The Succubae Seduction Ch. 27

WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS? I mentally demand of her. LET ME TAKE MY SWORD, AND I'LL LEAVE WITHOUT HURTING ANYONE ELSE. She might be able to hurt me with her axe, but not before I fry her.

"Ha, like your promises can be trusted." She raises her weapon high, and charges at me. "Now die!"

Pursing my draconian lips, I do my best to control my fire, regretting the fact that I have to kill her. She has been a nuisance in my side, sure, but that alone isn't enough reason to end her life. Molten hot flames engulf the woman, draining my energy some, and to her credit she doesn't even scream.

In fact, a second later, I have to dodge quickly to avoid having my skull split in two.

"What the fuck?" I hear Jennifer demand mentally, reminding me that there are passengers in my head.

"The Sisters of Respite are immune to most otherworldly abilities," Emmet's voice states a moment later. I remember having difficulty reading her when she'd interrogated me, and now I know why. "I have no problems dying in here, if it means your death too, monster."

Somehow his voice doesn't sound like he really means it. In fact, it almost sounds like he's saying it, only because he knows he's supposed to act defiantly.

Miranda swings at me again, and I lose a talon on my right paw as one of her blades severs it cleanly off.

Howls of pain echo in my mind, and I flip around, catching her with my tail. She only stumbles back from a grazing blow. How has she gotten so agile?

She stops attacking long enough to look at the other wizards. "Well, come on. Help me kill it!" She doesn't waste any time in seeing if they obey, but a moment later a chunk of ice slams into my flank, knocking me off balance, and I barely avoid having my neck opened wider than it already is.

"You can't leave the circle," one of the wizards bellows. "This sword is too—ungh!"

A flash of light precedes a small explosion, and all the humans are knocked flat from the shockwave.

Ah, it's good to be free! Shemhazau's voice rings loudly in my head. A purplish spot interferes with my vision from where the blast had been, but I know the sword is no longer trapped. A quick glance at my remaining talons shows that they've changed to reflect the chrome and midnight black coloring of the blade. Apparently the sword's magic allows it to join with me, without me willing it. Muramasa had been like that.

Deciding that now is as good a time as any, while everyone else is laid out flat, I turn my bulk around, and head for the exit.

Somehow, Miranda beats me there. Agile and fast, she must have some serious training to be able to fight like this with her weapon. Why had it been so easy to capture her when she'd tried to assassinate Jewkes and me? She's still holding the double-edged weapon in her hands, blocking my path.

I DON'T WANT TO KILL YOU, I telepathically tell her, BUT I WILL IF YOU LEAVE ME NO CHOICE.

Grimly she holds her weapon ready, tightening her grip, and I know I have my answer.

I inhale deeply, knowing my fiery breath can't harm her, but intending to blind her with it before my attack, when unexpectedly she crumples to her knees.

I stare at her innate form for a moment, unsure of what just happened, until I see a golden glow zoom in and pick up a large rock by the unconscious woman's head. Well, large in Areth's hands, at any rate.

"Ya miss me?" the tiny pixie asks cheerily.

"Areth!" I try to say, once again forgetting my forked tongue.

She flutters over to the axe, and I see her place her hand on the shaft. To my utter amazement, it shrinks down to her size, and then she blurs towards me, landing on my head, before stating, "As much as I'm enjoying this reunion, I think we'd better get out of here. I can't fight everyone with this enchanted axe."

Enchanted axe? That explains Miranda's prowess as a fighter.

I do my best to step over Miranda, but between missing toe, the pain in my right foot and the cut along my neck, I accidently nick her with one of my chrome and black claws. An odd shiver runs up my body as a spot of blood wells up where I scratched her arm.

"Oh, that's good!" Shemhazau moans into my mind, and I feel a new flood of energy course through my veins. This isn't like the energy I get when someone has an orgasm, but something entirely different. The sensation settles into my scales, and almost makes them feel tighter, like I'm too big for my skin.

Shaking off the sensation, I rush out of the hole I'd made in the wall, around a corner, and directly into a knot of knights. They'd obviously heard me coming, or were just that prepared, as the front row has a shield wall up, and long lances poke out above the barricade. They begin to slowly advance towards me, and I bellow an experimental gout of flame at them. Their tall tower shields block and deflect my fire, and I have to back up, to refrain from getting poked.

Then I notice the heat coming from the metal blockade, and blow harder, heating up their shields as they continue towards me.

"You're going to kill them!" Emmet shrieks from his prison in my mind.

"If we don't kill them, they'll kill us," Brooke angrily informs the man.

"No, there's another way!" I can tell he's desperate now, but I don't relent on my attack, until I have to suck in more air. Their shields are a cherry red color now, but they're not stopping. "You can put them to sleep," Emmet continues to call to me. "I know the spell, just repeat after me." He begins to make a series of sounds consisting of hums and ahhs, reminiscent but different from the spell that'd kept my sword in limbo.

"You're just trying to get us killed," Brooke snaps at the man, and I hear a mental sound like someone slapping bars.

"No, this is the spell!" he pleads with the mermaid and continuing his strange song.

Ignoring them, I put all of my effort into my next flame breath, but feel winded and tired.

"Stop it!" Jewkes cries out, and I can hear him yawn. "You're putting us to sleep!"

I have to blink to clear my head, but the man does as he's told, and just in time, as my tail bumps into a wall. I'm running out of room to retreat.

"Any other bright ideas?" Areth asks me, hefting her new axe, unaware of the battle inside me.

SING, I command her, mentally sending her the sounds Emmet had been making, and doing my best to make the sounds in my own throat. Luckily my tongue's not needed for these sounds, and I see the knights stop in confusion as Areth's and my voice comes together. Micro-moments later, they slowly slump to the ground, some of them even snoring softly, overwhelmed by our combined power.

KEEP SINGING, I order the fairy atop my head as I leap over the knights, and start heading up the stairway. No one else appears, until we exit back into the large courtyard.

A line of men, seven wide, stands before us, dressed in casual clothing.

"It's the seven!" Emmet wails piteously. "We're doomed!" Apparently he doesn't want to die after all.

Ignoring him, I pick up the sleep spell/song with Areth, concentrating on putting these men to sleep.

"It won't work. Three of them are casting spells already to stop any magical attacks, three others will be preparing an attack, and the last one gives the orders," Emmet informs me, and I stop singing. A well organized attack unit. Marchosias had been right when he'd said they were dangerous.

Just to test the theory, I send a column of flame at them, and then stop immediately when a powerful gust of wind sends it back at me. Luckily I appear to be immune to my own flame. At least, externally.

I don't see any swords, spears, or for that matter, any type of weapon that can pierce my hide, and decide to charge right at them.

Something tingles along my body and eyes open wide in shock as I knock them aside like bowling pins. Four of them go down, and only one gets back to his feet, but by this time I'm already climbing the sides of the courtyard, the open sky above me.

That had been easier than I'd thought.

Lightning crackles, and fireballs fly past me, but their aim must be off, because none of them strike me. I must have scared them more than I thought, for them to be this bad, I think.

"It doesn't make sense," I hear Emmet say in confusion. "They are the elites."

"Lyden's not a bad guy," Becky says in my mind. "He doesn't want to hurt anyone, but you people won't leave him alone. All the deaths and injuries today are on your head!"

Emmet clams up, and it only takes me a couple more moments to reach the top.

Looking around, I'm surprised to see trees and mountains in all directions. Looking back at the courtyard I'd just climbed from, I'm shocked to see it's vanished. Rocky ground covers the spot where I'd just climbed up. Tentatively I reach one paw out, but a needle of ice flies out of the ground, and I jump back. Not gone then, but an illusion to cover it. How much of this forest is illusion, covering the Paladonic Knight's Base?

Without wasting any more time, I crash down the hillside, knocking trees out of my way, and leaving an obvious trail behind. I'd seen a road off in the distance, and an unmistakable orange dot parked on it.

Lisa, are you there? I ask inwardly, as Areth cheerfully cries "Wee!" on top of me.

"I'm here, Lyden," she says softly, almost sadly.

Are you okay? Is there anything I can do for you? Relief that the blonde is all right floods through my system, happy that I'd been able to get to her in time.

"Maybe not," Becky says to me.

What do you mean? I demand, knocking over a rather large tree in my headlong run. My right foot is throbbing, and I can feel the muscles growing stiff around the wound, but I refuse to slow down. I might be out of their base, but I'm not safe yet.

"We've been talking," the petite brunette informs me. They had? Was I too busy fighting to hear it? "When you brought us all in, we shared the pain of her throat. Even now, we know your neck is bleeding. When we separate—"

No! I scream at them. I won't let that happen.

"Lyden, we know how weak you're already growing. We can feel your fatigue." Lisa's words are soft and cajoling. "We can feel everything you're feeling. Even your love for us."

Her words are unfortunately true. More than just my rear paw is growing stiff. I'd expended a ton of energy to transform all of us, and then kept it up as I attacked and defended my way to Murasame, and then escaping. Even now, I can feel my pace growing slower as I try to reach the Orange Bubble.

"When you changed back yesterday, the wounds you received from that blue dragon were still on you." Lisa sounds as if she's on the verge of tears. "My wound will be there when I come out. I knew what would happen when I elbowed him, Lyden. I was trying to give you a chance to get away without me. To save yourself."

No! I won't accept that! I can't leave anyone behind. My eyes grow bleary with tears, but I refuse to stop. I won't lose you!

"I can feel how much you love me, Lyden, and I thank you for that. We knew the dangers of this plan last night. Let me go, Lyden." Her voice definitely hitches at the end, and I see my car not too much farther ahead of me. I also hear helicopters coming up on us from behind.

But shouldn't you be healing up while in me? I ask, desperately hoping for something.

"It's her body's mass you absorbed, son," Shemhazau's voice breaks in. "Our souls aren't mixing right now."

Dammit! I swear angrily, trying to pour all my anger and hurt at the situation into that one expletive. Dammit, dammit, dammit! I repeat, still not feeling any better.

Can I spread the wound around, so that it doesn't kill anyone, when we separate? I ask, needing a better answer.

"If it had happened while we were together, then yes, but. . . ." he trails off. He doesn't need to finish the statement. The wound in my foot can be split up among us or given to one, but her throat had been slit before we joined together.

As soon as I reach my car, I realize I have a problem. I'm too big to fit through the door. Not only that, but I'm so tired from using my strength and from the loss of blood, that the act of changing back will knock me out. I don't even know if I have the strength in me to shrink my mass down enough to go in.

I hesitate for only a moment, hearing the helicopters growing closer, before screaming out in anguish, my head reared back and white-hot flame shooting into the sky. Closing my mouth, I drop my head in defeat and change back into a human. My last thought before passing out is making sure that Emmet takes the full wound from my foot and hand.

* * *

"You really like to sleep, don't you?" Lisa's voice floats over me, and I open my eyes to look up into her beautiful blue orbs.

"You're alive!" I gasp, sitting up and pulling her thankfully towards me.

Laughing, she collapses into my arms and hugs me tightly.

"Oh, Lyden, I'm so sorry. I love you so much, but I only have a bit of time before I must go," her words are half mumbled into the side of my neck.

"Huh? I don't understand. Go where?" I ask, thoroughly confused.

She pulls away from me, searching my gray eyes, and I see a tear break free from hers. Only then do I look around, and realize that we're in the Mens Mundi.

"But how are you here? Are you still inside me, or did you come out with everyone else?" I can feel a lump forming painfully in my throat as I try to control my voice.

"Does it matter?" she asks me, pulling me back to her. "We're together for now, and that's all that matters."

"But won't you heal, since you're here?" I ask, still not willing to accept the facts.

"It's already too late," she tells me softly, shaking her head. Suddenly she pushes me away and looks fiercely at me. "Are you going to sit here and waste what little time we have together moping over what can't be changed, or are you going to take advantage of it?" She pauses for a brief second before raising one eyebrow and adding, "Or of me?"

"But I am—" she presses her fingers to my lips, silencing my protest, and then uses the pressure against them to shake my head.

"You need to move on, Lyden," she informs me firmly. "I won't have you moping around like you did after Angela left, or your father died. Do you hear me?" I open my mouth to reply, but she keeps her fingers against my lips. "Do you hear me?" Her fingers force my head to nod in agreement, until I grip her wrist, and pull her hand away.

"I love you, Lisa," is all I can get out before I choke up, and that painful ball lodges fully in my throat, cutting off anything else.

"I know," she tells me, pulling my head to her chest. "I love you too. You have always been so kind to Becky and me. Take care of her. She's going to take my passing really hard as well. You two will need each other over the next while. You need to be strong, Lyden. Promise me you'll be strong." It's not a question, but an order, and I nod my head, still unable to speak as tears copiously pour from my eyes.

"Good!" she continues. "Now then, I really don't want to waste any more time. Get naked."

Shocked, I pull away, swallowing hard to try and speak. "I-I don't think . . . Now really isn't the right moment. . . ."

"Haven't I taught you anything?" she demands of me, standing up and removing her shirt. "If you always wait for the right moment, it'll never come. You have to make it happen; and quite frankly, the last thing I want to remember us together by, is you making me scream out your name in ecstasy. Now are you going to get undressed, or are you going to ignore my final request?"

Even though my heart is still heavy with the thought of losing her, I can't help but smile at her uplifting attitude. Trust Lisa to be able to cheer me up, and push me on when I'm down. The world is going to be a darker place without her.

Shaking my head to clear it of the gloom that I know will only disappoint the martial artist; I stand up and remove my shirt, before remembering that I can just think my clothing away. Lisa giggles as I become suddenly nude, and I find her mirth infectious. I just can't help but smile as I see her beautiful blue eyes twinkling with a combination of joy, desire, and an undeniable pleasure at just being with each other.

"Things are controlled with our minds here, right?" She asks me, and I have to look up from her firm breasts to answer her.

"Yeah, we're in our minds, so imagination seems to be the only limit," I tell her, thinking of her body slowly floating through the air towards me and grinning at her shocked expression as her feet leave the blank floor.

"And this is what you picture?" she asks me, recovering quickly from her surprise and waving at the emptiness around us.

Blinking, I realize I'd never really thought about it before. My surroundings have never been that important to me, always more concerned with whom I'm with.

Lisa lands softly in my arms, and I tilt our world so that she's lying on top of me. Laughing, she kisses me softly on the lips, but the kiss doesn't stay soft for long. Hungrily, I press my tongue against her lips, until she opens up for me. I can feel her cheeks turning up in a smile as her arms slip under my neck and she straddles my hips, pulling us tighter together.

"How's this?" she asks me, breaking the kiss but still holding me with her slender body.

"You're an awesome kisser," I tell her honestly, not entirely sure of what she's asking me.

"Well, thanks, but I was referring to around us," she giggles again, and she feels delightful, our nude flesh pressed against each other.

Looking around, I see what I should have seen when she pulled away. A large tan tent surrounds us, and we're lying on a blow up mattress with red blankets. I can hear running water in the distance, and the clean scent of nature fills the air.

"My dad used to take me camping all the time," she answers my questioning look. "Since he died, I've never been back, but I miss it. I've never told you this, but you remind me of him in some ways, with how kind you are, and how respectful you are to everyone. I just thought. . . . I just thought it might be nice." I don't know what exactly to say in response, touched by her words, and I see her growing uncertain at my silence. "I'm sorry, it was a foolish—"

I cut her off with a firm kiss, pressing our lips together, before pulling away. "It's perfect," I tell her, smiling. I almost add that I wish I could have had the time to take her fishing, but decide not to ruin the moment.

The air mattress squeaks as Lisa molds her body fully to mine, her cheek presses to mine, and happily I hug her to me. I truly feel at peace for a few moments, as we do nothing more than hold each other tight. I know that the future will come, and more hardships will happen, but right now, right here in this tent in the Mens Mundi, I'm at peace.

"Lyden?" Lisa's voice is soft as she speaks directly into my ear, her sweet breath tickling my earlobe.

"Yes?" I ask, my eyes closed and enjoying the sound of the running water outside.

"Make love to me," her request shocks me only by its simple sincerity. She'd already made it clear she wanted to have sex, but the way she asks me this time, I know what she's after.

Gently rolling us over, I plant soft kisses along her neck and up her jaw line, until I reach her tender lips. Her hands slip between us, until she can grasp my hard phallus, and I moan quietly as her fingers begin a steady rhythm up and down my length.

Moving my hands around her sides, I use my elbows to support my weight, until my fingertips brush along her nipples. Breaking the loving caress of our mouths, I slide down her body, and squeeze her firm breasts together, using my thumbs to turn the nipples inward, and latch onto both stiff rubbery nubs.

Her hands move to the back of my head, her fingers digging into my hair, as I tease her sensitive areolas with my teeth, tongue, and lips. Her hips start to grind against my stomach, and I press my torso against her to give more friction, enjoying the increase in the volume of her moans.