She let her soft fingertips brush gently against the edge of his open shirt.

Kai shifted in his sleep.

He let out a low sigh that sent a pleasant shiver straight down her spine.

The heat between her pussy throbbed in direct response to the quiet sound.

Eliza snatched her hand back like she had touched a hot stove.

Her heart beat wildly against her ribs.

She was acting like a foolish, desperate tavern maid. She forced herself to walk away from his mattress before she did something highly reckless.

’Not tonight,’ Eliza promised herself, crawling back into her own cold bed.

’But if he gets us out of this dead village alive, all bets are off.’

She pulled her blanket up to her chin and closed her eyes.

The scratching started right before dawn.

Kai opened his eyes and gripped his dagger.

He sat up quietly because the awful noise echoed from the narrow stone vents near the ceiling.

Moans drifted down through the air shafts, growing louder by the second as more thralls gathered outside the manor walls.

"They found us," Eliza whispered from the darkness.

She was already awake and holding her spear tight.

"We need to fortify the landing," Kai said, standing up to survey the dusty basement.

He looked at Eliza.

"You know this room better than I do. What do we have to work with?"

Eliza did not hesitate.

She pointed toward a stack of wooden crates in the far corner.

"There are three flasks of lamp oil in that box. We also have heavy iron chains hanging near the wine racks. And I have this."

She reached behind a brick in the wall and pulled out a beautiful hunting crossbow.

’She is definitely not a helpless noblewoman,’ Kai thought to himself with a very appreciative smile.

"Grab the oil," Kai instructed Vienna.

The tavern girl was already on her feet, holding her iron poker ready.

"Pour it in a wide line right below the air vent. Eliza, help me string these chains across the bottom of the stairs to trip them up."

They worked quickly and quietly.

Vienna soaked the brick floor with the slick oil, while Kai and Eliza secured the chains at ankle height.

The scratching above them turned into loud, frantic pounding as old mortar holding the iron grate together began to crumble.

"Get behind the barricade," Kai ordered, moving back to the center of the room.

The iron grate finally gave way with a loud snap.

Six pale thralls tumbled down the dark shaft and hit the floor hard.

They shrieked and scrambled to their feet, their yellow eyes locking onto the three humans and charged forward in a mindless sprint.

Kai struck a flint and tossed a small spark into the puddle of oil.

The liquid caught fire instantly.

A bright wall of flames roared to life, catching the first three monsters.

They screamed and stumbled blindly through the fire, their clothes turning into ash as they hit the hidden iron chains and fell flat onto their faces.

Kai stepped right up to the line of fire.

He drove his blessed dagger through the back of a burning thrall’s neck, pulled the blade free, and kicked the body aside to make room for his next strike.

More freaks poured out of the vent to replace the fallen ones.

They pushed through the flames, ignoring the fire eating their skin.

Eliza and Vienna stood shoulder to shoulder behind him.

They fought back-to-back, forming a perfect defensive line.

A burned thrall slipped past Kai’s guard and lunged for Eliza.

Vienna swung her iron poker like a club, cracking the monster right across the jaw to stagger it backward.

Eliza raised her crossbow and pulled the trigger.

The steel bolt buried itself deep into the thrall’s forehead.

It dropped to the floor without another sound.

"I am reloading," Eliza shouted over the roaring fire.

She cranked the heavy lever back and slid another bolt into place.

"I have you covered," Vienna yelled back.

She smashed another creeping monster in the knee, bringing it down low enough for Kai to finish it off with a quick slash.

They worked together flawlessly.

Kai held the frontline, cutting down anything that made it past the fire trap.

The women covered his blind spots, taking down stragglers with brutal efficiency. The tight choke point funneled the enemies directly into their weapons. A

fter ten grueling minutes of non-stop fighting, the final thrall fell forward with a crossbow bolt in its chest.

The basement grew quiet again, leaving only the crackle of the dying oil fire and their own heavy breathing.

[Siege Defended: +450 EXP]

[Team Synergy Bonus: +10% Affection Gained]

Kai wiped a streak of blood from his cheek and smiled at the floating blue text.

He dismissed the window and turned around to check on his team.

Eliza dropped her crossbow onto a wooden crate and slowly slid down the brick wall until she was sitting on the floor.

Her hands were shaking from the intense adrenaline dump. Vienna leaned heavily on her iron poker, her bare chest heaving as she caught her breath.

Kai walked over and sat down on the cold floor right next to Eliza.

He did not say anything at first, just let his presence offer a quiet comfort.

"I thought I was going to die down here alone," Eliza finally whispered.

She pulled her knees up to her chest.

"Every single night for three weeks, I listened to them scratching at the walls. I kept one final crossbow bolt saved just for myself so they could not take me alive."

"You don’t have to worry about that anymore," Kai said softly.

He reached out and rested his hand on her shoulder.

"You fought perfectly. You are going to make it out of this village."

Eliza looked at his hand on her shoulder, and then she looked up into his eyes.

The suspicious wall she kept around her heart finally cracked open.

She leaned her head against his arm, letting out a long sigh of genuine relief.

Vienna walked over and sat down on Kai’s other side.

The scent of sweat and adrenaline filled the small space, mixing with the dark magic to create a very potent, intoxicating atmosphere.

Eliza looked at Vienna’s exposed curves, and then her gaze drifted down to Kai’s lips.

The fear of death had vanished, replaced entirely by a sudden need to feel alive.

’The tension in this room is thick enough to cut with a knife,’ Kai thought to himself.

His heart started beating faster, and the heat in his lower stomach flared up strongly.

"We survived the worst of it," Vienna whispered, reaching out to trace a light circle on Kai’s thigh. She locked eyes with Eliza across his chest.

"I think we deserve a proper celebration for keeping each other alive."

Eliza did not pull away.

She bit her bottom lip and placed her soft hand right over Kai’s racing heart.

Her green eyes darkened with undeniable hunger.

She leaned in close, letting her warm breath ghost across his neck.

"I want to do it."