

The Runaround:

Finding the Faerie

By Chessela Helm

Copyright 2016 by Chessela Helm

Published at Smashwords

### Chapter 1: Curiosity

Thealla

Sure, dating your coworkers could end horribly, and dating people who lived in your apartment complex had an equally high risk. So moving into one building with nineteen people you'd also work with meant the potential for breaking up and being miserable increased exponentially. Thealla knew logically that starting a relationship with one of the other Junior Congresspeople would be a terrible idea.

But lust simply didn't listen to logic.

When that email went through announcing this year's Junior representatives of the United States Non-Human Congress and Thealla saw the nineteen pictures of her coworkers, all she could think was, 'Damn. That's a lot of hot.'

Some of them she already counted as friends. Most of the representatives from Earth had spent high school competing on the national debate circuit. Besides being friends with the other vampire, Thealla knew both weres, both witches, and the succubus and incubus. The only people she didn't know from the Earthen realm were the two nature demons. The representatives from the other realms – the shades, Fae, angels, devils, and gods – she'd never had any opportunity to meet.

Still, she'd looked at almost every picture and seriously contemplated whether she could fuck them without any harmful effects. She only dismissed Jeremy as a potential partner because he'd made it very clear over the years he'd never been attracted to women, and even if he got bored enough to experiment, he wouldn't do it within his species where there'd be a risk of pregnancy.

As she pulled her car into the parking lot of her new apartment building, she prepared to be surrounded by gorgeous twenty-two to twenty-three year olds. She would either let loose and have the time of her life sexually, or she would play it safe and live in a land of horndog regret and missed chances.

Thealla unloaded her angry cat (apparently cross-country car trips weren't fun), grabbed her purse, and headed inside. She didn't call her friends because she wanted to get her car unpacked with no distractions. Luckily she met no one in the lobby, elevator, or third floor hallway. Inside the apartment, she let poor Tabitha out of her carrier, dumped her purse on the kitchen counter, and headed downstairs.

Three trips later, Thealla's sweaty ass wished she'd asked her friends for help. She headed into the hallway to make one more trip to the car and practically tripped over her feet when a man emerged from next door.

She recognized him immediately as the male Fae representative, Kian. If his chiton-like garment hadn't given him away, his long black hair ending in different lengths and emerald eyes would have set him apart. He looked a little wild, like he came from the primordial forest. She couldn't help staring at him. Not only did he look thoroughly out of place, he was the most gorgeous man she'd ever seen. Kian had impressed her in his photograph, but in real life his narrow face and angular features made movie stars look yawn-worthy.

It took her a second to realize he'd started staring back. Between his wrinkled brow and frown he seemed to disapprove. That didn't surprise her – the Fae were generally pretty full of themselves. She'd only met two people from the Fae realm, and they'd been stuck up jerks.

"Hi," Thealla said in an attempt to guilt him into being polite.

He pulled back, shook his head, and turned his frown into a slight smile. "Hello. You must be the vampire. How do you pronounce your name?"

"Thee-oll-uh. And you're Kian?"

"Pleasure to meet you." He put his right hand towards her and she shook it. "Did you just get here today?"

"Yeah. With just enough time to sort out the movers before I need to get ready for the welcome party."

Kian opened his mouth, but whatever he was going to say got lost when the door across the hallway opened. Jeremy shouted Thealla's name loudly, then dragged her into a hug. By the time he stepped back, Kian had disappeared into the elevator. Damn.

"What's the matter?" Jez asked.

"Hmmm? Oh, I was talking to Kian and he just disappeared."

Jez waved a hand. "You know how the Fae are. It's their world, we're just existing in it. Why didn't you call and tell me you were here?"

"I wanted to unload the car before I saw anyone. I have to make one more trip down, and the movers should be here within ten minutes. Let's put the reunion on hold until after my apartment has things in it."

"Come knock on my door when you're done, then."

When the movers finally left, Thealla had barely enough energy to let Tabitha out of the bathroom before collapsing on her kitchen stool. According to her phone she had two hours before the welcome party, and she still needed to drink dinner and take a shower. She wouldn't have time to play catch up with Jez. Popping the top of a pureed butternut squash soup box, she lifted it to her lips.

Being a vampire in real life was a lot less glamorous than in fiction. She didn't have super strength or speed. She couldn't turn into a bat or a cloud of mist. Instead she had a long life expectancy, a few magical abilities to ensure she wouldn't be hunted down and killed, and a weak digestive system. Vampires drank blood for its nutrients, and animal blood had the same health value as human blood. Since a little of it went a long way, the majority of Thealla's diet consisted of juice and soup. Somehow she couldn't see Hollywood making a movie about a vampire hanging out in an L.A. smoothie place in the middle of the afternoon.

The rest of Thealla's getting ready routine look little time. Her naturally wavy hair somehow managed to maintain 'just got fucked' volume all day, so after post-shower blow drying she just had to pull a comb through it. She decided to wear a bit of makeup since this would be an opportunity to dress up and look pretty. She'd always been too lazy to paint up every morning. If men could be considered handsome without cosmetics, she could be considered pretty. But she wouldn't deny the sex appeal of smoky eyes and wine colored lipstick.

She slipped into the hallway and found someone else waiting for the elevator. The male angel stood in profile, and his white, fluffy wings looked incredible. She wondered how they bent when he sat on chairs or laid down. With medium brown hair that went to his shoulder blades, he had a face that would make male models weep with jealousy. Though he wore a white suit with a white shirt, he'd apparently felt naughty enough to add a red tie. He seemed pretty buff under the suit. Did angels work out? Was there crossfit in Heaven?

When Thealla approached, he turned with a smile. Dear gods. What a face. She had to slow her pace to keep from tripping on her high heels. Much like Kian, the angel's picture hadn't done him justice.

"Hello. I am Azkadek," he said in a voice that sounded calming and warm.

"Thealla."

"Nice to meet you. Vampire, correct?"

Thealla nodded. "And I can see you're the angel."

Azkadek laughed. "We are hard to mistake for other beings."

"Definitely. Can you sit in regular chairs?"

"Yes, the muscles in my wings are flexible and the bones fold easily. And I can fly. Everyone asks that."

"I already knew angels can fly. I do a lot of research into non-humans. We're representing each other, after all."

Azkadek smiled again. "Good to know you take your work seriously. I do as well. Although, it is nice to relax and have fun like we will at our welcome party. I suppose I would shock people if I drank too much tonight."

"I know seven of the other people here, and trust me, not much shocks us."

"Good. I only know the female angel. We both moved in yesterday."

"Nice. How did you get your stuff moved in from Heaven?" Heaven was one of the realms connected to the Earthen realm by magic. Most of the realms had been created as Afterworlds where humans and Earthen non-humans went to live after they died. Each Afterworld had a living non-human population to administrate it. While places like Vyriy, Qudlivun, Patala, Kur, Asamando, Pulotu, and Alam Ghaib attracted people from the same geographical area with shared mythology, six Afterworlds had become popular desinations for people of all ethnic backgrounds.

Heaven welcomed Judeo-Christians so they could be with the god Yahweh. He really did have a son named Jesus. Both had spent time on the Earthen realm and spread their religious beliefs. Heaven had a reputation for being a bit of a goody-goody place, with angels being classically polite and not rebellious.

The intellectuals gathered in Duat, home of the Egyptian gods. Scientists and philosophers theorized and tested there. Elysium, where the Greek gods came from, had all the artists. Valhalla's Germanic and Scandinavian gods hosted the bold, physical, sporty types of folks. The Incan gods lived in Ukhu Pacha and gathered those who wanted their urban spaces to reflect the landscape.

Lastly, Yomi-no-kuni sought a balance of all of those elements for each person. While its gods went to Japan to start Shinto mythology, few shared their names on the Earthen realm, instead befriending nature demons and making them an integral part of Asian religions.

The only place that took the bad folks, the Earthers who'd fucked up in life and weren't allowed to go anywhere else, was Hell. Devils ran it, and it had many other names.

Since Azkadek had been chosen as the official angel representative, she knew he'd come from Heaven rather than being a fallen angel. The fallen rejected the supremacy of Yahweh and Jesus and chose to live in other Afterworlds or the Earthen realm.

"The portals to the other realms are in the basement of the building next to us. I transported my things to the portal there, then hired non-human movers here to bring things through the portal and up to the apartment. I felt fortunate they gave us our first paycheck last week."

"Yeah, it paid for my movers, too. So does the Congress help you get identification cards?"

"There is a non contractor who makes the cards and documents. I came once to order them and returned a few weeks later to pick them up. On the second visit I opened an account at the bank run by non-humans."

The elevator doors opened and they stepped inside.

Thealla smiled. "It's cool we have our own lounge in this building to hang out in. I love that the program really encourages the Juniors to spend a lot of time together."

"Yes, I look forward to getting to know people who are not angels. Heaven can become a bit boring after a while. That is why I have gone into earthbound politics."

"Makes sense. Earth is a lot of things, but boring isn't one of them."

They stepped off the elevator and walked into the lounge. She scanned the room and found a bar with a bartender, a table with snacks, and the other angel.

The angel could best be described as gorgeous. She had pale skin and light blonde hair that seemed to go on forever.

"Hello, Layla," said Azkadek. "This is Thealla. Thealla, meet Layla."

Layla smiled sweetly. "Nice to meet you."

"Did you two know each other in Heaven?" Thealla asked.

"We never met in person," Layla said. "We talked on our own version of your internet. Heaven is a big place. Bigger than the Earthen realm, and Azkadek and I are half a world away."

Azkadek nodded. "Layla and I have been talking since we were in school. We take most of our classes through the cloud, because we don't have many cities, and it is hard to have physical schools when people are spread out. The cloud is what we call our internet. It apparently has become a phrase here, too."

"Interesting," said Thealla. "There isn't a lot of information about Heavenly society. Your people are not very fond of writing about themselves."

"True. We rarely go to other realms," Layla said.

Layla gave Azkadek a sweet but definitely interested smile. He didn't seem as intrigued by Layla as he did by Thealla, though. Thealla felt entirely too smug about that. The faerie may have ditched her at the first chance, but the angel had been giving her warm looks.

The door opened, and Thealla's friends Rashid, Carlos and Philippa came in. Rashid was a werehyena, and Carlos and Philippa represented the witches.

Thealla grinned. "Looks like the trouble got here."

"Don't you know it," said Carlos. "Baby girl, you are looking beyond amazing. I swear, you get prettier every time I see you."

"You're looking good yourself. Hey, Rashid and Philippa. Have you met the angels?" Thealla asked.

Introductions were made, and drinks were asked for from the bartender.

"So, who wants to bet Nina's twenty minutes late?" asked Carlos.

"No one who knows Nina would bet against that," Philippa said. "I don't think anyone who doesn't know Nina would bet against it. Have you ever met a succubus or incubus who could manage to be on time?"

Rashid snorted. "Nope. Not even for debate rounds. I had to wait ten minutes for her to show up to a finals round once. The judges were considering calling it a forfeit. It was eleven o'clock at night, too."

"Debate rounds?" asked Azkadek.

"We all know each other from high school debate," Carlos said. "Rashid was a dumbass and did it in college, too. The rest of us wanted to have lives."

Rashid shrugged. "I like winning."

"So do you introduce yourself to people as a national debate champion?" Carlos asked. "Is that how you get dates?"

"I get dates because of my sparkling personality," Rashid said. "I always wondered how you got them, though. You use magic, don't you?"

"Nah. Witches got game, homes." Carlos grinned. He showed off a row of perfectly white teeth that contrasted against his golden brown skin. With dark brown hair just long enough to get into his eyes, plenty of stubble, and dark blue tattoos on his neck, he looked like a sexy treat. Thealla had always wanted to hook up with Carlos in high school, but the debate circuit thrived on gossip, and she didn't want to be known for her sex life. Rather, she wanted her reputation to be founded solely on her debate skills. Plus she'd never found out if Carlos even wanted her. He flirted with her, but did he actually want to hook up?

Rashid had always tempted her just as much. Tall with dark brown skin, dreadlocks, and sexy lips, he always seemed to be smirking at the world. Maybe that was a hyena thing. His debate nickname, The Scavenger, supposedly came from his ability to pick through nearly forgotten smaller arguments and turn them into bigger ones. But the non-humans all knew where it really came from.

"So, who says we go out and hit Manhattan tomorrow night?" Carlos asked. "I hear the club for nons here is off the hook."

"We have to work the next day," Thealla said. "Pass."

Carlos shrugged. "If you can't work after a night of partying, you're not doing it right."

"Doing what right?" Philippa asked. "The working or the partying?"

"Who knows. Both? Do you really think I pay attention when I speak?" he asked.

"Just what I want out of my legislator," Rashid said.

"I'm pretty sure non-stop sarcasm isn't too high on most people's lists for public officials, either," Carlos said.

"You'd be surprised the traits that weres find attractive for their representatives," said Rashid.

The door opened again and six new arrivals came in. Thealla scanned them to see if Kian had come in, but sadly he hadn't. She wondered when the hot faerie would be joining them. Mmm. Joining with Kian. That sounded like a damn good idea.

Kian

Kian glanced at the clock as he got out of the shower, noting with irritation he was still running late. He'd wanted to get downstairs for the party as soon as it started, but he'd lost track of time while decorating his new apartment. Hanging textile art could be very complex, especially the three-dimensional hung off ceilings kind. He'd wanted to cover all the dull white walls with color, and he'd nearly done it. While his decorated apartment didn't have the depth of the murals in his suite at his parents' house, he now had a lot of bright colors to draw the eyes instead of that awful, sterile white.

Ortlan, his cat (or possibly Kian was Ortlan's faerie), stared up at him with big green eyes.

"I'm going downstairs. You'll have to amuse yourself." Kian tried to ignore the disappointed stare he received in return. Throwing on his clothes, he again reflected on how much easier the day would have been if he'd come to the Earthen realm when he wanted to.

He'd hoped to move in Thursday, the first day the new Juniors were allowed to occupy their apartments. Unfortunately, his parents decided to throw him a going away party. Like any Fae gathering, what could have been simple became hopelessly drawn out. A horse riding tournament happened Thursday, followed by a dinner and dance, and then on Friday they had a picnic lunch.

Kian might have been able to escape that afternoon, but his parents insisted on a family dinner. With eight brothers and sisters, most of whom were married, family dinners held no real intimacy. But family ties were strong in the Fae realm, and Kian remained a dutiful son and brother.

So this morning at daybreak he'd traveled to the portal with everything that could be taken into the Earthen realm. He'd begun decorating after the movers got his furniture in place, then had lunch with Shaunessey, the other Fae representative.

He'd started talking to the pixie online when they got their acceptances to the Junior program. Today marked their first time to meet in person. They'd gotten along instantly, which relieved Kian greatly. They'd be working together closely, and a good rapport would make his life much easier. Both of them were interested in living and dating outside of the Fae realm, something quite rare among their kind. He found it nice to finally have someone who understood him.

After Shaunessey returned to her apartment, Kian had tried decorating again, but he really wanted to go outside to the courtyard and appreciate nature. Leaving his apartment he saw the vampire, Thealla.

What a vision. He'd always had a thing for brunettes, and the warm golden brown of Thealla's hair could rarely be seen in the Fae realm. Her hair looked decadent and divine, and he wanted to run his hands through it, preferably while kissing her on her rosebud lips. They'd looked so tempting he had to physically stop himself from walking over and taking her mouth with his. That probably wasn't a good way to get to know a woman. He needed to talk to her, find some common ground, and then he could kiss her.

Crap. He looked down at where his hard-on pushed out his robe. Not the best look to have when meeting eighteen people. He didn't want them labeling him some kind of sex maniac. 'Hi, I'm a talented political administrator, but I can't keep my dick in my pants.' Nope. Not what he was going for.

A knock on the door made him head to the entry. He opened it just wide enough to show his face. Shaunessey stood there looking nervous.

"Hi! Do you want to go down together?" she asked.

"Sure. But I need a few minutes."

"Oh. I can wait in the hallway."

Despite her words, Shaunessey looked a little disappointed to be alone. Kian opened the door all the way and waved her inside. She already knew he wasn't a pervert, so he didn't care if she saw him tenting his clothes. In fact he gestured to his arousal and shook his head. She laughed.

"Oh, well, that can't be good. What were you doing?"

"Thinking of kissing Thealla. I met her earlier in the day."

"Oooh. I remember you talking about her when we saw everyone's pics. Is she still your number one pick for a hottie hookup?"

Kian laughed. "A hottie hookup?"

Shaunessey shrugged. "I read romance novels from every realm. So is she?"

"I'm interested in more than just a hookup. Although if she wasn't I suppose I'd be amenable to something casual. I just... I find myself drawn to her."

"I love it. Sexy and sweet times on the horizon. Well, best of luck with it. I don't see any reason she wouldn't want to be with you."

"Thank you, but many on the Earthen realm have met our Fae brethren and developed a bad opinion of us."

"So true. Or even just heard about how most Fae present themselves in this realm. I can't stand that feeling of superiority. We're not better than the people of the Earthen realm. Of course, half the Fae think they're better than the other half of the Fae." She rolled her eyes.

Kian felt abruptly guilty over the difference between his circumstances and Shaunessey's. His family were rich aristocrats, and though his parents could be snobbish, they weren't cruel. Shaunessey had been born to poverty with abusive parents. She'd started working as a teenager and moved out on her own, struggling financially. When moving this week she'd needed the furniture Congress provided to shades and off-realmers since she had very little of her own. In contrast, Kian had to leave half his things in the Fae realm.

While Kian had the best tutors to educate him, Shaunessey attended underfunded state schools. No wonder she wanted to make a career on the Earthen realm. There was literally nothing for her in the Fae realm.

Kian's desire to live and work in this realm had nothing to do with lack of choices. He'd always been fascinated by the Earthen realm. While he knew they had a class system, too, it didn't seem as pronounced as the system in the Fae realm. For instance, he and Shaunessey had spent the past year doing the same job for different provinces. She'd been paid barely enough to scrape by whereas he made three times her salary. The difference wasn't their work ethic, rather that he came from a higher class. He found that spectacularly unfair. Here on the Earthen realm, they'd make the same amount of money.

"I'm sorry you had to struggle for so long there," Kian said. "I hope that you're able to stay here and have a better life."

"I hope the same for you," Shaunessey said with a smile.

"My life was already good." Not entirely true, but how could he complain when he'd been so blessed compared to her?

She gave him a shrewd look. "I know you weren't happy, Kian. Just because you had material things doesn't mean you had a good life."

"If I had everything handed to me in the Fae realm and was unhappy, what are the chances that I'll be happy here?" Kian blurted out.

"High. Because this is the right place for us. I have faith in that. You need to have faith in that, too."

Kian swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded. He was so touched by Shaunessey's support. But now he felt too raw and emotional to go downstairs and put on his party face.

"Can we stay here for a few minutes and just talk about something frivolous?"

"Absolutely. Do you want to hear about my pick for hottie hookup?"

He grinned. "Do tell."

### Chapter 2: Lust

Thealla

The gods, devils and ghosts had arrived. Galaxia, the goddess, had chin length brown hair and an athletic body. She was Elysian royalty – the granddaughter of Artemis. Thealla couldn't imagine being related to someone who'd been worshipped on Earth in ancient times. Imagine the stories Galaxia must have grown up hearing.

The male god came from Duat. Mot's skin seemed like it might actually be gold. His black hair was just long enough to be spiky. He had perfectly sculpted eyebrows and cheekbones that would probably draw blood. He smiled at the room before turning to Galaxia to converse.

Both devils had deep red skin and purple eyes. While the cloven hooves and tails were a myth, their fingernails did look somewhat claw-like. The woman, Zara, had short black hair and a warm smile. Beauregard's smile seemed more mischievous. He had a college teaching assistant vibe with his bald head, wire glasses, nose ring, goatee and pointed lips. If Thealla had TA's that hot she'd have gotten into a whole ream of trouble.

Finally, the two shades both managed to be semi-corporeal with defined colors and only a slightly misty look. Maria, a short Hispanic girl with wavy hair and pretty, rounded features, smiled engagingly at the room. Deepak looked like he'd just stepped out of a Bollywood movie, but when he noticed everyone staring at him he became less opaque. Thealla wondered if he had enough corporeal form to have sex. It varied with shades from what she'd read. When non-corporeal, shades could still sense each other, but they needed to be at least partially corporeal for non-humans and humans to notice them.

With the group growing too big to chat as one big unit, Thealla decided to spend time with people she didn't know, so she wandered over to Zara and Beauregard.

Zara was already teasing Beauregard. "Did you come fresh from torturing lost souls in the bowels of Hell?"

"Definitely. I brought my whips and chains, even. Want to come over later?"

She laughed. "I do women, sorry. What do you think, Thealla? You up for his chamber of submission?"

"Pass on the whole submission thing," Thealla said. "I'm more of a bitch in the driver seat kind of girl."

Beauregard's eyebrows lifted. "You and I are going to be very good friends, Thealla. And I'll be your passenger any time. I might even consider the backseat without a seatbelt."

Thealla laughed. "That does sound like a fun time. So is a goatee mandatory when you're a male devil?"

He shrugged. "I look terrible with hair, so I opted to go bald. Yet I've found people react better to some hair on my head. It makes me a little more approachable. An angel told me I looked scary without any hair. But then a lot of angels are scared of devils, even though they know we're not evil."

"There's still a lot of prejudice against devils," said Thealla.

"No shit," Zara said. "That's why we're here in Congress. To help combat that. But you don't have it easy. Some of the things people say to me about vampires being slutty? I want to slap them."

"They're not true?" Beauregard asked. "Oh, well, never mind, Thealla. I'll go after the succubus."

Thealla shook her head. "Thanks, trickster."

His grin widened. "You must be well versed on devils to know how to get into our hearts. Not many people call us tricksters."

"I try to learn what I can. And I appreciate the trickster mentality. I imagine it comes in handy in Hell."

The devils nodded.

"You have no idea," Zara said. "We get all of the assholes. Sometimes they realize they were dicks, and after becoming decent people get to go elsewhere, but a lot of them are there forever. So there's not much to do other than make them look like the assholes they are."

"I imagine it's kind of a dark place to grow up," said Thealla.

"Not at all," Beauregard said. "Devils all have extremely good senses of humor, because we have to. And growing up, we don't see a lot of shades. We're surrounded by other devils. Even the adults who work around shades have quite a bit of fun when they're off hours. Lots of barbecues, you know."

Thealla laughed. "You must be great at skewering people."

"I'd be happy to skewer you any time you wish."

"I still haven't decided whether the whole 'hooking up with other Juniors thing' is a good idea."

Zara nodded. "I feel like you have to keep some things separate."

Beauregard shrugged. "You'll be screwing the incubus, won't you?"

"I already know him, though," Thealla said.

"So? Now you know me. It's one thing if you're not interested in me."

"No, I'm interested. You're saying I should sleep with whoever I want, and not worry about things being awkward?"

"Life is awkward," Beauregard said. "That's what makes it lively."

Thealla grinned. "I like that mentality. I have a feeling if I spend enough time around you, I'll become a bit of a devil myself."

The doors opened again, and three people entered. Thealla knew two: Jeremy and Georgie. Georgie was a werewolf and one of Thealla's best friends from debate. They'd talked on the phone the previous night, so Thealla just waved to say hello.

The third person to enter the lounge totally caught her attention. The male nature demon, Hideo, had nearly white skin, and shiny black hair longer than Thealla's. His eyes had a ring of red around the pupil before blending into dark brown irises, and they looked a little bloodshot. Calling him gorgeous was an understatement. She'd never seen a Yurei in the flesh, but she imagined not many of them lived outside of Japan. From her research she'd found Yurei often worked as reapers, even though most reapers had died or were raised in the Afterworlds.

Thealla made the introductions between Jez, Georgie and the devils, then turned to Beauregard. "As much as I hate to make you feel like I'm not madly in love with you, I need to go talk to the Yurei. I'm dying."

"Don't blame you one bit."

Hideo had sidled up to the bar and asked for a sake martini. Thealla walked up and grinned.

"I'm Thealla."

He smiled, and the resemblance to a horror movie baddie stopped. "Hideo."

"I saw you're from the Bay. I'm down in L.A."

"I am indeed a Norcal boy. I always enjoy visiting L.A. I wouldn't mind moving down there."

Thealla immediately thought, 'I wouldn't mind moving into your pants.' Aloud, she said, "I always enjoy visiting north Cali."

"It's a fun place. But for the next year we'll be living the northeastern life. Have you been to New York City before?"

"I haven't. My parents like the West coast, and they didn't spend much on vacations. I ended up traveling a lot in high school, but I never made it to NYC. I plan on doing a few embarrassing touristy things over the next few weeks. Are you also a New York virgin?"

His smiled turn wolfish. "I'm not any kind of virgin. There aren't a whole lot of Japanese supernaturals in this country, so we use our magic to travel and meet each other. There's a community of other Yurei here. I've been a few times."

"Free traveling would be awesome. Vampire magic is pretty limited. Have you been to Japan? I'm slightly obsessed with J-horror."

"I have. I love it there, but it is a little crazy from all of the non-humans. Nature demons everywhere. What's your favorite movie?" "Noroi, definitely. I like Kairo, too, and Suicide Circle. And of course the Ringu series. Also, it isn't horror, but I love Battle Royale."

"All excellent choices. Do you do K-horror, too? I have a special love for the Whispering Corridors series."

Thealla brightened. "Me, too! And there's one that's just called The Ghost. I don't even know the Korean name."

"That sounds vaguely familiar. I've seen so many horror movies I've forgotten half of them. Do you like horror from other countries, too? There's some great stuff coming out of Europe."

"Yeah, I like all kinds of horror movies. And action movies. I guess I'm a big fan of violence. Not sure what that says about me."

He laughed. "That you find healthy ways of channeling your aggression. At least that's what I tell myself. I spend five hours a week reaping the dead and guiding them to the Afterworlds, which can be really depressing. I need to watch movies that take me out of that mindset."

"That's really awesome that you give back to the community like that. You look great tonight, by the way." She loved how his black windowpane shirt had a little sheerness, and he'd left it untucked over navy pants. His black shoes had some cool silver accents, and his silver watch had exposed gears. The whole look seemed very upscale club, whereas a lot of the other Junior guys had dressed in business clothes.

"Thanks. I should be saying that to you. You look far better than I ever have in my life." Hideo winked.

"Apparently you don't own a mirror," Thealla said before thinking. Then she blushed.

He just smiled. "And here I thought this party was going to be on the boring side."

"Wait until Nina gets here. Although it's not quite late enough."

Just as she said that, the doors opened. But instead of the succubus, they saw the two Fae and Vayana, a tree spirit who represented the female half of the nature demon duo.

Thealla wanted to check out the two women, but she couldn't keep her eyes off Kian. He wore another man-dress thing that only went over one shoulder, and it showed a body lithe yet muscular. Despite the distance, she could still see his piercing green eyes. They were so like emeralds they even seemed to sparkle. Breathtaking.

Kian didn't smile, but she couldn't tell if he was actively unhappy or just had resting pout face. His eyes roamed across the room, looking at each person in turn. When he got to Thealla, he nodded and smiled. She smiled back and sighed a little because he looked positively dreamy when he smiled.

Thealla realized how rude she'd been and turned back to Hideo, but found him staring at the Fae woman. A pixie, Shaunessey had small butterfly-like wings in purple and black, which contrasted nicely with her curly, dirty blonde hair. As beautiful as any Fae, she looked even more ethereal in another Fae outfit. The Fae generally didn't deign to dress like those on the Earthen realm unless they were in public.

Of course, the Fae didn't deign to do much to make other people happy. Their arrogance sometimes astonished her. Why did they bother with the Earthen realm at all? How much fun was it to walk around somewhere you thought you were better than everyone else?

She shifted her focus to Vayana. The female nature demon had skin that seemed to blend every ethnicity, with hair a grayed out brown like the color of tree trunks. A wreath of leaves balanced on her hair. She appeared to have green eyes and wore a green dress. She wouldn't need to use a glamour to look human like Hideo or the Fae would. A beautiful woman, she smiled openly at everyone.

Finished gawking, Thealla faced Hideo, but he was still staring at Shaunessey. After a second he shook his head and turned to Thealla.

"They are beautiful, aren't they?" he asked. "But such asswipes."

Thealla laughed. "Couldn't have said it better myself. But I suppose we should try to play nice. We will be working with them, after all."

"True. So you were telling me about yourself, Thealla."

"Was I?"

"No, but you should have been." His wolfish grin returned.

Just then the door slammed open. Nina and Toby had arrived. With everyone's eyes on them, Nina kicked the door shut and waved. She was definitely used to getting attention. Nina seemed made to be looked at. Her multi-racial heritage gave her light brown skin, but she'd also picked up light brown hair and the palest yellow-green eyes Thealla had ever seen. The combination of tones looked exotic compared to anyone else. As usual, Nina wore something very tight, very revealing, and very sexy. With her perfect hourglass figure and gently muscled arms and legs, she looked like a fantasy. Thealla sighed. Anyone who'd been looking at her would now focus on Nina.

Toby looked great, as always. His dark brown chin length hair with its blonde chunks looked extra satiny today, and his brown eyes were alight with pleasure. A smirk crossed his face. He could possibly out-model Kian. He wore a maroon shirt with the top two buttons open tucked into charcoal grey slacks on the tight side. Their thin fabric did little to cover his groin area, and like all incubi, Toby was packing.

Thealla remembered having that big boy inside of her. She had come so hard. Heck, she could barely walk after they finished. As much as she'd avoided casual sex with anyone else on the debate circuit, she'd made an exception for Toby. Sex with an incubus or succubus healed a person physically and emotionally, so when she lost an important quarterfinals round, she'd asked Toby to find a teacher's bathroom and cheer her up. Since he was always up for sex, he'd fucked her until she didn't care about qualifying for the biggest national tournament of the year. As it turned out, she'd gotten her bid the next weekend. Apparently incubi powers even healed debate mojo.

Toby laughed at the room's reaction to his entrance, but Nina decided to keep everyone's focus on her.

"Hello, everyone! The party can now officially begin! Who's having fun? Who's horny? I hope we can all get drunk and make out in another hour, or I'm calling this one a failure."

Toby shook his head and walked over to talk to Carlos, Rashid, and Philippa.

"We were having a pretty kicking time before you showed up, Nina," Georgie said. "What makes you think we need a succubus?"

Nina shrugged. "Every party needs a succubus."

She walked over to the bar and ordered a whiskey sour before turning back to the room and leaning up against the bar. "So come on, introduce yourselves. I need to know who I'll be fucking soon. I'm Nina, and I put the suck in succubus. Trust me, I give great head."

After biting his lip to keep from laughing, Toby introduced himself. The rest of the Junior Congresspeople followed suit.

"Isn't that better?" Nina asked. "We all know each other now. Time for the important question. Raise your hand if you're in a relationship. What? No one? Goodness. We are going to have some fun fun fun, my friends."

"Gee, Nina, you'd think you had something on your mind other than sex," Rashid said drily.

Nina made a 'yeah, cute' face at him. "Come on, we're politicians. What could be more boring than that? Sex is interesting. And if we're all single, we might as well hook up."

Philippa crossed her arms over her chest. "Do you really think it's a good idea for us to sleep together, Nina? Things could get uncomfortable pretty quickly. Someone will end up feeling left out."

Nina shrugged. "Not if we all sleep together. Which would you rather do – sleep with some people and wonder about the rest, or sleep with everyone and know? It's always better to get that burning lust out of the way so you can be in tight quarters without your quarters getting tight. Come on, P, you know I'm right. We're all young, single and hotter than hell. I'm not seeing an average face in the room. I say we do a runaround."

There was a silence.

"I'll bite," Thealla said. "What, pray tell, is a runaround?"

A giant grin crossed Nina's face. "It's a succubi incubi thing. Basically, those of us who prefer men stay in our bedrooms, and those who prefer women walk around between the rooms getting their kink on. We usually do thirty minutes per person. That way it's fair, all one day, get it out of the way, and if you want to go back for seconds, that's your business."

"So we just, what, lay on our backs for a few hours while guys walk in and out and stick their dicks in us?" Philippa asked.

"I don't know what your sex style is, P," said Nina. "I plan on spending most of the night on top, but you do what you do."

Carlos stroked his chin. "I like it, I'm in."

Philippa scoffed. "You like anything having to do with sex."

"Damn right, baby girl. Anyone else want to give this shit a go?"

There was a pause while everyone looked around the room and kind of shrugged, except for Deepak.

"I don't even know if I can have sex," Deepak said.

Nina frowned. "When did you die?"

"A year ago. But that has nothing to do with how corporeal we can get. It's just that I fade in and out."

"Well, whatever, you and I can practice tomorrow night. I say we do this Friday night. We'll have had a long, hard week of work, and I'll need a long, hard night of long, hard fun." Nina wriggled her eyebrows.

"I think we should split it into two nights," Carlos said. "Ten lays in one night seems like it would be too much physically."

She shrugged. "That works, too."

"And in that case we can do a full hour," Jeremy said. Thealla nodded and found many others showing support for that idea.

"So is anyone not up for this?" Toby asked. "If you're not, be honest. No one is going to judge you."

Everyone just shrugged again.

Nina looked smug. "Good. Thealla, you're the useful one, why don't you organize it? Make up a schedule and give it to everyone. We need apartment numbers and times. Yeah?"

Thealla smothered a laugh. "Fine. Anyone besides Zara a lesbian? No. Anyone besides Jez gay? Okay. Then it looks like we've all got a ten orgasm weekend. There's a little table with a flower arrangement in our hallway, so I'll put a bowl out with condoms. It was your idea, Nina, so you're buying."

Nina scoffed. "Honey, I already have enough condoms to last us three months."

Non-humans could only get pregnant from their own species, or not at all in the case of shades. None of them could catch sexually transmitted diseases. For whatever reason, nons weren't susceptible to most types of human disease. Thealla had never dated any vampires, so she hadn't worn a condom with any nons. But she always had with humans because she couldn't very well explain why she didn't need one.

With the runaround sorted out, Nina insisted on everyone playing Two Truths and a Lie. They all sat down in the circle of couches and chairs and took turns sharing. Once they finished, Nina proposed a variation of the game in which everyone said two fake wishes/goals and one real one. They learned some fun things about each other.

"Did you get enough with the party games, Nina? Can we go back to chatting in groups?" Philippa asked.

"No, now we go around the circle and describe where we live," said Nina.

Ah, Nina. She'd always been obsessed with group games and questions. Back at the debate tournaments there would usually be a group of four or five people hanging out, but when Nina came over suddenly they ended up with twenty people sitting in a circle. That had always been fine for Thealla, who was a very sociable person, but Philippa was more of an introvert. Thealla decided she'd give Nina another half an hour of big group activities, then it would be time to break off into smaller groupings so people like Philippa could be more comfortable.

That had always been what Thealla did at debate tournaments – manage Nina. She'd forgotten about that. They hadn't been all together in a group for five years, but apparently old habits stuck with her. She leaned back in her seat and prepared to learn more about the other realms – and hopefully the hot guys who lived there.

Kian

Kian enjoyed the group dynamic and getting to know the juniors, but when Thealla suggested they revert to chatting in smaller groups he didn't feel disappointed. It would be nice to get to know people better individually. Especially people like Thealla.

She walked up to Philippa, Toby, and Jeremy. They'd said they already knew each other through policy debate. That must be nice, having friends in the Junior program.

Kian contemplated who to talk to until Azkadek walked up to him.

"Hello," Azkadek said. "I liked that you said you were intrigued by the Earthen realm, and that is why you came here. I feel the same way."

Kian smiled. "It seems like there's a lot of interesting stuff going on. I only ever made one trip here, to Ireland. It's considered a rite of passage to go where Faeries once roamed the Earthen realm."

"I can imagine. Did you apply for the Congress there?"

"No. I knew everyone else would apply. I applied to five other countries, though."

"I applied to eight. I was almost desperate to be here."

"I understand that feeling." If positions had been harder to get, Kian would have applied to more places. As it was, many Junior positions for Fae went unfilled.

"So what do you think of the runaround? I do not know whether to be excited or scared."

Kian laughed. "I think a bit of both is natural. It's hard enough to please one woman, let alone nine of them. Especially when all nine are absolutely beautiful."

"Agreed. I am trying to decide who I find most attractive."

"For me it's Thealla."

"Then I will leave her to you."

"That's very kind, but it's her choice if she finds one of us attractive."

"True. But she left me to go speak to the devils, so I cannot think she is very interested." Azkadek spread his hands.

"She didn't talk to me at all, so you're still in better shape."

"I suppose it makes sense she wants to speak to her friends. The United States is a very big country, yet they all know each other. It is fascinating."

"I'm a little jealous. I've been talking to Shaunessey since the acceptances came out. She's also really excited to move to the Earthen realm."

"Good. Layla is only planning to stay here for the year. I would like to stay for more, although I do not know if I will end up living here permanently. I have to see if I like it."

"That makes sense. It's a bit too early to commit to our futures when we just got here. I came to New York to visit and set myself up, but visiting isn't the same as living."

Azkadek nodded. "And I am not used to money. Living here will be a huge change for me."

"Undoubtedly. The money I have is a different currency, and the bank here will only let people exchange a small amount. I need to rely on the money I earn here."

"That makes sense. What are you doing tomorrow?"

"Going to the grocery store. That promises to be an adventure."

"Can I go with you? I need to do that as well."

"Of course," Kian said. "I was thinking of going around ten so I would be back in time for lunch."

"Perfect. I talked to someone on the cloud who did Congress here and mentioned I should get a rolling cart to transport my groceries."

"The cloud? That must be your version of the comp tree. We both need to get used to saying the internet. And we both need to get those rolling carts."

"True. I will see you at ten in the lobby. I see Layla coming this way, so you might want to make your escape."

Kian almost laughed at the implied message that Layla wasn't very interesting. He went to the bar to get another drink. Thealla still stood with her friends. Oh, well. He'd talk to her soon enough.

Shaunessey walked up next to him. "I need a wingman. Come talk to Hideo with me."

"A wingman?"

"You're really going to have to learn Earthen slang. Come on."

"I'm waiting for my drink."

The bartender handed it over.

"Okay, now we can go say hello." He grinned at her look of annoyance.

Hideo examined the bookshelves that filled one wall of the room. Kian and Shaunessey stood to one side.

"Anything interesting?" Shaunessey asked.

"Quite a few things," Hideo said. "There are a number of books from the other realms. This is a great way to learn about nons."

"I think I would rather just get to know the Juniors," Shaunessey said.

Hideo stopped perusing the shelves and faced her. "That's an unusual attitude for a Fae to have."

"I'm an unusual Fae," she said with a smirk.

Hideo glanced at Kian.

"We're quite sociable," Kian said.

"And we need to learn more about living here, so maybe you can give us some pointers?" Shaunessey asked.

"I'd be glad to," Hideo said. "What do you need to know?"

"First off, where can I find a cat?"

The nature demon grinned. "Interestingly enough, I'm looking for one myself. If you come over to my place tomorrow, we can look online."  
Shaunessey looked thrilled. "Definitely."

Kian smiled and watched the two flirt. At least one of the Fae reps had a chance with their 'hottie hookup.' He glanced over to Thealla. It seemed like his quarry would take a little longer to hunt down.

### 

### Interlude 1: Philippa and Rashid

Philippa

Philippa listened to her friends vying for attention and felt like she'd gone back to high school. As much as she appreciated catching up with everyone, she really wished she could have a quiet conversation with Rashid. She'd always had a crush on him, and now that they lived in the same city maybe she could do something about that. In high school, Philippa lived in D.C. and Rashid lived in Dallas. Then Philippa stayed local to go to Georgetown while Rashid moved to Boston to attend Harvard. She'd never asked him out because those commutes seemed daunting.

Now, though, the commute had shrunk to the length of the hallway. She could think of no reason why they shouldn't date, and plenty of reasons why they should, mostly saved in online conversations for the past nine years. They got along really well. They both valued education and planned to go to grad school after their year as Juniors. Both relied on sarcasm and dry humor. And they both had more interest in being appointed policymakers than elected representatives.

Philippa wondered if she should ask him out before the runaround, or wait until after. Maybe after. She should see if they were sexually compatible, right? She had to find out if he even liked her that way. Maybe he found her completely unattractive. What if the guy she'd had a stupid crush on for nine years didn't want her? That would be just her luck.

She'd never been very successful with men. Being half white and half Filipino meant she was too white for guys who liked Asian chicks, and too Asian for guys who liked white chicks. That left her with a very few open minded guys, and they apparently didn't find her pretty enough to hit on. She'd had one boyfriend in her entire life. He asked her out the first week of college, and they dated for three months until she finally felt ready to lose her virginity. Afterward he decided they weren't compatible and dumped her.

No one had asked her out since then. No one. And the two times she'd worked up the nerve to ask guys out, they said no. So here she was, about to sleep with nine guys when she'd only had sex once in her life. She wanted to talk to one of the girls about her fears, but she doubted they would understand. Thealla and Georgie had been through multiple boyfriends in the time she'd known them, and Nina slept with so many men she needed a little black book to keep track of them. It would be humiliating to have to confess her own lack of experience.

Hopefully it wouldn't be completely obvious to the people she'd be sleeping with. Maybe they'd think her a little prudish instead of desperately inexperienced. A girl could hope.

She got pulled out of her musings when Rashid moved next to her.

"You're quiet tonight, P," he said.

"Just letting my mind wander. Trying to figure out what to do tomorrow. What are you up to?"

"I feel like being studious, so I was going to hit a museum. Want to come with?"

"Sure! Which one?"

"I don't know. Which one haven't you been to?"

"I've only been up here for one weekend, and I didn't get to any museums. You'll think it's cheesy, but I want to go to the Museum of Natural History because I liked Night at the Museum." Philippa shrugged slightly.

"They're funny movies. I get it. That's where we'll go, then. That's an all day affair, so I'll knock on your door around nine. Is that cool?"

She smiled. "That would be awesome. Have you been before?"

"I have, but only once during my freshman year in college, and I didn't have the whole day. So this will let me explore."

"Cool. I really want to see the Australopithecus bones. Other than that, I'm pretty flexible about where we go."

"Lucy? I'm lucky, I got to see her real bones when they went on display in Houston. That was incredible. Her bones are so old, and she's one of our ancestors. It blew me away."

"Wow. That would be really neat. I took a physical anthropology course in college because I thought it would be a fun way to get a science credit."

"Nice." He opened his mouth to say something else, but Nina interrupted.

"What are you two talking about over there, Rashid?" Rashid shrugged. "Schrödinger's cat and the statues on Easter Island."

Nina's face looked skeptical. "If you find that interesting."

Philippa hid a smile. If Rashid said they were going to the museum, at least one of the others would have invited themselves along. Obviously Rashid wanted it to be just the two of them. That felt like a good sign.

Rashid

Rashid felt pleased when Philippa met him right at nine. She slipped out, locked her door, and followed him to the elevator. He didn't understand women who spent hours getting ready to go places. If Nina had come, they'd have been waiting half an hour. At least. Because there were sooo many people worth impressing at a frigging museum.

Philippa came off as pretty low maintenance in general. She seemed more concerned with being smart than being beautiful. Not that she wasn't beautiful – she was. He'd always thought her to be one of the prettiest girls on the circuit, and if they hadn't lived half a country away from each other, he would have asked her out. Some of their friends had done the long distance relationship thing in high school, but he'd never seen the point. They wouldn't have been able to do much – just hold hands and kiss.

Although, he had slept with Nina back then despite the distance. Somehow it seemed easier to have sex with a succubus than with someone you really wanted to have a relationship with. To be fair, he also didn't ask out Philippa because he had crushes on six other girls including Georgie and Thealla. The three girls were already good friends, and picking one would have meant he'd never have a chance with the other two. He'd waited to see who ended up where for college, and lost out when none of his non debate crushes came to Boston. One of the human girls he liked went to Harvard, and they dated for three and a half years.

When that relationship ended his senior year, he'd been too hurt to start dating again. He'd graduated, then moved back home with his parents to save money for grad school. He'd hooked up with some non girls who didn't want anything serious. Now he found himself in Brooklyn with three of his high school crushes, and he should be asking them all out on dates to see who he clicked with. Instead, he felt terrified of fucking up three friendships that meant a lot to him. Especially with Philippa. She'd always been the sane one in their group of nons. He'd talked to her online constantly. She was his rock. The idea of dating her for a few months and then watching it all fall apart felt far too painful.

So here he was, going to a museum with her, determined in one part of his brain to keep things platonic. Meanwhile, the other portion of his brain analyzed her lips and speculated on what she would do if he captured them with his. He wished he knew if she'd even be interested. Crap! No. That way lay danger.

"We have to see the blue whale," he said, trying to distract himself.

"Oh? What's that?"

"It's a life-sized model of a blue whale hanging from the ceiling. It's enormous. It blew my mind seeing it."

"Neat. Have you taken your GRE yet?"

He shook his head. "I wanted to have all of last year to study. They have a testing date the first weekend of November and I already signed up to take it. What about you?"

"I took it last fall, but I think I can do better. I wouldn't mind taking it again."

"Let me guess, you got a really high score."

Her eyes twinkled at him. "I still think I can do better."

"Then sign up and we can do it together."

She looked surprised. "Okay."

That was definitely not a date. Right? Museums, safe. Tests for grad school, safe.

"So, are you nervous?" he asked.

Philippa's eyes widened. "About what?"

"Tomorrow. First day of work."

"Oh, right. No. It should be okay."

He seemed to be missing something. "What did you think I meant?"

"Hmm? Oh, nothing important. I need to pick up a ticket."

They sorted themselves out and headed to the platform.

"How many places are you applying to?" he asked.

"Berkeley, Harvard, U of M, U Chicago, Carnegie Mellon, Duke, NYU, Columbia and Syracuse. They're the best for a Master's in Public Policy."

"Nice. For a Ph.D. in Poli Sci I'm also looking at Berkeley, Harvard, U of M, U Chicago, Duke, NYU and Columbia. But then I'm applying to Princeton and Yale. We have a lot of chances to end up at the same place."

"Yeah. That would be awesome. I mean, to know someone. Because it's really intense."

"Definitely." Also because they could end up boning. Gods, where was his head at? Boning meant breaking up.

"So tell me what else we should see at the museum."

He jumped at the chance to stop thinking about a potential relationship. For the entire subway ride he talked about the museum, and then they got there and could talk about what they saw. Finally his brain could be distracted by something other than Philippa's lips, and how much he still wanted to kiss them.

### Chapter 3: Anticipation

Thealla

Thealla's first day of work kept her busy. First an aide showed the Juniors around the complex. On the left side of the apartments stood the main assembly room for the Congress, a few court rooms, and a floor of hotel-like rooms for visitors who had business. Adjacent to that, across from the apartments, another building held two floors of conference rooms and two floors of offices. The fourth section, to the right of the apartments, held the rest of the offices. Between the buildings they'd designed a lovely courtyard planted with trees and flowers.

The United States Non-Human Congress consisted of 100 elected representatives – 50 male and 50 female. Representation was based off species population, with 2 angels, 2 devils, 2 gods, 2 Fae, 6 shades, 10 nature demons, 10 succubi/incubi, 20 witches, 22 vampires, and 24 weres. They also had a healthy number of people appointed to their positions who stayed at the Congress regardless of elections. For the vampire contingency, the elected officials represented eleven regions across the country.

Their offices took up the entire fourth floor of the building to the right of the apartments. Thealla got a large, low-walled cubicle right next to the window with a killer view of Prospect Park. Jeremy had the same view in the cubicle next to her. They lifted their eyebrows at each other. Nice digs.

After being introduced to everyone in the office, Thealla sat down with the representative who would be her main contact. Joan Vettering took care of California and Nevada. In her late fifties, she'd been an elected official for many years. Thealla couldn't have asked for a wiser mentor. She voted for Joan three years ago in the last election. Joan was warm and patient, and Thealla instantly felt comfortable in her presence. Their discussion lasted until lunch.

After lunch Thealla and Jez received their first project to work on together. Since they knew each other's strengths, they found it easy to delineate who would do what. When five o'clock hit they joined the rest of the office in shuffling out.

"Do you want to grab dinner in Park Slope?" Jez asked.

"Sure. Should we see who else is up for it?"

"Yeah, if we see people in the hallway or the lounge. I want to change first."

"Me, too."

They saw the weres as they walked over. Georgie wanted to do dinner, but Rashid would be meeting up with non-Congress friends. Seeing no one in the hallway, Thealla went inside to change into a pair of jeans and a casual shirt. As she walked out she found Kian unlocking his apartment. He wore a dress shirt and slacks and seemed much less fantastical.

"Hello," Thealla said. "How was your first day?"

Kian straightened up and smiled. Unlike the typical Fae smile, which made you wonder what body part you were about to lose, his seemed genuinely warm.

"Very interesting. I like the people we'll be working with. How was yours?"

"Really good. We're headed to Park Slope for dinner if you'd like to come."

"That would be lovely. Let me just feed my cat."

"I have a cat, too!"

"They're the best. I have other pets in the Fae realm. It will be hard to be separated from them for a year, but I can't very well take a horse into the middle of Brooklyn."

Thealla laughed. "No, that wouldn't work so well. I feed my kitty soft food in the mornings, so I'm guaranteed to not oversleep even if my alarm doesn't go off."

Kian smiled more widely. "That is an excellent idea, but I'm used to waking up when the sun does. I don't know if I've ever overslept."

"I'm not sure whether that's something I envy or would hate. I do like sleep."

"The Fae need less sleep than those on the earthen realm. I'll be right back."

Thealla leaned up against the wall. Jeremy popped out first.

"You ready?" he asked.

"I invited Kian to go with us, so he's feeding his cat."

"Cool. I did some research into places with good soup choices."

"Me, too. Thank all gods for vampfoodie.com, right?"

"Total lifesaver. I've been to the two non restaurants in Manhattan, and we absolutely have to go to. You'll love them. They both have liquid everything. So many smoothies and juices and soups and mousses." Jez smacked his lips.

"Sounds awesome. We have two places in L.A., too, and I go as much as I can. Nothing better than bloodbroth. Especially with salt pork and vegetable broth."

Jeremy's eyes widened and he nodded. "So good. They have that at these places."

"Awesome."

A door opened next to the elevators, and Azkadek came out. He wore a tight white T-shirt, which showed off all of his muscles, and white carpenter pants that looked sexy as hell.

"Hello to you both," Azkadek said. "Are you off to get dinner?"

"Yeah. You want to come?" Jeremy asked. He looked like he wanted to eat Azkadek rather than food.

"Sure." The angel made a few passes off his arms, and his wings disappeared. "Do I look human enough now?"

"Definitely," Thealla said.

Kian came out and nodded to the other men.

"Do you need to do a glamour?" Jeremy asked.

"I already did," Kian said. "It's something only humans see."

"Nice."

"Interesting," Azkadek said. "I wonder if that is something I could learn."

Kian shook his head. "Fae glamour magic is different from angel glamour magic. While some types of magic are universal, with glamours every species has their own form that can't be learned by the others. I studied magic quite a bit during my years of being tutored."

"You had tutors rather than schools?" Jez asked.

"Yes. It's probably a lonelier way of learning, but on the flip side, we have the total attention of our teachers. Are we ready to go now?"

"We're meeting Georgie downstairs," Thealla said.

They went to the lobby and found Georgie waiting with Philippa.

"P's coming if that's okay," Georgie said.

"Sure," Jeremy said. "Now we just need to figure out where to go. The best choices for vamps are Indian, French, Ethiopian, Thai, or American."

Kian and Azkadek shrugged.

"I have eaten none of those foods," Azkadek said. "I am willing to try anything."

"Today should be a celebration, so let's be posh and do French," Georgie said.

Jeremy led the way outside and down the street.

"Did everyone have a good first day?" Thealla asked.

"It was awesome," said Georgie. "They ordered lunch in. So good. Some little Italian place nearby."

"We also ordered in lunch," Philippa said. "I guess it's a first day thing. But we just did a deli. Sandwiches and potato salad. They had good pickles at least."

"What about you two?" Georgie said to Azkadek and Kian.

"We have a cook for the office," Kian said. He did a few finger movements that must have been a spell. "I've made our conversation unlistenable, so we may talk freely. Fae food is unique, and it's nice to have it at least once a day."

"Our office has a kitchen stocked with fresh fruits, vegetables, and nuts," said Azkadek. "That is what we eat most of the time. Straight from the garden, as it were."

"The garden of good and evil?" Philippa asked teasingly.

He smiled. "Something like that."

"We had fresh blood brought in," Thealla said. "There's a vampire butcher shop nearby that does a booming business. I had duck and goat. Very tasty."

"I had quail and deer," Jeremy said. "It was a little gamey for lunch, though. I'd prefer that sort of thing for dinner."

"Gamey? Blood can taste gamey?" asked Georgie.

"Blood is surprisingly varied."

"So angel blood would be different from human blood?" Azkadek asked.

"Yes, but I've never had angel blood," Jez said. "Unless you're offering."

Azkadek considered that. "I am open to the possibility. How much blood must you have to survive?"

Jez shrugged. "Only about an ounce a day. We need quite a lot of other liquids. We alternate fruits and vegetables juices with meat broths. We can generally get a fair amount of animal blood in big cities where vampires have butcher shops."

Thealla nodded. "We can take a small amount from a person each day, so it doesn't really deplete their blood supply. It's easier to have a few feeders, though. I have eight non friends back home I alternated between, and then I also drank animal blood. I didn't take from humans. It's always a risk with the forgetting spell. Plus, it feels rude to suck the blood of someone you don't know or barely know. If it's a boyfriend, that's different. I figure I'm doing enough nice things for them they can help me out every once in a while."

"So you never tell them what you are, even if you love them?" Kian asked.

"No, too risky. The forgetting spell is an immediate fix. You can't get them to forget something that happened a day ago. I suppose not telling a human could be seen as deceiving your partner, but I try to think of it as a necessity of survival."

Kian's brow wrinkled. "I don't think I could keep something like that from someone I loved."

"Because Faeries always tell the truth?" asked Georgie sarcastically.

"Most don't," Kian said. "But I try to be as authentic as possible with the women I love." The way he said that made Thealla wish she could be one of those women. He put so much passion behind his words.

"And this is why the reveal movement is growing," Philippa said. "If humans knew who we were, we wouldn't have to lie."

A growing number of nons argued it was time to reveal their existence to humans. They felt that even though there'd be prejudice, there probably wouldn't be systematic violence and discrimination from humans. Other nons remained skeptical and feared a portion of humans would make the lives of nons miserable.

"You're a revealer now?" Thealla asked, surprised.

"I am."

Georgie cocked an eyebrow. "P's been one for ages, Thealla. Where have you been?"

"I guess we just never talked about it," Thealla said.

Philippa shrugged. "I don't post anything about it on social media because it's too controversial. Witches have no reason to stay hidden. We're physiologically the same as humans. We just also have magic."

"Most people from the Afterworlds do not wish to reveal," said Azkadek. "I do not have a particularly strong opinion either way. I do not think it would affect me or my desires."

"The Fae don't wish to reveal themselves, do they?" Philippa asked Kian.

Kian's face wrinkled. "None that I've ever spoken to or heard about. Everything we do is about avoiding humans. We come here to be with other non-humans, but the interaction between Fae and humans has never gone to our advantage."

"Most Fae don't even like non-humans," Jeremy said.

"True," said Kian. "Many do not know how to associate easily with those who are not Fae. I don't quite understand that mentality. I find other non-humans interesting. We each have our own aspects that make us unique. That's why I chose to come here and engage in politics. Most Fae who come for Junior Congress only spend one year in the Earthen realm, and a lot of Fae Junior positions go unfilled because there aren't enough people interested. However, I plan on staying and making my career here on the Earthen realm."

"Is your family supportive of that?" Thealla asked.

Kian sighed. "Not really. They want me to be in the Fae realm. But I'm the ninth child of my parents. I will inherit no land from them, and it's extremely expensive to buy a house. You have to pay the full amount up front, so you must save. I would probably be well over 100 when I could finally afford one. Here you have mortgages, and I could begin paying on a house right away."

"You wouldn't just rent a place?" Thealla asked.

"I very much want a backyard for a garden and a dog to play in."

They reached the restaurant and were quickly shown to a table. Kian took the seat across from Thealla, and Azkadek chose the one next to him. Georgie sat next to Thealla, but Thealla got the impression that was more because of Azkadek's position than her own.

She perused the menu. "Lobster bisque or French onion?" "Perm, do both," said Georgie.

Azkadek and Kian looked at her curiously.

Georgie shrugged. "It's a debate thing. When someone tries to run an argument against your plan that can actually be done by your side, it's a permutation of the plan, so you say perm, do both."

"Interesting," Azkadek said. "I wish we had a debate activity in Heaven."

"And in the Fae realm. I would have enjoyed that, I think," said Kian.

Thealla smiled. "We had a lot of fun."

She looked back at the menu and noted happily they had chocolate mousse with raspberry sauce for desert.

"What should I order?" Kian asked Georgie.

Georgie shrugged. "I'm getting beef au jus, but you might prefer one of the chicken or fish dishes. Or just vegetables. It looks like they have a good selection of side dishes. They probably get a lot of vegetarians here."

"I will have those," Azkadek said. "And a salad."

"I would like soup instead of salad," Kian said.

"Are we getting a bottle of wine?" Jeremy asked.

Everyone nodded and decided on white.

When the waitress came, Thealla went with Georgie's advice.

"I'd like the lobster bisque. I also want French onion soup without the bread in it."

"You're gluten intolerant?" the waitress asked sympathetically.

"Not quite." More like solid food intolerant.

"But you want the cheese melted on top?" asked the waitress.

"Yes, please."

Kian looked interested. "Is that tasty? I enjoy cheese."

"It's wonderful," Thealla assured him.

He ended up ordering the French onion, ratatouille, green beans with garlic, and grilled asparagus. After the waitress took his menu he smiled and leaned back.

"I like the décor."

"It's very warm and cozy," Thealla said. "If the food is good, we're coming back here."

"Definitely," Georgie said. "Are you going to go out every night, Thee?"

Thealla shrugged. "Nah, no reason. I'll go to the grocery store and pick up juices and broths to eat. We have nice sized dining areas so we can have company over at home. What about you?"

"A good paycheck and no rent? Yeah, I'm going out every night. Oooh, a couple of the ladies in my office mentioned a really nice bed and breakfast upstate. There's a cider mill down the street and a huge swath of forest for hunting. You all want to do a weekend up there soon?"

"That would be nice. I appreciate a more natural setting," Kian said.

Azkadek nodded. "I would enjoy that. As long as it is something I can afford. I do not quite understand how money works yet."

Georgie waved her hand. "You'll have plenty, don't worry. Unless you discover online shopping and start ordering everything you can think of."

"I feel like I should buy something ridiculous, just to celebrate getting this job," Thealla said.

"I need to do some shopping at the stores here," Kian said. "I don't have any technology that works in this realm."

Azkadek nodded. "That is true of me as well. Should we go together?"

"Yes. Would the rest of you like to come?" Kian asked.

"I can drive you there," Thealla said. "Maybe Sunday? I'll be too tired from the runaround to do anything Saturday morning."

"I'll pass," Georgie said. "I really want to see some friends this weekend."

Jeremy and Philippa weren't interested, either.

"Will your car be big enough for me to put a television in it?" Kian asked Thealla.

"Yeah, I have a RAV4. It's an SUV with a nice big area behind the seats."

Kian looked pleased. "Thank you for providing our transportation."

So polite. He sure didn't fit Fae stereotypes.

"No worries," she said.

Their soups and salads came, so conversation lapsed. The soups tasted like heaven, which made Thealla a very happy vampire. After they'd eaten for a few minutes conversation resumed. Thealla enjoyed herself. Georgie obviously wanted Azkadek, and he seemed intrigued. Deciding to be a good friend, Thealla pledged to steer clear of the angel. She could flirt with Hideo and Kian.

The faerie had proved to be a pleasant surprise. He didn't look down on the Earthen realm. He wanted to stay, which said a lot about his mentality. However, even a unique Fae was still a Fae, so she doubted he'd ever be relationship material. Looking at the laughing Faerie, Thealla realized she'd just been completely prejudiced. She claimed to hate the way people made assumptions about vampires, but here she went, making assumptions about the Fae. She wanted to give Kian the benefit of the doubt. She needed to get to know him without any ideas about how other Fae behaved.

After dinner the group headed back to their apartment building. The others headed to the lounge, but Thealla went to her apartment to schedule time with her cousin, Eve, and two human friends in the city. She also wanted to see if Tabitha had forgiven her for the five day car ride. When she sat down Tabitha crawled into her lap for approximately five minutes, then left the room and wouldn't give her the time of the day.

The next morning, Lucifer, the fallen angel, announced that he would host a protest outside the World Non-Human Congress for everyone who wanted to reveal themselves to humans. He encouraged nons who couldn't get to London to go to their national congress sites for a protest on the same day. If they could not travel at all, he recommended they call and demand their representatives move forward with revealing. It seemed every U.S. constituent wanted to call their Congress – some in favor of the reveal, some very against the reveal, and some who wanted to know whether they should be worried.

The Bible got a lot of things wrong about Lucifer, but his personality wasn't one of them. Even though Lucifer's mission made sense (he felt the angels should run Heaven, not a god who had come from another realm), he acted like such a selfish prat that any sympathies people had for him dissipated years ago. Thealla wondered how much of her job over the next year would be trying to fix shit Lucifer did.

He'd become a huge proponent of the revealer movement despite not living on the Earthen realm. After Lucifer 'fell' he'd moved to Valhalla. Most people guessed Lucifer's interest in the reveal had more to do with hurting Yahweh's popularity than actually helping fallen angels. Yet the reveal movement had grown so strong people would even ally with Lucifer if it meant they could come out of the non closet.

The phones in the vampire office didn't stop ringing all day, and everyone had to chip in and answer. Thealla spent the entire day reassuring people that Lucifer's actions didn't mean a reveal was definite, or that it would affect vampires. No one she spoke to wanted to reveal, although Joan mentioned she'd spoken to a revealer.

They ordered in smoothies and blood for lunch, drinking at their desk between phone calls. For dinner they had soup delivered. Thealla didn't leave until nine o'clock, and when she got to her apartment she put on her pajamas and went to bed. She didn't even have the energy to masturbate.

Wednesday Thealla answered calls again, but the reps declared everyone would leave at five. Too tired to go out for dinner, she ate in her apartment and got online to see her non friends' reactions to Lucifer's announcement. Everyone seemed to think a reveal needed to be discussed, but no one felt a protest was the best way of going about things. She chatted with four friends until midnight, then headed to bed.

This time she wanted a sexual release, so she grabbed her vibrator and ditched her clothes. Her fingers played with her clit while she flipped through a mental slideshow of the Junior men. Who should she think about while she touched herself? Hideo? Azkadek? Suddenly Kian's face flashed in her mind, and she felt a spasm of pleasure. Thrusting the vibrator into her pussy, she thought about those emerald eyes and the way he smiled at her. Fuck. The more she remembered about him, the hotter she got, flashing back to the sexy pout on his face when he entered the lounge for the welcoming party. Overcome by sensation, her body and mind exploded.

Apparently Kian didn't need to be in the room to show her a good time.

Thursday evening, Thealla went to one of the non restaurants in Manhattan with her cousin Eve. Situated in the East Village, Non Entity had a cozy décor and excellent food. The girls each ordered bloodbroth, soup, a smoothie, and mousse. They talked about things Thealla needed to do in the city. Starting her final semester at the Fashion Institute of Technology, Eve had thoroughly explored the city and knew all the best spots.

After dinner they headed to Eve's dorm room. Eve slyly asked if Thealla found any of the Junior guys attractive.

"They're all gorgeous, but I'm keeping my options open." She explained about the runaround and Eve hooted with laughter.

"Who are you most looking forward to?" Eve asked.

For some reason Thealla didn't like that the answer was Kian. So she lied and said she really wanted to get busy with Hideo. Then she changed the subject to Eve's sex life.

On Friday the phone calls lessened, but Thealla didn't know what time they'd be off. At lunch Joan assured everyone they could leave at noon like they normally did on Fridays. Joan said they'd all worked really hard and needed a full weekend. Thealla breathed a huge sigh of relief. She very much wanted to have the afternoon to chill out before the runaround started.

The debaters had planned to go out for lunch, so they walked to the Thai place. Everyone claimed to be excited about the runaround, though Thealla didn't think Philippa looked happy. What was that about? She made a mental note to talk to Philippa later. After walking home as a group, Thealla went to her apartment to print out copies of the runaround schedule. Posting them on each floor, she made sure Nina's condoms were by the elevator.

When she knocked on P's apartment door, she heard the sound of a shower. Maybe she could catch the witch later. She had her own clean up routine to start. After a long, relaxing bath she shaved her legs and armpits, then made sure her crotch had enough hair to look like she'd gone through puberty, but not so much that her partners would be choking on fur. She decided she'd reached the level of fuckability and threw on a bathrobe. The runaround would be the perfect way to end the week. After dealing with Lucifer's shenanigans, she needed a night of no strings attached sex.

Kian

Kian wove the yarn more tightly. He still had a few patches of white paint he wanted to cover. While the Earthen realm offices had been swamped by Lucifer's announcement, the few Fae in the United States didn't plan to reveal and hadn't bothered calling their representatives. The Fae officials had offered their magic to help minimize the impacts of the upcoming protest, but they couldn't answer phones for other offices. So the lovely Thealla hadn't been around the apartment building all week, and he'd had time to weave.

Spending a week without talking to his family felt weird. The only way to communicate with those in the Fae realm was to magically send notes or to enter the portal and use a phone or computer in the way station there. He'd head down Saturday and catch up with people. He didn't feel truly intimate with his friends and family in the Fae realm, but he knew if he neglected to contact them there would be hurt feelings.

He hadn't missed them much. His thoughts kept drifting to the runaround. Sex with Thealla? And nine other people, in case she didn't have the same level of interest he did? It would be awesome. At dinner time he gave up on weaving and went to knock on Shaunessey's door. She opened right away.

"Heya," she said perkily. "You wanted to see about dinner, I'm guessing?"

"Indeed."

"Let's see who's in the lounge." She grabbed a purse and locked the door.

Hideo, Beauregard and Maria sat in the lounge conversing. Shaunessey invited them to dinner.

"Sure," said Hideo.

"I can't go out in public," Maria said. "But thank you for the thought."

"I don't want to ditch you," Beauregard said to her. "Why don't you come up to my apartment and keep me company while I make myself dinner?"

Maria brightened. "That would be fun."

"We'll catch you two later, then," Shaunessey said to Beauregard and Maria. She turned to Hideo. "Where should we eat?"

"Do you like fish?" he asked.

"That's the only kind of meat Fae eat," Kian said.

"Have you ever had sushi? Raw fish?" asked Hideo.

"No," Shaunessey said. "Does that really taste good?"

"It's delicious."

"Then we should try it," she said.

Kian didn't feel quite as eager to eat raw things, but he figured he may as well try sushi, and if he hated it, he'd never eat it again. Hideo led the way to the restaurant and explained what would be on the menu. Once inside the place, he walked them through the dishes he hadn't discussed. They ordered sake and sushi and a tofu teriyaki appetizer. The waitress came back with small bowls of salad and miso soup. Though surprised to get food he hadn't ordered, Kian immediately dug in.

"What is this dressing?" he asked, spearing another forkful of salad.

"Carrot ginger," Hideo said.

"It's amazing."

"And what is this soup made from? Angel tears?" Shaunessey asked.

Hideo laughed. "Miso. Fermented soybeans."

The two Fae shoveled more food in their faces. When they polished off their soup and salad, they drank sake.

"I love this place already," Shaunessey said.

Kian nodded. "We definitely need to come back. There are so many choices on the menu, and all of them sound good."

"Earth food is super amazing," said Shaunessey.

"I'm glad you both approve," Hideo said.

"So I bought a phone and a laptop earlier this afternoon, and I still kind of don't know what I'm doing," Shaunessey said. "Any chance you could stop by tomorrow some time and help me out, Hideo?"

"I'd be glad to. Right after lunch? Two maybe?"

"That would be great." She awarded him a brilliant smile.

Kian nearly snorted at her attempts to flirt, but Hideo appeared to like her moves. He decided to rain on their parade.

"I'm buying my electronics Sunday with Azkadek and Thealla."

"Nice. You're getting a phone, right?" Hideo asked.

Kian nodded. "Phone, television, and a desktop computer with all the accessories."

"You don't like laptops?" Shaunessey asked.

"Not for heavy usage. I should get something portable, I suppose."

"Get a two-in-one," Hideo suggested. "That's a tablet that you can use on its own, and then it comes with a keyboard. Depending on where you go, and what you need a computer for, you can decide whether to bring the keyboard."

"That makes sense," Kian said. "Are they expensive?"

"Nah. You can pick up a cheap one for $300. You'll still have plenty of money for the other goodies."

"Then I'll do that. Thank you for the suggestion."

Hideo waved a hand. "You have less information about the toys here. So of course I'm going to share my massive amounts of wisdom."

Kian and Shaunessey laughed.

Then the rest of the food arrived, and the Fae's real raving began.
Chapter 4: Wild and Wonderful

Thealla

Since Thealla organized the schedules, she'd started with her own, and she decided her first fuck would be the person she already knew in the biblical sense.

Toby knocked on her door right at 7:00.

"You're on time," Thealla said with pleasure, waving him inside.

"I'm usually on time. Being late is a Nina thing. And being Nina, she always has to have a buddy. So, how are you tonight, my dear? Surviving reveal week alright?"

She shook her head. "Barely. The amount I needed sexcapades increased exponentially every day."

"I feel you. Nina and I had sex every night to counter the stress. The other people in our office have been a bit chilly since some are revealers and some aren't. I wish this issue wasn't so divisive."

"I know. No one in our office is pro-reveal. The beliefs humans have about vampires are too strong to easily overcome. It's one thing for weres. All they have to do is say, 'We're not animals that have a physical fight for leadership, or tough guys that tell women to get down on their knees and play.' Witches just have to point out they've been living with humans without exploiting them for thousands of years. But us? No one is going to believe we're not dangerous."

"You don't even kill animals unless there's a were to eat the flesh. I hate to think what humans would say about us. Half of them would want to use us for our healing powers. The other half would try to put us into rehab for sex addiction."

Thealla laughed. "I've love to see someone tell Nina not to have so much sex."

"Right? Speaking of sex, my dear, where do you want to do this? Your bed? Your couch? The dining room table?" He winked.

"I vote soft and wide." She walked to her bedroom.

He followed. "I'm already getting into something soft and wide. I was talking about the furniture."

"Ha, ha. Love the bathrobe, by the way. Easy access."

"You're wearing one, too."

"Yeah. Easy access." Thealla took hers off and threw it on a chair.

Toby followed suit. They stared at each other for a few moments. They hadn't seen each other naked the first time they had sex, not having anywhere to put two sets of clothes in a solo school bathroom. She'd seen him in his swim trunks, so his ripped chest held no surprises. Toby liked to work out because he knew how much his body turned people on, and turning them on was the first step to getting them into the sack.

Thealla focused on his pelvis area. Seeing his penis in its natural habitat inspired awe. Peeking out of a pair of khaki pants hadn't done the fucker justice. His long, thick dick hardened as she watched. There was nothing quite like watching a penis metamorphosize. For some reason it always reminded her of a teapot. He's a little teapot, short and stout? More like ginormous and stout.

Once Toby's spout became ready to pour they hit the bed with him on top. They touched each other with lips and hands. He excelled at kissing. Maybe a little on the soggy side, but incubi and succubi had more saliva so they could lick wounds to start the healing process. Toby opened her mouth up wide so his tongue could trace her teeth and cheeks. He seemed to feast on her instead of simply kissing her.

His left hand explored her breasts, petting them gently. His right hand slipped between her legs. Thealla kept her hands on his back near his shoulder blades where she could feel the muscles roll and work. Toby rubbed circles around her clit, preparing her for the next step. He pressed gently, not too fast, enough to tease but not overcome. His other hand played with her nipple. Thealla reached down and got a handful of nice, firm ass. She'd never been with a man whose butt was more enjoyable to grip.

He pulled away from her mouth. "You can bite me. I wouldn't mind getting a different kind of high."

A vampire's bite acted like a drug. It didn't work on other vampires, so Thealla had never experienced it. She'd been told the bite felt better than any recreational substance available, and it didn't give people hangovers.

"I've heard it feels better after an orgasm," Thealla said. "Besides, I don't want you sluggish."

"Fair. Then I'll just bite you." Toby nibbled up and down the right side of her neck, and her back spasmed from the sensations in her clit, nipple, and throat.

Thealla put one hand on his dick. The softness of the skin on penises never failed to amaze her. They were so protected – like the insides of her elbow – yet firm. She slid her fingers along his shaft, and she felt him thrust forward in excitement. Toby lifted himself off of her, crawling back until his mouth could touch her pussy.

"I think it's time for some real foreplay," he said.

He licked once and then started sucking. Thealla's butt jerked with pleasure. She put her hands on top of his shoulders, massaging them. Apparently he appreciated that, because his tongue circled her clit. His finger played with the entrance to her vagina, but he didn't push in. Then the finger went backward and circled her anus.

"Don't stick your finger in there, Toby. I have a thing about germs, and I don't want your shit covered finger touching the rest of my body."

He released her clit and grinned up at her. "So you probably don't want my tongue in there either?"

"Definitely not. Feel free to call me a prude, but that isn't what does it for me."

Toby shrugged. "I don't think it's prudish. Different strokes for different folks. You ever let anyone put his dick in there?"

"A couple times. But only after they satisfied my vag so when we were done they could go wash off."

"So if we have time after I make your pussy wet, can I get some ass play?"

"Why not. It's been a long week."

Toby grinned, and then went back to honing his oral pleasure skills. Thealla felt her back arch, and when it happened again she had to put her fingers into his hair to keep herself from moving too much. His hair felt soft and silky, and touching it gave her an additional source of pleasure.

As his fingers stroked the inside of her thighs, he alternated between licking and sucking her. When she tensed up he worked her faster and harder. The pleasure built, her control faded, and she came harder than a runaway train. Thealla moaned her approval as Toby climbed back over her body.

He drug his cock over her crotch, then set it at her opening and pushed in slightly.

She could only moan, "Yes."

"I need it to be 'hell, yes,'" Toby said in an aroused voice.

"Then put more of it in."

He obliged her with a few more inches, then stopped and pulled out. This was not a fun game.

She growled. "Stop fucking around and actually fuck me."

Toby chuckled and slid all the way in. Damn, that felt good. He wiggled slightly and Thealla felt another spike of joy. His hands went back to her clit and tit as he pulled out slowly. She could feel every second of it. Then he pushed in quickly, sped halfway out and in twice, and did another slow drag out and fully inside. He continued thrusting that fast fast slow motion, and Thealla's body rocked to meet him. Having his fingers play with her clit caused her to lose brainpower, and finally everything hit at the right spot and the right time. For a split second thinking fled and sensation took over, nerves vibrating and exploding until she unfogged enough to feel his dick unleash inside of her. The slight tickle felt good. She liked knowing he'd leave a part of himself behind.

Toby pulled out gently and used his index finger to touch her chin. His hand slid all the way down her chest, stomach, and crotch. Then he flopped onto the bed beside her.

"That was wild," Thealla said appreciatively.

"Is that your way of saying I'm good in bed?" His voice sounded thicker and slower than usual.

"That's my way of saying you're amazing in bed."

"We still have twenty minutes. And I still want to take you up the ass." He hardened again. Incubi had a ridiculously quick recovery time.

Thealla turned on her side with her back to him. "Do it now while I'm still in la la land." She reached over to her nightstand and handed him lube.

Toby used his right hand and the lube to massage her and open her up. He pressed himself in slowly, and she helped get him adjusted. Once he'd become seated she felt tightness, but the erotic pleasure kept her from being uncomfortable. Toby's hips pulled back and moved forward, slow and gentle. His left hand moved to her vagina and two fingers plunged inside.

With one hole full and the other being fucked, it didn't take her long to have another orgasm. She felt it through her entire body, and the feeling lasted longer than the previous two. Unable to move her limbs, she simply melted into the bed and let the aftershocks move through her.

Toby withdrew, and she could hear him walk into the bathroom and turn the shower on. When he came back to bed, he turned her onto her back.

"Can I get the bite now?" he asked.

Thealla nodded. He lowered himself, using his forearms and shins as a brace so he didn't smash her into the bed. She found the pulse on the left side of his neck and licked the entire vein. Settling her mouth closer to the base of his neck, she pressed her canines into the skin. The pressure caused them to grow longer and sharper, tearing his skin. She licked at the blood spilling from the two holes.

Incubus blood tasted better than human blood. It reminded her of mole sauce. Robust, thick, a little sweet. She didn't take much, gesturing a spell to set the skin healing, then licking the remaining blood on the surface.

Toby flopped onto his back and sighed. "This is the best high in the fucking world. Sex and vampire bite. There is nothing like it. If I ever get sick of fucking everyone in sight, I promise it'll be a vampire I settle down with. You want to get married, Thee?"

Thealla laughed. "I don't think I could deal with the amount of people you'd sleep with until you got ready to settle down. Let's just stick to regular fuck and suck encounters, shall we?"

"You deserve a guy who will put all of his energy into you and not just his dick. I wish I could be that guy, but I can't."

"I never expected you to be that guy, Tobes."

"I know. I just want you to know how much I wish it was me. You really turn me on."

"Likewise. Ugh, we only have two minutes until our next scheduled assignation."

"Do I really have to move?" Toby asked.

"Not for another minute."

They both focused on breathing. Then it hit 8:00 and they stood, put on their robes, and headed to the door.

"I don't know if I even want to have sex again after that," Thealla said.

"I'm sure we'll both get our second winds. Give me a kiss before I leave."

They gave each other a light lip smooch, and then Thealla opened the door. Toby headed out to his next room. Across the hall, the door to Shaunessey's room opened and Hideo came out. He grinned at Thealla.

"Are you ready for our turn?" he asked.

"I'm still recovering, so maybe we can chat for a few?"

"That sounds like a very good idea."

She shut the door behind him and motioned him into the living room. They sat on the couch, facing each other.

"I thought an hour would be enough time, but good sex is time consuming," Hideo said.

"Yeah. I can't believe Nina usually does half an hour. Of course, she's also done the kinkier version where the guys are lined up outside the bedroom, tag teaming in and out. Apparently she managed to get screwed twenty-three times before she felt like her vagina was going to, and I quote, 'stretch out like a mozzarella stick and fall out.'"

He laughed. "How pleasant. I don't think I would try something that speedy. I'd like to do something a little more personal than stick it in and swirl it around. I'm not brushing my teeth, I'm having sex."

"I hear you. While I like the idea of lots of men dying to stick their dick in me, I'd rather have a meaningful interaction. Five people in one night is enough attention for me."

"Are any of us even going to be able to walk tomorrow?"

"I feel like it'll be a good day to stay in the apartment."

"Ooh, I'm finally getting hard again. Do you want to go to the bedroom?"

"My vagina says no, so how about if I suck your cock?"

"I don't think I'm capable of saying no to that."

Thealla slumped out of her bathrobe, then slid off the couch and kneeled before him. Hideo undid his robe, revealing a hardening dick not quite as pale as the rest of his skin. He shoved his bathrobe on the floor so she had some padding for her knees.

Licking her lips, she reached over to lick his tip. He fully lengthened after that move. His cock tied with Toby for length, but the incubus had been thicker. Thinner boded well for her. She didn't have a super sensitive gag reflex, but there was a point when big became too big. Thealla stroked his dick with her right hand, then placed her left hand where his leg and abdomen met. He sighed.

Giving him a few more well placed licks, she relaxed her mouth and started taking him in. She had to go slowly, and once she reached the first barrier in her mouth she pulled away a little and then sucked him deeper. Doing that trick twice more, she finally had him as far as could be deemed comfortable.

Hideo's hips jerked in response. She used her thumbs to massage his inner thighs, which made his hips piston. Thealla sucked and bobbed, managing to keep pace with his moving hips. Lord, did those hips want to move. Pre-cum added to the wetness in her mouth. In. Out. Lips tight, but not painfully so. Starting to feel some erotic sensations in her crotch, especially when his fingers burrowed into her hair.

Another hip jerk. In. Out. Double hip jerk. In. Out. Finally he tensed up, and she could taste the semen as it poured out of his dick. She had to back her mouth up to his tip so she could actually swallow and lick off his cum. When his penis head looked clean and shiny, she dropped back onto the floor.

Hideo groaned. "If this is how I feel after three orgasms, I am not going to make it through the night."

"Well, it's my turn to come, so your dick can take a break."

"Good thinking." He spread his thighs. "Sit between my legs, and lean back."

Thealla followed his instructions. She felt warm where her back touched his chest. She let her head roll onto his left shoulder. Hideo banded his left arm across her stomach so his hand could play with her right breast. Then he put his right hand on her crotch. He slid his fingers around like feathers for a minute, then got serious and did a figure eight motion around her clit area.

Being held that way made her feel secure, physically and mentally. Thealla knew he'd hold her tight no matter what happened, and with as much as her back arched, that meant a lot. Indeed, the longer he rubbed her clit, what usually would have had her body shaking just kept building inside of her, with more pressure, more sensations stretching and tingling.

How much longer could she keep this up? It felt almost painful, yet the pleasure teased every part of her body. Finally she broke, unable to hold back as her hips went crazy around his hand. She came long enough to make her feel vaguely light headed. Hopefully she didn't need to stand up any time soon.

The hard length prodding against Thealla's ass told her she'd have another orgasm very soon.

"If you want, I can give you that experience times ten," he said.

"I don't think I can move."

"You don't need to." Hideo lifted her by the thighs and slid his legs together, then lowered her onto his cock. A gasp escaped her as she felt the fullness. Her head fell backwards again, this time rolling to the right. "Now we're going to the exact same thing we just did, but this time I'll be inside of you, too. You'll feel me jiggling. I can't help myself when I get excited. But otherwise, you can just sit here while my long, hard cock anchors you like a dildo you stuffed up your pussy while you relax in the bath."

"Fuck," said Thealla, getting turned on by his words. Or maybe his words and his dick being inside of her.

"That's exactly what we're going to do."

This time he switched hands. His right arm banded across her and gave her left breast attention, and his left hand played with her clit, gently and lightly. Thealla practically whimpered. Her back arched into him, and he made a contented purr in the back of his throat.

The pressure and speed on her clitoris started picking up, and she couldn't help her hips jerking a little. It felt surprisingly erotic having him inside and not moving. It seemed even more pleasurable than having someone thrusting. The more time passed, the more incapable he was of keeping completely still. His hips rolled, and she moved with him.

Thealla decided to reward his patience. She squeezed her vaginal muscles inward and upward. She didn't do it every time she had sex, but when she did the guys went apeshit. Hideo was no exception. His moans got louder and louder as she worked him. His hand starting clenching her clit more than circling it. Their hips rocked like a boat on the sea. As his arms tightened around her, she felt her body slowly exploding from the inside out.

They came together. Right as her body realized its pleasure potential, his cum shot into her vagina. The experience felt so incredibly sensual she almost wanted to cry. Not only did he look hotter than hell, he was so good in bed it should be illegal.

As they slowed down their breathing, Hideo lifted her up and removed his cock. He set her back on his lap and let his arms fall to the sides. Feeling him panting beneath her made her a little hot, and she tried to reign in her heartbeat with little success.

Thealla glanced at the clock. "Six minutes left."

"I think I could stay here for hours."

"Days."

Hideo sighed. "It might take me that long to recuperate. That vaginal squeezing thing. Holy shit. I can't even begin to tell you how good that feels. Am I still alive or is this one of the Afterworlds?"

"I'm pretty sure what we just did is the pinnacle of being alive."

"Damn right. I'm still panting. And drooling. I can't kiss you because I'd have spittle dripping down your chin."

Thealla laughed. "I'm pretty sure I would, too. We'll save the kissing for next time."

"We'll have to save the bite for next time, too."

"Damn. I really want to know what you taste like."

"Likewise, but in a different way."

She licked her lips. "Yum. Well, we have a year to find these things out."

"True. Okay, I need to attempt standing."

Thealla pulled herself off him and discovered that while her legs wobbled, they did work. Both of them put their robes on and went to the door.

"Until next time," Hideo said, trailing his fingers between her breasts.

"I'm thinking next time will be soon."

He left with a huge grin on his face.

Thealla peeked into the hallway, but her next man hadn't arrived. She closed the door and leaned against it, still trying to catch her breath.

Kian

Kian went to Vayana's door right at seven. She let him in and they greeted each other in a slightly awkward way.

"Now what?" Vayana asked.

"I suppose we just go to bed and do what comes naturally."

She waved him into the bedroom and took off her robe. He did the same, noticing that her body looked perfect. He brushed his hand along her chin and then leaned in for a kiss. The taste of cinnamon exploded into his mouth – clearly some sort of lip balm. Vayana pushed the kiss further, and their tongues touched each other with relish. After that, his body took over from his brain. Finding himself on the bed, Kian took his time fucking her, managing to get her to come twice before he couldn't hold himself together anymore. He released everything inside of her and felt pure elation.

He pulled out and smiled at the satisfied look on her face.

"That was fantastic," said Vayana.

"For me, too."

"You have some serious stamina."

"I've been told two orgasms in one fuck is better for a woman than one, a break, then another. And since the pleasure for me is increased the longer I hold out, one long fuck seems to be the best way to approach things. Though I guess when you last longer than thirty minutes, people stop talking about fucking and start talking about making love." He laughed.

She laughed, too. "When you've dated enough lame guys, making love is anything that consists of more than humping your leg."

"You've dated a lot of lame guys?"

"I've definitely had my fair share. But there were a few good ones mixed in there. I haven't given up looking. I feel like this runaround is a series of interviews for the position of fuck buddy."

"I think that's the way most of us look at it."

"Well, don't worry, you've made it to the next round." She winked.

Kian smiled. "Thank you. I'm certainly impressed with your skill set."

They chatted for a little longer, but when the time came to move to the next partner, he cheerfully said goodbye. He walked to Philippa's apartment and knocked. When the door opened, a hyper looking Rashid stepped out. Philippa stood just inside with flushed cheeks.

"Come in," she said politely.

Kian entered.

"Do you want anything to drink?" Philippa asked, walking into the kitchen.

"Water would be nice."

She got a glass and handed it off to him. She sipped her own.

"You don't seem fully comfortable," he said.

Philippa looked at the floor. "I've never had sex with someone I barely know."

"Ahhh. Then you should get to know me before we have sex. What can I tell you about myself?"

"Umm. I can't think of anything to ask. What position do you want to do this in?"

"Whatever feels good for you."

She exhaled but didn't speak.

"I have an idea," Kian said. "Turn around and face that wall."

Philippa turned to the kitchen wall. Kian walked up behind her and untied her bathrobe, pulling it off and setting it on the counter. He kissed the back of her neck gently. His fingers drifted down the sides of her body and he heard her breath catch. He brought his hands back up to her shoulders and rubbed them for a few minutes. When she finally started to relax, he trailed his hands slowly down her back and kissed her neck again. He reached his right hand around to her clit and began to work it gently.

When her body opened itself up to him, he inserted his cock and slowly moved in and out. Her breathing became a little more erratic. He took that as a good sign, but he didn't want to spook her. Sticking with slow, he worked his hips until she came apart in his hand. He didn't think she'd be comfortable with a marathon session, so he let her movements milk out his release. He pulled out and kissed her neck again.

"Do you mind if I have some more water?" he asked, handing her her robe.

"Go ahead," she said breathily. She put her robe on and turned around.

Kian tied his robe closed and refilled his water glass. Philippa took her own glass and sipped. She looked like a bird that might fly away at any moment. He needed to say something.

"I don't mean to be forward, but you may find yourself less nervous if you take control and say what you want."

She flushed. "What if they don't want what I want?"

"If it involves a man having an orgasm, he'll want it."

She fought a smile. "That doesn't give much credit to men."

He shrugged. "We're simple creatures. So make it simple for us. And the more control you have, the more you can be comfortable. It's a win-win."

"That sounds fair," Philippa said. "Thanks for the advice."

Kian glanced at the clock above her head. "We still have plenty of time left. Perhaps you can tell me about yourself."

That seemed to relax her more.

### Interlude 2: Philippa and Rashid

Philippa

Two hours previously

Philippa didn't know what to wear for a runaround. She'd be naked after the first person, so it probably made sense to start naked. But she at least needed a bathrobe. She changed out of her clothes and pulled her robe around her, belting it tightly. Rashid would be here in ten minutes.

Of course it would be Rashid. The one person she felt MOST nervous about. Thealla probably thought she'd done Philippa a favor by starting with someone she knew. But really, it just meant that Philippa felt twice as much pressure to perform. She felt frazzled about screwing the first person at the runaround, and she felt frazzled about screwing Rashid, and now she had to deal with that happening at the same time. She went to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water. Drinking a few sips helped a little.

She could do this. She had to do this. She said she would do this, and she wouldn't chicken out now. Maybe it was good for Rashid to be first. No matter what happened with him, she wouldn't really care about anyone else. So she really only needed to be nervous once.

A knock sounded. Philippa looked at the clock in panic. Five til seven. Maybe someone wanted a quick word before things started? She went to the door and opened it to find Rashid.

"Hi," she said, sounding strangled.

"Hey. I got ready a few minutes ago, and I figured you wouldn't mind if I came early. I mean, not came early like that. Because I don't. Come early. I've never had a problem with that. I just wanted to show up, so we could talk for a few minutes."

Philippa opened the door. "Come on in."

He entered and she closed the door behind him.

"Would you like something to drink?" she asked. "Water, soda, coffee? Alcohol?"

Rashid looked a little hurt. "You need to be drunk to have sex with me?"

"No! That's not what I meant. I just meant... I mean... it's kind of weird to suddenly add sex to our relationship."

"Yeah. Totally. We don't have to do this if it makes you uncomfortable."

"No, I want to!" She really did want to. "It's just a little stressful."

Rashid leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. "Don't be stressed out, P."

"It's just that I've never had sex with someone I've been friends with for a long time first."

"Didn't you have sex with Toby?"

She shook her head. "He wanted to sneak off at tournaments. I was afraid of getting caught."

Getting caught being a virgin, mostly. But she also feared getting into trouble with the adults. Not that debate adults really hovered around the kids. They respected that the kids were smart and would do a good job of hiding whatever rules they broke. Still, Philippa had always been the quintessential good girl, and sex at tournaments did not count as good girl behavior.

"That's fair," Rashid said. "Come on, let's go sit on your couch."

She followed him into the living room, then slumped down next to him on the couch.

"Now what?" she asked, dreading the look on his face when he realized she had next to zero experience with anything sexual.

"Now we just spend a few minutes kissing."

Rashid leaned in and pressed their lips together gently in a kiss that felt sweet and light, like something she could handle. He repeated the action and pressed harder. She let herself melt into his thick lips and felt ready when he slid his tongue inside her mouth. His touch stayed gentle, massaging her mouth rather than trying to eat it. Her ex had fallen firmly on the eating-her-face side of the spectrum. Rashid's approach relaxed her, but it also got her excited to do more.

He gave her plenty of time before he put his hand on her body –just curling it around her hip. She wrapped her arms behind his shoulders. That must have given him permission to touch her, because he put his other hand on her chest and trailed it downward. A minute later his mouth followed the same path. He untied her bathrobe to give him free reign, then opened it enough to suck her breast into his mouth. Philippa arched her back. Her brain remained nervous, but her body had become more comfortable. If she could turn her brain off completely, they would have a hell of a time.

Rashid returned to kissing her mouth as he slipped his bathrobe off completely. Then he managed to push Philippa back so she laid across the couch. He hovered over top of her. She ran her hands down his back. She wondered if she could touch his butt. How ridiculous. Of course she could touch his butt. They were about to have sex. She slid her hands to his rear and found he had a nice bottom to grab onto. She shivered as he touched her clit. He rubbed gently, and she felt her excitement grow.

Content with their makeout session, it took her a second to realize he planned to do more. He'd pulled away from her lips and his hard penis rested on her leg.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

Philippa nodded. She opened her legs and watched him steer his penis inside. Rashid was definitely bigger than her ex. He clearly wanted to be gentle, and she appreciated that. She felt like there might be a future where the two of them could be going at it like animals, but for now she needed reassurance. It would take a while before sex felt comfortable and safe.

Once Rashid had entered her completely he kissed her again. Even though she'd never experienced anything like his huge dick, it didn't feel uncomfortable. In fact, she felt divine, like she'd been missing something and had now been made whole. He opened her mouth up with his, and she let her tongue explore. As his hips pulled out and pushed back in, his mouth lifted. His thrusts became more emphatic. The way he rocked through her seemed magical. It didn't take long for her to get close to orgasm. A few strokes later she moaned as her orgasm hit.

"Stay with me, P."

He kept working. All she could feel was pleasure. She closed her eyes and ran her hands up and down his back. He had one hand on her clit and it drove her wild. When he started nibbling her neck she bucked her hips into his. He began taking her in long, hard thrusts. That set her off again, and the second peak felt even better than the first. While she shuddered she could feel him releasing inside of her.

Rashid leaned in to kiss her one more time, and he pulled their pelvises away from each other. Without him, she felt empty. Something she didn't know she needed had been taken away from her. He pulled out of the kiss, looked at her and smiled.

"That was beautiful," he said.

Philippa smiled, but inside doubt assailed her. That was beautiful? What did that even mean? She could understand 'that was amazing,' or 'that was hot,' or 'that blew my mind.' But 'that was beautiful?' He didn't sound like he'd been blown away. And she had definitely been blown away. She found their sex amazing, hot, and it had blown her mind.

"Yeah," she echoed with fake cheer.

Rashid

Rashid realized from Philippa's reaction he had said the wrong thing. Should be backpedal? Or try to brush past it?

"You're beautiful," he said. "And that was incredible."

The smile she gave him this time seemed genuine. "It really was."

He lifted himself off her and sat upright. Glancing at a clock by the TV, he saw they still had twenty minutes left. Plenty of time to go again, but he didn't think she was mentally up for that. He pulled her up.

"Lean into me; we'll cuddle."

Philippa settled herself with her back to his chest. She still had her bathrobe on, and as she got into position she pulled it closed and belted it. He tried not to sigh. All that gorgeous flesh being covered seemed like such a waste. But P clearly felt shy about her body. It would take more than one great lay to get her over that.

He frowned. Did he want more than one great lay? Was he willing to risk their entire friendship on something physical? He didn't know anymore. Probably better not to try to figure it out while still in la la land with pheromones powering his brain.

"How is your blogging going?" he asked. "I'm a week behind in reading your stuff because of all the madness with the reveal protests."

"I know. I'm behind writing. The blogging is good. It's nice having two blogs, because I can work on whichever I'm in the mood for. If I'm feeling lighthearted, I can write my witch blog. If I want to talk about politics and academia, I have my public blog. I wrote about the reveal controversy on my witch blog. I'm so ready for it to happen, whether or not Lucifer is involved."

His grip tightened slightly, then he forced himself to relax. "Are you?"

He'd known she was a revealer for a long time. He definitely did not want to reveal. As a black man in America, he had enough strikes against him. He didn't need for people to know he also turned into a hyena. Not that he felt other people shouldn't reveal. If Philippa wanted to come out as a witch, he would be happy for her. He just didn't want to reveal himself. And it occurred to him that a relationship with someone who publicly admitted to being a witch might put some unwanted attention on him. That definitely should be something he considered.

"For me, it's about being free and not having to hide anymore," P said.

"I guess I don't mind hiding."

"Don't you want people to know the real you?"

"They do know the real me. Being a werehyena isn't some part of my identity that other people have to know about to interact with me. It's just one factor in a million. There are a lot of things people don't know about me. And I have plenty of people in my life who do know I'm a were."

"I suppose that's true. I just really want to tell people about magic. So many people act like science is the only thing that can explain the world, and I want to scream that there's magic, too." She shrugged.

Rashid kissed the top of her head. "Then you tell them that. Shout it from the rooftops."

"I will. I'm going to write a book about it."

"That would be neat. Based on your blogs?"

"No. More of an informative text. Something that explains the different types of magic, and how they've evolved through time. Give a list of what can be done, and what can't be done. A general primer."

"That sounds neat. Tell me about it."

So she talked, and Rashid listened. And as she relaxed, he felt like maybe they could be something more.

### Chapter 5: Smooth and Scary

Thealla

The knock on the door came before Thealla could fully wind down. Things with Hideo had been pretty exciting. She opened the door and found Rashid looking a little smug.

"Hello, Thealla."

"Come in, Rashid. Welcome to my den of sin."

He laughed. "Can we sin in the bedroom? Two hot women later, and I'm ready to melt."

"Absolutely." She led him to the bed, and they both crawled on top and lay on their sides, facing each other.

"Can we hold off for a couple minutes? I want to get my head into a place where I can appreciate being with you."

"I can wait. I mean, I've been thinking about having sex since I met you, but I didn't want to have too much debate sex. It's a lot harder to be a female debater and be sexually active. Everyone acts like you're a slut."

"I know, it's repulsive. I wish humans weren't so misogynistic. Maybe we should reveal ourselves – they could learn a few things from our society."

"Totally. Look at the way our Congress is set up. By ensuring an even split of genders, everyone's needs are addressed. And the synthesis of different ideas and plans mean we can all live a fulfilling life. I remember all of us nons hanging out in a hotel room one time, and you said there wasn't much racism among nons either."

Rashid shook his head. "I've encountered it once from a non. Being black among humans is consistently mind boggling. And then I go to non-human functions, and it isn't an issue. No one cares who I date, or who I talk to, or what music I listen to. No one says inappropriate things about me being well-spoken. I tend to stick more to the non-human community because of that."

"That makes sense. Though I've met several nons who made assumptions about me as a vampire. I mean, there are a shit ton of vampires. Everyone should know what we're like by now."

"Ignorance is everywhere, sadly."

"Even in the political community. Jez didn't know how shades became more corporeal. And Nina asking how long Deepak had been dead. Honestly, people, just read."

Rashid laughed. "I know! I mean, I fucking learn about it. We're in this together, we're making laws about each other. There's plenty of information out there. But I'm always surprised by the number of intelligent people who don't bother with continued learning. That's why I'm going back to school when this year is up. I want to always be learning."

"Very nice. I may get a Master's eventually, but I would need to spend a couple years saving up. I got lucky that my parents could pay for undergrad, but I'm on my own for grad school."

"Yeah. My parents paid for a Bachelor's Degree at Harvard. I'm not asking them for anything in grad school. In high school they were like, 'we're buying you a used car, but you can go to any college you want.' I cared more about my education than my car, so that worked for me. And they paid a lot for debate tournaments. I wasn't going to whine about not getting a fancy car."

"I like your parents," Thealla said. "They're so great. I love that they always brought us food to tournaments. Crap, we shouldn't talk about our parents. We're about to have sex!"

He laughed again. "True that. We need to talk about something sexy. Or you could put some music on?"

Thealla popped up and went to her laptop. "What do you want, Marvin Gaye? I've heard you're really smooooooth in bed."

"Ha. Ha. You know what I listen to."

"I have that Suede album you gave to me. That has lots of sexy lyrics. It should get us turned on." Thealla pressed play and returned to bed.

"I just need to look at your lovely face to get turned on."

"Aren't you the cutest? Give me a kiss, you big scavenger."

Rashid leaned over and gave her a long kiss with a lot of tongue involved. He had an incredibly soft mouth, almost like a woman's. And his lips were thicker than hers, so they felt like sliding on pillows. She looped her arms behind his neck, and his hands slid around her waist.

Thealla decided to stick with his mouth for a while. She had two hot and heavy experiences, she wanted something slow and steady for this portion of the night. The deeper and longer their kiss went, the more turned on she became. They pulled each other closer and stroked more intimate areas. His ass kept her hands busy until their hips were pushed apart by someone saying hello. A large and long someone. From her experience, all non-humans had big dicks. Screwing a human didn't have that guarantee.

Lifting her leg across his waist, Rashid started rubbing his dick against her clit. Between the sensations there and the kiss that never ended, she wanted to go the distance. She grabbed his dick and steered him inside, all while still kissing. They might never stop kissing.

Thealla's left hand drifted across his gently muscled chest. Clearly he spent more time on academic pursuits than physical ones, but he still had enough definition to make her drool. She wondered if he kept his chest in shape by shifting to his hyena form and running. Some weres bought tracts of lands to exercise without being seen by humans.

Rashid began moving, and her brain focused entirely on the moment. His strokes were long and smooth, and she would definitely call them strokes rather than thrusts. It felt good having him gliding through her body. Sometimes she liked hard sex, but not right after sleeping with two other guys. Maybe at some point her vagina would be so tired she'd need the guys to slam into her to get a rise, but until then, gentler made her happier.

Rashid used the back of his hand to move around her clitoris with a back and forth motion. It felt good, and added to the slow in and out she seemed to have a mini-orgasm every time he slid all the way in. And they were still kissing.

She definitely should have slept with him in high school. It's not like Rashid was a kiss and tell kind of guy. At least she got to do it now. In fact, she could do it all year long if she wanted to. Three guys so far, which had been three totally hot fucks. Her fellow Junior Congresspeople really had the touch.

This particular touch kept getting better. Rashid had added an up and down and circular motion to her clit. With how slow he kept things going, their current interaction felt like incredibly hot foreplay rather than sex. She seemed surrounded by sensuality, and their bodies moved like elegant mechanisms coupling in perfect unison.

Her back arching caused her to pull away from kissing Rashid. He must have taken that as a signal to get a little faster, both with his hand circling her clit, and his hips thrumming into her. The sensation felt dizzying after being so slow and gentle, and Thealla peaked. That seemed to unlock something for Rashid, and he took her even faster, going at a frenetic pace.

"The bite," he said.

"I've heard it feels better after."

"It definitely feels better before."

Huh. She should tell Toby that. Thealla sunk her teeth into his neck, licking his blood as it spilled down his shoulder. She did her mending spell, then sucked up every last drop. Weres tasted delicious. According to weres into bites and blood (and some of them definitely were), their blood tasted like filet mignon. Thealla could understand why humans loved steak places so much.

Rashid thrust with purpose, ready to come hard. His moans filled up the room and Thealla couldn't help but join in as she peaked again. Her movements caused his dick to clench and expel. His cum literally kept coming – a were trait. Maybe they had a little bit of an animal thing going on with their never-ending virility.

Thealla slipped him out and slumped against the bed. "I really should have fucked you in high school."

"Probably not. I was pretty crap back then. Most teenagers are. We're totally unsure of what we're doing, and we can't last worth a damn. Teenage boys are day lilies, not orchids. It takes a few years for our petals to withstand the night."

Only Rashid could be caustically funny right after orgasming.

She laughed. "Then you can be smug about the fact that I now think you're a sex master and will fantasize about you."

"That's a plus. I think every boy on the circuit fantasized about you. Honestly, it was always you, Georgie, Philippa and Nina. I slept with Nina, because that's what happens with Nina, but I could never figure out how to get with the rest of you. And now we're all here together, and my teenage fantasies are coming true."

"Mine, too. I mean, it's like you said, we're debaters. We like winning."

"The desire to conquer is definitely also a hyena thing. We may not pull them down, but we're first on the scene, and we send everyone else running."

"Whereas Georgie takes them down like a wolf. Physically and verbally."

"I've been on the wrong side of Georgie's mouth enough times to know just how true that is. She's quite a competitor. There have been times I wondered if she was going to stab me to get a ballot. I'm surprised she didn't debate in college."

"She wanted to party in college. So did I. It didn't seem worth it to spend so much time on something purely extra-curricular. And since I went to school at UCLA there was always a good party to go to."

"I bet. I'm surprised you didn't do Berkeley."

Thealla shrugged. "I applied, but I didn't get the scholarship money. Plus I love L.A. It's full of beautiful men."

Rashid laughed. "Priorities. Well, there's only a minute left. I better head out."

Thealla got off the bed and walked him to the door.

"Have fun," she said.

"I already did, Thee."

Yeah. So had she.

Kian

Kian's headed to Shaunessey's for his third assignation. When she opened the door, she stood as naked as the day she'd been born.

"Come on in."

Kian smiled and entered. "I see you dressed for the occasion."

Shaunessey shrugged. "Everyone's going to see it, right? Why bother covering it up? Come on, take yours off, I want to know what you've been hiding."

Kian took off his robe and threw it over the couch.

"Oh, you have a pretty dick!"

He laughed. "Thank you. You have a pretty everything."

"Hideo seemed to like it, and that's what I care about right now. Not that I'm going to go out with him. I mean, it's way too early for that. We're just maybe going to sleep together again. If he's interested." She headed into the bedroom.

Kian followed her. "He's interested."

"Okay, good, I'm not being full of myself."

"Not at all. You are clearly his idea of a good time. What about Thealla? Do you think she's interested in me?"

Shaunessey frowned cutely. "I haven't seen you two together yet. But I haven't seen her looking at anyone else. Enough about other people. This is about you and I having mind bending Fae sex. Did you grab a few condoms?"

He held one up.

"You just got one? We have an hour."

Kian grinned. "Trust me. We'll only need one."

"Ooooh, the famed faerie stamina. I've only gotten to experience that once. Get on the bed. I want to be on top for the first fifteen minutes or so."

Kian laid down and she bounced on top of him. Then she leaned over and gave him a heady kiss. His hands went to her crotch and worked her clit. It didn't take her long to get ready. It hadn't taken him long, either. He rolled the condom over his hardened cock and helped her take it into her. Then she rode him like a jockey. After she came the first time it became his turn to be on top. He flipped her over and she gave a little sigh. He fucked her hard through a second orgasm, then pulled out and got her on her hands and knees. As he thrust into her from behind he traced her wings with his fingertips. They looked so delicate and beautiful. He loved women's naked bodies, but it seemed like a nice change to have gorgeous butterfly wings to peruse while he slammed into her pussy.

He timed it so her third and his first orgasm happened with eight minutes to spare. As she collapsed on the bed, he got up, disposed of the condom, and put his robe on.

"It's been great, but I'm seeing Thealla next, and I want to be right on time."

"Go get her. If you fuck her like you just fucked me, she'll never let you leave."

Kian certainly hoped that would be true. He had a feeling he'd never want to leave Thealla.

Thealla

After escorting Rashid to the door, Thealla opened it. Kian stood outside. As Rashid slipped out she could only stare at the faerie.

He absolutely radiated sex. She'd never seen anything like it. Just being in his general vicinity gave her a shock of pleasure. Thealla stepped back and waved him inside because she couldn't form any words.

"You look incredible." He wasn't smiling. He looked serious, intense. He stared into her eyes as though he could read her brain.

"Thank you," she said flippantly. "This is my 'just got fucked' look."

He continued to stare at her eyes, and she couldn't help staring back. His eyes really did look like emeralds. Actually, emeralds didn't hold a candle to his beautiful eyes. She considered buying a ring with two emeralds just so she could always be reminded of this moment of suspended animation. Or perhaps sexspended animation?

"Where do you want to do this?" she asked.

Kian finally smiled and seemed to relax. He held out his hand and she took it. He walked her over to the couch and paused in front of her while she sat down.

"I want to be on my knees in front of you," he said, dropping down. "So I can worship you."

Dear fucking gods. That should have sounded cheesy. She should have been rolling her eyes, not opening her legs wide.

Kian drew his hands along her thighs. "There's something about you, Thealla. I don't know what it is, but I want you to feel it, too."

Thealla opened her mouth to say she did, but Kian leaned in and kissed her. It soon became the most passionate kiss she'd ever received. Her hands flew to his head, brushing back that incredible hair and gripping the back of his neck. He aggressively worked his tongue along hers, making a sucking motion with his lips that boded well for the rest of the night. He tongued her fast enough to get her revved up, but not so fast as to be mauling her.

Why couldn't she get enough air? She felt like she might float away. He continued rubbing his hands up and down her thighs, reminding her that she hadn't left the ground. Kian pulled his head away, and she felt a little empty without his mouth. He began kissing her neck, then down to her collarbone, between her breasts, onto her stomach, and down her torso. Pausing at the bottom, he licked her from her vagina to the top of her folds. It seemed animalistic – the kind of thing you'd expect a were to do, not a faerie. Not that she had any complaints about it. Already she'd started shuddering with pleasure.

He used his tongue as a weapon. Shooting it at her clitoris in a staccato motion, then doing another one of those licks, he went on to tease her opening with a thrust inside, finishing by rolling his tongue in circles around her clit. Thealla realized she wouldn't last long. Maybe the other men had loosened her up, or maybe Kian was a fucking god of sex. She'd definitely have to have sex with him another time just to confirm that theory.

Thealla's back arched once, then twice, then she broke and shook as if she'd been scared shitless. It kind of did frighten her how much he made her feel, not just physically, but emotionally. He seemed to be attempting to draw her soul into his body and push his soul into her in return. Shit had gotten real, and she didn't know what to do about it. Before she could pull away, Kian scooped her into his arms and walked into the bedroom.

"I can walk," Thealla said in protest.

"You shouldn't have to."

He laid her gently on the bed and crawled in beside her. They stared at each other for a moment. Thealla's heart raced from the intensity of it. What did he want from her? His actions spoke of intimacy, and she'd never quite understood what that meant before. Feeling vulnerable and confused, she started to pull away, but Kian blinked and relaxed.

"Do you want to be on top?" he asked. He scooched so he sat upright, leaning against the headboard.

Thealla pushed up and straddled him, deciding to get into the spirit of things. "I want to be everywhere with you, but I can start on top."

He used his right hand to pull her into another one of those incredible kisses. His left hand grabbed her hip and tugged her pelvis closer.

Thealla hadn't expected this level of passion from Kian. In their previous meetings he'd seemed interested, but he hadn't overflowed with lust. He'd been friendly, casual, not showing any indication he found her intoxicating. Now he kissed her like her mouth was the only way he could breathe. His left hand kept her tight against him while his right hand tangled in her hair, pulling her to the side to kiss her more deeply. He seemed completely and utterly out of control.

Not that Thealla had much control herself. Everything felt tender from where she'd come from his mouth, and she knew the second he touched her clit, she'd be flying all over again. Realizing she'd been stroking his hardened dick and hadn't noticed, she sat up and held him in place.

"I need you in me. Now." She sank onto him and let herself adjust to the feeling of sheer perfection when they joined.

He gazed into her eyes. "This is the start, but not the end. Never the end. You and I have so much more ahead of us."

A smile tugged up her lips. "You should be asking me, not telling me."

"Darling, I'm begging. I need you desperately, and one hour will never be enough."

Romantic or smothering? She couldn't decide. "Let's just take this one fuck at a time."

A blissful smile crossed his face. "I can do that. Now move."

She used her thigh muscles to ride him, squeezing her vaginal muscles to give the same amount of pleasure she received. They worked in unison, locked in a rolling motion rather than a rutting one. The rhythm hypnotized her, calming her brain but blowing her body's nerves to pieces. She felt like she'd started an orgasm and stayed locked inside that first moment, building to something better without peaking.

Abruptly the rolling motion of his thighs became a bucking one. He'd turned into a bronco at the rodeo, and she held on for dear life, rocking with him as he hit her insides in all the right places. They'd lost the kiss, and somehow her fingers had gotten buried in his hair. He gripped her waist tightly, helping her to rise and fall against his thrusts. The orgasm built but showed no signs of spiking.

Apparently Kian's legs got tired, because he somehow turned them around so her head was on the pillow. He hovered over her, driving into her with the same speed and energy, using his hands to tilt her pelvis. She moaned deeply, placing her hands on his ass to feel him work. If she ever decided to spend the rest of her life with someone on top and inside of her, she would pick Kian. He did it better than anyone else. By a LOT.

With an especially powerful thrust he pushed in and stayed there, searing her mouth with another forceful kiss. She moved her hands back to his hair, shifting his head to a better angle and devouring him. Having him inside and not moving ratcheted up her body's high another degree, and when he began moving slowly again, she honestly thought she might die.

He could go that hard and not orgasm? Instead, he could slow down and take it easy like starting from scratch? She'd heard the Fae in general and faeries in particular had taken endurance in bed to a whole new level. Actually experiencing it, she felt like the rumors had undersold those men. He clearly had no plans for leaving her pussy any time soon.

Rolling them onto their sides, Kian wrapped her top leg over his waist. Still going at a snail's pace, he touched her clit with a single finger. She didn't feel her orgasm grow or fade. It stayed at the same level, teasing her, with completion just beyond her reach. As soon as she thought the slow pace might be getting boring he sped up, rolling them again, but this time he put his mouth and hands on her breasts. After he pinched her nipple she shouted out, and he chuckled darkly.

"You torturing my body isn't funny," she said breathily.

"I'm not laughing at you. I just feel so fucking good. You feel so fucking good. I want to bury myself so deep in you my body becomes a part of you, a toy for you to turn on and play with."

That fantasy felt too much like ownership. "And what happens when I take you out?"

"You won't. You'll be fucking me eternally, sharing my orgasms for perpetuity, owning my body forevermore."

She could take that declaration as obsessed dreams which bordered on creepy, or she could take it as the desperate ramblings of a man undone by pleasure.

Before she could analyze things properly she blurted out, "I want you to fuck me so hard our souls intertwine."'

Wait, what did she just say? She didn't mean that. Or maybe some part of her did?

"Yes," he panted. "I need you. I need you."

As he chanted that prayer, he thrust harder, then pulled out. Scrambling to the edge of the bed, he pulled her hips so they rested on the edge of the mattress, and he stood in front of her. He pushed inside again, and then used the leverage to move so hard she could honestly only describe it as a pounding. That term had always sounded uncomfortable before, but being there, doing it? Yes. She wanted more of that. With a smooth motion he hooked her ankles above his shoulders, leaning into her with every drive.

Thealla fully understood why orgasm meant 'little death.' She might be dying of pleasure. Her brain had begun to overload. When he shifted his hips and hit her G spot (or A spot? Or maybe every letter in the alphabet spot?), she made a high pitched keening noise. His response was a growl that she felt as well as heard. Moaning, she chanted, 'yesyesyesyesyes' to keep him doing exactly that. He'd begun growling even louder, then he pinched her clit, and she may have screamed. So what? Not like anyone nearby didn't know what they were doing.

Thealla had no idea how long he thrummed though her alphabet spot, but her orgasm grew blindingly strong until she finally became overwhelmed by ecstasy, unable to feel her arms or legs, but dealing with a line of sensation from her brain to her pussy. The aftershocks went on for ages. At some point she realized the semen tickling her insides meant Kian had also come. He unhooked her legs and sank to the floor. Moving sideways so her legs stretched along the bed, she pulled at his torso. He seemed to gather enough energy to stand up and then collapse next to her. Grabbing his chin with her hands, she kissed him for all she was worth.

A knock on the door interrupted their afterglow. Kian pulled away from her mouth and snarled, furiously glaring at the other room.

"Who the fuck is that?"

She moved his head until he looked back at her.

"It's the runaround," she said calmly.

His eyes narrowed. "I'm not ready to leave."

"We can take a couple minutes."

"I'm not going to be ready to leave in a couple minutes, either." He sighed and closed his eyes. After taking a deep breath, he opened them. "Okay. I'm better. I'm going to leave now, because I said I would do this runaround, and I keep my word. Otherwise, I would never go. I would kiss you until we fell asleep with our lips and hips connected, and our fingers laced together like dovetail joints."

That threw her. "What do you know about dovetail joints?"

He lifted an eyebrow skeptically. "That's what you're taking away from that statement?"

"Sorry. It was really romantic before that. I just had a sudden flashback to my mom watching home improvement shows and it took me out of the moment."

Kian shook his head, gave her another hard kiss, got up and went into the other room.

"Should I just let him in?" he called.

"Sure." She could hear him at the door apologizing for running late, then the sound of the door closing came a moment before Mot entered her room.

Kian

Kian was still breathing hard as he went to his next partner. He couldn't even remember his next scheduled person. Stopping to look at the wall by the elevator, he read his list. Galaxia. She lived on the opposite end of the hallway. He tried to slow his heart rate as he walked down the hall. By the time he knocked on her door, he felt slightly relaxed.

Galaxia opened the door and waved him in.

"Sorry I'm late," Kian said.

"No worries. This is the last one tonight, so if it ends up going over, it's no big deal."

"True. I'm afraid I'm not quite ready yet. I just had a very intense emotional experience. Can I have a glass of water?"

"Sure." She led him into the kitchen and filled a glass. He drank half the cup in one long gulp. "You were thirsty! And you're scowling. Are you angry?"  
Kian softened. "No. I'm sorry. I think I just fell in love."

"Ooooh! Who?"

"Thealla."

Galaxia grinned. "Nice. You'd make the most beautiful babies. You're gonna go after her, right?"  
"Of course."

"That's good. I hate when people are crazy about someone, but don't actually ask them out. Such a waste." She shook her head.

"I'll talk to her tomorrow."

He had hoped he could talk to her when he finished with Galaxia, but he already felt tired, and he wanted his next conversation with Thealla to be when they both had energy.

He finished the water and put the glass on the counter. "I'm all yours now."

Galaxia grinned. "Good! Come on, let's hit the bedroom."

The bedroom had clearly been the site of multiple orgasms. Two vibrators sat on the bedside table next to a pump bottle of lube, and strips of black cloth hung from the headboard.

"I had Toby tie me up," she said. "I mean, if you're going to fuck an incubus, you have to make it memorable."

"Completely understandable."

"But none of the guys after that wanted to be tied up, sadly. What about you? You game?" She waggled her eyebrows.

"It wouldn't be the first time. But if I can't touch you, you're going to have to sit on my face."

"Deal."

Kian laid down and let her bind him. Then she arranged herself so her pussy hovered above his mouth.

"I'm going to fuck your face, then I'm going to suck your cock, then I'll ride you so hard you'll want to rip those ties off your hands."

Fine with him. It meant he could put off thinking about Thealla for a while longer. He had a feeling he wouldn't be getting much sleep. He wanted to reminisce over every second they'd been together.

However, right now he had some wild, tied-up face-fucking to do.

### Chapter 6: Hard Night and Gentle Afternoon

Thealla

Mot's eyebrow cocked at the sight of Thealla dragging herself out of the bedroom. "You look like you're done for the night."

"Just about. Do you mind giving me a minute to drink some water?"

"Not at all. Since we're last, we have time. And I've had some wild times tonight, too. The succubus was a revelation. I can't believe I've never had sex with one before."

"Do you see many in Duat?"

She walked to the kitchen and poured two glasses of water, handing him one. His Adam's apple bobbed while he drank and she stared at it longingly. Men drinking could be such a turn on.

"No, and I don't get much chance to travel here. A few years ago I did two days in Egypt. I wanted to see the temples and pyramids, compare them to the ones in our realm. I'm so busy in Duat, I rarely have time for vacations, and when I do I like going to other Afterworlds where I know people."

"Fair. I'd love to see the Afterworlds. If I stay in non-human politics, I should eventually have reasons to go."

"Absolutely. I'd be happy to show you around Duat. Since we're not ready to fuck yet, could I have your bite? I've heard it's the best, but I hadn't met any living vampires before this week."

"I'd love to taste you. Let's sit down so it's more comfortable."

They went to the couch, and when Mot sat, she curled up on his right and leaned into his neck. He loosened his robe, giving her a view of all that beautiful golden skin and a peek at the little guy who would soon be inside her. Only not so little. The gigantic guy that would soon be inside of her. Her vagina seemed to shrink in fear. It had been a really long night, and her marathon session with Kian wore her poor pussy out.

Deciding to give him the full vampire come on, she licked his entire neck vein from collarbone to chin. Then she licked the particular area she'd bite, pressing her teeth in and waiting as they lengthened and pierced his golden skin. She bit down and licked before releasing her teeth and sucking hard. Gods, he tasted like honey. The next time she got animal blood she simply must mix some honey in, because the decadence of this taste needed to be repeated.

Thealla didn't take too much since she'd fed from Toby and Rashid. With a bit of a pout, she healed him and pulled back, licking the last of his glorious blood.

"I feel so amazing right now," Mot said appreciatively.

"Me, too. You taste like honey."

"My parents have their own hives, so I eat a lot of it. Maybe too much if my blood tastes like that."

"While diet can affect the taste of blood, it's honestly more about the species. I would guess all gods and goddesses from Duat taste like you. But if I drank from Galaxia, she probably would taste differently."

"Fascinating. Does it give you the urge to taste everyone you meet?"

She laughed. "It kinda does. But I feel like asking someone if I can bite them is a little forward. I usually prefer to wait until they ask me."

"Consider this an ongoing offer to bite me at any time."

"Be careful what you wish for."

He grimaced. "I've learned that lesson. I wished that my year as a Junior would be full of excitement, and that I could do lots of useful and important things. Well, now we've got a protest happening next Friday."

Thealla shuddered. "I don't even want to think about it. It'll ruin my mood."

"That would be unfortunate. I rather hoped I'd get you so excited you'd scream, 'oh, god!' and 'god, yes!' over and over again. I like the literal sexclamations best."

She laughed. "I'll keep that in mind. After that sweet blood I'm feeling ready to rumble, but there's no way I can handle being on top. Can you take one for the team?"

"Fortunately, gods have a lot of stamina. That's why weird sex cults formed around us. Demeter and Dionysus have some really interesting fans. Anyway, if I lay down I might not get up again, so I'm thinking that bare stretch of wall is our best bet."

"That's a pretty top position if a girl can find a guy who can handle it."

He smirked and took off his robe. "I can handle it."

"Yes, you can. Wow." She hadn't noticed from seeing him clothed, but bared his arms looked like knotted ropes. She shrugged off her own robe and threw it on the couch.

"Your body is an oasis in the desert," Mot said.

"Thanks. Your sand-colored skin has my throat parched, but your obelisk is making my sarcophagus wet."

Mot threw back his head and laughed. "Then let's get it inside of you."

He grabbed her hand and tugged her to the wall, holding her thighs while he hefted her up. Wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck, she sighed after he tilted his hips and rubbed his cock against her clit.

"Open up, sunshine," he cajoled.

She felt her pussy throb.

"Yes, now, good," she babbled.

He lifted her higher and slid into her, pressing her more tightly against the wall.

"Yes. God. You are a god."

Grinning from ear to ear, he used his hands on her ass to pin her in place, then speared her with his almighty cock. She moaned, biting her lip to keep from spewing word vomit. Apparently he had better uses for her mouth, because he leaned in and kissed her. God, did he kiss her. His tongue plundered her mouth, taking what he wanted. She made more indiscriminate noises and tried to keep up with him. He'd invaded her on both ends, and she worshipped him with her body.

Her fingertips ran down his back, adding slight pressure from her nails to excite him. She squeezed her vaginal muscles when he pushed in completely, causing him to throw back his head and shout.

Within a second his head came back up, and narrowing his eyes, he leaned into her, grinding her against the wall from crown to coccyx. This kiss punished her. He removed his tongue long enough to bite her bottom lip, then sucked her tongue into his own mouth and pulled his head back. Chasing his face, she tangled their tongues together in an open mouthed kiss that seemed incendiary.

Still fucking her hard, Mot pulled out of the kiss and nuzzled into her neck. Since his ear was right by her mouth, she licked and nibbled at it.

"Fuck, that's good," he muttered into her shoulder.

Thealla's back spasmed against the confines of the wall, shoving her chest into his. His light sprinkling of hair teased her nipples. He bit her neck, not enough to break skin, but enough to remind her of the last time she slept with another vampire. She may not be able to get high off a lover's bite, but she certainly appreciated the way it felt to have someone suck her blood, and apparently non-bloody biting did it for her, too. Her orgasm kicked in, and she yowled like a cat.

Having his partner come didn't slow Mot down. He kept invading her vag with the force of a truck.

"Can't take much more," she whined.

"Don't be a quitter, sunshine. I'm almost there. I just need to go a little... faster."

He pulled her away from the wall, walked over to the dining room table, and dumped her on top, adjusting her hips so he could piston into them at an unprecedented pace. Although she felt sore all over, another orgasm grew as he worked her. He pumped a few more times, then pinched her clit and right nipple simultaneously, sending her over the edge. Her pressure brought him along, too, and he exploded inside of her like a champagne bottle. She feared her cervix would bruise from the force of his cum.

Mot leaned down, stuck his tongue down her throat while he stayed buried inside of her, then after a few seconds of completely penetrating her, he pulled out and back.

"You fuck like a fertility goddess," he said in a scratchy voice.

"Need some more water?"

"Please."

He held out a hand and helped her off the table, following her into the kitchen and gulping down the glass she poured like he'd been walking through the Sahara. Thealla drank nearly as much from her glass.

She closed her eyes. "That's the hardest I've ever been fucked in my life. Everything inch of me feels dominated."

"What can I say? That's just my style."

"You definitely need to marry a succubus, because their vages would heal while you fuck them."

"After experiencing sex with Nina, I can honestly say I would be the happiest man on every realm if I got to marry a succubus. Not that you're inferior in the sack. You're amazing. But she blew my mind."

"I had a little of that myself earlier."

He looked hungry for gossip. "Oh? With who?"

"Kian. Everything was so intense."

"The Fae generally are during sex. And if the Fae actually likes you, you're thoroughly fucked. Figuratively and literally. You will never be able to forget sex that good."

"I could see that. Though I made a lot of memories tonight. Every single one of you guys will go down in history."

Mot grinned. "Likewise. One never forgets their first vampire."

Before she could answer that, a yawn hit her. "Goodness, I'm more tired than I thought."

"Then I'll leave you to your bed. Good night, sunshine. Thank you for making me come like that. I needed it."

She smiled sleepily. "Night."

He headed to the door and slipped out. Thealla dragged herself over to flip the lock so no one could interrupt her sleep, then hit the bathroom before crawling under the covers naked. Ordinarily she wore pajamas, but she just couldn't muster up the energy to put them on.

As consciousness solidified, Thealla opened her eyes and glanced at the clock. After ten. Apparently insane amounts of sex required insane amounts of sleep. Tabitha had curled up next to her head, so she petted her for a few minutes. Memories from the night before drifted through her mind. Hideo. Mot. Rashid. Toby.

Kian.

Fuck. He wanted to talk to her. What did he want to talk about? Did he want to start dating? Did she want to start dating? Unsure. She wanted to taste him, at least.

She wanted to taste Hideo, too. Sampling different species' blood almost made up for never being able to eat a regular meal. Hopefully she'd be able to try all the Juniors' blood, other than the shades who had none.

Some vampires considered shades to be worthless because they couldn't be sucked on, but Thealla valued people as more than a snack. Even though shades didn't need to be on the Earthen realm, clearly many of them wanted to be, and they had the right to have a voice in non politics.

She did question whether they had the right to demand that non-humans reveal themselves. Most shades weren't truly non-humans – they were dead humans. While they had indestructible bodies, living nons did not. Humans could very much hurt nons, and Thealla feared what humans would do when they found out about nons. Some humans would be violent, and some nons would be hurt. She wondered if the revealers didn't think about that, or purposely ignored it.

Plus, how would nons be treated by human governments? She couldn't expect to have perfect equality. For someone like Thealla, who advocated breaking down prejudice and ensuring everyone received the benefits of fair legislation, revealing could only be a nightmare.

Trying not to think about the Friday protest, she forced herself to relax before the second part of the runaround. Since she still had some unpacking to do, she threw herself into getting her apartment ready.

At two she heard a knock. Opening the door, she found Kian outside with his bottom lip pressed against his teeth. Her first thought was that those should be her teeth biting him. In her second thought came fear of whatever he wanted to say. She pasted on a smile and motioned him to come in.

"Can we talk about last night?" Kian asked when she closed the door behind him.

"What do you want to talk about?"

Falling into the recliner so he couldn't sit next to her, she waved for him to sit on the couch. She didn't think sharing furniture would be conducive to conversation.

He sat. "I've never experienced anything like what we had and did. I think there's something between us that we need to figure out."

"Obviously, there's lust." For some reason she didn't want to admit just how much their sexual experience had affected her. She didn't want him knowing how much power he had over her.

"We connected emotionally. Don't pretend it was only physical."

"I did feel a strong sense of intimacy with you, but we just met a few days ago. I need to get to know you better before we try to dissect the madness that happens when we're together."

"Aren't you a little bit curious to see what we could become?"

She studied him. He seemed less intense today. Almost casual. "I assume you're talking about us dating."

His lips twitched. "To start with."

To start with? Where did he plan on finishing?

"We need to be reasonable. We barely know each other. I'm not going to suddenly jump into a relationship and tell the others we're a couple. If you want to hang out, great. If you want exclusivity, I can't give that to you."

Kian stared at her for a minute. Just when she thought he would start arguing, he surprised her by nodding.

"That's fair. As you said, we just met. I do want to spend time together going forward. I want to get to know you. I'd like to explore my feelings for you, and find out what feelings you have for me."

"Usually men aren't the ones wanting to explore feelings."

"The Fae are emotionally driven, and we have few differences between men and women. We find the emotional reticence and distrust between genders in humans mind boggling. Non-humans are better, but those on the Earthen realm can still fall prey into patriarchal gender stereotypes."

"The Earthen realm is a messy place. Are you sure you want to stay here?"

"Some aspects will be challenging for me, yet there are other aspects I find better than the Fae realm. Why? Are you worried about my long-term suitability? I thought you wanted something casual."

Hoisted on her own petard. "If we're going to see if we want a relationship, I'd like to know that relationship could last. Yes, we're on step one of the road, but I want to make sure the path has a destination worth going to."

"If I can convince you to give me a chance, I'll be committed to whatever it takes to make things work. You decide where you want to live, and I'll live there."

"Don't you think relationships should be based on compromise? If I pick somewhere you're miserable, I can't think that would make for a very satisfying life together."

"In the Fae realm housing is expensive, and we don't have a lot of choices over where we live. I'm used to making the best of what I have."

She felt a smile form on her lips. "All the more reason to stay on the Earthen realm."

"Indeed." He smiled back at her. "Will you have dinner with me tonight?"

"Sure. Why don't we do a non place? I went to Non Entity, but I still need to try Bites."

"That sounds delightful. Are you free to talk right now?"

"If you don't mind me unpacking while we talk. What did you want to talk about?"

"Everything. Who you are, how you became that way, what you want. What turns you on. What turns you off." He shrugged. "Like I said, everything."

"I feel like that's a conversation that never ends. But I'll tell you the basics, and then it'll be your turn to tell your story."

She told him about her life on the Earthen realm. She'd been lucky in terms of her parents providing love and resources. While they hadn't had unlimited amounts of money, Thealla hadn't been too greedy, so most things she'd wanted, she'd gotten. She'd taken judo lessons from a young age and competed in California. In high school she'd gotten into debate and quickly started competing nationally. While she'd had some success, she didn't win as much as Georgie or Rashid had.

After entering college she'd quit debate, which meant she had more time to work on writing electronic music. During the past year that she'd waited to age into the Junior program, she'd worked for a human California state representative. Though she'd learned a lot and enjoyed the challenges, she wanted to focus on non-human politics going forward.

Kian asked pertinent questions as she went along, showing himself to be an excellent listener and conversationalist.

"Your turn," she said.

"You didn't answer what turns you on and what turns you off."

Typical man. She snickered. "On? Someone who pays attention to me and makes sure we're both enjoying what's happening. Off? Spanking. I don't want to be spanked, and I don't want to spank you."

"I never understood the appeal of that myself. I generally avoid pain during sex, other than a little bit of biting and nibbling."

"As a vampire, I can promise nibbling and biting will always be welcome in our sex play."

He grinned. "Then I think I'll be very satisfied."

"Anything else turn you on or off?"

"I find I prefer positions when I can look into my partner's eyes. The only thing that turns me completely off is being compared to other men. If one of your exes did something to affect you emotionally and I should know about, then please feel comfortable telling me. But in terms of their physical gifts and limitations? I don't want to hear about it."

"That's totally fair, and I don't want to hear about exes from you, either. But I do want to hear about your life."

Kian relaxed into the couch and crossed a foot over his knee. "I believe my life differed from yours greatly. The Fae realm is much more about community. We spend almost every evening with others, generally a large group of people. We tell stories, listen to music, talk about how to make our land better. Every weekend is some kind of festival with some more important than others.

"My parents hired tutors for me, which I appreciated since that gave me time away from groups, and allowed me to really hone my own knowledge. I had tutors even for higher education, which isn't common, but possible because of my parents' wealth. Upon receiving my degree I gravitated toward politics. I found a position locally in our shire, but quickly found out politics in Faerie are more about who you are and who you know than what you can do.

"I'd already been planning to do a year in a Junior program, but I decided I wanted to stay in the Earthen realm to continue my career. I hope to eventually work at the World Congress, so I didn't see the need to apply in Europe. Instead, I applied to one program on each other continent. The United States Congress has the most resources, so when I got in I immediately accepted."

"Had you ever been to the Earthen realm before?"

"As a teen I went to Ireland. I enjoyed the architecture, especially the ruins. Politics I do because it's necessary to make the world better, but art is my passion. Seeing it, making it. Though I don't write music, I'm proficient at three instruments. I dabble in all kinds of visual art, but my main focus is textile art, especially weaving. I'm working on filling all the white space in my apartment. Mostly I've been using green and brown since there are so few trees here."

"It is weird that our offices overlook the park, and yours don't."

Kian shrugged. "The vampire, were, and witch offices need more space. It makes sense you all have that building. Besides, we have lots of art in our offices, so the view doesn't matter as much. And we all go to the park at some point during the day. Several of the people in the office go back to the Fae realm every weekend, and they get plenty of time with nature there. I've always lived at my parents' house because housing is so expensive. I like the idea of spending weekends here where I have my own space."

"It is nice to be able to do what I want and not worry about others. I had roommates in college, and then I moved back home last year since housing is pretty expensive in Los Angeles, too."

"I've heard most nons have around four 'lifetimes,' using glamours to age and then switching to a new location. Which lifetime are your parents on?"

"Their second. They'd saved up a decent amount from their first lifetime, but with the high cost of living and the activities I got involved in, they've spent a lot over this lifetime. They often tell me it's fortunate I'm an only child, because I'm expensive."

Kian smiled. "Will they not have more?"

"They might in their next lifetime. I think that might be a little weird, watching siblings grow up when I'm well into adulthood."

"It's still possible to be close to those siblings. Or at least it is as the little brother."

"You seem like you'd be the ideal little brother. Lots of affection and happy energy."

"I try." He lifted his eyebrows. "I get along with my siblings better than my parents, but with a big family you're not always going to get on with everyone."

"We're fairly close to our extended family, so I do see that. Some of them I love to pieces, and some of them I want to send to another planet."

"Are they all vampires?"

"One of my aunts married a werebear, so they did halfsies for the kids."

"Halfsies?"

"You get a friend who's your species to have one kid, and your partner finds a friend in their species to have a second kid."

"Ahh, I see. Using artificial insemination?"

Thealla nodded. "I've heard Fae species can interbreed no matter how different they are."

"Yes. But it's random whether the baby will be like the mother or father. I've heard that's what happens with weres of different animal types."

"Yup. Like if Georgie and Rashid went halfsies, they would be surprised as to whether the kid would be a wolf or hyena. But on the human end, their babies would be biracial."

"Is that what they want to do some day?"

"You know, I've never heard either of them say they do. They might want to be guaranteed of having a wolf or hyena child. I think it's natural to want kids like you."

His look turned intense. "Do you want children like you? Or I suppose I should ask, do you want children at all?"

"Eventually. But only two. I'm thinking around ten years from now."

"So you'd have a chance to get more settled in your career?"

"That, and so I can have fun with my friends in my twenties. I want to be happy with my life before I bring two very needy children into it."

Kian tilted his head. "Aren't you happy now?"

"Oh, yes. But I want to have no regrets, you know? I want to know I got to party and travel and reach my potential artistically before I can put my life to the side and focus on the lives of my kids."

"Ah, I see. I think that makes a great deal of sense."

"Do you want kids?"

"Yes. But not nine of them. Two sounds ideal, actually. One girl child, one boy child. It would allow one to savor the experience of having children without becoming exhausted."

She laughed. "Right? Thank goodness non-human men can use magic to choose gender ahead of each ejaculation. Humans just have to be surprised."

"Did you know that gender magic and glamour magic are the only types of magic that every single non-human species has? All other forms of magic some have, but others don't."

"They're good spells to have. Vampires don't have much other magic. We can heal small wounds, and we can make humans forget that they met us, or forget a short period of time. We have a few food preparation spells that puree food or separate out the liquid content. But we can't use magic to travel unless we have reaper magic put on us. And we can only get reaper magic if we commit to reaping at least an hour a week."

"Interesting. Faeries have the ability to travel within the land of Faerie, but not around the other Fae realms. It's a weird bit of magic. We can't travel to the Earthen realm except through portals. And we can't travel on this realm. I've tried."

"Bummer. Had you met many other nons before you came here?"

"A few. Rarely are non-humans invited to the Fae realm for visits, but there are a fair number serving as ambassadors. When I toured Ireland, the guide was a were, and we had a few other nons in the group. I didn't get too close to them because I knew I wouldn't be able to communicate with them after I returned to the Fae realm. Like the Afterworlds, there can be no electronic communications. Someone has to go back and forth."

"Have you been back to talk to your friends and family yet?"

"I went to the other side of the portal this morning to exchange messages. Probably in another two weeks I'll spend a day there. I may be asked to return in order to transmit messages from the other Congresspeople, but they generally prefer to go themselves."

"So what do the Fae think of these protests of Lucifer's?"

Kian rolled his eyes. "Although the Fae have little interest in Heaven's politics, even we are annoyed by Lucifer. The few Fae living in the U.S. have reached out to us to ensure the Fae will not be outed. We've promised to use our magic to keep the humans from hearing or seeing things they shouldn't."

"We'll all be using our magic for that stupid protest. I am really not looking forward to the mess it will make. It's such a shit thing to happen right after we got here. Most Junior classes are able to settle in. We got thrown into the fire."

"But isn't that more interesting? It teaches us what being in government is really like."

"True. It just feels that if we start out in panic mode, we're always going to be in panic mode. But I guess dealing with this will give us a leg up."

"A leg up?"

"It's an expression meaning having an advantage."

He smiled naughtily. "I got distracted by the thought of your legs and how badly I'd like to be between them."

"While that theoretically sounds amazing, after all the sex last night I'm not feeling more. And I somehow have to get in the mood for doing five people tonight."

"After being with you, everyone tonight will be forgettable," he said dismissively.

"I suspect I'll feel the same afterward, but I'm going into it trying to make sure that they and I have the most fun possible."

The faerie looked conciliatory. "Yes, of course. I want to make sure we all have fun. I just... it almost feels like I'm cheating on you."

"We're not going out, Kian."

"Yet."

She felt a smile quirk her lips. "Yet."

"No sex for now, but would you mind biting me? I'm curious about the effects."

"Sure. I'm curious about the taste of your blood."

"Have you bitten a Fae before?"

"You'll be my first."

She stood, then sat down next to Kian. He shifted his head so she had more access to his neck. Licking his vein, she tried to tamp down her excitement. She'd heard Fae blood tasted better than any other species. Pressing her teeth in, she broke the skin and gasped after licking the first drops. The only word she could use to describe it would be ambrosia. Never had blood tasted so sweet and decadent. She needed it.

Thealla sucked heaven into her mouth and still craved more. Finally she realized she needed to stop and broke away to mend his skin. Licking the inside of her mouth, she sighed.

"That was the best blood I've ever tasted."

Kian laughed. "I've heard Fae blood is especially beloved by vampires. Mmmmm. This truly is a great high. I feel light and glorious. Don't expect anything serious from me, I just want to laugh."

"There's a time for seriousness, and this is not it. I'm feeling a little drugged up myself. Some people say Fae blood gives us the same effect we give others, but others disagree. Maybe it depends on the Fae? You're certainly tasty. I bet Jez will want to taste you. His Fae boyfriend didn't make him high. Also, that dude was an asshole. Most Fae are. You're not, though. If I didn't know you're a faerie, I would never guess that you were a faerie. Shit. That's rude. Sorry. I think your blood is making me way too honest."

Kian laughed again. "I don't mind you telling me what you think. I know plenty of obnoxious Fae myself."

"I bet. You know a lot more of them than I do. But I bet they're not tasty like you. Huh. I think I'm going to write a song about how tasty you are." As soon as she said it, she realized how brilliant that would be.

"Would you play me one of your songs?"

"Sure." She went to her desktop and pulled up her playlist.

Kian listened for a minute without saying anything. "I like this style of music. Is that you singing?"

"Yeah. I can't afford to hire professionals, and I love to sing."

"Your voice is hypnotic. As lovely as you are. You'll have to give me a copy of your music when I get my computer. Or wait. I should buy a copy."

Thealla grinned. "Nope, it's my payment to you for the best blood ever."

Tabitha came over. That surprised Thealla since usually the cat didn't come up to visitors. Kian held his hand out to Tabitha and she let him rub her.

"Wow, she usually doesn't like strangers."

"Animals like the Fae. It's people that find us annoying."

"I don't find you annoying. I find you delicious." She licked her lips showily.

Kian laughed. "It's nice to know my body can please you in more ways than one."

"I'm pretty sure you can please me in every way."

"That will be my goal, then. I'm used to doing many things for my lovers, but I've never been able to feed them."

"I hadn't thought of it that way. I'm so used to snacking on people, it doesn't really occur to me that's not a normal part of a relationship."

"I've heard that some weres drink blood."

"Rarely. It's a fetish, honestly. I've never met anyone who does. Georgie thinks it's weird."

"You're good friends with her, aren't you?"

"Yeah. We kept in touch throughout college. She's a gas. Of all my friends that were into debate, I couldn't have picked a better group than what we have here. And I like the people I hadn't met. We've got a good group of Juniors."

"I like everyone, too. And we're all getting to know each rather intimately."

"So who was the most fun last night besides me?"

He grinned. "I don't know. Before we had sex I was waiting to be with you, and after being with you, I was thinking about you."

"Yeah. I think I would have had more fun with Mot if I hadn't had sex with him right after our super long schlong marathon."

"Schlong marathon?" He started giggling. Which made Thealla giggle.

"Shut up. I'm super high on Faerie blood right now."

Kian leaned over and kissed her quickly. "I'm only teasing you, sweet one."

"Sweet one? I like that. But you're sweeter in terms of the way you taste."

"I tasted parts of you, and they were very sweet."

"Kinky, Kian. Very kinky."

"Is giving a woman head considered kinky on the Earthen realm?"

"No, but talking dirtily about it afterward can be. What should I call you?"

"Whatever you want to."

"How about Mr. Delicious?"

"Umm, no. I think I prefer you just call me by my name. The way you say it sounds exciting."

"I'll keep that in mind. I probably screamed it last night."

"Not quite screaming, but you were definitely loud." He chuckled.

"I was definitely not caring." Thealla leaned over and put her head on his shoulder. He held her hand. They lapsed into silence.

"What were we talking about before all this?"

"You were telling me about you and the Fae realm."

Kian resumed speaking, and his vivid descriptions brought her into the land of Faerie. When it got close to five, they headed outside and down to the subway. After arriving at the building in Midtown, Thealla pressed the intercom for the restaurant.

"Why are you calling?" the person on the other end said.

"I need a quick bite."

A buzz let them through, and they went up. Upscale and beautiful, the restaurant seemed a little nicer than the other non place. Thealla wished she'd decided to dress up, but no one turned their nose up at her jeans. Perusing the menu, she found they had several things Non Entity served, but most of the menu varied. She decided on runny mashed potatoes and gravy, pureed corn chowder, split pea soup, and the green leaf juice blend. Kian sounded pleased they had a daily special of Fae food. He ordered that.

When the food came, he seemed appreciative. "This is much better than my cooking. I'm used to our goblin making all of our food."

"You have a goblin at your house?"

"Yes, goblins are generally servants. They take the jobs because they have a place to live and free food. Many years ago there were wars, and the goblins lost most of their land to the more dominant species. They learned quickly that if they were servants, they would not be destroyed."

"I did learn some Fae history. But there are so many different kinds of Fae, it can be difficult to keep track."

"Indeed. Even for us."

At the end of the meal Thealla couldn't be sure whether the food or conversation had been more pleasant. Both had been divine, especially the chocolate and Irish Cream mousse for dessert. She grabbed a peppermint milkshake to take home, and they ended up back at the apartment building at 6:30. After a lovely kiss in the hallway they split up so they could prepare for the runaround, part two.

Kian

Kian shut the door to his apartment and smiled. What a wonderful way to spend the afternoon and early evening. While Thealla had beauty, she also had a smart mind, an interesting viewpoint, and a drive to make the world a better place. She even made good music. She probably had a flaw or two in there somewhere, but he had yet to see any. He wanted to spend time with her until he saw all of her quirks, and learned to value them. It had been over a year since he had a girlfriend, and none of the women in the Fae realm had ever made him feel like this.

Though it seemed stupid to believe he might be falling in love with her, he could think of no other way to describe things. They'd only known each other a week, but she definitely made him lose rational thought. He'd begun experiencing new and intoxicating emotions. Maybe it wasn't love, but it was definitely something.

Kian's cat Ortlan came over and meowed.

"It's dinner time, yes."

He shook off thoughts of Thealla and headed to the kitchen to get Ortlan's food. He only had three cans left, so he would either have to return to the Fae realm and buy more, or start buying them on the Earthen realm. Perhaps Thealla would know where a pet store was. Ortlan never seemed picky, so he would hopefully be happy with Earthen cat food. Kian scraped out half the can and placed it on a saucer that he set before his companion.

Ortlan happily attacked his food. Cats were generally such happy creatures. It made Kian happy that Thealla also had a cat. He liked most animals, but cats were his favorite. And he liked people who liked pets. His father didn't see the purpose of having them, but his mother had argued the children should have them if they wanted. Kian had grown up with a cat and a dog. When they passed away he found Ortlan and adopted him. They'd been inseparable ever since. Ortlan had always been there to calm Kian down after a fight with his father, or to snuggle next to him when his girlfriend had left for the night.

Kian noted he had over twenty minutes until the runaround began. He figured he might as well strip off, so he put on his bathrobe, which stank of sweat and sex. That needed to get washed soon. For the time being, he sat on his couch and stared at the wall.

Thealla. Of course that's where his mind wanted to go. The sex had been incredible. The muscle squeezing? Divine. And she'd been so passionate when they kissed. It felt like she wanted things to heat up just as badly as he did. And then he remembered her pussy. Either vampire pussies were sweeter than Fae pussies, or this particular vampire could open a bakery out of her cunt. Sign him up for the customer loyalty program.

The question was, what did they do now? She seemed to be okay with dating. But how did dating work when you lived in the same building? They couldn't go out every night, but it would be nice to see each other three times a week. That seemed reasonable. Frequent without being clutchy. Plus, sometimes they would go out in groups. That would also count as seeing her. They'd probably only end up going out alone twice a week. Maybe they could have a regular night together. Friday or Saturday. Dinner, chatting, sex until after midnight. That sounded like fun.

He just had to convince Thealla to get on board with his ideas. She seemed a little hesitant about spending a lot of time together. He would have to be patient about her hesitation, not to mention her desire to see other people. In fact, he had to be okay with her seeing five of them in one night. He could feel his teeth grinding together. Somehow this runaround seemed a lot more fun before he made love to the woman he wanted to devote all his time to.

### Interlude 3: Philippa and Rashid

Philippa

Earlier That Afternoon

Philippa did not blog on Saturday. She almost always blogged on Saturdays, but on this Saturday she felt like journaling. She wrote about what it felt like being with Rashid. She wrote about Kian's understanding and kindness. When Mot had come in, she'd suggested reverse cowgirl. With Beauregard, they did it doggy style. She thought she might be able to get through the entire runaround without looking anyone else in the eye, but then Carlos came. She suggested spooning. He'd wanted to be facing her. She couldn't very well explain why that would be so hard for her, so she just did it. It ended up being fine. He got so busy playing with her breasts he didn't look at her face.

When Carlos left for the night, Philippa had become overwhelmed emotionally. She got into the shower and ended up crying. She had to wash her face twice more before getting out. Fortunately the crying exhausted her mentally, and she fell right to sleep. She woke up later than usual, made coffee and breakfast, and sat down in front of her computer to make sense of the night before. Which she'd now done. She'd also eaten lunch, and now had plenty of time before the second night of the runaround.

She just had absolutely no idea what she wanted to do for the remaining hours. She couldn't focus on writing a blog post when she had the specter of four more guys and a woman to sleep with that. She'd never had sex with a woman before. She'd never even kissed a woman. Nina had tried back in high school, but Philippa expressed a lack of interest.

Philippa had absolutely no idea what would happen with Zara. She'd never seen movies about lesbian sex, or read books about it. She hadn't even read books about men and women having sex. She read non-fiction books. Non-fiction books did not prepare a person for casual sex with ten of their coworkers.

Pulling up her favorite website, she searched the erotica books. Surely there had to be one with woman on woman and woman on man action. Maybe it would even be kind of an instruction manual. Had they made an Intro to Lesbianism book? She finally found a novel about a wereelephant tribe where the heroine had to choose between her female lover and her chosen male mate. Okay, research time.

An hour later Philippa regretted her choice. Sure, she had learned a few important things about lesbian sex, but she had also purchased a book that had an entire chapter dedicated to a three-way with the main characters in elephant form. She skipped reading the details.

She was reasonably sure most weres did not get it on in animal form. Although, she had never actually asked. Maybe she should ask Rashid. If he liked doing that it would be a dealbreaker. Then again, if she guessed right and he did not do that, he might be slightly insulted that she felt the need to ask.

Maybe she should ask Georgie.

She grabbed her phone and texted.

Philippa: Do weres have sex in animal form?

Georgie: Sure, Rashid and I had some wolf on hyena loving last night.

Philippa: Really?

Georgie: No, you twat. That's called bestiality.

Philippa: Sorry.

Georgie did not text back. Hopefully she wasn't too pissed off. Philippa returned to her book and read only the parts involving humans.

A little after five, Philippa pulled out food to make dinner. She'd reached the sell-by date for her chicken breasts, and she had two left. Grabbing her phone, she texted Rashid to see if he wanted to have dinner. He texted back a yes. When she told him to come over whenever, she didn't have to wait more than five minutes before hearing a knock on the door. She let him in.

"I'm cooking up some chicken, if that's cool," Philippa said.

"That's great, thanks. I didn't get to the grocery store today, so I thought I would have to go out for dinner."

"I went to the store Thursday."

"Nice. I think I'll go Sunday."

"Cool."

They both stood there awkwardly for a minute.

"Did you have fun the rest of last night?" Rashid asked.

"Yeah. Did you?"

"Yeah, I mean, it's sex. Of course it's fun." He grinned and shrugged.

She forced a smile. "Right. Have you started looking for people to be in a band with?"  
"I already have a friend here who plays bass, actually. She's into Britpop, too, so she likes the idea of going for that retro vibe. She knows a couple guys who play drums, but she and I are going to get together and jam before we add in anyone else. I got back together with my high school band last year, but we ended up doing more space rock stuff. So I have a few song ideas I never pitched to them that are ready to go."

Rashid played guitar. She'd seen videos of his band from high school playing, and they had a lot of talent. She really dug them. He'd tried to find a band in college, but never had time to practice. He'd tell her about the songs he wrote, and how he wished he had people to play them with.

"Are you going to sing or is she going to sing?" Philippa asked.

"We'll have to find a vocalist. I might ask Thealla. But she'd probably rather be making her own music." He shrugged.

"Yeah, probably." She didn't really know if Thealla would or not, she just didn't want Thealla to be in a band with Rashid. Yes, she was that jealous.

So maybe she should do something about that. She fussed with the chicken for a minute.

"Is there anything I can make?" Rashid asked.

"You can put together the salad, if you like."

She got out the vegetables and Rashid stood in front of the cutting board. He seemed very comfortable with the knife.

"I forgot, you cook, too," she said.

"Yup. Most of the time."

"Georgie doesn't cook."

He lifted an eyebrow. "I know."

Philippa's cheeks burned. Why had she said that? First she got jealous of Thealla, and now she felt jealous of Georgie. She didn't even want to think about Rashid's feelings about Nina. Nina was a sex goddess. If Nina decided she wanted Rashid, that would be that.

"Are you okay?" Rashid asked.

"Yeah. Totally. I just meant Georgie doesn't like to cook, but I do. Which means, you know, point to me! Right?" Philippa laughed nervously.

"It isn't a competition, P," he said gently.

She didn't think, she just blurted it out. "Do you want to go out on a date?"

Rashid

Rashid looked at Philippa carefully. Her cheeks had already turned red, and she looked like she desperately wanted an answer. He swallowed. Apparently he didn't have the luxury of thinking this through anymore.

"I want you to know I'm really interested, but I'm also really scared of what might happen to our friendship."

"You mean, you think we would break up and not be friends anymore."

He shifted his weight. "Yeah."

"Maybe it wouldn't be a big deal, and we could still be friends."

"I don't have a good track record with exes."

"So you're going to judge me based on someone else's actions?"

"No. It's based on my actions. Our friendship means a lot to me. I don't want to risk that. We're going to spend the next year together. Could you imagine how awkward it would be if we went out and then broke up? We could never go out as a group anymore. We have our own little community right now. It's so comfortable. I don't want to lose that. I know you and I could have a great time together, but we have a great time already as friends."

Philippa looked disappointed, but she smiled and nodded. "Got it."

"I'm sorry."

"No, you're right. It would be really awkward if things didn't work out. I guess I wasn't thinking about how that would affect our friends."

"It's not that I think they're more important than how you feel. I just don't want to lose what we have now. I'd rather be safe than sorry." Rashid didn't feel very brave saying that, but hey, no one expected a hyena to be brave.

"I understand. I wouldn't want to lose what we have, either."

Rashid didn't know what else to say, so he opted for changing the subject. "Salad's ready."

"Great. The chicken will take a little longer. I'm going to start some rice now. Brown or white?"

"Whichever."

He got a free meal after turning down a relationship. He wasn't about to quibble over the rice.

"I'll make brown then. Healthier."

"Right. Have you been to the gym downstairs yet?"

"No. I'm not really a gym person."

"Yeah, me neither. But the other guys seem to be pretty built. I guess you saw that last night, huh?"

"I didn't really notice."

He opened his mouth but couldn't think of a single thing to say. He closed it and nodded.

"The girls all have nice bodies, too."

"Yeah," he said, unsure of how to respond.

"And pretty faces."

"We're all really blessed physically."

She smiled. "Yes, blessed."

Then she started talking about human politics, and Rashid breathed out with relief. That subject carried them through the rest of dinner. Maybe things with P wouldn't be completely awkward for the rest of their lives.

### Chapter 7: Flippant and Fun

Thealla

Night two of the runaround would begin shortly, and Thealla hadn't decided how she felt about that. On the one hand, potentially good sex with hot guys and girl? Sign her the fuck up. On the other hand, Kian fucking five other people? She had to admit a part of her didn't like that. She shouldn't be feeling that jealous so soon into their loosely built relationship, but somehow she found it easier to talk about them seeing other people than actually knowing they'd both be sleeping around.

For the first time in her life, she felt completely in over her head.

A knock on Thealla's door came precisely at seven o'clock. When she opened the door, Beauregard waved jauntily. She ushered him in, grinning in response to his grin.

"You ready for another night of fun?" she asked.

"Am I ever. I'm a devil, we're supposed to be naughty and wicked."

Thealla laughed. "True enough. So what are we going to do that's naughty and wicked?"

"I'm contemplating. What are your thoughts?"

"How about you bend me over the bed and take me from behind?"

Beauregard's eyebrow lifted. "I like it. I mean, I'd like to see the look on your pretty little face when you come, but we have enough time to fuck twice."

They went into the bedroom.

"I don't suppose you have any industrial music?" Beauregard asked. "I like sex with a soundtrack."

"Understandable. I have a couple Front 242 albums. Let me put one on." Thealla got her laptop and started the music.

The devil seemed to relax immediately. "Nothing like hard sex to hard music."

"Promises, promises."

She whipped off her robe and threw it on a chair. Beauregard brightened and followed suit. He looked pretty damn good. His face may have been college prof, but his muscular body said he cared about his body as much as his brain. She also really dug the bright red penis that hardened before her eyes, turning a deeper shade of red. While she'd seen plenty of pinks and purples with all the blood rushing down, his red skin made his dick appear super charged. Turbo mode on that, please. Though he didn't have as much length as last night's lovers, his impressive thickness promised a good time.

"Maybe I want to watch after all," she said.

"In a bit. Get your chest onto that mattress, or I'll put you there myself."

Thealla obliged. Propping herself on her elbows, she opened her legs.

"Do you know how nice your ass is?" Beauregard asked conversationally.

"Do you know how nice your cock is?"

"I'm pretty fond of it. I touch it a lot."

Thealla laughed. "I'd like to touch it, too."

Beauregard leaned into her. She could feel his hairy legs brush against hers while his pelvis lined up with hers. She tilted her butt to rub up on him.

"You need to chill on that, or I'll be done way before you."

Despite his protests, his fingers got to work on her clit and tit.

She moaned. "With the way that feels, I might be done sooner."

The sensation of both hands on her got her nice and frisky, and she noticed her breathing getting heavy. Maybe her body had stayed excited overnight, because it usually took a little longer for her to get past the foreplay.

"You can put it in now," she panted.

"Thank goodness." He sounded out of breath, too.

He slipped slowly inside. His left hand continued playing with her clit, but his right hand moved around her back to settle on her shoulders. Thealla folded her arms under her chin to give him a more interesting angle to work with.

"Do you want ass play?" he asked.

"No, I did that last night and it's still sore."

"Cool. I don't really like getting my fingers dirty."

"I have germ issues, too!" Always nice to know she wasn't alone. She couldn't form any more words, because Beauregard had decided his first few slow strokes had set her up enough to speed things up. Not too fast, or too hard. Just a good, solid pace. Somehow hearing their bodies slapping together turned her on more. She loved that his hand stayed fused to her clit. His right hand snuck up into her hairline and massaged her scalp.

Thealla felt secured, like she had with Hideo. A little bit dominated, but able to experience things within those tighter confines. She'd also felt that way when she'd let her partner tie her to the bedposts. Fortunately, the guys she had sex with were more than willing to reciprocate on that kink, and riding a guy who couldn't touch her had proven to be a lot of fun. Having an interplay of power between partners could add spice to the bedroom.

With Beauregard's speed picking up even more, the noises from their bodies became loud and lubricated. No mistaking those sounds for anything other than hot sex. Her back arched up, causing his hand to move down from her head to her shoulders and press her into the bed. Everything hit just right and her orgasm spread throughout her body. Her movements caused Beauregard's hips to wiggle and his dick to unleash the semen inside.

After Beauregard slipped out of her and collapsed onto the bed, Thealla tried to pull herself up. The shaking of her knees complicated the process. He reached over to her waist and hauled her up so she lay on top of him.

"I'm glad you came when you did," he said. "I was about to go first and lose my sex guru card."

"Maybe you were just so turned on by me you couldn't help it."

"If that's what makes you feel better."

"Damn, boy. Note to self, never sass a trickster."

Beauregard laughed. "We do tend to sass back."

That's alright, I can take it. So what now?"

"I'm too tired to move much, so how about a 69?"

"Sure, but I don't want feet on my pillow, so let's lie side to side."

They scooted themselves around, and with a little bending got into position. Mouths converged on genitals and licked. Thealla's hips wiggled at the ticklish motion. She realized Beauregard's tongue was a little more pointed than most people's. Probably a devil thing. She licked that red cock like an ice cream cone. Not that she'd ever had bright red ice cream.

He certainly didn't taste like ice cream. He tasted like her wetness mixed with his. His semen tasted a little different – more sea salt than regular salt. It reminded her of being at the beach. Her back arched, but this time no hand held her down. She pushed forward to capture more of his dick in her mouth. Taking him deep, she moved her neck back and forth to get a perfect in and out motion. She stopped sucking long enough to moan from Beauregard's oral skills, then got back to the task at hand. Or mouth, as the case may be.

Sometimes sucking dick counted as work rather than pleasure, but Thealla enjoyed Beauregard's cock. The color, the taste, the erotic feeling of his tongue on her clit – all of it added up to sensual overload. Apparently he felt the same, because he swelled and then came in her mouth. Even swallowing twice, she had a mouthful of cum. She had barely managed to get the final load down when he inserted two fingers into her vag, making her come hard.

"I can't tell which is sexier – watching a beautiful girl swallow, or watching her orgasm. Luckily, I just got to see both."

"Glad I could turn you on. I definitely got excited myself. Licking a dick the color of a lollipop sure is better than boring Earthen realm skin tones."

Beauregard laughed. "I'm going to use that as a selling point from now on. 'My dick looks like a lollipop, and there's even a surprise in the center.' That should get me lots of girls. Man, I'm already tired. At least we're getting so much exercise this weekend I can skip the gym for a few days. No need to do gymnastics when I'm working every muscle I have."

"You do gymnastics? That's really cool. I do judo and swim. My parents have a pool, and even when I lived in the dorms I'd come back to swim a couple times a week. I need to look for a gym here that has a pool."

"The place I'm going does. It's two stops on the F train farther into Brooklyn."

"Nice. I'll have to check it out."

"Do it while I'm there. I want to see you in a bikini."

She laughed. "You just spent an hour looking at my naked body. Why does a swimsuit excite you?"

"Because then I'll remember what you look like underneath. Crap, it's time for our next assignations. It's been real, babe."

"Same."

Beauregard pulled himself out of bed and walked over to his robe, slipping it on. Thealla shrugged into hers and followed him to the door. Reaching out, she pulled him into a kiss. His pointier tongue made things interesting. After a quick makeout session he pulled away, winked, and headed out the door. Thealla put her head on the doorframe and closed her eyes.

After a minute she heard footsteps.

"Are you falling asleep on me, baby girl?" asked Carlos.

Thealla's eyes opened, and she grinned. "No, just resting before the onslaught of sex ahead of me. I need to be in top shape to handle four more people."

"I know. Last night was fucking crazy. I asked Nina how many she usually did for one of these runarounds, and she said six people normally, but one time they did fourteen. Can you fucking believe that? I guess they started in the morning and went late, but still. That girl is kinky like a motherfucker."

"I think motherfucking would fall under gross, rather than kinky," she said as he entered. Closing the door behind him, she turned to catch him rolling his eyes.

"You know what I mean. Alright, we have to wake up. And whatever music you have playing in your bedroom is not going to do it for me. Where's your player at, sunshine?"

Thealla led him into the bedroom and handed him her laptop.

"I know you have what I need," he said to himself. Then he looked up at her. "In more ways than one."

She snickered. Then Carlos said, "a ha!" and the beats of Bloodhound Gang's 'Bad Touch' filled the air. Thealla laughed.

"Let's dance, baby girl," he said, holding out one hand to her. She took it and they began bouncing around. When the lyrics kicked in they both sang along, pantomiming the actions described, grinding each other a bit, and generally having fun. At one point he held his hand out and spun her out, and she spun back in. Then he ground into her behind.

When the song ended they both laughed. Carlos picked up the laptop again.

"Tell me you have a sex playlist."

Thealla grinned and found it. "Of course. And that song is on it."

"Fuck yeah, you know how to party. What do you say we skip TV but still go for doggy style?"

Thealla laughed. "Only if it's on the bed where it's soft."

"Works for me. I'm on my hands and knees, too."

They took off their robes and both took a moment to look. She'd seen him in swim trunks (hotel swimming pools again), but his chest had really filled out since high school. His cock she hadn't seen, and she had definitely missed out. Though witches were the only non-humans who could have children with humans, they definitely got the blessings of the non body. That included the 'party in my pants' variety.

"Baby girl, you look fine."

"Trust that I'm every bit as happy to see you naked."

"Then you'll like me being inside of you even better."

Thealla got herself situated on the bed. Carlos wrapped himself around her. They fit together well. She could feel his dick hardening against her bottom.

"Been wanting to do this since we met," he said.

"Likewise. But you know how word gets around on the circuit. For women it's killer."

"I wouldn't have told anyone."

"Not even Toby and Rashid?"

He paused. "Maybe, yeah. And I'll admit, I would have been jealous if they'd fucked you, too."

"Like I would have been jealous if the three of you had sex with Georgie and Philippa. It was better not to have any drama."

"And we were teenagers, so it would have been drama. Now we're mature twenty-two and twenty-three year olds."

She chuckled. "We're practically old."

"Nothing old about this, baby girl." He rubbed his cock against her, then reached his hand up to her clit. She couldn't keep her hips from shifting, and it obviously turned Carlos on. He groaned.

"I want inside."

"Almost there."

"There's lube right here."

"There's about to be natural lube everywhere if you can rub a little faster."

"Sounds hot."

He sped up the pace around her clit with his right hand. On the bed, he placed his left hand on hers, interlocking their fingers. She found the gesture sweet and erotic at the same time. The clit work had her excited, and her back arched into him, causing him to roll his hips so his cock nudged at her entrance. That was enough.

"Now," she panted.

He released her clit and steered his dick into her vagina. He didn't go all the way in, though. He seemed to be debating how to take her. That turned her on. Finally he must have made up his mind, because he slid all the way in. When his hips started moving to the rhythm of the song playing, it felt like they were still dancing. Thealla moved her hips, too, which caused his thrusts to be deeper and harder.

A rumble of pleasure let her know he appreciated her moves. She felt a gentle nibble on her ear, and tried to keep her head still while Carlos kissed and made slight bites along her ears and neck. Being bit and kissed on the back of her neck had always been one of Thealla's favorite things. Maybe Carlos could use magic to read her mind? He definitely made magic with the enthusiasm of his hips.

He'd put his hand back on her clit, but now he reached down, grabbed her right hand, and guided it to her clit. He put his hand on the bed for better leverage. Thealla got the point and rubbed herself. She'd been doing that the past six months of life as a single person.

"Baby, I like knowing you're playing with yourself right now," he said in her ear. "You're turning yourself on, and I'm turning you on, and you're going to come so hard you won't be able to use those wicked fingers to touch your wet pussy."

She didn't usually dig dirty talk, but he definitely had a way with words.

"Do you want to watch me play with myself when we get done?" she asked. Might as well play to his interests.

"Fuck yeah, baby girl. I want to watch your face as you bring yourself to the brink."

Everybody had their thing, right? Apparently watching girls masturbate was Carlos's. She wouldn't mind if he was touching himself. She'd seen guys pump themselves, but she'd only seen them climax in videos.

While she worked her clit her other arm started feeling rubbery. She wondered if she'd be able to keep herself supported for much longer. As if he heard her thought, his right hand went up and took over the clit action. She thankfully put her right hand down to the bed and pushed her back into his. Maybe he could read her mind. Could witches do that?

Suddenly Thealla felt her body tensing and she couldn't move her hips. His slammed into her as she came, moaning like he'd caused her actual pain. Her tightening caused him to shoot his load, and she felt even wetter.

"Hells to the yeah," Thealla said.

"Baby girl, you are dynamite. I gotta lay down for a second."

They both flopped onto their backs and looked at the ceiling.

"I loved the bites and kisses on my ears and neck," she said. "Did you... umm... know that?"

Carlos laughed. "Did I read your mind? No. We can't do that. I wish we could. I just had fun with what was in front of my face. Glad you liked it."

"Mmmm. My body is very happy right now."

"Mine is thanking you for a very spectacular dance."

"It's always easier to dance when you have a good partner."

"Thanks, baby girl. It takes one to know one."

"We still have plenty of time left if you want to, you know, watch each other."

"I'm all about it. But I need to recover a bit." Carlos closed his eyes and she could see him trying to slow his breathing. Thealla let her limbs melt into the bed.

When Carlos's eyes popped open a few minutes later, she sat up and crawled over to put her back against the headboard. Propping up a pillow, she spread her legs wide and played with her folds so Carlos could see. He let out a low whistle. He scrambled up into a Z sit, watching her avidly.

Thealla brought her left hand down to spread her lips, showing him everything. He actually licked his lips. Teasing her left index finger into her vagina, she watched as Carlos nodded. Then she trailed it up her body and used it to lift her breast and present it to him.

"I want to suck it, but I want to watch this more."

Thealla shrugged and moved the hand back down to her crotch, using it to show off again. Her right hand teased her clitoris in circles. Each movement built up the tension in her body. She didn't think it would take long to send her over the top.

Thealla licked her lips and Carlos immediately licked his. She noticed his penis twitching, and she deepened her own movements as she hungrily watched him become hard and dark. His hand went to his dick, and he started pumping himself slowly. Thealla could see why people were into this. She definitely found it hot watching him touch his dick like that.

Her back launched forward and Carlos stroked himself faster. Thealla put her hips to work, shifting up and down to make things that much more intense.

"This is what I want," he said in a slow voice, as if he had a hard time getting it out.

Thealla trembled and continued staring at his cock while she moved her hips. Carlos looked like he a teenager seeing a naked girl for the first time. Watching her masturbate and giving himself a handjob obviously satiated his kinks. They both went harder and faster on themselves. Pumping his cock looked so fucking hot. She wanted to touch it, lick it, sink down on it. But somehow just sitting there while he touched it made her just as hot and bothered.

As she felt the tension grow to intolerable amounts, Thealla peaked and pitched forward. She caught herself and breathed heavily, noticing Carlos's penis darken and spit out its semen all over his chest. Damn. She'd never wanted guys ejaculating on her body, but she definitely dug them getting themselves messy.

"I can take care of that." She crawled over and licked where the cum had landed on his stomach from bottom to top. His head fell back, and he sighed.

She started to pull away but Carlos's hand jerked out and grabbed her arm.

"Do we have time for the bite?"

She glanced at the clock and nodded, going to his neck and skipping the lick to just press into his skin. His blood tasted mostly human. He had a slight taste of cinnamon, but witches didn't have the truly exotic flavors of other nons. She'd bitten Carlos before at debate tournaments, and the taste caused her to flash back to high school.

Most tournament concession stands only had soda and bottled water in the way of liquids. She brought smoothies and juices in the morning, but by lunch her ice chest had melted. Saturdays went much later than dinnertime, so when she got peckish in the evening she'd sneak into an empty classroom and give her non friends a free, legal high while she had supper.

This time she didn't need sustenance, so she drank just enough to get Carlos high, then did the mending spell. Glancing at the clock, she found they'd run out of time together. Thealla got up, grabbed her robe, and threw Carlos's over to him. Before climbing out of bed he wrapped it around him, then he tied it as he walked to the living room. Turning off the music, Thealla followed him to the door.

He grinned. "Good times."

Her smile mirrored his. "Great times."

And she had three more good times yet to come. Stress on come. Maybe Nina came up with crazy ideas sometimes, but the runaround had been genius.

Kian

Kian knocked on Georgie's door at seven sharp. The werewolf opened up, grinned, and waved him inside.

"Ready for another night of fucking til it hurts?" she asked.

He smiled. "I hope that's not how my night ends."

"I definitely felt sore after Rashid pulled out last night. My poor crotch finally had a few minutes to be by itself, and in the shower it seemed to be screaming, 'enough!'"

He laughed. "I'll be gentle."

"Good. I'm not always in the mood for gentle, but right now that's the only thing I can handle."

Heading to the bedroom, she stopped to toss off her bathrobe. She had a beautiful body, and when he stripped she seemed just as interested in looking. One side of his mouth lifted. No matter how badly he wanted things to work out with Thealla, he couldn't help feeling flattered when other women looked at him like something they wanted. For the next hour, he wanted back.

After that, though, his sexy thoughts would be reserved for her friend.

Crawling into bed side by side, they leaned in and kissed. A few seconds later she put her tongue down his throat and had taken control of the kiss. Apparently she didn't need gentleness in the mouth department, so he matched her enthusiasm.

They got their hands working, and clearly Georgie didn't feel shy. He wouldn't call her wild, necessarily. She simply seemed comfortable having sex without much conversation first. He appreciated that. Things with Philippa had been a little weird, and he couldn't tell if most Earthen realm ladies hesitated before getting physical. Although come to think of it, Thealla had been raised on the Earthen realm, and she thoroughly rocked his world with zero inhibitions.

When Georgie seemed ready, Kian pulled her leg up and entered her. They writhed their torsos together. With a loud moan, she wrapped her leg around his hips, locking him into place. He tilted into her hips since he couldn't really withdraw much anymore. The moans told him she didn't seem to mind, so he put his efforts into rubbing her clit. They went on like that for some time, but he didn't want her to get too attached to him. Grabbing her hip, he positioned her so he hit her G spot until she came with a shout. He let himself ejaculate, then pulled out. It didn't seem right to give Thealla's friend more than one orgasm. He had a feeling they would compare notes.

Georgie flopped onto her back. "That was good, faerie."

"Agreed."

"I've seen the way you look at Thealla."

"Oh?" he asked, unsure where this was going.

"I hope it works out. Just be sure to give her a lot of space. She likes space. Sometimes I think she's less into commitment than I am. Though I might be into commitment. Sometimes it just takes the right person."

She sighed.

Kian remembered the way she had looked at Azkadek when they'd been to dinner.

"The angel?"

Georgie nodded unhappily. "Do I have a chance?"

"The only way you'll ever know is if you go for it."

"True. I don't come off as a bitch or anything, do I?"

Kian laughed. "No, you don't."

"Good. I'm always worried about that. Especially with someone kind and gentle like an angel."

"Why would you worry?"

"Long story."

"We're both too interested in other people to have sex again, so we've got time."

She told him about the clods she'd gone to high school with, who apparently couldn't handle being around an intelligent, independent woman. The guys sounded like idiots, which Kian told her, then said she shouldn't be thinking about their Neolithic opinions at this point in her life. She laughed and thanked him. Since they had a few minutes left, they talked about their plans to wow Thealla and Azkadek. Having her perspective helped Kian make plans. He thanked her when it turned eight, then headed off to see Maria.

Maria lived on the bottom floor in an apartment with furnishings provided. Obviously shades couldn't go to stores, and they'd have a hard time taking things from their homes after they died.

"Do you feel comfortable here?" he asked.

"Very much so. It's nice to have a home again. I spent several months without anything to call my own. I probably should set up a home on one of the Afterworlds, but I'm just not ready to leave Earth yet. I feel like I didn't get a full life, so I want to stay for longer. Getting a home there, even part-time, would be closing a door on this experience. At least other Congresses give shades furnished rooms, so if I stay in politics I should be set."

"That sounds reasonable. Did you work in politics during your life?"

"No. I voted in the big elections, but I didn't pay too much attention to local politics. Now I'm seeing how important all of it is. I love doing what I do. I'm learning so much. I had a job when I was alive, but now I've found my career. I've found my calling. And I just don't think I would find this work as challenging in the Afterworlds. So I'll be on the Earthen realm for a long time to come."

"I think with your attitude and skills, you'll be able to help this realm a great deal."

"Thanks. You're really easy to talk to. No offense, but I've heard a lot of people say the Fae aren't too friendly."

"Most aren't. Shaunessy and I are two of the few Fae who dislike the arrogance so common in our species."

"So if I visited the Fae realm, I would probably not feel very welcome there?"

He tilted his head. "If you came as a visitor, I'm sad to say probably not. If you came as an ambassador, though, you'd be respected in that role. We have a yearly conference about shades living in the Fae realm which would be good for people on the Earthen realm to attend if the reveal goes forward. I feel you could all learn from how we've organized things."

"Ooh, that sounds neat. I would love to attend."

"I'll talk to the reps in our office to find out how many people we would have room for, and then we can start giving passes to shades in the various Earthen congresses."

"That's so exciting."

"Speaking of exciting, did you want to have sex at some point?"

Maria laughed. "Sorry, I got caught up in conversation. Let's go to the bedroom and let our bodies do the talking."

She led him to the bed and stopped before climbing in. Her skin seemed to bubble for a second, then she stood before him naked. Kian put his bathrobe on a chair and climbed over her when she laid down. Kissing her, he realized she had no saliva in her mouth. He enjoyed kissing her, but it felt unlike anything he'd ever experienced.

"You don't get wet at all anymore, do you?" he asked as he pulled away.

She shook her head. "My days of being eaten out are over, I'm afraid. But I still enjoy clit action, whether it's from a hand or a tongue."

"That's saddening. No one should feel like their days of being eaten out are over. Spread your legs, and let me show you I don't need your pussy to be wet to love the taste of it."

Maria grinned as he slid down the bed and slipped his hands under her ass. He alternated licking her clit and thrusting his tongue into her vag. Despite the lack of the usual cream, he felt like he could taste a shadow of it on her skin. And though her scream upon coming didn't have the volume of a living person's voice, she sounded alive in every way that mattered. Death might steal certain things from a person, but the things which made someone unique would last through eternity.

The best part? He knew who he wanted to spend that eternity with. Now he just had to convince Thealla she felt the same way.

### Chapter 8: Timid and Tender

Thealla

When Thealla let Carlos out, she found Deepak already waiting, though he looked more nervous than excited.

"Hey," she said cheerily. "Come on in."

"Thank you."

"How are you enjoying the runaround?"

Deepak's brow furrowed. "It's been interesting. Sex is not the same as a ghost as it was as a human. It's weird not to have any semen and not always be fully solid. I don't know that I've been a very satisfying lover for anyone other than Maria."

"I'm sure the rest of us are enjoying what you're bringing to the table. Is it physically tiring for you like it is for us?"

"No. Our bodies don't feel pain, or even discomfort. And we can't sleep, so there's no urge to try. It's hard to find ways of filling the time. I've been watching a lot more television."

"Makes sense. The rooms for the shades are already furnished, aren't they?"

"Yes. We find it challenging to move objects, especially large ones."

"You must have died within the past year to be eligible for Junior Congress."

"Eight months ago. Car accident. Drunk driver."

"I'm sorry." The words didn't convey much, but she meant them.

He shrugged. "Nothing to be done about it now. I thought it would be nice to stay on the Earthen realm to be able to see the people I cared about. I had a fiancée. I'm older than you corporeal beings. But I couldn't communicate with her. No matter what I did, she couldn't see me or hear me. So I left. I met other shades. When I heard about Junior Congress, that seemed like something that would keep me busy. I did a lot of research, and here I am."

"I see. Well, I'm sorry about losing your fiancee. If there is a reveal, maybe you'll be able to make contact with her again."

"Apparently my inability to materialize in front of her is a form of anxiety. Most mental illnesses are cured upon death, but occasionally there are complications related to being a shade. I'm seeing a therapist in Duat about it."

"I have faith you'll overcome your difficulties. So did you have a position you wanted to do?"

He looked hesitant. "No. What do you want to do?"

"I can be on top." She hadn't done much riding yet.

"Okay." He didn't make any movement.

Thealla walked into the bedroom. Finally he followed. She motioned to the bed, and he laid down on it.

"Are you going to wear your clothes?" she asked.

"No."

His skin bubbled for a moment, then his clothes seemed to dissolve. His naked body didn't have much muscle definition, and his penis seemed human average. Clearly he hadn't used his shade magic to form a death mask. Shades called a post-death form which differed from their life body a death mask. Sometimes they only pumped up certain attributes (boobs, dicks), and sometimes they changed their face and body completely.

Most shades used a death mask of some kind, and Thealla wondered whether Deepak didn't have one because he didn't want one, or because he hadn't learned to manipulate his magic correctly. She didn't know him well enough to ask. At any rate, a regular sized penis would probably be a relief after all the sex she'd had.

Thealla threw her robe onto a chair and climbed on the bed, kneeling over him. She touched his body to check his solidity, and found her hand only sank in about half an inch. She sat back on his thighs, and his weight supported hers.

Now he just needed to do something. He hadn't touched her, and his dick remained completely flaccid. He just lay there, looking as if he didn't entirely want to be in that position.

"We don't have to do this if you don't want to," Thealla said.

"It's not that. I'm sorry. It's just hard having sex with someone who isn't my fiancée. And you remind me of her a little, so it feels even more like cheating."

"Ahh. Then we'll take it slow." She put her fingers on his chest and started massaging it. After a minute he placed his hands on her thighs and slid them up and down. Better, but still not getting her anywhere.

She took his penis in her hand and pumped the way Carlos had. Deepak's dick felt a little weird. Where corporeal dicks had a soft and velvety texture, the shade's skin felt almost leathery. Every few strokes he lost a little solidity and her hand sank in. Then he went back to being more opaque, and his flesh pushed her hand out.

Since he hadn't touched her erogenous zones, she put her left hand on her clit and started circling. That didn't seem to turn Deepak on like it had with Carlos, but it did cause him to stop being so hesitant. His fingers replaced hers, and he even probed toward her vagina.

They spent a few minutes just touching each other. She didn't find it unpleasant, but she didn't feel any excitement. Thealla got the impression he couldn't let himself enjoy being with her because of her similarities to his fiancée. That sucked, but she could still have fun herself. She didn't need his permission to get off.

Finally his cock lengthened and she lowered herself onto it. Using her thigh muscles, she pushed up and down in a slow but steady motion. Deepak put his other hand to her clit, so he could alternate between them as her crotch moved. That felt nice, especially since one or both would lose solidity every few seconds. So did his penis. It would be in her, and she could feel it, and then all of a sudden it would disappear. Fortunately her motions were slow enough that she moved smoothly, so it reappeared tightly inside her vag.

His chest and pelvis sank then pushed up, too. The entire experience felt like being in some sort of funhouse. Thealla decided she needed to give in to that and closed her eyes. Her other senses intensified. She could feel him in a much more immediate way, and his body changing constantly excited her. Her thighs started moving at a faster pace. He was in her, he wasn't in her, he was in her again. She liked this game.

With her eyes closed, his chest inspired tactile pleasure. It felt as leathery his crotch. A lack of abs didn't seem important to her fingers. The cool and tough skin felt good without any muscles. She couldn't see his handsome face, but considering his uninspired expression, that might be for the best. This way she got to pretend that he'd gotten into it, too.

As she moved she grew more unsteady, almost unbalanced. His transitions between solidity seemed to be going faster, and she felt out of control. She'd been on top plenty of times, but it had never been insecure and wild like this. She increased her speed and finally left behind her brain to feel joy in the moment. She rode harder, determined to have an orgasm.

As she began to peak his body solidified, which ruined the funhouse effect, but pushed the erotic one over the top. She froze, shook, then relaxed. He moaned, and she felt his penis throb inside her, but of course no semen came out. Though weird, it felt similar to human hookups wearing condoms.

Thealla opened her eyes, raised herself and shimmied off of him. He grew soft and his skin looked more translucent again. She sat down next to him on the bed.

"It's interesting the way you phase in and out of solidity."

"Is it enjoyable?"

"I think so. It makes everything feel a little surreal, yet fun."

"That sounds good. I enjoyed being with you, but I still feel like I cheated. If Nina wants to do another runaround, I won't be involved."

"That's fair. I don't know that I would want to, either." Despite her claims that she didn't want to get serious with Kian, she didn't see the appeal of sleeping with a bunch of other guys. That might give the men the impression she'd be open to a relationship, and truthfully, she just couldn't imagine trying something with someone else. She wanted to see where she and Kian could go.

"Since we're done in the bedroom, can we go into the living room and talk until our time is up?" asked Deepak.

She followed him in and sat on the couch. "What do the shades as a group think of the revealer movement?"

"Most of us are for it. We stayed here to be around our loved ones, so we would like it if they could see us. More and more shades are revealing themselves to people on an individual level. Hence the stories of hauntings. I just couldn't turn solid around Shivani. But I think when everyone knows we exist she would accept seeing a transparent me. Hopefully that would allow me to get the confidence to become fully solid. How do vampires feel?"

"We're uninterested because of the misinformation about our species. We're not undead. We don't have a problem with sunlight, garlic, silver, crosses, or holy water. The only thing we have a problem with is eating."

Deepak smiled. "It's definitely possible for willing weres, witches, and shades to reveal ourselves without revealing anyone else. This protest Friday is stupid because it does put others at risk of being known to humans. That shouldn't be the goal. We should be getting together the people who want to reveal, and doing something about them."

"That's a rather sensible approach to things. I hope your position here allows you to influence others to see it that way."

"Thank you."

They talked a bit about the potential governance issues with shades revealing themselves and working or living on the Earthen realm. When they heard a knock, they realized they'd run out of time. Wishing each other a cheerful goodbye, Deepak slipped by the angel in the doorway. Azkadek looked cheery.

"Hello. I hope you are having fun," he said, walking in.

"I am. What about you?"

"I am having a very good time. I got a bit tired earlier, but after spending time with Nina I got my second wind."

"Yes, succubi tend to do that. I'm thirsty for juice. Do you want anything to drink?"

"Juice would be lovely, thank you."

He followed her to the kitchen, where she poured them both orange juice. As he drank he seemed to savor the flavor, which she found very sexy.

"Better?" she asked as she finished her glass.

"Yes. I am ready to give you the attention that you deserve. Before we get to the sensual part of our time together, I am curious about your bite. I would like to experience it."

"Come to the bedroom."

She held out her hand and he took it, letting her drag him inside and up next to the bed. Thealla dropped his hand and took off her robe, tossing it away. Azkadek looked suitably impressed. When he followed suit she couldn't help letting her jaw drop. He had a swimmer's build – enough muscle to drool over, but not so much it looked like he spent all of his time working out. A smattering of light brown hair crossed his chest, giving him a ruggedness which balanced the pretty face and wings.

With his height he looked very sleek, like the bipedal equivalent of a really nice sports car. His cock looked equally sleek, a tad longer than the other guys' and just wide enough to look proportional. For a split second she seriously considered telling Georgie and Kian to get lost so she could have Azkadek to herself.

"You are very beautiful," he said, smiling shyly.

Aaand that would be the reason she didn't have him as Plan A. She didn't do shy and sweet. She wanted someone with a strong sense of humor and a dirty mind. So basically, Kian.

"You're very handsome. I think we should do something a little more exciting than stare at each other, though."

"That sounds even more enjoyable than looking."

Azkadek sat down carefully so that he could get his wings bent in the most appropriate position. She waited until he got situated, then straddled his legs. Her index finger traced the vein in his neck gently. Leaning in so they were chest to chest, she bit.

Angels tasted nice. Or at least, this angel did. His blood seemed thicker than the other species she'd tried. It tasted like passion fruit. Maybe that was the tree of knowledge. Not apples, not pears, but pure passion. Thealla drank enough to appreciate his flavor, then mended his skin with her spell. He opened his eyes. He must have had them closed the entire time. A lazy grin crossed his face.

"Now this I could get used to. A beautiful girl draped across my thighs and a feeling better than being tipsy. Tell me – when people start having sex with vampires, why would they ever stop?"

Thealla laughed. "Excellent question. You'd have to ask my ex-boyfriends about that."

"Surely you must have been the one doing the dumping."

"Only once. Every other time whatever I offered somehow wasn't enough."

"I can concretely say, even without meeting them, that they were all idiots."

"You're just trying to be the angel on my shoulder now."

Azkadek laughed. "No, because I only want you to do naughty things."

"So let's do them. I assume it would be easier for you to be on top?"

"It would, but it's still enjoyable in other positions. All sex is good sex in my experience. Whatever slight discomfort I might feel from my back is far outweighed by the feeling of being inside an incredible woman."

"You on top sounds good. It allows me to be slightly lazy, and at this point in the night, I could use that."

Thealla crawled onto the bed and stretched out while Azkadek shifted himself to lay on top of her. Though he kept his weight on his shins and forearms, he'd lowered himself so every inch of skin touched hers. He felt very warm, like an electric blanket. An electric blanket that could hopefully make her scream.

Azkadek kissed her tenderly and she responded in kind. She put her hands at the back of neck and felt his silky, soft hair. If she didn't have her tongue buried inside of his mouth, she would have asked him what conditioner he used. After so many energetic kisses, the slow and gentle way Azkadek kissed her had great appeal. He kissed like he had all day and was willing to do whatever it took to get her going. Thealla felt comforted and appreciated in a way she hadn't before. Maybe angels could transmit that feeling with their bodies. If so, neat trick.

His right hand drifted down and began to massage her clitoris. Instead of rubbing, his hand started as a claw where she could feel the ends of all his fingers, then he pushed them out in all directions like an expanding flower. It teased not just her clit, but every area surrounding it. Thealla's breath hitched, and he suspended their kiss.

"Is this alright?" he asked.

"It's perfect. Don't stop." She pulled him back to her lips, plunging her tongue against his while her right hand slid down to his wings. The feathers tickled her fingers. She wondered why anyone would stop having sex with angels. Georgie had chosen her crush well.

Thealla released his neck with her left hand and used it to rub along his back, underneath his wings. She could feel them on the top of her hands, which felt wonderful. With her right hand she reached for his cock and steered him inside. Hooking her calves around his thighs, she could feel his muscles tense as he started to move in and out. He licked the roof of her mouth, then pulled out of the kiss. Thealla approved because she needed to focus on their crotch action.

Azkadek was exactly the person she needed inside of her after the weirdness with Deepak. She gasped with pleasure. It seemed like every time he pulled out and sank back in she felt a new and unique high. The way his muscles moved in his thighs teased her calves. Every inch of her wanted every inch of him. As she nuzzled him with her nose and chin, she felt consumed by sensuality.

When her body tightened she made an effort to relax into his hands and thrusts. Mentally, she felt at peace. Putting the angel second to last had been a really good idea. She kind of wished she had put him absolutely last, but hot lesbian sex sounded like a fun way to finish the night.

The warmth of Azkadek's body mixed with the warmth inside of Thealla's own body. It felt like they were laying in the sun on a warm summer day. Thealla closed her eyes to revel in that sensation. She imagined them out in the backyard, smelling the grass, feeling the sunlight, fucking in the breeze. The visualization of being outside added a sense of erotic naughtiness.

When her body spasmed she opened her eyes and looked into Azkadek's soft brown ones. He appeared content, smiling at her and pressing his lips against hers in a sweet kiss. She loved that he seemed equally into things. Thealla decided to reward his effort with some vaginal squeezing. He gasped. She continued to milk him. He couldn't keep his mouth closed and just let it hang open as he pushed into her again and again.

Using her muscles excited her more. Her body shook while he panted and thrust deeper. Burying his head next to her on the pillow, he changed his motions so that only his hips were moving. Rather than pulling out completely, he wriggled inside of her. She'd never experienced anything quite like it. Her back arched, and she felt pleasure all over her body. Another squeeze had him groaning in her ear.

Something kicked her body into go mode, and she shuddered and came. Azkadek's cock reached its limits, too, and exploded inside of her. She felt like she could stay in that position for hours, if not days. Apparently he did, too, because he didn't bother pulling out. He just shifted his weight so he stopped smooshing her.

They went in for another kiss at the same time, this one even more tender than the ones preceding it. As his penis softened inside of her, she dug her fingers into his ass. Her back spasmed again in an aftershock. Pulling away with a gasp, she realized she was on the edge of another orgasm. Feeling desperate, she kissed him more aggressively, pulling his body into hers as if they could become one. She loved having him buried inside of her.

When his cock lengthened again, he pulled out and stood by the bed, dragging her hips toward him, then lifted her ankles up to his shoulders. Leaning over, his hips jerked emphatically. The hard thrusts soon had Thealla squirming with pleasure. His speed increased and they both moaned. By the time he'd reached full speed her body wasn't so much trembling as shaking like a branch in a hurricane. She flew over the edge as he came, too.

The orgasm lasted at least a minute, and when she became aware of things around her she noted she'd been moved back up to the pillow and Azkadek had laid down next to her.

"Fuck," she said.

"Yes, we did."

"Did we ever. And it was glorious. I really wish I'd scheduled you last, because this is the note I want to end my night on."

"It is good to hear you enjoyed it."

"It was better to feel."

Azkadek laughed. "That it was."

"Okay, I can do this. One more person and then my night is complete. How much time do we have to wind down?"

They both looked at the clock.

"All of one minute," he said with dissatisfaction.

"Like I can really catch my breath in one minute."

"I am getting up so I do not fall asleep." Azkadek crawled off the bed and put his bathrobe on.

Thealla got up but didn't bother with the robe. At this point everyone had seen her naked, so why bother. They walked out to the living room. She stood up on her tiptoes and got one more tender kiss. There was something to be said for nice guys with big dicks. Still, the playful guy was the one that had her wishing for more.

Kian

An hour previously

Kian headed to Jeremy's room when he finished with Maria. Jeremy invited him in and closed the door.

"I know you probably haven't done this before, and are maybe not super comfortable, so what I've been doing is just sucking everyone's cock," Jeremy said.

"I have done this before, and I feel perfectly comfortable doing it again. Are you a top or a bottom?"

Jeremy seemed to relax. "It depends. If you're up for bending me over, I am perfectly okay with being bent."

"Then we have that figured out."

"So you wouldn't freak out if I kissed you?"

Kian smiled. "No."

They both leaned in and kissed. Kian found it interesting to kiss men. Their mouths felt a little rougher. Jeremy seemed to enjoy actually being able to have a full sexual experience, and he took control of the kiss. Kian put a little more power into things, and they soon broke off, both panting.

"I want your cock in my mouth," Jeremy said.

He dropped to his knees and licked Kian's shaft. Putting the head in his mouth, Jeremy rolled his tongue around it before sucking in earnest. Just when Kian felt like he might blow his load, Jeremy pulled away, stood up, turned around, and spread his legs. Kian took the lube off the bedside table and squirted a healthy amount onto his cock. He nudged in slowly, and once he'd gotten all the way in reached forward and grabbed Jeremy's cock. Kian thrust into Jeremy's ass while giving the vampire a handjob. Judging by Jeremy's moans, that felt good.

Kian let his thrusts build up until Jeremy's cock jerked and released. As Jeremy shouted, Kian came himself. He rested his forehead on Jeremy's back.

"Can I use your shower?"

Jeremy nodded and pointed. Kian went into the bathroom and stepped into the shower. Soaping up his cock, he rinsed off and dabbed at his crotch with a towel.

"You know how to show a guy a good time," Jeremy said when Kian walked back into the bedroom.

"I'm glad to hear it. Would you mind giving me the bite? I'm developing a taste for the high. And it might be good for you. Apparently I managed to make Thealla high when she bit me this afternoon."

"Oh, really? Then, yes, I have to try you."

Jeremy leaned in and licked along Kian's neck. A second later Kian felt a pinch, and then a hazy joy spread throughout his body. Jeremy pulled away with one last lick and closed his eyes.

"Shit! Is this really what it feels like?"

Kian grinned. "If it feels amazing, then yes."

"I so need to charge people for biting them. But not you. I got a great lay, and I'm floating on air. Did you have a gay friend that you experimented with?"

"Yes. An elf. He's two years older. He did his Junior program in the Netherlands and got hired into their Congress afterward. I've been emailing him from my work computer. It's great to be able to talk to him again."

"I wonder if he has yummy blood."

Kian laughed. "Thealla also used the term yummy."

"Because it is! You have no idea. I dated a faerie boy for a few weeks, and his blood tasted like yours, but it didn't make me high."

"Well, I am glad my blood is tasty and giving. Speaking of giving, it's my turn to have your cock in my mouth."

Judging from Jeremy's open mouth, no one had returned the favor yet. Kian sank to his knees and started sucking. When the vampire came, he swallowed the semen. Jeremy pulled him up and kissed him. After making out for a few minutes, Jeremy went down on Kian again, but this time he stayed there, sucking down Kian's cum. Kian reached out for another kiss, and he could taste the two different flavors of semen. Kian tasted sweet and salty, but Jeremy tasted tangy.

"I'm not sure which I like better – faerie cum or faerie blood," Jeremy said dreamily.

"The blood I can promise more, but the cum I'm saving for your vampire counterpart."

Jeremy's eyebrow lifted. "Oh, it's like that?"

Kian nodded. "She's amazing."

"She is. Treat her right. Shit, time for you to head to your next appointment."

Wishing him a good night, Kian headed down the hall until he got to Layla's room. Knocking, he waited until her door opened and Rashid walked out. They nodded at each other.

"Come in," Layla said in her soft voice.

Kian entered her apartment and tried not to gape at the décor. She seemed to have had the same idea he did about covering the whiteness of the walls, but her solution was to put up everything in pastels and floral patterns. She had paintings of Yahweh and Jesus throughout the living room. He counted nine crosses on the wall.

"How are you tonight?" she asked.

"Good." He pulled his eyes away from the hot mess surrounding the room. "How are you?"

"Fine. Do you mind if we kiss for a few minutes? I like to take things slowly."

"Of course. Why don't we sit on the bed?"

Maybe the bedroom would be better than the living room.

Layla waved him onward and he soon discovered that no, the bedroom did not show an improvement. Though Jesus and Yahweh were not on display, the numerous paintings of angels made it look like a sixty-year-old human had decorated. Layla sat down on the bed, and Kian had no choice but to sit next to her. She looked at him and smiled.

Really? She wouldn't even meet him halfway? He had to make the full move? He leaned down and kissed her. With her tiny height he would probably get a neck cramp. Whatever. One hour, and he'd be done with her. She obviously wanted to find another angel. She probably wanted to make babies before she turned twenty-five.

They kissed for quite a while. Kian didn't bother trying to feel her up, and she must have been too demure to touch him. He thought maybe he could get away with just making out for their time slot, but she pulled away and did some complicated maneuvers to take off her bathrobe. Oh well. The sex couldn't be that bad, right? He took his robe off and crawled over her after she got on her back. After several tries he found places for his hands that wouldn't be on her wings. He kissed her again and put one finger on her clit. The sooner he got her open, the sooner they could call it a night.

### Interlude 4: Philippa and Rashid

Philippa

Two hours previously

Philippa started the night with Deepak, which ended up being nice because he seemed shy, too. Then Azkadek came in, and she felt completely relaxed during their time. Angels had that power over other people. But as soon as he walked out the door, she had Zara waiting.

"What do you want to do?" Philippa asked. "I've read about some things we could try."

"Oh, I just figured we could make out for a while, and then I'd go down on you. Is that cool?"

Philippa breathed a sigh of relief. "That would be perfect."

Kissing Zara intrigued her, and she found herself getting excited right away. Zara's mouth felt so soft and fine, completely unlike kissing guys. Maybe there was something to be said for having sex with women. She wouldn't have to put up with Rashid's bullshit, for one thing.

He didn't want to lose what they had? Come on. It's not like going on a few dates would compromise their intellectual relationship. If they liked it, they could go further. If they decided it didn't work out, they would have risked absolutely nothing. Her bitterness now risked things, though. She couldn't help but think of him as a pain in the ass. A gorgeous, sexy, incredibly smart pain in the ass, but a pain in the ass nonetheless.

She didn't like the idea that she had to spend a year around him wishing they could have more. Seeing him would be a constant reminder of his lack of interest. That would be disheartening. No one wanted to feel like they weren't good enough. Plus, his unwillingness to take things further had already changed their friendship. Philippa wouldn't turn to him for conversations anymore. And she'd be damned if she would listen to him talk about other women. She'd been his sounding board in college, but fuck that.

Zara pulled out of their kiss and moved her mouth to Philippa's breasts. Somehow that made her less nervous than when the guys had done it. Maybe because Zara had her own breasts? Who knew. For whatever reason, she felt a lot less self-conscious about her robe being opened by another woman. Apparently she just felt a lot more pressure to impress men than she did women. Was that selfish? And... oh... Zara had definitely gone down there. Maybe Philippa did still feel self-conscious around women. She wondered if she tasted okay.

She'd thought this runaround might make her more relaxed sexually, but instead it had just been a source of stress. Fortunately she only had two more people to go. She wanted it to be over. She took a really long time to relax with Zara, and even then, she didn't fully climax. She just moaned and shook a little to make Zara think she did. Maybe Zara knew better, but the devil didn't make a big deal of it. She just stopped licking and sat up.

"Can I use your bathroom?" Zara asked.

"Sure."

Zara took a few minutes, then Philippa decided to take a turn. When she came back into the bedroom, she didn't feel like doing anything remotely sexual.

"So what do the devils think of the reveal movement?" Philippa asked.

"We have red skin and claws. We would scare the humans to death. It's not going to happen."

"Oh. Right." Philippa couldn't really argue with that.

"But if other people want to, that's their thing. I hope the Congresses around this realm will make things go smoothly so those people can reveal."

"Yes. That's our job, isn't it? Facilitating things. We should set the groundwork, and figure out how the reveal is going to happen."

Zara agreed, so they talked about the best methods of doing that. When it came time for Zara to leave, Philippa felt her stomach plummet. She opened the door and let Zara out. Toby wasn't in the hallway, so she shut the door and breathed in again. Two more people. She could do this.

Toby showed up a minute later and breezed on in. His bathrobe barely stayed closed, and she could see parts of his penis peeking out.

"Hey, Philippa. We finally get to make this happen. You put me off in high school, but you should have known you couldn't put me off forever."

"No, I guess not."

"Take me to your bedroom and let's get busy."

She felt a bit of dread but led him there anyway. He shrugged off his robe and threw it on her dresser. Damn, he had a really big penis. It just kind of sat there being unavoidable. Toby caught her looking and lifted his dick in his hand.

"Did you want to pet him?"

"Ummm... maybe later."

Toby stopped and stared at her. "Are you nervous, P?"

"What? I mean... maybe a little."

"Awww, there's nothing to be nervous about. This is going to be fun. I'll be gentle, I promise. No biting. Come here, sit next to me, let's just kiss for a few minutes."

They kissed, and Philippa did indeed feel a little better. She noted that Toby had a lot of saliva. She felt like she'd been drinking him. When he pulled away and started kissing her body, she relaxed enough to let him do it. He soon had her clit in his mouth and a few minutes later she ended up one orgasm into things. Toby climbed over her and shoved into her and built her up for orgasm two. Was it good sex? Definitely. Did she wish she'd done it in high school? Totally. Did she want to do it again? Not really.

She just wanted Rashid.

Rashid

Rashid wanted to know if banging Nina now would be different than banging Nina in high school. He had a lot more experience, and had gained some skills he didn't have as a teenager. When he knocked on her door and watched Hideo head out the door looking tired, he realized he may not have much of a chance to show off his skills. This would play out the way Nina wanted it to. The best he could hope for was to keep up with her.

Rashid sighed.

Nina grabbed the lapels of his bathrobe and tugged him inside. The door slammed behind him. The bathrobe landed on the floor before Rashid could process anything. Nina rubbed her naked body against his and licked his jaw.

"We're going to fuck like hyenas," she said. "And I'm going to rub my pussy juice all over your mouth."

Rashid wondered if that was supposed to turn him on. Some people really got into dirty talk, but he'd never seen the appeal. Nina didn't seem to care that he had no response, dragging him to the bed and shoving him down on it before sitting on his face with her ass to the headboard. He gave his mouth a workout, then watched bemusedly as she scooted down and lifted herself onto his hard cock. The view of Nina's butt cheeks bouncing up and down he'd never complain about.

When she finished he let himself come, too. Nina sat up on her knees and turned around.

"Your hands and mouth should be on my breasts now."

"Right." Rashid sat up and gave her the attention she expected. He supposed he should be glad he didn't have to think, only react. However, he kind of liked it when sex evolved naturally between him and his partner. He didn't always want to be in control, but he didn't want to always do what his partner wanted. He wanted some give and take. Nina had always proved to be a great lay, but she wasn't his dream girl.

Thealla and Georgie had been nice to be with, but not earth shattering. Plus, Georgie seemed hung up on Azkadek. That meant neither of them were in the running for dream girl anymore, either.

Which left Philippa.

The sex had been great. Not exactly 'best sex of his life' great, but obviously P had been nervous. And the sex had been really... sweet. Was that bad? Did it have to be hard and heavy to be amazing? He felt like things between them could potentially be a little more exciting. Some day. When Philippa felt more comfortable with that. When? Shit. Did he already think of her as a done deal? That seemed like a really bad idea.

If they got together, what were the chances that it worked out? Could they stay friends and lovers? When he broke up with Katrina, Philippa had been such a big source of support. She always seemed willing to listen... to him talking about another woman. Rashid groaned. Yeah, he'd been the guy that bitched about his girlfriend to a girl who had a crush on him. What a dick move. No wonder Philippa got pissed when he said he just wanted to be friends. She probably expected he would still want to talk about his sex life to her. It hurt that she might not think better of him.

Damn, he had really fucked up. He somehow had wanted to have an intense emotional relationship with P that didn't involve sex. And he'd treated her like she was the one putting things between them at risk. In reality, he wanted her to give him all the benefits of a girlfriend, without any of the potential drawbacks. So basically, he'd acted like a selfish prick.

"Rashid?" asked Nina.

He looked at the succubus. "Yeah?"

"What are you doing? You're staring into space. I'm trying to get off here."

"Sorry. I'm thinking about someone else."

"You're thinking of someone else while I'm sitting here naked with my tits in your face?"

Rashid attempted to look apologetic. "Sorry. I realized I've been an ass."

"Yeah, well, you're being an ass to me by figuring that out now. This chick better be the love of your fucking life."

That took him aback. "You know what? I think she might be. Isn't it weird how being with the wrong person can make you figure out who the right one is?"

"It's pretty crazy," she said bitchily.

His eyebrow lifted and he gave Nina a skeptical look. "You don't give a shit about having sex with me, Nina. Don't pretend like we're having a moment here."

She rolled her eyes and climbed off of him. "We were, at the very least, having a little bit of fun. I don't mean to sound completely arrogant, but I have a killer body, and I'm amazing in bed."

"You are. I apologize for not giving you my complete attention. But we only have a few minutes of playtime left. I don't think you'll be angry at me for leaving early because I'm about to make one of our mutual friends very happy."

"Do tell." Nina crossed her arms over her neglected breasts.

"Don't want to jinx it. Catch you soon."

He grabbed his bathrobe and shrugged into it. Leaving Nina's room, he went down the hall to pace in front of Philippa's door. When it finally opened, Toby emerged. He nodded at Rashid and headed down the hall.

Philippa looked at Rashid with confusion. "What are you doing here?"

"I realized I'm an ass, and you are so worth taking a risk on. There's no reason we can't last forever."

She had been scowling, but her face turned neutral, then progressed to a hesitant happiness.

"You want to go out with me?"

"Yeah. I really, really, do."

Rashid took her jaw with both hands and gave her a kiss that left no doubt of his intentions. When he pulled away, her lips had opened and she looked dazed.

Hideo stood a few feet away, looking at the two of them. "Am I at the wrong room?"

"No. You're good," Rashid said. "I just wanted to drop off a message before I went to my final rendezvous."

He smiled happily and wandered off to the elevator. As he walked away, he could hear Hideo saying, "Well, I'm not going to be able to beat that."

The sound of Philippa's laughter rang out in the hallway. Rashid grinned. He planned on hearing that sound a lot.
Chapter 9: The Grand Finale

Thealla

When Thealla opened the door, she saw Zara outside with a hand up, ready to knock.

Zara grinned. "Perfect timing!"

"Yes! See you later, Azkadek. Welcome in, Zara."

The angel said goodbye and walked out. Thealla had a great moment of seeing the angel and the devil side by side before Zara walked in.

"You look nice," Zara said. "I like the clothing optional thing, it's very relaxed."

"It's called everyone has seen me naked already, and I don't give a shit."

"Exactly." Zara tossed her own bathrobe on the couch.

They went into the bedroom and crawled into bed.

"What do you think about the runaround? Exhausting or fun?" asked Thealla.

"How about exhausting and fun. Last night I thought I would have a break when I went to Jeremy's room, because I assumed we'd just be talking, but then we both decided we should have sex to keep the spirit of the thing alive. So we both had sex for the first time with the opposite gender. It was weird but cool. I can see why you like fucking men, but I'll stick with women."

Thealla laughed. "Fair enough. That's funny you slept together. Here I thought Jez would only try bi for a redhead like Georgie."

"I have red skin, maybe that does it for him." Zara winked.

Maybe it did. Though the body the red skin covered looked awfully nice. Zara had a gorgeous face with enough musculature to show she enjoyed athletic pursuits, plus large hips you could really hold onto. Her breasts looked to be B cup – small enough to stay perky, but large enough to have something to hang onto.

Zara already had her hands on Thealla's breasts. Thealla put her arms back and arched her back slightly. Might as well give Zara something to have fun with. After a few seconds of hand work, Zara leaned down and amused herself with licking and sucking Thealla's breasts. There hadn't been time with the guys to do much with breasts. She wanted their hands and mouths at her crotch. Smiling, she relaxed.

When Zara had her fill of breasts, she slipped down between Thealla's legs. Opting to use tongue rather than hands, the devil dived in. It felt interesting to have another pointy tongue whirling around Thealla's clit. She decided she enjoyed having sex with devils.

Zara had gotten pretty damn good at oral. Thealla squirmed around and tried to relax, but her body kept tightening with pleasure. The occasional lick backwards into her vagina excited her even more. It didn't help that Zara's hands still played with Thealla's breasts. Well, it didn't help Thealla's endurance. It did help her to feel like she'd started floating.

Thealla's back lifted up slightly. She would come super quickly at this rate. She tried to calm herself down. No sense in making the night over too soon. While tired, she needed to give Zara her full attention. A moan escaped her lips as Zara's tongue flirted with her labia. This girl knew how to use her mouth. Since Zara had the same body parts, she knew exactly what made them feel good.

As Thealla's hips flew up from excitement, Zara clamped her arms down. That kept Thealla steadied and helped to build up the pleasure. Each new motion of Zara's tongue made Thealla go just a little bit more crazy. She wanted to squirm, but Zara wouldn't let her do that, so Thealla just let the wiggling happen inside her brain, ratcheting up the excitement.

That feeling grew, and she wanted to buck against Zara's arms. Thealla reached the slightly uncomfortable part of a sexual experience, but like always, that moment quickly blurred into pure joy. Zara loosened her hold on Thealla, and Thealla felt herself shaking all over.

Zara pulled herself up the bed. "You didn't take long."

"No, I was ready to go! Here, lay down so I can do you."

"You don't have to go oral, if you don't want. I'm just as happy with a handjob."

"I'll use my hands and my tongue. I can't promise to be as good at head as you are, but I feel like you're too polite to complain."

Zara laughed and they switched positions. Thealla spread open Zara's legs a little more and used her fingers to explore Zara's crotch.

"Do you want the bite?" Thealla asked.

"Yeah, sure, I hear it's pretty crazy."

Thealla found a good spot on Zara's thigh and licked along the vein there. Lifting Zara's leg so she had a good angle, she pressed her teeth into the flesh. Her tongue touched the blood and lapped it up. Zara tasted like a red velvet milkshake. Thealla licked up a small amount, then pulled away and did the healing spell, licking the slight amount of blood trapped on the surface. Tasty.

Zara breathed a huge sigh. "Oh, I like that."

Thealla ran her tongue from vagina to clit. It had felt great to her when Kian had done it. "Do you like this, too?"

"Yes. I definitely like that."

Thealla got busy licking the clit in front of her and let her hands roam all over Zara's body. Zara's skin felt thicker than other species. Thealla had noticed that with Beauregard, too. Their skin felt almost spongy.

Zara started to squirm a little, but Thealla let her. She planned on building Zara up without trying to hold her down. After a couple minutes of working tongue on clit and an increase of squirming, Thealla's tongue slid lower. She plunged it into Zara's vagina and feasted on her excitement. The juice tasted sweeter than Nina's, and as Nina had been the only woman Thealla had sex with, she couldn't compare Zara to anyone else. Nina tasted like girl sex parts. Zara tasted like meringue. That made it necessary for Thealla to plunge her tongue deeper into Zara and taste more.

Thealla had her right hand working Zara's clit, and the left massaged Zara's belly. Zara had gotten very squirmy. Thealla wanted to grin, but her mouth was busy working a tasty vag. She'd gotten turned on by Zara's excitement, and while she wouldn't be getting an orgasm out of this, it gave her a nice little erotic moment to finish out the night.

Zara's moans got loud. Thealla felt like she must be doing a good job to elicit that kind of reaction. She moved her tongue more quickly in and out. Her fingers circled like a shark. Zara's body trembled, then relaxed. Thealla increased the speed of her ministrations, and Zara moaned even louder. Finally Thealla switched places so her mouth sucked Zara's clit while her finger plunged into her vag, pushing Zara into the orgasm zone. Licking the coating of meringue away, she pulled herself up. Zara had finally stopped pulsating and stretched luxuriously.

"That was a damn good time," Zara said. "I can tell you've had experience."

"Nina."

Zara laughed. "Yes, that would do it. That girl has done everything, and she's damn good at all of it."

"Such is the way of the succubus. And incubus. They live up to their reputations."

"That they do. Well, I don't mind telling you, I am totally and completely exhausted."

"Me, too. I had fun, but I don't think I would ever do a runaround again."

"Exactly. I do think it's a good way to get to know each other. Now we're all comfortable, and if we hook up with other Juniors there won't be tension. Not that I will, since none of you are lesbitches. One of the devils in Congress is, and we're already flirting. She's fairly young herself, not to mention gorgeous. I want to try for a relationship with her."

"I thought I had more interest in sleeping around, but I'm finding I want a relationship myself." Specifically a relationship with Kian.

"Sleeping around is what college is for, but we all graduated. Now we're ready to figure out how to be young adults, and that means if we find someone we're attracted to, we want to go for it. Though I'm sure Nina will want to do this again. That seems to be her speed."

"Nina's speed is full throttle, every day, every moment. So yeah, she will want to do this again. But it will be interesting to see who else wants to."

Zara got out of bed. "Well, Thealla it's been real. I hope you have a great night's sleep."

"You, too. Sweet dreams." Walking her to the door, Thealla let Zara out and closed the door. It took all of her energy to drag herself back into the bedroom and crawl under the covers. Before she knew it, she'd fallen into dreams.

When Thealla woke Sunday, she could see she'd slept in again. She called Kian and Azkadek on their landlines about leaving at 1:00 to go to the stores. They agreed. Hopping into the shower, she got herself clean, then changed her sheets. They'd been through a lot in two nights.

After drinking a good lunch of juices and broth, she opened the door and found the boys outside in the hallway talking. Clearly they got along well and had already struck up a friendship. That made Thealla happy. She greeted them, and they went down to her car.

"Is it going to be easier for your wings to be in front or back?" asked Thealla.

Azkadek examined both seats. "I think the back seat will be preferable."

Once they'd gotten inside with seatbelts on Thealla pulled out her phone with the route on the map shown.

"Kian, you have the front seat, so you get to be my navigator. Help me look for the signs, and tell me when to turn."

"Of course. Will it distract you if we all chat?"

"No, it's pretty easy to get there."

"Did you both have a good second night?"

Thealla nodded. "I had fun, but I don't have the urge to ever do another runaround."

"Yes, I'm more interested in pursuing the girl of my dreams."

Thealla glanced over and found Kian smirking at her. She couldn't help the dorky grin that crossed her face.

"I enjoyed myself, but I think I would prefer to find a relationship," said Azkadek. "Though we will be so busy with work I may not start looking until I have settled in completely."

Thealla's smile dropped. "I don't know that we're ever going to be able to settle in. We've got the protest Friday, and goodness only knows what things will be like after that. The reveal is going to kick our asses this year."

She could see him nodding in the rearview mirror.

"We will have our work cut out for us. One of the angels in my office who did a Junior year said her year was very easy to get through. We just happened to come at a stressful time."

Thealla snorted. "Blame the fallen angel for that one."

"True. Lucifer is old, though. He will soon be a shade. And then hopefully he will not be able to stir as much trouble up."

"He won't be allowed in Heaven, will he?" asked Kian.

"No. He will stay in Valhalla, or perhaps even the Earthen realm if there is a reveal. I do not think he would get up to any good here, though."

"No, he would make all kinds of trouble," said Thealla as she pulled into the parking structure.

"Are we here already?" asked Azkadek.

"Yep. As soon as I park we can begin our shopping adventure. Did you set up bank accounts yet?"

"Yes," Kian said. "The non-human bank helps those of us from other realms get identification and debit cards. I decided to use one of my family names, so I'm Kian Cwelnag."

She nodded. "Nice. Who are you, Azkadek?"

"Alek Zade. I think it sounds rather silly, but they assured me it sounds like a character from television."

"Definitely. Well, here at Best Buy we can get Computers, TVs, mp3 players, all that kind of stuff. Right across the street is Target, so if you want things for the apartment you can get those."

She showed the boys around Best Buy, helping them pick out their toys. After loading up the car they went into Target. Azkadek wandered off to look for rugs, leaving Kian and Thealla to drive the cart down the nearest aisle.

"Well?" she asked jauntily, because he looked like he wanted to talk about something.

Kian smiled. "Thank you for taking us here. Azkadek is very pleasant company."

"He's a nice guy. Did you want to look for anything in particular?"

"I'm already looking at what I want."

"You're very flattering, Kian, but we're in the middle of a store. We can't do anything fun."

"I know. I just like to look at you."

"I like to look at you, too, but right now I want to check out the grocery section. Come with?"

"That would be a good idea. What are you capable of eating? I don't quite understand how it works."

"I can have anything liquid. As far as puréed foods go, I can't eat bread, rice, or meat. I can have vegetables, lentils, beans, fruits, and melted cheese. Chewing takes a lot of effort for us because we have to break down the food completely, so I prefer to get things already puréed."

"Interesting." He seemed quite happy to go down each aisle and watch her put things into the cart. He found a few things that he put in, too. He seemed to find the frozen foods especially intriguing. She showed him the vegetarian meal selection, and he went a little crazy.

When they got back to the apartment building, they helped each other brings things up to their apartments. Azkadek had less stuff, so the last trip to the car ended up being Kian and Thealla.

"Would you like to come to my apartment for a bit?" he asked. "I wouldn't mind help getting all of these things set up."

"Sure, why not." She followed him up and inside.

Kian didn't have a lot of stuff in his apartment, but what he did have looked exotic. Every piece of furniture appeared to have come straight from the forest. The dining chairs had padded cushions, but their gnarled wood had been polished to a shine. The living room had a couch and overstuffed chair in green layers of fabric that looked like leaves. Every gorgeous piece reflected the same artistry as the textiles on the walls.

While Thealla gawked, Kian fed his cat, Ortlan. Though solid brown, Ortlan had eyes the same color as Kian's. Ortlan seemed friendly, and after eating wanted to spend some time cuddling. She petted him as she coached Kian on how to use his new electronics. They took a break for dinner, with her grabbing some liquids to bring over, and him trying one of his frozen meals. He said he liked it.

After eating she walked him through his phone and his laptop. Though he kept asking about functions they didn't have on the Earthen realm, he picked up what they did have easily enough. Once Thealla had explained as much as she felt up to, she glanced at the clock on the laptop and saw she'd stayed late.

"It's nearly ten. I better get back to my place."

Kian wasn't having it. He pulled Thealla out of her chair, then gave her a kiss that made her toes curl. Taking off her clothes, he alternated slipping out of his.

He wore silky underwear low on his hips. Though not quite long enough to be boxers and a little longer than briefs, they managed to be a lot sexier than Thealla would have thought. With his six pack and carved in hip area the underpants looked great. She felt almost sad taking them off.

Once Kian had her out of her clothes, he lifted her up and took her to his dining room table. Feeling the slick and smooth surface under her back, she realized he'd covered a slab of wood in resin. Great, they would be fucking on artwork.

Kian wrapped Thealla's legs around his hips and then started massaging her breasts while nudging her crotch. After a minute of that, he trailed one hand down to play with her clit.

"Tell you what, I'll take care of this and you can keep your hands where they were," said Thealla.

"You are truly a goddess. More so than an actual goddess."

Thealla rolled her fingers around quickly to build excitement. Kian played with her breasts like he'd never seen them before, and when he pinched her nipples it added fuel to her fire. Then he leaned down and took one breast into his mouth, licking and sucking like a man starved. She stroked his super velvety penis and heard him moan.

Thealla managed to get him inside of her, and he rocked his hips back and forth. He used an interesting rhythm – one fast stroke, two slow strokes. She soon figured out how to adjust her vaginal muscles to squeeze him on the two slow strokes. According to his groans, he liked that.

Her back arched, and Kian didn't use his hands to hold her down. That made the tension inside of her ebb and release, so that it took longer for her to get to the point where she couldn't take it anymore. When she did come, she let out a cross between a moan and a shout. As his cum shot out inside of her she smiled lazily.

Having sex with Kian was just never going to be a bad idea. He slipped out of her and luxuriated in the afterglow.

"Like I said, a goddess." A grin spread across his face.

"Well, you definitely count as a sex god, so we're even."

"I know we have to work tomorrow, but I would love it if you spend the night."

Thealla hesitated for a second, wondering if her cat would be okay with her gone. After two nights of people Tabitha probably needed some time in the apartment to herself. Plus, she really wanted to spend a whole night with Kian.

"I'd love to."

The look on Kian's face felt like a reward in itself. They got into bed and spent more time fooling around. When it got to be late and Thealla said she needed to sleep, Kian pulled her into a spooning position and wrapped his arms around her. She felt safe and adored.

In the morning, Thealla woke up with a smile on her face, despite the loud music from the alarm on her phone. Reaching out to the nightstand, she shut her phone off with a smile. She probably had the best night of sleep in her life. Her dreams had been of forests with vivid colors. She suspected she'd dreamed of the Fae realm, as though she had somehow shared her consciousness with Kian. He wasn't curled against her, but when she turned over she found him sitting up against the headboard reading a book.

"Good morning," he said with a smile.

"Morning. I forgot you were an early riser. Did you already go to the park and come back?"

"No. I didn't want you to wake up without me. I petted Ortlan for a while, but he's disappeared. Did you have a restful night?"

"The best. Thanks for letting me stay. I have to go get ready for work, though. Duty calls." She pouted to let him know where she'd rather be.

He laughed. "We both need to get ready." He looked like he wanted to kiss her, but Thealla got out of bed so he couldn't. Not only could she not deal with his intensity that early in the morning, she didn't want to start something they couldn't finish.

Back in her apartment, Thealla climbed into the shower and tried to sort through her jumbled thoughts. Kian was gorgeous, but also dangerous. She would fall so hard and fast for him, and then what? He'd decide he wanted to go back to the Fae realm, and she'd be the one with the broken heart.

Sure he said he wanted to stay now, but he'd barely been in the Earthen realm. He hadn't learned how badly it sucked yet. Eventually, he would realize that, and he would have no incentive to stay. Everything pointed to their relationship being a terrible idea, but she wanted to have one all the same. Maybe he would be worth being stupid about.

She sighed. Everything in her brain said she had trouble coming, but her heart just wanted to try. How could she deny that? For now she would live in hope and see how things would unfold.

Kian

Kian shut the door behind Thealla and sighed. He'd tried to kiss her three times, and she'd somehow dodged all of them. Maybe she really hated morning breath. Or maybe there was some other reason she didn't want to kiss him. He tried not to overthink things. No sense in getting paranoid about something that may have had a very simple explanation. He would take the fact that she stayed over as a positive sign.

He hopped in the shower and replayed the previous night's sex in his mind. Being with Thealla felt right on some deep, fundamental level. She was beautiful, smart, affectionate, and not shy in any way. She seemed every bit as into having an active sexual relationship as him. They matched up well. He had enough awe of her that he would always feel lucky, but at the same time he felt confident in her sexual attraction to him. He didn't have to wonder if he was good enough for her.

He'd never felt so comfortable with a partner before. There had always been something slightly off with his previous girlfriends and lovers. In some way their relationship had been less than perfect. This time he couldn't see any problems. He still had a lot to learn about Thealla to learn, so maybe problems would arise, but he wouldn't look for them. For now he liked her. He trusted her. He found her fascinating. He couldn't really ask for more than that.

Once clean he turned off the shower and told himself to stop mooning over his vampire lover. Putting on a nice green shirt and grey dress slacks, he checked the mirror and decided he looked like he fit on the Earthen realm. Though they had no dress code and some people in the office dressed as Fae, Kian liked being able to leave and get lunch. He'd bought clothes for work once he got his bank account with his first paycheck sorted. While he could probably use a few more things, he wanted to wait for his next paycheck. He felt like he should have a nice balance in his bank account in case something came up. You never knew what might happen.

Kian found the hallway empty and rode the elevator down alone. He walked across the courtyard to the farthest building and took another elevator to the third floor. Three of his officemates had already arrived. They only had seven Fae in the office – the two elected representatives, the two Juniors, the office manager, and two appointed policymakers. All nice people, and Kian got along with them, which made his experience comfortable so far.

He greeted those in the office and went into the kitchen to pick up breakfast. The goblin cook had made a nice spread. Kian loved that breakfast and lunch was provided for the workers since he never learned to cook. If he stayed on the Earthen realm like he planned to, he'd have to take cooking lessons. Maybe in a month or two he would look into that.

Shaunessey breezed into the office as Kian ate. She headed to the kitchen and came back with a plate, sitting down at the round table near the Juniors' desks.

"So how was the rest of your weekend?" she asked.

"Good. Yours?"

"Awesome. I hung out with Hideo yesterday. We had so much fun. He's introducing me to the world of Earthen realm movies. So far I'm digging them. He's really into horror, so it's terrifying, bloody, or both."

Kian laughed. "That doesn't sound very appealing to me."

"It's actually pretty great. Very different from Fae movies. Everything we do is so serious and deep, you know? I told Hideo I wanted to see something funny, and he showed me a movie called Clue. We had to pause it a lot, so I could ask about the jokes, but the ones I understood were really funny. Every one of the actors did a great job. The nice thing about the horror is it doesn't really require knowing much about this realm, so there's a lot less pausing."

"Perhaps I will see if Thealla wants to show me some of her favorite movies."

"Thealla? So you're spending one on one time?"

He nodded. "She agreed to date me."

The pixie grinned. "Well, look at you! Congrats. That's fantastic. I hope everything goes well."

"Thank you. I feel very good about things."

"I'll bet you do. Keep thinking about how good that is, because this protest is going to be a royal pain in our asses."

Kian sighed. Shaunessey had that right. It figured that as soon as he had his love life going in the right direction, he had to deal with turmoil on the job front. Life had a way of keeping him humble. But hey, he'd take all the work stress he could handle if it meant coming inside Thealla every night.

He

### Chapter 10: Dangerous Times

Thealla

"Lucifer is a pain in the ass," Jez said as he and Thealla drank their lunches.

"No joke. I love how he claims he had nothing to do with any of the national protests being announced, but then he's obviously talking to the leaders and stoking their fires. He clearly wants them to happen. And now we're all looking at spending Friday getting no work done, and possibly being here all day. Thanks, dickhead." Thealla rolled her eyes.

"Another twelve people said they were attending the protest on its facebook page. And the fact that they made a fucking facebook page? Don't even get me started with these assholes."

"So far we're expecting thirty-eight people, then. We should have room for them on the lawn without blocking the sidewalks. It should be doable to mask their signs and chants. But what if someone shifts? What if the witches start using magic? How do we explain that?"

"I don't know. And Philippa is being a pain about it. She doesn't want to use magic against them because she's with them. It's creating divisions in the other offices, because other people think they should be allowed to be seen and heard. It's just not time for this. We need to talk about it first."

Thealla sighed. "We don't all have to be on the same page, but we should be holding the same book."

"The book of nons."

"More like the book of magic."

"How are humans going to react to finding out their world really does have magic? The revealer movement is not going to go away. Some people are going to reveal, whether we like it or not."

"I know. We can't do anything to stop them. I'm re-reading the Sookie Stackhouse books to get tips."

Jeremy shook his head. "How to deal with insane humans when you're paranormal, part one."

Thealla made a commiserating face, then finished her blood and threw the bag in the recycling bin. "I have to get back to work on this project Joan has me doing. Revealers being loud and annoying doesn't make the rest of our job go away."

"Preach." Jeremy wheeled back over to his desk.

Thealla tried to concentrate on her project, but she found it hard to focus when the protest would be in two days. It didn't help that Kian seemed to want to spend time with her every day, which she found a little too intense for the start of a relationship. Monday after work he'd come by about dinner, but she already had plans with Georgie and Philippa. When she finished gossiping with them it had just turned ten, so she just texted Kian to tell him she wouldn't be able to get together after all.

Tuesday he apparently stopped at her office to see if she wanted to do lunch, but she'd already gone. She emailed him to let him know she would be going out with her cousin, Eve, after work. She said she'd be free Wednesday, so she could do dinner if he wanted to. Now that the day had arrived, she felt a little stressed about what he wanted from her. Sex would be fine, but she didn't want to spend the night again. And she didn't really want him sleeping over at hers.

She didn't always subscribe to the notion that absence made the heart grow fonder, but she'd found the intensity of having a boyfriend could be overwhelming. Over the years she'd learned to pace herself. Kian, apparently, had no problems with constant companionship. Hopefully when she communicated her need for time alone he'd be alright with chilling out. However, until she knew for sure he'd understand, she felt a little stressed.

After getting out of work a few minutes late, she headed to her apartment. Kian stepped out into the hallway as she unlocked her door.

"Are you still free for dinner?" he asked.

"I am. Let me throw on some more comfortable clothes."

"I need to feed Ortlan anyway. I'll be over when I'm done."

"Why don't you bring your food and we can eat at mine?"

Kian smiled. "Sounds good."

Twenty minutes later he knocked, and she waved him inside. He set down his dinner, then held his arms out to hug her. As she embraced him the troubles seemed to evaporate.

"It feels like I haven't seen you in forever," he murmured.

Crap. Guess they were having this conversation now.

"The thing is, Kian, I need some personal time when I'm in a relationship. I can't be together every day and all night. I want to see you regularly. I just also need space."

He pulled out of the hug and looked at her sadly. "I see."

"It's nothing to do with you. I've always been this way. I have to take things slowly."

"So when can we see each other?"

"We can do dinner two or three times a week. But as far as one of us spending the night, I'd really just like to do that on Fridays and Saturdays."

Nodding, he stepped back. "I understand. If you feel like you need more space, please tell me. Don't push me away without communicating that."

Damn, dating faeries meant all kinds of truth bombs. "I promise I'll try to tell you. Sometimes I do it without even consciously noticing."

"Always be present for me, darling. Always feel like you can tell me what you want."

Did Kian want to be her boyfriend or her therapist? Maybe he was a little too in tune with his feelings.

"Let's make dinner. I'm starved." She headed to the fridge and pulled things out. When she turned around she saw he had a slightly perturbed look on his face, but he didn't say anything. He just started preparing his own food.

Over dinner they talked about the protest. Kian said he had a premonition it would be bad. Thealla tried to reassure him, but she had a feeling he was right. When it got late, he thanked her for inviting him, gave her a quick kiss, and left. Thealla felt a lot more relaxed after that. Maybe not everything with him had to be crazy and scary. Maybe they could just be a normal couple figuring it all out.

Thursday they went to dinner with Georgie, Jeremy, and Azkadek. Georgie didn't seem to be making much headway with the angel, and her frustration showed. Thealla felt badly about the situation, but she didn't know what she could do. Maybe Georgie just needed to change tactics. Flirt more, or flirt differently.

On Friday morning, Thealla woke up with a knot in her stomach. Had Kian's premonition rubbed off on her? She joined the rest of the Congress and their staff on the lawn in front of the conference building. The protesters would come there.

More than thirty-eight people showed up. It must have been over sixty. They had the entire lawn covered, and stood on the sidewalk. Thealla and her fellow staffers used all the magic they could to make the protesters seem like normal humans doing normal human things.

Unfortunately, the protesters had magic, too. Their cries of 'Reveal, reveal, tell the humans, reveal' echoed loudly in the air. Whenever their signs were re-arranged into innocuous letters, the marchers counteracted it so their signs displayed slogans like 'Weres and Witches United.'

After twenty minutes Thealla felt exhausted. However hard she tried to have a dialogue with the group in front of her, they just wouldn't listen.

"We deserve to have our identities out in the open," a red-faced man said.

"But that could lead to other people being outed and put in danger," Thealla said.

"They're nons, they can defend themselves."

Thealla clucked her tongue. "Not against everyone."

"What other people do is their business. This is my business. Reveal! Reveal! Tell the humans! Reveal!"

"But if we all talked about this in the Congress, and made plans, it would make telling humans more effective than just shouting in front of everyone," she said in her best persuasive debate voice.

The man was not persuaded. "We have talked about it, and nothing got done. Now we're taking control of the movement."

Thealla sighed as he started chanting again. She'd been told to distract as many people as possible, but she found it easier said than done. Fifteen minutes later, the revealers started crossing the street to shouting at passing pedestrians. Things had officially gotten out of hand. Thealla desperately tried to talk sense into people, but they seemed determined to make prats of themselves in front of the humans. Most of the humans gave the protesters dirty looks. They probably thought the revealers were die hard fiction fans who'd crossed the line into delusion.

A shout interrupted Thealla's wallowing. She saw people pointing towards the building and spun around. Smoke and flames came out of the windows of the third floor. Shock made her unable to move for a second. Then she saw a blur as someone went running toward the building. The person shouted "Bulcimus!" and Thealla realized with dread it was Kian. She did not want her boyfriend running into a burning building. Faeries couldn't magically get rid of fire and smoke. And what if he met the person who started the fire?

Thealla's brain triggered. The person who started the fire had gotten in past some serious security measures. Which means they used magic. A witch. She looked around for Carlos and found him staring at the building.

"Carlos, come with me. We have to make sure the witch who set the third floor on fire doesn't get to the other floors," she said when she'd run over to him.

He stared at her for a second, then pulled himself back into the moment. "Right."

They ran to the building and swiped their cards to get inside. Looking around the first floor they found no one, so they dashed up the stairs to the second.

At the end of the hallway they saw a large man walking their way.

"Shit," Carlos said. He started gesturing spells and the man, noticing their presence, did the same. Thealla couldn't be much use here, but she couldn't very well go into the fire ridden corridor upstairs. She dashed into the stairway, went up a flight, and looked through the glass into the third floor hallway. Kian walked toward the door while holding something in his hands, but he was struggling.

Thealla threw open the door. "Kian, hurry!"

His face did not show relief, but rather extreme displeasure. Whatever made him mad gave him enough adrenalin to ignore the smoke and come barreling through the doorway. Thealla slammed the door behind him, but coughed after inhaling smoke. She headed down the stairway, walking a bit sideways to keep an eye on him.

"We need to get outside. The witch is still in the building," she said.

"What in the depths of Hell are you doing here?" Kian asked angrily.

"I saw you running in here, and I realized someone started it."

"They'd cleared out when I came up. Even if they remained, I have more magic than you do. You could be killed." He still sounded pissed.

"Then let's hurry down, so I'm not. Go to the first floor. I have to see what's going on with Carlos on the second."

"Why is Carlos here?"

"Because it was a witch that set it, and I needed help. Go down to the first floor, Kian. I've got this."

Thealla threw open the door to the second floor and found Carlos crumpled on the floor. The other witch was nowhere to be seen. Luckily he hadn't started a fire on the second floor. She ran to Carlos and shook him to wake him up.

"What?" he asked sleepily.

"We need to go. The building's on fire, remember?"

"Oh, fuck. He got me pretty good, Thee. Can you help me stand up?"

Thealla reached under him and pulled him into a sitting position. She really wished those stories about vampires being super strong were true. It took quite a bit of effort and maneuvering to get Carlos upright and leaning on her shoulder. They walked slowly down the hall and went into the staircase.

"He knocked you out cold and left you here?" asked Thealla. "You could have been killed when the fire spread."

"He's a nasty customer. We need to get down there, and see if he's still around. I bet he split, though. Asshole." Carlos sounded as pissed as Kian.

"We're getting there. Come on, lean on me, and keep stepping."

They got about four steps down when they heard the door fly open. Kian ran up the stairs.

"I'll help Carlos. Get out of the building, Thealla."

"I can help, too," she said stubbornly.

He didn't get pushy with her or demand that she go. Instead, he looked at her with his intense stare and just said, "Please."

Thealla nodded. When Kian stepped up and pulled Carlos closer she went down the stairs and into the first floor hallway. She couldn't see the bad witch, so she went outside. A group outside the door had gathered around something on the ground. Thealla glanced through the gaps and realized it wasn't a something, it was a someone. A goblin. He must have been the cook for the Fae, and he apparently lived on the third floor. Kian had saved his life.

The front door opened and Kian and Carlos came out. Carlos looked better. Kian brought him over to Thealla, then went to check on Bulcimus.

"What are they in a circle for?" Carlos asked as he struggled to stand on his own.

"Kian saved the goblin cook. I hope Bulcimus is alright. How are you?"

"Better." He looked around the area. "I don't see that bastard that knocked me out."

"I'm sure he's gone. But you remember what he looked like, right? You can describe him to the police?"

"We're witches, baby girl, we don't play with human police officers. I'll talk to the other witches, get the word out. We'll find him. And then he'll be sorry." Carlos looked furious. He finally managed to step away from her and stay upright.

"I hope so. Attempted murder is a pretty big crime."

"Maybe he thought I'd be saved before the fire spread, but look up, it's already on the fourth floor."

Thealla glanced up. "We should get farther away."

The Fae had also decided that. One of them picked up Bulcimus and walked toward the crowd. They patted Kian on the back as they headed away from the building.

A siren wailed and within a minute the fire department had swarmed the scene. The police also arrived and asked the crowd to move to the sidewalks. Police officers walked amongst the protesters asking questions. They clearly suspected arson, and there were a lot of potential perpetrators. This would be a long day.

At least the protesters had stopped protesting. They looked scared and upset. A few people started crying. Carlos went up to his fellow witches, and they had a passionate discussion. Thealla stood there for a minute on her own, gathering her wits together.

"What the hell just happened?" Georgie asked, coming up to Thealla. After Thealla explained, Georgie shook her head. "That was dumb, Thee. Dumb but brave. Let it never be said that you don't stand by your man."

Thealla flushed. "He isn't my man."

"I see the way you two look at each other. He's crazy about you, and you don't seem any less interested."

Georgie appeared to be slightly jealous. Thealla didn't know what to say.

"I would have run into that building if it was any of my friends."

"I know you would. I'm just glad you're alright. Did you inhale any smoke? Do you need oxygen?"

"I'm fine."

Kian surprised her by walking up and sweeping her into a hug. She tried to push him away, but he wouldn't budge. When he pulled out of the hug he kept his hands on her shoulders.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. You're the one who went into the middle of the fire."

"I was worried about you."

"I'm a big girl. How's Bulcimus?"

"He'll be alright. He woke up, and the other Fae are healing him. If I ever catch the person who set that fire, they'll be very sorry." Kian's eyes slitted.

"He cleared out after knocking Carlos unconscious. The witches will take care of it. They're not forgiving about the attempted murder of one of their own."

Kian looked relieved. "Good. Then I will leave it to them to deal with. We would dishonor them by interfering."

Thealla nearly rolled her eyes. Dishonor them? Had he not noticed they lived in the 21st century? For some reason she felt super cranky. Maybe because Kian acted like she was a helpless flower that he needed to protect.

"Yeah, well, they can take care of themselves. And so can I," Thealla said.

"I know you can. But I was worried. I." He stopped himself.

"You what?"

"I love you."

Thealla actually took a step backward. "You barely know me."

"That doesn't affect the way I feel."

"You feel infatuation. You can't just love someone after two weeks."

"Because you don't feel the same?"

"Because that's not the way love works." Thealla crossed her arms. She realized it was a defensive posture, but she felt defensive.

"Thealla, people can fall in love in a single moment. It may not be a love based on much, but it is love. The depth of my love for you will grow the more I get to know you. But that doesn't mean what I feel is not love."

"A love that isn't based on much is generally referred to as lust."

"That implies only a sexual attraction. I feel every bit as drawn to your personality as your body."

She felt her eyes narrow. "Alright, well, that's great, but as you can see, there's a lot of other shit happening right now. I don't think we have the time to have an in-depth discussion of how you feel."

"Because you can't deal with how you feel?"

"I'm pretty content with the way I feel about you, actually. I like you, and I want to get to know you better, and I'm not ready to throw around the word love. Look, I'm still in shock that someone set our headquarters on fire, and I ran into a burning building. I need some time to recover from this before I can deal with you pushing fast forward on our relationship. Plus I was talking to Georgie, and you interrupted."

Kian seemed sad. "We'll talk later, then." He spun around and walked away.

Great, now she felt guilty for hurting his feelings. Thealla turned to Georgie and found she'd gone over to talk to Jez and the other debaters. Thealla joined them.

An hour later the fire had been put out, the protesters had left, and the Congress staff had assembled on the house floor. The offices of the angels, devils, gods, Fae and shades had been destroyed in the fire. The nons in the main office side of the complex would condense their offices to make space. The vampires would host the Fae, because of course that would be the way things worked out. Right when she needed a break from Kian's intensity she'd start seeing him all day.

After their dismissal, Thealla grabbed Jez and walked to the vampire butcher shop. She ended up drinking an entire bottle of cow blood. Jeremy said he found it gross to watch her down the whole thing. Thealla rolled her eyes.

When they got back to the apartment building, Thealla decided she'd better face Kian. She knocked on his door, but he didn't answer. Apparently he had gone out for lunch, too. Fine. She still needed time to unwind.

Two hours later, Thealla tried knocking again. This time the door opened. Kian's face softened when he saw her.

"I thought you might start avoiding me again," he said, waving her inside.

"I just needed some time to process. Are you fully healed?"

"I'm fine. We went to the Fae realm for lunch. Most of our staff are spending the weekend there, including Bulcimus. He's been thanking me since he woke up. It's rather embarrassing."

"You saved his life."

Kian shrugged. "Someone had to, it just happened to be me that got there first."

"Well, I think you're amazing for doing it."

He smiled. "Then it was worth it."

She gathered her thoughts. "Look, I understand that love doesn't have to be rational, and it's something that varies from person to person. If you feel like you love me, that's legitimate. But don't be angry that I don't feel that way yet. I feel a lot of good things about you. There's lust, and like, and curiosity, and contentment all mixed up in there. Honestly, I've never felt this intensely about someone so quickly. This is a new experience, and it scares me a little."

"Feeling out of control is always frightening."

"Exactly. So just know that even if I'm not saying the same words right now, it doesn't mean I won't get there. I need to take things at my pace."

"Absolutely understood. I won't push you into things you're not ready for. I want you to feel comfortable with me."

Thealla nodded. "Thanks for being patient."

"How could I not be? Your happiness is my utmost priority."

That was a good line. She leaned in and kissed him. His mouth tasted like things Thealla had never experienced before. Fae food clearly had flavors the Earthen realm didn't. The kiss started out sweet, but quickly turned naughty. Thealla didn't want to stand next to Kian, she wanted to be on top of him. She dragged him to his couch, shoved him down, and straddled him without losing their kiss. Her hands tangled into his hair. His hands cradled her ass. She could happily spend the rest of her life in that position.

A nudge at her crotch heralded Kian's readiness to do more. She pulled at his pants to get his cock out while he shimmied her pants and underwear down her legs. Then he massaged her clit with one hand while rubbing her bottom with the other. They remained kissing, still breathing each other in.

It didn't take much for her to be ready to go. She slipped his penis inside and used her legs to ride him. The way his dick rocked inside of her took her breath away. She had to pull out of their kiss so she could get oxygen. His face looked totally relaxed, unable to even hold his jaw closed. She undoubtedly looked the same way, but less attractive. Most people looked like idiots when they had sex. As usual, Kian was not most people. He looked exotic and sensual. She found the number of things he had going for him unfair.

Thealla's back arched, and she buried her head into his neck. She kept rolling her hips on his and felt all of the excitement that caused. Their sex got better every time, and it started out pretty damn good.

"Bite me," Kian managed to gasp out. Thealla complied. His blood tasted so sweet and perfect. She drank more than she usually would. The feeling of being fucked mixed with the feeling of being high, and she thought she didn't even need to have an orgasm. Why hadn't they done biting during sex before? His soft moan suggested he thought the same thing.

Thealla worked her vaginal muscles as they rocked their bodies, and soon she tensed entirely. Her hands played with the muscles on his chest and abdomen, and when she came, she had to grab his waist to keep from falling backward. As she relaxed, she discovered he'd put his arms around her so she would be perfectly safe.

She would always be perfectly safe with Kian. He would never let anything bad happen to her on his watch. A lazy grin crossed her face.

"You're amazing," Thealla said.

Kian kissed her in a way that showed he felt the same about her.

Kian

Thealla said he was amazing. Kian deepened their kiss. She kept pace with him, putting just as much of herself into their passion. He never really felt like one of them lead or followed. They wanted the same things, did the same things, and felt the same things. He found the equality of it intoxicating, like they were mirror images, two halves of a cosmic whole that suddenly made sense when they got together. Their unity felt like nothing he had ever experienced.

It didn't worry Kian that Thealla hadn't started using the word love. Saying he loved her felt authentic for him, but that reflected his experience. She hadn't gotten there yet. No big deal. She was clearly heading that way. And when she got there, nothing could hold them back. They would be a force of nature. He looked forward to that.

She pulled away from him and smiled.

"Are you happy?" Kian asked.

"I am. You?"

"Couldn't be happier."

Thealla smiled sweetly. "Let's just spend the rest of the day together."

"That sounds like a perfect plan. So I know you're interested in World Congress, but do you want to be an elected rep or an appointed policymaker?"

"Both, at different points in my career. I want to do an appointed position for the next ten years or so, and then I would run to become an elected representative. I think I'd enjoy dealing with the people side of things. Since they let you run while you're appointed, if you don't win the election you still have your job. World appeals because I like the idea of synthesizing a lot of different cultures, and creating norms that apply to everyone. Plus I think it would be fun to live near London. I've never been able to travel there, but I'm a fan of the music and television in England."

"I also want to start as an appointed policymaker, but I haven't decided if I want to run for office, or when I would do that."

"Do you want to go back to the Fae realm at some point?"

"Not particularly. While there are things I love about it, there are also things I find limiting. We're stuck in a society where the nobility hold a great deal of power. I don't believe the lottery of birth should determine one's political success."

"That sucks. I imagine it would be pretty hard to get into things without that advantage."

He nodded. He should have said he had that advantage. Somehow it seemed wrong, though. He felt Thealla might see him as spoiled, more lucky than driven. Eventually, he would have to admit to being a noble. But for now, he didn't want to get into his family's fortune.

"Indeed. While I would like to continue visiting the Fae realm, I do not want to move back there."

"Okay. Then I guess there's really nothing in the way of us having a long-term relationship. I thought it would be hard to commit when you were going back home eventually."

"No, sweet one. This is where my future is, and I dearly hope it will happen with you."

Thealla looked partially scared and partially elated. He wondered what he would have to do to eliminate the scared part. He had to make her comfortable with this relationship for them to be able to truly commit to each other. Kian desperately wanted them to be on the same page. Once she trusted they were serious, they'd have an unbreakable union.

He wished he knew how to get her to go all in. Convincing her would take time and patience. Fortunately, he had those things. They had only known each other for two weeks, so he didn't need to panic yet. He could take things slowly and steadily. Well, he could take the emotional parts slowly. The sexual parts he wanted to keep barreling forward with.

Thealla put her hand on his thigh. "Speaking of the future, would you be interested in doing some touristy things with me? I want to visit the museums, see the opera, go to the top of the Empire State Building, wander through Central Park. Do all the stuff that people who live here would never be caught dead doing."

"We only started living here, so I think we would be excused for indulging in those things. I'd love to see the art museums. The Fae who have come here raved about them."

"Maybe next Friday afternoon for the Met? It will be less busy than on the weekend."

"That would be wonderful. I also need to start seeing some of the movies and television shows popular here. It would make sense to start with the ones you like so we could watch together."

"That's horror and action, mostly. I'm trying to think what would be best to start you off with. We might have to devote an entire day to a Die Hard marathon. Or do some Jackie Chan movies. Hmmm. This requires some thinking on my part. Let me get back to you when I've created a program of firsts."

"Absolutely. I'm not going anywhere." He smiled.

Thealla smiled back. "I'm so glad."
Interlude 5: Philippa and Rashid

Philippa

They'd gone out to dinner the Sunday after the runaround, but today would be their first proper date. Philippa felt a little bit nervous. They had dinner reservations at a pricey place in Manhattan, and then would see a band Rashid liked and thought she might enjoy.

She looked in the mirror one more time. The dress was cute, and it would be comfortable enough to wear to the concert. She'd put on eyeliner and lipstick. Thanks to Nina, her hair had been put into a fancy fishtail braid. With the chunky Mary Janes on her feet she looked cute, but would be comfortable walking around and standing. She'd dressed in pretty yet functional clothing, the perfect date combination.

Although she had ten minutes before she and Rashid planned to leave, she didn't see anything wrong with being early. She grabbed her purse, headed out of her apartment, and knocked on his door.

"Hey," Rashid said as he opened the door. "You look fabulous, P."

"Thanks. Are you ready?"

"Yeah, let me just grab my phone and wallet."

He walked away, and then came back and locked the door. They went to the elevator, and he pressed the button.

"The protest sure was crazy," Rashid said.

"Yeah. Let's not talk about that."

"Sorry. Yeah, I guess it's not good date talk. Did you sign up for the GRE?"

"I did, so we have a date with a test. We can get lunch afterward. But I won't be wearing a dress."

Rashid laughed. "I wouldn't expect you to. But I love this one."

"Thanks. You look nice, too. Nothing like dress pants and Cons."

"The good shoes wouldn't work for the concert. And the restaurant doesn't have a dress code, so we're safe. My friends here raved about the food. I have high hopes."

"Me, too. I haven't been out for a really nice meal since my birthday."

"Yours is in May, right?"

She grinned at being important enough to remember. "Yep. And you're August?"

"That's right. They don't have a hyena in the horoscope, so I had to settle for Leo."

She laughed. "I guess the Greeks missed out on making a hyena constellation."

"I went through a big constellation watching phase when I was a kid."

"Did you? Did you have a telescope?"

"Yes. A big one that I got for my birthday. And for three months, I went out every evening to look at the stars. Then it got too cold to go out every night. But as soon as it warmed up, I looked every night. I had a slumber party and invited all my friends to use the telescope. Half the guys thought I was a total loser. I'm not going to say they were wrong." He laughed.

"You should have said you wanted to be an astronaut. That seems pretty cool when you're a kid."

"Right, but I didn't actually want to be an astronaut. And I was too serious and nerdy to ever lie. I didn't really get my sense of humor until I was in seventh grade. I look back at elementary school, and I seriously wonder how I didn't get beat up."

Philippa frowned. "Did people bully you?"

"One guy tried to, but I didn't react, so he never tried very hard. What about you? Were the other girls horrible?"

"The girls were fine. But the guys were little assholes."

"Damn. That sucks."

She shrugged. "I mean, you get used to it. What sucked was that when I told my parents, they said boys only teased me because they liked me, and I knew for a fact that wasn't true. So I didn't talk about it to my parents anymore, and I had to deal with it on my own. The thing is, that really sets the tone for later dealings with your parents, you know? I never really felt like I could tell them about the problems I had when I was in high school and got stressed over my school and debate schedule."

"That sucks. My parents have always been super supportive. We're so close. I talked to them today after the protest."

"Oh yeah? Did you tell them you were going on a date?"

"I did. And they're thrilled it's with you. My parents really like you."

"Aww. I really like your parents. Don't get me wrong, I love my parents. Living in town for college meant we got a lot closer. I've forgiven them for making a stupid claim back in my elementary school years."

"I never got a chance to meet your parents. There weren't any tournaments in D.C."

"No, and they couldn't easily take a day off to travel for a weekend with me. They're coming up here in a few weeks. So you'll get to meet them finally."

"Nice! But they'll look at me differently as 'boyfriend Rashid' than they would have as 'old high school friend Rashid.'"

"I'm sure they'll adore you either way."

"Awww. Aren't you sweet? Hey, perfect timing, here comes the train."

They boarded the subway car and kept up a comfortable conversation through the trip and dinner. They shared a bottle of wine with the meal, and Philippa got past tipsy and into drunk. She was such a lightweight. But Rashid didn't seem to mind. He kept trying not to smile when she said something awkward.

Philippa got a little nervous about what would happen later. They didn't have to work the next day, so they could have sex when they got back to the apartment building. She tried not to freak out about that. They still had plenty of date left.

Rashid

Rashid took his beer and handed the water cup to Philippa. She'd already gotten buzzed from the wine at dinner. It was adorable. He recalled that she'd never partied much. While the story of his college career consisted of debate tournament, party, or party after debate tournament, Philippa had spent her Friday and Saturday nights watching movies with one or two friends. She'd seen every Oscar nominated movie, and could tell you which ones were actually worth going to. Rashid's limited knowledge of movies centered around science fiction. He'd seen every episode of Mystery Science Theater, and preferred to see movies at home so he could heckle them with friends. The only movies he'd never heckled were Alien and Aliens. With those two he just said the lines aloud with the actors.

"So do you know anything about the opening bands?" Philippa asked.

"The first one is a local New York band. They don't have anything up on Spotify. The second act, I had heard one of their songs. I listened to their stuff last night. It's good. Hopefully you'll like them."

"I'm pretty open with music. I like a lot of things."

Rashid snickered. "I like a lot of things, but I also hate a lot of things. I'm super picky. And I can't stand when bands get overrated. I'm the person who refuses to listen to the Beatles and Nirvana and Radiohead. If I'm into a band and they suddenly get big, I stop being a fan. It's harsh."

"That sounds pretty normal for a musician. You're knowledgeable about music, so you're expecting more from people. For me, I couldn't write a song if you paid me, so I think everything is great."

"That's fair. Are you pickier about books because you're a writer?"

"Oh, definitely. There I expect perfection."

"Makes sense. I'm good at academic writing, but not good at creative writing. So I'm impressed that anyone can do it. It doesn't have to be amazing for me to enjoy it. But with music, it's like, it better be something I couldn't have thought of myself."

"It's funny how our standards are higher when it's something we're good at ourselves. Or do ourselves. I'm not going to claim I'm good at writing. I don't know if I am or not."

"You're an awesome writer, P."

She smiled. "Thanks. And you're an awesome musician."

Rashid grinned. "Thank you! I try. So when I finally get a band going, are you going to come to every show? Are you going to take being the guitarist's girlfriend seriously?"

"Oh, definitely. Otherwise the groupies will think they can have you."

"Nah, my heart is yours. But do I have your heart?"

"You have since ninth grade."

Rashid leaned over and kissed her. She seemed surprised, but she opened her mouth when he put a little pressure onto her lips. He slid his tongue in, and led the dance. She still seemed a little hesitant about getting physical. He wondered how long it would take for her to be fully comfortable with him sexually. He hoped it would be soon.

As he pulled away, he smugly noted she looked close to melting. Making the girl happy was an important goal.

They kissed a few more times in the setup between bands. They held hands in the taxi home, and Philippa seemed to have sobered up. When they paid and walked into the apartment building, Rashid invited her to his apartment. Philippa looked nervous but said yes. He led the way into his bedroom. They sat on the bed and faced each other. Rashid kissed her again. She seemed even more tense.

"We don't have to do this," Rashid said.

"I want to. I'm just not very experienced."

"There's nothing wrong with that. You know how you get experience?"

"How?"

"You find a guy who doesn't care about your past and just wants to be with you, and you get all the experience you need."

She smiled. "That sounds wonderful."

Rashid stripped off his clothes and helped her out of hers. He gave her another kiss and reached out to massage her clit. After he made her come with his fingers they stretched out side by side on the bed, and did what could be best described as making love. He decided he could live without hard and hot. There was something to be said about keeping it sweet.
Chapter 11: Insulted

Thealla

Thealla woke up to knocking on the door. At first, she thought Kian had come to her apartment, and then she realized he lay intertwined with her. She'd stayed over in his apartment. He untangled them and threw on a robe.

"What time is it?" she asked.

"Early," he said shortly.

"What's the matter?"

"Whoever is here this early is Fae. And I think I know who it is. Do you mind getting dressed, Thealla?"

"No." She tried to cudgel her brain awake while finding her clothes. They'd taken them off in the living room. She collected them and hurried to put them on.

"Wait, please," Kian said through the door. She glanced at his face and realized he dreaded opening it.

She walked over and looked at him. He kissed her forehead. "I will see you later, sweet one."

"Okay."

He pulled open the door, and Thealla saw two faeries there. Their unmistakable resemblance to Kian meant his parents were here, and he did not seem thrilled about that. She realized his unhappiness had come from her being there. Was he embarrassed to be seen with her? He said he loved her. What the hell?

"I didn't realize you had a visitor," his father said smoothly. "And you are?"

"I'm Thealla. I'm guessing you're Kian's parents?"

"We are," his mother said. "You are not Fae. What are you?"

"A vampire. It's nice to meet you."

"Vampire," his mother said reflectively. "A pleasure meeting you. Kian, are you going to leave us standing in the doorway?"

"No, mother, please come in. Thealla, I'll call you later. I'm sure my parents will be here most of the day."

"Of course. Well, just come next door when you're free."

A slight shadow crossed Kian's face, but he smiled and agreed to.

Thealla could hear him greeting his parents as the door closed behind her. When she got into her apartment, Tabitha started meowing.

"It's like an hour before I get up for work. So for a weekend, you're whining way too early, kiddo. But since I'm up, I might as well feed you."

Thealla got the food out and placed the saucer on the floor. Tabitha gobbled her meal up appreciatively. Yawning, Thealla thought about the day before. She and Kian had spent the better part of the afternoon and evening having sex. Over and over and over again. And every single time had been amazing. A grin spread across her face. How could he be so great, and what on earth had she done to deserve him? She couldn't believe she'd once assumed he'd be an asshole.

She knew better than to be prejudiced, but somehow she'd made unfounded assumptions about the Fae. She felt like Lizzie Bennet at the end of Pride and Prejudice, except Kian outhotted anyone who ever played Mr. Darcy. Also, Kian had decent social skills, which put him miles ahead of Fitzwilliam. Jane Austen never wrote guys like Kian because they were too good to be true.

Once Tabitha had been satiated, Thealla rinsed the plate off, went into her bedroom, and changed into pajamas. She crawled into her bed and slept again.

Waking up a couple hours later, she called her parents to talk about the protest. They sounded proud that she'd gone into the building to help Kian. They asked her a lot of questions about him, and Thealla described him in the most flattering way.

The early afternoon Thealla spent in the lounge downstairs talking to the other Juniors. Different people drifted in at different times. They all thought Kian, Thealla and Carlos had been brave, which Thealla found flattering. A little before five she went up to her apartment to make dinner. After chugging down juice and broth she gave Tabitha some attention. She heard a knock on her door and smiled at the thought of seeing Kian again.

After opening the door, her smile faltered. Instead of Kian, his father stood there.

"Hello again," she said hesitantly.

He gave her a superior smile. The kind that made you want to count your fingers and toes.

"Thealla, is it? I would like to speak with you privately, if you have time."

"Come in. Sit down wherever."

Instead of going to the living area, he chose the small dining room table and sat. Thealla took the chair across from him.

"I'm sure you're wondering why I came over. I won't take up too much of your time. But I think you should understand a few things about Kian that you are obviously unaware of. Kian is not just any faerie. Our family is very important in the Fae realm. We are part of the nobility. Kian has a bright future ahead of him. With his leadership skills and persuasive personality, he will rise to the top. It is the hope of my wife and I that Kian become one of the Princes of the 52 lands of Faerie. I am sure you know enough about the Fae realm to understand what that means."

Thealla swallowed. That was like being the President of a country for life. "I thought Kian wanted to stay on the Earthen realm to do politics."

Kian's father waved the thought aside. "He is young, and he wants to spread his wings, and see places he has not been before. That is the way of youth. It will not last forever. Soon he will miss the Fae realm, and wish to return home and see what he can make of himself there. That is, unless he feels that he has some compelling reason to stay. And right now it seems that he does, because of his infatuation with you."

"He says it's love," she said defensively.

"Of course he believes that to be true. But, I must hope that you have more wisdom than him and realize it is not. He will not feel this way about you for more than a few years, but if those years keep him out of the Fae realm, it could be damaging for his political ambitions. Surely you do not wish to be responsible for Kian being unable to reach greatness?"

"He could be great here."

"I sincerely doubt that. As a faerie, he has little to say about how the Earthen realm works. His home is where his career must also be. You cannot have been chosen as a Junior Congressperson without having the brains to know what I say is true. Kian's future can only happen in one place, and it will happen in that place. And I am sorry to be cruel, but it will happen without you."

Thealla felt the air whoosh out of her. She felt numb. She had nothing to say to that. He didn't make it sound like an opinion, he made it fact. Kian was young, and he would eventually miss his home. Sometime down the line, his life would lead away from her, and she had to deal with that – less than a day after she had reconciled herself to the idea that their futures would be joined together.

"I might be willing to go with him to the Fae realm," she said. "He and I can still have a future together."

"He would never be elected a Prince if he had a non-Fae wife. No, you would be a hindrance to his ambitions. And even though he should know that, he has managed to ignore that fact so he can indulge his pleasure with you."

"I'm guessing you want me to break up with him so that I'm no longer a temptation."

Kian's father nodded. "We do. He is not listening to reason, and does not wish to end your relationship himself. It is up to you to be the bigger person and think about what he needs. Will you do what is best for him?"

She lifted an eyebrow. "I think he knows what's best for him."

The faerie chuckled in a condescending way. "Do you know what's best for you at this age? Or do you feel unsure?"

"I know more about what I want than my parents do."

"And perhaps your parents are content to let you flounder. We are not. We will do whatever it takes to put Kian on the right path. He's a dutiful son. He will follow our plans. Faeries respect their elders. Didn't he tell you that?"

He had told her that. Though he'd said he had different ideas about his life than his parents did, he'd made it sound like they were important to him. She'd gotten the impression he didn't want to alienate them.

"Let me put this in a way you understand," Kian's father said silkily. "We won't help Kian in any way so long as he dates you. It's you or us. So you decide if you think you're more important and can give more to him than his own parents."

Thealla felt totally flabbergasted. His parents wanted to put down an ultimatum? And not even on him. On her, because they knew she would be the noble one and walk away. She couldn't curse Kian to a life with no support system in the Fae realm. She couldn't stand between him and his own family.

"Fine," she snapped. "You win. I'll tell him it's over."

His father stood. "Thank you. This really is the best thing for him."

She didn't know about that, but she did know she couldn't be responsible for Kian's parents disowning him. After watching his father walk to the door and let himself out, she stared at the closed door for several minutes, caught between fury and melancholy. Should she scream or cry? Maybe both? What the hell did you do when your boyfriend's manipulative parents ruined your relationship?

Maybe she should have stood her ground. Maybe he found them as toxic as she did and wanted to be away from them. But she didn't know that. And she couldn't make that kind of decision on his behalf. His father hadn't actually given her a choice. He'd told her it would be impossible for Kian to maintain a family relationship so long as she stayed in the picture. What could Thealla do at that point?

It would be one thing if she knew one hundred percent that she loved Kian and wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. But she didn't know that. She cared about him a lot. She thought they might have had the ability to go the distance. Still, she didn't have any kind of certainty. She couldn't ask him to gamble his happiness on a maybe with her.

Which meant she no longer got to live the maybe. From now on she would be living without him. That realization started the tears. She decided to journal her relationship with him so she'd never forget what she felt. Having it all written down gave her closure. They'd had a quick love affair. A little fling. And now it was over. The sooner she got used to that, the less it would hurt. She needed to put on her big girl pants and move on. The world had a lot of other men in it. Several pretty tempting ones currently lived in her building. It's not like she would be alone and celibate.

Half an hour later, Kian knocked on her door. She motioned him to come inside.

"Please sit down," she said. "We need to talk."

Kian looked alarmed. "About what?"

"It was brought to my attention that I've been a little naïve about our relationship. I didn't think about what your future could truly become. And now that I know, I realize how unlikely it is that we could make this work."

His face was white. "What are you talking about? What made you even think about this?"

"Your father came to see me."

"But when could he... when he went out to get our dinner. Of course that's why he left. Of course he would want to ruin things for us. You're not a faerie, and that makes you undesirable in his book," Kian said bitterly.

"He may have been biased, but he's still your father, and I can't see you rejecting your parents completely. I know you want them in your life. And they have ideas about what you should do which don't include World Congress for the rest of your life. They want you to go back to the Fae realm. Your father made it very clear I won't belong there. So we have to break up some time. Why not do it now, before we get too involved?"

"We're already involved! And I don't want to go back to the Fae realm. I want to live my own life, not my parent's life. I want to live it here, and I want to live it with you."

"The thing is, you say that now, but you just got to the Earthen realm. You're looking at it as a refreshing change from the Fae realm. But in five or ten years you'll realize that this realm pretty much sucks and isn't worth fighting for. The land of Faerie will be a whole lot more appealing then, and if you've burned bridges with your parents, you won't be able to go back. How could I stand in the way of your future like that? How could I cut you off from your support structure?"

"What are you talking about? Obviously you feel this realm is worth living in and improving. And why would our relationship mean my parents wouldn't support me? Unless... gods be damned. He gave you an ultimatum, didn't he?"

Thealla hung her head. "Yes."

"Fuck. He just loves those. Ignore it, he's an idiot. He'll come around. Stay with me and fight for us. Don't let him win."

"I can't deal with that, Kian. I can't be the girl who ruined your relationship with your parents."

"So you'll be what, the girl who shattered my heart?"

"We all have our hearts broken, usually more than once. I'll be just another failure in love, and you'll forget about me."

"Except that I won't, because I've never felt like this before. What we have is something I always imagined, but feared would never happen to me. And now it has, and it's better than I imagined, and you want to throw that away because my father is being an anal polyp? I don't care what my father thinks. I don't live my life based on what my parents want. I live the way I want to live. I love them dearly, but I don't owe them blind obedience. You wouldn't be ruining anything. If they stand in our way, that's their choice to make me unhappy."

"I don't want to feel constantly guilty about our relationship. I don't want to always be thinking about what you could have had, if I wasn't a part of your life. And besides, if your dad is right about you being able to become a Faerie Prince, then that's an opportunity worth fighting for. I'd hate to think of you not reaching your full potential because you wanted to stay on the Earthen realm to be with me."

Kian threw his hands up. "I don't want to become a Faerie Prince. There is nothing appealing about that to me. That is my parents' dream. But it has never been mine."

"You say that now," she started, but he interrupted her.

"I'm an adult, Thealla. I know my own mind. You seem to think I'm some impressionable young man, just waiting to find out that my parents were right all along. That's ridiculous."

"But it's not. We are young, and we don't know everything! When you read about people, and talk to people, they all say the things they thought in their early 20's were bullshit. No one knows exactly who they are and who they want to be at our age."

"I don't know everything. But I know enough to say that some things are not right for me. And my parents' idea of my future is not right for me. What is right for me is being in a relationship with the woman I love, and giving that a chance, and seeing where it takes us."

"Okay, fine, don't go back to the Fae realm. But if you start dating another Fae who wants to live here, at least your parents won't stop talking to you."

"You don't love me, do you?"

She shifted uncomfortably. "It's too early for me. I'm sorry. I care about you a lot, but I can't guarantee you're the one person I want to spend the rest of my life with."

The fight went out of him, and he drooped. "Then the issue between us is that you don't think I'm worth fighting for. And that's not something I can argue you into believing."

"I truly am sorry to have hurt you."

"What kills me is that you ran into a burning building to help me yesterday. You care about me as much as I care about you. But in your mind, it's too soon and it's too much and it's not something you want to deal with. So it's easier to say goodbye. I wish you would listen to your heart instead of your mind. But at the same time, I don't even know if I want you to want me anymore. Maybe I just need to get over you. Maybe I deserve better than someone who gives up on me because my father said something mean."

Thealla narrowed her eyes and stood. "I get that you're hurting. But you don't need to be a dick about it. I think it's time for you to leave."

Kian rose and walked to the door. He paused with his hand on the doorknob. "I really did love you." Then he went through the door and shut it behind him.

That was the point at which Thealla really started crying.

The next morning, she went down to Georgie's apartment. Thealla told the entire story, and Georgie comforted her. Georgie said Thealla had done the right thing, and of course it hurt, but the Fae were all about family. Kian wouldn't want to alienate his. They hugged several times and Thealla felt better about everything.

For lunch Georgie invited their debate friends over and ordered pizza. Thealla told the others the condensed version of the story.

"I'm so sorry," Jez said. "He would have been perfect, if his parents weren't total assholes."

Nina nodded. "They would have ridden you the whole time if you'd stayed with him, Thee. You should be glad you don't have to deal with that drama."

Philippa put a hand on Thealla's. "It will be hard, but it's going to be less stress without him than it would be with him."

"We've got your back, baby girl," said Carlos. "We'll help you get through this."

"We're here any time you need us," Rashid said.

Toby came around and massaged her shoulders. "I'll spend every night at your place until you feel better. You're going to need some serious sexual healing."

"Toby, I don't think I can fuck my problems away, no matter how much of a healer you are," said Thealla.

"Everyone can fuck their problems away," Nina said breezily.

"Just know that I'm here, whenever you need me," Toby said.

Thealla smiled tiredly. "Thanks."

They all spent the rest of the day together. They talked about what the future looked like post-protest. They went out to get Thai for dinner. In the evening, they reminisced about their times together at debate tournaments. That cheered Thealla up. They had some fun times, and remembering that made her feel better. She had seven fabulous friends in her building to turn to whenever she felt the least bit sad, and she planned to do that.

Monday sucked, though. Now that the Fae had moved into the vampire office, Thealla had to see Kian every time she went to the bathroom or kitchen. He looked like shit – tired and apathetic. When people talked to him, he just nodded emptily. She had done that to him. She felt like a total asshole.

As the days passed, it became easier to get past what happened with Kian. She truly believed she did the right thing for both of them, and that made it easier to deal with the pain of losing him. Yes, they had something really good, but she didn't feel lost without him. Breakup pains she'd felt before, and would feel them again, perhaps many more times. Who knew when she would find the right man, or if there even was a right man for her.

It helped that the Congress staff continued to be crazy busy. The witches had hired a private detective witch to look for the man who started the fire. A cleanup crew worked on the other building. Calls still came in asking about the protest and the plans for a reveal.

Interestingly, the revealers had decided to hold off on coming out to the humans. They saw the violence from the protest as a sign of the future violence that could happen all around them if the movement went forward. Other countries had also had violence at their protests. Not every country, but enough that people noticed a pattern. Everyone but Lucifer decided to take a step back. He still made speeches trying to convince people to come out of the shadows. But this time, no one wanted to listen. Fear had become the feeling of the day among non-humans. They wanted their representatives to help make them safer, and a reveal would mean the opposite.

Thealla felt significantly less negative with the revealer movement on hold. She didn't dread the future anymore. She didn't exactly love the present thanks to the Kian situation, but at least she felt like things could get better. Maybe the Earthen realm did have a future worth fighting for.

On Friday morning, Thealla headed to the office kitchen for juice but stopped when she heard Kian's voice.

"...would like to get this done by noon so I can leave with everyone else."

"Are you still planning on going to the Fae realm this afternoon?"

Thealla recognized the voice as Shaunessey's.

"Yes," Kian said. "I have no reason to stay here, and I would like to have a talk with my parents about meddling in my life."

"I don't imagine you'll be getting an apology."

"I very much doubt it. But I want them to know I'm angry. And I want to talk to my brothers and sisters to see if my parents did anything like this to them. My parents have always given me a great deal of freedom before this. I realize I am very lucky that way, but it seems my luck has run out."

Shaunessey sighed. "Look on the bright side. At least your parents are better than mine."

"I know. I'm sorry. I shouldn't even be complaining to you."

"I didn't mean it like that. You have a right to complain. You've listened to me complain. It's definitely your turn."

"I wish I could do more for you, Shaunessey."

"You've been a wonderful friend. Give me a hug, then go finish your project."

Thealla considered stabbing Shaunessey in the near future, but instead she moved away so she wouldn't be caught eavesdropping. Once the two came out of the kitchen, she went in.

Was Shaunessey really just interested in being friends with Kian? Thealla found that hard to believe. They'd obviously become pretty close. Of course, she had close friendships with seven other Juniors, including three males who found her attractive. Maybe she shouldn't be jealous of the pixie. The fact that she had gotten jealous just made her mad at herself.

When Jez suggested going to Bites for lunch, she practically snapped his head off. She did not want to be reminded of Kian. They ended up going to Non Entity instead, and Georgie and Toby came along. When they walked out of the restaurant, Toby slipped his hand into Thealla's.

"Are you feeling any better?" he asked.

"I'm getting there."

"Do you want me to come over?"

At first she wanted to say no, but then she realized that reaction came from part of her still hoping to get back together with Kian. That part of her needed to die a quick death. Especially since he had probably started having friend sex with Shaunessey.

"Sure," Thealla said grimly.

They spent the afternoon together being naked, sweaty sex maniacs. Finally Toby declared that he needed to eat dinner, so they put their clothes back on. Thealla walked him to the door and opened it.

"Thanks for the fun, beautiful," Toby said, giving her a kiss.

When he pulled back Thealla could see that Kian had just come out of the elevator. And he looked pissed. Toby followed her look and saw Kian. He shrugged and headed to the stairway. Kian's eyes followed him the whole time. When Toby disappeared through the door, Kian looked at Thealla.

"It's none of your business," she said haughtily.

"I didn't think it was," he said shortly. He strode over to his own door and gave her his back. She stepped back in and slammed her door shut.

Ugh! Men! Fuck Kian!

No, literally. She wanted to fuck Kian. The sex had been so much better than what she had with Toby. Thealla shook her head, remembering the way his father made her feel. Everything she had ever thought about the Fae were one hundred percent true when it came to Kian's father. How could Kian have grown up with the man and not taken on some of those attitudes? Kian thought he liked other nons, but how long would that be true? When would he turn into his father? When would he walk up to a woman in love and make her feel like the dirt on his shoe?

And maybe she had been so angry at his dad she didn't want to deal with Kian anymore. Perhaps that was a stupid reason to break up with someone. Though the more she thought about it, the more she realized Kian had been right about their fundamental disconnect. She didn't love him enough to claim him for the rest of her life. Sure, she thought they had dynamite chemistry, but she didn't believe they had a future together that could be more important than his relationship with his parents.

Knowing that, maybe she would stop missing him? She certainly fucking hoped so. Because missing him sucked ass.

Kian

Kian contemplated kicking something. First he'd gone back to the Fae realm and had a blowout fight with his parents. Then he'd come back to find Toby leaving Thealla's apartment. It had been less than a week since she'd dumped him, and she had already started sleeping with someone else. Clearly she didn't love Kian, because she couldn't have had sex with someone else if she did. He couldn't even contemplate having sex with another woman. He felt zero temptation.

Ortlan came up to Kian and rubbed against his ankles.

"At least you still love me, Ortlan. You appear to be the only one."

He sat on the couch and the cat jumped into his lap. Kian petted his feline friend, wondering when he might ever hear from his parents again. He'd basically told his father to fuck off. He said he wouldn't come home until his father apologized to both him and Thealla. His father said he didn't owe Kian an apology for looking out for his best interests. Kian had shouted that he would never be a Faerie Prince. Then he left their house and went to see a friend.

While he enjoyed seeing his friend, it just made him realize his friendships would suffer because he wouldn't spend much time in the Fae realm going forward. He'd returned to the Earthen realm then, and all he wanted to do was call his friend in Amsterdam – the elf he'd told Jeremy about – but the time difference meant he couldn't call in the middle of the night.

Kian headed into the hallway and knocked on Azkadek's door. He really liked Azkadek, and when a person got upset there was no one better to talk to than an angel.

Azkadek opened the door. "Good evening, Kian. Would you like to come in?"

"Please."

They sat in the living room.

"What is on your mind?" Azkadek asked.

Kian explained what had happened with Thealla, and then the fight he just had with his parents. "It's been a hell of a week. I'm mentally and emotionally exhausted."

"That is understandable. You have been through quite a lot. Do you feel that you will ever be able to repair your relationship with your parents?"

Kian frowned. "I don't know. I don't see them wanting to apologize any time soon. We could be estranged for some time. I think it was inevitable that we would get to this point, honestly. My father would eventually have to accept I didn't want to be a Faerie Prince. And he would have been overbearing about it. Perhaps I should consider it a good thing that it came to a head now."

"That may be the case. It is unfortunate that you have fought with them, but perhaps you are right that it would have happened regardless of your situation with Thealla. At least now they are aware of your desire to stay here."

"Exactly. And to be honest, my relationship with my parents was never perfect. They don't let people get close to them. I get along better with my mother, but even with her things are very formal. I got closer to my nanny and tutors than my parents. I'm not even sure why they decided to have me. They had plenty of children. They'd split the estate to its smallest components, so I wouldn't have much of an inheritance. It's not like they desperately wanted to have more children because they loved having children around. I think they liked the status of it. Being able to say they had nine children, when most people could only afford four to six."

Kian shook his head.

Azkadek looked sympathetic. "Some parents do not think of their potential children enough before having them. But I am very glad they decided to have you, because you are a good friend."

"Thanks, Azkadek. You're a good friend, too. How are things with you? Did you decide if you're going to ask any of our fellow Juniors out?"

"I think I will hold off on that. Layla is clearly interested, and I am not. I try to limit my time with her and pretend I cannot see her interest. The other women are beautiful, but I do not feel enough for any one of them to make the risk of dating someone I work around worthwhile. I am content being single while I adjust to living on the Earthen realm. Perhaps in a couple months I will be ready to start a relationship with someone."

Kian nodded. "That makes sense. I think it will take me a lot more than a couple months before I can think about another woman."

"Maybe she will realize she made a mistake," Azkadek said.

That sounded pretty fucking great, but Kian wouldn't exactly be holding his breath. He didn't see Thealla miraculously falling in love with him unless there were a lot of orgasms involved.

### Chapter 12: Reversal

Thealla

Two weeks passed, and Thealla only saw Kian in the office. He never went to the lounge in the apartment building. On work days, he didn't walk back with the others to the apartments. Instead, he went outside and walked toward the park. It seemed he needed to be around nature to mend his broken heart, and Thealla felt bad that he lived in the middle of Brooklyn rather than somewhere in the country.

Thealla also noticed that Kian had started coming in to work late sometimes. When he talked with his colleagues, he spoke only in the Fae language, not English. He didn't talk to the vampires unless he had to, and even sometimes when he excused himself, he did it in Faevish. For someone who had been eager to leave the Fae realm behind and adapt to the Earthen one, it seemed like very strange behavior.

The strangest day came on Wednesday of the third week, when Kian didn't show up all morning. Thealla worried but didn't know where he'd gone. She kept her ears open and finally heard his name being spoken by the male Fae representative – Maergen the elf.

"I have to go to the human police station to pick up Kian," Maergen said.

"What's he doing there?" Shaunessey asked. She sounded alarmed. She probably wanted to know what her new boyfriend had gotten into. Argh. Thealla had to stop with the jealousy.

"He spent the night in the park again, and this time the police found him sleeping. They took him in for trespassing. I have to give them $250 for his fine before they let him go. I certainly hope he's going to pay me back. I don't what is wrong with him right now." Maergen sounded very annoyed.

"He's going through a really hard time," Shaunessey said. "True love, broken heart, all of that. He will definitely pay you back. In fact, I know where he keeps his checkbook. Let me run over and get it so you can take that."

She walked away quickly. Maergen sighed and shook his head. When Shaunessey came back with a checkbook and a wallet, he left. How did she know where Kian kept his checkbook? That went beyond a friend thing. Maybe if Thealla convinced herself Kian had moved on with Shaunessey she would feel less guilty. Somehow she doubted he had, though.

An hour later Maergen came back with Kian. Kian looked like shit. Mess hair, wrinkled clothes, and from the distance Maergen kept from him, he clearly stank. This was not the Kian she met six weeks ago. This depressed and hopeless Kian could be blamed entirely on her.

Obviously he had taken their breakup a lot harder than she would have guessed. Thealla watched Shaunessey trying to engage Kian in conversation and realized he had zero interest in the pixie. Thealla's jealousy had no basis in reality, and it proved she still had feelings for Kian. She found it harder and harder to convince herself that she'd done the right thing.

Still, she had some hesitations. What if she decided to get back together with him, and fell harder, and then he went to work in the Fae realm after all? She might be the one who ended up like a zombie. Would a relationship be worth the risk?

Honestly, every relationship held that risk. Somehow she felt losing Kian in the potential future would be worse than any other relationship she'd ever had. She found herself struggling now, and she'd been the one who ended it – after less than a month. A few years and him dumping her would crush her.

Thealla managed to get her mind back on her own work, although she ended up less productive than usual. When it turned five she hurried back to her apartment and drank supper.

A knock on the door startled Thealla. What if Kian had come to beg her to take him back? Would she actually be able to say no? Would she want to?

Upon opening the door, Thealla found not Kian, but Shaunessey.

"Hi," Shaunessey said hesitantly.

"Hello. Can I help you with something?"

"I'd like to speak with you privately."

Thealla smiled tightly and waved the pixie inside. Shaunessey sat on the couch and leaned back. That didn't seem to hurt her wings.

"They look delicate, but they're totally flexible."

Thealla shook herself. "Sorry, I didn't mean to stare."

"No, it's fine. Most Earthers do. Look, I don't want to waste your time. We need to talk about Kian."

"What about Kian?"

"If you saw him today, you realize that he's spiraling out of control. He's not dealing with your breakup at all. It's like he doesn't care about anything anymore. When he found out his father made that ultimatum, he basically cut them out of his life, but you'd already broken up with him. So he lost you and them. And I think with his father so focused on Kian's career, he almost wants to fuck that up out of spite. It seems like he's lost everything. I'm really worried about him."

"Are you interested in him romantically?" Thealla hadn't meant to ask, but it just popped out.

Shaunessey laughed. "Definitely not. For one thing, he's not my type. I don't go for Fae men. For another thing, he's so hung up on you that would be the world's most self-destructive crush. We're just friends. We have a lot in common in terms of wanting to leave the Fae realm and having our political careers here. That's very rare, and the fact that the two of us felt the same way made us bond instantly. I mean, in Kian's case it's more that he's curious and open minded and likes to be around other nons. For me, I left because my parents are assholes, and I want to get as far away from them as possible."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Thanks. I mean, everyone thinks the Fae realm is all about family, but we have as many jerks in our realm as you do in yours. And I happened to be born to two of them. Anyway, Kian has been really sympathetic about it, which is rare. Most Fae feel like you owe your family even if they treat you badly. But Kian gets it. He doesn't think I should live my life for them. Which is why he doesn't want to live his parents' idea of life.

"Don't get me wrong. He knows how lucky he is to be born into a noble family, and he really appreciates what his parents have done for him. But he wants to live his way, and he knows that's going to separate him from his parents emotionally as well as geographically. His dad is hung up on this Faerie Prince thing because it would be good for him, and he sees Kian as the best tool to get there. It isn't about Kian. It's about using Kian, and Kian knows he deserves better than that. So when you told him he needed to be with his parents, you essentially told him he owed something to people who don't respect him."

Thealla's jaw hung. She hadn't even thought about the implications, but Shaunessey's reasoning made sense.

"I didn't mean to make him feel that way. I just thought he wouldn't want to be alienated from family."

"And for most people, that makes sense. But when your family alienates you, trust me, you don't want to be forced to be with them. Kian had already chosen you over his parents, and when you didn't agree with that choice, you really hurt him."

"I need to apologize to him."

"Is that all you're going to do, though? Just be sorry you hurt him? Or do you want him back?"

Thealla looked at her hands. "I honestly don't know. I care about him, but I don't feel as strongly as he does about me. I can't claim the time apart has made me fall desperately in love with him. Yes, I've missed him. And yes, I would like a chance to start again. But I'm not suddenly a hundred percent convinced he's the love of my life."

"I can't speak for Kian, but I know that when I felt more strongly than the other person in the relationship, I didn't want to push them into loving me more or faster. I just wanted to know they were giving me a chance, and that they wanted to try."

"What if that's not enough for Kian?"

Shaunessey's brows furrowed. "Maybe it isn't. But you'll never know unless you offer him the choice to try again."

"True. So that's your advice? Apologize to him and say I want to try again?"

"You should do what's right for you. I just wanted you to understand how Kian interpreted your actions, and to see if you actually wanted to get back together."

"With no ulterior motives?"

The pixie grinned. "I didn't say that. I definitely have ulterior motives. If you're not with Kian, you might go sniffing around the other Juniors. I saw how much you liked Hideo at the welcome party, and I don't want you getting any ideas about him."

Thealla finally smiled. "Judging by how much he stared at you that night, I think you'll be able to keep him around despite any competition."

"Really?" Shaunessey looked adorably insecure.

"Really."

"I hope so. I really like him."

"Then I'll leave him alone, no matter how things work out with Kian."

"I think Kian will be able to forgive you pretty quickly. He doesn't need you to be on the same page he is. He just needs to know you've agreed to read the book."

"That makes sense. Well, I have an apology to get to. Thanks for coming over and knocking some sense into me."

Shaunessey laughed. "Maybe some day you'll have to return the favor. Good luck with it. I think you're perfect together." She bounced up and headed to the door.

Thealla followed her into the hallway, closing her door so Tabitha couldn't get out. As she banged on Kian's door, she heard Shaunessey's door open and close.

It took a minute for Kian to answer. When he pulled the door open, he'd clearly just stepped out of the shower. His hair looked wet, and he wore the same bathrobe he'd used for the runaround. Thealla smiled from the memory of their time together.

"You're smiling," Kian said. He sounded hesitant and vulnerable.

"You make me smile. And I fucked up, because I had the opportunity to be with you and smile every day, and I let it go because I was butthurt about your dad being an asshole. I'm sorry I didn't respect your right to choose whether you wanted a relationship with me or your parents, and I'm sorry if I made you feel like you didn't deserve better. You deserve the world. And if it's in my power, I want to give it to you. I can't promise that I'll fall in love with you tomorrow, and I can't promise we'll be together for the rest of our lives. But I can promise I want to be in a relationship and see where it goes. If you're still interested, that is."

For a moment Kian just stared at her. Her stomach sank. Maybe he didn't want her back after the mess she'd made. Then he stepped forward, grabbed her chin, and pulled her into a deep kiss. She could feel his relief. Thealla kissed him with every ounce of passion she had.

When they broke apart, Kian had a tentative smile on his face. "Come in, let's talk about this."

Thealla followed him inside and joined him on the couch. He pulled her hands into his and massaged them.

"Do you trust me?" he asked.

"Yes. And now I trust that you know your mind better than your father does or I do."

"Good. I don't want to be a Faerie Prince."

"If you do ever decide you want to go back to the Fae realm and work, I would go with you. Regardless of how the Fae might treat me."

He grinned. "That's very brave of you. We can be total dicks."

"Your dad was, Kian. He made me feel like shit, and I reacted to that. I'm so sorry. I should have fought for you, for us."

"I'm sorry that he hurt you. I went home to see him, and we argued. I told him I wouldn't go back to the Fae realm until he apologized to you, and to me. They haven't come." Kian sighed.

"I wish they treated you better. It wasn't very smart of me to think you should spend more time with them."

"You were thinking about who they were to me and not how they were to me. I understand. I wouldn't want you to be separated from your family because of me."

"Well, when I told my parents about you they thought you sounded wonderful, so I don't think we need to worry on that front. I just feel so bad. You've gone through hell these past few weeks."

Kian snorted. "It built character. It's the first time I didn't get something important to me. It taught me an important lesson in not taking things for granted."

"I don't want to take you for granted. I don't want to forget that I'm lucky to be your girlfriend."

One side of his mouth rose. "So you're my girlfriend again?"

"Yes. Completely. You can spend the night at my apartment. I want to spend nights at yours. Fuck seeing anyone else. No more runarounds, no more sharing. This relationship matters to me, and I want to do it right. I want to see how far we can go."

"I feel like I've just woken up out of a nightmare. Are you sure this is real?"

"I would offer to pinch you, but I've already hurt you so much. I don't want to ever do that again."

"I certainly hope you won't, but I imagine we have plenty of hurdles to get over. What matters is that we're both committed to each other. When problems come, we'll solve them together. We're moving forward, side by side, ready to take on the world."

"I want to see if this can be our lifelong and afterlife love. That's the goal for me now. The more time we get, the more I'll be able to buy into that picture."

Kian nodded. "We're very much at the beginning. Of our lives, of our careers, of our love."

"Exactly. So you forgive me?"

"I do. I know you thought you were doing what was best for me. And I know my father hurt you. I generally don't make my best decisions after talking to him, either."

She smiled. "I'll use that excuse. I feel like I should reimburse you for your bail. You only went to jail because of me."

"You didn't force me to sleep on a park bench all night. That bad idea was all me."

"We could go halfsies?"

"I don't care about the money, Thealla. I honestly have no idea what I should be spending money on in this world, so having it is meaningless."

"That makes sense. How about if I just take you to a really nice restaurant?"

"As long as they'll have food for you, that would be lovely. Well, there's only one thing we have left to do."

"What's that?"

"See if our cats like each other."

Thealla laughed. "I'm not even sure Tabitha likes me some days. But yes, it would be best if they can become friends. Then we can have sleepovers with both the kitties. It might be better if you brought Ortlan over to ours. Tabitha's still not entirely forgiven me for moving."

Kian found Ortlan sunning in the window and scooped him up. Ortlan looked unimpressed but didn't struggle. Thealla held the door open for the boys, then went to her door and herded them into her apartment. She didn't see Tabitha in the living room. Leading Kian into the bedroom, she found her cat on the bed.

The two cats noticed each other, and took stock. They didn't hiss, but they seemed suspicious. Kian set Ortlan down on the bed. The cats circled each other. Tabitha showed her teeth, but still no hisses. It took several minutes, but finally they came closer and sniffed each other. Then Ortlan licked Tabitha, and she let him.

"Looks like we're alright," Kian said.

"Why don't you show Ortlan where the litter box is? It's in the bathroom."

Kian did so. Tabitha jumped off the bed to watch the new cat.

"Good. We have the bed to ourselves now." He winked.

"And you're practically naked."

"Which means you need to get naked, sweet one."

Thealla obliged him by stripping. He watched her with a predatory smile on his face. That made her grin. "Enjoying this, are we?"

"I always enjoy myself when you're around, but you naked is the highlight of my day."

"Look your fill." She turned slowly.

When she faced him again, he'd shrugged out of the bathrobe and gotten hard. She tugged him onto the bed. Before she'd even settled down with her head on the pillow, he hovered above her with one hand playing with her clit. Wrapping her legs around Kian's hips, she pulled his face closer and kissed him hungrily. She wanted to let him know how much she'd missed him.

Judging by how much he put into the kiss, he'd missed her, too.

By the time they needed to come up for air, Thealla had gotten fully ready. She pulled Kian's cock into her and he responded with his favorite rolling motion. Or maybe it was her favorite rolling motion? Hard to tell, really. Basically he didn't do anything in bed that she didn't like.

Lips and hips kept Thealla in a pleasure zone for several minutes. Kian seemed determined to take his time with her, and she had no plans to convince him otherwise. As her back arched, she used her hands to feel every inch of his skin. He rolled inside of her, around her, through her. She did some vaginal squeezing to keep things fresh and interesting.

The motion of his hips felt like being on a boat. Thealla closed her eyes and imagined them sailing into the distance. They definitely needed to do at some point. Unfortunately, closing her eyes meant missing out on seeing his beautiful face and body. Opening them up, she looked her fill.

His raven hair fell around her like a curtain, while his incomparable green eyes stared into hers. She eyed his killer cheekbones and pointed chin before glancing down at his muscular shoulders and chest. His arms flexed as he moved above her, and she could see his abs and hip cuts near where they joined.

"Gods, you're so damn hot," she said.

"Then fuck me like you mean it."

"Yes, sir."

She moved her hips with him, squeezing internally more, using her hands to grab his ass. Kian put more speed and power into his movements. Getting caught up in the moment, Thealla bit into his neck and sucked his blood, managing to do the healing spell right before her back arched, pulling her away from him. As she licked her lips, her faerie got a strange look in his eyes and kissed her, conquering her mouth as he thrust harder and deeper with his hips. When he pulled away she could barely breathe.

All she could think to say was, "I need you."

"You have me. Forever, if you want."

"I do want that. I want you to be the one."

He smiled radiantly. "I love you so much it hurts."

She could feel her lips tugging upwards right as he touched her clit and tipped her into pure ecstasy. Falling through air, she reveled in their connection and rode the orgasm while he continued working his body inside of hers. He clearly didn't feel like coming yet, so she prepared herself for another orgasm or two before during another sex marathon. Her peak hadn't dropped back to zero, so she would be ready to come again without much effort.

In fact, it only took Kian adjusting his stroke to use so much power he could only be described as banging her. The bed and headboard shook, and so did she. Coming down, she didn't care if she would be sore later, because just then she felt incredible.

The sounds of slapping flesh accentuated their moans. They stayed like that in a heated frenzy for minute after minute, suspended in time, then everything happened so fast Thealla could barely breathe. She came a third time, shaking and shuddering, and finally felt his expulsion of cum inside of her.

They took a minute to catch their breath, and Kian slipped his cock out. Laying next to her, he placed a gentle hand on her stomach. She touched his jaw and realized for the first time he had no stubble.

"Faeries don't grow beards?"

"No. Some of the other Fae do. But most do not. I'm not sure why that is. We don't have hair on our chests, either."

"I noticed. I actually really like the smooth chested look because I get the pure muscle view. You look like a male model or an actor, but ten times more gorgeous."

He laughed. "Thank you?"

"It's a compliment."

"I'm sure it is, sweet one. I'm not used to being compared to famous people."

"Fair-ie enough." She grinned expectantly at her pun.

Kian shook his head. "No. Just no."

Thealla laughed. "Don't worry, I don't usually make terrible puns. I just felt like you stepped into that one."

"You may amuse yourself however you want, but I may choose not to laugh."

"Makes sense. And honestly, I don't expect you to laugh at all of my terrible jokes. Just some of them."

Kian grinned. "I tend to find you amusing most of the time. For some reason I really detest puns, though."

"Interesting. Then I will remember not to make them in front of you. Though, after ingesting your blood, I get so loopy I might say anything for a laugh. I'm so high it's not even funny."

"Likewise. There are various drugs in the Fae realm, but none are equal to this feeling. Are any drugs on this realm that match it?"

"No. Nothing beats this. Also, no come down or hangover afterward. You know, it's kind of ironic. I came into the Junior Congress thinking I wouldn't like the Fae representatives, and then I found out you're fricking incredible and Shaunessey is awesome. I bitch about prejudice against different species, but then I'm guilty of it myself."

"At least you recognize it and want to work on it. Some people do neither. Plus, most Fae do act like thrombosed hemorrhoids. I hope throughout my career I can encourage the Fae to respect this realm more. I want to make it more appealing to visit and to be sure that any Fae unhappy in the Fae realm knows they can come here to make a life."

She laughed. "Thrombosed hemorrhoids? You say the nicest things. I do think it would be good to encourage unhappy Fae to come here, and that's something best done at World Congress. Let's cross our fingers they have two job openings in August."

"We have plenty of time until then to impress the Congresspeople here. Let's not stress about finding jobs until we're looking for them."

"Good thinking. I need to work on focusing on the immediate future rather than what might happen way down the line."

"I intend to make your immediate future so good you can only think about it. However, right now I'm exhausted and didn't sleep well last night. Do you mind if I stay here? You can do whatever you need to. You won't disturb my sleep."

"Yeah, stay. I actually just got a hook for a song in my head, so I'll grab my laptop and headphones and work next to you."

When she returned to the bed and sat Kian stretched an arm over her leg.

"Goodnight, vampire goddess."

"Goodnight, Faerie Prince."

Kian snickered. Within minutes he slept. Thealla looked down and smiled. She'd known Junior Congress would change her career, but she never expected it to change her life.

Kian

Kian woke up with the sun. He faced his beloved with two cats cuddled up between them. Smiling, he decided he could get used to waking up this way. Unfortunately, him climbing out of bed disrupted both cats, but he needed to use the bathroom. When returned Thealla still slept, so he looked around her apartment until he found paper and pen. He wrote 'starving so headed home, love you, see you in the office' and left the note on Thealla's bedside table.

Scooping up Ortlan, he went to his apartment to eat breakfast. While eating he turned on his computer and emailed his elf friend, Harrold. Harrold had been pretty worried about him, even offering to fly to New York. Writing a response, Kian explained he didn't need emotional support anymore. He'd gotten back together with Thealla so Harrold could stay in the Netherlands.

After getting ready for work, he knocked on Thealla's door. He had to wait a minute before she opened up.

"Hey! Sorry, I was putting my clothes on. Are you ready to walk over? I just need to put on my shoes."

Kian slipped inside and shut the door. "Did you get my note?"

"I did. Alright, brushed my teeth, brushed my hair, put on deodorant. Now I have my purse and keys and, shit, I need my juice bottle. You don't have to move, you're not in the way. Okay, juice, check. Let's go."

He grinned. "Is this your morning routine that I should get used to?"

"Yes. I'm always afraid I'm forgetting something." She locked the door behind them and went to the stairway. "I definitely need coffee when we get into the office. I stayed up late writing that song. I didn't get it finished, but I made good progress. I'm calling it 'Kian's Theme.'"

He smiled and reached out to squeeze her hand. "I'm sure I'll love it."

"You better."

"Do you want to go out for lunch?"

"Sure. And dinner. And lunch tomorrow, and dinner after that... but don't worry, I'll let you go out with other people sometimes, too." Thealla winked.

"I suppose we must be apart some time."

They chatted until they got to the office. Kian went to the Fae area and greeted his co-workers.

"You look happy today," Maergen said.

"I am. I apologize for being so out of it before. I had a personal crisis, but it's been resolved. I'm ready to get back to work and make up for lost time."

"Good. Welcome back."

Kian worked hard all morning, then went with Thealla to a deli for lunch. They giggled a lot and held hands. He felt a bit punchy when he got back to the office. The afternoon went by quickly, and after work the Juniors gathered in the lounge and talked about going out for dinner. Everyone seemed glad Thealla and Kian had made up. Most of the group headed to dinner at the French place. That felt right.

He enjoyed being sociable again. After two and a half weeks in a spiral of darkness, he needed to interact with people. When they got back from dinner he stayed in the lounge until Thealla wanted to go upstairs. He followed her out and waited until they were in the elevator to ask if they had time for a quick screw before bedtime. Thealla smirked and followed him into his apartment. They practically attacked each other when the door closed. Kian had her up against the door immediately, and eschewed endurance for efficiency. Being with her felt amazing, and he came so hard he thought he might pop a blood vessel.

Thealla looked tired, so she wished Kian a good night and gave him another kiss before leaving. He put on pajama pants and crawled into bed to pet Ortlan.

It amazed him to think that two days before he'd been apathetic and depressed. Now he felt energized and full of ambition. The difference between a broken heart and a full one, he supposed. He needed to be stronger in the future. Things with Thealla might not work out. If they didn't, he refused to give up on life again. He'd learned what it felt like to hit bottom, and he never wanted to do that again.

He didn't think it would come to that, though. The future looked bright for Kian and Thealla. They just had to get there one day at a time.

### Interlude 6: Philippa and Rashid

Philippa

Philippa picked up the one dress she hadn't worn on a date with Rashid yet. It had been four weeks since their first date, and they'd gone out Friday and Saturday nights. She could wear pants, of course, but somehow having an excuse to wear a dress meant she wanted to wear a dress. She might even buy a few more. After all, things with Rashid seemed to be going well.

Really well. They had fun conversations, they had serious conversations, they had physical "conversations." She'd been getting more comfortable with things sexually. His patience and understanding made it easier for her to let go and just feel. So far she hadn't stressed about the sex because they did what she wanted when she wanted. Like she told Georgie, Rashid had been the perfect boyfriend.

When she dressed and saw Rashid he greeted her with a smile and a compliment on how nice she looked.

"Thanks," she said. "The flowers you got me Tuesday are still blooming. That was really sweet of you."

He smiled. "What's the point of having a girlfriend if you can't bring her flowers? I owed you one for being so patient that band practice ran over on Sunday."

"Like I told you, no big deal. We can go to the zoo any time. I'm happy that band practice is going well."

"It really is. Everyone likes the songs I had, and they each had a few songs they'd written. So we're learning each other's songs and developing them into ensemble pieces. It's fantastic. With my band in high school it took so long to write songs and get ready to gig. But with this band it's only going to be a few months until we're ready. Did you do any blogging today?"

"No, I'm still used to Saturday being my day. I worked on the book about magic. I want it to be ready when the reveal happens. People are talking about revealing again, and even though they're willing to wait for the Congresses to decide, I really feel like it's inevitable."

Rashid sighed. "It probably is. As long as you're still okay with me not revealing."

"Definitely. It has to be your decision."

"You know I really appreciate that, right, P?"

She smiled. "I do. But it's not a big deal. I would never pressure you into something you don't want to do."

"You're the best. Are you excited about the opera next week?" "Very much so. And I'm so happy we could get group tickets with the other Juniors. It's neat Maria and Deepak can follow us and be our invisible friends. I like knowing they get to experience that, too."

"One never outgrows invisible friends. Hey, have you gotten the information packets from all the universities yet? I'm still missing three."

Philippa frowned. "I've got all seven of mine. I guess the people who run my program have their shit together more than the people who run yours. Maybe that should be an indicator."

Rashid chuckled. "Maybe. But hey, we'll be visiting the schools soon anyway. Yay dating a witch who can take you on your college tour magically."

"Stick with me, kid."

"I plan to."

With another smile she thought of how nice it was to finally have the guy she'd been crushing on for years. Rashid had everything she'd ever wanted in a guy. The fact that she knew him and trusted him made things even better. And knowing they would be living together next year, no matter what? That felt awesome. She knew grad school would be hard and stressful, but she would have her partner to keep her sane.

They had a great time at dinner. The restaurant served Filipino food, which turned out to be almost as good as her grandma's. She'd learned to make some things, but she didn't consider herself a great cook. She'd discovered the past few weeks that Rashid was a great cook, and he liked cooking for his girlfriend. They usually went out with friends once or twice a week, but he made dinner at least three days. He'd wanted to try some of her family recipes, but he thought it would be best to eat some Filipino food first so he knew what to replicate.

"Do you think you can handle cooking this stuff now?" Philippa asked him.

Rashid grinned sheepishly. "I hope so, but I'll probably fuck up a few times. You'll have to be patient with me, brilliant."

Rashid had started calling her 'brilliant' as a pet name because he loved her brains. He said he also loved her looks, but if he had to pick one thing to call her, it should be based on her intelligence. She called him 'brains' for the same reason.

"I'm sure you'll make my stomach very happy, brains, even if it's not perfect. You're perfect, so the food doesn't have to be."

He grinned. "You do amazing things to my ego. By the end of our year as Juniors, I'm going to be too self-inflated to be able to deal with school!"

"I have a feeling they'll knock you down to size pretty quickly."

"Sadly, you're right. Shall we head over to the theater? We've got some time before the play starts, but better early than late."

As soon as they got to the sidewalk Rashid took her hand. She had a boyfriend that she could hold hands and talk about dismantling totalitarian regimes with. Yup. Totally perfect.

Rashid

Rashid enjoyed the play. He also enjoyed glancing to his right and seeing a rather large expanse of Philippa's thighs. This dress could best be described as short, and he dug it. They chatted about the play until they sat down in the subway train. Then he leaned over and grabbed her chin for a steamy kiss. She responded immediately, opening her lips and brushing her tongue against his. Lately she'd become more aggressive sexually, and he loved it. After talking about her relative lack of experience, he made sure she knew she would be the one calling the shots. He'd been gentle so far, but her growing comfort meant he could push things farther. Tonight, for example, he wanted to make out like they hadn't had sex in six days. Because they hadn't.

They got some serious kissing done by the time they got to Brooklyn. On the walk from the subway they didn't say much. His mind stayed focused on things that couldn't happen until they got to a private room. As soon as they crossed the threshold to her apartment, he stuck his tongue back down her throat. She reacted by putting her arms around his neck. Grabbing her ass, he pulled her into him. She moaned into his mouth as his hard cock met her crotch.

Rashid managed to walk them into the bedroom and strip off with minimal kiss interruptions. Then he nudged her onto the bed and climbed on top. The kiss fueled his passion – she was on fire today – so he decided he didn't have time to eat her pussy out. Instead one hand played with her clit and his other pinched her nipple. It didn't take long before her legs opened wide, then he steered himself in and thrust hard.

Philippa's legs wrapped around his hips, and she'd never done done that. It set off something fiery inside. He started thrusting harder and harder. Judging by her moans, she dug it. She let her hands roam all over his body. Apparently they'd passed the point of making love and reached a place where they could fuck like animals.

Gods, he really loved fucking like animals. Well, not literally like animals. He would never have sex in his hyena form. He'd heard of weres who did, but that kink held no appeal for him.

Judging by the noises Philippa made, she really loved fucking like animals, too. She came apart, and her movements milked his own release. He felt exhausted but exhilarated. Pulling out, he licked her nipple.

"Is that what people mean when they talk about hard sex?" Philippa asked breathlessly.

"Yeah. And you seem to like it."

"I fricking love it."

"Good. Because there are times I just need to be in your pussy, and I need to make it fast and hard."

"How do I know it's one of those times?"

Rashid dragged his index finger from her throat to her breasts. "If you wear something that shows off as much of your legs as you did today, it's going to be one of those times. If you kiss me back like you did today, it's going to be one of those times. If you wrap your legs around my ass and hold tight, it's definitely going to be one of those times."

"Duly noted. I'll remember to keep doing that."

"This can be so good, P, what we have between us. It can be sweet and tender sometimes, then other times we'll come like a freight train. Every mood means a different way of having sex, and I want to experience all of them with you."

"I think I'm going to come all over again just from what you're saying." She grabbed his chin and kissed him forcefully.

They played dueling tongues for a couple minutes before he needed to break away and take a deep breath.

He smiled lazily. "I spent so long thinking of you as an amazing friend, I thought it would be hard to think of you as a lover. But it isn't hard at all. It's the most natural thing in the world. So next time I'm afraid of doing something because it's risky, remind me how good taking a risk can be."

"As long as the reminder consists of your dick in my vagina, I would be happy to."

Yeah, he definitely picked the right girl. Best part? He could have her for the rest of his life. That sounded like the smart thing to do, and no one had ever called Rashid stupid.
Chapter 13: Togetherness

Thealla

Thealla and Kian had been together again for nearly two weeks. She counted all thirteen days as blessings. Breaking up with Kian had been the stupidest thing she'd ever done, and she kind of felt like she needed to spend the rest of her life apologizing for it. Fortunately for her, Kian wasn't the kind of guy who wanted that. He'd turned it into a bit of a joke. 'Remember that time you broke up with me? I bet your pussy missed me.' She appreciated him making it seem like not a big deal.

Every day, they managed to spend time together. They both still did things in their own apartments, so she didn't feel smothered. However, it had become inevitable that they would choose one apartment to live full-time in. Kian hadn't brought it up, and Thealla hadn't either, but switching out every night seemed silly. The idea of moving in together didn't terrify her. It made sense. And they would always have the other apartment to go into when they needed alone time.

As she changed out of her work clothes and into a t-shirt and jeans she heard a knock on her door.

"Come in," she called as she went into the living room.

Kian popped his head in the door. "You all set?"

"Yeah, let me find my shoes."

"Why? We're just going down to the lounge." He lifted his leg so Thealla could see he was barefoot.

She grinned. "That works, too."

When they got down to the lounge, most of the Juniors had arrived. The pizza sat out on the big table, and the delivery guy from the smoothie place unloaded orders. Thealla found the two she'd gotten and brought them to the loveseat Kian had claimed. He grabbed his pizza. A minute later the delivery guy left, and the devils, shades and angels came in.

"Alright, everyone. Welcome to the first of many Togetherness Tuesdays," Georgie said. "I think it will be good to have one day a week for all of us to hang out in here. We'll be able to get to know each other better, and not in a sexual way. We've had enough of that. This is good old conversational bonding."

"But are they covalent bonds?" Philippa posited.

Georgie glowered. "You are such a nerd. I just want us to have normal conversations."

"I feel like normal and us is probably never going to happen," Thealla said.

Carlos nodded. "Legit true."

Galaxia snickered. "I'm pretty normal. For a goddess. But since Mot is the only one who's a god, the rest of you would never know."

"I do find you perfectly average, Lax," he said.

"Never trust one of Hathor's get."

"Better than being Artemis' late in life daughter. I mean, wasn't your mom a virgin that whole time the Greeks were around?"

"I always thought Artemis was a lesbian," Rashid said.

Toby smirked. "I always thought I was a lesbian, but that didn't explain the ginormous cock."

Everyone leveled a skeptical look at Toby.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"The first rule of lesbianism," said Zara, "is that cumbuckets need not apply."

"Have you ever tasted cum, though?" Nina asked. "It's pretty yummy."

"It's like a protein drink," Toby said.

Zara laughed. "I think I'll stick with actual protein drinks, thanks. So are there any succubi or incubi who aren't bisexual?"

Nina and Toby shook their heads.

"We have like a biological imperative to screw any adult person," Toby said.

Nina nodded. "Without sex we get a little aimless. Like our purpose isn't being fulfilled."

"I'm glad I'm a were and worth more than my sex organs," Georgie said.

"But we have a biological imperative to shift into our animal forms," said Rashid.

Georgie tilted her head in acknowledgment. "So what does everyone else's instincts tell them to do?"

"Suck blood," said Thealla. "We really do crave it."

"Mine is to be around trees," Vayana said.

Hideo nodded. "And mine is to reap."

"I don't have any," Maria said.

"Nor do I," said Beauregard.

Galaxia seemed to be thinking about it. "I guess I have this compulsive need to administrate. Which makes sense since that's our job in the Afterworlds."

"That, and I feel like I need to help shades in particular," said Mot.

Azkadek smiled. "I think my instincts are more oriented toward guiding people. Trying to make them calm and happy."

"I suppose I have a need to do magic," Philippa said. "I've never really thought about it before, but it's definitely more than a desire to use it. It's a real necessity."

"What about the Fae?" Thealla asked.

Kian looked at Shaunessey, who shrugged. "I think we have many instincts. We want to be closer to nature, we want to see and do artistic things, we want to learn the history of our people."

"We like being in groups," Shaunessey said. "Having festivals all the time is based on our needs as much as our idea of fun. I suppose that's why family is so important to many Fae."

A shadow crossed Kian's face and Thealla empathized. She didn't know whether he thought of his situation or Shaunessey, but they both deserved better families.

"I mean, no offense to you all, but sex is definitely the best compulsion to have," Nina said.

Georgie rolled her eyes. "Better you than me."

Toby grinned. "Come on, Georgie. You love sex as much as the next person. I've seen that for myself a few times."

Georgie seemed a little bothered by Toby saying that. She glanced surreptitiously at Azkadek and Thealla realized Georgie didn't want to give the angel the wrong idea about Toby and her. Thealla really hoped that Azkadek gave Georgie a chance. Georgie seemed totally taken with him. Perhaps she didn't want to respond to Toby, because she straightened and changed the subject.

"While we're all here, I wanted to see who wants to do a weekend away. There's a bed and breakfast upstate run by a werewolf couple, and it's supposed to be really nice. Cozy rooms, lots of land for hunting at night, and I hear the town nearby is really cute and quaint. There's an apple orchard down the road with a cider mill that sells a lot of locally grown and made food. The town has locally owned shops and antique stores.

"The B&B has fifteen rooms available in two and a half weeks, which will be right in the heart of the fall color change. Some of us would have to bunk up together, but that shouldn't be a big deal. There are eight rooms with a king bed and seven rooms with two doubles. Who's in?"

Thealla looked at Kian and felt pleased to see him nod. She grinned. "We're in. We'll take a king."

"Anyone want to be my roommate?" Zara asked.

"Why don't you invite Queenie from your office?" Georgie asked. "We should have enough car space for one more person."

Zara brightened. "That would be nice. I'll ask her. That's a second king claimed then."

"I'd like to go. Hunting at night sounds really good," Rashid said. "You want to get a room together, P?"

Philippa made an apologetic face. "I wake up pretty easily, so if you come home late, it will mess up my sleep schedule. Can we do separate rooms this time?"

"Yeah, totally. Carlos, be my roommate," said Rashid.

"What, homes? I can get a girl and have a wild weekend. Hey Nina, want to bunk up?"

Nina snorted. "Sure."

"Why don't I stay with you, Rashid?" Jeremy asked. "I'll be going out hunting."

"Good point. Yeah, let's do it. That's the first doubles room taken."

"I think I will pass. There isn't really much I could do there, so it would be a waste of a room," Deepak said.

"Yes, and we couldn't do public travel on the train," Maria said.

"We're driving up, though," Georgie said. "And you can hang out in the hotel den if there aren't any humans there."

"Well, if you wouldn't mind driving me around, it would be fun to go," said Maria.

Deepak nodded.

"Awesome," Georgie said. "Anyone not want to go?"

No one said anything.

"Vayana, would you be willing to share a room with me?" Layla asked the tree spirit.

"That would be nice," Vayana said. They both smiled.

"I guess I'll get a room to myself, but I don't care if it's the king or the doubles," Philippa said.

Maria nodded. "The same is true for me."

"Why don't we get a room with two doubles since we'll both be up all night, anyway?" Deepak asked.

"That's a good idea! And one of you living people can book the room, and we can pay you back," she said.

"I can book it," Toby said. "But then I need a pretty girl with a king bed I can crawl into."

Galaxia grinned. "You're welcome to crawl into mine. I could use a sexcation."

"Be careful what you ask for," Georgie said to her.

"Oh, I know what I'm getting into," the goddess said. "Question, since you weres are hunting, could I take my bow and arrow and hunt for deer?"

"That would be nice for me," Rashid said. "You kill it, I eat it. And the vamps would love that much blood."

"So I guess I'll just eat rabbits on my own," Georgie grumbled.

"I'll go with you," Thealla said. "I couldn't drink half a deer, but a couple rabbits and a squirrel would be about right."

"As long as you get back early enough to snuggle with your boyfriend?" Georgie asked with a note of jealousy in of her voice.

Thealla's smile wavered. "This is about old times, Georgie. The hunt is the hunt. Kian's a big boy, he's fine on his own. Besides, he'll be wandering around the forest, too. He'll just be petting animals rather than killing them."

"Exactly," Kian said. "It sounds like there is enough land for all of us to enjoy."

"So are you taking a room for yourself, Georgie, or do you want a roommate?" asked Shaunessey.

Georgie looked torn. Thealla knew that Georgie wanted a roommate of the male persuasion. Preferably the angel male persuasion.

"You could room with me, Shaunessey," Hideo said. "I'm sure we'd have lots of fun."

Shaunessey grinned. "Very much so! Let's do that."

"That's five kings taken," Georgie said. "Azkadek, do you want your own room or a bunk buddy?"

He looked oblivious to her implication. "I'll take my own room since one is available."

"So will I," Mot said.

"That just leaves you and me, Georgie. Together or separate?" Beauregard asked.

Georgie smiled, though it seemed a bit forced. "We may as well save a room for someone else. That leaves two king bedrooms left. So Philippa, Azkadek, and Mot, one of you will need to take a room with doubles."

"I can," said Philippa. "I'm small and I don't have wings."

"Are you saying I'm big?" Mot asked, arching an eyebrow.

Philippa laughed. "Is that an insult?"

Mot grinned. "Not where it counts, anyway."

"I wouldn't know. I have a boyfriend," she said.

"Yeah, yeah, rub it in," Georgie said. "Let's talk cars. Who's going and how many passengers can you take?"

After they'd finished discussing the practicalities, Thealla tried unsuccessfully to keep from bouncing in her seat. "Yay, this will be fun. We get to stretch our legs and explore a bit."

"I'll have to bring my camera to take pictures of all the trees," Philippa said. "Is it off the Hudson?"

"The town is. The B&B is farther out," said Georgie.

"So we can go apple picking in the orchard?" Vayana asked.

"Yeah, but the shades couldn't go to that one," Georgie said. "There's apparently a lot of apple trees on the B&B's land they let their guests pick from, and we could all enjoy it that way."

"That's even better," said Vayana.

Shaunessey did the bouncing Thealla had avoided. "This sounds like it will be a lot of fun! I'm so excited now. Our first actual Earthen vacation."

"It will be nice to get out of the city and into a rural setting," Kian said.

Thealla smiled. They definitely needed to buy a house with a backyard once they got settled in their next location. Somehow, thinking about going to their next job together and getting a home together no longer felt stifling. She had committed to their future wholly and completely.

"So when are we having our next runaround?" Nina asked.

Several groans were the only response.

"What, didn't you have fun?" she asked.

"I mean, I had fun, and I don't regret it, but I'm not going to do another one," Thealla said.

Nina tossed her head. "Well, you're in a couple now. Philippa and Rashid are out, too. But the rest of us? Come on, let's do this."

"I would not feel comfortable doing one again," Layla said.

Shaunessey nodded. "Yeah, that's the kind of thing you do once, and you brag about it for the rest of your life, but you don't have any urge to do it again."

Hideo laughed. "Mostly because the second time would never be as good as the first."

"Exactly," Georgie said. "Law of diminishing returns. We've all experienced each other, and those of us up for casual sex can get together with each other. That's all we need at this point. Sorry, Nina."

Nina sighed dramatically. "You all are a bunch of prudes."

"We're not prudes," Georgie responded hotly. "We just don't need to make sex into some big production."

"Why not?" Nina asked. "Sex is the one thing that unites everybody. Human, non-human, different non species. It doesn't matter, because when it comes down to it we all just want a good, hard fuck. And the great thing about sex is even if you can't find someone else to do it with, it's fun by yourself. It's hard to find love, but to have sex? That's something that anyone can do, anytime." She looked around like she wanted to challenge them to deny her words.

Toby raised his smoothie cup. "To sex! It isn't the most important thing in the world, but it is a hell of a lot of fun."

"Besides, what else are we going to talk about?" Nina asked. "Work? The reveal movement? We've talked enough about that, thank you very much."

"We can talk about how we're settling into the city," Thealla said. "Things we've seen and things we still want to see."

That launched a good discussion. Thealla talked about the Met, which she and Kian had gone to the weekend before. Philippa and Rashid raved about the Museum of Natural History. Kian mentioned some nicer parts of Prospect Park to hang out in. Toby knew some good spots in Central Park which he shared. They all made plans to go places they hadn't been yet.

At ten the gathering officially ended. Some people stayed a little longer, but Thealla tugged Kian's arm to encourage him to go upstairs. They headed to her apartment and curled up together on the couch.

Kian rubbed her palm with his thumb. "One thing we might want to think about over the next month is consolidating our clothes and toiletries into one apartment so that we can spend the night and get ready every morning together."

Thealla nodded. "I agree. We should move in together for the most part, and use the second apartment if we need some alone time or are working on our art. The question is, yours or mine?"

"I'm not picky.".

"Well, you have a bigger bed and your art everywhere, so I say yours. Tabitha and I will move in this weekend."

"Can we switch our couches out? I really like this couch. The first time we ever had sex was on this couch."

"Also, it's more comfortable than your couch."

He smiled wryly. "Very true. Sometimes the Fae are more into looks than comfort."

"I tend to be of the soft first, pretty later mentality. Can I bring my recliner, too?"

"Of course. That way they'll match."

"True. I'm going to leave my desk here for now with my desktop computer. I can use the laptop at yours, but if I'm at my desktop I want to be able to concentrate, which means being alone."

"Understandable. I'll help you with moving Saturday. We should ask one of the other guys to help with the couch."

"Definitely. We'll buy pizza as a thank you to them." She shook her head. "You know, a month ago I would be freaking out if we'd discussed moving in together, and now it seems like the most natural thing in the world."

"It's what's best for us, and now you accept that's what's best for you."

"True. Ever since we got back together, everything seems so easy. All the fear I had is gone."

"So I guess we both got something good out of that time you broke up with me because my dad is an asshole."

Thealla laughed. "I'm never going to live that one down."

He grinned. "Never, sweet one. I'm craving the bite. Can we do that?"

Thealla leaned over and sank her fangs into his neck. She licked up as much ambrosia as she could, then healed him. She let the high wash through her mind. Some people talked about their boyfriend being a drug, and in her case that ended up being literal.

"Now I just want to kiss you," she said.

"Never a problem, vampire goddess."

They moved together and let their lips and tongues tease each other. Her mind lost focus. Life with Kian consisted of a series of moments of pleasure. She'd never had a boyfriend who felt so right before. Falling for him had proved to be the best experience of her life.

Thealla leaned back on the sofa, bringing Kian on top of her. They wriggled out of their clothes and kissed all over each other's bodies. He massaged her clit and she pumped his cock. A few seconds later he got inside of her. The rolling motion Kian used so much felt perfect on the couch. Thealla kissed along his neck and ears. He caught her mouth with his and gave her another mind-blowing kiss. They stayed like that until Thealla felt her world buckle, and she had to pull her lips away and cry out. Kian came right after her.

"That felt good, my prince," she said.

"Mmm. I like that it's now 'my prince' instead of 'faerie prince.'"

"Well, you're not going to be a Faerie Prince, and you are definitely mine now. I'm not letting you get away, because you're the perfect guy."

"You flatter me entirely too much."

"That's because I... wow. I was going to say 'because I love you,' and then I stopped myself, but I shouldn't have. I do love you. That happened. I feel like I fell really fast. But I definitely fell. I love you, I love you, I have fallen in love with you, and I want to love you for the rest of my life."

His eyes turned into affectionate mush. "I couldn't be happier. Let's just stay like this, happy and in love, for eternity."

"I like that plan. I have a brilliant future ahead of me. Go ahead and congratulate me. I got the boy and the career."

"Congratulations, sweet one."

"And congratulations to you, too. You got the girl and the career."

"I don't feel like I had to work that hard for either of them," he said with a laugh.

"Then I guess you're just a lucky bastard. I hope that luck rubs off on me next July when we're job hunting."

Kian kissed her quickly. "It will. Because you're already pretty lucky yourself."

"True. To have gotten you? Yeah, I'm super fucking lucky. I would go as far as saying I'm downright spoiled."

"You deserve me. Anyway, we can do nice things for the rest of our lives, and that will make up for our privilege."

"I want to make the world better because it's the right thing to do, not because I want to give back in order to offset some cosmic balancing act."

He considered that. "I agree that it's the right thing to do, and thus, I want to do it. But I also feel that I'm very blessed, and that gives me a certain amount of duty to do my best for others."

"That makes sense. That I can agree with. You're so smart. That must be why I love you."

"Must be. I love you, too, Thealla."

"You should call me Thee sometimes."

"Alright. I feel like I've entered the inner circle."

"You are in the innermost circle. But, you know, if you really loved me, you'd carry me to bed." She winked.

Kian chuckled, scooped her up, and walked into the bedroom to deposit her on the bed. She snuggled into the pillow. He got in beside her and reached to pull her into a spooning position.

"Night, my prince."

"Goodnight, sweet one."

Kian

Kian got Azkadek to help him move the couch. It only took a few minutes, but Kian and Thealla said they would buy him dinner. Azkadek felt that he hadn't done enough for that, so he helped with the recliner, too. They all made a few trips with Thealla's clothes, toiletries, and kitchen supplies. When they finished, Thealla invited Georgie over. The four of them ordered in Italian and chatted.

Kian watched Georgie flirting with Azkadek and hoped for her sake the angel would stop being clueless, and take advantage of her attention. They would make a great couple. He softened her boisterousness, and she made him more alive and bold.

Plus, it would be nice to double date. He didn't really feel like he could take Thealla to expensive restaurants, because she could only ever eat the soup. Going with two more people would make her light appetite acceptable. Though right now they could go with Philippa and Rashid. He didn't know them as well, but he wanted to get to know both better. Reminding himself to suggest that, he contemplated going out as a sixsome.

Should Kian clue Azkadek in on Georgie's crush? The redheaded werewolf seemed pretty feisty, so maybe when she got sick of playing subtle, she'd push things. Then Azkadek would be a goner.

After Azkadek and Georgie headed out, Kian and Thealla curled up and watched The Protector. Kian found the fight scenes very impressive.

"Have you looked into a judo dojo here to practice at?" he asked.

"I found one, I just haven't started yet. The big class at my level is Friday night, which kind of sucks because a lot of other things happen on Fridays. The other option is doing a one on one with an instructor. The lady I want to work with has an opening Saturday mornings. Hey, the beginner's class meets in the other room then, if you're interested in taking lessons."

"Really? That would be fun. We have a few variations of fighting styles in the Fae realm, but for someone of my birth order the only acceptable option is swordplay."

"Wait, you know how to use a fucking sword?"

Kian grinned. "I know how to use a lot of fucking swords. All shapes and sizes. I didn't bring my swords here, because I didn't think I'd get much chance to practice with them. Taking martial arts sounds fun. Let's go over there together on Saturday mornings."

"Awesome. I'll call tomorrow evening and get us all signed up. Do you know how to throw knives? I always wanted to learn how to do that."

"You are a very violent person, sweet one."

She laughed. "Probably true. Keep that in mind if you're ever tempted to cheat on me."

"That won't happen. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. No one else can compare."

"Wow. Really?"

"Yes. You sound surprised."

"I guess I've never thought I was that pretty."

"You are to me. Why do you think I was so broken up when you dumped me?" He laughed.

Thealla laughed, too. "I mean my personality isn't something one would miss."

"Right. The sex, your face, those I missed. Your conversation? Not so much." He winked.

"I'm seriously considering dumping you again."

Kian laughed. "I deserve it. Honestly, I love everything about you, Thee. You are truly the perfect woman for me, and I am one hundred percent satisfied with my life right now."

"I am, too. Especially with my sex life. Speaking of our sex life, there's no one else around anymore." She wiggled her eyebrows.

He couldn't help laughing again. The fun he had with her he could never replicate. Also, he didn't think he would ever get sick of being inside her. If she wanted that, he absolutely wanted to give it to her. Reaching over for a kiss, he removed their clothes so they could have sex on their couch in their apartment.

And he got to spend the rest of his life doing that.
Epilogue 1: One Year Later

Philippa

Philippa entered the coffee shop across the street from the Berkeley campus. Glancing through the shop, she finally found Rashid sitting in the back. She walked over and dropped her bag into the chair next to him. When he looked up, he smiled like his day had just gotten a hundred times better.

"Hi," she said.

"Hey, brilliant. How was class?"

"Really enjoyable. We talked about a lot of interesting things, and I've got a paper to write."

"You're the only person I know who would be happy about being assigned a paper." Rashid laughed.

"Other than yourself?"

"Naturally. Do you want me to go order you something?"

"No, I'll go. Don't let some beautiful girl sit here while I'm gone."

"The only beautiful girl that's going to sit there is you."

She flashed a grin at him and went to the counter to order a cappuccino. A few minutes later she returned with drink and biscotti in hand. "Hit the library after we're done here?"

"Definitely. We can make out in the journal section."

"We can make out here."

"Be patient, P. You can't just jump me every time you see me."

"Oh, but I can. We're engaged, remember?" Philippa grinned.

"I knew that ring was only going to give you a big head."

She looked at her left hand. He'd gotten her a sapphire because blue was her favorite color. It had an antique looking platinum setting. Never in her life had she seen a prettier ring. The fact that Rashid picked it out entirely on his own just proved how well he knew her. He'd surprised her with the ring and question a few weeks previously on their one year anniversary. The wedding would be in the summer in D.C. Thus far they hadn't planned anything else.

"If you don't want me to jump on you, I can just leave you alone," she said loftily.

Rashid grinned. "Don't even think about it. You're mine."

"I love you, brains."

"I love you, P."

"I have to do some blogging when we get home, but then I'll be all yours."

"I can't argue with you spending time on what pays the bills."

After the reveal of non-humans happened in April of their year as Juniors, Philippa found a publisher for A Witch's Guide to Magic. It got released two months previously and sold extremely well. She'd put her witch blog on a more public website and developed a pretty large following. Advertising income had earned more than Philippa could have guessed. She hadn't cancelled her student loans, but her income meant she and Rashid could live comfortably. They could buy cappuccino and go to movies. When the royalties came in from the book, they'd be able to take less from their loans, which would be nice.

Rashid had also gotten some income from doing online consulting projects. He didn't make a huge amount because he couldn't devote that much time to it, but it helped. With what little spare time he had after consulting and schoolwork, he wrote and played music with his band in NYC. The other three skyped from their rehearsal space on Sundays while Rashid played his guitar with the amp turned low. That worked out surprisingly well.

The band starting gigging the previous December and put out their first album in March. They'd built up a small following in the city, even managing to get played on a few radio shows. With Philippa's magic she could transport Rashid to New York periodically, so the band could still play live there. They wouldn't be playing arenas any time soon, but they had fun and made enough money to keep the band going.

The four musicians had really bonded, so Rashid preferred working to stay in that band than trying to start a new one in the Bay. Philippa fully supported that. Travel magic took a lot of effort, so she didn't want to take him every week for practice, but she could do their gigs. She enjoyed seeing them play.

Realizing they'd be in the library for a while and then would have to make dinner before eating, Philippa asked if Rashid wanted to get a snack.

"I had a muffin not long before you came in. You don't have to worry about me."

"I'm always going to worry about you. You're my fiancé. And in less than a year you'll be my husband."

"You'll have to worry more when I am your husband. Then the bank account will meld together, and me not pulling my weight won't be as noticeable."

"Rashid! You're contributing as much to our household as I am. Even when I start working and you're in school, I'm not going to care. I knew you would go to school for longer, and I've always been okay with that. I want to be married to Dr. Luwelyo."

He smiled. "You will be. And when I get a job and get my first paycheck, I'm spending it all on you."

"That sounds fair." She winked.

"I just get a little stressed out sometimes because all the other Juniors are working and talking about their cool vacation plans and kickass apartments. Then we're living in our dodgy neighborhood, driving my beat up car, and borrowing the money for our wedding from our parents. I love that we're getting an education, but it's so easy to compare our situation to our friends'."

"We'll get there eventually. It's not a race. Come on, I'm done with my drink. Let's head to the library and feel each other up."

Rashid finally relaxed and nodded. "That sounds like something I could do every day."

"Then let's do it."

She held out her hand, and he took it.

Thealla

Thealla snapped a picture with the Eiffel Tower in the background. Coming to Paris for a long weekend had been a brilliant idea. She and Kian had been having so much fun.

"Shall we go get lunch?" she asked.

Kian stopped staring at the river and turned to her. "That sounds good."

They headed to the nearest café, made sure they had at least one soup on the menu, and waited to be shown to a table. Once they had ordered Thealla smiled.

"What do you want to do before the river tour at two?" she asked.

"Make out on a bench facing the river."

"I feel like that's something we could do anywhere."

"Yes, but we'll take lots of breaks to look around and appreciate the scenery."

She laughed. "Sure, why not. It's not like I ever get tired of making out with you."

One year later, and their sex life still felt fresh and amazing. She could never get enough of him, and he claimed to feel the same way. If he could find a way to touch her, he did. Sometimes when she'd gotten engrossed in her computer she would look up and find Kian just staring at her. She found it fair since she stared at him pretty often. He was so damn good looking.

Their relationship still worked well emotionally, too. They enjoyed each other's company, they rarely fought, they still had the same goals and ambitions. They'd managed to both find jobs at the World Congress/Great Britain Congress complex. Thealla had gotten into the vampire office for World Congress, and she loved it. The World Fae office hadn't been hiring, but the British Congress needed someone. They loved Kian, and he loved working for them.

He had always been fascinated by Britain and Ireland (whose non Congress included Northern Ireland since the nons hadn't been split by Protestant/Catholic sparring), because so much of Fae culture had been spread to the Earthen realm there. Thealla and Kian had done a weekend in Cardiff and planned to spend the two weeks Congress had off for Christmas and New Year's traveling Scotland.

Until then, they had weekends planned in Manchester, Yorkshire, the Lake District, Salisbury and Dublin. They'd booked tickets to Rome, Amsterdam, Berlin, and Brussels. Prague had been their first trip to the continent, and it had been amazing. Every other weekend they wanted to travel. Their poor kitties had started sulking already, but one of the British Juniors came by to feed and play with them. Thealla and Kian wouldn't travel in January and February because of the weather, so they would make things up to the kitties then.

They also wouldn't travel in March because they would take eleven days off in April to get married. They'd found a hotel in Malibu up against the shore. The ceremony would be on the beach with the reception inside. They'd spend three days taking day trips with their guests (Hollywood, Solvang, and Long Beach), one day on the wedding, and then fly up to Vancouver for five days as their honeymoon.

There had never been an official proposal or announcement of their engagement. They'd mutually decided after six months together that they needed to plan their wedding, and the following spring seemed ideal. They'd booked the venue, told their friends to save the date, and ordered rings that Kian designed. Hers was an infinity sign with two emeralds inside, so she could always have his eyes with her. He'd made an infinity sign with chocolate diamonds for the same reason. Both rings had Fae designs carved into the bands.

Now they wore their rings, shared a bank account, and paid the mortgage on a house. For all intents and purposes they may as well be married. The ceremony would just be a great way to see all of their friends and families together for a few days.

Yes, both families. Kian's parents had finally accepted the fact that he would marry Thealla. She'd gotten the apology from his father, and his mother even seemed to like Thealla. Thealla had been to the Fae realm and met all of Kian's brothers and sisters. She liked them, and they liked her. Kian had first met her parents when Thealla took him home for Christmas their year as Juniors. They'd visited L.A. again for Memorial Day. He liked it there better than New York, but he said he preferred their home in Kingston upon Thames.

They'd found a detached 2-bedroom cottage a few miles outside of town. It had a nice sized yard where they'd started a garden. The house had been cheaper because the previous owners started building a second story but didn't get any of the inside work finished. Thealla and Kian didn't need the extra space yet, so they decided to spend their money on travel and hold off on renovations until the summer. Probably in June they'd get a builder out to finish up the three bedrooms and two bathrooms upstairs.

Those extra rooms would be nice in about eight years when they got ready to start a family. They would go the traditional halfsies route that non couples of different species did – Thealla would get some of Jeremy's sperm to make one baby, and Kian would give his to a female faerie friend who'd act as surrogate for baby number two.

Once the kids had been born Kian's older sister, Maeve, and her shade husband would move in to act as nannies. Maeve couldn't have any more children since her husband had died, and she refused to use someone else's sperm. Yet she loved being around kids, so when Kian floated the idea of her coming to the Earthen realm to move in and provide childcare before the kids went to school, she'd jumped on it. Her husband, Jacopo, loved the idea, and the pair would be the perfect nanny solution. On weekends Maeve and Jacopo could go home to the Fae realm, which would give them plenty of time to see their friends and family.

That seemed a long way off. For now Thealla and Kian focused on their careers and artistic endeavors. Thealla had gotten worldwide play with "Kian's Theme." She hadn't charted or anything, but the income from sales, radio, and club play had definitely added to their coffers. It meant her other songs got more interest and sold decently. Meanwhile, Kian had started weaving handbags and wallhangings that he sold online, each one being a unique work of art. Thealla and Kian had a good life, which had gone according to their plans.

While they stayed in touch with all of the other Juniors from U.S. Congress, they'd also made a lot of friends in England. Though non and human politics could be stressful, Thealla only complained about the amount of spiders that invaded her home. They'd called the exterminator out, but the house being unfinished upstairs meant lots of places for spiders to hide. It annoyed her, but nothing in life could be perfect.

Except maybe her relationship with Kian. He poured some wine from the carafe into their glasses.

"It really is romantic here," he said.

"Definitely. But I think part of that is the food is so good, everyone's in a happy mood all the time."

Kian grinned. "The food is amazing. I thought our French restaurant in Park Slope had been good, but they have nothing on the cooks that live here. That tomato tart at Les Philosophes made the entire weekend for me."

"I wish I could eat it. But what I can eat has been really good. And the brie is so soft, I can eat that. Mmmm. So after lunch it's river tour, Notre Dame, dinner, and club?"

"Right. And Louvre and ballet tomorrow."

"Then Monday morning is the tour of the catacombs, which I'm very excited about, and after lunch, pick up some food we can take with us on the flight home. All in all, it's perfect." Thealla smiled.

"Things with us generally are perfect."

"Except for the spiders."

He laughed. "Right. The spiders. I'm always available to kill them."

"Which I really appreciate. It's just one more thing that makes you the best fiancé in the world."

"I try. You are, after all, the love of my life."

"I know, my prince. I feel the same way about you."

"Must we really wait until April to get married?"

"Yes, because that's when everyone has arranged to take their time off to be with us. Be patient."

"I have been patient, sweet one. I wanted to marry you the first night we spent together."

"It's just a few months. We'll be so busy with things, the time will fly by."

Kian nodded. "That, I believe, is true. When we had our one year anniversary a few weeks ago, I could scarcely believe it had been that long. And then Philippa and Rashid got engaged, too."

"I'm so happy for them. And I'm looking forward to the wedding. It'll be my first time in D.C."

"Mine also. Maria says we have to go to the zoo to see the pandas."

"I've seen the pandas at the San Diego zoo. But I'm sure I will enjoy seeing MORE pandas. And they have red pandas at the National Zoo, which are even cuter."

"I wish we could have a red panda as a pet."

"I wish we could have a red fox as a pet." She sighed.

"You've already been to the sanctuary once, and it's not that far away to go again. You can have plenty of fox bonding there."

"I guess. And in January we're getting a dog, so that should help chill me out."

"I'm very excited about that. I haven't had a dog since I was fourteen."

"My parents have theirs, but I've never had one of my own. So this next year I'll have my first house, my first dog, and my first husband."

Kian laughed. "I hope I get to snuggle with you more than the dog does."

"Me, too. I'm done here. Let's pay the bill and go snuggle on that bench."

"I can't think of anything I would rather do."

Thealla grinned wickedly. "I can."

He laughed again. "There will be plenty of that tonight, sweet one."

### Epilogue 2: Another Four Years After That

Rashid

Rashid paused in writing his dissertation. The key in the lock meant Philippa had gotten home. He sprung up and went to the entryway to greet her. Her face lit up when she opened the door and saw him. He would never get tired of seeing his girl being thrilled to see him. And he always felt just as gratified to see her.

"Hey, brilliant," he said. "How was work?"

"Good, but hard. How about your day?"

"Full of speculations on whether it's possible to have a democracy without the economic oligarchy having comparatively more control."

"So basically the same as every other day since you started your dissertation."

He laughed. She was right about that. "Pretty much."

"I don't suppose you started dinner?"

"No, sorry, I lost track of time. I'll whip up a salad right now if you're hungry."

"That would be amazing. I'm going to change out of my work clothes."

Rashid headed to the kitchen and pulled out the vegetables. With P working full-time making dinner had become his responsibility. He only took one class and did T.A. work for two, so the rest of the time he stayed home writing his dissertation. He still did some consulting work, but not much since he wanted to focus on getting his dissertation done. He'd made great progress so far, and it looked like he'd be done in the spring of the next year. He'd thought it would take six years to do his Ph.D., so being on track for five years came as a relief. It would be really nice to finally have two full incomes coming in.

Philippa found a job the previous year working for the city of Fremont. She commuted about forty minutes in the morning and an hour in the evening. While she claimed she didn't mind it that much, she'd never had to drive every day, and Rashid worried it stressed her out. At least she seemed to enjoy doing policy work for a city. Eventually she wanted to get back to D.C. and do national policy, but she'd been patient about waiting for him to finish at Berkeley.

He would also be applying for national policy jobs. Getting his Ph.D. in political science hadn't been necessary, and in some ways it could be seen as a bad idea, but he'd always wanted to do it. He felt like he'd still be able to find a job in the government or a think tank fairly easily. It would take a few more years to get into whatever specialty he ended up choosing, but he had time.

They had managed to pay off their school debt, so they could live well for a year before they spent all their money on kids. Rashid would have been happy to wait until later to have children, especially since their friends wanted to wait five years, but Philippa really wanted them as soon as possible. Since she'd compromised her career by staying in the Bay for two years, he'd compromise by knocking her up as soon as they could.

Well, he wouldn't actually be knocking her up. Carlos would be knocking her up via IVF. Rashid would donate sperm to a werehyena. Since the States didn't have a very large population of werehyenas, they'd probably use someone in sub-Saharan Africa. American had werelions, wereleopards, wererhinos, and werebaboons, but the werehyenas in pretty much all of Africa had incredibly strong communities and few had emigrated. Those that did mostly chose Europe. Rashid really wanted his were child to be a hyena like him rather than take a chance with a different kind of were.

Philippa came into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of wine. Rashid finished the salad and brought the bowls to the table.

"Did you hear anything about how the album sales are going?" Philippa asked.

"We've gotten feedback on online sales and it's good. Definitely the most we've ever sold. The first single is getting more and more radio play. Our label rep really thinks we have a chance to break out with this one. He wants us to do a tour next summer. I said I have a wife with a job in the Bay, so I'm not going around the country for two months."

Philippa shrugged. "Why not? I can use magic to visit you. We can video chat every day I'm not there. If your rep thinks you'll earn money and get more exposure doing a tour, then I say do it. You're on track to have finished your dissertation by then."

"You'd really be okay with me being gone for two or three months?"

"Of course. This is a big deal for you artistically. I want to support that. You support my writing career."

Philippa's blog had maintained its popularity, and she'd written two more non-fiction books about witches and magic. Recently she'd started doing research for book number four. Rashid felt incredibly proud of all she'd accomplished. She deserved every good thing that happened to her.

"Your writing career is amazing. But if you're really okay with me going, I'll text our rep after dinner and say I can do the tour. The rest of the band can do it, but they weren't upset that I said no."

"Well, tell them yes. You all have been working really hard for five years on this band, and you're finally getting the attention you deserve. I'm so proud of you."

"Ditto. And also, in case I haven't said it in the past few hours, I love you."

"I love you, too, brains."

Rashid smiled. "Can you believe it's been five years since we started dating? And the sex is still great!"

"The sex is fantastic. I think we should have some after dinner."

"I like it. What do you want me to make?"

She shrugged. "Surprise me. Everything you make is delicious."

"You always inspire me to do my best."

They smiled at each other. Rashid took their bowls into the kitchen and prepared their main course. As he worked, he thought about having a good, slow fuck later. Some things you had to take your time with. And beautiful wives were one of them. They'd had a good life so far, and he planned on ensuring P had the best of everything for the next few years. He loved that woman like crazy. Lucky for him, she loved him back. As much as he liked his nickname 'the scavenger,' he really appreciated that he'd hunted this girl down and made her his. He'd be feasting on her for the rest of his life.

Kian

Kian urged his horse to go faster. The stallion galloped down the lane and left Thealla and her horse in the dust. He couldn't help racing her. When the stallion tired, Kian slowed down and encouraged him to walk back towards Thealla. Her horse trotted up a minute later.

"Congratulations to you, you beat me again," she said, rolling her eyes.

He laughed. "Yoervan has always loved to go fast, sweet one. He would be disappointed if I did not indulge his whims."

"Well, Iliana seems to think a trot is the most she needs to worry about."

"Maeve has never been a very hard rider."

Maeve and Jacopo had taken over the care of Yoervan when Kian's parents shut down their stable. His parents didn't ride anymore, and they didn't want to keep on a groom just for Kian's one horse. Maeve, on the other hand, still had three horses that her family took out regularly. She didn't mind Kian's stallion coming to live with them. Kian offered to pay her, but she'd waved off the idea.

"I'm not a very hard rider, either, so I'm perfectly happy with Iliana. We should probably get back. I want to shower and dress before dinner."

Kian's entire family would be coming out for dinner, as would many of his friends. He knew Thealla wanted to look nice for everyone because she still felt like she didn't quite belong in the Fae realm. It would take more than weekend visits twice a year to get past that. They came out in early November for Kian's birthday, and in the spring for the Mayday Festival, the most important holiday in the Fae realm. Those two visits kept Kian from missing the realm. And it gave Thealla a taste of the place without having to put up with living there.

"Then let's head back," Kian said. "My favorite way to celebrate my birthday is by having you where I can touch you."

Thealla grinned and turned Iliana around. Yoervan edged up to be next to the mare. Kian sometimes thought Yoervan had as big a crush on Iliana as Kian did on Thealla. Even though they'd been married three and a half years, he still couldn't get enough of her. This shower Thealla wanted to take? He would make sure it included him. With her up against the tiles, shouting his name.

Yes, Kian still knew exactly what he wanted out of their relationship. His cock hadn't been inside another woman for five years – since the runaround, actually – but he didn't consider that a loss. He considered it proof he'd made it work with his vampire goddess. She still bit and fucked him, never seeming to notice anyone else. He could be forgiven for being a little cocky with a girl like that taking his last name. Well, to be fair, they took each other's last names, so they went by Thealla and Kian Winston-Cwelnag.

And even if they did move to the Fae realm some day, they'd go by those names. He did not need to be Kian Cwelnag Fieirit Karaighkwynir O'Hain (Cwelnag being his mother's mother's name, Fieirit being his father's titled property, Karaighkwynir being his father's mother's name, and O'Hain meaning from the Faerie land of Hain). That horrendous mouthful boiled down to 'I am a spoiled noble.' He felt perfectly content using his own skills to move up in life, and that's what he got to do on the Earthen realm.

After three years in the Great Britain Congress, he'd been hired into the World Congress office. He now interacted with politicians in the Fae realm to create more interactions and exchange between the two realms. He'd become the point person in the committee that would decide whether the Fae revealed themselves to humans. Since the vampires, gods, angels and devils had revealed a couple years before, only the Fae were left. Kian had fully committed to making sure they came out of the shadows as well.

Meanwhile, Thealla had continued to thrive in the vampire office. She worked on several committees, and they considered her indispensable. Her mentor from her year as a Junior claimed to have never seen a young politician move up so quickly. Several people suggested Thealla run for office as soon as she turned thirty, but Thealla wanted to wait until one of the current elected representatives decided not to run again. That would probably take a few more years.

Thealla's music career had also grown. Her song based on their Paris weekend, called "Cliché Romance," had hit the top of dance charts around the world. Big name deejays played the song at clubs and festivals. The money had ensured that Thealla and Kian's upstairs was really nice. After that Thealla got asked to do remixes and guest deejay spots. She now had a night once a month at a great club in London where she played primarily her own music and remixes. The club always reached full capacity those nights. The radio edit of her song "Vampire," which had been her way of coming out after the vampire reveal, had been played on pop radio stations.

Kian hadn't exactly slacked with his artistic interests, either. While he still wove handbags in the $100 range, he made others that cost $500 and up. His wallhangings sold for thousands of dollars and had been bought by several museums. He'd been a guest lecturer for two different university textile courses. He'd even woven a jacket for a famous actress to wear on the red carpet to the BAFTA awards. He planned on doing more jackets in the future.

With so much money coming in, they went out to restaurants all the time. Kian had taken cooking lessons, but he didn't enjoy doing it much. He stuck with making food on Sundays when he and Thealla had lazy days around the house. They went on fun vacations all around the world and donated to charities, like the fox sanctuary Thealla volunteered at.

They liked her so much that three months previously, when a litter of kits had been found the sanctuary couldn't house, Thealla finally got her own fox to take home. The baby, named Vixen, had been a happy addition to their household of two cats and one dog. Vixen was still a wild animal and required special care, but Thealla and Kian worked hard to make her happy. They'd added on a sun room to their house, and Vixen especially loved it.

All in all, Kian thought of himself as the luckiest person he knew, even with the other Juniors doing really well for themselves. They still kept in touch with everyone. Quite a few had stayed in New York or gone back there, and Thealla and Kian would visit the city later in the month for Thanksgiving.

All twenty of the Juniors would be getting together again for Thanksgiving dinner. He really looked forward to seeing them. Now that everyone had gotten married, they had no weddings to bring everyone together. Thanksgiving seemed like a perfect plan – they'd see everyone five years after their first Thanksgiving together.

Kian sighed with happiness just thinking about it. Thealla looked over at him with raised eyebrows.

"Sad sigh or happy sigh?"

"Happy. Thinking about seeing our friends for Thanksgiving."

"That's going to be so much fun. All of us, with our significant others, together again. I'm just afraid of what Nina will want to do to celebrate. I have a feeling we're all going to play spin the bottle." Thealla laughed.

Kian laughed, too. "I do not mind you kissing someone else for a few seconds. We could have fun with that. As long as we don't have another runaround."

"No. Definitely not. I don't think Nina would be tempted to suggest that anymore. She's pretty happy with her hubby. We're all pretty happy with our significant others. It's sickening. You could write an entire romance series based on us, and it would all be like, 'They love each other so much! They're perfectly happy! Forever!'"

He laughed again. "Perhaps Maria should write that. Our story in particular would be quite poignant. You know, since you dumped me after a week because my dad was an asshole."

"Oh my god, I still haven't lived that down. I'll tell you what, I'll make sure we have incredible sex when we get back to our house tonight."

"After traveling through the Fae realm to get to the door, and then to the house, we'll be exhausted when we get home. I say we have incredible sex when we get back to Maeve's house. In the shower."

Thealla grinned. "I like that idea, my prince."

"Not as much as I do, sweet one."

"No, I'm pretty sure it's just as much."

He laughed. "Well, then maybe we should put the horses in a canter and get to it."

"That is a very good idea. We have a shower to start."

Kian smiled. Yes, he was definitely the luckiest person he knew.

### -A Dare in Words Novel-

###

### Acknowledgments

Thank you to my friend Mary for being the beta reader of the first version of the book.

Thank you to my mom for always letting me bounce ideas of her.

Thank you to Alexa for helping to perfect the new blurb.

Lastly, thanks go to all of my other friends, for being supportive of my writing projects. I couldn't do this without their encouragement.

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### Chessela Helm Books

Sleepy Sands Series – Contemporary Romance

Sleepy January

Runaround Series – Paranormal Romance

The Runaround: Finding the Faerie

Chasing the Angel

Paranormal Romance Standalones

### Life and Then Love (Spicier and Milder Versions)

### Chick Lit

### Trust Bunnies

Other Dare in Words Books

Darinne Paciotti:

Hera Series - Mythological Urban Fantasy

Growing Up Godly

Read ahead for an excerpt from Book 2 in the Runaround Series: Chasing The Angel

### Excerpt from Chasing The Angel

Chapter 1: Going Nowhere

Georgie

"Well, I'm not spending the weekend with the guy I wanted to, but at least I am getting laid," Georgie said. She sighed dramatically, but the sparkle in her eyes showed she wasn't too intent on feeling sorry for herself.

"You never directly asked the guy you wanted to. And anyway, you could get laid all the time if you wanted to," her friend Jeremy said without sympathy.

"I mean, I'm attractive, right?" she asked. She pulled up a string of her dark red hair and examined it critically. It was the kind of red other women dyed their hair to get.

"You're gorgeous, Georgie. I always said if I was going to sleep with a woman, it would be you," said Jeremy.

"That's flattering, Jez, but you have slept with a woman and it wasn't me."

"Yeah, well, that was because we figured we might as well. I mean, we were in the middle of a runaround," Jeremy said.

Georgie smiled. Yes, the runaround. The twenty members of the Junior program of the United States Non-Human Congress had held the runaround so they could erase any sexual awkwardness over sleeping with a couple people – by sleeping with everyone. Jez and nine straight women had stayed in their apartments, while nine straight men and one lesbian went to each room for 45 minutes of high sexpectations. They'd spread it out over two nights to make sure everyone had enough time and could walk the next morning.

Only one of the assignations really mattered to Georgie. The angel. She was completely gone for him, and he was completely oblivious. And from what she could tell, completely uninterested. Which was why, when one of the devils asked her if she wanted to be roommates at the bed and breakfast they were heading to this weekend, she had said yes. Some sex was better than no sex.

"So how was it?" she asked, trying to stop thinking about the angel.

"Smooshy."

Georgie laughed. "Smooshy?"

"I was laying on her boobs, and they were smooshy. Men don't have smooshy parts," he said defensively.

"Why, Jez, you sly dog, I never knew you were a top," she said.

Jeremy gave her a withering look. "You are a crude person, Georgie, and if there's any reason Azkadek isn't into you, it's probably that."

"But he's not all angelly and self-righteous," Georgie said. "He's really laid back! I don't think that's why he's not interested. I don't know what it is. I mean, I'm practically throwing myself at him. He can't be unaware of my interest."

"Maybe what's obvious to you, isn't to him. Whatever his deal is, he's missing out. You're a great girl. One of the best," Jez said generously.

"Thanks. But you've known me since high school. He's only known me for a little over two months."

"That was enough time for Thealla and Kian," he said.

"Ugh! The perfect couple. I get so sick of them sometimes. I mean, I love Thealla to death, but the bedroom eyes all the time, it drives me mental. Kian looks like he's about to have an orgasm every time he sees her. And they're fricking living together and they work on the same floor. They see each other all the time," said Georgie.

"They can be a bit much, but they're still in early stages. And it was kind of a hard road for them to get there. I'm happy for them. I mean, I wish that was me with a boyfriend, especially one as hot as Kian, but I'm happy for them all the same." Jez shrugged.

"I guess I'm just a bad person that I can't be that happy for them. And they're going to be googly all weekend long. I'm sure Thealla isn't going to want to hunt with me when she can be walking the woods with her faerie lover." Georgie rolled her eyes.

"I would hunt with you, but I already told Rashid I would hunt with him. And he and I are going to be roommates, so we'll both get back at the same time."

"I know. I mean, it's not like I need her to hunt with me. It's just nice not to waste all the blood. You vampires might as well get your daily nourishment while I'm getting some raw flesh between my teeth," she said.

"Georgie, that's gross," said Jeremy.

"What? I like flesh. I'm a werewolf. It's not like I'm going to be a vegetarian. I'm jealous that Galaxia will be killing your game. If it was just Rashid, you'd be going after small game. Rabbits, maybe. A squirrel or two. That's what happens when you hunt with a werehyena. He and I were out one time, and I did find a deer. An enormous stag, just huge, and I really could have used some help, but he just stayed in the background nipping at its legs. I thought I was going to lose the damn thing, but it freaked out enough I was able to get its neck. And then Rashid wants to come up and eat with me. I mean, I get that we're animals sometimes, but you don't have to be your animal," Georgie said.

"Georgie, you're a wolf 24/7. You may not see it, but you are. And Rashid is a hyena, he can't help it. He doesn't trust hunting with wolves, and anyway, he's a scavenger." Jez shrugged.

"But he doesn't act like that when he isn't shifted," she argued.

"He's tenacious, and he's clever, which is what a scavenger has to be. They're smart enough not to risk getting hurt in the kill. That was always the way he was in debate rounds."

Jeremy, Georgie, Thealla, Rashid and four of their other friends at the Congress all knew each other from high school debate. It had served as a good activity for them to discuss governmental plans, and now they were actually helping shape the policies of the United States Non-Human Congress. The Junior program was a year long, aimed at non-humans who had gotten their undergraduate degrees and were ready to gain experience in public policy. The Juniors represented one gender of each species – 2 weres, 2 vampires, 2 witches, 1 succubus and 1 incubus, 2 nature demons, 2 gods, 2 angels, 2 devils, 2 Fae, and 2 shades.

As Juniors, Georgie and Jez and the others were not interns. Yes, sometimes they answered phones. But sometimes they got to help shape the legislation that would be proposed. They got a good range of learning about what an elected Congressperson did, as well as learning what appointed policymakers did. That gave them experience to move into either field after they left the program.

The big issue affecting the Congress now was deciding whether any of the nons were going to reveal themselves to humans. Georgie was not thrilled with the reveal movement. She couldn't imagine explaining to her human friends that she sometimes killed small animals at night.

"You're right. I'm just in a bad mood. And the only thing I can hunt around here are squirrels. I've had enough squirrels to last me a lifetime." She went back to sighing.

"Why don't you just ask Azkadek to talk privately, and then tell him you want to go out with him?" Jeremy asked.

"If he's not interested, it would be uncomfortable to be around him in a group. I don't want things to be awkward. Right now I'm just flirting with him, and he can take it or leave it. No pressure. Lots of people flirt," she said.

"Lots of people aren't mooning over the guy like a tween girl."

"He's my celebrity crush, okay?" she said mockingly.

Jez laughed. "Well, you picked a good one. I won't deny he's drop dead gorgeous."

"The long brown hair. And the gentle brown eyes. And the rockin' body underneath those white clothes? He was so good in bed, Jez. So good. I've never come that hard. I thought I was dying. And then he just gets up, like it's no big deal, and tells me to have a good night!"

"The whole point was to only spend 45 minutes together," Jeremy reminded her.

"He could have at least been sorry to leave. Or he could have asked me to do it again," she said.

"You could have asked him to do it again!" he said.

"I can't deal with being rejected by someone I'm this into. I mean, if it's someone that I'm interested in, but it's no big deal, then sure, I'll take a risk. But I'm really, really in lust with Azkadek, and if he said no, it would crush me. I wish I knew what to do," said Georgie.

"Just take a chance, and ask if he's interested. I mean, you go all out for everything else in your life. If you want a job, you go out and fight for it. You were completely secure in debate rounds. You would just say, 'Hey, we're winning these arguments, vote for us.' Period. You never pussy footed around."

She tilted her head in acknowledgment. "True, I don't have a problem going after what I want in most areas of life. But sexuality isn't most things. It's easy to be confident about going after something when there's nothing in your way. With romance, you don't get something by being persistent. You get it because that person feels the same way about you. And if you don't know how they feel, and you have to ask, you can ruin something natural and good. The flipside is always that they don't know how you feel, so maybe they do feel that way, and they're also too nervous to ask. I'm pretty sure Azkadek isn't being nervous, though. I'm pretty sure he just doesn't find me sexually intriguing. Which means that no matter how much I want him, I can't have him. Nothing about that is going to change."

"It's not true that nothing will change. People's feelings about sexuality often change. Just because he didn't fall in lust with you at first sight, it doesn't mean he won't come around to those feelings over time. Some people take longer for their feelings to develop. Some people don't necessarily see you in that way, but if you say you are interested, they consider the possibility," said Jez.

"I will give you that some people take longer. I guess I just wish his reaction to me had been as immediate as my reaction to him. He's the most attractive guy I've ever seen. So then it was just a matter of finding out if his personality was as good as his face. And it is," Georgie said.

"Well, talking to me isn't going to get you any closer to dating him. At least we're going to be in a quaint, romantic place this weekend. Ask him to take a walk in the forest. Or ask him to go antiquing. Maybe he likes old furniture." Jeremy shrugged.

Georgie gave him a doubting look. "Yes, because there's nothing more romantic than looking at used chairs."

She turned the conversation to another subject, and that soon distracted her from her worries.

