Chapter 26

“Ready,” I said after summoning mana for the third time in our little game with Zoe.

She grabbed my hand, and we just walked for a moment. I remained concentrated, expecting that she would try to pull me by my hand. And that was exactly what happened after a few minutes. Two quick steps to the side, and the mana remained in the air.

I shook my head. “Mana is still here.”

Zoe nodded once and focused on the road ahead, still holding my hand.

“Master?”

“Yes?”

“Tell me about your world.”

I glanced at her. She smiled innocently, staring at me with those big, pink eyes. “Do you think it will work?” I asked.

“Maybe. Maybe not. But you need to train, and I will learn more about you.”

I didn't want to tell her about my ex-wife, so I told her about my work as a bouncer and bodyguard, and then how I opened my company, adding a few interesting stories that happened along the way.

Zoe walked beside me, still holding my hand, her gaze filled with curiosity about me, my world, and my life. She absorbed every word I said, eagerly asking for details.

As I finished speaking and there was a brief moment of silence, I glanced at her. “Still two, and you wasted a lot of time,” I said.

Zoe smiled softly. “I didn't waste it. I got to know you better,” she said softly, then pulled at my hand to stop us. She jumped on me, wrapping her legs around my waist as she grabbed my head and connected our lips.

Immediately, her tongue pushed between my lips as my hands landed on her firm ass. I slipped them under her skirt and groped her naked cheeks, squeezing them. Zoe stopped our kiss, and while still holding my arms, she leaned back with a smile on her face.

“Three,” she said, releasing her legs and sliding off me while still pressing close to my body.

I chuckled. “Three,” I replied and kissed her briefly, then grabbed her hand and followed after our guides. The distance between us increased, but we were still close enough that they would hear us if something happened.

“Ready,” I said.

We walked together, holding each other's hands in silence. Zoe shifted closer to me but didn't do anything for a few minutes.

Suddenly, something brushed against my back, but I remained concentrated on the mana in front of me. I swallowed as her tail massaged my back, shifting higher to my arms and the nape of my neck. Then it turned back, lowering along my spine. The pleasant tingling almost made me lose concentration a few times, making the mana nearly slip from my hold.

For a few minutes, her tail massaged my back, traveling up and down. Then she shifted lower, to my ass. I was sure I wouldn’t hold for long when she started massaging me in my intimate areas, but I was ready to fight as long as I could.

Her tail massaged my ass cheeks, getting lower. Suddenly, the tip of her tail pushed between my cheeks.

“Agh!” I gasped and jumped forward as it plunged into places it shouldn’t.

I glanced at Zoe, who had already hidden her tail under her skirt.

“Cheap move,” I said.

“Four?” she asked, grinning.

I rolled my eyes. “Four. Ready,” I replied.

“Do you think Tori's hot?” Zoe blurted out immediately.

“Yeah,” I replied. It crossed my mind that if I had said something like that to my ex-wife, she would’ve thrown a fit and stayed mad at me for days. And that was despite the fact that the bitch was cheating on me behind my back. Fucking hypocrite—she’d let some guy screw her and then have the nerve to give me shit for just looking at another woman.

“Would you want to fuck her?” Zoe asked.

I glanced at her and realized that I had completely lost concentration, and the mana dispersed without me even noticing.

“Five,” I grunted.

“Master?” Zoe asked, looking surprised.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Just remembered something from my old world... pissed me off. Anyway, let’s get back to the game.”

“Are you sure? Are you okay?” Zoe asked, watching me with her brows furrowed.

I stopped to kiss her briefly. “Yes. And I want to fuck Tori,” I added, smiling. It was best to forget about my bitch ex-wife, and what better way to do it than by fucking younger and hotter women?

“Ready,” I said.

We walked in silence until Zoe interrupted. “Master,” she said.

I glanced at her. She lifted her skirt, trying to expose her naked crotch to me, but since we were still walking, I couldn't see anything but her shapely thighs.

I shook my head, and she pouted cutely.

“Five points is a good result, but you are still lacking quite a lot.”

Zoe slowed her pace. I glanced over my shoulder—she was now two steps behind me. Raising an eyebrow, I gave her a questioning look, but she only shrugged. I turned my attention forward again, staying alert. She could have tried sweeping my legs or pushing me, but I expected her to jump on me instead.

I heard her quick footsteps rushing toward me, and a moment later, she jumped onto my back. Her legs wrapped around my hips, and her hands latched onto me under my arms. I caught her thighs while still keeping my grip on the mana in front of me.

“Nice try, but—”

Zoe cut me off by pressing a finger between my lips. Instantly, I felt moisture on them, and the scent of her arousal filled my nose. The taste on my tongue left no doubt—it was her pussy. I groaned, savoring her intoxicating flavor. That brief distraction was enough for the mana to slip from my control.

Zoe pulled her fingers from my mouth and hugged me, remaining on my back.

“Six. You taste amazing,” I said.

“Master,” Zoe said, sounding both flustered and embarrassed as she pressed her face against my back.

“Will you carry me a bit longer?” Zoe asked, resting her chin on my shoulder so her lips were by my ear.

I rolled my eyes but couldn't stop a smile from appearing on my lips as I kept walking. Fortunately, she was really light, and I could carry her, but it was giving her an advantage in our game.

“Thank you,” Zoe said, hugging me tighter. A warm feeling spread through my chest, but then I focused on my mana, pushing those emotions aside.

“I'm ready,” I said.

Zoe still had her head on my shoulder, her lips by my ear, but she didn't do anything. I wondered what her next step would be when Zoe groaned softly. I tilted my head so I could see her out of the corner of my eye.

“Are you alright?” I asked.

Zoe smiled cutely. “Yes,” she whispered, then moaned, squinting her eyes—eyes that were dark pink.

I averted my gaze from her and concentrated on my mana, which almost slipped out of my control as I realized what she was doing.

“Are you playing with yourself?”

“Mhmm,” Zoe hummed slowly.

“With your tail?” I asked, risking a glance at her again.

Zoe squeezed harder around my chest. A soft blush appeared on her face. She moaned softly, and I grinned, focusing on the road ahead of us. Zoe was pleasuring herself with her tail, moaning straight into my ear. It wasn't long before my cock stood hard in my pants.

I concentrated on the mana, holding it in front of me, but I knew that sooner or later, I would fail. Arousal made it harder to focus, and I was losing control. I tried to hold the mana as long as possible, but it was not easy with a hot, young woman masturbating on my back.

Zoe was moaning the entire time, gasping and panting straight into my ear. Her body moved in a way that made me sure she had stopped just massaging herself and was now penetrating herself—with her own tail. My breath quickened, and because of her movements, I had to slow down. My racing thoughts and the images of what I wanted to do with her made it hard to keep my grip on the mana in front of me.

Tori looked over her arm at us and noticed that I was carrying Zoe on my back. She smirked and then said something to Marcus. He glanced at us, but Tori immediately grabbed and turned him so he was looking forward, while I had the impression that they slowed down.

“Master, I’m close. Can I come, please?” Zoe moaned, her hot breath brushing against my ear and neck.

I groaned, closing my eyes as I heard her pleading.

“Seven. And yes, you can, Zoe,” I said, stopping in place.

Zoe squeezed me harder and moaned loudly. She was panting and groaning, her body pressed tightly against me as she reached her peak.

Her legs relaxed, and I let go of them. Zoe slipped off my back and stood on the ground.

I glanced at her. She had flushed cheeks and a blissful look in her eyes.

“Thank you, Master,” she said, hugging me.

“We need to go,” I said, embracing her.

Zoe nodded, and we moved on. Tori and Marcus hadn't gone very far, and after a few quick steps, the distance was just as moments ago.

I waited a moment before summoning mana, letting my arousal subside. “Ready,” I finally said.

Tori turned around again, glancing at us with a smile.

I remained focused on the mana, trying to think of what Zoe might come up with next. I had a few ideas, but nothing was certain, so I mainly concentrated on the mana. It was kind of like meditating, as I was constantly thinking only about the small ball of mana in front of me.

“Agh,” Zoe gasped as she stumbled and fell to the ground.

I stopped and immediately knelt beside her. “Are you okay?” I asked, but didn't even need to wait for her answer to know that she had gotten me again.

“Eight?” Zoe asked with a smile, still on the ground.

I squinted my eyes and grabbed her arms to help her up.

“That's not nice—using the fact that I worry about you against me.”

Zoe hugged me. “Master is worrying about me,” she whispered, pressing herself tightly against me.

“Lovebirds, we've got about an hour left to go—let's move!” Tori shouted.

I glanced toward her. She and Marcus stood on the road, staring at us. Tori was smiling, but Marcus seemed annoyed.

“Eight, and it seems you don't have much time left,” I said to Zoe.

Then I summoned my mana.

[Level Up!]
[Class: Mage (Level 2)]
[Stat Points Gained: 1]
[Unlocked new skill: Mana Detection (Level 1)]

“Small break—I leveled up and got a new skill,” I whispered.

“What skill?” Zoe asked, excitement in her voice.

“Mana Detection,” I replied.

“Oh…” The smile vanished from her face.

[Mana Detection Level 1 (Passive) - Allows the user to sense mana.]

So this was how Gemma could sense my mana—she must have the same skill. It didn't seem very useful, but at least I would be aware if someone around me was using mana.

The training had really paid off—not only had I improved my focus on mana and could summon it faster, but I had also gained another level. On top of that, I earned a stat point, bringing my total to three. Remembering Gemma’s advice, I allocated one point each to Charisma, Strength, and Dexterity.

We didn’t have much time left, and I didn't want to take it from Zoe, so I summoned mana. “Ready,” I said.

After just a few steps, Zoe pushed my arm, but she only managed to make me step to the side while I still held the mana in my mental grip.

“Still eight,” I said with a smile.

Zoe wrinkled her nose.

“Master?”

“Yes?”

“Maybe you could just give me those two points?” she asked, staring at me with her pink eyes.

I laughed. “Rules are rules.”

“But eight is a lot,” she said, her voice tinged with sadness.

I simply shook my head.

“Don't you want my butt?” she asked, whispering. “Don't you like it?”

I smirked. “You have an amazing ass, and I want it. But you'll have to earn it first.”

“How many people in the world do you think have a fetish for elf feet?”

“What?” I blurted out, realizing what she had just said—then what she wanted to achieve. At the last moment, I managed to focus on my mana and stopped it from slipping out of my control.

“Nine?” Zoe asked with hope in her voice.

"Not this time, but it was close," I said. I shouldn't be getting this distracted. We’d talked earlier without any issues, so why was it different now?

Then it hit me—I was struggling to focus on the mana because I was getting tired. Controlling it was wearing me down. That didn’t give me much hope of winning this game, but in the end, losing was the real reward for me.

“Master?” Zoe asked.

“Yes?” I asked, glancing at her.

She held a stone in her hand and swung it at me, releasing it straight at my head. I instinctively flinched, stopping in place, then quickly straightened up, startled. That was over the line.

“Zoe!”

“It was an illusion,” she said immediately, eyes wide as she pointed at the rock still in her hand.

Between us, several stones hovered in midair. At a glance, it was clear something was off about them. Four rocks floated along the path the real one would have taken if she had actually thrown it at my head.

Zoe couldn’t create dynamic illusions, but like an animator in a cartoon, she created the illusion of movement by rapidly generating a series of static images, one after another.

I smiled. “Clever, good job. Nine,” I said. “You’re close, but you don't have a lot of time left. Ready,” I added after summoning mana.

A few minutes passed as she didn't do anything. I glanced at her, and she seemed deep in her thoughts.

“Out of ideas?” I asked, smiling.

Zoe only pouted without answering.

A few more minutes passed. The time must have been getting to the end as Zoe walked by my side, frowning. She grabbed my hand. I suspected that she would try to pull or push me while doing something else at the same time, but I wasn't sure what she could try.

After another few minutes, as she didn't do anything, I noticed buildings in the distance. “Well, Zoe, I think that—Aaaa!” I screamed as Zoe lifted my hand and sank her fangs into my forearm.

I immediately pulled my hand away from her. She let go without resisting. Two bite marks from her fangs marred my forearm, blood trickling from the wounds. I pressed my hand against them, trying to stop the bleeding.

“Ten?” Zoe asked quietly while staring at the ground with hunched shoulders.

I stepped closer to her, standing just inches from her, towering over her. I was panting from the anger that exploded in me as she bit me. I lowered my voice to speak in a whisper. “A bold move from someone who would be fucked in the ass today.”

The corners of Zoe’s mouth twitched. She was holding back a smile, realizing she had won our little game.

I lifted her chin so she was looking me in the eyes. “What did I tell you about biting?”

“Master said that there are no rules during the game, and I can do whatever I want,” she murmured, still avoiding my gaze.

She had a point. I was annoyed, but taking it out on her now wouldn’t accomplish anything. I gave her a quick kiss. “You won, Zoe, but we will see if you’ll be happy with your reward,” I added, stepping back and glancing at the bite marks on my forearm.

“Are you mad?” she asked quietly.

“Frustrated,” I replied, glancing toward Tori and Marcus, who had gotten quite far away from us, but they were heading toward the village ahead. I hoped that it was our destination and we would find them there.

“I can try to help,” Zoe whispered. “A normal vampire’s saliva helps stop bleeding. I don’t know if mine works the same way, but…”

I held out my arm to her. She gently grabbed it and began slowly licking the two small wounds her fangs had left, cleaning away the blood still trickling from them. I wondered if she simply wanted more of my blood, but after a few licks, the bleeding stopped, and the wounds looked as if they had already begun to scab over.

“It worked,” I said, examining them closely.

“I'm sorry,” Zoe mumbled again.

I sighed, then pulled her into a tight hug.

“Let's get to the village before Tori runs off without us,” I said, stepping back. Grabbing her hand, I tugged her along toward the cluster of houses ahead.