Dragan

by Plum Pascal

  Whoever this woman is, Dragan doesn’t want to have sex with her.

  I don’t understand why until I see her laugh at him. He opens his eyes and clenches his teeth as her laughter echoes throughout the room. It’s not happy laughter—it’s the sound someone makes when they’re taunting someone else—it’s mocking and unkind.

  But, why is she laughing at him?

  I get the definite feeling that Dragon is the victim in this scenario, even as he shoves his erection into her. She moans and clings to him and I find myself wishing the images would fade because the sight of Dragan inside another woman feels like it’s cleaving me in half.

  But the images don’t fade. Instead, I’m forced to watch as Dragan fucks her with his eyes shut tight and she wraps her legs around him. That’s when I watch her open her mouth wide and she inhales. A white wisp of what I imagine is energy or life force pulls out of Dragan and she sucks it into herself. It’s as though she inhales the aura that surrounds him, stealing it and, in the process, weakening him.

  And that’s when I realize what she is. Who she is.

  This is a vision of Lamia, the Queen of the Succubae.

  She was what I am...

  The images shift and then bleed away all together, to be replaced with news ones. This time, I see Dragan with Lamia again but now they’re joined by two other women. One of the newcomers shares the same dark features as Lamia. The other woman doesn’t—she’s fair and her hair is as red as the fire that burns in the hearth behind them.

  Dragan takes turns fucking them, sinking his cock into each one as they inhale his energy in the same way I witnessed Lamia doing when it was just the two of them. I can see the shame that settles over Dragan’s face. It’s in his eyes, the way he refuses to look at any of them. Yet, his body continues to drive into each one of them. The three of them begin laughing at him, all in unison. He pulls his cock out of one of them and then thrusts it in another, taking turns with all three. And they continue to laugh at him and call him names.

  I’m overcome with the feeling of hatred… Dragan’s hatred. He despises himself almost as much as he despises the three of them.

  They use him, torment him... humiliate him.

  And I can’t bear to witness it. I can’t stand watching his suffering, but the vision is relentless and won’t release me from its snare.

  After another few seconds, the images fade away and I’m left hoping the vision has released me. But when new images surface, I realize such isn’t the case.

  Now I’m facing the same bedroom but instead of a threesome, I watch Dragan as he pulls a blade through the younger, dark one’s, throat. I watch her struggle as her blood empties from her body. Dragan steps out of the way of the river of red, as though afraid her blood will touch him.

  The dead Succubus tumbles to the floor as the woman with the red hair suddenly screams. She attempts to escape, but Dragan grabs her wrist and yanks her towards him. Her eyes are wide as the blade enters her chest and he rips it upwards. Her eyes roll back in her head and he tears the blade out of her body, tossing her on the floor.

  A huge smile takes hold of his mouth.

  Just then, the bedroom doors are thrown open and Lamia appears. She takes in the death and destruction before her and then glares at Dragan, her eyes empty pits of black. There’s intense pain in their depths but even more anger and a burning need for revenge.

  Before she can take more than three steps into the room, Dragan throws the dagger at her. It sinks into her belly and throws her backwards. She falls to the ground and reaches for the hilt of the sword, attempting to free it.

  Dragan approaches her and steps down on the top of the dagger, forcing it inside her even deeper. Blood begins to drip from one side of her mouth and I watch Dragan’s smile broaden.

  He laughs as she chokes and scarlet liquid spreads across the floor, connecting the three corpses in a triangular shape.

  It’s then that Thoradin appears in the doorway, looking much younger as well. He takes in the scene before him with what appears to be relief.

  “The last of the Succubae,” Dragan says on an exhale, steping away from the river of red. “The extinction of a vile, demonic race,” he finishes.

  He raises his arms, the blood on his hands dripping down his arms, and yells, “I am the King of The Realm of Shadow... and now, I am free!”

  TWENTY

  Eilish

  Earlann

  My heart is pounding, and I feel faint.

  I suddenly feel the need to leave the table as images of the vision still dance in my head. I stand up and excuse myself into the kitchen. Dragan and Baron glance at me in question but I don’t spare a look at either of them.

  Instead, I hurry into the kitchen, where I catch my breath as I try to force the pictures of Dragan and that awful woman, Lamia, aside.

  But my heartrate won’t calm and my breathing is still coming just as fast. I’m overwhelmed, taxed beyond my ability to cope. Yes, my reaction is owing to the vision, but it’s also so much more than that. Everything suddenly feels like it’s weighing down on me, pushing against me until I find it difficult to get enough air into my lungs.

  It’s impossibly difficult to maintain this façade of calm when truly, I’m waiting in nervous anticipation for the next time Cambion threatens to leave me somewhere, or the next time Dragan looks at me like I’m equivalent to a pile of shit he just stepped in. It’s just all become too much.

  It feels good to escape. Of course, I wonder if Cambion will come after me, worried I’m going to make a run for it now that I’m no longer bound.

  Yes, I continue to be surprised that Cambion hasn’t attempted to bind my wrists with something else, now that he destroyed the rope. Granted, he’s been more than a little busy since this morning—perhaps my freedom is merely an oversight, where he’s concerned.

  Saevel walks into the kitchen and doesn’t spare me a second glance. Instead, she wordlessly retrieves a bucket of water and a scrubbrush and begins scrubbing a stain on the kitchen floor. I pass her with an uncomfortable smile, but I notice she doesn’t return it. No matter. I step into the nursery just off the kitchen which is comprised of four glass walls. Inside, plants of all sorts grow in the humid room. My fingers brush against their leaves and petals as I try to identify each one in turn.

  One plant in particular catches my attention: Deadly Nightshade. I gather some of the red berries and the dark green, spiky leaves for Baron, placing them in one of the pockets of my jeans. Thankfully, Flumph convinced me to change into something more practical than my gown before we joined the others.

  “That’s stealing, you know?”

  I gasp and spin around to see Dragan leaning against the archway that leads back into the kitchen. He moves closer and shuts the door behind him. My heart starts pounding again and I feel like a mouse caught in a trap.

  “It’s Nightshade,” I say. “And it’s for Baron. He needs it because he’s… out,” I finish lamely.

  “Revenant,” he corrects me.

  “Revenant,” I repeat with a quick nod.

  Dragan stops walking just inches in front of me. My eyes come to rest on his chest and the size of the gargoyle makes me shiver. I know what power coils in that massive body. And, God, do I miss it.

  “Regardless,” he points out, “it’s still stealing.”

  I trail my eyes up his torso until I’m ensnared by his light gray gaze. His eyes are piercing, narrowed in an expression of suspicion. I wonder if he has any inclination that I received a vision when he touched me. So far, it doesn’t appear as though he’s aware.

  “Won’t the others wonder where you are?” I ask.

  “No,” he answers quickly. “They know why I’m here… to keep an eye on you.” He takes a breath, eyeing me even more narrowly. “What are you doing out here, anyway?”

  “I, uh, needed to get away.”

  “Why?”

  I decide not to tell him about the vision. I’m sure the memories are ones
he’d just as soon forget and I’m not sure how he’ll feel, knowing I witnessed them, knowing I know what he went through, the pain and humiliation. “Because I haven’t had any time to myself and being around the three of you takes a toll on me,” I say. My statement is still true, even if it isn’t the proper answer to his question.

  “Why is that?”

  I take a deep breath. “You wouldn’t understand.”

  “Wouldn’t I?” he comes even closer and wraps his hands around my waist. Then he lifts me off my feet, placing me on a small potting table behind us. He steps between my thighs and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear.

  “Teasing me under the table was… ruthless, Eilish,” he says. “But if you’re trying to break me, you’ll need to try much harder.”

  “Break you?” I repeat, shaking my head because breaking him is the last thing on my mind. Instead, all I can think about is how I can make things better between us—or if I can make things better. “I’m not trying to break you.”

  “I can’t figure out what the fuck you’re trying to do to me.” There’s anger in his tone but it’s not as weighty as the desire in his eyes. He wants me and proof is written all over his face. My heartrate increases and a flush steals over my skin.

  “I’m not trying to do anything to you,” I whisper.

  “Yet you are,” he tells me, pressing his erection against my core. I feel his hardness through both his pants and mine.

  “I don’t understand you, Dragan,” I admit.

  “What’s there to understand?” he asks with a chuckle, as though my comment is silly and naieve. “I’m losing my mind,” he continues as he shakes his head.

  “Why?”

  “Because I want you even though I shouldn’t.”

  “Then why do you?” I insist, thrilling over his words because I want him, too. I’ve never stopped.

  “Because—”

  “Because I’m Succubus, so you have no choice?” I finish for him, the words coming out bitter.

  He raises his eyebrows. “That wasn’t the answer I was going to give you.”

  “What then?”

  “There’s power in you, undoubtedly,” he says as he studies me and begins rubbing my upper thigh with his hand. His touch is hot and the heat from his body melts into mine, making me lust for him even more. “But it’s not the same power as Lamia’s.” He takes a breath as I wince at her name on his tongue. “Your power feels… different. You feel different.”

  “But even if I am different to… her, you still believe I have power over you, that I can bend you to my will?” I ask.

  “I don’t know if you’re bending me to your will.”

  “But you believe I’m making you act in ways you otherwise wouldn’t? Because I’m Succubus?”

  “Yes, you have power over me,” he admits as he studies me and drags his fingers up my leg, to the center of my body and higher still. He pauses at one of my breasts and begins drawing circles around my nipple, making it as hard as a rock.

  “But I’m not convinced I’m acting any differently than I would if you weren’t… what you are,” he finishes.

  I catch his finger and trap it in my hand as his eyes widen in shock. Clearly, he’s not used to me being in any way dominant. Not that I’ve ever given him reason to believe I can be.

  “But I am what I am,” I say. “Which means you’ll never know if you want me of your own free will or if I’m forcing you into wanting me, simply owing to my nature.”

  “True,” he agrees and pulls his fingers free. Then he reaches down again and traces the pattern of my lace bra over my long-sleeved, cotton T-shirt. He drops his gaze to my breasts and I instantly feel a shiver run up and down my spine.

  Then, as if remembering something, he snaps his attention back to my face. “I have a question I want answered.”

  “What is it?”

  He clears his throat and his eyes narrow as he studies me. “Has Revenant… been inside you?”

  I hesitate for a moment because I’m not sure how to answer the question or what it is he’s looking for, exactly. Regardless, I will be honest with him. “What are you asking me?”

  “Has Revenant fucked you?”

  “Why are you asking me that?” I ask, deciding to toy with him a bit now that I’ve got him on my line. I’m surprised at this side of myself but I like it, all the same. It feels good to turn the tables and be the one with the control once in a while.

  “Because I want to know.”

  “It’s none of your business,” I say with a small smile as I try to read his expression. There’s anger simmering just below the surface and I wonder if I’m playing with fire.

  “That’s a yes.”

  “I didn’t say yes.”

  “Then it’s a no?” he asks immediately.

  “Make of it what you will,” I respond and then I feel equal amounts of irritation and courage brimming inside me. “And even if Baron did fuck me, what does it matter to you? I don’t owe you anything.”

  “Really?” he asks and glares at me. “Is that what you think? That you don’t owe me anything? After everything… we’ve done? Everything I’ve done for you?”

  My irritation heightens. “With the way you’ve treated me after you realized I was part Succubus, yes, I don’t believe I owe you anything. You helped me when I needed it, yes, but all those good deeds have been stained with your actions lately.”

  He takes a deep breath as he nods and looks away. Then he faces me again with determination. “I can’t argue with what you’ve just said.” I’m surprised and the surprise shows on my face. He continues. “I’m well aware that whatever happened between you and Revenant… I drove you to it,” he says, and his eyes soften.

  “I wish things were the way they used to be between us,” I admit, feeling an inexplicable sadness overcome me.

  “As do I,” he whispers. I brace my hand against his chest, feeling the comforting throb of his heart beneath my palm.

  ###

  Dragan

  Earlann

  I lean forward, needing to touch Eilish with my lips, to taste her mouth. There’s something about this woman that makes me lose my fucking mind and I’m tired of fighting it. Maybe she’s the same as Lamia and she’s trying to destroy me, destroy us, but I don’t believe that’s the case.

  I’m not sure what I believe.

  Regardless, I want her, and I’m tired of the wanting.

  “Dragan!” Cambion calls from the other room, his tone of voice one of panic.

  I instantly pull away from Eilish and her eyes go wide. At the same moment, a stampede of boots sounds through the house and I realize what this means. We’ve been found out.

  I lift Eilish down from the table and face her earnestly.

  “Stay behind me, no matter what happens. Variant wants you just as much as he wants us, if not even more.”

  She nods as I ease into the shadows and lead her into the main room. Cambion and Revenant are standing on either side of the front entry. Pyre’s mask is back in place as he creeps toward the door, closest to Revenant. Kolvar and Aima press themselves against the wall nearest Cambion. Whatever the threat, it’s outside the front door, and most probably surrounding the entire place.

  My eyes turn to the sniveling Raflamir still sitting at the table. I notice with interest he’s made no motion to move. He doesn’t look up from his hands where they sit clasped on the tabletop. What strikes me most is his lack of surprise.

  He yelps as I grab him by the collar and force him out of his chair. He stares up at me with petrified eyes.

  “You snitched, didn’t you?” I scream at him. “You told Variant we were here!”

  He doesn’t respond and my hands curl around his throat of their own accord. His silence speaks volumes. Not wanting to waste valuable time on him, I release him with a hard shove. He falls against the floor and stays there. No one says anything.

  Saevel is nowhere in sight, which means she knew to hide before the so
ldiers arrived. Pyre stiffens, hearing something beyond the veil that no one else can. He looks over his shoulder at me and shakes his head.

  I take it to mean there are too many of Variant’s men and we won’t make it out. I glance back at Eilish when I feel her tentative fingers encircling my arm. Her eyes are wide with fear and she swallows hard.

  I won’t let them take her. I’ll protect her, even if it means I go down fighting. Variant can’t get ahold of her…

  “How many?” I ask, facing Pyre again.

  “Thirty,” he replies, and maintains his calm. “They’re surrounding the house, spreading out to cover the roads and cutting off the alleys that lead to the gateway out of this realm.”

  Pyre walks over to Eilish, where she stands behind my back, and hands her a dagger with a serpent on the handle, complete with obsidian eyes. The faint light in the room reflects off the serrated edge of the blade. She glances down as she accepts the blade, and her expression reveals her hesitation. If we make it out of this alive, I’m going to need to teach her the art of self-defense.

  “We are more apt to survive if we split up,” Pyre suggests. “Numerous targets are more difficult to hit.”

  “Go,” Cambion tells the necromancer. “If we escape, we’ll need allies on the outside.”

  Pyre nods and approaches Revenant. The two look at each other for a moment and though neither says anything, understanding passes between them all the same. Pyre reaches out and touches the vampire’s arm. Instantly, Revenant grits his teeth and closes his eyes, appearing as though he’s in excruciating pain. He immediately breaks into a sweat as his fangs lengthen, the tips pointing into his lower lip. When Pyre steps away, Revenant opens his eyes. There’s a strange mark on his arm that seeps into his skin with an eerie red glow.

  “It’s a blood rune,” Pyre explains. “Cut your flesh and touch the mark. It will allow me to find you.” Revenant nods as Pyre continues. “I will use the guidance of my spirits to locate the others when the time comes.” He glances at Eilish again, before returning his attention to Revenant. “Guard her with your life.”