Viper in his Bosom by MHA (v1.1) [maledom, bondage, apophis]

	The sun was descending to the western edge of the Desert Region, the corner of the desert where humans, elves, monsters, and even the prudent pharaohs are tyrannized by the avaricious and debaucherous apophis queens of the Dark Desert Empire.  Nomads and travelers of the desert were practically required to defend themselves or hire mercenaries to protect them.  Setters of the oases were usually unable to afford to defend themselves outside of fortifying their territories.  Even those who could afford to safely flee were still faced with the risk of failing to find a settlement able to take them in.  As a result, the only option for those who lived in an oasis facing invasion was a last stand.  This usually resulted in the camps being conquered and all who resisted enslaved with poison and shackles.  Anyone who surrendered without a fight was not much better off, but at least their mind and dignity were not completely stripped away.
	Although the empire ruthlessly assimilated everything in its reach, life under the lamian despots was not strictly worse than living in a free oasis or ruin.  Many found more opportunities for their careers, hobbies, and interests, especially in artisan areas.  The absorbed subjects from annexed territories were not doomed to be slaves forever, and could earn their freedom from social bondage with time and effort.  With enough luck, even a former resistor against the empire could gain fortune and power, some rivaling every other apophis.  The typical way for one to move up in the empire was to devote their souls to ruthless greed and the empire's treacherous politics, where having one's back exposed for even a second could result in them being imprisoned and subjected to a life of sexual depravity.  Despite the benefits members of the empire had, most would at least prefer things to be governed by more abstemious heads and bodies of temperance.

	The capitol of the empire was where most of the decadence was concentrated.  Most of the buildings were constructed, finished, and furnished with the purpose of promoting the city's luxuriousness, licentiousness, and quality of life.  The spire at the center of the capitol dwarfed all the other buildings in both area and height.  As the capitol's headquarters, it represented the thirst, power, and hubris of the apophis species.  Large spirals of stone covered in purple material resembling scales coiled around this spire.  The top was a flat plateau for the most part, with only a crenelated wall surrounding it.
	The spire was surrounded by a series of much smaller towers connected with walls.  Everyone who lived in the towers or within the walls were very important for one reason for another. Very important guests, the elite themselves, employees of the elite,  and even slaves of the elite could allow themselves to feel pride in their importance.  Some would even go as far to say that it's far better to be enslaved in the dungeon of a cruel master within these walls than to escape or be evicted from the inner capitol.

	Among one of the residents of the inner capitol was one of the highest-ranking generals in the empire's army.  Like most officers she was an apophis.  She earned the title "Heptet, the Dagger of the Desert's Dusk" for not only her successful conquests, but also how brutal she was.  She would scour through camps and settlements to personally intoxicate anyone who heavily resisted by fighting back, fleeing, or hiding, making them her house's slaves.  Anyone she had no interest in was stabbed with her poisoned demon dagger for one of her subordinates to take instead of bitten.  So far she has found no one whom she felt compatible as her husband.  Many would assume, including herself, that she would find someone by now.  Little did she know that this afternoon, she was about to find her special someone.
	The lamia's "human" skin was a moderate shade of royal violet.  The coils she slithered with were of a much darker grape color.  Her hair had a less darker grape color and was very long and straight.  She liked to speculate had she traveled far to pursue her interests in vinification and fine dining, she would preferably be called "The Vineyard's Viper".  Admittedly, she knows others would think its lame, and she thinks most likely she would be called "The Grape Snake", a name that begrudgingly amused her.
	In her residence and out in the city, she wears what could only be called clothing by definition only, but out in the field or at certain events, she would also don some sort of ornate cobra hood, some light pieces of armor on her arms and shoulders, and a tiara.  It was common for lamias in this region to cover only their breasts at crotch at most.  Apophises almost always covered the immodest areas of their body with jewelry and fabric.  Heptet was no different.  She liked to use crimson-colored jewelry to mark herself as a brave and ruthless warrior.
	The field officer was alone by herself in her bedroom, contemplating about her next invasion and dolling herself up for tonight's military discussion.  The room took up an entire floor of the tower, but most her furniture was on one side of the floor and took up no more than a third of the area.  She liked to have a wide-open space to stretch out and exercise.  The carpet covering the center of the floor was colored a dark crimson.  Most of her other furniture and fabrics were some shade of crimson or royal violet color.

	As she wandered around her room, an intruder donning a keffiyeh and light leather body armor lurked outside one of the room's many windows.  Although the interloper was masked, the shape of the upper body and shoulders gave away to anyone taking a long enough look that he was a man.  He was given a task by a pharaoh from one of the revived ancient desert kingdoms: "Capture the crimson apophis general.  You may make her your wife or slave, but do not seriously harm her."
	The infiltrator made sure to sneak in through the window close to the furniture once she left the edges of the room.  The number of windows provided him with many options of entry, but he needed objects he could hide behind or under.  He knows from eavesdropping about her plans for tonight, so he can't just wait for her to fall asleep in bed or come back later.  Her guards were understaffed at this point in time, so this was his best chance.
	In order for an assassin to maximize his or her success, they would have to strike when their target is available, most vulnerable, and least likely to get help or gain a defensive advantage.  A lamia was an even harder target.  Lamias had superior wrestling strength compared to humans, and restraining coils is not as easy as restraining limbs.  As an apophis she also possesses venom.  If he's bitten, he would have to abort the mission and retreat into hiding before his will gives out.  Antidotes so far will only stop him from being mindfucked and immediately aroused.  Her signature dagger may also be a concern if she has it on her.
	Though they were dangerous monsters, the apophis had weaknesses.  As a venomous lamia she was immune to her own species's venom, but not the poison of other creatures.  Lamias are also vulnerable to the cold, though not necessarily the desert's cool nights.  Their lack of legs and large coils also makes close, cluttered areas more limiting for a lamia's options.  Stamina is also not as readily available for a lamia compared to most monsters, even other reptiles, though slithering is pretty efficient form of locomotion.

	The hitman pulled out a pipe and inserted a dart into one of the ends.  The dart was poisoned with girtablilu venom, a potent substance that can quickly paralyze almost any living thing its injected into for a short period of time.  It's more potent on male victims due to its additional effects of increasing semen production and creating an erection, but it can still induce sexual heat and paralyzing pleasure in females, including monsters besides the girtablilu themselves.  He put his mouth on the blowing end of the pipe.
	He patiently waited for an opportunity to shoot.  If he missed he would most likely alert her, putting him at a major disadvantage, so he waited for the lamia to get close.  Once she got close, he peeked out from the blind side of a standing shelf and fired.
	The dart hit!  Heptet quickly jumped as soon as the shot registered to her brain.  As she was reaching for the dart that hit her back, the intruder rushed forward and tackled her.  He unsheathed a silver dagger to finish off the last of her will to fight.
	She wasn't going to let him take her down that easily.  She used her tail to grab him and pull him away.  Once she managed to get him a little further from stabbing range, she grabbed his arm.  Careful to avoid the tip of the blade, she sunk her fangs as deep into his forearm as she could.  Although the pressure from the bite itself did weaken the limb, the leather vambrace stopped the fangs from reaching the skin.  It was enough to yield a grunt from him and weaken his grip, allowing the apophis to swat the knife away.  With no weapon in hand, she started to coil around him.
	He had to act quick or else he would lose.  If constricted, he would most likely succumb to her next venomous bite before he would be able to squirm out, and that's assuming the neurotoxin was more effective on her.  Thankfully for him, he had a trump card.  It wasn't a cheap spell charm, but he had no choice but to expend it for this situation.  He reached for the trinket on his belt and activated it.  The device shot out frost from the sides and front, rapidly chilling the air around the two.  A full-fledged endotherm like him felt a shock of cold, but a reptilian monster, especially a lamia, felt more than just a shock.  She was stunned and sapped of energy, greatly weakening her grip on her attacker.
	He took no time in catching his breath until he leapt to and retrieved his dagger.  Although the combination of neurotoxin and cold shock greatly weakened her, he was careful to deliver his finishing blow.  With blade in hand, he positioned his knife over her and knocked her out with a poke in the chest.  With her spirit sufficiently damaged, Heptet fell into unconsciousness.

	Having finally defeating her, the triumphant assassin wasted no time getting the sleeping beauty ready for transport.  He had to use temporary magic bindings to secure her as he lacked enough rope to tie her entire body up.  Thankfully, conjuring rope is one thing he is able to do without magical objects.  He bound her snake body in a vertical figure-8.  Her wrists her tied to the upper part of the "8".  He used an inefficient and excessive amount of magic rope to keep her mouth shut.
"Better safe than sorry."  He thought to himself, feeling a bit depleted from spending all that mana trussing her up.
	Satisfied with his rope-work, the mercenary pulled out another trinket.  This one was an escape charm.  It's usually used by adventurers from Order-ruled areas to escape bad encounters, but recently there have been monsters using them there, too, in order to avoid getting murdered by misunderstood humans.  Although manufacturing of these charms had begun in the Desert Region, the destination was some ways away from his client, but at least he would be safe and out of this domain of indulgence.  Since he was taking someone with him, he had to wait a few more seconds for it to teleport them both out.

	The anubis watching the entrances to the teleporter destinations was shocked by the assassin's co-traveler, but was partially relieved upon seeing her bindings.  The rogue unmasked himself to put her at ease, not that her unease was caused by him.
"Good afternoon, Kas, er, evening, I guess?"  The bounty hunter noticed the shadows were elongated outside.  "I need the jailers to help me restrain this one and keep an eye on her for a bit."
The jackal lady nervously and silently nodded before running as fast as she could to get some guards to take the lamia to the building's detention center in the basement.
	While he waited, he looked around a bit more to see if anything has changed.  All he could see was the white-painted hub of the reception rooms, which was recently given some color-coded rugs in from of each of the entrances.  Judging from the shadows in the distance and the lack of brightness, he could safely judge that evening was approaching.  He would leave, but not without his bounty detained.
	After a quick couple of minutes, a pair of mummies marched with the anubis receptionist, preparing to take the captured officer.
"Oh hey!  You're that hunter that was here a few days ago to get that escape charm!"  Nefertiti, the less bandaged of the mummies greeted.  "How've you been doing?"
"What do you think?"  With tranquil pride, he pointed to his captive.
"Woah!  She must have a big reward on her ass."  Gamila, the more bandaged, newer-looking mummy wondered.
"Looks like things might get better in the desert sooner than later.  Things got better for me, too!  My nerves no longer explode when I'm tou-- YAAAAH!"  The ragged bandaged mummy jumped.
The well-wrapped mummy that tickled her giggled.  "Consider that payback for messing with my linen!"
"Girls, be professional!"  The anubis snapped.  She turned to the hunter.  "I'm sorry for this ruckus."
The hitman nodded as the two mummies lifted each end of the still unconscious apophis downstairs.
"At least one of them down there should know what they're doing, but if you have any requests you should head down there and tell them."
"Thank you."  The mercenary replied before following the three of them down.

	Making his way down to the basement level, he entered the teleportation hub's jail.  The jail is supposed to be temporary, but some bounties have been locked in here for up to 4 days before being transferred.  To prevent abuse, regular law enforcement supervise things and account for who comes in and who leaves to where.
	He was let through and escorted by another anubis, this one a bit taller and stronger-looking.  The mummy haulers carried the apophis into a cell.  They went into a storage room and wheeled out a crate full of various bondage materials.
"Take your pick!"  The newer mummy cheerily said.
"The jailer can help you find something to restrain lamia."  The other one added.
	The anubis helped him by pulling out everything compatible with the lamia.  One of the bindings selected were a series of bands designed to prevent a lamia from coiling too tightly, slither too fast, or lunge, essentially hobbling them.  An armbinder was selected to neutralize the apophis's dexterity.  He also attached a collar and leash to her so that he could lead her to his client and prove her capture.  Some other restraints were packed in a bag and given to him.  Now he just needed one more thing for her.
	"What do you recommend to stop a biter?"
The jailer went further into the box, pulling out a small case.  Opening it, she pulled out a black sphere with straps.
"This is a ball gag.  It's made up of some sort of firm but soft material called "demon rubber", which is kind of exotic.  This thing can change size and can be put in or removed from a captive without even having to touch it for as long as they wear it.  It's supposed to stop them from biting so it's very popular with not just some couples, but even vampire hunters.  It even has a ring attachment if you want to get some head, but unfortunately this city doesn't allow prisoners to be raped, foreign enemy or not."
She handed the magic gag to the rogue, who examined it curiously.
"Give it a try, at least while she's asleep."
	The hunter walked behind the apophis, being careful as he was worried about her suddenly waking up for whatever reason.  He looped the strap around her head, then pushed her cheeks to open her jaw, pushed the sphere in, and finally finished by fastening it.  The fangs were not visible, but her jaw wasn't stretched much.  Looking at the so-called "Dagger of the Desert's Dusk", he and the others got a more humiliating image of her.  Without her tiara and the reputation of her species she would easily mistaken for just another unruly monster slave in a pre-pharaoh city.

	While waiting for the bounty to wake up, the hunter decided to continue some small talk with the mummies and anubis.  After several minutes, the apophis stirred awake, heralding her consciousness's return by emitting a muffled groan.  It took a few moments for her to realize she was restrained.
"MMMPH?!  UMPH?!  HUMPH?!"  Her attempt at speech was mostly made of questions and insults.
"I see your bounty is awake.  It's probably a good time to tell her what's going on."  The jailer suggested.
"A pharaoh got sick of your shit and paid me to stop you."  The assassin crisply told her.  "We're heading to her tomorrow."
"You want to keep her here?"  The jackal offered.
"I'd rather ease her out of luxury first, and I want to reward myself with a comfy night.  We're going to an inn."
"We'll guard you if you want!"  Nefertiti offered.
The hitman swiftly went down to the apophis and tapped the gag's strap, slightly expanding the ball's size.  The discomfort on her jaw made her stop.  Satisfied with the ease of use and the noise problem being dealt with, he responded.  "I don't think I'll need it, but be my guest if it puts your mind at ease."
"Ok.  What inn did you have in--?"  The ragged mummy cleared her throat for the unintentional pun.  "I mean which one are you going to.  The Violet Hotel should have rooms that at least half-resemble her culture's tastes."
"Guess we'll head there now."
	The assassin picked up the leash.  Before walking out of the cell with her, he tapped the gag strap and shrank the ball down to a size slightly smaller than it originally was.  Her fangs were exposed, but biting was still impossible.  He didn't want his bounty to be too uncomfortable.

	It was dark out when the cohort and prisoner exited the building.  The white-painted pillars of the entrance and the shield emblem marked that this was a protection agency.  This one was in charge of helping out bounty hunters by selling them supplies and offering services related to transport and containment.  The bulletin board outside was pinned with wanted posters of various criminals.  The building stood out from the immediate surrounding buildings in both height, area, and color, but there were other buildings of similar size spread out across the small urban landscape.
	The route to the inn was short, but had they traveled during the day they would be forced to sift through the crowds of the bazaar, taking at least three times longer to pass through than at night.  Thankfully, the shops have long closed and only the guards were patrolling it.  The apophis's captor told his embalmed companions that he didn't want to get any attention from the guards because he just wanted to be left alone and hurry to the inn.  The mummies were ready to tell them to get back to work if they were to gawk or approach.  The real reason he wanted no attention from the guards was to minimize Heptet's already heavy humiliation.
	Their destination was a building similar in size to the one they exited, except it was a bit wider and not as tall.  There wasn't much to distinguish from the outside except the pair of apophis statues guarding the purple doors.  Unlike the sculptures of these creatures in the cities of the western desert, these two were, relatively speaking, stoic and modest in appearance and posture.

	The inside of the inn was modest for what it represented.  A huge carpet that covered most of the floor was violet, but the walls were made of sandstone just like almost every building in the city.  Purple stripes did run across the top of the walls, though, and there were decorations that alluded to the art of the western desert.  Ultimately, the lobby's replication of the seductive opulence of the apophis empire was not very close to the real thing, but the hotel likely had budget and social decencies to consider.
	The receptionist, a young sphinx lady with an ectomorphic body, composedly analyzed the apophis, making Heptet even more uncomfortable.
"The two of us would like a room, please."  The mercenary said.
The sphinx did not answer him, instead wanting answers from his captive.  "Are you... The Dagger of the Desert's Dusk?"
"Yush uh eam!"  She was hoping the cat lady to start geeking out.
"OH MY GODS!"  Her face exploded with amazement at seeing an important apophis like her in her business.  "I have so much to ask a captain of the Dark Desert Empire, but it's unfortunate that you can't given--"
"Ghunurul."  The apophis corrected the Sphinx.
"If you promise to not let her bite you, and rent a room to us, I'll let you talk with her, at least for as long as one of these guards are willing to watch her."
The youthful Gamila couldn't silence her grief.  "You better pay us extra if we do!"  She stipulated.
The assassin immediately produced a handful of high-value coins for them.  "Consider part of it your tip for helping me out."
He turned to the sphinx and paid for his room.  He then touched the strap of Heptet's gag, causing the ball to shrink, then drop down and dangle around her neck.  She was finally able to speak properly.
"Take whichever room you want!"  The catgirl jovially told him.  "I'll send Miss General in when we're done talking!"
Before he made his way down the hall, he warned her.  "Make sure she isn't able to bite me when she comes in!"
	The manager spent hours asking questions to Heptet about her life, where she lived, her campaigns, and what she liked.  She also wanted some feedback on improving the hotel to make it more accurate to her culture.  Although the apophis picked apart nearly every inaccuracy, she nonetheless expressed appreciation for her efforts, shifting the blame on her decor's shortcomings on the lack of easy trade the two sides of the kingdom do.  In her view, this would be easier if the scattered tribes were a bit more open-minded.  She even expressed that she didn't even care about conquering them, but if that was what it came down to, she would be glad to help her empire.  The apophis didn't have much of an opinion on the sphinx herself, but did enjoy how she appreciated her and western desert culture.  The mummies weren't too bored, but they found the sphinx's gushing to be pretty dorky.

	Meanwhile, the mercenary glimpsed in each of the rooms, trying to find one that had some red decor.  He managed to find an indigo, green, pink, and even black one until he finally found a room with dark red fabrics.  They were crimson just like Heptet's room, and possessed decor that somewhat reminded him of her actual room.  A lot of the furniture was still made of stone, but at least the frame of the silver mirror tried to imitate the western desert style.  The bed was large and round like most lamia beds.  Overall, the room looked like someone definitely tried.  The room did have a big advantage by having a bath in the corner.  It was a cold bath that required manual heating, but he didn't mind.  He wanted to respect the owner's dedication by laying down on the bed with a clean body.  After a good scrub-down and dry-off, he walked over to the bed.  He was naked save for some underwear and a vial around his neck containing apophis antivenom.  Finally under the sheets, the accomplished assassin took a nap.
	He woke up about an hour later, wondering if the cat and snake were still talking.  He put his pants on, considering it modest enough for his brief investigation, and made his way to the lobby.
	The manager and general have shifted their conversation about a cosmopolitan city at one of the coastal areas of the Desert Region, one that contained a significant community of various western desert cultures, including from the apophis people.  The well-wrapped Gamila was dozing off on her seat, but Nefertiti was leaning against the wall, relaxed but awake.  Heptet and the sphinx noticed the underdressed rogue and concluded their discussion.  The apophis did not come to her captor, refusing to make herself his obedient pet.  He approached her, grabbing the leash hanging from her collar and led her to her room.  The ragged mummy woke up her friend to let her know it was her turn to be vigilant.  The junior mummy hauled a chair from the lobby next to the door the two entered in and sat down.  The seat was not only for keeping stress off her undead feet, but to keep her head close to the wall and door to make it easier for her to hear suspicious noises.

	Heptet and her captor were sitting on the bed, the latter maintaining some generous distance from the former.
"The lady out there you were talking with, what do you think of her?"  He asked.
"She was very nice.  It was great to hear even within the territory of the pharaohs that someone knows me."  The cheery and optimistic tone of her voice made the assassin feel better.
"A lot of people around these parts know you.  A lot of news bulletins mention you, especially when political maps have to be redrawn."
"Yeah, but she also wanted to know how I was and what I liked.  It really felt good to hear someone talk about me in a more personal light rather than just some scary warrior."  The apophis sighed.  "I've done so much with my life that I haven't gotten the chance to really appreciate what I experienced and accomplished.  Sure I was rich and famous back home, but the only people that I ever seemed to talk with were my servants and my officers.  I received a lot of 'thank you' mail from people that I've personally assimilated into the empire, but I was so busy and shut away from the public that I never got to really see those people for long.  Seeing this lady who knew who I was and wanted to know so much about me even though she lived in a rival nation made me feel warm!"
"Yeah."  The rogue gently tapped and dragged his fingers on the bed.  "Once I show you to my client, you will likely be made her slave.  If her husband likes you, she might add you to the marriage.  If he doesn't, she'll probably give you to a prefect who may like you."
He paused for a moment, his fingers dragging into his fist and tensely clutching the sheets.
"That is, unless, I decide to renounce her bonus, and keep you for myself."  He did not do well in hiding his nervousness.  "But that depends on how things work out."
"I believe you should consider."  She nonchalantly leaned in.  "I don't really care for chair-warmers myself.  I'm a proud warrior apophis, not a tycoon or manager.  I want a man of action and courage.  Someone who doesn't fear me."  Her body slithered closer.  She would reach forward to caress him had her hands not been bound by the armbinder, so she settled with swaying her breasts forward.
"What makes you believe you would want to be with me?"  He bashfully asked.
"You are a brave man.  After all, you're the one who captured me in my own home."  She posed with her back arched and her chest out, giving the hunter a good look at his captured prey.
"Assassins like me are cowards.  I ambushed you by shooting you with poison before trying to strike you down."
He wasn't really being honest about depreciating assassins.  He felt that it was a challenging and legitimate mercenary class, and personally believed that honor was irrelevant in most battles, especially in taking down an important target.
"My army's numbers and weapons wouldn't be considered fair, either, but all is fair in love and war."  She rebutted.  "Besides, you've shown that you care about my well-being, not just physically.  But I believe you need to care for something else..."
	With a sudden lurch forward with her trunk, she bit her captor's forearm.  Ironically, it was one that she tried to bite before, but this time there was nothing in the way of his blood but his skin.  He reacted quickly by popping the antidote in, but it was already too late to stop the arousing poison from making him horny.
"Mate with me, assassin!"  She cried.  "I won't let a cunning fighter like you let go of a beautiful warrior like me!"
The venomous lamia's body pushed itself into the rogue's, her breasts pushing into his shoulders and her crotch grinding against his pants.  Her assault was responded with him reactivating the ball gag, followed up with a shove.  The restrained apophis did not press further, instead emitting a muffled giggle and sitting on the bed seductively.  She knew she already won.
	The poisoned hunter tried hard to keep his superego working, but his cravings were taking hold.  If this happened during his first encounter, he would've had enough willpower to act and escape, but this situation was too much of a challenge for his lust.  A bound, gagged, yet undoubtedly willing apophis was utterly tempting to him, and he already kind of liked her prior to being bitten.  Within a safe area and nothing at stake except his virginity, his fight-or-flight instincts couldn't be relied upon.  He had nothing deter him and everything to entice him.
	The intoxicated assassin threw the rest of his clothing off, revealing an erection in-progress, before charging at the helpless viper.  All he could think of now was fucking that snake senseless.  The tackle pushed her down on her back, causing her breasts to shake.  The lamia's mammaries were the first to be attacked as the assailant pulled off her nipple coverings and massaged them while groping her chest.  When his erection completed, he yanked off the jeweled fabric covering Heptet's crotch, exposing her wet and ready pussy.  Not a second was wasted in appreciating the display; the hunter just stuck his dick in.  Although he was drugged with a mighty desire to mate, he had just enough sobriety to not thrust himself in too quickly and hurt his captive, even though she was the reason for his hyper-charged lust.  As he entered deeper into her, obstructed gasps were generated from her as she experienced sexual stimulation for the first time with another.  She heard that sex was good, and it wasn't uncommon for her to masturbate after a successful invasion, but she never really knew how good it was until now.  If her tail wasn't bound, she would coil it around him to regulate the thrusts herself.  If her arms weren't bound behind her, she would embrace him like he was the most precious thing she ever had.  If her mouth wasn't gagged, she would deeply kiss him with her long tongue.  However, none of this bothered her because she was now in his sight and clutches, taking in all his pent-up love and joy.  Although the rogue was the one physically in-control, he was compelled by the apophis's venom.
	The venom also caused a lot of shifting.  Sometimes he would slam the apophis on top of himself.  Other times they would made on their sides.  He would sometimes adjust the size of the ball gag or tug on it to assert further control of her.  Neither of them kept track of how many times either of them came, but Heptet guessed maybe 4 times in the past hour and a half.  She was already exhausted by then, but thankfully for her, so was her mate.  Without the antidote, he probably would've kept going for a total of 3 hours, maybe more.  Her mouth was drooling and sore, her arms were aching from being constrained, and her vagina was erogenously worn out, but the only feelings that mattered to her were the overwhelming triumph and ecstasy from the afterglow.  The mercenary was tuckered out, and could barely maintain consciousness while laying his face between her breasts.  All he was thinking about was what he would do with his new lover for the rest of his life.
	After several minutes of conscious dozing, the hunter looked up to see how his captive was doing.  The ball gag did not hide her pleasant and relaxed expression on her face, but he was still concerned about her comfort.  He rolled out of the bed and went to his stuff, grabbing a pair of cuffs from the bag the anubis gave him.  The lamia's captor returned to remove the armbinder and cuff her wrists to the bed rail.  He figured she wouldn't bite him anymore tonight, at least for the next half hour, and deactivated her gag.
	"Wow!  That was quite a thrill, don't you think?"  Heptet jested with an understatement.
"Yeah.  Couldn't believe I had it in me, but I also had venom in me as well."  The assassin responded.
"My poison merely suppressed your inhibitions, and you took that antidote, so you still had something that could hold you back if you really wanted it to."
"The situation was just too perfect for me to pass up.  I probably would've done it had you just asked."
"My way is much more fun.  If I just asked you, you'd probably be so sensitive about any discomfort I felt that you would ruin the mood.  I felt like I had no choice but to bite you while your guard was at its most ease.  I wanted to experience you as a ferocious hunter, like when I first met you!"
The assassin laid down beside her.
"I presume you want to be my wife, but what about your old life?  The pharaoh needs me to supervise you, so I can't let you just get back to invading settlements.  I want to be a supportive husband, but I originally captured you for impersonal reasons.  Any ideas?"
"My servants now inherit most of what I own, but I could still get the rest.  Even if they were to deny it from me you can still steal it, right?  It's a lot easier than capturing a strong warrior like me."
"Indeed.  Makes me wonder if you wanted to get captured."  He joked.
"Hey, I did my best!"  She insisted.  "I didn't know you liked me at the time and figured you were just trying to capture me for some eastern pansy."
"Well, I was, though I did have genuine interest in a hands-on general.  I've taken out a few apophis before, but they liked to stay cooped in the city drowning themselves in hedonism.  You were different."
"Those other apophis leaders are lazy procrastinators.  The empire doesn't deserve me.  Unless someone works hard enough to make the invasions succeed, the empire will likely not expand much more by military might.  It will have to resort to its economic and cultural prowess instead."
"That might take care of the empire's greed, but what about you?"  He put his arm around her waist.
"Well, I've always had an interest in wine-making ever since that wine shop opened near my home.  I can also hunt and cook pretty well, even taught some of my servants some of my techniques.  Maybe we can hunt and spar together."  She suggested.
"As long as you don't go biting anyone else, I'll go with whatever you want.  I'm only an assassin because of conscription, anyways.  Once the empire is no longer recognized as a massive military threat, I'll be ready to retire."
"I'm pretty well-known in the region.  What if someone insists on getting a taste of my poison?"  It was a partially jocular question.
"Well, if they ask, then maybe, but I don't want to deal with the chaos.  It's too bad for you that drinking venom does not poison."
"It's not nearly as potent, but it's still a viable aphrodisiac."
The hunter's mind suddenly shifted towards the door.  He wondered if anyone heard the commotion they made.
"After I collect the reward from the pharaoh, we should go to the coast.  We can flirt with our ideas then."
	He got up and went to the door.  Opening up, he saw both of the mummies sitting outside, one on a chair and the other napping on the floor.
"I'm just here to let you know we're fine."  He explained.
"We know."  The ragged Nefertiti on the seat said.  "If you weren't you would probably be screaming."
"We knew because we watched you to go at it as we were peeking."  The well-wrapped one casually divulged.
The ragged mummy gave a soft glare to her partner.
"Anyway,"  The assassin got pretty embarrassed.  "I've got a wife now and we're planning on going to the desert coast.  Good night!"
"Good night!"  "Good luck!"  They both said.
	The hunter turned himself into bed.  He was about to undo his lover's shackles, but Heptet stopped him.
"Before you release me, give me a hug."  She requested.  "I want to see you clutching me one more time tonight."
He gave a long, affectionate hug, burying his face in the lamia's bosom.  She quietly giggled seeing this fierce assassin cuddle up to her like a kitten.
After his embrace, he released the apophis from her bonds.  Finally free, she used her unfettered articulation to softly coil around her husband and draw him in her chest with her arms.  With both of them feeling safe and carefree in each other's embrace, they fell asleep, ready for their romantic life to begin.