I wasn’t so stupid to think Apep was suddenly my best friend, but if it involved saving one of my men, I was going to follow her into hell if need be. Because I was doing this for one of my men. It had felt like I’d been here in Verdant for a while, but I hadn’t forgotten the men back at Fort Kopesh.

Part of me was even eager to return.

Though I may have been distracted, reasonably so, by all the lovely monster girls in Verdant. I wanted to get back to my command and though my time with Tar and Frank had been short; they had become fast friends.

So, for all those reasons, I kept my eyes open as I traveled with Apep and her dozen unarmed attendants. Though even unarmed, lamia were powerful monster girls, if for nothing else than their strength.

Lauren slithered next to me, her back straight and her glaive at the ready.

“Are you expecting trouble, Lauren?” I asked.

“One can never be too careful.” She responded, staying vigilant as we followed Apep.

I found it interesting that lamia had a human ass, thought maybe it was for the very reason I was staring. Those barely covered purple globes of Apep’s before me jiggled side to side as she swayed with the movement of her tail. I felt like I was a snake, being charmed for a moment by watching them.

Apep stopped and her butt jiggled firmly before she turned around and caught me staring. “We’re here.” She said with a knowing smirk.

Yep. Caught me smut handed. But what can I say? I love a good monster girl.

“Where is this?” It was a richly decorated mansion, or maybe estate was the correct term, because beyond the walls there appeared to be multiple buildings.

She bowed slightly. “Unfortunately, it is the richest among us who are able to buy a mage fresh from Fort Kopesh. Though that isn’t the issue.”

Guards stood outside the gates and eyed our group, but Apep rose up on her tail. “Stand down and let us through.”

The guards quaked down to their tails as they realized who they were dealing with and swiftly opened the gates.

“You must have quite the reputation.” I commented, following her through.

“Me and my sister rule the lamia of the desert. None of them would dare challenge my authority.” She looked back with a grimace and she opened her mouth as two massive fangs unfolded from the roof of her mouth and showed themselves.

Apep put away her fangs after just a moment. I guess it was just a show of dominance because the ladies attending her cowered.

“Cool trick.” I said, non-pulsed by the display. “Let’s go get my man.” I stepped past the cowering lamia into the estate. Apep and Lauren hurried to catch up with me.

“Now who do we have here?” A dark-skinned lamia completely clothed, if you could call it that, in gold chains slithered out from the main building.

“Ester. We are here for the mage. This here is Colonel Sam Ridden, commander at Fort Kopesh and he’s negotiated release of his men with the Pharaoh.” Apep demanded.

“Of course. I heard her orders and did my civic duty. But he won’t leave. He fights me tooth and nail. He thinks I’m trying to sell him.” Ester’s tail curled in on her. The tip stuck out and wiggled in a way that I’d call cute. If it wasn’t for her talking about selling one of my soldiers.

“Well, that’s what I’m here for, ma’am.” I stepped forward. “Happy to bring one of my own back home.”

“Please. Come in. Would you like some refreshments while you wait?” She asked with a pleasant smile and getting close enough to rub her shoulders against mine.

“No, thank you. I’d like to get my man.” I said, not wanting to stick around in what appeared to be a viper’s den.

She reared back as if I slapped her and I wondered if I had just failed some critical etiquette of hospitality here.

“We’ll take tea and crackers, I’m afraid we don’t have time for anything more substantial.” Apep put her hands on my shoulder, which meant she was raised up on her tail to stand behind me. She also gave what was probably a more polite answer to hurry our host.

Ester smiled, recovering from her shock. “Of course. I’m sure the colonel is eager to see his men returned. We shall clean him up, but I’m afraid he won’t leave the basement.”

“That’s fine, dear. Get him cleaned up and the colonel will try to talk him out.” Apep took control of the conversation after my misstep.

“Then follow me.” Ester slithered back into her home and more lamia, working as servants, came out to greet us, washing the tails of the lamia and scrubbing any traces of sand off my boots before letting us further in. Apparently, Ester’s home was didn’t allow sand. Though I guessed sand on stone might not be the most comfortable thing for a lamia’s tail.

The servants looked at me with big wide eyes the whole time before I was escorted to a quant sitting room.

“I understand your urgency, but please bear with me briefly.” Ester curled up as my side, a hand trailing down my arm. “It isn’t often I get to entertain a colonel from Rindall.”

I was less than amused to be entertained. One of my men was here. Then again, I was way out of my depth. In the belly of the beast, so to speak, and I needed to temper myself to get this done without harming one of my men.

“Well, here I am.” I said leaning away from her only to feel soft flesh on the other side of me as Apep got comfortable, her massive tail wrapping around the back of the couch and over down on the other side of Ester. Apep was really quite a bit larger than the other lamia I’d seen and it wasn’t the cobra hood she kept retracted most of the time.

Her chest had been perfectly positioned to catch me as I leaned away, and she certainly wasn’t shy about it.

I wonder if that was planned.

“And so you are.” Esther leaned into me once again and I found myself pressed against Apep’s chest. "I'm quite excited to meet you. I heard about your ordeal in the arena."

Oh. Now I knew what this was about. "Yes, I found Beatrix absolutely delightful. There is also the matter of the arena and enjoying dominating her. Nothing like claiming your spoils from a victory, am I right?"

Esther gave me a smile that showed off her fangs. "Exactly. Victory makes the spoils so much sweeter. And here you are coming to the victors of a battle to claim back their spoils." Esther tapped her lip pensively. It was clear she wanted to bargain.

However, I wasn’t about to put up with this. "Yes, I came back to the Pharaoh and negotiated reclaiming my spoils. If you have an issue with what I paid her for the spoils and you can take it up with the Pharaoh." I wasn't about to give Esther what she wanted for my man. That wasn't how this was going to work, otherwise I would be here all night going through lamia royalty to reclaim my men.

Esther pouted. "Oh." She said pointedly. "I've been told I would be getting fair valuation for men."

Apep wasn't going to stay quiet. "You knew that wasn't what she meant. Nor was that how we normally dealt with things. Stop trying to goad the colonel into giving his seed to you." Apep almost sounded… jealous?

Esther laughed off Apep’s correction. "Of course not. I would never take advantage of Cleo's husband to be.” Esther gave me a winning grin.

She totally would.

"You are the talk of the town, colonel. Everyone wants to know just how fantastic the man who claimed our young Pharaoh's heart.” Ester continued.

"I'm afraid you'll just have to keep imagining." I smiled at Esther. "I don't think the Pharaoh is going to parade me around and share me like some sort of trophy. After all, we are soon to get married."

It broke the tension as servers came in with the tea tray and several platters of various baked goods.

Lamia surrounded this couch the three of us had been on. Each of us had a single server pouring as tea and offering various baked goods.

I took the tea, blowing the steam as it wafted off the top and taking a small sip. It was lovely tea, dark and heavy, not unlike Esther, but had a lovely floral undertone that marked it as what I’d call girly. I opted for a single scone filled with some sort of small red berry.

“This is lovely.” I told Esther, trying to keep up polite decorum despite her clearly stalling me from rescuing my soldier and attempt to get in my pants.

Both of the lamia ate a bit too slowly for my tastes and continued with idle conversation about the state of the city. Not that any of it interested me.

Apep noticed my discomfort and quickly finished her food. Like that was a signal, Esther sped up as well. "It would seem we are done with refreshments. How about we go in see the Colonel's man?" Apep pushed Esther.

It would seem she was more on my side than I had expected.

"It would seem so.” Esther looked down at her own dish and put it back on the table without finishing. Clearly, there was an aura of disappointment around her.

Not that I cared. I just wanted my damn soldier at this point. I was tired of her stalling to flirt with me. That wasn't what I was here for, and it certainly wasn't my goal in this conversation.

While I was interested in so many of the monster girls here in Verdant, I didn't like the idea of being pressured politically. Maybe that was me. Who knows, someone could even call me old-fashioned, heaven forbid, for such an outlook on the situation.

Esther was slow about it, but she got her servants to lead us through the expansive home and down several flights of stairs.

To call it a basement felt like an incorrect description as we descended down the levels. They were fleshly lined with leather and velvet. I would more aptly describe her basement as a sex dungeon.

"Where is he." I asked impatiently.

“Oh, just around the corner.” Esther led me through the sex dungeon, her hands dancing along racks of implements as we passed. She turned to watch me looking for any interest in the tools before she saw none and turned back to the task at hand leading me through the dungeon.

My concern was growing as we walked through the sex dungeon. Was my man even here? Or has this all been some ruse for a rich lamia to get me down here?

It wasn't till we turned what felt like the last corner and there, sprawled out on a red velvet bed, was a man I recognized. “If it isn't fucking Marvin.” I said, stepping into the room ahead of Esther or Apep.

Marvin shot up in the bed, hearing my voice, his blonde shock of hair dancing how quickly he saluted. "Colonel wh-what are you doing here?” He was completely stunned by my appearance.

“Well, Marvin. I'm here to bring you back home.”

But as I said that, I heard the rattle of metal behind me in the slam of a door.

I groaned internally, closing my eyes. Of course. Ester is going to use force since her game was so frail.

Well, it was time for me to show them just how bad of an idea that was.