Balance Point

by Katherine Rhodes

  As the door opened, I spotted the holo-image of a gorgeous woman on his desk. I stared at her as he shut the door.

  “You'd better not be married.” I didn't realize the words were coming until they were out of my mouth.

  “My wife went into the sun four hundred years ago.” He blinked at me a few times. “You were burned.”

  “I was lied to.” I stared him dead in the eye. “Your wife is gone?”

  “Yes. I am alone.”

  There was a stunning sadness to those words. He was more than alone; he was lonely. And sweet Savior of Vaimm, I could understand that. It was only Marin who had kept me sane. It seemed no one in the Complex cared to associate with me. I was poor company for women because they apparently thought my Need meant I would need it from them—or their mates.

  I walked to the door behind him and flipped the lock. He followed me with his eyes and waited for me, which was a welcome change from the groping most of the other men introduced themselves with.

  “This doesn't have to be a fuck and flee for either of us,” I said. “I have always preferred to have a few lovers I could rely on. If your price is a meal from my veins, it's a small price to pay for peace of mind.”

  He pulled me close and holy shit was he the epitome of tall dark and handsome. Staring down, I could see him studying me. A moment later, John cracked a smile. “You are a tasty looking morsel.”

  I dropped my coy, polite façade and wrapped a hand around the monster I knew had to be in his pants. I wasn't wrong. “And I'm looking forward to this large delivery.”

  He didn't kiss me—at least not on the lips, not right away. Turning my head to the side a touch, John trailed his mouth down the side of my cheek to the shell of my ear, and with a lick and suck, turned my whole body to sexual jelly. I prided myself on being able to control my lust and desire, but his simple move had me breaking down almost instantly.

  “Have you ever shared your blood?” The voice in my ear was dark and seductive.

  “N…no…”

  “Mmm. Good. I'll show you why a vampire makes the best bedmate.”

  Oh. My body shivered at his words. Marin had helped me start to enjoy sex as more than just perfunctory act, and John promised more than that—in just under the ten minutes I'd known him.

  He lifted me on to his desk before I knew what was happening, and like a gifted magician, had my pants off and my ass exposed. His fingers found my clit easily and started playing there like a virtuoso. I could barely find enough self control to unfasten his pants.

  But oh, when I did…the monster cock I'd thought was there was absolutely no disappointment. Thick, heavy and hard, John felt good in my hand, and I stroked him slowly.

  It had the desired effect, with the grunt John let out. “I see I'm not the only one with skills.”

  “If you let me, I can suck you so well, you won't stop coming.”

  I felt his dick twitch at that idea, and I smiled. I was getting better at being sexual, and not just horny.

  “Next time.” John moaned against my skin. “When we have a proper bed and more time.”

  That sounded amazing. I agreed, and he pushed my legs wide where I sat on the desk. Two fingers plunged into my well prepared sex and took their time exploring me. It felt so good to have even this backroom fuck be a little more careful.

  Sliding his hands under my ass, he pulled me to the edge of the desk and caged me in his arms. “You want this?”

  “If you want this.” I tilted my head to the side and showed him the easiest place to take my blood.

  He grunted wordlessly and licked at my vein. I trembled, and for the first time, from desire and want. The Need was there, it was always there, but the others were new.

  “You're going to come when I take you.” John's words were quiet and controlled. “And you'll take all of me until I come.”

  “Yes.” It sounded wanton, but it was what I craved.

  And how nice to want it.

  His enormous cock rested at my entrance for just a moment and then pressed in. And as he pushed into my waiting tunnel, I felt his fangs brush my skin. Without an ounce of pain, he claimed me—pussy and vein.

  And he was right. The double claiming was too much for my wound-up body, and I came, trying not scream in delight. It was one of the most intense climaxes I'd ever had, and my body sucked up the sexual energy he'd created as he started to move inside me. I could barely think for the welcome assault he was visiting on me.

  He pulled off my vein for a moment. “You are fucking delicious, Auralym.”

  Clearly, he didn't need an answer because he was back at my blood the next moment, and his rhythm in my sex picked up, heading for a crescendo.

  He had me biting my lips to hold back another screaming orgasm just a moment later as I felt him release his cum deep inside me. I was utterly numb with pleasure as this time my body pulled in twice the sexual energy as a moment ago.

  Vaguely, I felt soft lips on my neck and a careful, slow tongue lick the spot John had taken his drink from. His breathing was hard but measured. “Thank you, my sweet. That was most enjoyable.”

  I smiled, feeling loose and relaxed. “If I got that well-laid once a week, I might only need two beds instead of three…”

  “Let's make a deal, because your blood is one of the sweetest I've ever tasted.”

  “Happily.”

  John tucked a wild strand of hair behind my ear. “Let's meet for dinner and a proper date once a week before we fuck each other blind.”

  A…date? Before I could lose his interest, I nodded. “I'd like that. But you realize you don't have to wine and dine me. I'm a sure thing.”

  Lifting my chin, he stared into my eyes. “I know that. Maybe I want to get to know you. Find out more about the woman with such delicious blood and marvelously welcoming pussy.”

  I swallowed hard. “I really can't be exclusive.”

  “Where did I say that? I know you need sex, and I'm not asking for you to give up your other lovers. I'm asking to get to know you better so maybe I can be sole provider someday in the future.”

  I smiled but was kind of freaking out. This hot Meta thought I was worth getting to know? Most of my own species weren't interested in me because I wasn't into sex; it was survival. I wanted to grow my mind, and that turned them off.

  Here he was, attracted by the very thing they all hated.

  And he was hung.

  Okay, so maybe my Need wasn't just survival. But it had been, and I had been ignored.

  “I have to get back to work, my little demon.” John slid my clothes back up, as much of a magician with up as he had been down, and carefully rearranged me into them. He had fleet, gentle fingers and he brushed over my pussy one last time before fastening everything. I watched as he tucked himself away again as well, enjoying one last look at him. “Be here next week, this time. We'll have a little date.”

  I didn't try to stop my smile. “Deal.”

  * * *

  John

  I watched the pretty little demonling smile as she walked out of my bar. Her hips had a come hither sway to them, and she was more than sexy. All succubus were, but she had appealed to me on a new and different level.

  P'iliktus slapped me on the arm. “Come back boss. She's gone. We have customers.”

  I blinked a few times, and P'iliktus looked confused.

  Sighing, I stared in on the bar top. “I'm in deep with this one, P'ili.”

  “Deeper than you were buried in your future mate's ass?”

  “Yep.” The bartop held my full attention for just a moment before I looked up at P'iliktus. “She's my mate too.”

  Chapter Four

  Auralym

  I laid on my back, staring at the bland white ceiling of my room. Breathing hard, I removed the vibrator from between my legs and groped blindly for the saniwipe I had on the nightstand.

  These quick sessions were much more effective now that I had two of three lover positions filled.
<
br />   Marin. Wonderful Marindor. He was sweet, and careful and taught me so much about being sexy for the sake of enjoyment. He could spend hours buried inside me, while we both tried to coax as many orgasms out of each other as was possible. He was fun, and I had to admit I was just a little in love with him.

  John. Fast, furious, intense John. His need for blood worked me up into a wild, horny frenzy that he satisfied several times over. And I was definitely falling in love with him.

  Between the two of them, it was enough to keep me going without danger. A quickie with the vibe, and I was good for five of the seven days of a week. I needed one more day to cover that gap. I didn't want to ask John or Marin for another day because I was sure I was taking more energy than was fair.

  So the quickie held me up for the night, and I was off to a meeting—one I hadn't known about.

  The invitation was a surprise, and I hadn't even realized there might be a demon community here in the Complex. I was too busy thinking about my own survival it that never crossed my mind. Once the invitation to the meeting arrived in my inbox, it made sense.

  The complex was supposed to be a cooperative, a place to find common ground between the Metas and the Humans. The war had been brutal. On both sides. There were millions of casualties, and the population and lifestyles of everyone had suffered badly—some the Meta races had come close to extinction. Two were gone completely. Humans didn't have races the way we did; they didn't understand that.

  They didn't understand Metas. They didn't understand what we were, where we came from, what we had hoped for.

  To be fair, we didn't understand them either. That was the point of the Complex. To figure each other out, and see if we could co-exist. If the Complex failed, no one really knew what was going to happen.

  Within that community, though, there were small communities. The Humans had them, and the Metas had them. And I was about to meet the community of demons that resided here.

  I took a quick shower. There was something about a shower with water, and not the sonic ones, that made me happy and calm. I had to center myself. Incubi, the males of my race, had the potential to be utterly frightening. Damned terrifying. None of that directed at the females, but if there was a conflict over one of us, it could get overwhelming.

  I wasn't one of the ones there would be a conflict over. I still wasn't taking a chance.

  The meeting was down in Main City's Arts district. It was a pleasant little bar that was closed for this meeting. I had to scan my chip to get in, to verify that I was a demon. And there were actually quite a few demons, all incubi, and succubi. It was almost a relief.

  A very handsome incubus approached me. “Auralym?”

  Nodding, I gave him a smile. “Trilcon?”

  “Welcome, young lady, welcome. We knew there were more of the demon community here. It's hard to get information out of the Intra.” He motioned me into the room and handed me a drink. “It's not real ilimini, but it's got the same taste.”

  I stared at the glass. The taste of ilmini would be a tease and pushed the drink back at him. “Thank you. But no. If I can't have the real stuff, I'd prefer not to remember.”

  “Spoken like a true succubus.” Trilcon took the drink back and put it on the table next to do the door. “Please, come in. Join us. We're just chatting about everyday things. We'll have a little formal meeting in a little while, but that's as formal as we're getting.”

  “Thank you.”

  He pointed to sign up sheet. “We have a Need sheet. For anyone who isn't quite getting all of their sexual need filled, you can put your name down and what you're looking for to fill it. We can match you with someone.”

  I liked this already. I was glad they realized that this Need thing was an issue. I would take a glance at the list sometime during the meeting.

  As soon as I sat at a table with three other succubii and an incubus, I could feel a kinship. It was something I had always sought. My sister and I had been alone in the universe since I was thirteen, and she was fifteen. Our parents had been killed in an accident. Evalym and I had grown up together and grown apart. She had her men, her contract. I had...nothing.

  Having nothing was hard. That's why I was there.

  Having nothing leads to bad decisions.

  Two of the females were mated, but their mates weren't there because they weren't incubi. Which kind of surprised me. I hadn't known many demons who mated outside the race. Incubii could easily keep up with the succubi need with their own need. But these women...

  It dawned on me. They were here because they had married outside the race. They and their mates took this opportunity to get the hell out of the confines and conscriptions of traditional demonic matings. One was mated to lyckoi—a werewolf. Another was mated to a psychic. Not like my Marin, but just a plan psychic. The third was hoping for an incubus mating, but she was seeing four Humans at the same time to keep herself in check. The incubus who was there with us was also mated to a non-demon. A shapechanger.

  Sitting there, talking with them, I had to start thinking about my future. For the first time, outside of my studies, outside my academics. Did I want a mate of my own race? Did I want to trust the mating rituals that had been in place forever, that had followed us from Vaimm? Did I want to take the chance that putting myself in those rituals would trigger the challenge?

  Having an incubus mate would help me. It would make sure that I was always satisfied. But no one in my own race had ever been supportive of me.

  I could also try out the incubus match up, and see what the deal was before purchase. It seemed like a compromise I could deal with. Excusing myself, I walked to the infopad that was near the entrance and perused it. There were equal amounts of incubii and succubii on the list, and I typed my name at the bottom.

  “Brave.” The voice came from behind me. I turned and found a very handsome incubus standing there.

  “Why brave? I'd call it more desperation.”

  He offered his hand. “Eldeban.”

  I shook it. “Auralym.”

  “Pleasure to meet you. And you don't have a mate? A boyfriend?”

  “I have need arrangements.” That was kind of more than just a little lie.

  “Not enough?”

  I swallowed. Sex, I had to remind myself, was casual among the demons. “Not enough for me to feel safe.”

  “Understandable.” He leaned against the wall. “So, where do you work?”

  “UniGastro Coordination. I work on getting everyone nourishment.”

  “Enjoy it?”

  “As much as one can. And you?”

  “Security Maintenance Coordination.”

  That was impressive. This guy worked on the security systems for the whole Complex. That was a high paid, high skilled position that was not easy to get. “So you have an advanced education?”

  “Yes. I had to. I wanted to. It was tough, though. I think it's why we're here. None of us really conform to the norms of the demons. I certainly didn't want to spend my life looking for sex.”

  Nodding, it seemed that he and I had a lot in common, and I rather liked the idea. “Are you on the list?”

  “I did put my name on, yes. “

  This guy wasn't half bad looking. Maybe this could work. “Wanna take it off?”

  “Is that a proposition?”

  “We can try it. Upfront, I have two other need arrangements. I won't give those up.”

  “I don't expect that you would.” He moved to the tablet and pressed a few buttons. “Let's see where it goes.”

  “In order to see where we go, we need to get it started.”

  Eldeban smiled and stepped into me. Seemed he wasn't immune to my awkward charms.

  * * *

  John

  I took a deep breath and nearly choked on the stink.

  P’ili slapped me on the back to get my airways cleared, which was pointless, but I appreciated the sentiment.

  “What the hell was that?”

  I too
k a sip of water to try and clear the smell out. “There's something rotten.”

  “Your opinions on the stink of our patrons isn't warranted, man. You know there's nothing the swamp monster can do about his sulfur putressence.”

  P’ili got my evil eye for that one, but I knew he was kidding. Talor couldn't help himself, and it had become a friendly joke about his odor. “No, it's not that. He's been nice enough to wear the suit lately. This is...something else. Something more sinister.”

  “Sinister? In this place? Say it isn't so!”

  I laughed. “Imagine that. Something sinister in the Complex.” I scrubbed at my nose again, looking around.

  The truth was, in the past four months, more and more sinister things were happening. With half an ear to the tunnels and the underground, I heard more and more disturbing things. Even we the little people of the Complex knew there were things going on underground. Most of it was...profitable, helpful. Things that Unicorp didn't want or care to import. Services, like communication with the other worlds. Goods, like the fresh blood stock they kept.

  But of late, there was more frightening news coming up the stairs. Rumors of far more illegal activities, like slavers and druggers, were more and more persistent.

  I froze the instant I remembered the druggers.

  “There's an overdose in here, P’ili. Someone is up on stims. That's the smell.”

  “How can you possibly know?”

  I turned and stared at him. “Death. I smell death, by stimulants.”

  “You're honker is that sensitive?”

  “I'm well acquainted with—”

  The table across the bar flipped up into the air, and the patron went back, shaking and trembling—and the foam was already forming. I vaulted the bar and slid across the floor. “Call the medics! Call them now!” I yanked the shaking patron away from the other tables and customers into an open area. The foam was a bad sign, I didn't know if the medics would even get there on time, never mind saving him.