The Devil's Cursed Witch

When Aureus and Erlos moved towards the forest, though they did not let the other two know, their departure didn't go unnoticed. A war veteran like Morpheus wouldn't let his vigilance down just because he hadn't been active for the past decades. However, he had little interest in why those two young men sneaked away since had a bigger problem at hand.

He and Ember were left alone.

Ember was helping Morpheus to roast the fish though he didn't need any help. When he held the first fish to clean it before skewering it to a stick and propping it in between two rocks on opposite ends of the fire. With bright eyes, Ember tried to copy everything he did to the second fish like an obedient little student.

"Am I doing it right, Morph?" she asked as she carefully placed the stick on the arranged rocks, such that the skewered fish could roast without needing to hold it over the fire..

"Hmm." Morpheus simply hummed. No word could come out from his mouth due to how close she was to him; at this moment, his entire willpower was trying to resist the temptation caused by Ember's scent which even the smoke from the fish couldn't cover up.

This naive human girl...had she even had the slightest idea of the torture he was going through because of her?

Morpheus was debating whether he should find an excuse to move away, but since neither Erlos nor Aureus were in the immediate area, it wouldn't be good to leave her side. He also didn't want her to realize that he wanted to avoid her.

The conflicted shapeshifter could not help but silently endure, slightly angered as to why those two foolish youths were taking their time to return. Ember was yet to notice their disappearance, and she was telling him a story about her never getting to try to roast anything prior to coming to Agartha. Meanwhile, he rotated the skewered fish over the fire and Ember did the same. She watched as the fishes slightly gave off a delicious aroma and could not help but be excited.

'Such a child!' Morpheus was about to slowly move away from her, thinking of using 'stretching his numb legs' as an excuse, but the silly little female held onto his arm, causing his entire body to freeze up once more.

"Morph! The fire is getting bigger. Seems like it will burn the fishes. How often shall I rotate it?"

Her entire attention was on the fishes, her food, unaware that the man beside her had a complex look on his handsome face. For a moment, Morpheus wondered that even if his heart were to stop beating due to the unintentionally inflicted torture she was giving him, she probably wouldn't realize it until the moment his breathing stopped.

'Why must the woman I love be such a glutton?' he thought as he looked at his hand where she had held him. He felt like his skin was burning where she had touched. 'If only she would pay even half the attention she gives her food--wait, what am I thinking? I can't believe that I, a warrior feared and admired by many, will feel self-conscious and jealous of a fish.'

Not getting any reply from him, she shook his hand violently, throwing an adorable pout his way before focusing on the two skewered fishes. "Morph...it smells good. Is it still not cooked? Do I have to rotate the stick now? Should I wait some more?"

Morpheus tugged his arm from her grasp, which made her fall towards him, almost leaving no distance between them. She looked at him with surprised eyes, but she was unable to say anything because of his  intense gaze on her. It was not the usual way he looked at her.

Even his deep voice was hoarser than usual in her ears.

"Ember, you should stay away from me," he warned, doing his best to hold himself back from taking a bite of this frustratingly naive walking temptation. "I don't want to commit an act that we both would end up regretting."

The initially puzzled human girl immediately pulled her hand away from his arm, moving back without a word of protest as she realized what he meant. Because of all these exciting things happening around her, she had  forgotten Draven's warning--that she must stay away from beastmen as they would be affected by the scent she was emitting during her fertile days.

Only then did she see the things she failed to see--his serious expression, that stiff body, and his shallow, almost negligible breathing. All this time, her mind was filled with food, completely ignorant that she troubled Morpheus. He clearly looked affected but was pretending to be fine, and she regretted her negligent behavior.

"I...I am sorry, Morph." Her green eyes dimmed, full of guilt.

Morpheus held his breath, his composure about to break, and stood up immediately.

"Keep your eyes on the fish. I'll be back."

For a split second, Morpheus wanted to lean close to her, to immerse himself in her scent sweeter and more delicious than anything he had ever encountered--

Luckily, his conscience poured cold water over him and brought him back to his senses. He feared what other thoughts would tempt him if he were to continue staying by her side. She was pure and innocent and ignorant, but he was not.

His mind recalled her expression of shame and embarrassment after they shared that kiss on the balcony of her study. It was a mistake that should never be repeated. Even if she had all the excuses in the world, he was not allowed to touch her. He would never allow himself to do anything with her.

'If I give in to temptation, she will bear the burden of guilt even if it is my fault. That can never happen.'

His little female was too important to him. Though she would never be his, he vowed to protect her smiles, even if it meant his death.

Ember wanted to say something, but in the end, she could only nod.She could understand Morpheus' situation and decided to let him keep a distance between them.  She did not want to trouble him anymore.

As his tall figure turned away from her, it gave her an impression that his back looked lonely.