Balance Point

by Katherine Rhodes

  “Y'redi!?” A male ran out of the bathroom. “Y'redi!”

  “He's been stimming.”

  “No! No, he never would! He has two offspring!”

  I looked up at the male. “Well, he did. The foam is the final stage.”

  “Oh, gods, you have to save him!”

  The foam was laced with yellow now, and that was near the end. The stim he had taken was Prod'un, and it caused several important organs to fail—but most notably, it turned the gallbladder to acid, and it ate through the wall of the stomach. The gallbladder started to produce a yellow acid bile and once that went up the esophagus, it destroyed the lungs.

  And that was that. The blood poured out of his mouth, overtaking the foam.

  I slammed my fist into the floor, denting it. “Fuck!”

  The medics slipped in, but it was way too late. The amount of blood the male was losing was impressive, and a sure sign he was dead. I moved out of the way, and the medics took over. The other male was wailing loudly, and it was pissing me off. I grabbed him and put him in thrall, sitting him on the bench nearby.

  P’ili gave me a look and nodded. “Impressive.”

  “Pissed me off.” I folded my arms as the Intra streamed into the bar. “This is what I wanted to avoid. This is why I kick people out who smell like stims.”

  “We don't do anything wrong here, boss. Just let them do what they need to...”

  I unfolded my arms and stared at my friend. “Yeah. Here. But tell me you have nothing in your past that you're not keen on sharing.”

  He stared back. “You're hiding something?”

  “I'm five hundred years old. Of course, I have something I'm hiding.”

  P’ili's eyes flashed. “What do you think killed him?”

  “Prod'un.”

  “And how do you know?”

  I leaned in close. “I was addicted. The only reason I'm still here is because I'm a vampire. I should have died a thousand times over.”

  “You were on the ship...”

  I nodded. I had been on the ship from Vaimm. Addictions were not tolerated. If I had ever or were ever found out, I could be executed. It was why I was so adamant about keeping stimmers out. Exactly this. An investigation. I could only hope Intra didn't care what went on, on the ship from Vaimm.

  Chapter Five

  John

  Sleepy and satisfied, Aura snuggled into my chest.

  “You are a tasty little treat, Aura,” I whispered into her hair.

  I could feel her smiling against my chest. “From anyone else that could be a strange statement.”

  “I mean it literally and figuratively.”

  Looking up at me, she smiled. “You know how to make a girl feel good. And I mean that in as many innuendoed ways as possible.”

  Aura was beautiful. I didn't think that she knew it or would accept me at my word. All succubi were beautiful by their nature, but she was damn near ethereal. Her hair fanned around her, always perfect, always silken. Her eyes were perfect blue, and her lips were always the most deliciously kissable.

  I had fallen in love with this little demon.

  “How are you doing with keeping your need in check?”

  She blushed a deep red. “Well enough.”

  “Do you have three of us now?”

  “John, I'm not like other succubi. I don't relish going out and finding people to fuck me. It's—”

  I put a finger over her pretty pink lips. “Demonling, I wouldn't have asked if I didn't genuinely worry about you filling the need.” I traced her lips with my fingertip. “I would not be opposed to seeing you twice a week if you required it.”

  Blushing again, she smiled. “Thank you, John. But I do have a third.”

  “And you think you can't attract males.” I adored the way she kept flushing red. “As long as you are meeting your requirements, I won't pry.”

  Nodding, Aura climbed from the bed. I loved to gaze at her naked form, and was slightly disappointed that she had her third. Then again, there was Marin. I was also more than interested in him. She pulled her robe around herself, depriving me of her milky skin and perfect curves.

  “Have you heard what they did to that stimmer?”

  I knocked myself back into the present. “Which stimmer?” I hadn't told her about the overdose at my bar.

  “The one in the Uni-Aqua Night Club.” She sat back down on the bed. “He was wacked out of his mind and was hitting people and screaming. I don't know what he was on, but it was ugly, and the Intra came to get him.”

  “Wait.” I grabbed her arm. “You were there?”

  She paused, then nodded. “Yes. I saw it all go down. Eldeban took me out—” Aura slapped a hand over her mouth.

  Once again, I had to smirk. “It's okay, Aura. I'm not going to run out and tell the world who he is. I won't even go looking for him. Please, tell me about the stimmer.”

  “Well, like I said, he was freaking out and getting violent. I stayed away, but Elde watched the whole thing go down. I just didn't want anything to do with it. I'm just curious if you've heard anything about what happened to him.”

  “I didn't even know that happened.”

  Turning and staring at me, Auralym looked terrified. Her whole body was now trembling, and she had wrapped her arms around herself, as if protecting something, protecting her very body.

  “The Intra dragged him out, away from the club. One officer stayed behind, poking around and questioning everyone. He was angry and threatening. There was nothing nice about him, and he told a few of the people he was questioning that the stimmer was going to be executed shortly. If you were going to stim, make sure you either didn't get caught or overdosed, because they weren't going to put up with the bullshit. “

  “Aura, I'm sure he was just trying to convince everyone there into avoiding the stims.”

  “I…I guess.”

  “Don't guess, know it.” I studied her a moment longer. “There's something else wrong, Aura. What is it?”

  She shook her head. “I don't like stimmers. I don't like being around them, or near them, or thinking about them.”

  That wasn't a rational reaction. “What happened? Why are you so freaked out about this?” I was worried, considering my own past.

  “My brother…”

  “I didn't know you had a brother.”

  Nodding, Auralym held onto herself even tighter. “He's older than Evalym and me. By years. Half-brother, actually. Dad screwed up a bit as a teenager. But… he was nasty to my sis and me. Cruel, abusive.” She held up her hand when she saw me react. “Not physically. Just mean. He was always stimmed-up. Eva and I hated him. Dad kept trying to save him, and mom just … just kept us away from him.”

  Pausing for a breath, this suddenly felt more like a confession than a revelation. “The best day of our childhood was the day Jorlym didn't come home. He disappeared, and as much as my father seemed to mourn, he was plainly relieved. Life was nice after that. We were a cozy, happy family until the notification.

  “Jorlym had been located. He was in a medical facility half way across the planet, locked in. I mean, obviously he was locked away, but he was a walking, drooling shadow of what he used to be. The doctors couldn't get the usual procedures to work to wake him. He was gone, a shell. My father broke a little that day. We weren't the same. He would get mad if he didn't get to visit him once a week. My mother resolutely refused to go, and they would often fight about him. Eventually, my mother relented and agreed to see him.

  “My mother and father were killed in an accident on the way there.”

  “Oh, Aura.” I wrapped my arms around her. “I'm sorry.”

  “I hated Jorlym even more after that. Eva said the facility had tried to come after us to pay for his care once my parents died. But his own mother fought them off for us. We shouldn't suffer for his idiocy.” Looking up, her eyes sparkled with tears. “We left him there. Neither of us has ever been to see him. And we never will. I don't even know if he's stil
l alive, and I don't care.”

  I didn't need to say anything at that moment. She just needed to be held. I did just that. And let her weep.

  “John, do you think you can find out about the stimmer the other night for me?”

  “I can try. What do you need to know?”

  “Did he live? Is he being prosecuted? Will he get treatment? Why did it feel like he was over acting his overdose?”

  I let the silence stretch a moment. “What do you mean by that?”

  “It felt like he had planned to overdose, overactive his drugs. Like… a distraction.”

  I blinked once, twice. In a bar like the one I ran, why would someone on stims come in when I was known for a clean ship with no drugs tolerated? And to die there?

  I suddenly didn't like this even more than a moment ago.

  * * *

  Marindor

  I had to admit, I did not mind the bisexual thing. Not one bit.

  Trailing my tongue up John's chest, I found little bits of evidence of our climaxes. I'd discovered quickly I enjoyed the taste of him. And since I was enjoying the whole thing, I didn't hold back. Why should I? Every last sexual thing that he and I could do, we tried. Not having my life proscribed for me was wonderful.

  I really enjoyed doing every naughty thing with him. And more.

  Still, there was more than sex to this now. I enjoyed being around John. After it had just been sex and feeding, but very quickly it became more. We were hanging out together, getting meals together. Making plans and doing things together. I was slightly lost on days we couldn't get together. I realized I was falling in love with him.

  However, that wasn't as good a thing as it could be. The more I saw of Auralym, the more I liked her too. What we had was good and being able to help her with my energy dump made me feel good also. More and more she was getting better at being sexy, and we were getting adventurous. She was fun.

  “Marin?” John's word rumbled through his body, and I enjoyed the sensation.

  “Yes?” I folded my hands over his flat, muscled stomach, and rested my chin there.

  “You're enjoying this?”

  “Every moment of it.”

  “Are you seeing someone else?”

  I froze, blinking at him. Honesty, I reminded myself. “Yes. I am.”

  The smile was pleased. “I can taste her.”

  “Taste…I didn't take a shower before I came over.”

  Laughing, he pulled me up to lay next to him. “No, not just that. I've suspected for a few weeks now, but before this, it was just whisps and hints. This time I tasted her in your blood.”

  “You're not mad?”

  John shook his head. “Not even close. We never said we were exclusive. Though I do like having you around. And you're not the only who has been seeing someone else.”

  I felt a pang of jealousy and laughed at myself. “Well, that was unexpected.” John cocked his head. “I got a little jealous.”

  “No reason to be.” John had a clear grin on his face, and he had something to say. I waited. He'd tell me when he was ready. “I have been seeing someone else. And I think you know her. Auralym.”

  I shot up to sitting in the bed. “What.”

  “I finally recognized her scent on you today. I knew you were seeing a female, but her scent was all over you, and I recognized her taste in your blood.”

  I climbed out of bed. “John...”

  “Marin, I don't care. I mean I do. But to me, this is not a big deal. We all need the outlets, and this works for all of us.” He considered me a moment. “Come to think of it, maybe you can help more than I can. She asked me for a favor, but you might be able to deliver better. Sit your ass back down, let me explain this. Mostly sit your ass down, so I'm not tempted to take it again.”

  I plopped down, but not before my dick let me know his suggestion was agreeable. “What's going on?”

  “She asked me to find out more about a male overdose at the Uni-Aqua the other night. She was freaked out because apparently, her brother was quite the doser at one point. Abusive. I think she just wants to make sure she's not going to be attacked by the guy.”

  I chewed my lip. “I do know about him. He was stimming on Prod'un. He died in the medical center a few hours later. The…” I swallowed. “The drug wasn't pure. There was a secondary capsule, a time release, with mercury. So the Prod'un burned through the tissue and took the mercury straight to the blood. Dead in two hours. Painfully.”

  John looked horrified. “So, wait… what about the guy in my bar?”

  “Same thing. Except he was so far off his rocker, you only saw the ass end of his mercury poisoning. He didn't feel the pain until the end.”

  “Shit.” John sighed and slumped in the bed a bit. “So not only are we stimming-up on Prod'un, but it's bad Prod’un too.”

  I nodded. How much did I tell him? Being a bar manager, I probably owed him a lot of the story since he'd asked. I pulled the sheet over my now deflated dick and started talking.

  “This is worse than you think. It's a coordinated drug ring we can't find the source of. The Intra briefed all the volunteers on what was going on a few weeks ago. But…Aura's not wrong to be suspicious. The people who are overdosing seem to be planted.”

  “Suicide stimmers?”

  “Mm. Not quite. Unwilling participants, maybe?”

  “Addicts who are unknowingly pulled into the nefarious plans.”

  I nodded. “That's closer to the truth.”

  “But why?”

  “There's the crux of the matter.” I shrugged. “No one can figure it out. Not the Intra, not the volunteers. They seem to be planted with and drugs, left to die in certain areas, and…no one knows why.”

  It was clear that John was thinking something. He tapped a hand on his knee, and his visage quirked a bit. I'd only noticed these hints to his inner stirrings in the past few weeks. Before that, I thought him made of stone.

  “So, the dealers. Where are they from?”

  “The tunnels. Of course. I don't know why they didn't seal that shit up and alarm it.”

  John harumphed. “Well, that's easy. Bribes. Probably the Humans. But I won't absolve the Metas either.” A wave of guilt washed over his face, and I barely caught it.

  “Hiding something?”

  “She really doesn't like stimmers. Aura said she pulled away and tried to hide from the guy at the club. The problem is, I used to…”

  That shocked me. This guy had been nothing but honest and upright for as long as I knew him—and it hit me that in the length of his life, I'd only known him a moment. “You used to stim?”

  “Oh yeah. On the ship here from Vaimm.”

  “John! They'll kill you!”

  “They never found out. They still don't know. Everyone who was there then is long gone. I realize it was a terrible idea when they were all dying around me. And dying violently. We were only on the ship twenty years at that point. I've lived in fear of them finding out, but I have hope because it's been so long, and they didn't institute the execution policy until after I went straight.”

  “Damn, John,” I shook my head. “You're going to have to tell her.” Pausing, I considered him—and me. “What do we do about this?”

  “About what?”

  “John. I'm falling in love with both of you.”

  “And?” He smirked.

  I gestured between us, and then up into the air. “There's two of you.”

  Leaning back against the headboard. “You're falling for me?” I nodded. “I'm falling for you. You're also falling for Auralym, and she's falling for you. I'm infatuated with the pretty little demonling, and I know she's interested in me. So we have a triangle here. But what if we worked with that?”

  “Worked with what?”

  “The three of us. We can all work together. I need your blood, you need her to take your energy. I can take her blood, too, and I can take your energy. We can both keep her need in check.”

  My mind reeled.
A threesome? I went from some boring straight guy to considering a threesome relationship in the space of a few months. This was a lot to absorb.

  As usual, John was at the conclusion before I was. “Need time to think about that one?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, yeah. I do. That's a jump for me.”

  He agreed with a simple nod. “Meanwhile, you can check out those overdoses and Auralym's suspicions?”

  “Not a problem…”

  Leaning up from the bed and took my chin in his hand, carefully. “And as for the three of us. Imagine that beautiful balance point between us. Naked, tangled in the sheets, taking that gorgeous creature front and back. And imagine her watching us as we enjoyed each other…”

  His lips descended on mine in a searing heat and possessed me. Gods and stars, the hot sex and sweet love the three of us would endure.

  Chapter Six

  Auralym

  I didn't want to go.

  Elde was so determined to take me to the Uni-Alpine Nightclub that I was having trouble saying no. But I really didn't want to go.

  Something foreboding was tickling my mind. I looked up the club on the 'Net, and there had been two overdoses the week before. One on Friday and one on Saturday.

  I didn't want to go. I didn't want to see another overdose. I didn't want to be reminded why my parents died.

  But, Elde was insistent. He wanted to go out and have fun.

  I realized this arrangement with him needed to end, soon. He was pushing boundaries I didn't want pushed, not ever. I was not a social butterfly, and I had no desire to be.

  I would probably have to ask either Marin or John for an extra meet up. I didn't relish the idea of asking, but I also wouldn't mind meeting either of them twice a week.

  I was in so much trouble there.

  “Ready, Aura?”

  Elde's words burst my bubble of dirty little thoughts about my two lovers, and the daydream of them taking me at the same time. I looked at him and shivered, hard. Nothing good was going to come of this. At all.