by Sarah Carter
“Why?” Alex inquires slowly.
“Because we’re discussing the recent developments in my life.”
Alex snorts. “I thought you weren’t going to tell them.”
“Something happened and it’s best that they find out what’s going on,” Claire murmurs.
“What happened?”
Claire rolls her eyes. She puts her finger up to everyone and then stands up and walks away. “Something happened with my mom this morning, and it’s better to tell her what’s going on.”
“Did you drain Damien, or something?” Alex inquires with attitude.
Exhaling, Claire replies, “No, it’s nothing you want to hear about. It’s just better if we explain what’s going on.”
“Okay, and why do you need me there?”
“It’ll be easier to explain everything.” Claire sighs. “Is it a problem?”
“No,” Alex answers, “Not at all.”
She bites her lip. “Just an FYI, my mom knows about us.”
There is a pause and then, “What?”
“Long story, but I had to fess up that we slept together,” Claire states quickly.
“What? Why, in the world would you tell your mother that?” Alex yells.
“My virginity came up and I had to be honest,” Claire mumbles.
“I mean…what…” Alex stutters. “‘Hey, Mom, thanks for the cup of coffee. By the way, Alex took my virginity!’”
With a groan, Claire says, “You don’t want to know, Alex. It just came up.”
“You slept with him, didn’t you? And you got caught.” Alex growls.
“No,” Claire replies and then pauses. “We didn’t have sex…”
“Well, you must have been caught doing something!” Alex exclaims.
“Do you really want to know this?” Claire asks hotly.
With a snarky attitude, Alex says, “Yes, enlighten me Claire. What sexual act were you caught doing? You know, since you didn’t want that type of relationship!”
“We slept in our underwear,” Claire declares.
Alex says, “What’s the big deal about that?”
“I had no bra on and my mom walked in while I was on top of Damien.” Claire exhales.
“Wow, Claire. Whatever. Why do you need me there tonight?”
“You were witness to everything, and you’ve been part of our family for a long time,” Claire says. “It would make it easier for my parents and Ben for you to be there.”
“So it can be shoved in my face again that you’re in love with someone else?” Alex yells. “Come on, Claire. I deserve more than that.”
With a heavy exhale, Claire says, “I know. I’m sorry.”
“Ugh, why do you do this?” Alex says. “You know I won’t leave you hanging.”
“I’m going to tell you something that may make you feel better.”
“Oh yeah?” Alex asks sarcastically.
“When I told my mom we slept together, she said they always hoped we’d get married. She said that in front of Damien.”
A burst of laughter comes over the phone. “Well, I do feel better! See Claire, you should honor your parents’ wishes.”
Claire snorts. “That’s why we’re having the family dinner. Damien told her I was joining the Merjyet line and she flipped.”
There is dead silence for a second, and then Alex growls, “Say that again.”
“Shit!” Claire yells.
“Claire!” Alex shouts back. “Watch your mouth.”
Whining, Claire says, “It’s not what you think.”
“Exactly what is it, then?” Alex asks hotly.
“We’re betrothed.” Claire exhales. “They want me to join their line and I want the succubus gene safe.”
After a long period of silence, Alex replies, “Well, that actually makes sense.”
“What?”
“Listen, would I rather you marry me, of course. Would I marry you right now? Hell yes. The thing is, I can’t protect you. You can kick anyone’s ass Claire, but if word gets out about your skills, you’ll need protection that I can’t provide. The Merjyet line is the most protected line that we have. You’ll have guard members on you even when you can’t see them, and I want you safe. Damien can supply that. Plus, he does care about you…I guess. That’s what he says, anyway.”
Rolling her eyes, Claire says, “He loves me, Alex. I don’t doubt that.”
“Well, then, you’ll be protected, and that’s my number one concern.”
“What are you going to do when I’m in the guard?” Claire asks. “That’s going to throw me into danger every day.”
“I know. Don’t remind me.” Alex chuckles. “But you won’t be going in alone. It’s a rule among the guard. We don’t do missions alone. You always have backup.”
Nodding, Claire says, “That’s good to hear.”
“So, what time is this magical disaster that I’m attending again?” Alex inquires.
“It won’t be so bad,” Claire states. “But it’s at 6:30 at Riverview.”
“Riverview.” Alex scoffs. “Of course.”
“Are you going to complain the whole time?” Claire groans. “I’m going to need support, not sarcasm.”
With a heavy exhale, Alex replies, “Sorry. I’ll meet you there.”
“Okay,” Claire says. “Thank you, Alex.”
“No problem.” Alex sighs. “I’ll always be there for you, no matter what.”
“Thanks. I should go, though.”
“See you tonight, then. I’ll make some popcorn for the show,” Alex teases.
Snorting, Claire says, “It’ll probably end up being a drama. We shall see. Anyway, I’ll see you tonight.”
“Bye.”
“Bye.” She hangs up and then sighs. “Tonight is going to be interesting.”
* * * * * * * *
“Are you ready for this?” Damien asks, as they walk up to the restaurant.
“As ready as I’m going to be.” Claire laughs. “I’m starving.”
Damien shakes his head. “It’s a good thing you’re marrying into a wealthy family. You may literally eat our whole bank account.”
Bursting out into the giggles, Claire shoves him. “Shut up!” He rebounds and grabs her, pulling her tight against him. Claire meets him and kisses him deeply. They stand there for a second, kissing each other.
“Son,” a deep voice says. “I believe we’re supposed to be going into the building.”
Claire pulls away and gasps. “Master Blakely!”
“Drake. Please call me Drake.”
“What are you doing here?” she gasps in shock. Quickly, Claire shakes her head. “Of course you can be here.”
“I want this to go over well. It’s easier hearing things directly from my mouth, when it comes to council matters.” He smiles at Claire and she can’t help but grin back. Mr. Blakely sticks out his arm. “May I escort you in?”
Nervously, Claire says, “Of course.”
She takes his arm and they walk into the restaurant. The hostess escorts them to a large, private room at the back of the restaurant . When they enter, everyone is there already, including Claire’s grandfather. Everyone in the room stands up.
Claire’s mom exclaims, “Master Blakely.”
“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Livingston,” Mr. Blakely says. “I hope you don’t mind my being here.”
Stammering, Claire’s mom squeaks, “No…of course not. I just…didn’t…expect you here.”
Mr. Blakely leads Claire to the table and pulls out a chair for her. “Claire, if you don’t mind, I’m going to sit next to you.”
Two figures step into the room—Mark and Lucas.
“Hey!” Claire exclaims. She turns to face her parents. “I defeated both of them. That’s pretty epic, right?”
“You took on Master Blakely’s guards!” Her mom gasps.
“Yeah!” Claire exclaims. “I kicked their asses.”
“That she did.” Mr. Blakely chuckles. “Why d
on’t we all sit down and explain everything.” He gestures to the chair and Claire sits down. Mr. Blakely pushes in her chair.
Damien looks at him. “You know, Dad, I could do that.”
“Claire will be my daughter one day. I’m allowed to do these things,” Mr. Blakely replies.
“Uh oh.” Claire exhales, putting her face in her hand.
“What?” her dad yells.
Taking the seat next to her, Mr. Blakely sighs. “We need to explain a few things before we talk about their betrothal.”
“You’re seriously marrying him?” her mom asks.
“Lana… May I call you that?”
She nods. “Yes, of course.”
Mr. Blakely turns to Claire’s dad. “Do you like to be called Fredrick or Fred?”
“Fred,” he replies. “It doesn’t matter either way, though.”
“No, Fred it is, then,” Mr. Blakely says politely. He turns around and looks at Mark. “Can you please go tell them we want to be served in thirty minutes? They may bring the salads in fifteen.” Mark nods and leaves. “Lucas, please monitor the door.” Mr. Blakely reaches over and takes Claire’s hand.
“Mr. Blakely.” Claire gasps.
“We all have our monitors on,” Mr. Blakely replies. “Relax.”
Claire’s mom sits and then everyone follows. She sits up straight and put her hands on the table. “Can someone please explain to me what’s going on?”
Mr. Blakely says, “I think it’s best if Claire explains. Is that alright, Claire?” She nods. “Very well, go ahead.”
Taking a deep breath, Claire says, “Mom, Dad, you know how I couldn’t shift? We thought there was something wrong.” Her parents nod, looking at her curiously. “There isn’t anything wrong with me. I’m just different.”
“How?” her dad asks.
“Well, something happened at the rendezvous,” Claire starts. “Alex and I were…kissing each other…when he collapsed. We were merging our energies.”
“Al…Alex?” her dad says looking at him.
Alex squirms uncomfortably and shifts his gaze.
“Yes.” Claire sighs. “Anyway, when he collapsed, I started to shift uncontrollably and then passed out. Alex and I were out for three days.”
Standing up, her mom yells, “And we weren’t notified!”
“I thought it was best,” Damien declares softly. “We take these events seriously.”
Claire’s mom glares at him furiously.
“When I woke, Damien told me what happened and what his theory was. It turned out to be true. Grandpa says it runs in our blood line,” Claire states.
“What does?” her father asks.
“I’m a succubus,” Claire declares. “I can drain the energy from Neturu, in small doses or entirely. I can then use that energy to shift. The more energy I drain, the bigger the animal I can turn into.”
Her parents sit completely still.
“There hasn’t been one in a very long time,” Claire’s grandfather says. “It’s a very rare gene.”
“You can suck the energy out of someone?” Her mom gasps. “How?”
“At first, I had to be melding my energy with someone else’s,” Claire states, “But now, I can siphon it without much effort.”
“This has all happened in that short amount of time?” her mom squeaks.
“Yes,” Mr. Blakely replies. “But, from this point on, the information we have is top secret. You’ll be held by oath not to speak about this to anyone. It would be considered treason. Claire is going to be part of the guard now, but it’s imperative that no one find out she’s a succubus.”
Her mom narrows her eyes. “So, we can’t know anything else?”
“No, I’m sorry,” Mr. Blakely replies. “She’ll lead a very secretive life and it needs to stay that way.”
“Now, about this morning,” Damien interjects. “Claire and I have made the mutual decision that it’s best for everyone if Claire joins the Merjyet line.”
Claire reaches over and takes Damien’s hand. “We care about each other, so it’s not just an arrangement. We want this.”
“You’re only eighteen,” her mom snips. “You have college ahead of you.”
“She’s still going to college,” Mr. Blakely replies. “She won’t be with the guard on a regular basis. Any other details will be kept secret. I do apologize. I empathize with your frustration. I know you want to know what’s going on with your daughter.”
“Can you really empathize?” Claire’s mom snaps. “I doubt it.”
“Lana!” Claire’s grandfather yells. “Do not speak to him like that. You wonder where Claire gets it from. Calm down. I’ll know what’s going on with her. She’ll have family to lean on.”
Her mom huffs and sits back. “I’ll worry constantly, not knowing what’s going on with my daughter. You can’t ask that of a mother.”
“I’ll make you a deal,” Mr. Blakely suggests. “When Claire is going on a mission, she’ll call you and tell you she’s going on a trip with my family. Claire will call you when she leaves and immediately when she returns.”
“I’ll have no idea what she’s doing,” her mom says harshly.
“Claire is strong and fast,” Mr. Blakely starts. “She can physically defeat multiple people at once. Her fighting skills are off the charts, as are her other physical abilities. You know how incredibly smart and gifted she is. We don’t send our people on suicide missions.”
Claire’s mom leans forward. “Excuse me, Master Blakely, but you sending her anywhere is a suicide mission. She hasn’t been trained with the guard. She isn’t ready for this.”
“Mom,” Claire interjects. “Stop. I’ve been put through a bunch of tests. I’m ready. Grandpa trained me for this. I’ve spent my whole life honing my skills. The guard has always been a dream of mine.”
“Your dream was going to college and getting a job, starting a family,” her mom retorts sharply.
“That was your dream for me. I plan to go to college, and I plan to have a family, but the guard is going to be my job.”
Her mom leans forward. “Over my dead body. You will not join the guard. I won’t wait around for a phone call telling me you’re dead!”
Claire stands up and yells, “Mom! It’s not your choice.”
“I’m your mother!” Claire’s mom exclaims back. “You should respect my wishes. I don’t even believe that you have any sort of abilities. We never saw them before. This is just some made up story so that they can use your fighting skills.”
“Lana,” Claire’s grandfather groans. “This isn’t some farce.”
Claire’s mom looks at her father. “Well, it’s a little hard to believe my daughter is a succubus when I can’t know any details. Maybe she finally learned to shift and that’s all this is.”
Aggravated, Claire moves and walks around the table to her mother. “Give me your hand.”
“What? Why?” her mom gasps.
“Just give me your hand,” Claire repeats. “I won’t hurt you.”
With hesitation, her mom sticks out her hand. Claire takes it and slowly starts to pull energy from her.
“What are you doing?” her mom exclaims.
“You feel that?” Claire says. “That’s me draining your energy.” She lets her mother’s hand go. Claire turns to Mr. Blakely. “Can I please show her, at least once?”
He stares at her for a moment and then nods his head.
She turns to Kayla. “Can I use you?”
“What do you need her for?” Claire’s mom asks.
“She’s a morrae,” Claire replies. “It makes things easier.”
“A morrae?” Her mom gasps. “Really?”
Kayla smiles and nods, “Yes, I can shift into anything.”
“So, you’re going to use her energy,” her mom says.
Claire answers, “Yes.” She walks over to Kayla and Kayla extends her hand. Claire takes it and slowly extracts energy from her.
Finally, Kayla sq
ueaks, “Stop.”
Nodding, Claire lets go and turns around. “I can only guess that there will be a severe punishment if you breathe a word of this to anyone,” Claire states. In the next second, she shifts.
Her mom and dad both cry out in shock. “You…you’re… me!” her mom yells.
“Pretty cool, huh?” Claire says excitedly.
Her mom’s hand sits on her chest and she stares at her daughter. “Can you turn into anyone?”
“Yes,” Claire says. She turns back to herself. “It seems as though I can turn into any animal too.”
“So, you’re a succubus and a morrae?” her dad inquires.
“I wouldn’t necessarily say that,” Claire responds. “I’m just a succubus. We aren’t sure what that entails. We’re going to do more testing.”
Mr. Blakely interjects, “This is why we feel it’s important to bring Claire to the Merjyet bloodline.”
“You only want her because of her abilities,” Claire’s mom retorts.
“No, I love Claire,” Damien interjects. “We want this. It was a mutual decision.”
“Until you get bored and move onto another girl,” her mom quips.
“Mom!” Claire gasps.
Jackson interrupts. “Hey, he isn’t like that anymore. I hated that about him. Trust me, Damien has changed.”
“He hasn’t pressured me to have sex,” Claire declares. “We want to wait.”
“Well, at least you knew Alex most of your life,” Claire’s mom snips.
“Mom!” Claire exclaims. “What’s with you? Not everyone needed to know that.”
Leaning forward, Alex says, “Lana, I promise you, we cared about each other. It happened spontaneously but it still meant something.”
“Then why is she not with you?”
“Because she chose me.” Damien states seriously.
“Yeah, mom.” Claire groans. “I care about Alex—I do—but I made the choice to be with Damien. What’s wrong with that?”
Her mom sits there, staring with her lips pressed together tightly. There is a very heavy, awkward silence.
“Just say whatever you want to.” Damien sighs. “There will be no punishment.”
Claire’s mom looks at Damien. “You have the worst reputation. You used girls for your own amusement. You think just because of who you are and what you will become, I’m supposed to weep with joy that my daughter is with you. You’re going to use her, then throw her aside. Then we, as a family, will have sit here and take it, because you’re superior to us.”