Stepping foot on Ni Island’s dock made me way more emotional than I ever expected it to. I was choked by the sun’s warmth, the soft waves on the sand, and the outline of the town I’d come to call home on the horizon.

Home.

That word felt more true here than it ever had in my last life. My life where my world revolved around a minimum wage job, struggling through school, and wondering what flavor of instant ramen to cook for dinner. When leveling up meant how long I’d played a game that week and my limited farming knowledge wouldn’t kill me.

Yeah, Nyarlea was difficult as hell.

“Come on, Matt,” Keke said, twining her fingers with mine. “Let’s go home.”

And I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

On our arrival, many of the girls were closing up shop for the day but still took the time to wave, then chance a few steps closer when they noticed Tristan with our group.

“Careful. These bitches are ravenous.” Ravyn jabbed Tristan with her elbow.

Ara drew her daggers and narrowed her eyes on the incoming catgirls. “I shall not allow them to have their way with you, Young Master.”

“No, you’re safe here! They’re all sweet once you get to know them!” Cannoli hopped forward and put a hand on Ara’s arm. “You don’t need to defend him!”

Tristan laughed. “Surely they’re more relaxed than Venicia’s school, right?” When Ara’s face fell, he double-backed. “I-I mean, not you, of course! Or your sister, or Destiny, or Lara!”

Ara worked her jaw and blinked. The wheels were definitely turning, but my guess was she couldn’t find anything appropriate to say.

Tristan rested his palm on his forehead and shook his head. “I’ll just be over here with my foot in my mouth.”

“What a darling little cat!” a gentle, familiar voice cried.

I turned to see a very pregnant Saphira gingerly kneeling down to pet Desiree.

I froze. A hurricane of feelings I’d suppressed since we left Sorentina flooded my chest. Relief at seeing Saphira safe and sound. Excitement that we really had made a child together. Fear that I wasn’t meeting expectations as an expecting father. A father. Jesus Christ.

My mouth went dry and I rounded the group, taking Saphira’s hand and helping her back to her feet.

“Welcome home, Matt. I was—” Saphira began before I embraced her tightly.

I held her head to my chest and breathed in her hair.

“O-oh! Hello!” she squeaked.

I kissed the top of her head and shifted my touch to her shoulders. She drew back to face me, her cheeks a deep red.

“I’m sorry. I’m just… I’m really happy to see you,” I said. Smooth. But really, I didn’t care. The people I cared about deserved to know it. “How are you feeling?”

“I feel fine. Really!” Saphira grinned and stroked the curve of her belly. “She’s very well behaved so far. I, um, I talk to her while I garden.” Her ears flicked nervously and her gaze lowered. “I hope she can hear me.”

“I’m sure she can!” Cannoli replied brightly. “My mom said she used to sing to me like that, and I practically knew every song by heart by the time she taught me.”

Thanks, Cannoli.

“Let me know if you need anything at all. Okay?” I said, touching her cheek.

Saphira leaned to the right, glancing at the rest of the group, then steadied her feet. “I’m sure you have a lot to do. But, if you wouldn’t mind visiting me while you’re here.” Her blush deepened, and she picked at a stray thread on her dress. “Just whenever you have a free moment.”

“Of course. I’d like that.” I kissed her forehead again. Where even the thought of public displays of affection embarrassed me just a few months before, now they felt absolutely necessary.

Saphira slipped from my hands and waved to the others. “It’s really lovely to see you all safe and sound!”

“Same for you, Saphira. Don’t be a stranger, okay?” Keke replied.

“Please keep your hands to yourself!” Ara barked at the catgirl who’d gone straight for my thigh on my first day in town.

“I like this city. It is most serene,” Ceres said, stepping away from the flustered Ara.

“Yeah. This is home,” I replied.

“Um, would it be alright if we split up for a while?” Cannoli asked. “There’s a few girls I’d like to see now that we’re back.”

“I don’t see why not.” I shrugged.

“I can show Tristan, Ara, and Ceres the inn,” Keke offered. “Maybe give them a tour of the town if they’re up for it.”

“That would be wonderful!” Ceres exclaimed, clasping her hands. “Yes, please! Tell me everything of your island.”

“Looks like we’ll have to save shopping for tomorrow,” I remarked. “We’ll see about replacing your armor and my shield.”

“I can’t wait to meet Espada,” Tristan mused. “I hope she’s the one I read about.”

Still seems unlikely. But he’s clearly better-versed in Nyarlean history than I am. “Could be.” I turned to the uncharacteristically quiet Ravyn. Her gaze trailed after Saphira and her lips twitched downward into a thoughtful frown. “Hey. What are you going to do?”

Ravyn blinked as if I’d woke her from a trance, then shook her head. “I want to talk to you. Come with me.”

Sure! Thanks for asking. But the expression on her face worried me. Her snark levels had drastically decreased since Catania, and her position on my giving Ceres the antidote was made very clear. “Alright.”

We divided off into smaller groups, Ara still giving the poor catgirl a verbal lashing. Ravyn whispered something to Ball and sent him high into the air. She then marched forward without bothering to look behind her.

“[Civillian Mode],” she murmured. Her short pleather dress reconstructed into the red, mandarin-collared garb that did just as good of a job accentuating her curves.

I followed suit, feeling a lot more comfortable in my green jacket and jeans. It was a miracle that they’d remained in decent condition for so long. I’d expected the tear in my chest armor to rip my poor jacket to shreds. Thankfully, the damage hadn’t transferred. The blood, however, was another story.

“So, what’s up?” I asked Ravyn’s back.

“Not here,” Ravyn snapped.

Alright. We continued through the market square, past the last stalls and sparse buildings. She led us further north, and I quickly realized we were heading to her house in the mountain. It seemed like quite a trek just for a walk, but I mean, I couldn’t fault her for wanting to check on it. She hadn’t been home in a very long time.

When I set foot on the steep path leading to our destination, I expected to feel the same stomach-squeezing terror that I had the first time. Instead, the first thought that came to me was, Huh. This isn’t as bad as the Anyona climb. I wanted to laugh but feared Ravyn’s response if I did.

Instead, we continued our silent traipse up the bewitched steps. The waves thundered against the cliff beneath us, and a cool breeze toyed with Ravyn’s long hair.

Ravyn unlocked the door and swung it wide, stepping in and snapping her fingers. The candles lining the walls jumped to life as I crossed the threshold. The wide, cluttered room smelled musky after having been closed for so long. Tiny, glistening webs connected sconce to sconce, and a thin layer of dust had settled on the unmoved books, potion bottles, and shelves. Ravyn snapped once more when I was through, and—much like my first visit—the door slammed shut.

I surveyed the room for somewhere to sit or stand until I found a sturdy-looking desk. There wasn’t a readily-available chair for me to use, so I leaned against the desk’s surface instead. Ravyn paced the length of the room, picking through the toppled book stacks and wooden chests with ease. I’m betting if we cleaned this place up, she’d never find anything again.

Ravyn continued to pace in silence. I crossed my arms over my chest and waited. When she finally spoke, I nearly jumped out of my skin.

“When you found me the first time, I wouldn’t have been able to tell you the last time I was sober,” she said, her heels clicking rhythmically against the floor. “When–” she inhaled deeply, “–when Finn died, I didn’t know what to do with myself. I loved him, Matt. I loved him so fucking much.”

I could tell this admission was taking everything she had. I wasn’t about to underplay it with a dumb reply. I nodded when I caught her eye but stayed quiet.

“We were going to run the hell away from all of this. The Defiled, the Encroachers, the bullshit. He only had eyes for me.” Ravyn slammed one hand into one of the still-standing towers of books. Hard leather covers fell to the floor, scattering time-worn pages around her feet. “But you. You,” she growled, approaching me. “You’re willing to throw your life away for any of the girls out there.” She pointed toward the door, her eyes wild. “You care about all of them.”

“I do,” I said.

“I was so goddess-damned angry with you for giving Ceres the antidote. But then, when I saw you with Saphira, it hit me. It could have been anyone who got hit with that venom, and you would have done the same fucking thing. Because that’s just you. Just Matt being Matt.”

“You’re right.”

“And you know what the fuckiest thing is, Matt?” The toes of her shoes touched mine and her chest pressed against me.

We were rarely this close to one another. My heart sped, but I did my best to maintain the calm reassurance I imagined she was looking for. “What?”

Ravyn hissed in a breath, her hands balled into fists at her sides. “I want you to look at me like that. Like you look at Keke and Saphira and Cannoli.” Her voice broke on her words. “I want you to be just as sad if I die like you were with Marianne.”

I blinked. All the feeling in my hands vanished. That was not what I’d been expecting. Not in a million years. “Ravyn, I do care about you—”

“Then fucking show me,” she snarled.

I cupped her face in both hands and kissed her. Not the peck she’d given me in the hotel room or even the gentle show of affection she probably needed at that moment. I snaked my tongue between her lips and one hand into her hair.

Ravyn immediately reacted with an embrace of her own, reaching beneath my shirt and raking her nails down my back. I groaned with the mixture of pleasure and pain, tightening my grasp around her hair. She broke our kiss, moving instead to nibble my lower lip and drag her nails around my sides.

I snatched the high hem of her dress, tearing it away from her body. For a moment of stunned silence, we stared at one another. Ravyn’s features were a mixture of defiance and hunger, but I stole the opportunity to memorize exactly as she looked at that moment. Face flush with emotion, her ample chest heaved with rasped breaths, held in place by a lace-trimmed bra. The taut line of her stomach and curve of her waist belled into generous hips, where matching black panties strung over her thighs.

“Yeah, like that,” Ravyn breathed. “Look at me just like that.” She grabbed my jacket and threw it back over my shoulders, barely giving me time to react before she had my shirt pulled up to my armpits. When that joined my discarded jacket, she briefly touched the scars on my chest, her expression unreadable.

“Fuck, you’re sexy,” I murmured. “No reason to play nice now.” I reached for another handful of her thick tendrils, yanking backward until her neck was exposed. Cupping her lower back with my free hand, I kissed her throat, then trailed my lips to her shoulder.

“I thought you said we weren’t being nice,” she chuckled beneath her breath, fingers searching for the fastening on my belt.

“I did.” I bit deep into her sweet skin, living for the gasp that escaped her lips.

Her fingers abandoned their search for my pants, instead, encircling my neck as she pressed her body into mine.

I moved inch by inch down the curve of her arm, leaving affectionate marks as I kissed, bit, and sucked at her flesh. Combing my fingers through her hair, I followed the slope of her back until I found the fastening of her bra. Praying that I could actually do it with one hand, I set to work on the hooks with my mouth on her skin.

“Still new at that part, hm?” Ravyn teased. “Can’t even unhook a fucking bra. This guy.” She reached behind her and helped me unhook the garment, tossing it to the side and bearing her chest.

“Jesus Christ. You have the nicest tits.” I couldn’t stop myself. Dark nipples accented two voluptuous breasts that pooled in my palms. Her flawless skin gleamed in the candlelight, the shadows of her form just as erotic as the highlights.

“Wow. Smooth,” she said, giving a voice to my afterthoughts.

I grabbed her waist and spun her so we’d changed positions. I quickly guided her so that she lay longways on the desk with her knees bent at the edge and her feet dangling free. Before she could say another word, I enveloped one nipple with my lips, teething and teasing with my tongue.

“Ngh! Fuck!” Ravyn shouted. Her tail wrapped around my back, the soft fur tickling my bare skin.

I hooked my thumb below the string of her panties, pulling them down to her thighs. The heat between her legs bloomed against my palm. Parting her slit with my forefinger and ring finger, I caressed her clit with delicate strokes of my middle finger.

Ravyn gasped. “Holy shit. You tease.”

She grabbed my hair with both hands, forcing my lips back to hers and burying her tongue between them. I continued to massage her clit, gradually coaxing more heat and moisture from her body. With a small change in our positioning, I continued to toy with her breasts while I did so, leaving my lips affixed to hers.

“Mmm,” she moaned, her tongue vibrating with the sound. Her breathing quickened, and her cunt dripped with need.

I slid two fingers inside of her, and her hips bore down around my knuckles. Her fingers tightened around my scalp and her back arched against my hand. My erection throbbed painfully against my pants, begging to replace my fingers. Goddammit, it’s getting harder to stop myself.

“More,” she breathed into me.

I added another finger. Ravyn was so slick and her body so readily willing that I added a fourth. Her tail tightly wrapped around my waist and her hips bucked against my palm. I fit my thumb into the groove of her clit, shifted my mouth to her breast, and my hand to stroke her tail.

Ravyn’s thighs quivered, and her audible breathing filled the room. The heels of her shoes clicked against the desk each time she rocked her hips, punctuating the slick sound of my fingers between her legs.

“Fuck, Matt. That’s so good,” she whimpered.

I committed those five words and the sound of her voice as she spoke them to memory. I’d never seen or heard a more vulnerable Ravyn in all of our travels together. I understood that this was something precious, and I didn’t know if I’d see it again.

“I’m coming!” her voice peaked with her apex. Her cries echoed against the walls and her heels clicked against the top of the desk as she brought her knees to her chest. She convulsed around my fingers as I shoved them as deep as her body would allow, biting the top of her breast and gripping her tail.

I pushed her climax for as long as I could, waiting for the throbs to slow before drawing my fingers and mouth away from her. She wrapped her arms around my neck and guided her mouth to mine. It was a far more tender embrace than we’d started with, and when I drew away, there was palpable doubt on her face.

Ravyn sat up and turned her back to me, crossing one arm over her chest to hold the other. Her hair fell over her shoulders, and she stared at the floor.

“Matt, look. I’m sorry.” She shook her head and stood, yanking her underwear over her hips. “I need to be alone right now.”

She may as well have kicked me in the balls. The pain was pretty damn similar. “Ravyn?”

“I’m sorry.” She picked up her bra and refastened it around her chest before fishing her dress from the pile. “I just… I don’t know.”

I had no idea what to do. What to feel. Cock-blocked, for starters. But I couldn’t bring myself to be angry with her. The last thing I wanted her to feel was that this was a mistake. So, I picked up my shirt and jacket and redressed. “Hey. It’s alright.” Holy shit. This feels like death. “I’ll come check on you later, okay?”

“Sure. Thanks.” Ravyn disappeared into the depths of her mountain home and closed the bedroom door behind her, leaving me alone in the main hall.

I wiped my hand on my jeans as I left Ravyn’s place. My head throbbed as if I had whiplash, which wasn’t exactly far from the truth. The sun was just setting over the horizon, and I pondered what to do next.

Ravyn’s bliss-filled moans reverberated in my ears with every step I took.