Chapter 1: Before Her Grace
It is normal for a succubus to drain a human man of energy or even life, but it was significantly less normal for her incubus partner to be this draining. "Are you done yet?" Lyxia snapped without making eye contact. Nediah finally shut up just to glare at her.
The tension in the air was familiar and ready to break like shattered glass just before gravity brings the shards to the surface beneath. "How long would it take you to move out?" And with inevitable force his words hit the ground and rang in her ears, so she didn't hear a monotone replay escape her lips, "A week."
Picture "Then I'll give you two," Nediah said as he left, dark wood echoing dully. Deeply sighing and trying not to feel, Lyxia met her own eyes in the mirror. Light bluish-green hair cascaded around ram-like spiral horns and pointed ears, pierced in multiple places with silver jewelry, contrasting the golden spirals above. Snake-like pupils and amber irises, even if flecked with green and electric blue, were common for her kind. Being plain was no reason to tolerate disrespect. The fine line between lustful banter that would make any submissive wet and misogynistic egos that dry up any sense of fun had been crossed too many times. If he hadn't said it, I was about to, Lyxia thought to herself as she tied up her hair into a messy bun.
As she began to pack her things, she thought about her next steps. Nediah was somewhere between a farmer, a hunter, and a cop for sexual demons, succubae and incubi. The Human Hunter-Gather Task Force was the solution to overharvesting human life force from the over world. A certain number of overworld "volunteers" were recruited and trained before being introduced into succubus-incubus society. Of course, they had rights and most treated them with respect, even if everyone collectively knew the humans life span was more or less halved by becoming a willing food source for the mostly immortal majority. Those who were more empathetic in their foreplay may ask their victims how this system made them feel, and almost all would answer, "Why would I waste away doing things I hate when instead I could live the most fulfilling, albeit shorter, life as the most desirable person in my neighborhood instead?" or some variation of commentary on a more traditional human life.
As Lyxia put her newly framed degree in Interspecies and Dimensional Studies in a suitcase, she sighed in weird jealousy of the human volunteers because her trajectory was as average looking as the overworld. Get some job supporting a similar society until she got bored enough to go back to school or get a new job or "shake things up" in some meaningless way.
"Dinner?" Nediah cracked open the door and interrupted Lyxia's solace.
"Ever heard of fucking knocking?" she glared.
Putting his hands up in sarcastic defense he mocked, "Oh, no, what if I see my girlfriend naked!"
Lyxia pushed past him, "Ex-girlfriend. Unless you already regret kicking me out fifteen minutes ago?"
Picture"Babe," he put his hand on the wall next to Lyxia's head, "You know I didn't mean it." Nediah's other slid onto her waist and Lyxia smirked at his change of mood.
Leaning closer to his face, tempting him with her perfume she whispered, "Oh, yeah? How do I know you aren't just thinking with the head between your thighs?" She pushed past him and strode towards the kitchen.
"Fuck does it matter why I want you to stay, I want you to stay!" He snapped, trailing behind her. Dinner was on the stove. Shredded meat simmered in a brothy brown sauce, scenting the air with aromatic spices. A side salad seemed to be ready short of the poppy seed dressing sitting next to the glass bowl on the table. The warmth of the dinner atmosphere in their shared home softened her resolve somewhat.
"I'm tired of the fighting. You know that wasn't the last time or the first time, and maybe I was about to leave before you kicked me out," Lyxia confessed as she flicked on the electric kettle to herself some tea.
The silence lifted as Nediah pleaded, "Is there anything I can do or say to make you stay?" Both sat at the dining room table, filling their plates with until Lyxia said, "Not really..."
He nodded, "Is this one of those ones where we can still be friends?"
"Let's see how the next two weeks go," Lyxia posited hesitantly, "Just don't push it," she replied, attempting to maintain a façade of indifference, though the way her pulse quickened at his proximity betrayed her. The rest of the dinner passed without drama, but with the awkwardness of a dying era. It was hard not to reflect on all the good times they'd had. He was her confidante throughout the majority of college and introduced her to most of their friends, who she hoped wouldn't be childish and pick sides. These things shouldn't have to be messy. Just because Nediah was insufferable to live didn't mean Lyxia had invested any less energy into being everything he could ever want. Similarly, Lyxia's temper and attitude while sexy could be exhausting. There didn't have to be hard feelings.
"Are you opposed to one last time?" Nediah asked with a cheeky grin, leaning forward across the dark table, "It's the one way I never seem to disappoint you."
Lyxia shook her head and chuckled, "I guess not."
Practically scooping her out of the chair, Nediah carried Lyxia to the bedroom and threw her on the bed. His voice was low, almost a whisper, but it thrummed with desire, "I'll take it back if you let me...just...stay. Stay with me."
