The bathroom’s warmth wrapped around us as I crossed the marble floor, my boots echoing in the candlelit space. Evelina had already slipped into the water, her back against the tub’s edge, her white hair fanning out across the surface like silk.

She watched me undress with open interest, her crimson eyes tracing every movement, every exposed inch of skin. The ring on her finger glinted in the candlelight, its patterns shifting lazily now that she was at rest.

"You take too long," she said.

"Always so impatient."

I stepped out of my trousers and joined her in the water, the heat seeping into muscles still tight from the archmage’s trials. The tub was large enough for four, maybe five, but Evelina had positioned herself in the center, leaving room on either side.

I chose her left.

She leaned into me immediately, her head finding the curve of my shoulder, her body settling against mine like it belonged there. The water sloshed gently, lapping at the tub’s edge.

"The key," she said, her fingers tracing idle patterns on my chest. "What are you going to open with it?"

"Not sure yet. Something important."

"That’s vague."

"I’ll figure it out."

She hummed, low and contemplative, and I felt the vibration through her entire body. The steam curled around us, thick and fragrant, obscuring the edges of the room until it felt like we existed in our own small world.

"In the library," she said after a long silence, "when Trish came forward. Did that bother you?"

"No."

"Liar."

I sighed, my hand finding her wet hair, fingers combing through the strands. "It bothered me. But not for the reason you think."

"Then what reason?"

"Because I couldn’t tell where she ended and you began."

Evelina was quiet for a moment. Then she shifted, turning in the water until she faced me, her knees on either side of my thighs. The candles reflected in her eyes, flames burning in crimson depths.

It almost made me forget how long we’ve been together. Bringing me back to the mere servant and dog I was from before.

"Does it matter?" she asked.

"I don’t know."

"Then stop trying to figure it out." She pressed her palm flat against my chest, right over my heart. "I’m here. Trish is here. Fiona is here. We’re all here, Cael. You don’t have to pick us apart."

"I know."

"Says the one who keeps wanting to separate us."

"I learned my lesson, okay?"

Her lips curved, small and genuine, and she leaned forward until her forehead rested against mine.

"I love you," she said. "And don’t overthink that."

I closed my eyes and breathed her in. The floral scent of the bath. The faint musk of her skin beneath. The warmth of her body pressed against mine.

"Evelina."

"Hm?"

"I love you too."

She kissed me then, soft and slow, her fingers curling into my hair.

The kiss deepened, her tongue sliding against mine with the same lazy confidence she brought to everything. Her fingers tightened in my hair, pulling just enough to make my scalp prickle, and I felt her smile against my mouth.

"You’re tense~" she murmured, lips brushing mine with each word.

"Long day."

"Then let me fix it..."

She pulled back, water dripping from her skin that traced the curves of her breasts, the dip of her waist. Her white hair was slicked back and dark with moisture. She looked like something that shouldn’t exist outside of a fever dream.

Her hand slid down my chest, nails dragging lightly over the muscle, past my stomach, lower still. I inhaled sharply when she found me, already half-hard from the heat and her proximity.

"Mmm... always so ready for me," she purred, her crimson eyes heavy-lidded. "Like a good dog..."

I grabbed her hips, pulling her closer through the water. "You still remember?"

"Of course I would, I think you might be even cuter back then."

She stroked me slowly, her thumb circling the head, and my grip tightened hard enough to bruise.

"Am I not cute now?"

Her laugh was low and breathy. "Don’t worry though... I think you’re more handsome now to make up for it."

I couldn’t wait any longer. My hands slid down to her thighs, lifting her, and she wrapped her legs around my waist without hesitation. The water made everything slick and easy as I positioned her above me, felt the heat of her against my tip.

"Nnn... go on then," she whispered against my ear, nipping at the lobe. "I’m way too pent up after we got interrupted back then..."

I thrust up into her, burying myself to the hilt in one motion, and she gasped, a sharp, broken cry that echoed off the marble walls. Her head fell back, throat exposed, and I leaned forward to drag my teeth along her pulse.

"Aahn— Cael—!"

"Too much?"

"Too much...? This isn’t your first time having sex with me, Cael..."

"Is it so bad to ask for what you like?"

"When we’re both pent up like this, the answer’s yes."

I fucked up into her in deep, steady strokes, the water sloshing over the tub’s edge with each movement. Her nails raked down my shoulders, leaving white-hot trails that would linger for hours. She was tight around me, impossibly tight, and every gasp and moan she made sent another jolt of heat straight to my groin.

She rode me with the same ferocity she brought to battle, relentless, demanding, utterly consuming. Her hips rolled against mine, finding a rhythm that made the base of my spine tingle with building pressure.

"I felt you today..." she breathed, her voice hitching on every other word. "During the trial... when you channeled... aah... I felt your magic through the choker..."

"Is that what this is about?"

"Maybe..." She clenched around me deliberately, and I groaned. "Mmnh... maybe I just want to feel you again..."

"And here I thought you were supposed to be a duke’s daughter."

"That doesn’t mean I don’t have human emotions, Cael..."

She kissed me again, hungrier now, her teeth catching my lower lip. The taste of her filled my senses until there was nothing else.

Just Evelina, her body wrapped around mine, her soul tangled with mine through a bond that was supposed to be parasitic, that we made symbiotic.

I reached between us, finding the swollen nub at her apex, and circled it with my thumb. Her rhythm faltered immediately, her inner walls fluttering around me.

"There...! Right there... don’t stop... please, don’t— aah...!"

I didn’t. I worked her with my thumb and cock both, driving into her harder, faster, the water churning around us. Her breathing went ragged, her eyes squeezed shut, and I felt her cresting toward the edge.

"Look at me."

Her eyes snapped open, crimson bore into steel-gray, and she came undone. A keening cry tore from her throat as her body seized around me, clenching in rhythmic pulses that dragged me right over with her. I buried myself deep and spilled inside her, my release torn from me with a groan that was half her name and half something wordless and primal.

For a long moment, neither of us moved. She collapsed against my chest, her heartbeat hammering against my ribs, her breath hot and uneven on my neck. The water slowly stilled around us.

"...Better?" she asked eventually, her voice muffled and drowsy.

"Better."

She lifted her head, and there was something softer in her eyes now, something she rarely let anyone see. "Good... because you’re still not done."

"Evelina."

"You stole me from my tight little bubble, Cael. You bound me to you..." She traced the line of my jaw with one wet finger. "The least you can do... is fuck me properly every night for the rest of our lives. Mmn..."

"Is that what I owe you?"

"That’s what you get to do." Her smile turned wicked. "Lucky you..."

I kissed her forehead, then her nose, then her lips. "Lucky me."