Once we got home Lissany, Nishalle, and I settled in with the others for one of Daenyss’s delicious home-cooked meals with the others. Rei had baked a cake too, which was welcome since I hadn’t been able to eat anything that she had baked since she was still Jessica and working in the bakery. It brought back nice memories for me and the others seemed to enjoy it as well.

It seemed that Daenyss, Rei, and Pete had had a fairly quiet day with the exception of the call on Jonesy’s phone. After that, Venika and her Wisp, Silverheels, had left the three of them to teleport to Robyn, keep an eye on her, and help Rob protect her if necessary. Other than that, they just stuck around the house and spent some quality time together while Pete mostly stayed alert for trouble and kept an eye on the news.

I was glad that Daenyss was starting to relax about the new relationship that the three of us were trying out and that she and Rei had been able to have some bonding time without me. If this was going to work between us, and possibly Salem as well, then we all needed to spend one-on-one time with one another as well as all of us together. While I spent plenty of time with both of them one-on-one, the pair of them didn’t get that chance very often without me there as well.

Kinara had spent the morning with Harley trying to help her figure out how to consciously use her anti-perception ability. After lunch, the pair had gone to Caitlin’s office to work out the details for shipping what monthly supplies that Caitlin’s factory had on hand to our warehouse and the eventual move of her business to Varüus’kiel. Most of that time was spent with Kinara starting to teach the newly awakened Witch magick though.

Caitlin did some teaching as well, it seemed. Harley had accidentally let slip that she used to be a guy while Caitlin and Kinara were discussing what needs the various species of Varuus’kiel might need in terms of monthly supplies. Caitlin had asked Harley if Beastkin had any specific needs but from what Kinara said (while giggling, mind you), the poor Unicorn Beastkin became extremely flustered. And so since Harley hadn’t had a period yet and was new to being female, Caitlin had given her ‘the talk’. Kinara mentioning it was enough to make my new Guardian turn red in the face and accidentally turn invisible again.

Then it was our turn to let the others in on what had happened during our very busy day. It said something about our lives that talk about chumming around with Gods, exploring domains, and taking on thousands of Succubae as my Priestesses barely fazed them. They were really interested in my various domains though, especially now that they were properly connected to Varüus’kiel. We all agreed that they could help solve our food issues, especially since the orchard and vineyards in one of them were ready to harvest and there was plenty of wild fruit and game in the one where the Succubae made their home.

Kinara, Rei, and Daenyss were all very happy that I was making an effort with my Pájar. I had expected that from Kinara and Daenyss since they were both Fae and knew how much or people value family but Rei surprised me. In retrospect though, it shouldn’t have. Rei was disowned by her parents and I had never known my father in my life as a human and she thought that even though we had gotten off on the wrong foot, Narek was trying and I should give him a chance.

Pete and Harley were both extremely happy that I had gotten some armor again, even if I didn’t have the dragon hide to wear underneath it yet. As Hadrick had said, it was better than nothing, and all of my protectors had been concerned about my lack of wearable protection since my fight with Tiamat. As Pete had said, “Thank Goddess, I can breathe again.”

We finished up by telling them about Jonesy’s condition when he came out of the F.I.T, and what we had done with him. “So, you just left him in the psych ward?” Rei inquired with a dubious look on her beautiful face.

“It’s the best place for him. We don’t have the facilities to keep him from harming himself or someone else and, honestly, I don’t think it would be a good idea to have him on Varüus’kiel even if we did. There are still a lot of people who will have trouble forgiving, or forgetting, what he did. It would be worse if he were there,” I responded as I leaned over in my chair to kiss her and gently stroke her tail, causing her to shiver in response.

“What if they try to look up his prints?” Harley asked, her brow furrowing in concern at the thought.

“They probably will check, but they aren’t going to find anything,” I assured her. “Whisper had Jim alter his CSIS file and every other reference on law enforcement and government databases. His prints and other means of identification will come up as an unknown. I’d have had her remove his files completely but that would have been a red flag for his boss.”

“Who is Jim?” Daenyss asked, pausing in her after-dinner cleanup.

“It’s an artificed computer program that Whisper came up with, with some help from Grell. It’ll do most of what she’s been doing for us in a fraction of the time and leave her free to pursue other tasks that need to be done,” I explained as I snuggled closer to Rei and reached out to take Daenyss’s hand and pull her closer.

It had been a long day and I just wanted to go to bed with the two of them. With that in mind, after the post-dinner cleanup was finished, I went to the master bedroom with Rei and Daenyss for a brief playful romp. Sadly, I just didn’t have the energy for more than a couple of rounds so we ended up snuggling together until we all began to drift off to sleep.

It was as I was starting to drift off that I sensed a familiar magical presence outside of the house, accompanied by similar ones. There were twenty-one in total, seemingly camping out on the roof and in the fenced yard. Between the familiar presence, the sheer number of them, and the connection that I felt to them, I wasn’t surprised when there was a gentle push at my mind.

She was trying not to be intrusive, to give a sort of knock before speaking into my mind, and I appreciated that. She could have just spoken in my mind but she wanted to make sure that she wasn’t invading my mental privacy and was thus giving me a warning. “Lilith?” I thought sleepily.

~Yes, my Goddess. I just wished to thank You for allowing us the time and a suitable place to mourn Inanna. I also wanted You to know that I am leaving a small unit here to watch over You and Your comrades and ensure Your safety. They will remain invisible and not intrude unless needed and we will change units every eight hours. I shall return in the morning to lead the unit watching over You during the day if that is satisfactory.~ It was strange, Lilith sounded so confident and yet uncertain at the same time as she said the last.

While I wasn’t thrilled with the thought of being watched every moment of the day, it was not really any different than having Lissany, Nishalle, Pete, and Harley with me all the time. At least I knew that they were going to try to keep out of sight, give me some measure of privacy, and only jump in if needed. I could even see the sense in it and my Mahair and the other Queens would be overjoyed that I had that kind of protection twenty-four hours a day.

“That’s fine, Lilith. Thank you to both you and your girls, I appreciate your efforts. If I’m not in public or busy when you all change shifts, the girls can always stop in to say hello and get a quick meal from my aura. What will you do about actual meals? You do need regular food as well,” I asked in concern.

~Your concern is touching, I am glad that Inanna chose her successor so well.~ I could feel happiness and tenderness in her thoughts as she attempted to reassure me by adding, ~Worry not, my Goddess, those watching over You will all carry some fruit, jerky, and waterskins with us. If You have no further need of me tonight, then I shall leave You to get Your rest while I get some of my own.~

“It’s okay, Lilith, go get some sleep and I’ll see you tomorrow,” I told her.

~Sleep well, my Goddess.~ With those final words I felt her presence slip from my mind and then I drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

For the next four days, we fell into a pattern. After one of Daenyss’s breakfasts, we would all split up to do our various tasks. Kinara would spend the mornings with Harley, trying to help the Unicorn Beastkin to get a handle on her disappearing act, and then the pair would go to Caitlin’s office so that my apprentice could teach the new Witch the basics of magick. Grell and Whisper stayed at the warehouse working on various projects and overseeing the deliveries. As for Pete, Daenyss, and Rei, they mostly chilled around the house hanging out together or with my two lovers spending some quality time together while Pete kept an eye on the news for anything that might require my attention.

As for how Nishalle, Lissany, and I were spending our days, we would get picked up early by Sif or Loki and they would take us to Thor’s domain for our daily training session. Lilith would be waiting to go with us while her children that were on duty came to say hello before ending or starting their shifts and those starting would watch the house to make sure that Rei and the others stayed safe. When Kinara and Harley went to go see Caitlin, a contingent of Succubae that were on duty would follow and discreetly watch over them.

I would swing by the warehouse to portal anything that had arrived to Varüus’kiel before we started our training though, and then again, once Thor, Loki, and Sif were finished with us for the day. Each day we were there from just after breakfast until just before dinnertime. They worked us hard too.

In the morning, Sif would train Lissany, Lilith, and me to create holes in our auras so that we could talk to people without our aspects influencing them. Lilith knew a little about manipulating her aura but it wasn’t really anything that she or Inanna had cared a great deal about. And even though we couldn’t control how much energy our auras were pumping out, she was also teaching us to be more aware of those auras and what aspect they were currently radiating.

That was just our regimen until lunchtime when we would all share a meal that Sif cooked and get to know one another better. The more that I got to know the three Norse Gods, the more I found myself liking all three of them. Sure, Loki could be an acquired taste but she (or he, or they, depending on their mood) cared deeply about anyone she considered a friend and had a sense of humor that was starting to grow on all of us, even Nishalle.

Nishalle spent the most time with Loki though, training with her all day as Loki taught her about her aspects, how to consciously manipulate them, and how to use them to her advantage as an Assassin and my protector. She was also teaching my sister every dirty trick and devious tactic that she could imagine using in a fight. Usually, Loki preferred to avoid outright combat but Thor told us that when she did fight, she was a force to be reckoned with and always kept her opponents off guard.

Lissany spent her afternoons learning from Thor. She was in a constant state of excitement and wanted to learn everything that she could from him about being a protector Goddess and keeping me, and anyone with me, safe. He also put her through intense combat training with her war hammer until her every muscle was aching.

My Guardian actually surprised the Thunder God on the third day. Not only was Lissany strong but, being a jaguar Beastkin, she was also quick and agile. That day, as we were preparing to leave, Thor had a large bruise on the right side of his face. She had managed to dodge one of his more powerful attacks, put some distance between them, and then threw her new hammer at him. It wasn’t the first time that she had thrown her weapon like that to stun or take down an enemy and while Thor was impressed, he cautioned her never to leave herself unarmed.

“Mjölnir comes back to me, lass, your hammer doesn’t,” he told her. That was easily rectified though. I was able to get a feel for the enchantment on Thor’s hammer and use my magick crafting skill to create a similar enchantment on Lissany’s new weapon, there and then. Lissany couldn’t wait to try it in training the next day.

While my sister was training with Loki and my Guardian with Thor in the afternoons, I spent my time with Lilith and Sif. The latter had me working on fine control of manipulating my physical aspects, weapons combat, my magick, and getting a feel for just how much mana I was using, or needed to use in a given situation. Lilith’s training as a magick user and fellow Demigoddess was extremely helpful with regaining proper control of my magick, and the Succubus was able to show me a few tricks in unarmed combat as well.

Sif thought that my sword skills were good but that I was too used to dual wielding. If I lost one of my swords, or one of my arms was injured, my defense and offense could both be compromised due to being used to a dual-wielding form. She was determined to change this by having me fight her with only one sword. Then halfway through, she would have me focus on fighting her using the other hand. I was steadily improving in all areas but with all of that training, I was going home very tired each night.

It was a good thing that Pete was keeping an eye on the news, because on the third night he saw live footage of a Suvas’taäl raid on Singapore, and they had a Kehüvakt with them. Using the news feed I was able to portal us there. Then my group, along with a shit-ton of Succubae, were able to take down the Kraken and send the Finfolk packin’. We didn’t even take any casualties since the Succubae were attacking from the air and out of range of the Suvas’taäl.

We didn’t get home until the wee hours of the morning though, since there were a lot of injured for Rei and the Healers among the Succubae to take care of. Robyn called me in excitement the next morning before we set out. She was thrilled over the good press that we were getting, especially on the Singapore news outlets, and thought that it would really help her Changed Rights campaign. Of course, there was no secret that my group and I were involved, especially with Daenyss throwing out every title that I had when given half a chance. Reporters had gotten some decent footage of the battle as well.

At the end of the fourth day of training, I was ready to just crash in bed and snuggle with Rei and Daenyss for the rest of the night. Once I started doing the evening movement of supplies from the warehouse to Varüus’kiel though, I figured that I should check in with Hadrick and Yola since the dragon hide was supposed to be ready for making armor by now. Salem and those who had gone into the F.I.Ts for new bodies or training were supposed to be out by now as well.

With that in mind, I collected my party to eat our evening meal in Varüus’kiel and see how things were progressing. It would save Daenyss some work and we could all relax there without feeling as if we had to be on guard all of the time. Everyone was eager to go, especially Grell, who wanted some time with his girlfriend, Ashura. The only one who declined was Whisper. She had some coding that she wanted to work on and thought that someone should stay at the warehouse in case a delivery came while we were gone.

I was also thinking that it would be a good idea to introduce people to Lilith and those of her daughters who were on duty tonight since they were my Priestesses and had access to Varüus’kiel now. Lilith wanted to talk to someone about building a proper temple for me as well. Her thinking was that the people of Varüus’kiel would want a place to worship and pray, and since the Temple of the Heavens would be inaccessible for most, that we should build one in the capital.

After some discussion, I managed to get my High Priestess to compromise with a Temple of the Moon. It could be dedicated to both Danu and me, with both of our Priestesses tending it. My plan was to put her together with Xixie since the Sül’shael was technically Danu’s High Priestess. I also figured that she and the other Sül’shael would jump at the chance to create a temple for both Danu and me.

Since I was the Empress, I also had to check in once in a while and see how things were progressing. I may not like being in charge but I was determined to do my best for my people, and that meant taking my duties seriously. I hadn’t had much time the night before to do more than just portal supplies in, so I was hoping for some positive news tonight to cheer me up after a hard day of training. It couldn’t have been worse than the news I had gotten the night before last.

That was when my Pájar informed me about a successful raid on the black sites in the United States by the Winter Court. They had managed to rescue the families of players and employees at the New York branch who had been held hostage and that was a big positive. However, when rescuing Fae and other non-humans from the other black sites they found fewer people alive than they were hoping for, and more signs of experimentation and research. They had destroyed what information like that they had found and cremated the dead but it wasn’t the big win that we had been hoping for when Whisper had found that information, and it left me feeling terrible that we hadn’t been able to find them sooner.

So, I was really looking for some news that would cheer me up tonight. Still, it was nice to be home. It was strange that this place that hadn’t seen sunlight since we arrived felt like home now. It did though. Maybe it was my connection to the island and the fact that it was my center of power had something to do with that. On the other hand, maybe it was because this was where my people were. It didn’t really matter why though, it just mattered that it was.

As Grell went off in search of his girlfriend, the rest of us made our way toward where Hadrick kept his forge. I was holding hands with both Rei and Daenyss, Lissany was doing the same with Kinara, Nishalle had her arm possessively around Pete’s waist, and Harley was trying to be all business, keep an eye out for danger, and act like a proper Guardian. I admired her dedication to her chosen role but she needed to learn to relax sometimes too.

Lissany was the same way at first though and it took her almost until we were out of the game to start relaxing when the opportunity arose. Now she had found a balance where she could relax when it was appropriate but still remain alert and on guard. I thought that maybe I should have her talk with Harley one-on-one more, offer some pointers, and talk about being Guardians. Usually, when they talked, it was Lissany teasing the older Guardian and Beastkin, though she did try not to take that too far. Lissany had earned Harley’s respect though, with how dedicated she was to being the best Guardian possible.

The Succubae following behind our group were as alert and on guard as Harley, though I couldn’t really blame them for that since this wasn’t familiar territory and they didn’t know many of my people very well. They were getting a lot of curious looks from those that we passed by though, those who weren’t staring at me or Lilith anyway. Most of the Fae were using their mental discipline to try to resist our auras but the only people who seemed completely immune were children, Yseil’dhraí, Sül’shael, Dwarves, and those who had no attraction to women.

Apparently, the reason that Hadrick wasn’t a blathering mess when I went to see him about my new armor the last time was that Dwarves are not only all heterosexual but they rarely feel attraction to anyone except other Dwarves. Lilith had some experience with Dwarves over her long existence but she had never been able to wrap one around her finger.

When we arrived at Hadrick’s forge, he and the Sül’shael, including Xixie, were working on shaping what looked like a helm for a Guardian’s armor. We waited until they were finished and the nigh-indestructible metal was cooling to get their attention. Then Lissany called out, “Hey, Hadrick! I love my new hammer! I threw it at Thor and totally hit him in the face while we were training!”

The Dwarf let out a big belly laugh. “Ya never disappoint, do ya, Liss? Maybe ya shouldn’t be throwin’ yer weapon around though.”

“Nah, it’s cool. Her Majesty enchanted it so it’ll come back to me now,” my feline Guardian replied with a wicked grin.

“I suppose, you’ll be wantin’ the armor now too then,” he replied with a wink.

He looked like he was going to say more but Xixie and the other Sül’shael squealed in excitement and rushed toward me, barely managing to remember to extinguish their hair and wings first. “Inu’Mahair! You’re here!”

Once I had managed to get the girls to calm down a bit, I introduced Lilith and the other Succubae present to Xixie, the other Sül’shael, and everyone else present. I had warned Lilith that Xixie and the other girls could be a bit excitable beforehand. Thankfully, Hadrick had been about ready to close the forge for the day to get a meal and some rest because Xixie and the other girls were very curious about the Succubae and probably wouldn’t have gotten anything more done.

The horns, scales, tails, and wings were of particular interest to them. They had never seen a person with horns on their heads or scales on their bodies before, Succubus tails were very different from what they had seen on the Beastkin, and their wings were just as different from those of the Sül’shael or me. Lilith and her brood had never seen a Sül’shael before either though and I had only told them a little about them so they were just as curious.

Xixie and Lilith had very different perspectives and personalities, and I had been afraid that they wouldn’t get along but it seemed that those fears were unfounded. Xixie was only too happy to talk to the Succubus Matriarch about building a shared temple for Danu and me and thought it was a great idea, though Lilith had to explain what a temple was first. I think Xixie was a little disappointed that she couldn’t be my High Priestess as well as Danu’s but she quickly got over it once Lilith explained how she and her brood had served as Inanna’s Priestesses for thousands of years and they saw me as her rightful successor. It probably also helped that she and the other Sül’shael saw me as their Inu’Mahair rather than as their Goddess as Lilith and the other Succubae did.

With introductions made, and the Sül’shael now distracted, Hadrick and Yola were able to show me, Nishalle, Lissany, and Harley what they had for us. I was glad that I was getting used to creating a big enough hole in my aura to keep Shaoli from being too distracted by thoughts of sex to have an intelligent conversation with. When she had first measured me after my Sex Goddess ‘upgrade’ it was just after Inanna and Ereshkigal had died so I suspected that my aura was projecting my love or justice aspect then since sex would have felt inappropriate under the circumstances.

That wasn’t the case now though, and the Nyiir’dhraí tailor had been too distracted by using Fae focusing techniques to attempt to combat her desire and thoughts of sex. She had helped Yola to make my new dragon skin bodysuit to be worn under my armor and needed to know if it would need any adjustments but when she had taken me aside she had been hit full force by my Sex aura. It probably didn’t help that I had unthinkingly used my magic mark to switch to my armor and then just stripped naked in front of her so I could put the bodysuit on.

Once I was able to make her exempt from my aura, Shaoli sighed and visibly relaxed as I pulled on the dragon skin garment. “That aura makes things hella awkward, your Majesty.”

“Tell me about it,” I responded with a sigh of my own. I got the garment fully on and, as usual, I was very happy with Shaoli and Yola’s work. Rather than being a tunic and leggings like my former Lindwyrm armor, it was a full bodysuit, though it still had an attached hood. It was easy to move around in, the hide had a bit of stretch to it, and since the scales were a lot smaller, especially around the tail tips and extremities, they had been able to make some proper boots and gloves from them as well. Everything fit perfectly and a test proved that the wing slits were in the right place as well before I put my Nythrin armor on over top.

The iridescent blue scales hadn’t been dyed at all but they looked good with the bluish silver of the Nythrin armor pieces over top. Shaoli had also made me a silver silk cape that could be attached by the clips on the pauldrons of my armor for more formal occasions. Once I had that on and my weapons in place to make sure that the new gear belt and thigh holsters for my guns were both comfortable and secure, the tailor grinned and let out a whistle, “Now you look like an Empress. So, how does everything fit, your Majesty?”

“Great, Shaoli, as usual, I have no complaints. You and Yola did a great job and now I’ll have more protection from bullets, blades, and fire again.” I told her with a smile. Then I took the cape off since I didn’t want it getting damaged in a fight and offered it to Daenyss. “Do you think that you can put that in your box for me, Sweetie?”

Daenyss immediately blushed at me calling her that in public but tried to remain professional as she took the garment, folded it, and replied, “Of course, Mistress.”

Shaoli just smiled and said nothing as we made our way back to the others where I saw Nishalle, Lissany, and Harley all in shiny new Nythrin gear as well. Nishalle’s was much like mine; a set of greaves, bracers with wrist guards, and the chest piece with spring-loaded plates to cover the wing slits in the back. The metal stood out a bit on top of the black Lindwrym hide she wore beneath and it was simple, at my sister’s request.

The only etchings that the Sül’shael had made in the metal of her armor was the same tree and moon pattern that mine bore on the front of the chest piece. When Nishalle had first seen it on my chest piece, she suggested that it would make a good unifying symbol for the people of Varüus’kiel. I had agreed and asked Xixie and the girls if they could include it in any other armor that they made for our people, so Lissany’s and Harley’s Guardian armor had it proudly displayed on the chest as well.

The girls had also made a very convincing replica of my sister’s katana out of Nythrin under Hadrick’s guidance. Again, it was simple, but Hadrick felt that it would be a lot sturdier than what she currently had. That one had been a replica made for reenactments but the Nythrin one that the girls had made for her was made for combat and razor sharp.

Lissany’s Guardian armor was a work of art. The full head-to-toe plate armor actually looked like fur and the helm was in the shape of a saber-toothed cat’s head, much like her new hammer. Her ears fit perfectly in the cat ears of the helm and her faceplate was inside the gaping maw of it. Other than the slits for her eyes there was a fine Nythrin wire mesh covering the area of her mouth and the fronts of her ears so she could hear and breathe properly but still be fully protected.

The gauntlets and boots were made to look like paws, even bearing razor-sharp claws at the tips of both fingers and toes and the chest piece bore the tree and moon symbol. Her huge tower shield was just as massive as her old one but lighter due to the metal, and both armor and shield were fully lined with dragon skin to add an extra layer of protection and bullet resistance just in case Nythrin wasn’t as bulletproof as we hoped. The shield didn’t follow the cat theme like the rest of her armor and her war hammer. Instead, it was simple, only bearing a much larger version of the symbol on her chest.

Harley’s armor was similar to Lissany’s but with a unicorn theme. They couldn’t really make the gauntlets and boots look like hooves without making things awkward for her but the Unicorn head helm was beautiful and both her ears and horn fit into those on the helmet. The unicorn's face overlapped her own, the eye slits where the eyes of the unicorn were, and the mesh for breathing in the nostrils and slightly opened mouth. The mane looked realistic enough that I wanted to stroke it.

She also had a tower shield that matched Lissany’s and a harness for a pair of swords. One was similar in size and style to my swords and there was a sheath for it on the harness at her waist. The other was similar to Pete’s claymore in both size and style and could be worn across her back along with the shield and drawn at an angle. Etched into the flat of both sides of the colossal Nythrin blade was a rampant unicorn.

To be honest, my Guardians both looked pretty badass in their new armor and Lissany was gushing about hers while Harley seemed too stunned to speak anything more than a teary thank you. Hadrick looked extremely pleased with the handiwork of his Sül’shael students, while my party mates and I were awestruck. The Sül’shael themselves were giddy to see our reactions and I made sure to give each of them a hug after telling them, “Wonderful work, girls. I’m so proud of you all.”

After thanking our outfitters, we decided to head off and find some dinner. All of the supplies that we were sending were being put to good use and the Brownies of the Autumn Court had combined their efforts to make a large communal dinner where everyone could serve himself or herself. The food was good and the Sül’shael liked having more variety available now that my people had arrived on the island. They ate quickly and then Xixie and the other girls managed to convince Lilith and the other Succubae to take a break with them until it was time to go.

“Okay, that was really weird. Is it just me or did the Sül’shael just seduce your Succubae?” Grell asked with a perplexed look as he and Ashura joined us just in time to see each Succubus being led away by at least one very eager Sül’shael.

“One of Lilith’s girls let slip that they feed on sexual energy. It got Xixie and the others curious; they want to see it and they were especially interested in those tails. So… Xixie asked me if it would be okay for her and the girls to get to know Lilith and her brood better. They did such a good job that I think they deserve a reward,” I explained before giggling. “It surprised the hell out of Lilith. Usually. they have to work harder for meals that aren’t being provided from a sex aura like hers or mine.”

“Talk about a turnaround,” Ashura said with a laugh. “I gotta say though, I never thought I’d see a real Succubus, but then, I thought that about a lot of formerly mythical creatures before joining AD. Never thought I’d be an Atlantean either.”

We were all cheerfully talking, relaxing, and letting our meals digest and I was snuggling happily with Daenyss and Rei when I heard a voice call out, “LIssy! Lookit! I’m a kitty too!” Two familiar Liyun'shael approached, with Lucy gripping both her mother’s and Salem’s hands. She was indeed a kitty, with a cute kitty nose like Lissany’s and a pair of round fuzzy ears atop her head, probably a tiger Beastkin going by the orange and black striped tail.

The trio stopped to stare at me for a moment as Salem and Vivian stepped into range of my aura. Both Moss Maidens were obviously having a very hard time reining in their desires and getting control of themselves while Lucy was trying to figure out what was different about me. “Mommy, Grammy Salem, why does Empress Taelya look different?”

*Snerk* “Grammy Salem,” Nishalle snickered beside me. “That’s so cute.”

Daenyss was on her feet in an instant and practically leaped into Salem’s arms to kiss her passionately for several minutes before producing the fruit that Loki had left for her and encouraging the diminutive Moss Maiden to eat it. Salem snapped out of her lust daze fairly quickly once she had eaten it and I was able to make a hole in my aura for Vivian so she could calm down as well. Finally, Salem just stared at me a moment longer before asking, “Is that you Taelya? I was gone like a week, what the hell did I miss?”

Apparently, she was so stunned that she forgot to use my title, not that I minded. I wouldn’t have minded a little more of that, in fact. I was about to answer but Daenyss beat me to the punch as she gripped Salem’s hand tightly, her eyes darting nervously between the Moss Maiden and me and Rei. “A lot has happened, Salem. We… have a lot to talk about.”