“Damn, I wish I had wings…” I said with a grin, watching Lysandra as she flew up to the walkway overlooking the lobby of Stone Lock. When she’d disappeared into the library, I got up and went over to the couch to sit next to Saelia. I laid my arm along the backrest behind her and gave her my undivided attention. “So, what’s up?” She leaned against me, closing her eyes as her head rested on my shoulder. “I have a couple of things on my mind I wish to talk to you about…” “Such as?” I asked, relieved that she was going to come out and tell me what was bothering her without me having to dig it out of her. “Firstly, I wanted to tell you that I’m grateful for you standing by me. You could have easily gone with Mark and likely be showered in rewards for your obedience to him and the Tenth Kingdom… But you didn’t.” “It was an easy choice,” I said, hiding my irritation at the implication there was even part of her that thought I might run. “Even so… I’m grateful.” “What's the second thin

Sitting next to Saelia in the pitch blackness of her room, I stared at her blindly. “That’s not true!” The incredulous response from my heart bypassed my brain and rushed straight out of my mouth. “Mark doesn’t know shit!” “No, he does…” Frustrated anger simmered in me. It threatened to boil over at the way she was talking about herself, but I managed to stifle the urge to righteously dismiss the ridiculous claims. Instead, I attacked the root of the problem. “What happened in New Venice is the reason you won’t use your Scorcher magic, right?” Wimpers leaked from her as her effort to control her voice wavered. “Yes…” “It’s the reason you feel like this?” “Yes…” “Alright, tell me what happened. I’ll tell you after if I think you’re a monster or not.” “Please… Don’t make me do this…” My heart tensed at the quivering fear in her exhausted voice, but I pressed forward. “I don’t think you’re a monster… but this seems to be the only way I can think of to convince you of it.” “Y

The declaration that she wanted to train had caught me off guard, considering we’d almost died last night, but when I’d processed what she’d said, a smile curved my lips. With the entrance exam for Chromaryn Academy approaching and after getting my ass beat by Faelius and Mark, I was determined to get stronger. So, when the angelic woman told me she wanted to train, I’d deferred feeing her until later and instead bubbled with eager excitement as I followed her from the library. Because I’d forgotten to ask for permission to unlock the front door to Stone Lock, Lysandra and I had settled for the open space between the entrance and the lounge. The warm light of the constellation of sun shards hanging from the stone ceiling felt like afternoon sunshine on my skin. I wore conjured black combat fatigues, boots, and a t-shirt. The only part of my armor I wore was my belt and gun holster. I hadn’t yet gotten around to cleaning the blood and grime off the rest. About half a dozen feet

Over the next three days, Lysandra had used me like a sexual chew toy to relieve her frustration over Saelia not letting us sleep in her room and my deflections when asked why. Fortunately, though, this frustration didn’t bleed into her dedication to her mission to improve my proficiency with my left hand and my ability to conjure items under pressure. Saelia had mostly slept, but came down like she promised whenever she was awake. During this time, she’d mostly recovered from her spiritual overdraft, and with this, she gradually returned to being her usual cheery self. Part of me was relieved to see her mood lift. However, my worry for her had not eased, because she still hadn’t told me what’d happened in New Venice. Waiting had been frustrating, but this morning Lysandra had said she believed Saelia would likely be fully recovered by the time dinner rolled around. Tonight was the night… I just wished I could fast forward time to get there faster. Lysandra, Saelia, and I sa

Sitting beside Lysandra at the long dining table, our hands clasped its surface, my heart quickened as I stared into her glowing amber eyes. This was it. She was going to agree to join the harem. A coy smile curled her lips. “The general rules I remember, but I would like a deeper understanding of this harem before I submit myself to yours and Saelia’s judgment of whether I am accepted as a full member.” My desire to cement mine and Saelia’s relationship with Lysandra pulsed in my heart and mind. She seemed to want to play games though… Or was this some kind of final reality check to see if she could accept everything that went with being part of the harem? My already stiff cock throbbed as though threatening me with vengeance if I didn’t seal the deal. I wanted her bad… but it’d break mine and Saelia’s hearts if she grew resentful and angry being in the harem. So I needed her to be absolutely certain she wanted to join. “What do you think of harems, Lysandra?” I asked. “Reall