The Incubus's Heart Ch. 08

He gave her an intersection two blocks from his place. "Tell her to pick you up there."

"I'll be there in... twenty two minutes. Please, Seneca, wait for me," Kennedy insisted, her voice thick with worry. "I'll call Grant, have him meet us at the house. I love you, Seneca."

"I love you, too, Kennedy. Thank you," she replied, trying to hold back tears of relief. Hearing her mother's voice made her feel the enormity of it all over again. Kennedy was her safe space, she always had been.

She hung up, forcing her tears away. Godwin was leaning heavily against the dresser, favoring his left side. When she looked up at him he perked up, trying to look as if he wasn't in pain, but she could tell his left side was bothering him.

"Are you okay?" She got up, moving to support him.

He turned away, "I am well enough," he dismissed. "I came to assist you in dressing. I would also like to examine your arm again and re-wrap it."

"Your leg looks-"

"I am well," he insisted. She cringed, hating that he was closing himself off again. "Do you approve of this clothing?" he asked, changing the subject. He nodded to the garments laid out on the dresser. A simple green sweater, a matching set of black undergarments, and a soft brown full-length cotton skirt all sat folded neatly. It looked soft and comfortable, and easy to put on and remove with just one hand. No zippers, buttons or anything else that would require both hands, with the exception of the bra.

"Oh, Win, this looks great, really." She placed her phone down and grabbed the underwear, already bending down to pull them on. Godwin had cut all the tags, she noticed. "How much do I owe you, for the clothing I mean?" she asked as she turned away, wiggling the panties up her legs with one hand.

She could feel his eyes on her backside and wasn't sure that turning away from him had been as effective as she'd hoped. "Nothing. These are a gift. I find I enjoy the idea of dressing you."

"No, I have to pay you back. I saw how much clothing you had in that bag! It had to be expensive," she insisted.

"Money is no issue for me," he dismissed. "Let me assist with your brassier," he said. His fingers danced under her towel and it slid down her body before she could catch it.

"Godwin!" she exclaimed, covering herself with her makeshift cast.

He chuckled with amusement. "I have seen you already, there is no need for shyness now."

"Still!"

His fingers trailed down her spine and she shivered. "Do not hide your beauty from me." He slid the bra around her body, gracefully moving her arm away. "Let me dress you," he said, a tiny bit of command in his voice. He traced his collar and her knees almost gave out.

She relented and he dressed her, and as much guilt as she felt, she was grateful for his help. He unwrapped her arm and examined it, then rewrapped it in a clean towel before he escorted her to the location where Kennedy picked her up.

Neither of them talked on the way, and their goodbye was abrupt. Godwin seemed distracted, but she was too exhausted to do much about it.

Kennedy showed up and the ensuing car ride was uncomfortable, her adopted mother too quiet. She was probably waiting for her to explain, but she didn't have the energy.

She dozed off in the car, and was awoken by Kennedy as she pulled her into a strong hug through the car door, squeezing too tightly for too long. She didn't fight it, the thought that she had come close to maybe never hugging Kennedy again had her hugging back just as hard. They both had tears streaming down their eyes when they pulled apart.

They were in Kennedy's tiny house before either of them spoke. The smell of dogs, the smell of home, of Kennedy, it all had her sobbing for a third time that day, her strength fading away. Kennedy pulled her into her arms again, rocking her slowly back and forth.

"What happened, Seneca?" Kennedy asked, voice raw.

"Can I have some tea first?" she asked.

"Of course. Let me put the kettle on and then I'll let the dogs out. Sit down. You want a snack? Is your lust okay? Grant's on the way, should be here in like, probably about half an hour."

"I'll get the dogs, Kennedy," she insisted just to feel useful.

Her arm ached but the pain was dull and throbbing instead of sharp and painful. Still, she knew she needed more blood, she could feel the lust in her stomach like a small, angry rodent clawing and gnawing inside of her.

She knew how bad it was, because even Kennedy smelled good to her, and she had never, and would never, take from Kennedy. Never.

She could deal with her hunger until Grant arrived. Grant was a Wren, a friend of Kennedy's who came over when Seneca was younger, unable to provide for herself regularly. He was a kind older man, probably old enough to be her grandpa. It was nice because his age helped her not feel sexual attraction when she drank him.

She smiled as the dogs, Freya and Freki, practically leaped from their kennels, chasing each other playfully towards the back door.

They looked so much happier and healthier than when she and Kennedy were cleaning them up just a few weeks ago. "Hello, pups," she said as Freya pushed her sharp head into her hand. She scratched her softly and was nearly pushed down as the dog jumped up, forcing her back into the wall with her bad arm.

Pain scissored down the length of her arm and she hissed. Freya pulled away quickly, whimpering with her tail between her legs. "No, no, girl, it's okay. Shh," she soothed. Freki ran back to see what the fuss was, his eyes narrowed in an almost human way.

Favoring her arm, she called to the dogs again, walking to the sliding glass door that opened the fenced in postage stamp yard. Both dogs pushed past her, incident already forgotten, yipping and running around the yard.

She returned to the table, the pain in her arm making her eyes water and her lust closer. Kennedy placed a steaming cup of tea down then sat across from her.

"So, tell me what happened. The truth, and leave nothing out," Kennedy asked. Her eyes were baggy, she hadn't slept.

"So, um, that's hard. I'm not sure where to begin..." she said, biting her cheek until the pain there distracted her from the pain in her arm. She was tired of everything hurting.

Kennedy stood back up, moved to the cupboard and came back with a bottle of ibuprofen. "You look like you could use some of these. That break must be bad if it's still hurting you this much. Grant will be here soon, that should help."

Seneca took the pills she handed her and swallowed them dry, then blew on her tea and sipped it carefully, washing the pills down the rest of the way. She knew they wouldn't be super effective, but they would help cut the pain at least a little.

"Alright. Thanks," she said, swallowing another sip of tea. "So, I met someone."

"Your 'dark horse'?"

Seneca smiled, knowing that Olivia and her mother must have talked about him. "Yes, the 'dark horse'."

"Is that Godwin fellow your dark horse?"

"He is. Am I telling this story or not?" she asked, frowning. Kennedy looked amused and she was glad she wasn't offended. She was too tired to have a filter.

She wove her story, telling Kennedy about how she met Godwin, leaving out the more intimate details. She also told her about hooking up with Josh, but again left out the finer details.

"Godwin doesn't mind sharing you with Josh?" Kennedy asked, her lips pinched.

"Ah, well, he's not a Wren, so he understands, I guess, that I need more," she hedged. Even though Godwin told her she could make the decision to tell Kennedy about his true nature, she felt like it wasn't her place to say.

"So, he knows you're vamp and understands it enough to know you need a Wren?"

"Ah, yeah, kinda," she replied. Why was this so hard?

"What aren't you telling me, Seneca?" her mother asked.

She fidgeted under her scrutiny, then sighed, opened her mouth to respond, then closed it again, nothing good coming to mind.

"I'm sorry. I can tell this is hard for you. Take your time, I didn't mean to rush. Still, I'm surprised to hear you're hanging out with Josh again."

"Godwin is... God, Kennedy, it's so stupid, I'm so dumb."

"Calm down, have some tea, and start again. You're not dumb, and this isn't dumb. It's important," her adopted mother soothed as well as she could. If Seneca didn't know her mother as well as she did she would have thought Kennedy was being harsh. She wasn't, but her face didn't match her emotions very well.

"Okay, okay. Godwin's, a, um, he's an incubus," she forced herself to admit. "A demon."

Kennedy sipped her tea, a contemplative look on her face. "Incubus?" she asked after a thoughtful moment.

Seneca nodded, hiding behind her teacup. Kennedy's emotionless face was making her nervous.

"Incubus," she said again, testing the word on her lips. "So Chip did see a demon last night. I thought... I kinda figured he had, actually. But, well, the thing with Josh makes more sense now." She nodded, sipping at her tea. "Okay, go on."

Seneca skipped over the finer details of the relationships she had with Godwin and Josh. The fingers of her good hand trailed across Godwin's collar comfortingly. She told her mother about the blue ribbons, and then she told her about Chip's attempted kidnapping and Godwin's rescue.

Kennedy's face grew more and more pinched. Her hands tensed around her mug as Seneca told her of the events, the ribbon in her mouth, the duct tape, her arm breaking, and Godwin saving her, taking her to his home and fixing her arm as best he could. She left out the amazing sex.

Kennedy licked her lips, then pinched them together. "I am so sorry. We should press charges. Get a restraining order. I can get working on that. You won't even have to go to court. I'll get this all taken care of, I promise. That son of a bitch. I'll... If I see him again, Seneca..." Kennedy threatened.

"Thank you, Kennedy," she whispered. She shifted, her arm feeling less sharp and more dull, the pills kicking in. "Olivia said he broke into my apartment."

Kennedy's face purpled with anger. "I'm sorry, Seneca. That's my fault. I was worried about you, and he was going on and on about demons and... I lost my head. I'll have your locks changed today. He... I am so, so, so mad at him. I want to punch him in the face, that stupid... I want to make him pay for hurting you, for putting you through..."

"Kennedy, I'm okay. It's okay. I don't want to go home alone, not until the locks are changed. But other than that, I'm fine. I really am. Godwin was there," she insisted.

"Seneca, how did Godwin know how to find you? How did he know you were in trouble?"

"I dunno, not exactly," she said, scrunching her face up as she thought about it. "He said he can feel his blood in me."

"You drank from him?!" Kennedy said harshly. Seneca flinched and her face fell as soon as the words left her lips. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you."

"It's okay," she said, trying to ignore the guilt in her stomach. "Yes, I drink from him pretty often. I still need Josh, though, I can't drink too much. His blood is, it's different."

"Are you sure that's safe?" Kennedy asked her, her face blank but her voice full of concern.

"Not really, but he tastes amazing and I feel really good afterwards. I've been doing it for about a month now without anything bad happening."

There was a knock at the front door that had them both looking up. A moment later Grant walked in. He wore jeans and his typical sweater vest, this one orange and red, with a white, long-sleeved shirt beneath it. He looked exactly how Seneca remembered him, though his hair was all white now and his glasses looked a little thicker. He had gained some weight, too, rounder in the midsection. All in all, he looked good, healthy and happy.

"Seneca," he said, smiling warmly. "How've ya been, girl? It's been years!"

"Hello Mr. Grant," she said respectfully. "It's nice to see you again."

"Yeah, when Kennedy called me I knew something bad must've happened. You've broken your arm!" he exclaimed, looking at her makeshift towel and duct tape cast.

Her face felt hot. "Yeah, I got into an accident. I'm..." she trailed off, her lust twisting her stomach painfully. Her fangs dropped as she caught a whiff of him. He smelled like wood glue and paint, and she knew he must have been working in his woodshop before he came. The reminiscent scent brought back memories of her childhood, both good and bad.

She had to restrain herself from just grabbing his wrist and biting down into the thin skin there. His wrist was where she always fed, never his neck or anywhere else. Always his wrist. He sighed heavily and pulled a chair over so that he was sitting down next to her, then pushed his hand into hers.

"Go ahead, girl, take what you need," he insisted. She trembled, her emotions bouncing all over the place.

Moments passed though she was not aware of them, lost to her lust as she drank from Grant. She usually didn't like her mother to watch, had never let Kennedy watch when she was younger, but today she didn't care.

His blood was good, but it wasn't Josh's or Godwin's. She had to force herself to drink until the knotting in her stomach went away. She wanted to stop, wanted to drink from one of her lovers instead. A tiny tingle of desire at the thought of Josh's blood in her mouth ignited and she pushed it into that box with all of her guilt and self hatred. She shoved her guilt at feeding from a Wren other than Josh into the box as well, though it continued to grow even as she pushed it away.

She sighed, pushing Grant's wrist away when she felt sated. Her arm burned and itched as it knit itself back together. Her eyes were still red and her fangs were still out, though.

"Seneca," Kennedy asked. "You okay?"

She nodded, feeling sluggish. "Yeah, I just, I want to lie down for a little while, is that okay?"

"Of course," Kennedy insisted. She took Seneca to her old room. She could hear Grant and her mother talking as she made herself comfortable, her room looking just like she'd left it when she moved out years ago.

She felt weird, tired and slow and cold. She never felt the cold, but she felt it now. She began to shiver, climbing under the covers. She buried herself into the bed, closing her eyes tightly, longing for Godwin's heat beside her.

She must have dozed off, she woke to voices from the other room. There was laughter and she recognized Olivia's instantly. There was a bassy response.

Godwin was here! He was here. She jumped out of bed and ran from the room, skidding around the corner. Olivia and Godwin sat at the table across from one another.

At a loss of what to do, she just stood there stupidly. "I... you...?"

"Seneca," Kennedy said from the sink, rushing over. "You passed out! Feeling better now? How's your arm? Godwin and Olivia both got here almost at the same time."

Godwin looked fabulous, dressed in suit so brown it was almost black, pinstriped with the same color green to match her sweater. He sat in Kennedy's cramped kitchen, looking out of place surrounded by the faded, off-white appliances. He looked absolutely spectacular. A pang of lust flickered to life in her core and she clenched her needy loins. He caught her eye, a knowing smile on his face.

She turned from him, looking at Olivia instead. Olivia was wearing her typical attire, worn-out jeans and a ratty t-shirt that Seneca was sure she had gotten from a second hand shop. This particular shirt had a cartoon beaver on it with a speech bubble declaring 'Save a beaver, eat a tree'. Seneca rolled her eyes at Olivia's shirt.

"What are you wearing?" she asked, focusing on something small enough for her to manage at the moment. She was feeling a speck overwhelmed.

Olivia laughed out loud, the sound soothing balm to Seneca's battered emotions. "Do you like my shirt? I just got this one. Can you believe it was only a buck? Isn't it great?"

"Yes, Olivia, I can totally believe it was only a buck. What's that even supposed to mean, anyway? I think they got it backwards," Seneca replied.

"Oh, I think it's perfect. You know, if people take the advice on my shirt, there will be more beavers left for me, right?" she replied unabashedly. Seneca rolled her eyes as her friend's flawed logic.

"Olivia!" Kennedy chided.

"I don't think that's what it means," she replied.

Godwin smiled that slappable, knowing smile, then pushed a chair out for her, motioning her to sit. "How is your arm?" he asked, careful not to touch her. Her heart squeezed tightly at his obvious avoidance.

She flexed her hand, then moved her arm about. "It feels good. Sore, painful, but better," she said, relieved that her arm was finally healing. How did normal people live with this for weeks?

"Oh my god, Seneca! Kennedy filled me in on what happened! Chip is such an asshole. I'm glad Kennedy is pressing charges! I can't believe he tried to kidnap you, that he treated you so badly that he sprained your wrist! What a... I hate him, Seneca. I want to, oh, if I ever see him again, I'm gonna give him what for."

"He will pay," Godwin insisted. Seneca shivered at the threat in his voice, glad it wasn't directed at her.

"He will pay to the full extent of the law," Kennedy insisted, looking directly at Godwin as she said it. They locked gazes, battling without words. She smiled to herself. She knew Kennedy would like him.

Tension ramped up as her lover and her mother faced off. Olivia kicked her under the table. "Hey," she mouthed, using their distraction. She raised her eyebrows suggestively and Seneca's face caught fire.

"Seneca and I need to use the bathroom," Olivia interrupted Kennedy and Godwin's silent standoff. They both looked at her and Olivia, and the tension fleeted quickly.

"You both need to use the restroom?" Godwin said, a look of confusion on his handsome features. In the harsh white lighting of Kennedy's kitchen, his skin almost looked like toffee, despite his strong vanilla scent floated enticingly around her. She wanted to lick that spot on his throat, the one that made him moan out loud when she paid it attention.

Olivia grabbed her hand and dragged her down the hallway. She could hear Kennedy explaining what it meant when two girls 'needed to use the bathroom'.

Olivia pushed her into the bathroom and shoved the door shut behind them. "Oh my god, Seneca! Your dark horse is so freaking hot, and I don't even like men! Where did you find this guy? He looks like he just stepped out of a gangster movie!"

"He is pretty hot, isn't he," she agreed.

"He is! And he saved you, just like in a movie. OMJesus, Seneca! How was he? Last night?"

"Olivia!" she exclaimed in hushed tones. "Shut up!"

"Tell me, Seneca. Tell me," she begged, her whole body wiggling in anticipation. "Is he hung? Did he fuck your brains out?"

"Liv! I was hurt!" she defended. She could feel her blush creeping down her neck.

"So he had you be on top," she said, winking conspiratorially.

Could she blush any harder? "Liv!" she hissed again.

"Tell me it's not true."

She shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, avoiding looking at Olivia, her face burning.

"Ah ha! I was right. Does he usually fuck your brains out?" her friend persisted.

"Last night was our first time!" she said, realizing her mistake as she spoke.

Olivia smiled broadly. "You dog!" she exclaimed. Seneca shushed her harshly. "You really like this guy, Seneca! OMJesus, you do," she whispered loudly. "Well, I approve."

Olivia moved to open the door. "Wait," Seneca hissed, moving to close the door. She recognized the look on her best friend's face. "What are you going to do?"

Olivia smiled wickedly. "Nothing."

"I don't believe you!"

"Then tell me, was it good?" Olivia needled. "If you don't, I'll ask him. In front of Kennedy!"