289: [Bonus chapter]The choice she embraced

[Bonus chapter]The choice she embraced

The moment they stepped foot inside the tent illuminated by numerous torches, he unwrapped his face and tossed the scarf aside. His brows furrowed, and his lips passionately met hers in a fervent kiss.1

'Your tongue is quite active.'

Yes! she wanted to express, but her tongue momentarily froze in her mouth before Egon urged a response from her once again.

What sort of witchcraft was that?!

Her closed eyes snapped open, and she was met with his smoldering dark gaze, hungry with lust. Her eyelids slowly slid closed once more as he continued to devour her mouth.

'Embrace me in your mind, just as you have in your body and heart.'

She shook her head, but his hands pressed against her cheek, limiting her ability to move her neck the way she desired.

'I know you like this. I can hear it in your heartbeat. I can taste it in your kiss.'

She did like it. His deep voice inside her mind carried a wealth of passion. It felt like having even more of him within her. It was tempting to fully embrace it.

'You are mine, body and mind, give me everything.'

She shivered in his arms when his lips gave up on her mouth and started delivering slow, deep kisses, drawing a line that extended from just below her ear to the collar of her shirt. She was melting, not even recognizing that his hands were unbuttoning her shirt.

'I can't get enough of you, I can't.'

She allowed her legs to follow his lead as he walked forward, the effect of his kisses, like planted seeds, began to spread within her. The gentle caress of his lips ignited a fire wherever skin met skin.

"Mmh," She moaned when she found herself on the comfortable cushions, pressed down, her husband grinding against her.

The robes he wore were so thin that she could feel every contour of his muscles, and the exact shape of the demanding hardness between her thighs. Then, abruptly, he ceased what he was doing and pressed their foreheads together, their chests rising and falling in unison.

He gazed into her eyes, his large brown ones brimming with profound affection.

"Egon."

She turned her head toward the tent entrance. The voice calling from outside belonged to Andreas. The reason Egon had abruptly halted their activities before they escalated became clear to her; he must have heard Andreas approaching.

"I'll be right back... Don't move."

He kissed her forehead, then her cheek, and finally planted a soft, sweet kiss on her lips. Then, he pulled himself up and strode to the entrance of the tent. Pushing the door open, he disappeared outside.

Feeling a bit too exposed in her vulnerable position, she sat up and began buttoning up her shirt. Her gaze swept over the area around her. At the far end of the tent, she noticed a corner with trays of what appeared to be milk and dates. Right next to them, neatly laid out over the cushions, were clean robes, white and blue in color.

They were exactly what she needed at the moment, for the lingering scent of camels still clung to her.

Taking off her boots, she pulled her pants down and walked with just her shirt on. She examined the white robe, satisfied to find it identical to the one she had worn before—comfortable and effortless to put on. Her hand froze when Egon reentered the tent.

He frowned.

"Do you ever listen to what you're told?" he questioned with a raised eyebrow.

She returned the eyebrow raise. "Do you?"

She gasped immediately afterward, placing two hands over her mouth in surprise. Relief washed over her as she found her voice again, a sentiment mirrored in her husband's expression.

"…How's Larissa?" she inquired a moment after.

"You never have to worry about her when she's with Andreas," he replied, shaking his head. He seemed somewhat uncomfortable about something. "She was the one who asked him to sleep through the road. She said she's been having trouble sleeping lately."

Adela was unsure of how to feel about that.

"Did he speak to Rauul?" she asked, changing the subject.

"He's going to do that right now. There's no reason for us to stay the night."

Adela rubbed her arm, suddenly feeling a chill. Had there been a real need for her to make this journey in the first place?

She steeled herself and asked, "Why are we really here? I thought Rauul would listen to me, but it seems that Andreas is the one who holds influence over him."

Egon's tone turned somewhat acidic as he replied, "Why do you think we're here? What's going on in that mind of yours?"

"If I had the answer to that question, I wouldn't have asked it," she responded slowly, as if explaining something to a child.

"Andreas isn't in his best state right now. I had to make sure he was alright. Plus, I've grown too attached to leave you alone in Lanark, especially with that warlock there. I couldn't risk it."

Such a simple answer from her husband struck her profoundly, almost darkly amusing, how everything seemed to circle back to the subject of trust.

Was Egon being entirely honest in his responses?

He clicked his tongue, lost in his own thoughts much like she was. "Or was it destiny that brought an angel where one was needed?" he mused a moment later. "You certainly influenced the course of this wedding."

"About that," she said in a small, subdued voice, "I refused to go to that tent a couple of times. I even left the bridal tent with every intention of finding you."

"What changed your mind then?"

You.

She smiled.

"...The fact that I knew my husband was nearby. It came down to that. I was able to enter that tent knowing that you would either stop me or prevent anything bad from happening to me in there... That's the depth of my trust."

His face displayed a range of emotions that settled into amusement, his gaze drifting over the white robes.

"Let's go back home then." He looked at her with hungry eyes once more, "I want to finish what we started."

What occurred in Latora that night remained within its confines, and Kaiser's daughters departed in the same discreet manner they had arrived.

It was the week that followed that shook the kingdom to its core.

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