Chapter 130

--- 21st Day, Late Evening ---

“Thanks for help with the job,” Hannah said as we were standing in front of the library with her and Zoe, waiting for Selira.

“No problem,” I shrugged.

“Does Azura know about this?” she asked, waving her hand toward the library.

“About your job?”

Hannah pressed her lips into a thin line, giving me a look that said I should stop playing dumb.

“You mean Selira?” I asked.

“Yes,” Hannah sighed.

“They met before,” I replied. “And whatever is between me and Selira is only starting, but I doubt Azura would have anything against it.”

“It doesn't mean you need to take advantage of that,” Hannah replied, her gaze flicking to Zoe for a moment before returning to me. “She loves you. And you saved her, me, and her sisters. Azura would do anything for you, but it doesn’t mean you should do whatever you want.”

“There’s no reason not to,” I replied.

“Have you thought about how many hearts you’re going to break if it all goes down?”

“There’s no certainty it will.”

“Just like you don't know if it will work out.”

“Azura, Zoe, and I are going to work out,” I replied. Amber also crossed my mind, but there were too many buts with her, and I wasn't so sure about putting her on that list yet.

Hannah stared at me for a moment, looking like she was about to say something, but then stopped herself.

“What?” I asked.

“Are you really going to have kids with Azura?” Hannah asked.

“I’d like to,” I replied, surprised by the sudden change of topic. “But first I need to settle my life so I’m sure I can take care of everyone.”

“I would like to be part of those grandkids’ lives,” Hannah muttered.

“Of course,” I replied. “I’d love your help.”

Hannah nodded, but before anything else could be said, Selira came around the corner after leaving through another exit. She was wearing the same clothes, but had a medium-sized bag with her.

“Ready?” I asked.

“Yeah,” the sea nymph replied, casting a glance at the library.

“It’s going to be okay without you for a few hours. It’s already closed,” I said.

“What if someone tries to rob it?” Selira asked with a frown.

“No one’s ever tried before,” I replied. “Why would they try today?”

Selira sighed, shifting her green eyes back to me. “I’m just not used to leaving it.”

“That’s what I want to change,” I replied. “Let’s go.” I headed toward Sage’s house as all three women followed.

“Have you found a swimsuit?” I asked Selira on the way.

“Ugh… kind of. But the only one I have is a bit too small. I can get into it, and it’s fine, but… yeah, a bit small.”

“You don't look like you’ve gained that much weight lately,” I stated.

“That much?!” she gasped.

“I’m joking,” I said quickly with a chuckle.

Selira pouted, but then a dark green blush crept onto her cheeks. “The last time I wore it I was like fourteen, maybe fifteen, and… it’s only too small in certain parts.”

“Oh, is it that bad?” I asked with a smile, wondering if it was her breasts that grew too big or her ass.

“My kids are going to be there,” Hannah chimed in.

“Oh… no, it's not that bad. It, like, covers everything,” Selira mumbled, even more of her face darkening.

“We’re going home. Maybe someone can lend you something in a more appropriate size. Amber bought new swimsuits today, and from what I saw she has too many anyway, and they’re brand new,” I replied. There had been five or six pieces on the table when we had been there before, so she really didn’t need that many.

“Oh, I don’t want to be a bother,” Selira replied.

“Don’t worry, and don’t listen to Amber if she complains. She’s like that, but I doubt she’d mind lending you one.”

“She likes to complain?” Selira asked with a frown.

“She likes to act out so I can punish her,” I replied with a smirk, looking at the sea nymph and wondering if she would understand.

“Oh… ugh, what does she do?” Selira asked. “I mean, as a job, does she go to dungeons with you?” she added quickly.

“No,” I replied, shaking my head. “She brews potions.”

“That’s a really good business,” Selira replied. “I read a few books about potions, but I don’t think I’d be able to make one myself. But it’s super interesting how all those things mix and work together, creating special effects. Like, you can brew libracea somnis for a few hours, and suddenly from just normal-looking grass you get something that helps you relax. Add some skill magic and you have a sleeping potion. Add nettle and it works stronger.”

“Is there something to make potions taste better?” I asked. “Those from Amber taste really bad.”

“Oh, it depends. Lilac can help, and there’s other stuff depending on what potion it is. You need to be careful not to disturb the base effect of it. Sometimes it’s hard to fix the taste without making the potion itself worse. And there’s also the cost of ingredients, so if you want to go cheap, you have to bear with the taste. Most people prefer cheaper ones with better effects, at the cost of flavor.”

“She said something like that too,” I replied. “She’s teaching Anna and Alysson, Azura’s sisters, how to brew potions.”

“Oh, that’s very nice of her,” Selira replied. “I can lend them books from the library about it if they want to read more about it,” the sea nymph added, glancing at Hannah.

“We would really appreciate it,” the older woman replied.

“That’s here,” I said, approaching the door of the house we lived in. After opening the door, I waited for everyone to enter, and as always Azura peeked out of one of the rooms and rushed to me. Fortunately, Zoe pulled Selira to the side just in time, so she wasn't rammed by the wolf shifter.

“I missed you too, baby,” I said, wrapping my arms around her, pecking her lips.

“I got the job,” Hannah said cheerfully to her daughters, who came out of the room. They didn't seem to be very excited, but smiled and congratulated their mother.

After a brief introduction so everyone would know everyone, we headed upstairs, leaving Hannah and her daughters on the ground floor.

Amber was still on the bed, reading the same book as before.

“Amber, this is Selira. Selira, Amber,” I introduced them to each other.

“Nice to meet you,” the sea nymph said. “I heard a lot of good things about you.”

Amber groaned, getting up from the bed. “Why do you have to be so cute?”

Selira flustered, glancing uncertainly at me.

“Don't be jealous, Amber. You’re cute too.”

“I’m not cute!” she hissed. “I’m sexy.”

“Of course, princess,” I replied. “Selira has a problem with her swimsuit. The old one is too small, and I was hoping you could lend her one of your new ones.”

“Those are mine!” Amber grunted.

“That’s why I am asking you nicely if you could lend it to her this one time,” I replied.

“I-It’s okay if you don’t want to. I can wear mine,” Selira added.

Amber narrowed her eyes at me, then smiled softly. “I’ll lend you one, but first you need to show me if yours is really that bad.”

“Amber,” I said.

“It’s okay, I can try it on,” Selira offered quickly.

“Okay, you should probably all change here and put your clothes on top,” I said. “I’ll go talk with the others and be back soon.”

I left the room and knocked on the opposite door. Mia and Terra were ready to go, so I let them know we would leave in a few minutes, then headed downstairs and knocked on Mari’s door.

“Are you ready?” I asked when she opened it, already in her hooded coat, grimacing at the sight of me.

“Do I have a choice?” she hissed.

“Yeah,” I shrugged. “You can always break our deal and stay here instead of protecting me,” I replied.

“I’m ready,” she groaned. “Don’t bother me unless we’re leaving,” she added before closing the door in my face.

With a sigh, I waited a moment before I returned upstairs. The door to my room was slightly open, so I knocked and asked, “Is it safe to enter?”

“Yeah, we’re waiting for you,” Amber replied, and from her tone I could already tell she was stirring trouble.

The view inside made me wonder if we really needed to leave that room for any lake. All four of them were in swimsuits and looked amazing. Azura wore a black set, Zoe a white one, both fairly modest, like normal swimsuits, but still made them look super hot.

Amber had on a dark pink one that stood out sharply against her pale skin and looked a size too small, squeezing her breasts and barely covering her crotch. But then there was Selira, her whole face dark green as she avoided my gaze while still standing with her front toward me, her hands at her sides.

If Amber’s looked small, Selira’s looked like a kid’s swimsuit on a grown woman, which, in a way, it kind of was.

While her bottoms weren’t that bad, her top looked like it might give up any moment, the teal-green fabric, slightly darker than her skin, clinging tightly and creating impressive cleavage even though she didn’t actually have that large breasts. In that set, though, they looked amazing. I was pretty sure it wasn’t comfortable, and I doubted she could actually swim in it without her tits popping out.

“I thought you were going to lend her one of yours,” I said, looking at Amber.

“I will, but part of the deal is she has to show you her own first,” the elf replied with a smirk.

“There-” I started speaking, but Amber cut me off.

“Spin,” she said.

The sea nymph did as she was told, turning around. From the front her bottoms looked fine, but from behind they vanished completely between her cheeks, showing off her perky green ass. For a second I had the urge to reach out and grab it, but then Selira finished her turn and faced me again, lifting her gaze shyly, looking at me questioningly.

“You look amazing,” I said. “Actually, too hot to go to a public beach like that.”

“Y-You really think so?” she asked, casting a glance at Amber.

“In your clothes you’re cute, Selira, but like that?” I asked, gesturing over her body. “You’re sexy.”

“T-Thank you,” Selira stammered, flustered by the whole situation. Leaving her with Amber and Zoe, I didn’t know what I expected besides the two of them teasing her, but at least it seemed the sea nymph didn’t mind that much.

“I’ll let you change,” I said.

“Unless Selira doesn’t mind you staying,” Amber replied. “It is your room, after all.”

I just shook my head with a smile and a sigh as I walked out and headed downstairs. Not long later, everyone started gathering, and it really was turning into a big trip, with ten women joining me.

It took some time to make sure everyone had everything they needed, though I wasn’t even sure if we needed half of it, but we finally managed to leave the house and head toward the city gate as it grew darker. It was quite late, but we weren’t going far, and with all of us together there wasn’t much trouble we could get into.

After passing the gate, we’d barely walked thirty seconds before Azura tapped my arm. One glance at her and I nodded. “Short break. Anyone who wants to shift, go ahead,” I said.

Azura immediately dropped her pants and shirt, getting naked in front of everyone before she shifted, but Anna and Alysson looked around for a place to change and headed behind some bushes.

“Do you want to join them?” I asked Mia.

“No,” she quickly shook her head.

“Alright, but if you change your mind, don’t be shy about stopping us,” I replied.

After two more wolves joined us, Hannah went to pick up her daughters’ clothes, and as all three wolves started chasing each other around, we continued on. The peace lasted only a few seconds.

“What are you staring at?!” Mari suddenly growled at Selira.

“Mari,” I said firmly.

“No, it’s my fault,” Selira said quickly. “I didn’t mean to stare. I’m sorry.”

The kitsune grimaced but didn’t say anything more, though apparently the sea nymph’s curiosity was too strong to hold back.

“Can I ask what happened to you?”

Mari glared at her for a few seconds before looking away and answering, “My master likes to hurt helpless women and watch them struggle.”

“Mari,” I said, glaring at her.

“My previous masters,” she corrected with an eye roll.

“How did you end up here?” Selira asked.

From Mari’s expression, I could tell she was about to snap back with something unpleasant, but our gazes met and she hesitated, pressing her lips into a thin line before mumbling her answer. “He bought me.”

“You’re better now?” Selira asked.

Mari grumbled something that sounded like confirmation.

“Master healed her ears, and he’ll heal her tail too,” Zoe chimed in. “And then he’ll free her when she pays for the healing.”

“It’s a deal we made,” I added. “She’ll stay as my bodyguard to pay off the cost of healing the injuries she suffered.”

“You could free her already and sign a work contract with her instead,” Selira said.

Mari snapped her eyes to me, something like a challenge in them, as if asking whether I’d dare refuse and prove her right all along.

“How would that work?” I asked with a frown.

“It depends,” Selira replied. “That’s the point. You set the rules and conditions. She wouldn’t be your ****, but she’d be obligated to work for you. You could even include a clause that if she refuses or fails to meet her obligations, she becomes your **** again. That’s more common than it should be. You can put a clause that she needs to wear a locator bracelet in case she runs away, so you could find her and enforce the contract. It does require some trust that she’d keep her part, but she’d be free and only bound to what’s written. I could help you write something like that. I-” She stopped herself with a small frown. “I’ve seen documents like that before.”

I assumed she’d read them among papers she wasn’t supposed to look at in the library and was trying to keep that to herself.

“How does it work? We just sign one and it’s done?” I asked.

“You do it with a city official and it’s legally recognized, so if one of you breaks it, it’s like breaking the law. Ugh… it would mostly benefit Mari, not really you…” Selira added with a frown.

The kitsune was still staring at me, and I thought about it. That would give her a chance to run away without paying for the healing, and while I really wouldn’t want to lose her from my team and as a bodyguard, I didn’t want to keep her a **** by **** either, and it was obvious she wanted to be free again.

“Sure, we can take care of it tomorrow,” I replied. “Or whenever we have time to sit down and write it.”

Mari actually looked confused and surprised, staring at me a moment longer before she turned away, pulling her hood further down to hide her face.

“Terra?” I asked. “Do you want one like that too?”

The orc looked at me, considering it for a moment before shaking her head. “I’m gonna stay like this until Mia is freed.”

“Terra,” Mia tried to protest, but the orc hushed her quickly, telling her not to worry about it.

“If you change your mind, just tell me,” I said, then turned to Selira. “Would you have time tomorrow sometime in the afternoon, or would you prefer after closing the library?”

“After,” Selira replied.

“Then I’m busy tomorrow, but maybe the next day?” I asked.

“Sure,” the sea nymph said.

I nodded, wondering if I wasn’t going to regret giving Mari a chance to run away, but I trusted her with my life when we went into dungeons and in other dangerous situations, so I should trust that she wouldn’t run and that she’d pay it back.

When we reached the lake, we turned toward a place we’d skipped last time that led to a more public beach area. We’d made a good decision avoiding it before, because even at this later hour there were still quite a few people there in groups. Some had fires going, others had glowing stones, and most looked rather young - teenagers, maybe a bit older, but probably no more than their early twenties, which was actually around the age most of us were, aside from Hannah and her younger daughters.

Or at least we looked that age, with Zoe and me seeming younger than we really were.

“You should probably turn back into humans so you don’t cause panic when a bunch of wolves run onto the beach,” I said.

“They’ll know they’re shapeshifters,” Amber replied.

“Girls, you should still change,” Hannah said, and after finding a spot again, they soon returned already in their swimsuits.

“Can we go into the water?” Anna asked, grabbing her mom’s hand and bouncing excitedly.

“Soon, baby. Let’s find a spot to put our things down first,” Hannah replied.

“Hannah, can you swim?” I asked, realizing that Anna and Alysson probably couldn’t like Azura, and if Hannah couldn’t either, letting them go into the water alone didn’t sound like a good idea.

“Yeah, I haven’t done it in a long time, but you don’t really forget that.”

As we walked onto the beach, I moved closer to Terra and Mia and quietly asked them to keep an eye on the girls. After confirming they could both swim, they eagerly agreed.

We found a spot a little away from everyone else and set our things down. “Mari, keep an eye on everyone and make sure no one gets into trouble. And everyone be careful in the water, we don’t want anyone drowning.”

“Yes, dad,” Zoe said in a teasing voice, which made a few of the others giggle.

“What are you doing?” I asked, ignoring Zoe and looking at Amber, who was spreading her towel on the sand. “You want to sunbathe without sun?”

“Don’t be a smartass,” she snapped.

“Take off your clothes and come into the water, princess. Unless you can’t swim, I can teach you.”

“I lived in Atranth. Do you really think I never visited a beach there?” Amber shot back. “I could teach you, idiot.”

I looked at her, surprised, but she just stuck out her tongue, tossed her shirt aside, and ran into the water.

What had gotten into her? She was starting to get on my nerves, and I felt like I might need to let some of that frustration out on her later when we get back home.

“What are you waiting for?” I asked, glancing at Selira, who was just standing there watching the lake while everyone else took off their clothes.

“I… I didn’t realize how long it’s been since I swam in open water,” she said, a note of melancholy in her voice.

“Then don’t waste another second,” I said.

Selira nodded and took off her clothes. She was wearing a much better-fitting black swimsuit now. After dropping her clothes on the sand, she walked into the water.

“Are you going to be okay?” I asked, glancing over the others. After getting nods from them, I followed the sea nymph, who was moving farther and farther into the lake.

Zoe followed me while the others stayed closer to shore. As we swam into deeper water, Selira suddenly vanished beneath the surface. I reached the spot where I’d last seen her, but she didn’t resurface anywhere around me.

“Selira!” I called out, scanning the water.

Someone splashed me, and I thought it was her, but it was Amber instead.

“What are you doing?” I asked. “I can’t see Selira.”

“She’s a sea nymph. She can breathe underwater. A fish would drown before she would,” Amber replied. “And while we’re talking about her, have you thought this through? Can you imagine how she’s going to taste down there when you lick her? And how it’s going to stink when you have sex with her? I would prefer not to feel like I’m at a fish market when we fuck.”

“Don’t be rude,” I said, stepping closer to Amber.

“I’m not rude. Those are just facts. Just like Zoe has a tail because she’s a succubus, Selira is half fish, so connect the dots and consider whether you really want to do it. Because you can have sex with someone who doesn’t stink like a rotten fish instead.”

“What’s your problem with Selira?” I asked, finally reaching Amber and pulling her through the water toward me.

“I don't have any problem with her,” Amber growled. “But you must sink your stupid cock into any pussy that shows around, and you don't think about anything else.”

“You are gaining yourself a punishment,” I said, as she wrapped her legs around my waist, hanging on me.

“Sure,” Amber snorted. “Like you can really punish me. You’re getting soft. Freeing Mari and Terra? Really? Maybe become their **** right away and be their bitch!”

“That’s what this is all about,” I murmured more to myself than to her, as I realized why she was acting out. It was all because I had told her she was getting soft, and apparently she wanted to prove me wrong by bratting out. At least I hoped that was the reason. “You’re getting spanked when we are back home.”

“Oh, I’m so scared,” Amber replied with sarcasm. “Like you can actually do it.”

“Don’t provoke me,” I said quietly, sliding my hands to grab her ass.

“Please. You’re all ‘I love you, Zoe,’ ‘I love you, Azura.’ You’re the one getting soft.”

“Are you jealous, or do you just want trouble, little elf?” I asked, squeezing her ass hard, my fingers sinking into her soft flesh.

“Don’t call me that, asshole,” Amber growled, leaning closer.

I pressed my lips into hers, kissing her, and as she tried to pull away, I quickly grabbed the back of her head and held her there, then slid my hand until I was holding the base of her ear.

“Let it go,” she groaned, trying to pull her head away, but I kept holding it, rubbing it between my fingers. “Asshole!” she grunted, trying to swat my hand away, but I grabbed it and turned her around so her back was to me and I could hold both her hands in front of her as she struggled to get free. This time I could tease her ear with my mouth.

“You are in so much trouble,” I murmured before I gently bit her ear and nibbled on it.

She let out a moan and at the same time pushed her ass back into my crotch. “S-S-Stop it,” she stammered, trying to pull away, but not really putting much effort into it as I kept nibbling on her ear.

I was holding her against me, teasing her, until I won.

“Please, stop it,” Amber asked, and only then did I let go of her. As she pushed away, quickly swimming off, someone else splashed me from the side.

“I want a spanking too, Master,” Zoe said and splashed me again with a naughty smile.

“Oh, you’re such a bad girl for splashing me,” I said in a mock tone. “I think you should get some hard spanking when we get back home.”

“Oh no,” Zoe said, but she couldn't keep a wide grin from her face.

I rolled my eyes, splashing her back, but then I spotted Selira emerging from the water a bit away, swimming lazily farther into the lake.

“Stay here,” I said to both Zoe and Amber, wanting to swim with Selira one-on-one.

“Or what?” Amber asked, bratty again now that she was at a distance from me.

I grabbed Zoe and pulled her closer so if anyone could sense what I was going to do, they would think it was her. Then I summoned some mana and sent it at Amber. She ducked under the water, but I just waited, and when she emerged, I tickled her ear.

“Asshole!” Amber groaned, ducking under again.

“Go swim with Azura and the others,” I said to Zoe, pecking her lips, and swam toward Selira. It looked like she was moving lazily, but I didn’t have a chance to catch up to her. My only hope was that she would stop at some point, which she did when she was somewhere in the middle of the lake.

She turned onto her back and looked like she was just drifting there until I finally got to her, long after I’d stopped having ground under my feet.

“What are you doing?” I asked, swimming around her to keep myself over the water.

Selira just shrugged and didn’t sink even a tiny bit from the movement, staying at the surface like an inflatable toy.

“Are you okay?” I asked, and when she didn’t answer, I could tell something was off. “I thought you would like to take a swim.”

Selira sighed before turning to look at me with a soft smile. “I love it. Thank you for taking me here.”

“You don’t exactly look excited,” I replied.

“I just realized I could have been coming here every night, and I missed out on an opportunity like that. On the other hand, coming here all alone at night… I’m not sure if it would be so safe for me. I mean, on the road here.”

“We can always come together if you feel the need to swim again,” I replied.

“Really?”

“Of course.”

Selira smiled, then turned onto her back again, floating like that.

“I’m so weird,” she said out of nowhere.

“Weird?” I asked.

“Yeah, I love books. And sea nymphs and books don’t work well together.”

“Because of water?”

“Because of water,” Selira replied.

“Do sea nymphs actually live underwater all the time? I mean, not you, but are there sea nymphs like that?” I asked.

“Yeah, and not only sea nymphs,” Selira replied.

“They don't have books at all?”

“Not a lot. They live very… primitive lives, which can have its own good sides. It's kind of simple, you know? You hunt, you swim. Underwater, we are the top of the food chain, so there are no real threats to us.”

“What about sharks or orcas?” I asked, wondering if maybe they didn't have them in this world.

Selira didn't answer at first, but a burst of water, like a column, shot suddenly with great **** into the air, then split and fell down like rain around us.

“Water mages underwater are the top of the food chain, no matter what water animal you can think of,” she said with a soft smile, looking at me. “Any predators run away when you can turn water against them. Really, the only threat down there could be between each other, but with so much space and an excess of food, conflicts are rather rare.”

“I didn't know you could do things like that,” I said.

“The library is not a place to use water magic,” Selira replied.

“Why did you leave underwater life? It sounds great.”

“Because I’m weird,” Selira replied.

“Because of books?” I asked.

“Yeah. There are ways to keep a book underwater. Not a whole library, it would be too expensive, but there are books, and I got one as a kid from my parents and I loved it. And they told me stories about buildings full of them on land… They probably had no idea what they were doing by telling me that - that I would leave because of it - but that’s why I left home.”

“Don't you miss them?” I asked.

“Grab my hand,” Selira replied. “You are making me dizzy, swimming around me all the time,” she added, noticing the confusion on my face.

I did as she asked, and the moment our fingers touched, it felt like the water started to push me up, and suddenly I was floating next to Selira on my back, feeling like the water beneath me was flowing, constantly pushing me up but keeping me steady in place.

“That’s better,” Selira added, holding my hand. “I… Normally I don't think about stuff like that, and I lose myself in work. I love it, but now, because of you, I realized that I do miss them. Maybe if I teach Hannah enough, I could leave for a week or two and visit my parents.”

“They would love to see you,” I replied.

Selira just hummed as we drifted on top of the water for a moment before she grunted softly. “I know it’s a weird question, but do you trust me?” she asked.

As I turned my head to look at her, she had her green eyes on me, watching carefully.

“I… yeah,” I replied, a bit confused and unsure what she was thinking about.

“I had read about this thing and always thought it was super romantic, but I didn’t have a chance to do it with anyone before,” she muttered the last part, sinking a bit into the water so part of her face was covered, like she wanted to hide.

“What’s the idea?” I asked.

The water around me started to move in a different way, and in a moment we were both vertical, with Selira facing me, and I still didn’t need to move at all to stay in place without sinking. My hands were pushed by the water to her hips.

“Hold onto me tight and don’t let go,” she whispered, getting really close to me.

“I don’t plan to,” I replied with a smile.

“Are you sure you trust me?” she asked.

“Yeah,” I murmured, already getting some idea of what she wanted to do.

“Take a breath,” she replied.

After I did, we sank down, slipping under the water, and I pulled her a bit closer to me, pressing against her slim body as she leaned back. Her green hair spread in the water, and the fins at the sides of her head spread out too. Under the surface, with only the moon giving light, she looked like some sort of water angel - which, in a way, she kind of was.

It seemed she really wanted to test my trust, because we were getting deeper and deeper, and at some point I couldn’t stop myself and glanced up to check how far away the surface was. But then she brushed my cheek with her hand and pulled me into a kiss.

The moment our lips touched, air filled my lungs, and while it was weird, I felt like I breathed it in. When our lips parted, Selira pulled away, and even though I had my mouth open a moment too long, water didn’t fill it. She watched me carefully, as if making sure I was okay.

I nodded, and she grinned, looking really gorgeous. If only I could tell her that. We sank even deeper, the water growing really dark, and pretty much nothing beyond her existed at that point, as I couldn’t see anything else. Then she connected our lips again, filling my lungs with fresh air once more.

But this time, as she tried to pull away, I didn’t let her. I shifted one of my hands to the back of her head and kissed her deeper. She moaned into my mouth but returned the kiss, and we started making out like that under the water, with her breathing for both of us.

Then it dawned on me. The achievement. One that I had no description for. Called Like a Fish. I was supposed to have sex underwater. It was under the Demon Master class category, which meant I needed some sort of demon to complete it, and it fit. Unless I just needed to have sex with some water-related demon, but doing it fully underwater seemed much more fitting for an achievement.

“Are you okay?” Selira asked, her voice a bit different but still clear despite being underwater.

I nodded, realizing I had gotten a bit too distracted, even if I was still kissing her. But she noticed the difference. She pressed her lips softly to mine again, but I felt we were moving, and I assumed we were getting out of the water.

Even if I had my suspicions about the achievement, I doubted Selira was ready to have sex. We had only kissed that day, and I didn’t want to push her too fast. Even if she would do it, completing an achievement wasn’t likely to be worth it if it scared her away later on.

We kept kissing, but just before we reached the surface, Selira parted our lips and stayed close as we broke back into the air.

“Was it how you imagined it?” I asked.

“Better,” Selira murmured, her dazed eyes locked on me.

I smiled and leaned in to kiss her again, but she leaned back, pushing at my chest and averting her head. “Your girlfriends are looking,” she murmured.

“Does it bother you?”

“T-That they’re looking, or that those are your girlfriends?” Selira asked.

“Both.”

“I… do we need to talk about it?” Selira asked.

“No,” I replied after a moment of silence between us.

Selira looked at me, and I wondered what was going through her mind. She knew from the start that I was with someone else. Yet we kissed. And while in the library she could pretend I had surprised her, this underwater kiss had been fully her idea. Maybe she liked to pretend my girlfriends didn’t know about us? But the problem was that everyone already suspected something.

Then Selira leaned forward quickly and pecked my lips before she pushed me away using her magic as she gasped, “Catch me!”

She started to swim toward the beach and the rest of us there, and again I had no chance to get even close to her. When I finally reached her, she was in the water up to her belly with pretty much everyone else, except Mari, who stayed on the beach. And I had to admit she seemed to really get into that bodyguard role, because she looked ready for trouble, glancing between us in the water and the closest group of people on the beach, overall looking as if she was scanning the terrain.

“That was not fair,” I said as I finally caught up to Selira.

“You took a sea nymph to a lake and thought you could race with her?” Amber asked.

“Maybe if she wasn’t using her magic,” I replied.

“Or what, your male ego is going to be hurt?” the elf asked.

Unfortunately, Anna and Alysson were there too, so I couldn’t really punish Amber right then, but she was definitely collecting more and more spankings for later.

“What are you doing?” I asked Zoe instead, ignoring Amber.

“We’re trying to teach them how to swim,” Zoe explained, waving at three younger wolf shifters.

“I can help,” Selira offered. Then, using her magic, she helped them float on the water while instructing them on how to swim. It quickly became clear they didn’t really need anyone else besides the sea nymph. She was able to keep all three of them above the surface, guiding them gently and slowly letting them move more and more on their own.

Zoe swam to me and wrapped her arms around my neck, pressing her boobs into my back, her chin resting on my shoulder. “You were quite long underwater, Master,” she whispered.

“Apparently Selira can breathe for both of us,” I replied.

“Oh? And how does she pass the air to you?” Zoe asked in a teasing voice.

“Using magic,” I replied.

“Sex magic,” Zoe giggled.

I shook my head before diving under the water and swimming a bit farther away, but Zoe kept holding onto my back, and we swam like that for a while, just relaxing, until Selira called out to us.

“Do you want to play?” the sea nymph asked.

“What?” I replied.

She raised her hands from the water, and it followed, forming into a ball that she threw at me. When I caught it, it actually felt like a ball - maybe slightly different at the surface, but much closer to a real ball than to water I was actually holding.

“You’re amazing,” I said, glancing back at Selira, amazed at how much she could do in the water. And then she would lock herself in the library, where she had to avoid water at all costs. It really was kind of weird for her.

We started to play and quickly realized there were too many of us for one ball, to which Selira simply created a second one, and we split into two groups. While we had our fun, it was actually good to see Mia and Terra relax a bit too, laughing and playing with the younger members of our group.

After spending some time playing all sorts of games we could come up with using the balls, it started getting cold. I didn’t really mind, but Hannah began fussing about her daughters and pushed them out of the water. When they complained that the rest of us were still in, we ended up all leaving together.

Only Selira stated she would take one more swim and dove under the water again. But with her being a sea nymph, Anna lost her argument and couldn’t convince her mother she should be allowed to stay longer.

With it getting really late and the water too cold, we decided to head back. As everyone started to change or turn into wolves, I put on my shirt and trousers and approached Mari.

“Thanks for keeping an eye on everyone,” I said.

She looked at me, then turned her gaze toward the water and sighed deeply.

“Why didn’t you offer a work contract before?” I asked.

“You could have offered it too.”

“You should care more about it.”

For a moment she was silent again before replying, “I still don’t believe you’re going to free me.”

I groaned, rubbing my face. Why was I even trying to talk to her?

“If you really intend to do it, then do it now,” she said, turning toward me.

“I can do that?” I asked, surprised.

“You can,” she replied, and I realized it was most likely because I had mana.

“I can’t do it now,” I said. “Selira would realize something is off if you take your collar off right now.”

“You see,” Mari snorted, almost sounding satisfied. “Fuck you,” she murmured, walking away.

I sighed deeply, letting her go, and returned to the others as they were ready to head back. We had to wait a moment longer for Selira. She joined us soon after, smiling all the way back to Ortas after finally getting to swim for the first time in a long while.

When we reached Ortas, I offered to escort her to the library. I didn’t want her walking alone through the dark city, while the rest of the women could return home together, and with Mari and Terra there, they would be safe.

We walked in silence until a few minutes later, when we stopped in front of a side entrance to the library.

“Thank you for today. I didn’t even realize how much I missed it,” Selira said, looking up at me.

“No problem. And I’d love to repeat it,” I replied. “Especially the underwater part.”

“Oh…” Selira gasped softly, her cheeks darkening. “Me too.”

I leaned down and kissed her again. It was just a soft touch before she pulled away, smiling gently. “See you soon?” she asked.

“Yeah. I’ll visit the library the day after tomorrow.”

Selira nodded and stepped inside. I waited for her to close the door and lock it. Then, still looking at the library, I said, “You can come out.”

For a moment there was complete silence, but then she relented and slipped out of the shadows, stopping next to me, grabbing my hand and wrapping her tail around my waist.

I looked at Zoe, who was supposed to head home with the others but whom I had caught following me and Selira instead. She looked bashful, averting her gaze. There wasn’t really much to say, and even if there was, I didn’t want to ruin the mood after the trip and the fun we had, so I just squeezed her hand and led us back toward the house without a word.

That gave me time to think. When we reached the house, I sent Zoe upstairs while I knocked on the door, which Mari opened.

“What the fuck do you want from me again?” she hissed.

I wasn’t even sure it would work, but she thought it would. So I summoned a small portion of mana and sent it to her neck, to the collar, with the intention of opening it.

It clicked.

Mari stood completely frozen, only her eyes widening.

“I should have done it earlier,” I said. “Good night, Mari.”

I left her standing there and started climbing the stairs. She was still in the doorway. For a brief moment, I wondered if that was the last time I would see her, but the truth was, if she had wanted to run away, she could have done it before.

And I had kept her as a **** against her will for too long already.