It all traced back to ten years in the past, when Martha was still a team leader of a small number of mage warriors.

She and her squad of mage warriors had just finished one of the missions they were assigned... In style, that is.

Martha and her group of elite female warrior mages were heading towards one of their many faction subsidiaries through the forest path. Martha was really exhausted from the fight earlier on. She was barely standing, but she had to walk all the way to the regrouping station.

Only noble mages and above had the ability to fly by using the heaven’s essence in the air to lift themselves.

“Squad leader, you need to see this!!” One of her squad members, who had been assigned the post of scout, called her attention to something. It seemed urgent and important.

“Do you really need me to see it? The rest of you wait here.” She instructed the remaining members of her squad.

“Yes, squad leader!!” The rest of her squad members shouted in affirmation. They were really tired because the next moment the lot of them plopped to the ground as their legs had betrayed them.

Martha followed the scout deeper into the forest path. Martha was really drained of her stamina. By the time she had gotten to where the scout was, she was already breathing hard.

“Here.” The female scout pointed to a man. He was visibly injured.

“Please…Help…me.” The young man was clearly running out of time. He was on the brink of death.

Martha lost all the strength in her leg as she fell to the ground. “Tell Azaria to come to me.”

“Yes, squad leader.” The scout managed to walk back to where the rest of the squad was and called Azaria, the squad’s healer.

Although mages had ranks, your category still determined what you did with your life. Some elements were more suited for specific categories. Like a fire mage, he could be a warrior, an alchemist, or a blacksmith. An earth mage could as well be a sculptor, an architect, or even a soldier.

But some variants had it different. A mage with healing attributes could only work as a healer, or in a more respectful profession, as a doctor. Azaria, for instance, was not the brightest in the lot, but she had been endowed with the ability to heal.

Due to the fact that she wasn’t very bright, she had to become a healer in a faction or for a small family or something like that. She was street smart, by the way.

“Squad leader you sent for me?” A pale green-haired girl with pale skin to match said when she got in front of Martha. She was Azaria, the squad healer.

“Yes, Azaria, could you heal him? He is very close to death.”. Martha said as she pointed towards the almost dead man.

“Yes! Squad leader.” Although Azaria was weak, she had the utmost respect for Martha. Even if Martha had told her to sacrifice herself, she would do it without batting an eyelid. That was the effect Martha had on people.

It took a long while for Azaria to heal the man. Because of that, Martha thought it wise for her squad to spend the night in this forest.

The man that they healed had not woken up. He had passed out from too much strain. After a bit of sleep, Martha was in top shape. Although she was in top shape, she still lay on the rough patch of grass; her squad had made for her.

She was looking up into the sky, counting the stars. It was a habit she had formed from sleeping outside for so long. She did it so she could sleep, or at least pass the time.

It didn’t take long, but soon she heard the sounds of someone walking. The grass really did a good job of making the footsteps loud. Martha looked well and saw that it was the injured man; he was awake.

Her squad members did not notice; they were all beat. Some were snoring. So unfeminine. Just kidding, snoring is totally natural.

After a few minutes, Martha followed the man. She planned to confront him and ask him why he was being ungrateful and ditching them, his saviors.

Martha followed him. It did not take long for her to see the man; he was seated on a log at the bank of a stream. The moon reflected in the clear water of the stream.

“Thank you,” The man said to Martha, who was hiding behind some trees. “Yes, you. Behind the tree.”

At this point, Martha knew that he was talking to her. “You are welcome, I guess.”

“My name is Xavier; what’s yours?” He asked.

“My name is Martha.” She responded.

“Thank you once again for saving my life. I could have died if it were not for you; I am indebted to you for a lifetime.” Xavier said solemnly.

“What happened to you? Why were you lying half dead by the forest path?” Martha asked; she was really curious. She wanted to make sure she had not saved a killer or fallen into a trap.

Xavier patted on the seat for Martha to sit beside him. “Come sit with me; let me tell you.”

Martha sat by his side obediently. Xavier took a deep breath before he started speaking.

He told her how he came out into the forest. He was the last surviving member of his family. He was the last son of the Burrow family of mercenary assassins.

One day they had been assigned a new order to kill a particular clan elder. This was going to be their biggest order yet. Xavier’s father and the client who brought the order had met face-to-face, which was normally against the family’s way of doing business.

It was the norm for the client to enter a small, thatched hut where they would communicate with the Burrow family through letters. The letters were carried on the backs of huge funnel web spiders through tunnels under the ground. This helped to keep their family location secret for so many years.

But this order was different; the client had explicitly asked for a face-to-face meeting. This was a regular client; he had someone killed every two weeks, and he was explicitly ruthless. This client of course knew the rules binding them, but he still asked for a meeting. This time, the client was willing to pay three hundred thousand crimson stones; this was the entire earnings for the family in two years.

It took a lot of persuasion for him, Xavier’s father, to agree to meet the client face to face. Xavier’s father, of course, was very careful; he had not walked directly from his home to the little thatched house. Little did he know that his greed would cost him his life.

The moment Xavier’s father walked into the thatched house, he had an ominous feeling. He could feel that something was wrong.

Xavier didn’t know what led to the client killing his father. But he knew he had to run when he saw his mother get killed in front of him by that client.

The client was ruthless; he slashed Xavier’s mother in two. Xavier had only one sibling, his sister. He took her and ran as fast as his legs would let him. Little did he know that they were surrounded. His sister was killed as well, in the same brutal manner. Her organs poured out of her where she stood.

The look of despair, sadness, and pain in his sister’s eyes caused him more grief than anything in the world. To add insult to the injury before he could go back to at least do something, another set of mages were hot on his trail.

At that time, Xavier was still a lord-ranked mage. He used all the strength he had to run away, but it almost seemed futile as he was running from peak Lord-ranked mages.

He was totally defenseless to their attacks; he was swift, but that was all he had to bring to the table—his speed. It took a long time before his advantage of speed came into play, but at this time his body was riddled with different degrees of bruises and burns.

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His trail had gone cold. The three peak-level Lord-ranked mages searched for some time and decided to go report to their master that they had finished the boy.

Xavier found himself lying on the patch of grass, simply waiting for his death, as he was on the verge of it. He was losing blood, and he was losing it fast.

He was close to going through the gates of death when he sighted the female scout of Martha’s squad. She took pity on him and reported to Martha, and the rest is history.

“That is sad. What do you intend to do now?” Martha asked trying to change the subtly change the topic subtly.

Xavier was silent for some time; his eyes were locked on the reflection of the moon. “Sigh… I think I would at least bury my family and join you.” Xavier said he was still looking into the stream.

“I don’t understand. What do you mean, join me?” Martha asked again.

This time Xavier stopped looking at the stream and turned to look at Martha. His beautiful blue eyes and the seriousness on his face almost made Martha’s face redden.

“You saved my life; it’s only right that I spend it with you.” Xavier seemed to stare into her soul. Their eyes locked on for what seemed like an eternity; Martha didn’t even hear what Xavier had said.

Xavier, on the other hand, had wanted to stop looking at Martha. But her magnificence shone in the moonlight, attracting him like a moth to the light.

It didn’t take long, as if by magic or was it fate, their faces seemed to come closer... Closer… Closer…

—Crack—

“Who is there?!” The two adults turned at lightning speed to see where the sound came from.

“Shit!” Someone behind the trees cursed under her breath. She was so close to seeing the captain fall in love. “It’s me, Azaria. I am sorry.”

The green-haired healer walked from behind the tree she was hiding.

“Do you have anything to report?” Martha asked, with her face red like a tomato.

“no, Captain. I just came out to take a piss, and I saw a couple under the moonlight. I just wanted to see how it is when people fall in love.” Azaria said shamelessly. Martha understood the underlying message behind Azaria’s words.

“Go back; there is nothing to see here.” Martha said.

“Yes! Captain!” Azaria turned around and skipped like a girl in love back to where her comrades slept. She had some gossip about their stone-cold captain, and Martha knew.

The air became awkward and tense. Xavier noticed it; Martha was burning up with embarrassment. The scene before Xavier almost drove him nuts. The cuteness coming from her was on another level.

“Ahem. So what do you say concerning its offer?” Xavier asked, trying his best not to seem captivated by the situation Martha was in.

“You know I am still at the count rank, right? Staying with me would be a waste of your talent.” Martha tried to dissuade Xavier’s decision.

“I know. I can still be by your side. We can achieve great things.” There was a sparkle in his eyes as he spoke.

Truly Martha had great ambitions. She wanted to do great things; this was a tempting offer, but she had to be clear-headed. “What do you want in return?” Martha asked.

Xavier didn’t think for a second before answering, “I want nothing; honestly, I would love a peaceful life.”

‘This is simply too good to be true.’ Martha thought to herself.

“You would never say no to my request, no matter how cruel?” Martha was still hesitant.

“If you say it, I will do it.” Xavier said.

“You would never say no to me?” Martha didn’t want to believe that a man would hand over his life to a woman he just met.

“Your word is law,” he affirmed.

Martha was silent for a while before she said, “And you would never leave me?”

Xavier was silent; his silence broke her heart. Martha had always been alone.

“I will always be a call away.” Xavier finally said.

“Why are you doing this?” Martha asked, still not believing the words Xavier spoke.

“I was taught to always repay all debts.”

Xavier took permission from Martha to bury his loved ones. He mourned them for a few weeks before joining Martha.

Xavier had been true to his promise to her. He had been by Martha’s side ever since.

There were times when Martha only saw Xavier’s mesmerizing eyes for weeks on end. On days when she was assigned missions that required her to be perceived as dead or transported in vessels meant for goods, Xavier was always there.

She had grown fond of him, and so had he. They had an intricate relationship—the two of them.

Martha leaned back into her chair and smiled, reminiscing about the steamy nights they spent together.

Later that night...

Martha was having her regular nighttime rituals: a bubble bath with milk and honey. Pink flower petals were floating around her, petals that could only be found on the southern continent.

Cupid’s love; her favorite bath flowers. They were almost as expensive as gold, but Martha didn’t have any problem spending a bit of money. Nobody knew what went through Martha’s mind.

“Xavier…” She whispered under her breath.

“Yes, my lady?” Xavier stood above her; he was in his sleeping robe. The black color of the robe accentuated the color of his eyes. The dim light from the lit candles made his eyes sparkle.

“Xavier, you would never leave me?” Martha, although very strong on the outside, still needed some kind of assurance.

“I promised you that, didn’t I? Have I ever not kept my promise?” Xavier looked into Martha’s eye. Tension was rising as they shared eye contact.

The room was getting even hotter. Martha was having a hard time breathing. “You…you have.” Martha managed to say. This time she couldn’t look into Xavier’s eyes.

“Look at me, Martha.” Xavier said in a whisper, but Martha still didn’t look at him.

“Martha…” This time Xavier held her by the shoulder, not too rough but enough to show his passion. Her skin was delicate.

This time Martha had no choice but to look him in the eyes. Xavier almost forgot what he wanted to say as he looked into Martha’s red eyes.

This wasn’t the first time he had said what he wanted to say, but this time he could feel it within himself that he meant it.

Their gaze was locked in; Martha could not take her eyes off Xavier. Xavier, on the other hand, could not look away.

“Martha, I love you. I know I have told you this before, but I mean it. I love you.” Martha had never seen Xavier so serious. The candles gave his face a different tint.

“Xavier…but—” Martha wanted to say something.

“No buts. I love you. That’s it; you don’t have to love me back.” Xavier wasn’t having it this time. He had tried to profess his love for her many times, but she always came up with excuses.

This time she would say that she wasn’t ready, and the next she would say that she wasn’t deserving of him.

“But—” This time Xavier didn’t even try to stop her with his words. She didn’t even get to say a word.

Xavier was passionate. His lips could not be distinguished from Martha’s lips.

“..mmmhm…” Martha moaned into Xavier’s mouth. Xavier really had a passion for this woman.

Martha was lost in what she was experiencing; Xavier exuded so much passion, masculinity, and possessiveness. He seemed to never want to let Martha go.

“We should stop,” Martha said as she pushed Xavier away.

Xavier, on the other hand, had never seen Martha blush this hard before. She looked so pure. This was his vulnerability; Martha’s shy nature whenever they were alone, he loved it.

“It appears that I didn’t make it clear... I am taking you tonight.” Martha knew what he meant. She too wanted to see how this night would unfold.

Xavier never had a problem being turned down before. Usually he would leave whenever Martha pulled out her secret weapon—an excuse.

But this night, Xavier seemed to have had enough, and she was loving it. She always regretted the nights she pushed him away. Martha had always wanted to feel his warmth; she had always wanted to wake up in his arms every morning.

Martha had grown up with a sense of loneliness; her mother had not always been there for her. She was either too busy or wasn’t strong enough for her.

The only sense of acceptance she felt was from Darcy, her sister, from another mother. Darcy had always been around her, ever her mother died.

But the thing was, Martha wanted to not only give warmth but receive it as well; she wanted to be able to just not worry about the future. She just wanted to feel safe.

Everyone wants to feel safe and secure. For some, it’s through love; for others, it’s through material things.

“Ughf,” Xavier lifted Martha up out of the water, forcing air out of her lungs. “What are you doing?” She asked with a stupefied expression.

“You really didn’t think I was joking when I said I was going to make you mine? Did you?” Xavier’s eyes burned with passion as he gazed at Martha.

Martha was old enough to know what Xavier was talking about. Her cheeks burned; she was simply pink now. Luckily, Martha’s bathroom was close to their bedroom. That’s right, they shared a bed together.

Xavier placed a naked Martha on the bed; her breasts jiggled as he placed her gently on the bed. Lord! Was Martha stunning.

Martha looked like she was some artist’s imagination. Her proportions were so perfect. Her breasts were not huge, but they were just the right size. Her hips… The shimmer they gave from the dim light coming from the bath area was simply alluring.

Martha, this time was conservative. She covered her beyond moderate-sized breasts and her honeypot with her hands. Her action didn’t help much; it raised the blood levels in Xavier’s member.

Xavier couldn’t take his eyes off Martha. Martha looked at him; she was shy but the expression of longing and the expression of passion could not be mistaken.

Xavier had a great deal of self-control. He had been sleeping beside this smoke show of a woman for nearly five years and he never even touched her. Damn!

It didn’t take long for Xavier and his clothes to part ways. Xavier climbed unto the bed slowly, still looking into Martha’s eyes.

“Xavier…the consequences… What you are about to do... Martha’s words were incoherent, but Xavier caught the memo.

Xavier stopped in place; he seemed to be thinking. Although Martha knew that she did the right thing by asking, she was now doubting if it was the right thing for her.

After a bit of time, Xavier said nothing, but his actions said it all. Xavier moved open Martha’s clenched leg with ease.

Martha wasn’t weak; she had just simply accepted Xavier’s advances… Finally. Xavier leaned into whisper into Martha’s left ear.

“Whatever consequence, let me have it.”

The hot breath from Xavier’s mouth caused Martha to shiver. Xavier bit her earlobe ever so gently, causing Martha to wince in pain mixed with pleasure.

Xavier simply could not get enough of Martha’s skin; he simply worshipped every part of her. Sometimes he would bite, and other times he would lick Martha. At first Martha was embarrassed and sometimes jerked at Xavier’s unexpected behaviours.

Xavier, as well, gave attention to her breasts—her big, full breasts. He ked them with just the right amount of force, causing Martha to moan. He sucked on them as well, revering the feel of Martha’s succulent breasts; he felt as though he was touching warm silk.

Soon, with time, like all things, she got used to it and gave into the pleasure. Xavier could really be lewd; Martha never knew this part of him.

After a few minutes of worshipping, Xavier could feel Martha’s waterworks flow...

Xavier stopped worshipping and straightened his upper body; he gazed into Martha’s steamy eyes. Martha understood what was about to happen. She gave him a nod as she bit her lower lip in the most sensual manner Xavier had ever seen.

Martha could have stopped him, and things would go back to normal, like always. This gesture of hers had changed everything; things would never be the same ever again.