The Succubae Seduction Ch 15

Fallout from the rescue may tear the group apart, unless Lyden is able work through the betrayals of Lisa and AnnaBelle. With Brooke safe once again, will he be able to handle what she reveals about his past, or will the stress of the situation be more than he can bear?

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Chapter 15

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Making Plans

"

W-waahhh

!!!"

Okay, so that might not be the most dignified noise to make when waking up, but when you open your eyes and find five women staring intently at you, it can be a bit unnerving.

"You snore," Areth comments offhandedly, as she flutters around Ondine's head.

"You're short," I grouse back at her. Yeah, I know. I lost that exchange, but my mind is still a bit fuzzy from the rude wakeup.

Then I remember why I'd been asleep, and sit up to look at Brooke. She's still sleeping under the covers, and it looks like it's a peaceful sleep. I'm glad my original outburst when waking up didn't startle her. By the folds in the blanket laid over her, I can tell that her tail has reverted back to two legs.

"She'll live," Angela says quietly next to me, placing her blonde head on my shoulder as her arm snakes around my waist. "Though there's no telling what kind of mental damage she experienced under the torture."

"What about her fingers and fins . . . er . . . feet?" I ask. Her tail fins had been cut off, and I'm not sure how that will translate to her feet.

"I haven't checked her feet yet," the succubus says. She is still in her sexy nurse persona, white smock, ruby red lips and all. "As far as her right hand. . . ." She trails off as she shakes her head. "The skin has healed over, but the bones didn't grow back. She's going to have to learn how to use her left hand for some things."

"It was the oddest thing to watch," Lisa says, stepping up to my other side, and wrapping her arm around me. "She was lying there, moaning, and all her cuts just went away."

"You have a true gift," AnnaBelle states grudgingly. I don't know if she would still say that if she knew how exactly I'd helped heal the mermaid.

"Angela helped," I reply, not wanting to take all the credit.

I feel the room bounce, and only then remember that I'm still in the Orange Bubble. Worried that we might be under attack, I rush to the driver's seat, but sigh in relief as I see we're just leaving the water. People on the beach stop and point at my Volkswagen Beatle as we pull through the sand. Their faces of incredulity tell me what I can't hear coming from their mouths. Once again I wonder how we must appear to them, coming up out of the ocean like some sort of weird mechanical sea creature.

Thankfully we don't get stuck on this beach, and we're soon on the freeway, heading for home.

Brooke wakes up about half an hour later, and smiles dreamily at me, before she remembers everyone else in my car.

"How are you feeling?" I ask her.

"Better," she whispers. She throws the covers off her, and then gasps as she realizes she's still naked. The other women shoo me away, and they gather around the mermaid until she's able to get dressed in the odd clothes from Areth's wardrobe.

When they finally let me back around her, I have to stifle a laugh. She's frowning down at a flowing, bright yellow dress. It fits her slight curves perfectly, until it reaches her hips, then flares out in ruffles. I don't think I've ever seen her in anything like it before, and it clashes, even to my colorblind eyes, with her deep red hair.

I can see her right hand, and that effortlessly smothers my mirth. The last two fingers are completely missing from that hand, and her remaining fingers on the appendage are each missing the last knuckle. Something doesn't look right about her feet, poking out of the bottom of her dress, and it takes me a moment to realize that there are no toenails.

"I'm so sorry I didn't get to you sooner," I tell her, feeling a lump form in my throat at the suffering she must have endured.

She examines her hand, frowning at it, and then looks at her feet. "The nails should grow back, but this is my sword hand." Her voice is solid as she speaks, and for a moment I think she's going to be alright despite her injuries. Then her eyes meet mine and her pain and sorrow wash over me. It takes all my willpower not to run to her and pull her into my arms. I can see that she's trying to look strong, and I'm not going to take that from her.

I direct my car to pull over at a Burger King—with the distorted view of my windshield thanks to Areth's magic, I don't think I'll be doing much manual driving—and everyone but Areth piles out. Areth wanted to join us, but she's the only one that doesn't look human. Even so, we get a few more stares as six people pile out of my little car, only Lisa and AnnaBelle are dressed normally.

Just as we're about to walk in and order, I hear a bark. Turning, I see a small golden dog crawl out of my car. The door magically closes behind it, as the four-legged creature comes up to us. I could have sworn I'd closed the door behind me when I got out.

"Arethusa," I grumble, but I'm nearly bowled over as Lisa rushes over and picks up the transformed fairy.

"Oh, aren't you just the cutest," she says in high-pitched baby talk.

Rolling my eyes, I hold open the entrance door for the six women. I decide to pay for everyone, and we pile back into the Orange bubble to continue home.

Lisa gets disappointed when Areth changes back into her normal form, but that only makes the fairy laugh uproariously.

"We need to talk," I say to everyone when we're done eating. You can actually hear Areth's wings flapping in the silence that follows. I grow uncomfortable as all six women regard me, but there is a lot that needs discussing.

We get seated in a general circle, as I look at each woman. "For some of you, life has taken a drastic change." AnnaBelle, Lisa, Ondine, and even Arethusa nod their heads. "Your world has been turned upside down, but I want you to know that I'll do whatever I can to help you through this."

I stop and address Ondine, "Earth is not what you're expecting. As long as everyone thinks you're a human, no one will give you a second thought, but it's going to take some time to get used to the way things are done here. Lisa, do you think Becky and yourself will be willing to show her the ropes?"

"I called Becky as soon as I had cell service," she says, showing me her phone. I remember that mine had been in the pocket of my pants, and is now sitting at the bottom of the sea in the Shadow World. "We don't have room for everyone though, unless Areth is willing to work her magic there?"

"I'm going to need a lot of rain to make a change like that, again," the fairy says, and it's only then I understand the fairy's powers. She must be some kind of water fairy, drawing her power from falling rain or maybe it's just moving water.

"I'll have to check the forecast," Lisa murmurs, then looks back at the rest of us. "We can take in one more, and even Areth, if she agrees to stay as a cute little dog. . . ." Lisa turns big hopeful eyes on the floating fairy, but she shakes her head emphatically. Lisa pouts, but turns back to the rest of us. "I'd be happy to take Ondine in. I could use some help at the dojo, and I have a feeling we could teach each other some fighting styles."

"Good, now that that's decided, we need to figure out the rest." I take in a deep breath, but Lisa pipes up with some unexpected news.

"By the way, it's Thursday afternoon. We've been gone for most of a week. How's that possible?"

"Dang it!" I mutter. So far, every trip to the Shadow World had worked in my favor for time, but not this time. "Time works differently between the two worlds," I explain. "Sometimes it's faster there, and sometimes it's slower. Has your dojo been okay without you?"

"Yeah, Becky called all my students, and made up some excuse," the blonde says, frowning. I know she's trying to understand just how time can act differently between the two worlds, and I wish her better luck than I had at trying to figure it out. Time is supposed to be a constant, right? Well, unless it's warped by powerful gravity, but even then. . . . Ahh, forget! I'll never figure it out.

I turn my attention to the maimed mermaid, and steel myself for the news I need to give her. "Our apartment complex burned down. Everything on our floor was lost."

Brooke looks down at her lap for a moment, and I can tell she's trying to get her breathing under control. When she does, she looks back up at me and asks, "How?"

"TanaVesta sent a fire ant after me. It attacked me in my apartment," I tell her evenly.

"Fire ant?" she asks me, arching one delicate eyebrow, and I realize this is another term I'd made up. I tell her about the monster, and it's Angela who gives us the fire ant's true name.

"Myrmidons. Their king, Aeacus, is one of the Pillar of Fire's staunchest supporters. When she can't use Kobolds to do her errands, she sends in the Myrmidons." The succubus's eyes are wide as she looks wonderingly up at me.

"How did you defeat it?" Areth asks me, buzzing up to my face. "You're too weak to fight it directly, and you don't look burnt to a crisp."

"A friend from work helped me," I say defensively, waving away the little fairy.

Turning to AnnaBelle. My gaze goes hard, and I watch her fidget for a moment, before I speak. "Annabelle, I know when Lisa attacked me, she was being controlled. I could see it in her eyes. You weren't." I let that hang in the air for a moment, waiting for her reply. She remains silent, however, and I continue, "I understand that you thought you were talking to God, but we need to know we can trust you."

She finally looks up, and meets my eyes. "There is nothing I can say to justify my actions. You mentioned that our world has changed. I don't know what to believe anymore. I understand if you decide to drop me off somewhere."

Shaking my head, I soften my tone. "I won't just abandon you. You chose to come with us, to save someone you'd never met before, and didn't owe anything to. Your moral compass, while sometimes irritating, has mostly still been good. All I ask is that from now on, you consider what you're being asked to do."

She nods, and I turn back to Brooke and Angela. "I don't understand why the thing didn't control you?"

"It tried," Brooke says. "I could hear its voice in my head, telling me what to do, but I wouldn't do it. I couldn't hurt you."

"It was the same for me," Angela adds. "It kept talking to you, but you ignored it. When it got angry, and AnnaBelle failed to attack you, it ordered the rest of us to kill you, but I was able to refuse it."

"I'm so sorry I was too weak to resist," Lisa pipes up, her voice full of sorrow. "I didn't want to fight you, but the voice was too strong."

"It's okay," I tell the martial artist, hoping to never have an occasion where she tries to kick me in the head again. I think I understand what the difference was. Angela and Brooke have both professed their love for me, while Lisa only cares for me. There must be something in that kind of bond that allowed the other two to resist. "What I don't understand is; why couldn't I hear its voice?"

The four women that had been there during the attack exchange glances. None of them know why.

"Are you talking about a being of pure light?" Surprisingly it's Ondine who asks. I nod, and she continues, "Its voice isn't something heard, so much as sensed through the colors it throws off. The colors somehow communicate what it wants."

"And you're colorblind!" Brooke says excitedly. "That means you're immune to its influence." She stops, and turns to Ondine, horror suddenly thick in her voice. "How do you know about that thing?"

Ondine fidgets for a moment before answering. "Ever since you returned with Lord Varun, the thing has been having meetings with the Pillar of Water."

"Shit!" I exclaim, and then cover my mouth. I hadn't meant to use that word, but it is appropriate. Everyone looks at me, some more shocked than others, and I explain, "The same creature was giving orders to TanaVesta while she held me captive. I don't know what those orders were, because I couldn't understand it, but TanaVesta had been afraid of it. All I know for sure is that she planned to use me in an attempt to kill the other Pillars."

"You escaped from the Pillar of Fire?" Areth asks excitedly. "You're more interesting than I could have hoped for!"

I glare at the pixie, but it doesn't affect her.

"If that thing is corrupting the Pillars, then we're in some serious trouble," Brooke says worriedly. "You said that TanaVesta was trying to kill the others, and it sounds like she succeeded with Fujin, the Pillar of Air. If that light also has control of Varun, and that's what's making him act so erratic, then. . . ."

"If too many more Pillars fall, Earth might be in danger, as will our world," Angela finishes Brooke's statement. The two look at each other, and I'm glad that they're no longer at each other's throats. I guess saving each other's lives more than once is enough to start a friendship on.

"We still need to warn the other Pillars," Angela adds, and I see Brooke shudder. The mermaid had tried that, and paid the price for it.

"Who can we trust, though?" I ask. "Any one of them could be corrupted."

That brings silence. Looking around the inside of my car, I realize that not everyone understands the situation.

"Angela, would you mind explaining the Pillars and what's happening to your Shadow World to Lisa and AnnaBelle?" When she nods, I turn to Brooke, and suck in a deep breath. "We need to talk privately."

The maimed mermaid's chin quivers for a second, but she nods. She has to know what this will be about. She stands and follows me back to the bed.

"Privately," I repeat firmly, as I see Areth following us.

"Oh, you're no fun!" the fairy pouts.

"Why didn't you talk to me while you were in my mind?" Brooke asks, as soon as we're out of earshot.

"Because I was more worried about your health at the time," I tell her honestly. I reach out to grab her hands, but she pulls them away from me.

"You hate me, don't you? What you said to me before was just a lie." I can already see tears streaming down her cheeks and dripping off her chin as she looks down at her clasped hands. "Why did you even rescue me? Did you just heal me, only to hurt me worse?"

"Brooke, no," I plead with her. "I meant what I said. I

do

love you. Your safety and health are my top priority, yes, but I

didn't

lie to you."

Confusion paints her features as she looks back up at me. Reaching out for her hands again, she doesn't pull away from me this time.

"This probably isn't the best time, but I need to get this out. I know you were there when my parents were killed. I just want to get your side of the story." I make sure to keep my voice free of accusation.

Aaaaand again she pulls her hands away from me. One step forward, two steps back.

"I-I can't," she stutters. "You really will hate me then."

"Brooke," I say softly, reaching out and placing my hand under her chin, "I've already figured out a few things, but I want to know the truth. I can't stop caring for you. You need to know that, but I really need to know what happened. Who were my parents?

What

were they?"

She turns away from me, but after a moment, she starts talking.

"I was only an apprentice assassin at the time." Her voice is soft, and I have to strain my ears to hear her. "Your parents were hiding from Lord Varun. They'd already been caught in an illicit affair. They escaped his guards and fled to Earth, where you were born." As she speaks, her voice becomes firmer, as if letting out this secret she's kept bottled up all these years is a great relief. "I was sent as part of a two person unit to kill your parent's and you, when they were found. At the time I didn't know who the target was. It was to be my initiation into full assassin status. All my commander told me was that criminals on Earth needed to be taken out, and because one of them belonged to our realm, it was our responsibility."

Tears are flowing freely once again, but I refuse to interrupt her now that she's finally talking. "I grew up with your mother. We were dear friends. She vanished a few years before the mission, and at the time I didn't know why. I understood when I saw them sitting in the boat. When the time came, I couldn't kill her or your father. My commander told me that if I wanted to be an assassin, I had to kill at least one of them."

She turns to face me, and I can see that the worst is about to be said, by the fearful look in her eyes.

"I chose to kill you. I-I couldn't do it with my blade, and so I chose to drown you. Your mom pleaded with me to spare you, beseeching me to protect her child. As her dearest friend growing up, she begged me, but there was no hope for it. My commander would have killed everyone there, including me, if I failed."

Her body shakes with sobs, and I think I can figure out the rest. "You tried to drown me in that lake, but I didn't drown," I say softly. That must be where I really got my ability to breathe underwater then, from my mother, and not from Brooke. Which would also explain why I couldn't transform my legs into a tail. . . .

She nods. "I told my commander that you were dead at the bottom of the lake, as he finished cleaning your parent's blood from his sword. He had been wounded, but refused to let me tend to it. In truth, I didn't want to. I felt sick over what had happened. We went back to my world, and I was promoted to full assassin. As soon as the ceremony was over, I rushed back to you, but the difference in time. . . . It had already been two days. I feared the worst. What child can survive underwater for two days?" The mermaid hunches over as she sobs, and I place my hand on her back. How old is she? I wonder for the first time. For some reason I never seemed to notice that she doesn't really age as I get older. I guess she's always just been a permanent spot in my life.

As soon as she feels my hand, she pulls away again. "Don't touch me," she says loud enough for everyone else in my car to turn and look. Everyone but Areth turn back away immediately in embarrassment. The fairy watches avidly. "I don't deserve you," Brooke continues, her tone only barely softening. "I don't deserve to even be around you. You were my best friend's son, and I couldn't save her. I decided to abandon being an assassin. It was all I'd ever wanted in life, but when I looked into your gray eyes . . . all I could see was her screaming at me to save her baby. You were all she cared about. I vowed to protect you, should anyone ever come for you again."

Without warning, she sits upright and turns to me, this time gripping my hands in a painful embrace. Her eyes are red and raw from crying, and tears stain her cheeks, but her voice grows fervent. "Hate me, Lyden, because I know I deserve it, but

please

let me protect you. Don't send me away! I—"

I cut her off with a kiss. It feels like the only thing to do at the moment. She hadn't killed my parents. She had even saved my life, though she hadn't realized she was doing it at first. I can't hate her, for she truly had been my protector through my entire life.

"I love you," I whisper, as I pull back a little.

"But . . . but

why

?" she demands.

"Because. . . ." I stop to think, and give the only answer I can come up with that fits. "Because I do."

She tackles me to the bed in a fierce hug. You'd never know that just a few hours ago, she had been weak and grievously wounded, with the strength of her embrace.

"Would you two like to get a room?" Lisa asks with a smirk, but when I look at her, I can see pain in her eyes too. Somehow I know she's worried about me leaving her behind for the mermaid and the succubus. I can't say that her fear isn't entirely justified either. I've admitted to loving the two women from the Shadow world, but not her.