by Randi Darren
“Figure out a breach, bag, and drag,” Wren said with a shrug.
“It’s the most likely plan to work, other than breaking in,” Stacia said. “We’ll just need to do it quick and quiet. Then again, no one really wants the PID or the Fed to get involved, so… it’s likely Irene doesn’t want any more attention than we do.”
“I could pose as someone, knock on her door, see what she does,” Hillary said on Sam’s left. “Look like some random Vampire and tell her Marin’s been found. Dead. Take her somewhere.”
Sam frowned, not really sure that one would work.
“Everything we know tells us that people didn’t know where Irene was actually living,” Sam said, thinking it through. “If you showed up like that, it’s more likely to get you killed, I think.”
Hillary frowned but nodded her head slowly. “I could pose as a PID officer. Tell her we need her to come out and identify Marin.
“Can’t move the body due to health risks, and the CDC is on the way.
“PID badges can be faked if you’re willing to spend some cash. That and risk getting the Fed coming after you.”
“Okay, but to what end?” Sam asked, shaking his head. “What’s the goal of that?”
“Ah… what if… what if we told her Marin had listed her as next of kin, along with her address. Need to identify the body like Hillary said. CDC would indeed get involved, and Irene would probably want to know how bad the damage was.” Stacia said. “Marin really was incredibly stupid. It sounds like something she’d do. It might just get Irene out to somewhere of our choosing?”
Sam shook his head. He really didn’t think that’d work.
But then again, maybe Irene would actually be duped just because of how idiotic Marin was.
“Did you raid her address while I was gone, by the way?” Sam asked, looking at Jes and Hillary.
“Indeed,” Jes said with a grin. “Some money, some guns, a bit of clothes. Whole lot of evidence of wrongdoing. There was actually a body in the tub. An actual body.”
“Huh… alright… well… your call, Hillary,” Sam said, looking at the Doppelganger. “How’s your acting? We’ll have to put you under a temporary glamour that will compel you, so your thoughts will be protected as well. Can’t have her reading your mind.”
“Probably the one thing I’m confident in,” Hillary said with a strange smile that seemed almost as much a frown.
“Alright. Let’s assume Hillary makes it work and gets Irene to come out. Where are we taking her, and what do we do from there?” Sam asked.
“There’s a meet-up spot out west of the city. It’s used for meeting with coven leaders from other cities and states,” Stacia said. “Truth be told, though, this is probably the strongest coven because of Irene. Most of the other groups were infiltrated by Fed or PID recently and had a number of arrests.
“The meetings have certainly decreased in frequency since then. And thinking about it… giving Irene that address would possibly panic her. If she didn’t go with the PID agent, it’d make her seem suspicious. If she did go, she’d get to see what the officer knew and what was going on.”
Sam closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the couch.
“Your call, Hillary. If you think you can make it work, then we do it,” Sam said.
“Uhm,” Hillary said. “Sam, what… what happens if she attacks me? What happens if I get hurt or… I dunno… if I die?”
“Hurt gets fixed,” Sam said with a flick of his fingers. “Dead gets fixed but takes a bit longer, and you’d feel somewhat strange for a few days. The soul isn’t meant to be caged in a magical skeleton made of meat. Just make sure you don’t cross over into the big shimmering portal that is literally singing to your soul.”
“So… the immortality thing is… real? I’m going to be immortal?” Tiffany asked.
“Providing Jes decides to bring you back, yes. She’s your bonded, not me. I’m Stacia’s and Hillary’s. You and Wren are Jes’s,” Sam said. “Our kind has a great deal of control over mortal bodies. We’re a parasite race.
“We lack many of the benefits more conventional planar lords can offer, though.”
“I dunno,” Tiffany said. “Being young and immortal is kinda nice.”
“You pay with your body,” Sam said with a shrug. “Lots of sex for that. Like I said, though, everyone gets their own benefits. Reixhitz can offer immortality so long as you don’t actually die and you answer a whole slew of questions. Not to mention he doesn’t have to constantly feed like Jes and I do.
“Off subject, though. Hillary?”
“You’d bring me back?” Hillary asked, looking hard at Sam.
“Course I would,” Sam said with a chuckle, turning his head fully in her direction. “You’re an amazing meal, and you’re a lot of fun to have sex with. You make it really unique and exciting for me. I’d be a fool not to bring you back.”
“Then yes. Let’s do it,” Hillary said.
“I’ll make the badge,” Jes said with a wave of her hand. “Then we can all go to this meetup location. Hillary can bring Irene there.”
“Right,” Sam said with a pained sigh. “I hope this is over after this. I’m so just… done. I’m done.
“Alright. One of you come with me to feed me; the rest of you get ready. Jes, you hungry?”
“Somewhat, but I’ll wait for later. I want to have another full three way tonight, though,” Jes said, focusing on the Essence she was crafting in her hands.
“Great, Tiffany? Stacia? Hillary? Wren? Which one of you is lunch?” Sam said, looking around.
“Me,” Stacia said, hopping up from the couch. “I’d like to, ah… be lunch, and eat you at the same time. I want to see what you taste like now that I’ve drained Marin.”
“How’d that go, by the way?” Sam asked, walking toward the guest bedroom.
“I wasted some of her blood and power before I figured it out,” Stacia admitted. “I never would have even thought it possible without you saying something.”
“Mm. Sorry for the waste. I never really paid much attention to vampires and their blood magic. Wasn’t something I was interested in,” Sam said. “You got it, though?”
“Yeah. I just used my… actually, never mind. It’d be hard to explain. Suffice it to say, I drained her like a juice box and empowered myself,” she finished, her tone becoming hard and gleeful at the end.
Must not have liked Marin at all.
“Great. I’m starving,” Sam said, opening the door. “And honestly… I really can’t wait to taste you. You were great with Tiffany.
“That cold and smooth feeling of Vamp mixed with the heady heat of a Were was lovely. I might make you two partner up more often.”
“I… see,” Stacia said, walking by him and starting to ditch her clothes. “I’m not really into women, so… please try not to do it too often?”
“No promises. You two were lovely together, and a delicacy to eat. Sorry,” Sam said with a shrug.
“Fine, just… please, not too often?” Stacia asked, crawling into the bed now that she was naked.
“I’ll try,” Sam said. “But again, no promises. Definitely going to pair you up with Wren and Hillary at some point, too. Lots of combinations to try.”
Stacia shook her head and then sighed with a smile.
“Mind bending sex does make up for being paired with other women I suppose,” she said and held her arms out to him. “Come along then. Let’s eat one another.”
Sam shut the door.
***
Sam considered trying to talk Wren, Stacia, or Tiffany into another quick meal.
Which would be the sixth quick meal, if he was being honest with himself. He’d already had Wren three times, Tiffany twice, and Stacia once.
“No,” Tiffany said from a few feet away from him.
“No?” Sam asked, not quite sure.
“No. We can’t do it again, even if it’s quick,” Tiffany said. “I’m a little sore, squishy, and
I stink like sex right now.
“And no, I can’t switch with Wren. I had to switch with her to begin with because she apparently can’t say no to you.
“And while we’re at it, no, you can’t go check on Stacia. Just wait till we’re done and I’ll take care of you again, okay?”
Sighing, Sam let the back of his head fall to the wall again. “Hmph. It’s not fair. You taste amazing, and you’re pretty good in bed. It’s not like we’re doing anything else.”
“The shifter should be here any minute. Just… wait,” Tiffany said. “And if it makes you feel better, I want to. I’m trying to do my job, though. So could you ease up a bit?”
Mm. I’m being a little spoiled and unreasonable, aren’t I?
Maybe being alone on the plane for so long affected me worse than I thought.
It’s not like I’m starving anymore.
Thinking on it, truly pushing his mind to consider it, Sam realized that he really just wanted to sleep with Tiffany because it felt good. Because she was into it, wanted him, and enjoyed it.
It reminded him of what it felt like when he’d first started sleeping with Irma.
“Sorry,” Sam said. “I’ll ease up. I just… it feels good, it makes me happy, and it’s delicious.
“I think I’d want to make love to you and not feed from you soon as well.”
“What?! Make lov— Ugh, there she is,” Tiffany said, getting low and away from the window.
They were waiting just on the inside of the entryway for Hillary to bring Irene in.
Wren was perched at the top of the stairs of the cellar, which wasn’t far from the front door. She was their guard to keep Irene from running out of the house.
Stacia was in the rear, guarding the back door.
Jes would be arriving after Hillary and Irene. She was their tail, just to make sure they weren’t followed. And to take care of it if they were.
The sound of doors opening and closing signaled that Hillary was brining Irene up to the door.
“Smells human, but… not quite,” Tiffany whispered, sniffing at the air. The window they were next to was open. “Kinda… magic-y. Almost like a fanger. Once human?”
Grimacing, Sam wanted to take a peek, but he couldn’t. He’d be more likely to reveal they were there than actually see what was going on.
“Fucking stupid piece of shit,” Tiffany grumbled, her voice getting deeper. “Why do we have to take her alive? Going to go tits up so fast.”
Sam laid a hand on Tiffany’s back, then patted her shoulder since it was one of the few spots not covered by body armor.
The Were didn’t pull away from him, but he got the sense she wasn’t quite sure how to feel about him touching her so freely.
“…in the back in the kitchen,” said a voice Sam didn’t recognize. “Found her there. Looks like she… Well, it looks like she got vamped.”
Ah, must be Hillary.
“Marin was attacked by a Vampire?” asked a second voice.
Must be Irene.
“Looks like it to me. Unless you know of another type of Para that drains people of blood. It’s why we had to call out the CDC,” Hillary continued. The door opened. “After you, straight through to the back.”
There was the clack of a door shutting, then shoes padding across the hardwood floor.
Alright… Wren should be moving up now. Jes should be closing in, and Stacia should be getting ready.
Now all we have to do is… spring the trap.
A woman who was probably five foot five on a good day walked by. She was wearing what Sam could only think of as a sundress. She had hair like polished copper that came to her shoulders, and she looked to be of the skinny and pale variety.
Unable to help himself, Sam did check out her figure and found it was just on the better-than-average side—but she was no Abigail or Irma.
The strangest part, though, was that Sam could see her soul. The mostly transparent version of her looked just as she did in real life. Even had the right hair color.
It was literally coming out of her back and seemed to be looking around independently of her body.
As if it wasn’t firmly attached to her.
It was the first time Sam had ever seen something like it. Most souls had no color and typically left their body in a day. This one appeared to have been there for a while and was quite aware of itself.
The soul’s head slowly swung around, revealing bright blue eyes. Looking around the room, they eventually landed on Tiffany and Sam.
A millisecond later, Irene flung out her left arm, smacking Hillary in the chest. Lifting her right arm, she formed a dark ball of black magic. It wasn’t something Sam had seen in a while. Not since the witch hunts and the inquisition on this plane.
Shooting out from her palm, the black curse of terrible things tore Tiffany’s head off from her shoulders, sending the Were’s body tumbling to the ground.
Minus her head.
Diving to one side, Irene seemed panicked, like she was reacting mostly on instinct.
Sam stood up and moved forward toward her.
Spinning on her heel, Irene deflected a blazing burst of blood magic from Stacia to one side with her hand, even as her soul stared at the approaching Sam.
Having fended off Stacia’s attack, Irene turned as she continued to move, facing Sam again. At the same time, her soul looked the other way toward Stacia, then back to Sam.
Above you. You’re done. I’ve got you.
Irene’s head whipped up as she caught Sam’s unguarded thought and found nothing there.
When her chin came back down, she was already preparing another magical blast.
Snatching out with his hand, he caught the young woman under the chin and lifted her up off the ground by her throat.
Staring into her face, Sam smashed her several times with the force of his will. He bludgeoned her psyche as if it were a rock and his own mind a hammer.
Irene locked up. Even her soul seemed petrified at the intensity of the attack.
For good measure, Sam beat her several more times with his will, pounding her mind flat.
Shivering from head to toe, Irene threw up on herself and Sam’s hand. Her eyes were stuck to Sam, though, and she was under his thrall.
Not taking any chances, considering she was clearly something altogether different, Sam began to relentlessly beat at her mind.
Over and over and over.
It wasn’t until a hand touched him on the shoulder that he realized he was still smashing away at an unconscious woman. The only sign of life coming from her was that with every blow he landed, the still wakeful soul screamed soundlessly.
“You can stop now, she’s out,” Jes murmured. “I’m going to put Tiffany back together now. Could you help me? I’ve never done this before.”
Looking at Jes beside him, Sam realized he wanted to hurt the witch more. Hurt the witch for harming Tiffany.
Which was a strange thing for Sam to feel.
Letting go of the puke-stained witch, Sam turned back to Tiffany’s headless corpse.
Stacia, Wren, and Hillary were all around and looked none the worse for wear.
“Bind up the witch. Take special care to put a blindfold on her. She doesn’t work as much through the eyes as Jes or I do, but she does need to see for her spell-work,” Sam said. “Zip-tie her hands, too.”
Sam flicked his left hand at his right, and the vomit was gone in a flash.
“As for Tiffany, I’d normally tell you to collect all the pieces you can, but the witch melted it all,” Sam said. “Which means you’ll have to form it from nothing. Just direct your Essence to build upward from the point where her neck ends. The body itself will tell you what should come next; just follow its direction. After that, we’ll call Tiffany’s spirit back. She can’t have gotten far. So long as she didn’t cross over.”
Looking back at the witch, Sam watched Wren drop her knee straight into the woman’s back and jerk her arms around behind
her.
In several quick movements, the Cambion had the witch trussed up, her wrists locked up and her ankles tied into her wrists.
Reaching up, she dropped a bag over the woman’s head and then tightened the cord around her neck.
“Gonna get my duffel,” Wren said. “Fits a little ’un like this.”
Stomping off, Wren looked annoyed.
Must be angry about Tiffany dying. Good thing she’s bound to a Succubus.
Turning to the soul, Sam got into a squat in front of it.
It was rapidly recovering, and it looked completely unfazed by his mental assault on her.
Those blue eyes looked up at him and froze.
Drifting to one side, the soul began moving down the witch’s legs to her feet. Sam watched it, wondering what it was doing. Slowly, it started going in the other direction again, back to the top of her head.
Not knowing what to make of it, Sam raised an eyebrow.
The soul lifted a hand and pointed at Sam.
His eyes, in particular.
“I can see you, if that’s what you’re asking,” Sam said. “I’m a planar lord, an Incubus. None may hide from me.”
Sinking towards the body, the soul seemed to be cowering from him, as if it wanted to just disappear into the witch’s body.
“We’ll talk more later,” Sam said. “And if you are in fact Irene, you should understand now. I’m going to punish you for killing Tiffany. Then I’m going to ransack your mind. When that’s all done, I’m going to kill you.
“It will go much easier for you if you don’t fight me after this. Much easier.”
The soul bobbed its head, only the top part of it visible from where it was hiding in her body.
Sam let out a short, sharp breath through his nose, then turned back to Jes.
And came eye to eye with Tiffany’s spirit.
It was staring at him from an inch away.
She leaned in close to him, inspecting his face. She lifted one of her hands and lightly ran a finger along Sam’s eyebrow.
Souls couldn’t see one another, as this plane was an exit point. Everyone had their own exits, and none were shared.
