Seven Devils and a Rose

I felt dazed at the mere sight of Caleb, who was in his birthday suit no less. God, he looked hot and just so alluring that I found it hard to breathe, especially with him standing this close to me. I noted that his skin—which was adorned with awesome battle scars—was so smooth and firm that I simply wanted to run my fingers across his flesh, caressing those marks.

I licked my lips, my brain in a jumble as I continued to gaze at his massive chest inches from me. I somehow managed to utter his name softly, as if in an erotic dream or something. "Caleb?"

Caleb touched my chin and tilted my face up. He asked, "Are you all right?"

It was only then that I realized he was worried about me and my well-being. Good lord, I was so awestruck by his naked sexiness that I hadn't been able to register what he was asking me about earlier.

I said, "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you for asking."

"You obviously aren't fine." I heard Felix's voice from my left, which duly drew my undivided attention to him.

The man was in the hot spring pool, resting back lazily against a boulder, his dark-brown hair wet and clinging to his face like a lover. He, too, was intensely sexy, with his muscular body also branded with battle scars. Oddly enough, the sight of him made my tummy flutter deliciously.

"Aaron, you were supposed to politely invite Alfie, not ensnare him and haul him over your shoulder like an escaped prisoner."

Really? This coming from Felix? Not ensnare him and haul him over your shoulder like an escaped prisoner? Had he forgotten that he had done that exact thing only a mere couple of weeks ago, back in the woods when I had first entered this realm accidentally?

He turned to me and said, "He was supposed to invite you to join us, darling."

I cocked my head to one side. "Invite me? For what?"

Across the pool, Lord Geoffrey said, "Our bath, love. Would you like to join us?"

I flicked my gaze to Lord Geoffrey, and to say that the sight of him nearly knocked the wind out of me was an understatement. The man was gorgeous and alluringly sensual with his blond ponytail damp and his muscular body, which also carried battle scars, dripping wet with water.

I said, "I've already had my bath for today, my lord, and I don't want another. But thank you for inviting me." I even saluted to show them how grateful I was for this unwelcome invitation.

Lord Victor said, "You know, being invited to join us is an honor, Alfie. It's a once in a blue moon chance. Are you sure you want to let the opportunity pass by?"

Without hesitation, I said, "I'm absolutely sure about that, my lord." With that, I turned on my heel, doing my utter best not to drool over six sexy naked men in the hot spring pool.

I was just taking one step toward the exit, my escape route, when a muscular naked body appeared in front of me and a half-masked face was only inches from me. I jumped at the sudden appearance of Lord Ethan.

The man looked at me closely, as if he were inspecting a piece of very fine jewelry before making an offer or something. He said, "Hmm… I don't see any signs or symbols."

I frowned, perplexed as to what he was on about. "Excuse me?"

Lord Noah said, "This is going to go around in circles like an endless loop. We'll get straight to the point and tell Alfie what we're after."

To my right, Aaron said, "I agree."

My interest was caught immediately, and I asked, "What are you after, my lord? Is this the reason you've invited me to join you in this bath?"

Lord Geoffrey nodded his head. "Unfortunately, we're not being very honest with you, are we, Alfie?"

Lord Victor said, "How about we explain what we're after?"

I nodded in agreement. Before they continued, however, I held up my hand and said, "But first, please get dressed."

Because really, I didn't think I'd be able to handle it much longer, being surrounded by seven hunky men, with six of them buck naked in a hot spring pool. God, it felt just so immoral yet enticing and… well, just too much for me to handle. It was difficult enough to breathe normally and not drool at the sight of such erotic men in such close proximity. I could simply reach out and touch them, feel their toned body and…

Felix cocked his head to one side and asked, "Why? We're all men, aren't we?"

Obviously, I was dumbfounded by his words. I wanted to say, We're not all men, Felix.

"Come now, little elf. Since you're here, just strip and join us already. Come here and sit on my lap."

I very nearly had a nosebleed with that suggestive image put into my mind. Imagine that, me utterly naked, skin as white as snow, long ebony hair, lips a blood-red color, and of course, a pair of very plump breasts and firm buttocks sitting on Felix's lap, who was also naked…

The vision of such a thing was just too erotic for my virgin mind to handle right now. Not to mention the fact that my body had already started reacting to his seductive invitation.

Why the hell were my nipples and breasts becoming so sensitive suddenly? The binding felt tighter around me, more so than usual, and I found I couldn't breathe properly. Maybe I should loosen the binding? Even better yet, take it off all together?

I licked my lips and said, "No, thank you. I won't listen until you're all dressed properly." I was adamant about that, after all, since my sanity depended on it.

Caleb said, "It won't take long."

I asked, "The explanation?"

He nodded.

Lord Geoffrey said bluntly, "We don't know exactly who or what you are, Alfie."

Eh? I cocked my head to one side. "What do you mean by that, my lord? As you all can see, I'm a human, obviously. I wasn't lying when I told Caleb and Felix that I was lost and—"

Lord Noah said, "That's not what we're implying, Alfie."

"Then what exactly are you all implying, my lord?" I asked, taking a step back, suddenly suspicious. Had they begun to doubt me and my stories?

I panicked at that thought. God, was this an interrogation or something?

Lord Victor said, "Alfie, you do know that Noah is the kingdom's head magic researcher, no?"

I nodded my head. "Yes, I know that."

He said, "He has many skills, and one of them is magic perception."

I asked, perplexed, "Magic perception?"

Lord Noah said, "It's an ability to gauge an individual's magic, its level and strength, as well as the qi within that person. But that's not all, Alfie. Magic perception also has the ability to see through an individual to who and what exactly that individual is."

The complexity of this magic perception ability confused me. So were the lords implying that with Lord Noah's magic perception skill, they couldn't tell who I was?

I cocked my head to one side and asked, "What do you see in me, my lord?"

Lord Noah tapped his finger on the porcelain mask on his aquiline face, as if he himself were baffled.

He said, "Unfortunately, nothing, Alfie. I can only see you as you are now. A boy in boy's garment. Nothing more and nothing less."

Lord Geoffrey said, "Normally, with this ability, Noah can tell what type of qi one has."

I said, "Which you all know that I have pure qi."

Felix said in exasperation, "We're still going around in circles. Let's get this over so Alfie can join us in the pool." He turned to me and said, "We suspect you have a high-tier magic illusion protection on, Alfie, which hides who you really are."

I felt like a lightbulb had lit up in my head with Felix's words. I asked, "A high-tier magic illusion protection? How would I get that on me?"

"We suspect someone put one on you," Lord Noah said. "Because you wouldn't have known any sort of spell in the first place."

I nodded in agreement with that. "That is true. I wouldn't have a clue about a magic spell, but why would anyone want to put this spell on me?"

"Who knows?" Lord Ethan said, drawing my attention to him. "Why don't you let us inspect your body already, Alfie? And get this drama over and done with."

I licked my lips nervously and said, "I need to be clear on something. Right now, you can only see me as a boy, correct? In boy's garments?"

Every one of the lords nodded their heads, and I wondered for the first time since I had arrived in this realm if no one could see or perceive me for who I was beneath these boy's garment—that I was a woman.

If it was true that I had this magic illusion protection on, then it would explain why none of the lords had ever questioned me about my slender, womanly figure. Because really, it'd be silly for anyone not to notice that I was a female adorned in boy's garments, especially more so now that my hair was this long and my body was more womanly than ever since I had consumed that golden pill Lord Noah had cunningly fed me. More so since some of the lords—Felix, Caleb, Noah, Aaron, and Geoffrey—had been quite intimate with me, with them touching, hugging, and yes, kissing me—wildly and passionately, mind you. Surely, they'd feel my womanly body against their manly ones? Surely, they'd figure out that I was a woman?

Just to be sure that this was exactly what was happening, I needed to test that hypothesis.

I said, as I took off my military officer jacket, "How do you see me now?"

All seven lords looked perplexed as to what I meant.

Caleb said, "What are you doing, Alfie?"

Felix said, "If you're going to strip, by all means, strip completely, little elf, and come join me in the pool."

That damned Felix still hasn't given up on pestering me to join him, eh?

I stammered and said, "I'm very serious here. How do you see me now, without the jacket on?"

Because surely, they'd notice the slight curves of my breasts pushing out against the thin blouse, despite the binding.

Lord Noah said, "Nothing. Still a slender boy with boy's garments on. The fact that your body hasn't changed physically after you'd taken the golden pill confirms that fact that you have a magic illusion protection on, Alfie."

Lord Geoffrey asked, "Has your body changed since you've taken that golden pill Noah gave you, Alfie?"

Lord Aaron said, "Don't ask him such a question, Geoffrey." He turned to me and said, "You don't have to tell them, Alfie."

I said, "But it has changed, my lords, and none of you can see that?"

Lord Aaron groaned in despair, while Lord Victor said, "There. It's all your fault, Noah. This is the worst."

Felix said, "Does it really matter if Alfie's body changed?" He turned to me. "We can't see any changes in you, Alfie."

I nodded my head in understanding. "Which means that I do have this spell on me," I said. "How interesting."