The Collector Ch. 014-015

Chapter 14

I had just completed my first achievement: The Beginning. It had required me to create a bond with my first slave. That wasn't too hard, but only because I had woken up in a cave with a sex demon who didn't have a problem becoming one. That couldn't have been an accident. Gemma must have put me in there on purpose.

Had she known I would get this class? Had she wanted me to enslave Zoe from the beginning? I had mixed feelings about that. Zoe and I made our choices, but I felt Gemma had pushed us toward them. However, there wasn't anything I could do about it except be more careful around Gemma.

For completing the achievement, I gained one point in Luck. I checked my status to make sure, and indeed, I had four points now. It didn't seem like the most useful stat, but the permanent boost to the stat hinted that the rewards from this system might be really good. An increase to my Strength or Arcane Power could be really useful.

However, to gain those rewards, I needed to complete achievements. I had three new ones with counters. The Demon's Collector sounded like the equivalent of The Collector. The value was already at one, which made sense since I had slept with one demon. The value needed to complete it was smaller than The Collector, which seemed reasonable if demons were rarer, but from what Zoe had said, I shouldn't have a problem finding them.

Demon's Series seemed equivalent to the normal Series achievement. It showed I had done something once, but I still didn't have any idea what it was.

Rainbow. One out of ten. Again, I had made progress without knowing what exactly I had done. The rainbow made me think of colors, but I wasn't sure of what. Skin? Hair? Eyes? Could it be something else? Perhaps I would need to wait for the description, or until I completed it by accident.

As for Fetch the Bone and Black and White, no ideas came to mind. For Fuck Bad Luck, perhaps I needed to have sex with someone who had one point in Luck--or zero, if that was possible. But that didn't really seem fitting for a Demon Master class, so I wasn't convinced by that idea.

Double-Teaming wasn't hard to guess, but I wasn't going to share Zoe with anyone. I wasn't going to share any of my women with anyone.

Those were all the achievements I had at the moment. I should have paid more attention to them, but every time, something more important happened and distracted me from checking their progress. I should try to remember to check them after the next time I have sex.

I focused on my new skill and read its description.

[Demon's Status (Level 1) - This skill allows the Master to check the status of his demons.]

That was pretty obvious, but I wanted to check it for any possible additional effects. I focused on Zoe's status.

---

Zoe Drazathis

Age: 24

Race: Succubus / Vampire

Classes:

Succubus Level 2

Illusionist Level 3

Night Hunter Level 8

Health: 50/50

Strength: 9

Dexterity: 12

Endurance: 5

Vitality: 4

Charisma: 9

Luck: 5

Arcane Power: 1

Mana: 100/100

Succubus Mana: 199/200

Succubus skills:

Drain Level 1

Increased Charm Level 1

Illusionist skills:

Weak Illusion Level 1

Detecting Illusion Level 1

Night Hunter skills:

Sneaking Level 2

Camouflage Level 2

Predatory Leap Level 1

Increased Dexterity Level 1

Increased Strength Level 1

---

I didn't even reach her skills before questions arose. She hadn't mentioned she had two races. Her biting when she got excited made a lot more sense now. Closing the status, I focused on Zoe, but before I could ask her about it, I noticed she sat with her face in her hands, sobbing quietly.

Did she already regret becoming my slave? Or did she hate the tattoo look so much? With her mood swings, it was hard to predict what the problem was.

Shifting closer I sat down next to her. "Zoe?"

"It's amazing," she said, sitting on my lap--her body really light, and hot as she pressed herself closely against me.

"Thank you," she whispered. Her long tail coiled around my hips. Tears still streamed down her face, falling on me. Even they felt hot against my skin.

"Is everything okay?" I asked, stroking her thigh and back.

Zoe nodded, staring into my eyes. "For the first time in my life... someone actually wants me. Someone doesn't look at me with disgust or fear. And I don't feel hungry. For the first time in a very long time, I feel... happy."

"I don't know how anyone could see such a hot and gorgeous demoness and look at you with anything other than lust and desire."

Zoe smiled, rubbing her cheek against my skin. When she calmed down a little, I decided to talk about her status.

"Zoe?" I started.

"Hmm?" she murmured.

"I checked your status."

It took her a brief moment, before her whole body tensed and she pulled back. She was watching me with wide eyes, parted lips, and a frown on her face.

"W-What?" she asked eventually.

"I got a new skill, remember? I can check your status."

Her lips parted but not a single word came out of them.

"You forgot to mention that you have two races."

"I'm your slave! You can't abandon me now! That's--that's a law," she exclaimed suddenly.

"A law?" I asked, smiling.

"Yes!"

I hugged her tightly, chuckling. "I definitely don't want to break any laws. But no more secrets or lies, okay?"

Zoe nodded slowly.

"So, you're half succubus, half vampire," I said.

"Yeah. I'm a hybrid," Zoe whispered.

"Do you need to drink blood?"

She shook her head slightly. "Normal vampires need to, but I'm a freak. I... I don't know why I bit you. It was stronger than me, like some..."

"Instinct?" I asked, and she nodded, confirming it.

"So, what do you get from your vampire side?" I asked curiously.

"I'm pale and have fangs," she said, opening her mouth and showing her teeth. She looked really cute doing that, and I chuckled. "What?" she asked. Then she closed her mouth and pouted.

"You're so cute."

She grinned, hugging me.

"And no other traits? Except for the desire to bite me and drink my blood?" Zoe glanced down and blushed slightly pink.

"Not really. My Night Hunter class fits this race," she answered with a shrug.

Right, her class. I opened her status again and looked through her skills, checking their descriptions.

[Drain - This skill allows the succubus to connect with a man's life force during a sexual act and absorb it into the succubus's life force.]

That meant she was connecting to my life force, but she was draining my mana instead. Gemma had mentioned that it might work like some sort of defense mechanism. Perhaps mana surrounded life force? Or maybe it was in the same place? I didn't feel anything except mana there.

[Increased Charm - This skill increases attraction toward the owner. Additionally, it grants 2 points to Charisma.]

I compared this to my own Increased Charm skill. On one hand, mine seemed better because it gave me five points instead of two, but mine only worked on women, which suited me. Zoe's skill increased attraction in both women and men. An image of Zoe doing something with another woman while I watched popped into my mind. That was another fantasy to fulfill.

[Weak Illusion - This skill allows the creation of poor-quality static illusions.]

I wasn't sure how useful it could be if they were of poor quality. I hadn't noticed the illusion in the cave, but it was the best setting for one like that, and I hadn't been looking for it. I would need to think of possible uses for this skill later on.

[Detecting Illusion - This skill allows the user to detect illusions more easily.]

This seemed useful if someone tried to trick us with illusions. It might come in handy when least expected.

[Sneaking - This skill allows the user to make slightly quieter sounds while moving.]

The first skill of her Night Hunter class--her vampire class. It wasn't anything special and worked just as the name suggested.

[Camouflage - This skill makes the user slightly harder to notice, especially when hiding in a dark environment.]

Another straightforward skill, much like the next two.

[Increased Dexterity - This skill grants three points to Dexterity.]

[Increased Strength - This skill grants three points to Strength.]

These skills seemed lacking. I had Increased Endurance, which gave me a bonus in sex and five points to a stat. Her skills granted only three points, and that was it. It seemed like my class was special and better than hers.

[Predatory Leap - The user has boosted strength in their legs to make longer and faster jumps, dealing an additional 5 damage when attacking an opponent.]

I was curious how far and fast she could jump with that. We could test it out later. It seemed like a good attack but could also be used to dodge attacks or escape quickly. That seemed like a really useful skill in battle.

"Zoe, how much mana does your Predatory Leap skill cost?" I asked.

"Thirty. Why?"

With her and my combined mana, she had three hundred, which meant ten jumps.

"How quickly can you activate this skill?" I asked. My process of using Tame a Demon took quite some time, but I was only learning how to do it, and her skill needed less mana. I forgot to check how much mana I had used for my skill. I checked my status and found out that I had five hundred sixty-eight. So, it cost less than half of my mana.

"Quickly. I mean, I can jump almost immediately when I want to do it."

"So, you could make ten jumps in a row, one after another?"

Zoe frowned slightly. "Yeah."

I nodded. That might come in handy in battle if she could jump around the enemy quickly and end the fight before there was a chance for any of us to get wounded. However, I came to this world with different goals than fighting.

An image of Zoe with another woman came back to my mind.

"Zoe, my Increased Charm skill works only towards women, while yours works towards both genders. But do you find women attractive?"

Her pink eyes focused on me while she smiled mischievously. "Master wants to have a threesome with two hot girls?" she whispered sensuously. "To have them suck on Master's cock together, to have them kiss each other while Master's cock is between our lips." She gyrated her leg against my hardening cock. "To fuck my pussy while I eat out another woman to orgasm? I think Master would like that," she said, grabbing my hard cock.

I groaned, with all the images of what she was describing in my head. But I glanced at the sky, the sun was high up. We hadn't slept for some time already, but we had gotten up pretty early. I wanted to reach a city that day, and with a horny sex demon, there was a risk that we would spend the whole day fucking and never leave the cave. I took a deep breath while she massaged my hard cock.

"We need to go to the city," I groaned. Zoe tightened her hold on my cock while pouting, sticking out her lower lip, and looking at me with those big, pink eyes.

"Master doesn't want me to make him come?" she asked in a sensual voice.

I groaned loudly. "Fine, but then we're going."

Zoe squealed, and I felt another sensation on my cock. I glanced down and saw her tail wrapping around my cock, but before it did so completely, it backed off, vanishing between her legs for a moment. It was back seconds later, covered with her juices.

She wrapped her hot and wet tail around my shaft, leaned down, and spat on the head of my cock. She distributed it with her nimble fingers, adding lubricant, before she started to jerk me off, working with her hand and tail.

Her eyes were completely focused on my cock, her lips parted while she panted from arousal. My cock twitched in her hand as I was getting closer, with the images of lesbian scenes still in front of my eyes. The pressure was building inside me. After my cock twitched again, Zoe shifted her eyes to my face, and she grinned, seeing my state. Her fingers and tail worked faster, moving in opposite directions. When her fingers were going up, her tail was stroking down. That highlighted the difference between them caressing my dick.

"Imagine this, Master. My ass high in the air taking your cock deep inside my wet, tight pussy. I have my face pushed into the cunt of another gorgeous woman, who dreams about being filled by your hard cock. And I lick her clit, making her scream in pleasure."

My whole body shuddered as I groaned. I had closed my eyes, imagining what she was describing.

"After you come inside me, we will switch positions. She will be lying on her back, you will be taking her pussy, hard and deep, making her want to scream, but she couldn't because I would sit my cum-filled pussy on her face and bring myself to orgasm just in front of you, using her face as my toy, leaving her completely drenched in your cum."

I tensed as sperm shot from my cock. Bliss surged through my body while Zoe focused her fingers on my glans, stimulating me more during my orgasm. After a few seconds of not breathing, lost in my ecstasy, I caught a deep breath. As I glanced at Zoe, she was licking her fingers clean, with her own eyes closed, seeming to enjoy herself.

She opened her eyes, looking at me questioningly. "You taste different," she said while taking the other of her fingers in her mouth, sucking my sperm.

"One of my new skills," I explained while panting. She grinned, sucking everything she could find from her hand. Then she glanced at my cock, where the rest of my cum was, then to my eyes, asking for permission.

I chuckled. "Oh, okay, but be quick."

She smiled, backed off from me, and caught my cock in her mouth, sucking all the cum that she could find.

I checked my achievements, and only The Main Goal increased by one, but that confirmed for me that it was about my orgasms. Forty-one to go to gain a reward.

After a brief moment, Zoe popped my dick from her mouth, sat back, and stared at me with a wide grin.

"Master, do you like when I talk dirty to you?"

I rolled my eyes but couldn't stop my own smile. "Yeah, very. But leave the 'Master' title for when we are playing, okay?" I asked. During sex, it seemed fitting, but I felt weird when she called me that outside of it.

"You don't like me calling you Master? I'm your slave, you are my Master."

"I like it during sex. But other times just call me Tobias."

She nodded slightly.

"Okay, it's time we go to a city. Let's head back to the cave."

"Of course, Master," Zoe answered, getting up.

I followed after her, watching her tail swinging happily from side to side as she swung her hips and naked ass.

There wasn't a lot in the cave that we might need with us. The stone that was creating light was sure worth taking. Zoe grabbed two stones that seemed sharpened, and that was pretty much all.

I didn't have any clothes, but I wanted to hide my naked body as best as I could. With the help of Zoe, furs, and a piece of string, which she took out from somewhere, we created some sort of skirt for me and a bag for the lighting stone and her tools made of stones.

"I preferred when you were naked," Zoe said, looking at my clothes and pouting.

A warm feeling filled me. I didn't remember the last time my wife told me a compliment, and now a much younger, hotter, and sexier girl was desiring my body. My new and changed body, but still, it was a really nice feeling.

"Let's go," I said, not answering her comment.

I grabbed the bag, and we left the cave, in which Zoe had spent the last fourteen years of her life, behind us.

Chapter 15

Zoe led us through the forest with confidence, assuring me she knew the way to the nearest town. It was meant to be only a few hours walk, and we were supposed to make it there before nightfall.

On the way, she talked about special places in the woods, how she had hunted animals, and how she had managed to survive through those years alone. It was really impressive that she had managed just on her own for such a long time, even though she had been just a kid.

The forest that we walked through was really dense, which at times made talking impossible. So even if she wanted to talk all the time, probably because of years spent alone, we had to walk a lot in silence.

At some point, Zoe stopped and squatted. She waved for me to do the same, but first I admired her ass that looked amazing. When I joined her close to the ground, she pointed between trees.

"There's a house," she said.

"A single one?" I asked, not being able to see it between trees.

"Yes, farmers," she answered.

"Do you see any people?"

Zoe shook her head. "What are we doing?" she asked.

I glanced over her naked body--she refused to put anything on herself. It was an amazing view, but I doubted farmers would react well to an almost naked man with a naked demon suddenly emerging from the forest.

"You'll wait here. I'll try to talk with someone there." I decided, hoping that without Zoe, it would be easier to gain their trust.

Hesitation flickered across her face, but eventually Zoe gave a small nod.

Grabbing the back of her neck I pulled her into a long, wet kiss pushing my tongue into her mouth. Her body relaxed, a quiet gasp escaped her lips. After a lingering moment, I pulled away, stood up, and made my way toward the house.

The trees became scarcer, and I noticed a big building. It seemed to be built from bricks, the roof was made out of tiles, and there was a chimney from which smoke was rising. I moved along the line of trees to stay hidden.

I didn't notice anyone until I was looking at the back of the house, where I saw a woman. There was still some distance between us, but I could recognize that she was older. She was hanging clothes on a line. As I focused on the house, waiting for a moment, I didn't see anyone else.

A single woman should not be a problem. With my class, I should be able to sell her some imagined story. Perhaps even seduce her. I could test my skills on someone who was not a sex demon.

I came out from between the trees with a smile plastered on my face. A plan to appear half-naked from a forest, seduce her, fuck her, and get clothes sounded like a porn scenario--that was my new life.

Slowly approaching her, I got a better look at her. She seemed well past forty and wasn't the most attractive woman ever. Her old, used clothes didn't add to her charm and didn't hide her skinny figure.

Occupied with her job, she didn't notice me, even when I stopped thirty feet from her.

"Good afternoon," I said, smiling friendly. The woman jumped a little and turned quickly towards me. Her eyes moved over my half-naked body and opened wider.

"Umm... good afternoon," she answered slowly. Her gaze shifted over my half naked form. "Can I help you?" she asked, while taking a small step back.

"I'm Arthur. I was traveling with my daughter through the forest, and we were attacked by bandits." I changed my expression to something that I hoped showed worry. "They took everything we had. Even our clothes," I said, waving down at my body. Her gaze stopped at my muscular chest.

I waited briefly, but she didn't answer, so I continued. "We walked for a few days, lost in the forest. Until we met our cute savior," I said.

Taking a small step forward I watched her carefully.

She was staring at me, as a lot of wrinkles deepened on her face.

"You," I added.

"Umm..."

"Can I know your name?" I asked, interrupting her hesitation.

"A-Amelia," she answered.

"Amelia, may I count on your help?" I asked, stepping closer until I was just inches away. "I can return the favor," I added softly, closing the remaining distance between us. She was much shorter than me. Her face at the height of my chest. She took a small, hesitant step back, but I mirrored her movement right away, staying close.

I regretted not having an active skill for seducing women--that would have come in very handy. Without it, I was left to rely on my passive skills and my new athletic body.

Amelia gulped. Her dry lips parted as a shaky breath escaped them. Her cheeks flushed, as her pupils, glued to my face, widened.

I wondered if she was aroused, excited, or frightened. Perhaps all three at once.

I had never paid attention to details like that. It must have been an effect of my observation skill, which made me know that Amelia was interested but too scared to make a move first.

Grabbing her hand, I placed it over my heart--or rather, over my muscular chest. "Amelia, please, you are my only hope," I said, squeezing her small hand against my muscles.

"I promise to repay you," I added, licking my lips. Her eyes focused on them and wouldn't move anywhere else.

I leaned closer. My face was just inches away from hers.

She stared at me, frozen.

Placing my hands on her hips, I realized that she was really skinny. Her breath warmed my lips. Moving my hands up along her body, I came close to her chest. Amelia drew a breath in and held it. I brushed her sides gently, with my thumbs grazing her tits. She didn't have large ones, and I was sure that I actually grazed against her nipples, making her moan softly.

Still staring into her brown eyes, I smiled. "Amelia," I whispered. "Would you help me?" I asked, moving my thumbs over the material that hid her small tits.

"Yes," she whispered. I barely heard it, but it was enough.

I connected our lips. Hers were dry and rough, but I didn't stop the kiss. She was much older than me now, though in my old body, our ages would have been much closer.

Despite her age and appearance, I still wanted to fuck her, and it was clear she wanted it too. I shifted my hands fully onto her tits and squeezed. Honestly, there wasn't a lot to grab.

Amelia moaned into my lips, breaking the kiss.

I turned her around in my arms swiftly, pulling her back against my chest. Thanks to her shorter height, I could kiss her easily even in that position.

My hands landed on her tits, kneading them as her body pressed against me. We kissed aggressively while I continued fondling her chest, though the material of her shirt was in my way. I pulled at it, sending a few buttons flying, then grabbed her plain white bra and dragged it down to expose her tits.

From my vantage point I had a perfect view of them. The advantage of their small size was that they hadn't sagged much with age and still stood firmly, capped with small, hard nipples.

I pinched them between my fingers. Amelia moaned, but I quickly returned to kissing her. She pushed her ass against my hard cock and rubbed against it. Her eyes were closed, lost in the passion of our kiss, but I was looking around for a good place to fuck her. We could go inside the house to her bed. Perhaps she shared it with her husband.

My eyes fell on the wall of the house. There was nothing particularly special about it, but the idea of doing it here, outdoors, in the open air was too enticing to pass up. I had never done anything sexual in public in my old world. Sleeping with Zoe in the forest didn't feel as special, as it was so secluded.

There were so many things I could have done in my old life, and all of them slipped through my fingers because I spent my whole life with a woman who was very vanilla in bed--at least until she decided to cheat on me.

I pushed my hips forward, taking a small step. Amelia followed my lead as I held her hard nipples. We moved slowly forward while still kissing.

When we reached the wall, I shifted my hands, placing one on her stomach. I pushed with the other on her back. She fell forward but quickly reached out in front of herself, bracing against the wall. Now her ass stuck out toward me.

I grabbed the material of her long skirt and pulled it up until it bunched on her back, revealing her large, white underwear, which were far from sexy.

"God," Amelia groaned. I grabbed her underwear and pulled them down. They fell to the ground, stopping around her ankles, revealing her ass.

The day spent with a succubus had raised my standards, but Amelia's ass looked even worse than my ex-wife.

"What am I doing?" Amelia asked, seemingly to herself. She rested her head on her arms, leaning against the house. She stood there naked, sticking her ass towards me, clearly wanting me to take her.

I ripped the fur skirt off myself and threw it aside. My cock was hard and ready. Amelia wasn't the most attractive woman, but just the idea of doing this with someone I had just met in a public space aroused me.

I moved my hips closer to her, my cock resting between her ass cheeks. Leaning over her, I brought my lips close to her ear. I blew hot air slowly against it, making her shiver.

"You're enjoying your life, Amelia," I answered her question. "Just relax. Let me make you feel amazing."

She pushed her skinny hips into me, as a soft groan escaped her lips. "Quick!" she gasped. "Before my husband returns," she groaned.

Hearing that she had a husband brought me a strange sense of satisfaction. Perhaps it wasn't the most moral thing, but it was gratifying to know that this time I will fuck someone else's wife. I leaned my hips back and used my feet to spread her legs wider. I grabbed her small tits with one hand and slid the other between her legs from behind. I felt a lot of hair but quickly found her wet pussy.

"You're so wet," I said. I slid two fingers between her labia, they sank in easily as I felt her warm entrance stretch around them.

I pulled my fingers back and pushed them inside again, fingering her quickly. She worked her hips in rhythm to meet my movements, panting loudly. I couldn't see her face, which she hid between her arms.

Was she hiding from me? Or from the world?

She was doing it because she was cheating on her husband.

Like this bitch, my ex-wife. Amelia was hiding her face in shame, but she couldn't stop her hips from fucking herself on my fingers. I stopped moving them entirely and only held them in place while she stuffed herself with them time after time.

The anger I felt at the memory of my wife developed into a spank that landed on Amelia's ass. She moaned louder but didn't stop fucking my fingers.

I pulled them back suddenly. Her hips pushed a few more times, fucking the air helplessly, looking for any stimulation. When she didn't find anything, she looked over her shoulder at me. Her whole face was red, her mouth hanging wide open as she panted. Her eyes met mine questioningly.

I smiled. "Do you want more?"

"Yes," Amelia moaned, nodding.

"What about your husband?" I asked. A frown crossed her face, but then lust and arousal returned.

"He will not know anything. Just be quick!" she gasped. Then wiggled her skinny ass from side to side.

Grabbing her hips, I brought my cock to her pussy. Brushing against her lips, I could tell how wet she was. I aligned myself at her entrance but didn't enter her. Instead, I brought my lips back to her ear.

"What do you want, Amelia?"

She whimpered pitifully and tried to push her hips back.

I held her firmly in place, not letting her impale herself on me.

"What do you want, Amelia?" I asked again, shifting to her other ear and breathing into it.

Amelia hid her face in her arms again, fighting with herself. I felt a strange satisfaction seeing her slowly break.

"I-I want your cock," Amelia mumbled into her arms, but then she lifted her head, looking at me. "Push it in, please!"

I could have teased her longer, but I was aroused by the whole situation and preferred not to meet her husband. I pushed my hips forward. My cock spread her lips, stretched her entrance, and plunged fully into her in one push.

Amelia quickly turned her head and tried to hide it between her arms, but she didn't manage it in time to muffle her loud moan completely.

Now that I was done teasing her, I started to pound her quickly. She wasn't as tight as Zoe, but she was warm and wet. I fucked her hard, pulling almost all of my cock out, then slamming it back in as hard as I could. Amelia braced herself against the wall, and I was curious how long her arms would hold out.

"Gods!" Amelia screamed.

Her pussy squeezed around my cock. She exploded suddenly and didn't need much time before an orgasm wrecked her body. I didn't stop pounding her even as bliss surged through her.

[Achievement Completed: Spreading the joy - Bring women to ten orgasms.]

[Reward: +1 Endurance]

I completed one of my achievements, but at the same moment, Amelia's hands gave out as her orgasm passed. She started to fall forward, but I still had one hand on her tits and the other on her hip. I grabbed her, took a quick step forward, and pulled her up, pinning her body against the wall while I was still fully inside her.

I fucked her, pushing her against the wall with every thrust. I doubted it could be pleasant for her, but every time my cock bottomed out in her heat, she moaned in pleasure. I quickened my movements, feeling my orgasm approaching.

The pressure in my abdomen built, and it was only seconds before I exploded.

I brought my lips to her ear. "I'm going to flood you. I'll fill your pussy with my hot cum," I groaned between thrusts.

Amelia moaned loudly, her pussy tightening around me at my words, and I exploded with a final push into her, pressing my hips against her flat ass.

It was a quick fuck and an equally quick orgasm. After I spilled my load into her, I pulled out. She was still shivering from her own orgasm. My cum leaked from her and cascaded down her legs.

I wanted to let go of her body, but she was limp. I lowered her slowly, and when she was lying on the ground, Amelia turned on her side and curled up, panting.

Her shirt was ripped open, her bra still pulled down, and her skirt had fallen lower. Her pussy remained exposed, now a mess with her pubic hair clumped from my cum and her juices. Her whole face was red, and her tits had marks from my fondling.

I chuckled, filled with proud, watching her well fucked, after my performance.

"Gods," she said. "That was... amazing," she murmured. Her eyes shifted to my cock, which was still half-hard. She licked her slightly parted lips. I could have pushed it between them, and I doubted she'd object.

"Mom! I'm home!" a male voice sounded from within the house.