“Can we shift?” Azura asked, looking at me pleadingly. “Please?”

  “Of course,” I replied.

  The grin that appeared on her face was worth all the effort to find the boratory. She immediately started to pull her clothes off, getting naked in front of everyone.

  “Oh wow,” Sage said. “Someone’s not shy.”

  “Azura! What are you doing?!” Hannah gasped when her daughter pulled her shirt off, remaining in her pants and with bare tits shown to everyone.

  “Let’s run together,” Azura replied excitedly, then pulled her pants down, getting completely naked, but she shifted immediately, so in a matter of seconds, rather than standing there naked, she was in her wolf form.

  She barked and ran around her mother and sisters, probably waiting for them to join her, but instead Hannah shifted her gaze to me with a gre.

  Like, for some reason, it was my fault. She didn’t know about the years that Azura had spent living in a wolf pack that made her more… uninhibited.

  “Let’s give them privacy to shift,” I said, moving further through the forest. “Zoe, will you pick up their clothes?” I asked.

  She nodded, waiting for the rest of the shapeshifters to join Azura.

  We managed to reach the road that we had been traveling before, when the rustling of something running came from behind us. As I turned around, four wolves ran at us. A view that normally should cause stress or fear instead made me smile, seeing Azura back with her family.

  She was simir to her mother and sisters when she was in her human form, resembnce was obvious, but there was one difference that I only noticed after seeing them as wolves. All of them had completely bck fur, and only Azura had those blue highlights.

  I wondered if it was normal and she had been born this way, or if it was a consequence of weird experiments at the b. I doubted Azura would know the answer. Hannah perhaps could know, but it seemed she had a problem with me.

  Most likely, it was because of the tattoo on Azura’s neck and the fact that she was my sve. Of course, she didn’t know that it had been Azura’s idea. But there was a simple solution, I just needed to offer to free Azura in front of her mother. When she refused, the problem would be solved.

  Zoe followed after them a moment ter, running out from between the trees.

  “Ready?” I asked as she stopped next to me.

  “Yeah,” she replied, pecking my lips.

  As I turned back toward the road, three wolves were chasing each other, but one of them was watching me. Great. Now, I would need to expin to Hannah not only why Azura was my sve, but also that I was sleeping with other women.

  It didn’t come to my mind before that I would have talks like that waiting for me, but in the end, Azura was okay with it and happy. That was what should matter. At least I hoped her mother would understand that.

  “When will you start my healing?” Mari asked as we were moving toward Ortas, pulling me out of my thoughts. She was walking next to Zelda, waiting for an answer.

  “I need to prepare everything, examine you, and make tests, but I think we can start tomorrow evening with your teeth.”

  “Why teeth?” Mari asked, frowning.

  “Tail and ears are more complicated. Bones, nerves, skin, fur, muscles, there are many elements to recreate. I prefer to start with something less complex to see how your body reacts to my skills. Healing scars is easier, but I would prefer to not start with your face, so the teeth seemed like a perfect start.”

  “She has many scars over her body,” I said, remembering all the wounds and damage done to her body I had seen back when she was in the cage at the sve market. “Those need healing too.”

  “Teeth are okay,” Mari said.

  “How long would it take?” I asked. “We’re actively exploring, and Mari is an important member of our team,” I expined, wanting to know for how long she would be out of it. Another reason why to keep Tori around. I couldn’t lose both of them at once if I still wanted to go to the dungeon or complete missions.

  “How many teeth are you missing?” Zelda asked.

  “Four,” Mari replied, gring at me.

  “Around two hours for those,” Zelda said. “I’m not going to be ready in the morning tomorrow, so you can go, and I’ll take care of that in the evening. She would be able to go the next day, and it would be great to take a break with the healing to not strain her body too much and see how it reacts to the healing.”

  “Okay,” I replied.

  “Scars are simir, but with the tail and ears I would need more time to regenerate them. I might not be able to do it in a day. And then she should rest for some time,” Zelda expined.

  “For how long?” I asked, trying to make pns and wanting to know for how long I should find something other than exploring to do.

  “Are you a mage?” Zelda asked Mari.

  “Yeah,” she replied, frowning.

  Zelda sighed. “It’s not going to impact her a lot, then. If she would just stay back and cast spells, she should be okay and could go a day or two after I finish the healing. But if she would get wounded, then it would be dangerous. I would recommend not going to the dungeon for some time after the tail and ears. If you really must go, then at least take easier levels to make sure she won’t get injured.”

  “Okay,” I replied, wondering if I could find some job or mission to do that we could take on without her.

  There was a moment of silence as I watched Azura and her sisters running around in front of us, chasing each other and seemingly having fun, while Hannah was moving along the road watching over them.

  But then I gnced at Sage, who was walking close to me with her gaze locked on me.

  “What?” I asked.

  “You are interesting,” she said, smiling.

  “Thanks, I guess,” I replied, chuckling.

  “Where did Gemma find you?” Sage asked.

  “You should ask her,” I replied.

  “She won’t tell me anything,” Sage said, squinting at me. “It’ll be easier to take information out of you,” she added. I wasn’t sure if that was a threat or a joke and decided to change the topic.

  “Remember the woman I mentioned, the one in Ortas?” I started. “She doesn’t know that I work for Gemma. If she sees us together, she might guess it.”

  “Do you trust her?” Sage asked.

  I let my breath out slowly. “I would say that it’s complicated, so you can probably assume that no.”

  “Who’s that?” Sage asked. “Maybe I know her.”

  “Amber Tzal’aenith.”

  “Amber?” Sage snorted. She looked me over from down to up with a wide grin, and something like she was impressed in her eyes.

  “Yeah,” I replied.

  “Oh, you’re like the best thing that’s happened in the st century,” Sage excimed.

  “You’re such a drama addict,” Zelda said.

  “You know I love when something’s happening,” Sage replied, with a wink at me.

  “Do you think Amber might realize that I work for Gemma because of you?” I asked.

  “Nah,” Sage replied. “Not everyone around knows that I work directly for Gemma. They know I work for the guild, but they mostly think I have my own business. And from what I heard, she doesn’t really care about politics or things like that. Is it true she’s crazy?” Sage asked.

  “Amber is… one of a kind.”

  “I heard that she was looking for a strong man,” Sage said. “One that would not let her push him around. And she had quite controversial methods of testing them out,” Sage expined.

  “And you did nothing with that?” I asked.

  “No one, after spending the night with her, wanted to talk about it, so I only had rumors. Maybe you could give me more details,” Sage said, sounding excited about the whole idea.

  “Let’s say that it didn’t go according to her pns,” I replied with a smirk.

  “And she came after you to Ortas?” Sage asked.

  “It seems I made a sting impression,” I replied.

  Sage smirked at me, but then her gaze shifted to the city wall of Ortas, visible on the horizon.

  “We should split here,” she said, pulling a map out of her bag. “That’s the house,” she said, pointing at it. “The door’ll be open, there’s an empty sign over them.”

  “Okay,” I replied. At the same time, Azura and her family, who were ahead, realized we had stopped and returned to us.

  “Tori should be back in Ortas in a few minutes,” Sage said, gesturing at the road toward the dungeon. “See you soon, handsome,” she added, moving away before I had a chance to ask how she knew where Tori was.

  As Sage moved away with Zelda toward another city gate, I shifted my gaze first to their asses, enjoying the view for a moment, before I looked at Azura. “Shift back,” I said, turning away from them, giving them all a moment of privacy as Zoe pulled their clothes out of her bag.

  I waited as clothes rustled behind me until arms wrapped around me from behind and someone pressed her small frame against me.

  “Thank you,” Azura murmured, as I squeezed her hands, smiling.

  Turning around in her arms, I leaned down to kiss her shortly. She was glowing with a wide smile, so wide I had never seen before on her.

  “I’m gd you’re happy,” I murmured before I kissed her again.

  Hannah grunted, interrupting us as she watched us with her daughters and Zoe.

  “Sorry,” I said, still smiling. “We need to go back, pick up our things, and Amber.”

  “And who’s Amber?” Hannah asked as we headed toward the gate.

  “She’s part of our team and supplies us with potions,” I replied, skipping the part that I had fucked her in the morning to the point she was unable to go with us to the dungeon.

  But Hannah probably assumed I was sleeping with Amber anyway, as she pressed her lips into a thin line, giving me a look that was anything but friendly. She turned her attention back to her daughters as we were waiting for entry sigils for them.

  We quickly moved toward the tavern but didn’t manage to enter before a man and a woman burst out through the door. I didn’t recognize the man, but the woman was the one who always sat in the room watching what was happening, the one I had assumed was a guard there.

  “Fucking bitch!” the man screamed, nding on the ground and rubbing his eyes.

  Julia came out of the inn just after them, and as we approached, her gaze shifted to me.

  “You’re here at the perfect time,” she said with a frown.

  “I’ll kill this bitch!” the man on the ground screamed again, still rubbing his eyes. They were red and watering, and his whole face was flushed and breaking out in a rash.

  “Go away,” the guard woman said, like she was bored with the whole situation, pulling him up from the ground.

  “He was talking to your friend,” Julia said to me. “And he was pushy. She told him to fuck off, but apparently he didn’t understand that meant she really didn’t want to talk to him. Then he got a little too touchy, and normally Greta would take care of that, but she was in the toilet at the moment.”

  I gnced into the tavern, but I couldn’t see Amber through the door.

  “Is Amber okay?” I asked.

  Julia snorted. “When he grabbed her, she tossed some powder into his face and kicked him in the balls. Then she went right back to eating while he was squirming on the ground crying, before Greta came to deal with him,” Julia said, nodding at the warrior woman. The man staggered away, bent slightly forward, still rubbing at his face and muttering something under his breath.

  I sighed, wondering if Amber was going to keep attracting trouble all the time or if she was just unlucky and the guy had really been an asshole.

  “Sorry about that,” Julia said as Greta returned to the tavern. “We don’t often get drunks like him, but it happens.”

  “No problem,” I said, and we moved inside.

  Amber was sitting at one of the tables eating like nothing had happened.

  “Azura, take Zoe and your family and pack our things, okay?” I said. “And Mari, do the same,” I added, moving toward Amber.

  “Are you okay?” I asked, sitting next to her.

  She looked at me and smiled, leaning forward for a kiss. I met her lips, kissing her for a moment as she pressed even closer to me, but then I broke it with a small peck before pulling back.

  “Are you okay?” I asked again.

  “Yeah,” Amber replied.

  “What happened?”

  “Nothing really,” she said. “I slept for a few hours after this amazing morning. Then rested, reading books in bed. I really needed that,” she sighed.

  “What happened here with that guy?” I asked.

  “Oh, I got bored when you were not returning, and hungry, so I came here. He was an asshole. Wanted to buy me a beer, then invited me to his room,” Amber replied, and paused, smiling.

  “And?” I asked.

  “I was pondering if I should go or-” Amber stopped mid-sentence, leaning back as I reached for her head, or more precisely for her ear.

  “No, no, no,” she said, leaning even further back. “I told him to fuck off, okay?” she asked, not smirking anymore.

  “Good little elf,” I whispered, lowering my hand to her thigh instead, squeezing it.

  “Stop calling me that,” she scoffed. “Or I would go with one of them to their room.”

  “And what? Get disappointed?” I asked, leaning closer, holding her thigh. “And be careful, Amber, I’m the jealous type,” I murmured.

  “Funny, considering how many women you sleep with,” she snarked.

  “It’s your choice,” I said.

  Amber scoffed, staring into my eyes for a moment in silence. “He put his hand just like you do now,” she said, shifting her gaze down. “I tossed pepper dust into his face with some funny additions, and kicked him in the balls,” she expined, shifting her gaze back to my eyes. “Are you sure you want to hold your hand here?” she asked, her voice low like she was threatening me.

  “Yes,” I replied, shifting my hand even further along her leg until I was squeezing her thigh and my fingers pressed against the crotch of her pants.

  She held my gaze for a moment as I waited for her move, challenging her, but then she averted her eyes back to her food. “How did the dungeon go?” she asked, changing the subject.

  “Great, we passed Level 3 and reached the checkpoint before Level 4,” I said. “I got wounded and used one of your potions.”

  “You’re welcome,” Amber replied, smiling.

  “It tasted like shit,” I said.

  She let out a short grunt, shifting her gaze to me. “You really shouldn’t insult someone’s potions when they’re the one making more for you in the future. I could always mix in a few extra ingredients. Give you some additional effects beyond just healing next time.”

  I squeezed her thigh. “Or you will just make it taste better next time.”

  “What are you? A baby? Are you gonna cry because potions taste bad?” she asked.

  “You want to tell me that you can’t make it taste better?” I asked.

  “Of course I can!” she hissed. “It would just cost more then. And it’s supposed to heal you, not be your after-dinner drink.”

  I sighed, shaking my head. Money could be a great reason to get accustomed to the bad taste rather than force Amber to make them taste better. At least it would be additional motivation to not get wounded.

  “I’m moving out of here,” I said. “I work for someone new, and they’ll give me a pce to live.”

  “Who?” Amber asked.

  “That’s not really important, but you can meet them if you would go with me. If you want,” I offered.

  Amber shifted her gaze to me again, and for a moment watched, thinking it over. She let out her breath slowly through her nose before she nodded slightly and returned to her food.

  “I’m gd,” I said, pulling her toward me and kissing. Our lips met, and we sat there kissing in each other’s arms.

  And again, grunting interrupted my kiss, and again it was Azura’s mother. “I assume it's Amber,” she said, gring at me.

  “Yes,” I replied. “Amber, this is Hannah, Azura’s mother.”

  Amber quickly shifted her gaze from me to the older woman. “From the b?” she asked.

  “Yeah,” Hannah replied reluctantly.

  “I’m gd that we managed to take you out of there,” Amber said.

  “Amber helped us find the b. We couldn't do it without her,” I expined as Hannah looked at her, confused.

  “Oh, thank you,” Hannah said to Amber. “Anna, Alyssa, you should thank this dy too,” she added, speaking to her daughters, who were standing slightly behind with Azura and Zoe.

  “Those are Azura’s sisters,” I expined as both girls stepped toward us.

  “Thank you,” Anna said quietly, wrapping her arms around her mother’s hips.

  “You helped us get out of there?” Alyssa asked.

  “Yeah, I knew where to find that pce,” Amber replied.

  “Thank you,” Alyssa said again, smiling softly at Amber.

  “You’re beautiful,” Anna said.

  “Oh, thank you,” Amber replied, standing up from the table. “You’re sweet yourself,” she added to the small girl, who smiled hearing that.

  “Are we ready?” I asked Zoe.

  “Yeah, but Mari still didn’t come out of her room,” she replied. “And there were Amber’s things I didn’t want to touch,” she said to the elf.

  “Thanks,” Amber said. “I’ll pack, I just need a moment,” she added, moving toward the room.

  “Wait here, I’ll check on Mari,” I said, following after Amber, my gaze drifting for a moment to her firm ass as she swayed her hips. Then I looked toward Julia, who was putting empty gsses on the bar.

  “Hey, Julia, can we talk for a moment at the side?” I asked, nodding toward the corridor with the rooms.

  “Sure, but be quick,” she replied, gncing over the room that was more than halfway full, though it didn’t seem she had anyone to take care of at the moment.

  We stepped into the corridor as Amber went into our room. “We’re moving out,” I said. “And probably not returning for some time, if ever.”

  “Are you moving out of Ortas?” she asked.

  “No, I just found a better pce to live, with the number of people growing that I need to keep around. Azura’s mother and two sisters joined us, and well…”

  “Okay,” Julia said. “Bring me the keys when you clear the rooms.”

  “That’s not why I wanted to talk with you,” I said, stepping closer to her.

  “No?” she asked, smiling softly. “Then why?”

  “I hoped to get to know you better,” I said.

  Julia bit her lip. “But you’re a busy man,” she said. I wondered if she meant the number of women I was sleeping with or the fact that I was always heading somewhere, doing something.

  “I can always make time for the right company,” I said, letting my gaze drop to her lips.

  Julia leaned slightly closer to me. “I work te nights,” she said.

  “I could make them in the middle of the day,” I offered.

  “Rather than rushing into the dungeon, killing monsters?” she asked.

  “Everyone needs a break and some fun sometimes,” I replied.

  “And what kind of fun are you thinking about?” she asked, stepping even closer. Our faces were just inches apart as I looked at her beautiful features and lips curled in a smile. Rather than answering with words, I leaned forward and pressed my lips to hers.

  Julia pressed against me as our lips met, her chest straining against her too-small shirt, pushing into mine. I put my hands on her hips, holding her close.

  Amber walked out of the room. Julia instinctively started to pull back, but I kept her in pce, still kissing her, teasing Amber.

  Amber stopped in her tracks, grunted, and stomped her foot. “You are impossible!” she hissed.

  Only then did I pull back from Julia. “This kind of fun,” I murmured, staying close for a second before stepping back and turning to Amber. “Ready?” I asked.

  She grunted, her gaze shifting angrily to Julia.

  “I need to get back to work,” Julia said quickly. “Bring me the keys,” she added before moving out of the corridor.

  Amber stepped toward me, and I braced for another attack, but instead, she grabbed my colr and pulled me into a kiss, pressing her lean, tall body against mine and pushing her tongue into my mouth.

  I quickly grabbed her hips and spun us around, pressing her against the wall and forcing my tongue into her mouth instead, reminding her where her pce was. As the kiss deepened, she gripped my arms tightly, and I could tell she wasn’t angry anymore, already submitting again.

  Then another door opened, and this time Mari stepped out. What was with this day and everyone interrupting me when I was having fun? But Mari didn’t say a word, she just gnced our way, scowled, and walked past as if we didn’t exist.

  I kissed Amber a moment longer, sliding my hand down to her ass and squeezing her firm cheek. I gave it a light sp as I pulled back, making her gasp softly against my lips. “Are you gonna be good?” I asked.

  “If you will be,” she replied.

  “It doesn’t work like that,” I said. She started to reply, but I kissed her again, cutting her off. After a moment I pulled back, grabbed the bag she had dropped to the floor, and headed out of the corridor into the main room.

  Tori was there, talking with Zoe, and after Amber and Mari passed the keys to Julia, I stepped up to her. “Hey,” I said coldly.

  “Hey,” she replied with a slight frown, her gaze shifting toward Hannah and her daughters.

  “We’re moving out to a new pce that someone I work for offered me. You can come with us,” I said, suspecting I wouldn’t need to expin much. She wanted to gather information about me, so just mentioning the person I worked for would be enough to convince her. She was in for a surprise when she found out it was the same person she worked for.

  “Who’s that?” Tori asked.

  “Let’s talk on the way there,” I said. “You can always come back here if you don’t want to stay.”

  She gnced toward Hannah and her daughters behind me, thinking it over, while I stayed silent, offering no further expnation. I wondered if it was really a good idea to keep her close, but Zoe’s and Azura’s safety mattered more than my grudge against her. At least for now.

  Eventually, she agreed, and we left the tavern, heading toward the house Sage had pointed out. Zoe walked beside me, with Amber on my other side. Hannah and her daughters, along with Azura, followed behind, speaking quietly, while Tori joined on Zoe’s other side. Mari, as always, walked alone ahead.

  I thought about how quickly my group was growing. When I first arrived in this world, I had no one. Not even two full weeks had passed, and now I had two, possibly three, girlfriends, plus a few other women I was either already sleeping with or pnning to.

  How many would I have in a month? Or two? Would I eventually reach the point where it was too much? Should I limit myself?

  At least that question was easy to answer. No.