The Stables After Dark

Nayeli moved the talk to lighter things after that: the yield of the year's fruit for the Hopes, and which markets they saw the most profit from, and what, if anything, they regularly sold in Coras. Dinner was delicious, and passed from appetizers to dessert without further incident. When it was over, and they had all bid their hosts goodnight, Tuli started to lead the group back to her room. But at the start of the hall, in which her room was the last door at the end, she took Diya by the hand and pulled her aside. "Hey, can I show you something of mine out in the stables? I think it might make you feel better," she smiled brightly at the little Feline. When Diya nodded curiously, she turned to the rest of the group. "You can all make yourselves cozy in my room. Or go hog wild," she winked, "I'm the only resident in this wing. Mom and Dad are at the other end of the house, and the servants are all downstairs, so that no one gets disturbed by my little parties. We'll be back in a bit."

Oro grumbled something under his breath, rolling his eyes, and stomped down the hall without needing a second invitation. Sarahi was quick to pad off after him, just to be sure he didn't decide to make a ruckus in his temper. But Nayeli caught Kylan's wrist, pausing him before he could follow. "Is this a strictly private party, or may I join you?" she asked of Tuli, "Because I think I know what you may be doing...and I have a promise to keep," she smiled, patiently waiting for the answer, whether yay or nay.

"Oo, you might be surprised," Tuli winked, "But you can definitely come, if Diya doesn't mind."

Diya shook her head quickly. "I can't imagine anything I would not want you around for...and that includes...what I kind of think she's up to, too," the little Feline blushed, but did not refuse.

With a grateful nod, Nayeli turned and crouched at eye-level to Kylan. "There is a box with perfume in it by the door in Tuli's room. It was a gift I received today. If you wouldn't mind, I would like you to try a sample on Oro and tell me what he thinks when we get back. Will you do that for me?"

The little male gave her an uncertain look, but nodded. "Sure, if you want. Sarahi might be the better test, though."

"Maybe...but I don't think this one will work as well for her," the Lioness winked, "You'll know what I mean when you try it. At least, that is my hope. Thank you," she finished, giving a grateful kiss to his forehead and waving him on.

"Oo, sounds like everyone's plotting little surprises tonight," Tuli giggled as Nayeli turned back to them. She then lead them back down the stairs and out one of the side doors, strolling casually down a little dirt road to the stables within easy sight of the house, careless of the moonlight's shine on her naked body.

They passed by their coach just outside the stable doors, where the servants had left it when they unhooked the horses. Tuli lit the little lamp hanging just outside, taking it with them so she could see to light a few others, bringing a low, warm glow to the interior. "Oh, there's my beautiful boy!" she cooed as she approached one of the stalls, and was met by the large nose of a golden-maned, buckskin morgan. "Did you miss me? I missed you, yes I did!" she giggled, reaching through the stall door to pet his thick neck a couple of times before opening it. A little on the small side, perhaps, he still had all the proportions of a proper horse, happily trotting several little circles around Tuli as she stepped into his stall and billowing her hair.

Tuli laughed at the attention, patting his neck and rubbing his nose, and gestured for Diya and Nayeli to join them when he began to settle down. "Meet my favorite pony: Lucky Daylight," she giggled again as she announced the name, "And yes, I know now that he's not actually a pony, but I didn't when I was little. The habit's still stuck."

"Oh, he is beautiful," Diya praised, cautiously stepping forward to rub one of his forelegs and the underside of his chest. The horse didn't seem at all put off by the touch of a stranger, and only snuffled her hair once to get her scent before nudging more affections out of Tuli.

"Thank you," Tuli grinned, as if she had some hand in giving him his looks. Then, without warning, she ducked under the horse's chin and lifted a surprised Diya off her feet and onto the beast's back.

"Whoa!" the little Feline gasped, immediately snatching two handfuls of the horse's mane, and just as quickly releasing them, hugging the back of his neck instead, "Tuli! I don't know the first thing about riding!"

"Oh? Never been on one?" the Lioness smiled, patting the shoulder by Diya's knees, "He's a good one for learning. Stable, gentle, forgiving...kind of like Nayeli if she were an animal. And a boy," Tuli winked at the other Ferruda, standing in the door of the stall and smiling good-naturedly. "The gods only know how often I yanked his reins as a child, and he's never bucked even once that I can remember."

Diya couldn't suppress a giggle at that. She patted his neck a few more times, combed her fingers through his light mane, then took a deep breath and made herself sit upright astride his back. The horse never moved, except to twitch his ears and look back at her over his shoulder. "Good boy," she praised, patting his neck again. With a chuckle, she admitted to Tuli, "This wasn't quite what I expected when you invited us out here...but you're right. I do feel better. Thank you."

The Lioness giggled, leaning against the horse's side. "Well what did you expect? For me to crawl under him?" she winked, "He's a good boy, but a bit big even for me."

"N-no!" Diya squeaked, shaking her head and hands both in a negative gesture as an embarrassed blush spread over her cheeks, "That is not what I...?" She paused at the realization that Tuli was not just leaning against the horse, but moving her hands slowly and smoothly underneath him, all while giving the little Feline a cryptic smile. "Uh...what are you doing, actually?"

Tuli giggled again, this time with a sly smile. "I already mentioned this to Sarahi, back at Kits-Inn: I never quite had the nerve to ride him...or rather, let him take a ride...but he tastes pretty good," she grinned, "Want a sample?"

Diya's chin nearly decoupled from her jaw. She covered her face with her hands as the color finished spreading from her ears to her neck. "Oh gods...no. No, and I did not need that thought in my head..."

"Diya," Tuli smiled more sincerely, bringing both of her hands up to rest on the horse's back now, "Your brother wondered who else might share your mother's tastes. I just wanted you to know she's not entirely alone in them. And while I won't pretend that makes it a good thing, I will never look down on you or her for it. You will always be family to me, regardless of where or what you come from."

Taking a deep breath, and never uncovering her face, Diya nodded, "Thank you. But I think next time you should just say that, instead of demonstrating."

"Ahem," Nayeli cleared her throat, somehow still maintaining that patient smile through this awkward conversation...and in spite of being in full sight of what Tuli had been doing with her hands, and its effects on the horse, "If you've made your point, I specifically came out here for a taste of you...with a welcome side of you, if you desire," she added to Diya, "Beast is not on the menu. So is there some clean hay here for us to roll in, or do I need to command the field to deliver some to us?"

Tuli blinked, and then laughed, before taking Diya under the arms and gently lifting her down to the floor again. "Oh, that would be amazing to see, I think," the Lioness beamed, shooing the smaller Feline gently out of the stall and closing it behind them, "But I've definitely got a spot ready and waiting."

At the back of the stable was a ladder to the storage loft, full of feed and old saddles and hay fresh from the fields. There was also one very thick, very clean blanket neatly folded and draped over an old saddle near the hatch, which Tuli quickly spread over a couple of haybales. "Teehee...they've been keeping it clean even though I've been gone. I owe the hands a big 'thank you' when I see them," Tuli smiled, crawling onto the bales and turning around to lift Diya up without making her climb. "I notice you've been calling Oro 'master' lately," she smiled as she started to unlace the smaller girl's blouse, "Is that something he put on you, or do you like being told what to do?"

Diya shook her head slowly. "He let me, to help soothe a conflict in my own head...but I like having some control over what's done to me, if I may."

Tuli stopped undressing her, instead pulling the little Feline into a hot and heart-felt kiss. "Of course," the Lioness breathed when they parted again, "Whatever would you like done, then?"

The scent of aroused Ferruda filling her nose blew all kinds of selfish, hedonistic thoughts through the little halfbreed's head, making her blink slowly as her own arousal grew in response. "I want Nayeli, too," she confessed with a sigh, "I want her to do me like she did brother. And I want to touch you like you so wonderfully touched me."

Tuli smiled at her warmly, then turned her around to sit astride the Ferruda's thighs, where she could look down on Nayeli who, having somehow discreetly slipped out of her dress, was kneeling at the edge of the bale and smiling up at both of them fondly. "I get how you feel," the busty Lioness behind her whispered in her ear, tracing little circles with one finger over Diya's heart, right between her small breasts, "I've had a number of partners over the years. Some very handsome, a few quite beautiful...but nobody is a match for Nayeli's smile." The priestess' blush deepend, but her smile only broadened, tail waving happily behind her while the pair above admired her.

"Tuli," Diya begged, swallowing her building nerves as the temperature increased in her cheeks, "My shirt..." Tuli pulled it over her head, laying it to one side of the bale. Nayeli licked her lips suggestively, still holding her place and watching them with desirous eyes. "And...my skirt, please." Tuli unbuttoned the strap above her tail, loosening the skirt enough to fall around her knees.

As Diya rocked to one side long enough to finish sliding out of it, Tuli slid a little closer to the blanketed edge of the bale, spreading her knees around Nayeli's cheeks, then pulled Diya back over to sit astride her tummy just below her breasts. "Touch me, Diya," the busty Lioness whispered, rubbing the smaller girl's back encouragingly, "Touch just like you like. Nayeli, look at her while you do it," she begged, hooking one leg behind the other Lioness and gently coaxing her forward, "Look at her and show her everything she has to look forward to the moment she asks for it."

Without a word, Nayeli briefly closed her eyes and ran her tongue obediently over the wet lips of Tuli's sex...and the tips of Diya's fingers as they pressed against the top of those wet folds, gently seeking out Tuli's pearl. Tuli gasped sofly in praise of the touches, and Nayeli opened her eyes again to gaze adoringly up at the smaller girl, watching her almost unblinkingly as she laid lap after loving lap over Tuli's nether lips.

Tuli cupped her hands over the curves of Diya's posterior, pushing gently forward to encourage the girl onto all fours above Nayeli's head. The angle looked uncomfortable for the priestess, but she kept her eyes dedicated to Diya's, smiling softly between each lick, bathing both Tuli's sex and the fingers that Diya carefuly slid against Tuli's pearl and between Nayeli's lips. "Mmm...you want her to touch you like she did your brother?" Tuli mused, tracing a finger down the back of each of Diya's cheeks before spreading them open embarrassingly, "Exactly like your brother?"

"Mmph...yes," the smaller girl panted, hardly able to close her mouth through the effort of breathing now as she watched Nayeli bathe Tuli's intimate places and felt the other Ferruda teasing her most shameful ones, "I was envious...of him...and you," she confessed to the patiently smiling Lioness below.

"Hmhm...would you like your brother to do this, then?" Tuli asked softly, but aloud, as she circled Diya's backdoor teasingly with one fingertip, "I promised to teach you the safe way. Would you really want him here, the one place even he could--"

She had just pressed the tip of her finger suggestively over the spot when Diya reversed herself, sliding her dripping-wet muffin forward almost to Tuli's and resting her hands behind her on the Ferruda's soft breasts. "Please, Nayeli, do me now!" she hissed through partly clenched teeth, "I'm going to burst!"

Not hesitating for one second, the Lioness lifted her chin from Tuli's muffin and pressed her lips to Diya's in a deep kiss. Her tongue thrust into the little Feline's love-tunnel, then ran up through the cleft of her lips to find her pearl, even as Nayeli's fingers similarly traced the cleft under her tail to gently, insistently invade her exactly as the priestess had done to her brother several days ago. Diya threw her head back, and Tuli caught the back of her shoulders to hold her steady as the girl cried in pleasure, washing Nayeli's chin in her honey. The priestess held her tongue patiently pressed to Diya's pearl until the little Feline ceased bucking against her face, collapsing on top of Tuli with a deep, relieved sigh and gasping for air. "Oh...wow...," she whimpered in an almost pained voice.

"Oh gosh," Tuli grinned, chewing her lip beside the smaller girl's ear, "Please, Nayeli...finish me, too...so close...!"

With a wordless giggle, the priestess bowed her head to the other Ferruda's muffin again, quickly finding her pearl and circling it with warm, loving laps. She was just sliding a hand under Tuli's rump, prepared to add a little extra stimulation just as she had to Diya, when the Ferruda arched her back with a scream that was practically a roar, flooding Nayeli's cheeks with her juices unapologetically. Again, Nayeli held her position as steady as she could until Tuli's body relaxed, slowly sinking back onto the haybale with pleasured little coos of praise and whispered words of adoration.

Nayeli crawled over them both briefly, sharing sweet, wet kisses with each, and was about to crawl back down and get dressed when Diya caught one of her ears gently but firmly. "Where do you...think you're...going?" the little Feline panted, smiling fondly and hungrily at the larger Ferruda, "No way...you're getting out...without thanks."

The priestess blinked, then giggled, then kissed her belly gratefully. "I was repaying what was already given to me," she smiled warmly, "Now I'm going to check on Oro, to make sure he's not causing grief for Sarahi and your brother. Mmm...but I would be happy to set your conscience at ease there, if you like," she promised, "Will you walk with me once under the moon?"

Diya took a few more long breaths, recomposing herself, then nodded. "Absolutely yes. And if Sarahi doesn't pounce you when we arrive, I am washing my face in you," she insisted, to giggles from both Nayeli and Tuli. They each kissed her on opposite cheeks once more, glad to have the assertive and happy Diya back again, then gathered their clothes over their arms and walked back to the main house with moonlight on their bare fur.

---

Effect of the Essence

"This stuff, I guess?" Kylan asked himself, immediately finding the box exactly where Nayeli had said it was and opening it. He carefull pulled one of the flacons out of its cutout, as well as the atomizer...and from there looked a little lost as to how to combine the two. His sister had used plenty of perfume and paint and dye in her previous work, but never prepared herself around him.

"What's this?" Sarahi asked curiously, noticing him fumbling with something. Oro had thrown himself straight onto the bed the moment they arrived, as if daring anyone to try and share it with him before Nayeli returned. The former princess was already resolved to make that dare, but saw no harm in letting it wait until he had grown a little more bored.

Kylan offered her the flacon. "Perfume, Nayeli said. She asked me to try it on Oro, and see what he thinks of it...though I'm not exactly sure why, or why me instead of you."

"It stinks," Oro grunted from the bed, "I can tell you that right now. Don't even need to open it," he waved dismissively, "Haven't caught whiff of a false scent yet that smelled like anything but garbage."

Sarahi rolled her eyes, strongly suspecting that was his attitude speaking rather than his nose, and delicately pulled the stopper from the flacon, running the little rod attached to the inside under her nose. She immediately plugged it again with a startled look. "Kylan...do not breath this!" she insisted even as a mild shudder ran down her body.

The little male blinked at her several times. "What is it? That bad...or dangerous?" He was having a terrible time thinking Nayeli would have asked him to try anything objectively dangerous, but it occurred to him that she might have more peculiar tastes than he was yet aware of.

"It...smells...like us," Sarahi gestured around her breasts, "Ferruda...but strong. That's more than equal to me," she shook her head, and Kylan began to understand the problem when her front paws began to subtly knead the tiles beneath their feet. She'd gotten a good noseful of aphrodasiac, whether she was generally used to the scent or not. Beneath the skirt she'd worn to dinner, her masculine features were probably becoming more pronounced.

Kylan understood the rest of Nayeli's meaning in the next breath. "If that's Ferruda scent...that means it would put him to sleep, right?" he blinked in Oro's direction, "When she said to try a dose on him..."

"Maybe she meant directly?" Sarahi grinned, immediately thinking exactly what he had, "Then even you and Diya could perform the night-ritual apart from us, huh? That's worth a try," she agreed, holding her hand out for the atomizer and showing him how to affix it to the bottle.

"Told you it would stink," Oro growled, sitting up at the edge of the bed. "I'll give you one shot, to satisfy the priestess' curiosity. If it fails," he warned with a dire look, "You will both suffer the punishment. What that is depends on how much the stink pisses me off. Are you ready?" he asked with an obvious challenge in his voice. Kylan swallowed his nerves and stepped up to the scarlet Rabbit. Holding the flacon just a few inches from his face, he squeezed the bulb at the back gently, sending a cloud of the contents straight into Oro's nose.

Oro nearly gagged. Surging to his feet, he made for the door to the balcony with one hand around his throat and his tongue stuck out in vile disgust. He missed the door, hitting the wall with his shoulder, and just leaned against that as he coughed. Kylan's ears drooped along with his shoulders, and Sarahi quickly stepped between him and the gagging Rabbit. This hadn't been the reaction either of them expected...and would probably have prompted him to wrath even if he hadn't threatened them in advance.

"Fusking...fusking...the fusk is that?!" he barked, wheeling on them with teeth bared and posture low, "It reeks like you, princess!" His eyes were wild, but not entirely with rage. The pupils had grown large, and while one hand clenched and released in front of his chest like he was deciding which of them to strangle with it, the other seemed to be struggling to resist loosening his pants. There was a noticable tent in the fabric below the belt.

"Saints preserve us...you have a limit," Sarahi whispered, taking note of all this at a glance and putting the pieces together, "You can sleep off the effect, up to a point. But too strong a dose can overwhelm your spite...and affect you just like any other man. That's why we can arouse you when we are all three gathered in tight quarters."

"And water is wet," the Rabbit snarled, running his fingers like claws from the neck of his shirt down to his waist, eating through the fabric as they went, "No awards for the fusking obvious, princess." He eyes jumped to Kylan, behind her...and the bottle still in the little male's hands. "I would put that down now," Oro warned coldly, "If you want me to be able to show any amount of restraint in what I'm about to do. At least I still have the wherewithal to let you live."

Kylan did as he was told, and began to unbutton his own shirt. Sarahi turned to hide him from the Rabbit's eyes, though, meeting their husband's glare stoicly, even as she unfastened and unwrapped her own skirt, dragging it off her long back. "I will satisfy you," she declared with more pride than defiance, taking a step toward him, "I've promised to do so several times now, for just as many reasons. Even in this horrid state, I can come to you willingly now, and make no complaint of my treatment. I beg whatever reason is left in you, please--"

"Sarahi," Kylan interrupted gently as his shirt fell to the floor and his pants around his ankles, "It's my turn." She gave him a confused and slightly fearful look over her shoulder, so he elaborated, "Sis knew it was coming, sooner or later. So did I. We're wives, too, aren't we?" he pointed out, stepping around her front leg with nothing but gratitude for her efforts to shield him. "It's my turn now. I'm not so pretty, but I mean to be a good wife, and please my husband with what I have."

His cheek hit the floor hard. It would probably be a bruise in the morning. Kylan shrieked for a second in surprise, but didn't even attempt to fight the weight of Oro's hand on the back of his neck, pressing him into the floor on hands and knees. "Little bitch," the Rabbit growled, and it was more voices than just Oro's coming from his throat, "I'm in no mood for noble sentiments! It only pisses me off! You'll scream, and that will please me!" the demon-coated Rabbit promised. Kylan winced at the sound of Oro's belt snapping, sword and shredded pants alike thudding against the nearby wall...and bravely lifted his tail.

"Husband," Sarahi called, throwing herself onto the bed and rolling onto her back, spreading her hind legs wide toward them, "Lay him on me, at least. The height will be better for you than the cold floor, too," she begged, holding her arms out to Kylan more than the Rabbit.

Surprisingly, even to her, he seemed to agree. Lifting Kylan by the back of the neck still, Oro tossed the little Feline at her, and Sarahi had to catch him as best she could between her paws. Giving him a quick, gentle hug with her four legs, the Sha'khari quietly explained, "Nayeli helped me like this, the first time. I can't stop him, but I can endure it with you, if that's any comfort."

Oro siezed his tail, dragging him back to hunch over the Sha'khari's up-ended hindquarters. Then the Rabbit bent low over him, growling softly in Kylan's ear, "Meaning she'll take you like you're gonna fusking take me, so don't you dare get into the wrong hole."

Swallowing his nerves again, Kylan nodded submissively, adjusting his hips between the Sha'khari's until his own dick found the place between her femanine entrance and the base of her tail. Sarahi gave him a reassuring smile, patting his thigh with her tail, and rubbing her tucked ankle against his...discreetly, though a little awkardly, trying to hook his foot into the little band of jade still tied around her ankle.

Oro practically tore it off from her...and slid it roughly up the little Feline's leg, nearly all the way to his knee, before pressing the boy forward and down into the girl below him with a painful squeeze on each cheek of his rump. Kylan and Sarahi both winced, but resisted screaming. Then Oro plowed beneath the smaller male's tail in earnest...

It was hard for either of them to say how long he used them. It couldn't have been terribly long, as Kylan couldn't remember the Rabbit climaxing even once. Maybe he just missed it, having no idea what it felt like to be on the receiving end of that, but he had the impression that it ought to be a recognizable event even in Oro's fury. The first chance either of them had to take a breath and collect their thoughts was when Nayeli's voice rang out in the room:

"By The Authority, vested in me, I command Oro, King of Nazeen: stand aside!" her stern voice entoned. The Rabbit instantly fled to the far side of the room, fetching up against the wall like he'd been thrown there, and stayed with his heels against it.

"Fusking leash," he roared, "This is your doing, isn't it?! Make up your fusking mind if you want me to fusk or--!" She spritzed him with another dose of the perfume, or so it looked to the shocked pair on the bed, and Oro instantly fainted like a dead man at her feet.

Bare as her birthday, the priestess moved quickly onto the bed, laying a comforting hand on Kylan's back. "By all the Saints, I am so sorry," she whispered with earnest regret in her eyes, "I thought it would knock him out, like our scent does, and I would come back to find him peaceably asleep and you at your leisure." She was eying them both up and down as she explained, counting their various appendages in particular. Finding them with all arms, legs, and tails still attached, she breathed a relieved sigh. "I will heal you both now. What still hurts?"

Kylan, still laying face-down on top of Sarahi with his cheek on her lower belly, took several deep breaths and thought hard about the whirlwind of sensations raging in his body. "Weirdly...nothing, really. It hurt while he was on top of me, but as soon as he got off...I feel fine."

"He put your healing charm on him," Sarahi explained helpfully, nudging the band of jade around Kylan's leg with her knee, "Took it off my ankle before we started. My tail is rather sore now," she chuckled, but made sure to give Kylan a smile to assure him it was neither bad nor his fault, "But you are a rather more tolerable fit...and quite the gentleman, even in the midst of being ravaged. I would knight you, if that title would mean anything to us now."

"That is...surprising, but a great relief," Nayeli sighed, patting Kylan's posterior to coax him out of the way before whispering a prayer of healing over the Sha'khari. Sarahi relaxed as the power soothed the soreness from her, and not just under her tail, but remained on her back with legs shamelessly splayed. "I should have told you the box contained the counter-scent, too," the priestess confessed, "You have both suffered for my fooli--"

The toes of Sarahi's back paw alighted gently on her lips. "You are too forgiving of everyone but yourself, and in that direction you are too harsh," the Sha'khari chastised gently. Then she turned her attention to Diya, who was crushing Kylan in a hug. "Your brother stood his ground quite well in the face of a demon, despite how it might appear," she promised, "And said some sweetly noble things for the sake of my conscience. Kylan," she called, flexing her hindmost thighs, "Would you take me for a reward? You deserve at least the relief of that at the end of this ordeal," she smiled, indicating his lingering arousal.

He blinked at her in surprise, clearly grateful for and tempted by the offer. But in the end, Kylan pushed the jade band down his leg and replaced it carefully around her ankle, then crawled up to claim a kiss straight from her lips. "The kiss of real royalty is reward enough for me," he smiled, "But how about, some night when you have no reason to pity me and I have no reason to worry about you, we take each other? I'd rather have you like a proper woman, and you're welcome to have me like...well, any kind of woman at all," he chuckled.

Sarahi nodded, and kissed his cheek as well. "Sweetly noble," she repeated, "I'll look forward to it."

Satisfied that they were unbroken in body or mind, Nayeli returned to kneel beside Oro, crumpled on the floor and snoring due to the uncomfortable twist of his head where he lay. She looked at him for several thoughtful minutes, never touching him, never speaking to him, until Tuli came and gently tapped her back. "You okay?" the Ferruda asked, nodding over her shoulder to the bed where the other three had finished curling up comfortably with one another, "Tired? Or is the thing on your mind too important for morning?"

Nayeli smiled at her, but sighed, "Maybe," and gave their husband another thoughtful look. "Tuli, is there a bath in this wing?" she asked after a moment.

"Of course!" the Lioness nodded firmly, "Want me to wake one of the servants to heat the water?"

"No," Nayeli shook her head, "Cold will be fine. I just need to kill my scent for a few minutes. Will you help me move him?"

Between the two of them they lifted him easily enough, but Sarahi helped with the actual carrying from there, once she understood what they were doing. She and Kylan took advantage of the soap and water that was handy to sanitize themselves before returning to the bedroom with Diya and Tuli.

It was more than an hour before Oro awoke, coming to with a grunt and shaking his pounding head in the darkness. Water sloshed luke-warm around his shoulders, which was colder than he liked, and warmer than he was used to. Two candles set in the corners of the room provided dim illumination, and were probably being used more as a way to measure time than illumination. Two deceptively strong arms restrained him as he attempted to sit up.

"Welcome back," Nayeli greeted him, sitting behind him in the tub with her back to the rim and his head pillowed against her breasts. Her legs were wrapped loosely around his belly, heels set to lock his knees if he tried to slide out of her grip, "It's time we talked."

"The fusk about?" the Rabbit sighed, dropping his head back against her and closing his eyes, "I am a monster. If you're surprised I act like one, you're the fool. I swear there's a parable about a snake teaching this lesson in that book of yours," he grumbled.

She shook her head. "Not exactly. For eight years, despite all my subtle and overt invitations alike, I never could tempt you to our bed to consumate it. I always expected, if I ever once succeeded, it would be exactly as you warned me that first time, and have demonstrated these last two times with Tuli and Kylan," she sighed, "I admit, given how you handled Sarahi in the kobold's cave and Diya and me in Kits-Inn, I had somewhat begun to hope I was mistaken. I'm still trying to cling to that hope, though I warn myself it is a recipe for disappointment. So that's what I am: disappointed, though not honestly surprised."

"Good," he grunted, "That's the less foolish stance, at least. So what's to talk about?"

She rocked her head thoughtfully. "You gave some very good advice to Sarahi while we were bathing in the Inn, though I think the timing was poor. After these last two episodes, I'm curious: exactly what rules did you set yourself? When and why will you...as you put it...'fusk anything that moves'? And must it always be with violence?"

"You making fun of my back-water bumpkin enunciations, too?" he scowled, following it with a contemptuous snort. Nayeli didn't answer. She let him vent himself, and gave him time to collect the rest of his thoughts, confident he knew better than to sincerely suspect her of any such mockery. After several minutes, he growled, "I know what I said, but if there's one thing I absolutely did not have before getting tied to you it's self-restraint. I didn't set any rules. I wasn't fusking interested in beds, except for the occasional nap. Not like anyone was going to invite me to theirs anyway, even if I'd let them live long enough to try it." He blew a long, hard breath, making ripples in the water in front of his chin. "The most that fusking Rabbit knew of sex before he died was that it was dangerous to get into it with anyone but a wife. And even he understood by that age that most people end up in that 'dangerous' area anyway. You were hardly a counter-example," he shot her a brief glare over his shoulder, "Trying so hard to be sweet, to be tempting, to offer yourself for a touch so casual it would be easy to deny its intent, if I wanted to. Even if you were my wife, it reeked of bait. That was when I first really understood the trap."

She nodded slowly against his shoulder. "I can imagine. I was used to men who had already been seduced without any apparent effort on my part. Active persuit of a man was entirely new to me. My early attempts were quite shameful, I admit."

"Yeah," he grunted, "I think I figured out at some point that I'd misjudged you. By then, though, the unspoken rule was 'none at all, for any reason, fusk the very thought'. I never had a reason to change it."

Nayeli sighed, tempted to be stung by that little remark, as she was often tempted to be hurt by things she ultimately decided were reasonable and forgivable. "So...right about now...are you still aroused at all?"

"Fusking opposite," he growled, "I want your hands off me so I can set something on fusking fire, warm my tail by it, and find someone to eat for dinner."

She nodded patiently. "Then by the reasoning you gave Sarahi, this is the perfect time to think about changing that rule, and making some new ones. Wouldn't you agree?"

He gave her a narrow look, out of the corner of his eye. "The fusk are you suggesting?"

"Two rules," she answered calmly, "Because I want you to be able to build some self-restraint for those moments when our scent does overwhelm you, in the hopes of avoiding any more outbursts like tonight. In order to do that, though, I think you need to know with some certainty when you can indulge yourself, and do so with our blessing."

The Rabbit snorted against the water. "Indulge you, you mean."

But the priestess shook her head. "What I have in mind does not please me one bit. I am taking a bit of a gamble on them, in fact...part of that hope I'm clinging to, which I shouldn't. But if the rules do not align with your tastes, at least for the most part, you will have no reason to agree to them, much less abide by them. So what I propose is for the sake of clarity, and meeting that other goal, not to satisfy my own desires."

Oro rolled his eyes, but his ears stood attentively. "Let's hear it, then. When and why should I willingly fusk any of you?"

"When one of us is afraid," she proposed, eyes closed and chin resting on his shoulder, speaking quietly into his sensitive ear, "Because you will relish that dominance, and the chance to remind us that there is nothing we should fear more than you."

He tried to keep his face neutral, but the twitch of his ears betrayed his intrigue. "And the second?"

"When one of us is angry with you," Nayeli answered, "Because that cannot be allowed to linger...and I think you would be happy to let us vent it in the act, if only to gloat at how ineffectual it is."

"Sounds to me like princess and the pipsqueaks are going to be getting ravaged on the regular, and you fairly well left out in the cold," he sneered, hiding his surprise. Something about this seemed out of character for Nayeli, even if she was trying to play to his twisted vindiction.

She nodded against his cheek. "It sounds cruel, even to me...like I'm inviting you to take advantage of us at our most defensive, when you will all but have to force yourself on us. I am gambling on what I saw and heard of how you treated Sarahi and Diya...and that there might be a genuine man beneath the demon yet. He might be able to turn those moments into something sincere and productive. I am sure you will delight to disappoint me."

"...Fusking right," the Rabbit sighed, but the phrase lacked venom. He thought on it for a moment quietly. "When you're afraid...and when you're angry with me...," he repeated clearly, "Fine. Remind me to get in the habit, if I don't cart one of you off under clear conditions. Can we get out now?"

"Will you consider one more? A request, this time, not a recommendation," she asked, tightening her grip briefly on his chest.

Oro sighed and rolled his eyes. "What is it? My patience is thin, so don't get your hopes up."

Nayeli nodded quickly, kissing the top of his head gratefully. "When you have rescued one of us from mortal danger...as you did Sarahi from the kobolds' traps, Kylan from the Last Echo, and me countless times over the years...take your pleasure with us as part of our thanks. It would be good to have at least one condition in which you find your partner eager and happy for your touch."

"Hmph...so there's the one you and Tuli might get in on," he muttered as if he'd caught onto her con. But he didn't dwell on it long before nodding, "Fine. I'll take that one, too. Three rules, and don't fusking try to tease me into bed outside of them. And keep that fusking nasty 'perfume' under lock!" he added more forcefully, "I almost vomited up all this treasure I'm supposed to be carrying."

She kissed his head again softly. "Yes, dear."