caused his body to react, but he merely held her and sniffed her hair.
“Stephanie, it’s good to see you.”
She sniffle giggled, “You too, love.”
She’d never called him that before, and his cock surged to hardness even as tender feelings filled his chest.
“I wasn’t entirely sure…”
He shushed her, and took the liberty of caressing her hair, it was only the second time he’d ever even laid hands on her person.
“Of course I came. I love you too, and you’re already mine.”
She blushed as she stepped back, a sharp need in her eyes that he recognized from seeing it hundreds of times in his bonded. She was as affected by him as he was of her. Her eyes flickered down and back up, even as her face flushed further.
“I am, am I?” she said primly.
He snorted, “Yes.”
She bit her lip, “I suppose I am. My father wasn’t too hard on you?”
He grinned, “Not nearly as hard as you were on him, I’m guessing.”
She laughed delightedly, “Point. It’s a good thing you told me, or it wouldn’t have gone well.”
Shar interjected, “He was wary at best, of us, but seemed to be fighting it.
Stephanie smirked, and then pulled Shar into a hug.
Shar looked half surprised and half horrified, even as he saw hints of genuine amusement and enjoyment in her eyes and body language.
Stephanie said, “Give him time, he’s gone a lot farther than I did, in just three hours of learning the truth.”
Shar was speechless as the princess released her and stepped back.
Stephanie said, “In public you’re his concubine, and totally beneath my notice.”
Shar snorted, “Like the dirt on your shoe.”
Stephanie giggled, “Exactly. But… I like you all. Not despite what you are, but because of who you are. I suppose queens don’t usually get to know their consort’s concubines. But given the truth and our conversations that I never would have needed to have with humans…” she trailed off and shook her head bemusedly.
“I must go, and won’t see you until the wedding tomorrow. I’m cheating right now, and two monsters and a demoness are hardly proper chaperones.”
Shar nodded teasingly, “That’s true, sure you don’t want to get in a bit of practice for tomorrow night?”
The princess reddened, “Be nice. The tailor will be here in a moment, I really have to go. Your dinner will also be delivered here tonight, my father and I believe it imprudent to seat you at the same table as the prince.”
He nodded and didn’t take his eyes off of her until she’d slipped out of the room.
Shar said, “She’s nuts.”
Nysa snickered and then accused, “You like her.”
Shar sniffed doubtfully.
Willow said, “Don’t complain. She’s letting us in her bed tomorrow night, even if only after the fun. She wouldn’t do that if she didn’t like us.”
That was true enough. Stephanie had agreed to give it a try, but his intimate time with her would be private. He wasn’t quite sure how him taking care of their lust every night and morning would work that way. He’d have to return to his own suite for that. It worried him, because he suspected she’d feel like he was abandoning her if he satisfied Stephanie’s appetites then didn’t snuggle up after.
His Nysa, Tansya, Willow, and even Shar to a certain extent became kittenishly affectionate after sex, and from what Shar told him that was even more prevalent in human females. He’d just have to take care of his bonded monsters first and go to Stephanie’s bed last, so he wouldn’t have to leave her.
Except their wedding night. He knew it would be foolish to leave her side on their mating day. He supposed his four lovers would have to settle for a five-way female orgy with April tomorrow night to sate their appetites. He pushed it all out of his head, as the tailor and a couple of servants walked in. Shar and the others retreated to the bedroom as they worked on his suit for tomorrow.
It was foolishness of course, he should just wear his armor, but Stephanie had been forcefully persuasive. He supposed it wouldn’t hurt to give in every once in a while, and his princess seemed to really care about it for some reason. It was confusing enough that he suspected it wasn’t just a human thing, but a human female thing he was destined to never understand. He’d also started his mastery of the four elements, so he could still be vigilantly armored with magic while wearing weak cloth. He’d be far from