(Valentine's POV)
"What do you want?"
My voice was quiet, but it still carried through the clearing and into the forest beyond it. The four people standing at the edge of the crater visibly tensed as my attention settled on them, their instincts probably screaming that approaching the source of a week-long magical disaster had been a terrible idea.
They were powerful, at least by human standards. Their magic was raw, dense, and old in a way that I rarely remembered seeing in the books or movies. Modern witches and wizards used spells that had been refined and passed down for centuries, while these four felt like they had personally dragged their magic out of the earth and beaten it into submission.
Godric Gryffindor stood slightly ahead of the others, one hand resting on the hilt of his sword while his other remained near his wand. Helga Hufflepuff carried two large baskets filled with food, blankets, and several potion bottles. Salazar Slytherin held his wand loosely at his side, although the tension in his arm made it obvious that he could raise it in an instant. Rowena Ravenclaw stood beside him and stared directly at me, her curiosity apparently stronger than her fear.
Their gazes moved over me as openly as mine moved over them.
I couldn't exactly blame them. I stood eight feet tall now, with snow-white skin, long silver hair, curved black horns, enormous wings, and enough muscle to punch through a castle wall. My breasts were larger than either of my previous bodies had possessed, my stomach was covered in thick defined muscles, and my hips and thighs had become wide enough that even I occasionally stopped to admire them.
I was also completely naked.
The System had not given me clothes when it merged my bodies, and I had not bothered summoning any from my wardrobe. Nothing about the cold bothered me, my skin was harder to damage than most enchanted armor, and after spending seven days trying not to explode, covering my tits had not been particularly high on my list of priorities.
Godric's eyes fell to my chest before moving lower. He paused at my waist, then stared at my hips and thighs for long enough that Helga glanced sideways at him. Salazar was slightly less obvious, but his eyes followed almost the exact same path, lingering on the curve of my breasts and the width of my hips before snapping back to my face.
Rowena looked everywhere.
Helga was the only one making a genuine effort to keep her eyes above my shoulders, although the redness spreading across her cheeks suggested she was not entirely successful.
"We brought food, blankets, and several healing potions," Helga said, lifting the baskets slightly. "We did not know whether you needed any of them."
"I don't."
"That does not mean you cannot enjoy them."
I stared at her for a moment. She was afraid—I could smell it beneath the warmth of her magic—but fear had not stopped her from walking into the forest carrying stew and blankets for the creature that had accidentally shattered Hogwarts's wards.
Either Helga was extremely compassionate or suicidally stubborn.
Probably both.
"Our castle was struck by several waves of your magic," Godric said. His gaze drifted toward my breasts again before he forced it toward the destruction surrounding us. "The outer wards were shattered, three towers were damaged, and nearly every magical creature living within the forest has fled to Hogwarts."
"That wasn't intentional."
Godric glanced around the crater. Black-and-blue flames burned across the shattered ground, rocks floated several feet in the air wherever my Gravity Magic remained unstable, poisonous mist flowed between cracks in the earth, and blue lightning continuously jumped between the towers of my Fortress.
"That is not particularly reassuring."
"It wasn't supposed to be."
Salazar's wand rose slightly. Rowena placed one hand against his arm without looking away from me, and the movement disturbed the Glamour hiding her true nature. For an instant, I saw the faint outline of dark translucent wings behind her.
The scent of her magic reached me.
Fae magic smelled like moonlight, wildflowers, cold forests, blood, and sex. That combination should not have been physically possible, but my new body did not seem to care about what was physically possible.
My Lust Aura reacted immediately.
A wave of heat rolled away from me and passed through the clearing.
All four Founders froze. Godric inhaled sharply, his attention falling back to my body. Salazar's pupils expanded as his eyes moved over my breasts and down to my hips again. Helga's face turned bright red, while Rowena became completely still, her dark wings briefly becoming more visible beneath her failing Glamour.
"Oh, fuck," I muttered.
My Seductive Aura had been leaking ever since the merger, but I had been too focused on Lindsey to understand exactly how badly it was affecting everyone around me. It was tangled together with Bloodlust, Deathly Aura, Primordial Poison, my Queenly Presence, and the constant pressure pouring into me from the Class 5 Ley Line.
Rowena raised one hand and traced several symbols through the air. A pale green barrier formed around the four of them, clearing some of the haze from their eyes without completely stopping their bodies from reacting.
"An infernal Lust Aura," she said carefully.
"That is only part of it."
"How comforting," Salazar growled.
"It wasn't intended to be comforting."
My own instincts were not helping. Godric smelled like steel, sweat, magic, and rapidly growing desire. Salazar smelled colder and sharper, like venom mixed with expensive incense. Helga smelled warm and sweet enough to make my mouth water, while Rowena smelled like someone I wanted to drag into my Fortress, bend over the nearest table, and keep there until neither of us remembered what century it was.
One of my Parallel Minds immediately started working out which positions would best accommodate Rowena's wings.
I shoved that mind into a corner and ordered it to monitor the Fortress wards instead.
"I recently underwent a racial evolution," I explained. "My body and magic have not fully stabilized, and right now my auras are difficult to separate from one another."
"Normally, you can control this?" Godric asked, still fighting not to look below my neck.
"Yes."
"And currently?"
"I am using a significant amount of concentration to avoid mounting one of you against the nearest solid surface."
The silence that followed was almost impressive.
Helga's face became even redder. Godric coughed into his fist, Rowena's Glamour flickered again, and Salazar raised his wand another few inches.
"At least she is honest," Helga eventually said.
"That does not improve the statement," Salazar replied.
"It improves it slightly."
"No, it does not."
I closed my eyes and reached inward. Suppressing the aura completely was impossible, but I managed to drag most of it back into my Primordial Soul Core. The effort caused the ground to tremble and sent several cracks through the stone beneath my feet, but the sexual pressure filling the clearing weakened.
"That is the best I can do."
Rowena reinforced the pale green ward surrounding them. "This should preserve our clarity, although it will not entirely prevent physical reactions."
"I don't mind your physical reactions."
Salazar glared at me. "Keep your eyes away from Rowena."
"No."
The answer left my mouth before I considered whether a more diplomatic response might be useful. I openly examined Rowena again, following the elegant curve of her body and the fading outline of her wings.
"You do not command where I look," I continued. "Threatening me because your partner is attractive is also an excellent way to die for an incredibly stupid reason."
Salazar's magic surged. My Bloodlust responded instantly, and the flames surrounding my Fortress rose several dozen feet into the air as the pressure in the clearing became heavy enough to crack the remaining trees.
Godric stepped between us before either of us acted. "That is enough."
"She—"
"You cannot win that fight," Godric interrupted.
Salazar's expression darkened. "I know."
"Then stop trying to start it."
Salazar lowered his wand, although his eyes remained fixed on me.
Smart man.
Helga walked forward and placed the baskets on a patch of ground that was not burning, frozen, poisoned, or floating. "Now that everyone has finished threatening each other, perhaps you can tell us why your grief has been powerful enough to frighten every living thing within the forest."
The reminder struck me harder than it should have. My magic changed with my emotions, causing the floating stones surrounding the Fortress to crash to the ground while the Phantom Fire dimmed into a faint blue glow.
"My daughter is trapped in another world."
The lust in the air did not disappear, but it became insignificant beneath the grief that followed it. Helga's expression softened immediately. Godric removed his hand from his sword, and even Salazar's hostility weakened slightly.
"How did she become trapped?" Helga asked.
"I was taken to another world and given a different body. That body altered how I thought and limited most of my emotions. I had a daughter while I was there, but I did not possess the capacity to love her properly."
I looked down at my hands as my black claws extended and pressed into my palms.
"When I was allowed to return here, I could bring one structure with me. I chose my Fortress even after being warned that none of the people inside could come with it. I left my infant daughter behind with Thralls, demons, and summons because the creature I was at the time considered her replaceable."
No one interrupted.
"Then my two bodies merged between worlds. The emotional suppression disappeared, and I remembered holding her."
Lindsey's face filled my mind again. Her silver-white hair, tiny black horns, and bright blue eyes that had opened for only a moment before closing. I remembered her little fingers wrapping around one of mine.
"I finally understood what I had done."
Another wave of despair moved through the clearing. Helga stepped toward me. Salazar reached for her arm, but she pulled herself free and stopped several feet away from me.
"You shouldn't come closer."
"Are you going to hurt me?"
"I don't know."
She hesitated at the honesty of that answer but did not retreat. "What is her name?"
"Lindsey Silver."
"Is she alive?"
"The bond between us remains intact. I know that much, but I cannot tell whether she is healthy, frightened, injured, or alone."
"Who is caring for her?"
"A demon named Zaric. He is intelligent, competent, and loyal. I ordered him to protect her."
"Then she is not alone."
"He is not her mother."
"No," Helga agreed gently, "but he is someone capable of keeping her safe until you return."
I stared at her. "How do you know he cares?"
"You referred to him by name. You have not named anyone else you left behind."
I hadn't even noticed.
Zaric had been my adviser, overseer, and the closest thing my Lich body had possessed to a friend. I trusted him to obey my command, but perhaps Helga was right. He had always seemed concerned about far more than efficiency.
"He will protect her," I admitted.
"Then you have time to find a way back."
"I don't know whether time moves the same way in both worlds."
Helga had no answer to that.
Rowena moved closer, although she remained inside the protection of her Fae ward. "You attempted to create pathways during the storm."
"Yes."
"To other worlds?"
"Several."
"And none reached your daughter."
"No."
"What did you use as an anchor?"
"My connection to Lindsey, Soul Magic, Summoning Magic, Gravity Magic, and several runic languages."
Rowena's eyes widened. "You combined Soul, Summoning, and Gravity Magic without an established threshold?"
"Yes."
"That should have torn your soul apart."
"I am extremely difficult to kill."
"That does not turn a terrible idea into a good one."
"I wasn't interested in good ideas."
She seemed to understand that.
Godric looked from Rowena to me. "What came through the unsuccessful pathways?"
"A hand."
"What kind of hand?"
"A large pale one with seven fingers."
"How large?"
"Larger than my body."
Godric glanced toward the others. "I believe we are moving past that far too quickly."
"It went away after I set it on fire."
"That did not improve the answer."
"It wasn't intended to."
While they spoke, one of my Parallel Minds examined their magic. Another compared their bloodlines to everything I knew about dimensional travel, while the remaining minds struggled to keep my auras and the Ley Line under control.
Golden windows appeared in front of me.
|Notice: Scanning nearby bloodlines.|
I kept my expression blank. The existence of the System belonged to me, and no one else would ever know about it if I had any choice in the matter.
|Godric Gryffindor: Ancient Gryphonheart Bloodline detected.|
|Helga Hufflepuff: Ancient Hearthmother Bloodline detected.|
|Salazar Slytherin: Ancient Serpent-Touched Bloodline detected.|
|Rowena Ravenclaw: High Unseelie Sidhe Bloodline detected.|
The windows expanded with information about structural reinforcement, home recognition, blood tracking, and threshold manipulation. Then a larger one appeared.
|Legendary Hidden Quest Generated: Bloodlines Beyond the Stars.|
|Preserve and merge the four Founder Bloodlines with the Primordial Devil Queen Bloodline through direct biological conception.|
|Required Conceptions:|
|Valentine Silver must impregnate Helga Hufflepuff.|
|Valentine Silver must impregnate Rowena Ravenclaw.|
|Godric Gryffindor must impregnate Valentine Silver.|
|Salazar Slytherin must impregnate Valentine Silver.|
|All participants must knowingly consent to the Bloodline Contract.|
|Rewards: SSS-Ranked Dimensional Compass Core, Legendary Skill: Astral Cartography, Legendary Skill: Bloodline Beacon, Massive XP, and Evolution of the Star Gazer Challenge.|
I read the notification several times. The rewards were exactly what I needed. A Dimensional Compass and Bloodline Beacon could give me a genuine method of finding Lindsey rather than tearing random holes into reality until one of them led to the correct place.
One of my minds immediately began examining conception rituals. Another started considering the best order for the four pregnancies, while the mind I had ordered to monitor the Fortress abandoned that job again and started imagining Rowena naked.
I needed better control over my own thoughts.
"I can sense your bloodlines," I said.
Rowena's eyes narrowed. "What do you sense?"
"Pieces of a pathway." I pointed toward Godric. "Your family magic can reinforce structures and prevent them from collapsing beneath pressure. A pathway between worlds will need that strength."
My attention moved to Helga. "Your magic recognizes homes, family, fertility, and sanctuary. It may allow a spell to recognize Lindsey as the place I am attempting to reach."
I looked at Salazar next. "Your bloodline can follow blood, recognize lineage, and track family through concealment."
Finally, I focused on Rowena. "Your magic controls thresholds and understands the boundaries between different realms."
Rowena's curiosity immediately intensified. "You believe our magical principles can be combined."
"Yes."
"How?" Godric asked.
"Through children."
The clearing became completely silent.
Helga blinked. Godric stared at me, Salazar slowly raised his wand again, and Rowena looked between us while apparently reaching the magical implications faster than the others.
I continued before anyone could interrupt. "The bloodlines need to combine inside living children. Blood samples, copied memories, adoption rituals, and artificial constructions will not form the complete connection that I require."
"And how exactly will these children be conceived?" Godric asked carefully.
"I will impregnate Helga and Rowena. You and Salazar will impregnate me."
Godric's mouth opened, but nothing came out. Helga became so red that she nearly matched his hair, while Salazar's magical aura exploded outward. Rowena's eyes moved down my naked body again, lingering on my wide hips.
"How would you impregnate them?" Godric finally managed to ask.
"Transformation magic."
I demonstrated.
My body shifted, and a large equine cock appeared between my thighs. I had used that shape so often with Vera that my body had apparently summoned it from habit before I consciously decided what I wanted.
All four Founders gasped.
Godric took a full step backward. Salazar's eyes widened, Helga stared despite herself, and Rowena's Glamour collapsed around her ears and part of her wings.
I glanced down at myself.
"Oh. Wrong one."
"Wrong one?" Godric repeated faintly.
"That is the shape I usually used with Vera. Habit."
Before they could ask who Vera was or why I had regularly used something that large, I transformed it. The equine shape shortened and reformed into a distinctly human one, although I saw no reason to make it unimpressive. It remained long, thick, and proportioned to the rest of my eight-foot body, hanging heavily between my muscular thighs.
Godric stared.
Salazar stared.
Helga covered her mouth.
Rowena leaned slightly to one side because Godric's shoulders were blocking part of her view.
"That is the human version," I explained.
"That is still enormous," Helga whispered.
"Yes."
Godric finally dragged his gaze upward. "How is that supposed to be less alarming?"
"It isn't shaped like a horse's cock."
"That is not particularly reassuring."
"It will fit with preparation."
Salazar made a strangled sound. "Will you stop discussing what will fit inside Rowena?"
"No."
Rowena looked toward Salazar without taking her attention entirely away from me. "She is answering the question."
"She is enjoying answering it."
"Of course I am," I interrupted. "I am the Devil Queen of Lust. The fact that all four of you are staring is extremely flattering."
Godric immediately looked toward the sky. Salazar attempted to do the same, although his gaze fell to my breasts first and then moved down my waist to the broad flare of my hips.
I noticed.
"You like my hips."
"I do not."
"You were staring directly at them."
"I was assessing whether you could safely carry a child."
"That is staring at my childbearing hips with additional words."
Helga made a sound suspiciously close to laughter. Salazar's face darkened, while Rowena made no effort to hide her amusement.
I allowed the transformation to disappear. Godric appeared both relieved and disappointed when my anatomy returned to normal.
Interesting.
Rowena strengthened the ward around the group. "This cannot be decided while your aura is influencing us."
"Obviously."
Her eyebrows rose. "I expected you to argue."
"I require genuine consent. If you agree because my aura has turned your thoughts into warm syrup, the bloodline bond will not form correctly."
That was the practical reason. It was not the only one, but it was the easiest to explain.
I possessed Thralls, bound souls, and demons. I was not morally opposed to using people when necessary, but this situation was different. The children needed healthy, complete bloodlines. Breaking their parents into mindless toys would be counterproductive, and attempting to force the Founders would turn the four people who could help me reach Lindsey into enemies.
More importantly, after abandoning my own daughter, the idea of creating children through unwilling parents caused something vicious to twist inside me.
Rowena nodded slowly. "We should construct stronger mental protections and continue the discussion after your magic stabilizes."
"I would prefer to have sex tonight."
Everyone looked at me.
"What? I said I would wait. That does not mean I have to pretend I don't want all four of you."
Godric's eyes slipped toward my chest before moving down to my hips again. Helga noticed and elbowed him.
"I wasn't—"
"You were," she said.
"So was Salazar," I added.
"I was not," Salazar replied immediately.
"You were looking at my tits while Rowena was staring at my cock."
Rowena did not deny it.
Salazar turned toward her. "You were what?"
"She demonstrated an unfamiliar form of transformation magic. Studying it was reasonable."
"You leaned around Godric to see better."
"He was obstructing my view."
Godric looked offended. "How is that my fault?"
"Your shoulders are unnecessarily broad."
"They are perfectly reasonably broad."
"They are very broad," I said, examining him openly. "Thick arms, strong legs, excellent shoulders. You will probably be enjoyable on top."
Godric turned red again.
Helga looked him over as though considering my assessment.
Salazar pinched the bridge of his nose. "This conversation has become intolerable."
"No, it has become honest."
"You are discussing using my closest friend as a sexual mount directly in front of me."
"I said he would be enjoyable on top. That makes me the mount."
"That is not better."
"It is to Godric."
Godric wisely remained silent.
Rowena's mouth twitched.
Helga looked down at her hands before raising her gaze to me. "How long would these pregnancies last?"
"One month for me."
All four of them stared again.
"My Succubus bloodline accelerates pregnancy," I explained. "When I carry a child, the pregnancy lasts approximately one month. When another woman carries my child, my magic shortens the pregnancy to approximately three months."
Helga's eyes widened. "Three months?"
"Yes. Your body will be magically supported throughout the pregnancy, and the child's development will be accelerated without being weakened. Rowena's pregnancy will be the same."
"When, not if?" Rowena asked.
"Yes."
Salazar's eyes narrowed. "You are remarkably confident."
"I need the four children to create the bloodline pathway, and the four of you are clearly interested despite your attempts to pretend otherwise. We are discussing when this happens, not whether it happens."
"That is an incredibly arrogant assumption," Godric said.
"You have looked at my breasts seven times and my hips five times since arriving."
Godric looked toward Helga as if hoping for assistance.
She gave him none.
"Salazar has stared at me almost as often, Rowena practically leaned around you to study my cock, and Helga is the only person here demonstrating any meaningful self-control."
Helga straightened slightly at the compliment.
"Although she has looked at my tits three times."
Helga's dignity immediately collapsed.
"I did not."
"You did. I don't mind."
Rowena folded her arms. "Physical attraction is not consent."
"I know. That is why we are waiting until my aura is controlled before signing anything or having sex. Attraction simply means the conversation is moving in a useful direction."
Salazar stared at me. "And you genuinely expect me to impregnate you after you impregnate Rowena?"
"Yes."
"You see no problem with that?"
"I see several opportunities but no problem."
Helga laughed outright. Godric attempted to hide his smile, while Rowena looked thoughtful.
Salazar looked as though the world had conspired to surround him with lunatics.
"What happens after the children are born?" Helga asked.
"They will be raised, educated, and protected."
"By whom?"
"All of us, unless one of you chooses not to be involved."
The answer surprised them.
"My descendants will belong to my Dominion," I explained, "but I will not separate children from parents who want them."
Lindsey's absence cut through me again. My wings shifted and curled slightly toward my body.
"No mother will be forced to experience what I am experiencing."
Helga's expression softened. "They would know their siblings?"
"Yes."
"Their fathers and mothers?"
"Yes."
Rowena looked toward Salazar. The children themselves were not the only complication. Having sex with me would be physically simple compared with untangling their feelings about sharing one another.
"I am not attempting to replace your relationship," I told them. "Sex does not require love, and producing children with me does not prevent you from remaining bonded."
Salazar studied me suspiciously. "You truly view it that simply?"
"I am the Devil Queen of Lust and the Apostle of Death. I command sex, souls, infernal creatures, and the dead. I have no interest in pretending physical desire must always become romantic devotion."
"That might be the most alarming introduction you have given so far," Godric said.
"It is also the most accurate."
Helga released a slow breath. "I will not agree to a Bloodline Contract until your aura is controlled and I understand exactly what carrying your child will do to me."
"That is reasonable."
"But I am not refusing."
Godric turned sharply toward her. "You are seriously considering allowing her to impregnate you?"
"You are seriously considering impregnating her."
"I have not said that."
"You also haven't said no," I cut in.
Godric looked toward me. His eyes travelled across my breasts and hips again before he caught himself.
"No," I said with a smile. "You definitely haven't said no."
"I am attempting to think."
"You can think while looking. I don't mind."
"That is part of the problem."
Rowena stepped closer, the ward around her flickering as my Lust Aura pressed against it. "I will examine the magical theory and every word of the Bloodline Contract before agreeing."
"I expected nothing less."
Salazar stared at her. "You are actually considering this?"
"I consider everything."
"She intends to put a child inside you."
"Yes, Salazar. I understood her the first time."
"And then you will put one inside me," I added.
Rowena glanced toward me. "That addition was unnecessary."
"It was accurate."
Salazar made a low sound in his throat, and my Lust Aura responded with another pulse before I managed to restrain it. All four Founders inhaled sharply, their eyes becoming unfocused for several seconds before Rowena reinforced the Fae barrier.
"We should leave before these protections fail," she said.
"You came because the forest is uninhabitable and your wards are broken," I reminded them.
Godric nodded carefully. "That remains a concern."
"I can repair Hogwarts."
Salazar frowned. "The wards were created by all four of us."
"Yes."
"You believe you can improve them alone?"
"Yes."
His expression suggested I had insulted his family, wand technique, and entire magical education at once. Rowena, on the other hand, looked delighted.
"How much stronger could you make them?"
"Strong enough to survive the remaining storm."
That caught their attention.
"In exchange for what?" Salazar asked.
"Nothing. I need Hogwarts intact."
"Why?"
"The castle will become important."
"When?"
"In the future."
"What happens?"
"I am not telling you."
Godric sighed. "You make statements like that and expect us not to ask questions?"
"I expect you to ask. I simply do not care enough to answer."
That seemed to offend him even more than my assessment of his shoulders.
I rose to my full eight-foot height and unfurled my wings. The four Founders stepped backward as my shadow fell over them and my magical presence settled across the clearing.
"Return tomorrow with copies of your ward designs. I will reinforce Hogwarts and create temporary sanctuaries for the centaurs and the other creatures until my magic stabilizes."
"And then?" Rowena asked.
"Then we discuss bloodlines, contracts, the four pregnancies, and exactly how each of you prefers to have sex."
Salazar closed his eyes. Godric coughed, Helga flushed again, and Rowena's attention moved once more to my hips.
"I should warn you," I continued. "Once my aura is under control, I will still be the Devil Queen of Lust and the Apostle of Death."
Godric looked wary. "What exactly does that mean?"
"It means the aura might stop making you want me."
I smiled as my eyes moved over all four of them.
"But I will not stop wanting you."