Mindblind blinked his eyes open, squinting against the morning light streaming through the window, and tried to focus on his surroundings. Eventually, Raven congealed out of the haze, standing at the foot of the bed with her hands on her hips.

“Well, what do you have to say for yourself?”

“Morning to you, too,” he said as he sat up and groaned. He was stark naked, and as the sleep fog burned off, he recognized he was in a room at the Cat.

“The hell made you run off alone like that, you damned idiot? Figure you were just going to walk up there, cut his head off, and come back for a beer?”

“Not exactly like that.”

“And what about this?” Raven knelt down, and then stood up with a blood-stained sheet. “Damn healer had to spend an hour pulling chunks of steel out of your hide before he could do anything else.”

“It’s a long story.”

Raven walked over and plopped down on the foot of the bed. She lifted a hand and made a little circling gesture with it. Long story or not, she planned to hear every word of it.

Mindblind sighed and launched into the tale of learning that Reed was behind the whole thing, and how his sword had urged him on, almost taking control of him. The metal shards were explained by the explosion of the magical blade. There wasn’t much to tell after that, because Raven had arrived not long after.

She blew out a whistling breath. “I’ve heard about magic stuff that gets in your head like that. You’re lucky as hell. Guess we should have listened to Indigo.”

“Magic never has worked real well on me. My sisters used to throw spells at me all the time. Started calling me Mindblind because I was the only one who couldn’t do anything with magic. Hell, even Vlad can do some little things he’s learned from the Heraklan temple.”

Talking about them set off a sudden surge of homesickness he never would have expected. Home was only a few miles away, but it suddenly felt like a thousand.

“Well, I guess you survived, and you have a good enough excuse, so I’ll let you off this time.”

“Thanks,” he said sarcastically. “Don’t suppose my pants are around here anywhere?”

“It’s a whore house. Who’s going to notice if you’re swinging in the wind?” She laughed. “Actually, Pomp sent over some things, because your stuff was pretty torn up and bloody. In the drawers there.”

“It’s nice enough and all, but I hope he isn’t going to follow me around like a damn puppy trying to pay off that debt he has in his head,” Mindblind said as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and opened the drawer.

“Not going to complain about one part of it. I can’t believe the change in Yani. She’s almost... Normal.”

“Yeah, she looked a lot better when I saw her last night, even when she was passing out. What time is it, anyway?”

“About midday.”

“Damn. I was out for a while.”

While Mindblind dressed, it was Raven’s turn to tell him about a few things he’d missed since he collapsed the night before. “Between Pomp, Indigo, and Yasmine, they convinced the guard and the governor to leave us out of it. Only other one they talked to was Yani. We’re all free and clear.”

“Least I don’t have to get raked over the coals.”

“Guess the two that were with Reed didn’t really know what he was up to. They knew enough for him to bribe and threaten them, but had no idea how far he was willing to go to salve his burnt ego. His lordship is going to give Yasmine the coin from selling off that blueblood scum’s stuff. Hardly makes up for what he did, but I guess it’s something – and he is dead. You could have saved some for me, you know?”

Mindblind cinched up his new pants, which were of a cut and material that probably made them worth more than the whole of his sparse wardrobe at home. The shirt was likewise fine. His old, comfortable boots contrasted sharply with the new attire, but he was going to put them on anyway. “Suppose you could find where they’ve laid him out and stick him a few times.”

“Don’t tempt me. I’m of half a mind to cut off that inch worm of his that started this whole mess.”

A knock sounded on the door, but it almost immediately flew open. “Are you decent?” Alice asked as she swept into the room with Betty and Cammie hot on her heels. “Damn, we’re too late.”

Mindblind shook his head and chuckled as he pulled on his boots. “Things getting back to normal?”

“Nope. Yasmine isn’t going to open back up until tonight. We’ve been shooing guys away from the door this whole time. And that’s sort of what we wanted to talk to you about.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, Yasmine really likes all our ideas. She’s sending a letter to Yvonne and Samantha about it, and she’s going to help us set up in Stingy Pussy. We were kind of wondering if we could use one of the wagons?”

“Hell, I got no use for the damn things,” Mindblind said with a shrug.

“Hard to hide from the law in a wagon,” Raven added.

“Great. We figure it will only take us a couple of months at the inn to have enough to find a place of our own.”

“Stuff that,” Raven said. “I’ll give you some coin so you can get your own place to start, and hire some burly guy to watch out for you.”

“I... R-really?” Alice stammered. All three of the prostitutes wore looks of stunned surprise.

“Yeah. Just a few conditions. I don’t pay when I need some pussy, the place has to have a back door and a basement, and I can crash there sometimes if I need to.”

“Done. Hell, we’ll set you aside your own room,” Alice said.

“I’ll give you all the free ones you want,” Cammie said, and giggled.

Raven grinned, and then moaned. “I’ll catch up with you later. I’ve got to do some business to get the coin.”

“Don’t get caught before you get back to us,” Betty teased.

Raven twitched her eyebrows. “As if.”

“Well, we’re going to see about hiring a guard then. Maybe we find somebody who will do it for free ones, and save us some more coin.”

“Probably can,” Mindblind said.

Alice cocked her hips to the side and struck a provocative pose. “Interested?”

“Thought I was already getting free ones?”

She laughed. “You are. A girl has to try, though.”

“Go on,” Raven said, waving her hand. “Lots of guys in Stingy Pussy waiting to get their pricks wet. You don’t want to keep them waiting.”

“We can’t thank you enough – either of you,” Cammie said.

“You’re welcome. Now get out of here,” Raven told them, again waving toward the door.

The three filed out the door and Mindblind heard Betty say, “Think he’s about to get a free one.” The other two laughed as the door closed.

“Heh. Tempting, but I figure you’re pretty much fed up with bed, huh?”

Mindblind nodded. “I need some fresh air.”

“And I need to go fence a few gems to get them that coin. Meet back here in a couple of hours?”

“Yeah, guess so.”

Raven looked him up and down. “You know, Pomp’s got pretty good taste. You look good in that.”

“What worries me is how well it fits.”

Raven laughed. “Yeah, that usually requires some measuring. Think he just has a knack, though. Sent over things for all the girls that fit just as well, so doubt he was measuring you up with his eyes – at least specifically.”

“Real comforting.”

“Don’t be late getting back here. Last time you weren’t where you were supposed to be, it got pretty hairy.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“You do that,” she said, and offered her crooked smile before heading out the door.

It took Mindblind a few minutes to make it out of the brothel, because everyone wanted to greet him. Even Yani was up and about, looking better than the night before. The healer was obviously good at his job.

Eventually, he made it out the back door, and took a deep breath. Feeling the need to be alone with his thoughts for a while, he walked straight out from the back of the Cat, into the fields scattered around town.

****

Mindblind knelt next to the rectangle of recently turned earth and sat down a bunch of wildflowers he’d gathered up just before returning to town. Delly had kept flowers in her room whenever they were in season, so he guessed that she’d probably have liked the gesture.

“Ain’t real good at this,” he muttered under his breath. “Guess I just want to say sorry, and thanks. Never felt like a damn outcast when I was with you. Wish I could have done something to keep you from getting killed. Best I could do was kill the son-of-a-bitch that was responsible. Hope that’s enough.”

Feeling extremely self-conscious, he remained for a minute or two more before making his way out of the graveyard. As usual, he kept his eyes fixed straight forward, trying not to notice what was going on to the sides. It helped when he couldn’t see the people staring at him or darting inside.

It was impossible to completely avoid, though. A man walking down the street in the opposite direction drew near, and out of the blue, offered a brief nod of his head before passing by.

Somehow, Mindblind contained his surprise. What happened next was even more shocking. Someone approached him from the side of the street, moving to intercept him. He paused, not sure what to do in the completely unfamiliar situation.

“I just wanted to say that you did a good thing,” the old man said. “Sure he didn’t hurt anyone as bad as he did those folks at the brothel, but he caused plenty of pain to the folks around here over the years. Wouldn’t nobody else have stopped him.”

“Just did what I had to do,” Mindblind responded, at a loss for words.

“Well, I’m glad you did, and I ain’t the only one. I won’t trouble you no more.” With that, he nodded and returned to his place sitting on the weathered wooden porch of a storefront. The group of similarly aged men he was rejoining all nodded or touched the brims of their hats in Mindblind’s direction.

After that, Mindblind let his eyes roam as he continued across town. Naturally, some still shied away as he approached, but others nodded, waved, and even offered words of greeting to him. In a few minutes, the people of the town gave him more notice than they had for the entirety of his life up to that point.

The feeling was odd, and even a little uncomfortable. He almost wished that they’d just put their heads down and walk away as they used to. Even as he thought that, he realized how absurd it was in light of his years of rankling over exactly that sort of treatment.

“Ho, my good friend.”

Mindblind recognized Indigo’s voice and turned that direction. The Draxnian met him in the middle of the street and reached out a hand to shake.

“I sought you out at the Cat, but they said you had gone out.”

“Yeah, need to clear my head.”

“Understandable, my friend. All is well that ends well, eh?”

“Guess so. You going to head home soon?”

“Actually, I think I will stay for a time. Travel this country. There are many things said about this land in my country, and already I find many of them are false. I would learn the truth for myself.”

“You know, Alice and a couple of the girls are heading back to that town where we ran into you. They could use a man with a sharp blade riding with them.”

Indigo laughed. “We are truly kindred spirits, my friend. I have already heard of their journey and asked to accompany them.”

Noticing a shiny new sword on Indigo’s hip, he said, “Speaking of sharp blades...”

Indigo muttered something in his own language and slapped his forehead. “I had nearly forgotten. It is a gift from Pompeil. Come, my friend. You need a blade to replace what you have lost. He asked me to find you and bring you to his offices here.”

Despite what he’d said to Raven earlier, he needed a new sword, so he wasn’t about to pass up a free one if Pompeil wanted to provide it. “Lead the way. I have no idea where it is.”

“This way, my friend.”

The place wasn’t far, and Pompeil emerged from his office almost immediately after the doorman to the warehouse admitted them.

“Ah, welcome. Come, let us browse my stores and see if there is anything to your liking. If not, I will be glad to commission something appropriate.”

“You know, Pompeil, you’re going to go broke if you keep this up.”

The merchant laughed. “Ah, rest assured that I have a very long way to go before I exhaust my coin. I have enjoyed some measure of success in my career.”

“Well, I’m not turning down a free sword.”

“And a suit of chain, if I may? I would see you better protected, should you have need of such in the future. I have someone on hand who can take measurements, and I will have it delivered as soon as completed.”

Since he had been saving – very slowly – for a chain shirt, he wasn’t passing that offer up either. “Sounds good.”

“Splendid. Splendid. Sword first, though. I have a fine selection.”

The merchant wasn’t lying. Considering the unrest in the area – and it was much worse the closer to Draxnia or Normandal one ventured – only a fool who made his living in trade wouldn’t take advantage of the market for weaponry. Nearly any type of blade Mindblind could imagine was represented in the crates opened for him to look through.

One immediately caught his eye – a large, hand-and-a-half broadsword. It wasn’t nearly as massive as the weapon that had nearly turned him into a slave, but it was a dramatic improvement over the short sword he’d carried at the start of his journey.

Pompeil noticed his interest. “Please, test the balance. See if you like it. I believe it suits you.”

Mindblind picked up the weapon, already liking the way the hilt felt in his hand. With his great strength, he was able to hold the sword in one hand, and after giving it a few swings, a wide smile spread across his face.

“I do believe we have found you a match,” Pompeil guessed.

“Truly, it suits you, my friend,” Indigo agreed.

After giving the sword a final swing, Mindblind said, “It feels good.”

“Then it is yours. The scabbard should be in the crate.”

Mindblind dug through the packing material inside the crate and located the scabbard. Having grown used to carrying the magical blade on his back, it felt perfectly natural when he strapped on the scabbard and slid the new sword in.

“Well, then only one thing remains to complete our business here today. The process is a bit uncomfortable, but shouldn’t take long, and I believe it will be worth it. Ah, there you are, Emelia.”

Mindblind turned to see a blushing blonde woman with a length of twine carefully marked in small, even segments. It was hard not to notice that the young woman spent a little more time with certain measurements than others – all below the waist.

Once she was done, Mindblind said, “I’d best get back to the Cat. If I’m not there when Raven expects me, she’ll have a fit.”

“Something I would wish on none, my friend,” Indigo said. “I must draft a letter to my family, but I trust I will see you again before my journey south?”

“Sure I’ll be around.”

“And glad I will be to see you.”

“Appreciate this, Pompeil,” Mindblind said, nodding toward the sword on his back.

“As with everything else, it is a small price to pay for my life, which surely would have been forfeit but for your intervention.”

“I’m off, then.”

Both offered him farewells as he headed to the door and back out into the bright summer day. A look up at the position of the sun caused him to quicken his pace, because he guessed that Raven was already waiting for him.

He was right. Fortunately, she ignored that he had arrived a bit past the agreed-upon time. “Nice,” she said upon seeing his sword. “So, what now?”

He’d made the decision shortly after leaving the Cat. “I should head to the house. The family keeps to themselves, but they have to have heard about what happened here. Going to get a dressing down for vanishing without a word as it is.”

“Least you got someone who cares enough to do it. Catch up with me here tomorrow?”

“Sure.”

“Get going then. Think I may take Cammie up on that offer before the three of them head out.” She licked her lips and moaned.

Mindblind chuckled, though the thought made blood surge between his legs, and almost caused him to reconsider heading back to the house. As soon as he stepped out onto the landing, he saw Kayleen.

“Hello, Cerebus.”

“Hey, Kay. How’s Yani?”

“Much better. She doesn’t really need me watching over her any longer. I think I’m out of a job.”

“Any ideas?”

“I’m not sure, just yet.”

“Well, if you need anything, you just come see me.”

Kayleen smiled. “Thank you. Madame Yasmine says she’s happy to put me up until I decide what I want to do. I might see if they need help at any of the taverns, for now.”

“Any of them would probably be glad to have you.”

The blonde woman blushed. “Thank you. For that. For everything.”

“You did your share, too, Kay.”

“I won’t keep you. I overheard. I hope all goes well at home.”

Mindblind let out a snort, expecting that his mother would alternate between scolding him and hugging him in equal proportion from the moment he walked in the door. “Me too.”

A few minutes later, he set foot on the dusty road home. For the first time in a very long time, he was glad for it.

****

Mindblind stepped into his small room at the back of the house and sighed in relief. As good as it was to see everyone again, there were limits. He was exhausted, overfed, and emotionally overloaded. Tired as he was, he dropped off to sleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.

He really should have expected it.

“Nice place,” Raven said sarcastically as she climbed into his small bed.

“How’d you get in?” he asked as she sat down next to him, and he tried to gather his senses.

“Are you serious? I could have picked that lock when I was five.”

“Give me a break. I’m still asleep,” he said when he realized how ridiculous the question was in light of her skills.

He noticed that she wasn’t wearing her leather-armored overshirt, or even the masculine style shirt she usually wore under it. Instead, she was wearing a blouse. It was a drab, beige color and had no frills or lace, but it was the first garment he’d ever seen her wear that had been specifically tailored for a woman. The cut served to accentuate her figure – especially her perky breasts.

“Excuses. So, everything go okay with the family?”

“Yeah, even my sisters weren’t acting like witches,” he said as he sat up.

“What did you tell them?”

“Told Pops most of it. He probably passed along what he thought Mom could handle, later on.. They were gonna find out about Reed at the least, eventually.”

Raven nodded, scooted in a little closer and asked, “So, you okay with some company?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m kind of at a loss,” she said, and shrugged. “With those gems, I’ve got more than enough coin to relax for a while. Yani doesn’t really need me. I don’t know what to do with myself. What about you?”

“Always wanted to sell my sword, and I’ve got one worth selling now.”

“Gonna hit the road then?”

“Not just yet. Had enough of the road for a little while at least.”

She chuckled. “Ain’t that the truth.”

“I’ll get fed up with being cooped up here soon enough. Been eating me for years.”

Raven nodded, and then drew in a long, slow, deep breath. She let it out in a burst, and then said, “I want to try something.”

“What?”

She turned toward him, slipping a hand behind his back, and whispered, “This,” as she leaned in.

Whether through pure instinct or her example, his lips softened as she pressed hers against them. The kiss was soft – tentative – and he felt her shiver as he slipped an arm around her. The next touch of her lips was longer, and far more sure.

Her lips still brushing his, she said, “That’s the first time I’ve ever kissed anyone with my clothes on. I think I kind of like it.”

At a loss for words, still unused to the softer side of the thief, he fortunately wasn’t left hanging long. After only a breath or so, she kissed him again, tightening her embrace. He pulled her closer as well, matching her growing passion as he reached up to cup her cheek in his hand.

Once again she shivered, letting out a shuddering sigh. “Yeah, I like it. What about you?”

“Yeah,” he responded, finding it hard to keep his rising passion under control.

Raven’s lips met his in yet another kiss, her hands roaming over his bare back. Though completely outside his experience, he was able to follow her lead. Their tongues slipped out to caress each other. Breaths came quicker with each passing moment. Finally, she leaned back, sucking in a quavering breath while looking deep into his eyes.

Her expression was strangely shy as she popped open buttons on her blouse. On a whim, he reached out to tug the tail free of her pants, and worked on the buttons from the bottom up, meeting her hands in the middle. Subtle guidance encouraged him to slide his hands up to her shoulders, parting the cloth to reveal her breasts, and then pushing the garment down her arms.

With little room on his small bed for two, the blouse slithered off the edge and down to the floor. A muffled ticking sound as the material pooled on the boards hinted that despite the common appearance, her blouse most likely still concealed a few tools of her trade.

She immediately leaned in for another kiss, wrapping her arms around him to press her breasts against him. Her kisses were stronger, and her fingers slipped beneath the waist of his breeches on occasion as her hands explored his body. He responded in kind, cupping one taut buttock in his hand.

Twin thumps heralded her shoes finding a place beside the bed, which she somehow managed without ever breaking their embrace. Before the second sound of leather on wood had even faded, her hands pushed down on his breeches from the back. Mindblind winced slightly from the discomfort of his rock-hard erection catching on linen, and slid one hand from her back to free the tip of his cock from the trap. She broke from the kiss, her fingers sliding to the front of his breeches to brush against the exposed mushroom tip.

Mindblind lifted his hips as she tugged, allowing her to expose him in the dim light filtering through the single window. As soon as he was nude, she unbuckled her belt, slowly sliding it through the loops on her pants. She caught a sheathed dagger when it dropped free from the retreating leather and secreted it beneath the pillow before allowing her belt to drop to the floor.

Raven reclined, unbuttoning her pants as she sank down to the straw and down-stuffed mattress. Mindblind pulled on the legs and she pushed from the top, sliding down pants and panties at the same time. In short order, they were both nude, and her pants dropped to the floor atop his.

She followed the example of their discarded garments.

Raven’s lips found his, and she leaned forward as they kissed, guiding him to lie down. Her knee crossed over his body and she straddled him, the curls on her mound tickling his abdomen while his erection tapped against her taut ass.

She gasped, breaking away from an especially ardent, tongue-wrangling kiss to look down at him and smile. A slight shift of her hips was all it took to press the head of his cock against her slippery sex, and a second engulfed him deep inside her.

Mindblind groaned as her velvety soft walls squeezed him. Above him, she let out a whimpering moan. He was surprised when instead of sitting up over him, she instead sank down atop him, curling an arm behind his neck and pushing the other beneath his back.

He embraced her, one hand resting on the small of her back and the other on the back of her head as she kissed him. Her body moved in sinuous waves atop him, stirring his cock inside her. She moaned and whimpered into their kisses, seemingly trying to pull him closer with each passing moment.

As usual, she was in control, but it was far different this time. Gone was the almost desperate rush to climax, replaced with a tenderness that neither of them had really experienced before. Blissful minutes rolled by – their bodies joined as one – and they reveled in the slow boil of rising pleasure.

Sweat slicked their bodies as Raven moved faster, her breaths coming in short pants. “I... Oh... Oh yes,” she softly whimpered, and then stiffened.

Mindblind caressed her back and ran his fingers through her hair as she came, her fingers curling into claws. She trembled, her mouth hanging open and eyes tightly closed – frozen in a moment of perfect ecstasy. It ended with a high-pitched moan as she collapsed atop him, still shivering and twitching.

Nowhere near his own peak, he simply held her as her orgasm played out. He found he was smiling and relaxed, perfectly content as her intimate muscles unpredictably clenched and fluttered around him.

“Oh. Oh wow. That was different,” she whispered, her breath stirring his hair. A chuckle shook her, and then she moaned. “It was so good, though.”

He kissed the top of her head – the only place he could reach in their current position.

“Did you..?”

“It’s okay.”

It wasn’t really an answer, but she must have understood. “Better than okay. Gods, I’m still tingling all over. But I want you to get there too.”

Raven showed no sign of moving, and as strange as it was, she felt good in his arms, lost in the afterglow of her orgasm. He was on the verge of drifting off to sleep again, still buried deep inside her hot, slippery sheath when she shifted her weight.

Opening his eyes, he realized she was rolling off to the side, but still holding on to him tight. He got the hint and planted one hand on the bed, pushing to roll with her. He slipped free, his cock slapping against him and spattering her juices up his abs.

“No,” she plaintively moaned. “Back in.” At the same time, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer.

A growling groan escaped him as his cock slid back inside her. His balls had barely settled against her when she wrapped her legs around him as well. The pressure of her legs tightened, pulling him closer, then relaxed. He fell into the rhythm, rocking his hips in time with her squeezes.

“Ahhh. Ohhh. Just like that,” she moaned. “Right there. Ohhh yes.”

Though his range of movement was limited, it was more than enough. The feeling of sliding in and out of her made him groan and his heart quicken. The slow pace of his short thrusts let him feel her clinging to every inch of him. Her every indrawn breath was a gasp, and she let out sharp whimpers every so often, her eyes alternately widening and pinching closed. Though he didn’t know it, the position was perfectly causing his cock to slide along her swollen clit, driving her toward another peak right alongside him.

“S-say my name, Cerebus. P-please,” She gasped out as the needs of his body pushed him to thrust faster.

“So good, Raven,” he groaned.

“No. No. Real name.” The last trailed off into a loud squeal.

“Rayneena.”

“Y-y-yes!”

“Come for me, Rayneena,” he said, recognizing the signs in her expression that her pleasure was mounting toward a crescendo.

“Yes. So close. I... I... Ahh! Mmm!”

A quavering cry of release burst from her lips as she reached her peak, her arms and legs tightening around him. Her walls contracted, though his passion-fueled strength allowed him to resist her grip and keep thrusting.

“Ah, Rayneena. Gonna come,” he grunted.

Raven squealed, the sound transforming into broken, breathless words as she continued to come. “Fill me up. Yes! C-come!”

His last thrust was powerful, driving her ass down into the mattress. A sound mingling qualities of a growl, groan, and roar rumbled in his throat, echoing back from the walls as it joined her cries of release, forming a symphony of perfect ecstasy. His cum erupted in a long, powerful jet, coating the entrance to her womb and pooling in her depths. After the briefest of pauses, he sucked in a great breath and lurched when a second ejaculation traveled up the length of his shaft, bursting forth with equal power to the first.

Again and again, his balls tightened, his shaft pulsed, and his seed further flooded her depths. The sound of them both crying out grew dim – muffled. His head was swimming as sweat ran in rivulets down his arms and abdomen, dripping onto her equally glistening body below. She writhed on the mattress, pinned down by his throbbing shaft as they remained trapped in the seemingly endless cycle of wonderful agony.

By the time Mindblind’s wits returned, he was barely supporting his weight above her on a trembling arm. Raven was desperately panting for breath, still twitching from aftershocks. Near to collapse, he moved with barely any conscious thought. His cock pulled free with a slurping sound that she drowned out with a yelp, and he collapsed next to her on the bed, precariously perched on the edge.

For long minutes, neither of them could catch their breath. Raven somehow found the presence of mind to roll over, laying her head on his chest. Eventually, they both settled down from their peaks, and Mindblind draped a weary arm over her naked back.

“Okay, that was really good,” Raven said, her voice sounding odd because her cheek was still pressed against his chest.

“Oh, fuck yeah,” he had to agree. He had come so much that near the end, he’d had the brief, irrational thought that his balls were trying to come up as well.

“Thought I was going to faint when you said my name – my real name.”

“Thought it would feel odd saying it, but it didn’t. Felt right.”

“So right. Think we woke the family up?”

“Don’t really care right now.”

She let out a girlish giggle. “This was Kay’s idea. She talked about how wonderful it was. She was right. I’m going to have to thank her.”

“Me too.”

Raven gave a tug on his arm, encouraging him to move closer to the center of the bed. She snuggled in so that neither of them was on the verge of falling off, and for a while, they lay together in silence.

Mindblind let out a surprised grunt when her fingers traced the length of his softened – and still sensitive – cock.

“Not that down and dirty fucking isn’t great too,” she said, the previous softness of her voice gone. “And I’m ready for more.”

Mindblind’s head thumped hard into the pillow as she darted in, slurping his cock between her lips to get it hard again.

It didn’t take long at all.

****

“You know, a girl could get used to this,” Raven said, snuggling up against Mindblind as he awoke. No light shone through the window, indicating that they’d awakened before the sun.

“Think I could too.”

“I don’t have to remind you that I’ll cut out your tripes if you ever breathe a word of it to anyone, do I?”

“Hehe. Nope.”

“Much as I don’t want to get up, I should probably head into town and see how Yani’s doing. She actually notices when I’m gone now. It’s almost strange.”

“Good strange, though.”

“Yep.” Raven sighed and climbed out of bed.

Mindblind couldn’t help but admire her lithe, nude body as she bent to pick up her discarded clothing. When she caught him, she twitched her eyebrows and swatted her bottom before returning to the task at hand.

A basin of water let them both wash off the abundant evidence of the previous night’s passion, though Mindblind suspected the bedclothes and even the mattress itself were probably done. The whole of the small room smelled like sex. He dressed as well when she did, and the first rays of sunlight peeked above the horizon as they met in front of the door.

“Coming into town with me?” she asked as she opened the door and stepped out.

Seeing his younger brother headed toward him from the front of the house, he smiled. “Can’t just yet. I’ve got a promise to keep.”

“I’ll be waiting at the Cat, then. Don’t be too long.”

Vladamir walked past Raven, and almost immediately turned around to stare at her. Mindblind grabbed his brother’s arm, spinning him around.

“Who’s that?” Vladamir asked, looking back over his shoulder.

“Do you want to hear about the adventure, or not?”

That was more than enough to distract Vladamir from the sight of Raven. He nodded his head emphatically.

Mindblind laughed and patted his brother on the back. “Well, it started out just like I told you it would – a boring, bumpy wagon ride...”