While the nightlife of Fillydelphia wasn’t as active as the other Equestrian coastal cities, it wasn’t boring by any means. Even after the sun had finally set, the beach scenes were still full of light and life, occasionally letting loose a colorful array of exploding fireworks that lit the velvet sky. Behind that were bar scenes, the usual haunt for the Independents and my gatherers.

Embarr Corner was beyond that, a little closer to the heart of the city. It was quieter, much less distracting—something I felt was necessary with my first date with Shaun. I wanted his whole attention on me. Plus, the area had fewer ponies roaming around, which would force Silverfly to really try and blend in.

Speaking of Silverfly, I spotted her ten minutes after I arrived in front of the restaurant. After she had taken the bits I offered her, I told her the address and left her on her own. Right now, she was a nondescript unicorn sitting on a public bench, reading today’s paper. It was a good disguise too, until she gave herself away when she looked in my direction once too often.

I would point that out to her later. For now, though, I paid her no mind as I stood patiently beneath a street lamp. My eyes roamed around, looking for a lone human walking my way. It was a few minutes later that I spotted one crossing two blocks away.

Shaun was looking a little confused. He was reading from a little roll of parchment he held in his left hand. It was probably the one I gave him this morning, the address of Embarr Corner. After crossing a street, he stared at the next corner post, reading the street names. That was when he was near enough to spot the restaurant’s name board.

I raised my right foreleg, waving to get his attention. He must have seen me because he waved back. Crossing the final street, he smiled at me before looking at Embarr Corner, whistling. “Wow. That looks a little fancy. Am I underdressed?”

I looked at him, from head to foot. He wore a dark green shirt, which matched with his eyes, as well as brown trousers and some type of brown strapped footwear. And as with any of his shirts I’d seen him wear, his current one sported a few… well, words. Maybe it was a human thing, but what did Ooga-Chaka Ooga-Ooga Ooga-Chaka mean?

“They’re from a song,” Shaun said, which brought a smile to my face.

“Are you reading my mind, Shaun?” I asked.

“Well, it’s particularly telling when your eyes are on my chest,” he replied, now smiling as well. “Now, if I were female, I could probably think of another reason, but so far, it’s pretty damn obvious.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’ll take your word for it. As for your question, if you haven’t noticed, we ponies don’t dress much. So, technically, you’re overdressed. But if you want to correct that slight”—I winked at him—“you could just remove your clothes.”

Shaun just rolled his eyes, though his smile never left his face. “Not that enthused to face the elements, to be honest. Though if you bring me somewhere nice, warm, and private, we can renegotiate the undressing.”

That got me giggling. “We’ll work that out later,” I replied before putting on a wistful look. “Hey,” I added.

“Yes?”

“You know, you can cancel if you want,” I replied. When Shaun looked at me, confused, I clarified, “I was a little forceful in getting a date with you. If you’re uncomfortable…”

He looked at me with amusement. “Giving me the option to turn away while putting yourself in a better light, thus making me more malleable in your hooves, Lumi? Very subtle.”

I hit him with my hoof right in his side, making him jerk away and laugh. “Stop that, I’m serious,” I said.

He waved me off. “Okay, okay… If you’re going to be frank, then let me assure you that I’m fine with the date, Lumi. Completely, one-hundred percent okay.” He smiled. “After all, how am I supposed to gather information on you if we only interact for ten, maximum fifteen, minutes a day?”

I raised an eyebrow. “Am I that interesting, Mr. Bradley?” Shaun’s growing smile was his only reply. I rolled my eyes. “Since we’re being candid, then do know that I am planning to lock you in a room and not let you out until tomorrow.”

“Ah, you probably should not have said that,” he said.

“And why is that?” I asked.

He winked. “Because it will only make the undressing negotiations much harder.”

I gave him a sultry smile. “Don’t underestimate me, Mr. Bradley.”

“Perish the thought,” he replied jovially. He offered his hand. “Shall we, milady?”

As I placed my hoof on his hand, he went to one knee and gently kissed it. I felt my cheeks warm up as the slight contact once more immersed me in the taste and scent of coffee. Heat then began to spread all over my foreleg as his emotions, happiness, lust, and excitement stirred up my hunger. His very essence seemed to call out my baser emotions. I had to take a deep breath to relax.

“You keep doing things like that, there won’t be any negotiations,” I warned.

“That sounds like it’ll be fun,” Shaun replied easily as he released my hoof and stood up. We both turned to enter Embarr Corner, and he gave a low whistle. “Wow. This place looks good.”

Wasn’t that the truth. Though as a changeling that followed the old ways, I preferred the kitchens—the place where a well-prepared diet could be made to maximize the energy obtained in feeding—the front of Wasp’s business was something I could still appreciate. The place was bathed in warm yellow light, which meshed well with artful zebra-designed carpets and khaki-colored brick walls. Square tables were spread around in three rows, spaced far enough apart that they allowed servers, waiters, and hosts to move around comfortably with guests. Music played softly in mellow tones that seemed to combine with the lazy chatter in the air.

After telling my name to our host, we were directed towards the far end of the room. Shaun seemed a little confused at first, especially when our host revealed a private room that was slightly more sophisticated than the scene we had just passed. Instead of brick walls, the room had glossy wooden finish. The table in the center was circular, complete with sets of silverware, glass goblets, and ceramic plates. At a side, there was an ice bucket containing a bottle of hard cider.

“Wow,” Shaun whispered after the host finally had us seated. He looked around once more. “This is… wow.”

“I hope the room is to your liking,” our host, a personable unicorn stallion, said as he popped the cork of the cider bottle.

“It is,” I replied. As he poured the drinks in our goblets, I added, “Thank you.”

“Your dinner should be served in five minutes,” our host said. With a bow, he quietly exited the room. I looked at Shaun, who seemed to be staring at me with a curious expression.

“What is it?” I asked.

“A private room?” He shook his head. “Should I be worried?”

“I’m sure you can survive five minutes alone with me,” I replied teasingly, which got a chuckle out of him.

“Still, Lumi, this is amazing,” Shaun said. “I mean, to get a reservation for a room like this must have been expensive.”

I gave him a small smile. “Actually, cheaper than you might think,” I replied. “I know the owner. She owes me a few favors, and I called one up. Besides, I thought you’d appreciate it more once the food comes.”

Shaun didn’t ask what I meant, though he looked like he wanted to. Instead, we spent the next few minutes drinking the the cider and by the time the server arrived with a large floating, covered tray, Shaun had drunk two-and-a-half glasses. Judging by his hungry expression, the metaboliser started doing its work.

The server asked to be excused for not opening the tray. I didn’t mind. Not a lot of ponies were comfortable with meat, cooked or not. Waiting for her to close the door, I used my magic to lift the cover off the tray, finally allowing the sweet scent of the food waft through the room.

Shaun blinked, his eyes widening at the selection of different types of pork cuts, all cooked in different ways. I gotta hand it to Wasp, she knows how to prepare them. Shaun looked at me for a moment, confused. I just motioned him to dig in. With his new-found hunger seemingly stopping whatever question he had in mind, he grabbed a plate and some human eating utensils, and began to sample everything.

I settled for eating a few hay fries and vegetable sandwiches, enjoying the sight of him feeding, feeling a little happy that he was enjoying himself. His emotions were coming out sweet and warm as the minutes flew by. The metaboliser was definitely working its magic as he began to eat an uncharacteristically large amount. It didn’t keep up forever, though, and after a good long moment, he began to slow down.

“Okay, you are awesome,” Shaun said after swallowing. “Just saying. I don’t know how many ponies would actually stay in the same room with someone eating meat and all.”

I waved him off. “I got used to it. Dated a griffin once.”

“Well, that explains a few things,” Shaun replied. He began slicing his meat into bite-sized pieces. “You must live an exciting life, Lumi. You've dated a griffin, are friends a trendy restaurant owner, and date famous authors.”

“Really? Famous authors? Like who?”

Shaun grinned. “Ouch, Lumi. That hurts,” and he pointed towards his chest, “right here.”

I laughed. “Right. I’m sure you can heal your broken heart with your fans and many conquests,” I replied.

“Conquests? I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean.”

“Don’t you? How about Index?”

Shaun blinked. “Index, as in my agent, Index?”

“Yes, Index,” I said with a sage nod. “She seems quite friendly with you.”

“I owe her a lot,” Shaun replied, a little solemnly. “Maybe if she wasn’t my agent, and she had asked, I might have taken her offer.”

I poked him playfully with my hoof. “Is that some sort of vendetta against agents?”

“Just speaking from experience.” When I gave him a curious look, he added, “I dated my agent once, back on Earth.” He shook his head. “Yeah. Unmitigated disaster, that one.”

Well, that cleared that up. “Okay then. How about Five Stars?”

Shaun gave a small, reminiscing smile. “She was my first pony.”

“She must have been very good if you mistook me for her,” I teased.

“Well, you two look so much alike,” Shaun said. “Stupefied me, swear to God. I actually still think you are related to her in some way.” He gave me an appraising look. “Are you?”

“Yes, Shaun, I’m Five Star’s unknown sister, who was sent here to convince you to marry both of us, so we can live happily ever after, and have many cute foals by exhausting you each and every night.”

His eyebrows rose. “I’m impressed you actually said that in one breath.”

“Practise,” I replied simply. “In all seriousness, though, I don’t recall anyone in my family with the name Five Stars. Speaking of which, how about you?”

“I too don’t have anyone in my family named Five Stars,” he replied.

I gently slapped his arm, smiling. “I mean do you have any family, brothers, sisters?”

When the words left my mouth, I knew I asked something wrong because the warmth around him seemed to retreat back into him, making me involuntarily shiver.

“Yeah… family,” Shaun began, voice a little weary. His face was now devoid of the smile that had been there since the start of the conversation. It came back after a second later, though. “Well, I don’t know who my parents were. I do have an older brother, though. He’s… well, let’s just say he’s a career man working for a government-run company that deals in exports.”

There was a weird turn in his emotions, but it was too quick for me to pin it down. “Bad blood?” I guessed.

“Not really bad blood, honestly,” he replied. “We just view the world differently. And it doesn’t help that he’s constantly busy. You can imagine the Christmas Dinners—sorry, Hearth’s Warming Eve dinners—when he actually has the off-time. However, he did help me during my start as a writer, and I owe him for that.”

Warmth began to ebb out of him once more, and I felt that changing the subject to a lighter note was the best move. Wondering for a moment on what opening to use, I let Shaun eat a little bit more before saying, “So, seriously, you’re not a ‘new mare in every city’ kind of guy?”

Shaun shook his head, smile once more back in his face. “Nope. I’ve only been in two Equestrian cities.”

I rolled my eyes. “You know what I mean.”

He laughed. “While I would love to meet willing and able single ladies—and mares,” he amended, “my job doesn’t allow me to fool around too much.”

“But you do travel a lot,” I countered.

“True, but it has to do with timing,” Shaun replied. “I always have to get to the next city soon afterwards, and I don’t like to mix my professional life with my personal one.”

“Because of the unmitigated disaster?” I asked.

He just nodded, chuckling. “How come I heard those two words in italics?”

“What’s italics?”

“It’s a human writing format,” Shaun replied, chuckling even louder. When he placed more meat on his plate, he shook his head. “Wow. I must have been really famished to be eating this much.”

“Just make sure you have room for dessert,” I said.

“Dessert? Really? What’s for dessert?”

I smiled at him, seductively, while giving him a little shot of my growing lust. I was pretty sure he got the picture.

I kept close physical contact with him as we exited the restaurant. The booster did its job, and I enjoyed the steady outflow of his emotions—sweet, hot, salty, and with a slight bitter tinge. That last part had me wondering why he would feel disgust, especially when it was directed mostly inward, but I latched on, tasting his mix of emotions. He was primed and ready, just like me. It was time to seal the deal.

“Are you sure my house would be better?” he asked as we crossed the first street.

“Hmm-hmm,” I nodded. “My house is a mess right now. I spilled some flour on my kitchen counter, and I don’t think I have cleaned it up yet. Plus my room is also my workroom, and I haven’t organized that for months.”

I felt his hesitation for a moment, but that quickly muted as he nodded, leading me towards his house. I took that moment to scan the area, looking for anything off, and found somepony following our steps. He was a brown stallion earth pony with dark hair, his eyes looking at us intently until they met my gaze; he quickly looked away.

I mentally rolled my eyes, noting this for my next lecture with Silverfly.

Unsurprisingly, Shaun’s apartment was located in an area populated by the more well-to-do citizens of Fillydelphia, with streetlamps brightly lighting up the area and sidewalks lined with trees. The building itself was unassuming, light-beige with brown accents on its corners. We took a lift to the top floor, and once he got the lights to his apartment turned on, he invited me in. I whistled.

“Nice place,” I commented. And it was. The doorway revealed a small receiving chamber, and to the right was a large living room area that seemed bigger than my whole apartment.

“Thanks,” Shaun replied with a smile. “I have something to admit.”

I raised my eyebrow. “What?”

“My room’s a bit of a mess too. I’ll just clear out a few things.”

“Now you have me curious about your messy room,” I replied.

This time, he rolled his eyes. “Make yourself at home.”

Shaun went straight through the living room area, through another door, and closed it behind him. I was half-tempted to chase after him, but opted to look around. Stealing a glance to my left revealed a small corridor that led to the kitchen. I reminded myself to take a look at that later, and made my way to the living room, to try and get the feel of the place.

There was a collection of couches circling a rectangular coffee table, a dinner table with a lot of seating pads. All of the furniture looked well made and high in quality, which meant money. The area was also clean. Too clean, if I had to be critical. It was as if no one had been using the room for anything, at all.

Something caught my eye as I looked farther in the room. There was a small area seemingly cordoned off from the rest of the living room; its entrance was the small space between two bookshelves made into two sections of walls. Walking through the opening, I was amazed to find a small, intimate study. There was a beautiful tall desk made of polished mahogany, the design of which was like nothing I’ve seen ponies make. On top of that was a silver rectangular metallic box with a glowing white apple in its center, and the books Shaun had bought from Keeper’s Tomes. On the floor was a well worn carpet, with some open books scattered atop of it.

One of the walls had an odd black glass seemingly attached on it. Around that was a layer of cork, with small pieces of paper pinned to it. Curious, I approached the black glass and touched it, only for it to suddenly brighten. That had me yelping for a microsecond before I composed myself.

Whatever it was, it looked like an investigative board. On top was a straight line with slanted perpendicular branches on top, each of them having some box of text above each one. Below that, there were four columns of more text. If I read them correctly, they were labeled Victim, Suspect, Items of Interest, and Witnesses. Each column had drawings of either pony, human, or jewels.

Below that was another column, central to the four, labeled simply as Characters. My hoof hovered over a male human with short, wiry hair. Tapping on it, everything on the glass changed, putting the picture of the human (now labeled with a name: James Keel) at the center, and surrounded by more pony pictures, as well as a new line below him.

I felt Shaun before he even spoke, which probably saved me from yelping or jumping up embarrassingly.

“Well,” he began. I turned my head to look at him. He was smiling. “I did tell you to make yourself at home. Enjoying yourself?”

“This room is amazing,” I admitted, then looked around the room once more. “And this glass… it responded to my touch!”

“One of the biggest touchscreens I could afford and bring here,” Shaun replied, pride in his tone. “Don’t ask me how it works, though. I’m a little stupid with inner workings of technology. I just know enough to use it.”

I nodded. “This room… this is where you work, right? I mean, the living room seemed too impersonal. Here, though…”

“My playground,” Shaun replied. “Well, more like workroom. You should have seen me a month ago. I was behind schedule, so I just got stuck here everyday trying to meet the deadline. First time I went out to actually enjoy Fillydelphia was when I finally submitted my draft.”

“That’s when we first met, right?” I asked.

“Nope, we met three days after.” He smiled. “I see you’re trying to spoil my story for yourself.”

“This is for Allure?”

“Actually, its for my third book, Provocateur,” Shaun answered. “So, unless you get more context, you won’t understand anything useful.”

“It looks professionally done,” I commented.

“I hope so,” he said with a smile. “I was taught how to make them from a retired investigator. I started making them for my previous books, and ever since then I’ve found it very useful in keeping track of everything.”

“Someone with a passion for their work,” I said, smiling as I approached. I gave his hand a tentative lick. “Very alluring.”

He looked at me for a moment, somewhat forlorn and conflicted. His emotions, which had been nearly constant, took a more bitter tinge. That got me frowning.

“Is something wrong?” I asked.

“It’s…” he paused.

“Was it me?” I guessed. “Something I did or said?”

After a tense moment, Shaun finally asked, “Are you sure you want this, Lumi?”

“Yes,” I replied almost immediately. “Why do you ask, Shaun? Am I giving you an impression that I don’t want this?”

Shaun moved his hand, pushing his hair up his forehead, all the way until his hand reached the nape of his neck. “No. It’s just… remember earlier that day? When I agreed on the date?” When I nodded, he continued, “Well, and this may sound a bit silly, but I feel like I’m using you. You’ve just come from what sounded like a rather bad situation, and I can’t help wonder if I’m just taking advantage of it. And don’t get me wrong, Lumi, I was telling the truth earlier. I was okay with the date, and I have been enjoying our time, but—”

I didn’t let him finish. Standing on my hind legs, I pinned him with my front ones on the wall and gave him a mild kiss on the lips. My mind began to plan how to save the situation. He was right in a way. I may have overplayed my family difficulties earlier that day when I set up the date, but normally, that wouldn’t have troubled any stallion. For Shaun to feel that badly about it, enough to feel some form of self-disgust was… well, noble.

I decided to use a little honesty on my next move. Looking at him with a gentle smile, I kissed him again on both cheeks, this time letting some of my relief cross over to him.

“You are a kindhearted soul, Shaun,” I replied. Then my smile turned a bit wry. “Naive, but kindhearted.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Naive?”

“If anyone is using anyone, Mr. Bradley, it would be me,” I admitted. I added, softly, “I’m going to file for leave tomorrow. Something has come up, something I can’t quite ignore.”

“Does it have to do with your family emergency?” Shaun asked, just as soft.

“Yes,” I replied. “I don’t know how long I’ll be gone. Maybe that’s why I seemed to be moving a little quick. Maybe even seem desperate to you. I just want this date to be special enough that you won’t forget the floor manager you had met just yesterday.” I gave him a small frown. “So I won’t just be another face in the crowd.”

My reasoning was a little general, a little open to interpretation. And for a good reason.

“That’s why you asked those questions?” Shaun asked gently. “About Index, about my ‘conquests’?”

Yup. Give them a little leeway, they’ll start connecting the dots, whether true or not.

“I’m sorry, Shaun,” I said. “I like you. A lot. And I… I guess I was just really worried with this whole thing coming up, just when we were getting to know each other.”

“Well, we can fix that,” was all he said before he initiated the kiss this time. And it wasn’t a mild one like I gave earlier. This one was passionate, backed with his emotions, making it rather hot and sweet. And wet. I wasn’t actually ready for it, and it took me by surprise, but a pleasant one at that as his energy began to mingle with mine.

My heavy meal and metaboliser investment was paying off. Too bad that the booster was a little mild, but there was something nice about an asset being more controlled, and leading the feeding.

Whatever trepidation Shaun had felt had almost vanished, and he put himself into the kiss, which slowly turned to an embrace. The contact with his fingers, the skin in his arms jolted more energy into me, leaving me a little delirious.

“Oh, wow,” I muttered. I looked at him. “Not angry that I was using you, even a little?”

“Well, you can always make it up to me,” Shaun replied, gently snaking his warm arm around my neck. He gave me another kiss, and this time, I returned it with hunger.

It took a while for us to get to his bedroom since we both kissed and touched each other every ten steps (maybe less as I wasn’t really counting). By the time we were finally inside, I was very reluctant to let him go, the taste of his emotions stirring my hunger in a way that had me breathing shallowly. That seemed to turn Shaun on even more, as the taste of coffee and now hints of chocolate began to permeate through me.

I tried to calm myself by looking around the room. As large as it was, it still followed the basics, with a bed at the center, a large closet on one side, and a desk at another. It also reminded me a bit of his workroom—used, though less messy. Judging by the small pile of clothes in the corner, his little ‘clearing out a few things’ was basically to pile them all in one corner. I didn’t mind though.

It was when I jumped onto the bed that I fell in love. Shaun apparently wasn’t shy about using money for his comforts, and his bed was part of that. I felt like I was lying on a fluff of cloud. For all I knew, I was. Maybe this bed was made in Cloudsdale.

I rolled around on the bed once, twice, before settling in to watch Shaun slowly undress. I gave him a sultry smile, which he returned with almost the same effect. “I told you I’m good with the undressing negotiations,” I commented, which got him laughing.

“I let you win,” he replied.

“Uh-huh,” I said, giggling. As he continued, I took a glance outside the window, and spotted Silverfly on the building across. She waved her leg at me, which almost caused me to face-hoof. Yes, it was dark outside, but that doesn’t mean you should do something to give away your position.

That’s another lesson for her.

Shaun’s fingers rubbed my coat, making me groan softly as more of his energy poured in. I looked at him with a small smile before kissing him on his naked chest, enjoying his smell and taste, both emotionally and physically.

“Should we take it slow?” I teased. “It must have been a while since you got a taste of mare.”

“Let me get re-acquainted, then,” he replied, and with surprising force, pushed me backwards to my bed, exposing my belly to him.

My eyes widened as I saw him smile, shivering as his lips kissed me at the base of my horn, then my snout, and my lips, each place feeling like it was on fire. The lower he went, the more shallow my breath got. The anticipation finally mounted to something unbearable, until I felt his lips on my sex.

Wow. Seriously, wow. Shaun still knew what he was doing, and if I was a more suspicious changeling, I’d have said he had some practise. I was left doing nothing but trying to hold myself steady as I felt electricity spread throughout my lower regions, going up to my spine. His energy flowed readily into me, abundant, delicious, and hot. His throat grunted with pleasure as he tasted me, his lips exploring me slowly. Sensually. Excitingly.

I moaned a little louder as he went faster, pressure inside me wanting to be released. Shaun seemed to be able to read my mood, sometimes slowing down enough to keep it from exploding. When he did that twice, I growled. I didn’t receive a reply, except for his tongue to go faster and faster.

I buckled as I felt the pressure finally release, my hips gyrating on Shaun’s face as he continued to lick, leaving me panting, loudly. Seconds passed, and he finally slowed down, kissing upwards. I felt myself twitch every time his lips touched me, while aware of his length touching my sex. My hips moved automatically, wanting to take him whole.

“You are insatiable, Lumi,” Shaun teased.

I smiled. “Quiet, Mr. Bradley, and get to work.”

“Oh, I intend to,” he replied.

It felt like a few hours before he finally gave me what I wanted. I felt a slight pressure as he entered me before the flood of his emotions and energy came rushing in like a tidal wave. Whatever gratification I derived from skin and lip contact, it was nothing compared to the sheer euphoria of what I felt now.

He moved slowly, rhythmically, and in control. However, I knew the truth. His lust was the strongest, most forefront of his emotions. Heat escaped in waves, almost uncomfortably so, with a blend of citrus, sweetness, and spice. There was still a little bitter tinge, but that was more of an aftertaste as I felt him trying to engulf me with his whole being. He wanted nothing more than to take me, hard and fast, which, deep inside, was something I wanted him to do.

However, he paced himself, enjoying the expression of my face as much as I enjoyed his. We were locked in bliss as we enjoyed the sensations that we gave to each other, his grunting mixing well with my moans. Slowly, he began to build speed, moving his hips faster and faster, until I saw him struggling to keep his composure.

I helped him along, moaning louder now that I also felt myself close once more. That was enough for Shaun as I felt him shiver, thrusting at me with all his strength. I felt his essence mingle with me, filling me to a brim. That set me off as well, my hips doing its final shakes, hungry for more, leaving him to collapse on top of me. I gently hugged him, whispering how good I felt as he gasped and groaned into my coat.

It took him a bit to recover, and even then, he was feeling the strain of the feeding, so I took the lead. I rolled him over and pinned him to the bed, and as he had me at his mercy of his lips and tongue, I did the same. I began to kiss him, his neck, his lips, his chest. I let my tail brush his inner thighs, making sure they didn’t touch his growing length. His breathing began to hitch when I slowly approached it, and began to kiss around it. He moaned slightly, which had me giving him a teasing smile in return.

Then I licked him, slowly, twirling around him, as if I was testing some new ice cream cone flavor. He groaned in pleasure as I continued my ministrations for a few more minutes, enjoying the taste of him and myself, before finally climbing on top of his length and pushing myself downwards.

He grunted as he felt himself embraced by my warmth. His hips were still moving, though no longer with a steady pace and rhythm, but with a sudden hurriedness that had me feeling his energy coming out in odd spurts. My hooves began to grope his torso area as I tried to match his movements, slowly turning the up the speed.

We got louder the faster we moved. I licked his left nipple, circling it with my tongue, and that got a loud reaction from him as he gave his final push, flooding me once more with his essence and a last burst of energy before he finally collapsed beneath me, panting softly.

I smiled, letting myself stay in position for the moment while nuzzling his neck in thanks. I felt for his energy, made sure he wasn’t drained enough to develop any complications, before slipping off of him and moving to his side. I wrapped my forelegs around him in a warm hug.

“Wow,” he whispered. “That was… wow.”

“Definitely a wow for me, too,” I said. I kissed him on the neck, earning a shiver from him.

“I swear, I usually last—” he yawned “—last longer than that.”

“Get some sleep, love.”

“Will I still see you,” he mumbled, “in the morning?”

“Promise.”

He murmured something I couldn’t quite catch before his breathing slowed. It was a few minutes later when he did finally fall asleep. I hugged him a little tighter, wondering what his kitchen looked like—considering the place, he should have a pretty good one—and whether I was going to be able to cook breakfast for him, or if I would have to ask Silverfly to order out.

One thing was sure, though: as far as assets went, Shaun was definitely a keeper.

Author's Notes:

... and this took even longer.

Usual thanks to coandco, shira, Permanent Temporary, Ponyboy245, TownCrier, Jack-Pony, and Denim_Blue. An additional thanks to Southpaw for the final look.

Next few chapters will probably be a bit of fillers. Lumi, now recharged and ready to go, she embarks on the tale of exploring the... Changeling Killers!

Apologies for the delay.