“This is far nicer than I expected.”
Jay raised an eyebrow as she looked down at Severina. With one hand on her hip and the other sweeping in a wide gesture at the room, she gave the Seraphim a wry smile.
“What exactly did you expect?”
“I suppose something more… debauched. Like that establishment you went to with Kerr on your… date.”
“You can’t have seriously thought that I would put a stripper pole in my bedroom,” Dys scoffed as she folded her arms and leaned against the wall by the door. “Even if you doubt my taste, do you really think Aila would allow something like that?”
“I don’t know what a stripper pole is,” Severina answered with her usual even tone. “And while Aila and most of the rest of your companions have good sense, there are clearly some hidden perversions going on behind closed doors that led me to reasonably suspect some… lapses in judgement.”
“There isn’t anything hidden about my perversions,” Syd laughed as she sat down on the edge of the massive bed. “I’m happy to talk to you about any of them. Even happier to demonstrate with examples.”
“I’m sure,” Severina replied dryly, though a rosy blush had crept up her cheeks. “I suppose you have more of those paintings to show me?”
Looking around, Jadis grinned as she spotted what Severina was referring to. She felt like her shared bedroom had come a long way in the time since she and her lovers had moved into the building. It wasn’t just a room with a ridiculous, oversized bed taking up half the space. Dressers and wardrobes lined the walls, providing ample storage for everyone’s clothing and belongings. Weapon and armor stands had been meticulously placed to maximize ease of access as well as an aesthetic sense of taste. There were even paintings hanging on the walls, almost all of them provided by Lyssandria’s temple, chosen by Eir to accentuate the homey feeling of the place. The one painting that hadn’t been chosen by the priestess had been picked by Kerr and it was, predictably, of a very lewd scene between some rather stunning women. Jadis had no idea where Kerr had gotten the painting, as apparently it hadn’t come from Lyssandria’s temple, and she didn’t feel the need to ask.
“I prefer a more hands-on approach,” Syd grinned and waggled her eyebrows suggestively.
“I came here to talk,” Severina insisted as she pointed a finger at first Syd, then Jay and Dys. “Stop switching between your bodies. It’s very distracting, especially when you stand in different places. Please sit next to each other.”
“Yes ma’am,” all three of Jadis replied with a good-natured smirk.
Jay, Dys, and Syd sat down in a row on the edge of the bed. Since the bed was basically just a high platform with mattresses covering it from wall to wall, Jadis actually felt comfortable on the bed and didn’t look like she was sitting on something intended for someone half her height. Severina, for her part, waited until all of Jadis’ selves were seated before pulling one of the comfortable padded chairs over to place it in front of the trio.
Jadis couldn’t help but admire Severina as she moved. Even with the loss of both her right arm and right wing, the Seraphim moved with an easy grace that spoke not only of great confidence, but the strength to back it up. She was a powerful warrior, easily able to destroy demons with a swing of a sword, but she wasn’t a barbarian or a thug. Severina had the poise of a queen, which Jadis supposed made sense. She was the scion of a noble house, after all.
It wasn’t just her grace Jadis admired, either. She was a beautiful woman, a fact highlighted by the clothing she had chosen to wear that day. While Severina usually preferred to wear her armor, this particular evening she had shown up in one of her less military outfits. The blue wool sweater matched the blonde’s eyes, and there was a gorgeous gold thread pattern woven into the material. The design of the top had an exaggerated, oversized flap collar that hung over Severina’s right shoulder, hiding the folded-up sleeve left where her arm should have been. Jadis spared no attention to that, however, since the sweater hugged the Seraphim’s curves in a way that had to be intentional. The dark pants Severina wore were just as form-fitting and looked like they had come out of Aila’s closet with how nicely they showed off the woman’s shapely legs.
When Severina set the chair down, she caught all three of Jadis’ selves staring at her, their eyes roaming over different parts.
“Are you truly that brazen?”
“Yes,” Jadis answered in unison. “When it comes to a beautiful woman? Absolutely yes.”
Severina didn’t seem to know what to do with that admission, so after a moment, she simply sat down in the chair and primly crossed her legs at the ankles before setting her hand in her lap.
“Now. We are here to talk.”
“Yes, we are,” Jadis agreed as all of her selves leaned back with arms supporting her weight. “What did you want to talk about? We have plenty of time.”
It was after dinner and while Jadis’ lovers would normally have already been up in bed with her by that point, they were all keeping themselves occupied elsewhere for the time being. She and Severina would not be disturbed for hours.
“That’s still very distracting,” Severina frowned in a way that made her pretty face even more attractive. “Do all three have to speak at once?”
“No,” Jadis grinned as all three of her responded.
Severina let out a small sigh while shaking her head. After taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and faced Jadis head on.
“I am willing to bear a Nephilim child with you. For the sake of your people, Lyssandria, and all who follow her divine teachings. Valtar has given me no direct guidance on this particular matter, however I do not think he would be opposed to my decision. Lyssandria is his wife and the Nephilim are her avatars. I would think he would be pleased to see his own avatars aiding the avatars of his beloved.”
The admission that Valtar had not nudged Severina in one direction or another when it came to her involvement was interesting. Jadis would have thought that the God of Order would have had some input. Then again, maybe he wanted to leave the decision solely in Severina’s hands. While she’d only met the god once, Jadis got the feeling that, while strict, Valtar wasn’t the extreme authoritarian she had once thought he would be.
Jadis didn’t interrupt, though, as Severina continued to speak.
“If I am to bear one of your children, we need to discuss a few conditions, first. I do not want either of us entering into this… arrangement blindly. We must be open and honest so that there is no confusion.”
“Conditions?” Jadis asked, curious about where the paladin was going.
“Yes. First and foremost, we need to talk about succession. I am the scion of my house and the only child of my parents. Any child that I have would be in line to inherit my family’s title, presuming I do not renounce them as a bastard.”
“Would you do that?” Jadis tilted her heads in concern. “Renounce a child born between us?”
“I would rather not, no,” Severina shook her head. “However, my family has a long, unbroken line of succession that can be traced back to the founding of the empire. Every generation has had a Seraphim as the head of the family. If I were to have a Nephilim as my first born, that would pose a significant break with tradition.”
Jadis wasn’t entirely on board with what Severina was describing at first. It sounded a lot like her family was doing some kind of “pure blood” thing which rubbed her the wrong way. However, after taking a moment to consider, Jadis had to acknowledge that what she was doing wasn’t all that far off. She was trying to breed her species back into existence, which meant bloodlines mattered. For Severina and her family, who were also avatars and therefore naturally had a low birth rate, making sure that their bloodline stayed mostly Seraphim was probably important to them. That didn’t necessarily mean that her family didn’t interbreed or branch out. After all, pairing up with other avatar species to make more of one or the other had to be a known thing already. She doubted that Severina’s family was ignorant of the fact. That supposition brought an obvious question to Jadis’ mind.
“Well, if your family has such a long history, what have they done about situations like this in the past?”
“It hasn’t come up much,” Severina admitted. “Though I did find some precedent in the family records. In one case, the head of the house was married to a Lares.”
“A Lares!?” Jadis exclaimed, not quite believing her ears. “Really?”
“Yes, really,” Severina frowned at the interruption. “Naturally, he wasn’t able to consummate a physical relationship with his Lares wife, so instead he contracted with another Seraphim of an unrelated family and had a child with her. She signed over all right of parentage and was otherwise uninvolved.”
Jadis scowled at the last part, but let Severina continue.
“The other case I found involved a former head of the house who had married a Valbjorn. They had four children, two of them Seraphim and the other two Valbjorn. In that case, the two Valbjorn children remained outside of the direct succession but were otherwise still regarded as part of the family and maintained the right of succession should the other two Seraphim offspring fail to have heirs before they died.”
“That sounds… reasonable, I guess,” Jadis allowed, though she still wasn’t wholly convinced of the necessity of having the head of the house be a Seraphim. “So, with those past examples in mind, what are you thinking for us?”
“I suggest that we have more than one child,” Severina managed to say with a completely straight face. “One Nephilim, and one Seraphim. Regardless of which comes first, the Seraphim child will be the primary inheritor of my title. However, our Nephilim child will still maintain right of succession should some misfortune come to pass. That said, despite your position as the sire of my offspring, you would not be in line to inherit. My house would remain separate from yours.”
“Okay,” Jadis nodded after a long pause to consider what Severina was proposing. “What if it takes more than two tries? I mean, our first two kids could both be Nephilim, right? Or the other way around.”
“Then we keep trying,” Severina said, though this time the color rose in her cheeks. “For as many years as it may take.”
“What if we end up with a hybrid child? How would they fit in?”
“I would consider a Cherubim as no different from a Nephilim in that case, at least in terms of succession.”
“Cherubim?” Jadis perked up at the term. “Is that what a Seraphim and Nephilim mix is called?”
“Yes,” Severina confirmed. “I only recently found the reference myself. Apparently, there were not many, and most died out around the same time that the Nephilim did.”
“Huh,” Jadis mulled over the name. “Cherubim.”
“Question,” Dys spoke up, momentarily breaking the trio chorus. “What exactly is your title? Your family rank, I mean. I don’t think you ever said.”
“I do not yet hold the title, but my parents are margraves. They hold the same rank and title as Eir’s family, actually, though my family’s territory is far to the northeast.”
“Gotcha, thanks,” Dys nodded before settling back into perfect sync with the rest of Jadis’ selves.
“So, in the interest of being completely open with you, I don’t really understand why you and your family care about having a Seraphim as the head of the house. Since you can breed with other avatars and end up with more Seraphim, does it really matter if you keep your bloodline pure?”
Severina blinked, her expression momentarily confused, before her lips pulled down in a slight frown.
“It’s not about maintaining a pure bloodline,” she shook her head. “It’s about making sure that the head of our family has a direct connection to Valtar. If the head were to be a Nephilim, they would be led by Lyssandria’s guidance and not the All Father’s. Our family has always served Valtar first and foremost. Therefore, to make certain that we are following His will, we have always made sure that our leader is a Seraphim.”
“Oh,” Jadis shut her mouths with an audible click of her teeth. After a moment or two, she nodded. “That makes a lot more sense.”
“Those who are not in direct inheritance of the family title have often paired off with other races,” Severina clarified. “If I had a sibling, there wouldn’t be an issue at all. But I am an only child and I am not giving up the line of inheritance to my cousins unless absolutely necessary. While they are good people, they do not have the qualities of leadership necessary for the role.”
“Alright. Fair enough,” Jadis acknowledged. “In that case, I have no objection to your proposal. So long as we are both directly involved in the upbringing of any children we might have, then I’m fine with handling any succession rights the way you have outlined.”
“Thank you,” Severina nodded with a small breath of relief. “I appreciate your consideration to the… difficulties my position entails. And of course I would want you to be involved in the raising of our child, Seraphim or Nephilim. I have seen the way you are around… everyone else. I think you will be a wonderful parent. At least, a far better one than I picture myself being.”
“Don’t sell yourself short,” Jadis said as all of her selves sat upright. “No one who cares as much as you do about the safety of others is going to be a bad parent.”
“Thank you,” Severina looked away, her rosy blush spreading.
“Now, I have my own question about all of this I need some clarification on,” Jadis continued.
“Yes?”
“Why do you need to make sure that you have a Seraphim baby with me? I mean, ultimately, would it really matter? Let’s say that we do have sex and you get pregnant, and the child we have is a Nephilim on the first try. After that, you could just get married to whoever else down the line and secure your lineage that way, right? You don’t have to be tied to just me.”
Severina was silent for a long while, her cheeks only glowing redder as she failed to meet Jadis’ gaze.
“I was hoping you wouldn’t think of that question.”
“Okay,” Jadis grinned as she leaned forward. “Toss that one away for now. Let me ask a different question, instead. Are you attracted to me?”
Severina looked up, then quickly looked away.
“Does that matter?”
“To me, yes,” Jadis stated firmly. “I’m not interested in having a child with anyone who isn’t as attracted to me as I am to them. Every other consideration can be stuffed up Runar’s hairy ass, so far as I’m concerned. Are you, Severina, attracted to me?”
“…yes.”
Jadis grinned even more broadly at the paladin’s quiet reply.
“I am very happy to hear that. And since I know you need to hear it too, I’m very much attracted to you.”
“Yes, I gathered that,” Severina replied with a scowl that did nothing to hide her blush. “You’ve made your interest in me abundantly clear.”
“It still needs to be said,” Jadis insisted. “You’re as beautiful as a winter’s dawn, but that’s not the only reason I’m attracted to you. I like how you’re a powerful and deadly warrior. I like how you take command of every situation. I really admire how you put the safety of everyone else before yourself, though I also admit that trait makes me worry about you, too. I’m not just attracted to you. I’m interested in you, Sev. I want to know you better. I want to have a relationship with you.”
“I’m interested in you, as well,” Severina spoke softly, her strange eyes finally meeting Jadis’ gaze.
“I really love hearing you say that,” Jadis said quietly back to the Seraphim. “Would it be alright if I kissed you?”
“Yes…” Severina said breathily.
As Jadis leaned forward, Severina held up her hand to stop her.
“Just one of you, please. I don’t think I can handle more than that.”
“Are you sure?” Jadis grinned cheekily. “I’ve been given rave reviews from others who have enjoyed the experience.”
When Severina gave her a flat stare, Jadis laughed and had her Jay and Syd selves lean back so that only Dys who was in the middle was leaning forward.
“Better?”
“Yes,” Severina nodded.
Then, to Jadis’ surprise, the Seraphim boldly leaned forward and captured Dys’ lips with her own.
The kiss was firm yet softened by the plushness of Severina’s lips. Dys’ senses were practically overwhelmed by the strawberry scent of the Seraphim as she pressed herself closer, one hand going to her waist and the other to her shoulder. Severina’s lone hand slipped up Dys’ neck, her long and strong fingers wrapping into her hair. Surprising Jadis once more, it was the angel who deepened the kiss by gently caressing her lips with her tongue.
Jadis eagerly allowed the Seraphim entrance, welcoming the sweet-smelling woman into her. Severina’s tongue was hesitant as she explored Dys’ mouth, her inexperience evident but her actions nonetheless enough to make Jadis’ heat rise with nearly dizzying speed. Pushing her own tongue forward, Jadis got a taste of Severina. Her moan of pleasure was echoed by the Seraphim in the next instant.
When Severina pulled back of her own accord, Dys reluctantly let her do so, though not without a parting lick that left a wet trail across the angel’s lips.
“Want to get started on bearing my children right away?” Dys asked, her chest heaving with excitement.
“I’m considering it.”
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