CHAPTER 21

Violet and Gella both rose from their curtsey. “Just as I said,” Gella clarified with a smirk. “Until this time tomorrow night, Violet and I are yours to do with as you wish.”

Celia barely felt herself sink back against the couch. Her mind boggled at the sheer enormity of it. Gella and Violet, pledging themselves to her for a whole day? Violet she could just about accept – the elf apparently had the part of loyal servant etched into her very soul, after all. But Gella? Confidence and command poured off the mage like smoke from a fire. “And… you’ll do anything I ask?” Her voice wavered, still reeling from the shock.

“Well, not anything,” Gella stressed. “I do hate to admit it, but my magic has its limits.” The mage’s look sharpened for just a moment. “And I will remember everything you have me do.” The sharpness vanished an instant later leaving only an interested smile. “I humbly request that you not ask me to do much more magic tonight, my ragira is quite low. Though I do have a large store of enchanted items that should be able to replicate any spell you can think of.”

“If it is within my power to do, Celia, I will likewise happily obey.” Violet added.

Possibilities whirled though Celia’s mind faster than she could focus on them. A tiny, nearly forgotten desire to leave Cair Dwemor flashed defiantly one last time. Then Celia dismissed it utterly. She had made her choice a week ago. Cair Dwemor, for better or for worse, was her home for at least the next year. “I… um…” She licked her dry lips and took a calming breath. “I can say no?”

Gella shrugged. “I won’t be offended if you refuse.” Her smile turned wicked. “But aren’t you the least bit curious, Celia?” She offered, voice thick with promise.

Lurid fantasies about having each of them between her legs immolated themselves in front of a deep desire to know more about both women, then that too was brushed aside to see more of Gella’s wealth of magical trinkets. Finally the choice was made when she caught a whiff of something savory from the kitchen. She stood and gestured toward the door. “Let’s go get some dinner.”

“Yes, Mistress,” both women said nearly in unison, freezing Celia in place.

“I’m no one’s Mistress,” she said, waving her hands as if to deflect the word. The brief role she had taken in the Grotto rose in her memory. Quickly fitting herself into as much of that headspace as she could, she drew herself up a little taller. “But you can call me Lady Celia,” she decreed, forcing herself not to add the if you want her mind provided.

“Yes, Lady Celia,” they both corrected, and Celia had to admit it did feel nice to hear.

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It was incredibly surreal, walking into the dining room with Violet and Gella a step behind her. Gella was currently copying Violet, hands clasped demurely in front of her. Stepping into the room proper she was first hit with the strong scent of something steaming and savory waiting in bowls, along with the hearty scent of fresh baked bread. Tabby had thrown on a loose cream colored robe that as usual only highlighted the cat-girl’s now unpainted body, while Lauren was sitting in a dark blue dress that contrasted wonderfully with her pink hair

Seeing the utterly flabbergasted look on Tabby’s face when Celia walked in with Gella and Violet shadowing her was enough to let the warrior know Gella hadn’t told her ahead of time. “Oh wow!” Tabby exclaimed. “How did you pull that off?”

Lauren just giggled into her hand.

“I’ll explain with your leave, Lady Celia?” Gella asked smoothly. Gella was asking her for permission to explain things now? Celia numbly nodded, still quite shocked. It was the scent of food and the promise of a good meal alone that led her to take a seat.

“Violet and I decided that this latest test warranted compensating Lady Celia, so until six in the evening tomorrow we are both hers.” She and Violet both dipped another curtsy toward Celia. “May we be seated?”

Celia nodded again, frustration at herself rising within. Something like this felt too insubstantial to shake her this badly.

“It smells delicious Tabby, what did you make us?” Gella asked politely.

“A different style of onion soup,” Tabby said with a proud grin. “With bread on the side.”

It was delicious, wholesome, savory, and hearty. Celia made a few attempts to join in on the pleasant dinner conversation that went on, but found her focus constantly shifting to Violet and Gella. Hers to do with whatever she wished. Did she even know what that would be? Both women were gorgeous, without a doubt. A deep pleasant warmth nudged to take both women to her bed, to spend the night kissing and exploring their bodies.

Celia let her attention linger on Violet. She had settled into an animated conversation with Lauren, something having to do with alchemy. Letting the words flow past, she simply watched the elf. It was all too easy for the echo of a submissive thrill to rise up, remembering how Violet had enthralled her.

If only you hadn’t made it all feel so incredible.

Leaning on her cheek in one hand, hazy memories unfolded. Lauren and Violet side by side with her. Fingers and lips slipping along her body while each of them lavished her with praise. Had that even happened? It had felt so much like a dream, so surreal. But Violet had all manner of drugs and potions at her disposal. Celia could easily imagine the elf was able to make anything feel like that.

Gella’s amused laugh drew Celia’s attention to the mage. She and the cat-girl were talking about Gella’s trip, but again the words were just noise to Celia. Gella carried herself with such authority. Tabby never interrupted her, and seemed to hang on her every word. Celia smiled to herself, knowing that feeling quite well. Sighing softly, she took another bite of her dinner and momentarily snapped from her daze by the explosion of flavor.

She felt her cheeks flush. How long had she been staring at the beautiful women around the table? Not long enough to garner attention, or at least not long enough to warrant comment. With her memories free and her thoughts unguarded it was so much harder to force her desires away. To even remember why she wanted to in the first place.

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Hazy memories of kissing another girl in her village, unfurled like a well worn tapestry. Natia, she recalled with a smile. It had been innocent fumbling, soft questioning lips pressed together. For the life of her she couldn’t fathom why she had spent so long repressing herself. Could it be something in that unknown past? She felt a twinge of fear, but along with it came a balm of comfort. Whatever it was, Gella’s magic would help her.

“Celia, are you alright?” Lauren asked, making Celia blink and refocus. “You’ve been staring at the far wall for about five minutes.”

The warrior smiled at Lauren. “Just lost in a few memories,” she said wistfully, prompting an excited grin from Lauren. A hush fell over the table and Celia could see the interest on Tabby’s face as well. Even Violet’s stoic disinterest held a hint of it.

“Tell us about it?” The cat-girl prompted.

Celia spent the rest of dinner giving her abridged story to the girls at the table. Even Gella nodded along with appreciation, and Celia wondered how much the mage had seen while ministering to her mind.

She found them an appreciative audience, ever eager for more stories from her. She had thought she felt comradery with the other mercenaries at the Ravenswood Company. A bond forged in a common profession. But with these strange, wonderful women she knew that what she felt back then was only the faintest shade of it. The mercenaries had only known and cared about Celia the warrior. Lauren, Tabby, Violet, and even Gella all seemed to genuinely care for Celia the person.

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After clearing the table from dinner, both of which Gella and Violet had done without a word of protest, Celia found herself almost dragged from her chair by Tabby. “Borrowing Celia, back in a bit,” she announced with a mischievous grin.

With a bemused smile, Celia followed Tabby out of the dining room and into the main hall. “Sooo,” Tabby began, spinning on her toes and bouncing on her heels. “What are you gonna make them do?”

The graceful spin had done nothing to hide Tabby’s enticing body, and it took Celia a few moments to catch up with the fact Tabby had asked a question.

Tabby only responded with a wink and an entirely unnecessary stretch. “You are entirely too easy to distract,” she purred softly.

Stunned silence quickly melted into heated resolve. Gella could command, Violet was always so aloof, and Lauren was always happy to cuddle. Tabby though? The beautiful, smirking beastkin girl practically dripped desire. In the space of a single stride Celia wrapped her arms around Tabby, getting a happy humm and an enthusiastic embrace back. The warrior’s lips met Tabby’s – hot, needy, and passionate.

Celia's heart pounded as Tabby leaned in to kiss her, the cat-girl’s plump lips pressing against hers. The warmth that washed over her as their tongues met sent a shudder of pleasure through her body. Celia savored the taste of Tabby like priceless nectar. Her mouth tingled with passion and the thought of Tabby held her transfixed.

Celia's nimble fingers curled around the fine cloth that concealed Tabby’s toned body. Heat burned through the thin veil, bathing Celia in its warmth. Her inner flame roared within her, licking up her chest and pouring into her sex. Her breath turned to gasps as she gazed into Tabby's expectant eyes, starkly green against her tanned skin. “I… Ishara above," Celia breathed out, only barely able to contain the passion building within her.

Simple speech felt entirely inadequate, not when her lips could be used for so much more pleasant things. “I can think of much more comfortable places for this, Celia,” Tabby chided softly between kisses.

Words, shaped by the cute little curve of Tabby’s lips, arrived slowly through the heated haze that had descended on Celia’s mind. The cat-girl wanted to stop? Now?! She shook her head quickly, blonde hair tossing to and fro behind her. Bending a little, Celia slipped both hands under Tabby’s tight taut butt. The cat-girl sighed happily, tail brushing and curling around Celia’s arms.

Celia stood up, lifting the monk off her feet and right back to Celia’s lips. Tabby’s arms wrapped around Celia's shoulders, taking enough of the weight off Celia’s hands that they could tenderly cup and caress Tabby’s flawlessly soft butt. An insistent memory clambored for her attention, and one hand drifted up to brush the base of Tabby’s tail. Immediately, the beast girl groaned in delight, holding Celia closer to her body.

The scent of desire tickled Celia’s nose, earthy and musky and primal. Breathing it in felt like fresh lamp oil to a bonfire. She needed to feel more of Tabby’s body on her own. She whimpered under the sudden onslaught of need – cursed her past self for making the poor choice of wearing clothes! She was just about to lower the monk down, freeing her hands to tear off her clothes when Gella’s faintly amused voice sounded from the doorway to the kitchen. “It’s wonderful to see you two getting along so well, Lady Celia.”

Embarrassment welled up, swirling with the desire and pressing need to continue kissing the beautiful woman in her arms. Gella simply stood there with a faintly amused expression, as if seeing women passionately kissing each other was an everyday occurrence. Quick teasing kisses lead from Celia’s lips up to her ear. “Mmmmm, Mistress is so fucking pretty, isn’t she?” Tabby whispered, hot and harsh.

For a moment, the rest of the world faded away. There was only Tabby’s warm weight, her soft kisses, and Gella. The hall’s magic lights illuminated her long silver-white hair that flowed down over one shoulder, setting off brilliantly against her dark blue tunic and trousers. Amused gray eyes sat above a straight nose and high cheekbones, peering out at the room, taking in every bit of the lurid scene before her. Celia swore she saw a hint of color on Gella’s pale cheeks. Was she enjoying the impromptu show?

Celia nodded wordlessly and Tabby answered with a giggle. “Tell her to kiss you.”

She could, she absolutely could. Her body knelt a little, letting Tabby regain her footing while her focus was entirely on Gella. The mage’s lips called to her, soft and unpainted. “Gella,” she began with a forcefulness bolstered by desire and Tabby’s encouragement. “Kiss me.”

A single silver eyebrow rose before Gella nodded her head slightly. “As Lady Celia commands,” she said calmly. Quick confidant strides took her right in front of Celia. One delicate hand rose and cupped Celia’s cheek. It was so warm! And smoother than silk. Celia couldn’t stop the delighted shudder that harmonized with the needy heat. She wanted Gella to kiss her! To hold her and–

Gella bent forward and brushed her lips across Celia’s. It was lighter than air, a brief chaste kiss that nevertheless left a phantom tingle on the warrior’s own parted lips. “I–” Celia began, staggered by the whiplash of expectation. “Don’t you… I–I thought…”

Powerful gray eyes silenced Celia’s meager protests. The hand on her cheek slipped down Celia’s shoulder, to her side and held her still. “You, my pretty little knight, are simply wonderful,” Gella said, voice heavy with admiration.

A needy whine slipped free, redirecting the heat back to Celia’s cheeks. Need and shame and a thousand other feelings warred for space in Celia’s mind, while quite a large part was content to simply feel Gella’s closeness. “I… I could order …” It was soft, meek, much more a plea for permission than a plan of action.

“And you absolutely, completely, without a doubt should,” purred Tabby, soft and close and practically radiating lust. It reached deeper than her skin, melting away the stubborn bits of Celia that didn’t want to sink to her knees. There were reasons – good ones, she thought she remembered – but Tabby’s textured tongue rasped lightly across Celia’s neck and they were dragged under the rising tide of need. “Order her to take you, Celia,” Tabby said, words sweet and beguiling as drugged honey. “I promise you’ll feel so much better when you submit.”

A feeling of power thrummed though Celia’s mind, not painful but certainly present. Before she could think to analyze it, the deep rising tide swallowed it up. In its place the idea of submission loomed, pulling a soft pleasant groan from her. Gods above, Gella would make it feel so good too. The desire caught quickly, speeding to her lips far faster than she could think. She needed this – needed to let Gella know! She turned to the mage. “I sub–”

Two of Gella’s fingers brushed Celia’s lips. Words fled, and she just looked silently into Gella’s eyes. They didn’t pierce her, didn’t lock her down and make her feel small in every way that felt amazing. They were warm, gentle and compassionate. The subtle shift alone made Celia sigh, wanting to bathe in that look. “Now now, my Pretty Kitty,” Celia distantly heard Gella admonish the cat-girl. “None of that.”

Gella’s hand moved away from Celia’s lips, up to her ash blonde hair. A few loose strands were gathered and tucked behind the warrior’s ear. It was a tender gesture in a way she hadn’t expected at all from Gella. “Her submission is her gift to give to me, after all.” At that moment, Celia dearly wished she could. That she could present her submission to Gella in a bow. A bow with a silky smooth ribbon Gella could wrap around her mind and make her… Her hips bucked, and she let out a yelp.

Celia didn’t need to see Tabby’s fingers. She felt the maddening teasing trail they left down the flat plane of her tummy to the waistband of her pants. “Mistress,” the wonderful, evil woman behind her cooed. “I promise she is ready.” Delicate fingers slipped under the fabric, rubbing slowly up and down the soaked front of Celia’s panties. “Mmmm, more than ready,” Tabby added.

With her eyes clenched shut to endure the bolt of sensation arcing along on her body Celia didn’t see Gella’s eyes narrow, but she could hear the shift in the mage’s voice. “Is that right?” She asked, smooth and cool. The radiating, tempting heat of Tabby’s body was suddenly replaced with Gella’s breasts against her back. Slim arms wrapped around her stomach, soothing and supportive to contrast Tabby’s inferno of desire. Celia wanted to melt against it, felt every ounce of her strength cry out to let go, to let Gella catch her. “We can all play, Lady Celia, if you want. There is plenty we can share before you become mine,” Gella whispered, the subtle currents of air tickling Celia’s ear

Celia groaned at the thought. Her body ached for her to agree, swamping her thoughts in hot pure need. “Just nod. I’ll take care of everything for you, Lady Celia,” Gella promised. Celia nodded swiftly while a feeling of relief washed over her.

“Tabitha," Gella said over Celia’s shoulder. “You were quite the presumptive little kitty cat for telling me when Celia was ready.” Her words had bite to them, muted and twined with an obvious love for the cat-girl, but enough to make Tabby smile nervously, while her ears flattened and her tail dropped as low to the ground as it could go before it began nervously flicking back and forth between her feet.

“Mistress! I–”

“Tabitha,” Gella cut in smoothly. “Position two.”

Gella held Celia lightly while Tabby’s ears suddenly perked right back up and her tail stiffed. She grinned happily and quickly stood with her feet shoulder length apart and clasped her hands behind her back. One of Gella’s hands disappeared into thin air and returned with an elegantly carved snow white wand. “My Lady Celia, if you will just hold the wand like this.” Gella’s careful fingers smoothly puppetted Celia’s fingers around the length of wood.

The warrior smiled and nodded, letting Gella move her body. With Gella’s fingers atop her own, Celia pointed the wand at the expectant Tabby. “The trigger word is ensnare,” Gella provided.

With a flick of the wand, Celia repeated the phrase.

Ropes burst from the tip of the wand. They landed on the floor, the same pure white as the artifact. Not even a heartbeat later, the ropes rose themselves like snakes and swiftly slithered toward Tabby who was trying and failing to keep the grin off her lips. Crawling over her toned body like powerful–looking vines, the ropes criss–crossed over her perky breasts, framing each. The ropes moved to bind her legs together, leaving the glistening sex between her legs bare. Finally, the animated rope bound Tabby’s arms behind her back with a neat twist.

It had taken less than ten seconds for the ropes to render the agile monk completely helpless. Smiling indulgently at Celia, Gella gestured toward the bound girl. “My Lady, let me show you how I discipline unruly kitties.”

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Need and desire hung heavy in the air. Celia felt like she could nearly taste it. When she had been in the Grotto for Tabby’s party, it had been diffused, spread over all attending. Now it was focused on Tabby and Violet. Celia had deferred to Gella, letting the mage arrange for Tabby’s punishment.

The elven woman stood naked over Tabby’s bound body, the ropes now attached to all four corners of Gella’s massive canopy bed. The slender cat-girl took up less than a quarter of the space, and Celia’s imagination was happy to supply all the other things the rest of the space could be used for. Her body ached, desire running slick and hot between her legs. For all that her body was demanding she indulge, Gella held the warrior’s focus even more firmly.

“Control, My Lady, comes in so many forms.” She strode over to Tabby, running the tips of her fingers along tawny powerful legs. “Magical, mundane, implied, and enforced,” she continued, voice confident.

Celia nodded along, trying to keep her wits together. Every soft gasp from Tabby was another blow against them, every tiny movement of Violet’s breasts begging Celia to loosen her grip. “And self control of course, which you are demonstrating remarkably, Lady Celia,” the mage said with a playfully arched eyebrow.

Gella walked back to the warrior, urging her to sit on the armchair that stood facing the bed, and a tiny part of Celia wondered exactly why Gella had such a comfortable chair facing her own bed… before all the possible answers to that ratched her desire a few degrees higher. “An admirable quality, of course.” Her hand ran down the length of Celia’s arm, raising goosebumps and sending a shiver of pleasure straight through Celia’s body. “Though it seems to be costing you dearly right now.”

The desire to sink endlessly into Gella’s twin gray pools hadn’t lessened in the slightest in the brief trip upstairs, or the brief detour to bring Violet along. “Gella… kiss me,” she breathed out. It had slipped free while her focus was stolen away by Gella’s eyes and Celia felt her resolve shudder.

This kiss was an improvement on the one from before, Celia was positive of that. It was careful and controlled, but at least Celia could take a moment and savor it. The mage was wearing an incredibly subtle scent, something she only caught a phantom whiff of, something that compelled her to keep kissing the entrancing, beguiling woman until she discovered it.

The boiling need in Celia’s body drank the attention greedily, guiding the warrior’s hand’s to embrace Gella. “Please,” Celia gasped. Her hands went to Gella’s, guiding the mage’s fingers to brush the silver bracelet. “No… no more games, you win.” Need and passion again drove the words from her lips and Celia couldn’t bring herself to care. She could be Gella’s. Her Treasure, her pet, her anything if it would quench this fire in her body.

Gella slipped her hands free, holding the warrior close while Tabby cried out in needy desperation. “You have no idea just how tempted I am, sweetling,” the mage confessed. Warmth and understanding poured from every word, wrapping Celia in their embrace. “How badly I want to take what you’re offering up to me on a platter.”

Celia’s heart leapt into her throat. Power thrummed in her mind, power she intimately knew was Gella’s magic. Keeping her safe, letting her deeply savor this moment. She wasn’t playing a role, wasn’t enthralled. This was purely her! “You… you have me,” she blurted out, darting to kiss Gella once more. The mage accepted it, and again she slipped away before letting Celia’s passion be sated.

Gella shook her head, eyes blazing as she caressed one of Celia’s legs. “I have this beautiful body,” she purred huskily. With a swift tug, Gella undid the laces on Celia's trousers and the warrior thrust her hips up to meet them. Passion and desire flooded her senses as Gella's fingers deftly slipped her pants down. The intimate friction of the soft fabric sliding down her thighs sent tremors through Celia's body. Distantly she heard Violet teasing Tabby, each word whispering along her spine like a brush of silk setting off an inferno that left Celia begging for more.

“I have that desire clouding your thoughts,” Gella admitted quietly into Celia’s ear, fingernails raking along the inside of Celia’s spread legs. Her eyes shut and her head tilted back, the little tingles of pleasure multiplying along her spine. With only the briefest rustle of fabric her shirt and bra were discarded, baring her breasts. “And you could argue that, as long as you’re wearing that pretty bracelet, I have your body.” Her own fingers found her nipples, brushing the stiff tips. Each spark only fed the great yearning in her core, the building desire that Gella’s fingers were so carefully skirting.

“But I don’t just want this body, as gorgeous as it is,” Gella’s fingers slipped under Celia’s chin, gently guiding the warrior back to look into Gella’s eyes. As careful and gentle as the touch was, Celia felt she could no more resist it than resist gravity. Gella guided and Celia followed and she cried in delight, the pleasure in her body flaring like a forge.

Nimble fingers pressed the sodden fabric of Celia's panties against her soaking wet folds. The world briefly went white, all sensation save for that pleasure washed out. “And I don’t just want these lovely sensations flooding your mind, making you far far too horny to think – making you too lust drunk to properly submit,” Gella whispered, the soft stream of air feeling so much more intimate to Celia’s raw nerves. The mage’s voice had a teasing edge to it, but the slight sting of embarrassment only colored the inferno Celia was swiftly melting under.

“I want every part of you. So, for now, this will need to suffice.” The amazing fingers propelling her toward release left, and Celia’s needy cry ripped from her lips. She was so close! Her fingers worked her nipples, taking her right to the brink. The dizzying dive from this far up beckoned her, but she was held at the last inch.

Gella clasped her hand around Celia's wrist, encircling the bracelet. She guided that hand to the heat emanating from between her legs. Desperate fingers curled in and found their marks, as a slick and steamy wetness enveloped them. The anticipated euphoria raced towards Celia, as with one final harsh cry she vaulted over the edge.

Celia plunged into that dark, tempting ocean of bliss. Pleasure burned through her, tensing her muscles and searing her nerves. Her toes curled in while erratic flashes of fantasies and memories collided in her mind. Her stained sodden panties clung to her like a second skin, and her whole body felt awash in a soothing wonderful glow.

After a few heavy blinks Celia grinned broadly when she felt Gella’s hands wrap around her nearly naked body. Turning to face the mage she leaned in for a kiss, light and ephemeral in the sustained glow of her orgasm. “Thank you,” Celia sighed dreamily.

Turning back to watch Violet carefully pull another bout of wordless begging from Tabby with only the lightest of touches, Celia was content to simply exist in Gella’s embrace. Eventually the heated sight in front of sparked her curiosity. “How long will Violet be able to tease Tabby like that?”

Gella shrugged behind her. “If you are asking about physical ability, I don’t think I have seen anywhere close to the limit of Tabby’s stamina.” Celia sat quietly, savoring the slowly subsiding euphoria. She watched Violet prowl between Tabby’s rope spread legs, watched the assassin’s fingers run over Tabby’s dew drenched folds. If Tabby were actually in any sort of discomfort, she wasn’t showing it. Nothing about the monk, from her bright eager grin to her playful struggling, even hinted she wanted her punishment to end. “In practical terms, this will go until you are satisfied, my Lady Celia, or Tabby signals me mind to mind.”

Celia nodded lightly, engrossed in the show before her. Violet’s fingers trailed along Tabbys body, prompting jerks and moans, even a few attempts at words that the elf would silence with another skilled touch. It was delicate and incredibly intimate. Despite the lack of words between the monk and the assassin, there was clearly some kind of communication going on.

When Tabby gave a gasp that at best sounded slightly sharper than her others, Violet slowed her teasing and instead moved to kiss the squirming cat-girl. “Was that another signal? More magic?” Celia guessed.

“Not quite,” Gella cooed in Celia’s ear. “They’ve been mine for a few years now. They both know each other’s bodies like their own.”

Knowing someone intimately enough that a gasp could be a sentence. Only one word came to Celia’s mind that could convey that: love. Despite the enticing warmth of Gella’s body against her own, a tiny ice cold hole opened in Celia’s stomach. She had loved her parents, and that still felt amazing to simply recall on command, but had she loved before? Idle fumblings and the urges of blooming into a woman aside, nothing hinted at love. Certainly nothing after Krisk and her life as a mercenary.

She shifted to face Gella. The mage’s expression was expectant, and Celia found it easy to press on. “Gella, I want a straight answer to my next question.” She smiled, a warmth already eclipsing the tiny icy hole. “I command it.”

“Ask then, my Lady Celia.” Gella challenged back, her lips quirked in a slight smile of her own.

“Your girls… your Treasures,” Celia faltered, the word feeling strangeling personal to say now. “Do you love them?”

It struck the warrior what an absurd question it was only a second later. Here she was sitting nearly naked in the mage’s lap, while two other naked women played just feet away, and she was asking about love. Before she could even begin to dwell deeply on that incongruity though, Gella nodded. “Love is one of those tricky words. I suspect not even Ishara herself could give a definition that is all–encompassing.” Gella’s gray eyes swept over Tabby and Violet. “But I do, in my way. They are all incredibly precious to me, Celia.” Her eyes swept back to look into Celia’s own. “I didn’t arbitrarily pull the word Treasure out of hat, after all,” she added with a teasing wink.

Celia had suspected that already, of course. The mage was always some degree of gentle with the lovely girls in the manor. She had admitted as much before with Violet. But all of them? And she suspected that they would say the same in return. The memory of jealousy, sharp and sick and sour, returned from that morning. “You said you and the girls all share without jealousy.” Gella nodded once. “How?” Celia asked, surprised at the speed and eagerness in her voice.

Gella held Celia’s gaze and the warrior felt the familiar sensation of wanting to dive into those gray pools. “Do you want the simple answer, or the complete answer?” Gella asked calmly.

Celia felt stunned, the will to even answer being drawn slowly away from her the longer she let herself fall into the mage’s eyes. Need and heat ignited anew, warm and soothing for the moment. Celia shut her eyes, not pushing past the need but sinking into it as she had in the Grotto. That didn’t make it any less noticeable, but it did let her think past the pleasant distraction. “Complete, please.”

Gella gestured back to the bed and to Celia’s surprise, Violet had shifted to lay out close to Tabby. She seemed to be whispering into one tufted ear, and from the soft mewls and breathy cries Tabby was making, the cat-girl liked what she was hearing. Two of Violet’s fingers brushed along Tabby’s tummy, the monk’s clearly–defined abs straining for just a moment before she relaxed back with an audible sigh. The questing digits slipped slowly inside Tabby’s quivering slit, slick and glistening in the room’s soft magelights. “This may take some time, my Lady Celia, shall we leave them to it?”

The idea of being stuck, bound and tied, forever on the very edge while someone as beautiful as Violet kept you there hit Celia like an avalanche. “They… They would do that?” Celia asked breathlessly.

“Indeed, they would.” Gella’s voice turned dark and rich and seductive once more. “Violet is yours, and Tabby certainly doesn’t seem to mind.”

Celia watched while Violet subtly gathered her long purple hair and shifted it to give mage and warrior both a clear view of her slowly circling one of Tabby’s nipples. Even now, with the panting writhing woman beneath her, Violet exuded grace. A desire, small and red hot, found fertile soil in her imagination. What would that elegant aloof face look like wracked with pleasure?

“Oh, that was quite a look, my Lady Celia.” Gella whispered, sounding eager and excited. “Something else catch your attention?”

Celia kept watching Violet, nodding slowly. “She’s always so… so in control.”

“Mmmm, but she isn’t – not really. She’s all yours for the moment, my Lady Celia.”

Gella was right, she could make that happen. She had that power, could she use it? “Violet,” she said firmly.

The elf stopped, looking up attentively. “Yes, my Lady Celia?” Even her voice sounded so perfectly crisp.

“Switch places with Tabby.”

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It was dark, steaming, and served in a porcelain cup. That alone had to make it coffee, right? Gella had left a bowl of sugarcubes, and the quick addition of two made the drink at least sweeter. An experimental second sip still pulled a grimace from her. “It’s alright, Celia. I know I make a terrible cup of tea.” Gella said easily, and Celia struggled not to snort or spit the beverage out when she heard Gella call it that.

This is supposed to be tea?!

Gella seemed to notice something went unsaid, but didn’t ask as she slipped onto the couch next to Celia. “But the two women I count on to actually make something palatable are currently otherwise engaged.” As if on cue a faint cry drifted from the mage’s bedroom.

After leaving the elven woman at Tabby’s mercy, Celia had been shown a curious device of levitating concentric rings. Once Celia had extracted a promise from Gella that it wouldn’t affect her mind, to which the mage had agreed with a roll of her eyes, the warrior discovered it was enchanted with the same cleaning spell Lauren had employed in New Gyr. Complete with the sensation that her skin and hair had been scrubbed to within an inch of their life.

Still, sitting here feeling clean and fresh was certainly an improvement over feeling sweaty and sticky. Gella had even offered a robe from her wardrobe, woven from some material Celia couldn’t even guess at.

Taking another tiny sip of the concoction Gella called tea, Celia dug deep in her reserves of fortitude to keep from making another grimace. The mage had made it for her, and she wanted to be grateful… The incongruity hit her all at once and she couldn’t help but laugh.

“I know my tea is bad, but this is the first time someone has laughed at it,” Gella remarked dryly, reaching into nowhere and pulling two frosty looking glasses of water. One she held and one was deposited in front of Celia on the little table. “I suppose we will have to content ourselves with water.” Once she had banished the offending tea set back to nowhere, Gella fixed her eyes on Celia. “Before we get into our discussion about jealousy, I must know what made you laugh like that.”

The water was clean, clear and cold. A perfect antidote to chill the lingering wisps of arousal that still clung to mind. It felt nice, she realized with a small start, to simply be with Gella. “I was worried about offending you, telling you the tea was awful,” Celia began with a small smile to the mage. “And it kind of hit me, not even a month ago you did kidnap me.”

“I prefer the term recruited,” the mage said airly. “And you did decide to come back all on your own.”

“Recruited me, then.” Celia agreed, laughing a little.

Gella made a dismissive gesture. “As for the tea, don’t give it a second thought, I’ve never been good at doing that for myself.” She tilted her head back to the tiny kitchenette. “I assure you, that gets used primarily to heat up meals.” Before Celia could comment Gella focused on her again and Celia felt her attention drawn fully to Gella. “But before we got sidetracked, you wanted to know what keeps my girls from being jealous?”

Celia nodded eagerly. “You’ve brought back so much up here.” She tapped the side of her head. “And I… I don’t remember ever being in love. But jealousy is part of that, right? Half of Ishara’s legends have some possessive lover or another in them.”

Gella nodded along. “They do indeed, and for good reason. They are rife with what causes jealousy. Care to take a guess what that would be?” Gella prompted.

Celia sat thoughtfully. She had never paid much attention to Ishara and her cult, but the basic stories were retold often enough. “Not being honest with the person you love?” She finally offered.

“Not a bad guess,” Gella said after a moment of consideration “But not quite what I was getting at.” Her gaze shifted and pinned Celia in place. It was quickly becoming a comfortable sensation, feeling the mage’s ephemeral hold over her with just a glance. “Maybe something more personal. I take it you’ve been feeling jealous?”

“This morning, with you and Lauren,” Celia admitted freely.

“Ah,” Gella began sagely, “I had a feeling this would come up. You and her have gotten quite close.”

Quite close is an understatement, Celia thought happily. The pinkette had been the first person she had willingly let enchant her and the first person in years she had willingly shared her bed with. When she was around her, Celia could feel her inner flame take on a Pinkish hue. All of that and more jostled for space for Celia to express them, and in the end the warrior simply nodded firmly. “We are.”

“Tell me more about this morning, Celia. When did you feel the jealous feeling most strongly?”

Celia held her glass of water in her lap, staring into the clear liquid. It offered no assistance, nothing to help her navigate the introspection Gella was pushing her toward. “When she talked about being yours. How well you treat her,” Celia finally said, annoyance heavy in her voice.

“And you felt, even if just for a moment, that she might not have the same kind of feelings for you?”

The grip on her glass tightened while Celia swallowed past the sudden sharp ache that caused. Gella didn’t press for more, simply leaving the warrior to grapple with the answer. The lack of pain and the clarity Gella’s magic brought her did nothing to aid her here. Years spent pushing this kind of inward searching away left her fumbling.

Lauren’s soft, utterly content voice when talking about how much Gella cared for her wasn’t what she wanted. She tried fitting herself holding her friend’s mind in her hand, and while it didn’t outright repel her she found herself almost immediately wishing the tables were turned. Was it just the intimacy of what Gella and Lauren shared that stuck like a dull razor?

Finally she looked back up in Gella’s eyes, feeling her throat get hot and tight. “I don’t know.” Gulping down the rest of her water, she shook her head. “I’m not any good at this, Gella,” she said sullenly. “You said you and your girls share without jealousy, just tell me how.” She commanded firmly.

“As my Lady Celia wishes,” Gella replied coolly. “The quick answer is, they have learned they don’t need to be. Jealousy is born of the fear of loss, and that will simply never happen.”

“I– Oh…” Celia blinked and felt her cheeks heat. “I thought it would be… Well, something like this.” She lifted her wrist, letting her bracelet catch the light. “Some spell or something.”

Gella’s smile returned, and Celia’s breath hitched. “Oh, I didn’t say that,” Gella offered, gray eyes swept over Celia and left the warrior wrapped in the mage’s presence once more. “I helped my girls learn, guiding their minds to accept that fact. A process that involved a fair amount of spellwork.”

The tightness in Celia’s throat and the tension in her muscles that grappling with her emotions caused began to slowly break apart. “Helping your girls learn?” She asked with a small smile. “Something that is in my future as well?”

Gella nodded, “Yes, part of your taming and training.”

Celia shivered. She could swear it felt like something brushed along her spine, filling her with a hard to place feeling. It wasn’t quite arousal, though the smoldering embers still faintly warmed her. It wasn't simple happiness either, but it still left her smiling. All from Gella simply reminding her of what was in store. The mage would tame her, train her, make her into another of her treasured girls.

Another memory drifted past, thick with need. Her own lust fueled rush to submit. “Gella… I don’t want to be jealous of you and Lauren.” She admitted in one breath. “Tabby… I like her. A lot.” The energetic friendly cat-girl brought a grin to her lips. “Even Vi…” She let that thought trail off. “But Lauren, I… I really, really like her.” She took a deep breath, steeling herself and nodding. “Gella, if I need to be yours to not feel that way. Then… Then I am your Treasure.”

The moment the words were out of her mouth Celia tensed up. She recalled, distantly, that resisting Gella’s influence had been important to her. She swallowed hard and fought the urge to look down into her lap.

Gella’s expression had turned unreadable. Her gray eyes didn’t pierce Celia, nor did they wrap her in that feeling of power and control. They seemed to take in not just Celia herself but everything around her. “Well, I certainly can’t say you are too lust drunk this time.”

Gella shifted on the couch, sitting cross legged. “Before I give you an answer, I want to make certain you understand what you are giving me.” She gestured openly to Celia, inviting her to speak.

“What you told me on the first day. I would be yours.” Celia said promptly. “To… to share my body with you, fight for you, all of it.” The tension only increased, the primal part of her readying to flee or fight.

“Yes, you remember the words,” Gella admitted. “Do you know what they mean though? To truly belong to someone else, as my Treasures do?”

Celia opened her mouth, ready to agree that she did. Doubt slithered up and stole her conviction. Not so long ago she had denounced the very idea, calling it evil. This wasn’t slavery, that much she was certain of, at least not the kind she was passingly familiar with. But the definition still fit. She closed her mouth, and felt a prickle at the corners of her eyes. She shut her eyes tight, trying to stop the tears. The tension was becoming unbearable, she needed something to break and feared it would be her again.

“Celia, will you let me help you?” Gella offered, concern obvious in her voice.

The warrior nodded, opening her eyes to see Gella holding a recording crystal. “Help me? How?" She asked softly.

“Two snaps to put you into a trance, the recording crystal as we agreed. When I ask what you want, you’ll be able to tell me. No fears, no doubts, no worries getting in the way.” Gella gave an understanding smile. “And no matter what the answer is, you have a home here as long as you want.”

Celia looked at Gella’s thumb and middle finger. Pressed together, ready to click and send Celia tumbling back into the wonderful colors. It would be nice to have a clear answer. She took another calming breath. This would help her, she was sure. “Please,” she agreed with a nod.

“Just lay back then,” Gella instructed, and that soft, barely there tease of desire brushed Celia’s body when she hurried to obey. The robe fell open slightly, exposing a fair amount of Celia’s breasts and thigh to the mage. A wild smile crossed Celia’s lips before she could cover herself more fully. Gella was about to see much deeper than just her body. She let the exposed skin stay uncovered, looking up at the blank expanse of ceiling.

The two distinct sharp snaps sounded much louder than they had any right to. A gasp slipped free from Celia’s lips, driven by her whole body sagging at once. She was already so incredibly comfortable here, nothing drove her to move and everything seemed to pull her down into the couch cushions.

Strength fled from her arms, leaving them feeling languid and limp. Heavy warm weights at her side that she could no more move than a boulder. Her eyelids slipped shut to blink, and suddenly Celia couldn’t find the effort to open them again. Before her, illuminated in her mind’s eye, was her own inner flame. She could feel its warmth promising comfort and rest, while the flames bloomed in Blue and Green.

Celia felt herself pulled inexorably toward the mesmerizing display. Worry and fear streamed off her, followed closely by her thoughts. She was left feeling so calm, deep relaxation wonderfully gilded with a soft subtle need that smoldered quietly. With a final wash of heat Celia slipped into the flames, letting them consume her utterly.