It was somewhat of a risk, but I didn’t think she’d demand that payback in the middle of battle or anything too crazy. I had the feeling a public blowjob was on the table though. It wasn’t like I ever stopped her before either, it was just a fun game I thought Bonnie would enjoy. My cock in her mouth at her request wasn’t a gift most woman would enjoy receiving, but my Bonnie was quite unique.

  She giggled, and then went to do just that, apparently more than willing to take orders when it came to our bedroom sex life.

  It was a hell of an afternoon off already, and we were just getting started.

  The stabbing feeling in my chest, and the way my stomach twisted was distinctly unpleasant as I stared into those piercing green and light gray eyes. It was much later that same evening, and just after dinnertime. I’d been on the couch for my alone time when Valerie and Angela came in to chat with me.

  “What?” I asked, almost certain I had to have heard incorrectly.

  Angela bit her lip, both deep regret and apology in her light gray eyes, “We can’t do it anymore. I thought we owed you to hear it from us, though we’ll be letting the matriarch known too.”

  Valerie looked even sicker than I felt about it, the wistful look of affection in her eyes was twisted with loss and regret, and she had unshed tears in her eyes.

  “Because?”

  Angela smiled coyly, “You know why, Jack. When the matriarch asked for volunteers we jumped at the chance. It would ingratiate us with her, and also meant we could sleep with you. You’re a very protective man, and we could see how gentle and loving you were with your mates. We both thought you’d be the perfect guy to help us heal, to remind us that not all men are evil assholes.

  “It worked… too well. You didn’t just treat us gently and with respect, you were protective, awed, and both so very firm and caring. We’re a mated pair, and while we want to play with men sometimes in bed, because we both need it, we’re not looking for more than that. You… you make us want more than we can have, and it seems like a good idea to end it before we get to deep.”

  Right, too deep like falling in love. Too fucking late, I could see it in their eyes, and I could feel it in my heart the way it ached. They were precious to me after the last six weeks of friendship, and although I’d only slept with Angela three times and Valerie once during spells, it had been very intimate because of that friendship, enhancing and binding those emotions further than just shallow attachment from pleasure could account for.

  At the same time, I also couldn’t blame them. It was something I’d been struggling with as well.

  “I understand, and you’ll both be family to me, always. I hope that won’t change for you?”

  Angela nodded, “I hope so.”

  Angela took Valerie hand and stood up, and they both gave me one last regretful smile as they left the room.

  I frowned, I didn’t like it and though it was insane my heart wasn’t willing to give them up so easily. I got up and went back to the kitchen, grabbed Bonnie’s hand, and pulled her toward the back door. She followed in bemusement, but she gave me a lovingly trusting but questioning look as we walked out onto the grounds.

  “Angela and Valerie, are they compatible with us?”

  Bonnie shrugged, “They are, but they’re already mated, and they don’t want more mates.”

  “Are you sure? Because they just told me they wouldn’t be doing any more tantric spells, and in reading between the lines the reason is because they love me, and they outright told me they wanted more than they could have.”

  Bonnie pursed her lips in thought, “So, you want to add them to our core family?”

  I admitted, “I adore them, love them too. How do you feel about it? I won’t if anyone objects of course, but as I’d feared when this started, it’s gotten messy.”

  She said, “That would give us all six mates, which is a lot but not too much.”

  I nodded, “We’d also have to end the exception, so it doesn’t happen again. Besides, if they were in our family then we wouldn’t need any more witches outside of our core family for tantric spells.”

  Bonnie giggled, “True. So we should get the others involved, and talk it out. I like them well enough, but I don’t love them. But I know I could, we all could. We’re compatible, but circumstance made me believe it was impossible, that they didn’t want it. If they do…”

  I shrugged, “I’m not sure, honestly. I thought I should find out from you first if it’s even feasible, that we’re compatible. Then also get the votes. If everyone agrees to try and add them to our core family, then I could ask them. For all I know they were just letting me down easy and they’ll say no.”

  Bonnie shook her head, “We all noticed last night. Valerie loves you fiercely, and Angela is at the very least deeply infatuated and on the edge of love.”

  Bonnie waved her hand like she does when casting a spell, and she stopped walking. She nodded at the door when the rest of our mates came out and headed our way.

  Maggie asked teasingly, “You summoned us, mistress?”

  Bonnie replied just as teasingly, “On our master’s behalf.”

  Elena cackled, “Truth.”

  I took a few minutes to catch them all up, on both my conversation with Valerie and Angela, my thought process and decisions, and my talk with Bonnie.

  Maggie looked at Bonnie, “You knew they were compatible?”

  Bonnie nodded, “It didn’t seem important. We were two totally different mate groups. A lot of people are compatible at the end of the day. A lot aren’t. Circumstances, timing, or bad choices are what usually keep people apart, and they are already happily mated, and so are we. They didn’t want this. They didn’t want to fall for him. They just wanted to help their matriarch and use Jack to help them get past their fear of men of power and get back to their old lifestyle.”

  Maggie smiled, “Right. That makes sense. We can’t just grab everyone compatible.”

  Bonnie giggled, “Totally.”

  Elena laughed, “Truth.”

  “So, is anyone against the idea?”

  Shannon said, “I barely know them, but I trust all of you, and I’m mating permanently tonight, so I’ll go with it. About the only downside I can see is our personal time rotation would be almost a full week.”

  Bonnie replied, “We could double up.”

  Maggie teased, “You do know the definition of personal one on one time?”

  Bonnie giggled and stuck out her tongue, “I meant have two in one day, that would put us all back on a three-day schedule and we’d all have him every three days. Once after morning workout and say late afternoons right before the coven returned from work.”

  Elena said, “That would be more workable. What do they need?”

  Bonnie replied, “Our man. Valerie is totally high maintenance like me and Mags. She needs to feel safe and surrender herself. She’s closer to me, not orders so much as a strong loving hand and the need to serve in support. Angela needs a teasing playful thing outside of bed, but in bed she’s just as much of a submissive cuddle-slut as the rest of us. More like Elena and Shannon that way.”

  I said, “Not my business, and completely your choice, it’s just a suggestion. But I think Angela would make a good assistant for you, Maggie. There’d be an advantage of having family loyalty in that too, I’d think.”

  Maggie raised an eyebrow, “What makes you say that?”

  “Human resources. She’s used to onboarding people and takes pride in her job and how well she does it, but her job is far from a calling for her so she’d say yes in a heartbeat. She also loves to deal with people. I imagine that skillset would kick ass for helping you wrangle witches, your calendar, and deal with others.”

  Maggie nodded, “You’re right, and I’ll consider it. What about Valerie?”

  I shook my head, and replied, “Not a good fit for assistant. She does have a calling as a granddaughter of beauty. Her beauty salon job isn’t just a job for her, it’s her calling and the way she worships your grandmother.”

  Elena said, “Truth.”

  I shrugged, “Just saying, they’ll both bring new things to the family, outside of their compatibility and support in our core relationships.”

  Bonnie smiled, “I said it earlier to him. I don’t love them yet, but I have faith in my goddess and her blessing, we all could and will if we put in the effort. Jack is just a little ahead of us because he’s spent a lot more personal time with them.”

  Elena replied, “Truth, they have my vote, as well as Bonnie’s idea for two personal times a day.”

  Maggie giggled, “Alright, if they want to. They could still say no after all.”

  That was everyone, and I felt myself relax a little bit and tension left my shoulders.

  “Now, the rules. I’d like to cancel that exception. The coven will be and some already are extended family to me, but we don’t really need anyone else for tantric spells, do we? Six mates is already pushing things in my head, I don’t want this to happen again. It’s a lot easier to fall in love with close friends in a single act of physical love, than it is a one-night stand with a stranger, which is already out anyway.”

  Maggie nodded, “For most… for all the spells we’ve done so far that’d be fine. But there could be rare ones, especially if we do a tantric spell on behalf of one of the members, they’d have to be there.”

  I frowned, “I want to compromise, the coven is yours. What I won’t do is stick my cock in anyone but the six of you for the rest of my life on this world. If you want a special exception for such rare cases fine, but they can join the Sapphic circle, and I can fuck one of my mates in the middle.”

  Bonnie giggled, and then gave me a long lingering kiss, “Yes, sir.”

  Maggie was grinning too, “You mean that.”

  Elena replied, “Truth. Our cum supply just became exclusive for our needs.”

  I laughed, “Seriously, I think I could handle that. There’d be very little intimacy on my part outside of seeing them naked. Even better, put them behind me so I don’t have to watch you licking them out. Not because of jealousy, I just don’t want shallow intimacy deepening a true friendship to romantic levels.”

  Maggie bit her lip, “We get it, and I’m more than okay with that compromise. It kind of makes me warm inside actually, that your cock belongs to us. Does anyone else have that concern? It’ll still be intimate for us.”

  Elena asked, “What’re you thinking?”

  Maggie shrugged, “We make sure that person isn’t licking or being licked by that special guest either, or even just make that person the center with our man. If that’s not a thing, then never mind?”

  Elena said, “I think we’re good. We can work it out later, as well as the schedule.”

  “Everything we just decided is dependent on them joining us of course.”

  They all nodded.

  Bonnie said, “I don’t know, a double day intimacy time still totally sounds good with four mates.”

  I chuckled, “That’s all you ladies. I get no say, and I certainly won’t argue.”

  Maggie nodded, “Alright, I need to get back to my coven. Why don’t you go seduce those two, and we’ll all meet you upstairs in an hour or so?”

  Shannon said, “We’re still on for tonight, aren’t we?”

  I nodded, “Yes. Our first true mating we all went at once. It probably won’t happen, three at a time, but how do you feel about sharing?”

  Shannon grinned, “Going to lock them in too?”

  I shrugged, “Not sure, but I didn’t want to put you on the spot in front of them later, so I thought it safer to ask now, just in case.”

  Shannon bit her lip, “I’d be okay with that, it sounds good.”

  “It probably won’t happen, they’ll most likely want to get closer to you all first, but just in case. Either way, they’ll be there tonight to watch if they agree to join our family,” I teased my sexy exhibitionist.

  Shannon laughed, “More the merrier.”

  I gave all four of them a possessive pat on the ass on the way back inside…

  Angela and Valerie weren’t anywhere downstairs, so I could only conclude they’d retired to their bedroom after breaking the news to me. I knew Valerie had been really upset about it, so in hindsight it wasn’t so much of a surprise they hadn’t wanted to rejoin or engage with the coven members that were spread out into cliques downstairs.

  I headed for the stairs, my heart pounding possibly harder than the battle earlier that morning. I cared about them, loved them even, and I know they returned it. But that was no guarantee they’d jump on the crazy train. I mean, they just broke up with me in a strange sense of the word, if not exactly in that way. I wasn’t going to make the assumption they’d swoon and fall into bed for me.

  That was just the hope, and if it didn’t work out it’d hurt. It was what I was afraid of when this exception for faithfulness was made in the first place. I’d never meant anything more in my life, when I told them all I’d never stick my cock into another woman for the rest of my life. Even if this fell through, and we had to let others join for tantric spells, I’d make sure it was a mate I was fucking in the middle.

  I simply wasn’t built for casual sex, not with friends anyway, and I’d never done one night stands outside of one or two dumbass decisions in my late teens.

  Just to be clear, goddesses didn’t count, and I’d said in this world. They were like my second family and mating circle in that joint dream world anyway.

  I’d never been to their room, and I wasn’t even entirely sure which of the twenty it was on the second floor, but the blessing of the muses could reach about fifty feet. I also could recognize my mates’ presence and most of the coven simply by the feel of their artistic passions. Valerie and Angela were definitely among those that I could. It was only the thirtysomething newcomers that I couldn’t do that with yet, actually. So I just walked down the hall and let that feeling guide me straight to their door. Of course, I’d had to turn around after going the wrong way, but I found them on the other end of the hall back past the stairs.

  I took a deep breath, and then knocked on the door.

  It took almost a whole minute, and when the door opened just a foot or two Angela’s face didn’t look coyly flirty at all. She looked upset and fragile, and I suspected that probably had more to do with how Valerie was taking this turn of events than herself.

  “What is it?”

  I said, “I need to talk to you, both. Got a minute?”

  She bit her lip and turned her head around, then turned back and nodded reluctantly as she pulled open the door. Not exactly the most romantic circumstances, but better to reverse this as quickly as possible from all our point of views, I hoped.

  Of course, if they said no it would make it worse, but life was like that sometimes.

  Their room was simple and elegant, not cluttered but there were plenty of knickknacks and pictures of the two of them on the walls. The dresser was a dark stained oak, as were the night tables and four poster queen sized bed. The rooms on the second floor were spacious, but the twenty by fifteen room looked positively anemic after living in a stadium sized bedroom the last six weeks. Okay, that was an exaggeration, but it was what it was.

  Valerie looked a bit red eyed, and I’d guess she’d been crying, but at the moment she sat on the bed and was studying me curiously and with a bit of confusion in her eyes.

  Angela waved me to a chair in the corner as she shut the door, and then went to sit next to Valerie on the bed.

  “We’re a bit surprised to see you.”

  I nodded, “I was dissatisfied with how things… ended. I care about you both very much, and I know you two care about me.”

  Angela laughed but there wasn’t any joy in it, “That’s the problem, remember?”

  I smiled, “I hadn’t forgotten. I’d just wondered if stepping back was the right solution for all of us. So, I spoke to Bonnie to find out what Aphrodite’s blessing made of all this.”

  They both froze.

  I said plainly, “I love you, both of you. If you can’t or won’t, I’ll understand, and I’ll still be here to support you. But I’d really like it if you two joined our core family. The seven of us, each of us with six mates. No more half measures that keep us apart, I want you both sleeping in our bed tonight, and I want to love you both.”

  They both stared at me in disbelief, but I saw the hope in Valerie’s eyes, and the consideration and sudden warmth in Angela’s.

  I added, “It’s already been discussed, that’s what took me so long to get up here. The vote was unanimous by the way, and if you turn it down there will be no hard feelings on our side. I just… couldn’t let you go, not without fighting for you first at least. But if you say no I’ll accept it now.”

  The two of them looked at each other for a long moment. The kind of look couples got when having a silent conversation. It dragged on for quite a while actually, then they looked back at me and Valerie had tears in her eyes. I wanted to comfort her, my sweet and adorable sexpot. I also wasn’t going to read into it, as the question hung there, I just wasn’t perceptive enough to see the answer coming before they gave it. Tears could mean anything, after all, especially a woman’s tears.

  Angela said in a shocked voice, “You’re serious. You want us to join your family, be your mates and the mates of the others? Mates of our matriarch, and four demigods.”

  I got up and walked over to them, and I got down on a knee and took their hands.

  “Angela, you’re a delight. I miss your flirty interruptions on the nights you leave me to my alone time. Your coy flirty looks and the way you tease me with your state of dress endeared you to me, but it was our conversations and your sense of humor that made me fall for you. The spells we shared just cemented it for me. I know you don’t love me yet, but I love you very much. I went straight to them after you left me, it just took me time to arrange all this.”