by Marie Mistry
Triston and Ryon were offering themselves to help me because as Lusts they knew how awful it was to have to depend on others to survive.
I flashed back to my parents, thinking of how consumed they were with generating their own power. They had let the pursuit of power change them completely till they were embodiments of their sub-castes. At least with my sub-caste I couldn’t generate my own power, so the chances of that happening were slimmer.
“I don’t want to become addicted to the power,” I mumbled.
“What do you mean?” Lulu cocked her head.
“My parents are almost the embodiment of their sub-castes, they love power so much they do everything they can to generate more. What if that happens to me and I turn into a complete whore?”
Babette scoffed. “We don’t do that word here. If you haven’t noticed, no one needs paying to do anything in this place.”
Lulu quickly pushed in, perhaps sensing that Babette’s dark humour wasn’t the best solution to this problem. “Your parents were probably quite similar to how they are now before their showings. Haven’t you noticed how people seem to fit into their castes so well? You fit into Lust for a reason…”
She had a point…
“Lilith, you’re not going to become a sex addict because you want more power.” Nelly cut through Lulu’s emotional appeal with her usual common sense. “If you think we didn’t notice how secretly relieved you were every time you failed one of our attempts to prove your sub-caste then you’re wrong. It’s impossible to go from being that terrified of having power to completely addicted to getting more of it. You’re a demon, we’re built to hold power. For us, it’s as natural to have it as breathing. Are you addicted to breathing?”
Okay, she had me there.
“Who do you want?” Nelly asked, her tone gentler now that she’d sensed I’d given in.
“You want me to do this now?” I was incredulous.
Everyone nodded. “The sooner the better,” Babette told me. “Vrosis’ class is in three hours.”
And they wanted me to have some power to practice with by then.
I considered the options. Ryon was the friendlier of the two but had a tendency to describe every detail of his conquests over breakfast. Triston, on the other hand, was steady and quiet, but would make the occasion silent and slightly embarrassing. If I did this, I was only going to third base though.
Blushing, I pointed at Triston.
He beamed, and I saw Ryon’s flash of disappointment, but he quashed it slowly.
Decision made, everyone began to leave.
“Third base only,” I told him, as soon as we were alone.
He shrugged. “As long as I get to return the favour, I’m not picky.”
Against my better judgement, a sliver of desire threaded through me. Like all Lusts, Triston was attractive to the point of distraction. Perhaps I would enjoy this.
I hoped I would, considering it was my destiny.
He crossed the space between us, making me uncomfortably aware that I was on a bed. But he surprised me by hugging me first. He didn’t smell of sandalwood and black coffee, I realised with a twang of disappointment. Some part of me had hoped that Triston would have been the one who’d given me my first kiss.
“Like Ryon said,” he began, “no expectations, no judgement, no drama. Just respect.”
I nodded, and moved upwards, rising to my knees and claiming his kiss for my own. It was a nice kiss, executed with the skill of a man who knew what he was doing, but there was no spark between us and I think we both knew it.
This close I could feel the power he was getting from being with me, and my eyes slid closed at the gentle pulsing of it filling the air. Triston’s hands made quick work of the front buttons of my shirt, pushing the material back just far enough to reveal my bra.
He didn’t spend too long staring at my breasts, which I was grateful for. I was sure that if he had, I would have become embarrassed and backed out of this for sure. He didn’t even fully undress me when he eventually moved his attention downwards, merely pushing up my skirt and pulling down my underwear to my ankles.
By this point, I’d succeeded in undoing his belt and fly, but hesitated to go further. As if sensing my trepidation, Triston pushed me backwards, so I was lying on the bed, and then followed me down so we were lying in opposite directions. He took my hand and placed it inside his trousers, and then, to distract me, he lowered his head between my thighs.
I gasped, allowing myself a moment to bask under the attention of a man who knew what he was doing and then, acting purely on instinct, I repaid the favour.
I sucked and lapped at him, and at the first taste of salt I felt an incredible power coursing through my body, making me shudder. Encouraged by his moans, I quickened my pace.
When he came, he sucked hard on my clit, sending me over the edge in a mutual climax. I swallowed his orgasm impulsively and was rewarded when I felt power surface under my skin, filling me and caressing me. It chased away the lingering pain from the Tester and flushed me with warmth. And I could feel that I could take more, it was as if I could sense Triston’s life essence before me, mine for the taking in the instant after he came. I tried not to think of how easy it would have been to just reach out and grab it.
“Good?” Triston asked, grinning as he rolled over onto his back, oblivious to how close he had just been to death.
I nodded, still trying to get used to the sensation of being full to the brim with mystical energy.
“That was the best blowjob I’ve ever had,” he murmured, dragging me close for a kiss. “Must be a Succubus thing, I guess. You rock, Lilith. Anytime you need a power top-up, I’m here for you.”
He pushed off the bed, moving to the bathroom to clean himself up, leaving me to sort myself out. I pulled off my clothes while he wasn’t looking and pulled on a robe. I wanted a shower once he’d gone. Two days in bed meant I definitely needed to wash my hair before Vrosis’ lesson.
Triston seemed to sense I wanted to be alone. When he left the bathroom, clothing righted, he gave me a peck on the cheek and left the room.
I sighed, shook myself slightly, and grabbed a towel.
It felt so odd, to have just done that, and now everything went on as normal. The warm water washed away the evidence of what we’d done, and now all that was left was a memory and power floating under my skin.
Once I was clean and dressed in my uniform, I left the bathroom to discover a pile of books on my bed. A note attached from Lulu told me that these were all the books Aeron had found about Succubae and their male counterparts the Incubi. I glanced at the clock; there was enough time to read one or two before Vrosis’ lesson. Like most demon texts, they were quite thin books.
I settled on the bed and picked up the top one.
When the time came for Vrosis’ lesson, I shoved the book down in frustration. Not only were two of the seven books in Old Demonish, the rest were full of things I already knew. The only interesting parts had been descriptions of Succubae assassins and their work shaping the political landscapes of bygone days.
Before I left my room, I checked my reflection in the mirror, no longer really bothered by my horns, despite their uniqueness. In fact, I had begun to like the way they sharpened my features and highlighted my deep blue eyes. Feeling bold – likely as an effect of being so full of power – I picked up a ring from my jewellery box and slipped it over the tip of one of them, letting the silver arrow-shaped band rest just above halfway along.
When I opened my door, Nelly was leaning against the banister with Lulu, waiting for me. I blushed.
“Now, now, that won’t do.” Nelly smiled wickedly. “We can’t have you being the one member of Lust who blushes after sex.”
I turned redder and they both laughed. “Come on. I can sense you brimming with power.” Lulu’s grin was the mirror image of her twin’s. “Let’s go and see what Vrosis has to say about how you can use it.”
She led the way down
the stairs and into the common room towards where Babette and the guys had already grabbed our usual table.
I looked at Triston, who gave me a small nod; Ryon gave me a small smirk that told me he didn’t consider himself out of the running for a place in my bed just yet. Babette looked unhappy to have lost another girl to what she called the ‘hetero-norm’. Aeron, standing behind her, looked like he wanted to punch something, and to my annoyance, I felt that irritating caress against my horns again.
This time I wasn’t taking it.
With a stretch of mental muscles that I didn’t really know how to use, I tried to direct my power for the first time.
Aeron’s long string of curses assured me he felt what I did, and that I might not have been as accurate and gentle with my power as I’d planned. From the looks of things being mystically punched in the balls was worse than the planned pinch on the ass I’d been going for.
When Nelly gave me a look, I shrugged and gave her my innocent face.
Lulu burst out laughing and was soon joined by the others.
Aeron was on the ground still swearing with his hands over his testicles when Vrosis came in.
“What’s going on here?” he asked, silencing the room.
“I’ve been trying to direct my power, Elder,” I told him, sipping at my glass of wine. “Unfortunately, it appears I might not have as fine a grip on it as I should.”
Vrosis raised an eyebrow at our table but swept over to his large chair from which he usually taught.
“I am glad that you’ve discovered how to draw and access power, Lilith,” he began, pouring himself a generous whiskey. “But perhaps it would be prudent not to start playing around without instruction. Aeron, are you alright or would you like to fetch some ice for that?”
Coughing, my frenemy lifted his head above the table and choked out his reply. “I’m fine, Sir. Carry on.”
Vrosis nodded and settled into his chair. “As I have repeated time and time again, it is necessary, for us in particular, to band together as a caste. It is our strength and sees us strong despite the mistrust held for us by the other castes.” Several people nodded agreement. “To demonstrate this, and for several other reasons, I am now going to read you a passage written by a Lust historian in the 1920s, during the purge of the Succubae and Incubi.”
I frowned. Why was this not in the books I’d been reading before? Vrosis answered my question as if by reading my mind.
“This is not common knowledge, and the book I will read to you is restricted material. If you are ever asked, you did not learn these things from me.” He flipped open the heavy tome to a page that had been bookmarked and began to read. “In the night, reports reached us of an attack on the Lust caste’s main embassy in London. Sixteen of our brethren are confirmed dead, with three survivors in hiding. A combined force of Envy and Pride soldiers attacked under the ruse of being ambassadors and struck whenever they discovered a known Succubus or Incubus. Strangely, they were reported to leave those of different sub-castes who didn’t resist completely unharmed. Later, we received word that soldiers had infiltrated Vice College and slaughtered all four Incubi, plus any children of Succubae and Incubi in the Gatehouse still in their awaiting stage. It is beyond clear now that our Succubae and Incubi caste members are being exterminated methodically. Entire families have been wiped out within twenty-four hours. This morning, the sun rises on the blood of hundreds of demons who were killed because they made our caste dangerous enough to warrant respect.”
Vrosis closed the book. “Thoughts?” he asked the room.
“Lilith is in danger,” Ryon stated the obvious.
Vrosis nodded. “Anyone else?”
Lulu spoke up next. “There was enough of her sub-caste a hundred years ago to make them dangerous, but dangerous to whom?”
Vrosis smiled. “That’s a very good question, Lucrecia.” He looked around inviting more people to comment.
“If the Succubae are returning, will we gain respect as a caste once again?” Babette asked.
“Should we even tell anyone that we have a Succubus?” Nelly asked. “Maybe it would be best to put out a rumour that she’s something else.”
The whole room started speaking at once.
“Weren’t Succubae once assassins? Can she not take care of herself?”
“Don’t be stupid. She’s only just got power and doesn’t even know how to use it.”
“She got Aeron in the balls pretty well.”
Vrosis held up a hand for silence.
“What are your thoughts, Lilith?”
I didn’t know what my thoughts were. I rubbed a hand down my face. “I don’t know,” I whispered. “I cannot ask the caste to lie for me. But I am afraid.” I hated admitting it, but it needed to be said. “Perhaps I could just try to fly under the radar.”
“No chance of that if you out yourself,” Nelly muttered.
“On this, I must agree with Cornelia,” Vrosis said. “Perhaps in your coming to us, there is hope for a revival for us all.” He gestured around the room. “But I think erring on the side of caution might be best for now. But what to say your test result was… there lies the real question.”
It was Aeron who spoke. “Make her an Aphrodisia, like me. It’s rare enough that she would have needed a testing, but practically harmless.”
Vrosis nodded. “The Tester has been… taken care of,” he muttered. “She was too rough, and it was inappropriate to use that kind of power on anyone. Aphrodisia is a clever idea.”
Before he could change the subject, I had to ask the question burning in my mind. “Elder?” I asked. “Why bother consulting us on this? We’ve not even graduated yet.”
Vrosis scowled. “This affects you; this affects everyone in the Carnal Tower. It does not affect the few Lust caste members that are drifting around this country. I am the elder for our caste in this country, and I have determined that I trust in the powers of the youth who are our future. I am trying… I am trying to bond the next generation of our caste together. Simply put, Lust is a fractured shadow of what it should be. Pride, Greed, Envy and Wrath have stomped all over us with their selfish and egotistical natures and Sloth and Gluttony couldn’t give two hoots what happens to anyone.”
He sighed, suddenly showing his age with the weariness of his gaze. “We are mocked, slandered and treated like cheap second-class citizens and parasites. In the time of this book.” He held up the one from which he had just read. “Lust was recognised as a power. We derived our strength from unity. I want that for your generation. I want you to want that for yourselves. It’s why I lecture you so endlessly about cooperation, respect and dignity.”
He looked each and every one of us straight in the eye. “Each one of you, whether you are a Desire, a Promiscuity, an Adultery, an Aphrodisia, a Sensual, an Orgy or a Succubus is worthy of respect. Each one of you has the power to make the future better for our caste.”
His frown switched to a smile so quickly I almost got whiplash. “I have gotten quite far off topic, haven’t I? Shall we get back to learning to use your power?”
The class nodded dumbly, struck dizzy by the hope he had just given us.
“For Lilith’s sake, let us review the basics of psychokinetic theory,” Vrosis began. “It appears she is having trouble with her aim.”
Aeron groaned quietly.
I stuck my tongue out at him. It served him right for playing with my horns.
Chapter 10
When I walked into Maddox’s class on Monday, everyone looked shocked.
“Lilith.” Bane looked relieved to see me, and I paused by his desk since Maddox hadn’t arrived yet. “Are you okay? We heard your Tester was really harsh on you.” He slid a hand into his pocket and drew out my pen, it had become our habit for me to somehow forget trivial things and him to return them to me. I had no idea when I became so forgetful, because he was constantly walking up to me and passing back all sorts of things I didn’t even notice I was missing.
I laughed, accepting the pen back. “Yeah, it was painful as hell. But it’s over now. I’m an official Aphrodisia.” It sucked that I was lying to Bane, but the tutorial with Vrosis had set my paranoia on high. I wasn’t taking chances, especially with his continued unexplained disappearances from a school that no one was supposed to be able to leave.
“Really? I thought you tried that one already.” He looked confused, and I tried to smother my guilt with a small smile.
“I must have been doing it wrong or something.” I shrugged, lifting his pencil case up off of the desk with my mind just to show I could.
