It was coming up on evening when Merrie and Tamin walked down the icy path toward the inn. The ground was hard underneath her knees and the wind blew against her naked skin, but she didn't care. The afterglow burned darkly along the connection between her and her companion. She felt a sympathetic heat between her legs and enjoyed the slick feeling of her nether lips. She was sexually sated, at least for the moment.
But, no matter how much she basked in Tamin's love, the fear remained. Watching the Lords consuming the burning shadow creatures shook her to the core. The shadows weren't alive, not in the sense that she still had a heart beating in her chest, but she felt a kinship to them. They were like Tamin, crafted from shadows and living their lives among trees of darkness and fields of gray.
But, they just sat there as the Lords fed on them. Like cattle heading into the slaughter houses. It was her orgasm and power that summoned them together. She had brought them to be killed, even if she didn't know she was sending them to their second deaths. She was reminded of the blank-eyed stares of cattle as they were herded into the Meat Packing District, the stench of blood, and even the horrors that came from the constant kill. She had dealt with the horrors of slaughter for years, but she never had the same affinity to the cattle. The shadows were part of her now, and she had sent them to be slaughtered.
Merrie leaned into Tamin as the tears began to flow. She could picture herself too easily in the same place. Screaming as her body burned away into black smoke, feeling the claws of the Lords digging into her soul, and that final ripping sensation as she was consumed. The Lords would feed on her soul and she had no doubt where there was four, there would be more.
(You aren't bound to the Shadows yet, Alpha. You are in no immediate danger from the Lords.)
Merrie looked up into his black eyes. They were endless pools, a shadow of the very being that would destroy her. And, for the briefest of moments, she realized Tamin knew something she didn't. (What?)
(The Shadows haven't claimed you yet, Alpha. Not completely. It tickles your thoughts and cools your body, but their claws aren't digging into your soul.)
She stopped in mid-step. (How do you know?)
(You bleed crimson, not black.) There was a sadness in his thoughts. Images welled up from her own memories: the stained ice underneath the spot of their lovemaking and the mattress after Rakin raped her.
(How do you…) She gulped. (Do you bleed black?)
Sadness rippled down the connection, a longing for something Tamin could never have again. (The Shadows flow through my veins, not blood.) The answer was as clear as if he said “yes”.
She stopped crawling and stared at him. She knew that he wasn't alive anymore, but hearing the words in her head sunk her thoughts deeper. She wished, a small part of her at least, that she could delve into the despair and use that to fix everything. But, there was nothing she could do to save Tamin from his fate. He had died for her once and the Lord had brought him back to protect her.
Sniffing, Merrie wiped the tears from her face and pulled away from her dark thoughts. (I love you. You know that?)
(I love you, Alpha. With all my heart.)
She reached up and rubbed her cheek against his face. The cool sensation of his skin and short fur rasped against her skin. She smiled and kissed him on the nose and then the chin.
Without another thought, they continued down the path. Fluffy flakes of snow drifted down around them, caressing her skin before sliding off. They slowly dripped down her breasts and thighs, a small brand of her fading mortality.
But, the snow didn't melt off Tamin's short, black fur. By the time they reached their destination, snow dusted Tamin's head and back.
The inn was a large building right off the main road. It had a massive stable to one side and a kitchen large enough to feed an army. A wooden fence surrounded it and there were dozens of people standing in the door, drinking and chatting as they waited for the snow to fade or the drunken frivolity to begin.
Merrie reached out for them and scanned their thoughts but found nothing to worry about. There were some of her customers in the crowds, ones from the Meat Packing District and even one who spanked her over a banister a few weeks before Rakin. She smiled and her tail wagged faster with her rising hopes. Eolis always sent her to get fucked after meeting with him.
She found two guys lusting after one of the serving wenches and glaring at each other with jealousy. The woman in question had noticed both of them, but she was passing the hours of her shift by imagining both of them fucking each other. Merrie grinned and crafted a quick spell to push all three of them to meet up in the morning hours. Her smile grew as she felt it sinking into their minds. They were willing to do anything for her, they just didn't know how far they were willing to go.
Spreading out her senses, she scanned through the crowds looking for Eolis. When she didn't find him in the common room, she expanded it up and out until she caught the edge of Zeob's orgasm.
He was bent over a heavy wooden table in the private rooms on the second floor. He had his legs spread apart as far as he could, but he couldn't get around Eolis' wide hips or even reach the thick legs of the table. Fortunately for him, Eolis' burning hot cock was long enough and thick enough to impale his ass no matter what position the thriban shoved him into.
Eolis grunted and yanked his cock out. The table scraped against the floor as Zeob shivered against the empty filling in his ass. He wanted to feel every ridge as Eolis' length slid back inside him. The air tickled his soaked insides. Eolis' pre-cum easily lubricated his hole despite the girth that filled him. It was part of thriban nature, but Zeob didn't think he could describe the wet feeling to anyone. It was as close as he could ever imagine being female.
“Damn that bitch!” The thriban slammed his cock. The swollen head popped past Zeob's sphincter and forced its way up into his guts. Every thick ridge rubbed against the tightly-stretched opening and Zeob had to bit down on his arm to avoid cry out loudly. They had to remain in secret, to keep their association with Merrie hidden.
Eolis pinned Zeob's hips to the table as he withdrew. The wet slurp filled the room and Zeob whimpered softly. He hated the empty feeling as his body grew accustomed to not having a thirty centimeter cock buried in his ass.
He lifted his hips, begging as silently as he could.
“I'm not going to stop, boy. That bitch's orgasm is still echoing in my head.” He drove back into Zeob. The ridges dragged pleasurable along Zeob's tightly-stretched ring, filling him with the liquid heat of pleasure. The thrust ended with a powerful jerk that drove him into the top of the table and forced a gasp out of his lungs. It felt like Eolis' cock had driven clear to his lungs.
Merrie realized she was burning hot with need. She squirmed at the sensation, aware that her pussy had grown slick with the shared sensations. She loved being fucked by large men—
(And hounds,) added Tamin.
She smiled and shoved him with her hip. He didn't move and she bounced off his heavily muscled furry side. With a flash of power, she cast a strength spell on herself and slammed him to the side.
As Tamin flew across the yard, she dove into the crowds. People stepped aside without knowing why, the shade spell shoving them back as she crossed the length of the floor and crawled up the stairs.
Behind her, Tamin panted as he raced after her. His mind radiated amusement as he easily caught up with her and passed her. His black body disappeared in the Shadows and she dove into the darkness after him.
They came up from underneath the table of the private room. Their bodies made no noise as they stared up between the legs of the thriban. The gray balls swung back and forth, each one the size of a full-grown human's fist. Wet slurps echoed against the walls and thick strands of pre-cum poured down off Eolis' cock and thighs. It splattered against the wooden floor and quickly formed a puddle of slick liquid.
Merrie held her breath as she stared at the powerful thighs moving. Eolis pounded Zeob's ass with hard, ceaseless strokes. The younger man couldn't even keep his toes on the ground, though he tried, and soon he was danging over the edge of the table held up by nothing more than cock and fucking.
Tamin settled down on his chest and watched, his tail wagging. She could feel the lust burning in his thoughts as he pictured himself in Eolis' place, fucking Zeob's ass until the young man screamed in ecstasy.
She wasn't far away, but she was picturing herself in Zeob's place. She wanted to feel the cock driving deep. Being able to watch his long, deep thrusts added to her heat.
Responding to her need, Tamin picked himself up and crawled over her. His paws rested on either side of her breasts as his back legs caressed her hips. Merrie lifted her ass up to his cock, knowing exactly where it would be.
Tamin slid into her rectum with a slick slurp inaudible through the splashing of Eolis' fucking. The heat and pressure brought a moan and she closed her eyes. Draping the idea of being Zeob and pretending it was Eolis mounting her, she shoved back.
The hound thrust hard, burying his length, and then pulled back. He gave a few more strokes and then accelerated until Tamin and Eolis were in perfect sync. When the thriban thrust deep, so did Tamin. The ridges scraped against her sphincter and his knot slammed against her. She pushed back, gasping with need.
They fucked in silence, moving in time with Eolis and Zeob. They were the two lover's shadow and it pushed Merrie into an orgasm. She bit down on her lip as she came, struggling to keep it inside her own head. It blossomed and spread out, pushing her into another orgasm and another.
Above her, Zeob let out a cry as he came. His cock splattered cum against the side of the table. His length was small compared to the two other males, but Eolis didn't care and Merrie didn't either. She watched the bright white cum splattering down and mixing in with the clear pre-cum.
Eolis and Tamin began to thrust powerfully with hard, erratic strokes. It shook both of their lover's bodies with the cruelty of a coming orgasm. Tamin's claws scraped against Merrie's shoulders as the hound moved with perfect synchronization; Merrie's telepathy bound him into mimicking ever movement.
They both came at the same time, two hard thrusts before exploding. Merrie gaped silently as she squeezed around the cock, feeling the swollen length pulsating deep inside her ass. She held it as tight as she could, shivering with the endless orgasms that ravaged her senses.
Eolis groaned as he pulled out. A few wet splatters of cum poured out from Zeob's gaping ass as the thriban staggered back. “That bitch needs to keep her orgasms in her own fucking head.”
Zeob moaned and slipped off the table. He hit the puddle with a splash. For the briefest moment, there was a look of bliss on his face.
And then his eyes focused on her. He whimpered and then gasped, he staggered back. “Eolis!”
Eolis rushed forward, standing between Zeob and the table. He grabbed the edge and flipped it up. Merrie could feel the protective nature rising up from the thriban.
Tamin stood up, his cock bumping against Merrie's ass with a wet smack.
Eolis stared down for a moment and then a glare crossed his face. He pointed to the ground. “Sit!”
Merrie was already moving, responding to the command. She sat down as a flood of cum poured out of her ass. It dribbled down her buttocks before splashing on the ground. She giggled and relaxed, letting more of it pour out of her.
The thriban shook his head. “You were a bad girl.”
She almost came. Her tail wagged twice before she draped it down, swirling it through the cum.
“You came, didn't you?”
She barked sheepishly, not ashamed but knowing she was about to get in trouble.
“How did you make me come? You can't affect dominate personalities.”
Merrie thought about it for a moment. Years ago, she could only affect bitches. And then it was all submissives in the city. After the brutal rape with Rakin, she realized that even the most skilled dominate would eventually submit given enough time. Everyone had the streak of lust in them, the desire to submit. For those like Eolis, it was hidden, but she could feel it even in the thriban. (Everyone is submissive… at some point.)
All the color left Eolis' face. “Did I just hear what I thought I heard?” (She's getting more powerful every time.)
(Yes.)
(She can't know about—) Eolis' shields slammed down as he withdrew his thoughts. He grunted and looked away. “You were fucking just now, weren't you?”
Merrie brought her wrists up to her throat and barked.
Eolis chuckled and wiped his face. He grabbed a chair and sat down heavily on it, his dripping cock resting along his thigh. “You got me horny again, you know that?”
Another bark.
“You used to radiate orgasms at the fair. Does that mean you did the same an hour ago?”
She barked.
“How far?”
Merrie tried to project, but his shields were blocking her thoughts. She considered breaking into them, but something stopped her. He was tense with concern and he was preparing to fight her intrusion. She could see the fear in his eyes. Pulling back, she glanced over to Zeob who was mopping up the spilled lager with Tamin licking the floor clean.
Zeob jerked as she sent a thought across his mind. “S-She says the city.”
Eolis peeked over at his lover and then to Merrie. She saw the threat in his eyes, he was worried about Zeob. “How far into the city?”
She sent a picture of what she saw.
Zeob stood up and tossed the rag. “I-I think the whole city. I saw even the royal palace lighting up.”
Eolis moaned. “Damn, that's going to be hard to explain. You know, people don't like orgasms for no reason.”
Merrie blushed.
“And, most people like a little foreplay before they spurt in their pants. So, keep it in your head. That's an order.”
She shivered at the command. Enjoying the pleasure, she sent a thought through Zeob.
“She can't promise that, but she says she's gotten better.”
“I know, I've heard the rumors.” There was a pause as Eolis' eyes flashed. “I heard Rakin was arrested.”
Merrie tensed and let out her breath. She barked.
Zeob padded up to Eolis with a wash cloth. Without saying anything, he knelt down between the thriban's legs. Merrie expected him to take it in his mouth, but Zeob surprised her by starting to gentle clean Eolis' length with the cloth. He was soft and tender, worshiping it with delicate fingers.
Jealousy rose up. Merrie couldn't do that, not with her missing hands. She watched sadly as the young man caressed each ball before wiping the hairs clean of the sheet of sweat and sex.
“Rumor has it that he kidnapped and tortured one of the Whore's Guild members. And attacked five other members of the guild in a battle that set the Meat Packing District on fire.”
It was only a small fire, mostly from Scorch, but it was contained. The apartment and cafe were destroyed, but not from fire magic. Rakin's teleporation had torn out the supports on the building and it collapsed from being gutted.
She nodded.
“Was it you?”
Merrie didn't want to answer. She didn't take pride in the broken man that almost bled to death on the floor. Even when the guards were taking him away, the dead look in Rakin's eyes haunted her. She sighed and looked away.
“Don't answer. I'm glad you're safe.”
Merrie nodded as the tears burned in her eyes. She felt like a monster, just like Rakin, for destroying the shadow creatures. She didn't try to stop them, but being reminded of what she did to the man brought sadness welling up in her thoughts.
(You won because you are the Alpha,) Tamin's thoughts interrupted her own falling mood.
(But, I'm an Alpha. I should have been submissive.)
(You are the Alpha, you are in charge. You are the master of me and nothing will ever break you.)
She smiled and sent a wave of love across the connection.
Eolis stroked Zeob's face. “Good boy,” he whispered.
Zeob beamed and kissed the tip of the glistening shaft.
“Now, get dressed and send down that order. I'm sure,” Eolis' gaze drifted to Tamin's slick cock, “the hound and I would like some meat. Fucking is hard work.”
Tamin sat up and let his tongue hang out of the side of his jaw. He barked once and wagged his tail.
Eolis chuckled and helped Zeob up. With a grin, he smacked Zeob's ass. “Go on.”
As soon as Zeob left the room, Eolis turned to Merrie. He worried his jaw for a moment before speaking in a low voice. “Next winter, I'm having some… friends over. I expect you to spend the week with them, okay? It will be a rough week, but I will make it worth your while.”
Merrie tensed up. He was hiding something from her. She could see it in his eyes. Reaching out, she pushed her mind toward his but encountered his shields. She barked in agreement as she began to explore it, trying to find a crack to pierce it.
He wasn't protected by his normal shields. Eolis' mind was tough, like leather, but the shields that draped over his mind were crystalline and smooth, like a sphere that would be almost impossible to crack. She tried with a sharp thrust, but it slid off the mental protections.
“I brought another thirty thousand marks. It is in my bag over there.” He gestured to a bag in the corner.
Merrie sent her cloak to recover the money. It flowed across the floor before engulfing the bag. She could feel it plucking through the contents, removing a diamond ring and some cash before grabbing the envelope. She forced it to leave the ring behind before summoning it back.
Eolis shuddered. “That's scary every time I see that.”
Merrie cocked her head and grinned.
“I'm really glad to see you survived Rakin. Though, you don't look like you were tortured.”
Merrie gestured to the scratches Tamin left on her. She shifted into hound form and back again, erasing any signs that she was just mounted by her hound.
“You learned Dixie's trick, didn't you? That boy could recover from being disemboweled if he could change shape.”
She barked and wagged her tail.
There was a knock and Zeob slipped in. “S-Sorry, but there's a problem.”
Eolis turned. “A problem?”
“There are a bunch of armed men in the yard. It looks like a mob of some sort.”
Growling, Eolis stood up. “That could be a problem. Do you know what they are doing?”
“Looking for a woman who was attacked in the woods. She was being chased by a black wolf or something. The guy in charge things she was really hurt and some farmers said there was blood everywhere.”
As Eolis slowly turned toward Merrie, she blushed hotly. With a whimper, she gave him a sheepish grin and drooped her ears.
“You?”
She barked quietly and drooped her ears and tail, giving him her best sheepish look.
Eolis slumped his shoulders and shook his head. “Bad girl.”
Merrie shivered at the words.
He turned to his lover. “Think we can sneak out? I can't be seen here, not while I'm still a tax collector.”
“I'm not sure, maybe. The guy in charge is really, really good at organizing people. They look like they are ready to go. But the waitress said that he only showed up ten minutes ago.”
She perked up at the description. Reaching out, she delved through Zeob's memories.
The man stood at the entrance of the inn. He had broad shoulders but the large scythe caught Zeob's attention. It looked dangerous and violent.
Merrie shivered. She knew the man. It was Gillette.
Gillette held out his hands as he pleaded to the crowds. "Look, I'm only looking for some volunteers. For two, maybe three hours. I have fifty men already combing the woods, but there is a woman out there who is injured and probably dying. We have to do something."
She knew that men would join in. She saw it a hundred times as the hunter convinced even injured people to join in his fight against the Shadows. And now, he was trying to rescue her without realizing it was nothing more than play.
Merrie got on her knees and then her wrists.
“Where are you going?” asked Eolis.
She gestured down toward the common room and then stepped into the Shadows. It only took her a heartbeat before she was in the yard of the inn. Around her, there were twenty men and women strapping on weapons and getting ready to go out into the night. She took the afterglow of her orgasm and cast a domination spell, freezing each of them in their place.
In silence, she crossed the yard to Gillette who was the only one still moving. He finished strapping on his gloves and turned around. “Okay, ready to…” His voice trailed off as he looked across the still yard.
Merrie stopped in front of him and got on her knees. Her cloak wrapped around her body, the hole sliding to her belly right above her sex. She brought her wrists up to her throat and held it there. She released the shade spell and drew his attention to her.
Gillette's eyes lowered to her. When his eyes caught hers, he jerked. “Gods!” Gasping, he thumped his chest as if to remind it how to beat. After a few moments of deep breathes, he chuckled weakly. “You surprised me.”
She wagged her tail.
“If you're here, I assume that the black wolf was a creature of the Shadows? Are you still defeating them?”
He stood in the empty door of his home. It had been months since he saw the living room of the house he grew up in. He took a long, deep breath to drink in the familiar smells of home. There was a pang of loneliness, a reminder that he was terribly alone. When he exhaled, he closed his eyes in despair. It wasn't home anymore. After months of purging the Shadowed District of evil, he didn't belong there. He sighed and dropped his bags inside the door. With a shrug, the giant scythe tapped as it leaned against the wall. One night, he promised, and then he would return to Franome City. There had to be Shadows to destroy somewhere. He found his calling.
Merrie nodded and drooped her ears. She projected with regret, (It was me and my hound. But, we're okay.)
Gillette glanced up at the still crowd. Snow drifted down around him, landing on the scythe and melting. The droplets of water ran down the blade before gathering on the tip. “Some farmers saw you and they thought you were in danger. There are over fifty men looking for you already.”
(I'm sorry.)
He pulled out a black pendant. It sparkled for a moment and then lifted in the air. Instead of dangling, it lifted up until it was pointing straight at her. “There was a burst of Shadow magic a while later. I thought something was coming through.”
(Destroyed.) She didn't tell him what destroyed them.
Gillette tugged on the pendant. It continued to pull toward her. “You're a creature of Shadows too, aren't you?”
She thought about Tamin's words. (Almost.)
“Why are you killing them then? You don't act evil.”
She sighed to herself and rubbed the snow from her face. (Not all Shadows are evil. Some are… I made mistakes. My master was killed and I was alone. It brought… I brought myself to a dark place.)
“The Shadowed District?”
She sent a wave of sad acknowledgment.
Gillette seemed to notice the pendant again. He shoved it into his pocket. “But, you helped purge it. We all make mistakes, some more than others, but it's what you do to pay for them that makes you a man… woman.”
His words slashed deep. She lowered her head and felt ashamed. It wasn't playful or teasing like being called a “bad girl” but the reminder that so many people were hurt by her actions.
“Are these people safe?”
(Yes. I'm holding them still so we can talk.)
“I need to call off the search. It's going to hit my reputation pretty badly, being this is my first job as a professional hunter. So, release them and be gentle?”
She barked. (These people won't remember.)
“You can do that?”
She smiled and barked again.
Gillette shook his head. “What does that mean? The barking.”
(It means, 'Yes,') she said with a soft smile. She released her spell, erasing the memories of the last few minutes from their thoughts.
The crowds returned to their drinks and chatting as if nothing had changed. Casually, they slipped out of their armor and travel outfits. They set down their weapons to be forgotten until they left.
Gillette stepped closer to her, kneeling down until he was almost at her level. “Thank you. I'll call off the search for the people in the woods, but you owe me one.”
Merrie cocked her head.
“A creature of the Shadow or not, I saw you destroy the Reaper that night. If you are willing to push back the darkness, I would be a fool not to ask for a favor.” He grinned sheepishly, “I'm kind of new to this and I'd love to have a heavy hitter when I bite off more than I can swallow. What do you say?” He smiled, “Willing to help me in a pinch?”
Merrie thought for a moment. He helped erase her biggest mistake. She barked and wagged her tail.
Gillette reached out for her head. He hesitated, centimeters above her ears.
She reached up so his palm rested on her head.
“Thank you…”
(Call me Shades.)
“Thank you, Shades. I won't ever forget this.”