“Is there anything we can do to make you feel better?” Luna asked worriedly. “Can we help get that water out of you?”
“No, I just have to wait,” Cindy sighed. “My mom said that if I ever get wet I should just wait until the water comes out of me.”
“How long does that take?” Falla asked.
“I don’t know,” Cindy whimpered. “I’ve never gotten wet before. I wanna move again but I can’t. This stinks.”
Daniel sat up on the edge of the bath and smiled kindly down at the wraith, the girl watching him with teary eyes while Snapper was once again hacking up all the sand she ate off to the side.
“You girls enjoy your bath time,” he said to the others. “I’m going to wait here with Cindy until she can move again.”
“You’re just going to sit there and wait?” Specca worried.
“I’m all clean now,” he said before looking around at the three girls who washed him earlier. “You girls did a great job. A little sudden with throwing me into the bath the way you did, but you certainly washed me up good in the end. Thank you for helping me get ready for the day.”
“Well, you know,” Clover bashfully said turning away. “Just… doing my part. I mean I am your mate, so I kind of have to. Not that I’m complaining!”
Star meowed and winked at him while shaking her breasts a little, the jinx eyeing over Daniel before turning to the side to obviously flaunt her figure to him.
“I’m glad you liked it, Daniel,” Doku said softly. “I wouldn’t mind washing you every day if you wanted.”
“I appreciate the offer, Doku,” Daniel replied with a weak smile and holding up a hand to her. “But I can wash myself just fine. Thank you though. You girls should take this time to finish up for the morning. The bath’s all yours.”
He smiled at Specca and took hold of her hand with a wink, the girl smiling softly as she stood at the edge of the pool before looking down with some of her hair dropping over her face. The other girls hopped back into the bath and started washing themselves again, with Clover focusing on cleaning her long hair, Star rubbing her soapy hands along her two tails, Luna laughing wildly and just dropping down into the water as she lost touch with reality again, Squeak washing her breasts while watching as Falla was tenderly scrubbing her abdomen, and Pip who was now lodged in Kroanette’s bosom while hopping about merrily with soap all around her. The centaur scrubbed down her pelt while watching the fairy with an amused smile before she shivered with a giggle as the fairy continued to squirm about between her breasts. Doku flapped her wings around in the water then nipped at them, the harpy taking great care to make sure each of her feathers were clean and looked as healthy as could be.
Daniel enjoyed seeing his mates relaxing in the water, all the girls of course glancing to him with timid smiles as they saw him watching them, and then turned to Specca as she was noticing he kept holding onto her hand to keep her near.
“Daniel?” she asked wiping her hair aside.
“I remember you two didn’t get along too well at first either,” he said looking to Cindy, the wraith watching him curiously while her head had reformed again. “So imagine my surprise when I saw Specca being the first to race after you, Cindy. I haven’t seen her move that fast in the water for a long while.”
“She did?” Cindy asked turning her head to the nixie.
“Well… I just… she was…” Specca quietly reasoned looking down.
“She was in trouble, and you were scared for her,” Daniel continued. “Not only that but you stood up for her after Triska acted out, you were so defensive of her. I was impressed by how much you cared for her, Specca.”
“You were worried about me?” Cindy wondered.
“Yes, I was,” Specca admitted with a shrug. Looking back to the wraith she saw Cindy watching her curiously while Snapper was crawling onto her chest with a gurgle. “Truth be told, I wasn’t in the mood to be friends with you after you tried to eat me, Cindy. You were going to kill me, and you didn’t even care.”
“I’m sorry,” Cindy whimpered. “I didn’t mean to be bad.”
“I know you didn’t,” Specca empathized with a small smile. “You’ve been very nice to us after you learned what you were doing. Honestly, I can’t hold a grudge against such a young child in life, you really didn’t know any better with your misguided ways and it would be unfair of me to judge you so callously because of it.”
“I don’t know what some of those words mean,” Cindy said with a confused look.
“Well, let me be clear about this then,” Specca replied, gently holding out a hand to the wraith’s cheek. “I’m glad I got to meet this kind girl during our travels. You may be a sand wraith but you’re not a bad person at all. Quite the opposite, as I think you’re one of the sweetest girls I’ve ever met.”
“You think I’m sweet?” Cindy asked with an adorable smile.
“Yes, I do,” Specca giggled. “Sweet like chocolate pudding.”
Cindy cheered to that while Daniel smiled at seeing the two bonding with one another. He then noticed Snapper crawling across Cindy towards Specca’s hand that was touching the wraith, the swarm buzzing her wings before she lunged forward to snap at the girl. Specca quickly yanked her hand away just in time, herself and Daniel watching as the swarm snapped her teeth at the nixie with a small screech before she started mauling the wraith’s shoulder with her mouth and claws.
“Aw, Snapper thinks I’m sweet like chocolate pudding too,” Cindy cooed before giggling. Daniel and Specca watched with puzzlement as the swarm chewed on the wraith’s shoulder before moving over onto her face again, her chomping teeth and slashing claws tearing apart the girl’s head while she continued to laugh happily.
“I honestly can’t tell,” Specca finally spoke up. “Does she like Cindy or does she want to eat her?”
“It could be both,” Daniel reasoned with a shrug, the two glancing to each other then back down to Snapper as she mauled Cindy’s face with what could be either love or hunger for the naïve sand wraith.
*****
“Seriously, Triska,” Alyssa sighed, the witch finishing putting on her shoulder covers and then her tie. “What were you thinking? You had to have known this would happen to you if you did that to Cindy right in front of all of us.”
“Worth… it…” Triska breathed out. She was lying forward on the bed with her rear lifted up behind her, the girl having roped tied around her hips and thighs to keep her in position while hanging from it was a small sign that read ‘Bad Girl. Do Not Touch’.
“Was it?” Alyssa asked with a glance to her. “I rarely have to do this to you, Triska. You usually have more common sense than to cross that line. Was this pain and humiliation really worth being mean to Cindy like that?”
“Totally…”
“You really hate her, don’t you?” Alyssa guessed shaking her head.
“I don’t want to,” Triska replied, the girl turning her head to show the witch her weary expression. “I try to be nice to her, I try to explain myself to her, and she doesn’t listen. She just treats me like crap and pushes me aside.”
“Yeah, we’ve noticed,” Alyssa tiredly agreed. She put her boots on and laced them up before walking over to sit on the bed next to Triska. “Remember how we were when we first met?”
“Of course I do.”
“I hated you and you hated me. We definitely gave each other bruises and bumps fighting all the time. I drew your blood and you drew mine. And all the while Daniel kept begging us to stop and to try getting along.”
“What’s your point?”
“You and I are lovers now, Triska,” Alyssa told her. “We’re as close as can be, even after we tried to kill each other when we first met. We met under tense circumstances, just like you and Cindy have. Yes, she hates your guts, probably more so now after that little stunt you pulled with her. But she’s not your enemy. At least she doesn’t have to be, you can still get closer to her like you did with me.”
“Just say the word,” Alyssa said, getting no response from Triska. “All you have to do is say you don’t want her to join our family and she’s gone. You know that, right? If we don’t approve unanimously for those girls to join us then they can’t, Daniel even agrees with that. We were his mates first, we have the final say who can become his lovers with us. If you really hate Cindy so much and want her gone just say the word.”
Triska remained silent, with Alyssa waiting for a while before smirking a little.
“You don’t want her to go, do you?”
“She’s too stupid to survive out there alone,” Triska muttered.
“Maybe,” Alyssa agreed with a slow nod. “I guess it’s fortunate that she found a home here with us, isn’t it?”
She started to get up and walk out while summoning her staff into her hand before Triska turned her head towards the witch with a puzzled expression.
“Why don’t you want her to leave?” she asked, with Alyssa stopping while still facing away. “You’ve always been the first to object to other girls joining Daniel’s harem. You’ve always been the most possessive and protective of him. With all the girls you voiced very loud protests to them joining us, all except for Cindy. Why is it you don’t care if she becomes closer to Daniel?”
“I do care if she gets closer to Daniel,” Alyssa explained. “Part of me is still possessive like that. I’m not just going to let any girl mate with my man after all. But what’s different now than it was then is that I’m not afraid of losing him, Triska. I’m not afraid of losing any of you. I know for a fact I’ll still have Daniel and all of you girls when the sun sets, that won’t change. Knowing that, I don’t mind giving these girls a chance at being our final co-mates.”
“You’re really okay with those girls joining us?”
“I’m okay with giving them a chance,” Alyssa said looking back to her. “Daniel wishes to take care of them, you know how kindhearted our man is. If he can satisfy all of us, lead our world into a peaceful future, and even have the heart to bless us all with children that he wishes to raise with us, then he can take a few more mates as long as it won’t kill him. I don’t see a problem with that. Do you?”
Triska stared at her in wonder while trying to steady her breathing, seeing the calm gaze in the witch’s eyes that showed she was really at peace with her decision.
“I guess not…”
“But it’s only okay as long as we all share that bond,” Alyssa pointed out. “We have to care for one another, so much that we couldn’t bear to send anyone away because we love them that much. Daniel isn’t the only one that needs to love us, we need to love each other too. So if you really don’t like Cindy being here and there’s no hope for her sharing that bond with you then just say so. I’ll tell them she needs to go for you if that’s your final answer.”
Triska lowered her head onto the bed and remained quiet, silence filling the room while Alyssa waited for the girl’s answer. After hesitating and really considering her words carefully Triska sighed and shook her head.
“No then?” Alyssa assumed.
“No, I’m not making that call yet,” Triska muttered before glancing over to her. “I’ll give her a chance to grow on me, for Daniel.”
“For Daniel?” Alyssa repeated with a raised eyebrow. “Triska, it’s not enough for him to want her as his mate should he make that choice. We have to want her to join us too. That includes you.”
“I’ll give her a chance,” Triska said again as she turned her head away. “That’s my choice. Besides, I can’t hate her too much for how she’s been acting. She’s just a stupid kid after all.”
Alyssa smirked then walked out of the room while Triska remained hunched over on the bed, bound and incapacitated while thinking of what to do about the tension between her and the sand wraith of the group.
“Why don’t you get up?” Kitten asked as she appeared next to her on the bed. “You’re not tied down with anything that can actually hold you.”
‘For one I couldn’t get this thing out of me even if I wanted to, only Alyssa can remove it with her magic. That and this is what I need to endure for my actions. I deserve it.’
“So you’re going to willingly sit there with that stick up your ass?”
‘I deserve it.’
Kitten watched the girl curiously as she groaned weakly then looked up in thought as she tried to understand Triska’s reasoning.
Outside the bedroom Alyssa walked across the hall, her eyes glancing around at the large home they now lived in before she stopped in the middle of the court. Thinking about something she looked back and forth between the bathing area and the bedroom. After a pause she clacked her staff a few times down on the floor then quickly trotted back into the bedroom. She hurried over to the bound teen then waved her hand aside, causing the punishment tool to suddenly eject out of Triska who yelped in surprise.
“Get up,” Alyssa ordered.
“Alyssa?” Triska whined while rubbing her sore rear. “What are you doing? Is my punishment over already?”
“I said get up!”
Triska removed the rope around her with no effort then looked to the witch confusedly as the little monster was tapping her foot expectedly. Alyssa huffed then pointed to her with a stern expression.
“If I have to say it again you’re going to be sorry.”
“What’s this about?” Triska asked as she hurried over to the wardrobe. She started dressing in her choice of clothing while seeing Alyssa watching her and impatiently tapping her staff on the floor.
“Just get dressed and follow me.”
“Um, alright,” Triska unsurely replied. She put her pants and shirt on then started to fasten her sword to her hip before noticing Alyssa just staring at her. “Can I ask what this is about?”
“Do not make me repeat myself, Triska.”
Triska nodded and finished getting changed before Alyssa led her out of the room towards the doors. When she got there she looked over to see Luna and Clover standing under the bathing room archway drying themselves off with towels, the two girls watching Triska questionably before Alyssa grabbed the teen’s hand and pulled her closer.
“We’ll be back soon. Tell the others we’ll join them for breakfast.”
“Why isn’t she being punished right now?” Clover asked pointing to Triska.
“Where are you taking her?” Luna wondered.
“She’s learning a different lesson today,” Alyssa answered before leading Triska out with her, the teen watching her worriedly as now she feared what other form of punishment the witch had in store for her. As they left Clover and Luna looked to each other curiously then to the doors as they closed again.
“A different lesson?” Luna repeated.
“It’s going to involve Triska’s ass in some way, isn’t it?” Clover flatly assumed.
Outside Triska followed Alyssa over to Lucky, the witch gently waking her horse with a calm smile. Lucky awoke with a snort and opened his eyes, his tail wagging slightly while his legs moved a bit on the bedding of grass and flowers that Alyssa had made for him.
“What lesson am I learning today, Alyssa?” Triska carefully asked.
“You already learned it,” Alyssa answered with a shrug. “You know you were acting like a bitch in there and were being mean to Cindy. You accepted your punishment for it too, you knew you deserved it and why.”
“So why let me off the hook so easily?”
“Remember when you used your sword to cut my cheek when I angered you?” Alyssa asked holding a hand to her cheek fondly. “I deserved it. I pushed you too far and I got a nice sting for it. I was just asking for it then. Remember that?”
“I remember,” Triska regretted looking down.
“And then you lost your sword because of it. Daniel took i
t away to punish you because you let your temper get the better of you.” Standing up Alyssa brushed the grass of her skirt then glanced back to Triska with a smile. “Still, I wanted to give it back to you, because you didn’t deserve to have it taken away. You weren’t the only one in the wrong that day.”
She turned to face Triska while the teen looked at her curiously, watching her for a moment before glancing over to the carriage.
“You did something mean to Cindy, and I punished you for it because you were out of line. But I do see why you did what you did. Cindy’s been pushing you too, and then got pushed back because of it.”
“Alyssa?” Triska wondered. The witch looked to her with a dull grimace for a moment then rolled her eyes with a sigh.
“This is me giving you your sword back again, Triska, because I know Cindy’s been pushing you so hard and you were bound to push back eventually. She did deserve a little payback for treating you so harshly yesterday. That being the case, can you please consider yourself even with her now? Don’t let you two refrain from becoming friends for as long as we put off our friendship at first. We acted stupid when we first met, and we learned from it. Don’t repeat your mistake of letting your anger get the better of you with her.”
“Alyssa…” Triska softly said. She smiled a little and looked down, the wind blowing by and ruffling her hair along with the witch’s skirt while Lucky got up onto his feet.
“I’m going to feed Lucky and walk him around for a bit,” Alyssa said turning to her horse. “We have a lot of ground to cover, especially after that little detour we took yesterday. He needs to stretch out a bit before we get moving again.”
She walked over to her horse and gently pet his nose, taking a moment to admire and praise her faithful companion before glancing over to Triska with a calm smile.
“Do whatever you want in the meantime, Triska.”
“Thank you, Alyssa,” Triska kindly said to her co-mate.
Chronicles of Eden_Act X Page 10