Shiloh led his girls bato the Guild at the eleventh bell, and found the adorable hirl secretary waiting for them, with no apparera gear. Iories really were exceptionally useful. Now that he was registering her as possibly yet another partner, Shiloh took his first good look at her.

  Katerine was tall, even taller than Elnor. She had geous, voluminous brown locks going all the way down to her waist, and her eyes were the same warm, brown shade as his own. A smattering of freckles were spshed across her cheekbones and over her nose. Her smile was adorable, if she could stop blushing long enough to get o.

  The hirl was wearing a loose-fitting top which didn't reveal the true size of her bust, but the pants she wore couldn't hide the swell of her wide hips. She had put a skirt ohe pants, however, which did hide the ludicrously rge length of cock Shiloh had seen earlier that day. It was a smart outfit choice, as the pants held it down if she actally popped a boner in public, while the skirt hid the outline of it. She ag nervously again, but smiled when she saw them approag, before blushing furiously at the memory of how the versation had go time.

  They decided to have an early lunch before heading out aing at least half a day's travel behind them. Heading into the north was vastly different than the south, which Shiloh now knehere they had been going. It was only a few hours before they passed the st, tiny vilge and the road gave way to total wilderness. Nobody moved any further north that this on a regur basis, and their progress slowed signifitly as they abandoned society.

  When the sun was dangerously close to the peaks ahead of them, they decided to stop a up camp for the night. Kateriched in i as her new party members set up one enormous tent for all of them. She set up her own, much smaller tent, then got to work finding firewood to make dinner. When she came back with the wood, she heard... intimate sounds as she drew close to the camp.

  Twil, Elnor and Ara were seated around the small fire they'd started, so Bed Shiloh must have been making those sounds. Katerihe wood dowhe fire, and put a couple rge pieces on the fire. They took a while to catch, but the fmes grew taller and put off even more heat when they did. Elnor passed out bowls of a savory stew while Katerine did her best to ighe moans and grunts eg around the campsite. It sounded like Beck was thhly enjoying herself, but Shiloh sounded... annoyed? Desperate, maybe?

  "So, Katerine, are you going to want to tag in on Shy tonight?" Ara asked casually, making Katerine inhale and cough oew.

  "Um... h-he sounds a l-little busy." She murmured once she'd cleared her airways.

  "Beck will be doh him before they eat." Ara said fidently, earning a sp from Elnor.

  "Stop instigating!"

  "Someone has to!"

  "W-would he w-want to?" Katerine whispered. Elnor rolled her eyes and muttered something that sounded like "of course", while Ara grinned broadly.

  "Shy isn't afraid of a good time." Ara said, sidling over to sit closer to Katerine. "As long as you promise to be o him. If you hurt him, you'll have to deal with all of us."

  "I w-wouldn't want to h-hurt h-him. I take c-care of myself." Katerine looked morosely at her empty bowl.

  "You misuand me." Ara ughed. "I meaionally. You 't hurt him emotionally. Don't worry about him being able to take you. He's... ah... gifted."

  Katerine's eyes practically exploded with how quick they widened. "Seriously? Y-you think h-he c-could... the w-whole th-thing?"

  "It might leave him atose from pleasure, but I guarantee he'll take..." Ara leaned in closer and whispered. "...every..." Her breath washed over Katerine's ear. "...fug..." She practically growled the st word out. "...inch."

  At this, they heard Beck groaning from ihe tent, calling out his name as she climaxed. "Fuck, yesss, Shy! Take it all you little slut!"

  Shiloh moahen whined in frustration.

  "She's g-going to t-take care of h-him, w-won't she?" Katerine asked before her brain could fully process the fact that she was asking about two near-strangers' sex lives.

  "Maybe she wao leave that for you." Ara winked.

  Twil cleared her throat. "Shiloh is currently wearing a magical cage around his cock that prevents him from getting hard or cumming."

  "W-why?"

  "He is being punished for disobeying his Mistress." Twil stated simply. Katerine looked around at the three of them, trying to judge whie was the Mistress. Twil seemed tnize what was going through her head, however, and she tinued. "That would be me. When I feel he's learned his lesson, I will unlock it."

  "Th-that seems k-kind of c-cruel." Katerine ented softly.

  "He loves it." Ara reassured her. "If he truly didn't want to py anymore, Twil wouldn't force him to wear it. I think he's getting pretty close, though. It sounded like he was ready to throttle Beck right there."

  "ly the dinner versation I expected to return to." Shiloh ented from behind Katerine, making her jump so hard she dropped her bowl. He and Beck were both sweaty and out of breath, but they just sat down and got their own bowls of stew.

  "I-I-I-I..." She couldn't get a real word out of her mouth, but Ara spared her.

  "Oh, don't be a sourpuss, Shy. We literally heard every sed of it. On the bright side, I've already broken the ice with Kat, here. She's more than ied in taking you to bed."

  Shiloh looked at Katerine, and they both blushed and looked away. Ara groaned. "God you two are so cute I want to puke."

  Shiloh cleared his throat. "So, not to be rude, since I'm doing the same thing, but do all Thirds just kind of..."

  "Fuck at first sight?" Beck suggested around a mouthful of stew. "Yeah, pretty much. Elnor is about as reserved as I've ever seen."

  "Just because I have a modicum of trol..." Elnor whispered.

  "W-we have a h-hard time trolling es. S-so, when w-we find s-someone willing to h-help us with th-them, we g-generally jump at the ch-ce." Katerine expined, staring at the ground.

  The rest of dinner passed iively awkward sileil Bed Shiloh had finished eating. Elnor retired early, followed by Ara. Beck left , grinning at Shiloh and Katerine.

  "We definitely fit you in our tent, if you want, Kat." Beck said with a wink. "Just food for thought." Then she was gooo.

  Twil stood and approached the two of them, looking solemnly at Katerine. "If you hurt my Shiloh, I will kill you." Then she handed Katerihe key to Shiloh's cage. "Just in case he needs it."

  Kateriammered out a thanks and a promise, and Twil left them to joiher three, closing up the tent behind her. Shiloh and Katerine just sat there for a while, watg the fmes flicker lower and lower.

  "So, are you from Chattery?" Shiloh eventually asked.

  "N-no." Katerine said. "My family c-came to the empire a-after our nds were burned b-by a dragon. W-we have been in Chattery f-for several years, though."

  "Ah. Were dragons a pretty big deal back where you used to live, then?"

  Katerine looked at him sideways. "D-dragons are as r-rare where I grew up as they a-are anywhere else."

  "Oh." Shiloh seemed tle with something for a few minutes before he spoke again. "Katerine, I trust you?"

  Kateriuro face him full-on this time and looked puzzled. "W-why? W-what is this a-about?"

  "I have a secret. A secret that the rest of them..." Shiloh motioo the tent. "...already know about. I want to tell you, but it would be devastating to all of us if it were revealed publicly."

  Katerine sidered his words carefully. "I w-would never share y-your secret if I h-have a choice." She swore.

  "I'm not from this world." Shiloh stated. "I died on my own world, and Aphrodite reinated me on Glitnir as her avatar about three weeks ago."

  "O-okay."

  Shiloh looked at her, bemused. "Okay? No questions or denials or anything? I don't hem to voue?"

  "No. I b-believe you."

  "Why?"

  "W-well, I h-heard Aphrodite t-tellio j-join your p-party, and to t-trust you. Also, your b-badge is ected t-tistry at the G-Guild. I... ah... m-might have been k-keeping tabs on y-your progress. Only a p-persoremely f-favored by the g-gods could have gained s-so many l-levels so fast." Katerine expined. She paused here, sidering the wisdom of her words, then jumped without knowing how deep the water was. "P-plus, y-you are s-so h-handsome, s-so g-geous, you m-must have a ion to Aphrodite. B-being her a-avatar m-makes sense."

  Shiloh smiled and looked up at the sky. "Well, that was much easier than I thought it was going to be."

  They sat in panionable silence for a while, until the tiny fmes had given way to embers. Shiloh silently moved over o Katerine and leaned into her. She stiffened for a moment, then rexed and pce a hand around his side, pulling him closer.

  "Are you scared of going to Emberhearth Castle?" Shiloh asked her softly.

  "E-emberhearth C-castle?" Katerine looked down at him, and found those beautiful eyes looking up at her. "I th-though -were just g-going t-to the m-mountains."

  "We are, but only to get to Emberhearth." Shiloh said. "I was given two quests from Aphrodite. Oo reach the Dungeon Core, the other to go to Emberhearth Castle."

  "O-oh." Katerine looked down at the coals.

  "You don't have to e with us on this." Shiloh offered. "We're close enough for you to turn back, and we jus-"

  "I'm going." Katerine's determined voice cut off his suggestion. "Lady Aphrodite p-promised that you would p-protect me."

  "I'll do everything I ." Shiloh promised. He ed a hand around her neck, and pulled himself up to kiss her. It was a slightly awkward embrace with how much taller than him she was, but they soon lost themselves in it. His lips were as soft as she'd imagined, aasted like a cool drink of water on a hot summer's day. His tongue prodded her lips and she opened willingly, inviting him in to explore her mouth.

  Soon, Katerine had to pull away for air. She was breathing heavily, but both their eyes were lidded and lustful. "T-tent?"

  "Lead the way."

  ***

  Viktora's life had improved so tremendously in the past two months that it left her with a horrible sense of dread, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Cassandra was intelligent, funny, and tremendously happy to have her around. For the first time since her mother was executed, Viktora felt as if she truly belonged somewhere, as if she was loved.

  Lord Ronak had been true to his word, and Viktora had not beeen or abused while under Cassandra's care. His infamous mood swings had even seemed to mellow out the longer he was around the blonde vampire. She, unlike so many others, seemed to have the key to taming the beast. He hadn't even added aroke to his "masterpiece", the colle of scars marring Viktora's back.

  The other servants had taken to Viktora rather well, ohe order for them to beat her stantly was lifted. The girl who had found her in the servants' baths, Bresang, had actually e and apologized quite tearfully, saying that she hadn't meant for it to go as far as it had. Viktora wao be cold and unfiving, as she was finally in a higher position than most of the people in the castle who weren't nobles, but the genuine remorse in Bresang's eyes warm her heart, and the two reciled with many hugs and whispered words of fort.

  One day, Cassandra asked Viktora what skills she knew and what she liked to do, and Viktora spent an afternoon verbally accosting her with everything her mother had taught her about herblore and alchemy. The m, Viktora woke to find a small alchemy kit sitting on her desk. Viktora had cried until Cassandra came in and forted her, as if she was a child again. To be given a gift, something that was beyond the basic decy all living beings ought to be treated with, for no reason other than her happiness, was something she thought she'd never experience again.

  Two days ter, Cassandra took her out to the courtyard and showed her a small herb garden, sequestered in an unused er, which she expined was for Viktora's use. She had cried even harder at that, and spent most of the following week weeping as Cassandra, uhe guise of cheg in on the grain farms, took her all over the vampires' nds, hunting for the herbs that would be most beneficial to have on-hand at the castle.

  Lord Ronak was not pleased with the amount of liberty Cassandra had taken iing Viktora up as an alchemist without telling him, but his s were quelled the very day he announced his displeasure. His eldest son fed on a human in the dungeons that afternoon before the proper sing rituals could be performed, as he had been on a long jouro a splinter fa further north, establishing diplomatic retions. The human had been carrying a disease called rotgut, which was fairly normal for humans and caused only mild iion, but which crippled vampires in hours, and killed in mere days.

  Viktora, when she heard the prince was slowly dying in the infirmary, had rushed tarden and plucked the necessary herbs feneral disease cure. It was one of the most basic recipes she'd learned from her mother, and in ten short minutes, she had the antidote prepared. When she offered it to Cassandra, her dy had refused and brought her before Lord Ronak. Upon giving him the cure for his son's affli, Ronak had actually smiled at Viktora.

  With the prince's life saved, Viktora was he Chief Alchemist, and ay ste room was cleared out to set up a real boratory for her. Her garden was also expanded, and she was allowed to, under armed guard, journey out to collect the more rare ingredients that would be helpful to have closer to home.

  Still, Viktora was och for... something. She just had a terrible sense of dread, like her life was about to be uprooted again. She stantly did everything she could for Cassandra, making sure that her dy would not be embarrassed or caught unawares by any of the goings-on in the castle.

  That was wheher shoe dropped. One m, when Cassandra returo her quarters from having spent the night with Lord Ronak, Viktora found blood coating the inside of her dy's dress. Cassandra had denied anything happened, first insisting it was wihen saying it was just an act, then that it was a bit h py that had gotten out of hand. Viktora knew better, however, for she could see the thin, pink lines upon her dy's back. A new "masterpiece".

  Cassandra finally admitted that Ronak had been abusing her ever since his torture of Viktora had ceased. A "prettier vas", as he had said, was more delightful to work with. Cassandra promised that she was happy to take the bde in Viktora's stead, and the two of them had an argument about who more deserved to be carved like a piece of wood. Viktora was i, only being a product of illicit love, while Cassandra was nuilty, but had entered into the arra willingly.

  Despite all the arguments Cassandra made, Viktora's blood ran cold at the thought of that monster harming someone as nid g as her dy was, and she swore to herself that she would have her revenge upon him for it.