The wind howled outside the stone watchpost, rattling the wooden door frame.
Inside the ruins, the air was cold. Leo knelt on the stone floor, adding dry pine branches to a small fire in the corner. The orange flames flickered, casting long shadows against the cracked walls and throwing off a small circle of heat.
Behind them, the two horses stood quietly in the covered stable area, chewing on dry grain.
Valerie sat near the fire on a rolled-out bedroll, pulling off her heavy boots. She rubbed her feet near the warmth of the embers, letting out a long breath.
"The wind is picking up," Valerie said, looking toward the narrow window slit. "The mountain gets freezing after dark."
Leo sat down across from her, setting a small iron pot over the coals to heat water with the dried herbs Seraphina had packed.
"The temperature will drop below zero by midnight," Leo said calmly. "That works in our favor. The guards at the gate will stay inside their tents, huddled around their fire pits. At three in the morning, their watch will be at its weakest. That is when we strike."
"Three in the morning," Valerie repeated with a nod. "Deep night. Even their war dogs will be sluggish from the cold."
"Exactly," Leo replied. "We sleep now and rest our bodies. In six hours, we move."
The water in the small pot began to boil. Leo poured the hot herbal tea into two wooden cups and handed one to Valerie.
Valerie took the cup with both hands, feeling the heat seep into her cold fingers. She took a slow sip, letting the warm tea soothe her dry throat.
"Thank you, Leo," Valerie said softly. Her golden eyes reflected the firelight.
"Drink it all," Leo said, sipping his own cup. "The herbs will keep your muscles loose against the frost."
They finished their tea in comfortable silence.
Leo banked the fire with a layer of ash so the smoke would not give away their position outside. The bright flames faded into a deep, steady red glow, leaving the stone room in soft darkness.
Leo laid his bedroll out near the wall, placing his coat over it as a blanket. He lay down on his back, closing his eyes to rest.
Across the room, Valerie lay down on her own bedroll, pulling her woolen cloak over her shoulders.
Ten minutes passed.
The mountain wind grew louder, whistling through the narrow gaps in the stone. Freezing air seeped across the floor, chilling the room.
Leo heard a soft rustling sound.
He opened his eyes. In the faint red glow of the dying embers, he saw Valerie curled into a tight ball under her cloak. Her shoulders were trembling slightly from the biting cold.
Valerie shifted on the hard ground, pulling her cloak tighter around her neck, but the thin cloth could not stop the frost creeping up from the stone floor.
She turned onto her side, looking across the small gap between their bedrolls. Her golden eyes met Leo’s in the shadows.
"Leo..." Valerie whispered, her voice hesitant and slightly tense.
"Are you cold?" Leo asked in a calm, quiet tone.
Valerie bit her lower lip. Her cheeks flushed with a faint pink in the dim light.
"The wind is coming through the cracks in the wall," Valerie admitted softly, her voice small. "My fingers and toes are completely numb. Would you... do you mind if we share the blankets? Just to keep warm until three."
Leo looked at her. He could see the slight shiver in her frame.
"Come over," Leo said simply, lifting the side of his heavy fur blanket.
Valerie did not hesitate. She picked up her cloak and slid across the short distance, crawling into Leo’s bedroll.
The moment she slipped beneath the heavy blanket, a wave of heat washed over her. Leo’s body was remarkably warm, radiating a deep, solid vitality that cut right through the mountain chill.
"Lie with your back to me," Leo said gently. "It will trap the heat better."
Valerie nodded and turned onto her side, settling down in front of him.
Leo moved closer, draping his arm over her waist and pulling the thick blanket up over both of their shoulders. His chest pressed against her back, and his legs lined up behind hers, creating a solid wall of heat that shielded her from the cold air.
Valerie let out a soft, trembling breath.
"You are so warm," Valerie murmured, her voice muffled against the blanket.
"Rest," Leo said. "Close your eyes."
Valerie closed her eyes, but her heart was beating rapidly against her ribs.
For three years in Noel’s hero party, she had spent countless freezing nights in the wild. Whenever they traveled through mountains or frozen valleys, Noel and his close friends slept inside heated, enchanted tents while Valerie was ordered to sleep outside by the baggage carts to guard their gear.
Noel had never once asked if she was cold. He had never offered a warm coat, a cup of tea, or a kind word. To Noel, Valerie was just an iron shield that did not feel pain or cold.
Any lingering affection, respect, or love she had ever felt for Noel had completely evaporated. In its place, only cold disgust remained for the coward who had used her for years.
Now, lying in the dark ruins, wrapped in Leo’s arms and feeling his solid chest pressed firmly against her back, a profound sense of safety enveloped Valerie.
She had never felt this protected in her entire life.
Leo’s breath was steady and warm against the back of her neck. His large hand rested securely against her stomach, holding her close against his torso.
Under the heavy blanket, the air quickly heated up.
The cold was completely gone, replaced by an intoxicating, intimate warmth. The scent of pine and clean leather mixed with the natural musk of their bodies.
Valerie felt her skin tingling wherever they touched.
Her shoulders rested against Leo’s broad chest. Her hips were tucked snugly against his thighs. Every time Leo took a breath, his solid chest expanded against her back, sending small shivers of electricity down her spine.
Valerie shifted slightly, trying to find a more comfortable position. As she moved, her backside pressed firmly against Leo’s lower abdomen and groin.
Leo’s breathing hitched for a split second.
Leo was a disciplined strategist, but after awakening his ancient Half-Incubus bloodline, his body had undergone a massive physical transformation. His demonic vitality, stamina, and masculine drive had multiplied, pulsing through his veins with potent heat.
Feeling Valerie’s soft, curved hips pressed tightly against him under the heavy blanket, Leo’s body reacted instinctively. A powerful heat rushed south, hardening his length until he was fully erect against the curve of her lower back.
Valerie froze.
She felt the rigid, hot thickness pressing firmly against the seat of her pants.
The air inside the blanket suddenly felt thick and electric.
Leo tried to pull his hips back a few inches to give her space, keeping his voice low and steady. "Sorry, Valerie. I will move back."
"No..." Valerie whispered quickly, her voice breathless and tight.
Before Leo could shift away, Valerie pressed herself back against him, closing the gap completely.
She rested her head back against his shoulder, her breathing turning shallow and fast.
"Do not move back," Valerie whispered, her voice trembling with intense emotion. "Please. It feels... so warm."
Leo’s heart hammered against his ribs. "Valerie, we have a raid in four hours."
"I know," Valerie murmured.
Her hips shifted again, softly pressing back against his rigid length. A quiet gasp escaped her lips as the friction sent a jolt of pleasure straight down to her core.
Valerie did not stop.
She began to roll her hips in slow, steady circles against him. Through the thin fabric of their riding pants, she could feel every inch of his hard, heavy thickness. The solid pressure rubbed directly against her sensitive entrance, sending waves of tingling heat radiating across her lower belly.
Leo’s breath grew hot and ragged against the back of her neck. His large hand slid down from her stomach to grip the curve of her hip, his strong fingers digging firmly into her flesh.
"Valerie..." Leo warned in a deep, strained voice. "If you keep moving like that, I will not be able to stop."
Instead of pulling away, Valerie let out a shaky whimper and pushed her backside even harder against his groin.
"Do not stop," Valerie whispered, her voice thick with breathless need. "Please, Leo... hold me."
She tilted her hips upward, grinding back with desperate, rhythmic strokes. Every time her soft, rounded curves rubbed against his shaft, the intense friction drew a small, helpless moan from her throat. Her body was heating up like a furnace, melting away every bit of the mountain cold.
Leo’s fingers tightened on her hip, guiding her rhythm as his hips instinctively thrust forward to meet her movements. The heavy, unyielding pressure of his erection grinding between her cheeks made Valerie’s thighs tremble. Deep inside, she was already dripping wet, soaking through her underwear.
Valerie’s breathing turned wild. She moved faster, grinding her hips in tight, desperate circles against his rock-hard length. The friction through the cloth was intense, rubbing directly over her swollen clitoris with every slide.
*Ah... ahh... Leo...*
Valerie buried her face in the blanket to muffle her cries. Her whole body was burning. The sweet, heavy scent of Leo’s Half-Incubus mana was filling her head, driving her completely mad with desire.
"Leo... harder... press closer..." Valerie begged, her voice breaking into breathless gasps.
Leo tightened his arm around her waist, pulling her flush against his chest and driving his hips forward with firm, heavy thrusts against her backside. The rigid thickness of his shaft ground powerfully against her center with every roll.
A sudden, violent wave of pleasure exploded in Valerie’s lower belly.
Her back arched tightly like a bow. Her thighs clamped together around Leo’s leg, trapping him in place as her hips bucked helplessly against him.
"Ahhh...!"
A muffled, choked-off scream of pure ecstasy escaped Valerie’s lips into the blanket. Her entire body shuddered in a violent, overwhelming orgasm. Waves of intense pleasure crashed through her core, making her inner walls spasm and clench rhythmically.
So much wetness flooded between her thighs that it soaked straight through her pants, sticking the cloth to her skin.
For nearly a full minute, Valerie lay trembling in Leo’s arms, her breath coming in ragged, shuddering gasps. Sweat glistened on her skin, and her heart pounded against her ribs like a war drum.
The dry friction had brought her to an explosive peak, but instead of cooling down, the climax only shattered the last shred of her restraint.
She was completely drunk on his touch. She needed more.
Valerie rolled over in his arms, turning her body to face him.
In the faint red glow of the embers, her golden eyes were wide, glazed, and burning with uninhibited hunger. Her cheeks were flushed bright crimson, and her lips were parted, trembling as she looked up at him.
She reached up with shaking hands, her fingers digging into the back of his neck to pull his face down to hers.
"Leo..." Valerie whispered, breathless with desperate need. "Kiss me."
Leo pulled her tightly against his chest, his dark eyes locked onto hers, and crashed his lips down onto hers in a fierce, demanding kiss.
Valerie gasped into his mouth, wrapping her legs around his waist as the kiss consumed them both in the dark shelter.
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