by Eden Redd
Aznara turned in her seat and looked at the threatening men surrounding her, “You and the boys don’t know anything. If you did, then you wouldn’t be standing there with the scent of lust. You think because I am a demon, you feel justified on what you can do to me.”
The drunk’s eyes fell to Aznara’s cleavage, “It would be the best you should get. You damn monsters nearly destroyed the city. You brought the slimes here and nearly got us all killed.”
“No, she didn’t. She was one of the people who saved the city!” A few men and women stood up from the booths.
Aznara turned to the men and women and noticed they were mages from the college. She had seen some of them around campus at times.
The drunk glanced at the mages and turned his attention back to Aznara, “It still seems the city is split on whether you monsters should be here or not. I think you should be sent back the way you came. Ain’t no place for monsters among humans. The walls are there to keep you things out.”
The drunk moved in closer with an intimidating gaze, “Sooner or later you are going to know your place. I hope I’m there when you’re on your knees, begging me to stop. After that, I’ll throw you out the main gate myself like the used piece of garbage you are.”
Aznara’s head tilted forward, shadows covering her eyes. Something inside the demon snapped, “Why do you hope? Touch me and see who will be on their knees.”
A female mage took a step forward, “Aznara, we have your back.”
The succubus looked over the shoulders of the burly men surrounding her to the fellow mage she didn’t recognize, “Thank you but I can handle this.”
The bartender reached under the counter and pulled up a wand in each hand. Aznara glanced over at the wooden wands and made eye contact with the bartender. The bartender stepped closer, arms crossed with wands sticking out under them.
“I think you should leave, demon. These fine people came for a drink and you are disturbing them,” The bartender said in a commanding tone.
“It looks like they are disturbing me,” Aznara sneered.
“You are causing trouble. If you don’t leave then I will put you to sleep and drop you in the gutter,” The bartender growled.
“Let me do it. I’m sure the fight will go out of her when a real man touches her,” The drunk laughed.
Aznara looked to the drunk, “What is your name?”
The drunk raised an eyebrow, amused, “Billy. Why?”
“So, the magistrates will know who you are after I’m done with you,” Aznara smiled evilly.
Billy’s amused expression melted into hard stone. Aznara winked and blew him a kiss. The drunk glanced back at his buddies around him. The room took on a thick and hungry edge. Aznara knew they were going to do more than just fight. They will do everything they can to take out their frustration and anger on her. Rage flaring, she readied spells as hands curled into fists.
Aznara stared at Billy, “Come on Billy. Everyone is watching. Too late to turn back since you are such a strong man. Show this little demon her place.”
The drunken Billy’s eyes stared and a fist reared back. With a word, the candles along the bar flared, thin streams of fire flowing onto Aznara’s fists, lighting them on fire. It happened so fast, when Billy aimed his fist at the demon’s face, Aznara caught it inches from her cheek. The fire covering her hand burned the meaty fist on contact, causing Billy to scream.
The entire bar erupted into chaos. Mages cast spells, drinks emerging into streams of water and hosing the men surrounding Aznara. Burly men turned to meet blasts of alcohol hosing them directly in the face. Aznara tightened her flaming grip, causing Billy to fall to his knees, the drunk screaming his head off. The succubus continued to grin. The fire surrounding her hand was not that powerful. It burned enough just to singe skin. Billy tried to pull away but Aznara’s grip was like a vice.
The bartender pointed both wands at the succubus. Aznara pulled Billy to his feet just as two white bolts of lightning emerged from the wand points. Aznara curled Billy’s arm around her, pulling him onto her. Two bolts struck the screaming Billy. The drunk stopped screaming, his eyes grew heavy and his body went limp. Aznara took hold of his shirt and held Billy up like a shield. Glancing at him, Billy began to snore. The succubus laughed as she realized the bartender was using sleeping wands.
Men rushed the succubus. Still holding Billy up with one hand, she lashed out with her other flaming fist. One drunk stopped to dodge her fist but his coordination was off. A flaming fist connected with his jaw and sent him careening onto the wooden floor. Another drunk punched the succubus just as she reared back. Aznara felt the tiny stab of pain before she glared at the shocked drunk. Whipping her flaming fist out, she backhanded him into a booth. Several mages took hold and threw the stunned drunk back into the fray.
The bartender kept firing sleeping bolts, trying to get a clear strike on the demoness. Aznara kept Billy up as a shield. Men at the bar were fighting college mages with fists. Some of the students couldn’t cast their spells fast enough and received punches to the jaws. Aznara growled as she stalked forward, punching a drunk hard enough to knock him off his feet. Billy snored as sleep bolts hit his limp body. Aznara heaved down and threw Billy over the bar. The bartender dropped the wands just as Billy came crashing down.
The succubus was in her element. All the pain and anguish faded into the background as she jumped into the chaos with flaming fists. Stools swung into bodies as water spells blasted people off their feet. Flaming knuckles slammed into faces, stomachs and knees. Aznara was having the time of her life, releasing all her pent up emotions on idiots. She wondered why she hadn’t done this sooner.
Furniture shattered and bar walls cracked. The succubus drove her knee into a drunk. A female mage finished the guy off with a punch to his face. Aznara and the mage nodded to each other and turned to others still locked in the heat of battle. The succubus kept punching and kicking until light blared through the front doors. Magistrates in white glowing riot armor stormed in, hands holding blunt maces.
Aznara turned; ready to take them on when hands took hold of her shoulders. Turning her head to the female mage and another mage at her side, they pulled her toward the back while the fighting crashed into the magistrates. White blinding flashes lit up the dark bar as Aznara stumbled through a back hallway and into a door. The door slammed open. The succubus and two mages ran out the back and into the alleyway, Aznara cackling the entire time.
Two
Aznara breathed hard as she tried to contain her giggling. The female and male mages leaned their backs to each other, breathing hard and barely containing their smiles. They had run for several blocks before they had to catch their breath. Heaving, they listened to see if they were being chased. After a few long moments, sighs of relief fell from their lips.
“Thank you,” Aznara said as she composed herself.
“Don’t mention it,” The female mage breathed.
“They are still going to come for me. I am the only succubus in the city.”
The female mage shook her head, “Then we will come as witnesses in your defense.”
Aznara looked to her fellow mages, “You know my name but I don’t know yours.”
The female mage with light brown hair smiled, “I’m Anna. He is Troy.”
“Thank you, Anna and Troy.”
“Like I said, don’t mention it,” Anna paused before speaking again, “We will notify the magistrates of our side of the story. You don’t have to get involved.”
The succubus eyed the two mages with a sliver of uncertainly, “Why are you both being so generous?” The succubus instantly regretted asking. Her mind was in so much turmoil that she didn’t trust anyone.
Anna smiled brightly, “You helped saved the city. We were in the battle against the slimes. We saw you fight alongside Trystan against the blue slime. How could we stand back and watch a hero treated like you were at the bar?”
The handsome thin Troy stepped for
ward and put his arm around Anna’s shoulder, “You guys are like celebrities. We were happy to help you.”
Aznara was stunned. The demoness said nothing as she stared at the two fellow mages who seemed to admire her.
Anna tilted her head and grinned, “We know part of the city wants to see para-humans chased out but there is another part of the city that is glad to have you here.”
“I don’t know what to say,” The succubus said, feeling small. Her tail wrapped around her leg for comfort.
The two mages nodded.
“Don’t worry about it. You had better run along before any magistrates come looking for you. We will report our side of the story and tell the other mages there to support you,” Anna said as she took Troy’s hand.
“See you around campus,” Troy smiled.
Aznara nodded. The two mages walked off down another street. The succubus walked in the opposite direction, her heart swelling in confused joy. Street lamps passed overhead as she strolled along lost in thought. Never had she been called a hero before. Nothing even came close. It was a strange sensation as she turned a corner and walked down a familiar street.
The warm glow faded as the inky darkness of her past crawled into her mind. Her first instinct was to call Sunara and tell her what just happened, tell her how they all did a good deed and people recognized it. Now she walked alone, unsure what to do with her newfound fame.
Light from a familiar penthouse glowed in the night like a beacon. The succubus walked toward it, her heart and mind filling with thoughts of her friend. Urges pressed at her to drop in on Trystan and tell him everything that just happened. Getting closer, she saw that the door attendant was asleep in the lobby through the glass doors.
Standing in front of the glass doors, the demoness reached out a clawed finger to ring the buzzer so she could be let in. Excitement and dread battled for control. The succubus wanted nothing more than to throw herself in Trystan’s arms and tell him everything that happened in the bar. Instead, she curled her finger back, shadows covering her eyes. Taking a step back onto the sidewalk, she turned and continued walking.
Aznara’s eyes gazed at the sidewalk as she strolled on. A strange feeling had taken root and she could no longer deny its power. Mind spinning on, feelings and images flooded her addled thoughts. Memories of herself with Trystan took hold and wouldn’t let go. Images of their time together on the ship caused the succubus to miss a step and nearly stumble forward. A clawed hand took hold of a wall and there she stood, wet and hungry sensations rolling through her like a flower in a storm. She remembered saying she loved him and the thought caused a sharp pain in her heart.
“Are you alright?” asked a voice.
Aznara turned her head to a man standing in the street. Her senses were naturally acute. She could hear a cat walking from hundreds of feet away, but she hadn’t even notice the stranger. Waving him away, she stood up on her own power and continued to walk.
The stranger walked alongside the succubus, eyes filled with concern, “You seem to be having a hard time. Want to talk about it?”
Aznara glanced at the man at her side. He was tall and thin with a well-defined neck. The man had short, sandy blonde hair, styled with the front looking like a small wave stuck in time. He wore normal clothes and a backpack over his shoulder. His expression was of soothing kindness, but Aznara couldn’t help feeling as though she had seen him before.
The man gave a disarming smile, “I mean no trouble. I could not let such a beautiful creature walk with such pain in her spirit.”
Aznara gave a sideways glance, “I’m fine,” The demoness said flatly.
“Lying to others only means you lie to yourself,” The stranger smirked.
“I didn’t ask for your opinion. I just want to be alone,” Aznara huffed.
“I don’t believe that but I will respect your decision. But before I go, may I have a kiss?”
Aznara turned to the thin man. Any other time she would have simply punched someone in the face for being so rude, especially a stranger, but there was some underlining heat rising to the surface and she found herself entranced by it. The man’s words vibrated through her like a warm gentle touch on a cold winter night. The oddness only faded into the background as her heartbeat thumped in her chest like she just finished running for miles. Without thinking, the succubus leaned in and kissed the stranger on the lips. It was only a peck, barely a second before she pulled away, confusion filling her eyes.
“Thank you,” The man bowed, “I wish you the best. I only hope you can overcome this terrible curse.”
Aznara had no idea what he was talking about. She was about to say something when the man turned and walked away. The succubus stood on the sidewalk, staring at the man as he walked to a corner, turned and was gone.
The succubus shrugged and continued to walk. The night was strange enough; she didn’t want to think about it anymore. Walking toward the college campus, Aznara tried to blank out her mind. The maddening feelings continued to swell in her heart. For the first time in her life, she truly felt lost.
Aznara heard the rustling of people as big hands emerged from a shadowy alley. Before she could cast a spell, several more hands reached out. A group of men rushed the demoness, taking hold of her and dragging her into the dark alley. Aznara struggled, her mouth shouting arcane words. A hand clamped over her mouth, causing the spell to fizzle. The succubus bit down hard, tasting blood. A man screamed and tried to pull his hand away but Aznara held on with sharp teeth. A fist slammed into her face but the succubus did not let go. A flurry of punches struck her head. Aznara let go and whipped her head around, trying to impale a fist with her horns. A punch to the gut caused all the air to rush out of her lungs.
Aznara grunted and tried to keep struggling. Another punch to the gut bent her over and she fell to her knees. Looking up, red irises stared at the group of men surrounding her. Billy gazed down with menace as he cracked his knuckles.
“You think you can get off that easy? You don’t have anyone now to help you. When we are done, you will wish you just simply sucked my cock like the little demon whore you are.”
Aznara kept her gaze on Billy. The thought of being taken angrily by the men surrounding her set her spirit on fire. Had this been any other time, she would have let them work out their animalistic urges on her body and beat the crap out of them afterwards but the principle, her loneliness, and unbridled rage she felt consumed every cell in her body. Tail twitching, Aznara’s body glowed hot and fingers curled.
“Billy, those hands will never be able to jerk your cock ever again,” Aznara hissed.
The brute gave her a confused look before his eyes went wide. The succubus pounced like a coiled tiger. One hand took hold of Billy’s thick throat while a fist slammed into his mouth, the strength in Aznara’s fist radiated into the human jaw, shattering teeth and sending them to the back of his throat. Billy made inhuman sounds as he stumbled back, hands clutching at his bloody face.
The group of men converged on the red-haired demoness. Aznara spat out arcane words and a ring of fire appeared around her body. Hands rushed into the flames and screams pierced the night. The succubus leered as she turned and rushed her attackers. Punching and kicking, she knocked two men away while four others tried to run. Aznara leapt onto one of the fleeing men’s backs, a flaming fist striking his head and setting his hair on fire. Leaping off, her body twirled midair and noticed Billy was making a run for it. Hand pointing, a fire bolt blasted out, striking the fleeing bully in the calf muscle. Billy went flailing onto the dirty alley floor.
Landing on her feet, Aznara spun around ready for anyone. To her dismay, the men had lost all their will to fight, fleeing into the darkness. The succubus turned to Billy as he tried to crawl away. Stepping closer to the fallen brute, the succubus gave a devilish smile.
“For centuries my kind had to fight our cruel intentions so other creatures would not hunt and kill us. But tonight, I think I will let that side of m
yself out, for you Billy.”
“Stay away from me! The drunken brute groaned.
Aznara stepped over to Billy as he continued to crawl away. Lifting up her boot, she brought the heel down on Billy’s hand. The man screamed as blood poured from his mouth. The crunch of broken bone was unmistakable, Aznara grinded her heel into broken bone and shredded delicate muscle. Stepping around him, Aznara kicked his other hand out so she could get a clear line of sight. Stomping her heel onto his other hand, weeping moans echoed off the alley walls.
Aznara licked her lips as lust bled into her entire being. The pain and desire swirled to form a meal to her hungry wanting. Mad thoughts curled into her mind. She wanted nothing more than to turn the drunken brute onto his back and take him. Ancient heat cascaded through her body as her tail whipped about.
“Come here little one,” said a soothing and warm voice.
Aznara turned her head to see the stranger from before standing at the alley entrance. Hunger in her eyes, she sauntered to him, setting her sights on his delicious neck. The stranger showed no fear as the demoness moved closer with wet heat in her movements.
“The blood lust has taken hold. Follow me and we can help calm you down,” The stranger said and started walking.
Aznara was entranced. Following, wicked images played out. She wanted nothing more than to push the stranger to the ground and have her way with him. She would seduce him over and over again until he couldn’t walk anymore. Instead, the stranger’s voice seemed to keep her blood lust at bay, not completely but enough for his words to convince her to follow.
Walking two blocks, the stranger took Aznara’s hand and led her into a lavish hotel. The touch was too much for the demoness and she let out a shudder. Walking in, the man behind the main desk looked to the stranger and the succubus. Without a second glance, the desk attendant lowered his head as if he didn’t notice them.
The stranger gently pulled the dazed Aznara to the elevator and pressed the button to the penthouse. Aznara stared like a caged beast but somehow she had power to keep herself from launching herself on the handsome stranger.
