I felt a rib give out with a violent crack as she forced herself down atop me. I found myself wondering how many times I was going to end up in this situation. Another harsh landing shot pain throughout my body, and I wondered if this would be last time I would be in any situation.

I’ve never cared much for orcs. They always seem to rub me the wrong way, and this marked the second time in my life my ribs were getting crushed by one. I had been trying to get away, now I’d settle for just surviving.

I tried to yell for help once more, hoping maybe one of the guards was nearby, but I could hardly muster the strength. I prayed I’d turn my head and see Helasia. Another thrust from my captor and I felt the life pressing out of me. Moments ago, I had been so convinced I had done the right thing. Now, I was beginning to worry.

“Lady!” I pleaded, “you’re kil—“

“Shut up,” came a deep, demanding voice followed by a backhand across my head.

In pain and delirious I turned my head once more towards the cave exit. Shallow breaths were more than I could manage anymore, and my vision began to fade.

“I’m sorry… love…” I whispered out into the world as a darkness enveloped me.

***

Lights, brilliant lights shone through the darkness. There were several of them, and with such strange colors. Purple flashes erupted and I felt a sensation of pain as a great deal of weight suddenly disappeared from atop me. My eyes opened a fraction more and I caught glimpse of a pair of orange orbs that seemed so familiar.

“I’ll get him out of here,” came a far-off voice I was pretty sure I knew.

A distant but terrifying roar filled the cave and suddenly my mind began to think. I knew that voice, and I knew that roar. Enko and Helasia were here. I felt a bottle pressed to my lips and instinctively imbibed its contents. The world began to come into focus, and I felt renewed vitality as my bones began stitching themselves back together.

I was in Enko’s arms, and she was running away from the cave.

“Wait!” I whispered forcibly to protest, “we’ve got to help Helasia!”

“You’re in no condition,” Enko practically snarled at me.

I struggled against her. Most Mageni are much larger than I am, but Enko and I are about the same size, granted she’s considerably stronger. Even still, I wormed myself away enough such that she had to stop and set me down a moment.

I struggled to my feet, if for no other reason than to prove I could stand.

“Fine, then you go help her, I’ll be fine,” I pointed back towards the cave, “that fuckin orc’s gonna kill her!”

Aggravated, but conceding the point, Enko turned around, purple flare emanating from her eyes. Despite my better judgement, I followed her, my movements strained and slow. Helasia is tough, maybe the toughest person I know, but even she wouldn’t a match against something as powerful as a pissed off nine and half foot orc.

Enko rounded the bend slinging a spell into the dark chasm. Rarely do I see her with such an offensive disposition, that woman looked ready to take on the world. She stared intently into the cave in a fighting stance, ready to sling again. Then, a moment later she dropped her guard, visibly relieved.

Coming up behind her I peered into the cave in time to witness a pair of familiar orange eyes stepping out into the light. Helasia was gripping her arm. It could have been broken. Behind her I saw a limp mass of orc laying on the cave floor. That woman is tough.

“Ar—“ Enko started.

“Are you alright?!” I exclaimed, bursting past Enko clumsily.

I ran up to Helasia examining her wounds. I reached into a pouch she kept on her hip and retrieved a healing bottle.

“Here,” I said, pressing it to her lips, “drink.”

“I’m fine.”

“Shut up and drink.”

She looked past me to Enko before conceding by taking the bottle in her own hands and drinking. Looking visibly better, she put a forceful clawed hand upon my shoulder and spun me around. Enko had already contacted the city patrol to come remove the unruly guest, and so the pair all but dragged me back to the cabin.

***

“You idiot,” Enko declared for about the fifth time, hugging me tightly, tears running down her cheeks, “you could have been killed!”

“I’m alright love.”

“You should have come and found me,” Helasia declared, her eyes still ablaze.

“So much better she keep assaulting Ryland?”

“She was infatuated with him. YOU hit her with a club!” Enko declared angrily.

“Shoulda hit her harder.”

“You should have found ME!” Helasia pleaded angrily.

I was about to retort again but my brain had finally caught up, and I realized how rash I had been. A moment later I sighed in defeat.

“She was hurting Ryland,” I said hanging my head, “I would have done the same for any runner but… Ryland… I just… I saw him in pain and I lost it.”

I found myself wrapped in a tight, tear-soaked hug from Enko.

“You idiot,” she whispered, “I almost lost you.”

“I’m fine lover, really… but thanks for coming for me.”

“Always,” she said, hugging me tighter, “I’d fight the keepers to make you safe.”

I believed her.

“I’m sorry… I’ll be smarter next time.”

“You’ll come and get me next time,” Helasia interjected.

I turned to her. The brightness of her eyes was finally starting to fade. Helasia is intimidating under the best of circumstances. All fired up as she had been she was downright terrifying. Looking into her eyes, I dropped my gaze and simply nodded.

“I’ll cancel my trip,” Enko said.

“No!” I said forcefully, “don’t you dare.”

Up until this moment Enko had planned a trip up north to petition one of the governors to adopt our province’s newer philosophy on freeing slaves. With easier access and a niche group of well-to-do Mageni freeing their husbands, word had begun to spread about the potential for a free and prosperous life in Mageni territory. Although it was still uncommon, more people from the northern human tribes had begun coming south into the territories. The uptick had definitely been noticed. Their requests to live in this province had also been noticed.

“Please love, you know what this means to me,” I pleaded.

For her part, she simply stared at me for a few moments before letting out a slow sigh.

“Alright, but promise me you’ll take some time off.”

I looked back at her in defiance. I was not about to let this experience traumatize me to the point of submission. It’s always been my philosophy to tackle such challenges head-on, and I couldn’t think of a better way to face down this incident than getting back out into the park.

“I won’t let him leave my sight,” Helasia stated confidently.

Not wanting to push the issue, I let it go at that. Enko seemed to accept this and simply nodded.

It was late, and we were all tired. The three of us slept in the bed that night. It was cramped, but we made do. They placed me in the middle between them, and I doubt any man has ever been safer.

The following morning Enko set out on her trip. Three weeks she was set to be gone. I wished her luck and gave her a passionate kiss goodbye. She made me promise I’d take care of myself before making Helasia promise to look out for me. Then she was gone.

Helasia, having been given charge to watch over me, was granted amnesty from her regular duties. We had more guards than we needed on staff anyway. I felt like it was overkill but Enko had insisted.

***

I behaved for a day. Even after a healing potion broken ribs just don’t quite feel right for a little while. On the second day, after going through my morning routine, I began walking down the ramp from our hut.

“Where are you going?” Helasia inquired.

“I promised I’d take some time. I took a day, now I’m going back to work.”

Hearing this, she quickly trotted down the ramp and promptly grabbed me by the arm.

“The hell you are. You almost died not two days ago!”

“And now look at me, I’m fine. I’m not gonna spend the rest of my days living up there,” I said nodding back towards the hut.

“No, just the days until Enko’s back,” she insisted.

I stared at her flatly. Was she serious, three weeks effectively chained to the bed? There was just no way. We stared at each other intently for a few moments. Her disposition made it clear that she was serious and that nothing I could say was going to change her mind. In her head, promising Enko to look after me meant keeping me out of the reserve until she got back.

I conceded with a sigh.

“Fine,” I said simply, walking back up the ramp.

Visibly relieved, Helasia followed me back into the hut where I sat down at the table and stared blankly into the ceiling.

Several moments passed in silence while my head spun. My stomach growled, breaking the quiet.

“Could we at least get some breakfast?” I asked.

Smiling, she nodded.

“Anything you want.”

I closed my eyes for a moment thinking.

“What about that diner Belsi’s people have across town? I haven’t had their eggs in forever.”

“You wanna eat there or just get it for here?”

“Let’s eat here,” I said, rubbing my chest as if to make my ribs feel better.

She watched me for a moment as I continued to rub gently at where the orc had crushed me.

“Let me grab some real clothes,” I said standing up with a subtle wince.

I started to walk towards the closet. I felt a firm clawed hand come to rest gently on my shoulder.

“I’ll go,” she started, “you rest.”

“You sure?” I asked turning around.

She smiled softly and nodded, “you look like you could use it.”

The truth was I really could have used the extra rest. I felt serviceable but far from right. Conceding her point I gave her a thank you and a hug before walking out onto the back balcony.

Not ten seconds after she had disappeared from view down the road I promptly turned around, walked down the ramp to the spa, and then right out into the park. I wasn’t sure who was going to kill me first, but I knew damn well nobody was going sideline me for the better part of a month. It wouldn’t look right to the other runners. Besides, I’m just not built that way.

***

My first stop was my favorite tree house to the northwest. I made sure to run the whole way there rubbing my scent along every branch and leaf I could. At camp I took some time to sit on the log near the fire pit to mark it with my scent. I started a fire with enough fuel to burn for about thirty minutes. I figured she’d probably set upon my camp about ten minutes after it burned out.

Zipping up to the tree-house I grabbed a descenting potion and swapped my tunic for a fresh one I had stashed away a few weeks prior. Drinking the contents of the jar I put the empty vessel into a container of empties for me to process later and then descended back to the ground floor.

East, I thought. Home base. It was probably the worst move I could make. People would talk one way or the other when Helasia caught up to them. Everyone would see me and eventually she’d know exactly where I was. It’d be a dumb move, an amateur move, and that’s exactly why it was the next move I was going to make. It wouldn’t be safe for long, but it’d be the safest place for a while. Thinking of how ironic it’d be to get caught by a guest with Helasia on my tail, I sped off into the forest.

***

“No dude, she’s on vacation,” I exclaimed to one of the men inside the tree-house, “and last time she was on vacation she came here to hunt as a guest.”

Several of the veterans nodded, remembering the last time Helasia had taken a vacation at the reserve.

“Yeah, and tore a hole through your ass, didn’t she?” remarked one man.

“Yeah… she’s definitely had me,” I shrugged, “I’m betting next time she’ll come for one of you.”

This elicited a mixture of excitement and concern.

“I wouldn’t worry though,” I remarked, “I doubt she’s coming here again. She’s probably getting drunk on a beach or touring her way through the brothels.”

It was the beginning part of a peak season and all of the runners we’re sharing some of their new stories. One of them had seen Helasia leaving the park and had thought maybe she had quit. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect setup.

“If I see her this week I’m running,” another man remarked.

“You and me both,” I laughed.

The time went on and the stories continued. Home base was full of runners and I had managed to stay ahead of Helasia for several hours by coming here. Even still, I figured the gig was going to be up soon.

As I predicted, Helasia came strolling into home base about an hour later. Usually, she’d be greeted by a slew of runners who would be happy to see her. Today however, news of her sudden “vacation” had spread and the camp erupted into pure chaos the moment she was spotted.

“Helasia is here, everybody RUN!” a man exclaimed, running into the tree-house.

Taking this to be my cue I downed another descenting potion I had been hoarding for just this occasion. My time at home base had been nice. I had gotten my fill of food and water and was ready to go make camp somewhere out in the brush.

Sticking with the crowd as best I could I made sure to stay out of Helasia’s line of sight as she desperately tried to catch other runners to interrogate them about my location. By the time she’d find out I had been there I’d be halfway to anywhere.

***

The rock bluffs north of home base aren’t the most comfortable of places to spend the night. Not to mention only a fool would camp out where there’s no cover. That said, I figured slipping out with the cover of darkness would probably help aid my success. The season was plenty warm and I wouldn’t need a fire to sustain myself. My intuition proved to be correct and I awoke safe, but sore. A soak in one of the hot tubs sounded nice.

Sticking to the edge of our bounds as much as possible I slowly worked my way back south to the spa. There were only a couple of runners and a few succubi doing their thing. The water felt amazing on my aching joints and I even managed to score a couple of drinks courtesy a la succubus. Suffice to say I didn’t go with her but as an impromptu thanks I did sway one of the other runners onto her.

I watched as the couple disappeared towards the cabins. A moment later, I caught sight of a familiar face coming towards me, it was Ryland. Seeing me in the tubs he smiled before joining me himself.

“I’m surprised to find you out here mate,” he offered in greeting.

I simply waved my hand at him dismissively.

“I’ll bet that bitch worked you over pretty good, eh?” he continued, “I didn’t get a chance to thank you for that. I don’t much care for orcs. How did you get away so soon, or did she leave already?”

“Don’t mention it,” I offered coolly, wanting desperately to change the subject, “she’s gone but did you see that tigress lady who checked in?”

Ryland made a long, low whistle.

“Built like a tank mate, I don’t know if I’m more scarred or intrigued.”

“I’ll bet she’s a softie,” I stated speculatively, “the bigger they are the cuddlier they get.”

Ryland laughed and we continued through the rest of the morning as such. I was glad to see he was ok, even if he didn’t know how close I’d come to biting the bullet for him not two days prior. I can’t possibly express in words how thankful I was to have Ryland in my life. The good times continued well into the afternoon.

***

“So, like, what do you guys miss the most?” asked one of the men who had joined us after a couple hours.

“Submissive women,” Ryland blurted out whilst roaring with laughter, he was a bit drunk at this point.

“Probably the internet,” I offered in turn.

“What’s that?” he asked, innocently enough.

“A good place to find bad porn and worse fiction,” Ryland chuckled.

“Well, that too I suppose,” I started, “but it was an easy way to find information quickly. Recipes, maps, science.”

I sighed.

“Sounds neat.”

“It was. Careful the things you take for granted man.”

“Especially maps,” Ryland said, dropping his cheerful demeanor, “I still can’t believe we don’t even know what this continent looks like, not really.”

Ryland had developed a fascination with maps. The Mageni just weren’t interested in such things except for the bits they needed specifically. Of course, I found it strange, but no more so than anything else about my new home. I was about to chip in when another runner came up calling my name.

“Hey man, Helasia’s looking for you?” he started, “she looks pissed.”

I adopted a look of concerned confusion.

“Is she alright? Where is she?”

“Last I saw her she was around home base; you might go see her.”

“I’ll do that,” I said nodding whilst getting out of the tub, “thanks.”

It was time to go. It wouldn’t be long before someone left the spa and told her right where I was. With a heartfelt nod I bid Ryland and the other runners farewell and made towards the tree line as if I was headed towards home base.

When I was safely out of sight of the spa, I made a hard left. I figured the caves would be my best bet for avoiding Helasia moving forward.

***

The caves are usually considered a high-risk area. Lots of the ambush predator types like to spend time in them but the food drops are much better and there’s lots of cover if you know how to be careful. Even I have to admit, after three days of successfully hiding out I was beginning to feel quite comfortable. I had had a couple of encounters, if they could so be called, but had fairly easily outmaneuvered my opponents. I am pretty slippery after all.

On the fourth day I had a welcome visitor. Ryland had found me yet again.

“You’re a right bastard, you know that?” he chided, only half kidding.

“What’d I do?”

“Helasia found me, damn near thought she was gonna kill me after I told her we’d spent the bulk of our day at the spa together. Why the hell didn’t you tell me what happened with that damned orc bitch!?”

“What’s to say? She was being too rough. On both me and you.”

“She could’ve killed you, “ he retorted.

“And yet I’m still here. Thank Enko and Helasia for that.”

“You shouldn’t be out here mate. You needed to take more time off. And damn you for trying to be some guardian spirit, I can take care of myself. She wasn’t trying to kill me.”

I wanted to argue, I really did. I wanted to tell him I’d go to war for him, that it wasn’t right how she had been working him over. He had come so far in the months since first getting here and I just couldn't stand to watch him get pummeled by some bitch with a superiority complex. I was ready to start, but the look in his eyes stopped me. I saw hurt, not because of what I had done, but because of what had happened to me on his behalf. I took a moment to process how I would have felt from his perspective. If he had done the same for me, well, let’s just say I would be feeling pretty bad.

“I’m sorry,” I said in earnest, “but you would have done the same for me.”

I saw similar thoughts run through his head before he finally settled and sighed.

“Yeah mate, in a heartbeat.”

A long silence filled the air after that, but it felt appropriate. After several moments I finally decided to speak.

“How did you find me anyway? Helasia’s been at it for days and she’s gotta be way better at this than you are.”

I could see him thinking pretty hard on that one. After a moment he shrugged.

“I guess I just know you mate,” he offered in an almost defeated tone, “I’m gonna go.”

He turned solemnly towards the nearest exit, a hole to the cornfield above.

“Wait,” I called, “hey uh, don’t tell Helasia I’m here? Please?”

For his part, he turned around to look at me, still looking defeated. For a moment it was like he was looking past me. I could tell he was thinking hard about something before he finally looked down and nodded.

“Won’t tell her a thing mate, won’t talk to her tonight at all, but get some rest, eh?”

He turned away again before walking down the hall-like cave, and then he was gone. For what it’s worth I believed him. I didn’t think he’d say anything more to Helasia, at least not tonight. Even still, it was time to go, I’d been compromised.

Steeling myself I gathered my nerves and began turning around to head towards the next nearest exit. There wasn’t any point in hanging around here for him to have a change of heart. I began contemplating what my next move should be.

As I turned around my mind blanked as I realized the cave was far darker than it should have been. Somewhere in my confusion I took note of an increasingly bright light above me. No, correction, two lights, they were orange, flaming even, and staring right at me.

***

Waking up I had vague remembrances of a rag pressing into my face. A familiar scent of a brew I knew as a sleeping aid tickled my memory. It had been dialed up substantially, I’d been drugged unconscious. I bolted up suddenly and found myself in a familiar place, my bed.

Fear flooded my mind in a way I find difficult to describe. I was in a panic actually, not a sensation I’m familiar with. Helasia came bursting into the room. You’d think this would have alarmed me further but I found her presence suddenly comforting. I even found myself jumping up to hug her in a warm embrace as she crossed the room towards me.

“Much better,” she chided.

I buried my face into her bosom and became suddenly aware of several facts. The first was that she wasn’t beating me senseless. Don’t get me wrong, it would have been uncharacteristic of her, but I think she might have been well within her rights by this point. The second was that I myself had been uncharacteristically fearful not a moment ago. Lastly, I became aware of a collar around my neck.

When we travel, I typically wear a collar. It signifies ownership of a slave and, in turn, reduces the likelihood of a man getting kidnapped while on their own. As much as I may hate the thing, I can at least appreciate that much. That said, I wasn’t wearing my collar.

Collars come in all sorts of configurations ranging from the simple to the decadent. The lower end ones are little more than a strap of leather, but some folks like to dish out more for things like metal or even enchanted materials. Enchantments are expensive, but then again, so are husbands. It’s actually reasonably common to purchase enchanted collars for training new slaves to condition them in various ways. It’s a process I find deplorable, but even I can’t argue the effectiveness. It occurred to me I was probably wearing such a collar right now, designed to instill a sense of fear and unease when I wasn’t around my keeper, in this case, Helasia.

“Not cool,” I said hotly whilst pointing to the collar.

“What choice did you give me?” she returned venomously; it was very uncharacteristic.

I began to swell with anger. In my mind they were treating me like some fragile thing that needed to be coddled. I raised a finger and drew in a breath, preparing to voice my objections.

I caught sight of our preserving shelf near the table. There, on one of the middle shelves I saw a perfectly preserved meal with three eggs, just the way I like them, bread, some fantastic looking breakfast meat, and even a sweet roll. My anger faded. She had gone to the diner, gotten everything I had wanted and more, brought it back, found me missing, and instead of throwing it out or leaving it alone she had taken the time to place it onto the shelf so that it’d be ready for me whenever she got me back here.

“Do you know how close I came to calling Enko? Do you know how much I panicked when I found you missing, just to hear from some new runner that you were out gallivanting around the park?”

I listened to her words distantly, still thinking about the food and the events leading up to here.

“What stopped you… from calling her?” I asked as my head began to fall.

“Because I know what she’s doing is important to you,” she said in a tone that conveyed a cooling anger.

I thought about that for a moment. If she had called Enko, and I couldn’t have even faulted her for it, she’d likely miss the meeting up north and maybe miss an opportunity for real change in the provinces. My head sank lower. A moment later I stepped forward and once more buried myself into her with the tightest hug I could manage.

“I’m sorry,” I said followed by a deep sigh, “thank you for not doing that.”

For her part, Helasia stood rather rigid for a few moments. I worried for a moment before she finally melted into my embrace.

“You’re a dick, you know that?” she asked in a more playful, albeit still agitated tone.

“I know,” I said after a moment, “I just wanted to prove I didn’t need any coddling.”

“I don’t think you’re weak, I just wish you’d take some more time to rest. How much time would you give any of the other runners off if they’d have been the one.”

“As long as they needed,” I said, still hugging her, “and I didn’t feel like I need any mo—“

“So, you’d let any one of those men out there back out onto the floor after an incident like this? The very next day?” she probed, getting hot again.

It had actually been two days, case in point, but I wasn’t about to debate the semantics of it all. Her point was valid. I would have probably insisted on a week off for any of the other men. If for no other reason than to give their ribs time to feel right again. Don’t get me wrong, functionally they’re good to go almost immediately after imbibing the potion, they just don’t feel good.

“I suppose there’s not much chance of you letting back out into the park after a couple more days is there?”

“I’m tempted to drag you back to my place,” she said, pulling me tighter with her eyes closed.

“Promises promises,” I said playfully, I think it caught her off guard.

Helasia’s mood cycled between angry and amused, but in the end, I think her amusement was winning out. As harsh as she was trying to be, and perhaps rightfully so, I think part of why we work as well as we do is because of moments like these.

After several long moments in an almost unbearable silence, she finally sighed, shedding all of the anger she had felt. She composed herself in the elegant and disciplined manner I’m accustomed to, and all was beginning to feel well again.

“OK,” I started, “I was being rash and hardheaded, and I just wanted to prove that I’m fine in the only way I know how. I didn’t really take the time to consider how I would place you into an impossible situation with Enko, and I’m sorry.”

She seemed to accept my words but remained quiet. We were still locked in an embrace. A moment later she squeezed me tighter in her arms.

“How Enko hasn’t killed you after all these years is beyond me,” she said defiantly.

“Pretty sure she’s tried, guess it just doesn’t stick with me,” I joked.

She let out a short breath and continued to hold me. We both stayed silent. I was deep in thought and, I presume, she was too.

“Helasia?” I asked a moment later, pulling my head back to look up at her, “please… take this thing off?”

She stared at me for a moment, thinking.

“I’m not sure if I trust you right now,” she said, sounding a little hurt.

“I promise I won’t abuse any trust you give me right now.”

She thought it over for a moment. I think part of her really thought I would run off again. If I’m being honest, that’s the part that hurt the most. Finally, with a small sigh, she nodded and began the process of pulling it off of me. In the end I think it was the look in my eyes that convinced her to acquiesce.

I felt better with the collar off of me almost instantly. I watched intently as Helasia walked over to a chest of drawers and deposited it inside. She came back to my side and sat down on the bed. She slouched over and looked exhausted. I got the feeling she hadn’t slept whilst looking for me.

“Thank you,” I offered, to which she simply nodded absently.

“If I fall asleep, are you going to run on me again?” she asked flatly.

I stepped beside her, lifting her chin to look her in the eyes. They were brilliantly orange and bright, albeit not flaming as they had been some time ago.

“No,” I said simply, “I’ll do anything you want.”

I had meant it as a peace offering, but the way her eyes flared in response to my comment indicated I had sparked her imagination a bit. Even still, she looked exhausted. I extended my hand. She accepted it with some confusion. I walked around to the other side of the bed and began pulling her into me, which she accepted. A moment later we locked in an embrace. She fell asleep fast. I hoped that meant she had forgiven me.

***

I think Helasia slept a full fourteen hours straight. The days that followed weren’t very interesting either. She would go with me on walks and the like and asked that I not work. On the third day she made it a point for me to know that she was simply asking me to stay out of the park. If I wanted to go back into the park, I had her blessing. I made sure to reiterate to her that I promised to do what she asked, at least until Enko got back. On the fourth day, well, it got more interesting.

“How are your ribs feeling?” she asked me after breakfast, as she had each day prior.

In truth, my ribs had felt fine for a couple of days at least. I decided to try and put her mind at ease once and for all.

“Pretty good today, no soreness at all actually.”

She nodded gently.

“Shower?” she asked.

I smiled and nodded. This had become one of my favorite parts of the day.

“I’ll get it ready,” she said, walking towards the bathroom.

A moment later I heard water running. Shedding my clothes, I turned to walk towards the sound when something caught my eye. A couple days prior Helasia had brought in a burlap bag. When I had inquired about it, she had rambled on something about overnight supplies or something. I honestly hadn’t thought much of it. This morning there were distinctive bottles laying on top of it, I didn’t recognize either of them.

Curious, I walked over to the brews and found they each had some sort of label. I still didn’t recognize either of them.

“They’re from that lab you’re ever so fond of.”

Helasia’s voice came from directly behind me, nearly making me jump. She must have snuck up behind me knowing I’d see the bottles.

“The lab?” I asked, before a sudden realization came over me.

I turned around to see her naked form before me. She looked excited, predatory even, and her eyes were bright and flaming.

“Up for it?” she asked like a challenge.

I gulped dryly. The last time I had let her feed me a potion she’d ridden me for more than a day straight. Don’t get me wrong, it had been one of the best lays of my life, but tortuous all the same. I turned around and eyed the brews cautiously.

“What will they do to me?” I asked cautiously.

“Mmmm, uh-uh,” she chided, “yes, or no?”

I continued to stare at the bottles. I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into. No, I take that back, I knew exactly what I was getting into, I just didn’t how much trouble I was in yet.

I felt a naked heat press up against me from behind. Seductive lips pressed themselves to my ear in a gentle kiss.

“Afraid I’m going to run you down again?” she whispered through hot breath.

Her aura was impressive and I found myself completely, if not painfully, erect. I had wondered all week if she was ever going to take advantage of our proximity, I just didn’t expect to hit the ground running like this.

“I believe I said I’d do anything you want,” I said almost absently, refusing to take my eyes off the bottles.

Hot, wet lips kissed the back of my head before a dark, clawed hand reached out past me and retrieved both bottles.

“One for you,” she said, handing me the first, “and one for me.”

She drained the contents of her bottle quickly as I uncapped mine and stared at the strange liquid.

“Let me get that for you,” she said in a sultry voice before lifting the bottle from my hands and placing it to my lips.

I accepted my fate and imbibed the contents. I was her plaything now.

Heat, I somewhat expected that part. Lust, definitely par for the course. Lightning, that part caught me off guard a bit but that’s the best way I can describe it. Touching her skin was like a sensuous lighting coursing through my body. I just wanted to touch her, every part of her and with every part of me. I gathered the effects of her own brew were similar as she responded quite favorably to this attention.

She wetly licked my cheek, dragging her tongue across the cheekbone and leaving a long streak of wet residue. The effect was incredible, like lightning pouring into the nerves of my skin directly into my brain in the most erotic symphony of feelings I lack the words to explain.

I came. I don’t even know how, I guess the sensation was just that overpowering. The load flung from my body onto her leg where my bodily fluids seemed to have a similar effect on her. She buckled at the knees as ecstasy evidently flooded over her causing a nearly instantaneous orgasm.

Regaining some level of composure, she stiffened enough to begin moving towards the still running shower, dragging me in tow. Every touch from her body felt erotic, every movement flooded my senses with ecstasy. We finally arrived in front of the shower. I could feel droplets of warm liquid splash onto my naked form. The sensation was similar to when she had licked me, albeit less intense. I think bodily fluids worked more potently.

Standing before the shower we felt around each other for several moments enjoying the various sensations our touch now provided. Somewhere along the line I looked up into her eyes. They were flaring their characteristic orange hues in a bright pattern I’d never seen on her before. Her facial expression however, looked quite familiar. Although I have to admit, mischievous is really more of Enko’s look.

Staring back down at me, I saw a notorious grin. Helasia’s arms lifted me up gently. She licked my cheek again which promptly sent me into another sensory overload. Then, she pushed me into the warm running water. I liken the sensation to how a crustacean must feel falling into boiling water, albeit with a much more erotic flair. If I’m being honest, I don’t remember much about the actual events during this time, just the sheer magnitude of the sensations as lighting tore through my entire body. I collapsed onto the floor of the shower as load after load sprang from my body violently.

It didn’t take Helasia long to join me after she witnessed seminal fluid that might be going to waste. I’m admittedly fuzzy on the details, but I do distinctly remember her lips and tongue engulfing me. For several minutes we sat on the floor, her body compelled to extract every ounce of fluid she could from me.

I’ve experienced a lot of things, but I’ve never quite felt anything like that. The sheer abundance of euphoria, the chemical swarm that accompanies multiple ejaculations, and that wicked tongue of hers, it was just too much. I hate to admit it, but I passed out. Never in my life had I been run down in a matter of minutes, it’s embarrassing really. That said, I blame the potions.

***

I awoke sometime later. To my surprise I was still in the shower. Fortunately, enchantments being what they are, the water was still warm, even after what appeared to be several hours of us lying dormant. Not so fortunately I felt like there was a hole where my crotch used to be. Even more cruelly, I was still hard.

For Helasia’s part I found her passed out right beside me. I wasn’t sure how much longer she had lasted but did find it interesting her aura was still in full swing. I wagered the potion she had downed was likely responsible for that. Even still, I was unaccustomed to experiencing the effects of a Mageni’s aura while being the only one awake. I don’t know what came over me, but I decided not to waste the opportunity.

Helasia awoke sometime later to me riding her. She wasn’t upset by that, but I could tell she was confused.

“Finally, you’re awake,” I exclaimed without stopping.

“Wha—“ she started as her eyes rolled to the back of her head.

I tried to enjoy the moment but my body was just too far past the red line. With a final thrust I ejaculated and then fell back onto the floor panting.

“Honestly, after the run you gave me last time, I was expecting more from you, but here I am continuing the job after you’re the one to pass out.”

Confusion flooded her face as she tried to make sense of the situation.

“I— but you— uh,” she paused for a moment, “NO! YOU passed out first, I definitely remember that.”

I tried to retort, I really did, but my energy was just too low. I let the moment continue in silence as I tried to catch my breath.

“Well,” she started, “I suppose if you’ve still got more to gi—“

“Please no!” I stated quickly.

She smirked at me with those orange eyes.

“I think you’re pleading with the predator, isn’t that an amateur mistake?”

In truth, that’s correct. No runner who’s looking for a reprieve should ever utter such words. I’m usually pretty good about such things, but when I’m with Helasia, well, I guess it’s just different for me. It doesn’t feel like entertaining a client, more like being with a loved one.

“You’re not a client,” I said, half mockingly.

“No, clients don’t have to work nearly as hard to bring you home as I did,” she retorted.

That hurt a little bit, but I wasn’t going to make a fuss about it.

“So, what should I say instead,” I said, rolling over to her, “what would be the correct approach to make sure you grant me a reprieve?”

“Admit I can run you down, how I want, when I want,” she demanded playfully.

“Oh, come on,” I returned, “I’m not that easy to run down.”

She pulled herself up and rolled onto me. I felt helpless to do anything with her bulk weighing down.

“Alright then, round tw—“

“OK! alright,” I started, “you’re more monster than me.”

Beaming, she seemed to accept my admission and rolled off of me.

“How Enko ha—“

“Hasn’t killed me,” I interrupted, “I know I know.”

***

The following day Helasia asked if she could drag me back to her place for about a week. I agreed under the condition I didn’t have to wear a collar anywhere we went. A week turned into a fortnight, not that I was complaining, it was good company.

if I’m being honest, her place wasn’t very comfortable. She was renting a hut from a wealthy lamia in town. I found the décor rather drab and the space somewhat cramped. Helasia has always been a very independent woman. That’s quite a feat for anyone, let alone a dark hound. Even still, I found it hard bear she lived the way she did away from the reserve. The guard’s quarters were easily better than the shack she lived in. Even still, good company has a way of making even the worst of places feel homey.

 ***

I wrapped myself around Enko as tightly as I could when she got home. As much as I had enjoyed my time with Helasia, I was beginning to feel a little homesick without my partner. On our way back to the reserve I described my adventures to her. She was a little upset listening to how I had run out into the park, but hardly surprised. What really upset her, however, was listening to me describe Helasia’s home. She had come to get me there, but hadn’t come in. After our conversation I saw a familiar mischievousness in my partner’s eyes.

A few days later Enko announced Helasia would be taking a new role. As the senior most guard at the park she was to assume the title of head of the guard. In order to provide a space for Helasia to conduct her new duties a cabin was built adjacent ours. It was complete with an office and sleeping quarters in case the head of the guard needed a private place to sleep. Curiously, a new bed for Enko and I’s own room showed up shortly after the cabin’s completion. It was much larger than our previous one, enough to fit five or six for some carnal activities, or two Mageni and a man for sleeping comfortably. At least it’s never cramped anymore.