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The place was small but cozy. It had been cleaned, and Neera went ahead to open the two windows in the living room space. Chairs, a table, a small corner that served as a kitchen, and three other doors which must be the rooms and the restroom were in view.

Neera stood in the middle of the space and threw back her hood, taking in a deep breath and a loud exhale.

“What does it smell like in here, Zavian?” She asked in that same bright mood.

“Uncooked lobsters,” Zavian answered.

Neera gasped, forgetting them for a bit, and quickly reached for a bowl that she filled with water. She brought it in front of Zavian, and the lobsters were dropped into their new habitat.

“Look at them, I almost do not want to eat them,” Neera said.

“You aren’t taking them back to the castle as your pets,” Zavian said.

“No, I’m not. And for my earlier question, this place smells like flowers, like our garden back in our castle,” she pinched Zavian’s shoulder in a playful reprimand. “Let’s get a’killing.”

.....

And so, after minutes of Neera screaming as she tried to kill the lobsters her way, by shoving a knife deep down a spot between their eyes where a cross had already been naturally drawn for precision, like the tags they wore to guide to their easy death, Zavian took the knife for her and made a deep plunge, splitting the lobsters from head to tail, their legs kicking with the last sign of life.

Zavian set the outdoor fire as Neera cleaned up the animals, separating flesh from shell to make them easy to roast. When she joined Zavian, a fire had come to life, and she had arranged the pot to function as a grill.

Zavian watched her work, and it felt so easy, so in tune, so natural to be out in a small cottage, dressed in ordinary attire, and falling into a partnered rhythm. He, for the sake of just imagining, wondered what it would be like had he not been King. If he was a normal commoner like he was now and living a quiet life just like that day, would it have been better?

But no answer came to him, because it was an odd thing to think, and with all the tribulations life had punched him with, he had come to live with its scars, especially with Lilah and Neera back to him.

Yes, they were two, and wholly forming a whole, and the love of it swelled in his heart he could almost combust from it.

“Hey!” someone called. Zavian’s hand went for the hilt of his knife, Neera raised a hand and waved to the stranger standing a few metres away.

“Did you rent the place?” The stranger asked.

“Yes!” Neera yelled back. “Candice gave me the keys,” then to Zavian, she said. “He is asking for security reasons.”

“Well then, all’s good,” the stranger said. He seemed to wait for a bit and yelled again, “That smells nice. Have room for two more? My wife can bring rice and I will bring my best wine.”

“Of course! We’d love the company!” Neera said.

And so, the evening of two turned to four, two couples sharing hearty meals of succulent lobster and garnished rice. They were respectful people, a hunter, and a budding seamstress. They didn’t even seem to know both Zavian and Neera by face. They were nice people, a young couple, both humans, and their love was so radiating it could like up the world.

And Neera knew, deep down in her, that her love for Zavian and Zavian’s love for her shined the same way.

When the moon was out, a faint crescent that barely lit up the night, it was then everyone returned back to their places. Neera excused herself to have a bath, and Zavian locked the doors, thankful the windows were proofed with iron wrought steel.

Zavian went into the bathroom, and there, in the water, Neera lay with her head tilted back, and her entire body submerged in the steamy water. She opened her eyes when his foot pressed down on a creaky tile and gave him a warm smile.

“You should have a bath as well,” she said.

“I know, I’m waiting for you.”

Neera bit her bottom lip. “Or maybe you don’t have to.” She sat up, her hair flattened and floating behind her in the water. “There’s space enough for two.”

Zavian inspected the vessel, and although it looked sturdy, he wasn’t too sure.

“If it breaks, you’d do the explaining,” he stood and pulled off his shirt in one sweep, revealing to Neera his bare, chiseled chest. She looked at him, her gaze trailing down slowly, like she was licking candy with her eyes.

“Don’t worry, we could always leave if things get... too heated,” she said.

Zavian reached for his briefs and removed them, every exposed skin bared before her. He climbed in behind her, the water the perfect temperature for him.

“I enjoyed today,” he said to her, sponging down her back with a small washcloth.

“Hmm,” Neera gave a pleased sound. “What part? Where you chased me down with lobsters and I almost toppled over a child?”

“Most especially that part,” Zavian said. He poured water down her back, and Neera turned to face him when he was done, her eyes doing that thing where they run down his face, and they stopped at his lips.

“Speaking about children,” Zavian started carefully. “High time we had ours, don’t you think?”

“One of the reasons I agreed to be a demon, wasn’t it?” Lilah said, coming closer to him. “Of course, I’d love to still have children, Zavian...”

The but to follow after stuck in her throat, like tiny pebbles clogging at her vocal cords. That but would follow an explanation she couldn’t give, of a betrayal she had made.