"No!" Monica's frustration seemed to quell her crying. She wiped her eyes and took a deep breath, then pointed to me. "She was there, then she vanished."
"Den?" Nithia asked in an accusatory tone.
"I have no idea," I said. "One second we were…well, you know, then…"
Alara and Nithia stared at me. I glanced to Monica and saw she was doing the same.
I heard some murmuring voices from the hallway. A moment later several people were peering into the room from just outside. Alara probably heard them too, and saw the look of concern on my face. She turned to them. "This is a private matter," she said, walking to the open door. "Go on." She waved them away and shut the door.
Monica sniffled. She looked as if she might start crying again. I wanted to go over and comfort her, but I was still naked under the blanket across my lap. Nithia went to her and sat down on the side of her bed. She put an arm around her. "You, alright?" She spoke softly. "We'll figure this out. Don't worry."
I had no idea how the hell we were going to 'figure out' a situation where I was banging Monica's friend and she saw me screw her into non-existence, but Nithia was a natural. Despite the crisis, her words seemed to calm Monica quite a bit. They even made me feel a little better.
I looked to Alara. She was nodding her head slowly while looking at me. She seemed to be lost in thought. Then she spoke up. "I think I may know what happened."
"Really?" I said, surprised by her statement.
"Well, I can't be sure just yet," Alara said. "But there is a way I can confirm what I think might have happened."
"What's that?" Monica said, still apparently holding back more tears.
Alara looked at Monica. "The three of you were transported here by the power of the gods."
"Huh," Monica said.
"But only Den was supposed to come here," Alara continued. "You and Sydney got caught up in with him accidentally."
I looked at Monica. "Probably because you two were in bed with me when it happened." Oh, shit. I closed my eyes and quietly grunted. Shouldn't have said that. I opened my eyes and glanced to the three women and hoped the conversation would roll past my words without comment.
"Oh, right." Monica looked a little embarrassed. She hadn't been shy about that detail before, but given the situation she clearly felt differently now.
Alara looked at me for a long moment. I could see the wheels turning inside her mind. She turned her attention back to Monica. "I think Sydney returned to her world…to your world."
"Really," Monica said.
"How?" I asked, remembering what Alara had told me of the lengths she went through to get me to Galderia.
"That I don't know." Alara's gazed lowered. She looked confused, and maybe a little concerned. I got the sense she was holding back something.
"If you're right," Monica sounded more calm now, "then there's hope for me too."
"Yes," Nithia said, using her calming voice again.
A thought occurred to me, and I figured Alara might be thinking the same thing. Was it Sydney and I having sex that did it? I looked at Monica, reading the expression on her face. She wasn't thinking that, was she? I noted she hadn't been informed that my physical transformation was due to the times I bedded Alara and Nithia. So, no, I thought, she couldn't be thinking that. But I was. Was that what Alara meant? Unexpectedly, I felt a sensation throughout my body. Adrenaline? Had the freaky circumstances spiked my adrenaline or something? I felt stronger…and not at all drained, despite Sydney and I…doing our thing.
"We just need to learn why Sydney was transported back," Nithia said, sounding encouraging.
Alara approached Monica. "I can't be sure, yet. But I will be." She turned to me. "I must speak to the gods, as before." She addressed Monica again. "Only then can I be sure."
Monica looked confused, but she slowly nodded her head. "Okay. I won't pretend to understand your world, but please, please do what you can."
There was a soft knock on the door.
"I thought you told them to go away," Nithia said to Alara.
"I did," she replied.
I stood up, careful to wrap the blanket around me as I did. I held it tightly against one side of my hip as I walked to the door. "We told you to go away," I said, as I opened it. "Oh, it's you."
Tara looked mildly surprised to find me in Sydney and Monica's room. "What's going on?" She glanced down to the wrapped blanket around me. "I see you found your way back to your room." Her sarcasm was sharp, but not really angry. She leaned past me to look inside the room. "Oh. Hello." She saw Alara, Nithia, and Monica.
I stepped aside to let her in. Might as well let her in on what is going on, I thought. After all, it was Alara who told me to go to Tara before. As complicated as this group of women was proving to be for me, I figured I didn't need the stress of trying to deny our little harem. Besides, other than some early power plays, none of them seemed to mind sharing me.
But the situation with Monica was different, and I needed all the help I could get on that one.
"So," Tara said, strolling in, "where's Sydney?"
I palmed my face with one hand as I shut the door with my other.
It took another ten minutes to unwind the effects of her remark. Monica welled up in tears again. I went to her side to calm her down. I reached out to her with one hand, intending to gently place it on her shoulder. When I gestured with my other hand, saying everything was going to be alright, I lost focus on the fact I was holding the blanket around me. That didn't help.
I apologized and went to retrieve my clothes. Alara explained the situation to Tara as I got dressed.
"Oh, wow," Tara said, when Alara finished speaking. I turned around to face the four women, all of whom were staring at me. Tara slowly shook her head. "Wow."
After an awkward moment, Tara looked to Alara. "You should go do that now, find out what happened."
"Yes," she replied.
"We'll stay with Monica," Nithia said, glancing to Monica and Tara.
"Okay," I said. "I think I'll…"
Nithia nodded to me. "Yeah. We'll keep her company. You go with Alara."
I nodded. I knew I was being kicked out, politely, but I wanted to talk with Alara in private anyway. I still had that feeling, like more energy coursing through me—similar to when I'd been with Alara and Nithia, but not quite as intense. I didn't think the timing of Sydney's return to Earth—if that is what happened to her—was coincidental in the least.
Chapter 26
I closed the door to our room and walked over to meet Alara, who had already made it to the end of the bed. She was standing facing the footboard. I couldn't help but admire her rear as I approached, but I quickly pulled my attention away from it when she began to turn around toward me. I knew we had a serious discussion ahead of us.
I was about to speak but she put her arms around me and planted a huge wet one on me. Just as I was needing to come up for air, she pulled back and stood looking like she was satisfied now, like she had to get that out of her system.
"What was that for?" I asked.
"Do I need a reason?"
"Well, no, but your timing is…"
"I know. I just wanted to because I could…because you're my man. Right?"
"Yes. I am. Is this about…" I glanced back to the door.
"No. Well, maybe. A little."
I felt the tension start to build. Was I about to get grief for bedding down with another woman, I thought, even though she basically told me to do so? Yeah, it wasn't the woman she thought, but… Conan never had to deal with this, did he?
She looked at me, seemingly waiting for me to say something else.
I put my strong hands around her, one gently against her cheek, then other at the nape of her neck. "Come here, priestess." I guided her lips toward mine and vanquished any doubt she might have had about my passion for her. I felt her arms drape around my lower back and after a second, I felt them loosen and slide down, as if she was losing a little control over hersel
f. I was giving it to her good and she was soaking it up. I ran my right hand across the side of her breast while putting the squeeze on her ass with my other. We nuzzled our faces against each other for a moment, then she rested her head on my shoulder.
"You alright?" I asked in a whisper.
"Yeah. I am now, Den." I felt the warmth of her breath against the side of my neck.
"Good." I kissed her forehead. "We need to talk."
"Yeah, we do." She gently pulled away and took a couple of steps toward the side of the bed, turning to look me in the eyes and smile as she did. She sat down on the side of the bed and patted the spot next to her.
I sat beside her.
She stared forward at the washing basin at the side of the room. I watched her take a deep breath—her large breasts rose then settled. She looked at me. "I don't have a problem with you and Sydney." She gave a single nod and held my gaze. She seemed to be keeping her eyes open wide and fixed on me to show me she was telling the truth.
I opened my mouth to reply, but she continued before I said anything.
"Or Nithia," she said. She tipped her head to the side and grinned. "Or Tara."
"Tara and I never actually-"
"It's not important," she interrupted. She paused for a second, evidently entertaining another thought. "Or Monica?"
"No. Never happened," I said.
She looked surprised, but then she grinned and I could tell her look of surprise was merely a put on. "I guess you haven't had time." She chuckled.
"Hey, that's not fair." I took her good-natured ribbing as she intended it, but she did throw me off a little. I wasn't used to seeing this lighter side of her.
"Maybe not," she said, placing her hand on my thigh. "I just want you to know I've come to a new appreciation of our situation. You are Den, the Guardian. If the sisters of my order were still alive, they would give themselves over to you as I have…willingly. It is part of our duty."
"Your duty?" I didn't exactly like how that sounded. I didn't want to be somebody’s obligation.
"You're much more than that to me," she said. "I would give myself to you even if I wasn't the priestess of the order who summoned you."
“I’m happy to be with you in either case," I said. "You understand that, right?"
"I do. And I'm happy you have started to find the other women who will be part of our…" She looked down and seemed to be at a loss for the word.
"Harem?"
"Yes. I suppose that's right." She smiled.
"And you're good with that?"
"Of course, Den. You are too much of a man for me to hold only for myself. And besides, your choices have been good. Nithia may not have taken her sister's place in the order, but she could have. She is suited for it, despite what she thinks. And Tara-"
"You were't crazy about her at first."
"I know, but it wasn't her. It was me. I hadn't realized what was happening then—that you were selecting the women of the order, I mean, of the harem."
"Actually she was more the instigator."
"The what?"
"I mean, it was kinda her idea…at least initially. Doesn't matter."
"It is to be expected," Alara said. "You are a champion, a man like few others in all of Galderia." She ran her eyes up and down my muscular torso. "Just look at you."
"I thought it was my winning personality that did it for me."
"No. That's definitely not it." She gave me a deadpan stare. I waited it out, really hoping she was kidding. Thankfully, she cracked up after a few seconds.
"So you're not so serious, after all?"
"I have to be serious so much of the time," she said. "It's my role, as priestess. It's a big responsibility."
I placed my hand on top of hers, which was still on my thigh. "I'm sure it is. And being this Guardian, that's a pretty big weight too. But I'm glad I have you to help me."
The light-hearted smile she had been wearing transmuted to something more sentimental. I saw a glistening in the corner of one of her eyes, like a tear was building.
I hadn't known what to expect when we left Sydney's and Monica's room to go to our own room to talk, but I was a little worried it wouldn't go so well. Being caught with my pants down in a room with two other women—one of which I'd just fucked to another planet—was not the best lead-in to a nice conversation. But Alara had completely surprised me again. She was more complicated than I first thought…and our connection evidently was stronger than I'd given her or myself credit for.
"So, about Sydney," I said.
"Yes. We need to talk about that."
"There's something I didn't mention before, something I didn't want to mention in front of the others—at least not in front of Monica."
"What?"
"When she and I…I mean, when we…"
"When you had sex?"
"Yeah, but at the end, when-"
"When you rode her to the edge of ecstasy and thrust her into it?" Alara grinned.
"Uh, okay."
"Hey, I know what I'm talking about. Remember?"
"Well, thanks. Yeah. Okay. So, right then, or maybe it was right after she vanished, I felt a surge…of energy."
"Like with me?" Alara asked. "And with Nithia?"
"Not as strong, but yeah, it was like that. I kinda still feel it."
She looked forward, staring blankly, as if in thought. I waited.
"That makes sense," she finally said.
I knew she had the same notion I had, I just wanted to hear it from her too. "Yeah. I thought so too. She must've drawn in some of the essence which was meant for me when we were transported here."
"Exactly." Alara then looked a little sad. "I did the best I could. The ritual wasn't meant to ever be performed by only one person. It was something the whole order would've taken part in doing."
I wanted to comfort her. I could see she was being hard on herself again, bearing too much responsibility. I knew she did what she felt she had to do, given the circumstances—the sisters of her order no longer with her, and her desperate need for a new Guardian. "You did what needed to be done."
"True," she said. "I just wish it hadn't affected Sydney or Monica."
"Well, Sydney may be home now, on Earth. I hope so. I don't have any other explanation of why she vanished. It has to be that. Doesn't it?"
"There's one way to find out."
"How?" I asked. "I need to know she's okay, and Monica really needs to know. She's her best friend. I know she's still a wreck about being here, in Galderia, I mean. But it would probably help her to know her friend didn't vanish into oblivion—that she's actually home safe now."
Alara nodded. "I'll need to commune with the gods again. It will take quite some time. And it's draining. I'll be no good to anyone after it for a while, but I can do it."
"What do you need from me?"
"Just time, and no interruptions. I'll need to be alone. Probably until morning."
"You can do it here?"
"I can," she said. "But I'll need you to watch over me. I may draw some attention…when I'm deep in prayer. I can't really control it, and I won't be able to stop once I start. The other guests in the inn might hear, but I can't be interrupted. If I am, it won't work."
"Understood. I'll have Tara talk to Cormac and explain, at least enough so he knows to keep everyone away from this room. And I'll stand guard outside."
Alara looked at me with great affection evident in her eyes. "Could you stay inside the room with me? I've never tried something quite like this—seeking such a specific answer, finding out if she's back on Earth and okay. I don't know quite what to expect."
"I'll stay with you. Let me go and tell the others what we're doing first, then I'll be back to stay with you…however long it takes."
"Thank you, Den."
"Of course."
"You know what this means, don't you?"
"What do you mean?"
"If you and Sydney having sex is what released her of the energy
bond to you and to Galderia, and allowed her to return to Earth, then it's probably a way for Monica to go home too."
Shit. She's right.
"That makes sense."
"Mm hmm."
"But Monica isn't going to go for that. She's got her guy, Brad."
"That's a problem."
"Yeah. And I don't think we should tell her. Should we? I mean, I'd do what I had to do." I grinned and gave Alara a wink to let her know I was only giving her a hard time. "But telling her it's her only way home would basically be forcing her into it. I just couldn't do that."
Alara smiled at me. "You're a good man, Den."
"I don't know about all that. I just couldn't stomach doing something like that to a woman. But, not telling her the truth would be wrong too. Shit."
"Let's take one thing at a time," Alara said.
"Agreed."
"Promise you'll stay awake and watch over me."
"I promise."
With our plan of action set, I left Alara for the short while it took me to return to Nithia, Tara, and Monica and explain to them what Alara was going to do. The three of them agreed to stay in Monica's room for the night, while I would stay with Alara to watch over her as she requested. I dispatched Tara to talk to Cormac and tell him only enough to get him to agree to give Alara and me complete privacy despite the raucous noise which might come from our room. Tara relayed back to me how Cormac laughed at hearing my request and bid me a lively evening of bedroom delights. He had the wrong idea, but as long as it meant Alara and I wouldn't be disturbed that was fine.
The first hour was quiet. Alara whispered her prayers in a language I didn't understand. Her eyes were closed and she was in bed, on her back, above the covers. She had failed to tell me the entire ceremony was performed in the nude. So, sitting at the foot of the bed watching over her, but not being able to jump her bones, was tantamount to torture. I visited the washing basin more than once to splash some cool water on my face. I finally had to sit on the floor closer to the door, so I couldn't see her naked body.
Whenever I got so miserably tired I was having trouble keeping from dozing off—I had drained myself quite a bit before all this started, after all—I got up and stood at the foot of the bed, looking at Alara for a few minutes. The sight of her curves and fully presented trim gave me enough of a boost to pull me quickly out of my drowsy state. The loud periods she'd warned me about were short-lived. One episode actually woke me up from an unintentional slumber.
Dennis the Conqueror: A Harem Fantasy (Sword and Sorority Book 1) Page 19