“That is for one,” Becky said with a smile. “Now, how about for the first time you offended me?”
Muted conversations began as people whispered to each other while the two Matriarchs engaged in a contest of wills. As the tension rose, Wintersbreath spoke up, “Apologize, Thunderrise, or I shall take offense on behalf of the Queen.”
Teeth clenched, the Matriarch bowed her head a fraction to Becky. “I am sorry for offering offense in regards to your male.”
Becky let the moment linger before she nodded. “Accepted. Next time, I’ll demand you pay more dearly.”
Trembling with rage, Thunderrise hurried away. A number of onlookers went after her, while more eyed the group speculatively. Wintersbreath looked at the remaining watchers with a smirk, then approached Becky.
“Gothy, you’ve made an enemy today. Thunderrise is a vindictive bitch. I would warn you to be aware of your surroundings when you come back to the capital.”
“It would take more time than they have to really hurt me,” Becky said. “We’ll see you in the morning.”
“I’m looking forward to getting to know you more,” Wintersbreath smiled. “Goodnight to you, Kuro, and Hero.”
“She seem a bit too friendly to you?” Alvin asked, turning to watch the Champion leave them.
“Definitely wants to be on our good side, it seems,” Becky said as she touched his arm. “Let’s go home for the night, shall we?”
“Sounds good to me, Gothy,” Alvin said. “But first…” He looked over to where the guards were moving the dead bodies away. “Excuse me,” he called out to the guards, “I got that.”
Walking over to the corpses, he touched one to take the loot, making the body vanish. The guards backed away from him, looking on with wide eyes as Alvin did the same to the Elf that he had killed. Alvin nodded to the wide-eyed guards and rejoined the two women.
“We’re good now,” he said.
“Looks like the looting system is working as intended,” Becky said.
“I’m sure that makes Sammi happy,” Alvin chuckled.
“Thank you,” Kuro said softly as they left the castle grounds and started toward the inn.
“I knew you could do it,” Becky said. “I would have had you do the first one, too, but…” she shrugged.
“I should have warned you about using guns,” Kuro added. “I’m sorry for that oversight.”
“No harm done,” Alvin said. “It should warn them off trying that kind of shit again. I wonder if the Queen is looking into the assassination attempt?”
“I’m sure she is,” Kuro replied. “Champion Nighthawk is the one who handles attacks on Matriarchs. Since we haven’t seen her yet, she must still be looking into it.”
“Well, if she doesn’t show up by morning, she’s not going to see us for a bit,” Alvin chuckled.
“She will likely wish to speak with us when we return,” Kuro said.
“A problem for later,” Becky said as they reached the inn. “I want a bath, some food, and both of you… and not necessarily in that order.”
Shaking his head, Alvin chuckled. “I figured you would.”
Chapter Thirty-one
Waking to a gentle tap on the door, Alvin rubbed at his eyes. “What?”
“It is well into the morning, sir, and breakfast is just about done,” Jarvis replied from the far side of the door.
“Hero?” Becky murmured, just waking up.
“Breakfast. We’ve slept in, it seems,” Alvin replied to her.
The sound of feet walking away from the bed brought Alvin’s head around. Kuro, gloriously naked, was heading for the bathroom. Blinking as he pieced together the previous night, Alvin watched the pert ass of the Elf.
“She let you touch her last night,” Becky murmured, climbing out of bed as well. “Sure, it was just a hand on her hip when we drifted off, but it’s a step toward true sharing and caring.”
“I won’t say I haven’t thought about it, especially not after watching you torment her last night, but I’m fine if it takes a while still. As long as I have you, I’m content,” Alvin said, following her out of bed and wrapping his arms around her.
“I know, but I want it to all be equal, as it should be,” Becky murmured, pressing against him.
“Let’s go eat. We can take a shower after breakfast,” Alvin whispered, nipping her ear and making Becky shiver.
“As you wish, Hero.”
“Are we eating first?” Kuro said, standing in the bathroom doorway.
“Yeah,” Alvin nodded and let Becky go. “We’ll shower after, then go see if Wintersbreath is waiting for us.”
Leaving the room in their relaxing clothes, Alvin looked at Becky and Kuro and the very different clothing they had on, smiling. He looked at his own clothing and felt a little shabby when compared to them, but he was comfortable.
“I just pulled the last pieces out of the oven,” Jarvis said when he heard them enter the room.
The three of them took seats at the table where the coffee pot and cups waited for them. Jarvis came over with the first plate, which held apple pastries shaped like roses. While they all marveled over the intricate pastries, he returned with another platter and his tea.
“First, we have apple roses; the middle is comprised of apricot jam and walnuts. The main dish is a breakfast bruschetta; mixed berries atop a combination of ricotta and mascarpone cheeses served on a fresh baguette.”
Everyone took one bruschetta and two roses each. The flavor of both was amazing, as they were coming to expect from Jarvis. The dishes complimented each other, and Alvin wondered if juice might not have been better than coffee with breakfast.
“Amazing again, Jarvis,” Becky said, licking her fingers clean.
“Thank you, miss. After your compliments on the meal last night, I wanted to try something a bit fancier for breakfast. The buff is a small health regeneration that lasts a few hours… not that you are likely to need it, but I wanted to make sure it worked as it should.”
Alvin looked at the buff, letting out a soft whistle. “I know it’s only a single point of health, but it’s every minute.”
“If you can get out of combat for a few minutes, it can add up quickly,” Jarvis smiled.
“We might be needing this meal again in the next few days,” Becky said. “I won’t complain about that at all, but maybe next time juice to go with?”
“Of course, miss. I knew you would all want your coffee and didn’t want to presume.”
“Let’s go get cleaned up. Wintersbreath might be getting antsy about our prolonged absence,” Alvin said, getting to his feet. “Don’t bother waiting for us to start cooking, Jarvis. You’ll know when we’re getting close to the town we’ll be aiming for.”
“I’ll keep my eyes on you, sir.”
Alvin was in the bathroom minutes before Becky and Kuro joined him, earning them both a questioning glance. Kuro didn’t meet his eyes, instead moving to the far side of the shower and starting to clean herself. Becky shook her head and joined Alvin in a quick rinse.
Once they were cleaned and dressed, they loaded up the vehicles and left the base. They appeared in the stable yard and Alvin parked the Humvee, expecting to have to go get Wintersbreath. He was surprised when Wintersbreath left the inn, gliding toward the Mustang.
Rubbing his nose, Alvin knew the Elf was well beyond human comparison, but damned if she wasn’t liquid sex walking when she wanted to be. Kuro’s eyes flickered from Wintersbreath to Alvin, her lips thinning.
“She is the deadliest duelist the Queen has,” Kuro said.
“Could you beat her with your current gear?” Alvin asked as the Mustang started to roll out.
“I don’t think I could,” Kuro said after a minute. “She has many years of experience over me, and doubtless has the best armor the Queen can supply.”
“We’ll see about changing the second part,” Alvin said. “You’re thinking of an honorable duel though, aren’t you?”
“
Yes.”
“If you were fighting outside of that, and Gothy’s life was on the line?”
“I’d tear her throat out, even if it cost me my life,” Kuro said with deep feeling.
“I figured you would. It makes me happy to know that I’m not the only one so invested in keeping Gothy healthy.”
“I’ve watched you with her over the last week,” Kuro said slowly. “You love her as much as anyone can love someone, don’t you?”
“Yeah, which is odd considering how apathetic we are to everyone else.”
“I was worried the first night,” Kuro said after a momentary pause. “I gave her myself, and the first night she broke me. She made me tell her everything. I feared every night would be that intense. Over the past week, I’ve come to know her softer touch as well, and now she’s blending them… I love her.”
“I figured you did,” Alvin said with a smile. “Gothy is very happy to have you, Mousie. We don’t just give out nicknames to anyone, after all. I should also be thanking you. Because of you, she can release the duality she has.”
“The way she is with you… I’m that way with her.”
“Yeah, which is fine,” Alvin said as they drove through the city.
“You don’t try to treat me like that, though,” Kuro said slowly.
“Nope,” Alvin replied. “I mean, that thought has crossed my mind, don’t get me wrong. Especially when Gothy is playing with you, and you’re making those cute little squeaks. But that isn’t going to happen without consent. I’ll never touch you without your approval, well, beyond incidentally like last night.”
Kuro’s face was turned away from him, but he saw her tense up. “I was afraid… that you were going to do more, but you didn’t.”
“Again, not going to happen. You’ve been told all your life that men are domineering, sexually-depraved beasts. That might be true of your world and the King’s men. I’m domineering, sure, but what I’m not is a beast controlled by my urges.”
Silence stretched between them, and in time, Alvin had the Humvee play a collection of Kuro’s favorites along with some of his. The city was left behind and Becky got Ruffian up to fifty, the Humvee keeping pace with her as they rolled down the road.
Alvin was glad of the radios during the trip, because it let them chat with Becky occasionally. It was hours after the sun had set that they finally reached Meiraholt. Going to the single inn, they entered to see about rooms.
“I shall stay here for tonight. It is too late for me to pay respects to Matriarch Deatheyes,” Wintersbreath told them.
“Works,” Alvin said, not caring.
“We need two rooms,” Wintersbreath told the innkeeper, who stared at her in shock. “Now!” Wintersbreath barked when the innkeeper didn’t move.
“Right away, Champion,” the woman stuttered, quickly retrieving the keys for two rooms. “Second floor, first two rooms.”
“Thank you,” Wintersbreath said, taking the keys and handing one to Becky. “I shall be seeing the Matriarch before you wake. I will return here after my meeting so we might discuss our plans for pushing the creatures back into the woods.”
“Sounds good,” Becky said, taking the key.
Once they were in their room, Alvin used the small bar to make sure their door was secure and summoned the portal to the base. When they entered, they were greeted with the smell of bacon and freshly baked bread.
“Welcome home, sir. I will require ten minutes to finish cooking tonight’s dinner.”
“We’ll go ahead and shower. Be back shortly,” Alvin said, not waiting as he headed for the bathroom.
“Thank you, Jarvis,” Becky added, following Alvin.
“It is appreciated,” Kuro smiled at Jarvis as she trailed behind the other two.
“My pleasure,” Jarvis said and focused on cooking.
Alvin turned on two of the rainfall showerheads when he entered the shower, knowing they would be used by everyone. Letting the hot water wash over him, Alvin wondered what was keeping them.
“Hero,” Becky said, touching his shoulder. “Can we just watch a movie tonight and cuddle?”
Stepping out of the way of the showerhead, Alvin wiped the water out of his eyes. “Didn’t expect you to ask, but yes, that’s always fine.”
Becky gave him a soft smile. “Even I just want to snuggle occasionally.”
“Fair enough,” Alvin chuckled. “I’ll scrub your back. Turn around.”
“If you do that, we might take longer than ten minutes,” Becky said, doing as he told her to.
“It’ll be fine,” Alvin chuckled as he grabbed the body soap and a washcloth.
“Gothy, will you wash me like he’s going to wash you?” Kuro asked.
“Chain scrubbing,” Becky laughed. “Sounds fun.”
Chuckling, Alvin handed the washcloth to Becky and grabbed another for himself. “Let the soaping begin,” he announced as he started rubbing Becky’s shoulders.
His attention was split during the impromptu event, Becky’s hand gliding over Kuro’s skin continuing to draw his eyes in. Once they were done with the backs, Kuro turned to face Becky, and Alvin found himself waiting while Becky got ready to wash her front.
“Just give me a minute,” Becky said as she reached out to start soaping Kuro.
“Nope,” Alvin said and plastered himself to Becky’s back, letting his hands slip around her waist. “I got everything well in hand.”
Becky giggled as his hands emphasized his point. “Hero, that is going to cause problems.”
“Shhh,” Alvin said, letting his hands wander over Becky’s body, trailing soap as they went.
As he worked, Alvin snuck glances at Kuro, seeing her following his hands as they glided over Becky’s body. His body responded predictably to what he was doing and Becky rubbing down the lithe Elf. Once he had gotten soap all over Becky’s front, Alvin stepped back, his rigid shaft slapping Becky in the ass as he did.
Glancing back, she smirked. “Told you.”
“Yeah, but it was worth it,” Alvin chuckled.
“Now it’s my turn to wash you,” Becky said. “Do me a favor? Put your hands on the wall and close your eyes.”
Raising an eyebrow, Alvin stared at her for a moment before doing as she asked. Feeling her hands on his chest, Alvin smiled. “I still don’t get why you have me doing this.”
Feeling her body push against his side, she spoke softly, “Don’t move, please.”
Before he could ask why, two more hands with long, slender fingers began to tentatively rub a washcloth across his back. Alvin’s already excited manhood became even more rigid as his mind provided ideas of what could happen in the future. Alvin wasn’t sure how long he stood there with his eyes closed, but it felt like forever for him, and yet was also over in a few brief moments.
“Go ahead, Mousie. We’ll be out in a minute,” Becky said to a soft inquiry from Kuro.
“We done?” Alvin asked.
A warm cascade of water from one of the shower wands began to sluice the soap off him. “Almost,” Becky said throatily. “We’re going to be a little late.”
Before he could say anything else, she had rinsed his stiff shaft free of soap and was eagerly taking him into her mouth. Eyes snapping open, he looked down at Becky kneeling at his feet as she serviced him. Standing up straighter, he tangled her hair in his hands and took her forcefully. A pleased moan was her only comment to the sudden shift.
It wasn’t long, mostly due to his already excited nature and her enthusiastic work, before Alvin gave her what she was hoping for. Shuddering as his toes curled and his torso bent over the top of her head, Alvin gasped when his orgasm finally came to an end. Stepping back, he sat abruptly on the middle bench, breathing hard.
“Gods damn, Gothy,” Alvin panted.
Wiping her lips, she stared at him with happiness and shook her head. “I still want cuddles tonight.”
“Cuddles you shall have in spades,” Alvin managed after a moment. “Di
nner is waiting. We should go.”
“As you wish, Hero.”
Chapter Thirty-two
Alvin woke with a yawn. Becky was curled up next to him, her snores a dull rumble compared to normal. Kissing her cheek, a smile formed on his lips. As his mind drifted back to last night, his smile grew as he recalled watching Thor with Becky and Kuro.
The odd part had been when they got into bed to watch the movie, Kuro had gone to his other side, sandwiching him with Becky. He had tensed up a bit, but did his best to act calmly. Kuro had been just as nervous as he would have expected, but as the movie went on, she relaxed.
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