Chapter 502: A Peaceful Dream Before the Storm
The journey home took much less time, without issues. The two limousines came to the apartment close to mid-afternoon. Nikolai rushed upstairs because he missed Leona. Since the other two joined him, she must’ve been lonely.
"Leona!"
He called out to find her sitting peacefully in the soft leather chair in the corner, a low classical song playing on the radio.
She rubbed her eyes with a yawn the moment he shouted. "M-Master?"
Leona quickly leapt to her feet and scurried to meet him in the kitchen. She jumped into his arms with a cute squeak.
Her weight pushed his back against the marble counter as her soft lips kissed his neck several times.
"I missed you, it was so quiet without you."
"Me too, Leona."
He hugged her tight, the warmth and clinginess comforting him.
***
"Are we leaving right away?"
Nikolai watched Leona’s downcast expression, her fluffy ears, which grew more pronounced each day they spent in Londis. Her changes started the night he saw Madoka outside the window, and they started having sex multiple times a day.
"...Yeah, but if you want to stay a little longer we can."
He didn’t want to make any of his wives upset. However, Leona worked tirelessly when at the main mansion. So, Nikolai didn’t plan to force her to rush back.
"You need to return, though, right. Darling?"
Leona’s delicate fingers slipped along his arm. The slight tingle and warmth offered a comfort that she always gave him without asking for anything in return. He cupped both hands around her buttocks and lifted her gently onto the counter.
"Leo."
"Mm?"
"You’re just as important as the other women. If you want me to stay longer, or anything else, I will do it for you. So, don’t hold back, okay?"
He spoke with a softer voice and hugged her tight. He knew that Leona rarely talked about her true feelings. She would suppress them and make everything about Nikolai and his happiness. It delighted him on one hand, but the mindset of a maid remained stronger than being his wife.
"I..." She hesitated, looking behind his head.
The door cracked open as the girls finally reached the top floor. Nikolai’s ears flickered, picking up their movements, while hugging Leona’s body off the ground, he carried her into the living room, and then sat on the sofa with her, lying against him.
"You don’t need to rush, I haven’t booked the tickets yet."
He stroked her silky orange hair, the smooth touch addictive as her tail swayed along his thigh.
"But if we’re late, what about... Mm?"
Nikolai’s finger squished Leona’s lips together, the soft warmth of her sticky lip gloss clinging to them. He smiled down at her little worried face, big green eyes peering at him with worry, and her little nostrils flaring as she took a deep breath.
"Then, can we stay here for another day?" She mumbled in a voice barely audible, like a gentle breeze blowing past.
"Of course, here... pick the departure time you want."
He held his phone in front of her as she tapped the apps for flights. Some were direct and others with several stopovers. "You hate when it’s not direct, right?" Her lovely eyes sparkled at the various seats and prices.
"Yeah, I like it to be direct."
Leona’s small finger hovered over the screen for a moment before she finally tapped one of the direct flights. "This one... it leaves tomorrow afternoon. That’s okay, right?"
Nikolai nodded. "If it’s what you want."
Her tail swayed once in relief before curling shyly around his thigh, the tip twitching as she leaned her head into his chest. "Thank you, Darling..."
Before he could answer, the sound of hesitant footsteps came from the hall.
"Ah—are we interrupting?" Clara’s voice piped up, bright but a little nervous.
Anya followed behind her, still in the oversized hoodie from the trip but looking slightly more awake now, her sharp eyes flicking to the scene on the couch. "Tch. He rushes upstairs and leaves us behind..." Her jealousy was quite adorable.
Leona’s cheeks became redder, but she didn’t move away. "I... missed him too, you’ve had two days with him!"
"Of course you did," Anya sighed, rolling her eyes, but approached the pair anyway. She dropped on the other side of Nikolai, shoulder brushing his, while Clara happily claimed the armrest and leaned in. "It’s nice to see you so happy, Sister Leo."
Anya wasn’t a bad girl. He enjoyed the sight of her apologising and warming up to Leona after complaining. Nikolai smirked, looking between the three of them. "Feels like I walked into a trap."
"Fufu, what kind of trap?" Leona leaned back against his chest as Clara sat on the left side of him, blocking his retreat.
"You did," Anya said flatly, though there was no bite in her tone. She rested her chin on his shoulder. "Now you can’t escape or run to other women."
"Nn..." Nikolai muttered something and let his head fall back against the couch and breathed out slowly. His exhaustion grew over the past month, fighting daily, trying to save Sulley and even though he wanted to keep going, wrapped in the three women’s heat, he felt at peace.
"Tomorrow, then," he murmured, glancing at the flight confirmation on his phone. "We’ll go back, pick up where we left off."
"Back to the others?" Leona asked softly.
"Back to the others," he confirmed, his thumb rubbing small circles against her hip. "And then we’ll start planning for what’s coming."
"What about Sulley?" Leona asked, until turning around as his head rocked, she stopped pushing the topic and instead stroked his cheek.
***
Leona’s POV
***
The room smelled like him again.
Even as his head rocked, and he fought against sleep, Nikolai was adorable. Leona buried her face in his chest, taking deep breaths... the other girls likely glaring at her, but she didn’t care.
He told me I could be selfish!
A warm yet sharp fruity scent with a lingering hint of blood. This scent had always been Nikolai’s. Her Master, long before he had been her husband. It wrapped around her like a protective armour, granting warmth and safety. She enjoyed the weight of his arms pressing against her hips, the slow rhythm of his breathing against her ears.
Leona let herself forget for a moment.
She melted into his warmth and forgot the surroundings, tail swaying unconsciously, matching the rise and fall of his chest.
Leona tilted her face up slightly. From this angle, she could see only the line of his jaw and the tips of his black hair falling over his eyes. He looked tired. She knew it wasn’t a simple case of a sleepless night, but much deeper.
Her fingers moved on their own, brushing the stray hair back from his brow.
You always do this, Darling... she thought. You run until you can’t breathe, and you still think about everyone else first.
Her chest ached with a tight pain, thinking about how much he does for them. The love that started as something small and unforgivable grew no matter how much she tried to remain the obedient maid she’d been raised to be...
When her transformation started changing, becoming more complete...
Leona struggled to find the reason until she noticed the same happening for Anya and Clara. When they slept with Nikolai, something inside his fluids energised them, empowered them. Now, nobody could call her a low-rank mutt... she could maintain a transformation into her half-werewolf form permanently.
To the pureblooded monsters who could do this naturally, it wouldn’t seem amazing. But, for those with blood that could barely be called quarter-blood, this kind of growth was nothing short of a miracle.
You’ve given me so much...
A soft giggle escaped her lips before she could stop it, her fingers curling Nikolai’s silky hair.
"What’s funny?" he asked, voice low and rough from drowsiness.
Leona’s cheeks burned. "N-nothing... just... you."
"Me?"
She nodded quickly, hiding her face against his chest again. "You’re so strong and scary to everyone else, but you fall asleep with three women piling on top of you."
Clara laughed quietly at that, and even Anya’s sharp grin softened a little. "Well, the big bad wolf isn’t as untouchable or scary when it comes to women."
Nikolai gave a low hum — somewhere between amusement and surrender. "Maybe not for my women." he admitted.
Leona felt his arm tighten around her just slightly, protective even in this easy warmth. The simple pressure made her heart skip. It was gestures like these that made her want to melt into his embrace, to enjoy that passionate lust that brewed deep inside her bones each time she watched him, trained with him...
She couldn’t stay the quiet maid forever.
Her tail curled more firmly around his leg, a small, instinctive claim. "Darling..."
He made a slight questioning sound, eyes opening again with a curious glance.
"I’m happy you made me your wife."
She watched his face freeze, and his eyes widen, before the slight blush on his cheeks grew stronger.
"The one who should be saying that is me."
Her vision blurred suddenly, and she blinked fast, embarrassed. "I-I mean it."
"I know." He leaned forward and pressed his forehead to hers, a brief, warm touch that sent heat rushing down her spine. "And I’m glad."
Then he looked at the others, "I am lucky to have all of you girls."
"Hmph~ you damn playboy. My body is already addicted, so what can I do?" Anya pretended to complain, but Leona’s eyes noticed the tremble of her lips as she turned away with a big smile. Clara didn’t hide her feelings and just grinned while stroking his hair.
It was peaceful.
For a little while, no one said anything.
The radio played its gentle classical tune, and the city hummed faintly below.
Leona closed her eyes again, listening to his heartbeat under her ear.
Tomorrow we fly back. Tomorrow the world grows, and the number of women who love him will increase. But tonight... tonight... I can enjoy this moment with him.
And for her, at least for now, that was enough.