The rest looked on, tempted to follow—until the sight of the vast desert crawling with monsters killed the thought.
The cloud of dust threw closer, and they could hear faint roars from within, leaving their limbs frozen.
"Are I going to die?" A woman said in a trembling voice thick with tears.
No one replied. They drew their weapons, determined to take at least a monster or two with them.
Tension hung thick in the air, the scent of fear unmistakable—but inside Viktor's space, Cyra slept on, holding his struggling form tightly.
"Mistress... wake up! There's a monster tide!" Viktor shouted, twisting in her arms, trying to shake her awake.
At any other ti, he'd have gladly stayed in her embrace—or taken it further. But right now, danger was closing in.
Cyra groaned, her breath warm on his neck. He shivered, then forced himself to focus.
"Mistress!" He called out once more, noticing she was half awake.
"One hour..." Cyra muttered sleepily, her face nuzzling into his neck, arms tightening around his waist to stop even the slightest movent.
Viktor's eyes widened at her outrageous request—until he rembered: ti moved faster in this space.
An hour here wouldn't cost them much out there.
She could rest... and still make it in ti to save those won.
With that thought, he stilled in her hold, but temptation soon crept into his fingers.
He trailed her sides, his fingers brushing slightly against her exposed thighs. Viktor's heart began to beat loudly, his throat becoming dry, as his fingers went under her clothes.
Cyra stiffened, her sleep vanishing at his actions but she didn't make a move and waited to see how far Viktor would go.
His fingers traced her navel, slowly moving upward—too slowly—until he neared the curve of her breasts.
He froze when their eyes t.
Viktor inhaled sharply, the heat rushing to his face.
"You're... awake..." he murmured, voice barely holding together as guilt and fluster tangled in his chest.
"You made it hard for to sleep. Is that your new way of waking up, hmm?" Cyra teased, pinching his chin and pulling his face closer.
Viktor gulped, his mind going completely blank. He held her gaze, unable to look away, his eyes drifting down to the soft curve of her lips.
His eyes darkened with want as he leaned in, closing the distance between them until their breaths mingled. Without hesitation, he claid her lips.
The kiss started soft and slow—but it didn't stay that way.
Cyra swiftly flipped him beneath her, taking control. Her kiss turned rough, her tongue tangling with his, stealing the breath from his lungs.
Viktor weakly wrapped his arms around her neck, pulling her closer. As the kiss deepened, his head grew light—until Cyra finally pulled away, a thin strand of clear liquid still linking their lips.
He gasped for air, eyes dazed and glassy as he t her gaze.
"You've successfully woken up." Cyra's husky voice sends tingles down his spine.
"I…" Viktor faltered, the words refusing to co.
Cyra chuckled softly, brushing her fingers across his cheek before pulling away.
She stretched with a lazy grace, a quiet yawn slipping from her lips as she gathered her hair into a loose bun.
"Let's go," Cyra said, turning to the still-dazed Viktor, who had pulled the bedcovers over his face to escape her gaze.
She bent down and tugged the covers away, revealing his flushed cheeks. A smile tugged at her lips as he covered his face with his hands, clearly shy.
"You weren't this shy when you kissed … We can always pick up where we left off, if you want," Cyra teased.
She hadn't even finished her sentence before Viktor dropped his hands and looked up at her, eyes shining.
"Promise?" he asked, gaze filled with hopeful urgency.
Cyra pinched his cheeks. "Sneaky minx," she muttered, clicking her tongue at how quickly his expression changed.
Viktor broke into a wide grin. "I'll take that as a yes. Let's go."
Before she could change her mind, he pulled her out of the space.
They reappeared on Greed's back, Cyra squinted under the harsh glare of the sun and it took her a minute to adjust.
"You're here. We're flying behind the tide—Greed won't reach them in ti," Zane quickly inford her.
Cyra glanced down. With her heightened vision, she could clearly see the monster below—and made her decision.
"I wouldn't deal with the monsters yet," Cyra uttered, not explaining the reason for her decision.
Zane's brows furrowed, but he kept silent, knowing she must have her reasons.
"I'll go first. Don't join the battle!" Cyra warned as she jumped down. Her hair lashed her face as the wind roared past during her free fall.
It was only halfway down that she rembered—she hadn't given them a heads-up before jumping. A sigh slipped from her lips as she imagined their annoyed faces.
And sure enough, she was right. Viktor's smile turned stiff, and Zane frowned, staring at the spot she had leapt from.
"I'm starting to think I'll die of a heart attack before a monster or an enemy gets the chance," Viktor muttered, arms folded as he shook his head.
Zane's gaze accidentally landed on Viktor's swollen lips. Without a word, he drew his sheathed sword and swung it at Viktor's side.
Viktor's body reacted on instinct, dodging to one side—only for another hit to co from the other.
"What's your—" he began, but Zane's glare cut him off mid-sentence.
"My hand slipped… What happened to your lips? They're swollen," Zane said flatly. Viktor looked away, guilt written all over his face.
"Uh… I—cough—bit them. Accidentally," he mumbled, avoiding Zane's blank stare.
"Oh, I just hope you don't bite your lips again when I need you to do sothing important," Zane muttered, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
He was slightly jealous, but what truly irritated him was the gravity of the situation. Every second counted—and Viktor's delay could cost those won their lives. Conveniently, Zane forgot that ti passed faster inside the space.
Viktor grimaced, knowing Zane didn't believe his la excuse, and he shifted from Zane while clutching his aching side.
He let Zane's earlier blow slide. In his shoes, Viktor knew he'd have done worse if soone touched his wife.
That person might have ended up as a fertilizer—or he would have scattered their ashes to the wind. Viktor was glad Zane wasn't like him, or he wouldn't have even gotten close to Cyra, let alone kissed her.
"Should we join the fight or follow Cyra's words?" Viktor asked, bringing their attention back to the situation at hand.
Zane looked down at the rising cloud of dust before shifting his gaze to Viktor.
"We'll join later—once the monsters thin out. At least then you can get a taste of their strength."
Viktor considered his words and nodded, even though he still believed his skills were enough to take on any assassin. But coming here had taught him otherwise.
As they flew back in silence, Cyra stood steady atop a charging monster, her presence blending almost seamlessly with its movents and breath.
The beasts surged forward, and after several minutes, the outline of the camp ca into view.
Her gaze took in the crowd of ard won and she noticed their numbers were less.
"So people fled." She muttered to herself. Then, she turned her focus to those who remained—the ones who fled no longer concerned her.
Her attention was locked on the won fighting clumsily in small groups.
The mont she saw a monster lower its horn to skewer a woman through the heart, Cyra vanished—reappearing behind it. Her fingers plunged into its chest, tearing out its insides in one swift motion.
Before the woman could even register what had happened, Cyra had already flashed back into the swarm of monsters—striking swiftly to rescue anyone teetering on the edge of death.
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