Fie Wright's P. O. V

"Ugh." I groan in both comfort and utter fatigue, my body melting into the soft foamy crevices of the mattress upon which I languidly rest, stretching out like a naughty cat and nearly even mewl in pure relaxation as the tiredness starts seeping slowly out of each pore in my body.

"I'm so comfortable." I say in a winded tone, my aching feet seeking alleviation as I nudge my shoes off, the same shoes I've been walking in consecutively since the passed few days through the damned forest. Sadly, no matter how comfortable I am, I can't ignore the grimy feeling that encapsulates my entirety. I can almost feel the sweat and dirt coming off of me and onto the comforter that I'm currently strewn across, the mere thought making me cringe and so I find myself jumping up in one go, much to the protest of my whining feet that nearly crumple underneath my weight.

I have seriously gotten unfit even though I've been walking so much more than usual this passed month.

"Fie?" Comes a voice that I've grown accustomed to but that doesn't stop my heart from fluttering in my chest like I've heard it the first time and I'm sure that even when I hear it a thousand times more, I'll still have this silly reaction if not even more so as time goes on and my feelings deepen for the man in front of. If they possibly can deepen more so than what they currently are.

"Yeah?" I question, my eager eyes seeking the owner of the voice out but coming to a disappointing sight of an empty doorway, no insanely good looking Malleus smiling down at me fondly. Just a stupid looking wooden frame. Thankfully I don't have to wait too long before Malleus gifts me with his presence, the man appearing surprisingly tired as he stares down at me with fatigue trying to stay hidden in his dark eyes, slight bags puffing out and his smile not as bright as it usually is around me.

"I was thinking of drawing a bath for you? I can tell you're tired out but I'm not going to let you dirty the sheets." He teases with a much warmer smile while I scoff, discreetly standing in front of him so that he doesn't see that it was the first thing I did.

It's not my fault. The bed was calling for me in gentle whispers. My ardent lover scornful after having been left alone for so long.

Wow I must be really tired.

"That sounds amazing. What about you?" Aren't you ready to hit the hay?" I question while hooking a thumb towards the bed since the man looks utterly haggard but that's probably the soiled mess that has clung to everyone from the long journey. Even Malleus wasn't exempt from it this time.

"I have a bit of paperwork to check and wanted to catch up with Asha over what's happened here while I was away. I'll come back as soon as I-," I don't let him finish what he was saying as I shake my head firmly.

There's no way in hell I'm letting this man work especially since I know he's as tired to the bone as I myself am.

"Oh no. You're not going to over work yourself. Not on my watch." I say firmly while tugging him towards the en-suite bathroom, my other third lover being his huge spacious bathtub that is also calling my name in lusty woes. Maybe we should shower first and then take a bath since we'll be literally in our own filth. Then again we can bathe and then shower after it.

Yeah. Let's do that. My protesting muscles need a good soak right now.

"I just need to-,"

"Malleus." I say with a barely visible pout but enough to catch his attention, the protests dying on his lips immediately as I push open the door to the bathroom only to come to an alarming halt. Steam already emits from the floor where the huge inbuilt tub fills slowly with a steady stream of water, the sound and sight both taking me by surprise while I stand there with furrowed eyebrows.

"Magic?" I ask, the word sounding foreign on the tip of my tongue. I still find it a bit odd that Malleus can use magic so freely and can use it for means like this among other more amazing things. I guess I've always thought of the King as only a wolf and that's it, clearly I was wrong.

"I wanted you to relax as fast as possible." He says simply with a slight shrug, my heart blooming with his thoughtfulness as I turn around and close the door behind us, completely ignoring his puzzled expression.

"Do I need to tell you to strip or will you do that yourself?" I question while trying to wrack up the nerve to start stripping off my own clothes in front of him. I've figured Malleus out enough to know he won't be eyeing up my goods any time soon but that doesn't mean that he can always resist the urge to peek. I mean I already know I have trouble keeping both my hands and my eyes to myself whenever I catch sight of him even without a shirt on.

"But I want you to take a bath first." Malleus says gently to which I shake my head, already making the first move as I tug at his shirt, discarding the flimsy material into the hamper but not making a move to undo his trousers. He'll have to do that himself thank you very much.

"We can relax together can't we? It's not like we'll be naked around each other for the first time." I'm not sure if I'm saying this to make me cope better or if it's to put Malleus at ease, although I don't think that me bringing up my previous heat would do much to quell the raging fire in our bodies.

"I won't say no to that." The man murmurs, hands already darting down to the button of his trousers while I start making do with taking off my own clothes, the actions making me relaxed but contradictorily tense up as well since on the one hand I'm closer to relaxing but I'm also getting nude. That's fun.

The two of us lapse into comfortable silence as we undress, Malleus gently holding my hand and as expected, not letting his eyes stray further than that of my face. Stormy eyes focused solely on mine before they dart over to the bathtub dug into the floor, face etched into concentration as he carefully guides me into the refreshingly warm water so that I don't slip. I nearly roll my eyes at the man's worries but my heart continues to throb painfully in my chest as it alerts me to the fact that I'm wrapped around his finger much like I am around his. It would take an emotionally desolate person to miss the pure adoration that shines brightly in Malleus' eyes as I slowly sink into the warm water, leaning my back against the hard plains of his chest as I sit in between his legs.

My mind tries to wander to places it shouldn't especially when it comes to certain appendages but I'm too worn out to even get excited at the thought of us nude together. The warm bath making me feel like it's draining my energy instead of replenishing it.

Almost as if reading my mind, Malleus leans to the side as I shift with him, his arm reaching out and grasping onto a vial I had totally overlooked as he pops off the cork and pours in the misty solution. The smell of lavender and other oils hitting my nose and I can already feel my muscles relaxing at the mere sight of the oils pooling into the water, ready to work their way into our aching bones.

Tilting my head back, I easily nuzzle into the crook of Malleus' neck even though the rather awkward position has me turning to the side and cuddling into him just a tad. Malleus doesn't seem to mind and instead places a soft kiss to the crown of my head while a satisfied sigh leaves him.

"I could get used to this." He mumbles into my hair as he continues to pepper kisses wherever he can without moving either of us too much.

"Just say the word and we'll be having baths together every day." I joke even though we all know that my words are nothing but serious. My wolf lifting her head in the back of my mind, intrigued at the prospect of getting a good eyeful at my mate the next time since she's supposedly tuckered out, having done next to nothing.

The lazy bitch.

"I'll hold you to do that." He says in a soft tone while we relax further into the bath, none of us wanting to move at all but knowing we have to wash up not only in the bath but then rinse off all this mess in the shower. Ugh. Maybe I'm lazy too.

Thankfully for me, Malleus decides to make the first move as he grabs the items needed for a good scrub, dolloping a generous amount of shower gel onto a loofa and getting to work on the ridges of my shoulders, scrubbing my squeaky clean. This really is the life. I'm almost tempted to be thrown back into the past a few centuries from now where you'd have your chamber maids who'd help you bathe and change you like a helpless baby. Okay I'd be smothered by the end of the day but I guess getting pampered like this once in a while can't hurt too much. Not at all.

So lost in my thoughts and letting out satisfied sighs here and there, I barely notice when Malleus grasps onto my arm, getting ready to give the limb some attention but instead, the man freezing up entirely.

"Malleus?" I question softly, wondering what on Earth has gotten into him as he stays stock still, hand wrapped firmly around my wrist that tightens with each passing second but the man not bothering to reply to me. Glancing over my shoulder with a deep frown etched onto my face, worry pierces through me at the utter terror displayed on his face. Eyes wide with fear running through them, lips parted in shock while his thick brows are pulled together in bafflement. Following his train of gaze, I end up looking down at where his hand is grasped around mine, my own eyes widening as dread wraps around me in its chocking hold.

Thick black veins swirling around my hand right where my normal looking veins should be but instead of a pale blue, dull faint black lines greet me. A sight that has hysteria creeping up my throat from the sheer familiarity of it. The same lines that coursed poison into Aria and rendered her into a coma till only Malleus could come and save her.

"W-what?" I stutter out, shocked that I hadn't noticed this before but also worried at how long this might have been making its way into my body. Taking a deep breath, I focus on Malleus' increased scent that comes off of him in waves of paranoia while I swallow a gulp that threatens to tear at my throat. "Relax. Malleus. You can cure this right? You did it for the Luna so I'm sure you can help me out as well with your magic." My tongue forces the words out while my mind desperately prays that I'm right, terror groping me as I think of my own self sipping into a coma as my life essence gets drained out of me.

"Malleus!" I say sharply, the man still in his own God forsaken world as I yank my wrist out of his hold and turn to face him, his eyes still trained on the spot where my hand was previously in his grasp. I don't even have to blink in shock since I already know what's coming, the telltale signs being all too apparent as my mate's chest starts trembling with each passing second till I have to lean forward so as not to get jostled with him, the silence being replaced with a growl that raises in tempo without missing a beat till I can hear the snarling right besides my ear. My grumblings don't reach the man as I tell him to pack it in but alas, that doesn't do much since he starts going off on one even worse than before.

"Jeez. Calm down. You can literally cure it within seconds." I shush the overly worked up man by tapping him gently on the shoulder, thankfully managing to catch him off guard which results in him ceasing the God awful growling that started to grate on my ears.

"Why didn't you tell me about this?" Malleus says in a gruff voice, anger clear in his eyes as well as a smudge of hurt, most likely at the thought that I was hiding it from him. I mean if I really was hiding this from him, why would I willingly strip down and expose every inch of my skin so that his eyes can easily fall upon the damned thing.

"I didn't know. I promise Malleus." I whisper softly this time, knowing I'm being a bit harsh on the man since he's only concerned for my well being. Malleus doesn't answer me back as he pushes me away gently and makes a move to get out of the tub, my own frown deepening tenfold and I'm about to tell him I'm sorry, worried that I've upset him in some way but he stops me with his actions. Malleus grabs the towels and wraps one quickly around his waist much to my chagrin before he comes over to me and motions for me to get out.

"I'm still dirty." I say with a grumble but he doesn't seem to be taking any of it as he lifts me easily out on his own and wraps the towel around me in the next second before practically dragging me out of the bathroom, expressing annoyance at my lack of speed. I stay silent when he deposits me on the edge of the bed and kneels in front of me, hands encapsulating mine as a worried frown takes over his features.

"You can shower once I'm sure all of this is out of you. I'm not wasting another minute with this shit stuck inside you." He says sternly just as a thought strikes me and I find myself yanking my arm back.

"Wait!" This catches Malleus' attention but I can tell he's none to happy about the delay, "How about we let this stay in me for a bit. I'm sure we can trace it back somehow and figure out what exactly this is and how to stop it from spreading." I say with a smile on my face which drops immediately at the flower I receive. I know I would've ended up on shaking knees and spluttering out apology after apology if the man weren't my mate.

"I'm not going to repeat myself Fie." The tone of his voice has me clamping my lips shut diligently, my hand extending out without another word as I wait for him to do his magic, quite literally. Unlike last time, it isn't a gentle thrum of energy that builds up bit by bit but rather a flash so fast I'd have missed it if I blinked, the dull black essence draining out of my body as I shudder. The feeling unfamiliar but most definitely like something was being sucked out of my body, more so my veins.

"Done." He says with relief in his voice while I stare back at him in shock.

"That's it?" I splutter out to which he shrugs, "It hadn't worked its way up your body and wasn't as powerful as when it was in Luna Aria." Malleus answers back simply while I start to nod, understanding the gist of it.

I'm not surprised when I'm pulled into Malleus' arms, his skin wet from the bath but I welcome his warmth nonetheless, already knowing he's most likely incredibly restless.

"Hey. I'm fine. Relax." I whisper into the crook of his neck, placing a soft kiss on the tender skin to which his grip tightens around me.

"It was so fast and barely more than fife minutes but the sight of the dark magic in you nearly drove me insane." He whispers in such a quiet voice I would have missed it if I wasn't so inexplicably close.

"I'm guessing you were already imagining me in Aria's place when she was in a coma." The sharp intake of breath and him holding me as tight as ever has his unspoken words being confirmed while I place another kiss to his neck before pulling away.

"Look, I'm fine. Dirty and would love to be in the shower right now but fine." I whisper to him softly, not making a fuss when he nods his head and leans in to place an endearingly sweet kiss against my lips. The sort of kiss that has my heart pounding away in such treacherous ways that the word love floats through my brain.

I'm not even going to deny it.

I'm more than positive I'm falling in love with this man and one look from his stormy eyes has me smiling back since I'm pretty damn sure he feels the same and if not, very close to doing so.

Placing another kiss against his soft lips, I stand up and grab him with me. "I'd like to continue our moments of relaxation so if you'd please." I mumble pointedly, the man not hesitating another moment as he scoops me up into his arms and grants me my wish. The act simple as we wash one another while I giggle at the way he starts to whine that I've got shampoo in his eyes which I dutifully rinse away much like he did for me. The tense atmosphere disappearing as fast as it came and by the time we're curled up in bed, legs intertwined while I lay on his chest and his arms wrap snugly around me, one thought runs through my mind.

"Hey. Isn't it Halloween?"

———————

AN: Hello. Y'all, I don't know if Wattpad is messing around with me or if I'm so disconnected from reality that I didn't even notice it's been two weeks since I updated. Has it really been two weeks? I literally checked the last time I updated and it showed the date and I was literally stunned. I'm still surprised Halloween has come and gone but the next chapter will be Halloween related which sort of nullifies the purpose since I wanted to post it on Halloween but yeah :/.

Question: Would you rather spend the night at a haunted house or a cemetery?

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