Judas walked up the gravel path to his home. The moon hung high above, casting a silver glow over the silent fields.

The smell of blood had been washed away, replaced by the floral scent of the shampoo, yet the memories of the hanging bodies still clung to his mind like a persistent shadow, even after he tried his best to forget them.

He reached the front door and paused.

The wooden panels creaked slightly as he pushed them open. He expected darkness and silence, as his wives were asleep, safe and unaware of the gore he had seen before.

Instead, a small figure sat curled up near the entrance.

Nina sat with her knees pulled to her chest. Her fluffy tail was wrapped around her ankles, and her ears were drooping low.

When the door opened, her head snapped up. Her golden eyes widened, shimmering with unshed tears in the dim light.

She didn't speak immediately. She just looked at him, sniffing the air to confirm it was really him.

A smile broke across her face, bright and relieved, before she suddenly pursed her lips in an attempt to look angry. It wasn't very convincing.

Judas felt his heart melt. The darkness in his mind receded a little.

He reached out to her.

"What is it, puppy?"

Nina didn't hold back anymore. She scrambled to her feet and launched herself into his arms. Her hands balled into fists, and she beat his chest pitifully.

The strikes had no force behind them. They were just an outlet for her fear.

"Where did you go?" she whined, burying her face in his fresh shirt. "I can't sleep without you. The bed is cold."

She looked up at him with a pout that could topple kingdoms.

"You disappeared. The air felt scary."

Judas flicked her forehead gently. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her warmth against his own cooling body.

"I just went to clear some flies," he said softly.

Nina paused. She pulled back slightly to look at his face. Her nose twitched.

"Flies don't come out at night," she whispered. "You have to take care of yourself."

She glanced nervously toward the slightly ajar door of the side room.

"Luna said we should search for another husband who could protect himself if you kept running off," Nina confided in a hushed tone. "She was really mad."

Judas raised his eyebrows. He followed her gaze to the darkened doorway.

He already knew Luna was there. Her presence was as obvious as a beacon in the night. He could practically hear her internal monologue screaming complaints about him.

He acted surprised.

"Did Luna really say that?" Judas asked, feigning shock. "She wants to find a better man? After I worked so hard?"

Nina nodded vigorously.

"She said you are reckless and..."

A shadow rushed out of the side room.

Luna moved with the grace of an offended cat. She reached out and pinched Nina's fluffy ear, stopping the wolf girl mid-sentence.

"Oh, good Nina," Luna hissed, her cheeks flushed pink. "You have learned to lie. When did I say I wanted another husband?"

"Ouch!" Nina rubbed her ear, grinning. She stepped behind Judas, using his broad back as a shield. She peeked over his shoulder and stuck her tongue out at the elf.

Luna fumed. She puffed her cheeks out, glaring at Judas as if he were the one who had pinched her.

"Why did you go to clear flies at midnight?" she asked coldly. Her arms crossed over her chest in a defensive posture. "Can it not wait for the morning? Do you enjoy making us worry?"

'He smells faint,' her internal voice echoed in Judas's mind. 'The scent of blood is gone, but there is something underneath him. Did he get hurt? Is he hiding a wound?'

Judas pursed his lips. He let his shoulders slump, adopting the persona of a scolded child.

"I am sorry, Little Frost," he said. "They were too annoying to leave alive. I couldn't sleep with all that buzzing."

Luna stared at his wronged face. Her icy facade cracked instantly.

She sighed, unfolding her arms. She moved closer, stepping into his personal space, and leaned her head against his chest.

"Okay," she murmured. "This time we will forgive you. But if you go next time without our permission, then..."

She paused. She swiped her hand through the air in a vicious chopping motion.

"Then?" Judas asked, raising a brow.

Luna reached out to grab his shirt to pull him closer. Her fingers brushed the fabric, and she froze.

She pulled the material between her thumb and forefinger. It was stiff. Crisp. It didn't feel like the worn linen he had been wearing earlier.

She leaned in, sniffing his chest.

"Where did you get these new clothes?"

The lights in the room were dim, so they hadn't noticed the change immediately. But Luna's senses were sharp. The smell of new cotton and strange, fragrant soap filled her nose.

Judas shrugged.

"It is a secret," he said, keeping his voice light. "Don't worry. I will get you three a lot of them from now on. I realized my wives deserve better than rags."

Luna narrowed her eyes. She opened her mouth to ask why he needed to change clothes in the middle of the night, but Judas cut her off.

"But before that," he whispered, stepping forward to trap her against his body. "Tell me. How are you guys going to punish your pitiful husband for his crime?"

His hand slipped down her side. He traced the curve of her waist and moved lower, his palm resting casually over her lower abdomen.

Luna stiffened. Her breath hitched.

"Judas..."

His hand moved lower still, pressing firmly against her nether region through her thin nightdress.

"Ahn..." A moan escaped her lips before she could stop it. Her legs went weak, and she clung to his shoulders for support.

Nina didn't want to be left out. She moved her hands over his abdominal muscles, marveling at the hardness beneath the new shirt.

Her hands slid lower, slipping into the waistband of his new trousers.

She clutched him boldly.

Judas groaned, leaning his weight onto Luna. He buried his face in the elf's collarbones, inhaling her scent to ground himself.

While Judas moved his fingers against Luna, teasing her until she was trembling, Nina continued her massage.

The tension of the night began to dissolve into a haze of desire.

The door to the bedroom creaked open further.

Ezra stepped out.

She looked disheveled. Her dark hair was loose, falling around her shoulders in messy waves. Her eyes were sharp, scanning the scene with the intensity of a hawk.

Both Nina and Luna froze. They sensed the shift in the atmosphere instantly. They pulled back slightly, looking at the warrior woman with wide eyes.

Even Judas flinched a bit.

He looked at Ezra. Her expression was unreadable, but her arms were crossed, and her foot tapped rhythmically on the floor.

"Mommy..." Judas cried out, his voice cracking playfully.

He ignored the stifled laughs from Nina and Luna.

Ezra silenced the other two with a single, sharp glance. Then she turned her attention back to her husband.

She walked over to him.

"Who gave you permission to leave in the night?" she asked coolly.

'His mental state is shaken,' her voice whispered in Judas's head. 'His eyes are too dark. What did he see out there? If I had enough strength to share his worries, he wouldn't have to hide it.'

Judas felt a pang of guilt.

'Ezra knows there is something wrong with husband,' Nina thought sadly, her hand falling from Judas's waist. 'Luna could even find out about simple changes like his dress. Only I am useless.'

'Nina could calm him with her simple nature,' Luna thought, biting her lip. 'Ezra could lull him like a mother. What can I offer him? I just complained.'

The air in the room grew heavy with their insecurities. They loved him, but they felt inadequate against the unknown threats he was facing alone.

Judas sighed inwardly.

He reached out and pulled all three of them into a massive bear hug. His arms were long enough to encompass their world.

He didn't explain the blood. He didn't tell them about the hanging bodies or the severed heads. He didn't want those images in their minds.

"Sorry, wife," he said, resting his chin on Ezra's head. "I will never leave without your permission again. I promise."

Ezra scoffed. She didn't pull away, but her voice remained firm.

"I don't trust you."

Judas grinned. The darkness was fully pushed back now.

"Then..."

He began to shepherd the three of them toward the bedroom.

"How about I show you that you three can trust me by thrusting?"

"Wha..."

Their voices overlapped in confusion and embarrassment.

"That doesn't even make sense!" Luna protested, her face burning.

"Thrusting?" Nina asked, tilting her head.

"Something like that," Judas laughed.

He pushed them through the doorway. Ezra tried to maintain her stern facade, but the corner of her lip twitched upward.

The door closed with a click, muffling the sounds of protests and giggles that followed.

* *

In the side room, silence returned.

Zephriya sat on the small cot, staring at the closed door of the main bedroom. The faint sounds of the couple—or rather, the quartet—began to drift through the thin walls.

She frowned.

"Summer, don't you think it is odd?" she asked aloud.

'What?' Summer's voice sounded sleepy in her head.

"That he went to clear flies in the midnight?"

'Huh?'

"I mean," Zephriya continued, gesturing vaguely. "I know he is a farmer. But are all farmers this diligent? Do they usually hunt insects with a sword in the middle of the night?"

There was a pause.

'Are you sure you were a princess?' Summer asked. Her tone was flat.

"Of course," Zephriya replied haughtily. "I am the Princess of the Abyss."

'No wonder the Abyss fell early,' Summer deadpanned.

Zephriya stiffened. Her eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean by that?" she demanded in anger.

Summer didn't answer. She had retreated deep into their shared mind, likely rolling her eyes in the metaphysical space.

"Summer, you bitch, explain now!" Zephriya hissed at the empty room. "Come back here! Don't you dare ignore me!"

But only the rhythmic thumping from the next room answered her. Zephriya groaned and pulled a pillow over her head, trying to block out the noise of a happy, shameless family.

"I hate happy families. Hmph."

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