Pairs of Pumpkins #03: Duodecaplets

The feline held her tongue for a long moment with a gaze of daggers until she finally spoke: "You grow more disgusting in your age, Zarron."

"I'm not forcing her to marry me. I could have a whole harem but I choose to take a wife."

Marmalade's attention whipped to the eldest daughter. "And you're okay with this?! You?! The bitchy one?!"

"A girl is supposed to be married," Eva's defiance and anger finally buckled at the admission. She shrugged and gestured to the unconscious horse at Stone's feet. "Every other boy in this house but him is my brother."

"I'm not married," Marmalade said with the syrup of a luxurious boast.

"That's not surprising." Eva's eyes reignited at the opportunity.

The feline paused then softened her posture, eyes darting down Eva's body. "But I'm not deformed either. You should take any man who will have you. Doubly true for her." Her eyes flicked aggressively over Anastasia but Evangeline was the one who erupted, charging the feline and balling up her fist.

"Magic your way out of this, you bitch," Eva snarled and lunged. She brought back her arm to swing with fire of rage in her eye but Marmalade hadn't been oblivious to the fire she stoked. The feline threw out her hand and barked:

"STOP!"

Evangeline did, instantly and right where she stood, her entire body frozen but for her eyes and mouth. A furious glare turned to the elder raccoon and she struggled to speak for a moment. "Are you going to do something about this witch? Or does every woman best you?"

"Calm down, Eva. Marmalade is an old friend and one of my best customers."

Anastasia craned her head just a degree or two, already having established from what she'd read, financially speaking, she was one of the worst. Zarron didn't notice as he turned his attention to the feline. "Marmalade: stop insulting them."

"As you wish, Zarron. Be sure to invite me to the wedding."

"I sent you an invitation last year. You never replied."

"When? Later this year?"

"Two months from now."

"I have plans," Marmalade shook her head then appraised the frozen vixen once again. "But have fun with your titsy, teenage sex toy and her bad attitude."

"Marmalade," the raccoon spoke low and long, only to be interrupted.

The feline's patience was almost visible as it fizzled out and she turned on her heel to face Zarron. "Look: my intention in coming here was not to crash your affairs and I don't care about your mama drama with Princess Pumpkin-tits nor your bitchy Bride-to-be. I thought you'd be neck deep in the boring business of egg-insemination or baby distribution. I'm here to collect. I need a ritual space and privacy. Give me that and we'll be on our way in the morning."

Zarron gave a small, begrudging nod. "Of course. Right this way, Marmalade. You three: come. Leave your weapons on the floor."

They nodded in unison, obliging his order to set down their crossbows, swords and daggers then following behind them. "The rest of you... I don't know. Clean up your rooms, girls. We're staying here now. Duayne, have Stone bring Darren to his room to sleep it off. Then start on dinner."

Marmalade's self-amused smirk crept back across her face. "Zarron: your horse is named... Darren? Why not Darr-ON?"

"I didn't name him, Marmalade. I just hired him."

The grumbling raccoon led the sorceress, her bodyguards and the three canines out of the main foyer of the Manor and down the long hallway that split the grand staircase. At the end of it, they reached a tall set of double doors that opened on their own with a twist of Zarron's half-raised hand, revealing a stone and tile room with another set of doors beyond it.

Marmalade grinned and looked back to the three young men that followed behind her. "I hope you boys are ready for this." It was a statement, not a conversation started and she turned her focus to the room. With a snap in her elbows, she threw one hand to the left of the doorway and another to the right. Without a word between them, her bodyguards obliged and split off to take their assigned positions. They turned in unison to stand guard as Zarron crossed the threshold, followed by Marmalade then the three young soldiers in loose but defendable formation.

Half-wolf eyes drank in the space like it was new to them. The whole, rectangular room was tiled on the floor and up the walls, with intricate, hand-laid patterns that pulled attention to the steaming tub of water laid in the middle, with room for five or six at once.

The boys exchanged restrained but nervous glances, jaws clenched to avoid questions. Zarron stepped past the tub and turned to face them while Marmalade stopped at his side, across the water from them.

"Alright you three, here's how this is going to work: you're leaving with her. She's your Master now. You'll do as she says and serve her like you served me. Unless she tells you to hurt me," he added quickly. Marmalade rolled her eyes and shook her head.

One of the three snappily raised a hand. "Permission to speak, Master?" The old raccoon made him wait a moment before giving a nod. "We are Duodecaplets. We are twelve. That was how we've lived and how we've trained. Now we're to be separated from our brothers... permanently?"

Zarron started to speak but Marmalade reached out across to silence him with a single finger. "I would never break up a family. I promise you will see your brothers again and it won't be long at all. Think of it as a temporary reassignment."

They seemed satisfied with the answer and their tension mostly waned. She smiled pleasantly and continued. "But first things first: the ritual. A formality really. The important part is that I need you three all cleaned up because like Zarron said: there will be sex. With me. So undress yourselves and bath! First one in the water is the first into bed." She grinned and winked as she finished and the three looked to each other with disbelieving eyes before they burst into action, scrambling to strip away their away armor and clothes. Zarron leaned in, his eyes narrowing.

"You lie with such ease."

She spoke through her toothy smile. "You sell children, Zarron. Don't get sanctimonious with me."

He watched the eager boys, oblivious to their own fates. "I could sell you the other nine. Keep them together?"

"I don't want them. I have too many now."

"I could give you four other boys if you can wait a year."

"I don't want to wait and I like these three."

He sucked in a breath before nodding. "It's painless, at least?"

"Probably not for me!" she laughed, gesturing to the three in various states of undress, one of them already with his pants off, an oversized bulge jostling in the front of his undergarments. "But for them? Completely painless. Their last, clear and free memory will be one hell of an orgasm. And then? Who knows what will go through their heads? Probably nothing at all until they're told what to do," she shrugged and turned her attention back to them, speaking to the raccoon discreetly. "Is the altar prepped? I Imagine it's not?"

Zarron sighed. "I'll get it ready." He started toward the next set of double doors just as water splashed dramatically behind him, announcing that the first of the three was in the tub. With a moment of reluctance and a shake of his head, he pulled the doors apart, revealing the elaborate ritual chamber beyond. Marmalade followed him with her eyes, noticing the hesitation and caught the old raccoon muttering to himself as she stepped into the room.

"I'm sorry, you poor bastards."

TO BE CONTINUED...