The two Mushhushshu shrank from enormous coiled serpents with large membranous wings to serpentine lower bodies and muscular humanoid abdomens, chests, arms and heads. Even the wings reduced in size, although they still rose above the males' thick shoulders almost half a body length more.

And they were definitely male. I couldn't help but notice the bulging pouch below the point where multi-tonal grey scales met olive skin. Their genitalia were hidden, but obviously emerged from the dark slit of the pouch.

"Like what you see?" asked the one I was ogling as he opened the barred cage and slithered in to grip my forearm.

He had short curling dark hair, dark grey eyes that met my gaze directly, and an attractive strong jaw. A faint almond-like musk, not unpleasant but still distinctive, came from his body. If he was an example of the specimens I had to pick from while I plotted my escape, this was going to be easy.

"Yes, actually. I do," I told him, letting my gaze linger on the ridges of muscle.

His eyes lit and he smiled, white teeth gleaming with only a slight hint of fangs. "Good. I'm Basmu. I'll look forward to visiting you in whichever temple buys your contract."

With a firm hand, he directed me out of the cage, his partner behind us with Bloudwedd. The well-dressed demon gestured and a three-metre diameter red-rimmed portal appeared, shimmering in the air slightly off the ground. The Mushhushshu drew us through the opaque event horizon and we stepped out into a slate-tiled courtyard surrounded by reddish stone walls.

The air was slightly cooler and less gritty tasting. A hint of moisture called to me, a caress along my dirty, ash-covered skin.

With one hand still gripping my forearm and the other at my lower back, Basmu guided me to a half-circle of pebbles that abutted the courtyard wall. He pushed on a flat rock at eye level and water flowed into a small rectangular basin at waist height. When he pushed on another flat rock, a small nook opened, revealing a light green ball—soap perhaps?—and a cloth.

Removing them, he held them up to me. "May I wash you so your contract will earn a better price at auction? The higher the bidding, the more likely you are to end up in the nicer temples."

I frowned, looking between his eyes and the items he held. "I can't wash myself?"

Basmu shook his head. "No, you aren't allowed anything until after the auction. What you earn will depend on the deal you make with your contract owner and your willingness to earn bonuses."

Huh. That was interesting. Perhaps something I could use to escape or help Asgard to find me.

I put a hand on my hip, raising an eyebrow. "You aren't trying to have sex with me before the auction, are you?"

One side of Basmu's mouth twisted up and his eyes gleamed. "While I would love to, I'm forbidden from doing so. Although, I'm not going to deny that getting to run my hands over your curvy little body is a pleasure I'll enjoy."

Hmm... the way he said had me thinking I might enjoy it as well.

A moan from behind me had me turning. Bloudwedd stood in a pebble half-circle of her own. Cheeks flushed with her head thrown back and chest arched, she was clearly aroused. Her hands held by the Mushhushshu in one of his, he ran soapy fingers through her sex and she shuddered.

My own core moistened and I met Basmu's eyes with a smile of my own. Raising my hands up to rest on the top of my braids, I said, "Please do."

He licked his lips, biting his lower lip as his heated gaze travelled over my body, lingering, feasting, and firing my veins with his appreciation. With a slow smile, he met my eyes and put the cloth back into the nook. Wetting his hands, he mashed the soap between them until a froth formed.

Norns, it felt good to be admired.

When he lowered himself and started at my feet, I couldn't help my involuntary flinch. First lifting one, then the other, he caressed the bottoms and between my toes. I flexed against the ticklish sensation. Gradually, his soapy hands glided up my legs to just below my ass, drawing heat with his arousing touch. He shifted to the front of my thighs, and unbidden, I spread my legs for him.

His eyes met mine as he reached the tops of my inner thighs, his face only inches away from my core. I found myself holding my breath, but instead of touching my sex, he moved up my hips.

I scowled. "You are teasing."

A surprisingly boyish grin spread on his face and he bit his lip again. "Maybe."

Soapy fingers slid over my abdomen and I sucked in a breath when he reached the sensitive sides that had my nipples tightening. He hummed, eying my chest as he rose higher, but again, he avoided my breasts in favour of stroking up my armpits, then my arms.

As he'd done with my feet, he took each hand and washed between every finger, digging his thumbs into my palms with the perfect amount of pressure. It had me biting back a groan. Who knew ending up on a demon planet meant getting the best massage I'd had in years?

His talented fingers pressed soap into my scalp, working around the multitude of braids I'd taken to wearing of late. Scooping up water, he rinsed the soap from my arms and head, then gently passed soapy fingertips over my face and behind my ears, down my neck and then my back. He cupped more water to pour it over my skin, rinsing the soap from me. I had to admit, I hadn't expected the level of care he was taking. Basmu was thorough and had the touch of a lover. Was this why demon mythology persisted in the Midgardian psyche? The idea of creatures that seduced unsuspecting mortals? Dragons preferring maiden sacrifices? If he hadn't been rinsing my face, I would have laughed. I hadn't been an innocent maiden in hundreds of years.

With his eyes dilating to slit pupils, he caressed a thumb over my lower lip, then pulled on it slightly. I opened my mouth and bit his thumb. Not hard. Just enough for him to feel my teeth.

Basmu chuckled and removed his thumb. "There she is, the feisty Valkyrie." He resoaped his hands, moving them to my breasts with a suddenness that had my breath catching. Watching my expression, he cupped them, thumbs rubbing over the hard points.

Heat coiled within my abdomen as I held his gaze. His hands continued to massage both breasts, well past the point of cleaning any dirt from my skin. When he pinched taut nipples between thumb and forefingers, a spear of pleasure surged through me and a groan escaped.

A pleased little smile on his lips, he slid his soapy hands around to my back, then lower to massage my ass. He kneaded the muscle, then moved fingertips between my cheeks. Slippery fingers glided over my rosette as he watched my face. Nerve endings flared, creating a shimmering warmth and anticipation within me. Yeah, I knew what he was going to do and met his eyes with a little smile of my own.

"Do it," I told him.

His smile broadened and a finger slipped past the ring of muscle. The spark of heat grew and my hips jerked, driving his finger deeper. His other hand moved to my front, caressing lightly over my sex, before a fingertip parted me to run the length in a featherlight tease.

"So wet already, fierce Valkyrie? You are a passionate creature. By Tiamat, I can't wait to sink my cocks in you," Basmu hissed.

Wait, did he say 'cocks' plural? What the fuc—my thoughts shattered as he plunged two fingers into my sex, his thumb rubbing over my clit in immediate demand. An inferno grew, coiled within my lower body as both hands worked in a coordinated assault on my senses. Moans cascaded from my lips as my hips writhed, chasing the fire he built.

"That's it. Cum for me. Give me your orgasm," Basmu demanded, his voice deepening.

My fingers clenched on my braids as the fine muscles of my abdomen and inner thighs trembled. Chest heaving with more than my panted breaths, the heat tightened and my spine arched. 

At the next thrust of his fingers, the fire exploded outward, searing my senses and wracking my body. A shrieked curse escaped me as the blastwave tore up my spine and my trembling legs threatened to collapse.

"Fuck, that was gorgeous," Basmu murmured, slowing his movements. He eased me through the last of my trembling waves, then removed his fingers to scoop water and rinse the remaining soap from my skin.

Mouth hanging open to catch my breath with my pulse still humming, I didn't answer. He certainly knew what he was doing. If that was the level of expertise I could look forward to, my time was going to be pleasant indeed.

Another demon appeared, shimmering into existence only a few arms-lengths away. Yet I was too relaxed to be startled, my body languid and loose. The creature had a bird-like head with a vibrant plumage of sapphire, gold, and turquoise feathers, beady black eyes, and a black beak, but a humanoid body clothed in black. Three-fingered talons comprised its hands and feet. I'd never seen this type of demon before. It certainly wasn't in our Asgardian library.

Basmu's lips quirked up on one side. "You've purchased her contract, Claw?"

"With the show you and Usum put on, how could I not? Both the elf and the Valkyrie are good investments. My prince will be pleased." The bird demon's voice was a gravelly croak.

"Wait... what?" I looked from Basmu to Claw. The smirk on both their faces chased the euphoria from my body.

Claw cackled.

Lowering my hands from my head, I stepped away from Basmu as a different heat built in my chest. My fists tightened and my jaw clenched as I looked into the supposedly empty space of the courtyard.

An illusion. It was a fucking illusion.

I'd allowed myself to be tricked, not recognizing how Basmu had shifted from one side of me to the other, turning me in place to keep me displayed to the courtyard. He'd auctioned my contract off without me ever being aware of what he was doing.

And I'd willingly participated. I'd agreed to everything he'd done.

It wasn't that I was shy. I'd never been shy, and growing up the way I did, it didn't matter to me if someone saw me having sex, even if I'd delighted in teasing Shannon about her and Loki's exhibitionist tendencies. Or her and Elatha. Shit... how was that going between the three of them?

Still, it pricked my pride that I'd been fooled, on top of being kidnapped, then stranded here. Damn it, this day needed a fucking do-over. A bloody reset button. Somebody to reboot the matrix like that movie I'd watched with Shannon and Kara.

Basmu caught my upper arm, halting my spiralling thoughts.

"It's better when you don't know they are there." He sent an admiring glance down my body. "Not that I think it would affect you, fiery little Valkyrie. I meant what I said earlier. If you'll allow me, I'd like to book you at Claw's fertility temple."

I narrowed my eyes. "When I have so many cocks to choose from, what makes you think I want yours?"

Basmu grinned, white teeth gleaming with a hint of fang. "I'm a dragon, love. We come with special cocks. It will be my pleasure to show you them."

My eyebrow rose. Again, with the cocks, plural. It did pique my interest but I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of an answer now. Not with my pride stinging. I wanted to think about it and gather more information.

"You know you are always welcome at my temple, Basmu," Claw said. A clawed talon beckoned and two huge gargoyles, at least three metres tall, landed in the courtyard. One took hold of Bloudwedd and the other grey-skinned creature came towards me. Basmu released me, slithering back on his thick serpentine tail as the gargoyle approached.

A thick arm caught me about the waist, dragging me against a cool, unyielding body. There was no give to the gargoyle's rough flesh, unlike the mountain jotuns I'd met in the past that also appeared to be made of stone. Membranous wings—more bat than bird and the same blotchy grey as the creature itself—spread and flapped, lifting us into the air. The other gargoyle was already flying. Below us, Claw mounted a winged serpent, a dark red wyvern that was more beast than intelligent and the demon equivalent to a horse, based on my limited knowledge of species here.

As we rose higher, I got my first good look at Muspelheim.

We had been on one of the floating sky island realms. A large one, by the looks of it. The courtyard was one of many in a massive, sprawling palace structure. Outside of the palace, an enormous city of black and grey spires, some with large flat gleaming obsidian tops, others with extensive red-brick balcony structures, spanned the distance almost to the edge of the island.

Demons in more forms than I could identify lay on those flat surfaces. Some were dragons, ranging from long serpentine forms to shorter, bulkier more robust fire-breathers. But there were many others as well in more mixed humanoid forms. They rapidly turned too small for me to make out clearly, but I was sure I'd seen a manticore flying from one rooftop to another with rapid wingbeats. Its lion-like body had landed, then shook his humanoid head, tossing his hair back as he folded his wings.

We flew out over the empty air between sky islands, with the planet's surface far, far below. The glow and ash plume of a ring of volcanoes caught my eye off to the left. From the right, the dark midnight of an ocean with the glare of light off the water. Several hours later, another sky island came into view.

Unlike the previous one with little to no topography other than buildings, this island had a mountain range. Shining black, a large castle stood on the tallest of the mountains, built into the craggy peaks. The mountains themselves were covered in a mixed conifer-hardwood forest. Lower down in the foothills, some kind of blue grass-like vegetation grew in patches until it died out and the city sprouted up in a ring around the island's outer edge. Like the previous city, it was a mix of spires, flat roofs, and arenas, although there were also a series of wide streets, open courtyards, treed parks, and even... were those hedge mazes intermixed? They were extensive, spanning hectares of land, and we aimed for a wide courtyard near one of those mazes.