“So when does the sex start?”

The night had been progressing pleasantly, if in an awkward way. Eva could feel the uncertainty that hung in the air. Dia was doing her level best to pretend everything was normal, yet her eyes kept flickering to Urtha and Eva, trying to read them. Urtha was practically vibrating with excitement; the maiden kept looking at Rick as he lounged against Monica with his chest fully exposed.

He was looking back, though it was easy to tell that it wasn’t in the way Urtha was imagining it to be. The maiden kept preening, pushing her shoulders back, thrusting her rather inconveniently large chest out, and fidgeting.

Eva for her part had remained content to wrap herself in cloth and quietly nurse on Monica’s wrist. The blood still had a lingering taste of wood to it, which was exactly the right amount of “wrong” that kept her hunger from flaring up.

And then Urtha dropped the question. Across from her, Rick choked on his beverage and nearly coughed it out of his nose. Dia shot a disapproving glare. Monica blinked slowly at the Orc in what might have been a mix of realization and indifference. Eva shrank on her spot, eyes flickering between the others.

“We had a great fight! We should celebrate!” The Orc tried to break the silence. “Isn’t this what you normally do?”

“No, we do not,” Dia pointedly said, stopping herself after a moment, turning to give a thoughtful look at him. “Usually he’s a lot more hurt… hm.” She tilted her head slightly and took an impish grin. “I guess if Urtha’s going to lose her virginity, it might as well be someplace Rick can be kept safe.”

The green maiden growled. “I’m no virgin.”

“Are you sure?” The healer’s grin widened. “Other maidens don’t count.”

Rick coughed loudly to draw everyone’s attention, his face had taken a slightly redder complexion, and Eva could hear his heart thump a little. “I usually try to keep it personal.” His eyes flickered across the room, pausing at an empty chair. “Unless it’s Kiara, but she-”

“Is a huge slut?”

“A pervert?”

“Horny.”

Dia, Urtha, and Monica chipped in at the same time. They shared amused grins.

“... she eats energy,” Rick deadpanned. “And humans aren’t much of a source.”

“Having two leeches in the group is rather taxing.” Dia absentmindedly glanced at Eva, who was pointedly glaring at the fireplace.

Urtha stiffened a little. “Don’t tease Sprout.” She declared, giving the smaller maiden a pat on the back with her stumped arm. “She’s doing the best she can.”

Their gazes met, Eva’s eyes wide. The Orc had stood up for her?

“Sprout?” Dia giggled.

“I guess it's because she's growing as a warrior?” Rick nodded, sharing in the chuckle, his words sending an avalanche through Eva. Was it pride, mortification, or fear? All of them? He seemed entirely blind to her abrupt stiffness, gaze lost somewhere else. Somewhere in Dia's eyes. “Kind of like how you’re Spikes because you can get thorny.”

“Horny too.” Monica rumbled between bites, and now it was the healer’s turn to fluster.

“Yes, well, I at least know how to be discreet," the healer flushed, giving a look at the feline, and at Eva by proxy.

Eva pulled away from the fuzzy wrist, removing a couple hairs from her mouth. “Touching yourself and calling his name over and over isn’t ‘discreet’.” She knew she’d messed up as soon as she felt the crimson-faced wide-eyed glare boring into the side of her skull.

“That’s a good swing.” Urtha nodded with a chuckle, patting her shoulder again.

No, she was making it worse! But before the healer could truly turn her focus on her, Rick reached out, grabbing Dia’s hand and pulling her to sit on his lap. The maiden hesitated for a moment before he wrapped himself around her. “I think it’s hot,” he whispered into her ear, kissing her cheek. She was instantly mollified, the maiden muttering a little and nodding.

Another tumble of feelings ran their way through Eva as she froze in place. Some of it came from the dirty look Dia shot her way, purple eyes holding promises for events the Fledgling would not want to participate in. Yet most of it came out of a sting within herself she could not find the source of.

“You might not be a virgin, Urtha, but Sprout certainly is,” Dia said, snuggling into Rick.

“Seriously?” The green giant glanced down. “Everyone thought that at the beach…”

Eva suddenly wanted to become a mote of dust and disappear into the ether, her eyes firmly locked down to the floor. Her face was hot, burning, she stuttered some words out, but failed to make anything comprehensible for a full minute. “I… was feeding.”

“Eva no have sex,” Monica muttered between bites. “But Eva horny.”

“I don’t want to-!” she snapped her mouth shut before she could finish that sentence, getting an annoyed look from the stronger maiden that made her flinch.

“Ask her what she was doing when Rick visited Eli,” Dia chirped from her throne of smugness.

“Eli?” Rick frowned. “I didn’t visit her. The time I saw her, I was with Ki…” His eyes widened. “Oh.”

Eva’s throat tightened and her own face burned; she was trying to ignore how it was only Rick’s quickened heartbeat that her ears were focused on. The maiden squirmed a little, glaring more intently at the floor, pushing away the thoughts as best she could. Of the alleyway, burning up all over as she watched that damned Succubus kneel in front of the Lord of Sinco, fingers digging into his pants, and…

“Eva horny.” Monica added fuel to the fire.

“I guess it’d be fair if she went first, then.” Urtha awkwardly sat down, humming to herself.

“I don’t want Rick!” She was standing, breathing hard, hands clenched. The room felt twenty times colder, the shudder that ran through her warned her of her current state of nudity.

There was silence, but she could still hear her words echoing around the room like she’d been trapped in a canyon. The attention had shifted to Rick, the human was looking at her with those black eyes that appeared to drink in the light. Eva’s breath caught as he moved, paralyzed on the spot, trapped in his gaze as he approached her. He loomed over her, naked scarred chest exuding heat as he got closer.

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Her mind spun, locked in a current of hesitations. Every move she could make was the wrong one, every word she could say would only make it worse. She swallowed, looking up at him, this close his scent was stronger than the smoke and humidity, it was metallic.

“Do you mean it?”

He spoke with a voice that made her bones shake and a warmth pool within her stomach. Eva swallowed. “It’s… just an effect from your blood,” she whispered lamely. “Nothing more.”

Eternity stretched out for several more seconds, his eyes looking for something within her. In that moment, she felt more exposed than merely naked. There was nothing she could hide from him, and that realization sent a jolt through her.

Rick leaned closer, she closed her eyes, raising her chin.

The weight of cloth fell on her shoulders.

“Don’t get cold.”

Eva stood still for several more seconds, taking a moment to calm down her breathing. “Thank you.” She struggled to keep her voice steady.

Everyone else in the room kept flickering between the two of them.

“Let’s call it a night.” Rick turned to Urtha, giving her an apologetic smile. “You can come to bed if Monica and Dia don’t mind, just be warned they like to cuddle.”

With a little mystified nod, the Orc agreed, turning to look at the other two, who nodded in turn.

The invitation was clear, it was meant for everyone but Eva. The Fledgling took a second, nodding. “I’ll… go sleep in my room. Good night.”

Why was she disappointed? No, that emotion was not right, she shouldn’t feel that, she should feel relief. She’d spoken the truth, and he didn’t tease her, didn’t push her to lose control of herself again. This was what she wanted. Right?

Wrapped up in the blanket, she hastily made her way upstairs. The wood stank of humidity, the smoke from the fire still lingered. Fortunately her room had been spared from the destruction, not that she had much to lose. Just a simple bed and changes of clothes. All the important things were securely tucked in the workshop.

Eva sat on the bed, hugging her knees.

The drumming of the rain against the roof helped drown out the little whispers and movement happening on the floor below.

Soon enough the lights were dimming, and it was clear they’d left the common room. Eva knew what would likely occur, she could practically see it: Urtha being led down to the basement to the master bedroom, naked as the day she was born. Was that creaking wood or the Orc moaning?

Catching Rick’s scent still lingering on the blanket, Eva inhaled sharply. Her mouth watered, skin tingling. Was the Orc on her knees with her face glued to the sheets? The Fledgling’s hands twitched, tempted to inch down her knees to the pool of warmth nestled at the bottom of her stomach. Another tingle, a little jostle of arousal that ran through her like lightning.

It had to be the bond.

It had to be.

A knocking at the door caught her with her fingers half-way down her thighs.

“Y-YeS!?” She squeaked, pulling her hands away. “C-come in!”

Dia stood at the door, a magelight floating over her shoulder. “Are you alright?”

“Perfectly alright.” Eva met the purple eyes, then coughed, looking away. “Or maybe not. I don’t know.”

Nodding, she approached the bed, sitting next to her. “You like Rick.”

Eva sputtered. “No, I don’t. Not in that way.” She hugged her knees. “It has to be Kiara, or the bond, or the blood, I-”

“I might not be psychic, but I’m not blind either,” she replied. “Kiara’s been unconscious for about a week. As to the bond, for every maiden that wants to jump him there’s a dozen that don’t. And if it’s the blood, then have you had the same kind of reaction near any other human who’s gotten injured?”

“No one’s gotten injured-”

“I’m the only healer in this city.” Dia poked at her shoulder. “Every day there’s at least half a dozen humans needing a gash to get patched up. It’s impossible you have never caught so much as a whiff.” Seh let out a snort. “I’ll be the first to claim Rick is special, but I’ve poured over him with every analysis and test I have. The biggest differences he has with the average human is that his body is even less capable of processing elemental energy.”

Eva didn’t answer.

“I would do us both a favor and skip over the denial.” She poked her shoulder again.

She buried her face into her arms. “Why are you doing this?” Eva muttered. “It’s better if he doesn’t pay me any attention. More for you.”

“Yeah, well, Rick wants to be a hornball, so I have to suck it up and help him be the best at it.” Dia let out a giggle, and Eva couldn’t help but join in. The healer ruffled her hair, drawing a complaint from the shorter maiden.

“I was serious.”

“So was I. I told you, I’m not blind.” Dia leaned closer, lowering her voice to a husky whisper. “He wants you too.” She poked the shoulder again, this time hard enough to make her wince.

Eva bit her lip. “I was a man.”

“Sure, and?” The healer asked bluntly.

The question opened the gates, for the words that had been held back, always lingering there, unspoken. “I shouldn’t like him, he… he shouldn’t like me either. I’m cursed!” Her hands began to move. “Everything about me is just something someone else made, they killed the old me and shoved it into this… this! I’m no better than some doll! No, I’m worse, I need to drink blood to live, you said so yourself, I’m a parasite.” “She covered her face. “I don’t know who I am.”

“You’re saying that as if this is some sort of grand revelation.” Dia deadpanned. “How many times do I have to say I’m not blind? What you’re going through is nothing special, every girl who goes through threshold sooner or later gets to this point. Becoming a maiden is never easy.”

“It’s not the same!” Eva raised her voice, fists hammering against the cloth that was her bed, wooden frame complaining.

The healer didn’t flinch, meeting her gaze firmly. “No two people, or their circumstances, are ever the same.” She shrugged disarmingly. “You stuck around, and now here we are. Whether your past is a problem or not, make your choice and suck it up.”

Eva was breathing hard, eyes wild, mind spinning. It was as if the floor had vanished underneath her, but there was one more thing left inside her.

“I was Evans Bavtha.” She declared, voice trembling. “Head of the Bavtha Imperial craftsmen, third of six branches that hold the secrets to the bond-collars.”

Dia chuckled at the claim.

The chuckle died when she saw the dead-serious look on Eva’s face. She was trying to show how firm she was. She wanted to lash out with her powers, to drown the room in darkness and fear, but she was too exhausted for that.

Her eyes widened.

“Oh.” She covered her mouth. “Oh… oh no.”

Eva nodded in vindication, finally managing to relax her shoulders. She’d finally proven her point. “Yes, that’s who I was. I-” She winced as Dia punched her shoulder, hard enough it nearly knocked her off the bed. “What’s that for!?”

“I already knew, you red-eyed mouse. Rick told me.” The healer revealed an amused smile. “Everything you’re trying to throw my way, I tried throwing it at him. I wanted you gone, Eva, and I tried very hard to convince him.” She held the smaller maiden’s shirt, looking into her eyes with a dead serious expression. “He does not care who you were, or what you did. He cares who you are. I’ve made my peace with his choice to give you a clean start, and it’s the only reason why I’m here and not downstairs.”

Eva stuttered. “If the kingdom finds out…”

“I killed the Baron of Astunes to protect Rick. I did it with my bare hands.” Dia poked at her chest, a harsh angry thing that made her flinch and recoil. “Rick killed Lord Thorley with a chair in broad daylight in front of the whole city.” Another harsher poke. “I’ll eat my uniform if we end up going to war with the kingdom because they find out who you were, and not because of what has already been done. Do you have any other excuses?”

Eva looked away.

The silence stretched on, she couldn’t muster the power to utter anything else.

“Good.” Dia patted her head. “Give it a couple weeks to think it through. Urtha needs to settle down and Rick will be bogged until he can get the repairs rolling. The festival should be the best time to tell him how you feel, I’ll cook something up. You’ll owe me big.”

“How…” Eva swallowed, looking down. “How do you know what I’ll decide?”

“Because I had that exact same look on my face, once. It was when I had to decide whether or not I wanted to be with a man who was bonded with the village monster.” The healer let out an annoyed huff, standing up. “And it might be hard sometimes, but I don’t regret it.”

With the soft click of the door, Eva was left alone once more, and entirely confused about a lot more things. Looking at the boarded window that rattled from the rain. A million and one thoughts fought for dominance, but only one made it to her lips.

“I… like him.” She muttered under her breath, overhead, the rumbling of thunder shook the house. Only one word came to mind. “Fuck.”