"Hop on, my beautiful," Hawi said to Ruru who was still glaring at her. She couldn't believe that she had orgasmed four times and Hawi still managed to force a fifth one out of her.

It was not what Ruru had planned for, and definitely not here. No matter how things got, there was no telling when Hawi would dive and eat her up. Oh, she wasn't complaining, alright, but she couldn't walk and Hawi knew that too.

"You didn't just ask me that," Ruru said as she looked at Hawi.

"I love you, always," Hawi remembered and Ruru blushed as Hawi carried her bridal style before they rushed past the stairs, up to the sacred temple, where Ruru was not sure she was even ready to walk.

"Give me a minute, please," Ruru said to Malika when Hawi settled her down on the ground.

Ruru was not sure what she looked like at the moment, but she had a feeling that by the judgy gaze that Malika was giving the both of them, she didn't look too pretty for them.

Everything else was just making noise to her and she wasn't sure if she was ready for this. Oh, Ruru wanted to disappear, but she had Hawi to stay beside her. It was like there was nothing she was to be scared of.

Then again, Ruru wasn't scared, she was just flustered.

"She looks so damn beautiful, right? Have you ever seen her like that too?... To think that all these years I've been with her and never really paid attention to her as I should have. I bet I'm the luckiest person in the universe right now," Hawi said.

Malika looked at her like she couldn't believe this was happening. Of all the places, why did it have to be here, when they were probably about to get thief hands on the worst of the worst people?

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"I'm not answering that, Hawi," Malika said and Hawi just chuckled. She knew Malika had given the right answer because if Malika said she looked at Ruru differently, there would be a lot for them to work through.

No matter how close they had gotten and how much they had gone through together, hair wouldn't take anything that meant disrespect to her mate. Well, perhaps it wasn't like that, but for Hawi, it was what she needed not to hear from her protector.

"You look happier. The smile reaches your eyes this time. I'm sorry it took me too long to notice," Malika apologized as Hawi held Ruru gently, waiting for her to regain her balance.

She didn't mind because this meant that she would be around her mate for a few more minutes. Maybe she was insane for that but if anyone saw the hearts in Hawi's eyes when she was around Ruru, they would think the same too.

This was a different Hawi and everyone could see clearly who her heart had chosen and how proud she was of her body with Ruru.

Hawi was whipped; it was achingly obvious. If she had been possessive earlier about Ruru, there was no telling what she would do to anyone who looked at her Ruru differently.

Perhaps this was what her freedom really looked like and Malika loved that for her.

"If I had opened up to you in the free lands that day, all would have been better. Perhaps it had to be like that. We shouldn't think of the past, Malika. Let's focus on eliminating the bastards that think they can just take everything and we will forgive them," Hawi said earnestly.

She had not thought much about the mission in the past few seconds but from what she had in mind, she knew what to do and where to look. Perhaps it would be okay for the both of them to get through this together, right?

"You're right, Malika. She looks happier. If she wasn't mine, I would have fought her mate to the death just to have a minute with her," Ruru admitted and this time, Hawi smiled heartily at her mate.

She had heard everything from Ruru before but she couldn't deny that this was the first time she was truly internalizing it.

All those years it was like someone had placed a block between her and Ruru, one that controlled the emotion and made sure that Hawi hadn't managed to express herself fully to Ruru.

That wasn't an issue this time though, because everything could go to shit and they would be left standing here.

"Are you okay now?" Hawi asked once Ruru stood confidently.

She loved the long hair on Ruru, the dark eyes that looked at her like she was the center of her universe. Hawi loved the way the woman was built and it had taken every ounce of her self-control not to mount Ruru on the stairs.

She had wanted to, so badly that right now, she was sure she had blue balls. But then what mattered was that she was here and free. She didn't have anything to run away from, or even ghosts to deal with, she didn't have pain pulling her back.

She had managed to get to the side of life where everything is blooming.

Funny how she was happy that things were blooming and they were right in the middle of a bloody war. A war with the outcasts of the realm and a bear with the people she was never going to lose anyone else to.

"Never been better," Ruru said as she sensually licked her lips.

"How about we win this war then you can fuck each other away from my innocent eyes, pretty please?" Malika begged and Hawi let out a laugh at how dramatic her protector was.

Well to be fair, Malika read them right. She was so close to losing her mind by just standing next to Ruru. Their scents that had emerged was making Hawi think about spending the entire day and eyes with Ruru in bed, beside her.

Just mating, marking, mating and marking until the end of time. Oh, but it was a beautiful fantasy that was twirling in Hawi's head. Perhaps she could make that a reality once she was done with this battle for real.

"You're such a party pooper," Hawi teased right before they heard a sound in the nearing bushes. It's crazy how the temple was so high up and someone still managed to take these stairs to come and hide.

Surely, there were better and more ideal places for them to hide, right? Well, no one could be blamed because this temple was filled with old treasures. But then was anyone ever here for the treasure or were they here for good fortune?

"Did you hear that?" Ruru asked and Malika looked around in the direction of the bushes. She didn't have anything to fear anymore now that Hawi was in her full form and free. Malika knew Hawi would keep her safe, so she went to see for herself what was there.

"Yup. I would know that stench from anywhere. I just didn't expect that he was the first one I'd see or hear from this time," Hawi said disappointedly as she stared in the direction Malika went.

"Your mother was truly out of names to have named you Sebastian… but that is not even important right now. Why are you here, Sebastian? Come to see if I'm hoarding more treasure?" Hawi asked with a chuckle.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com