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Chapter 14: The Spy

Geoff lay in the dark, listening to the two Dogs sleep. He sighed softly to not disturb them, slightly annoyed that he was laying next to this adorable Dog for a second night and still unable to have sex with him. He couldn't blame Nathanial in the slightest; the poor pup had been through far too much since Monday. More than most Furs would go through in their whole lives.

It was only about eight in the evening, too early for him to even contemplate sleeping. He needed very little sleep -- more than Dirk did, but still only about six hours. He normally went to bed around one in the morning.

Da warned him against manifesting while Dirk went to pick up the pups, because the Society would be paying extremely close attention, so he couldn't even practice and, after last night, he didn't feel comfortable even going to watch TV or something in the next room.

To top it off, he could feel his penis rubbing against Nathanial's entrance, and the smell of the pup was beginning to drive him crazy. Both Dogs seemed to be sound asleep, but he didn't feel comfortable masturbating with them right there. He might if it was just Nathanial, but not with Micah here. He carefully rolled out of bed, got his school bag, and put it beside the bed. He sat up, keeping his thigh in contact with Nathanial, and started on his school work, working on the next few days' lessons.

It was nearing midnight when Geoff noticed Nathanial twitching in his sleep. He set his physics textbook aside, noting with surprise that he'd read almost half of it, and put his paw on Nathanial's shoulder.

Nathanial flinched and started talking in his sleep. "No, Mom, I'm sorry. Please don't. Hit me all you want, just don't hurt them." He began whimpering and shaking. Geoff shook him awake and noticed Micah staring at Nathanial, albeit blindly. "Wha-What?"

Geoff pulled Nathanial up against him, the blanket now resting halfway down their thighs. "You were having a nightmare. Are you all right?" Micah wrapped his arms around Nathanial's leg, hugging it close. Geoff noted with amusement that Micah's paws seemed to magically gravitate toward genitals, the backs off his paws brushing against Nathanial's scrotum. "Do you remember what it was about?"

Nathanial looked away and said, "No."

Micah scowled accusingly. "Liar. Did Mom really hit you? Did you let her so she'd leave us alone?"

Nathanial seemed to be a very bad liar. "Of course not. I rarely ever saw her."

"Not since you were older, but she wanted to see you just about every day when we were younger. Always you and only you."

"She wanted to make sure we were doing as she wanted. It doesn't matter. She'd dead now and can't hurt us any more. Please, go back to sleep. I'm sorry for waking you two."

Geoff kissed him gently. "I wasn't asleep; I was studying. I almost never fall asleep before one." He raised an eyebrow as Micah's paws began carefully exploring. "You two seemed to be sleeping peacefully until now. I'm glad. You had nightmares almost every half-hour last night."

Nathanial's sheath twitched as Micah's fingers began softly stroking the underside of his scrotum. Nathanial finally noticed what Micah was 'subconsciously' doing. "Gah! Micah! Do your paws have minds of their own or something? Stop that!"

Micah looked confused. "What?" He seemed to notice what he was doing when his fingers wrapped around the base of Nathanial's sac. "Oh." He put his paws back where they were initially. "Sorry."

"How can you not notice your paws are molesting someone?" Nathanial's tone was exasperated, his penis poking out of his sheath. As did Geoff's. One of Nathanial's fingers began gently rubbing along the tip of Geoff's penis, drawing out a drop of precum and a gentle moan. "It's not like they move on their own." Geoff struggled not to whimper as more of his penis slid free, and a small trickle of his lubricant ran down the underside of his shaft.

Micah sounded hurt. "Why didn't you ever tell someone Mom was hurting you?"

"Who? Dad wouldn't care, and if I told anyone else we may have gone into foster care, and we'd probably have been split up. But like I said, it doesn't matter anymore."

Geoff's penis was fully erect and producing a steady trickle of precum. It was being slowly spread around the entire shaft by the orange and white paw of his love and matting down the fur of his sheath.

Nathanial's paw took a firmer grip, making Geoff slightly buck his hips. "What? Oh. Oh! Um, sorry. I take back what I said, Micah. Um, paws can have a life of their own." He tried to pull his paw away, but Geoff whimpered and grabbed it, putting it back on his twitching length.

Micah's voice was full of curiosity. "Why? What were you doing?" His paw darted out, swiftly sliding along Nathanial's arm before Nathanial could stop him. The small black paw found the wet and hard skin of Geoff's penis and wrapped around it, sliding up and down slightly. Geoff moaned and bucked, too aroused to care who was rubbing him. Micah gasped, "Oh wow! This is huge!" He rolled his upper body onto Nathanial's legs so he could reach over with both paws. The other paw went lower and began rolling Geoff's testicles around. "Ooh, the fur feels all different than Nick's, and they're big, too. Why is it so wet, though?" Geoff whimpered. Micah noticed his head was in Nathanial's lap so he lowered his muzzle and licked along Nathanial's erect penis, making Nathanial moan.

"Micah, out! Go see if Faelen is awake or something! Let us have a little time to ourselves, please." Micah tried to swallow Nathanial's full length, but gagged and pulled back. _"Oh, gods!_No, stop that! Go! I'm not sharing my first time with Geoff with anyone. Out!"

Micah grinned. "So you're finally going to let him have that tail he's been staring at so much? Can I watch, pleeease!?"

They answered in stereo. "No! Out!"

He rolled off, grumbling, and fell to the floor with a thud. "Ow." Nathanial flicked on the light. Micah looked back with huge eyes as he saw the 18 centimetre length of the Wolf, with Nathanial's paw still wrapped around it. His jaw dropped open and his tongue lolled out with a bit of drool hanging from it. Micah was fully erect now too, and he began playing with himself. "Wow!" He said, his tone awed. "The Graces were really kind to you, Nats. And Geoff, too, I guess. Can I...?"

They cut him off with another, "Out!"

Geoff found himself suddenly distracted by a subconscious squeeze and stroke from Nathanial. He moaned and pushed Nathanial's muzzle down to his groin.

His pup instinctively opened his mouth and Geoff felt most of his pulsing length slide into that warm muzzle. 'Fucking gods, that feels good.' Nathanial bobbed up and down, licking up every bit of pre that Geoff had leaked out. The sensations of his first blowjob consumed the Wolf so thoroughly that he didn't notice the way his pup was getting very worked up. The Akita suddenly grabbed him in a deep kiss and hauled him down so they lay stretched out in the middle of the bed. Geoff shivered as a new sensation stimulated his cock; Nathanial ground his own dick against it, and the pup's downy fluff rubbed over the rest.

Geoff moaned into Nathanial's mouth, surprised by the sudden, passionate attack. Geoff pulled his hips back, the tip of his member leaving a slick trail along the bottom of Nathanial's and then along his scrotum before sliding down between the fuzzy white cheeks.

He humped a few times, whimpering into Nathanial's mouth. Nathanial freed his mouth and rolled over, now positioned on top of Geoff. He sat straight and lined Geoff up. He placed his free paw on Geoff's stomach to try to keep him from bucking, and sat down slightly. Geoff's tip slid in easily, but it still made Nathanial hiss a bit, even so slicked up.

Geoff heard the pain, and it pierced through his lust. "You okay? Are you sure you want to do this?"

Geoff's concern brought Nathanial out of his haze, and he started thinking a bit clearer, too. "Gods, yes! I need you, Geoff. I can see the love in your eyes and hear it in your voice, but I want to feel you in me. I need your love to wash away all the hurt and disappointments. I love you." He paused and blinked for a moment. "But...um...getting loosened up may still be a good idea."

Geoff blushed. "Um, how do I...?"

Nathanial grabbed one of Geoff's paws, slicked it up with both of their precum, and pressed Geoff's fingers against his tailhole. Geoff swirled his index finger around, making Nathanial moan and press down on it.

The finger slid in halfway before Nathanial's muscles trapped it in a death grip. "Ow. You can do this until I loosen up, or use your tongue. Liam-sensei said the tongue feels a lot better, but the fingers will make it easier to take you. Both may be a good idea."

Geoff pulled his finger out and rolled them over so Nathanial lay flat on his stomach. He stuck his nose under Nathanial's tail and gave a long swipe with his tongue. Nathanial shivered and moaned as he pushed up with his hips, trying to keep the tongue there. Geoff chuckled, pleased that Nathanial enjoyed it so much. He began licking in earnest, and Nathanial started having difficulty muffling his whimpers and moans. Geoff thought he looked and sounded so damned cute.

He pushed his tongue into Nathanial, the sudden intrusion making the Akita freeze before all his muscles relaxed in pleasure. A deep sigh escaped the Dog, and Geoff began to work on him in earnest. Nathanial writhed under the assault, enjoying every moment of it. Geoff was enjoying this, but he wanted more. He pulled out and gently worked two fingers in.

Nathanial pushed hard against them, taking them in completely in one push. "Gods, forget that! Lay on your back!"

Geoff did, and Nathanial pounced onto him. He lined up again and pushed down. He took half of Geoff in one go before he stopped, panting. Nathanial's eyes shone in delight, intense pleasure, and a bit of pain.

Geoff was having trouble staying still; every instinct told him to take his mate completely, but he stayed perfectly still. "You good?" Nathanial's muscles flexed, and Geoff made a small thrust before he could stop it.

The Akita arched his back and groaned. "Oh, gods! That feels incredible!" Nathanial pushed farther down before drawing up. He began making small bounces, going slightly deeper on each down stroke. Geoff whimpered, struggling to let Nathanial stay in control. In short order, Nathanial rested on Geoff's knot.

Nathanial reached back with a paw and rubbed the top of the knot and along his stretched hole. "I'm getting this in me before we're done." He said, his eyes crazed with lust and desire. "You are going to take me and make me yours completely." He pushed his legs under Geoff's legs as he wrapped his arms under Geoff's back. He rolled over, dragging Geoff over and on top of him.

Geoff was taken a bit by surprise and was pleased to see he remained embedded in his lusty puppy.

Nathanial gave him a deep kiss before saying, "Fuck me. Now."

Geoff was more than happy to comply. He was careful to go slow at first, staying in deep with small movements, before gradually making larger and faster thrusts. Nathanial obviously enjoyed this, making soft, happy grunts and moans each time Geoff's knot pushed against him. Nathanial began contracting and relaxing his muscles, increasing Geoff's pleasure. Geoff leaned over and gently bit onto the side of Nathanial's neck and shoulder and increased his tempo and force even more. Nathanial's body shuddered with a much louder moan, and he dug his claws into Geoff's back. Eventually, Geoff's knot pushed partway in on each thrust, and as he started on his next one, Nathanial wedged his heels against Geoff's hips and pulled in as he lifted his rear a little. Geoff's knot entered with a pop, and Nathanial clamped down as he groaned and spilled his seed across their stomachs. Geoff howled into Nathanial's neck as he filled Nathanial's insides. He let go of Nathanial's neck as he lay panting on the smaller Dog beneath him, still shooting ropes of semen into the Akita.

He thought he heard a muffled whimper and gasp from a chair by the door but saw nothing when he looked over. The door was still open slightly, but Micah was nowhere to be seen. Geoff lowered his head and licked Nathanial's face. Nathanial revelled in the afterglow, still panting as he gasped for breath. He eventually began to come down from his sex-induced high and turned his head to meet Geoff's mouth. They kissed tenderly for a few minutes before Nathanial spoke. "That. Was. Incredible. When can we go again?"

Geoff burst out laughing and he shook with mirth, which made Nathanial moan and writhe as Geoff's knot rubbed against his prostate. The Wolf's laughter cut off quickly as another spurt of semen shot from his penis. "Ahh! N-Not right away," he panted. "We'll need to clean up, and we should let Micah back in here before long." Nathanial grumbled, not entirely without sincerity. Geoff grinned and nuzzled the Akita's neck. "Still, it'll probably be ten minutes before I deflate enough to pull out."

Micah poked his head around the door. "You guys look done." He bounded in before they could say anything and flopped on the bed between their legs. They both moaned again as the bed jiggled. "Hey! It looks like you're still inside him! Are you, um, tied?" He poked at Geoff's shaft where it disappeared into Nathanial. "Yup. Your knot is really up there! Wow! It looked huge! How did you get it all in, Nats?"

Nathanial looked horrified at his baby brother poking around his butt with Geoff still locked inside him. "Micah! Go back out! We're not, um, decent."

Geoff felt mortified, too. It made him deflate quicker until Micah stuck his nose into his scrotum and licked up some of his precum. The small tongue lapped around the base of his shaft and along Nathanial's hole, and both of the older Canids moaned. "Agh!"

Nathanial managed to glare, even while he writhed. "Stop it, Micah! Get out! We're trying to separate here! You're not helping him deflate!"

Geoff sat up and pushed Micah away, then rolled onto his back with Nathanial sitting on him. That'd keep the pup away.

Micah's eyes widened at the sight of the sticky mess on their stomachs and at Nathanial's erection. Geoff had pushed him off to the edge of the bed, giving him a clear view. "Ooh, you came a lot! You must've really liked getting ploughed like that. It sounded like you really enjoyed it. So, how long does it take? To deflate, or whatever?"

He went to jump between Geoff's legs again, but Geoff drew his knees up. Nathanial used the Wolf's legs as a backrest and rubbed his belly a bit, obviously still enjoying the full feeling Geoff gave him despite the embarrassment he felt by Micah's presence.

Geoff rolled his eyes. "You really are ruining the pleasant after-sex time, Sprite. It's supposed to be a calm and peaceful period where we enjoy each other's presence and just relax." Micah's ears and tail drooped, making him feel a little guilty for saying what he did.

Geoff pushed against Nathanial's back with his knees and pulled down with his hips and pulled his knot half-out. Nathanial gasped and involuntarily clenched his muscles before biting his lower lip and relaxing as he pulled up. Micah's jaw went slack, his tongue once again lolling, as he watched Geoff slowly extricate himself from Nathanial. Once his knot popped out with a small gush of semen, he pushed up to block any more from leaking out. Nathanial sat back a bit and panted, letting his muscles recover. Micah reached over before they could react and felt Geoff's knot.

"You had this inside you!? I didn't think there'd be enough room! And this is smaller than it was?" He slid his paw down to scoop up a bit of semen. "Weird. It's all slimy and sticky at the same time. Kinda gross. But you like it? You and Nick certainly seemed to like the way it tasted." He stuck his paw in his mouth and made a face. "Blech!" He scowled with his ears back in disgust.

Geoff smirked. "Um. Sprite. That was in his ass. It tastes different fresh." Micah's ears perked back up. "No, you can't. It takes time to recover, and neither of us is dating you." Micah's ear's drooped again.

Nathanial seemed to give up trying to get any privacy and slowly pulled himself off Geoff, who whimpered as his sensitive penis was exposed. Nathanial slid off him with excruciating slowness, Micah watching in awe as each bit flesh became exposed. It really was embarrassing, and Geoff had never considered himself shy or modest. Nathanial paused with just Geoff's tip embedded and squeezed his sphincter as he pulled off completely. Geoff noticed no more of his semen spill out, but his penis flopped with a splat against his stomach. Micah giggled at the noise and reached for him.

Geoff was expecting it this time and grabbed the black paw before it could latch onto his pink skin. "Don't go around grabbing people's dicks without permission. You're liable to get into trouble. Well, you're liable to get into trouble if you go around asking to fondle them, too." He sat up and pulled Nathanial onto his lap and gave him a deep kiss, ignoring Micah for a moment. "We better shower. You." he pointed at Micah. "Stay put."

Nathanial climbed off the bed, glaring at Micah. "Three weeks? Or four?" Micah cocked his head to one side, and Nathanial's glare deepened. "For spying on us when I told you not to."

Micah grinned cheekily. "But I said, 'you guys look done.' You knew I was there, so it wasn't spying."

Nathanial growled but said nothing else.

Geoff chose not to say anything about the noise he heard earlier. He was pretty sure Micah could somehow make himself invisible, like he did when he closed the Demon portal, and he did watch them have sex. Geoff blushed, even more embarrassed.

Micah looked at his brother and attempted to sound sincere as he scolded him. "Fates have mercy; you're all messy. You really shouldn't make such a mess in bed. Go clean up."

Nathanial rolled his eyes and stalked out of the room.

Geoff waited a second before grabbing Micah in a headlock, rubbing his head with his knuckles. Micah yelped and struggled a bit before stopping entirely when he saw the swaying penis just a dozen centimetres from his muzzle. 'Gods. It's like he gets hypnotized just by the sight of a dick.'

He let Micah go, but the pup stayed put, staring. "I heard you, you know." Micah jumped. "You were in that chair--" He pointed. "--jerking off, I bet, while you were invisible and watching us. You must have had an orgasm shortly after we did, because you whimpered and gasped. Now, what would Nathanial say?" He left the room before Micah could respond.

Faelen came out of his bedroom with his front coated in semen. He stopped and blushed when he saw Geoff. Geoff's knot was still too large to let him retract into his sheath, and Faelen must have shot just a few minutes ago, so they were both hanging out.

Faelen grinned despite his ears' and muzzle's red flush. "Sounds like you guys had fun. Did Micah really walk in on you while you were still tied?"

Geoff blushed and looked down when Faelen laughed. "It's not funny. Well, yes it is, but it was embarrassing. He started licking around the base of my knot while I was still lodged in Nathanial and wouldn't leave to let us separate in peace. I've never been so embarrassed."

"I'll let you two shower first. Do you want to go to school tomorrow?"

Geoff pondered. "No. I want to make sure Nathanial is alright. I've spent the last four or five hours getting ahead on schoolwork, so I don't mind missing another day. You can go if you want."

"No, Geoff; I'll stay home if you are."

Geoff turned away and waved a paw. "Come on into the bathroom."

Nathanial was adjusting the temperature of the water in the shower as Faelen followed Geoff in. Faelen flicked on the small light. Nathanial looked up, saw Faelen, put his paws in front of his shrinking member, and blushed at the sight of the mess on Faelen's torso and the size of the grey-coloured Wolf's penis.

Faelen grinned and spoke up over the roar of the shower. "I've seen it before, pup. A few hours after I first met you, remember?"

Nathanial shook his head. "May as well join us then, if Geoff doesn't mind." He glared at Micah as the pup slipped in. "Everyone else has seen us tonight."

Geoff saw Micah lunge, but warned Faelen too late. Micah wrapped his paw around Faelen's shaft and stuck the end in his mouth. Faelen whimpered and his knees buckled; he caught himself on the counter before he fell.

Micah lifted his head and looked at Geoff. "It does taste different. Much better. Wow, you made an even bigger mess than Nats!" He scooped some of Faelen's semen off the Wolf with his free paw and licked it up, smacking his lips. "Eh, not bad." He ran his paw along Faelen's penis. "Better, but I should try a really fresh batch before I make up my mind."

Faelen grabbed Micah's arm and pulled him off, whimpering. He dashed into the shower, hiding behind Nathanial.

Nathanial's expression sat somewhere between angry and amused, but his voice was stern. "Okay, Micah. Stop. Never do that again, or it's three weeks' grounding." He looked over his shoulder at the grey Wolf. "Faelen, would you mind if Micah spent the night with you? I think he's completely worn out his welcome with us. That, or he can go sleep in Gwen's room."

Micah whimpered, ears back and tail between his legs.

Faelen looked uncertain. "Um... I guess? As long as he keeps away from my groin, he can."

Micah nodded sadly.

---

Nathanial woke up completely disoriented. He stood naked in a bleak and rugged landscape, with a huge pitch-black feral dog pressed against his right side. The beast's shoulder reached Nathanial's armpit, and with a build reminiscent of a Tibetan mastiff, he certainly outweighed the Akita. A broad head made him look even bulkier, especially with the thick, powerful jaw hanging open as he panted happily. The pelt of the beast felt cool under Nathanial's paw pads, but there was no sign of fur. Wisps of shadow wafted down from the pliable-feeling body and almost looked like fur, but it felt more like very thick velvet to the Mage. They were hunting again, the rest of the pack ranging out around him searching for his prey -- the prey who always wore leather coats and masks.

He also lay in bed, blankets tucked around him with a furry body against his right side.

'Where am I? In bed? Hunting? Both?' He cast out with his senses and cried out as he recoiled in pain. Darkness overwhelmed him. A strong pair of arms reached through the dark and drew him out of the blasted terrain and back into Geoff's bed. His mind still sensed both at the same time, and out of desperation he shut down as many of his senses and as much of his magic as he could. He heard a faint buzzing and felt a light breeze on his arms. He thought he may be moving, but it was hard to tell. He was blind; there was no light anywhere. Suddenly, he felt warmth, and a dark and loving energy flowed into his mouth and through his body.

He could feel and hear again, though he still couldn't see in the pitch-black of the Dark Spirit's room. "Geoff? Where am I? Where did the dogs go? My prey has escaped. I can't see." He blindly reached out, felt Geoff's chest, and then curled around it. "Is it you? Not my hounds?"

"Pup! I'm here. It's Geoff. No hounds. No prey. You were dreaming. You suddenly screamed, and you scared me again." The door burst open and a bit of light spilled across the bed; he could see dark shapes framed in the door.

A small one dashed into the room. "Nats!" It jumped onto the bed and crawled onto him, crying.

His mind searched for information. "Nick, no, Micah. You're Micah. I can barely see. Or think." He put his paw back on Geoff's chest and felt the heartbeat beneath the muscles. "I'm Nathanial. Geoff, Micah, Faelen. I'm here, in bed." He felt himself fully come to. "I felt like I was in two places at once. Each was as real as the other. I tried to use my other senses, but I could feel both places equally. It overwhelmed me. I couldn't use any of my senses, even my natural ones, until Geoff kissed me, or whatever he did. But I think I was awake when I was in both."

He felt Geoff shaking. "You screamed. I tried to shake you, I yelled your name, but you didn't respond. I-I put more of my Spirit energy into you, even though Smith said I shouldn't, but it worked before. It worked again, but he said it was dangerous. Are you all right? I need to call Smith!" Conor and Nicholas ran into the room, followed by Dirk. "We need to get Smith!" Dirk ran out of the room, into Faelen's.

Conor's voice rang out into the still-dark room, sounding almost calm. "Everyone looks fine. What happened?" Nathanial explained as best he could, and Conor tsked. "He did tell you not to do that, Geoff. He said it could kill Nathanial, that he's not a Spirit. A chi imbalance almost killed Faelen and Sensei Tuesday night, if you remember. We just need to get yang into him. To be safe, Nathanial, go into Faelen's room, and Faelen and I will sit with you until Smith-sensei gets here. Geoff, you and Dirk need to keep your distance. And if you remember, Geoff, I warned you not to manifest. I understand why you felt you needed to, but I just hope it doesn't cause problems."

Conor picked Nathanial up and carried him into Faelen's room. It had a completely different atmosphere than Geoff's; it almost felt sterile and confining. It was also way too bright. The Akita lay naked on the bed between Conor and Faelen, who fell asleep a few minutes after he lay back down. A couple of minutes after drifting off, Faelen rolled over and began cuddling Nathanial.

Conor looked amused and softly rubbed Faelen's head. "This guy can fall asleep at the drop of a hat. I don't know he does it." Faelen suddenly woke up and looked at the door; Liam and Dirk walked in seconds later. Conor shook his head. "He also manages to notice things before most people do at the same time."

Liam looked sleepy; he wore a set of what looked to be grey-coloured silk pyjamas, or like clothes Nathanial had seen in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and other Kung Fu movies, and he had a small bag with him. He walked over to the bed and gestured. "Move him closer to the edge and let me examine him."

Conor slid off the bed and Nathanial moved over to the edge. Liam ran his paws along his body, the touch firm and professional. They paused over his lower abdomen, and Liam's mouth quirked into a small smile. He continued his exam and frowned. Nathanial was getting nervous, and Geoff fidgeted with impatience.

Liam stared at Nathanial for almost a minute with that deep frown while everyone looked at him. "Oh, do stand still, will you, McDougal?" He eyed the Akita curiously. "You received two doses of McDougal's yin last night, and it is obvious you slept in the same bed. The first 'dose' is sitting quietly in you, slowly being processed, and would normally not be a concern. You are strong and oddly resistant to the effects of his yin. It unbalances you, but without the expected side effects. The way he forced the second dose onto you, I assume the same way he applied it yesterday, is mildly problematic. I am more concerned that he felt it necessary to do so, despite the warnings I gave. Why did you, McDougal?" Geoff relayed the events of the morning. "Describe this second reality you were in, Nathanial-san; provide extra detail on the way it 'felt.'"

Nathanial chewed his lip in thought for a moment. "It was barren, rugged, and limitless, the sky dark grey and the entirety of the landscape painted in shades of black and grey. There were no sun, moon, or stars. The light, such as it was, came from everywhere and nowhere. There were no hills or valleys, just slight rolls in the terrain, broken by occasional fissures in the ground. No water, no plants, no small animals that I could see. I had a large, pitch-black, feral dog at my side, and the rest of my hounds were ranging about looking for my prey -- Hunters. I couldn't see them but I knew they were there. There were other creatures in the landscape, but I couldn't see them or feel them; I just knew they were there. It was a very unfriendly place, but I felt at home. It...almost felt like Geoff's room. Not the unfriendly part, but the homey bit. Its energy seemed to resonate with mine, if you want to put it that way. Geoff's room is like that, except I can feel him there, even when he isn't around. That makes it warm and loving, unlike that other place."

Liam continued to look impassively at Nathanial. "I doubt you had an opportunity to read the book Marks-kun purchased for you." Nathanial shook his head, a little confused. "I recommend you do so before you sleep tonight. If you plan to sleep with McDougal, it is likely an even better idea -- either definition of 'sleep with.' I am far from an expert on the Elemental Plane of Darkness, but I would suspect your subconscious may have created a small link to it in your dreams. When you cast out your senses, they may have partially crossed that link. The theories I am familiar with state that the plane is inimical to life. Any Mage that has ever tried to go there has died, or at the very least, all contact with them was instantly lost and they were never heard from again. All of the Elemental Planes are hazardous, but most can be travelled to by extremely powerful Mages protected by the most powerful of the appropriate spells. If you had created even the smallest of links to that Plane, you are lucky to be alive."

Geoff cut in. "But what of his imbalance thing? Is he going to be all right? You said it was 'problematic.'"

Liam stared at him balefully. "Indeed. I am still too weak to be tossing around my chi every time you want to try to kill him with love. I could gather more yang from Faelen, or even Mr. McDougal, though I think Faelen would enjoy it more. But it still takes much effort to transfer it over to Nathanial-san. I could craft a potion as well, but that also takes effort to activate, and expensive materials. Faelen could even transfer some yang to him with the steam-based medicines, but they all have side effects. The simplest solution is to have one of those two directly 'deposit' yang into him, the way you put yin into him at some point overnight."

Nathanial blushed, uncertain if he had properly interpreted what Liam was saying. "So...you mean, have sex with one of them?"

Geoff noticed, out of the corner of his eye, that Nicholas looked a little jealous.

Liam arched an eyebrow. "Yes. I have found out that semen from a Spirit contains a large quantity of their chi. Even more if they manifest while producing it. I hypothesize that the higher their energy levels when they ejaculate, the more chi is imbued into their semen. So, strictly speaking, you would only have to consume or inject the semen into your anus to gradually absorb the yang. It would just be more enjoyable to receive it directly, and the act of sex would allow you to remain in their presence and have your chi blend naturally."

Dirk's ears had flattened against his head and his tail had curled between his legs as he leaned unsteadily against the door frame. "S-So, if a strong yin Spirit repeatedly provided highly charged semen to a somewhat frail Fur, not even a Mage, over the course of two months...that could be lethal?"

Liam sighed. "Yes. Though it would depend on many variables, how often and how frail, in particular. However, in your case, Faelen would not be here if your chi was the cause of death. She would not have made it to term, otherwise. And this is all conjecture on my part. I have suspicions..." He stopped and shook his head.

Faelen looked away. "Yang imbalance?"

"Chi imbalance, excess yang. Yang cannot be imbalanced. It is what it is. But, yes, indirectly. You are powerful and would have provided a large and increasing source of yang. Your mother's body, theoretically, would have reduced the amount of yang produced and elevated the amount of yin to try to balance itself. When you were born, that source of yang vanished. The body cannot just switch the ratio of yang to yin it produces; it takes time, typically days to weeks, depending on the strength of the person. Her body would switch over the course of hours from excessive yang to highly excessive yin. That is quite stressful and damaging to a body." He looked at Nathanial. "Most bodies. Combine that with the stress and damage of a difficult childbirth, and it would be miraculous if she did not die within the day. I suspect this is the reason behind the ban on Spirits having relations with non-Spirits. Having the spouses of Spirits dying frequently and young would create much tension between the species. It would lead to non-Spirits believing that Spirits were cursed or intentionally killing their spouses, neither of which is desirable." Liam looked at Nathanial. "Would you _object_to having sex with either Faelen or Mr. McDougal?"

Nathanial shook his head. "N-No...but...I don't want to make anyone do something they don't want to."

Liam shrugged. "I doubt either would agree that avoiding sex with a very attractive individual such as yourself is worth your death." He turned to Geoff. "Now, McDougal, how do you propose we balance out Nathanial-san's chi?"

Geoff looked surprised. "Me? Why are you asking me?"

"You are the one who imbalanced it. You are also the one dating Nathanial-san. The surest way to balance it is to throw Mr. McDougal and Nathanial-san into the Atlantic and let Mr. McDougal orgasms multiple times inside your boyfriend. Next would be Faelen and Nathanial-san in a dense bank of fog. Correction, the surest way would to have them both mate with Nathanial-san repeatedly in a dense bank of fog in the Atlantic."

All three of the people named were blushing and unable to look at each other. Geoff was looking at Liam with a stricken expression.

Liam looked horribly amused. "It is unfortunate I am not suffering from excess yang at the moment."

Geoff growled, then swallowed, looking ill. He looked over at Nathanial. "I can't choose. You do it."

Liam shook his head. "No. If he does, he would likely choose Faelen, and you would get jealous and resentful. You could not if you chose. He would choose Faelen, because he would be too uncomfortable 'forcing' himself on a straight Fur, and he respects your father too much to ask this of him. There is also the issue of his being underage, and he knows that such a thing would trouble Mr. McDougal. Not to mention, he is married." He looked at Geoff's ill and woebegone expression again and sighed. "Idiot. As I said, he does not have to have sex. If it troubles you this much, I will make the potion, and give you the bill. The side effects may be an issue, though. He will be susceptible to hallucinations, and his already receptive mind will become even more so. I do not know how it will interact with his magic senses, but he may become even more prone to tapping into the Elemental Plane of Darkness. Thus, you would have to keep him in a bright room for a few weeks, and you would have to maintain your distance. I will likely need an infusion of chi, whether by medicine or Faelen, after."

Conor surprised everyone by growling, "Gods! Fine! This doesn't need to be as difficult as choosing a living sacrifice or something! Nathanial, if it's okay with you, we'll go upstairs to the bathroom and fill up the hot tub. Even if I don't manifest, my energy will be more than strong enough to cancel out Geoff's first 'dose.' Sensei can check my energy level to make sure. A simple blowjob won't kill us. If it isn't enough to bring you close enough to balance, you can suck off Faelen in the shower or something, assuming he's okay with it. You can watch if you want, Geoff, to make sure we don't enjoy it too much." His voice turned dry at the end. Geoff blushed and stared at his hindpaws. "This isn't something that warrants side effects like that, since his magic senses are what started this in the first place. Nathanial, let's go." He tossed Nathanial over his shoulder and grumbled as he strode out of the room.

Geoff whimpered and tried to decide if he should go with them or not. Liam clapped him on the back and motioned with his head that Geoff should follow as he hastened after Conor.

As he walked out, Geoff looked over his shoulder at Micah, who jumped up with a suspicious amount of excitement. "You. Micah. Stay."

Micah sat on the floor and pouted.