Once Marcus walked inside, he sat down on one of the two wooden chairs in their home. Other than the chairs, the only other furniture in the house was a table, their bed, and a small chest at the foot of the bed. From what Marcus had been able to tell, this was simply the norm for life in hamlets like this. It was a far cry from the splendor of the cities in Enfel, but that was hardly surprising when one considered the disparity in both wealth and power between here and there. He had often considered taking Rei and showing her a life beyond meager peasantry, but had, time and time again, reached the conclusion that this was the safest place for them.

That is, until now. This news of razed villages had him worried—more so than he’d let on earlier.

‘It couldn’t have been a dragon. I’ve never heard of one that didn’t patrol its territory on a regular basis, so there’s no way those villages lasted this long if one was actually around. Even if it was an abnormal dragon that only attacked now, for whatever reason, the fact that multiple villages were destroyed shows intent.’

From what Marcus knew, the newly-founded hamlets bordering the wildlands were a considerable distance from each other. Their village was closer to Talmond than it was to the next villages to both the north and south, and from the few glimpses of a map he’d seen back in the city, most of the other villages were of a similar distance from one another.

‘Push comes to shove, I can take a dragon. Still… no, I can’t just whisk Rei away from everyone she knows, especially Gren.’

He’d just have to be more vigilant, he decided. Plus, seeing as Paul had heard this news in Talmond, that meant that the baron, Lord Talmond, had to have heard of the attacks as well.

‘He stands to gain the most with the expansion; there’s no way he’ll sit idly while the border villages are being destroyed.’

With this in mind, Marcus assumed that some force would be sent down soon enough to suppress the southern threat. Ideally, he wouldn’t even have to lift a finger, and life would go on uninterrupted.

Just as he made up his mind, the door opened, and in came Rei.

“Your secret talk go well?”

“Better than you know,” Rei said with a chuckle. “Let’s just say you and I have a lot to talk about later.”

As she spoke, Rei slowly sauntered across the room. Meanwhile, Marcus remained seated, trying to figure out what his wife meant.

“Oh, yeah?” he said, arching his brow. “Have some kind of surp-”

Before he finished his question, Rei placed a finger over his lips.

“Sshh.”

She shushed him, then slowly sat down on his lap in a way that left both of their bodies facing one another. Their faces were close, so close that Marcus closed his eyes in anticipation of a kiss—which never came. Instead, he heard Rei’s voice whispering in his left ear.

“I said later, didn’t I? Besides, isn’t there something you’d rather do than talk about Gren?”

He didn’t miss her reuse of his line from that morning. It was a provocation, though the kind of fight Rei was looking to start was of a very different sort.

Marcus opened his eyes, and found himself face-to-face with Rei; the tips of their noses were practically touching, and their hot breath intermingled in the air between them. Without exchanging any more words, both of them moved their heads forward at the same time. Their lips met and remained locked in a fervor of passion. Two pairs of hands moved in tandem, each travelling across the other’s body. Horns, hair, back, thighs, nothing was left untouched—by either of them. Eventually, Rei pressed herself against him, leaving Marcus all too aware of the feeling of her breasts against his chest.

Finally, the two of them pulled back, gasping for breath.

“S-should we...move to the...bed?” Marcus asked, in between mouthfuls of air.

“Do you have any work left?”

Marcus quickly shook his head. “No, no, I’m free for the rest of the day.”

“Good,” Rei said, her hand stroking his chest. “So am I.”

***

The setting sun bathed the room in a dim, red light. Marcus and Rei were both in bed, their naked bodies intertwined. Slowly, Marcus lazily opened his eyes. His mind was groggy, but after a few moments, he realized that he and Rei had dozed off. It was hot, and they were slick with sweat, but Marcus didn’t mind.

‘That was-’

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt Rei nestle closer to him. He turned his head, only to find that she was still asleep, her head resting on his arm. Her face looked peaceful, and he even thought he could see a faint smile. The most stunning part of her, however, was her auburn hair. The light was hitting it just right, and it glowed like fire.

‘You never did tell me what it was we needed to talk about.’

Marcus was curious, but not curious enough to disturb her rest.

‘There’s...always tomorrow,’

Rei’s rhythmic breaths, the beating of her heart against his chest, and the warmth of her body were all lulling him back to sleep, and after a few more moments, his eyes closed.

***

Marcus burst through the trees, finding himself in a clearing. For some reason unknown to him, he was being chased through the forest, in the pitch black of night. He had no idea who his pursuers were, only that there was more than one. He slowly backed away from the treeline, making sure to watch it carefully for any signs of movement.

“Marcus.”

Marcus froze, then slowly turned around. There was Rei, standing in the center of the clearing. In her hands was a small bundle—something wrapped in a blanket.

“Rei-”

As he tried to take a step toward her, Marcus found himself rooted in place. Try as he might, he couldn’t lift his feet from the ground.

“Rei! Rei, come to me!”

Rei remained unmoving, her expression frozen like a porcelain doll. Marcus stared at his wife, unsure what to do. Just as he was about to call out to her again, the words stuck in his throat. A figure was standing in the treeline, on the opposite end of the clearing from him. Marcus was overcome with fear; even without being able to see more than an outline of the person, somehow, he felt he knew who it was. And, as the figure stepped into the clearing, his heart dropped.

“U-urbat…”

The man continued walking across the clearing, approaching Rei from behind.

“Wait! Please! Urbat, it’s me you want, it’s me! I’m sorry I left the guild, but… please, just let me explain!”

However, his plea fell on deaf ears, as Urbat continued to approach without any sign of stopping.

“Don’t fucking touch her! Come and fight me, you bastard! I won’t run!”

Marcus pulled at his legs with all his strength, but he still couldn’t move.

“Rei!” he yelled as he reached out his hand toward her. “Hurry, come to me!”

The few seconds it took Urbat to reach Rei felt like an eternity, as his mind rushed to find a way—any way—to stop him. But, it was all for naught, as his old guild leader was now standing directly behind Rei. Flashing Marcus a sadistic smile, he slowly pulled a long, vicious-looking dagger from a sheath on his back.

He looked Marcus in the eyes, staring unflinchingly into his hate-filled gaze. Then, he smiled, before plunging the dagger into Rei’s back.

“No!” Marcus cried out in anguish.

He watched as Rei’s body crumpled, falling over lifelessly onto the grass below. His vision turned red, rage overpowering his mind. His struggle to move turned fiercer, as he clawed at the earth beneath his feet.

“I’ll fucking kill you! You hear me, Urbat!? Do you-”

Marcus’s threats were suddenly interrupted by an unexpected sound—the piercing wails of a baby. All at once, his anger vanished, replaced by a cold feeling of dread. The crying was coming from the bundle Rei had been holding, which had fallen to the ground beside her. Urbat strolled toward it, stopping to crouch down beside the baby. He picked it up and carried it to Marcus, remaining just out of arm’s reach.

For the first time, Marcus could see its face, and he froze. The baby had Rei’s horns, along with little wisps of auburn hair.

‘This…’

Then it opened its eyes, and Marcus saw that they were chestnut-colored, just like his. Seeing him, the baby smiled and gurgled, reaching out with a tiny, pudgy hand. But, before he could do or say anything, Urbat turned away. With baby in hand, he began walking back across the clearing, toward the treeline he’d first come out of.

Marcus was forced to watch as the baby—his baby—was taken away. His mind was in such a state of turmoil that he was at a loss for words. He simply watched as Urbat’s back grew smaller, until the man was finally obscured by the darkness of the forest.

***

A thatch roof, auburn hair, and an arm across his chest. These were the first things Marcus saw as his eyes opened.

‘Another one of those dreams.’

Usually Marcus was able to shake them off, but this one had been worse than all the rest combined. He turned his head, finding comfort in the presence of his sleeping—and still living—wife.

‘I watched Rei...die. I couldn’t even do anything...’

That was what hurt the most, his inability to stop what had happened before his very eyes. He knew it was nothing more than a dream, but that didn’t stop waves of remorse and guilt from washing over him.

‘That baby… Did I dream about us having a child?’

Children had been on his mind as of late, but Marcus had never expected something like that.

He was scared of what could happen to any kids he and Rei had, given his circumstances, but he hadn’t expected his fears to be that… intense.

Marcus let out a sigh and rubbed his forehead. He was tired of the constant worrying—the ever-present fear that his old guildmates would find him. It wore him down, and he was scared that, eventually, it would strain his relationship with Rei.

‘Is it my fault we never talk about kids? What do I do if I find out she wants one?’

He had a sneaking suspicion that she did. Even if he was wrong, the time would come, whether he wanted it to or not.

“Let’s just say you and I have a lot to talk about later.”

Her words echoed in his head. He’d been lying to himself earlier, as if he hadn’t had an inkling of what she meant.

‘Tomorrow. I need to find out what she wants, sooner rather than later.’

Having made up his mind, Marcus closed his eyes, hoping to sleep until morning came. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed in but a few moments, as someone started pounding on the door to their cottage.

Marcus shot out of bed, quickly put on his trousers, and rushed to the door. Meanwhile, Rei had also woken up, disoriented by the suddenness of it all.

“Whas happening?” she asked, slurring her words.

“Don’t worry, I’ll find out.”

He threw the door open, finding Raji on the other side, his feline-like ears twitching anxiously.

“Marcus! Gren sent me! He-! They’re-!” The old man grabbed him by the shoulders, trying to calm himself enough to speak properly. “Go to his place! Some kinda soldiers from Talmond are here! I don’t know any more than that!”

“I’ll be right over. Go tell the Chief.”

Raji nodded, sprinting back the way he’d come.

“Rei,” Marcus said as he quickly put on the rest of his clothes, “I’ll be right back, okay?”

“Please, be safe. Gren wouldn’t put you in danger, but there must be a reason he sent for you.”

“Don’t worry, nothing will happen.”

Hoping he’d reassured her, Marcus ran out into the night.