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Court of the Shifter 5 is out!

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Damn. These are all sexy.

Court of the Shifter 5 Chapter 4

“It’s about time,” Zolas teased as soon as I stepped off the train. “We were expecting you days ago.”

“We didn’t get the message for days,” Calantha countered as she shot the blond vampire a sharp look. “And hello to you, too.”

“Why, princess, did I offend?” Zolas placed a hand over his chest as he gave her a fake surprised look. “How could one ignore such a commanding presence?”

Willow and Luxe hung back for a moment, but the blond vampire’s eyes quickly landed on the pair of shifters, and he gestured for them to come forward.

“Princess Willow, what a pleasure.” Zolas winked. “And Luxe Ursidax in the flesh at last.”

“You… You know me?” Luxe blinked in surprise. “Who are you exactly?”

“Yeah, I’m curious about that, too,” I said.

“Really, Eli,” Zolas tutted. “I obviously saw her in a dream. You could have warned her about me.”

Servants rushed forward to unload our belongings from the train, and I hurried to grab my personal pack containing the talismans before they carted off the rest. I slung the straps over my shoulders and turned to Zolas with a grin, but he was in the middle of a sentence.

“We really must hurry back to the king and queen,” the blond vampire was saying. “I promised no detours would be made.”

“So, now you’re the king and queen’s messenger?” I smirked. “And why do I get the feeling you know way more than you’re letting on?”

“I simply sense the urgency of the matter,” Zolas countered with a good natured smile. “When King Aleister gives me that look… I shudder to think of the consequences for stalling.”

Nicolai and Rostra emerged from the train with Cecil slipping between their legs, and the older vampire whispered some instructions to the younger man before they separated. Rostra joined the servants piling the rest of the train’s contents onto carts, and Nicolai joined our group as Zolas turned toward the palace.

“They couldn’t even let me take a bath first?” Calantha rolled her crimson eyes. “I’ve got a lot of travel grime to dispose of.”

“Gross,” Zolas teased. “You can stand over there. You know, away from me.”

“You’re just jealous you didn’t come with us,” the vampiress retorted. “We had all the fun while you were stuck back here doing everything my parents said.”

“Actually, Hendrik and I have been making some serious headway in our research,” Zolas said. “In fact, I think we are close to a major breakthrough. I would love it if all of you would come see for yourself.”

“We will.” I grinned. “It’s good to hear you are making some progress. We’ve accomplished a lot as well, so it won’t be long before we’re kicking the prophecy’s ass.”

“I take it you found another talisman?” Zolas lowered his voice as we passed by some servants headed in the other direction.

“More than one,” Willow said in a low voice. “But we can talk about it more later once we have some privacy.”

We continued to catch up with the quirky young vampire, but I knew Zolas was much older than he appeared. We’d formed a fast friendship when I’d first arrived at the vampire capital, and I’d turned to him to guide me through this new world. He was one of the only vampires who I’d discussed the multiple versions of the prophecy with, and I knew his loyalties were to the entire world.

While we traversed the hallways of the palace, Zolas peppered Luxe with questions about her upbringing in Ordrya, and it was obvious he knew more about her than she was expecting. The white-haired shifter glanced around at the vampire palace in awe, but she hugged her arms against herself like she was a touch intimidated.

This had to be quite the cultural shock for someone who had never ventured outside Shyfeterran, but I knew she was quick to adapt to any situation. Plus, she had me by her side for every step of the way.

“Did you ever fix your shifting problem?” Zolas asked in a curious tone.

“I did.” Luxe blinked in surprise. “How did you know about that?”

“I know things.” Zolas gave the shifter a sly smile. “When I heard you were summoned, I had to do my own research. Can’t have our Eli gallivanting around with just anyone when he has a prophecy to fulfill.”

“I hope I met your standards,” Luxe said in a dry tone.

“Oh, absolutely.” Zolas held back a laugh as he glanced at her face. “And I hope you get used to my humor style before too long.”

“Zolas is harmless enough,” I said to the polar bear shifter. “Although, I know how startling it can be for someone to have intimate details about you before you meet.”

I flashed the blond vampire a reprimanding look, and the smile on his lips grew larger. Then we entered the hallway outside the throne room, and the vampire guards all stood at attention. We lifted our chins as we marched toward the doors, and they were pulled open before us. The wide open audience chamber was empty, but Calantha and Zolas didn’t pause as they headed toward a door along a side wall.

I followed behind the vampires as they stepped into a lavishly decorated sitting room, and I came to a halt when I saw the king and queen of Vosrettera seated before us.

King Aleister Mithari the third had one leg crossed over the other, and the tip of his shiny black boots bobbed up and down in an impatient manner. His arms were stretched out over the rests, but his fingers clenched the edges, and his eyes brightened when our gazes met.

Queen Seraphine paused with a teacup raised halfway to her blood red lips, and her studious eyes scanned us up and down as her eyebrows lifted elegantly. Her dress was made entirely of layers of black lace, and I could see the paleness of her arms beneath the fabric.

They made for quite the intimidating pair.

“Your Majesties,” I said as I lowered myself into a deep bow. “It is a pleasure to see you both well.”

“Mother, Father,” Calantha said as she crossed the room to her parents, but after she gave them each a quick peck, the vampiress flopped down onto one of the sofas.

The rest of us filed into the room, and we occupied the remaining seats available. Luxe sat stiffly by my side, and Willow rested one of her hands on her stomach the way she did when she was nervous. Zolas claimed one of the arm chairs, and he folded his legs under him like a kindergartener. Nicolai stayed on his feet, but the tall royal guard crossed his arms over his chest.

“You must be famished,” Queen Seraphine said as she reached for a silver bell sitting on the low table. “I hear you’ve made quite the journey to get here.”

The queen rang the bell, and a moment later, Lor appeared from behind the bookshelf. After a quick set of instructions from Calantha’s mother, the fairy returned with a tray laden with drinks and snacks. She placed them on the low table and bowed her head as she backed out of the room, but I caught her flash a quick smile my way before she disappeared again.

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” I said as I lifted a cup of tea to my lips. “But we managed to take care of ourselves fairly well.”

“And you’ve made some new friends along the way,” King Aleister observed as he turned his gaze to Luxe. “Zolas has told us enough to know you are Luxe Ursidax.”

“Um, yes.” Luxe shuffled nervously on her seat. “My father is Lord Urman Ursidax, the Bear Representative in Ordrya Court.”

“Perhaps that is the reason you were summoned with the others,” Queen Seraphine noted in a thoughtful tone.

“Wouldn’t you know?” I asked.

Queen Seraphine gave me a confused look, but she didn’t elaborate.

“In any case, Miss Ursidax,” King Aleister said. “It is a pleasure to meet you. If there is anything in particular you require during your stay, please do not hesitate to ask. We will assign a staff member to assist you with anything you need.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Luxe said in a quiet voice, and a cherry red blush darkened her cheeks.

“So, what of your adventures?” Queen Seraphine asked as her red eyes flicked between me and her daughter. “Tell us everything.”

“Well, we got what we went after,” Cal informed them. “And fixed a bunch of other problems along the way.”

“You retrieved the talisman you sought?” King Aleister clarified.

“We actually located two of them,” I reported in a proud voice. “Plus, I learned how to use my cat and bear form.”

“How fascinating,” Queen Seraphine breathed. “I am sure you learned so much about the shifters during your escapades and marriages.”

“Marriages?” I swallowed hard.

“Yes, it seems Zolas saw some sort of nuptial ritual and was giggling about it for days,” the queen sighed.

“Ah, well, my parents were pretty persistent,” Willow said. “We didn’t think it would affect you in any way, though.”

“How could it not?” Queen Seraphine tilted her head to the side as she narrowed her dark red eyes at my pregnant wife. “Our daughter is also involved in the prophecy, and I think it is only fair that she receives the same level of honor.”

“Are you… Are you trying to say that me and Calantha should get married?” I looked from the king and queen to the vampiress, but Cal merely rolled her eyes. “Is that what was so urgent?”

“Of course we want our daughter to share her life with yours,” King Aleister said.

“Oh, this is great.” Zolas grinned. “What would you wear, Cal? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in white.”

“Shut up, Zolas,” Calantha groaned. “And please, can we not talk about this anymore?”

Zolas mimed zipping his lips shut, but his blue labradorite eyes glimmered with mischief, so I knew it wasn’t the last we would hear about it.

An awkward silence stretched on for an uncomfortably long time, but finally, I couldn’t take it anymore, and I cleared my throat.

“So, you’re right about one thing,” I said. “I did learn a lot about the shifters on my adventures. I learned there is more than one version of the prophecy I was brought here to fulfill, and it doesn’t just affect the vampires.”

Zolas flashed me an impressed look as the two princesses in my company inhaled sharply, but Luxe glanced around in confusion.

“What is the other version of the prophecy?” King Aleister asked in an overly casual tone.

“From the tone of your words, you already know,” I said, and I crossed my arms over my chest. “Please tell me that’s not the case, because that is certainly not how you explained it to me in the beginning.”

“We knew there was the possibility,” Queen Seraphine allowed, and she took a long sip from her teacup. “We just didn’t give it much credit since it seemed unlikely to come up.”

“What are the differences?” Luxe asked. “This is the first time I’m hearing about it. Eli just has to mate with one of each of the shifter factions, right?”

“No, he has to mate with the vampire princess prophesied to carry his child.” Queen Seraphine sat her cup down on the saucer delicately before she met the polar bear woman’s gaze. “But I wouldn’t expect you to understand.”

“What if it’s both?” I pressed. “I think there’s a chance that both versions are correct, maybe two halves of the original or something.”

“We will look into it.” King Aleister pressed his lips together, and I got the feeling the discussion about the prophecy was over for the moment.

“Your Majesties,” I said, and I cleared my throat. “While this has been a lovely discussion, it still doesn’t clarify why we were summoned so abruptly from Ordrya. I think we are all eager to hear what the urgent need of our presence is about.”

“As would we,” Aleister sighed. The king and queen exchanged a glance, but we all waited patiently for them to explain further. “Unfortunately, we weren’t given much more information than you.”

The queen reached across the distance between them to pat the back of her husband’s hand in a reassuring manner, but then she turned her dark red eyes on me.

“You see, Elijah, we were alerted by the Circle of Azurantha that the four of you were summoned before them,” Queen Seraphine explained. “They didn’t grace us with the knowledge of why, but I can assure you it is of the utmost importance if they are requesting you in person.”

“Isn’t the Circle of Azurantha the coven of elder vampire matrons who summoned me from Earth?” I frowned. “That’s kind of a big deal.”

“Yes, and it would have been nice to know that back in Shyfeterran,” Cal said in a dry tone. “We could have been saved from a lot of stress and anxiety.”

“That was our intention for keeping it until we saw you in person,” King Aleister said. “It’s best if you don’t have a lot of time to linger over their hypothetical reasons before you meet with them.”

“But you do have an idea of why,” I said, and the knowing glance the royal couple shared confirmed my suspicions.

“We’ve discussed a few possibilities,” Zolas said. “Now you understand all the urgency.”

“What were some of the things you considered?” I asked. “You don’t think they’re trying to send me back to Earth, do you?”

“I would hope not,” Queen Seraphine said as the corners of her lips tilted into a smile. “We still need you to save our realm.”

“We still need him, too,” Willow interjected.

“Of course.” King Aleister nodded.

“My parents actually sent me with a letter for you,” the shifter princess added. “I’d be happy to discuss a reply.”

“That is quite a huge step for King Frejit to make,” King Aleister said in a thoughtful tone. “We would be honored to discuss this letter with you more later.”

“If we could get back on topic,” Zolas said, and he shot Willow a wink. “We were talking about why the Circle could need all four of you.”

“Yes, what are you thinking?” I gave the blond vampire my full attention.

The mystic shared a look with the king and queen, but they gestured for him to continue, so he turned his labradorite gaze back to me.

“What if they know where one of the talismans are?” Zolas grinned. “It could turn out to be very beneficial.”

“That would be awesome,” I said as I looked from vampire to vampire. “What are the chances of that happening?”

“There is really no way to predict the intentions or motivations of the Circle of Azurantha,” Queen Seraphine said with a sad smile. “All we can do is theorize.”

“Eli found two talismans in Shyfeterran,” Zolas bragged. “We are getting a lot closer to our goals.”

“Plus, we don’t have any leads on the rest,” I said. “This could really point us in the right direction.”

“Well, I hope you get what you wish for,” King Aleister said. “For all of our sake.”

“Eli always gets what he wants.” Calantha shot me a wink as she reached across the table for a mini sandwich, and the vampiress placed the bread delicately between her lips.

“There’s no doubt you’re backing the right horse,” I said. “But a lot of things could go wrong. When does the Circle of Azurantha want to see us?”

“They will send someone,” Queen Seraphine said.

“Good.” I nodded. “Well, I have more than a few questions for them myself, so it will be nice to finally meet the people who summoned me in person.”

“The Circle aren’t known for sharing their reasoning with others,” Zolas said. “But I expect you to relay every word they say back to me for analysis.”

“Nicolai, you will escort them to the Circle when the time comes,” King Aleister instructed his royal guard. “While I don’t foresee any trouble in the streets of Marbrooke, safety is always the best practice.”

“We don’t need a babysitter, Father,” Cal said with a roll of her eyes. “We were just fine roaming the wilderness of Shyfeterran without him, after all.”

“I will do as you command, Your Majesty,” Nicolai countered, but he gave Calantha a taunting smile. “Even if I have to hog tie the princess to keep her safe.”

“Oh, that’s funny.” Cal turned to the tall dark-haired vampire and smiled sweetly. “I’d like to see you try.”

“Is it just me or did she get more hostile during her absence?” Zolas asked no one in particular.

“You mean she used to be nice?” Luxe asked, and the room burst into laughter.

“Hey, Calantha’s always been a peach to me.” I grinned tauntingly at the vampiress. “Nothing but the perfect hostess from day one.”

“If there’s nothing else you need to mock me over,” Calantha said as she lifted her nose into a haughty angle. “I am ready to sleep in my own bed.”

“Carrying around that ego must be exhausting,” Zolas teased. “Do you need help finding your room? I know you’ve been gone for a while, so it can be hard to remember where everything is.”

“I grew up here, remember?” Calantha smirked. “I think I can manage.”

“Well, um, I did not grow up here.” Luxe’s cheeks burned bright red. “And I don’t know my way around, but I would love a bed as well.”

“I’ll have Lor show you to your room,” Queen Seraphine said, and she gave the polar bear shifter a polite smile. “I hope you will let us know if there’s anything you require.”

“I’m pretty easy to please.” Luxe pressed her lips into a tight smile. “I do appreciate your hospitality.”

“It was lovely to meet you,” Queen Seraphine said, and she reached for the silver bell once more.

It didn’t take long for the orange-haired fairy to appear from behind the bookshelf, and she led us away from the royal couple at a brisk pace. Zolas and Nicolai stayed behind with the king and queen, but the rest of us were beyond ready to get some rest.

Lor led us down the corridors until we reached the wing of the palace that housed Calantha and myself, but Luxe and Willow had also been given rooms nearby. The polar bear woman gazed around at the prestigious decor in awe, and she almost didn’t notice when the fairy paused by her chamber door.

I watched as Luxe’s eyes widened while Lor gestured to the room, and I realized the polar bear woman was experiencing the fairy’s telepathic speech for the first time. Then the orange-haired servant turned to me with a smile on her face.

Any requests for your evening meal, Master Elijah? Lor blinked curiously at me while her voice rang in my head.

“Anything is fine, Lor,” I chuckled.

“Wait, so you hear her in your head, too?” Luxe looked from me to the fairy. “I thought I was losing my mind for a second.”

“Things are just a little different around here,” I said in a comforting tone. “You’ll get used to it soon, I promise.”

“It’s not every day you hear voices in your head that aren’t your own,” Luxe pointed out with a disbelieving shake of her head. “It will take some adjusting.”

“I’m just down the hall if you need anything,” I said, and I squeezed her hand warmly. “And I can show you the library later if you want.”

“That sounds lovely.” Luxe smiled softly, but then she slid behind her chamber door.

Willow and Calantha had already gone their separate ways, and I told Lor I could find my room on my own, so the small fairy flitted off to fetch our evening meals. My room was almost exactly as I’d left it, but the fire burning in the fireplace looked recently made, and there were some loungewear style clothes spread across the bed.

The fairy servant always seemed to be one step ahead of me.

I didn’t want to put my dirty body into the clean clothes, so I headed into the bathroom to run the hot water. I felt every muscle in my body relax once I sank below the surface of the bubbles, and I leaned my head against the edge of the tub as I closed my eyes.

After the many nights we’d spent on the road and staying in the Night Folk village, the luxuries of the vampire palace were a welcome relief. It wasn’t like I was spoiled by all the pampering I’d received in this world, but I was beyond grateful I could wash off the road dirt caked into my skin.

My mind wandered over everything I’d experienced since arriving in this medieval fantasy world, and Earth felt more and more like a vague dream than an actual memory with each passing day. I had created a whole new life here, and I had a family for the first time.

With Willow pregnant, my role in this world was about to expand to include being a father. I only hoped I could guide the little one through all the confusion of being alive without messing them up too much, but I knew instinctively everything would be fine since I wasn’t doing it alone. The shifter princess was going to make a wonderful mother, and I had a feeling Luxe and Calantha would turn into adoring aunties as soon as the baby was born. While I was eager to meet the little prince or princess, I was glad I had some time to process the idea of being a dad, and I made a mental note to talk to Willow about my thoughts later.

Lor eventually returned with a silver tray, and she set it down on the table before she brought me a fresh towel. The fairy flitted out of the bathroom while I dried off, and I tucked the fabric around my waist before I walked into the bedroom. The orange-haired fairy eyed my bare damp chest, but she didn’t comment on my semi nudity.

“What’s for dinner?” I asked as I made my way over to the tray.

Conrad calls this a “burger.” Lor smiled warmly. He said you would understand.

“Is this what you served the ladies?” I chuckled. “I don’t know if they’d appreciate it the way I do.”

Everyone’s meals are customized to their particular tastes and needs, Lor explained. Is there anything else I can do for you, Master Elijah?

“No, thank you, Lor.” I grinned. “This looks delicious.”

The fairy inclined her head before she flitted out of the room, and I sat down to eat the second I heard the door click shut behind her. The burger consisted of ground meat sandwiched between two buns, and I could see the sliced vegetables sliding out the sides.

I took a generous bite out of the burger, and I couldn’t hold back the groan of pleasure as the flavors overpowered my tastebuds. Conrad had outdone himself again, and the meat was cooked to my preferred temperature like he’d somehow read my mind. The Nulmancer chef had always had an instinct for my food preparation, and I didn’t realize how much I’d missed him until I took the first bite.

After I ate my fill, I washed it down with the cold beer sitting on the tray, and finally, I pulled on the sleepwear laying on the bed. I’d thrown my pack into a corner of the room when I’d first come in, but I crossed the space to it and carried it back to the bed. With a hand on either side of the bottom, I turned the bag upside down and dumped out the contents onto the blanket.

Books, clothes, daggers, rope, and the two talismans I had acquired toppled across the blanket, and once the pack was empty, I discarded it behind me. I filtered through the contents on my bed, and I stuck my belongings into various places around the room. The talismans were too precious and important to leave laying around, but I didn’t feel comfortable keeping them on my person at all times either.

For the time being, I stuck them inside the drawer of my bedside table, but I made a mental note to discuss with Zolas the possibility of a safe being brought to my room.

Once everything was cleaned up and put away, I grabbed one of the books, and I climbed into the bed. The downy pillows sank beneath my weight, but it felt like I was resting on a cloud, so I wasn’t complaining. I opened the book to where I’d stuck my marker, and I began to scan over the words, but my mind wouldn’t stay focused on what I was reading.

What did the Circle of Azurantha want with us?

Could it really be about a talisman?

Would they even answer my questions?

I shook my head to dispel my wandering thoughts, and I tried once more to focus on the book in front of me, but I sighed with relief when a knock sounded on the door.

“Come in!” I called out.

Zolas stepped into my bed chamber, and the blond vampire closed the door behind him. He walked around the room and looked around like it was the first time he’d ever seen it, and I watched him with amused curiosity until he settled into one of the arm chairs.

“To what do I owe this honor?” I asked with a teasing smile.

“Just the dry humor I’ve been missing all this time,” the mystic said. “It is certainly nice to have you back, Eli. I almost thought you’d never return.”

“Well, I couldn’t let you have all the fun without me.” I grinned. “Besides, it sounds pretty important. How could I miss out on meeting the Circle of Azurantha?”

“I haven’t even had that honor,” Zolas chuckled. “Who’d you have to kill?”

“I didn’t keep a list,” I countered. “But I have certainly killed a variety of things.”

“I’ve heard Shyfeterran is riddled with mysterious monsters,” Zolas said. “I’m surprised you made it out of there alive.”

“While we did encounter one or two weird creatures,” I said, “there was nothing we couldn’t handle. You should have seen us struggle against the owlbear, though. I’m sure you would have found it hilarious.”

“Especially considering they don’t exist,” Zolas scoffed.

“So, I killed the last one?” I smirked. “Because there’s no other name that describes it quite like owlbear.”

“Sounds entertaining.” Zolas pushed himself up from the armchair, and he crossed the room to flop onto my bed.

“It was when we were on our way to find the Night Folk,” I said, and I began to explain our journey to find the nomadic tribe of bear shifters.

Zolas listened attentively, and there were several points that caused him to lift his eyebrows in surprise.

“So, you had to jump through a bunch of hoops to become a member of their tribe,” Zolas summarized. “I can only imagine the crazy excursions they sent you on.”

“Nothing horrible.” I shrugged. “Although I could have done without the psychedelic trip.”

“You had a vision?” From the way the blond vampire asked, I had a feeling he was already privy to some aspects of my story.

“Let me guess,” I chuckled. “You already know what I saw.”

“How could I?” Zolas smirked. “It’s not as though I know everything. Just most things.”

“So, you don’t already know about how I saw Jarvald and Azurantha,” I countered, but judging from the shocked expression gracing his face, Zolas was not aware of that particular tidbit.

“What were they doing? What did they say? Did they see you?” Zolas peppered me with questions faster than I could respond, and I laughed as I held up my hands to fend off his verbal tirade.

“I didn’t understand what I was seeing at first,” I admitted. “A part of me deep inside just knew, but I couldn’t explain how. It felt like I was being given a clue, but I have no idea what it is.”

“Tell me everything,” Zolas instructed, and he hopped up onto his knees to fix me with an intense stare.

I proceeded to explain to the best of my ability about the vision I had of the ancient couple, and to his credit, Zolas didn’t give me any grief over watching them make love. When I got to the part where Jarvald shifted into multiple forms, however, the blond vampire held up his hand to stop me.

“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” Zolas’ eyebrows rose into his hairline. “Are you sure it’s even possible?”

“If by that you mean I think Jarvald was an Ulvant, then yes, that is what I’m trying to say.” I grinned. “And I have no idea if it’s possible. Why do you think I didn’t share the information with the entire royal family earlier?”

“A wise choice, my friend,” Zolas agreed. “This will require extensive research before the possibility is presented to the king and queen. I have a feeling they won’t be very accepting at first, so I want to make sure we can gather some evidence beyond a hallucination before I bring it up with them.”

“I trust your judgment,” I said. “I just wish I understood why they showed me that. It seems like there was a message for me, but I haven’t been able to decipher it yet.”

“Give me some time to analyze all my sources, and I will get back to you.” Zolas steepled his fingers beneath his chin. “The really important thing to ask, though, is if you enjoyed it. You know, the part where they were naked?”

“Shut up,” I chuckled, and I threw a pillow at the blond vampire.

“I knew you missed me.” Zolas grinned.

“Like a leech misses a blood source,” I teased.

“Oh, so a lot.” Zolas ducked another pillow. “Why, Prince Elijah, I had no idea you felt so strongly for me. I could have sworn your affections lay with the ladies alone.”

We spent the next few hours bantering and catching up, but it did my heart good to have my friend back. I knew with Zolas’ mind on our side, nothing would stand in our way. The mystic had a way of knowing what was going to happen next that I’d found unnerving at first, but now it was relieving to know he had a heads up in case things went south.

It was past midnight when Zolas finally headed to his own room, and it didn’t take me long to fall asleep after he left. The pillows nestled me in their loving embrace, and the blankets radiated warmth across my entire body. It was easy to envision myself sailing across the sky on a cloud as I drifted off to sleep, and my dreams were full of flying.

The next morning, I met the women in the dining room of our wing, and I scanned over the spread of breakfast foods displayed on the buffet table. I helped myself to generous portions of my favorite things, and I balanced a cup of coffee in one hand as I settled into my chair. Judging by the picked over remnants and empty cups, the women had all been awake for a while before I’d joined them.

“How did you sleep?” I asked as I glanced around at the three beautiful faces. “I ended up staying up late talking to Zolas.”

“I know,” Cal said in a dry tone. “I could hear the sound of him laughing until almost midnight.”

“Sorry,” I chuckled. “We had a lot to catch up on.”

“The beds here are so comfortable,” Luxe said, and she popped a blueberry into her mouth. “I didn’t think I would ever wake up again.”

“Someone took my clothes and left out this thing instead,” Willow complained as she gestured to the lavender colored high throated dress, and I had to admit it looked like something women wore on the Oregon Trail.

“I’m sure Lor just wanted to sanitize everything,” Cal said, and she flicked a bored glance over the shifter princess’s outfit. “Besides, you would look good in anything, even this tablecloth.”

“Thank you?” Willow tilted her head to the side in confusion.

“I’m not sure that was a compliment,” Luxe murmured to her fellow shifter under her breath.

“I know,” Willow laughed.

“You’re acting especially Cal-like since we got back to Marbrooke,” I pointed out to the vampiress. “Is there something bothering you? You know you can tell us anything.”

“It’s just strange to be back home after everything we’ve gone through together,” Calantha said with a forlorn look. “I’m not sure how to feel about it, and I’m sorry if that’s made me challenging to be around.”

“Not at all.” Luxe crossed the room to the vampiress, and she sat on the arm of her chair as she grasped the other woman’s hands. “This is completely new to me, and I feel a little lost, but it’s nothing in comparison to how I would feel without you here. I need you to help me maneuver through this strange new world.”

“You’re so sweet,” Cal murmured as she gave the polar bear woman a rare smile. “I can’t believe I’ve somehow convinced you to like me.”

“It wasn’t that hard,” Willow said. “You’re strong, brave, smart, and above everything else, you’re real. You don’t let bullshit slide. You don’t let things go that shouldn’t be dropped. You teach us there are battles everywhere, and you lead us on the charge.”

Calantha glanced from the two women to me, and I was surprised by the level of emotion welling up in her crimson eyes. The vampiress was truly moved by the two women’s words, and it was challenging to remember a time when the haughty princess had shown so much affection for them.

“Whatever happens with the Circle of Azurantha,” I said. “We will deal with it the same way we do everything else. Together.”

“We’ve got each other’s backs,” Luxe added.

“We’re a family,” Willow agreed.

The girls all lifted their cups into the air to toast ourselves, and I finished the rest of my breakfast before it got cold. Our conversation turned to discussing the differences between the vampire and shifter palaces, and I had to admit, it was nice to be back in Marbrooke again. Things were beginning to come full circle, but we’d come a long way from the day I fell out of the sky onto the streets of the vampire capital.

We were getting ready to head to the library when Lor appeared at my elbow, and I was barely able to restrain myself from jumping in shock at the sudden sight of her.

The king and queen said it is time.

Court of the Shifter 5 Chapter 3

“Who let you in?” Lord Urman demanded. “Surely, my household staff did not approve of you barging in here.”

“I could smell her majesty amid the other shifter scents,” the messenger said as he tilted his head toward Calantha. “So, I didn’t ask for permission.”

“Do I know you?” the vampiress asked, and she scanned the other vampire up and down.

“Okay, okay,” I said as I stood from my chair and lifted my hands. “We all need to take a deep breath and start from the beginning. Lord Urman, I understand how you feel about having a stranger show up unannounced, but this seems to be important enough to ignore the social etiquette. Do you mind if we excuse ourselves from dinner to deal with this matter?”

The Bear Representative’s tensed up shoulders relaxed, and he gave me a grateful look. While the women rose from their seats, I looked over at the messenger with a shrewd gaze, but besides his smell, there were hardly any visible clues to his race. He had full lips to hide the fangs, but I’d seen flashes of them while he talked. His hair was sandy blond and cut short, and he kind of reminded me of a ken doll.

“Shall we?” I asked as I gestured for the messenger to lead the way.

Luxe said goodbye to her father on the way out, and he only argued once before sighing and giving her a hug. We walked through the hallways of the bear shifters’ home, and the messenger led us out onto the porch.

I came to a stop as the vampire headed down the steps, and he noticed after a couple of steps without the sound of mine following behind him. He turned and gave the four of us a confused look.

“Where are you taking us?” I asked. “You can give us your message here.”

“No, I can’t.” The vampire crossed his arms over his chest. “Nicolai is the one who can explain everything, and he is waiting for us back at The Square Tree.”

“I’m going to need more than that to go off into the city with you,” I said in a firm tone.

The vampire messenger’s eyes flicked from me to Calantha, and it seemed like he was trying to understand our hesitancy. The crimson eyed beauty remained by my side with a stoic expression on her face, and I knew she would follow my lead.

“How did you find my family’s home?” Luxe asked.

“I first approached the palace when word spread of your return to the city,” the messenger said. “When they didn’t want to tell me where you were, I followed Princess Calantha’s scent to this location. I’m sorry, but I was expecting a touch more gratitude for bringing the news that you can leave this wilderness.”

“That’s assuming a lot,” Cal countered in a dry tone. “If Nicolai is waiting back at the inn, why didn’t he come get me himself?”

“He has been… especially offensive to the locals,” the messenger said with great reluctance. “When we heard you were back in the city, the palace guards had already said he was to never return.”

“Wow,” I chuckled. “That’s awesome. Now, we have another mess to clean up on top of everything else going on. Let’s go see what this is all about.”

“Excellent.” The vampire turned around and continued marching into the street.

I exchanged a glance with the three women before I sighed and followed after him. Things were getting even more interesting, but it didn’t seem like we’d be getting any easy answers.

“What’s your name?” I asked the vampire messenger as I caught up to his stride. “You can call me Eli.”

“Rostra,” the man said in a low voice. “Many never bother to ask.”

“Well, Rostra, I do things a little differently.” I clapped him on the shoulder. “I’m glad you both didn’t overly offend the locals, but I know the shifters can be a tad… brisk.”

“I don’t let it get to me,” Rostra said, and he paused as he shot me a searching look. “Why do you smell so different from the other shifters?”

“You’ve got to read up on the current news, my friend,” I chuckled.

“All I know is there are rumors throughout Marbrooke that an alliance with the shifters is being formed, and many are not exactly pleased with the news.” Rostra glanced at me sideways in an anxious way. “Is that what you’re doing here?”

“In a manner of speaking, sure.” I grinned. “That’s beside the point. This urgent matter you’ve traveled so far to handle obviously takes priority over everything right now.”

“Thank you, Eli.” The vampire nodded gratefully. “It’s not much further.”

We entered The Square Tree behind the vampire messenger, and I didn’t even have to look around the common room to know Nicolai was upstairs. His vampire stench radiated through the building, and I could see the uncomfortable expressions on the other patrons’ faces. There were mostly bear shifters in this business, and I nodded at them in a friendly manner. I got a couple of double takes as my own scent hit their nostrils, but Calantha received a few dirty looks.

“This way,” Rostra murmured as he herded us up the stairs. “I find it’s best not to make eye contact with them.”

“Maybe that’s why they treat you like outsiders,” Luxe said with a one shouldered shrug. “You act like animals afraid to catch an arrow.”

“I’m sure you’ll find we are more predator than prey,” the vampire messenger hissed under his breath.

“Easy,” I said as I batted a placating hand. “We aren’t here to go at each other’s throats. Let’s just get upstairs and meet Nicolai.”

The vampire was staying in the room at the far end of the hall, and the peeling paint bespoke the upkeep of the establishment, but Rostra didn’t pause as he pushed open the door. We all followed in behind him, and I was met with a modest room filled with two small beds and a desk. Nicolai sat at the desk with his back to us, but I would recognize the back of his head anywhere.

Nicolai Amadeus was the right hand advisor and personal guard for the king and queen of Vosrettera, and he’d been with Calantha when I’d first encountered the vampiress. Even sitting, it was obvious he was a tall man, and his square shoulders were neatly trimmed in a dark navy blue jacket stitched with golden thread. He stood as we entered the room, and I was once again reminded of how intimidating his stature could be.

But this time, I wasn’t a newcomer to his realm being attacked by crazed vampires, and I stood with my chin up as his gaze met mine. I had traveled across both Vosreterra and Shyfeterran to accomplish not only my goals, but the agenda of the royal family, and I had earned my spot among them.

“It is good to see you again, Cal,” Nicolai said as the vampiress approached for a hug. The older man had acted as an uncle to the young woman, and he’d been there to protect her during her entire life. Once his greeting with Calantha concluded, the stiff backed man turned to me with a bow of his head. “I suppose you are Prince Elijah now. An honor to see you once more.”

“You, too, Nicolai.” I pressed my lips together, but then I turned to the other two shifter women. “You remember Willow, princess of Shyfeterran? And this is Luxe, daughter of the Bear Representative in Ordrya Court.”

“Lovely to meet you both,” Nicolai said, but he wrinkled his nose ever so slightly. I could tell he was trying extra hard to be nice to the shifter women, but I remembered his apprehension about me in the beginning, so I knew he’d adjust.

“So, Nicolai,” Calantha said in a casual voice. “What brings you to Ordrya?”

“I come on behalf of your parents,” Nicolai explained, and he gestured for us to take a seat on the beds occupying the rest of the space.

Then he motioned for Rostra to leave, and the Ken doll with fangs bowed and slid through the doorway as he muttered something about fetching food. The door clicked shut behind him, and we all turned our gaze expectantly toward Nicolai.

“To put it simply,” Nicolai said. “You’re wanted back in Marbrooke as soon as possible. I am here to escort you and ensure you arrive safely back in the capital.”

“Who exactly?” Cal asked. “Me or all of us.”

“Your parents specifically mentioned all of you by name.” Nicolai’s eyes slid from one of us to another. “Princess Calantha Mithari, Princess Willow Lunaverre, Luxe Ursidax, and Prince Elijah.”

“Wait, how did they know about me?” Luxe asked with a confused frown. “Calantha is the first vampire I’ve ever met.”

“That is not included in my instructions, but it is nice you line up with your description so well that there was no question of your identity.”

“Thank you?” Luxe tilted her head to the side.

“It’s a little odd all four of us were specifically listed with our official names,” I pointed out. “I haven’t talked to King Aleister and Queen Seraphine since Willow’s parents gave me the title.”

“What is going on in Marbrooke?” Calantha asked with a furrowed brow. “Are my parents okay? They’re not dead are they? You wouldn’t keep that from me. I know you better than that.”

“No, they’re not dead,” Nicolai chuckled. “But they were being very secretive regarding this mission. This is the first inn we have stayed in, but that was because we had to wait so long for you to return to Ordrya, so we didn’t have much of a choice.”

“What do you think they’re scared of?” I asked. “Calantha has been safe enough from the shifters’ bigotry during our stay, and tensions between the races are starting to fade.”

“I suppose we shall all find out together when we return to Marbrooke,” Nicolai said, and he raised his eyebrow in a challenging manner. “We depart at midday tomorrow. That should give you plenty of time to wrap up whatever endeavors you have started here.”

“You’re so generous,” Willow teased.

“There isn’t a lot of time to spare,” Nicolai explained. “You have to understand that the entire time we’ve been waiting for you has eaten into the time we’ve been on this mission. If it was urgent a week ago, I can only imagine the state of it now.”

“What do you want us to do?” I shook my head. “I’ll have to speak with King Frejit.”

“That makes two of us,” Willow muttered.

“I urge you to pack up whatever you need and meet us at the stables at noon tomorrow,” Nicolai said with a concerned look. “There is no more time to waste.”

The four of us stood from the beds and headed toward the entrance, and Nicolai clasped his hands in front of him as we walked by him. There was a lot to do if I were to be prepared for such a journey before noon the next day, but we’d done more in less time.

First, though, I needed to speak with the king and queen of Shyfeterran.

“I’ll have to explain to my father that I’m leaving again already,” Luxe said as we entered the streets of the Bear Zone. “He won’t be pleased with the news.”

“I wonder why the vampires sent for you,” Willow said with a thoughtful frown. “It’s a little uncanny how much they already know about what we’ve been doing.”

“My people have talents beyond your wildest imagination,” Calantha said in a haughty tone, and she peered at her nails in a bored manner. “There are many far more powerful than the likes of me or even Nicolai.”

“You think one of them was able to basically spy on us?” I asked.

“How else do you explain it?” Cal countered. “Like your very presence in this world. It goes beyond me, my parents, and even Zolas.”

“Looks like we’re going to find out, doesn’t it?” I chuckled. “Let’s just stay focused on what we have to do. There isn’t a lot of time left before noon tomorrow.”

We traveled the rest of the way back to Luxe’s house, but the polar bear woman placed a hand on my chest to stop me from following her inside. Her brown eyes were deep and filled with affection as she peered up at me, and I was glad I didn’t have to say goodbye to her anytime soon.

“I’ll meet you at the palace in the morning,” Luxe promised as I kissed her goodbye on her doorstep. “Don’t worry about my father. I’ll handle everything.”

“This is going to be fun.” I smirked as I tweaked her cute little button nose. “I’m glad you’re coming with me.”

“There’s no way I’d let you leave me behind.” Luxe laughed, and then she disappeared behind the door.

Calantha, Willow, and I finished the rest of the walk to the palace, and I could tell we were all lost in thought as we separated into our own rooms. There was a lot to do if we were going to leave town at noon the next day, so an early bedtime was best.

We ate a quick breakfast before going to see the king and queen, and Willow was wringing her hands in an anxious manner as we walked the corridors to the throne room. I could see the muscle in her jaw working as she stared straight ahead, so I reached out and took one of her hands in mine. I squeezed it warmly, and my wife flashed me a grateful smile.

“Everything is going to be fine,” I assured her.

“Better than fine,” Cal said. “We get to return to civilization.”

“Ha ha,” Willow countered dryly.

The guards pulled open the double doors as we approached, and a line of supplicants waited in the hallway to gain access to the king and queen. We marched past the waiting line of petitioners into the throne room side by side, and I heard more than one shifter commoner whisper my name. The audience chamber was empty, and the king and queen were just getting settled into their chairs as we crossed the room to the dais.

“Good morning, Your Majesties,” I greeted in a loud voice.

“Prince Elijah!” King Frejit clapped his hands together. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

“Mother, Father, hope you’re well today.” Willow climbed the steps to press a kiss against her parents’ cheeks, and she returned to my side a moment later. “It’s such a beautiful day.”

“What’s going on?” Queen Liliana asked as she narrowed her eyes at her daughter. “Why do I get the feeling we’re about to receive bad news?”

“Well, not bad news, per say,” I said, and I cleared my throat. “We’re wanted back in Marbrooke.”

“We?” King Frejit frowned. “This includes my daughter? She’s pregnant and only recently returned from a long quest. Perhaps we can revisit the idea of another journey in a few weeks after we examine her condition.”

“I’m not ill, Father,” Willow interjected. “I’m fit and healthy as can be. Besides, it doesn’t seem like this can wait.”

“What can’t wait?” Queen Liliana scanned over our faces. “What’s happening in Marbrooke that is so urgent?”

“That’s the thing, Your Majesty,” Calantha said in a hesitant tone. “We aren’t sure yet. My parents summoned the four of us back to Vosreterra, but they didn’t say why. That can only mean it is of the utmost importance and secrecy.”

“When are you leaving?” King Frejit asked. “We should throw a farewell dinner.”

“Noon today,” I sighed. “We will have to rain check on the dinner.”

“Rain check? Nevermind.” King Frejit clasped the arms of his chair as he rose from his seat, and he stepped down the dais to grasp my forearm in his. “I’m trusting you to keep my daughter safe. There are unknown perils in this land a couple of vampires may not be able to handle.”

“Okay, but that’s not exactly conducive to forming a lasting peace between your realms,” I pointed out. “How would you feel about sending a personal letter to the king and queen of Vosreterra?”

“For you, I can.” King Frejit smiled. “Times are changing. There’s no telling when we will need an ally at our backs.”

“It is such terrible timing, though,” Queen Liliana sighed. “The city was just starting to come around to our guidance again.”

“How are things in Ordrya, by the way?” I asked as the king took his seat on his throne. “Have there been any more riots?”

“No, the voices of the dissenters are fading into silence,” King Frejit reported in a proud tone. “I’ve also been making a real effort to give each person a voice in court, and I believe it is truly affecting the populace.”

“Plus, Salina has been holding rallies of her own to publicly denounce her father’s ways,” Queen Liliana said in a quiet voice. “She’s making huge strides toward ending the zone to zone hostilities and regaining the trust of the residents.”

“I’m glad you gave her a seat at the table,” I said. “She seems like a good person.”

“Don’t they all,” the queen chuckled.

“Was that the really pretty snake woman?” Luxe asked.

“That’s the one.” I smirked. “At least now she’s only working for one side.”

The conversation continued about the situation in Ordrya, but it sounded like the king and queen had everything under control. I wouldn’t have to worry about them being booed by the masses every time they stepped out in public, and I knew the city had a bright future ahead.

We wrapped things up with Willow’s mother and father, but once we covered all our bases, we headed out of the throne room. Once we passed through the double doors, the guards began allowing the line to move into the audience chamber. I scanned over the faces of the crowd, but no one seemed overly pissed.

I turned to follow the rest of the group away from the throne room when I suddenly bumped into a dark-haired mass, and the woman flopped onto her ass.

“Oh fuck, I’m so sorry,” I said as I offered up my hand to pull her up.

The woman pushed her face out of her hair and accepted my hand, and I realized it was Salina, the former Snake Representative’s daughter. She was wearing a muted gray dress that covered her feet, and she had a stack of papers tucked into the crook of one elbow.

“Thanks,” she murmured while I helped her to her feet. “It’s not every day you slam head first into the Prince of Ordrya.”

“I hope you’re not injured,” I chuckled as she fixed her hair and smoothed out her dress. “That was quite the spill.”

“I’m fine, but thank you for your concern.” Salina’s yellow hued eyes twinkled with mischief as she met my gaze. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say it was intentional. There are other ways to get a girl’s attention, you know.”

“Oh, I know.” I laughed and raked a hand through my hair. “I haven’t seen you having any issues noticing me.”

“You’re hard to miss.” Salina smirked.

“Doesn’t mean you weren’t looking.” I winked.

“Oh, I was definitely looking.” The snake woman laughed, and it almost reminded me of a rattlesnake’s chittering tail. “Where are you off to? Do you have time to meet up for lunch or something?”

“Actually, no,” I sighed. “I am leaving at noon, and I’m not sure when I’ll be back.”

“Oh.” The disappointed pout on her lips was hard to ignore, but she regained her composure quickly and flashed me a bright smile. “Travel safely, Prince Elijah.”

“I hope we meet again someday,” I said, and I lifted her hand to my lips.

I could feel her shiver in my grasp, and the corners of my mouth lifted into a knowing smirk as I rose back up to my full height. Salina let her hand hover in the air for a second longer than expected, but then she snapped it back to her waist like a recoiling snake.

“Until then,” she murmured, and I could see the lust in her eyes.

I had to jog to catch up to the three women heading back to our wing of the palace, but I threw my arms around Willow and Calantha’s shoulders once I caught up to them.

“What was that all about?” my wife asked with a sly smile. “Are we adding a name to our travel list?”

“No, no,” I chuckled. “Just saying goodbye. Why? Do you like her?”

“We all do,” Calantha said.

“She really showed us her true colors when she stood against her father,” Luxe said. “I don’t know if I would be so brave if it were mine doing the evil deeds.”

“Well, she still has a lot of work to do to undermine his hold on the city,” I said. “Maybe next time I’m in town I’ll get the chance to catch up.”

“How much time do we have left to pack?” Willow asked.

I glanced at the sun out the windows of the hallway, and it looked to be a handbreadth above the horizon. The day was passing faster than I would have liked, but I’d completed most of my preparations the night before.

“Not long,” I said with a shake of my head. “But I’m almost done, so I can come help you.”

“Thanks, Eli.” Willow pressed a kiss against my cheek.

The four of us met in the courtyard shortly before noon, and Nicolai was waiting with Rostra and a troop of horses. Half the mounts were saddled, but each one had a pack horse’s lead lashed to the pummel. The two vampires were already on their steed’s backs, and an air of impatience surrounded them both.

“You want us all to ride?” I asked as I began to strap our packs to the beasts of burden. “I’m a lot faster in my wolf form.”

“Be that as it may,” Nicolai said. “It would be best if we could all manage the same pace.”

“I guess I understand that.” I shrugged.

We rode out of the gates of Ordrya with the sun high overhead, and I let Nicolai take the lead on his jet black mare. Rostra seemed content to remain at his master’s side, and I wondered what kind of relationship the two men had. In any case, it was none of my business, so I focused on the road ahead. The southern side of Shyfeterran was much more populated and explored, so we made good time on the well worn road.

By the time the sun was setting to our right, we’d traveled further than I had expected to, and I had to give Nicolai credit for the horses. It had been easier to keep a steady pace without having to exert more of my stamina into running myself, so I was still full of energy when we stopped for the night.

“We camped here on the way to the capital,” Rostra said as the pair of vampires led us to a small clearing off the road.

Signs of previous stays were scattered all over from the gray ashy remnants of a fire to the lack of deadfall nearby. We quickly got to work on setting up camp, and we each took over one of the tasks. I cared for the horses and built a fire, Willow and Calantha set up our tents, and Luxe gathered wood and started dinner. We were running like a well oiled machine, and I noticed the impressed look on Nicolai’s face when he realized there wasn’t much left for him to do.

After Rostra finished setting up the two tents the vampires would sleep in, he brought over some of their rations to add to our dinner. We managed to put together a mixture of ingredients that almost resembled pot roast, and the vampires drank their necessary allotment of blood from similar silver flasks before we called it a night.

We continued to travel in this pattern for a few days, and while the two vampires kept to themselves and stayed quiet, the rest of us revisited some of our favorite games. One night, we were all gathered around the fire, and Willow was passing out the dinner bowls. Nicolai accepted his without meeting her gaze, and my pregnant wife pulled the dinner back out of his reach.

“What’s your problem?” Willow asked. “I’m sensing you don’t like me, and I want to address it before it becomes an issue.”

“It’s not you specifically,” Nicolai grunted. “Your kind are known to be duplicitous.”

“What does that even mean?” Luxe crossed the distance to stand at my wife’s side. “It sounds like you’re calling us liars.”

“Shifting your form into that of another is a little… hard to trust.” Nicolai’s golden eyes were resolute.

I wondered if he realized how offensive he sounded.

“Drinking the blood of others isn’t?” Luxe countered.

“Alright, alright,” I said as I moved to break up the disagreement. “There’s no reason to get hostile. We all have to work together to find a happy medium, and that means giving each other the benefit of the doubt. We’re all here with the same goal in mind.”

A breaking dead branch suddenly caught my attention, and I swiveled my head around in the direction of the sound. A quick sniff of the air revealed what my spidey sense had already told me.

We weren’t alone.

I held up a finger over my lips to signal the others into silence, and I inched my way across the campsite toward my weapons. All I had on me was a small dagger strapped to my waist, but I had no idea what I was up against.

Luxe, Willow, and Calantha all sprung into action, and they all had weapons in hand as they formed a circle around the fire. Nicolai and Rostra readied themselves as well, and we all stared into the shadows of the forest.

A weird gnarly creature suddenly sprang into the light of the campfire, and my eyes widened as I scanned it over. It was some sickening combination of a cheetah and a monkey with the segmented curved tail of a scorpion.

“What. The. Fuck.” My eyes flicked to each of my companions, but I didn’t see any fear on their faces.

The creature glanced around with eyes that blinked sideways, and we all held completely motionless as we waited for the monster to make the first move. Its tail curled and twisted through the air as its head turned from side to side, and I wondered if it had some special kind of vision that could see our body temperature.

Before I could contemplate that thought further, the creature sprang forward in Luxe’s direction, and everyone moved at once to protect the polar bear woman. The beast’s tail snapped out at the shifters and vampires, but after a swift slash of my sword, the appendage was severed and hanging limp behind the beast.

The monster turned and snarled at me, and the next thing I knew, I was laying on my back with the beast standing on top of me. I narrowly avoided the snapping jaws as I wrestled the beast off me, but my shirt was ripped from its long cat-like claws.

“Eli!” Cal called out, and the beast turned toward the sound.

Then an arrow shot through the air, and the tip buried itself deep into the monster’s neck, but this only seemed to piss it off even more. It twisted and rolled until the shaft of the arrow cracked, and then it charged toward the fire and the people standing in front of it.

I wasn’t about to let the mutated looking thing hurt anyone I loved, so I jumped onto its monkey-like back and hauled it to the ground. While the creature’s arms were almost humanoid, the claws decorating the ends of the limbs were far deadlier than the average nail, but I was even deadlier.

In my next breath, my head was shifted into my big cat form, and I clamped my jaws onto the back of the monster’s neck. It tasted of death and filth like it had rolled around in a dead animal, and I grimaced without letting go.

Whatever the fuck this thing was, I had every intention of killing it as quickly as possible.

With my back legs planted in the ground, I dug my claws into the dirt and hauled the monster off its feet. Once I had it beneath me, I shook it by the neck like a dog playing tug of war, and the thing suddenly fell limp.

“Is it dead?” Luxe asked in an out of breath voice. “Like really dead?”

Before I could even answer the polar bear woman, the creature began to move again, but this time, I wasn’t going to give it a chance to get back up. I picked up my sword and swung it down across the beast’s neck, but it took more than one chop to sever its head. Finally, its skull rolled across the ground, and I bent down to pick it up.

“Should we keep it as a trophy?” I asked as I held up the cat-like head.

“Gross, Eli,” Cal huffed.

“What was that thing?” Rostra asked, and I realized the vampire’s face was even paler than usual. It looked like the Ken doll with fangs had been a little more scared of the monster than he’d first let on.

“Nightlich,” Willow said in a low voice. “Or at least I think so. I’ve only ever heard about them in stories.”

“There seems to be quite a lot of that going on in Shyfeterran,” Cal pointed out in a dry tone. “You’re really selling the whole ‘not just a dangerous wilderness’ thing.”

“These creatures have been unheard of for years,” Luxe said. “But that might explain why few travelers return from their journeys. The stories about missing adventurers are even more extensive than the list of monsters.”

“I must admit,” Nicolai said, and the older man cleared his throat. “I wasn’t expecting the four of you to work so efficiently together when faced with such a threat. You are all skilled fighters.”

“Thank you, mysterious vampire man,” Luxe teased. “I’m glad I could prove myself to you.”

“It’s hard to let go of preconceived notions when you’ve been taught them your entire life,” I reminded the group. “I think we all still have a lot to learn from each other, and we are always stronger when we work as a team. Today is proof enough of that.”

“Well, I will only add that I promise to trust all of you more in the future,” Nicolai said.

The older vampire was true to his word, and he asked for my advice about where to camp and how fast of a pace we should keep. I saw respect when he met my gaze, and I knew it as a good sign. Vampires and shifters were capable of putting their prejudices aside for the good of all, and I looked forward to seeing a world where everyone worked together.

After the encounter with the nightlich, we decided to take turns standing watch, but no other monsters emerged from the darkness for the next few days. We made steady progress toward Lyndirfjeld where we would board the train to Marbrooke, and I was looking forward to traveling in luxurious style. While I didn’t mind camping and riding horses for days on end, it would be nice to make progress without using a muscle.

The town of Lyndirfjeld was quiet when we rode in, and I saw a few mothers ushering their children indoors as we approached. Since this small settlement lay on the border of Shyfeterran and Vosrettera, the people were a mix of vampires and shifters as well as more than a few Nulmancers.

Now that I had visited the capitals and palaces of both the shifters and the vampires, I could understand why some people would want to live outside the hustle and bustle of the city. We’d made a few friends the last time we were in Lyndirfjeld, and I wished we had time to stop in for a visit.

Nicolai ignored the people rushing to get out of our path, and the older vampire led our group straight to the train station. Rostra struggled to keep pace with him, but our horses kept close to their companions so we were swept along with them. Once we reached the station, Nicolai shared a few words with a man behind a counter before he returned to us.

“It looks like I found a buyer for our horses,” he explained. “Start loading your belongings onto the train, and I will join you once I finish conducting business.”

“We are supposed to get inside that thing?” Luxe asked in a disbelieving tone as she stared at the train. “It looks like a small cave or a massive snake.”

“Pretty cool, huh,” I chuckled. “Wait till you meet Cecil.”

“I don’t know who that is.” Luxe glanced from me to the others in confusion.

“Come on,” Cal said as she beckoned for the polar bear woman to join her, and Willow took Luxe’s hand and followed behind the vampiress. “I’ll introduce you.”

I helped Rostra load the rest of our stuff while Nicolai sold the horses, and then we joined the ladies inside the train. Cecil was enjoying the extra attention from the women, and I could hear his purrs from across the room.

Luxe was beside herself, and Willow and Calantha smiled knowingly, but I had to pull the polar bear woman away from the fluffy white cat so he could conduct the train.

Then we all settled into a large cabin, and we snacked on the remnants of our rations to pass the time. I worked on my maps and made some notes in a journal I’d decided to start, but Willow took the opportunity to nap.

It seemed like no time had passed when the train screeched to a stop once more. We all yawned and stretched before we rose to our feet, but the instant the doors opened, I was greeted with a brightly smiling familiar face.

Court of the Shifter 5 Chapter 2

The dwelling was empty when we entered, and our lips met as soon as we crossed the threshold. I guided Luxe to the bed by walking backward and pulling her toward me without breaking the connection between us, but I paused when the back of my legs touched the fur pile we slept in.

Then I untied the strings holding Luxe’s outfit together, and I trailed kisses across her clavicle and shoulders once I pushed the fabric down her arms. The polar bear woman grasped the back of my head with fistfuls of my hair as I lowered the lace up dress more and more, and once her nipples were visible, I wasted no time pulling them into my mouth.

Luxe gasped and arched her back, and the motion caused her outfit to fall the rest of the way to the floor. My hands floated across her flesh like butterflies landing on flowers, and I could feel goosebumps erupting in the wake of my fingers. The geometric swirling designs of her tattoos made her look like a work of art, and I wondered how long she’d had them.

When I returned to her mouth, Luxe claimed mine hungrily, and I pulled her body hard against mine. The corded muscles of my abs contracted as the shifter ran her fingers down my torso, and a moment later, her palm rubbed against the shape of my erection through my pants. I leaned into the touch, and Luxe wiggled her hips happily.

“Why am I the only one naked?” Luxe gave me a mock pout as she tugged my shirt up.

It only took a few seconds to shed my layers and stand before her in the flesh, but the mohawked beauty immediately dropped to her knees and took my tip between her lips. I groaned with pleasure as her mouth encased my throbbing member, but this only seemed to encourage her to take even more.

I felt the texture of the back of her throat, and I held her head there for a moment because I didn’t want the feeling to ever end, but when I let her come up for air, a long strand of saliva dangled from her mouth to my mushroom cap.

“Fuck, you’re sexy,” I complimented and ran my thumb over her wet lower lip.

“Am I getting better?” Luxe grinned up at me as she ran her closed fists down my slippery shaft.

“Every time,” I assured her.

“Good.” Luxe wiggled happily before she went back to business on my cock.

The polar bear woman bobbed her head up and down my shaft faster and faster until shivers ran up my spine, but I wasn’t ready to let go of my self control, so I hauled her to her feet and gently pushed her onto the bed. Once Luxe landed, she instinctively spread her legs, and I lowered myself between them with a mischievous smile.

“Can I?” I asked as my gaze flicked from her glistening pink pussy to her lust-filled eyes.

“Please,” Luxe breathed.

I didn’t need any further encouragement, and I had her lower lips sucked into my mouth an instant later. Luxe groaned with delight as she ran her fingers through my hair, and I moved my head from side to side until her entire crevice was covered in a mixture of my saliva and her juices.

Once she was nice and lubricated, I slid a single finger inside her tight little pussy, and the polar bear woman arched her back as she spread her legs even more. Then I placed a hand on her lower stomach to hold her down while I licked her clit at the same pace I was fingering her.

“Eli, oh, Eli, that feels so good,” Luxe gasped out, and she squeezed her eyes shut.

“Come for me,” I urged as I came up for air.

Luxe moved her hips in a rhythmic circle in time to the strokes of my finger, and I could feel her internal muscles tightening around my digit. She was so tight, I longed to feel her wrapped around my girth, but I wanted to make her orgasm first.

“There, there, there!” Luxe groaned as a shiver ran through her entire body, and I could see her legs shaking in the corners of my eyes.

The polar bear woman thrashed as the orgasm washed over her, and she shivered intensely until her whole body froze in place. Her cries were cut off, but her mouth hung open, and her eyes stared unseeing at the ceiling above us. Finally, a shuddering breath entered her lungs, and her muscles relaxed all at once like a puppet with its strings cut.

“Wow,” Luxe murmured as a pleased smile stretched the corners of her lips. “You’re really good at that.”

“Just takes some practice,” I chuckled.

I rose up to kneel between her legs, and Luxe wiggled her hips when she felt my tip against her entrance. The slippery lips guided my cock right where it needed to go, and I slid my length inside her gently and steadily. We groaned in unison when I buried myself to the hilt, and I stayed frozen in place for a moment to enjoy the sensations coursing through my body.

Then I gripped one of her thighs in the palm of each hand, and I pressed her legs open wide as I stroked my cock in and out of her. Luxe stared up at me with a flushed sweaty face full of pleasure, and I watched as her perfect breasts bounced in sync with the movements of my hips.

“That… feels… so… good,” Luxe moaned. “Don’t stop.”

“You’re so tight I could explode right now,” I grunted. “But don’t worry, I want to turn you into a messy puddle before then.”

“You always do,” Luxe said, and her tongue darted out to moisten her lips. “You take such good care of me. All of me.”

I grinned, but then I flopped onto the bed beside her before I pulled her on top of me. Luxe straddled my hips and wiggled my cock back inside her tight tunnel, and once she was in the right position, the polar bear woman lifted herself up and down on my shaft. She ground her hips until I could feel her cervix against my tip, and I lifted a hand to her throat.

Luxe’s eyes widened in surprise at the dominant behavior, but I kept a controlled grip on her neck. I could see the vulnerability in her eyes, and the sight sent another shiver through my body. I grasped her tightly, and I squeezed one of her ass cheeks into my other hand.

Luxe moved faster and faster as her love juices dripped down my thighs and under my balls, but I could feel her skin heating up. I knew I could get another orgasm out of her, so I pushed her back and rubbed my thumb against her clit while she rode me like a cowgirl breaking in a new colt.

“Oh! Oh! Yes!” Luxe panted as her body began to shake again, but the feeling of her pulsating around my shaft nearly drove me over the edge right then and there.

“You’re so fucking sexy,” I murmured as I rubbed her node of pleasure faster and faster.

“How… Do… You… Do that?” Luxe groaned and squeezed her eyes shut as the sensations overpowered her yet again.

I didn’t feel the need to answer her question, so I just kept fucking her as she shook on top of me. The orgasm continued to build and build the harder I pounded into her sweet little pussy, and I could sense a volcano coming on. Luxe’s mouth hung open as her eyes stared at nothing, and she leaned forward to place her hands on my chest.

With her weight on my torso, I grabbed her ass in both hands and moved it back and forth until Luxe picked up the rhythm, but soon, our hips were moving in unison. This sent the white-haired beauty into overdrive, and she humped me rapidly like a wild animal.

Luxe’s grunts grew more and more guttural with each passing moment, but then she groaned loudly as the volcano erupted. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head as every muscle in her bottom half shook, and I could feel the throbbing of her heartbeat against my cock. When she finally came back to earth, she collapsed against my chest, and I stroked her hair as she caught her breath.

I wasn’t done yet, though, so once her breathing regulated, I rolled her onto her back. It only took me a couple of seconds to reposition her onto all fours, and the polar bear woman waggled her ass in the air as she pressed her head into the furs.

I gripped each ass cheek in a hand, and I spread her open. The glistening moisture of her unique wetness made her pink pussy shine, and the sight of my tip pressing into her tight little tunnel made me groan with delight. I slid inside her slowly until my entire length was buried to the root, but this time, I pulled back and slammed back inside her hard.

With hard thrusts and a firm grip on her ass, I fucked Luxe into the furs with all my might. Sweat glistened on my chest and dripped down my forehead, but I ignored everything except the sight of the beauty before me. The curve of her arched back accentuated the roundness of her ass, and her fists gripped the covers beneath her like it was a buoy in the storm.

I grabbed her arms and pulled them behind her until I could cross her wrists on her lower back, and then I held onto her hands as I kept fucking her hard. The way her ass was pushed into the air by her position gave me the best access to her glorious pussy, and I proceeded to give it what it deserved.

“Yes, yes, yes,” Luxe groaned into the furs. “Just. Like. That.”

“Are you going to cum again?” I asked.

“I don’t know if I can,” Luxe whimpered, and her mohawk was plastered to her forehead with sweat.

“I will if you do,” I teased, but my words seemed to invigorate the polar bear woman because she pressed her hips back into me to match my pace perfectly.

I could feel my balls beginning to tingle, but I wasn’t one to give up easily. I enjoyed pushing myself more and more each time, and I knew my stamina outlasted all of my women. I truly loved leaving them in a panting, sweaty, tangled mess when I was done, and the idea of filling them with my cream didn’t hurt either.

Our hips joined together with loud slaps, and Luxe let out a grunt every time my tip pressed into her cervix. Her pussy pulsated, and the heat made me never want to leave. I was getting closer, and I wondered if Luxe would be willing to carry my baby. The idea of impregnating the spunky anime-like shifter sent me over the edge, and I gripped her hips tightly as my own shuddered.

The motion caused Luxe to shake and thrash in my grasp, and her hips wiggled around in all directions as we climaxed simultaneously. I saw stars in my vision as spurt after spurt rushed from my body into hers, and I could feel every inch of my shaft being squeezed by her incredibly tight internal muscles.

With great reluctance, I let my white-streaked cock slide out of her dripping entrance, and Luxe sighed happily as she flopped onto her stomach. I lay down beside her and took a few deep breaths to regain my composure, and a moment later, Luxe inched into the space by my side. Her head was nestled in my armpit, and I squeezed my arm around her.

“You’re amazing,” I whispered. “And don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

“You’re one to talk,” Luxe whispered back. “You make me feel things I never knew were possible.”

The two of us shared sweet nothings until I began to nod off to sleep, and it was very dark outside when my eyes opened again. I heard a noise near the entrance and stiffened, but after a quick sniff, I was easily able to identify Calantha and Willow.

My wife and my lover crawled into the bed beside me and Luxe, and I could tell they thought I was still asleep by how quiet and careful they were moving, so I just snuggled down into the covers and let out a contented sigh.

This was the life.

The next morning, we all crossed the Night Folk village to tell the chief about our decision, but I could see signs of movement everywhere I looked. There were carts and pole drags being piled high with belongings already, and I wondered what they would do with the dwellings. Constructing the semi subterranean structures had to have taken a massive amount of effort, but they would be sitting empty until the tribe returned. There was a high chance rodents and vermin would take advantage of the empty houses in their absence, but that would be easy enough to fix during the next cycle.

The chief was sitting in his usual spot when we entered, and his mother sat in hers with her skirts folded elegantly around her. The two were sharing some tea and talking to each other when we walked in, but the chief quickly gestured for us to sit as soon as he noticed us.

“To what do I owe this honor?” Chief Sif smiled warmly at all of us.

“Well,” I said in a hesitant tone. “I have some good news and some bad news.”

“Alright,” Chief Sif said.

“Do continue,” Madam Ova suggested. “You can tell us.”

“The good news is that I have completed my quest to find the bear talisman, and the bad news is that means I have to return to Ordrya.” I rubbed my hands together as I met their gaze. “I’ve given it much thought, and the four of us have discussed it at length, but ultimately, we have other things we need to accomplish.”

“You must go fulfill the prophecy,” the chief agreed with a sage nod. “We would never stand in the way of that.”

“You don’t sound very surprised,” I pointed out. “You never expected me to join the migration, did you?”

“I knew the prince of Ordrya and future savior of the entire realm had other matters to attend to besides training my warriors every day.” Chief Sif inclined his head. “That’s not to say we do not appreciate every effort you have made to assist our tribe. You will always have a home with us.”

“Even us?” Cal asked with a smirk.

“All of you.” Chief Sif bobbed his head and flashed the vampiress a surprisingly friendly smile. “You’ve shown me not all outsiders mean us harm, and I know our tribe has been forever changed by your presence among us.”

“Thank you, sir,” Calantha murmured, and she gave the chief a grateful smile. “It’s nice to see people put their prejudices aside to find some common ground.”

“Where are you heading?” Chief Sif turned back to me. “Back to the capital?”

“Yes, but we’re going to escort Ester back to her village before we head south.” I scratched my jaw. “I’m grateful for everything you’ve done for me and with me, Chief Sif, but I only have one question. How do I find you again?”

“Oh, my dear boy, worry not.” Chief Sif grinned so wide his eyes were nearly squinted shut. “I have already drawn out our migration cycle for you. Well, Trod did. After studying your map, he picked up some things, and I think it can help you get back to us if you ever need to.”

“You were already anticipating that I would ask?” I chuckled. “You’re pretty smart.”

“We didn’t want you to lose your way, dear,” Madam Ova said in a matronly voice. “I look forward to meeting your little ones someday.”

“Someday may be closer than you realize.” I smirked as I reached a hand over to Willow’s growing belly and placed my palm against her stomach, and I suddenly felt a bump against my hand. “Oh! I think it just kicked.”

“That’s wonderful.” Madam Ova smiled brightly. “You’re going to make excellent parents.”

“Back to the migration cycle, Eli,” Chief Sif said, and he cleared his throat. “I hope it goes without saying this is sensitive information. I know the wizard who cursed us is dead, but we don’t know if he was the only threat out there. I would hate to see our whereabouts get into the wrong hands.”

“The knowledge is safe with me,” I promised. “In fact, if you give me enough time with the map, I’ll memorize it before I burn it. It’ll exist only in my head, and you can bet money that I won’t break under pressure.”

“You have taught our people many things, Elijah,” Madam Ova said in a solemn tone. “With your presence alone, you have altered the course of history. Even if we never see you again, our grandchildren will hear of the time the Ulvant became a Night Folk.”

“Once a Night Folk, always a Night Folk,” Chief Sif declared with a feeling of finality. “You’re one of us, and we are going to see each other again. Even if we have to camp outside Ordrya and wait around for you.”

“I will come find you long before that,” I chuckled. “This isn’t the last time we will meet. I can guarantee it.”

We spent the rest of the day gathering and packing our belongings back into our bags, and I took load after load of our possessions and supplies to the cavern where the horses waited. The Night Folk had insisted on showering us with parting gifts, but I was pleased they were mostly food and other necessities. The tribe members were simple people just trying to survive in a harsh world, and they’d figured out a few things.

Like flat bread.

It was dark by the time all of our stuff was in the cavern with the horses, but I wanted to wait for daylight before we left, so we enjoyed one more night in our fur nest. It was before dawn the next day when I shook everyone awake, and we crept through the town toward the tunnels. We’d done a few rounds through the small village the night before to say goodbye to the people we’d gotten to know, and there were more wet eyes than dry, but it was a tad somber to walk to the tunnel in total silence.

I knew we were all going to miss the Night Folk even if we all knew we needed to continue our quest to fulfill the prophecy.

Ester was ready and waiting for us at the tunnel entrance, and I helped the ladies lower themselves into the cavern below. Once we were all gathered in the underground chamber, we worked together to strap the packs and tack onto our horses. I was proud of the efficiency everyone showed while working together, and it wasn’t long before we were leading the steeds through the tunnel.

The sun was peeking over the horizon when we exited the cave system and headed toward Ester’s town. We passed by the remnants of our battle against the wizards, and the smell of death filled the forest air. We hurried past the stench, and we all breathed sighs of relief when the wind shifted into our faces.

We made good time on our way to Ester’s town, and the walls came into view sooner than I expected. The guards glanced at us as we passed through the gate, but Ester greeted them each by name, and they let us go without further questioning. The town, while not bustling, was full of midday foot traffic, and we had to stop several times to let another group go past us.

“This is it.” Ester stopped outside her house and work space, and she turned to give us all a sad smile. “I sure am going to miss all of you.”

“Even the part where I basically abducted you?” I chuckled. “You can be glad to be rid of us, it won’t hurt our feelings.”

“Oh, Eli.” Ester pressed her lips together, but her eyes twinkled with emotion. “I hope you find everything you’re looking for. I’m ready for this world to be at peace.”

“I’m not going to give up until the job is done,” I promised. “And we will see each other again.”

“Good.” Ester hugged each of the girls, but she gave my hand a firm shake. “Let me know if you come across any other mysterious illnesses.”

We waved goodbye and made our way to the inn. After I paid the hostler to care for our horses, we rented a room and had dinner before falling asleep early. I wanted to get started before dawn again the next morning, so we all needed our rest.

The next day, we got an early start, but this time, we left town through the southern gate. There was a good sized body of water to one side connecting two rivers, but it looked too deep and wide to cross easily, so we followed the stream until we reached a good fording location. Once we were safely on the other side, we continued on in a southern direction for the rest of the day.

It was our first night making camp since we’d found the Night Folk, but it was like muscle memory took over, and we fell into a harmonious pace as we worked together to set up our campsite. While we sat around the fire picking over the remnants of our dinners, I sketched some of our discoveries onto the map I’d brought with me from Ordrya.

I wondered what the king’s map makers would think when they saw my updates, but I needed to protect the paper describing the Night Folk migration, so I’d burned the one Trod drew for me after I memorized it. I’d have to come up with a good reason I was traveling so far north into the wilderness, but that shouldn’t be too hard.

The things we’d learned along the way would be shocking to the residents of Ordrya, but I didn’t envy them their privileged lives. I was the one who got to kill an owlbear, after all.

“We should turn in,” I suggested as I rolled up my map and returned it to its protective case. “We’re getting another early start tomorrow.”

“You’re trying to actually kill us, aren’t you?” Calantha groaned, but she moved to the tents nonetheless.

Willow flashed me a warm smile as she gathered up our dinner dishes, and Luxe yawned before she followed the vampiress to bed. I helped my wife prepare the campsite for the night, and then we joined the other two in our sleeping pads. We were all too tired to get frisky, and I was serenaded by snores a few moments later.

The next few days were uneventful as we followed the river to the south, and we soon resorted to playing games to pass the time. We had another round of Truth or Dare, but this time, the girls got more creative with their challenges. Calantha ate a bug, and Willow flashed a squirrel, but Luxe topped them both by balancing on her hands on one of our horses’ backs.

We were having a lot of fun, and the days passed quickly, but I pushed the three women harder and harder each day. They were all eager for bed by the time we broke camp each night, and the complaints over the early mornings began not long after. I knew we’d all been traveling for so long we’d practically forgotten what a bath felt like, but we drew closer and closer to our destination with each passing sunset.

The river eventually met with the rushing rapids flowing out of the lake by Ordrya, and I knew we were getting closer. It would only be a couple more days before we made it back to the capital, and my tired muscles summoned some more energy.

It took us a while to find a safe crossing place, but once we were on the other side, we were only a day’s ride from Ordrya. We made camp on the banks of the river, and we hung our wet clothes on the branches of the trees to let them dry. The snap, crackle and pop of the fire was comforting and familiar as we all ate our dinners in silence, but after the meal, Calantha graced us with a song.

“Do you miss your home?” Luxe asked the vampiress once she stopped singing. “You’re so far away from your mother and father.”

“I do,” Cal admitted. “But I’ve been away before. I used to get claustrophobic even in the grand corridors of the palace, and I would take a mount to the countryside to blow off some steam. My parents didn’t like that very much because I was just a child at the time, but they eventually learned to trust me.”

“Still,” Willow said. “I know I’m looking forward to seeing my parents, and it’s been even longer for you.”

“True.” Calantha pressed her lips into a thin line. “I do miss them, and going home would be wonderful, but we have work to do. I’m not missing out on anything back home. I’m sure Zolas and Hendrik have everything under control, and they can keep my parents company.”

“What about you, Eli?” Luxe asked as she turned to me. “Do you ever miss your old world?”

I took a second to think about how I honestly felt, and I chose my words very carefully. There were so many differences between this world and Earth, but I had never felt like I actually belonged back home. I’d always been a bit of an oddball, and while my colleagues at the national park helped me pass the time, I doubted they’d given me another thought since I disappeared.

“I’ve seen how different I was from everyone else on Earth ever since I was a little kid,” I said in a thoughtful tone. “My entire life was spent trying to blend in, to be like everyone else, to be normal. I didn’t realize until I was summoned here how out of place I really was on Earth. This is my home now, and I don’t have any regrets.”

“Well, we’re glad you’re here,” Willow said as she leaned over and took my hand.

“We couldn’t do it without you,” Calantha added.

“And we’ll follow you anywhere,” Luxe finished with a loving smile.

“How did you three become so in sync?” I laughed. “Remember when you shot snarky remarks back and forth? We’ve all come a really long way together, and there’s no one else I’d rather have in my corner.”

“Do you think we will find the rest of the talismans?” Willow asked.

“Absolutely.” I grinned. “No one thought we’d find a single one, but now we have three. Things are looking up, and I’m sure we’ll get a lead on the next grand adventure soon enough.”

“I’m just looking forward to soaking in some hot water,” Calantha sighed. “Even if it is in a shifter palace.”

“What’s wrong with a shifter palace?” Willow shot the vampiress a mock offended face.

“I don’t exactly enjoy staring into the dead eyes of a deer while I bathe,” Cal said in a dry tone. “And I don’t understand the necessity of the dead animals being in every single room.”

“Us shifters are known for our proficient hunting skills,” Luxe pointed out. “It’s just our custom to display the trophies of our hunts.”

“It’s unsettling,” Cal said and wrinkled her nose. “But there are worse things.”

“At least they’re dead,” I teased. “I don’t think I’d enjoy bathing with a herd of deer wandering around my bathroom.”

“Oh, sure, team up on the vampire.” Cal laughed. “Can we get an early start tomorrow? I want to be sleeping in a king sized bed before sunset tomorrow.”

We finished our meals and cleaned up the campsite before heading to bed, but I followed through on my promise to wake them all up before dawn. We were on the last leg of our journey, and the idea of reaching our destination that day put a pep in all of our steps. Even the horses seemed to pick up on our energy, and the two steeds bumped their heads into our backs to hurry us up.

“They must smell their home stable,” I observed as the horse nudged me with his muzzle again. “Maybe we should shift?”

“Okay, but I’m riding the horse this time since Luxe can go full form now.” Cal grinned as she flung herself into the saddle. “Who wants to race?”

“Oh, yes, please,” Luxe breathed, and I could see the excitement glint in her brown eyes.

But I couldn’t blame her. This would be her first time running full out in her complete bear form.

A moment later, the three of us shifters stood in our full animal forms and prepared for the last dash to the capital. Calantha tapped her horse’s flanks with her heels, and the two steeds rushed past us toward the city. I wasn’t about to be outdone by a vampire, though, so I quickly followed them down the road, and Luxe roared with delight as she and Willow brought up the rear.

Luxe and Willow worked hard to keep pace with me, but they soon fell behind. I kept Calantha’s back in my sight, and I pumped my canine legs faster and faster as she became ever bigger in my vision. Only a couple of hours passed before the walls of Ordrya came into view, and I pushed forward even faster until I pulled ahead of the horseback vampiress.

We’d arrived in the capital once more.

The gates were closed when we approached in our Nulmancer forms, but a quick word from Willow had them rushing to pull them open. I wondered what the reason for the increase in security was, and I hoped the king was handling the turmoil in the city streets well enough.

Once everyone had finished our race and gathered, we made our way through the city streets until we arrived in the courtyard of the palace. Luxe paused as the palace came into view, and she tugged on my elbow until I turned to look at her.

“Should I go to my father’s house?” she asked, and she bit her lower lip. “Or stay with you?”

“Come with me to talk to the king,” I said. “He may want to talk to you about how your affliction was healed. I will escort you home after that.”

“Thanks, Eli.” Luxe grinned, and the polar bear woman slipped her hand into mine. “Lead the way.”

Sir Tyrion met us just inside the palace entrance, and the guards all stood at attention as we passed by them. The carpets were soft under my feet, and they muffled the sounds of our steps. The smell of flowers permeated the air, and servants rushed to and fro in the foyer behind the shifter.

“The king would like to see all of you immediately,” Sir Tyrion explained. “He sent me to ensure you made no detours on your way to the throne room.”

“We don’t need a sitter,” Willow sighed. “But it will be good to catch up with you on the way, so I guess you can walk with us.”

“Knowing you, Your Highness,” Sir Tyrion teased. “There’s no telling the trouble you’ve gotten yourself into since you left Ordrya.”

“Excuse me,” Willow countered in a mock offended tone. “I was the one saving the others time after time.”

Sir Tyrion laughed, and he and my wife continued to banter as we made our way through the palace to the throne room. The double doors were open, and a guard stood to either side, but they stood at full attention once I was in eyesight.

I walked between them with my head held high, and I prepared myself to pass through a crowded room full of people. The king lifted his arm to greet us, but there was no one else in the throne room.

“Hello, Your Majesty,” I called out in a loud voice as we approached the dais at the back of the room. “I hope you’re well.”

“Ah, Prince Elijah, how good to see you return safe and well.” King Frejit grinned as he spread his hands wide. “And my beautiful daughter looks kissed by the sun. I’m sure you’re all weary from your travels, but I wanted to be debriefed as soon as possible.”

“Yeah, how did you know we were coming?” I lifted one eyebrow. “Sir Tyrion looked like he’d been waiting for a while.”

“The guards at the gate sent a runner per my request,” the king explained.

Willow marched up the steps of the dais to give her father a warm hug, but as soon as they embraced, he pulled back and placed a warm hand on her growing belly.

“It always seems more real when the belly starts to show,” King Frejit chuckled. “It won’t be long now.”

“Um, yes, it will.” Willow huffed. “We still have plenty of time before the little one makes their grand entrance.”

“So,” King Frejit said as he rubbed his hands together. “How were your adventures? Tell me everything.”

“How about the cliff notes?” I asked.

“The what?” King Frejit blinked at me in confusion.

“The short version,” I explained. “I’d like to get a bath and a bed before long.”

“Of course.” The king gave me an apologetic smile.

We all took turns explaining everything that happened during our journey to find the Night Folk, but I left out the name of the basket weaver to protect her identity. Even if we were alone with the king, there was no telling how many flies were on the walls listening in. Once we finished telling the story of our wizard encounters, the king frowned in thought.

“There certainly seems to be a recurring pattern here,” the king allowed. “Now, whether or not that issue lies solely with the community of magic users in our realm is another question entirely. While safety is important, there isn’t any reliable way to prevent these sorts of things from happening.”

“Will you at least consider starting a registry of everyone with magic abilities?” I pressed. “I think it would be for the good of not only this realm, but Vosreterra as well.”

“While it is a difficult thing to say,” King Frejit said, and his eyes turned to the vampiress, “I wish for peace between our kingdoms. Princess Calantha, I apologize for the rudeness you were shown by the people of Ordrya.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty, but that isn’t necessary.” Cal inclined her head. “None of it bothers me anymore.”

“I respect your maturity,” the king said as he mirrored her movement.

After sharing a few more details with the king, the four of us left the throne room in search of amenities. Luxe veered off by the kitchens, but the two princesses and I quickly found bathtubs to soak in. We met back up in the sitting room of our wing after we’d all changed into fresh clothes, but as soon as I stepped into the room, Luxe jumped up with obvious excitement.

“My father wants to invite you all to dinner tonight,” the polar bear woman announced without preamble. “He specifically said to bring you, Eli.”

“Is that code for you’re about to be murdered?” I chuckled.

“Does that mean you’ll go?” Luxe grinned.

“Of course,” I assured her. “In fact, I think we’re ready now.”

Calantha and Willow added their agreement, so I gestured for Luxe to lead the way to her home. We made our way through the Bear Zone of Ordrya until we reached the Ursidax house, and the familiar face of their maid brought a smile to my face.

Lord Urman served us a five course meal, and he spent most of the evening laughing at some of my more humorous stories. The Bear Representative listened attentively as his daughter explained the process of curing her affliction, but each time Luxe attempted to ask about her mother, her father redirected the conversation back to more light hearted topics. I could tell this was a discussion he wished to have with his daughter in private, and the young shifter eventually dropped it.

Luxe’s father especially enjoyed my description of our Truth or Dare games, and soon, his multiple chins were wobbling hysterically as he barked out laughter.

“To Prince Elijah,” Lord Urman announced as he lifted his glass into the air. “I never doubted you for an instant.”

“I’m sure,” I chuckled, but I obliged him with a sip of my drink.

“Seriously, Your Grace,” Luxe’s dad continued. “You have no idea how much I worry, but you will understand one day once you are also a father.”

“Definitely,” I agreed.

“We would make cute babies,” Luxe sighed, and her father’s eyes widened with alarm.

“Eventually,” I assured him in a comforting tone. “Besides, one baby on the way is enough for now.”

Willow rubbed her swelling belly pointedly, and Lord Urman took a deep calming breath.

“Of course, Your Grace.” The Bear Representative swiped the sweat from his forehead. “Whenever the moment is rig--”

The doors of the dining room were suddenly flung open, and Lord Urman’s words were cut off mid sentence. A man lunged into the room with a red face and sweat soaked hair, but judging from the bag full of packages and letters strapped across his chest, he was a messenger.

After a cursory sniff, I realized he was a vampire.

“What is the meaning of this?” Lord Urman bellowed in an offended tone.

“My apologies, sir,” the messenger said as he folded into a stiff backed bow. “I’m searching for a man named Elijah.”

“That’s me,” I said, and I lifted my hand into the air like I was being called on during roll call at school.

“I have a message for you from the king and queen of Vosreterra,” the messenger announced. “It is very urgent.”

Court of the Shifter 5 Chapter 1

I woke up to the sound of roosters and hens clucking for their breakfast, and I blinked my eyes open to gaze around at my surroundings. Calantha, Willow, and Luxe all lay beside me curled around their pillows with the blankets tucked under their chins, and each beautiful face looked so peaceful and blissfully unaware of the medieval version of an alarm clock.

Our bed was a large circular pile of furs and a straw stuffed mattress, and the bed was situated in the back of the rectangular living space we currently called home. A fire pit sat closer to the entrance at the other end of the dwelling, and our belongings were strewn about the sides.

I yawned and stretched my arms over my head, but still the girls didn’t rouse. It seemed I was starting our morning routine on solo mode today, but I didn’t mind. We always had plenty of time to lounge around and chat in the afternoons after lunch.

After I slipped out of the bed and into some decent work clothes, I tiptoed down to the entrance, but I grabbed a chunk of bread and a sausage on my way out. The sunlight was brighter than it should be this close to dawn, but I wasn’t sure how seasons worked in this world. After the last few days, I wondered if that stint of rain was finally over, but this close to the glacier, it could go either way.

I was just glad it wasn’t snowing.

The bear woman who cared for the flock of chickens was leading them back to the edge of town to throw grain into the dirt. Otherwise, their poop would be scattered all across the walkways, which always led to chicken droppings in people’s houses. It seemed like everyone was hard at work, and I watched a couple of my neighbors and fellow Night Folk tribe members beginning their day.

I glanced around at our neighboring dwellings, and I spotted Trod leaving his home. I lifted my arm in a friendly wave, and the broad shouldered scout returned the gesture. The burly bear shifter had requested we build our temporary house close to his so he could be closer if we needed anything, but I just enjoyed being around someone I now considered to be a good friend.

We caught up to each other at the bonfire closest to our homes, and we went about our usual routine of spreading out the previous night’s banked coals. Once I blew them to a cherry glow, Trod piled on the tinder and logs, and a few moments later, we were warming our hands over the flames.

It had been over a week since we’d defeated the wizard with the bear talisman, and my women and I had settled into our daily habits like we’d always been a part of the Night Folk tribe. We’d traveled across the Shyfeterran wilderness to find the elusive, nomadic bear shifters, and while they hadn’t exactly welcomed us with open arms at first, we’d won them over pretty quickly.

I’d originally met Trod when I’d taken him prisoner to grill him about his tribe, but he didn’t hold a grudge. In fact, he’d taught me a lot about the Night Folk ways, and he’d been by my side while we both fought for the future of the tribe.

“Those chickens are getting loud,” I complained with a wry shake of my head. “Are they supposed to get up that early?”

“They know the time better than us,” Trod chuckled. “But they’re getting louder because they’re getting bigger. This is a good thing, my friend, because it means harvesting is drawing closer.”

“Harvesting?” I raised one eyebrow in a quizzical manner.

Trod took a single finger and sliced it across his bare throat while he made a sound sickenly similar to the real thing.

“I see.” I cleared my throat. “And, uh… Why is that a good thing?”

“It means we will be leaving soon,” Trod said, and a sad look flashed across his face before he gave me a shrewd look. “Are you coming with us?”

“I… I don’t know.” I frowned. “I hadn’t considered that you might leave here any time soon.”

“We’ve already been here longer than we usually stay in one place,” Trod explained. “We stayed because of you.”

“Me?” My eyebrows rose in alarm.

“You’ve given us a great gift,” Trod said. “You’ve freed us from a curse we’ve endured for generations. The entire lineage of Night Folk gives thanks to you. We wanted to give you longer to live with us so you could see what you can expect in the future.”

“I see.” I pressed my lips into a thin white line while I wrung my hands over the flames for a moment. “Did the chief sign off on that?”

“It was his idea.” Trod laughed and clapped me on the shoulder. “Take the day to think about it.”

“Thanks.” I flashed him a grateful smile. “I’ll let you know my decision tomorrow.”

The conversation moved to discussing our plans for the day, and I realized I might never experience a normal day with the Night Folk again if we chose to return to Ordrya, so I wanted to savor every moment just in case.

After Trod and I left the bonfire, I went to the tunnel entrance and slid down the rope into the cavern. I greeted each horse and brushed them down while they ate, and I finished by giving them each a chunk of apple. Then I climbed up the rope hand over hand to exercise my upper body, but this time, the wench attendants were not as impressed as they’d been the first time I’d done so.

“Any plans for the day, gentlemen?” I asked once I pulled myself out of the hole in the cavern ceiling.

“There’s a turkey hunt coming up after lunch,” one of the bear shifters said with a shrug of his shoulders.

“Is that something you’d want in on?” the other puller asked. “I don’t think I’ve had the honor of hunting with you yet.”

“I’ll ask my family and see if they have anything going on first,” I said. “But that sounds pretty awesome, so I’m going to try to make it.”

Once I was back near the village limits, I headed to the meadow on the southern end of the settlement, and I spotted my three gorgeous women immediately as they stood next to the group of bear shifters I was training today. I crossed the distance to the three of them, and Luxe gave me a strong hug as soon as she saw me.

“You left without saying goodbye,” the polar bear woman said with a mocking pout. “We missed you.”

“Here’s your breakfast,” Willow chuckled as she handed me a warm bowl of food, and my wife tilted her chin up so she could give me a kiss.

I gave her three for good measure, and she giggled.

“I’m sorry I slept so deep,” Cal said as I turned to her. “You really wore us all out last night.”

“It’s good for you.” I winked. “Keeps your stamina up.”

“Well, let’s hope you can bring the same kind of encouragement and enthusiasm to your trainees today,” Willow said as she planted one hand on her hip.

“After you eat,” Cal urged.

“The bears know the drill,” Luxe said. “They’ll do their warm ups just like you’re always asking them to.”

“I’m sure,” I chuckled, but I obediently scooped up the scrambled egg bowl in my hands.

The eggs were mixed in with chunks of sausage, peppers, and other vegetables, but best of all, there was a smattering of cheese covering the entire thing. My stomach growled as I lifted the first bite to my mouth, but it didn’t take me very long to devour the delicious meal.

Even though the Night Folk lived a very different lifestyle than any of the girls were used to, they’d adapted seamlessly to our brief stay among the nomadic tribe. I wondered if they would consider traveling along with the caravan or if they were ready to return to the posh environments of Ordrya.

The warriors were indeed doing their warm ups and stretches in the large area of tamped down grass we’d claimed to do our daily exercises, and I chuckled to myself as I remembered how this all came to be. I’d been lounging around doing nothing for a couple of days after our victory, but I grew antsy and restless, so I began to do a series of workouts to occupy my time and hone my muscles.

After I’d spent the morning going through my routine, a couple of young warriors approached me and asked if I would show them how to do what I was doing. One thing led to another, and by the following day, almost the entire tribe were ready for me to show them how I maintained my abilities and strength.

I hadn’t meant to start a whole class, but I did enjoy their passionate efforts to improve themselves. I’d never seen anyone work harder than the Night Folk, but I knew their lifestyle was not for the weak. Every member of the tribe carried their own weight and then some, and I had to admit, they had a pretty sweet setup.

Was this something I could spend more time doing?

We got what we came here for, and yet, my affection for the Night Folk caused me to linger. It seemed from Trod’s words that the feeling was mutual, but I didn’t like the idea of me holding them back from their normal routine. I knew there was a migration pattern they followed, but I wasn’t in on the finer details of the timing.

Would I ever find them again if I left?

I wasn’t so sure. It had taken a lot of clues and luck to find them this time, but there was no telling when the Night Folk would trust another outsider. I could understand their hesitation after the minstrel and the basket weaver had both helped us locate them, but we wouldn’t have been able to find the tribe without them.

Once I stood in the center of the circular lawn space, I cleared my throat and rubbed my hands together. The bear warriors stopped what they were doing and gathered round, and the girls all joined in on the huddle.

“Time is weird,” I said in a thoughtful tone. “You wake up one day and suddenly, you’ve run out. While there were ways to see it coming, you still get caught up in the moment, but that’s life. Right?”

I confused murmur swept through my trainees, and my three women shot me quizzical looks.

“Okay, let me try a different approach,” I said as I raked a hand through my hair and thought about what I was trying to say. “I didn’t ask you to show up today. I didn’t ask you to show up yesterday. Yet you did. Each one of you has your own reasons, but you all bring everything you have to the practice field each day. You don’t quit. You don’t cry. You keep going. Time marches on.”

A few people gave me sentimental looks while others’ eyes filled with determination, but the three women had all broken out into understanding smiles.

“What I’m trying to say is I appreciate each and every one of you for showing up and making a difference.” I made eye contact with each of my trainees. “You have shown a warrior’s spirit every single day, and I’m proud of you.”

“Thank you, sir,” one of the younger warriors murmured, and the rest of the crowd echoed his words.

“Okay,” I said, and I clapped my hands together to change the energy. “Let’s get into our partner groups and practice stance one.”

My trainees lined up in their neat little rows, and I walked between them to adjust stances and murmur encouragement. I was teaching them a combination of yoga and karate moves, but once we paired up to spar, I could see a visible difference in their performance. Soon, I’d have a dozen men capable of beating me in the fighting pit if there were ever another Ordeal.

Would my lady companions have to perform in the Ordeal if we decided to travel with them?

Maybe I could stall their departure in some way, but I knew all things came to an end eventually.

Besides, I still had other duties to attend to as Ulvant. Both in Shyfeterran and Vosreterra.

I made sure to spend plenty of one-on-one time with all my students, but I got a little handsy when it came to my three women. I ran my hands over their curves tenderly, and they bent obediently to my touch.

Before I got too excited about our connections, I led the group on a jog through the woods. We’d beaten a small deer path into a more navigable route, and everyone worked hard to keep up with my pace. I’d memorized the bends and turns, and I challenged myself to go faster each day. It was no surprise when I left half the group in the dust, but I was always pleasantly shocked by who managed to keep up.

Calantha’s speed was superb, but there were a few of the bear warriors who managed to stay right behind the lightning quick vampiress. Willow usually stayed back as rear guard to both encourage the stragglers and take it easier on her pregnant body. Her stomach grew a little each day, but it would be several more months before I got to meet my child. Luxe pushed herself hard, but she always seemed to be a few hundred feet behind. Still, the polar bear woman never let it affect her attitude, and I watched her give it her all day in and day out.

After the jog, we teamed up for sparring, and I joined Calantha in the center of the field so everyone could see our moves. I’d become well acquainted with the vampiress’ fighting techniques, but she still managed to surprise me every once in a while. I liked to use her to demonstrate so she would seem more approachable to the Night Folk, but I knew curing racism was no easy feat.

This medieval fantasy world still had a long way to go, but with me at the helm, we were on the right track.

Unlike the stamina and strength building exercises, the warriors were allowed to shift during the sparring sessions, so everyone looked forward to the announcement to team up.

“Alright, everybody,” I said in a loud voice for all to hear. “You know the drill. Stick to the moves we’re practicing, take turns being the aggressor and the defender. Raise your hands if you have any questions, and stop at the first sign that someone actually got hurt. We’re not here to kill each other. We’re here as a team.”

“Yes, sir!” was shouted from every single trainee, and my chest puffed with pride.

Calantha got into ready position, and we began to illustrate the moves we expected the rest of the group to maneuver that day. There were some old favorites I knew they would enjoy as well as a couple extra I found necessary to give them a real leg up in their fighting skills, but everyone kept close attention to every move the vampiress and I made.

Soon, there were grunts and shouts echoing across the meadow as each team tried to overpower their partner, but after a little while of one-on-one fighting, I paired them up for doubles. There was a bit of a tag team effect, but it was a good exercise just in case they were ever depending on one another for their lives.

This continued on for a while, but I called for a water break once I noticed the majority of my students were red in the face. Everyone let out a relieved sigh and lined up at the water barrel.

Willow and Luxe helped serve the thirsty trainees, and I took a few quick gulps of water before we returned to practice. As I was headed back to my position in the center of the field, one of the young warriors tapped me on the elbow.

I turned and grinned at the young man I’d watched develop his skills over time, but I couldn’t help remembering how he’d floundered through some of the moves in the beginning. He had brown dreads framing a tattooed face, and while his arms were thin, I knew they were stronger than they appeared.

“Davi, isn’t it?” I asked. “What’s up?”

Right on cue, the bear shifter flicked his gaze to the clouds, and I chuckled.

“I just wanted to say thank you for lifting the curse on our tribe,” Davi said.

“Hey, man, it was my pleasure.” I grinned and patted him on the shoulder. “Besides, it was a group effort. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without every single warrior who went with us that night.”

“I was there,” Davi said. “I… I thought I was going to wet myself. It was my first battle. I didn’t know what to do.”

“Well, you do now,” I pointed out. “I bet you could almost take me down if you tried hard enough.”

“You’re just saying that.” Davi blushed and looked down. “Anyway, I just wanted to tell you about how you changed my life forever, and I will never forget you.”

For a moment, I wondered if the young man knew about the decision I had to make, but once I thought about it, I realized it hadn’t been implied as top secret information. In fact, the more I thought about it, the more I remembered special moments over the last few days when the tribe members were giving me gifts and being extra friendly.

Perhaps they’d been trying to convince me to stay with them.

Either way, this was a conversation I needed to have with my lovely companions, but I didn’t want to spoil what could be their last day with the tribe. I glanced over at them and saw them laughing with the bear warriors near the water barrel, but then I turned my eyes back to Davi.

“I’m not just saying anything,” I said. “I mean it. You’ve shown real determination and a passion for self improvement. You’re going to be a valuable asset to this tribe for many years, and I want you to feel like you’ve earned your place among the other warriors.”

“Thank you, sir.” Davi pressed his lips into a thin white line as he blinked rapidly to clear the emotion from his eyes.

“You’re welcome.” I clapped him on the shoulder again before I gestured to the field. “Shall we continue?”

Davi nodded, and I called everyone back to their positions.

The final part of the day’s practice session was a one-on-one sparring session with me personally. After they attempted to overpower me, they would do cool down stretches until everyone had a turn. The trainees usually took the opportunity to gossip with one another about the trivial aspects of tribal daily life, but I always enjoyed listening to the background chatter of happy voices while I assessed the abilities of the warriors.

Davi lasted longer than he ever had before, and I clasped his forearm in mine to congratulate him on his effort.

“You did good, kid,” I said. “Keep it up. Even if you have to do it all on your own.”

“What does that mean?” Davi frowned. “Aren’t you coming with us? My mother said we were all leaving soon, but she insisted you would stay with us since you were a part of the tribe now.”

“What are you talking about?” Calantha asked as she came up behind me. “We aren’t staying here?”

“No one is,” Davi said.

“What’s going on?” Willow asked as she appeared at my elbow. Luxe was a step behind my wife, and I sighed as I realized I was about to have the conversation I was stalling on.

“Remember how the Night Folk are a nomadic tribe?” I asked, and the three women nodded. “Well, they’re going to pack up the village and move on to the next location on their migration path.”

“It’s a little different every season,” Davi interjected. “We like to keep things quiet and untrampled.”

“It was pretty challenging to follow the small amount of tracks they left behind,” Willow said in a thoughtful tone. “So, what did you mean by stay with us?”

Davi glanced from me to the three sets of questioning eyes staring at him, and I decided it was time to save the poor man before the women verbally eviscerated him until he spilled his guts.

“The tribe has asked me to choose between traveling with them and returning to Ordrya.” I clapped my hands together. “I told them I’d have an answer by morning.”

“Why waste the time?” Cal asked with a confused tilt of her head. “Do you want to torture them before you rub salt in their wounds?”

“That’s a tad extreme of an analogy for this situation, but no.” I gave them all an apologetic smile. “I wanted to wait until tonight just in case this actually was our last day with the Night Folk. I wanted you to have some nice memories before we announced our decision.”

“What decision?” Luxe frowned. “It’s kind of an obvious choice. Of course we’re staying with the Night Folk.”

“Um, no,” Willow argued as she lifted her hand to stop the polar bear woman. “I will not be giving birth in the wilderness of Shyfeterran. I’m going to be with the attendants at the hospital with my mother and father nearby.”

“Exactly,” Cal said as she gestured to my pregnant wife. “The princess has spoken.”

“What is it Eli is always saying?” Willow lifted one intimidating eyebrow. “It takes one to know one?”

“Whatever.” Cal crossed her arms and lifted her nose in the air. “I only meant I agree with you on this. That’s two to one, so it looks like we’re heading back to civilization.”

“What about my vote?” I chuckled. “I think we should give this a little more consideration before we give the chief any reason to be offended. I want to stay on his good side now that I’ve put myself there.”

“Yeah, and what about my shifting ability?” Luxe asked, and her eyes watered briefly before she fluttered her eyelashes and regained her composure. “Even though the rest of the tribe were healed, I am still broken.”

“You’re not broken,” I said, and I rubbed her back in a reassuring manner.

“This seems like more of a family conversation,” Davi said with an awkward smile as he made a farewell gesture and stepped away.

“Let’s head home for some lunch and talk about this some more,” I said. “Everyone can take a turn speaking their mind, and we’ll make the decision together as a group.”

“Alright,” Cal huffed. “But I think it’s simple. We got what we came for.”

“Not all of us,” Luxe countered.

A strange look crossed Calantha’s crimson eyes, and if I didn’t know better, I would have thought it was empathy. The vampiress had come a long way from her shifter hating habits, and she was changing minds left and right.

Soon, Shyfetteran and Vosreterra would be allies against the rest of the world. I would make sure of it.

I wasn’t sure what lay beyond the boundaries of the two realms, but I longed to discover everything this world had to offer. Once I fulfilled the prophecy, I could travel anywhere I wanted to, but I’d be a father soon. I had more than myself to think about, so I wanted to weigh all my options.

Once we were back in our house, we all grabbed onto our mugs of warm tea and gathered around the firepit. I looked around at the three uniquely beautiful faces before me, and gratitude filled my heart. No matter where we went, we were a family, and I knew we’d always be there for each other.

“Now,” I said. “It’s time to hash out our differences. Each of you can take a turn arguing your case, and then we’ll put it to a vote.”

“Your choice will definitely be the defining factor,” Luxe pointed out. “So, what do you want to do, and we will go from there.”

“Well, I really see each side’s value,” I admitted with a shrug. “On the one hand, Willow’s request to give birth in the palace where she grew up is a reasonable one. Yet, they also say raising a child takes a village. We have that with the Night Folk.”

“What about the entire reason we came to Shyfeterran?” Calantha said with a disbelieving shake of her head. “We got two talismans, and there are no leads pointing to the next one. It could be anywhere.”

“You’re right,” I said. “I have total faith that we will find them, but as you said, there aren’t any clues popping up right now. Who knows, maybe the Night Folk’s migration path will take us to some valuable or necessary information.”

The girls were all quiet for a moment as we all took time to gather our thoughts, but then Willow cleared her throat.

“We can always come back to visit them again,” my wife said. “And Luxe, we will find a way to help you. But Eli, Calantha, and I have responsibilities as the future rulers of our kingdoms. We can’t just abandon them to follow the Night Folk into the wilderness forever.”

“I know,” Luxe sighed and dropped her eyes. “I had just… wished to find out what was wrong with me before we returned to Ordrya.”

“Speaking of that,” I said. “Why don’t we go give Ester a visit and see if she has any ideas?”

“You mean like a final examination before I never see her again?” Luxe pouted.

“Like never giving up,” I said, and I flashed the polar bear beauty an encouraging smile.

“Should we vote, then?” Cal asked as she looked around at the rest of us.

“Raise your hand if you want to stay with the Night Folk,” I said.

Luxe’s hand shot up, and she set her chin to a stubborn angle, but the other two remained motionless. I kept my hands cradled around the warm mug nestled in my palms, and I gave the polar bear woman an apologetic smile when her gaze turned to me.

“We will figure out what’s going on with you,” I promised. “But Willow and Calantha are right. We need to return to Ordrya.”

Luxe nodded silently, but I could still see a flicker of disappointment in her brown eyes, so I decided to try and cheer her up.

A short while later, Luxe and I walked the short distance to Ester’s temporary living space inside Madam Ova’s dwelling. Ester was the town healer of a nearby settlement, but she’d been extensively trained by her predecessor who was friendly with the Night Folk. Once the chief was cured by her concoction made from my blood and looked at her journal full of notes written by her mentor, the grizzly man had warmed up to the outsider.

Chief Sif reminded me often that he would not accept anyone else from the outside world, but I didn’t argue with him. Their ways were handed down from generation to generation, and I couldn’t change everything.

We stepped inside the hospital-like dwelling where Ester and Madam Ova worked in tandem, but the two women had formed a friendship once they discovered their common interests, and we found them laughing over teacups in the dining room.

“Hello ladies,” I greeted with a friendly smile. “I hope we’re not interrupting.”

“Not at all, Eli,” Madam Ova said as she gestured for us to sit down. “I’ll fetch some more mugs.”

“If you don’t mind,” Luxe said in a quiet voice. “We’d like a moment to speak with Ester.”

“Oh.” Madam Ova smiled warmly. “My apologies, I’ll just go finish up some of my other chores.”

The chief’s mother left the living space, and Ester shot us a confused look.

“What’s with all the secrecy?” the fox shifter healer asked.

“Not secrecy,” I said. “Just privacy. This is a little embarrassing, but we need your help, or at the very least, your advice.”

“What’s wrong?” Ester frowned as her eyes flicked back and forth between the two of us.

I gestured for Luxe to go ahead, and the polar bear woman took a deep, steadying breath.

“I still can’t shift like all the others can,” Luxe admitted in a small voice. “I think there’s something wrong with me. Or I’m still cursed somehow.”

“How old were you when you lost your abilities?” Ester asked as she pulled out her leather bound journal.

“I don’t ever remember being able to shift fully,” the polar bear woman said.

“And your parents?” Ester asked. “They’ve been fully healed from lifting the curse?”

“I’m not originally from around here, and my father has never had any issues,” Luxe said. “And… And I don’t know much about my mother.”

“I see.” Ester patted the back of Luxe’s hand.

“So, what do you think?” I asked. “Can we make up another one of the concoctions to see if it will work on Luxe?”

“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to try,” Ester said, and she flashed me a worried look. “But I don’t want either one of you to be upset if it doesn’t work.”

“We know you’re trying your best,” Luxe said. “I just want a chance.”

“I’ll need more of your blood, Eli,” Ester said in a ‘this is your last opportunity to back out’ tone.

“Not a problem,” I said, and I held up the palm of the hand she hadn’t sliced open the last time. At least now I’d have matching scars on both hands. “Ready when you are.”

“You’re very brave,” Ester said, but she narrowed her eyes suspiciously at me. “What’s your secret? I still can’t stand the sight of my own blood.”

“But you’re fine with mine?” I chuckled. “Everyone’s different. I can handle a little pain, and I’ve seen enough blood to be desensitized to it entirely.”

“I see.” Ester stood up to fetch the necessary equipment to capture my blood, but she returned a short while later with everything she needed. Once the healer had gathered a generous amount of my blood into a small bowl, she began to add in the rest of the ingredients, but then she shot us a pointed look. “This could take a while.”

“We’ll wait.” I smiled. “This is important.”

“Do you need it today?” Ester’s eyebrows rose in alarm.

“Yes,” I said. “The sooner the better.”

“I’ll need some of the ingredients,” Ester said, and she scribbled a short list of things on a blank piece of her journal paper before she tore it off to hand it to me. “The sooner the better.”

“No problem,” I chuckled. “Be right back.”

Luxe and I spent the next hour or so searching the forest for the healer’s list of ingredients, but we worked together to speed things up. Once we had checked everything off the list, we returned to the healer’s dwelling and handed it all off to Ester, and then we found a comfortable place to hang out and wait.

“What do you remember about your mother, Luxe?” I asked in a curious tone. “You hardly talk about her, and I don’t remember your father mentioning her much either.”

“She was different from most of the people in Ordrya,” Luxe said, and her eyes filled with sparkles of emotion. “My father used to say he’d tamed the wild beast inside of her, but I can’t imagine her ever giving up that part of herself forever.”

“Is it hard for you to talk about all of this stuff?” I asked, and I rubbed her hand between both of mine. “We can talk about something else if you want.”

“No, it’s alright.” Luxe gave me a small smile. “You know, this whole journey has made me feel closer to her than I ever have before. She was a traveler, an adventurer, before she met my father.”

“Wait a second,” I said, and I shot straight up. “Luxe. What if your mother was a Night Folk tribe member?”

Luxe’s eyes widened, and she stared at me blankly for a long time. Finally, she shook her head and gave me a wry smile.

“It’s possible,” she allowed. “My father told me stories about odd things she would do, like eat with her hands or wear the same dress two days in a row.”

“Wild,” I chuckled. “She must have been completely feral before they met.”

“Shut up,” Luxe giggled as she swatted me on the shoulder. “It’s not funny!”

“Alright, alright,” I said as I held up my hands in surrender. “But it’s worth a thought. Maybe if she left the Night Folk before she met your father, then the curse passed to you.”

“Then why wasn’t it lifted with the others?” Luxe asked.

“A glitch?” I shrugged. “Maybe because you’re not full-blooded Night Folk? I just hope the concoction works.”

“I can’t believe I have to drink your blood.” Luxe pretended to gag.

“It’s mixed with other things,” I argued.

“Judging from the ingredients we gathered, that’s not going to help much,” Luxe pointed out.

“It’s ready!” Ester’s voice echoed from down the hallway.

The two of us hurried into the dining room to find Ester holding up a small vial of shimmering silver liquid. The proud smile on the healer’s face gave me a lot of faith, and I hoped Luxe felt equally confident.

“What are you waiting for?” Ester laughed as she passed the vial over to Luxe. “Drink up.”

“Thanks.” A reluctant smile graced the polar bear woman’s face, but she obediently uncorked the bottle and lifted the rim to her lips. Once the contents poured down her throat, Luxe made a sour look as she shook her head.

“How do you feel?” I asked.

“Give me a moment to rid my mouth of that nasty taste,” Luxe rasped.

I chuckled as I reached for the cup of tea Luxe had been sipping on, but Ester and I waited patiently while the polar bear woman drank her fill. At long last, my lover took a deep breath and closed her eyes. There was a calm peaceful expression on her face, and just like every time I saw her, I couldn’t help but admire her beauty.

For a long moment, nothing happened, and my heart pounded against my ribcage as I hoped against all odds this would work. Ester and I exchanged a couple impatient glances, but then Luxe exhaled softly and opened her eyes.

The polar bear woman’s face began to grow strands of thin white hair, and the bone structure beneath the rapidly lengthening pelt shifted until my lover’s nose and mouth had stretched into the long snout of a polar bear. Then the young shifter fell onto all fours as her entire body shifted into its full animal form.

“Hell yes!” I clapped enthusiastically. “I knew it would work!”

“I didn’t,” Ester admitted. “Luxe isn’t Night Folk, and even though she had similar symptoms, her environment has been completely different from the tribe members.”

“But the concoction also cured Chief Sif,” I pointed out.

“Exactly,” Ester said. “I created the recipe with his ancestry in mind.”

Luxe slid back into her Nulmancer form before she sat down beside me, and I rubbed her back as I flashed her a proud smile.

“I knew you could do it,” I told her as I rubbed my nose affectionately against hers.

“But why did it work?” Luxe asked as she blinked at me. “I’m not Night Folk.”

“But your mother could have been,” I reminded her.

“That would make some sense,” Ester mused. “If the curse was passed to a halfling of Night Folk after the curse was established, then its possible it operated in a different manner.”

“In any case,” Luxe sighed. “I am so so grateful to you both for doing this for me.”

“I can’t have us leaving with a quest left undone,” I teased.

“You’re leaving?” Ester frowned. “I suppose I did see the signs. Harvesting, extra hunting shifts, that sort of thing.”

“We’re going back to Ordrya,” I explained.

“Soon, but right now,” Luxe said in a suggestive tone. “The two of us are going back to our house to take care of some… business.”

I swallowed hard as soon as I realized her implications.

“Go, go,” Ester giggled. “Enjoy your health. I suppose I should pack anyway.”

“Thank you, Ester,” I said, and I gave the shifter healer a warm hug. “For everything.”

Then I followed Luxe out of the healer’s dwelling and across the village to our own, but both of our steps were rapid as we hurried to privacy.

Luxe certainly knew how to show a guy her appreciation.

Audiobook Release | The OP MC 10: God of Winning

The OP MC 10 is in your BF library ABLs.  For everyone else, pick it up on my website or on Audiobook Guild

Overview

Life as the God of Time is only getting better and better.

My territories are thriving, my own castle is near completion, and several of my women are pregnant with my children.

But we’ll need a talented midwife before my wives go into labor. And who better than the mother Mahini has been missing?

So, it’s off to the Kotar Desert to find my mother-in-law, but I quickly learn the desert has its own share of problems which need a god to solve…

Narration by: Christopher Boucher, Jessica Threet
Length: 9 Hours, 30 Minutes

The OP MC 13 NSFW covers!

I dunno about you, but that maid outfit is doing it for me.

The OP MC 13 is out!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B9RL7R3F

The OP MC 13 Chapter 2

“Hey, Fred, wait up!” I called out as I ran to catch up with the king. “You’re going to need this back.”

“No, I’m done!” The king threw up his hands in surrender. “It’s up to you now.”

“You’re just quitting?” I scoffed. “Can you even do that?”

“I just did.” The king marched through the palace entrance and headed in the direction of his private suites.

I paused in the foyer as I tried to decide what to do. King Frederick was obviously not open to changing his mind right now, but maybe after he’d had some time to cool off he would come back around. Everyone had to blow off some steam every now and then.

I could also just reset to before the mob and before the king quit.

On the other hand, I’d been cleaning up the kingdom’s messes ever since I’d first arrived in this medieval fantasy world. Maybe now I could actually take charge and make a difference, but I was already responsible for an entire territory and several towns. I had other things to accomplish as well, namely killing the two supposed gods who longed for my demise.

I wandered back toward the wing of the palace where the ladies and I were staying, and I found the three women gathered in the common area. They looked up in surprise when I entered the room, and Zenda’s sapphire gaze flicked to the clock on the wall.

“That didn’t take long,” the Zaborian historian observed. “I thought you would be gone for a couple of hours.”

“Well…” I raked a hand through my hair as I considered how to approach the topic. “Things took a turn for the worst, and now we have even bigger problems to take care of.”

“What do you mean?” Caelia stood up and gave me a scrutinizing look. “Are you okay? What happened?”

“One question at a time,” I chuckled. “It started out fine. Everyone was listening closely while the king described the changes we were enacting, but then a riot broke out. The entire mob seemed hellbent on getting the king away from his guards, and I can only imagine what they would have done if they’d gotten the chance.”

“Oh, no!” Caelia gasped and covered her mouth with one hand. “Was he injured?”

“No,” I said. “Fortunately, I was able to carry him out of the crowd and back to the palace. Except that was when he handed me his crown and quit.”

“Quit?” Zenda blinked at me. “Quit what?”

“Being king,” I sighed. “He’s over it. So, now the entire kingdom is in my hands.”

I held up the crown to show them, and all the girls rushed forward to inspect it. I’d barely taken the time to look at it myself, so I scanned over the golden filigree and colorful ruby gems embedded in the metal. It had upward points every few inches, and it was heavier than it appeared.

I imagined it only grew heavier once it was worn regularly.

While I couldn’t blame the king for being tired of his responsibilities, it couldn’t have happened at a worse time. The God of the Plague was allied with the Goddess of Death, and they were both coming after me. Even though I didn’t need the king’s help to defeat the two foes, it would have been nice to know he had my back.

“What do we do now?” Zenda asked. “Do we move our homebase to Vallenwood?”

“I can’t leave my store,” Caelia argued.

“The palace would nearly fit the entire town,” Akina pointed out.

“To be honest,” I said with a sad shake of my head. “I’m not sure what to do next. I want to take care of Vallenwood, but I’m needed in Bastianville as well. It’s really going to be a lot to balance on top of defeating the god and goddess.”

“You won’t be in it alone,” Zenda reminded me in a soft voice. “All of us have your back.”

“She’s right.” Caelia nodded decisively. “We support whatever decision you make.”

“I know nothing about ruling a kingdom,” Akina said. “But I will do whatever I can to help.”

“What about the palace steward?” Zenda tilted her head to the side as the idea occurred to her. “She’s been managing the household functions of the palace for years. I’m sure she’d have the experience required to run the city.”

“All the royal household staff would be able to help,” I agreed. “I’ll call a meeting with them immediately.”

I’d spent a few run-throughs getting to know the people who worked for the king, and I’d learned a lot about the ins and outs of the palace. Several people worked together to help things run smoothly, and I knew they had the skills necessary to make a difference in the capital.

The girls and I continued to discuss possible paths we could take, and I admired their commitment to the betterment of the people. They were eager to help the common man, and I knew the entire kingdom would benefit from a better Vallenwood, so I decided not to reset just yet.

Instead, I called a page and gave the young man explicit instructions on who to gather together, but then I just had to wait for the arrival of the palace staff. I also sent a messenger to check on the king, but he quickly returned empty-handed with news that King Fred could not be found. I worked the muscle in my jaw as I considered whether or not I should try to find him, but the arrival of my guests distracted me from my thoughts.

Gervine Drokk, the steward of the king’s household, and the baker, Dael Andres, walked in holding hands, but they quickly separated and claimed a sofa. Arnoch, the treasurer, burped noisily as he came in, and he tossed himself into an arm chair like a teenager catapulting into a bean bag.

Reschain Freise, the chamberlain, folded his arms together and leaned against the doorway, but Pharen Lacey, the herald, stuck by his side. The head groom, Brommel, and the gardener, Nevil, both trailed dirt behind them as they entered the common room, and the head cook, Jacques, gave them a dirty look as he passed by en route to a sofa.

The kitchen maids all gathered around my lady companions like a flock of hens, and their feminine giggles filled the room. The last one to arrive was the jester, Montigo, but he reeked like a tavern and stale vomit, so I didn’t linger near him long enough to complain of his tardiness.

I’d met everyone while I was disguised as a common page, and they were unaware of the knowledge I had about them. I’d learned all about the day-to-day functions of the palace, and I knew which role each person present played.

Finally, the room was filled with the royal household staff, and I could tell from the curious looks everyone gave me that they didn’t recognize me as the page from a few days before. They all watched me expectantly, but I waited until all eyes were on me before I spoke.

“Some of you already know who I am,” I began. “Others may have known me while unaware of my true identity. I am Sir Sebastian, the God of Time, and I’ve brought you all here to ask for your help.”

Several sets of eyes widened in surprise, and a few people muttered to their neighbors about how I didn’t look like a god. Their comments didn’t faze me, and I waited for the chatter to die down before I continued.

“We have a situation on our hands that I wasn’t prepared for,” I said in an even tone. “King Frederick has abdicated the throne to me. He handed me his crown and walked off. No one can find him, so we have to assume he doesn’t want to be found.”

“So…” Reschain, the chief chamberlain, said in a thoughtful voice. “Does this mean you are the new king of Sorreyal?”

“No. Yes. Maybe?” I shook my head. “I’ve already got enough to worry about running my own territory. I can’t be shackled to the throne while my enemies gain more supporters. No, I need someone to rule in my place for the time being.”

“Perhaps a brother?” The jester burped. “Or an uncle. Nephew? Cousin? They don’t even have to be grown. I remember when kings were little more than children.”

“I am not from this world,” I reminded them. “I have no relatives here other than my women and my daughter. I left a good soldier in the Kotar Desert to act as Duke of the South, and my other reliable supporters are taking care of Bastianville while I travel.”

“We shall assist you in any way we can,” Miss Gervine said. “But you must instruct us on the best way to do so.”

“The populace cannot know the throne is being transferred so suddenly,” Reschain added. “We must keep this between ourselves until we come to a decision.”

“If you can expand your jurisdiction and duties beyond the palace into the city itself,” I said as I met each of their eyes. “Then perhaps Vallenwood could be saved from the brink of ruin. If you value your home, your jobs, and your kingdom, you will help me make sure the capital runs smoothly.”

There were nods of approval all around, so I continued to explain the new laws the former king and I had created, and soon, the entire royal household staff had a clear understanding of my plans for Vallenwood. I outlined my next steps, and I explained how I would work with the city guard to enforce the new curfew and alcohol limits. I tailored the little I knew about Earth’s laws into something that was applicable to the capital of the medieval realm.

“Speaking of moderating alcohol consumption,” I said as I took in the disheveled appearance of both the treasurer and the jester. “We have a few issues with overindulging among us here.”

The disapproving glares the other staff members directed toward the two alcoholics could have started a fire, but Arnoch avoided their gaze as he picked at his nails in a nonchalant manner. Montigo just burped again and blinked around at the other occupants of the room in confusion.

“What were we talking about?” the jester asked.

“You can’t day drink anymore,” I summarized with a sigh. “I need all hands on deck, and that includes you.”

“Hey, I wasn’t the one who lost their key,” Montigo argued as he pointed a blatant finger at the treasurer. “Even drunker than shit, I’m still sharper than that tool.”

“The fact that you admit you’re drunk right now speaks volumes.” I resisted the urge to laugh at his odd phrasing, but I didn’t want to jeopardize the point I was making. “But you make a good point.”

I turned to Arnoch and extended the palm of my hand. He glanced up at me with a confused frown, but then understanding dawned on his face, and he pulled away from me.

“You’re just as responsible for the security breach on the treasury as the two thieves who managed to steal your key.” I motioned for him to hand it over. “Besides, I don’t have King Fred’s copy of the key, so yours is the only one available.”

“Fine,” Arnoch groaned, and he pulled the golden chain from around his neck. “It could have been anyone who lost it. I’m good at my job.”

“You have a second chance to prove yourself,” I pointed out. “I’ll treat you the way your behavior deems you should be treated.”

“Done.” The treasurer clapped his hands together with an air of finality. “Now, if there’s nothing else, I have an appointment with a stiff drink.”

“Hear, hear!” Montigo lifted an invisible glass in a toast. “To your failure! I’ll drink to that.”

“Shut it, fool,” Arnoch hissed with unveiled disgust. “We are nothing alike.”

“Alright, alright,” I said in a loud voice as I raised my hand to cease the bickering before it could gain steam. “We’re all on the same team here, so I need you to put your bullshit excuses aside and work together. I don’t care if I have to pour out every bottle of wine or booze in this palace, no drinking until your duties are completed.”

“The people will not like it,” Reschain noted in a reluctant tone. “The guard will see an increase in crimes and violence.”

“True,” I said. “But the taverns can still serve until curfew, so we aren’t making them go completely cold turkey.”

Everyone looked at me in confusion, and I sighed as I raked a hand through my hair. I often forgot I grew up in a different world than everyone else, but it was amusing to watch the predictable range of reactions.

“What do we tell our families?” Jacques asked.

“Nothing, for now.” I fixed them all with a hard look. “No one else can know the king is gone until we have a better understanding of how to approach the problem of the empty throne. I can’t guarantee that I’ll be here all day every day because I still have other responsibilities, but Vallenwood remains my priority until the situation is resolved.”

“So, you want us to lie?” Arnoch arched a challenging eyebrow.

“No more than you already do,” I countered. “I’m sure you spew a bunch of false information to the women you bring to your bedchambers.”

“I saw him taking one broad on a tour of the treasury,” Montigo interjected in a tattletale tone.

Everyone’s eyes snapped to my face to see how I would react to the new information, but I kept my composure. It didn’t surprise me after everything I’d learned of the treasurer, but it showed yet another way the Goddess of Death could have known the exact location of the dark crystal previously stored in the king’s treasure room.

My mind returned to the black-haired, red-lipped beauty I’d encountered in the alleyway of a previous run-through, and I licked my suddenly dry lips. I didn’t have time to think about her or her alliance with the God of the Plague, at least not until I had things under control in the capital.

“All the more reason to keep the access to the treasury limited,” I said with a brisk nod. “I want the guard around that wing of the palace doubled, and I want them to have overlapping shifts so the hallway is never unsupervised.”

“Done.” Miss Gervine mirrored my nod. “I’ll alert the captain of the palace guard.”

I worked the muscle in my jaw as I surveyed the room full of household staff, and I was glad I’d gotten to know them enough to know their strengths and weaknesses.

“This campaign to clean up Vallenwood is going to work,” I said in a confident voice. “People will be proud of where they live again. Merchants will be drawn to our markets. Travelers will fill the inns. Businesses will thrive.”

“That’s all well and good for Vallenwood,” Brommel, the head groom, spoke up in a clear voice. “But what’s that got to do with any of us? We’re not going to be the ones sleeping on silk sheets and eating off silver platters. Yet you expect us to carry the brunt of the weight? It doesn’t sound fair.”

“I’ve asked very little of you,” I pointed out. “As long as you work with the wall guards to monitor the traffic in and out of the city, then you’re free to perform your normal duties. I was planning on giving everyone a huge pay increase to compensate for the new responsibilities, but if you’d rather stay where you are, I’ll make an exception.”

“How are you supposed to give us a pay increase?” Arnoch scoffed.

“With the contents of the treasury,” I said with a shrug. “Gotta spend it on something.”

“Wouldn’t it be wiser to save the funds until the city is thriving once more?” Miss Gervine sounded positively submissive, and it amused me to no end. “We will need to support not only the household staff, but additional workers to assist in our new duties.”

“There won’t be a thriving city without all of your help,” I said. “I could stay and oversee every detail like King Fred did, but I trust that you know your jobs well enough to grow beyond it. Meanwhile, I have bigger fish to fry.”

“What could be more important than the capital?” The herald, Pharen, sounded alarmed.

“Um, a lot of things,” I said, but I didn’t elaborate. “Does anyone else have comments or questions?”

As I swept my gaze over the gathered staff, I made a point to make eye contact with each and every one of them. Dael had remained silent during the entire meeting, but he had nodded along with everything Miss Gervine had said. The gardener and the maids also hadn’t contributed to the discussion, but I could tell from the looks on their faces that they were all deep in thought.

“Alright, well, it seems like we are finished for now.” I rubbed my hands together and gave them one last chance to speak up. “Let’s get this city cleaned up.”

The royal household staff began to file out of the room, and I overheard snippets of their conversations as they trailed into the hallway. Miss Gervine came to a stop right in front of me, and Dael was forced to stand behind her so they didn’t interfere with the flow of bodies.

“Be warned, Sir Sebastian,” the palace steward said in a low voice, and she fixed me with a shrewd look. “This is not a long-term solution to the problem. The people need representation in the form of a monarch. It is very similar to a parent-child relationship. I will do as you ask for now, but you can’t put off your claim to the crown forever.”

I nodded in understanding, and the Amazonian-esque woman patted me on the shoulder before she moved on. The baker, Dael, flashed me an apologetic smile as he followed in her wake, and I waved them off with a sigh.

The steward was right. This wasn’t a long-term solution.

I needed more minds on the problem.

The next person I wanted to talk to resided in a tucked away corner of the palace, and the maze-like corridors grew narrow as I neared the chambers designated for the royal mage. Viceroy greeted me with his eyebrows raised in surprise, but he beckoned me inside his rooms after only a brief hesitation.

“To what do I owe the pleasure of a visit from the God of Time?” The royal mage moved to a low table surrounded by cushions, and after he’d lowered himself into a cross-legged seated position, he gestured to one of the empty spots near him.

“Thanks.” I sat down and flashed him a grateful smile. “We have a lot to discuss. I took possession of your toy.”

“You have the crystal?” Viceroy’s eyes narrowed as he scanned me over like he could see through my clothes.

“Not with me,” I chuckled. “It’s safe. Only I know where.”

“Oh, good.” Viceroy turned to the steaming teapot before he served us each a cup.

“Not good,” I countered. “We can’t destroy it, and now my enemies are after it. This all could have been avoided if you’d shown some restraint in your experiments.”

“You sound like the king,” the royal mage huffed. “Did he send you?”

“Actually, he’s gone. He handed me the crown and left the palace.” I shrugged. “Looks like I’m in charge now.”

“I see.” Viceroy sipped his tea as he thought this over, and to his credit, he didn’t seem very shocked. “So, you need my assistance.”

“I do.” I nodded. “Everyone has a role to play, but I need your help ensuring the safety of the entire capital. Do whatever you have to do to keep potential threats out of the city, and keep an eye on the guards to make sure they’re doing their jobs.”

“Why me?” I could see him struggling to maintain a neutral expression when he was clearly offended by the task I’d offered him.

“Isn’t it obvious?” I arched an eyebrow. “You’re the second most powerful wizard in Sorreyal. If anyone can keep the city safe, it’s you. This is your chance to prove that there’s more to you than bitterness and rage. This can be your new toy.”

“I suppose that makes sense.” Viceroy didn’t meet my gaze for a long moment, but finally, he sighed and slumped his shoulders in defeat. “I will ensure the guards enact your legislation without fail.”

“Thank you.” I grinned. “Now, I just have to find someone who wants to be king.”

“Are you not accepting the throne?” Viceroy’s eyebrows rose in alarm. “You seem to be the obvious choice given King Frederick has no living heirs.”

“I’ve already got enough going on at the moment.” I shook my head. “But that doesn’t mean I’m abandoning Vallenwood, either. I’ll stick around to make sure the transition of power goes smoothly, but then I need to return to Bastianville to oversee my own territory.”

“I understand.” There was respect in the royal mage’s eyes when his gaze met mine, and I felt instant relief.

It helped having a powerful wizard on your side.

After my conversation with the royal mage, my next stop was Bastianville, but I had to gather the three women with me first. Caelia had her purchases bundled into packages, Zenda had two stacks of books, and Akina carried two baskets full of bread she’d made.

“Ready?” I chuckled, and they all nodded eagerly.

Everyone laid one hand on my back or shoulders while they grabbed their belongings with the other, and I performed the motions of the fast travel spell. The two amulets were like magnets for each other, and when I released the magic, we were teleported instantaneously across the map to Bastianville.

We were standing in front of the newly built castle I’d recently commissioned, and the first thing I saw was Elissa standing on the steps leading to the entrance. Our red-haired daughter Sorena was in her arms, but she was no longer the motionless infant she once was. Now, she grabbed at her mother’s dress and lifted her head up to look around.

“Bash!” the tiny goddess hurried down the stairs with our daughter in her arms, and I rushed forward to wrap my arms around them both. “We missed you!”

“Likewise,” I said as I planted a kiss on her cheek, and then I mirrored the gesture on Sorena’s head. “I have been eager to see you, but there’s been a lot going on.”

“Come inside and tell us all about it,” Elissa urged, and she turned to the three women behind me. “I’ll have a servant take your belongings to your rooms.”

My first wife had slipped effortlessly into the role of duchess, and she ruled with a tenderness I hadn’t expected from the fiery young redhead. She’d grown up with a strong role model, and her father had kept her close to his side while he founded the mining town of Addington, which later became Bastianville.

“Where’s Mahini?” I asked as I peered over her shoulder into the empty foyer. “How has she been feeling?”

The desert beauty was close to the end of her pregnancy, and we’d been anticipating the big moment for a while, but it seemed like my next child was a bit more shy than the first. Still, I was eager to see how she was doing, so I entered the castle in a hurry.

I wasn’t expecting the iridescent blur that launched at me as soon as I stepped into the cathedral ceiling foyer, and the not so little dragon knocking me off my feet. Nameless licked my face like an excited dog, and I scratched all his usual itchy spots until he finally jumped off me. He flapped his wings and returned to the rafters, but I could see the pleased expression in his stardust eyes.

Baby. Nameless preened his wings casually, but there was no mistaking his voice in my head.

I wasn’t sure what he meant, but before I could give it further thought, Mahini came down the stairs with the sun shining through the windows to illuminate her like a Renaissance painting. The desert goddess rested one hand on her belly as the other slid down the banister, and I was taken aback by her beauty and grace.

Evangeline came from the direction of the kitchens a moment later, and the first thing I noticed was how long her blonde hair had grown. The jagged edges jutted out at odd angles, but the sexy duchess pulled it off with effortless grace. Soon, the foyer was filled with the excited voices of all six women as they gossiped and bantered about recent experiences.

Then the conversation turned to our most pressing predicament: the Vallenwood throne. Elissa was beyond intrigued by the king’s sudden departure, but Mahini seemed more concerned with how much longer I’d be staying in the capital. Evangeline was already blurting out suggestions and ideas, and I struggled to keep up with her rapid-fire words.

“I sure am a lucky man.” I laughed. “As long as I have all of you, then I know I will come out on top.”

“Sometimes it’s nice when you’re on bottom,” Eva teased with a wink.

“Really any position works,” Zenda chimed in, and all the girls giggled.

It was nice to be all together again, but I realized I hadn’t been gone that long. It just felt like it had been longer because of how many times I redid the same day, but I’d managed to smoke out the thieves before I let time move forward again. The kingless throne wasn’t a problem I could fix with a few resets, but at least I wasn’t facing it alone.

We had a family dinner together, and I spent most of the meal bouncing Sorena gently on my knee. The infant was still too little to do anything fun, but I still managed to coax a few drool-filled grins out of her. I caught the women watching me closely, and I chuckled as I glanced around at their lustful gazes.

“You’re really getting excited about me playing with my daughter?” I shook my head. “Women are so strange.”

“You’re such a great father,” Elissa breathed. “Almost makes me want another baby.”

“Bash and I have started trying,” Akina announced in a shy voice, and the former desert dweller hugged herself as she glanced around at the other women’s reactions.

“Ooh, you will make such adorable babies!” Zenda gushed, and the Zaborian bounced up and down as she tugged on Akina’s arm.

“We will definitely have a beautiful family,” Caelia agreed, and I saw her cast a hopeful smile at her own belly.

“One baby at a time,” I chuckled, and I reached across the distance between me and Mahini to place my hand over hers. “We’ll be getting a new little one any day now.”

“The sooner, the better,” Mahini sighed. “This child is aggressive and active. While I’m proud to add a little warrior to the tribe, I wish his first enemy wasn’t my insides.”

“It’ll be over before you know it,” I reassured her.

“You’ll be fine,” Elissa agreed. “You’re stronger than me, and I survived it.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” Mahini argued. “We call you Skullcrusher for a reason.”

“Still.” Elissa shrugged. “You’re going to conquer this birth like you do everything else.”

“We’ll be right by your side the whole time, too,” Eva added.

We finished our meal and moved into the sitting room, but we broke up into smaller groups as we continued to converse. Mahini and I were curled up on one of the sofas, and I massaged her feet while she complained about the aches and pains of pregnancy. My excitement for the birth grew more and more as we talked, but I knew it could still be a while before the newborn made its appearance.

Nameless curled up in front of the fireplace like a cat, and Zenda took measurements of his growth while noting her findings in her journal. Caelia pulled out a knitting project, and soon, she was giving Eva and Elissa instructions on some simple stitches. Akina served some of her baked goods, and she explained the changes to the process she’d made with a bright gleam of excitement in her metallic-hued eyes.

I basked in the presence of my entire family, and I wished I never had to leave them ever again, but I knew duty would soon beckon me away.

I had kingdoms to run and gods to kill.

We went to bed late in the night, but everyone agreed Mahini deserved a night with me all to herself, so I wrapped my arms around the desert beauty from behind as we drifted off to sleep. I could feel the movements of our child through the skin of her stomach, and I smiled sleepily as imaginings of its face floated through my mind.

It was pitch black in the room when my eyes opened again, and I blinked around at the shadows as I tried to figure out what had woken me up. When I searched for Mahini in the darkness, my fingers came across wetness coating the sheets.

“Bash!” The pain and alarm in Mahini’s voice cut me to my core, and I shuffled toward the sound until my hands found her. “Bash, it hurts!”

“I could be wrong,” I said. “But I think you’re in labor. The baby is coming!”

I opened the palm of my hand and summoned a flame, but the light of the fire only illuminated my worst fears. The sheets were coated in blood, and Mahini’s nightgown was also red below the waist. The desert goddess gave me a terrified look, and my heart thudded against my chest.

“Bash, something feels wrong,” Mahini said in a quiet voice, and her chin quivered as she restrained her emotions.

“Everything is going to be okay,” I said, but I wasn’t sure what to do.

“I need my mother,” Mahini whimpered, and she reached over to grab my hand firmly. “You have to find her!”

“I will,” I promised. “But I don’t want to leave you alone. Let me grab the other girls first.”

Mahini nodded in understanding, but then her face scrunched up in pain. She leaned forward and supported her weight on her arms, and I rubbed her back in an encouraging manner until she shoved me away and pointed at the door.

“Okay, okay, I’m going.” I only hesitated one more time before I left her in the bedroom in search of the other women.

Elissa was the first to wake up, and I quickly relayed the situation to her. The fiery redhead jumped into action, and she shook the others awake as I left in search of Mahini’s mother.

I was satisfied that Mahini wouldn’t be left alone in her condition, but I raced through the streets of Bastianville. Aranini had a room in our castle, but her chambers were empty, so the only other place she could be was the apothecary shop where she’d been spending a lot of her time. Ever since the midwife had arrived in Bastianville from the Kotar Desert, she’d started to volunteer her expertise to the town’s resident herbalist, Theodora.

I pounded on the door of the apothecary shop until the skin of my knuckles was raw, but I heard the sound of rapid footsteps on the other side of the door. Theodora pulled open the portal as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, but I rushed inside as soon as there was space for me to pass.

“Mahini’s in labor,” I said in a rushed voice. “Aranini is needed right now.”

“Oh, goodness!” Theodora’s face lit up with joy. “Another little one in the castle! How exciting.”

“We can celebrate once I know Mahini is okay,” I said. “She’s bleeding a lot.”

“Oh, no.” Theodora’s expression turned serious immediately. “I’ll wake up Aranini.”

The herbalist returned a short while later with the former desert dweller in tow, and Aranini had a shawl wrapped around her shoulders to cover her nightclothes. Her long dark hair was unbraided, and she rushed past me out into the streets of Bastianville.

“What happened?” Aranini asked. “Everything looked normal during her last exam.”

“I-I don’t know.” I raked a hand through my hair. “Is she going to be okay?”

Aranini stopped mid stride and turned to face me, and the much shorter elderly woman stabbed a finger in my face.

“If you think I’m going to let anything happen to my daughter or my grandchild, then you don’t know me as well as I thought.” The midwife resumed her fast-paced walk to my castle, but I hurried ahead of her to hold open the door.

Aranini rushed up the stairs and into my bedroom without another word, and as soon as she was by my wife’s side, I felt myself relax a little. Daughters needed their mothers during labor like a knight needed a squire in battle, and I was glad I’d made the effort to reconnect them. It had taken a perilous journey through the desert sands to find my mother-in-law, but she’d driven a hard bargain. I had to stop the war between the tribes and bring peace to her homeland before she agreed to return to Bastianville with me, but she’d stayed close to Mahini’s side ever since.

The ladies had lit candles and lanterns around the room, so the blood-soaked sheets were fully illuminated. I felt a knot form in the pit of my stomach, and I swallowed hard.

“What’s going on?” I asked as Aranini inspected my bleeding wife. “Is she okay? Is the baby okay? Is it coming?”

“Bash,” Elissa said in a calming voice. “Give her a moment.”

“Sorry.” I pressed my lips together into a thin white line. “I’m just worried about her.”

“We won’t leave her side,” Zenda assured me. “But maybe you need to take a bit to breathe. We’re doing everything we can for both of them.”

“Come on, Bash,” Caelia said as she guided me toward the door. “I’ll make you some tea.”

Over the course of the next few hours, the girls all took turns keeping me company, but they had their hands full with helping me stay calm. I paced until I was sure I’d worn through the top layer of the floors, and I froze every now and then to listen closely for any new sounds. Mahini growled and roared like a lioness giving birth on the savannah, and I had a feeling she was tapping into all her strength and courage to get through this.

Zenda attempted to distract me with her esoteric knowledge, but I was too distracted to retain anything she said. Eva gave me a tour of the updated nursery, and Elissa brought Sorena with her when it was her turn to calm me. Akina stress baked, and soon the whole castle was redolent with delicious yeasty aromas.

But none of it distracted me for long.

“Why is it taking so long?” I asked when Caelia came down for another shift with me. “Is she going to make it?”

Before the dark-skinned beauty could form a response, a shrill infant scream filled the air. I dashed up the stairs as fast as my legs would take me, and I barreled through the door just in time to see Aranini placing a crying baby on Mahini’s chest. My heart beat so hard in my chest I thought my ribs might break, but I took a steadying breath as I crossed the distance to my beautiful wife and child.

The tiny face was scrunched up in distress as it rooted around in search of a nipple, and the moment the baby’s little mouth found its way, a look of relief washed over its face.

Aranini placed a hand on my shoulder, and I flashed her a grateful smile.

“It’s a boy,” Mahini’s mother said with obvious pride.

It felt like my heart would burst out of my chest.

My first son was born.

The OP MC 13 Chapter 1

Sorry for the late posting. I just finished the book today, and I wasn't sure what was going to come out.

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The early light of dawn shone through the floor-to-ceiling windows, and the warm sunbeams made their way directly to my face. I blinked back sleep as I peered around the lavish bedchamber appointed to me by the King of Sorreyal, and I took in the flowing velvet curtains framing the windows, the four-poster bed, and the mahogany end tables to either side. Then my wandering gaze landed on the olive-skinned beauty in bed beside me.

The red silk sheets accentuated the hues of her tan skin, and her long dark hair splayed across the pillow like water pouring over a fall. The curve of her hips dipped into the valley of her waist, and her bare shoulders moved ever so slightly with each breath she took.

Akina was a warrior mage from the Kotar Desert, and she’d been accompanying me ever since I brought peace to the southern lands where she grew up. Her ability to summon a powerful fiery blade made her a force to be reckoned with on the battleground, but I’d discovered a much softer, more alluring side to the desert dweller after I’d removed her from her homeland.

While we’d been visiting the golden-walled palace of Vallenwood, the capital city of Sorreyal, Akina had the opportunity to try her hand as a baker, and the harsh stoicism of her people faded away as bright happy smiles took over. The amazing warrior woman had been able to accomplish all that on top of achieving our other goals, and she’d helped me have one of my most successful days as the God of Time.

I wanted to be able to relive this feeling, so I made a new save point, and I had to admit, I’d long been enjoying the benefits of being able to return to a certain moment in time with a wave of will power.

I snuggled up against her back, and I wrapped my arms around her to pull her closer to me, but my mind wandered over all that had transpired recently. Ever since I’d been summoned to this medieval fantasy world, I’d grown my power exponentially, and now I had the whole world in the palm of my hand. From turning Bastianville into a thriving metropolis to uniting the warring tribes of the Kotar Desert, I’d been a busy man, but I had a feeling the best was yet to come.

My lips grazed over the skin of Akina’s shoulders, and she shivered slightly in her sleep. It seemed like we’d met a lifetime ago, but that might be due in part to my ability to reset time and redo things as many times as I wanted. As the God of Time, I’d managed to tweak history until it matched my goals, and I made sure my family and I always came out on top.

“Bash?” Akina asked in a sleepy voice as I nuzzled my nose against her neck. “Is it morning already?”

“Very much so,” I chuckled. “But we don’t have anywhere to be just yet. We can stay in bed as long as you like.”

“Well, in that case.” Akina giggled as she pressed her naked ass into my groin. “We shouldn’t waste it.”

“Oh, I was savoring every moment.” I pressed a kiss against her shoulder as I rubbed my hand up and down her side, but I was distracted by the soft textures of her flesh.

Despite growing up in one of the harshest environments in the world, Akina still managed to be a perfect example of feminine softness. She was a fearless warrior woman in the streets, but my soft-kissing lover in the sheets. She was perfect.

Akina let out a quiet gasp as my hand wandered lower and lower, and I could feel the muscles in her hips tense against me. I pressed my already stiffening member into the curves of her ass, and the warrior woman reached her hand back to hold mine close to her.

“Do you think the other ladies will mind?” Akina asked in a hesitant tone. “I don’t want to hog you all to myself.”

“I don’t think Caelia or Zenda mind,” I murmured. “They’re just happy to have you as a part of our family.”

As we spoke, Caelia and Zenda were probably taking advantage of some of the palace’s other amenities like the library and gardens, but I was sure they would be happy that Akina and I had some time to ourselves. My other women had practically demanded I seduce the reserved desert dweller, and they’d welcomed her with open arms from the first time they’d met her.

My other wives, Mahini, Elisa, and Evangeline, were all back in my homebase, Bastianville, and the three women had their hands full taking care of our growing family. My infant daughter, Sorena, was a firecracker that required twenty-four-seven supervision, Mahini’s rapidly progressing pregnancy made it difficult for her to travel, and while Eva’s fertile womb hadn’t grown to the size of the desert beauty’s, the duke’s daughter decided to remain behind to help them.

“So,” I said as I planted soft kisses on her shoulders and the back of her neck. “What shall we do to occupy ourselves?”

“I have an idea,” Akina purred, and she rolled over to face me.

Our faces were inches apart, and I stared deeply into Akina’s metallic-hued eyes before I claimed her lips with my own. Our kiss was soft, loving, and lingering, but it stirred a fire in my loins nonetheless. I pulled her against me until her breasts were pressed against my chest, and she threw a leg over my hips. The warmth of her crevice washed over my hard cock, and I stifled a groan of desire.

“You’re so fucking sexy,” I breathed between kisses. “You fit me like a missing puzzle piece.”

“It feels like I’ve been waiting for you my entire life,” Akina whispered, and she raked her elegant fingers through my messy brown hair. “The moment you showed up, I felt complete.”

“We have the rest of our lives to enjoy it, too.” I grinned. “But I’m really enjoying your presence right now.”

Akina moved her hips in a tantalizing manner, and my cock throbbed as it pressed against her soft mound. Her wetness coated my tip, and I ground myself against her for a few moments to prolong the sensation for as long as possible.

I took the meat of Akina’s hips in hand with a firm grasp, and I guided her motions against my crotch. Our breathing rate increased, and she arched her back with a lustful sigh. The former desert dweller was absolutely irresistible, but I was determined to enjoy every tempting second of it. Knowing I got to spend the rest of our lives together only encouraged my desire even more, so I slowly lifted her leg to give me better access to her warm, moist goodness.

My throbbing tip lurched against her wetness, and Akina wiggled around until it was rubbing against her opening. I could feel the sensation of her lower lips spreading open for me, and I inhaled sharply as I adjusted the angle of my hips ever so slightly.

Akina had her hands on my head as I buried my nose in her hair, and she arched her back as I trailed my fingers down her torso. She gasped when my digits slipped over her hardened nipples, and I longed to have them in my mouth.

“Take me,” she murmured in a husky voice. “Take me now.”

“My pleasure,” I whispered in her ear, and then I thrust my hard cock inside her tight little pussy in one fluid movement.

“Oh, Bash!” Akina cried out in a breathy voice.

“Fuck, you feel good,” I growled as I slid in and out of her.

I gripped Akina’s thigh firmly, but I could feel the muscles in her legs beginning to shake, and I realized she was already on the verge of an orgasm. Just having my dick inside her had brought her to the edge, but I was determined to throw her off it into the canyons of pleasure, so I repositioned my hand until my fingers could reach her slit.

With my breathing getting heavier and sweat dappling my forehead, I rubbed the pad of my middle finger against Akina’s node of pleasure. I could feel the heat radiating from her, and I struggled to maintain a grip on her slippery skin.

“Yes! Yes!” Akina panted. “Right there!”

I continued to simultaneously fuck and finger her, and I increased the pace of my movements until the sounds of wet slapping filled the air. Then Akina’s entire body stiffened, and even her toes curled inward as the orgasm hit her like a crate of TNT. I ground myself deep inside her, and I could feel the walls of her tunnel tightening around me.

“Fuuuck,” I groaned, and I struggled to hold onto my self-control.

When the desert beauty’s orgasm finally subsided, all of her muscles relaxed, and she let out a sigh of delight. I slowed my pace, but I wiggled a little lower so I could bury myself to the hilt in her warm tunnel.

I pulled Akina closer to me, and I peppered her shoulder, neck, and cheeks with soft kisses. She wiggled her entire body against mine like mating snakes in the sand, and I felt closer to her than ever before.

We were one.

“I want to give you the pleasure you give me,” Akina said in a soft voice. “How can I do that for you?”

“Oh, trust me, you do,” I chuckled. “In fact, it’s sometimes hard to hold myself back from exploding after just a few minutes because you’re so fucking sexy.”

“You have the stamina of a god,” Akina noted, and I could see the corners of her lips twist into a smile.

Then Akina rolled over and pushed me onto my back, and I held my breath in awe of her beauty as she climbed on top of me. Her dark hair fell across her shoulders in waves, and her metallic-hued eyes were heavy lidded and full of lust. The desert beauty lowered herself onto my cock, and her lips parted as a silent gasp escaped her.

Once I was fully sheathed inside her, I felt her shiver with delight, but then she started to rock back and forth to work me even deeper in her tight pussy. I could feel the wall of her cervix, and the unique texture rubbed against my mushroom cap.

“Fuck,” I moaned, and I grabbed her hips to guide her movements.

Akina followed my lead, and she began to twist her hips in concentric circles. Her toned abdomen glistened with sweat, and the muscles rippled as she danced on my cock. The desert dweller seemed unfazed by the heat and sweat, but her perky breasts heaved as her breathing grew rapid.

“Bash!” Akina gasped. “It’s happening again!”

“Let go,” I urged. “Enjoy it.”

I thrust my hips upward until I was slamming into her at a rapid pace, and her perfect tits bounced with each movement.

“Oh! Oh! Oh!” Akina’s mouth hung open, and guttural sounds escaped her throat with each bounce. Her eyes were unfocused, and I could tell she was right on the edge of another glorious orgasm.

I knew exactly what to do to get her there, too.

I rose up until I could wrap both of my hands in her thick dark curls, and I held her firmly as I claimed her mouth with my own. My tongue rolled around hers like a Kraken breaking a ship, and I could feel the vibrations of her moans as I swallowed them down.

With her head held firmly against me, I pressed her down even harder onto my stiff cock, and she began to shake more and more with each thrust. I didn’t relent in my constant attack on her pussy, and she surrendered to my control like a limp rag doll. Her head flung backward, and I licked and nibbled on her exposed neck as I cradled her gently in my arms. She tasted of salt and seduction, and I couldn’t get enough of her.

Then I picked Akina up and twisted around in one motion until she laid on her back with her hair splayed out over the pillows, but I didn’t let my cock slide out of her in the process, so I dug in deep as she landed. Akina groaned and spread her legs even wider, and I leaned back to hold onto her feet while I thrust in and out of her.

“Bash!” Akina moaning my name was one of the best sounds I’d ever heard. “Give me a baby? Please?”

“What?” I blinked sweat out of my eyes as I tried to process her words. “You want to get pregnant?”

“I want to give you a child.” Akina nodded, but there was an intensity in her gaze that pulled me in. “I want to carry the child of a god.”

“Oh, fuck,” I growled as a shiver ran up my spine. “That’s hot.”

I was slamming into the slippery tunnel between her legs with more and more force, but I continued to hold her legs out by her feet to give me perfect access. The bouncing of her breasts drew my attention, and I leaned forward to flick my tongue across a hardened bud.

Akina arched her back, and her hands wrapped around my head to hold my mouth against her nipple, so I sucked it between my lips before I twisted and twirled my tongue against the tip. The texture of her areola intrigued me, and I suckled until I could hear her breathing rate increase.

“Yes!” Akina groaned and stiffened. “Don’t stop!”

I pumped in and out of her while I continued to lick and suck on her breasts, and our skin started to stick together as the sweat turned into a glue, but there was no place I’d rather be stuck.

“Do you like that?” I asked as I ground my hips in a circular motion with my tip buried deep inside her. “Are you going to cum for me again?”

“I-I-I don’t know if I can…” Akina whimpered. “It’s just constant waves of pleasure now.”

“You can do it,” I said in an encouraging tone.

I leaned back until I could reach her slippery lower lips, and I pressed the pad of my thumb against her clit while I continued to slide in and out of her tight tunnel. The sight of her opening spreading around my girth sent another shiver of delight up my spine, and I could feel my need for release building to an unbearable level.

“Yes, yes, yes.” Akina’s leg muscles began to twitch, and her toes curled inward once more.

I plunged my cock as deep as it would go, paused, and then I did it all over again.

“Oh, shit,” I gasped as I felt myself unravel. “I’m cumming!”

Akina wrapped her legs around me and pulled me closer against her, and I could feel her ankles twitching against my lower back as the sensations washed over her. I released my tenuous grasp on my self-control, and I let the torrent of my seed explode out of me. My hips jerked as a few more spurts erupted, but the desert beauty did not let go of me, so I collapsed and buried my face in her neck.

“Wow,” she breathed as she ran delicate fingers through my hair. “Just… Wow!”

“You’re welcome,” I chuckled. “I hope I gave you what you wanted.”

“The beginning of our child could already be growing!” Akina’s tone was excited, and it made my heart skip a beat to hear how eager she was to carry my child.

I rolled to the side so I wouldn’t crush her beneath my weight, but Akina merely snuggled even closer against me. Her gaze was full of love and adoration as she looked up at me, and I couldn’t resist giving her a soft, slow kiss. I was tempted to reset to my save point to enjoy the experience all over again, but I still had plenty of time to do that, and the current moment was more than pleasurable. We’d already made love several times the night before, and it was nice to lay in each other’s arms as we contemplated the possibility of a new life being made.

The previous night had been a lovely evening spent wining and dining with the nobles who resided in Vallenwood’s palace, and while the event was to celebrate my victory, I knew there was still a lot of work to be done in the capital city. I’d managed to get a good look at the state of the streets during the parade through town, and I had several ideas for how to improve the quality of living within the golden walls.

I just needed to get King Frederick to listen to me.

The king of Sorreyal had been coming to me with his problems ever since the fire-breathing nightmare called Smiguel had arrived in the realm, and I’d saved his ass more times than I could count, so I was determined to take a different approach. I didn’t want him to rely on me for everything when he was responsible for the entire kingdom, but I wasn’t going to leave him high and dry, either.

I needed to find a compromise.

Akina and I drifted in and out of sleep for a few hours, but then my growling stomach demanded we wake up once and for all. I rang a bell string on the wall, and I headed into the bathroom to rinse off the smell of sex and sweat. My lover giggled as she raced past me, and her naked ass jiggling in front of me only made me slow down so I could enjoy the view.

A short while later, we were lounging in silk robes while we picked over the breakfast spread a servant had brought to the room, and we were flirting and teasing each other in between bites. Once my stomach was satisfied, I weighed out my options for the rest of the day. The day before had been a busy one for the king, but there was no time like the present when it came to resolving the issues facing the capital city.

I’d have to meet with him to discuss plans for the future.

After Akina and I had our fill of breakfast, we went off in search of our companions, Caelia and Zenda. As predicted, the Zaborian historian had her nose in a book about the different territories of Sorreyal, and she didn’t hear us approach until we were right in front of her. My torso blocked her light, and she poked her head up when the shadow fell across the page in front of her. A bright smile lit up her face as soon as she realized it was me, and she put the book to the side and stood up.

The blue-skinned scholar wrapped her wrists around the back of my head, and she draped her body against me as our lips met. My hands instinctively cradled her lower back, and I could feel her heart racing against my chest.

“Well, hello,” I chuckled when our lips parted. “Enjoying the peace and quiet?”

“I was wondering when you’d emerge from bed,” Zenda said with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. “Caelia and I placed bets. Apparently, she won, because it isn’t sundown yet.”

“Where is Caelia, by the way?” I asked as I looked from side to side just in case she was somewhere in the library.

“I believe she went to the market,” Zenda said. “I don’t remember because I was already reading at that point, but I’m pretty sure that’s what she said.”

“Well, Caels is a big girl,” I said. “I’m sure she’s stocking up on exotic goods from traveling vendors before we go back to Bastianville.”

“Speaking of,” Zenda said, and she turned to rifle through a pile of books. “We need to update the volumes regarding territories since you claimed a portion of the map around Bastianville for yourself. According to my research, it is the fastest growing town since the founding of Vallenwood.”

“I’m sure the king has scribes and researchers who keep track of all that,” I said. “We can ask him about it and see if he will let you join them.”

“Good idea.” Zenda grinned. “I also have some ideas for Vallenwood I think he should hear. There are systems in place in the Zaborial Isles to handle refuse, and I think there’s an aqueduct south of the capital.”

“What does that mean?” I frowned. “Are we going to sink?”

“No.” Zenda laughed. “But it would be a better water source if we can figure out how to access it.”

The Zaborian historian gathered an armful of books and hugged them against her chest like a security blanket, and she flashed me a hopeful smile. She always amazed me with her intelligence and shrewd observational skills, and she continued to be an essential asset on my side.

“You’re brilliant,” I breathed. “We will take the idea to the king and see what he says.”

It was late in the afternoon when Caelia returned to the palace, and she clutched several baskets heaping with new purchases. I helped her carry everything to her room, and I assured her we’d be able to bring the items back to Bastianville. I had the fast travel amulet, so all it took was a quick blip, and everything I touched would return to my homebase where the other half of the amulet waited.

“I think I’m going to suggest some big changes around here,” I said to the dark-skinned shopkeeper as we headed back to the common area. “Vallenwood may be the largest and most populated city in Sorreyal, but it has some serious issues that need to be addressed.”

“I did make some observations while in the marketplace,” Caelia agreed. “Vallenwood was once a glorious epicenter of trade, but there are far less vendors here than there were when you first brought me.”

“Do you think Bastianville is to blame for that?” I asked, and we stepped into the common room to join Zenda and Akina on the couches. “We’ve been attracting a lot of merchants and traveling vendors, but I never intended for it to be harmful to Vallenwood’s economy.”

“No, absolutely not,” Zenda immediately interjected. “Bastianville is hard to access from other realms unless you go through Vallenwood. A thriving town within the kingdom only adds to the allure of the capital. You make the whole realm look better.”

We continued to discuss the situation in Vallenwood, but all three women made really good points. Zenda suggested more ideas, like a school available to every child in the city, and Caelia shared all her observations from the market. There were whole sections of the city the merchants avoided because of the rampant filth and rodents present, so it seemed like we had our work cut out for us.

Nothing the God of Winning couldn’t handle.

It was almost dinner time when I felt ready to take my thoughts to the king, so I sent a servant across the palace to request an audience. I wasn’t surprised when the young man in the red and gold livery of Vallenwood returned with an affirmative response, and I followed him back through the corridors to the king’s chambers.

King Frederick sat in front of a small round table, and a handful of servants stood behind him awaiting any cue. He gestured with a greasy turkey leg to a chair on the opposite side from him, and I quickly sank into it.

“Do you want some food?” the king asked, but before I could answer, he turned to beckon one of the servants forward. “Give Sir Sebastian a plate with everything on it. Oh, and a glass of wine. Thank you.”

“That’s really unnecessary, but thank you.” I pressed my lips into a thin white line. “I’m actually here for another reason. We have business to discuss.”

“There are few joys in life greater than the enjoyment of food,” King Fred said like he didn’t hear me. “It’s my favorite part of being king, but the nice bed doesn’t hurt, either.”

“I’m glad you’re enjoying it,” I said. “But this is important. Things need to change, or the situation in Vallenwood will never improve.”

“What do you suggest?” King Fred sighed, and his shoulders slumped. “I’ve tried everything.”

“That’s not true,” I countered. “I have some ideas.”

A silver platter filled with a variety of food was placed in front of me, and another servant placed a glass of wine on my other side. I was distracted for a moment, but I couldn’t help savoring the delicious aromas emanating from the plate. There was a turkey leg, roast beef, slices of honeyed ham, potatoes, mixed greens, and rice. A couple of buttered hot rolls teetered on the edge of the silver platter, but I quickly rescued them and redirected them to my face.

The king and I discussed all my suggestions while we both finished our meals, and my stomach was more than satisfied when we finally reached an agreement. The king would enact a city-wide cleanup initiative, create a unified schooling system, and fund research into accessing the aqueduct. He debated for longer than I expected when I brought up the idea of releasing nonviolent criminals, but I was determined to show the residents of Vallenwood that they deserved a second chance.

“Alright, it’s settled,” King Fred said as he steepled his fingers below his chin. “We will make an announcement together very soon, but I want you to guarantee that you’ll continue to assist me in these matters.”

“Look, it’s your kingdom, your city.” I shrugged. “I don’t want you to fail because that would affect the entire realm, but I also have other responsibilities to focus on. I have a growing family, an army, and a town of my own to run. I can’t promise I’ll stick around forever, but I’m not going to let you drown.”

“Well, I appreciate that at the very least.” The king sounded disappointed, but I wasn’t going to lie to him just because it was what he wanted to hear.

He might be a king, but I was a god.

King Fred called in a scribe, and he dictated instructions on gathering an audience for the announcements. I reiterated many times how it would be most beneficial to take the message directly to the heart of the city, and the king finally relented. A stage would be erected in the market square, and the heralds would spread word of the impending announcement.

I was eager to move forward with our plans, so I woke up bright and early the day the announcement was to be made. The ladies were all still asleep, but I would update them on how the announcements were received when I returned, and in the meantime, they could get some beauty rest.

Not that any of them needed it.

I met up with King Frederick in the foyer of the palace, and we both walked out to the courtyard together. An open-air carriage carried us to the heart of the city, and a sizable crowd had already gathered around the newly built stage.

King Fred led the way to the center of the wooden platform, and a circle of guards separated him from the crowd. I joined the king and waved to the people in a friendly manner, but the only response was tense whispers. The skepticism on their faces was plain to see, but I knew I could make them feel more hopeful.

The God of Time was here to switch it up.

I was a god of the people, and their happiness was paramount to achieving my goals for world domination. With the populace on my side, those other two gods didn’t stand a chance against me, but I shook off my thoughts of my enemies and refocused on the moment at hand.

The king’s body language was tense and nervous, so I gave him an encouraging smile before we both turned to face the crowd. King Fred lifted his arms to signal for silence, and a hush fell over the gathered masses.

“Vallenwood is suffering,” King Frederick said in a loud voice. “You are suffering. Things need to change, and the Archduke here has stepped forward to take charge of the situation. We will be enacting some new laws, and relaxing some others.”

The king began to explain our plan to clean up the city. There were approving nods and claps when he explained about releasing the nonviolent criminals and giving them a second chance, but the booing started as soon as the curfew and alcohol limits were announced. The taunts and jeers were drowning out the king’s voice, and he flashed me a helpless look.

Shit.

“Alright, alright!” I shouted as I gestured for silence, and I stepped slightly in front of the king. “This is for the best for everyone. We all want a safer Sorreyal.”

“Why now?” someone called out. “Why not last year before my father starved to death?”

“Yeah!” a bunch of people shouted in agreement.

The voices continued to shout and join together until the crowd emitted a buzzing vibration. The king shrugged and began to leave the platform, but the second he stepped away, the front of the crowd rushed toward the protective circle of guards.

I caught several things being thrown in my peripheral vision, and a couple vegetables whacked guards in the helmet and face. Things were getting out of control, and it didn’t seem like the city guard would be able to hold them all back for long. The armored soldiers joined their shields together to form a wall, but the people moved in a wave against the barrier in search of weak spots.

I had to protect the king.

When I turned around to find King Fred, his personal retinue of guards were surrounded on all sides, and the crowd was pushing them further and further away from the stage. I could barely see the king through the press of bodies between us, but the sunlight glinted off the crown perched atop his head.

“Fred!” I shouted as I jumped into action.

I had to get him back to the palace before the angry residents of Vallenwood killed him, but it seemed like that was exactly their intention. I dove into the mass of bodies, and I struggled to maintain my footing as they flowed around me. A few people spotted me and moved to intercept my movement toward the king, but I didn’t hesitate.

I sucker-punched a large guy in the face, and his head snapped to the side. More people rushed forward to grab at my arms and legs, and I was almost caught up in the wave of the crowd. I had to reach the king, so I shoved back the people holding onto me, and I went on the offensive. This riot was far beyond the abilities of the guard, and I knew our only choice was to retreat back to the palace, but it didn’t seem like I would be getting much help from the soldiers.

I continued to kick, shove, and punch my way through the crowd, but I could see the king every so often through the ocean of bodies. There was a moment when we made eye contact and time seemed to freeze, but he was swept away from me an instant later.

“Let me go!” I shouted as I kicked backward to push someone off me.

I was starting to make some progress through the crowd, but it seemed like the closer I got to the king’s location, the more dense the press of bodies became. The ringing of shouts and roars filled my ears, and the stench of the streets was overpowering, but I blocked out everything except the image of the king in his circle of guards.

With a stomp of my foot, I activated the fleetness ability of my griffon feather dragonscale boots, and I zoomed past the people standing in my way. Several rioters were knocked off their feet like bowling pins, and I was standing beside the king a moment later. The guards quickly swallowed me inside their protective circle, but we were still far from safety.

“I have to get you out of here,” I said in a voice loud enough for the king to hear me above the din of the crowd. “They’re after blood.”

“How do you propose doing that, exactly?” King Fred was jostled as his guards were rammed by peasants on the other side of their shields. “We’re surrounded!”

“Climb on my back,” I instructed as I turned to kneel in front of him. “I’ll get us both out of here.”

The king grumbled something about being humiliated, but in the end he chose a chance at escape over his dignity, and he clambered onto my back. The ruler of Sorreyal was lighter than I expected, and it only took me a moment to position him securely. Then I stomped my foot again, and I zipped through the circle of guards at top speed. The armored guards jumped out of the way at the last minute, but they ended up knocking over several of the rioters in the process, so we were given an opening to run through.

I didn’t slow down as we shoved through the crowd, but my speed allowed me to dart between people like they were moving in slow motion. I could see the empty street beyond the horde, and a moment later, we burst out of the gathered masses. King Fred gasped in a few breaths, but then he tapped me on the shoulder.

“They’re coming after us!” The king clung to my back, but I could feel the tension in his body.

I glanced over my shoulder to see a handful of people following us, but they would be eating my dust before they realized where we’d gone. I stomped my foot for the third time, and the streets of Vallenwood flashed by my peripheral vision, but I made a mental note to check the stats on my boots when I got the chance. Then I headed straight to the palace, and I didn’t stop until we entered the courtyard.

Once the king was on his feet again, I bent over and supported myself on my knees as I caught my breath. My cheeks felt windburned from the dash through the city, but the king was safe, so that was all that mattered. We’d managed to escape the mob intent on bringing him down, and I was glad we’d made it out unharmed.

“That was crazy,” I said with a shake of my head. “I didn’t expect them to react that way.”

“Maybe it was too much change,” the king mused. “I can’t even pretend to know what the people want anymore.”

“Don’t say that,” I said in a reassuring tone. “We will figure this out. We can hold town halls or gather petitions to see what the residents of Vallenwood need from their ruler. This is just a setback.”

“Another setback in a long line of failures.” King Fred sighed. “I have no heir, no wife, and now, I’ve lost the respect of the people. I have failed.”

“Things may seem bad now,” I said. “But we can turn it around. We just need to give them some time to process the new changes, and I’m sure everyone will realize it’s for the best.”

“You don’t understand, Sir Sebastian.” King Fred frowned. “I fully believe you have the power to change Vallenwood, and I’m sure you are capable of fixing the city.”

“Cool.” I grinned. “So, let’s figure out our next move.”

Then, once we figured out where we went wrong, I could reset and avoid the mob altogether.

“No.” King Fred shook his head, and then he reached up and removed the crown from the top of his head. “I can’t do it anymore. Here.”

The king of Sorreyal handed me his crown, and without another word, he turned and walked inside the palace. I blinked at his departing back for a long moment as I tried to process what just happened.

Did the king just quit?

Audiobook Release | Monster Girl Islands 15

Monster Girl Islands 15 is in your BF library ABLs.  For everyone else, pick it up on my website or on Audiobook Guild

Overview

Ben and his people have made their new home on the back of the gigadragon Seshuna, but the problem of the orcs hangs over their heads like a shadow.

The Draco Rex feels it is time to go on the offensive, so he sets out on a mission to infiltrate the orc’s home island.

But every mission comes with its share of problems.

Like the giant Shadow Dragon that is being forced to protect the orc’s island.

Or the beautiful female orc pirates that attack Ben’s ship en route.

Narration by: Alyssa Poon, Robert L. Bradvica
Length: 6 Hours, 49 Minutes

Audiobook Sneak Peek | Resurrected As A Drow: Chap 1

We have a pair of new narrators, Evan and Elizabeth on this series and I think they killed it!

What do you think?

Please keep in mind that these are beta recordings so audio hiccups may occur. 

Survive the Monsters and Breed 5 NSFW covers

Delicious.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B925R5LM

Survive the Monsters and Breed 5 is out!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B925R5LM

Made in Hell 6 Cover poll

Survive the Monsters and Breed 5 Chapter 2

“Hoooooooly shit,” Shanice breathed.

“It’s huge!” Sarah shouted.

“Stop yellin’ about it and get it off of me!” Devonna shrieked, and she bounced up and down and waved her arms around frantically as she tried to knock the creature off her back.

“What the hell is that?” Marina asked as she backed against the wall to avoid Devonna’s flailing body.

“It’s a centipede,” I answered, and I pushed through the pain and pulled myself to my feet.

“Da.” Natasha nodded.

“Somebody get it offfffff!” Devonna cried, and when she spun around I could see real tears streaming down her face.

“Okay, okay, hold still,” Shanice urged, and she grabbed a stick from our supplies.

“What do you mean ‘hold still?’” Devonna squealed as she continued to spin and swipe at the creature. “You try holdin’ still with a fuckin’ monster on your back!”

“Devonna, listen to her,” I commanded. “If that thing bites you, it’s going to hurt like hell. Now, hold still so she can get it off.”

“O-okay,” Devonna sniffled, and she stopped spinning and held her arms down as a look of pure strain and terror came over her face.

Hot tears streamed down her cheeks, and her body vibrated with the desire to keep moving, but she did a damn good job of keeping still while Shanice made her way around to her back.

Once Shanice was in position, she slowly moved the stick toward Devonna’s back.

“You’re doing great,” I whispered to the Southern woman.

“Jakeeeeey,” she whimpered, and my heart absolutely broke for her.

The poor woman was completely terrified and violated by this massive myriapod, and as much as I wanted to help her, there was nothing I could do right then but try to comfort her.

Suddenly, Shanice flicked the stick to the right and sent the centipede flying into the open area of the tunnel.

“Okay, it’s off,” she said quickly, but before anybody could even blink, the little creature spun around and headed right toward where Em sat at the edge of the semi-circle.

“Ahhh!” the Asian woman screamed and scurried backward as she kicked at the three-foot-long centipede.

“Shit,” I breathed, and I reached behind me with my good arm and grabbed my sword from where it was leaning against the wall. Then I leapt over the fire and brought my sword down on the centipede, effectively slicing it in half.

“Jesus,” Em breathed, and she looked up at me with huge, dark brown eyes full of terror.

For someone who was a black belt martial artist, I was surprised to see her behave in such a way. But bugs seemed to be a different story for a lot of people. There was something about insects that just sparked an innate fear in humans.

Em gasped as the head of the centipede snapped and scurried forward a couple of inches before falling to the side.

We all watched as it continued to twitch, but after a moment, it stopped, and I used the tip of my sword to knock both ends of it into the fire.

“Oh, God,” Devonna cried, and she shuddered and leapt into my arms.

“You’re okay,” I whispered as I wrapped my good arm around her and pulled her close.

Em’s eyes caught mine, and she nodded and mouthed a quick “thank you.”

I smiled softly and nodded back, and then I held Devonna’s shuddering form against me for another minute until she seemed to calm down.

“Normally, I’d say you were being dramatic,” Shanice said at length. “But that was… unsettling.”

“You’re damn right it was,” Devonna huffed and pulled away from me to look at the burning carcass of the huge centipede. “I feel so violated.”

She shuddered again, and I kissed the top of her head.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” I said.

“Da.” Natasha nodded. “Bite probably would have killed you.”

“What?” Devonna asked, and her dark blue eyes widened as she turned to me. “I thought you said the bite would just hurt like hell.”

“It would have,” I said, and my eyebrows furrowed as I turned to Natasha. “What makes you think it would have killed her?”

“Giant centipedes are usually about thirty centimeters long,” Natasha explained. “Or twelve inches, since majority of you here are American.”

“Pff, imperial system,” Marina scoffed with an eye roll.

“Hey, we didn’t exactly get a say in that, alright?” Sarah chuckled.

“Wait, so you’re tellin’ me that creature on my back was what, five times the size of a regular giant centipede?” Devonna asked.

“I’d say closer to three times,” I corrected.

“Da.” Natasha nodded. “But giant centipede bites have caused issues for many people, including at least one death. So, it stands to reason that one three times as large as normal would have killed you fairly quickly. And that is not taking into account the fact that it was probably mutated to have even stronger venom than what it usually has. You are lucky to be alive at this point. Especially with all the shouting and jumping you were doing. I’m surprised it didn’t bite you right away.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Devonna asked.

“What would that have helped?” Natasha asked. “You would have panicked even more and definitely would have gotten bit. I made executive decision to keep quiet. I may find you annoying, but I don’t want you to actually die.”

We all grew quiet as Natasha’s words sank in.

I knew centipede bites hurt since I could now recall being bitten a couple of times as a kid, but I always knew the bites to be more akin to a bee sting than anything. But I’d also never seen a centipede longer than an inch or so. I had no idea that giant centipedes existed, let alone that a bite from one could literally kill someone.

To think that Devonna could have lost her life for having the wrong reaction to that creature was unsettling, to say the least. If she were bitten, we would have absolutely no way of saving her. It would be like Zori from Shanice’s group all over again.

The woman had been stung by a scorpion and died within a day or so afterward. There was nothing Shanice could do to save her, and I knew it killed her to think about it even now.

“Was it something I said?” Natasha asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Isn’t it always?” Devonna scoffed and threw her hands up.

Then she sat down, pulled her knees to her chest, and scooted closer to the fire.

“How do you know so much about centipedes, anyway?” Sarah asked.

“I read a lot of scientific articles.” The Russian woman shrugged. “Anything venomous is usually studied at some point. Giant centipede is no different.”

“I could have died,” Devonna whispered, and the rest of us looked back and forth between one another as we tried to figure out what to say.

Finally, Marina leaned forward and placed a hand on Devonna’s shoulder.

“We could all die,” the Latin woman said seriously. “At any moment. Especially in here.”

“Is this supposed to make me feel better?” Devonna wiped a tear from her cheek.

“Jake nearly died just earlier,” Marina continued. “You are not special for nearly dying. None of us are. We are not special for dying at all. That is something that all living creatures do eventually. What makes us special is the time that we spend living, seizing the moment. And in the short time I’ve known you, I’ve found you to be the kind of woman who seizes the moment. Do not let fear guide you just because you escaped death. Think of it as another chance at life.”

“Wow,” Devonna sniffed. “Thanks, Marina. I needed that.”

“But also maybe don’t scream and freak out so much next time, eh?” the Latin woman teased.

“You try having a giant worm with legs on your back,” Devonna snorted.

“Maybe we should make some adjustments to the camp,” Shanice suggested. “I mean, where did that thing come from, anyway?”

“I don’t know.” Devonna shook her head. “All of a sudden, it was just on me.”

“You were sitting there,” Shanice said with a point at the tunnel, and she walked over and touched the wall. “The dirt here is really soft.”

Then Shanice walked around the little area we were in and felt the walls before she finally turned to the rest of us and pointed to the wall to the right.

“This one is the firmest as far as I can tell,” she said. “I think maybe we should scoot over this way.”

“Then the fire won’t be blocking us from the rest of the tunnel,” Em pointed out with a frown.

“Yeah, but we’ll be up against the firmest wall,” Shanice countered. “Which means it’s less likely that some creepy crawlies will come out and find their way into our camp.”

“Done,” Devonna huffed, and she stood up, walked over to the wall Shanice pointed to, and plopped down.

“That easy, huh?” Sarah chuckled.

“After what I just went through?” Devonna asked. “You bet your sweet tushy it’s easy. I’ll move wherever I need to to make sure one of those things don’t come for me again.”

“Oh, we can use some of the charcoal, too,” Em said.

“What do you mean?” Shanice asked.

“My dad used to do it whenever we had a picnic,” she explained. “You know, at the park where they have the little grills? He used to always use one, and he’d take some of the charcoal and crumble some up and sprinkle it around our blanket. He said it kept the ants away. I don’t know if it works for centipedes, but–”

“Done,” Devonna said firmly.

“She’s not even sure it works for centipedes,” Sarah laughed.

“It’s done,” Devonna said with a pointed look, and Sarah realized just how terrified she was.

“Alright.” Sarah nodded as her demeanor changed to be more understanding. “It’s done. Now, how are we going to move the fire?”

“There’s only a couple large burning logs right now,” Marina noted. “We should be able to carefully scoot them with a piece of wood. The smaller pieces we can probably kick over there.”

“Good idea,” I agreed, but the quick movement to turn toward Marina reminded me of just how sore my body was.

“Jake, you should sit this one out,” Sarah said with a frown. “You’re still injured, and you’ve gotta keep that shoulder still while the healing begins.”

“Da.” Natasha nodded. “You sit. We will move fire and supplies.”

“Are you sure?” I asked, and my brow furrowed with concern. “I can still help.”

“We know you could still help,” Sarah said. “The question is whether or not you should help. And the answer is no, you shouldn’t.”

“Da,” Natasha chuckled. “Firehead is correct. Now, go sit with scaredy-cat over there.”

“Hey!” Devonna protested at Natasha’s new nickname for her.

“Am only kidding,” the Russian woman said with a sly smile.

Devonna pouted as I made my way over to her and sat down. Then she leaned her head against my good shoulder and sighed deeply.

“Am I a horrible person?” she asked.

“What?” My eyebrows pulled together with concern. “Why would you say that?”

“You nearly died today,” she pointed out, and she looked up at me with serious dark blue eyes. “But I was more concerned with myself nearly dying. I should have been more worried about you.”

“Hey, hey,” I chuckled and draped my arm over her shoulders. “It’s alright. I think you’re just feeling bad because you were in real danger this time.”

“What do you mean?” Devonna asked. “I’m in real danger, like, all the time.”

“Not exactly,” I chuckled. “You’re a really helpful asset to the group, but usually you’re playing matador with the monsters.”

“Is that one of those people with the red capes and the cow?” she asked, and she cocked her head to the side innocently.

“Bull,” Marina huffed and muttered something in Spanish.

“Oops.” Devonna bit her lip.

“I know you’re in danger quite often,” I continued. “We all are. But I think you usually feel a certain sense of security since you’re not usually the one doing most of the fighting. Am I right?”

“Well, yeah,” she agreed. “But I never really thought of it like that.”

“I think you just felt really out of control just now,” I added. “We usually have a plan, but there was no plan for that.”

“Yeah,” she sighed. “You’re right. That just all happened so suddenly.”

“It’s alright,” I assured her. “You’re okay, and that’s all that matters. Besides, now we know that those things are probably more deadly than we originally thought.”

“Well, thank God we know that,” Devonna chuckled and rolled her eyes. Then she leaned her head against my shoulder again and sighed, “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” I smiled and kissed the top of her head.

My body still ached terribly, but Devonna needed me right then, so I wasn’t about to push her away just for my own comfort. As soon as the fire was moved, we’d all settle down for some sleep, anyway.

To my surprise, it didn’t take Marina and Natasha long at all to get the fire resituated. They used a couple of large sticks from the supply cart to carry the larger pieces of wood from the fire to the new area. Then they scooted the remaining pieces over and took the leftover charcoal and scattered it around our makeshift campsite.

Once it was all done, Marina threw a couple more pieces of wood on the fire, and we all watched as the flames grew bigger. We were crowded together with my polar bear coat splayed out on top of us, and after a couple of minutes, I was pretty warm and toasty.

“I’ll take first watch,” Sarah said at length. “You all should get some sleep.”

“No,” Em blurted, and Sarah’s red eyebrows furrowed. “I mean, I’ll take the first watch.”

“Are you alright?” Shanice asked her friend, and she eyed her curiously.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Em nodded and turned back to Sarah. “I got it, really.”

“Um, okay,” Sarah agreed. “If you insist. Just wake me for the second shift, alright?”

“I will,” Em assured her, and then she scooted toward the fire by our feet and looked out into the darkness of the tunnel beyond.

The rest of the women and I laid down, but as soon as I was on my back and surrounded by their sleeping forms, I found myself feeling way too hot.

I pushed the blanket off of me, but then I was too cold. My body ached like a son of a bitch, and I just couldn’t seem to get comfortable. Finally, I forced my eyes closed and just counted up from one. I got to two hundred and fifty-six, but then I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I remember was Em’s hand on my forehead.

“I’m sorry,” the beautiful Asian woman whispered from where she hovered above me. “I didn’t mean to wake you, I was just checking to see if you had a fever. You were twitching like crazy. I’m sorry. Go back to sleep.”

I sat up and looked around at the rest of the women. They were all sleeping so soundly, and I knew I wasn’t going to be able to get that kind of rest, not at the moment. It was best if I stayed up and didn’t wake them.

“It’s okay,” I told Em with a deep sigh. “Actually, can I come sit with you for a bit?”

“Oh.” She blinked. “Of course. Yes, come on over. Here, do you need help getting up?”

“That would be appreciated,” I chuckled softly and allowed her to grab my hand as I gritted my teeth through the pain and pushed myself up.

I could tell that my body was already starting to heal from the injuries because I didn’t have the severe shooting pain I’d had earlier. Now I just felt like I’d been hit by a Mack truck. My entire body was sore as all hell, and I felt stiff and weak from all the energy I’d exerted earlier. But the state of my collarbone was surprisingly improved. I gave a test shrug that only brought a small increase in pain to the area, and as I gently pressed along the bone, it felt surprisingly smooth all the way along.

Damn, this rapid healing rate seemed to only increase more and more the longer I was in this place.

Em and I sat between the rest of the women and the fire in the small clearing where their feet ended and the flames began. It was only about five feet wide, which wasn’t much, but it fit the two of us alright.

“Thanks,” I sighed once we sat down.

“Of course.” Em frowned as she examined my face. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” I nodded. “I’m just sore as hell. I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep much, so I figured I’d let everyone else get some good rest. I wouldn’t want to wake them with all my twitching. You could join them if you want. I can keep watch by myself.”

“That’s okay.” Em shook her head. “I’m not going to be able to sleep, either.”

“Are you alright?” I asked, and I was suddenly concerned that she was injured and hadn’t spoken up about it. “You’re not hurt, are you?”

“I’m fine,” she assured me quickly. “I’m just…”

She mumbled something, but I couldn’t make out what she said because she turned away and put her head down.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you,” I said. “You’re what?”

“I’m afraid of the dark, okay?” she hissed quietly, and she looked around to see if she’d woken anybody up before lowering her head again.

“Wait, seriously?” I asked.

I looked at the beautiful Asian warrior woman sitting next to me. She was hands down the most badass fighter I’d ever known, and if I was being honest, in a battle between the two of us, I’d put my money on her. For such an incredible martial artist to say she was afraid of the dark was somewhat shocking.

“I’m not proud of it,” Em sighed. “But yeah. I hate the dark. I always have. It’s just so creepy.”

“But you slept in a cave before,” I pointed out. “You and Shanice and Zori made your desert camp in a cave.”

“Shanice’s idea,” Em explained. “I went along with it because it seemed safe. Plus there was always a fire, and if I got claustrophobic, I could step outside and look at the moon.”

“The fake moon,” I teased with a small smile.

“Yeah, but still,” she chuckled softly.

“You’re feeling claustrophobic in here?” I asked.

“A bit,” Em admitted, and she looked at me and shook her head. “I know, it’s ridiculous for me to be so scared of these little things when I’ve gone head to head with giant monsters. I felt so silly with that centipede earlier, and now here I am telling you I’m afraid of the dark like I’m five or something.”

“I’m pretty sure there’s a lot of adults who are afraid of the dark,” I said. “It’s not just something for kids. And it makes sense.”

“It does?” she asked, and she eyed me curiously.

“Well, yeah.” I nodded. “Biologically, our bodies are still practically cavemen. I mean, the industrial revolution and all that came on so quickly that it’s not like our DNA had time to evolve. Our ancestors were probably terrified of the dark because of the natural threat that came with it. It makes sense that a lot of people still hold that fear.”

“I guess I never considered that,” Em said with a small smile. “Thanks.”

“And as for you feeling silly about the centipede,” I added. “Don’t. That thing was crazy big, and it was coming right at you. I would have backed away, too.”

“No, you would have killed it just like you did,” she chuckled. “I just panicked. I fucking hate bugs.”

Em’s shoulders shimmied as her body shivered with disgust, and I tried to stifle a laugh at how adorable she was.

“I don’t hear you curse that often,” I noted. “You must really dislike bugs.”

“They’re the worst thing that’s ever been created,” she said matter-of-factly.

“Jesus,” I laughed. “And that’s including Hitler?”

“Yes.” She nodded seriously.

“Well, shit,” I chuckled. “I guess I better distract you from the creepy-crawlies and the dark, then, eh?”

“That sounds nice.” Em smiled and scooted closer to me. “What did you have in mind?”

“Hmmm.” I pursed my lips and tried to hide the fact that my heart rate doubled at her closeness. “How about we plan our date?”

“The date we’re going on after we get out of here?” she asked with a shy smile.

“That’s the one,” I agreed.

“Alright,” Em said. “So, where are you taking me on this date?”

“Oh, you’re leaving it all up to me?” I asked.

“Well, isn’t that how it usually is?” she pushed. “You know I’m not experienced in this. You gotta help me out here.”

“Yeah, but you’ve seen movies,” I chuckled. “I’ll plan the date if you want, but if there’s anything in particular you’re after, you should tell me now.”

“Dessert,” she blurted.

“Dessert?” I laughed.

“Something chocolatey and delicious,” Em added with a grin.

“Done,” I agreed. “Anything my lady wants.”

Em blushed and looked down, and my stomach turned into knots at her embarrassment of me calling her ‘my lady.’

“Alright, let’s see,” I said as I tried to control my nerves. “I think the typical dinner and movie is a little too bland for a woman like you.”

“Is that right?” Em giggled.

“Oh, definitely.” I smiled and narrowed my eyes on her. “I think you’d like an art gallery instead. A nice, local event where we could walk around and look at the pieces together. Maybe we’d even wander off in different directions for a bit only to arrive back at the same piece.”

“Oooh, you’re good,” the beautiful Asian woman chuckled, and she pushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “Go on.”

“After the art gallery, we’d go for a walk through the park,” I continued. “Then we’d stop at a little jazz bar and get a couple of drinks. But not like a loud jazz bar. A soft jazz with a speakeasy feel to it where we can sit and listen to some piano and saxophone. Smooth jazz.”

“What makes you think I like jazz?” Em asked, and she eyed me suspiciously.

“Do you?” I pushed as I thought I might have just fucked up the date.

“I do,” she laughed. “I just didn’t think I told you that.”

“I don’t think you did,” I said, and I couldn’t help but admire her beautiful, delicate features as she laughed. “But you just look like you would.”

Em blushed again, and then she cleared her throat and straightened her shoulders.

“I’m still waiting for the dessert,” she told me.

“Well, it just so happens I saved the best part for last,” I said.

“Is that right?” Em giggled.

“Oh, yes.” I nodded. “Because after we have a couple of drinks at the jazz bar and tip the pianist–”

“Of course,” Em cut in. “Always have to tip the pianist.”

“Right?” I chuckled, and she nodded playfully. “Well, after we leave the jazz bar, then I’m going to walk you home. But we’re going to take the long way, and it’s going to lead us past my favorite late night bakery where we’ll stop and get a piece of the most delicious hot fudge covered cheesecake you’ve ever imagined.”

“Did you just say hot fudge covered cheesecake?” Em asked, and her jaw literally dropped as she stared at me.

“You’ve never had that?” I asked.

“My mind has been blown,” she joked.

“You said chocolatey dessert,” I mused. “And it brought up memories of college and going to that late night bakery to study. I’d always get the hot fudge covered cheesecake, and it was soooo good.”

“It sounds delicious,” Em said, and she licked her lips. “I could probably eat an entire tray of it on my own.”

“Careful,” I warned. “It’s super rich.”

“Mmm, stoooop,” Em moaned and closed her eyes. “It sounds too good.”

“You really miss chocolate, don’t you?” I chuckled, and the sheer pleasurable torment on her face made my chest tighten with desire.

“Sooo much,” Em sighed.

“Well, as soon as I can get you that cheesecake, you’ll have it,” I promised.

“I’ll hold you to that,” she agreed, and she looked down and then back up at me through her thick, dark lashes. “I liked your date.”

“Good.” I gulped and licked my lips nervously. “I hope you’ll actually let me take you out on it when we get out of here.”

“There is one thing you missed, though,” she said, and she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth for a second before looking up at me.

“What’s that?” I breathed.

My palms were sweaty at that point, and all the pain I felt in my body had been reduced to a dull roar since my adrenaline was so high, and my heart was practically beating out of my chest.

“You didn’t kiss me goodnight,” she whispered as she leaned up so her lips were only an inch from mine.

“Oh,” I panted as the scent and feel of her warm breath hit my lips. “We can’t have that, can we?”

“No, we can’t,” Em breathed, and she leaned up and kissed me.

The second her lips touched mine, a spark jolted through my entire body. My already pounding heart pounded even harder, but I knew Em was new to this, so I controlled my instinctive desire to wrap my arms around her waist and pull her closer to me.

She was in charge here, I was just following her lead.

I could only hope she’d lead me to where I wanted so desperately to be.

She pressed her lips more firmly against mine and let out a little sigh that drove me absolutely wild. Then she placed one hand on my abs and ran it up to my uninjured shoulder while she tangled her other hand in my hair.

My cock stiffened in my pants, and the world around me became nonexistent as Emily took over all of my senses.

I kissed her back, and she parted her lips so I could slide my tongue between them and swirl it with hers.

I ran my hands up her side but was careful not to get too excited. I didn’t want to scare her off, so I just gently traced my fingers along her perfect hourglass waist and up the length of her back.

Em moaned into my mouth and kissed me more fervently, and my hands wandered down to her hips of their own accord. She didn’t seem to mind, though, so I gently gripped her hips and pulled her closer to me.

The beautiful Asian woman straddled my legs and gripped the back of my neck and my hair tightly as she swirled her tongue with mine. Her excitement was growing, and my heart rate seemed to be keeping pace with it.

I held onto her hips and gently rocked them back and forth as we kissed, and then after a moment, I hesitantly moved one hand over to cup her perfect ass.

Em broke our kiss and moaned loudly, but I quickly captured her mouth with mine so she wouldn’t wake the women sleeping so close by.

She kissed me even more passionately, and she pressed her hips firmly against mine and ground them against my erection that now took up the whole front of my pants.

“Oh, God, Jake,” Em panted as she kissed along my jaw over to my ear. “I want you.”

Survive the Monsters and Breed 5 Chapter 1

Shit. Realized I forgot to put up chapters!

---

I stared at the footprints in the dirt and shook my head once more.

We’d narrowly escaped not one or two, but three woolly mammoths, only to find ourselves in what could either be another room or a maintenance tunnel. I wasn’t even sure how to tell the difference at this point.

“Did you just say we’re not alone down here?” Devonna squeaked, and a second later, the beautiful Southern woman was crouched down next to me.

“Look.” Shanice pointed to the tracks on the ground. “Those are definitely footprints.”

“It could be the maintenance workers if this is one of their tunnels,” Sarah pointed out as she leaned over my shoulder to get a better look.

“But if this were a maintenance tunnel, why would we need to scan our eyes to get through?” Marina asked in her thick, Latin accent.

“Perhaps is both.” Natasha, the gorgeous Russian woman shrugged.

“What do you mean ‘perhaps it’s both?’” Devonna asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Natasha might be on to something,” Em, the petite Asian woman, noted with a gesture to the blonde in the dim light of the torch I held. “This could be another room, but maybe whoever put us here also uses it to access the other rooms. I mean, we know it leads to the tundra room, so maybe some tunnels around here lead to the other rooms, too.”

“Then they’d have to avoid the people in the room, though.” Sarah pursed her lips, and her long auburn ponytail swayed behind her as she cocked her head to the side.

“Not if they knew where people were,” Natasha said, and an eerie feeling accompanied her words.

“We have theorized that they’re watching us,” I sighed and ran my hand through my hair, which caused me to wince in pain.

“So, what’s our plan for tonight?” Shanice asked, and she looked at me seriously. “We could follow the prints and see where they lead. Maybe it would get us out of here.”

“They’re pretty clear,” Sarah added. “We could probably follow them for a while as long as they haven’t been disturbed.”

“Y’all realize we just fought a woolly mammoth, right?” Devonna asked, and she cocked her hip out to the side. “Any of you feel like walkin’ right about now?”

“Good point,” Em sighed.

“It is night time,” I noted. “A lot of cave-dwelling animals are nocturnal. If we don’t want another fight on our hands, we might want to set up camp for the night.”

“You think there’s bears in here?” Devonna asked, and her dark blue eyes darted around nervously.

“Why would your mind go straight to bears?” Sarah chuckled.

“Well, what else lives in caves?” the Southern woman asked haughtily.

“Um, wolves?” Sarah shook her head.

“Mountain lions,” Marina added.

“Bats,” I said.

“Foxes,” Em chimed in.

“Da, but we are not in cave,” Natasha said.

“Oh, I guess you’re right,” I agreed.

“What are you talkin’ about?” Devonna asked. “It looks pretty cave-like to me.”

“Just because something looks like cave does not mean it is one,” Natasha said. “This is tunnel. Cave is naturally occurring formation. Tunnel is man-made.”

“She’s right,” I confirmed. “This is definitely a tunnel, not a cave.”

“But there are still plenty of tunnel creatures to worry about.” Natasha smirked.

“Oh yeah, like gophers,” Sarah said.

“Wolverines,” Marina added.

“Snakes,” I chimed in.

“Alright, alright,” Devonna scoffed and threw her hands up in exasperation. “I get it. Apparently, there’s lots of critters for us to worry about in here.”

“Not to mention the bugs.” Shanice grinned.

“I don’t like that look on your face right now,” Devonna said, and she narrowed her eyes on the dark-skinned beauty. “You better wipe that look off your face, Shanice. Why does it seem like you’re eyein’ my shoulder? Is there somethin’ on me? Oh, God, get it off, get it off!”

Devonna spun in circles as she swatted at the imaginary bugs on her shoulder.

“Relax,” Shanice chuckled after the Southern woman had gone around at least twice. “There’s nothing on you, I was just kidding around.”

“Now is not the time, Shanice,” Devonna sniffed and straightened her shoulders to regain her composure. “We are in a very vulnerable position, you know.”

“Not that vulnerable, actually,” Natasha said, and her large, full lips pouted as she shrugged one shoulder up to her cheek. “We are in fairly safe place right now.”

“You call this place safe?” Devonna snorted and gestured all around.

“Chute is right there.” Natasha pointed up at the large metal slide we’d all just come down. “This is just wall here, and we know nobody else is going to come through chute since all others in tundra room are dead. So, now enemy can only come at us from one direction.”

“She makes a good point,” Em remarked.

“Don’t I always?” Natasha smirked, and her large eyes and lips shone with even more exaggeration than normal in the light of the torch I held.

“So, it’s settled.” Shanice clapped and stood up. “We’ll set up camp here for the night, yeah?”

“Sounds good to me,” Sarah said. “I need to check over Jake’s injuries anyway. And I’m sure we could all use some rest.”

“Da,” Natasha agreed. “And we need fire if we are going to not freeze to death tonight.”

“I am pretty cold,” Devonna shivered and wrapped her arms around herself.

“We’re all half-soaked, too,” Marina added. “I’m sure that’s not helping.”

“My boots are wet,” I noted. “I’m guessing everyone else’s are, too?”

“Yeah.” Sarah nodded.

“They’re squishy, alright.” Devonna wrinkled her nose as she looked down at her boots.

“We need to make sure we dry them out really well,” I said. “We can’t have wet shoes while we’re traveling. That’s a recipe for disaster.”

“I will get fire going,” Natasha offered.

“I can help,” Marina chimed in before turning to me. “Is the top of the chute still open?”

“I believe so.” I nodded. “Shanice and I pushed a piece of ice down to stop the door from closing.”

“Then it should work as makeshift chimney.” Natasha nodded.

“Si,” Marina agreed.

“Here,” Sarah said, and she held out her hand to me. “Come over here and sit down.”

“I’m fine,” I assured her, but I winced when she grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet.

“Mhm.” Sarah rolled her eyes. “All the wincing really has me convinced.”

“I’ve winced like twice,” I chuckled.

Sarah just raised an eyebrow at me.

“What?” I asked, and my brow furrowed. “Has it really been more than that?”

“You’ve been wincin’ with every move there, Tall Glass,” Devonna noted. “I’d listen to the doc if I were you. You did crash into a metal wall on the back of an extinct beastie at, like, full speed ahead.”

“Right,” Sarah agreed. “And the doc says to sit down and rest until we get the fire going. Then I’ll check out your injuries.”

“Good advice, Doc.” Devonna smiled.

“You know she’s not an actual doctor, right?” I laughed.

“Um, I’m the closest thing you have right now,” Sarah reminded me.

“Ahem.” Natasha looked up from where she was making the fire and raised an eyebrow at Sarah.

“Oh, right,” Sarah whispered. “You’re an actual doctor.”

“I thought you were a scientist?” Marina asked.

“Doctor of neuroscience,” Natasha noted with a shrug.

“Yeah, but that don’t help you with sick people, right?” Devonna asked.

“I suppose not,” the Russian woman chuckled. “But I still think is deserving of some kind of acknowledgment, no?”

“Yes,” Sarah agreed. “Sorry, Natasha.”

“Is fine,” Natasha said with a small smile.

It was little interactions like that which made me admire Natasha even more. The Russian woman was straightforward, but never rude. And while she wasn’t making a point that she was better than Sarah at this particular activity, she was reminding us all that she had her own skills, and they shouldn’t be looked over.

And she was absolutely right.

The Russian woman was usually quiet, and I had noticed that every now and then, she seemed to get forgotten by the group because of it. But she’d also given us the most insight into the monsters we were dealing with since she was knowledgeable about pretty much all things involving genes and the brain. Her specialty may be neuroscience, but she could talk about pretty much anything science related.

All the women I found myself surrounded by were incredibly talented, though in different ways. And some were louder about it than others, which meant that attention was often drawn to them above others. But just because someone was louder didn’t mean they were more valuable.

Natasha and Marina quickly got a small fire going, and soon enough, we had a roaring fire between us and the vast expanse of the tunnel.

We all formed a semicircle around the side of the fire closest to the tunnel wall behind the chute. Then I had everyone take their shoes off and carefully place them near the fire to dry.

Once that was done, Sarah gently patted my shoulder.

“Lean against the wall for me,” she said.

“Okay,” I agreed, and I leaned back and let myself relax some.

That relaxation was short-lived. Sarah was gentle as she ran her hands along my arm, up to my shoulder, and then down my chest, but it still hurt like a son of a bitch.

“Are you alright?” Sarah asked when she saw me wince again.

“Damn, Sarah,” Devonna teased. “You really aren’t a doctor. Look at that, you’re makin’ him hurt worse.”

“I’m just assessing his injuries,” Sarah told the dark-haired woman before turning back to me. “Where does it hurt the worst?”

“I’m not sure,” I admitted, and I sucked in a breath through my teeth as I tried to adjust my position. “It all hurts.”

I was putting it lightly. In all honesty, my entire body was so sore it hurt to even think about moving. I hadn’t noticed it until I sat down, but now that the adrenaline had worn off, I felt like total and complete garbage.

“No shit,” Shanice snorted.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked.

“I’m just surprised you weren’t writhing in pain sooner,” she explained apologetically. “I mean, your whole face is bruised to hell and back. I know you’re tough, but damn. That’s got to hurt.”

“Is my face really that bad?” I asked, and I winced as I reached up to touch my cheek.

“Yes,” all the women said in unison.

“Whoa,” I chuckled. “It must be really bad.”

“Now that the fire’s going, and we have better light to see by,” Sarah said, “I gotta say, it’s worse than I originally thought.”

“Oh, no,” Devonna pouted and scooted closer to me so she could put her hand on my arm. “Give it to us straight, Doc. Is he gonna live?”

“Oh, my god,” Shanice laughed. “You’re too dramatic.”

“I think he’ll be fine.” Sarah rolled her eyes at Devonna’s ridiculous attempt to lighten the mood. “But I am going to need him to undress.”

“Hubba hubba.” Devonna wiggled her eyebrows at me and looked me up and down.

“Can you go sit over there, please?” Sarah asked with a point behind her. “You’re making my patient uncomfortable.”

“I’m pretty sure he likes it.” Devonna grinned at me.

“Alright, you’re making me uncomfortable,” Sarah corrected.

“Oh, alright,” Devonna chuckled and stood up to make her way past me and Sarah and plop down between Natasha and Em.

“Thank you,” Sarah huffed and turned back to me with a sympathetic look. “I need to see the extent of the bruising. I’m worried you have some cracked ribs.”

“Pretty sure you’re right about that,” I said. “It hurts to breathe.”

“Yeah…” Sarah pursed her lips. “Let’s get that shirt off.”

Devonna put her fingers up to her mouth as if she were about to whistle, but before she could, Sarah whipped around to glare at her.

Devonna’s eyes widened, and she scratched her chin as if that’s what she were doing all along.

Sarah muttered under her breath before turning back to me, and I couldn’t help but think about how adorable the two women were. They bickered like sisters, and while it could sometimes be inconvenient to have my team split on certain matters, it also made for a fun time. We may be trapped in a series of fucked up torture chambers disguised as random ecosystems with genetically mutated monsters after us, but at least there was never a dull moment.

Sarah helped me to pull my jacket off and lift my shirt over my head, and after they were off, I was exhausted from the effort I’d just exerted. Which seemed crazy considering what I’d just gone through in the tundra room.

I managed to go head to head with a fucking woolly mammoth less than an hour ago, but now I could barely move my body to get my own clothes off because I was so sore and stiff. Adrenaline really was a double-edged sword. All that ignorance of pain and injury always came crashing down later, and I was at the bottom of that crash.

With a deep sigh, I leaned against the cool tunnel wall and closed my eyes while Sarah once again ran her hands along my body. She started on my left side with my ear and jaw, and then she worked her way down to my neck and collarbone. As soon as she touched the actual bone, I winced and jolted from the rush of pain that ran through my body.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Sarah sighed.

“I’m guessing that’s broken, too?” I hissed through gritted teeth.

“Definitely,” Sarah agreed. “But that’s not the worst part.”

“What’s the worst part?” I wondered, and I eyed her suspiciously.

“Well.” The redhead bit her lip and looked down. “It’s kind of… misaligned.”

“Shiiiiiiit,” I groaned and leaned my head back against the dirt again.

“What does that mean?” Devonna asked. “That sounds bad. Is that like that bad kinda cancer or somethin’?”

“What the fuck?” Shanice scoffed.

“You know, that misalignant or whatever.” The Southern woman waved her hand dismissively.

“Did you just ask if Jake has cancer?” Sarah shook her head in disbelief.

“Well, excuse the hell outta me for bein’ concerned,” Devonna huffed.

“I’m sorry,” Sarah snickered, and the rest of us couldn’t help but join in. “It’s just… How would I be able to tell if he had cancer?”

“I don’t know,” Devonna replied in a high-pitched voice. “Can’t you feel it or somethin’?”

“Technically, Devonna is not totally incorrect,” Natasha noted with an amused look.

“See?” Devonna asked with a pointed look at Sarah, but then Natasha’s words sank in, and she turned to the Russian woman. “Hold up, what do you mean I’m not ‘totally incorrect?’”

“Certain cancers can be felt in the body,” Natasha explained, and her short blonde pixie cut lit up bright orange from the flames in front of her. “At least, the supposed cancer can be felt.”

“Right, like a breast lump,” Em added.

“Da.” Natasha nodded. “Or testicular lump.”

“Ew.” Devonna wrinkled her nose.

“Why is that ‘ew?’” Sarah scoffed. “You’re so rude.”

“Sorry, I just thought about lumpy balls, and it grossed me out.” She turned back to Natasha. “Proceed with how right I am.”

“Oh, God.” Shanice rolled her eyes.

Devonna glared at the dark-skinned woman, but Shanice glared right back at her.

“You know people die from that, right?” Sarah scoffed, and apparently she wasn’t willing to let the ‘ew’ comment go.

“Actually, is not common,” Natasha said. “Testicular cancer is one of highest cured cancers. So is not probable someone who has it will die from it. But regardless, Devonna is still absolutely ridiculous for thinking Sarah could tell if any sort of lump was cancerous or not. A lump does not equal cancer, it must be biopsied to confirm whether is malignant or not.”

“Malignant!” Devonna pointed at Natasha and nodded fervently. “That’s the word I was thinking of earlier.”

“You don’t say,” Natasha said with a wry smile.

“Wait, so if Jakey doesn’t have cancer, then what were you talkin’ about, Sarah?” the Southern woman asked.

“She was saying his collarbone is misaligned,” Marina chimed in, and she put her two forefingers together tip to tip. Then she lifted one up slightly to demonstrate the concept.

“Oooohhhh.” Devonna nodded. “Yeah, that makes sense.”

“We’re so glad to be of assistance,” Natasha half-chuckled.

“Well, sorry I don’t know about doctor stuff,” Devonna apologized with an eye roll. “Cheese and crackers, y’all are judgy.”

“Am going to ignore this comment,” Natasha told her before turning to Sarah. “Normally with injury like this, doctor puts arm in sling and allows bone to heal itself. It develops somewhat ‘sticky’ substance at both ends of break, and as this builds up, distance between the ends decreases until fully fused together again.”

“Well, I’ll be…” Devonna shook her head in awe. “That’s some fancy healin’ right there.”

“Okay, but it’s, like, really misaligned.” Sarah bit her lip anxiously. “If he heals with it like this, I’d worry about his range of movement being affected…”

Natasha frowned and came over to look. Then her frown deepened.

“Da.” Natasha nodded. “Usually to force misalignment back into place requires surgery with bolts being put in to keep bone from moving again. However, Jake heals very quickly. So…”

“So we could realign it and just leave it?” Sarah asked hopefully.

“I believe so,” the Russian woman agreed. “Must be careful of arteries, but I can manage this.”

“Um, do you know the best way to do it?” Sarah asked.

“I studied the body for years,” Natasha replied with a small smile. “I can manage.”

“Didn’t you study the brain?” Devonna corrected.

“Oh, now you want to act like you know something?” Natasha teased, and the rest of the girls started laughing.

“Y’all are so mean,” Devonna huffed.

“You bring it on yourself,” Shanice chuckled.

“You do,” Marina agreed. “I am last to come to this group, but even I can see you dole out criticism far more readily than you accept it.”

“I believe you mean to say Devonna can dish it, but she can’t take it,” Em giggled.

“Si.” Marina grinned.

“Oh, whatever,” Devonna said with an eye roll, which only prompted the women to burst into laughter yet again.

While everyone else was picking on Devonna, Natasha made her way over to where Sarah and I sat on the far side of the fire. The Russian woman carefully laid me down, straddled me, and then leaned against my chest just slightly as she softly ran her hand up my abs to my collarbone.

The feel of her hands on me paired with the sight of her straddling me helped take my mind off of what was actually happening. Even when I knew she was about to cause me serious pain, I couldn’t help but think the Russian woman was absolutely stunning.

“Take deep breath,” she whispered.

I breathed in, and on the exhale, Natasha pushed the heel of her palm against my collarbone and popped it back into place.

My breath was cut short, and I let out a little gurgling sound as I was overcome by so much pain I thought I was about to have an aneurysm.

“Jesus,” I breathed as I lifted myself up onto my elbows and heaved in deep breaths.

Natasha leaned back and cocked her head to the side as she assessed my injury.

“Da.” She nodded. “Is straight now. Move carefully while healing begins.”

“Thank God,” I groaned.

“But bruising goes down past his hip,” the Russian woman pointed out, and she trailed her finger down to the waistband of my pants. “You should have him take them off, too. I can help assess if hip is partially dislocated.”

“You think his hip could be dislocated?” Sarah asked, and her dark green eyes widened to saucers. “Shit, I hadn’t thought about that.”

“Would only be mild considering he can walk,” Natasha explained as she crawled off of me to sit next to Sarah. “But I need to feel it to check.”

“I thought you weren’t that kind of doctor,” Sarah teased, mocking something Natasha had said just a couple of days before.

“I’m not.” She shrugged. “But I went to chiropractor a lot.”

“I thought real doctors hated chiropractors,” Sarah chuckled.

“Again, not that kind of doctor.” Natasha smirked.

“Fair enough,” Sarah laughed and turned back to where I was still trying to breathe through the pain of having my collarbone popped back into place. “I know that hurt, but Natasha and I need to take your pants off and check out the bruises.”

“Damn, Jakey,” Devonna said. “That woolly mammoth really did a number on you.”

“Did you expect anything less?” Shanice scoffed. “It’s a fucking woolly mammoth.”

“Yeah, can we talk about how crazy that was for a second?” Em asked. “I mean, we’ve seen a lot of monsters in these rooms so far, but a woolly mammoth? That’s crazy. How did they even get woolly mammoth DNA?”

“Frozen in ice,” Natasha explained. “DNA lasts years when frozen properly. This is how we’ve studied several ice age specimens.”

“It’s true,” Marina confirmed with a nod. “The ice and snow will preserve just about anything if it dies under the right conditions. I used to find frozen carcasses all the time in the winter when I’d go hunting.”

“Why a woolly mammoth, though?” Devonna wondered, and she cocked her head to the side. “I mean, it’s just a big, hairy elephant? Why not cross an elephant with something?”

“Why mess with nearly perfect predator?” Natasha shrugged.

“But I thought woolly mammoths weren’t predators?” Sarah asked. “Weren’t they herbivores?”

“Technically, yes.” The Russian woman nodded. “But if you were going to choose an animal to turn into predator, what would you choose? Woolly mammoth seems like perfect choice to me.”

“Their tusks are ridiculously long and sharp,” Em noted.

“And they’re massive,” Marina added. “That alone makes them valuable.”

“Splicing genes is not easiest thing in the world,” Natasha noted. “Perhaps whoever is doing splicing tried to mix elephant DNA with other animals already. Could be that splicing elephants with other animals makes result smaller.”

“Mmm,” Em mused and nodded. “That would make sense. I think. You’re the genetic expert.”

“I am not expert,” Natasha chuckled. “I am only guessing based on other knowledge I have.”

“Well, it sounds like a good guess to me,” Devonna said. “Either way, that hairy elephant did Jakey boy in. How long do you think it’ll take him to heal?”

“Collarbone and ribs should heal completely in less than two days,” Natasha said. “At least, that is what we’ve seen in past. But with added injuries it could be longer.”

“Alright, let’s lay you back down,” Sarah said, and she held her hand out to help me lower myself to the ground.

“Do we really have to take my pants off?” I asked, but as soon as my back hit the ground, my feet wound up right by the fire, and I couldn’t help but relax just a little.

“What’s wrong, Tall Glass?” Devonna teased. “Afraid we’re gonna see your manhood?”

“And what if I am?” I joked back, but it wasn’t much of a joke at all.

In all actuality, I was concerned about Em. I hadn’t been with either her or Marina, but I didn’t think Marina was a virgin. She’d probably seen a naked man at least a few times in her life. Em hadn’t, though, and the last thing I wanted to do was make her uncomfortable.

“Oh, come on,” Devonna laughed. “It’s nothin’ we all haven’t seen before.”

“Um, actually…” Em trailed off and looked down.

“Si,” Marina added. “Not everyone here has slept with Jake.”

“Oooh, shit.” Devonna bit her lip. “Sorry, ladies. I guess I kinda forgot. At this point, it just feels like we’re livin’ the sister wife dream and riding the same cock.”

“I’m sorry, but you actually watched that show?” Em asked as her brow furrowed.

“What show?” Devonna narrowed her eyes.

“Sister Wives,” Em giggled. “It’s a reality show about a polygamist family, but never mind. Now that I think about it, I’m pretty sure that came out after your time… maybe, like, 2010?”

“Sounds like it’s right up my alley,” the Southern woman snickered. “Go on, tell me about it. Spare no details, either.”

“I swear, there is something wrong with you, girl,” Shanice said, and she put her hand over her mouth.

“I thought you were a good Southern woman?” Marina teased.

“I am a good Southern woman,” Devonna scoffed and put her hand on her chest. “But I do love me some scandalous reality shows. They’re one of my guilty pleasures. There was this one show where—”

Sarah leaned down and whispered to me so I stopped paying attention to what Devonna was saying.

“Natasha and I will block you as best we can, okay?” she asked. “But I do think we should check your hip.”

“I know,” I sighed.

“Looks like Devonna has them occupied over there, anyway,” Natasha said with a wry smile.

“Alright, let’s do it,” I agreed.

“Just lift up a little,” Sarah instructed.

I did as she requested, and she and Natasha shimmied my pants down to my mid-thigh. I quickly grabbed my shirt and covered myself, but when I glanced over to see if the women were still occupied, Em’s eyes met mine.

The beautiful Asian woman flushed bright red in the firelight, and then she looked away from me quickly.

Still, the fact that she’d been staring made the corner of my mouth lift with a little smile. She’d been checking me out, and I had to admit, I liked it.

The rest of the women had come onto me, but Em was a virgin, so I knew it would take longer for her to think about being with me, if she did at all. But now, seeing the way she looked at me, I knew she was at the very least considering the possibility of us together.

I’d already known she was starting to warm up to me since she’d jokingly agreed to go out on a date with me after we got out of here, but I hadn’t expected to see her trying to sneak a peek at me naked.

I didn’t mind, though. Not one bit.

Natasha and Sarah touched me gently as they assessed my injuries, and after a couple of minutes, they pulled my pants back up and helped me to sit up again.

“What do you say, Docs?” I joked with the two of them. “Do I get a clean bill of health?”

“Absolutely not,” Natasha chuckled.

“I think the medical term for your situation is fucked up,” Sarah said with faux seriousness.

“Can confirm.” Natasha nodded.

“Well, shit,” I laughed, which only made me wince in pain.

“Yeah, try to do less of that,” Sarah said with a shake of her head.

“At least for tonight,” Natasha added. “It seems first few hours after injury are most critical for expedited healing. You should try and relax.”

“Right,” Sarah agreed. “Try your best to chill–”

“Oh, my God!” Devonna screamed at the top of her lungs, and she leapt into the air and started to spin around. “Get it off, get it off!”

“Shanice!” Sarah chastised.

“I didn’t do anything this time,” the dark–skinned woman promised, and her wide eyes and the way she leaned away from Devonna told me she was telling the truth.

“Somebody get it off!” Devonna screamed and pouted all at once.

Just then, she spun around so we all got a good view of what was on her, and a collective gasp filled the air.

A monstrous centipede took up the length of her back.

Audiobook Release: Arena 8

The final Arena audiobook, Arena 8 is in your BF library ABLs.  For everyone else, pick it up on my website or on Audiobook Guild

Overview

Great. Great. Great.

The biggliest and most impressive harem series to ever have been written by anyone who writes books that are written. Just fantastic. And I know these things because, believe me, I know things. Really important things. All these things.

If you haven’t read the stories of Marc Havak yet, I feel bad for you. Unless you are about to start reading them. Then you are in for a treat. They are the best. High energy. Big.

Now, I don’t do spoilers. I do “Incredible Leadership,” and “Being the Best President in the Universe,” and “Amazing Business Man,” but I will tell you that you won’t be disappointed in the grand finale of the Arena Series.

As usual, Marc does just what I would have done, and he saves the universe from a bad hombre AI, avenges his friend, and then bangs all the sexy babes. And I know beautiful women, so trust me, all these babes are elevens. Eeeee-levvv-annnns.

So take my advice and read the story of Marc Havak saving the universe.

You’re welcome.

Narration by: Joshua Story
Length: 10 Hours, 36 Minutes

Resurrected as a Drow NSFW covers

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B8BVYSHR

Ahhh. That's some nice cream.

Resurrected as a Drow 4 is out!

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Audiobook Releases for August 2022.

Arena 08

Monster Girl Islands 15

The OP MC 10

Werepanther 07

I'm re-recording Backyard Dungeon with Evan and Alyssa. Book 2 should be done this month and then we'll have 3-6 lined up. Sorry about the delay. If you already have the audiobooks, they will be updated in Bookfunnel.

Audiobook Release | Werepanther 6

The Werepanther 6 audiobook is in your BF library ABLs.  For everyone else, pick it up on my website or on Audiobook Guild

Overview

There were lots of pros and cons to being a powerful werepather.

Pros: I could kill any human or paranormal enemy that came my way, badass women threw themselves at my feet, and my lucrative lounge was raking in the dough.

Cons: Every god and monster wants to see my head separated from my shoulders.

But unfortunately for my enemies, they haven’t succeeded yet, and as I grow my empire and my power, it’s only going to get worse for them from here on out.

Narration By: Alyssa Poon and Robert L. Bradvica
Duration: 6 Hours, 38 Minutes

Backyard Dungeon 6 NSFW covers!

Nileme looking mighty fine covered in cream.

Backyard Dungeon 6 Map!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B7M8M6KJ

Backyard Dungeon 6 is out!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B7M8M6KJ

Backyard Dungeon 6 Chapter 2

After we’d packed for our trip to the Gloom, Nileme, Bolra, and I said goodbye to Amrila and Ibseth. It was always hard to leave the Elven woman, my first wife, but I knew Amrila and Dread would keep her safe until I got back. They also had the old Hi-Point pistol and Bulgarian AK, and I’d made sure they were in working order when I checked the Galil over. There was also the retired police officer, Jack Tinor, across the cul-de-sac. Ibseth had made friends with him and his wife, and they always looked out for her.

“I’ll be back soon,” I said as we got ready to head into the backyard. “Make sure to keep Dread in the backyard at night. That way he can look after both houses.”

“What if it rains?” Ibseth asked with a look of concern.

“Then you can bring him in,” I chuckled. “But it’s not that cold out yet, and I’ll feel better if I know he’s guarding the yard.”

“Yes, my king.” The white-haired woman smiled.

“Don’t get into any good fights without me,” Amrila pouted as I kissed her goodbye.

“I promise, partner.” I grinned. “And with Ursenger gone, I doubt there’ll be much trouble on this trip. Next time, you and I can go hunt down another troll or something.”

“Mmm,” my Zencarri wife sighed with a whimsical expression as she remembered the first time we met. “That was a good fight.”

“And we’ll have many other opportunities to make similarly happy memories.” I smirked and gave Amirla one last kiss on the cheek.

Then we went into the backyard and headed into the lilac bushes. The bushes had started to drop their leaves, and I could see the metal door through the branches now.

“Come on, Growler,” I called.

The red-eared dog ran over and waited dutifully at my side, so I let Nileme go down the ladder first, and then I handed Growler down to her. The garm had gotten bigger, and I thought I should build some stairs to replace the ladder soon. Growler would get a lot bigger, and if I wanted to take him with me to The Gloom, it would be a hell of a lot easier to get him up and down the stairs into the tunnels when he got too big to pick up.

My wives and I headed to see the Dwarves first. I needed a sword, and I knew they had a stockpile from the old days of their citadel. When we reached the workroom where the Dwarves usually gathered, Saggor and Tauric were there at their work tables.

“Guardian of the tunnels.” Saggor smiled as he saw me and my wives come into the large, cavern-like room. “And we have some new friends.”

As the two Dwarves approached, my garm let out a low growl, and the two men stopped in their tracks.

I knew all of the white dog’s growls by heart now, and this one was more of a question than a threat.

“Heel, Growler,” I said gently, and the garm sat on his haunches. “Don’t mind him. That’s just what he does.”

“Is that a garm?” Tauric rumbled as he scratched his iron gray beard. “Beclin would be sorry to miss this. He’s wanted to see one since he read about them as a boy.”

“Really?” I asked as I set the cases of beer on one of the tables. “Yeah, I have two of them. Rescued them from some Goblins.”

“The Dwarves of old used to tame them,” Saggor commented as he kept a respectable distance from Growler. “But those bloodlines died out a long time ago. What are you up to know, Eddie? Assaulting an Elven city? Ridding The Gloom of a Giant Spider infestation?”

“Actually,” I replied as I smiled at the Orcish woman, “I’m visiting my brother-in-law. This is my wife Bolra.”

“Are you indeed?” the elder Dwarf asked. “Congratulations! Eddie Hill is a fine man.”

“I agree.” Bolra smiled and blushed as she looked at me.

“That’s actually why I’m here and what the beer is for,” I continued. “I was hoping to trade it for a good sword, or maybe a battle ax.”

“I have plenty of those, friend Eddie,” Tauric said with a hearty laugh. “No need for trade, I’m not using them-- but I will accept the beer as a token of friendship.”

Tauric took me back to the armory, and Bolra helped me to pick out a large, two-handed ax that I was not looking forward to carrying all the way to Tors Bane.

When we got back to the workroom, Beclin and Dorrem had arrived, and the smaller, red-haired Dwarf’s eyes lit up when he saw Growler with me.

“A garm!” Beclin gasped. “Eddie! You have a garm.”

“He knows he has it,” Dorrem grumbled as he poured over a massive book and sipped a beer. “The beast is the size of a small ink. It’s not as if he could miss it.”

“He’s a beautiful animal,” Beclin continued as he ignored the other Dwarf’s sour comments. “Is he tame?”

“As far as I can tell,” I snorted.

The small Dwarf hopped down off his stool and carefully approached Growler, who cocked his head as the bearded man stepped toward him.

Beclin was only slightly taller than Growler when the dog sat on his haunches, but the Dwarf wasn’t deterred by the garm’s soft growls as the others had been. Beclin held out his hand for the dog to sniff. I wasn’t worried, because I’d seen both garms play with my old neighbor’s kids, and I knew Growler wasn’t aggressive.

The garm sniffed the red-bearded Dwarf’s tiny hand, and then after a pause, he licked it.

“What a good laddy you are.” The small Dwarf grinned and started to enthusiastically pet the white-furred dog. “What is his name?”

“Growler,” I chuckled as I watched the little man make friends with my dog.

“Good lad, Growler,” Beclin said as Growler licked his face.

“It would serve you right if it ate you in one bite,” Dorrem scoffed from his table.

“Oh, Eddie, I have good news,” Beclin said to me as he scratched Growler’s ears, and the garm leaned into the affectionate Dwarf. “I think we are close to creating Seer Stones.”

“That’s awesome!” I grinned. “How much longer do you think it will take?”

“It’s hard to say.” Saggor scratched at his beard, and I noticed again the tired look the old Dwarf had started to develop. “It could be a matter of days or weeks. But we are close.”

“I’ll check in again soon, then,” I replied. “Thank you so much. You’ve all helped me more than I could repay.”

“The beer helps,” Dorrem snorted and raised his bottle.

My wives and I said goodbye to the Dwarves, and Beclin seemed genuinely sad to see Growler go, so I made a mental note to bring the garm by again.

Then the three of us made our way back to the northern tunnels, because it was quicker to get to Tors Bane through the Yennih lands than to go through the Twilight Region. As we walked through the Great Forest, Nileme and I watched the tree line above us for Nictors, just in case any of Ursenegr’s surviving henchmen were still around. Even though the Mad Chief was dead, it would take some time to rout out the last of his loyalists, and it had only been a few days since the battle.

As we walked, I heard an assertive squeak near the forest floor, so I looked down and saw Scar, the leader of the forest Brownies. The tiny warrior had a few of his people with him, and they began to appear out of the underbrush.

Growler cocked his head curiously as he looked at the small, rat-like people.

“Heel,” I said to the garm before I kneeled on the ground, took off my backpack, and then looked at Scar. “It’s good to see you again.”

The scarred leader of the Brownies bowed his head to me and squeaked again, and I wished I had Scourge with me to translate.

“I brought you these,” I told the Brownie leader as I opened a pack of the mochi I’d brought with me. “I think you and your people will like them.”

I handed a squishy, powdered sugar covered ball to the warrior, and it looked huge in his tiny hands. Scar sniffed it as his long whiskers twitched, and then he took a small bite. Scar raised his brow ridge in a look of pleased surprise and squeaked a few more times before he bowed in thanks.

“Glad you like them,” I chuckled as I set the package down for his people to take. “Has there been any trouble in the forest?”

Nileme and Bolra stood quietly behind me as Scar shook his head. Then the Brownie leader flattened his hand and made a sweeping gesture that I took to mean “all clear,”

“Perfect.” I smiled as I put on my backpack and stood. “Thank you, sir. Enjoy the sweets. I’m sure I’ll see you again soon.”

Scar bowed to me again, took a huge bite of mochi, and then signaled for his people to disappear again into the forest. I’d have to get Scourge to teach me their language one day. It would be nice to talk to Scar, since he was my oldest friend in The Gloom, but I could even imagine how long it would take to learn what each subtle squeak meant.

Without an army to slow us down, it only took the better part of a day to reach the Yennih capital. It was nice to not have to sneak around and avoid soldiers. The Gloom was still filled with all kinds of dangers, and Nileme and I kept our firearms close, but it was almost leisurely. When we reached the gates, I noticed a mix of Dolrath and Yennih guards in front of the city, and it was a surreal sight.

A Dolrath soldier quickly recognized me, and we were immediately let into the city. The streets beyond the gates looked normal enough. Night Elves went about their daily business. They were common workmen and merchants, who were unable to stop their daily lives just because their government had been overthrown. There were a few Dolrath and Crardu soldiers who patrolled the streets, but the atmosphere in the city didn’t feel tense or suspicious.

Then my wives and I headed to the palace where I figured I would find Chief Ekneme, or whoever she and Chief Murdrak had placed as a temporary regent. There were more Dolrath soldiers on the palace steps, and I didn’t see more than a couple Yennih soldiers here. I wondered how the chiefs determined which of Ursenger’s former soldiers to trust. I knew the Dolrath chief was a shrewd and hard woman, so she would have carefully vetted any soldier she’d allowed to remain in the city guard.

“Shield Brother!” One of the soldiers at the doors to the palace stood to attention and saluted me, and it took me a moment to recognize him.

“Anidan?” I asked as I looked at the young soldier with a shock of bright, red hair. “Is that new armor?”

Anidan had fought in my unit in the Battle of the Great Forest when I killed the old Yennih chief. I’d worried when Anidan joined the unit, because his father and uncle had both died nobly in other battles under my command, but the young Night Elf made it through and proved to be a fine warrior.

“Yes, Shield Brother.” Anidan grinned as his youthful face glowed with pride. “The Chief gave me a promotion to lieutenant after the battle.”

“Your mothers must be very proud.” I smiled back. “How’s that scar treating you?”

“Very well,” the young man replied with a sly smile as he proudly touched his side.

“He won’t stop showing it to bar wenches,” the other Dolrath soldier at the door complained as he rolled his eyes. “And bragging that he served with you, sir.”

“Kelik is just jealous that the Yennih women seem to prefer me,” Anidan snorted.

I couldn’t help but grin back. Anidan was probably older than me, given the way the Night Elves aged, but his manner made him seem a lot younger.

“You’ll just have to get yourself a scar with a good story, Kelik,” Nileme teased.

“I have plenty of scars, my lady,” Kelik replied defensively. “The women just prefer him because he served under the Vampire of The Gloom, and I was just an infantry man.”

“Next time I take down a tyrant, I’ll bring you along,” I chuckled as I looked at Kelik. “Then you can get all the bar wenches you want.”

“I am looking forward to it.” He nodded to me.

“Is my mother here?” Nileme asked the soldiers.

“Yes, my lady,” Anidan replied. “Last I heard, she was in the throne room with her advisors.”

The two soldiers opened the door wide for us, and I offered Bolra my arm before the three of us walked into the entrance hall.

We stepped onto the interior marble floors, and there was immediately a commotion as several Dolrath and Crardu soldiers dragged away a fat, older Night Elf man in fine silk robes.

“You sulfurous slime!” the fat man shouted as he struggled between two soldiers. “You Demon fuck! You’ll pay for meddling in the affairs of your betters!”

“Oh come now, Geliden,” I heard Scourge’s silky voice calmly reply. “You worked so hard building the jail. Now, you’ll get to enjoy its accommodations.”

I turned and saw the Zencarri thief at the foot of one of the long, curved staircases as he watched the fat Elf being dragged away with a broad smile.

The thief had gotten some new clothes. Scourge wore a plum colored jerkin with golden starbursts embroidered down the front, fine, black pants, and soft leather boots that even I could tell were expensive.

“You look like you’re doing well,” I chuckled as my wives and I walked up to the dark-haired man.

“Helping to rebuild a government has its perks.” Scourge grinned as we shook hands. “What brings you three to the capital again so soon?”

“We’re just stopping through on our way to Tors Bane,” I replied.

Scourge was a clever man, and I saw his eyes go from me, to Bolra, and then to our interlocked arms.

“Good for you.” The Zencarri man’s tone had a hint of banter in it as he rolled his eyes. “But you should really leave a few wives for the other men of The Gloom.”

“Eddie can’t help it if women find him irresistible,” the pretty Orc giggled.

“Indeed,” Scourge replied with a tolerant smile.

The Zencarri man had no interest is sex or romance and always seemed to find the whole thing silly.

“What was all that about?” I asked as I jerked my head toward where the soldiers had dragged the old Elf off.

“Geliden was one of Ursenger’s pet nobles.” Scourge shrugged. “He built and ran the jail. Seems almost every political prisoner under his watch met with terrible ‘accidents.’ Have you seen Lady Ekneme yet?”

“No.” I shook my head. “We just got to the city.”

“Then allow me to take you to her.” The thief smiled as he offered his arm to Nileme.

The Dolrath princess laughed as she accepted the slinky man’s arm, and he led us to the throne room.

The Dolrath Chief stood in the center of the room with several warriors in beetle shell armor and a few Night Elves in Yennih style finery. Ekneme spoke quietly with her advisors as the four of us walked up, and then she smiled when she saw us.

“Dear daughter,” the chief said as she embraced the princess and turned to me. “It is good to see you again so soon, son,”

“How are things going here?” I asked as I looked around at the advisors.

“Well enough,” Ekneme sighed as she dismissed the circle of powerful men with a nod of her head. “The city has been quiet for the most part. I get the impression that most of the Yennih are glad to be rid of Ursenegr.”

“But not all of them?” Nileme noted as the advisors left the throne room.

“There have been a few minor incidents as we’ve arrested corrupt officials,” Scourge remarked in a bland tone. “But Lady Ekneme has instituted a policy of due process for the accused, rather than outright execution.”

“Ursenger was a tyrant,” the chief said in a tone that made it clear this was a conversion the two had engaged in before. “We cannot claim to be any different from him if we simply slaughter political enemies. And public trials are good for the people. They can hear for themselves the evidence of corruption. It’s not expedient, but we have to establish a legitimate government if we want long term peace.”

“This is why I’m not a politician.” Scourge smirked with a small bow to Ekneme.

“Any luck with finding a regent to run things here?” I asked the chief.

“Not yet.” Ekneme shook her head. “But it’s early days. We will have to select someone the Yennih can trust, and who we know wasn’t a part of Ursenger’s inner circle. That will also take time.”

“Who is running things at the Encampment, Mother?” Nileme asked.

“Bhathok, for now.” The chief smiled with private amusement. “He hates it. The general isn’t much of a politician either, but I trust him to manage until I can return. Though I would prefer it if you could spare the time to act in my stead, daughter.”

“We have a few things to take care of first,” Nileme said as she looked at me. “But I will see what I can do.”

“I’ve said it before.” I nodded. “I understand you have obligations to your people. If Bhathok can handle things for now, then I could really use Nileme with me for now. But if you have to stay here to keep the Yennih from falling apart, Chief, then we’ll find a way to work it out so Nileme can stay at the Encampment for a while.”

“That’s good,” the Dolrath chief replied with a pleased expression. “Murdrak has left part of his army in the Yennih territory so we can keep the peace until more permanent arrangements are made. But I worry about our forces being spread too thin if any other trouble should arise in the other territories.”

“We’re on our way to Tors Bane,” I said as I thought about the black sedan and whoever it was that had followed me. “And I have a personal matter I have to take care of. But I’ll do whatever I can to help out here.”

“Going back home?” Ekneme smiled maternally at Bolra, who still held my arm as she listened.

“Not exactly,” the shaman said as she looked at me from the side of her eye.

“Eddie has taken Bolra as his wife,” Nileme replied with a proud smile.

“Then my family has grown while I was not looking,” the chief said as she stretched out her strong arms to embrace the pretty Orc. “Welcome, daughter.”

Bolra hugged the tall, elder woman, and the seer’s face glowed with a rosy blush at the unexpected declaration.

I really liked my mother-in-law. Ekneme was a stern leader, but she was also one of the most accepting and warm people I’d met in The Gloom.

“Have you given any thought to what we spoke about last time?” Ekneme asked as she turned back to me. “About Ibseth being the last of the line of Yennih chiefs?”

“I have,” I replied as I tried to carefully choose my words. “I think Ibseth would do anything to help her people, but she’s too sweet natured to be a leader. And honestly, she doesn’t want to come back to the Yennih lands. She’s really happy where she is.”

“As her husband,” the chief reminded me, “it would be your right to rule. The Yennih are a backwards people. They wouldn’t accept a woman to rule them for long. I have had trouble myself with many of the nobles in the city, and it’s only the army at my back that keeps them in line.”

“I’m not a leader.” I shook my head. “At least not that kind of leader. I can command a unit of soldiers, no problem. But I have a whole life somewhere else. And I really think it should be someone who understands the Yennih ways and mindset. That’s just not me, ma’am.”

“It takes a wise man to realize that.” Ekneme nodded. “But it’s the line of Yennih chiefs who keep the Demons of the Deeper Dark bound. We will need to find someone who can step into that role.”

“I have my spies looking for a solution,” Scourge added. “Ibseth’s father was well known for his love of women, and it’s possible there is some obscure heir out there. But we haven’t had any luck finding leads yet.”

“I’ll speak to Ibseth and see if she knows anything that could help,” I replied. “And I’ll come back as soon as I can.”

“Thank you.” The chief inclined her head at me.

Then my wives and I stayed the night at the palace and ate dinner with Ekneme and Scourge.

The chief caught Nileme up on everything that had happened and reports she’d gotten from Bhathok about things at the Encampment. But for the most part, things were under control for now. It actually kinda felt weird not to have some kind of crisis to deal with for once, and to be able to enjoy a family meal with my mother-in-law.

I sat next to Scourge as he told me about his network of spies and his efforts to rout out the Mad Chief’s loyalists.

“Mytina has been no help at all,” the thief said as he rolled his dark eyes and sipped wine from a goblet. “She has stopped talking to us completely.”

“Mytina?” I asked as I picked at a rich cake the servants had brought for dessert.

“The lustful Night Elf brat who threw herself at your feet when we claimed the palace,” Scourge snorted. “Ursenger’s mistress.”

“Oh,” I replied with a disgusted expression as I remembered the woman was also one of Ursenger’s sisters. “Her.”

“Indeed.” The Zencarri man nodded. “Ekneme won’t let me interrogate her properly. But I can feel in my bones she’s hiding something. I know men talk after they satisfy themselves with a woman, and I would bet my fortune she knows a great deal more than what little she has told us.”

“Interrogate,” I repeated the word. “I assume you mean torture.”

“Call it what you like.” The dark-skinned man shrugged. “It doesn’t always yield reliable information. But anything is better than nothing at the moment.”

Mytina was a spoiled, entitled bitch from what little I remembered of the white-haired woman, but I was on Ekneme’s side on this one. The Dolrath chief was right that if we stooped to torture and murder, we wouldn’t be any better than Ursenger.

“Hey…” I perked up as I remembered something and was glad to change the subject. “I got you something.”

I gave Growler a table scrap, and then I reached into my backpack where I’d set it down behind me and pulled out the teapot and tea strainer. The strainer had a little charm that looked like an owl at the end of a short chain.

“Here you go.” I grinned as I handed them to the Zencarri thief.

“How lovely.” Scourge smiled as he looked over the two gifts. “You alway give me such wondrous things, friend. I’m beginning to feel bad that I have yet to give you a gift.”

“You’ve fought alongside me enough times,” I chuckled as I waved my hand. “And I just like to give gifts.”

“The artwork is so fine on this,” Scourge commented as he studied the hand painted cherry trees on the side of the pot. “Are these trees that grow-- where you are from?”

The thief was careful not to reveal he knew I was from the surface world, and I appreciated that.

“Yeah.” I nodded. “They’re not in bloom right now, though.”

“Hopefully, this business in the city will be done soon, and I can come for that visit,” Scourge replied in a low tone so Ekneme didn’t hear. “I’m getting bored with political intrigue. I can’t remember the last time I’ve stayed in one place for so long.”

“It’s only been a few days,” I snorted.

“Really?” the gray-skinned sighed. “It feels like a lifetime already.”

The two of us laughed and recounted our adventures for the rest of dinner.

The next day, my wives and I said goodbye to the chief and Scourge, and then we continued our journey to Tors Bane through the Yennih lands and into the Crardu territory. It took two days to get there, but we luckily didn’t run into any trouble on the way.

Finally, the small village near the northern entrance to the Twilight Region came into view.

Tors Bane was mostly just a few small houses, the barracks where the guards lived, and a handful of artisans and farmers that sustained the outpost. The entire village was dedicated to the barrack’s of Captain Xuag’s soldiers, who guarded the entrance to the Twilight and made sure nothing came into The Gloom from the lower reaches of the caves.

As we approached, several of the villagers stopped and watched, and by the time we actually entered the settlement, word of our arrival had already reached Xuag, so the big Orc was waiting in the village square with a group of his soldiers to greet us.

Bolra ran ahead when she saw her brother, and the two warmly embraced each other.

“I am so happy you are home.” The captain grinned as he hugged his little sister.

“Are you well, brother?” the shaman asked as she looked up at the muscular, dark-haired Orc.

“Much better now that I see you,” he replied, and then he turned to me. “Thank you for looking after her, little brother.”

“It was my pleasure,” I said a little awkwardly as I hefted the heavy, two-handed ax I’d brought. “How have things been here?”

I wasn’t sure how or when to tell the big man about Bolra and me, and I was very aware of all the captain’s warriors milling around the square.

“Well enough.” Xuag shrugged, but I got the impression there was something he wasn’t saying. “We can talk about that later. First, I want to have a feast to welcome Bolra home.”

“Actually,” the willowy woman replied with a glance in my direction, “we have something we should tell you.”

Shit.

I’d really hoped to have this conversation in private, but Xuag looked from his sister to me, and his thick, black eyebrow shot up.

“And what is that?” the captain asked with an unreadable expression on his broad face.

“Xuag,” I said as I stood to my full height and braced myself, “I’ve asked Bolra to marry me, and she’s said yes.”

I discreetly skipped over the part where we’d already consummated the relationship.

Xuag looked from Bolra to me again, and then he stepped around his sister and walked toward me. I had a few inches on the captain, but he was still big as hell. Still, I stood my ground and kept my face neutral. Then Xuag stopped only a foot away from me, and his prominent brow was knitted together as the captain looked me in the eyes.

Nileme was right behind me, and we were both armed, but I could feel the knot in my stomach clench all the same. My garm growled softly next to me, but both Xuag and I ignored him for the moment.

“I brought this for you,” I said as I lifted the ax up, looked right back at the Orcish man, and tried not to blink.

I knew Orcs valued strength more than anything, and that I could not show any sign of weakness. But Xuag didn’t even look at the ax, and the whole square had gone deadly silent as the rest of the village watched what happened next.

“Little brother!” Xuag finally exclaimed as a grin cracked his brutish face.

Then the captain suddenly threw his arms wide and crushed me in a rough embrace.

“My new brother!” Xuag shouted loud enough for his voice to echo off the cavern ceiling as he delivered three rough pats to my back and let go of me. “We have a new member to our clan!”

The villagers and soldiers all cheered. Almost everyone in Tors Bane were Orcs, but even the handful of Night Elves who lived in the village also clapped their hands and stomped their feet.

“It shall be a wedding feast then!” the captain said in a grand tone. “To celebrate the union of my sister and the hero of Tak’Fett!”

The knot in my stomach finally started to loosen as Xuag took the ax from me and looked at it for the first time.

“This is a fine weapon,” the captain commented as he looked it over. “But I haven’t seen anything quite like it.”

“I felt something unique would be appropriate,” I chuckled and ran a hand through my hair.

“It is a worthy choice.” Xuag nodded with approval. “It will serve well. And when we get back, there will be a feast waiting for us.”

“Get back?” I asked with a confused look on my face. “Where are we going?”

“On a hunt,” the big Orc captain replied with a fierce grin. “To marry my sister, first you must become a man in our clan.”

That’s when the knot in my stomach returned.

Backyard Dungeon 6 Chapter 1

Bolra looked so sexy in the cool autumn air as the moonlight shone down on her wavy, auburn hair. My blood was on fire as our faces briefly parted, and the heat of our first kiss lingered on my lips.

“Oh, Eddie,” Bolra breathed. She wore a long, flowy dress the color of sapphires, and the high waistline and halter neckline showcased her heaving breasts as she fought to catch her breath.

We were standing by the grill in the massive backyard that encompassed the trailer and Ibseth’s house, and I gently reached up to push the heavy mass of her hair away from the shaman’s face.

“I want you, Bolra,” I whispered back to the pretty Orc. “I have since the first time I saw you.”

“I’ve wanted you since I was a girl,” the mystic confessed in her airy voice. “I dreamed of a stranger, tall and slim, who found me in the darkness and pulled me toward the light. Then you appeared in Tors Bane, and I knew my life had changed forever.”

“You dreamed that?” I asked in surprise.

“More than once,” Bolra replied with a shy smile as a blush flushed her cheeks. “So I ignored the attentions of men and the prompting of my brother to find a husband, because I wanted to wait for you, the one I was fated to be with.”

I was overcome with Bolra’s words and leaned toward her again.

My lips brushed against the shaman’s full, pouty mouth, and I felt Bolra shudder in my arms. Then I kissed her again, and our tongues met and moved against each other as we gave in to our desires. I moved my hands along the pretty Orc’s waist and felt the curves of her hourglass figure, and when we came up for air, I noticed my three wives near the backdoor of the big house.

Bolra noticed where my eyes were and looked over her shoulder to see Ibseth, Amrila, and Nileme as they watched us with smiles on their faces. Each of my wives were amazing in their own way, and they were all hot as hell, especially when they were watching me kiss other women.

Then Bolra giggled.

“I think we have been found out,” she said in a quiet voice.

“They don’t seem to mind,” I chuckled. “Come on.”

I took Bolra’s hand and led to the back porch of Ibseth’s house.

“I will put fresh sheets on the big bed in the trailer,” my first wife said as she grinned at the willowy mystic and me. “Amrila can stay with me tonight so that you two can… have some time together.”

“Thanks, baby.” I smiled.

“Yes, thank you.” Bolra blushed.

“I’m just happy that our family continues to grow,” Ibseth said with a warm smile, and the curvy Elf hugged Bolra before she left to change the sheets.

“I’m going to grab us a few beers,” I said as I reached out and squeezed Bolra’s hand. “I’ll meet you over at the trailer.”

“I’d like that,” the shaman replied, and her face was a mix of excitement and nervousness.

I winked at her, went into the big house, and got four beers out of the fridge.

It was clear Bolra was a virgin, so I wanted to take this slow. There was no way to know how much about the birds and the bees Bolra would know from growing up in The Gloom. I had no idea what Orcs taught their kids about the facts of life, but either way, first times should always be special.

I turned around and saw Nileme as she came into the house with some empty bottles she’d picked up from the yard. The Dolrath woman smiled at me, threw the glass bottles in the recycling bin, and then touched my arm as I passed her.

“Congratulations, my warrior,” the princess said with a smile. “I think Bolra will be a fine wife.”

“I think so, too. Also, have I mentioned I love you?” I grinned and then kissed her.

Nileme had a quiet kind of passion about her that smoldered, rather than burned, and she kissed me back deeply but slowly before she pulled back.

“I love you, too.” Nileme winked slyly at me.

My head was swimming with how lucky I was as I walked outside and passed Amrila on the back porch, so I was helpless as the fiery Zencarri woman grabbed me and pulled me to her for a long, passionate kiss that almost made me drop my beers.

“Give her the thrill of her life, partner,” Amrila purred as she ran her fingers through my hair. “Make her scream your name.”

“Yes, ma’am!” I snorted.

Amrila ruffled my hair and walked away with a mysterious smile on her face.

I walked over to the new back porch of the trailer, and Ibseth stepped out of the back door with an armful of rumpled sheets.

“All is ready, my king,” the white-haired woman said as she looked up at me sweetly with her violet eyes. “She is a lucky woman, and so am I.”

“Thank you, Ibseth,” I replied as I leaned down to kiss her, too. “I’m the lucky one. You’re amazing. All of you.”

“Have a good night, beloved,” Ibseth sighed wistfully. “I know my first night with you was the most magical night of my life.”

“Meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to me,” I rumbled. “It’s what made everything else that’s happened since possible.”

“And I have loved every second of it.” Ibseth smiled at me, and her flawless, blue skin glowed in the moonlight.

I couldn’t help but pull my first wife in for one more kiss, but then I went into the trailer and found Bolra on the couch. I could tell the mystic was still a little nervous, so I opened two beers and handed her one.

“Has Ibseth ever shown you this?” I asked as I moved over to the ancient record player and started to flip through the LPs on the stand next to it. “It’s pretty old, but there’s some really good music here.”

Most of my grandpa’s old records were country music, and there wasn’t anything newer than 1978.

As Bolra came over to look, we sat on the floor in front of the record player, and I found a few albums that surprised me. Mixed in with the Grand Ole Opry artists, there were a few folk albums, some Joan Baez, and some The Mamas and the Papas.

Seemed like Grandpa had some records for the occasions he had a lady friend over.

“Ah, this is perfect.” I grinned as I read the song list on the back of The Mamas and the Papas record.

“What is it?” Bolra asked with a confused expression as she sipped her beer.

“Only one of the greatest love songs ever written,” I replied before I put the record on the turntable and hovered the needle over the right track.

I flipped the switch that slowly lowered the needle, and “Dream a Little Dream” began to play.

Bolra stared with wonder at the record player, and we sat in comfortable silence for a moment as Mama Cass sang about love and longing in her rich voice. I gently pulled the pretty Orc toward me, and she leaned her head on my shoulder as I breathed in the warm fragrance of her hair.

“Oh, Eddie,” Bolra sighed. “It’s like this woman wrote this song for us.”

“I’m not sure if Cass Elliot wrote it,” I chuckled. “But right now, she’s singing it for us.”

The mystic slowly looked up at me, and her green eyes were full of a thousand emotions all at once.

I leaned down and kissed her again, slowly at first, but as our passions began to grow, it became more urgent. I ran my fingers through the wealth of the shaman’s auburn hair and pulled her against me. Bolra whimpered softly as she touched my face, and her tongue sought mine out.

I could feel as my jeans grew tighter, and I wanted nothing more than to pick Bolra and carry her to the bedroom.

“I don’t want you to feel any pressure,” I rumbled as I came up for air. “We can take things as slow as you want to.”

“I have waited twenty-five years for you.” Bolra smiled as she shook her head. “I don’t want to wait any longer.”

“Twenty-five years?” I repeated in surprise. “Is that how old you are?”

“I know that I’m almost past marriageable age--” Bolra started to say as she lowered her eyes.

“No,” I snorted. “It’s not that. Up here, that’s still really young. But I thought everyone in The Gloom lived for hundreds of years. I’m actually surprised how young you are.”

“Night Elves and Dwarves do,” Bolra giggled. “But Orcs typically live seventy years or so. Xuag is thirty. An old man to not be married in our culture.”

The two of us laughed, and the tension broke.

Then we started to kiss again, and the seer pushed her body against me. Bolra’s wet lips moved with mine, and my jeans felt like a prison as the blood rushed to my core. I needed to get closer, so I pulled the willowy woman onto my lap as I started to kiss her neck.

“Eddie,” Bolra sighed as she leaned her face against my head and ran her fingers through my hair. “Make me yours. Ahhh, take me, and fill me with your seed!”

I moved my hands up the shaman’s back and slowly pulled the ties of her halter as her hips slowly moved against mine. The layer of cloth between us was a thin barrier, and it grew moist with Bolra’s arousal.

Then the ties came loose, and the top of her dress fluttered down to reveal her green toned breasts and her dark nipples.

“Fuck,” I growled. “You’re so beautiful.”

I kissed down Bolra’s neck as I moved my hand up to cup one of her perfect tits, and then I placed a soft kiss on the sweet peak of her breast.

“Oh!” The shaman woman shuddered as her back arched, and I ran my tongue across the erect nub of her nipple. I teased and sucked her breasts with my lips and tongue, and the movement of her hips became more urgent as her nails dug into my shoulders. Then I slipped the mystic’s dress over her head and let it fall to the floor.

“God, just look at you,” I muttered, and I kissed every inch of Bolra’s exposed neck, shoulders, and breasts as her hips continued to rock back and forth.

“Enough looking, take me to bed,” Bolra purred as she stood and reached out for my hands.

The little white panties she wore had delicate, sage green hearts embroidered on them, and my erection throbbed at the sight of them.

I wanted the shaman so badly.

I stood and took Bolra’s hand, and she turned and led me down the hall to the master bedroom with her hand trembling slightly. Between her graceful shoulder blades was a blueish tattoo that had a strange, circular design, and I made a mental note to ask about it later.

Then we stepped into the bedroom, and I pulled off my shirt as I watched Bolra climb onto the bed and stare at me with eager, green eyes.

“I’ve waited so long for you,” Bolra breathed as she pushed the mass of her wavy hair out of her face. “I want to see all of you, my love.”

“I am happy to oblige.” I grinned as I unbuckled my pants and stepped closer to the edge of the bed.

The mystic’s heavy breasts rose and fell as her breath grew quicker, and she watched me undress with intense scrutiny. Then my impressive erection fell from my boxers as I pulled them and my pants down, and her mouth fell open in sync.

“Oh,” the shaman’s breath caught as her wide eyes fell to my hard cock, and she reached out a curious hand to gently stroke me. “It’s… incredible. I’ve never seen a naked man before.”

As Bolra’s hand pumped up and down my shaft, waves of pleasure washed over me, and a groan rattled deep in my chest.

“Fuck, come here,” I growled before I took hold of the willowy woman’s shoulders and pulled her to me. Then I kissed her deeply as Bolra kneeled on the bed in front of me and let my tongue explore hers. The shaman whimpered again as we lost ourselves in that electric kiss, and I slowly moved my hand down her back to her round, supple ass.

Every inch of Bolra was insane, and I wanted nothing more than to throw her on the bed and take her right then. But I knew the pretty Orc was a virgin, so we should savor every moment of our first time together. My hand slid down the curve of Bolra’s ass, across the side of her smooth thigh, then up between her supple legs, and I stroked her gently.

The fabric of her panties was already moist, and my erection stood straight up as I thought about what was underneath them. As I continued to kiss Bolra’s wet lips and the soft crook of her neck, I laid the mystic down on the bed and then slipped her panties down.

“Oh,” Bolra sighed as I slowly ran my fingers up her thigh to tease her. “I want to know what you feel like, Eddie. Please, take me now.”

“One thing at a time,” I rumbled. “There’s a lot more to sex than the act itself.”

Then I slid a finger between the lips of her smooth pussy to find that magic button of flesh. Bolra was so wet already, and her clit was slick as I moved my fingers in slow circles at first.

“Uhhh!” Bolra mewled, and the Orcish woman’s back arched as her hands gripped my arm. “Uhhhh! Oh godddds! Wh-what are you doing?”

“Pleasing you,” I growled as I lifted myself up on my other arm and lowered my face to her heaving breasts.

As I sucked and licked her nipple and began to rub Bolra’s clit more vigorously, the shaman began to squirm.

“Ah!” Bolra moaned as she ran the fingers of one hand through my hair. “Yeeesss! Uhhh, that feels soooo goood! Something-- something’s happeninnng!”

Then Bolra suddenly came with a warm squirt of juices, and I was stunned for a moment.

I had never made a woman cum that fast.

“Holy shit,” I muttered as I licked some of her sweet nectar off my fingers.

“Did I do something wrong?” the mystic panted, and a flash of worry crossed her flushed face.

“No,” I snorted. “You just came.”

“Came?” Bolra repeated with a slightly confused look.

“It when you--” I paused because my rock hard cock made it hard to think. “It’s a good thing. It’s supposed to happen.”

“Can you make it happen again?” the willowy woman asked with a shy smile.

“Fuck yes,” I snarled, and then I slid down the bed and buried my face between her long legs.

“Uhhh!” Bolra keened as I greedily licked her pussy and teased my tongue around the small opening of her wet channel. “Sorcerer! P-Please me with your strannnge magic!”

I pushed my tongue inside her tight, tangy pussy as I teased her clit with the tip of my nose, and the shaman began to buck her hips so hard that I had to firmly hold her in place with both hands.

“Ahhhh!” Bolra gasped as she gripped the bedspread behind her head. “Oh, Eddie! Uhhhhh, uhhh, uhhhh!”

I moved my mouth up to her clit and began to suck as I flicked the little, pink nub with my tongue.

Then the Orcish woman clamped her thighs around my head as I pushed two fingers inside her and moved them in and out of her channel.

“Oh, gods!” Bolra groaned and bucked beneath me. “Ohhh! It’s going tooo happen againnn!”

When Bolra came this time, she didn’t squirt, but I could feel her inner muscles clamp and spasm as it happened.

Then I stood at the edge of the bed, grabbed hold of the mystic’s supple hips, and pulled her ass to the edge of the mattress.

“Are you ready for me?” I rumbled as I looked into her hooded eyes.

“Yes, Eddie,” Bolra gasped fervently as she wrapped her long legs around my narrow hips. “Fill me with your manhood, my love!”

My erection throbbed almost painfully with desire for the pretty Orc, and I slowly pushed myself inside her dripping pussy.

“Uhhh!” Bolra cried out with something between pleasure and pain, so I went slow until my hips finally met her pelvis.

“There we go, that’s all of it,” I murmured as I leaned down and kissed the mystic’s damp brow. “Are you okay? Does it hurt?”

“N-No.” Bolra shuddered as she wrapped her arms around my shoulders. “Just… full. W-What now?”

“Now, the fun really starts.” I smirked, but I took my time and started with a steady rhythm as I let her feel every inch of me sliding in and out of her.

“Ahhhh,” the shaman sighed as the initial shock wore off, and she began to move her hips in time with mine.

“Uhhhh,” I snarled when her walls fluttered around me, and I started to push further inside of Bolra. “Fuuuck. You feel sooo goood. You’re sooo fucking tighhht!”

“Oooh!” the green-skinned woman mewled. “Yesss! Claim me as your wife! It feels so wonderful!”

I began to piston my hips as Bolra bounced up and down from the force of my thrusts, and her perfect breasts were bouncing in time with each impact.

“Uhhh, uhhh,” I grunted. “You’re so fucking sexy. Uhh, come for me again!”

“Yesss!” Bolra keened. “Uhh, uhhhhh! Yes, my loooove!”

I could feel the pressure begin to build in my core, but I held off for a moment longer as I felt the inside of Bolra’s channel tighten and flex with an imminent orgasm.

Then I started to thrust until I was hilt deep inside the Orcish woman.

“Ahhh!” Bolra called out with surprise. “You’re sooo deep insiiiide me! Oh, Eddie. I-I’m going to-- Uhhhh!”

As Bolra’s pussy clenched around me, my hips stuttered, and I felt the coil in my gut snap.

“Fuck,” I groaned. “I’m going to…”

“Fill me up,” she groaned. “I need to feel your seed pour deep inside of me.”

Her words were a kick over the cliff. I injected my seed inside her as I let out a long moan, and her tunnel squeezed around me frantically. I shuddered as my vision danced with color, and my knees almost buckled as I felt another orgasm follow my first.

I had to hold onto her smooth thighs to stay on my feet as the last of the endorphins ran their course through me, and I tingled from head to toe.

Then I pulled myself out, and a stream of cum leaked out onto the mystic’s thighs. I smiled at the sight before I climbed onto the bed next to the beautiful seer, and Bolra and I laid in each other’s arms as our breath slowed. Our naked limbs tangled together as we enjoyed the afterglow, and I ran my fingers along the shaman’s velvety arm.

“I never knew it could be like this,” Bolra whispered. “I had heard from my friends who have married about how it could be with their husbands. But all their descriptions pale in comparison to you.”

“I’ll take it that means you enjoyed tonight.” I grinned as I shifted my head to look into the seer’s bright, green eyes.

“Yes, my love.” Bolra shyly smiled. “But ‘enjoyed’ doesn’t even meet the feeling I have now. It’s like the first time I tasted honey and realized how sweet the world can be. Tors Bane is such a hard place to live. Simple joys were often all that we had. But here, now, with you, I feel like I have found paradise.”

“So, you’ll stay then?” I asked as I gently squeezed the willowy woman against me. “Here with me?”

“As your wife?” Bolra asked, and her voice was both uncertain and hopeful.

“Yes.” I nodded. “If that’s something you want.”

“Oh, Eddie,” the pretty Orc breathed. “More than anything, my love.”

I grinned and kissed her once more, and then we talked quietly for a little while longer. Not about anything in particular, just the way new lovers talk about everything and nothing as they get to know one another.

Then we fell asleep and woke up when the sun came through the sheer curtains. I knew the sunshine wouldn’t last, because Ohio is a cloudy kind of place most of the year, and it would likely rain again by the afternoon. But it was like some kind of sign of all the good things to come.

Maybe Bolra was already rubbing off on me.

My arm was under the mystic’s head, so carefully rolled over to peek at my phone and check the time. But that small movement was enough to wake Bolra, and the green-skinned woman sighed and stretched as the thin sheet pulled away to reveal her amazing, full breasts.

“Good morning, husband,” Bolra giggled as she tried out the word for the first time.

“Good morning, wife.” I grinned as I enjoyed the sound of the words.

Even though I had three wives, somehow the excitement felt new each time. I’d never imagined what it would be like to be in love with four different women all at once, but what I felt for each of them was different, and it never felt commonplace or mundane.

Then a new thought hit me.

“Oh, shit,” I said out loud as I sat up a little. “Is your brother going to kill me?”

“What?” Bolra snorted as she pulled herself into a sitting position. “Why would Xuag want to kill you?”

“I don’t know?” I chuckled and shrugged. “I don’t know that much about Orc culture. Is there some kind of ceremony that’s supposed to take place before we spend the night together? Should I have asked him for your hand? I would marry you with or without his approval. But I also want to respect your culture, and him as my friend.”

“There are traditions.” Bolra nodded. “But we haven’t broken any of them. Though, if a woman’s father or brother doesn’t approve of the man, the two must fight for the man to win the right to marry her.”

“Luckily, Xuag pretty much already told me he approved of me,” I laughed as I got out of bed and grabbed my boxers. “I wouldn’t want to fight him. Come on. I’m sure Ibseth has gone all out for breakfast. She’s pretty excited that you’re part of the family now.”

“I am, too.” A bashful but radiant smile stretched across Bolra’s face, and the two of us got dressed in our clothes from the night before and headed over to the new house.

Ibseth was indeed in the middle of cooking up a huge breakfast because I could smell coffee, fried ham, and cinnamon rolls from the backyard. When I walked into the kitchen, I saw my first wife was in a silky nightgown with one of her cozy, knitted cardigans over her slim shoulders, and her white hair was pulled up in a messy bun. Nileme was also up and dressed in her cute, tomboyish flannel and tight jeans.

Amrila was awake, too, but didn’t seem happy about it. The Zencarri woman was in a rumpled band shirt and little, black runners shorts that she’d clearly slept in. She was also slumped over her coffee cup and looked like she could happily go back to sleep.

“Good morning,” Ibseth chirped as we walked through the backdoor. “I just made a fresh pot of coffee, and breakfast is almost ready.”

Dread followed Ibseth as she bustled around the kitchen, but Growler was half asleep on a big dog bed in the corner by the table. The garm perked up when I came in and came over for good morning pets, and after I walked around to kiss each of my wives, I sat down at the table with a cup of black coffee while Growler rested his big head on my knee.

“What are the plans for today, husband?” Nileme asked as Ibseth started to bring food over to the table.

“We should go back to Tors Bane,” I said as I thought about it. “Xuag is expecting us.”

“You have a great deal to tell him.” Amirla smirked as she sipped from her mug.

“Yeahhhhh, maybe we’ll go out and pick up some gifts before we go back to The Gloom,” I continued, and a small knot formed in my stomach as I thought about Xuag.

The Orc captain had told me he thought I was a good match for his only sister, but I was still every bit as nervous to tell him as I had been when I told Ekneme that the Dolrath princess and I were together.

“Going out sounds nice,” Ibseth said in a cheery voice as she sat down at the table finally.

“You know, baby,” I replied as I looked at the white-haired woman. “Ursenger is gone now. If you wanted, you could come with us to The Gloom.”

“Not just yet, my king,” Ibseth said after a pause, and a furrow appeared in the middle of her brow as she placed a hand on her belly. “I know it’s safe, and that nothing would hurt me or our child if I’m with you. But I’m not quite ready to go back there yet.”

“That’s fine.” I nodded. “Whenever you feel ready. But I’m a little concerned about whoever is in the black sedan, too. I just want to know you’re safe.”

“I’ll stay here with you, Ibseth,” Amrila offered. “I’ll keep her safe.”

“I’ll leave Dread with you guys, too,” I added. “But I think I’ll take Growler with me this time.”

“That’s good,” the curvy Elf agreed. “He gets so depressed when you leave.”

“Nileme, do you know what you want to do with Whitmire’s place once she moves?” I asked as I filled my plate with scrambled eggs, fried ham, and a fluffy cinnamon roll.

“Take down that horrible wallpaper to start,” the Dolrath woman snorted. “And maybe do something about that pink carpet.”

“It’s an older place,” I commented around a mouthful of pastry. “There could be some nice hardwood floors under there if we’re lucky.”

The five of us continued to eat and made plans for our newest homes when the old lady moved out, and what we wanted to get while we were out.

Then we all took showers and got ready to drive up to Elyria for an afternoon out. Once I was dressed, I let the garms out, and checked their food and water, but before long, we were all in the Rubicon on our way into the city.

“Hey, baby,” I said to Ibseth, who sat in the front passenger seat next to me. “Can you look up a nice home goods store on your phone? I’m thinking about getting a nice teapot for Scourge.”

Ibseth had started to learn how to read, but she still relied on autocorrect a lot to help her with spelling.

“Ohhh,” the violet-eyed woman cooed a few minutes later, and she tilted the phone so I could see the display. “This place looks nice. It has things from all around the world. Im-- imports?”

“Hell yeah,” I chuckled. “They’ll definitely have some fancy shit there he’ll like.”

I drove to the World Market in Elyria, which was in a big strip mall filled with all kinds of different stores.

World Market had all different kinds of stuff, and my wives and I spent a while just looking around. Nileme and Amrila headed to their furniture section to look around since the Dolrath woman would have a whole house to furnish soon and wanted to get some ideas. Meanwhile, Ibseth, Bolra, and I walked over to the kitchen supplies, and I looked around at the tea pots they had while the women wandered to check out all the other strange and interesting things around us.

Ibseth had been on the surface the longest, but she didn’t know much about the human world outside of American culture and what she’d seen on TV. While my first and fourth wife looked over a display of Japanese cooking utensils, I picked out a cobalt colored teapot with cherry trees painted on the side and gold leaf embellishments. That seemed like something the Zencarri thief would like.

Then I found a little bowl filled with mesh balls used to steep loose leaf tea and looked through them for one I thought Scourge would like. While I was browsing, my cell phone rang, so I looked at the display and saw that it was Jay.

“What’s up, man?” I asked as I answered the phone.

“Dude!” Jay gasped. “I did it!”

“Did what?” I asked, and I frowned a little in confusion.

“Beloved!” Ibseth suddenly appeared next to me. “Look! It’s so wonderful!”

I looked down at white-haired woman’s phone and saw an Instagram picture of Jay and his girlfriend, Enid, out by a waterfall. Enid had her hand held out to the camera, and there was a huge engagement ring on her finger.

“I’m engaged!” I heard my best friend say through the phone.

“That’s awesome!” I grinned and felt excited for my life-long friend. “Ibseth just saw Enid’s post. That’s a hell of a rock, man.”

“I asked her to wait to post about it until I could tell you,” I heard Jay snort. “I guess she was just too excited to wait.”

“I’m really happy for you,” I replied. “Enid is great. We should celebrate.”

“I would love that,” Jay answered. “Her parents are planning an engagement party, but they’re really old fashioned. I’d only be able to invite you and-- well, you and a plus one. But Enid still wants to invite Amrila and Nileme separately. Oh man, I can’t wait to see her mom’s face when she gets a load of them. She’ll probably pass out.”

“We can always have the two of you over and celebrate, just the seven of us,” I chuckled. “No reason to cause family drama for you guys.”

“I don’t care,” Jay laughed. “Her mom can eat a bag of-- wait. seven of us? Don’t you mean six?”

“Uhhh…” I paused. “No. Definitely seven.”

“Oh, man.” Jay was dying with laughter on the other end of the line. “I know you don’t mean the baby already. Don’t tell me you’ve got another wife now. I haven’t even gotten married once yet.”

“It kinda just happened,” I chuckled a little self-consciously as I toyed with the teapot in my hand. “But you guys are going to love her. Bolra’s kinda a hippy chick. Loves nature-- and cosplay.”

“Wait,” Jay replied with shock in his voice. “Seriously? I was kidding. Well, congratulations to you, too. But I’m starting to think you’re just being greedy now.”

I could hear in my friend’s voice that he was teasing me. For being one of Ohio’s youngest up and coming lawyers, Jay Cohen was one of the least judgemental people in the world.

“I just keep meeting these amazing women.” I smirked.

“Maybe I should start coming to comic con with you,” Jay joked, and then I heard the sound of a smack on the other side of the line. “Ouch! I’m kidding, baby. Enid says congratulations, too.”

“Tell her I said, ‘dido,’” I snorted. “But I gotta get off here. I’m getting ready to go see Bolra’s family.”

“Oh, man,” Jay replied. “How do they feel about your arrangement?”

“It’s just her older brother,” I answered. “But I’m pretty sure he’ll be cool with it.”

“Pretty sure?” my best friend echoed with a dark laugh. “I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes. My in-laws are bitching because they think Enid and I dating for a few months isn’t enough time to get engaged.”

I heard another smack and the muffled sound of Enid as she scolded Jay.

“Ouch!” my lawyer friend exclaimed again. “Well, they are bitching. I’ll talk to you later, man. I think I’m in trouble now. I’ll have to find a way to make it up to her.”

I heard Enid giggle and was pretty sure I knew how Jay planned to get out of the dog house.

“I’ll text you when I get back,” I snickered. “Talk to you later.”

I hung up and looked around at Ibseth as she texted on her phone and giggled.

My first wife and Enid had become pretty good friends, so I assumed that’s who she was texting with.

“I am so happy for them.” Ibseth smiled at me as she put her phone in her purse. “They will have beautiful babies! And our children can grow up together.”

“I wouldn’t expect Enid to have kids right away,” I chuckled. “People here don’t usually jump into having kids right away.”

“That’s strange,” the blue-skinned woman said as she scrunched her eyebrows together. “Children are the greatest gift in the world. Why wait?”

“Everyone has their reasons.” I shrugged. “Usually it’s money or their careers.”

“Well…” Ibseth smiled up at me with a smile on her face as she lightly touched her stomach. “We will just have to have lots of babies, so that when Enid does get pregnant, her baby will already have lots of friends.”

A big, silly grin spread across my face as I thought about a house and yard full of little white-haired kids.

“Lots and lots of friends,” Bolra said with a mysterious smile as she came up on my other side and slipped her arm around mine.

“We’ll just have to work on that then,” I replied as my goofy grin got wider.

We went to find Nileme and Amrila, but I stopped by the entrance to grab a shopping basket to put the teapot and the little tea leaf strainer in. Bolra had also picked up a couple of little teacups with saucers she said were perfect for reading tea leaves, and those went in the basket, too.

I found my other wives over by the food section as they looked at all the colorful packages of unfamiliar forgien foodstuffs.

“Oh, man.” I stopped in front of some candy. “I haven’t seen mochi since I moved back from Cleveland.”

“What’s mochi?” Amrila asked as she looked at the packages of soft, round candy.

“It’s like eating a perfect little cloud of sugar,” I replied as I grabbed one of each kind. “They’re amazing.”

We had to get another basket as my wives picked out some snacks they thought looked interesting.

Then we walked around a little more. There was just so much to see there that we couldn’t find in Westherst, so we got some rose scented bath bombs for Chief Ekneme, and a couple of bottles of Arginitnian wine for Bhathok and his wives.

“What should I get for Xuag?” I asked Bolra as we were about to check out.

“In this instance,” the seer replied, “a sword or weapon would be most appropriate. It symbolizes that you promise to protect me and take on the battles of my clan.”

“I probably should have guessed that,” I chuckled. “They don’t sell swords here. But I know where I can get a good one.”

I paid for everything, and then we went out and grabbed lunch at one of the fast food places in the stripmall before my wives and I looked around some of the other stores in the plaza. By the time we got back to the Jeep, we had a few more bags of clothes and some things for Growler and Dread from the big pet store.

I stopped by a big liquor store and picked up some beer from a local microbrewery for the Dwarves, and then the five of us headed home as we munched on some of the mochi I’d gotten. They were incredible. Little pillowy soft balls of rice dough with flavored filling in the middle.

But, after a light dinner, it was time to get all our supplies together and head back to The Gloom.

And a little knot formed in my stomach as I thought about how I would tell the huge, over-protective Orc captain that I’d married his only sister.

Audiobook Release | Made in Hell 5

Made in Hell 5 audiobook is in your BF library ABLs.  For everyone else, pick it up on my website or on Audiobook Guild

Overview

With the Church finally wiped out of this city, the Port of Rengfri is entirely at my disposal. I’m free to run my businesses as I please, unleash my minions on all of my enemies, and even take any home I like for my own.

Including castles.

But there’s a stubborn and annoyingly beautiful angel trailing me who’s determined to have the last word.

It’s hard to care much about her, though, when I’ve got a sweet and innocent elf grabbing all of my attention.

Arena Road 2 map

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B6YT46DT