The blizzard hit us with

  shocking suddenness. One moment we were trudging across the icy plains

  of Glacius, the distant spires of Frostheim just visible on the horizon,

  and the next we were engulfed in a swirling maelstrom of white.

  “This way!” Isabella shouted

  over the howling wind, grabbing Aria’s arm and pointing toward a dark

  opening in a nearby ice formation. “Cave shelter!”

  We barely made it inside before

  the full fury of the storm descended. The entrance to the cave was a

  jagged mouth in the blue-white ice, leading to a surprisingly spacious

  chamber that glittered with crystalline formations. Outside, the

  blizzard raged with unnatural intensity, a solid wall of white obscuring

  everything beyond a few feet.

  “Well, this is just perfect,” Aria huffed, brushing snow from her purple outfit. “So much for our quick trip to Glacius.”

  I moved to the centre of the

  cave and closed my eyes, drawing on the thermal manipulation magic I’d

  been practicing. With a gentle exhale, I released a wave of heat that

  spread throughout the chamber, raising the temperature to a comfortable

  level. The icy walls began to glisten as a thin layer of melt formed on

  their surface.

  “At least we won’t freeze,” I said, settling down on a relatively flat section of ice.

  “You know,” Aria said, shooting

  Isabella an accusatory glance, “you just had to say ‘unless there’s a

  blizzard’ earlier. You practically invited this to happen.”

  Isabella scoffed, elegantly

  arranging herself on another ice shelf. “That’s not how it works, and

  you know it. Correlation is not causation, Aria.”

  “Says the girl who just

  happened to mention the one thing that could go wrong right before it

  happened,” Aria countered, crossing her arms over her chest.

  I maintained the warming spell

  with minimal effort, creating a bubble of comfort within the frozen

  cave. Outside, the wind screamed with increasing fury, hurling ice

  particles against the entrance with such force that they sounded like

  tiny bullets.

  “Can’t we just power through

  it?” Aria asked, peering toward the cave entrance with a restless

  expression. “We’re demons, for crying out loud. A little snow shouldn’t

  stop us.”

  Isabella shook her head, her

  silver hair catching the light from my spell. “We could try, if we want

  to exhaust ourselves fighting against a Glacius blizzard. These aren’t

  ordinary storms—they’re manifestations of the Second Circle’s essence.

  The temperature out there would solidify mortal blood in an instant.”

  “Even for us, it would be like

  swimming upstream through molten glass,” she continued. “We’d be encased

  in ice before we made it halfway to Frostheim, and then we’d be stuck

  until we thawed ourselves out. Assuming we could generate enough heat

  while immobilised.”

  I shifted the conversation,

  sensing Aria’s growing frustration. “It’s not like the blizzard will

  last forever. These storms typically blow themselves out within a few

  hours. We just need to be patient.”

  “I suppose you’re right,” Aria

  agreed reluctantly, then a familiar mischievous smile spread across her

  face. “But since we’re stuck here anyway, maybe we could have some… fun

  while we wait for the storm to pass?”

  The suggestive tone in her voice was unmistakable, and I couldn’t help but laugh at her predictability.

  “Is that your solution to everything?” I asked, though without any real annoyance.

  “Not everything,” Aria replied with a wink. “Just boring situations that could use some spicing up.”

  I glanced at the swirling

  blizzard outside, then back at Aria’s suggestive smile. What else were

  we going to do while trapped in an ice cave?

  “Fine,” I agreed with a shrug.

  “Though I’m not sure how you’re planning to make this work. Ice isn’t

  exactly known for being a comfortable surface.”

  Aria’s smile widened into that

  familiar expression of smug satisfaction. “Oh, you think I came

  unprepared?” She reached into her spatial ring—the one I’d given her

  months ago—and with a theatrical flourish, pulled out several large,

  luxurious furs.

  “The clothes weren’t the only

  things I packed,” she announced proudly, spreading the thick pelts

  across the icy floor. The furs were rich and dense, creating an inviting

  cushion against the hard surface. “I brought these just in case.”

  Isabella raised an eyebrow, looking genuinely impressed. “Well, well. Our Aria actually thought ahead for once.”

  “For once?” Aria huffed, but her mock offence couldn’t hide her pleasure at Isabella’s reaction.

  Isabella’s ice-blue eyes

  glinted as she began unfastening the clasps of her outfit. “Since you

  came so prepared, it would be a shame to disappoint your expectations.”

  Her voice dropped to that aristocratic purr that somehow managed to

  sound both refined and utterly indecent. “Shall we begin?”

  I sighed, though I couldn’t

  suppress my smile. These two were impossible—and impossibly hard to

  resist. The furs looked inviting, and the warming spell had created a

  pleasant bubble of heat within our icy shelter. Outside, the blizzard

  continued its relentless assault, but in here, we had created our own

  little pocket of Hell’s particular brand of comfort.

  “Why not?” I said, joining them on the fur bedding. “It’s not like we have anything better to do until this storm passes.”

  The furs felt surprisingly soft

  against my skin as I settled between Aria and Isabella. Outside, the

  blizzard howled with increasing fury, but inside our little ice cave,

  the temperature was rising—and not just from my warming spell.

  Isabella’s eyes met mine, that

  familiar aristocratic hunger gleaming in their icy blue depths. Without a

  word, she leaned forward, her silver hair falling like a curtain around

  us as her lips found mine. The kiss was gentle at first, almost

  questioning, before deepening with practiced precision. I felt Aria’s

  hands slide around my waist from behind, her lips finding the sensitive

  spot where my neck met my shoulder.

  “You’re always so hesitant at first,” Isabella murmured against my lips, pulling back just enough to speak. “It’s endearing.”

  “And hot,” Aria added, her breath warm against my skin. “Like unwrapping a present… slowly.”

  This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  I smiled, feeling that familiar

  moment of restraint—a habit from before I fully embraced being

  Lily—before consciously letting it go. My hands reached up to cup

  Isabella’s face, pulling her back into a deeper kiss while my tail

  curled around Aria’s thigh.

  Isabella’s fingers worked at

  the clasps of my outfit, each movement deliberate and unhurried. Aria

  was less patient, her hands already sliding beneath the fabric to cup my

  breasts, her thumbs circling my nipples with practiced ease.

  “Someone’s eager,” Isabella commented with a smirk, glancing over my shoulder at Aria.

  “As if you’re not,” Aria retorted, reaching past me to pinch Isabella’s nipple through her clothing.

  Isabella’s sharp intake of

  breath was all the confirmation needed. I took advantage of the moment

  to slide my hands beneath Isabella’s top, feeling the cool smoothness of

  her skin. Her breasts were smaller than mine or Aria’s, but perfectly

  shaped, fitting my palms as if designed for them.

  We moved together in a dance

  we’d performed before, yet one that never grew tiresome. Clothing fell

  away piece by piece, discarded carelessly onto the furs. Aria’s purple

  outfit with its shifting cutouts, Isabella’s elegant midnight blue

  ensemble, my crimson attire—all abandoned as we revealed ourselves to

  each other.

  “You’re beautiful,” Aria whispered, her hands tracing the curve of my waist.

  The words settled over me like a

  warm blanket. Where once such compliments had triggered a sense of

  wrongness—a reminder that this body wasn’t originally mine—now they

  filled me with genuine pleasure. I was beautiful, and hearing it from

  Aria’s lips made me feel appreciated in a way I’d never experienced

  before becoming Lily.

  Isabella’s mouth found my

  breast, her tongue circling my nipple while her hand slid between Aria’s

  thighs. Aria gasped, her head falling back, exposing the elegant line

  of her throat. I leaned forward, nipping gently at the sensitive skin

  there while my hands explored the familiar territory of her body.

  We shifted positions with fluid

  grace, a tangle of limbs and wings and tails. Isabella’s spaded tail

  wrapped around my ankle while Aria’s hands guided my face between her

  breasts. I traced the curve of each with my tongue, feeling the

  vibration of her moan against my lips.

  “More,” Isabella commanded, her aristocratic tone never quite disappearing even in moments like this.

  I obliged, my hand finding the

  wetness between her thighs as Aria’s mouth claimed mine in a hungry

  kiss. The taste of her was intoxicating—sweet with just a hint of spice,

  like the exotic fruits that grew in the gardens of Igneus.

  Our bodies pressed together,

  skin against skin, the contrast between Isabella’s cool paleness and

  Aria’s warmer tones creating a visual feast that matched the physical

  one. Moans and sighs filled our icy shelter, creating a counterpoint to

  the howling storm outside.

  * * *

  I don’t know how long we stayed

  entwined in that cave, feeding on each other’s pleasure and warmth

  while the blizzard raged outside. Time works differently in moments like

  those—stretching and compressing according to its own rules.

  Eventually, though, I noticed the howling winds had quieted to a gentle

  whisper.

  “I think the storm’s passed,” I said, reluctantly disentangling myself from Aria’s arms and Isabella’s legs.

  I crawled toward the cave

  entrance, still gloriously naked, and peered outside. The landscape had

  transformed into a pristine white expanse, the earlier chaotic winds

  replaced by an eerie stillness. Ice crystals hung suspended in the air,

  catching what little light filtered through Glacius’s perpetually

  overcast sky and transforming it into rainbow prisms.

  “It’s clear,” I confirmed, turning back to my companions.

  Aria stretched languidly on the

  furs, her purple eyes half-lidded with satisfaction. Her tail curled

  and uncurled in lazy contentment as she arched her back.

  “Mmm, I needed that,” she

  purred, making no immediate move to get dressed. “Nothing like a good

  feeding session to warm you up in this frozen wasteland.”

  Isabella was already reaching

  for her clothes, her practical nature asserting itself now that our

  pleasure had concluded. “It wasn’t that bad,” she said, though the

  slight flush on her pale cheeks betrayed her enjoyment. “But we need to

  hurry. We’ve lost several hours to the storm, and I’d rather not be

  caught out here after dark.”

  “Agreed,” I said, gathering my crimson outfit. “Glacius nights are very cold even for demons.”

  We dressed quickly, our earlier

  languor replaced by purposeful efficiency. The warming spell I’d

  maintained had gradually faded, and the chill was creeping back into our

  shelter. I helped Aria fold the furs while Isabella consulted her map.

  “There’s a small outpost about

  an hour’s flight from here,” Isabella said. “We can rest there briefly

  before continuing to Frostheim.”

  “Lead the way,” I replied, stepping out into the glittering landscape.

  * * *

  I had just stepped out of the

  cave when a bright glow emanated from my spatial ring. A small stone

  floated out, hovering in the air before me, pulsing with arcane energy.

  “What the—” I stepped back, startled.

  Aria’s eyes widened. “I didn’t know it could do that,” she said, echoing my exact thoughts.

  The stone flickered, and

  suddenly Kyriakos’s skeletal visage appeared in a projected image above

  it. The Lich’s eye sockets glowed with their characteristic ethereal

  flame as he glanced around, taking in our surroundings.

  “Ah, Princess,” he said, his voice crackling through the magical connection. “I see you’re with trusted company.”

  Isabella moved closer, her curiosity evident as she studied the projection. “A communication stone? Interesting.”

  “Kyriakos,” I said, surprised. “I thought our time working together was over. What’s going on?”

  The ancient Lich laughed dryly,

  the sound like brittle leaves rustling. “I’m not contacting you for

  myself, Princess. Our mutual… friends from Earth asked me to reach out

  to you.”

  I frowned, confused. “The VCD? Why would they contact you? And how?”

  My mind raced back to London,

  to those final moments after we’d defeated Cain. Kyriakos had stayed

  behind to speak with Galahad and Morgan while I’d said my goodbyes to

  Faith. What had they discussed that was important enough for him to

  leave them a method of contacting him?

  “What do they want to talk about?” I asked, pushing aside my questions about their connection.

  “I don’t have many details,”

  Kyriakos replied, his skeletal features impossible to read. “But it

  apparently concerns something you did to Agent Clarke.”

  Faith. Just hearing her name

  sent a wave of emotions crashing through me. I’d been working so hard to

  move forward, to embrace my life as Lily Morningstar, to forget my

  attachments to Earth. And yet, just the mention of Faith was enough to

  bring everything rushing back.

  “Is she okay?” I asked, unable

  to keep the concern from my voice. A troubling thought crossed my

  mind—had my outburst of True Magic done something to her? After that

  incident, I hadn’t been able to access that wellspring of power again,

  and I’d almost forgotten about it. But now…

  “The VCD didn’t elaborate,”

  Kyriakos said. “They simply requested your presence. They seemed

  confident you would come if you heard Agent Clarke was involved.”

  I bit my lip, considering my options.

  “You’re not seriously thinking

  of ditching our mission now for your former mortal lover, are you?” Aria

  interrupted, her tail flicking with irritation.

  Isabella remained silent, but her ice-blue eyes studied me intently, waiting for my response.

  They were right. We were in the middle of something important.

  “Is this urgent, Kyriakos?” I asked.

  The lich shrugged, his bony

  shoulders rising and falling beneath his robes. “Most likely not. If it

  were truly pressing, they would have attempted to summon you directly.”

  I thought for a moment, torn

  between my past and present obligations. “Tell them I’ll come when I

  have time,” I finally decided. “Or they can contact me directly if it’s

  urgent. Give them a communication stone or something.”

  Before Kyriakos could respond, a

  loud explosion sounded from somewhere near him, the noise carrying

  through the magical connection.

  “I’ll relay your answer,” he said hurriedly. “I must end now—”

  He muttered something under his

  breath—an incantation of some kind—and a second later, the

  communication stone went silent, the projection vanishing as quickly as

  it had appeared.

  The three of us stood in silence for a moment, the stone dropping gently into my palm.

  “Well,” Aria said finally, “that was dramatic. Now can we please get moving before we freeze our tails off?”

  I nodded, tucking the stone

  back into my spatial ring. Whatever was happening with Faith would have

  to wait. Right now, we had a mission to complete in Glacius.

  “Let’s go,” I said, stepping out into the glittering ice field. “Isabella, lead the way to that outpost.”