Part 1: Neckaring with the Sphinx

Prologue

"Wonderful." The Elvish woman replied with a smile. "I think you will do just fine here."

Her eyes gazed across you once more, as if she was judging the sincerity of your acceptance.

"I think we should start you off with something relatively easy." Her hands disappeared behind the desk again, followed by the unmistakable sound of a drawer opening and then closing. Her hands returned to the top of the desk bringing with them a pair of stud boxes.

"These studs were worn by Elias and Inda Glemmund." She stated matter of factly as she placed the boxes on the desk in front of you. "They are a human couple that departed the Mansion this morning."

Her fingers ran delicately across the top of the boxes. "They told me that they found their stay quite enjoyable and that they are already planning for when they can return."

Her lips curled in a slight smirk, "Being that this was their first stay with us, I can not imagine that their stay was that extravagant."

You nodded as you started to stand, "Thank you again."

She stood at the same time, extending a hand across the desk. "Your welcome. I expect to see great things from you."

Taking her hand, you could feel that her fingers were warm, much warmer than you would have expected. "Uh, I'll do my best."

"Good." She replied, smiling as she took her hand back. "That's all we expect."

You nodded, collected your handful of jewelry boxes and set out of the office. Behind you, you could hear her hands shuffling through the papers that lied on the desk.

Opening the door with your free hand, you were immediately greeted by the young man who had led you to the office to begin with.

"Follow me, please." He said with a smile. "I'll show you to your room and your study."

You nodded your reply and started your walk through the hallways. It was only a moment or so later when he glanced over his shoulder and smiled, "By the way, welcome to the Mansion."

Neckaring with the Sphinx

Elias mentally tried to calculate how much this stay was going to cost him and his wife. He wasn't happy with any of the numbers that he was coming up with. Conservatively, he imagined it was going to easily take half of their life savings.

"Have you seen the washroom?" The excited voice of his wife drew him out of his mental doldrums. "There's running water, hot and cold! Just like an Elvish Palace!"

Elias couldn't help but smile at the way she was bubbling around the room. Though he had never stayed at the Mansion before, the amenities themselves were not new to him. He had seen many wondrous things in his travels, as well as many horrors. Serving in the military had both that benefit and curse.

Inda, on the other hand, had not often seen the world outside her home town. She couldn't possibly contain her excitement and her reaction was infectious, drawing Elias out of his thoughts.

"That's as it should be." He said with a smile, walking up behind his wife as she inspected the bed. "Only the best for my princess."

Right then and there he made a decision, he would enjoy the week they had here. Ruining the week by spending it worrying about the bill made no sense. Better to enjoy it and have something to look back on for the price.

"With a bed like this..." Inda murmured as she ran her hand over the fine cloth. "I'll certainly feel like a princess."

He smiled again as he wrapped his arms around her. He towered over her, a full head at least, making her tiny in his grasp. He lifted her slightly off the ground, causing her to whoop in surprise. When he set her back down, she immediately spun in place to face him, giggling the whole time.

"We could stay in here all day you know." Elias offered with a smile. "But that really wouldn't make the most of our day, would it?"

Inda glanced at him and smiled as she shook her head, "No, it wouldn't." She agreed, mimicking his serious tone of voice.

Elias nodded with a laugh and then reached for the door to their room. He held it open for her as she passed though. He could see that she was bubbling with the excitement of seeing what else this adventure had in store for them.

She glanced up and down the hallway excitedly as she waited for him to join her. Just like a little child, even these few seconds of waiting seemed to be intolerable to her. That only made him take slightly longer to step into the hallway, an amused look on his face.

He took her hand and began the trek down the hall. "Would you like to get something to eat or explore a bit first?" he asked her, smiling.

"Explore. Please." Her voice was still giddy and he hoped that effect wouldn't wear off. He liked to see her this happy and excited.

"Now you remember what I told you about this place, right?" He asked, a bit cautiously. He wanted to be absolutely sure that she was prepared for what she'd see. So far they had been pretty lucky in that nothing out of the ordinary had come up to shock her.

She nodded in reply, "I do."

"Okay. Then how about we go to that balcony we passed on the way in? The one that overlooked the garden?" He offered.

She nodded again in reply, squeezing his hand at the same time. It wasn't exactly as exciting a prospect as she had anticipated, but it was a start.

"Good." He said as he led the way through the hallways. He had made it a point to get a room on the second floor, but they really didn't have the money to get a balcony of their own. The windows in their rooms looked out, away from the mansion, back towards the rest of the world outside.

"Ah, here it is." He announced as they arrived at the large glass door that led to the public balcony. He reached to open the door, but at the same time, his eyes looked through it to see who else might already be out there. And if they might be intruding on anything.

To his relief, he saw that the balcony was mostly vacant. In fact, there were only two other people on it. An Elvish couple who looked to be busy enjoying their morning tea at one of the small tables.

The garden looked magnificent even from inside. It was totally incased in the center of the mansion, with open air above it. He couldn't see the grounds from here, but he could see the upper half of the trees that grew below.

He pushed the door open easily and remained inside while he again held the door open for her. He watched as she stepped onto the stone floor outside, her eyes darting about to take it all in. Unlike the hallway, once she was on the other side of the door, she didn't stop. She kept walking, straight for the railing of the balcony. He took a quick deep breath and followed her.

He stepped up next to her and gazed down on the large pool that dominated the center of the garden. It was certainly man made, but made to look natural. Waterfalls fell from the side of the building, running along a small river to fill the pond. He could see the handful of people already enjoying a morning swim, all of them quite plainly naked and unashamed.

Cobblestone paths wove an intricate web of walkways, between which numerous trees and bushes created natural fences and walls. Small sections of grass were carefully cordoned off between the foliage, offering only a few points to enter and a small amount of privacy.

Still, while the natural beauty was certainly impressive, it was the patrons of the garden that were even more interesting. They came in all shapes and sizes; humans, elves, dwarves, and some even more exotic.

His eyes followed what looked like a swarm of bees buzzing around the garden, but when he narrowed his eyes he could see that they were actually a mass of tiny winged faeries. He watched the flying mass dive up and down, banking left and right, as if they were playing a game that they only understood.

There were still even more exotic creatures; centaurs, giants, caitians, the variety seemed limitless. He took a deep breath as he waited for Inda's reaction to all of this.

"Goddess." Inda murmured as her hands gripped the balcony railing tighter. Elias let out his large breath of air and readied himself, he was unable to judge just by the tone of her voice what her reaction was.

"This is incredible." She said, the awe becoming obvious in her voice. "Are those elves dark elves?"

He glanced where she was looking and saw the figures she meant. A trio of coal skinned elves were reclining in the shade of one of the trees. Two females and a male, all with bright golden hair and wearing thin cotton shifts.

He nodded, "Yes, I believe they are, but don't call them dark elves. They prefer Elarel."

She glanced at him, slightly embarrassed by her mistake. "Oh. I'll remember that."

"Good." He replied, still smiling, trying to smooth out the verbal correction and not make her feel worried for it.

She felt almost like a fish out of water. This was not the sort of place she had ever imagined being. Her life had been so simple before Elias showed up and she had no belief that that would ever have changed. Her parents were dairy farmers, just like their parents before them had been. And so on back as far as any one could remember. She had expected that that was all that life had in store for her.

Then Elias and his squadron showed up in her town. All of the villagers had been up in arms about it, but to her, they were an entirely new life that she hadn't even imagined. And, to make a long story short, that's how they had gotten to this point. That was years ago and she hadn't regretted it a single day since.

Her eyes continued to scan across the gardens below. Taking in every detail she could, drinking in as much of the environment as her mind was willing to accept. Then she just stopped, frozen still, her eyes stared at the two figures that had just finally proved to be too much for her.

There were two of them, large, golden, and sleek. They padded slowly through the garden with an air of strength and assurance that she hadn't seen the like of before. They seemed to be exploring as well, taking in everything about them.

Inda went to say something to Elias about this. To ask what they were. If they really were what she thought they were. But she failed to find her voice and, instead, just stood there staring in awe.

One of the figures padded to a slow stop, as if it could feel Inda's eyes on them. As the second figure slowed to a stop as well, the first glanced up, making eye contact with Inda.

Inda felt immediately embarrassed, a red warm feeling filling her eyes and face. But she could not avert her eyes. It was like the eye contact had engaged her soul and it wasn't willing to let her go that easily. The face that stared up at her was obviously female, piercing red eyes set in and exotically sharp set of features. All framed in by bright golden hair, the color of the morning sun.

The female broke the eye contact as she looked to the figure with her. With the contact broken, Inda could feel her body gasp for air. It was as if she had not actually been in her body for the last few moments. As if she had been drawn out of herself and ensnared in this female's gaze.

Inda embarrassment grew within herself to almost a mortal wound now. She looked to Elias, feeling quite small and almost terrified. Had she done something horribly rude? Some unknown to her, but none the less insulting social misstep?

The look on Elias' face as one of confusion and indecision. Like even he did not know what to do at this point.

Inda looked back to the garden quickly now, looking down to see both of the figures looking up at Elias and herself. She could see the lips of the second figure speaking. And she could see the female figure nodding slowly in reply as it listened. The second figure's face was decidedly male, but otherwise much like the females. Dark red eyes, angular, almost regal features, and a strong jaw to form a base for its face. All of this also framed by a mane of golden hair.

Inda drew in a breath of surprise as the female figure unfurled its wings. Spreading them out wide from its broad, strong back. The very tips vibrated, like they were being stretched taut. They then started gently flapping as the figure reared slowly back on its hind legs. A moment later and its rear feet no longer touched the ground either.

In surprise, Inda took a step back from the railing, backing up right into Elias. He followed suit though, placing a protective arm around his mate as he stepped backwards as well.

The figure rose up into view, turned and started towards the balcony. It's movements through the air were slow and deliberate, but seemed impossible to be happening. It's powerful, sleek body just seemed unnatural in the air, its feathery wings were just too delicate looking to support it. Yet, there it was in front of them. Defying what ever natural laws were screaming in their heads.

It landed lightly on the balcony; the only sound it made was the click of its sharp nails when its paws touched the balcony. It just stood there for a moment, regarding them from the spot they had just been occupying, as its wings folded back up against its back.

"You're... You're..." Inda stammered out, staring in wide eyed wonder at the creature in front of her. She felt a slight twinge of fear, but that felt minor now, blotted out by awe.

"A sphinx." The creature replied, a smile still gracing her face. "You've never met one of my kind before, have you?"

"No..." Inda said slowly, none of the wonder had left her eyes.

"I'm sorry to have startled you." The sphinx said as it regarded Inda slowly. "I saw you both up here looking and I thought I would introduce myself."

"But..." Inda started to stammer out again, but said nothing more.

"What?" the creature inquired, curiously.

"Don't you... eat humans?" Inda asked, embarrassed. After all, it was obvious that she had no plans to eat either of them. Unless this was just the dinner conversation before the meal.

The creature literally roared with laughter, causing both Inda and Elias to jump slightly in surprise. "No, I don't. And neither do I talk in riddles or guard tombs of long dead rulers."

"Oh." Inda said, a slight reddish hue heating her cheeks in embarrassment.

""Some sphinixi might." She replied, with a toothy smile. "But they are about as closely related to me as apes might be to you."

"Oh." Inda said again, suddenly grasping what the sphinx was trying to explain to her.

The sphinx's smile broadened slightly now, becoming a little less toothy, "I am Kellet, of the Shield Clan Alvius." She lowered her head slightly when she said her name, as if that was a motion of respect.

"Inda... Inda Glemmund." Inda managed to reply, still feeling woefully out of place in this conversation.

"Glemmund... Glemmund..." Kellet repeated now, as if she was rolling it around in her mouth and trying it on. "From the manor of the yellow flowers?" she added, sounding slightly unsure.

Elias nodded now; somewhat surprised that anyone would know the meaning of his family's name.

Kellet glanced at Elias and smiled again, then looked back to Inda. "A noble family line indeed."

"Oh!" Inda said suddenly, as if she just remembered something. "This is Elias, my husband."

Elias had the urge to extend his hand in greeting, but held it back and just kept his hands where they were. He wasn't entirely sure what the proper manner in which one should behave when meeting a sphinx for the first time. "Pleased to meet you."

Kellet smiled again, nodding slightly in reply to the introduction. "And I am pleased to meet you both." She turned slightly now, showing them her profile as she nodded to the male sphinx still standing in the garden below. "That is Tadis, my shield mate."

The male sphinx below seemed to understand that he had been introduced, his head dropping low for a moment as well. In the same manner that Kellet had when she stated her name. Inda, for lack of a better movement to do, raised her hand and waved slightly to Tadis, Elias doing the same after a momentary pause.

Kellet turned to look at them again and took a couple of steps towards them. Closing the distance to what would be probably considered a more acceptable distance for polite conversation in sphinx society.

"Well, I do not wish to detain your exploration any further." Kellet said, now able to use a more polite volume of conversation. "Perhaps, this evening, you might wish to join us for dinner?" Kellet's smile broadened even further now, as if she was enjoying this conversation. "So that I can prove to you that we do not actually eat humans."

Inda was startled by this invitation, but Elias was quick to respond. "We would be honored."

"Wonderful." Kellet said with the same pleased smile. "Then perhaps after dinner I can show you the only manner in which I do enjoy eating humans."

Not waiting for a reply, Kellet unfurled her wings again. "We are in room one hundred and seventy-two. Come by this evening, let' us say an hour before dusk?" Her wings flapped lightly as her body lifted up off the balcony. While floating in front of them, she turned in place then slipped over the side of the balcony, soaring gently to her mate on the ground below.

Elias chuckled lightly at this, "I do believe we've just been propositioned by a pair of sphinx."

Inda nodded in reply, still at a loss for words.

As near as they could tell, they arrived at Kellet and Tadis' room at the prescribed time. If they hadn't, there was no hint of a problem from either of the sphinxi.

To Inda and Elias' surprise, the room was a relatively barren affair. There was no furniture in it to speak of, except for a large round table set right in the center of the room. The rest of the room was lined with a multitude of pillows of all sizes and colors. The pillows were so numerous it was almost impossible to see the floor below.

The room had a musky smell to it that wasn't entirely unpleasant. In fact, it was fairly engaging and spiced with the scent of roasted meat. Meat that Kellet was very amused to mention was in fact venison and in no way human in nature.

The foursome sat relaxing on the pillows around the table. Feeling quite contented and lethargic after leisurely finished what turned out to be an excellent meal. Both Inda and Elias were surprised to find that having dinner with Kellet and Tadis wasn't all that exotic an affair. In fact, if they had eaten with their eyes closed, the meal would be indistinguishable from any other meal with new friends.

As they talked about nothing in particular, Inda couldn't help but venture to touch Tadis' huge golden paw. It sat on one of the pillows next to her and was bigger than both her feet put together. Somehow she felt like just touching it could make all of this seem real.

Inda's fingers had only been on his paw for a moment when Tadis turned his attention to her. A look of bemusement on his face. He just watched her as her fingers traced the outline of his toes then followed the length of one of his dark nails.

Inda noticed how the short, stubby hair felt unbelievably soft. How his nails felt like warm glass. As she thought about this she glanced up to see him looking at her. Instinctively pulling back her hand, she blushed heavily as she glanced around the table, only to find that both Kellet and Elias had been watching her as well.

Tadis laughed now, his chuckling breaking through the tension like a hammer through ice.

"Well, I have to admit that I did promise to show our guests something." Kellet's crimson eyes twinkling as she spoke.

"Oh, did you now?" Tadis laughter had drifted to speaking in a bemused roar. "Care to share with me, my mate?"

The right corner of Kellet's mouth curled into a smile. "Why, the only manner is which I do enjoy eating humans, of course."

Tadis laughed again, shaking his head slightly before looking back to Inda and Elias. "You will have to excuse my mate. She seems to have acquired this taste for human semen that I will never understand."

Inda just blinked, glancing slowly from one sphinx to the other. She was surprised by the frankness in their conversation. After all, this wasn't the usual level of openness she had come to expect in after dinner conversation.

Elias, on the other hand, could feel his breeches growing tight around his lap just from the thought of this. This was, after all, why he chose to bring his wife to the mansion. Of course, when he pictured this scene, sphinxi never had entered into his imagination. He glanced at Inda now, to try to gauge her reaction to this.

"And you will have to excuse my mate." Kellet added. "He does not quite understand that words like 'human semen' are not the least bit arousing."

Kellet paused for a second and sniffed the air, before winking at Elias. "But it seems that has not daunted your interest."

Elias, for the first time in what seemed like forever, actually blushed. He coughed lightly into his hand though, in an unsuccessful attempt to try and hide his reaction. "What do you think?" he asked Inda now, still a bit nervous about her reaction to this.

Inda thought for a moment, still looking at their host and hostess. A small lump descended her throat as she swallowed. Then she nodded, "Okay."

With that one word leaving her lips, Elias felt all his nervousness melt away. And he couldn't help but imagine what it would look like to see his lnda in the throes of passion with someone else. What she would look like curled up underneath Tadis. He wondered if her small frame would be able to handle such a penetration from the large sphinx. And he was getting even more eager to find out.

"Wonderful." Kellet's voice drew Elias out of his thoughts, a pleased smile gracing her face.

"Indeed." Kellet's mate added, turning his attention fully to Inda again. "Touch me again." He said, almost like an order. Forceful, but not demanding, not yet anyway.

Inda nodded and reached a shaky, nervous hand over towards Tadis. She laid her hand lightly on his back and moved it slowly, following the grain of his golden fur. It was soft, but slightly bristly, almost silky, but with a strength to it. She had no idea it would felt like this. She could feel the muscles of his back ripple under his fur, strong and hard, coiled like springs ready to leap.

Feeling only slightly bolder, she tentatively ran her hand down his side, feeling his rib cage under her fingers. His heart was beating, strong and steady, making his whole chest vibrate. She followed his rib cage lower, feeling it end and his even softer belly hair begin. It was longer than the hair on his back and softer; underneath it she could feel his belly quiver. Was it just his meal or was she doing this to him? She glanced at his face, but he had just a contented look betraying nothing. His eyes were closed, like a cat regal and trusting, but at the same time uncaring.

She lowered her hand even further. Fingers moving through his soft fur a bit more deliberately, but it didn't take long to find what it was she was seeking. She felt just the tip buried under his hair. Hard, hot, wet, the stickiness quickly coating her fingers as he let out a loud, contented sigh.

She wrapped her fingers around his tip, feeling it's heaviness in her palm. It wasn't quite as big as she expected it to be. No bigger than a plum in fact, probably only slightly larger than her own husband's.

"Reach further." Tadis said now with the same forceful tone of voice. It was like he was reading her mind.

Inda nodded slightly, swallowing again as his pre-cum continued to leak from him. Making her entire hand feel slick and cold as the liquid quickly cooled.

Kellet licked her lips as she watched this little nervous human explore her mate. She could smell his musk in the air; it was a deep, dark, familiar scent. It was twinged by the slightly sweeter smell of the females own arousal, not quite fully found, but coming along nicely. The human male, on the other hand, was quite noticeably aroused. She could smell it leak out of him, a dull, slightly metallic musky smell. These scents combined with her own arousal created a symphony for her nose to follow.

Elias just watched as his Inda explored the body of this creature. His little Inda, always the prim and reserved woman, touching the sphinx while he watched. He felt so aroused that it was almost painful.

Inda relaxed her hand slightly, allowing his tip to slip free. She leaned closer as she used her fingers to trace the length of his shaft. Buried underneath his fur, there was no way to explore it other than by touch. And, to her amazement, it seemed almost to go on forever. The thickness remained the same for the entire length, which was easily a foot and a half.

She traced her fingers back up, circling his tip once more, before descending back down again. She needed to do this once more, just to confirm her amazement.

"You have had your chance to touch me." Tadis announced with the same forcefulness. "Now it is my turn. Stand up and undress for me. For us."

Inda blinking at his words and pulled back her hand in surprise. It was like she had been enchanted and the words had snapped her out of the spell. She heard the words and she knew what he wanted, but a wave of nervousness passed over her. She glanced at Elias for some sort of reassurance or protest of offense.

Elias knew that this was the deciding moment. That this was where the balance of the entire trip hinged. His arousal was screaming in his head for release, he wanted to just shout out for her to undress. But he couldn't do that. He knew he had to let her make up her own mind. He found himself just smiling at her, not a wide or happy smile, an accepting one. One that said that it didn't matter what she chose to do, that no matter which way she decided, he'd still love her just the same.

At seeing his smile, Inda blushed as she understood the depth of it. In that second she had made up her mind, but she had little chance to reflect on her decision.

"Do not look at him." Using the tip of his tail, Tadis nudged Inda's face to look at him again. "Undress."

Inda nodding slightly, swallowing hard again then rose to her feet on shaky legs. The entire time she kept her eyes fixed on Tadis' crimson eyes. She could hear the far off sound of drums beating in her ears and it took a moment for her to realize that this was the sound of her own blood rushing in her body.

Kellet sprawled her body out a bit more on the pillows, relaxing her muscles as she watched. The room was thick with the musky smell of longing, but there was something more. The scents were laced with Inda's nervousness, a kind of delicate, sweet smell. It permeated the other scents, lined their edges, barely there, yet impossible not to notice. It wasn't so much the scent itself that thrilled her, but the effect the scent had on all the other scents.

Kellet closed her eyes and just absorbed the sensations that her nose was providing her. A low, satisfied purr rumbled from the bottom of her soul, echoing out of her as she sleepily opened her eyes.

Inda's hands moved carefully, trying her best not to stain her dress with Tadis cold semen that still covered one of her hands. The pearl buttons that ran down the back of her dress proved to be too much of a challenge for her. They held the dress undaunted as they slipped from between her slick, twitching fingers.

"Here." Elias said softly as he rose to his feet. "Let me help you." His fingers reaching to glide softly down the back of his neck, before grasping the delicate buttons.

Tadis hummed his approval as he watched. This was how it should be, he felt. Present your mate to me. Unwrap her for me. Deliver her to me. Watch as I savor her.

Elias' hands moved quickly, unbuttoning each of the pearls in rapid succession. His hands were at her waist when he reached the last button and he paused only for the briefest of seconds before deciding to proceed. He parted the dress slightly and pushed it forward, letting it go slack in the front. His hands slid across her back and nudged the dress from her shoulders, letting it fall freely down the front of her body. Slipping off her arms and dangling from her waist.

She stood there, before the sphinx, her expensive dress hanging from her hips and only her plain white slip covering her chest. She considered reaching to push the dress the rest of the way down, but instead she just stood there.

Elias' hands moved around his wife lightly. Slipping over the soft cotton of her slip, feeling the tender bumps where her hips began underneath the cloth. It only took the scantest of pressure to cause the dress to glide over her hips and tumble to the floor.

He took a step back so that he could see both her and her suitor at the same time. He wanted to see the other male's reaction. He wanted to know that this male, who would soon be sampling things that until this point had only been enjoyed by him, would see her beauty.

Tadis' eyes moved slowly over this creature before him. She wasn't overly beautiful, not to one who would just look at the surface anyway. But he could see her for more now. A burning mass of yearning, wrapped in a skin of nervous rusticness. There was a nobility to her character, a strength of spirit and will that was yet still dormant. Bringing that to the surface, that was the pleasure he wanted to savor.