The stars were a barely seen glitter in the hazy night sky over her head. She looked away, out over the expanse of the city before her, or beneath her, as she was atop one of the many skyscrapers that littered this place. The sight excited her and exhilarated her. The twinkling of the man made world out shone that of the universe, if only from an earthly perspective.
A soft rustle whispered as she shifted her velvety wings over her naked form, using them as a cloak. She absently caressed the soft, dark purple flesh as she stood, mesmerized. Then she shook her head and took a deep breath. She slowly parted her wings, revealing herself to the night, and stretched them to their full wingspan of ten feet. Climbing atop the edge of the roof, she prepared to take flight, stretching her legs, her arms, and her back, working the lethargy from her supple muscles. With astonishing grace, she leaped into the air and dived down, folding her wings, allowing herself to achieve maximum velocity, the wind whipped her skin, turning her face, shoulders and breasts red. She snapped her wings out, her muscles strained against the pull, but she slowed and began to glide outward, towards home, which was another, smaller building miles away.
Alighting on the roof, she smiled at the faint glow of the sun's first splinters of light slashing the sky and bleeding over the mountains in the distance, a distance that no human could have seen. Opening a door, she slipped inside and made her way down the stairs. Reaching her landing she paused, listening. Hearing nothing, she pulled the door open and entered a dimly lit hallway that gave up none of it's details from the depths of the shadows that over powered the weak yellow light. Entering her unlocked apartment, she yawned and fluttered her wings slightly.
She left the lights off and made her way through the darkness, having long ago learned it's configuration. She stepped into her bedroom and flicked on a light, temporarily blinding her sensitive eyes. She went to a floor-to-ceiling mirror and stood in front of it, legs apart, arms at her sides, waiting for the shift. When it came, she gasped in pain, as she always did, feeling the torment laid upon her kind since before there were nations. Her wings went into spasms, feeling as though fire curled along their bones and swirled around their joints. The silver in her irises transfigured into green, her pupils dilated. Still she stood, forcing herself to witness her birthright, as she had every day since it had started. Her wings began to shrink, as they became liquid and their cells were absorbed back into her body. Her pale skin was flushed an angry red, her breasts quivered with the pain, her legs felt like rubber and she continued to hold on, never allowing herself to give in to it. Her long, slender fangs shortened, their cells also being reduced and cannibalized. The blood red color of her lips paled to pink.
The only thing running through her mind was, I am Kerri, I am a succubus, as was my mother, as was her mother, as was Lilith, my ultimate grandmother, scorned and replaced by that pale reflection that was Eve, given pain that would be passed down to all Succubi. It was the same thing she repeated to herself every morning as she shifted. Anger bloomed in her heart, it's roar tore the pain from her body. Hate careened through her spirit, freezing her memories. For, as was the case with all Succubi, Kerri held Lilith's memories, though none of that glorious being that she was. She wanted to tear the eyes from the only man she'd ever loved, Adam. Forcing herself away from the mirror, Kerri collapsed onto her bed, exhausted. She pushed Lilith's memories away, locking them back into the mind-box they normally occupied. I am not Lilith! I am Kerri, Lilith is dead, gone for thousands of years, buried only in my mind as a collection of vaguely familiar memories. Letting her weariness to overcome her, Kerri drifted off into a troubled sleep, plagued by half dreams in which she was cast from
God's love and drove from her home in Eden, away from the man she loved.
*****
Kerri came awake to the sound of her alarm blaring. It was five minutes passed eleven AM, sighing, she reached over and flipped the switch. She hated having to live by the humans' rules, yet she had no other choice. She sat up and placed her feet on the floor. Her body felt as though she'd been beaten severely. The after effects of the shift had never lasted this long before. She shrugged it off and stood, stretching and running her hands over her body, smiling at the feel of her own skin, the soft and coarseness of her red hair, the sensation of her nails dragging along her cleavage. Last night had been a good hunt, though she was sure nothing would come of it. She shook her head and went about readying for work.
*****
Night had not yet fallen as she left her office building. She hated it there, but she felt sure it would be only temporary. She had plans, after all. Checking her watch, which showed it barely twenty minutes passed eight. Kerri decided to head to her favorite hunting ground, a small tavern with the inauspicious name of Jack's Pub. She liked it best due to the group it catered to seemed to be mostly affluent, or rising fast to affluent, men. She stalked them as surely as any wild animal stalked it's prey. Not for food, but for the continuation of her species. She was told that nothing else mattered, and yet she found herself wishing for more. Nothing emotional, for nothing like that could ever form between her kind and the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve, but something beneficial, to raise her above where she was. That was why she only took powerful men. Someday one might actually prove grateful enough to turn her life around. To make her, if not rich, at least well off. It had happened before with married men, who often set her up in nice apartment buildings, like the one she now lived in, but that was nothing, she wanted freedom.
She was there before she even realized she'd moved. Shaking her head at herself, she opened one of it's double doors and walked into a cool room, with dark wood paneling and pictures of old movie stars hung on it's walls. She liked those pictures. Perhaps that was why she actually enjoyed coming here. She shrugged and went to the bar.
"Hey, Kerri, you make it home all right last night?" The bartender asked her. She smiled at him and replied that she had. "Good, you were pretty plastered." She laughed, a soft, tinkling sound that she had trained herself to use, as it never failed to pique a man's interest. She actually felt sorry for the bartender, whose name was Clark, as he gave a barely noticeable shiver at the sound, for she knew he liked her. She was even kind of affectionate towards him, but only barely.
"How about something a little less potent tonight?" She asked, though in truth alcohol didn't inebriate her kind, though she often pretended it did.
"Like what?" He asked pleasantly.
She thought about it, "How about a Mai Tai?"
His eyebrows rose in surprise, "Sure, though I thought you wanted something less potent."
She shrugged, "I couldn't think of anything worth drinking that was."
He laughed and nodded. She was glad when he walked away to make her drink. She smiled to herself as he ignored other people asking for drinks. He always made hers before anyone else's. The smile faded, replaced by a sadness that almost hurt. She looked away and studied the other people there. No one seemed promising at the moment, so she closed her eyes and waited for her drink, which wasn't long. Clark smiled at her, he was cute, in a way, she supposed, but she couldn't use him. She wasn't sure why, but she knew there was something about him that wasn't right. She smiled back and felt a brief flash of true warmth towards him as he flushed slightly and stuttered a comment that even she couldn't make out and left to help someone else.
Lost in thought, she was surprised when someone spoke her name. She swiveled on the stool and looked the newcomer over. He was tall, well over six feet, well toned, jet black hair that seemed to almost have a dark blue in it as he moved, piercing ice blue eyes, and naturally bronzed skin, he was wearing faded jeans and a black leather jacket over a blue shirt. He was quite attractive, yet something in him troubled her, so she turned away.
"Kerri?" He repeated, but she ignored him. "Please, forgive me, I mistook you for someone else."
She heard him move away and took a quick glance at his retreating back. The back of his jacket held an emblazoned tableau of the moon covered in pearlesced clouds. The surface of the moon held the vague image of an animal, possibly a wolf.
Something stirred in her memory. Or is it Lilith's memory? She shuttered and stood up, her drink barely tasted. Clark looked at her in concern, but she waved him off. His eyes hardened and he set his shoulders. Fine, what do I care? She thought. Yet he came around the bar and instead of being cold, he took her arm and led her outside, flicking a motion to someone inside to take over.
"Are you all right?" He asked her, his voice a warm whisper across her spine.
"Yes, perfectly." She replied, trying to sound indifferent, yet she was terrified to hear gratitude, even if the short reply said something else.
"That man, did he have something to do with it?"
"I..." What? He brought back dimly remembered times and places which she'd never experienced? Right. She sighed, "It's nothing, I just need to be some place."
She could tell that he didn't accept that answer, but he released her and nodded, "Fine."
He gazed into her eyes, which had begun to shift, frightening her, for it should not be starting this early, but he gave no indication that he noticed, instead he gently laid a hand to her left cheek, seemed to catch himself, then turned and left. She stood there, watching the doors, barely thinking.