Chapter Forty-Five
Once they were back inside the cottage, Nyrah excused herself to shower, which seemed like a good idea after spending the afternoon in the lake. Cody walked into the living room with Morgan and Yana and assessed the damage. Books were scattered everywhere and a lamp had been knocked off an end table, but surprisingly hadn’t broken.
Yana’s eyes drifted to one of the scorch marks on the living room wall. “I’m sorry about that. I can help clean it? Perhaps we can paint over it?”
“It’s fine. It’s not your fault that bitch and her bird started a fight in here,” Cody said. “But books? Really, Morgan?” Cody picked up one of Grandpa Sam’s haremlit paperbacks. “You had to use books as a weapon?”
“We were right next to the shelf,” Morgan said. “I’m sorry if I damaged them. I know these belonged to Grandpa Sam.”
“It’s fine. I blame Temica, not you.”
The three of them started picking up books, but Morgan paused. Cody noticed she was holding a paperback with an otterkin girl on the cover.
“Yeah, something tells me ottergirls were not the new meta Sebastian Hartwell was hoping they’d be,” Cody said with a laugh. “There’s only a Book One for that series. I even looked it up online, and there wasn’t anything else available.”
Morgan held the book up to fully show him the cover where there were two ottergirls in blue bikinis, splashing in water at the beach. “You wanted to read Book Two of Otterly Outnumbered?”
Cody shrugged, instantly feeling defensive of his reading material. Maybe it was less weird to him because he’d spent a decade in Velasarin and even met a few ottergirls in his time there. They were pretty cute. And they like holding hands.
“Hey, you read kinky stuff like Wonderfully Mr. Wrong. Let me have my beastkin harem books.”
Morgan assessed the cover again. “But why otters? And they just have, like, ears and tails and everything else is human?”
“Why would they have any other animal parts?” Yana asked. “That’d be weird.”
Morgan raised one eyebrow at Yana but said nothing.
“Well, clearly Mr. Hartwell was trying something new with the ottergirls,” Cody said. “Leave the guy alone. He writes really good smut.”
“Okay, the otter thing isn’t actually why I paused,” Morgan said. “I paused because I just noticed nearly every single one of these books is by the same author—this Sebastian Hartwell person.”
“Yes, and?” Cody picked up another book. It had a busty, rainbow-haired unicorn woman on the cover: Trailer Park Unicorn Coven Academy. “Grandpa Sam clearly had a favorite author. And there are a few other dude-romance books not by Sebastian Hartwell.”
Morgan flipped to the end of the ottergirl book and started reading out loud: “Sebastian Hartwell worked in an auto factory before retiring to cottage country, where he spends his days fishing, canoeing, and socializing with the wonderful residents of the small Ontario community he now calls home. He has a love for writing romantic stories with a variety of feisty heroines, and many of his stories are based on some of the amazing women he has met, and loved, during this adventure we call life.” Morgan finished reading, snapped the book shut, and looked up at Cody expectantly.
“Yeah, kind of cheesy, I guess.”
Morgan narrowed her eyes. “Cody, c’mon. Stop being so dense.”
“I’m not following…” Yana said. “Should I go make dinner and let the two of you talk?”
“Sure, Yana. But I’m not following either.”
“Sebastian Hartwell.” Morgan shook the ottergirl book at Cody. “His initials are S.H. And Grandpa Sam is Samuel Hampshire. A guy who worked in an auto factory before retiring to cottage country in Ontario!”
“Holy fuck…” Cody said as it finally clicked. “You think Grandpa Sam is Sebastian Hartwell?”
“Yes, I would be willing to bet good money that Sebastian Hartwell is your Grandpa Sam’s extra smutty beastkin harem pen name!”
Cody grimaced. “Now I feel weird about reading all those sex scenes.”
Morgan regarded the book she held. “Yeah, I’ve read some of these. I feel weird about it now, too. Grandpa Sam went hard. The man had a gift for the spice that most women’s romance writers would be envious of.”
“Yeah, and if Sebastian and Sam are the same person, then it also makes sense why there hasn’t been any new books for over a year,” Cody said.
“Do you think this also means…?”
“What?”
“Gracie. The game system. Insisting Grandpa Sam is not dead, just gone,” Morgan said. “You said Velasarin had all sorts of these beastkin girls, like Nyrah. Maybe Grandpa Sam has been somewhere like Velasarin, and maybe he has returned there, and he really is writing about the ‘women he has met, and loved, during this adventure we call life’. You know, his About the Author.”
Cody slumped onto the couch and Morgan sat next to him, folding her legs underneath her.
“I’m trying not to get my hopes up about that,” Cody said. “I know Gracie thinks Grandpa Sam is not dead, but I don’t think I can believe that until I see some real proof. Until I see him. But yeah, these books, his About the Author...it all kind of adds up, doesn’t it?”
“Dinner’s ready!” Yana called. “I made something called meatloaf with roast potatoes and stuffing. It all smells very good.”
Morgan inhaled deeply. “That does smell amazing. We’ll keep this Grandpa Sam stuff on the backburner for now?”
“For sure,” Cody said.
As Cody and Morgan made their way to the kitchen, Nyrah returned looking fresh and clean. She was in her natural nekofae form and wearing a pink cotton sundress, her brown hair still damp from the shower. She smiled shyly at Cody before taking her seat.
That was new, he thought to himself. Maybe the closer she got to getting the one thing she’d been hoping for, him, the more nervous she was getting. He had to admit there was a small part of him that was nervous, too. He knew Morgan was okay with this, but he’d never slept with another woman while already in a relationship with someone else. And he was in a very committed relationship with Morgan. She was his fiancée now, and he really liked the sound of that. She looked across the table at him, and then gave him a knowing smile and a nod, as if she knew exactly what he was thinking and exactly what he was worried about. He smiled back and felt like the luckiest man in the world.
“This looks and smells amazing, Yana,” he said, taking in the dinner spread.
Yana shrugged. “It was just a recipe I found in my menu, and we had all the ingredients.”
“But good choice, all the same.” Morgan scooped some stuffing onto her plate before passing the dish to Nyrah. Nyrah scooped her customary small bite of food onto her plate and then passed the stuffing to Cody.
Everyone was being way too polite. And quiet, again. Cody felt a weird mix of excitement and impending doom. Nearly one whole day had passed, and they had completed one Friendship Quest, but he still had four more to go, plus two full Romances with ten levels each. He should have been able to look forward to the Romance level ups, but instead he had that little clock ticking down, right next to his Stamina Bar.
On top of everything else, he was starting a new job tomorrow morning at Food Mart. He really wanted to call in and cancel the whole thing so he could focus on finishing the game and saving everyone connected to it, but he also needed those two more level ups with Doug. Not following through on the job thing would not help him in that regard. Cody was hoping showing up bright and early for his first shift would earn him at least one level up with Doug.
They finished their meal and Morgan was on her feet, sweeping away the dishes.
“Yana,” Morgan said. “Would you like to go for a walk?”
Yana looked momentarily confused, but Morgan tilted her head towards Cody and Nyrah. Morgan had teased fitting in a quickie before he spent the night with Nyrah, but she seemed to have changed her mind.
“Oh, yes. Okay,” Yana said. “I would love to go for a walk.”
As soon as they were gone, the cottage felt awkwardly silent. Cody smiled at Nyrah. “You know, we don’t have to—”
Nyrah’s red eyes went wide. “What? Yes, we do! We absolutely have to! The fate of you and everyone you love rests in your ability to give me multiple orgasms!”
He nodded slowly, taking that in. And then with a burst of wing-power she flew into him. He had just enough time to brace himself and hug her to his body as she wrapped her arms and legs around him and started peppering his face with kisses.
“Let’s just….bedroom…” he said and started stumbling down the hall with Nyrah firmly attached.
Once in the room, he kicked the door shut behind them and sat her down on the bed. Luckily, she let go. She looked up at him through thick, dark lashes, with a hungry anticipation in her eyes. Her iridescent wings were gently flapping with every heavy breath that was making her chest rise and fall, her large breasts stretching the fabric of her dress with every inhale.
He sat on the edge of the bed next to her, and she moved her body to face his. He took his time drinking her in, getting more and more comfortable with what was about to happen.
“Can we kiss?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
“Yeah, we can kiss.” He cupped her face, fingers threading into her still-damp hair, and guided her lips to his. He had to coax her lips open, but she caught on quickly, surrendering to him and letting him guide the kiss. A quiet, surprised-sounding noise escaped her as his tongue slid against hers, and he pulled back, giving her some space.
“M-more please?” she asked, her cheeks blooming pink.
They kissed again, keeping things slow and soft, as if they had all the time in the world even though they both knew they didn’t. She had a sweet scent, different from Morgan’s earth-sweet honey scent. Nyrah was more fruity, like ripe strawberries. Her lips, her skin, the caress of her tongue; everything was soft and warm and inviting. Cody felt his heartbeat quicken and blood rush to his cock, his body already aching to be closer to Nyrah.
She pulled away, a thin string of saliva briefly stretching between their lips. She wiped it away with a surprised gasp. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be.” He wiped a bit at the corner of his own mouth. “Things are about to get a lot more uh…messy. That’s fine. It’s normal.”
She adjusted her seated position, clearly pressing her thighs together. “Okay. I’m all yours, Cody Hampshire. I want to give my body to you. My love to you. Everything. Please. Make love to me.”
His cock liked the sound of that. He pulled her into another kiss, and she let out a needy gasp as their lips met, more forceful than the first two kisses. But then she was pulling away again, laying back on the bed. She looked up at him, as if waiting for him to make the next move, clearly wanting to be his pillow princess. He could see her hardened nipples through the fabric of her dress, practically begging to be exposed and touched and explored. He’d already had a preview of how amazing her bare breasts were, and he was ready to get to know them in a more intimate way.
Cody lay on the bed next to her and hooked his finger under the thin shoulder strap of her dress, slowly pulling it down before doing the same to the other side. He looked up to see her eyes on him, watching him intently. He held her gaze as he pulled the front of her dress down, cupping her full breast and giving it a squeeze. Her soft, warm flesh spilled from his hand, too much for him to hold all at once. Her eyes fluttered shut and she whimpered under his touch.
He took his time as he explored her breasts, tracing his finger up and down the sides, caressing her sensitive nipples before sucking them into his mouth. She moaned and shivered under his touch, but she kept her own hands at her sides, fisting the sheets. It was clear she wanted to be explored and pleasured and pampered and he had no argument against that. The more he touched and tasted her, the more he wanted to make Nyrah his. To keep her here, safe, with him. To protect her from people like Temica. To give her everything she’d been begging for since the day she showed up in his life.
He could feel a connection between them, not just the growing lust and the affectionate feelings, but there was something more. It was the way the air felt before a storm, or before a sorcerer unleashed a spell. There was a growing, thriving feeling of magic between them, pulsating and seeking release.
He lazily circled his finger around one of her rosy nipples and let out a long breath. “Do you feel that?”
Her eyes had been closed, but she opened them, turning to look at him. “Yes…that’s…” She pressed her palm to his chest. He was still fully clothed, so he sat up and got rid of his T-shirt. He wanted to feel her palm against his skin. The moment he laid back down she touched him again, her hand directly over the spot where his heart was beating fiercely. He placed his hand over hers and she smiled softly.
“You feel it now?” she asked. “The way we are connected? The way it’s meant to be?”
He nodded, the gentle flow of energy running through his body, making him feel near orgasmic before they even really got started.
“It’s our heart-bond. It’s bigger than us,” she said softly. “So much bigger than us. It’s ancient magics, and destiny entwined and—”
Whatever else it was he’d find out later, because he needed to kiss her. His lips crashed into hers, desperate to be connected. She pressed her body to his, grabbing onto his shoulders. It was enough to satiate him, for now, so he could go back to slowly exploring her body. He peeled the dress down to her waist, exposing the soft contours of her ribs, her flat stomach, her adorable belly button, and the gentle slope of her hip bones. He stopped there, nuzzling the extra soft skin of her stomach, breathing in her sweet strawberry scent that seemed to cling to every inch of her.
He gripped her waist, running his thumbs over her hip bones as he licked up the center of her stomach, all the way to the soft underside of her breasts. It was like every lick and taste and touch was feeding into the heart-bond magic building between them. He wanted to keep going, keep filling it to its breaking point, before he finally claimed her. Maybe that wasn’t the wisest thing to do during their first time together. He had initially meant to take things slow and keep things simple, but the heart-bond between them was pulsing and begging to finally be made whole.
He gathered up the fabric of her dress and she lifted herself so he could drag it the rest of the way down her body, quickly realizing she hadn’t bothered with underwear. Her tail brushed against his arm, her fur incredibly soft. He blinked, having momentarily forgotten that he was about to make love to a woman with a tail. And wings. And big fluffy cat ears. She was lying on her wings, but they seemed malleable and like she was perfectly comfortable.
He slid off the bed so he could slip the dress over her feet and looked back up to see her completely nude, laid out before him, her tabby tail flicking back and forth as she breathed heavily in anticipation.
Every inch of her pale, creamy skin was perfect. Standing before her, he ran his hands up the smooth skin of her legs, giving her knees a squeeze before gently pushing them apart. Apparently, even her pussy smelled like strawberries. Her sweet scent filled the air even more as her glistening folds parted. He leaned in, running one finger up her slit to touch her clit. Her eyes went wide as her entire body tensed and she let out a mewl of surprised pleasure. The first notification that popped up was the one about petting a pussy restoring his Stamina, but then another one popped up:
Cody cocked his head to the side, studying her flushed face, his finger still pressed to her clit. “Really? You just…?”
Her mouth was opened as she panted and she nodded vigorously. “Was that…? Did you just…? Oh my, that was…”
“It’s um…It’s usually not that fast,” Cody mused, but he couldn't help but laugh. “You just got your first Romance Level.” She gave him a lusty grin. She was clearly wound up. And the magic was pulsing and flowing between them. Maybe that’s all she needed to hit her first orgasm.
He circled her clit with his finger, half expecting another notification, but nothing happened. Well, not exactly nothing. Nyrah was fisting the covers again and making the neediest little pleasure noises he’d ever heard, halfway between a moan and a meow that was caught in her throat, with her head thrown back and her eyes squeezed shut.
He kneeled down, pulling her closer to the edge of the bed so he could lick up her slit. She tasted just as sweet as she smelled.
“Oh! What? Why are you…?”
He looked up. “Is this okay? Do you want me to stop?”
“It’s very…um…okay…But when does…your penis happen?” she asked between labored breaths. “I thought this was a…manhood thing. I thought sex meant your manhood went inside my womanhood. Why is your mouth…there?”
“We’re getting to that part. But we can do a few other things first. Okay? Or do you want to skip to the main part right now?”
“In there!” she said, pointing to her pussy. “I feel like something needs to be in there in the next twenty seconds or else I might die!”
“Okay, then.” He shoved his pants and boxers off, freeing his cock. Nyrah pushed herself up on her elbows to get a better look and her mouth made an “oh” shape as she took him in.
“That is what…goes in?” she asked, her eyes still glued to his cock.
“Yes.”
“That doesn’t seem right. Are you sure?”
“I’m very sure. And your body will be very accommodating. Trust me.”
“I do trust you, Cody Hampshire. And it’s been over twenty seconds. I’m starting to die now because your thing isn’t inside of me yet.”
“Try not to die.” He climbed up on the bed between her legs and pressed the head of his cock to her sopping wet slit.
“Oh, I might die…” she whimpered.
He tentatively pushed in and watched her face for any indication of how she was taking it. She squeezed her eyes shut and was clearly clenching her teeth.
“Try really hard not to die,” he said. “Actually, try to relax a bit, Nyrah.”
Her eyes snapped open. “How can I relax when I am on the brink of death? I’m still so empty. I’m so empty I’m dying.”
He couldn’t help but laugh.
“It’s not funny!” she said earnestly. “I need you inside of me Cody Hampshire!”
He eased himself in deeper and she screwed up her face like she just ate a lemon. He pulled out, eliciting a whimper from Nyrah, but then he pushed in more. She was nothing but slick, wet heat gripping him in the most inviting way. He eased back out and she gripped his arms, opening her eyes to look up at him.
“So close…” she said. “Please. Fill me more.”
He kept his eyes on hers as he pushed back in, determined to go all the way this time. She winced but her body yielded, welcoming him in with a tight embrace. He leaned closer to kiss her before pulling out and thrusting back in, this time without pausing in between. He slowly built up their rhythm, her full breasts bouncing every time he bottomed out.
There was a tingling sensation flowing down his spine, through his stomach and then directly into his cock and balls. It was like nothing he had ever felt before. Without a doubt it was the heart-bond magic, building between them. The pleasure of her pussy, the mounting magic—he knew he wasn’t going to last much longer, but he desperately wanted to feel her cum on his cock before he blew his load. Except he was pretty damn sure she wasn’t on any kind of birth control, and he wasn’t ready to fill her with kittens. That was probably something they should have discussed before they started fucking…He would definitely need to talk to her about that.
Nyrah started to cry out every time he thrust into her, her voice growing louder and louder.
“I’m d-dying again!” she cried out. “Nya! I’m going to—”
Her words caught in her throat, and she went slack-jawed as he felt her pussy tighten on his cock. He winced and almost blew his load inside of her but pulled out just in time, cumming all over her stomach. Nyrah gasped as she was covered in his cum, looking down at her stomach with wide eyes.
“What did you do?” she asked.
“Sorry.” It felt like it was the hardest he’d ever cum in his entire life. He could feel the magic still ebbing and flowing through him, but it was slowly dissipating. He collapsed next to her and tried to catch his breath. “I’ll clean you up.”
She lay perfectly still, but was breathing heavily. And then she poked her finger into his jizz. “It’s warm.”
“Well, yes.” Cody laughed. “It just came out of my body.” He grabbed a wad of tissues from the bedside table and started cleaning her up.
She held her finger up, dripping with cum. “What is this?”
“We call it semen. Or jizz. Or cum. It’s how a baby is made. That goes inside the woman and fertilizes her egg.”
“Ah, I see. We did learn about how a baby is made, at the temple. But I didn’t know it would look like…this.” Just as he finished cleaning her up she slapped his shoulder. “That was supposed to go inside me, not on me!”
“I’m sorry! I wasn't ready to make a baby, okay? That’s something we’ll need to talk about with Morgan and Yana.”
“You’re not ready?” Nyrah asked.
“Well, no. We haven’t known each other very long.”
“But our heart-bond! Did you not feel it?”
“Oh, I felt it. It was fucking incredible.”
“At first I thought I was going to die if I didn’t have your manhood inside of me, and then I felt like I was going to die if I didn’t reach that final explosion of overwhelming pleasure. The second one was much stronger than the first one.”
“You did level up, again,” he said. “So, only eight more to go.”
“I have to almost die eight more times?”
Cody laughed. “Is that bad?”
“No, it’s not bad.” Nyrah cuddled up next to him, smiling serenely. “That sounds wonderful. I would love to almost die with you every day of my life, for the rest of my life.”
Current Inventory Total: 1,510
Friendship Moments: Doris: 5/5, William: 5/5, Gracie: 3/5, Lexi: 3/5, Bob: 5/5, Doug 3/5, Marigold: 0/5
Romance Moments: Morgan: 10/10, Yana: 0/10, Nyrah: 2/10
Relationship Status: Heart-bond Activated