Asenane's lashes fluttered before she opened her eyes and when she did, she found herself resting in Darling's lap. Her head rested on his chest. His arm was loosely wrapped around her as if he had been holding her the entire time she slept.
He looked down at her the moment he felt her stir.
"Did you sleep well, my love?"
His voice was so soothing for someone who looked the way he did. And when she lifted her gaze fully to his face, she felt something embarrassingly primal spark inside her.
He was devastatingly handsome. Her thoughts were completely wild. His cuteness was the kind that made her want to pin him down, kiss him senseless and see if he would still look that composed when he was the one being undone—
Her thoughts spiraled for half a second before she forcibly changed her expression.
"I'm fine."
He raised a brow slightly, clearly aware something had passed through her mind, but he didn't press further.
"How long was I asleep?"
"About an hour and a half. You needed it."
Her eyes flickered around the room, noticing how… different it felt.
"What did you do in the meantime?"
"I inscribed Protection Runes. They're embedded into the entire house now. You won't feel that sense of fragility anymore. The entire house is reinforced."
"The entire house?"
"Yep."
He said that as if reinforcing an entire home with runes during a casual hour and a half was an ordinary way to pass the time.
"Okay."
There was a shift in her expression that made her a bit unsettled.
"Are you okay with just this?"
"With what?"
"With… this. I'm your wife now."
"…"
"I thought it would mean something more. I don't even know what I expected. More romance? More sex? I don't know. I'm just shocked by how normal everything feels. Nothing's changed at all."
He studied her for a long second. Then he leaned down and kissed her.
"Veneri—"
He kissed her again.
"Wait, I'm trying to—"
He gave her another kiss but deeper this time.
Her hands came up to his chest as if to create space but instead they gripped him. His mouth moved against hers and when she finally gave in. When she stopped trying to talk and simply responded, the shift was immediate.
It was too good.
There was something about the way he kissed her. His hand slid to her waist, holding her steady on his lap. His thumb brushed against her side in slow strokes. Once she leaned into the kiss fully instead of resisting, it became intense. Her fingers curled into his shirt.
She wanted more. That simple realization startled her. He pulled back just slightly after a while. She leaned in for another kiss but he stopped her with his finger.
"Marriage doesn't change anything you know."
"..."
"On Earth, marriage means you chose one person. You stay with them for life. You share everything. Your experiences, your struggles, your home, you even raise a family together. We already did that though. We shared a life. We faced danger together. We lived together. In many ways, we were married long before it became official. The ceremony didn't create the bond. It only acknowledged it. The only difference now is that you don't need to question your place beside me, and I don't need to question mine beside you. There's a literal bond now."
He leaned in and kissed her again but slower this time. She melted into it, but when it got more intense and her body reacted too eagerly, she pulled back. Her breathing was uneven.
"Stop. If we keep going, it won't end in kisses."
"I'm your husband now. You don't need to hold back. If you want something from me, you can take it. You're mine and I'm yours. There's no restraint required between us. Though there wasn't any to begin with anyway."
Her throat felt dry. She then slowly pushed herself upright and straddled his lap, sitting fully over him, They looked at each other for a long second. She leaned in and kissed him again. Her hands slid to his shoulders, then to his hair.
"I just want to be kissed, nothing more. As much as I want to go past that, I don't think I can handle another session."
This time, the kisses stayed soft.
°°°°°°
Asenane was sprawled across the couch like she had just survived a war.
Her chest rose and fell in slow, uneven breaths. One arm was thrown dramatically over her eyes and the other hanging uselessly off the edge of the cushions. Her hair was a mess. Her entire body felt warm and tired. Veneri stood a few steps away, watching her with an expression that was dangerously close to amusement. He walked over and crouched beside her, holding out a glass of juice.
"You're in a daze. Drink this."
She cracked one eye open, glared at him weakly and took the glass. Her fingers brushed his and she felt another spark down her spine. She sat up halfway and drank the entire thing in one go, not even caring what it was. She exhaled sharply when she finished and handed it back to him.
"You're cheating."
"Cheating?"
They had just gone at it for over an hour and somehow, somehow, she still felt like she wanted more. There was this lingering, slow burn in her body that refused to extinguish.
"How powerful is your Love Divinity? You have to be using it. There's no way this is natural."
"I didn't use it."
"That's bullshit."
"It's true."
She sat up properly now, crossing her legs, still slightly unsteady.
"You expect me to believe that you didn't use your Love Divinity on me? We just kissed for over an hour and I still feel like that wasn't enough."
He leaned back casually against the arm of the couch.
"I don't need to use my Love Divinity every single time I'm with you, Asenane."
Those words made her realize something. Ever since they arrived at the Hidden Citadel, ever since the marriage he never talked about the others, not even as a comparison.
It had just been them.
"Why don't you bring them up?"
He looked at her directly, already knowing what she meant by that.
"Do you want me to?"
She opened her mouth but closed it. He tilted his head slightly.
"Do you want to know if I did that with Narisva? Or Adelasta? Or Phaenora? Or if I did this with them?"
"..."
"Well, no."
"No?"
She stared at him like he had just read something she hadn't even consciously admitted.
"All five of you are different. Narisva isn't one for affection. She prefers to skip to... let's call it phase two. Elyonari is too shy for both. She gets flustered just from kissing. Adelasta is bolder during the second phase. She enjoys intensity."
"And Phaenora?"
He shrugged.
"She doesn't particularly care either way. She's the wild card. And you like to be led until you don't. You follow my lead and then when you feel safe, you take over, like earlier."
She had been the one in a daze but she had also climbed into his lap. She had deepened the kiss. She had taken control for a moment. She didn't realize how tightly she'd been holding her breath until it escaped.
"And it would ruin the mood if I brought them up when we're alone. Unless you personally ask."
She frowned slightly.
"Why?"
"Because even though you share me, it doesn't mean you don't sometimes want me to yourself."
She opened her mouth to argue.
"I've never—"
"Have you never thought about not sharing me? Not even once? You've never imagined keeping me entirely to yourself for all eternity without the others?"
She tried to answer. She really did but nothing came out because she did think about it once. Maybe not in a dramatic, possessive way but there had been fleeting thoughts.
He reached forward and poked her cheek gently.
"Exactly."
She swatted his hand away.
"That's not fair."
"It's true."
"So what, you just manage five women effortlessly?"
He looked genuinely thoughtful for a second.
"I don't manage, my love. I pay attention."
"That's it?"
"Yes."
He stood up, setting the empty glass aside.
"You don't treat five women like one entity. You treat five women like five individuals. If I handled you the way I handle Nari, you'd be irritated. If I handled Adela the way I handle Ely, she'd get bored. If I treated all of you the same, it would be lazy."
She stared at him.
"That's annoyingly reasonable."
"And I don't bring them into moments that belong to you. Because when I'm with you, I'm with you, not with the idea of you among others."
"You're ridiculously good at this."
"At what?"
"Handling five women who have extreme traumas and overprotective personalities."
"There are emotions and there is jealousy. If one of you feels something, we talk. You all chose this. I didn't trick anyone. In fact, you all agreed to this. Also, I'm a guy. Women hold all the power in this world so I'm like a snack to you women. Not that I see that as a problem..."
She narrowed her eyes.
"You're still suspicious. And you're telling me that you didn't use your Love Divinity on me earlier?"
"I didn't."
"So this is just you?"
"Yes."
She stared at him for a long second. She then shifted closer to him on the couch, leaning into his side.
"You're not allowed to be that good and that reasonable at the same time."
"I'll try to tone it down."
She snorted. Then she rested her head against his shoulder. After a moment, she said quietly;
"I don't want to know what you did with them."
"I know."
"But I don't want you to stop being with them either."
"I know."
She narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Stop saying that like you can read my mind."
He leaned down and kissed her temple lightly.
"I don't need to read it. Stay with an assassin your entire childhood and you'll be able to read one's mind with words and body expressions."
She rolled her eyes but she smiled.