Merrie sat on the ground and peered up at the message board. The summer rain poured down on her face, plastering her ears and hair to her back. It continued down her body, sluicing over her bare breasts and naked ass. She smiled at the liquid caresses and her tail wagged slowly with her emotions.

Underneath the smell of rain and the mud below her, her world was filled with memories. The scent of Lady Anasome's perfume tickled her senses and warmed her heart. She didn't smell it as roses, spices, or anything else. It was simply a delicate reminder of the joy in her life. Every time she inhaled, she remembered the sweet loving in Bass' bathtub, Kine's passion, and even Rakin's obsession.

Haviston's compulsion was still there, waiting to tear her memories apart, but every time she inhaled the perfume that clung to her hair, the scent pushed away the crystalline claws. A single spray lasted longer than Crystalline Rose and even the smallest hint kept away the horror, but that didn't stop her from secreting three bottles in her cloak.

Tamin's thoughts reached into her own, brimming with the bitter discomfort of the sparse crowds that hung around the boards. It was nothing like the beginning of summer, but there were enough that he saw danger in every pool of light and spear of sunlight. (Why can't we just take to the Shadows?)

She smiled to herself and shifted to the side, slopping through the thick mud. It clung to her knees and thighs, coating her pale skin. She settled down and peered up at the boards, reading through services both offered and requested, but mostly forgotten in the rain. (Franome is a big country. I've seen a map and I know where Blood County is, but…)

Fear scraped her thoughts and she closed her eyes as the familiar frustration rose up. She had become a capable fighter and her collar only enhanced her powers. She could defend herself from almost anything the gods threw at her. If she could survive as long as she did against Alestri, she could defeat her opponents. But, there was a lot more to travel than fighting and she knew very little about the ways of the world outside of occasional trips to the surrounding forests to fuck.

She could use the Shadows and cover great distances, but the darkness were different in the countryside. The shifting shadows came from trees and rocks, not immobile buildings. It was wild and chaotic. In the city, she knew exactly how many steps to take to enter a building, to cross a street, or to race across a park. But, out in the wilds, taking too many steps could put her into the neighboring countries or even the ocean.

Merrie worried her lip. She was also afraid of getting lost. Being able to cross kilometers in minutes didn't help if she had no way to orient herself. It wouldn't be faster if she couldn't find the Mill.

(At least you'll be able to use the Shadows once you've been there.)

She smiled and wrapped Tamin's thoughts in a mental hug. (Yes, once I know the Mill's shadows, I can figure out how to travel back and forth. But, for the first time, we have to take in the long way. And Kirin seems to think you and me shouldn't travel alone for weeks.)

Tamin's tongue hung out. (We won't starve and nothing is stupid enough to eat us.)

(No, but we might end up in Emberka.) Emberka was in the opposite direction, almost three thousand kilometer away. It was also where Franome was currently at the cusp of war with the barbarians and the last place Merrie would ever want to be.

His thoughts turned serious for a moment as a guard walked by, but then he beamed with amusement. (Someone will take us, soon. Anasome ordered you.) And in the back of his thoughts. (… like her personal bitch.)

Merrie's eyes narrowed and she playfully gathered up a quick burst of lust.

Tamin tensed as he felt what she was doing and then shuddered as it exploded inside his mind. A splatter of cum arched out of the shadows and struck the ground with a wet slurp. He slumped to the ground. (Yes, Alpha. Though, if you were paying attention when you and Kine came home, this would be a moot point.)

Merrie grinned and perked her ears. She spent the entire trip from the fair with her mouth wrapped around Kine's cock or leaning against his body with his fingers drumming against her sex. It was a haze of sex and exploration and growth, learning about his body and his needs. (I was paying attention to something more important.)

His amusement tickled her thoughts.

(Face it.) She panted as she giggled. (We're city bitches.)

(No, you're a city bitch.)

Merrie turned and smiled at him. As she did, her heavy collar slipped along her neck and she heard rain dripping off the black ring. Her eyes focused on the pitch black eyes peering at her from the shadows. (You're right. I'm a city bitch and you're my bitch.)

Tamin's thoughts turned lustful and playful. (Only if you earn it.)

With a grin, she shifted her attention and sent another hard pulse of pleasure.

His mind grew dark with the sudden orgasm and he slumped to the ground.

(You're my bitch, Tamin.) She grinned and sent another blast of ecstasy down the connection and then a third, leaving him writhing on the ground as his cock throbbed painfully and cum left streaks in the mud.

Through the haze of pleasure, his world became centered on his cock. It drew her attention and she focused on it, watching it throb with every pulse of his heart. It was large and aching and she knew exactly how to ease it. Lifting her ass out of the mud, she drew his attention to the cleft of her pussy and wiggled her tail more. (Need help with that? Once we find someone?)

His lustful growl brought a shiver of anticipation coursing down her spine.

“Bitch!” Nir splashed up to Merrie with a poster in her hand. The rain clung to the black mesh of her outfit and traced her curves as it ran along the material. Her wedding ring, forged from red gold and attached to her nipple, tented the fabric and a droplet of rain clung to the peak. She gasped as she knelt down in front of Merrie.

Merrie smiled and reached up to lick the liquid off the hard nipple. Her tongue caught the mesh and she pushed it aside to catch the crinkled aureole and ring with her lips.

“I thought we were doing something important,” Nir said with a giggle, but she didn't pull away.

(This is important. Besides, that woman is watching.) She sent an image of a dark-skinned woman, probably from Melkuth, standing next to a much shorter Belkim female reading the board. They both had the sense of adventurers. The dark woman rested on a staff that pulsed with ice magic and watched Nir and Merrie from underneath long, black eyelashes.

Nir stroked Merrie's hair and ran her fingers along the sensitive ridge. With a graceful shift, she brought her bracelet with her Whore's Guild charm up against the ring in Merrie's hair. The two seals clinked softly against each other. Nir leaned forward and smiled over her shoulder at the Melkuth woman.

Merrie could feel the desire radiating from the woman. She giggled and rested her head on Nir's shoulder. (I think you might have a new customer.)

“Are you sure?” whispered Nir. “She's looking at both of us.”

Merrie reached out with her mind and scanned the woman's thoughts. (No, she's looked at your ass and wondering what it would look like impaled by a strap-on made of ice.)

Nir moaned softly. “That sounds fun.” She worried her bottom lip. “Do you mind? I want to find out.”

Merrie kissed her. Her cloak plucked the papers from Nir's hand as the young woman stood up and sauntered over to the dark-skinned woman. Merrie let her shade spell drape over her body as she turned away to keep the adventurer's focus on Nir. Using the animated cloak, she flattened out the page and flipped it over to read it.

It was an announcement from the Guardian Guild, a group of warriors who specialized in protecting buildings and people. Part of the guild remained in the cities while the others traveled along the roads, guarding caravans on their way to cities that couldn't afford a full-time guild.

She read through it twice with a frown. The guild was protecting a caravan to Richte Burin, a city in Kador County. She frowned as she tried to remember her geography lessons, but nothing drifted up. She had forgotten a lot when she bonded with Kine and reading maps were never her best skill. She sighed and reached out with her mind, plucking the memories from the people around her until she found the answer. Kador was just over a fifty kilometers south of Blood County, right at the southern border of Franome.

(It's close to the Mill.)

Merrie nodded. (We can use the Shadows for that distance. Hard to get lost then. And once I get closer, I can orient by finding Sable and Dixie.)

Tamin didn't disagree. (Even without knowing the area, a few kilometers won't be that bad. How many people in the caravan?)

She scanned the poster. (Looks like… thirty men and…) At the bottom were the guardians assigned to the task, listing their rank and years of service. Her eyes glazed over at the people she didn't know, but then the last name caught her attention: Gillette Dormin (prob., indep.).

Her mouth opened as her tail splashed into the mud. (Gillette joined the Guardians!?)

The world spun around her as she stared at the name. She never thought about him entering a guild, though she didn't know why she thought about it. It made sense to her, when she thought about it. Gillette had been protecting the people of the Shadowed District and the Guardians did the same thing.

Tamin's attention focused on her and then he pulled back, a bitterness blossoming in his mind. (When you needed him most, he turned you down. I can never forgive him for that.)

(He didn't attack Bass. And he walked away because he disagreed with the paladins. He isn't that bad.)

Wary agreement rippled through the connection. (He knows us. He knows what you are and what you need, from the Shadows to the sex. He understands, though he may not agree. He may not bed you, but he will explain your needs to others.)

Merrie nodded as her tail wagged slowly. She knew what Tamin was dancing around, the same thing that tickled her thoughts. (The only problem is that he worked for the paladins more than once.)

(Lemetri,) the name came with a fierce wave of protectiveness.

She sighed as she stared at the page. The rain continued to drip along her body, tickling the sides of her breasts and caressing her pussy. (Who's side is Gillette on? Can we trust him? He has never harmed us though.)

(He turned you down. What if you need him again? What if he rejects you?)

Merrie smiled sadly. (And if he didn't, I would have never bonded with myself. And, I like my new mistress.)

Tamin said nothing and his thoughts were comforting.

(It's just to get to the Mill. We don't have to tell him why we're going.)

(And if he ends up working for the paladins?)

(I'll…) She sighed and stood up. Mud dripped off her ass and she shook her rear to clear most of it. The splatters landed on bystander's legs and shoes, but none of them noticed with the shade draped around her body. Slowly, Merrie crawled around the people to the shadows where Tamin hid. (I'll ask him.)

Tamin stood up and stepped into the Shadows as she reached him. (People lie.)

She joined him and gave him a bump of her shoulder. (I won't let him.)

The poster gave an address for one of the halls owned by the Guardian Guild. She guessed he would be near the hall if he just joined the guild. She also knew the building from giving head to someone in an alley across the street. It was only a few minutes ago and she stepped back into the shadows to cross the city.

As she stepped back out in the business district, Tamin remained behind to protect her from the Shadows.

The Guardian's hall was only a few blocks away from Rice's, the blacksmith that built and enchanted the cage that Kine bought for her. She smiled and wondered if she should buy another one, to replace the one that melted in the attack on the mansion.

(You might consider rebuilding the mansion first.)

Merrie rolled her eyes. (I know, but Kirin has something in mind and Monk is working with Claston's people on it. I think they want to turn it into a brothel or something.)

(It's our home. I like it private.) He grumbled, but she knew that he was looking forward to having naked men and women close to home. He cringed at the idea of people wandering through their private areas, the places to flee from the light and attention.

She giggled. (Oh, they'll be private rooms. Ones that only shadows can enter.) She knew exactly which two rooms: the one she bonded with Kine and the porch.

His amusement kept her company as she headed down the block to a large, stone building with the Guardian Guild's seal on the front. Unlike the Whore's Guild, the Guardian's base was designed to look imposing and professional. There were no bright colors on the gray stone. Steel bars covered the windows. Merrie could feel the wards burned in every opening and sunk into the bricks.

She stopped at the entrance, wrapped in darkness as she regarded the brightly-lit entrance. There were shadows inside but the wards were designed to prevent her from sneaking in. Reaching out, she scanned over them looking for a weakness.

After a few seconds, she realized she was better than the mage who created the guild's protections. A smile stretched across her face and her tail wagged back and forth.

Letting her body dissolve into shadows, she flowed through the entrance underneath a heavy-set man looking for a bodyguard. The wards didn't even tickle her senses as she reached inside and then delved into the darkness of a plant, and then a desk. She worked her way through the lower floors until she found who she was looking for.

Gillette sat at one of the large wooden tables in a common back room. His scythe rested against his shoulder, held in place by the crook of his arm resting on his hip. He looked well-rested but somehow dirtier, as if something had stained his skin and darkened his thoughts.

There were others at the table, all sitting. She peered over the edge of the table and saw a map of Franome. Little colored tacks marked a trail from Franome City, past Blood County, and then into Kador County. Along the way, there were other pins with tiny flags on them. She recognized the symbols for inns and shelters, but four of the largest pins were simply numbered. Three of them were also off the path with a tiny line of tacks leading to smaller villages. The fourth was just south of Richte Burin.

Merrie reached out with her mind for Gillette. (What are the numbers for?)

Gillette didn't jerk at her intruding thoughts and the corner of his lip curled up. (Those are other jobs. The first is tax payment by a village. They want us to watch over the ceremony since the baron who used to run the barony died without a will or heir. Apparently there were some people who want to put in their own guy in charge. The second is a house that needs to be checked on. I guess there is a rich guy in town that uses it as a winter home. The third is just a rock… I don't understand. The fourth is the first stop for some painter.) An image of an older man with frizzy white hair and a ragged bear covered in paint drifted up. (He's commissioned to illustrate the farms for one of the guilds in town. The biggest job is Richte itself, they have a group of shadow creatures preying on the citizens.)

She couldn't help but feel hope rising up inside him.

Merrie ducked underneath the table, flowing through the legs until she came up next to Gillette. Letting her body reform, she breathed in the smell of leather and men. Her pussy twinged with need, it was a long time since she was properly gang-banged. Muscular warriors were some of her favorite lovers.

She could feel Gillette trying to reach her, but he didn't have the ability to project unless she was focusing on him. She reached out and let their minds connect.

(… Shades? Are you there?)

(Yes,) she said with a wave of amusement.

(Where are you?)

(Close?)

She could almost feel his eyes rolling. (I know that, you knew about the pins. How close?)

Worrying her lip, she reached up and rested her wrist against his thigh. She was tiny compared to his hard-muscled body, but he jerked as if he was bitten. With a gasp, he clamped his legs tightly together.

“Gillette?” asked the man in charge. He had a rough voice but Merrie could tell that he was fond of Gillette, a capable warrior his own age. “Something you want to add?”

“N-No, sir, just anxious to get going.”

Merrie grinned at Gillette's strained voice.

“Pay attention then. You might be a famous warrior already, but you may learn something.”

Gillette chuckled as his knees pressed tightly together. “I can always learn something.” (That wasn't very nice!)

Merrie rested her chin on his knees. (You wanted to know how close.)

(What if they see you?)

(No one will ever see me if I don't want them too.) She smiled at the thought, though she couldn't help be reminded of both times her shade was broken. She sighed softly and leaned forward until her collar rested against his leg.

Her eyes flickered up his leg to Gillette's crotch. She could tell that he was well-hung by the bulge in his trousers. It was also growing larger as flashes of images came drifting through his thoughts. Of her fighting naked, blood dripping down her breasts. Tiny flashes of her bare pussy as she walked away from him in the snow at the inn.

(Um, don't read my mind, please?) he projected with embarrassment. (I don't normally think like this.)

Merrie smiled and her tail wagged, barely touching the other legs underneath the table. (I've seen worse.)

(I haven't. You just… make me think about those things.)

She spread her knees and pressed against the junction of his legs. Her breasts ground against his shins and she felt an uncomfortable lust rising up in his head.

(Um, Shades? I'm in the middle of a briefing.)

(Would you have become my master? If we weren't fighting?)

A brief image of his cock buried in her mouth flashed across his mind, to be instantly blow away by humiliation. (I… yes.)

(Why didn't you?)

(Because people get hurt when decisions like those are made in combat. They should be planned and talked about, not made without thought.)

(You didn't plan to stay in Franome City to defend against the Shadowed District.)

Another flash of embarrassment. (Yeah, but those type of things don't always work out for me. When I was younger…) He took a deep breath as an image bubbled up, of a young Gillette standing over the body of his brother, staring down at the bloody hole in his sibling's side. The scythe slipped from his hand, clattering loudly as he realized what he had done. Guilt slammed into him, cutting off the memories. (I made mistakes, Shades. I'm not a perfect man and I never will be.)

Merrie's ears flattened against her head. (I'm sorry, but I didn't need a perfect man. I needed you.)

Trembling, Gillette reached underneath the table. He reached out for her, parting his thighs enough for her to inch forward. (I'm sorry. I-I just couldn't make that choice, not then.)

She smiled and brought her head underneath his hand. When his fingers curled into her hair, she let out a silent moan. (I understand, I did spring it on you without warning.)

He tugged her ear. (Being asked to be an owner of a beautiful woman is pretty out of place when she's dripping with blood and gore.)

She gave a sheepish smile. (I panicked.)

He tugged on her ear again. (Bad girl.)

Merrie shivered at the words. She let her mind drift through the fantasies she had before she was collared. Her eyes focused on his crotch, using the thick bulge to guide them.

As she dreamed, his cock grew larger and strained against his buttons. (Shades?)

Her ears perked. (Yes?)

(Could you stop doing that? It's… getting a response from me and there are people staring. And, I've never done that.) A brief image of one of her fantasies, of him cock deep in her ass, flashed across his thoughts in a haze of shame and embarrassment.

(It isn't so bad once you—)

(Why are you here, Shades?)

Merrie thought about the map, drawing a circle in the area near the Puppy Mill. (I need to leave town.)

(Me too, that is why I joined the Guardians.)

Surprise blossomed through her mind. (Why? I thought you liked it here.)

(Lemetri's paladins made the choice for me.)

Merrie tensed and she felt Tamin growling in the darkness.

(When there were only a few in town, they seemed like nice guys. They were fighting the good fight and defeating evil. But, with them gathering her to take out that Bassimar monster, they are pressuring me to join their goddess. I'm for fighting shadows and evil, but they have so many other ideas of what I should be doing… and who I should help.) There was a sullen bitterness in his mind. (There is also over a hundred of them in town now, strutting around with shiny armor and speaking out of their asses. If Franome City needs protection, she has plenty.)

His fingers caught the sensitive ridge of her ear and he stroked it. (The Guardians have been courting me for a while and I decided to take them up on the offer. There are other people that need my help and, out there, I can just do my job.)

Merrie closed her eyes. There was passion in his voice and a desire to do good. She could also feel the disappointment with Lemetri's paladins.

(I was thinking about asking for you too. Though, I would be rather embarrassed to go to the Whore's Guild to ask.)

Her ear perked up. (Why?)

(You're the best damn fighter I've seen.)

She was floored by the blatant honesty behind his words.

(Even without your hands and feet… and being naked, you've taken on more than almost anyone else in this building. It isn't the fighting, it's the mind behind what you can do. I have never seen you do anything evil. I've never felt it. If it came down to it, I have no doubt, you are probably as good if not a better person than most of the paladins strutting around.)

She blushed. Her tail dropped as she leaned into his hand, enjoying the stroking as she felt his passion rising.

(It wasn't long ago, I asked for a favor. Remember?)

She remembered sitting in the snow as she asked him to let her go. She sent a wave of agreement.

(I'd love it if you came with me, but I won't force you. I just know that between you and me… we can free Richte Burin from their troubles. And maybe, if it works out, maybe keep doing it? You and me?) There was hope in his thoughts, a desperate desire to keep doing what he was doing but also to stay near her.

Merrie smiled and gave a sad wave of comfort. (But, I'm a city bitch.)

(You're more than just a bitch, Shades. You may bark like a dog and have a tail, but you are something far more than just a girl on her knees.)

She smiled and realized she was panting with his compliments. Biting her lip, she inched up against him, working his knees apart. (Do you trust me?)

(Yes…?) He response was wary.

She worked her arms between his legs. The smooth ends of her wrists caressed his thighs and she used her shoulders to push his knees apart and worked her head up between his legs.

(S-Shades!? You can't do that, everyone is watching!)

The heat from his body swirled around her. She moaned softly as she reached up with her cloak, using two tiny tendrils of shadows to pop open a button.

His cock swelled at the seam in his pants, his cock straining with the reluctant lust coloring his thoughts.

She popped a second button with her cloak. The seam spread open and she took a deep breath and relished the smell of Gillette's excitement. His shaft was thick and she wanted to feel it in her mouth.

(No!) His sharp thoughts burst across her mind. His hands grabbed her head in his palms, fingers digging into her scalp as he held her in place. (No, don't do that.)

Merrie froze with a moan frozen in her throat. As she stared at his swollen cock and felt the pressure on her head, despair rose up. He rejected her again. For all the words, the little compliments and lustful thoughts, he didn't want her.

She pulled away from him and his hands slumped to his thighs. (I'm sorry, I though,) she sighed, (I thought you'd want me.) She gathered up the darkness. (I'll find another way.)

His hands balled into fists and she could feel frustration burning in his mind. It rose into a white-hot fury and then he slumped. (Shades,) he thought with a quiet mind. (Shades?)

Merrie looked at his hands. He was beckoning to her.

(Come back, please?)

She almost turned away and fled to the shadows. She stared at his hands with regret and fear in her mind. Slowly, she let the shadows slip off her and her body grew solid once again. Her heart pounded in her chest as she inched forward, stroking her breasts against his shins before settling in between his legs.

He caught her head, caressing with his thumb as he touched her ears, throat, and cheeks. (I'm sorry. I don't respond well to surprises.)

With a deep breath, she rested her chin against his thigh. Her nose was millimeters from his cock, watching the silky skin pulse with his heartbeat through the seam of his pants. (This is part of who I am, you know. I'm not capable of abstaining. I can't stop bringing pleasure to the people around me.)

There was sadness in his mind as he fought through his resistances. She could feel the devotion swirling in his thoughts, a promise to someone.

(You don't have to fuck me,) she thought.

His hand tensed on her hand as his internal struggle peaked. And then, with a rush, it sank down into his thoughts and he stroked her ear again. (Would you trust me if we didn't fuck?)

She blushed and her thoughts grew embarrassed. (I like to give pleasure. I like to touch and suck and fuck. It feels good. It isn't trust, it's… it's… comfort. Closeness. I like to feel your desires in my head, to know you in the only way I know.)

He stroked her cheek with both hands, his thumbs reaching down to cup her chin. (It's been a very long time, Shades. Not since… not since they died.)

(I'll be gentle.) She worried her lip, feeling like a schoolgirl about to get her first kiss. (But, only if you want this.)

He hesitated, then slowly spread his knees apart. (I-I,) he shivered, (for you.)

She parted her lips as she leaned forward. Pressing her nose against the hot skin of his cock, she took a deep breath. He had a musky scent, one touched by his battles but also by his strength. He smelled clean, without a hint of pussy or even cum on his cock. It was nothing but hot flesh.

Her cloak rippled around her, forming two tendrils to pluck at his buttons. She kept her mouth against his cock, working her lips as the buttons came undone. With each one, the seam of his pants swelled open and more of his length pressed against her mouth.

Gillette was large and thick. Not huge like a thriban, but large for a human. She knew that it would fill her mouth and strain her jaw. The thought of gagging on his cock brought a rush to her mouth. She pushed herself up on her knees and let her collar rest against his balls.

The last button came open with a rush and his cock sprung free of his pants. It towered over her, a thick column of flesh. She smiled at the smell and she caressed her lips along the silky hardness. It was soft and delicate, a startling contrast of the warrior above her.

His mind was bright with need and fear. His stomach tensed and relaxed. But, instead of pushing her back, he wrapped his hands around the back of her neck and pulled her close. (Be gentle, it's… been a long time.)

Merrie lifted her head until her ears caressed the bottom of the table. She smiled as she stared at the tip of his cock, the thick wedge jumping with his heartbeat. A pearl of pre-cum gathered at the tip and quivered with each movement of his body.

She slipped one arm around his cock and tilted it toward her. With a cool breath on his length, she opened her mouth and pressed her lips to his cock. He was hot as she was cold.

Gillette's knuckles cracked as he balled his hands into fists. His mind was focused on her, every millimeter of her mouth against his shaft, and every part of her breasts and arms that touched his body. She could feel the focus, the obsession, and the warring emotions.

Merrie closed her eyes as she took him further into her mouth, enjoying the way her lips stretched around the thickness of his length. His cock burned her lips and she bobbed down, moving with precise strokes that brought her ears against the bottom of the table and her chin against his length. She moaned silently with the movement, bobbing deeper with every stroke.

From the corner of her eyes, she could see him shaking with the effort. His hands ground into his thighs, knuckles white as he clutched himself. (Gentle, gentle,) he chanted with his mind.

She wrapped the shade around him, keeping the others from noticing his efforts. Swirling her tongue around, she tilted his cock until the resistance stopped her. She opened her mouth but kept her lips sealed over his length, bobbing deeper. She moaned as the veins in his length slipped past her lips and then back again.

Soon, his cock bumped against the back of her throat. The thickness ached her jaw but she could handle it. She stopped bobbing to press harder on his cock, forcing it deeper into her throat. It slid along the curve and then began to slow descent as her lips reached for his base.

Her lungs burned with the need to breathe, but she knew that it wouldn't burn for long. The collar would keep her alive but not hold back the feeling of suffocation. She rocked back and forth as she forced his length deeper until his girth ground her tongue to her bottom jaw and her lips were sealed tightly against his back.

Gillette's thoughts were incoherent. He was focused on every sensation, as if it was the first time he had fucked. She could feel the newness in his mind, the wonder and excitement burning with an intense flame. He pulsed in her length, his cock pounding hard as he realized he was balls deep in the cool, wet confines of her mouth and throat.

(Come for me,) she begged.

His pleasure grew with the knowledge that he was buried inside her. His length swelled and every heartbeat pounded in her throat. The pressure was intense as she held it there, letting her body massage his length.

She smiled, the curl of her lip teasing his base. It was the point of pleasure for him, just as she gave wet pressure to the tip of his length.

Her lungs continued to burn and black spots swam across her vision. She held herself still as she delved into his mind, slipping through his natural shields to find his pleasure, the perfect touch, the perfect position.

Gillette stood at uncomfortable attention in front of the paladin's desk. He felt naked without his scythe, but they refused to leave him his weapon. They had never done it before, but he had broken their trust and they were making a show of their displeasure.

“Why did you do it, Gil? Why did you abandon us?” Paladin Friss slapped the table as he stood up. "We needed you and you just walked away!"

He sighed and struggled for the words. He couldn't say that Shades asked him to walk away or that he no longer trusted any of the paladins around him. They were too obsessed with their question and with hunting down Bassimar. Deciding to not antagonize the holy warriors surrounding him, he shrugged. "I had to leave. I just couldn't do it anymore."

"We lost a lot of good men because of you!"

Anger choked Gillette. He stepped forward and slammed his hands on the table, the impact ran out in the small room they were using for meetings. "You are a fucking idiot, Friss! If there was any doubt, you should have gone in there yourself."

“It was Bass, you—” Friss stopped and sat down, taking a deep breath before speaking again. "Bassimar is the enemy of Lemetri and I will stop at nothing to kill him!"

"You sent eighty guards and mercenaries to die!"

"And I would send a thousand more!"

Gillette growled. “Fuck this.” He turned and stormed back. “I'm done with you.” As he passed the squire holding his scythe, he reached out and yanked it from the young man's hands, cracking the poor squire's fingers as he retrieved his weapon. The tip of the blade slashed through the door frame as he stormed away.

"You'll never work in this city again, Gillette!"

Merrie paused as the memories cut through her mind. Her intimacy had brought his thoughts close to her. She reached out for his desires, looking for what turned him on.

But, to her surprise, he had no fetishes and no strong desires. There was no perfect position. He was enjoying the sensation of her lips against his base and the spasm of her throat around his cock, feeling the caress of her mouth as his first.

She smiled and ground down, forcing her nose into the thick patch of hair at his base. She moaned and he stiffened at the vibrations.

Gillette sat at the same table, feeling nervous as he stared at the Master Guardian, an old man covered with muscles and armed with a two-handed sword. The question the master asked still hung in his mind, but he wasn't sure how to answer it. "I don't know, I like to help people? There are people out there that need me and I'm willing to fight the dark to give them hope."

The Master steepled his fingers and nodded. "So, I've heard. Your work with the Shadowed District is legendary in this city. As is your work against the other evils. You'll be a great benefit to the guild, if you join."

"I just need to get out of town."

The Master Guardian chuckled. "In a hurry?"

Gillette nodded, unsure of what he should say.

From the side, old man with paint-stained hair and splattered clothes sat down heavily on the chair. His eyes were two different colors: yellow and blue. He tapped the bristles of a brush against Gillette's wrist. "What do you know about Richte Burin? I need an escort there."

"Catais Milliford, one of our favorite guest. He travels around the countryside and comes to the guild to watch over him while he paints. He makes incredibly life-like paintings."

Catais smiled and tapped Gillette on the arm again. "I paint farms. Beautiful, wonderful farms in all their glory. I want to remember their histories."

“Of course,” said the Master Guardian, "we'll try to find other clients to pay our ways. There are always merchants that caravan guards and people who travel from city to city. In the next week, we should have about thirty to fifty guests, probably a dozen wagons. I suspect we'll need about ten men to guard them. And I would love if you were on that roster."

Gillette thought about it for half a second. "I'm in."

Merrie smiled as she bobbed up and down on Gillette's cock. The thickness felt good in her mouth as did the swelling of his length.

He was close and flashes of memories bubbled through his mind. He was thinking of her, in ways of sex and combat. Her naked body, the rise of her breasts, and even the cleft of her sex. He wanted her and needed her.

Gillette's hands reached out and caught her head. She almost came as he gripped her tightly and began to take over. His arms bumped against the table as he yanked her down on his cock and pushed her up, grinding her face into his belly before yanking her up. The back of her head thumped against the chair with a rapid staccato.

She was caught on his cock, sliding up and down as her saliva and pre-cum coated her chin and breasts. She pressed her arms along his thighs as she leaned into every stroke. Her breasts thumped against his legs and she almost came at the submission of him fucking her face.

With every stroke, flashes of her own orgasm tore through her. She was being dominated by Gillette. He had taken charge and he was using her as she craved, hard and fast and desperately. She squeezed down on her pussy, enjoying every surge of pleasure that curled up her spine and spread out across her body.

His orgasm boiled his balls. He grunted and slammed her down in his cock, shuddering as he pumped her with short, fast strokes. (I-I'm cumming!)

He came into her mouth with a hot jet of searing cum. It poured into her mouth in a flood.

Surprised at the volume, Merrie had to swallow hard to keep up with the hard jets that kept pumping into her mouth. Even as the hot globs of cum poured down her throat, she could feel some of it leaking from the corners of her mouth.

Gillette gasped as he held her in place, his entire body shuddering with every surge. Every jerk of his body set ripples of pleasure coursing through her frame.

After long minutes, Merrie's stomach gurgled and she was coated in cum. It was everywhere: dripping down her chin and throat, splattered against her breasts, and clinging to the back of her throat. She never opened her mouth, but he came as if he had never cum before and it kept flooding.

She parted her lips as his soft cock slipped out. It glistened with her saliva and, unlike the rest of her, there wasn't a single droplet along his thick length.

(F-Fuck,) gasped Gillette, (I've never… that hard… ever.)

Merrie used her arm to wipe her face, bringing the globs of cum to her mouth so she could lick it clean. In her mind, she flashed through the memories she picked up from Gillette. He was perfect for what she needed for the trip: competent, understanding, and with just enough domination to make her cum.

She made a decision, kneeling underneath the table and covered in cum.

(I'll help you with Richte Burin if you give me a few days to do what needs to be done. And then…) She thought about her own guild. Sari had said she would leave them at some point. Merrie wondered if she had finally reached that point, if the Mill and Bass would give her closure on her life. She felt a pang of sadness, but managed to let the words slip into his mind. (… and then we'll figure out where we go from there.)