This was just another reason why training in the standard fighting style was more difficult for him than others.
It was as much of a weakness as it was a strength, Christian had to admit.
Still, he trained as best he could. Now, more than ever, it was important to keep himself in top form. No. Simply maintaining his strength wasn’t enough. If he wanted to protect Lilith, then he needed to be stronger, far stronger than he was now. Asmodeus had shown him that he did not have the strength to protect her. And so, he had decided to train.
Besides, it wasn’t like he had anything better to do.
While his body moved of its own accord, muscles straining and stretching, pushing and pulling, he took glance at the other two people in the room.
Lilith was standing several feet away, Clarissa in front of her. The young woman had a look of intense concentration on her face.
Well, Christian called it a look of intense concentration, but the truth of the matter was that Lilith actually looked kind of constipated. Her cheeks were puffed up like a chipmunk. Her eyes were narrowed. She wore a large frown. Her face was a deep red. Her body was shaking. She looked like she wasn’t even breathing.
“Don’t stop breathing, foolish girl!” Clarissa scolded the young woman. “You need to relax. In order to change into your hybrid form, you need to reach a balance within yourself. You can’t do that if you are not totally relaxed.”
“This... is a lot... hard... er... than it looks...” Lilith puffed and panted, huffing from a lack of oxygen.
“Breathe, Lilith!”
Lilith sucked in a deep breath, her shoulders heaving.
“Honestly,” Clarissa shook her head. “You’ve been standing there for fifteen minutes, holding your breath. Do you truly believe you’re going to be able to transform when you’re like this? All high strung and tense? To transform, you must balance both aspects that come from being a succubus. Love and lust. These two aspects of succubus are both equally important. Without one, the other is useless. If your love is stronger than your lust, then your powers grow weak. If your lust is too great, then you become nothing more than a monster. And when that happens, your physical body will reflect your inner lusts and you’ll no longer be able to go back to your regular form.”
“So... so what you’re telling me is that if my lust gets the better of me, I’ll become a monster?”
“That is exactly what I’m telling you. Succubus who go out into the human world without taking the necessary precautions almost always find themselves turning into monsters. They live amongst men, their minds and hearts full of hopes, and their auras uncontrollable. Men lust for them, incapable of controlling their urges as their senses are overwhelmed by pheromones. When the evil nature in the hearts of men overcome a succubus, they become consumed by those natures. The lust inundates them in a deluge, changing them, transforming them into mere shells of who they should be. They become monsters who consume the souls of men through acts of lust. In other words, sex.”
“Are you saying its men who cause succubus to become monsters?” asked Christian, having finally stopped his training in order to listen in on what was being said.
“But of course,” Clarissa said with a devious smile. “Did you think succubus were simply born evil? That the moment they are brought into this world, they have a desire to drain men of their essence, leaving them nothing but empty shells devoid of life?”
Christian’s tongue was halted before it could even begin speaking. “Uh, well...”
“Do not be foolish, Christian Crux. No succubus has ever been born evil. We are beings of nature, born of Gaia and nurtured in the earth’s embrace. Good. Evil. Nature does not recognize these concepts. Evil is born unto the hearts of men, and it is men who give birth to true evils.”
Narrowing his eyes, Christian glared at the woman. “So, what? You’re telling me that all men are evil?”
“Were you even listening to what I said? Evil is a concept created by man, but man is not evil itself. Just as the concept of evil was created by man, so too, was the concept of good. While there are no such thing as good men, that does not mean all men are evil. Most straddle the line between these two concepts, shades of gray that are neither one nor the other. These humans make up most of your world. Some border the dark more than the light but most walk along the middle ground. Even then, when introduced to outside stimuli, it is very easy for these men to give into their desire: wrath, avarice, sloth, pride, lust, envy, gluttony.”
“The seven deadly sins.” Christian placed a hand on his shoulder, stretching it out. “Yes. I suppose I could see how that would work.”
“Oh? Giving in so easily?” Clarissa raised a dainty hand and smiled behind it, her eyes crinkling. “I’m surprised. I expected you to argue more in favor of humanity.”
Christian closed his eyes. “It’s kind of hard to argue with you when I’ve seen the proof of your claims.”
Even now, he could still remember how all those men in Seal Beach, even supernatural beings such as werewolves, had acted around Lilith. He could not believe that all those men had been evil. However, her out of control Aura of Allure had overwhelmed them, causing their darkness to get pulled to the fore.
“I see.” Clarissa waited, as if expecting him to say something, but Christian remained silent.
“Clarissa?” Lilith started, causing both Christian and Clarissa to look at her. “What would have happened if those men, I mean, if they had actually managed to...”
“If they had actually managed to rape you?” finished Clarissa when Lilith trailed off.
The blond shuddered but nodded. Christian, seeing the way the young woman was shaking, moved over and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Lilith sighed, content, leaning into him.
Clarissa smiled. An actual smile, which Christian was surprised to note he had never seen on her before.
A small frown had appeared a second later.
“If any one of those men had managed to rape you, their darkness would have consumed you. You would have turned into a monster whose sole purpose was to consume the essence of men. You would have drained men over and over and over again, until the Executioners discovered and killed you.” Clarissa tilted her head, then shrugged. “To be honest, I am kind of surprised you managed to last long enough to find a mate.”
“You’ve called me that before,” Christian said, then blinked when he felt something small and wet run up his neck. After a short pause, he looked down and found Lilith licking his neck. “What are you doing?”
“Um...” Lilith looked at him, blinking. Then she blushed and buried her face into the crook of his neck. “N-nothing... sorry...”
“It looks like she’s horny,” Clarissa stated.
“Don’t say that in such a scientific tone of voice! In fact, don’t say that at all!” Lilith shouted.
“It’s been a while since she had sex with you, hasn’t it? She’s probably hungry.”
Despite himself, Christian blushed at the implications. “I thought you said she didn’t feel the need to consume men of their essence.”
“And she doesn’t,” Clarissa admitted, and then added, “but you are special. You are her mate. That makes you very different from some random male. Succubus need sex to survive. Having sex with her mate is necessary.”
Lilith took in a deep breath. Christian shuddered when her released breathing hit the back of his neck. Was she... was she smelling him?
“I’m not sure I understand what being a mate is,” he said, trying to ignore Lilith.
Clarissa nodded and hurried to explain. “Succubus have always looked for men who are not affected by their Aura of Allure. It is these men, those precious few who can remain themselves, who do not give into their lusts when we’re around, that make the only males that we can safely mate with without being tainted by the darkness of humanity.”
Christian’s spine tingled as Lilith pressed herself against him. He wondered if her heaving bosom had always be
en so... squishy. It felt like two marshmallows were pushing into his torso.
“Back in ancient times, Succubi would call these men their Destined Ones, believing that it was their destiny to meet and fall in love with them.” Clarissa snorted. “Destiny has nothing to do with it. We’ve learned that now. Those who we call Destined Ones are, in actuality, just humans who are genetically predisposed toward not being affected by that specific succubus’s Aura of Allure. It’s science.”
Lilith shook her head as if trying to dispel her lust. She looked at Clarissa with half-lidded eyes.
“Science?” she asked.
Clarissa nodded, her eyes twinkling. “Yes, science. A person’s genes are a lot like a person’s fingerprint. Each one is unique. Oh, there may be some similarities between relatives certainly, but even then, no two person’s genes are completely the same.”
“So what do a person’s genes have to do with succubus and being one’s mate?” asked Christian.
“Compatibility.”
Christian and Lilith shared a look. They frowned. Then they looked back at Clarissa.
“Compatibility?” they asked at the same time, though Lilith’s voice sounded more like a sigh. Christian grimaced. She was sniffing him.
Smiling, Clarissa said, “Yes. Certain men are compatible with certain succubus based upon the genetic coding in their DNA. Basically, when these men meet a succubus who shares a genetic makeup that is compatible with their own, they find themselves unaffected by that succubus’s Aura of Allure.”
Christian slowly nodded as he began to understand what she meant. “I see. Then if that man were to meet a succubus who they are not compatible with...”
“Yes, they would be affected,” Clarissa wore a devious smile. She then tossed him a wink. “Good thing the succubus you ran into was Lilith and not someone else, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
Christian and Lilith shared a smile. However, a curious look overcame Lilith’s features. She turned her head to look back at Clarissa, a question on her lips.
“If the only reason Christian wasn’t affected by my Aura of Allure is because he’s genetically compatible with me, why is he not affected by you and the other succubus here?”
“Two reasons,” Clarissa said, holding up a hand with two fingers. “The first is because you’ve already mated with him.” Christian and Lilith blushed at her insinuation, causing her to giggle. “This grants him a form of immunity against the Aura of Allure of other succubi, sort of like you marking your territory to let others know that he’s yours.”
“You make it sound like I’m some kind of possession,” Christian complained.
“The second reason is because all of the succubus living in this enclave, minus a few of the young ones who have yet to undergo training, have control over their Aura of Allure,” Clarissa turned away from them to look at the training hall. “This enclave was built in secret to be a place where succubus can train their powers, until they are ready to head into the human world and find their mate.”
“What’s so important of finding a mate?” asked Christian.
“Have you not figured it out yet?” Clarissa raised an eyebrow. “Succubus need love to survive. While most humans believe succubus only live to seduce and sleep with men, the truth is that sex is only half of what we succubus require to sustain ourselves. Sex gives us succubus the energy we need to use our powers, but it’s love that allows us to live. Succubus who do not find a mate by the time of their twenty-first birthday will wither away.”
Clarissa paused to let that hard truth sink in. Then she sighed.
“Of course, most succubus end up getting raped and turn into monsters before they turn twenty-one. Very few succubi live long enough for it to matter.”
Christian and Lilith didn’t say anything at the sobering thought. It was not pleasant, and they had no desire to continue discussing such a depressing conversation.
Clarissa must have sensed this and changed the subject. “Now then, I believe it’s time you two went back to your quarters. Lilith looks like she’s going to jump you.”
It was only after Clarissa said this that Christian realized what she was talking about. During their conversation, Lilith’s breathing had gotten heavy, her eyes were half-lidded with lust, and her cheeks had become a warm shade of pink.
She was also licking his neck again.
“Oh, boy.”
“Oh, boy indeed,” Clarissa paraphrased him, a small grin on her face.
***
Christian’s back slammed hard against the door to his and Lilith’s bedroom, causing a slight jolt to travel up his spine. He ignored the brief moment of pain, or rather, it was simply impossible to focus on the pain when there was a very soft, luscious pair of lips attacking his mouth. He could feel Lilith’s tongue pushing against his teeth.
It had been difficult getting back to their room. Lilith had become rather fervent in her desire to copulate after they left the training hall, and he’d been forced to keep himself in check and move them along as the young woman began biting his ear and licking his neck. It had been difficult, almost impossible, to even focus, but somehow, he’d made it to their bedroom.
Or at least the doorway that led into the bedroom.
Even though he had been prepared for it, Christian was still surprised by the intensity of Lilith’s assault. There were times when she would get like this, usually if they had gone a day or two without having sex. Even so, the vigor of her kiss was rather astonishing. Her lips, softer than velvet, were like fire, and he was getting seriously burned.
He tried to fight back as much as he could. He tried to match her passion with his own. He really should have known better. Perhaps it was a succubus thing, but when Lilith got like this, there was no keeping up. All he could do was ride out her ardor until the end and hope he had enough stamina to last.
As Lilith’s tongue traveled down the furthest recesses of his mouth, their saliva mixing as her tongue fought with his and rubbed against him in all kinds of delicious ways, Christian tried to find the doorknob with his left hand. It took a while, far longer than it should have, especially when Lilith’s hands cupped his crotch over his jeans. Then it became practically impossible. Her actions were too distracting. He still managed it, eventually, after nearly a full minute of searching, and was able to turn the doorknob.
It was too bad he hadn’t accounted for the fact that Lilith was shoving him against the door. As the hinges moved, the door swiftly opened, and Christian and Lilith spilled into the room. Christian landed hard on his back, Lilith on top of him. She hadn’t stopped kissing him. Even now her tongue was exploring his mouth, ravishing it in ways he’d not seen from her before.
At least he knew why. The young woman was hungry.
Trying to focus on both Lilith and the door, Christian looked over at his feet and kicked them at the door to close it. He would have liked to lock it, too, but that really didn’t appear to be in the cards at that moment. So he decided to forget about that and gave into his instincts. That was the only way he would be have any hope of keeping up with Lilith.
His hands went to the small of her back, moving into the gentle dip along her lower spine, where he began to message it with two fingers. Lilith practically purred, her back arcing, her jean covered crotch grinding against his left thigh. He could feel his pants growing wet. The heady scent of something sweet was beginning to permeate the room. It made him light headed.
Christian slid one of his hands down the smooth surface of her back to grasp her firm derriere in his. Lilith’s rear end was magnificent. Even though he was touching it over her clothes, his fingers sank into the plentiful flesh of her round yet pert ass. He groped and squeezed her butt cheeks, admiring the way it felt underneath his palm and calloused fingers, firm yet soft. Lilith moaned into his mouth. It was a lovely sound that traveled through his ears like the sweetest of symphonies, increasing in volume as he began helping her body move across his thigh.
A pair of hands, warm, soft, and oh so delicate, plunged underneath his shirt. Nails scraped against his pectorals and abs, leaving shivers in their wake and forcing a low, guttural groan to leave his mouth. He thought he could feel Lilith smile against his lips, but he couldn’t be sure as her tongue was still plunging itself into the depths of his mouth.
It was while he was lying there, letting Lilith pretty much do what she wanted with him, that he decided he didn’t really feel like being on the bottom today. She was on top far too often for his tastes, and a change of pace would be nice. So, using his superior strength, he flipped the two of them over so that she was lying on her back and he was on top. Lilith made a pleased sound, halfway between a mewl and moan, the hands that were on his chest and stomach moving to his back.
The kiss soon broke and the two gasped for air. Christian pulled away, a small string of saliva connecting them. The connection only broke when Christian sat up. It was only long enough so that he could remove his shirt and toss it away, but Lilith still gave a whining complaint. He almost didn’t have enough time to throw it somewhere when she grabbed the back of his head and pulled him back down.
The battle of tongues began anew, and while this was happening, Christian grabbed at Lilith’s shirt, pulling at it. Despite her mind being in an obvious haze of lust, Lilith understood his desire and arced her back until it was off the ground, allowing him to pull her shirt over her breasts. They were clad in a pink bra with a front clasp keeping them closed. Christian ignored the clasp for now, instead setting a firm hand on one of the two proud mountains on her chest and giving it a firm squeeze. Lilith’s approval was muffled by his mouth and the sounds of saliva being exchanged in a wet, sloppy kiss. But soon even that wasn’t enough. Christian wanted to feel more of her, and he didn’t want a piece of annoying fabric in the way.
He went to the clasp. By now experienced fingers undid the catch quickly, allowing her incredible, shapely breasts to spill free. The two large mountains shifted to either side of her chest. He was vaguely reminded of water balloons. Never in his life had he ever seen a more magnificent pair of breasts.
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