by Debra Dunbar
“Please tell me you did not have sex with a Low,” Irix interrupted.
“Why? What's wrong with having sex with a Low?” I was outraged. Rutter was a nice guy. The idea that just because he was a Low he wasn’t worthy of my attentions was wrong. It was just fucking wrong.
“Okay, okay. But I hope you didn't.”
“I didn’t have sex with Rutter, although I might eventually because I like him. But what’s the big deal? What if I did? What if I’d had sex with a dozen Lows? If I’m not allowed to have sex with demons, because then they somehow think they have a right to make babies with me, then you need to tell me these things.”
“I would have told you if I’d ever thought you would be in a position to be giving blow jobs to a warmonger. You weren’t supposed to be in Hel. You weren’t ever supposed to be in Hel.” Irix ran his hand through his hair. “Amber, you cannot take every tie that's offered, nor go accepting energy from or offering sexual acts to demons without careful consideration. I don't know if you understand that tying with a demon is different than tying with a human. With human beings, they serve you. Tying with the demon is a two-way arrangement, except the more powerful demon in the bond has an expectation of…things. With a Low, you’d be expected to protect and defend him or her. With someone like this warmonger, they expect you to be available to them, and to give their requests for favors, or breeding, a priority. It’s similar to joining a household. Normally you could delay responding to this breeding contract, or politely decline, but because you accepted energy from Harkel as well as a tie, he would be within his rights to expect you to join his household if asked, or to enthusiastically agree to at least one breeding incident. These things don’t come without strings, Amber. Even blow jobs have consequences, and you did more than just suck this guy off, you accepted his gift of energy and an offered tie. You’ve linked yourself to him, and by the circumstances that you’ve told me, he will consider himself to be most-favored in your eyes.”
Warmonger aside, this revelation made me wonder about what Irix and I had together. “Then what about us? You’ve shared energy with me, had a tie with me since last year. Did that come with strings attached? Maybe we need to discuss that.”
Irix suddenly shot me a wary glance, then looked down at his drink. “That’s different.”
“How? Because I don’t see it as different. Did I agree to things with you out of ignorance just as I’ve done with Harkel? Are you going to start telling me I’m part of your household or that you want us to have children, or little demons, or whatever?”
My words were harsh, but in my heart that’s what I wanted. I desperately longed for him to tell me that we were bound together forever in a demon sort of marriage, our tie and sharing of energy the equivalent of a marriage vow. And I wanted him to tell me he wanted me to have his children.
“No,” he said into his drink, his voice wooden. “I gave all that to you without any strings. You’re free to join whatever household you want, to have children with whoever you want. There are no obligations in what I’ve shared with you.”
That was the wrong answer. The chest-crushed-between-rocks feeling I’d had when Kai had given me the “talk” was nothing compared to this pain. I knew he loved me. I knew he thought that I was too young to commit to him as a life-partner, if demons even did such a crazy thing. I knew he feared that in a few centuries I’d tire of him and find someone else, happy to put our relationship into the category of “fond youthful indiscretion”. I’d tried to convince him otherwise, but I couldn’t force him to give me what I wanted.
Still, the whole thing made me angry. “Then what’s wrong with me considering Harkel’s proposal? I really like him. I’m very attracted to him. He obviously is unusually attracted to me if he was pulling wagons and letting me pet him and offering me energy and a tie. Maybe I should ask to join his household and consider his breeding proposal. Seems as if an allegiance with a powerful demon like that could only do me good.”
I could practically hear Irix grind his teeth. “First, you’re not a full succubus and will not be able to produce offspring as a full being of spirit would. Harkel is expecting that, and when you tell him that you can only have his child the elven way by him deliberately impregnating you during a sexual act and that you need a lengthy gestation period, he’ll realize that you’re not a full demon.”
I thought for a second about bearing Harkel’s child the elven way, and knew I was making a hollow threat. As much as I liked the warmonger, there was no way I was going to have a baby and give it over to a demon to stuff into a dwarven-run foster home. When I envisioned children, it was with Irix. It was him pushing a little boy on a swing, or helping a little girl doctor her teddy bear.
“What do you think is going to happen once Harkel realizes you’re a half-elf?” Irix continued. “Suddenly any contract between you, any agreement you’ve had, is null and void. You won’t have the same rights as a demon. You won’t have the same protection of household and affiliations. He’ll be able to just haul you away as a thing, and do whatever he wants with you.”
I felt a chill run down my spine at the thought. “But I have affiliations. Leethu would kick his ass. And both Wyatt and Nyalla would make sure that Sam would join in on the ass kicking.”
He fixed me with a hard look. “Leethu would pout and offer all sorts of incentives in exchange for you, but she wouldn’t ‘kick his ass’. And Harkel might or might not find her offers tempting enough to give up an exotic plaything. And as for Sam…she’s an imp and although she might have the sword of the Iblis, no one in Hel really cares. I doubt Harkel is going to tremble in his boots to have an imp show up at his door with a dozen Lows insisting he give you back.”
I bit my lip to stop it from trembling. What had I done? What had I gotten myself into now? Did I even have a choice in this? Would I need to cancel my return trip to Libertytown in fear that Harkel would seek me out and demand I agree to this breeding proposal?
And if I cancelled my trip, would Sam cancel Irix’s immunity? Would the people of Libertytown starve?
I felt Irix take the glass from my hand and pull me close, his hands rubbing my shoulders and down my back as he rested his cheek against the top of my head. “I’d come for you, Amber. I’d do anything within my power to get you away from him, but I don’t know if I could or even if I’d be able to free you before he accidently killed you. Our best hope is to delay this as long as possible until you build up enough allies that if Harkel ever found out what you were, he’d think twice about snatching you.”
I knew Irix would come for me. I knew he loved me enough to do anything to save me. But having him say it, having him label this as “our” problem when it was so clearly a problem I’d created by flouting his heavy-handed orders and not at least including him in my trip to Hel, made me feel better.
And as much as it would have helped having Irix along early this summer when I’d gone to Libertytown, I was glad I’d gone alone. Yes, I’d obviously made a mess of things with this warmonger, but being there on my own had done things for my confidence, allowed me to grow, in ways I never would have been able to do with leaning on Irix for help and guidance the whole way. I’d made mistakes, but they were my mistakes, and I hoped what I’d learned and gained from the trip would far outweigh the repercussion of one heat-of-the-moment blow job.
“What do I do?” I snuggled closer to him, reassured just having him with me.
“Delay. Patience is a virtue, so demons tend to be incredibly impatient, but they measure time on a scale of millennia as opposed to days. Harkel may be eager to solidify this affiliation with you, but he wouldn’t expect an immediate response to his offer. Demons are often in the middle of one project or another, or dealing with a sorcerer summoning, or out of touch, and it’s not unheard of for a proposal like this to go a few years without response. Even a few decades wouldn’t be considered rude. It's not like you’re formally a part of his household. It’s not like you have to accept
his breeding contract or even send an immediate response. I’d suggest we wait for a year, then put forth a counter proposal. That would be a quick enough response that it won’t insult him, and the back and forth can take a decade or more. By that time, we’ll be able to figure out a way to say ‘no’ without angering a powerful demon.”
“Or I’ll have enough protection that when I tell him that I can’t accept because I’m not a full succubus, he doesn’t feel he has the right to grab me and drag me off to his castle in Dis.”
“Hopefully. But in the meantime, he has expectations that there will be some contact between you going forward. If you’re in Hel and he encounters you, or even seeks you out, you’ll need to acknowledge him, and greet him as you would Kai or another close friend that you’ve been intimate with. He’ll expect that you will cooperate and collaborate on future items of interest together. That’s why I need to be with you if you go back to Hel. He’s an ancient. He’s unlikely to come here, but once you cross the gates, things can go downhill fast.”
I’d need to work really fast when I returned to Libertytown and try to limit the amount of time I spent in Hel, as well as the frequency of my visits. This whole thing hinged on my not ‘accidently’ running into Harkel, and buying myself time.
“I think I can live with that. I mean I can say no to projects if he sends a request to me through Sam, right? And what about if I run into him in Hel? I like him. I don't mind seeing him again. In fact, I wouldn't mind having sex with him. If you’re there to make sure I don’t inadvertently agree to something like having his babies, sex should be okay? Would you mind if I had sex with him, or gave him another blow job? That might satisfy him that I’m keeping our end of the relationship, but not give myself away as a half-elf.”
Irix frowned. “He’s given you a tie. There’s no expectation for you to provide additional sexual favors to him, but he may ask for them. We’ll try to avoid him when you’re in Hel next, just pop in and out as quickly as we can. And if he does happen to find you, we’ll have to be flexible and wing it.”
I nodded, thinking that this might not be as much of a problem as I’d originally thought. I’d been this side of the gates my whole life with only two short trips to Hel. The chances that I’d run into Harkel were probably slim to none. I picked up the breeding contract, looking at the strange symbols and what must have been Harkel’s bold sigil at the bottom. It made me shiver, and not with dread or fear. I liked the warmonger. I’d liked giving him a blow job, petting him out under the moonlight next to the city gates. I imagined the feel of him above me, the smell of his skin, the thrust of his cock inside me as I wrapped my legs around his powerful hips. But if a blow job had consequences, intercourse would no doubt have even more consequences—consequences I wasn’t prepared to face.
“Are you still angry with me?” I asked, putting the breeding contract aside and scooting onto Irix’s lap. I’d missed him terribly, and now that all my secrets were out in the open, I was desperate to be with him, to give a physical expression to the love I felt for this demon.
“Yes.” He slid his hand up my thigh to the top of my jeans and snapped the button open. “I’m very angry with you.”
Oh, I hoped this was going where I thought it was going. “Would it help if you punished me?”
He eased down my zipper and ran his finger along the waistband of my underwear. “No, I don’t feel punishment is in order, but it would help if you atoned for your sins.”
I snorted. “What, so you’re an angel now?”
He took my hand and placed it between his legs. “Do I feel like an angel to you?”
“I don’t know; I’ve never groped an angel before.” I palmed the bulge in his pants and wiggled enough to slide my shorts over my hips. “So, tell me what I can do to appease your anger, my mighty incubus lover.”
He slid a finger into my underwear and I leaned back, angling my pelvis and spreading my thighs as much as the shorts would allow to give him access.
“I’d like to experience this legendary blow job that causes ancient warmonger demons to present a breeding proposal to young, unknown sex demons.”
I caught my breath as his fingers brushed through my wet folds, one finger dipping inside me. “I better warn you. If I do this, you might find yourself presenting me with a breeding petition of your own.”
What was I saying? He’d made it clear that there would be no marriage, no children between us. I needed to leave this topic alone before it turned into the sticking point that drove a wedge in the middle of our relationship.
“I think you should concentrate on performing so well that I’m no longer angry with you.”
It was my turn to edge my hand upward and unsnap his pants. “Oh trust me, one blow job and you’ll be completely besotted.”
He pulled his fingers from between my thighs and leaned back, putting his hands behind his head. “I’m already besotted. But I’ll keep an open mind.”
I scooted off his lap, moving the drinks and the coffee table aside to give myself more room. Then I stripped down to my lacy underwear, taking my time while Irix watched me, his golden brown eyes hooded. Then I knelt before him, brushing my breasts against his lower leg as I removed his shoes and socks.
“Very thorough. And keep the underwear on. I like it,” he told me, his voice low and rough.
Getting to my feet, I crawled up his lap, straddling him as I pulled his shirt over his head, rocking against the erection in his pants. A muscle twitched in his jaw, his pupils dilating, but he held back from matching my rhythm.
Sliding back down, I kissed a trail from his torso to his waistband, and finished unzipping his pants. He helpfully lifted his hips and I eased his pants downward, slowly removing them one leg at a time, then turning around and bending at the waist as I placed them across the coffee table, flashing him a view of my ass and my very wet lacy panties.
I heard him catch his breath and smiled, well aware that he would have loved nothing more than to get to his feet, shove my head downward, and take me from behind. But this was his game, and he wanted that blow job first.
Turning around, I knelt once more, kissing and nipping as I worked along the inside of his thighs to nudge the underside of his balls with my nose, licking and sucking at the tendon that joined them to his body. They tightened, his cock hardening even more.
“I’m starting to see why Harkel is so enamored of you,” he murmured, edging down a bit on the sofa and angling his pelvis so I could slide my fingers between his buttocks, encircling then pushing gently at the puckered entrance of his ass, all the while I continued to lavish attention on his balls, taking them in my mouth before leaving them to run my tongue up the underside of his cock.
A bead formed at the end and I tasted it, licking along his slit to search for more. Then with my finger still at the edge of his asshole, I took him in my mouth, sucking as I slid the entirety of him in with one long pull that ended with my nose on the skin of his pelvis and the head of his cock at the back of my throat. Slowly I worked my way back, pulling my mouth free with a pop.
With one hand still playing with his ass, I brought the other upward, grasping his shaft at the base and slowly stroked him, all the while keeping my tongue busy flicking and sucking the head of his cock. With a slow steady motion of my hand, I moved my mouth downward, exploring the length of his shaft with my tongue. The whole time he kept his hands behind his head, his ragged breathing and the tension in his legs telling me how much he was enjoying this.
Then I got to work, taking him in my mouth and driving down deep, setting up a steady rhythm with my mouth and hand in time with my finger in his ass. His hips rose to meet me with each stroke, with each suck, and I increased the speed, faster, harder. He thickened, hardened, his balls drawing up tight, then with a sharp breath he pushed me from him, standing and spinning me around in one fluid motion.
I gasped at the unexpected action, then laughed and he pushed me face-down across the coffee table, ass i
n the air, knocking drinks all over the floor. I felt my panties yanked downward, a knee kick my legs apart, a hand pushing the top of my head onto the table, then the press of his cock at my wet entrance.
With anyone else I would have felt a bolt of fear. I was in a vulnerable position, breathless and disoriented from how quickly he’d flipped our positions. But this was Irix and I knew he’d never hurt me, that I could completely trust him. I’d been vulnerable, both physically and emotionally, since I’d met him, and he’d never betrayed my trust. I knew he never would.
He drove into me, and I gasped, feeling his pelvis smack against mine. Then with a grunt he built a punishing rhythm, pounding into me as his balls slapped against my thighs with each stroke. I closed my eyes, losing myself in the feeling of him inside me, of his fingers curling into my hair, one of his hands at my hip, steadying me and ensuring I didn’t bruise myself on the edge of the coffee table. I heard myself make that whimper noise that Irix always loved, felt the pleasure spiral through me, building up from my core until my climax exploded, rippling through me. He groaned and followed, holding my hips tight to hold himself deep inside me as he pulsed. Then he let out a deep breath, his grip loosening in my hair, his hand massaging where he’d dug his fingers into my skin.
I waited for him to thrust one final time then pull free before I pushed myself upright from the downward-dog stance on the coffee table. Irix chuckled, helping me up and brushing his fingers across my cheek.
“We made a mess,” he said, indicating the cans of ginger ale and spilled glasses on the carpet. I was pretty sure the floor covering had seen worse over the years.
“You made the mess,” I teased. “Neanderthal. Give a girl some warning next time you want to flip her around and take her from behind.”
He kissed me, a soft, gentle peck on the lips. “No. It’s not as much fun if I warn you.”