Bilabo and Abema had been travelling together for almost a year now. And they had been lovers for just as long. Oh, they weren’t bonded or anything. Their relationship was more of a sort of unspoken agreement. No promises made, no ties of law or tradition holding them down. Just a shared understanding that they belonged together. And frankly, that suited Bilabo just fine. Bonding came with a weight of expectations backed by tradition and faith and the notion of ‘normalcy’. Bonded partners were expected to build a life together, settle down, find stability. It was assumed that all bonded partners would seek to start a family, either by themselves or with outside assistance, depending on the capabilities of the bonded pair. In short, bonded partners were expected to put down roots. But Bilabo didn’t want to settle down. He wanted to see everything the world had to offer. And getting to do so with Abema by his side was more than he could possibly have hoped for. He had always loved Abema, after all. And as if that wasn’t enough, she seemed to be getting more attractive every day. During their travels, she had put on more muscle, she had received a couple of scars, her smile had turned sharper and her eyes harder. Gone was the talented but unfailingly polite pot-maker from the village. Now, Abema was a hunter, an explorer, someone who would act without a moment of hesitation to get what she wanted. And Bilabo burned for her with such a passion it sometimes felt like a physical ache. And now, they had come further north than ever before. All the way to the Middle Sea. It was cooler here, and Bilabo delighted in the mild autumn air. According to the locals, it had even snowed here one winter just a decade or so ago. To Bilabo, whose only experience with snow was seeing it on the tallest mountaintops, the idea of winter snows was fresh and exciting. The food was also delightful. The inn he and Abema was staying at served seafood fried in olive oil with loads of garlic and pan-fried bread stuffed with olives and rosemary. The new, unfamiliar flavours made Bilabo’s heart sing, and he turned to Abema with excitement sparkling in his eyes. “Did you try the bread, Abema? It’s like nothing I’ve ever had before! I had no idea Rosemary tasted so different fresh!” “Hmm? Oh, yes. It’s very nice.” Surprised by the distracted reply, Bilabo followed Abema’s gaze. There was a small stage in a corner of the room, where a pair of musicians played a merry tune while a young woman dressed in silken veils danced some sort rather exotic jig, her iron-soled shoes practically striking sparks as she kicked and leapt across the tiny stage. The girl clearly wasn’t local. Her hair was orange like the sunset, and her skin was rather light, though it was almost hard to tell under all the freckles. But what stood out most about her was her eyes. They were a bright green that almost seemed to glow in the candlelight, like a pair of emeralds. Her appearance was, Bilabo conceded, rather striking. She certainly wasn’t his type, though. Even as she spun and twirled, she seemed to exude this air of easy-going gentleness. Something about the way she smiled seemed to suggest that she was the sort of person who simply let the whims of fate take her wherever they would. With a shrug, he returned his attention to the excellent meal before him. But Abema’s eyes never once left the stage. Bilabo tapped his foot against the floor, trying to calm his mood. It was the third night since they arrived in town, but it was the first night that he spent alone in the room they were supposed to share. Abema was three doors down, in the dancer’s room. Shaya was her name, and Abema had wasted no time in making her interest known to the woman. And Shaya had proven very receptive to those advances. It wasn’t like Abema was doing anything wrong. She wasn’t Bilabo’s bonded partner, after all. There were no promises between them. As an unbonded woman, Abema had every right to spend her nights with who she wanted. But still, it stung. The fact that she could freely choose where to spend her night, and she didn’t choose to spend it in the room she and Bilabo shared… It raised his hackles, just a little. But the idea of asking her to become his bonded didn’t feel right either. The Abema who was free and wild and took what she wanted was the Abema that he burned for. The idea of trying to tame her filled him with a deep disquiet… In the end, there was just one thing he could do. He had to find a way to make himself the person that Abema would choose when she was deciding where to spend the night. Abema fell back onto the bed with a laugh, her muscles aching and her body dripping with sweat. “By the stars, Billy Blue! What’s gotten into you tonight? You’ve never pushed me this hard before! You were like a beast in heat!” Bilabo couldn’t answer her. He was far too winded to speak, and he was still seeing little flashes of light in the corners of his eyes. In all his life, he had never once exerted himself quite as hard as he had tonight. And he’d been hunted by a tiger more than once. Before he could regain enough breath to answer, Abema sat back up and leaned her body against his, making a contented little humming noise as she stretched out her tired muscles. “Well, whatever it was, I must say I like it. I never knew you had it in you.” “Was it… better?” “Better than what? Last time? Because if that’s what you’re asking, it absolutely…” “No. Was it better than with Shaya?” Abema let out an incredulous laugh. “What a strange question. That’s like asking if a spear is better than a pot. Both are good, but for different things.” Bilabo looked into her eyes, but he saw nothing but earnest love and affection in her gaze. This was her. This was the Abema that he burned so hot for that it hurt. The Abema he knew he could never let go. With a small huff, he swallowed his pride and made a decision. “Fine. You can keep your pretty little emerald green pot. Just as long as I’m your only spear.” Abema shot him a smile that made him want to push her down all over again, despite the fact that every muscle in his body was complaining at the mere notion. “Well, if you keep wielding it like this, I can’t see why I would ever need another one.” Shaya til Avram smiled to herself as she leaned back against the door to Abema’s room. Oh, she knew eavesdropping wasn’t particularly laudable behaviour, but she just couldn’t help herself. She’d been so curious how things would go after the blue-eyed boy had given Abema such a passionate kiss right in front of her and all but dragged her up to their room. And now, she was very glad she had decided to find out. Sure, it was a shame that she wouldn’t get a taste of the blue-eyed boy, but that was never going to happen. It was painfully obvious that she wasn’t his type. But aside from that, everything seemed to have gone about as well as it possibly could have. From the moment she had first laid eyes on Abema, she had been hoping to follow her on her travels. And now that the blue-eyed boy had essentially given his approval, there was nothing standing in her way.