Not to Cause Offense Ch. 02

"Very true," the one called Jira agreed. "Very true."

"Can I help you with something?" Terin asked, beginning to close the door. "Because if not, I've got a long day tomorrow and—" Before he could even blink, Jira was suddenly standing just inches from him and a bare, cat-like foot was jammed between the door and the frame. You didn't need boots with soles that thoroughly padded and calloused. "The hell do you think you're doing?!"

"Wanna fuck?" Jira purred, and Terin was forced to question his hearing. He had been mentally preparing to move her out of the way, but now he wasn't sure what to do except stand there stupidly with his mouth hanging open. "So is that a yes, or...?"

"I-is that how you greet everyone?" Terin sputtered, still not quite sure how to respond. "We're practically strangers, you and I."

"Oh! I'm Jira Ven—"

"—Jira Ven-loral, yes. We already did this part."

"I'm one of the monster hunters under Lord Vareill's employ," Jira explained, offering a clawed hand through the crack in the door. "And you, of course, are Terin Laiess of the Northern Massif—the Great Lancet Slayer!"

"Excuse me, but...what?" Terin whispered, and he brushed the Felinix's hand out of the way before sheathing his blade and stepping out into the hall. "Lord Vareill has hired others?"

"Good gods, did you draw your sword on me? You did, didn't you! I'm honestly not sure whether to be offended or flattered."

"Just answer the question!"

"You didn't really think you were the only one, did you?" Jira asked, looking perplexed. "Have you never heard of insurance?"

"This isn't supposed to be a fox hunt!" Terin growled, resting his hand in his palm for probably the thousandth time that evening. "If you send large, unwieldy groups after any monster with even halfway decent intelligence, it'll be near impossible to catch unawares."

"Ooooh, what do you think it is?" Jira purred, closing the gap between them in an instant and playing with the collar of his shirt. "Any theories yet?"

"I just got in this evening," Terin replied, prying her hands off of him. "So no."

"Aww, you're no fun; come on, let's go fuck!"

"Gods above, what is wrong with you?"

"I've been on the road for nearly five months," Jira replied, stalking toward him with renewed energy. Her arms were crossed and she was hugging her chest so tightly that Terin honestly felt sorry for her cleavage. "I have food in my belly, fine wine on the brain, and a warm bed to sleep in. At this point, all I'm really missing is some cock."

"Then call a concubine," Terin protested, backing away. "I'm sure Lord Vareill has no shortage of those on staff."

"Pfft, concubines. Simpering, whiny little boot-lickers, all of them."

"Isn't that the point of a concubine?"

"They're too eager to please," Jira complained in a most exasperated tone, her tail swishing in agitation beside her feet—back and forth, over and over again. "There's no sport in any of them. No bite. No challenge. They always give you what you want exactly when you ask for it."

"So you want me to not give you what you want?"

"You look like you could take some damage," Jira purred, tracing the muscles in his arms carefully, then running a single finger over his collarbone. Her eyes traveled down his chest and then lower, while her tiny pink tongue flicked over the bottoms of her teeth. "Come on, Monster Hunter. Fight me for it? Pretty please?"

Terin almost said no. That's what every instinct was compelling him to do, but he was frustrated and tired and vulnerable. It had been weeks since he and Thaddeus had come across a township large enough to house a brothel and he was aching for release. The cat woman wasn't unattractive and she was refreshingly blunt, if not slightly crazy.

"Have you got any towels?" Terin growled under his breath, and Jira squealed with glee before grabbing him by the arm and pulling him into her room.

It looked a lot like his own and the chandeliers had gone just as dark, but there were no bookshelves and instead of chairs there was an array of brightly colored sitting cushions beside the fireplace. Terin decided to do a quick skim for eavesdropping spells, then turned back toward Jira, only to discover that she was already taking off her clothes. Her thin, claw-like fingers were eerily swift and soon the golden buckles of her lamellar cuirass had come undone, leaving her upper body nearly naked except for a ratty, beige-colored tunic that went down to her knees. Terin had expected to be offered a glass of wine at least, though it seemed his host had other plans.

"You don't squander any time, do you?"

"I'm a busy woman," Jira replied. "Any ground rules I should be aware of?"

"Only the most obvious ones, really. Leave my balls alone and don't break anything. I also don't consent to being murdered."

"Killjoy!" Jira laughed, and Terin could see that her eyes were once again twinkling with fiendish excitement. "Same deal on my end, but also, leave the asshole alone, okay?"

"And you think I'm the killjoy of this hookup?"

"Snarky! I like that. Do more of that."

"You're awfully bossy for someone who supposedly wants a challenge."

"Yes, that! That's exactly the kind of snark I'm talking about!"

"Alright, I can cater to that," Terin agreed, and he took a moment to look Jira up and down. "Quick question, since we're here and all: Are you a darter?"

"Wait, you can tell? Just from looking at me, you can deduce that?"

"Minimal armor, no magical affinities, and you're dual-wielding single-handed melee weapons without any real heft, but a broad cutting edge," Terin shrugged, watching as Jira shed the last of the armor protecting her arms, then moved on to the cuisses above her thighs. "Honestly, that sort of setup doesn't make any sense unless your fighting style is speed-dependent and you're willing to sacrifice brute force damage for precision hits."

"Observant, aren't you?"

"If you think that makes me observant, then I'm surprised you're still alive."

"Take a compliment when it's thrown at you," Jira groaned, rolling her eyes, and now she was wearing nothing but that same old tunic, along with an equally ratty pair of breeches. "Well don't be shy, Monster Hunter!" Jira laughed, placing her hands on her hips and jutting her chest forward in a show of utmost pride. "Come on, what do you think?"

"It would be most uncouth to lie to a lady," Terin chuckled, unbuckling the sheathed longsword from his belt and tossing it to the side. Widening his stance just slightly, he assumed a staggered position on the balls of his feet and set up for a penetrative defense. "And quite frankly, you look like a sack of potatoes."

With a low growl, Jira lurched forward and seconds later she was at his side. It honestly looked like she had teleported there. Cursing, Terin lifted his forearm and blocked as one of her clawed fists came jutting out at him, then another, and another. A rapid series of punches were fired in his direction at breakneck speeds, then Jira jumped up and used his frame to kick off and fling herself halfway across the room. There was enough force behind her launch to push him back a ways, but Terin shifted his position and managed to stay on his feet.

"What are you waiting for?!" Jira cried, her tail going absolutely crazy. Her tone was dark, but there was a a perverse, eager smile on her lips. With her ears pulled back and her teeth exposed in a predatory snarl, the Felinix looked terrifying adorable."Come and get me, Monster Hunter! Don't just block, come and get me!"

Terin only smirked at her in reply and waited. Though he was certainly tempted to give chase, he also knew that doing so would be wasted effort. Maybe he did have a weight and reach advantage, but Jira was far too quick to approach. If he started moving toward her, he'd lose sight of her in an instant and would be left wide open. He knew what she wanted—he could see it in her gleaming lust-filled eyes, in the way the tips of her claws kept extending and retracting, in the slight pant on her lips and the way her fur bristled. If he just sat back and waited, she would be forced to come after him again and again and again, until all her novel attacks had been exhausted and he had a plan in place. That's when he would make his move, using himself as the bait.

Lunging once more, Jira came in directly from the front and jumped up for a spinning wheel kick, only to be blocked. She darted out of reach and then came flying back for a third attack, but even after another barrage of punches, she still hadn't done any real damage. Then she was beside Terin and he watched as she raised her left leg for a second spinning wheel kick. That was it—his moment! Twisting inward, Terin grabbed Jira by the ankle, lifted her leg, and then used the full force of his weight to plow into her from behind, throwing her into the air and essentially sweeping her off her feet. She was smart enough to exhale as she hit the ground, then she rolled over onto her back to attempt a kip up. But Terin was quick and managed to straddle her waist before she could finish the move, then pinned her hands above her head.

"Are you sure Lord Vareill hired you to hunt monsters? Perhaps your application got mixed in with those of the help."

"Get off of me! You cheated!"

"No, no, no...you did something lazy and stupid because you were horny and now there are consequences. Cheating had nothing to do with it. I laid my trap, and you took the bait."

"What bait?"

"Me."

"You! You think you could ever count as bait! Of all the ridiculous, stupid fucking—!"

Jira's eyes were livid, but the second Terin took her lips in his own she melted. He heard a whiny, piteous mew rumbling in the back of her throat and felt her body arch beneath him. Nipping at her neck, he gently made his way up from the base of her collarbone to her light-brown hair and inhaled deeply. She smelled of pine, and dirt, and iron—a delicious, hearty scent that made him want her even more. And he did want her, he realized. Maybe not forever or even in a few hours, but right now, he wanted to sink his teeth into her soft flesh still harder and hear her mewl for him all over again. He wanted to make her moan and growl and sputter and cry. He wanted to take all the noises she was capable of and claim them his own.

"Poor kitty," Terin whispered in her ear, and she shuddered. "You're far too easy."

"Maybe so. But I'm not the only one."

Shifting beneath him, Jira began to grind her hips against the front of his trousers. Her soft, feline body pressed into him more and more earnestly, until he could feel his cock grow hard and his balls grow heavy. Cursing, Terin tightened his grip on her wrists and felt his heart rate speed up. He wanted to take her then and there, but there was too much cloth between them and if he released her wrists for even a moment she'd get away. Jira seemed well aware of his predicament, too. The more distressed the lines in his forehead became, the wider her triumphant smile and the more insistently she danced under him.

"Poor Monster Hunter," Jira mocked, her breasts bouncing just slightly below her tunic as she moved. "You're so hard, but how are you going to fuck me with your pants still on? And how will you get them off without losing your prey?"

"I'm th-thinking," Terin sputtered, frustrated at having been caught so thoroughly unprepared. "G-give me a m-moment, alright?"

"Do you not like being teased, Monster Hunter?"

"This isn't teasing. This is torture."

"Do you not like torture, then?"

"I...haven't decided yet."

Grinning something fierce, Jira turned underneath him and Terin suddenly found himself on his back. While he'd been practically drooling all over her, she'd trapped his left leg with her own and eased her wrists over to the right. Even that small alteration in his stability was enough for her to hip out. Felinix had extraordinarily powerful legs and his weight advantage wasn't enough to compensate for that. Now Jira was on top and pinning his arms above his head. She looked awfully proud of herself, too. Her tail was doing a little victory dance and her wide, green eyes were taunting him from behind the shadows of her hair.

"Uh-oh, you let your guard down," Jira grinned. "And all because of a pair of boobs, too? Is your self-control really so lacking?"

"I'd be careful if I were you. I won't be down long."

"It's a good thing you've never had to do battle with a succubus," Jira laughed, as if she hadn't heard him. "Or you would have perished long ago and I'd never get a chance to be this thoroughly disappoint—"

Grunting with effort, Terin twisted out of her grasp, took hold of her forearms, and rolled her. It all happened so fast, she barely had any time to react. They went tumbling sideways and Jira found herself being thrown to the floor. But rather than fight back, she used her newfound momentum to escape the hold and rapidly scramble out of reach. Then she and Terin were panting on opposite sides of the room, gathering their courage and squaring off.

"You're a slippery one, aren't you?" Terin chuckled, his dark hazel eyes alight with a glee he hadn't felt in ages. "Quick on your feet, too. Just like you promised."

"Well, I can't have you thinking I'm weak. What will the other hunters say if they get wind that you bested me—me, Jira Ven-loral of Drier and Captain of the Black Guard—in under ten minutes?"

"Ten minutes?" Terin scoffed, raising an eyebrow skeptically. "Oh, please. I'm sure eight will be more than sufficient. Nine and a half, worse case scenario."

"Is that so?"

Though the taunts were made in jest, Terin knew he'd hit a nerve. The playfulness in Jira's eyes had all but evaporated and her expression was now unmercifully dark. With great care, she shifted her weight onto the balls of her feet, then gently bent her knees. But Terin still didn't realize how far he'd pushed her—not until Jira rolled back her sleeves and raised her arms, palms up and fingers curled. A soft, sharp swish echoed through the darkness as she fully extended her claws for the first time, all three inches worth on both hands and shimmering like sharpened ivory in the flickering firelight. They were so well-honed that it was near impossible to tell where their points ended and the air began.

"Uh-oh," Terin laughed. "Are you actually going to take this seriously now? Have I injured your fragile, title-dependent little ego?" But Jira didn't say anything and she didn't move, either. "Alright then, I get the message. Here kitty, kitty, kitty..."

A shadow fell across the moon, then Jira dug her hind claws into the floor and lunged. Cursing, Terin looked to his left and saw a pair of eerie, yellow-green eyes peeking out from the blackness and heard a horrible hissing sound in his ears. He unsheathed his fixed dagger and raised it to block, watching as sparks flew in the wake of keratin and iron. A light breeze whipped by him as Jira retreated, but all Terin could do was wait for her in the darkness. His opponent was as sure-footed as a mouse and just as crafty. Though Terin couldn't see her, he knew that she was still out there somewhere, stalking him and waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.

But when Jira finally came for him again, she made a mistake. There was a slight, barely noticeable creak as she rushed toward him. Terin somehow managed to turn sideways at the last second and made sure to trip her up in the process. It didn't buy him a lot of time, but it did give him enough to move into what little moonlight remained, where it'd be harder for her to sneak up on him. Over and over again, Jira attacked and then retreated, forcing him to block her barrage of blows or else dodge them outright. By the end of it all, there were claw marks in the wall beside the bedroom door and she'd sunk her teeth into his right shoulder. If Terin didn't go on the offensive soon, he would lose and then they would both be disappointed. Muttering under his breath, he rolled up his sleeves, looped the rope from a grappling hook around his right wrist, then placed the handle of his dagger between his teeth.

Jira was expecting Terin to remain on the defensive, so when he responded to her next lunge with one of his own, it caught her entirely off guard. He wasn't as quick as she was, but he was definitely quicker than she expected. Seconds later, his arms were around her torso and her feet had left the floor. Terin was falling backwards and he was taking her with him. Now there was nothing she could do except wait for them both to land and then attack. They fell, and Jira extended her claws again. She heard an irritated grunt as she dug them into his arms, followed by an anguished cry as she went still deeper. Cursing profusely, Terin pushed past the pain and maneuvered under her upper arms, then rested his hands behind her neck and interlaced his fingers. So long as he didn't loosen his grip, she wouldn't be able to escape that particular hold. Now panting, he rolled her onto her stomach, straddling her waist and forcing her hands behind her back. The rope was soon looped over both of Jira's wrists, then Terin took what little remained, grabbed a hunk of her hair, and tied them both together. Her legs were still free, but they wouldn't be much use when she was lying on her belly and would be of even less use once he'd pulled her breeches down to her knees.

"You done showing off yet?" Terin growled, snatching the blade from between his teeth and twirling it in his hands. "Well?"

"No, no, no! I wasn't done yet! Godsdamnit!"

"And did you really have to bite me? That fucking hurt, you know!"

"Don't complain," Jira spat—somewhat indignantly—but below all the anger, he could hear a slight moan on her lips. "I'm yours now, aren't I? Why don't you just take your revenge?"

"Oh, I will."

Before Jira could even think to react, Terin began shredding the tunic from her back. It didn't require much effort. The horrid rough cloth fabric was filled with holes and had even started unraveling in places. The sound of ripping and tearing echoed through the darkness, and Terin could feel Jira's heartbeat quicken beneath his hands. Then the material fell away and underneath there was nothing but smooth, lightly tanned skin. The Felinix tribesmen to the south were usually coated from head to toe in short silky fur, but northerners shedded most of theirs by their third long summer and all that remained after that was the fur on their ears, hands, feet, and tail, along with the occasional stubborn patch of fluff.

"You're going to have to replace that, you know," Jira moaned, as Terin kissed his way down her spine. He pulled down her breeches just enough to expose a butt cheek and noticed an embarrassing little tuft of fur just above her left thigh, shaped almost like a half-bloomed flower. Grinning, he bit into the soft flesh there and listened to her hiss in pain. "I mean it, Monster Hunter!"

"This ugly old thing? I suppose I can spare a quarter diene to buy you another potato sack. Hell, I'll even throw in the potatoes."

"You're terrible."

"And you literally asked me to be terrible. Should I stop now?"

"N-no..."

"Then shut up already."

Terin hooked his blade under her belt and the leather gave way easily, allowing him to pull down her breeches the rest of the way. Now naked and lying in a pile of shredded clothing, every bit of Jira looked incredible—her soft, round breasts as they pressed into the carpet, the generous curve of her ass and the adorable little tail hovering over it, the glistening pink lips of her sex. Savoring every last morsel, Terin ran his hands over her skin, from the slope of her shoulders to the dimples behind her knees. As he went, he nibbled and bit at her—sometimes hard enough to cause bruising and make her writhe in pain—before finally kissing it all better and continuing downward. Little goosebumps rose in his wake and he could feel his prey shiver beneath him. The more he touched her and the closer he came to her moist opening, the more piteous her mewls and the more agitated her demeanor.