Clyde and Lina had finished their story of where they had first met, and I just started blankly. What were the fuckin' chances? They had both given details of the cave that myself and the 3 women had just fought tooth and nail in, adding context and explanations where needed. I had learned many new things that I had been questioning for a while.
Learning that Clyde had physical enhancement magic was like learning that taking a shower got you wet. The man was fucking massive, looking like a experimental superhuman test subject, with rippling muscles that made even me feel small in comparison. He was also a certified demon killing badass. This didn't even mention the fact that he was apparently immortal, which sounded pretty nifty. I wondered if I was immortal, being a God and all.
The way he spoke of Lina was also really touching. From the conversations I had with her, as well as us chatting each other up as she did my paperwork for my new job, I truly felt like she was a good person. That still hadn't changed, and I personally didn't like hearing that she was blaming herself for this. I could definitely see how Clyde would be drawn to a woman like Lina and feel the need to keep her safe. My thoughts definitely differed from his though, as I could not keep my eyes from roving her curvaceous body.
More than just a stunning woman, the way she presented herself did not change, nor did the feeling I got from her. Everyone else was still staring at her, but I didn't get the sense that anyone felt threatened. I would actually wager that everyone in this room besides Clyde was checking her out just as much as me. Yuna in particular kept stealing glances at her ass, even nodding at one point. I had to admit, I was a little envious.
My girls felt how I was feeling, and I sensed amusement coming from both of them, and embarrassment washed over me as I forgot about that for a moment there. Thankfully, they didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, they agreed with me. She was a thing of beauty.
I also felt a wary optimism from Liz. My elf did try to see the best in most people, and she knew Lina was a good person... err, a good demon? Regardless, it would only be natural that she kept up her guard around a demon, given what had happened only hours ago.
Lina had stood with her head lowered the whole time, and she refused to sit back down. She really was blaming herself heavily for what happened. She kept staring at Liz, who in turn would stare at her back, causing Lina to flinch and look away. I sent feelings of calm understanding between the two of us. Lina may be a demon, but she wasn't the one responsible for what happened to us.
"So, why did we get sent to that cave in the first place??" Rya asked, anger coloring her tone, "My baby almost died!"
"If anything would have happened to my family, there would have been hell to pay." Thad said so coldly that it sent a chill down my spine.
Clyde and Lina both flinched, looking ashamed.
"Our girls were put in serious danger! How could you have not known about this??" Yuna yelled, and her eyes were literally burning with fox fire.
"It's a good thing Sid was there, or we would have all lost something precious to us." Carl said, his tails whipping around wildly.
Clyde looked at everyone and bowed his head. Lina couldn't meet anyone's eyes. I saw tears falling from her eyes, and it made my heart hurt for her.
"I didn't know about it. The woman at the front desk, Ali, handles a lot of things for me. She got the request, saw its unknown dangers, and decided to contact you, as you're a well known powerhouse in the state. Lina only made me aware of it later when she found out. She tried to contact you all, but no one answered... We would have contacted Thad sooner, but then there was that earthquake." Clyde said, looking at us sympathetically, "Had I have seen that, I would have told you all to stay far away from that place."
"People were dying." I said, causing everyone to look at me, "Had we done nothing, more than just those two college kids would have died. I... can't sit by and let that happen."
Nadia stared at me with a look of fury I'd not seen from her before, and I'm not gonna lie, she could be fucking scary.
"So you would have went alone??" She shouted, tears in her eyes, "We saw what that asshole did to you too. I thought he was going to kill you! And then all of us..."
Tears ran freely down her face. I grabbed her and held her to me, rubbing her head softly as she cried into my chest. Liz had gotten up during this time to join us, sitting next to Nadia and rubbing her back. She had been holding that in for a little while now. I had to fight not to tear up right now myself. It was hard seeing my girls like this.
"Shh. We are okay, Nadi. Plus, this is Sid you are talking about. He would rush into a burning building to save a kitten." Liz said gently, although the look she gave me told me that we would be having a conversation about that when we had more alone time.
"It'll take more than some asshole demon to take me away from you two." I said, injecting as much positive thoughts into our bond as I could.
Nadia sniffled as she nuzzled my chest. I did feel bad, because my girls were right. I couldn't just stand by while people suffered and died, especially now that I could do something about it. Although, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I might have died if I had gone alone. Liz almost dying is what trigged my rage and allowed me to push past my limits like some kind of anime MC. I did not like admitting that I was stronger now because of that.
Nadia soon calmed down, and seemed to rather enjoy the way I was softly petting her head. Rya and Yuna had soft bemused smiles on their faces, while Thad and Carl continued glancing back and forth between Clyde and Lina. Clyde was trying to look anywhere but at us, and as for Lina... well, she was just kinda staring, almost longingly at us.
Nadia's tears eventually dried up, and I could feel where her tears had soaked parts of my flamboyant shirt. She still leaned against me, so I kept one of my arms around her as she snuggled into my side and cleared her throat.
"Um... I'm sorry." She said, her face slightly red.
"Nothing to apologize for sweetie." Yuna said gently.
"Your emotions are natural. No need to ever feel sorry about that." Carl said as he too smiled at her, with a subtle nod at me.
Thad and Rya voiced similar thoughts, but I kinda lost what they were saying as I continued to stare at the beautiful demon in front of us. Nothing about her screamed evil, malicious, untrustworthy, or dangerous. Those were some of the strongest feeling I felt inside of that cave. It was something in their aura that gave me that impression, and with hers leaking so much right now, it was easy for me to read her. She still looked sorrowful and regretful, and I didn't think she should feel that way at all.
Lina turned to look at Liz, and Liz in turn looked at her. Their eyes met each other's for a long time. I felt curiosity from our bond. Our feelings had pretty much intermingled, and both of my girls had come to the same conclusions that I had. Liz's hesitance was now gone, and now she just wanted to know what Lina was going to say.
"Elizabeth... I'm so sorry. If I was handing things like I should have been, I could have told you all not to go. If those demons weren't there looking for me, you would have never gotten hurt. None of you would have almost died. It's my fault. I am to blame, and I'll take responsibility. My father has kept my secret for so long, and has protected me as best he could, but in the end, people died because of me. And you all..." Lina broke off as she began to sob, and it hurt to look at.
My girls didn't blame her, and from the faces of everyone else in the room, neither did they. Yuna and Rya even looked saddened by her state. Thad and Carl didn't seem to know what to do or say, so they didn't say anything. Clyde had a worried look on his face, but there was no need for that.
"If you are going to punish someone..." She said, choking on her words, and that's when I had enough. That was going to far. I was pissed at those demons, not Lina.
"Stop." I said, standing, and reaching towards her.
Clyde's eyes widened, as he was to far away to stop me, but then he just looked befuddled as I closed the distance, and enclosed Lina in my arms. She tensed, her body going rigid as I wrapped her in a hug. It's what she needed, and I wanted her to know that she did nothing wrong.
"Just stop, Lina. You've been nothing but kind and genuine since I first talked to you. I'll admit to be very surprised by all of this, but how I see you hasn't changed. You don't control what others do. Those demons did this. That demon lord did this. Whatever or whoever you are trying to run away from did this. So stop blaming yourself, because I don't think anyone here blames you." I said softly as I rubbed her back gently to comfort her.
"You seem like a good woman. So, don't worry about this." Rya said comfortingly, and Yuna, Thad, and Carl echoed the sentiment. It was a nice thing to hear.
"The one who did this was already punished. Sid definitely made sure of that." Nadia said, and Lina began to tremble in my arms.
Liz gave me a gentle smile. Both of my girls were happy and proud of me for doing what I was doing. That's who I was, after all.
"And I don't blame you either. So just breathe, and relax Lina. You're with friends." Liz said, and those were the words that finally broke through.
Lina began to sob as she clutched at me, squeezing me so tight it made me grunt. She was goddamn strong. It wasn't enough to do any damage to me, and I just comforted her as she cried. She was definitely a very emotional person, and the guilt she must have felt over all of this really told me more about her character. She was a good woman.
I did my best to ignore the feeling of her lithe body, and her firm breasts pushing against me as it was very improper for the situation. The aura her body emitted was... well, strange. It must be something about her demonic aura, because it was actually having a subtle effect on my libido. I was able to push it aside, but the effect was felt all the same. Her horns rested between my head rather well, almost capturing me in a way.
"You see? What you are is not of importance to us. It's who you are that matters to us." I said, causing her to sniffle against my chest, and then she turned her head up to look at me.
I gave her my best reassuring smile as I used my thumb to wipe away her tears. Something about this woman captivated me in that moment, and it reminded me of the first time I saw my girls for the first time. Those beautiful pink eyes held my gaze for a long moment. She gave me a teary eyed smile.
"Thank you... all of you." She said, and everyone else echoed their approval.
"And don't worry, your secret is safe with us." I said, looking at everyone else, and they all nodded, and added their agreement as well.
Clyde sagged in relief, but he gave me a curious, and also thankful look. The air seemed to tremble around his tree trunk sized neck as he nodded at me, and I nodded back. I was so thankful to be surrounded by such good people. Just then, a maid walked in, and opened her mouth to speak, but then froze at the scene before her. I assumed seeing me holding a gorgeous demoness in my arms was a wild fucking sight to say the least.
"Yes, Trinity?" Rya asked, and the maid blinked, and then cleared her throat.
"Umm... the meal is... ready." She said, pausing in between words as she struggled to comprehend the scene.
I think the scene finally caught up to Lina, and her face went from light to a red so dark that anyone else would think she spent way too long out in the sun. Her ears were tinged red as well, and I couldn't help but admire how fucking cute she looked at this moment. Liz and Nadia snickered. I felt a little heat on my face, but not as much as I would have a week ago. Having two girlfriends really helps with that. I released Lina.
"Sorry." I said, scratching the back of my head.
She played with one of her bangs, and she had a slight smirk on her face.
"No, i-it's fine. Thank you... for that." She said shyly, and my heart actually felt like it was going to burst cuteness overload.
Rya smirked at me, and Yuna gave me a cheeky wink. I had to refrain from rolling my eyes. I already had two women as it was... but this feeling I was getting when I looked at her was just... I don't know. Either way, she seemed like a nice girl, and one I would definitely like to get to know better. I would be working with her after all.
"Well, shall we eat?" Rya asked, drawing me out of the staring contest I was having with Lina's curves. She blushing furiously, and I had to admit, I kinda was too.
We all made our way to the dining room, and I was greeted to the most perfectly cooked and expensive steak dinner I'd ever eaten in my life. Money definitely had its benefits, and that did remind me that I wasn't really struggling anymore myself either. I'd soon be making way more money than I'd ever need, and the money I already had seemed like way too much. I still had to ask about a new bank or something, preferably one that deals with paranormals and whatnot. That could wait though, because my stomach could not.
It was nice to just have everyone here conversing and getting along so well. Rya, Thad, Carl. Yuna, and Clyde were all talking together about family related topics and work endeavors, while my girls decided to converse with Lina, with me joining in from time to time. We just had a lot of heavy conversation, and now was the time for lighter ones.
Liz and Nadia were definitely talking up a storm with Lina, admiring her skin, her horns, her tail, and just overall showering her with compliments. Lina was so red I could almost feel the heat from here. The bond told me that they were being truthful to her about what they said, and that they were also just generally interested in getting to know her. I also felt their amusement, but also an interest in Lina just as great as my own.
I also had to hold myself back from laughing at the way Rya and Yuna were teasing their husbands, with both men looking exasperated. Clyde would get a sad look on his face every now and then, but only for a moment, and then it was gone just a quickly as it had appeared. I tuned myself back in to the conversation between the girls.
"So, Lina, you work with your dad at the station?" Liz asked.
"I do. He's helped me so much, that I wanted to help him too. I'm really good with the menial stuff that most people bawk at. Paperwork, sitting in front of a computer for hours, that sorta thing." Lina replied.
"He said he found you a while ago, yet you don't look any older than any of us." Nadia said, and Lina smiled softly.
"Well, demons age differently. When dad found me, I was already around 25, and it would be another 15 years after that before I fully matured to how I am now. We age slowly, and once we reach adulthood, we kinda just stop aging. There are many ageless paranormals, but I'm sure you're aware that most you age in line with humans, reaching your adulthood normally." Lina replied, and my girls nodded.
"Wow. So... you're a lot older than we are." Liz said, then she looked pensive, "Sorry. That sounded rude."
Lina let out a musical laugh that felt like it flooded my brain with dopamine.
"I'm not offended at all, Elizabeth, but yes. I don't look it, but I'm over 50 years old." Lina said, and while I had already gathered that, it was still jarring to hear.
This beautiful and young looking woman was almost twice as old as I was, yet she looked and acted just like either of my girls.
"What about before Clyde found you? You have a mom, don't you?" Nadia asked, and none of us missed the pained look on Lina's face, causing Nadia to instantly feel terrible for asking.
"I'd... rather not talk about that, if that's okay with you." Lina said with a slight frown, and Nadia quickly apologized.
"Oh, of course! I'm sorry, Lina." She said quickly.
Lina gave her a sad smile.
"It's okay. It's normal to be curious, it's just not something I want to talk about. I try to forget the times before I met my dad."
I looked over at Clyde, who had a smile on his face, but he also looked a little sad as she spoke. There was a lot here that I wanted to know about, but if Lina was uncomfortable with talking about it, we weren't going to push her. Suddenly, I was drawn to the conversation between Rya, Thad, Carl, and Yuna as I heard my name being mentioned.
"Sid does it! Look at him. He's far younger than any of us, and he can handle two women just fine." Yuna complained to Carl, who just sighed.
"Sweetheart, you are more than enough for me. I've told you this. I am perfectly happy with you, and quite frankly, I might not survive adding another one." Carl said, a hand on his forehead.
Yuna pouted at him.
"I don't see how having another person to love and take care of you is a bad thing." Yuna huffed, and Rya began to giggle.
Thad was pretty much acting like that particular conversation wasn't even happening, and Clyde just looked befuddled as all fuck.
"Is this conversation actually happening?" He asked, his eyes unblinking.
Liz and Nadia were both hiding their faces, both red as Lina's skin, while Lina was just giggling to herself. I wasn't gonna lie, I couldn't stop chuckling under my breath. Everyone decided to laugh at me earlier, so fair is fair as far as I'm concerned.
It was a little while later, just everyone finished up and moved on to dessert, when Carl actually engaged with me.
"Hey Sid, I've been curious about something." He said, and I turned to give him my full attention.
"Hmm?" I mumbled around a mouthful of cake and ice cream.
"Something you said earlier stuck in my mind. You said that when you unleashed your power, you felt something inside of you break?" He asked me, and I nodded, wondering where this was going.
"That's right. Right here." I told him as I pointed at my chest, right around where my core was.
"Hmm, well that has me in intrigued, and I want to help you seeing as you're pretty much family now. I was wondering if you would want to come to my place tomorrow so I can take a look. I have all of the equipment we'd need to see inside of that chest of yours. I am a doctor, after all." He said, and I blinked.
That was a really fucking good idea. Carl worked in the medical field, so of course he might be able to do something for me. I just never really thought to hard about that feeling in my chest, but after today, there was definitely a connection between it and my power. If I could figure that out, and become stronger because of it, that would help me better protect those I cared about.
"Yes!" I said hurriedly, and he nodded, and gave me a small smile.
"Sounds good to me. I don't work tomorrow, so really any time will be good for me. Anyone else is welcome as well. We will get to the bottom of this, Sid." He paused, looked at Nadia, and then turned back to me, "I'd also like to see the power of yours to strengthen someone's core. Perhaps on my little one."
I looked at Nadia, to see her face brimming with excitement.
"Please???" She begged, and I chuckled.
"Definitely. I was planning on it anyways." I said, and she practically jumped for joy.
"I'll be there." Thad said, with Rya echoing her agreement.
"Duty calls for us, but do let us know how it goes." Clyde said, with Lina nodding at him, and I nodded back.
"Of course." I said.
With that settled, and with a decent plan going forward, we proceeded to wind down and wrap up for the night. The mansion staff came and cleaned up the table. It was getting pretty late at this point, and most of us were rightly exhausted. I was going to spend the night here with Liz and Nadia, so currently we were walking with everyone towards the exit.
As we made our way out into the cool night air, Yuna made rounds with everyone, and she came up and gave me a great big hug.
"Thank you for taking such good care of our girls. You're a brave young man, and I feel safe leaving them in your hands." She said, and then she leaned up and whispered, "So, you better take even better care of them tonight."
Okay, I guess I lied earlier, because my cheeks felt like someone smacked them with a hot frying pan. Yuna let out a satisfied laugh as she patted my cheek and hopped away.
"Jesus..." I muttered as I cleared my throat, and got ahold of myself. That was a fucking critical hit.
Carl came up to me next, and held out his hand. I took it, and we shook hands firmly.
"You're a good man, Sid. Thank you for keeping my little fox safe. I'll see you tomorrow. Don't be too late, but also not too early." He said with a wink, and left to go and say goodbye to everyone else.
During that time while everyone else was saying their goodbyes, Clyde came up to me, shook my hand, and said.
"Well done today, Sid. You've more than proven that I made the right call by picking you up. If you need anything, you just let me know. And thank you for treating my Lina so well." He said, looking over at where she was talking to Yuna and Rya, who both were giving her heaps of praise, causing her to blush furiously.
"Of course. She's a wonderful person." I said with a smile, but that did make me wonder something, so I leaned in close to Clyde, "Does she ever mention anything about where she came from, or her mom?"
Clyde looked back to make sure no one else was paying attention, and then he looked at me and shook his head.
"No. All she's ever mentioned is that her home was a terrible place, and that her mom sent her here to live a better life. She's never opened up to me about it in all this time, but I've also never pushed her on it. If it hurts her, I won't make her relive it." He said, and I just nodded and accepted that.
If she wanted to forget and live life the way she wanted to, there was nothing wrong with that. It was probably a strange question to ask, but I wanted to know. Even if it was only for a moment, the sadness in her expression when her mother was mentioned had gotten to me. There was definitely something there, but if she ever wanted to tell us, then she would in time.
"I see. I'll just leave it then." I said, and Clyde gave me a grateful smile, but what he said next really made me think.
"Sid, she really seems like you and your uh... women. Whatever is bothering her, she won't tell me, but that doesn't mean she won't eventually tell me. Or maybe... she'll tell people she's close to. My little Lina is a strong and proud girl. Despite being nothing like any demon I've ever met, she definitely has the pride of one. Part of me feels like that is also a factor that keeps her from completely opening up. I hope you will continue to treat her well." He said.
I wasn't sure what to say. If she hadn't opened up to the man she thought of as her father after so long, I highly doubted anything I did would change that. Then again... something about her just kept drawing me in. That other part of me, the King, was telling me otherwise. It was telling me to keep her close, to protect her, to make her mine.
I shook my head. I already had two wonderful women as it was. It already felt like I speed ran my relationship with them, even if it did feel right. And now I'd probably have to talk to them about this, as they could most definitely feel the things I felt.
"We will do our best. Don't worry Clyde." I replied, and he nodded again, and held out his hand, and we shook firmly.
"Thank you, Sid. All that being said, I'm looking forward to Monday. I'll give you your debit card then too." He said, and I smiled, as excitement filled me
"Sounds good to me. By the way, where can I go to deposit the money you gave me? I still just kinda having it lying around." I muttered, and he laughed.
"Not used to it, are you? No worries Sid, I'll help you with all of that and more after your first day. For now, just enjoy your weekend. You've earned a break." He said, and with that, we exchanged another handshake as Lina came up to us.
"Good to see you two getting along so well." Lina said with a smile.
"I think Sid and I will get along swimmingly. I can't wait to see the things we can all accomplish together." Clyde said, and he was practically vibrating with excitement.
Lina looked at her father with a bemused smile before she turned to me, and gave me a smile that was gentle, and so goddamn cute.
"Thank you for everything today, Sid. I look forward to working with you." She said.
"Me too. I'd like to get to know you better, and I hope we can become good friends." I replied, causing her cheeks to redden even more, but her smile was infectious.
"I'd like that." She said, and held her hand out to me.
I took her hand gently, and offered her a small bow as I did so, and she just blushed even more.
"A true gentleman. We will definitely get along great!" Clyde said, slapping me on the back, and I felt my spine rearrange itself from that.
With our final goodbyes said, everyone eventually took off, and we all began to make our way back inside, with my girls on either side of me. Once we were back in the living room, Thad and Rya turned to us.
"Well, I'm going to turn in." He turned to Rya, who had a look in her eyes like a hungry tiger. He swallowed, and then said, "Uh, maybe I can stay up a bit longer."
Rya smirked him.
"Good answer. Now you three, I suggest you all get some rest. Today was hard for all of us." She said, then she winked at us, and came over and hugged Liz.
Liz took it, and once she was free from the hug, she looked at, and turned scarlett. Rya then turned to look at me.
"Keep it down, will you?" She asked with a cheeky grin, and I heard Thad groan in the background.
Hell, I turned red too. She smiled at us one last time before she turned around, grabbed Thad's wrist, and hauled him away. I looked at Liz, and more so, at what was in her hand. It was a metal disc with a huge rune on it.
"What's that?" I asked, and Liz looked at me with red cheeks.
"It's... well... a sound dampening rune." She said, causing Nadia to flush a bit as well.
I just blinked rapidly.
"Huh." I asked dumbly.
"Once I activate it... no one will be able to hear anything inside the room it's in." She said, causing Nadia's flush to transform into a mischievous smile.
"I'm not that tired yet..." She said in a sultry tone that immediately sent my blood flowing south.
"I do feel... pretty good. I could stay up a little bit longer." Liz said with eyes that told me all that I needed to know.
My mouth was suddenly incredibly dry.
"Well... god damn..."