SPELLBOUND

Before Levy could leave, Reed landed beside them. Once the duke and company had left, he had trailed after the prince until they entered the castle before he returned to his comrades to report.

"Goddammit! I don't like this job at all. Send me to the wall instead, Zolan. Luc or Leon can replace me. I beg you! I don't want to be the princess' guard anymore!" Reed's whole face was blazing red as he squatted on the ground rubbing his flushed cheeks with his palms.

Levy just laughed, enjoying the sight of Reed dying from embarrassment. It was such an enjoyable thing to see a normally blank faced knight being so embarrassed.

"Don't tell me you –"

"Of course I didn't look, damn it, how would I dare? Are you wishing for me to be dead?!"

"Then why are you reacting like –"

"I was the closest to them when they were doing that here! I could hear them… loud and… clear… even the… damn –"

The young man buried his face into his palms again, groaning out loud.

"Pfft. This was exactly the reason why I told you to stop being so innocent and to finally go get laid, Reed. Look at you, getting all embarrassed like a teenage boy… just over something trivial like this. You're old enough to –"

"Shut up you bastard. Not everyone is a rake like you."

"Oh, c'mon. I'm not even asking you to bed every single woman that you come across. Just one –"

"Enough. This is not the issue here. Gods… when did His Highness became this shameless? I really think the princess might be a bad influence on him when it comes to this –"

Levy roared in laughter. "Don't blame the princess, Reed. Haha. You must know that His Highness himself is a naturally shameless wolf. Her Highness just happened to be the fated one to bring his true nature out."

"That's enough, you two. You go get Elias now, Levy." Zolan butted in and Levy chuckled again before finally leaving to carry out his orders.

"As for you, follow me." Zolan looked pointedly to Reed with a meaningful look in his eyes.

"Where to? Are we finally headed to the wall?" Reed was excited as his eyes sparkled with the hopes of getting back to more normal business as usual. However, Zolan just continued to give Reed that meaningful and heavy look.

"No. To the brothel." That short statement was like a massive strike of

"!!! "

"What's with that look? You don't want to come?" Zolan wanted to howl out in laughter at Reed's face, but he held it in and kept his poker face on. Today was the day this little kid grew up and got acquainted with the adult world.

Reed looked away. But Zolan could see the tips of his ears were so red, they were practically smoking.

"No. I'll go to the wall and spar with Samuel instead." Reed muttered sullenly, still not turning around.

Zolan sighed. Reed had been the newest member of their group and the youngest too. He was a charming young man but Reed, for some reason was avoiding women. He always claims that he did not intend to bed a woman who is not his lover. Levy always teased Reed because of his refusal to step into any brothel. But Zolan found that the young man's mother was a wench and Reed had a very disturbing childhood. It was hard to believe that a great warrior like him had a history of such background.

"Alright. Then we both go to the wall." Zolan sighed, thinking that he would need to postpone this to another day.

"You don't need to –"

"I need to check on Leon first. The brothel can wait for daylight."

…

Meanwhile, inside the castle, Gavriel finally reached the door of their bedchambers. Evie did not utter a single word and never lifted her face ever since she was shocked by the interruption of their fun time.

"Good Lord," Gavriel breathed the moment he closed the door. Easing Evie down on the edge of the bed, Gavriel knelt before her and removed the cloak covering her. She had her head down and her fingers held her gown in a hard clutch to cover her breasts.

Realizing that Evie was still red with shame, Gavriel bit his lips. "I'm sorry…" he said, "It's not because of what I did… it's because I should've held back and brought you to a better place to… I was –" In his haste to comfort Evie, Gavriel was stumbling all over his words and explanations.

"No. Don't say sorry…" Evie brought her palms to rest on her warm face, "It was my fault… you were trying… but I… oh god, I was… I was so shameless, Gav… I don't know –" Evie could not bring herself to look up as she was still so embarrassed by her own uninhibited behaviour in the gardens.

"My god, Evie. Hush," Gavriel caught her wrists, "Look at me, love. Look at me…" he coaxed as he slowly and gently pulled her hands off her face.

Evie was nibbling the inside of her lips as she hesitantly met his gaze, utterly mortified. But Gavriel was smiling as he looked at her face. "You weren't being shameless, my wife. You just wanted me as much as I wanted you, right?" he asked, his eyes gleaming with happiness.

What he said somehow relieved Evie's shame and lifted her spirits. After glancing sideways, she nodded, shyly.

Gavriel's grin widened. When Evie returned her gaze to him, she was paralyzed and the shame and everything else disappeared from her thoughts. His smile at that moment was the most gorgeous smile she had ever seen. Right then, he looked as though he was the happiest man in the world.

"Gods!" he lunged at her and hugged her. "I'm going crazy…" he breathed, hugging her so tight. "You don't know how… how happy I am right now, Evie."

She returned his embraced as enthusiastically and when he pulled away, Evie gently reached out and touched his face, forgetting that her breasts were already in full view. "Me too, I'm so happy right now. I –"

His lips crashed against hers. And then she found herself fully spread out on the bed.

"I'm taking you now, Evie." He said seriously as he hovered over her, staring at her so intensely. "I'm not going to stop even if the world ends right now."

Evie smiled, eyes brimming with so much emotion. "Take me, Gavriel."