Mob Sorcery 5 - Ch45

Pola’s head and single ear greeted him when he stepped into the penthouse. He stared down the corridor toward the main room, where she kneeled on the sofa and peeked over its back at him. The tip of her silver tail swished nervously behind her.

“Are you pretending to be a dog?” he asked.

Her ear flattened against her head, and she lowered her head so he couldn’t see her pout.

Rubbing the back of his neck, he walked toward her. Fia’s voice stopped him as he passed the kitchen.

“Mind giving me a hand?” she asked.

“Hey!” Pola cried softly, head popping up.

Vince looked to his side to see Fia inside the kitchen with three tall glasses of cola, lime, and ice. The nearby dark rum told him they were Cuba libres. She winked at him.

Her pale legs enticed him to enter the kitchen, but Pola’s whining stopped him. Fia wore only a t-shirt and, presumably, underwear beneath it. It was one of his t-shirts. She tended to borrow one when she came over, then return it and steal another at some point. The fact Pola wore one in the photo suggested she’d picked up a similar habit.

“Those jugs look heavy, ma’am,” Vince said, winking at Fia in return. “Want me to help you carry them?”

Fia glared at him. “These are glasses, V.”

“You have jugs, too.”

“Shoo.”

“Mine are bigger!” Pola called out.

Fia bared her teeth and stormed over to the breakfast bar that allowed her to see Pola. She flipped the bird at her friend, and Pola sat up on the sofa, massive tits pushed together with her hands. They nearly spilled out of her shirt, and Vince saw first-hand that Pola was wearing a lacy black bra.

“Nice to see you have some fire in you.” He walked up to Pola and ruffled her hair.

She shrank in on herself, but her tail wagged happily. This close, he saw the runes shining through her shirt. He hadn’t realized how bright they were.

Pola remained still as he rounded the sofa and took a seat, then leaped into his lap head-first. She nuzzled against his stomach, purring more like a catgirl than a wolfgirl. His hands wound through her long, luscious hair and tail at the same time. As he’d suspected, she did wear one of his t-shirts.

Fia laid out a silver tray with three Cuba libres and a small bowl of salted nuts. Strange, prismatic colors glittered on each one, and he realized they used magic salt.

“Ally checked on her and said she needs a high-magic diet,” Fia said upon noticing his glance. “The runes are burning magic idly, even if Ally thinks it’s settling down now Pola’s awake.”

“I’m right here, you know.” Pola pouted up at them.

“Yes, puppy.” Vince tickled behind her ear.

Pola’s tail wagged happily and she bit her lip, as if to hide a happy sigh. Fia smirked.

“Do you call Alessia a puppy, too?” she asked.

“You’re all puppies.” He reached out to scratch behind Fia’s ear, but she batted his hand away.

“Oh, no, you don’t.” Fia shook her head. “I’ll rub up against you like a bitch in heat, but I’m not doing puppy play.”

“Um, I don’t think this is play. We’re wolfgirls,” Pola said.

“Yes, wolves.”

“Wolves have puppies, too.”

Fia opened her mouth to protest, lowering her guard long enough for Vince to scratch behind her ear. She gasped and leaned into his touch. Her tail thwapped against the sofa even as she glared at him.

“Woof woof,” he drawled.

“Fuck you,” Fia muttered.

After a minute of petting two happy wolfgirls, he finally gave Fia a break and picked up his drink. Pola sat up, but occupied his lap. Her tail rubbed against his side as she leaned into his chest and her ears tickled his chin.

“So, how are you feeling?” He pressed a hand against the top of Pola’s head and looked down at her.

“Okay.” She frowned as she stared out the windows at the illuminated cityscape. Odd that the TV was off. “Did tonight go well?”

“Better than I feared, worse than I hoped,” he admitted. “The Miuras are sending Goro to help, plus assistance to ward Mei. Anzu and Momo might be able to help us, too.”

“Damn. Even if they’re not going all out, two clan guardians is massive,” Fia said. “Don’t tell Nina I said this, but you and Kiyoko carried our asses. Ashley and Nina did what they could, but they got bodied. Hamelin mostly took care of Juliet. Me, I just…” She looked at Pola guiltily.

The look didn’t go unnoticed. Pola hissed at Fia and slapped her friend’s thigh.

“I saved you because I love you, Fia!” Pola snapped, her eyes glistening. “I’d do it again!”

“I know.” Fia cupped Pola’s cheek. “That’s the problem. I did the best I could, and you nearly died for it.”

Pola bit her lip, unshed tears welling up in her eyes.

“Stop,” Vince said.

He placed hands on both wolfgirls’ heads, and they turned to face him.

“I know both of you have heard this before. You’ve been in the game longer than me,” he said. “Nina reminded me when I lost my shit last night. Enforcers get hurt when we fight. We take the risk of dying simply by taking jobs. I’ve killed my fair share of enforcers taking a paycheck, and they’d have killed me for the same. You never know if you’re ‘good enough’ until suddenly you’re not. Kigenai was hot enough shit that the Lionettis are being considered a real conglomerate again.”

Pola’s breath hitched. “What?”

“Shit…” Fia nearly grinned, then caught herself. “This is bad, isn’t it?”

“It’s a monkey’s paw,” he said, feeling odd to be the one explaining it. “Kigenai was potentially as strong as Izu Hasegawa, given she thought she could kill him. Killing the equivalent of a combat-focused clan guardian puts us back on the map, but I don’t have that power. We wore her down with a lot of borrowed power. Including Daji’s.”

Fia glanced at his jacket pocket. “That’s your power, though.”

“Until it fucks me over,” he said. “But I do need to talk about that—”

“You want to let her out,” Fia said.

Pola frowned, but said nothing.

Vince blinked. “That’s a hell of a guess.”

“We had a chat about it without you. Given what Daji is, we worried you might take too long to bring her up,” Fia said. “You’ve shown no signs of possession or personality change. We’re worried about two things, though.”

Pola nodded. “Somebody might steal the egg, or take it back. And what if holding onto it longer makes things worse?”

“Huh.” Vince sipped his drink, causing the ice to tinkle against the glass. “The latter is kind of the problem. Using Daji’s magic is worsening the issue. Her personality is changing, and it might turn her… evil. The Daji of myth is likely deeper inside the egg.”

“Damn. Gaby guessed that. She suspected that the real reason the egg wasn’t showing signs of possession was that the seal wasn’t fully broken.” Fia clicked her tongue. “I guess all the nutrients went to her brain instead of her tits.”

“Wait, so letting the evil fox out might mean she’s not evil?” Pola asked.

“Basically,” he said. “The sooner I let Daji out, the weaker she’ll be, but she’ll be the Daji I know. The other problem is that using her magic also affects me.”

“Like going all V-serker,” Fia said.

Pola giggled at the name.

“Yeah, that.” He rubbed Pola’s arm. “I’m still working through it, but I assumed the hardest part was talking to all of you, to be honest.”

“So long as Kiyoko is on hand to put down the fox if she goes rogue, I think it’s the safest option,” Fia said. “If we lose the egg and her power, everything will only get worse. But it’s your call. You’re the one dealing with her. We can only confirm that you’re not going crazy.”

He appreciated that.

After finishing her drink, Pola laid in his lap again. He stroked her hair and she hummed happily.

Fia reached over and flicked Pola’s single ear. Pola hissed and batted at Fia’s hand.

“I’m relaxing here,” Pola snapped.

“I noticed. Should I let you two enjoy the room, or…?” Fia shot Vince a questioning glance.

But it was Pola who let out a soft gasp first. Fia looked back at her old friend.

“Can we just… cuddle tonight?” Pola asked, her eyes soft. “I don’t remember anything after pushing you away, but I think… I had a lot of nightmares.” She gripped herself.

Vince peeled her arms off herself and pulled her against his chest. She hiccupped and leaned into his neck. Her tail wound around his leg, as if trying to prevent him from slipping away.

“That’s fine,” he said. “Do you want to move to your bed?”

She nodded soundlessly.

He picked her up and was thankful she didn’t struggle much. Even if he got some shit for not being the most athletic, he remained fit enough to lift his smaller girlfriends. He just had to ignore the fact Pola could bench press him with one hand.

After he entered Pola’s bedroom, Fia lingered by the door.

“Try to sleep well,” Fia said, worry in her eyes.

Pola’s head shot over his shoulder as she stared at Fia in confusion. “You’re not joining us?”

Fia stared at Pola for several seconds, before sighing. “Sure. I’m practically dressed for it and I have some spare clothes around here anyway.”

Pola’s bed was easily big enough to fit the three of them, including two overactive wolf tails. The air conditioning meant the blankets were optional. A good thing as Vince doubted they’d stay on very long.

Pola pressed herself into his chest, acting as the little spoon. Fia initially pressed against Vince’s back, but Pola’s puppy dog eyes caused her to crawl over him and hug Pola from the back.

“Do not make the joke you’re thinking of,” Fia said, her eyes glowing dangerously as she glared at Vince.

He smirked and mimed zipping his lips. Fia rested her head next to his and stole a quick kiss, which caused Pola to grumble and steal one of her own. Before a battle of jealousy broke out, he returned the kisses and pressed both into the bed.

“Let’s sleep,” he said. “Good night, Pola. Fia. I’m happier than ever to still have both of you with me.”

“Mmm. Love you,” Pola murmured as she wrapped herself around him.

“Love you, too,” he replied. “You, too, Fia.”

“Thanks.” Fia’s cheeks reddened and she avoided his gaze. “Don’t make me say it.”

He would have kissed her, but knew it would trigger another bout of jealousy from Pola. Instead, he drifted off to sleep to the rhythmic beating of wolf tails and the breathing of his two lovers.

Pola awoke with him and Fia in the morning. Probably because they went to sleep relatively early. After cleaning up and giving Pola some tail care, while Fia continued to insist her fire spells were good enough, they wandered into the main room.

As Vince expected, they had company. Alessia practically tackled Pola the moment they entered the room.

“Sis!” Pola cried out, her arms clawing at the air as she looked around uncertainly. After a moment, she returned the hug and rubbed Alessia’s back. “I’m fine. Sorry.”

“Idiot,” Alessia said. She pulled away and smiled softly at Pola. “I know you’re tough, but this is the second time I’ve thought I might lose you. Can’t I reverse the situation for once?”

Pola opened her mouth to retort, then caught Lucia’s expression behind Alessia and grimaced. “No. I’m the sottocapo, you’re the boss. When I’ve said that before, it was empty bravado, but now… I really am your sottocapo, Sis. That means I fight the hard fights, defend the Family, and I’ll get hurt. I’m not a teenage girl raiding the vault for a last-ditch defense anymore.”

Alessia stared at Pola for several long seconds, then pulled her into another hug. “I know. I’m sorry if I made you feel otherwise.”

The two sisters hugged for close to a minute, and Vince awkwardly shuffled over to Lucia’s side.

“Alessia stayed in the condo?” he asked.

“Yeah, but she checked the cameras.” Lucia smirked. “Not sure if she wanted to catch a threesome, but she was shocked to see you princess carry a clingy Pola into her bedroom. She’s been waiting for you to wake up since dawn. Came over the instant the motion sensors suggested you woke up.”

Of course the penthouse had a security system that allowed Alessia to spy on them. Vince sighed.

“Did you order breakfast?” he asked. “I was thinking to make waffles, as I know there’s a waffle mix in the cupboards usually.”

“Nah. Wasn’t sure if you’d be up to eating. Usually I’d say to order in, but…” Lucia glanced at Pola and Alessia.

Fia nodded. “Getting some handmade love from Vince would cheer both of them up. Even if Alessia is a prima donna when it comes to food.”

“I can hear you,” Alessia said.

“Did I hear waffles?” Pola’s ear twitched excitedly.

Despite the kitchen rarely being used, it possessed a cast iron four slice Belgian waffle maker, as well as the necessary ingredients for waffles. Vince suspected Lucia kept the penthouse stocked up just in case, as the expense barely registered on Alessia’s balance sheet.

While he felt confident in making waffles, his meager cooking skills were aided by Fia and Lucia, who proved to have significantly more experience in the kitchen. Both provided some useful tips beyond the milk and eggs he used. He added a hefty amount of sugar and a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg. Lucia clarified some butter in the microwave and used that to grease the waffle iron.

Then, as each waffle came out crispy and perfect, Fia topped them with powdered sugar and more cinnamon, then added a tiny slice of butter. They looked like waffles Vince would photograph, especially with the fancy plates Alessia owned.

“They smell amazing.” Pola leaned over the breakfast bar, wearing a loose lacy top and a skirt. The runes glowed almost as brightly as yesterday. “Are they ready yet?”

“Vince?” Fia asked.

“I’ll serve them up while the next batch are cooking,” he said. “Bring the maple syrup. No fresh berries, sadly.”

Lucia almost exclusively stocked long-life stuff, with the exception of dairy. Regular coffee consumption meant any milk got drunk, and butter went with a lot of things, like toast.

Alessia’s tail wagged as he brought out two plates of waffles, with two mid-sized Belgian waffles on each plate. Her fingers twitched as he put them on the coffee table.

When Fia deliberately took her time placing the maple syrup and cutlery, she got snapped at.

“Don’t tease us,” Alessia said. “Or Pola and I will steal your waffles.”

“Please. I’ve eaten these before a few times.” Fia smirked at Alessia, who gave Vince a betrayed look. Even Pola whined.

“Fia did visit my apartment a lot, and I went over to her place sometimes,” he said.

With that said, this edition of his waffles were the best. Probably because of the extra sugar and spices. Lucia also bought fancier pancake mix than Nina. Maybe they could upgrade at home.

After Alessia ate her first waffle, her tail whapping against Vince’s side wildly the entire time, she slowed down.

“I know talking about work this early can be frustrating, but I’m afraid we didn’t get the chance to debrief last night,” she said.

He nodded. “I get it. You’re alright, Pola?”

“I said I’m the sottocapo.” Pola scowled at him. “This is about taking out Mei, right?”

“Yes. We have a rough timeline of when we need to act. Kreesa takes control of the police near the Yakuza some time next week. If you can find out exactly when, Vince, that helps us,” Alessia said. “Regardless, we have to move by Tuesday.”

“Because of the Houou leadership meeting,” Vince said. “Shouldn’t that mean by Monday? If something goes wrong on the day of the meeting, we won’t be able to respond.”

“Agreed,” Fia said, and Pola nodded. “Given the likelihood of a police changeover on Monday or Tuesday, we should assume we either move this weekend or not at all.”

“We’re moving in,” Pola said. She rubbed her runic scar.

“We are. You aren’t,” Vince said.

Pola’s entire body arced up, her tail puffing up. But he cut her off with a hand on her shoulder.

“This isn’t because you nearly died or that I don’t trust you,” he said. “You’re still healing, Pola. The runes are unchanged and you’re burning off magic as it is. Nina had a whole month to bounce back from nearly losing an arm. You came within inches of death. At least fully recover before you throw yourself into it again.”

She hunched her shoulders and looked down. Her tail lay flat against the sofa. “But I… I trained so hard. Even learned how to use my old meister-tier spell properly.”

He pulled her into a hug. “I get it. You fought as hard as everyone else. But not even Nina gets to charge in if she’s not completely ready.” He pulled away and brushed her cheek. “Imagine if I was the one who you barely pulled away from death last night, Pola. If you saw me nearly die, and I was clearly still recovering, would you let me go fight Mei?”

Pola’s eyes hardened as she finally looked at him. But she frowned. Her pride struggled to let her admit it.

After several long seconds, she sighed. “I get it. You’ll let me keep training, though? And keep me in the loop?”

“You’re not getting out of work and training when you’re this bouncy,” Fia drawled. She bit her lip. “On the coming battle, I think I’ll be staying out of it, too.”

Alessia shot Fia a sharp look, but Vince forestalled any argument with a raised hand.

“Explain,” he said, trying not to jump to conclusions.

“There are two reasons,” Fia said. “One is that we need more focus on establishing the wards and controlling the girls. Things were chaotic with Kigenai, and I can’t help but feel we’d have been better off if I’d focused entirely on the enforcers and setting up the wards. Would have let the others help you sooner.”

He nodded. “Things were dicey for a bit. Kiyoko struggled to hold Kigenai back. We can’t afford those mistakes with Mei.”

“Second is that…” She shifted uncomfortably. “I’ve done what training I can squeeze in between being consigliere and planning everything, but it’s a far cry from the level of training all of you are doing. With the foxes joining the fray, I’m dead weight. Until I can find the time to focus on my spellcasting, I can’t keep up with the rest of you on the battlefield.”

Alessia looked away. She brushed her hair to one side.

“It’s not your fault, Alessia.” Fia smiled. “I enjoy being consigliere. Doing all the planning nobody else wants to is what I’m here for. But I’ll need some experience to also keep up in the field.”

“It is my fault,” Alessia said. “We’ll talk about getting you more assistance with your work. Things aren’t sustainable. I got used to how small and easy to manage the Family was compared to the broader company. Now that the mafia is growing again and seriously competing in the underworld, I need to take it seriously. There’s a reason why the Yakuza split their organization between the enforcers and back-office.”

Vince rubbed his chin while the girls had a brief feel-good session.

With Fia and Pola gone, he’d need to meet with Nina and Gaby to discuss the team composition. Goro and Cora should be able to pick up their slack, especially as Fia had been a rear-line fighter. He also had no clue what role Momo and Anzu might play.

“I take it you’re making plans,” Alessia said.

Her fingers traced the back of his ear and he held back a shiver. He loved when any of his girls did that.

“We’ve only got… Fuck, maybe three or four days?” It was Wednesday morning, and they might have to move on Saturday in the worst case. “If I’m not making plans, we’re screwed. We knew we’d have to take out Mei straight away, but the pressure is building up faster than I expected.”

“It’s a good thing we assumed she’d likely escape within a week or two,” Fia said.

They cleaned up the plates and cups, and he noticed Pola had gone missing. Alessia frowned at the open door to the bedrooms.

“I’ll go talk to her,” he said.

Pola lay on her bed, curled up where they’d slept. He sat beside her and rubbed her side.

“Pola?” he asked.

“You’re leaving, aren’t you?” She refused to look at him and had pulled her knees up to her chin.

“… I can bring Nina and Gaby here, but I have my own house,” he said. “I’m not leaving you. I’m heading home.”

“But this should be…” Pola gulped and closed her eyes.

Sighing, Vince picked up Pola. She squealed and flailed about for a second, before letting him plop her into his lap, face-to-face. Her arms wrapped around him and he felt her breasts crush against his chest as she refused to look at him.

“Why don’t you come with me?” he asked. “Rub your scent into my bed, steal a new t-shirt, and hang around while I talk with people. It will get you out of here and you can do whatever you want. There’ll be fresh air, too.”

Pola’s ear pricked up. Slowly, she pulled away and smiled at him. “Sis won’t mind?”

“If I can live there, you can, too.” At least briefly. Vince didn’t want Pola moving in permanently, because then Alessia would follow.

As much as he wanted to make an Alessia-shaped imprint in his bed, he wasn’t sure he was ready to have her living in his new house yet. He needed it to feel like his first.

“Okay,” Pola said. Her tail wagged.

His plans to get a lift from Nicki fell through, as Lucia arranged a convoy for the relatively short trip to his house. Now that he lived in the old part of Albion, Lionetti Tower was close enough he could walk to it if he maintained a brisk pace.

Pola bounced into his living room and immediately claimed the sofa. He followed sedately, and saw Nina leaning against the nearby kitchen counter. Pola hissed after following his gaze and seeing the lioness.

“This is my house, too,” Nina said. “How are you feeling?”

Pola blinked, then calmed down. “Um, a little tired.”

“Fia mentioned you’re constantly drawing on magic. That means you’ll get tired fast, because you’re essentially casting spells non-stop.” Nina reached behind herself and picked up a tall glass of colored soda with some ice cubes. “Vince only drinks shitty energy drinks, but you don’t need anything that strong. I have a box of magic supplements that dissolve in water, so make sure you keep drinking them.”

Pola accepted the glass, but stared into it.

“It’s not poisoned,” Nina said.

She walked over to Vince and gestured for him to step aside. While she cast a quick anti-eavesdropping ward, he caught Pola sipping the drink. Her tail swayed slowly while watching the two of them.

“We’ll talk work and plans, but I think it’s better if I keep my distance,” Nina said.

“This is about your rivalry, right?” he asked.

She nodded. “I don’t particularly care. At some point, it’ll be nice to be on top while you rail her and establish my dominance, but that’s just for fun. Pola’s hurt and needs time and space to recover. I’m used to getting my ass kicked in fights, and still felt a bit weak after losing my arm.”

“You were clingy,” he said.

“And you happily clung back.” She brushed his jaw with a knuckle while smiling. “Give her some love and cuddles, Vince. Especially as Fia said in the group chat you already stopped her from joining us this weekend.”

He winced. “You disagree?”

“Fuck no. Even if I did, I wouldn’t tell anyone else. Not for something this vital.” Her eyes hardened. “I haven’t said this yet, but you’re the pride leader. No matter how much crap we give you in fun about bossing you about or whatever, if you put your foot down over something, it’s our job to enforce it. It’s no different from the mafia. We’ll give you advice and push back, sure, but there’s no room for any of us to needle and undermine the others.”

“Thanks.” He reached up and gave Nina’s hair an attempted ruffle.

She clicked her tongue at him, batted his hand away, and strode back into the living room. Pola smirked at Nina, then preened when Vince sat beside her and stroked her hair.

Damn, Nina had practically been born into her position as top lioness of the pride.

Gaby and Kiyoko arrived within an hour, and Fia not long after. He’d messaged Hamelin, but she told him she was busy.

Got to put the finishing touches on my pièce de résistance, Hamelin said. Just tell me where and when.

Planning turned out to be fairly straightforward. They’d done a lot of it beforehand, and the addition of the foxes changed less than Vince expected.

“We’ll set up the wards as planned around the stadium,” Fia said. “The Miuras can join us, and that will reinforce our defensive points in case Mei brings goons.”

“She will.” Nina crossed her arms from across the room.

Pola cuddled up to Vince and listened in, her head swiveling as everyone talked. She chimed in about the Lionetti enforcers and mafia aspect, but otherwise remained quiet.

“There’s no way Mei will come if she detects a ton of wards around the stadium,” Gaby said.

“We’re luring her to the stadium,” Vince said. “The plan is to rig the wards to fire once she arrives, trapping her in place.”

“She will have contingency teleports in place,” Kiyoko warned. “Perhaps the Miura clan or the Inaba twins have wards capable of acting before Mei’s own teleportation spell, but I am wary of assuming as much. She will know this is a trap. We must give her a reason to remain, even as the wards spring up around her.”

Vince pulled Daji’s egg from his pocket. The girls grimaced at it.

“We’re using this to lure Mei out,” he said. “Maybe she’ll assume it’s another fake, but I bet the lure of the real thing will make her greedy. If Mei thinks this is the real thing, she’ll stay.”

“If the Miuras get a hint that you’re using Daji’s power, they’ll destroy you,” Nina warned.

He looked at Kiyoko, and Daji appeared beside her, arms crossed. The fox had copied the tengu’s fashion, albeit with a much larger chest.

“I know Toya recognizes Daji’s flames,” he said. “Hell, I’m curious whether he’s suspicious as is. But what about Hyuga and his brother?”

Kiyoko pursed her lips. “Daji was last sealed shortly before the Boshin War, after the arrival of Commodore Perry and the intrusion of external powers and sorcerers. It’s a poorly recorded escape, especially as Knightsgate actively suppressed it to keep newly arrived sorcerers from Europe from noticing. That was when I recognized her black flames.”

“I’d say I don’t recognize her, but it means little,” Daji said. “Her vessel has changed, and if I tried to remember the name of everyone who attacked me I’d have no space to recall anything of value. My escape was happenstance. The foxes guarding me relocated in advance of the coming civil war, allowing me to briefly escape. The Miuras were never involved. While the young twins might have been a threat at the time, they never got close.”

Vince shook his head. “Daji says the Miura clan were never involved. Apparently her escape was related to Anzu’s clan relocating before the civil war.”

“That matches what I heard,” Kiyoko said. “As a clan focused on intelligence gathering, it makes sense the former Iga clan prepared for the Boshin War before it occurred, and that they kept it a secret from the rest of Knightsgate when we cleaned up their mistake.”

“Iga?” Gaby’s eyebrows shot up. “Those hot influencer foxes are from the ninja clan of Japan?”

“Not exactly,” Kiyoko said. “The fox clans are closely associated to powerful families and clans in Japanese history, but those associated with espionage adopted new names whenever their old ones became too well known. The Inaba clan contains foxes from both the Iga and Koga clans.”

“Their original clan did administer Iga province,” Vince said. “So I guess they’re related.”

“Damn. Somehow, that irritates the shit out of me.” Gaby shook her head, and her horn darkened slightly.

“Back to the topic at hand, I think showing Mei the egg will make her greedy,” he said. “We’ll activate the wards, then launch our attack. As for formations…”

The next hour went slowly, as he allowed the more experienced enforcers to argue about how to organize everyone. Vince understood he was a powerhouse now. After fighting Kigenai and watching her body almost everyone, while he continued pushing through, it was hard to question his growing strength.

But that didn’t grant him experience in commanding enforcer teams. Even Nina only had limited experience with so many fighters, but she’d fought stronger opponents than Gaby with elite hit squads. Kiyoko had fought alongside hunters for a thousand years or more, but rarely led them.

Partway through the meeting, Ronin confirmed Frost would be rotated out after Monday. That meant Sunday was the last day they could pull anything, as if the fight went past midnight on Monday, Kreesa would have jurisdiction in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Once finished, they ate lunch. Kiyoko left and Nicki poked her head downstairs, leaving the girls to bustle about the kitchen. Nina had battered some chicken this morning, so they fried it up along with fries and a slaw. Nicki's offering of a plate of fried okra surprised Vince, but he suspected it was a way to use already hot oil.

As he should have expected, Nina brought out beer. Then again, beer with fried chicken hit the spot.

Pola chowed down, and the group bantered. Questions were raised about last night’s dinner, as Gaby had seen photos and news. He learned most of the girls had eaten snails at some point in the past, even if only Gaby had a vaguely positive opinion of them.

“Oh, escargot.” She shrugged. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but the academy fattened us up with fancy dinners whenever they took us somewhere. Hardly my favorite dish, though. Maybe it’s a horse thing, but I like my meals full of carbs.”

“You’re eating a whole drumstick,” Nicki said.

“I’m a horsegirl, not an actual horse.” Gaby winked. “Honestly, if I’m not eating Mexican, I fucking love good sushi.”

“It’s nice, but you can’t beat a good barbecue,” Nina argued.

The wolfgirls hummed in approval.

“What about pasta?” Vince asked them.

“I mean, we can eat that whenever,” Pola said, looking to the side guiltily. “But meat, with a side of meat, and then more meat, is the best.”

“We should go back to that fancy steakhouse on the waterfront,” Fia suggested. “That place was fucking great.”

“A-fucking-men,” Nicki added.

It also cost a damn fortune.

“We’ll go out to celebrate, once we deal with this shit,” he said.

“Deal. You can’t put it off because of Houou’s nonsense, though.” Fia glared at him.

After lunch, the girls slowly drifted away. Nicki lacked much to do with the large scale of the current job, although she would be on hand to whisk anyone away if necessary, so she focused on training her telekinesis in the atelier. Nina kept her distance as she planned.

When Fia tried to leave, Pola grabbed her and dragged her onto the sofa.

“You can stay, right?” Pola pouted at Fia.

The afternoon and evening went quickly, as Vince chilled with the two wolfgirls. They ate a very light dinner after the massive lunch. At some point, Pola ushered them into his bedroom and happily rolled around on his bed. He had a small TV in his room and they watched an old TV show about a wolffolk mobster family in New York.

“Somehow, I doubt they based these guys on the Lionettis,” Vince said. “I don’t think any of your ancestors would be caught dead wearing shorts.”

“I wear them when exercising,” Pola chirped.

“I don’t think those count,” Fia said. “And Alessia sure as hell doesn’t go out in public wearing them.”

Vince’s mind imagined Alessia in a pair of skintight gym shorts. Plus Pola beside her.

Cuddled up to Fia and Pola like this, he didn’t miss their glances at him. He coughed and excused himself to the bathroom. Springing an erection at random while Pola wanted him and Fia around to heal didn’t help matters.

Or so he thought, until he exited the attached bathroom to see the two of them shifting on the bed, halfway through undressing.

“Um, can you take five more minutes?” Fia asked, eyes wide.

He closed the bathroom door and leaned his head against it. His attempt to suppress his erection failed upon seeing Pola’s bare ass in little more than panties, with Fia’s tits in a white bra that barely covered her nipples.

After a couple of minutes, he stepped back out.

Pola and Fia lay together on the bed, wearing only their bras and panties. Their underwear appeared to be something special, with fancy patterns and sheer fabric that teased him with partially visible areolas and the edges of their slits. Pola’s vastly larger bust lay just above Fia’s chest.

The runes still ran along Pola’s chest, and he glanced at them once.

“… are they still the most noticeable thing?” Pola’s voice sounded almost sorrowful.

“You look more beautiful than ever, Pola.” Vince crawled over the bed and rubbed her arm. “Both of you. But this is…”

“Overdue,” Fia said. Her eyes lidded. “We’ve seen each other naked plenty of times, V. I had figured to let Gaby watch, but she skittered away when I mentioned it to her. There’s no better time to make it clear how much we both love you.”

Pola nodded. “I wanted you to myself before. But if this is going to be a pride, then sharing is important. It’s a small step, but if I can share tonight with Fia and you, then maybe one day.” Her head turned and she stared toward the kitchen.

“Baby steps,” he said.

“I know you want it, though.” Pola grinned and pounced on him, knocking him over. “Look at the size of your cock.”

[Pola/Fia threesome in full book]

- - - - -

Commentary: A fluffy healing chapter was due for Pola, and it also handles the planning for the battle. Fun, happy cooking time with the girls is also great to write, even if Vince is never going to become a proper home cook.

I'll be posting the rest of the book over the next three days (with the final battle in a single batch), leaving you enough time to read the climax before the book comes out if you're a little slower at reading.