Chapter 4: Demon’s House

Iro forced himself to meet the gaze of the voluptuous woman who had him pinned against the wall. Her eyes glowed with a lustful intensity.

A sweet, alluring scent filled his nostrils. He figured it must be her perfume.

“Cerys, you didn’t mention they were here already. I thought they were arriving tomorrow. I would have been more ~ready~ for them…”

Her voice was smooth and seductive, filling the room and sending shivers down Iro’s spine. It was strange how her voice could be so deep yet so light and enticing.

He found himself wanting to snuggle up to her. To his surprise, his arms moved on their own accord, wrapping around her waist.

She let out a small sound of surprise and curiosity as his hands found the small of her back, his fingers brushing against the stump of a slender, scaled tail.

“Oh? He’s a hugger too,” she murmured, her voice cool and soft.

Iro felt her left hand move to the back of his head, her thumb gently stroking the inside of his pointed ear. The sensation made his tail wag between his legs as he remained pressed against the wall.

“Soft as well. ~Where~ did you find this one, Cerys?”

The centaur moved a bit closer, maintaining a respectful distance that Iro interpreted as experienced.

“On the internet, surprisingly. He applied, I did some research, and I thought he’d be perfect for you, Master Zeltaria.”

Zeltaria’s right hand left the wall and traced a clawed finger down Iro’s uniform to the small opening at his chest, pulling it open to reveal more of his white fur.

“Nothing going on up top, but he is ~so sweet~.”

With her left hand, Zeltaria pulled Iro’s face into her chest and turned away from the wall. Her significant height and strength made it easy for her to spin him around to face Cerys.

“When were you planning to tell me you found such a cutie? Does he play nice? Does he fetch?”

Iro’s mind went blank as he inhaled her perfume and his face was buried in the tall demon woman’s cleavage. She continued to play with his ear while her right hand wandered down to stroke the base of his tail.

The tail that he couldn’t stop from wagging.

“You only got back today, Zel. I couldn’t have told you any sooner,” Cerys replied, her tone weary.

“Cast a spell. Use a cell phone. It’s the ~modern age~, Cerys!”

“You never answer your phone ~and~ the House forbids communication spells during sessions.”

Zeltaria fell silent for a moment before giving Iro a gentle push and walking towards the table. Iro’s senses were still reeling. “~Still~.”

Iro watched her walk away, finally getting a good look at her from a distance.

Her suit was similar to human styles. He’d seen many women wearing something like it during his time in the United States.

The difference was her skirt, which ended just above the knee and had a hole for her long, slender tail. Iro knew from experience that it was scaled like a lizard’s tail, with a spade at the tip.

Her legs were a deeper shade of red than her face, but upon closer inspection, Iro realized it was due to stockings, not her skin color. Her height was accentuated by a pair of cloven hooves instead of human-like feet.

Iro couldn’t understand how he hadn’t heard her approach him earlier.

As she sat down at the head of the table, Iro got another look at her sharp facial features, highlighted by the crown of horns on her head and a pair of long, outward-pointing ears on each side.

Two curved, sturdy horns curled around those ears, replacing what would have been hair and curving back along her skull. Smaller scale-like features crested her hairline.

She looked both fierce and seductive. Iro realized that while he was staring at her, she was staring back at him.

Before he could react, he felt a hard shove and stumbled towards the table. He spun around to see Mika, the feline, right behind him. “Dinner doesn’t start until everyone sits. Sit, pooch.”

Mika gracefully jumped over the table, despite being half-drunk, earning a scolding from Cerys. She took her seat at the table, leaving Iro to take the only remaining spot, right next to Zeltaria.

Swallowing nervously, he slid into his seat, adjusted his skirt for comfort, and tried to avoid making eye contact with Zeltaria. It wasn’t easy, as she seemed to be ~constantly~ staring at him.

Iro tried to distract himself with the array of food on the table, noticing that the others were doing the same.

“Cerys? The news, please,” Zeltaria’s cool voice rang out, accented in a way Iro couldn’t place. She was truly unique. She leaned forward and began to eat as she waited for Cerys’s report.

“The House is in order, Master. We have a new servant, as you’ve met. Mika broke into the satyr brew again—”

“It was already open!” Mika protested, her mouth full of food.

“And will need ~discipline~. And Airy remains diligent but clumsy as ever. Skalla is expected to return tomorrow, though circumstances may delay her.”

Zeltaria nodded and gestured with her fork. “No offense, Cerys, but I do prefer Skalla’s cooking.”

Cerys’s ears flicked. “I’ve heard that before, Master. You’ll have to make do.”

Zeltaria chuckled and resumed eating, glancing at the other occupants of the table. “Holly? Aranya? Would you kindly introduce yourselves to our new friend?”

Iro looked between the two newcomers sitting across from him, the half-spider woman and the unusual human-like girl. Both nodded, though only the human girl smiled.

“Hi there! I’m Holly. I handle most of the security and bodyguard duties for Zel!” Holly half-rose from her chair, leaning across the table to extend a hand to Iro. He took it, albeit hesitantly.

“Nice to meet you!” She settled back into her seat, glancing at her now empty wrist, then back at a horrified Iro, who was left holding her detached hand.

“Oh! Darn!” She reached across the table with her remaining hand, reclaiming the lost appendage. “Sorry about that, I tend to fall apart around new people!” The table erupted in laughter, except for Iro. “I’m a zombie, you see? Dead, but still going strong!”

Iro managed a weak nod, still feeling a bit sick. The other girl, the half-spider, gave a delicate wave as Holly busied herself with reattaching her hand.

She stayed seated, her legs folded beneath her, but her eight red eyes, arranged in two vertical columns of four, were fixed on Iro.

“I-I’m Aranya. I handle the uniform upkeep, creation, and laundry.” She glanced pointedly at Iro’s upper body. “I’ll need to adjust that one if you’re planning on keeping it. It doesn’t quite fit you.”

Cerys chimed in, “Yes, Ara, he’ll need a full set. You know the routine.”

Aranya nodded, her hands forming a steeple in front of her mouth and the bottom four eyes, hiding a blush. “I-I’m running a bit low on silk at the moment…Zel’s been…”

“~Busy~. Whenever you can, sweetheart. We all know you do your best,” Zeltaria interjected. She shot Iro a grin and a smirk, leaving him looking bewildered. “Welcome to the house, little pup. I think you’ll fit right in.”