“Of course.”

  “Warm milk is my favorite drink,” she said to Brune.

  He glared at her, his lips tightening into a short line.

  Why does she have to be so godsdamn cute?

  Phia shoveled a chunk of pancake into her mouth.

  “Mmmm!”

  She set about devouring her breakfast as rapidly as her good etiquette would allow.

  As the food on her plate disappeared and her pace slowed down, she started stealing glances at Endellion.

  When the elf caught her looking, Phia finally said: “What kind of elf are you, Endellion? You’re really pretty.”

  For an instant, a look of brutality flashed in Endellion’s eyes.

  “I’m Dark Elf.”

  “Oh.”

  “Scared?”

  “No… Of course not.”

  “I suppose you learned all about Dark Elves in your studies at the temple?”

  “Yes—No.” Phia flashed a smile and reached for the coffeepot. “A tiny bit. We barely covered them.”

  * * *

  Phia groaned and rubbed her protruding tummy as they waited for the stable hand to bring their carriage.

  She saw Brune looking. “You were right. I ate too much.”

  “I told you,” Brune said with a chuckle. “Your eyes were bigger than your stomach.”

  She threw back her head, blonde locks cascading over her shoulders. “I’m never eating breakfast again!”

  She arched her back and stretched, sticking out her belly and running her hands through her hair. Greystone Mountain, looming beyond the rooftops of the town, caught her attention.

  She pointed at it. “Hey! I know that mountain! It’s Greystone.”

  In her excitement, Phia’s tail shot into the air, bringing the back of her skirt with it. Her precious little ass was now packaged in panties, and they were wedged between her cheeks.

  Brune swallowed thickly and a stupid grin spread across his face.

  “Like what I picked out for her?” Endellion hummed.

  “I’ve seen so many illustrations of it,” Phia continued. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Brune and Endellion checking out her ass. She shrieked and pushed the skirt down with both hands.

  With a tortured sigh, Brune walked to the horses and checked them over before climbing into the driver’s seat.

  Just as he was sitting down, Phia announced, “I’m sitting with Mr. Hargish!” and shot into the seat beside him.

  Brune noticed Phia’s skirt migrating up her thigh as he drove onto the main street, and he could feel her watching his every move.

  Gritting his teeth, he stared at the road, determined to ignore her. But Phia scooted closer and Brune saw—from the corner of his eye—her bare legs moving towards him.

  That was the first blow.

  Then came the knockout punch: Phia whipped her hair in a dazzling flourish, wafting her sweet flowery fragrance in Brune’s face.

  He looked. With her hair gathered to one side, Phia made a show of gazing down the street, her head tilted to display her neck to Brune. She smirked in triumph.

  Fuck. Should have let the seamstress put her in one of those frumpy dresses.

  Looking back at the road, Brune saw an opportunity to even the score. He steered the horses towards a rough patch in the road.

  The carriage jolted.

  Phia yelped and put her hands on the bench as everything rocked and rattled. She gripped the seat and pressed her knees together as her breasts and thighs jiggled for a good 10 seconds.

  Brune subtly gloated over the beautiful havoc he’d caused.

  When the road was smooth again, Endellion leaned her elbows over the front seat. “You’re a jerk, Hargish. Sorry, Kitty.”

  Phia smoothed her dress. “What do you mean?”

  “He did that on purpose to see your boobs bouncing.”

  Brune watched the road ahead, grinning.

  “Mr. Hargish! Is that true?”

  Phia scooted closer, her little hand swatting his arm. “You’re bad!” she said, not sounding particularly angry.

  She leaned forward and watched his face, beaming up at him.

  He thought about how it would be heaven to hold her in his arms.

  This girl is electric.

  But it couldn’t go on like this.

  I have to tell her. But... Does it have to be right now?

  It seemed too awkward at that moment, so he decided to wait.

  But as the sun climbed in the sky and the countryside rolled past them, Brune realized there would never be a good time to tell her the truth.

  It was going to be ugly. There was no way around it.

  And Phia was in such an ecstatic mood, too. She gazed at the monotonous countryside with child-like wonder. When they occasionally passed a farmhouse or even a hedgerow, she’d get excited and point it out.

  Finally, Brune cleared his throat.

  “Miss Callidora,” he said miserably.

  The smile faded from her face as she looked at him.

  “We’re not taking you to Bambioch.”

  “Y-you’re not?”

  “Let’s get this straight. I never told you we were. We’re taking you back to your fiancé. I’m sorry.”

  The color disappeared from her face.

  “What? No.” She shook her head. “You’re joking.”

  “I’m not joking, Miss Callidora. Your husband commissioned the guild to find you. The job went to us.”

  “He’s not my husband!”

  Her ears drooped and her face contorted with anguish. It was exactly what he’d dreaded. He might as well have stabbed her in the stomach.

  Brune felt sick.

  Phia moved away from him, her eyes pooling with tears. She turned her tortured, pleading face to Endellion.

  “You… you told me you were taking me back to the sisters.”

  “I lied. I just wanted you to relax and have a good trip. But you have to go back home, sweetie. Mr. Vladnoch wants to take care of you.”

  Phia backed into the corner of the seat, trembling like a wounded animal.

  Brune hated himself. And he hated Endellion even more. He clenched his teeth.

  Endellion climbed over the front seat and slid towards Phia.

  “Listen,” she said, touching her shoulder.

  Phia threw her arms up. “Don’t touch me!” Her voice choked with tears. “I thought you came to rescue me... I thought you were heroes.”

  Endellion said, “Sweetie, a lot of girls would be happy to be in your place. Mr. Vladnoch is rich and powerful.”

  Phia sobbed.

  “Why did you run away? Was he bad to you?”

  Phia sniffled and wiped tears away, apparently trying to get herself under control. She stared at the floor, hair covering her face.

  “Kitty?” Endellion said, trying to catch her eye.

  Phia’s mouth curled with contempt. She kept looking at the road, averting her eyes from Endellion and Brune as if they were the most hateful sight to behold.

  “Was Mr. Vladnoch cruel to you?”

  Phia rolled her eyes. “He’s disgusting! Would you marry him?”

  “I might... if I was a young lady and my circumstances were different. A woman only has so many opportunities. Marrying him will make you rich. People will jump at your beck and call. You’ll be a lady of status—”

  “I’ll be a whore,” Phia spat. She wiped the tears away and sat up straight, pulling her skirt down.

  Endellion put her arm on the seat behind Phia. “It doesn’t make you a whore. No one really marries out of love.” She stroked Phia’s hair. “It’s the way the world is.”

  “Don’t touch me, you… you bitch!” The tears had dried up. Her ears were flat and pointing backward, and her lips were curled back to show her little cat fangs.

  “Phia,” Endellion said, more sternly. “I’m sorry. But this is the way it is.”

  “I hate you!”

  Phia swiped a hand across Endellion’s face and sprang out of the seat, landing on the back of the carriage and bounding out of the vehicle. She landed gracefully on her feet and bolted into a field.

  “Shit!” Brune said, pulling the reins.

  Endellion jumped out of the carriage, landing almost as gracefully as Phia had.

  Brune watched Phia sprinting away with surprising athleticism. Endellion followed, displaying the calm ruthlessness that she always had when executing a quest.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  SEVEN DAYS EARLIER, Brune and Endellion sat in the assistant guildmaster’s office. Bozhidar Vladnoch held a pipe in his fist, gold rings glinting on his fat fingers.

  “Our wedding’s set for next Thursday,” he said. “Everything’s paid for. I don’t want to reschedule. Understand? I want her back immediately.”

  “We understand the urgency, Mr. Vladnoch,” said the assistant guildmaster, Mr. Tabor. The traffic of Skrull City’s commercial district clattered outside a latticed window behind him.

  Mr. Tabor had only begun briefing Brune and Endellion on the case: an orphan girl, demi-human, raised by the Sisters of Feron at the godess’s temple in Bambioch. Said to be exquisitely beautiful. Around the time of her 19th birthday, her uncle appeared at the temple to collect her.

  This took the sisters by surprise, apparently, and they were reluctant to let go of the girl. But the man produced the right papers, so that settled it. He was her uncle, which made him her legal guardian. Under the laws of Erwynd, all females had a guardian—usually a man—until they got married or turned 25.

  Two months later, the uncle agreed to marry the girl off to Vladnoch, who was an acquaintance.

  Bozhidar Vladnoch was notorious in Skrull. He’d made a fortune through various criminal pursuits—a slave brothel, an extortion racket, and who knew what else.

  “I was just telling my adventurers about Miss Callidora, and how the sisters thought very highly of her,” Mr. Tabor said.

  Vladnoch puffed his pipe for a moment and replied, “They believed she ought to be one of Feron’s virgin priestesses. And they were right; Phia ought to be Feron’s handmaiden, since her beauty rivals the goddess’s. No man deserves her.” He pounded a fist on the arm of his chair. “But I will make her mine!”

  Mr. Tabor cleared his throat. “I understand she ran away?”

  Vladnoch nodded. “I’d done nothing improper; she was staying in an entirely separate wing of my house. Barely would have seen me before the wedding.

  “I gave her everything. Servants. Wine. Dainties. I told her; you are the lady of this house.” He jabbed the air with his pipe, pointing at an imaginary Phia. “The queen! But I suppose it’s only natural; it’s a lot for a young girl to get used to.

  “She’ll come around, though.” He twisted his face into a grin and winked at Brune. “I just need to break the bitch in.”

  * * *

  Endellion’s cheek burned. She touched it and looked at her fingers. Blood.

  The kitty has claws. Funny I didn’t notice.

  Neither Endellion nor Brune had noticed Phia’s sharp retractable claws; the cat girl had always been embarrassed about them, so she had a habit of hiding the ends of her fingers.

  Endellion set her eyes on Phia, who’d already sprinted quite far over the field.

  Raising a hand, she said: “Seek and Hold!”

  White light flashed in front of her. A second later, Phia did a faceplant.

  Endellion strutted towards her, smiling whimsically when Phia frantically felt her legs, which were bound together by invisible magic.

  “I had to bind you,” Endellion said, “because you were a bad kitty. Now don’t make this difficult. There’s no use in running. We’re very good at what we do.”

  With acrobatic deftness, Phia rolled onto her shoulders, bringing her knees over her face and planting her hands on the ground behind her head, before exploding feet-first into the air.

  The motion was so graceful that Endellion had to admire her.

  But she barely escaped a foot on the chin as the cat girl soared through the air. She landed on her feet, hopping as if she was about to do a potato-sack race. She glared at Endellion with a determined frown, her ears lying almost flat on her head.

  The elf giggled. “You’re so adorable!”

  “I hate you!”

  Endellion slowly looked her up and down. “Alright, little girl. Let’s have some fun.”

  She relinquished her magic grip on Phia’s legs and immediately fell upon her.

  The cat girl leaped back and kicked. Endellion absorbed a blow to the ribs but caught Phia’s leg under her arm.

  “You’re faster than I gave you credit for, Kitty,” she said, making a swift, sweeping kick that took out Phia’s other leg.

  For the second time that day, Phia saw the ground come up and smash into her.

  Endellion straddled her, using her weight to pin Phia down. The cat girl struggled furiously.

  “Get off me!” Phia said. “Let me go.”

  Phia bucked and threw her arm around, groping for Endellion’s leg. Her claws scraped the armor that covered the elf’s outer leg.

  Grabbing Phia’s wrist, Endellion shifted her full weight onto Phia’s lower back, squeezing her thighs and grinding her hips. Endellion’s panties were only armored in the front; she could feel her pussy rubbing against Phia’s lower back.

  Still holding Phia by the wrist, Endellion put her other hand on the back of the girl’s neck and pushed her down.

  Phia continued to struggle until Endellion twisted her arm behind her back.

  “Ow!”

  Endellion liked the feel of Phia squirming and bucking against her pussy. She clamped her legs more tightly around the girl’s waist and gyrated her hips.

  Phia stopped struggling. Her body rose and fell as she panted for breath.

  “Had enough, Kitty?” Endellion said huskily.

  Taking advantage of Phia’s stillness, she looked her over. Blots of dust smeared her disheveled dress. Pieces of grass were caught in her golden tresses. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Phia’s legs splayed out, so naked and vulnerable.

  Brune’s deep voice carried over from the road, 30 yards away. Endellion glimpsed the burly demi-human standing by the carriage, giving her an impatient wave.

  She turned back to Phia. “You give up, kitty?”

  Letting go of Phia’s neck, Endellion pulled a piece of grass out of her hair and tossed it aside. Then she stroked her head.

  Phia writhed violently, wrenching her wrist out of Endellion’s grip. Her opposite hand found the elf’s waist. She dug her claws in.

  “Ow! Fuck!”

  Endellion slid her hips farther up Phia’s back and slipped her left arm around her neck.

  Phia choked as Endellion trapped her in a headlock and wrenched her backward, slipping her other arm around Phia’s right arm.

  Phia struggled for breath.

  Endellion felt the girl’s left hand feebly slap onto her leg armor. Then it clutched Endellion’s forearm armor.

  “Give up, sweetie,” Endellion hummed in her ear. “Give up.”

  “Okay,” Phia groaned. “I give up.”

  Endellion released the hold, letting Phia lie down on her stomach. But she stayed on top of her.

  The elf twisted her hips and massaged her crotch against Phia’s back. Her clit was begging for friction.

  Gently moving the hair away from Phia’s face, she brushed the back of her fingers over her soft cheek. Then, leaning in, Endellion kissed her cheek. Phia’s eyes fluttered, and she took quick breaths through her parted lips.

  “You did a good job, honey,” Endellion breathed. “I’m impressed, considering you’re a girl raised by priestesses.”

  She kissed her three more times, and then reached back and ran her fingers up Phia’s thighs. The girl’s breath hitched.

  Endellion groped her pussy.

  “Mmm... Your panties are soaking wet, Kitty. You like me on top of you, don’t you?”

  Phia moaned softly.

  “Kiss me,” Endellion said.

  Without hesitation, Phia turned her head to offer Endellion her lips. Endellion placed one hand at the base of Phia’s neck. She put her other hand on the girl’s face, slightly twisting her head closer.

  Phia’s arms flinched; the elf could have snapped her neck. But the second Endellion’s lips met hers, her whole body surrendered. Phia passionately returned Endellion’s kiss.

  When the elf finally took her lips away, Phia’s tongue darted out, hungry for more.

  “You like me, don’t you, Kitty?” Endellion said, sliding off of Phia. She lifted her skirt and caressed the round hillocks of her bottom.

  The cat girl panted heavily.

  An iron chain rattled as Brune approached.

  They heard him grumble, “Enough fooling around. Let’s go.”

  Endellion slipped her hand into Phia’s panties, sliding her fingers down past her soft cheeks to her mound, hot and wet.

  The cat girl arched her back and pressed herself into Endellion’s dexterous fingers.

  “You didn’t answer me. Don’t you like me?”

  “Uhh, yes! Yes!” Phia mewled. “Ohhh, yes, Endellion. I—I like you. I like you.” Her body convulsed and trembled.

  “I like you, too. Now—you’re going to do what I say, aren’t you, baby?”

  She worked her fingers, massaging Phia’s lips.

  “Yes,” Phia panted. “Yes.”

  “That’s a good girl.” She leaned in to kiss her again, and Phia turned her head to meet her lips.

  * * *

  Brune cursed under his breath.

  Endellion had one simple task: capture Phia and bring her back to the carriage. It should have taken a few minutes. But the dark elf, being as filthy-minded as she was, was using it as an excuse to roll around on the ground with Phia.

  Not that Brune could deny the eroticism of seeing the women struggling together.

  His cock throbbed as he walked across the field clutching the chains. They’d stopped fighting. Now Endellion appeared to be talking into Phia’s ear.