“If it helps, she’s been thinking about you a lot since you left.” She volunteered.
Jez abruptly hopped in place, spinning halfway around in the air and facing her when she landed, her face excited.
“Really?! What’s she been saying about me?!”
It was obvious to everyone except the Gripau that she had been talking about Miranda, and now Christine was a bit trapped; the frog’s strange slanted pupils threw her off, especially given how wide her eyes were with excitement.
“Oh... um. She’s, wow, I mean. I can’t remember specifically.” She finished with a lame shrug at being put on the spot so unexpectedly.
Jez bobbed her head, flinging bits of water from her hair, still damp from a creek she’d found on their way out of the mountains south of the city.
“That’s okay! I accept general praise as well! Whatever you’ve got!”
The others hid smirks while Christine floundered, her face reddening as she looked around for someone to save her.
No one did.
“She... she said she liked your bathing suit?” She finally tossed out, more of a question than anything.
Question or not, it worked for Jez, who hopped in place again with excitement.
“Cool! But wait, this one is new.” Her hopping stopped as she found the logical flaw in Christine’s white-lie; “How can she like it if she hasn’t seen it yet?”
There was a rising distrust in her tone that told the poor mechanist that she was running out of wiggle room.
“She must have been talking about your old one.” Miranda finally stepped in; “I’m sure that she’ll want to see the new one. So why don’t we stop yammering here and go show her?”
Jez faced her mistress and the elder Loskins sister looked at her with grateful relief, mouthing a ‘thanks’ when the Gripau wasn’t looking.
The Hornets, having watched the whole thing for the entertainment of their queen, buzzed their wings and hovered off of the street.
“Come along then, we will escort you to our hive.”
__________
“Here try this and tell me what you think.”
The wingless Hornet took a nibble of the tiny pastry that Cordelia Loskins was holding out to her, then smiled wide.
“It is delicious, my Queen.”
They were in the kitchen of the Hornet hive in Algrade, the young baker practicing her craft.
“It’s not too sweet?”
“Not at all, but we do have a sweet tooth.”
Cordelia’s brow furrowed at the royal ‘we’.
“Wait who am I speaking to right now, you or Oldeera?”
“Both, my love, always both.”
“Man that is such a trip.” She muttered; “I’m sorry Muffin, I love you to bits but I might never understand how your mind works.”
“Most humans don’t. But I could say the same to you: it wasn’t until I lost my wings that I understood what it was like to have to walk everywhere, like you do.”
“I’m sorry.” Cordelia repeated, this time for the Hornet’s loss.
“Don’t be. I feel the wind still through my sisters and my Queen.”
“Okay, that is definitely not Oldeera talking!” The brunette accused with a slight whine.
Muffin winked very deliberately.
“I’ll never tell.”
Sadly Cordelia’s boss Renaldo had relatives in Lipton Falls, and he had closed down his bakery a few weeks prior while he went to be with his surviving family.
Which meant that the young baker was out of work for the first time in her life, something she was not accustomed to.
She’d offered to keep the place running, but the nervous man had insisted on closing up shop, not knowing for sure how long he would be gone.
So she kept busy by baking up goodies for her sister to give away at the university, as well as good wholesome bread to donate to one of the dispensaries in the slums.
Her generosity hadn’t gone unnoticed either; whenever she went out with her Hornets she was greeted warmly as ‘Queen Loskins’ or ‘Your Highness’ by random locals.
And certainly no one tried to steal her crown again!
After what happened to Renaldo’s kin though, she couldn’t shake the heavy dark pall on her heart that the massacre in Lipton Falls had engendered in everyone’s.
“Cordelia!” Christine suddenly called; “We have some guests so you better be wearing pants this time!”
Safe to say the elder Loskins sister had walked in on some things since living in the hive.
Immediately Cordelia turned to Muffin, surprised that she hadn’t warned her.
“We do?”
The Hornet did her best to look innocent, but it was clear she knew something that she wasn’t telling.
The answer came moments later though when they stepped out into the main room of the hive to find a familiar bunch of monsters and humans inside.
“Nameless!”
“Hello Cordeli-aah!”
She surprised him, and herself, by rushing forwards and wrapping him in a firm hug, though she did her best to keep her sticky hands away from his uniform.
It was just that good to see someone from home.
After the massacre she and Christine both had sent letters to their father begging him and their other sister Helen to come and stay with them and the Hornets until Evadne was stopped, but they had yet to hear back.
With her arms wrapped around him his face was smooshed against her collarbone, his chin pressing down into the top swell of one of her breasts.
Somehow she’d forgotten how short he was.
“What are you doing here?” She demanded when she finally broke away, a bit flustered now as she’d never hugged him before.
But he wasn’t the one to answer.
“Aegis business. Butt out.” Jez said in a weirdly gruff voice.
“Jezebel!” Ophelia exclaimed in shock; “There’s no call to be rude!”
“What? I was just trying to sound cool!” The frog whined.
“Aaand I forgot how bonkers you lot were.” Cordelia said with a roll of her eyes as she turned to Miranda and her bond-mates; “Nice to see you.”
Though she said the words, it was plain she was just being polite.
She’d never forget who it was that sent Rebecca into danger when Bethany Sinclair was still running the criminal underworld in the city.
“Sorry for barging in.” Miranda murmured.
“They were looking for Becks.” Christine explained with a smirk; “Is she around?”
Jez nodded excitedly.
“Yeah, she wants to see my bathing suit! Do you think she’ll like it?”
Distracted from her complicated feeling regarding the Aegis operative and her Lapine friend by the rapid questions, Cordelia looked to her sister.
“Shopping, I needed more cinnamon. I was going to make some more rolls tonight for you to take to school.”
Christine huffed.
“Cordy, most of the professors and at least half of the students are putting in orders to size up their overalls. You don’t need to fatten up the whole friggin university!”
But Cordelia wasn’t listening; her eyes, wide with excitement, had fallen on Milly.
“Milk! Can I buy some of your milk Milly?! Please!”
“Oh!” Milly blushed, but quickly smiled; “Of course! But you don’t need to buy it.”
“That’s bad business.” Nina remarked, bored of the reunion already; “Where’s the big bug at? The one with the bazongas? I thought she’d be here.”
All eyes turned to her, but no one dared question her word choice.
“She’s... out.”
Cordelia had just remembered the last conversation she and Oldeera had about the young Aegis trainee and her cheeks turned a bit pink.
Oblivious to her discomfort, he smiled at her and there was a sudden awkward lull in the conversation, during which Kala and Jez slipped out onto the streets in search of Becks.
This is Me Flirting
Rebecca walked down the streets, lost in thought.
In one hand she had a little bag of groceries, including the cinnamon for Cordelia, in the other was her application to the Aegis academy. With Miranda’s endorsement she had a real shot, but rather than filling her with hope as it once did, it now filled her with apprehension.
What if she couldn’t cut it?
What if she had to stay in Algrade?
Could she even go back to being a courier again given how her last job ended?
What about-
Her cavalcade of doubts were suddenly cut off when something warm and wet wrapped around her midsection, gooseflesh spreading across her exposed naval as she looked to see a strange fleshy cord around her.
“What the heck?” She mumbled.
Then a familiar voice sounded behind her.
“Ayffe caughw hew! Amb thews mo esthcape!”
She turned to see Jezebel, crouching ten feet behind her, her posture showing off the gentle curves of her green body in her skin-tight pink bathing suit.
Like an angler reeling in a catch, the Gripau flexed her tongue and slowly began to pull the startled bunny towards her open mouth.
Stumbling a bit, Becks took hold of the slick tongue with both hands as she tried to keep her balance.
“Wh-what are you doing Jez?!”
“Cwaiming hew fow mye mithtress!”
“What?”
She was right in front of the frog now, Jez’s face inches from her tummy, but the frog did not release her tongue, and her nearness did not make her garbled speech any more comprehensible.
Then a pair of strong arms wrapped around Rebecca’s waist to join the Gripau’s appendage as someone hugged her from behind.
“She said she is claiming you for our mistress, which isn’t entirely accurate.”
The Lapine looked up and over her shoulder to meet the face of Kala the Amazon, her smile warm and welcoming.
“Yeth ith isth! She’th ouws mow!” The Gripau argued into her naval.
Kala reached around Rebecca’s back to ruffle the Gripau’s damp green hair.
“No. She is still hers. We are simply here to visit. Not to kidnap her.”
“Aaaww!” Jezebel whined, her tongue finally going slack and retreating into her mouth rapidly; “Alright, but if she tries to get away I’m going to catch her again!”
Though she appreciated being released from the frog’s bizarre grip, the bewildered bunny was still playing catch up.
“We are here in the city with our wife, and when we heard you were still in the city-” Kala shrugged as she explained; “We thought you might appreciate a visit from some familiar faces. Everyone is waiting for you at Queen Oldeera’s hive.”
“I think technically it’s Queen Cordelia’s.” Rebecca mumbled, but allowed them to lead her back to the hive in question.
As they walked Rebecca was both nervous and excited about seeing Miranda again.
The operative had been her rock throughout her ordeal with her horrible ex-girlfriend; especially afterwards, when she broke down in her arms in the Aegis compound.
So when they entered the living room of the hive and the Lapine heard Miranda’s gruff voice again, a thrill of excitement shot through her and her heart began to pound.
With Kala and Jez right behind her, she stepped down into the sunken part of the floor at the center of the room where the circle of couches were.
Though there was only face she wanted to see at the moment, when she caught sight of Nameless’s she perked up a bit; the Empath having helped her deal with the tangled mess of emotions that Bethany Sinclair had left her with.
“Wow, hey, so it’s really nice to, I mean, I was thinking that I don’t know if- eep!”
Jan surprised them all by cutting off the bunny’s floundering by tackling her to one of the couches with a feigned snarl, Erica having to roll to one side to avoid the scrum, a quick hiss coming out of her throat before she could stop it.
Jan didn’t care, her tongue already going to work on the Lapine’s face as she greeted her as only a Wolfen would.
“Hi yourself!” She said between cheerful licks; “We’ve been thinking about you too!”
Becks began to giggle almost manically, trying and failing to fend off the wolf’s affections.
Within a few seconds though she found herself leaning into it, the feeling of being in someone’s arms again pushing her inhibition aside as Jan’s tongue-bath slowed and their breathing deepened.
Finally the wolf stopped and looked down at the bunny, her amber eyes seeking out Rebecca’s warm pink gaze.
Her brow raised quizzically as she settled more of her weight on the bunny, their breasts mashing together while their hands on each other’s bodies was just short of inappropriate.
Together they were toeing the edge and debating crossing over it.
But Miranda had seen enough by then and Jan let out a whine when her bond-mate gripped her by the ear and firmly pulled her off of the breathless bunny.
“Bad Wolfen.” She chided firmly, though she offered a smile to the monster girl beneath her; “It’s good to see you again Becks.”
Rebecca licked her lips as she tried to regain control, finally having to take a deep breath to do so.
“Hi, um, h-hello Rimanda. Am glad of good see too.”
Mostly she’d regained control.
It didn’t help that Miranda could quite clearly see the Lapine’s hardened nipples peaking the fabric of her sleeveless shirt.
Becks followed her gaze down, and upon noticing what she was staring at she flushed to the base of her pierced bunny ears.
Though despite her embarrassment, she arched her back slightly, pressing her breasts tighter against her shirt as she bit her lip.
“See something you like?” She asked coquettishly.
She might be one to get tongue tied, but Lapine were as famously lascivious as Katje, so she had no problem showing off her goods.
Miranda’s mouth suddenly went dry as she looked up from the attractive bunny’s assets into her pink eyes.
But they weren’t alone.
“I can’t believe I’m the one who has to say this. But get a room.” Erica interrupted loudly from her new seat nearby.
They jolted out of the moment they were having, looking around to see a lot of faces watching them.
The worst part for Miranda was the look of absolute smugness Nameless was directing at her.
The senior operative cleared her throat to buy herself time to cast aside her embarrassment.
“Right, listen Becks, we were heading to the Aegis compound to see-”
“Yes.” The Lapine cut her off as soon as she felt there was an invitation coming; “I mean, what?”
Miranda had to bite back a grin before continuing.
“-see about bunking down for the night.”
“Oh.”
“Of course you’re welcome to walk with us.” She added quickly as she watched the bunny’s ears flatten.
“Yeah, she has to come.” Jez said from beside her hip; “We have so much to talk about! Like how much she likes my new bathing suit!”
“I do?” Rebecca blinked, her eyes tracing over the Gripau’s body reflexively; “Wow, I really do! It looks really cute on you.”
“I can’t take much more of this.” Nina complained; “You lot need to fuck off before I start hurting people.”
“Yeah and I need to get back to school.” Christine sighed; “I won’t be back until very late Cordy, the profs need people managing the grid overnight now that it has the extra burden of the defense net drawing off of it.”
“I’m sure that means something to someone.” Nina muttered as Cordelia’s older sister took her leave.
Her exit gave Rebecca time to regain her composure, and with the distraction Miranda turned to Nameless.
“I’ll report in and see about securing a room for you as well. Fe
el free to... visit in the meantime.”
Given how utterly crowded the main room of the hive was with four humans and ten monster girls, not including Oldeera’s Hornets, visiting was a lot easier once Christine, Miranda, and her girls left.
“At least she’s having fun.” Cordelia declared with a sigh as she watched the excited Rebecca follow Miranda out, the baker still little leery of the operative.
“They all are.” Volka said suddenly, a broad smile on her face; “They are also excited and very horny. Budding love is a joyous thing. And these days joy is in high demand.”
Cordelia had to take a breath suddenly, Volka’s aura having filled the room.
“Um, wow.” She swallowed; “Something’s different about you, V-Volka. Did you change your hair?”
The angel had inspired a certain degree of awe in her before, but this was something else; a palpable weight accompanied her mere presence, a metaphysical authority that the mortal Cordelia couldn’t account for.
Realizing that she had let her power get the best of her again, the Valkyrie closed her eyes and focused to get a handle on it, the glow of her aura fading a few seconds later.
“Yes. I grew it just slightly longer.” She said seriously; “Very keen of you to notice.”
Cordelia swallowed again and nodded.
“Right. Longer. That must be it.”
Oldeera though buzzed her wings and approached the angel.
“Longer hair isn’t the only change.” She mused; “I felt it through my girls before, but there really is something different about you Volka.”
“The correct form of address would be Dominar Volka.” Nina corrected her; “Which means she outranks you, feel free to curtsy at any time.”
Oldeera’s eyes widened, and to the surprise of her bond-mate, she actually did kneel before the Valkyrie, every Hornet in the hive doing the same.
“Dominar.” They proclaimed in greeting.
Volka closed her eyes as the responsibility of her reality settled on her shoulders again.
“Fucking hell that is satisfying.” Nina mumbled; “Now bow to my weakling next.”
“Enough.” The Valkyrie’s eyes flew open as she spoke the single word with stern authority, her aura slipping free of her again as she leveled a strict gaze at the Gigas.
The Heartstone Saga Page 24