For a few minutes

Seamus held onto Alice like a formerly drowning man holds onto a life preserver, but Alice held onto him with equal fervor. Fervor that lasted a lifetime, and all too short. Seamus felt Alice stop shuddering, the heat from the hot tub permeating their muscles and filling their cheeks with stolen blood. Seamus kissed the top of her head again, and again, his own tears glistening but unshed.

Alice let out a long sigh, and Seamus could barely make out the elbow-muffled words: "Don't do that to me again ya big lug. My heart can't take it."

"If the aftermath is anything to go by, I get hand fed by a pretty woman, a brief liaison, and a chance to snuggle in a hot tub with the most beautiful and loved woman in the universe. I'd say I should get shot at every day." Seamus murmured into her hair, her alteration ensuring that even now it was perfectly coifed, not a wispy strand in sight.

Alice thumped his back. "Not funny." Alice let out a strangled whimper.

"Hey, hey, hey. It's all right. I'm here. I'm here." Seamus put his nose in her hair and breathed out slowly. Then in. "I'm still here." He whispered. "God hasn't decided to take me home yet." Seamus felt his arms start hurting from the strain as he hugged her.

Alice started to shake again, but it was a shorter time passing before she sighed, kissed his nipple, paused, then licked it. Biting his nipple, she pulled back with her head and sucked hard.

"Ow." Seamus's somber tone was drier than the Sahara.

Alice tickled his chest hairs with her cheek, before releasing her captive and soothing it with a raspy tongue. She traced Fibonacci spirals with the tip of her tongue, leaving faint trails like wake from a passing ship in the dark, dense forest on his chest.

Seamus smiled. She was playing with him again. She wasn't whole, not entirely herself again, not by a long shot, neither of them were. Too much had happened in too short a time span. But she didn't get poetic unless she felt safe. He frowned. How had he known...oh, right, he could feel her tail moving on his leg.

Alice deftly wove an ending to the spiral, tying a little Celtic knot with the long, unfinished rope fibers of his chest hair, flattening out her tongue and swiping it across his other nipple swiftly in a vain attempt to dislodge the stubborn fiber she had so graciously cleaned off his oh for pete's sake why won't you get out of my mouth! Alice leaned back and spat a little, pulling her hand from behind his back and clawed at her tongue, finally cleaning off the impertinent bit of chest hair.

Seamus couldn't help the laughter bubbling up inside and he started shaking.

"What?" Alice glared with zero heat behind it, shifting back and up a little so she could see his face better.

Seamus smiled. "I love your internal monologue dear."

Alice froze. He can't read my mind now can he? Oh that would be hot...I can just feel the tile on my knees, we're in the grocery store, his hot, thick member choking me and I'm gasping for breath, the darkness closing in, and he can see it all in my mind...oh shi...crap...Sorry honey. Wait, I don't know if he can actually read my mind...

Seamus had to put his hand on her shoulder and pause her: "Your tail is extremely expressive right now honey. More than it was."

Alice looked at him confused, what has my tail got...oh, that's right, he can read tails. But...I thought that was impressionistic...

"Normally it is." Seamus said.

Alice frowned. "Let me talk before you answer!" She snapped.

Seamus winced, suddenly realizing he'd answered something she hadn't vocalized. "Sorry, honey."

Ding! Seamus's watch let out an announcement chirp and buzzed from the box.

Alice sighed. "No. I'm sorry honey, I find the idea intriguing, and if I'd given it more than a moment's thought before snapping I would probably have been perfectly fine with it...which I guess I'm probably going to have to be from this point on anyway."

Sireah opened the box, retrieved his watch and handed it to Seamus.

Examining it, Seamus shook his head. "Not quite...now you get a direct line to my head and now we can speak telepathically. But...you also get to feel the same rush of pleasure every time I finish."

At that, Alice looked intensely intrigued and swiftly shifted forward on his lap and Seamus was suddenly aware of her precise positioning, her sliding body moving with delicious purpose. "Really? That sounds almost like a...boon...rather than a punishment..." She said breathlessly, rubbing her lower self against him.

Seamus handed his watch back to Sireah. "Honey, I'm not cert..."

Her finger on his lips, Alice shook her head, her hair flying like a fashion model in front of a fan, and she looked at him, her eyes boring into his fiercely. Take me. Use me. Claim me. Make all of me yours, inside and out. I submit to you, as I promised before God. Please, I beg of you. Use me! She cried out into his mind, her eyes wild with passion.

Finally, Seamus grabbed her shoulders and forced her down hard and fast. Worried he had used too much pressure he started to let up...but her mental voice encouraged him to keep going, so he did.

Alice rose up and slid back down, gasping out with happy cries. Oh yes! Yes! Yes! Oh make me so I can't think anymore honeybear!

And Seamus tried. It took ten minutes, but her internal monologue finally seemed to turn to static before shuddering with shared passion, they had a formerly rare shared climax.

Panting, their bodies heaving as they gasped for air, and finally realizing that being in a hot tub right now probably wasn't the smartest thing, they gratefully accepted help out of the hot tub, along with proffered towels to dry off. At which point Seamus realized just how much of a pain it was to dry his feathers.

Growling, Seamus carefully blotted the fifth feather before Sireah stepped forward: "Your Majesty, may I show you something?"

Seamus inclined his head and watched as Sireah shifted her wing muscles in a particular manner, causing the wings to shake. So Seamus tried, and prompted cries from Alice: "Hey! I was dry!"

Seamus looked over to a still dry Alice, just with a few drops here and there. "Funny."

Sticking her tongue out at him, Alice swiftly dried off the drops. "Now, I hear you want yet another person in your harem dear?"

Seamus froze. He'd intended on waiting for this particular topic until at least another half hour, but he supposed now wouldn't hurt... "That's one way of putting it." He retrieved his ring and watch and replaced them to their rightful places.

Nodding sharply, Alice looked at Sireah and her voice could have cut steel. "I'm first of equals in his life. Got that?"

Sireah bowed and knelt: "Of course, Your Majesty."

Alice looked back at Seamus. "You're not as tense when she's bratting. I like her. I'd recommend waiting to tie her up until later." After a brief pause..."I think the bullwhip is still in the toy chest." She walked up to him, kissed him on the cheek and asked. "May I get dressed, and leave now, dear?"

"Yes. A white linen robe and white heels." Seamus smiled.

Alice smiled. "Of course dear. I'll go make sure dinner is ready." And she departed the rooftop, her butt swayed hypnotically, her towel hanging from a fingertip over her shoulder. But just prior to fully departing, she suddenly jerked, slid the towel down without ceasing in her walk, and gave a quick wipe and pull on the tail protruding from her butt plug from top to bottom before returning the towel to its former location, a soft last high-pitched gasp on the breeze winging back to Seamus's ear.

Chuckling, Seamus smiled goofily. "I love her so much."

Sireah said nothing, choosing instead to crawl over to him and continue to kneel, placing her hands palms up on her thighs, shoulders back.

Seamus was impressed, as previously somehow Sireah had kept her scabbard from tangling with her legs when she walked, and now even while she crawled it went exactly where she wanted. Seamus looked closer at her scabbard and saw four metal rings at the lower edge of her corset that the belt went through, but still, the scabbard hung from a frog.

The last time Seamus had walked with a scabbard in a sword frog the whole thing had nearly sent him facedown in the dirt when the point of the sword suddenly shifted and caught his opposing leg on a badly timed step.

Sireah darted her eyes up at his face and then resumed her scanning the rooftop. She opened her mouth, paused, then sucked in her lower lip and chewed it, but said nothing.

Seamus watched her bosom rise and fall more rapidly over the top of her corset. And waited patiently.

Sireah continued scanning, but her tail was held in a rigid s shape behind her, curled on the ground, twitching every few seconds. Her wings shifted slightly, and shivered.

Seamus kept watch on her eyes, and saw her pupils widen and she snapped them up to look at his face and then back at the environment around them. But still...Seamus waited.

Seamus saw her pupils resume their normal size, her tail relaxed, and her wings fluffed once before spreading into a half open pose.

He kept waiting.

Finally, she stopped chewing her lower lip. She composed her face, before suddenly crossing her eyes and sticking her tongue out at him.

*Crack!* His tail landed across her breasts with a sound that echoed across the rooftop before he returned his tail to its ready stance behind him.

Sireah's bosom heaved once, and stilled. She looked him straight in the eye, smirked, and didn't move or say a word.

"Your Majesty, Her Majesty wishes to inform you that dinner is served." Lal announced from the doorway.

Seamus didn't move, his eyes and breathing steady, his shoulders relaxed. He lifted a single finger and dropped it back on his arm.

Lal bowed and retreated.

Sireah fidgeted again. Then again. Then finally, "Please just slap me or something already!" Breathing heavily, her next words came at a rush: "Your Majesty...how may I please you?"

Seamus smiled. And using his tail he started undoing her corset.

"But dinner...oh!" Sireah suddenly flushed and looked embarrassed for the first time since Seamus had met her. "I'm sorry Your Majesty, I forgot."

Sireah swiftly undid her sword belt, setting it carefully to the side within ready range. Then did the same with her gun belt. Afterwards, almost shyly, she displayed her breasts and stomach to Seamus before carefully folding the corset and setting it behind her gun belt. Then, she lifted her left breast for him to inspect.

Seamus bent down and kissed a small cut on the outside of her left breast where a piece of glass had lain wedged between the corset and her skin.

Sireah then lifted her right breast and Seamus carefully ran a set of fingertips from inner side to outer, pausing ever so slightly as he crested the peaked nipple.

Sireah breathed out softly, her face shining in the nebula-light.

Seamus crouched down and Sireah grabbed her ankles, arched her back, and lifted her hips up high, balancing on her knees and spreading her legs wide. Seamus carefully felt along her ribcage and paused at a 6" white scar that ran from her navel towards her right hip. Seeing light glinting on something, he felt along her hip towards her back and encountered another scar, about 3" wide. Leaning down, he gently placed his lips on the scar at her navel and pressed lightly.

Sireah held her position.

Seamus drew his hand back along the lace and pulled it down an inch, examining the now bare skin. Sliding his fingers between her legs and along the silken smooth edge, he heard a quiet moan. He gently pushed aside the lace, and blew softly on the glistening folds, her thighs now trembling. Teasing apart the folds, he rubbed slowly, carefully around the little round bud. Soft panting filled the air, and he felt wings fluttering around. Gently, he slid the folds back over, slipped the lace back into place, and ran a single fingernail up her side to her left nipple where he paused.

Sireah's mouth was parted, the vein in her throat beating, beating, beating almost as hard as his own was. Seamus placed his forefinger below her nipple, and his thumb above and paused again.

Sireah stopped breathing, her body rigid.

Seamus stood up, applying the barest hint of pressure to her nipple, before returning his hand to his side, turning and walking towards the doorway. "Time to eat, Sireah. Get dressed if you want. But come eat." He disappeared out the door to a strangled whimper from the rooftop.