Innocent Devil’s Harem Ch. 91 (BOOK 7)

July 9, 2022

NOTE: I’m posting another bonus chapter of Combat Healer today (Aug 14) to make up for the few months when I didn’t release any of that story (and that will likely be the last 'bonus chapter' for a while, for real this time).

ALSO: Next week (Aug 21) will be the next chapter of Combat Healer (no IDH). However, after that, I will likely resume posting mostly Innocent Devil’s Harem, with only the occasional Combat Healer chapter, roughly 1 per every 3 chapters of IDH, like I was doing before.

NOTE UPDATE (Aug 7, 2022): As I’m sure most of you know at this point, each of these chapters can take upwards of 20 to 30 hours to write (including self-edits and plotting), which is why I only release one chapter per week.

However, in the past, I often try to release a ‘bonus chapter’ whenever I can (no more than once a month at most)

Thus, since I haven’t released any Combat Healer in a few months, and since I was finally was able to get some time in to figure out more of the plot, I plan on posting the next chapter today (Aug 7)!

Yay! Bonus chapter day!

(So be on the lookout for that soon.)

NOTE: This chapter begins with a little bit of a summary of the story up until this point, but the summary is only about 500 words long, and this chapter is almost 8,000 words long (so it’s still a 7,500+ word chapter even without the summary).

HOWEVER: I should forewarn you that this is almost entirely a ‘Miriam chapter’ (which you may, or may not, be excited about). That being said, upcoming chapters will have a lot more Gabriella, Rebecca, Michelle, and maybe some Natalie, Avery soon too, as well as actual plot, as we head toward magic training and preparations for Saturday.

(Serenity will get a lot of attention/inclusion on Saturday, so while I do have some stuff planned for her too, other characters like Gabriella will be a bigger focus before it becomes the 'Serenity and Kai' show for a little bit.)

<< Chapter 90 | Ch 1 (Book 1) | Ch 16 (Book 2) | Ch 31 (Book 3) | Ch 46 (Book 4) | Ch 61 (Book 5) | Ch 76 (Book 6)

--- BOOK 7 ---

- CHAPTER 91: Repercussions -

It had now officially been a full week since my life began to dramatically change, starting with Serenity’s best friend, Gabriella, getting kidnapped by a serial killer. One hired by another man who was actually after me, trying to draw me out after catching my nonhuman form on camera as a kid, suspecting that I might be somehow linked to Serenity, since the ‘Impaler’ had been involved in only cases she’d been assigned to as a detective.

He’d succeeded.

By Friday night, he’d kidnapped Serenity and ultimately met his fate when he tried to capture me as well, in order to force me to watch him kill my now second fiancé.

All sparked by a day that I’d run off in the middle of the night when I was really young, prior to my adoptive parents passing away, stumbling across a horror scene that was the result of that bastard deciding to have his wife murdered, and recording it in the process, catching me in my devilish form when I stopped the hired assailant.

But things didn’t stop there.

Even after ending that threat in our lives, I promptly discovered that I had other threats lingering in the shadows, including a little midnight rock supposedly containing a message from my biological mother that was laced with a blood curse that would have killed me had I used my blood to activate it.

I had Avery’s mom, Michelle, to thank for stopping me from trying to read the message, with her somehow being able to sense the evil spell left on it.

Unfortunately, we still didn’t know what the message said, but with the unexpected meeting with my biological father coming up, it had definitely been put on the backburner. Originally, when we accidentally stumbled into a fight with a literal army of werewolves -- after rescuing Natalie from a group of guys in the mall -- we had planned on using one of those bastards as a scapegoat to activate the curse, instead of trying to safely remove it, but that plan ultimately fell through.

The old vampire who slipped through the dimensional gate, with the young blonde vamp named Rosa, used a death ray spell that literally left no werewolf survivors. It was necessary, and also the primary reason why we had no casualties on our side, but still left us all dismayed since it meant Miriam would have to fall back on her original plan.

A plan where she found a random human to use as a last resort scapegoat, just in case her attempt to get rid of the spell failed, while she otherwise tried to defuse the metaphorical bomb the hard way.

Not a priority right now though.

I’d already briefly met a woman named Elizabeth Monroe who could clearly use fire magic, and thus I needed to be fully prepared for this unexpected meeting with my father on Saturday, one in which it sounded like I was going to a funeral, based on the letter the fire mage had delivered to me.

Plus, there was the fact that I’d killed another immortal incubus -- the man named Jonadab who claimed to be my father’s biological cousin. And while I wouldn’t have made any different decisions after he threatened me and my family, I had to realize that my actions might bring the whole world down on our heads in every way that mattered.

At the very least, my father, and those he was associated with, might view it as an unforgivable act that would result in us going to literal war -- a war none of us were even remotely prepared for. Which also meant that, while I needed to learn to protect myself better, I also had to make an effort to build a solid rapport with my biological father, in case the news of my homicide of a member of our family ever came to light.

Certainly, I had discovered that I was even more powerful than I initially assumed, especially after dying and resurrecting, but the fight with the werewolf army really humbled me and caused me to realize that I wasn’t ready to take on an entire army by myself.

Maybe one day I might be that strong, but I was still too inexperienced and ignorant of all things related to magic, having only gotten by on sheer luck and ‘instinct’ so far.

Which was why I would be skipping school Thursday, and probably Friday too, in order to be educated by the short sexy redheaded minx that was the adorable succubus Miriam.

After hiding the ‘vehicle evidence’ of my latest kill, ending up with my classmate Claire in our care as a result, we formulated a basic cover story on the way home, and ultimately split the overall responsibilities of who would deal with what.

Thus, once Serenity, Michelle, Avery, and I all met up with Rebecca, Gabriella, and Gwen in that abandoned field at about 1:30 AM in the morning, Michelle and Avery left to take our platinum-blonde classmate Claire home, while the rest of us headed to Miriam’s mansion. Gwen of course made sure to grab Michelle and Avery’s blood too, just to verify if the blonde vampire Rosa reacted to it prior to me using my own blood on her to make her like me, ensuring their blood was drawn far enough away that Claire didn’t see what they were doing.

Surprisingly, my platinum-blonde classmate still hadn’t asked any questions, and I quickly discovered that she was, in fact, waiting to be alone with Avery to probe for more information.

Their conversation on the subject had been surprisingly short though.

Through our bond, I was able to perceive Avery asking Claire how she was holding up, being sincerely concerned about her friend -- who she’d always viewed as a friend all this time, and had sincerely forgiven her already for the ‘mostly harmless’ rumor-spreading -- only to be surprised by our classmate simply shrugging in response.

When Avery commented that she wasn’t being her usual talkative self, Claire was blunt.

“I’m not an idiot. I don’t know exactly what’s going on, but I also know asking too many questions might get me killed.”

To which Avery responded in alarm.

“We would never hurt you,” she hissed in disbelief.

Claire grimaced at that, revealing that she was more insightful than we initially thought.

“Yeah, well, it’s obvious there are other people involved too. And after meeting that tall chick in the maid uniform, I definitely didn’t want to say anything. Like, damn, I could definitely tell there was something up with her. She seemed nice enough, but being around her gave me the chills. Like she might burn me alive if I pissed her off.”

Avery wasn’t sure what to say to that, and Claire picked up on it.

“She…she really would burn me alive, if I pissed her off, wouldn’t she?” our classmate asked hesitantly.

Avery grimaced, likewise speaking tentatively. “No…she wouldn’t do something like that…”

Claire didn’t respond verbally, but her body language said it all, as if she was saying with her reaction, ‘But she could.’

And after that, Claire truly didn’t broach the subject again, not for the entire trip back home.

But one thing was for sure.

The entire fact that Claire even picked up that Gwen wasn’t human, especially when her nonhuman features were hidden with an illusion spell, implied that there was something going on with our cheerleader classmate. Maybe the platinum-blonde was just an overly sensitive human, or maybe there was something else entirely up with her, but it was obvious she wasn’t having any problems on picking up on the subtleties of the situation.

Not something I had time to worry about right now though.

Thirty minutes after leaving the obscure field, Rebecca, Gabriella, Gwen, Serenity, and I were all arriving at the mansion, reuniting with Natalie, Rosa, and of course Miriam too. However, almost immediately the situation turned bad in a completely unanticipated way.

The moment that I climbed out of the car and turned to face a cheerful Miriam practically skipping down the steps to greet us…

Because without warning, she stopped where she was and froze solid, her smile completely vanishing in shock and disbelief…

Followed by solemn somberness.

Everyone was shocked by her reaction, including Gwen, and the only reason why I even realized what was going on was because the maid picked it up from her mistress’s head, indirectly sharing it with me since I’d gone to the tall devil’s mind immediately to figure out what was so horribly wrong.

But then I knew.

Miriam…

Sensed death…clinging to me.

And that single realization changed everything.

Without warning, everything felt like it turned on its end, as if the entire universe had flipped upside down, and I was left stunned and speechless.

In that single instant, it was as if the whole world came crashing down on my head, dread filling my chest as the potential implications began flooding my mind, hitting me so hard that my eyes started to burn and I acted without thinking.

Intensely distressed and not wanting anyone to see me break down and truly start crying by this unexpected development -- from the horrible sense of fear and loss beginning to plague my heart -- I averted my gaze and began walking up the concrete steps, my speed picking up when Miriam reflexively stiffened as I passed her, with me hurrying to get away from this nightmare, before I lost all will to fight back the tears.

Tears that were absolutely coming with no hope to stop them.

Because Miriam sensed death…

It would be the equivalent of my body odor shifting from a sweet scent of honey to a horrible stench of decaying blood and gore, like roadkill rotting in the heat of the desert sun, and there was no hope to undo it. No hope to go back. No hope of masking my newly permanent stench.

This was practically relationship ending.

Relationship ending!

She would never enjoy so much as being around me again, never mind her touching me.

Because wherever I’d go, she’d sense death.

Fuck.

Fuck!

Rushing upstairs was a complete blur.

Everything that happened afterward was a complete blur.

All I knew was that I started registering that I’d fallen to my knees, and was now sitting on the tiled floor in a running shower, only after my clothing was soaked, barely having a mind to dig in my pocket for my phone to toss it out of the open shower door before it became damaged, followed by doing the same with my wallet and keys. But then I just sat there on my heels, still wearing my shoes even, staring down at the fancy drain, having no clue if my vision was blurry because I was crying profusely or simply due to the water cascading off my head and down my face.

Fuck.

There was no going back from this.

No way to undo what I’d done.

And as I sat there, I couldn’t help but wonder where I’d gone wrong.

Was killing that bastard incubus the wrong decision?

Should I have let him live?

Even though he posed a threat to all my women, and was very clear about his intentions, did I mess up by taking his life?

And why was death clinging to me only now, after I’d killed others, especially when Natalie was the one who actually killed him? Or did he die when I snapped his neck from throwing him? Or was it because I’d enjoyed it? Because I’d enjoyed helping to slaughter the bastard?

Was it truly 'death' that was clinging to me? Or was it instead the evil that manifested from me taking pleasure in the slaughtering of my enemy?

Was that what Miriam was actually sensing?

Not that it really mattered why…

Understanding the ‘why’ wasn’t going to fix things.

It wasn’t going to make things right.

It wasn’t going to save our relationship.

Of course, I knew some might tell me to look on the bright side, and consider that I still had everyone else. That this change wouldn’t affect my relationships with Serenity, Gabriella, Avery, Michelle, Rebecca, Natalie, and possibly even Gwen…

But this loss was too big for me to appreciate that.

Far too big.

Without realizing it, Miriam had truly become the most important person in my life, and it had nothing to do with her being a succubus. It had nothing to do with her charm or how addicting sex with her was.

No, it was because she felt like a kindred soul.

More than that, it was because of our bond, separate from the others, feeling like it had existed for much longer than should even be possible. Much longer than even before I got my heart ripped out trying to defend her…

Far too long.

She had once claimed that, if soulmates really existed, then she felt confident that I was hers…

Her soulmate.

And I…

I felt the same way.

This wasn’t about ‘compatibility.’

This wasn’t even about how much I liked her.

This feeling had nothing at all to do with ‘favorites,’ or about which of my women made me feel the best, or even who was ‘best for me.’

This was something different entirely.

Something that wasn’t determined by choice, but was instead determined by fate.

Something that had been decided the moment I started to exist.

As if I had once been separated from my other half, long ago, and had only recently been reunited with her.

As if I was destined to one day meet the woman who was fated to be with me. Fated to be my other half…

Whether I liked her or not, it didn’t matter.

Whether we got along or not, it didn’t matter.

We were fated.

Destined.

With Serenity…she was my everything. Still important to me, and still my everything.

But Miriam was my soulmate.

Gabriella was so ridiculously important to me…

But Miriam was my soulmate.

Natalie would literally die for me, and I’d fallen deeper in love with her than I would have thought possible in such a short period of time…

But Miriam was my soulmate.

Our bond felt eternal, despite the fact that I hadn’t even known her a full week ago.

And the unexpected loss of that relationship felt world-ending.

More than that.

It felt soul-shattering.

There was no coming back from this.

No coming back…

No…coming back…

Feeling like my chest was going to implode, I started sobbing, my head finally sinking down to the tiled floor as I shoved my forehead against the hard surface, the weight of the world resting on me as the hot water rolled down my soaked shirt-covered back, practically submerging my head in the draining water.

Life was never going to be the same.

My world was never going to be the same.

This wasn’t just losing a relationship for me, this was losing a part of me.

I wasn’t just losing a girlfriend…

I was losing my soulmate.

Fuck.

Fuck!

What was I supposed to do?

What could I possibly do?

Was there magic that might cleanse my soul? A spell that might rid me of death?

Was there any hope of coming back from this?

I knew there wasn’t.

There was no hope.

No…hope…

None…

Unexpectedly, I heard Miriam’s voice speaking to me, sounding really far away, almost to the point of feeling like an auditory hallucination.

Her tone was intense.

‘Don’t give up hope. You are not forsaken.’

It was then silent, the sound of the running water suddenly sounding extremely loud in the absence of my love’s voice.

Completely confused, my sobbing halting from the startle, I stared at the tiles less than an inch from my face, reaching out to Gwen and Natalie’s minds, trying to understand what I’d just heard…because Miriam was with them, way too far away to be speaking to me right now, even if I did have heightened hearing.

Never mind the fact that none of them heard her speak…

They were in the dining hall again, with the group as a whole having somberly decided to try out Avery, Michelle, and Serenity’s blood on Rosa, since there wasn’t exactly much else to do, other than to just stand around and watch Miriam cry…

Because she was crying too.

Silently crying, standing far off to the side of the room, not looking at anyone as she stood with her black wings wrapped around her crossed arms, something I’d never seen her do before, her midnight tail hanging limply to the ground, looking just as miserable as I felt.

She’d been dressed in tight shiny black latex pants and a matching latex bikini top, all of her adorable belly showing when not covered by her wings, but I’d never even gotten a chance to really comprehend her sexy outfit when we’d arrived, or the fact that she’d dressed that way for me, feeling far too startled by her nearly instant negative reaction to me, the moment we locked eyes.

Even now I couldn’t fully appreciate the indirect sight, perceived through Gwen, knowing I’d never be able to hold the short redhead again. Or to even be in the same room with her, and have her feel comfortable in my presence…

Because I was stained with death…

So then, maybe I had imagined it. The voice.

Maybe…

It really was…a hallucination…

Unexpectedly, the voice was even more intense this time. More emotional.

More determined.

‘You are not forsaken, my love. Nothing will keep us apart. Nothing.’

“What?” I whispered out loud.

Gwen finally spoke up in my mind then, having picked up on the difference in my distress, between earlier and now. ‘Master, what’s wrong?’

That would have been a dumb question under normal circumstances, given the situation, but it was obvious that she knew something ‘more’ was wrong. More than what had been wrong just a few seconds ago.

Yet, I wasn’t sure how to respond.

Other than to just state the truth.

‘I…I think I’m hallucinating Miriam telling me nothing will keep us apart.’

Gwen spoke out loud without hesitation. “Mistress, I think he needs to see you.”

However…

Miriam didn’t react at all, not even after everyone else looked at her.

She just stood there, still looking away, her emerald eyes watery, tears still silently sliding down her cheeks, seeming lost in her own world of despair, fully understanding the implications of this situation.

And my eyes filled with tears all over again, feeling like I had a knife thrust into my chest, the heartache almost too much to bear, to the point that I cried out in my thoughts in despair without thinking.

‘So then, I am forsaken, whatever the hell that means.’

Without hesitation, Gwen echoed my pain, sounding just as distressed as I felt, as she rephrased my words as a question.

“Is he forsaken?”

That seemed to break through the short redhead’s distress.

Miriam immediately looked at her maid in alarm, appearing sincerely stunned, to the point of almost seeming pissed. “What did you just say?” she nearly snapped, her tone coming out even harsher than even she seemed to expect.

“Is he forsaken,” Gwen repeated simply.

Miriam didn’t respond, clearly baffled as she tried to grasp what she was being asked right now, reaching up to wipe her face off briefly, but then just continuing to stare at her maid.

When she finally did reply, she just seemed confused.

“Why…why are you asking me this right now?” she finally managed.

Natalie decided to chime in. “Because it’s his question for you. Are you going to abandon him in his time of need?”

Miriam grimaced at that and again didn’t respond, looking like she wasn’t sure what to say.

I was confident there was a lot she could say, like how ‘things weren’t as simple as that,’ or how ‘she understood that the killing was justified and necessary,’ and how ‘she didn’t hold any ill will toward me’ because of it…

But rather than respond and try to defend herself, she simply fell silent again.

And then, when no one spoke at all, the room painfully quiet for what felt like forever -- with only Rosa briefly commenting that she still felt normal after that last dose of blood, prior to the silence resuming -- finally Miriam responded…

But not verbally.

Instead, her wings slowly unfolded from around her, revealing her stomach, almost looking like the webbed appendages were melting off her thin body, hanging limply toward the floor…

Before they slowly began moving upward instead, folding back up behind her slim shoulders, even as her arms slowly began to unwind. She then wiped her face again as she took a small step toward the grand foyer, beginning to slowly walk out of the room…

And toward me…

No one followed her as she walked out of the dining room and into the grand foyer. Nor did anyone say anything as she began walking up the stairs to the second floor where I was. Which meant I quickly lost my indirect sight of her as she disappeared into the hallway, finally relying on my hearing to pick up on her slow footsteps stopping at the room I’d ended up in.

She hesitated at the cracked door, only to then quietly open it up and move closer and closer to the bathroom.

But I couldn’t bring myself to sit up, the room full of hot foggy steam.

Couldn’t bring myself to face her whenever she finally peeked into the bathroom…

Because I couldn’t handle seeing that look in her gorgeous emerald eyes again.

I’d never seen such sadness and devastation in anyone before, which was saying something since I’d seen my fair share of loss in others, and I couldn’t deal with seeing it a second time…knowing I was the source of that misery and loss…

The same misery and loss I felt.

However, as Miriam drew closer, her pace unexpectedly stopped entirely…

Before picking up just as quickly, with her suddenly at the bathroom doorway in under a second. She then stopped as she focused on me through the thick steam, knelt under the running hot water, with my forehead still on the tiled floor, remaining silent for a long few seconds…

Until finally she let out an intense sob.

In the blink of an eye, she closed the gap between us, shocking me so much that I started to sit up, just in time for her to throw herself on me, wrapping her arms tightly around my neck as she clung to me desperately, crying even harder now.

Confused and alarmed by her behavior, and not wanting her to get soaked from the hot water, I reached up to turn the shower off, only to have her pull away just enough to grab my face firmly in her small hands, beginning to plant tender kisses everywhere, starting with the corner of my lips and then moving up my cheek, pecking me repeatedly as she moved across my nose and then down to my mouth again, not quite kissing my lips fully, before making her way back up my other cheek.

I’d never experienced such an intense display of affection in my entire life, and didn’t understand what was happening right now, even as she continued to plant kisses everywhere, moving even up to my eyebrows and then down to my eyelids when I closed my eyes, her hot breath and intoxicating maple syrup scent hitting me with another wave of emotion, feeling like I was experiencing what was no longer mine to experience.

Like a taunt for what I could never again have -- this closeness and simple intimacy with my most perfect partner.

With my soulmate.

“Why?” I finally croaked out, my entire body shaking as if I was cold, but not from the temperature since it was hot and muggy in the bathroom, instead feeling such an extreme chasm between such loss and despair contrasted with the heat of the hope she was now giving me.

In response to my words, she simply continued to plant tender kisses on my face, only to finally wrap her arms around my neck again, squishing her head against mine as she whispered a verbal reply.

“You are not forsaken, my love. And nothing will keep us apart. Nothing. I promise. I’ll never let you go, no matter what.”

I stiffened at that.

“Is…is that the first time you’ve said that?”

She finally stiffened too, slowly pulling away to meet my gaze, but keeping her hands on my wet shoulders. Her expression was still somber, but with a hint of confusion now. “My love, I do not believe I’ve ever had a reason to say such things to you before. I was only doing my best to respond to your earlier question. Why?”

I tried to swallow, feeling a little hesitant to admit the truth, but not wanting to hold anything back from her, no matter how crazy I sounded.

“Umm, because I feel like I heard you say almost that exact same thing…a few minutes ago.”

Her emerald eyes widened at that…

Causing me to grimace, as I quickly continued.

“I know that sounds crazy. But it’s actually not the first time either,” I realized, recalling that I’d forgotten to bring it up when it happened before, due to other topics getting in the way. “When I first bonded with Serenity and Gwen, right after Serenity grew her wings and tail, I heard something similar. Except it was my own voice. I was the one telling you that you weren’t forsaken. But honestly, that’s not even a word I normally use, and I’m not sure what it even really means…” My voice trailed off as Natalie automatically clarified that it essentially meant ‘abandoned,’ prompting me to continue. “Or at least, I didn’t know what it truly meant until recently…” My voice trailed off again when I realized Miriam had begun looking at me like she’d seen a ghost, her emerald eyes widening, her tan face looking more drained of color than I was used to seeing.

“M-Miriam,” I whispered. “What’s wrong?”

She swallowed audibly, before glancing away, looking like she was trying to collect herself.

I continued. “Do…do you think I’m going crazy? I mean, hearing voices isn’t normal.”

She simply shook her head, but didn’t respond, still focused away.

But I really needed her to speak.

To interact with me.

After experiencing such unexpected loss, having her close was making me desperate -- desperate for my worst nightmare to not really be true.

Which meant, I had to ask.

The one question I was dreading to ask.

“Do…do you still sense death on me?” I whispered. “Or, I guess…do you still sense evil?”

She closed her eyes then and leaned toward me, resting her head against my chest, her hands still up on my shoulders. However, thankfully, she did respond, her voice quiet.

“My love, you’re as pure as ever. As innocent, and earnest, and good as ever before. You feel holy through-and-through.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

“And what exactly does ‘holy’ mean?”

“Unadulterated. In no way polluted by anything bad.”

“And that’s different than when I arrived, right?”

She tensed slightly at that. “Yes,” she whispered.

I didn’t know what to say, because I didn’t understand, just staring blankly at the open glass door of the shower now, as I tried to comprehend everything.

“How?” I finally managed.

She sighed. “If I had to guess? Through baptism and repentance.”

“My shower?” I said in surprise.

She shook her head, finally pulling away to look up at me, reaching up to grasp my face in her small tan hands, clasping my jawline firmly as she focused on me. “Water baptism is only meant to be symbolic to begin with. True baptism is one of the heart -- the act of repentance, for evil deeds done. Although baptism by water can certainly help those, who do it, feel the weight of that repentance. To feel the result of that cleansing.”

My tone was hesitant. “So baptism is a real thing then?” I wondered, thinking back to how ‘dirty’ I’d always felt after slaughtering those serial killers, only feeling clean after a nice long shower. A sensation I knew was completely in my head, and had nothing to do with actual filth.

Her emerald eyes were intense. “Very real, my love. Just as real as the concept of repentance, since they are really one in the same.”

I frowned as I considered that. “And so, the stain of death…left me…because I felt remorseful for my actions? Or maybe remorseful for how I felt while doing it?”

Her expression was determined as she continued to hold my face. “Yes, baby. That appears to be the case.”

Of course, that only raised about a million questions, with me beginning to wonder what pieces of religion were actually based in truth, and with me also beginning to wonder what Miriam generally believed in, just wanting to understand her own perspective better, even if it was vastly different from what I believed…

But right now, I couldn’t focus on that.

Instead, all I could focus on was one simple truth.

The stain of death was gone -- the stain of evil was gone…and my love was knelt with me, holding my face as she reassured me that our worst nightmare was over. That our desire to be one had overcome this obstacle. That my remorse, for how my actions affected us, had overcome this obstacle.

Without further thought, I reached out and wrapped my arms around her thin waist underneath her wings, pulling her against me as I buried my face against the side of her neck, feeling a lump appear in my throat as my eyes began to sting again.

Even despite the hot air all around us from the shower, her body felt incredibly warm against mine.

“I love you so much,” I barely managed.

Miriam shushed me gently as she began stroking my wet hair, her other arm wrapped around my neck, even as her wings wrapped around my shoulders as well, only for her to start gently humming what sounded like a lullaby.

One that sounded both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time, ultimately causing some pretty intense emotions to get dredged up as if all my life’s sorrows were hitting me at once, everything from my parents passing away, to some of the horrible experiences I’d unfortunately encountered, to all the intense pressure I’d felt in the last week, like the weight of the world truly was on my shoulders.

And really, I was pretty sure that was a big part of it.

Viewing it from Miriam’s perspective, I was only eighteen, still just a boy compared to her immortal life, and yet I had so much more responsibility now weighing on me than anyone else my age would ever have to experience. A responsibility to help protect my women, a responsibility to even help protect the whole world, by ensuring the gate beneath Miriam’s mansion stayed closed and defended.

It was a lot.

And I was sure I could handle it.

But in this moment, I was falling apart by the realization that I didn’t have to handle it all on my own. Because Miriam was more than just a lover. She was more than just my partner. She was a wealth of knowledge and wisdom, obtained through dozens of lifetimes of experiences, both good and bad, and she was here to support me. To lift me up and help me become a man I would have never achieved with my own strength.

I could feel that.

I could feel it in her touch.

I could hear it in her humming.

Even if I happened to misstep and begin to wander astray, she was always there to lead me right back. Patiently, gently, devotedly.

The sensation of death on me earlier had certainly shaken her up, just as much as it shook me to my very core, but I could sense our mutual commitment solidifying even more than before. Because, whereas previously our bond was strong, now it was finally unbreakable.

For we’d crossed a threshold beyond that of mere loyalty.

Beyond mere commitment.

This was something more.

I wasn’t even sure if there were words to describe this feeling.

But I supposed it could be expressed by stating the result of that commitment.

‘I will never forsake you.’

It was the embodiment of what I felt coursing between us, while Miriam continued to hum to me softly. At least, until I’d begun calming down again and gathering my senses. She then pulled away and started helping me get my still-damp clothing off, stripping off my shirt first, and then having me get to my feet to get my shoes off, followed by my pants down.

I was fairly used to being naked around her at this point, so even as I got my boxers off too, I felt relaxed and more than anything relieved, just letting her take the initiative for whatever she was wanting to do.

Once naked, she then grabbed a towel for me to wrap around my waist, my skin only being moderately damp now that my clothing was off, and interlaced her fingers in mine, beginning to lead me out of the bathroom through the double-bedroom, and into the hallway.

I wasn’t too surprised when she took me to her own suite, still only feeling an intense sensation of relief as she tugged the towel off of me in the first lounging room, to dry off the remaining moisture on her tight latex pants, as well as getting her fiery red hair a little. At which point I felt her charm beginning to really work on me, causing my cock to start stiffening up, my skin graying too, even though I still mostly just felt a need for intimacy -- of any kind, so long as it was with her.

Even so much as a simple hug.

It was obvious she had other plans though.

Interlacing her fingers in mine then, she made a show of walking me into the room with her massive bed, adorned with rich red comforters and sheets, as well as a crimson canopy, with most of my intention focused on her tight ass in the shiny latex, realizing for the first time that it had a zipper in the crotch.

Just going with the flow, I let her guide me onto the bed and laid down on my back, unsurprised when she unzipped between her short legs and then climbed on the bed with me, her cute nipples hard and poking through the latex bikini top, catching the light in just the right ways as she stood with her feet on either side of my hips. She then reached down to grab the head of my cock as she eased down to her knees, surprising me when she actually pointed both shiny knees inward to get on my gray chest, shifting her weight back and forth on my torso while getting her feet on my thighs too, as she got into the perfect position to begin sinking down on the head of my shaft.

Truly, it was a position I’d never done before, and honestly I wasn’t sure if it would work out if Miriam were any larger, not due to the weight but more due to the width of my body, making her the perfect size to try something like this. Focusing up at her, I tried to keep my eyes open as she sank down all the way, her mouth open in an almost orgasmic expression as she held my gaze, with me wanting to see how she reacted to feeling my thick cock inside of her, even as I myself felt overwhelmed with pleasure to have my cock impaled so deeply within her hot pussy.

She was practically sitting on her heels now, on my upper thighs, her latex-covered knees now more on my upper stomach, except that she also had my throbbing cock pulsing in her tight snatch, deep enough that I could feel her cervix tightening around my head.

Yet if someone walked in, I wasn’t sure they would even know that we were having sex right now. Not with how perfectly she was sitting on me, her latex-clad legs concealing our connection. The position also felt a bit dominating, as if she were a proud feline, looking down at me with a somewhat haughty expression.

But the look felt more…sultry, seductive, and sexy, rather than conceited.

She had definitely shifted more to ‘mistress’ mode.

But I was all for it right now, just soaking up the silent attention I was getting from her.

Just to have her look at me at all made me feel like I was the luckiest guy in the world.

And as she held my gaze, slowly moving her hands to her latex-covered knees to get more comfortable, her wings relaxing a little as well, I began to sense an entirely different sense of relief, coming from the very act itself.

Made sense, considering I was part-incubus.

Even if we weren’t in the throes of passion right now, I was still getting something from this.

Finally deciding to reach up and feel her silky smooth belly, prompting her to move her small hands to my forearms, I moved higher until I was rubbing over her hard latex-covered nipples, beginning to grasp them over the bikini top, tugging until the slick material caused them to slip out of my grasp, and then grabbing them again to repeat the process.

It was obvious that alone was sending waves of pleasure throughout her body, because her beautiful emerald eyes began fluttering closed each time I grasped her nipples and pulled, all while she rubbed my forearms, until she started to gently bounce on me too, incrementally shifting my cock in and out of her swollen lips and between her latex-covered thighs.

Under normal circumstances, I wasn’t sure that this amount of stimulation would make me cum, but her pussy was working overtime now, pulsing and squeezing me repeatedly, rapidly working me up to my climax even though we were barely moving.

Until finally I grabbed her nipples firmly as my mind began to swim, my load shooting deep into her cunt in thick heated globs.

She immediately began moaning in response to feeling my warmth fill her up, tilting her head back, jutting her chin up, even as I remained firmly ahold of her nipples, until she finally started leaning forward, clearly trying to control herself as she bent all the way to rest her head on my chest.

Fuck, she was flexible.

Way more flexible than anyone else.

And seeing her bowed on me like this was definitely a position I could imagine her doing on the floor, but it seemed so infeasible on top of my body. Still, she was making it work, my cock still buried deep between her swollen lips.

I could sense that she hadn’t actually gotten there, and began to suspect she was actually trying to hold off, possibly attempting to fight against the passion my aphrodisiac cum was causing in her, if for no other reason than for her eventual orgasm to be that much more amazing.

It definitely wouldn’t be the first time she’d tried to wait to cum herself.

Or maybe…

Or maybe she was trying to feed me.

In fact, as I started to feel more and more of her passion well up in the air all around us, I began to suspect that was exactly what she was doing, much like Gwen had done for me the other day, when feeding me breakfast.

Miriam was trying to feed me. To give me her passion.

Slipping my hands underneath her wings, I rubbed my fingertips against her mostly bare back as I began sucking up that passion, loving the feeling of her silky smooth skin against my fingertips, before finally holding her tightly as I continued to throb inside her, loving it when she began to breathe heavier, starting to squirm here and there as her passion only continued to escalate from the hot cum I’d just pumped inside of her.

It was almost like I was torturing her in the most amazing way possible, and I was loving every second of it.

Still, it did feel like one thing was missing -- apparent due to the very fact that I had to guess at what she was thinking right now, as opposed to just knowing.

Taking a deep breath, causing her head to rise with my chest, I decided to bring it up.

“Umm, so this is kind of random. But I was wondering if I could ask what you thought about the bonds I’ve formed with Serenity and Gwen, as well as Avery and Natalie.”

Miriam cleared her throat, taking a shaky breath, still obviously feeling very passionate. “Umm, w-what about it?” she managed.

“Do you think we could have a bond like that?” I wondered.

She took another shaky breath. “I’m not sure,” she said honestly. “Gwen actually described to me the sensations she experienced in great detail earlier today. Or I guess technically yesterday since it’s so early in the morning. Including how it felt when she first helped Serenity ‘clean up’ -- that spark that there was something ‘more’ there to be explored.” She paused. “Of course, I’ve considered what it might mean if these bonds are being formed based on some kind of magical affinity. I realize that Rebecca and Gabriella could be viable options, if lust magic could be an affinity.” She sighed, as if this topic wasn’t anything overly strange to talk about. “But I’ve at least teased Rebecca plenty of times before, and never felt anything like that, not even when we were all playing with Gwen the first day you visited. And in fact, I feel like I should have felt such a thing then, if it was going to happen. We might not have understood the feeling then, but I still should have felt something.”

“I…I see,” I replied simply, uncertain if she was going to continue.

Unfortunately she didn’t, and as much as I wanted to probe for more, such as what she thought about trying with Gabriella, I decided now probably wasn’t the best time. Not with this meeting with my biological father looming over our heads. I mean, as much as I wanted to investigate those kinds of things as soon as possible, I realized we really needed to prioritize my magic training over everything else.

Because trying to do anything else might turn into a wasted hour that could have been spent on training. And, with how amazing the sexual experiences were, in particular, I knew that those hours could quickly turn into half a day.

Time that we didn’t have the luxury of wasting, not when we only had two days to prepare for something I might realistically need months for, in order to be fully ready to deal with this situation.

Feeling satiated on Miriam’s passion, combined with experiencing such relief between the orgasm and just being intimate with her, never mind the actual time of night, I actually started to feel really sleepy, even though I didn’t want to pass out before Miriam had a chance to get there too.

Still, I was really tired.

“Do, umm, do you need to get there?” I finally wondered.

She made an amused noise, only for her tone to come out more serious and somber. “Honestly…after what happened earlier…when you arrived…” She took a deep breath. “I think I just want to enjoy this feeling for as long as possible, if that’s alright with you.”

“Of course,” I agreed, holding her tightly against me. “I just feel sleepy is all.”

“You can fall asleep, my love,” she said gently, kissing me tenderly on the chest. “This right now is perfect for me.”

I nodded, giving her a tighter squeeze.

Only to realize there was something else I wanted to ask, since she’d sort of brought the subject up again, by mentioning ‘earlier.’

“Umm, and about earlier…”

Her tone was reassuring. “Yes, baby?”

“Miriam…I…well, we killed that guy…because he was sincerely a threat. And…” I sighed, thankful she wasn’t tensing up or otherwise reacting negatively. “Even after thinking about it, I’m not sure letting him go would have been an option. I feel like it would have been really stupid to do so. Especially since he could have become a threat to you too.”

“I know, baby,” she said simply, her tone endearing.

I was honestly kind of surprised.

“And, well, as much as I don’t want to think about it, I’m afraid it might not be the last time I sincerely have to…you know. End someone. To end a threat.”

“I know,” she repeated.

I hesitated. “So then?”

She sighed. “My baby, I’m really sorry for how I reacted when you came home. Please forgive me.”

Her use of the word ‘home,’ in reference to her mansion, sent a chill down my spine.

But I was surprised by the apology.

“Of course I forgive you,” I whispered. “It’s not like it was your fault.”

“Perhaps not,” she agreed. “But I have a bad habit of reacting poorly when I’m surprised. In the future, I promise to be there for you, no matter what. To focus on you, the young man I love, rather than anything else clinging to you.”

“Thank you,” I whispered, my eyes feeling really droopy now. Which was a strange sensation, feeling so tired when I was still so hard inside her tight pussy, her snatch squeezing me even more in her current prostrated position.

“You’re welcome baby. And thank you. For everything. But especially, just for being you.”

I couldn’t help but smile as I squeezed her more tightly in response, finally closing my eyes as I felt her warm body against mine, surprised how comfortable I felt having her kneeling on me in this position, even despite how odd I would have initially assumed it would be.

Honestly, she seemed pretty comfortable too.

Reaching out to the others, I focused on Serenity to discover that she was already climbing into bed with Gabriella, similar to how they’d slept the previous night here at Miriam’s mansion, with me silently promising to spend some time with her and Gabriella tomorrow evening after they got off work.

However, I quickly discovered that my time together with Gabriella, in particular, would likely come much sooner, since she’d apparently decided to call-in from the nail salon, sending her boss a message, so that she could take the day off with me. Serenity would still go into work, possibly taking Friday off just to get some magical education in too. And Avery, who was at her own house right now with her mom after getting Claire home, would of course be going to school, but I quickly realized that it probably wouldn’t just be a few of us hanging out at the mansion tomorrow.

Because Natalie would of course be staying, and my MILFs might be staying too, with me suspecting that Michelle would make a return trip to the mansion after Avery went to school.

The only thing was, I just needed to make sure I stayed focused, and didn’t get distracted.

But still, the idea made me really happy, and between that and having Miriam still impaled on my hard member, I couldn’t help but feel a smile tugging on my lips as I quickly began drifting off to sleep.

FEEDBACK: So obviously there was a lot of 'Miriam' for almost all this chapter, and if you don’t care much for Miriam, then it may not have had much impact on you.

However, for those who do care about Miriam, I’m hoping this was a bit of a sucker punch to you in the feels.

What did you think?

(Sometimes I get the emotion part right, and it comes off really well, and other times it's a struggle to word things the best way so that you can feel the emotions that the characters are feeling -- thus, whether you felt something, or you didn't, I would appreciate the feedback.)

ALSO, you may be wondering what this auditory hallucination thing is, and why I'm including such a weird thing...it's not random. I'm hinting at bigger things here. Much bigger things, which will be revealed all in due time.

(Feel free to theorize, but I don't plan on confirming anything before its revealed in story, because I don't want to ruin the moment that I have planned for a later chapter, when all the pieces unexpectedly start to fit together in a way you hopefully were not expecting -- this is something I have planned for the big meeting on Saturday, just so you have an idea of when to expect it.)

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