The room was cozy; the bed was soft. And yet, she couldn't rest. Not with the dreams she'd had. Lewd, desperate things, images of Annabella beneath her, flushed, whispering her name.
She sighed, pressing her forehead into the crook of her arm, then turning slightly toward Annabella.
She was fast asleep, hair spread across the pillow, lips parted just so. Innocent. Unaware of the lust she stirred in Rea with just her presence.
Rea tried to cuddle her innocently, just to feel her warmth, but her hands lingered, fingertips brushing the curve of her waist, the dip of her back. It was dangerous. She knew she had to get up before she did something reckless.
The morning air helped, but it didn't stop the echo of those lewd dreams from haunting her. Dreams of Annabella surrendering to her fully. Of soft moans. Nails on her back. Breathless whispers of her name.
Downstairs, she passed through the inn's main hall and caught part of a hushed conversation.
"...they say a rogue mage murdered the heir to House Winstor," one villager whispered, "and kidnapped his fiancée. Poor thing's probably being held somewhere..."
Rea walked past without flinching, thankful that the concealment spell worked flawlessly. No one even glanced at her twice. To them, she was just another traveller, not the most wanted woman in the country.
She went straight to the bar and asked the innkeeper for a soft, fruit-rich breakfast. "Make it sweet," she added, "the kind that makes someone feel spoiled."
Then she stepped outside to buy flowers. Simple ones, lavender, wild violets, a few pale roses. Nothing too grand. Just enough to say I'm thinking of you. I want to do this right.
Because last night had taught her something. Annabella had pulled away. Not because she didn't want her but because she wasn't ready. Because something inside her was still doubtful.
When Annabella finally stirred, blinking into the golden light of morning, she found the bath already drawn. Steam curled from the copper tub. The scent of wild herbs and soft oils filled the air. Just as she stepped closer wearing nothing but a robe, two arms wrapped around her from behind.
"Surprise," Rea whispered against her ear, her voice deep and playful.
Annabella's head tilted as she turned to look at Rea. "What are you up to now, you pervert?"
Rea chuckled, brushing her nose against her cheek. "I just want you to feel at ease today. We'll be leaving soon, but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy the morning."
If it's a bath you want, it better only be a bath." She said as she arched a brow stepping forward
"Of course," Rea said with mock innocence, giving her the flowers she had just bought. "Strictly hygiene."
Annabella smelled the flowers and gave her a slow, suspicious look. That arched brow. Those parted lips. The faintest tease of a smirk... this girl is...just ....fuck.
Then She tied her hair up with a ribbon, her movements slow, elegant, teasing without trying. Then she let her robe slide from her shoulders and stepped gracefully into the water.
Annabella leaned forward slightly, eyes closed. "You're being suspiciously well-behaved."
Rea then followed her in.
Wordlessly, she reached for a cloth, dipped it in warm water, and began washing Annabella's back.
The scent of her skin, the glint of water sliding down her spine...it was too much.
And yet, Rea held back. Today wasn't about taking.
Annabella turned slightly and glanced at her with a teasing smile. "What do you want, Rea?" she asked, voice smooth, playful. "You're unusually well-behaved today."
Rea smirked but didn't meet her eyes at first. Instead, she leaned in close and whispered near her ear, "I just want you to feel comfortable."
They started talking about everything. They talked about Rea's power. The different occasion where she used them.
Annabella chuckled as she said:" I knew it! The spell I used the first time we met should have wiped your memory clean"
Rea scratched her head feeling on the spot." I almost died that day".
Then sadness was all over Rea's face
Annabella noticed
"What is bothering you, Rea? Come on Tell me" Annabella said as she intertwined her fingers with Rea's.
The official story is ...I killed Arthur and kidnapped you Rea said, her fingers swirling absentmindedly in the bathwater. I heard Villagers talk about it.
Annabella leaned back and wrapped herself in Rea's arms. her voice softer now. "It is a pity no one knows You were the one kidnapped."
Rea's frown faded into something softer. Thoughtful. "So you confess you kidnapped me" She asked sweetly.
Annabella's breath caught, but before she could answer, Rea kissed the nape of her neck, softly at first. Just a brush of lips. Barely there. Then again, firmer. Slower. Her hand slipped forward, gently finding the curve of Annabella's breast under the water, cupping it greedily.
Annabella jolted slightly, more out of surprise than protest.
Her breath hitched. "Rea...What do you think you're doing, ahhh—?"
But Rea was already at her ear, kissing just behind it, breath hot against wet skin. Her other hand snaked around Annabella's waist, pulling her back—closer—until the curve of Annabella's spine met her own firm arousal under the water.
Rea's voice was low, rough now. "I don't know...I can't help it".
For a moment, she didn't move. She was caught in the push and pull of need and hesitation. Then she turned around slowly and straddled Rea. Her eyes locked with Rea's. She whispered, "Don't go too...far."
Her mouth met Rea's in a tender kiss.
Rea held her gently but firmly, making her feel every kiss, every caress. She deepened the kiss, desperate to pull Annabella on to her and consume their love as they should.
Then she whispered against her lips, almost without thinking, "When this is over, we'll find a place just us. A life we'll build. I swear it."
The words broke the spell.
Her body stilled, eyes blinking rapidly as though she'd just remembered where they were. She turned away without a word and stepped out of the tub, water cascading off her like glass.
Rea reached after her. "Hey..,why are you being like this? Fuck ...What do you want? I can't seem to get it right with you!!!"
Annabella grabbed a towel, wrapping it around herself as she faced away. Her voice trembled but held its edge." Because we're running, Rea. From people who want you dead. We can't be thinking about that now. We don't even know where we're going."
Rea stood there, stunned and wet, the heat of the bath clashing with the chill settling into her chest.
Annabella finally turned, eyes heavy with emotion. "You talk like we're safe. But we're not. And every time you touch me like that, I want to believe we are… and that's dangerous."
grabbed her pouch from where it had been tossed carelessly on the bench, unfastened the flap, and held out a small, dark sigil stitched into the inner lining. The shape shimmered faintly in the morning light, elegant, stern, and unmistakably noble.
"This," she said, voice steady but low, "was given to me by George. It's the sigil of House Cornelius."
Annabella, half-dressed now and toweling off her damp skin, glanced up. Her brows lifted.
"Cornelius?" she repeated.
Rea nodded. "Arthur's mother was part of that House. Before she married into Winstor. I don't know why George gave this to me but I think he meant for me to use it."
"That could actually work," she murmured. "They're… secluded. Careful with who they trust. But if they see this, and know it came from George…"
Rea studied her face. There was a storm still behind Annabella's eyes, even as she tried to reason through strategy.
She reached forward and gently cupped Annabella's jaw, forcing her to look her in the eye.
"So what is it really about?" Rea asked, soft but firm. "It's not just fear, is it? Not just the run?"
she just kissed Rea
When she pulled away, she whispered against Rea's lips, "We should get moving."
Rea let the silence hang for a breath. She wanted to press, to understand. But she knew better. She had learned by now: when Annabella kissed like that, she was both hiding something and asking not to be pushed.
So Rea nodded. "Alright."
Rea walked ahead slightly, her sword strapped to her back, but she kept glancing over her shoulder at Annabella. Every few minutes, Annabella would catch her looking and arch one perfect brow.
"Ooo come on...Get over it," Annabella said, voice light and amused. "Abstinence is a very healthy practice."
Rea rolled her eyes, but her smirk gave her away. "I am more worried about you! You tend to tighten up when I don't break into you some time to time"
Annabella's cheeks flushed—just a bit—but her grin was wicked. She stepped forward, brushing her fingers over Rea's hip as she passed. "Don't worry about it...I..have it under control."
They stopped beneath a crooked willow to rest. Rea pulled her cloak over a low branch, offering a bit of shade. When Annabella sat down, legs outstretched, Rea knelt beside her.
"What are you doing?" Annabella asked, a teasing edge to her voice.
Rea kissed her hand." Resting"
Rea pinned Annabella to the grass with a grin.
"Say it," Rea whispered.
Annabella tilted her head, playful and daring. "Say what?"
"That you want me."
Annabella chuckled, dragging Rea by her collar and whispering into her ear, "I've always wanted you, Rea. That's the problem."
Their lips met in a kiss that deepened fast.
Annabella moaned into the kiss, arching into her.
But just as Rea began to slide her hand into Annabella's pants.
Annabella pulled back.
"I'm not feeling it," she said, breathless.
"You're lying."
Annabella gasped and shoved her off. Rea landed on her back, laughing through the surprise. Annabella stood over her, regal and flushed, eyes glinting.
"You look better under me," she said coolly, and turned away.
The rest of the trip was a game of seduction. Rea was determined.
Rea handed her a flower as they walked, something she risked her life taking from a cursed stream.
When they stopped again, Rea got to the edge of her patience and decided to pull Annabella behind a tall rock outcrop, cupping her face with both hands.
She kissed her hard, stealing another moment, another breath, another moan. And this time, Annabella didn't stop her. Her fingers curled in Rea's shirt. Her hips shifted forward.
Rea growled low in her throat, lifted her easily, and pressed her back fully against the stone.
The kiss deepened, sloppy and aching, mouths parted and breath mingling, before laying her down across the gentle grass.
Rea pulled her shirt up and kissed Annabella's firm stomach, trailing her tongue along her skin until she reached her chest. She paused, lips hovering, then licked softly at her nipples, causing Annabella's breath to hitch.
Her body, once guarded, now arched into Rea's touch.
"Rea…please...I know it is hard" she breathed, but the protest was gone. It wasn't a warning...it was a plea.
Rea's hands were slow but deliberate. She slid them down, finding the waist of Annabella's pants and pulling them off.
Annabella gasped, her eyes fluttering shut.
No. Not yet... Why does she make me feel like this?
But her body said otherwise. Every nerve screamed yes. Her thighs trembled with anticipation and fear. The ache was deep, visceral. The kind that bloomed from longing and nights spent dreaming of one another.
"I... Anna," Rea whispered. "You don't have to do anything. Just let me love you."
Then, she parted her gently, holding her open, and lowered her mouth between Annabella's thighs
Annabella felt her resolve unravel, bit by bit. Her mind tried to hold on to the weight of the world.
Annabella's gasp, shift of muscle, made Rea's heart pound harder.
She's letting me in. Finally. Rea thought to herself
Rea licked slowly her clit
Annabella cried out, her voice echoing against the stone around them, raw with need and confusion and something dangerously close to surrender. She clutched Rea's hair, torn between pushing her away and pulling her deeper.
How can something so terrifying feel so safe? Annabella thought to herself
And the sound Annabella made in response nearly undid Rea who felt her own arousal press against her pants, hot and pulsing, demanding release.
I want to make her forget everything. The fugitives. The war. The fear. I want her to only remember me. Right now. This.
Her hands gripped Annabella's thighs as she continued licking
She felt Annabella start to shake, not from fear but from the edge.
She's close.
Rea lifted her head for a moment, kissing her inner thigh, panting softly against her skin. "You're so beautiful when you let go."
Annabella whimpered, hips tilting...
And Rea, lost in her, drunk on her knew exactly what she wanted and was ready to give it.
Rea pulled her pants down, her body aching for release. She could barely hold back — not when Annabella lay beneath her, flushed and trembling, more than ready. Rea rubbed the tip against her slick entrance, teasing them both, then began to push in slowly, deliberately
A sound snapped through the trees. A footstep. and then voices coming from the opposite side of the rock.
"Fuck," Rea growled under her breath.
Annabella tensed. "Rea...move," she whispered urgently, eyes wide with panic.
But her panic made her tighten around Rea's tip, and the sensation sent a violent pulse through Rea's core. She gasped, trying to hold back a moan. It was torture... the pleasure, the abrupt stop, the ache of being denied.
Rea groaned in frustration and forced herself to pull out. The loss stung in ways she wasn't prepared for. She reached for her clothes, stuffing herself back in, jaw clenched, giving Annabella a moment to dress as she stood to meet whoever was approaching.
Two travellers emerged from the trees, casual, curious. One of them looked vaguely familiar.
"Did you hear that?" one of them asked, glancing toward the rock. "Sounded like someone screaming."
Rea blinked, deadpan. Screaming? You have no idea. Her body still throbbed, her nerves still buzzing. I didn't just hear those screams. I was causing them. I could've... She swallowed it down.
"I didn't hear anything," she said flatly.
That's when Annabella stepped out from behind the rocks. Hair a bit messy. Skin flushed. Eyes still glazed with the weight of what almost happened.
She looked… delicious. That almost sexed aura around her made her look...so damn hot.
Rea bit her lip, barely holding it together.
And so did the travellers. One of them visibly took a second glance, intrigued. And Rea's stomach dropped when she realized why.
It was that girl ... the one who had tried flirting with Annabella before.
The girl smiled, clearly recognizing her. "Hey… funny running into you two again." Her eyes raked over Annabella. "You look… even prettier than I remember."
Annabella gave a polite smile.
The girl stepped closer. "You know, the roads ahead can be rough. Maybe we should travel together? Safer in numbers."
Before Rea could answer, Annabella, ever graceful and strategic, nodded thoughtfully. "That might not be such a bad idea."
Rea stared at her. Seriously?
"Great," the girl beamed, eyes still on Annabella.