The Sanctuary's living room felt cool after four hours in desert heat. Riri pulled off her gloves and set them on the counter beside Crimson Fang. Her hair was full of dust. Her skin felt gritty. The shower was calling.
Samael had already stripped his tactical jacket and draped it over a chair. His new blade went on the kitchen island. He moved to the refrigerator and pulled out two water bottles, tossing one to Riri without looking.
She caught it and drank half in one go. The Constitution boost had made a difference. Four hours of sustained escort hadn't drained her Stamina the way it would have at lower levels.
"Perfect clear," Samael said. "Again."
"Were you expecting anything less?"
His mouth curved. "No."
Through the Bond she felt his satisfaction settling into something warm. Two Mandatory Missions, two perfect clears, zero mistakes. The formula worked.
Riri pulled up the loot notification and examined the bonus reward.
[Desert Viper's Fang - A-Grade Dagger]
[Damage: 184-221]
[Passive: Poison application on critical hits (50 Damage for 10 seconds)]
[Durability: 450/450]
Better base damage than Crimson Fang, plus poison stacking. The bleed had been useful, but poison offered more utility against high-HP targets.
She'd test it tomorrow. Right now, shower.
"I'm claiming the bathroom first," she said.
Samael's gaze tracked across her dust-covered gear. "You need it more than I do."
"Excuse me?"
"You're filthy." He said it with the kind of casual directness that would've been insulting if his expression hadn't carried amusement. "There's sand in your hair."
Riri reached up and felt grit between her fingers. Damn it. He was right.
"You're not exactly pristine yourself."
"I didn't spend four hours guarding the rear wagon in a dust cloud." He leaned against the counter, arms crossed, watching her with that specific quality of attention that meant he was enjoying this. "Go shower. I'll wait."
The tone was too casual. Too accommodating.
Riri narrowed her eyes. "What are you planning?"
"Nothing."
"You're smirking."
"I'm relaxed." His smirk widened fractionally. "It's been a good day. Two perfect clears. You leveled. I leveled. We're rich and the Sanctuary has unlimited hot water." He pushed off the counter and moved toward her, closing the distance with predatory ease. "And my beautiful partner is covered in desert dust and about to strip down in my shower."
Heat that had nothing to do with the mission crept up Riri's neck. "Our shower."
"Semantics." His hand found her hip, thumb tracing a small circle through the fabric. "You should go. Before I decide to join you."
Her pulse kicked. The Bond carried his intent clearly. He wasn't joking.
"You said you'd wait."
"I said I'd wait my turn." His other hand came up to brush sand from her cheek, touch lingering longer than strictly necessary. "I didn't say I'd wait patiently."
Riri's brain supplied several responses, none of them appropriate for the middle of the living room with four companions watching.
Loki made a grinding sound that might have been a wolf's version of judgment. Kirin's tail lashed. Vesper disappeared into shadow, clearly wanting no part of whatever this was.
Samael's thumb traced along her jaw. "Shower, Riri. Unless you want me to carry you there."
"I can walk."
"I know. But I'm starting to like carrying you." His expression was pure predatory satisfaction. "You fit perfectly."
The implications of that statement hit her at the same time the Bond pulsed with his amusement. He was enjoying her reaction. Enjoying the way her breathing had changed, the way her pulse was jumping under his thumb.
"Go," he said again, releasing her. "Before I change my mind about waiting."
Riri went.
She made it to the bathroom, closed the door, and leaned against it for five seconds while her heart rate settled. Through the Bond she felt Samael's satisfaction like warm honey, sweet and thick and completely shameless.
He'd gotten exactly the reaction he'd wanted.
She stripped off the Shadow-Weave set and stepped into the shower. The water came out hot immediately, temperature perfect without adjustment. One of System #2's small luxuries that she'd stopped noticing until moments like this.
The dust washed away. The heat soaked into tired muscles. Four hours of sustained alertness released its hold on her nervous system.
By the time she emerged, wrapped in a towel with her hair dripping, the living room had gone quiet.
Samael was sprawled on the sectional, eyes closed, one arm draped across the back cushions. He'd stripped down to sleep pants at some point. Kirin had claimed the reading chair. Loki was stretched across the floor. Vermillion rested on the windowsill.
Riri moved toward the bedroom, footsteps quiet on the hardwood.
"Feel better?" Samael asked without opening his eyes.
"Yes."
"Good." He stood in one fluid motion and moved past her toward the bathroom. His hand trailed across her lower back as he passed. "I'll be quick."
The shower turned on. Riri stood in the middle of the living room for a moment, towel wrapped around her, processing the fact that casual touches had become their new baseline.
Three weeks of being Bonded. Three weeks of shared space, coordinated combat, sleeping in the same bed. The physical distance that had existed in the first week had eroded completely.
She moved to the bedroom and pulled on sleep clothes. Soft pants, tank top, nothing complicated. By the time she'd braided her damp hair, the water had shut off.
Samael emerged minutes later, also in sleep pants, chest bare, hair damp and pushed back from his face. He looked relaxed. Content.
He moved to the bed and stretched out on his side, watching her with the kind of lazy attention that suggested he had no intention of sleeping yet.
"Come here," he said.
Riri slid under the covers and settled against the pillows. Samael's arm came around her waist immediately, pulling her back against his chest. The position had become habitual over the past two weeks. His warmth, the solid weight of him, the steady rhythm of his breathing.
"Two missions," he said against her hair. "Two perfect clears."
"You sound satisfied."
"I am." His hand spread across her stomach, thumb tracing idle patterns. "You're getting faster. Your reaction time improved since last week."
"You're tracking my reaction time?"
"I track everything." His mouth brushed her temple. "Your Agility threshold is optimal for your build now. Constitution could go higher, but you're not getting hit enough to justify overinvesting."
"Thanks for the assessment."
"You're welcome." His amusement pulsed through the Bond. "Tomorrow we're taking the day off."
Riri turned her head to look at him. "Off?"
"No missions. No grinding. System #2's interface suggested rest between Mandatory deployments." His hand stilled on her stomach. "And I want a day where we're not covered in blood or corruption aura."
"What do we do on a day off?"
"Whatever you want." His tone had shifted to something quieter. "Sleep in. Go to the System Mall. Stay in bed all day. I don't care as long as you're here."
The casual possessiveness in that last statement made her pulse jump. His hand resumed its pattern against her stomach, warmth seeping through the thin fabric of her tank top.
"Sleeping in sounds good," she said.
"Then that's what we'll do." He pulled her closer, his chin resting against the top of her head. "Sleep, Riri."
Through the Bond she felt his contentment settling into something deep and satisfied. Two missions cleared. Their Combat Power climbing. Credits accumulating. And tomorrow, a full day with no deployments.
Riri closed her eyes and let herself sink into the warmth.
Sleep came easy.