“Yes.” Clarissa grimaced. “You are correct, of course.” Her slumped body straightened as she fixed him with a look. “Is the southern passage safe?”
“It should be. We cleared out all the goblins there.”
“Good.” Her eyes swept across the women, piercing each and every person there with the kind of hard expression that only a leader could have. “All of you are to follow me. We will rescue everyone we can, and then make our escape.”
No cheer went up. This was not a situation where they rally themselves like barbarians going to war. In silence, the group moved out.
There was work to be done.
CHAPTER 17
In the end, they had managed to rescue, at most, half of the succubi population. Each time Clarissa had seen the body of one of the young women she’d sworn to protect, it had caused her to almost age before their eyes. Christian had only ever seen someone appear so despondent once before, and that had been a time he wished he could forget, even if he knew he’d never be able to.
After rescuing everyone they could, the group had made their escape. The enclave that had been built by Clarissa’s grandmother several hundred years ago had become lost to them.
They had made their way to Grant Lodge. It had been fortunate for them that goblins, greedy little things that they were, weren’t all that smart. They had not even bothered searching for the storage shed that hid the enclave’s vehicles, or if they had searched, they had not done so thoroughly enough.
Jan Hudson, the owner of Grant Lodge, had allowed the group to stay in one of the unused hotel buildings for “as long as you need to.” Christian didn’t know why the human woman was so accommodating, but he assumed Clarissa, or maybe the olive-skinned woman’s mother, had done some great service for her in the past.
The room they were situated in now was of moderate size, spacious, but it wouldn’t be able to hold more than fifty people before it became uncomfortable. It wasn’t a bedroom, but rather, a lobby that connected all the rooms together. It contained only one exit at the northern end of the room. The other doors, on the opposite side of the exit, lined up in evenly spaced rows of about four feet, led into the bedrooms.
Christian sat on one of six couches located within the lobby. Tucked neatly into his side was Lilith. The young woman was asleep, her head resting against his shoulder, warm breath from each of her exhales tickling his neck in a way that was definitely not unpleasant. He could feel her body, the swell of her breasts, the curve of her hips, pressing into his side. Her legs were stretched across his lap, her bare feet resting against the other end of the couch.
Lilith had not wanted to leave his side. When he had suggested that she go with the young succubi to get some rest, she had grabbed him by the back of the head, kissed him so firmly his lips were still bruised, and then glared at him and told him, in no uncertain terms, that she would not be leaving him.
He decided not to argue with her.
Even though a part of him was thoroughly tempted to, just to see if something good would come of it.
He hoped he wasn’t turning into some kind of pervert.
Also sitting on the couch with him were Andrew and Catherine. Catherine was on Lilith’s side. While Christian had nothing against Andrew, he didn’t want the other man getting too physically close to Lilith. Call him jealous, call him paranoid, call him whatever you wanted, but until Lilith displayed more than just basic acceptance toward the werewolf, he would not be letting the other man get too close.
Which would explain why Andrew was sitting on the armchair of the couch and not Christian’s other side. Even if it was just her cute little feet, Christian did not want Andrew, or any other man, really, to be near her.
“I guess it would be in the best interest of everybody if I introduced the newcomers,” Christian said into the stillness of the group. It had been silent and tense ever since they first arrived. No one seemed to know what to say, so it looked like it would be up to him to break the ice, so to speak.
“Yes,” Clarissa said, not even bothering to hide her glare. “You probably should. I would very much like to know why there is an incubus in our presence.”
Said incubus gave a nervous smile. Tristin was well-aware of the many glares being sent his way. His presence was not welcome by the opposite gender of his species, though Christian wasn’t sure why.
“That’s just Tristin.” Christian made a dismissive gesture toward the man in question. “He’s an intelligence agent for the Executioners.”
“Oi! I’m not just an intelligence agent!” Tristin shouted forcefully, faux anger allowing him to ignore the glares. “I’m also your best friend. Come on, tell them.”
Every turned to stare at Christian. He looked back at them and presented his best smile.
“I’ve never been friends with him in my life.”
“You’re so cruel!”
“Shut up, Tristin,” Samantha said. “We have neither the time nor the inclination to deal with your stupidity right now.”
“Mu~” Tristin slumped from his place between Samantha and Leon, who was now wearing a medallion very similar to the one around Andrew’s neck. “No one appreciates me.” His comment earned several snorts from those who knew him.
“I’m curious, though.” Christian looked at Clarissa, who returned his gaze evenly. “Why do you all seem to hate Tristin so much?”
“Because he is an incubus.” When everyone who was not a succubus, meaning at least half of the people present, just looked at her in confusion, she sighed. “Incubus and succubus have a vastly different set of ideals and beliefs. Succubi believe in monogamy. Those of us who are fortunate enough not to become corrupted by the sins of man only ever have one mate at any given time. That one mate is the sole center of their universe until the time of his death. Then we either choose to move on and find another mate or allow ourselves to wither away.”
Christian and Tristin gave a nod while everyone else just looked confused. None of them were in the know.
“Incubus, on the other hand, are polyamorous.” Clarissa cut Tristin a scathing glare. The man “eeped!” at the look at tried to hide behind Samantha. He got a smack to the back of his head for his troubles. “They sleep with multiple women, uncaring of who the woman in question is, or whether or not they are already in a serious and committed relationship. They care little for the thoughts and feelings of those they fuck, as long as those women give them the energy they need.”
“That is a blatant lie!”
Everyone stared at Tristin, who actually looked kind of annoyed.
“Are you telling me that you do not have sex with multiple women, incubus?” asked Clarissa, a single eyebrow raised.
“No, he does,” said Christian.
“He’s a complete man whore,” added Samantha.
“You guys are mean.” Tristin puffed out his cheeks in childish anger. It seemed that not even the hatred of half a dozen angry succubi could make him lose his immature demeanor. “It’s true that I’m not monogamous, but that’s because our physiology is different. Incubus do not have the luxury of genetic compatibility. A succubus has a few select individuals with whom they can gain energy from without the risk of killing their partner or making themselves go insane. An incubus is compatible with every female, but we run the risk of killing them if we drain too much of their energy.”
Christian furrowed his brow. “So that’s why you sleep with a bunch of women?”
Tristin nodded. “Contrary to what you people think, I haven’t slept with half the female population of Los Angeles. I have a select group of women, seven, who I share my bed with. Each one of them is already aware of my species, along with why I can’t be with more than one of them, and why I need to rotate between them each day.” He paused. “I did try adding another woman because all the women in my harem are currently in California, but Samantha put a stop to that.”
“Damn right I did,” Samantha grunted.
“You mean you’ve a
ctually set up a rotation schedule?” the question came from Andrew, but everyone else clearly wanted to know as well.
“Yep!” Tristin looked quite proud of himself. “Amanda sleeps with me on Monday. Susan on Tuesday. Madeline on Wednesday. Christina on Thursday. Brittney on Friday. Kelly on Saturday. And Justine on Sunday. I also let them know what they’re getting into before they agree to be my partner. I tell them that any time they want out of our relationship, all they have to do is tell me. So far, only one woman has ever wanted out, and I erased her memory so that I wouldn’t ruin her for other men.” It was only after completing his monologue that he realized everyone was staring at him, their jaws hanging off the floor. “What?”
“I can’t believe you set up a rotation schedule,” Andrew’s voice was a mix between shock and awe. “What the fuck?”
“Language,” Christian, Leon, Samantha, and Sif all said at the same time. Andrew looked more amused by their Catholic synchronicity than angry.
Christian sighed. “I guess if that’s how it is, and each woman knows what they’re getting into beforehand, then it’s alright.”
“Christian!” Samantha looked at him, aghast. Leon and Sif did as well, but they were silent.
“What?” he asked.
“I can’t believe you would think it’s alright for a man to be in a relationship with multiple women! Especially one who’s not even human!”
“I resent that!” Tristin yelled some more. “I might not be human, but I treat my women right!”
“Shut up, incubus! The only thing you treat right is your dick!” one of the succubus yelled back.
“Now that’s just rude!”
The discussion soon devolved into a massive argument. A threnody of voices rang out, each one trying to overpower the others.
“You think that just because you only stick with a single person that it makes you better than me! Get real!”
“I don’t think! I know I’m better than you, Scum!”
“How could you betray your ideals like this, Christian?! Have you allowed your love for that succubus to destroy your integrity?!”
The loud noise caused by the increasingly vehement argument not only caused the younger succubi and those who were not involved with this discussion to peek out of their rooms in order to see what all the racket was about, it also woke up Lilith. She rubbed tired eyes, blinking slowly as they adjusted to the low lighting of the room.
“Christian,” she muttered, her voice only heard because her mouth was right next to his ear. “Why is it so loud?”
“Because people are being stupid,” Christian growled.
“Could you get them to stop?”
Don’t worry. I intend to.”
Having had more than enough of everyone trying to outshout each other, Christian pulled Phaneul from its holster, pointed straight up into the air, and fired off several rounds. The loud thunderclap of his gun going off, of the bullets blowing a hole through the roof, caused everyone to cease speaking and stare at him with wide, shocked eyes.
“I think we should all get some rest,” Christian suggested in a mild voice, as if he had not just blown several holes in the roof. “We’ve all had a long day, everyone is tired, and emotions are running hot right now. Let’s go to bed, and tomorrow, when everyone is well rested, we can restart this discussion like civilized people.”
“Says the guy who just fired off his gun,” Leon murmured. Unlike the others, he had not been arguing, mainly because he still appeared somewhat confused about the whole thing. Christian didn’t blame him. While a nice enough fellow, the big man had only ever really cared about following orders. He wasn’t much of a thinker.
“We’re far enough away that I doubt anyone else will have heard the gunshots,” Christian defended. He then stood up, a tired Lilith in his arms, and looked at everyone there. “Good night.”
In the silence of Christian’s departure, only Tristin had something to say.
“Now that’s how you end an argument. I’ve always liked his style.”
***
Christian entered the room that was to be his and Lilith’s... and whoever else they needed to share it with. There were only six rooms, and each one only had enough space for about ten people if they crowded around each other. There were about fifty succubus all told, plus the four Executioners, himself, Lilith, Catherine, and Andrew made for a grand total of 58 people, which meant that at least a few of those people would be sharing this room with them, especially since he doubted Tristin and the other Executioners would feel comfortable sharing a room with a group of succubi.
He moved over to one of the two beds (just because the room was large enough for ten people did not mean it had ten beds), and carefully set Lilith’s feet on the ground, holding her up with one hand, so he could pull the covers back. When he did, he laid her down on the bed. He thought about taking her clothes off, but he decided not to. He divested himself of his own clothing instead. Unlike Lilith, who had been given a set of sweat pants and a large shirt, Christian only had the clothes on his back, and they were covered in blood.
He was just about to start removing his pants when the door opened.
Christian looked up to see Samantha entering the room. Her locks of raven hair trailed behind her like small tendrils. Like his own hair, hers was covered in blood and clumped together. With everything that had happened, none of them had been given the chance to take a shower.
She stopped moving when she saw him standing there, shirtless. Her eyes widened a bit and, despite the darkness of the room, Christian thought he saw her cheek turning red.
“Christian,” she muttered, staring.
“Samantha,” he greeted, hesitating for a second before zipping his pants back up. “Something I can help you with?”
“Yes, I wanted to talk to you, in private,” she added at the end, her eyes straying toward the bed.
Christian’s eyes narrowed. He glanced back at Lilith, still sleeping, then turned to Samantha.
“Alright.” He gave a nod.
“Great.”
They walked out of the room. Christian looked around the lobby for a moment, to see who was still there. Clarissa had not moved from her spot yet, and neither had Kaylee, who was acting in her capacity as second in command of the Valkyries since Heather was still out of commission. They were sitting on one of the couches and discussing something.
“Clarissa,” he called. The woman in question looked at him. “Would you mind keeping an eye on Lilith for me?”
“Of course.” Clarissa rose from her seat, graceful despite her evident exhaustion. “I’ll make sure Lilith is kept safe.” She eyed Samantha, Sif, Leon, and Tristin, who put his hands up, as if to say, “I won’t touch her.” Snorting, she looked back at him. “Myself, Kaylee, and Catherine shall be spending the night in your room anyway.”
“But my lady,” Kaylee argued, “you can’t expect me to spend the night with a man like this.”
“It’s either that or spend the night with the Executioners.”
“Tch!” Kaylee looked away, causing Clarissa to nod.
“Come.”
The two made their way into the room with Lilith, Christian stepping aside to allow them entrance. When the door closed behind them, he began moving toward the upstairs, which contained a second lobby that had a television and several comfortable chairs. It was one of the chairs that Christian went to.
“You really don’t trust me anymore, do you?” asked Samantha, sitting down on the chair opposite of Christian.
“It’s not you I don’t trust. It’s Sif. While I believe you are capable of thinking beyond the immediate problem and looking at the bigger issue, Sif does not have that capacity. She is an excellent Warrior; she is fierce, dedicated, an able fighter, and a devout believer. However, she is not much for thinking beyond the now. It’s why even after ten years as a member of the XIII, she has not been given a position of authority.”
Samantha looked surprised, then tried to
mask it by nodding. “I see. Thank you, then—for the trust, I mean.”
“You were my commander at one point. I would like to think I know you well enough to trust you.” Christian paused, gathering his thoughts. “What it is you wanted to talk to me about?”
“I wanted to ask...” Samantha stopped, swallowed the saliva that had gathered in her mouth, then continued. “I want to ask why you left the Executioners for that... that...”
“You mean for Lilith?”
“Yes.”
Christian sat there for a moment, studying the woman before him. She squirmed, just a bit, but remained mostly unmoved.
After another moment, he spoke slowly, choosing each word with care. “There really isn’t much to it. There’s no great reason as to why I decided to leave the Executioners. I simply—” he shrugged, a helpless gesture “—fell in love.”
“Fell in love.” Samantha’s expression betrayed her. “And what about us?”
“Us?” Confused, Christian looked at the woman a little more closely, noting the clenched fists gripping her jeans, the flat line of lips, and the storm brewing in her eyes. There was clearly something to her words that he was missing. “You mean like us, the Executioners?”
“No. I mean ‘us’ as in you and me.”
“You and me?”
Something clicked into place. A piece to a puzzle that he’d always had but never focused on for long. He recalled all the looks Samantha gave him, the warm eyes, the soft voice, the times he would catch her staring when he took his shirt off during their spars back when they had both just been trainees.
“You like me.”
It wasn’t a question, but it was not really a statement either.
Samantha froze, then slumped her shoulders. “Yes. I like you. Maybe even love you.”
Christian scratched the back of his head. “I didn’t know.”
“That’s becoming increasingly obvious,” Samantha said, sounding disappointed.
“You know it wouldn’t have worked out anyways.” Christian looked away, running a hand over his messy, blood flecked hair. “Executioners are not allowed to love. Even if the laws among our kind have changed to allow for sex, meaningful relationships between a man and a woman are technically forbidden.”
Enclave Page 34
