The Devil's Cursed Witch

She playfully hit him in the chest as she let go of him.

Morpheus offered her his hand. “How about we sit here at the edge?”

“You’ll sit beside me?”

“I’ll sit beside you.”

He helped her sit at the edge of the rocky peak, her feet dangling in the air, and he sat next to her. Their legs hung down, kicking at the nearest clouds, but since they were vapour, it only dampened their shoes.

Ember was amazed that she didn’t feel scared anymore.  The more she looked ahead, the more she felt relaxed. She realized that Morpheus was right–you couldn’t actually tell whether you like something or not unless you’ve tried it.

To be able to witness such a spectacular view made her really happy. The only downside was that it was sort of difficult to breathe,  and also, she was feeling cold despite her coat.

“It’s hard to breathe. Is it because I am scared?” she asked, trying to breathe as much as she could.

“It is the elevation. The air is thinner the higher you go, and your body is not yet used to it. You will be fine in a while,” he replied in a calm manner.

This was something she never learned before, and it made her curious. She spoke again, “Is that also the reason why it’s cold here? You were right to make me wear thick clothes.” She rubbed her palms against each other as if to prove her point.

“Are you cold?” he asked, looking at her trembling hands.

She nodded and looked at him. “You are not wearing many clothes. Are you not cold?”

Morpheus was bare-chested; he only had a thick feathery cloth wrapped around his shoulder, at most covering the top of his chest and short pants. His wings had turned into a long cape on his back, but it wasn’t even wrapped around his body.

“I don’t feel cold,” he replied. “I’m not a weakling like you.”

“I’m not a weakling.”

“Says the human who’s cold.”

“I’m just cold, but I’m not a weakling,” she insisted and then touched her cold hands to his cheeks which came as a shock to him.

Before he could even move back, she cupped his face with her hands and exclaimed, “How come you are so warm? Are you having a fever? Are you sick?”

“I’m not sick.”

“Really?”

Not knowing that it was her causing his face to grow hot, she pulled back her hands and touched her own cheeks. “Oh, mine’s so cold.” She then again touched his cheeks. “Your warm cheeks feel good.”

Morpheus could only look at her as his body felt stiff with the act of this ignorant human. She was in her own world as she kept touching his warm cheeks with that innocently beautiful smile on her face as if she found something really interesting.

With his heart picking up pace, he knew it wouldn’t be good to keep this up. He held her hands and reluctantly moved them away from his face, leaving her palms empty and devoid of any warmth. She looked at him with a puzzled expression, blinking a few times while looking at his hands that were holding her own.

“Ah, I’m sorry. Did I make you feel uncomfortable because of my cold hands?” she asked.

He sighed inwardly, annoyed at how he’s finding her naivety adorable. Suppressing what this human was trying to stir inside him, he let go of her hands and playfully poked at her forehead.

“Did I allow you to make me your hand warmer? Sit properly and look at the view.”

“But I’m cold.”

He made a sound of disapproval. “I have a way to not let you feel cold.”

Ember obediently pulled back her hands and sat facing forward the sea of clouds. The next moment, she found a large wing extending from his back towards her and wrapping around her loosely to stop the cold wind from reaching her body. The warmth coming from that huge wing gave her an urge to scoot close to it.

She felt protected and smiled at Morpheus. “This is much better. I didn’t know you could use your wings like this.” She then moved her hand to touch its feathers but–

“You are not allowed to touch my wing,” she heard him sharply warn.

The sudden change in his usual casual and languid manner of speaking startled her. She felt wronged but turned to apologise. “I’m sorry…uhh, did I do something wrong? I just want to see how they feel,” she then remembered even before this, Morpheus had warned her to not touch his wings, “You never let me touch your wings. Is it not allowed?”

He sighed. “Why do you keep getting distracted? Don’t you want to see the view here at the peak? What have I brought you here for if you keep fussing over other things?”

“Don’t change the subject. Tell me first why can’t I touch your wings.” She looked stubborn and would not let it pass.

“Why are you so nosy?”

“Why do you keep dodging the issue?”

“You’re so stubborn.”

“So what if I’m stubborn?”

“Can you act the same way in front of the King?”

At the mention of the King, her body froze. It reminded her how scared she was just a while ago when he was confronting her. If Morpheus had not arrived, she was sure she would have cried or run away sooner or later.

“It’s even hard to breathe in his presence,” she mumbled, remembering how intimidating his presence was, unlike how free she felt with Morpheus.

“Is it that bad?” he asked as he heard her mumbling.

With her head lowered, she answered, “I don’t understand how to act in his presence and keep making mistakes. I don’t know why I turn so clumsy in front of him and end up embarrassing myself.”

“Aren’t you clumsy all the time?”

She glared at him. “I am not.”

“If you say so,” he said in a way that clearly meant he didn’t believe her. “Try to be yourself instead of being cautious around him. Just be like how you are with me.”

“Maybe it’s because he is my mate and you are my friend. It would have been better if you were my mate,” she said again, not knowing what she was even saying.

Morpheus, who was looking at the sea of clouds, flinched as he turned to her.