The Path to Peace (Alpha World Book 6)

by Daniel Schinhofen

  “Less than an hour,” Gerald said. “The meal is at the Victory Lap, so don’t overdo the shower.” He looked at Alburet with a sardonically raised eyebrow.

  “It’s never my fault…” Alburet trailed off.

  “Meaning it’s our fault?” Karen asked archly.

  “Fuck,” Alburet sighed, “we’ll see you two there.” He gave Marysue and Gerald a weak grin.

  “Good luck,” Gerald smirked as he and Marysue vanished.

  “Did ya mean tha’ it be our fault that showers run long?” Stacia asked.

  “No, no, I didn’t,” Alburet said, turning around to face his wives. “It is entirely my fault. I’m unable to help myself when I’m around you, so it’s my fault.”

  Fluff shook her head. “No it’s not.”

  Karen touched her arm, lips quivering as she fought to keep from smiling. “Shh, having a man admit he’s wrong is something that should be savored.”

  Rolling his eyes, Alburet pulled out his Homestone. “As if I’ll ever be right when it’s you three against me.” He met Fluff’s eyes first, then the other two, “But with you, I don’t mind in the least.”

  Stacia laughed throatily, “Aye, just as we know ya did nay mean ya comment.”

  Karen laughed and kissed Fluff’s cheek. “Let’s go get the shower started.”

  “Okay,” Fluff said, still a little confused.

  Alburet looked at Bob, who was silently laughing at him, and Tiny, who seemed indifferent to his plight. “You guys are dismissed, have a good night.”

  “Not going to summon us to escort you to dinner?” Tiny asked.

  “We should be fine. I might summon you to escort us home after dinner, though.”

  “As the master wishes,” Tiny said, before vanishing.

  “Now I know not to make that mistake if my wives do that to me,” Bob chuckled before vanishing as well.

  “Ready to go home?” Alburet asked Stacia.

  “I be ready for anythin’ when ya be involved,” Stacia deadpanned.

  “Life will never be boring. Not with you three and my big mouth,” Alburet said as he kissed her cheek.

  “Aye. We do enjoy that mouth most times, though,” Stacia giggled as he vanished, appearing next to him a moment later.

  Taking her arm, he led her into the house after the other two. He could feel only happiness from the trio of women who loved him, and knew he was lucky to have what he did.

  Chapter Nine

  Quickly washed and dressed, the quartet left their home. Going around the block, they made it to the corner where carriages waited for hire. Tossing the driver a gold, Alburet gave the woman the destination and helped his wives into the carriage.

  “Good idea with the carriage,” Karen said. “Are we going to take it home too, or see if anyone wants to play on the way?”

  “We didn’t bring our gear,” Alburet said as the carriage started moving. “I’ll ask Gerald to demote us after we get home. Tomorrow, when we go turn in and stuff before we hunt, we’ll have to be ready for fun.”

  “Do you think it’ll be enough?” Fluff asked, smoothing her dress over her legs.

  “It be the best we can do for now,” Stacia told her.

  “We could suggest that those who don’t want to deal with the Assassins step outside the city and PvP each other.” Karen rubbed her hands on her thighs, lips pursed. “Or maybe see if anyone else in the Guild will do it for them. They’ll still get God’s Grace that way.”

  Alburet blinked. “Duh. I feel stupid for not having thought of that before.”

  “Not everyone can be a super genius like me,” Karen chuckled.

  “I didn’t notice your gear having the Acme brand logo on it,” Fluff murmured with a small smile.

  Eyes widening, Karen turned her head to Fluff, “Left field much?”

  “Well done, Fluff,” Alburet chuckled.

  “It seems ya still be growin’,” Stacia smiled broadly at her. “I can nay wait to see where ya finally settle in. Nay matter what, ya will be loved by all of us.”

  “Even when you quip me,” Karen agreed, kissing Fluff’s cheek. “That was well done.”

  “Thank you,” Fluff beamed, soaking in the love and affection they had for her.

  They chatted playfully until they reached their destination. Stepping out, Alburet helped the women down and tossed the driver another gold.

  “You’ve paid enough already—” the driver began.

  “Consider it my thanks for the smooth ride,” Alburet said, cutting her off. “We’ll be looking forward to an equally smooth drive on the way home.”

  Tipping her hat, the driver smiled. “I’ll be waiting. Enjoy your meal.”

  Inside, they found Ironhand and Leggylass talking to the maître d’. “I’m sure they’ll…” Ironhand trailed off, a welcoming smile coming to his face. “Here they are now.”

  “Trouble?” Alburet asked.

  “Didn’t know whose name the reservation was under,” Ironhand replied.

  Alburet looked at the maître d’. “I believe it’s under Alpha Company, or Gerald.”

  “We have a reservation for ten, under Alpha Company,” the grizzled man replied.

  “We’re six of the ten,” Alburet said.

  Pulling the silver bellpull, the maître d’ waited until a mohawked blonde came out of the doorway behind him. “Alpha Company; the rest will be arriving shortly.”

  “Follow me, please,” the woman smiled politely and led them into the hallway.

  Leggylass and Ironhand were impressed by the décor. The server led them into the dining room two doors down. Once they were seated, she left them alone.

  “Isn’t the mohawk out of place?” Leggylass asked Karen.

  “Everyone who works here is a past champion of the arena,” Karen told her. “It’s probably the same style she had when fighting. Though it is the first time I’ve seen one of the servers looking anything other than formal.”

  “It was a bit of a shock,” Leggylass said.

  A moment later, the door opened again. Rolland, with Kim behind him, were ushered into the room. “Seems we’re not the early ones,” Rolland said.

  Alburet stood, followed, after a brief pause, by Ironhand. “Rolland, Kim, good to see you both,” Alburet said.

  “I’m a little confused as to why we were invited,” Kim said as Rolland seated her.

  “Gerald will—” Alburet began as he started to sit, but cut off as the door opened again.

  Gerald led Marysue into the room. Tongue in cheek, he nodded to Alburet. “I see you didn’t dally.”

  “Hah, not likely, after how we parted,” Alburet said, the men waiting for Marysue to be seated before taking their own.

  “Gerald,” Kim started, “I’m hoping you can explain why we were invited. It was rather sudden.”

  Gerald held up a finger as the server brought out two bottles of wine. After pouring from one, she waited until Gerald approved it before pouring for the others. She left the rest of the second bottle at the table.

  When the server left, Gerald answered her question. “I’d like to extend an offer to become an officer to Rolland, Ironhand, and Leggylass,” he said, taking a sip of wine as he waited for them to react.

  “Officer?” Rolland asked. “Why me?”

  “We need more,” Gerald said. “You’ve been doing extra for the Guild, and your wife is already an officer. We’ve traveled enough that I know you’ll be a good fit.”

  “I’m surprised I’m getting the offer,” Leggylass said.

  “You’ve been levelheaded, and asked about helping do more social events with the Guild. I could use the help on that front,” Marysue said.

  “Alburet already hinted about me being asked,” Ironhand said. “I’m flattered, and will accept.”

  “Me too,” Leggylass added quickly.

  “I will also accept,” Rolland said. “Thank you.”

  Gerald tapped through his interface, promoting each of them to officer.
“I’ll let the Guild know tomorrow—we’ll also be losing three officers.”

  All eyes went to the other people in the room. “What happened?” Ironhand asked.

  “We have a plan for dealing with some of the Assassin issues,” Alburet shrugged. “Officers are not targets for a bit longer, due to a previous encounter.”

  Rolland nodded slowly. “You’re going to be bait.”

  Alburet sipped his wine before saying more. “Yup. Gerald, I still think making our other three natives officers might be a good idea.”

  “Deirdre, Chris, and Ivonna?” Gerald asked, making sure he had them right.

  “Yes,” Marysue said. “We can invite them tomorrow when we do the announcement.”

  “Thank ya,” Stacia said with a strained smile. “I was worried for me sister.”

  “I’m not sure about Ivonna,” Gerald said, “but Deirdre and Chris are fine. They are family, after all.”

  “That’s your call,” Alburet said, just before the door opened, admitting their mohawked server.

  The server brought in the first course, refilling the wine before she left. As she shut the door behind her, Gerald raised his cup. “To our new officers; may you help shepherd our Guild to even greater heights.”

  Everyone drank with him, and the conversation fell off as they dug into their food. Rolland and Kim exchanged many glances, full of sad memories, during the meal. Ironhand and Leggylass were impressed by the quality of the food throughout the dinner.

  Once dessert had been polished off, everyone sat back, sated. Gerald brought the conversation back to important matters again. “I hope you enjoyed the meal, and welcome to the rank of officer. If you have any suggestions regarding what we can do to combat the Assassins, I’ll be more than happy to hear them.”

  “We can’t just buy our way out?” Ironhand asked.

  “Too expensive,” Gerald sighed. “it seems there’s more than one noble house behind this.”

  Rolland leaned forward. “Did you say more than one?”

  “That is what Jones told us,” Gerald said.

  Rolland chewed his bottom lip for a moment. “The last time more than one House hired Assassins, things got pretty bad in the city.”

  “What do you know?” Gerald asked, suddenly focused on Rolland.

  “I’d have to find the right history book again,” Rolland grimaced. “Give me a day or two to try and dig it up. If I recall correctly, the streets became a battleground with the nobles taking sides against each other.”

  “Event?” Karen asked, looking around the table.

  “Maybe,” Alburet said.

  “What?” Kim asked them.

  “On some of the other worlds we’ve visited before, similar things have happened,” Alburet said quickly. “Event is a shorthand term for them. Pivotal points that can change the way events run in the future.”

  “Ah,” Kim said her eyes narrowing. “You think this is because the Two-souled are here?”

  “Or maybe we’re here to stop it,” Gerald said before anyone else spoke up. “In some cases, we were there to stop horrific things from happening.”

  “Elite guardians that respond to disasters,” Kim murmured, her head slowly nodding. “That would make sense. You are troubleshooters. You said that you’ve visited other worlds before, and helped stop things like that. Maybe our gods knew this was coming, and agreed to let you come here to help mitigate the damage.”

  “That’s better than I could have put it,” Alburet said with raised brows. “We might want to remember those words for later,” he looked at Gerald, his gut heavy. “I have a feeling that certain others will try to spin it the other way.”

  Gerald met Alburet’s eyes, then his widened slightly, “Oh, shit. I see your point.”

  The door opened, admitting the server again, who presented the bill to Gerald. He was about to pay when Kim waved her hand. “This is a Guild function, Gerald. It should come from the Guild fund.”

  Gerald nodded and handed the bill off to Kim. “I leave it in the hands of our accountant, then.”

  Kim took the bill. “Better than being a receptionist.”

  Rolland chuckled, “Liar, we know you like talking to people.”

  “Gerald,” Alburet said, leaning in towards him, “demote us in an hour. I want to get home safely first. We might be delayed for hunting, depending on how many people try to jump us.”

  “You going to turn in quests and sell things before we meet up?”

  “That’s the plan. I think we’ll get jumped when we come back to the city. We’re heading to the Dwarf continent tomorrow—Langistors again,” Alburet said.

  “Marysue was happy to be able to deal some damage today, so she’s fine for more lobsters. I’ll message you once we turn in quests and let the Guild know about the officers.”

  “That works,” Alburet said as he got to his feet. “Ladies, shall we away home to rest and relax for the fun tomorrow?”

  “Okay,” Fluff said, getting to her feet.

  “Fun tomorrow? We’ll have fun before then,” Karen chuckled.

  “More than likely,” Stacia grinned.

  Saying their goodbyes, they were the first to leave the room. The driver was waiting for them when they exited the Victory Lap. “Driver, home please,” Alburet said as he helped the women into the carriage.

  Chapter Ten

  The sound of contented purring was the first thing that Alburet noticed as he started to wake. Fluff was cuddled up next to him on his right, leg and tail draped over his leg, with her hands pulled up to her chest as she slept peacefully. A smile came to him as he looked at her open, honest face, peaceful in sleep. His mind wandered back to the night before when Karen and Fluff had taken up most of the bed enjoying each other while Stacia pinned him down to have him watch while she helped with his own growing problem.

  Lying there staring at Fluff, his mind took him back to all the moments with her that defined his love for her. Fragile, open, caring, talented, shy... shaking his head, he cut off the list. She was as close to the girl next-door type as she could be, and she wanted him. Even while she was dealing with her own issues, she wanted to be with him. A hand stirred on his chest, telling him Stacia might soon wake. Stacia was a whole different ball game; sensual, submissive, needy, loyal, and willing to push him to accept what was in front of him. He still had trouble, at times, accepting how quickly and deeply his feelings for her had grown. She had gently nudged him bit by bit to open himself up to the others and was right to do so, even over his obstinate stance. If anything, he owed Stacia more than he felt he could ever repay. A hand appeared and gently stroked Fluff’s hip, the short, unpainted nails belonging to Karen and a perfect example of her. Simple, unaltered, feisty, demanding, and with a soft core that she protected fiercely, Karen would have been as close to the perfect woman Alburet could have imagined when he still wore a badge. Never giving him an inch and demanding the same in return, Alburet knew Karen would always push him to do more, while matching him step for step.

  Shaking his head slightly as the memories came back to him, he had to question if he was really living his life, or if maybe it was all just an elaborate world he had created in his own head. No man could really find three women who loved him like the women around him did—it just wasn’t possible. Add in their stark desire to keep him, even after he had told them his crime, and Alburet was lost and amazed. His love for them was easy to explain; all of them were sexy, smart, and willing to fight for what they wanted.

  His heart clenched for a moment as the thought of them all being stripped from him by Mindblown filled his mind. Jaw clenching tight, he began grinding his teeth. The rage he had thought was gone started to swallow him as fear of losing the women he loved began to consume him. Fluff’s eyes sprang open, her sudden alarm changing to worry as her eyes met his. Karen’s head appeared over the top of Fluff’s shoulder, eyes stern as they looked down at him.

  “Master?” Stacia whispered, trying to see if he
was okay. Her arm clamped around him possessively, her dark red nails digging into his chest.

  “Al?” Fluff asked, worry evident in her tone.

  “Knock that the fuck off,” Karen said, her words at odds with her own worry.

  Karen’s abrupt nature jarred him enough that the anger fled as if it had never been, leaving him feeling drained. “Sorry,” he said, noticing that tears had been flowing down his face.