I settled back into the cave as Phee tended to the fire and the two skewers of meat roasting above it.

“Perfect timing,” she said, grabbing the skewers. “It’s just about done.”

Meep bounced around her ankles as she brought the food over to me, the cat-lemur pawing at her legs while purring.

“Settle down,” Phee chided him as she handed me one of the skewers. “Always so greedy.”

I tore off a piece of the charred meat and offered it to the little cat critter. “Here, Meep. Have some of mine.”

He snatched it from me in his paw-like hands and began eating it like a raccoon, sitting on his hind legs.

“TamTam has taken quite the liking to you.” Phee sat down cross-legged, opposite me on the cave floor. “But why do you call him ‘Meep’?”

“Ah, sorry. I thought he was wild when I first met him. I just called him that because of the sound he makes. Meant no disrespect renaming your pet.”

“It’s alright. And you may keep calling him Meep if you like.” She scratched cat-lemur behind his ear. “It’s rather cute…Now go on and eat. You must be starving.”

My stomach was agreeing with every word she said.

“What is it?” I asked. “Actually nevermind. It smells good. That’s all that matters.”

I wasn’t going to say no to any kind of food at this point. Even if it turned out to be one of those nasty ninja turtles I didn’t care. I savored the barbeque smell of the meat and then bit into my first meal in over a day. It was hot and greasy and tasted a bit like pork.

“You like?” Phee asked,

I nodded with my mouth full. “Taste better than chicken!”

She smiled and then bit into her own hunk of mystery meat on a stick. I had to admire just how sexy she looking tearing into it with her slightly enlarged canines and full lips. Her physique was amazing and I couldn’t help but stare every now and then at the thin strip of leather peeking between her blue thighs as she sat across from me. But as great a sight as it was, my appetite got the better of me and wasted no time devouring the hunk of meat before releasing a satisfied belch.

“Excuse me,” I said patting my stomach. “That was probably the best barbeque I’ve ever eaten. Just don’t tell me what meat that was.”

Phee laughed. “I’m glad I could make you happy. What’s barbeque?”

“Oh it’s what we call grilled meat like that back home.”

“Ah,” she said with a nod. “You have a lot of unusual words for things.”

“I suppose we probably do, now that I think about it.”

I played with Meep a bit while she finished her own skewer.

“So you were born here, Phee?” I asked looking up at her.

“Yes, unfortunately.” She tossed her skewer into the fire once she was done. “But who am I to complain about the Hierarchy of Orders.”

I recalled them mentioning that more than once before. “What is that exactly? Like fate or something?”

“I suppose. The grand order of things as set by the goddess. From lesser beasts and animals, to the beast men tribes, wildfolk, spiritkin and greater races like Devena and Yunni. And then finally demi-humans and humans at the very top.”

“I see.”

“Where you end up is where you end up,” she said with a shrug. “Leads to less conflict between us all, I suppose. Or so they say.”

I nodded in semi-comprehension. It sort of reminded me of the caste system in India. I’d gone to college with a few guys from Mumbai, and although it was bizarre and sort of racists to me, they totally accepted the caste system as a proper order to life. Of course they also happened to be Brahmins, who were at the top end of the scale. That made me feel a bit uncomfortable knowing I was sort of considered a Brahmin here. Better than everyone else.

“So wait…are you considered a higher order than Devena and Yunni, being a half ogre?”

She grunted. “Equal perhaps. But perhaps a bit lower in Devena’s eyes. My beastman heritage is not something to be proud of.”

I suddenly understood why she had reacted so strongly to me calling her a beast now. “Well it’s something to be impressed by if you asked me. Where I come from, a woman like you would be one in a million. Super tall, super strong and gorgeous to boot? That’s a hard combination to pull off.”

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

I gave her a smile and she dipped her head with a blush.

Seduction: Minor success!

Whoa, what was that? Did I just get a skill up?

“It amazes me how special you think I am,” Phee said. “Even though you’re truly the special one here.”

“Why do you say that?”

“I’m sure you’ll find out why in time,” she said still smiling at me. “But would you still like me and think I’m special, after seeing these?”

She then pushed back her shaggy bangs to reveal two small horns protruding from the sides of her forehead. They were barely an inch long and curved upwards like a set of tusks. They were definitely not as pronounced as Devena’s horns, which looked more like a crown set on her head. Phee’s were instead…kind of cute.

“The bane of my existence,” she said draping her hair back over her horns to cover them. “Too small to be accepted by my tribe and too big to be accepted by humans or anyone else. Sometimes I wish I were born either one or the other.”

“Yeah I can understand that,” I said with a nod. “But honestly, I don’t mind them at all. It adds more to your mystique in my opinion.”

Seduction: Minor success!

“You truly like them?”

“I do,” I said. “And I like your blue skin too. To me it makes you even more exotic.”

She chuckled. “Now you’re just being silly.”

I reached over and took her had within mine. “Hey, I mean it. I know we just met and all. And I know bonding is something that we need to do eventually, but honestly I’m having a good time just getting to know you. And I really like you, Phee. I sense you’ve got a good heart under all that brawn. And honestly, that’s even more sexy to me.”

Seduction: Great success!

+1 Seduction!

Your seduction is now 2!

“Do you mean it?” Her eyes became violet flames of desires as she stared at me, squeezing my hand. “You’d really want to bond with me, Cole?”

I swallowed in anticipation, feeling the heat stirring within my loins. “Well of course… what man wouldn’t?”

“I mean…are you sure?” she said. “I really want to bond with you too, Cole, I do. Gods, I wanted to do it with you from the first time I saw you. Even when you were wounded I wanted to. But are you sure you want to do it now? To take me as your Firstbond?”

I paused a bit, taken aback by her brutal honesty about wanting me so much. It was a totally new thing for me. I was always the one to have to pursue women. But to have her express how much she desired me was a total turn on. But even that was missing the point of what she was actually saying to me. I redirected some of the blood from my little head to my big one.

“My firstbond? I don’t know,” I said honestly. “What’s that even mean?”

She looked to the side avoiding my eyes, as if embarrassed to say. “You’ll be closer to me than any of your other bond mates… I don’t even know if I’m ready for that kind of responsibility myself, really.”

“What responsibility?”

“I’ll help you in maintaining your other bonds and it’s my duty to help you grow more bond mates too.” She then frowned. “To be honest, I’m not exactly thrilled about having to share you, but…such is the Hierarchy of Orders, I suppose.”

I nodded. “I understand.”

I think I do anyway.

Of the three of them, I liked her the best, right now. Although Yunni seemed really nice too. Devena was definitely in the ball buster category, though.

“It’s okay if you want to change your mind,” she said. “Or wait. I know Devena would perhaps want to be your firstbond.”

“Her?” I blew a raspberry. “I think I’d rather firstbond with a rock than with her.”

Phee laughed. “Are you sure?”

The sparkle in her eyes was mesmerizing. Maybe it was the fact that she was stunningly exotic, badass as hell and wanted me like nothing else, coupled with the fact that I hadn’t had sex in over three years, but I was starting to lose my composure completely.

This first bonding thing seemed important to them, but I had already agreed to become their Guildmaster so what different did it really make? I’d have to choose one of them to bond with eventually and Phee was head and shoulders above the other two when to came that list.

So why the hell wait?

“Let me prove to you just how much I want you, Phee,” I said and eased my hand behind her neck to pull her head to mine. I kissed her softly, enjoying the feel of her full lips against mine. She responded by grasping both sides of my face between her palms and then opened her mouth, kissing me so hard I thought she was trying to bite my tongue off.

She moaned low in her throat as her tongue explore my mouth and I fought to return the passion of her kiss. She pulled away in order to lift the leather bikini top over her head, releasing her heavy breasts to hang free. She had me at full mast at that point, my eyes drawn to the darker blue skin of her thick, erect nipples.

“I’m sorry, Cole,” she breathed as she dove for my boxers. “I’m going to have to take you quickly. We can do it again, I promise.”

She literally tore my pants off of me, freeing my engorged manhood. She buried her head in my lap again, but this time I felt the heavenly warmth of her lips and tongue as she took me into her mouth. She sucked with a fervor; her head bobbing up and down quickly. Her moans became more urgent and aggressive as she used one hand to pump my shaft and the other to free her bikini bottoms by a drawstring at her waist.

Then in one swift motion, she stopped sucking and not letting go of my shaft, positioned herself to place her hips above mine. Angling my cock head towards the dark patch of blue hair between her legs, she impaled herself upon me with a massive grunt of pleasure.

I let out a grunt of my own as her fiery wetness engulfed me. Phee ground her hips, bucking back and forth, the coarse hair of her pubic mound tangling with mine. My cock explored every inch of her depth as I matched her rhythm, her wetness drenching my balls and running down the crease of my thighs. She then leaned forward and tore open my shirt, sending buttons flying as pressed her lips to mine. We kissed passionately as her hips continued to grind into me, both of us gyrating to meet each other’s thrusts.

Suddenly she stiffened.

Pulling her lips from mine, she threw her head back and let out a scream. I stared up at her gorgeous body as her six-pack core flexing in a spasm. Her sex clenched me as she climaxed, gripping my cock like a vice. It was so powerful I thought she might tear my dick right off. Her spasms milked me and her wild grunts with each one, sent me over the edge.

I thrust into her as I released, filling her wetness with my seed.

Eventually our spams subsided, and Phee collapses on top me, her considerable weight crushing me with a satisfying warmth. Something stirred inside me and a notification registered in my vision.

Bonding: Success!

You have bonded with Phee.

Phee is now your Firstbond mate.