Attending to an Incubus

"Ah, please come in."

The demon lord's voice through the door is surprisingly warm, much more than during the audience earlier today. His attendant opens the door for me, steps back to let me pass, and bows.

I enter.

The room has been redecorated since I was last here, probably since the demon lord first arrived. He's lounging on a long chair upholstered in deep garnet red, but he stands when I come in. I've never been important enough that literally anyone in this castle would need to stand when I come into a room, let alone the lord who's already conquered half of this entire kingdom. Of course, seeing him standing this close up also imposes on me the fact that he's easily a full head and shoulders taller than I am. He gives me a smile which looks almost disconcertingly bright, much warmer than anything he showed during the audience. His eyes are the color of amber, and seem to shine like firelight in the dimly lit room.

"Nalina!" he greets me as I come in. "I'm glad you make it so soon. I hope my invitation didn't put you out too much after all the commotion earlier."

I bow.

"Of course not, my lord." I answer.

I'm really not sure if that's the proper way to address him, but I'm operating on reflex right now. His own attendants called him 'his lordship' in his absence, but during the audience, the one who escorted me here only addressed him as 'sir.' But that can't possibly be right, can it? Maybe it ought to be 'Your Majesty,' or maybe his real title is something that only applies to demons.

As I straighten up, he gives me a wry smile.

"No need for ceremony." he says. "I have to speak in titles constantly when I'm in public, and it gets awfully tiresome, so I hope you don't mind if I give that a rest while we're here."

"Umm..."

I can't just stay silent, but I have no reflexes to deal with that, and no idea what to say.

"You wouldn't mind calling me by my name, would you?" he asks.

"...Is that alright?" I ask.

Difficult as it is, I force myself to cut off without a 'my lord.' Of course, I have no idea what his name is. I don't think anyone in this castle does. A demon's name is a source of power. Armed with his true name, a sorcerer could subject a demon to magic, potentially even banish or control him. That's why nobody knows him as anything other than the Demon Lord of the West. And probably why he never addressed any of his own men by name in front of us.

"Of course." he says. "No one ever uses my name in public, so it honestly gets a bit lonely if I can't at least use it in private. My name is Iniar. But please keep that between the two of us."

"Of course." I respond with a bow. "Iniar. I'm honored."

I can feel myself flush, the feeling of heat spreading down past my face. This goes against all my training, and my instincts tell me to be cautious, but at the same time, I can't help feeling... flattered? Pleased? Maybe even enamored.

"Please, sit, make yourself comfortable." he says.

I take the seat next to his. Of course it's intimidating to be so close to him, but in a way, I've practiced dealing with this. He gives me a warm, easy smile as he sits back down.

"I hope it didn't trouble you that I invited you so suddenly." he says. "But I wanted to thank you for earlier."

"Thank me for what?" I ask.

"For your help at the audience." he says. "You made things run much more smoothly."

I run through my memories, trying to read his meaning. The audience where he called me up to punish Loralani? And I was the only one not to. Except that I did, in a way. I left her sobbing, humiliated by my show of pity. But that can't have been something he planned for. Is he thanking me for that? It's safer not to make any assumptions.

"I'm glad if I was able to be helpful to you, but I'm afraid I don't understand what I did." I say. "But if I might ask you to explain it for me, I'll do my best to continue to earn your favor."

He smiles at that.

"Alright." he says. "To start with, do you understand why you were the last person I called up during the audience?"

It would be easy, and mostly honest, just to answer "no." But I get the feeling that he wants me to give my best effort.

"Was it because I was the person of the lowest rank who Loralani had offended?" I ask. "If you wanted to embarrass her, then it would make sense to finish by showing everyone that she could be punished even by the lowest people in the castle."

"That's an excellent guess," he says, "but not quite. She'd offended almost everyone here at one point or another. I had actually intended to finish by calling up a stablehand she'd been particularly cruel to. I even made sure that he wouldn't be given the time to wash beforehand."

"In fact," he says, "today was the very first time since I first came to your country that I found myself revising my plans in front of an audience."

And that was because of my vindictiveness. Because I wasn't satisfied to play out my own part in the punishment he'd planned for Loralani.

"If I'd continued on after your performance," he says, "it would have completely spoiled the effect. I was honestly impressed. So thank you for that, Nalina."

He gives me a broad grin. Although his ears are long and pointed like mine, they're so stiff that they seem like they might be fixed in place. As hard as it is to read his true emotions, I want to believe that he's genuinely pleased with me.

I bow my head.

"I'm glad I was able to be of service." I say.

"I have quite a lot of people who're of service to me," he says, "and I appreciate all of them. But, I don't have many people who manage to make my life more interesting. So I hope you don't mind my saying that I value that quite highly."

"Oh..."

My ears bow for a moment before I can force them straight again. I think I can feel myself blushing.

"Thank you, Iniar."

I almost called him 'my lord' again, but I caught myself at the last moment. He wants me to use his name. I think I wanted to say it. It feels good to call him by his name, to know that I'm allowed to. More than a little good, in fact. If I wasn't blushing before, I'm sure I am now.

He gestures to a cabinet.

"Could I offer you some wine?" he asks.

"Oh... yes, please."

I haven't had wine since Loriel died. He used to offer it to me all the time, which made things easier in a way, even if it was a nuisance to pretend that I enjoyed the taste. But there's no way that I'd turn down Iniar's hospitality.

Iniar gets out a bottle and pours a couple of glasses. Well, pours out one glass; the one he keeps for himself has barely a trickle of wine in the bottom. I accept mine with a smile though.

"Thank you."

The taste of the wine is still familiar after all these years, and I feign enjoyment as I always have, but when he sees me take a sip, Iniar winces.

"You don't like it very much, do you?"

"I'm sorry?"

I do my best to keep my face and ears neutral. The last thing I want to do is offend his hospitality. But he simply puts down his own glass with another wry look.

"Honestly, I can't stand the stuff. I've never developed a taste for it, and now everywhere I go, I'm constantly coming into new wine collections. So I keep trying to foist it off onto other people who might enjoy it more than I do so it won't go to waste. Is there something else you'd like instead?"

The old lord took so much pride in his wine collection, it cheers me to think of Iniar looking for excuses to get rid of it. The idea of him asking me what I want is almost too foreign to consider, but I still manage a prompt reply.

"Do you have any melomel?"

"Of course." He stands up and walks towards a cabinet on the wall. He opens it, revealing an assortment of bottles in all different colors. "Melomel for elves, beer for humans, mürior for demons."

I don't know what beer or mürior are, but I guess they're probably inexpensive drinks suitable for the tastes of commoners. Or whatever qualifies as a "commoner" among demons. He stands there perusing the shelves with a thoughtful expression, like he's searching for the perfect drink among all those bottles. Or maybe he's genuinely lost in thought.

"Iniar?"

He turns and cocks an eyebrow at me as I say his name, and I can feel a tingling wave of heat wash down my body, much hotter than a mouthful of wine. For the first time, I realize what's happening to me. A demon's name is a word of power, and Iniar is a demon lord. A demon lord and an incubus. I don't know anything about sorcery, but every time I speak his name out loud, I can feel its effect on me. That warmth spreading across my skin, the fluttering in my chest, the euphoric feeling overriding my anxiety...

Sitting there in the demon lord's chambers, covered with nothing but a thin layer of silk, I realize for the first time that I'm wet. That it's not just fear that's making my heart race.

Iniar gives me a smile as he pulls a couple of bottles from the cabinet.

"It's a shame none of them are as close a match for the color of your hair." he tells me. "But I suppose if I were going to match my own color, I'd have to drink tar. Better for us to enjoy being unmatched together."

That draws a smile out of me, although I almost stop myself on reflex. I'm too used to faking smiles and holding back my real expressions.

The drink he pours himself is unlike any I've seen before, the color of amethyst, slightly foaming and cloudy. Mine is a warm golden color, and I lower my head to him as he hands it to me.

"Thank you," I say. "I don't know what I could possibly drink, if you drank tar in front of me."

He gives me a teasing look as he sips his own drink.

"I wouldn't trouble yourself over it." he says. "I've already tasted a great number of things I shouldn't have before now."

I sip my own drink. It tastes of peaches, with a hint of wildflowers. If I make myself pay attention to the flavor, I can tell that it's one of the most delicious things I've ever tasted.

I bow my head again.

"Would it be too presumptuous of me to ask you a question?"

Under other circumstances, I wouldn't even dare to ask, but I doubt he'd want me to come to his chambers to drink with him in silence.

"By all means," he says. "Ask me anything you'd like."

There are other things which are weighing on my curiosity more, but I might seem small-minded to ask them first, so instead I start with something I know the whole staff is wondering.

"Do you plan to conquer the whole kingdom like this?" I ask.

"No."

He takes another sip of his drink, and for a moment I think that might be all the answer I'll get, but he continues.

"I don't imagine that I'll have to. But I suppose I'll find out how much of it will have to fall before Aleoras' own men turn on him. It'd be interesting to see it, but I suspect that will happen well before I'm in sight of the capital."

Then, as I thought, Aleoras must really be quite a meager king. But maybe any elven king seems meager to a demon lord like Iniar.

"Is that why you came then? Because you knew he'd left our country too weak to resist?"

"It's not just him." he says. "Things weren't nearly so bad a century ago, and he'd already been king for some time by then. But the rot certainly set in while he was on the throne, so I suppose somebody has to take responsibility."

I'm curious what changed to leave the country like this, but not so curious that I ought to try Iniar's patience by asking him for a history lesson. So I simply smile at him over my own drink and tell him-

"Well, I appreciate that you decided to get involved."

I chose my words well. He gives me a warm smile.

"I can't pretend to be selfless," he says, "but your gratitude matters a great deal to me. Is your drink better, by the way?"

He gestures at my glass, and I realize I've been so focused on him that I've still barely touched it. I take another sip, probably deeper than manners call for.

"Oh, much, thank you."

I eye the finger of purple liquid left in his cup, and decide to ask before it's all gone.

"What is that you're drinking anyway? I've never seen anything like it before. Would it be safe for elves to drink?"

He extends his glass, giving me a closer look.

"This is sayah." he says. "Suitable for special occasions. A sip wouldn't hurt you. I'd offer you one, but then you'd be passed out having wild visions in a few minutes, and I'd rather enjoy your company longer than that."

I'm sure I'm already blushing, but I can still feel the heat rise across my face.

"Then, what can I do to entertain you, Iniar?"

I call him by his name again, to help make myself ready. I don't know why he chose me, but it's easy to guess what he called me here for. Knowing what his name does to me doesn't weaken the effect at all. I can imagine whispering his name while touching myself at night to make myself finish. He might even have expected that from the moment he first shared it with me. Saying it is all it takes to send those thoughts swirling through my head.

Still, the flush in my cheeks aside, I do my best to keep my ears straight and my expression even. I've never let anyone see me in a state like this before, least of all Loralani's father. In my whole life as a maidservant, I've never once allowed myself to lose my composure in front of my masters. It's no exaggeration at all to say that my life has depended on it. That's not a part of myself I can just give away.

"Oh, I suspect you could impress me quite well by your own initiative." Iniar says.

He drains the last of his drink and sets aside his glass.

"Tell me, Nalina. Do you know why it is that Loralani held a grudge against you in particular?"

"My lord...?"

His question catches me so off guard that I forget to call him by his name, although saying it again so soon might cause problems of its own. Of course I know why Loralani had a grudge against me, but is he asking me to explain it to him? I thought he must already know, but maybe he wasn't just covering for me at the audience earlier. I'd rather not share that with him at all, but I can't just avoid the subject if he asks me outright.

Before I can put together an answer though, he gives me a sympathetic look and continues.

"There's more to it than you might be aware of." he tells me. "I first heard this from the steward, who was one of a small handful to share the story. Loralani wanted quite badly to be sure this never made it to you."

I manage to keep my face steady, but I can feel my ears straining with the effort. I thought I already had as much of the full story as anyone, and I have no idea why the steward would be involved at all.

"Loralani did rather more to deprive you of comfort over the last two years than you realize," he says, "since if it were not for her, you probably wouldn't have found it necessary to continue working as a maidservant at all. As it happens, the late lord Loriel accommodated quite generously for you in his will. It seems that for some reason he had considerably warm feelings for you. Loralani, I'm afraid, rather resented his request, and preferred not to dignify it. Perhaps she felt self-conscious about how poorly she was using her own inheritance."

"I was quite interested," he says, "to learn about the woman who Loriel had chosen to honor in his will. And when you offered such a noteworthy contribution to the audience earlier, I became even more eager to meet you."

"So-"

I can see from his face that, of course, he knows exactly what it is he's asking of me.

"I'd be quite pleased to know why it was that he remembered you so fondly."

I lower my head once again, my heart pounding.

"Of course." I say. "It would be my pleasure."

~~~

I try to keep myself from trembling as I stand. Even in the dim lighting of this room, I'm sure that Iniar will spot even the slightest shiver. I'm afraid of course, I would have to be mad not to be afraid of him, but I've fought down fear to do this before. In a way, the stakes aren't even as high as they've been in the past. Iniar said that the lockdown of the castle would be lifted once he'd assessed the competence of the steward, and one woman who would attend to him. So, if I don't satisfy him, the lockdown won't be lifted. Everyone would know I was at fault. But it probably still wouldn't be as dire as what might have happened to me if I'd ever truly angered Loriel.

Still, my sheer need not to disappoint Iniar is like nothing I've ever experienced before.

I don't know if Iniar is overestimating me, and really thinks I'm so exceptional, or if he was trying to impress on me just how high his expectations are. I never knew knew that Loriel wrote me into his will, but it's not hard to imagine why: he was sentimental and flattered easily and he thought that I was beautiful. I can't impress Iniar the way I did with him. It would seem like mockery even to try. If I have any hope of satisfying him, it's that my desire to please him is completely sincere. It's not just fear that has me on the verge of trembling.

I perch myself next to Iniar, on the side of his chair. His seat reclines back so far, I'm actually looking down on his face from above. Up close, for the first time, I spot his horns, nestled among the waves of his hair. They're nearly the same color, like onyx hidden among charcoal. I reach out towards them, but pull up short at the last moment. I don't know if it's rude to touch a demon's horns.

"You can touch them." he says.

I relax just a bit as I run my fingers through his hair. It's light and silky and parts easily around my fingers. I thought his horns might feel like polished bone, but instead, their surface is almost velvety to the touch, like they're a living part of his body.

"They're warm..."

I'm sure he must already know, but the sensation takes me by surprise.

"They're not as warm as the rest of me." he says. "Here, you can reach better from the front."

He reaches an arm out gently around my waist and pulls me closer, then hoists me up so I'm straddling him on his chair. Iniar moves like he doesn't even feel my weight. He looks so large and powerful underneath me, but I can tell that doesn't even hint at his real strength. My thighs rub against the soft fabric of his trousers, reminding me that only a thin layer of silk keeps me from being completely naked on top of him.

I lean forward and stroke Iniar's horns, then bring my hands down to massage his temples. He was right, his body does feel warmer than his horns, almost feverishly hot. Leaning over him like this brings my breasts directly into his line of sight, and they sway slightly with my movements, the silks he chose for me doing absolutely nothing to constrain them.

I move my fingers down to massage the muscles at the base of his ears, but surprisingly, I can't feel anything there, like they really are fixed and immobile. Instead, I reach down to caress the sides of his neck. I knead my palms in gently, to tease out the strain in his muscles. Or at least, I try to. I've only ever done this with one person before, and Iniar is so much larger and stronger, I have no idea how much force to use, or if all of my strength is even enough to make an impression on him. He gives me a relaxed, slightly teasing smile, although that might be at the sight of my breasts in the silks he prepared for me.

"Do you ever wear a crown?" I ask.

It's the first thing I can think of to say. With Loriel, I'd already be showering him with compliments by now, but it was easier when they were insincere. The thought of complimenting Iniar like that makes me feel so exposed. I could tell him that he's beautiful, but he must already know that, and I'd be ashamed to let him know just what the sight of him does to me. I could praise his wit, and tell him I'm impressed at how he dealt with Loralani, but I'm even more ashamed at what I thought of that. So instead, I hint that he deserves to wear a crown.