Ascension to the Heavens|Descent into Hell(Corsair and Xana)

[TheCorsair]

“I… did like it,” Eva said slowly, weighing her words as she spoke them. “I think I could even come to crave such a fucking. But…”

“But..?” Mykel prompted as she slowly exhaled, trying not to think too hard at the mingled thrill of lost and concern her revelation inspired.

“I think I was expecting something different,” came her blunt reply. “Its hard not to feel used…but I can’t really blame you, now can I? I did offer.” Her laughter was hollow.

“Yeah,” he agreed slowly. “But, not until after I was...”. He paused, trying to find the right word as he remembered the frenzy of lust and hunger that had overwhelmed him. The way his demonic heritage had risen up, overwhelming his senses. “Well, it would have been... hard to stop. If you’d told me not to.” It was as close to the truth as he could bring himself to utter. Because the truth was that, even if she’d asked him to stop, he didn’t think he would have.

Movement distracted him from his dark thoughts. Eva stretched and slid against him, gripping his hands and pinning them to the mattress. “You promised me gentleness,” she whispered, her hungry words tinged with longing, “and I know you are capable of that.”

“I’ve managed it a time or two,” he replied, trying to make a joke of his fears. “But you...”. What he would have said next was lost in the heat of her mouth as she kissed him. He parted his lips, tasted the supple silk of her tongue as she pressed into him before parting with a mutual gasp.

“No matter what,” she said, voice husky as she fought for breath, “you are still the man I love.”

Playfully, he strained against her grip in an effort to kiss her back. She smiled and moved as he did, pressure by his wrists back into the mattress. “Always,” he answered, straining by again so she could feel his muscles moving against her. “Always will be, Eva.” That was true as well, he realized. Man or demon or both, he was a Paladin. More, she was the woman he loved.

She released one wrist, letting him reach up to caress her cheek. His lips found hers then, soft and loving at first. “Always,” he whispered, running his fingers through her hair. “Let me show you how much...”

 

[Xanaphia]

“Let you?” Eva cooed, reassured and aroused by the promises made in his kisses. “I’m of a mind to make you…” She kissed him again, slithering against his firm figure to feel all of him at once. Her cunt still dripped with his seed as she rubbed up against his once more stiffening cock, keeping her promise to coat him in her scent. Taking one more kiss, this one even hungrier than the last, she pushed up, and shifted to straddle him

Eva slid down his cock, sighing as he filled her. Tenderness from the first time lingered, leaving her sensitive to the throbbing of his shaft. With him inside her, she shifted, pulling him up off his back into a sitting position. Legs went around his waist, holding him closer against her. “Show me,” she moaned, hungry lips devouring his in a kiss.

Like this, his cock brushed against her clit, and she chased that electric sensation, grinding against him in pursuit of more friction. Leaning back, her body was on display for him, still bearing the proof of his earlier lust. Dried blood was stark on her fair skin, as were the dark circles of her areolas, erect nipples just begging for attention. “Mykel…” she cried, bracing back on one hand while the other clung to his arm, “Oh Goddess, Mykel!

 

[TheCorsair]

“Goddess,” Mykel groaned as Eva’s silken walls slid around his shaft, the last syllable a direct offering to his lover as her mouth covered his. Then she rested up, taking him deeper, displaying herself to his hungry gaze. Her body was still streaked with drying blood, and he could see the scratches and scars he'd etched into her skin, and the sight made his fangs ache.

“Mykel…” she cried, bracing back on one hand while the other clung to his arm, “Oh Goddess, Mykel!

The words didn’t dull the ache, but the ecstatic way she caressed his name as she rode him reminded him m of the gentleness she wanted this time. “Eva,” he groaned, slowly rubbing his hands he vervthe satin curves of her hips. “Goddess, Eva.” He squeezed gently as he moved higher, letting her feel the pressure of his hands on her waist and ribs. “Do I feel good in you?” he husked, watching h r breasts sway as she moved on his cock. “Does it feel good, feeling my thick dick in you?”

His hands found her breasts, and he moaned as he cupped and lifted them. His thumbs circled her aerolas and stroked her hard nipples in time with her rocking movements on his shaft. “Would you like me to stop go them?” he teased, gently pinching her hardened flesh. “Do you want me to suck your tits, while you milk my dick with your cunt?” Now he slid his palms over her breasts, gently squeezing them and pressing them against her ribs. L

 

[Xanaphia]

“Yes,” Eva moaned, begged, body arched towards Mykel, “Oh Goddess, please!” Climax building, drawing closer with each sway and shift. Her speed built with her need, fed by his words and his generous attention toward aching breasts. His cock, oh Goddess, that deliciously thick cock, felt so good stretching her walls, even with the lingering throbbing from the time.

His arms slid lower, supporting her waist, letting her arch even further until her head was thrown back. “So…so fucking good,” she cried, pulling herself further along his cock, burying him to the hilt within her, and still seeking more of him. “I want… everything…all of you. Even…even what you did…earlier…” Sheathing his entire shaft, she ground against him, clit pulsing against the sultry friction.

With his lips wrapped around her tit, release drew closer, like a word on the tip of a tongue. The heat of his mouth and the graze of his fangs drove her wild, wanting –needing more. More of him, more of everything, just to push her over the edge. Her fingers laced through his hair, “More…Goddess, more…bite me…” Then, at the pressure of fangs piercing skin, bliss trembled along nerves and smooth muscles, gripping him in a liquid silk fist

 

[TheCorsair]

“So…so fucking good,” Eva cried, offering him more of her breasts as she rode him. He accepted greedily, cupping one firm breast as he moved from nipple to nipple, sucking and licking in time with her body. “I want… everything…all of you. Even…"

He tensed as she hesitated, his fangs suddenly aching as he anticipated what she would say next. But she gasped aloud, clenching around his length as she sank deeper upon his length. "Even what you did…earlier…”

He didn't give in to the hunger, not fully. Fangs lengthened, drawing scarlet lines to frame her nipple. The taste of her blood was a subtle spice to his desperate need for her. She tangled her fingers in his hair, pulling and holding him to her breast. “More…Goddess," she begged, her voice wanton and desperate and filled with a hunger of her own, "more…bite me…”

At that, he could resist no longer. He felt her skin part beneath his fangs, felt them pierce into soft flesh. Her blood exploded in his mouth, a salty metallic liquor redolent of her - of everything about her. He felt and heard her climax at the same time, tasting it in her blood as her fingers fisted in his hair. A moment later he followed her, her blood dripping from the corners of his mouth and onto his chest as he arched his body into hers, his hot seed coating and filling her walls for the second time that evening. "Goddess.." he moaned to her, mouth returning to her bloody breast as he pulsed within her. "Oh... Goddess... my Goddess... Eva..."

 

[Xanaphia]

Now this was how she intended to end their evening. In each other’s arm, gasping praise of the Goddess and breathing words of love and desire between them. Pleasantly exhausted in the effort of fucking and being fed on, with nothing else mattering but his touch and his kiss.

His lips dripping in his greed for her life, her lips dripping in her greed for his seed, a sweet exchange of fluids that left both warm and sticky. She crashed down into him, smearing his chest with even more blood.

“Wow, Mykel, I…” she gasped, seeking the words that could express how full her heart felt now. But words were lacking, incomplete things incapable of capturing the immensity of this moment. So, she just sighed and repeated what she could. “…wow.”

The salty musk of desire and the iron fragrance of life permeated the air, becoming a familiar recollection of previous times until the distinction between lovers and friends dissipated. Everything had changed, and nothing had. He was still Mykel, the man she loved since the that little boy offered her a hand when she’d fallen and scraped her knee. Nothing in the world was more comforting, safer that his arms wrapped around her.

---

Lily stirred, aching fangs pulling her from dreamless sleep. She’d remembered falling asleep in a bed, so waking draped over hard wooden boxes was disorienting. Almost as disorienting as the rhythmic pounding of her swollen pussy, still dripping with the devotion dozens of demons had poured into her. Who…who was fucking her? And why didn’t waking up to a strange cock inside her bother her more?

“Take it, slut!” an unfamiliar voice called, hands gripping her hips to pull her tight to him. More cum pumped into her well used slit, more cum dripping down aching thighs. Eyes fluttered open, catching the shadowy shapes of three people, seemingly human shaped.

“Shit! She’s waking up.”

“Stop for a minute, maybe she’ll pass out again.”

Questions of who they were or where she was didn’t register. All that mattered was the sweet blood pumping in their veins. “More,” she croaked, reaching weakly for the nearest one. He was pantless, she soon found, stroking a throbbing erecting that strained with fresh, sweet blood. Drool dribbled from her lips, craving another taste. “More…”

“Oh damn, I think she’s down to fuck.” He was the closest, bringing his swollen cock closer to her face, where his scent invaded her mind. From behind, one warm body moved away from her, and another replaced it, rubbing another blood-filled dick against her pussy.

“Well, she’d have to love cock to service so many demons. What’s a couple more to a hungry slut?”

“More,” she moaned, rubbing her sore ass against this new cock. A hungry mouth opened for the cock before her, gazing up at the unfamiliar human with crimson eyes. Her pink tongue traced the ridge of his head, and he groan, gripping a fistful of black hair.

“We got more for you, baby,” he laughed, thrusting his hips forth, until half his length was filling her mouth. His buddy slammed his cook deep into her depths, lubicrated with the black seed of numerous demons.

 

[TheCorsair]

A little earlier...

"Damn," one of the men swore, staring at the naked Paladin on the altar. "She is fucking hot."

"Told you, didn't I?" laughed one of the others. "Said there was a good reason to volunteer to clean up this morning, didn't I?"

"Fuck yeah there is," agreed the third. "And take it from me = even after all those demons, she's nice and tight."

Two of the men were the ones who'd carried Zamira and Lily to be cleaned and cared for after the last Celebration. Normally, they had a go at the High Priestess before handing her over to the acolytes, but last time the new woman had been the recipient of their lusts. And it had been, they decided, fucking hot to have a Paladin. So when they learned she'd been part of this Celebration as well, they'd lept at the chance.

Quickly, two of the men bundled her onto a stretcher while the third opened the door. "It's clear," he called, gesturing. "Hurry." Hefting the unconscious Lily, they hurried down the hall. Their duties, of course, called for them to take her straight to the ritual attendants. But there was a perfectly good storeroom on the way, one with thick walls and a heavy door. One where they could take their time with a woman too sluggish from blood loss to bother to protest what they had planned. The leader opened the door, then locked it behind them as the stretcher bearers rolled her onto a crate. Coins were flipped, determining order, and the leader settled in to stroke his cock as the new guy took his position behind the Paladin.

"Oh, fuck," he groaned as he pushed his cock into her slick, well-used cunt. "Fuck, she is tight."

"Told you," laughed the second man, squeezing and jerking his cock as his associate hammered his dick into the Paladin's cunt. "Fuckin' fine piece of ass."

“Take it, slut!” gasped the new guy, grabbing her hips roughly and fucking harder. "Oh, oh fuck..." he groaned, feeling her clench a little around him. "Fuck!" he gasped, feeling his cum empty into her slit.

The man in front suddenly stepped back, looking nervous. “Shit! She’s waking up.”

The leader rose to his feet. “Stop for a minute, maybe she’ll pass out again.” Then all of them relaxed, just a little, as she found her voice.

“More,” she croaked, her voice rough. “More…”

“Oh damn," laughed the second, stepping forward. "I think she’s down to fuck.”

"Well, she’d have to love cock to service so many demons," laughed the leader as he stepped up behind her. "What’s a couple more to a hungry slut?” With that he pushed his aching dick into her slit, feeling cum drip out as he did. "Yeah. You like that, don't you? Take it, slut!"

“More,” the Paladin moaned, rocking back onto his dick.

The man before her stared at her hungrily as she opened her mouth, entirely missing the crimson flame in her eyes. He gripped a fistfull of her long black hair, streaked and clumped with cum, and groaned as she explored hsi meat with her tongue before taking it fully into her mouth. “We got more for you, baby,” he laughed, fucking her throat hard as his buddy pounded into her cunt.

 

[Xanaphia]

More blood filled his cock, the cock filling her mouth, and Lily’s fangs lengthened outside of her control. The man fucking her mouth hissed, “watch your teeth.” Lily paid no mind but focused her attention on her tongue more than sucking, letting him set the pace for fucking her throat. Her hands just went around his thighs, pulling him closer. Holding him close.

Swollen, thicker and harder, filling with his seed until he burst. At that moment, with salty cum filling her mouth, she bit, fangs locking him into place. Blood gushed into her mouth, filling and overflowing, running crimson down her chin and painting breasts. Once she drained what she could from his cock, she dug her claws into his legs, holding him still so she could find that artery pulsing in his thigh. He tried to get away, tried to pry himself from her grasp, but –even as weakened as she was– he was no match for her strength.

The one fucking her and the one who’d finished fled, leaving their accomplice alone with the blood-drunk paladin. Lily followed her victim down, greedily drinking every drop, beyond what she could even swallow.

---

Pounding on the door pulled Clara from her dreams, as well as the form she wore as she fell asleep. Tossing on a tunic to cover her nudity, the door pounded again, threatening to pull the hinges from the frame. Barely given a chance to rub the sleep out of her eyes, she opened the door to find the town guard filling the hallway.

“Vera, we–“ The man started, before stopping with mouth agape. “Wait…Lady Clara?”

Shit! She didn’t really want to be recognized. “Yeah, it’s me. What’s going on?”

“It’s…. there’s been an attack. Lord Willam and Lady Nereis are…” The guard sighed and shook his head.

Clara’s heart sunk. “What happened?”

“Lord Willam is dead, and Lady Nereis is badly injured.”

“No…” Clara blinked back tears. The world slipped away, dissolved in grief and disbelief. Her first love, her first kiss, her husband. She’d just seen him! How could he be dead? She sunk back onto the bed she shared with Verrier, every breath feeling too heavy with the weight of this loss on her heart.

The guard cleared his throat, “Lady Clara.”

“Why are you here?” She howled, knowing she was being irrational, knowing it wasn’t the messenger’s fault her husband was dead, but finding it hard to care in any case. He was hers, and he’d been taken from her. Someone would pay for that.

“Well, Vera is our prime suspect. She matches the description Lady Nereis managed to relay about the assailant, and she spoke to the victims before the attack.”

“Vera is just a human,” Clara harped, rage borne of grief fueling her. It wasn’t true, but Verrier had been with her the whole time. “Willam and Nereis are paladins. A mere human couldn’t have killed a paladin and injured another.”

“Lady Nereis claimed the assailant used magicked weapons. We are going to need to examine her weapons. But…Well, you should come with us too.”

Clara’s eyes, raw from anguish, narrowed, “Why?”

“Now you’re a suspect too.”

Wait. “What?”

“You snuck into town under an assumed identity, and paid money to stay here, instead of your home. You’re hiding something.”

Clara exploded to her feet, and the guards flinched. “Why would I kill my husband?”

“That will have to be sorted out. Will you come peacefully, or do I have to call for the Lady Commander?”

At this point, Clara wasn’t even sure Lady Ari could have held her against her will, a thought that would have been unthinkable in her youth. But everything had changed. Ari had aged. She hadn’t.

Still, if she fled, it would only add to the mounting evidence of her guilt. The town would turn against her, and the true culprit would go unpunished. “Let’s get this over with. The sooner you eliminate me as a suspect, the sooner you can get back to catching the bitch who did this.”

 

[TheCorsair]

Verrier didn’t sleep, although most mortal creatures believed she did. After all, her eyes closed and her breathing slowed and her movements slowed and ceased for hours - sometimes even days or weeks - to a time. But it wasn’t sleep. The Dragon’s consciousness entered into a communion with her domains, sensing the slow grinding of the earth in her bones and the rushing of waters through her veins and the movements of living things upon her skin. She had described the sensations to Afodesia once, in a rare introspective moment in their tumultuous relationship, and the goddess had conspired mpared it to her own ability to perceive the minds of her worshippers. But Verrier was no god, and even the thoughts of those who called her name were closed to her.

Verrier preferred it that way.

She had no interest in rising when the hammering began at the door. Besides, Clara was up and moving. Better to return to her slumbers, seeking the bitter flavor of god’s and their spawn in her nostrils and nerves. Better to try and find the skull and the theives. But it was a difficult thing, particularly now that she had permitted the favored pets of Afodesia to construct a fortress in his domains. The presence of the Paladins was a constant stink of the divine, obscuring and baffling other presences.

Clara, who had returned to her true shape from the sound of her voice, howled in loss and fury. Lost in her communion with the bones and blood of her grandmother, the individual words were meaningless to the Dragon, but the raw emotion was clear. Anger. Grief. Despair. Something had hurt her mate, and it was only her desire to retain the advantage of surprise that kept her in the form of a human as she rose and grabbed her weapon.

“Why would I kill my husband?” Clara demanded.

“That will have to be sorted out,” a human male replied. “Will you come peacefully, or do I have to call for the Lady Commander?”

Naked, an angel’s sword in one fist, Verrier pulled the door the rest of the way open to confront the guards. They drew steel as well, clearly considering her dangerous. She smiled, a predatory expression baring her teeth. “I would advise you to summon the Lady-Commander Aurianna, yes,” she laughed. “And Matthias the Redeemed as well.”

“You refuse to come with us, then?” the Guard Captain answered, eyes narrowing.

“Oh, I will defer to Clara on that,” Verrier replied lightly. “But regardless of what happens, it seems we will be having words with them.” All eyes turned to Clara, the guards wary and Verrier utterly unconcerned.

“We will go peacefully,” Clara said, voice hollow, emphasizing her decision by staring at Vera.

“Very well,” Verrier agreed with a shrug, reversing her sword and offering it to a guard. “Shall we go, then?”

The guard took the sword carefully, handling it as if he expected it to bite him. “Perhaps you should dress first?”

She glanced down at herself, as if only now realizing she was naked. “Should I?”

---

They weren’t taken to a jail cell. Instead, because of Clara’s presence, the two of them were politely escorted to the Fortress-Temple of Afodesia on the banks of the Sarn. It was a broad structure comprising the river wall of the city and occupying the portion of Monsford that had been most thoroughly destroyed by the Host of Torment and the battle between the Godslayer and the Demon-Dragon. Now it was home to a score of Paladins and three times that many Aspirants, sworn to defend the Ten Kingdoms and all of humanity from the demonic threat that still purged beyond the river.

None of them, pausing in their training and their duties, recognized Verrier as she was escorted through the courtyard. She found that amusing, since the splinter Afodesia sect that thrives in his domain considered the Goddess to be his mate. But all eyes were upon Clara now, gazes filled with a mixture of pity and suspicion. It required no divine gift of knowing the thoughts of men to see what they were thinking.

“I’ll take them from here,” states a tall woman, sheathing a greatsword across her back.

“Yes, Lady Diana,” the guard replied, saluting.

Diana regarded Clara with ice-blue eyes, then shook her head sadly. “They sent a runner, m’lady. I don’t believe the accusation, but we have to show that we are not above the law.” She pointedly ignored Verrier’s snort of amusement. “But the question of your innocence should be able to be resolved quickly - we received word yesterday that Lady-Commander Rielle and High Inquisitor Edmund will be arriving within the week to inspect the Temple.”

At Clara’s expression she nearly cracked and hugged the younger Paladin. But, knowing that appearances must be maintained, she held off. “Come. I’ll take you to speak with Lady-Commander Aurianna.”

 

[Xanaphia]

Aurianna sipped at her coffee, not finding it nearly bitter enough. It might have been just after dawn, but she really could have gone for a drink. No wonder my father always had a brandy handy. The thought that anyone would murder a paladin was difficult to swallow, that the idea that Clara would was unthinkable, at least to Aurianna. Clara, the girl she trained, the girl who had saved her from a brutal assault from her own comrades. Who offered to sacrifice her own life to bid Verrier to come to Monsford’s aid and had literally fallen from the sky to take on Hydranes when Aurianna could no longer fight. Clara wasn’t a murderer. She couldn’t be a murderer.

Still, her behavior was strange, speaking to dishonest motives. It had been two weeks since she left for Mount Fearfire. Anyone would think that she’d announce her return to her home, met with the spouses who had missed her in her time away. Why steal into town wearing a stranger’s face?

There had to be another reason Clara would sneak into her hometown under an assumed identity. To…have an affair, perhaps? Was it possible to have an affair in the confines of her open, polyamorous marriage? Why an affair, when being open about her desires would have been readily accepted?

The answer walked through her door, in the shape of the other suspect, Vera. It was impossible to pin her age down, but she was closer to the children Clara helped to raise than the spouses she raised those children with. Though, the more she examined Vera, the more ageless she seemed.

“I am only going to ask once. Clara, did you kill William.”

The look in Clara’s eyes said it all; her soft, sad “no,” unneeded. Aurianna nodded, and leaned forward on her desk.

“Alright, tell me exactly what happened then. Let’s start with why you spoke to Nereis earlier in the evening, asking after me.”

---

“This is very bad, Lilianna. Very bad indeed.”

Lily sat across from the older man unable to meet his eyes, just staring down at the floor. She was still covered in the seed of the demons she had served and the men who had had her in the storage room, as well as the blood of the man she drained. Killed. At least the man –Jeoram, as he had introduced himself– had given her a robe to cover her nudity. But it was thin and sheer, so it didn’t cover much. Certainly not her shame. “I know.”

“Every single demon in Reeves Bluff has worked very hard to gain the trust of the humans. It took years to build that trust, to build the community we have here. And now, in one single night, you may have up-ended all that work.” His voice was not angry, just stern. Like when her father lectured her for being irresponsible. She would have preferred anger.

“I…” What could she say in her defense? The night had been a blur of hunger and desire. She didn’t remember how she ended up having sex with the humans. All she remembered was greedily drinking down one man’s life, until his body could no longer hold up his weight and his heart stopped beating. “I’m sorry. I messed up.”

“Yes, you did.” The words were firm, deliberate, and they cut deep. Lily bit her lip to hold back the tears, fangs were still extended. No hiding her crime. “I hate to see you go down the same path as your father.”

Lily glanced up at Jeoram now, eyes narrowing. “My father was redeemed.”

“Yes, he was. But, before he was redeemed, he was Matthias the Demon Traitor. The decade he spent raping and murdering innocents was the reason he needed redemption in the first place. And here you are, following in his footsteps.”

“I’m not!” she insisted, fists balled at her sides. “I’m not a–“

“Murderer?” Jeoram filled in for her, his arms crossed over his chest. The word was an icy knife in her chest. “A traitor to the Goddess? A slave to your inner darkness?” The relentless assault of accusations wore her down, until there was no more holding back the tears. All the whispers she had heard all her life, all the silent accusations and judgmental looks, all of them were right. The apple hadn’t fallen far from the tree. She, like her father before her, was a murderer.


Calloused fingers caressed her cheek, a rough thumb brushing her tears away. “It’s good that you are here, Lily. It’s not too late to seek redemption. But you must devote your entire being to worship, and you must be sincere. Are you sincere, Lily?”

Blinking back the tears, Lily nodded, “I am. Let me prove my piety, please. However, I can.”

 

[TheCorsair]

Jeoram examined the young Paladin as she spoke, nodding to himself. She wasn’t an exactmatch for her whore of a mother, but she was close enough. Close enough to make all of this so much sweeter. “Then you must be the receptacle of Her divine will,” he said, wiping away another tear with his thumb. His free hand worked at his trousers, allowing his marble-colored shaft to emerge. “You must accept an offering of Her worship.”

Both hands twisted in her long dark hair, matter with sweat and demon cum. He pulled her face to his crotch, rubbing his head against her lips. She hesitated, making a small sound of uncertainty that stiffened his cock further, and he groaned in pleasure as he forced his length into her mouth anyway. “Receive my offering, oh Goddess,” he grunted, trying to keep the sneer from his voice. Then he began moving, roughly dragging her up and down his cock, letting his balls slap her chin as he rammed his meat into her throat.

“Touch yourself,” he grunted as he roughly fucked her face. “Let your pleasure show the Goddess the sincerity of your repentance.” Whore. Little slut looked just like her who’re mother. He’d dreamed about using the bitch like this, making Ari suffer for throwing him over for that traitor. But this was better, using her previous daughter like a bitch. He’d had her twice now, climaxing to the thought of Ari watching him balls deep in her.

He tore Lily off his cock, shoving back along the bench she sat on. His rough hands opened her thin robe, baring her to his gaze, and then he was pushing her thighs apart. “Receive,” he gasped, “my humble entreaty into your secret places.” Then he was in her, feeling unprepared walls lined by demon and human cum stretching to take him. “Beg,” he grunted, hammering his cock into her, “beg... the Goddess... for mercy..”

 

[Xanaphia]

Tears blinded Lily as Jeoram fucked her throat, driving his long cock deep into her mouth. Pulling out nearly all the way, only to thrust the full length again. It was a struggle not to choke, focusing on her breathing as he took charge of the rhythm. His intense pace made it difficult to hear his demand to touch herself, much less act on it, but she had to prove her devotion. Didn’t she?

Shaking fingers teased trembling lips, not feeling it, not find ecstasy this time. Goddess, she ached, finally feeling the toll of last night in her flesh. Whatever pleasure pain had brought last night was long gone now. Still, she complied, seeking rapture to offer the Goddess, and accepting her agony as punishment. Her only reprieve was that the decayed blood in his cock did not tempt her hunger. Instead, his gagging thrusts threated to bring up any food she might have had in her stomach.

Once his demanding stroke became too much, he pulled away, giving her but a moment to gasp and refill her lungs before disrobing her, and pushing her down on her back. His cock, not as big as some who had taken her last night, still hurt as it forced open her swollen slit, pounding into the ache countless demons had left in her. Clenching, the natural reaction against pain, only made it worse, tender walls gripping his shaft, unable to stop his pace into her.

“Our lady,” she gasped, fresh tears flooding her eyes, “Forgive my…transgressions…my voracious hunger…my selfish desire.” Each thrust was a new accusation. Glutton. Traitor. Murderer. Demon. She sobbed with every one, her pleas wordless sounds of misery and despair. Each time he slammed into her far wall, causing her body to seize in anguish, only one thought remained.

I deserve this.

 

[TheCorsair]

There were tears in her eyes, tiny beads of liquid ruby that streaked her cheeks as she sobbed and begged for forgiveness. Jeoram reveled in the sight, reveled in her pain and her shame as he drove himself into her. He felt his fangs lengthen and his cock harden as she uttered pained little sounds in time with his thrusts. His own breathing became ragged as he used her, used her misery and shame to build his own lust. "Forgive her... lady..." he grunted. "Forgive... forgive her crimes..." His hips battered into hers, blunt talons raking her skin as he gripped her hips and held her down. "Forgive this... this wayward... child..."

With a growl he opened his jaws wide, revealing a mouth full of razor teeth. "Let... let her blood... cover her... her sins..." he snarled, driving himself harder into her. "Let... let my seed... begin to... to cleanse her..." And then he was pressing her body down hard into the bench, his chest flattening her breasts and his weight pinning her in place. Sharp fangs tore into her throat and shoulder as he bit down, the taste of her triggering his release. He drove himself into her depths one last time, letting her blood flood his mouth as his dead seed pumped into her. He gripped her hair, pulling hard, forcing her to offer more of her life to him until he was spent. Only then did he slowly lap at the wounds he'd left on her, sealing them as the blood flowed over her pale skin.

"A start," he said, staring into her eyes. "But just a start." He gripped her jaw, stroking away a bloody tear with a dark parody of affection. "You will come to me, tonight. Tonight and every night, to beg the goddess for forgiveness until your sins are cleansed and you are fit to be her vessel once more." With that he pushed up and pulled out, staring down at her blood-streaked flesh and imagining her mother in his place. His demonic soul stirred and growled, wanting more. "Tell no one," he told her, wiping himself on the robe she'd worn the previous night. "It would not do to let the secret of your sins be revealed."

Finally, satisfied that she wo uld obey, he dressed. "Remember, this village is on a knife's edge. Men and demons coexist, because they know we seek redemption. Because they can trust us. I shudder to imagine what might happen to you, if the truth came out." He paused at the door. "Or to the other priestesses." With that, he closed the door behind him.

 

[Xanaphia]

Lily nodded for Jeoram, holding back the tears. One chance had she for redemption, one chance to pay for the life she took in her greed, and she wasn’t going to waste it. “Thank you,” she whispered, voice betraying her gratitude by cracking into a near sob. Still, with a deep breath she managed to restrain herself. If she felt dirty, it was because she was dirty. A dirty murderer.

While it couldn’t cleanse her soul, a bath would at least let her feel less grimy. Every step was agony, however, her entire body protesting last night’s events. I deserve this, she reminded herself.

Lily felt a little better after the bath, until she ran into Zamira. “Where did you go? I missed you this morning.” The priestess complained, throwing her arms around Lily. Goddess, the scent of her blood was maddening, awakening ravenous hunger in Lily. Already, fangs lengthened, throbbed, ready to pierce Zamira’s soft flesh, and replenish the blood she lost in service to Afodisia. Before she could pull Zamira closer, Lily pushed her away.

“I am not here merely to be your bedmate.” The words came with a snap, sharp with hunger and lingering tenderness.

Zamira’s wide eyes blinked, before her lips curved into a frown. “I thought you wanted to wake in each other’s arms again.”

Lily really had wanted that. Still wanted it, spending all day tangled up in Zamira’s embrace, tasting and kissing and caressing every inch of her. Draining her life to the rhythm of clenching muscles and gasping moans. But her mind flashed with a vision of Zamira lying in a puddle of her blood before Lily. Another victim of her gluttony. “I can’t afford to be distracted by you anymore.”

The pain on Zamira’s face stabbed deep, and she turned and fled, twisting the knife in Lily’s heart. She isn’t safe around me, Lily reminded herself. Not if I can’t control myself.

Maybe Mykel knew better how to control his bloodlust. Years back, he had confided in her about his fangs, asking if she shared that trait with him. She didn’t then, but she did now. And now, she needed his help.

 

[TheCorsair]

Mykel sat on the lawn outside Furtan’s manor, chewing idly on a stalk of grass and thinking hard. And yawning, occasionally. He and Eva had kept each other up half the night and then woken up early, exploring positions and one another with wild enthusiasm. But now she was exploring Reeve’s Bluff with Melinda and Cassandra, and she’d laughed and told him that maybe it was his turn to stew in jealousy before kissing him in a way that nearly delayed her departure. But now he was thinking. Hard.

Last night had been... exhilarating. But also terrifying. Eva had assured him that she’d enjoyed the rough way he’d fucked her, but in the light of day it frightened him. He had lost control, and even with the Mantle he could have severely injured her. Or worse, he realized as the nightmare image of her limp bloodless corpse drifted before his eyes. To his horror he felt his fangs grow and his cock harden at the image, even as he struggled to put it away. He’d drunk from her before, and this had never happened! Was it the drugs in the wine? Or the presence of demons? Or was he just playing with Fire?

Movement caught his eye and he looked up, grateful for the distraction. It was Lily and, well, she looked like hell. Pale and anxious and upset. So he patted the ground next to him. “Hey, sis,” he called. “What’s wrong? Lover’s quarrel?” His tone was light, but another thought struck him. She’d gone with Zamira to the demonic Celebration. If they’d harmed her...

 

[Xanaphia]

Yeah, I chased her away before I could hurt her. “No, I am just tired. Didn’t really sleep well.” That was true, she just hoped he wouldn’t prod. How would she explain waking to strange men fucking her, and hungering for their blood? Rather than give him a chance to ask more questions, she went on the attack.

“What’s up with Eva? You two finally figure what we have all known for years now?” She nudged him, trying for playful. It was almost working. For a few minutes she could forget what she’d done. Could forget what she’d wanted to do, as Zamira’s scent consumed her mind. “So when’s the wedding? I always did want a sister.”

Lily pulled her leg up against her chest as Mykel answered, only half listening. She was happy for her brother, but that wasn’t enough to overcome her guilt. It needled at her. “I know we talked about this years ago, but well…I suppose I am curious again. Do you…do you still feed on Eva? Did you feed on the twins, the night before?” She knew he was with them, even if she didn’t want the sordid details. “Is it ever…” she considered her words carefully, scraping blunt teeth over her lip, “Is it ever hard to control yourself? Haven’t you ever taken too much?”

 

[TheCorsair]

“What’s up with Eva? You two finally figure what we have all known for years now?” Lily smiled, elbowing him as she sat down.

“Yeah, I guess we have,” Mykel admitted with a sheepish grin that slowly turned into a genuine smile. “It’s weird, you know? It was staring me in the face pretty much my whole life, and I just now realized it.”

“So when’s the wedding?” Lily asked, voice sly as she nudged him again. “I always did want a sister.”

He shrugged. “Out of all the things we talked about, that wasn’t one of them. Probably should be, but...” He shrugged again. “Probably need to wait until we get back to Monsford to start talking about dates. Mom’ll burst a blood vessel if she doesn’t get to be involved in the planning. And...” his voice trailed away as he really see his sister wasn’t really listening anymore. Her thoughts were clearly elsewhere. “You all right, sis?”

“I know we talked about this years ago,” she said softly, “but well…I suppose I am curious again. Do you…do you still feed on Eva? Did you feed on the twins, the night before?”

Well. This felt like an awkward conversation all of a sudden. “Uhm,” he began, licking his lips, “feed is a bit of a strong word. I...”. He hesitated. “Eva, well, she says that me biting her is, uhm, really erotic. And, well, the taste of her blood is...”. He hesitated, trying to figure out how to put it into words. “Intimate, maybe? Or, uh, hell. I don’t know. It just makes sex better. But as far as the twins go...?” He frowned at that. “Yes. I did.”

“Is it ever…” she considered her words carefully, scraping blunt teeth over her lip, “Is it ever hard to control yourself? Haven’t you ever taken too much?”

Mykel frowned, memories of the previous night playing through his mind. “I... don’t think so,” he finally said. “I’ve... come close, though. Last night, for example.” He shook his head. “There’s... something in the wine, Lily. Some drug, I think, that lowers inhibitions. I think the priestesses here use it to make it easier to lie with demons.” He grimaced. “Not all of them are pleasant to learn ok at, after all. I drank it myself, though, with Melinda and Cassandra. And, and last night...”

He watched his sister, then noticed the way her mouth was moving. She was touching her teeth, checking them. “You... you’ve got them too,” he said, feeling realization dawn. “I thought it was just me, because of my demonic heritage. But...”. Eyes widening slightly at the implications of her question, he took Lily’s hand. “Is... did something happen, sis? Is Zamira all right?”

 

[Xanaphia]

“Is... did something happen, sis? Is Zamira all right?”

The question was filled with accusation, and Lily couldn’t meet her brother’s eyes. “I…didn’t hurt Zamira.” A truth, to slip past his paladin gifts. “I am scared, though, because I didn’t want to stop. But I don’t want to hurt her, either.”

She couldn’t tell him, could she? Admit what she’d done…

But now she was stuck on what he said about the wine. Some drug, I think, that lowers inhibitions. Was that why she found pleasure fucking demons, even as cruel and rough as things got? Was that why she slept with the humans? Or had they known she wouldn’t bother resisting them? Was that why she fed, beyond hunger, beyond need into utter decadence.

“I think you’re right about the wine,” she finally said. She looked over the river, following the rhythm of the current. “I’ve never had these urges, none of them, before coming here. Before serving with Zamira and drinking the wine.” But had the wine changed her, or awakened something already in her? Was this ravenous hunger always in her? The murderer? The monster? Could she really keep it contained by refusing herself? She had to believe it was possible. “You… did you ever tell Mom or Dad about your fangs?"

 

[TheCorsair]

“I…didn’t hurt Zamira,” Lily said, and hesitant as the confession was it made Mykel relax fractionally. “I am scared, though, because I didn’t want to stop. But I don’t want to hurt her, either.”

“It’s hard,” he agreed. “Even when you care. Especially when you care, I think. Because you can taste not just the blood, but their life.” Unconsciously he stroked his own canines with his tongue. “You want to share it, crave it, and it’s hard to know when to stop.” He grimaced. “It’s hard to want to stop.”

Lily fell silent, lost in her thoughts. “I think you’re right about the wine,” she finally said. She looked over the river, following the rhythm of the current. “I’ve never had these urges, none of them, before coming here. Before serving with Zamira and drinking the wine.”

“So you just now developed fangs?” Mykel asked, curious. Stroking his chin, he thought hard. “Maybe, maybe the wine is demonic in origin somehow? Pressed from the unnatural crops that grow in the Demonlands. Or, no, maybe just the drug. Maybe we, with my demonic heritage and your angelic heritage, maybe we react... differently.” He looked at his fingers, speculatively. “I grew claws. Last night.”

“You… did you ever tell Mom or Dad about your fangs?" Lily asked.

“Yes.” Mykel sat for a moment. “I was... eleven? No, ten. Eva and I were clowning around, climbing the walls after weapon practice.” He grinned. “We had a little free time, and wanted to burn off some energy. And she tripped and fell, skinning her knee on the pavement. And I remember... watching the blood ooze out.”

Goddess, this felt embarrassing to talk about with his sister. “So I knelt down and, I don’t know why, licked the blood. It kind of turned me on, in that funny sort of pre-pubescent way where you don’t really understand quite what’s going on, and Eva giggled and said it tickled and asked me to do it again. And...”. He grimaced. “I... bit her.”

He felt himself flush at the memory. “I think we both had our first orgasms when I did that. I mean, I didn’t cum, but... well. You know how it feels, biting someone.” He chewed at his nail. “It... scared us. We didn’t know what happened, but... we tried again a few days later. Just a little nip.” Goddess, he felt his fangs growing at the memory. “I, uhm, never told dad about that part. But I told him about the fangs.”

 

[Xanaphia]

“I…don’t think caring for the person matters so much…” Lily murmured, mind filled with images of the unknown man –the bloodless corpse– that had just been inside her. Mykel continued, explaining how his hands had changed into claws. It had to be the wine, and whatever was added to it. It explained everything. And that was something she could control.


Mykel had told her the story before, but in broad strokes. He gave far more details this time, about how it felt and how they both craved that feeling. It was more than she’d wanted to know about her brother, truly, and yet, it was precisely what she needed to hear. And it occurred to her their father must still have fangs, and still fed on their mother. This hunger could be controlled; just like her father and brother, and all the other demons of Reeve’s Bluff, she could learn to restrain herself.

Dad was probably the one she needed to talk to, about all this. Especially after what Jeoram had said. Still, the thought of his disappointment in her, that, after all he’d done to earn forgiveness from the Goddess, she following in hid path of bloodshed.

Lily got up then, dusting herself of grass and dirt, “I know I agreed to go with the group taking Zamira to Caerhold, but after last night, I think I should stay here. I’ve been invited to take part in the worship, and I think this is the best chance we have to get at the center of Furtan’s goals.” All of which was true, from the right angle. Regardless, it should slip past his ability to discern lies, without her having to admit what had happened. What she’d done. After all, Jeoram had assured her she too could find redemption. If she were sincere and opened herself to the Goddess.

 

[TheCorsair]

“Edwin,” Matthias called as the two horses entered the main courtyard of the Fortress-Temple. “Rielle. I... wish this was under better circumstances.”

Rielle brushes road dust from her armor as she dismounted. “We rose as hard as we could, once we received her message. Is it..?” She bit her words off. “No. Of course it’s true. You wouldn’t have sent it, otherwise.” She struggled for composure as she removed her helmet. “Where... where is... is Willam?”

“And, and Neris?” Edwin asked, his voice cracking on her name. Tears streamed his cheeks.

“Willam lies in the cathedral, awaiting your arrival before his interment,” Matthias told them both, pulling them into an embrace. “And Neris is still unconscious. Healers and physikers are attending to her, but...” he hesitated. “Her injuries are... grevious.”

“And Clara?” Rielle asked, trying to focus on work to ease the pain that gripped her heart. “Do you really..?”

“No, I don’t,” Matthias said flatly. “But she is one of the prime suspects nonetheless. Her and this Vera that was traveling with her. Both of them are in custody, while we investigate.”

“Couldn’t you just... ask them?” Edwin questioned.

Matthias and Rielle exchanged glances. “It’s not that simple,” Rielle sighed. “If it was, we wouldn’t need an Inquisition. There are ways to deceive Holy Discernment, particularly if the questions aren’t carefully worded.”

“Come with me,” Matthias said, turning and gesturing for them to follow. “Aurianna is visiting Neris right now. I thought you’d want to see her first.”

“Yes,” Edwin murmured. “I suppose... that Willam... can wait.”

---

Vera sprawled on her bed, reading the Codex Afodesia. Occasionally, she’d pause and scrawl notations in the margin. Corrections, most often. “Interesting,” she observed in a low voice, speaking mostly to herself. “There is no mention of the Godslayer at all in this work. You would think she banished the Qlippoth entirely by her own power...”

Shaking her head, she marked her place and laid the book aside. Then she sat up, turning to face the door as it opened. “Ah, Clara! Is your family well?” She searched her mate’s face. “I chose not to listen, as you spoke with them.”

 

[Xanaphia]

Aurianna leaned against the wall, watching Physiker Elsa tend to Neris, while her apprentice applied another cool rag to her forehead. Elsa shook her head and sighed, finally meeting Aurianna’s gaze. “No change.”

It had been the same thing, day in and day out since she’d been brought in. Not getting any worse, thank the Goddess, but not recovering either. The only good news about her injuries was that is narrowed the list of suspects considerably. Only a magicked weapon could have caused them, and the resulting coma.

It lent hope that Clara wasn’t the assailant, a theory Aurianna had refused to consider with any seriousness, since she wasn’t found with anything but her own equipment when she was arrested.

What remained was Vera, and the strangely enchanted weapons she had brought with her. Enchantments that even Matthias, with all his study into primal magic, couldn’t begin to identify. Who was she, and why would Clara protect her?

The door opened and Edwin and Rielle poured in, followed by Matthias. Aurianna could tell it was hard for Rielle to see Neris like this. She’d be one of her most promising pupils, before officially marrying into the family and becoming Rielle’s daughter in law. There had even been talk of Neris taking over as High Inquisitor, as Hallel readied to retire. Now Monsford was left without the very inquisitor who would have been called upon to investigate the attack.

“She’s been like this, since the night of the attack,” Aurianna explained, as Rielle hesitantly examined the body.

Rielle pressed her hand against a flushed cheek, sucking in breath. With a heavy sigh, she closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she was the cold, analytic inquisitor most knew her as. Pulling down the blanket covering Neris, she got to work. “Tell me about the injuries.”

“One major injury, cutting across the left shoulder to the right, bottom-most rib,” Elsa explained, tracing an imaginary line over Neris’ body. “Deep too, cracking two ribs.”

“What does the injury suggest about the weapon used?”

“A short sword, lacking in the weight to deal more damage. Serrated edge, inflicting maximum damage for its size. It cut bone, but did not slice through.”

“So either the attacker did not mean to kill her, or didn’t need to strike a killing blow to do so. What of the ailment that keeps her unconscious?”

“Disease, of some sort. One that doesn’t respond to natural cures. Neris’ own divine gifts are all that is keeping her alive, but still unable to overcome the infection. Still, she’s lucky the blow didn’t hit a vital organ.”

Rielle turned toward Elsa, “Why’s that?”

“That’s what killed William. His wound had punctured him in the gut, and by the time I reached him, his insides were dead. Decayed and necrotic. Whatever this disease it, it eats at its host from within.” She saw the horrified look on Edwin’s face, and looked sheepish. “I’m…I’m sorry.”

“Has Neris shown any signs of this necrosis?” Edwin asked, jaw tight.

“I had to cut a lot of dead skin away, but so far it hasn’t spread.”

Rielle turned her gaze on Aurianna now, “Any luck finding the murder weapon?”

“No. Clara had her stuff, the same weapons and armor she always carried. Vera had weapons in her possession, but they couldn’t be identified.”

“Couldn’t be identified?” She raised an eyebrow at Matthias, before frowning, and returning her gaze to Aurianna. “Well, if identification won’t work, we will have to test them out.”

---

Clara shrugged, finding herself far too drained respond. “About as well as could be expected.” If you discounted Thora’s raw, red eyes and Sigurd’s icy silence and Sue’s tepid attempts at comfort and understanding. They weren’t supposed to ask her about the incident, but what else was there to talk about? Small talk was more painful than silence, and every word was colored in confusion and distrust. Why would she return to Monsford in disguise? Why did she avoid them, her spouses, in stead of seek them out? Why did she continue to defend the only possible suspect?

Clara flopped onto the bed, wishing she could just sleep. Wishing she could just wake up to find this had all been a terrible nightmare. “I think we should just come clean, about why we are here. I am going to, at least.” She turned on her side, facing Vera. “I can’t live with the silent accusations any longer. And so long as everyone is looking at us, they aren’t looking for the murder. Besides, perhaps there is a chance these things are related. We come into town to find the stolen skull on the same night my husband, an avowed paladin, is killed; that can’t be a coincidence. It has to mean something.”

 

[TheCorsair]

“You would be shocked,” Vera said dryly, “by how many events in life are utter coincidence. But I take your point.”

Sitting silently, she watched as Clara struggled with her emotions. “I am sorry for your loss,” she finally said. “And for the pain it causes you and your surviving family.” One corner of her mouth crooked up. “I, well, my own family relations have always been... troubled. Yavost’cherev was typical of my attitudes towards my siblings.” Her gaze took a far-off quality, eyes melting into crimson slits. “Once, long ago, I thought I had found a home among the gods. But they drove me out as well. And so I became the monster they named me, more terrible in their minds than any of my kin.”

She blonde naked, and her eyes regained their human appearance as she focused on Clara once more. “We will not tell them who I am,” she stated. “Only that I am an agent of the Mountain. But we will tell them if the soul we seek, and that you came in disguise at the express wish of the Dragon.”

There was a knock at the door, and Vera fell silent. A Paladin, a young man wearing the entwined gold and black dragons of the Monsford Order, entered the room. “Lady Clara? Vera? The Lady Commander wishes to speak with you. And I have been charged to collect your weapons, and bring them as well.”

“Finally,” Vera declared, rising and handing over her sword. “Lead on.”

---

The room was divided in two by a railing and by desks. On one side, seated at the desks, were the Lady Commanders Aurianna and Rielle, and the Paladin Edwin, and by the celestial named Matthias the Redeemed. And, of course, by Iona Signesdottr, the ranking Inquisitor of the Monsford Order. On the other side sat Clara and Vera, the latter lounging in her chair as if she were holding court. A few spectators were gathered, Clara’s family and her aunt and uncle - the Inquisition had ordered a closed session, but permitted the families to attend.

“This session has begun,” Iona intoned. As ranking Inquisitor it was her duty to preside, even with two Ladies Commander present, and she was feeling nervous about it. “The accused will state their names for the official record.”

“Vera Altes,” Vera replied with a faint smile.

After Clara answered as well, Iona met Vera’s axe. “And what business brings you to Monsford.”

“I was sent by the will of Lird Verrier,” Vera replied, faint smile still in place, “to seek an artifact of power that has been stolen from his hoard.” She paused for effect. “The skull of a god, slain by him when the world was young.”

 

[Xanaphia]

Gasps filled the room, and even Rielle’s mask of icy impartiality slipped at Vera’s explanation. Her intention, Clara figured, sweeping her gaze across the looks of concern and shock on the faces of those present.

“What, what god was that?” Iona asked, stumbling over her question. There was no way she’d prepared for this line of questioning.

“Thanades,” Clara filled in, letting the name fill in understanding for the audience. Disquiet permeated the room.

Aurianna spoke up first, “How could someone steal from Lord Verrier?”

“Verrier and I left the mountain for nearly a fortnight, when we traveled to Landis to attend the wedding of my cousin, Astrid Helgasdottir, to the prince of Landis. Upon our return to Fairtheora, Verrier discovered the theft. That is when Vera and I were dispatched to find and return the skull.”

Iona nodded, growing surer as she found a way back to her original lines of questioning. “What was the purpose of entering Monsford under an assumed identity?”

“I believed that conducting the investigation as myself would have invited more distraction than answers.”

“Matthias was the prime suspect for the theft. Not mine, but Verrier’s.” Clara offered him an apologetic look, “A being of either celestial or demonic essence, capable of wielding primal magic. Which is why Vera approached Neris and Willam, to arrange a meeting with Ari.”

“What were you doing at the time of the incident?”

“Vera and I were intimate.”

Iona’s eyes widened at that. “You weren’t worried about clouding your judgement?”

Clara shrugged, “I’ve never pretended I had the impartiality necessary to be an Inquisitor. I offered to assist in the investigation for the missing skull to dissuade Verrier from burning down the town and shifting through the ashes.”

 

[TheCorsair]

“Also,” Vera added as the commotion from Clara’s last answer died down, “why would her judgement have been clouded? I flatter myself that I’m good in bed, but not that good. Especially since our investigation had nothing to do with me.”

“Yes. Regarding you,” Iona said, clearly trying to regain her composure, “where are you from?”

“Here and there,” she replied. “But most recently from Fearfire. Why?”

Iona made a gesture, and a Paladin stepped forward with a bundle. “And this is your sword?” She asked, unwrapping it.

“It is now.” Vera sounded amused.

Iona drew the blade and then started, shocked by the perfect mirror-polish of the weapon’s n. “What... What is this?”

“The war blade of the Seraph Dumaver,” came Vera’s casual reply.

“And where did you obtain it?” Iona demanded.

“From Dumaver,” Vera answered. “I took it off his corpse, after I killed him.”