[MGM]: 78 - Departure

Our decision made, we each confined ourselves to our individual rooms and waited for sleep to take us. That was when I heard the creak of the wood as the door opened inward, trying—and failing—to avoid making any noise. I sprang up from my lying posture to stare at the intruder.

Amara made a shushing motion with her finger to her lips and closed the door behind her. I noted that she wore a shiny blue nightgown that clung to her figure snugly. Her pale skin appeared even lighter under the moonlight, and her curvaceous figure left me with a rapidly thumping heart.

She closed the distance to the bed and climbed atop. I didn't speak, just watched as she moved closer still—until her face was inches from mine, her breath a heated sensation against my lips, and her eyes deep pools of seductive promises that tempted me to drown in them.

The dragon in me roared to life, and the dragon on me rose to attention. I closed the last of the distance between us and melted against her soft, rosy petals. The night had just begun.

It unfolded just as it had the day before, though we tried to avoid making any noise, lest it irritate our next-door neighbors. By the end, we still ended up sweaty and labored, even if exhaustion proved a remote concept to our supernatural physiques.

We snuggled into each other's embrace and closed our eyes. Sleep that night was warm, cushy, and full of heated emotions. I slept with a smile on my face.

It was early in the morning when I found myself tying the strings on a burlap sack and attaching it to the horse saddle. The Baron had decided to provide us with the necessary transportation to hasten the progress of our quest—even if he himself wasn't aware of the technicalities.

Amara had suggested that we avoid disclosing any information about our destination, and I agreed wholeheartedly with her. It was one thing to be aware of the Mana Crystal deposits in the End Forest; it was another to have access to one that might prove to be a remote branch of what was clearly Royal property.

We had been prudent in avoiding the spread of information, yet it would seem the others had still caught wind of it somehow.

"You spoke to my father?" Arianna asked, though it wasn't much of a question at all.

I nodded and said, "I have spoken to your father many times in these past few days."

"No, I meant yesterday," she rebuked, frowning.

"That we did."

"He's in trouble, isn't he?" she asked.

I paused, holding the leather strap in my hand, and turned my head. "Whatever gave you that impression?" I said.

Arianna shrugged. "I've known about that for quite a while now."

"Did you, now?" I raised a brow, skeptical.

"Yes, but that's not why I'm here," she said. "I heard about the deal you made, and I want to accompany you."

"Now why would I do that?" I asked, amused.

"To make sure you fulfill your promise," she answered, eyes narrowed. "You need to take me with you."

I allowed the silence to linger for a couple more seconds before chuckling and shaking my head. "No," I said. "I'm not taking you with us. And if you've got any complaints, go talk to your daddy, princess."

Her brows pressed deeper as she glared at me, but I simply turned back to fasten the strap on my horse. Arianna didn't leave, but that was her decision, and I didn’t care enough to ask.

A little while later, Amara came into view as she rode her own steed, with Tania clinging to her back. She charged straight toward us and skidded to a halt right before us, her horse issuing a triumphant neigh.

"I suppose we're ready to depart then?" I gestured toward her steed, and she replied with a terse nod. Smiling, I climbed onto my own steed and gripped the reins.

Just as we were about to turn and leave, Arianna made a frenetic motion with her hands and cried out. I frowned and looked at her in askance.

"What now?" I asked.

"Um..." she tried, glancing at Amara and then back at me. "I promise to listen to your orders—just take me with you."

"Why are you hellbent on following us?"

"How am I supposed to trust you otherwise?" she asked. "I mean, you got your end of the bargain, and all you provided in return was word of mouth. Not very trustworthy."

I sighed, shaking my head. "That verbal promise is more than your father can hope to bargain for at this point, my lady. You should be thankful that we intend to keep our promise. Anyone else would've long since abandoned this place."

"But—"

"Besides," I cut her off before she could voice her argument, "only Amara, Tania, and I are going. The rest will stay. That should at least leave you assured of our return, no?"

A series of complicated emotions played out on her face until, finally, she sighed and moved out of the way. I took a long moment to gaze at her, feeling her helplessness and her desire to help her father. Alas, I couldn't just offer her the keys to my own personal treasury. This went beyond the bounds of empathy.

We set off toward our destination, climbing down the hilly area where the Baron's Keep lay. A sharp wind cut against our cheeks as we raced off, the steeds maintaining a speed that was nearly half my own Agility.

"Why didn't you allow her to accompany us?" Tania asked suddenly.

It took me a moment to register the question, and I answered shortly after. "The place we're going is a secret known only to Amara and me. If Arianna found out about it, do you think she wouldn't share it with her father?"

"But we could've kept her from divulging our secrets, right?" she probed, tentatively.

Amara decided to answer in my stead. "Not unless we took some extreme measures. Her loyalty lies with her own father, not with us. It would be asking too much of her to trust us over him."

No further questions were asked as we traversed the down-trodden road. Golden rays of sunshine streamed from the open sky and bathed us in their warmth. I smiled at the feel of the heat and the sight of verdant green stretching before my eyes, then pushed my steed faster.

We arrived near the forest by noon and pushed deeper without stopping. Only after another hour did we pause near a stream to quench our thirst—and that of our steeds.

"You know," Tania said, leaning against a tree, "you weren’t exactly as sneaky as you might have expected yesterday."

I paused, puzzled for a few moments before the realization set in. Smiling, I looked toward her and found a light blush adorning her face. My smile widened into a grin.

"Did you enjoy it?" I asked.

"W-What?" Tania stammered, blushing even deeper.

I tied the strap to the tree trunk and moved closer to the dwarf. "I asked," I said, looming over her, "if you enjoyed listening in on us?"

"No—I mean yes—I mean no," she shook her head, confused, then asked, "What about you? Did you enjoy it?"

I froze for the briefest moment before I realized what she had done. Tania seemed to have also realized what she had just blurted out and looked at me in horror. "Wait, that’s not—"

I didn’t allow her to speak any further and instead said, "Sure, I enjoyed it very much."

I then proceeded to relay all the things in graphic detail, making sure to include my own experience as well. She blushed furiously, trying in vain to hamper my storytelling.

Her breathing grew ragged, eyes burning with desire, and her burgundy color turned a shade darker. I felt my surroundings grow heated—and not metaphorically, but literally, as if a giant ball of fire had been summoned into this world.

Seeing her clutching the fabric of my vestment as she looked up at me with misty eyes, I felt an unrestrained urge rise from deep within. I kissed her.

With burning passion and heated desire, I embraced her nubile form and pressed into her. She melted in my arms and reciprocated with fervor. We might have lost ourselves to the haze that had befallen us, had a sharp cough not broken the daze.

"What’s the big idea of sucking face while we’re on a mission?" Amara asked sharply, looking between us. I offered a sheepish smile, and Tania avoided her gaze altogether.

"Tania was thirsty," I said, "so I offered to wet her throat a little."

It was a shameless reply, and seeing Amara scrunch her nose in disgust made me smile wider.

"So what," she asked, "you decided to shove your tongue in her mouth? How does that make any sense?"

"Sure it does," I answered. "Have you ever tried it? If not, let me demonstrate."

Though the vampire tried to run away, I eventually caught up to her. It wasn’t as if she had never tried it herself—more that she was self-conscious about Tania’s proximity to our rather stimulating act. She did give in after a few tentative probes and allowed herself to fall into the haze. This time, I managed not to lose track of time and pulled back before things went too far.

We eventually tidied up, climbed astride our steeds, and headed deeper into the forest. After all, we had a cavern to mine.