He placed the underside of his jaw on the mattress near her chest, her shoulders flat against the bed while her legs were turned slightly. Looking up to her, he gently tapped at her arm.

She stirred, her face frowning before she slowly flickered her eyes open.

“Orpheus?” she asked, her voice hoarse and sleep-filled as she rubbed one of her eyes. “What’s wrong?”

Another light whine came from his chest.

“Why are you angry with me, Reia?”

Her brows drew together to create a little crease between them. “I’m not angry with you. Why do you think that?”

He looked over her resting under the furs.

“Then why are you here? You have not slept in this room for days.”

Reia groaned, turning to her back as she brought the fur up to cover her face. “Because I’m really tired tonight.”

“I don’t understand.”

She brought them down to peek at him. “If I sleep with you, you always wake me in the middle of the night.”

He tilted his head, making his bells jingle slightly.

“But you said I could do this.”

“I know.” She let out a small, yet awkward, laugh. “And I like it, but we’ve done it enough today, and I’m really tired tonight. I thought it would be easier if I slept in here.”

His vision turned a reddish-pink. Am I touching too much?

He didn’t think it was enough. Orpheus had an insatiable hunger to touch her, a burning need that ate at him constantly. She told him he could take, and he took multiple times a day.

His favourite was over the dining table while she was face down because when he filled her with his seed, her legs would squirm and kick because they free to do so. It was a strange sensation to feel her twist, contort, and move around his cock like that while he was releasing inside her.

He took her wherever she was, and he thought she had liked it.

An ugly emotion spiked in his chest, like guilt, shame, or regret.

“You promised you would tell me if you didn’t want to.”

She reached down to cup his snout affectionately.

“And I am by sleeping in here tonight. Once I have a good sleep, you can be as naughty with me as you like, even in the night.”

This is her way of telling me?

His eyes drifted over her body once more. “But I don’t like this. I want to hold you while we sleep.”

She made a thoughtful noise while twisting her lips to one side. “Well, I guess if its only to hug me, then that’s okay.”

She started to move the furs to get up, and Orpheus darted forward to be with her on the bed that was much too small for him.

“You don’t need to move. You are already comfortable.”

He curled himself around her and drew her tightly against him. “Sleep Reia. I’ll protect you and make sure you don’t awaken.”

She turned to him and buried her face against his chest as she cuddled him. “You better not fall asleep on top of me, Orpheus. You’re heavy.”

Then she was asleep, and Orpheus felt as though the world was right once more.

Reia swung her sword through the air, feeling unbalanced.

She darted to the side where there was a stump with a book on it, a rock holding the pages open so the light wind didn’t change the page.

She pressed her fingers on the book, keeping the page from blowing so she could read it properly. Oh, okay. So, I’m swinging too high.

Moving away from the sword training guide to make room for herself, she adjusted her grip slightly. Then she swung, bringing the sword up, twisting it over her head, before she sliced downwards in a diagonal swing from the outside of her shoulder rather than directly above it.

The motion felt smooth, didn’t cause any twinges in her back or arms, and didn’t unbalance her. Because of these changes, it was also faster.

“Yes!” She released one hand from the grip of the hilt and threw her fist in the air. “That was perfect!”

She looked around with a grin, wishing Orpheus was here to see her do that. He was currently travelling to the stream to fetch her water since she was starting to run low.

Ever since she’d gotten the book, her skills with the sword had significantly improved, even in the five days she’d started using it. Every day, she practised for hours. When she was tired, she would do other things while she rested before practising again.

She would sew her own clothes, like the one she currently wore. She wore a pale, baby pink dress from the fabric he’d gotten for her.

Now that the weather was getting warmer, she didn’t need long sleeves. It came to the middle of her bicep and was loose enough that when she lifted her arms, it folded to her shoulders. It was low cut and showed the top of her cleavage. She used the brown fabric he’d gotten to sew on a fake corset section that cupped underneath her breasts and highlighted them before coming down at a V just over her navel, wrapping around her waist but leaving her hips free.

The skirt of her dress was flowy and came to just below her thighs, and if she was to twirl, it billowed out around her freely.

It was more colourful than anything she’d ever worn, but this was how she’d used to dress when she’d been back in her village.

She loved it and couldn’t wait to make others that were similar in style but different colours.

Reia would also make ornaments in her spare time, slowly getting rid of the ones the other woman had wanted or made herself. Some of them were new, from Orpheus decorating his home to make it more welcoming for the offerings that had followed her. She kept those.

She just wanted to get rid of some of the evidence of the mystery woman. After hearing of the story of her, she now understood Orpheus better.

Looking towards the house, with all the effort he’d gone to, she knew he had always been kind. It didn’t matter what else he had done. She could see he’d tried to be accommodating, had wanted to bring comfort and happiness but had been coldly rejected in return.

Don’t worry, I’ll accept it on her behalf. And she’d return it, add to it, make this a memory holder of her. Someone that cared for him, wanted him, someone who was going to stay with him because she wanted to.

But we will leave it sometimes. She was adamant about it.

She redirected her attention back to her sword, holding it up like she was poised to strike an invisible enemy. I will get good with my sword and prove he can take me anywhere.