A singer named Yulia

"Mmmm, yes. That's nice," he says, stroking your hair. "She's been through rough times, this one. This last winter she lost her father to sickness. He was a bard, traveling from town to town. She inherited his talent for singing, but no one hires her for that - she remembers him when she sings and cries when she remembers. I thought that she would complement us all rather nicely."

You feel Xall's member filling with blood and pressing against your leg. "Yes, I suspect I know exactly what you're thinking."

"Now that's a cruel thing to say. Are you telling me that this poor, broken hearted girl should stay here? Wait for the days to grow short, till she needs to surrender her body just to earn food and shelter for the long nights of winter?"

"Damn you Xall! We've lost almost everyone to daemons. They're chasing us and you want to bring some helpless girl..."

"I'm not helpless," says a high pitched, meek voice. You look over and see pale blue eyes peering around the corner of a door that must lead into the inn proper.

Xall sighs and says, "Yulia, I told you to wait in the room I rented."

"I know," she says, "but... I wanted to meet your friends. I don't want to be alone again."

Goddess damn Xall. You know there's no way to get out of this. Anya will probably give you the lost puppy look until you agree. Even without her 'help' your heart is melting for this poor girl. Yulia looks down and away, then slips deeper into the shadows behind the door.

"You are really yanking my chain Xall," you growl.

"But it's worth it. Besides, angry sex and make up sex are both really hot."

Ugh - useless to argue with him. How long until you get Xallia back? Hmmm, wait a minute. You grab Xall's cock and twist it firmly in your grasp.

"Oh - hey!" he squeaks, eyes bulging and knees bending.

"Fine Xall. I'm going to talk to her - alone. And if she's willing, if she really understands what she's getting into, then fine. I'll let you... uh?"

"Make her part of the family!" says Anya.

"Yes. Lets put it like that." You release his prick and march for the inn. Just before you leave you look back, tossing your hair over your shoulder. "And Xall - you did promise you'd take our vows as soon as possible. So quit wasting time and change already! I liked it when you thought with your prick just half the time."

Your furious exit is only partly ruined when Xall laughs and shouts, "Gods above and below you're sexy when you're angry."

Upstairs you find Yulia's room. The door is open and she's on the bed, tightly wrapped up in the sheets. As soon as she sees that it's you her eyes flick down towards the floor.

"Hi", she says, tucking herself deeper into the blankets as if trying to defend herself.

Goddess, she looks so small! You walk to the bed and sit next to her, trying not to feel like the bad guy when she leans away from you. "I don't want to hurt you," you say, trying to sound like the sisters who took care of new apprentices.

Yulia sighs and says, "I'm not a child." With that she stands up and you're shocked to see that despite how she looks while cowering under the covers she's taller than you are. She's built like a beanstalk. You'd guess she's a good six feet tall, or maybe an inch beyond that. She hasn't got any chest to speak of, but her face is very, very feminine and framed in long, straight raven black locks. She sits down again and says, "I'm tired of being alone, of being pushed away."

"I understand, but what we're doing, it will be dangerous. And there are other problems."

Yulia cuts you off. "I said I'm no child. No one here believes me, but I've had eighteen birthdays. I'm a woman, fully grown and fully in charge of my own self!" She seems to deflate and, speaking meekly once more, adds, "But it doesn't matter. You don't want me around either."

You think about her appearance, her height. She isn't gawky like a girl freshly passed through puberty. She looks younger than eighteen years, but that might be because she's so thin and her shoulders are so narrow for her size. "Fair enough," you tell her. "You want the adult version? Three of us are sisters of the burning rose. Our abbey was attacked by daemons and we managed to escape. The fourth is a daemon - a succubus who will want to claim your womb just as she did with us. If you want to travel with us that is what awaits you. That, marriage to a greater daemon and, in time, taking the vows of the burning rose."

Yulia's mouth works open and closed a few times. "Really?" she says when the power of speech returns.

You nod. "Oh yes, I should also mention that we're being hunted by the minions of one of the daemon lords."

"So one of you..."

"Yeah, guess who."

"No. But, but Xallia was so nice to me."

"Of course. She wants to get into your panties. She can be very nice." You shudder involuntarily as a few choice moments rear up in your mind's eye.

"But wait - no, you're having me on. I learned lots of things traveling with my dad. Sisters of the burning rose have to stay chaste."

"We have to stay virgins, yes."

"So..."

"Xallia didn't exactly do what you'd expect of a daemon. She didn't actually... penetrate us. Not there. Ahem - anyway, you can get pregnant without losing your virginity, at least if the man - or in this case the succubus - is careful. Well, incubus right now. Long story, but I should mention Xallia is even less in control of her male side than usual."

Yulia rests her chin on her knees and wiggles her toes. "I still want to come."

"None of that scared you?"

"Sure, most of it. But if I don't go I'm going to end up stuck in this village until winter. I can't save up enough money and even if I did I'd wind up in some big city where no one cares about me. So yes, I'd take going with you over freezing to **** or selling my body anytime."

She says it fiercely enough that you have to smile. "Can you fight?"

From under the pillows she pulls out a long, wickedly sharp dagger and says, "My dad made sure I knew how to protect myself."

"Alright then. Don't say I didn't warn you, especially when the baby starts kicking." You say it half hoping that she'll get cold feet.

Instead, Yulia gives you a big hug and says, "I've saved myself for a long time. At least this way I decided."

"I'll get the others, you just wait here," you tell her, giving her a kiss on the forehead. You walk back to the stables, looking for Anya, Glenda and Xall. For some reason they aren't there, but a note has been pinned to the wall opposite the door. You imagine Anya is responsible. Those wide loops and that flowing script got her praise from the more artistic teachers.