Feral Mage Book 2: Chapter 29

“This is so tasty!” Sansa said.

Bryce watched as the white cream ran down from the corner of her mouth, her tongue darting out to lick it up. Her eyes shone as she looked at him, licking her lips.

“Are you ready for me?” another kitsune asked, her five black tails waving with excitement.

Bryce looked past her at the line of girls waiting for their turn and sighed. He only had himself to blame for being in this position.

“Just one second,” he said.

His gauntleted hand plunged the ladle into the bucket of cream, sugar, and spices that the girls had concocted. As he lifted it up, he used the Ice Magic to freeze it before dropping the contents into a bowl. The kitsune quickly took it from him, plunging a spoon into it and taking a bite of the frozen sweet.

“Bryce?” Janna’s voice called out.

Finally! I’m rescued!

“Over here,” he responded, and saw the line of kitsunes pout. “I’m in the kitchen.”

Janna’s head poked through the doorway, looking at the line of kitsunes before focusing on him.

“Why are you using your Pale Queen Aspect?” she asked.

Her gaze shifted to Sansa, who held a bowl of frozen cream and smiled at her.

“Oh,” Janna said. “You’re making ice cream.”

Bryce looked at her as he held the ladle.

“So that’s what this is called.”

***

Janna laughed as they stood on the deck of the ship, a bowl of ice cream in her hand. Bryce had his own bowl and had to admit he agreed with Sansa. It was good.

“I can’t believe they did that,” Janna said.

Bryce shook his head.

“They wanted me to show them one of my Aspects, and the Pale Queen is the one that changed my appearance the most, so I used it. The moment I said it gave me Ice Magic, they dragged me to the kitchen.”

Janna burst into another fit of laughter.

“Oh, I wish I could have seen your face. This is a treat that we could normally only make in winter or when the clan ship sailed through the North Seas. Though I do wonder why it was only girls waiting on you to make it?” Janna teased with a smirk.

Bryce laughed as he leaned against the railing of the ship. Night had fully set in, and the moon was casting its reflection on the harbor. Janna moved to join him, her tails brushing against him.

“Ask your sister, she’s the one who cornered me with the others,” he said, looking at Janna.

He was glad she was smiling, which told him the conversation with her mother had gone well. Though he was curious about the strange spear and large scroll she was lugging around with her.

“Was your mother able to help with your hands?” Bryce asked.

She lifted her gloved hand, the mana crystals on it glowing red. He watched as she held out her palm, only for a small flame to appear in it.

“I’ll need to practice in the training yard to make sure I’m fully back, but my Fire Magic is coming to me easily. I do still need to see a healer about the burns,” she said.

Bryce smiled.

“It will be easy enough to find a healer at the guildhall,” he said.

Worst case, I could always ask Isabelle…

He shook that thought from his mind and turned to the other issue he was concerned about.

“How did it go with your mother?” he asked. “You two patch things up?”

Janna nodded.

“My mother regretted how I left and was worried about me. I expected a fight and got a hug instead,” she smiled at him.

They stared at each other in the moonlight, and slowly, Janna’s hand moved to rest on his as she began to lean against him.

“Thank you for everything. For saving me back in Oakbridge, teaching me how to fight and use my magic, and being my friend. I… I…” Janna removed her hand and stood up straight as she drew a deep breath.

He watched as she bit her lip, looking at the harbor.

“Vex told me why she locked us in the bath together,” Bryce started. “She wants us all to be a pack.”

Janna looked back at him, her brow furrowed.

“A pack?” she asked, then her face turned red. “Wait… you mean she wants…”

Bryce smiled and nodded.

“She knows there’s an attraction between us,” Bryce explained. “She believes we’ll be stronger as a pack, that our bonds will help keep each other safe. I’ve thought about it and I agree with her. Both of you girls are important to me.”

He took a deep breath and looked back into Janna’s green eyes.

“What do you think, Janna? You want to be a pack?”

She bit her lip as she looked at him, her tails swishing about.

“If I say yes, I do. What will you do to me?” she asked.

He smiled.

“I’d kiss you. See what’s sweeter, the ice cream or your lips.”

Janna smirked, and her four tails thumped him.

“That’s such a bad line. Did you just think of it?”

She leaned against him once more, her tails practically draping around his body as she drew closer to him.

“Damn, I thought I had a winner with it.”

Janna’s arms moved around his waist as Bryce turned and wrapped his arms around hers. He pulled her body against his, feeling her breasts rise and fall with her quickening breaths.

“You already won me,” Janna answered.

His lips met hers, her tongue chasing his as their hands tried to pull each other closer. They stood on the deck, kissing for a long moment before Janna broke away, panting. Her tongue ran along her lips as she looked up at him.

“Can we… stay the night… together?” she asked, her eyes betraying exactly what she wanted to do. Then she cleared her throat. “I mean, do you think Vex would mind if we…”

Bryce’s hands ran along her side, feeling the curves of her body.

“I’m still new to this pack thing she wants to do, but since I think that was her intention when she locked us in the bath together. I don’t think Vex will mind.”

Janna bit her lip and pressed herself against him, her hand running down his chest.

“After you washed my hair… the only thing I could think about was…”

Her hand ran down his chest to his belt, and Bryce felt her tug on it, as if she was about to undo the buckle.

“Hey, Sis! You still here?” Sansa called out as the door opened.

Janna quickly backed away from Bryce as her sister stepped out onto the deck of the ship. He saw her blush as her tails poofed out.

“Oh good, you’re both still here,” Sansa said, smirking as she carried a basket.

Bryce saw the silver-tailed kitsune’s gaze drift over him and Janna, her smirk growing.

“Mom wanted to send some of the leftovers with you,” she said, holding out the basket to Janna.

“Thanks, Sansa,” Janna said meekly as she took it.

Sansa grinned at them, then looked at the two empty bowls sitting on a crate by the railing.

“Oh, I’ll take those,” she said, grabbing the bowls.

Janna’s sister turned and walked a few steps before looking back.

“Oh, Bryce, it looks like your belt has almost come undone,” she said with a mischievous grin. “You don’t want to lose your pants around my sister, do you?”

Janna blustered.

“Sansa!” she growled.

Bryce heard laughter from the silver-tailed kitsune as she raced back through the doorway. He couldn’t help but chuckle as Janna glared in the direction her sister had vanished.

“How about we head back to the guild. See if Vex is okay with switching rooms for the night,” Bryce suggested.

Janna smiled as she grabbed the strange spear and scroll, the two of them leaving the Horo-kitsune ship together.

They were almost to the guildhall when Bryce asked about what she was carrying, mostly because Janna decided to tease him again about her sisters and cousins dragging him into the kitchen to make ice cream.

“That’s an odd weapon,” he said, looking at the spear.

Janna lifted it.

“My mother called it a naginata. It belongs to one of my ancestors.”

The weapon had an unnatural look to it, but Bryce couldn’t say which part of the weapon it was coming from. His instincts just told him it was something very deadly, a weapon to be cautious about in the hands of an enemy.

“Do you know much about fighting with spears?” Janna asked hopefully.

Bryce shook his head, still staring at the weapon.

“I’ve only trained a little with them. Spears and polearms can seem deceptively easy. Spears are cheaper to produce than swords, so it is easier to outfit soldiers with them. That makes them seem like a rank-and-file armament on the battlefield, at least for anyone who hasn’t encountered someone who’s mastered the weapon. Few survive those encounters.”

Bryce broke his gaze from the weapon to look at Janna.

“And this weapon is something other than a spear. It’s still a polearm, but the… what did you call it? Naginata? It will have its own strengths and weaknesses. Learning about fighting with a spear, glaive, or halberd will help you understand it better. Given it’s a weapon from the Ember Islands, I think it’s something you’ll have to learn on your own.”

Janna nodded, and Bryce could already see her considering what he said. He decided that tomorrow he would see if he could find some manuals on spears and polearms for her. The thought left his mind as they arrived at the guildhall, and he felt Janna’s tails brushing against him again.

Bryce used his dog tag to unlock the door, and they entered. This late, the tavern was sparsely populated, but Vex had stayed up waiting for them. The wolfgirl was sitting at a table, playing her version of dominoes, which consisted of her standing them up in a long line before knocking them down. Omelet slept under the table, curled up in a ball.

The wolfkin’s nose twitched as they neared her table.

“You smell like foxes,” she said, standing and approaching him. “Lots of foxes.”

Vex looked up at him with narrowed eyes as she smelled his chest.

Bryce nodded.

“I met Janna’s family. They’re all foxes.”

She smirked at him as her tail swished.

“But you smell like one fox the most,” she said, her smirk turning to Janna. “A very horny fox.”

Janna blushed, but didn’t shy away from Vex.

“Bryce told me about the pack,” Janna replied. “I want to join… and if it’s alright for Bryce and me to… have the room tonight.”

Vex’s smirk shifted to a grin before she wrapped Janna in a hug. When she broke away from the kitsune, she made a shooing motion with her hands. Janna handed her the basket of food, which Vex eagerly took.

“Go make rice with our Bryce,” Vex said, still grinning. “Omelet and I will take your room tonight.”