Son of a Succubus Series Collection

by Dorie, Sarina

  Baba cackled. Lucifer wondered whether there was any truth to her jest. He and Kelsie had both conspired to keep Baba from eating human flesh.

  Baba drummed her fingers against her long chin. “Lucy must master portal and spying magic first. Then if time permits, we shall see if you can use affinity without giving me heart attack.” Her lips curled over her gums, and she grinned like it was a joke.

  Electrical magic was no laughing matter. Lucifer had inadvertently struck Abigail with Red affinity magic and drained her once. He didn’t want his magic to harm anyone ever again.

  Yet no matter how he tried, Lucifer couldn’t help thinking he was going down the same path he’d gone before. He didn’t want tragedy to strike Abigail down again.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Teaching to the Test

  With his increased need to work complex magic, Lucifer refueled himself each night alone in the forest. As much as he missed Abigail, he was glad she wasn’t there to accidentally stumble upon him. He was relieved she wasn’t there to tempt him.

  Lucifer knew there was a reason Baba wanted him to be able to use portal magic for a quick escape and a spell for spying—and her reason that Fae courts were full of intrigue and danger wasn’t the true reason.

  “Why do you really want me to learn how to spy and transport myself and objects?” Lucifer asked.

  “Good apprentice focus on learning, not asking question,” Baba said.

  She was as cryptic as always. Perhaps she had divined it was better for him not to know. He would have thought by now he had earned enough wisdom that she could trust him.

  Lucifer threw himself into the spell work, neglecting his chores, which Kelsie grudgingly took up. He was fortunate they were friends once again.

  The sand in the glass sifted too quickly. Whatever Baba had said about the anomaly in time and the possibility that it would slow down didn’t seem likely.

  On the fourth day of practicing portal magic, he felt reasonably certain he could transport himself home if he needed to do so without severing any limbs.

  “Do not use this spell for venturing to new places you have never been,” Baba warned. “You might get lost if you should try. Only go to places your mind and heart knows.” She coughed, and a tickle irritated her lungs that he could feel, though it wasn’t true pain as of yet.

  On the fifth day, Baba was too tired to leave her bed. The tickle in her lungs had turned into spasms. She piled three afghans she’d knitted onto her quilt. Staying in bed wasn’t like Baba. Even when she’d been awake half the night with patients, she always rose at dawn.

  He sat down on the edge of her bed. “Let me heal you.”

  Her eyes were almost hidden in a map of wrinkles. “Nyet. You must save your strength for more pressing matters.” She waved him off. “Cinderfella must prepare for ball.”

  Kelsie’s worried frown told him she was as concerned as he was.

  “What’s more pressing than your health?” Gently, he took her hand in his.

  He shifted his awareness through her body, starting with her lungs. He soothed the inflammation with cooling energy. Her muscles were tight from taking irregular breaths, and he calmed the sinewy muscle the best he could.

  When a patient was in severe pain as Izzy had been, Lucifer worked to numb the pain first so that it wouldn’t weaken him. This time he wicked it away, gathering it into his hand. The illness in Baba didn’t feel like anything he wanted to draw into himself, nor anything he could use as fuel. It was neither pleasure nor pain. What ailed her felt like old age.

  Her bones were weak and brittle. The connection between her body and magic was as fragile as eggshells. When he had placed his awareness inside Abigail, her body, soul, and magic and been mingled together, interwoven like the blanket.

  Baba was more like three separate layers dwelling in the same place. Each layer was stitched together with delicate threads that had punctured the fabric so many times it was difficult to say what it had originally resembled. The stitches had repaired holes and kept her magic intact, but they had started to pull the gossamer of her soul apart in the process.

  Lucifer transformed the pain from the dull ache in her bones into energy to aid in the healing of her body. What he gathered there wasn’t enough for healing her lungs, her arthritis, the swelling in her ankle, and the threadbare state of her soul. He used the stored energy of his affinity from the touch magic he’d gained while spending time alone in the forest. He still didn’t know what to do with the fragile connection between her body and soul and if there was a way to strengthen it.

  Baba breathed easier as she spoke. “You will have to recharge if you have need to use the spells I have been teaching you.”

  He knew she was right. As always.

  He kept working at the crumbling threads barely keeping her soul and body sutured together. He thought about the times she sat knitting, the blanket seemingly showing no progress. He’d known she had been working magic, though he’d always assumed it was related to divination. Perhaps this was what she had been busy doing, stitching her life threads together.

  He closed his eyes, immersing himself in the task of healing once again.

  The trample of hooves and whinnies of domesticated unicorns alerted Lucifer they had guests. Kelsie ran in from tending the garden. “They’re here for us!”

  Baba clucked her tongue. “They are here for Lucy.”

  Kelsie’s shoulders deflated. Lucifer would take her with him if he could, but he knew Baba wouldn’t allow it.

  “I mastered the spells. I get to go to the ball, right?” he asked.

  Baba sat up, her cheeks rosier than they had been moments before. “I should not allow it. So much might go wrong at a Faerie ball.”

  He wasn’t certain whether she was truly worried or this was a game. One of her tricks.

  “Queen Vega is hosting, not the Fae. I’ll be safe.” And if he wasn’t, that meant Abigail was in more danger than he was.

  Baba patted his cheek, her eyes mournful. “I wish I could spare you from your mistakes and heartache, but they will teach you better than I can.”

  That didn’t bode well.

  Lucifer shifted to rise, but Baba caught his arm. “You must promise me three more things before you go.”

  Lucifer supposed this was the catch.

  “You must return before dawn, you must recharge your affinity as soon as possible in case you have need of using your magic, and you must use this as opportunity to weigh Abby’s soul to see how much of it has grown. If it has grown too much, you must decide which part of Abby’s soul you are going to keep.”

  Despite the kindness in her voice, those final words struck worse than barbs. He didn’t have to ask which part of Abby’s soul. He already knew she meant the old soul versus the new one inside Abby.

  Her requests were reasonable. He nodded. He was surprised. It was too easy.

  Baba attempted a smile. “Also you must enjoy good time while it lasts.”

  “That’s more like four things than three things,” Kelsie said.

  Lucifer didn’t complain. He had gotten used to Baba’s cryptic commands.

  “Bring blanket with you. Do not let them take your amulet,” Baba said.

  Lucifer placed his hand on the small vial under his clothes. He climbed the steps to the loft, gathering the woven blanket up in his arms. He understood how to place the soul inside Abigail.

  In theory. After he coaxed the essence back inside, he would throw the blanket on her so it wouldn’t escape. He could do this.

  He had to.

  Kelsie quietly argued with Baba as she helped the old woman from bed. “Why can’t I go to the ball? It isn’t fair.”

  “I will need one of you to help me deliver newborn,” Baba said. “Young mother will probably be here at dawn, but baby might come early.”

  Lucifer understood Baba’s reason for wanting him to be back before dawn now. He made his way d
own the ladder.

  Kelsie huffed. “Lucy’s better at delivering babies. I could go to the ball and bring Abby back with me. He could implant her soul then.”

  “I agree Lucy is better, but that is not what fate wants. Lucy has important matters to attend to at ball. He has prepared, and now he has task to complete.” Baba hobbled over to her rocking chair, one of her knit blankets draped over her.

  The blanket reminded Lucifer of the net he’d made for Abigail to keep her soul from escaping.

  Baba appeared to be walking easier as she eased herself into her chair.

  “So I have to stay because I’m a girl?” Kelsie crossed her arms.

  Baba threw up her hands in disgust. “Fine. Do what you want. If you will not stay, that is on you. I will not advise apprentice who will not listen.” She reached for a skein of blue yarn.

  “Okay. Fine. I’ll stay,” Kelsie said.

  Lucifer hesitated at Baba’s chair. He felt like he should say something more to her. Or perhaps it was his nerves and he wanted reassurance.

  Baba jabbed a finger toward the door. “Kelsie, tell the driver Lucy is coming.”

  Kelsie trudged out.

  Baba fixed her gaze on him. “I told you the three tasks you must accomplish. Those are the things you must accomplish for yourself. There is one thing you must do for me.”

  Ah. So here was the real price of being able to go to the ball.

  “Enjoy the party and have lots of fun?” Lucifer asked, wishing it were going to be that easy.

  It didn’t surprise him she would wait until now to tell him something horrible. Baba hadn’t wanted to let him escape before. He imagined the curse she would cast on him if he didn’t return this time.

  Baba’s expression lacked mirth. “You must steal the Ruby of Divine Wisdom from Vega’s scepter. Only with that will I regain my youth and health.”

  “Right.” Lucifer sighed despondently. Vega was the most powerful witch in all the land. Baba might as well have made him promise to steal the moon from the sky for her.

  “Promise me,” Baba said, taking him by the arm. Her fingers dug into his muscle.

  “I can’t promise that. Vega will murder me.” He ran his hands through his hair. “You’re her grandmother. Her family. You steal it from her. She won’t kill you.”

  “You think I am in any condition to leave house? The moment I step out of spring, my bones will crumble into dust.” She stared into his eyes. “You promise me, or I not let you go see Abby.”

  If he didn’t see Abigail, he wouldn’t be able to fix her soul. He tried to squirm back, but Baba’s hand was like a vise.

  Kelsie rushed back in. “The driver said he’s not waiting any longer. He has to go. He has other guests to pick up.”

  Lucifer edged toward the door, but Baba still wouldn’t let him go. He hadn’t agreed to Baba’s request. He wouldn’t.

  Baba’s voice came out hoarse as she raised it. “You will promise, or I turn you into a cat for another thirty years. Then you will not go to ball, you will not see Abby, nor will you cure her.”

  Lucifer wasn’t certain she had enough energy for such a task. Using that much magic after he’d felt how depleted she was would probably kill her. And then it would be just his luck he’d be stuck as a cat forever.

  “Promise what?” Kelsie asked.

  “Promise me, Lucy.” There was desperation in Baba’s eyes.

  Lucifer had enough rebellion in his temperament to fight and argue, but he didn’t have enough to resist the fear and desperation Baba projected. The old hedge witch wasn’t just his mentor. He had grown to care about her as though she were his own grandmother. He didn’t like being stuck as her apprentice, but he didn’t want her to die.

  “Fine. I promise,” he said.

  A wave of magic tingled over him as his oath etched into the air between them. Already he knew he’d made a mistake. He hoped he wasn’t going to regret this later.

  Like it or not, he was going to a ball, not just to restore Abigail’s soul and find out whether she still loved him. But he also needed to steal a magical artifact and save Baba’s failing health as well.

  Lucky him.

  THE END

  A Vial Full of Magic

  Book 6

  CHAPTER ONE

  Cinderfella

  Lucifer Thatch sat with the blanket he’d woven to lure Abigail’s soul from the underworld on his lap, the carriage jostling him as it encountered bumps in the road. He touched the amulet under his shirt, reassured by the feel of Abigail’s soul close to his heart. He needed to accomplish three tasks for Abigail’s sake tonight. If he didn’t, he might not have another chance.

  Soon it would be too late to restore her soul. If there wasn’t enough soul to fill a body, what was there would grow twisted and warped as it tried to fill its residence. She would become an uncaring monster, selfish and cruel. He needed to plant her soul inside her, using the blanket to keep it in, so that she wouldn’t turn into sociopath.

  It was either this option, or grow a new soul for her, but that would mean he’d be giving up on the old Abigail. He’d be abandoning the woman he loved, who had taken care of him even when he’d been stuck in the body of a cat for thirty years. It meant he wouldn’t be able to undo his mistakes, and he couldn’t redeem himself for not putting her soul in her body correctly the first time.

  First, he would use his newly gained skills to measure her affinity and determine whether there was still room in her body for her old soul. Second, he would place her soul inside her, using the exercises he had practiced with Baba, and use the blanket to keep it inside. Third, he needed to find out whether Godric had taken advantage of Abigail.

  And then, of course, there was Baba Nata’s command. He had to bring her the Ruby of Divine Wisdom so he could restore her youth. Baba had taught him how to spy and transport objects, but he was uncertain this would be enough.

  There would be a consequence if he didn’t do as she bade and broke his oath, but he didn’t know what it would be. Probably it would be the same horrible spell she’d used before to transform him into a cat. If she did that, he wouldn’t be able to help Abby regain her soul, and he would never be able to be with her.

  The ball no longer held the appeal of a grand adventure and joyous occasion as it had before. He wished Kelsie, Baba’s other apprentice, could have gone in his stead.

  Lucifer tried to sort out a plan. He would have to perform the tasks he needed to save Abigail from being depleted of her whole soul first, then he would steal the ruby. He would probably have to flee immediately afterward. On the other hand, if he had the ruby, he would have divine wisdom and be able to do anything. He would only need to touch it to gain its wisdom. He’d be able to restore the entirety of Abigail’s soul without flaw. He would be more powerful and skilled than he ever had been before.

  Maybe that was why Baba really had given him this task.

  Lucifer hadn’t yet decided what he would do with Godric Tinaalto, that bloody son of a duke, for what he’d done to Abigail. He hadn’t practiced any spells to make the young man’s penis shrivel up and fall off, but he was fairly certain he could come up with something to ensure he never touched another maiden again. Lucifer suspected he should check Abigail for diseases as well. After fetching antibiotics for Godric’s syphilis two times already, there was no telling how many other diseases that disgusting pervert had acquired.

  Lucifer rearranged the blanket on his lap. The carriage was pulled by unicorns, but the coachman sitting on top was Fae. He ran the carriage with Fae magic that transported them in a matter of minutes. When Lucifer had last been at the Raven Queen’s castle, it hadn’t been as gloomy as when Queen Morgaine had ruled there, but it was still a formidable piece of architecture.

  Minutes ago, when Lucifer had left Baba’s cottage, it had been morning. Only a few minutes had passed along the ride, and the sky was dark with the approach of evening. Lucifer didn�
��t like the idea of missing a meal when time magically shifted around him. He needed to be strong and clearheaded for tonight.

  Servants greeted him and took him inside for a haircut, shave, and fitting.

  “I don’t need to shave. I like my beard,” Lucifer protested. He had more important things to do than focus on fashion.

  The guards looked him up and down, probably deciding he looked like a pauper and a wildman. Both of which would have been correct.

  “Queen Vega thought it would be to your advantage that guests see the family resemblance. It is the queen’s orders that the beard is to go, unless you feel it worth your while to start the evening by defying the queen,” the barber said, a short man with no hair or beard of his own.

  Grumbling, Lucifer agreed. His face felt naked without his beard. Worse yet, he looked five years younger. He’d assumed he was in his early twenties, but without the full beard, he looked like a teenager. His stormy gray eyes and his smooth cheeks were more like a stranger’s than his own. He might have passed as Felix’s son instead of his brother.

  “A bath next, if you please,” a snooty valet said, managing to lift his nose up at Lucifer as he bowed. The older man eyed Lucifer as though he were a filthy piece of vermin.

  It was rare to indulge in a hot bath, let alone a bubble bath in a chamber so excessively beautiful. The embrace of the water did Lucifer some good. It wasn’t quite the same as recharging by using pleasures of the flesh, but the sanctuary of water was a start. The fragrance of lavender and orange was heavy in the air around him, making him drowsy.

  Lucifer bathed in what he supposed was a private bath in guest quarters. He didn’t remove the amulet, despite the valet’s protests. Baba must not have divined that he would steal Abby’s soul from her when she had bathed, though he wished she had. It was his fault Abigail’s soul wasn’t in her new body.

  He was careful not to submerge the vial in the water in case the seal didn’t hold. Not that the soul was likely to drown, even if water did manage to leak inside, but he was careful all the same.