“I am afraid not… Cindra,” Sthuza paused to stare at the horny monster girl. “We have only an hour or so until nightfall, and we must be ready to strike.”
Cindra frowned, but she refrained from unleashing the dreaded puppy-dog eyes on them, and he sighed in relief.
With that, the gorgon gestured at the hellhound. “That means you should put your armor back on,” Sthuza said pointedly.
Gabriel grinned at the nude woman cuddled up next to him. “She’s right, Cindra. You really need to get dressed.”
She got up and pouted, though he was ready for it and refused to meet her pitiful gaze.
That was much easier than normal as her spectacular breasts bounced and jiggled with the slightest movement.
Distracted by her gravity-defying bosom, he didn’t say anything else until Cindra turned her back and hid her hypnotizing bust.
Then she exposed herself fully when she bent over to pick up the discarded leather armor.
His eyes threatened to leap out of his head as her nether lips parted to reveal the wet blue flesh within while she wiggled her bum toward him.
Sthuza hissed loudly, which reminded him to breathe, and he quickly turned away.
“Cccindra, bad dog!” the gorgon snapped.
Gabriel resisted the urge to take another peek at the hellhound’s glistening folds. When his Prime yelled, he forgot all about his intentions and looked back.
Still nude, Cindra ducked her head and squatted on the floor. Her thick round ass pressed to the soft rug, and she had her hands flat on the ground next to her feet.
If he’d thought the brief glimpse of her glowing slit was arousing before, this view was positively erotic.
He drew a deep breath and stared transfixed as the scowling gorgon stood and lectured the squatting, subservient hellhound for several minutes.
Sthuza’s words were a vague droning in the background as he struggled to stop staring.
Once Sthuza finished, Cindra bobbed her head sadly and picked up her armor. She stood and dragged her feet slowly across the floor until she reached the corner Sthuza had retreated to earlier.
There, she quickly dressed without the provocative hip wagging and then stood staring back at the pair of them forlornly.
“Is… everything all right, Sthuza?” Gabriel asked when she finally turned to face him.
One angular eye twitched erratically at him, but she nodded. “Everything isss fine, Massster.”
He shrugged and turned away.
Definitely don’t want to get into that right now. Shame I got so worked up without release though.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Two hours later, Gabriel and his bonded had slipped out of the inn and were hiding between two expensive shops as they watched the prison across the deserted street.
There were a few lights along the stone road, but only one near their target. A single guard leaned against the stone wall beneath the lantern. The man barely shifted, and he hadn’t walked more than three feet from the door since the trio started watching.
Gabriel had been eager to get out of the tense atmosphere in their room. Unfortunately, it had carried over to the narrow alley where he crouched with Cindra and Sthuza.
There’s more going on here than just Sthuza being mad at Cindra for running around naked. I feel like they’ve got something planned. Though, it might just be that kiss.
He was tired, cramped, and frustrated with the high tension between his bonded.
Waiting any longer is pointless. Sthuza said I need to start taking the lead more, and I know it’s true. Now is as good a time as any.
Gabriel focused a mental shake to his Prime and grabbed Cindra’s shoulder.
“We’re going now,” he said. “It’s dark enough, and he has to be bored to tears by this point.”
Cindra’s expressive eyes widened, and she nodded eagerly.
Sthuza’s response was more muted, but he saw a flash of approval in her green eyes. Back in her human disguise, she slipped out into the street and walked over to the guard.
Gabriel gave her several seconds to get the weary man’s attention, then released his grip on the hellhound’s shoulder.
Cindra bolted across the street in the blink of an eye. Even with his superior hearing, Gabriel detected only the slightest pop as the powerful monster snapped the unsuspecting guard’s neck like a dry twig.
Gabriel looked both ways for several breaths before he moved onto the street and followed his bonded.
I need to learn how to fight better. That and make time to study more combat magic.
Part of him felt disappointment at watching his bonded do all of the work. But another, smaller, part was glad that he did not have another man’s blood on his hands—at least not directly. He reached the pair of monster girls just as Sthuza inserted a looted key into the door.
She opened it carefully but was unable to prevent a loud screeching as the hinges cried out for oil.
He tried to fight down his panic as his pulse thundered in his ears.
That was a lot louder than it was during the day.
Thirty seconds of tense waiting passed without another sound, and the three relaxed and moved inside.
Cheap gas lamps were anchored to the dreary whitewashed walls of the narrow hall they’d entered.
The ceiling and floor were both constructed of rough wood planks, which he thought was odd after the thick stone walls, but he followed Cindra, who now carried the dead man’s sword.
Her massive greatsword had been left in their room. The idea of sneaking around with the eighty-pound weapon would have been crazy. Even so, she’d sulked for a while after Gabriel and Sthuza forced her to leave the highly enchanted blade behind.
They found four doors on the first floor. Two of them led to rooms for the guards. The third was a storeroom overflowing with piles of mundane supplies. And rats. Lots of rats.
Sthuza screamed when a rat ran out of a burlap sack and across her boot.
Gabriel snorted.
Never would have pegged her for being scared of rats.
Demonstrating a complete disregard for stealth, Cindra fell to the dusty floor and howled in laughter.
Gabriel found her reaction even more amusing than Sthuza’s but bit his cheek as he clamped down on his mirth, drew his sword, and checked his mana pool.
Mana 50%
Gabriel had more left than he’d expected after the previous night, but he still wanted to avoid casting spells to deal with the two guards if possible.
Fortunately, the arcane conduit Sthuza gave him also served as an excellent melee weapon.
Now, if only I’d paid more attention to my training all those years ago.
Blushing furiously, Sthuza moved to quiet the rollicking hellhound.
That or she was trying to smother the other woman.
By the time she got the larger monster girl to stop moving, they all could hear someone muttering darkly from beyond the fourth door.
Gabriel crouched quietly in the shadows, hoping to ambush the annoyed-sounding guard. Cindra hid among the rat-infested bags while Sthuza pressed into one corner.
“Hey, Will, the hells are you doing up here?” the man grumbled after opening the door.
He seemed to pause for a moment, then footsteps drew closer.
“Will?” he called out again. He sounded less irritated and more concerned.
Gabriel rushed out around the door he’d hidden behind with his sword raised.
A tall, broad-shouldered man wearing thick vanguard plate armor froze as Gabriel approached. It was the kind of armor favored by powerful adventurers who had the strength to handle the massive weight.
We should have let Cindra bring her greatsword!
Gabriel caught the guard by surprise and took a second to aim for the heavily armored man’s head. His strike landed solidly on the dumbfounded guard’s helmet.
A flare of magic lit up the room as his sword was deflected.
Shit, the bast
ard’s wearing enchanted armor in a damn prison?
Sthuza’s concern rushed across their bond, but before Gabriel could respond, Cindra burst out of her hiding space and struck the man as well.
Her pilfered sword was similar to his arcane focus in size but had a single, curved edge. She brought it down on one of the man’s thick pauldrons.
The defensive enchantment flared again, brighter this time, but her attack still dented the thick steel plate.
“Are you two fucking crazy?” the guard gasped as he staggered back and drew his own weapon.
Cindra cocked her head and stared at the warped sword in her hand while the man raised his heavy mace to strike.
Fear clenched Gabriel’s heart tight, and he lunged toward her. He brought his blade up just in time to parry the overhead bash.
He nearly dropped his sword when the impact numbed his fingers. His entire arm tingled, and his knees threatened to buckle.
Damn, felt like that was one of Cindra’s swings!
Painful lessons from his childhood about the different weapons of war flashed through his mind, but he forced them aside to focus on countering the next strike.
It didn’t come. Steel flashed through the air between them, forcing the man to dodge a flying blade.
After hurling her bent sword at the guard, Cindra growled deep in her chest and rushed him.
The hallway wasn’t as tight as some of the ones in the dungeon, let alone the alley they’d squatted in earlier, but it made it hard to fight side by side with the riled up hellhound.
Gabriel turned sideways and let her face the well-armored human.
Cindra threw herself at the guard. The tips of her gloves flared with blue flames as she lashed out. Her claws scored his breastplate, and the noise made Gabriel flinch.
How durable are her claws?
The guard focused on the greater threat, which let Gabriel abandon defense. He took every opening that his bonded created but failed to do more than nick their opponent.
Cindra exacted a heavier toll on the backpedaling guard. But, with how slowly they were whittling him down, he was going to reach the open door leading downstairs first.
If one is this tough, I don’t want to let him group up with the other down below.
The man’s gray eyes, barely visible through his helmet, suddenly flared. He screamed and flung his mace toward Gabriel.
He dodged the reckless throw, but the guard spun on his heels and bolted away.
Shit! Can’t let him escape.
“Sthuza, he’s—”
Cindra calmed any concerns Gabriel had. Her instant tackle and the screeching of claws across metal left him to wonder why he had worried in the first place.
The downed guard screamed as Cindra dug into his underarms with her vicious claws.
She’s a natural predator. Worst thing you could do is try to run from her.
With the threat under control, Gabriel focused on calming his rapid breathing.
Sthuza stepped up to his side. “I believe that one is dead.”
He glanced down at Cindra. She straddled the man’s enchanted breastplate and had both hands sunk wrist deep inside. Gabriel watched as she pulled gory bits of human through the twisted gaps.
How strong is she that she can bend magically hardened steel with her bare hands?
A hint of amusement teased across the back of his mind and drew his attention to his Prime.
Sthuza grinned, and her eyes shined as her snakes curled and flexed languidly.
Oh, she let down her disguise to scare him into bolting.
Her grin widened, and the gorgon nodded fractionally, then pointed at the hellhound.
His bonded had pried a plate loose, and she was gnawing on a hunk of bloody flesh.
“Cindra, she’s right. No one could live through that,” Gabriel said with a chuckle.
“Hmm?” the bonded monster girl responded. She glanced toward him but turned back to stare at the motionless guard.
“He’s dead. You did a good job, Cindra. But now it’s time to leave him alone and hunt down the other guard. If we have time, we should check this guy’s gear on the way out. He might have something useful.”
Cindra shook her head and growled low in her throat. “Not—”
“This is no time to be foolish, Cindra. We need to hurry,” Sthuza interrupted.
The muscular woman frowned at them, but Gabriel stared at her until she nodded and stood.
What has gotten into her?
‘It may be anger and shame, Master. You had to intervene to protect her, and she is no doubt upset by that. I am sure she will get over it soon.’
I’ll talk to her later then.
The three of them entered the last room, and to no one’s surprise, discovered the staircase leading below. They quickly descended, with Sthuza, still undisguised, quietly leading the way.
There was another door at the bottom of the stairs. It was closed and looked thick enough to dampen sound. If they were lucky, maybe the other guard at least hadn’t heard the fight above.
Lighting in the large room was provided by a single gas lamp at the base of the stairs. The floor and walls were smooth natural stone.
Most buildings have worked stone walls. Maybe this place was carved with magic?
Gabriel cast aside all thought about whatever motive inspired the construction and pressed an ear to the darkened wood door.
He didn’t hear anything, then laughed silently at his mistake and waved his bonded up.
Either one of them can hear far better than I can.
When they stood next to him, he moved aside, and Cindra pressed one of her much larger ears to the door.
They didn’t wait long before she pulled back and grinned.
She sniffed at the gap along the door’s edge twice then stepped back. She crouched and motioned for them to join her.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“Packmaster, there is one foul-smelling man in there, and a female,” Cindra whispered.
So she knows how to be sneaky some of the time?
“Did she smell like a beastkin?” Sthuza asked. She leaned in close, almost putting her mouth against the crouching hellhound’s ear.
Cindra nodded, and her furry ears and thick hair flopped about. “She smells wild, powerful. Maybe she could join Pack? Cindra bets Master will like her scent too!”
Sthuza frowned slightly, but Gabriel barely noticed as the shock of Cindra’s suggestion stunned him.
Bond someone from outside the dungeon?
Is that even possible?
‘Yes, Master, it is. Though it would be best dealt with once we are safely away from the city. Until then, we should refrain from mentioning the dungeon to her. For her sake as much as ours.’
Gabriel nodded. “Okay, I’ll open the door. Cindra, you rush the last guard.”
Seeing both bonded nod, he took a steadying breath, and then yanked the door open.
There was a long stone hallway headed directly away from the door. More gas lamps were mounted on the walls.
Every ten feet, a pair of iron-bar doors led to more cells. At the far end was a room as large as the one they exited. Through the open door, Gabriel caught a glimpse of a black display rack.
And a naked girl.
A man stepped in front of the nude prisoner. “Whatchu doin down here? Did that idiot let more random people in… you’re not—”
He and Gabriel stared at each other for a couple of seconds, then the lightly armored guard rushed off to the side and disappeared from view.
“After him,” Gabriel called out needlessly.
Cindra sprinted toward the fleeing man, entering the room just as a piercing alarm erupted from the walls themselves.
“Hah, the baron’s gonna have a fun time breaking you in mongrel,” the unseen man shouted at Cindra.
She went around the same corner he had and out of sight.
It took Gabriel three times longer to cover the tunnel. He ignored every cell as
he ran past in his rush to support his bonded.
Up ahead, a loud growl rang out, and the wailing siren ceased.
Sword in hand, Gabriel leapt into the brightly lit room and halted.
Well, that takes care of all three guards.
Cindra stood casually off to the side over a headless corpse. Her intense focus wasn’t on him for once, and Gabriel actually felt a twinge of jealousy as she stared unblinkingly at the nude girl.
At first glance he mistook her for a child—or a really tall gnome—because of the odd contraption she was strapped to. After a second look, he realized she was a fully mature but petite human female.
Despite her short stature, her legs were thick and well-muscled. Her entire body was fit, though she lacked some definition compared to Cindra.
Maybe early twenties? But I thought she was going to be a beastkin.
He was so surprised to find a human prisoner he got distracted studying her.
“Hey, fuck-face, if you’re planning on raping me with your limp dick, can you get on with it and get out of here? I’ve got people to murder!”
The sheer dissonance of her gruff voice, petite body, and outrageous words startled him.
Gabriel stared mutely at the bellicose girl.
Sthuza was somewhat more vocal in her response. “You dare addressss Massster with sssuch disssressspect?”
The foul-mouthed prisoner inhaled visibly, no doubt intending to insult his Prime, but she gasped as Sthuza stepped into her field of view.
“A gorgon?”
“Don’t forget Cindra!” the hellhound growled, moving up to the thick metal bars that enclosed the nude woman.
While his bonded argued with her, Gabriel focused on the cage and the young woman’s substantial restraints. The bars were thicker than a spear shaft; he wasn’t sure he could even wrap his hand all the way around one. They were also enchanted enough that he could sense the arcane power without activating Magesight.
As if the closely spaced cage wasn’t sufficient to hold the five-foot-nothing human, she was tightly strapped to a black X shaped frame. Each beam was thicker than Cindra’s thighs, and a shifting black goo thoroughly coated the prisoner’s hands and feet. The restraints left her spread-eagle, back pressed against the frame.
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