An hour later, a curtain has been hung over the hole in our bedroom, my wife has gained what limited control over her body Bell’s bindings will allow, and Geneva is carrying a tray laden down with our dinner, tail swinging.

I groggily raise my head and slip out of the bed, wandering over to my chef. I lift the lid off a large bowl and the enticing smell of a rich stew enters my nose. The plate beside it has several rolls, the bread a crispy golden brown and smelling of butter.

“I did say simple,” I mumble as I take the tray from my succubus’ hands. Everything she cooks tastes amazing anyway.

I carefully climb onto the bed, careful not to spill a drop. I kneel next to Kierra and place the tray on my lap. “Dinner time, Kii.”

“Mm. You can’t expect me to eat like this.”

She flexes her arms but they don’t move. Next to her, Bell coos, clearly enjoying the victory. My wife turns and flashes the imp a grin. “I’ll have you, pet.” In response, Bell scampers over her to hide behind me, peering at her from around my body.

Haha, do you expect me to protect you? I have enough problems keeping myself safe. By tomorrow, there will be no trace of our ‘play’ on my body but for now, I still have very faint bruises and more than a few aches. “Help her sit up.”

“Coo~”

Kierra raises her body and Bell cooperates, moving her arms down so she can be comfortable. Geneva comes around the bed while fluffing a pillow, kneeling on the bed to put it behind her. My wife relaxes. “You could always let me go.”

“I’m not taking any chances,” I mumble before swallowing a spoonful of the stew. That succubus is a godsend. The next spoonful I move toward Kierra. “Say ah.”

She raises a brow but after several seconds of my deadpan stare, she obediently opens her mouth and accepts the food. “What if I promise to behave?” she says as I alternate feeding us.

“I don’t know if you know the meaning of the word.” I rip a roll in two, munching on one half while I feed her the other.

“You did good today,” she coos. “Thought on your feet, planned ahead, played to your strengths but didn’t balk to fight at a disadvantage.”

“Sometimes, I think you take the teaching thing too far.”

“You haven’t seen anything.”

“And what does that mean?”

“I think we’re done play wrestling. You’re ready for more…adult games.”

I just know she doesn’t mean that the way I’d want her to. “Like?”

“No more testing.” She grins. “One day, you’re going to wake up and I will not be by your side. I will be stalking you. Ready to assassinate you.”

I stare at her for a long moment. She snaps me out of my stupor by licking her lips and motioning toward the spoon. I woodenly feed her. “You’re serious.”

“Very~ As much as our time would have you believe different, my abilities are far more effective in the role of a hunter.” She pauses as I feed her another half of a roll. “You need no help fighting the creatures that will come at you in a straightforward manner. Even if they can best your prime form, they cannot destroy you and with enough mass, you may recover and eventually tire out any foe.

“The ones you need to be concerned about are those like me. The ones who will strike from the shadows, watch you, and adapt. Those who will realize they cannot kill you, take off your head to incapacitate you for the brief moment they need to trap you with an artifact, and bury you in a hole where not even the pets can find you.”

Before, those kinds of words might have evoked fear. Now? All I can think about is how annoying it’s going to be to look over my shoulder all day while waiting for my wife to put an arrow through my eye. How am I supposed to stop that? Might be time to make some adjustments to my prime form. My recent fight has given me some ideas. “Sure thing, Kii.”

She chuckles. “You truly have come far.”

“Only so much quivering a person can do.” With the stew almost gone, I raise the bowl to my lips and down the rest of it.

“Yes…you’re almost ready.”

I peer at her over the rim of the bowl. “Almost?”

“Yes. You just need one more…push.”

“You and this pushing.” I put the bowl on the tray. Geneva is at my side ready to take it when I think of wanting to put it aside. I climb atop my wife, loving the way her eyes sparkle as she smiles. Her lips are wet from dinner and I don’t hold back the urge to lick them. “Aren’t you afraid that one day you’re going to push me too far?” I whisper, staring deeply into her eyes. “What then?”

“Do you love me, dedia?” she whispers.

“Mm. You know I do.” The saints know there’s something broken in my head, but I do. “I love you more than anyone I’ve ever loved.” If I’ve ever loved anyone beyond mere obligation. As fond as I am of my elementals, it’s different. I can never trust them or their motives. No matter what they say, a contract, not emotion, binds them to me.

Alana is the only one who I can also say I love but it’s different. I would never want to but if I had to choose…I’ve simply shared too much with this elf. We’re bound for life.

“And I you,” she says happily. “I will never stop pushing. I can’t. When the day comes that I push too hard, I will accept anything…except you leaving me.” Her eyes glow briefly with channeled mana before she releases it. “That, I will never allow.”

I’d be lying if I said that doesn’t sound ominous, but hasn’t that been our relationship from the start? A picturesque newlywed life with an undercurrent of dread as I await her next stunt. “Anything?” I ask, removing the pillow from behind her and guiding her to lie down.

“Anything,” she promises in a seductive whisper.

“I don’t know what you have planned that you feel the need to make such a promise,” I sigh, slowly stripping. “Don’t think I want to know. It might ruin the anticipation of this promised reward.” Anything? With all the different abilities between us, that is a very risky word.

I press our naked bodies together. “You sure you don’t want to take that back and behave yourself? I’m getting ideas.”

“It’s rude not to share.”

I hum as I kiss her. After a breath, her tongue pushes between my lips, greedily going after the aphrodisiac that makes up my saliva. I let her have her way for a while before stretching my much longer tongue.

I bully hers, chasing it back to its home and pinning it down. This close, we share the same air. The little we can get in the brief moments our lips aren’t connected. I’m sure a normal person would have passed out already but we’re both beyond such mortal concerns.

Her lips try to chase me when I finally pull away but I keep her in place by holding her down by her shoulders. I kiss along her neck before trailing my tongue up to and along her ear, enjoying the way she shivers under me. “If I can’t trust you to behave yourself, then I’ll have to keep an eye on you. Maybe keep you pinned to my bed just like this until I fuck all that bad behavior out of you.”

She chuckles. “You’ll have to visit me often.”

Isn’t that the truth. I don’t know if even I have the stamina for it. “You’re right,” I say, trailing my lips down her chest. My lips close over one of her nipples, her moans sounding in my ear as I lather it with my tongue and tease it lightly with my teeth. She hisses and arches toward my mouth when I pinch the opposite one. “Maybe I should be like you? A little tough love until you get the message.”

“I can take anything you give me,” she pants under my ministrations. Her limbs constantly flex as she tries to move but Bell’s bindings do their work, holding her in place and keeping her helpless.

“There’s that dangerous word again. Maybe I need to give you something to keep you out of trouble. Should I make these bindings permanent? Make little Bell your caretaker to keep you out of trouble? Or…” I trail my tongue down to her stomach and kiss the taut muscles, my own stomach doing a nervous flip at what I’m imagining. “Might keep you out of trouble.”

She laughs joyfully, making the little performer in my gut jump into a whole intricate routine. “Do you think the world is ready for our spawn?”

“That’s why you’ll be busy wrangling her.”

“Her?”

“I hope you like cute daughters.” Despite my many additions, I am essentially female so there’s no chance of having a son. There’s a small chance they may be ‘gifted’ like me but that’s as close as my children will ever be the hairier sex. Geneva assures me as much.

“Daughters are wonderful,” she says softly. Perhaps wistfully but that’s probably just my imagination. “Can you imagine? A child born with your talents and a pure affinity?”

“…saints protect the world.” Because she’d surely make it her plaything. I’d be lying if I said the thought doesn’t excite me. Talk about a legacy. The Tome name will be synonymous with divinity.

“Elves aren’t as fertile as human women,” she says. “My mother had multiple partners for centuries and never reached a dozen.” Her lips turn up in a playful smile. “If that’s what you want, my love, you’re going to have to work for it.”

“Then it’s a good thing it’s time for dessert.”

She chuckles but it quickly turns into a gasp as I move between the thighs. Her sweet juices are already overflowing and I waste no time diving in, licking up every drop before flicking her little bud.

Her hips buck toward me and I oblige the silent plea, snaking my tongue inside her. She groans as my length fills her, twisting and thrashing to reach places no ordinary tongue can. I put her legs over my shoulders and redouble my efforts. Her moans become louder and shriller, her walls pressing down on me like she wants to tear something off. Good thing I’m made of sterner stuff. It only means I need to use a little more strength.

“More…harder, Lou…g-give me…”

Damn elf. Always so demanding. Always pushing. We’ll see how long she can go before she starts begging me to stop.

“Haaaah, yes! I’m almost, mmmmm!!!”

I press my mouth to her entrance as she tenses, her pleasure surging past my lips and wetting my chin. My ‘gift’ pulses between my legs, sending a wave of pleasure up my spine and making my heart pound with excitement.

But the moment is ruined by someone noisily kicking down my front door.