As expected, my mother was furious at my underhanded ways of getting Seraphine's forgiveness. Had I not pointed out Seraphine's suicidal tendencies lately she would have no doubt exposed me. Her father didn't even question me, and Axar was thrilled to have been spared trying to get back into her good graces. By luck, he gets a clean slate with her. I however, am once again working on my last chance she had given me.
I slink back into our room. That sounds so nice. Ours. Our room. I toss my sweats off and crawl back into bed with Sera to wake her. I pull the blanket over my head and slide down to place kisses on her stomach. I slip my arms under her lower back as I continue to pepper her soft skin with kisses. In seconds there's a knee in my chin as a half conscious Seraphine attempts to sit up.
"Whaa!?" She wails. I chuckle. She kicks at me and I sit on her legs. "Get off! Why am I-are you?" She turns purple and pulls the pillow over herself. "Why are we naked?" She whispers. I stroke her cheek and she ducks away.
"You don't remember?"
"Remember what?" Her heart is as frantic as her eyes as she desperately searches for a hint.
"Last night. We came home. We found out a way to bring Barima back. You were extremely upset so you asked to stay in my room. We made love Seraphine." Her embarrassment perfumes the air as she hides her face. She shouldn't be sad. "Sera. Speak to me? What is wrong?" Her eyes are watery and she turns her head for space.
"I can't believe I did that. It was too soon. Why would I do that? We were only just starting to reconcile and I did that." My face is slack. Even though it did not actually happen, I am offended that her reaction was the opposite of what I expected.
"Do you regret it?" She's guilty as she drops her head.
"I regret everything I've ever done since my first steps. Do I feel it was too soon? Yes. But it happened and there's no taking it back, or any of the rest of it back, so I might as well make the most of it. I'm sorry if i hurt your feelings. I didn't mean to sound..." Her lip wobbles again and I bring her to my chest.
She stiffens at first, then melts into my hold, pillow between us much to my dismay. Her eyes are tired and dull, her skin is still dusty in color. I take her by surprise as I roll us to the edge of the bed and pull her up to her feet with me. I throw that wretched pillow across the room as she tries to catch it. She covers with her arms and crosses a leg. I rip her arms away and tuck them over myself as she twists to cover.
"Stop. Please? You're destroying such a view."
"Of what?" She snorts, annoyed. I steady her.
"Of my girl. My scrumptious Seraphine." I smirk and lick her collarbone.
"You're the world's worst liar. Stop!" Her face is painfully red as she fends me off. I back away from her and search for the outfit. Few things I had gotten her survived her fit. I will have to get her more, which is fine by me. Easier to buy clothing and gifts than to find satisfactory prey. Sera is worth all the trouble and expense. I grab yesterday's outfit that she never wore and the necklace for her. She covers her face as the black lace panties fall out. "Oh no. Now you're picking out clothes and undergarments."
"I only do that because you are a doll." I wink. She groans and snatches the clothes away, ducking into the bathroom.
I hear her lock the door as she starts the shower and soon emerges dressed and cleaned. Toothpaste on her lip and towel wrapped up on her head. I grin too big and she raises an unamused brow. I tackle her against the wall and steal the towel letting her damp sage waves fall. She laughs and shoos as I roll it up and smack at her with it. She punches my chest and I seize her hand with a pur. We are chest to chest, well almost. Sera has to tiptoe to reach me. I steal a kiss immediately, not bothering to keep human form as my tongue wraps with hers. I feel her feed from me wuthout realizing it, and I steal energy from her too. My body thrums with her joy, and hers with my lust. Her nipples poke through the thin bra and shirt against my skin.
"Was that your stomach?" She pulls back shyly and nods.
I dress, then toss her up over my shoulder playfully as I rush her to the kitchen. I had laid out cereal, bagels, and all sorts of foods for her to prepare. I realized I had no idea really what to do with majority of these. She fixes a bagel and a bowl of cinnamon oats and starts scarfing it down. I can't help but soften as I watch her eat. Feeding is such an intimate thing for our kind, and it sparks happiness in me to see her ravenous with a little cream cheese on her chin. Messy, messy girl. She feels my stare and turns to push the food towards me in a sharing gesture. I'm not big on human foods, so I decline.
"Can you at least sit then? You make me nervous with your hovering. Like a student while the teacher stands tall over them during an examination like an educational predator." I cackle at this. Other voices join in and I avert my gaze to the crew coming into the room. My mother, my father and Axar. Where is Samael?
"Hello Seraphine." My father greets as he takes her hand into his for a firm squeeze. Her head tilts to take him in and her confusion is obvious. "How rude of me, darling. I am Nehemiah. Father of Noxodius and Narius." Mother clears her throat and smiles at Sera.
"I am their mother, Mileva. You may call me mother or Mileva. Come to me should you have any troubles. I will be stopping in randomly."
"Nice to meet you both." Sera smiles. Axar runs into Sera's arms and nearly knocks her off the chair. "What's wrong, are you hungry? I didn't eat everything." She says jokingly as she pets his hair. His body shakes as he sniffles and tries to gain composure. Sera is concerned and all but drags him up to face her.
"I'm ok. I'll eat whatever you fix for me. I just had a bad dream last night..." He trails off.
"About?"
"You were mad at me. I said horrible things and you hated me..."
"You might hurt my feelings one day, or say bad things and upset me but I could never hate you."
"I love you mommy Sera."
"I love you too." Axar climbs on her back like a baby chimp, so tall and lanky he has to curl his legs in to keep them from dragging the ground. Mother giggles at the sight. Sera gets to fixing Axar breakfast. After he's ate, and dressed in something other than pajamas, we ready ourselves to leave. My parents say goodbye and mother lingers around Sera for a moment before finally leaving for their home. Samael emerges through the front door and Sera gapes wide eyed and nervous as he strides up to us.
"Good evening, Seraphine." She only nods awkwardly in greeting and tries to turn away. He catches her arm to turn her back around. "I'm still your father Sera, answer me with words child."
"Evening, sperm donor." She mumbles. His eyes glow with agitation as he turns to me.
"If you won't talk to me respectfully, I'll be forced to speak to your master instead." He shrugs as I eye him warily. If he sets her off or fucks this up, he is a dead man.
"He is no master of mine, yours maybe, I won't judge. Not mine though. Have at it. The floor is yours." He grimaces through his frustration and addresses me.
"Noxodius, if I may I would like to accompany you to Barima's. It's only right that I help mend this bastard child's mistakes." My jaw ticks.
"You may, but do not call my girl out of name." He nods, staring me down. I stand taller beside Seraphine and I let my horns, tail and teeth come to surface. The rest of me follows suit as I watch him blink and look away. I grin as I pull it back. He masks his emotions with his typical smug expression and follows us as I lead us to my car, not wanting to expend energy. I do not know if someone lies in wait or if something will come off once we are there. I put Samael and Axar into the back, and Sera upfront with me so I can touch her soft warm flesh on the road.
"Do you think this will fix her?" Sera asks timidly. I sense her worry and I turn her head to me with my free hand. I hold her eyes with mine, and soon I am able to manipulate her body to relax into the seat.
"Of course. She resides within you right now. Last night she told me how she appreciates our efforts and forgives you. Do you remember absorbing her?" I prod, trying to be sure my shenanigans in her mind last night were successful.
"I don't know. If I'm honest my head has hurt every since I woke up." She admits, and her suspicion is obvious as she considers me. "Why don't I remember? Anything. Any of it." She thinks for a moment. "What day is this? And date?" I stare at her for a moment as she looks to the back seats. Everyone's shrugging, afraid to say anything that might earn them backlash.
"You passed out after Barima's house. You might not remember the past week or more..."
"Tell me what day it is. Please?" She pleads. "It's not that hard. I only want to know." She lingers on me now, brows furrowed in distress.
It kills me, but I ignore her as I fight my way through traffic. I wonder if she's communicating with Barima in her mind. I decide to read her mind, fortunate that she's not learned how to block it from me. Her gears are turning, as I suspected. She knows somehow that I am responsible. She also knows that I lied about our rendezvous last night. She's collecting all the evidence to make her case. I'll have to tread lightly. I brush her thigh and she shifts nervously. Fear? Fear. This is major cause for concern.
"Don't you trust me Seraphine?" She shivers but nods. She pulls her knees up and looks out the window. I see a small tear drip down her throat.
"Sera. Let me feed?" I don't wait for an answer as I run my hand up the back of her neck and work to feast on her smorgasbord of emotions. I hum, content with her energy flowing through my veins once more.
Once we get to Barima's home I step out of the car with her father and we check the area. We find and feel nothing. It is void of any energy. It hasn't been inhabited since Seraphine was nabbed from it. Perfect. I go back to retrieve Seraphine who startles and ends her hushed conversation with Axar abruptly. I eye her and watch her cower a little under my scrutiny. I'll figure out what you were up to. I take her hand, Axar grabs her other as we lead her into the house.
"Sera and I will set up everything in the main room, if you could do the honors of bringing us Barima's body. Axar will stay in the couch." I tell Samael.
"Absolutely. I hate spells and the like. I was terrified you'd ask me to assist with that." He chuckles. "Where's the body?"
"In one of the bedrooms." He leaves to retrieve the body as I talk Sera through how to set ecerything up. I notice she's distressed and I question her.
"What is troubling you? You can tell me anything." I trace circles on the back of her hand, she looks even more uncomfortable.
"Nothing. I just feel really shitty about what I done. Are you sure Barima forgives me? I wouldn't forgive me."
"I'm not certain that I would either, but she has. She did. You were acting in self defense, and she knows that." She shifts a bit uncomfortably when I pat her bottom and goes to light the candles.
I have her sit once she gets back and I call to Barina, who projects her voice through Seraphine. Sera is a little taken aback, but quickly conceals it to focus on what she needs to do. Samael appears with Barima in his arms and he sets her center of our circle. Axar is silent but studious as he watches from the couch.
"She's a pretty woman. Leave it to Seraphine to trash a perfectly good woman. Girl ruins everything." Samael snorts. Sera looks even guiltier after his insults. I'm starting to see why as soon as she came of age she left home. I can only imagine how he spoke to her in private if this is his public behavior.
"Seraphine, fours on the floor. You'll need to be in your demon for this. Do you remember how to bring it fourth?"
"N-no. Which makes me wonder how I did this to begin with." She gets into position, dipping in the front, palms onto the floor as I instructed. I think for a moment on how to rouse her demon. I call mine fourth and I stare at her, she only looks up in question. I turn my attention to Axar and lunge for him. In moments Sera is wild eyed and on my chest. I smirk as her horns erect and her teeth are bared. Perfect.
"Good girl. The circle, Seraphine. Back to it and focus. Think of feeding." Damn. Does she remember how to feed? I've taken so many memories and lied so much I can't keep track of my lies or what I've taken, what she might remember. "That feeling you get when you helped someone. You subconsciously fed. Concentrate on that." She does, and she licks her lips, tongue flicking at the corner of her mouth as she focuses on her subconscious hunger. "Open wide, Sera. Let Barima's soul out." I begin to chant and place my palms into the circle. Barima's soul will not come out, and I know that I will have to try a different approach. This is maddening. I want that wench out of my Seraphine. "Go to the body, and lay across it." I command.
She looks at me confused, but nods, still in her true form as she glides across the floor to Barima. She gently rolls Barima onto her back with a soft sorry, which is unusual to see from a demon in it's form. She arranges Barima and eases onto her body in the center of the circle. I continue to chant and Samael joins me, lending his energy to the circle. Axar's eyes are big and wide as he watches the circle liven with a faint glow. A glow appears from Sera's chest and she clutches Barima's arms as she screeches. The glow moves around inside of Sera's chest, then throat, but something is wrong. Sera begins to contort uncontrollably, but keeps her torso grounded to Barima's. The glow of Barima's soul remains in Sera's throat, as her long tongue falls out and her eyes roll. She instinctively places her mouth over Barima's almost looking like a kiss, but she is transferring a soul from her body back to it's original host. She collapses onto Barima motionless. The room is eerily silent save for Axar's labored breathing and whines of terror. Both women are still as death.
Barima jolts to life with a strangled gasp, holding onto Seraphine's shoulders for dear life. She shakes her and Sera's eyes flutter open as she takes her in. She embraces Sera with trembling shoulders. Sera tries to stay conscious, her body weakened from exertion of this process and of not eating for the past week.
"Sera! Sera, look. I'm alive. You did it!" The two look at eachother and Sera tries to grin. Something feels off here though. Sera slowly comes to herself as the two take one another in.
"Do you feel different?" Barima asks.
"I feel as I have every since I well..." She trails off guiltily. "You though. You look different! Do I?" I look over Barima and she does look different. The two slowly rise from the circle and I see that Barima's body has filled out, her face lively and bright. Her aura is different. Sera is still the same captivating, voluptuous Seraphine that had drawn me in from the get go. Sera drags her from the room to the mirror in the hall.
"Oh my! Damn. Oh my." Barima turns to admire herself with Sera watching her with gleaming eyes. "You made me perfect? Holy shit!" Barima snatches Sera into a hug and Sera giggles as she merrily accepts the affection. I watch the two of them as they embrace once again, but something troubles me. Barima's adoring eyes and lust are obvious as she holds Sera. The two feed without even realizing that they are feeding from one another's energy. Barima's dark demon eyes crinkled with her soft smile. No. What has happened? No! My stomach knots as I realize what has transpired. Sera's body has transferred some of its abilities and blood to Barima to safely animate her and keep its host alive. In short, Barima is now half what Sera is, and perhaps Sera is now half banshee from having to split.
Samael's cackle echoes through the house as he throws his head back amused.
"This is fucking perfect! Ha! Two birds with one stone." I raise my brow as I wait for him to elaborate.
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***What's happening guys? We are getting into the good stuff soon. Would you all prefer one long book segmented between parts one and two or for me to branch it off into a second book soon?