Isobel waited as Castel stared at her, hoping that her bold confession wouldn't make him run away again.

"It's not right," he said, his voice hoarse.

"Why not?" Deciding to continue her bold approach, she placed a hand on his knee under the water. He tensed, but she pushed on. If he truly did not want to kiss her, then he ought to say so. But if this was all some misplaced sense of duty. Or seeing her as unattainable... Then she wanted to forge on.

She had encountered men before who found her too intimidating to approach, and it was frustrating to find that the handsome knight she'd always had a soft spot for was one of them. But it was still preferable to the type of man who considered her a conquest. A notch on their bedpost and bragging rights about bedding a sorceress.

When Castel said nothing, only shook his head slightly, she bit her lower lip while she considered her next words. "I want you to kiss me. The only people who get to decide if that is right or not are you and I. Who we are outside of this pool does not matter."

She carefully slid her hand an inch up his leg, and he scooted back in his seat, away from her. Feeling like some sort of predator, she smiled sadly. "If you don't want me, Castel—"

He let out a harsh laugh. "May the Gods have mercy! If I don't want you..." He took a deep breath, then gripped her upper arms and held her away from him. "Don't you know?" His voice was raw and his brown eyes desperate. "I've always wanted you. Ever since I was a Sentinel in Highglaive. Even when they used visions of you to torture me—" His voice broke, and he shook his head.

Visions of her? A sick feeling bubbled up inside of her. She'd heard of the things the mages working with Deva had done to their prisoners. Poisoning their minds with visions of great and terrible things. Teasing. Taunting. Terrifying. Anything to get the information they so desperately wanted, but no one at Highglaive possessed. And so they kept trying... To think they had somehow used her to torture Castel... Her skin crawled at the thought. What had they shown him?

She wanted to touch him. To comfort him. But his hands held her in place.

His eyes burned darkly as he stared at her. "I've never wanted anyone the way I wanted you..." He hesitated before amending, "The way I want you."

"Then what is stopping you?" She rolled her shoulders, and he released her with an agonised groan. Sensing his distress, she moved closer again, her abdomen pressing against his knees. She didn't know in what way the mages had used her against him, but she would be damned if she allowed them to still have a hold over him after all this time. "Don't let them win."

When he said nothing, but also didn't push her away, she put her hands back on his knees. "I am right here. Flesh and blood. Not a vision. Replace the nightmares with real memories."

Continuing her bold approach, determined to chase away any lingering fragments of the visions the mages had forced on him, she leaned in and brushed her lips against his. Lightly at first, testing his reaction. The morning stubble on his upper lip rasped against her skin. When he didn't pull back, she kissed him again, her tongue darting out to tease him.

With a groan, Castel's arms embraced her and pulled her closer. His legs spread to accommodate her, wedging her between his knees. Now kissing her in earnest, his tongue stoked deeply, and heat spread through her every fibre. His hands roamed down her back to cup her bottom, pulling her even closer. They were both reminded of their nakedness when his erection pressed against her abdomen. He wrenched his mouth away from hers, and they stared at each other, their breaths mingling.

Would he pull away again? She didn't want to push too hard, but she also didn't want him to leave. Worrying her lower lip with her teeth, she tried to figure out the best approach. She gasped when Castel surprised her by pulling her up to straddle him, his hardness pushing against her heated core. It felt almost impossibly good, being this close. The elevated position brought her chest above the water and she might have felt chilly, had she not been warmed by his appreciative gaze. When he didn't move, she shifted against him impatiently.

He grunted and lifted a hand to gently cup one of her breasts. His thumb stroked her nipple, the callused pad coarse against her sensitive skin, and she moaned as the touch sent tiny sparks through her. She never wanted him to stop. Burying her hands in the soft hair at the back of his head, she arched her back to allow him better access. When his head bent down to take a nipple in his mouth, the tiny sparks grew closer to a thunderstorm. His lips were hot and wet on her, his tongue teasing her with licks and nips until her body felt close to combustion.

"Castel," she moaned, moving against him, needing more than his mouth on her chest.

He leaned back and groaned when the heat of her rubbed against his hardness. Grabbing her bottom in his palms, he pushed her closer still, grinding against her. She gasped as heat shot through her like a bolt of lightning. Castel captured her next moan with a deep, desperate kiss as he continued moving her against him with his hands cupping her buttocks.

She pressed closer, tugging on his hair and moaning against his mouth as the pressure built inside her. There was no escape from the sensual assault. With each grind against her, his hardness hit her sensitive spot, sending more ribbons of lightning reverberating through her, the pressure building higher and higher. When she finally came apart in his arms, the waves of her release crashed over her, unrelenting, as he kept up his steady pace, prolonging the pleasure until her mind blanked.

When she was so spent she didn't think she could take anymore, he stopped, his breathing nearly as laboured as hers. She shifted slightly to keep his erection from pushing against her over-sensitive flesh, and he trailed a few kisses down her neck.

The faint noise of people chattering reached them, and he froze. His eyes widened as if he only just realised what he had been doing, and he gently pushed her away before getting out of the pool. She already missed his body against hers but appreciated the view of his well-shaped back as he found his towel and breeches.

"I... I must go," he muttered.

Before she could say anything, he was gone. With a frustrated huff, she sank further into the water, letting it lap at her exhausted limbs. Must he always run from her? Maybe she needed to freeze him in place to force him to talk to her. She'd rather he kiss her, but a frank discussion was definitely needed.

Castel cursed himself and his apparent lack of self-control where Isobel was concerned as he sat in the council chamber for a meeting with the other leaders at Fort Mael. The operation was a joint effort between the military, of which he was the Commander, Boreas and his spies, and leading the mission was the High King's Envoy; an older diplomat by the name of Deon. Kairn also took part in the council meetings as the Emissary of Ler, even if he had little say about the mission.

Memories of Isobel coming apart in his arms made it difficult to focus on the discussions at hand. How had he allowed his control to slip like that?

In the past, whenever he had been with women, it had been a means to an end. Quick and effective. Impersonal, even. And he'd never lost control. Not once. With Isobel, it had taken very little for him to break. He wanted her so desperately that one kiss from her lips, and he'd been lost. It was terrifying. Since his imprisonment in Highglaive, he'd never allowed himself to relax. He'd lived a life of restraint, afraid of losing the precious control he had barely clawed back from his captors.

It had taken time to feel whole again, and without the tight control he held on his emotions, he wasn't sure who he was. What he was capable of.

"Castel?"

Realising someone had asked him a question, he shifted in his chair. "Forgive me. I missed that."

Boreas watched him with a glimmer of amusement in his brown eyes. Did the Spymaster know what had happened in the pools last night? It wouldn't surprise him if the sly man had somehow found out.

"I was asking how the new recruits are doing," Deon said.

They had received another group of soldiers from Messina two days ago. Castel was teaching them the details of Fort Mael and introducing them to the vigorous training regimen they kept to. They needed to be prepared for anything when so close to Dreadlands and the potential army hiding in the vast expanse beyond the mountain pass.

"They're doing well," he said. "Quite young, but with a willing spirit. I'm confident we can whip them into shape."

"Great news." The Envoy turned to Boreas. "Mission report?"

The Spymaster scratched his nose thoughtfully. "We still have made no progress in finding the Son of Deva's main base in Dreadlands. There's been chatter in the small camps we've found mentioning one, but so far, its location eludes us."

"At least we can confirm it exists," Deon said. "That is something."

"True." Boreas nodded. "But until we find it, we won't know what size his army is, or even if he has one. For all we know, he might have a ragtag bunch of orcs and the few monsters that have made it through from the Nether Realm. Rifts between our realms are few and far between. Not at all like before Deva attacked Messina."

An icy shiver travelled down Cas's spine at the mention of Deva's attack. "Let us not underestimate his son," he said. "We made that mistake with Deva, and the size of his army surprised us all. There was no time to mount a defence, and we all know what happened."

They were silent for a moment as memories of what they had lost resurfaced. Few had escaped the years of Deva's terror whole. Everyone had lost something. Or someone.

"Good point," Deon finally said, standing. "We will keep looking. And our base here ensures no army could march on Erya unnoticed. There is no other passage between Dreadlands and the kingdoms of Erya." He looked around the gathered men at the table. "Anything else before this meeting is adjourned?"

Kairn smiled. "I just wanted to remind everyone of King Aneirin's invitation to the celebration of his daughter coming-of-age. As members of the High King's court, he is hoping you will make an appearance."

"Is this the masquerade ball?" Boreas asked.

"The very one." Kairn gathered the papers he had brought to the meeting as they readied to leave. "The king would appreciate it. Especially after he so graciously allowed the High King and his forces the use of this stronghold."

"The High King, his son, you mean?" The Spymaster sniggered. "Fine. Message received. We will make sure someone makes an appearance as a representative of the Fort Mael mission."

A grin spread over the Emissary's face. "Great news. I will inform the king."

As they all filed out of the room and Castel picked up his reports, ready to return to his chambers, Boreas lingered so he could walk with him down the hallway.

"Are you all right, Commander?" he asked. "You seemed distracted."

"Fine," Cas grunted. "Just sleeping badly."

"Nightmares?"

He frowned. "How do you know about them?"

The Spymaster smirked. "I know most of what goes on in Fort Mael. And a lot of what goes on in Erya."

Cas raised an eyebrow.

"Some men have heard you shouting in your sleep during guard shifts."

"Right." How embarrassing to know his night terrors were known around the stronghold.

As if he could read his thoughts, Boreas said, "Only a few know. My agents only report to me, and any soldier who might have heard you will say nothing. They respect you too much."

Cas huffed. "I thought you said they feared me."

"That too," Boreas chuckled. "But no, they're only wary of your perpetual scowl. Maybe smile now and again."

"I'll take it under advisement."

They walked in silence for a moment before the Spymaster spoke again. "I hear it's worse after"—he glanced around to ensure they were alone—"you know who arrived."

A muscle twitched in Cas's jaw, but he nodded.

"Would you like to talk about it?"

"No."

With a nod, the Spymaster accepted his choice and disappeared down another hallway. Sighing, Cas continued on, exiting the stronghold and walking across the ramparts to the tower housing his chambers. He nearly turned around when he saw Isobel waiting outside the tower door. He had hoped to have a little more time before he came face-to-face with her again.

~~~~~~