Only her wife, Anya, and Tialanna knew it waited in the ether until she had need for it. A secret they keep from mostly everyone as it would reveal what she truly was. It’s one thing to flash clothes onto your body, something only the witches, and vampires if they are powerful enough, had the power to do, but a weapon forged in the fires of Hel's domain? Not likely.
Hidden among the vampires since birth, Kierra was truly a demon with an angel for a father. It’s no wonder she and Anya were perfectly mated with each other; one with a gift that could possibly make even the kindest of souls hate them, the other with an ability anyone would kill for, able to turn her feelings on and off at will.
So even if Anya was forced to let an apocalypse take place, Kierra could quite naturally sit back with her love in her lap and enjoy the show. There were only two types for whom a demon could not turn off their feelings; their true soul mate and their children. Even with them their feelings could be muted at times.
Anya experienced the twitch that was a sure sign her wife was near and had sex on the brain. A distraction she didn't need right now, even though to say she wanted it would be the Goddess’ honest truth. Not bothering to say a word and paying no heed to the open door, Kierra pulled Anya back tightly against her front, slipping her hands beneath the folds of Anya’s robes knowing she wore nothing underneath. Anya fought desperately to hold in a gasp as Kierra slowly guided one hand to cup her breast while using the other to slip two fingers into her tight, wet folds.
“Hungry,” Kierra rasped in her deep, gravelly voice just as she pierced Anya's neck with her fangs, both upper and lower, and thrust her long, callused fingers ever deeper into Anya’s wet heat.
Knowing on a soul-deep level that her wife became ravenous for both blood and sex in times of stress, two things that helped to shut her feelings off, Anya let Kierra take her fill. Moving her body to the rhythm her wife set, she thrust images into Kierra’s mind of each and every way she planned to devour her once the situation was at least marginally under control. Which left them both on the verge of climax, with a promise of completion later.
Just as Kierra was licking the freshly made wounds closed, Anya had a vision of exactly where her niece was being held captive. And that it was not the time to find her, yet.
Disentangling herself from Kierra and flashing out of her robe and into her own uniform of the Royal Guard, she took in the scene playing outside once again. She watched as her brother, Darvyn, and Tia's mate, Chandler, flashed into existence before turning to her wife. “Let's go.”
Her mental to-do list was growing by the millisecond. Stop her sisters from killing each other, help release the gargoyles from their torment, and keep the fact she knew where Jelissa was being held secret until the time came to help her niece.
Side by side they stepped into what might have been the beginnings of a brand-new war.
3
Stronger Together
“Enough!” Anya shouted as she came to stand before her epically dysfunctional family, putting power into her words and forcing everyone to take a step back. “Elyssia, you're right, the truth should have come out a long time ago. But shoulda, woulda, coulda is doing nothing to help the situation now. And before you open your mouth to say anything, Tia, you should've at least let us know you hadn't told Grimm. You may think it’s none of our business, but you know damned well that shit became our business the moment you got us into this mess twenty-five years ago.”
Tialanna looked at Anya, then quickly away, her mouth tight and gaze shifting upward, fighting back tears. Anya knew Tia could hear the truth in her words, but by no means wanted to. Anya continued, “As much as I love you guys, I couldn’t give a flying fuck how any of you feel right now. Our niece, your daughter, is missing; something else is swiftly approaching, and your own childhood guardians are lying in a crumbling heap at your feet. If the two of you would stop to think for one damned minute, you would realize it isn't too late to help them.”
“And how do you expect we do—” Elyssia was abruptly cut off as Anya wrapped a small tornado around her legs and feet, lifting her several feet off the ground.
In a take-no-bullshit tone, Anya none too politely let Elyssia have it. “Let me say this once, loud and clear so there are absolutely no misunderstandings. I know you have a lot of pent-up aggression in you from being stuck in this orphanage, hiding who and what you are, awaiting the inevitable to happen. But let us try to remember you were not stuck there alone. So was Darvyn, and so was I. And while I may appear to be calm and collected, just like the winds I control, I can as swiftly turn into a brutal, crushing storm. Let’s can the bullshit for a minute, little sister. Thank you.”
To bring her point home, Anya let her sister down, dropping her like a sack of bricks, rising into the air herself as Elyssia looked on as if wanting to retaliate. She continued, “What creates stone, my sisters? What elements do the three of us control? These gargoyles may have to remain in stasis for half a century, maybe less, but time is one thing they have going for them.”
That finally got their undivided attention. Though all the men had seemingly disappeared, probably a wise choice, Anya had a very bad feeling as to why. Things were progressing faster than she could have imagined, and they were swiftly running out of time. Tensions were rising within all Underlayes, just as they were right there. None of the many factions of species knew of the princess having been taken, since very few even knew of her existence. They did know their own children were also missing, a fact the Queen did not know, and the implications of which would probably be too much for her sister to take in. But she would find out sooner rather than later. And some of the most powerful beings worried about their own children, whom they considered no more than infants at the same age as Jelissa, seeing as most of the parents were more than a few centuries old. They would be out for blood, and the first person they would look to blame would be the Queen herself, having no idea she was experiencing the same soul-wrenching grief, worry, heartache, and bloodlust as them.
Anya turned towards the gargoyles, or what was left of them, and spoke in an authoritative tone. “Warriors of old who have kept my sisters safe, giving them a safe haven where they could grow up without ever realizing what true dangers lay in their wake, giving them a chance to have a regular childhood, a rebellious adolescence, and the opportunity to become the strong females they are today. Focus your thoughts on your bodies, the formation, every distinguishing factor that is the very make-up and essence of you, and let us give you back what was so brutally taken from you!”
Still hovering above, she turned towards her sisters as her eyes lost their pupils and became nothing more than dark swirling storm clouds. “Call upon your elements and throw them towards me!”
As Tialanna gathered her flames, looking like nothing short of a walking torch, and Elyssia drew within herself, becoming a walking, talking fountain of celestial waves, Anya began to pull in the surrounding winds.
“Air, many people believe you to be an ever-changing thing that is anything but predictable. You are the only constant I have had through some very difficult times in my life. Your importance to me is made even more so thanks to my mother. Take what my sisters offer, and turn what is now so much rubbish into the magnificent beings they once were!” With that Anya seemed to disappear, becoming no more than a giant, raging storm cloud, opening herself for what was to come.
* * *
Tia threw her head back in oblivion, screaming out with all her might as so much unleashed power coursed within her, adding to it some of her rage. Her flames grew until everyone within a thousand-mile radius began perspiring from the heat. Tialanna focused on gathering all her fire, lifting her hands until she could shape it into a giant ball of molten lava which she aimed towards her twin.
As she let it go, she began to collapse, but her mate was right there to catch her as she fell. Not surprising since he seemed to always be there when and where she needed him to be at all times. What was an un
pleasant surprise, seeing as it heralded a conversation she had avoided for the past two decades, was the huge gray wolf who was also there at his side. Her last thought before everything went dark was, “Grimm? Oh, shit.” Wait, did I say that out loud? Double shit. She also smelled sulfur and heard someone else laughing darkly in her head, whispering a huge, Told you so.
* * *
Elyssia had begun to worry her water would form into ice with her emotions being in such turmoil, but with as much heat as Tia was throwing off, that worry did not last long. She laughed as the sensual liquid that was her element flowed throughout her veins, growing into so much power she simply had to take a moment to relish it. Then she too gathered it all together into one huge sphere of water and undiluted power, throwing it towards her other big sister, collapsing as she let it all go. Just as she began to think, Damn, who the fuck is going to catch me? Darvyn was there to break her fall, sweeping her into his arms. The brother she’d never had, the lover she’d always wanted, and, judging by the bulge that was nudging against her backside, maybe her feelings were reciprocated. After all, he was her sisters’ brother, not hers.
* * *
While Tia and Elyssia had been gathering their powerful elements, Anya used her own to separate the rubble into distinguishing piles. As Tia's lava came to her, she mixed it with her own, spreading it amongst each pile as Anya’s air reformed each gargoyle one by one. Once they were all fully formed, she used Elyssia's water to seal the deal. As her own power began to wane, she took the last of her strength to send all the gargoyles back to their designated perches, so they could complete their healing process. Knowing without a shadow of a doubt her wife would be right there to catch her as she herself reformed, Anya promptly blacked out.
4
Introductions
There was absolutely nothing like waking up while being held captive and being caressed by one of the various men I had not only just bonded with, but also made love to. Kind of hard to remain worried about the predicament we were in when there was an incubus running his hand along my inner thigh until he reached my already moistened folds. Then slipping not one or even two, but three fingers inside me, making me come hard and fast.
“Mmm…perhaps introductions may be in order after what transpired last night.” He spoke in a sweet, dark, masculine, and seductive tone, with a voice that would make any human woman come from the sound of it alone. As he spoke, he continued thrusting his fingers into me, in and out, while caressing my clit with his thumb at the same time. “The quicker we can dispense with the formalities, the quicker we can begin to surmise where the Hel we are, how we got here”—he thrust even harder—“who the fuck has us held captive”—and ever so much deeper—“and last but most certainly not least, why they want us.” He thrust one final time, so hard, fast and deep I squirted to the point one would think I peed the damn bed. I might not have much experience in the sex department, but I'm pretty sure that isn't something that happens all too often.
Just as I was getting ready to give him my name and find out his, there was an extremely loud snarl right before Mr. Incubus was knocked clear across to the opposite side of the room. Something I felt even more than I saw, since his fingers were still buried knuckle-deep inside my pussy at the time. A unique sensation to say the least.
Before I had a chance to move or even attempt to stop the demon and the wolf from tearing into each other, the vampire at my side grabbed me, putting my back to his very much still naked front. As he fondled my breast, he whispered, well, it was more like a hiss actually, “Let them get it out of their systems now. I heard what the demon told you, and he is quite right on most points. But introductions, while pleasant, I'm thinking we're already well beyond that point. And if he would stop thinking with his sex drive, which is admittedly rather hard for his species as a whole, he would realize we don't even need any.”
“Kind of ironic you’re speaking of him thinking with only his sex drive, while you’re the one with my breast in your hand right—” I let out a gasp as he told me to shut the Hel up by tweaking my nipple between his thumb and forefinger.
“Aw, now, lover, you should know it is not a very clever thing to interrupt a vampire. Especially one on edge due to being trapped in more than one situation he hasn't much control over.”
He rolled us over, keeping his front to my back, only now placing me beneath him, with his thick, hard shaft in perfect position. “Now, as I was saying. The demon needs to listen with more than his dick.” At that point he did enter me, eliciting a moan from my lips and making me realize how badly I wanted him to do just that. “But also with his mind and soul. Then he would find we all already know everything about one another. Jelissa.”
He emphasized my name by thrusting so deeply his balls smacked my ass with each hard, ferocious pound. “We did much more than just have sex last night; we bonded. Stop thinking so hard and just feel. Open yourself up to each of us and truly see us.”
He continued pounding into me even harder, a mix between pleasure and pain so intense all I could do was exactly as he said, feel. But when I closed my eyes, I could also see, not visually but mentally, and psychically. What I saw was him, the vampire, my vampire mate, his life up until now.
Though most of his memories were in Hungarian, it didn't matter, I understood every word. While we came from the same dimension, Underlayes, none of the families started out there. The creation of the dimension was an endeavor from all factions from all regions of the world. So most not only kept their accents and languages, but also passed them down to the younger generations.
His name was Adorjan, a name handed down from father to son for generations. The youngest of nine, the oldest being six hundred forty-eight, Adorjan himself no more than a few months older than me in vampire terms; as far as actual years went he was forty-five, though I could tell his knowledge far surpassed his vampire age.
The ages of his siblings weren’t uncommon for vampires since they lived forever, or until someone killed them. What was uncommon was the fact he and all his siblings shared the same parents. They also shared the same alabaster-toned skin with a slight splatter of freckles, along with a shock of cinnamon hair, that only added to their attractiveness. He had parents who had been together more than a hundred years before they’d even had the first.
Their romance might not have been a fairy-tale one, and did have quite a few ups and downs, but it was very real and full of love and loyalty. And Adorjan was the only surviving boy. One other son had been born a century before him but did not survive his transition, something I heard was much more dangerous for the males of their species than for the females. Born vampires were typically like humans except instead of being breastfed milk, they’re breastfed with blood. But only from their mother, the only allowable substitute being the father. Don't ask, and don't be sick thinking that either, yuck much. Also, instead of going through adolescence and/or puberty, they go through a transition, the formal term being transcendence.
At the age of twenty, for both males and females, their bodies go through a physical and psychic metamorphosis, a transcendence. All the organs in their bodies become stronger and more durable, also slowing down as their aging process begins to decrease to almost nonexistent. Their fangs grow to their full length and become retractable. Their psychic abilities also kick in, some more so than others and differing between each family and each vampire; hypnosis, telekinesis, all-out mind control; the possibilities are damn near endless. The bones of the body also go through a complete change as well, becoming not only stronger and more durable just as the organs do, but also much thicker, gaining much more mass, which is where the complications set in.
As women start off with a lesser mass density in their bones, the increase doesn't cause too much damage for them. Since men start off with a higher density, sometimes the increase can be more than their body is able to take. One never knows when, how, or even if this will happen to their own son. So, watching them through their T
ranscendence, a process that lasts for a total of three weeks, though the last three days are the most critical, is even more frightening than awaiting their birth, or teaching them how to take their first victim.
I was in two very different places at once. Part of me was still physically in bed with this very present Adorjan, being fucked senseless and enjoying multiple climaxes, each one harder than the last, while another part of me was stuck in his past, watching his entire life transpire before my eyes. Discovering the fact that not only was his family one of the most influential vampire clans even before the formation of Underlayes, but also amongst the most powerful, aside from the Royals.
I saw his life in its entirety in fast forward. His first steps, first fight, first kiss, first feeble attempt at having sex, then his first real fuck. Saw his first true bite, along with his first accidental kill. I witnessed every interaction he had with his family, his sisters, and his parents.
Not only did I see it all, I also experienced every sensation right along with him, as if I were experiencing each and every event in Adorjan’s life myself. The sheer terror a small child feels upon falling on his face before taking that very first step. The pure, sweet adrenaline rush right before his first true punch, feeling the smack of flesh against my own knuckles. The nervousness of placing his lips upon another’s out of lust as opposed to that of familial love.
The Succubus, the Demon and the Witch Page 3
