Alana woke in the middle of the night.

She didn’t know what had pulled her from the realm of dreams until she stretched and met nothing but cool sheets. Frowning, she sat up in the dark room. Normally, the thrall lingered around Lou and would light candles whenever the need for light crossed someone’s mind, but no flames appeared. Grumbling to herself, she cast a quick spell and extended her hand.

A globe of light appeared over her palm, bathing the room in a soft golden glow. Vision confirmed that she was alone in the bed.

Her first thought was that Lou and her wife had taken the succubi and gone off for a bit of fun, leaving the bedroom so they didn’t wake her. A thought that caused conflicting emotions. On the one hand, it was sweet that Lou would wait until after she fell asleep before indulging. On the other there was the slight discomfort and jealousy knowing that Lou was with another woman. Somewhere in-between was the barely acknowledged annoyance that she hadn’t been invited, at least to watch.

She had already lied down again when something occurred to her. The house was too quiet. Lou was the opposite of quiet when she was enjoying herself. She’d heard Lou in the bedroom from the welcoming room once. She could only imagine how much noise the four of them would make. Yet, the house was quiet as a grave.

Slightly alarmed, she rolled out of bed and walked out the room. Her alertness was heightened as she moved through the quiet house. Downstairs, the faint glow of a candle led her to the kitchen, where she found the home’s steward.

“Ah, Miss James.” Earl turned to her and bowed his head. Loose pants and a robe replaced his uniform but his movements were no less refined. “I was just brewing some tea to help my sister sleep. Would you like a cup?”

“No.” She didn’t want sleep. She wanted answers to the bad feeling brewing in her gut. “Do you know where Lou and Kierra are?”

“Mm. They had to run out on urgent business.”

“What kind of business?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know. The head maid woke me to keep an eye on the house but did not give an explanation.”

Alana sighs. “Do you think you could take a guess?”

“Hm. As a servant, it’s rather unseemly for me to speculate on my lady’s motives but I believe she would forgive my breach of etiquette if it means easing your mind.”

“Thanks…” Sometimes, Alana wondered where they had found the young steward. His startling competence and unusual decorum weren’t simply impressive, they were scary. She knew adults that couldn’t conduct themselves with a fraction of his grace. Not to mention his discipline and loyalty, two traits desired in every servant.

She wouldn’t be surprised to learn he came from a long line of servants for high nobles, or even royalty, which would beg the question of what he was doing with Lou.

“My lady is a very reserved person, despite her tendency to find herself in interesting situations. She does not go seeking trouble but responds swiftly to those seeking trouble with her. An emergency likely means someone has laid a hand on one of her interests.”

“Her interests?”

“One of her lovers, one of her friends. Ah. She is preparing for summonings. Perhaps one of the materials she needs ran into problems during transport and she went to retrieve it herself.”

“With her wife and both elementals?”

“Yes, the amount of force she took with her suggests a conflict. Hence, my first guess of someone touching one of her interests. My lady would not respond kindly to that at all. If I cannot interest you with a cup of tea, perhaps you would like something else? Juice? Wine?”

Alana grimaced. She didn’t know what kind of wine Lou bought but it tasted amazing and kicked harder than a slapped mule. A cup of that would definitely send her back to bed. “Juice and something to snack on, thanks.”

“No thanks required. Shall I bring it to the bedroom?”

“Yeah.” Alana stopped herself from thanking him again as she walked away. His deference was unusual. She’d spent the first half of her life as a servant. After her father claimed her and she was brought to his home, she was ill at ease with being served. The servants didn’t go out of their way to be courteous to her either, understanding her tenuous position in the family. They served her but they never catered to her.

Earl was the first servant to treat her as a noblewoman. Even though she told him not to call her Lady James and asked him to relax his speech, his actions still showed utter deference.

It was unnerving…but she couldn’t deny she appreciated it. The part of her that seethed at her father’s dismissal was pleased at receiving the respect that was her birthright, denied to her by sordid circumstances. Another thing Lou had given her that she hadn’t known she wanted.

-

Hours later, Alana woke from a light doze to loud voices. She would have bolted down the steps and shook the answers she wanted out of Lou but the voice she heard was a man’s. It would be inappropriate to let a strange man see her in her nightwear, never mind that it was just a large shirt, so she settled for waiting impatiently in bed.

After several minutes, she perked up at the sound of feet on the stairs. The door to the bedroom opened and three people entered, a pensive Lou, an amused Kierra, and a smirking Geneva.

And for some reason, all three were naked.

“Then I will prepare the bath.”

Lou hummed as her succubus disappeared into the bathroom and wandered toward the bed. Before she could reach it, Kierra grabbed her by the shoulder and hugged her from behind. “You will dirty the sheets.”

“Hm? Oh, mm.”

“What happened?” Alana asked.

Lou met her gaze. The violet eyes had a rare lack of energy. “Nothing…and a lot.”

“That…doesn’t make any sense.”

“Yeah, it doesn’t. You want the long version or the short version?”

“The long version.”

“Ah, okay. Just, ah, listen to the end.”

Alana’s eyes narrowed and Lou dodged the glare. “What did you do?”

“The bath is ready,” Geneva announced.

“Good, good. Alana, let me soak for a minute. Want to…clean my mind. No, clear my mind.”

“Oi, Lou!” She scowled as the summoner walked off while muttering. After she disappeared into the bath, Alana turned to Kierra. “What’s wrong with her?”

“Growing pains,” the elf said with a laugh. “If you wish to talk to me when the two of you are done, you can find me in my garden.”

Kierra’s abrupt exit only confused her more. Scowling, she debated with herself for several long moments. Then, coming to a decision, she slipped out of bed and stomped toward the bathroom, tossing her shirt as she went.

Softly lit by the candles throughout the room and half submerged in steaming water, Lou was a vision. When she was quiet and still, without her flippant demeanor to make her more relatable, her beauty was breathtaking. Alana’s heart stuttered in her chest as violet eyes, darker in the dim lighting, slowly opened and focused on her, following her intensely as she stepped into the bath. “Got a problem?” she demanded.

“Not at all.” Lou waved a lazy hand. “What’s mine is yours to use as you please.”

“Hmph.” Alana settled into the water with a sigh, letting the pleasant scents relax her while their silence grew comfortable. When the moment was ripe, she asked, “What happened tonight?”

“…we were at Howie’s earlier because he was concerned that the guilds would attempt to use force to get what they wanted from him. He was right. They kidnapped him.”

Alana sat up, shoulders tense. “Where is he? Is he alright? What—"

“Relax, sweetie. I already handled it.”

“That’s why it was an emergency.” A feeling she couldn’t identify warmed Alana’s chest. Was it…pride? Admiration? Attraction? “You went to save him.”

“Mm. Tracked him down to a guild hall and stormed the place. Found him tied to a chair in their basement.” Lou rubbed her brow. “Got him out.”

“…by force?”

“They didn’t respond to me asking them nicely.”

Alana nodded. Victory didn’t take kindly to criminals and the orders didn’t wait for the lord to pass judgment. It was common for knights to dispense their own justice but they would be held to account for damages they caused. Fights between knights could get messy. “How bad?”

“Mm. The guild hall has several holes in it. And we messed up some of the road, I think. Not quite sure what Geneva got up to besides the carriage.”

“You’re not sure what your elemental did?”

“They kidnappers split. I sent her after one while we went after Howie. I told her to limit casualties but asking her to avoid breaking property was a bit much. Knowing her, she probably took the opportunity to cut loose.” She groaned and covered her face with her hands. “That’s not the problem. I’m the one that caused the most damage.”

“All battles have collateral.” The larger the battle, the more people who got hurt. Not all of them would be soldiers. The innocent could be hurt too.

“That doesn’t make me feel better, sweetie.”

Alana hesitated. Then she stood and moved to Lou’s side before sinking back into the water, pressing their shoulders together. After another hesitation, she shifted, laying her head on Lou’s shoulder and wrapping an arm around her waist. “Better?” she mumbled.

“Mm~”

“How bad?” she asked again.

“I rather not ruin the mood…”

“Lou.”

An arm slipped around Alana’s back. “A couple dozen hunters.”

The blond froze. Slowly, she tilted her head up to look at Lou, who averted her gaze. “A couple dozen?” That…that wasn’t a fight. That was a slaughter.

“There was a group outside the guild hall—"

“You could have found another exit.”

“And have all of them chasing after us? Besides, I was trying to make a point. I only wanted to knock them on their asses. But, uh, I tried a new spell and…it was stronger than I thought.”

Alana closed her eyes. “You used an untested spell in combat?”

“Ye—"

“Idiot!” She punched Lou’s thigh, further aggravated by the knowledge that her blows wouldn’t hurt the tiniest bit. “That’s the basics of the basics! Who in the Abyss uses a weapon they haven’t tested? Are you actually stupid?”

Lou winced. “Look, it was supposed to be a stronger version of a spell I’ve used plenty of times. My teacher didn’t say exactly how much stronger it’d be. How was I was supposed to know I’d be throwing out a master level spell?”

“Master level? Who is your teacher?”

“My thrall.” Lou chuckled as Alana gaped at her. “You still think I contracted them to sleep with them, don’t you? I’m telling you, my elementals make the masters of their affinities look like children. Knowing that, I probably I should have expected something but it was only a hundred units of mana. There were dozens of them and they all put up defenses. They were strong. They shouldn’t have been defeated so fucking easily.”

Alana sighed. “Lou, how easily would it be for us to defeat a commoner? A random street sweeper or a seamstress.”

“I could hurt someone like that if I sneeze too hard in their direction. And?”

“How easy would it be for a master to hurt an initiate?”

“Same.”

“Yet, an initiate could easily handle a commoner. There is no level of strength where you are guaranteed safety. If you were able to beat dozens of hunters, it doesn’t mean they’re too weak, it means you’re that strong.” She scowled as she jabbed Lou’s cheek with a finger. “Something you should already know. You are ridiculously strong. I’m annoyed you don’t seem to understand your own strength.”

“I…I’m not—"

“Who are you comparing yourself to? Kierra? Your elementals? Dunwayne? The saints themselves?” She poked Lou’s cheek harder. “Were you fighting people on that level? Of course not. It should have been obvious that you needed to be careful if you didn’t want casualties.”

“I know that!” Lou grabbed her hand. “It’s not like I don’t know how easily I can hurt most people. Why do you think I’m so careful with you? And it’s not like I didn’t give them the chance! I told them to retreat. The city guards backed down. They should have done the same. I warned them. Every damn time, I gave them the chance to walk away!”

“You warned them? Gave them the opportunity to retreat?”

“Of course I did. Do you think I want to deal with the trouble that’s coming my way? That I have the time? This was supposed to make things easier.”

“If you wanted to make things easier, you could have let the authorities handle it.”

“Hah! I didn’t trust them before I found out that the city guard is scared shitless of the guilds and with good reason since the guilds have some kind of secret alliance going on. If I’d left it to the authorities, Howie would already be out of the city, trapped in some sleepy village that isn’t on any maps, forced to brew for the guilds for months or more before we found him. If we found him. And they could just kill him and cut their losses once the authorities got close. No, I couldn’t take that chance.”

There was that warm feeling again. “Idiot.”

“Hey! I know you think the law is—"

Alana quieted her by placing a hand over her mouth. “When they took Howie, they became criminals. When they attacked you, they became enemies. Neither is deserving of mercy. Sparing their lives would have been commendable but you aren’t obligated to save your enemies. Feeling guilty about defending yourself and punishing evil is stupid.”

Lou gaped at her as Alana moved her hand. “But…I killed people. A lot of people.”

Alana sighed. “Yes. You really need to test a spell before you use it. It’s one thing if it’s stronger than you expect but what if it’s weaker? Imagine how much worse your night would have been if their defenses held and they all charged you.”

“But…you got all pissed off when Orphelia killed those people—"

“Don’t bring that snake into this!” Alana snapped. “Like I said, her priority should have been capturing them alive for an investigation. Your priority was getting Howie to safety. She killed them even though they didn’t attack her and without giving them the opportunity to surrender. You gave them the chance to walk away and were defending yourself. It’s completely different. You didn’t do anything wrong, Lou. It was clumsy, amateurish, and an all-around disappointment…but you didn’t do anything wrong.”

They lapsed into silence. Then Lou said, “I love you, Alana.”