Incubus Ch. 04

Editor's note: this story contains scenes of non-consensual or reluctant sex.

*****

Estries

I started my search right away, flying out in a spiral with the house in the center. It was slow going. To be certain I didn't miss anything, I had to stop every mile or so and spend some time concentrating on the spells around me. How long depended on the population density in the area. Each person's magic and life force had its own signature, just like every spell. Powerful signatures, like the bright life force of young children and the magical might of a wizard, were immediately distinguishable from spells. The sparse magic and partially spent life force of an average adult were not.

In the suburbs sorting out the signatures took minutes. As I entered the busier parts of the city, it began to take longer. Then, as dawn came and the city awoke, it took longer still. The magical signature of a waking mortal was colored by their thoughts and emotions, making it more complex, which, in turn, made it take longer to identify as a person rather than a spell.

When I opened my eyes after searching a particularly busy area, I saw the sun had moved noticeably since I had closed my eyes. If I had been in human form, I would have wept. However, I was in bird form, and birds can't cry.

There was nothing to do but to keep going. It only got worse from there. It had been two days since I had fed. I should have fed last night, but I hadn't wanted to further upset Lilly. I was hungry. So hungry...

The mortals around me were defenseless, and plump with life force. Prey, my instincts told me. I shoved the thought down. Or I tried to. I found myself circling a daycare center. Children played alone in the yard. No protector. So small, so weak, so full of life... And I was so hungry.

I dove. As my eagle form hurtled down from the sky, the children screamed and scattered. I snatched one up in my claws, and prepared to carry it away, feasting on the magic unlocked by the little girl's terror.

Something smacked me, breaking my hollow boned wing. I shrieked in fury and released my prize, preparing to defend myself. My attacker wrapped long, hairy arms around me. I shifted to my true form, thrashing, but my captor held me fast. It shook me. "Estries. Control yourself!"

It knew my name. The shock broke through the cold sheath of hunger gripping my mind. What was I doing? I went limp.

The creature holding me looked a bit like an ape and a bit like an old man, with a hunched back, wrinkles, and long hairy arms. A domovoi, I realized. A guardian spirit, rare in the world of my birth, and likely rarer in this one. "Shift," the domovoi told me, "And we'll talk."

I shifted back to my human form, and the domovoi released me. I curled up in a ball, weeping. What had I done? Was the child all right? Or had I killed her?

I felt a small hand on my shoulder. I flinched away. "Don't touch me! I might hurt you."

The four year old snorted derisively. "No you won't. You're in control now, and you don't hurt people on purpose, Estries." She pronounced my name with a child's care for hard words. "Not unless they're bad people."

I looked up into sharp blue eyes that did not look like they belonged on a four year old's face. They glowed with a strange light. "How do you know my name?"

"She's a seer," said the domovoi. He had finished tending to the little girl I had grabbed, and her shoulders were good as new, though her shirt was still a mess.

The seer girl giggled. "Your shirt is all bits. Your mommy is going to be so mad, Annie!" She frowned thoughtfully. "But not at you. She'll get all mad at the teacher and yell and then she'll take you out for ice cream." Her nose wrinkled. "Ewww! You're going to get the mint stuff! Gross!"

I blinked. Seers were incredibly rare, in all the worlds. The odds of me just happening to strike a daycare with a seer in it were round-it-off-and-call-it-zero levels of low.

The girl nodded. "You're right. I made sure I was here to see you. I cried until my Mommy agreed to send me here. I felt bad about being a bad girl, but you're kind of sort of my brother so it was really important."

I blinked again. "Your brother?"

She nodded. "Uh-huh. One of your mommies is my twin's birth mommy, and your other mommy is one of her daddies. Though not her tadpole daddy because that would be silly. So that makes you my brother."

My mouth opened. "Ummmm..."

The domovoi sighed. "Don't bother. She's not going to get clearer than that."

The seer frowned. "But I was clear! I said exactly what I meant."

I shook my head, dismissing the mystery. "What's your name, child?"

She grinned. "I'm Hannah."

A lightbulb went off in my head. She could help! "Hannah, I'm trying to find-"

Hannah interrupted me. "She's in the dirty red azz building. With the vampire and the other guy."

I frowned. "Could you point to it on a map?"

Hannah shook her head. "Nuh-uh. Cause I don't know how to read maps. Or tell time from a hands clock or I'd tell you what time the phone call is going to be."

I blinked. "Phone call?"

She nodded. "Don't worry, you'll get it in time. You should go home and wait for it, so you don't miss it."

She cocked her head, eyes far away. "You should go now."

I frowned. "But-"

I heard a shriek behind me. "Who are you? And what are you doing with the children?"

I looked around. The domovoi was gone, and an angry looking woman was advancing on me.

Hannah shoved me. "Go, or you'll get in trouble! And they won't just take your TV time away."

She was right. I was a strange man in a daycare yard containing a girl with a ripped shirt. If I stuck around, I was going to get arrested. I shifted back into a bird. The teacher would think she was going crazy, but I had no sympathy for a woman who left the children in her care alone for so long.

I turned to head for home. Dirty red Azz building meant nothing to me, so I would wait for the phone call. I wondered who would be calling. Perhaps it would be Lilly herself. Perhaps she would escape...

*

Lilly

I wasn't sure how long I had waited there, bound and gagged, in the dark. I wasn't sure how many times I had cum. Another orgasm was building. I wrenched at my bindings, frustrated. Then I closed my eyes, riding out the orgasm with a low moan.

I saw a light as someone opened the basement door. Relief coursed through me, followed by dread. I was going to get bitten again. Five more times after that, and my free will would be lost, likely forever.

Except it wasn't the vampire who came down the stairs. It was his pet wizard. Dmitri? Was that his name? His eyes seemed, somehow, clearer than they had before. He stared at me, hate in his expression.

"We were doing fine before you came," he told me.

I squirmed uncomfortably, the buzzing between my legs still the center of my attention.

"And we'll do fine after you leave," Dmitri continued. He pulled out a key.

It took a bit of fumbling, but finally Dmitri had unchained me. I unfastened the vibrator, sighing in relief. Then I removed the dildo. Ignoring the parts of me longing for another orgasm, I asked Dmitri, "Which way is out?"

He pointed towards the stairs.

"And the vampire? Your master? He won't get in the way?" I asked.

Dmitri shook his head. "He's sleeping."

"Thank you," I told him.

Dmitri's face turned ugly. "I'm not doing this for you. Now go."

I sighed inwardly. "I'm going." I hurried up the stairs.

Within minutes I was outside. I wasn't sure whether to be relieved or not that the street was empty. On one hand, I was still completely naked. On the other, I had no idea where I was, and I had to get out of the vampire's reach before he awoke.

I looked around. What was that on the corner? My eyes widened. Was that a pay phone? Seriously? In this day and age? I almost cried, I was so relieved. I hurried toward the boxy construction.

When I got there, I burst into tears. I had no money. I had absolutely no way to use this unexpected lifeline. Crying, I looked around the phone booth, hoping against hope-

There. On the floor. A quarter. Hurriedly, I picked it up and slotted it into the phone.

But who should I call? My father was unreliable at best, and my brother Adam was out of town. Also, I seriously doubted either could protect me from the vampire. Ditto with the police. I really had only one choice. I just hoped he answered. I dialed my own home phone number.

*

Estries

I paced in front of the phone. I should be out searching. I should be doing something, not just waiting! I shouldn't be relying on the word of a child. Granted, this child was a seer, but what if she hadn't quite learned to use her powers? What if the future she saw wasn't certain, but one of many possibilities? Would she be able to tell? I growled in frustration. Inside me, my hunger growled in reply. I forced it down.

If I didn't want to lose control again, I badly needed to feed. But what could I do? I couldn't just attack some random bystander. I fully expected to lose control next time I fed. Lilly had a thick buffer of magic protecting her life force. I would be fed enough to regain control long before she was in any danger.

A non-wizard, however, had no such protection. I would drain them dry of both magic and life force, killing them, and all the regrets in the world would not let me bring them back. If I didn't find Lilly soon, my ravening state would endanger even her. I-

The phone rang. I froze. It rang again, and I blurred into motion, grabbing it and holding it to my ear. "Hello?"

"Estries." Lilly sounded relieved. "Can you come and get me?"

"I need to know where you are," I reminded her, looking around for the keys to her car.

"I'm-" I could almost see her looking around frantically for a street sign. "I'm at the corner of Frankfort and Telimer. I... I don't know more than that."

"Do you have any maps in your house?" I asked. "Any way for me to locate you?"

Lilly was silent for a moment. Just as I was about to prompt her again, she asked me, "Can you find my cell phone?"

"I can," I confirmed.

"You can use the GPS to locate me," she said. "Ummm... Do you know what that is?"

When I was summoned, I had acquired a certain amount of general knowledge about how things worked in this world. It was how I spoke the language, among other things. "I do. But I need the password."

"Its-" Suddenly, Lilly screamed.

"Lilly!" I called. "Lilly!" I heard the phone slam down. I swore. "Lilly!" It was no use. The call had ended. She was gone.

*

Lilly

A firm grip on my hair dragged me out of the phone booth. I met the vampire's icy green gaze. He was furious. I quailed.

The vampire said nothing as he dragged me back into the red brick building. He slammed the door, cutting off the only source of light in the grimy room, and threw me to the floor.

I lay on the rough wooden floor, surrounded by darkness. My heart pounded. My breath was ragged.

"I've already punished Dmitri." The vampire's voice seemed to come from all around me. "Now, what should I do with you?"

I shivered. Whatever he did, I had no way to fight back. He was faster. Stronger. He could control me with his eerie green gaze. Even if my magic wasn't blocked, I had no idea how to use it to fight. I was helpless, and afraid.

No. I would not go trembling to my doom. "Fuck you!" I gasped. It was more of a squeak than a shout.

The vampire began to laugh. "Now, that's an idea..."

I was lifted and dragged over to a vertical wooden surface. It was less rough than the floor, but still abrasive against my skin. The vampire lifted and chained my arms, one at a time, to the wood. I fought him, screaming insults, but soon my arms were immobilized against the diagonal wooden beams.

I felt a grip on my ankles, and lashed out with my feet. I connected with something fleshy, and the vampire swore. He smacked the inside of my thigh, hard. "Enough! Or this will be a lot worse for you."

I went still, thigh still stinging, as he finished chaining my legs in a splayed out position. What had I been thinking? He was already angry, and I was at his mercy. Making him angrier would solve nothing.

I squeaked as I felt a caress against my breast. "Such soft skin," the vampire murmured. He pinched me, and I yelped. "So tender. So easy to rend, to tear, to cut."

He released me. I went still, peering into the darkness, waiting for the next attack. When the vampire spoke again, his voice seemed to come from everywhere at once. "Soon I won't have to deal with this... insubordination. Soon you will want to serve me. To cater to my every whim."

Where was he? Was he still standing in front of me, staring at my breasts? Was he circling behind me, eyeing my ass? Imagining his gaze there, my buttchecks clenched tight.

I heard the jingle of metal. The soft rasp of leather on wood. A soft, thoughtful tapping of finger tips against something hollow.

"I know you can't see this," the vampire told me, "But this is my workroom. My tools are spread out on the table, and hung up on the walls. Floggers. Whips. Dildos." A sudden purple light lit the darkness with a crack. Then it was gone. "Other, more modern toys."

I whimpered as something trailed up my side. Not a hand. Something leathery, and thin.

"I could whip you." The vampire's voice was cold. "Until your back is crisscrossed with red stripes and blood."

Something rubber traced my lower lip. "I could humiliate you. Make you cry."

A hard object prodded my in the small of the back. "Oh, I could do all sorts of things to you. But, I think-" A low, buzzing noise began. "I'd like to hear you... Beg."

On the last word, something thrust against my clit. I yelped, and tried to jerk away, but my mobility was limited. The vibration made my stomach clench.

"You don't want this. Not yet." The vampire told me smuggly. "But you will."

The vibration decreased, and the vampire trailed the implement up my stomach. I whimpered as it just barely brushed one of my nipples, and then the other.

"You'll want it so very, very badly. But I won't give it to you. Not until you beg me. You must say, 'Master, please make me cum.' Only then will I give you your release."

"Never!" I snapped.

The vampire laughed. "Never is a rather long time, sweet Lilly."

*

Estries

I stared at Lilly's phone. I knew little of her, but I'd tried all the possible passwords I could think of. I'd searched the house, both for maps, and for any scraps of paper that might give me a clue as to her password. I wasn't going to give up. I would never give up. But, perhaps, it was time to try a different approach.

I searched my acquired memories for something that might help. Where could I find a map? Maybe it was time to ask for help.

I flew back to the daycare center. Maybe, by this time, the young seer had seen more of Lilly's whereabouts. Unfortunately, the daycare center seemed to be closed. I swore. Circling high in the air, I thought. Who could I ask? I knew few people in this world.

There was Lilly's father. Somehow, I doubted he would be useful, even it he was sober. There was Jerry. I hadn't actually met him, but I knew where he lived, and I knew he cared about Lilly. Perhaps...

No. Not until I had exhausted all other options. Magic was considered a myth by most inhabitants of this world, so I'd need to prove to Jerry somehow that I wasn't crazy. The best way for me to do that was to shift. However, I knew from experience that my shifting often looked absolutely terrifying. I didn't know Jerry well enough to guess how he would react to that.

But did I have any other options? Had I met anyone else since I'd arrived in this world?

The other demon! He was native, and not an imp, so he'd obviously been in this world a while. Odds were good he'd know enough about this world to help me find a map. Perhaps he even knew where the streets in question were. Unlikely, as this was a big city, but possible.

Finding him would involve some searching, but it would not be as difficult as finding a warding spell that hid magic. I'd know instantly where he was once he was in range. Odds were good he was scared enough of me to help, and, even if he wasn't, well, I was the son of a powerful demon lord. I hadn't reached my full potential yet, but I was powerful enough to search the mind of a much weaker demon.

I could do this.

I flew over the city, searching it systematically for the other demon. He wasn't in any of the places I'd searched for Lilly; I would have noticed him. That allowed me to eliminate a small chunk of the city from my search.

Hunger clawed at me. I kept a tight hold on it, and hoped that I wouldn't end up attacking the other demon. I wished fervently that I was older. More powerful. More capable of controlling my instincts.

And there was the other demon. He was in a crowded park. Possibly scoping out potential victims. Possibly just enjoying the weather. It was nice out.

I felt him sense me. He froze. Then, calmly, he walked into the middle of a crowd of school children. He looked up into the sky and met my hawk's gaze, daring me to attack him here, in front of so many witnesses.

I landed out of sight of the park's many human visitors and shifted. My hunger clawed at me, but I was still in control.

As I got closer, I felt the other demon tense. He wanted to bolt. I could tell. However, he thought he was safer out here, in an area full of humans, than he would be anywhere else.

As I got closer, I got a clear look at his human form for the first time. His hair was black, and, except in the front, relatively short. Scared blue eyes peered a me from beneath black bangs.

His eyes widened as I entered his mind. He made a strangled noise, and then he was under my control. -Follow- I ordered him. -Act like nothing is wrong.-Then I turned and walked away.

I felt him following me, fighting all the way. He was terrified. As I entered a secluded clearing, I slowed, allowing him to catch up with me.

"You may speak," I murmured. "No screaming. No shouting."

He swallowed. "Yes, my lord."

I felt a thrill of power. No one had ever called me "my lord" before.

"I need information," I told him. "I'm trying to locate a particular intersection. Frankfort and Telimer. Do you know where that is?"

The demon shook his head. "No, but I can find out. If you could release control over my body, my lord?" He swallowed again. "I promise I won't run. Or anything like that."

When I released control, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone. I blinked. "You have one of those?"

The other demon shrugged. "They're pretty much a necessity here. I'm surprised you don't have one." He winced. "No offense intended."

"None taken," I told him, mildly amused. "I haven't been here long."

"I know. I felt your summoning," the black haired demon told me. He'd pulled up a mapping function, and, as I watched, he typed in the location I needed. Seconds later, a red dot popped up on the map.

I stared at the phone, trying to memorize the point on the map. "Thank you." I began to plot the route I would take.

The other demon interrupted my musings. "Need a ride?"

I blinked at him. "A ride?"

He looked away, self conscious. "I mean, I know you can fly, but it's pretty far, and with the highway, well, driving might be faster." He smirked. "Especially if I break a few speed limits." His smirk widened. "I've got a Porshe."

I blinked at him. "A what?"

He sighed. "Nevermind. You want the ride or not?" He winced. "I mean, may I give you a ride, my lord?"

"Yes," I told him. "Please do. I'm Estries, by the way. You?"

Blue eyes met mine. "Sam."