CHAPTER 561: GOT OFF EASY

Mason eventually snuck Haley into Demi and Becky’s room. He found them awake and in bed talking, and they sat up and grinned as the door opened.

“Haley!” Becky was up and running, and Mason had to practically catch her before she crushed his wife in a bear hug. Demi came more slowly, shy again and fiddling with her hands. Mason walked over and gave her a squeeze, but really dragged her closer.

Haley explained everything was fine and no she didn’t really know what happened. She and Mason had decided to keep the whole ‘Seul-ki thing’ private for now. At least until they learned more.

“So weird,” Becky said, shaking her head.

“Not important right now,” Mason said. “We need to get moving and finish this raid so I can prep for Jeong. So get your gear.”

Becky’s shoulders slumped. “Serious? I thought you guys were comin’ over for…y’know. Somethin’ else.”

Mason’s night of debauchery protected him. At least for awhile.

“No time. I’ll go wake the others.”

He had no idea if leaving them all alone without him was smart or stupid, but he walked out and woke the others with loud knocks and calls. He knew if he went inside he’d find a bunch of goblin girls, and he didn’t want to remind himself of his own problems…

“OK.” He walked back Demi and Becky’s room. “The dead are roused. I already sent Lodie down to gather up whatever she needs. I figure we just…”

He stopped because Becky’s hands were on her hips and she was staring daggers like she did.

“You fucked the goblin princess? Already? Jesus H Christ Mason you’re the biggest horn dog I’ve ever even heard about.”

Demi was drinking tea and eating breakfast at the table, looking more interested in her food than a fight. Haley sat beside her, giving Mason a face and a mouthed ‘sorry’. He sighed. At this point there was no ‘explaining’ or defending himself. He just had to be what he was.

“Yeah. Official concubine. Oh, and there’s another girl named Lila coming from some centaur camp with a new scout. She’s a lot less official. But since my never-ending dick antics aren’t vital to destroying a greater demon, can we go now?”

“Dick

antics? You see?” Becky looked at the other girls. “Like he’s got nothin’ to do with it. Amazin’.”

“You’re right.” Mason wanted to go to her, to apologize or make some excuse. But he held his ground. “Am I dealing with ridiculous horny brain fuckery? Yeah. But in the end, it’s all me. It’s a vice and it’s not great. But I’m not perfect and it’s just how it is.”

Forks clattered on plates. Demi slurped at her tea. Becky took a deep breath and squinted.

“You know what? Now I’m glad I blew you up.”

With that she stomped off and got her things. Demi and Haley finished eating and joined him at the door, giving each other a hug.

“I’ll see you back in Nassau,” Haley said. “You’re going to love my spa. Hair, nails, there’s even a steam room.”

Demi smiled, though Mason could tell she was being polite. She wasn’t exactly the ‘pampered princess’ kind of girl. But he could see they were both making an effort, and it made him smile.

“You, uh,” he cleared his throat. “Want to talk about the goblin thing, too, or…”

“Nope.” Demi smiled at him like only a woman could—with some combination of mystery and promise, and just a hint of mercurial threat. “I told you I didn’t care. But you’re gonna have to make it up to Becky.”

“Make it up to Becky,” Mason repeated with a nod. “OK.”

She kissed him on the cheek, and Haley kissed him on the other. His ‘first’ wife fiddled with his shirt, her chest pressed against him like she didn’t want to move away.

He pulled Demi in closer too, and as the scent and feel and affection of both amazing women clouded his senses, he decided he was the luckiest son of a bitch in the world.

“I’m going back now, my love.” Haley put her head against his chest. “Be careful. Anything I should be doing back home?”

“Yeah.” Mason ‘transferred’ a list of things he’d made in his profile to her screen through whatever assistant power she had letting him do it. “Get all that ready to go. The teleporter should work now, and this place is considered ‘safe’. Basically I want all the scouts. Plus Rosa, and maybe Ayet. Oh and bring the oracle or get her to work her magic and tell the scouts. I want to find Chinua and his people as fast as possible. Maybe they can join us before Jeong.”

Haley nodded, then called a goodbye to Becky and gave Demi one last smile before vanishing with an arcane pop. Demi shook her head in amazement, opening her mouth to say something when Becky came back out like they’d never stopped arguing.

“Plus

!” She held up a boot. “You spent all that time makin’ fun of them other boys for stickin’ their dicks in goblin girls. And then in one day, you do the same damn thing! With a princess!”

“All true,” Mason said, still holding Demi. “But I’ll…make it up to you.”

Becky pulled her head back like that’d be the day, clearly ready to say something very her, like ‘and how the hell do you reckon you’d manage that?’ But he headed her off.

“I’ll make you Minister of Agriculture. After we deal with Jeong, I figure there’ll be a lot of work to do getting all those people fed. You can be in charge. And…as soon as we can spare it, you can…” he shrugged, glancing at Demi. “One day of…Becky’s the Boss of Mason. I’ll do…whatever you like.”

The cowgirl’s eyebrows raised. He could tell she liked both things, and was officially battling with her anger. She picked her way forward, still focusing on the boot in her hand, like she might hit him with it.

“Anythin’ I like?” she said, glancing up at him from under her hat. He already regretted it but nodded, hoping it would be so long until they had a free day she’d forget all about it.

She smiled and closed the gap, giving him a light peck on the lips, and putting away her leather weapon.

“Deal.” She pulled on the boot and opened the door, stopping to look back. “Also, since you probly healed all them red marks already, I’m tellin’ all the boys you banged the goblin.”

She walked out swaying her hips like she’d won some kind of battle. Mason supposed she had. But a position she’d be good at, and a day of making her happy, seemed a pretty small price to pay for adding Lodie to his ‘harem’…

“You got off pretty easy,” Demi said, slipping by him with a hand swiping over his chest. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to cozy up to Becky, and make sure I’m there for that ‘boss’ day.”

“Don’t get used to it,” Mason called, grinning as he watched both girls head out, their amazing profiles enough to drive a man mad. With a last glance at the goblin king’s guest room, he followed towards the mountain caves.

**

Mason explained his plan to the players, then found Lodie with a cluster of goblins and a few carts worth of parts and tools. He ordered it all moved, and was soon leading them on, dragging one of the carts on his own through the winding passages.

Lodie moved up beside him, glancing back to make sure the others were too far to hear.

“Did…the hunter lord duke…” she trailed off. “I mean, did you…have any more…urges, you needed taking care of? It would be my duty. To take care of it.”

He snorted and met her eyes, paying more attention. He realized she’d changed her clothes—away from the more androgenous, figure-covering cloak and baggy cloth to just the tight leather underneath.

“I’m a bit busy dragging your supplies,” he said. “And we’re surrounded by other people.”

“Oh.” Lodie shrugged. “Well, you could keep pushing and I could climb under the cart and…” She must have noticed his eyebrows and stopped. “Well. Nevermind.”

She tried to walk off, and Mason grabbed her and pulled her back, setting her on the front of the cart as he pushed. She dangled her feet, sliding one up his leg. He took a breath.

“Lodie, I really appreciate your…enthusiasm. Trust me. But you’ll learn there’s at least two versions of me. One on the road, where there’s danger, and the other when it’s calm. Out here, I have to make sure you and everyone else is safe. Understand? No distractions. If I can avoid it.”

Lodie nodded and smiled, though she still looked uncertain. Mason glanced back to make sure they were alone, then leaned forward and kissed her. She moaned and kissed him back, wrapping her arms and legs around him. It went on a lot longer than he intended, but he eventually managed to pull away.

“OK,” Lodie said, licking her lips. “As soon as safe. I’ll drain all your magic seed. Goblins have three holes, you know. If one gets tired, I have two more!” She beamed like she’d solved some engineering problem, and Mason took another breath.

“That’s…” he had no idea how to finish the thought. Lodie kissed his chin and hopped off the cart. “Listen,” he tried again. “There’s a word…ah, discretion. You understand? I’m not saying your being my concubine is a secret. It’s just…”

“Ohh.” Lodie’s eyes flashed. “Goblins like secrets.”

“OK. Good.” Mason cleared his throat. “I want us to act like it’s a secret. Even though it’s not. At least until we’re alone, OK? For a while. Until my people get…well, just for a while.”

“I understand,” Lodie said, her posture changing like she was trying to be cool and uninterested. She lowered her voice. “But if the lord duke wants to…pull me into dark corner, or a sneaky tent? He can fill my mouth with magic seed anytime. I’ve been thinking about technique. Next time I think I’ll drain him very quick. No problem.”

Mason fought the sigh, and the twitch in his pants.

“Noted,” he said. “Thanks.”

Lodie beamed and blew him a kiss, then seemed to remember the ‘secret’ and furrowed her eyebrows and nodded. Then she hopped off towards the others, and Mason turned back to the tunnels and pushed his cart.

He wished he didn’t have superhuman strength for a minute, so that the damn thing was heavy enough to distract him. And he tried not to imagine the goblin girl underneath and blowing him while he pushed.

Instead he focused on the greater demon promising to eat his soul, or murder his unborn children. It helped a little.

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