Incubus Pupa Ch. 13

She tapped her lip with a painted fingernail. "Hmm, I dunno. If I had to guess -- cause that's all this is; I'm not an Incubus, after all -- maybe it was an echo of the real Fae in your mind? A piece of it that made the connection in the first place? Whatever it was, it wasn't an actual Fae. They can't be killed, that much I know."

That was an interesting thought. I had believed I was past whatever adjustment period Elias referred to, but maybe I wasn't... Maybe this was all a part of it.

"Anyway, we're getting sidetracked." Ella shook her head. "The bottom line is this: if you want a shot at getting the old you back, the only way to do it is to rely on someone who hasn't been influenced by your power -- me. So, the question is: do you trust me?"

I mulled that over. At any other time, I would have said yes without hesitation, but some things bothered me. She had clearly done something to be immune to my abilities. Her avatar looked far more protected than it had only two days ago. Secondly, it sounded like she was asking me to give up the Vitae to regain my humanity, but to what end? Did she want it for her own?

But this was Ella. Someone who had never shown anything but concern for my own best interest, even when things were difficult between us. I flip-flopped over and over, my indecision giving me a headache. I felt like I was tumbling in free fall, and needed a horizon to orient to.

Maybe she was that horizon.

"Yes, I trust you."

She sagged in relief, reaching forward to take my hand in hers with a warm smile on her face. "Then let me help you, Adam. Bond with me, and I believe I can give you back yourself."

"But...huh? I don't understand. You want my bond now? I thought..."

She looked down, nodding a moment later. "I still don't like having to share you. That, and...uh, I'm going to need time to get comfortable with the life you're making for yourself," she said, looking around the house. I thought about how I'd answered the door at close to midnight wearing nothing but a towel with seven naked women lounging in the other room, and silently conceded the point.

"But I've done a lot of soul-searching in the past couple of days, and brought the matter up with my mother too. After hearing of her experience with a man who was not exclusive with her, I've come to realize that I would rather have a part of your heart than none of it. I'll do my best to understand and accept you for who you are.

"And if I have to offer a more pragmatic answer, consider my options: either I bond with you, get the man my heart desires back, and earn a chance at sharing a fulfilling life with him; or do nothing, and be tormented by my bond forever, feeling the cold, heartless emotions of an Incubus godling devoted only to experiencing countless hedonistic pleasures with women who aren't me."

"Well, when you put it that way..." I said wryly, nevertheless touched at her willingness to bear this burden, somehow doing it all with grace and kindness in her heart, as she always had.

I leaned in to kiss her, but she held my lips at bay with a long, slender finger.

"Uh-uh. I don't want our first kiss to be when you're...like this, after all. And don't expect me to jump right into bed with you once this is all behind us, either. Bond or not, you're going to have to earn this, got it?" She waved a hand over her body to indicate her meaning, her glare serious. "I want to be romanced; I deserve that."

I smirked. "You do deserve that, Ells, more than anyone I know. This much I can promise you: I will never stop trying to make you happy."

She gave me a smile as brilliant as the dawn, and embraced me in a crushing hug, inadvertently (maybe) pressing my face into the huge cushions of her breasts before pushing me away a moment later.

"Alright," I said, clapping hands to my knees, "What now? How do we make it happen?"

She gave a sharp nod in response. "After I felt what was happening to you earlier, I called my mother to see what could be done. She met me to share a ritual that I can perform to connect our Fae. It will allow us to establish your Incubus bond with me and at the same time, merge it with my existing Dryad bond. Once set, this will establish an accord between our respective Fae, forming an unbreakable covenant. This should allow me to, provide my memories of you as an 'original copy' of the human Adam that I've always known. This will give you a standard to measure changes against to avoid compromise by your Fae. It sounds complicated, but my mother tells me it will work."

"Interesting," I mused. "One point -- the way you're describing this, won't I be stuck with the same personality forever? It'll imprint a 'locked copy' on me, forever, right? Wouldn't this prevent me from changing and adapting as I age?"

She smiled. "We think alike -- I asked about that too. Luckily, it doesn't work that way. The 'original' is just a reference that can't be messed with or corrupted by your Fae because it's the Adam I know, and that person will change with time."

I nodded, relieved, and yet disconcerted over how much power this gave her over me. Still, it was a power she couldn't actively wield, so that was some comfort, and this was Ella, after all. Real Adam would never have doubted her.

"What about my other bonds? Does it affect them? It won't prevent me from taking more, will it?"

Ella sighed, appearing resigned at my mention of the likelihood of even more competition.

"No, it won't, though it will insert a part of me into each one of those bonds you form, or those you already have. That won't affect your bonds with them at all, but what it means for me, I don't know. I hope it gives me a sense of sisterhood with them, perhaps easing the burden of having to share you. But again, I don't know.

"My nature as a Dryad also helps this. We usually form enclaves -- called groves -- with one another. Our abilities mostly manifest through rituals we perform, and being a part of a grove allows us to share power. These are mostly made up of other Dryads, but it's possible to include humans also. Whatever women you take will all become a part of my grove."

"Jeez, that's...pretty heavy. So, when I decide to take more mates, they're all going to be bonded with you too?"

She tilted her head left and right, "Eh, in a sense. My grove bonds are not the same as what I have with you, nor are they -- I imagine -- what you have with your mates. To be honest, I don't know any of this first-hand since I'm just as much an adolescent among Dryads as I am among humans.

"Alright then," she stood up, "If you're prepared, let's get to it. I'll need your women, though, if that's possible. Are they all here?"

"Christine and Ia are. I should be able to get Sandy too. What else?"

"First, I need you to undo absolutely everything you've done tonight to other people's minds. We want to start with as clean a slate as we possibly can. Everything, got it? I mean it."

"Alright, I'm on it. What about minor memory wipes? I've done that kind of thing even before tonight and it's never been a problem."

"I'm not an expert here, Adam," she shrugged, "I'm just going off the parts that my mother taught me. It would be best if you returned everything exactly the way it was before you started messing around, but if that's not possible, we'll just have to make do."

It stood to reason that the whole point of the blank slate was to make sure any modifications I'd made didn't stay that way once I was 'fixed', given that I might not want to make more changes at that point. Since I knew I wouldn't have a problem making Andy and Erin forget the finer details of the night, I figured that and the same treatment to my seven essence donors would be fine.

Ella appeared to finish her mental task review, and said, "I need organic material for the ritual circle. Know of anything we can use?"

"Organic material? Like, leaves and grass and stuff?"

"That would work, but I need to sort of draw with it, so something smaller and more easily spread-"

I snapped, cutting her off, "How about bonfire ashes? They're organic, right?"

"Hmm, yeah, that should work. Great. Can you fill me a bag of them?"

"Sure."

For the next twenty minutes, we prepared. I was just about to send a summons to Sandy to get her on her way but remembered that mind control was verboten until after the ritual. I dialed her up instead, the first two calls going to voicemail after she didn't pick up. The third time, a very groggy and disgruntled blond teen answered the phone and cussed me out, but eventually agreed to head over.

That settled, I undid all the changes to Ia's mind and body (along with the minor tweaks to Christine). I didn't relish the backlash I'd probably receive for that one and was somewhat shaken to find that my first instinct was simply to eliminate her memory of the event.

No. Ella said I had to give it all up. No cheating.

My friend was busy inscribing patterns and glyphs on a section of the concrete floor in the basement when Sandy showed up.

The poor thing had bags under her eyes when I greeted her at the door. She wore one of my t-shirts, baggy sweatpants, and a pair of fuzzy pink bunny slippers. She shoved me aside as she trundled in out of the cold.

"You owe me for this," she said, stabbing me in the chest with an index finger. I gave her a roguish smirk, and she leaned in for a kiss. She had a touch of morning mouth, but her lips were soft, and I grabbed her by the waist and made her forget she was angry with me for a moment.

"Thank you, Hon. I do owe you, and I pay my debts. Shopping spree, remember? You and me, you pick the day."

"Hm," she grunted in grudging acceptance of my peace offering, "So, this is the new place, huh? Pretty fancy..."

We made small talk for another few minutes and I brought her into the kitchen. I put a pot of coffee on to brew along with a kettle of hot water for Christine, knowing her preference for tea. We were going to need a short powwow to review everything with Ella before we got down to business.

I went upstairs and woke Christine, who was decidedly more cheerful to see me than Sandy had been.

Ia slapped my chest for several minutes, berating me -- even as she called me master! -- for turning her into a "fucking bimbo", and promised a reckoning for nearly making her blow off work tomorrow when she had "such important shit to do".

I registered the fact that it only made me chuckle as a sign that Ella was right: I really wasn't in my right mind.

Finally, everyone congregated in the kitchen, and though I wished they could have all met under more pleasant circumstances, I felt a sense of deep satisfaction at having all my bonds and the love of my life under one roof in the same room. After tonight, everything would finally be coming together.

I made all the introductions for those who hadn't yet been acquainted, served them all a hot beverage, and sat everyone down.

Christine was all smiles, but I could see the weariness in her eyes. Seeing her shake hands with Ella almost made them seem like parent and child, statuesque Ella standing well over a foot taller than the diminutive Christine. I caught her stealing glances at Sandy's huge breasts as the group got comfortable.

Ia was quiet, preferring to sip her coffee rather than socialize, her sharp eyes taking in the polite chatter between the others. She'd greeted them all warmly, but I felt her uncertainty over our bond. I suspected bringing them all over tonight was pushing her along quicker than she was comfortable with, and I regretted having to break my word to her that I would take a slower pace with that. I was making an active effort not to read their minds, so I didn't bother confirming it.

Sandy seemed a little guarded, but maybe that was just because it was the middle of the night. Christine seemed to disarm her somewhat though, and the two girls engaged in a little friendly chit-chat. I was pleased, at least, that they were able to commiserate about being woken in the middle of a school night by "that knucklehead", as Sandy referred to me.

I caught Ella looking at each of my ladies in turn, her expression inscrutable. I couldn't tell whether she was sizing up the competition or assessing how we might work best together.

I called the group to attention, giving the floor to Ella.

She put her leg up on the rung of a stool, leaning on it. "I'm sorry to have asked for you all tonight. I know it's late and we all have important things to do tomorrow," she began, primarily addressing the ladies, "I'm here on Adam's behalf." Then turning to me, added, "Adam, how much have you told them about what's happened tonight?"

"They know, for the most part, other than Sandy." I spent two minutes filling my golden-haired lover in on the salient bits, leaving out the more lurid details.

Then Ella took over, explaining my current situation, and what she would need to do to bring the old me back. I watched for the ladies' reactions as she spoke, and noticed Ia, especially, looking very relieved when she related what could be done to make things normal once again.

Ella explained, "As a Dryad, my ability is grove magic. My kind are communal by nature, and we work best in groups. Our works can be performed with humans, as well. I'm asking each of you to assist me with this ritual. In order to establish the link with Adam that will restore his humanity, I need to siphon off most of the energy he keeps now. I'll be taking everything but a bare minimum to maintain his Fae connection. Taking all of that energy by myself would have consequences I'd rather not deal with, so I'll be shunting much of it into the three of you," she said, looking at Ia, Sandy, and Christine in turn.

"There will be side effects that you all need to know about," Ella said seriously. "Adam's Incubus energy will be 'washed' by my Dryad Fae, so you'll be able to accept it, but it is raw life essence. We'll likely experience some bodily changes. Nothing harmful, and they should be temporary."

I saw the tension that had crept into the ladies' eyes ease as they heard the last part.

"Is everyone ready? You all look to be dressed comfortably. I'd recommend loose clothing, just in case. Sometimes the magic can do unpredictable things."

Ia asked, "You said it was temporary, right?" Ella nodded. "How temporary? I've got important work to do tomorrow and I can't show up looking like some kind of freak."

"I'm sorry, I'm probably making this sound more sinister than it is. I don't think it'll be gone by the morning, but you shouldn't have any problems going to work," Ella consoled.

"Should I take my bra off?" Sandy asked, her mind quickly going to the part of her outfit she least associated with the words "loose clothing".

Ella shrugged. "Can't hurt."

The ladies all decided that was a good idea, including Ella, and quickly doffed their bras without removing their shirts. The room was nice and chilly, and my eyes feasted on what they'd revealed for a few moments before I received an uncannily-synchronized eyeroll and was unceremoniously shoved in the direction of the basement.

The auburn-haired teen led us to where she'd inscribed the pattern on the floor. The primary symbol was that of a figure-eight, or an infinity sign, depending on your perspective. She instructed me to stand inside one of the lobes of the symbol while she would be in the other. There were additional nodes that adjoined to my side of the symbol for my bonds, and myriad glyphs surrounded the whole thing. It all looked quite arcane.

Ella reviewed the ritual, which didn't involve much of anything for the ladies to do besides concentrating as hard as they could on memories of me from before tonight. I was instructed only to shut my eyes and focus on keeping my mind completely blank.

I could do that.

"Okay, I'm beginning now," Ella said. I wasn't sure whether to expect chanting, inexplicable indoor wind, or spooky floating hair, but nothing much happened that I could detect for the first couple of minutes. I did my best to use the technique that Elias had taught me to keep my mind empty.

A moment later I heard a gasp from one of the girls behind me and noticed the room was growing brighter from the light bleeding through my eyelids. It was a greenish light, and its effect was calming to me.

Soon, I started feeling the Vitae flowing out of me, slowly at first, but building in speed as time went on. Something inside me panicked at the loss I felt and reached out to grab hold of it to prevent whatever was stealing it from taking more.

"Don't fight me, Adam," I heard Ella say soothingly. "Relax, empty your mind."

Ella was my best friend, I told myself. I can trust her. Relax. Let it happen.

I struggled to master myself as the rest of my precious essence was sucked away, making me feel hungry, then ravenous. As the power ebbed, I heard gasps, moans, and heavy breathing coming from all four of the women surrounding me. Keeping my eyes shut was difficult as I found myself concerned for them, but the sounds they made weren't ones of pain.

Sensing that I was near empty, and almost at the point at which I would need to instinctively act to feed myself, it seemed she'd finally taken all she intended and did something to tie off the flow.

"Okay," I heard Ella say, "Sandy, Ianthe, Christine, I need you now. Keep him centered in your thoughts, just like we talked about."

A low mumbling, almost inarticulate, issued from Ella's direction, sounding like it came not from a single source, but many. It didn't sound like a language. I couldn't pick up any kinds of recognizable syllables.

Unbidden, the visual of my three bonds popped into my mind, spiritual tethers sending life from all three women into me. Then Ella appeared, standing before me with a slim band connecting us too. The pulsing lights that flowed across it mainly traveled from me to her, but soon she did something to make it flex and grow, splitting it down the middle so that each side of it now flowed in opposite directions. The lights grew brighter and faster, the chords thickening and bowing outward until it looked more like a ring than two bands. Then additional bands started forming between Ella and the others, growing in intensity and giving us all linkages to strengthen the network of souls.

The alien susurration grew in pitch and intensity until it finally crescendoed, and the room became abruptly still. The deep breathing sounds of the women were the only ones breaching the silence. I sensed that she'd finished, and opened my eyes.

To say I was floored was an understatement.

Ella was...radiant. Literally. It was very faint, but her skin was glowing with health. Any blemishes, bruises, or minor scrapes I'd noticed were gone now, and she stood several inches taller than before -- almost a full head above me now, and her womanly attributes were much more pronounced. Her pants were tight across her exaggerated hips, and Ella's already sizeable breasts had grown even larger. With her new stature, they were now truly gigantic, each one bigger than my whole head. Her hair now hung to her lower back and was thick, vibrant, and lustrous like I'd never seen hair before. A shampoo commercial model had absolutely nothing to compare with the glorious mane Ella now possessed. Her hazel eyes were luminous also, staring at me with an almost frightening intensity.

She looked like a true fertility goddess.

Speaking of fertility...was that? Oh fuck. There were wet spots on her shirt right where her thick nipples tented the fabric. Holy shit, Ella was lactating?

"Well, I think it worked. How do you feel?" the goddess asked me.

Feel? I felt like getting down on my knees and kissing her feet. I had to shake myself out of my reverie, but eventually, I responded.