Chương 90: 090

Warmth. It pressed around my face like the softest blanket, thick and all-consuming. Sleep hovered just out of reach as I drifted in that hazy space between dreaming and awareness. The softness didn't shift as I stirred. Even as I edged closer to waking, it remained steady and impossibly comfortable. The occasional movement barely registered through the fog in my mind. Whatever this was, I wasn't leaving it unless I was forced. Memories slipped through my thoughts like sand, elusive and scattered.

Flashes of yesterday came and went before, slowly, everything settled into place. Dura. We'd shared the bedroll. That fact was confirmed by the leg hooked tightly around mine, anchoring me in place. Her arm was draped across my back, her hand half tangled in my hair as if she'd fallen asleep trying to comb through it. I might've drifted right back under… if not for the nagging realization creeping in. Her arms were wrapped around my shoulders and back. Which meant the softness pressed against my face was-.

She shifted with a sleepy grumble. Her fingers twitched in my hair, tightening just enough to pull me closer before pressing my face more firmly into her chest. Surprise flickered, then melted into something warm and hazy. After a brief hesitation, I let myself sink into it with a mental shrug. Something told me she wouldn't mind. And honestly? This was the most comfortable I'd ever been. A few more minutes wouldn't hurt.

Time slipped by, slow and heavy, every bit of tension bleeding out of me, until it snapped right back when she shifted again. This time, her body pressed closer, a thigh sliding between mine and nudging upward. Heat flared, low and electric. It rolled through me in waves, setting every nerve alight until I felt like I might vibrate out of my own skin. Dura hummed softly in her sleep, shifting again.

I bit back a sound, something caught between a hiss and a groan, as a slow, insistent pulse settled low in my stomach, echoing with every heartbeat. … Yeah. I probably should've seen this coming. She'd warned me she was clingy and I definitely hadn't done anything to discourage it. Breathing slowly through my nose, I tried to ignore the heat pooling southward and focused instead on grounding myself. Henry snored softly on the other side of the fire, Maya curled against him, fast asleep.

Dominicus leaned against a tree nearby, sword resting within easy reach, posture loose but ready. Time chose the opposite side of the fire, a few yards from Dura and I. His expression was softer than I'd ever seen it, tension eased completely as steady breaths rose and fell. At least he wasn't awake to witness this. That would've been unbearable. … Which still left me with a problem. The slow, absent-minded movement of her leg was turning into outright torture, and if she kept it up something was going to give.

The warmth pulsed, tightening low as if to volunteer. I crushed it down, cursing the morning and the damn sensitivity it always brought. Even if I escaped her hold long enough to handle it, there was nowhere to go. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Damn it all, how did people handle this while stuck in parties? Was I supposed to just ignore it until it went away? Say I had to piss and do it then?

Waking Dura so she'd quit rubbing was probably a good start, if nothing else. As if to prove the point, she hitched her thigh higher and ground in. I groaned under my breath, trying to ease back just a little, enough to get some space. I didn't even make it an inch. Her arms tightened instantly. She pulled me flush against her with a low, sleepy grumble.

"Too early," she mumbled, voice thick with sleep.

"Go back t' sleep." If she weren't currently making that impossible, I absolutely would have. Giving in to the inevitable, I dragged myself out of her chest just enough to free an arm and tap her. Her nose wrinkled in response. I did it again. This time, she cracked an eye open with a low, confused grunt. Sleepy, unfocused eyes locked onto mine, and I offered a small, apologetic smile—doing my best to ignore the slow shift of her thigh dragging against me.

"Sorry for waking you," I murmured, "but I'm gonna need you to move your leg." She frowned, confusion deepening as the words struggled to land through the haze of sleep.

"…Huh?" Yeah. No easy way out of this. I pressed on, pointedly ignoring the heat creeping up my neck.

"If you keep doing that," I said, voice low, "I'm going to make a mess. I'd rather avoid that, if possible." That got through. Her brow furrowed as she glanced down between us, taking in the situation. The gears turned slowly—very slowly—before realization finally clicked.

"Oh." Instead of pulling away, she shifted. And somehow made it worse. Her other leg wrapped around me too, locking me firmly in place.

"Better?" she asked, entirely too pleased with herself. I paused. Then, slowly, the tension eased.

"…Much," I admitted, letting out a quiet breath of relief. She huffed a sleepy laugh, the warm puff of air brushing over my hair.

"Guess I don't have to ask if you're a breast or thigh man." I shrugged, too comfortable to care anymore.

"I'm more of an 'all of the above' kind of guy," I said.

"I can move if you want?" She snorted and tightened her hold in response.

"Don't you dare. This is comfy, and I'm going to enjoy it until we're forced to separate."

"Sounds like a plan." A yawn slipped through the words, my body already settling back into the warmth despite everything. Silence stretched between us for a moment. Then Dura sighed, her tone dipping just slightly.

"I don't suppose 'later' means sometime this morning?" For half a second, I considered it. It would've been easy. Slip away, find somewhere quiet, take a moment for ourselves after everything that had happened. God knew I could use the distraction. But logic won. Barely.

"There's no privacy here," I said, rubbing slow circles into her back.

"And with my luck, the second we sneak off, something will jump us while we're distracted." I offered a small, wry smile.

"We'll wait until we're somewhere safer. A town, maybe. Or even a sealed cave. Somewhere no one's going to walk in and nothing's going to try to eat us." She sighed, but nodded, pressing her face into my hair.

"Yeah… that makes sense. Closest cave I know of is a few weeks travel," she said.

"Hoped not to wait that long, but can't be helped." I patted her arm, not bothering to hide the disappointment.

"It'll pass before we know it." Although waiting was going to be agony if this was how we always woke up… She leaned back just enough to look at me, eyes lighting up.

"What about a beastfolk settlement? That counts as a town, right? We should be passing one of those soon." Oh thank fuck.

"As long as Maya's nowhere nearby and we won't have people barging in, I'm fine with it." At least that way we wouldn't have to worry about monsters. Dura beamed, pulling me into a brief, tight hug.

"Perfect. That cuts the wait from weeks to a few days." I shifted upward just enough to press a quick kiss to her lips, smiling when her surprise melted into a soft, pleased hum. Pulling back when my lungs started protesting, I exhaled.

"Looking forward to it," I murmured.

"But for now… let's just survive the day." There'd be time for everything else later.