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THEREN

Fae Realm

“So, the succubae were born in Mount Dolgum?” I question as we hurry through a dense cluster of trees that smells faintly sweet. I know this forest well, for I often spent time hidden among the gnarled, twisted branches to escape my father’s cruelty. “Then why are there legends about the volcano?”

“Because that was where Gildlorthoine bred his harem,” Pyre responds.

“It’s said the incubus simply crawled out of the magma and mated with a hybrid that was part harpie and part siren.

Their daughter was the first succubus. Through the ages, they became stronger and the seductive properties of their kind were legendary through the realms,” Pyre finishes.

He unstraps the bow from his back and pulls the string until his knuckles brush his cheek. He releases the arrow. It whistles through the air and strikes an orc between the eyes. It’s so far away that I see only a blur of movement as the body hits the ground.

“And the succubae would return to the volcano to breed when they reached their fertile age?” I ask.

“Yes,” the necromancer replies. “Gildlorthoine chose Lamia as his queen because she was the fiercest warrior and had birthed several impressive daughters.”

I see Dragan flinch at the mention of the succubae queen.

I know the story as well as everyone. If not for Lamia’s betrayal, Dragan and Cambion may have had a chance winning the war.

And Pyre fought beside them that fateful day with his army of the dead.

Even then, Pyre’s magic made me uneasy. Necromancy pushes boundaries even I’m unwilling to cross.

While blood magic is powered by life force, it requires the subject to still be alive.

Though taboo, my powers are nowhere near as frowned on as Pyre’s.

He catches me watching him and quirks a brow.

The hue of his scarlet hair is a startling contrast to his pale skin and white eyes.

Pyre’s mask was broken in the fight at Oronrel, so the sharpness of his otherworldly features is now on full display.

I suddenly wonder if he’s had Eilish. I know they’ve spent much time together…

Baron nearly mows me down as he fails to slow his momentum. An army of orcs is on his tail. The others break away from me and begin to fight. Rope still digs into my wrists, but I crouch low, ready for whatever comes my way.

Orcs swarm me, and one rushes forward. I turn away as if to retreat, but I run up the trunk of a large tree and flip over his head, causing the orc to smack into the trunk and fall over dead.

Luckily for the rest of us, orcs aren’t known for their intelligence.

Two more reach for me. I kick one in the chest and then drop to the ground before the other can tackle me.

Hands grip my hair, but I roll away in time to avoid the next attack, bringing my knee up and slamming it into the belly of my opponent.

Dragan, accidentally or not, tosses an orc right at me.

The thing pushes me into a tree and I feel the air punched out of my lungs.

Then Dragan kills the fucker and nods at me in apology.

I nod in return. Of all of them, I’m most grateful to Pyre for healing me as much as he has. At least now I can move without the pain of broken bones. No, my health isn’t fully restored to me but I feel a hell of a lot better, all the same.

I catch my breath and turn to look at Baron.

The vampire seems skilled with a blade—I watch him slice through the orcs with practiced ease.

Pyre pulls back on his bowstring and fires arrow after arrow without blinking.

His aim is beyond anything I’ve ever witnessed, despite the fact he’s blind.

I turn around long enough to see an orc with a bubbly, distorted face rush me with a serrated sword.

It catches my shoulder as a sharp jab hits me in the kidney, but I don’t go down.

The orc with the wicked-looking blade pulls back to attack again.

I kick it in the knee, hearing the crunch of bones as it accidentally decapitates another orc.

“Anyone want to untie me?” I shout.

“Fuck no!” Baron responds.

I roll my eyes at the vampire and decide his response was just the answer I was looking for. They won’t release me and they won’t ever treat me as their equal, owing to the shit I’ve done. They don’t care if I was under Morrigan’s spell. They don’t trust me and they never will.

And that means there’s no reason for me to stay here—as their prisoner. Especially now that I’ve got the opportunity to flee. So I take it.

I turn around and run deeper into the woods.

Getting away from the bulk of the horde is my best bet.

A second or so later, I’m taken down. Greasy, bluish hands batter my ribcage.

I sidestep and circle the orc like a beast on the prowl.

The orc swings, and I use my elbow to jab him in the midsection.

The smell of bloated, diseased flesh fills my nostrils.

He lunges. I rear back before slamming my elbow into the side of the orc’s head.

I feel myself growing dizzy, because I’m still not fully healed, but I attack over and over while taking blows to the rest of my body.

“Theren!” Dragan calls as he appears beside me. My escape attempt wasn’t much of an attempt at all and I wonder if he even realizes that’s what it was.

“Here!” I jump back to put some distance between myself and the putrid orc. “I could really use some help right about now.” Scanning the area around me, I see no sign of Dragan, but more orcs approach from the left. I curse beneath my breath. “Any fucking time, gargoyle!”

The horde nearly reaches me at the same instant the others appear. Pyre catches an orc with a vicious uppercut that sends the creature sprawling, while Baron stabs another in the head.

I move so Dragan and I are back to back. “Never thought we’d be fighting like this,” I say.

“Never thought you’d be fighting on our side again,” he responds, like the asshole he is.

My reply is nothing more than a pained grunt as a fist bashes into my abdomen.

Pyre shoves me forward and the three of us make for the volcano once more as Baron stays behind.

I don’t look back. I can’t. Eilish needs me.

What comes for her is much stronger than Morrigan and Variant combined. “How far until we reach the volcano?”

Pyre fires another arrow and then uses the hard end to hit an orc upside the head. He spins, eyes flickering like white orbs in the darkness. “It’s a three-hour climb.”

His words do nothing to ease the tension in my body. Dragan doesn’t seem too pleased, either. Strangely, they both seem impressed—albeit begrudgingly—by my ability to fight while restrained.

***

CAMBION

Mercenary Stronghold

I thrum my fingers against the top of the table.

Galmer sits across from me with a dark expression on his face, still silent after I brought to light what nearly happened to Eilish.

We need Galmer and his followers as allies, but if Eilish isn’t safe here, I’ll leave immediately… taking her with me.

“While I fully understand the seduction of a succubus is hard to resist, I assume your men will take necessary precaution when around Lady Fulthain from here on out,” I say.

“She warned us that something like this was possible,” Galmer mutters.

“I apologize, and I will extend that apology to the lady herself when she visits in the morning. Thank you for bringing this to my attention before anything worse could have transpired. Hemoteph and Draken may not be saints, but they are good men. But even good men make stupid mistakes. This will not happen again.”

“Thank you, King Galmer.” We bow our heads in simultaneous respect and I leave the Hall of Clans to return to the Vindication headquarters.

The night grows darker as I find myself standing in front of Eilish’s tent.

“Eilish?” I call.

I hear shuffling beyond the barrier between us just moments before the tent flap opens and Eilish stands before me.

Her skin is flushed and plump as if she’s just stepped out from a bath.

Water clings to her tresses and a faint fragrance of wildflowers tickles my nose, but it’s still not strong enough to hide her scent.

And her scent is stronger now than I’ve ever witnessed it. She needs to feed and she’s forsaking herself for not doing so.

“Eilish…”

“You should go. The hunger is getting worse and I don’t want to ruin this… new friendship between us.”

“This isn’t a friendship.”

“I don’t do this on purpose, Cambion,” she says with sad eyes. “Lock me away or tie me down far from the stronghold so I’m not a danger to anyone. I hate being like this, and no one else deserves to be lured against their will.”

I duck inside her tent and face her in earnest. “You’ll hurt yourself if you don’t feed, Eilish. The hunger and the pain will only get worse until the fever takes over completely.”

“It’s better than what will happen if I feed from someone who isn’t strong enough to handle it, someone who is innocent.

” She shivers with revulsion and casts her gaze around the room.

“If I succumb to this… hunger, then everything you once thought about me would be right. I’d be no better than Lamia and Morrigan. ”

“I’m strong enough.”

She looks at me and shakes her head. “You still need to rest and heal, Cambion. You aren’t fully recovered.”

I move across the room in the blink of an eye. “Let me help you,” I whisper.

“Cambion…”

“I’m strong enough. You won’t hurt me.”

She pauses as she studies my face, trying to decide if I’m telling the truth. I’m not sure if I am but it no longer matters. I want her as much as she wants me. And we’ve both waited long enough.

“There’s still… animosity between us,” she says.

“There’s still animosity from you to me, you mean to say,” I correct her.

She nods.

“What better way to remove it?” I ask. “Let this be the way we start over. I know you’re still angry with me and I know I have to repent for the things I’ve done but if you truly meant what you said earlier—that we have larger enemies on which to focus, then show me by allowing me to quench your hunger. ”

“I must feed soon,” she says on a deep exhale. “The fever and the need have been coming quicker now that you’re here. It’s as though my desire for you fuels my succubus appetite, or maybe it’s the angel’s appetite? I’m not sure.”

“It doesn’t matter, Eilish. This is your body telling you what you need. Listen to it.”

She hesitates maybe another few seconds but then she closes the distance between us. Her lips are on mine as I peel away the silk of her robe, dropping it to the floor as I thirst to see her naked. Once I do, I take in the beauty of her curves as much as I can before she forces me down on the cot.

Eilish is soft in my hands and I can’t remember why I denied us both for so long. My palms slide along the curve of her hips. She bites and nibbles her way down my neck, reaching for the laces of my trousers, but I stay her hand. Her eyes fill with confusion as she looks down at me.

“I won’t fuck you, Eilish. That’s not what this is about.”

“Then?” she starts, confused.

“No more talking,” I say as I kiss the corner of her mouth and spread her legs gently. Then I switch places with her, settling her down on the cot as I drop down between her legs. I leave kisses on her thighs as I trail to her sex and lick up her slit, loving the taste of her on my tongue.

She grips my head and yanks it upward. “We don’t have time for that,” she says. “I want you and I want you inside me… now,” she says.

I unlace my pants and slide them over my waist as she tugs open my robes. My footwear falls to the ground with the rest of our apparel and I move over her gracefully. Eilish is impatient, but I enter her inch by inch, feeling the wet grip of her channel.

She cries out once I’m fully ensconced within her and a bright white light emanates from her body as her wings shoot from her back, arching around each of us. The light is blinding and I have to close my eyes against it. Moments later, it extinguishes itself.

I open my eyes and find her staring up at me as her wings sink back into her flesh. “Are you okay?” I ask.

She nods and I began finding my rhythmn within her, pushing into her and pulling out again. Every thrust feels like heaven and the glow of her skin transfers to me, until we’re both glowing from head to toe. And the feel of electricity hums along my skin.

“I remember,” she whispers. I look into her blue eyes, feeling as though I could get lost in them. “I remember this,” she continues. “The way you feel, the light that fills my body.”

“I’ve missed you,” I whisper.

Her eyes flood with tears and I kiss them away. Eilish trembles with each slow thrust as I change the angles of our body to stroke her deeper. Nails bite into the muscle of my back as I lift her right leg and place it on my shoulder, opening her wider for my claim.

The throes of her first climax hit me like a hammer to the gut and I hold back from spilling my seed too soon. Her hands roam the contours of my flesh as I feel the sensation of her magic unfurl within me.

“Yes... take what you need,” I mutter.

The feeling spreads until I’m overwhelmed.

Eilish gasps and moans, meeting my thrusts with unbridled desire.

I pick up speed, slamming into her with powerful snaps of my hips until she shatters once again.

Her power grows stronger, wrapping around us like a cocoon of warm light.

I use my thumb to brush away another stray tear.

The light surrounding us begins to grow brighter.

“You are beautiful and strong,” I say, my voice more air than sound. “I’m unworthy of this gift, Eilish. If the world should end tomorrow, I’m grateful you chose me.”

“Cambion!” Her lip quivers and I slide my mouth over hers. “I need your seed,” she whispers. And the words thrill me.

Her cries morph into ragged groans of pleasure until it’s too much. The force of our passion is so strong, my arms just barely keep me from crushing the delicate creature beneath me.

I continue to kiss her through the waves of pleasure until we’re reduced to nothing more than a pile of flesh and bone, blood and soul.

And it’s then that I release myself within her. When I pull out of her, I notice the black tendrils of her hair are now white.