Mira hadn’t expected to be fully undressed in front of an audience. Even though she still had her pants on, she suddenly felt so small and embarrassed. Mira never felt this way as a thrall when she showed skin. Even though she undressed in front of others regularly, this felt wrong to her. Nobody paid attention to her back then. This foreign situation flustered her. She didn’t know how to respond. She wondered if she did something wrong from how furious he looked.
She stood from the bed and walked towards him, “Bo, I’m—”
“I just need a minute to calm down,” His hand slid into his pants to adjust himself and took a deep breath, “Please just… get dressed. Shirts are in the dresser there.”
Mira wrapped her arms under his and pressed herself against his back. He slid his hands over hers and hoped she wouldn’t pull away. Encante’s laughter in her head made her want to rip the amulet off and throw it to the ground. Mira hadn’t expected to enjoy it as much as she did. The excitement tempted her in an odd way she never felt before and she didn’t know how to ask for more.
He pointed behind him to the dresser, “Forgive me. I didn’t know—I should have stopped when –”
“It’s okay, Bo.”
Mira threw a plain shirt over her torso and returned to him. She leaned her head against his strong back and felt his heart beating nearly as fast as hers. They both breathed heavily before he shook his head.
“No. No, it’s not okay. They should have never seen you like that. I took it too far. I shouldn’t have drank so much,” He slammed a fist against the wall and grunted, “No one should see you like that. Not my queen.”
“It’s better they saw for my alibi,” She took a deep breath and pulled him from the wall, “Don’t be upset –”
“Forgive me, Mira,” Bo turned and ran his fingers through her hair, “I’m a drunken idiot.”
“You’re not mad at me?” Her voice was nearly nonexistent.
“Goddess, no!” He placed his forehead against hers, “You should be furious with me.”
“Why? I don’t understand.”
“I let my desires control my actions.”
“I don’t under—”
“I thought it was painfully obvious,” He lifted her chin to stare into her eyes for any hint of what she possibly thought, “I want you.”
The words felt foreign from his mouth. After she didn’t reply, he took a deep breath and rubbed his face with his hands.
“As a man wants a woman.”
“I… do not understand.”
“I think after what just happened, it should be obvious,” He laughed coldly and gripped at his pants, “Even to you. Is it not?”
Mira bit her lip as she tried to think of the words to say. When she didn’t speak, he rested his forehead against hers and sighed.
“Come on, we have some more destruction to do.”
“What do you suggest?” She sheepishly ran a hand along her arm.
Bobabano pointed to the bed, “We have to complete the night, don’t we?”
He grabbed the bedframe and slammed it up against the wall. He raised an eyebrow at her to see her reaction. The whole scene made Mira giggle a bit. She threw herself against the dresser and the decorations clattered to the floor. He grunted as the bedframe knocked against the wall again. Mira let out a loud moan that made Bo stop for a moment before he pulled her close. He moved the hair from her face and his black eyes stared into her intensely.
“Moan my name,” He whispered, “Like you want me more than anything else.”
“Bite me again,” She hesitated and blushed, “I… like the way it feels. It will be more authentic.”
He gladly embraced her and did as she commanded. She focused on the hair crawling sensation that built inside her. As his teeth bit her neck, his tusks further bruised her. Mira gripped his arm and panted between the harsh teeth. His name left her lips with feverish exclamation that made him bite her harder. As she tried to pull away from, he threw them on the bed with their full weight. The bedframe collapsed in a loud crash that shook the walls around them.
“Lay down with me a moment,” He brushed her hair from his face, “The noise will be enough for now.”
Mira rested her head against his chest as he tried to settle his trembling arms. She focused on the strength of his heartbeat and waited for him to speak.
“Did I hurt you?”
“No,” She shook her head, “I am fine.”
“Are you upset with me?”
“No.”
The two laid in silence for a while before Bobabano couldn’t take not knowing anymore. After she called his name like that, he had to know if there was a possibility she wanted what happened between them.
“If they didn’t… if I….” He paused and gulped past the dryness in his mouth, “Would you have ordered me to stop?”
Mira burned the alcohol from her system and thought for a moment. Her body screamed at her to mount the man and continue with her instincts. As she took more breaths, the obsessive thoughts emptied from her mind. When she could think clearly, she answered.
“No,” She didn’t meet his gaze.
Despite the serious question, he teased, “Well, if you want –”
“Bo,” She buried her face in his chest, “I don’t –”
“I know, Mira,” He patted her head, “At least you understand I can do more than just watch over you while you sleep.”
After she reluctantly let him hold her in her sleep, his rhythmic breathing helped her focus at night. The black lagoon in her nightmares hadn’t trapped her since she knew she would wake up in his arms. Bobabano didn’t mind if she became icy to the touch when the mist spread from her unconscious form. The strong orc held her against him and tried to muffle the screams until she relaxed. He wasn’t scared of what she could do. Because of that, she curled up next to him every night for the comfort he provided.
“Why did you take the oath?” Mira whispered, “I do not understand. You could have picked Agrowl. Why Encante? Why… me?”
“If I’m going to bind myself to anyone, then I want to know exactly what I’m getting myself into,” He kissed the top of her head, “I know what to expect with you.”
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The two laid in silence for a few minutes. He brushed her hair between his fingers and doted on her. She closed her eyes to breathe in his scent and relish the relaxing atmosphere.
“I…” She sighed and leaned her face into his arm, “Why?”
“What do you mean?” He furrowed his brow.
“You hated me. The change in your behavior does not make sense to me. I thought—” She pursed her lips, “I was not expecting this.”
After seeing the half-elf thaw her instantly after all his hard work to gain her affection, he needed to get his feelings out before it was too late. He thanked the goddess for providing him with an opportunity.
“You are a fierce warrior. You are cold, but you are honest. You don’t hide yourself from me,” He grunted softly, “Even now, you could have lied and said you felt nothing. I would have never known the difference. I like that about you.”
“When… when did your feelings change?” Mira searched for any time between them that he treated her differently after she saved him, “I don’t understand what I did.”
After she destroyed that monster, after she saved his ship and his men, after she pulled him from the icy waters herself. The power that surrounded her drew him in. All the darkness of the world danced through her, and yet she was kind to anyone –even if they didn’t deserve it. He knew he hadn’t from how he treated her. Yet, the tiny warrior wanted nothing in return for everything she did.
“Since you saved me, I’ve wanted to be closer to you. Perhaps as friends, at first. But no matter how much I tried to stop it, my infatuation circled my mind endlessly,” He ran a hand down her face, “You trusted me enough to hold you every night. I looked into that beautiful face and thought about how I was lucky to be next to you. I couldn’t stop myself from wanting you.”
She whispered, “Was this a bad idea?”
“No. I can handle it,” He played with her hair between his fingers, “You enjoyed it, at least. That’s all I can ask.”
“Very,” Encante chuckled in her mind, “It seems to have awakened something in you.”
“Shut up you stupid, overgrown lizard,” Mira murmured under her breath and buried her face into the orc’s chest.
“Did he say something?” Bo grinned impishly, “So you did like it, then. Perhaps one day… I can truly cause you to moan my name like that.”
His deep chuckle made Mira’s face turn red. Bo turned and placed her hand against his heart. He didn’t hold her in place, but he told her how he felt. That experience was only a taste of what he wanted. The woman that did not care for the touch of others enjoyed his touch. That was enough for now.
After he awoke to see his dark angel, he never felt so attached to anyone. His oath tied them together until his death. That’s why he took her as his Vessel. Bobabano wanted nobody but her.
“You don’t have to say anything,” He placed his face in her bouncy hair, “Just know that if you claimed me, I would do anything you asked me. Anything.”
“Bo –”
“When we go back to Agrowl, you can claim any lovers you want,” His voice wavered as he tried not to beg her, “Just… take me first. That’s all I ask.”
Mira looked up to him and felt how close his face was to hers. She saw the sadness in his eyes. Her hand brushed his face lightly and he smiled. He leaned his face into her hand, and she searched for what to say. She rubbed her thumb against the stubble on his cheek, and he kissed her hand.
“I have something for you.”
Bobabano pulled a small journal from the now broken nightstand and slapped the lamp off to crash against the ground. She chuckled as he brought the journal to his chest. He handed it to her.
“What is this?”
“I know you do not see me as much of a lover, especially after everything I’ve done,” Bobabano shyly cleared his throat, “I keep trying to find a way to get your interest.”
He let out a dry laugh and leaned back in the bed.
“I never imagined I would get anything like tonight. Any other woman would be swept away with everything I’ve done. Anything I bought for you; you do not pay any attention to. Any proclamations you easily ignore and take as a jest,” He scrunched his nose, “So, I… wrote you a poem.”
“A poem?”
“If that isn’t something you want–” His hand grabbed onto it over hers.
“Do you not want me to read it?” She pulled the journal closer.
“I feel too embarrassed to read it to you properly,” The dark hid the blush on his face, but Mira felt his heart pound in his chest, “I know you don’t appreciate public displays –even with everything going on. I-I thought you may like something small, like this.”
“Nobody has ever written me a poem before,” She snapped and a candle in the room lit, “I can read it aloud if you’d like?”
Bo placed an arm over his face and laid back in the bed in his embarrassment. Mira flipped through the journal full of notes, maps, and other things until she found a page with stanzas written on it. She examined the shaky writing on the page. Many of the lines were crossed out or scribbled through and it made her smile. Bobabano spent time on this gift for her and wanted it to be perfect. She laid down with her feet over the edge of the bed and rested her head on his chest as she read it aloud:
> You are the spark that set my heart ablaze.
>
> Sunset eyes shine bright and burn my worries away.
>
> In the warmth of your fiery spirit,
>
> I bask in the future you offer me.
>
>
>
> You are the fresh garden aroma I crave.
>
> The enduring earth that strengthens my spirit.
>
> In the hidden oasis of your mind,
>
> I seek the blossoms of your wisdom
>
>
>
> You are the wind that calms my sailing soul
>
> The gale that whisks away all my fear, anger, and sorrow
>
> In the gentle breeze of your voice,
>
> I find my deepest desires brought forth
>
>
>
> You are the untouched morning snow I’ve rarely seen
>
> The wintery statue carved to delicate beauty
>
> In the serenity of your icy gaze,
>
> I hope to melt your frozen heart
>
>
>
> You are the stars that speckle my midnight sky
>
> The polar light only seen by a lucky few awake on the darkest nights
>
> In your moonlit shadow,
>
> I crave to bring you back to the sands I call home
When she finished, she closed the journal. She thought of the words and admitted to herself that she never imagined him doing something that stereotypically romantic. Bobabano cleared his throat when she didn’t say anything.
“It’s dumb, I know,” He rubbed a hand across his face in embarrassment, “I’m not a poet. But, when I thought about how my father serenaded my mother, I thought of what I could do to possibly show how much I care for you. Ravenna told me how much you liked reading her old poetry books on the ship.”
“It’s beautiful,” Mira clutched the journal against her chest, “Thank you. I shall treasure it always.”
“I would take care of you in a way nobody else could, Mira,” He cupped her face and pleaded to her amber eyes, “You would be a queen. My queen. I could spoil like no other. I would pleasure you endlessly. I would love you more than anyone else could love another.”
She was still flustered from what happened between them. This tenderness contrasted between the heated moments before. The only kiss she ever had was with Jonen only a few months prior, in a desperate act when she thought she would die.
Nothing that animalistic or carnal happened to her before. Now, Bo showed the written poem and made his genuine feelings clear. They had planned the display after Amethyst’s abrupt announcement of her being his bride, but she didn’t know his feelings had truly changed.
“All you need to do is ask,” He places his head against hers, “Your loving Bobabano. Your loyal Obsidian. Only yours.”
Yet, Mira was unsure if she could feel so strongly about someone else. Her blossoming emotions scattered her thoughts constantly. Everything made more sense when she felt much less. She knew she could not promise him what he wanted. Not yet at least.
“I do not know if I –” Her voice cracked as she tried to find the words, “I care about you. I trust you more than most. You are my close friend… Isn’t that enough?”
“Not for me,” His dark eyes searched her for an answer, “I want all of you.”
“Can it be?” Mira placed a hand against his face and smiled softly, “For now, at least?”
“I won’t let you slip away so easily,” Bo chuckled, “Now, my mermiana, go take over the city. I’ll keep our bed warm for you.”