Innocent Devil’s Harem Ch. 34

March 1, 2021

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<< Chapter 33 | Chapter 1 (Book1) | Chapter 16 (Book 2)

- CHAPTER 34: Reconciliation -

When we got back home after my bizarre and extremely upsetting confrontation with Mrs. Watson, even if it was brief, I headed straight up to my room and locked the door, shutting everyone else out as I climbed into my bed and tried to shut my brain off.

Shit, I honestly wasn’t trying to be dramatic, but I was sincerely upset to an extreme I hadn’t been in a long time, and I didn’t even understand why.

And that was the problem. I knew I wouldn’t be able to think straight until I calmed down some, and had a chance to try to process the situation. Until I had a chance to replay what I just experienced and tried to break it down.

Fuck, I knew I already had a message sitting on my phone, most likely from Mrs. Watson, but I wasn’t even willing to look at it right now.

However, I didn’t get a chance to be by myself like I was hoping, since I had both Gabriella and Serenity at my door, begging for me to talk to them. Not to mention Michelle and Avery were both alarmed, having greeted the door cheerfully, likely with good news that they’d figured things out, only to find me rushing inside in a sour mood.

Fuck.

I felt so dumb and miserable, the two feelings creating a self-feeding downward spiral.

I actually felt even worse now than I did before.

At first, I didn’t respond to them for a solid minute, but then I realized that I was just making everything worse. Sighing, I finally spoke up, attempting to keep the depression out of my tone.

“I’m fine,” I tried reassuring them. “I just need to be alone for a little bit.”

Serenity and Gabriella were both quiet for a few seconds after that, before one of them walked away without a word. I wasn’t sure what was going on until that person came back a second later, sounding and smelling like Serenity, only for a tiny metal sound to clink in my doorknob as it unlocked.

I flipped over in bed to look at Serenity in shock, seeing her slip a key in her pocket, only to not say anything when I met her somber gaze. She shook her head once, as if silently telling me not to say anything, and then walked over to my bed, climbing directly on top of me.

Automatically, I wrapped her in my arms and twisted over to my other side again, pulling her with me and wrapping my leg around hers. Gabriella then stepped into the room as well, closing the door behind her and walking over to climb into my bed too, squishing herself against my back, carefully slipping her hand between me and Serenity to rest her fingers on my chest as she pressed her hot lips against the back of my neck.

I shivered from the heated touch, her hot breath on my skin, only to sigh heavily as it felt like the entire world regained its color all at once, even though it was pitch-black in my room, thanks to my thick curtains over the window.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered simply.

“Shh,” Serenity whispered. “You can have your alone time in your head. We just don’t want you to be alone outside of your head.”

I took a shaky breath, feeling like I was going to cry again, prompting them both to tighten their embraces on me. I wanted to thank them, feeling like a tight ball of wire was unwinding in my chest, but decided to instead take another deep breath and focus on their warmth and love.

“I’m so sorry,” Gabriella finally whispered after a long few minutes. “I don’t know what she said to you, but I’m really sorry.”

I simply shook my head, not wanting to talk about it yet, still feeling like I couldn’t process what happened, which caused my fiancé to fall silent again.

Shit, the more I thought about it, the more I couldn’t understand what Mrs. Rebecca was trying to do. And I suspected that primary issue was because I didn’t understand her motivations.

Was she really trying to get me to give Serenity up, or was it a test? Did she want me to herself, or was she trying to see if I had anything in my life that would allow me to resist her? Did she feel like it was unfair that she and her daughter had to share me with other women, or was she intentionally pushing me away for Serenity’s sake?

Had Serenity seemed jealous and she picked up on it?

And what was the whole deal with telling me I’d have to ‘make her’ want me, if I wanted to have her?

Because honestly, that alone felt like a huge risk to take, assuming she didn’t really want that. Like, what if I had made her? It’s not like she could have resisted, no more than Gabriella could resist, so then what was the deal?

Did she want me to claim her as my own? Was that what she was after?

Dammit, it didn’t make any sense.

At the very least, I couldn’t imagine her wanting me to ‘take her’ like that, because I felt like that was a rare kink, and if anything she preferred to be dominant -- not dominated. Not that I had any intention on ever being fully submissive, but I did feel like respect was vital to any relationship lasting long-term.

Dammit, I knew there had to be something I was missing. Something I was overlooking that would help me understand.

Probably something ridiculously obvious, that someone else might think I was an idiot for not realizing, but I was so close to this situation, and felt so horrible, that I just couldn’t figure it out.

When my phone vibrated again, Gabriella was the first one with her hand in my pocket, yanking out my phone before I could even protest to see who was messaging me. It was obvious her reflexes were improving, based on the speed of the gesture.

She was then silent for a few seconds as she read it, before sighing heavily.

“Hey, you should read this,” she said simply, holding the phone against Serenity’s side so I could grab it.

Taking a deep breath, I decided to do so, focusing on the first message Mrs. Rebecca had sent me while I was still driving.

‘You don’t get lemon juice from an orange, and you don’t get orange juice from a lemon. When you squeeze, the juice can tell you what kind of fruit it is.’

I stared at it for a long few seconds, knowing it was a continuation of what she was trying to say before when I left, feeling like this made perfect sense, but unsure of how that applied to me. Fuck, I knew once I figured it out, I’d probably feel like an idiot for not grasping her meaning, but I just didn’t get her point.

I focused on the second message.

‘You are an orange, baby boy. Sweet, innocent, and most importantly, GOOD. After finding out what you’re capable of, I think I can trust you now, but I can understand if you find it difficult to trust me. Losing your trust was a sacrifice, but one I was willing to make, if for no other reason than for my daughter’s sake.’

Taking a deep breath, still feeling bitter about how horrible she made me feel, I decided to respond.

‘Why did you mess with me?’

I then turned the phone to Serenity when she requested to read it, causing her to frown as she examined it, looking like she wanted to say something, but was choosing not to at the moment.

Mrs. Watson’s next message came soon after.

‘Because I truly am like a drug to men. I knew what I was doing to you when I touched you and asked you to leave. Believe it or not, I’ve made grown men break down and cry, and would have thought no less of you, if you had done the same. You aren’t the first grown man I’ve made feel miserable. My husband cried when I did this to him, even though he is very masculine. But he also left when I told him to, which is why I married him, instead of remaining friends.’

I just stared at her words in disbelief, again not understanding what she was trying to say. I mean, obviously, it was a test at this point. That part was at least clear, but why? Why would she do that to people?

That’s all I could think to ask.

‘Why?’

We were then all silent as we waited for her response, neither of them seeming interested in volunteering their opinions at this point.

It took longer for her to respond, but that was only because the message was longer.

‘A man who can’t leave when I tell him to, is incapable of being a true lover or partner, just like a man strung out on drugs can’t pay his bills, go to work, or even take care of his family, because his sole focus is his current high and next high. I needed to know you were someone who could do what needed to be done, even if it wasn’t what you wanted to do. And…I needed to know you weren’t a monster, as you put it…like most are, who can do what you can. I needed to know there wasn’t a monster lurking inside of you.’

I scoffed, handing over the phone so Serenity could read it, considering I was pretty sure Gabriella saw over my shoulder. I again wasn’t sure what to say to that, but Mrs. Rebecca soon sent me more of an explanation.

‘I have met plenty of sweet young men who became aggressive and demanding when they experienced rejection from me, or when they got upset. Plenty of nice guys who became assholes when they were angry. You are not one of those men. You are good, through and through.’

I sent my next question before I really thought it through, realizing a second after the fact that I probably knew the answer.

‘But why now?’

Still, I waited patiently for her response.

‘Because there was less risk before. Or rather, I wasn’t aware of the risk that already existed. Yelling or even hitting because you’re pissed, or feel rejected, significantly pales in comparison to being able to straight-up control another person… I would say more, but I will leave my explanation at that, since I don’t like discussing these kinds of things over the phone, in any form.’

I took a deep breath, already knowing what I wanted to say, suspecting that her finding out what I could do probably affected her more than she let on. And I also suspected that confronting me, like how she did, might have made her a bit more scared than she revealed.

‘I guess I’m sorry for freaking out at you.’

Her message came so quickly, it made me think she’d already been typing it out by the time I sent mine.

‘I’m sorry for making you feel like shit, baby boy. And I’m sorry for breaking your trust. I understand if you can never forgive me, but I promise you that I will never do such a thing again. For what it’s worth.’

I didn’t respond this time, uncertain of what to say.

Because ‘trust’ was in fact my biggest issue. It was why I didn’t really have any friends, because I could remember the hateful bullying from middle school after my parents passed away. And I usually didn’t forgive people after giving them a single chance. I didn’t normally give second chances. Especially when breaking my trust was intentional.

That would be like someone slamming my hand in a door, on purpose, and then expecting me to put it back and ‘trust them’ that they wouldn’t do it a second time. Certainly, I could forgive them without a problem, and in fact I usually didn’t hold grudges, but that didn’t mean I was going to put my hand back in the door.

Because trust and forgiveness were two entirely separate things.

And forgiving someone absolutely did not mean you had to trust them ever again, or even speak to them again.

I might not hold a grudge against a man who punched me in the face, but no way in hell was I going to invite him over for dinner or otherwise include him in my life. And even if I was dealing with family, if they did something bad enough, I’d have no problem kicking them out of my life forever, family or not, even though I might not hold a grudge long-term.

Kicking someone out of your life didn’t mean you were lacking in forgiveness, and there were some situations where such an action was just consequential to the situation. Like, if a friend of the family, or even a family member, had ever sexually assaulted Serenity, there was no doubt that her parents wouldn’t have blinked an eye at excommunicating them from our lives, as a natural consequence and necessity, to keep her safe, even if her mom was otherwise quite religious.

Granted, despite my reluctance to trust a second time, I also found it difficult to imagine that I would never be willing to trust Mrs. Rebecca again, but at the same time I couldn’t just automatically forget how I felt right now and say ‘no big deal.’ She was going to have to earn back my trust, which was already something I rarely offered.

But…I knew I would offer it…because I was addicted.

In theory, I could let her go, but knowing that what she did was for both her and her daughter’s sake -- to ensure I wasn’t dangerous to them -- made what she did feel less bad. More understandable. And ultimately gave me less reservations that might otherwise cause me to stay away.

Still…

‘Don’t do that again.’

It was a warning. Not of something bad to come, but of me shutting my heart off forever. I supposed I might elaborate when I next spoke to her in person, so she’d understand how significant this issue truly was to me, but for now that was all I would say.

‘I won’t. I promise.’

Taking a deep breath, I stuck my phone back in my pocket.

“So,” Serenity began hesitantly. “Let me get this straight. She touched you and then asked you to leave?”

I sighed heavily, wrapping my arms more snuggly around Serenity in my embrace, which prompted her to bury her face against my chest more, her head underneath my chin. “Well, she first asked me to give you up for her,” I admitted.

“What?!” Serenity said in alarm, pulling away to look up at me.

“I said no,” I quickly replied. “But she then basically said that she was through with me, and told me to leave.” I took a deep breath. “She waited until I had my hand on the doorknob before touching me, and it just made everything worse.”

“So basically,” Gabriella chimed in. “She rejected you when you wouldn’t give Serenity up, but then she made it confusing.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “Sounds even dumber when I say it out loud, but that’s basically what happened. And then she tried to get me to compel her into making her be with me, since she wouldn’t do it willingly.” I sighed. “I guess she was seeing if I’d really do it when I was upset, but I can’t imagine why she’d take that risk.”

“Unless she had a way to prevent it from happening,” Serenity suggested.

I froze solid, wondering if that was the case. “I don’t know what it would have been though,” I replied. “Unless she put in special contacts or something? But I know she didn’t,” I quickly added, shaking my head at the idea.

All she did was put her hair up and the idea of a magical hair-tie just sounded ridiculous. Maybe she grabbed something and put it in her pocket? Or was she able to do actual magic, which would be invisible to the naked eye?

But without saying anything? No incantation or anything?

I had zero idea.

I didn’t even know what was real and what was myth. And I certainly had no idea how magic worked.

Certainly, I’d read about stuff before, but most of it was pure fantasy. Just random stuff people made up, like sparkling vampires or magic that didn’t require a sacrifice or even an energy source to work. Even the supposedly more ‘real stuff’ seemed fake, often focusing on spiritual healing nonsense.

Or at least, I personally felt like it was nonsense.

Nothing about magic to prevent compulsion though.

But Mrs. Rebecca’s reckless actions did make a little more sense if she had something up her sleeve to prevent me from compelling her. Not that I would have ever done it in the first place, since I strongly doubted I could avoid karma biting me in the ass, never mind the fact that she might one day resent me for it somehow.

However, I supposed that was the scariest part of the power incubi held. Such creatures could actually make a woman want them, rather than just controlling their actions. Or at least, it appeared I might be capable of that, actually affecting the heart, instead of just the mind.

At the very least, when I practiced on Serenity, she found herself wanting to please me, even though we’d discussed her refusing what I asked beforehand. And the result was the same with the nurse in the hospital.

From Mrs. Rebecca’s perspective, she didn’t really know me, and I was just a boy to her who had the capacity to make any woman do what I wanted. If anything, she probably realized for the first time why her mother had warned her repeatedly about incubi, assuming her mom had never actually explained what the specific danger was for some reason.

Because incubi sincerely could be dangerous.

With just a look, they could enslave any female they wanted.

Sighing, I decided I should apologize for being so dramatic about the whole thing, feeling dumb for almost crying for real.

“Sorry for being a wimp,” I whispered.

“You’re not a wimp,” Gabriella nearly snapped, sounding angry that I would even suggest it. “Not at all. You’ve literally killed people for me and protected me. Rejection is hard on anyone, and while I don’t agree with what my mom did, I am not surprised by how you reacted to it.”

“Besides,” Serenity added, snuggling against my chest again, her head underneath my chin. “As much as I hate how she made you feel, I also feel needed right now. And that’s the very thing that has kept me going after mom and dad died. When it happened, the fact that you needed me, more than ever, gave me the motivation to push forward. It gave me strength, when otherwise I would have had none.”

I didn’t know what to say to that.

“Women want to feel needed,” Gabriella quickly agreed, kissing me tenderly on the back of the neck. “Remember? We sort of already had this conversation a couple days ago. About how I was glad I was older than you and more mature. That I already had a job and my own place. Because I felt like I’d never measure up to you otherwise. I’d never be your equal.”

“Well, you’re definitely both my equal now,” I finally replied. “Only thing you both are lacking is wings. And maybe just stronger senses.”

Serenity made an amused noise, while Gabriella was silent for a few seconds.

“You know…” my fiancé began hesitantly. “My back has been feeling a little itchy since I woke up this morning.”

Serenity abruptly untucked her head from my chin and looked up at me, only for us both to glance at her, me twisting slightly to look at her in the corner of my eye.

“What?” she said seriously. “Why are you both looking at me like I said something weird?”

I took a deep breath. “I guess I just wasn’t sure how much like me everyone was really going to become. But I suppose this is expected.”

“Well yeah,” Gabriella agreed. “I pretty much assumed it would probably happen eventually.”

“I didn’t,” Serenity replied sincerely. “But then again, the idea of wings probably seems so bizarre because I already feel like it’s beyond strange that I can look so different. And dang, my eyes are super creepy. I saw them in the mirror this morning after I showered.”

“I think they’re beautiful,” I replied warmly.

She focused up at me in surprise. “Really?” she said hopefully.

“Really,” I reaffirmed, only to recall something I’d thought about earlier, regarding Serenity almost transforming in embarrassment back at Mrs. Rebecca’s house. Sighing, I decided to carefully sit up, prompting them both to give me confused looks in the dark as they did the same. I continued before they could ask what was wrong. “Gabriella,” I began. “Just wondering, but did you tell your mom that I changed you?”

She immediately grimaced. “Umm, not exactly. I did tell her about you, obviously. And, I mean, I probably would have mentioned me too, but she didn’t seem to notice when I shifted.”

I nodded, realizing my suspicions were correct.

“Well that would have been a big problem,” Serenity blurted out, seeming dumbfounded. “Shit, I almost transformed while we were there. Your mom probably would have lost her shit if she suddenly had a red-eyed demon sitting in front of her.”

“Oh!” Gabriella exclaimed, looking apologetic. “I am so sorry. I…I realize I probably should have told her, it’s just…”

“You’re worried about what she’d think,” I assumed. “About me changing you permanently into something else.”

She grimaced again. “Well, I mean, obviously I’m still part-succubus. And I still look mostly normal, so…” Her voice trailed off.

I sighed. “It’s understandable. But she does need to know.”

“Are you sure, Kai?” Serenity asked seriously, reaching up to scratch her head. “Maybe it’s better if she doesn’t know. I mean, what if she asks you to change her too? Are you ready to deny her that?”

I frowned at that.

“And that is also part of it,” Gabriella quickly added. “I didn’t want to tell her that aspect of your secret, especially when you said that you didn’t want to change anyone else. Like, you specifically brought up my parents, remember? And I wouldn’t put it past my mom for her to ask you to change both her and my dad. Or to even pressure me into doing it, assuming my blood can have the same effect.”

I took a deep breath as I considered it, trying to think it through. “I guess…” I sighed, glancing at Serenity as I continued. “I guess it depends on whether or not this thing we’re doing with her ends up being long-term. If it’s just temporary, then no, I really don’t want to change her.”

“What do you mean by long-term?” Gabriella asked hesitantly, seeming to know what I was implying, but wanting me to clarify anyway.

Instead, I took a slightly different approach. “You saw what she said in her messages,” I replied simply. “And while I feel a little hesitant to get close to her again after what she did, there is a part of me that really does want her. But I also don’t want to mess with your parents’ relationship,” I added.

Gabriella took a deep breath. “Dammit,” she mumbled, only to sigh. “Honestly, I don’t know that it would necessarily be a bitter separation if they did split.”

“Shit,” I hissed underneath my breath, concerned that her opinion was being supernaturally influenced by my abilities. “You aren’t seriously okay with them getting a divorce, are you?”

She immediately shook her head. “No, of course not. At least, not like most people do it. But I don’t think it would be like a normal divorce if they did.” She then sighed again, realizing she needed to elaborate. “See, I’ve grown up with both of my parents emphasizing how great of friends they are. And when I finally asked my mom about their kinky lifestyle, she kind of made it sound like my dad was fine with sharing, because he understood that he was her best friend…as opposed to being a true lover,” she added with a grimace.

I frowned at that, recalling that Mrs. Watson had just called him a friend in at least one of her most recent messages. He left when she told him to, like how I’d done, so she decided to marry him, instead of remaining only friends…

“Wait,” Serenity interjected, reaching back to scratch her lower back briefly. “So you mean your parents are basically friends with benefits? Who ended up getting married, because it was convenient, or something?”

Gabriella shrugged. “I don’t know. But I sincerely doubt they would stop being friendly, even if they both started seeing other people.” She grimaced. “I actually remember them joking about it once when I was a teenager. My mom teased him by saying she’d find a very nice young woman for him, if she ever decided to move on.”

“Shit,” I repeated, unable to believe she was serious.

My fiancé shrugged. “Like I said, they’ve made comments like that all my life. Remember how I told you that it felt like most of their playful banter kind of seemed like foreplay? That’s some of the stuff they said to each other. My mom was always making comments that could only be described as dominating in some form. And my dad always played right into it, not seeming bothered by her teasing at all.”

I didn’t respond, uncertain of what to say.

“Look,” Gabriella continued. “It’s true I’m not super thrilled about the idea of them separating, but I also really enjoyed it when you and my mom fucked last night, and I’m not sure how that’s going to go on long-term. Especially not with the way my mom seems to feel about you.”

I frowned, ignoring Serenity’s abrupt transformation, realizing that us discussing this was kind of pointless right now. Especially since it would be a decision on their end. “Well, I’m at least glad to know that you wouldn’t end up hating me if I was the cause of their divorce, but that’s also not a decision I plan on getting involved in. Like, your mom and dad are going to have to work that out on their own.”

She nodded in agreement. “Not going to lie, I might have felt differently if I thought my dad might end up hating you, or if knowing you’re having sex with my mom wasn’t so ridiculously amazing. But if my mom decides not to sleep with him anymore, then it’s basically the same thing, whether they legally separate or not.”

I sighed, realizing she had a point. After all, Mrs. Rebecca had mentioned several times she wasn’t sure how she was going to go back to fucking normal men, and while her husband seemed to be fine with that arrangement for now, it wouldn’t be fair for him to get no sex at all while his wife essentially moved on.

No, it would make much more sense for him to move on too.

But would he really be okay with this? Would he really view it as his best friend finally finding someone she truly loved? Or would he feel bitter like a normal person might? And was it arrogant of me to even think Mrs. Rebecca liked me more than as a great fuck? Was me having her really even something that could happen without discord?

Hard to say, especially considering this guy was someone who regularly and willingly shared his wife with random men.

Dammit, this whole situation was so bizarre. But I knew it would ultimately depend on how Mrs. Rebecca wanted to handle it.

For now, I just needed to focus on the important part, which was having her educate me on sensing sexual energy, especially the kind that I was absorbing. However, what we did after that, once I fully understood, was up in the air at this point.

Taking another deep breath, I let it out slowly. “Well, I guess we should probably go downstairs. I’m sure both Avery and her mom are really worried.”

“Hopefully they have good news,” Serenity commented. “Maybe something that will cheer you up.”

I focused on her in the dark in surprise, her glowing red eyes beginning to dim after transforming a minute ago, with her finally starting to transition back, for me only to smirk slightly when I recalled that the good news was regarding the fact that Avery and Michelle were supposed to be discussing how they would handle sharing me between themselves. “I love you so much, Ren.”

“I love you too, baby,” she replied sincerely. “Thank you for needing me.”

“Thank you for comforting me.”

She smiled warmly, reaching up to scratch her forehead, only to brush some of her dark brown hair out of her face. “You’re very welcome.”

“Okay you two,” Gabriella blurted out. “You’re both making me horny with all this lovey-dovey shit, and we can’t have sex right now.”

Instantly, Serenity shifted again, her eyes suddenly glowing red in the dark.

I laughed. “Oh, how I wish,” I said playfully, only to climb out of bed before my stiffening cock got too out of control. However, just as I stood up, my phone started vibrating in my pocket, indicating I was getting a call.

Pulling it out, I was surprised to see it was Gabriella’s mom, wondering if she was calling to make sure I at least wasn’t pissed at her. It had been a good ten minutes since she’d last messaged me, and I hadn’t responded to her most recent one.

Sighing, I flashed the screen briefly to the two of them, before answering it. “Hey Mrs. Rebecca,” I replied simply, my voice sounding emotionally drained. “Sorry if I sounded rude in my messages, but ‘trust’ is kind of a big deal to me, so…”

“Baby, it’s not that,” she quickly interjected. “I just got off the phone with the person I mentioned, and she wants to meet you.”

“Oh,” I said in surprise, my eyes wide, realizing both my two women could hear too, since they reacted the same as me. “When does she want to meet?”

“Today,” Mrs. Rebecca said quickly. “But she wants to meet you alone, and also will have some stipulations.”

“What kind of stipulations?” I asked seriously.

“Look, I promise that I didn’t tell her anything,” she quickly responded, sounding ashamed now. “Shit. You can even…fuck…you can even ‘make me’ tell you the truth, if you don’t believe me, but when I told her some of the vague details of the situation, she jumped to her own conclusions, and…” She took an uneasy breath. “And I didn’t admit anything, but I also can’t lie to her.”

Gabriella finally spoke up, her tone loud so she would be heard. “Mom,” she began seriously. “What do you mean you can’t lie to her? Who is this person?”

“Dammit,” Mrs. Rebecca hissed to herself, seeming frustrated, only to speak up. “Sweetie, I can’t say much on the phone, but…” Her voice trailed off, only to sigh. “It’s the person I usually am speaking of when I talk about my mother.”

“Mom?!” Gabriella said in alarm. “I thought you said grandma was gone.”

“She is gone,” Mrs. Watson admitted. “This is…well, this is your great-great-grandmother that I’m speaking about.”

Wait…

Oh fuck.

Gabriella and I immediately stared at each other in disbelief, with me counting the numbers in my head, knowing Gabriella’s mom was one-eighth, her grandma was one-fourth, the great-grandma was one-half, and then the great-great-grandmother…

Fuck.

“Don’t say anything over the phone,” Mrs. Rebecca blurted out. “If you realize who I’m talking about, don’t say it.”

“But is it even safe?” Gabriella asked seriously, concern in her expression now. “She’s not going to try to hurt him, is she?”

“No, of course not,” Mrs. Rebecca said confidently. “Your great-great-grandmother is a good person, though a bit paranoid, and I’m confident she’s just curious about the situation. On the contrary, she just wants to meet him, but also wants to take the appropriate precautions to ensure he doesn’t hurt her.”

“What kind of precautions?” I repeated seriously.

“Look, baby boy, I’ll tell you when you get here, but she’s the only person who I know that can help you with this mystery stone issue. And I know you don’t have any reason to trust me right now, but that’s what I’m asking for. Your trust. Because I trust her, I know her, and I promise you she means you no harm.”

Fuck.

I took a deep breath, deciding to take her up on her offer. “I might really have to make sure you’re being honest with me this one time,” I admitted, not at all thrilled to take this risk she was presenting. “Because I’m not too keen on someone trying to kill me.”

Mrs. Rebecca took a noisy deep breath. “I…I understand. As an apology for making you feel like shit and losing your trust, I’ll allow it.”

I frowned at that. “How were you going to prevent it in the first place?”

There was a long pause. “Can I trust you, baby boy?” she asked seriously, almost sounding like she was giving me the same kind of warning I’d given her, about me not being able to trust her anymore if she broke it again. Except, she was posing her own warning as a question.

I took a deep breath, my tone becoming more sincere. “Yeah, you can absolutely trust me. Because, if I have anything to offer you, it’s respect.”

She was quiet for a few seconds. “Very well,” she agreed. “Then come over, just you, and I’ll show you how I would have protected myself.” She paused. “I’ll also explain more in person about the situation. Okay? Oh, and bring the stone, of course.”

I focused on Serenity and Gabriella, both of them examining me hesitantly, only for my fiancé to speak up. “I don’t like this, mom.”

“Me either,” Serenity chimed in. “I really don’t like this. We’re talking about Kai here. He’s my everything.”

“I know, and I understand,” Mrs. Rebecca agreed. “But I’ll be with him, and I won’t let anything bad happen to him. She just wants to meet him, and is only worried about her own safety. That is all.” She then paused again. “Look,” she continued. “My actual mother didn’t raise me. She was too busy enjoying the last few decades of her life. It’s why I call this person my mom, because she is my mom. She raised me when my own mother was too preoccupied to be a good mother herself. So I’ve spent a lot of time with her and I know for a fact she’s a good person. She’d never hurt anyone just to do it.”

Gabriella’s eyes were wide at that little nuclear bomb of a revelation, obviously having no idea that all this time her own mom wasn’t always referring to her grandma whenever she said ‘mom.’ However, she didn’t say anything, seeming lost for words.

Assuming Mrs. Rebecca was being honest, which I felt like she was, then I could understand this other woman’s perspective. Because as far as I was aware, succubi couldn’t straight-up control other people, whereas incubi did have that capacity. So yeah, it made perfect sense that this stranger wouldn’t be thrilled to speak to a half-blooded incubus without some precautions in place.

“Okay,” I finally agreed. “I guess I’ll head back over there. See you soon. Lov--” My voice caught in my throat, when I realized what I was about to say, feeling like it was a betrayal of my addiction to her.

Mrs. Rebecca made an amused noise. “Baby boy, I love you too. See you soon.” And with that, she hung up.

I sighed as I stuck the phone back in my pocket.

“I really don’t like this,” Serenity blurted out again, running her fingers through her hair.

“I know,” I agreed. “But this is the only person we can ask, and we’re never going to get anywhere if we refuse to trust anyone. Besides, what if my biological father does show up one day, parading around as a good guy, when he’s actually bad? I don’t think we can just sit on this and hope no issues come up down the road. We need to be preventative here, not reactive.”

She frowned at that, knowing very well I was repeating something she herself had said a few times before, about being preventative instead of reactive, only to nod in agreement.

“Okay,” she finally said with a grimace. “Just…please be careful.”

“I will,” I promised. “And I’ll do whatever I need to do to ensure she doesn’t feel threatened.” I sighed. “And hopefully we can start getting some real answers.”

Unexpectedly, Gabriella slipped off the bed and threw herself at me. “I love you,” she whispered, sounding desperate now, as if I was going off to war or something. “Please keep us updated if you can.” She sighed. “Or maybe I can at least have my mom keep us updated, in case ‘no phones’ is a stipulation.”

I nodded in agreement. “Sounds good. I guess let me go touch base with Avery and Michelle, make sure they are okay, and then I’ll head over to your mom’s place.”

Serenity chimed in again. “We can fill them in on everything while you’re gone, so don’t worry about getting into too many details.”

“Sure,” I agreed warmly. “Thanks, Ren. Love you.”

“Love you too,” she whispered, climbing out of bed too when I began heading for my bedroom door, only to pause to scratch her lower back, before continuing.

Unsurprisingly, Avery and Michelle both were downstairs at the kitchen table, both of them seeming really worried, but patiently letting us figure things out. It was obvious they looked relieved when I came back downstairs seeming in a much better mood.

First thing I did was apologize for not even greeting them when we got home, explaining that Gabriella’s mom made me really upset, but that she did it because she found out I could compel people and wanted to see how I handled her essentially rejecting me.

That of course made Michelle realize that she wasn’t the only MILF I was interested in, which she didn’t seem to mind, but also sincerely came to her as a shock. However, when I started explaining that it probably wasn’t safe for me to be physical with anyone until Mrs. Rebecca taught me how to sense the kind of sexual energy I was absorbing, Serenity interrupted to tell me they’d explain it all on my behalf.

She also told me that she’d left the black wooden chest in the car, so I should have everything I needed.

I thanked her, knowing it probably was best to not delay, and gave everyone hugs before heading out the front door and climbing in my car to head back over to Mrs. Rebecca’s house.

I was glad everything she’d done to make me so upset truly was a test. And glad that she’d still taken it upon herself to help me out.

However, one thing was for sure.

There was no way in hell I wasn’t going to truly compel the truth out of her, to ensure everything she said was honest, because I couldn’t handle feeling like she was betraying me a second time.

Especially not if it was a true betrayal, instead of her just rejecting me…

My heart was really starting to pound in my chest as I pulled out of our driveway and onto the road, my skin graying slightly underneath my clothing, knowing my anxiety was increasing at the idea that I’d be finally meeting someone who was fully supernatural.

But I’d much rather meet this person, someone who Gabriella’s mom trusted, rather than meet someone who had no one to vouch for them.

Still, I felt like this was going to be a big deal.

No, I had no doubt it would be.

I was about to meet a full-blooded succubus.

An immortal, just like my biological father.

Chapter 35 >>