A lot had happened that day, and I was still trying to come up with additional things to skew the odds. Blocking Apollo’s view of the future on our estate and splitting up the enemies among us in a logical way in future battles was a good start, but only a start. Sure, we even had a tentative play to make him back off, kill his ten warrior children on the hunt. That should work, but it was easier said than done.

  Ares was the god of war, so I imagined the god could plan a battle. It wasn’t just one of his sons and the leader of a single company that we were facing this time. Somehow, we’d offended the god while taking down one of his stalker sons. That wasn’t the same at all.

  Or, maybe we hadn’t truly offended him, and he just wanted to get in on a brewing war for fun. That possibility was actually my hope. That once Apollo backed off that war would shrug off the loss, he really wasn’t the paternal kind from what I understood. It’d be the battle that drew him into that alliance, not thoughts of revenge for his asshole stalkerish son.

  Apollo wasn’t a pushover either, and I supposed neither was the powerful god that ruled the underworld with an iron fist, my own father. Believe it or not, he was the one I was worried least over, to get him out of the battle all we had to do was destroy the last fury’s body before the bitch could escape back to the underworld. Then his teeth would be pulled, assuming he didn’t resurrect anymore of his sons or daughters that is.

  The last I’d checked, my brother was still in hell right where I’d put him, so clearly the old man was no more paternal in nature than war was. I was pretty sure my afterlife was screwed, so the goal was to live as long as possible. My only hope there was that he followed his own rules, and my life would be judged worthy of the Elysian Fields, otherwise I really was fucked when I died.

  I smirked, maybe my mother-in-law would look after me if I got sent to Tartarus. But I pushed that out of my head, it was a worry for almost three hundred years from now. I had no intention of showing up there early or dying to this… sun god alliance.

  Assholes.

  “Hiding?” a now familiar throaty bold voice asked.

  “From the estrogen flood in there? You bet.”

  Shannon laughed.

  I shrugged, “Seriously? At first, I started doing this to give the ladies some space. I still do it because it’s good to have decompression time to let events settle. Everyone needs a moment alone, at times. Why don’t you come over here, gorgeous?”

  She smiled and bit her lip, “A pet name already? They told me that would happen.”

  I winked, “When you’ve had your tongue up a woman’s ass, it’s not such a stretch to give her a pet name.”

  She laughed throatily, and then moved across the room and folded herself on the couch, legs under her ass while she leaned against me. She sighed softly when I put my arm around her.

  “I’ll take it. This really is surreal. I can’t believe how comfortable this is.”

  I smiled, “I’m enjoying it.”

  She giggled, “It’s pretty tame, compared to naughty good girl, saucy nymph, and vivacious vixen.”

  I had to wonder when they’d had that conversation. Shannon had been in my company almost constantly since we’d met her earlier that day. I doubted they’d talked about that in front of the coven either.

  I nodded, “But not all that different than kitten, baby, or angel. You could earn another one over time, a naughty one, but you don’t strike me as the overtly naughty and wicked type like Maggie and Bonnie. The pet name has to fit, it’s a rule.”

  The naughtier pet names just didn’t fit her at all, no more than they did Elena. Even if they were wild in bed, Maggie and Bonnie just had that naughty thing tied up.

  She laughed, “Good to know. And I’m not. I think the term you’re looking for is shamelessly slutty.”

  I snickered, “That too. But you are gorgeous. I don’t use those words though, even if I find it hot when they call themselves those kinds of things. Slut being about the tamest. They’re a joy though.”

  Shannon asked, “So if this is your alone time why’d they send me in here?”

  I grinned as I felt two more ladies coming this way, which was the answer to her question. The blessing I’d been given by the muses wasn’t meant for it per say, but after living with the coven for a month it was easy to identify them by their artistic passions and pursuits, the feel of them.

  “I suspect to meet and get to know Angela and Valerie before they join our bed tomorrow for the spell, like we discussed earlier, before we head up for the evening. Without the coven underfoot. They’re headed this way now. I don’t mind either, my mates are my highest priority, everything else can be rescheduled or put off a moment if you need me.”

  She tried to sit up, but I just pulled her tighter against me and gave her a cheeky grin as Angela and Valerie walked in.

  Angela as usual was braless while relaxing at home, obviously so in the skin-tight pink half shirt, her proud nipples clearly defined in the thin fabric on the end of her delightfully torpedo shaped B cups. She also had on a short pink skirt, it was obviously a matching outfit sold together, and it revealed most of her creamy and toned legs.

  Valerie’s hot petite body was similar to my exotic beauty’s, with the exception of her slightly larger C cup breasts, which looked huge on the five foot two curvaceous frame. The shallow emotions they both engendered were quite different though, with Valerie’s adorable pixie beauty and shyness. My Elena evoked little more than lust on the shallow end, she was pure exotic seduction and sensuality with her tight body, exotically beautiful face, and natural sultry voice. But Valerie had the cute and sexy thing going on, with the adorable face and shyness on top of that killer petite body.

  My shallow instincts didn’t know whether to protect her or fuck her unconscious, which was a potent combination.

  Of course, that was just on the shallow end, I was very protective of my exotic beauty through the deeper emotions, friendship, and our bonds of love.

  Valerie had on a pair of black yoga pants not unlike the ones Shannon wore, but unlike Shannon’s bold choice in showing off her body in a tight half shirt, Valerie had on a loose red t-shirt that hung low enough to preserve her demure modesty. Not that it hid the large assets on her chest, even the loosest shirt wouldn’t be up to that task, nor did my imagination fail to fill in all the delicious curves of her body and petite bubbled ass from the three times I’d seen her naked munching on one of my mate’s pussies during the spells.

  “Angela, Valerie, join us? You’ve already met Shannon?”

  Angela smiled coyly, “Only during the official introduction,” she turned her smile on Shannon, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  Shannon said, “You too,” as the two of them took a seat on the loveseat caddy corner to the couch.

  Valerie said shyly, “Meeting you was a pleasant surprise, today.”

  Shannon laughed, “Thanks, my mates got tired of waiting for me to show up. It could be a bit of a complication, but I’m starting to think it’s worth it.”

  Angela and Valerie looked to understand what she meant by that, which told me Maggie had briefed the coven on the danger, probably when Shannon and I were alone in bed earlier.

  I nodded, “Our family is complete now, I think. At least as far as interfering goddesses go.”

  Valerie laughed a little nervously, and Angela turned those coyly sexy light gray eyes back to me.

  “Plan to add some more of your own?” she said in teasing voice, that nonetheless was almost challenging in its coy flirty tones.

  It made me think stupid things, I liked both her and Valerie far too much for my own good. A small part of me wondered if that coy flirty question had deeper meaning, but I decided that was just my cock thinking shallow thoughts.

  I shook my head, “Not where I was going with that. Why mess with perfection, and I’m more than blessed already.”

  Valerie asked, “So, what do you do outside of our world? Angela works Human Resources at a tech company, and I work at a boutique.”

  Shannon shrugged, “The last couple of months I worked at the bed and breakfast I was staying at. Helped in the kitchen and the check in counter for free room and board and minimum wage. I don’t really need to work, I just needed something to do besides read books and relax. I’m not sure what I’m going to do next.”

  I took that as an opportunity to lay out what we were all doing a little more specifically, as far as Nine Muses Publications went. It was a bit leading I supposed, and lacked subtlety, but Shannon took the bait.

  “So you eventually need a manager for the business end, payouts and to track advertising costs, when the client list is healthier in size?”

  I nodded casually, which made her laugh, “I’ll consider it, I would be good at that kind of thing, and if nothing else it’d keep me occupied while the rest of you are working, not to mention keeping the family together,” and then she turned to Valerie, “Do you enjoy the beauty business?”

  Yeah, she’d totally seen through my attempt at subtlety, but it sounded like it might work out anyway. Shannon was bold and exuberant, but given her predicament when we’d showed up, she was very much aware of the importance of us being there for each other and together for when threats revealed themselves.

  Valerie replied, “I really do. My mother is a daughter of Aphrodite with beauty powers, so I suppose it runs in the blood.”

  Shannon turned to Angela with the same question in her eyes, and Angela said, “Just a job. I’m good with people, and I’ll admit there’s a certain satisfaction in using my magic to determine suitability of our hires. Our call center has the lowest turn-over rate in this part of the country. Still, it’s far from a calling like my Val has.”

  Shannon asked, “Do you have one?”

  Angela grinned, “Outside of being a witch and my magic, not really. That’s where my passion lies, not in a human job to put money in the bank and support the coven. You’re a witch too, correct?”

  Shannon replied, “I am, though concealment magic comes most naturally to me, which I can do better with my power.”

  Valerie smiled, “Bonnie will help with that I bet. She’s made us all more diverse the last month.”

  The conversation continued for a while, and I mostly just let the ladies get to know each other and guide the conversation. I spoke when addressed, but otherwise tried to stay in the background. Outside of a few more flirty looks from Angela and shy glances from Valerie, they were both pretty focused on getting to know the new mate of their matriarch, who they’d be naked with for the first time the following day. It wasn’t just Shannon that had to get to know a new playmate after all.

  Both of them got up and left, shortly after the rest of our mates joined us. I happily pulled my exotic beauty into my lap, while Maggie curled into my other side and Bonnie squeezed in between the end the couch and Shannon.

  “So, what’d you think of them?”

  Shannon said, “They’re both nice, Val’s a sweetheart, and Angela a teasing flirt. They’ve both got it bad for our mate though.”

  Wait, what? I’d had the feeling Angela was more than infatuated with me, but Valerie could barely meet my eyes still even if she talked and smiled a bit more now. I also assumed someone put up a privacy ward if we were having so frank a conversation downstairs, but of course I couldn’t feel one.

  Maggie giggled, “A little knight and damsel infatuation, and he is easy to like and really hot. I think Valerie is ready for tomorrow too, but we’ll see.”

  Elena teased, “I think he likes that idea. My comfortable seat just got a little lumpier.”

  I shook my head, and said honestly, “I can’t deny it holds appeal. She’s sweet, adorable, and sexy in a petite package.”

  Shannon asked, “Total honesty and no secrets?” clearly a little surprised I’d so casually admitted that I wanted to fuck the petitely adorable green-eyed beauty.

  Maggie nodded, “We all have fun with them too, and look forward to it. It is what it is, we can enjoy it and be faithful, after all. There’ll also be a little more room tomorrow, with five of us in the Sapphic circle instead of four, but not enough to lie out. You’ll have to take her the same way you have been Angela, face to face and kneeling.”

  I shrugged, “She’s what, a hundred pounds soaking wet? It’ll be even easier than with Angela.”

  A lot easier with her petite and curvy body, I’d easily slam her up and down my cock with my hands on her ass and her legs and arms wrapped around me. Not that Angela was heavy in the least, but even lissome she was around thirty pounds heavier at eight inches taller.

  Bonnie interjected, “I totally ordered three more uniforms.”

  Shannon snickered, “Thanks, I think.”

  Maggie winked, “You don’t want to blow our mate’s mind? Not to mention each other’s”

  She replied, “I think I do. But as I told Jack earlier, it just all feels a little surreal. I’m also not as…”

  Bonnie interjected helpfully, “Shamelessly obvious and proudly slutty for our man?”

  Shannon chuckled, “Yes, that.”

  Elena giggled, “You get used to it, just be yourself. It also won’t spoil our man and make him arrogant, the wilder these two get the humbler our man gets about it.”

  Maggie changed the subject, “I’ve been thinking about our problem. We have a good start, blocking future intelligence, we split up their forces between us to be most effective, and killing Apollo’s ten warriors should end it. But we need a trump card for when they do attack, if they come in overwhelming numbers and have surprises which is likely. I suggest we call in allies, see if Levi and his mates, and maybe Caroline and Bree too.”

  “Caroline and Bree?” I asked.

  She replied, “They’re your allies, you just haven’t met them yet. Caroline is a daughter of Ares, but she’s a champion of the muses. Anyway, I think you and Bonnie will overwhelm Apollo’s children and the last Fury able to come to this plane for several years anyway. Shannon is powerful, her and Elena won’t have much of a problem against monsters and Ares children, but that’s all dependent on us not being too outnumbered. It wouldn’t hurt to ask for the help.”

  Shannon interjected, “I’m going to guess they’ll attack sometime in the next few days, and they’ll try to do so when we least expect it. I’d suggest just letting them know, and I’ll go pick them up when Jack’s scouts detect their approach. Otherwise, they’ll just escalate again if they see our allies coming and staying with us.”

  “I can agree to that. If we can utilize them without tipping off the enemy, that’d be best. How do we use them?”

  Elena said, “Support. They can assist you and Bonnie, or the three of us, whoever needs it the most at any given moment.”

  Shannon added, “I can agree to that, it makes the most sense. The more flexible our allies the more effective they’ll be to our overall plan. They can also deal with any surprises. Bonnie and Jack have Apollo’s children and the fury, while the rest of us have modern weapons and machines, Ares forces including their children, and goddess knows how many monsters. Point being, what if other resources show up? Or they do attack the house to throw us off or as a distraction. They can handle that.”

  I said, “That all sounds good. Calling in our allies just makes sense. But It’s still not enough. None of us asked for this, and we’re all defending ourselves and our family. We should do all that, but in the end, I think we need to handle it like we did Carmine. We need to go on the offensive. We can’t win a war defensively, and letting them attack us and dictate the time, place, and tactics of the battle would be a mistake.”

  Elena sighed, “Truth. We’d still be acting to defend ourselves, but it makes more sense to go on the offensive and back off when they call for peace.”

  I nodded, “Exactly. We’ll still engage with our allies, but we’ll only call on them if the estate is attacked. Tomorrow after lunch, if they haven’t attacked by then, we’ll spend the afternoon hunting them down. That won’t work for the fury, but I’ll bet all those extra helicopters are in Ares’ local compound for the local mercenary group, not to mention all their heavy ordinance and the helicopter pilots and gunners. We can also conquer all the monsters there, they’ll be ours and loyal for at least a month, and we can arrange housing of some kind on the grounds. Then they’ll be fighting on our side if the enemy musters up a counterattack of some kind, plus our allies. I’m not sure if we can find Apollo’s kids, any ideas on that?”

  Elena smiled, “All good ideas. Tomorrow after lunch?”

  I shrugged, “We could skip all the usual morning stuff, but between wakeup loving, breakfast, training, working out, and private time, and minimum work to keep up with business that’ll wipe out the entire morning. Is that a stupid gamble? Am I just trying to grasp and hold onto some normalcy?”

  Maggie said, “I don’t think so, but I could be biased, since it’s my turn with you tomorrow.”

  Bonnie giggled, “I think it’s worthwhile, only if to give Shannon an idea of our abilities and how we work together in training, so she can fit herself in better in a real battle, as well as maybe think of things to help make our training even more effective. After training, it’ll take an hour and a half for you to regain your full power, and us our power as well. So it makes sense to just continue on with the important stuff for our personal relationships and the minimum amount of business before lunch. Then we totally kick their asses when our power is back to a hundred percent?”

  Shannon smiled, “That makes a lot of sense, though it is a risk it has solid payoffs that will make us more effective fighting together. It’s not that big of an assumption either, the three gods in the alliance are no doubt wrangling and planning now that they can’t see our future. Twenty-four hours isn’t a long time to wait, it’ll take at least that long for them to come up with a plan and figure out the logistics of it, brief their troops and even make them practice to avoid friendly fire, and all that. We’re a lot nimbler, just being five of us.”