Kim shook her head, “I’m not surprised. What do you need?” Her smile took all the bite from her words.
“We have gear that we want to set up as a raffle,” Alburet told her. “It is from the 12-24 range, so they know ahead of time. Set the ticket price low and let people buy as many as they want. Day after tomorrow we can pull the tickets and let the winners select their prizes. We’ll have even more stuff after tomorrow.”
Kim nodded and made notes as he talked, “How about fifty coppers per ticket? Each piece of gear sells for silvers so that really brings the price down.”
“Works,” Alburet agreed. “I’ll leave it up to you. I’ll leave the gear in the room Erin was using.”
“That works. That way I can let people get a look at the gear,” Kim finished making notes. “Have fun dealing with the group.”
Alburet rolled his eyes, “Fun times.” He went into the back, trading nods with Vanessa in passing. When he got to the meeting room he took a seat and looked at Ironhand, “Okay, so tell me about the problem.”
“Bloodmoon,” Ironhand sighed. “She’s a Berserker in the guild. We’ve been out hunting the last two days and both days, her group would encroach on our area little by little. Today when we asked her to back off, she got up into our faces and said she would do whatever she wanted. I’m pretty sure she’ll do this to us again tomorrow, or start doing it to some other group.”
“Is her entire group going along with it, or are some of them holding back?”
Greenbeard frowned, “Now that you mention it, the Druid and Necromancer both seemed hesitant. I don’t remember the Druid’s name, but he’s a Lunari. I think DrBone was the ‘mancer’s name.”
“All right,” Alburet sighed as he got to his feet. “Ironhand, trade info with me.” He tapped Mindstones with Ironhand, “If she starts up with you again, send me a message. If you see her doing it to anyone else, let me know as well. I’ll talk to them tomorrow before my group heads out.”
The players got to their feet, thanking him before shuffling out. Alburet stayed in the meeting room considering his options for a minute before he walked back to the front. Kim was packing up her stuff for the day. “Out for the night?”
Kim smiled and nodded, “Yeah. Vanessa will hold it down for the next hour or so.”
“Okay. I’m off to eat and get my friends settled into our spare room, so you both have a good night.” Alburet gave them a parting wave as he left the building and went into the house.
“Honey, I’m home,” Alburet announced as he came in with a laugh. Stacia looked up, puzzled, and Alburet stopped laughing. “Sorry. A joke from the other world.”
“Most of ya jokes seem to be,” she shook her head. “The spare room be set up with two beds now. Dinner will be ready in a moment.”
“I’ll go get a quick rinse then,” Alburet followed his words, returning a few minutes later to find that Fluff and Karen had arrived. “Evening, ladies. If you want a quick rinse, the bathroom is open.”
“Sounds good,” Karen said, getting to her feet. “Come on, Fluff, we can wash each other’s backs.”
Fluff followed Karen without saying anything. Just as Stacia was putting the roast on the table, they came back to the front room. Alburet’s eyes tracked up and down each of them, out of reflex.
Fluff was wearing a cute sun dress with kittens printed on it that brought out the color of her eyes. Karen was in shorts and a halter top that showed off her body, only covering up the important bits.
Shaking his head Alburet took his spot at the table after seating the women. He sliced the roast, serving it out and adding the mashed potatoes to each plate before handing it off. The gravy container was passed around, each of them dousing the roast and taters liberally with the rich sauce.
“Everything okay with the move?” Alburet asked between bites.
Fluff nodded, “Yes. I didn’t have that much stuff.”
“Me either,” Karen added before taking another big bite of drippy taters. “So good...” she mumbled around the food.
Stacia grinned at her, “It be impolite to be speakin’ when ya mouth be full of drippy goodness. Ya should be swallowin’ first.”
Fluff blinked, her ears pinking slightly as she quickly took another bite. Alburet reached over and stroked her ear a few times, “You’re getting better, Fluff.”
She nodded, a contented smile spreading across her lips as she chewed, swallowing before replying. “Yes. Stacia is going to work with me tonight. Lilith has been impressed at how adept she is.”
Alburet pursed his lips as he took his hand back, “Hmm.”
“While they’re off locked in a room helping Fluff, why don’t we play together?” Karen said, staring at Alburet like he was a tasty morsel.
Shaking his head, Alburet sighed, “Not going to happen, Karen. We can play cards if you’d like.”
Karen pouted, “I miss the old days. Why the big change?”
Alburet sipped his wine while he thought about his answer. “Trying to hold to the morals my Dad instilled in me. One of the things I took to heart was that once you marry someone, you stop with anyone else.” He shrugged, “I don’t have anything left from my father but the things he tried to teach me.”
Karen frowned, but nodded, “So it’s not that you didn’t like us all being together. It’s more you want to do what your father taught you is right.” She put down her fork, “I understand. I had thought I’d found a kindred spirit who was willing to just have fun. Then you got married and that vanished.”
“What about me sister?” Stacia asked.
Karen looked away, “She was hooked up with a Summoner, last I heard. She still gives me massages, but all the extra stuff has fallen away there, too.” She got up, “Excuse me, please.” She walked out of the room, visibly upset.
Fluff watched her go with sadness, “She wants love.”
“Don’t we all,” Alburet sighed, “maybe I should go talk to her.”
“Nay, Asthore,” Stacia got to her feet. “I will be the one, ya eat ya food.” Stacia followed after Karen with a determined gait.
“I…” Fluff paused before taking a deep breath. “I want love, too, but I’m not worth the time. I was always told that I was nothing.” She shuddered, “Worthy of nothing but a beating…”
Alburet reached out to gently touch Fluff’s arm, “You are worth a lot, Fluff. I don’t know who told you that you’re not worth anything, but they were wrong. You’ve been my friend during the time we’ve known each other. We’ve had good times, laughed, hunted together and made even more friends.”
“You don’t,” she swallowed, then continued, “look at me like you do them.”
His mouth opened and closed a few times in astonishment before he was able to reply to her. “Not exactly true, Fluff. I have the same depth of feeling for you as I do for Karen. The difference is, that for you it’s about protecting you and wanting you to grow. With Karen, it was mostly about the physical interactions. That has shifted some since I got married, though.” He gave her a small smile, “I quoted Romeo at you, after all.”
Fluffball met his eyes, “Would you…” She paused, swallowing, “Kiss my cheek?” Her face went red and one hand twitched at her side, but she refused to drop her eyes.
Alburet felt his protective side surge forward, urging him to treat her like the fragile person she was. He turned to face her, leaning over to gently kiss her cheek. “You are my friend, Fluff, I will always show you that I care. Whether it be a hug, getting your ears rubbed, or a kiss on the cheek.”
She touched her cheek where he’d kissed her, looking at him with wide eyes. Fear and hope warred for control of her face. “Th…Thank you.” She bolted from the table, leaving Alburet alone in the room.
Alburet wondered if maybe he had done something wrong. She had said thank you, but then she’d run away. Maybe it was just that she’d finally found someone who’d shown her kindness without any ulterior motive. Still musing, he finished his m
eal then collected the plates to wash them.
Karen came back out to the main room as he finished up, finding a seat in the living room as he made coffee. “Al?”
“Yeah?” he called back as he put the kettle onto the stove.
“I’m sorry,” she said it with a grimace. “I didn’t mean to be a bitch. I’ve just always wanted something I can’t seem to find. The one time I tried the traditional romance thing, it fell apart really badly. Since then I’ve just wanted to find someone who was up for random fun. I latched onto you a bit more than I should have, and when you got married I felt jealous.”
Alburet sat down across from her, “I’m sorry, too, Karen. I probably should have been more up front with you about stuff. I’d like to tell you why I got married. I mean, besides the really obvious. You’re amazing and I love having you as a friend.” Alburet grinned wryly and rolled his eyes, “Stacia keeps hitting me with the harem bat, and has broadly hinted that you’re her first choice. While I never see that happening, I don’t think she’s going to give up on the idea.”
Karen looked him in the eyes, “Is it just your father’s words that are stopping you? Nothing else?”
He could see her pain and longing and considered his feelings for a moment. “Yes.”
“If you change your mind,” Karen said, getting up and going to the stove just as the kettle began to whistle, “I would be happy to be the third here. Maybe even a permanent third and not just a guest appearance.”
Alburet frowned as he took that in. He accepted the cup she offered him while he turned her comment over in his mind. “Okay. If I ever decide to do as Stacia wants, you’ll be the first to know.”
“Okay,” Karen tucked her legs under her as she sipped her coffee. “Another question, how do you feel about Stacia’s double and me having a little fun?”
Alburet choked on his coffee, coughing roughly as the image had popped into his head, along with memories of the three of them. Karen sprang over to his side and thumped his back for him, until he regained his breathing.
“Warn a guy next time,” he croaked.
“Sorry, didn’t think it would cause you to breathe coffee.”
“Her Copy is still her. I think it would be adultery,” Alburet told her.
“Damn, struck out on all counts then,” Karen said as she took her seat again. “Up for some cards?”
They played cards for an hour before Stacia came out to the living room. “Fluff be sleepin’. Ya can go to bed when ya be ready, Karen.”
Karen nodded, stretching as she got to her feet. Alburet looked away, missing the knowing look traded between Karen and Stacia. “I’m off to bed then, night ya’ll.” She got a hug and kiss on the cheek from Stacia before she left,
“Let’s go off to bed ourselves, Asthore,” Stacia said, pulling him to his feet.
“No dreams tonight, please,” Alburet asked her as they went to their room.
Chapter Twenty-One
Alburet woke slowly. He had been dreaming, but not one of the nightmares or memories. It was much more adolescent in tone than that, revolving around a really big bed and a whole lot of women. He yawned and stretched as he opened his eyes. The sound of the door to the bathing room opening caught his attention, and he looked over to see Karen in the doorway wearing nothing but a smirk and a few water droplets. The water droplets were making their way down her body, and Alburet had to struggle for a moment to keep his eyes from following them.
“Oh, I see you’re up. And also awake,” Karen said, licking her lips, her eyes focused intently and not on his face.
Alburet glanced down and realized he had a problem that most men contended with in the mornings. “Why are you bathing right now?” He almost threw back the covers before remembering he’d taken to sleeping naked here in Alpha World.
“I had to wash Fluff’s back,” Karen grinned as she stepped further into the bedroom, not at all ashamed of her nudity. If anything, she flaunted it. “If I’d known you were going to wake up, I would have delayed her for another five minutes.”
“Wait, Fluff is…” Alburet began to say, cutting off as the bathroom door opened again.
Fluff was wrapped in a towel that covered her torso, though only barely. It did an excellent job of inspiring Alburet to wonder what was under it. “You’ll wake him…” Fluff was saying softly as she stepped into the room. She froze when her eyes met Alburet’s, both of them shocked. Alburet’s mind was torn between looking away or keep looking at the soft fur that he could see. He was pulling his eyes away when his eyes tracked to hers, which had found his earlier issue. Her mouth opened slightly and her face went deep red.
Alburet jerked upright, his waist still covered and he grabbed Stacia’s pillow to cover his lap. He wanted to say something, but was at a loss. Karen was not, though, “See, Fluff, I told you that you have a sexy body. Alburet agrees with me, without even having to say a word.”
“Ya all be up then, breakfast be ready in a few minutes,” Stacia told them with a smile from the other doorway.
“Some of us are more ‘up’ than others,” Karen snorted.
Stacia looked over at Alburet and shook her head, “Ya only be embarrassin’ ya self and Fluff like tha’. It be only natural for him to react to ya fresh from the shower. Fluff, does seein’ him like that make ya uncomfortable?”
Fluff glanced at Stacia then away, her head barely shaking from side to side. Karen wrapped an arm around Fluff’s shoulders, leaning in to whisper in her ear. Fluff’s face, which had been slowly returning to her normal coloring, went right back to being bright red. Stacia walked over to Alburet with a friendly smile in place that made him a little wary of her intentions.
“Fluffball,” Stacia said as she took a seat next to Alburet. “Did me husband lookin’ at ya cause ya distress?” Fluff still wouldn’t look at Alburet but her head shook slightly side to side again. “Did ya like the way he looked at ya?” Alburet started to object but Stacia placed a finger over his lips, “Hush.” Fluff’s head nodded almost imperceptibly. “Tha’ be all then for now, Fluff. We will talk later, now ya should go get ready.”
Fluff bolted from the room, dropping the towel in her haste. Alburet had an unobstructed view of her backside and tail as she fled the room. When he finally pulled his eyes away, Karen was watching him with a pained look, then she left as well. He finally turned to Stacia, who met his eyes calmly.
“Asthore,” Stacia said softly, “why do ya fight what ya clearly want? Ya old standards be nay those of this world. I understand wantin’ to hold to the teachin’s of ya Da’, but mayhap it be time to follow ya heart instead. Fluff will nay be ready for anythin’ for some time yet, but Karen, it pains her. She cares for us both, and feels rejected by us because of ya backin’ away from her sudden as ya did.”
Alburet covered his face with his hands, rubbing it to try clearing his mind. “It just feels like it would cut one of the few strands I have left to him. I don’t want to lose that, Kitten.”
She gently moved his hands from his face, “Iffin ya be with me, ya will never lose touch with ya Da’.” She leaned in to kiss him gently before continuing, “Close ya eyes for me.”
He took a deep breath, doing as she asked, “What are you going to do?”
“This,” she whispered as he felt his mind spin.
~*~*~
Seamus sat on the porch with his father, sipping lemonade while they admired the summer night sky. “You been doing okay, old man?”
“Better than you, son,” William chuckled. “But you seem to have gotten over what that woman did to you.”
“It was bad. Guess she wasn’t the one for me.”
“You’ll find your love one day, a woman who makes your pulse race and your knees weak. If you’re lucky enough, she’ll agree to marry you, and then you’ll know what real happiness means. That was the way it was for me. Just make sure that you follow your heart, son, no matter what anyone tells you, always follow your heart. God made us all imperfect, but
I firmly believe that our hearts are the key to doing his will.”
“Still a believer,” Seamus replied. “Your faith always amazes me, dad. I don’t think I’ll ever have the strength of conviction that you do.”
“You don’t believe the same things I do, but you do have a type of faith, son. You don’t think there’s a God above, but you still walk his line. You know I firmly believe in my Christian upbringing, and I’ve tried to teach you to follow that road. But I don’t think the other faiths are wrong, for all I know, they’re all right. I just hope that someday you’ll find something to really believe in, and follow it with all your heart.” William looked up at the sky, “That would probably be my final wish.”
Seamus shook his head, “You old goat, you’ll probably outlive me. I deal with violent people on a daily basis, after all.”
Alpha Company (Alpha World Book 3) Page 27
