by A. H. Lee
Tod stared into her eyes. He took a deep breath. “I’m a werewolf.”
Jessica gaped.
Tod continued in a rush. “I was bitten as a child in the Emerald Isles. In that country, werewolves are killed if they’re caught. No exceptions. So my parents smuggled me off in secret to the Shrouded Isle and begged Azrael for help. He couldn’t change me back into a normal human, but he offered to either make me a binding charm to prevent the transformation, or to give me asylum here. It’s dangerous for werewolves in the Emerald Isles. Binding charms can be found and used as evidence to execute you. My parents decided it was best to leave me on the Shrouded Isle.”
Tod let out his breath, saw that Jessica was not flinching away from him, and continued with more confidence. “I’m not the only person living under Azrael’s protection for those kinds of reasons. There are several of us—people cursed with various magical ailments. So please don’t be afraid to tell him. I am certain that he won’t punish you for something you can’t help. But if you try to keep it secret from him…”
Jessica nodded. “I don’t want to hurt Mal, either. I’m afraid he’ll feel betrayed.”
Tod gave her a shake. “Jessica, he can’t—”
She felt a flash of anger. “He can’t love me because demons don’t feel love?” I just told you what I am. Have you already forgotten?
Tod bit his lip. “Maybe for you, he does. Maybe he’s different with his own kind, but if he is what I suspect…”
“An astral demon?” said Jessica quietly.
Tod nodded. “If he is that…then he was never human. It’s not the same as an earth-born demon or a werewolf or even a changeling faery child. It’s just not the same.”
Jessica disengaged and sat down to her breakfast. “Can you stay and eat with me?”
“Yes.” Tod sat down, but seemed too distracted to actually put food on a plate.
Jessica buttered her toast, assembled her coffee. “Azrael knows that Mal and I have been spending time together. He seems happy about it. I think he believes that Mal is falling in love with me…with a human, and this will make Mal more…more human, I suppose.”
Tod gave a heavy sigh. “But that’s not what is happening, and you know it. Besides, even Azrael’s judgment isn’t perfect. There are people who call him a dark sorcerer, and they’re not entirely wrong, depending on how you define darkness.”
Jessica looked at him curiously over her toast and eggs. “Where did Azrael come from, anyway? In the Provinces, people talk as though he’s always been here, but when he spoke to me, he let slip that he summoned Mal twenty-three years ago and that he himself was fifteen years old at the time. So Lord Azrael is only thirty-eight, and he can’t have been here on this island for more than a couple of decades. Which is still a long time, but…”
Tod pursed his lips. “He came from a little town in the southern mountains called Polois. It had a famous magic school. Unfortunately, it was also right on the border between Bethsaria and Zolsestron. The town had been fought over for as long as anyone could remember, but armies had always honored the magic school and left it untouched. In return, the magic school never took sides.
“Rightly or wrongly, Bethsaria eventually got the idea that the magicians were spying for Zolsestron while the town was in Bethsarian hands. The Bethsarian prince came with an army and obliterated the entire town, the school included. As far as anyone knows, Azrael was the only survivor. There are those who say he had something to do with the disaster, but they’re mostly his political enemies.”
“That’s why nobody knows his name,” said Jessica thoughtfully.
“Exactly. True names are powerful tools for magicians and magical creatures. Families who have a propensity to magic often name their children in secret and call them by a pet name. But there’s almost always someone who knows, and the family name can’t be hidden. Azrael, on the other hand, emerged from the disaster at Polois without a single person left who knew his family, let alone his given name. This provides him with a considerable advantage over other sorcerers.”
Tod finally took a sip of coffee and devoured a scone in a few bites.
“How do you know all this?” asked Jessica.
“My family has magic. Not all of us, of course, but my line has produced a number of powerful wizards and even a sorcerer or two. I’ve been hearing magical politics at the dinner table since I was in short pants, and I still visit home on occasion…when the moon’s not full.”
Jessica was fascinated. “So…can you?”
“Not since the bite,” said Tod bitterly. “I had some aptitude, how much I’ll never know. Magical creatures can’t do magic. It’s too much a part of us. We can’t be magicians.”
Jessica patted his hand. “I’m sorry, Tod.”
Tod shrugged and smiled. “One could do a lot worse than living on the Shrouded Isle.”
Jessica mopped up the last of her eggs with her toast and finished her coffee. She remained vaguely unsatisfied. Surely I can’t still be hungry. She found that she was watching Tod’s hands in fascination—work-roughened fingers from washing and mending, the freckles running up his arms, the way the muscles and tendons moved under his skin. Jessica arrested the train of her thoughts, got up, and went to the washbasin to brush her teeth and hair.
Tod rose, too. “I could tell you a lot more, but I feel like I’ve already said too much. I’m flattered that you trust me, Jessica. Please do tell Azrael about the…the other thing. I’ve been here half my life, and I’ve never seen him mistreat anyone. Please, please don’t trust Mal.”
Jessica turned away from the washbasin. “I know you’re giving me good advice, and I appreciate it. About…about the other thing…I was wondering if you would…” She licked her lips, feeling foolish and unable to look him in the face. “If you would let me practice a little? I got spooked after what happened with Prince Dustin. Mal has been feeding me sexual energy like a mother bird feeding a fledgling, but I know it’s energy he takes from other people, and I’ve got to figure out how to feed myself.”
Idiot, she thought. You just told him you’re a succubus and that you don’t have a lot of control. Of course he’s not going to let you practice on him!
But when she raised her head, Tod looked only wide-eyed with surprise. “By…by practice, you mean you want to kiss me again?”
Jessica took a step towards him, her lips curling. “I want to do a lot more than kiss you.” She saw his quick intake of breath and also a kind of brightening around him. Desire. Mal can sense it. I guess I can, too. She pulled the sash on her bathrobe and let it fall open.
Tod swallowed, his eyes skipping down as though he couldn’t help himself. Jessica caught her own reflection in the mirror across the room—the way the soft morning sunlight glowed over the smooth planes of her belly, making inviting shadows between her legs and around her breasts, half hidden in the robe.
Tod stepped forward and slid his arms around her waist, under the robe, but not grabbing at her. His hands lay warm against her back, gentle. Jessica put her arms around his neck, buried her face in his red hair that smelled of soap and breakfast kitchen smells.
“I wanted you so badly at that party,” he whispered.
“I know,” said Jessica. “You’ve been very sweet about it, but…I know.”
“Mal takes what Mal wants.”
Jessica laughed. “Oh gods. I just realized...he’s a cat and you’re a dog!”
Tod grunted. “A very big cat and a relatively small dog.” He pulled back and gave her a rakish grin that crinkled the freckles all over his face. “Well, not that small.”
Jessica kissed him—just a quick peck on the lips that promised more. “Are you truly sure you want to do this with me after what I just told you?”
“Oh, very sure,” said Tod. His smile faltered. If he had been a dog, he might have tucked his tail. “Just…please don’t eat me?”
Chapter 30. Worth It
“Well, I won’t eat you up,�
�� said Jessica, “but I do want to see whether I can take a little without hurting you. I promise it feels good.”
“Oh, if it feels anything like what Mal does, you’ll ruin me for regular sex,” muttered Tod.
“Oh dear, I hope not!”
He laughed. “Not really. Didn’t happen with him, won’t happen with you. In most ways, I’m a little more difficult to kill than an ordinary person, but I don’t know whether that makes any difference to a succubus.”
He pulled her close against him, kissing her mouth, her neck, her shoulders. His hands, however, remained on her back. He paused to murmur in her ear, “May I touch you?”
I just opened my bathrobe, and you’re still asking permission? “You’re darling,” purred Jessica. “Yes, you may.”
One hand glided down her back, over her hip and belly, through the soft curls between her legs to brush feather-light over her sex. He kept kissing her—deep, warm kisses—while his fingers dipped inside and ran up and down her cleft, circling her clit, teasing. It wasn’t like Dustin’s enthusiastic but inexperienced fumbling, and certainly not like Mal’s devastating energy. This was slow, slow, and sweet.
Tod’s other hand slid over her body to cup a breast, his thumb running back and forth across the stiff nipple, sending little shivers of pleasure over her skin. Jessica could feel herself getting wetter. She leaned into him, let him kiss his way down her throat, his tongue finding her other nipple, licking and sucking. His fingers pressed deeper inside her, rubbing at a sensitive spot, exquisite. Jessica made a low noise in her throat.
Tod, who was already bending a little to suckle her breast, disengaged enough to scoop her up in his arms, her bathrobe sliding off her completely, and carried her to the bed. Jessica was startled. “You’re stronger than you look! Um, that came out wrong.”
But Tod only laughed. He set her down on the bed and started unbuttoning his jacket with that same unhurried ease. “I’m a werewolf.” He shed the jacket. Jessica watched in fascination as he unbuttoned his shirt. Those freckles did go all the way down.
She realized a moment later that he was watching her watching him—lying there naked, propped on her elbow, with golden hair spilling over the pillow. His voice came out soft and deep. “You are a vision, Jessica.”
She smiled, now a little self-conscious. “Thank you. You’re quite lovely yourself. You have the most amazing ass!”
Tod barked a laugh. “I have been told that’s my best feature. However, I think you could compete with me. I certainly don’t mind watching you walk away. I mean…as long as you’re coming back.”
She watched as he unbuckled his belt and trousers and let them slide to the floor. He stepped out of his underwear, and stood there for a moment, looking at her with a little smile and his head on one side. “Still good?”
“Of course!” Jessica scooted over. “Get in here.”
Tod’s physique wasn’t as massive as Mal’s, not so lanky as Dustin, and he wasn’t long and sinewy like Azrael. He was somewhere in between, lightly muscled under his freckles, his cock bobbing up as though to greet her. “Can I touch you?” asked Jessica.
“Of course!”
“Can I…put my mouth on you?”
Tod gave a startled laugh. “Can you? ‘Well, I don’t know, let me think about it,’ said no man ever. Yes!”
Jessica giggled. “I’ve never done that before.”
Tod rolled his eyes. “Because Mal is nothing if not generous. I do feel a little ridiculous following him.”
Jessica paused. “I don’t think that’s fair. Everyone I’ve been with is different. I like how there’s time to talk with you.” She smirked. “And don’t ever let anyone tell you you’re not good with your hands.”
“Well, I do live on the Shrouded Isle.”
He was lying on his back, and Jessica bent over him. She kissed him on the mouth and then started working her way down his neck, chest, and belly, her hair trailing over his skin. “Tell me if I’m doing it wrong?”
Tod’s breathing grew deeper. “You couldn’t possibly do it wrong. But, if you really want lessons, you should ask Mal; he’s quite good at it.” The last three words came out in a hiss as Jessica skipped a stretch of skin and just licked his cock.
She’d been braced for an unpleasant taste or at least something unusual. However, the skin here didn’t taste any different from the skin on his belly. With more confidence, she took the tip into her mouth while exploring the shaft with her fingers. She liked the velvety smoothness of the skin sliding over firm tissue. Jessica ran her tongue around the head and was rewarded by a groan and a little twitch of the cock in her mouth. It moves by itself? Penises are so strange!
Her own saliva was making the whole thing wet, and she rubbed her fingers up and down, eliciting gratifying noises from Tod. He seemed to especially like it when she stroked the underside and caressed it with her tongue. She was starting to get a rhythm, sliding the cock into and out of her mouth, rubbing the shaft. She could taste something slightly sweet now.
As Tod became more and more lost in the moment, some instinct prompted Jessica to spread her free hand on his belly…and pull. The energy came slowly at first, like trying to find the beginning of a spool of thread. But once she had it, the thread came off quickly.
Tod gave a sudden convulsive jerk and a little cry that sounded almost like pain. Warm, viscous fluid filled Jessica’s mouth and she pulled away instinctively. She felt that electric sensation over her skin, the thread of energy still taut between them. Jessica looked up and saw that Tod was flushed and panting, all his lazy assurance gone. To her surprise, his cock was still hard in her hand. As she crawled back on top of him, he murmured desperately, “Please, Jessica, please, please.”
But she paused. Very deliberately, she eased the tension on the thread of energy. Her transition was clumsy, and she knew it. Tod shivered and stared up at her, confused. Mal does this so effortlessly. Jessica was beginning to appreciate his exquisite control. Well, he’s had twenty-three years to get good at it.
Tod gulped, blinked, seemed to come back to himself a little. “Holy fuck. How did you—? Why am I still—?”
Jessica put a finger to his lips. Just enjoy it. Let me give you this. She straddled his hips and slid down onto him as his eyes snapped shut again. He felt delicious inside her. Jessica rocked against him, and Tod brought his hands up to grip her thighs. He was shaking, but he managed to press his thumb into the cleft between her legs and rub her swollen clit as she rocked faster and faster. Her pussy clenched.
And that thread started unspooling once more. Sweet, warm, ecstatic energy spreading through Jessica’s body like a drug. It was a different kind of pleasure from orgasm, but just as intense. The two sensations together left her breathless.
Tod’s hands had shifted to her wrists on either side of him. He was holding on almost painfully. Jessica looked down. Tod’s face had gone pale, his freckles more pronounced. He looked up at her like a drowning man—mute.
Jessica released the thread. The sudden shock of it made them both flinch. Well, that was inelegant, but at least he’s not dead…or unconscious.
Tod did look quite pale, and he was still shaking. Jessica lifted herself from his cock, which was finally getting soft. “Tod, I’m sorry. I know that was a little rough.”
Tod tried to laugh, but he didn’t have breath. Jessica crouched beside him, feeling worried and at the same time humming with energy. This was what she’d been hungry for. “Here, let me get you—”
He scooted up, wobbly on one elbow, and tugged her down beside him. “I’m not…not so finished that I want…to skip this part.”
What part? After a moment’s hesitation, Jessica put her head on his chest and settled the length of her body against his. Tod slid one arm around her. His heart was going like a hammer against her ear. His other arm came up to stroke her shoulder and back, his fingers damp against her skin. This is nice, Jessica decided. Mal would have already been on to something
else.
After a while, Tod’s frantic heartbeat slowed. Jessica thought he might have fallen asleep for a few minutes and she didn’t do anything to wake him. At last, he twitched and his fingers started moving through her hair. His voice came in a sleepy murmur, “Did I just come twice without getting soft?”
“Yes,” said Jessica, embarrassed. “Sorry.”
He gave a laugh that was almost a giggle. “Holy hell.”
“I’m afraid I also took a chunk of your time this morning,” said Jessica. “I hope you won’t get into trouble.”
Tod scrubbed his hands across his face and yawned. “Oh, no. Around here, courtiers are expected to occasionally tumble the help. Who knows when Mal might be wandering by and want a snack?”
Jessica gave an uneasy laugh. “Or when one of us might want to eat you for breakfast?”
Jessica could hear the smirk in his voice when he answered. “Jessica, you can eat me for breakfast anytime.” He moved and Jessica let him sit up. Tod blinked hard and shook his head. “I may have to plead illness today.”
“Oh, dear,” said Jessica.
Tod leaned over and kissed her again. “Worth it.” He got up and began to dress.
Jessica rose and, after a moment’s consideration, got into her bath. “Why does anyone call Azrael a dark sorcerer?” she asked over her shoulder. “Mal is a bright magic demon.”
Tod snorted. “My old tutors would call that a distinction without a difference. Either you’re in control of the magic, or the magic is in control of you. They would be horrified at the idea of an astral entity kept for twenty-three years. Demons kept for that long do grow more human. They grow more cunning and harder to control. There’s also the fact that Azrael doesn’t seem to have any other focal point.”
“Focal point?” echoed Jessica.
Tod nodded, buttoning his shirt. “Most magicians employ some object to store and focus their energy—a staff, an amulet, a sword, a dagger. No one has ever seen anything like that on Azrael. Most people think he hides it somewhere, something small. But…”