I remained quiet for the rest of the meeting, thinking over the implications of the missions that the System had given me. That it outright confirmed Gemma’s plans to instate Rieka as the crown princess was reassuring, but it also had me wondering what was coming.

  The mission specifically stated I was to protect Rieka while she went on her own mission. It was reassuring to me that the System recognized my girls’ agency and responsibility for their own future, especially for something like this. I was their protector, not the master of their lives and futures. Though I couldn’t help but wonder if I should warn Rieka.

  Would it change how she approaches this? Was a thought that haunted my mind while the girls discussed specifics on when they’d depart, what supplies they needed to get, and how they’d get there. I did note with some pride that there was never a question of who would go, insinuating that all of them were intent on accompanying Rieka on this mission even though the queen had only expressly ordered Rieka and myself to go.

  Honestly, if she knew that this was how Gemma was making the final judgment for giving her the position of crown princess, it might slow her down but I don’t think it would change how Rieka handles this, I decided in the end. She’s responsible to a fault and would see it as her duty to resolve this. I don’t think it’s going to change our plans for the future either, though it might cause some strife, I’m sure we can handle it.

  “Then we shall leave tomorrow,” Rieka said firmly, the determination in her tone pulling me out of my thoughts. “Ever since the idea was presented that we might need to go investigate, we’ve all been preparing slowly and packing. Either to return to Juneau or investigate this. So it won’t take us long to arrange for and prepare our things.”

  “I will handle transport,” Gemma said without hesitation. “I can detail one of the enchanted carriages to convey you. It will add additional authority when you go to meet with Duchess Icefang.”

  “Still not sure that is the best option, but it would be better to have it at our disposal than not,” Rieka said, heaving a sigh.

  Her tail’s wags had slowed the longer the conversation had gone on and now the normally-active appendage hung limp behind her. I gave her a squeeze, which made it stir happily once more when she turned to look up at me, a soft smile on her face.

  “I’ll prepare the documents and issue the orders,” Gemma said with a nod. “You should see to your things and plan to leave first thing in the morning.”

  All five of my girls rose from their seats at the polite dismissal and after the required farewells to the queen, began making their way out the door of the meeting room.

  “Going to need to have a word with Thomas before we leave,” Kassandra grumbled. “I need to make sure he understands that the printing press thing is going to be a joint effort, and just because I’m here doesn’t mean he is allowed to hog all of the contracts for preparation.”

  “Just remind him that the person bringing him the prototype is your summon. And I can always only give it to you,” I reminded her, earning me a bright smile and a blown kiss from the dwarf lamia.

  “I’ll keep that in mind if he starts to misbehave too much,” Kassandra promised, hooking one of her arms into Jane’s when the distracted mouse kin nearly tripped on her own feet while she muttered out a list of things she needed.

  “I have most of my things packed,” Shayla admitted from her spot at the back of the group, her cream, red, and tan wings pumping slowly behind her while her antennae bobbled happily. “I had to make a catalog of what art supplies I had before Liam took me shopping, so I figured I should pack them as well to ensure none were damaged.”

  “Oh that’s great, can you give me a hand sorting through my stuff? I don’t want to leave anything behind,” Jane said, her rounded ears perking up immediately.

  “Sure thing, Jane,” Shayla said with a soft smile. “Do we need to buy anything from town?”

  “The servants can be sent out to buy anything we need,” Rieka said without hesitation. “I normally would insist that we should get our own things, but it’s already noon and if we are leaving in the morning—”

  “Nope!” Kassandra cut in.

  “Nope? What do you mean ‘nope?’ ” Rieka asked, her ears laying back in confusion.

  “ ‘Nope’ as in you aren’t worrying about packing your stuff,” Kassandra said without hesitation, turning as she slithered down the hall so that her torso was pointed towards us with her hands behind her back. “You have a very capable servant who loves looking after you, Rieka, so you are going to let Lorelai handle your clothes and other amenities. Give me a list of what you need that she can’t handle and I’ll take care of it.”

  “And why would I do that?” Rieka drawled, brows coming together as the first sign of irritation.

  “Because you are going to be taking this opportunity to run off to Earth for some time with Liam,” Kassandra said brightly.

  Her words surprised me as well, but when she went on to explain, I couldn’t really argue with her reasoning.

  “You were next up anyway, and you deserve a chance to relax before we head off on this. And I know that we are most likely going to have to go speak to the duchess anyway. That means you are going to have to climb up on your nobility, and I know how much that annoys you. So this is a chance for you to unwind first, and remind you what you have to look forward to when we deal with this.”

  “She has a point,” Shayla added shyly as we walked down the hall back toward the rooms we’d been assigned. “I know I had so much fun with Liam when I visited Earth, and the chance to step away and clear your head might be nice?”

  “But Jane—” Rieka began to protest, only for the mouse-woman in question to cut her off.

  “—is happy to wait. Honestly, Kass has a good point here. Even I can see how wound up you are after what your mother said.”

  “Liam?” Rieka asked, her voice caught somewhere between annoyed and hopeful.

  “Don’t look at me,” I said with a laugh. “I’d be happy to take you to Earth and show you around. It’s not like Kass doesn’t already have all my stuff from Cortha hostage.”

  “It’s not hostage,” Kassandra shot back with a grin. “I just know best what colors suit you, so I’m helping you dress your best.”

  That set off a wave of laughter from the girls, and Rieka’s tail picked up wagging, even more rapidly than before. This time, the fluffy appendage was slapping the back of my thighs as she walked beside me.

  <><><>

  Arriving back in my stone shelter, I was quick to get the fire going to start heating it up before I used Traveler’s Call to summon Rieka to me. We had a limited amount of time and despite Kassandra’s insistence that it was fine, Rieka wanted to be back on Cortha that evening to make sure we were ready to go first thing.

  Within five minutes of arriving back on Earth, I had Rieka in my arms and the simple environment did not seem to bother my princess at all as she leapt into my arms happily, tail spinning behind her like a fan.

  “Oh, it’s cold,” Rieka murmured, burrowing into my chest while shivering. I hugged her close with a grin, wrapping as much of her slim body up as I could. I knew that my girls loved it when I hugged as much of them as possible, with the most noticeable one being Jane who could basically vanish into a hug with her smaller stature.

  “So what do you want to do while you are here?” I asked Rieka, sliding one hand up her back over her braided hair to rub the base of her pointed ears.

  “Mmm,” Rieka purred. “Would it be wrong to say ‘you?’ ”

  “Not at all, but we can do that on Cortha. Your chances to visit Earth are more limited than my opportunities to pin you to a wall on your world.”

  “Only because we keep getting busy doing things for my mother,” Rieka huffed in annoyance, pulling back to kiss my throat sweetly. “Show me around? I don’t need to do anything fancy or go on a shopping trip like you did with Shayla, but I’m curious how Earth is different from Cortha.”

  “That we can do easily,” I said with a laugh and began showing her around my home first off.

  Rieka was fascinated by what, to me, would be the simplest of things. I’d described things like televisions, cameras, and the Internet to the girls in the past while we’d been camping. They had always been really interested in the stories of Earth, and that had only gotten deeper when I finally was comfortable with telling them I could bring them over for short visits.

  Now, though, Rieka got to see firsthand some of the things that were outright mystical artifacts for her.

  “There are a lot of things that regular humans have which I gave up to be out here,” I admitted while showing her my truck after we had finished the main house. “I don’t have power or water out here, so things like a refrigerator or a stove are impossible. But I figure with enough time and creativity, I’ll have magical analogues to them. Jane already promised to help work on the ideas when she has time, and I know she’s excited to come over when it’s her turn.”

  “It’s too bad that you can’t bring more than one of us over at a time,” Rieka said with a sigh. “It would definitely be fun to experience this with all the girls.”

  “Well, if the power develops anything like how my others do, I wouldn’t be surprised if the higher ranks allow me to call more people over at once,” I said with a shrug. “If it wasn’t for the fact that you can refuse the summoning, I’d be worried about other Travelers who were less scrupulous than me using such abilities to hold their contracted hostage…”

  “You wouldn’t do anything like that,” Rieka said with pure confidence. “I know that you worry about a lot, but you’d never do that.”

  “Not unless you asked me to,” I told her with a meaningful waggle of my eyebrows. Rieka blushed, biting her bottom lip as she let her imagination run wild.

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  “That doesn’t sound so bad,” Rieka murmured, clearly lost in her imagination of being ‘captured’ and at my mercy.

  “Come on,” I laughed, walking around the truck to hook an arm around her waist. “You can get lost in your filthy imagination later. You asked me to show you around and we haven’t even gone outside.”

  “Is it safe?” Rieka asked, her arousal thinning enough that wariness came through now. “I know Shayla was fine but—”

  “It’ll be fine,” I promised her. “You trust me, and I would never willingly endanger you without good reason. Besides, the land we are on belongs to me. And Shayla got away just fine without problems. Remember, you can always just cut the summon and vanish back to Cortha. Which I want you to do if you feel threatened at any point. I don’t care if it makes people suspicious here, I can take care of it.”

  “Okay,” Rieka murmured, turning to bury her face in my neck once more. “Mm, you are really warm… I know that Kass loves snuggling with you normally but she must have been relentless here.”

  “It’s not that bad inside,” I said, laughing. “When we go outside, that’s when you are gonna need warmer clothes. In fact…”

  I shifted my grip on Rieka and scooped her into my arms. The princess squealed in surprise, arms going around my neck, but didn’t fight me as I carried her back into the main room and to my bedroom.

  “Mm, I thought we were going outside first?” Rieka teased, desire thick in her voice as I gently set her down on my bed.

  “We are,” I replied, turning to the rack where my jackets hung. “But I didn’t think to remind you to bring warm clothes since this was so spur-of-the-moment. An advantage of being so much bigger than you girls is that you can all wear my clothes. So let's get you dressed up in nice, warm clothes so we can go walk my land, then I’ll take you for a drive to show you the nearest town.”

  “Then you bring me back and remind me how you promised to give me pups in the future?” Rieka teased, the desire in her voice sending a shiver down my spine.

  “Definitely,” I said without hesitation.

  Talking about the future reminded me of the little conversation I’d had with Jane before, about traveling and seeing more of Cortha, expanding on the knowledge of what lay beyond the borders of other nations.

  That might interfere with Gemma’s plans… or it might help them, I thought while rifling through my heavy winter coats. Wouldn’t she want an heir that is well-traveled and knowledgeable about what goes on beyond their borders? And with me guarding Rieka, she knows that her heir will be well-protected and she can call me back for help if she needs… hmm. Well why not just ask Rieka?

  Settling that idea in my mind, I grabbed my heaviest winter jacket off its hook and turned to find Rieka posed on my bed. The princess was sprawled back on the thick blankets, propped up on her elbows with her ears laid back submissively and eyes hooded lustily. The top three buttons of her blouse were undone, exposing her upper chest and slim neck while her riding pants clung to her firm legs like they were painted on.

  “You are learning far too many tricks from Kass,” I said, a rasp of lust in my voice. I coughed to clear it and held up the jacket toward Rieka. “Come here and put this on, because once I take your clothes off, you aren’t getting them back till you go home.”

  “Promise?” Rieka purred, but she abandoned the sex-kitten act with a laugh a moment later. Bouncing up off the bed with a twist of her hips, Rieka bounded over and slipped into the coat. With our differences in size, it hung to mid-thigh on the wolf-eared woman and she sighed contentedly, breathing in deeply while snuggling the coat up around her.

  “Smells like you,” Rieka murmured happily while her tail made quiet thwap-thwap-thwap noises against the material.

  “Hopefully that’s a good smell?” I teased, running one hand over her head to tickle her pointed ears.

  “The best,” Rieka replied perkily, turning to grin up at me with reddening cheeks.

  It took a moment to teach her how to use the zipper, but once she realized it was much like the one on my jeans, she mastered it soon after.

  With Rieka bundled up properly, I threw on a sweater and shifted my skin to be better insulated to the cold before we headed out.

  I left the fire burning as the firepit was as secure as could be, and it wasn’t as if my stone house could burn down, after all. And it would also mean that the underground home would be toasty warm when we returned later and clothing became optional.

  Clothing is always optional around my girls, I thought with a grin while using Manipulate Element to move aside the doorway. It’s just easier to encourage when it’s comfortably warm.

  It had snowed recently, adding another few inches to the foot or so on the ground previously. Being this far away from town, the only things that had disturbed the freshly fallen snow were local animals. I spotted a dozen different sets of rabbit tracks, one set of smaller clawed paws I was sure was a fox, and a trio of waddly-looking marks that I would put money on belonging to raccoons.

  Probably drawn in by the scents of food from my vent holes, I thought while guiding Rieka out into the snow.

  “Wow…” Rieka murmured, ears wiggling curiously as she peered around. “I’ve never seen this much snow out at once… At least not unless mother was summoning it with a spell.”

  “Yeah, for all it’s called the ‘Coldeye Queendom’ there isn’t much snow, is there?”

  “Not in the lowlands where most people live,” Rieka said, taking a tentative step out into the deep snow and squeaking in surprise when the drift gave out under her feet since it was loose drifts and she sank to her knees in the snow.

  I grabbed her by the waist to steady her, then lifted Rieka up to place her on top of the non-drifted snow. The most recent inch or so crunched under her boots, but the rest had an icy crust on it from the last few weeks, so supported her weight.

  “Wow,” Rieka murmured as a stiff breeze swirled past, picking up more of the loose snow and sending it into the air in a swirling scarf of white. “I know that some places in the queendom and elsewhere got this much snow… but knowing it and seeing it are two different things.”

  “All part of life living in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains,” I said, leaving one hand on her hip to steady her. “It gets even worse further up into the mountains, but they work to keep the roads clear at least so folks aren’t trapped.”

  “There are some villages like that,” Rieka murmured, staring out over the snow cloaked landscape. “Once the winter snows set in, wagon traffic is impossible to get up there. Only merchants on foot or by donkey can make the trip, most that do go to buy the winter furs from the trappers and they are the only ones who bother.”

  “I’ve met your brother, I know to what extent merchants will go to make a profit,” I teased. Rieka shot me a lopsided grin before glancing down and noticing that her higher perch actually put her above me for once.

  “Come here, Liam,” Rieka purred, reaching out with both hands to grip the front of my sweater.

  I, of course, complied. I am not an idiot and following my princess’ demands had always worked out in the past.

  Rieka used her grip on my sweater to pull me into a hot kiss, leaning down to seal my lips with hers and pressing against my front.

  In that moment, I hated my coat and sweater for preventing me from feeling more of her body pressed to mine. However, I reminded myself that it was only temporary and we would get to have fun later. That and I was pretty sure Rieka would protest at least a little bit if I tore her clothes off and threw her down in the snow.

  We crunched around while I showed her my land, though there wasn’t much to be seen since I had kept almost everything hidden out of sight. The small stream with its potential for a mine hidden deep below was the highlight, and Rieka demanded that I bring her back to show off the mine when I had the time to get it established.

  “Honestly, I should have already burrowed down there with Manipulate Element,” I admitted while I kicked through the snow and Rieka followed from her perch on top of the crust, her lighter weight allowing her to balance there. “I just haven’t really felt like it’s a priority since I don’t need a ton of money to get by here.”

  “It’s admirable what you have managed to do with how often you are on Cortha,” Rieka said sweetly. “I know that you were concerned about your living arrangement for some time, and I am continually grateful that you got away from that bad job you had when we first met.”

  “Yeah, Dutcher can eat the biggest bag of dicks,” I growled, eliciting a laugh from Rieka. “I just needed my girls to tell me that I was worth so much more than he was giving me credit for. So I owe it all to you and Kassandra, really.”

  “And Cariad,” Rieka reminded me with a gentle smile. “You’ve told us about how she has encouraged you as well, and she is now one of your contracted. That makes her one of your girls too.”

  “I’d feel bad referring to you all as ‘mine’ if you didn’t enjoy it so much and understand the reciprocity,” I replied, catching Rieka by the hips again and lifting her into the air.

  My princess laughed happily, her tail whipped under the edge of my jacket while her legs automatically wrapped around my waist to pull her down so she could kiss me again.

  “Of course we know and understand. I am your Rieka, just as you are my Liam,” Rieka purred as our lips parted. “It sends a thrill through my body every time I hear you say ‘my princess,’ Liam. I love it. And I look forward to the day when I can show you how much it lights me up by giving you children…”

  “Someday,” I promised her without hesitation. “Once you are ready.”

  “I’m ready now,” Rieka said, sighing hotly over my face. “But I understand. I have other duties and things to finish first. Like my time at Juneau, this mission for my mother, and what comes afterward.”

  “You know?” I asked, shifting Rieka so that she rode on my hip since she didn’t seem inclined to release me.

  “I’m not blind, Liam,” Rieka admitted, leaning back with her arms around my neck while we walked back over the snow-covered field. “My mother is subtle, but not that subtle. I gave up on the throne years ago and focused on just living my life. But I know that my mother has always been watching me, judging my actions against her own criteria of what will make the best heir for the Coldeye throne. And what we’ve done over the last year has pushed me up the rankings, I know it has.”

  “She didn’t want it to change how you lived your life,” I admitted, earning me a side-eye from my princess. “She mentioned it to me before we went to the Ironclaw lands. That she was considering you for the position and wanted to give you the opportunity to train and learn. And to see how you handled command.”

  “And she asked you not to mention it to me?” Rieka asked, a small smile curving her lips.

  It reassured me that I heard no anger or judgment in her tone. So I answered her simply.

  “Yes, and I figured that you didn’t care about the throne so it was better not to mention it. That way you could focus on what actually mattered to you.”

  “If Kass was here, she’d make a comment about getting in your pants being what mattered,” Rieka said with a giggle.

  “But she’s not, so you did in her place?” I teased back.

  “Of course, she’s my dear friend and shares the love of my life with me. It’s my duty to stand in her place if she’s not present,” Rieka said proudly, turning to press a kiss to my cheek. “Rest assured, Liam, that regardless of what my mother decides, our relationship isn’t going to change.”

  “You shouldn’t—” I started to protest, only for Rieka to cut off my words with another kiss.

  “I don’t care,” Rieka said when our lips finally separated. “If my mother wants me to take the throne for her one day, then she will accept that my prince-consort will be a Traveler. But she has many years left on the throne before we have to worry about that. And anyone that tries to force themselves into a marriage with me will have to deal with my guardian.”

  I didn’t respond with words, because the image that her statement brought to my mind made my entire body tighten with instinctive anger. The growl that rippled out of my chest was a deep, bestial statement of both possessive claim and defiant anger at the idea of someone else trying to claim my lover.

  “Exactly,” Rieka purred, kissing my cheek gently.

  The sensation of her lips on my skin was all that it took to rein the anger in, and I gave her hips a squeeze with the arm supporting her against my side.

  “Let’s go for a drive,” I said, gesturing toward the hillside that hid my home and garage. “I want to show you more of this world and discuss something with you that Jane brought up. Curious about your opinion on it.”

  “Oh?” Rieka asked curiously, wiggling in a polite request to be let down.

  I set her back on her feet as we arrived at the hillside that blocked off my garage, then pulled the stone away with Manipulate Element a moment later.

  “It is still so hot watching you do that,” Rieka murmured, wrapping her arms around my left arm and hugging it to her chest. “My lover is powerful and dangerous, yet would never harm me or any of his other lovers.”

  “Never,” I promised, guiding her around to the passenger side and getting her tucked into the truck.

  I had fired the vehicle up and was backing out when Rieka reminded me of my earlier statement.

  “So what did you want to talk to me about?” Rieka asked curiously, turning and tilting her head so that her blonde braid slipped over her shoulder.

  Deciding that it was best to just lay it out on the table, I asked while pulling us out onto the road that led to town.

  “How do you feel about traveling Cortha when we are done with what your mother needs us to do? See what lies beyond the borders of other nations and discover opportunities to bring home?”

  Rieka’s grin was wide and her eyes bright with excitement at the thought.

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