Chapter 190

Maxi felt as though she had been tossed about by stormy waves, only to find herself miraculously washed ashore. She stared up at the ceiling with hazy eyes.

"Did I… make a sound near the end?" she said in a constricted voice.

Riftan froze. She felt his chest shake with soft laughter. "I couldn't say. I was lost in the moment too."

Gently, he swept her disheveled hair from her face and peppered feathery kisses on her damp forehead, cheeks, and eyelids. Despite the tender intimacy, Maxi's anxiety lingered.

She listened intently to the sounds beyond their room. The distant, cheerful melody of a mandolin intertwined with the raucous, drunken laughter of the men. It appeared everyone was reveling in a grand feast.

Breathing a small sigh of relief, Maxi pushed Riftan, who was playfully nipping her shoulder, aside and sat up. "We are setting out early tomorrow… We should rest."

"Just a little more."