KaizerWolf

Innocent Devil’s Harem Ch. 88

Added 2022-06-19 03:46:33 +0000 UTC

June 18, 2022

NOTE: Hope you enjoy!

- CHAPTER 88 -

I stood there in the student parking lot, staring at the end of the letter for far too long, just trying to comprehend what was happening right now. This woman had driven up alone in a heavily tinted black car, dressed in a feminine business suit and wearing heavily tinted sunglasses, and was telling me that she had a message from a Mr. Abrams, when in reality she was delivering a message from my biological father…

An immortal full-blooded incubus…

Fuck.

I was frozen in disbelief.

And aside from the message Gwen had just delivered from Miriam, about starting magic training immediately, the maid was otherwise silent, probably ready to read the letter to her mistress, word-for-word, as I read it.

When the woman, who said her name was Elizabeth Monroe, cleared her throat, seeming impatient now, I glanced at her and then focused at the top header, realizing some information was printed in a normal computer-generated font.

It was a header displaying, ‘From the Office of John Abrams.’

Such a generic name.

Was Mr. Abrams some kind of lawyer?

Or was that actually my father’s current name?

After all, with a name like Absalom Melchizedek, surely he didn’t go around still using that name? I mean, I was pretty sure the only reason why Miriam kept her first name was because it had remained fashionable throughout the centuries, whereas Absalom had never really caught on, as far as I was aware.

But shit.

When the woman cleared her throat again, much more intentionally this time, I finally began reading the message.

‘Greetings, my son.

I am deeply distressed as I write this message.

I know not if you have already received the epistle I transcribed some sixteen years ago when you came to live with my servants two years after your birth, but now is not the time to restate the contents of my other message. Consequently, I will abridge its essence.

I am your father.

And as I’m sure you have come to realize at your age, you have a certain persuasion over the feminine sex. This is a gift you have received from me, as one of my sons, and one in which may grant you a lifetime of happiness, if employed appropriately.

However, even with this gift, you will undoubtedly suffer heartache, as I do this very day.

My son, a great tragedy has befallen us, even if it is one anticipated.

Therefore, it is my request that you be summoned to my presence prematurely.

Originally, it was not my intention to summon you so soon, since I have found it is best to allow my sons to lead lives of their own, believing they may never meet me, and discover on their own how they will come to exist in the world, prior to stepping into my world, but I would hold disdain for my own self if I allowed this news to pass without informing all my sons of what has transpired.

It is with that intent, that the woman who delivered this message will return to your place of residence in three days’ time, on the morning of the seventh day of rest, to chauffeur you to my office. Please wear a black suit and tie, as appropriate for the occasion.

Until then, I wish you well, and a safe trip.

With Great Care,

Absalom Melchizedek’

“Finished?” the woman immediately demanded, the moment I’d read the last line, reaching out her hand as if she was going to retrieve the letter from me.

Confused and stunned, my brow furrowed as I automatically started handing it back without thinking. “Umm, yeah…”

Unexpectedly, the moment she touched it, the note between our hands instantly burst into flames, a flash of orange also igniting underneath the woman’s sunglasses, very distinctly illuminating a pair of now vibrant citrine irises, all before the heat abruptly dissipated, the thick paper no more -- literally obliterated into nothing.

Holy shit!

Was she a demon?!

How did I not sense that?!

Or possibly, was she just a human who could use fire magic?!

Shit!

Even as Elizabeth Monroe’s glowing irises dimmed underneath her sunglasses, I still knew she was staring directly at me.

Her tone was firm. “As you should have noted, I will be showing up at your house on Saturday to pick you up. The girl you live with, Serenity, is to also come. No one else,” she added, her head angling toward Avery briefly, as if she was making it very clear my blonde girlfriend wasn’t invited. “Wear a black suit, tie, and nice shoes. Black dress for her. Best you buy something brand new and tailored. My understanding is you have the funds for it. You are to be ready at 8 AM sharp. It’s nearly a four-hour drive, and you need to be there by noon. Understand?”

“Umm, yeah…” I repeated, still just completely stunned, glancing up to make sure no one had seen the brief blaze. But no one was even looking this way at this point, and the car would have been in the way of their line of sight anyway.

“Good,” she replied firmly, pulling her hand back into the car and beginning to roll up the heavily tinted window.

“Pleasant day, Mr. Ashworth. Until then,” she added simply, just as the window shut completely. And with that, she immediately pulled away, quickly turning around to leave the parking lot.

Avery and I just exchanged a long glance, with her seeming equally as stunned as I was.

And not just us.

Of course, Natalie, Serenity, and Gwen had sensed my spike in alarm when she pulled up, and all of them had been paying attention the moment they realized something truly was going on.

All of them had varying levels of concern.

For one, what was this bad news my father wanted to deliver?

Had my mother died?

Was I going to a funeral?

Or possibly something else? I mean, what would constitute as something so heartbreaking that he’d send me a message like this? And was it only heartbreaking for him, or would I be upset too?

Of course, that was assuming all this was sincere, and that it wasn’t some kind of bizarre ploy. But if it was a lie, then to what end? Why do this, if it wasn’t real?

And then there was the fact that he wanted Serenity to come as well.

Knowing what an incubus was capable of, I really wasn’t sure I was okay with that…

But Natalie already had an idea brewing in the back of her mind.

‘What if I go? Your bond with me as my alpha should be stronger than his compulsion. And even if not, then at least it’s me who’s in danger, rather than her. We both have brown eyes, and I could dye my hair brown if needed, so I’m confident I could pass as her.’

Of course, Serenity wasn’t okay with that idea at all, and I didn’t much like that plan either, though of course I wasn’t going to like it no matter who went. At least with Natalie, she might be right about the alpha relationship -- I could literally have full control over her if absolutely necessary.

‘Kai,’ Serenity was urging. ‘If this is really your father we’re talking about, then he might be offended if he later discovers the person you brought wasn’t me.’

Unfortunately, I couldn’t really argue with that either, but just the idea that another incubus might use their compulsion on Serenity was…really bothersome, to say the least. More than that, I knew that technically my biological father had used his compulsion at least once, when she was younger, causing her to essentially have no desires to date any other guy.

Having climbed into my car to head to Avery’s place briefly, since she needed to grab her laptop for some homework she’d been assigned in one of her classes, we drove in silence while the others deliberated separately on what I’d just experienced -- Natalie and Avery engaged with each other a little telepathically, but my own mental distance left Serenity out of it and in her own head.

Gwen appeared to be speaking with Miriam, but I wasn’t focused enough to know what they were talking about, while Natalie had also used the opportunity to inform Rebecca and Michelle, who had only recently gotten back to my place after being gone the majority of the day.

In the meantime, I was mostly lost in my own thoughts, at least until I realized that Gabriella had gotten home a little early from her job at the nail salon.

Unsurprisingly, Natalie, Michelle, and Rebecca all went outside to greet her, with my blue-haired partner explaining what just happened not long ago when Avery and I had been about to leave school. Needless to say, my redheaded fiancé was just as concerned as everyone else, since none of us had anticipated that my father would be a factor in my life anytime soon. Especially not after what his original letter said.

The realization that Gabriella was home prompted me to get out my phone, just curious to see if she’d messaged me, only to find that my busty fiancé had, in fact, let me know that she was leaving work about the same time that we were first walking out of school, which was why I’d missed it.

My phone had still been on silent since most of our teachers didn’t allow us to use them during class…

But dammit, that just brought up another, technically small, problem.

I really wanted to have this more intimate bond with Gabriella too.

It was just so easy to communicate with Serenity, Gwen, Avery, and Natalie at this point, that I was sincerely beginning to feel the ‘pain’ of not being able to have that same level of understanding with my other women.

Well…really, it was specifically bothersome in regard to Gabriella.

I mean, she was my first fiancé and the girl who pulled me out of my shell, yet now she was extremely out-of-the-loop compared to everyone else, and I honestly didn’t know what to do about it. The other connections had happened almost as if they were meant to, as if fate were pulling these bonds together, and thus far I hadn’t felt anything like that with Gabriella or anyone else.

Honestly, part of me was concerned that she might not be capable of it due to her being part-succubus, but it was hard to know for sure. Because if these connections really were based purely on some kind of magical affinity, then I felt as if I should have sensed something by now. Especially considering the fact that I’d experienced at least some degree of intimacy with Gabriella and Rebecca at the same time, when I first had sex with my busty redheaded MILF, as well as Rebecca and Miriam simultaneously when we were all pleasuring Gwen at the mansion.

Maybe because those pairings weren’t actually involved with each other?

Or was my blood a factor?

I mean, Avery probably wouldn’t have been capable of sharing in this bond were it not for her now being like me. And it was likely the same with Serenity. Out of the four, Gwen was the only one who currently hadn’t yet been changed by my blood, but with the sexy maid there was still some kind of supernatural bond there that existed due to her being an inferno imp.

Possibly if I gave my blood to Rebecca and Miriam, they would both be able to share in this more intimate bond, but it was hard to say for sure. Especially since I was already at least partially bonded with Miriam on her own.

I also kind of wanted to know if I was the only one who could change others, or if Serenity, Gabriella, Avery, and Michelle all had that capacity too. Because if I was the only one, then that would likely remove a major hesitation to make someone like me.

Not that I was overly hesitant with Miriam or Rebecca, but knowing whether or not I was passing that ability along would at least help me decide if I wanted to change someone who I might not be intimately involved with.

I mean, shit, if my biological father ended up being a threat, then the only way I was going to stand any chance against him, especially if he had an army of demons and witches backing him up, would be to have my own army.

And they couldn’t all be women -- not when my father’s undeniable strength was compelling women. I’d have to have a few guys I trusted, at the very least -- men who were a part of my army, but not in any other way involved in my life.

But as of now, I didn’t really have any friends, and couldn’t think of a single guy I trusted. I knew Serenity’s coworker, Nick, could possibly be a big help in a lot of ways, but he’d have to first be willing to respect my claim on Serenity, and that was even assuming it was a guarantee that he wouldn’t have the ability to make others like me.

But putting that crazy idea aside, I first wanted to figure out how I might establish this bond with Gabriella too.

Maybe it would help if we could somehow verify if my redheaded fiancé had another kind of magical affinity, other than lust. Might just require some experimentation, which was something I knew Miriam could probably help with…especially since magic training was apparently a major priority now.

When I finally pulled into Avery’s paved driveway, I was relieved to see that there was no sign of her dad. I mean, I was well aware that Mr. Copeland had a normal job that would likely require him to be at work at this time of day, but I couldn’t help being a little paranoid that he’d be waiting to jump us again, like earlier that morning.

I knew Avery didn’t plan on staying here long, especially not after what happened in the parking lot, but I’d never seen her bedroom before, so I decided to follow her up the stairs to check it out, actually a little surprised to see the dominant theme was my favorite color -- red.

Her sheets were a cherry red, and her comforter was a darker shade of crimson. She also had some purple here and there, but the room otherwise lacked a lot of color, largely because her furniture was either black or shades of brown, such as her black chair and brown desk, where her black laptop was sitting, a single cherry sticker on the lid -- something I always thought looked like a pair of balls.

Overall, while not as elaborate, her bedroom almost reminded me of Miriam’s suite in her mansion, although in my opinion the color scheme kind of made sense for the deceptively young succubus, given her actual age, whereas I was expecting something a bit more girlie in Avery’s room.

“Wasn’t really going for a theme,” Avery admitted out loud as she stuffed her laptop in her backpack. “Mom has always been big on neutral colors, like gray and brown, and I guess it’s rubbed off on me. I had a lot of pink in my room when I was younger, but kind of transitioned to blues, reds, and purples once I started high school.”

Having already seen Michelle’s bedroom, which was pleasant shades of gray, I could see that definitely being the case.

“Make sense,” I said simply, inhaling the pleasant scent. “Smells nice.”

Avery grinned at that. “Smells like me?” she assumed.

My eyes widened slightly when I realized she was right. Her room had that sort of sweet vanilla lavender scent.

And here I’d assumed she must have a candle or something out of sight, but it was definitely her that I was smelling.

She giggled at my reaction. “Glad you like it, even if I didn’t put much effort into preparing for you to come over.”

I couldn’t help but smile, about to respond, only for both of our expressions to drop when we sensed something from Natalie, both of us a bit more focused on her now that we were no longer occupied by class.

Alarm.

Not alarm directed specifically at us, as if she was intending to warn us about something, but simply a reflexive reaction to something going on. She’d just had a spike of alarm at unexpected company.

Mrs. Rebecca, Michelle, Gabriella, and Natalie were all still standing outside by Gabriella’s vehicle when a black car pulled off the street and began heading down our driveway back home. Of course, my first thought was that it might be that woman again, immediately concerned as to why she’d stop by a second time, but Natalie was instinctively sensing something else entirely.

Now that I was really focusing on her, I could see in her mind that not even she understood why her senses were suddenly on high alert, but she wasted no time barking out orders.

“Everyone inside now,” she hissed to the others.

“Who is it?” Rebecca asked in concern.

Gabriella chimed in too. “We’re not going to leave you out here by yourself,” she added.

Natalie wasn’t having it. “I’m a fucking werewolf,” she hissed. “You’d just get in the way if this person is a threat.” She paused, registering that they needed something more to get them to move their asses. “Kai wants you all inside,” she added, telling a little white-lie to get them to listen -- because there wasn’t time for them to delay.

Natalie’s senses were sincerely telling her that there was a threat.

Even the front windshield was tinted, so she couldn’t see who was inside, but undoubtedly she perceived danger.

“Hurry,” she added urgently, even as they all finally turned around and started hurrying inside.

Avery and I were already flying down the stairs, speaking quickly.

“I need you to drive,” I urged. “Just focus on driving, no matter what happens.”

“Kai, we’re fifteen minutes away,” she said in concern, even as we rushed for the front door. “We aren’t going to make it, even if I speed.”

“I know,” I replied, grimacing as I stepped outside, quickly rushing over to the passenger’s seat of my car. “But there’s nothing else we can do, except try to get there as fast as legally possible. I can’t fly in the daytime like this, and we can’t afford to get pulled over by a cop right now.” I paused as Avery stuck her bag in the backseat and then began climbing into the driver’s seat, prompting me to continue. “I was able to give Gwen strength once. I might be able to help Natalie too, but I need to concentrate.”

Avery simply nodded, stepping on the gas to back out of the driveway.

I quickly leaned forward in my seat and covered my eyes with my hands, deciding it was time to focus fully on the situation, unsure of how I would even be able to help Natalie, since it had been an effortless experience with Gwen -- giving her power had come instinctively when I was so escalated after dying and coming back to life, but I wasn’t sure how to do it consciously.

And since Natalie couldn’t use fire magic like the devil maid, I wasn’t sure how giving her power would even help her…

My blue-haired wife was tense as the black vehicle pulled to a stop right behind Gabriella’s car, effectively blocking one possible escape route. At the very least, they could still drive Rebecca’s vehicle through the grass if needed, but the potential implications of having this car pull up so close to Gabriella’s car felt indicative, that they were making it difficult for anyone to leave before they decided to.

If Natalie could just stall them for fifteen minutes, then we’d be there.

Possibly sooner, since not all the roads we planned on taking were full of traffic.

Now with everyone inside the house, Natalie just stood there as the driver remained in the vehicle for a few long seconds, before the door finally popped open.

Knowing I was paying attention now, she focused intently on the stranger, so that I could have a clear picture of what they looked like. However, with my eyes closed now, I almost felt like I could see what she was seeing, with even the subtle details her eyes were catching painting a pretty clear image in my mind.

And it definitely wasn’t the woman I’d just seen.

It was a man.

One who was taller than me, at least at my normal height, appearing as if he was in his mid-twenties, roughly the same age as Serenity.

Dark brown hair, tan skin, neatly trimmed goatee, immaculate gray suit, and undeniably handsome, the moment Natalie’s eyes locked with his, she knew instantly what she was staring at, even though his irises were dark brown.

And it instantly invoked within her great hostility.

Because it was an alpha, just not one of the werewolf variety, and she only had one alpha -- all other alphas were threats.

Natalie spoke first, before he could get a word out, his eyes narrowing at her visible reaction. And because I was so focused, I felt like I could actually hear her words, as if I was there with her, hearing her speak just like I’d hear my own words if I spoke myself.

“Can I help you with something?” she nearly spat sarcastically, trying to control her anger, feeling her body grow hot. A familiar heat, one she used to dread every full moon.

His expression finally relaxed then, becoming visibly calm despite her reaction, his voice extremely charming. “Ah, well this is unexpected,” he said in amusement, closing his car door and smoothing out his gray suit briefly, displaying several gold rings on his fingers with jewels inset in them, before casually leaning against the top of the black surface. “You must be something special to my dear boy, Cairo, if you have that kind of authority over the other women I saw just now.”

Natalie’s eyes flew open in alarm and confusion, before they narrowed again, even as he continued unprompted.

“Oh, you must be confused,” he chuckled. “I think he spells it with a ‘K,’ and only goes by Kai, doesn’t he? Perhaps not even he knows he was named after the capital of Egypt. Or as it’s known in Arabic, al-Qahirah -- The Subduer or The Victorious.” He scoffed. “Such a grandiose name for such an insignificant life. But we always do hope the best for our children, don’t we?” he added with a charming smile.

Natalie knew what was being implied, and neither of us believed it, especially not when he was ‘trying so hard’ to make ‘that implication,’ by having ‘insider information’ about the supposed origin of my name.

“Cut the shit,” Natalie hissed. “I know damn well Kai isn’t your kid. We’ve met his father once, and you sure as hell don’t even look like you’re his family. So don’t even try to claim you’re some uncle or something. We’ve seen pictures of most of his brothers,” she added, a piece of information I personally hadn’t even fully processed yet -- the fact that I had living brothers.

That my father had other sons he planned on speaking to this Saturday…

Shit, I didn’t know how to feel about that.

The man’s dark brown eyes narrowed again at all that, pausing for way too long as he considered how he might respond, before sighing heavily.

“I hate females who don’t know their place. Bitches like you make for the perfect guard dog, but as far as I’m concerned, the only place you belong is under my boot.”

Natalie’s eyes widened at that, alarmed by his words.

Did he know?

That she was a werewolf?

Or was he speaking metaphorically?

Didn’t matter, because she didn’t have time to respond, before he focused on her more intently, giving out a command verbally, even as his eyes flashed yellow, his tone suddenly full of anger.

“Come here and grovel before me,” he snapped with intense bile.

Natalie was instantly alarmed, though not for the reasons she was afraid of.

In response to his glare…

She felt nothing.

Her alarm instantly transitioned to confidence.

Because she truly only had one alpha, and her love’s hold on her was absolute.

Even more absolute than being beneath that more heinous alpha she’d suffered under for nearly a full year.

Thus, she stood up straighter, squaring her thin shoulders, her husky tone firm.

“I refuse,” she snapped back. “I only have one master.”

The man’s gold eyes widened in sincere shock at that, only to look…

Excited.

He quickly began sounding giddy. “Do my ears deceive me?” he said with a widening grin, straightening up. “How in hell’s name did that brat procure such a priceless servant? Are you a witch? Or I suppose they prefer ‘sorceress’ nowadays, don’t they? But you can’t be a blood sucker, not out in the sun like this. Do you have a mind stone hidden away? Surely, you’re not one of the Fae, are you? I sense no concealment spells, so this must be your true form.” He laughed then. “Oh my, what are you?” he added curiously, taking a step closer. “It’s been a long time since I was forced to break a bitch with my hands, instead of eyes.”

Natalie’s body tensed, as she held her hand up. “You’re not welcome here,” she said flatly. “If you don’t leave, then you’ll leave me no choice but to make you.”

His eyes narrowed again at that, looking sincerely irritated a second time. However, he didn’t respond, instead his gold gaze flicking upward slightly, beginning to focus past Natalie…

At the house.

Unexpectedly, the door opened up, an urgent voice coming from within.

Gabriella’s voice.

“Mom! Stop! What are you doing?!”

Natalie focused back on her in alarm, seeing that she almost looked drugged as she stepped off the couple of steps and headed directly in their direction.

A boisterous laugh reached Natalie’s ears then, prompting another wave of aggression to boil from within, causing her bones to begin popping softly, her fingernails rapidly becoming midnight claws as both she and I quickly tried to process what should be done.

Because even if this man wasn’t my father, it was obvious he might know my father, and I didn’t know what consequences might exist for killing one of our kind. Not to mention, while Natalie was terrified to continue transforming, she would absolutely do it if necessary…

But there was no going back once she did.

The moment she shifted fully, murder was on the menu.

A decision that might have long-lasting consequences for all of us, which meant she had to give it one last-ditch effort to make him leave, since allowing him to take Rebecca was not a viable option to avoid bloodshed.

Without thinking, Natalie abruptly stabbed an inch-long claw into her left wrist, tugging downward to draw a profuse amount of blood as she severed deep into her flesh, abruptly thrusting her bleeding left arm out as if she was trying to halt the redhead MILF from passing, only to splatter an excessive amount of blood onto the ground with her motion, flinging crimson fluid nearly a dozen feet away.

The man’s eyes widened in alarm and confusion at the unexpected injury, only to take a step back the moment Natalie barked out an order.

One that seemed to come naturally.

Instinctively.

From my mind, a spell was unexpectedly shared between us.

“Burn my enemies, protect my kin!”

Instantly, a thick tower of orange flames erupted from her to the edge of her last blood-splatter, creating an impenetrable wall, blocking off Rebecca’s immediate exit and preventing her from approaching, even while Natalie stared her enemy down.

However, she didn’t give him a chance to respond, immediately flinging her arm forward, causing more gushing blood to splatter across the distance, finally prompting him to jump away in alarm as some almost hit his fancy shoes.

“Curses!” he snarled, taking yet another step back. “An Ifrit!”

Natalie ignored him. “One drop!” she snapped, beginning to feel lightheaded as she held up her bleeding wrist. “One drop of blood, and you’ll cease to exist! And if I get a drop of your blood, then not even your soul will survive!” she added, just trying to sound as threatening as possible before she passed out.

The wound was rapidly closing up now, but she’d held nothing back digging into her flesh, and had definitely lost a substantial amount of blood in those precious few seconds. However, even as her eyes began to droop slightly, the sensation actually caused another wave of aggression to wash through her, not wanting to be defeated by this weakness.

A weakness that pissed her off -- an anger that instantly turned into strength.

Natalie stood up straighter, a wall of orange flames still burning to her left side, touching her without burning her flesh, even as the guy finally jumped into his vehicle and gunned it, racing straight backward down the driveway, away from the perceived threat that was Natalie.

Watching him swerve onto the road, he again gunned the engine and began racing down the street away from the house.

Yet despite the effort, my blue-haired companion didn’t feel fatigued anymore, or even drained.

Now, fueled by her sense of defiance against her own weakness, she felt strong.

Powerful.

She felt ready to fight, even though this battle was clearly won.

As the flames finally died down, she turned to face Mrs. Rebecca, seeing that Gabriella and Michelle both had apparently rushed after her, each of them grabbing an arm as if attempting to hold her back, even though it was obvious the mature redhead had snapped out of whatever trance she’d been in.

More than that.

She looked mortified.

And ashamed.

Because she clearly couldn’t help it.

I didn’t know who this guy was, or what possible relation he might have to my biological family -- shit, I didn’t even know if he was only part-incubus, or if he might actually be full-blooded -- but I knew one thing for sure. He had not come with peaceful intentions, and I was both paranoid that killing him might result in severe consequences, while simultaneously concerned that letting him go would be a huge mistake.

Dammit, what should I do?!

Focusing up at the road when Avery made a hard turn, I realized we were just pulling onto our street, which didn’t see much traffic to begin with, making it plainly obvious who was in the heavily tinted black car speeding our way almost a mile down the street between the thick trees.

Which meant, this was a chance to do something, but what?

‘A show of force,’ Natalie unexpectedly announced in my head, feeling more than strong. For the first time in her life, she felt empowered. ‘Not from you,’ she continued, abruptly beginning to strip naked right there in the driveway. ‘Since we can’t reveal your secret. But from me. He won’t know I’m the same person. The same creature.’

Natalie was still raring to go.

To do more.

To be more.

She was just waiting for permission to do so.

I decided to give it to her.

“Stop the car,” I instructed Avery, even as I sensed Natalie’s mind succumb to her inner monster, the animal unexpectedly desperate to escape. To be free.

For the first time ever, there was desire, craving, and pleasure in the snapping bones and reshaping flesh.

The beast rapidly began growing larger, spurred on by the unexpected screams of the unsuspecting women standing nearby, teeth snapping shut in anticipation of the chase -- excitement for the hunt.

And then, a vicious growl erupted out of her throat as wired muscle sprang forward to leap over a car in her way, landing on still-morphing paws even as she dug her massive claws into the earth, rapidly bursting into the thicket of trees at an accelerated speed.

She felt unstoppable.

Invincible.

The strongest she’d ever felt in her entire life.

She was more than powerful.

She was POWER ITSELF, coursing through every fiber of her being, rippling muscles propelling her even faster through the thinning brush.

Popping open my car door the moment that Avery stopped, I jumped out and ran around to the other side, standing in the middle of the street as the black car barreled toward me, unaware of the wolf monstrosity charging in our direction, only continuing to grow in strength.

Only continuing to grow in speed.

The onslaught of a predator, chasing down its prey.

The black car began slowing down quickly, finally coming to a complete stop after pulling up closer to where Avery’s car was stopped, making it clear he had no intention on trying to run me over, not that I’d been concerned anyway.

Surprisingly, he popped open his door without hesitation, looking entirely composed now.

“Ah, Cairo, my boy,” he said warmly, as if we were best friends, definitely looking only about five to seven years older than me, but having an air about him that was much more mature than that, like someone closer to middle age. And he definitely looked a lot more middle eastern than I first realized, his tan skin having an almost olive hue to it, though that was assuming his entire appearance wasn’t all just an illusion.

At the very least, in person, I was picking up something unnatural about his gold rings with inset jewels.

“Who are you?” I demanded seriously, suspecting I already had an idea of the answer, just based on being in front of him face-to-face…

This man…was immortal.

And somehow associated with me, even if only indirectly knowing about me.

He bowed his head in acknowledgment, almost seeming respectful now. “My real name is Jonadab Mikloth, a relative of your father Absalom. I’ve come to invoke the Right of the Progenitor. Or as you might know it, the Ancestral Right of Ownership.” He scoffed then. “I was just going to enjoy a few of your females, but after what I experienced at your place of residence, I think I’ll take them all.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

Couldn’t comprehend the arrogance and gall.

Rather than angry, I was just baffled.

“And what makes you think you have the right?” I demanded.

He laughed at that, seeming especially smug now. “I’ve already told you. Your father has forfeited his right, which gives precedence to any other man of his lineage. As human men, we were cousins, but as immortals we are brothers.”

I scoffed at that. “And you’re claiming to get along with my father?” I said in disbelief, as if I knew otherwise, hoping to get him to admit it.

He scowled at that, looking annoyed at my disrespectful tone. “You’ll watch your tongue, boy. The Right of the Progenitor is mine all the same, and if anything, it is because of our mutual loathing that I invoke it.”

That was all I needed to know.

Feeling completely calm now, a cold determination having settled in my bones, I casually kicked off my shoes, reaching down to unbutton my pants.

I could sense that Serenity was already hiding in the bathroom back at work, having prepared herself for this possibility.

A possibility where she might uncontrollably transform in response to my actions.

Natalie was bolting through the trees at an impossible speed, almost upon us, spurred on even faster by the decision I’d just made.

The immortal incubus just looked at me in absolute confusion as I tugged off my shirt, now only in my boxers, with me deciding to strip those off too, so that I was completely naked in the middle of the street.

“What in hell’s name?” he said in disbelief. “Are you mentally disturbed?”

I didn’t respond, instead looking to his side, prompting him to look too, just in time to see a behemoth of a vicious wolf, covered in midnight fur, burst through the trees and onto the road, an almost eerie unnatural silence accompanying its movements.

Like a massive horrifying ghost.

More than silence, her fur was almost shadowy, as if it was made of a black mist engulfing the canine predator in a shroud of darkness, her slitted eyes a vibrant glowing gold. And within the fur-like darkness, I saw hints of blue, not from hair, but from something else entirely igniting in and out of existence from her heat.

As she licked her jowls, blue flames flickered out of her mouth.

Twin tongues of azure fire began to illuminate at the edge of her gold eyes.

The man screamed.

“WHAT THE FUCK?!”

My horns sprouted as I rapidly ascended to seven feet, continuing to grow to my full height, quickly towering to double the height of the puny man before me.

“CALL IT OFF!” he screamed. “CALL THE HELLHOUND OFF!” he shrieked, focusing at me, only to realize he was staring at a gray muscled stomach instead of a face.

All color drained from his expression as his terrified brown eyes focused up at the monster standing before him, enormous wings beginning to fan out from my back, massive horns crowning my white hair in their midnight glory, the thick black spikes igniting with blue flames as I stared down mercilessly at my prey.

He didn’t even have time to react.

Didn’t even have time to defend himself or try to fight back with his own magic.

With a speed that seemed to contradict my size, my wings folded in and I lunged forward to grab him by the head, my entire hand encompassing his skull, only to spin around in a complete circle, hearing his neck snap as I tossed him toward the equally large hellhound.

Without hesitation, the shadowy behemoth lunged for the puny humanoid body, sinking her dagger-like fangs into its flesh, only to rush into the trees with her prey, dashing at impossible speeds several hundred feet away from the road, before beginning to shred into the flesh with vicious movements of her head, rapidly turning the warm corpse into a pile of blood and gore.

But that was only for the fun of it.

In barely thirty seconds she was standing on a bloody mess, the heat having risen in her throat, seemingly fueled by all the blood spilled before her, until finally she released it all at once.

Instantly, the world around her was filled with a blazing azure inferno that was bright enough to see through the dense vegetation, incinerating everything with an unquenchable burn, until there was nothing left but charred dirt in the large spot where she stood.

I enjoyed every second of it.

She enjoyed every second of it.

It wasn’t until I heard a car in the near distance that I calmly began to return to my normal size and dress, only to brush off my clothing briefly and step forward, intending on slipping into the open car door of the still-running black vehicle of my enemy.

Without looking at Avery, who was uncontrollably trembling from what she just witnessed, knowing she understood what I intended to do, I slipped into the driver’s seat of the luxury car. The scent of brand-new leather filled my nose, along with an unexpected familiar scent, and I promptly closed the door, calmly putting the vehicle in gear…

To finish hiding the evidence, of my latest kill.

Of our latest kill.

Natalie included.

For the sake of those we loved.

For the sake of our family.

Now, we’d just have to hide this secret from the world, and most importantly…

We’d have to hide this secret…from my father.

Great.

FEEDBACK: Thoughts on this chapter? Told you thinks were going to get a little crazy, and probably not in ways you expected, but hopefully in a good way.

This was kind of the 'big reveal' for what Natalie has become. Hopefully you liked the result (more info will come on that when Miriam finds out).

Chapter 89 >>

LIST OF STORIES >>

LIST OF ARTWORK >>