The shadow where Mei had been standing held nothing but the cool night air.

Damon watched it for half a second, his senses stretched thin across the empty street.

He heard no sound of struggle, no cry of alarm.

Just the distant, fading click of a door being bolted somewhere down the lane.

’She will take care of it.’

If there were assassins or spies foolish enough to follow them, they had just chosen the worst possible enemy in the entire capital.

He turned back to the group, his expression relaxed.

"Let’s keep moving," he said, his voice calm. "The Pavilion’s just ahead."

They walked the remaining distance in a comfortable silence, broken only by the soft scuff of their boots on stone.

Ariel kept close to his side, her shoulder brushing his arm.

Mio and Mia walked just behind, their postures alert but not tense, their instincts keeping watch on the back.

Neko, still curled in his arm, lifted her head and sniffed the air once, her silver eyes narrowing, but she settled again with a soft, dismissive chuff.

The Golden Sun Pavilion’s entrance was a spill of warm, golden light onto the darkened street.

The manager, an elderly man with spectacles perched on his nose, looked up from his ledger as they entered.

"Master Damon," he murmured, giving a respectful nod that took in the entire group. "How is your day?"

"Not bad..." Damon answered, his tone neutral.

They crossed the lavish lobby, their footsteps muffled by thick carpets woven with solar motifs.

The lift was a cage of ornate brass and glowing crystal.

As the doors slid shut with a soft hiss, the confined space filled with the scent of perfume, warm skin, and the faint, clean ozone that always clung to Neko.

Lumina stood rigidly in the corner, her gaze fixed on the ascending floor numbers.

When the lift chimed for the fifteenth floor, the doors opened onto the hushed corridor of dark wood and muted gold.

"I will go and rest now." Lumina said abruptly, her voice tight. She gave a curt, almost military bow. "Goodnight."

She turned and walked away, her stride stiff and hurried, disappearing into her own suite without a backward glance.

Damon watched her go, a faint, knowing smile touching his lips. Running.

He led the others to his own door, produced the crystal key, and unlocked it.

The suite beyond was spacious and opulent, all plush furniture and panoramic windows overlooking the glittering, sleeping city.

A low fire crackled in the hearth, casting dancing shadows across the rugs.

The door clicked shut behind them.

And then, without a word, without a signal, clothes began to fall.

Ariel’s fingers went to the belt of her disciple’s robes.

The dark blue fabric slipped from her shoulders, pooling at her feet like water, leaving her standing in just her thin silk undergarments.

She didn’t pause there, her hands moving to the ties at her sides, her vivid blue eyes locked on Damon with a heat that was no longer shy.

Mio grinned, a bright, eager flash of teeth.

She reached back, yanked the tie from her high ponytail, and let her deep purple hair cascade around her shoulders.

Then she grabbed the hem of her own robes and pulled them up and over her head in one smooth motion, tossing the garment carelessly aside.

She stood there, voluptuous and confident, her heavy breasts swaying with the movement.

Mia, always the quieter shadow, simply began to unbutton her robes with precise, deliberate fingers.

Her cheeks were flushed a deep pink, but her deep purple eyes held a determined, hungry gleam.

She let the fabric slide down her arms, then stepped out of the puddle of cloth, her body a perfect, pale mirror of her sister’s.

Neko, still in his arms, wriggled.

A soft pulse of light enveloped her small form, and the weight shifted. T

he tiger cub was gone, replaced by the silver-haired girl with fluffy white ears and a twitching tail.

She was already naked, as she always was after transforming, her child-like frame pressing against his chest.

"Master...." she purred, nuzzling his neck. "I missed your smell."

In the span of ten heartbeats, the room was full of bare skin and waiting eyes.

The firelight played over the curves of Ariel’s petite form, the generous swell of the twins’ hips and breasts, the sleek lines of Neko’s back.

The air grew thick, warm, charged with a silent, collective need.

Damon let his gaze travel over them, taking in the sight—his women, stripped of pretense and fabric, their loyalty and desire laid bare as their bodies.

A slow, possessive smile spread across his face.

"You guys, seems hungry not see me just for a week... let me fill all of you until you all satisfied."

He reached for the clasp of his own robe.

The black robe joined the others on the floor.

Damon stood before them, his golden eyes moving from one to the next, taking in the slight tremble in Ariel’s thighs, the way Mio’s breath hitched, the dark flush spreading down Mia’s chest.

He reached out first for Ariel, his hand curling around the back of her slender neck.

He pulled her in and kissed her, deep and claiming, his other hand sliding down to cup the soft swell of her buttock.

She melted against him with a whimper, her arms locking around his shoulders.

When he broke the kiss, a thin strand of saliva connected their lips for a second before snapping.

He turned his head, his gaze finding Mio.

"Come... You can go first."

Her eyes widened, then glazed with heat.

She didn’t hesitate, stepping forward and sinking to her knees before him on the plush rug.

Her hands were already reaching for him.

From the corner of his eye, Damon saw Mia move.

Not toward him, but toward Ariel.

The shy twin’s fingers traced a tentative line down Ariel’s spine, making her shiver.

A soft, approving rumble built in Damon’s chest.