Flame of the Succubus Page 20

  Both halves of my Flame retreated back to me in a rush, leaving me breathless for a moment.

  I blinked. "What technique was that?" My Swordsight had glimpsed a portion of the technique, but it had been too fast for even my Flame-infused eyes, at least at my current level of understanding.

  Yaeger scowled, ignoring my question. "You summoned a Shadowform? Do you know how dangerous that is?"

  "For you or for me?"

  "Don't be stupid. I was never in danger."

  The words stung, but I knew he likely spoke the truth. He was a master swordsman, and I was still a student. I simply nodded. "Understood. What's a Shadowform?"

  He raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me this was the first time you've summoned one?"

  "I think so?" Then again, when I had fought the boviary at the city gates, I had glimpsed a dark from… "The first time like that, at least."

  Yaeger shook his head, chuckling now. "You're a lively one, aren't you? I'm beginning to see why Crowley's taken in an interest in you."

  "So what's a Shadowform?"

  "A doppelganger made of your infernal Flame. It's dangerous because it can turn on the summoner, taking over the body of an inexperienced Seeker."

  Shit. That thing could take over me? I had known that my infernal Flame could get out of control if I wasn't careful, but I hadn't realized it could take on a life of its own.

  That made sense, though, if Flame was responsible for all life, I shouldn't have been surprised to find out that it could take on a life of its own. The manuals I had read had also contained some kind of living Flame, although in that case it had been helpful.

  "I'll be more careful next time."

  "You shouldn't be so quick to reach for your infernal Flame. The power is easy and seductive, but it will twist your Path if you're not strong enough to contain it."

  Yaeger paused to consider me for another moment. "The manuals worked, then."

  I grinned. "Definitely. Although, I'm not sure about Swordsight. I couldn't quite catch that last move you did—"

  "You weren't meant to."

  He had hidden the technique from me on purpose, then. I didn't blame him for not wanting to share all his secrets with a stranger, but that meant my Swordsight wasn't perfect. It had limitations, just like my understanding of the Bladebrush style.

  The manuals had given me a jump start, but they couldn't replace experience and skill in the long run.

  Yaeger gave a short wave of his hand, and his sword vanished. In its place was a small black dagger.

  "More?" I asked. I took on another fighting stance.

  "No, we're done with that. I've seen enough to know the manuals were effective. After this last part, I'll have fulfilled my end of the bargain."

  Bargain? Did he mean Crowley's purchase? I stared as Yaeger cut the meat of his hand with the black dagger. A small pool of dark blood formed in the palm of his hand.

  Yaeger gestured for my sword. "Give it."

  I hesitated. What the hell was he doing?

  "Hurry," Yaeger barked.

  I handed over my sword. Yaeger ran his blood-filled hand along the edge of my sword, coating in crimson blood. His hand glowed with Flame as he washed my sword's blade in his blood, and when he was done, my blade remained a crimson color.

  Yaeger handed me back my sword. The dagger was gone, and in its place was a rag he used to wipe his cut hand.

  "It's a Bloodstain," he said. "It can cut through Flame, but that won't make a difference against a much more powerful Seeker. And don't forget. A sword's only as good as the one who wields it."

  The purple-skinned man had sold his magic blood to Crowley? Damn. "Doesn't everyone want a piece of you?"

  Yaeger bared his teeth. "They're welcome to try. Ordinary steel won't even scratch my skin." He paused. "Still, it would be wise to keep silent about the Bloodstain. Few know of it, and it passes on to the next generation."

  I glanced upward towards the shop. His daughter. While he could protect himself if others came for his blood, I wasn't sure if his daughter could do the same.

  I nodded. "Of course. And thank you. You must be close to Crowley." He was taking a big leap of faith in trusting Crowley's judgment of me. If I betrayed Crowley, I could spill his secret and put his daughter at risk as well.

  Then again, hadn't I had plenty of opportunities to betray Crowley? I could have run off with the money like Allura had first suggested. Crowley's trust had been earned, not freely given, at each step along the way.

  "The old man and I have a history," Yaeger said. "That's for sure." He grunted and headed toward the staircase, indicating that my time here was over.

  I followed him back upstairs to find Ember and Allura deep in conversation with Helix. They immediately stood when they saw us enter the shop. Ember was beaming with pride, Allura was smirking, and Helix was blushing.

  "What have you two been doing? I asked.

  "Corrupting my daughter, from the looks of it," Yaeger growled. He motioned for Helix to move to his side.

  Ember winked. "I wasn't exaggerating. He's really that good," she whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear.

  Yaeger scowled at me. "I don't care what Crowley thinks. Touch my daughter, and you're dead."

  Helix looked at me with wide purple eyes as she tugged on his arm. "Dad! That's not fair!"

  The man had helped me out, so I didn't want to upset him. But his daughter had been after me the whole time.

  "Isn't it up to her?" I asked.

  "Out!" Yaeger roared. "We're done!"

  "Okay, okay. Ember. Allura." My succubi followed me out of the shop. When I glanced backward, I caught Helix staring at me.

  "She's interested in you," Allura said.

  "So I gathered," I said. "But her father doesn't seem too keen about that. What's that to you, anyways? I already have you two."

  "We were only trying to help you along," Allura purred.

  "Help me?" She was after something. She had to be.

  "Her father's rich now," Ember said as if that explained everything.

  "So? I'm not stealing from him."

  "His daughter would come with a dowry that matches his wealth," Allura said.

  Oh. It was the damn money again.

  "Forget the money. It was Crowley's. Now it's Yaeger's. Anyway, I got what we came for. He taught me a bunch of Seeker techniques, so don't piss him off."

  We headed back to Crowley's underground lair, reversing the directions that had brought us to Yaeger.

  Ember questioned me about what had happened along the way, and I explained to the two succubi how the manuals had worked, as well as my encounter with Yaeger. I left out the part about the Bloodstain. My sword was sheathed, so they couldn't see its altered color anyway.

  "Do you think I could use a manual" Allura asked. "I've heard about Seeker needle techniques." Allura was quiet for a moment. "Yaeger must have more manuals in that basement of his."

  I knew what she was after. Again. I rolled my eyes, earning a small giggle from Ember.

  "No, absolutely not. Don't even think about stealing a manual. Besides, I thought we were doing pretty well coming up with our own techniques."

  Allura gave me a sweet, innocent smile. "As you wish, master. I'm sure we could come up with even more exciting techniques tonight." She ran her hands down the front of her body, indicating exactly what kind of techniques she had in mind.

  I ignored her display. Encouraging a succubus too much could be distracting, and I couldn't afford distractions in the Abyss. At least not too many.

  "We could call it Exploding Needles," I said. "No, that sounds lame. Needle Grenades. No, that's even worse…"

  "What about Shattershard?" Ember asked.

  "Perfect."

  Ember smiled at my approval, but there was a hint of longing in her eyes. I would take her tonight, if nothing else interrupted us. I was sure that my Flame had grown strong enough to open a second Node after receiving Yaeger's gifts.

&n
bsp; "I like it, too," Allura declared.

  We walked on in silence for a moment as a pair of figures in gray robes hustled past us. I tensed for a moment, ready for more thieves, but the figures disappeared down the street without bothering us.

  "Do you think we'll see them again?" Ember asked while strolling next to me, her wings fluttering idly. "Helix was kind of cute."

  This time I gave Ember a stern look. "I have my hands full with the two of you. She's not worth the trouble."

  Still, I had to admit I was intrigued by Helix, and not just by her attractive appearance. If her blood carried the same enchanting properties as Yaeger's, she might be useful. Maybe Allura could coat her needles in it? Or Ember's claws…

  "Why's Yaeger a potter?" Allura asked. "He clearly has access to great power. I would never become a potter if I had his wealth."

  I shrugged. "He got tired of the Seeker life? Wanted to settle down? Beats me. We could ask Crowley. They seemed to know each other."

  Allura suddenly grabbed my arm, her posture alert. "Up ahead."

  An open area ahead of us where three roads intersected was crowded and noisy. We slowed and moved to the quiet side of the street.

  Two groups were in some kind of standoff at the intersection, the leaders of each group engaged in a heated conversation. The rowdy onlookers were egging them on.

  One side had red arm bands on their upper arms. The other side wore matching silver robe and also carried themselves with a kind of military precision.

  "Soldiers from the Blood Army," I whispered. "What's the other one? Police? Another army?"

  "A sect," Ember whispered back. "I'll check it out."

  Before I could stop her, Ember had crossed the street to join the crowd watching the shouting men. I was worried that Ember would draw too much attention. I mean, she was an attractive woman in a revealing dress, and you didn't see much of that around here.

  Some figures in the crowd glanced at Ember when she approached, but they quickly looked away. Come to think of it, I hadn't noticed many people here, demons or otherwise, checking out the succubi in the Abyss.

  "Are they afraid of her?" I asked Allura as we watched from the side.

  "Afraid, or simply smart enough to know that falling for a succubus's charms can be deadly." Allura nudged me as she spoke, her leg brushing against mine.

  I snorted. "What does that make me?"

  "A brave hero who's immune to our powers."

  Was I? I was getting too comfortable with the succubi. It was too easy to forget that they were deadly demons of seduction. Even now, in the midst of possible danger, Allura was trying to toy with me. Then again, I couldn't blame a succubus for being, well, a succubus. I would need to train her.

  I reached beneath her dress, grabbing her tail near the base. I tugged firmly, not enough to cause any pain, but enough to tell her who was in charge. I pulled her to my side as I whispered in her ear.

  "Flattery and flirting will only get you so far. See Ember over there? She does her best to please me. She's earned my bed for tonight."

  I sent a thin stream of Flame through Allura's Node, reminding her of what she could have if she behaved.

  Allura lowered her eyes. "I'm sorry, master, I—"

  I cut her off. "No need for apologies. But there's a time for playing, and a time to be serious." I let go of her tail.

  "Yes, master."

  Ember returned. "The Blood Army is still looking for unregistered Outsiders. They want to search the sect's compound in the city, but the sect refuses to let them anywhere near their place."

  "Why would the sect refuse? Are there more Outsiders in the sects?" I asked.

  "That's likely," Allura said. "Sects recruit the strongest Seekers they can find. Since lesser demons can't become Seekers, Outsiders are common among the sects. In essence, all Seekers are Outsiders or greater demons."

  More Outsiders. They could be allies, then, now that the Emperor was singling them out. A refuge from the Blood Army and Imperial agents until I was strong enough to challenge them directly.

  I briefly considered lingering in case a fight broke out between the soldiers and sect members. I might have been able to pick up a technique or two with my Swordsight. It was too risky, though.

  "I want to find out more about these sects," I said. "But not now. Let's go."

  We gave the arguing groups a wide berth and continued on our way when there was a series of loud shouts followed by a mix of panicked screams and cheering applause from the crowd.

  I turned around to find most of the crowd fleeing, leaving an empty spot at the intersection. There was a body on the ground, and blood as well, although I couldn't see clearly with the commotion.

  I gripped my sword's hilt as we slowly walked away from the violence. Even the city of Duskfall, which had seemed like some kind of haven at first sight, wasn't safe from the dangers of the Abyss or the Obsidian Emperor. I needed more power, and quickly.

  We arrived back in the underground tunnels, but Crowley wasn't around. The three of us returned to the room that was now our temporary home in Duskfall.

  I was ready to move on to the next step of my growth. I moved to my bed.

  "Ember," I said. "Take your clothes off and come here."

  Tonight, I would open my second Node.

  CHAPTER 21

  Ember's face nearly split open with the size of her smile. She tore her dress open in one swift motion. Her breasts spilled out into the open, bouncing as she stalked over to me.

  "Uh, don't you need that afterwards?" I asked.

  "Don't worry about that, master," Ember said as she bent over me and thrust her right breast toward my mouth.

  I obliged, licking the pink nipple before taking it inside my mouth. I sucked hard as I continued flicking the nipple with my tongue until it stood erect.

  Ember moaned and pushed her breast harder into my mouth. I sucked the taut nipple even more forcefully, then let it slip out of my mouth a little, before I sucked it up greedily again.

  I grabbed her left breast with my hand and pinched the still soft nipple. Ember let out a small squeak as I pinched harder, and the soft flesh swelled with blood, rapidly turning stiff. I then grabbed both breasts, one in each hand, as I roamed over her chest with my tongue, licking the middle of her cleavage and kissing my way up her neck to her sweet lips.

  Our mouths met in a rush of panting breaths.

  "Aidan. Aidan." Ember moaned my name over and over into my mouth as we kissed.

  We tussled against each other's tongues, lapping up each other's saliva with a rabid thirst.

  A warm set of hands crept down to my waist and tugged on my trousers. Ember stripped me naked, being careful not to tear my clothes as she had done with her own dress.

  Ember broke the kiss and began working her way down my body with her mouth, reversing what I had done to her before. She didn't stop at my chest, though. Her wet tongue and full lips continued their journey down my stomach until they reached my groin. Her tongue lingered on the side of my balls as she took first one, then the other into her mouth, tugging just a little bit too hard. When I grunted, Ember looked up into my eyes and giggled.

  "Like that?" she asked with a twinkle in her eyes.

  I responded by grabbing her hair on either side and directing her mouth to the tip of my cock.

  "Like this?" I asked.

  Ember laughed and swallowed my cock, taking me deep into the back of her throat with the first thrust. Her lips closed around the base of my cock, and her tongue snaked out to tickle the bottom of my balls as her throat swallowed me.

  Ember tried to raise her head, but I thrust my crotch deeper into her face. At the same time, I reached up with one hand to grab a horn and pull her toward me. Ember gargled something, but I couldn't make out what she was trying to say.

  "Turn around while I'm still inside you," I ordered. "I want to look inside you while you pleasure me."

  Ember's eyes laughed as they met mine. She shifted po
sition, her throat spinning around my cock. Now her bare ass was in front of my face.

  "Actually," I said, "that felt kind of good. Why don't you spin your throat around my cock one more time?"

  Ember scrambled with her legs and arms as she spun again around me, deepthroating me the entire time. The muscles of her throat spasmed as she spun, sending quivers of pleasure rippling down my sensitive shaft.

  As she completed her turn, my inner white Flame surged into a small spiral of its own, as if mimicking her motion.

  Circles. Circulation. Something about cycles seem to resonate with my Flame.

  When Ember completed her circle, I wrapped an arm around each of her thighs, locking her in place. I spread her thighs apart and leaned forward to kiss her mound.

  "Keep fucking me with your throat," I said.

  Ember murmured her agreement, the vibrations of her vocal cord tickling the tip of my cock.

  As Ember's head bounced up and down on my cock, I leaned forward and slid my tongue in between her pussy's lips, catching the sweet, slightly musky taste of her pink flesh. I plunged my tongue into her, and Ember lifted her head off my cock with a gasp. She flapped her wings once, crying out in pleasure.

  "Master, that feels wonderful," Ember crooned.

  "Good," I said. "But I didn't tell you to stop."

  I wrapped my ankles around the back of Ember's head and pushed it back down onto my crotch. At the same time, I continued kissing Ember's clit and thrusting my tongue in and out of her now dripping hole.

  My Flame had been leaking down Ember's throat this whole time, and I sensed it pooling within her body. As we continued pleasuring each other, a small trickle of Flame began returning to me from her pussy into my mouth.

  Her Node wasn't open yet, and I couldn't circulate my Flame through her body properly. But in this passionate embrace, I was still able to force my flame to circulate, even a little bit.

  I began thrusting my hips into Ember's face, slowly at first, then faster and faster. I worked her pussy with my mouth more vigorously, trying to taste the deepest parts of her sweet flesh. I parted her butt cheeks with my hands now, exposing her asshole and rubbing my thumb over it. I moved my mouth to the side for a moment to slip a finger into her pussy, wetting it with her juices. I then slid my lubricated finger into her asshole, worming it inside, forcing her sphincter muscles to stretch and expand.