Chapter Sixty-Four: New Additions

I couldn’t quite pull my eyes away from Vivian, who made her way straight through camp towards the tent we’d loaned her. It made exactly no sense to me, but watching her walk with her shoulders squared, her jaw set, and her face tilted towards the ground, all I could think was that she was irritated. Annoyed. Frustrated. It made even less sense how amused I was by it.

I chalked it up to a sort of odd retribution for the whole “deceiving the entire caravan” thing she’d been doing. I wondered if she’d last all the way to the capital, because I felt like her facade was cracking more and more often with each passing day. As she ducked into her tent, I was gripped with the urge to try and push her towards that point, but I pushed the impulse aside. For now. I had plenty of other things to worry about for now, and I still couldn’t bring myself to think of her as an enemy. Even a potential one.

But, with Vivian out of sight once again, my attention was caught by someone else. Noelle, once again sitting on what seems to be her new favorite perch, Nine’s shoulders. She was grinning ear-to-ear while Fourteen laughed at something someone said, and when she looked up and saw me watching I felt the faintest of tugs through our Link, so I headed over.

Noelle hopped down nimbly. Both Nine and Fourteen’s expressions turned more serious, though they looked at me with carefully hopeful expressions. Noelle just beamed. “Ren, I would like to introduce you to my sisters, Safina and Valith.”

I offered a smile to Safina, formerly known as Nine, and Valith, formerly known as Fourteen. “It’s a pleasure to officially meet the two of you. You can call me Ren.” I turned to Safina. “Sorry about…y’know…”She waved a hand. “Water under the bridge. You freed me from the collar, I’m not going to complain about the how.”

“Me neither,” Valith added. “Even if I’ve developed a minor snake phobia.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Yeah, Fang’s scaly form is definitely something. May I?” I asked, gesturing towards an empty camp stool. When they nodded, I took a seat. I couldn’t help but notice Safina pull Valith closer to her, only to frown. “You alright?”

She opened her mouth only to close it. Her brow furrowed, and a growl started to grow in her throat. She seemed to fight with herself for a moment before she gave in and pulled Valith into her lap, then wrapped her arms around her. Valith murmured something, patting her arm sympathetically. Only then did Safina start to relax. “Fucking dragon instincts.”

Well, if that wasn’t a perfect way to ask the question that was burning at me, I didn’t know what was. “How pure are you? Half-dragon, I mean.”

She hesitated to answer, and it wasn’t until Valith waved her head lower and whispered something in her ear that she gave in with a sigh. “As pure as it gets. There’s a…facility up in the mountains to the far, far north. Someone paid a shit load of money for them to breed a Half-dragon with pure draconic ancestry at least three generations back.” At the last part, she jammed a thumb at her own chest with a grimace.

My eyes fell on Valith. “You’re Dark Elf ancestry is similar, isn’t it?” I asked.

She just shrugged. “Apparently. I met a woman once who said I was one of the most pure she’d ever seen. She told me a lot about what it means to be Dark Elf. She was the first person not wearing a collar to show me kindness.” She shrugged like it was no big deal. “She’s where I got the name.”

I nodded. “Hard to say since Noelle’s the only Malachai I’ve ever heard of,” I ran a hand down her back and she hummed happily, “but if my guess is right then she’s as pure as it gets. Maybe even first generation. Are all of you pure demi-humans?”

They both exchanged a glance, frowning. Then Valith said, “hard to say since a lot of us were bought young or didn’t know our parents, but everyone had pretty strong traits. Could be.”

I nodded thoughtfully. “I’m not going to make you relive what you’ve been through until you’re ready—”

But Safina shook her head. “Noelle said you went through something similar. She also said you’d be willing to save the rest of our sisters. Was she telling the truth?”

“Yeah.” Then I processed what she’d said. “Sisters? You’re all women?”

“We are,” Valith acknowledged. “There were twenty of us once, but we haven’t heard from a handful of them in a while. With the exception of Noelle, we were always sent in groups of two or three. We were loaned out to mercenaries or for private security for nefarious individuals. Sent on missions, stuff like that.”

I leaned forward, my foot tapping. “Do you know who’s in charge? Any names?”

Safina shook her head. “No, they were always careful not to use names around us.”

“I heard one of them refer to an ‘Arthal’ once like he was important,” Valith offered.

Noelle looked up at me. “I only knew Vald. You knew names though,” she observed.

I let out a breath. “Yeah, well they were a little more careless during my trials. Pretty sure none of us were supposed to come out of those experiments alive, but if they’re sending you out on missions…Maybe they’re trying to get you levels? If sending you out was part of the plan, then it makes sense that they wouldn’t want you having any information that could lead back to them. Especially not if they’re related to the experiments I survived.”

“How did you survive?” Valith asked.

“Slipped my collar,” I said automatically. “Killed everyone involved I could get my hands on. Apparently didn’t do a good enough job if those collars are still floating around.” The truth was much more complicated, but it involved going near memories I definitely couldn’t handle right now.

“Did anyone else survive?” Safina asked softly.

“No. By the time I managed to get free, I was the only one left.” I let out a long breath. “I’m three for three so far, which means I’m already doing better than I did the first time around. I don’t plan on stopping with just you three.”

They exchanged another look, and one silent conversation later they both turned back to me in unison.

“What’s next for us, then?” Valith asked.

“Whatever you want. I won’t force you into anything.” I summoned two collars from my storage. “The last thing I want to do is exchange your iron collar for a leather one, but this world seems determined to only give us shit options. If you’re anything like Noelle here, then I’m guessing you’ll want to help, and if you want me to be your Patron then I’ll make sure you have the freedom to help your sisters. If you want out at all, then all you have to do is say so.”

Safina let out a low growl. “Having a pure Half-dragon servant is going to earn you a lot of attention,” she warned.

I barked out a humorless laugh and pulled Noelle into my side. “So will my Malachai here. Besides, something tells me that when all is said and done the demi-humans working for me will be one of the lesser reasons I’ve got everyone’s attention.”

Safina stood, taking Valith with her. After some difficulty, she managed to set the much smaller Dark Elf on her feet, managing to only let out a small growl when I approached. “We’re in, but if you hurt any of my sisters…” she let the though trail off.

“Yeah, I get it, trust me. Something tells me you’d be much harder to take down fighting for them than fighting because the collar is forcing you.”

It was slightly intimidating having to reach up to put Safina’s collar on her, but in no time both of them wore the strip of black leather around their necks. Both rubbed them thoughtfully, then Safina chuckled. “At least this one won’t chafe.”

I inclined my head. “Hopefully in time it feels like more of a shield than a leash, but I know better than to make empty promises. You’re both welcome to take as much time as you need to get used to things, or if you’re already going stir crazy then I’m sure I can find something for you to help with.”

That made Safina smile, showing off incisors that weren’t unlike Noelle’s. “Actually, we’ve already talked about that a little.”

Valith nodded, crossing her arms. “Word around camp is that everyone wants to know about that flame archer. If you’d permit it, I’d like to head back and take a look around. I’m a better tracker in urban environments, but I’ve still got some skill with it.”

“I was going to ask Reese, but if you’re willing—”

Valith waved a hand. “Reese already took a look around and came up empty, apparently. I’d prefer to see it with my own eyes and report back directly.”

“And I’m basically built to be a bodyguard,” Safina added. “I can take a hit, so I figure I can keep an eye on the other newcomers while we’re stationary and help guard the caravan while we’re not.”

After seeing her swinging around that shield and mace, I had no doubt. A seven foot muscular Half-dragon had plenty of intimidation factor as well. “I’ll talk to Pierce about getting you both into watch rotations if that’s what you want.” Then, to Valith, “And while I’d love to see what you come up with, I don’t want anyone going anywhere alone. Just because we’ve taken care of the obvious threat doesn’t mean we’re entirely safe.”

She frowned. “Got anyone who can keep up with me? Between Elven agility and stamina plus my class, I’ll be moving quick. I move quiet, too.”

I thought initially of Nariko, but she was still recovering from her imprisonment. She could move as quietly as the best of them, but I’d seen signs that her stamina still had a ways to go before she was back to full. Before I could get too far into my train of thought, though, someone behind me cleared their throat.

I turned to see Alice wringing her hands. “Um, I promise I wasn’t eavesdropping, I was just…um…”

I waved her over. “It’s alright, we weren’t talking about anything overly sensitive. How can I help you, Alice?”She swallowed audibly. “Well, first I wanted to thank you again for what you did for me, but I’d be lying if I wasn’t trying to find a way to be useful enough to earn more.”

I turned towards her, which made Noelle press into my side. I raised a brow at her, but she had her eyes locked on Alice. “You don’t have to earn your feeds anymore, Alice. Are you already feeling the thirst again?”

“No!” she said quickly. “I mean, ah, I don’t need another feed just yet. I’ll probably be fine for a couple more days, even though I’ve been starved pretty bad the last few weeks. This is more of a…want…” She stood straighter and met my eyes. The violet in them seemed brighter than it had before by several shades. “I can help. Fourteen—”

“Valith,” Noelle corrected curtly in a voice only a step above a growl.

Alice’s eyes flicked to Noelle’s and her pupils dilated, but her body remained still. “Sorry, Valith. She wants someone who can keep up with her. Vampires can, and I’m a strong one. And…” She resumed wringing her hands.

“You can speak freely,” I promised her. “You’re safe here.”

She nodded slightly at first, then the nods grew bigger and bigger, like she was trying to psych herself up. “My class is Blood Hunter. I, um, get boosts when I drink blood. The…higher quality the blood, the bigger the boosts. Your blood…” she trailed off with a smile that she tried to hide.

Noelle wrapped her arms around mine protectively, so I patted her head. “It’s fine, Noelle. I let her feed so she wouldn’t hurt anyone else.” Noelle growled low, holding me tighter, but didn’t take her eyes off Alice. “What kind of boosts?”

Alice still couldn’t manage to take her eyes off Noelle. “The standard. Speed, strength, stamina. But I have another that enhances senses, and it tapers with time. I could use it to pick up scents. Help Four—er, Valith find any extra signs. And I can definitely keep up with her. Quietly, too, thanks to the whole,” she waved vaguely at herself, “hunter aspect.”

I glanced at Valith, who shrugged. “I’d like to be in charge, but if she can keep up then I’ve got no issue with it. Noelle might take a bite out of her, looks like.”

Noelle held even tighter. I ran a hand through her hair and she shivered. “Noelle?”

She loosened her grip, but only slightly. “It feels…bad,” she admitted eventually. “Like when I snarled at Tiana. I do not understand why, but my body reacts.”

“Instincts,” Safina offered.

Alice had gone stock still. “You’ve claimed him, and I threaten that claim,” she explained. “Vampires have something similar. Lord Ren gave me blood voluntarily, so my Vampire instincts demand that I protect him.”

Ah. Now I understood all the biting a little better. Noelle had been better about Tiana the second she’d bit her, but I wasn’t sure how I was going to suggest that. Noelle seemed to be at a loss as well, because she went back to squeezing me tightly. “Mine,” she growled.

“And nothing’s going to change that,” I promised her. She relaxed, but still couldn’t manage to let go completely.

Not until Alice forced her eyes to the ground with her fists clenched. Only then did Noelle release me, heading straight for Alice before I could so much as get a word out. Alice didn’t make a sound when Noelle sank a hand in her hair and pulled her head to the side and down, but she did let out a whimper when the shorter Malachai darted forward and sunk her teeth into Alice’s neck.

I tensed, unsure if I should intervene or not. Then I read Alice’s lips as she whispered, “I submit,” and they both relaxed. Noelle’s grip turned less fierce, melting into more of an embrace.

Only then did Noelle step back, wiping her lower lip. “You can be mine, too.”

Alice nodded, reaching up to brush against the bloody spot between her neck and her shoulder where Noelle had bit. “I, um, can help more if I feed first,” she said awkwardly.

I exchanged a glance with Safina and Valith, who were both watching with varied levels of amusement. “That’s fine.”

Noelle practically skipped over, pulling Alice along by the hand with a small smile. “The bad feeling is gone, Alice was right.”

“That’s good. Maybe we can use what she’s told us to figure out more about your race down the road.”

She nodded, pulling Alice to a stop next to me. The Vampire eyed my throat hungrily, but she forced herself to grab my arm and lift my wrist to her mouth. She hesitated a second longer, as if afraid someone would stop her, then sank her fangs into my skin. She moaned the second my blood hit her tongue, cradling my arm against her mouth and swaying slightly. Noelle reached out and ran her hand down Alice’s back comfortingly, and Alice let out another low groan.

The pain from the bite began to fade almost immediately, and by the time she finished and released me it had shifted to pleasure that had me trying to covertly adjust myself. “That felt…different.”

Alice blushed, and I realized her eyes were now a light lilac. “Another skill, one my former Patron made me take. I figured it would be better than pain,” she explained. Then she brushed a thumb over the bite and I watched her heal me.

I’d suspected it when she’d done it yesterday, but seeing it was a completely different matter. I fought back the surge of memories that tried to surface while I watched my blood weave across the bite and pull my skin closed. It was a skill eerily similar to my [Shadow Stitching], though considerably less painful. It all but told me what her second class was.

“You’re a Sanguithurge, then,” I observed.

She jerked. “How did you—”

“I knew someone with the class,” I said, looking away.

“Another Vampire?”

“No, human.”

That made her frown. “I’ve never heard of a human getting the class. Even among Vampires, it’s rare.”

I nodded. “Yeah, it’s not a skill meant for us. That’s not important right now. You get the boosts?”

She nodded eagerly. “Yes, sir. More than that. Your blood…I knew it was sweet, but it’s powerful, too. There are so many different flavors for a human. Are you royalty?”

I barked out a laugh. “I can promise you I’m about as far from royal as it gets. My birth parents were as low class as you can get.”

She pursed her lips. “I see. I don’t know, then. I haven’t exactly sampled a lot of blood before.”

I put a hand on her shoulder. “A problem for a different day. Are you good to watch Valith’s back?”

“Yes, sir. I’ll be damn hard to sneak up on for a few hours. Fuck, I feel like I’m buzzing right now.”I chuckled. “Good. Preferred weapon?”

Her eyes widened. “Um, I’ve never really learned to use one. Just my hands and teeth.”

I summoned a simple dagger from storage, not unlike the one I’d given Rhallani. “Just in case.” Then I turned to Valith. “What kind of gear do you need?”

She raised a hand and conjured a long, curved dagger in her palm. “I’m good.”

I nodded. “Go when you’re ready, then.”

Valith stood, rolling her neck, then jerked her head at Alice. “Coming?”

Alice bit her lip, holding the dagger reverently, then nodded. Valith grinned, then turned and vanished from sight only to reappear at the edge of camp. She looked back with a clear challenge on her face, and Alice looked up at me. “I have permission to use my gifts?”

When I nodded, she grinned. Then she was a blur, tearing through the camp so fast I could barely keep track of her. She shot past a surprised Valith, who’s expression shifted to a grin of her own before she turned and followed as fast as she could. It didn’t take long for them both to vanish into the treeline.

Safina’s fists clenched and unclenched until finally she stomped over and scooped Noelle up. “Fuckin’ dragon instinct bullshit…” she grumbled, squeezing Noelle tightly. The small Malachai’s feet were nearly two feet off the ground, and she didn’t look upset at all to have been snatched. Safina looked down at her. “You’re not going to chew on me, are you?” she teased.

Noelle blinked up at her innocently. “Only if you want me to. Ren seems to like it very much.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at how Safina’s cheeks darkened. Apparently, blue Half-dragons blushed a similar color to their scales. “Come on, let’s introduce them to the others.”

It was a short walk through camp, though there were more than a few amused glances thrown towards Safina while she carried Noelle through the tents. We hadn’t made it far before Safina cleared her throat. “By the way, I wanted to say…what you’ve done for Noelle? Thank you. As someone who was forced to stand by and watch some of the things they did to her…”

“I understand,” I told her.

But she shook her head. “I don’t think you do.”

Noelle patted her arm. “He does, Safina. He knows what it’s like to be us. Both of us.”

She scoffed. “I doubt that.” But when Noelle held her gaze, she slowed to a stop. Then she looked at me. “Shit, seriously?”

I just shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “It’s part of how I was able to help her. I’ve got the roadmap to recovery memorized.”

Her sapphire eyes regarded me as if in a new light as she fell into step beside me once more. “And? Did you reach the end of the road?”

“Not sure there is one,” I admitted. “But I’m farther along it than I ever thought I’d be, so there’s that at least. I figure if I’m still finding my way, the least I can do is bring a few people along with me.”

“And her wings are really going to work again? Because that always felt like the worst part. I still remember when they took them. It was…I’ve never been so fucking angry in my life.”

With some effort, Noelle managed to wiggle enough to wrap her arms around one of Safina’s thick biceps. “They will, eventually. They’ve already grown so much since Ren healed them.”

Safina nodded, wiping tears from her eyes. “Yeah. I really hope I’m there to see you fly the first time, little raven. You deserve it.”

Noelle started. “I’d forgotten you called me that.”

“Shit, I had too until I saw those black feathers. Way less of a mouthful than ‘Seventeen,’ though Noelle is cute as shit.”

Noelle made a noise of agreement, burying her face in Safina’s arm. “I like little raven, too,” she mumbled, just loud enough for us to hear.

By then we’d gotten to our wagon, which is where I’d last seen Serena. She was currently sitting next to Sola, who was conscious and sitting up for the first time since we’d rescued her. She had an empty look in her eyes that told me a lot about how she was doing. Rastra sat on her other side with her arm wrapped around Sola’s shoulders. Serena saw me first and stood, making her way over carefully.

“Hey,” she said softly, touching her fingers to my chest. I leaned down to brush my lips against hers and she sighed happily. When she spoke the words were quiet enough for only me to hear. “Finally got her talking. It’s pretty bad, Zaren.”

“What can you tell me?”

“Well, she confirmed that Fel hired the bandits to come at us, but she didn’t know that for sure until they’d left the city. Apparently Fel skipped town with nothing but a couple of horses.” She bit her lip. “Zaren, they got jumped by gnolls. Apparently Fel cut her saddle during the escape. He used her as bait to get away, and that’s how she ended up in their den.”

I cursed under my breath. “Fucking Fel. He’d better hope I never see him again.”

She nodded. “From what I’ve been able to gather, the demi-humans were under some kind of protection from the gnoll pack. She wasn’t.”

“Shit, did they—”

“No, I don’t think so,” Serena said quickly, “but I think it was only because of how injured she was. They dragged her back and threw her in chains, and they weren’t gentle about it. If we hadn’t shown up, I’m not sure she would have survived. She had bites taken out of her, Zaren. I healed her as best I could, but…”

“Yeah, I get it.” I jerked my head towards our newest addition to the household, who was still holding Noelle somewhat awkwardly. “Nine’s name is now Safina. Her and Fourteen—now Valith—are both officially my servants. Go introduce yourself, I’ll see if Sola will talk to me.”

She nodded, then headed towards the Half-dragon. I let her go, then approached Sola and crouched down.

“Serena told me. I’m sorry, Sola.”

Rastra shot me a look, but Sola’s eyes just slowly drifted towards mine. “It’s not like you didn’t warn me. He screwed me over pretty much exactly like you told me he would.”

“Doesn’t make it any easier.”

She shook her head softly. “No, it doesn’t. I knew what he was. Who he was. I’d just convinced myself that…”

“That he’d never treat you like he treated everyone else?” I guessed, my tone gentle to make sure she knew I wasn’t trying to accuse her of anything.

“I loved him,” she breathed. “And I was stupid enough to think…” she trailed off and a tear slipped down her cheek. She made no move to wipe it away, so Rastra did it for her. “Back at Anford, you said you owed me.”

“I did, but you don’t have to cash in that favor just yet. We aren’t going to leave you behind, Sola. We’ve got more than enough supplies to take care of you until we hit the capital, then you can decide what you want to do.”

She nodded once. “Thank you. Now go on. I’m sure you’ve got better things to do than comfort me for my own bad decisions.”

I stood, but before I left, I couldn’t help but add, “this wasn’t your fault, Sola. If your weakness is that you see the good in too many people, then you’re a better person than most. Blame Fel, but never yourself. He’ll get what’s coming to him. If the universe doesn’t beat me to it, then I’ll take care of it myself.”

Her only answer was to reach up and lace her fingers through Rastra’s, who shot me a thankful glance. I left the wagon and walked to where Serena was talking with Safina. Nariko had joined them, and she was currently standing in front of Serena, leaning back against her. Serena had an arm thrown casually over Nariko’s shoulder, holding the Nekomata to her. Nariko’s tail was wrapped around one of Serena’s legs, and when I joined the group I swore I could see her blush.

“Oh good, Nariko’s here as well,” I said. “When Valith gets back, I figure you two should coordinate. A Thief and an Assassin could make a dangerous combination.”

Nariko smirked, but her only answer was to lean more into Serena. Without even thinking about it, Serena slid her other arm over Nariko’s other shoulder, effectively hugging her from behind. Nariko’s smirk grew, and I couldn’t help but smile.

Safina’s gaze traveled over Nariko to Serena, then to me. “You’ve got an interesting household, Ren.”

Movement caught my eye, and I looked over to see Tiana headed for us with flushed cheeks. When she caught sight of me, her flush deepened. “You have no idea,” I said to Safina. Tiana’s smile widened, then she slung her arms around my neck and kissed me deeply. Her tongue slid past my teeth, seeking out mine, and she pulled herself tight against me.

I momentarily forgot we had an audience until she pulled back, once again smiling. “You have a very happy Arelim. Just thought you should know that.”

I raised a brow, doing my best to ignore the expressions of everyone watching us. They ranged from Serena smiling with amusement while she rested her chin on Nariko’s head to Safina, who looked both uncomfortable and enthralled. “Any particular reason?” I asked.

“Oh, I’ll let her tell you. I wouldn’t dream of taking that conversation away from her. I’m just here to get some of my…things.” Then she turned, completely unbothered by the group that had just been watching us make out. Her eyes locked on Safina’s collar immediately, and she beamed.

“Welcome to the family!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms around Safina’s large frame. “Fourteen, too?”

“Uh, Valith, actually,” she stammered. It was clear she had no idea how to deal with a human hugging her, especially one like Tiana. “And I’m Safina now.”

“I think those names are lovely!” She reached up and cupped Safina’s cheek. “I’m Tiana. If you ever need to talk about anything, I’m always available. I can promise you won’t have to worry about being embarrassed, I can top just about anything you can come up with.”

Safina stammered out a response that almost resembled words, then Tiana was off. She headed straight for the storage compartment at the front. I hoped I wasn’t the only one unable to take my eye off her backside while she rummaged through it, and eventually she came out with her bag from Anford and a triumphant smile. “Ah, got it! Festus!” she called.

The silver dragon dropped from the sky. “Tell Rhallani I found it. I’ll meet her at the tent, but she should stop by the wagon first.” Festus nodded, relayed the message, then took back to the sky.

“Do I want to know?” I asked.

She shot me a grin that made my toes curl a little. “Oh, you definitely do.” She strode past me, stopping long enough to give me another sensual kiss. She was in a mood today, and I couldn’t quite find it in me to complain. “But it’s not my story to tell.” She winked, then headed off towards our tent with a little extra sway in her step. “It’s wonderful to meet you, Safina. I think you’ll fit in perfectly around here.”

“Is she, um,” Safina struggled for a moment, “always like that?”

Serena and I both chuckled. Even Noelle smiled. “Yeah,” I said, “she usually is. Which part caught you off guard the most?”

“The, ah…well, all of it, I guess.” Safina admitted. “I’m not…I’ve never had…”

“Someone that attractive be so physically friendly with you?” Noelle offered.

“Yeah. That.”

Noelle hummed. “It’s a nice thing to have to get used to.”

Then Rhallani appeared out of nowhere, looking almost as flushed as Tiana had. I raised a brow, but she shook her head softly with a wide smile. “Not here,” she whispered. Then she saw Safina and froze. She looked up at Safina with wide eyes filled with appreciation. Her eyes traveled up to Safina’s impressive horns, then snapped down to her collar.

She made a delighted noise. “Yes! Oh, you won’t regret taking the collar, I promise. I love Noelle, and any friend of hers is a friend of mine.”

“Sister,” Noelle corrected. “Safina and Valith are sisters.”

Rhallani beamed. “I love it! And if you’re willing, I’d love to pick your brain about your class. I only saw you from a distance, but you were so freaking cool! I mean, a giant, badass, super attractive Half-dragon throwing around lightning bolts? If you’re ever willing to give me an up close demonstration, I’ll be your best friend! I mean, I’ll be your best friend anyways, because you’re awesome and Noelle’s sister, but lightning classes are super rare and I just—”

Safina’s expression had started carefully controlled, but with every word that practically spilled out of Rhallani’s mouth her brow furrowed a little more. Finally, with an irritated growl, she shifted Noelle to one arm and threw the other around Rhallani, scooping my Arelim up and crushing her to Safina’s chest.

“Sorry!” Safina said immediately. “I’m struggling with all these dragon instincts and, um, well they seem to have decided that I need to protect you or something.”

Rhallani didn’t answer right away. In fact, if I was reading her awestruck expression correctly, I was pretty sure her brain had temporarily stopped working. If I had to guess, she was still trying to catch up with the reality that a large, muscular woman had just literally swept her off her feet and crushed her into a rather impressive set of breasts, even for Safina’s seven-and-a-half foot tall frame.

But eventually her brain did catch up, and the first thing she did was throw her arms around Safina’s neck and hug her back with all the strength her adorable little noodle arms could manage. Safina grunted, but her shoulders seemed to relax.

“I don’t really trust myself to put my feelings about that into words right now because of…um…reasons,” Rhallani said, “but trust me when I say I’m not upset in the least. Welcome to the family, Safina, but you don’t have to worry about being protective. He won’t admit it, but Ren is as protective as it gets. He won’t let anything happen to anyone under his care.”

Just like that, Safina’s arms relaxed and she was able to set Rhallani and Noelle on her feet. “Shit, thanks. I think I needed to hear that.”

Rhallani patted Safina’s bicep appreciatively. “Any time. And if you ever need anyone to squeeze to take the edge off, I’m always available.” Then, in a whisper clearly audible to everyone in the area, she said, “and don’t let her stoic demeanor fool you, there is nothing that makes Noelle happier than when someone she cares about just squeezes the shit out of her.”

I was pretty sure Safina was reaching her blush limit, but she just put one massive hand on Noelle’s head and ruffled her hair. “I’ll, um, keep that in mind. Both things, I mean.”

“Good,” Rhallani said with a nod. “First rule of the family, we’ve all got each other’s backs. That means we’ve got yours, too. Now, as much as I want to know everything there is to know about you, I need to steal Ren for a bit if that’s alright.”

“Oh, um, yeah. That’s fine.” Safina rubbed the back of her neck. “I should get back to the others. The group you guys saved from Feng seem to feel more comfortable when I’m around.”

Rhallani just nodded. “Big strong woman effect. You could probably fold most of the guys in camp up like a pretzel.” She gave Safina’s bicep—which might have been as big around as Rhallani’s head—a squeeze. “Like a really tall, really pretty safety blanket.”

I had to fight back a laugh, and next to me Serena was struggling to do the same. It seemed Tiana wasn’t the only one in a mood today, and Safina was even less equipped to deal with Rhallani than she had been for my Salacious Sorceress. Failing to keep my amusement completely hidden, I flipped Rhallani around then threw her over my shoulder.

“Sorry,” I said over her indignant squeak, “I made the mistake of teaching her she didn’t have to be shy or submissive around me and she hasn’t looked back since.”

“It’s n-no problem,” Safina assured me. “It’s, um, a nice change of pace. I’m not used to…well… people not treating me like shit. Guys see a big strong Half-dragon and get off on the power trip of shoving me around, so this is all…a lot.” Rhallani started to kick, trying to get me to at least spin her around, so Safina quickly added, “in a good way! Like Noelle said, it’s a good thing to have to get used to, I guess.”

“We’ll talk more, later,” I promised, “but it seems I need to go give Rhallani here an outlet first.”

“An…outlet…?” Safina asked uncomprehendingly. Then Noelle waved her down and whispered something in her ear, and her entire face and neck turned an adorable cobalt shade. “Oh!”

“Noelle!” Rhallani barked, once again struggling. “What are you whispering about? Noelle? What are you telling her? Ren, put me down!”

Noelle only grinned. “You told Safina what I like, so I just returned the favor.”

Rhallani paused, then started wriggling even harder. “Noelle! That’s a really long list and doesn’t make me feel any better!” That caused Serena to finally break down and let out her laughter.

“Um, right. Well, I’ll leave you two to it, then,” Safina said. Noelle grabbed her hand and started towing her back towards the center of camp, but not before she said over her shoulder, “but I’ll, uh, definitely take you up on your offer, Rhallani. You’re very…um…squeezable.”

That made Rhallani freeze, so I took the opportunity to start back towards our tent. I left behind Serena, who was laughing so hard tears were streaming down her face, and Nariko, who was looking all too happy to support Serena’s weight while she laughed.

About halfway, I figured I was safe to set Rhallani down. She wore a stupid grin and grabbed a fistful of my shirt. “Squeezable. She called me squeezable.”

I raised a brow. “Sounds like someone’s got a crush,” I noted.

She bit her lip. “I mean, she’s super attractive, but when she picked me up? Fuck, it’s a good thing I decided to wear panties today. If I hadn’t already been dripping, she’d have made a mess of me. I mean, did you see her? One arm, Zaren! Picked me up and crushed me right into that perfect rack. She was like iron in some place and pillows in others. I mean, you make me feel small in the best way, but she made me feel tiny.” Her smile widened. “I just didn’t expect to like it so much.”

Then she frowned. “Shit, I didn’t make you jealous, did I? I was too forward, wasn’t I? We didn’t get a chance to talk about it at all! I fucked up!”

I put a hand on either of her shoulders. “Rhallani, it’s alright. I said it was okay, remember? I’m not going to get pissy just because you got a little starry eyed. Let me ask you this, do you love me any less now that you’re crushing on Safina?”

“No!” she said adamantly. “In fact…I might have…”

I stepped closer. “Well, now I have to hear what kind of fantasy you’ve got cooking up here,” I said, tapping her forehead.

She bit her lip. “Well, I may have wondered what it would be like if she held me like that while you were fucking me. I mean, she could hold me up in the air so easily, spreading me open and giving you easy access to my—”

“Okay!” I said quickly, cutting her off with a chuckle. “I think I get the idea. Don’t push her too hard, though. They haven’t been through what Noelle went through, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t had to endure their own set of horrible things. I would be willing to wager they haven’t had the luxury of choosing most of their partners, so make sure to feel her out before you try anything. There’s no guarantee she feels the same, after all.”

“I know that! I’m a horny pervert, not a monster.”

I nodded sagely. “Glad you’re finally accepting it.”

She scoffed. “I’ve always accepted it, I just never thought anyone else would.”

“Glad I could prove you wrong.” I lifted her chin and covered her lips with mine and she leaned into the kiss with a throaty moan. “Now, want to tell me what’s got your switch flipped?”

She blinked in confusion for a few seconds before her eyes went wide. Then she grinned and grabbed my hand, dragging me towards our tent as fast as she could. She barged into the tent with me in tow, drawing a surprised squeak from Tiana, its only occupant. She threw a blanket over the corner of the tent before she realized who it was, which made me raise a brow. Especially since she wasn’t wearing pants.

“So,” Rhallani said, her finger trailing down the center of my chest. “Remember when you ass fucked a level into me this morning?”

I stepped closer, sliding my arms low enough to grab a handful of ass in each palm, earning an appreciative gasp. “Pretty sure there was a world-shattering revelation in there that earned you the experience, but sure.”She slid her fingers along my waistband. “Well, it was an even number for my Scholar class. That means I got a new skill. And, between my nightly prayers and the…activity we were involved in when I got the level…” She trailed off, looking up at me through her lashes.

I paused. Surely she wasn’t suggesting what I thought she was. “You’re kidding, right?”

Her hands ran up my chest, just to meet behind my neck. “All my Scholar options were so boring. With one exception.” She nipped at the underside of my jaw. “I can enter a focused state that costs stamina to hold. It’s decently handy on its own, but it has a condition attached to how strong it is. Me and Tiana were just about to start testing it out.”

“The condition?”

She ground her hips against my hardness and sunk one hand in my hair to pull my lips down to hers. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tiana’s hand slip towards her waistband, but I kept my attention on Rhallani, both curious about and dreading the next words out of her mouth.

“The focused state,” she said, her lips nearly close enough to touch mine, “is stronger when I have something in my ass.”

I pressed my forehead to hers with a groan. “That is not what it says.”

She giggled. “The language is much more flowery, but yes, it is. And, since it’s a detriment skill…” she trailed off, staring into my eyes, waiting for me to understand.

No. Surely not. I lifted the back of her skirt and slid a hand into her soaked panties, brushing my middle finger against the bud of her asshole. She gasped, bucking into me. Her knees buckled, but unfortunately for her the only hand a position to catch her was the one on her ass. My finger slid past the lubed rim and her eyes rolled back into her head. She clung to me while a light orgasm rushed through her.

“Fuck,” she mumbled. “All that stuff with Safina got me going, and that…” she rested her head on my shoulder. “Yeah, my ass is more sensitive now, and I can’t fucking wait to see what it feels like to have you fuck it again. That’s actually on my list of things to test, but later,” she admitted.

“What kind of testing are we talking about?”

“Well,” Tiana answered, “when she told me about the skill, I may have mentioned that my strap wasn’t the only toy I owned.” She lifted the blanket she’d thrown over the corner of the tent, revealing a row of toys including more than one dildo and a set of butt plugs in varying sizes. “They came in handy when I had a group that wasn’t as interested in taking advantage of my class,” she said defensively.

I let go of Rhallani and kneeled down to kiss her. “You know I’ll never judge you on what you did to survive before me.”

She smiled. “I do, but it’s still nice to hear.”

Rhallani wrapped her arms around me from behind, already naked. “I’ve got a sword to study, and a new skill to test. Want to help?”