Trenchcoat and Spellbook?

[dryfter]

“Annalise? Lucas? Hello?”

He was poring over his books again of course, though this time he found her interruption to be a most welcome one. A part of him had longed to see her again, had even bandied about the idea of visiting her shop again, but he still had plenty of tea from last time....she would no doubt wonder where it was all going if he visited again so soon. It didn't help that Annalise tortured him mercilessly about his budding longings. The succubus was extremely adept at reading his emotions through their bond now, even the ones hidden enough that he himself didn't quite understand them yet.

Of course, Annalise's idea of a relationship was tossing the wench on her back and giving it to her raw, hard, and often. Which usually followed up with the usual teasing regarding babies made, and worse, much worse. So it was no surprise that his pet greeted Mirella so politely at the door, if she could sense his subtle lusts and even longings.....she certainly didn't miss the sense of foreboding and anger he felt just at the thought of her making one of her smart assed vicious comments right now.

“Lucas, Mirela is here.”

The warlock scowled at the mischievous wink and grin the blonde shot him, knowing full well that leading the way as she was, Mirela had no hope of seeing the exchange.

Careful.....master.....you don't want her to think you're scowling at her now do you?

Wicked laughter echoed in his head even before Annalise turned to saunter off in search of the promised tea. That seemed to suit the lovely store owner just fine, as she stepped around the retreating demoness with sudden authority.

“Lucas, I think we have a problem and I hope to hell you can tell me I’m imagining things.”

"We?"

He wasn't questioning cynically as much as he was curiously. It was an interesting choice of words to be sure.

"Well then, Miss Mirela....please have a seat. I must say its nice to see you back in here again, though that almost always means bad news to come. Here...have some of your tea....I've rather taken to it.....and tell me what it is you've found or seen."

 

[DarkWarrioress]

She slid into the empty chair he offered. Tea sounded good. Setting her purse in the floor, Mirela ran her fingers through her hair before she glanced at Lucas, clearly, she was uneasy, upset and confused. Her thoughts were jumbled. Untying her trench coat, she shrugged it off. Mirela was dressed in an amethyst sweater pulled over a pair of black trousers. She leaned forward, her forearms resting on her thighs. Annalise returned to the room and pressed a cup of hot tea into her hands.

“Thank you, Annalise.”

She gave the demoness a wary, slightly friendly smile. Lucas’ pet still made her nervous. Very nervous. Since the last time they had seen each other, she had done some research. Interesting thing the internet. One can find information on anything using it. And lord, when she had typed in succubus, the images she found. They, uh, were, quite informative. She had vaguely known what a succubus was. It wasn’t enough though. The internet had only been a source. Mirela retreated to her grandmother’s book. Grandma hadn’t pulled any punches either.

“It’s a collective we. I …. Lucas… “she drew in a deep breath and let it out before trying to speak again.

“Have you seen the morning paper? The girl they found floating in the river? She was in my shop seven days ago. This man…. This preacher, he came in to. He said he was just browsing. He stood beside that girl. They left together. Now she’s dead.”

Mirela had interlocks her fingers and was twisting them.

“Lucas. The preacher. His aura…..”

She was staring into her teacup. If anyone could understand, it would be Lucas. So, why was she so hesitant to tell him? Mirela glanced up and across the desk to find Lucas studying her. Color flooded her cheeks. She froze. In that moment, she realized she had missed being around him. Her eyes slid to Annalise. His sidekick she could do without, but they were, she had to admit, a working set. She went where he went. Her eyes went back to Lucas, they’re eyes meeting again. She tried again.

“His aura is… dirty. There’s something off about him, Lucas. Father Michael, his aura is shiny and bright. Most preachers, their aura is like that. Shiny and bright. This man. His…. His was dark and dirty. Black, mostly. Then this girl turns up dead. Here, I brought you this.”

She set her teacup and saucer on his desk and reached into her purse, pulling out the folded front page of the local newspaper.

“I think he’s responsible, Lucas. I think he’s the reason that girl is dead.”

The more she talked, the crazier she sounded to her own ears. Lucas wasn’t like everyone else and that’s what she was counting on. If she had gone to the police, they would have humored her or merely sent her away, thinking she crazy. Harmless, but crazy. Mirela wished she knew more about this stuff. Maybe she did have the Sight for all the good it did. It wasn’t like it was a real talent or anything, unlike Lucas.

“And I think he’s done it before. More than just once or twice.”

Should she tell him? Should she tell about the vivid dream she had just the other night? Blood coated walls somewhere underground, catacombs, she thought. It was dark and it smelled awful. In her dream she had wandered around. Only one door opened when she tried it. Her hands contacted the walls and came away sticky. It was dark so she couldn’t see what was on them. Walking further into the room she saw a table, with shackles built into it. The surface was dark stained. Beside the table was a covered tray. She wanted to lift the cloth, see what was under it, but she couldn’t move. In her head, she heard a scream. A terrified one. Then it was muffled and faded away. Mirela backed out of the room, right into someone. She screamed herself and woke up, sitting up in bed, sweating and shaking. Sleep had been impossible after that and every night since until she saw the dead girl in the newspaper.

There were dark circles under her eyes and she looked worn out and pale. Sitting back in her chair, she lifted her teacup to her lips and took a sip, almost sighing as the hot liquid made its way down her throat. She had always enjoyed this brand. She was glad Lucas seemed to as well. For the first time in days, she was starting to relax, so much so, that she yawned and hastily covered her mouth with her hand.

“I’m so sorry. I haven’t slept well lately. It’s not your company, I swear.”

 

[dryfter]

All in all, everything he saw was rather disconcerting to him. And Lucas was well used to noticing all the little things normal humans gave away. He had to remind himself that Mirela Kavoli wasn't quite normal. Still....she obviously hadn't been getting much sleep either. Her eyes lacked the clarity they had once held when he had done that last job for her.....though he wasn't about to bring up the circles beneath her eyes.....Annalise would most likely attempt to box his ears for bringing up such a thing to an attractive women. One that she knew he fancied no less.

Thin fingers knit tightly before him, both elbows propped up on his desk as she thrust a newspaper in front of him. He recognized the article. A corpse found floating in the river. A case the police department hadn't bothered to call him in on just yet, so he had ruled it mundane. But now.....was it?

The mesh of digits unraveled as he reached for the paper, scanning the words once more to refresh his memory even as he continued to listen to her. There was no telling when she would say something that might prove helpful, intentional or not.

She did not disappoint him. Just as quickly as he had engrossed himself in the publication, the warlock's head snapped back around to focus on her and the steaming cup of tea being placed before her even now.

"And how long have you been able to see auras?"

That was important, something he wished he had known about her from the very beginning. But she was new to this....new and very uncomfortable. He would have to tread this topic lightly. A part of him wanted at that moment to ask her what his own aura looked like.....but the better part of him knew better than to ask.

Not that he didn't have enough to think about. A black aura could mean many different things, but none of them were pleasant. For a moment, he rose from his seat.....pacing for the first time before her.....obviously agitated.

"You did well in bringing this to my attention. It seems I might have to get involved, or at the very least, I should take a discretionary interest."

He frowned softly, glancing at his pet, noting for the first time as he looked past her at some obscure motion that had caught his eye......a lone baleful yellow eye peering from around a corner.

"If you're that curious, Thrusk.....you should just come out here. She's not a norm, though she's not fully aware of all that she can do just yet."

There was a long hesitation as the room went silent, he could see Mirela stiffen slightly.....though his basement guardian disappeared from view again before she even had a chance to try and see for herself who he was talking to. Chuckling softly, he returned his attention back to the lovely woman at hand.

"Well there's the question of payment......"

"Shut up, Annalise."

That earned him a surprised look from his succubus. Lucas never did anything for free, but he could just about imagine the "payment" the demoness had in mind. He was not like her, nor would he ever be, and that fact alone had her needling him constantly.

"I should probably trust your instincts then."

He was referring to her accusation of course, the thought that a man with that corrupt an aura and who was last seen having killed her? It was a pretty easy accusation to make, harder to prove. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to.

“And I think he’s done it before. More than just once or twice.”

The warlock just nodded. Hell, in a town this big, a few people go missing and nobody notices. But a corpse found floating face down in the river?

"She was probably running from something, escaping perhaps. If it is widespread, there would have been more murders in the paper than what I've read about lately."

Lucas cleared his throat sternly, "Thrusk....come out here. Now please. Not the time to be shy, you're a warrior remember."

A soft shuffling noise was her first clue as the orc took his time making his way into their view, and even then with great trepidation. His green flesh actually blushed when she finally turned her eyes to him, Annalise grinned wickedly but wisely held her tongue for now. Still wearing his ragged butler outfit, the stout male bowed softly in greeting.

"I'm going to have to leave you in charge for the time being. You're ok with that?"

"Yes, Master Lucas. But where will you go? Even if the girl....lady.....Miss.....tells the truth, you have no leads."

"Of course we do."

He could feel the burning of their stares....

"We have a corpse. We'll start at the morgue. Miss Mirela will be joining us I do believe?"

It wasn't his most politely made request, not by a long shot. But time itself seemed to hang for him as he awaited her answer.

 

[DarkWarrioress]

"And how long have you been able to see auras?"

Her eyes had been closed as the hot tea slipped down her throat and lodged in her stomach. It was soothing and went a way to calming her nerves. Ever since meeting Lucas Viernes and his busty sidekick, she was seeing things more and more, but this…. This was something she had done forever. It came to her as easy as breathing. Her eyes fluttered open reluctantly and found herself looking right into Lucas’ eyes. Oh damn. Maybe I shouldn’t have opened my eyes. She blinked.

“Um..” she shrugged her shoulders, “for as long as I can remember, why do you ask? Can’t everyone see them?”

Mirela wrinkled her nose moments after saying that. Obviously not or he wouldn’t have asked.

Silly woman. Now he’s going to believe you’re a raging idiot.

Instead of saying anything else for the moment, she took a studied interest in her tea. Should she tell him about her dream too? A shudder rolled through her as her mind touched on it a moment or so. Maybe she should. It seemed all to connect to what she had seen in his tea leaves.

"If you're that curious, Thrusk.....you should just come out here. She's not a norm, though she's not fully aware of all that she can do just yet."

That seemed to jerk her out of her thoughts. Who… what… was a Thrusk? She glanced up at Lucas again, an inquisitive look in her eyes. He was staring over her shoulder, somewhere beyond Annalise. Mirela turned slightly in her chair to glance back that way, but there was nothing there. Lucas wasn’t given to talking to an imaginary person, well, or so she reasoned. So there are to have been someone there. Maybe someone too shy to come out in the open? Besides, this was Lucas. He had a succubus pet, the Universe only knew what or who else worked for or with him. Although, she had to admit, she had been getting an education in things or people she could hardly believe weren’t a thing of someone’s vivid imagination, lately. All thanks to Lucas Viernes. The jury was still out if this was a good thing or not.

"Well there's the question of payment......"

Annalise’s voice intruded. Mirela glanced her way. Her lips parted to protest. This wasn’t like having a personal problem that she needed Lucas’ help with. Lucas’ voice cut in. Short. Sharp. Commanding.

"Shut up, Annalise."

Mirela’s eyes dropped back to her teacup, her lips closing. Probably better if she didn’t say anything. Not now.

"She was probably running from something, escaping perhaps. If it is widespread, there would have been more murders in the paper than what I've read about lately."

She weighed his words, then nodded slightly.

“Perhaps you have the right of it. That would make her a vulnerable prey. The preacher, he looked around the shop. At first I thought he was looking for something in particular but then he walked over to stand next to the girl. She seemed really shy at first but he made her laugh and it wasn’t long before they left together. He’s supposedly a man of faith. Heaven forbid, I probably would have trusted him too if I had been in her shoes. But there was something not right about him…”

Her voice faltered into quietness. He was talking to someone behind her again. This…. Thrusk person. This time when she turned in her chair to look behind her, she almost gasped. He…he… was green and had tusks. She had only seen pictures of people like this before in lore tales. She couldn’t believe they were actually real! Was it really such a stretch? After all, she had learned that the succubus really existed. Annalise was proof of that. But what the heck was… Thrusk?

"We have a corpse. We'll start at the morgue. Miss Mirela will be joining us I do believe?"

Huh? Morgue? Joining them? Her?

She hid her expression in her teacup. What did Lucas need her for? She didn’t have any special talents. Well, nothing like he did. Nothing worth taking into account. Mirela unburied her nose from the teacup when she felt three sets of eyes boring into her. She cleared her throat.

“Yes. Yes, of course I will. I don’t know what kind of help I’m going to be though.”

Good job, Mirela. You came here with just the intent of informing Lucas you thought there was trouble brewing somewhere and you ended up getting involved. Way to go, girl.

~~ ~~​

Mirela paid the cabbie and fought the urge to call it back, get in and drive away. The hard rubber soles of her shoes made little noises as she approached Lucas and Annalise, both of whom were standing across the street from the building that housed the morgue.

“Why are we here? What could a corpse possibly tell us?”

She was whispering the questions as she stopped at Lucas’ side and stared at the building.

“How are we going to get in there anyway? Don’t you need some sort of clearance or something?”

Mirela shoved her hands into her trenchcoat pockets. Her collar was turned up against her neck. Her hair draped over her shoulders as she slightly rocked on her heels after asking her questions. Her eyes slipped from Lucas’ countenance to Annalise then back to Lucas again before they turned on the building in front of them, just across the street. She really didn’t want to go into the morgue. The place gave her the creeps. The morgue housed, well, dead people and that was just plain creepy.

 

[dryfter]

Well at least she had the cab fare. She certainly wasn't happy that she was here. Thankfully, he had the presence of mind to not only seat himself between Mirela and Annalise who had stayed strangely silent after his earlier rebuke.....but did his best to keep her mind off their destination while the drive was ongoing. Easy enough to do.....

"Never seen an orc before, huh?"

Her reaction had been priceless. Lucas could almost see her envisioning his green skinned butler and all his grotesquely swollen muscle. A complete opposite appearance from Lucas himself.

"Thrusk is an orc. An unusually intelligent and well mannered one at that. Most orc clans are content with warring amongst each other and the races that are around them. Threat of severe retribution from all other races is about the only thing that keeps them from spilling out into this world."

The woman seemed like a sponge, no matter how difficult it was to accept that the world around her was more than what she had been seeing on her own, she absorbed all he had to offer her factually.....and the warlock had no doubt that if it came down to it, she'd remember it too.

The thought made him smile, perhaps even harden slightly in his loose fitting slacks. It was yet another thing about her that he found so damned irresistably attractive. From his left, Annalise wisely kept her soft, jealousy tinted smile to herself. At least she had been fed. Perhaps this time she could be of use to him.....her Master.

“Why are we here? What could a corpse possibly tell us?”

The warlock's chuckle was hollow and full of nervous energy as well. He wouldn't hide his own uneasiness from her. Doing so would be as close to telling a lie as he came, and he would not lie to Mirela. She was right in being creeped out by places like this......though Lucas wasn't sure what bothered him more. The thought that she was uneasy.....or the thought that said uneasiness might be more than just girly squeamishness. The thought of her voiced reading of his tea leavings echoed in his mind, just as he was dead certain it had occurred to her as well by now. Hell, she'd probably thought of it long before she had even come to him.

“How are we going to get in there anyway? Don’t you need some sort of clearance or something?”

"We're going to speak to Clarence. He's in charge here."

The demoness had sidled up behind her, though without malicious intent. Lucas fancied this woman....and in her mind, that made it best for her to walk at his side rather than herself. Still, her soft chuckle slipped like honeyed sugar from her lips, not missing the moment Mirela realized how close she was. The succubus made sure a sweet smile was worn honestly enough should the shopkeeper turn in askance.

"Don't worry, Master. I remember. I won't feed from your personal contacts or friends. Even I have to admit that this one has proven useful on more than one occasion. It would be.....inconvenient should he perish at my hands."

Lucas coughed softly, nodding. "Clarence, like most men, has quite an infatuation with Annalise. She's doing us quite a service, making a promise like that as Clarence is just her type. A man.....with power."

And then they were there. A lone guard sitting in his lonely little shack, staring out at the three of them as they approached. The man barely moved an inch as they advanced on his position. Finally, the policeman stood up from his seat, and moved from the little alcove to greet them.

"Lucas Viernes......Annalise......and?"

The man's eyes were vacant, to the point where even Lucas shivered slightly. When he spoke, it was in low hollow tones, devoid of any emotion at all. A thin hand slipped past her brunette tresses to settle firmly upon Mirela's shoulder, her warmth, just having contact with her.....steadying him far more than Annalise ever had.

"Mirela Karoli. Diviner and friend of mine."

Ok, so he had fudged the diviner part. She'd read his fortune once. And it remained to be seen if it even came true. Still, he wasn't about to tell that she was just a simple shopkeeper. Such people most definitely didn't belong here. Now he could only hope she wouldn't argue the point with him right now. That would be bad.....

"You wish audience with Master Clarence?"

"We do. Its in regard to a potential lead for a recent murder case."

Another long pause as those abyssmal eyes swept across the three of them. The guard finally turning, and re-entering his tiny little shack.

"You may enter. The Master is waiting. He's most anxious to....see you again.....Annalise."

The succubus merely nodded, giving the guard a truly chilling glare, as if she knew something that her Master surely knew......but Mirela might not have caught. Her full breasts bumped meaningfully against the lovely shopkeeper as she was nudged forward.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Lucas let loose with a huge sigh, as if he'd been holding his breath. His hard soled shoes clicking along a smoothly polished floor as he led them into the police precinct that held the city morgue.

"In case you were wondering, that man wasn't human. Or at least....not any more."

His face grew more grim as he waited for her to absorb the implications.

"As much as I dislike that brand of magic, and that's saying a lot coming from someone who practices demonology, I have to say that putting a necromancer in charge of a morgue was a rather ingenious idea. So long as he doesn't have the ambition to attempt city wide conquest or anything of the sort."

"At least you're honest about it."

A rail thin man, emaciated to the point that he made Lucas himself look fit as a fiddle stepped forward from the shadowed end of the hallway where the ceiling lights had begun to flicker.

"And I assure you, my trade is plied for justice as is yours. I have no desire nor need to conquer a city of unsuspecting idiots, less to have a council of enforcers come down on my head for even plotting such a thing."

A huge grin revealed perfect, white teeth. Eyes hidden by a pair of dark sunglasses that could have been stolen right off John Lennon's face, they were so similar. A white gloved hand pushed them higher up the bridge of his hawklike nose.

"Clarence."

And just like that, arms spread wide, and the creepy looking guy fairly raced to enfold Annalise in a macabre looking embrace. Nobody missed the fact that the necromancer took the opportunity to glance down at the demoness' voluptuousness before finally peeling himself away from her.

"Annalise! How I've missed you! You really should come see me more often, even if you are dragging this ball and chain with you."

For her part, at least the succubus seemed amused. She glanced down first at Mirela, and then to Lucas, as if to say.....are you sure I can't just eat him?

"We need to see a corpse, Clarence."

A soft snort, as again, those glasses were pushed up his nose. A nervous habit perhaps?

"Of course you do, Lucas. Its the only reason you come to see me and bring my dear Annalise with you. So who is it then? I will indulge your request if only to spend more time with the object of my desire."

A soft, feminine whisper in Mirela's ear, "This is where you come in, love. Give him a description of the girl."

"Oooh! A girl is it? Well then, that narrows things down quite a bit, Miss Diviner. The vast majority of passings lately have been men. I've only a handful of women down here. I had no idea you were going to make this so easy on me! Tell me....do you have a name? Or are we going off of description?"

 

[DarkWarrioress]

"Never seen an orc before, huh?"

His voice broke into her uneasy silence. Her head turned in his direction, candid brown eyes shifted from an uncomfortable look to an incredulous one.

“No. Of course not. I thought they were just elements of someone’s very vast imagination. Then again,” her eyes turned thoughtful, “Thrusk, at least, seems friendly enough if not timid. Not at all what I was given to believe of them.”

As Lucas went on to briefly explain about the orcs, she listened. Avidly. This was all so new to her. Mirela was thankful that there was someone around who was even willing to explain some matters to her. She sat back against the seat in the cab, eyes flickering toward the silent Annalise. Was it Mirela’s imagination or was the succubus just a bit silently hostile? And if so, about what? What could she even have to be hostile about?

“Why are we here? What could a corpse possibly tell us?”

She had queried of him. The air around them became charged with uneasiness and it wasn’t coming from Annalise. It came from Lucas. But why? He’s a warlock. He has a succubus pet. What in the hell could make him nervous about visiting a morgue?

They had gotten out of the cab and started to walk toward the building that housed the morgue. Mirela’s hands were shoved in her coat pockets, fingers clenching and unclenching in nervousness. She didn’t care to be around dead bodies. They tended to remind her with too much clarity of her own mortality. How life was such a delicate thing that could be granted and taken away on a seemingly whim. Life was a delicate thread.

"We're going to speak to Clarence. He's in charge here."

Her eyebrow shot up. Her eyes took on a cautious look. She was forcefully reminded of who she was speaking to. She leaned close enough to Lucas for their shoulders to touch as she whispered close to his ear.

“Who or what, is Clarence?”

Normally, she would have simply phrased that as who but nothing in her dealings with Lucas and his trusty sidekick could be considered normal, except, maybe, her physical attraction to the warlock himself. Those emerald green eyes of his just…just… made her think of sweaty, moaning, writhing, naughty things. There was a husky chuckle from behind her, making Mirela start with a small jump. A quick glance over her shoulder confirmed that Annalise was standing behind her. Mirela shifted. The succubus made her nervous but Mirela tried to quell it, although she wasn’t sure she was doing a good job at it. That smile Annalise wore on those ruby red lips of hers didn’t fool Mirela one bit. While she was absorbing Lucas’ words, they had continued moving until they were at a small guard shack. The guard in the guard shack gave her creeps. She could feel her skin crawl beneath her sweater. His voice sounded hollow… like… there wasn’t a person in residence.

"You wish audience with Master Clarence?"

Master Clarence? What the hell was this Clarence? And was this guard one of his pets?

Words followed but Mirela was caught up in her ponderings until Annalise bumped into her arm. Mirela quickly pulled her arm away from the contact. Once they cleared the guard, she turned toward him to ask, but Lucas beat her to it.

"In case you were wondering, that man wasn't human. Or at least....not any more."

She simply nodded. That explained it but she still didn’t know….

"As much as I dislike that brand of magic, and that's saying a lot coming from someone who practices demonology, I have to say that putting a necromancer in charge of a morgue was a rather ingenious idea. So long as he doesn't have the ambition to attempt city wide conquest or anything of the sort."

A necromancer! Her mind scrambled to recall what she knew about them. Mostly that they dealt with dead things. People. She barely contained the shudder that wanted to have run throughout her body when she heard a voice she didn’t know.

"At least you're honest about it. And I assure you, my trade is plied for justice as is yours. I have no desire nor need to conquer a city of unsuspecting idiots, less to have a council of enforcers come down on my head for even plotting such a thing."

A man, thin to the point of looking unhealthy, stepped into the light. A huge grin that dominated his face, other than the round sunglasses perched on his nose that seemed to. It was…. macabre. There seemed no other word for it.

"Clarence."

So. This was Clarence. The necromancer. Interesting. And revolting. At least his attention seemed to be focused on Annalise. Lucky succubus. Feminine sarcasm there. Gleefully. But then, it was Annalise’s nature so Mirela was sure the succubus didn’t mind.

"This is where you come in, love. Give him a description of the girl."

Mirela resisted the urge to turn and swat at the sexy, naughty demoness. Before she could say anything, Clarence chimed in.

"Oooh! A girl is it? Well then, that narrows things down quite a bit, Miss Diviner. The vast majority of passings lately have been men. I've only a handful of women down here. I had no idea you were going to make this so easy on me! Tell me....do you have a name? Or are we going off of description?"

“I don’t know her name, Mr. Clarence but I can describe her. Petite. A redhead. Young. I’d say somewhere in her early twenties. I hope that helps. I can’t think of anything else about her that might make her stand out. The paper said she was cut up, bruised and raped, repeatedly.”

Mirela continued to think about the girl. Trying to find anything else that may help identify her. On one hand, she wanted to help. On the other, she really didn’t wish to encounter this poor girl’s corpse face-to-face so to speak.

“Does that help you, Mr. Clarence? Surely there can’t be too many young redheads in your morgue?”

Her facial features. Her bodily stance. All of it points to the fact she is not comfortable with being here, in this place, at all nor with her part in this morbid scenario . She is, for the lack of a better word, uncomfortable. There isn’t anyone there that can’t sense it from her. It is not something she can control.

Mirela suddenly swayed on her feet. Her hand rose swiftly to her temple. The image of a dead pale girl under a sheet in darkness flashed through her mind.

“Lucas. She’s here.”

Mirela’s voice came out a mere whisper as the room or perhaps her consciousness, grew faint. The room itself would fade into darkness and Mirela would be back in the catacombs, in some stone room, tied to an altar, of sorts? With only flickering candlelight as someone loomed over her, dragging the tip of a dagger down the column of her throat, leaving in its wake, a red angry line and beads of blood rising to the surface. A face Mirela could not see, caught in the darkness of the shadows, lowered toward that pale neck.

“Mmmm. So sweet,” his voice was a low guttural whisper of joy, “I haven’t tasted one like you in the longest time.”

The tip of his dagger continued to slide down pale skin until it encountered the v-neck of her sweater. It paused momentarily, then slid under that vee, sharp edge against the material just before he jerked upward, sundering the material, splitting it open and making the girl tied down, scream even though it was a muffled sound coming around the ball gag he had forced between her lips. Using the tip of the dagger, he flicked open the halves of the sweater, exposing her lacy bra to his view. The dagger tip found the soft swell of her breasts, traced over them then dipped into the feminine valley, slicing open her bra. His free hand ripped away the gauzy material, exposing her upturned, taut breasts, the nipples hardening instantly in the cold of the chamber. His head lifted from the skin he had been tasting to gaze down at the girl.

“Oh, sweet baby girl… you have nothing to be afraid of…..yet. I simply plan to enjoy you. Every. Inch. Of. You.”

The bulk of his body moved, blocking Mirela from seeing anything else. She vaguely heard a muffled scream as the man’s hand, the one with the knife, slipped lower.

Mirela blinked. She swayed again, her head lifting sharply. The blood drained from her face. The vision was now gone.

“Lucas.”

She whimpered. Her hand shot out, reaching for him.

 

[dryfter]

“Lucas. She’s here.”

"Yes she most certainly is."

Clarence smile was so wide it was almost a rictus grin, the thin parchment like flesh of his face stretching grotesquely tight.

"The new girl. Sorry, but she doesn't have toe tags yet. So I've taken to calling her Jane for now. Jane Doe of course. At least until she's identified."

Perhaps it was his idea of a joke. A whimsical show of humor. The exact same redhead Mirela had spoken of appeared behind him, a pale deathly hand pushing aside the doors to her confined area as she answered her master's silent beckoning. Hazel colored eyes stared dully back at the shopkeeper's own, the gentle grip of the succubus behind her tightening ever so slightly.

No matter the intent, all humor was lost the moment both spell casters glanced at Mirela, waiting for the simple confirmation that this was indeed the corpse they sought. Instead, the lovely shopkeeper swayed unsteadily on her feet.....twice.....a hand shooting out and finding Lucas as quickly as his found hers. A jolt of alarm travelled instantly through his bond with Annaise, and she was there.....her benign touch from before becoming much more firm and stabilizing even as Lucas stepped into her, his own body pressing firmly and heatedly against her own for support.

"Well now, I've not seen that for a while. So much for thinking you actually smuggled a norm in here with a line of bullshit."

Annalise looked confused for a moment, glancing between all three of them, noting how pale and unsettled Mirela was......and how disturbed Lucas seemed to be as well.

"A vision. Mother fucker. She had a vision, didn't she?"

The warlock's nod was his only action as he waited in silence, his face inches from her own, waiting for the moment her eyes cleared once more. Perhaps then he'd have some answers.

"Though I'd say your guess at Divination was a little off, Lucas. The girl's an Oracle if she's having shows like that one. How....interesting....."

The necromancer's voice was beginning to grate on his nerves. Though he risked another glance in his general direction, mostly to take in the sight of the walking corpse once more.

"That's obviously her if Mirela had a reaction like that. Truth be told, Clarence, I've no fucking clue what she is just yet. She's just coming in to her powers. This is the first vision I've seen her have or even been told about. But she spoke prophecy from my tea leavings a week or so ago. I'd wager my best cloak that this has something to do with that."

The necromancer's good humor was gone for good. Thankfully, it wasn't replaced by anything too foul. It was more....speculative.

"Well then, I'd like very much to stick around to hear what she has to say about what she saw. Anything that might help in the case behind Jane's death and all. Besides....you might not like my little friends, but they can be very effective.....and might be able to help you out in this case of yours."

"No thanks, Clarence. As you can see, she's rather distressed right now by your....Jane. I'd not subject her to having to travel with more zombies....or worse. Really, I just came here to make sure there was a corpse and we didn't have some errant vampire feeding somewhere he...or she....shouldn't."

That earned him a soft and rather indignant huff from the thin man.

"As if a vampire could escape my detection. I know where each and every one of them are located in this city. And there's not a fucking thing they can do about it....not if they know what's good for them. I can tell you with one hundred percent certainty that the person who killed Jane is not a vampire, nor is a member of the undead. I'd stake my staff on it."

Lucas frowned even deeper. To hear his dark counterpart make such an oath......Clarence was serious about this. And in the presence of Annalise even......the information was filed away for later use. For now, there was Mirela.

"Are you ok, Miss Mirela? When you're ready....I really think you should tell us what you saw."

 

[DarkWarrioress]

Contact. Warm. Strong. Reassuring, came from Lucas. If her mind had registered Annalise’s presence right there next to her too, Mirela might have become a little uneasy with the contact, but her consciousness had felt Lucas. The queasy uneasy feeling in her stomach eased with his touch. As he pressed against her, she could feel his body heat start to seep into her. Barely noticeable tremors ran under her skin, tremors that Lucas couldn’t fail to register being pressed against her as he was. They were talking over and around her. For a moment, it was all she could do to just breathe. Inhale. Exhale. Listening to her heartbeat continue its rapid tattoo in her chest. With every breath she drew, with every rise and fall of her chest, that heartbeat started to calm.

The man’s foulness that had seemingly permeated every fiber of her body, the fear he had instilled into his victim and thusly Mirela herself, was slower to ease and vacate. That man, was her definition of evil incarnate. It sat on his skin like an oily base. Mirela’s mind echoed with his words to the girl and a shudder rolled through her. A part of her mind wondered how a human being even got that way.

Slowly, Mirela emerged from the fog of the vision. She became aware of herself clutching at Lucas with a death grip. They, Annalise, Clarence and Lucas, were talking, about her. Color started to flood back into her face.

Oracle? What the hell was an Oracle? Clarence was seemingly speaking about her. She glanced at the pale, rail thin man.

“Mr. Clarence? What’s an Oracle?”

Her natural curiosity was coming to fore. For a moment, the redheaded girl and the man responsible for her death was relegated to the back of her mind, momentarily. Her death grip on Lucas eased and she tossed him an apologetic look. What were they talking about now? Vampires? Seriously? Mirela gave a mental shrug. Why not? She had actually seen an Orc of all things and was in the presence of a succubus and a necromancer. Why should the talk of vampires surprise her? The world was certainly shaping up to be more than what was on the surface. It was incredible to think that there was so much more to “people” than she had lent credence to before. How many of them walked among the mortal human beings, looking like them, but weren’t? The idea was fantastic to contemplate. But not now…

"Are you ok, Miss Mirela? When you're ready....I really think you should tell us what you saw."

She gave Lucas a reassuring smile, slight as it was.

“I’m fine. A little drained, a little frightened but otherwise fine. Yes, that was her. The girl. The preacher, at least that’s how he was dressed as, a preacher, had her tied down on some sort of stone slab somewhere in those catacombs. The walls were made of cut stone blocks lined with fire sconces. The firelight flickering on the walls and casting shadows on the floor. The walls were blood stained and I’m sure the floor is too. Her arms were extended over her head, shackled. Her legs were splayed apart and likewise shackled. He gagged her, with a …a… ball gag. She was crying and whimpering. Her eyes, they were filled with confusion, disbelief, fear. He seemed to feed upon it, her fear.

The preacher had a dagger. He ran the tip of it down her throat, drawing a thin bead of blood which he lapped up with his tongue and told her she tasted sweet. Something he hadn’t tasted in a long time.”

Mirela’s eyes closed briefly, almost fearfully, as if she were going to be catapulted back into a vision. To her relief, she wasn’t but the images flowed freely and sharply to her mind.

“He started to cut off her clothing with that dagger. It was like he was enjoying it, tremendously. He split her bra in half and then just ripped it off her like it was paper. He told her he planned to enjoy her. Every inch of her. She… she screamed from behind the gag as his dagger moved down along the line of her body before it slipped into the waistband of her jeans. That’s all I saw. I came back here again.”

Mirela looked at Lucas. Despair and frustration filling her eyes.

“I would swear on a stack of bibles Lucas, that this man killed her. Not only killed her but raped her repeatedly while torturing her, playing with her until he got bored. Why, Lucas? What kind of deprived human being does that? Or is he even human?”

Her stomach churned again. Mirela was just beginning to understand that her little part of the world had been insulated. She had turned a blind eye to many things. Not anymore. Not even if she wanted to. Her Gift apparently had decided it was time she woke up and donned her big girl panties. A part of her revolted against it. She didn’t want this. Life was so much more uncomplicated when she was just plain old Mirela. Couldn’t this gift just go back to sleep and let her return to her blissful ignorant world?

Mirela glanced at all of them. Life wasn’t going to go back to the way it was for her. The fact was, her gift had been awakened. Gift. How funny. It sure didn’t feel like a gift right at the moment.

The Divine never gives us more than we can handle, Mirela. No matter how much we think otherwise.

Her granny’s words flowed into her mind. Granny had said that to her many, many times in the past. Right now, she wished she could tell her granny what she thought of the Divine’s idea of what people, namely Mirela herself, could handle. Because frankly? She didn’t want this.

What you want and what you get, are usually never the same things, girlie.

Damn it, Granny. Just shut up. Please.

The voice in her head went silent. Mirela drew herself upright, standing tall and unconsciously squaring her shoulders. What would be, would be. No use whining over spilt milk.

“So, what do we do now?”

She asked the question out loud to all of them assembled.

What indeed.

 

[dryfter]

“Mr. Clarence? What’s an Oracle?”

The thin man frowned softly, though not due to any shift in mood. He had barely paid the girl any attention up until now, and even after his strange proclamation, he had gone back to admiring the succubus who know gently steadied the shopkeeper. The question was thus doubly impossible to ignore, as both sets of eyes turned to him. A thin finger pushed his spectacles further up his nose than where they had slid yet again.

"A seer. A prophetess. Lucas confused you for a Diviner, but in truth, a diviner....well....divines....or finds things. Say if I lost my pocket watch for example.....in a lake. I might pay a Diviner to locate it for me."

"Careless, stupid mistake," Lucas grumbled from just behind her. He had felt her shiver against him, and almost instinctively tightened his hold around her, knowing it would be far more steadying than Annalise's simple touch could ever be.

"Yes it was, my friend. However, not one that's ever going to be fatal for you. Easy enough mistake to correct as well. Just needs an explanation. You see, Oracles have visions. They can also be referred to as Prophets, though I guess that would make you a Prophetess. Personally, I think Oracle suits you better, but ultimately you're the one who wears the mantle......"

His rambling slowly tapered off into silence as Mirela slowly began to recount her dream. Thin, questing fingers slipped into a vest pocket.....drawing out a small note pad and a pen, the grin never returning to his face for as long as she spoke, but nor did he interrupt her a single time other than with the sound of his furious scrawling.

"So what do we do now?"

After several long and tense moments, Mirela having long finished speaking, Lucas stood up straight again, not releasing her.....instead hoping his own improving posture would help against hers as she sagged against him.

"We don't forget your tea prophecy. Perhaps I was quick to think the cross you'd mentioned was Corcoran."

The name brought a rather noisy, nasty hawking of spittle upon the ground from Clarence.

"But we can't forget that it mentioned Catacombs as well."

That put the necromancer in a more subdued mood, a gloved hand raising to throughtfully stroke at his chin.

He didn't want to let her go. Part of him was worried Mirela would sway and topple from the fatigue brought on by her sudden, unwanted vision if he did. The other part was rather guiltily enjoying the feeling of her full breasts heavy and pronounced over his thin arms where he held her. How long had it been since he'd been this close, intimately close with a woman that didn't try and soul drain him as part of the act? How long since he'd felt actual trust and affection, and not just cold businesslike attitude?

"There are Catacombs beneath the city of course. They were built way way back, almost Civil War era. Can't say its very safe down there, amidst the sewers and all. But the masonry is still holding up fair enough. Just make sure you live Miss Oracle behind, or grant her a torch if you insist on bringing her along. I'll research what I can from here."

Lucas nodded, already beginning to turn from the scene. Mirela had enough time to look at "Jane" and by now even Lucas had begun to tire of her and her impassive face despite the many and grotesque injuries that had been inflicted upon her now naked form.

"If you see Barl, do tell him I said hello? And please stop by again to see me soon, my dear Annalise!"

The demoness shot the necromancer a truly frigid glare, to which Clarence appeared completely oblivious of. The two of them hustled Mirela out of that dark and gloomy place, the zombie guard at the guard shack not even bothering to register their passing with a glance.

"Where now, Lucas?"

The warlock felt sick. He certainly hadn't expected anything like this to happen here, and now he was left wondering if Mirela really was ok. He was genuinely worried for the first time in ages.....about something not related to himself.

"Home. Our home. Ready the bed, Annalise. We'll put Miss Mirela down right away and make sure she has something warm to eat and drink when she wakes. We can tackle the Catacombs tomorrow night. Let Thrusk know that breakfast will be required of him, and to count one more person for it."

The succubus nodded softly, groaning slowly, almost as if in agony before they realized it was blissful in nature.....his pet finally being allowed the chance to reveal and stretch her long and leathery wings. She would be expected to have this all done before they got there......and Lucas would probably appreciate some time alone with the girl. The demoness smirked. Naughty warlock indeed.

"Just leave some of him for me, sweetie...", she murmured....leaping from the ground to take flight. Her svelte form was all but hidden in the starless night sky.

A taxi pulled right up to where they stood, Lucas had no doubts that one had been sent for, and just who had sent for it. Still, he made sure she was gently ushered in first. Thankfully, the driver was patient as well as polite....though most likely that was a byproduct of Mirela's own exotic beauty more than anything he actually said.

Minutes later and the city blocks were whipping by again as they headed posthaste back to his shop....and his home.

 

[DarkWarrioress]

"We don't forget your tea prophecy. Perhaps I was quick to think the cross you'd mentioned was Corcoran."

“Oh yes. That.”

Mirela turned her head slightly and was startled for a moment, she hadn’t realized just how close Lucas was. Some part of her had registered the fact that he held her, giving her support but only now was awareness of him seeping into her. Only now did she become aware of his arm around her, lodged just beneath her breasts. Of him pressed against her back. The fact she was pressed back against him, letting him hold her, her body molding to his, hadn’t escaped her mind either.

"There are Catacombs beneath the city of course. They were built way way back, almost Civil War era. Can't say its very safe down there, amidst the sewers and all. But the masonry is still holding up fair enough. Just make sure you live Miss Oracle behind, or grant her a torch if you insist on bringing her along. I'll research what I can from here."

Thankfully Clarence’s voice broke into her thoughts. The catacombs. The thought of them made every muscle in her body tighten again or perhaps they tightened more because she didn’t think she had relaxed yet.

Wait. What? Leave her behind? Oh, yes please….

She’d like nothing more but she knew she couldn’t. She didn’t know what she could offer by way of help but this was her vision. She had gone to Lucas in the first place. She needed to see this through. She came out of her own private thoughts to catch something between Clarence and Annalise. What that something was, she didn’t know and kind of was glad for it. Lucas and the succubus hustled her out of the building. That was good enough for her.

"Where now, Lucas?"

"Home. Our home. Ready the bed, Annalise. We'll put Miss Mirela down right away and make sure she has something warm to eat and drink when she wakes. We can tackle the Catacombs tomorrow night. Let Thrusk know that breakfast will be required of him, and to count one more person for it."

Mirela’s head shot around to stare at Lucas.

“Oh, but I don’t want to put you out, Lucas. I mean, I could easily catch a cab home. A cup of hot tea and bed and I should be fine.”

Neither of them seemed to pay attention to her. Annalise unfolded her wings, leaned closer to Mirela to murmur something.

"Just leave some of him for me, sweetie..."

That made Mirela blush. The succubus launched off into the night. Mirela watched her go just as a taxi pulled up to the curb. Surely Lucas’ pet didn’t think that he… that she… the color in her cheeks deepened and she was only able to hide it from Lucas by ducking into the cab and being grateful for the darkness the back seat provided. She slid along the seat to make room for him, as he got in after her. The cab door closed and they sped away, heading back to the building he lived in. She could admit to herself, here in the dark, that she was glad neither he nor Annalise paid heed to her protests about going home. In truth, she was shaken far more than she let on. The thought of being alone made her feel like she had several stones in the pit of her stomach.

The cab ride didn’t seem to take long at all. They pulled up in front of his building. Lucas got out and helped her out of the cab. She stood on the sidewalk and waited for him to pay the cab driver and watched as the taxi pulled away and disappeared into the night. They both turned at the same time and started to walk together into the building. Each of them seemingly lost in their own thoughts. For Mirela, however, was the added awareness of Lucas, not as a person. Oh no, it couldn’t be that simple. After tonight, she was ever so much more aware of him as a man.

“Who’s Barl?”

She simply blurt out the question into the silence, latching onto anything that would stop her from thinking about the man at her side.

 

[dryfter]

She was becoming aware of him as a woman.

Annalise smiled as the rooftops blurred beneath her soundless flight. How long had it been since he had allowed her to take wing like this? Usually he was petrified of the thought that the norms might see her. It wasn't like this was any unusual night. She had to take care to not let herself be silhouetted in the moon's panoramic view. Still.....the demoness took her time as much as was allowed. It had been too long since she'd been able to feel the soft whistle of her own body slicing through the night sky.

The image of the human woman appeared before her unbidden once more. For just a moment, the succubus felt a sharp pang of jealousy. Fortunately it was gone as swiftly as it had come. She was a beauty yes, more than capable of capturing her master's heart if he wasn't careful. That was one feat that was beyond her. Countless human men had met their end at her hands.....her lips......her.....

But not Lucas. The warlock had summoned her properly, carefully, and try as she may....Annalise could not break the layers of protective magic he had cast to shield himself from her glamours. She had been bound. She could feed from him, siphon what she needed from his soul in the various lascivious acts she coaxed from him......but even now, she knew she could never hold his heart, his captivation, like the dark haired shopkeeper seemed to. Not once had her master looked at her in remotely the same way that he did Mirela. It was ironic then, that while she could see it as clear as day.......Lucas hadn't figured out just how bad he had it for their past client. Did Mirela have a clue? Or was she just another stubborn human oblivious to her inhibitions?

"Prepare for company. Remember the woman you met earlier? She'll be spending the night."

Thrusk nearly jumped out of his green skin, spinning to scowl at the wickedly grinning succubus. That would be the last time he left a window open for a while....not when Annalise loved every chance to torment him, just as he knew his innate resistance to her charms had long been a thorn in her side. Still, her news managed to surprise him a second time. Company? They never had company outside of clients.....and they certainly didn't spend the night.....just what was going on?

"He fancies her."

Could she read his thoughts now too? Or were they just displayed that openly upon his face? Either way, the two of them stared at each other in silence for long moments, the orc not missing the devilish grin that looked so natural painted across her face. For just a moment, the muscled orc felt a little uncomfortable in his pants before his iron will clamped down on his desires once again...*****mpting a sad little coo from Annalise.

"One of these days, you're going to lose that fight, Thrusk. Then we'll have some real fun."

------------------------------------------------------

"Who is Barl?"

Lucas growled, annoyed....but just as careful to make it clear that Mirela wasn't the source of his annoyance.

"Fucked if I know. Though from his tone, Clarence expects us to meet up with him. Lovely. Not sure I want to meet any of his friends....contacts.....partners....whatever. I've seen enough dead men for a while."

He pulled her close to him again, sinking softly into the plush seating of the taxi and not wanting his mention of the walking corpses to cause another shiver. It hadn't been his intention to remind her yet again of all that she had seen recently.

"You're very strong, Mirela."

His words were softly spoken, yet undeniably tinged with admiration. He could almost feel her react within the loose embrace he had draped about her.

"Most people would have run screaming from a place like that. Or worse. Seeing all that you've seen just in the last month, how many would have been able to do the same and still have their sanity?"

His respect for her was genuine, and had very little to do with her burgeoning powers. Powers that she was learning more about with every passing week. Yet she hadn't shirked them once. Hadn't gone through the stage of denial most normal people would put themselves through when put in the same position she was in.

His hand paused as he focused past his thoughts to realize what he was doing. How long had he been stroking her hair? When had she gotten this close? He could smell her shampoo and natural perfume clearly. When had he been this close to any woman other than the demoness he was bound to? And why....why....was it so exciting?

"Thrusk should have everything taken care of by the time we get there. Of course, there's only the one bed. I'm not used to company....but its yours for as long as you're staying with us."

The cab pulled up at their destination, the warlock exiting before turning to offer a thin hand to help her out as well. A soft frown curled his thin lips as he silently cursed himself for not offering her his jacket against the night's chill. Now it was too late, as they only had a few steps before entering the warmth of his abode.

He paid the driver, leaving a generous tip before turning back to her and offering his arm.

"I believe we're expected. Shall we go in?"

 

[DarkWarrioress]

"Fucked if I know. Though from his tone, Clarence expects us to meet up with him. Lovely. Not sure I want to meet any of his friends....contacts.....partners....whatever. I've seen enough dead men for a while."

Odd. She had expected Lucas to know who this Barl is. The very fact that he didn’t, was unsettling. Barl could be anyone or anything given the world her eyes had opened to. Considering who they had been conversing with, she had to agree with Lucas. She had seen enough dead people to last her the rest of her life, but something niggled at the back of her mind that, that wasn’t going to be the case, unfortunately.

"You're very strong, Mirela. Most people would have run screaming from a place like that. Or worse. Seeing all that you've seen just in the last month, how many would have been able to do the same and still have their sanity?"

She turned slightly toward him and smiled in the dark, not sure whether he could see it or not.

“I haven’t processed everything yet, Lucas. My sanity might be fleeing when I finally do.”

There, in the backseat of the shared cab, she was beginning to feel tired. She wished she could totally park the blame on the disturbing vision and the emotions it aroused in her, but she couldn’t. Not all of it. Her head found his shoulder. Did any of this ever get easier? It wasn’t much of a trip back to Lucas’ home. The cab pulled up and she waited for him to slip from it. Lucas held out a hand to her as she scooted close to the open door, preparing to depart the vehicle. She offered him a smile and put her hand in his as she stepped out and up onto the sidewalk. He paid the cabby and as it drove off, offered her his arm.

"I believe we're expected. Shall we go in?"

“We shall.”

Mirela slipped her arm through his. Together they went inside. She withdrew her arm when he made to open the door for her. There was no sight of Thrusk or Annalise as the both entered the outer room the one she knew quite well. Not much had changed since she had last been here. The bookshelves were still full of books. A piece of paper stuck out here or there, haphazardly amongst the upright pressed together book spines. The stacks of books littered around his desk made her smile. Had they gotten just a little taller since she was last here. Her eyes fell on a tray that held a cold pot and an empty teacup. She sighed softly. A cup of hot tea and a comfy bed sounded so good right about now. She slowly turned to speak with him.

“Lucas, I don’t want to put you out. It’s your bed. Where will you sleep if I use your bed? You’ve been so generous, understanding and kind. I’m thankful you’re here when I have a question or need you, but this…. “

She shook her head slightly.

“I can’t impose on you or Thrusk. You said it youself, you’re not use to company so I assume Thrusk isn’t either. I don’t want to make more work for him.”

Even though she protested, her eyes showed their tiredness. Dark smudges lie under her eyes. Her shoulders slumped slightly. A hand came up to brush back a stray strand of hair that insisted on falling in her eyes.

“I should have stayed in the cab and had him drive me home. You need your rest too.”

Strange as it was, she wanted to go, yet she didn’t. Mirela felt like a mass of contradictions. She wasn’t sure she understood it herself. There was something about Lucas that made her want to curl up at his side, with his arms around her, her head on his chest, listening to his heart beat beneath her ear and if she wasn’t so tired, she, admittedly, could think of other things she’d like to do with him too. Her thoughts were fleeting. Wickedly, wonderfully, sinful. Even as tired and exhausted as she was, her eyes roamed over him and felt the stirrings of desire, like a breeze teasing the edges of a pile of dry leaves.

 

[dryfter]

“I haven’t processed everything yet, Lucas. My sanity might be fleeing when I finally do.”

Rather than worry, he simply chuckled softly, paying the cab driver and sighing softly as she accepted his arm. It was strange how completely oblivious he was to the difference in his mood and stress level just having her around, yet he was slowly becoming more and more aware of it. As he glanced down at her.....Lucas smiled to himself, sure that this time at least......it had nothing to do with a strange new power emerging from this lovely woman.

"Are you sure it will be allowed to?"

He would anchor her himself if he had to. Though he didn't think she was in any real risk of becoming a stark raving mad, drooling lunatic.

He was grateful to be out of the cold, though the chill was gone from the evening air with her on his arm. Silently, he helped her out of her coat, taking it into a small closet with his own as she familiarized herself once more with her surroundings.

“Lucas, I don’t want to put you out. It’s your bed. Where will you sleep if I use your bed? You’ve been so generous, understanding and kind. I’m thankful you’re here when I have a question or need you, but this…. “

"Do you have any idea how many times I've slept at my desk? The bed is yours."

Despite his words, he frowned and blushed softly. Yes, from the look of things, the scattered tomes and peroidicals, the tea set still perched within reach of the chair at the head of the desk.....she could probably guess exactly how many times he'd slept there. For the first time, he actually felt acute embarrassment at the clutter.

“I can’t impose on you or Thrusk. You said it youself, you’re not use to company so I assume Thrusk isn’t either. I don’t want to make more work for him.”

"I doubt he even knows you're here. He's probably fending off Annalise right now. She's not gotten a good dicking in a while now, and always torments him mercilessly."

It was strange to hear something so callous slip out of his mouth, or was it simply strange that he said it in front of her? Either way, his mouth slammed shut almost immediately afterwards.

"You on the other hand....won't make it home in your condition."

He pulled her close again, an arm slipping about her waist as he guided her slowly down the hallway towards where his room was. Unlike the study, it was impeccably neat and tidy, perhaps proof of just how little he actually slept here. Sweeping up a lone jacket off of its clean sheets, the offending garment was draped over the room's only chair as he pulled back the sheets and blankets for her.

"Now, you're free to make yourself comfortable however you wish."

A soft flush raced through him....and he nearly lost his train of thought. Instead, it only showed as a soft frown and a slight coloration in his face. Thankfully, he had released her to prepare the bed, Mirela shouldn't be able to hear how his heart raced. The sudden throbbing in his loins however, was harder to ignore.....and the warlock suddenly found need to be elsewhere before she noticed how his slacks swelled in places improper while in the presence of a client.....

Damn you, Annalise.

She was just a client wasn't she? Somehow he felt restless and unfulfilled thinking of her as just such a thing. Especially now....as he remembered the soft scent of her shampoo as she rested against him in the cab, the weight of her full breasts as they settled against him, having caught her after her sudden vision, the inquisitive wonder and fierce exuberance she had brought into his life.....

For now he had to find his succubus and punish her for her interference.

----------------------------------------------------------

"You're not going to tease me?"

Thrusk growled, deeper than usual as Annalise simply smiled sweetly back at him at first.

"Oh, there's a much more appropriate tease going on tonight. Wouldn't you agree?"

The orc butler looked on, confused at first, before his baleful yellow eyes widened suddenly in understanding.

"You wouldn't."

The succubus was already raising her own hand, admiring the magic circle that she had been branded with. The sign of her contract. Through it, she could feel the jumble of emotions that was Lucas....just as he was attuned to her own state of mind. She could feel them.....and every so often if she wanted to be naughty and risk punishment.....

She could influence them.

Annalise giggled softly, her voice twisting silkenly just a moment later as a lusty moan escaped her. It was more akin to a brothel than a respected business establishment.....the succubus gaining just a little more encouragement and strength from the orc male before her. Sure the butler could resist her charms well enough to not die giving in to his desire to fuck her senseless.....but it didn't stop him from getting hard, painfully so. And she'd so like to help him out with that problem.....free that gloriously hard flesh rod from his pants and introduce it to her warm, wet, inviting tongue.....and that would be just for starters.

But she was forbidden....directly ordered to spare the green one from death. So with a grin, she channeled just a little of her lust through their connection. Just because she wasn't getting laid didn't mean Lucas couldn't. And for a change it wouldn't be with her. Annalise wasn't sure she was jealous.....or anticipating the results. Either way, she felt so very delightfully wicked.

"He's coming. I wasn't here."

And just like that, the succubus slipped from the window, drifting back out into the night sky. She wasn't about to be caught that easily, just as she wasn't about to stop tormenting him. At the very least, Lucas would masturbate...*****bably several times. At best....maybe the poor human wretch would actually get lucky with another of his kind.

Either way, it was time to shatter the cool and collective appearance of her warlock master.

 

[DarkWarrioress]

"You on the other hand....won't make it home in your condition.”

He was right. As much as it pained her to admit it, even if only to herself, he was right. She was drained, even a little unstable on her feet but maybe something a hot pot of tea and some rest couldn’t put right. Maybe a little something to nibble on as well.

Lucas’ arm slid around her waist, pulling her unresistingly closer to him. Mirela was thankful for his warmth. It wasn’t every day that she witnessed dead people walking around on the whim of a necromancer. They were quiet as he guided her to what she assumed was his bedroom. The room surprised her. It was immaculate, compared to his office. She wondered if it was always like this or if Thrusk had something to do with it. Lucas let his arm fall from around her and she felt a pang of loss. She enjoyed him holding her close. She enjoyed sharing his warmth. That thought brought a blush to her cheeks. He stepped away from her side to sweep up a discard jacket of his that had been tossed on the bed. He was going to leave her now. She could sense it. Mirela took a step away from him, the outer side of her thigh coming up against the side of his bed. She nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Thank you, Lucas. For loaning me your bed for the night. You’re right. I wouldn’t have made it home. I feel like an idiot. As a gypsy, you would think I’d be use to this. Unfortunately, I’m not. My mother protected me from a lot of it, but mostly, I just didn’t want to know. As teenagers, I think we grow up without our roots in mind. Now look at me. I’m getting tossed into the fire, so to speak.”

She looked around the room then back toward him. She didn’t have anything to sleep in but that was okay. She’d make due. What she needed right now was a way to relief the muscle stress ad she could only think of one way.

“Lucas? Could you point me in the direction of the bathroom? I would like a hot shower. My muscles are all tense and I think the hot water would make me relax some, especially before I crawl into bed.”

Suddenly an image formed in her mind. A steamy bathroom and an even steamier shower stall. Two naked bodies pressed against each other urgently, one pressed against the tile. Water beating down on the two of them. Dear god… that was another way to relax. Her eyes shifted away from his and looked down at the bed. Silently she moaned. Like that was any better. What the hell was wrong with her? There was something about Lucas that drew her, like a moth to a flame. She had been fighting the attraction, after all, she had been his client. Had been. Key words there.

Get a grip, Mirela. You’re not some horny teenager. You can control your urges.

Besides, Lucas looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here with her. He looked like he had something on his mind. No, the best thing she could do was take a shower, crawl into his bed and sleep the rest of the night away. They had a madman to track down before he killed again. She only hoped they would find him before he killed again. But what if he had another victim already? What if they couldn’t stop him in time? Another innocent would die. This preacher puzzled her. Why was he doing this? Was he a part of this world, behind a world? Or was he just simply psychotic?

 

[dryfter]

"Where is she?!"

For a thin, otherwise unintimidating man to any who didn't know about the powers he could throw around at whim.....he certainly had his orcish butler backpedaling upon his very entrance to the kitchen. Not surprising, as Thrusk had many an opportunity to witness just how dangerous Lucas could be when he rarely found himself in the foul mood he was in now.

A green finger merely pointed towards the open window of his adjoining study. Without thinking, the warlock raced to the open aperture and thrust his head out into the night to scowl fruitlessly at the stars. Another sudden pulse of heat made his manhood pulse within the tight confines of his slacks, and the angry growl he had meant to snarl to the half moon that had greeted him with his action, now turned into an agonized moan.

“Lucas? Could you point me in the direction of the bathroom? I would like a hot shower. My muscles are all tense and I think the hot water would make me relax some, especially before I crawl into bed.”

At least Mirela's request had been simple enough, though remaining civil without letting on what was bothering him had been nothing short of arduous. A few words to direct her where the shower was, and the rest of his time trying not to imagine what was going on in there.....

He could feel his blood light aflame again as he couldn't help but picture her.....the cascade of heated droplets raining down upon her pale skin, her womanly and, even he had to admit.....very desirable curves, glistening with moisture and shimmering with heat. A more wicked part of his mind imagined a soft moan, slender fingers slipping suggestively between the moist crux of Mirela's thighs.....

"Dammit Annalise! Stop it!"

He could almost hear the tormenting laughter of the succubus in the back of his mind. No matter how he tried, he couldn't banish the images completely. The demure shopkeeper on her knees, clad in nothing but a bath towel and gazing up at him dreamily....expectantly....

Perhaps you should just give in to your desires.....Master. I've never seen one who interested you so, not even me.

The connection was cut as soon as it had come to him, Lucas only barely restraining himself from howling out his fury into the night as Thrusk did his best to pull him back from the windowsill. Finally, the much larger male forced him into his desk chair with a worried frown. For long moments the orc then had to wonder just what magics his human employer would visit on him for the rough handling he had experienced.

"She's staying out of range so I can't order her to stop directly."

The butler nodded softly, having known the truth of what was going on for some time now. Not exactly approving, but having the feeling he didn't know everything that was going on either.

"Bring me the holy water, Thrusk."

The orc flinched, but nodded silently and went to play fetch. Lucas was in a truly foul mood now, and the ex-warrior knew that hell itself was in the balance should the warlock be pushed any further. Still....that left Lucas alone again, and for the first time in ages, the man was in no mood to study. Hell...it was all he could do to not just whip his cock out and take care of his more carnal needs right there. He probably would have too if it weren't for the fact that he knew such simple relief isn't what Annalise wanted....and therefore wouldn't solve the problem. Nor would he be able to face Thrusk ever again should his butler re-enter the room while he was engaged in such an action. And gods help him if it was Mirela who walked in.....

Sexy....naked Mirela.....dripping wet from the shower.....her towel slowly falling to the floor as she advanced on him.....a hungry look in her eye.

Lucas snarled as he shot to his feet. Thrusk backpedaled yet again, the much thinner man not having even noticed his return, so enrapt in his thoughts was he. With a similar snarl, Lucas grasped the small decanter, and for a moment.....a smile broke across his face. The butler wasn't fooled though.....there was no love, happiness, or good intentions in that wicked facade of glee.

"What will you do, Master Lucas?"

The warlock slowly turned, even as he moved to the window, sprinkling a little of the sanctified fluid onto the sill.

"I'll seal her outside, seeing as how she wants to be out there so badly. She wants me to remember what it's like to lust? I'll remind her what its like to go hungry."

----------------------------------------------------------------

His blood pounded in his temples. Annalise hadn't let up on him, not one bit. That only meant she hadn't yet discovered the surprise that awaited her homecoming. Lucas had done all that he could to turn his mind from the pounding need in his pants, immersing himself in his studies as best as he could. At this point, he was only a step or two away from outright raping the beautiful shopkeeper. And so, he made it a point to distance himself from that part of the house for the time being. He refused to think about her shower....or the fact that Mirela could even now be asleep in his own bed.....or the thought that she hadn't any evening wear to don before doing so......and that meant she could be lying naked in his bed even now.....

Lucas gritted his teeth, fighting with everything he had against the insidious suggestions he felt knife into his brain, always followed by the silken smooth chuckle of his rebellious pet. However....something had been bugging him all evening too....something he knew he should have never let by him to begin with.....

And that something.....was making it easier on him, distracting him from the machinations of the succubus who was trying so hard.

"Son of a bitch....."

The tea tray had just settled on his desk. When Thrusk risked a glance at his unstable master....it wasn't lust he saw frozen on the man's face.....

"As a gypsy, you would think I’d be use to this."

His butler's look of confusion was unmistakable, to the point that any other day Lucas probably would have burst out in a very rare display of laughter. But for now.....

"She was thanking me for giving her my bed to sleep in tonight. She said that....Mirela said that....."

To his credit, Thrusk remained quiet....and for the moment lustful promptings in the back of his mind, the rush of endorphins and testosterone ceased, hinting that Annalise too....had picked up on his sudden and nearly overwhelming emotion.....of horror. Not that he had been scared in any means, but that he had overlooked such an obvious admission.

"Mirela is of gypsy blood. That explains everything. The visions. The readings. She probably has a grasp on other things too, but has no clue just yet."

The thought of rushing to her just then, throwing open the door to exclaim his findings and suspicions suddenly appealed to him.....until the thought of doing so and finding her nude upon the sheets, the moonlight shimmering across her perfect skin came to him.....

"Dammit Annalise!"

And so instead, he merely buried his head in hands.....

It was going to be a long night.

 

[DarkWarrioress]

He seemed preoccupied with something. If she had to hazard a guess, she’d say it had to do with Annalise. That relationship still confused her a great deal. It might have something to do with the fact that she didn’t know that much about succubi or how they functioned. A little research had her understanding a bit more. That whole sexual and energy thing wasn’t something she wanted to delve into too deeply. It just seemed…. awkward when coupled with Lucas.

Lucas had politely steered toward the bathroom and then excused himself. He couldn’t get away fast enough. With a slight shrug of her shoulders, Mirela closed the bathroom door behind her and looked around. The bathroom, like the bedroom, was immaculate. Fresh towels were laid out. She wound her hair on the top of her head and made a knot of it so it stayed in place. It wasn’t perfect but it would keep her hair up until after the shower. Turning toward the shower stall, she opened the door and leaned in to turn on the faucets, adjusting the water to her liking. The door closed behind her with a soft click as she began to undress. Her thoughts were still on Lucas as her fingers drew her sweater over her head then draped it over a rail. Heels were slipped from her feet and gently pushed against the wall. Her bra, a lacy fastened thing from the front, was discarded next. It, too, joined her sweater. Her slacks her next. Her ample breasts swaying slightly as she leaned over to remove the slacks from her legs so that it could join the rest of the companions. Garters were conveniently unfastened, stockings rolled down slender legs and tossed on top of her heels. Garter belt and thong joined the rest. Mirela never cared for wearing thongs. It was like wearing dental floss, but she hated panty lines worse.

The door to the shower was opened, again with a soft click, closing the same way as Mirela stepped into the shower stall, tipping her head back and cupping her breasts to the heated spray, letting the warmth penetrate into her cool body as much as possible. Pivoting on her toes, she presented her back to the spray, felt the muscles along her spine ripple in response. Felt, as well, her breasts tighten and her nipples pucker. She palmed her breasts, pressed them back against her chest. Mirela bowed her head a little so the hot water would touch the back of her neck. As easily as breathing, Lucas was there, in her thoughts. His arm, a strong band of steel, gently yet firmly holding her back against his body, while his lips nibbled on her neck instead of the water.

Damn. Where had that come from?

Blindly she reached for the soap in the dish and began rubbing it between her hands, lathering them. If she closed her eyes, the soft firmness of the soap became something more. The sensitive sac where a male’s sperm was stored.

Holy Mother of---

Mirela’s eyes snapped open and she dropped the bar of soap as if she had just retrieved a hot potato buried in the embers of a fire to roast. What the hell was happening to her? What was going on here? Why were her thoughts of Lucas so damn potent all of a sudden? This had to stop. Mirlea hurriedly finished her shower, turned off the spigots before letting herself out of the stall. Blindly, she grabbed for a towel and with shaky hands, began to dry off. Since she didn’t have a robe and no wish to climb back into her street clothing, she wrapped the towel around her, tucking the end between her breasts, retrieved her clothing and cautiously opened the door. Some small part of her expected to find Annalise outside the bathroom door, leaning against a wall, grinning at her. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case. A quick look to the right, then the left, still clutching her clothing to her chest, Mirela scurried back into Lucas’ bedroom, shutting the door with a small decisive click. Her clothes were draped on a chair before pulling back the covers on the bed. The towel around her body was released to fall into a blue heap at her feet. She’d pick it up in the morning. Scrambling into the bed, she wiggled under the covers and drew them up over her chest as she stared up at the ceiling, thinking a great many things and none of them having to do with dead people, necromancers or evil men torturing, raping or killing innocent women.

 

[dryfter]

Touch her.

Lucas shivered, a silent shadow that hovered above her bed, his bed, where she now lay.

You know you want to.

He couldn't deny it. He hadn't missed a thing.....not the clothes neatly laid over the back of the room's only chair. For long moments he simply stared at them. Had he any clue all evening that Mirela had been wearing such lacy underthings? He could almost feel his succubus purr as he considered reaching out to stroke a fingertip along the length of her stockings. And really, a thong? Yet there it was, laid innocently on the chair's seat.

Would it help to know she had a delicious little lust spike of her own while showering? I wonder if she was thinking of you?

That broke the spell. It was all Lucas could do to keep from growling and shattering the room's fragile silence.

WHAT DID YOU DO?

A silken, wily chuckle was his only reply, deep within the darkest confines of his mind. She hadn't let up on him, not one bit.....even now, he could feel his blood racing, his cock pulsing as if Annalise had her own fingers about it, squeezing invisibly.....

You know I can't affect women, Master. My powers only work on men. I can't feed on them either, but that doesn't keep me from thinking she might have a wonderful flavor.....

For a moment, the true level of his anger surged, and through his bond....he could feel the faintest glimmer of her worry. No matter. It would grow to something truly terrifying soon enough. The glimpse of smug satisfaction she felt from him in response only heightened her own sudden unease. But then again.....she had her own game to play.

She's soft, lush, and so innocently alluring. Just think of how it would feel to bury yourself in that firm body......the little gasps and moans she would make as you claimed her......made her yours......

Lucas' fists were clenched. The truth was that he had come here to ask her about what was bothering him......her admitted gypsy heritage. He wondered how much she truly knew about it, or just what kind of powers and traits her ancestors might have had. If he knew more.....perhaps he could aid her somewhat in developing her magic rather than letting it simply run wild on her like it had at the morgue.

He certainly hadn't expected to find her indisputably naked beneath his sheets. The clothes....the crumpled heap of towel at the mattress' edge....and he certainly wasn't one to keep women's clothing on hand.

Naked. And so beautiful. Innocent in her slumber, save for the tiniest of sighs as she adjusted to a more comfortable position.

I'm not going to rape her.

It wouldn't take much......just a touch.....or two.....in the right places. You wouldn't have to rape her.....though if you ever want to live out that fantasy.....

The suggestion, and the willingness were left open. Lucas cringed.

"I'll come back."

It wasn't until the words had slipped from him, that he realized his frustration with Annalise had finally gotten the better of him.......and that they had been spoken aloud.....

 

[DarkWarrioress]

Her dreams were intermingled. She was standing in some dark smelly catacombs where it was so cold. Water seemed to drip down the molded stone walls like tears. The air smelt of dust, age, neglect and something fanciful seemingly whispered in her ear…. “memories.” Then, as if spinning on the head of a top, she was in Lucas’ arms. He had her back against a wall. Their fingers were intertwined, clasped, above her head. The weight of his body pressing her into the unforgiving wall. Her legs were draped over his hips, locked at the heels. His body pressed into hers.

The scene shifted again. They were in a chamber, much like a chamber in the catacombs. Only this one was pristine. She was laid out on a stone slab in the middle of the room. Her wrists had been drawn together, chained and stretched over her head. Her legs had been stretched apart, each ankle manacled and secured. A man’s face loomed over her own causing her heart to beat erratically until she recognized Lucas’ eyes. His lips teased her own, never fully kissing her. His fingers trailed up the inside of her thigh, making her insides quiver. His lips altered course, skimming over her cheek, trailing back to her ear, whispering things to her as he invaded her body, eliciting a soft moan from her. She heard herself whimper in need and desire.

Once more the scene changed, this time she stood naked in a room, much like the one she was sleeping in. She could sense him standing behind her, somewhere. There was a smile on her lips. Mirela just knew that Lucas was playing with her. Strong hands clasped her hips, roughly pulling her back against his body. She allowed herself to relax against him, her body melding to his.

“That’s it, my pretty. Just relax. “

It took a moment for her to realize that the voice that had spoken in her ear didn’t belong to Lucas. It belonged to the murdering priest. Mirela struggled in his hands, her own trying to pry his away from her body so she could escape. The more she struggled, the tighter he held her until he was almost squeezing the air out of her and she couldn’t breathe. She had little choice but to still. The other choice, she knew, meant she would pass out and then only the Divine knew what would happen to her.

“Why are you doing this?” Her voice sounded raspy to her own ears.

His lips found the back of her ear. She could feel his heated breath against it as he spoke to her.

“Because I want your fear. You do fear me don’t you, pretty?”

One of his hands still held her tightly against him. The other roamed lingeringly over her curves. He made her skin crawl to the point she wanted to shed it. As if reading her thoughts, his hold momentarily tightened around her as he chuckled, amused. He had one thing right, she did fear him. For one, he wasn’t right in his head. For another, he liked to kill. He liked to watch the light of life wink out of his victim’s eyes. He wanted her fear? Could he do that? Draw it from her and possess it for his own?

"I'll come back."

The words made her sit upright in bed, her eyes opening. Her breath sucked inward sharply. Her fingers clutched at the covers that had fallen to her waist. Her head turned. All she saw was a man. Her lips parted as if she was about scream. Reality came crashing down into her. One arm shot out, fingers wrapping around his wrist.

“Lucas.”

Her eyes were clearing of the deep sleep she had been in.

“Lucas, don’t go.”

Her eyes sought his. Her fingers were like a vise grip on his wrist.

“Hold me. Please.”

 

[dryfter]

His fingertips pressed firmly against her forehead, the same second her own had found his loosely hanging wrist. Silently, and no doubt without her knowing, he sent a scathing arcane response to the one dream walking. It hadn't been her sudden movement that had halted his retreat nearly as much as it had been the low and terrified moan she had uttered just a fraction of a second before waking. It had been the stench of arcane that hung about her, none of which radiated anything remotely gypsy-like.

It was amazing how a simple flare up like that could change one's perspective on things.

“Lucas.”

He heard his name roll off of her lips more easily than any other time he could immediately recall. For a moment, his heart skipped a beat, concentration lost....but not that it mattered. Whomever was tormenting Mirela now knew she was guarded, and hardly another lamb to be slaughtered. Lucas' smile was vaguely malicious, despite his guest's rapidly growing state of awareness. If it was another...who had intended to harm or torture her in her sleep.....he would have quite a headache right now. Being thrown out of a dream state wasn't a pleasant experience.....

“Lucas, don’t go.”

She was scared. And understandably so. It wasn't until he had actually settled himself on the edge of the bed, that he remembered she was also quite naked. The warlock blushed an embarrassing shade of scarlet mere seconds after his brain exited the tactical mode he was so comfortable with, and was forced to deal with the present once more. Did Mirela even realize that the sheets had fallen from her torso? There was a soft pang of alarm in the back of his mind, proof enough that Annalise had found his seals and the displeasure they represented. She immediately sent feelings of remorse and apology to him, but they were drowned in the emotions she had been strengthening for hours. Emotions that only heightened as he gazed at her in her partial glory.....her proud breasts rising and falling without the slightest sign of sagging.....firm, full....warm looking.

This was getting harder, and it wasn't the only thing. Thanks to his pet, he felt like he could burst at any time. Still....it was useful for ignoring the now simpering succubus. She had laid this trap, only to fall into it herself.....now she could suffer for a while.

“Hold me. Please.”

He moved without thinking, taking her up into his arms almost immediately. He could feel her pressed tightly against him, could almost imagine where her taut nipples hardened against him. She seemed so fragile right now.....and in truth, she was....having just woken from a terrible dream that he didn't have the heart tell her the truth about.

Still, it wasn't the moment of weakness that turned him on the most. It was the knowing that he found her strong, and that she would cry out for him of all people.....in her moment of weakness. It was a drug that the succubus couldn't hope to replicate, not even if she lived for another millenia. Yet where he half expected to meet with purring, silken approval, Lucas only encountered stony silence.

"I'm not going anywhere. Take a deep breath. You were having a nightmare."

Be that as it may, he wasn't about to let her go. Not when her body seemed to naturally meld into his own. Certainly not when he was seemingly living a dream he had dreamed for ages, and was loathe to wake up from. Mirela's skin was smooth, flawless.....and he could smell the soft fragrance of his own shampoo in her hair, mixing with her own exotic scent to create something truly intoxicating.

He pulled away just a little, though his hands never left her, instead settling gently on her bare shoulders as he brazenly took in the sight of her for the first time. He was only going to be able to hide his feelings for so long, it was destiny or perhaps inevitability that she discovered his hidden attraction for her. So now he let his gaze sweep over her.....drinking in the sight of his forbidden fantasy cloaked in the moonlight and stars, with only the thinnest of bedsheets covering her lower half.

And when she reacted, no doubt finally feeling the heat of his gaze.....he leaned in and kissed her firmly. If she chose to strike him for his boldness, she would be the first in a decade to be allowed to with no reprisal. Hell, he half expected it and braced himself accordingly. Still....he vowed then and there that he could not, would not, raise a defense should Mirela take offense to the liberties he took now.....

She tasted divine, though he wished with annoyance that he knew for sure it was his own feelings that drove him to think so and not the cursed demoness who had been working him over all evening long. The kiss deepened almost of its own accord. If he was going to be slapped for this, he might as well make the most of his one chance.....

She was soft and yielding, yet firm in all the right places, and Lucas was scant aware of how one hand had come to settle upon her chest.....gently, tenderly hefting the weight of one full breast before lightly massaging and humming his heated approval into her......

 

[DarkWarrioress]

His fingertips touched her forehead but didn’t wake her and from somewhere in a church, on the other side of town, there came an unearthly howl from a small room, sparsely furnished, bare but for a cross on the wall, a bed and night stand with a small lamp. On the night stand, laid open, was a book. A figure moved across the room, quietly letting itself out and started toward a stairwell that wound down under the church.

The solid wooden door opened with a squeak. The young woman on slab lifted her head, her eyes going wide with terror when she saw who walked through it. Her whimpers of fright were muffled against the gag. Her arms tugged against the chains restraining them with a metallic rattle. Her eyes went from his face to the slim dagger in his hand. Her scream was blocked by the gag and the soft ominous closing of the door.

~~ ~~​

"I'm not going anywhere. Take a deep breath. You were having a nightmare."

His words seemed to ground her, brought her eyes into focus.

Lucas. What was he doing in her room?

The bed dipped under his weight when he joined her on the bed, drawing her into his arms, against his warmth. Her arms slipped around him and she snuggled up close to him, drawing strength? Warmth? Whatever it was, he gave it to her. He was calm, well, except for the wild beating of his heart. She could hear it under the ear pressed against his chest. She almost protested as he drew back away from her little but that sound of protest never aired. Mirlea became aware of his eyes on her. As they swept over her, it dawned on her sleep driven brain that she was naked and the covers had fallen to her waist. Before she could do anything however, he leaned close to kiss her. One hand slipped from around him, rose and slid along his arm, trailed across his shoulder until it moved and fingers buried in his hair as her lips answered him. So lost in the intoxication of his kiss, she didn’t feel his hand on her breast at first. Awareness came swift. The breast in his hand tightened, the nipple puckering into a tighter bead. She pressed her chest closer to his. Her head tipped back against his shoulder as her tongue danced with his.

She hadn’t been intimate with anyone in a long time. Her mother had long ago despaired of ever seeing her daughter married, let along giving her grandchildren. It wasn’t that Mirela didn’t want those things, she did but she was picky in her choice of men. There were certain things she wanted and she simply refused to settle for anything less. No relationship could withstand trials and tribulations without the things she wanted, needed, the most. There was something about Lucas that drew her. She didn’t understand a lot of things. She couldn’t remember a time she had turned to anyone like she had with Lucas. Maybe her unconsciousness knew something she didn’t. Lucas was solid. Firm. Reassuring and the way he had looked at her, told her that he didn’t find her unattractive.

She wanted him. Right here. Right now.

 

[dryfter]

He could feel her respond, even as she looked down at where his hand rest against her, obviously startled. Yet Mirela didn't pull away....choosing instead to lift her gaze to his once more, certain parts of her hardening even as others became more malleable beneath his touch.

More than that was the look in her eyes. For a moment, Lucas was reminded of the tales of gypsies bewitching their men just with a sultry gaze and a seductive pose. Mirela certainly possessed both now, her eyes radiated arousal, a growing hunger, and an almost eager willingness. Somehow, he knew, though it remained unspoken....that she was silently urging him to press his boundaries with her.....

A soft wail echoed in the back of his mind, easily forgotten. Annalise no doubt having found herself locked out of his shop and abode when she wanted to be inside most.....wanted to feed on his feelings of carnality, provoke them to their utmost and then gorge herself. He could feel her railing against his seals, anger fading quickly to remorse, and as the night would wear on.....an almost pitiable show of despair.

He had other things to worry about now however, how best to kiss her again...and again....just how much he could demand of her, even as he moved forward, pressing her back down into the mattress firmly enough that her hair splayed wildly about her, the scent of shampoo and natural perfume heady and intoxicating.

He wanted to couple with her. To force her own blood to race like his was, to pound her into his own bed until he forced her to finally cry out for him, to moan and writhe beneath him in a glorious sheen of sweat that only further defined her luscious feminine curvature.

Instead he took his time. She was just waking up, and from a nightmare no less. It wouldn't do to ravish her, plunder her treasures too greedily. Such things led to longing and bitter disappointment. Lucas had to remind himself that Mirela could be one of two things......a conquest......or something so much more......

He started at her neck, having finally released her from his kiss, though he held her quivering lower lip between his teeth for a long moment before finally letting it slide. Tracing along her jawline, he could feel every catch of breath, acutely aware of every trembling heaving of her majestic breasts beneath ever inquisitive fingers. Fingers that kneaded her gently, working to softly ease whatever fear might still have a hold of her.....as his kisses traveled to their intended location.....one deep, moist kiss settling within the hollow of her collarbone.....

"Mirela....."

Her name was moaned, low and husky, an unmistakable desire stirring an undertone in an already somber voice. It was all he had to say, as his head dipped again, eager to taste once more.....as if each soft lick, each nibble was something new and exciting. In truth, he was becoming drunk off the noises she was making, the racing of her breath.....and he hadn't even gotten started yet!

But perhaps that should wait for later.....if she were to want him as desperately as he wanted her right now.....could either of them bear a long lovemaking session? Lucas straightened.....thin arms jerking about wildly as he worked his way out of his shirt one button at a time, knowing that even now this beautiful creature watched his every movement.

"Mirela.....I want.....you."

I want to fuck you! I want to make you scream for me! I want to feel you tight and quivering around me! I want you to cum for me!

And yet none of the other things were said. He couldn't bring himself to be so crass in this beautiful moment. Instead....the warlock made his desires known by simply reaching for the thin sheet that covered the rest of her.....and swallowing hard as he began to peel it away.

He had no idea of knowing what his own face looked like, could only hope he didn't look like some kind of creeper or worse, idiot. He was pretty sure he wasn't going to be slapped.....she'd have done it by now......

His head lowered, moist lips brushing against the nipple he had inadvertantly teased earlier.....catching it with his lips and tugging softly before sucking it deep into his warm, inviting mouth.

He could tease just a little, but he slammed the door on himself when it came to doing anything further. At least....

Not until he was certain it was what she wanted too.

 

[DarkWarrioress]

Emotions flinted through his eyes. Things that echoed through her. Things that made her heart flutter erratically. Made her breath catch in her throat. Heat flared between her thighs, causing her to press them together. His lips left hers but his teeth found and held her lower lip for what seemed like a long moment to her. She couldn’t hold back the soft moan. His lips along her jawline made her insides quiver like jello. Tiny tremors rolled under her skin. His fingers, kneading her compliant flesh. Lips moved tenderly and slowly across her skin, trailing down the column of her throat. Her eyes closing as she mentally followed him. Her mind shot between the course of his lips to his hand, still upon her breast. Her chin tipped upward as his head lowered, his lips settling in the small hollow at the base of her throat. She knew he could feel her pulse beating like a wild thing from there.

"Mirela....."

Oh god.. the way he said her name made her go weak. His lips rove over her skin, heating it. She shift restlessly on the bed. Suddenly Lucas straightened and she was about to ask what was wrong when she saw him removing his shirt. She used the opportunity to let her eyes drink him in. There was an ache building in her. A need to feel him slide deeply into her body and claim her. To have his fingers find hers, slide between them and tighten around them.

"Mirela.....I want.....you."

She shuddered. She wanted to tell him. Wanted to say it out loud. She couldn’t find her voice. He came back to her, his chest bare, his lips lowering, brushing against her swollen, protruding nipple then capturing it. Her body jerked slightly in response. Her fingers finding the hair at the back of his head, sinking into it, holding him to her chest as the hardened tip sank into the moist warmth of his mouth. Her face, turned up the ceiling, eyes closed, lips parting as she emitted a slow, drawn out, tortured moan.

“Lucas..”

Her voice sounded urgent. Her body undulating under the covers before he pulled them back and away from her body.

“Lucas…”

This time, a harsh whisper. Desire. Need. Wanting.

“I.. “

She swallowed and tried again. This time, both hands found the back of his head and her hands gently urged his face up and away from her body. Her eyes were slumberous, but hardly with the need for sleep. Every nerve ending in her body was firing.

“Lucas, I want you too. Please. Now.”

Fingers slid from his head, brushed over his shoulders and raked across his back.

 

[dryfter]

“Lucas..”

Her hips were moving, as if she were already accepting his rigid maleness inside her. And yet from her soft moan, and the way his name incorporated it, he knew it was far from satisfying. Gently, he brushed the covers aside until Mirela's toned legs came into view.....spread wide naturally, a soft hiss escaping her as Lucas touched her down there for the first time. A thin finger slowly sliding over her mound to test her heat....

“Lucas..”

His name again, though this time it was a hissed response, her rolling hips freezing at the touch as suddenly she struggled for air and gazed upon him with those beautiful eyes of hers.....

“I.. "

Her mouth went dry, and for a second he thought to kiss her....to drive his tongue into her and demand another taste of her essence, an encore to the dance they had enjoyed but a moment ago....

“Lucas, I want you too. Please. Now.”

Hearing those words, something finally snapped within him. Mostly the need to continue the hours long battle he had waged with his rebellious minion. It was a completely different story if Mirela were willing to become a receptacle for his lust, his desire.....especially.....if his feelings for her were more than just a succubus' fabrications....

A single minute seemed to drag into eternity, the time it took for him to free himself from his loose fitting pants. A moment later, and he was hovered over her, suitably perched between the lovely shopkeeper's outspread, dusky thighs. She had barely had enough time to take in his full girth as it had burst into view. It was the one thing Annalise hadn't let go the route of the bookish nerd like the rest of the body it grew from. His cock had to be enough to satisfy a demoness....to make her cry out and shake no matter how hard she fought against doing so. But now, it wasn't a being of Hell that was beneath him....

Yessss.....

Lucas frowned, almost surprised at how happy the sibilant hiss in his mind was. She couldn't feed off this, he had made sure of that. So why....?

Give it to her. She wants it. Split her poor little pussy in two, make her mold to you. Ruin her for anyone other than you. Make her yours.

Lucas growled softly, shaking his head, trying to clear his mind of the insistent voice that never seemed to completely go quiet. There was no mistaking the small measure of fear in his would be lover's eyes as she gazed upon him and his enhanced endowment. In truth, very few humans were as large as he was.....and almost none of them shared the frail looking body he possessed. Mirela had to have found it shocking to say the least....

A soft slap of his thick cockhead against her heated pussy and he heard her respond, his own breath catching. He really shouldn't be doing this.....but god, he wanted to.....and Mirela had yet to voice an objection.....

Slowly, he pushed down on his thick staff....the purple head dragging with its almost painful sensitivity across her moist slit. He could feel it. Exactly where her folds hid the entrance to her slick depths....could feel her honey dripping out to coat him even now. How was it that she was this worked up too?! Could it be that she actually did have similar feelings for him? As much as he hated to admit it, Annalise had been correct......the succubus could only affect men. This couldn't be her doing. The dream perhaps? No. It had been a nightmare. One that he had woken her up from himself.....

He eased forward....watching her stretch around his thick fucktool just a little at a time. He was in no rush. He wanted her to feel herself, her tight pussy, being taken....invaded by his monster of a dick.....stretched just a little at a time as he went deeper.

And how deep you can go! With that, you should be able to touch her womb easily, master. I wonder if she's ever had it that deep before. Perhaps you should ask her. I bet she'd tell you....

Lucas only response was as soft moan.....a whispered murmuring of Mirela's name as he felt her clutch and tighten around him as her body shifted naturally, taking him in and accommodating as best as she could.....

"So...tight....you feel so good, Mirela....."

He wasn't done, and she had to know it from the way she squirmed. He fed her inch after delicious inch until he finally felt their bodies meet, finally fully seated inside her. When Lucas took the opportunity to look....it was a beautiful sight.....the look on her face, the soft responses even now pouring from her. He was firmly pressed against her gates, and she could no doubt feel him there. Just as she felt him retreat with delicious agonizing slowness.....

His first thrust was truly epic, a carnal depiction of his desire for her, one that drowned out even the crowing delight of his demonic pet. Easily forgotten just by keeping his own gaze on Mirela's face....drinking in her every reaction.....

Before long, he had a rhythm established, and it would be up to her to match the pace. He had his hands full with trying not to pound her right through the mattress. There was no hope for disguising the sound of the headboard slamming repeatedly into the wall.....nor their mingled cries and moans.....

She's ripe, master. In heat. Plant your seed and it will surely grow within her tender womb, steeped in her magic. A proper heir.

Lucas growled softly, a wild part of him wanting to do just that. He could feel the sensitivity in his dick double just from that knowledge. He had not been idle by any means....taking away from the rough battering of her cervix was his duty....to at least attempt. Kisses....caresses.....rough groping and tender little nips of naughty flesh had kept her on edge. He couldn't be too rough with her....it was not his desire to cause pain as it sometimes was when he engaged Annalise. Then again....his little succubus enjoyed pain as much as she did inflicting it....

No.

His answer brought about only silence. God, he wanted to. Wanted to finish inside that perfect little pussy, wanted to make Mirela scream as he coated her with his essence.

She's trusting me. I won't do that to her.

She's a fool for trusting you. Breed her! This is your chance! An heir!

Lucas was having none of it. Instead, enjoying all that was Mirela, and giving back as eagerly as she was. Light kisses drifted across flushed skin, he made sure every soft moan she coaxed from him was felt....pressed against her and hummed approvingly into her very soul. Just as he made sure she wouldn't trap him....not even in the height of her lust.....hooking a coltish thigh with an arm and hearing her squeak as his insistant battering of her womanly hole seemed to increase in depth dangerously. A part of him wondered how much more this lovely gypsy could take.....

Thankfully, he wouldn't have to find out......

With her rendered incapable of locking herself around him, it was easy to gauge when the explosion would happen. Much more difficult to pull from her. Yet pull he did, crying out and shivering softly.....a hand darting down almost immediately to the source of his pain.....a sweat delicious pain that only she had been able to bring out in him.....

 

[DarkWarrioress]

Her eyes fell to watch his hands, unconsciously sucking her bottom lip between her teeth as he undressed himself. There was an urgency to his actions, a rustle of clothing being removed and her eyes slid up his exposed body to his face as he slid between her thighs. Mirela leaned back against the pillows at her back, her fingertips found his hips with a butterfly touch trailing upward along his ribs. Her dark eyes had being following her fingers until she heard him growl softly and they shifted back up to his face, stayed a moment then slipped down over his torso to the length of him that protruded from the trunk of his body. The mere length and girth of him made her suck in her breath.

Dear god. It wasn’t going to fit. It couldn’t possibly fit. Could it?

His cockhead slapped against her femininity. The ache buried deep between her thighs flared. He had to fit. She’d make him fit. With a firm grasp on his cock, he drug the head teasingly across lips. Her lips parted slightly to beg him to enter her as he paused, but she didn’t have to. His hips eased forward, the slanted head of his cock parted the slick lips of her sex, entering her. As he pushed deeper, she felt herself stretch to accommodate his girth. He was stretching her wider, their fit was tight and slick.

A soft moan. Who did that? Her? Him? It hardly mattered. Her name came on a whisper laced of desire and need from him, making her melt more inside even as he eased deeper.

"So...tight....you feel so good, Mirela....."

Tight? Of course she was tight. He was huge. Lucas pressed her back into the mattress with every rock of his hips that snaked him deeper into her tunnel, making her whimper softly from the depths of her throat as her nails raked across his back, leaving behind lines of faint red in their wake. Her hips rose and fell to meet his. Each time he pitched forward, her thighs strained wider apart, pushing her inner core wider. He pressed against her cervix, making her breath catch sharply as a pain shot through her lower abdomen. What made the pain sweet was the knowledge of what caused it. Her hand slid between their bodies, pressing against herself. She could feel him in there.

Lucas was no slouch as a lover. He knew exactly how to send her senses spinning out of control. He fed her desire, stoked her need until her body was wound as tightly as a top ready for the spin off.

“Lucas… oh ..god… Lucas. Pleeeeease.”

Her voice was a whimper. It was a plea. He hooked one of her thighs, lifting it as he pressed deeper. Harder. He sent her spinning. Her body quaked beneath him, pressing up urgently against his. Mirela clung to him in desperation as her orgasm rocked her, the strongest one she had ever experienced. Her face buried into his shoulder.

Mirela laid trembling against him as he suddenly withdrew from her body with a cry. She felt his heated seed coat her skin, pooling upon her lower body. Unable to resist, her hand slid down, fingers coating in the sticky offering. She rolled it across her fingertips, rubbed it into her skin. Lucas continued to stroke himself, shuddering, until there was nothing left to pour on her. Her fingers found him, taking over the stroking of his cock, gently guiding the sensitive head to her slit and rubbing it against her swollen lips, slipping the head slightly between them as she rubbed herself against it, mewing softly. She drew him into her, seating his softening length in her warmth. Mirela’s hands slid up over the curve of his ass to his back, soothing across the small welts she had made there.

 

[dryfter]

The succubus chuckled softly, whispering a dark prayer to even darker gods that she didn't even believe in. Slowly, with a wan look on her face, Annalise sagged softly against the stone and mortared wall of Lucas' agency. He was going to be pissed.....but that will pass as all things do in time. For now though....she had to figure out a way to survive until that time came.....

The blonde's perfection was slipping. Her hair was tousled and no longer kept neatly behind her. Her sexy dress that could be mended with a thought, was now torn and ragged in places. Worse still was the command that rang in her ears every time a lusty teenager glanced her way and the long expanse of thigh that disappeared just at the right time beneath her skirt....an unintentional tease that hardened even the unwary, bringing their true desires screaming to the forefront. They wanted to fuck her. They always wanted to fuck her. Mate her into a screaming sweaty mess and then coat her with their spend. A low moan escaped her as she sagged softly against the the building as the random passerby finally slipped from earshot. She could not feed. Even if they raped her. Even if they used her viciously. That had been the must cruel twist of Lucas' contract. Annalise could not take a soul....not even a slight taste.....unless he willed it.

And now here she lay, nearly completely spent. Knowing that her master was furious at her for what she had just done, and in minutes so would his human tramp of a mistress. It wasn't her fault that the gypsy bitch had wanted more. It wasn't her that had coaxed that dangerously dripping tool back into her wanton, and yes, fertile snatch. It certainly hadn't been Annalise who had moaned as she had been filled again.....not registering Lucas' cry of protest until far too late.

But it had been her who had given up the last remnants of her power for him. For his future. For his lineage. Lucas had experienced a surge of lust and desire unlike anything he had felt all night. Panting and trembling softly, the succubus had smiled at the feelings he emitted and knew he had surged right along with them to bury himself as deeply as he could in her. And by now, Mirela had already experienced how deep that truly was.

It hadn't been nearly as powerful as the original climax, but Annalise had even felt this....the small aftershock that sent a stream of potent seed into the unsuspecting shopkeeper. Lucas was no doubt well aware of it as well, and would have much punishment in store for her when she returned.

Oh, she would return. Her death meant his until he could separate them with his stupid proviso of souls. And he had much work to do towards that. He couldn't afford to die now.....especially when her soul merely went back to Hell.....

She would be more than happy to take his with it.

Now all that was left was to wait and see. The thought of the slender, beautiful Mirela suddenly fat and swollen with Lucas' bastard child was a pleasant one. Not nearly as much so as the thoughts that came to mind when she considered her master's actual feelings for the shopkeeper. Still, her whispered prayers went unheeded by human ears as they slithered through the night.

Get pregnant, whore. Bear his heir. Do not let his line of power end with him, or so help me, by Archimedes himself I will curse you and all who come after you.

Eyes closed slightly as she sat there, content to listen to her own heartbeat and breathing race against each other. She was hungry. He was furious. One would win out for sure.

She had a pretty good idea which one it would be.