Chapter Forty-Five: On the Road Again

From Korey’s demeanor, we must have made it out of town in record time. It was an overcast day, but at least it wasn’t quite as cold as when we’d arrived. And as we headed south, it would hopefully continue to grow warmer.

The weather was kind enough to wait for the town to be completely out of view before the torrential downpour started. Korey, still determined to put distance between us and whatever Fel might be planning, pushed on through the rain. I was starting to worry about how much he was worrying, but at the end of the day all we could really do was keep our eyes peeled.

Around the time it started pouring, Cynthia took over for Elisa on our wagon. Elisa disappeared under the canvas with a promise not to work on anything potentially explosive while we were on the move, and after some urging from her sister and reassurances from me Ryoko joined her. Partly because the two were already becoming fast friends, and partly because the rain seemed to make her more miserable than anyone else in the caravan. If she’d spent most of her life on the streets without shelter, I could imagine why.

I tried offering to take the reins from Tsuki since she seemed to like the rain about as much, but she staunchly refused. She’d taken the job and she was committed to following it through, rain or shine. At the very least, I made sure all the members of my household wore a hooded, water-proofed cloak to keep them as dry as possible.

I’d never minded the rain, so I walked with my hood down. I’d spent three years in the underground separated from any kind of weather, and the rest of my time in Karn’s clutches locked away from the outside world, only able to see sun through windows and hear the rain through the walls. Inclement weather always calmed me, especially thunder and lightning.

But, even as eager as Korey was to get home, the mud and darkness together eventually became too much. They parked their four wagons in two pairs, parallel, and stretched canvas across them to make a covered area where we could sit and not get soaked while the horses were taken nearby to graze. We parked ours close enough by that we could take advantage of the cover as well. A couple of fires were started and everyone huddled close in an attempt to get warm while dinner was being cooked.

I tried to insist that I was fine to take a watch, but Tiana and Serena both adamantly shot me down. Already the two of them had found common ground in bullying me into taking care of myself, which was both infuriating and wonderful all at once. They made me take a seat by the fire while Ryoko helped Garm cook a meal for everyone.

Around the time the last light of the sun disappeared, Elisa proudly announced she had already finished an invention she figured we’d like. She enlisted the help of some me, Tiana, and Serena, the tallest three of the household so far, and had us install some strangely shaped rods to the side of our wagon.

Once she was certain they were properly attached, she instructed us on how to unfold them and slide canvas over them to make tents that were larger and more structurally sound than the ones we’d been planning to use in a fraction of the time it took to erect a normal tent. Not only that, but because we could just roll them up and pin them to the side of the wagon, we could use the heavier fabric she’d brought. It would keep the warmth in better than the normal canvas.

I assured her that she’d outdone herself and immediately Vaze was there to inquire about procuring more for the rest of the caravan. I left them to their discussion and went back to where dinner was being handed out. I made to sit with the girls—my four and the twins—who had all congregated away from the fire, but Rhallani stopped me.

“Sorry, this is a girls only conversation. We need to plan,” she said with a grin. “Go warm up by the fire.”That could only mean trouble. “Fine, I suppose I’ll eat all by my lonesome.”

“Cynthia was looking for you, actually,” Tiana chimed in, having the grace to at least look a little guilty.

I gave her a nod, then Rhallani a warning look and a peck on the forehead, and sought out my newest hire. Her nose was buried in papers she was painstakingly trying to keep dry, so she didn’t notice my approach until I sat down next to her.

She started a bit, then blinked some tiredness out of her eyes. “Ah, Zaren. Good. I wanted to speak with you.” Then she frowned. “Do you prefer Zaren or Ren?”

“Ren for now, at least until we’re situated in the capital,” I told her. “I’m not exactly hiding my identity, but until we’re set up there’s no need to call attention to it.”

She nodded. “Right. Ren, then.” She shuffled through some papers. “I suppose that brings me to my next question. Which property will we be settling in?”

“Which?” I was confused. “I should only have the one.”

She frowned at me. “No, you’ve got a number. It’s clear you haven’t had any kind of bookkeeper in…well, ever, but I’ve started to get it all somewhat organized.” More shuffling until she found what she was looking for. “Over the last thirty years, it seems you’ve been named in a number of wills.”

I choked on the bite of soup in my mouth. “Wills? What do you mean, wills?”

Her frown deepened. “You weren’t aware, then?”

“Like I mentioned before, any knowledge of my holdings is thirty years old.”

“Right.” She looked through several more sheafs of paper. “After the war, when property became tied to the Accords, property taxes in the capital started to rise. Those that inherited property in the war suddenly couldn’t afford it. Leaving the property to your children was just as costly, and someone at some point decided to leave the property to you instead.”

People were leaving me properties? “Why me?”

“Unsure. I’ll have to do some digging when we arrive to find out for sure, but for now my best guess is that you were gone. You might have owned the property, but you weren’t there to kick them out. Their families could keep living there without paying exorbitant taxes.”

I let out a whistle. “How much property do I own, then?”

More ruffling, a frown, consulting a map covered in red circles and cramped notes, then, “most of the lower quarter, it would seem, as well as some smatterings of property scattered through the Eastern and Western quarters.”

“Come again?”

She made a thoughtful noise. “I suppose it makes sense. They would have stopped investing in the Lower Quarter once they could no longer control the land or make money off it. That must be why the demi-humans and the lower class were all shoved into that part of the city.”

It took me a minute to remember how to speak. “How am I affording the taxes?”

“For a while you could afford them comfortably just off what you earned during the war.” She fished out a page covered in numbers. “Seems that, despite you not wanting it, Rolar made sure you were well compensated. Then, after…” she flipped the page. “Ah, here. People started donating to your household, it seems. At a glance, based on the regularity and amounts, my first guess is its the families who left you the properties paying their version of rent. Then…”

She frowned. “Someone has been making yearly, large deposits into your finances. I’d have to sit down and math it out, but I think it’s the exact amount you’d owe in taxes each year, just before they would have been due.”

“Someone’s been paying my taxes?”

She nodded. “Different person each time, according to these records, but always on the same day. Strange.”Yet another puzzle to try and figure out. Then another thought struck me. “Cynthia, the number of servants I can employ is based on my holdings, correct?”

“That’s right.”

“And how many servants could I have currently?”

“Well, like I said, I’m still trying to piece it all together, but if I had to guess then at least forty, and that’s being conservative. Very conservative.”

I let out a low whistle. Seems I wouldn’t have to be as careful as I’d originally worried when it came to taking in demi-humans who needed it.

That gave me pause. When I’d first indebted Rhallani, I’d been more than reluctant. Here I was worried I wouldn’t be able to do it enough. Things had changed so drastically for me in just a matter of weeks, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. I did know that if I came across anybody else who needed a home, I wouldn’t have to hesitate so much in offering them a collar.

What a fucked up train of thought.

“I took the liberty of procuring another twenty collars just in case,” she continued. “I assumed it would be better to be safe than sorry.”

“A good instinct.” Added to the two dozen me and Rhallani had bought what felt like ages ago, that would hopefully be more than enough. I only hoped I could fill those collars with those seeking a better life, not those who I’m saving from a horrible one.

“I’ll keep putting it all together,” she said, rubbing her eyes. “It’s a mess, but that’s what you pay me for.”“Just make sure you’re getting plenty of rest while you’re at it. We have time yet before we get to the capital, and I’d rather you do good work over a longer period rather than killing yourself trying to rush things.”

She nodded. “Of course, sir.”

I fought the urge to tell her to simply call me by name. If I was going to be her boss, then I should probably get used to her at least deferring to me. “To answer your question, we’ll start with the main manor I originally inherited unless you can find a better option. See what you can learn about that property and the ones nearest to it, we can go from there.”

She nodded. “I suppose I should have asked this earlier, but what will sleeping arrangements look like while on the road?”

“I was going to let you and Elisa have the wagon, if there’s room in it. I figure the girls will take my tent and I can give the twins the extra Elisa helped us install.”

Her lips pursed. “Very well. Thank you.”

I inclined my head, and out of the corner of my eye I saw the council of girls convening. “I’ll leave you to it,” I told her, standing.

She made a noise that sounded briefly like confirmation and I left her to her papers. Rhallani was going to lose her mind when I told her just how many servants I could have, and with Noelle’s request I imagined she’d be pleased as well.

Speaking of Rhallani, my little ringleader of an Arelim saw me coming. She left the group behind and approached, hands on hips. “Alright, time for our first experiment. I don’t think it’s as simple as sex, but I want to be sure. Are you willing to give it a shot? Just sex?”

I crossed my arms. “I can give it a shot, though I’m not sure I’d consider it ‘just sex’ with any of you at this point.”

She smiled wide, mischief in her eyes. “I agree, which is why it won’t be one of us you’re sleeping with.”

I blinked. “Come again?”

“Not tonight,” she said sadly.

“You know what I meant.”

She batted her eyelashes at me, and I crossed my arms. She huffed. “Fine, fine. Buzzkill. After a long conversation—one between all of us, the twins included—Tsuki has agreed to help.”

“Tsuki?”

“Yes, Tsuki. You know, cute little Kitsune?”

It took me a minute to recover. Said cute little Kitsune seemed like she was hardly my biggest fan even on a good day, and that was only because of what I was offering for her sister. “Dare I ask how you managed to convince her of that?”

“You may not,” she said pointedly. “Rule number one, you can’t ask questions. She has her reasons, and she isn’t being coerced in any way. You can ask her all you want after, but until you do the deed just pretend it’s a one night stand. Just two people seeking pleasure.”

I took a breath, one of my fingers tapping against my bicep as if it had a mind of its own. This felt a little too similar to before Ria. To when I’d end up in another soldier’s bed without even knowing her name. It hadn’t been so bad when that had been my only experience when it came to sex, but a lot of things had changed since then. “I’m not sure about this,” I admitted.

She put a hand on my chest, her expression turning immediately to one of worry. “If you’re not sure, then we don’t do it. I just thought—” she bit her lip, no doubt trying to decide what she could give away or not. “Do you trust me?”

I uncrossed my arms, placing one of my hands over hers. “You know I do.”

“Then know that I think you should do this. Not just for what we could learn, either. But don’t think about it too much, alright? Not until after, at least.”

I squeezed her hand. “And everyone is on board? Completely?”

She nodded eagerly. “Yes. I promise. Ryoko’s a little unsure, but Tsuki—” She cut off. “Um, Tsuki reassured her. It’s fine.”

“Alright, Angel. I’ll trust you, then.”

Relieved, she stepped back. “Good. Then hurry up and get in there. After, we can all cuddle up and talk about it.”

“Good.” I gave her a quick kiss on the forehead, then checked my status.

[Soul Essence: 64/100]

“Well, we can officially rule out time. My Essence is still at the same number as when we left Anford.”

I left her scribbling in her notebook and headed for our tent. Large and square now that it was attached to the carriage, and mercifully dry inside. Tsuki paced inside, her tail swishing agitatedly behind her, with her crooked finger between her teeth. She froze when I entered, turning her golden eyes up at me more than a little nervously.

“So we’re doing this, then?” she asked.

I approached her, and she clasped her hands behind her back. Her tail still twitched behind her, but it had stilled greatly. “Seems to be the case. As long as—”

Her hand shot up and covered my mouth. “No questions, just sex. That’s what Rhallani said.” Then, hesitantly, her hands went towards my pants.

I caught her wrists, and her gaze shot up to mine. “Just one, then. I need to know that you want to be here. Whatever the reason. I need to know you aren’t just here because you’re worried about your place. I need you to know that I don’t need you to be useful, and that no matter what I won’t separate you and your sister. That said, do you still want this?”

She looked up at me for a long time, and her tail slowly calmed down. Then she nodded once. I released her hands, and she deftly undid my belt. I took care of my shirt while my pants fell to the ground, and she slid her hands into my undergarments to wrap around my length. She pulled them down with one hand while the other started stroking me.

I pulled her tunic up and over her head, revealing her small, yet curvy body. I palmed her breasts and she let out a soft gasp, pressing into my hands. She let me fondle her while she dropped her own pants to the ground, revealing nothing underneath.

Then she sank down to her knees and took me into her mouth. Her long tongue trailed circles around the crown before sliding her lips down the shaft, drawing a low groan from me. She took me all the way in, only slowing down slightly when I hit her throat, her eyes locked onto mine the entire time. She went until her nose was buried in my pelvis, then held it until her eyes started to water. Only then did she back away until only a trail of saliva connected my cock to her lips.

“You’re…large,” she panted. She returned to sucking, her eyes sliding closed after a few slow trips down the length of my cock. Her hand wrapped around the base while the other braced against my thigh, digging into the flesh there. She sucked me off silently until a moan slipped out of her throat, reverberating down my cock and causing her eyes to shoot wide in surprise. Her cheeks coloring, she drew back slowly until I slipped out completely.

She gave my head one last lick, then turned around sank to her hands and knees atop one of the larger bedrolls we’d brought. She crawled away from me on all fours, then looked at me over her shoulder. Her tail raised into the air and she arched her back, giving me a good look of her dripping slit.

Just sex. Trying not to overthink things, I knelt down behind her. Her breathing hitched, then she sucked in her breath when I pressed the head of my cock against her lower folds. I paused, giving her plenty of time to tell me to stop, but her eyes never left mine. Not until I pushed forward and slid inside her.

She bit her lip to hold in a moan, then hung her head and pushed back onto me until I was fully inside her.

“Very…large…” she panted.

Her tail flicked up, caressing my chest, and I grabbed her shapely hips to give myself leverage. I gave her a moment to get used to me, then I pulled almost all the way out before pushing back in. She was incredibly tight, and the muscles in her core clenched and fluttered like she was trying to pull me in deeper with every inch that she took.

The only sound she made was a slight whimper when I bottomed out, and I paused. Her tail flicked again, and I heard her say, “m-more…”

I obliged, starting to pump my hips in earnest. She let out a small sound every time our hips met, but other than that she remained completely quiet. But with every thrust, she pushed her hips back to meet mine. If I tried to slow down, she sped up. If I tried to slip out, her hips chased me backwards. Then her tail swished to one side, wrapping once around my uninjured arm.

It felt like her tail was pulling me, so I let go of her left hip and wrapped my hand around the base of her tail. She cried out and slammed back into me even harder. She clenched around me like a vice, climax driving her hips into mine with as much force as her small, curvaceous frame could muster. “Harder!” she demanded.

This time I used her tail to fuck her and she buried her face in the bedroll, moaning loudly. I slammed into her even harder until she came again, bringing me right up to the edge. She moaned into the bedroll and her hands clenched the fabric so hard her knuckles turned white.

With a start, I realized I’d never checked to see if Rhallani had given her the contraception crest. I imagined she had, but in that blinding moment before release a primal part of my brain demanded I not take the chance. I pulled out, slamming my hips back forward so that my shaft rested between her cheeks, pointed just to the side of her tail, and shot rope after rope up her back.

She panted into the bedroll for a few moments before she looked over her shoulder at me with a furrowed brow, her chest heaving. “You didn’t finish inside?” I wasn’t sure if it was confusion or disappointment I heard in her voice.

I sank back. “Not usually something I do without discussing it first,” I told her, breathing hard.

She frowned and looked down at my chest, avoiding my eyes. She let her hips fall to the side and I reached out to perform a simple cleaning spell and take care of the mess on her back. “I should—I should go now,” she said between breaths.

“If you want to I won’t stop you, but I’d like to talk.”

She shook her head. She looked to the entrance to the tent, but she gripped the bedroll even tighter. “Rhallani said—”

“Sixty-five,” I said. I laid down next to her, leaning on a single elbow, keeping a foot of space between us. I summoned a blanket from storage and draped it over her, covering up her nakedness. “That netted me a single Soul Essence. Experiment over.”

“I—I suppose we could—” She looked away, then nestled into the bedroll and pulled a pillow under her head. “I could stay for at least a few minutes.”

I did the same, laying down on my side so that we were looking eye to eye. “Rhallani said you had your reasons for doing this, and I’d like to know them if you’re willing to share.”

She made an uncertain noise, then pulled the blanket tighter around her. “I do…like sex,” she admitted finally. “I just rarely get to have much choice in my partner. This was a choice. I’ve seen how you are with your partners and I wanted to experience it.”

“I see.”

“And…” she looked down at my chest again. “I have been…unsuccessful trying to find any reasons to dislike you.”

“I wasn’t aware you were looking.”

“I have been. I have to. I can’t afford to be fooled. Not when Ryoko could pay so easily for my mistakes.”

Now it was my turn to frown. “Tsuki, I will never punish Ryoko for anything you do. Even if you ever did something that would require some kind of…repercussions, then it would never be abuse or anything sexual.”

“I know,” she said softly. “But I had to be sure. I’m sorry.”

I slowly reached out and patted her head between her two foxlike ears. “You have nothing to be sorry for.” Her lids lowered, but she just forced her eyes back up to mine. “Were those the only reasons?”

She shook her head. “Have you ever been with a beastkin race?”

“Twice,” I admitted.

“Have you ever been with one when they’re in heat?”

“I have not.”

“Right. Well, if you’re with a preferred partner, it can be amazing. So I’m told, at least. Heightened arousal, sensitivity, and a near-unstoppable desire to…be bred. Unfortunately, our mating seasons don’t often care if we actually have a mate or not. Especially if we’re promiscuous.”

And she had been, even if against her will. “Are you in heat right now?”

“You’ll know when I’m in heat. Trust me.” She put on a brave front, but I could tell the words tasted like ash in her mouth. “I’ve always done what I had to for Ryoko. For us both. Sometimes, that involved sacrificing my body. I hated it, but it was better than starving.”

I didn’t interrupt. I had a feeling she had more to say. “But, because I’ve been active since a relatively young age, my heats are often on the stronger side. Normally, they’re at least manageable. Sometimes…not so much. If I go through a cycle without finding relief, then the next one is often worse.”

She pulled the blanket tighter around her, curling into herself. “I wanted to do it with you so that if I lose myself the next time I go in heat, maybe I’ll seek you out instead of the nearest male. Now that my body knows yours and I know your taste.”

I’d heard that beastkin could be insatiable when in heat, but I didn’t know it was that bad. “Are your urges really that strong?”

She looked away again. At first I didn’t think she was going to respond, then she blurted, “yes. I—it was the reason we were captured.” I opened my mouth to respond, but she barreled on. “I was caught off guard. My heat came early, while I was out trying to find us food. It was difficult to think straight, and a Lycanine male smelled that it was my time.” She opened her mouth to continue, but it was a few second before she could manage to force the words out. “I remember wanting to run away, but my body wouldn’t.”

The words began to tumble out, and I could see a layer of wetness in her eyes. “His smell hit me and I just couldn’t move. Then he was there. I remember his tongue in my mouth, him pressing me against the wall, then—” She clutched the blanket tighter and jammed her eyes shut. “I barely even remember what happened after that. Just flashes. Pleasure and pain. Need. Waking up bruised and fucked days later in his bed.”

I struggled to find a response, but she wasn’t done. “It was my fault!” she cried suddenly, curling into a ball. “I ran back to her, but it was too late! We were out of food, and she came looking for me. Someone saw her, drawn by her white fur like always, and tried to take her. She ran, fought back, and ended up in the Pens. I didn’t know what to do! I didn’t have anyone I could go to! I did the only thing I could think of and got myself arrested too, then bribed the guard to protect her!”

The tears were falling fully now, so I reached out and pulled her into my chest. She shed the blanket and wrapped her arms around my waist. “I was so scared! I was sure it was over. That someone would take one of us and not the other and we’d never see each other again, and it’d be all my fault!”

I pressed her into me, rubbing her back. “I’m sorry.”

“And then you came! When I saw you I was so afraid of what someone who looked like you might do to her, and now…and now…”

“It’s alright now.”

“It’s not!” she cried into my chest, her entire body trembling. “You don’t know what it’s like! To wake up not knowing where you were. What had been done to you. Hurting in places that should never hurt like that. Feeling so used. Having no choice in the matter.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” I said softly.

That brought her to a jarring halt. Suddenly tense, she pushed against my chest and I let her put enough space between us to look up at me with red-rimmed eyes. “You?”

“A long time ago, yes.”

“But you’re strong!”

I wiped the wetness from her cheeks. “I wasn’t always.”

“And you’re human.”

“Some people live to cause pain, regardless of race.”

She sniffled. “I never would have…”

“I was lucky,” I told her. “I had people that were willing to help put me back together. I was also unlucky in that those times weren’t even the most horrible things to happen to me. The man I am now is built atop so many layers of trauma I couldn’t even tell you how to go about finding your way back from the hell you’ve been forced to live.”

She looked back to my chest once again and her dainty fingers traced one of the scars there. Then, after a brief hesitation, she sidled back into my embrace so I could rest my chin on her crown. “Do you think I could be strong like you?”

“If that’s what you wanted, we could certainly try.”

“I don’t—” Her fingers curled against my chest. “I want to protect Ryoko, but I don’t want to have to use my body to do it. I don’t want to do that anymore. Not ever again.”

“And as long as I’m alive, you’ll never have to.” I kept rubbing her back, and she pressed her body into mine as if trying to burrow into my skin. “And, at the risk of sounding like a lecherous pervert, if you’re ever in heat and you need release, then I’d be happy to help you so you don’t end up doing anything against your will.”

“Thank you,” she said, her voice wavering. “And Zaren?”

“Yes?”

“If—if it ever comes to that, will you do something for me?”

“Name it.”

“After, will you…will you hold me like this? I don’t—the part that’s the worst is waking up all alone, knowing what happened even if I don’t remember it. Waking up like this…that wouldn’t be so bad, I think.”

“Done and done,” I promised.

She relaxed against me and I kept rubbing her back until she pulled away. She rolled to a seated position and rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands. “This doesn’t make me a part of your harem,” Her tone was somewhat accusatory, though she smirked slightly when she said it.

“Of course not. My selection process is much more rigorous than a single fuck.”

She smiled, then stood. I followed suit, retrieving my pants. I went to look for my shirt only to realize that Tsuki had already donned it with some color on her cheeks, pointedly avoiding my eyes. Her tail was back to swishing energetically, though, so it seemed her mood had improved.

“And Zaren, it goes without saying but…please don’t tell my sister the things I’ve told you. She suspects much of what I’ve had to do, but she doesn’t know all of it.”

“It’s not my story to tell.” But that brought another question to mind. “Does Ryoko also…?”

She shot a glare at me. “No. Not like me, anyways. She’ll get really horny, but she’s still a virgin, so her heats aren’t nearly as aggressive. I had my first time at a young age, before I knew what the full repercussions would be. I’ve spent a long time making sure Ko doesn’t make the same mistake I did. Not until we found somewhere we could call home, at least.”

“I see. Well I hope I can offer you both that someday. Whether it’s with me or otherwise.”

She nodded, though it was much less curt than normal. “I’ll get the others. I’m sure Rhallani is wondering what’s taking so long. It’s late, so you might as well wait here.” Her eyes flicked towards my chest one last time, though this was less avoiding my eyes and more appreciating what she saw. Her tail swished widely, and she said so softly I barely heard her, “next time you can finish inside.” Then she ducked out before I could even process what she’d said.

Next time, huh? It seemed I was only just beginning to see through the armor Tsuki wore. I didn’t bother putting my pants back on, instead unrolling the massive bedroll and laying down with the blanket over my waist. I took a peek at my Essence once again and my brows rose.

[Soul Essence: 67/100]

Our little heart to heart had generated twice as much as the sex, though a part of me wasn’t surprised. Rhallani had already guessed that sex wasn’t the answer. Tonight had mainly been about proving her theory correct, and it seemed we had.

Rhallani was the first one in, and I could see the worry on her face. I gave her a reassuring smile, and she relaxed on the spot. “So it went alright, then?”

I quickly told her the results, both of the sex and the talk after. I gave her the broad strokes on what we talked about while everyone but Tiana and the twins filed in and started stripping into their smallclothes. I didn’t tell them the specifics of Tsuki’s confession; that wasn’t my information to give.

I raised a brow when Serena was the first to get undressed and dive in to claim a spot next to me. I didn’t even have a chance to comment before she was trailing kisses up the underside of my jaw, her hand sliding up my chest until she could cup the cheek opposite her. I had to fight back a groan at how good her lips felt, covering as much area as she could. “If I didn’t know better, I might think someone is jealous,” I said with a chuckle.

She pressed her body into mine while Rhallani laid on my other side just before Noelle flopped face first into my lap. Serena pulled my face down so she could press her lips to mine, then pulled away and looked up at me with big, emerald eyes. “Not jealous. I just wanted to make sure you knew that this isn’t like back then.”I stilled, then I wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into my chest, pressing my cheek to her temple.

“Thank you,” I whispered. If my conversation with Tsuki hadn’t gone the way it did, there was every possibility I’d feel like I was spending my nights with nameless soldiers once again.

While I held Serena, Noelle took the chance to steal my lips. I barely got my mouth open before her tongue went hunting for mine. I chuckled when she pulled back. “Ladies, I’m fine,” I said. “I promise.”

I laid back and they all snuggled into me. Rhallani leaned up to give me a peck on the cheek before she did. “And I promise that you’ll like tomorrow’s experiment.”

“I have no doubt.” I looked at the flap. “Where are the others?”

“Well,” Serena said slowly, “it was obvious that Tsuki had been crying, and Ryoko…got upset.”I winced. “Our talk got a little heavy,” I admitted.

“We know,” Rhallani assured me quickly. “She told us, and we know you’d never hurt her. Ryoko was a little harder to convince, so Tsuki told us to go ahead while they talked it out.”

“Tiana?”

“Volunteered for first watch,” Rhallani said. “Serena has second watch, and now that I have Festus I’ll start taking them as well.”

“I will also watch,” Noelle said solemnly.

It was at that point that Tsuki and Ryoko finally returned. Tsuki came in first with Ryoko just behind her. They were holding hands, and it looked like both of them had been crying. Ryoko’s eyes were fixed on the floor of the tent, but Tsuki asked, “may we stay in here tonight?”

“Of course,” I told her.

Her response was a curt nod, her colder demeanor having returned. They both managed to squeeze inside the bedroll, though with so many of us Tiana might have a time slipping in. Noelle looked at them with a frown, then leaned up and kissed me one more time before crawling over Rhallani so she could lie next to the twins. Tsuki’s eyes widened when Noelle wrapped around her, pushing the Kitsune’s head into her chest, and it was only a second longer before she was sandwiched between Noelle and her sister.

Tsuki’s eyes found mine, and I nodded encouragingly. Her gaze turned watery before she settled in and wrapped her arms around Noelle. Serena left my side long enough to turn out the lantern that lit the tent before she glued herself back to me. We talked a bit longer about nothing at all before eyelids started growing heavy.

As always, with the dark came enhanced senses. I could tell exactly when each person in the tent nodded off just based on their breathing. I also discovered a flaw in Elisa’s tent creation. Between my senses and our proximity to the wagon, I’d probably have to suggest some soundproofing. I just had to figure out a way to do so without revealing I could hear most of what her and Cynthia were up to just a few feet away.

I tried to get some rest, but sleep eluded me. My thoughts kept drifting back to my conversation with Tsuki, which inevitably led me to other places. She wanted to be strong, which meant I’d teach her how to fight. That would lead to combat classes. I had no problem with that, but what if she was someone else Allura was manipulating? Would she get a strong class just because she’s becoming important to me? Or was she put in my path because Allura was already planning to give her one?

Because of my cycling thoughts, I was still awake when Tiana finally finished her watch. She slipped in silently, disrobed, then tapped Serena on the shoulder. With a grumble, Serena slid out and got dressed for her watch while Tiana slid into the warmth she left behind and snuggled into my side.

I doubted I’d get any sleep until I asked the question that had been nagging at me. “Tiana?” I said softly.

She tensed. “I didn’t wake you, did I?”

“No, I was awake. Can I ask you something?”

In almost the exact motion Serena had made earlier, her hand trailed up my chest to cup my cheek. “You can ask me anything.”

“Do you remember the options for your second class?”

“Why?”

“Humor me.”

She made an uncertain sound. I knew by the shift in breathing that Rhallani was awake, though she was trying her best to feign sleep. Leave it to my adorable Arelim to wake up the moment classes were mentioned.

Tiana’s fingertips traced my jaw. “Promise you won’t make fun of me?”

I put my hand over hers. “Why would I make fun of you?”

She rested her head on my chest and let out a long sigh, lacing her fingers with mine. “Because only an idiot passes up classes like Pyromancer or Spellweaver for my pervy class.”

Rhallani couldn’t suppress a small gasp and I had to agree. Pyromancer was a powerful, if common, fire based class, while Spellweaver would have made her Arcanist spells a force to be reckoned with. Just like Serena, she’d been given the option between a class that synergized with my…equipment and two very powerful classes.

I didn’t answer, and that seemed to bother her. She propped herself up on an elbow, reaching for my face in the dark. “I told you, I was an idiot.”

I pulled her up my body so that when she rested her head on my shoulder I could feel her breath on my cheek.

“Would you hate me if I said I thought Allura gave you your class? Because of me?”

“What?” I could hear the frown in her voice. “But I didn’t even know you—oh.” Her fingers clenched and unclenched a few times, then she tentatively threw a leg over me and pressed her forehead into my temple. “Do you think she sent me down to the spiders?” she asked hesitantly.

I wasn’t surprised that she’d made the same connection I had. “I don’t know,” I answered truthfully. “It’s possible, but it’s just as possible that she didn’t. That she sent me down after you. Until we find a way to ask her, there’s no way to tell. Even then, there’s no guarantee she’ll answer us truthfully.”

She put her palm to my face, stroking her thumb across my cheekbone. “If you’re right,” she said slowly, “either way, you had no part in it. I won’t hold you responsible for the actions of a goddess. Not after all you’ve done for me, and all you’ve promised to do. And…”

“And?” I asked when she didn’t finish the thought.

“And,” this time I could hear a faint smile in her tone, “knowing everything I know now, I wouldn’t do anything differently.” She hooked one leg around mine and kissed my cheek, practically melting into me.

“Except maybe making such a fool of myself when you first found me.”

I laughed softly. “After Rhallani and Serena, you made me worry that every woman I’d meet was a horny mess.”

She laughed too. “You do seem to have that effect on women.”

“Not going to deny it then?”

“Definitely not.”

I pressed my cheek to her forehead. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

I wasn’t sure I could put it into words. “Being you, I suppose.”

A shiver rippled through her, and her fingers found my face in the darkness so she could kiss me deeply, then she laid back down. “Well, thank you, too. For everything.” From her tone, I suspected she was struggling to find the words just as much as I was.

She must have gotten the sense that the conversation was over, because she nuzzled into my neck and relaxed, still half draped over me. It wasn’t long before she was snoring softly, and despite the busty mage laying on top of me I felt like a weight had been lifted off my chest.

It was a long time before i even came close to falling asleep. I was just nodding off when Rhallani suddenly rolled away, snuggling up to Noelle from behind. Less than a minute later, Serena was fighting Tiana for real estate on my chest and I found myself buried under the two. Serena nuzzled into my neck with her nose still cold from her watch and buried her frozen fingers and toes in any warm part of me she could find with a smile on her face.

After a small amount if halfhearted grumbling, I pressed a kiss to her head and closed my eyes once more. With the four people i cared about most safe and sound in the tent with me, it wasn’t long before sleep finally came for me as well.