The day was done, but the night was still young and full of uncertainty. It left a feeling in the air that something foreboding lurked out of sight. I first caught a glimpse of it through Vee's steely gaze and crooked grin and that'd be enough to kick things off, but it became the air itself that felt wrong. We've run across our fair share of troubles these past few weeks, but this felt like a force greater than any single man. I wasn't sure how to explain it. Perhaps Shoshanah or Ba'el could explain it? But first I 'd have to know how to quantify it. Something heavy and cold hung in the air; nothing felt quite right. Instead of letting paranoia consume me I focused all that energy into something productive: such as watch the rest of the manor through a pair parted curtains like some crazy old cook.

And so Rose, Minte and I waited here in this room; all for some vain hope that a sensuous and mysterious woman would reappear and be true to her word. It sounded a lot worse after thinking about it then I thought it would... She added to that feeling of something being out-of-place. Yet she didn't feel hostile. I had my reservations, of course, but we couldn't be choosers in this economy. I'd ask Rose or Minte's opinion on it, but my attempts to bring it up kept getting hitting a brick wall. They were busy with other things.

“How are you gonna stand guard right when your IN the room?” Rose chastised a stone faced Minte.

“—Too many patrols,” Minte replied.

She answered too slowly for Rose's liking.

“And that's different from a couple hours ago how ?” the salamander growled, her tone becoming increasingly incredulous.

Rose wasn't particularly pleased. She starred Minte down with her arms crossed in front of her chest and a talon tapping impatiently against the stone floor. Rose's animated hand gestures took up so much of this now crowded space that I retreated to the edge of the room so I wouldn't get caught up in that firestorm.

From the window in that corner of the room I spied a fog bank as it billowed in. That crawling cloud of white certainly fit the bill of something heavy and cold. It made the job of the guards difficult, the patrols they marched became increasingly random as they toughed it out. And there were quite a few of them this evening. Minte was right about that. How useful they'd be in this weather is up to debate. My thoughts strayed with it and I felt a sense of sympathy with them. It came in so suddenly and jumbled everything up. Like with what happened at the ball; if I couldn't watch them by the candle light they carried they would vanish into the cloud altogether. Yet none of this seemed a matter of concern.

Yaleria had no shortage of soggy marshland and depressing swamps. Moisture and high humidity would be common place, but this heavy and unnatural feeling in the pit of my stomach was as unnatural as the sudden change in weather.

“Well~?” Rose said while leaning in and nearly grinding her forehead against Minte's.

The assassin remained as motionless as a statue. Her antenna twitching and probing the air showed the only signs of life.

The manor as a whole remained eerily quiet, just like Minte. The hubbub of other guests' footsteps were nowhere to be heard. A party happened here a few hours ago, but no one stumbling out of the dark forest and soggy marshland at this hour would know it. You couldn't fault anyone who was here for forgetting it ended an hour ago. Most of the guests had already left. Those few that remained had to rest up for much longer journeys. All those plutocrats sleeping as their carriages rocked gently along the country dirt roads. I envied them, what I'd do for a taste of that relaxing atmosphere.

“Twenty-two Silver Bannermen waiting in the cellar,” Minte finally answered.

Rose leaned back. A frown appeared on her face instead of a wild grin like I imagined it would.

“Maybe more,” Minte said before her eyes darted in my direction.

I looked away and kept watching the patterns of the guard's patrols down below. The intensity of Minte's eyes wrung my heart out, the last thing I needed was more to worry about. For now I'd let those two settle this out on their own.

“How do you reckon that?” Rose asked. “Getting that close to a bunch of—“

Minte pulled a rather large bottle of liquor from behind her back. Yes, that's something that would be kept in the cellar. Rose took it and inspected it, smelled it and then uncorked and sampled it. She nodded and returned the gesture with an appreciative smile.

“Did ya mange to sneak a peek at any ranks?” Rose asked.

“Second class,” Minte replied, immediately this time. “Redeemers.”

Rose's frown turned into a sigh and I heard her step away and pace back and forth. I pried my eyes away from the window and watched the two. But that wasn't enough, so I had to ask:

“Is that a problem?”

I recalled the ferry from weeks ago that was full of them. I'm still not sure which of us were more surprised to find one another, but they didn't seem well coordinated despite how well armed and trained these Bannermen were.

“No amateurs, that's for sure,” Rose said. “A couple tours under their belts at least. And redeemers to boot.”

“—And?”

“Criminals,” Minte answered. “—Formally.”

“Jobs for tough stomachs. Mean lot,” Rose said. “Guess you'd stick em in the cellar to make room for the guests.”

“Jobs doing what? Odd jobs like guarding ferries?”

“Nah,” Rose said waving her claw dismissively. “Silvers keep ta the frontiers where they reclaim land. Pushing out monsters and squatting on ruins to dig up magic things. Rings, swords, armor, you name it. Finder's keepers. And some things they keep can get nasty.”

Rose jogged my memory and I recalled that one knight on the ferry with the weird shield. It certainly looked magical and had some pretty odd properties to boot.

“So an expendable group of ruthless criminals seeking clemency who dig up ancient treasures?”

“Sounds about right to me,” Rose affirmed. “But what were they doing down in the—”

From behind her back, Minte produced a burlap sack. Her sleight of hand is something else. Where exactly did she keep all these things hidden behind her back till now? Anyways, the sack's filled to the brim and the bottom of it was damp. It leaked with what looked like grease and oil. As before, Rose got excited and swiped the sack full of food. This time, however, she draped her other arm which held the bottle over Minte's shoulder.

“Minte. You are my best friend,” Rose said dryly, her face stoic and sincere.

The salamander wrapped her other arm around the shorter girl and bear hugged her. Minte's eyes went wide with surprise, but that might be because she was being squeezed to the point they were ready to shoot out of her sockets. She didn't make so much as a peep because all the air in her lungs was ejected when her ribcage almost imploded. Now satisfied, Rose let go and the mantis almost collapsed into the ground in a heap. Minte wobbled for a moment while trying to catch her breath. Rose plopped back down in a nearby chair and got to work emptying the bottle and sack's contents into her insatiable gullet.

So we're standing on top a prison cell for a penal company? That one guy certainly looked the part. He looked rough, tough and scarred as if a rake had been dragged over his face more times than once. The hulking man fit the stereotype of someone who had spent more time behind bars than as a free man. But that created more questions than answers. Why would the Count hire him, or a group of them? He didn't appear to be short on cash, so it couldn't be because there's a discount on hiring them... If there was one.

“And if they are a bunch of blood thirsty murderers for hire— you don't show it,” I said while tearing myself away from the window. “I figured you'd either be excited or worried.”

“Short leashes,” Rose said with a shrug and a mouth full of chicken breast. “Besides...” She took a deep breath and began counting off a list of reasons with her greasy claws. “We're at the end of the hallway, so we got a bottleneck in our favor. This room is on the top floor and they'd all have to cram through that window behind ya. I doubt that posh sod of a noble would wanna rattle the whole house with all the guests here. Oh! And we've already broken bread. We're guests like all the rest. Can't touch us now.”

“—More than just the bread,” I quipped quietly off to the side.

“Right! I'd say I'm near running on all boilers at max,” Rose boasted while flexing her arm and swishing her fiery tail behind her.

This morning I feared this would not have been a productive day, but now a new carrot on a stick dangled in front of us. We had wagered everything on attending this little party, the last of our money is now gone and what food we had crammed into our packs were exhausted yesterday. There was no choice now but to see where this carrot led us. Bannermen be damned; the three of us crammed into this guest room weren't leaving til dawn.

I turned back to Minte now, the girl predictably standing silently at attention behind me like a shadow.

“Thanks Minte. Rose was ready to raid the kitchen.”

I used the word raid with all meanings of the word. Minte averted her eyes and looked off to the side with a hint of red to her cheeks. And while I had a moment, I had to ask:

“Last thing we need is her and them butting heads... That doesn't explain why they're here.”

“Looking for something,” Minte whispered.

“That much for sure— But...”

I paused for a minute. There was a reason and logical conclusion beyond all this. The devil you know pales in comparison to the one you don't. The Silver Bannerman were a known. They were organized, accountable and with a clear cut purpose. Treasure hunting, mercenary work and real estate. The devil we didn't know, the unknown, worried me.

“By the way, did you happen to catch sight of Vee?”

The girl looked back, up and then tilted her head inquisitively. Right. Minte wouldn't know every detail from the last time we met the man.

“A lanky and gaunt looking man. Bald, white coat, serious face...”

There really wasn't any other way to describe him, was there? The more I thought about it, the more he became a mystery. His face is forgettable and only his presence left an impression. I felt the same about his motives. For our last encounter he built a small army of iron golems. When we met face to face, the man experimented with a much bigger version... But from what he said, I got the impression it wasn't the golems themselves that intrigued him, it's what powered them. Of course, the expectation that Vee offered the same services to this Count came to mind. But that shouldn't concern me, so why did he stare at me like that?

“The one getting yelled at?” Minte's barely audible voice answered.

“Getting yelled at?”

“The big scarred one. He yelled at someone like that.”

On one hand it's nice to know I wasn't crazy and seeing things before. On the other, it'd be difficult to accept that Vee actually was here. The fact that this Bannerman and Vee weren't getting along was interesting though.

“Where?” I blurted out.

Minte flinched and raised her hands to protect herself. I raised my voice without realizing it and my own hands were hanging in the air. They were almost grabbing hold of the girl on their own accord. I lowered them back down and took a deep breath, hoping that would calm the girl back down. A weak muttering of an apology escaped my lips; overcompensating for how loud I was before.

“Near the servant kitchen,” she answered while lowering her guard. “In the basement. Next to the cellar. I heard them. Caught a conversation before leaving.”

“You got within earshot? There's more than twenty of them. Why would you—“

“Laven~ relax!” Rose shouted from behind.

Minte and I turned to look and Rose had broken into the bottle already and more than a few mouthfuls were missing. The rest of it sloshed around inside while she tore and snapped a chicken wing in twain, bone and all. She was already slouching in the chair and getting extra comfortable.

“Rose. Are you drunk?” I asked while approaching her cautiously.

“Drunk? Me? No way~” She slurred again.

A closer look showed me that her eyes had gotten incredibly glossy and her cheeks were flushed beet red. Her tail, slipped through the openings in the back of the chair, was sputtering and letting off flashes of hot air from a fire threatening to burn out of control.

“Hey, when did you learn to afterimage like that?” Rose said, pointing a claw past me, “Did you teach him that? I didn't. Hell, that's something I've always wanted to do. Could never figure that one out.”

I looked back at Minte who stood there with a dumbfounded look on her face as she looked to Rose and then back to me as a specter of worry cast a shadow over it. Double vision, I presume. Yes. Rose is drunk and in record time too.

“Come on Rose,” I said while leaning down to help the girl, “We have a meeting soon. I don't know when, but any minute now there could be a knock on that door.”

I retrieved a handkerchief from my suit and wiped off Rose's greasy claws. At least those scales and boney red armor had no oils to make this an even bigger mess than it could be. Rose didn't resist, but she didn't help either. I felt no different from helping out an exhausted child with how lethargic and loose she was. I took a moment to inspect it more closely. It had a green tint to it, with a plain brown stained label. It didn't have any runes on it, rather some illustration... Or maybe it was in cursive. I haven't had the time to practice and memorize this place's alphabet and grammar yet.

“Minte, do you know what you picked?” There were more choices than this, right?

“I picked the strongest smelling,” She said

Strongest smelling, huh? It was sealed before Rose got to it. I held the collar of the bottle up to my nose and sniffed: Nothing. I tipped it up and let a drop drip into my mouth. My mouth burned and felt as though it were lit on fire. I liked to think I had some tolerance, but I gagged and coughed from that much alone... And there's already a third of it gone.

It was also clear, odorless and burned like hellfire. Minte rushed in from behind and rubbed a hand over my back to soothe away my hacking and heaving. How the hell did she smell anything at all? There has to be a limit to how sensitive those senses of her are. I rolled the bottle over once again and look at the label. Perhaps I'd find some clue to why—

“Minte...” I called her out between a few last coughs. “Was sniffing and feeling it out all you did?”

“No.”

“Okay... Then do you mind telling me what this label is?”

I held it up to her and she gave it a quick glance before answering innocently.

“Two fires burning together... Thought it fitting,” She said.

A gift that would be fit for Rose I take it. It was a bit of theft, but I given the circumstances I didn't really feel bad for the Count. He was rude despite us being his guests... Okay, we were not invited per se, but an open invitation and a technically still count. That's not what's important right now though. There's something else that needs addressing which is much more pressing.

“No, Minte. That isn't two fires. That's two people.”

I pointed out the blue and red painted on the old label. This random scribble and wavy pattern that would typically depict fire. Drawn were two people entwined together. Minte blushed and looked away after I outlined the pattern with my finger. This couldn't be some hard liquor. It wasn't just any old high proof vodka. If I had to hazard a guess, this is either drugged for non-nefarious purposes, or outright magically altered. For nothing else than—

And Rose got into bag again. This time she quickly went through one oyster after another; and she didn't crunch down on the shells this time either... That made me think: maybe she isn't that dense, but actually played an intimidation game... But never-mind that! She flushed red and loose. I do not want to deal with her when her stomach is bursting with more oysters. Sure, call it an old wives' tale, but I'm not going to take any chances. She was also still making a mess out of herself.

“Rose, you need to lay off it,” I said while cleaning the corners of her mouth with the handkerchief. “Let's get you down on the bed so you can burn it off.”

I know she could burn off the alcohol if she really wanted to but she was being stubborn and silly on purpose. If she fancied herself a real warrior, she'd never allow herself to get that drunk.

Despite how inebriated she looks, Rose's claw moved with lightning speed and unerring precision. It seized me by the wrist in the time it took me to blink. There was no expression on her face at first, but a sleazy smile quickly spread her lips across her face. The handkerchief in my hands fell to the ground as Rose's face drew closer to my anchored hand. I tried in vain to pull back; my shoulder dislocating was the only reward I'd receive if I ignored the pain and kept at it for long.

“Now now now h-hold on Rose,” I stuttered. “H-how about we go and get some fresh air? It's a little stuffy in here, don't you think?”

I was prepared to pull a one-eighty on everything I've said to this point. A bit of a night stroll through the fog, in spite of all the creepiness and unknowns in this manor, seemed to not be that bad of an idea right about now. There may have been a pang of shame in my chest if I weren't as terrified as a cornered rat.

The salamander didn't care at all. Her tongue slipped out from behind her lips and licked up the length of my index finger. My arm from the elbow up, where it could still move, shivered as her body heat predictably transferred from her to me. A layer of clear saliva remained where she traced her tongue slowly across my skin. It took a simple tug to free my middle finger from my clenched fist and she ran her tongue along the crevice between them.

That body heat of hers didn't take long to wash over my chest, and try as I might, it reached my waist in record time. A package inside gradually surpassing its original wrapping. My inability to look away from the sight caused it to get worse. More so when she took both fingers into her mouth and suckled on them. Sensuous moans hummed out through Rose's nose as her tongue rolled around and between my fingers.

I felt a tugging from behind from Minte's arms wrapping around my waist. She tried with all her might to pull me away. I was surprised, but perhaps I looked distressed because she must have noticed my attempts to get away and sprung into action. As fierce as she can be battle, the girl is still delicate. Minte freezes in situations like this. Her heart couldn't handle situations like these. A quiet grunt and groan here and there told me she tried hard, but wasn't able to overcome Rose's drunken strength. I hardly budged backwards at all; her wings buzzed sporadically into action.

When she finally released my fingers from her mouth, I watched the silver trails of saliva suspend briefly from the tips of my fingers to her lips. The scent of fresh pine and campfire radiated off of Rose and the saliva itself smelled of hickory and sweet sap. Rose's body heat had made its way to my head, so I suppose I couldn't be too surprised my senses were fuddled; these salamander pheromones hit me hard. All the tenseness if my hand and arm melted like butter as her claws, the softer under scales of her palm, crept up my arms, back down and then gripped my hand in hers before interlocking our fingers.

Her tail sputtered, flickered and rose to greater heights. I'm terrified it would cause the chair to catch on fire, but she stood up suddenly enough for it to tip over backwards; clattering against the stone floor, bouncing twice, and away to safety. The look in her eyes told me that this level of foreplay would no longer be enough to quench Rose's drunken lust.

If I wasn't having trouble thinking due to the rising temperature, the fact that she had control of both my arms wouldn't have eluded me until it's too late. Rose went on the offensive and began walking forward. I couldn't muster the strength to stop her and neither could Minte whose feet held onto a rug, but couldn't brace the two of us. The poor mantis took the brunt of it as Rose pinned me up against the wall. She let out a yelp as her body hit the wall and I got sandwiched between the two girls.

Minte's arms which had been wrapped around my waist were now frantically reaching around for anything at all that could give her leverage, but flailing about is all she managed to do. To my front, Rose had me right where she wanted me. Her smoldering desire did not hesitate and she stood on her tippy toes. Rose angled her head and our lips met, but that wasn't enough for her. She greedily slipped her tongue in and chased after mine and I remained powerless to prevent it because of my slackened jaw. Our noses almost caused a fire all on their own due to the friction as we rubbed our faces together.

When she finally backed up for air, Rose pecked her lips across my neck and collar bone. She worked back up to my cheek which she licked and savored the sweat of my brow which poured down my face. The whole time I could do nothing but hold my nose above the roots of her long vermillion red hair. It held in every sweet scent of her person. I caught myself greedily burying my nose in it; inhaling the smokey smell of pine. Meanwhile, a pair of delicate hands moved across my groin. Minte struggled and squirmed while patting down my crotch. Accidental I'm sure; the yelp of surprise when she did gave it away... But her hands were driven back by curiosity and her own lustful instincts.

As my body temperature rose, the bodies colliding against me became more distinct. The brow of Minte's hair tickled the back of my neck, the antenna atop her head probed my head and shoulders, her modest breasts pressed up against my back and her silky smooth stomach and thighs rubbed up against me. In front of me I felt Rose's ample bosom and the heartbeat behind them. The warmth of her smooth light bronze thighs rubbed up against my own, all while the heat from her wagging tail created a stuffy aura of heat which cause the illusion of a wavy mirage behind her.

Rose's bathrobe didn't stand a chance of lasting one more second as it slipped off her shoulders and fell into a heap on the floor around her ankles. The titillation of the fabric hiding her breasts, crowned with cute pink nipples, to her hips and legs lifted. My eyes were treated to the sight of her naked down to the scales that covered her arms and calves. She clung tighter than before and my body burst out into a profuse sweat before my body temperature finally matched hers.

“Heh heh,” Rose's lustful face cracked into her usual sly razor sharp grin chuckled. “You can try and play it cool, but you know I'm too hot for you.”

I couldn't retort. My breathing had become hot and heavy as I tried to inhale the night air to cool my head; but it was in vain because the whole room had become a hotbox of lust. Rose's heat had turned the chilly stone floor into the baked tiles of a sauna. The pitcher of water which sat near the window at the far corner of the room was turning to steam.

My hands were released from her vice grip after pulling me forward and away from the wall. Minte wavered to and fro before dropping down onto the ground knees first. Her rolled about in a circle while her eyes were swirls and the sweat on her brow become steam rising up toward the ceiling. Although I won my freedom, for now, I did not have the strength nor will to put a stop to anything else. Rose's claws reached for the strings holding my dress shirt together and ripped it apart in one go. The scaly palms of her claws massaged over my chest before moving down to the belt loops of my pants. She had the same amount of patience for them and ripped the string tying it around my waist. With one rough tug, Rose pulled the pants down around my ankles.

A pair of boxer shorts stood as the last line of defense, but the elastic band proved no match as Rose easily pulled it down to my knees so that my raging erection throbbed and danced before her eyes. Rose's eyes were still glazed over and drunk, but they glimmered and shined while studying the shaft and crown. She rubbed her cheek against it and took in the musky scent while pressing her nose up against the ridge of my glans.

“Laven can be a wee bit stubborn, can't he?” Rose slurred drunkenly and directly into my penis.

The heat from her breath was enough to cause my knees to shake and nearly buckle.

“But~ He's honest here~ And not one bit wee either.”

Rose's tongue slowly and seductively slipped free from behind her lips and ran down the shaft of my cock. Her long tongue which had to be at least an inch longer than average. She teased me one or thrice before bringing the head of it into her mouth. Her lips wrapping around the glans entirely. The salamander did not stop there. Rose slowly made her way down the shaft and it felt as though my dick had been submerged into a melting furnace, the kind which could make short work of steel.

I was not consumed by a painful sensation of burning, but a soothing wave of pleasure from my every muscle relaxing while each nerve writhed in pleasure. I could have fallen backwards into what felt like a warm bed on a bone chillingly cold day, but I grabbed onto her by the hair and the fins of her ears. The leathery and scaly ears of hers twitched and heated up with a simple touch and her whole body shook. She endured a minor orgasm from just that. With her legs spread and squatting down below me, the ground beneath her expose slit sloshed wet due to her nethers drooling in anticipation.

A rustle from behind me drew my attention and when I looked behind me I saw a flushed and flustered Minte staring at the two of us. Her face hid behind one hand while the other unconsciously drove between her tightly shut legs. Our eyes met and she squirmed as if the mere embarrassment from being seen were no different from my hands caressing her all over. The flush of heat washing over her was too much and she too began to shed her chitin armor and shredding her bodysuit off to expose the pale white skin underneath.

My head snapped back around when the soft sensation of Rose's lips neared the base of my shaft and the tip of my penis rubbed against the back of her throat. I could not stifle the groans as my member bent and slowly slid down her throat. Her head rocked back on reflex, but she fought against the gag reflex and deep throated my cock. The deeper it went, the more fierce and unrelenting the heat and without mercy she held it there for seconds without end. Rose pushed herself to service it and her hazy eyes watched my face to receive the reward she looked for. My slovenly face as I heaved and panted while my dick felt as if it was melting. One of her claws reached down between her legs while the other pressed up against my pubis and made a wide ring around the base of my dick with her thumb and index claws.

Rose finally pulled her head back so she could breath, but slowly worked her way back down the shaft again. Her tongue wrapped around the shaft as it undulated and massaged the throbbing vein of my dick. And then an attack came from behind. One small and delicate hand crawled up my thigh while another cupped and pulled at my balls. It could only be Minte whose face pressed up against my backside and her lips kissed up against the wrinkles of my sack. She nibbled, sucked and rolled them over on her tongue.

The attack from both sides was too much. I heaved over and grabbed a lock of Rose's hair in my right hand. My left hand reached back toward Minte, but all I could mange to grab were her antenna. Her voice was muffled by my sack and I could feel the jolt of electricity running through her body as she aggressively attacked back with her mouth. The squeezing sensation around my testicles, along with the contours of Rose's burning hot mouth and throat over my dick, proved to much and I couldn't stop it when the pulse surged through my hips.

Rose pulled back at the moment of release and with a free hand stroked the base of my shaft to coax the rush of semen into her mouth. I emptied everything I had and at last Rose released me; the air of the room felt like a shock of cold compress compared to the insides of her mouth. Minte also retreated and I stumbled off to the side where I nearly flopped down onto the ground.

The bottle of aphrodisiac alcohol somehow found its way back into Rose's grasp. Now resting on her knees, she took a long breath with a viscous white jelly rolling over her tongue before tipping the bottle up into the air. She did not hold it up there for long, but her cheeks did puff out now, ever so slightly. She crawled over on all fours toward Minte. The mantis had collapsed down onto her butt and didn't have the presence of mind to sense Rose approach.

The salamander tipped the mantis' chin up and pulled down her lower lip. She opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue, the white viscous semen, mixed with the clear liquor, drooled forth. Rose's tongue met Minte's and they pressed together; their steamy breaths clashing and mixing into a singular cloud of steam. A globule flowed down from Rose's mouth into Minte's and made a mess of their lips and the floor beneath them. Rose had Minte securely by the chin and shoulder while Minte's hands reached out and either tried in vain to push Rose away by her breasts, or merely looked for something to hold onto. All the same, Minte let the cocktail slide down her throat; her indigo eyes quickly glazing over just like Rose's.

She is a real lightweight.

The defensive and elusive mantis did not squirm or protest as Rose's tongue ran along her lips and chin to clean up the mess dribbling down it. With her claw and tongue, Rose scooped up and licked the mess off her own face and spared not a drop that hadn't already fallen to the ground.

“I think we're even now he he~,” Rose whispered with a devilish laugh.

That was her idea of sharing and reciprocation in her current state of mind. My state of mind wasn't much better. When I looked down I noticed my rock erection had enjoyed the show.

Rose dragged herself up off the floor and seized Minte while backing up toward the bed. She spun the mantis around and pulled her down onto the downy sheets. Her mantid abdomen pressed up against Rose's chest and locked securely away between her parted breasts. A pair of red scaled gauntlets reached down and scooped up Minte's white soft thighs and held them up. With her vagina exposed and spread eagle, Minte would of course cover her face in embarrassment, tipsy or not.

“He's always shy the first time, but a real beast the second,” Rose cooed. “If you're gonna butt in on my fun, then you're gonna have to play hard and keep up~”

She was on the ball saying that. I became a passive observer in my own body as it lurched forward toward the bed with my spear in hand. One hand of mine grabbed Minte by the back of one ankle and pushed it high and backwards behind her head. With the other I twirled my cock around the edge of her exposed labia. I sawed her smooth and bare pubis with the back of my dick, running it over her tiny red clit and she squirmed with nowhere to run. Her delicate hands roughly grabbing handfuls of the sheets and tearing at them in an attempt to brace herself.

I pulled back and plunged myself between her lower lips with one push. The soft, wet and ready walls took me in all the way to my stomach. My shoulders lurched forward as my penis curved and molded to reach into her deepest parts. A minor orgasm ran amok through her body on insertion and I had to grab hold of her other ankle to hold the mantis down. Minte's usual quiet voice escaped from her throat in panting moans. I'm not sure if she knew completely what's going on by the look in her eyes, but her body certainly knew. The flesh inside constricted and wrung me like a washrag. I carelessly yanked my dick free to plunge it back in where it met a warm welcome reception.

Rose continued to grin while holding Minte close to herself. A steady stream of her inner fire pouring into Minte's petite frame. Minte's blood flowed, her white skin flushing pink; the nipples crowning her b-cup glowing red. Rose held Minte in place as I picked up the pace. I might have otherwise plowed the girl right into the bed and into the floor. The salamander's tail continued to swish and burn more violently.

But that wasn't enough, was it now?

I pulled out and let my throbbing red cock hang in the cool air. My body protested, but I held my lustful instincts at bay for a moment. I let go of Minte's legs and let them fall down on top of my shoulders. I leaned closer in and reached down to cup and roll the soft muscly flesh of her ass. I parted it to reveal a second hidden hole. Spreading the cheeks apart, the puckered sphincter twitched as though it remembered. An oozing of Minte's hungry vagina and my own leftover precum lubricated it and so when I crammed my head into it, there was not so much resistance as I thought there could be.

Minte clenched her teeth and her back bent like a bow. It's as much the erogenous spot as it was before. Even Rose had trouble holding the girl steady, and when she threw her head back, the girl almost headbutt Rose in the face. I continued to massage the pillowy muscle of her glutes and coaxed my cock further in the ridiculously tight space until I had nothing left to give. Rose's claws released Minte's legs so they rested totally on my shoulders. That freed her hands to pick, pull and caress Minte' still throbbing cunt.

My eye nearly got poked out by Minte's antenna which prodded my face and rubbed all over my body. They were too wild and unpredictable, so when they strayed too close to my mouth, I clamped down on one and kneaded it between my teeth. Minte's quiet voice broke out into a shrill moan that's totally unlike her. A hint of her real voice unmuted. A chiming feminine wail while her tongue now hung lewdly out of her mouth. The other antenna curled in on itself like a chameleon's tail.

I kept thrusting bestially until I felt my ball's second wind winding through my hips. Minte's insides also began to contract more fiercely with greater frequency. Unlike her vagina which pulled me in, her ass kept trying to close tight around my cock and push it out. I fought against it and savagely pounded her ass until I reached my limit and jammed it in as far as I could. A squirt of lube shot from her pussy and it quivered; her ass closed around me so tight I thought it might snip me off at the base. Rose giggled with delight as Minte howled in pleasure and I grunted like a naked ape. I could feel the undulating flesh of her pussy through her ass which also squeezed down and greedily took in every shot of semen that exploded and painted her insides white.

Pulling out right away was impossible. The three of us panted and hung around in the afterglow. I retrieved my member all in one piece. Minte's asshole twitched and struggled to return to normal as a flow of white semen oozed out and onto the bed sheets. My cock did not flop out though, the damn thing is still hard and standing tall.

Rose's claw reached over and grabbed me by my tattered shirt. I was swept off my feet and pulled down onto the bed. My body rolled over and my head hit one of the soft pillows hard enough to cause a small eruption of goose feathers. I couldn't sit back up because Rose pounced on me and pinned my stomach to the bed with her ass. Her long red hair cascaded down toward my face as she leaned over me, the girl's face redder than before, her breathing heavier than before, the girl's lust now completely out of control.

“Husband~” She moaned.

“Y-yes?” I stuttered nervously.

She didn't say a thing, the girl leaned down and ran her tongue over my cheek. The lusty expression on her face gave way to her signature toothy grin, albeit curled and awkward. My eyes instinctively looked to her tail which was no longer burning out of control.

“Rose, you— You could have burned that off at any time!”

“Eh heh heh heh~” She laughed. “I don't need anything, not even Minte, getting in the way now... I gotta do this, feel this, myself.”

Rose turned sideways and raised my left knee up. She slipped her right leg under it while she securely placed her left against my right hip. She then lowered her pussy, her hot like the sun pussy, down on my little soldier standing at attention and ready for duty. I grabbed hold of her thigh to brace myself and her soft scaly palm rubbed and massaged my chest while the other grabbed hold of my knee. Her head turned and looked down at me with a glowing radiance, her hair disheveled and wild. Her perky breasts swaying and heaving, jiggling ever so slight with every violent heart beat. I could sample it all, her ass included which perched down against my navel. Her tail swayed freely off to the side and caused Doppler waves of heat with every motion.

And I felt my dick go into her vagina sideways; the tight interiors pulling and twisting my boner into the shape of a boomerang. Rose rolled her hips forward and back, lifting herself ever so slightly before dropping back down. I lost track of where I was and where I wasn't inside Rose. Everything from my hips to the crown of my cock remained a haze of heat and pleasure. My body wanted more, but Rose kept moving gently, methodically. Her vulva rubbed against my thigh and every motion caused her to let out of steamy breath of hot air.

I did something ridiculous with my right hand: it reached on its own not just for her ass, but grabbing hold of the flaming tail at the base of her spine. No sane person would ever willingly grab fire like that, but I apparently had lost my mind. Every survival instinct my animal brain had couldn't stop me and I squeezed down hard on the red boney and armored scales. Her fire didn't scotch or melt my hand to its bones and reduce them to ash, but it did give Rose quite the jolt. She must not have expected it because her hips rolled forward quickly in surprise. The softer underbelly of her tail had a more pleasant and smooth sensation and that caused Rose to jolt forward and give out a little yelp.

And that was the end of gentle foreplay.

Two quick grinds proved too much stimulation and our bodies mutually agreed we needed more. Rose picked up the pace as my hand moved back between the muscles of her bare bronze skin ass and red scaly tail. She pushed me deeper into the bed with one claw while she cupped and kneaded one of her breasts with the other. I kept rubbing my other hand over her smooth toned thigh, the muscles twitching excitedly with each gentle caress and squeeze.

“Ah~ Laven~” Rose moaned. “I don't need some— some stupid potion in the way of me and my husband.”

“Rose...” I groaned.

“The open road... Adventure... Nights like this, all with you— Is all I need.”

She doubled the pace.

“Because— I'm... in... love, and I ain't ever gonna stop!”

My lips moved before I had a chance to think, “Rose I—“

But something dropped down on top of me. Wet, warm, smelling of pure lust. I nearly drowned trying to breath through my nose which had entered into a whole other world. The sight of smooth white skin filling my vision.

“Hey!” I heard Rose cried out.

I reached up and felt a familiar pillowy sensation. A quiet moan rung out in response. Above it the smooth feeling of chitin which emerged from out of her backside. Yes, Minte had recovered and wasn't satisfied. She sat herself right down on my face and my head caught between the vice grip of her thighs.

“Hmph,” Rose pouted as her competitive edge kicking in.

She wasn't about to lose and so she put everything into it now. Meanwhile, breathing became difficult for me, and the only way to save myself was to push this girl off me... No, pushing her off would be impossible. I would have to loosen her up so she'd roll off on her own. She had but one reliable weak spot, so I traced the contours of her impressive ass until I felt out her anus. I kneaded the cheeks and pulled them aside so I could plunge a finger inside. It went in surprisingly easy since everything is still wet and loose from before.

The response I got was the sound of Minte's wings buzzing and escaping the confines her armored chitin abdomen. My cheeks were smushed together and my lips becoming like a fish, and to top it all off Minte's arm blades swung into action and buried themselves into the bed sheets.

Okay, bad idea.

All notion of gentleness were now banished. Minte rocked her minge across my face, I had my finger up her ass and my other hand gleefully kneading her buttocks, Rose was now riding me hard and the feeling of hear had spread to my legs which felt limp, numb, useless, yet tingling with pleasure. I would shake my own hips, but they pinned completely to the bed and made me prisoner while attacking me at both ends. And a candle that burns at both ends cannot last long.

Rose's tail once again erupted, and although I could not see it, the heat was undeniable. Minte pushed herself against me as she bent forward enough that she almost wrapped around my head, the feeling of her naked breasts tossing and teasing my scalp. A warmth greater than what I have felt thus far gathered in my nethers. It felt as though a part of my life-force went along with it. A lump of semen, the last of it, stubbornly began to clump in my shaft and waited for the right time to strike.

I could see nothing, but I heard the moans of Rose and Minte mingling together. When Rose pressed all her weight down on me, and I heard her orgasmic moan above Minte's, my completely engulfed cock fired everything it had. My body's convulsions caused my fingers to crook and Minte reached her limit as well. Her body uncurled and bent over backwards. I wasn't aware what unsightly face or noise I myself made; there's too much stimulation and pleasure from every which direction assailing me.

Rose couldn't pry herself off me when she collapsed down onto me. My member inside her went flaccid, that much I could feel. We remained attached as she slumped over and wrapped herself around my torso and hung on tight, panting and heaving and completely exhausted. Minte's arm blades retracted and down feathers escaped from the mattress and sheets. Her limp body fell to the other side of the bed next to my head and she wrapped her body around my head once more. My chest heaved and I breathed in the stuffy hot air. I tried to register what just happened, but I was too exhausted. My vision became hazy, foggy and I drifted off into sleep with the warmth and smoothness of two bodies cradling me.