Flame of the Succubus Read online

  But I fought to contain my emotions along with the black Flame in my core.

  My strength, my will.

  The black Flame roared brightly now, twice the size of my original Flame. But it was steady, neither growing or contracting.

  "Once you have it under control," Crowley said, "carve out a hollow space within it, and let your original Flame burn within that space. Your black Flame will serve as an infernal mask to hide your true aura."

  The black Flame had seemed to consume my entire Flame, and I could no longer see the white Flame that had burned there before. I stopped using my eyes and reached out with the invisible touch of my mind.

  The outer Flame was acidic and stung the textures of my mind. I probed deeper and found flickers of white light. The inner Flame burned with a searing intensity, but there was no pain. At that moment, I realized it wasn't a fire of destruction, like the outer blackness. It was a fire of cleansing.

  I focused on the inner Flame, letting it grow stronger and carve out its place within the confines of the black outer Flame.

  "You've done it," Crowley said. "Hold the image of this configuration in your mind. It should be stable now."

  I let my mind relax, and the image of the Flame receded while still staying in the same overlapping form.

  "He smells different," Allura said.

  "More like a demon than a human," Ember added. "But I like humans!"

  "I'm still myself," I said.

  "Of course. Now you get to share your new Flame with me!" Ember said excitedly.

  "What about me?" Allura asked.

  I looked to Crowley, but he shook his head. "How you manage your women is up to you," he chuckled. "That's one thing I can't help you with."

  I had agreed to share my Flame with Allura once we had reached the city, and so far, Allura had been patient. She hadn't done anything to violate my trust, although bringing up the obedience collar had been suspicious.

  She could wait a little longer.

  "My priority is masking my scent," I said. "If it's on Ember, I need to change her scent as well. You mentioned that there's more than one way to share my Flame with her?"

  "Yes, but I'll need to explain more about what it means to be a Seeker."

  Ember and Allura had given me scraps, but neither had been qualified to teach me how to be a Seeker. This was what I had been waiting for. I nodded and waited for Crowley to continue.

  "A Seeker is someone in search of destiny," Crowley began. "A Seeker walks the Path of the Flame, cultivating his inner Flame while training his mind and body. As his Flame grows in size and purity, his strength grows as well."

  Crowley was seated on the ground. In the blink of an eye, he was standing in front of me.

  He had moved too quickly for my eye to follow. The others gasped in surprise at his demonstration.

  "That was nothing," Crowley said with a dismissive wave of his hand. He reached out and patted my stomach below my belly button. "Anyway, here's your hearth, the seat of your Flame."

  That's where I had felt a warmth from the Flames before. So it turned out I was right. Things were literally happening in my gut, and it hadn't been my imagination.

  "Do you know how to grow your Flame?" Crowley asked.

  "I can feed it Flame from my surroundings. When I sit and meditate, that's what's happening, right?"

  "That's one way," Crowley said.

  "I have these as well." I reached into the spatial band's portal and pulled out a demon core. "I think I can absorb these, but I thought I'd wait until I found out more."

  "Smart move. The infernal aspect in these cores could have overpowered your natural Flame if you had taken them too quickly."

  Crowley paused. "You would have lost your identity to a storm of uncontrolled emotions like a rabid beast," he said. He seemed to be staring at my chest where the small black stone from my family hung beneath my tunic.

  I touched the memento, which seemed to pulse with a gentle warmth. Or maybe that was my imagination.

  "Shit. Is that why Seekers try to avoid infernal Flame?"

  "Well, some seek it for its raw power, but most mortal Seekers cannot handle an infernal Flame. You, however, are not quite a mortal Seeker, which brings us to my next question. Do you know how to purify your Flame?"

  This time, I was stumped. I had no idea what Crowley was talking about.

  "I don't know," I said, shaking my head.

  "You're actually a special case, from what I can make out." Crowley poked me in my ribs and chest, then under my armpit. He seemed to be searching for something. "Yes, just as I thought."

  I waited for Crowley to explain what he saw.

  "You know that you have demonic ancestry?" he asked.

  "We had a hunch. I could use the obedience collar. Not perfectly, but I could still use it. Does that make me a special kind of Seeker?"

  I heard Allura stir behind me when I mentioned the collar.

  "Indeed, cambions aren't too common in this day and age, but your uniqueness doesn't end there. First, the bad news."

  Bad news? I had been focusing on my newfound strength using the Flame and my sexy group of succubi. I hadn't spent much time dwelling on any downsides. My concern must have been obvious, because Crowley chuckled.

  "Wait until you hear the good news. But back to the bad news. The bad news is that your Nodes have been crippled."

  "Nodes?"

  "As Seekers gain mastery over their Flame, they don't simply increase its size. They channel their Flame purposefully through the Nodes of their body. This cultivation step serves to cleanse and fortify the body, making it stronger. At the same time, the circulating Flame becomes purer, more compact, and more potent. This is an important step for your Path, because once your Flame is mature enough, you can reach the next stage of cultivation. We'll cover that later. But is this clear so far?"

  "I think so." I tried to imagine the Flame moving through my body in the same way my blood flowed through its veins. I guess it made sense, in a way. "Does everyone have Nodes? And why are mine crippled?"

  "Everyone has Nodes, but the Nodes of most people are blocked. One of the first steps to growing stronger as a Seeker is to unblock your first Node."

  "Except you said mine are crippled, not blocked. I'm assuming there's a difference."

  "Right. The bad news is that your Nodes can't be opened. Ever. Your Nodes are damaged beyond repair, and it looks like they've been like that your whole life. One possibility is that someone injured you when you were an infant."

  "What? Why would someone do that?"

  "It's rare, but it happens. A very specific form of revenge, to cripple an heir. But in your case, I believe something else was responsible. I believe you inherited a cursed body."

  "Cursed body?" Jesus Christ. That was bad news. I basically had some kind of spiritual birth defect. I sighed. Win some and lose some with the genetic lottery.

  Ember shook her head. "What does that mean? Aidan's the descendant of a cursed Seeker?"

  I frowned. My dad had been in good enough shape to play on his high school's football team, but I was pretty sure he wasn't a Seeker like what I was seeing in the Abyss.

  "I only know of one case. A great Seeker from long ago was unstoppable, so his foes hatched a devious plan. They sent a beautiful enchantress to him, and he fell for her, blinded by his desire. When he let his guard down, she cursed him, sealing away his Nodes forever."

  I looked at Ember and Allura.

  "I would never…" Allura started saying.

  "Feeling guilty?" Ember snorted.

  "It doesn't matter," I said. "I'm not some powerful Seeker with enemies plotting against me."

  Well, that last part wasn't quite true, but I was pretty sure I had only pissed off normal humans in my former life.

  "Is that all of the bad news?" I asked.

  Crowley grinned. "Indeed. Now we move on to the good news. This great Seeker also happened to be the son of a human and demon. A cambion."
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  "Wait a minute…" It was too similar to be a coincidence. A cursed body. A mix of demon and human bloodlines. "You think I'm his descendant? The Seeker you mentioned."

  Crowley's voice grew lower. "Possibly. I wouldn't mention it to anyone beyond these walls. But I have to ask one more thing." He turned to Ember. "Did you attempt to drain his Flame?"

  Ember's cheeks turned crimson. "I mean, when we first met, I didn't know…" She threw her arms around me. "You know I wouldn't do that to you now!" she cried.

  "There, there." I stroked Ember's wings. "We've been through a lot. We both know more about each other now, don't we?"

  Ember nodded and moved away.

  "So you did?" Crowley pressed.

  "Yes," Ember said in a small voice.

  "Interesting," Crowley said. "I wonder if that's what…" he trailed off, muttering to himself. He looked up after a moment. "Back to you. Or rather to Ember, here."

  "Me?" Ember asked.

  I looked at her curiously. She was linked to me. Did Crowley understand how that worked?

  "As she may have told you," Crowley said, "lesser demons like succubi cannot cultivate their Flame."

  "She mentioned that," I said.

  Crowley continued. "Lesser demons have blocked Nodes, but since they can never grow their Flame, they can never open their Nodes. That is until you came along. The interaction between Ember's attempt to feed on your Flame and your own mixed heritage seems to have cracked one of Ember's Node's partially open. Not completely, mind you, but a partial crack."

  "I knew it!" Ember exclaimed. "And you can open it up all the way eventually. That's what I felt before, the partial opening."

  Ember had mentioned something about being incomplete or on the cusp of being finished. Was that her Node? She seemed to think so. "There's more, though. We're connected somehow. I can share my Flame with her."

  Crowley grunted and nodded. "Your body is somehow linked to Ember's. It's recognizing her Nodes as its own. You've already shared a portion of your Flame with her. I believe your Flame can fully open her Nodes. Then, you'll be able to circulate your Flame through Ember's Nodes as if they were your own. You'll have your own Path. A quite unique one, if I might say."

  My Flame would be taking using Ember's body in place of my own crippled Nodes, treating us as one body. That likely meant we would both grow stronger together.

  She had already gained the ability to manifest her portion of Flame, and that was only with a partially opened Node. Meanwhile, my own strength and speed had definitely improved, although not as drastically as when Ember used her Flame.

  I had a path forward, or rather, a Path. My own Path of the Flame.

  Still, I had the feeling that Crowley had left something out, perhaps deliberately.

  "How many Nodes does a human have?" I asked. "And how many does a succubus have?"

  "Twelve for humans," Crowley said. "Three for succubi. In either case, the more Nodes you open, the more powerful you should become."

  I nodded and looked to Allura, who had been listening eagerly, her eyes narrowed and calculating. She must have wondered where she fit into the equation, with Ember already in place.

  "If I can take one succubus as my own, who's to say I can't take another?" I asked, meeting Allura's eyes as I spoke. "And another after that? If I'm not limited by my own body…"

  I could unlock more and more Nodes, using more proxy Nodes. Would there be a bound on the limits of my Flame?

  "Very good!" Crowley clapped with one hand against his thigh. He seemed to always have one hand inside his clothes. The few times I had seen it, he was holding that dark cup he always carried.

  "You see, don't you?" Crowley asked. "This is the actual good news. You're not limited by a single body. I believe that the combined strength of you and your succubus companions could outstrip what you would accomplish on your own.'

  "How many succubi could I have?"

  "I have to warn you that with Flame, quality matters more than quantity. As your Flame grows, you can grow your succubi's strength along with your own. If your body, in your case, your group of succubi, grows too quickly, you'll outpace the ability of your Flame to fuel it. Add too few, and you may not reach your full potential, either."

  I looked to the two beautiful women on either side of me. I would have to cultivate them, along with my own Flame. I would be training not just myself, but them as well. And there was the possibility of more succubi in the future as well.

  Just like that, my luck had changed. I would be a succubus trainer, like I had joked earlier.

  I smiled. "You were right, Crowley."

  "Oh?"

  "Saving the good news for last," I said with a chuckle.

  Crowley grinned back at me. "Which leads us to the question of how to circulate your Flame."

  "Right. Any pointers?"

  "I'm afraid you'll have to experiment on your own, as this is new Seeker territory. Plus…" Crowley gestured to the two succubi. "I assume it's a rather private affair. But I do believe you should be able to circulate your Flame without physical contact. It may be weaker, but it will be good practice. Either way, you should be quick about changing Ember's scent with your reformed Flame."

  "Let me try without contact first." I wanted Crowley to coach me if I needed to improve something, but not while I was in bed with a woman. That would be rather weird.

  I focused on my Flame again, and I readily picture the black Flame in my gut. I could sense the white Flame just underneath the surface. The configuration had held, just like Crowley had predicted.

  Ember was several steps to my side. I reached for her with my Flame, and a small tongue of black and white Flame leaped for her, the black portion still masking the inner component. The spark landed within Ember, and she let out a small sound of surprise. Then, she giggled.

  "It's working!" Ember cried.

  At first, the Flame was clumsy, responding sluggishly to my will. I soon learned that the Flame naturally moved along certain paths within Ember. When I gave a gentle push to guide my Flame along these paths, it moved more smoothly. Soon, the spark of Flame had completed a circuit, and it returned to me. I realized I had closed my eyes from the effort. I opened to find Crowley beaming in pride.

  "Well done. Well done. That is how you circulate your Flame. By cultivating it properly, it will burn brighter and hotter, lending you its strength whenever you have need. Repeat that at least ten times, and your human scent should be gone from her."

  Crowley looked up urgently, as if he had heard something.

  "What is it?" I asked.

  Crowley shrugged and pointed at the sole entrance to the room. "Go out and turn right. Go straight for a hundred yards and turn right again. You'll find a similar room. There's not much, but it has a simple bed and a door."

  In a flash, he was standing at the room's entrance. "I'll leave you to your succubi."

  "Where are you going?" I asked.

  In the distance, I heard a faint cry. "Human!"

  Fuck. The Imperial agent was still coming for me. Ember and Allura gave me worried looks.

  Crowley seemed utterly unconcerned. "Don't mind him. Go. Remember, ten more cycles, and your scent should be clean." He took one step through the doorway. "I believe you have a date with your women, and I have a date with an Imperial agent. Return here tomorrow for further training."

  With that, Crowley disappeared again.

  CHAPTER 14

  The succubi and I immediately went the other direction, as Crowley and indicated. We heard faint voices in the distance, then nothing.

  "You think Crowley can handle an Imperial agent?" I asked.

  "I hope so," Allura said, but she sounded doubtful. "Imperial agents are quite powerful."

  "Well, he is a master of the Beggar's Guild," Ember said, although she sounded uncertain as well.

  "We better hurry and get my old scent off you, then," I said.

  We found the room Crowley had mentioned. It was smal
ler than the first underground room, but this one had a bed with simple but clean linens against one wall and a door that shut.

  Pretty much all that I needed for a session with my succubi. Crowley had been well-prepared for us. I had to trust that he would do his part.

  We entered and shut the wooden door behind us. Ember hopped on the bed, while Allura leaned against the wall.

  "What now?" Ember asked.

  "Ten more rounds, like Crowley said," I replied.

  Once again, I focused on sending my Flame through Ember. This time, it was easier, as I already had an idea of the path my Flame would naturally take. Its path swept a small circle in her torso, which seemed rather constricted to me.

  Was that what Crowley meant by blocked Nodes? When I opened her Node, would the Flame travel further?

  I didn't want to mess around with an Imperial agent on our trail, though, so I focused on completing the ten cycles. At the end of ten rounds, the inner Flame seemed slightly brighter or crisper in color to my mind's eye. I took that to be a good sign.

  "How do you feel?" I asked Ember.

  "Good." Ember stretched with her arms and wings spread wide. "Slightly different, but good."

  There had been no sign of the Imperial agent. Either Crowley had taken care of him, or the Imperial agent had lost our trail. Hopefully, both.

  "What's next?" Allura asked. "Or rather, who?"

  Her red eyes looked at me with fresh hunger. She wanted me. She wanted my Flame.

  I held up a hand. "Let's wait a few minutes to make sure the coast is clear."

  "Fine." Allura moved to sit on the bed next to Ember. "But don't dawdle. Us girls can get impatient."

  "Speak for yourself," Ember said. "He can take as long as he wants with me." Ember opened her mouth wide, giving me a view of her tonsils.

  "Just a few more minutes." I hadn't made up my mind yet what I would do next. I was leaning towards fulfilling my bargain with Allura. That would test Crowley's claim that I could raise a bevy of succubi connected to my Flame.

  "By the way," I said, "Crowley mentioned an ancient Seeker. A possible ancestor of mine. Do either of you know anything about that? Any idea who that was?"