Chapter 48
The moment Moe asks me whether I mind if she goes shopping with Lis, I smile and tell her it’s fine.
Like hell!
My lips are about to fall off from smiling at that, especially when inside I’m imagining all the ways I can torture that Lis.
But Moe already told me off once for being overbearing. I have to at least pretend I am not. I have to at least keep up appearances so Moe won’t be mad at me.
But shopping? Why can’t she go shopping with me? Why does she need to go with Lis? Or is it because Lis has more tokens than me? By all accounts, she’s hoarding points without any plans to leave Aimaxion. So it stands to reason she’s filthy rich.
Could it be that she won’t go with me because she doesn’t want to spend my tokens?
All kinds of thoughts cross my mind in that moment. Moe is far too kind and innocent, and once someone recognizes that, it’s easy to take advantage of her. She probably feels bad for spending our money so she accepted Lis’s invitation?
By the Seven! I’ll just fight more, earn more, get more tokens.
What type of male am I if I can’t even provide for my female?
But this seed of doubt continues to grow in my mind. Lis is up to something, and she’s using shopping as a way to lure my innocent Moe away from me.
So of course I do the only acceptable thing—I follow them.
At a distance—a strategic distance. Far enough not to be noticed but close enough to intervene the instant Lis inevitably reveals her nefarious intentions.
The district they enter is one of the more affluent parts of Aimaxion, crowded with jewel merchants, silk vendors, perfumers, and artisan stalls overflowing with expensive nonsense no one here truly needs. To be able to buy from any of these, one must be a high-ranked warrior.
Lis is one. I am not.
Damn it!
Once more, jealousy rears its ugly head, as does the realization that no matter how much I advance, there will always be someone better than me.
Unacceptable. I cannot afford to lag behind anyone if it means there’s even the slightest chance I might lose my Moe.
The atmosphere here is completely different. People seem more carefree—and of course they are when they can avail themselves of all types of luxuries. Even the air smells of spice, sugar, and perfume.
Intoxicating.
But regardless of my sweet tooth, I barely register any of it.
My entire attention is fixed on them.
Lis walks at Moe’s side with infuriating ease, listening while Moe speaks animatedly about something or other. She gives her full attention to every word, her gaze fixed on Moe with that same measured intensity I noticed before.
It’s too focused, too attentive.
Almost…predatory.
And I don’t like it!
Then she leans in slightly when Moe speaks.
My eyes narrow just as my hands ball into fists.
Is she testing the boundaries? Trying to see how close she can get to my Moe?
Moe, of course, notices nothing. She still thinks this is an innocent outing; that this Lis has good intentions toward her.
Of course she does. My Moe thinks the best of everyone after all—to my advantage, too. She did decide to trust me and to put her life in my hands. But that is a different matter altogether. She should only trust me; only see the good in me and in no one else.
I keep grumbling under my breath, once more wishing my Moe was a bit more selfish.
Then she smiles at something Lis says.
She. Smiles.
My molars grind. Those are my smiles. For fucks’ sake, this is pure torture.
Lis says something else, quieter this time, and Moe laughs—a bright and unguarded sound that should be reserved only for me.
The sound hits me like a physical blow.
Why is she laughing like that? What did Lis say to her? Was it something flirty? Something seductive? Some subtle innuendo hidden beneath harmless words that an innocent like Moe wouldn’t recognize as such? Was it an inside joke designed to create intimacy?
Why can’t I hear?
My eyes narrow as suspicion builds. Is Lis using some type of shield so no one can listen in to their conversation?
Aha! That just proves her intentions are not honorable!
They stop at a sweets stall.
Lis purchases candied fruit and offers some to Moe.
My expression darkens. She bought her sweets. By the Seven! That is a blatant escalation.
Moe accepts it with a smile. Then—horrifyingly—takes a bite while maintaining eye contact.
My stomach drops. Dread overwhelms me. My legs tremble and my head starts swimming. I grab onto a railing to keep myself from falling to the ground in outrage.
Was that deliberate? Was Moe… My Moe…
One does not consume food while looking another person in the eyes unless there is intent behind it. She hasn’t even done that with me and she’s doing it with Lis?
I don’t know how much more of this I can take before my heart gives out.
Moe says something, and Lis’s gaze drops briefly to her mouth before she replies.
I hold tighter onto the railing, my feet seemingly melting into the ground. My entire body goes still as I cannot take my eyes off them.
Lis looked at her mouth.
Moe’s mouth.
That is not subtle. That is not even remotely subtle. She may as well have announced her intentions aloud.
How dare she try her wiles on a clearly taken female?
Didn’t she hear me yesterday? Moe is mine! My mate! I claimed her!
When they start moving, I follow—though my legs still feel like jelly.
Lis places a hand at the small of Moe’s back while guiding her around a passing cart.
My vision blurs.
They’re touching. Openly touching. In public…
I’m going to be sick.
She has her hand on Moe’s lower back. That is an intimate gesture...
The rules say I can challenge her for touching Moe without permission. But that would only end in my defeat and by default, Moe’s too.
Damn it!
My fist slams into the stone wall beside me before I fully register moving. A crack splinters through the surface. Nearby pedestrians stare at my uncouth behavior.
I ignore them.
This Lis is becoming bolder. Far too bold.
Is it because she’s so powerful, so high-ranked that she thinks she can steal anyone’s girl?
This entire situation is progressing too rapidly. Have they been alone together more than I realized? Has this been developing behind my back?
No. Impossible.
Moe would not hide such a thing from me. She’s with me at all times. I would have noticed if there was anything amiss. And she told me she loved me, didn’t she. She wouldn’t lie about that.
Would she?
A cold unease settles in my chest.
No. There is no point in suspecting Moe. She’s just an unwitting participant in this farce. With how little experience she has of the world, I have no doubt she does not recognize the signs—that Lis’s regard for her is nowhere near platonic.
Granted, I may not have much more experience than her, but I do have experience in lusting after her so I can recognize the signs in other people.
Especially since Lis is doing what I also have been doing for far longer! She’s slowly grooming Moe’s affection under the guise of friendship.
Yes. Of course I would recognize the signs when I invented this method in the first place!
And Moe is so pure, so kind and soft-hearted she would never realize those hidden intentions. She’s the perfect target for a schemer.
They stop before a jewelry stall. Lis picks up a necklace—a seemingly very expensive necklace.
I stare at it in mute disbelief.
Absolutely not. This can’t be happening!
She lifts the chain toward Moe’s throat, holding it against her skin while studying her.
My breath catches.
By the Seven, I feel faint again!
She wants to buy her a necklace. The intimacy of it makes my blood run hot.
Then Lis smiles. It’s small one—soft, private.
My heart begins pounding harder.
That is not the smile of someone admiring jewelry.
That is the smile of someone imagining wicked things. As she smiles, she’s probably picturing their future—a future where she drapes Moe in expensive gifts and steals her away to whatever lavish residence warriors of her rank inhabit.
She’s plying her with riches so she will abandon me and my lousy abode.
Oh, fuck!
I quicken my pace, then force myself to stop.
No. It’s too early to intervene.
I need more concrete proof—though frankly I already have plenty.
Still, it’s better to catch her in something undeniable, so I continue to shadow them.
They move through the district at a leisurely pace.
Lis buys her flowers.
Flowers.
I nearly choke.
That is a universal sign of courtship. There is no other explanation for flowers.
None.
Moe accepts them with delighted surprise and immediately buries her face in the bouquet to smell them. Lis watches her do it with a look so openly fond my stomach twists violently.
That is it. That is the look. That is the face of a woman in love.
Obsessed, even—I should know it very well.
My thoughts begin spiraling faster now, each one worse than the last.
How long has this been happening? Has Lis imagined kissing her? Touching her? Has she pictured taking her somewhere private? Teaching her things? Corrupting her?
My grip tightens so hard my knuckles ache.
No. No, I will not allow it.
Not while I still breathe.
They turn down another lane, huddled together in conversation. Lis smiles at something Moe says like every word out of her mouth is precious.
Disgusting.
My pace quickens. At this rate, if I blink for too long, Lis may attempt to marry her in the middle of the street, right under my nose.
And clearly, I am the only one taking this threat seriously.
The deeper they venture into the market, the more convinced I become that I am witnessing the early stages of a calculated seduction. There is simply no other explanation.
Why else would an immortal of her standing become interested in a mortal? Why else would she save us from the Culling when it was none of her business?
I keep watching. Lis walks too close to Moe. Her gaze lingers far too longer on her face.
No one pays that much attention to another person unless they want something from them.
Or want them.