The inside of the bathhouse is illuminated by the embers burning beneath the rge bathtub, being steamy and warm.

  A bench is pced on the side, next to tree rge barrels of water Sincir usually keeps filled with his magic, in virtue of sparing the many trips to a river or well which would be necessary otherwise.

  A small bucket, a couple blocks of soap, as well as a piece of cloth is also pced nearby.

  Obviously, Sincir removed the rest of his clothing before coming in after Collin and Esme, closing the door as he enters and meets their gaze.

  “Collin will be first, since he’s the guest,” Sincir tells them with a smile, as he approaches the soap and the water, then picks up the bucket, handing it to Collin. “Don’t worry, the water is warm.”

  Without needing further instruction, Collin sighs as he walks up to the steaming bathtub, fills the bucket, then pours it over his body, shuddering slightly as he does so.

  Sincir can tell he is tense, and making an active effort not to have his eyes lingering on Esme’s naked body… Not that she seems to have the same concerns, her gaze going straight to his half-hard member once Sincir beckons her to approach him.

  “See something you like?”

  Esme sighs. “Aren’t you fifteen? How is it so big already?”

  “Luck.”

  Having said as much, Sincir instructs Esme to grab the cloth and a piece of soap, while he himself grabs a piece as well, then walks toward Collin, telling him stand in between the two of them, facing Esme.

  “I can-”

  “Shush,” Sincir says, “We’ll all go through it, so just enjoy it and try to rex.”

  Once Sincir begins to wash Collin, starting with his back, he feels the Vampire’s tense muscles under his hand, which become even tenser once Esme joins in as well, chuckling lightly in virtue of the look on Collin’s face as she pces her hands against his chest, starting from there.

  With circur, slowly movements, Sincir washes Collin from the back, while Esme does the same from the front... Evidently, he is not shy about touching another man, even as Collin continues to shudder and tense beneath his hands.

  “Arms up,” Sincir whisper to him, “Hands behind your neck.”

  Collin obeys, and Varzath stars with his shoulders and sides, as Esme kneels in front of him, doing his thighs and shins…

  Esme being who she is, she doesn’t ignore the fact his cock is now right in front of her face, of course, and she pces a pyful lick near its tip as she continues to wash the vampire, causing him to shudder again.

  She’s probably sad it’ll smell like soap when they’re done, the little pervert.

  Needless to mention, Collin seems to be having an even harder time now, his member standing to full attention as Esme tells him to give her his foot, and Sincir starts with his lower back, going downwards.

  “I can ask Esme to finish you off once, before we continue,” Sincir offers, seeing the obvious pain the vampire is going through under their slow, teasing caresses.

  “I… I’m fine,” Collin murmurs tensely.

  “Then rex, and stop acting like we’re torturing you,” Sincir tells him.

  “Other foot,” Esme orders, meanwhile.

  Collin intakes his breath sharply once Esme starts with his second foot, being throughout in her cleaning… Despite her bravado, Sincir can tell she’s also struggling to maintain her cool by the way her hands are shaking slightly, and her cheeks visibly red.

  This is a good exercise for the both of them, and maybe they’ll learn to rex a little, from it…

  Without being told to, Esme moves up to Collin’s privates once she is done with his feet; For a moment, Sincir almost thinks she’ll begin sucking on his cock from the way she looks at it, but then she moves her hands up and begins to wash it, her movements slow and careful.

  The moment she touches his member, Collin groans softly, causing Sincir to chuckle.

  “Don’t forget his ass, Esme; I’d do it myself, but I think Collin would much prefer the alternative.”

  Sincir grabs the bucket and fills it with water, while Esme has Collin trembling under her touch, though he has to wait for a while still before she is finally done, moment which he pours the bucket over the both of them, causing Esme to yelp.

  “You’re next, so it’s faster this way,” he expins.

  “A warning would’ve been nice,” she murmurs, rising from beneath Collin, then passing him the soap and the cloth.

  His member standing almost painfully erect now, Collin doesn’t even try to hide his sigh of relief as he steps back, giving Esme space to stand in between the two of them.

  “Don’t use soap on her privates; That’s bad for girls,” Sincir warns Collin as he pces himself behind Esme, “That being said, her ass and breasts are legal territory, so feel free avenge all of the terrible things she did to you just now.”

  “B-be nice, okay?” Esme murmurs, meeting Collin’s gaze as she does so, then gncing over her shoulder and meeting his, “And that goes for you too, Sincir.”

  “...I think we can make her cum if we try hard enough. Collin, what do you say?”

  “Listen to me! Are you an idiot?!”

  Sincir ignores Esme’s protests as he begins to scrub her body, soft yet firmly. Collin hesitates for a moment, once she throws him a warning look, but does step forward,eventually...

  Esme is a lot softer than Collin, and Sincir is even less shy while caressing her, often pressing more than just his hands against her body...

  “Arms up, hands behind your head,” Sincir tells her, whispering it next to her ear.

  Trembling slightly, Esme obeys, then intakes a sharp breath of air once, Collin begins to scrub her breasts, his touch so light Sincir doubts it is doing much to actually clean her.

  Both of them are slightly out of breath at his point, but Sincir chooses not to comment on it; Best to let them enjoy the moment, at their own pace…

  Once he is done with Esme’s back, shoulders, and sides, he moves downwards, shamelessly feeling her ass and spreading her cheeks in the process of cleaning them.

  Esme grumbles something about his erection poking her under her breath... But she doesn’t compin out loud.

  “Miss Esme?” Collin asks, now on his knees, staring up at her.

  Realizing what he wants, Esme bites her lip, then offers him her left foot, only to almost immediately lose her bance in virtue of having done so, needing to use Sincir’s arm for support; While she curses out loud, Sincir ughs over her obvious ck of physical prowess.

  “You should exercise at least every now and then,” he tells her, “Or you won’t stay this pretty for long.”

  “Shut up, I… I had pnned to start soon. I read yoga is a good exercise for girls, and I found a good tome with some positions a while ago... I just never had the chance to try any of them, before a certain someone kidnapped me from my house.”

  Sincir almost snorts out loud, but he stops himself; Yoga is a not a bad exercise if done serious and regurly, and Esme doesn’t need to become a fighter.

  “You know Inquiry is not actually your house, right…? Speaking of which, I never got around asking you how you ended up living there.”

  Esme remains silent for a moment, eyes averted from both him and Collin, then sighs. “I was from a farm not far from town... But I’m just not fit for house work and having eleven kids, you know? I wanted something else for myself, and I was lucky enough to have an aunt who knew how to read and write, so I asked her to teach me… The rest is history.”

  “I heard about Miss Esme from the others,” Collin says, “Your restoration work is appreciated, and they speak very well of your skill.”

  Esme blushes, and Sincir suspects not just because Collin is currently running his fingers through her toes and sole, bringing the occasional shudder out of her.

  “T-thank you… Though I would’ve felt better about the compliment had you guys not used me as a hostage at the first opportunity.”

  This time, Collin is the one to blush. “My apologies. One can never be too careful against an unknown enemy, but Miss Esme has my word I always pnned on doing my utmost to make sure you were not harmed needlessly.”

  “They could’ve done a lot worse,” Sincir supplies.

  “Considering that was all your fault, you sure have guts to say something,” Esme comments, throwing him a dirty look as she does so.

  In response, Sincir pces a quick, soft kiss against her lips, before chuckling as he moves on to wash her legs…

  Esme is biting her lip once they finish with her, her nipples being visibly hard and her cheeks slightly red.

  “Want us to bring you over the edge?” Sincir asks, making her the same offer he did Collin.

  Esme shakes her head. “Since we didn’t do it to Collin, I’ll feel bad if I got especial treatment now… And besides, your turn is next, right? I want an excuse to make it as miserable as possible,” Esme says, grinning at him as she does so.

  Sincir rolls his eyes. For Varzath, getting cleaned by his maids was a normal, everyday occurrence. He’s horny, but there’s no way these two are actually going to make him flustered.

  Still, it doesn’t take long for Sincir to get an erection once both Esme and Collin begin to scrub him down. Since he’s actually the shortest of the three of them, he feels a bit like a kid... But having Esme purposefully rubbing her nipples against his skin as she washes his legs does the trick, regardless.

  Once Sincir showers himself from the soap, they’re finally ready to enter the bathtub, though he heats the water with a spell again before telling the other two to hop in.

  “So, who wants to go first?” Sincir asks them as he enters the bathtub, having been the st one to so.

  With three people, the space is slightly cramped, and their bodies will be most definitely touching… But that shouldn’t be a problem, now that they’ve grown closer.

  “First for what?” Esme asks, as she lowers herself onto the warm water and releases a satisfied sigh.

  “For coming, of course. Unless neither of you want it?”

  Esme and Collin exchange a gnce, but Collin speaks first. “I think we should talk, before we go any further…”

  Sincir rolls her eyes, then sighs. “Fine then, work before pleasure… Have it your way. But I’ll py with Esme meanwhile, if it’s all the same to you.”

  “Does this Esme not get a choice in that?” Esme asks drily, though she doesn’t resist when he pulls her closer, having her sit on his p while pcing a soft kiss against her breast’s side, causing her to shudder.

  Sincir positions himself so he is facing Collin, with Esme being in between the two of them, now on his p.

  “Try to rex, Collin... Nothing you’re not comfortable with is going to happen.”

  “Several things I wasn’t conformable with already happened,” the vampire retorts, gray eyes meeting Sincir’s as he continues to caress Esme’s skin, who finally rexes against him, now also staring at Collin.

  “But you liked those,” Sincir counters, smiling at Collin. “C’mon, you have to admit I’ve given you a couple of priceless experiences by now… Tell me, how was it with the others? Did they at least take you seriously?”

  “They wouldn’t dare not to,” Collin says, “But… They’re reticent. Most of them have lived their whole lives hiding their nature, and they can’t imagine not having to do it.”

  Sincir sighs, though he is not surprised. “Unfortunately, we’ve met rather early in my road to kinghood, so their reticence, as well as your, is understandable.... Go on, ask your questions.”

  Sincir grins at Collin as he begins to massage Esme’s shoulders, who is now lying against him, rather than sitting on his p.

  “...Let’s say I manage to convince some of them to accept your pn of building a kingdom. What would you have us do?” Collin asks.

  “For now, not much; Maybe crush an enemy or two. Eventually, I’d have you move in and do whatever work might be needed to get things started… You’re strong, tireless, and durable.”

  “But there are few of us, we need human blood, and we’re only able to move at night...” Collin counters.

  “Obstacles I’m sure we’ll be able to overcome, if we put our minds to it.”

  “I’m afraid I’ll need more than that to get them to move,” Collin says.

  “Couldn’t you just order them?” Esme asks.

  Sincir doesn’t fail to notice her feet have moved rather close to Collin’s legs during their exchange, though the vampire seems be to doing his best to ignore her.

  Collin shakes his head. “I could, if I was their master; But I’m not, and I wouldn’t, at least not without knowing for certain they’d be living a better life in Sincir’s imaginary kingdom.”

  Sincir nods. Having been a Lord, he doesn’t disagree with Collin’s feelings on the matter. In fact, he admires the vampire for considering the well-being of his people, above his own personal benefit (that being Esme, obviously).

  Convincing Collin would be easier if he could reveal his real identity and have the vampire believe it, but Sincir isn’t sure it is a good idea to try that so soon… Demons don’t have a particurly good reputation, after all, even among fellow monsters.

  “I understand, and I hope you believe me when I say that I wouldn’t ask you to… Well, there’s not much I can offer you at present other than mutual trust, so I’ll leave it to your judgment to say if I can or can’t do what I promised. There’s no reason to rush.”

  After a moment, Collin nods. “If you’re not demanding our money, or immediate commitment, then I believe I’ll be able to convince some of them with time, granted you deliver on your end of the deal, one day.”

  “A promise nd,” Sincir murmurs, returning his nod, “That’s the pn. And what of your master? Were you able to talk to her?”

  Collin frowns. “I was, but as usual, I’m not sure she really listened. To her, it makes little difference what the humans think… Even in her lethargic, diurnal state, she’d probably still be able to wipe the town, if it turned against her.”

  A thousand-years-old vampire… Sincir bets she is able to stand in the sun, plus a couple more other surprises. He doubts Collin is just boasting.

  “I almost hesitate to mention this,” Collin continues, sounding uncomfortable, “But she did say something on the matter, when I was done speaking.”

  “Just get on with it…” Esme murmurs, eyes half-closed and voice nguid as she slowly drags her foot against Collin’s thigh, who shudders, “Or I’ll fall sleep, over here.”

  Collin grimaces. “I mean that she often speaks things on a whim, then tter cims not to have said anything of the sort… You wouldn’t believe the amount of trouble it has caused me, over these past five centuries.”

  This time, Esme gnces at him with obvious pity in her expression. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude… Living all of these years with a master that didn’t care about you, struggling to control your instincts on your own; It must’ve been horrible.”

  “Esme has a habit of speaking what’s on her mind without thinking, but her heart is in the right pce,” Sincir adds, causing her to grimace, though she doesn’t deny it, “Don’t worry, I’ll keep your master’s forgetful nature in mind. What did she have to say about my proposal?”

  “How much do you know about the nests surrounding the city?”

  Sincir shrugs. “Not much more than the average person, I assume. I have joined the guild and I pn to make money out of them soon, but it is hard to find reliable information on the subject.”

  Collin nods. “The nests are a good way to make money, but few who venture deep within them return to tell the tale, and fewer still wish to share their experiences, after having done so… That being said, considering their proximity with the city, the nests have been a concern of ours since they appeared, but we are in poor position to act against them, as our nature doesn’t allow for activity during daytime; If the monsters of the nests were to swarm us while the sun is up, we’d undoubtedly perish, and reaching the queen of a nest takes a minimum of multiple days, exploring its byrinth, even for young ones.”

  “Your master said she wants us to destroy the nests for her?” Sincir deduces.

  Collin sighs. “When I mentioned you are strong a human, she perked up, and asked if you had destroyed the nests… Then I said you hadn’t, and she lost interest again.”

  Sincir hums. “So, you’re saying she might take me seriously, if I manage to accomplish something even she cannot.”

  Colin nods. “It is not guaranteed, but I think I might at least be able to arrange a meeting… Of course, my master aside, if you were to actually kill one of the queens, it’d be much easier to convince the others to submit.”

  “It won’t be easy, but I’ll-”

  Sincir stops speaking as Collin suddenly jumps slightly; Looking down, he realizes Esme’s sole now lies against the vampire’s hard member, rubbing it slowly.

  “…I’ll try,” Sincir finishes with a chuckle, pretending he saw nothing.

  Collin shudder, then swallows, while Esme grins at him, almost as if daring him to compin out loud.

  “…T-thank you. For now, that was most of what I wanted to ask and say, I suppose,” Collin finishes, making a visible effort to remain still under Esme’s caresses.

  “Just rex,” Sincir tells him, chuckle once more, “Or would you rather change pces?”

  “Miss Esme,” Collin grumbles, gring at her as he does so.

  In response, Esme just smiles some more, then adds her other foot, causing Collin to curse out loud.

  “There were also some things I wanted to ask you,” Sincir says, while pressing his hands against Esme’s breasts and beginning to massage them.

  Gncing at him, she bites her lower lip and moans, though her legs never stop moving.

  “O-of course,” Collin says, “I’ll answer what I can.”

  “Earlier, you talked about Rez as though you had heard of half-goblins before. Is there anything you can tell me about them?”

  Collin shakes his head. “Not much. I thought it was a myth, really, until I saw her… They’re supposed to be a really rare occurrence of a goblin mating a human; Much smarter than the average goblin, but just as weak. Other than that, I just know they tend not to live very long l-lives.”

  Rez is already at least twenty, from what she has told Ena… Ena will be sad to hear it.

  “I see. The other thing I wanted to ask you about is a vampire’s servant. Esme over here was curious about it.”

  As he speaks, Sincir twists her nipples, giving Esme no chance to retort as he causes her to intake her breath sharply… Though maybe going this far might not have been necessary, considering her attention seems now almost exclusively focused on moving her hands and feet; Her hands being what she is using to rub her own sex.

  “I-it is a bond, taken willingly… By drinking each other’s blood, a human becomes bound to a vampire, and they share some sort of magical link… Since I’ve never created a servant myself, I only know of it as an observer,” Collin murmurs, eyes half-closed and obviously struggling to keep his cool.

  “Are demi-humans eligible? Is it possible to break a bond, once formed?” Sincir asks him, gently forcing Esme neck up as he does so, in order to meet her slightly gzed eyes.

  “A strong v-vampire can form bonds with demi-humans…! But breaking the bond, once formed, is almost impossible! Killing the vampire will kill its servants, more often than not…!”

  Seeing she is almost approaching her climax, Sincir pces his thumb against Esme’s lips; Understanding what he wants, she opens them, sucking on it obediently.

  Collin is now shaking his hips under the water, not even bothering to pretend he isn’t using Esme’s feet to get off… Sincir still has a couple more questions to ask, but he lets them both finish their orgasms first, which doesn’t take very long.

  Once they’ve stop moving, now panting slightly, Sincir chuckles. “Having fun, were you?”

  Esme at least has the decency of looking ashamed, blushing slightly as she meets his gaze again and bites her lip. “S-sorry, you kept caressing me, and I just couldn’t stop myself…”

  He smiles at her, carefully removing a wet strand of hair away from her face as he does so. “It’s fine. Collin and I were almost done, anyway.”

  Having said as much, Sincir meets Collin’s gaze across the bathtub, who also blushes slightly.

  “Collin, I want you to start gathering servants,” Sincir tells him, “You’re a powerful vampire, and if things go as pnned, my future right-handed man… I’ll need you at full strength for what is to come.”

  Collin frowns, then lowers his gaze, conflicted-looking. “Do you mean… Miss Esme?”

  As Esme turn to look at him, Sincir shrugs. “Not necessarily; I certainly wouldn’t force her to. I just mean you should at least start thinking about it. I know you want, at least on some level, to have someone… And if what you are afraid of is losing sight of yourself again, then I can promise you I’ll bring you back, if it ever gets to that point... By force, if necessary.”

  As Collin shifts his gaze to rest against his once more, his gray eyes are unreadable. “I won’t bother trying to deny my fears. But a servant-vampire bound… It is not something done lightly.”

  “I can imagine. Like I said, give it some thought... You can’t rely on my help forever.”

  Collin continues to face his gaze for a moment, then nods hesitantly. “Is there something else?”

  Sincir smiles. “Just one more thing... How much do you know about Leon Dristine?”