Rogue's Passionate Harem

by Reed James

“Swanhilda is your daughter, isn't she?” I asked.

  “She is,” Otmar said, his voice tight. “Which is why we will do what we can for Ava. But the only way to break the spell is through marriage.”

  “Marriage?” Sven asked. “You mean, a Lubenite marriage?”

  I frowned at that. It didn't sound... like anything my Sven would want.

  “I'm not one for monogamy,” Sven continued.

  “I think you've proven that, brother mine,” Kora said. She was so much more comfortable loving her step-brother now. The more people who learned about their taboo love, the more pride she took in it.

  “It is the only way,” Thea said. “You will have to limit your love to just Ava, swearing before Luben to be her faithful husband.”

  “But I have more women I love,” Sven said. “I won't cut off my heart from them.”

  “Do you truly love all these women?” Skepticism thickened the priestess's voice.

  It made me bristle. “Of course he does,” I hissed, whirling around from the mural. “He loves me and Nathalie. He loves Kora and Aingeal and Ava. He's falling in love with Greta and Ealaín, too.”

  Sven gave me a strange look. For a moment, I caught something in his scent. Something pained. My brow furrowed but before I could say anything, he said, “She's right. I have a big heart. I care for my women. I love them. I don't want to give them up, but...”

  “No,” Ava said. “He shouldn't have to give them up. I accept that he loves them. I love them. I don't want to be monogamous either. I want to share my heart with Sven's other women.”

  Thea studied my Master. “Follow me, young man.”

  Sven returned her invitation with an arched, cocky smile.

  “Prove to me that you truly love all these women,” she said. “Convince Luben of the sincerity of your heart.”

  The priestess whirled around, her short hair flaring out from her head. Then she marched with purpose through the worship hall, her footsteps echoing through the high vaults. Sven marched after her, his long strides catching up to her in a few paces. He fell in beside her as she led him to a side door. They vanished through it.

  I glanced up at Otmar. “Not worried that my Master will convince your wife that he can love more than one woman by showing her his passion? He has a fondness for married women. He always finds that they... respond to a younger lover. Someone that can give them pleasure.” I couldn't help myself. “He is skilled with women. He knows how to touch us. How to give us what he wants. He's pleased faerie princesses and queens. He's seduced farm wives and noble ladies. He has that smile that just makes you feel so womanly when he gives it to you. It makes me quiver.”

  Otmar shrugged.

  “So you have no doubts that your wife won't fall to his blandishments? That she's not yearning for delights she experienced in her younger days? Before your marriage.”

  “We both were virgins when we married,” he answered.

  “Then maybe she's curious at what she's missed. She must have counseled so many couples who couldn't stay faithful to monogamy. She's heard from so many women about the delights they experienced with other men. Maybe... it's in the back of her mind.” My tail swished faster. This was a fun game. He stood there so rigid. So confident in his wife.

  I breathed in and still smelled no jealousy. I hoped my Master did cuckold this man.

  “Those of us who have sworn to monogamy devote ourselves to sharing pleasures with our spouse,” Otmar said, his voice calm. I didn't detect any jealousy or worry souring his scent. “Thea and I have explored all the delights two can share with each other. She has no need to search for her pleasure from another. It's one of the things we are taught. Sharing physical love, maintaining that intimacy, is an important part of sustaining fidelity.”

  “So... your daughter and her husband had that same training, and yet she dallied.” I couldn't help myself.

  His jaw tightened.

  I winced. “I am sorry, I shouldn't have said that.”

  He relaxed after a moment. “I swore my fidelity.” He turned to face the mural. “I would be like Luben, watching as my Biaute strayed time and time again, unable to stop her because you can't control those you love.

  “You can only have faith in them that they won't hurt you.”

  I nodded my head, getting that, at least. “I did that with Sven. I believed in him. I gave myself to him. I'm his slave, even though he keeps trying to free me. It's a little annoying when he does that.”

  The priest smiled at me. “It's a beautiful thing, isn't it? Trusting the one you love.”

  “Yes, it is,” I said, nodding my head in full agreement. A strange worry crossed my stomach. Maybe Sven would try to seduce this man's wife. He couldn't help himself. He was a rogue. He enjoyed the challenge, and a priestess of Luben, one whose vows were sworn to a God himself, would be such a triumph to bed.

  But if he did... How would we help Ava then? Why did Thea need to lead only Sven off? Ava claimed she loved others, too, but it was my Master that the priestess sought to interrogate alone. My stomach suddenly roiled.

  I glanced at the priest as he stood resolute in his faith of his wife. I hoped it wasn't misplaced.

  Chapter Sixteen: Love's Nature

  Sven Falk

  The room Priestess Thea led me to was surprisingly homey. It wasn't what I expected given the solemn grandeur of the rest of the Temple of Luben. An open window looked out at a small garden, lacy curtains framing it. A table sat in the center, the wood polished to a dark brown. A kitchen stove and counters ran along one wall. A kettle sat upon the black iron surface of the stove, steam rising out of its mouth.

  “Not the room I expected you to take me to,” I said as she bustled towards the stove.

  “Oh?” she asked, throwing a look over her shoulder. “Where did you expect to go. My bedroom?”

  I couldn't help the smile crossing my lips. She had a lovely figure, a mature flower at the height of her bloom. Her short, blonde hair framed her motherly face, her blue eyes twinkling. The robe could do nothing to hide the curves of her figure, her breasts large.

  “Why not?” I said. “It would be more... comfortable.”

  She arched an eyebrow. “Are you saying my kitchen chairs are not comfortable? You haven't even tried one out.”

  “I haven't tried out your bed,” I pointed out, pulling out a stiff chair. “We could... stretch out on your soft mattress and... talk.”

  “Talk...” A shiver ran through her body, a sway to her hips. She opened cabinets revealing a collection of tea cups. She pulled two down and set them on a tray.

  “Sure, talk,” I said, a throb running through my dick. I shouldn't be doing this, but... She was married. She swore vows. It was a... challenge. To seduce her... “Isn't that why we're here?”

  “To talk, or talk?” she asked. She looked over her shoulder, the smile on her lips growing. “Is that what you think is going to happen?”

  “When was the last time you really talked?” I asked her. “To relax. To have a... pleasant afternoon.”

  “Mmm...” She opened a sealed box and measured out some powdery tea leaves, pouring them into each cup. “How long do you think it's been?”

  “Too long,” I said, sauntering up to her. My dick was so hard. The way she moved. The way she shuddered. I could feel her need. This woman deserved to have pleasure. To have a young lover that cared about giving her pleasure, not an old husband who had long gotten bored of her body. “Your body needs to be... pampered. To be pleasured.”

  I came up on her, looming over her. Her white robe fell over the curve of her rump. She had such a lovely curve to her rear, her figure. She looked at me over her shoulder, a considering gleam in her blue eyes. She turned around, her large breasts rising and falling. Her robe was open just enough to give a little cleavage.

  “Tea is nice,” I continued. “But is that what you really need?”

  A smile split her lips. Her hand shot out, planting on my chest, stopping m
y advance. Then laughter burst out of her mouth. A rich, mocking sound. Her breasts shook as amusement spilled across her face. Her shoulders shook and her hair danced around her face.

  My forehead furrowed.

  “Oh, my son, you are a dangerous one, aren't you?” she asked. “And I don't mean because of the short sword you wear.”

  “It's not short,” I said, not caring about her laugh. I grabbed her wrist, touching her skin. I stroked my thumb up and down the back of her hand.

  “I'm sure that sword isn't,” she said and pushed back harder, “but I'm not interested in fencing with you.”

  I arched an eyebrow.

  She shook her head. “Definitely dangerous. Go, sit down, son. You're younger than my own boy. I'm not about to relax with you.”

  “You don't know what you're missing out on.”

  Her face hardened. “I know exactly what I'm missing out on. If you love someone, would you hurt them?”

  Her words sent a chill through me. My vow to Rithi swelled through me. I would have to hurt Kora to set her free. But... “Only if it would be for the best for them.”

  Her head cocked to the side, her eyes flicking me up and down. She pursed her lips for a moment. “So... would me cuckolding my husband, hurting him, be best for him?”

  “No,” I said.

  “So why do you think a couple of smiles from a handsome, young man would lead me to do that to my husband?”

  I shrugged. “You wouldn't know until you tried.”

  She laughed again, rich and melodic. She pushed me back and I didn't resist this time. I moved away, letting her turn and pour the hot water into the tea cups. It was hopeless. She wasn't going to succumb and...

  Her words struck me. I was going to hurt Kora. It was more than the fact I had to give her up. I would have to make her give me up. She loved me. She wouldn't want to be parted. Just how much would I have to hurt her to break up with her?

  How much pain would I cause her to save her life?

  The ache in my cock vanished as I sat down at the table. I didn't regret my deal with Rithi. We all would have died. Not just Kora, but Aingeal, Nathalie, and Zanyia. I couldn't let all my women perish. I thought it would only be me that would hurt, but... Kora would pay for this, too.

  And so would my other women. They all loved Kora, too. Maybe... Maybe they would choose to stay with her.

  At least they would be alive. They would have a chance for happiness without me.

  Priestess Thea bustled to the table carrying a tray of tea and... It reminded me so much of my step-mother. That same smile. That same look in her eyes, taking joy in bringing a snack or treat for her children and their friends to enjoy.

  She set the tray down and picked up the tea cup, cradling it in her hand. Steam wafted before her face as she said, “Luben, let the man's intentions speak true. Let this man tell me about the women he loves.”

  White light flared from the tea, bathing her face in a soft aura. The features of her face blurred for a moment, becoming almost fuzzy in the radiance. Then it faded. She breathed in the steam and set it before me.

  I swallowed as I stared at the tea, feeling the magic in it. Then I picked it up and sipped the herbal infusion and...

  A numbing lethargy settled through me, starting at my tongue. It grew fuzzy, followed by the roof of my mouth and my throat. I frowned and... I set down the cup, staring at the priestess as she sat down in the chair beside me. She cradled her cup in both her hands, taking a slow sip.

  “Mmm, that is a lovely blend, don't you think?”

  “Suppose,” I said, the word coming out slow, measured.

  She cocked her head. “You're a direct sort of man. You see something you want, and you take it.”

  “Yes,” I answered, staring at her. “I wanted you.”

  “We already covered that,” she said, a little smile playing on her lips for a moment. She took another sip of her tea. “Now, why do you think you love more than one woman?”

  “Because... I'm willing to give up Kora, to free her from our relationship, to save her life,” I said without hesitation, the words coming out with just a touch of passion that the numbing tea couldn't smother. “It's not what I want, but it's what's best for her. And... I feel that way about all of them. I want what's best for them all. I want to care for them. To defend them. I want them close. I want Kora close, but...

  “I won't let her die. I won't let any of them die. I would rather take every hurt for them. Let my body be wounded. Let my soul be torn asunder. I would bleed for them. Die for them.”

  “Interesting,” she said.

  I shifted my shoulders, that rush of emotion swallowed up by the fuzzy numbness. I grew calm again and asked, “Does that mean you'll marry us?”

  “Are you marrying Ava to save her from the enchantment, or because you love her?”

  “I want to save her because I love her,” I answered immediately, no thought. It was hard thinking with the spell heavy on my mind.

  “I'll marry you,” she said and took another sip. “Mmm, it's a good tea, isn't it?”

  “Guess. It makes you truthful.”

  “Does it?” She gave me a broad, motherly smile. “Come, let's get you wedded.”

  ~ * ~

  Ealaín

  Sven sauntered out of the back room with the priestess, a big smile on his lips. The way he moved...

  “Did you fuck her?” Aingeal asked, the faerie hovering nearby, her wings fluttering lazily.

  “She's too much in love with her husband,” he admitted, giving Aingeal a broad grin.

  “So you failed,” Aingeal proclaimed. Then she giggled, her large tits heaving, making her nipple rings bounce against her plump flesh.

  “I chose to withdraw,” Sven responded without a hint that Aingeal's giggle annoyed him. “It's strategic. After all, if I corrupted her, she couldn't free Ava.”

  Zanyia joined the giggle. “So smart, Master.”

  Then Kora burst into laughter as she sauntered over to her step-brother. She moved with her dancer's grace as she took his arm. “You're disappointed, brother mine. Don't even try to hide it.”

  He shrugged. “It's for the best.”

  “You're too horny,” she said. “All these women willing to satiate you, and you still want to bed a married woman.”

  The closeness between the two made me swallow. Kora loved her brother so much. She knew him better than any other woman in this room. Not even Ava knew him better. Kora grew up with Sven. She watched him mature, develop. She joined in on his quest of vengeance, welding herself to him to the detriment of her art.

  I squirmed. Was I wrong to advise my mother...?

  No, no, Kora's art had to come first. She had such talent. She needed to inspire the world. How could she do that trapped to her brother who... Who...

  Such joy and mirth shone on Kora's face as Sven grinned at her. What would losing Sven do to Kora? It would give her such pain. Pain that would fuel such art. She could make something so impressive with that.

  So many tears...

  Did she truly have to suffer?

  “I will marry them,” Priestess Thea said, glancing at her husband who stood by the mural, Zanyia kneeling naked at his side. “All of them.”

  Ealaín blinked. “What? All of us? But... but...”

  I felt like the naga's ogre struck me a ringing blow. Luben was all about love. Fidelity. Monogamy. Why would her priestess want to marry all of us? And was I included in that “all”? Was I a part of Sven's... harem?

  I glanced at him with Kora and... It wasn't just Kora who would feel pain once the amulet was destroyed. It would rip out a portion of Sven's heart, too. He agreed to give her up knowing the pain it would cause him because he loved her. I was responsible for this situation. I advised my mother to break them apart. Did I deserve to be a part of his family when shortly my words would rip it apart?

  “Luben respects love in all of its forms,” Priest Otmar said, striding across the worship ha
ll to his wife. “Though monogamy is superior, and the easiest to maintain, it's not the only way. We marry all those in love.”

  “Your Sven has convinced me,” Thea stated as her husband stopped beside her. She took his hand, an act that appeared both habitual and joyful.

  “I'm already married to him the faerie way,” Aingeal said, fluttering towards Sven. She settled on his other side from Kora, taking his other arm and rubbing her pillowy breasts against him.

  “And now you can be married to him the Lubenite way,” Otmar stated.

  Kora looked at me and held out a beckoning hand. “That means you, too, Ealaín.”

  I couldn't help but say, “Yes,” to her imploring need. I... I... wanted to be a part of this. Sven... Kora... I drifted towards her, my armor clinking with every step. This wasn't why mother sent me. I was here to guide her to her art and...

  Maybe...

  This was...

  Sven stared at me, looking stunned. His eyes met mine and... We were going to hurt Kora so badly. I felt so selfish for taking the radiant's hand. But I was so greedy for her smile. For the shining beauty, the art, coming from her.

  Chapter Seventeen: A Lubenite Wedding

  Princess Ava

  Excitement bubbled through me. I was about to be free of the corrupted priestess's spell, free of the depraved lust for my step-father, and I was about to be married to my Sven. Plus more. A giddy rush shot through me as I drifted to Sven, the others moving with me. Zanyia scampered to me, a toothy grin on her face, her tail swishing back and forth.

  “I know,” I told her, feeling her excitement. “I know!”

  Thea and Otmar turned and, hand in hand, drifted towards the altar. We followed, Sven still looking like a poleaxe hit him in the face. I don't think he was prepared to be married to all of us. I had a feeling Sven never really thought he would be married. Not even when he proposed to me over a year ago.

  The event that lead to the fire. To my father's... rash actions.

  The reality was hitting him. He kept glancing at Kora clinging to his right side. Of course he couldn't believe he was marrying her. She was his step-sister. It went against all Zeutchian customs for siblings, even step-siblings, to marry. But the religion of Luben didn't mind. Not if they loved each other. And Sven must have proven he loved us all.