Innocent Devil’s Harem Ch. 26

January 3, 2021

DISCLAIMER: All characters engaging in sexual conduct are 18 years or older, and legally permitted to engage in such activities, irrespective of pet names used for each other.

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- CHAPTER 26: Intuition -

I followed Avery’s mom as she marched through the trees back to the house, hoping Gabriella and Avery would hear us coming, since they were actively making-out again.

And sure enough, when we began walking past the side of the house, and I cleared my throat loudly, Gabriella put a stop to it.

“Oh, I think they’re coming back already,” she whispered to Avery.

My blonde classmate responded, but I was more focused on Michelle again, with her stopping at the side of the house and looking up.

Fuck.

Could she hear them? Or was that the location of where she was sensing something bad?

“What’s up there?” she wondered, her expression still determined.

I sighed. “Serenity’s room,” I admitted.

She looked back at me in surprise, almost seeming uncertain now. “Oh, umm…”

“It’s fine,” I reassured her. “Just find whatever you’re sensing, so I can deal with it.”

“Do you know what it is?” she asked in surprise.

“I have a suspicion, but I’d rather have you confirm it by not telling you.”

She frowned at that, but then nodded. “Okay. I’ll try to figure out what it’s coming from.”

I nodded, following her again as she continued around to the front. Of course, it would have been faster to go through the back door, but this was the first time Michelle had ever been to our house, which meant she didn’t know ‘what was where.’ It wouldn’t be much different than me going over to her house, and finding myself in a foreign location, where everything was brand-new to me.

When we went through the front door, I spoke up again when she hesitated at the bottom of the stairs.

“You can go anywhere you need to go, Michelle,” I said gently. “My home is your home.”

I meant that as a gesture of goodwill, but she actually tensed briefly, before making her way up the stairs. She hesitated only for a second at the top, only to focus to the right at the same time that Gabriella made an appearance in the open door.

“Oh, hey, Mrs. Copeland,” Gabriella said warmly, only for her vibrant emerald eyes to widen. “Oh wow, your eyes are beautiful,” she whispered, referring to the star-eclipsed pupils, only to pause when she realized Michelle’s look was serious. “Is something wrong?”

“She feels something bad,” I quickly explained. “And I think I know what she’s leading us to.”

Gabriella’s vibrant emerald eyes widened in surprise, before she abruptly stepped out of the way. “Sorry,” she said sincerely.

Michelle shook her head, her expression softening. “No, you’re fine, dear. I feel like I’m the one intruding.”

“Not at all,” I interjected. “Please go ahead,” I added.

Michelle nodded, her star-eclipsed eyes hesitant as she slipped into Serenity’s room, pausing as she focused on the unconscious brunette in the bed, and then turning toward the closet…

The closet where Serenity had hidden that black wooden chest, and where I assumed Gabriella had returned it after she read my father’s message for herself. However, rather than continue to approach, she was frozen in place now.

Instead, she simply pointed, her light-gray arm visibly trembling. “I-It’s in there,” she stammered, beginning to look a little unsteady.

“Mom?” Avery said in confusion, seeming worried now as she got up too. “What’s in there?” she asked seriously.

I sighed heavily, deciding there was no point in urging her on when it was clear what she was sensing, and she obviously didn’t want to move closer.

“I don’t know, sweetie,” Michelle whispered as I slipped past her. I could then feel her eyes on me as she apologized. “I’m sorry, Kai. I can look for it if you want, it’s just…”

“No, it’s alright,” I replied, opening the closet and beginning to search for the black box. I then grabbed it, and turned toward her, watching as Michelle’s star-eclipsed sapphire eyes widened in shock, looking like she was going to be sick. “This is it, isn’t it?” I assumed.

She nodded, taking a step back. “I…I think it is,” she agreed.

I moved closer to the bed, so I could set stuff on the bedside table, knowing now it was just a matter of figuring out if it was the wooden chest itself, or if the issue was an object inside of it. First, I pulled out my father’s letter, which was wrinkly from me crumbling it up, but had been refolded by Gabriella after she read it.

When I glanced at Michelle, seeing that her star-eclipsed eyes were still focused on the box, I set the letter down on the table and then reached for the oval midnight rock, grasping a hold of it and beginning to pull it out.

Faster than I’d think possible, Michelle dashed across the room and grabbed my wrist as tight as she could possibly manage, her sapphire star-eclipsed eyes wide in panic.

“Drop it,” she snapped with all the authority of a mother. “Honey, let go right now,” she continued even before I could react.

I let go of it and let it fall noisily back into the wooden chest, only for her to release my wrist and reach up to snap the lid shut, followed by her grabbing the box from me and setting it down on the bedside table. She then grabbed my arm and started tugging me away, all while looking even more like she was going to be sick.

“Sweetie,” she said urgently, holding onto my arm tightly now, her tits squished against me. “Promise me you’ll never touch that thing again.” She then looked up at me before I could respond, her expression even more desperate. “Promise me,” she repeated, her sapphire star-eclipsed eyes intense, the contrast between her frosted eyelids and black sclera making them really pop.

“I promise,” I replied simply, shocked by just how intense she was, because I didn’t sense anything weird from it at all. Nor did anyone else for that matter. “But what is it?” I asked seriously.

She grimaced then. “I…I don’t know…” she whispered, looking really unsteady now. “Although, I felt something really bad when you touched it. And…” Her voice trailed off. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

“Bathroom is just down the hall,” I whispered, uncertain of how literal she meant that.

She meant that literally.

Michelle let go and began stumbling back out the doorway, hurrying down the short hall. I heard her enter the bathroom and barely manage to lift the toilet seat before she heaved and vomited bile into the water – I could tell from the scent what it was, suspecting the only reason she hadn’t puked sooner was because she had nothing solid in her stomach.

Certainly the blood she’d drank wasn’t in there anymore, since her body seemed to absorb it like a sponge.

“Mom!” Avery exclaimed, rushing for her when she heard as well.

I met Gabriella’s wide gaze, realizing she was just as stunned as I was.

“The letter said the stone was from your mother,” my fiancé whispered. “That it was a message.”

I nodded in agreement. “A message that I could see, or I guess ‘activate,’ with my blood.”

“Could it really be something bad?” she asked seriously. “And if so, then what does it really do?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted with a sigh, glancing back at the black wooden chest, now resting on top of the folded letter.

Moving closer, I carefully tugged the letter out from underneath it and opened it to read the message from my father again. Of course, it didn’t really offer any additional insight. The note was mostly about who he was, who I was, as well as some information regarding my origins, and then the very last couple of paragraphs were regarding the black stone, all of it in his handwriting.

-

‘Finally, you should find alongside my epistle a catalyst imbued with a message from the woman who gave birth to you. She is a peculiar female, one who I am unable to charm with my innate influence, and she requested solely this single favor when I took you from her: that I deliver her message.

The catalyst is activated with your blood.

It is unlikely we shall meet, something you may consider a blessing, so I wish you well, and encourage you to live your life without regrets.

Sincerely,

Absalom Melchizedek’

-

He called it a catalyst, and seemed pretty open about the fact that it was a magical item. Like, it wasn’t as if he was hiding what it was, and he didn’t even suggest I read my biological mother’s message. Instead, he simply told me how to activate it, but there was no line about ‘Be sure to read it.’

On the contrary, he made it clear that the woman who gave birth to me had asked him to deliver her message, and this was him doing so.

It was as if he couldn’t care less if I actually read it or not. And honestly, delivering a message in this form must not be too weird to him, if he didn’t even question it. Meaning, putting such a message in a catalyst was likely a real thing.

Or was I wrong? Was the reason he didn’t think it was weird was because it actually came from him? Did he assume my curiosity would be enough to want to try it out? Did he know I might be suspicious if he insisted on me using it?

I wasn’t sure.

Either way, whether it came from him or her, it would imply that this ‘bad thing’ actually came from one of my biological parents.

But would my mother really give me something bad? And if it was from my father, then why would he try to trick me?

I mean, even if my mother didn’t get to raise me, I couldn’t imagine her wanting to bring harm to me. And I honestly couldn’t imagine why my father would want to hurt me either when he had otherwise provided me with everything I needed to thrive, including a loving family.

Was the black stone truly a bad thing?

Fuck.

I honestly didn’t know, and I knew there was no way to find out. Not unless we could find someone who might know more about this type of item.

I glanced at Gabriella when she stepped closer to my side, with her looking over the letter as well.

I sighed. “Do you think your mom would know anything about this?” I wondered hesitantly.

Gabriella focused on me in surprise. “Oh, umm, I really don’t know. I suppose I could ask, but that would mean…” Her voice trailed off.

“Yeah, it would mean we have to tell her about me.” I took a deep breath. “But honestly, we might need to tell her anyway. Because even if we discover that there’s nothing to worry about with you being part-succubus, that doesn’t mean there’s no reason to worry about me.”

She grimaced, but nodded. “Umm, yeah, I was actually thinking about asking her about incubi in general. Not in relation to you,” she quickly added. “But I figured it wouldn’t seem too weird if I asked if there were men like us. And asked what they were like. What I might expect if I ever met one.”

I nodded. “That’s smart,” I agreed.

“You aren’t upset, are you?” she asked seriously.

I shook my head. “No, of course not. We need to know. And while I’m not thrilled to share my secret with yet another person, I think she might be the only other supernatural individual we know who might have an idea about any of this stuff.”

Gabriella nodded. “Yeah. And she’s cool, by the way. Like, I know she and my dad are kind of kinky, but I really do trust her.”

“I believe you,” I replied warmly. I then sighed when Michelle puked again in the bathroom, realizing that it was probably my fault. She was already looking like she was going to be sick, but when she felt like I was in danger, she abandoned all caution to stop me from touching it. However, it was obvious that being so close to the black stone had been too much for her.

Meaning, she was so sick right now because she’d gotten closer than she could handle, doing so in order to try to protect me.

Dammit.

Sighing, I gave Gabriella a small smile, and then turned to head out of the room. I stopped in the bathroom doorway, finding Avery on her knees next to her mom, holding her snow-white hair back. It was actually kind of adorable seeing Avery take care of her mom like that, likely mimicking what Michelle had done for her daughter as well whenever she’d been sick.

Avery’s mom sucked in a deep breath. “Oh honey, I don’t want you to see me like this.”

“It doesn’t bother me,” I replied honestly. “And I’m sorry you’re sick.” I paused. “It is the black stone that made you sick, right?” I wondered seriously.

“Yes,” she whispered, trembling slightly. She then took a deep breath, seeming to relax a little.

“I can leave if you want,” I added, worried she was just trying to be nice about not wanting me specifically around. However, when I took a step back, to emphasize my willingness to do as I said, she unexpectedly looked up at me in alarm.

“No,” she blurted out, sounding desperate. She then grimaced, looking away. “It actually helps. You being closer.”

My eyes widened in surprise, as I met Avery’s shocked gaze, before focusing back on Michelle’s defeated form. “Like, is it actually making a difference?” I clarified, taking a step into the bathroom.

She didn’t respond, but visibly relaxed a little more.

Curious by her reaction, I knelt down beside her and gently reached out to touch her on the shoulder.

“Oh God,” she exclaimed in relief, abruptly grabbing the toilet bowl as she ducked her head.

“Mom, what’s wrong?” Avery said in concern, rubbing her mom’s back with her free hand, still holding her mother’s hair.

“The nausea just vanished,” she whispered, only to speak to me. “Your hand is so warm,” she added quietly. She then sniffled, taking a shaky breath. “I’m sorry you have to see me like this,” she repeated.

I glanced up at Gabriella when she appeared in the doorway, before responding to Michelle. “It’s really alright. I mean, not to embarrass you, but I kind of saw you when you were dead, so can’t get much worse than that.”

“D-Dead?!” Avery repeated in alarm. “What do you mean by that?!”

Oh shit, I hadn’t realized Serenity didn’t mention that part. But then again, I should have known, because she’d been hesitant to give them an update until we were sure Michelle was going to be alright. We didn’t want to worry Avery unnecessarily when she was newly transformed, and Serenity mentioned not wanting to say anything over the phone.

Shit.

Michelle sighed heavily, before sitting up to look at her daughter. “Yeah, seems my heart stopped. But Kai kept giving me CPR until his blood had a chance to make me better.”

“Oh mom,” Avery sobbed, her face scrunched up. “Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

“Everything happened really fast,” I explained, hoping she didn’t feel betrayed by us not mentioning it to her yet. “By the time Serenity came back to the floor after seeing you, your mom already had a heartbeat again, and we were just focused on her waking up and then getting out of there as fast as possible.”

When Avery sobbed again, Michelle leaned toward her and wrapped her up in her arms. “I’m alright, sweetie. Kai took really good care of me. He made sure I can stick around to embarrass you for the rest of your life.”

Avery just shook her head, crying even harder. “M-Mom, you don’t embarrass me. I love you, more than anything. I can’t lose you.”

“I know, honey,” Michelle whispered, giving her a tight squeeze. “And you won’t. You didn’t. I’m right here. I’m right here, sweetie, and I’m not going anywhere.”

Avery nodded with another sniffle, holding her tighter.

I sighed heavily, trying to think ahead now to what we should do about the black chest, and the mysterious stone residing inside it. I mean, I wanted to take Michelle back to her house, so she could change into something more comfortable, but I also felt like talking to Gabriella’s mom had become a major priority at this point.

Like, this issue made it shoot right up to the top of my list.

Everything else could wait.

I focused on Gabriella. “Maybe we should just both go see your mom,” I suggested.

She looked at me in surprise, before her red eyebrows knitted together. “Actually, that might be a really good idea. We can just get everything out in the open, both our relationship stuff, as well as ask her about that rock.”

Michelle pulled away from her daughter to look at me seriously. “Please tell me you aren’t going to touch it again,” she said firmly.

I was again surprised by her intensity. “Umm, no. But I’ll have to touch the box to move it.”

She hesitated, before nodding. “That’s fine, I suppose, but please don’t touch the stone again.”

“Would I be able to touch it?” Gabriella wondered.

Michelle looked up at her, before frowning, her frosted bottom lip puckering out slightly almost in a pout. “Umm, I don’t know. I guess…maybe you could try? Carefully,” she quickly clarified. “But I felt something horrible when Kai touched it. I suppose if it doesn’t feel the same, then maybe it might be okay. Honestly, I’ve never experienced anything like this before, so I have no idea what we’re dealing with.”

Gabriella nodded. “Let’s try then,” she suggested.

Michelle grimaced again. “Umm, okay. Just let me rinse my mouth out first.”

“Actually, here,” I commented, walking over to the cabinet where we had a stash of unopened toothbrushes. I pulled a purple one out and handed it to her. “We have plenty,” I added when she looked hesitant.

“Thank you, honey,” she whispered, accepting it with more appreciation in her expression than I felt like was merited.

“Toothpaste is in the drawer. We’ll wait for you in Serenity’s room.”

“Sure,” she agreed. “Thank you.”

“No, thank you,” I replied sincerely, giving her a meaningful look. “I would have used that rock without even thinking about it. Blindly trusting that it was safe.”

She looked at me in shock and confusion. “Used it how?” she asked in disbelief.

I sighed, realizing she hadn’t read the letter yet. “Supposedly, it’s from my biological mother, and it contains a message, which I’m supposed to be able to see when I active it with my blood.”

Michelle’s white eyebrows furrowed. “Honey, I don’t know if that’s true or not, but I can’t imagine that something that specifically requires your blood to activate is a good thing.”

I nodded. “Yeah, in hindsight, that does seem kind of obvious. But Gabriella’s mom might be able to tell us a little about it.”

Michelle looked surprised, focusing on my fiancé. “Your mother knows about it?”

Gabriella shook her head. “Umm, not exactly. See, she’s actually part-succubus, and so we figured if someone might know, it might be her, since Kai is actually half-incubus and all.”

Michelle just stared at us like we both had three heads coming out of our shoulders. “Oh,” she finally said emphatically, seeming bewildered. “I guess…I guess that explains a lot,” she added, glancing at me.

“Sorry,” I said sincerely, concerned she was going to end up feeling bitter about me having control over her after all. “I really appreciate you telling me about what you felt, and I’m thankful you’re going to help us figure out if it’s dangerous for Gabriella to touch too.”

She shook her head. “Not felt, it’s what I feel, even now.” She then sighed, glancing at my fiancé again. “And even if it doesn’t feel as bad when you touch it, I still wouldn’t recommend holding it for long. Something isn’t right about that object. I’ve never felt so disturbed in my entire life.”

Gabriella nodded. “I understand.”

I sighed. “Well, I guess I’ll give you some privacy so you can brush your teeth, and then meet us in Serenity’s room?”

Michelle glanced at her daughter and then nodded in agreement, so I followed Gabriella back out the doorway and down the short hall. We then stood by the bed while we waited, deciding to talk quietly.

“Let me send my mom a message,” Gabriella whispered, seeming to assume that Avery’s hearing wasn’t strong enough yet to pick up on it. “To see if she can have us over now, and then we’ll go from there.”

“Is there some reason why she wouldn’t be able to have us over?” I wondered seriously.

Gabriella grimaced, sending her message before responding. “Umm, well, you know how my mom didn’t answer the phone all day?”

I nodded.

She sighed. “Well, it’s because they were up almost all night, which is something they do most Friday nights anyway, but last night was more special.”

“Umm, okay?” I said hesitantly.

She sighed. “My dad has to travel for business, and he’s going to be gone for like a week. Maybe a couple of weeks. So they sort of had two guys over, instead of one.” She cleared her throat uncomfortably. “A sort of threesome for my dad to watch,” she added quietly, before speaking up again, seeming ready to change subjects. “She is actually supposed to be dropping him off at the airport about now, and when I spoke to her earlier, she said she would be free anytime after that. I told her it would have to be tomorrow sometime, simply because I thought I was going to have to stay at the hospital with Avery and Michelle all night.”

I nodded in understanding. “Okay, but I still don’t understand though. You’re saying she’s free, or about to be free right now, so why wouldn’t she be able to have us over?”

Gabriella sighed. “Well, because I told her tomorrow, so she might have already made other plans.”

My eyes widened in surprise. “Oh. You mean, she might be having another guy over?”

She shrugged. “My mom pretty much gets to do what she wants, so long as she lets my dad know what she’s doing. So yeah, it’s possible.” She paused when her phone unexpectedly rang. “Oh, that’s her. Let me take this really fast.”

I nodded as she answered it.

“Hey mom,” Gabriella said simply.

“Hey pup,” Mrs. Watson responded affectionately, prompting my eyes to widen in shock, but not because of the weird pet-name.

Holy fuck, didn’t Gabriella say her mom was in her early fifties? Because this woman sounded like she was the same age as Serenity! Granted, now that I thought about it, Gabriella did say that her mom looked younger than she was, but I was pretty sure she said she looked like she was forty, maybe in her mid-thirties, not twenty-five!

Mrs. Watson continued, responding to Gabriella’s written message. “Yeah, I don’t mind if you bring this guy over, but I’m a little confused. I thought you only said you were interested in someone. Sounds a bit more serious than that if you want to introduce him to me.”

“Umm, so about that,” Gabriella replied uncomfortably. She then sighed, giving me an apologetic look. “Yeah, it’s more serious. The reason why I wanted to talk about all this in the first place is because we’ve already had sex.”

I stared at her in shock, surprised she was being so blunt with her mom, and then kind of embarrassed when I heard Michelle and Avery coming down the hall, knowing that at least Avery heard that last part, since she stopped dead in her tracks.

Glancing over my shoulder, I could see that she was fully transformed – tan skin, icy blue and black eyes, white hair, all with frosted lips and eyelids.

And she looked embarrassed as hell.

“Oh,” Mrs. Watson said in sincere shock. “Oh honey, is he alright? Is that why you’re asking about the succubus thing? Oh sweetie, you should have come to me sooner about this.”

“No, he’s okay, mom. He was sort of really sore after the first time, but he felt better after he ate.”

“The first time?!” Mrs. Watson repeated in alarm. “Pup, how many times have you had sex with this guy?”

Gabriella’s emerald eyes widened, seeming nervous now. “Umm, like three times normal sex. A handful of times other stuff.”

“Since when?” Mrs. Watson demanded, almost sounding harsh now. “When was the first time and when was the last?”

“Shit mom, is it really that serious? We did it the first time yesterday.”

“Yes, it’s that serious,” she retorted. “I told you to let me know right away when you finally lost your virginity. I didn’t mean after you’d fucked the guy three-plus times! You’re lucky he’s not in the hospital right now!”

Gabriella looked up at me in alarm. “Mom, if it’s that dangerous, then why didn’t you tell me?”

“I did tell you!” she exclaimed. “Sweetie, I’ve told you several times now! And I told you that you needed to practice! Before you decided on someone long-term!”

“I don’t want to practice,” Gabriella snapped, seeming really annoyed now. “Mom, I don’t want to have a relationship like you and dad. I don’t want to make my man watch, while I fuck everyone except him! If anything, I’d rather be the one to–” Her voice abruptly cut off, her entire body shifting instantly in embarrassment.

Mrs. Watson hesitated before responding. “Pup, you want to be the one to watch?” she said in surprise.

“Umm, yeah,” Gabriella admitted, her voice strained. “I don’t know if it’s because I’m only a sixteenth succubus, or if it even has to do with that, but…” Her voice trailed off.

Mrs. Watson sighed heavily. “No, I’ve heard of something like this before, I just didn’t think it applied to you.”

Gabriella’s eyes widened. “What’s that?” she asked seriously.

“We’ll have to talk about it when you come over, pup. I don’t feel comfortable discussing this stuff over the phone. It’s important this kind of thing stays a secret, and…” Her voice trailed off, only for her to sigh heavily. “Please tell me you haven’t already shared this stuff with your boy-toy.”

“He’s not a boy-toy, mom,” Gabriella said firmly. “And…” She paused to look at me, seeming hesitant as she continued slowly. “And he’s not exactly a normal guy either,” she admitted.

The other end of the line was dead silent for several long seconds.

“Honey,” Mrs. Watson whispered. “What do you mean he’s not normal?”

Gabriella sighed. “I’ll explain when we get there. But mom, please be supportive of us. I really love this guy and I want it to work out with him. Like, I know you’re probably going to think I’m crazy, but we’re already engaged.”

Mrs. Watson let out a long exasperated sigh. “Pup, you’re moving too quickly with all of this,” she finally said. “I’m sorry, but you’re not a normal girl. There are things to consider before you get this serious, and he needs to understand the risks involved before choosing to be with you, and…” She sighed heavily again.

Gabriella looked annoyed now, her tone flat, with a hint of sarcasm. “Okay mom, well I need you to think differently about this. We want to be together forever, so I need you to help us figure out how to work around the risks. Okay? Can you please do that for me? Stop thinking about it in terms of how you cope with it, and start thinking about how we can cope with it.”

Mrs. Watson’s voice was quiet. “Okay,” she said simply. “When do you think you’ll be over?” she wondered.

Gabriella glanced at me, seeming surprised that her mom switched gears so quickly. “Umm, we’ll leave maybe in the next five or ten minutes?” she said hesitantly.

“Okay, pup,” she replied. “We’ll talk, and try to figure stuff out, but I think you need to be prepared to take some pretty extreme measures if you want to do this without practicing with other men first.”

Gabriella gulped. “Umm, okay…what kind of stuff are we talking about?” she asked hesitantly.

“Not over the phone,” Mrs. Watson replied. “Come over, introduce me to your fiancé…fuck, I can’t believe you’re really already engaged. And then we’ll talk and go from there, okay?”

“Okay mom. Thank you.”

Mrs. Watson sighed heavily. “Well, don’t thank me yet. You’re making this a lot more complicated than it has to be.”

Gabriella scoffed. “Mom, having sex with a bunch of random guys seems pretty complicated.”

Her mom laughed. “Not nearly as complicated as you’re thinking,” she replied, sounding amused now. “But it’s fine. If you’re really set on not approaching things how I do, then we’ll try to work with it. However, keep in mind that this is the expectation you’re setting for your guy. If you decide to change your mind later, then he’s probably not going to like it. You have to make sure expectations are clear before you get this serious.”

“I won’t change my mind,” Gabriella said firmly, looking up at me again, as if she was making that promise to me too.

Mrs. Watson sighed. “What’s his name anyway?” she wondered.

“Oh, umm, it’s Kai.” She paused. “Kai Ashworth.”

“Kai,” she repeated. “That’s a cute name.” She then took another deep breath. “Well, I guess I look forward to meeting him. I need to take a shower, but I should be done by the time you get here.”

“Sure, and thanks again mom.”

“You’re welcome, sweetie,” Mrs. Watson replied. “See you soon. Love you, pup.”

“Love you too, mom. Bye.”

After Gabriella hung up, she sighed heavily, focusing on me. “Was that alright?” she wondered.

I nodded, assuming she was talking about all the personal stuff she disclosed. “Yeah, that was fine. I mean, we’re probably going to have to tell her everything anyway, if we want her to help.”

She nodded. “I know, it’s just I was so in the mindset of not sharing your secret with anyone that I still felt like I’d betrayed you by mentioning you were different.”

I shook my head, giving her a small smile. “No, it’s fine. Although, I might actually need to rinse off in the shower myself, before we go,” I added, holding up my arms to gesture at how dirty I was from climbing in that coyote den earlier.

“Oh, umm, yeah definitely,” Gabriella agreed, looking playfully disgusted, only to grow more serious. “And actually, maybe would you want to dress up a little too?” she continued. “I want her to take you seriously. I want her to take us seriously. And I think leaving a good first impression will help.”

“Yeah, sure,” I agreed, having no problem with that at all. Honestly, I was probably going to do that anyway. “Oh, and why does she call you pup?” I wondered.

Gabriella’s face flushed. “Umm, because when I was really little, like four or five, I was really big on pretending like I was a puppy, so my mom started calling me ‘pup’ and it’s just sort of stuck since then.”

I laughed at that. “Wow, okay. That’s actually adorable.”

Gabriella smiled, but didn’t respond, still looking embarrassed.

I then glanced over my shoulder, seeing that Avery and Michelle were still in the doorway, seeming hesitant to come in, though I could tell from Michelle’s expression that her reason was due to the stone in the chest.

I focused on Gabriella again. “I guess do you and Michelle want to figure out if it’s okay for you to touch the stone while I rinse off?”

“Sure,” she agreed, leaning forward to give me a quick kiss.

I smirked at her, before turning to head out of the room, giving both Avery and Michelle polite smiles as they moved out of the way for me. I then listened to Michelle clear her throat, telling Gabriella to be careful again when it sounded as if she went to open the chest.

However, when I got into the bathroom with a change of clothes, Michelle had already made a decision.

“I still think you should avoid touching it, but I don’t get the same feeling when you’re holding it.”

“But you look like you’re going to be sick again,” Gabriella replied.

“It makes me feel that way in general, sweetie,” Michelle explained. “But it was a lot worse when Kai touched it.”

Gabriella sighed, setting the rock back in the chest. “Okay, well I’m going to put this in Kai’s car, so we can show my mom and see what she thinks.”

“Just please be careful with it,” Michelle repeated.

“I will,” Gabriella promised, picking the black wooden chest up, with it sounding like Michelle went back down the hall toward my room, ensuring she put some space between herself and the disturbing object, while my fiancé carried it down the stairs to put it in my car.

In the meantime, I tried to focus on taking my quick shower, wanting to get all the dirt off as fast as possible. Unfortunately, I was out of the strong scented ‘guy’ bodywash that Serenity usually bought for me, only having the two options of using her coconut scented shampoo or the strawberry one.

I opted for the coconut.

However, even despite my rush, I was also relieved that the hot water was helping me feel more alert now. After all, the only sleep I’d gotten in the last two days was for like an hour this morning, considering I’d been up all night. And while I could be determined to stay awake for a while if I wanted, it was still beginning to affect me.

I realized I might need to let Gabriella drive and take a nap on the way to her parent’s house, or else I might end up getting sleepy again at a time when I really needed to be alert. Honestly, it was kind of crazy that so much had happened in so little time, but once we finally had this conversation with Gabriella’s mom, I was hoping things would calm down some.

Of course, there was a lot to deal with in regards to Avery and her mom, never mind the fact that I still needed to begin to redefine my relationship with Serenity as my girlfriend and lover.

But after tonight, I imagined that Avery and Michelle would both go back to their own house, and things would become sort of normal for a while.

I wasn’t really sure how I would proceed with my new potential relationship with Avery, but I did know that her learning to control her transformation was going to be the biggest priority for the time being. Granted, I wondered if getting intimate with her would help her stay under control at school, sort of like how having sex with Gabriella helped me a lot.

The only problem was, if it truly was potentially dangerous for me to have sex with Gabriella, since she was part-succubus, didn’t that imply that it might also be dangerous for women to have sex with me as an incubus?

Or was there a difference between incubi and succubi?

I didn’t know, but I was eager to hopefully find out.

Eager to finally understand how things worked. And honestly, I was kind of optimistic that the same risks might not apply to me as they did to Gabriella, simply because I felt like my biological father would have mentioned it in his letter…

Assuming he was trustworthy to begin with…

Although, I also had to consider that he implied that my adoptive dad was supposed to share all this stuff with me. Really, my incubus father just wanted to cover some of the basics in the event my dad was unwilling, possibly assuming that I would ask for more details on my own.

Which meant, my incubus father hadn’t anticipated my dad dying in a car accident.

Dammit.

Taking a deep breath, definitely clean now, I turned off the hot water and went ahead and dried off. I then slipped on a fresh pair of boxers, and then put on a pair of nice black dress pants and a navy-blue Polo shirt.

Quickly brushing my hair and my teeth, I then checked myself over briefly in the mirror, and opened the bathroom door. I knew everyone was back in Serenity’s room, so I went straight there, kind of amused by the looks Gabriella and Avery both gave me, like I was a male model gracing them with my presence.

Both of them were standing up, while Avery’s mom was actually sitting on the edge of the bed now, everyone having their normal appearance.

Unfortunately, when I glanced at Michelle, seeing a complicated expression on her face, I realized I was sort of breaking the promise I’d made with her to take her home so she could change.

I cleared my throat. “Umm, hey, are you alright with watching over Serenity while we’re gone?” I wondered, not feeling worried about leaving Serenity alone since she shouldn’t be waking up for another three or four hours at least. Maybe longer.

Not to mention, I felt confident the original threat on our lives was finally over too.

Michelle looked surprised. “Oh, of course, honey. I don’t mind at all.”

I nodded, frowning as I considered her dilemma. “You know, actually, Serenity has some pajamas you could probably wear, if you want to change into something more comfortable for now.”

Michelle grimaced, seeming uncertain. “Oh, I don’t want to impose, honey,” she replied softly.

I shook my head. “She won’t mind,” I said, walking over to her dresser and opening the drawer where she kept her pajamas, most of them the soft fluffy kind. And a lot of them were stretchy too, which meant they would be more comfortable, even if they were tight, unlike the unyielding material scrubs were made out of.

Gabriella giggled. “Wow, Kai. No hesitation there. You knew exactly where Serenity kept her lingerie.”

I tried not to react, though the gray was definitely creeping up my neck. “Umm, yeah, I help out with the laundry too, you know,” I retorted, though I wasn’t sure if she believed me, and it probably didn’t help that I refused to look back at her. “And she doesn’t really have anything I’d consider lingerie,” I added, saying the word like it was fancy.

She giggled again, but didn’t reply.

I then pulled out a really soft and stretchy set of pajamas, the pants and top both a solid shade of light pink. When I turned around to show them to Avery’s mom, her blue eyes widened in surprise.

“Oh, those look really comfortable,” she replied sincerely, reaching up to tuck some of her blonde hair behind her ear – a gesture I was noticing she did quite frequently.

“Should be,” I agreed as I handed them to her. “And I’m not sure how you and Avery feel about sleeping in the same bed, but you can treat my room like your own while you’re here. I’ll probably sleep on the couch,” I added, wanting to make sure they felt comfortable.

“Oh, umm, that should be just fine,” Michelle said, glancing up at her daughter.

Avery nodded. “Yeah, I don’t mind.”

“Okay,” I replied, focusing on Gabriella. “Then, I guess are you ready?”

“Yep,” she agreed, turning to give Avery and then Michelle both hugs.

“Avery has my number,” my fiancé commented. “So call me if anything is up.”

Ah shit, and my phone was practically dead at this point. I was still going to take it with me though, since I could just turn it off and use it in an emergency. Plus, we should only be out for a few hours.

Michelle agreed that they’d call if they needed anything, and then Gabriella followed me back down the stairs, where she grabbed her black leather purse – damn, we had three black leather purses in the house now. Good thing they all looked a little different.

When we got outside, I handed her the keys, letting her know my plans since I hadn’t slept basically in two days. It was actually just after 8:00 PM now, and starting to get dark. I knew it would probably be pitch-black when we got to Mrs. Watson’s house.

“Oh, of course,” Gabriella agreed in response to me saying I needed a nap, accepting the keys and then climbing into the driver’s seat. She then continued speaking as she adjusted the seat and mirror. “Although, we need to talk really fast before you do.”

“Sure,” I replied, leaning the passenger’s seat back.

Gabriella waited until we were pulling out of the long driveway and onto the road to respond. “So, it’s about what my mom said, regarding extreme measures.”

I looked over at her in surprise, suddenly anxious now. “Okay? You have an idea of what she meant by that?” I assumed.

She nodded, taking a deep breath, her huge tits looking even bigger due to the seatbelt between them. “Yeah, and I think we’re going to have to agree to it, because the alternative is me practicing with a bunch of random guys.”

Fuck.

“Umm, yeah, that’s not really an alternative, in my opinion,” I said seriously.

“I know,” she agreed, glancing at me. “And I’m not going to do that. But that means we need to accept whatever other options she gives us. Because I do need to practice.”

I sighed. “Okay, and what do you think she’s going to suggest?”

Gabriella grimaced. “Honestly? She’s probably going to insist she watch us, so that she can actually coach me instead of just letting me figure stuff out on my own.”

“Oh,” I said in complete shock, uncertain of how I felt about that.

“Probably not tonight,” she quickly clarified. “Especially when she seemed so upset that we’ve already done it several times. She’s probably going to think it’s too dangerous. But that also means we might have to wait a week or longer until we do stuff again, and then she’ll have to watch when we do, so she can coach me.” She grimaced again. “And we might have to repeat that for a while, at least until I can get a handle on it.”

I took a deep breath, unable to believe that we were seriously talking about doing that kind of thing in front of her mother. But, at least I was glad I’d sort of already discussed this subject with Serenity, so I didn’t have to worry about her being jealous about it, and it wasn’t like I was screwing another woman, even though Serenity agreed that was alright…

Just having one watch…

Damn, that was going to be so awkward if that was really Mrs. Watson’s plan.

“Well,” I began hesitantly, realizing that might truly be our only option. “Up until a couple of days ago, I’d gone my entire life without sex, so I should be able to handle going a week without it…” I frowned. “Although, it is going to be hard,” I admitted. “But it’s better than the alternative.”

“Oh. No,” Gabriella interjected. “That doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t still have sex with Serenity.” She paused. “Assuming you don’t have the same problem, then we can find ways to make this work, like with me watching you and Serenity, for example. But really, I might be the only one who has to hold off until I learn to control myself better.”

I looked at her in surprise again, realizing she was making that assumption. “You don’t think I have the same problem, do you?” I said more as a statement

Her expression pained. “Well, I was thinking about it after we discussed the subject a little bit ago, and it kind of makes sense. Every time we’ve had sex, I’ve only felt more energized and satisfied, whereas you’ve gotten sore to the point that it hurt to move, at least once. And yet you’re half-incubus. I’m the one who has affected you, even though I’m only a sixteenth succubus. So yeah, the myths about incubi and succubi being basically the same thing must be false. Because it should be the other way around if you had my problem. I should have been the one who could barely move after our first time.”

I nodded, realizing she was right. That made a lot of sense. And while it was obvious I certainly had more control over women than she did men, it didn’t seem as if I was harming anyone when I got physical with them. But then, that just made me wonder ‘why?’

Why was there a difference?

Was it because incubi and succubi were fundamentally different creatures, even though they were both supposedly ‘sex demons?’

Or maybe a succubus wasn’t a demon at all, especially considering that Gabriella still looked mostly normal even when she was transformed. I mean, even the whites of her eyes were still white, while it seemed like everyone else thus far had black sclera, making us all look much more demonic while Gabriella just looked like a normal human stripper, who had starkly dyed hair and tan skin.

Maybe a succubus was like a unique type of human, or possibly even a unique type of witch, or something.

Granted, I realized that probably wasn’t true either, since it sounded as if being a succubus was biological. As if she couldn’t help but suck energy out of another person when she had sex. So then, it was probably more accurate to assume that a succubus was a sex demon, but one that blended in more with society, found a different way to exert control over their victims, and also had a different purpose for needing sex.

Really, at this point, my mind was just wandering as I went back and forth with ideas, not even realizing I’d closed my eyes.

Damn, I really was exhausted.

The last thing I remembered was feeling Gabriella reach over, gently brushing some hair off my forehead, before sighing in contentment.

After that, I was completely out.

NOTE: The next couple of chapters are going to get a little interesting. Thoughts on this chapter? Any predictions on what's coming up?

Chapter 27 >>