Innocent Devil’s Harem Ch. 20

November 22, 2020

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- CHAPTER 20: Charmed -

After reading my biological father’s message, I stared at the page for a long minute even after I was finished, just trying to comprehend everything, feeling completely stunned by everything this message said and implied.

For one, I wasn’t a devil like I thought. Or at least, not the kind I originally imagined.

I was the son of an Incubus.

Which I felt like made everything suddenly make complete sense.

No wonder my gold eyes were hypnotic when I was transformed.

No wonder I seemed to have women drawn to me. Granted, I was objectively good-looking, just as much as Serenity was, but being attractive didn’t necessarily mean a guy was going to have women deciding they belonged to him, ‘just because.’ Like what Avery said earlier at the hospital…

Fuck.

It also implied that their behavior might not be natural.

And it implied a certain level of mind-control, whether it was intentional or not.

Furthermore, it also indicated that my biological father lived in a world where women were objects to be possessed and played with, rather than people. After all, it almost sounded like the woman who breastfed me as an infant was actually taken from another family, from another baby, so that I was provided for, while my real dad – the man who raised me – remained reluctant to accept me into his family.

And who could blame him?

It sounded like my dad was fully aware that I could take everything from him when I grew up, including his own wife, and that knowledge suddenly made me suspect that his awareness of the situation was the reason why he was distant when I was younger.

Because I had plenty of fond memories of my mom spending time with me, as well as Serenity, but it wasn’t until I was about seven or eight that my dad started acting like he actually cared about me.

Until then, it was more like he was just the father-figure in the house, though he never had to punish me, since I always listened and obeyed. But it never felt like he was a real dad to me until I was a bit older. And in those handful of years before he and mom passed away in a car accident, we grew close enough that I sincerely missed him after he died.

It was like he was finally able to see me, for me, rather than seeing my biological father in me.

But fuck, this was messed up.

Part of me didn’t want to believe that any of this was true, but it just made too much sense. It explained far too much.

It was also kind of scary to think about the fact that, if my biological father had been a different incubus, then he might be showing up one day to take all my women away from me. Or at least, to use them for his own pleasure before eventually returning them, whether they were willing or not.

After all, I had no doubt a full-blooded incubus would be stronger than me in every way.

Not to mention, it sounded like he’d been alive for a long time.

Or rather, it sounded almost as if my biological father was immortal, indicating he’d been around a while and was very experienced in handling ‘delinquent’ children, who might not have been a fan of him stealing what he believed to be his.

After all, in this guy’s mind, there were plenty of women in the world to be obtained. I could even imagine an incubus doing this to his kid just so the poor soul didn’t grow too attached to individual females. Sort of like teaching them a lesson to view women as property.

And I had no doubt that I wouldn’t be able to stop him from making Serenity or Gabriella do whatever he wanted.

Fuck.

Taking a deep breath, it wasn’t until Serenity sniffled that I focused on her again, beginning to consider how this might be affecting her. Clearly, she was still stunned and upset, unable to look at me now as she stared down at the bed in front of her.

Focusing on the letter again, I reread the part that mentioned her, assuming it must be the rough spot where she just gave up and stopped reading.

‘I have already prepared for you a gift: the young girl you will come to know as your close friend.

She is yours to have.’

I shook my head, unexpectedly irritated and frustrated by the implications. By the realization of how my biological father viewed her.

Serenity wasn’t property.

She was a person.

And I sincerely loved her, as a person.

“No,” I said firmly out loud, rejecting the idea as I dropped the black stone back in the chest, only to crumble up the letter and toss it across the room.

Serenity looked up at me in alarm, but I ignored her, climbing out of bed and heading for the door.

“K-Kai!” she said in shock. “Where are you going?”

“To my room,” I snapped, sincerely pissed now, growing more angry the more I thought about it. “And forget about the agreement we made earlier,” I continued, feeling almost irate at this point. “There’s nothing to talk about now. We’ll go back to how things were before.”

I was so angry, I almost just wanted to break up with Gabriella too, just because I felt livid at the idea that no one wanted to be with me out of a natural desire for it. They all wanted me because they were compelled to want me. Or charmed, or whatever.

“Kai, wait!” she pleaded when I opened the door. “Just stop for a second. Please, just talk to me.”

I froze with my hand still on the handle, the door opened up halfway. “What’s there to talk about?” I asked seriously.

“W-Why are you so upset?” she stammered. “I didn’t finish reading it. What else did it say?”

I shook my head, unable to look at her. “It’s not what it said, it’s what it implied.” I then sighed, staring down at the hallway floor, my expression pained. “Ren, I love you. And I don’t want you to feel like you are property. Because you’re not. And this is the only way I can prove that to you. We’ll just go back to how things were.” I grimaced, lowering my voice. “And you can be with whoever you want,” I added somberly.

“Kai,” she said, her tone pleading. “I don’t want to go back to how things were. Please, just wait. Let’s just talk about this for a minute, okay?”

“But is that really what you want?” I asked seriously, finally looking at her over my shoulder. “How do we know I haven’t just charmed you, or whatever? How do we know this is what you truly desire?”

Serenity grimaced and looked away, seeming to consider it. “Kai, I’ve always loved you,” she finally whispered. “And the letter said he didn’t make me love you.” She looked up at me again. “And I said I feel uneasy when I think about dating other guys, but I’ve never really considered dating anyone else.”

“Exactly,” I nearly spat out. “Because he made you feel that way.”

“No,” she said seriously, sitting up straighter, only to reach up to wipe her eyes. “What I mean is, he didn’t make me revolve my life around you. I chose that. And the only reason why I’ve ever thought about dating someone else is because I’ve had friends in high school, and in the academy, bring the subject up. And when they did, I was against it, but not because this man made me against it. The uneasy feeling only came when I thought about a guy being potential marriage material, but I wasn’t actually considering a relationship.”

I sighed heavily. “I’m not sure I see the difference,” I said seriously.

“That’s fine. But the point is, I know the difference. I chose to stay focused on you. No one made me. And the uneasy feeling I’ve experienced before felt unique. It felt different to me.”

I took a deep breath, deciding to turn back around and cross my arms, my expression somber. “And how do we know I wasn’t the one making you do those things?” I asked seriously.

Her brow furrowed as she glanced away again, only to give me a serious look. “Kai, you made me kiss you earlier this morning.”

I grimaced and looked away.

“But the thing is,” she continued gently. “I wanted to kiss you before it happened. If anything, your gaze only lowered my resistance to it.” She sighed. “And that experience was unique. It’s the first time I’ve ever felt compelled to do something for you.”

“But what about Avery being obsessed with me?” I retorted. “How do we know I don’t have a passive influence?”

She shook her head. “Kai, of course she’s obsessed. What’s not to like about you? You’re handsome, kind, respect others, value women, and fundamentally have all the qualities most girls desire. You don’t need some supernatural influence to make women fall for you.”

I shook my head at that, but didn’t respond, unable to argue with her.

After all, I’d grown up eager to please all the women in my life, especially my mom and Serenity, and likewise enthusiastic to be who they wanted me to be. I wanted to be a good boy for them, partly because I wanted their approval and love. And just like with Gabriella in the beginning, I couldn’t deny that Avery’s obsession might also be grounded in facts, since she didn’t grow attached until we’d spent some time together on that group project. Like, it wasn’t as if her obsession was completely random.

Or at least, I assumed that’s when she became obsessed…

Plus, people became infatuated with attractive people all the time, without the assistance of any kind of supernatural influence. It might be different if I was ugly or something, but I knew I wasn’t.

When I didn’t respond, my new girlfriend continued.

“Here, why don’t we practice a little,” she offered. “Why don’t you try to make me do something? That way we can see the difference between me choosing to do something, versus being forced to.”

I gawked at her. “Ren, you can’t be serious? Do you really want me to experiment with that kind of power? I mean, doesn’t that scare you? That I might be capable of that kind of thing?”

She sighed with a grimace. “Honestly? Yeah, it does scare me. Because I don’t remember meeting your biological father at all, yet I must have if he did something to me. But I trust you, Kai.”

I grimaced as well, realizing what her words implied. “How far exactly did you read?” I asked seriously, knowing there was no question about her meeting him.

She looked at me in surprise. “Umm, well just to the part about me. Maybe a little after. Why?”

I sighed, and then walked over to where I’d tossed the crumbled parchment, retrieving it and then handing it to her.

She gave me a confused look as she tried to smooth it out, before focusing down on the elegant script. I watched her read it this time, seeing her chocolate brown eyes widen as she read the part about how my biological father made my dad accept me into his household – about the part where both my young mom, as well as Serenity, were forced at his feet, ready to please him in any way he demanded.

About the threat of him taking them away entirely, if my adoptive dad didn’t agree.

I then watched as she read the part about my mom being a potential ‘gift’ as well, along with the fact that others of his kind practiced the custom of claiming the women belonging to their adult children. By the time she got to the significance of the black stone, her face was nearly as pale as a ghost.

Serenity cleared her throat as she folded the wrinkled parchment up, placing it next to the chest. She then glanced up at me and patted the bed gently, only to look away again.

I hesitated, before sitting down on the edge, uncertain of what to say.

After a minute, I cleared my throat. “Just kind of gets worse and worse, huh?” I finally commented, hoping to lighten the mood a little.

She nodded, taking a deep breath. “I’m really sorry, Kai,” she whispered.

My eyes widened in surprise. “What? Why are you sorry?”

She met my gaze. “I’m sorry your father is like this. Sorry that this is who you come from.”

“He’s not my dad,” I retorted, looking away.

Serenity gave me a sympathetic look, scooting closer until she was sitting right next to me, still cross-legged but facing me, her ankles crossed against my hip.

“Hey,” she said softly, reaching out to rub my upper back. “I know he’s not your real dad. Not in the way it counts.” She then pulled on me gently, prompting me to lean toward her as she wrapped her arms around my shoulders.

I didn’t want to fall on her, so I wrapped an arm around her waist, tugging her more against me instead, hugging her to my side. In response, she rested her head against my shoulder as we embraced, taking a few slow breaths, seeming to collect herself.

We were both quiet for a few minutes, simply enjoying our sideways embrace – well, sideways for me.

Finally, Serenity took a deep breath. “At least we don’t have to worry about him coming around ever. And it’s good we now have an idea of what you are.” She pulled away then. “Besides, when you inject me with your blood, for all we know that might eliminate any influence you have over me.”

My eyes widened in shock, prompting me to glance at her from the corner of my eye. “Oh,” I said simply, looking away. “Wow, actually you might be right,” I realized, recalling how I felt the last time Gabriella and I almost did stuff together in the woods. It had almost felt as if she was messing with my head, though I kind of wondered if I was messing with her head too, since I felt like I was still having an influence on her whenever we made eye contact.

Actually, now that I thought about it, I realized my newly official girlfriend was probably wrong about that.

Serenity then shrugged, seeming to have a similar train of thought. “Or maybe it’ll make your influence stronger on me,” she commented. “Who knows? Either way, I still want to be like you.”

I frowned at that.

She continued. “But I really do think we should experiment a little with this influence thing first. I think it’s important to know what you’re capable of doing, and I’d also like to know how it feels when I’m being influenced. Or compelled, or whatever you want to call it.”

I sighed, giving her a gentle squeeze, pulling her body more into my side. “Are you sure?” I whispered.

She nodded against my shoulder, before pulling away again to look at me.

I turned my head, finding our lips only a couple inches apart.

“Yes,” she said softly, her warm breath caressing my face. “And I’ll try to resist whatever you make me do, but know that I’m not truly unwilling, so don’t feel bad if it works.”

Fuck, what was she thinking I was going to make her do?

Because she was talking like she expected me to compel her to have sex with me!

Did she want that? For me to compel her into fucking?

Was that truly what she had on her mind? Or was she saying all that, just in case?

After a second, I cleared my throat. “Umm, maybe I’ll have you do pushups or something,” I said in an uneven voice, trying to lighten the mood caused by her intensity.

“Or something,” she agreed quietly, her cheeks flushing a little.

“Serenity,” I said seriously, pulling away a little. “You’re not really encouraging me here. I feel like I’m affecting you right now.”

She looked at me in surprise. “Oh, I’m sorry.” She then grimaced. “Kai, how are we supposed to make this work, if every time I’m being romantic with you, it only makes you assume I’m being compelled or charmed, or whatever?”

I scoffed. “I mean, what did you expect me to think, when that’s exactly what we were talking about?”

She frowned, only to sigh. “I guess I just felt like it would be more fun to try to resist you making me kiss you, as opposed to doing something silly like pushups,” she admitted quietly, only for her expression to grow more somber. “And also, an excuse to do it again,” she added just as softly, her cheeks flushing, this time in embarrassment.

I took a deep breath, realizing that was sincerely her priority right now, but not necessarily because I was influencing her. On the contrary, it sounded like she didn’t care too much if she was being compelled or not, largely because she trusted me.

Instead, while I was confident that she sincerely wanted to experiment with my charming ability, she also fundamentally wanted an excuse to cross the line again without being blunt about it.

Specifically, she felt embarrassed to ask me to kiss her, but ‘experimenting’ was the perfect excuse.

I sighed as I rewrapped my arm around her waist, turning my face back toward her, our lips again suddenly inches apart. Surprisingly, my body was still mostly untransformed right now, most likely because I’d spent so much time being physically close to her, having to keep my hormones at bay while I was around her.

But now, as I focused on her lips, so close to mine, my cock began to stiffen again. I decided not to meet her gaze as I watched her cheeks begin to turn rosy, her breathing picking up a little. Slowly reaching down, I rested my hand on her knee, her legs still crossed on the bed, feeling the soft material of her fitted jeans, only to trace my fingers down her warm calf, gently grasping around her ankle and giving a little tug.

Realizing what I was silently requesting, she remained in my one-arm embrace as she scooted her butt back a little on the bed, her motion slow and sensual, carefully uncrossing her legs and slipping them on either side of where I sat. Then, she slowly scooted her butt closer again, inching little-by-little until her warm crotch came into contact with my hip.

Resting my hand on her thigh, surprised by the heat I could feel seeping through her jeans, I continued to stare at her full lips while shifting my hips a little more into her, pressing firmly into her hidden snatch.

She bit her bottom lip then, almost like an invitation as she moved her face slightly closer.

Slipping my hand from her thigh to the bottom of her shirt, I eased my fingers underneath to feel her toned stomach, her silky smooth skin against my touch seeming to encourage my whole body to finish eliminating the gap between us.

I leaned the rest of the way and closed my eyes just before our lips met.

I almost half expected her to pull away to tease me, but she didn’t, instead leaning more heavily into me as our mouths connected, her tongue instantly slipping out just enough to part my lips. Without thinking, I gently sucked on it, pulling her tongue further into my mouth as I moved in for a more passionate kiss.

Rocking her head slowly with mine, one of her hands moved to my toned chest to rub across my muscles, while the fingers of her other hand began running through my hair.

I was definitely transformed all the way now, my cock beginning to hurt as it strained against my own jeans, silently begging me to free it and bury it in my new girlfriend’s pussy. However, I wasn’t sure if she was ready for that step yet, and didn’t want to push it.

Thus, I was pleasantly surprised when her hand began moving lower, until she was gently moving her fingers to my thigh, and then feeling around for my cock. She gasped when she felt me, breaking away from our kiss to look down.

She bit her bottom lip again as she stared for a few seconds. “C-Can I see it?” she finally asked hesitantly, glancing up at me. “I’ve actually never seen one hard before,” she added, sounding embarrassed now.

To be honest, I wasn’t too surprised by that confession, since I would obviously know if Serenity watched porn – she didn’t, at least not at home where I’d hear it – and she’d already pretty much disclosed she was a virgin still, even if she was twenty-three.

Certainly, I had no doubt she had ended up seeing a penis here and there, whether it be from health class back in school, or even possibly from pictures related to a case at work, but seeing a hard cock wasn’t something most would experience if they avoided the right situations.

Kissing her affectionately on the temple, I gave her a small smile. “Sure,” I whispered, reaching down to unbutton my jeans and undo my zipper with one hand. “Want to help pull it out?” I then wondered, since I still had my other arm wrapped around her.

She nodded, focused intently on my lap now as she reached in through the opening in my boxers, with me tugging on my jeans more, allowing her to wrap her fingers around me and carefully begin pulling me out.

Initially, she gasped when she felt me, her face flushing all over again as she experienced my warmth.

Then, once I was out, she began tenderly caressing up and down, her expression growing even more passionate.

“Oh,” she said in surprise after a second, stopping her movement briefly. “You’re leaking already,” she commented, focusing on my gaze. “Is it precum?” she wondered seriously.

I nodded, not needing to look to know, leaning forward to meet her lips again.

She moaned as she wrapped her fingers around my shaft more tightly, almost as if she was using my cock to keep from falling backwards, even though I still had my arm wrapped firmly around her. When I broke the kiss a moment later, she focused back down on my member in her grasp.

“Do you like it?” I wondered softly.

She nodded, taking a shallow breath. “Very much,” she agreed quietly, only to grow more serious. “Although, I’m a little nervous about putting something this big in me,” she added, looking embarrassed again as she met my gaze. “Largest thing I’ve had up there is a tampon. And even those can be uncomfortable.”

I leaned forward to kiss her on the lips again, still feeling like it was surreal that we were even having this conversation, before responding. “Well, there’s no rush,” I whispered. “We can wait to go that far.”

She frowned at that, pouting slightly. “Yeah, but you and Gabriella have already…” Her voice trailed off.

“It’s not a competition,” I replied gently. “And in a year or two, it won’t matter if we waited a few days, or even a few weeks. Plus, I still need to get you a ring, which might help this change in our lives feel more official.”

She sighed heavily then, pulling away a little, even as she kept my cock in her grasp. The tip had leaked enough that I was sure some of my clear precum had gotten her hand a little wet, but she didn’t seem to mind at all.

“Speaking of that,” she said quietly, focusing on my chin. “How are we going to do this with Gabriella involved? And Avery for that matter? I’m not sure how sharing is going to work.”

I sighed. “Well, it’s sort of a four-person relationship at this point, so it can kind of go any way we want. Like, to be completely honest, I won’t be surprised if Gabriella tries to seduce Avery.”

Instantly, Serenity looked up at me in shock. “Wait, what?” she said in disbelief. “You aren’t serious, are you?”

I grimaced, wondering if it was too soon to tell her that. “Umm, yeah kind of,” I admitted, uncertain about her reaction. “D-Does that bother you?” I asked, suddenly wondering if I really shouldn’t have mentioned it.

She frowned at that, glancing away. “Well, I guess not. I’m just surprised is all, since she never even hinted at swinging that way.” Her frowned deepened. “I’m also not sure how I feel about her liking your classmate so much. Kind of feels like she’s cheating on both of us.”

I looked at her in surprise. “Ren, you don’t like her, do you?” I said in disbelief. “Because she totally is interested in you,” I stated bluntly, causing another shocked expression from her. “In fact, when I asked her about it, she said you were the reason why she started wondering if she might be interested in women too.”

Serenity just stared at me for a few seconds. “O-Oh,” she finally managed. “Umm, that w-wasn’t exactly what I meant. I was sort of talking about ‘cheating on her best friend’ by suddenly being into another chick, but umm…” Her voice trailed off as she glanced away again. “Kai, I’m not sure what I think of all this. I do sort of find her attractive, which might actually be because she’s part-succubus, now that I think about it, but I’ve never seriously considered…” Her voice trailed off a second time.

Part of me was surprised Serenity seemed to be accepting all this so easily, including Gabriella’s possible supernatural lineage, but at the same time I supposed she’d seen enough to realize there was more to the world than she originally assumed.

But honestly, I felt like all of us were coping really well, considering everything that had happened in the last couple of days. It made me wonder if I had some kind of psychological buffer to such dramatic stress, due to my supernatural heritage. Also made me wonder if I could passively make others more accepting of things too.

Granted, if my incubus father could steal a nursing woman from her baby and husband, and make her willing to take care of me instead, then he at least must have some kind of ability to make women accept their new life as one of his concubines.

Or rather, as one of his sex slaves.

So then, maybe everyone was adapting so easily because of me. Because I was influencing them without realizing it.

And for some reason, that particular idea was starting to bother me less. Not only that, but I was also beginning to feel a little more comfortable voicing what I wanted.

“Well, just being completely honest,” I replied. “The idea of you two together is really hot.” I then sighed. “But don’t feel like you have to force yourself to do something you don’t want to do.”

She frowned. “Well, it would make sleeping arrangements easier,” she admitted.

“It would,” I agreed simply, knowing we could all fit comfortably in Serenity’s bed. Although, if Avery somehow started living with us, maybe after graduation or something, then I wasn’t sure we could manage to all pile into the same one.

Although, the possibility of potentially getting a bigger bed for Serenity’s room sincerely excited me. That, and the idea of this now being our room.

“What?” Serenity said after a second, her tone a little playful as she focused on my grin.

I shook my head. “Just thinking about it,” I admitted.

She rolled her eyes. “Well, don’t get too excited, young man. I haven’t even tried being physical with you yet, and the idea of doing something with Gabriella feels surreal and kind of weird.”

“Can I at least tell her you’re open to letting her seduce you?” I wondered seriously.

Serenity’s face immediately turned beet red. “Kai!” she exclaimed in shock.

“Just wondering,” I replied, averting my gaze.

She took a deep breath, shaking her head in disbelief, before focusing down on my cock in her hand again. “Umm, well I guess it might at least be easier if you let her know I’m okay with talking about it. Otherwise, I’m not sure if I’d ever be able to muster the courage to bring the subject up myself.”

“Sure,” I replied, kissing her gently on the temple again, even as she slowly stroked me.

Honestly, I had no idea if her acceptance of all this was completely independent, or if I was truly having an influence on her, but in this moment I didn’t care too much. Because I didn’t feel like I was manipulating her. If anything, from the sound of it, Gabriella might be the one who was unintentionally manipulating her.

Or maybe not.

After all, they were both fucking hot as hell, so maybe they just naturally found each other attractive. I mean, that kind of thing did happen without any supernatural influence, so maybe I was just worrying too much about it.

At the very least, I definitely wasn’t compelling her like I’d accidentally done earlier that morning. On the contrary, I had been careful about looking her directly in the eyes while they were black and gold.

“So now what?” I finally wondered when she didn’t say anything else.

She sighed. “I guess I’ll have to talk to Gabriella about how we make this work. And also talk to her about how our friendship is going to be from now on, if I can get over my embarrassment. It’s just…” She took a deep breath. “So much is changing so fast. It’s a lot to take in.”

“Well, Gabriella didn’t seem like she was in any rush either,” I replied. “Honestly, she might not have even told you how she felt, afraid it might ruin your friendship. She sincerely cares about you, so don’t feel pressured to move too quickly. Just talk to her about it, and go from there.”

She nodded, continuing to slowly stroke me absentmindedly.

I was about to ask if she wanted to kiss more, but unexpectedly my phone rang.

Pulling it out of my jean’s pocket, I saw it was Gabriella, automatically concerned that something was up. And then even more concerned, when I answered it and heard all the little signs that she was crying – noises most wouldn’t notice.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” I asked seriously.

“Kai,” she sobbed, trying to speak evenly. “Avery’s mom is worse than they thought.”

“She is?” I said in surprise. “How bad?”

My fiancé made an effort to try to steady her breathing.

“Umm, well, I guess they’ve been giving her medicine to keep the swelling on her brain down, but the doctor said she started having a seizure from the inflammation, and they had to put her in a medically induced coma.”

She tried to stifle a sob again, taking another shaky breath.

After a second, she continued. “The doctor seemed really somber about the situation when he came to tell Avery. And when he saw she was sleeping, he asked me if I was going to be staying for a while. Of course, I told him I was, but then he said Avery will need someone here if her mom doesn’t make it.” She sniffled, her voice strained. “Kai, I’ll accept whatever you want to do, but I think Avery is about to lose her mom. The doctor didn’t seem hopeful at all.”

Fuck. Was she serious?

Fuck, fuck, fuck!

What was I supposed to do?

I mean, it wasn’t like I could make the same offer to this woman that I made to Avery! Because not only was she unconscious right now, but she was also Avery’s mom!

Fuck!

And even if she wasn’t Avery’s mom, she was still a married woman! A married woman who would end up transforming every time she tried to have sex with her husband!

Which meant, even if I got Michelle to keep quiet, it would mean Avery’s dad would find out too, assuming I didn’t try to demand she not have sex anymore. Not to mention, what if all of the women I was changing were capable of using their blood to transform a regular human? No doubt Avery’s mom might change her husband, and I could see the situation very quickly getting out of control from that point.

Fuck!

But at the same time, I knew the hell that awaited Avery if her mom died, including possible survivor’s guilt since she was in the same accident. Without a doubt, I knew for a fact what my classmate was going to end up going through if I didn’t fix her mom…

Because I’d already gone through it once myself.

And it was hell.

A devastating, unending hell.

Would Avery hate me if I let her mom die?

Fuck.

Fuck!

“Kai,” Serenity whispered when I didn’t say anything, having let go of my cock, seeming to have heard what Gabriella said.

I took a deep breath, glancing at her as I finally responded. “Gabriella, my secret has to remain a secret, no matter what. I can’t keep fixing everyone.”

My fiancé sobbed. “I know,” she whined, taking a shaky breath.

I sucked in another deep breath, unable to believe I was really considering this. “But what that means is, if I do fix her, then it’s got to be the last time. I can’t be fixing either of your parents if they get hurt, and I might have to be a jackass toward Avery’s mom, to make sure she keeps my secret. To make sure she doesn’t do anything that would expose us.”

Serenity’s brown eyes widened in shock, and Gabriella was silent for a few seconds, equally as stunned.

Finally, my fiancé responded. “You mean, you’ll do it?”

I sighed. “I guess, maybe? I don’t know. But Gabriella I have to draw the line here. Like, if your mom or dad ends up in the hospital and they look like they are going to die, I can’t keep doing this. I’m sorry, but we can’t keep doing this. Every person who becomes like me ends up being a new risk. And as you once said, we aren’t gods. We can all still die. Which means, we can’t let normal people find out about us.”

She sniffled. “I know, and I understand.”

I sighed again, still unable to believe I was really considering this. But I felt like letting Avery’s mom die just wasn’t an option. Would I have to threaten her life to ensure she didn’t try to change her husband or anyone else? I mean, if I was saving her life, then in a twisted cruel way, I could threaten to take it back, even if it was an empty threat…

Shit.

I supposed I’d just have to figure it out, since I doubted we had time to waste. “Okay, well, I guess we’ll head over there soon. Can you try to find out her floor and room number? If we can head straight there, that would be best.”

“Kai,” Serenity whispered. “If you do this, she might not be able to live a normal life with Avery’s dad anymore. Not without him finding out, at least.” She paused, looking me over for a second. “Assuming you can’t help but transform when you have sex.”

I grimaced at that, obviously having already thought of it. And being reminded didn’t help anything.

Shit! Why did this have to be so complicated?!

I sighed. “Well, both his wife and daughter are about to be given a new life because of me. And I really hate to be an asshole, but I might have to threaten him to make sure he keeps it to himself.” I sighed again. “But I can’t let her mom die, Ren. I can’t let her go through that. Not when I can prevent it from happening.”

Serenity nodded in understanding, her expression sympathetic. Out of everyone in the world, she of all people knew how difficult of a decision this was. Because we really couldn’t take this risk, and yet she knew full well that no one truly got over losing those they loved. They only slowly relearned how to cope with life again, but the pain never fully went away.

I took a final deep breath, making up my mind. “Okay, Gabriella. Try to find out Michelle’s room number, and let us know. We’ll head over there and get it done.”

Gabriella took a shaky breath, sounding guilty now. “Okay, Kai. Just, please don’t do this for me. Please do it because you really want to.” She paused. “Obviously, I feel horrible about letting her die, but I don’t want you to blame me if this goes wrong.”

“I won’t blame you,” I promised. “I’ve made up my mind. Besides, Nick knows and is keeping it a secret out of appreciation for the fact that I saved his little sister. Maybe I can use that against Avery’s dad too, since it sounds like his daughter would be paralyzed and his wife dead if I didn’t do something.”

“Okay,” she replied quietly. “And I love you. I’ll find out the room number for you.”

“Thank you, Gabriella,” I said sincerely. “Talk to you soon. Maybe call Serenity’s phone, since I’ll probably be on the road by then.”

“Sure,” she agreed. “Love you. Bye.”

After hanging up, I tugged on my boxers a little to let my now soft cock slip back inside, taking a deep breath as I just tried to collect my thoughts. Shit, was I really going to do this? And how much of a hardass would I have to be to get them to listen?

Unexpectedly, it was like Serenity read my mind, speaking out loud. “Maybe you can compel her to make sure she doesn’t expose us,” she randomly commented.

I looked at her in surprise. “Maybe,” I agreed hesitantly. “But I can’t exactly ask her to not have sex with her husband anymore.”

Serenity shrugged. “Maybe you can compel him too? I mean, we really don’t know if it’s limited to only women. And, at the very least, if it turns out that Michelle and Avery can use their blood to transform others, you can compel them to not do that. You can stop the spread with them.”

I nodded with a sigh, having considered that angle. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Assuming I can really have that level of control over a person. The letter made it seem like my biological father expected me to only have traces of his abilities.”

Serenity frowned. “Well, let’s try now, then. Ask me to do pushups. No, tell me to do pushups. A hundred.” She paused. “I can’t do that many, and don’t really want to, so let’s see what happens.”

“Are you sure?” I asked hesitantly.

She nodded, seeming completely confident. “Yes, we need to know if compelling Avery’s mom is even an option right now. And the letter made it sound like you could learn to develop the ability, so even if it doesn’t work, the two of us can keep practicing after you inject her with your blood. It might not seem like a lot of time, but you might actually get good at it after a few hours of practicing.”

I glanced away, thinking it over.

“Come on, Kai. We don’t have a lot of time. Let’s give it a try, at least once, and then we’ll head to the hospital.”

I nodded, focusing on her. I was still transformed, so I simply met her gaze, intending on telling her to do a hundred pushups. What I didn’t expect was for her eyes to abruptly widen, her pupils visibly dilating, as she stared at me almost in awe.

“Umm, Serenity?” I said hesitantly.

“Yes,” she whispered, looking mesmerized.

Fuck, was this really working that easily?

I cleared my throat. “Umm, I want you to do some pushups.”

She nodded without hesitation, still staring intently at me, like she couldn’t look away even if she wanted to. “How many would you like me to do?” she whispered. “Or how long?” she added. “A hundred, like we were talking about? Or do you want me to just do them until I can’t anymore?”

“A hundred,” I confirmed simply.

“Anything else?” she wondered.

I frowned. “Call me master, and then do them.”

“Yes, master,” she whispered, only to slip out of bed straight to the floor and position herself sideways at my feet, beginning to get her hands in the right spots for her first pushup.

Fuck! Was she for real right now? Holy fuck!

Holy fuck, fuck, fuck!

“Serenity, stop,” I said in disbelief as she did her first one.

She immediately did, only to sink fully onto her stomach, her entire body beginning to tremble.

“Are you okay?” I whispered seriously.

She didn’t respond right away, instead turning her head to the side, away from me, taking a few shaky breaths. “K-Kai,” she finally managed. “T-That was really terrifying.”

“I’m really sorry,” I said sincerely. “I won’t ever do it again. Certainly not on purpose, and if I do it accidentally, I promise I’ll end it.”

She nodded just slightly, before taking another shaky breath and slowly pushing herself up onto her knees, sitting on her heels. She then gently rested her hand on her forearm over the bandage covering the bite, but she didn’t look like she was in pain.

Shit, I hadn’t even considered that she might rip her stitches out.

“Thank you,” she replied, only to carefully glance up at me. “But I think I need to elaborate. What was so scary was when you told me to stop. I felt like I’d disappointed you, and it literally made me afraid for a few seconds before it wore off. But before that, I didn’t feel afraid at all. Suddenly, all I wanted to do was please you, and any plan I had to resist whatever you wanted me to do just went completely out the window. Like, I didn’t care about what I wanted to do before. All I cared about was doing as you asked.” She focused back down on the floor. “And that alone wasn’t a bad feeling. I didn’t mind at all, in fact, and know I would have done anything you asked. But the way you told me to stop was sincerely horrifying. That was the scary part.”

Fuck, I didn’t know what to say to that. “Umm, so I guess if we try again, I’ll be more careful when I ask you to stop?” I said hesitantly, uncertain of what she was trying to tell me. “But then, did you notice a difference between what happened, and how you normally feel?”

She nodded, looking up at me again, not seeming at all afraid of my gold eyes. “Umm, yeah, sort of. Like, it felt different. Even though I wasn’t unwilling to do anything you asked, I could tell I was being influenced. And I can honestly say that this morning was the only other time I felt like that. Except, you didn’t ask me to do anything this morning. Instead, it was like your eyes just lowered my inhibitions, prompting me to do what I wanted to do in the first place, which was kiss you.”

I nodded in acknowledgment. “Okay, so then maybe it’s because you’ve never seen me transformed before. Maybe I can’t have that same influence when I look normal.”

She abruptly looked at me fully, turning her torso to me. “Let’s try,” she said firmly. “Go back to looking normal and then ask me again. I’ll try not to do it.”

I frowned, but complied, allowing my body to shift back. I then focused on her, having the same intention as before, planning on asking her to do something for me. However, much to my surprise, she got that look in her chocolate brown eyes again, her pupils visibly dilating a little.

“Ren, I want you to stand up.”

Without hesitation, she nodded and began shifting her weight, only to stop herself, her butt settling back down firmly on her heels. Except, that her expression changed too, looking almost pained as she continued to hold my gaze.

“You’re not standing up,” I commented.

She grimaced. “I’m really sorry,” she said sincerely. “I want to do as you ask, and I feel horrible for staying put.” She sighed. “But I’m trying to stay put, since I know that’s what we’re trying to prove – that I can.”

“Stand up,” I said more firmly.

She grimaced, her expression becoming even more apologetic.

“Okay, you can remain sitting,” I finally said, trying to be intentional about keeping my tone gentle this time.

She visibly relaxed. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

I sighed, more focused on the implications now. “So it seems like you want to do as I ask even when I look normal, but can resist if you set your mind to it.”

“Yes,” she agreed simply, looking away now, almost seeming ashamed of herself.

“Hey,” I said softly. “You did a good job. I’m glad you were able to resist.”

“I know,” she agreed, meeting my gaze. “But it’s like the fear I felt before. I just can’t shake the feeling of having disappointed you.”

“So, it really is a powerful influence then,” I realized. “Maybe not mind-control exactly, at least when I look normal, but it still messes with your emotions.”

“Yeah, seems that way,” she replied. “Although, I’m not sure if we’ll ever know the full capabilities of this ability unless you have to use it on someone who doesn’t want to listen to you.”

I sighed, glancing away. “Hopefully, it doesn’t come to that. But I’m not going to take any chances with Avery’s mom. Michelle is going to see me in my devilish form, and I’m going to make sure she keeps her mouth shut about our secret. And I also want to make sure she doesn’t ever try changing her husband.” I focused on her. “Because I at least feel confident that I can make Michelle listen, but I have no idea if I can make Avery’s dad comply. Even with blackmail.”

Serenity nodded. “Yeah, that makes sense. Although, we might also consider what it means if Gabriella is truly part-succubus. She might be able to do something similar, to make sure Avery’s dad is compliant.”

I frowned at that. “I’m not sure if that’s the case,” I disagreed. “Because from what she’s told me, she’s like a magnet for men and has trouble getting them to leave her alone. Then again, I’m half-incubus, whereas she’s supposedly only like a sixteenth succubus, or something.”

Serenity shrugged, finally standing up to her feet. “Well, maybe her becoming like you has changed that. Obviously, we won’t know unless we try and see, but I think it’s something worth considering.” She then sighed. “In the meantime, I guess let’s get going. We at least know you should be able to exert some control over Michelle if you need to, and at the end of the day all we need is for her to keep our secret. Since obviously you’re saving her life for Avery’s sake.”

I gave her a warm smile. “I like how you said that,” I admitted, only to continue when she looked confused. “Our secret,” I clarified.

She returned the smile. “Well, hopefully it won’t be long before it truly is our secret.” She then frowned, seeming pensive.

My thoughts had gone elsewhere too. “Think maybe I should just inject you now and hide you in the closet?” I wondered hesitantly, kind of afraid of getting in a car accident now, even though we’d driven around places all my life.

She sighed. “Nah, we can do it later. While I can’t be sure, it’s possible they’ll have an issue with a random guy going into Michelle’s room while she’s unconscious, especially since you aren’t family. If we want to be able to ensure we can get some time alone with her, then I should be there too.”

I nodded, glancing back at the black wooden chest, along with the paper and midnight stone. Given that it seemed as if we were on a bit of a timer with Avery’s mom – since we really didn’t know how bad it was, only that the doctor didn’t seem hopeful – I decided everything else could wait until later.

After all, I’d hate to check out the mysterious black stone, only to show up at the hospital too late…

“Okay,” I finally said after a few seconds, standing up and buttoning my jeans. “Let’s get going. And maybe if I give her a bigger dose of my blood, she’ll transform faster.”

“Worth a try,” Serenity agreed, only to glance at the wooden chest too. “Let me hide this stuff really fast in my closet, and then we’ll go.”

“Sounds good,” I replied warmly. “And Ren, I really love you.”

She paused to focus on me, her own expression affectionate. “I love you too. More than anything.”

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Chapter 21 >>