Page 28 of To Free a Soul (Duskwalker Beginnings #2)

She squealed when Orpheus tackled her to the ground, hugging her to protect her from the fall. He began to lick at her neck and jawline.

“I want reward,” he demanded, the bulge of his covered tail wagging again.

“Ugh! Don’t lick me, Orpheus! I told you how much I don’t like that,” Katerina complained, pushing at his wolf skull.

He clamped his bony jaw shut and proceeded to nuzzle her instead. “Better?”

A small, albeit silent, laugh escaped Lindiwe as her heart filled with tenderness. This is nice. She’s accepting his affection.

She wasn’t shoving him away, even when her dress was accidentally pushed up her legs, baring them. When he tightened himself around her, partially blocking Lindiwe’s view of the centre of their cuddle, there was no complaint or annoyance.

This is what she wanted to see. What she’d been hoping for.

That he’d been accepted, even as he nuzzled her with woofish huffs and rubbed himself against her entire body like he couldn’t wait to embrace all of her.

Even when his clothing sank beneath his body and he shifted into his more monstrous form, which Lindiwe figured was for comfort, neither his fur nor protruding bones were rejected.

Why didn’t Weldir tell me that things were going this well between them? Lindiwe only visited these two on the odd occasion, mostly to check on the garden and get a peek before moving on, as she wasn’t able to interact with them like her other children.

The whole idea of rewarding him for tasks felt like an odd thing, like giving a pet a treat, but if it made them both happy, who was Lindiwe to complain?

“N-not outside, Orpheus,” Katerina mumbled against his fur. “And you know I prefer that you don’t turn into this form.”

Suddenly confused, Lindiwe turned so she could cross to a different branch to see what was actually happening, as she could only really see Orpheus’ rump.

She peeked at them when a pale leg lifted into the air, but she mostly watched her footing until she found a spot that would offer a better view.

There was a grunt and a snorting huff, but little else was said. His orbs flickered between bright yellow and... purple? Lindiwe tilted her head in thought. I’ve never seen their orbs turn that colour before.

Then Lindiwe tried to make sense of what she saw, or where the emotion could have come from. It looked innocent enough – just a hug.

That was until Orpheus backed up enough to make room between them to grab something low, while Katerina’s dress was far, far too high and settled around her navel.

Something long, hard, thick, and fucking squirming caught her eye, and Lindiwe gasped and stepped back... and off the branch she’d been perched on.

She fell out of the tree.

Her back hit the ground with a painful thwack as one of her wings almost made her screech when she landed on the thin bones wrong. Wiggling side to side on her back with her talons in the air, she struggled to get to her feet, finally managing it just as she heard the clash of a groan and a moan.

She lifted her head above the bush she’d fallen behind, but once more regretted looking in their direction and nearly fell back again with a screech.

She hopped away as fast as her bird legs could carry her before she thought better of it and shifted into a human. Lindiwe bolted through the Veil’s forest until she could no longer hear anything unseemly.

It was only when her toes caught on an unnoticed arching root and tripped her that she stopped running, her knees scraping against the dirt.

My eyes! her mind screamed as she scratched at her face. They’ve been sullied!

Her following cry was an echo of the horror that twisted her stomach.

“What’s wrong?” Weldir asked, as if nothing indecent was happening.

“He has a penis!” she yelled, uncaring for one minute that she was on the Veil’s forest floor, about to hyperventilate.

“Well, yes. He is a male, after all.”

Her eyes widened, her horrified expression wasted on the empty forest, when really she wanted to cast it upon him. “You knew ? How?!”

“It’s evident in their souls. All our offspring have genitalia that’s hidden away. Have you never noticed their slits?”

“Why would I have noticed that?!”

Not once had Lindiwe thought to go looking at their privates! Between their thighs was smooth, or so she’d thought... Well, she’d assumed they couldn’t reproduce!

“Lindiwe... I don’t understand why this would bother you. Humans have penises.”

“Yes, but I saw his penis!” And it had been hard! She’d seen him inserting it!

No mother should see that!

And why... is it... purple? And why did it look like it had tentacles around it?!

Heat bled from her face and her jaw fell. “Did you know they’d been doing that?”

“Sex? No. You know I’m unable to penetrate his ward with my mana.

This appears to be a new development regardless,” Weldir answered, and relief shot through her that he hadn’t withheld that information about their intimacy.

Although... the word penetrate made her throat swell with repulsion.

“Isn’t this what you wanted? For them to have a relationship? ”

Lindiwe’s lips pulled back into a cringe, yet she sucked in a calming breath and then heavily released it.

“Sure. I want them to enjoy each other’s company, but this wasn’t something I was expecting, and I definitely don’t want to see it, Weldir.”

On her knees, she covered her eyes and shook her head, only to start scrubbing her face as if that would help her remove what she saw from her memories.

At least I can be at ease that it’s consensual. Because had it not been... well, Lindiwe would have immediately stepped in, packed Katerina’s bags for her, and dropped her off at the nearest town. She would have intervened, because no woman should have to suffer that kind of torment.

Oh god, was sex the fucking reward?! Lindiwe scrubbed at her face harder, now believing her ears were tainted with that knowledge.

Something else crossed her mind. She started to rise to her feet so she could go back there and stop them.

“Oh no. What if she gets pregnant?”

Lindiwe didn’t quite see her being the most loving mother, especially to a monstrous child. Let alone all the struggles that would come from it, just as she had experienced.

“You needn’t worry about that. Katerina is infertile.”

Lindiwe mentally threw her hands up because how the fuck did he know that?

She figured it had something to do with her soul, but Lindiwe didn’t care.

All she registered was that she didn’t need to worry about it, and she fell back to her knees to pray to whatever gods – not Weldir – had the forethought to protect them from that outcome.

I can’t come back here. Weldir was going to have to keep an eye on them because she absolutely never wanted to see that again.

I’ll make sure the garden is healthy when I can, but Weldir will need to watch over them from now on.

He didn’t seem to be bothered at all by witnessing that, so he could deal with it!

Then something horrible entered her mind, and this time, bile rose in her throat.

Oh god. My children can have sex.

I have to make them all boys. She peeked at the forest through the gaps of her fingers with stupefied, dazed eyes, as realisation settled over her like a crushing weight.

Their humanity is too low when they’re first born.

What if they try to have sex with a female of their own kind without understanding they’re related?

Oh my fucking god.

Gross!