl marred Innes’s face, but it quickly vanished when Innes registered what she had said. Instead, shock now sat where anger once was.

  It was a valid response, for it shocked even her. Apologizing was something she rarely ?did. Normally, she’d just leave for a few days and return once things had simmered down. So why now?

  “You’re what?” Innes asked.

  “I’m… sorry… for everything,” she repeated, louder this time.

  A few long moments passed before Innes actually did anything. With slow steps at first, Innes made her way to her and picked her up in a big hug. “I’m sorry, too. I shouldn’t have prodded you like that with the dress June bought you.”

  Her vision blurred, and her body shook as she held onto Innes. She understood now why she had apologized. She didn’t want to lose her one and only friend. It was at that moment that she gave in to the emotions she had been holding back. It crashed into her like the waves of the ocean and swallowed her up. Yet, Innes remained the lifeline she needed, keeping her from fully drowning in them.

  The room from the inn appeared before them as June and Keyvarah materialized out of thin air. For a moment, they just stood there, in each other’s arms, before he broke the spell and released her.

  The room was dark as the twin suns, Almora and Elnori, had fully set beyond the horizon. It had been a long day, figuratively and literally. After spending one full day here, he discovered Syrova had a whopping 30-hour day cycle.

  Glancing outside, the night sky was as breathtaking as the night before, illuminated by the iridescent blue glow of the gas giant Hainestra. That was a sight he’d have to get used to, especially at night. It was easier to go about during the day without noticing it. At night, however, it dominated the sky.

  A flicker of light flashed behind him before a dim orange glow filled the room. He turned to find Keyvarah had lit a candle on the bedside table. She lay sprawled out on the bed in a provocative pose, giving him a sensual look. She had already removed most of her clothes, remaining only in her bra and panties.

  “Come and join me, June.”

  However, instead of joining her, he shook his head, giving her an apologetic smile. “Not tonight.”

  Her face fell as he removed his jacket. “Not to say I’m not open to some cuddling, but no sex. At least for tonight.”

  She perked right back up and hopped out of bed as he tossed his jacket over the backrest of a chair next to the window. She quickly approached him and helped remove his sweater before placing it over his jacket. He pulled off his shirt and tossed it onto the growing pile of clothes as Keyvarah reached for his belt at the same time he did.

  “It’s fine, Keyvarah. I can do it myself,” he said with a laugh.

  Keyvarah stared down at him, determination written all over her face. “I want to. Please?”

  He chuckled and let his arms fall to his sides, giving her what she wanted. She immediately went to work, pulling off all his clothes until only his boxer briefs remained. Before she could react, he just pulled them down and kicked them aside. She pouted at him, but it only lasted a second before her eyes descended and a twinkle shone within them.

  He gave a hearty laugh as he twirled a finger at her. “Here, turn around.”

  She did as he asked, and he unclasped her bra. She giggled lightly and removed them, turning to give him an inquisitive look. “I thought we wouldn’t have sex?”

  His eyes instinctively fell to the valley that was her breasts. He couldn’t help it. He was still a man.

  “No, we aren’t,” he said as his hands fell to her hips, his thumbs hooking her panties.

  A teasing smile came onto his face as he pulled her panties off. “We’re just going to wash ourselves.”

  Her face scrunched with some annoyance at his slight tease as he channeled his Metal Essence to create a tub beside them.

  “Very funny,” she said in a dry tone as the tub filled with warm water he conjured with his Water Essence.

  He chuckled to himself. “I certainly thought so.”

  He got into the tub before waving for her to join him. Her face instantly brightened, and she hopped in. He pulled a pair of loofahs and some soap he had created from his spatial dimension. They then got to work scrubbing themselves and each other of the day’s grime.

  When they were clean, he replaced the dirty water and leaned back into the tub, his arms resting on the edge. Keyvarah scooted in close before also leaning back and resting her against his chest.

  Time slowly ticked by as he luxuriated in the presence of a woman. However, it hadn’t escaped him that he would have preferred it to have been Natalie. He didn’t dislike Keyvarah, far from it. He just… missed his wife.

  His arms slipped into the water and wrapped around Keyvarah’s midsection, pulling her closer. She hummed in contentment as her hand fell to his. This would have been what Natalie ?wanted. For him not to dwell on the past and move on.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, whispering in her ear.

  Keyvarah hummed again. “More than ever.”

  Aside from the water lapping lightly against the tub from Keyvarah rhythmically rubbing his arm, he let the silence sit for a couple of seconds.

  “Are you happy about seeing your parents again?”

  The lily-scented shampoo wafted from her hair as she nodded. “Yes.”

  However, her hands had stopped and gripped his forearms as if holding on for dear life. Perhaps for her, she was. He’d have to come up with another solution if he didn’t want to hinge her recovery on being with him. That wouldn’t be wise or healthy for her.

  He ceased his questioning for now, basking in the moment ?they were in. Despite his wanting to help Keyvarah recover, she, in a way, was helping him too.

  They remained like that for some time, and before long, it happened. It was bound to occur, and June knew it would.

  Keyvarah giggled as she rocked her ass against his hardening member. “It seems you are in the mood.”

  He laughed along with her as he released her and pushed her slightly to give him space to stand. “It’s only a natural reaction when a man is in the presence of a beautiful woman.”

  He made to step out of the tub but stopped when Keyvarah gripped his hips. He looked at her with an eyebrow raised, and she gave him her best puppy-dog eyes.

  Despite that, he remained steadfast as he reached down and cupped her face. He gently pulled her up until their lips met. They shared a sensual kiss, one filled more with comfort than lust.

  When they broke from the kiss, he gave her a warm yet apologetic smile. “Not tonight.”

  Keyvarah’s face softened a little with disappointment, but she nodded in acknowledgement. “As you wish, June.”

  He returned her nod and released her before stepping out of the tube with Keyvarah following. With a snap of his fingers, he dried them off instantly, and the tub and water disappeared.

  He pulled out another pair of boxer briefs and put them on, as Keyvarah did the same.

  However, before she could put on a new ?bra, he tossed her a shirt he pulled from his spatial dimension. “Here, you can sleep in this.”

  Keyvarah accepted it, and a bright smile formed on her face before she put the shirt on. They settled into the bed, and he pulled her ?close before putting out the candle. Tomorrow was going to be another busy day.