“I am inclined to say that is likely,” replied Lorelei. “So far you’ve only discussed this as a casual exploration. As a matter of adult play. If that is all that comes of it, I don’t believe anyone will be disappointed… but I don’t believe it will end there. You all mesh too well for that. Onyx, I felt the two of you make love. I trust he has told you that is part of our bond? Yes. Full disclosure, of course,” she nodded. “I would not presume to compare my experience to yours, but it was wonderful.”
“Is that why you want this?” Molly asked. “Because it’s good for you? I mean, you’re not just ‘okay’ with Alex seeing us. You actually want it, don’t you?”
“I do,” Lorelei admitted. The briefest of smiles played at her lips. “Full disclosure is no more natural for me than friendship or trust. I have laid my soul bare only to Rachel and Alex, and there are sureties there…”
The younger women listened. Onyx sat down on the edge of the bed facing the demon. Molly came over to sit beside her, slipping her hand in her lover’s. Always the more observant of the two, Onyx noticed how Lorelei’s words slowed and her voice dropped. Whether Molly had caught on or not, Onyx couldn’t tell, but it hardly mattered; both young women felt increasingly aroused by Lorelei’s natural allure.
“Alex is my lover, my friend and my victim. His natural appetites are strong even for a healthy young man, but mine are well beyond natural, and we are bound together. If I truly had all I wanted of him, all to myself… he would be worse for it. We would become disconnected from the mortal world, to say nothing of the eventual damage I would do to his health and well-being. Involving others goes some way to mitigating that. It takes the edge off, so to speak. It helps to satisfy the curse without putting him directly at the mercy of my needs.
“This is no sacrifice or chore for me. I want him to indulge with other women because I enjoy it. I share his sensations, I draw power from his dalliances, and I find him all the more attractive for his success with other women. Call it a kink or call it an instinct; either way, I am drawn to these habits. Most succubae are. What made me different from the rest was that they encouraged their victims to employ deceit and treachery to satisfy their desires. They relished the strife and chaos wrought by selfish promiscuity.”
“But you didn’t?” asked Molly.
“I was indifferent,” Lorelei shrugged. “I will not pretend to have ever been a whore with a heart of gold, but… I didn’t change for Alex. I wanted to change long before we met. He and Rachel provided an opportunity that I never had, and indeed had never imagined, but they did not do so intentionally.
“Make no mistake: I am still a succubus, and Alex is bound to me. I care nothing for this society’s inhibitions and its harsh judgments regarding sex. Temptation and lust will find Alex even if he does not seek it out, and I will gladly enable his indulgence. I mean to show him pleasure as I define it… not as it is defined by the prudish sensibilities of this era.
“You wanted full disclosure. Accept this as part of who he is. Alex would lock himself in a prison and throw away the key rather than cause harm in pursuing his desires. I mean to show him that such denial is not necessary.”
The demon cracked a wry, soft grin. “I do not tell you this to rationalize or justify my desires, or his. Alex carries genuine feelings for you. His desire for this-for you-is real, and so is mine.”
Molly waited for Onyx to chime in again, but heard nothing for a few beats. She decided to take the initiative. “So if we’re all fine, do we need to talk boundaries, or… or…” Her voice trailed off as her attention was drawn to her side. She saw Onyx staring at Lorelei with wide eyes, her mouth slightly open and her breathing heavy.
Then Molly felt it, too. Her appreciation for Lorelei’s beauty and sensuality had been there all night long, of course-and every other time they’d interacted-but now things changed. Lorelei was no longer an abstraction out of arm’s reach.
The demon rose out of her chair. She slowly stepped up close enough to touch.
Molly found her voice, and understood then what had left Onyx stunned. “You really said that, didn’t you?” she asked.
“I asked if you were guarded in part so that you would know your feelings are your own,” Lorelei said softly. “I wouldn’t want you to think I have used some supernatural power of compulsion upon you. As I told you, I can read desires. I draw power from them. I have felt yours all along… and shared them.”
Her hands slowly reached out. One gently traced along Molly’s chin. The other glided down Onyx’s black curls. “Alex is my prey, but it is not only through him that I find pleasure or satisfaction.”
Onyx all but lost her voice. Butterflies took over her stomach as Lorelei knelt in front of the bed between the two young women. Onyx felt Molly’s presence beside her, and thought back to all the offhand conversations they’d had about the undeniable sex appeal of their new associates and hall passes and what they’d do given the chance… but that had all just been idle talk until now.
“I thought…” Onyx tried, and swallowed, and tried again. “I thought we came up to talk… uh…” That hand came down her curls again, only now Lorelei’s fingertips trailed across her collarbone. She shivered.
Lorelei’s other hand was on Molly’s thigh. Onyx saw it out of the corner of her eye, and found it every bit as exciting as the one that touched her now.
“We came here to establish an understanding between us,” Lorelei smiled.
“Uh. Thuh,” Molly blinked away her shock, and felt like a fool for stammering, only to open her eyes again to see Lorelei looking back without the least bit of reproach or mockery. She liked the way the demon looked at her. “The party?”
“We don’t have to be long,” Lorelei assured her, “but you brought up boundaries. You should know mine.”
* * *
Event security diligently checked guests in and out. They patted people down as they entered and reminded costumed partygoers about stamps and re-entry when they exited. They also ensured that nobody left with a drink in hand. Passing through the security guards posted at the bridge between the hotel and the parking garage across the street, Wade and Drew negotiated said check with little difficulty or concern.
The security guard raised an eyebrow when Wade reached into the garbage can beside him and pulled out an empty red Solo cup, but saw no reason to stop him. Anyone outside the event was simply not security’s problem.
Wade’s odd behavior, though, was something of a concern for Drew. “The hell are you doing?” he asked. He kept walking, trying to keep an eye on the guy in the black ninja outfit ahead of them. Neither he nor Wade wanted their quarry to be out of sight for long, but they simply couldn’t catch up before the ninja rounded the corner into the garage without looking suspicious.
“Just fixin’ a drink,” Wade shrugged. As he walked, he slipped his hand down his pants and pulled out a silver flask.
“…the fuck?” Drew blinked.
Wade smoothly spun the cap and opened the flask and upended it into the cup. “Y’know how it is. Can’t always be sure th’ bars at a thing like this will have what you want.”
“Of what?”
“Everclear,” Wade muttered. “Hadda drive all’a way ta Portland for it.”
“You’ve been carrying around a flask in your junk all night?”
“Naw, it’s only been by my junk t’ get in and out of the party,” Wade corrected. “I ain’t some pervert, y’know.”
Drew wanted to pursue his line of questioning, but lacked the time. The ninja had already made it around a corner. He and Wade picked up the pace. “So what the hell do we say to this guy?”
“Reckon ah got an idea,” Wade grunted. “Follow mah lead.”
Drew nodded. He glanced at the windows to either side before they hit the corner, and caught sight of a new concern in the reflection behind them. “Shit,” he murmured. “Spider-Man at six o’clock. Now I know somethin’s up.”