Maybe Nefri could find healing and love in Steven Drokharis’s Escort. If the Shadow Archer had been so alone for all those centuries, she would need time to learn how to be a friend among friends, a lover among lovers.

  The ninja rode the waves of her pleasure, but when her thoughts turned to Nefri, remembering their fight, the Shadow Archer’s touch and smell, Uchiko was surprised to find herself not satisfied. Not yet.

  Could Nefri be watching even now? Could she be in the forest, seeing what Uchiko was doing in the hands of a dragon?”

  The idea brought Uchiko’s next climax quickly.

  Yes, she was changing indeed. And it felt good.

  Chapter Sixteen

  STEVEN FLEW THE SATISFIED Uchiko back to their camp. Mouse had kept the fire burning. As for the tent situation, Chazzie was putting the finishing touches on the dome. There were several rooms in there, attached through zippered doors. Chazzie staked down the entryway using a rubber mallet. How much gear had the twins brought?

  Where was Pru? They’d need her. Everyone would have to take a watch, since the world wasn’t exactly safe. They’d fought their way out of the skeletons, and they seemed to be stuck underground. But what haunted the surface? Steven remembered the carnivorous sage. Could the trees themselves be evil? He recalled seeing a sculpture of something like that, maybe on the steps that had led to the underground city. Well, he’d never fought an evil forest before. That would be new.

  Chazzie blew a wisp of hair out of her eyes. “Pru and I kinda got in a fight. Tents will do that to a person. She walked upstream. I’d let her cool off. You won’t though. ’Cause you worry.”

  “He does worry,” Mouse chirped. “That’s why I love him.”

  Uchiko had already disappeared into the shadows to keep watch. She needed to eat. They all did. “Mouse, start boiling water. We can do the freeze-dried stuff tonight.”

  Mouse made a choking sound. “Oh, goody, chili mac, mac and cheese, or something else mac. Spanish mac? Indian mac? Double mac with some extra mac?” She patted her belly. “Add in some carb sauce and soon I’ll be as fat as Sabina.”

  “She’s pregnant, not fat,” Steven said.

  Chazzie pounded tent stakes. “Oh, is that what she told you? Ha! Men will believe anything! Pru and I have done the pregnant game before. Works every time.”

  Steven shook his head at the women. He left them, following a game trail that led upstream. The yellow sun had set but not the red sun. The crimson light reflected off the yellow pollen, giving the forest an orange shimmer. On the eastern horizon, a huge moon rose, a moon not unlike their own.

  If Aqualyra had the one moon, and if the geography was similar to his Earth, where did the red star come from? Could it be Jupiter or another gas planet, so massive that the core ignited? He didn’t know. He thought about checking it out using StellarFlight, but he wasn’t sure how that worked yet. And he had other things to focus on. Namely, Pru. She’d tried to be strong, but it was clear she was having a hard time.

  Steven walked as a human, enjoying the orange pall of the forest, the sweet smell of the alien pines, and the laughter of the river. He found Pru sitting on a marble bench at the bend of the river. She cradled her machine gun. The bench had obviously been carved by the Lyra. A pattern had been chiseled into the stone, almost like a Celtic knot.

  Steven sat next to Pru.

  She grabbed his hand. “Now, you listen, Steven Drokharis, I’m certainly not going soft on you. I need some time to adjust, and once I do, I’ll be fine. I didn’t cross the fucking universe to get weepy. My time clutching my pearls is over. Or will be. I need to eat. I need a good dicking. And I need sleep. Once I get those three things, I’ll be as right as Texas rain.”

  Steven kissed her ear. She still had some of her perfume, but mostly, he smelled her scent, like bubble gum mixed with sweat. He liked it.

  She turned on him. “Steven, now you say some comforting shit. Like what Tessa would say. Or Sabina. Like, oh, you know, I’m strong, even when I’m weak. And we’ll win because it’s our destiny, like that’s even a thing. Or that it’s okay if I cry some, since this is a lot for a girl to take.”

  Steven eased back. He opened his mouth.

  Pru chattered on. “Me and Chazzie weren’t meant to go on quests. What the fuck were we thinking coming? We do best screwing people over, or outwitting them, or leading them fuckers into an ambush. Yeah, ambushes are fun. We just shoot them and then we’re done. But this? We’re certainly fish out of water. We’re on another world with a completely different species fighting the undead. Skeletons. Full of Morta. What in the hell is that all about?”

  “Pru, I—”

  She cut him off. “I figured we’d get here, we’d meet Quinnie, and we’d be in a big palace, with lots of food and cute elven dudes. I can look, but I wouldn’t want to touch them, since I like touching you. We’d have to unravel the court politics, which we’d be able to do easily. We were born for court politics, on any planet. But this? This? This is full-on Dungeons and Dragons. Not that I really understand what that is. Not really. It’s a human thing. Mouse and Tessa would certainly know.”

  Steven winced. “You’re holding my hand a bit too tight.”

  Pru let go and shot to her feet. She paced back and forth in front of him. “The Lyra are hidden. And if you ask me, the Ohkreela are all dead, and ain’t that a motherfucker? Only they’re not so dead. They left us a map. Was it their map or Quinnie’s? I’m betting it was the Lyra. You saw her face. And that voice, we’ve heard that voice before, on other quest shit. In Bali, I believe. We need that skinny bitch’s army. The Zothoric aren’t going to get any weaker. They’re brewing up another Prosha, you can take that to the bank, and once they get both working on the Battle World, we’re certainly fucked. And if anything happens to Sabina, I’ll die. I love her. And that baby she’s carrying? I love Reggie as well. It hurts me. It scares me. All of it.”

  Steven shot to his feet, turned into his partial form, then used SerpentGrace to race over. He gripped Pru hard but was careful not to cut her with his claws. “That’s enough.”

  Her mouth fell open and her eyes flickered. Ironically, he’d been a dragon holding Uchiko to comfort her. Now he was clutching Pru’s arm, but he didn’t think she needed an understanding ear. She needed something a bit more aggressive.

  He wasn’t mad, but he was stern. “Prudence Pride Wayne, that’s enough. We’re going to win. Do Waynes lose?”

  She blinked. She shook her head.

  “Have I lost yet?”

  Another shake of her head. Color flushed her cheeks.

  “This is the job we’ve been given. We are going to find Quinnestri even if we have to dig up every grave and fight every skeleton on this rock. We brought you along because you and Chazzie know how to fight, and yeah, we thought the job was going to be different, but here we are. Are you going to cowgirl up?”

  A nod of her head. She was breathing fast.

  “Say it,” Steven demanded. After holding Uchiko while she rubbed herself, he’d gotten turned on, and he still felt the sexual energy in him.

  Pru licked her lips. “I’m certainly gonna cowgirl up. You’re right. We don’t lose. We win. And we’re not running after the Zothoric half-cocked and overconfident. We’re collecting resources.”

  “That’s exactly what we’re doing. This world is just one of many.” Steven softened his grip on her. “You want it all, and you want it now. That meant one world not too long ago. Now it means all of them. You better get used to traveling because I don’t plan to stop, ever. It’s a big universe, and we’re going to live forever, seeing it all.”

  Pru grinned. “I like you playing the tough guy. It suits you.”

  “I don’t know about that. But you were saying all the things Tessa or Sabina would say, and they weren’t helping. I figured you needed to be reminded how powerful we are.”

  “You’re the one who’s powerful,” Pru whispered. “Oh, you’re going to have to fuck me, and fuck me hard. Grab my hair, grab my ass, and fuck the shit out of me.”

  Normally, Pru had a dominant streak to her, and it was Chazzie who liked to be owned. It seemed the new world was bringing out a different side to Prudence Pride.

  Steven shifted human. Damn clothes. He might have to rethink his whole amulet thing.

  He pulled Pru close, grabbed her ample ass with both hands, and kissed her with his lips and then touched her tongue with his. She gasped, pressing her big tits against him. Yeah, it was getting colder, but that didn’t matter much.

  She pushed one of her thighs against his erection. He got a knee between her thighs, and she moaned into his mouth, rubbing herself on him.

  Pru shoved him back, dropped to her knees in the dirt, and then worked his jeans down until his shaft flipped out of his underwear. For a second, he felt the cool air on his privates, and then his shaft found a home in Pru’s mouth.

  She worked him with her right hand, sucking hard on the head. He caressed her soft hair before getting a little rough. He got two fistfuls of soft strawberry-blonde hair while he thrust forward, matching her rhythm.

  He heard a hiss. There in the forest, a dark figure with bright white hair. Nefri. She was naked, showing him her wonderful black-nippled tits. Below her muscular belly lay a triangle of white air. She looked small next to the pine trees.

  He remembered his vision of her and expected the Dragonknight to knock her down. No, that didn’t feel right. Either the vision was wrong, or it wasn’t going to come true yet.

  The dark elf was absolutely quiet as she approached them. Her eyes sparkled in the moonlight. The splash of crimson light from the second sun cast a red glow on her body.

  Nefri nodded at him.

  He nodded back.

  Pru turned, still gripping his shaft in her strong hand. She gave him a squeeze, and he nearly lost it.

  “Oh, so we have someone who likes to watch.” Pru stood. “You can’t talk, fine, but you certainly can nod. Do you want to just watch?”

  Nefri glanced down. Her mouth opened, then closed. She wasn’t nodding or shaking her head.

  Pru hissed at her. “You have to make up your mind. I think watching is chickenshit. You’re a hot fucking piece of ass, but hey, if you just want to watch, that’s fine. Or do you want to cowgirl up and join us?”

  Steven again had to fight the urge to orgasm. Pru’s hand was squeezing him deliciously. It was interesting that Pru was using the cowgirl phrase now. Not ten minutes ago, the Texan had needed a firm hand, and here she was, being firm with Nefri. Pru did like the power plays, in all kinds of ways.

  Nefri had her wrists crossed in front of her white pubic hair. Her arms pushed out her breasts. Her head was down.

  “Do you want to join us?” Pru asked again.

  She lifted her face and nodded.

  Pru stood. “You like to touch yourself, don’t you?”

  Another nod.

  “Show me while I get undressed,” Pru demanded. She shrugged off her coat, got her blouse off, and then her bra. Those freckled, pink-nippled breasts hung low as she got her boots and pants off. Steven touched her hips and squeezed the globes of her big white ass.

  Meanwhile, Nefri stood in front of them, her legs partially spread as she traced a finger down her white pubic hair.

  “He’s going to fuck me,” Pru said. “And then you’re going to kiss me. You haven’t been kissed in a long time, I bet. Am I right?”

  Nefri nodded.

  Steven thought about casting a Divination spell, to see what Nefri was thinking, but then he was losing control. And he thought, maybe, Nefri was fine with yes or no questions at that point.

  Pru bent at the waist, opening herself up for him, brushing her hands down her smooth, shapely legs.

  Steven stripped naked and got behind her.

  He teased her opening a bit, getting her nice and wet, feeling both the softness of her lips and the crinkle of her red hair. He glanced up. Nefri had both hands between her spread thighs, using one to finger herself while the other worked her hidden pearl.

  Steven couldn’t take it. He slipped inside of Prudence. He got all the way inside her warmth and stopped.

  “Nefri, now,” Pru ordered. “Kiss me like I own you.”

  Nefri came forward. Pru grabbed her head and yanked her in for a messy kiss, dark blue lips on pink ones. The spicy smell of the dark elf mixed with the sweet perfume of the Texan’s overheated body.

  Both the dark elf’s hands went to Pru’s tits. As for the twin, she reached to play with Nefri’s sex.

  “Oh, she’s wet,” Pru gasped. “And she smells so good. I think she’s a dirty one. She’s going to fit in well with us. Without a doubt.”

  Nefri gasped and grunted. She was clearly loving this, even the rough treatment she was getting from the Texan.

  Steven grabbed Pru’s hips and pounded himself into her, over and over. Right before he lost it, Pru escaped his grip. The Texan straightened. She pushed Nefri to the bench.

  The dark elf sat down, clearly turned on beyond belief.

  “Lay down,” Pru demanded. “Then you’re going to lick me while Steven fucks me. And we’re all gonna have fun, now. You rub yourself, and I’ll watch. Better be quick. Steven is not going to last long.”

  Nefri lay back on the bench. Pru straddled her face. Steven got behind her.

  Before he got back to work, he saw the dark elf gazing up at him. She then turned her attention to Pru.

  The Texas girl whined, “Oh, yeah, she knows what to do. She’s done this before.”

  Steven eased back into Pru’s tight channel. The Texan was on her hands and knees on the wide bench. She watched Nefri’s fingers as the dark elf rubbed herself closer and closer to her orgasm.

  Nefri sucked in a sharp breath. Smoke rose off her skin. Was she getting Morta? Steven wasn’t sure. But like before, he felt his dark core respond to the sexual energy from the dark elf’s pleasure.

  As Nefri came down from her bliss, she returned to pleasuring Pru. The sweat on her body glistened with a pink light as Animus filled her. Her clasping tunnel was too much for Steven.

  He thrust himself into her fully as the mystical energy found him. Both were given Animus.

  He moved away to watch the pair, who were not done yet.

  Pru’s white body looked almost ghostly compared to the darkness of Nefri’s skin. After more smoke and glow, Pru and Nefri sat up and cuddled together.

  Steven went and sat next to Nefri, pulling her close. He still hadn’t gotten a good look at her sex, but that was okay. She’d taken a step into his Escort. He’d learned to be patient with Mouse, with Uchiko, with most of the women.

  He did wonder about the Morta energy.

  Nefri turned to face him. She gave him a shy smile. She mouthed the words “thank you.”

  Pru laughed. “You’re welcome, sweetie. And here I thought I was a one-woman woman. If only you didn’t smell so good. And then, when you came over and I grabbed your hair, you seemed to like it. I hoped you did.”

  Nefri shook her head as if she were serious. Then she burst into smiles and kissed Pru.

  “We should get back,” Steven said. “Chazzie is going to need some of my attention.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  STEVEN, NEFRI, AND Prudence returned to the camp. Chazzie was digging the last bit of chili mac out of a package with a big spoon. She licked it clean.

  “Well, now, did you guys see the flying squirrels?” Chazzie asked.

  Mouse pointed. “There’s one.”

  A squirrel, with wings sprouting from its back, leapt from a tree above them. It soared across the river. Its wings glowed with bioluminescence, casting light on its fuzzy tail. It landed on another tree before the light winked off.

  More squirrels floated after it. They chittered from the branches, clicking, clucking, and making buzzing sounds. There was a chase in the boughs, but that action was lost in the darkness.

  The red sun had set. The full moon rose higher in the sky, casting a silver light over the river.

  A squirrel floated over the waters until a glowing fish leapt, caught the rodent in its mouth, and then disappeared into the water.

  “Squirrel-eating fish?” Mouse wondered. “That’s kinda cool. And a little creepy. We’ve going to have to be careful when we reach Coronado. There might be dragon-eating whales there. Maybe the whales have wings. That would be cool.”

  Cattails on the other side of the river lit up in a warm light. The whole landscape was coming alive around them.

  Chazzie pointed to three packages of freeze-dried food. “I made us dinner. While you three were screwing, I took care of the basics. Thank you, and you’re welcome.”

  Pru smiled. “Steven set me right. And Nefri, uh, Nefri and I, well, it just kind of happened.”

  “You don’t need to kiss and tell,” Chazzie said with a little knowing grin.

  Steven chose a curried chicken with pasta and dug in. They chatted about the logistics of their travel. They’d be able to make the thousand-mile journey in one day, but it meant using dragon flight, which wasn’t easy. And they had Uchiko and Nefri to worry about.

  The minute Steven finished his meal, Chazzie grabbed him. “Okay, big man, let’s me and you have our dance. I’ll try to keep it down, but I can’t promise anything.”

  She led him into the tent. The sounds of the zippers brought back memories of camping with his friends growing up. He hadn’t made many trips into the mountains—he’d been too busy working and taking care of his mom—but nothing sounded like camping like a tent zipper. And he liked the cold sleeping bags Chazzie had laid out in the main chamber.

  Chazzie was more than ready. Their sex was quick, as much kissing as anything, and Chazzie drifted off to sleep lying on his chest.

  Mouse had her own chamber, as did Uchiko and Nefri, though Steven didn’t think either of them would take advantage of the shelter. Both the women had learned to sleep outside during their many missions.