It doesn’t take me long to run to my destination, thanks to all the strength the girls are sharing with me. It’s quite dark now so people barely notice a dark silhouette zooming past them like wind. I can very much notice another one zooming right after me over the rooftops. No surprise that Hecate isn’t going to let me head out alone.
Stopping in front of one of the big mansions in the noble residential district, I take only one glance at the golden gate with big letters spelling ALTCROFT displayed in an arch atop it. It feels a tiny bit familiar for some reason, but I guess it must have appeared in the details of the commission or something. The residence’s sentries are clearly already informed about the situation and lead me inside. No doubt the guests have been vocal enough about their request for it to make it to them.
A few flights of marble stairs and hallways later, I’m guided through massive double doors and enter a decently spacious chamber clearly meant to be a high-class meeting place with lots of sofas, tables for food, a dance floor, cosy fireplace, and so on. All marble and gold, of course. This family is clearly rich as fuck, but I already knew that from my initial talks about payment with Abarth.
Loud laughing and giggling reach my ears as I glance around the room, spotting four of my girls still proudly standing by one wall each. The rest of them are sitting or strutting by the feminine voices in the resting area. Save for Ressia, who approaches me with her ears down and tail tucked between her legs.
I give her a little ruffle as we meet. “Cheer up. You did great till this point. Lesson number one. Nothing ever goes according to plan. Now, let me take over. I heard there are some brats that need a good lecture.”
A half-smile flashes briefly on her plump lips and her tail makes a few hesitant wags. She nods at me and I sneak in a quick peck on her cheek as I push forward, hearing the speed-up of her fluffy appendage behind me, almost making me chuckle.
As I walk closer to the sofa our clients are piled up on, sharing drinks and laughs together, my girls notice my approach and tense up a little. I wave at them to be at ease and continue interacting with the guests as they have been.
Arriving behind the group of five young ladies dressed in colourful decorative dresses, I cross my arms. They haven’t heard me approach, which is perfect.
“I heard someone wished to see me?” I say with a deep tone.
Four women gasp in shock as their heads snap to the back while the one in the middle sinks further into the sofa and hides her face in her hands, most likely from the pure embarrassment of having forced the boss of her hired guards to show up.
Must be our pretty host. Glad to know that she has some leftover humility, even if it’s not really her fault so she shouldn’t feel too bad about it.
“Goddess, I have goosebumps!” one of the ladies exclaims with a gleeful giggle.
“How did you appear out of thin air? That was scary. You are like a murderer,” another adds with an excited shudder.
“We’ve heard so much about you!” The third one beams at me and they exchange glances, giggling together again. “But, are you going to keep your face hidden? It does make you look a tad scary, I have to admit.”
“That depends.” I walk around them to be in front of the sofa, next to the low table. “Are you going to behave nicely if I do?”
Without waiting for a reply, I pull back my hood and shake my silver mane, raking my fingers through my hair to fix it up a little bit. Since I’m already here, I might as well humour them. Customer is always right and all that.
Loud ooh’s and ahh’s escape their lips, save for one person, of course, who keeps feeling quite embarrassed. I don’t think she can sink any further into the cushion seat but she does a good job blending in with the white-gold furniture thanks to her lolita-style white dress and beautiful white hair. The other girls have similar dresses but of different colours of course.
“My, my. How handsome. It looks like they were telling the truth.” The first lady in green fans herself with her petite hand while gazing up at me with flushed cheeks, not purely from the alcohol.
“Now I can see why they are so infatuated with you,” the third one in blue comments, nibbling on her bottom lip.
“Who wouldn’t want to work for such a looker? If I didn’t know better, I would easily assume he was a noble. A high one at that.” The second one in yellow studies me attentively.
“See? And you kept trying to convince us that it isn’t worth it and that their boss definitely is some average-looking scholar-type or a seasoned adventuring veteran with a scarred face.” The last lady in red elbows the birthday girl, who still keeps her face hidden.
Sounds like the host was doing her best to get her friends off their silly idea to demand my presence, which I certainly can appreciate. People who understand how you should treat any kind of hired service are really rare. It’s not much different here compared to Earth standards. Or perhaps it’s even a bit worse within the lands of this quite rough realm. Especially when the service is provided by non-humans.
“And what if she would have been right?” I cross my arms over my chest. “What if I showed up extremely annoyed at your insane demand? You not only dragged my girls, who were supposed to guard you, into your celebrations, but even dared to order them to call for me. Though, threatened them is a more accurate word for it.”
“Do you even know who we are?” The blue dress snickers, rolling her eyes lightly.
“You would dare to raise a hand at your own customer? That’s not very professional of you. I wonder what the guild would have to say about that.” The woman in green grins devilishly
“Please… Stop…” Some muffled and desperate requests make it through the white-haired girl’s fingers.
“Oh, come on. It’s your birthday. Have some fun for once.” The yellow dress sighs at her friend. “All you do is work and study. All the time. We barely see you during our tea parties and galas.”
“I’m all for you ladies having lots of fun tonight, but I would be glad to resolve whatever your inquiry with me is as soon as possible. This isn’t the only business I run and I took my leave from tending to other customers. They expect me to return soon,” I interrupt them before another round of comments bounces off the four young noblewomen.
“Our inquiry, huh?” The same lady taps her plump lips. “You know what, I think I got a better idea.”
“Oh, I know that look on your face.” The girl in red giggles, biting down on her lip.
The golden one smirks alluringly. “Say, aren’t you tired after coming all the way here? Why don’t you sit down with us and moisten your throat a little? Right here, between me and our shy little friend.”
“I appreciate the offer but I’m good here. And this much was nothing. I’m in fairly good shape. You’d need a lot more to make me break some sweat.” I smirk back at her obvious play.
No doubt I would end up with all of those young ladies all over me in a flash. And, most likely, they would also try to push their timid friend onto me too.
“It’s true. Master is the strongest of us. Even during our initiation, all of us working together could not tire him out,” Oniri comments with a delicate flush and the other girls sitting with the ladies nod along.
Even though our requesters lack context, the wave of giggles makes it clear what kind of thoughts and fantasies float through their minds. They might never get to learn how accurate those assumptions are. As long as none of my amazing mercenary beauties lets them know about that part of our activities too.
The yellow dress clicks her tongue at me. “You are so impatient. But, no matter. Since you and your girls seem so confident in your incredible body, why don’t you… show us some proof, then?”
“Are you suggesting I strip?” I raise an amused brow at her.
More giggling ensues and she roams her gaze all over me before continuing. “Do I? I just don’t want to make your mercenaries sound like liars. It would be unfortunate if some rumours started spreading that perhaps not everything about this company is so truthful. But, it’s very easy to prevent that from happening.”
“Do you really think I can’t protect the good image of my girls or myself? I guess the father of your celebrating friend didn’t tell you who it was that introduced him to us. Go on. Feel free to say whatever you want. We’ll see who will end up in bigger trouble.” I chuckle at her while shaking my head.
“Oh, please, won’t you do it just this once?” The lady in green does her best impression of puppy eyes. “We are just so curious. It would be such an amazing gift for our friend here. A strong, muscular, powerful adventurer from up close. We won’t say anything about it to anyone, I swear.”
“We can pay. Name your price,” the blue one chimes in. “Since this obviously wasn’t in the initial request, we will naturally cover the fee for additional services. Everything for our sweet friend, right?”
The other women nod eagerly and direct dazzling smiles at me. I snort internally. It’s more than clear that they are just using their friend as an excuse to get some eye candy. And perhaps thanks to all the alcohol they have already consumed during the celebration, they definitely are much bolder with their demands and general behaviour than they usually are.
There is no real reason for me to accept. But, as I glance over my girls sitting around the small coffee table, they all look up at me with somewhat curious and expectant gazes. A plethora of rosy cheeks meet my eyes, at least wherever they aren’t covered by adorable fur. I can also sense the women standing guard around the chamber listening to the exchange attentively.
Well, why shouldn’t I give them a little show if they’ve been hyping me up for quite a while?
And why shouldn’t I also show a few cocky noble ladies what happens when they mess with the wrong guy?
Trying to hide my grin as my lovable mercenary squad realises my intentions through our bond and grows all excited in a flash, I gently shake my head and let out a heavy sigh.
“Alright. But only because today is a special day and you are technically our first customers. It would leave a bad taste in my mouth to cancel the very first request. Sir Abarth seemed like a very nice man and I don’t want to make him anxious that the birthday party he planned for his daughter isn’t going to end well,” I respond to their taunts.
They clap their hands and squeal like kids, exchanging glances with each other. The one in the red dress grabs the cloth covering the table and yanks it to the side, which results in all the plates, wine glasses, food, and drinks landing on the floor with loud clutter. But, of course, rich people couldn’t care less about wasting or destroying stuff they can just replace with a wave of their hand.
Throwing the cloth away, she grabs a bottle of champagne from next to the sofa the main quintet is sitting on and the four somewhat tipsy ladies huddle up together, almost squishing the poor birthday girl between them. They wiggle around to get all comfortable and start taking swigs from the bottle while grinning excitedly and drilling holes in my person with their intense gazes. Though our host continues to hide herself in embarrassment, I can clearly tell that she does increase the gaps between her fingers by at least a tiny little bit.
Honestly, I can’t really blame her. Curiosity is a powerful emotion. Maybe this will make it a tad easier for her and she’ll forget about her embarrassment for at least a moment, while the attention of her nagging friends also switches purely to me instead of tormenting her. I don’t mind her enjoying this fully since she seems like a great girl but I fear that pointing it out would only scare her away even more.
So, with one more light sigh, I close my eyes and focus. The next time I open them, a wave of pleasant warmth gently spreads from me as I hit the four snotty noblewomen with quite a bit of my aura and skills. They flush instantly and some of them begin fanning themselves from me just looking at them with a charming smile.
Let’s begin our little game.
Putting my thumbs behind my belt, I step forward and get up onto the table. They chuckle quietly and lock their eyes on my fingers. I move them around a bit and then pull them up, evoking some disappointed groans. Trailing them over my leather vest, I reach the breastplate and knock on it with my knuckles three times. They all gasp as the metal disappears into my spatial storage and I smirk at them.
Striking a somewhat alluring pose, I slowly turn around and give them a sweet smile over my shoulder. Wiggling my hips from side to side, I unhurriedly open my coat and let it slide off me, revealing more of my still-covered back. Some appreciative humming answers my efforts and when I also drop the vest, showing the purple shirt underneath, they all almost moan out loud. Those quiet cries become audible when I flex the material to its limits, listening to the sounds of the girls chugging the champagne down like thirsty travellers in the middle of a desert.
Turning around once more, I bring my hands up to my collar and fiddle with the first button while raising a playful brow at the noble ladies. They swallow thickly even when it’s not their turn to drink anything and keep lightly nodding, reaching out with their necks most likely subconsciously. The gold dress is already breathing a tad quicker and shallower, unable to bring down the heat even with the fan she’s picked up in the meantime.
Too bad something so puny won’t have the slightest effect on my Class.
Each time I pop a button, still keeping the shirt relatively shut, they bite into their lips stronger. The passing bottle stops in someone’s frozen hand as all of their attention focuses on my chest. And I can now spot a barely noticeable sparkle of a red iris behind the slender fingers of our kind host. A small grin sneaks onto my lips and she clearly notices me noticing, shutting her digits close in a flash and sinking even deeper into the sofa, doing whatever she can to appear as small and insignificant as possible.
Then, with one quick motion, I pull the shirt to the sides, ripping off the rest of the buttons. A collective gasp hits me right away, followed by a plethora of quite sultry moans. I let the shirt fall, but since it’s still tucked into my pants, it just hangs down from my belt behind my back. I act as if I’m examining my arms and front after the unexpected loss of attire, effectively flexing quite a few good-looking muscles.
The lady in green groans thickly. “Goddess almighty… He’s more chiselled than the most expensive sculpture mommy hides in her closet…”
“Look at those pecs, oh sweet daddy,” the one in red whispers with a slight shiver.
The blue dress licks her lips while grinding her thighs together. “Girls… The stomach… So strong, yet so smooth… The abs, good lady…”
“Forget the abs,” the golden chick breathes out heavily. “Look at those abdominal lines going below his belt... I bet his cock must be huge...”
“I bet he fucks those girls with it like an animal,” the green one adds with a needy whine.
They moan together with their cheeks blossoming with full crimson. A hand or two is sneakily travelling south here and there. That’s to be expected. I’m holding back enough for them not to instantly dive into the pot but their desires are stronger than I would have assumed. I guess that’s the young noble girls for you.
“Stop hiding already and just look.” The yellow-dressed woman shakes the host. “You are missing out so much.”
“No!” the victim protests firmly.
“If you keep acting like a sheltered maiden he won’t show us more!” The one in red clothing groans. “It’s just starting to get good!”
Somehow, the other ladies join in on the notion as I keep posing with my chest exposed and they grab the petite girl’s wrists. She fights back valiantly as they continue to admonish her silly behaviour and keep trying to convince the shy girl to let go. Then, with one good coordinated tug from both sides, they finally tear the gentle hands away and force the timid lady to look at me.
Our eyes meet and we both freeze at once.
It’s Lyona.
Flashes of memories from earlier surge through my mind and it finally clicks. The man’s request for a noble birthday escort, her sudden absence on the day of the commission, the giant-ass lettering above the mansion’s gate, the lolita-style dress of the host, her lithe stature, perfectly white hair, and finally, ruby-like eyes.
Man was I damn blind.
Her face turns completely flushed in a fraction of a second and she springs to her feet, bolting away with surprising speed and agility.
“Lyona!” I shout behind her as she disappears behind one of the intricate wooden doors, passing them so fast they slam shut strong enough to shake the entire frame.
“Whoops.” The woman in gold blinks a few times in surprise. “She isn’t really that skittish normally.”
I glare her way and she shudders lightly. But, I quickly tone it down as the only person I can blame for this entire thing is myself. If I paid more attention to everything, this could have been completely avoided. I knew that surname at the gate rang the fucking bell.
“So… You guys know each other?” the green dress asks awkwardly.
Ignoring her, I tell our girls to look after them and jump off the low table, heading for the same exit as Lyona. Behind the fancy door, I find a long corridor filled with paintings and busts. A few servants keep whispering between themselves so I approach one of the women and hit her with some of my aura. She gladly lets me know where Lyona went and I run after the spooked girl.
Soon, I arrive in front of a glass exit leading into what looks like a spacious balcony. Seeing the familiar figure on the other side, I slow down and unhurriedly make my way into the open air. She definitely doesn’t miss my arrival but keeps her back to me while resting her elbows on the stone balustrade.
Pondering briefly on what to do next, I decide to walk up to the edge too, keeping some distance between them so as not to scare Lyona away by being too pushy. She doesn’t run, but as I reach the guardrail, she turns her face away from me. I smile wryly to myself and rest my elbows on the stone too, letting out a deep sigh.
“I’m sorry,” I begin before the silence draws out for way too long. “I have no idea how I haven’t realised Sir Abarth is your father and that this is your birthday party. There were so many signs. I’m just really stupid sometimes.”
“No.” She shakes her head gently, still avoiding looking at me. “I’m sorry. I also didn’t notice until my father showed up with the girls by his side. I can’t believe I missed it. I even took a peek at the request. I really should have paid more attention to the client and other details.”
“Looks like we both made ourselves look like goofballs.” I snicker lightly. “Gods, and speaking of the girls, they didn’t say a single word about this to me in their mental reports. There’s no way they didn’t recognise you. Someone might need a bit of disciplinary punishment.”
That draws out a quiet chuckle from her. “Don’t be too hard on them, okay? They might have assumed that you were fully aware. It wouldn’t be surprising considering how infallible you are in their eyes. They kept singing only praises of you, both during our conversation back at the headquarters and here during the party.”
“Well, even the Goddess makes mistakes sometimes.” I smirk to myself, sensing a slight pout at the very edge of my mind, almost making me snort.
That uncomfortable silence which I wanted to avoid descends upon us. I really fucked up. But, that’s obvious. All I can do now is to salvage the situation as much as I can. Hopefully, this incident won’t make Lyona quit, though I would understand if she does. It might be really awkward and embarrassing to show up at work now.
“Again, I’m really sorry.” I sigh once more. “I apologise for ruining your party. I let my ego take control of my actions and did something truly shameless. I never should have acted like that in front of you and your friends.”
“No.” Lyona’s dazzling white hair ripples mesmerizingly as she shakes her head again. “They kept provoking you and you had all the right to answer them with much worse than you had. I have to apologise for being unable to keep them in check. They are my responsibility as a host and I failed at it.”
“Hey, at least you tried.” I shrug lightly.
“Not hard enough.” She exhales a little shakily. “I displayed a complete lack of competence today, and in recent days. If you would like to cancel our contract, I will understand. I don’t think I’m good enough to represent your company.”
“What?” I look at her incredulously, noticing that she’s moved her face to the front now. “I am the one worrying here that you will quit because your boss just jumped on your table and started stripping right in front of you during your birthday party.”
We chuckle together after a moment and return our gazes to the starry sky ahead of us.
“So, I’m not getting fired?” Lyona sneaks a little glance my way.
“Goddess, no.” I snort. “I need you. There aren’t that many people I can trust openly but you are a good person, I can feel it just by looking at you. Plus, Elise would be utterly heartbroken.”
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me,” she replies a bit hesitantly. “Or even she doesn’t.”
“Of course. We all have secrets or very private matters. It’s not like you know everything about me either,” I respond. “Though, I don’t know how much did Elise blabber out to you. Besides most likely the fact that I'm a lecherous womaniser who runs a brothel and keeps playing around with girls of all races, unable to keep his hands to himself.”
“I don’t know about that.” Lyona takes one more peek my way, quickly averting her gaze. “She usually keeps talking about how incredible of a man you are and how her life changed after you hired her, and then took her in as your woman.”
“Don’t believe everything she says. The girls tend to exaggerate things a lot. Especially when it comes to size.” I wink at her.
She graces me with a quiet giggle as my little joke succeeds at easing the tension a little. Still somewhat awkward, Lyona doesn’t keep her gaze to the side, now mostly looking ahead or sneaking some peeks my way.
Watching her pretty face from the profile, I notice her quite visibly quickened breathing. After that, another detail becomes apparent to me, the sweat slowly gathering over her forehead and flushed cheeks. Her hands are joined over the stone railing and keep rubbing together anxiously.
“Are you alright?” I ask, slowly moving a little closer and leaning over the balustrade to take a better look at her.
“Get away!” Lyona screams in panic, raising her voice for the first time ever, and jumps away.
I hastily step in the other direction while raising my hands in the air. “It’s okay. I apologise. I’m not going to touch you or come anywhere close to you. If my presence makes you uncomfortable, I’ll leave right away.”
“No!” she shouts back at me, almost turning my way but stopping herself at the last second. “It’s not your fault. It’s me. Well… Maybe it is a little bit…”
I follow her quick, skittish glance and mentally slap myself on the forehead. I totally forgot that I ran out of that room with my top half completely naked.
“Fuck. I’m so sorry. I’m really on a marathon of mistakes today, aren’t I?” I chuckle wryly. “I’ll get myself covered right away.”
“It’s alright. It won’t really make too much of a difference,” she replies.
“What?” I frown at her. “Why?”
“Because… It’s the smell…” She shows a trace of an uneasy smile from the side.
“Damn. I stink so much?” I give myself a quick sniff.
“No.” Lyona chuckles sweetly at my actions. “It’s not bad but… enticing.”
“Oh. Well, that’s actually part of my Class. I wanted to play a trick on your friends and make them a bit bothered with my abilities. Even when toned down, this is still a tiny bit noticeable to girls with good senses.” I rub the back of my head nervously.
“No,” she disagrees for like the hundredth time. “This isn’t about that. Elise told me a little bit about your abilities and how amazing they are. Actually, I should be a little more resistant to your charms than others. The enticing smell comes… from your blood.”
“My blood?” I smile at her confusedly.
She studies me as much as she can without directly facing my way. There’s some inner turmoil taking place in her head for sure as she squeezes one hand with another anxiously. Coming to some kind of a decision, Lyona takes a deep breath, closes the additional distance we have recently created, and turns to me.
“I… I’m a Vampire…” she admits, looking up at me with those deep, ruby eyes of hers.
But, this time, they also glow with a scarlet hue in the light of a full moon. She swallows heavily, rolling her slender hands into fists, awaiting my reaction.
“Really?” I smile softly. “That’s amazing.”
“That’s… amazing?” Her adorable mouth hangs open in disbelief.
“Yeah?” I smile at her warmly. “What else would it be?”
“You are not… afraid?” she asks.
“Does one’s race have to always dictate if they are good or bad?” I ask her back. “Though, honestly, this is my first time meeting a Vampire. I didn’t think humanoid Vampires existed in this… realm. All I could read about was mindless monsters craving for blood looking like a cross between a vulture and a wolf.”
“That’s because our existence is closer to a secret,” she answers. “We don’t really have a country or even an established society. We hide amongst other races without ever revealing ourselves, concealing our unusual abilities or features behind our Classes. Only a Vampire can really recognize another Vampire on the streets.”
“I see.” I nod at her, continuing to admire her gorgeous, bright red eyes. “Can you turn others into a Vampire with your bite?”
“What?” She chuckles adorably. “No, why would you think that? We are born like any other humanoid race.”
“Nevermind that.” I snicker awkwardly. “But you still need blood to survive, right? What about normal food?”
“Blood is like water to us. Try not drinking any for an extended period of time and see what happens,” she replies with a gentle smile. “With the only difference being the fact that we can actually live just off blood, ignoring any other sustenance. For most other races, ignoring either is often a big problem.”
“I guess that’s a nice perk. Depending on one thing.” I stroke my chin thoughtfully. “Do you need specific blood? Like… humanoid blood?”
“Any blood works, as long as it’s not toxic or poisonous.” She shakes her head. “Animals do just fine, and even some monsters too. You might even find a bunch that can be considered delicacies. But, it’s true that blood from most humanoid races is the most nutritious and also tastes great.”
“Do you suck people a little without them noticing?” I raise a brow at her.
“Goddess, no!” Lyona waves her hands dismissively. “My family is a long line of medicinal alchemists and drug-based healers. We have contracts with many individuals or groups who deliver us samples of their blood for our research, in exchange for our products. And if we ever run low on our supplies, we hunt outside the city for deer or other game.”
“That’s… actually super smart.” I nod to myself. “So, I guess I belong to those rare delicacies you mentioned earlier?”
“It’s more than that,” she answers, her eyes roaming around my neck as she swallows lightly. “I think you can imagine how scenting a delicious meal can feel like. Just walking down the street and the wind wafts the mouth-watering smell right in your face. You salivate a little bit, perhaps your stomach rumbles, and you are drawn to it or reminded about your hunger.”
Lyona slowly and sensually licks her pouty lips.
“This is much more powerful.” She tries to compose herself with a deep breath but it might have a completely opposite effect as she inhales more of that scent and shudders. “As you might have heard from Elise or my friends, I’m not usually like this. Your blood is so potent that it affects my body. Just your mere presence makes me… hot. It’s like my blood answers to yours. Yearns to be united. But also knows it’s somehow inferior so it feels a bit anxious. It becomes… submissive. Yet the yearning is unfathomable.”
That explains a thing or two. Now I understand how she can so quickly turn back to her neutral and cold persona right after leaving my close vicinity. It turns out that Lyona isn’t exactly extremely shy around me but it’s my blood that makes her a bit timid, like a star-struck fangirl being in the same room with their idol, I guess. Or a young girl in a room with the boy she’s crushing hard on.
“I’ve never felt like this until the day Elise brought me in front of you,” Lyona continues. “I was so taken aback that I don’t think I uttered more words than my own name. No one in our family has either. It’s like in our legends, the tales of our ancestors, the ones we hail from.”
Oh fuck. Here we go again.
“It’s almost like you are a Primordial.” She chuckles softly and shakes her head at the hilarity of her own statement.
Fucking knew it.
I snort at her and rub my forehead. “Oh boy, do I have something to tell you…”
Saileri
Surprise no surprise.
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It doesn’t take me long to run to my destination, thanks to all the strength the girls are sharing with me. It’s quite dark now so people barely notice a dark silhouette zooming past them like wind. I can very much notice another one zooming right after me over the rooftops. No surprise that Hecate isn’t going to let me head out alone.
Stopping in front of one of the big mansions in the noble residential district, I take only one glance at the golden gate with big letters spelling ALTCROFT displayed in an arch atop it. It feels a tiny bit familiar for some reason, but I guess it must have appeared in the details of the commission or something. The residence’s sentries are clearly already informed about the situation and lead me inside. No doubt the guests have been vocal enough about their request for it to make it to them.
A few flights of marble stairs and hallways later, I’m guided through massive double doors and enter a decently spacious chamber clearly meant to be a high-class meeting place with lots of sofas, tables for food, a dance floor, cosy fireplace, and so on. All marble and gold, of course. This family is clearly rich as fuck, but I already knew that from my initial talks about payment with Abarth.
Loud laughing and giggling reach my ears as I glance around the room, spotting four of my girls still proudly standing by one wall each. The rest of them are sitting or strutting by the feminine voices in the resting area. Save for Ressia, who approaches me with her ears down and tail tucked between her legs.
I give her a little ruffle as we meet. “Cheer up. You did great till this point. Lesson number one. Nothing ever goes according to plan. Now, let me take over. I heard there are some brats that need a good lecture.”
A half-smile flashes briefly on her plump lips and her tail makes a few hesitant wags. She nods at me and I sneak in a quick peck on her cheek as I push forward, hearing the speed-up of her fluffy appendage behind me, almost making me chuckle.
As I walk closer to the sofa our clients are piled up on, sharing drinks and laughs together, my girls notice my approach and tense up a little. I wave at them to be at ease and continue interacting with the guests as they have been.
Arriving behind the group of five young ladies dressed in colourful decorative dresses, I cross my arms. They haven’t heard me approach, which is perfect.
“I heard someone wished to see me?” I say with a deep tone.
Four women gasp in shock as their heads snap to the back while the one in the middle sinks further into the sofa and hides her face in her hands, most likely from the pure embarrassment of having forced the boss of her hired guards to show up.
Must be our pretty host. Glad to know that she has some leftover humility, even if it’s not really her fault so she shouldn’t feel too bad about it.
“Goddess, I have goosebumps!” one of the ladies exclaims with a gleeful giggle.
“How did you appear out of thin air? That was scary. You are like a murderer,” another adds with an excited shudder.
“We’ve heard so much about you!” The third one beams at me and they exchange glances, giggling together again. “But, are you going to keep your face hidden? It does make you look a tad scary, I have to admit.”
“That depends.” I walk around them to be in front of the sofa, next to the low table. “Are you going to behave nicely if I do?”
Without waiting for a reply, I pull back my hood and shake my silver mane, raking my fingers through my hair to fix it up a little bit. Since I’m already here, I might as well humour them. Customer is always right and all that.
Loud ooh’s and ahh’s escape their lips, save for one person, of course, who keeps feeling quite embarrassed. I don’t think she can sink any further into the cushion seat but she does a good job blending in with the white-gold furniture thanks to her lolita-style white dress and beautiful white hair. The other girls have similar dresses but of different colours of course.
“My, my. How handsome. It looks like they were telling the truth.” The first lady in green fans herself with her petite hand while gazing up at me with flushed cheeks, not purely from the alcohol.
“Now I can see why they are so infatuated with you,” the third one in blue comments, nibbling on her bottom lip.
“Who wouldn’t want to work for such a looker? If I didn’t know better, I would easily assume he was a noble. A high one at that.” The second one in yellow studies me attentively.
“See? And you kept trying to convince us that it isn’t worth it and that their boss definitely is some average-looking scholar-type or a seasoned adventuring veteran with a scarred face.” The last lady in red elbows the birthday girl, who still keeps her face hidden.
Sounds like the host was doing her best to get her friends off their silly idea to demand my presence, which I certainly can appreciate. People who understand how you should treat any kind of hired service are really rare. It’s not much different here compared to Earth standards. Or perhaps it’s even a bit worse within the lands of this quite rough realm. Especially when the service is provided by non-humans.
“And what if she would have been right?” I cross my arms over my chest. “What if I showed up extremely annoyed at your insane demand? You not only dragged my girls, who were supposed to guard you, into your celebrations, but even dared to order them to call for me. Though, threatened them is a more accurate word for it.”
“Do you even know who we are?” The blue dress snickers, rolling her eyes lightly.
“You would dare to raise a hand at your own customer? That’s not very professional of you. I wonder what the guild would have to say about that.” The woman in green grins devilishly
“Please… Stop…” Some muffled and desperate requests make it through the white-haired girl’s fingers.
“Oh, come on. It’s your birthday. Have some fun for once.” The yellow dress sighs at her friend. “All you do is work and study. All the time. We barely see you during our tea parties and galas.”
“I’m all for you ladies having lots of fun tonight, but I would be glad to resolve whatever your inquiry with me is as soon as possible. This isn’t the only business I run and I took my leave from tending to other customers. They expect me to return soon,” I interrupt them before another round of comments bounces off the four young noblewomen.
“Our inquiry, huh?” The same lady taps her plump lips. “You know what, I think I got a better idea.”
“Oh, I know that look on your face.” The girl in red giggles, biting down on her lip.
The golden one smirks alluringly. “Say, aren’t you tired after coming all the way here? Why don’t you sit down with us and moisten your throat a little? Right here, between me and our shy little friend.”
“I appreciate the offer but I’m good here. And this much was nothing. I’m in fairly good shape. You’d need a lot more to make me break some sweat.” I smirk back at her obvious play.
No doubt I would end up with all of those young ladies all over me in a flash. And, most likely, they would also try to push their timid friend onto me too.
“It’s true. Master is the strongest of us. Even during our initiation, all of us working together could not tire him out,” Oniri comments with a delicate flush and the other girls sitting with the ladies nod along.
Even though our requesters lack context, the wave of giggles makes it clear what kind of thoughts and fantasies float through their minds. They might never get to learn how accurate those assumptions are. As long as none of my amazing mercenary beauties lets them know about that part of our activities too.
The yellow dress clicks her tongue at me. “You are so impatient. But, no matter. Since you and your girls seem so confident in your incredible body, why don’t you… show us some proof, then?”
“Are you suggesting I strip?” I raise an amused brow at her.
More giggling ensues and she roams her gaze all over me before continuing. “Do I? I just don’t want to make your mercenaries sound like liars. It would be unfortunate if some rumours started spreading that perhaps not everything about this company is so truthful. But, it’s very easy to prevent that from happening.”
“Do you really think I can’t protect the good image of my girls or myself? I guess the father of your celebrating friend didn’t tell you who it was that introduced him to us. Go on. Feel free to say whatever you want. We’ll see who will end up in bigger trouble.” I chuckle at her while shaking my head.
“Oh, please, won’t you do it just this once?” The lady in green does her best impression of puppy eyes. “We are just so curious. It would be such an amazing gift for our friend here. A strong, muscular, powerful adventurer from up close. We won’t say anything about it to anyone, I swear.”
“We can pay. Name your price,” the blue one chimes in. “Since this obviously wasn’t in the initial request, we will naturally cover the fee for additional services. Everything for our sweet friend, right?”
The other women nod eagerly and direct dazzling smiles at me. I snort internally. It’s more than clear that they are just using their friend as an excuse to get some eye candy. And perhaps thanks to all the alcohol they have already consumed during the celebration, they definitely are much bolder with their demands and general behaviour than they usually are.
There is no real reason for me to accept. But, as I glance over my girls sitting around the small coffee table, they all look up at me with somewhat curious and expectant gazes. A plethora of rosy cheeks meet my eyes, at least wherever they aren’t covered by adorable fur. I can also sense the women standing guard around the chamber listening to the exchange attentively.
Well, why shouldn’t I give them a little show if they’ve been hyping me up for quite a while?
And why shouldn’t I also show a few cocky noble ladies what happens when they mess with the wrong guy?
Trying to hide my grin as my lovable mercenary squad realises my intentions through our bond and grows all excited in a flash, I gently shake my head and let out a heavy sigh.
“Alright. But only because today is a special day and you are technically our first customers. It would leave a bad taste in my mouth to cancel the very first request. Sir Abarth seemed like a very nice man and I don’t want to make him anxious that the birthday party he planned for his daughter isn’t going to end well,” I respond to their taunts.
They clap their hands and squeal like kids, exchanging glances with each other. The one in the red dress grabs the cloth covering the table and yanks it to the side, which results in all the plates, wine glasses, food, and drinks landing on the floor with loud clutter. But, of course, rich people couldn’t care less about wasting or destroying stuff they can just replace with a wave of their hand.
Throwing the cloth away, she grabs a bottle of champagne from next to the sofa the main quintet is sitting on and the four somewhat tipsy ladies huddle up together, almost squishing the poor birthday girl between them. They wiggle around to get all comfortable and start taking swigs from the bottle while grinning excitedly and drilling holes in my person with their intense gazes. Though our host continues to hide herself in embarrassment, I can clearly tell that she does increase the gaps between her fingers by at least a tiny little bit.
Honestly, I can’t really blame her. Curiosity is a powerful emotion. Maybe this will make it a tad easier for her and she’ll forget about her embarrassment for at least a moment, while the attention of her nagging friends also switches purely to me instead of tormenting her. I don’t mind her enjoying this fully since she seems like a great girl but I fear that pointing it out would only scare her away even more.
So, with one more light sigh, I close my eyes and focus. The next time I open them, a wave of pleasant warmth gently spreads from me as I hit the four snotty noblewomen with quite a bit of my aura and skills. They flush instantly and some of them begin fanning themselves from me just looking at them with a charming smile.
Let’s begin our little game.
Putting my thumbs behind my belt, I step forward and get up onto the table. They chuckle quietly and lock their eyes on my fingers. I move them around a bit and then pull them up, evoking some disappointed groans. Trailing them over my leather vest, I reach the breastplate and knock on it with my knuckles three times. They all gasp as the metal disappears into my spatial storage and I smirk at them.
Striking a somewhat alluring pose, I slowly turn around and give them a sweet smile over my shoulder. Wiggling my hips from side to side, I unhurriedly open my coat and let it slide off me, revealing more of my still-covered back. Some appreciative humming answers my efforts and when I also drop the vest, showing the purple shirt underneath, they all almost moan out loud. Those quiet cries become audible when I flex the material to its limits, listening to the sounds of the girls chugging the champagne down like thirsty travellers in the middle of a desert.
Turning around once more, I bring my hands up to my collar and fiddle with the first button while raising a playful brow at the noble ladies. They swallow thickly even when it’s not their turn to drink anything and keep lightly nodding, reaching out with their necks most likely subconsciously. The gold dress is already breathing a tad quicker and shallower, unable to bring down the heat even with the fan she’s picked up in the meantime.
Too bad something so puny won’t have the slightest effect on my Class.
Each time I pop a button, still keeping the shirt relatively shut, they bite into their lips stronger. The passing bottle stops in someone’s frozen hand as all of their attention focuses on my chest. And I can now spot a barely noticeable sparkle of a red iris behind the slender fingers of our kind host. A small grin sneaks onto my lips and she clearly notices me noticing, shutting her digits close in a flash and sinking even deeper into the sofa, doing whatever she can to appear as small and insignificant as possible.
Then, with one quick motion, I pull the shirt to the sides, ripping off the rest of the buttons. A collective gasp hits me right away, followed by a plethora of quite sultry moans. I let the shirt fall, but since it’s still tucked into my pants, it just hangs down from my belt behind my back. I act as if I’m examining my arms and front after the unexpected loss of attire, effectively flexing quite a few good-looking muscles.
The lady in green groans thickly. “Goddess almighty… He’s more chiselled than the most expensive sculpture mommy hides in her closet…”
“Look at those pecs, oh sweet daddy,” the one in red whispers with a slight shiver.
The blue dress licks her lips while grinding her thighs together. “Girls… The stomach… So strong, yet so smooth… The abs, good lady…”
“Forget the abs,” the golden chick breathes out heavily. “Look at those abdominal lines going below his belt... I bet his cock must be huge...”
“I bet he fucks those girls with it like an animal,” the green one adds with a needy whine.
They moan together with their cheeks blossoming with full crimson. A hand or two is sneakily travelling south here and there. That’s to be expected. I’m holding back enough for them not to instantly dive into the pot but their desires are stronger than I would have assumed. I guess that’s the young noble girls for you.
“Stop hiding already and just look.” The yellow-dressed woman shakes the host. “You are missing out so much.”
“No!” the victim protests firmly.
“If you keep acting like a sheltered maiden he won’t show us more!” The one in red clothing groans. “It’s just starting to get good!”
Somehow, the other ladies join in on the notion as I keep posing with my chest exposed and they grab the petite girl’s wrists. She fights back valiantly as they continue to admonish her silly behaviour and keep trying to convince the shy girl to let go. Then, with one good coordinated tug from both sides, they finally tear the gentle hands away and force the timid lady to look at me.
Our eyes meet and we both freeze at once.
It’s Lyona.
Flashes of memories from earlier surge through my mind and it finally clicks. The man’s request for a noble birthday escort, her sudden absence on the day of the commission, the giant-ass lettering above the mansion’s gate, the lolita-style dress of the host, her lithe stature, perfectly white hair, and finally, ruby-like eyes.
Man was I damn blind.
Her face turns completely flushed in a fraction of a second and she springs to her feet, bolting away with surprising speed and agility.
“Lyona!” I shout behind her as she disappears behind one of the intricate wooden doors, passing them so fast they slam shut strong enough to shake the entire frame.
“Whoops.” The woman in gold blinks a few times in surprise. “She isn’t really that skittish normally.”
I glare her way and she shudders lightly. But, I quickly tone it down as the only person I can blame for this entire thing is myself. If I paid more attention to everything, this could have been completely avoided. I knew that surname at the gate rang the fucking bell.
“So… You guys know each other?” the green dress asks awkwardly.
Ignoring her, I tell our girls to look after them and jump off the low table, heading for the same exit as Lyona. Behind the fancy door, I find a long corridor filled with paintings and busts. A few servants keep whispering between themselves so I approach one of the women and hit her with some of my aura. She gladly lets me know where Lyona went and I run after the spooked girl.
Soon, I arrive in front of a glass exit leading into what looks like a spacious balcony. Seeing the familiar figure on the other side, I slow down and unhurriedly make my way into the open air. She definitely doesn’t miss my arrival but keeps her back to me while resting her elbows on the stone balustrade.
Pondering briefly on what to do next, I decide to walk up to the edge too, keeping some distance between them so as not to scare Lyona away by being too pushy. She doesn’t run, but as I reach the guardrail, she turns her face away from me. I smile wryly to myself and rest my elbows on the stone too, letting out a deep sigh.
“I’m sorry,” I begin before the silence draws out for way too long. “I have no idea how I haven’t realised Sir Abarth is your father and that this is your birthday party. There were so many signs. I’m just really stupid sometimes.”
“No.” She shakes her head gently, still avoiding looking at me. “I’m sorry. I also didn’t notice until my father showed up with the girls by his side. I can’t believe I missed it. I even took a peek at the request. I really should have paid more attention to the client and other details.”
“Looks like we both made ourselves look like goofballs.” I snicker lightly. “Gods, and speaking of the girls, they didn’t say a single word about this to me in their mental reports. There’s no way they didn’t recognise you. Someone might need a bit of disciplinary punishment.”
That draws out a quiet chuckle from her. “Don’t be too hard on them, okay? They might have assumed that you were fully aware. It wouldn’t be surprising considering how infallible you are in their eyes. They kept singing only praises of you, both during our conversation back at the headquarters and here during the party.”
“Well, even the Goddess makes mistakes sometimes.” I smirk to myself, sensing a slight pout at the very edge of my mind, almost making me snort.
That uncomfortable silence which I wanted to avoid descends upon us. I really fucked up. But, that’s obvious. All I can do now is to salvage the situation as much as I can. Hopefully, this incident won’t make Lyona quit, though I would understand if she does. It might be really awkward and embarrassing to show up at work now.
“Again, I’m really sorry.” I sigh once more. “I apologise for ruining your party. I let my ego take control of my actions and did something truly shameless. I never should have acted like that in front of you and your friends.”
“No.” Lyona’s dazzling white hair ripples mesmerizingly as she shakes her head again. “They kept provoking you and you had all the right to answer them with much worse than you had. I have to apologise for being unable to keep them in check. They are my responsibility as a host and I failed at it.”
“Hey, at least you tried.” I shrug lightly.
“Not hard enough.” She exhales a little shakily. “I displayed a complete lack of competence today, and in recent days. If you would like to cancel our contract, I will understand. I don’t think I’m good enough to represent your company.”
“What?” I look at her incredulously, noticing that she’s moved her face to the front now. “I am the one worrying here that you will quit because your boss just jumped on your table and started stripping right in front of you during your birthday party.”
We chuckle together after a moment and return our gazes to the starry sky ahead of us.
“So, I’m not getting fired?” Lyona sneaks a little glance my way.
“Goddess, no.” I snort. “I need you. There aren’t that many people I can trust openly but you are a good person, I can feel it just by looking at you. Plus, Elise would be utterly heartbroken.”
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me,” she replies a bit hesitantly. “Or even she doesn’t.”
“Of course. We all have secrets or very private matters. It’s not like you know everything about me either,” I respond. “Though, I don’t know how much did Elise blabber out to you. Besides most likely the fact that I'm a lecherous womaniser who runs a brothel and keeps playing around with girls of all races, unable to keep his hands to himself.”
“I don’t know about that.” Lyona takes one more peek my way, quickly averting her gaze. “She usually keeps talking about how incredible of a man you are and how her life changed after you hired her, and then took her in as your woman.”
“Don’t believe everything she says. The girls tend to exaggerate things a lot. Especially when it comes to size.” I wink at her.
She graces me with a quiet giggle as my little joke succeeds at easing the tension a little. Still somewhat awkward, Lyona doesn’t keep her gaze to the side, now mostly looking ahead or sneaking some peeks my way.
Watching her pretty face from the profile, I notice her quite visibly quickened breathing. After that, another detail becomes apparent to me, the sweat slowly gathering over her forehead and flushed cheeks. Her hands are joined over the stone railing and keep rubbing together anxiously.
“Are you alright?” I ask, slowly moving a little closer and leaning over the balustrade to take a better look at her.
“Get away!” Lyona screams in panic, raising her voice for the first time ever, and jumps away.
I hastily step in the other direction while raising my hands in the air. “It’s okay. I apologise. I’m not going to touch you or come anywhere close to you. If my presence makes you uncomfortable, I’ll leave right away.”
“No!” she shouts back at me, almost turning my way but stopping herself at the last second. “It’s not your fault. It’s me. Well… Maybe it is a little bit…”
I follow her quick, skittish glance and mentally slap myself on the forehead. I totally forgot that I ran out of that room with my top half completely naked.
“Fuck. I’m so sorry. I’m really on a marathon of mistakes today, aren’t I?” I chuckle wryly. “I’ll get myself covered right away.”
“It’s alright. It won’t really make too much of a difference,” she replies.
“What?” I frown at her. “Why?”
“Because… It’s the smell…” She shows a trace of an uneasy smile from the side.
“Damn. I stink so much?” I give myself a quick sniff.
“No.” Lyona chuckles sweetly at my actions. “It’s not bad but… enticing.”
“Oh. Well, that’s actually part of my Class. I wanted to play a trick on your friends and make them a bit bothered with my abilities. Even when toned down, this is still a tiny bit noticeable to girls with good senses.” I rub the back of my head nervously.
“No,” she disagrees for like the hundredth time. “This isn’t about that. Elise told me a little bit about your abilities and how amazing they are. Actually, I should be a little more resistant to your charms than others. The enticing smell comes… from your blood.”
“My blood?” I smile at her confusedly.
She studies me as much as she can without directly facing my way. There’s some inner turmoil taking place in her head for sure as she squeezes one hand with another anxiously. Coming to some kind of a decision, Lyona takes a deep breath, closes the additional distance we have recently created, and turns to me.
“I… I’m a Vampire…” she admits, looking up at me with those deep, ruby eyes of hers.
But, this time, they also glow with a scarlet hue in the light of a full moon. She swallows heavily, rolling her slender hands into fists, awaiting my reaction.
“Really?” I smile softly. “That’s amazing.”
“That’s… amazing?” Her adorable mouth hangs open in disbelief.
“Yeah?” I smile at her warmly. “What else would it be?”
“You are not… afraid?” she asks.
“Does one’s race have to always dictate if they are good or bad?” I ask her back. “Though, honestly, this is my first time meeting a Vampire. I didn’t think humanoid Vampires existed in this… realm. All I could read about was mindless monsters craving for blood looking like a cross between a vulture and a wolf.”
“That’s because our existence is closer to a secret,” she answers. “We don’t really have a country or even an established society. We hide amongst other races without ever revealing ourselves, concealing our unusual abilities or features behind our Classes. Only a Vampire can really recognize another Vampire on the streets.”
“I see.” I nod at her, continuing to admire her gorgeous, bright red eyes. “Can you turn others into a Vampire with your bite?”
“What?” She chuckles adorably. “No, why would you think that? We are born like any other humanoid race.”
“Nevermind that.” I snicker awkwardly. “But you still need blood to survive, right? What about normal food?”
“Blood is like water to us. Try not drinking any for an extended period of time and see what happens,” she replies with a gentle smile. “With the only difference being the fact that we can actually live just off blood, ignoring any other sustenance. For most other races, ignoring either is often a big problem.”
“I guess that’s a nice perk. Depending on one thing.” I stroke my chin thoughtfully. “Do you need specific blood? Like… humanoid blood?”
“Any blood works, as long as it’s not toxic or poisonous.” She shakes her head. “Animals do just fine, and even some monsters too. You might even find a bunch that can be considered delicacies. But, it’s true that blood from most humanoid races is the most nutritious and also tastes great.”
“Do you suck people a little without them noticing?” I raise a brow at her.
“Goddess, no!” Lyona waves her hands dismissively. “My family is a long line of medicinal alchemists and drug-based healers. We have contracts with many individuals or groups who deliver us samples of their blood for our research, in exchange for our products. And if we ever run low on our supplies, we hunt outside the city for deer or other game.”
“That’s… actually super smart.” I nod to myself. “So, I guess I belong to those rare delicacies you mentioned earlier?”
“It’s more than that,” she answers, her eyes roaming around my neck as she swallows lightly. “I think you can imagine how scenting a delicious meal can feel like. Just walking down the street and the wind wafts the mouth-watering smell right in your face. You salivate a little bit, perhaps your stomach rumbles, and you are drawn to it or reminded about your hunger.”
Lyona slowly and sensually licks her pouty lips.
“This is much more powerful.” She tries to compose herself with a deep breath but it might have a completely opposite effect as she inhales more of that scent and shudders. “As you might have heard from Elise or my friends, I’m not usually like this. Your blood is so potent that it affects my body. Just your mere presence makes me… hot. It’s like my blood answers to yours. Yearns to be united. But also knows it’s somehow inferior so it feels a bit anxious. It becomes… submissive. Yet the yearning is unfathomable.”
That explains a thing or two. Now I understand how she can so quickly turn back to her neutral and cold persona right after leaving my close vicinity. It turns out that Lyona isn’t exactly extremely shy around me but it’s my blood that makes her a bit timid, like a star-struck fangirl being in the same room with their idol, I guess. Or a young girl in a room with the boy she’s crushing hard on.
“I’ve never felt like this until the day Elise brought me in front of you,” Lyona continues. “I was so taken aback that I don’t think I uttered more words than my own name. No one in our family has either. It’s like in our legends, the tales of our ancestors, the ones we hail from.”
Oh fuck. Here we go again.
“It’s almost like you are a Primordial.” She chuckles softly and shakes her head at the hilarity of her own statement.
Fucking knew it.
I snort at her and rub my forehead. “Oh boy, do I have something to tell you…”
Saileri
Surprise no surprise.
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