Chapter Twenty-Two #9
He slid his big hand behind her head and pressed her against him as though trying to meld their bodies into one. Maxi could feel his heart pounding like a drum, and the vein standing out on his neck pulsed rapidly. His long, callused fingers combed through her hair and hungrily stroked her nape.
“I have no idea what to do with you,” he mumbled. “Goddammit, if I could have my way, I would drop this war and take you back to Anatol myself. I truly wish that were possible.”
His words were so enticing that they made Maxi gulp. Of course, she could never ask such a thing of him.
“I-I have no intention of being a hindrance. That is not why I came,” she said. “I simply…wanted to be near you. And if possible…I-I want to help.”
“But I can’t bear the thought of you being in such a place!”
Riftan pried her away from him and sat up. The bluish dawn illuminated his broad shoulders. He gazed down at her for a moment, his eyes shadowed, before roughly rubbing his face. “This is not what I wanted for you when I brought you to Anatol.”
“R-Riftan, I…truly am content here. I am your w-wife,” Maxi pleaded. “I also…wish to be helpful. I-I might not be able to do much…but I am a healer, and I’ve mastered a few spells. I’ve grown healthier, too. I’ve m-managed to make it this far, haven’t I? I am not th-that weak.”
Despite her impassioned argument, Riftan still looked wholly unconvinced. Maxi was about to pull him into her arms again when she stopped herself, the fear that he might jerk away making her hesitate. Seeing this, Riftan sighed and pulled her into a deep kiss.
Maxi moaned when she felt his thick tongue push into her mouth. His hard chest crushed her breasts, and his muscular arms tightened around her like the roots of a tree. Maxi gasped for air like a fish caught in a net.
He explored her with such passion that his regal nose bore down on her own, his stubbled chin chafing her smooth skin.
Maxi shuddered as his hot, wet tongue hungrily tasted the roof of her mouth and the insides of her cheeks.
It was a feverish kiss, one that made Maxi feel as though he were trying to devour her whole.
“Maxi…” Riftan murmured, his voice thick with desire as he lowered her onto the cot.
Maxi flinched as his hot fingers slid between her thighs. She dug her nails into his forearm, a choked moan wrenching from her throat as she reveled in his touch. The fire in his eyes was so intense that Maxi wondered if they were burning with desire or hatred.
He fondled her until he could bear it no longer and brought his large frame crashing down onto hers. Electrifying heat coursed through her veins as his weight pressed her into the cot. It nearly drove her out of her mind.
Overcome with urgency, Maxi fervently explored Riftan’s smooth, muscular body.
Droplets of sweat beaded like dew on her skin, and her rapid pulse extended all the way to her fingertips, her blood boiling with desire.
She caressed his back over and over again, Riftan’s seductive moans filling her ears.
Maxi thought that she would not mind dying like this, crushed beneath him.
Urgent footsteps outside the tent shattered their moment of passion.
“Commander! We are to convene immediately,” someone shouted.
Riftan slammed his head on the cot and cursed in frustration. “Goddammit, talk about timing…” He squeezed his eyes shut and barked irritably, “I’ll be there soon.”
Panicking, Maxi yanked down her bunched-up tunic. Riftan regarded her with blazing eyes before slowly rising to his feet. She saw that the muscles on his back were tense with unsated desire.
After running a hand through his tousled hair and heaving a deep sigh, Riftan grabbed a clean tunic and threw it on.
He then washed his face and donned his armor with astonishing speed.
With the blanket wrapped around her, Maxi watched as Riftan flawlessly transitioned back into a stately knight in the blink of an eye.
Finally, he strapped his sword belt around his waist.
He turned to look at her. “I will be back soon, so don’t even think about leaving this tent.”
“B-But I also have—” Maxi quickly snapped her mouth closed when she saw the dangerous glint in his eyes.
His voice came out in the growl of a wild dog as he warned, “I will not have you wandering around a camp full of animals by yourself. You are not to take a step out of this tent.”
Before he walked out, he gave her a menacing glare as if to warn her that any further disobedience would not be tolerated. Maxi hastily dressed and tried to go after him, but the soldier guarding the entrance blocked her path.
“Forgive me, my lady, but Sir Riftan has commanded that we keep you inside,” the soldier said.
Maxi impatiently looked up at the soldier. Idsilla would be worried about her, and if she did not return soon, the other female clerics might misunderstand the situation. Maxi felt restless as she looked up at the brightening sky.
“I-I won’t be long…. I will only visit the infirmary,” she begged.
The soldier refused to budge. “I’m sorry, my lady, but Sir Riftan’s orders come first.”
Maxi bit her lip and glowered at him but eventually withdrew into the tent. Though she was angry at Riftan’s unreasonable treatment of her, she could not resent him for trying to protect her.
She slumped down onto the cot and waited for him to return. However, she soon grew restless, her body having become accustomed to all-day labor.
Maxi roamed the tent, inspecting the items she came across.
Though Riftan’s tent was spacious and comfortable, it was humbly furnished.
Layers of sheets covered the cot, and beside it stood his armor and sword stand, along with his spear and shield.
Dozens of chairs surrounded a large table that could seat at least thirty people.
A round hole in the diamond-shaped ceiling seemed to serve as a window. A flap designed to cover the hole was attached to a rope that stretched to the ground. Like a curious cat, Maxi tugged at it, watching the flap open and close.
She was looking idly about the tent when she sensed that the noise outside was growing louder. Maxi leaped to her feet and threw back the cloth hanging over the entrance. Not far from the tent, Riftan stood arguing with a tall, lithe woman. Maxi’s eyes widened when she saw the woman’s face.
“P-Princess Agnes?”
They somehow heard her and turned to her in unison.
“Maximilian!” The princess pushed Riftan aside and ran over to Maxi. “I thought the knights were mistaken when I heard them talking, but it was true! It’s been a long time, hasn’t it? Have you been well?”
Maxi’s eyes grew round at the unexpectedly warm welcome. Paying no heed to Maxi’s bewildered reaction, the princess squeezed both of her hands and carried on excitedly.
“You must have suffered a difficult journey here. I hear that these stuffy men have been busy nagging instead of welcoming you.” Agnes flicked her head toward Riftan with a disapproving look.
Riftan scowled and gritted his teeth. “I don’t want you giving my wife false hope.”
“False hope? Must you phrase it so?” The princess snorted. “I offered you a sensible solution. And it is Maximilian’s opinion that matters, not yours, sir.”
Unable to follow their conversation, Maxi began backing away. Then Ruth materialized out of nowhere and tried to stop their bickering.
“Both of you, please, calm down,” the mage snapped. “Do you not see that Lady Calypse is uncomfortable?”
Riftan shot Ruth an icy glare before turning to Maxi. Seeing her anxious expression, Riftan ran a hand over his face, then begrudgingly stepped away from the entrance.
“Fine. We’ll discuss this inside,” he muttered.
“Oh, how very kind of you,” Agnes quipped as she strode into the tent.
Bewildered, Maxi followed them. Seeing her confused expression, Agnes gave Maxi an apologetic smile.
“I am sorry if we startled you,” the princess said kindly. “I’m afraid we lost our tempers while we were discussing where you should be accommodated. You know how obstinate this man can be.”
“My…accommodation?” Maxi asked, nervously looking back and forth between Agnes and Riftan.
Riftan glowered. “It is my prerogative to decide where my wife stays, Your Highness. You have no say in this.”
“I am the commander of the coalition forces of Wedon,” Agnes shot back. “And since Lady Calypse is also a subject of Wedon, I do have a say in this matter!”
“She is not a mage dispatched by the kingdom!”
“Which is why I’m offering her the position!”
“J-Just a moment!” Maxi cried out, bringing an abrupt end to the shouting match. “Could someone please…explain to me wh-what is going on?”
Ruth had been standing with his back to Maxi throughout the exchange.
Evidently deciding that neither of the commanders would be able to give Maxi a clear explanation, he sighed and said, “It’s simple, my lady.
You joined the support unit disguised as one of Livadon’s female clerics, but you are no longer able to continue as such.
Which is why the idea that you be formally introduced as one of Wedon’s mages came up. ”
Maxi gaped at him. “A-An official mage?”
“No need to feel daunted, Maximilian,” the princess said quickly when she saw Maxi’s frightened face. “It will only be a titular position. Your duties within the camp will largely remain the same.”
Maxi gave her a dubious look. “I-If nothing is going to change…is this complicated formality r-really necessary? I do not m-mind staying with the female clerics—”
“And you think I would allow such a thing?” Riftan growled through gritted teeth. “Damn it! The fact that you were forced to stay in such a place is enough to make my blood boil. Is this your way of mocking me?”
“That’s why it is no longer an option for you to stay with the female clerics,” Ruth muttered dryly. His shoulders sagged as though he was exhausted, and Maxi surmised that Riftan must have given him quite an earful.