Gregory woke with Roshana beside him. She was curled up next to him, her hands bunched into fists and pressed to her chest. Her ears were still and her face was slack with sleep. He looked to his other side to see the larger group cuddled together. Mindie was in the middle, bracketed by Clover and Ling, holding her as they had him the night before. Behind Clover, Jenn was curled up. Her leg was hitched up onto Clover’s hip, using the other woman like a body pillow. She had an arm over Clover at a height that made Gregory wonder if Jenn was holding soft places. Yukiko’s pale arm was draped over Ling, just under the eurtik’s breasts. A pale foot was hooked over Ling’s shin.
The sight of them all cuddled up brought a smile to him and made his chest warm. It also got another, baser reaction from him. He exhaled slowly, pushing that thought away when a hand landed on his navel, inches from Gregory’s rising problem. He jerked his gaze back to Roshana, but her face was still unlined, and her breath was slow and even. His deep breath of relief caused her to stir, which unfortunately brought her hand in contact with a stiff bit of cloth-covered flesh.
Roshana blinked slowly, her hand unmoving for a moment. She smiled when she saw Gregory beside her. “Morning, dear one.”
“Morning,” Gregory whispered tightly. “Can you… umm… can you move your hand, please?”
Roshana’s brow furrowed and her hand twitched before she yanked it away. Eyes shooting wide open, she tried to explain, but words failed her. She inched backward, clearly distraught.
Gregory exhaled, then turned and grabbed her gently, pulling her back. “It’s okay. You were asleep when it happened. I know. Shh.”
Roshana calmed when Gregory pulled her back to him. The moment had been so different than a casual knee brush that she’d feared he’d think she’d done it deliberately. “I’m sorry,” Roshana whispered.
“You were asleep. I know you were,” Gregory soothed her, then reached up to gently stroke one of her ears. “It’s alright. Accidents happen.”
Gregory stroking her ear got her breath to catch, her chest to warm, and let her exhale the tension. “Thank you, Greg. We’re all afraid of making a misstep that will keep us from… us.”
“Accidents will never stop that,” Gregory told her gently. “Are you okay?”
“Yes. Maybe I should get a little more distance, though.”
Gregory snorted lightly— he knew he was currently pressing against her leg. “Does it bother you?”
“Aether, no, but I don’t want Yuki or Jenn thinking I can’t be trusted, either.”
“We know better,” Yukiko’s whisper drifted to them. “Another accident?”
“Yes…” Roshana sighed.
“It’s fine,” Gregory said as he removed his hand from Roshana’s ear. “Third bell chimed just a moment ago. We have a bit over two hours before we need to go.”
“Then we should get dressed, have the staff get us breakfast, and sit for a bit. Training is off for today,” Yukiko said.
“That’s good and bad,” Ling sighed. “I’ve always enjoyed our bonding while we train. I’ll be sad to miss that on our last day together for years, but glad that we get to spend even more time just talking.”
“Yeah,” Clover sighed in agreement, then let out a surprised squeal.
“Sorry,” Jenn giggled. “Didn’t know you were ticklish.”
Clover spun on Jenn, trying to tickle her back. “Payback!”
Jenn just grinned and let Clover try.
After a minute, Clover’s hands faltered. “You’re not, are you?”
“No, and I’m sorry,” Jenn said, then leaned in to kiss Clover’s cheek. “Let’s get dressed.”
“Since Elsa isn’t here, none of us need to leave the room,” Yukiko said as the pile untangled themselves.
Gregory had just gotten up to go, then paused. Looking back at Yukiko, he met her eyes, then smiled. “A parting viewing?”
“For all of us,” Yukiko giggled.
“It’ll be fair that way,” Jenn winked.
“I’m not so sure,” Gregory said as he summoned clothing from his storage ring. “You’ll all be eyeing me, but I can only look at one or two of you at a time.”
“Hmm…” Mindie snickered. “We could dress one at a time, then?”
“Of course,” Yukiko said, feigning not having considered the idea. “That would work best. Greg can start.”
Gregory laughed, then stepped away so they were all in front of him, watching him intently. “Mindie… this was your idea, wasn’t it?”
Mindie blushed, but nodded. “Yes. I want to be able to remember this moment for the years ahead of us. I’m sure they do, too.”
“And it feeds into your desires nicely,” Ling chuckled before kissing her cheek. “Nicely done.”
Mindie’s face burned brighter, and she put her arm around Ling’s waist. “Thank you.”
~*~*~
It took far longer than normal for them to dress and eat, but everyone was grinning the entire time. When breakfast finished, the mood turned toward sorrow as their time of parting drew ever closer.
“We’ll do our best for the children,” Clover said softly. “I’ll be the mother they always wanted.”
“The best mother they could’ve wished for,” Ling murmured.
“Ling and I will do our best to help guide the next two years of magi,” Roshana said. “We’ll have help from our friends for next year, at least.”
“Yes,” Ling agreed. “When we give them their surprises, I expect them to work even harder.”
“They will,” Jenn smiled. “Just wish we could be there to see it.”
“Daciana will be beside herself,” Yukiko giggled. “I know all of them will be happy and excited, but Daciana will be a handful.”
“That she will be,” Gregory chuckled, imagining the young woman’s tail wagging so fast that she was nearly vibrating. “I hope they did well with their tournament. You’ll write to us and let us know, right?”
“Of course,” Clover beamed. “You need to write to us, too, so we can let them know what it’ll be like.”
“We will,” Yukiko said. “I’m sure Hemet can get the letters to us.”
“I need to write my father and friends, too,” Gregory said. “I’ll do that when we leave, though. It’ll give me something to do on the journey.”
“I’ll be doing the same,” Ling said. “My parents deserve to know what I’m planning for my family.”
“Oh! I need to, too,” Clover said. “Mom and Dad will be thrilled to know I found people who love me.”
“When we see you again, we expect to hear about your resonance,” Yukiko said softly. “After that, we’ll see, but I fully expect you to join us.”
Roshana, Clover, and Ling looked hopeful.
“Just do as you should,” Jenn added. “Guide our friends and remember to admit your resonances to each other. I fully expect them to find it before their apprentice year ends.”
“We’ll be waiting for them, and for you,” Gregory added. “My heart beats faster when I think of all of us together… that includes Claudia, as well.” He paused, then chuckled. “It was her birthday yesterday. She told me about it before the assassins.”
“It’ll be a long time for her,” Yukiko said, “yet I felt a connection to her, as did all of you. That makes it likely she’s one of us. Try to think of her over our time apart, too.”
They agreed they would as fifth bell began to chime.
“Not long now…” Roshana sighed. “Yuki, may we?”
Yukiko giggled. “May you what?”
“She’s a tease when she wants to be,” Jenn laughed.
“May we kiss Gregory and you three goodbye?” Ling asked. “Like our juniors did when they parted with you.”
“Are any of you planning on grinding against his leg like Victoria did?” Yukiko asked.
“No, though I was going to ask him to bite my ear,” Ling admitted, blushing. “It’s a sign of being a mate to my family.”
“Ohhhh!” Clover grinned. “Is that why you ask me to do that?”
“Yes, because you were my first mate,” Ling smiled. “You helped me find joy during our time together, Clover, and then with you, we found even more.”
“Aww…” Clover said softly. She lunged into Ling, knocking her over and kissing her passionately.
“Clover really is like Daciana,” Roshana snickered. She looked back at Yukiko. “I’ll refrain from doing anything extra, since I already caused some distress this morning.”
“Yes, you got a good feel,” Jenn smirked. “Bet you’ve replayed that feeling in your mind a few times already.”
Roshana looked down, smiling. “Yes, and I will keep recalling it.”
“It’s nice to know that we all have our own little needs,” Mindie giggled.
Ling exhaled roughly when Clover stopped kissing her. “Goodness… you’re worked up, my lovely one.”
“Sorry,” Clover giggled. “I want to do that to Greg. Push him down and kiss him until I have to breathe. But I’ll just kiss him normally.”
“Hmm,” Yukiko said, tapping a finger to her lips for a moment. “Dearest one, my heart, would you grant them a little more?”
Gregory flushed as he thought about what Yukiko was asking him, then saw the bright hope in their eyes. His heart melted for them. “I’ll start with Roshana, since she isn’t asking for more.”
“I would ask for just a small thing,” Roshana said, standing up. “Stroke my tail lightly, just once, while you do?” She bit her lip, looking at him with a touch of worry.
“Once only,” Yukiko giggled. “Bold ask, Roshana.”
“We have to be bold and daring to stand beside all of you,” Clover said.
Gregory got to his feet, stepping around the table to Roshana. They came together slowly, finding how they best fit together while hugging. Gregory stared into Roshana’s brown eyes before his closed and he leaned in to kiss her.
Soft eager lips met his. They weren’t demanding, but yielding to him, inviting him to claim her. Gregory did as she wanted— he became the soft aggressor, deepening their kiss. When their lips parted and tongues began to duel, his hand traced down her back, then lightly stroked her curled tail. Roshana gasped, then sucked on his tongue for a moment before breaking the kiss and stepping back.
“Thank you,” Roshana panted. Her eyes were heated and she shivered in place. “I had to stop.”
“That was amazing,” Mindie whispered, shivering a little herself.
Jenn giggled. “Oh… someone is going to be worked up.”
Mindie went red, and Yukiko put her arm around the healer. “It’s okay. We encourage you to embrace your nature, just as you do for us.”
Gregory exhaled, meeting Roshana’s eyes again. “Next time, I won’t stop with once.”
Roshana groaned and slowly lowered herself to her knees. “Thank you, Greg.”
“It’s my turn, then,” Ling said as she stood. “Would you kiss me, then bite me?”
Gregory shifted to face Ling. Her light green eyes were full of hope. “As you wish, dear enchanter.”
Ling’s smile was broad when she stepped into his arms, tilting her head back so he could kiss her. The kiss came and Gregory had to brace himself, as Ling pushed into it. She was nearly the exact opposite of Roshana in that regard— she demanded that he tame her kiss. Gregory grunted, then let his desire to please her come forward. The kiss was impassioned, but after a few moments, Ling submitted to him, her mouth welcoming him gently.
When they parted, Ling’s eyes were bright. She closed them, then bowed her head, presenting her ears to him. Gregory laid his cheek against her head first and took a deep breath, which made Ling shiver. He didn’t just nip her ear— he kissed it, then kissed it again, then gently placed his teeth on her ear before applying pressure.
Ling mewled, melting into him, her hands digging into his back as her heart nearly exploded with love and happiness. “Thank you…” she whispered with a shuddering breath. “You are my mate.”
Gregory eased his teeth from her, then shifted his mouth to the other side of her head. Ling’s breath caught, her hands freezing on his back. She swallowed hard, almost not believing that he was going to do it again.
“I will welcome you when it’s time, my beautiful friend,” Gregory whispered, then repeated the process again.
Ling nearly collapsed when he bit down on her other ear. “My king… yes… always,” she whimpered. Her hands shook on his back and her knees buckled.
Gregory caught her, easing her down to the floor. He met her eyes, smiling gently at her. “Thank you for everything you do and will do.”
Ling shivered, unsure if he knew what he’d done. Biting both ears the way he had was a sign of eternal love to her family. She’d wanted it, but couldn’t ask for it, but he’d done the thing she had truly, deeply, wanted. “Always for you.”
Gregory was about to say more when he was suddenly buried under a quivering body. Laughter filled the room, but Gregory could only focus on Clover. She squirmed atop him, her lips on his as she feverishly kissed him. Her hands stroked the sides of his head while she held him in place.
With no warning, Gregory rolled her over as he continued to kiss her. He snagged her hands, forcing them down beside her head as he shifted his body against hers. Clover moaned and quivered in place. Her heart beat fast and hard in her chest— she’d wanted this moment since she’d first known he would accept her.
Gregory leaned back, staring down into her black eyes. “Clover, you’re lovely, smart, and loyal. We’ll be very happy when you join us fully.”
Clover panted as her heart swelled more. “I will. I will! Just wait. I will.”
“Well, that was more than we expected,” Jenn snorted. “Greg?”
“Sorry,” Gregory exhaled as he got off Clover. “I let my foresight and resonance lead me. It shows me the best path forward for me in the moment. It was the last thing Lightshield taught me. It felt right, and I’m glad I did. Each of you is happier, aren’t you?”
All three freshly-kissed women nodded vigorously.
“Well, now that our heart is done,” Yukiko said, standing up, “it’s my turn. Then it’ll be Jenn, and finally, Mindie.”
“Me, me! Pick me!” Clover said, jumping to her feet first.
Laughter filled the room even while Yukiko took Clover into her arms.
