Alessia Pov:

Her lips mashed against my own, and I felt myself melting under her touch. I was shocked when I saw that she had changed in the week that I had left. She was far more beautiful now. Not that she wasn’t before, but now she was otherworldly.

It was surreal how I could feel her hands against me as clear as day, and I was on the cusp of losing my mind because of it. The fire that was raging in her eyes when she pinned me into the wall sparked feelings that had long since laid dominant.

“Alessia.” She purred in my ear, and I felt my mind fry once more at the onslaught of pleasure that was budding in my chest. Why was she the only one that could make me feel so alive?

“Yes, Empress?” I replied as I closed my eyes to avoid her gaze. I knew it bothered her, but I couldn’t help myself. I wanted her to say something to me. No, I needed her to.

The finger under my chin pressed into me harder, and her voice reached my ear with no small threat in it. “Alessia, what did I just tell you?” I opened my eyes and stared into her fiery eyes. A strange emotion flickered in my chest like a perverse heartbeat as I stared into her and lost myself in her eyes.

“I’m sorry, Calixa.” Her name rolled from my tongue, and if I could breathe at that moment, I may have just whimpered.

A feral grin crossed her face for a split second before she leaned back and wrapped her arms around me, holding me close to her. “Can you call me that in private from now on, please?” The tone in her voice became softer, and a part of me was sad that what we were doing was over. But I wasn’t going to push her. I yearned for her, but her wish was my command at the end of the day.

“Of course,” I replied as I pulled her into me and rested against the wall. I missed her so much. There wasn’t a day that she wasn’t on my mind. She was mine, just as much as I was hers. That was, without a doubt. Whether that was because of the whispers that gnawed at my mind or by the simple act of attraction. But it really didn’t matter anymore. This was my life, and I accepted it wholeheartedly.

“Have you been training like I asked?” I reached up and ran my fingers through her hair while keeping an eye out for any of my soldiers that may wander past since I knew all too well that she didn’t want public displays of affection. Not that it bothered me since I fully understood why. It was still lovely, though, when she did things like this.

“Yes. I unlocked a plethora of new skills, and I designed a new weapon. Not to mention, I also helped Nyx find some magic that she enjoys.” She pulled away slightly before giving me another peck on the lips and took my hand in hers again.

“How is Nyx?” I asked as I followed closely behind her, tightened my grip on her hand, and eyed her backside with no small hunger.

“She’s okay. She’s a little depressed that she lost a duel with me earlier. So she’s been sulking in bed or just asleep. I’m not sure which.” She shrugged as she glided down the hallway.

Nyx was much like a daughter to me, though that may be partly because of how much time we spend together or because I’m just head over heels for her mother. “Poor girl.” I nodded my head as I thought it over. Nyx was very prideful, so no doubt she was depressed at her first real defeat.

“Yeah, but she did well. I’m proud of her.” She stopped and looked back at me, and I felt a pulse in my chest as she beamed happily. I was absolutely smitten, beyond any doubt.

“What magic did she get a hold of?” I knew Nyx was predominantly a mage, but the last I knew, she didn’t really enjoy a lot of blades, so I was worried that she would suffer the same fate that many mages did.

“I gave her the gravity orb I have, on top of the water core. But she was using a few other elements simultaneously, not to mention the wand she has or the dual battle axes that I made her.” She shrugged as she turned away and pulled me further down the hall. I didn’t know where she was going, but it didn’t matter.

“Do you think perhaps that is too much for a child to learn?” The Empress treated it a bit too nonchalantly that the princess was so diverse in combat.

“No? As I said, she did really well. Honestly, near the end, she used gravity magic to lock me in place. If I didn’t have all the ki I did, she may have really hurt me in the end. One day, I can see her being stronger than any of us.” She clenched her fingers around mine, and remained quiet for a moment while I thought about what she said.

It was true, Nyx had the potential to outshine us all one day. It was rare to see someone who could use all three of the core body affinities. Not just rare but unheard of. It was always a trade, and there was always a sacrifice. I was born without magic, but my ki affinity was high. But I gave that up as well. I only chose the path of the soul to further amplify my blade work because, in the end, the only thing I would ever rely on was my skill and nothing more. “I see. Moving forward, I will train Nyx to the best of my ability with her axes.”

“I appreciate you, Alessia. So very much. Anyway, do you want to go on a date?” She stopped and spun around. Her cloak danced on the draft of her movements, and her emerald eyes flickered. My eyes were drawn to her perfectly sculpted face, and I swooned as I stared at her.

“I would love to, but what about Nyx?” I couldn’t help but worry about leaving her on her own.

“She will be fine. As long as she has her books, she will be distracted enough. Besides, now, she just needs space so she can process what happened.” She stopped in the middle of the hallway and glanced around.

We somehow ended up on the fringe of the praetorian stronghold. It was strangely empty outside a few guards stationed in key points. The others must be busy training, which is good. “Are you sure?” I didn’t doubt her, but I felt terrible not including her in our plans.

“Yes.” She walked close to me and laced her arms through mine. “Besides, it would be nice to have a moment just for us two, no?” She pulled my arm into her chest and gave me a set of puppy eyes that could rival Nyx’s.

Any reservations I had in that moment faded away, and I nodded. “Of course. It would be wonderful to spend time with you, my love.” I grinned at her as I threw on that extra part to get a reaction out of her.

Her face darkened slightly, her eyes watered near the corners, and she nodded. “Good. Let’s go to the lake. Oh, I know you probably won’t be able to, but can you eat food?”

“I don’t particularly have the desire to, but if it’s something you want to do, we can.” Food, sadly, had no meaning to me anymore. My body didn’t need it to function, nor did hunger ever assail me. But if it made her happy, then it would be something that I could attempt to do.

“Okay! I can try to make something small for us then. Maybe pizza of some sort.” Her face scrunched up slightly, just like Nyx’s does when she’s in thought. It was scary how much alike those two were; the funny part is that they were both utterly oblivious to it.

“What is pizza?” The foreign word left my mouth and left a strange feeling on my tongue.

“It’s dough that is often baked, and on top is any sauce you can imagine, melted cheese, and whatever else you want to throw on there. It’s quick and easy depending on the kind that you want to make, so I figured it would be the best option we had.” She leaned her head into me as we walked down the hallway and towards the kitchen.

It was thoughtful of her. But in the end, it didn’t really matter to me. I just wanted to spend time with her. “While we are out, let’s talk about our plan for leaving the domain since I’m almost certain you want to do that as soon as possible.”

“Oh yeah! We can talk about it. Plus, there are also a few things that I want to run past you about the praetorians. But most of that can wait. I just want to spend some time with you.” She beamed a wide-toothed smile at me, and I couldn’t help but fall a little further into her grasp at that moment. Slowly but surely, I was starting to be consumed by her, and at this point, I didn’t think I could escape, even if I wanted to.