Warlock: Love, Sex, and Damnation: A Shawn Moore Novel 01
Date: 2016-08-02T04:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Romance; Fantasy; Paranormal; Science Fiction & Fantasy; Paranormal & Urban; Romantic
Description: Shawn is a young man down on his luck, living in the streets. He isn’t lazy, it’s just for some reason people don’t like to be around him, and even fear him to a certain extent. They’d always had. His life is about to change though, as a man named Ben tells him he had an uncle, an uncle that died and left him an estate. He isn’t sure he buys it, and has no idea he’ll soon be fighting for his very life. Not to mention, fighting for his soul. WARNING: This book is an erotic urban fantasy novel. If you are offended by explicit sex, do not buy this book. There are MF, FF, and MFF scenes of a sexua

Warlock: Love, Sex, and Damnation

A Shawn Moore Novel 01

Author: D. R. Rosier

Copyright 2016.  This is a work of fiction.  Names, Characters, Places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously.  Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons living or dead, is entirely coincidental.  All rights reserved.  No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without permission.

Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Epilogue

Afterword:

About the Author

Other erotic fantasies by D. R. Rosier:

Non-erotic Fantasy titles:

Book Description

Prologue

They were meeting at the holiday inn, a neutral place if there ever was one in their world.  The four members of the magic council gave each other wary looks, their personal guards left outside.  Some might say they were paranoid, although the truth was at the last meeting they were five.  One of their number had tried a power grab… and failed.

The other three tensed as the old woman raised her hand, and emitted a red glow.  The doors glowed the same color for a moment, and then the woman took a moment to smirk before she sat down.

A young man, that looked twenty-two cleared his throat, “Clarissa, it may be prudent if you let us know when you’re going to seal the door against listeners in the future.”

Clarissa looked over at him.  He was young, handsome to the point he was almost pretty, with a muscular body.  If it weren’t for the fact all that was an illusion, she would have been attracted in her younger years.  The young man was named Dion, and he was the oldest vampire in the city.  She nodded thoughtfully, and then relaxed, slightly, when the tension in his body released.

Darren was the other man in the room, he was a wolf shifter, he looked about forty-five, but was probably twice that age at least, and he looked like a guard or bouncer, but she knew despite his brutish appearance, he was intelligent, and cunning.  The last of their number in the room was Elissa.  She looked like an eighteen-year-old goddess, her beauty was unnatural, and the truth was Clarissa had no idea how old Elissa was, except that she was probably the oldest in the room.

Of all here, she feared the fae female the most.

Darren looked at Dion and asked, “Why was this meeting called?”

Dion replied cautiously, the wolves and vampires were hereditary enemies in the past.

“I regret to say there is a rogue in the city, one of your wolves were killed outside of a bar.  Fully drained and then spiked with silver to ensure they didn’t recover.”

He paused as Darren’s eyes flashed gold, and he growled deep in his throat.  Dion didn’t move a muscle, the truth was he could take Darren if he wished, but peace was important to the old vampire, he would hold back if Darren managed to get himself under control.  Plus, if he did attack Darren, Clarissa would no doubt set him on fire, vampires weren’t fond of fire.

He continued after a tense moment, “We’re in the process of tracking him down, and when we find whoever did this we will turn them over to you for justice.  In the meantime, you may want to let the city alphas know.”

When no one said anything, he figured it was time to redirect the conversation, and looked at Clarissa, “Do you have an update on the Moore clan situation?”

Clarissa frowned at his transparent attempt to change the subject, but answered anyway, “According to our seer, there is one left in that line with the potential for power, he’s being tracked down now, and shortly won’t be an issue.”

Darren grumbled, “Are you sure about that?”

Clarissa sighed, “Of course not, you know the infernal clouds a seer’s sight, but he is untrained, and unaware of his true family much less his heritage.  That much she was able to see.   The last remnant of power in the traitor’s family will soon perish, I have my best on the job.”

Dion lifted an eyebrow, traitor?  Ambitious evil asshole maybe, but loyalty to this council was a foolish outlook.  He didn’t doubt if any on the council thought they could get away with it, that they would try to seize power over the city as well.  Himself included.

Chapter 1

“You need to leave, now,” the old man demanded querulously, “Or I’ll have no choice but to call the police.”

I sighed at the inevitable and took a quick look around.  The building was bare of many of the normal comforts, simple cement walls with white paint, and I was sitting in a room full of cots made up with plain white sheets, tiny pillows, and ugly gray blankets.  There were some large windows against the wall reminiscent of the kind found in a high school classroom.  It was a shelter in downtown Chicago, and I’d only arrived late last night.  I considered arguing the injustice of it, but didn’t bother.  I knew it wouldn’t help.

I’d done nothing to deserve being thrown out, but all my life people have reacted to me this way, I had no idea why, but people… feared me.  An uneasy fear, they usually reacted askance at first, treated me odd, but it was as if the longer they were around me, the more nervous they got.  Needless to say, I’d given up on the foster system by the time I turned fourteen, and have been on my own on the streets for eight years.

I suppressed the anger at the injustice, there was no point, so I just nodded and picked up my ratty backpack and looked inside, everything was still there, a heavy black coat, two changes of clothes, toothpaste, a toothbrush, deodorant, and a hairbrush.  Luckily I’d taken a shower as soon as I checked in last night, otherwise I’d have to go without.

I threw the backpack over my shoulder, and noted the confused look on his face as I left without a word.  No doubt he’d expected violence from me, and was confused by his own attitude as well, the old man had helped many people over the years no doubt, and was unused to throwing people out that hadn’t started trouble.  My crime was simply the fact that I was there.

Someday, I’d no doubt lose it and turn to violence, I’d thought about it a number of times, but that would just land me in jail.  There was also the fact that the fear I invoked in others had a short term positive outcome.  When people first met me, they were very polite, and would do just about anything I asked of them.  It was only after some time passed, and their fears of me hurting them didn’t come to pass, that they got brave and kicked me out.  It made keeping a job impossible though, which is why I was on the street.

It was just time to move on.  It was always time to move on.

It was late September and already getting a little chilly, so I grabbed a small coffee on my way out and turned toward one of the entrances in the south line of the El, and set up about a half block away.  Close enough to catch a lot of commuters, not close enough to get chased off by the police.  I drank down my coffee, and held out my cup.

Begging bothered me a little, but on the other hand it wasn’t my fault I couldn’t keep a job.  I also made quite a bit doing it, since scared people generally take the path of least resistance.  I seriously doubted I could’ve made as much if I’d turned to mugging.

I had about sixty bucks, and a gold watch, a couple of hours later, and figured that was good enough.  I was about to move on when I saw an older distinguished man walk over towards me.  He didn’t look intimidated at all, and there was something about him that made me look twice, although I couldn’t define why.

He was in his late forties or early fifties, his suit was definitely not off the rack, and he had a small smile on his face as he closed in on me.  I stood up, not wanting to meet this stranger while sitting.

“Shawn Derring?”

I frowned, “Who’s asking?”

He looked amused, which for me was a new experience, no one that talked to me ever looked amused.

“Ben Teague.  I’m a lawyer.”

I shook my head dismissively, “What do you want?”

“I’m a probate lawyer, it seems Shawn, that you had an uncle.”

I leaned back against the wall of the building and narrowed my eyes, “I don’t have family.”

Ben nodded, “Your mother died in child birth, and your father wasn’t listed.  I’ve been able to determine however you were the relation, the only relation, of Thaddeus Moore.  Will you come with me?  You are the sole inheritor of your uncle’s estate, there are some small stipulations in his will that need to be satisfied, but it shouldn’t take long.”

“Estate?” I asked suspiciously, this was too much like winning the lotto without buying a ticket.  No one’s ever done me any favors in this life.

Ben nodded, “I can’t give you any specifics right now, but it’s quite a large amount, will you come with me?  It should only take a few hours.”

I shrugged, I really didn’t have anything better to do, not until tonight anyway.

“Fine.”

Ben turned and walked away, and I reluctantly followed him to the curb, where a limo was waiting.  It was kind of surreal.

Chapter 2

I had a ton of questions, like how did he find me.  Both because I was out on the street, and because how did he know I existed in the first place.  The limo was all black, leather seats, mini-bar of which I availed myself a snifter of scotch, there was even some ice.  The limo went north of the city, to the really posh part of town with multi-million dollar houses.

A part of me kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, maybe he was some kind of really weird serial killer, that seemed more my luck than inheriting a fortune from some uncle who died, that I’d never met.  It actually made more sense too, pick up the guy with no prospects, homeless, no one would miss me.

“You said there were provisions in the will, stipulations?”

Ben replied, “Yes, nothing odious, but before we can move forward with any more information it must be done.”

That made me a little suspicious, but I’d seen enough television to know rich people did all sorts of weird shit, but then again, what was the worst that could happen?  Oh, right.  He could be a serial killer.

We pulled off the road into a gated community, the guard glanced at Ben and then let us through.  We went to the end of the block and pulled in a driveway for a large three story mansion.  I shook my head, had to be a serial killer.  He was old though, and I’d grown up on the street, I could fight pretty well since most gangs had the fight or flight instinct in my presence because of the fear thing, and they usually picked fight.

Ben got out without saying a word, and I followed him.  Speaking of rich people doing stupid shit, I guess I thought there was a chance this guy might be on the level, and here I was following him into a huge mansion just on the off chance he wasn’t some psycho.  Poor people can be stupid too I guess.

I was far from knowledgeable about antiques, but this place seemed full of them, as we walked through an expensively decorated living room, into a kitchen that had to have been three hundred square feet on its own, and then he opened a door and started down the stairs.

Was I really going to follow this guy into a cellar?

I looked around at the obvious riches around me.  Yes, yes I was.

It wasn’t what I was expecting when I reached the bottom of the stairs, it was fully furnished and had recessed lighting in the ceiling casting a warm glow.  There were a number of bookshelves with old leather bound books, I took a look and most of them weren’t in English.  At least the ones that had writing on their spines.

There was a large oak desk, with what looked like a very comfortable large black leather office chair behind it, with two other chairs in front of it.  The floor was wooden, and there were paintings on the walls that drew my attention.  A number of portraits of men that looked remarkably similar to me.  There was even a fireplace.

I looked back at the pictures and grunted.  Either this was on the level, or the guy was way past psychotic to go to this much trouble.

There was a metal door in the room, and Ben was going through it, I followed him a little less warily, now that I had at least some visual proof I was related to the previous owner of this house.  At least until I stepped into the next room.

It looked like something out of a horror book.  Here the walls were all cement, no, not cement, they were stone blocks.  It looked more like a cave than a room.  There were also no electric lights, the place seemed to be lit with gas torches along the walls.  Against the far wall, there was an altar of some kind covered with red cloth with three items on it.  A dagger, a large leather bound book, and what looked like an amulet of some kind.

In front of the altar, there was a pentagram with strange designs inside close to the points, surrounded by a circle, surrounded by another circle.  Between the circles there were more strange arcane designs.  There was also a feeling of wrongness in the room, but the feeling was also seductive.

What the fuck?  Despite the portraits outside I was leaning more toward the serial killer theory again.

Ben turned around and shrugged as he saw me in the doorway.

“Don’t worry, the only thing you have to do to prove your bloodline is put on this amulet.  Your uncle was a strange man, believed in magic, but he was harmless.”

That felt like a lie, not the first part, but the second part.  Which was nuts, shouldn’t it have been the other way around?

“What will putting on the amulet prove if he was crazy?”

Ben sighed, “It’s a legal thing, just humor me.  He stated in the will someone not of his line won’t be able to put it on, so even if he was crazy, we need to respect the provision in his will.  Surely putting on the necklace would be easier than disputing the will in court, and a lot less expensive.”

I frowned and shrugged.  What the hell.  Rich people were so damned weird.

I walked over to the table and looked down.  The dagger looked exquisite, the handle looked to be polished silver with some kind of material wrapped around it for gripping, the blade itself was onyx, dark as night.  The book had the feeling of age to it, there was no title or writing on it, just strange designs.  The amulet was three inches across, and appeared to be made of solid gold.  It also had some of the same symbols the circle on the ground had written on it around the edge, with one large glyph of some kind in the center.

I felt both nervous and eager, and a little ridiculous all at the same time.  I knew there was no such thing as magic, and my uncle must have been a beer short of a six pack, yet I felt like if I picked it up and put it on, I’d be changing my life forever.

Well, I suppose I would, since this house and who knew what else would become mine.

“So, I just need to put this on, and then you’ll tell me everything I get?”

Ben nodded, “Yes, I know that sounds strange, but I’ve seen stranger in wills in my time.”

I took a deep breath and picked up the amulet by the chain, and lifted it over my head and then put it down on my chest.  There was a flash of red light, and I could see it glowing a deep burgundy, and then I screamed as it felt like someone started to dig around in my chest with a sharp blade.  I’d never felt pain like this before, and my chest grew hotter as well, it was a burning and stabbing pain.  I couldn’t breathe and felt my body start to shudder and sweat, and started to hope I’d die soon.

Turned out he was a serial killer after all.  Weird murder weapon though.

Right before I blacked out, I felt something inside me break and then open up, and the pain dissipated.  I gasped in a breath as I collapsed, my muscles were locked up that whole time, and I felt like I’d just run for days without a break.  I looked up at Ben a little angrily, what the hell was that?  Some kind of taser, or drug?  And what was it with the damned light show?  The pain was gone, but I could still feel the echo of it.

My mouth dropped open when I saw the grim look on Ben’s face, and the gun he now held in his hand, pointed at my chest.

“I’m sorry Shawn, I can’t allow your family’s evil to continue.”

I felt the world going black, fuck.  I had no energy at all, that old bastard was going to kill me and I couldn’t even stay conscious.  My eyes closed as I collapsed on the floor, and I heard two loud bangs and a stinging pain in my chest, followed by a loud crack and a feminine curse as I lost consciousness.

Chapter 3

My first thought upon regaining consciousness was that I must have died.  There was a warmth infusing my body, and I don’t think I’d ever felt better in my life than I did right then, surely I was in heaven.  Yet, I could still scent the smell of the gas torches burning, and feel the stone beneath me.  I was also slightly uncomfortable lying down on the stone, not to mention the front of my shirt was damp with blood.  There was also a nasty metallic taste in my mouth.  What the hell just happened?

I mean, besides getting shot twice in the chest.

I opened my eyes and surreptitiously looked around.  There was a woman in her twenties setting up candles around and inside the pattern on the floor.  She had a look of intense concentration on her face, a rather attractive face it turns out.  She had warm flowing chestnut hair, chocolate brown eyes, and pouty lips set in a beautiful heart shaped face.  Her nose which was just slightly too large, and the beauty mark below her right cheekbone merely made her more attractive, it made the rest of her unearthly beauty seem more real.

She looked to be about five foot four with perfect curves, and while her breasts weren’t all that large, they were rounded and pert, and seemed larger than they actually were on her small frame.  She was wearing a tight black shirt, black jeans, and black boots.  What had I gotten myself into now, and where was that asshole that shot me?

I tried to get up silently, and planned to sneak toward the door.  I’d had enough weird shit for today.  But as soon as I shifted my body, her head snapped in my direction.  When she saw me awake, she smiled warmly and walked over.  I couldn’t help but be a little mesmerized, she was stunning, even in a t-shirt.  Her voice was pleasant, almost hypnotizing, and her eyes turned red.

Wait what?  Red eyes?

“Thank the hell fires you’re awake.  Come with me, we don’t have much time.  I’ll try to explain what you need to know as we go.  Hopefully, if we survive, you’ll forgive me.”

My mind felt a little fogged, I had no intention of following this woman anywhere, no matter how hot she was.  I needed to get out of here, yet for some unknown reason, I followed her outside the room, up into the kitchen, and then we took a winding back staircase up to the third floor.  We walked into what must have been the master suite, there was a king sized bed, two dressers, a very large wall mirror.  All the wood seemed to be a dark red oak, and there were a number of strange objects around the room.

She led me into the bathroom and said peremptorily, “Strip,” and started to take her own clothes off and she turned on the shower.  I had no intention of stripping my clothes off, but that didn’t seem to matter as my body started to do it.  To my embarrassment I couldn’t help my reaction either, her nude body was even more pleasing to the eyes than I’d imagined.

She turned on the water and started to wash the both of us with a manic quickness.

“Listen carefully and pay attention.  I am Lilliana, your servant and guardian.  I am bound to serve your family, and have done so for longer than you could imagine, but I don’t have time to explain what I am, or why I serve your family, we have very little time at all so here’s what you need to know right now.

“Your uncle, whom I served faithfully for centuries, was stupid enough to try and seize power in the city, and rule.  The rest of the council squashed him flat, although I think he came close enough to succeeding that they spooked, and I was unable to protect him because he ordered me left behind.  You are the last warlock in the Moore line, if you die, I die based on our pact, so trust me when I say all I want to do is keep you alive.”

Warlock?  Pact?  I wanted to ignore her, and plot an escape, I didn’t want to listen anymore, but she’d ordered me to pay attention and apparently I had no choice.  The strange thing was a part of me believed her, I remembered being shot twice, and almost killed by that amulet, yet I was perfectly fine, great even, except I seemingly had no control over my actions.  I was her puppet.

She continued, “That asshole deceived you.  When you picked up the amulet and put it on, you accepted your family’s pact, it freed your bound powers, and connected you to the infernal plane.  But right now you’re like a battery without a charge, you need to claim power, and reaffirm the pact by proving you are strong enough to take what you want and survive it.  It is a risk, but if you do nothing we will both die shortly.

“It’s been about forty minutes since I saved you from that asshole mage and snapped his neck, when the mage councilor discovers his death, if she hasn’t already, she will descend on this mansion with enough firepower and magic to kill us both, and destroy your ancestral home.  You’re only hope to live is to do exactly as I say.  Once you have your power, my compulsion will shatter, and I’ll never be able to control you again, so I really hope you forgive me for forcing you to live.  I also suggest you do what I say until you’re caught up, even after then.”

That sounded insane.  Yet it was happening, and I did feel different.  I also couldn’t help my reaction down below she showered me, especially when she cleaned my manhood and family jewels.  She winked at me.

“Do you want me to take care of that master?  You look uncomfortable.”

I felt my cock surge and jump in her soft hand at the suggestion, and she smiled wider and dropped to her knees.  My first thought was that weren’t we supposed to be in a hurry?  Then her hot mouth closed over me and started to work me hard and fast, slathering my length with her warm tongue as I slid between her soft pouty lips, and she took all my nine inches, all the way into her throat.

I supposed her living longer than I could imagine meant she was very good in bed.  I didn’t keep track of time, I was in so much intense pleasure I could barely think, but I can’t imagine it took more than twenty seconds before I felt the familiar boil and surge of pleasure shoot from my balls and overwhelm my body.  I reached out and grabbed on to the walls to support myself, as she sucked and milked it all out of me.

She stood up, seemingly holding me up with ease until I recovered.

“Maybe this will make you more inclined to forgive me master.” Her voice grew a bit sharp, “You should never ever do what your uncle tried, and never ever leave me behind.”

Her eyes changed from chocolate brown to red, and I could see her fangs drop down.

“What are you?” I asked, wondering just how close those long sharp teeth got to my cock.

She sighed, “Sorry, I’m angry master, but not at you.  Just remember leaving without my protection means you put both our lives at risk, not to mention your family’s legacy rests on your every heartbeat.  I am bound to your family’s line, and I’m what you would call a vampire.  Unfortunately, I don’t have time to tell you how wrong Hollywood is, and explain what that means.  Suffice it to say for now, I am not undead.  Dry off, and brush your teeth, and we’ll go back downstairs and finish the pact.”

I stepped out of the shower and grabbed a nearby towel, also red.  My uncle was obsessed with the color red.  As I dried off Lilliana started speaking again.

“When we get downstairs, this is what you need to do…”

Chapter 4

Karen closed her eyes and took a deep breath as the hot water of the shower soothed her aching muscles.  She was still young for a mage, very young, and at twenty-six she didn’t look a day older than nineteen.  She’d just got done with a workout, both physical and magical at mage headquarters.

She was ambitious, and had signed up to work with the council, specifically Clarissa, as soon as she was old enough.  That had only been five years ago and she was already promoted out of basic mage security and into an enforcer position a few months back.  She was ambitious, and her magic was growing at a prodigious rate, she was sure she’d be more than powerful enough to take over for Clarissa in about fifty years, which was about how much time the old witch had left.

The problem wasn’t her ability or power, she just had no head for politics, and often thought the whole idea of the backstabbing and backroom deals was foolish.  Not to mention her immediate supervisor and the mage enforcer she worked with kept suggesting ways she could get his reports of her to improve, such as getting on her knees, or bending over his desk.

Oh, never so crudely or even directly put, but the innuendo and expectations he had were quite obvious, and disgusted her.  Last time she almost hexed the slimy bastard into next week, which unfortunately would have been the end of her illustrious career in the magical halls of power in Chicago.  She couldn’t complain about it either, the idiot’s father was good friends with Clarissa, and on the council itself, and it would just come back on her.

She swore, “Shit!” when she heard her cellphone ringing in her bedroom.

She turned off the water and wrapped a towel around her on the run, and picked it up.  It was her supervisor of course, and senior partner Brandon.  She answered it and said hello.

Brandon ordered, “We have a job with a time limit, get your ass into the office now.  Somehow the last Moore killed Ben, we’re going to hit him in force, and we have the lead of a squad of security mages.”

She cursed and hung up, and walked into her closet.  She slipped on a matching pair of red lingerie, a loose red blouse and a nice pair of dark jeans, and a pair of ankle high black boots.  She didn’t understand at all why the entire Moore clan of potential warlocks needed to die because of just one of their actions, but she wasn’t going to question it either.

Chapter 5

When I touched the book on the altar for the first time, I felt a welcome that was both warming, and challenging.  I opened to the first page as Lilliana had instructed me, and read the pact.  I’ll be honest, I was filled with not a little bit of dread when I read my family’s pact was with a demoness named Malina.  As close as I could figure out, to finish this I needed to summon her, and then consummate to reinforce the pact and to be able to channel infernal magic, with which I could do… I had no idea yet.  Presumably that would be in the rest of this tomb.  I hoped she was cute at least, because I was fairly certain consummate meant we needed to fuck.

If she was all demon like with horns, red skin, and a tail, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stomach it.

The dagger caught my eye, and it was beautiful, if one could describe a weapon in that way.  It made me want to reach out and touch it, and I did, or at least I tried to.

“Stop!” shouted Lilliana.

I looked over at her questioningly as my hand stopped of its own accord.

She sighed, “Just like I can influence you now, and not after you gain your power, Krystal will similarly have influence over you.”

I raised an eyebrow, “Krystal?”

She nodded, “The soul in the dagger, that dagger is sentient, and so much more than it appears at the moment.  Just trust me and wait, there is many things you don’t know, not only about yourself and your allies, but about the rest of the magical world and your enemies.  Just be patient, at least for now, and do as I say.  I don’t think we have much time left, I’m almost positive Clarissa will have known about Ben’s death almost immediately, and will no doubt be gathering a large amount of mages to assault the manor and kill you.”

I sighed, “Fine, but is this damning my soul?  Deals with demons?  Infernal power?  I never thought of myself as the angelic type, but I’m not sure about an eternity in hell.”

She shrugged, “Yes, but it’s all in the contract, you will have a favored position, within Malina’s household.  I’m sure your uncle is getting it on with a number of lesser succubae right now.  No torture, no fires to burn you.  Plus, good and evil exist in actions, the infernal is just power, and although a weak mind will be corrupted by it, your family line is strong.  Your uncle could be ambitious, and quite ruthless, but he never killed for fun, or destroyed lives simply because he could.”

“Lesser succubae?”

She grinned, “Of course, Malina is a greater succubus, its why your family has been so successful.  I really think you’ll enjoy the consummating part, and then she’ll be your servant until you die.  You really need to start planting your seed too, it’s in the contract, so the family goes on.”

“Planting my seed?” if it wasn’t for her orders I’d have stopped paying attention a while back.

She snorted, “Yes, you need descendants.  Your uncle usually spelled them to make sure they wouldn’t get an abortion, and then bound the child’s powers so they wouldn’t try to overthrow him, and so they couldn’t be easily found by his enemies.  He even went to the point of supporting the mothers with money, and a place to live if necessary.”

“That sounds… mercenary, and like treating woman like chattel.”

She frowned, “It’s not like that, they do so of their own free will, for power, fame, or fortune.  Sometimes simply to save a relative from a disease or death.  It’s all about creating your own pacts, they get something out of it too.  Don’t forget I’m one of those women, I will live as long as your family line does, and have power, beauty, and strength.  For that all I need to do is protect and serve a line of strong virile men, and it is something I quite enjoy.”

Oh.  I wasn’t sure what to say about it, and this was all a little overwhelming.  It felt a little wrong, but I was also turned on by having such a desirable and sexy guard that both had to, and wanted to, warm my bed.  That short blowjob had been mind blowing, and the most powerful orgasm I’d ever felt, I couldn’t imagine how good it would be if she had time to draw it out, or how good actual sex would be.

“What about…”

She interrupted me with a hiss, “Enough questions, finish the pact and gain your power, some knowledge will be intrinsic, and our house’ protections will automatically be strengthened when you claim your power.  Even then we may need to flee until you learn what you’re capable of after, if they attack now, we die.  More questions will have to wait.”

I nodded, not sure what to expect, but I was selfish enough to want to live.  I wasn’t ready to die, and that seemed to override any other concerns I had.  I stood in front of the circle, which according to the book was simply a gateway, the demoness I summoned would not be held or constrained in any way, she would be here to renew the pact, nothing else.

I was sure I butchered the pronunciation of the Latin as I read the passage, it had been conveniently translated to English, but needed to be read in Latin, while I concentrated on the results of summoning the demoness Malina, apparently a greater succubus.

It read, I summon thee Malina, in order to reaffirm the pact.

It was pathetically short, and it was probably a good thing I didn’t understand Latin, because I would have felt foolish saying it in English.  A part of me was still in denial.  It wasn’t a true summoning of course, summoning a new demon was incredibly difficult according to the explanation, but my family and this room already had a connection to her of sorts, so it was more of a ritual invitation, than a true summoning.

I don’t know what I had been expecting exactly.  Maybe the smell of sulfur, and a blast of flames, followed by evil laughter and some evil demonic creature taking my soul to hell as I hung from her talons.  Okay, so my imagination kind of ran off on that one.  The point was, what I got was completely different.

A soft pulsing white light filled the center of the pentagram.  I felt strangely at peace as it grew brighter and brighter, and then suddenly faded giving me my first look at Malina.

Intense lust and desire filled me.  So much so, that it was completely impossible to resist.  If it hadn’t been for the fact my muscles seemed frozen, I’d have already been holding her down and thrusting between her legs.  At first I was confused, she looked like an angel, not a demon.  Then I wondered if she was one of the original fallen, and that was what made her part of the greater category.

She was stunning, and completely naked.  Her golden blonde curly hair reached down to her ass, and she had high cheekbones, below the bluest eyes I’d ever seen.  Her face was fresh, without makeup, flawless, and innocent seeming.  Her body was another story, she was at least a DD sized cup, and they were impossibly pert and firm, fully rounded, and had no sag at all.

She had a washboard stomach, and a mouthwatering curvy waist, she was both voluptuous with measurements I’d guess at 38DD-24-36, and flawless porcelain skin.  She was a perfect ten, unnaturally so, but the incredible lust I felt was more about the aura of power and raw sexual energy, than anything to do with her perfect form.

I felt the wave of lust lessen slightly, and I no longer felt the urge to take her no matter what the cost, it was obviously something she could control, she must’ve wanted to make an entrance.

She said throatily, “I like you, you figured out quickly what I am, most never do.”

She turned away from me, and her succulent rounded ass moved in a hypnotizing way as she moved toward the altar, and then bent over it, spreading her legs slightly and letting me see her moist perfectly formed mound.  My mouth went dry and my cock was straining.

She turned her head and looked back at me, “Well warlock, come fuck me and claim your power, if you can.”

It didn’t even occur to me to question that last statement, it seemed I was already half undressed without making the conscious decision to do so, and I was unable to take my eyes off of her glorious body.

When I was done stripping, I walked up behind her somewhat in control, at least until I got close enough to smell her sex.  All of my intentions to show her a good time, which is how I usually dealt with women in bed, went out the window at that scent.  I simply lined up my cock to her moist entrance and speared her on all nine inches in one fast hard thrust.

We gasped as one, me from the silky moist friction, she was so soft, wet, and utterly tight around me.  I could feel her core start to undulate, caress, and grip me tightly in waves up and down my cock.  It was the most pleasurable and incredible feeling I’d ever had, and even if I didn’t move I didn’t believe I would have lasted that long.

I started to pump in and out of her sex hard and fast, by the gasps, throaty moans, and the way she gripped the edge of the altar and thrusted hard back against me to meet my body, she seemed to be enjoying it as much as I was.  I spanked her hard and gripped her waist, trying to go a little harder, and a little faster.  It was incredible, and despite filling Lilliana’s mouth less than twenty minutes ago, there was no way I could make it last.

Then Malina trembled and screamed in blissful abandon, her hot wet sex tightened around me even further, and seemed to twist, undulate, and do other impossible things that raised the pleasure of my invading cock to a level I couldn’t possibly resist.  I felt my balls start to boil.

“That’s it lover, cum in me, fill my greedy pussy.”

The sultriness of her voice pushed me past the point of no return, and I started to fill her with my seed.  It was the strongest orgasm I’d ever had, even putting to shame the one from twenty minutes ago, a very short personal record for my best sex ever.

I couldn’t think at all, and when the moment of pleasure that I thought should start fading passed, and the orgasm just got more intense instead, so pleasurable it was starting to hurt as my mind got its wires crossed, I also felt something drain out of me and into her, something rather vital.

She was cooing in pleasure as I continued to unload my balls into her in spurts that just wouldn’t stop.  I realized as it started to hurt more, and some of the intense pleasure, but not all, cleared from my mind, that she was sucking out my soul.  An intense anger raced through me, what was the point of all this, if the fucking demoness was just going to suck out my soul and take it to hell.

I’m such an idiot, I even knew she was a succubus, what was I thinking?  Oh right, perfect body.  I’d been thinking with the wrong head.

I tried to push away, but her sex wouldn’t release me, as it continued to milk me up and down my length, draining both my seed, and my soul.  I grabbed her by the hair and smashed her face against the stone, and she just laughed and cried out in pleasure again.

My mind raced, and I was getting desperate.  What had she said?  Claim my power if I can?

My anger surged, I hadn’t been warned of this, there was nothing in the book, yet there had to be a way, it didn’t make any sense otherwise.  Then I felt the anger leave me, and enter her.  Somehow my mind was tracing the link between us as she sucked out my soul.  I reached out and tried to grab it willfully, I didn’t want to die.

There was a moment everything stopped, thought, deed, the pleasure, the pain, it all froze.  Then I pulled back, and felt my soul rush into me, through the demoness, and when my soul returned to my body, I kept pulling, and felt power rush into me, through me.  It filled me, and filled my amulet.  Suddenly I was aware of so much more.  I had a connection to the succubus beneath me now, and she was the one in the throes of endless orgasm and passion now.  I also felt a connection to the house, and all the infernal protections.  I doubted I could form the simplest one, but they were already there, had been inscribed in the very stones and foundations, and they started to glow with power to my senses as I fed them.

There was intrinsic knowledge as Lilliana had told me, but not a whole lot.  But I did understand the connection with the demoness, she was my conduit to power, now that we were linked, I could pull infernal energies to power my magic through her, whether or not she was here or in hell.  I was also a gateway for her, part of that connection existed because a small portion of my soul was now a part of her being, it gave her more power which was what she got out of this deal, it also would allow her to travel to this world at will.

Spells and knowledge of the magical world weren’t included, and would have to wait.  But there were a couple of things I could do intrinsically without training.  I could feel that I could channel pure infernal flame, I could also use my energy to reflexively shield against spells and other attacks, lastly I had control of my aura, and could command others, something simple and immediate, although the success of that would greatly vary by the power in those I tried to command.  Lastly, I’d be able to feel the magic around me, although it would take experience to learn what felt like what.

Right now it was a lot like being in a noisy room in a foreign country, hearing everything but not understanding the meaning of it.

Malina stopped shaking in pleasure as I let up pulling on the power, I felt bloated with it and felt the chains of compulsion Lilliana had around my mind.  With a thought and flex of my aura they snapped and I caught my vampire as she flinched and looked at me with a worried expression.   I reluctantly pulled out of the demon’s sex, and felt a little disappointed we wouldn’t need to have sex again.

She stood up and laughed throatily, turned, and pulled me into a passionate kiss.

When she broke it she said, “Need has little to do with the pleasure lover, this wasn’t the last time.  Not by a longshot.”

She stepped back and there was a bright flash, when it cleared she was dressed in a red dress that was tight on her body.  It was just short of scandalous, but it did reach her mid-thigh, and covered up enough of her breasts to ensure there wouldn’t be a wardrobe malfunction.  She also had a pair of blood red high heels on.  I also only felt a normal amount of lust at this point, she seemed completely human, almost.

“We should leave, the wards are strong, but you’re too new at this.  Your uncle clued me in on what was going on before you summoned me, I was quite put out with the jackass for risking the pact as he did, and you aren’t experienced enough to withstand what is coming.”

She waved at the mirror, and it showed twelve people in front of the house.  I glanced at Lilliana and nodded indicating forgiveness, I didn’t like her high handed behavior earlier, but on the other hand there apparently had really been a good reason to rush.  I also had to admit to myself that she was hot, and that might have been a part of so easily forgiving her too.

“You’re staying?” I asked the ridiculously sexy blonde demoness.

She smiled at me, it was so hard to believe she was a demoness.  She looked more like an angel to me, and I worried for a second she would take offense, since she could obviously read my every thought and desire, but she smiled coquettishly at me and stared up at me with those blue eyes through her eyelashes.  She looked so innocent and desirable it was jarring.

“Of course lover, for now.  I am your servant while you live, I will come when you call, and stay until you ask me to leave.  Not only will I have sex with you whenever you want, I’ll be disappointed if you don’t ask, frequently.  I’m looking forward to some real long sessions with you and Lilliana, but right now we’re in danger.  You should already feel this, the initial payment was a small piece of your soul, but you will be my servant on the day you die, for all eternity.  It’s not as bad as it sounds, I have a lot of lesser sisters and daughters to keep you entertained while I join with your successor, and I ask very little.  Plus, you will be surrounded by family.”

She was painting a pretty rosy picture, I also knew I’d live for a very long time, every time I made a pact it would increase my lifespan, and the infernal power alone would more than double it.  Of course, I had no illusions I would live forever despite the potential to do so, being a warlock wasn’t safe, eventually violence would find me.  On top of all the serious stuff, the idea of a threesome with the sexy as hell vampire, and sex personified in Malina, was distracting.

Malina sighed, “Head in the game lover, you can fuck us later.  We need to find somewhere to hide, and don’t forget Krystal and Sal.”

“Sal?”

Lilliana replied, “The book.  He’s not a true sentience or soul, but the book has a basic awareness, and can help you find what you need when you need it.  Think of him like a reference librarian built into the book itself, or a semi-sentient glossary.  When you hold it you only need to think of what you want to accomplish, the book itself will bring up spells to accomplish it.”

“Bring up spells?”

Lilliana nodded, “The book holds the spells created by your line, generations going back thousands of years, it would require hundreds of volumes that size to hold all the spells and lore of your family.  The book itself is virtually indestructible, as is Crystal.  Only the sword of an archangel could truly destroy either artifact.”

I nodded and started to get dressed, I didn’t think I’d have time for a shower, and then I picked up my backpack, grabbed the book and tried to shove it in.  It seemed to shrink a little bit, to fit the space.  Then I picked up the dagger, Krystal, and heard a breathy voice in my head.

“Master, let me introduce myself,” and knowledge flooded my mind.

Things were just getting weirder, from what I could tell this knife would sever the soul of an enemy, killing them with a cut unless they were powerfully warded against such an attack.  It would also absorb their life force, making both the dagger more powerful, as well as the wielder.  Krystal, the soul bound to it was a little bloodthirsty, the dagger itself could change shape between a ring, dagger, and sabre.  I left off putting it in my backpack, and had it change shape and coil around my finger.

It felt warm, and I could feel the daggers eager presence in the back of my head.  It felt a little odd, but despite that I was reluctant to take it off.

I turned to Lilliana, “What’s the best way out of here, and which way?  And give me the short version of vampire lore please, I imagine I could read all about it in Sal when I wish to.”

Not wanting to make the demoness feel left out, I took her hand.  She squeezed and looked at me fondly.  I knew the rumors were that demons were liars, and evil, but I couldn’t feel anything to indicate she’d lied yet, or wasn’t truly happy to be here, with me.  Strange, but I’d take it.  True, I couldn’t read her mind like she read mine, but I could sense her being, and it told me she wasn’t faking any of it.

Lilliana sighed in disgust, “Forget everything about Hollywood, except blood, fangs, and silver.  The sun won’t do crap to us, and we aren’t dead, nor have I ever died.  I have a heartbeat.  What gives us the strength, speed, and hearing above other humans is a possession of sorts.  Think of it like a demon animal, not truly sentient.  When I made the pact with your ancestor, he summoned the low level demon which possessed me.  My soul is still present, still here.  The demon gives me the vampire gifts, but it is a demonic animal which requires blood sacrifice periodically to survive.

“Not death, just blood.  As long as I drink a pint every few days the possessing demon is quiescent and satisfied, as it gets hungrier, it will make me more short tempered, and feral, until I finally give in and drink.  Outside of what I’ve mentioned, the strength, speed, and senses, it also gives me eternal life, constantly repairing and regenerating my body.  It also gives me rudimentary magic of sorts, and resistance to all but fire, but additional drinking of blood is required if I use that magic.”

I frowned, “Can’t other vampires make vampires, why did it happen the way it did?”

She smiled, “That’s a long story master, suffice it to say I had a pact with one of your ancestors already, to give him children, and he raised me up from the squalor of the village I was born to.  We… fell in love I suppose you might say, and I was dying.  He did it to keep me around, and I bound myself to his family line as servant and protector until it dies out.

“Yes, a vampire can turn another human, what happens is when the blood is drained from the victim, and the vampire feeds their blood back the victim, a part of the possessing demon goes with it.  Of course, the problem with that is new vampires are basically weak as a result, barely stronger or more capable than humans.  My way, I became as powerful as a centuries old vampire immediately.”

We’d gone through a secret door on the other side of my office from the summoning chamber.  It had been hidden behind a bookcase.  I’d estimated we’d walked about a half a mile so far, and the tunnel seemed endless.  I wondered how far it went.  It was also covered with wards, I wasn’t sure how, but it seemed to encase our auras and magic, perhaps so we wouldn’t be felt by other magical races from above the ground.

“Do you still love him?”

She giggled, “No, I’d have gone insane, and almost did.  This is a new life, and I am newly born again in you.  It took me a long time to learn how to do this, and move on.  I have no doubt that before you leave this life, I will be thoroughly in love with you, as much as I was with your uncle, but the heart never loves the same way twice, so we will see what becomes of us.  Some lifetimes it is merely devotion, other times it is much stronger…” she trailed off, and then added, “I’m still pissed at your uncle though for doing something so damned stupid.”

“How can you predict something like that?”

She shrugged, “You are a consistent lot, the Moore warlocks.  Powerful, strong, stubborn, but never cruel without reason.  Even kind at times.  Lots of differences otherwise, but always the same core.  I suppose one day I will be proved wrong, but I can already sense the same in you.”

I sighed, “So, can’t we go back there and talk with them?  If my uncle truly did something stupid and grasped for power, why can’t I just assure them I won’t do the same?”

Malina squeezed my hand, “They will assume you will want revenge one day.  Something very similar happened a few hundred years ago.  Warlocks tend to overreach at the end, and your uncle almost succeeded in ruling all of the magical creatures in Chicago, I suppose they simply don’t want to chance it going wrong next time.  In short, they’re terrified of you, and want to end your families line before your uncle’s successor can solidify their power base.”

I felt Lilliana take my arm, and she give me a fearful look, as if she might not be welcomed.  I stopped and pulled her into a passionate kiss, I could hear Malina chuckling throatily behind us as I pushed her up against the wall.

I said softly in her ear, “Lilliana, I thought you said we weren’t needlessly cruel.  I forgive you for saving my life, so please relax.”

I felt her shudder once, and then melt against me, and I held her for a moment before we moved on.  My world was definitely turned upside down, and right now I needed both the women at my side to work through it all.

“Both?” asked a breathy voice in my mind, that somehow sounded sultry and bloodthirsty at the same time.

All three I thought firmly, and I felt the acceptance and approval of the sentient blade around my finger.  I don’t know why it wasn’t freaking me out, but it wasn’t.  Maybe because she was bound to my family too?

Lilliana said shyly, “Call me Lil, or Lia.”

“Alright Lil, so we need somewhere to lie low until I can learn some spells and understand what I can do, but then what?”

Lilliana replied, “Retake your home, get some human lovers and start making pacts, part of their souls, or the right to sow your seed, for what they desire.  Make allies, the mages are behind this more than the others, so Clarissa is your main enemy, if you can deal with or ally with the shifters and vampires it will build your powerbase.  Unlike the pact with Malina, those have to be redone completely for a successor.  You can find out how your predecessors did it from the book.”

I frowned, it did kind of sound good, especially the spreading my seed part, though it was hard to imagine ever wanting more than Lilliana and Malina in my bed, but what was the point of it all?  To what end should I gather all this power?

Malina teased me with a blast of sexual potency that got my attention and woke up my cock.  She then said, “To do whatever you want.  The children are part of your pact and responsibility, the pacts you make with others will increase your lifespan and give you power, killing your enemies will do the same.  As for what to do, the reason for it all, is that you can do whatever you want within reason.

“Keep a harem of sex slaves, or build and bankroll an orphanage.  Those are extreme examples, but the power will enable you to shape the world around you, to help others, help yourself, or both.  In the end, it will probably be a little bit of both, and less drastic than either of my suggestions, but there you have it.”

I shook my head, “The harem idea doesn’t appeal at all, I don’t want slaves.  I can’t imagine even wanting more than you two, and my responsibilities will take me to others anyway.  But I take your point.  Up until yesterday my goal was to have enough to eat, and a bed to sleep in, so I’ll have to give it some thought.”

Malina squeezed my hand, “That’s sweet, but even my incomparable charms will get old after a century or two.  Not to say you won’t still care about Lilliana and I, but you’ll eventually want some strange outside a simple breeding pact.  You know with your magic it will only take once to get the job done, and bind the fetus’s magic.”

I snorted, between the innocent face, and the modern expression, what she said was jarring to me again, the words simply didn’t fit my impression of her.  I was sure I’d get used to it, and it was my own failing, this demoness was complicated, not one to be simply categorized.  No woman was, especially not by mere appearance.

“So where are we headed Lil?”

Lilliana replied, “A safe house no one else knows you own, it should be secure enough for now.  We’ll know if they breach the tunnel, and since it’s three miles long we’ll have plenty of time to evacuate and disappear into the city.”

“What if they destroy the house?”

Lilliana shook her head, “I doubt it, if they do that you would likely leave town and reestablish somewhere else, likely they’ll use your powerbase as a lure.  Once your trained up to cast and use your infernal wards correctly, we’ll kick their ass, and the mansion will be yours and as close to unassailable as it gets.  Don’t forget you’ll have a vampire and demon fighting at your side.”

I sighed, “I suppose I’d better get studying then, when we get there I mean.”

Malina chuckled, “Not just yet, if I know Lil, were both going to fuck you unconscious first, and then when you wake up you can get to studying.  It’s a matter of priorities.”

I thought her statement strange for a minute, especially the priorities part, but then, she was a sex demon, and I wasn’t going to argue with that.  It also might have to do with the idea sex would bind us together tighter, it was shallow, but I knew I’d like them more after sex.  Besides, my performance in the shower and on the altar was definitely subpar, and I wanted to make both of these beauties scream and squirm in pleasure before we were done.  I figured we had another five or ten minutes, we weren’t walking that fast.

“So tell me about the other races Lina, short versions.”

Malina looked over at me and looked startled at the pet name, but apparently she decided she liked it, since her bright smile warmed me, and she started talking…

Chapter 6

Karen sighed as she looked at the protection over the house.  She had her mage sight on, and the thing was covered in protections, and these protections would hit back, hard enough to kill the unwary.  There were also some misdirection wards, which was making it hard to read what was really going on in there.

“It’s obvious we’re too late, the warlock must have summoned his patron and received his powers.  Where going to need a lot more than twelve if we are to get in safely, and take out the target before he learns too much.  It wouldn’t’ hurt to have some shifters and vamps either.”

She thought it wouldn’t hurt to have a fae either, but the fae really didn’t give a shit about the other races.  They were insular, and mostly not in the city except a few entertainment clubs that they used to feed off the human population.  She knew the sole reason Elissa even bothered to come to council was merely to make sure the other races wouldn’t do anything that would harm the fae.

He snorted, “Why would we need them?  We’re great together, although I think we could be greater.”

She rolled her eyes, but kept the anger out of her voice, Brandon was an earth mage, earth mages were usually solid individuals who were calm and dependable.  Somehow she got partnered with the only one that was a perverted sleaze ball.  It hadn’t been his most blatant innuendo to date, but his tone of voice made it obvious what he’d meant by the word greater.  Of course, she was a fire mage, her anger was both her greatest strength and greatest weakness, she needed to keep control of herself, always.

All mages were aligned with an element, they could access that element directly, but besides her ability to manipulate and create fire, elemental fire was also the source of magic that she drew on to power her spells.

“It’s more than a baby warlock behind those wards, there’s a demon and his pet vampire as well.  The vampire will fight to the death, and the demoness can’t be killed, all we can do is destroy her body and send her home temporarily until she builds a new one.”

Brandon shook his head, “I’m not afraid of a fang, or a spiritual slut.”

He was an idiot, she just hoped he got himself killed, and not her and the rest of their team.  She went back to studying the protections.

She said as calmly as possible, “Our best bet is to open the protections on a wall of the house, the protections are too well made on the doors and windows, and the backlash of power might just burn us out, if not kill us outright if we aren’t careful.  Once a part of the wall is uncovered, we can pass through the wall, if there’s nothing else behind it I mean.”

Brandon assigned four of the mages to watch from the four corners, and cast a detection circle around the house, so they would know if anyone fled while the rest of them, her, Brandon, and six others could invade the house.

She sighed, at least he wasn’t truly incompetent, just a perverted braggart.  She didn’t even know why he was trying for her so badly.  She wasn’t ugly, but she wasn’t beautiful either.  She had a willowy graceful body, but in her opinion, her tits were way too small, and while her face could be called pixyish, or cute, she would never be called beautiful.  Her long blue-black hair, and green eyes were probably her best attributes, and the best her body could be called is graceful.

She was also very limber, but she was sure he’d never find that out.

Still, she supposed she had a heartbeat, so met his criteria in the opposite sex.  She knew she was being overly critical of herself, she was attractive, she just wasn’t someone who drew looks when she entered a room.  Mostly, she just wished he would leave her alone, or maybe die.

Preferably, that second one.

The eight of them found a spot on the house that didn’t look as secure as the other areas, and she wondered if it was a trap.  They formed a circle, joining all their power, and she reluctantly passed control to Brandon.  She had to admit, he could cast pretty damn well as he effortlessly controlled the flow of power from the other seven in the circle, and cast a complicated spell for dispelling magic at that section of the wall.

There was an immediate backlash of power too large to resist, even for all eight of them to channel safely.  The backlash attempted to burn out their minds, but Brandon muttered a few words and grounded that energy, feeding it directly to his element.  Without needing to filter and absorb the magic, he didn’t need to channel it through him, but simply redirected the raw energy into the ground.  Like a power sink, or lightning rod.

He turned towards her as he released the circle’s energy and winked.  He smirked arrogantly, casted a shadow spell, and stepped through the wall.  She took a quick look to make sure there were no more hidden surprises with her mage sight, and then followed, the security mages following behind.  It was immediately apparent that they’re target was no longer here, it was also obvious there was so much magic in here it would be very hard to find out exactly how and where they had escaped too.

She frowned, “It could take days.”

Brandon shook his head, “Hours certainly, but it’s almost a foregone conclusion they went through an escape tunnel, and that means the basement.  We hardly need to search the ground, second, and third floors.  Unless you think we should check all the bedrooms upstairs… just in case?”

She ignored his pathetic attempt at flirting and nodded, “Good point, well let’s get too it then.”

Chapter 7

For some reason when she said she was going to fuck me unconscious, I’d thought she was joking.  It was about three hours after that comment and apparently sex demons don’t joke about sex, ever.  They also don’t ever get sated as far as I could tell, she looked as fresh as ever as her body came tightly around me from above for I don’t know the number of times.  I’ve cum about eight times, and I felt drained, and very satisfied, yet I was still as hard as a rock.  I didn’t think it was possible for me to go down at all inside the heaven of Malina’s sex.

Lilliana had already checked out, she was splayed out and unconscious next to us, clearly sated and wiped out, her body was still jumping every once in a while in aftershocks of pleasure and she’d whimper my name in her sleep each time.

I felt my balls start to tingle again, the intense pleasure of the wet silky soft tight friction as she bounced on my cock was just too good.  Not to mention watching the lust and desire in her eyes, and hearing the soft moans of ecstasy that left her slightly parted lips, or her large firm breasts bouncing each time our bodies met.

I couldn’t even thrust up to meet her anymore, my muscles and the rest of my body felt like mush, except my manhood, which seemed willing to go on forever.  Malina didn’t seem to mind doing all the work at this late stage.  I watched as she mauled her own breasts, and then pulled one up to her mouth and sucked on the nipple as she looked down at me intensely, her moans of pleasure were muted by her soft succulent flesh as she came again around me.  All of that pushed me over the edge, and I exploded in rapturous mindless pleasure once again into her perfect flesh…

I woke up to a soft kiss on my lips, Malina had a naughty smile on her face.

“You’re in pretty good shape,” she said smugly, as if that were her doing.

I wrapped my arms around her and she sighed in contentment, I was snuggling, with a demoness.

She laughed, “Yes, you are lover.  I can be sated by the way, if I allow it.  I’ve been using magic to restore myself however, we won’t do this every single time, in fact, I feel pretty sated myself right now after that last one.”

I smiled, “That’s good Lina.”

She frowned, “What makes you say that?”

I shrugged, “If you couldn’t be sated, that would make sex almost torturous, to always want more without end.  I wouldn’t wish that on anyone, least of all you.”

Malina smiled like the cat that got the cream and her voice was sultry and trilling, “Oh lover, you are a rare one aren’t you, concerns for a demoness?  You should get started on the book, I suggest you concentrate on the protective wards in your house that the amulet connects you to.  Learn what they can do besides their default behavior, since you already have a basic offensive weapon and shield.  After that, you can learn other spells, and how to make deals and pacts.  Every deal and pact your family has made is recorded in that book, so don’t reinvent the wheel, research.”

I sighed, “What’s the endgame here to get the target off of my back, how will retaking the mansion end anything, won’t it just escalate Clarissa’s response?”

Malina shook her head, “You’ll always have a target on your back, but it’s a matter of diminishing returns.  Clarissa isn’t stupid, or blind, when the cost in life gets too high to take you in the mansion, you’ll have a place of safety to retreat to, and they’ll try and target you only when you leave.  She leads the mages with an iron hand, but even she must be wary of asking too many to place themselves on the sacrificial altar of your death, the mages would balk, and she would be removed.

“Eventually you’ll be strong enough to either make her stop, or kill her.  I wouldn’t advise trying it until you have at least a truce with the vampires and wolves to keep them out of it, and a few children around to inherit.”

I frowned, “So I need to dodge assassins for the next twenty years?”

Malina grinned, “Probably, at the very least.  Don’t sound so down, it’ll be fun.  You’ll have the two of us to help protect you, as long as you don’t do anything stupid, like send us away, or ignore our advice.”

I started laughing, I couldn’t help it.  This was insane.  I glanced over at Lilliana, and back up at Malina, it also had its compensations.  I was surprised I wasn’t a wreck right now, but I was taking it all pretty well.  I’d always been pragmatic, but I wondered if I was getting a little magical help to keep calm.  Honestly, the last few hours since I’d met Ben had been a runaway train, I wondered how well it would settle when I had time to think and take stock.

I was freshly showered, and eating some food at the kitchen table.  The tunnel had led to a small two-bedroom house that was nicely appointed, but nothing indicated anything more than middle class wealth.  I had the book out and was studying.

Sal was not only a master reference librarian, he was a translator and teacher.  I’d have to learn Latin at some point, but the book could help me with that too.  I should be looking at wards, but I was curious about the whole spread my seed idea.  Why not just get a wife and family?  That was the normal way to do things.  What I learned quite quickly is it had been tried by others in my family, in the past, and without fail it never turned out good.

Either enemies had assassinated the family’s heirs, or the wife left because her husband never aged, and she couldn’t deal with the connection her husband had with Lilliana and Malina.  Which was completely fair.  Others tried a third course, to make a pact or deal to keep the wife young and fit, but that created an imbalance in the relationship that again, had always failed in the past.

No, I’d have to be satisfied with having Malina and Lilliana as my lovers and surrogate family, and look to a more business like connection to sire children.  It was also apparent that fear thing I caused in other people had been a part of the spell that bound my magic.  At first I thought that was a cruelty, but then I realized it was a blessing.  Outside of my two beauties, any relationships I had would have to be short, and mostly professional.  That spell had gotten me used to that idea, and had kept it so that I wouldn’t have close friends and family that my enemies could use to get to me once I took my power.  It had made me a loner.

It was harsh, but true.

I also discovered the only reason Ben had been able to find me with magic, was because my uncle had died, which meant the enchantments he laid had been unravelling.  As long as I didn’t leave an obvious trail in the real world, the children I sired should be safe.  It sounded so impersonal though, but as I said, I’d have to be satisfied with two personal connections in my world.  It could be worse.

As for myself, the amulet I was wearing did multiple things, one of the enchantments kept me hidden from seers and other spells of seeking, in addition to connecting me to my wards and enchantments.  It could also be used as a battery of sorts, holding extra power for me to draw on if I couldn’t channel fast enough through Malina.

I’d review the actual pacts, and ways to hide trails in the human world later, I really needed to start focusing on the wards, and what Malina suggested.

It was both simple, and incredibly complex at the same time.  There were four general types of wards.  Protection, concealment, traps or offensive, and containment.

Protection wards were similar to containment wards, both wards would stop magic cast against them.  The containment wards however just absorbed the magic, they were the most powerful and could take the most punishment because they didn’t transmute the power it absorbed, and just dissipated it.  Protection wards were weaker, but were designed to transmute and channel the power through the person being protected.

The reason containment wards couldn’t be used as protection was because if I absorbed a fireball spell, without transmuting it to power I could safely absorb, it wouldn’t stop it from burning me into a crispy critter.  The containment rooms in my basement however, wouldn’t care if the walls got a little hot.  For one, the stone could handle it a lot better than my flesh and blood body, two, the walls were much larger, which meant the spell energy was a lot more spread out.

There were protection spells, but using wards was more efficient, since each thing would need to be defined.  I could block everything with my inherent shield, but it was an inefficient use of magic at best.  A last resort.  Unfortunately, my amulet was already being used for several things, and if I wanted protection wards for myself I’d need to research it.  It seemed odd to me that there wasn’t already something around to do that, surely my predecessors had such warded jewelry.  I’d have to ask Lilliana about it later.

Concealment wards were just that, it’s part of what the amulet did, hiding me from magic and other spells.  It could also be used to hide other wards and traps from magical searches, and even turn something invisible.  The last one, the traps or offensive wards, could attack a trespasser automatically, based on certain conditions.

The wards could hold limited amounts of power, and is what I needed to learn how to manage.  I could split my power and reinforce the protection, and increase the attack wards from inside the house, evenly, or give more power to one or the other.

I could even trigger the attack or trap wards at will, overriding whatever triggers were on them.  That right there was a big part of it, and why controlled wards were always better, since I could adjust and change tactics.

I read on some more, trying to understand how they interacted, and looked for examples of what my ancestors had done in the past with them.  That’s when I discovered why personal wards weren’t recommended outside of the concealment from scrying.  If my basic shield was overpowered, or a basic protection spell, it would simply fail.  When a ward is overpowered, it released a large amount of magic in a catastrophic way for something that was alive.

Okay, no personal wards of protection for me, I’d stick to buildings.  I’d have to study and learn those protective spells after all, just not now.

“You’re kind of boring, let’s go kill something.”

I startled, and then thought, “Krystal?”

“Duh, yes Krystal.  Now hold me tight in your big strong firm hands and let’s feast on the blood of our enemies,” she said in a disturbingly sexy voice.

“Umm, maybe later?” I wasn’t really sure what to say.

She didn’t respond to that, but I could feel her pouting in the back of my mind.  I tried to shake off Krystal’s disconcerting idea of a night on the town, and cleared my thoughts.

Now that I had a basic understanding of the wards, I could look into the ones specifically on the house, and what was done with them in the past.  That’s when the amulet on my chest warmed.  I focused my thoughts on it, and apparently I’d run out of time to study, the mages had found the tunnel.  I jumped up, grabbed the large book and stuffed it back in my backpack.  I lamented the fact that it was too bad it couldn’t be jewelry like my sword, and then ran upstairs.

I barged in without knocking to let them know, and found Malina and Lilliana in the sixty-nine position, they looked so damned sexy.  Then a feeling of lust and need washed over me, and I was harder than diamond in seconds.  It was three miles… maybe I had time for one quick dip.

I shook my head to clear my lust, no I didn’t.

“Get dressed, time to go ladies.”

They both glared at me, but complied.  Malina was in a dark blue casual crop top that showed the bottom of her breasts if she breathed in too deeply, and a pair of short shorts that made daisy dukes look prim and proper by comparison.  Lilliana couldn’t dress in a flash of light, so was wearing what she had on earlier, a black t-shirt, dark jeans, and boots.  They both looked fantastic and well fucked, and I felt guilty interrupting their fun, not to mention that I couldn’t join them.

Fucking cock blocking mages.

Malina snickered, “Later lover, right now we need to go, there’s a car in the garage.”

It probably should have bothered me that Malina could read my mind, but it really didn’t for some reason I couldn’t put my finger on.  More of that magic probably, keeping me a happy baby warlock.  We raced down the stairs and through the kitchen into the attached garage.  I hit the garage door button, as soon as it was a few feet up I started to move forward when I sensed something.

Lilliana cursed, “Fuck!” as she grabbed me by the shirt and tugged me back into the house as the garage was filled with fire.  It was an ambush.

Chapter 8

Karen’s mage sight started to give her a headache.  The wards were incredibly complex, and she couldn’t imagine how long it took to carve them all into the stone.  She suspected each generation of Moore warlocks had added more and more protections, concealments, containments, and traps over a very long time.

For goddess’s sake, there were concealment wards hiding other concealment wards.

She’d been at it for hours.  They’d started in the summoning room, she’d carefully moved one ward at a time, to make sure she didn’t miss anything, while the concealment wards tried to mess with her mind and make her look away.  She didn’t think she’d missed anything, but they were almost done with the study in the basement as well, and so far nothing had stood out.

Of course, she thought, the damn thing had to be in the last place they checked.  She moved into the study and watched Brandon finish his spellcasting, and cursed under her breath when the secret passage was revealed.  She looked down it with her mage sight, her eyes were stinging now, and she cursed again, this time much louder.

“Damnit, Brandon that passage is a deathtrap.”

Brandon scoffed in his arrogant manner, “So we should let them get away?”

She shook her head and resisted the urge to smack him as she walked to the entrance, “Of course not,” and she started to cast a simple spell to measure the size of a room, and sent it into the tunnel.  The walls would have absorbed any magic, but it wasn’t magic, it was high frequency sound beyond the range of even wolf shifter hearing, it took a few moments, but the sound eventually returned to her and the spell which had never left her body processed it.

She said, “It’s a few miles long, I think it would be wiser to find the other end from above.”

She casted another spell with the results of the last one in mind.  It should lead her straight to them, if they were still there.

Brandon frowned, “Are you sure you can find it.”

She nodded sharply.

Brandon said, “Very well, let’s go.”

They made their way back upstairs, retracing their steps, and left the mansion with another shadow spell at the same spot on the wall.  They raced for their cars, it wouldn’t be long now, and she could go home and get away from Brandon for a while.  It only took a couple of minutes, the tunnel was almost a straight shot down the street into a less affluent area.  When they pulled up she jumped out of the car, the garage door was coming up.  She couldn’t believe her luck, she recognized a Moore when she saw one, and drew in her natural fire magic and blasted the garage with fire…

Chapter 9

“Shit, what now?”  I’d been shielded, so it might not have killed me, but I was glad Lilliana had grabbed me.

Lilliana said, “Tunnel, back to the mansion.  Can you control the wards yet?”

I hadn’t learned as much as I should have, but I thought so.  I gasped a yes as Lilliana and Malina both grabbed an arm and pulled me back to the basement under the house, and into the tunnel.  We didn’t walk this time, we ran.  I was in pretty good shape, but I only made it about a mile before I started to slow.

Lilliana said, “Sorry,” and picked me up and tossed me over her shoulder, and then we really started to move.

Malina looked amused, “You can pull infernal power from me, don’t forget warlock.”

Shit, I didn’t forget exactly.  But I didn’t realize that would let me run faster either.  I had so much to learn, and it’d only been hours so there was a steep curve.  We were back in the study, and she put me down.  I walked around to the desk and opened up Sal back to the wards page, and started to absorb the examples of what had been done before as fast as I could read them.

Lilliana growled, “I thought you said…”

“Shush,” I frowned at her when she shushed, I’d have to be careful with my orders apparently, “I read all about wards and understand them, I’m just absorbing some more tactics before they get here.  Umm, you can talk now Lil.”

I expected her to be pissed for shutting her up like that, but she looked ashamed instead, and a little turned on.  This was going to take a while to get used to.

I reached out through the pendant and Malina at the same time, and started to charge the wards even more than they already were.  I found the damaged section they’d used to get in, closed it up and tightened it, and then I used some concealment wards to hide that I’d fixed it.  It would depend on their power and the strength of their mage sight to determine if they’d fall for it or not.

Then I maximized the containment wards everywhere else.  The offensive wards I would activate and direct as needed.  That seemed like the best way according to the book, at least for someone with my limited experience.

A few hours ago I was on the street looking for a place to stay.  Now I was preparing to fight my first magical battle, and had a succubus and vampire on my side.  I still wasn’t sure what to make of it all.

Malina touched Lilliana and kissed her softly, “He’s as ready as he can be considering the circumstances.”

She turned to me, “This is important lover, never risk your life for mine.  I can’t die, even if they destroy my body, as long as you live, I can return just twenty-four hours later.  If you die doing something stupid, I’ll be stuck down in hell with you, and in a very bad mood.  I can tell you’re a bit of a hero, so don’t give into it.”

I froze for a second, had that been a threat?  I nodded to her before I got back to the book.  I’d have liked the time to review spells, but it seemed wards and my intrinsic powers as a warlock would have to do for this first battle.  I wouldn’t even need the latter if I could keep them out of the house.  I could look up spells and pacts later.  After all, I still needed to be alive to make pacts.

“Lina, Lil, what about the tunnel, they could come at us from two directions,” I noted.

Malina tilted her head, “Why don’t you look at those wards closer?”

I sighed and sat down in the chair behind the desk, “Lil, would you get me a water?”  I was feeling a little dehydrated from our sexual Olympics earlier.

Malina chuckled and sounded sultry doing it.  Honestly it was damned distracting, but at the same time I wouldn’t change her for anything.  Not that I could.

Lilliana zipped out and up the stairs as I closed my eyes and connected to those wards and traced them.  Oh.  About halfway through there were traps, if the wards were overpowered, drained, or simply dispelled, the entire tunnel would collapse.  The wards themselves were intricately entwined with the tunnels existence.  Hopefully the enemy wouldn’t do that, the idea of building another tunnel like that was exhausting.  They still weren’t here, which means I was wasting time.  I should be back to reading the book.

Lilliana came back in a blur, and handed me the water, “Thanks Lil.”

I turned back to the book, and kept reading.  Sal seemed to have endless accounts of what was done, and I wondered if they were automatically recorded through the amulet or something.  I couldn’t imagine writing all of this history down myself.  The page changed and I read a paragraph that indicated that was indeed the case, for just the history though, if I ever made new spells I’d need to write them in myself.

It was also obvious I needed to focus while studying, if I let my thoughts wander even a little, Sal would bring up information on that.  I thought about fighting with the wards again, and Sal brought me back to the same page I was on before.  That was handy.  I looked up at Lil and Malina.

“This is great and all, but eventually I’ll have to go out, which means I need to learn how to fight without wards, will you two help me?  I’m good in a scrap, but magic… I have a lot to learn.”

Malina smiled at me and nodded and I instantly hardened.  Damn, she was distracting.  Back to the book, I could fuck them more later, which was more than enough incentive to live through the coming battle...

Chapter 10

Karen sighed angrily.

Brandon was being a bigger dick than usual, and he was blaming her for attacking prematurely, before they could surround the house.  He hadn’t even hit on her for a whole ten minutes, which meant that he was probably really angry with her for some reason.  Maybe because she didn’t let him give the order and had just attacked with fire on her own?  She didn’t want to believe that, but he probably was that petty.  Him being in charge was probably more important to him than results.

She grimaced, not that the results had accomplished their mission.

Either that, or he thinks we might fail now, and he’s making sure she takes the fall for it.  She didn’t like that idea at all, fucking politics.  She was ten times the mage he was.  He was good, excellent even in control, spell craft, and knowledge, but his power was lacking compared to hers by a wide margin, and she was still growing in power.

She tried one more time to be reasonable.

“Brandon, they didn’t run out the back, I’m sure of it.  We would have felt it, even through the entire house itself we couldn’t have failed to pick up a demon, a vampire, and a warlock’s magic.  They went downstairs to the basement, and no doubt back through the tunnel.  We need to split up now, send half the team to watch the mansion so they don’t run from there, and call in for another team to back us up.  Otherwise we’ll be chasing them back and forth for days.” You stupid jackass.

Of course, she left those last three words unspoken.

Brandon shook his head stubbornly and not a little arrogantly, “We can handle it on our own.  You stay here, get in that house and guard the tunnel from the basement with five others.  I’ll go back to the house myself and take care of this.”

She gaped at him a moment, he wanted to split up?  No doubt so he could take all the credit.  Where was all the bullshit about them being an amazing team now?  Well, it wasn’t all bad, if he died now no one could blame her for it, not if she’s back here sitting on her hands.

They’d probably still try though.

She turned to the team about to pick hers, but hesitated, “Alright, we’ll do that, do you want to pick the teams?”

Brandon sniffed, “Certainly,” and the blowhard picked all men.  Unbelievable, some of the best on this team were women.  Not all of them, but his choice was… illuminating.

She waved to her team, “Let’s go set up in the basement,” she turned to Brandon, “Good luck, and be careful.”

She turned and marched through the garage and into the house, she hadn’t mean that last, but their mission was being recorded, and it seemed prudent to say.  She took a deep sniff and wrinkled her nose.  Damn, this house stunk of sex, it should have disgusted her, but truthfully she was a little jealous.  She’d worked for power and influence so long she’d forgotten what it felt like to have a good romp.

She shook off her thoughts and went down into the basement, her half of the squad of security mages to the basement.  She hated being sidelined, but it could be worse, she could be the one going back to that fortified mansion…

Dion entered the building and headed straight for the stairs down.  He took them two at a time with his personal guards, who also happened to be his turns and couldn’t betray him, down to his coven’s lair.  Lair sounded impressive, but really it was just some sub-basements that looked more like posh suites in a hotel, and as the leader his looked more like a penthouse.

“Has there been any word on the rogue that’s killing shifters?  I want him dead, now.  Darren won’t let things pass for long and the last thing we need is war.”

Dion’s guards, who also performed as his second in command, Christabel and Neil shook their head no.

Dion sighed, “Fucking Moore, what a time for him to lose it, he’d have been perfect for tracking one of us.  Do we have any leads at all?”

The guards both exchanged looks, and Christabel cleared her throat, “Well, it seems that so far Shawn Derring, the last Moore, has so far been eluding the mages after him.  Maybe…” she trailed off.

Dion smiled grimly, “You’re suggest we ask him for help?  I do think we all overreacted allowing the mages to go after the whole Moore line, but I’ll have to think about it.  Maybe if he survives a bit longer we can ask for his help, and consider making a treaty with him.  If he doesn’t survive, well he isn’t worth our time.  That is of course, if we still need him, I want the rogue found now, make sure no one rests until it’s done.”

Christabel got her phone out and started making phone calls, and plans.  Dion listened for a while, but eventually his mind wandered, Christabel was one of his best, she knew what to do.  If the rogue couldn’t be found, he would consider this new Moore.  The only problem was, he had a treaty with the old one, a treaty that had held for hundreds of years, only to be betrayed in the end.

If he was to do this, he needed to ensure it wouldn’t be broken in such a way again…

Darren grunted in annoyance and looked down on his mate.  She looked stunning, as usual, and he found his annoyance slipping away under her tender and heated regard.  He looked away before she could distract him into taking her again, this was a serious problem.

“I don’t want to war with the vampires any more than you do, but I can’t afford to show weakness either.  The pack is getting restless, if this rogue vampire isn’t taken down, and the death isn’t solved quickly, I’ll be challenged, and rightly so.”

He chafed at the restraint he was forced to hold.  He was an alpha, not just responsible for protecting his pack, but the head alpha of all the shifter species.  He reminded himself again that Dion wasn’t at fault, but he was unsatisfied at the idea of waiting for that old vampire to protect his pack, only he had no idea where to look.

Damned Moore asshole, had to go and do something stupid.  Being possessed by a minor demon, a warlock would be perfect for tracking down a rogue vampire.  He growled and heard his mate shift off of their bed and come near, and then she wrapped her arms around him from behind.

She said reasonably, “You sent out warnings, everyone knows to be careful, especially in the city by our bars, and the club.  What’s got you so on edge?”

He growled as her hands roamed his chest and then dipped lower on his stomach.  It took an act of will to keep his thoughts straight.  He loved his mate, but he could hardly think about anything but ravaging her when she was in his presence.

“Moore.  It’s hard to swallow, but we owe him despite what he did.  It was his actions and treaties that kept us at peace with the vampires for all these years.  In most cities, the alphas and head of vampire coven are at each other’s throats constantly.”

He gasped as she purred playfully in his ear, and nipped his shoulder as her hand got even lower.  He knew it was just pride, but he didn’t like the idea that it was a damned warlock that’d kept his pack safer than he could have himself, as the alpha.  Yet, what could he do?

She said sultrily, her warm breath on his neck, “So what about this new Moore, can’t we make a treaty with him?”

Maybe, if the kid survives Clarissa, which will be no mean feat.  He didn’t answer though, since his mate was driving him crazy.  He turned, picked her up, and tossed her on the bed.  She looked up at him with a mix of pure lust, love, and excitement as he stalked toward the bed.  He could consider the issue again.  Later.  Perhaps much later…

Elissa of the fae was reclined back and trying to relax on her day bed.  She was ancient beyond reckoning, and surrounded by human servants.  She didn’t often regret her actions, but she was having second thoughts now.  At her age, there wasn’t anything more fun than a little bit of chaos, every once in a while things needed to be shaken up.  She felt a pinch below, and unpleasant one, and looked down at the servant with his head between her legs.

She slapped him hard, and he went flying off of her and onto the floor, he didn’t get up.  He hadn’t been doing a very good job before that anyway, and she had no use for a slave that didn’t know how to use their tongue right.  She pointed at one of the others against the wall, one she hadn’t tried out yet.  He was muscular, large, and flawless.  Hopefully he’d have a better clue than the last one.

She ordered, “Please me, and I will bring you more pleasure than you’ve ever known.”

She ignored him after he took the last servant’s place between her legs, and got back to her thoughts.

It wasn’t her fault, Chicago had been… too peaceful, and boring.  Even the damned vampires and shifters hardly ever spilled each other’s blood.  It hadn’t been hard to figure out why, the Moore warlock, by all accounts a being who should be evil, yet he manipulated those around him into treaties, and had kept the peace.

She’d decided to shake things up.  She closed her eyes and sighed, her body relaxing into the new servant’s tongue.  It was about time she found a man who knew how to eat her out right.

Regardless, she knew humans couldn’t resist her seductions or looks, it had been almost easy to seduce Moore, and she even got him to start leaving his vampire and succubus behind so they could fuck, and plot, in secret.  That was a second regret, she’d rarely met such a talented lover in her very long lifetime.

It’d been time to shake things up, perhaps enjoy a little spilled blood and chaos.  A shakeup on the council, a new clueless warlock with no treaties would work just great.  So she’d convinced him that they could rule the city together while they were in bed, that the others were just too violent and they could make the city better, together.

It had been so simple; warlocks were already power hungry as it was.  After fucking him insensible and appealing to his nature it had been easy to seduce him into the plan.  A succubus had nothing on a female fae, much less the common vampire whore who shared his bed.

Then when the time came, she turned on him in council and joined the others to put down the uprising of the power mad warlock.  Even Moore didn’t remember that she was supposed to be a part of it there at the end, when her magic that she’d placed while they shared a bed took effect, and cleansed her out of his mind.  No one would find out about her involvement.  Not even from his spirit.

It had been a good plan, really.

Things had soured, and become way too boring in Chicago.  She’d just wanted to shake things up, make another moment in this long life interesting.  But she did have one regret, she’d miscalculated.

That old bitch Clarissa had decided to declare the whole Moore line unstable, and that they should be eradicated.  She’d meant for a shakeup, new blood on the council, and maybe some time in the future, a new toy in her bed, once the succubus trained him up a bit.  Thanks to that bitch, her little shakeup had turned into an earthquake that may cause a war, and quite possibly cause her an inconvenience, and that would be annoying.

She hadn’t taken that into account, stupid mage.  Warlock’s always went bad eventually and grasped for more power than they could handle.  Fucking boohoo, might as well get angry at the tides.  How was she supposed to see it coming?  They were supposed to kill the crazy one, and bring in the new one.  Nothing easier, or more fun.

Still, perhaps it wouldn’t come to war.  Her agents were keeping an eye on the last Moore, apparently he’d managed to keep himself alive with the help of his sluts, so far.  Maybe he’d actually live and things would settle down, and if not, it had been a while since she saw a whole city meltdown.  Maybe Chicago would burn once again.  Come to think of it, that’d been the last time she miscalculated this badly.  That could be fun too, as long as she wasn’t inconvenienced too much.  Still, it irked her that she hadn’t accounted for everything.

Oh my, her new human slave was a bit talented, she gasped and actually arched her back as the pleasure overshadowed her thoughts and exploded from her center, inundating her body in waves of bliss.  She softly petted his hair as she came down, showing approval to her new pet.  Maybe she would even pleasure him as she promised, if he kept it up she would even want to, it was rare to find such a talented and beautiful slave…

Chapter 11

I put the book away as the wards warned me the mages were back.  This time there were only six though, instead of twelve.  The tunnel was still secure, so maybe the others were blocking the other side?

I felt like a bit of a coward, hiding behind the walls and wards of the estate, but I knew that was stupid.  A few hours ago I knew nothing of magic, I was sure the attackers had decades of experience in magic and battle, I’d need every edge I could get.  Once I learned some spells, and how to wield Krystal better, I’d be a bit more confident.

This whole thing was absolutely nuts, every once in a while I’d think maybe it’d be better if Ben had just been a serial killer, but then I looked at Malina and Lilliana, and those thoughts flew.  It was all mixed up in my head.  Lust, pleasure, desire, Lilliana was sworn as my servant, Malina was in it for the power and souls yes, but just as clearly for the sex too.  Despite all that, I was already sure I wouldn’t give either of them up without a fight.

What can I say?  Really good sex makes men stupid.

“They’re back, I’m not sure about tactics involving you two, do you have a plan, or?”

Malina kissed Lilliana and then turned to me, “Nope, we’ll just stand here and look pretty.”

Lilliana chuckled, “We are your protection.  Not your offense.  Especially right now, when we’re behind the wards in your stronghold.  Magic and enemies can be unpredictable, the last thing I need to do is go out there and kill a few people only to have someone sneak by and put a dagger in your back.

“It’s unlikely, but possible, so we are with you always, unless you send us away.  Which… please don’t do that, ever.”

Malina innocently smiled at me, I don’t know how she pulled it off, but she looked so… innocent, yet seductive at the same time.  I suddenly wondered if that said more about me than it did about her, as a succubus she could probably become and act like anything or anyone she wanted.  Apparently, I liked the idea of ravaging an innocent woman that craved wild sex.

Malina’s smile grew larger, which made me certain I was correct, and then she said, “Lil is right, we belong beside you, not off flanking the enemy.  If you need that one day, you’d best learn how to summon and bind lesser demons and send them instead.  Just don’t forget, I do help you by just standing here, those mages are limited to their personal power, as a warlock you have all the infernal magic you can siphon from me as backup.  Plus, if your enemies get to close, you’ll be glad we’re here to protect you.”

I nodded, I wouldn’t forget again.  I closed my eyes, the mages were gathering close to the house, and they formed a circle right in front of the spot where I’d found the breech.  I didn’t feel bad about what was about to happen.  These assholes had killed my uncle, who probably deserved it, but they’d also killed all my brothers, cousins, other uncles, and possibly my father.  After all, I was the last Moore.  I wondered then if we had any females in the family bloodline, probably not if our demon patron was a succubus.

The circle of mages built up with power and attacked the house like a battering ram, I felt the containment wards resisting it, and then activated an offensive ward, it sent the magic at the circle like a feedback circuit.  The magic shifted again and started to drain right into the ground.  I was prepared for that, and activated another attack ward, while pulling infernal magic from Malina.  I acted as the conduit between Malina and the ward.

Sickly green balefire shot out of the side of the house and hit the mage guiding the circle, burning into his personal shield.  I kept up the pressure, and he was dealing with three things now, his own attack, the feedback over his own attack which wanted to burn out his mind, and everyone else in the circle, and now balefire trying to eat through his shields and roast him on the spot.

I was pretty busy too, trying to maintain three things at once myself.  The containment ward and two offensive wards at the same time, yet I had more power to pull upon than his circle did.  The only question was, if my stamina and concentration to guide all that magic would hold.  I might have had a bottomless resource of magic, but not of will, and I was new at this magic thing on top of everything else.

I was sweating with the effort when his personal shield winked out, and he screamed as he was set on fire.  His grounding effect failed at that point, and the feedback of magic started to snuff the minds of the men in the circle, as well as burn out their magic, they went down one by one dying in shock.

The last mage moved and grabbed the leader under the arms, and my feedback spell died, and once again the balefire was hitting a shield.  The other mage dragged the leader back, and I let off on the ward spells with relief, and collapsed back into the char.  The leader’s skin was blackened, and he was unconscious, but I had a feeling he wasn’t quite dead.

The mage dragged him away from the house’s perimeter, and the wards lost contact with them.

“There are four dead mages outside, the leader got away, and so did one of the others in his circle.  I burned the crap out of him though, so he might still die if he doesn’t get healing quickly.  Umm, is that a thing?”

I’d just assumed.

Malina giggled.  Demons shouldn’t giggle, it was disconcerting.

“Yes, healing magic is a thing, natural healers are rare, but there are spells for it.  Plus, vampire blood, but you know all about that one, don’t you?”

I reached up and rubbed my chest, how had I forgotten I’d been shot twice in the chest, just five or six hours ago?

I nodded, “Lil saved me,” I said in a quiet voice.  Suddenly this felt all too real, I’d been running on adrenaline and sex this whole time, half my thinking had been with my cock, at least half.  My hands started to shake as it all truly sunk in.  I had a pact with a demon, I controlled magic, spells, balefire, shields, detected magic and could summon and command lesser demons.

I could bargain for souls, and take power and life in the deal.

I felt soft hands on my face, and looked up at an angel.  Fallen yes, but still so beautiful.

“Lina…” I didn’t know what to say.

She kissed my forehead, so gently it was shocking, did she really care about me?  I got she did this for power, and so she could come to Earth, but that didn’t mean other reasons couldn’t be involved as well, did it?  Or was I just naïve past stupidity?

Malina said softly, “You’re in shock, it’s been a hell of a day, no pun intended,” she smiled, “You need food, and sleep.  I’ll keep watch, and wake you if they come back, I doubt they will today, you kicked their asses.  Lil will take care of you.”

First Lil found some food, and more water.  I ate even if I wasn’t really that hungry, and was kind of braindead while doing it.  I was in shock.  When I finished and drank down the bottle of water I moved to get up.

I stood and my legs were a bit shaky.  Lilliana took my arm, and led me up the stairs to the master bedroom.  She undressed herself, then me, and we both slipped under the covers.  I knew I was in shock, because Lilliana was stunningly beautiful and sexy, and my cock hadn’t even twitched.

She looked a little nervously at me, “You don’t mind, do you master?” her voice brimmed with vulnerability, as if afraid I’d reject her.

I shook my head.  Did I mind that the beautiful vampire who obeyed my every whim and desire wanted to share my bed?  Of course not.  Plus, she was warm, soft, and her presence was comforting as I pulled her tightly against my side.  I let myself go, and tried to fall into sleep.  Hopefully I’d have my shit together when I woke up.

I woke up and felt much better.  I was still a little freaked, but I was able to think, and the truth was it felt right.  My life had been on hold so long while being under the spell that suppressed my magic and forced others away from me, that I felt like I was finally living.  I glanced over at the clock and my eyes widened slightly.  I’d only been asleep less than three hours.  I felt like I’d slept for weeks.

My cock was waking up too, the soft silky feel of Lilliana’s skin against mine, and her breasts pushed against me as she rested her head on my shoulder started to give me ideas.  I gently rolled her onto her back, and she mewled in protest, but didn’t wake up.  I pulled the sheet down, and took a long leisurely look up and down her body.  Something I hadn’t had a chance to truly do yet.

Her chestnut brown hair, full lips, and long graceful neck were beautiful, and then I took in her body.  She was toned, but her skin was soft and supple, her breasts were firm, and I smiled as I saw her nipples tighten in the cooler air of the room.  Her breasts were perfectly proportioned to her curvy lithe body, a full C cup, rounded, and firm enough to stand up straight while she lay on her back.

I couldn’t help but reach out and caress her stomach, and tease the bottom of her breasts.  Then I put my lips on her skin, and kissed my way down her body.  The scent of her core made my cock twitch as I slipped my tongue between her silken folds for a taste of her.  She arched her back and gasped, and I felt her fingers entwine in my hair as I teased them open with the tip of my tongue for another taste.  Guess I’d woke her up.

I moaned in approval, she tasted exquisite, and I got to work on pleasuring her.

She whispered, “By hell’s fires, don’t stop master…”

I smiled and flicked her clit with my tongue, and then slid a hand along her leg, up her thigh, and slid a finger into her warm heaven as I sucked on her folds, and teased her clit with light flicks.  It was so damned good to feel her squirm under my tongue and fingertips, and to hear her whimper, as I teasingly and slowly brought her to orgasm.

She gasped out, “Master!” and arched her back, her thighs locked around my head and squeezed like a vise, as I did my best to lick through and extend her pleasure.

I couldn’t wait any longer, her responsiveness to my touch, the way she felt, scented, and tasted had driven me insane with lust.  Even as she came down from my ministrations I knelt, grabbed her legs, and flipped her over.  I grabbed her hips and pulled her back to her knees, and drove into her from behind, burying myself in her wet, tight, silken core in one violent thrust.

We gasped together.

She said sultrily, “Fuck me master, hard… please…”

I had the thought to tell her she could call me Shawn, but then, maybe not… just not in bed I mean.

I teased her, and pulled it out slowly, she mewled in complaint, and I spanked her hard drawing a gasp of pain and pleasure from her lips.  Then I reached forward, grabbed her beautiful and shiny chestnut hair, and pulled back firmly as I thrust forward as hard and quickly as I could.

Then I went to town and started to drill her hard and fast, and she went crazy.  She started to thrust back into me just as hard as I was ravaging her.  She squirmed, bucked, mewled, panted, and gasped as I spanked and fucked her as hard as I could.  The harder I spanked her, the more she begged for it again, and even harder.

I wasn’t cruel, but I had no real reason to hold back, she was a vampire and not only could take it, but was loving the rough sex as I plowed her until she collapsed in another orgasm.  The hot wet friction of her pleasure tripled as she attained ecstasy, clamping me like a vice and rippling up and down my entire length.  I couldn’t hold it anymore, and buried myself deep as I exploded into her, lost in the pleasure as I filled her up, her greedy core still rippling, milking me for my seed as I was overcome with orgasmic bliss.

I was still coming down when I felt a pat on my ass, and then it was squeezed lightly.  I felt her presence behind me, and she pushed her breasts into my back, and started to caress my chest.

Malina whispered in my ear, the tone dripped of innocence, but the words were anything but, “Can you do that again for me warlock, I’ve been… very bad, and need a spanking.”

My cock had been softening inside Lilliana, not anymore, I was instantly hard, and very sure I could do exactly that…

I was completely exhausted, and most definitely sated, as I lay collapsed between Lilliana and Malina, both of them cuddled up against me as we basked in the afterglow of great sex.

“So, did I sleep for twenty-seven hours, or three hours?”

Malina giggled, I guessed I’d better get used to an innocent looking giggling demon, because I doubted she would change.

Lilliana replied, “Three, you won’t need as much sleep now.  Two or three hours a night.”

“Well, that leaves a lot of time for learning spells, and how to defend myself.”

Malina kissed my shoulder, “And pacts, and lots of sex.  But you’re right, you should focus on studying spells and physical fighting until you’re caught up, or at least competent.”

I wanted to take offense at that, I was pretty handy in a fight.  But I really couldn’t, take offense that is.  I was handy in a fight with thugs and gang members, but vampire, shifters, and mages would bring a whole new level of hurt to the game.

Reluctantly, I got up out of bed and jumped in the shower.  I wasn’t alone long before they were both joining me, and I felt both silly, and quite pampered, as Malina cleaned my front, and Lilliana got the back.  I just sort of stood there, when I tried to clean Malina in return, she just patted my hand away.  I supposed it was just as well, if she hadn’t we might not have gotten out of the shower for a very long time.

Dressed and back downstairs in the underground den office, I pulled out the book.  I knew I should focus on spells for now, but I was curious about pacts, and what was involved.  It wouldn’t do any harm to look at the basics, and then I could get back to spells after that, and ignore the rest on pacts until I needed details.

I wasn’t really done with wards yet either, I had a good grounding in the basics already, but I’d have to revisit it once things calmed down, and learn all the intricacies involved.  If I kept thinking about everything I’d have to learn, I’d no doubt get depressed and learn nothing.  So I got myself on track.

I brought up the information on creating deals with mortals.  I was surprised at how easy it was, relatively.

There were two spells involved to start with, that were more divination magic than anything else.  The spells would guide me to the kind of situation I was looking for.  One spell would find a woman who would be willing to carry my child, and raise it, in return for something she wanted, that was also within my power to give.

The second spell was much the same, only it was for those, man or woman, that were willing to give up their souls for what they wanted, and again, what they wanted in return would be something within my power to grant, either directly or through Malina.

The trick was, in both cases, I couldn’t use any spells to guarantee the outcome, or influence the human I was making the deal with, it had to be their decision and done in free will.  I imagined that’s where the history in the book would come in handy, Sal would be able to show me how my ancestors talked people into it.

Once that was done, the spell for binding was a part of my amulet, so that would probably be the easiest part.  Once we both agreed, I’d seal it with a spell.  In the first example, I’d then impregnate the woman and give her what she wanted.  In the second kind of deal or pact I could make, in return for me granting the person what they wanted, the person would lose a small part of their soul to be split between me and Malina, which would make me both more powerful, and add several years to my lifespan.

The rest of their soul, the majority of it, was theirs to keep until they died, and when that happened, Malina got the rest.  I wasn’t sure how I felt about all that, it was very Faustian, but I was sure both Malina and I would benefit.  I also saw no reason to believe that Malina was only interested in that power, surely if she didn’t like me, or my line perhaps, she could find another Warlock.

I’d also been thinking about all that had been said so far.  I believed Malina when she said I’d have a harem of her sisters and daughters in hell when I died.  Kind of the ultimate retirement.

Of course, there was always a catch.  In this case, I’d have that for as long as the pact was kept.

I wasn’t sure what would happen if I failed to keep the pact, to me and all my ancestors who were currently guests in Malina’s little comfy corner of hell.  If I died, was killed, before I had an heir, our pact would be broken, she would be stuck in hell until she found someone else, and I had a feeling my family wouldn’t be having sex and parties anymore.

What had she said earlier today?  If you die doing something stupid, I’ll be stuck down in hell with you, and in a very bad mood.  Yeah, subtle, but definitely a threat.  Failing sounded like a really bad idea to me.  The silver lining of course, was that she wanted me to succeed, and would help me do it.  Lilliana would be a huge help as well, and her loyalties were much more firmly in my corner, if only because she would die if I do, but I felt like it was much more than that.

But the sooner I could get some breathing room, and start making some dreams come true so I can sow my seed, the better.  A little more power wouldn’t go amiss either.

Regardless, it’s obvious my inherent abilities are good in a pinch, but not good enough to completely depend on in a fight.  I got back to the book and started trying to learn spells, starting with defensive and offensive combat spells.  I could look at the others later…

Chapter 12

Karen looked down at the floor.  Not in respect, but so that Clarissa wouldn’t see the anger and contempt in her eyes.  Clarissa had been questioning her for fifteen minutes, it was not only her fault that Brandon almost died, but also the four of the security mages killed in his ill-advised attempt to take on the most magically fortified mansion in the city, with only a circle of six mages.  It was so stupid to blame her for that it didn’t even make sense.

Even with a newbie Warlock, it had been suicidal.  She was also disappointed he’d managed to screw that up as well, and live.  He couldn’t even kill himself right.  She knew why Clarissa was doing it of course, she was surrounded by the rest of the mage leadership, and one of her major backers was Brandon’s father.  If Clarissa couldn’t blame someone else, she might lose that backing, and possibly risk her cronies turning on her.

Politics and deals, it all came down to that.

Karen said carefully, “With all due respect ma’am, you have the records of our planning.  I urged him to reconsider his plan, call in reinforcements, and not to leave me behind.  I couldn’t disobey his orders.  Brandon is a very capable mage, but he underestimated Moore’s ability to control his home’s wards despite his new status.”

She’d almost choked on those words, calling Brandon capable, but she supposed he was.  His spell work was never the problem though, he was an arrogant pervert, and a complete moron.  That was the problem she had with having him as her boss and partner, he was a cretin.

Clarissa scowled, and it seemed she’d agree with her, but she couldn’t.

The whole mage world is corrupt.  Clarissa is a powerful mage, but when she’d taken power she surrounded herself with safe supporters, other mage families that weren’t nearly the strongest.  Clarissa had also made new laws thirty years ago, preventing challenges to rise in station, even ones without death.  It had changed everything, now it wasn’t the cleverest, or strongest that held the power in mage society, it was the most underhanded boot lickers.

Karen was pretty sure Clarissa was a coward.  That’s how the mages wound up with a weak and sometimes stupid council that constantly backstabbed each other, and created stupid rules to keep the more powerful mages, such as herself, from attaining any real power.  If Clarissa herself hadn’t been so strong, Karen was sure she’d have been overthrown by now.

She was tempted to do it herself.  But she wasn’t ready, not yet.

Clarissa shook her head, “You are his partner, you should have tried harder to caution him.  Regardless, I want the last Moore dead.  You will go back, with two squads.  Perhaps with twenty other mages under your command you can manage the attack well enough?  Dismissed.”

Karen clenched her teeth.  She was taking the blame, and now Clarissa was trying to have her killed?  Twenty was a decent amount, but to assault a warlock’s home that was just going to be even stronger was stupid.  She considered objecting, and trying to talk Clarissa out of her vendetta, one that she didn’t really understand to begin with.  Although, the rumors were that Clarissa was a hairs breath from death at the end of that battle…

It didn’t matter, it would be a waste of words to try, and just lower her even further on the path to power.  Not that it would matter any, if she died.

She nodded sharply to acknowledge the order, and turned and left the room.  She headed downstairs to the mage barracks for the security mages.  It took her a few minutes to track down a couple of squad leads.

“Jerrold, Tina, we have an assault in four hours.  No, make that six, I’m dead on my feet.  Have your squads ready to go at that time.”

Tina asked, “Target?”

She held in a sigh and said in a confident tone, “Moore mansion.”

Jerrold’s eyes widened, “Are you serious?”

She replied sharply, “Clarissa’s orders.  Pack some conventional weapons, it will give us a chance, on my authority.”

Maybe a few grenades could get through the wall, and destroy the wards, where her spells couldn’t.  Mages didn’t usually use conventional human weapons, it was easier to cover up magic, and the last thing they needed would be the cops coming around.  After all, she was pretty sure grenades were against the law for civilian use in Chicago’s city limits.

Shit, the truth was Clarissa was off her rocker, they were probably all dead, they just didn’t know it yet.  Still, it would be their best chance, their only chance.

She needed to get some sleep though, if she and her teams would have any chance at all in the coming conflict she would need to be sharp, and awake.  Jerrold and Tina were pretty solid, and she was sure they’d have everything ready.  She didn’t want to waste sleep time going home either.  She found an empty bunk and passed out on it…

She felt groggy when she woke, and went in search of the restroom.  She looked like a mess in the mirror, but that was easily fixed with a minor spell and some visualization.  A moment later, and she looked freshly showered and her clothes looked crisp and wrinkle free.  She even felt and smelled fresh as she continued her search for coffee, slightly more awake.

The stuff down here was free, but nasty.  Still, it was a requirement for her at this point.  She took a long sip and made a face, yup, she was awake.  She wasn’t sure though if it was the bitter taste, or the caffeine, and supposed it didn’t matter.  She went downstairs and outside, the two teams were waiting for her, along with two large vans.

She chose to get in Tina’s van, and sat in the passenger seat.

“We ready?” she asked lightly, as if they had all the time in the world.

She wasn’t in such a rush to die after all, although she let none of that reach her face, she was the picture of confidence.

Of course, Tina wasn’t that stupid.

“As we’ll ever be.  We weren’t able to get more than one grenade, just some guns, which are worthless, and two smoke grenades.”

She considered that, maybe they could smoke them out?  Probably not, he’d be in the basement and there were no windows, even if they smoked the whole first floor, he’d be fine.  Unless, the air conditioning sent the smoke down there.  Doubtful but worth a shot.

Desperate too, dispersing smoke was a simple air spell.

They showed up at the house and approached it, stopping at a distance.  She used her mage sight to look at the warded house, and the open spot they’d used successfully before was now laced with hidden traps.  Hidden to most anyway, she was powerful enough to sense them there.

“Ideas?” she asked.

Someone cleared their throat behind them, and she spun around with a hand up, lit on fire.

Dion smiled at her, “Hold your fire young mage.  Nice to see you too on this wonderful night.  Or is it morning?”

She sighed and lowered her hand.  She recognized Dion, coven leader of the vampires, ancient, and on the joint supernatural council.

“I think it’s morning, but until dawn it doesn’t feel like it.”

Dion nodded, “I have a suggestion.  Clarissa’s vendetta ends now.”

She gaped, “Alright, I’ll just call her and tell her that,” she said sarcastically.

“What a splendid idea,” another low voice came from further away.  Her eyes almost bugged out of her head as the shifter alpha, Darren, walked up.  She decided she wasn’t awake enough for this.

Darren nodded to Dion, “I see you had the same idea.  Another of my pack died, if I can’t persuade our new warlock to track rogue down, things are going to get ugly my friend.”

Dion said musingly, “I agree, I also came to him for that purpose, I’m ashamed my coven has not yet been able to track this miscreant down.  The rogue is very… adept at hiding and not leaving a scent trail.  Which is disturbing, it means he or she is old enough to use vampire magic.”

Darren turned to her and said, “Go ahead… Karen isn’t it?” she nodded in surprise and he continued, “Call Clarissa, and we’ll talk to her.”

She pulled out her phone, and dialed Clarissa before putting it on speaker phone.

Clarissa answered, “What is it, is he dead?”

She frowned, “You are on speaker, I have Dion and Darren with me.  No, he isn’t dead, we just got here.”

Clarissa snarled, “What do you mean you just got there, I sent you six hours ago!  Never mind, I’ll deal with you later.”

Clarissa took a big breath, she could hear it over the line, “Dion, Darren, what can I do for you?”

Dion spoke, “This vendetta has gone far enough.  I know we agreed with you at first, we were angry at being betrayed, but it has to end.”

Darren grunted, “I agree too, eradicating a whole family from one warlock’s actions is not only wrong, but it’s leaving a vacuum of power that’s already causing problems in the city.  We also have need of his abilities; our city will be weaker without him.  Call off your mages, we no longer support you in this matter, it was ill-advised from the start.”

Clarissa sounded enraged, and she winced and held the phone further away, as if to distance herself, “You can’t trust him, that whole family is unstable and needs to be put down.”

Dion said in a deadly calm voice, “Careful Clarissa, we are not your stooges to be spoken to so harshly.  We will deal with him, Darren and I, and if he turns out to be unstable, or not amenable, I’ll kill him myself.  But you need to back off, or it won’t only be the warlock you have a fight with.  Do we understand each other?”

Clarissa cursed, “Very well.  But on your heads be it,” she paused for a moment, “Karen, you’re released from all your duties for your failure, pending an inquiry, send the teams back, but don’t bother coming back yourself until I’ve contacted you,” and the old mage hung up the phone.

Dion grunted, “Did you just get fired for taking a nap?”

She laughed a little uncertainly, “It looks like it.”

Darren shook his head, “That’s… really fucked up.”

She turned to Tina and Jerrold who looked relieved, as if they’d been granted a pardon from death, “Well, you heard her, head on back.”

They both searched for something to say, but just acknowledged her orders and left awkwardly.  She could tell they both knew she was getting shafted.  She shook her head and wondered if she should just give up now, maybe seek opportunities elsewhere.  Her family name was not part of the inner circle, she’d been fooling herself to think she’d have a chance at rising in mage society and taking Clarissa’s seat no matter how powerful she truly was.

Opportunities elsewhere…

She shrugged and looked toward the mansion, “Well guys, shall we go knock on the door?”

Chapter 13

I felt like a chew toy as I flew five feet back, my back slammed into the wall, quickly followed by the back of my head.  I groaned in pain and protest as I tried to get up, and failed to.

Lilliana looked down on me without pity, “You need to do better.  If I was an enemy vampire you’d be a meal right now, and a werewolf would have torn your limbs off.”

We’d been sparring for a while, and this was only the latest time I’d flown into a wall, or been grounded into the floor, or hit with a practice sword.  I was pretty sure I’d even hit the ceiling once or twice.

What was the point of this exactly?  This last time I’d managed to hold on to pulling power from Malina for a whole two minutes.  It was too much to keep track of without losing my concentration, and she was way too damned fast.

“Can’t I just use magic?” I asked a little plaintively.

Lilliana shook her head, “You need to fight with all your inherent magic abilities, spells, and learn how to wield Krystal in a fight, all while pulling power from your demoness.  Vampires and shifters can carry protections from magic, the only way to kill them sometimes is with Krystal through their innards, or through their neck.

“You need to also get used to detecting magic all the time, which is one of your abilities, it could give you the crucial second or two to react when your attacked in surprise.  All it takes is a second for a fast vampire to close the distance and kill you.  Now get up, and try again.”

When I’d asked her to train me, I hadn’t expected such a harsh taskmaster.  But then she wanted me alive so I knew she was doing the best she could.  I pulled infernal power through Malina, who was watching from the other side of the room, and my aches and pains were subsumed as I felt almost invulnerable.

I knew from experience, that feeling was a lie.

As I jumped up to once again try to take down Lilliana, and no doubt get schooled once more, I felt the wards warn me and held up a hand.  Then they knocked on the door, huh.

“I know this sounds like the beginning of a joke, but a shifter, vampire, and mage just knocked on my door.”

Lilliana lowered the weapon, and I saw her eyes turn red as her teeth dropped.  I was alarmed for a moment, but she bit her finger, and then put in my mouth.

“Suck,” she ordered.

I did what she said, and felt the aches and pains just fade away, as her couple of drops of blood healed them in moments.

She looked at me critically, “You should change, I’ll answer the door and see what they want.”

Malina nodded, “I’ll stay with him, and help him get dressed.”

I headed upstairs, and found myself in a large walk-in closet.  Malina started handing me clothes.

“Lina, I’ve never worn a suit in my life,” I objected.

Malina kissed my cheek, “You’ll get used to it.  You are the warlock of Chicago, one of the most powerful supernaturals in the city.  Or you will be, when you grow up.  You can’t meet the heads of the other races dressed in a pair of jeans and a tee.”

Now they were both bossing me around, and I wondered exactly who was in charge here.  Obviously not me, since I was already pulling on the clothes, which fit perfectly.

“Umm, heads of the races?”

Malina nodded, “I recognize their auras.  You have Darren, the alpha wolf shifter, and Dion, the vampire that heads the Chicago coven down there.  The mage is also very powerful, but is not Clarissa, the bitch that started all this, but be cautious anyway.  They must want something badly to enter your house instead of seeking neutral ground.  They are potential allies, but never friends.  Remember that.”

“Yes Lina, I will,” I said offhand.

She kissed me, hard and fast, and passionately, when the kiss broke she held my head between her small hands like a vice, and her eyes were glowing red.  Her voice wasn’t its usual innocent tone, it was harsh, and a little scary to be honest.

“I know what you were thinking before Shawn.  And believe it or not, I do care for you, I’m even capable of love, but you were also right about the other things as well.  Failing to maintain your responsibilities to the pact would be a huge mistake, not just for you either, but for the entire Moore line under my care.

“Take my advice or not, believe I want you to succeed or not, but do not patronize me again.  In the bedroom, I’m happy to be your little sex toy, mistress, slut, whore, or anything your imagination can come up with, but when we talk business?  I will have respect, don’t ever forget who and what I am.”

I nodded, or tried to, “I’m just nervous.  Everyone was trying to kill me earlier, now they want to talk?”

She smiled brightly and caressed my face softly, her voice was back to innocent seduction, “Well, nerves is it?  I can help with that, later though, when our guests are gone.”

She gave my cock a quick squeeze through my pants, just in case I’d missed the obvious reference, and then helped me finish getting dressed.

I did my best to try and detect the magic around me as Lilliana had suggested, and it worked, but it took too much of my concentration.  I figured with a lot of practice, having it going in the back of my mind all the time would be easy, but not in the next five minutes.

I looked in the mirror, and didn’t recognize myself.  I looked good, really good actually, but I wasn’t comfortable with the look.

Malina leaned up and kissed my cheek almost lovingly, “You will be in time.”

I paused for a moment, getting whiplash with her mood changes, and then nodded.  I supposed I would be at some point.  I was reinventing myself.  I wasn’t who I was a day ago either, but I was still somewhere in the middle.  It would take time to make the transition, to truly belong in these clothes, and in this house.

I held out my arm, and Malina smiled girlishly as she took it.  One thing was for sure, she’d keep me on my toes, and I’d never be bored.  When I got downstairs, I felt Lilliana with my detection magic in the study on the first floor, the one that was for appearances only, along with our three guests.  We walked in and I took a quick moment to measure the people before me.

Dion, the head vampire, was over six feet tall, had black hair and gray eyes that bespoke intelligence and cunning.  He looked calm, but very alert for any kind of treachery.  Darren the wolf alpha, was even taller, and had blond hair and vivid blue eyes.  He looked, restrained, as if the wolf always wanted to get out and challenge those around him.  He was in a word, intense.

The third, the woman mage who I didn’t have a name for yet, was striking.  She wasn’t beautiful in the classic sense, but at the same time she was very attractive.  She did have stunning blue black hair that shone with the overhead light, and piercing green eyes that returned my regard with equal curiosity.  She had a cute almost pixie-like face, and her body was lithe and willowy.

She was cute enough, but what made her stand out was the way she held herself, I wanted to say graceful and she wasn’t even moving, and her confidence was almost palpable.  It was that which pushed her over merely cutely attractive, and into strikingly sexy and alluring.  I had to firmly remind myself she was my enemy, of sorts.

“Welcome.  I’m to understand meeting here is not how it’s usually done?  You’ll come under no harm while under my roof for the duration of this visit, unless you bring harm yourselves.”

Dion smiled, “Well said, and thank you for the welcome.”

Darren nodded as well, the woman just looked at me speculatively, as if I was a puzzle to be solved.

“My name is Shawn, I understand you’re Darren, Dion, and I’m afraid I don’t know your name miss?”

She replied almost reluctantly, “Karen.”

The room was still so… uncomfortable.  Barely restrained violence seemed to hang in the air.

“I assume the matter that brought you here is of some importance?  Maybe we should skip directly to the reason of your visit?”

Darren nodded, “To get right to the point.  We’d like to offer you the same treaty we had with the last Moore warlock.”

Dion added, “With a couple of conditions.”

Damn, I wish I’d read the treaty section in Sal, I had no idea what that treaty was, I hadn’t been expecting this so soon.  I saw Lilliana give a subtle nod, and decided I’d trust her, rather than look ignorant.  However, the amused look in Karen’s eyes, which were still studying me, clued me in that at least one person knew my dilemma.

“What stipulations?” I asked, not sure what else to do.

Dion nodded at Darren, “We have a problem.  There is a rogue vampire out there killing shifters.  There is already a provision in the treaty with us that states you would be the one to step in, to prevent war between vampire and shifter kind.  Truthfully, a warlock has the best chance of stopping it sooner rather than later.”

“So…”

Dion smiled, “Well, we want you to take care of it before the treaty will be active between us.  Sort of a… test you could say.  After all, if you can’t live up to your end of the treaty, there is no point in signing it.  We will give you until this time tomorrow to do so.”

That seemed almost reasonable, if insulting.  Then again, if the rogue was anything like Lilliana, I wasn’t sure I was ready to be hunting down and ending him.

“And the second?” I asked curiously.

Dion frowned, “I knew your predecessor for a long time, hundreds of years.  We were never friends, but close allies.  I’m concerned about repeating history.  Not as much as Clarissa obviously, his actions were not yours, but you see my point?  Warlocks eventually crave power over all other considerations, and ultimately betray, even a treaty.  It may take two hundred years, or a thousand, but it is inevitable.”

I… what the hell could I say to that?

I glanced over at Malina, and then almost jumped, but somehow managed not to betray the fact that her voice just talked in my head.

Malina sent, “It is inevitable, there is only one way to prevent it.  A pact.”

A pact.  Right, if they desire that I don’t betray them, and it’s part of a pact, no matter how power hungry I got, I couldn’t betray them without shooting myself in the foot so to speak.  But what kind of pact, and I doubted they’d ever agree.

Malina sent reluctantly, “A pact doesn’t have to include a soul transaction, think of something.”

I pondered that for a moment, it was hard to think of anything, especially since I didn’t know what was currently in the treaty.

I smiled, “I think I might have a solution, but I need to check on something.  Can you excuse me for a moment?”

Darren said, “Of course,” but I could see Karen’s eyes laughing at me.

Why was I so obsessed with what Karen’s gorgeous green eyes were doing?

I nodded and retreated, and then moved quickly downstairs, Malina came with me.  I brought up the treaty, and luckily there was only one, apparently signed by the two men up there, and my uncle.  It was also about five pages long.  I read fast, and hoped I didn’t miss anything.

First was a mutual defense clause, if a coven, pack, or warlock tried to move in and take over Chicago.  That clause didn’t include mages, or the mages here in the city.  I had to assume they both, or at least one of them, had a treaty with the mages, so couldn’t sign one with me.  I also got the idea that the mages were the group I really needed to look out for, not that I could fully trust vampires or shifters.

The second clause was that I kept demons from harassing the vampires and the shifters.  I could only assume this was the clause that made me in charge of going after a vampire rogue, but that seemed pretty thin, since the human possessed would be in charge, not the animalistic demon.  Maybe my uncle had just liked them and wanted to stop them from tearing apart the city in a war.

The third clause was weighed in my favor, as I could ask for their assistance if independent vampires or shifters targeted me.

The fourth was a do not list.  Do not mess with any of the three groups hierarchy, or how they pass on power, or internal politics.  In other words, if I hate Dion, I can’t help another vampire take over their coven.  Same for the wolves and all other shifters.  That also counts for my family and heirs, which explains why only the mages were taking those steps, and not the whole community.  There was also something in here about none of the three groups, me counting for one whole group, that none of us were to seek ascendency over each other.  Meaning this is where my uncle betrayed the treaty when he decided to try to rule the city.

“Lina, can I just make this treaty a pact?”

Malina nodded, “You could yes.  If they agree.”

I sighed, and nodded.  If they agreed, and then betrayed the contract itself, their soul would be forfeit to Malina as my patron.  I stood up and walked over to her, and pulled her into a soft, nibbling, and exploratory kiss.  She melted against me and moaned into my mouth.  When I broke the kiss she smiled up at me.

“What was that for?”

I smiled, “Just because I had to kiss you,” and then I headed back up the stairs and returned to our guests.

When I got close I heard Dion talking, probably on the phone.  He was reassuring a Christabel that he was safe and just fine.  I walked back into the room and waited until he hung up.

I nodded, “There is a way of course.  We could make the treaty itself a pact.  I’d be incapable of betraying that.  Of course, if you betrayed it, your soul would be in jeopardy, but not if you followed it.”

Darren looked really uncomfortable with that, and Dion was a mystery, he had on a poker face.  Karen, whom I’m not even sure why she was here, looked shocked by the suggestion.  I kind of just let it sit out there a while.

Dion finally responded, “Explain exactly what you mean?”

I shrugged, “The treaty would be a pact, I would use my magic and we would agree on the treaty.  A pact is something I couldn’t betray, I’d be betraying myself.  It’s a valid pact, because all three of us get something we want, and there are no souls involved, so when you die, or when I die, the pact will be over, and will need to be redone with whoever comes next.”

Dion asked, “And if I go back on the treaty?  I won’t of course, I just want to understand.”

I nodded, “That’s a wise stance to take.  It’s an infernal pact, if you don’t keep your word, you forfeit your soul to that beauty over there,” Malina winked at me, “and that’s all there is to it.”

Darren asked, “And if Dion betrays the pact and attacks me, and I fight back?”

I smiled, “You’d be fine.  Once the pact is broken by one, it’s void for the other two.”

Dion asked, “And if you betrayed the pact?”

I shook my head, “Never happen, but if I was ever insane enough to do so, and not incidentally betray my patron by doing so, I imagine she’d pull out all my innards with hot hooks, just as a way to get started.  No gentlemen, any pact I make will be inviolate for me.”

Malina smiled and clapped her hands together, “What a marvelous idea.”

It was my turn to wink at her.  Even if I was a little disturbed.  But then, the whole torturous idea had been mine.  I had no one to blame but myself for her girlish delight of hot hooks and my guts.

Dion cleared his throat, “Very well, I am willing to do so, if you take out that rogue.”

Darren frowned, “What happens if one of my own go rogue and kills a vampire?  Technically, that would violate the treaty.”

What was life without risk?  No, joking would be a bad idea.  I explained instead.

“The pact would be between the three of us, as long as that rogue was dealt with, and was not sent by your orders, it wouldn’t be violated.  Let me be clear, intent matters.  If you drop hints, or are wishful that someone would do that, it’s a different story.”

Darren shook his head, “I can’t do it then.  Sorry Dion, but I want to tear you to pieces all the time.  I resist, but you know it’s in my nature.”

Dion nodded slowly, not even acting shocked or objecting to Darren’s statement.

“What if the three of us just sign the treaty, and work out a pact in some other way.  Just between you and I.  You promise me you won’t break the treaty, and I give you something you want, and not my soul by the way.”

I said slowly, “That sounds fair.  Let’s do this, I assume you have a treaty with you now?”

Dion nodded.

“Let’s add that proviso now at the bottom, to kill the current rogue, and then sign.  I’ll go out and kill the rogue, and the treaty will be valid from that moment on right?  Then give me a little time to decide, I’m not going power hungry anytime soon.  The problem is, I have no idea what to ask you for once I have the treaty.  Unless you have a suggestion?”

Dion shook his head, “No, it’s wise to wait anyway, if you can’t hold up your end, there is no point in a pact if the treaty never happens.  I’ll give you some time to decide what you want from me.”

He pulled out a sheaf of papers, and we sat down at the small table.  I took the time to look through it, and it was an exact duplicate of what I read in Sal earlier, except that last proviso, so I signed it and passed it over.  I signed three times in total, and we each had a copy.

I had it in the bag, except of course, now I needed to hunt down a rogue in the next twenty-four hours, and I had no idea where to start.  It wasn’t all bad though, I thought I knew the right questions for Sal to find those answers.  We all stood and I walked them to the door.

Darren said, “Stop by at this address,” and passed me a card, “You’ll need to see the remains of the shifter the rogue killed.”

I nodded, like I knew what the hell he was talking about, and had one more complication as I let them out.  What the hell was Karen doing here?  All she’d done was watch and study me.

“Karen, will you stay a moment more?”

She nodded reluctantly, and the four of us watched Dion and Darren leave.

I asked, “Something to drink?”

I’d have offered them all something earlier, but I wasn’t really sure how to handle that in Dion’s case, so I’d decided to just avoid the issue until I talked to Lilliana.

She replied in a pleasant tone, “Yes, please.”

We walked back into the den together, and I looked at Lilliana, and she glared at me, though I wasn’t exactly sure why.

Malina snickered, “Water, soda, or something alcoholic?”

“Water’s fine,” she said once more in a very pleasant tone.

I hadn’t heard Karen talk much, but her voice had an attractive lilt to it.

Malina headed out and the two of us sat down at the table, Lilliana chose to stand and obviously didn’t trust the mage.  That’s when I realized why Lilliana had glared at me, she just didn’t want to get the drinks and leave me alone with a strange mage woman.  I supposed I should have thought that through better.

I asked rather bluntly, “I was just wondering why you joined us is all.  What do you want?”

She studied me again, intently, as if judging me somehow.  I didn’t detect any magic so she wasn’t casting a spell, so I just waited.  Finally, I guess she saw something in me that made her decide.  Malina came back in and handed her a water, which she sipped a couple of times before starting.

Karen said softly, “Please be a little patient, it’s a long story as to why I’m here…”

I almost smiled, if there was one thing I could do, it was listen to her voice for a long time.

“The mages, as a group, have grown weaker over the last thirty years, and unstable as a result, corrupt.”

Lilliana snorted loudly and Karen turned and shook her head before continuing.

“Oh, we are still strong, but it’s all wrong and backwards.  Clarissa took the head council seat which gave her the power to run things many years ago.  It was about thirty years ago things seemed to change.  I don’t know exactly what happened, I wasn’t born then, but something caused her to change how things are done.

“In the past, power determined leadership, and she’d fought off several challengers.  Perhaps thirty years ago she almost lost?  I’m not sure, but she changed the laws at that point, and challenges are no longer a valid way to determine one’s place.  When she made those changes, it all sounded high minded and like a good way to go, she’d argued that power doesn’t necessarily equal intelligence, and this would give smarter but weaker mages the opportunity to hold council seats and guide us into the future.

“In other words, she gave everyone a line of political bullshit.

“The truth is back room deals, trading, and blackmail have become the new standard.  As a result, Clarissa was able to fill up the council with people who just blindly follow whatever she wants, as long as she continues to scratch their back, or holds her tongue on whatever blackmail she has on them.  As a result of this, the strongest, who incidentally are usually the smartest, we are not human after all, serve at the whims of the foolish.

“I was fired today, or at least suspended indefinitely, and apparently there’s going to be an investigation.  All because she needs some patsy to take the fall for her, and a stooge’s son, as to why you’re still alive.  I’m also convenient because my family isn’t important, and I have a little too much power for them to feel good about.”

Lilliana broke in, “How is that his problem?  The mages have always been the one to take shots at the Moore warlock.  It’s always your race that tries to end him, or creates problems.  The vampires and shifters aren’t exactly friends, but they are smart enough to use him and leave well enough alone.”

Lilliana had a good point, but then this wasn’t really about the mages right now, it was about why Karen was here.  Still, I kept my silence, curious how she would answer.

Karen shook her head, “But don’t you get it?  If Clarissa hadn’t become a paranoid backstabbing bitch with nothing but dogs on the council, she never would have gotten permission to assassinate the entire Moore family.  The mages being corrupt is exactly your problem, and why the Moore legacy hangs on the last heartbeat of one man.”

I asked, “So what’s to stop a bunch of you more powerful unimportant mages from dethroning Clarissa?”

Karen sighed, “It’s been tried twice.  Even though most of the council is weaker, Clarissa is very powerful, and with all those other circled with her she is formidable.  Plus, she controls the wards in the building which gives her an even greater edge.  We’d need to gather many people to overcome that.  The two times it was tried, they were betrayed by one of the conspirators and led into a devastating trap.

“My plan had been to simply wait out her death, and then try to fix it from within, but I couldn’t even last a few years inside without coming afoul of those politics.  Which I guess is at the heart of what brings me here.  I thought… I don’t know what I thought.  I felt betrayed, and decided to see if I could find a place somewhere else.  You seem like an honorable man, and from what I understand I’ll be dead long before you go crazy.”

I smirked, nice.

She’d sounded a little lost there at the end, so much so that I felt the urge to try and comfort her, but I pushed that feeling down ruthlessly.  I was guessing it was also why she’d been studying me so hard today, probably to see if I was worth jumping ship on the mages.  Either that, or it’s all a scam to put her in a place to betray me, but I didn’t think it was.  Clearly though, Lilliana was skeptical at best.  Still, what would it gain her to join my side, at best she’d be one of a few, and separated from her kind.

Then I had a crazy idea, and I wondered if part of my thinking was from my other head.  She was very attractive to me, and obviously vulnerable.  A perfect cocktail to bring out that hero complex that Malina said I had.  I thought it through carefully, and although my idea was nuts, it almost addressed every single issue I currently had.

Including a highly personal one.

I said carefully, “It sounds like you’re here because you no longer have a place at the mages, and feel you don’t belong anymore.  I don’t think you would be happy serving me and my house, no matter how favored or well treated you’d be among the few who are here.”

Lilliana visibly relaxed, and I almost smiled.  She was being premature.

When Karen had digested that, and looked a little crestfallen, I continued, “I do however have an idea, and would like to work with you toward a goal.  Something for both of us.”

Lilliana tensed again, and I did smile this time, couldn’t help it.

Karen frowned, “An idea?”

I nodded, “I will never trust Clarissa, and she has a good amount of years left.  Perhaps her open war on my family is over, but I don’t care for the idea of dodging her assassins for the next thirty years, which seems to be the ongoing habit for the mages in this town.”

Karen’s eyes widened, “Are you suggesting you would help me replace her?”

“Yes.  It would take time before we were ready of course, I have a lot to learn.  In that time, you could find a home here.  When we are ready, we will take out Clarissa, and her corrupt toadies, and let you rebuild mage society as it used to be.  Of course, I’d essentially be making the mage society stronger, and handing you power over them for perhaps a century to come, I’d need something in return.  Something just as large as the favor I’m talking about.”

Karen narrowed her eyes suspiciously at me, “You can’t have my soul.”

I smiled and looked up at Lilliana, “Why do people keep telling me that?”

I looked back at Karen and winked, “No, I had something else in mind.  Lilliana was right, the greatest enemy of my family seems to be the mages, and it will take something drastic to change that.”

Karen tilted her head, “A treaty?”

I nodded, “That’s a start, and part of it, but not good enough.  What happens in a hundred and fifty years, or sooner if someone challenges you and wins?  What happens to my children, or the next Moore warlock many years from now?  A treaty won’t solve the problem more than in the short term, it needs something… more.  Something that will stand the test of time.”

Karen thought that out a moment, and then asked, “Alright, I think I’m ready, and it is a big thing you offer, what do you want from me?”

I did mention my plan was crazy right?  It took me a moment to say it out loud.

“Why Karen, I’d like you to be my wife, and bear my children.  Consider it like a political marriage, although I’d hope that’s only how it would start.  Of course, it would all be part of the pact.”

Karen gaped at me like a fish, and her beautiful green eyes widened in shock.  I could tell she was reevaluating her conclusion that the warlock is sane, that she’d made earlier.

“But… why?” she asked, and then, “What would that accomplish?”

I answered, “A part of my line would become mages.  Not only that, but with you, very powerful ones, who would most likely object to others down the line wanting to kill their father, grandfather, or… half-brothers, you get the idea.  It wouldn’t be easy in the beginning, but it would bring us together eventually, and by the time I go nuts, I think it would outlast me.  At least longer than just a treaty.

“On a personal note, I’d have children that would know what they are, with power of their own, that I could actually interact with instead of hiding away.  Also, you seem like a catch.”

She giggled at that last comment, but in a hysterical kind of way.

It was big, huge really, and I really did worry about my thinking.  It sounded good, long term, and was a way to end the subtle war that had gone on for way too long between my family of warlocks, and the mages of this city.  On the other hand, I was very attracted to her, and wondered how much of the plan had been concocted merely to bed Karen.  I was attracted to her grace, power, and obvious intelligence, and she had that cute pixie-like face and that lithe body.

Still, it was a good plan… I think.

She fiddled with the water a second, and then took a drink.  I waited patiently while she tried to swallow that information.

“A lot of things could go wrong later on,” she said finally, “What happens if it does?”

I thought about that a minute, “As far as the pact, nothing.  The pact for my end will be done when you sit as the head of the mages, and for you, the pact ends as soon as you have a child and wear my ring on your finger, umm, not necessarily in that order.”

This time her laugh was more genuine.

I went on, “If it all goes to shit after that, you can always move in here.  You will be my wife after all.  That was the original plan anyway right?  Still, I think it’s worth the risk, the stakes are high, but if we fail the worst is we go back to the status quo.”

She nodded, and then shook her head.

“I need to think about it.”

I shrugged, “I figured you would, it’s a very big decision.  You’re welcome to come back when you decide.  I believe you told me the truth, and you’re being honest, but Lilliana would be pissed if I invited you to stay without a pact in place to ensure my safety.  To be fair, I’m in a rather precarious position, despite the cessation of hostilities that was forced on Clarissa earlier.”

I was relieved when Karen didn’t take offense at that, I supposed that went to say just how perfidious she thought the mage council could be, and it just made sense to her.

She got up and took a deep breath.

Not unkindly, Lilliana said, “I’ll walk you out.”

Chapter 14

Malina came up to me and pulled me out of the chair as Lilliana left the room with Karen.  Malina’s eyes were red and she had a deep hunger on her face.  As she dragged me out of the room, and up the stairs, I wondered just how much trouble I was in.  The plan wasn’t that bad was it?

When we got to the room she demanded, “Strip.”

A little worried, I started to strip, it seemed like a good decision not to cross her right now.

When I was done, she stalked up to me and her clothes disappeared, and then she dropped to her knees without a word.  I was a little nervous when she hungrily took me into her mouth, but that lasted about two seconds until the waves of pleasure from being inside her body reached my brain, and I gasped as I grew hard in mere seconds, extending deep into her throat as she fucked me with her face.

There was no other way to describe it, she bobbed up and down hard and fast, slamming me down her own throat.  It was like that first blowjob from Lilliana in the shower, times a hundred.  Her soft silky lips, warm wet mouth, snaking tongue, and vibrating soft throat was almost instantly overwhelming.

So… maybe not mad at me?

The pleasure suddenly stopped and she stood, her eyes glowing red, and she pushed me back on the bed and mounted me.  She hissed in pleasure as she impaled herself on me, enveloping me inside of her tight silken core.

The pleasure was so much more than what her mouth could provide.  The soft walls of her incredibly tight pussy undulated up and down my length, milking me hard with hot wet friction as she started to bounce above me.  It was so much more than that though, an element of magic, and her hot core could do things a human woman’s could not.

I reached up and teased her nipples, and caressed the undersides of her very large and perfectly rounded breasts.

She begged, “Harder, maul them,” she said as she stared down into my eyes, and her nails dug into my chest as she started to ride me like a rabbit.

I pinched, pulled, and twisted her nipples, and mauled her breasts.  It just made her cry out in pleasure, and start to bounce and drive down on me even faster.  I felt my pleasure rising, and then break.  She didn’t stop, and her core milked me in a way no human woman’s body could, and I filled her with each thrust and slam of her body coming down on mine.

She didn’t stop throughout my orgasm, or when I came down from my rapturous ecstasy.  Neither did I shrink, I wasn’t sure it was even possible while being inside of her, a succubus.  Some infernal magic of hers kept me hard, and trust me, I wasn’t complaining.  She was a demon, a succubus, but she was also mine.  She wouldn’t hurt me, not as long as I kept my side of the bargain.

It seemed endless, the pleasure, the sweat of our bodies mixing, and the orgasms we shared together.  After what felt like hours of intense non-stop sex and orgasmic pleasure, but was probably only about a half an hour, she collapsed to the side of me and started to twitch in aftershocks of bliss.

I wrapped my arms around her, pulled her close, and kissed her forehead gently.  I knew she was a demoness, but she was also a woman, and it felt right, she felt right, as she snuggled up against me.

“So, not mad?” I asked.

She giggled and looked up at me, her eyes a deep blue once again.

“Are you kidding lover?  That was fucking brilliant, I was so turned on I couldn’t see straight, it was a struggle not to take you down there right in front of her.  You should still spread your seed, and hide some of your line, but not depending on that, and going after the source of the trouble without trying to take over the city was inspired.”

I sighed, “I’d love to stay in bed with you for a week or two, but I’m on a time limit.”

She nodded, “Go learn the spells you need to track that vampire.  Also learn a physical shield spell, you’re built in one will block just about everything, but not a vampire’s hands.  Oh, and a banishing spell.”

I asked, “Balefire won’t work?”

She shrugged, “It will, but it can be dodged, and vampires are very fast.  A banishing spell will rip the demon out of him if he’s close to you.  Just make sure you focus it tightly in your intentions, or you could wind up harming Lilliana, or worse, pissing me off.”

Right, banishing my own patron would be a really bad idea.  I knew what I had to do, still, it was hard to get out of bed, she was so soft and warm, and despite the fact my body was sated, I was rock hard holding her against me.  I wasn’t really ready to face a rogue vampire, even after learning the spells, I’d have to trust Lilliana and Malina to protect me if I got in over my head.

I got up and took a quick shower, or that had been the plan until Lilliana joined me.  It was at least an hour later before I got dressed and headed down the stairs.  It shouldn’t take long to learn a couple of spells…  I hoped not anyway, that twenty-four hours wouldn’t last forever.

Chapter 15

Karen studied herself in the mirror.  She’d gotten home a little over an hour ago, and her mind was in turmoil.  She’d been angry, and felt both unappreciated and betrayed by the mages, that’s why she’d gone into the warlock’s house.  She’d expected… she didn’t know, but not that!

The idea of getting his help to put her in charge… was very appealing.  She hadn’t expected that to happen at all for many more years, even in her foolishly optimistic plan that had been doomed to failure.  It also wasn’t lost on her that he wasn’t guaranteeing that she’d actually keep the position, after she restored the old laws, and held a tournament of sorts to fill in the council, she would be subject to challenge.  She was unusually powerful, but she was also still growing, not yet Clarissa’s equal.

Still, that part wasn’t the shocking part, it was the marrying him and having kids along with the treaty part.  She’d been ambitious, and working toward a goal all her life.  She’d had a couple of flings but nothing serious, but she’d never found a man equal to her dreams or abilities, and they always fell to the wayside.  She’d been surprised by his offer, and especially by what Shawn wanted.

But what had surprised her the most, was how turned on she’d been, even a little wet and tingly.  She blushed as she remembered the knowing smile Lilliana had given her as they parted at the front door.  She really hoped the vampire didn’t tell him what an effect he’d had on her.

He was so intense, and powerful, self-assured, and downright ballsy to suggest such a far reaching plan.  Yet when she looked into his hazel eyes, she saw a surprising amount of kindness, and warmth along with his determination and drive.  He was very attractive as well, one thing was certain, if she did go through with it, sleeping with him would hardly be a chore.  That part would almost be a bonus she thought, but married with kids was a serious thing, not to be done lightly.

Of course, revolution wasn’t a light matter either, he was right that it was fair, a trade of equal value.  She wondered though, if he had been serious, if it could actual lead to more, love and a true joining of sorts.  She didn’t know, but the idea fired her imagination, and made her tingle more than a little.  Maybe it’d been too long since she slept with someone, or maybe it was just him.

Or maybe she was just that ambitious.

She sighed.  Of course the real question was, could she love him and also be okay with him sleeping with his vampire and demon, and making pacts with strange woman to bear more of his children?  That’s what would decide if it was merely business for her, or if she’d risk her heart along with her life.  She wasn’t entirely sure, and unhappy about that idea, but it was who he was, what he was as a warlock, and going in blind wouldn’t help matters.

She knew if she went ahead with this, he would be her equal, she was stubborn and powerful as well, and wouldn’t be subsumed by his strength, but neither would he by hers.

But if she did do it, she’d become a revolutionary, and if she succeeded, she’d be a usurper of power.  She always imagined getting there on her on merit, not by taking it, but she had to admit now, even to herself, that had been idealistic and she’d been dreaming.  The mage council was too corrupt, the only thing that would change it is if it were burned out at the root, and replanted with the old ways and laws.

Damn Clarissa anyway.

She walked into the kitchen and grabbed a drink, this time something a little stronger than water.  She didn’t get drunk, most smart mages didn’t.  Power depended on clarity of thought.  Still, one drink would calm her down, and help her relax.  She was already pretty sure what she’d decide, but wanted to sleep on it.

Her cell phone rang and she pulled it out.  Damnit, Brandon was already awake?

“Hello?  Karen here.”

“This is Brandon, I have a question for you,” he said rather pompously.

Well, so much for niceties she thought.

“What is it Brandon?” you asshole.  She left the last two words unspoken.  His incompetence and arrogance had gotten her fired.  No apology, no anything, not even a hello, just a question.

He replied, “I’m doing better, thanks for asking.  Anyway Karen, I heard you were at the warlock’s house when Darren and Dion came by?  Do you know what happened there?”

She didn’t see the harm in answering, and didn’t want to tip her hand too quickly.  She hadn’t decided yet about Shawn’s pact idea, but she was sure she was done working for the council.

“The wolves and vampires have signed a treaty with him.”

Brandon sounded almost smug when he said, “So that means he’s probably going to go after that rogue.  Excellent.  Oh, good luck at your coming inquiry, I put in a good word for you Karen, I miss you as my partner, but I only have so much influence to cover things up for you.  Tata beautiful,” and he hung up.

She screamed in outrage, and almost threw her phone.  Him, cover for her?  That… toad.  She seriously considered accepting the pact just to get the opportunity to kill the bastard.  What had Shawn said?  Oh yes, she could pull his guts out on a hot spike.  Or was it a hot hook?  She couldn’t remember, the point is she wanted to hurt the smarmy womanizing two faced bastard, slit his throat, and bury him face down.

Thank the goddess she’d never slept with him.  She shuddered at the thought, this deserves a second drink…

She knew she’d overreacted, all part of being a fire mage, and she was losing control around the edges as her career flushed down the toilet.  She’d known what he was.  Being an asshole was hardly cause for murder.  Still, the thought appealed.  It wasn’t until she finished her second drink and got over her anger at him that the full implications of his phone call, and the conversation, hit her.

That asshole was going to go after Shawn when he went rogue hunting, no doubt on the orders of Clarissa, orders that were no doubt secret.  If he succeeded, no doubt she’d tell Darren and Dion a sob story about how he went rogue, and did it without orders because he’d been wounded so badly and wanted revenge.

She wasn’t sure what made her feel sicker, Clarissa’s plan, or that she herself had been able to see it.  She was getting cynical, or maybe just wiser.  She wasn’t cynical in her own dealings, just able to see the true face of the council now and how far it had truly fallen.

She stared at her phone for a moment, frozen.  Lilliana had given her a contact number, Lilliana’s cell phone, for when she made a decision.  So far it had all been talk, an option, and a nice dream of revenge and possibilities for the future.  She’d been thinking about it, and hadn’t made a decision yet on if to join Shawn in his full plan.  But, if she did what she was contemplating, she would become a traitor of sorts.

Against a corrupt council who betrays those they should protect, but still a traitor by definition.  Even if she said no later, she’d be crossing a line, and taking sides, a warlock’s side.  She considered the idea of Shawn dying at the hands of Brandon, and the idea was far more painful than she’d expected.

Not that she loved him or anything, no matter how attractive he was, they’d just met, but his death would also result in the loss of her dreams of a better mage community as well as a possible future they may have together.  She was also honest enough with herself to admit the loss of her own ambitions and desires if he died, which played a major role in her thoughts as well.

Fuck it!

She typed in the information Lilliana needed to know to protect Shawn, to expect an assassination and what Brandon would likely do, along with his weaknesses, and hit send.  She bit her bottom lip and put down the phone, feeling very conflicted with herself.

Still, she’d hated Brandon for a long time, and had longed wished him dead.  It had been a long and intense couple of days, and the two glasses of wine went to her head.  She decided to lay down and get some rest.  She’d figure out what to do tomorrow, after she’d slept on it.

Chapter 16

I felt like a poser.  I was sitting in the back of a high end BMW luxury car, in a suit, with Malina holding my hand and draping herself against me in a sexy black dress and red high heels.  Like some bigwig with a trophy date, it didn’t feel right.  I supposed I’d get used to it, but probably not anytime soon.  Lilliana was driving and I could sense that she was tense and ready for anything.  The car itself had several wards on it, so I was potentially safe from magic, guns, and other weapons in here.

I was practicing, and doing three inherent magical things at once right now.  Maintaining my personal shield, detecting magic, and pulling magic through Malina so my own internal cache of magic wasn’t drained.  I kept losing my concentration, and then pulling more when I reconnected to fill myself back up.  Like stopping a car every mile to top off the gas tank, just in case a spontaneous long race presented itself and I needed the whole tank.

Detect magic kept dropping as well, and to be honest I was a little frustrated.  About the only thing going right was my shield.  For some reason that was simple beyond belief, as if just deciding it was on was good enough until I turned it off.  The green balefire worked similarly.

The big question I had, was if I could hardly do those three things at a time, how the hell was I supposed to cast a spell on top of it?  Even without the pressures of battle, it would be hard for me to add more to what I was doing, even just casting the tracking spells on a shifter corpse.

It would be even worse in battle.  Adding a physical shield spell, an attack spell, and perhaps a draining defensive spell, to prevent magical feedback from burning me out if they reversed my attack, it was absurd.  I could hardly do three things at once, much less six in the heat of battle where my life was on the line.

Well, no one told me it would be easy, I guess I’d get used to it, but it was time I didn’t have now, so I’d have to improvise, and make do with less.

I was also getting very attached to my patron demoness and vampire servant, I wasn’t sure if that was bad or not.  I was already set to show up in club Malina when I died, so doing something stupid, like falling for her, couldn’t make things worse, could it?  Not that I was there yet, but it would be very easy to fall.

Lilliana was another story, she was completely devoted to me, and willing to fuck, fetch water, kill, or chat at my whim.  I even thought she might love me already, despite it only being what, a day?  It was almost like she’d transferred her love that she had for the Moore that made the pact with her, to the entire family line.  Like it wasn’t really me, but the position that she loved, I was a Moore warlock.

It sounded crazy, but then how else could she deal with a long line of men that acted and looked alike, without going crazy with grief when each one died.

Still, I needed to be careful not to classify them and get mentally lazy.  They were both women, and more complex than that, even if my insights were all true, they weren’t just that.  I sure as hell didn’t understand women any more than the next guy.  Still, I needed to try to figure them out right?  It’s what we did, usually badly, but there it was.

It had also occurred to me that up until yesterday, I was a total loner.  So it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if I fell for either of these amazing creatures, or both.  They were the first beings I’d ever met who wouldn’t either eventually kick me out, or try to kick my ass.  Plus, shallow or not, they’ve had lots of hot sex with me, that’s got to have an influence.  A big influence.

The car pulled into a lot and Lilliana pulled us into a parking spot.

Lilliana asked, “Ready?”

I doubled my concentration for a second on my shields, infernal power draw, and magical sensing, as I imagined mage snipers on a nearby roof looking to take out the latest Moore warlock.

I took a deep breath, “As I’ll get, let’s do this.”

It was almost disappointing when we got out of the car, and the three of us entered the club without a shot fired.  I’d been ready for them, and the bastards left me hanging.  Yes, we were at a club, assumingly owned by the shifters.  A young attractive woman, who reminded me of a feline held up her hand to stop us.

“Just a second, I’ll go get the alpha,” and then she slinked away with a sexy walk that was hypnotizing.

I wasn’t sure why I thought she was a cat shifter, but maybe it was my magical detection ability?

Darren came out a minute later.  I was disappointed the cat shifter didn’t come back out, but that was probably for the best.  I wasn’t sure how Darren would react to me ogling one of his shifter pack.

He waved, “Come on, I’ll lead you down.  I was starting to wonder if you were coming.”

I shrugged, “Had a few things to take care of first.”

I wasn’t sure I wanted to tell him I’d had to learn how to find a rogue, but he probably knew anyway.  He didn’t call me on it though, and let the fiction survive.

He led us through the club which looked crappy in the bright lights.  I imagined it looked a lot better with dim lighting, spot lights, and lots of dancing people, but right now it looked like an abandoned television studio or something.  Black walls, spot lights, open floor.  The only thing to break up the monotony was the two bars against either wall, and a few tables.

We went through the door into the back, and then down the stairs where it was completely different.  The walls were painted a bright white, and there was white tile on the floor, almost like a hospital hallway.  We were led past a number of rooms and then into a room that was rather cold.  There were a couple of metal tables, and various medical tools.

Holy shit, the pack had their own morgue.  I supposed that made sense, but it was still a surprise.  But then, of course they wouldn’t use a human morgue.  I guessed the mages and vampires probably had one as well?

He reached the wall of stainless steel small square doors, and pulled one open.  He rolled the body out, and lowered the sheet.  I felt bile rise up at the empty look in the eyes, and the torn out throat.  The head was twisted wrong as well.

Rather than try the spell and fail everything at once, I dropped the connection to Malina.  I could do this on internal power and fill back up so to speak after.  I didn’t think I’d have trouble detecting magic around me, and holding my personal shield while I did the spell.

Though I was wondering about the benefit, all I felt was Darren, and the cat upstairs.  There was no one else here.

The tracking spell was actual two separate ones.  Each demon, or even mage, or warlock, had a distinct magical signature, like fingerprints.  When a vampire drinks blood to appease his inner demonic animal, that demon leaves his signature behind.  It takes a few days to fade.

The first spell, would lock onto that signature in the corpse.  The second spell was more along the lines of a divination spell than tracking.  Just like the two spells to locate people that made pacts, this spell would locate where the demon was with that signature.  Of course, the demon could move, so the spell had to be constantly maintained until the target was tracked down.

Good news though, when I dropped it due to lack of concentration, which I would inevitably do, it was easy to recast.  Once I knew the signature, I could cast it again without the corpse present.  It was something only a warlock could do.  Mages couldn’t.  A warlock’s magic was attuned to deal with the infernal.  Oh, the mages could find other magical signatures, just not demonic ones.

I didn’t waste any more time, and casted the first spell.  Combat spells were short, a few arcane words associated to an act of will and focus.  This spell wasn’t a combat spell, it was rather long, and harder to memorize than I’d thought it would be.  On the good side, it didn’t require I draw designs in a circle or on the body, or any of that shit.

Apparently that was only for major works of magic, like an initial pact to find a patron.  Since that was already done for me, I probably wouldn’t be using containment circles very often.  For lesser demons certainly, but I wasn’t sure how often that would come up.

Almost a minute later I was rather proud of myself, as I sensed the demon’s signature.  It was something that, because of the magic, I’d never be able to forget, and be able to recall at will.  Still, I played it off like it was no big deal, despite wanting to grin like an idiot that I’d gotten it right.

“I got what I needed, did you want me to bring you the body of the rogue?”

Darren shook his head, “That won’t be necessary, my mate and I will be coming with you, if you don’t mind?  I do trust you, the Moore line has always been trustworthy in the beginning, but I would like to see justice done for my pack.”

I drew a blank, “Your mate?”

Darren smiled, “Yes, Sharon, you just met her upstairs.”

I swallowed my comment and nodded.  I was also very happy I hadn’t been caught ogling earlier.  Who said dogs and cats can’t get along anyway?  I remembered that ass shake and decided he was a lucky man, but then, so was I.

I half smiled, suppressing a grin at the thought, “More the merrier.”

Chapter 17

I’d have to apologize to Lilliana later, she was very stiff up front with Sharon sharing the front seat.  As for the three of us in the back, Malina was draped over me again, although now it was to be a bodily shield against a first strike, though she looked perfectly relaxed.

The shifters were allies of sorts, but I had forgotten the treaty wasn’t active yet, so if he decided I’d look better if I was a head shorter, he wouldn’t be violating it yet.

I was fairly sure he wouldn’t try to kill me, but measured against an eternity in hell with the pact being violated, it did have me a little nervous.  I was risking more than just my life.  Still, I was pretty sure, mostly.  After all, he did want peace with the vampires, and I was the only way to solidify that for him.

Miracle of miracles, I was able to cast my locating spell, and not lose my personal shield or detect magic once during the drive.  Apparently fear and necessity helped keep the mind sharp.  I was even able to add a fourth effect for short times, and recharge through Malina, but even in my current situation I couldn’t hold it for long.  Happily, I didn’t need to.

Sharon asked, “So where are we going?”

“He’s in one of the downtown hotels, not sure which one yet.”

Darren asked, “It’s a male?”

I shrugged and smiled, “The demon is, what he’s possessing is still up in the air.”

We drove around downtown for a bit, past all the hotels until I figured out the right one.

“Marriott, he’s on the first floor somewhere.”

Lilliana found us a place to park, and we got out and crossed the street.  When we got inside the hotel, I froze.

“Fuck me,” I whispered, nothing is ever easy.

Lilliana and Malina said in eerie concert, “Later, what’s wrong,” and then smiled at each other.

I shook my head, “My vampire meter just went off the scale, the rogue is not alone.  There’s about sixty vampires a hundred feet that way,” and I pointed off down the hall.

Darren growled, “That means the rogue is a part of Dion’s coven.  He won’t be happy with that, and neither am I.”

I frowned as I thought it through, “Maybe whoever it is, has held back their darker impulses, until they believed there would be no more Moore warlocks and thought they could get away with it?”

Sharon agreed in a silky voice, “Probably, but what now?  I doubt they’ll appreciate us crashing a vampire ball.”

Darren growled, but nodded after a few moments, “I’m afraid we can’t accompany you.  We’ll wait here for you to bring word.”

The most powerful shifter couple in the city walked over to the bar and disappeared inside.

Oh good, I get to invade a vampire ball without the help of two shifters, what a relief!  Not.

“Lil, Lina, Opinions?” I asked.

Lilliana sighed, “Now he asks.  I’d have said wait until he’s alone, but I don’t think there is enough time for that.  The ball will go on for some time, many hours, and your twenty-four will be up before then.”

Malina shrugged, “I agree, cast a personal physical shield now and drop the locator spell, you should be able to identify the demon through your intrinsic detection magic now that you’re close.”

I nodded and did as she said.  I wasn’t sure how long it would last if sixty some odd vampires decided to play a game of kick the warlock.  I’d have to guess not that long, even if I could pull from Malina consistently the whole time, physical protection is a huge drain.

I’d know, Lilliana helped me test the spell.

I walked down the hall confidently as if I had no worries at all, in other words, the completely opposite way that I actually felt.  We stopped at the large ballroom sized double doors, and I knocked.

A vampire opened the door and stuck his head out, and he didn’t look friendly.

“This is a private party.”

I smiled, “Is Dion here?  Tell him Moore would like to see him.”

The vampire’s eyes narrowed as he looked me up and down doubtfully, “Just a moment.”

A few seconds later two vampires came out, neither of them Dion.  One was a large man with narrowed eyes who looked at me angrily.  The second was a rather attractive woman with light blonde curly hair and curious blue eyes.  Okay, attractive was a total understatement, she was almost as hot as Lilliana… almost.

The man said forcefully, “I am Dion’s second, Neil, and this is Christabel.  Why would you disturb us this night, leave, now.  He may see you tomorrow.”

Christabel glanced curiously at Neil, as if his words surprised her.  Of course, they probably were surprising, since Neil was the rogue that had been killing shifters.

“Well,” I said in an offhand manner, “I’m here to identify the rogue.  It comes as no surprise you wouldn’t want that.  Would you Neil?”

I didn’t even see him move, I don’t know if he hit me, or pushed me, but suddenly I flew back and got embedded in the wall behind me.  I was shielded from physical harm, but not physics.  I also felt a huge drain on my magic.  I focused on him and started to chant the banishing spell, I was only a word or two in when I was pulled out of the wall, and then thrown down the hallway.

I was still chanting though, as I landed thirty feet away and slid at least another thirty feet.  He was coming for me fast, and my shield was definitely weak.  I was also a little dizzy, holding three other things together plus casting, and lost my connection to Malina.

I didn’t have time to wonder what the fuck Malina and Lilliana were doing, but I was sure I would be wondering later if I survived.

He picked me up by the throat and started squeezing, the shield drained my magic alarmingly fast to keep my throat from being crushed.  Still, I was able to finish the chant, and had no trouble with my focus as I stared the asshole right in the eyes as I thought about him going to hell.

He dropped me as he screamed in a horrific way, I landed on my feet and looked around at all the humans.  Oops, well it wasn’t my fault this psycho attacked me in public.  His scream died out and I couldn’t feel the demon’s signature anymore.  I could also tell, that when I banished the demon, it took Neil’s soul along for the ride.  Sucks for him.  Asshole.

The body was still alive though, a vegetable without its soul, and once again completely human.

I glanced down the hall, both of my protectors had been busy.  Lilliana was holding back Christabel, who I guess, had no reason to believe my ridiculous accusation from her point of view.  Malina was guarding the doorway, and I could see the red glow in her eyes.  Apparently she was too busy scaring the shit out of sixty vampires all at the same time to keep them in there.

She was so bad ass, I actually got a chubby.  She knew it too, and sent a smile my way.

I cleared my throat, and cast a basic memory spell Sal had showed me.  It would erase a few minutes’ time from the human’s memories.  Just like that and no one was staring at me anymore.

Of course, I was only halfway back down the hall when a human woman cried out about the comatose man on the floor, and called an ambulance.  That was okay though, they’d never figure out he’d lost his soul.

I looked at Christabel who was still struggling with Lilliana to get at me, “Cut it out.  He was the rogue.  Go get Dion like I asked earlier, and let him decide if I’m full of shit or not.  Admit it, even you thought that asshole was acting out of character.  Don’t go the same way for someone that doesn’t deserve it.”

I hadn’t been idle, my protection spell was fully charged, and so was I.  For now, the adrenaline was helping me with keeping up all the different things.  Shield, detection, shield spell, and my connection to Malina.

Christabel stopped struggling and looked me in the eye, “He was truly the rogue?  I don’t understand why he would do such a thing.”

“He was,” I said sincerely, and explained my theory about opportunity since there weren’t supposed to be any more of the Moore line.  I felt kind of bad, she was broken up about it.  Still, the jackass had it coming.

Malina walked over with Dion, who’d restored order at the doors.  He didn’t look very happy either.

Dion said, “Christa, go inside, calm the others please,” he turned to me, “It seems you have a treaty, though I cannot thank you for it.  I understand the logic of the possible reason you gave, but it doesn’t explain his betrayal, he almost brought us to war.”

That… was probably his point, but I didn’t say it.

He nodded in respect, “When you have decided on a price for the pact contact me.  Now please leave, I must calm my coven, and they are all angry about losing Neil.  He was very well liked.”

Oh, fucking great.  Now I had a bunch of pissed off vampires, all probably wishing I was dead.

I nodded back and said goodnight, and the three of us got out of there.  There was no need to track down Darren either, he watched in satisfaction as the EMTs worked on Neil’s unresponsive body, and gave me a nod before him and his wife went back in the bar.  I guessed they were calling for their own ride, I was rather relieved they wouldn’t be sharing mine again.

I collapsed into the backseat as soon as the doors were shut, and we were on the way home.

Lilliana said, “That was close, but you did very well master.”

I frowned, “What did I say to you about that.”

Lilliana blushed, “To call you Shawn when we’re not fucking.  Sorry Shawn, your uncle did not extend me that privilege, it may take me time to get used to it.”

Malina swung her body around, straddled my lap, and then leaned in for a long kiss.

“You did do well,” she said sultrily, and then she pouted and moved off of me, “I want you, but I suppose we should wait.  You’d never hold your spells if I did.”

That was frustrating, I was so hard from her touch, and her kiss, but it would be so much better when we got back to the house, a little anticipation.  At least, that’s what I told myself.  I was just considering that the wards on the car were rather sturdy, and maybe I could talk her into…

The ground exploded underneath the car, and the car flipped into the air, flew about twenty feet, and landed on the roof which continued to slide down the street.  I was shaken up, had been thrown around, but thanks to my shields, I was fine.

“What the hell was that?”

Lilliana replied, “Probably a mage, an assassin.  Or maybe the one I told you about that Karen texted me on.”

Shit, the car was enveloped in fire.  The containment wards were holding, but they would only hold for so long.  Plus, it was getting hot in the car, and I started to sweat.  Fuck this.

“On three, let’s go kill that bastard.”

I counted to three, and we opened the doors facing away from the mage and crawled out.  I casted a quick magic shield, replacing the physical shield spell, and then ran around the car with balefire in my hand.  I threw it as soon as I saw the asshole, and my fire was absorbed into his shields.

I heard a husky sexy voice in my mind, “Hold me master, squeeze me tight, and feed with me.”

It was as disturbing as it was tempting, but it was worth a try.  I threw most of my magic behind the magic shield to keep me safe, and rushed the bastard as Krystal morphed into a saber.  Id’ gotten so used to her presence in the back of my head, I’d even forgotten about her until she’d said something.

I was trying to dodge his magic as I closed with him, but more often than not I took a shot to my spelled shield, and fed it some more power through my link with Malina.

I threw more fire right before I got there in an attempt to blind him, and then followed it with my blade.  Krystal sunk into him without resistance, it was almost as if he was made of air.  He gasped and stared at me in disbelief, and then the pleasure hit.  Unbelievable pleasure as the sword drank in my attacker’s life force and drained his magic.  Not his soul, just his life force.  The soul itself was already severed from his body, but still present and in pain.

I’ll be honest, it was disturbing.  I believed in an eye for an eye.  Someone tries to kill me, I kill them right back.  But this was different, I struggled for a few minutes inside my mind, and sighed in relief as I finally managed to separate the sword’s pleasure from mine, and thank the infernal fires as Lilliana would say, because if I’d orgasmed from stabbing people, I don’t know what I’d have done.

Still, at the same time, it was kind of hot listening to Krystal have a sword-orgasm in the back of my mind, and I could still feel the intense echoes of it in my mind.  Whoever made this sword was twisted, and Krystal’s soul was truly in the throes of orgasmic pleasure.  No wonder she was so eager to kill people.  It was the only time she could get off.

Based on what he looked like, I would guess it was that ass Brandon, who Karen warned us about.  He tried to blast me with a spell as he slowly died, but my shield took it easily.  Then he straight out punched me, and my inherent shield took that physical hit, although it almost made me let go of the sword.  Finally, he died, and the scream stopped.

Krystal shrunk right out of his abdomen and back into a ring, it didn’t seem that blood could stick to her onyx blade at all, like it was magical Teflon or something.  I looked around and we were alone on the street.  The car actually looked fine, the wards had protected it from physical harm.

Lilliana and Malina were looking at me with lust in their eyes.

“What?” I asked curiously, I mean, I didn’t think I did anything quite that cool.

Liliana smirked, “Nothing mas… Shawn.  It’s just that you mastered Krystal is all.  It’s impressive for so soon.  The first time your uncle used her he went on a killing spree for the obvious reasons, we had to stop him.”

“Oh, well you ladies can take part of the credit for that, I think it was the concentration and focus necessary to do three and four things at once that tipped the scales on that.”

I turned and cast balefire from my hand, without a shield it engulfed his corpse in hungry green flames and turned it to ash in seconds.

“Umm, can you flip the car, we have a date in bed.”

I knew I still needed a lot of work on multi-tasking, and learning more spells.  If Brandon had come with a full circle instead of alone, it would have been a lot harder.  Not that it was easy.

Lilliana asked archly, “Tired Shawn?”

I looked her in the eyes, “Not even a little bit Lil.  But I plan on some sleep after I exhaust you both.”

Malina raised an eyebrow, but didn’t dispute my comment as Lilliana grabbed a bumper and flipped the car back on its wheels.  I wondered just how strong she was as a vampire.  The idea that she submitted to me and could do that was a real turn on.  I knew some guys were intimidated by stronger women, but that wasn’t me, obviously, since both of mine were very strong women.

Time to get home, and fulfil my promise.

Chapter 18

Karen still wasn’t positive what to do.  She was leaning toward accepting Shawn’s pact, but it was a huge decision.  A revolution, taking up the huge responsibility to rule, marriage, and having a child, all in the same pact, the same decision.  Each of those four things was a life changing proposition on its own, taken together it was simply overwhelming.

If she loved him, it would be an easier decision, although still not simple by a long shot.  Did she really want to marry a man who trucked with demons and had a harem of two?  The goddess knows if that number would increase in the future.

Admittedly, that wasn’t what it was really about.  Their marriage would be political, an extension of the treaty.  In that case, it wasn’t so bad, they wouldn’t even be living together, and if she never fell in love with him then… she would have to live with it.

The second one wasn’t really much of an issue, she’d dreamed of ruling the mages and restoring the old laws for years now, and had the ambition to get there.  So truly, the real objections that held her back were becoming a revolutionary, and having children to raise.

She liked kids well enough, but hadn’t given much thought to being a mother, especially not a mostly single one.  Sure, he would be there, and she might visit often, but it was implied she’d be the primary caregiver on top of ruling the mages in Chicago.

Her desire to fix things and to gain power stemmed from her ambition.  She had all but given up that possibility, which left being a revolutionary to achieve her goals as her only choice.  She tried to identify why that bothered her so much while she sat on the couch drinking another glass of wine.  It wasn’t that Clarissa and her cronies didn’t deserve to be toppled, she realized her hesitation stemmed from how history would view her.

She thought people would welcome her changes, and she’d be popular.  If she staged a revolution, a lot of people would not see it that way.  They would see a power hungry usurper, who restored the old laws to put the people with the most power in charge.  While she truly thought that was for the best, and would root out the corruption, she would be hated by the weak back stabbers, and history might not paint her as the heroine.

She snorted, and took another sip of wine, wondering if she was drinking too much.

Now that she understood what held her back, it was easier to dismiss it.  Who cared what the weak cringing back stabbing assholes thought?  Not her.

Still, she wasn’t able to so easily dismiss the child rearing concern.  She took another sip, three out of four wasn’t bad.  Besides, she was pretty sure her ambition would force her to move forward, no matter the price.  There was also a small part of her, that suspected once she was a mother, her children would become her world.  That perhaps, she only thought of them as a burden because they were theoretical children right now, and not her flesh and blood that she’d carried for nine months.

Still, she didn’t jump right up and go to Shawn’s, she instead thoughtfully sipped from her wine glass.  Then the door banged, making her jump and spill her wine on her hand and wrist.

“Shit!” she muttered fervently, and jumped up to her feet.

The door banged again as she washed her hands in the kitchen, “Just a minute!”

She dried her hands and walked over to the door, and opened it.

“Tina?  What are you doing here?” she asked, although she had a bad feeling she already knew.

Tina said, “Sorry Karen, all of us low mages think its bullshit, but I have to follow orders.  You’re to come with me and appear before the mage council for judgement.”

She looked down, she was wearing a comfy pair of yoga pants, and an old but soft pink tee.

“Can I change first?”

Tina smiled, “Yes.”

Karen walked toward the back, and realized Tina was following her.  So much for jumping out the window.  She went to her closet and pulled off her clothes, and pulled on a professional looking yellow dress, pulled on some stockings, and a pair of white high heeled sandals.  Then she cast a quick spell to clean up, she hadn’t taken a shower yet today, and doubted Tina would wait that long.

She opened the closet door and walked out.

Tina smiled, “Don’t you look fancy miss,” she said with a southern twang.

She snorted a laugh, “Bitch.”

Tina snickered, and walked her to the car.

Karen got in the car without an argument.  She knew she could take Tina in a duel, even knock her out without harm, but perhaps seeing the council and hearing what they had to say would finally drive her to accept the pact from Shawn.  Really, she was mostly there, she just… needed a final push.  She was almost positive the council would provide it.

Karen held in a sigh as she was escorted into the council room, and was led to the center of the room.  There were other mages there today, besides the council there were a number of security mages, and even mage civilians.

Clarissa folded her hands and looked down at her sternly, “You are here to answer questions for misconduct, negligence, and incompetence.  Not only for your most recent mission, but for the death of senior mage Brandon who died in an ill-conceived attempt on the life of Shawn Moore.”

She was frozen for a moment.  How the hell were they going to pin that on her, she wasn’t even working then, she’d been fired!

Clarissa said, “Let’s begin.  Did I, or did I not order you to kill the last Moore?”

She nodded, “You did.”

Clarissa asked, “And you then took a nap, instead of immediately following out those orders?”

She replied in a reasonable tone, “I was exhausted from the previous mission, and you had given me no time limit.”

Clarissa scowled, “Yes or no?”

She replied stonily, “Yes, I did.”

Clarissa added, “And as a result of that incompetent decision, the vampires and shifters stepped in to interfere, did they not?  If you had obeyed immediately, you might have completed the mission long before they arrived at the Moore mansion.”

She fumed, and lowered her eyes out of anger, certainly not respect.

“Of course, the mission would have gone ahead if it weren’t for Dion and Darren.”

Clarissa nodded, satisfied, “You are clearly guilty of misconduct and incompetence, but we will hold the vote until after the most damaging charges of negligence is brought up.  After Brandon’s death, we reviewed his cases and phone calls.  To our surprise he placed a call to you shortly before his death, can you tell me what the conversation was about?”

She scowled, no longer giving a shit about showing respect, “He told me he missed me as a partner, and that he tried to get me back but failed.  He also asked me about what happened at the warlock’s house, and I told him about the treaty.”

Clarissa nodded, “I’m glad you told the truth, I have a transcription of the phone call here, he recorded it.  Let me ask, did you suspect he might go after the warlock, after taking so much injury at the warlock’s house the previous day?”

She frowned, so this is how the bitch was going to get her?

“I assumed he was doing research for the council, and you had him contact me because he was my partner.  It did occur to me that he might want revenge, but I didn’t suspect he would act on his own either.  Regardless, I was fired, I don’t believe you can put me up on charges for that.”

Clarissa sneered, “Don’t think Karen, apparently you aren’t capable of it.  You should have notified someone immediately, as his partner you must have known he wanted revenge.”

She fired back, her patience and control almost completely gone, “And as his boss, you should have known the same councilor.”

She heard about ten gasps of air behind her, and then shook her head.  There was no point, isn’t that what she came here to learn?

Clarissa called the vote, and to no one’s surprise, not even her own, she was declared guilty.

Clarissa added, “Take her to a cell while we discuss the penalty.  For charges this grave we may need to strip her powers, and banish her from the city, if not death.”

She gasped at that cold announcement, strip her powers?  Even she hadn’t imagined the old bitch would go that far, and she thought furiously as four guards surrounded her and brought her to a cell.  She almost balked at the last, but one of them pushed her from behind, and she felt her magic get cut off.  The cells had anti-magic wards on them, and she felt absolutely naked without her magic.  She sat down in a huff, and gave the guards a dejected helpless look as they left.

Her face cleared as they moved out of sight, she hoped her dejected face had looked real.  She reached up and pulled two sturdy silver pins out of her hair, and got to work on the jail cell.  She’d learned to pick them a while back, just in case this ever happened.  She didn’t need magic to pick a lock.

Thirty seconds later she felt her magic rush back and she took a deep breath.  She was so angry she could hardly see straight, that bitch was going down.  She’d have Brandon’s kids to kill that bitch now, having Shawn’s would be a pleasure.  Actually, she was quite sure of that, the making of them anyway.

She cast several protection spells, general magic, fire, earth, air, and physical.  Then she brought up her mage sight, and made her way silently down the hallway.  She examined the two mages there on guard, neither one had a protection against general magic spells on, very sloppy.  She nailed them both with two simultaneous sleep spells.  Another quick spell to pop the lock and she opened the door.

She crept down the hallway to the nearest side exit, and slipped outside.  She took a deep breath of the cool night air through her nose.  Escaping had been easier than she’d expected.  One more spell, and she rose up into the air.  She couldn’t fly, not exactly, but she could levitate.  Once she was about a hundred feet up, she casted another spell, air blast, and went sailing across the street, over some buildings, and then she let herself lose altitude quickly, and landed on the side walk.

She looked around, there were no humans, so she didn’t need the memory spell.  She smiled, and waved down a taxi less than a minute later.  She was nervous, but there was also excitement.  She was about to join forces with a warlock, a really hot warlock, and cause a shit ton of trouble…  Just as soon as she went home and packed.

Chapter 19

Shit!  Back, head, bang, wall.  At least this time my personal shield took some of the hit.  I jumped up and glared at a smiling Lilliana.  Sometimes I thought she enjoyed kicking my ass more than she did the sex, and this was only our second training session.  I snapped out a couple of words and the wooden sword flew to my hand, and I attacked while I pulled hard on my connection with Malina.

Somehow I blocked her attacks while I muttered another spelled physical shield, and brought my magic detection back online.  That was the challenge, fight her with a sword, while maintaining my four core things.  The abilities and one shield.  Taking a chance, I muttered another spell, a wind attack, and she dove under it perfectly, came up, disarmed me again, and then kicked me in the head.

Back, head, wall.

I growled, at least I didn’t lose the shield this time.

She taunted, “Come now, I’ve been fighting at the side of warlocks for hundreds of years, did you think I wouldn’t recognize a puny wind spell when you spoke it?  You’ll never surprise anyone that way.”

I frowned and held up my hand, she wasn’t happy with the timeout, but I had to ask.

“How the hell else am I going to do it?”

She giggled, “Didn’t you read the spell section from the beginning?  Or did you start straight with the spells?  You don’t have to say the words out loud Shawn, just inside your own mind.”

She cursed, “You don’t know about partitioning either do you?  Fuck, I’m sorry master.  I should have said something.  Frankly I’m amazed you can hold four things at once like that now.”

“Shawn,” I said absently correcting her, and then, “Partitioning?”

She nodded, “It’s another spell, it creates… I’m not sure how to explain it.  It’s like multiple personalities.  It splits your mind into several parts, but then each part has its own… will to it.  Of course, you’ll be in control of all the rest and what they do, through the spell.  If that doesn’t make sense, go read the book, from the beginning.”

I frowned, “I was in a bit of a hurry to move things along, and had to pick and choose what I needed for the situation.”

She sighed, “Sorry… Shawn.  Like I said, I didn’t realize.  Why don’t you do that now, and we can do this later.”

I shrugged and moved to the den downstairs where I kept Sal, and opened him up, this time at the introduction to the spell section, instead of a specific spell.

First I learned that silent casting wasn’t as easy as it sounded.  I couldn’t just run my mind through the words in a rush.  I would have to think each word separately, at about the same speed as talking would take.  Otherwise the words and intent would get messed up, and the spell would either fizzle, or do something unpleasant.

The second thing I learned about casting spells, was that it was possible to do two at once, although thinking two spells through and keeping them separate was an exercise in mental juggling that few could master, although most could cast the same spell twice with enough practice.  Even partitioning wouldn’t help, because the third thing I learned is all spells and abilities had to be activated or casted in the primary mind, before passing the torch so to speak.

Next was all about partitioning.  Partitioning partitioned the mind anywhere from three to six times.  That included the primary mind, so at three it only really added two more.  The book was a little vague about why, but I read between the lines, it seemed to be saying it was down to the caster’s innate intelligence, their raw ability to multi-task in the primary mind, and raw experience.

The spell was simple, I just needed to focus on the effect, and then say the Latin word for partition.  It was quick and easy.  So I did just that.  It’s hard to explain, but it got very crowded in my brain.  I was now there four times, and Krystal was still humming in the background.  It wasn’t complete copies of me though, the other three were quiescent to a certain extent, waiting for orders.

I also wondered if it had to do with the fact I could do four things in my primary mind, and that’s why it split four ways.  I considered it would still be wise in the future to push myself in this way.  The power went up geometrically, right now I could put four things in each four minds, though it would be safer to do three and leave a margin for error and distraction.

Still, that was twelve things at once.  Obviously, when or if I could do five minds, that was a max of twenty-five, or twenty comfortably, and so on up to the max of six.  I couldn’t really picture needing to do that, but if I was dueling with someone else that could, I might need to as the situation grew more and more complex.

What a nightmare.  I was an idiot for thinking this would simplify things.  But then, at the same time, it would.

I brought up my connection to Malina, and handed it to mind two.  Then did the same thing with my inherent shield, and detect magic.  My primary mind was mostly unburdened, all I had to do was maintain the one spell that partitioned my mind, while mind two handled three of my inherent abilities.  I still had two more minds completely free.

I casted the spells to protect from physical, and from magic, and then passed them to mind three.  Now I was doing six things at once, and it was cake.  And I still had four spots to fill, and two more on top of that in my primary mind, that I should leave open for offensive spells, and my balefire.

Just because I could, I took those four up with specific protection spells for each of the four elements.  Of course, if I let my partitioning spell go, they’d all go as well.  On the other hand, all I had to do was keep one spell going now, which was cake.  I’d still practice the multi-tasking for my primary mind, but it really wasn’t very urgent right now either.  I just didn’t want to get lazy about it.  But when I left the house in the future, this was what I was going with.

I felt a bit dumb, if I’d have known this earlier, finding and even fighting the rogue would have been so much easier.

I went back to the book and kept reading introduction to spells, I didn’t want to allow myself any more cause to feel so stupid again.  There was nothing else in there though, just some advice that seemed like common sense to me.  I frowned, and wondered why Malina hadn’t said anything.  She could read my mind, surely she realized what I was doing wrong.

But then, maybe she wanted me to be more powerful, and the intense multitasking has already paid off that way in just a few days.

I decided not to be lazy when in the safety of the mansion, and moved my three inherent abilities back, and let the partitioning spell fall, and then I casted a physical protection spell just so I’d be holding four things.  I definitely wasn’t ready for five so didn’t bother trying.  I felt the wards announce a visitor, it was Dion, so I headed upstairs.

Lilliana met me at the front door, and I opened it up.

“Come on in.  I have an idea, but I’m not sure you’ll go for it.”

Dion nodded, “Let’s hear it.”

“Well, it occurred to me there’s only three of us here, and that we are largely in the dark about what’s going on in the city with the other supernatural races.  I’m going to go out on a limb and speculate that your coven has a rather good group that keeps you in needed information on what’s going on?”

He nodded reluctantly.

I asked, “Well, would you grant me access to it?  Nothing too crazy, but I’d like to see the storms coming if I can, even if it doesn’t require anything on my part.  If not, I’m still willing to entertain a suggestion of your own.”

He shook his head, “It’s not that simple, I don’t have a database you could log in, or peruse.  It’s all word of mouth and briefings.  How about if I had the head of my intelligence group drop by and chat with you, or Lilliana, once a week?”

I nodded, “That sounds reasonable, if there can also be a heads up for critical issues that explode quickly.  A lot can happen in a week.  Lastly, do you trust that person with your soul?  If they decide to hold something back that they think is too controversial to share… it could be a problem.”

Dion shook his head and frowned, “I see your point.  I trust Christabel with my life, but the soul is another thing altogether.  Let’s do this, she only shares the top ten priorities with me, if I pass that along to you does that work?”

I thought about it, it was still a good deal.  After all, he was only paying me a favor so I wouldn’t betray him.

“That sounds good, how will you pass the information, and how often?”

Dion said, “How often is every time she does for me.  She only updates when those top ten concerns shift.  Sometimes it’s a week, sometimes it’s daily.  Depends on what’s going on.  But you’ll get what I get, and no, I won’t tell her about our deal, or tell her to keep anything from me.  She’ll never know about this pact, no one but us will, and of course, Lilliana.  Let’s say, I need to deliver within twelve hours of finding out.”

I nodded, “I can agree to that, and I will never betray the treaty between us and the shifters.  Take my hand and it’s a done deal.”

I held out my hand, and when he took it I activated the magic inscribed in the medallion, and the pact was made.  Paper and ink wasn’t necessary, we both knew what we were getting, and so did the magic.  If what we thought didn’t match, then the magic would fail to bind.  Sometimes if it was complicated enough, a written contract we both agreed to could help the magic, but the paper was never really important.  The pact was the infernal magic that bound and enforced it, the paper was just… paper and ink.

Dion nodded and I nodded back to him respectfully, and he took his leave.

I closed the door, walked up to Lilliana and pulled her into my arms, and then kissed her softly, teasingly, and with feeling.  When I broke the kiss she smiled up at me.

Then she asked me the same question Malina did, “What was that for?”

I ignored it, and asked, “Are you happy here Lil?  With me?”

Her chocolate brown eyes widened and then softened, “You worry for me?”

It seemed a moment for answering questions with questions.  Of course I did.  She was stuck here, in a pact, forever, passed from warlock to warlock.  She obeyed my every whim.  The least I could do was make sure she was happy, and do my best to respect her.  Did I have to?  Of course not.  But then, I wasn’t an asshole, at least, not that big of a one.

I could treat her like shit, and use her whenever I wanted, for whatever I wanted, and quite frankly that scared the shit out of me.  She was an amazing woman and she must have truly loved the man that created the pact to leave it as such an open ended deal.  So I continued answering with another question.

“What kind of asshole would I be if I didn’t?”

“Mine?” she giggled, “Yes, I’m happy.  I love the Moore line, it’s how I stay sane, and slowly but surely I’m falling for you specifically.  I may be a servant, your servant, but it’s who I am, and I accept that, no, I embrace that.  It doesn’t make me weak, I am strong, and speak my mind when I wish, and it’s my pleasure to accede when your decision is made.  It’s the price for my never ending life and beauty, and it is also my pleasure, not such a burden at all.”

I couldn’t really understand her mindset, but it was clear to me I didn’t have to.  She felt that way, and I was okay with that, even if I couldn’t truly comprehend it.  I took her hand and headed upstairs to the bedroom.  She was still looking at me with that soft smile and those big brown eyes.

I pulled her into another kiss, and started to undress her slowly.  The kiss, the way I undressed her, it was slow, sensuous, passionate, and gentle.  I took my time, and caressed each inch of skin I revealed as I removed her clothing.  She mewled in my mouth as I brushed her breasts lightly with my fingertips and her fingers found my clothes and stared to remove them as well.

I led her slowly to the bed, and laid her down, the connection between us was so intense, and my cock was throbbing with need, but I ignored it, and lay next to her and continued to kiss her as I leisurely explored all the curves of her sumptuous and supple body.

I groaned into her mouth when my fingers found her absolutely soaked, and ready for me.  Her silken folds were puffy, and the scent of her arousal made me deepen our kiss, as I nibbled on her lip, and invaded her mouth with my tongue.  She was such a powerful vampire, but right now she was soft, yielding, and her body was so responsive to my touch.

I knelt between her legs, and sunk into her slowly, one inch at a time.

She gasped out, “Master.”

I kissed her as I sunk the rest of the way into her heaven.  Her core gripped me and rippled as she grew used to my invasion.  I put a finger on her on her lips.

“What did I tell you?”

She looked confused for a second, “To only call you master when we fuck…” her voice died and her eyes widened at me as she realized what I was saying.  She even got a few tears in her eyes as she was overcome by emotion, but I kissed those away.

I kissed her lips again softly, and worked my way out of her body and back in slowly, she rocked her body up slightly to meet each of my gentle thrusts.  It was painfully pleasurable, moving so slow, every small movement filled with an intense pleasure all its own, as I stared into her eyes we shared those moments in an intimate connection that was both freeing and frightening.

For perhaps the first time in my life, I made love to a woman, and when she screamed out, before her blissful release cut off her breath altogether, she screamed my name…

Chapter 20

Karen was almost done getting things packed when her wards went off.  She cursed under her breath, she knew she was taking a chance, but she hadn’t wanted to show up at Shawn’s with nothing but the clothes on her back.  She had clothes and shoes she hadn’t wanted to leave behind, but now she wasn’t so sure that was a smart decision.

She connected to the wards with a quick spell, she didn’t have a fancy amulet to do it for her, and frowned as she saw two squads of security mages here to… either capture or kill, she wasn’t sure which.

She cursed again, fluently.

That bitch Clarissa couldn’t send two squads for the last warlock, but she gets two?  Unbelievable.  She also didn’t want to kill any of them, if things went to plan she’d be ruling them eventually, and giving them equal opportunity to advance if they had the talent.  That won’t go over nearly as well if she kills a bunch of their friends.

Beyond that, they were her people too.  She knew them all and had led them on several missions.  Still, if it came down to it, she wasn’t going to lay down and die for their sensibilities.  She grabbed a couple of packed suitcases and looked around one last time before running downstairs and into the garage.  She didn’t have long before they attacked, they were surrounding her small house now.

She popped the trunk and loaded the bags in, and then got in behind the wheel.  She looked around in a circle as she started the car and hit the garage door opener clipped to her visor.  She smiled in satisfaction, they all had protection from fire with spelled shields.  Since her primary element was fire, that made sense, she’d just wanted to be sure what she was about to do didn’t kill anyone.

When the garage door was halfway up, she reached through her wards, and triggered all of her attack wards at once, and the entire house shot billowing fire around it at least twenty-five feet out.  They should be fine if they run away, plus, it would blind their mage sight momentarily if they were using it.  The wards only had enough magic in them to last maybe ten seconds, but that was enough.

She gunned it, her own car was warded from fire as well, and she flew out of the fireball the size of a house and shot down the last few feet of her driveway.  She couldn’t help but grin and giggle as her tires squealed as she made the turn onto the street, and shot down the road as she floored it and her adrenaline surged.  Her house should be fine, if they didn’t destroy it that is, maybe she could go back for the rest of her clothes another time, when things cooled down.

When she made it a few blocks away, she slowed down a bit and took the turn that would take her toward the Moore house.  Her small house was at least thirty minutes away, and she loaded up on protection spells just in case they caught up.  Physical, fire, air, earth, and general magic spell protections.  She also kept her mage sight on.

As she’d done last time, she skipped water.  Most water mages preferred to live by the ocean, and even the nearby great lake wasn’t as much of a draw for them.  As far as she knew there were only two weak water mages in the whole community, and neither of them worked for the council security forces.

When she came up to the main road, she cast a quick spell to prevent anyone from scrying her or using other location type magic, and made the turn.  She wanted to floor it, but the last thing she needed was to be pulled over by the human authorities.  She could get out of it of course, but it would cost her time.  Even with the spell she was sure they knew at least the direction she’d gone…

Boom!

The ground exploded and her car went flying.  She was just starting to regret teaching her earth mages that tactic as the car landed on its front bumper, and then slammed down to the pavement on the roof, which buckled slightly.  Her car was well warded against spells, but she hadn’t done much for the physical on it.  All casting cost her magic, and she didn’t have an unlimited supply.

At least she was covered, and didn’t take any injury when she was thrown into the steering wheel.  The car eventually stopped its harrowing slide, and she tried to open the door.  It was stuck.  No doubt from the buckling roof.  She hit the power window and to her surprise it lowered, or raised actually, into the door.

She crawled out, traffic at a standstill, and frowned.  This was sloppy, there were way too many human witnesses.  If she was still an agent she’d have bawled them out for it.  She looked around and saw a single mage with her sight, putting his phone away, and felt an attack on her magic shield, probably some kind of knock out spell, or sleep.

She casted the counter spell and watched him light up as the spell feedback hit his mind.  He managed to ground it to his element, but she was already casting her own sleep spell.  The mage passed out and fell off of his motorcycle.  She cursed as she looked at her car, she could flip it easy with a levitation spell and one finger, but there were people with cell phones out, pointing at her and her car.

She cast the memory spell, for what it was worth, and ran towards the motorcycle, hopped on and started it.  She cast one more regretful look at her trunk, which was filled with her clothes and shoes, and kicked the motorcycle in gear, popped the clutch, and gunned the throttle.  She took off like a shot, her front wheel rising off the ground a moment, before the other mages could catch up.

She’d get her revenge, she really loved her shoes...

A short time later she ditched the motorcycle in North Chicago, just parking it somewhere random, and jumped in a cab.  She still had the anti-tracking spell active, so unless someone had seen her with their own eyes and reported her, she’d be okay.  She gave the cab driver directions, and he took her to Shawn’s as she brooded.  It had been a complete waste of time to go home first.

It wasn’t long before she stood before Shawn’s and knocked on his door, with nothing but the clothes on her back.  A yellow dress, and white open toed sandals with high heels.

The most beautiful woman she’d ever seen in her life opened the door.  Malina.  She was a demoness of course, which made her a little cautious, but she couldn’t help but be attracted to the woman.  The oddest thing about that was she was a strict hetero, she didn’t judge others, but until she’d met Malina a day or two ago, she’d never entertained a fantasy about a woman before.

“Hi Malina.  Sorry to just drop in, but I ran into a little trouble.  I decided to accept Shawn’s offer, but you should know I’m now wanted by the mage council.”

Malina said breathily, “Come in dear.  Shawn is otherwise… occupied.  But he should be down soon.  I’ll play hostess shall I?  This way.”

She blushed when she realized she was looking at Malina’s ass and finely sculpted legs while they walked toward the study.  She looked up to a knowing glance as the demoness looked back at her.

“Would you like a drink?” Malina asked lightly.

Hell yes.

“No, I better not.  I want my wits about me when Shawn gets down here.”

Malina nodded knowingly, “I understand.  A pact is a serious matter, even when not involving the soul, because ultimately every pact does if one betrays their sworn word.  How about some water, or a cola perhaps?  Coffee?”

Her mouth was a little dry, “Coffee works,” she said with a smile and a small tilt to her head.

Dear goddess, she was flirting with a demon.  She needed to pull it together.

Malina smiled mysteriously, “Let’s head to the kitchen then, there’s no coffee here.  Please don’t be offended, but until the pact is spoken it would be unwise of me to leave you alone in the house.”

She nodded, and understood.  How could she take offense, it was less than a few days ago that she was trying her best to kill him.  She followed Malina to the kitchen, this time studying the house instead of a certain female succubus.  It seemed safer.

The furnishings were eclectic, but worked well together.  This house was obviously very old, built before the first fire in Chicago, and had furniture that ranged through the styles of the last couple of hundred years.  Some of it obviously moved here when the mansion was built.  The place was also filled with magic, and the wards on the house would have scared her if she was here for anything other than what she said.

The kitchen was like stepping into another house altogether.  It was bright, modern, and had stainless steel appliances both large and small, a huge counter island, and tons of cabinet space.

Malina opened a cabinet and grabbed a cup, while the demoness poured a coffee she explained, “The last Moore took up cooking in his second century of life.  Once he had mastered the available magic, he branched out into other disciplines and tried to attain mastery in those as well.  He was a good chef actually, once he caught on.  Some of his ancestors created new spells and the like, but he was never an innovator in magic so branched out instead to stave off the boredom of a long life.”

She asked, “And Shawn, any predictions?”

Malina just smiled at her, obviously not planning on giving any information on her current warlock, “Cream or sugar?”

She sighed, “Both please.”

There was an awkward silence as the succubus finished making her coffee and handed it over.  She took a sip and sighed in pleasure.

Malina said calmly as she made a coffee of her own, “It isn’t what you think, I just don’t know.  It’s too early to say.  He’s brilliant of course, they all were in their way, and he learns at an almost frightening pace.  But learning and creating are two different endeavors.  Only time will tell.”

They sat at the kitchen table and chatted about stuff for a while.  It was a surreal experience for her as the adrenaline drained from her system and she gossiped with a succubus, who she was coming to suspect was a greater demon.

Mainly because lesser demons couldn’t read minds, and the succubus’s answers and comments seemed to match the questions in her thoughts all too often.  She also thought a lesser succubus wouldn’t have as much control over herself, and would have hit on her by now instead of being the gracious hostess.

It would also explain why the Moore warlocks were so successful over the centuries.

Malina looked up, and then back to her, “He’ll be down in a few minutes,” the succubus pulled out a parchment, “Why don’t you review this.  It has the details for the deal, he wrote this up earlier since it’s a bit complicated.”

She picked it up and read it over.  She raised an eyebrow, as he was being very generous.  She wasn’t required to marry him, or bear his young, until they had put her in as high council for the mages, and had rooted out and killed all the current corrupt councilors, and lastly had created a treaty.

There was even an out clause, where if they honestly just failed to set her up, the pact would be voided.  Although she was pretty sure that was for his benefit, if they failed to overcome the council on a completely airtight agreement he would be more fucked than she’d be.

She was happy about all that, yet when she thought of him she was also strangely disappointed.  She’d been rather looking forward to sleeping with him.  He was so attractive, confident, and damned intense, and it had been too long since she’d had a lover that could…  Maybe they could practice?  She saw the sly smile on the succubus’ face, and blushed.

The pact looked good to her, it was exactly what they had discussed yesterday.  She had a moment of doubt, was she really going to sell rights to her womb for power?  She squashed the thought ruthlessly, and promised herself it wouldn’t be like that.  It might start off like a political marriage, but he even said he hoped it would be more, that kind of left it up to her didn’t it?

Still, it wasn’t lost on her that one of the things she hated about the council was the backroom deals, and she was about to resort to a pact to get her own way.  But really, all it would do was get her started, the rest of it was up to her ability to hold her power, and rule fairly.  Shawn hadn’t asked for anything outside of a treaty of non-aggression as far as the mage government went.

In other words, she wasn’t selling out her people, just herself, personally.

She felt better after thinking that through.

Malina smiled mysteriously, and she suddenly wondered what it would feel like to kiss the demoness.

Malina looked at her half empty cup, “More coffee?”

Chapter 21

I kissed Lilliana under the hot spray of the shower, as we rinsed off the soap.  Making love had been amazing, but we hadn’t stopped there and went a few more rounds.  It wasn’t until I felt Karen at the wards that I had any desire to leave the bed.  Even then, we finished up that round and then jumped in the shower first.

Lilliana seemed a bit different, more relaxed and at ease.

“Lia,” I said, and she looked me in the eyes and smiled.  I could see genuine joy and contentment in those eyes.

“Why did you call me that?”

I replied, “In the beginning, you said call you Lil or Lia for short.  I was just testing it out.  It suits you more than Lil I think, now that I know you better.”

It was true, she seemed, softer somehow.  Not that she wouldn’t turn hard in a second to defend me, but there had been a thin wall between us that I hadn’t noticed because of her exuberant and highly sexual nature, at least, I hadn’t perceived it until it was gone.

She blushed, “Stop looking at me like that, or we won’t make it out of this shower.  You do know Karen is down there, with Malina, right?”

I nodded, “Of course, how did you know?”

She tapped her ear and winked.  Right, vampire hearing.

“Pick up anything interesting?”

She grinned, “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

I gave her an amused look, “What will it cost me Lia?”

She snuggled into me as I turned the water off, “I suppose I could tell you.  She’s here to do the pact of course.  She’s also on the run, I wouldn’t be surprised if mages show up to demand her back, if they figure out where she is that is.  Everything else was just gossip, and flirting.”

I looked up and there was only one towel.  With a shrug I cast a water spell in my mind, careful to do one word at a time, and we were instantly dry.  It was hard to enunciate clearly without actually speaking, magic was kind of handy, but I wondered if it would make me lazy.

Lilliana said, “I’ll be right back,” and went off to her bedroom, I assumed to get dressed.

I went into my closet and got dressed as well.  I didn’t pick jeans, but I also didn’t pick a suit, and went with business casual.  A pair of dark gray Dockers, and a collared shirt.  When I left the closet she was already back, wearing a fetching black dress that showed just enough to fire the imagination, but was actually quite conservative.

We headed downstairs, and I could tell they were in the kitchen with just a thought through the amulet.  The wards in the house were quite impressive.  We walked in and Karen was sitting at the table with Malina.  She looked really sexy in her yellow dress and I resisted the urge to ask her to stand, so I could see the full effect.  I also saw her eyes narrow slightly when she looked at me and Lilliana and realized where I’d been.

Was she jealous?

“Hi Karen, I heard you ran into some trouble?”

Karen nodded cautiously, “Yes, Clarissa managed to blame me for everything, including Brandon’s death.  Please tell me it was painful,” she added rather viciously.

I winked, “Very.  Krystal was happy to suck his life force out, it was very painful, and he screamed like a little girl for almost a whole minute.”

Karen shook her head, “Krystal?  Is that the onyx sword you have?  Us mages are told horror stories about that thing as children to make us behave.”

I felt Krystal shudder in pleasure in the back of my head, apparently she really liked that idea.

“Yes, she’s a little bloodthirsty.  So then what happened?”

She shrugged, “They were deciding on my fate, either death, or they were going to strip my powers and banish me.  I didn’t like either option, so I left.  I’m… ready, to do the pact.  Do you still want to?  Being on their wanted list will just make it harder to get things done.”

I snorted and acted offended, “What, you think I’m fickle?  I don’t ask just any woman for her hand in marriage you know.”

She shook her head, “I’m serious.”

I looked her in the eyes, “So am I.  The stakes are high, but so are the possible gains, both personal and business.”

I knew we were strangers, and it was a very strange marriage proposal.  But in a weird way it had given me hope I could have an almost normal family in addition to hiding some of my children out there, who I’ll never see.  I had to do that, just in case.  Insurance for my after life so to speak.  But this deal was a once in a lifetime opportunity, if I passed on it because it got a little harder, who knows when a possible true peace with the mages would come up again.

The book was clear marriages and normal families had failed in the past for the Moore warlocks, but then they’d never made a treaty with the mages either, or married one.

Honestly, the whole thing was insane, but it was worth the risk.

She smiled, “Very well, I really didn’t want to talk you out of it anyway.  Just… full disclosure and all that.  So what do we do?”

I pulled the ring box out of my pocket, and popped it open.  Her eyes widened in surprise and panic, but she took a deep breath and pulled it together.  It was a diamond engagement ring of course, with a very high grade two karat solitaire diamond on it, with smaller quarter karat diamonds around it.

“Simple, I put this on your finger, and then activate the pact as we both understand it.  You’ve read it completely, and have no questions?”

She gulped, “I wasn’t expecting a ring.”

I frowned, “Why not?  We’ll be engaged right?  And married as soon as we kick Clarissa’s ass.”

Okay, I probably could have found something more romantic to say, but honestly had just blurted it out.

She laughed, “Good point, and it’s a beautiful ring,” she held out her left hand and had an amused twinkle in her eye as she smiled up at me.

I took the ring out, and slipped it on her ring finger, and then whispered, “So do you agree with the pact as I’d written?”

She nodded, still looking in my eyes.

I smiled, a bit entranced by those green eyes, and her power, strength, and beauty.

“You have to say it out loud Karen, verbal agreement.”

She blushed, but maintained eye contact, “Yes, I agree,” she said a little breathlessly, and I activated the pact spell in the medallion.

The infernal magic swirled around us, and bound us in the pact.  I released her hand, rather reluctantly, and then broke the intense moment by going to get a cup of coffee.  When I got back to the table I had three beautiful women who were also powerful in their own right staring at me.  It was a bit disconcerting, because in my own way, I cared about all three of them.

More Lilliana and Malina, because I knew them better.  But Karen was included in that, if only because she would be my wife, and hopefully the mother of my children.  If we could pull off the impossible.

I sat down and asked, “So Karen, tell us everything you know about the council building.  We need to work up a plan.”

Karen sighed, “The building is warded almost as heavily as this mansion, and the council room itself is probably even more warded than here.  I’m honestly not sure how four of us could get this done.”

I raised an eyebrow, “I’m still learning spells, most recently I’ve been looking into summoning lesser demons.  I know you want to keep the deaths down, but enough of those could create havoc, and some great distractions.  Also, do you know anyone of like mind in the mages, people that are tired of Clarissa’s heavy handed and corrupt rule?”

Karen nodded, “Lots, but I’m not sure if they would risk joining us.”

I shrugged, “Maybe just not fighting against us would be enough, so give it some thought.  We need a way to come at her sideways, so she doesn’t see it coming.  Let’s go over all the building’s defenses first, and then we can brainstorm.”

Karen started to explain all about the building that housed the mage council, being an agent of the council, even a junior enforcer, meant that she knew a lot.  It would take time to go through it all.  I’d also enjoy every minute of it.  I’d forgotten how pleasing and soothing her beautiful voice was.

Chapter 22

Elissa walked haughtily down the hallway toward the conference room.  She tossed her head slightly, and her long ash blonde flipped out of her face and down her back.  She could feel all the human men, and the women, staring at her.  She ignored them, she was used to being stared at.  It wasn’t arrogance exactly, she just knew she was the most breathtakingly beautiful woman in the city, of any race.

Clarissa had called an emergency joint council meeting of all the groups, and she could sense all the rest were already there.  She held her head up high, fearless, as she walked into the room and walked slowly to her seat.  She didn’t really care about Clarissa’s problems, but it might be fun to watch, plus, she had to make sure it wouldn’t affect her, or even her people, whatever it was about.

She was in a fairly good mood, after all the last Moore had managed to survive Clarissa’s warlock hunt, and things seemed to be settling down instead of spiraling out of control.  Which is why this summons came as a surprise.

Clarissa said, “Good, we’re all here.  Now…”

Clarissa stopped talking when she put up her hand, “We are missing one.  Or was the warlock not invited?” she asked in an innocent voice she knew would taunt the mage.

Clarissa growled, “He has no place…”

She held up her hand again, “But he does.  I believe he already has active treaties with half of the races assembled here.  Now that he is established, he should have been invited.”

All so she could start seducing him of course, for the next time she was bored.

Clarissa clenched her teeth, and she suppressed a smile, “Oh, go ahead, speak your peace.  But if he isn’t here next time I’ll leave.  Despite your opinion he and his line is vital to our city.”

“Very well,” Clarissa gave in, probably just to shut her up, “But he is central to the issue I came to speak about.  Moore is currently harboring a fugitive mage who was found guilty of crimes, and was sentenced to death.  I wanted to ask for your support to demand he turn her back over to mage authorities.”

Elissa was speechless, surely the old bitch wasn’t that stupid.

Dion asked, “Why would we care Clarissa, this is clearly a mage problem, and has nothing to do with vampires.”

Darren was more abrupt, “I agree, this problem is a result of your own machinations, and I want nothing to do with it.”

Elissa didn’t even bother to comment.  She did consider killing Clarissa for a brief moment, but what would be the fun in that?

Clarissa spoke with conviction, “But he is involving himself in an internal mage affair.  I thought you would want to help put a stop to that, teach him a lesson.  What if next time he involves himself in your affairs?”

Dion shook his head and said smugly, “That won’t be an issue, because I have a treaty with him that says he won’t do that.  My advice to you is to reach out to the young man and do the same, although I doubt he’d be amenable at this point.  You made this bed Clarissa by overreacting and killing all his family members, and now you have to lie in it.  Go get your rogue mage yourself, or let her go, I don’t care which.”

Clarissa clenched her fists in frustration.

Elissa smiled, on the inside.  Maybe there would be more entertainment after all.  There was another shakeup coming, she could sense it.  She’d have to send some more spies out to keep an eye on things, and to report back what they find.

Clarissa turned to her, “What do you say?”

She raised an eyebrow, “This isn’t a fae matter.”

She disliked saying it, as if the stupidity of the comment was so apparent it made her feel foolish.  Like she’d declared the color of the sky like a clever two-year-old.

She watched, amused again as Clarissa struggled with herself, and then chose to back down rather than speak whatever she was going to say.  That was wise of the old mage.

She preferred to work subtly, but if Clarissa pushed her too hard she’d have to teach her a lesson, and remind her and the rest of the council why the other races feared the fae.  Come to think of it, she hadn’t taught such a gauche lesson in fifty some odd years, perhaps she’d have too soon.  Mortals seemed to have such short memories.  It was sad, really.

She was suddenly bored, “Was that it?” she asked sweetly.

She had a slave to get back too, he’d become even more talented with his tongue with just a little guidance and a judicious application of corrective pain.  Humans could be hard to train, but she had a knack for it.

Dion cleared his throat, “I agree with Elissa, unless there’s something else?”

Clarissa stood, “I will remember this,” and stalked out of the room, dragging the tattered state of her dignity behind her.

Chapter 23

Karen hung up and stared at her phone for a second, not sure how well that call had just gone.  She’d managed to contact a few in the security force, and tried to feel them out.  She got the feeling they hated Clarissa, she knew they did, but that they wouldn’t be rebelling anytime soon.  The only question was, is if they would stand aside when the time came.

Not all of them would obviously, but she was calling those that were most powerful, and by extension most underappreciated.  In other words, those she thought would gain from her actions, because they’d be strong enough to secure a council position.  The real problem was she couldn’t fully explain her plan without fear of total betrayal.

She snuck another look at Shawn.  He was studying his magic book, he’d called it Sal, whatever that meant.  He had his nose in the book, so she felt pretty secure she was safe studying him.  She felt butterflies in her stomach, and certain parts below that seemed to wake up as she traced his strong jaw with her thoughts.

He was built too, muscular.  Not in the hulked out bodybuilder way, he was just very toned and from what she could see of him, ripped.  She was more attracted to him now than before, and she looked down absently at the ring he put on her finger.  That made it all seem real, even more than swearing a pact had.  There was a surprising kindness in him that attracted her, but she was truthful enough with herself to admit that she was just as attracted to his bad boy confidence and intense personality.

Actually, she was all tingly, and kind of wet.  The sexual tension in the room was sky high, or at least, she hoped it was.  Otherwise it was all just in her head, and that would suck.

Let’s face it, it didn’t get any more dangerous than a warlock with a greater demon for a patron.  She shook her head, she must be crazy, but the way he looked at her, and treated her so far, and all the rest of it, just made her body want… no, need to be touched by him.

She looked up at him again, her body heated as her thoughts wandered, and her nipples tightened.  She couldn’t even imagine how she’d react if he touched them.  She looked around the room, it was just them.  As soon as the pact was done, the demoness and vampire had gone off to work out in the room that was half workout room, and half dojo.

Obviously leaving them alone together to get to know each other.  It’d been a little awkward at first, and finally they’d gone downstairs so he could research some more spells, and she could make phone calls.  Screw it.  She stood up and walked around his desk, he looked up with a question in his eyes.

She said, “Shawn, you know that awkward feeling when two people circle each other for a while before finally going for that first kiss?”

He looked a little amused, “Yes?  What about it?”

She leaned down and kissed him, tentatively.  Oh, thank god he responded, she melted into his kiss, and she felt her body hum in anticipation.  She was a little dazed and smiled at him when she pulled away a little bit.

He asked, “How about the second kiss?”

She opened her mouth to answer, but gasped when he pulled her into his lap forcefully, and kissed her hungrily.  She mewled into his mouth as his hands entwined into her hair, and played with the back of her neck.  Her hands seemed to take a life on of their own, as she pushed her palms into his chest, and ran her hands along his muscled body.  She found herself kissing him back passionately, and started to unbutton his shirt, wanting to feel his warm skin and heartbeat against her hands.

He kept one hand behind her neck, but ran the other one down the side of her body, caressed her waist and hips, and then travelled back up and teased the side of her breast.  She wanted him so badly in that moment, that her hands gave up on the shirt, and went straight to his pants.

He murmured, “You are so beautiful,” as he reached back behind her and unzipped her dress.

She gasped as he pulled her straps to the side and pulled it down to her waist, exposing her breasts to the cooler air of the room.  She felt unsure for a moment, she wasn’t nearly as gifted in that area as Lilliana and especially not Malina.

He muttered, “They’re perfect,” and she gasped in pleasure as he brushed her nipples with his thumbs, and started to knead the underside with his fingertips.  Lightning bolts of pleasure shot from her nipples straight to her core, which clenched and moistened further.  She couldn’t remember ever being this wet, being this out of control, or hot in her entire life.

She wanted him so badly.

Then his warm lips kissed down her neck, and he took a nipple into his warm mouth.  He sucked on her nipple gently and teased it with his warm wet tongue.  She gasped as he stood up with her in his arms, lifted the skirt of her dress up to her waist, and sat her down on the edge of the desk.

Oh goddess, he was going to fuck her right here.

She ran her fingers into his hair and pulled him harder into her breast as she reached down with the other hand, unzipped his pants, and reached in to grasp his hardening cock.  Her eyes widened, he was a lot bigger than she’d expected.  She squeezed it gently, and pumped it a few times before fishing it out.

She said breathily with a tinge of desperation that shocked her, “Shawn, I need you in me now.”

Her whole body jumped as if she was struck by lightning when his fingers teased her labia open and two of them sunk inside her heat.  Her core grasped and tightened around those fingers, and the pleasure was intense as he thumbed her clit.  That wasn’t what she had meant, but it was a good start…

Chapter 24

Hell fires, she was a hot one.  She was so damned sexy, and complete putty in my hands.

That first kiss she’d initiated had gotten me so hard, and willowy body or not, her small breasts were still more than a handful, and perfect on her body.  They were rounded and pert, with large nipples and a large sensitive areola I happily swirled my tongue around.  Her passion, and the way she acted, was more than enough to change her from merely cute to amazingly sexy and undeniably desirable.

I was bringing her slowly to orgasm with my fingertips, while I tried to control myself.

I knew she was ready for me, but I wanted to make her cum before I even put it in.  Mostly because I wasn’t sure how long I could last once I was inside the little spitfire.  The sexual tension for the last hour had been almost painful, and I was already at a fever pitch.  I’d stared at the same damned spell for the last fifteen minutes until she’d finally rescued me with that hot as hell kiss.

I was completely under her spell, and was relieved to find I wasn’t the only one.

Her sweet little hand was wrapped tightly around me, and felt like heaven itself as she teasingly slid it up and down my length with a butterfly touch, and she teased the head of my cock with her thumb making me gasp into the soft, yet firmly supple flesh of her breast.

Her hand let my cock go when she arched her back and stiffened, she gasped my name and then stopped breathing altogether while I felt the walls of her heat close around my fingers even more tightly, milking them.  I pulled my head back and then looked at her face, wanting to see her cum.  Damn, she was so sexy.  When she came down, I pulled my fingers out gently, and lined up my cock.  The desk was the perfect height.  Of course it was, I was from a line of warlocks, all basically the same height and build.

She gasped as I rubbed the tip up and down her slit, and then pushed slowly into her.  I wanted to ram it in fast and hard, but held myself back, I didn’t want to hurt her, and reminded myself she wasn’t a vampire or a succubus.

She was a mage, that wanted me for me, and not for a pact, or because I was her master.  She was so damned tight as I worked my way in, working it in and out in a small sawing motion I pushed in deeper every time.  It took all my concentration not to explode right away, she was so tight, and it felt so amazingly good.

“Fuck, you’re so big,” she said in a gasp, and then, “I want it all.”

She shocked me then, wrapped her legs around my waist and put her feet on my ass, and then lunged forward as she pulled me into her.  She gasped in pain, but that soon changed to ecstasy as her walls undulated and slowly adjusted to my invader.

She wasn’t even on the desk anymore, she had her legs wrapped around my waist, I was buried balls deep, and her arms were around my neck.  She pulled us together, mashing her hard nipples into my chest and kissing me deeply with a desperate desire that I mirrored.

Whether this truly worked out between us and with the pact or not, neither of us could deny we had boatloads of chemistry and pure animal attraction.

She kissed her way down my neck and whispered in my ear, “Fuck me Shawn, fuck me, now.”

I almost came right there, and nothing would have stopped me if I hadn’t been having so much sex the last few days.  I put her back down on the desk, secured her legs in my grip, and started to saw in and out of her.

She stared up into my eyes, pure lust, pleasure, and joy lit her eyes as she leaned back on her arms, and used them for leverage to meet my every thrust with her own.  She swiveled her hips increasing the friction and pleasure for both of us, and when her whole body trembled and she once again screamed in ecstasy I knew I must have been nailing her special spot.

It was too much, her wet hot silken pussy went from incredibly tight to viselike, and it tried to claim my seed as if with a will of its own as she milked me.

I grunted, “Karen, I’m cumming!?”

She didn’t hesitate, in answer she locked her legs around me, and rolled into a third explosion of bliss as I expanded, stretching her out further, and emptied myself into her sweet sexy body.  I couldn’t have pulled out if I’d wanted to, which I really didn’t.

She laid back on my desk, a look of pleasure on her face, “Holy shit, that was so much better than I’d imagined it would be.”

I teased her a bit, “You imagined it?”

She peered up at me completely unabashed, “Damn right I did, and I have a very good imagination.  Oh, it was sweet of you to warn me like that, but I can’t get any more pregnant than the other women in your life.  When we have a kid I’ll lift the contraceptive spell.  Still, I really liked feeling you fill me Shawn.  Did you?” she asked sultrily, with a teasing look in her eyes.

I pulled her up, she melted into me when I claimed a kiss, and she straddled me when I sat back in the black leather chair.

“Good to know, but who said we were done?” I asked.

I connected to Malina and pulled some infernal power, which recharged my body.  My cock, which had been softening between her silken folds, in her body’s warm embrace, suddenly hardened again, filling her up, and stretching out her velvety walls.

She gasped in shock, and then kissed me hungrily.  Then it was her turn to surprise me again, when she started to ride me hard and fast, right there in the office chair.  The little spitfire was riding me like a fucking rabbit, her tight sweet nipples dragging up and down my chest with each bounce.  I grabbed her cute ass cheeks with both hands, and squeezed while lending support and stability, so when she went over the edge she didn’t fall off, literally I mean.

I thought maybe next I’d bend her over the desk, but then she started to clench herself tightly as she lifted up each time, and slightly released as she impaled herself down on me.  The pleasure was mind bending, and at that point all thought totally fled…

“Did you enjoy yourself?” Lilliana asked with a small smile.

I’d have suspected jealousy in almost any other woman, but she actually seemed delighted.  Something else I no doubt wouldn’t understand.  Luckily I didn’t need to, I only needed to accept it.

“Yes Lia, she’s very… passionate, and a wild little thing, as fiery as her element,” I touched the wards with my mind through the amulet, “She’s still passed out on the bed.”

After the chair, and bending her over the desk, we’d gone upstairs to the bed to explore more options and a more leisurely exploration of each other’s bodies.  Describing her as passionate was an understatement, she hadn’t held anything back, and was more creative and willing to experiment than I’d expected.

It made me hope we could build something more.  Obviously right now all we had was a pact, her ambition, and an insane amount of chemistry, but all relationships have to start somewhere, right?

Afterwards, we both fell asleep, but I only needed two to three hours to fully recharge, she’d probably be up there for another five.  I’d researched demon summoning.  It was not just the magic, there was also an act of will to keep it under control.  Which meant I was limited to how many I could summon, maybe three or four, with all the other protections I would need when we finally felt ready to overthrow Clarissa.

In the meantime, I thought this might be a good time for my first pact.  I’d made a couple already, but neither of the usual kind.  Either for a soul, or for carrying my progeny.  Although, I suppose Karen’s could count for that, but it was highly modified and would be out in the open, not hidden.  Not to mention the whole wanting more part, whereas usually I’d never see the woman I’d impregnated again.  Not if I didn’t want to make her a target that is.

Still, I was curious what a soul deal would yield, as far as power.  I already had a large well of internal magic, and a connection to Malina that made it almost endless, so I wasn’t sure what advantage it would yield.  Sure, additional life, but that wouldn’t help me in the battles to come.  It was the power I was curious about.

So I was about to cast the divination spell for the first time, to find someone willing to trade their soul for something they wanted, something in my ability to give.  I was slightly ambivalent about it to be honest.

Lilliana kissed me, and then backed off, somehow sensing I was about to start.  I wondered what gave it away, but didn’t dwell.  She’d been reading the body language of Moore warlocks for only the hell fires know how long.

I brought up the spell in my memory, like a slate, and then worked through the words one at a time in my mind.  It worked, I wasn’t sure what I was expecting.  A vision, a.. something.  What I got was knowledge.  A name, an address, and what they wanted.  It was a little disconcerting, it was like remembering something I never knew before, if that makes sense.

“Up for a little trip Lia?”

She smiled, “Always, you’re not allowed to leave me behind, remember?”

Malina poked her head in, “I’m coming too, if you’ll have me.”

“Should we leave Karen alone?”

Malina shrugged, “She is in a pact with you now and safe.  Leave a note?” she winked.

I grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled a note, and left it on the bed as the three of us left.

My target was Cynthia Hale.  She was a street reporter, twenty-six, dark brown hair, big brown eyes, a face that looked like the innocent fresh faced beautiful girl next door, and a body that looked great on camera.  She commuted to work in the morning on the Metra, and right now it was early AM so we jumped in the car and Lilliana drove us out to her house.

She also had blow job lips, and I was kind of disappointed this wouldn’t be a sex call.  As Malina proved to me, I seemed partial to innocent and sexy, and Cynthia had that in spades.

The books advice on this, and the examples, sucked.  People responded differently each time.  Some freaked out and wouldn’t believe me whatever I might say or even did to prove it.  Others would be horrified and run to the nearest priest and ask for forgiveness.  Though both of those were very rare occurrences, the spell usually did a good job finding someone that was truly willing.

But free will was a bitch, and people changed their minds all the time in this world.  For those people, a visit from a warlock was a wakeup call.

As for the rest, most of Sal’s examples were simply an act of patience.  Some would think they were dreaming, and do it anyway.  Some would do it with the hopes of getting what they want, but still not believe it.  There were a few though, who accepted right away and would attempt to get everything they could out of the deal for their soul.

Which meant sometimes they were too greedy, and I’d have to just walk away.  Honestly, wing it was the advice I walked away with after reading a ton of examples.

I’ll admit, I had a few moral qualms about this, but had decided I was just a salesman selling my shit.  It was their soul, and their responsibility.  If they were dumb enough to sell their eternity for an anchor spot on the nightly news for the next twenty years, who was I to deny them?  Free will.

Still, I had a feeling I’d be much more comfortable with the other deals, a child for what they wanted most in this mortal life seemed… more equitable.

We pulled over and stopped in front of the house and I looked over.  It was a nice place.  I put a memory spell on the car itself, so if a nosy neighbor noticed the strange car they wouldn’t call the cops, or something else stupid.

Lilliana said, “We’ll wait out here, if something bad happens we’ll be in quickly.  Don’t forget a physical protection spell, a mortal with a gun is just as dangerous as any of us.”

“I got it already Lia.  But thanks for the reminder, it never hurts.”

As I promised myself, I left the house with the partitioning active in my primary mind, and all of my inherent abilities, plus the spell protections from magic and another for each of the four elements.  I wanted to be ready for anything, my… customer?  My customer was human, but I didn’t forget there were still probably mage assassins after me for the foreseeable future.

Malina grabbed me for a quick kiss, I winked and slipped out of the car, and up the walk to the front door.  I quick couple of words in my mind, and a whisper of infernal magic, and the door unlocked.  I let myself in, and moved toward the back of the house, straight to the master bedroom at the back of the hallway.

I opened the door, and she was asleep, her head lying on the chest of a man who I knew from the spell, her executive producer which is who I’d need to spell to make it happen.  I chuckled, she was hedging her bets for the slot, but I wouldn’t complain, it would make it a lot easier if I didn’t have to chase him down.

I cast another spell, to make sure the guy stayed asleep, and then woke her gently by shaking her shoulder.

She screamed, and then asked in a scared voice, “Who are you, what do you want?”

I smiled, “No need to be scared, I’m here to make your dreams come true.  I can guarantee you’ll get the job as the anchor.”

She sat up interested, but still wary, and a little disbelieving, “How, and what do you want for it?”

I winked, “Magic, and what I want you won’t even miss.  You’re soul.”

She gaped at me a minute, “Seriously?”

I used my inherent ability to channel some green balefire, and bathed my hand in it, and then turned it off.

“Very serious.”

She asked, “And you’d take my soul now?”

I shook my head, “Just a small piece, a down payment.  You get to keep the rest until you die, hopefully of old age.”

Her eyes narrowed, “And you’ll get me the job for sure?  And help me keep it?”

I nodded, “I can, for ten years, that’s when he retires.  After that you should be able to keep it on your own, you’ll be well established, and a household name.”

She frowned, “Isn’t the soul kind of important, I’ll let you have it if you help me with my career the whole way.”

I considered that, and she was kind of right, but I also needed to set limits.

“On the proviso that I am around to do so, and with a limit of four more interventions.”

She tilted her head and looked me up and down, like I was a side of beef, then she licked her pouty lips seductively.

“Make it five, and I’ll throw in a blowjob like you’ve never felt before.”

She was so fucking sexy, and I hadn’t failed to notice that she was completely naked under the sheet during our discussion, a sheet which wasn’t covering her most salient assets at all.  I thought about it with great deliberation, for almost an entire half a second.

Then I stuck out my hand, “Deal!”

She smiled and reached out and took my hand, and the infernal magic spun around us.  This time was different, it dove inside Cynthia and ripped out a part of her soul.  I’d have thought something like that would be painful, and maybe for others it is, but my patron was a succubus, and Cynthia cried out in ecstasy as her body trembled and shook before me.

As for me, the pleasure was enormous, not sexual, more like a high, pure pleasure.  My body absorbed part of the small piece of soul, and the rest was channeled through to Malina through our link.  I could barely move and my legs gave way, and I fell to my knees.  As for the power I gained, there wasn’t all that much special about it.  I’d be able to power my spells without Malina for a little longer, but that was about it.  Still, I could feel the extra life in me, five, maybe ten years.

She looked up at me in ecstasy, “Holy shit, I haven’t cum that hard in a long time.”

I smiled, “Just a minute Cynthia,” and stood up, and leaned over the bed.

I cast the spell over the executive producer, it was similar to a memory spell, but instead of making him forget, I fixed the idea that Cynthia must become the next anchor, and stay there for the remainder of his employment.

“It’s done.”

Cynthia smiled up at me coquettishly, “Why don’t you lie down, this might take a while…”

I moaned as she started, and quickly learned she was right.  She was an artist, and didn’t go for the quick kill.  She teased my cock with her mouth, and plied my body with pleasure.  Every time I got close to exploding between her soft sweet lips, she’d back off to lick my balls, or talk dirty to me.  Finally, after a half an hour, I actually begged her to let me cum.  She was that damned good.

It was then that she told me in a steamy voice that could melt ice, and harden a dead man, “If you want to cum so bad, you should take charge, grab my hair like the little whore I am, and fuck my slutty face.”

So I did, and she got off on it herself as I cruelly used her mouth, and then I sprayed the back of her throat as she came from my rough treatment.

She was right, I’d had great blow jobs before, but nothing like that.  She’d teased me to my breaking point, and then had highly enjoyed the results when I lost control.  I wasn’t sure how to take that exactly, normally I respected a woman and wanted her to get off and have as much pleasure as me, I’d never met one that got off on being used like that before.

Still, she wanted it that way, so I suppose I’d just given her what she wanted.

It was an experience I wouldn’t soon forget, and a hell of a first soul pact.  I’d be lying my ass off if I said it wasn’t worth the extra intervention, she’d earned it and then some.  I wished her well, and actually meant it, then I left the house and rejoined the ladies waiting for me in the car.

Chapter 25

Malina asked knowingly, “So what took so long?”

I snorted, “She insisted.”

Malina said, “You did good for the first time, and I’m not talking about the sex.  Follow up interventions aren’t uncommon.  I’m glad you left that proviso though, if you die you won’t be violating that pact.”

I snorted, “Nope, just yours.”

She nodded, “Don’t worry, we’ll do our best to keep you kicking until you get a few kids, and even after of course.”

Lilliana asked a bit too happily, “Ready for another workout?”

I nodded, “This time I’ll kick your ass.”

Lilliana snorted, “You will?”

I winked, I seemed to be doing that a lot lately, and said, “Sure Lia, but don’t worry, I’ll kiss it better after.”

Lilliana giggled, “Your bad at being a master.  Kissing your servant’s ass?  It’s just not done.”

I suppressed a smile, “Sounds like a good time to me.”

Malina pouted, “What about my ass?”

I grabbed her and flipped her over my legs, and bent down while lifting her a little, and bit down on her luscious ass through her skirt, and then I spanked her for good measure.

“Tease,” she accused in a playful voice.

I said neutrally, “We’ll see.”

Truthfully, I was a breast man, but I was enjoying the banter.  Still, I was up for trying anything once.  It was a long drive back so I spanked her again, and then slid a hand up her skirt.  Demoness, so of course there were no panties in the way either.

“Stop that,” Malina said in an unconvincing tone, “You have to maintain your spells outside the house.”

I grinned, not bothering to mention I managed that through an orgasm earlier.  The partitioning spell was very easy to hold and not lose concentration, it was hardly an effort.

“Who said anything about me?  This is all about you.  Now shut up and enjoy it.”

She did, and she did.

I spent the rest of the drive chatting to Lilliana about various things, including training, as I set off Malina into the throes of ecstatic pleasure about five times with just my fingertips, and a few judicious spanks with my other hand.

The strangest thing about it was that it was comfortable, and didn’t feel at all out of place that I held a conversation with my vampire servant while pleasuring my succubus.  Don’t get me wrong, I was hard as a rock the whole time, but it was worth it just to feel her tremble under my touch with her cute ass in the air, while splayed and squirming over my knees.

When we got back, I received a soft, sensuous, and lingering kiss from Malina, as well as a satisfied sigh into my mouth for my trouble.  It was almost loving, but I hesitated labeling it as that simply because… succubus.

When we got inside, I checked on Karen through the wards, and she was still sleeping.

Lilliana and I went straight to the workout room and dojo, and grabbed a couple of practice swords to work out.  Truthfully, I didn’t expect to truly kick her ass, though I didn’t think I’d lose my shield again as I had in the past.  However, the second promise I fully intended to keep just as soon as we were done…  I briefly wondered if between Malina, Lilliana, Karen, and what just happened with Cynthia, if I was becoming addicted to sex.  I decided if I was… so what?  If anything, the women in my life were just as insatiable, and in the case of Malina, probably even more so.

Chapter 26

Karen slowly woke to the soft touch of hands rubbing her shoulders and back.  She’d passed out after the most amazing marathon sex she’d ever had in her life, and had slept like a baby.  The hands on her back were too soft and small to be Shawn’s, but it felt so good she didn’t complain, she didn’t even open her eyes.

“That feels so good.”

Malina’s voice made her smile apparent even though she couldn’t see it.

“Glad you think so.  You know, he will love you if you let him.”

She sighed, she’d really like to believe that.

Malina moved her hands lower on her back, and she made noises of approval.

“Do you think I can’t give advice on love because I’m a demon?  A succubus?  What do you think made me what I am?  If you can look past jealousy, and join our little family, he will love you.”

She asked a little confused, “How you became what you are?  What do you mean?”

Malina went a little lower, but not quite on her ass, and then started to work her way back up her torso.  She wasn’t sure if she was more relieved, or more disappointed by that fact.  What was wrong with her?  She reminded herself she didn’t like women that way… but it felt so damned good.

Malina sighed, “How do you think I fell?  I did not rebel, I disobeyed.  Fell in love with a mortal I was protecting.  I haven’t told anyone that in a long time.”

She shook her head, “Why tell me?”

Malina reached her shoulders again, and then started to caress her neck, and scalp.

“Simple, I still have that capacity.  I want Shawn to be happy, and the one thing that all of the Moore warlocks have hated, is not having a family they could call their own.  It’s always eaten at them.  It’s always failed in the past because of the mages, but with a mage… the plan’s both insane and brilliant, and will only work because of the current circumstances.”

She asked, “So what do you want from me?”

Malina shrugged, and she felt it in the succubus’s touch, “Don’t push away a good thing, no one can force love, but they can ignore it.  Don’t ignore it.  As for us, I won’t do more than flirt unless you ask me too.  But sharing me, at least in body, might put you both on more equal ground.”

It all sounded so good, but a succubus was the master… or rather, mistress of seduction.  If she was all about love and hope, why all the threats, and the power from souls?

Malina’s hands stopped, and she wondered if she’d gone too far, if only in her thoughts.

Malina said in a firm voice, “There are rules beyond your mortal understanding.  It’s much more complicated than you can understand.  One small part of it, is simply to keep ahead of others.  I have my little corner of hell, with all my souls in it, from pacts and from the Moore line.  I wouldn’t be able to keep them safe, or keep them at all, if I didn’t keep up with the others and gain more power as they do.

“That said, there are other considerations, and I am certainly not all love and hope, but that doesn’t mean those qualities are absent either.  I’m a woman, and like you much more complex than one simple definition.  Suffice it to say, I tell you all this for his sake, not yours.”

She felt the succubus move, and she tensed up, but then she felt the soft press of lips on the top of her head, and then the succubus rolled off the bed and walked out.

She trembled, and wasn’t sure what to make of that whole conversation, except she wanted to believe every word, she was just too afraid to.  She also felt strangely guilty, as if the demoness had bared the pain in her soul to her, and she’d figuratively spat in Malina’s face for it.

She jumped up out of bed, feeling remarkably good, and got into the shower.  The hot water felt amazing against her body, she’d been using magic so much lately, but nothing could replace the muscle relaxing properties of a nice hot shower.

She got out and dried off, and then put on the same clothes after cleaning them with a spell.  She was starting to hate the yellow dress and white sandals, but it was all she had.  She was also pretty sure mages were watching the house, if she left to get her stuff she’d no doubt be chased the whole way there and back.

It wasn’t worth the risk.  Nor could she simply go to the store either, she was stuck here.  She went downstairs, grabbed a coffee from the kitchen, and tracked down Shawn in the dojo.

She stopped in shock at what she was seeing.  Lia was levitating in the middle of the room, with her pants pulled down just enough to bare her ass, and she was laughing and protesting as Shawn kissed it over and over.  It was totally absurd, and strangely she didn’t feel jealous at all.

She burst out laughing, and they both looked over at her in shock, and then they both blushed.

“Hi, umm, could I borrow your computer, I need to order clothes before I burn this dress in frustration and get stuck having to walk around naked.”

Lilliana asked as if she wasn’t hanging there helpless with her ass waving in the air, “Can’t we just go to your house and pick up your stuff?”

She shook her head, “I think they’re waiting for me to leave the house here, and if not they’re most certainly staking out my house.  I’m honestly surprised they haven’t knocked on the door and demanded my return yet.”

Shawn shook his head, “Clarissa tried to get the council to do just that, but they all said it was her problem.  I don’t think she’s brave enough on her own.”

She wondered how he knew that, but didn’t ask.

“How’s the training coming?”

Lilliana answered, “Pretty well actually.  He’s a quick study.  As you can see he got the better of me.”

She giggled, “So when we have things lined up we’ll be ready to go?  I still have some phone calls to make, and we need to figure out the ward issue.”

Shawn nodded, “You in a hurry or something?”

She grinned, “Not really, but the longer we wait the more of a chance they’ll catch wind of it.  Besides, I’m starting to rather fancy the rest of the deal.”

She winked and went to walk out, and then turned her head, “The computer?”

He nodded looking a little dazed, “Go ahead. But I have another idea.”

She tilted her head, “What’s that?”

He shrugged like it was no big deal, “I can make some calls, and have your car towed here, the trunk should still have a lot of your clothes and shoes right?”

She wasn’t sure why, but her heart melted a bit at that.  It was just clothes, but he really was surprisingly sweet under his intense energy, “That… would be great.  Thanks.  Umm, carry on…” she giggled and left the room.

She tracked down the succubus in the basement den on a couch, walked over to her, and sat down.

Malina asked, “What?” rather bluntly.

She tried to apologize, “I’m sorry Malina, I grew up being taught these things.  If you were a lesser demon, you would be truly evil.  I’ve only heard rumors about greater demons, and most of them…” she trailed off.

She added, “As far as what we talked about, all I can promise is I will try, I really do like him, although if it wasn’t for the pact I probably would put off marriage for a while, you understand?”

Malina nodded.

She whispered, “And he’s amazing in bed, I thought I might die from pleasure a couple of times last night.”

Malina smirked, “That good huh?”

She nodded, “And big.  He hit spots deep inside me that I didn’t know existed.”

Malina smiled.

She asked curiously, “So what are you doing down here?”

Malina raised an eyebrow, “The same thing you are, giving Lil and Shawn space to bond.  This might shock you, but I think sharing is important.”

She froze a second, she wasn’t sure if Malina meant her and Malina by that, or Shawn and Lilliana upstairs.”

Malina grinned salaciously, “Yes.”

Oh… both.

On impulse she leaned over and kissed Malina on the cheek and then leaned against her.  She was very comfortable.

Malina put an arm around her and pulled her a bit closer, “One step at a time?”

She nodded against the demoness, “Yes, that,” and then she asked, “Do you love him?”

Malina kissed the top of her head and whispered, “As much as you do.”

She knew what the sexy demoness meant by that.  Not yet, but falling, and fast.  He was so… magnetic, and hot.  Both intense and thoughtful.  They were silent for a while, just sharing the space and the moment, as she sipped her coffee and thought about what to change into when her luggage got to the house.  She did have a cute set of red lingerie…

Chapter 27

That was interesting, Karen had only laughed when she walked in, and then completely ignored it, so I decided to ignore it too.  When she’d left, I’d started on Lilliana right where I left off.  I gave her similar treatment as I’d given Malina during car ride, except I also kissed the red spot every time I spanked her bare bottom.  She really liked that too.

I don’t know why, but I’d gotten so much pleasure over the last few days, that I just wanted to pleasure both of them for a change.  It wasn’t as if I hadn’t gotten more than my fair share of blow jobs from both of them.

Plus, it was a lot of fun making Lilliana squeal in ecstasy.

She stayed with me after I finished torturously pleasuring her, while I worked on getting Karen’s stuff like I’d promised.  After doing a few divination spells over the last few days, I kind of understood how they worked.  It didn’t take me long to find out where her car was, which was impounded.  That would make a little more difficult, a tow truck driver wouldn’t be able to get it out, only Karen.

So I improvised, and went down the stairs and into the underground cave where I had the nice summoning circle.  I’d have to do this soon enough anyway when we took out Clarissa, so I might as well get some practice in.  I recalled a summoning spell for the lesser demons, and incanted it in my mind.  The demon appeared in the circle with a flash of fire and shadows, and immediately challenged me for supremacy.

After mastering Krystal, it wasn’t that hard.  Oh, it took effort, and I sweated and had to focus and harden my mind, but I never doubted for a moment this lesser demon would do my bidding.

He bowed under the strength of my mind and then fell to his knees.  Now that my mind was free, I looked at him.  His body was mostly human in appearance, although his skin was redder, but it wasn’t exactly red like in some Hollywood movie.  His body was also a little out of proportion, his head was slightly too big, his eyes were too far apart, and his legs were short for his height with a longer torso.  He wasn’t twisted, or ugly, just… different.

I passed the spell to another partition, if I lost the spell he would automatically be banished back to hell, and then I gave him his orders.

“I want you to go retrieve a car for me.  Don’t kill anyone, don’t terrorize anyone.  Simply bamboozle the attendant at the impound lot, make him believe you are Karen, that you paid the impound fee, and then drive the car back here.  The only exception to my orders is that if you are attacked by mages, you can kick their asses, but try not to kill them if you don’t have to.  If you run into a vampire or werewolf, under no circumstances will you engage them, do you understand?”

The demon bowed his head, and then said, “Yes master,” and disappeared into a swirl of inky shadows that faded away.  Which… was kind of cool, in an evil demon way.  Unfortunately, there was no way for a warlock to teleport, or travel shadows like a demon, or anything cool like that.  Honestly, it was one of the first things I tried to learn from Sal.

I went back out to the den, and saw Karen and Malina snuggled up on the couch.  I swear I totally missed them earlier because I’d been so focused.

Karen asked in a shocked voice, “You sent a demon to get my car?”

I shrugged, “Seemed like a good idea at the time.  I guess we’ll find out.  Is that a problem?”

She looked startled, “No… not a problem.  I was just, surprised is all.”

“I needed the practice anyway, I think I could control about four of them when we attack.  Speaking of which, any idea on the wards issue yet?  That’s going to be our biggest problem, unless we can lure Clarissa out.”

Karen snorted, “Fat chance of that, she never leaves the building, and runs for the council chamber at the first sign of trouble.”

“The demons could do it probably,” said Malina thoughtfully, “But then you wouldn’t be able to use them in the duel, or as a distraction.  It’s pretty simple, they just need to let the wards attack them, and then ground the magic flow through them so they can pull on it and drain all the energy.”

Karen gasped, “They’d go up like a pyre if they did it that way.”

Malina shrugged, “Yes, and it would take four or five to do it if you gave us an accurate accounting of the wards.  But they’d be fine, simply banished back to hell when their bodies died.”

I nodded, “Then it would be us four, against the council… nine of them?”

Karen grunted, “Yes, and whatever guards there are.  If they were ready for us we wouldn’t have much of a chance.”

I frowned, “Can warlocks and mages create a circle?  Or will infernal magic screw you up?”

Karen shook her head back and forth in thought, “I don’t think anyone has ever tried, why?”

“Well, I was wondering if you could face the council circle with unlimited magic, that’s all.”

Malina snickered at my dry delivery, “It won’t work.  Mage energies are different.  They originate on this plane, and the elemental planes.  Infernal magic is from the demonic plane, it’s why warlocks don’t have power without a patron and link.  Your best bet is to work together, but separately.

“Karen, you should attack, and Shawn can defend the both of you.  Lilliana can keep the security mages busy and defend the door to keep more out if you protect her from magical attacks.  I have certain rules, but I can be the last line of defense if Shawn fails and is in danger of death.”

I asked, “What rules?”

She sighed, “I’m a greater demon, I can’t just go around killing people, I have to work through you.  As your patron I can defend you, and kill if necessary, but only as a last resort.  I’d prefer if it never got to that point though, because if it gets that bad you’ll probably die anyway.”

I grunted, “Fair enough, now how do we get in?”

Karen thought for a moment, “We can sneak in a side entrance right by the stairs up, but we’ll most likely have to send one of the demons there to kill those wards first, and then use the last three for the wards protecting the council chamber.”

I nodded, “Right, and we’ll have to stand closely together, and I’ll have to double cast all the protections to cover both us with one set and Lia with the second.”

Lilliana asked, “Can you do that?”

I nodded, “Barely, but possible.  I’d be holding twelve spells and three inherent magical abilities.”

I’d have to use all four in each partition to do it instead of just three like I’d planned, but it was doable.  There was physical, magic, and four elements.  So twelve spells for my three partitioned minds.  And then my personal shield, detect magic, and magic connection to Malina in my primary mind along with the actual partition spell.  With four there I could even cast an offensive spell or two if I had too, or use balefire, but that would be pushing things farther than I wanted too.

If I lost concentration we’d be totally fucked.

Karen shook her head, “I can lower that by two, you won’t need water.  None of the guards or council uses it as a primary, and fire and air spells are the most effective in battle.”

I frowned, “Okay, that will help.”

It really would, I could move over the magic connection and detect magic, and only have personal shield and partition in my primary.

I turned to Karen, “How about you, if you don’t have to defend against attacks, do you have the magic to take down the council?”

Karen nodded uncertainly, “Yes, if they attack a lot.  If all they do is defend and wait for the security mages to get passed Lia, then probably not.”

“I guess that’s where I come in, I can be fairly offensive if I put my mind to it, and I have a feeling Clarissa doesn’t do well with disrespect,” I said somewhat confidently.

Lilliana asked, “Okay, so we have a plan.  When is the best time to attack?”

Karen immediately answered, “Middle of the night, if we can get to the council chamber first they’ll be off balance when they get there.”

I asked, “Are you sure they would, if they knew we were in there?”

Karen nodded, “Yes, the stairs to the council floor where they live, is in the back of their chamber.  It’s the only stairwell with access to that floor.  If they don’t come together we can easily go after them and pick them off.  They don’t even have guards up there.  Still, I wouldn’t depend on it, they have a shorter way to go, and they’ll feel it when we put a demon sized hole in their outer wards right away.”

Malina said, “Sounds like we’re ready.”

I shook my head, “Not yet, I want a practice run to make sure I can handle it.”

Lilliana asked, “How?”

I said, “Simple, Malina is going to play Karen, I’ll protect us both, and cast the spells on you too Lilliana.  And then Karen will play Clarissa and do her best to take down my defenses.”

Karen smirked, “You sure you want to do that, I’m pretty bad ass.”

I nodded, “I’m counting on it, I’m hoping if I can defend against you, that means I can handle Clarissa.”

She nodded soberly at that, and then asked, “Now?”

I shook my head, “No, you need to finish those phone calls right?  And I need to… hedge my bets.  We’ll meet up for dinner later and then try it out?”

Everyone agreed, and I went back into the ritual room, only Lilliana followed.

Chapter 28

Lilliana asked, “So, what exactly are we doing?”

I smiled, “Hedging my bets, I want you to come with me, while I make a pact and knock someone up.  I also want you to promise me on the chance I die in the next few days, that you’ll take Sal, Krystal, the pendant, and the woman out of town, and protect them until my son is old enough to come back and take over.  As soon as I die she’ll be vulnerable to the mages searches, so you’ll have to move quickly.”

She nodded, “Of course, it’s what I do, protect the Moore line.  You just make sure it isn’t necessary, I haven’t loved you nearly long enough yet.”

I kissed her softly and cupped her face, my voice was a whispered promise, “I’ll do my best, but it’s more than just my life and soul, I have to do this now to ensure continuity.  It will be bad enough if Malina gets stuck in hell for eighteen years.  Honestly I’m confident we can do this, and it will work.  For the first time my progeny will be safe from the mages, and I’ll be the first Moore warlock to have a wife and family work out for him.”

I grinned impudently.  I hoped all that anyway, it could happen…  I damned well would make it happen.  But just in case, I needed to do this.

Lilliana hugged me and kissed my neck.  I felt her tears against my skin, but didn’t say anything, and just held her for a while.  When she moved back, I casted the spell to find what I needed to find.  Then I took Lilliana’s hand, and pulled her toward the garage, it was time to go…

Malina didn’t meet us, so I assumed she was staying behind.  I was sure she knew what we were up to and had some reason to stay with Karen.  We were headed to Buffalo Grove, which was northwest of Chicago, to an apartment complex.

Stephanie Danner, twenty-five years old, recently divorced.  Ironically, the reason she was divorced and left by her husband, was she was barren.  Her greatest desire was to have a big family, and now she was alone.  She was on the average side of attractive, black curly hair, brown eyes, and dark tanned skin.  She had a few extra pounds, but that wasn’t the point, I knew she was a good woman and would be a great mother.

A good woman who would do anything to have a child, including having mine, especially if it meant she could have more afterwards with someone else.  Hopefully, she’d meet a nicer guy the second time around, her ex sounded like an asshole, but that part wasn’t up to me, or my problem.

Because she wanted to be a mother so bad, I already decided not to lay the spell that would push people away, and force her to give him up to the system like I was.  Assuming she said yes of course, although I was pretty sure she would, free will or not.

It was midday, and she was home now which is why we went straight to the car and hit the road after I casted the spell.  She was nurse that worked the night shift, and there was no time like the present.  I was still working on how to approach her, the book once again was filled with unhelpful suggestions, and I just decided to wing it.  Either way, it would be kind of awkward in my mind, especially this first time.

I really didn’t have a choice but to wing it, since Lilliana pulled into the parking lot and stopped and I still didn’t have a game plan.  I just hoped that at the very least, I was her type.  Based on my past, there was a good chance, but it was far from certain.  I cast another of my memory spells on the car, if anyone too nosy looked at it, they’d forget all about it being here once they looked away.

I also made sure there were no mages nearby, the last thing I needed right now was for the woman to end up dead tomorrow because I wasn’t paying attention.

I walked to the woman’s apartment, and considered knocking but rejected it.  A quick spell and I was on the inside closing and locking the door.  A soft voice rang out from the other room.

“Chad?”

Chad was the asshole ex.

“Hello Stephanie, I’m sorry to barge in like this, but I need to speak to you about something.”

Yup, that was my smooth move.  To be fair, there was nothing but awkward ways to get this going.  It’d been easier if I could have used magic, but when it came to a pact, soul on the line or not, bamboozling was off the table.

By now I was through the living room, Stephanie was in the kitchen dressed in nothing but a tee and a pair of panties, cooking.  Well, that wouldn’t make this easier, being dressed like that she’d be feeling more vulnerable with a stranger just walking in.  She had a defensive and worried look on her face, and a phone in her left hand.

“Who the fuck are you?  Get out of my house or I’ll call the cops.”

She also brandished a chef’s knife in her right hand.

I turned away and walked over to the couch and took a seat, “I really think you’ll want to hear what I have to say, why don’t you put some pants on and we’ll talk.  If you don’t like what I say, I promise to leave.”

I hoped between my calm tone, the fact I was dressed in a suit rather than like a hoodlum, and now that I was farther away and sitting down, that she would give me a chance to explain.  I could have pulled the phone out of her hand with magic, but I thought that might make it worse.  Maybe I should have knocked?

She cursed under her breath and then said, “What do you want?”

Okay, talk in different rooms, and no pants.  I tried to roll with it.

I said carefully, “I want to make you an offer, and it’s going to sound kind of crazy actually.  But I want to give you something you want very badly, for an equally large… favor.”

She was quiet for moment, “Right, crazy is it?  Why aren’t I surprised.  Okay, let’s hear it.”

“Well, I have the ability to heal what ails you, and make you fertile, for a price.”

At that point she kind of lost it, and forgot her state of dress.  She stalked out in the living room, with the knife, and a livid look on her face.  Then she yelled.

“What kind of sick fuck are you, did that asshole Chad put you up to this?  Did he give you a key or something, what the hell is wrong with you!”

The book had mentioned women can be particularly emotional about this issue.

I said calmly, “You might want to sit down.”

She narrowed her eyes at me, I wasn’t sure if she was about to use the phone, or pounce with the knife, but it would have been one or the other.  I pulled a little magic, and made the balefire on my hands.

She screamed, and then fainted.

Well, that could have gone better.

I got up and grabbed the knife and phone, and put them in the kitchen, and then picked up Stephanie and put her on the couch.  I covered her up with the throw blanket as an afterthought, and then I sat over in the chair and waited for her to come to.

About a minute later she regained consciousness, “What the fuck was that?” except this time it came out as a scared question.

Still trying to be calm, I said, “Magic.”

I wondered briefly just how good Lilliana’s hearing was, and if she was outside laughing at me.

She asked in an upset voice, “Magic?  Magic isn’t real, what is this really about?  Why are you doing this to me?”

I frowned, I’d thought showing her magic would work, but sometimes…

“It was magic, and if you stay calm I’ll show you something else to prove it.”

She demanded, “And what is this deal?  What do you get out of it?”

“I… for reasons I can’t explain, I get to be the father of your first child.”

She laughed, actually laughed at me.  I’d expected outrage, or anger, not laughter.  And when she spoke it was with mocking contempt.  I’d really fucked this up.

“Does this work for you usually?  Break into a woman’s home who desperately wants a child, and is barren.  You what, feed us a bunch of shit to get our hopes up, and then fuck us and have a good laugh at the pub over a beer with your sick twisted buddies?  What kind of sick asshole are you?”

In a last ditch effort, I casted a series of spells in my mind.  Harsh wind swirled through the apartment, fire moved and danced before her eyes, and then she levitated off of the couch.  I let all three go on for a few moments, and then dropped all three spells, and she dropped back down to the couch hard enough to bounce off the cushion before settling back down.

I said sharply, “Magic is real, and for reasons of my own I need progeny hidden from my enemies.  I’m willing to give an equal gift in return.  This is not a prank.  Do you still wish me to leave?”

When she didn’t answer for almost a full minute, I stood up and walked toward the front door.  Sal indicated sometimes I’d need to just cut bait and try again.  But as I put my hand on the doorknob of the front door I heard her voice behind me, weak, strained, and full of desperate hope.

“Wait…”

Chapter 29

Karen made a few phone calls to feel out some more potential allies and she wondered if she was pushing her luck.  Malina was sitting at her side, and it felt comfortable.  She never in a million years thought she’d ever start a friendship with a greater demon, but here she was doing just that.  Shawn had just left, and for some reason Malina was still here.

“You’re staying here?”

Malina nodded, “He’ll be fine.  None of the mages watching followed, they are here for you.  Besides, if he gets into trouble I can get to him very quickly.”

Karen considered that, “I see, I didn’t realize you could do that.  Then why…” she trailed off not sure how to ask.  Of course, Malina read the question in her mind.

Malina replied, “He blocked me.  Shawn’s uncle that is, on the day he tried to take over Chicago.  The connection between us can be shut down to the point I can only read him if he’s close, like you are now.  Shawn either hasn’t learned how, or hasn’t bothered to try yet.  It’s hard to say which.  They always do toward the end.”

Karen didn’t want to think about Shawn’s end, or of his intense brilliance sinking into a kind of sanity, of course, she would be dead over a century before that happened, which was a whole other problem.

“I think I could fall for him, I’d be lying if I said otherwise.  But what happens when I start aging in twenty years, and he still looks… the same.”

Malina patted her knee, and then left her hand there.  She decided not to say anything, it felt nice.

“That’s up to you, I don’t think it will matter to him.  Still, it would be foolish to throw away fifty years of happiness because it might not last for a hundred and fifty.  Crappy advice maybe, but true.  Everything ends, everything dies, that is no reason not to live today, and enjoy it to its fullest extent.”

She nodded but her comment disagreed with the movement, “I’d always dreamed of growing old with someone.”

Malina smiled and asked slyly, “Was it really about growing old together, or was it about sharing your entire life with someone?  Someone that would always be there for you until the end.”

She smiled, not from the comment, but because Malina’s hand was slowly migrating farther up her leg with a light touch.  Still, the demoness had a point with her words as well.

She sighed and leaned back into the leather couch, letting her phone drop from her hands.  She decided more phone calls at this point would be counter-productive, plus, she wanted to focus on the here and now.  Mostly, the very pleasant feeling of Malina’s hand on her thigh, teasing her skin with soft circling touches of the succubus’s fingertips.

She sighed in pleasure, “That feels really good Lina.”

And it did, it was setting a fire in her belly, and her core tingled and tightened with the soft but intimate contact.  She’d felt an attraction from the start, even though she wasn’t into women usually, and this didn’t change that, it was just Malina.

Malina asked in a quiet lustful voice, “What do you want Karen?”

She was lost for a moment, and then remembered Malina had promised not to do more than flirt without her verbal permission.  This was crazy, she didn’t feel this way about women, and she was starting to care about Shawn, and this would just make it all so much more complicated in her head.  She really should tell her to stop…

She breathed out, “Kiss me.”

Malina did and the kiss was softer, and more filled with passion, than she’d ever thought possible.

Chapter 30

Stephanie was attractive, but not nearly to the point that Malina, Lilliana, and Karen were.

Still, there was something extra as she rode me from above, and I think it was the fact I knew I’d be knocking her up when I exploded up into her.  It was so hot, because she was working hard for it, bouncing on me, and shoving her tits in my face, begging me to fill her with my seed.  I’d soon be impregnating her, giving her a baby, my baby.  It added something to it, maybe some deep down psychological need or instinct that drove us to reproduce, but whatever it was, it was very hot sex.

Things had improved a great deal after my little magic show, and we’d talked about what I needed, and what she would get in return.  I’d also thought it would start out awkward, businesslike almost, and that I’d have to seduce her into the mood.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.  As soon as we touched hands in agreement, and the pact solidified, the sexual tension between us exploded.  So much so, that I’d had to focus hard to do the simple spell to heal her, and make her fertile right here and right now.

She’d wound up seducing me instead, not that it was all that difficult to do.  She’d taken charge by kneeling between my legs right in the living room, and then as soon as I was hard and wet from her mouth, she ripped off her panties and mounted me.

The first kiss we shared happened as her body grew accustomed to my invading cock in her soft wet core.  Somewhat backwards, but it was a very hungry and demanding kiss as she started to rock her body slightly, and swirl her hips in a way that made me gasp into her mouth.

She gasped out as well, “Damn your cock is huge.  If you’d showed me that sooner this might have gone smoother.”

I knew she was being facetious, yet it still made my cock twitch to hear that.  I kissed her hard as she continued to work me in fast but very small motions.  My hands seemed to fly everywhere as I teased her nipples, caressed her hair, and squeezed her ass.

The generous curves her of her body started to move farther with each of her movements, and before I knew it, she was bouncing up and down my entire length with great abandon, gasping and mewling with each thrust of our bodies as I pushed up to meet her body’s descent.

She exploded in pleasure first, locking up her body with waves of ecstatic bliss as she arched her back and her nails dug into my shoulders.

I took over then, holding her ass firmly in my hands while she couldn’t do more than tremble in the throes of passion, and I started to thrust up into her as fast and hard as I could.

Her eyes widened and she gasped, “Fuck, don’t stop,” as I rolled her into a second orgasm with my fierce sensual assault from below.  I bit her nipple hard when she shoved one of her generous tits in my face.  Between that, her intense passionate cries of pleasure, the incredible feeling of her tight silken friction, and being bathed in her liquid silken pleasure as she came hard around my cock, it was all too much to endure.

I felt the now very familiar feeling of my balls tightening, and my legs tingling and going numb.

I exploded up inside her, filling her with my seed.  Seed that I knew would take root.

When I came down, she was laying against me completely spent, her head in the crook of my neck.  She was crying.  I can’t even begin to explain the intensity of emotion I felt at that moment.  I felt good about it, I’d given her greatest wish, healed her so she could have a family of her own.  I also felt like an asshole, that I’d taken advantage of her desires, and now she’d be raising my kid, and I’d never ever see him.

It was necessary, and it helped me that she didn’t have a single feeling of regret in her eyes as she leaned back and looked at me.  I had no doubt she’d love that kid, and probably be an overprotective helicopter mom.

She whispered, “Tell me this is real?” and then she asked, “I won’t see you again, will I?”

I shook my head no, “It would be too dangerous, and it is real.  You’ll probably doubt it over the next two weeks, but then when the pregnancy test comes back positive, you’ll never doubt it again.”

She smiled and there was a mischievous twinkle in her eyes, “Should we do it once more, just to be sure?”

I laughed, why not?  I’d never see her again, so it was now or never.  It also made me feel a bit better, apparently this hadn’t been a very onerous duty for Stephanie.  I pulled some power from Malina for a recharge, and while I was still inside her, I stood and her legs wrapped around me tightly.  We retired to the comfort of her bed…

Chapter 31

Karen loved the strong touch of a man, to yield herself to a demanding touch.  She still did, and her thoughts were conflicted as she kept thinking about how Shawn made her feel.

This wasn’t exactly better, but it was so different, and amazing in its own way.

They had retired up to the bedroom, and Malina’s touch while they shared a bed was soft, gentle, and slow.  There was no heated rush, and the coil of pleasure that slowly tightened in her core was blissful torture.

She was so… confused.  She wanted Shawn, but she couldn’t deny she ached for this as well.  She thought she knew what Malina was trying to do, which was get her to accept Shawn as he was, and without jealousy.  It wasn’t a mystery, they’d talked about it before.

How could she get jealous, if Shawn and her shared his other lovers?

Either that, or the greater demoness was simply corrupting her for the fun of it.  If so, it was definitely working.  Her labia were so sensitive at this point, the light touch of Malina’s tongue and fingertips felt like lightning strikes of pleasure as her center coiled ever tighter.

She gasped, as the succubus worked her thin finger gently between her silken folds, and into her body, and then she arched her back unconsciously in a rapturous explosion of feeling as Malina curled that finger and rubbed her g-spot, at the same time the wicked temptress flicked her tongue against her swollen clit.

She almost fell over the edge into bliss, but the evil woman teasingly licked around her labia, and avoided her most sensitive places for a moment.  She was so close.

“Please,” she whimpered as her body squirmed and her back arched as she desperately tried to thrust her hot sex against Malina’s tongue.

Malina sucked her swollen labia into her mouth, and so lightly bit her clit she’d have thought it was her imagination, if it hadn’t thrown her so far over the edge that is and finally put her out of her rapturous misery.

The coil in her core exploded and waves of intense and endless pleasure went through her shaking body, and her mind was overwhelmed.  She thought she would pass out from it, when it finally started to fade, and she once again felt Malina’s tongue gently licking her, cleaning her liquid pleasure from all the crevices of her sensitive silken folds, and then deep inside of her, as if the sinfully sexy succubus couldn’t get enough.

The temptress kissed her way back up her body, as she trembled in the afterglow of her pleasure.  She kissed Malina when they were once again face to face, sharing the taste of her own pleasure made her moan, and she suddenly wanted to know what Malina tasted like.  She felt warm, safe, and sated, and she wanted to return that pleasure…

Chapter 32

Lilliana smirked, “I guess it went well?”

I sighed as I slid into the passenger seat, and with a few words intoned in my mind, my body was clean.  I guessed she could probably have scented the sex from when I opened Stephanie’s front door.

Our second time went almost as well as the first.  The third time was if anything, even more amazing.  I was still conflicted about it, but clearly it wasn’t because of Stephanie, she was thrilled, thankful, and didn’t feel used in the slightest.  I was pretty sure it was about leaving a kid behind, it felt irresponsible, even though I knew deep down it would keep him alive, and safe.

I realized it was also one of the reasons I wanted things to work out with Karen so badly, I wanted to be a parent, not just a sperm donor many times over.  Still, it wasn’t the only reason by a long shot, Karen was… she was Karen.  I cared for the others too, but they would stay with me no matter what, where Karen would only stay if she wanted to.

Sure, we’d be married, but that didn’t mean she had to see me once I’d put one in the oven and she had claimed the council seat.  She had every right to walk away, which would make it that much more meaningful if she stayed.

Lilliana smiled, “Thanks, but the scent wasn’t unpleasant.”

I spontaneously reached out and held her hand, “It did go well.  The beginning was an unmitigated disaster, but I put on a magic show and she came around, quite quickly.”

I squeezed her hand and then kept it.  She was an ancient vampire with lightning fast reflexes, I was sure she could drive with one hand.  Maybe I was going mental, but for some reason I felt closer to Lilliana after what I just did.  Was that crazy?  Leaving another woman’s bed and feeling closer to someone else?

Maybe I just needed her.  I’d never see Stephanie again, or the child we’d just created together.  But Lilliana would never leave my side, not willingly anyway.  I wondered if that made me weak, was I latching on to her for something to hold onto?  Maybe, but it was also complicated, and much more than that.  I decided fuck it, and held her hand stubbornly, she was enjoying it too, why ruin it by overanalyzing things?

I knew one thing, if warlocks were supposed to be unfeeling evil beings, I was doing it wrong.  Sure, I was a male slut, but in a way I was also faithful.  I hadn’t promised anyone anything as far as monogamy goes, and none of them expected it.  If they weren’t judging, I certainly wasn’t going to worry about that aspect of things.  My cock sure as hell wasn’t complaining.

Enough about my feelings.

When we got back to the house, Karen’s car was there out in front of the garage, the demon was sitting in the driver’s seat.  Oops, I hadn’t given him orders on what to do after he was done, so he was just sitting there.  Still, it had to be better for him than sitting around in hell.  I opened up the garage doors and motioned for him to pull it inside, and I took the bay next to it.

When the car stopped, I released the spell holding him here, and he turned to smoke and dissipated.  With another spell, Karen’s trunk popped open, and I grabbed the suitcases and went inside.  To my shock, when we got upstairs I heard a passionate cry that was very familiar to my ears, Malina.

I don’t know why, but I wasn’t at all surprised to walk in the bedroom, and see Karen kneeling down between Malina’s legs.  Her cute little ass stuck in the air, her legs slightly parted, and her well lubricated pussy up in the air while she pleasured my demoness with her tongue.

It was very hot, and I felt myself grow hard.

I put down the luggage and was about to sneak out, when Malina caught my eye, and motioned at Karen with her very expressive blue eyes.  It didn’t take a genius to figure out what she was saying, and I stripped.  Karen was completely oblivious to our presence, until I climbed on the bed, lined up behind her, and impaled myself into her waiting tight, wet, and very hot sex.

Karen looked around in shock, completely speechless as I caressed her waist, hips, and ass, while her body grew accustomed to my rude entry.

I smiled, “Hey, aren’t you supposed to be doing something.”

She looked shocked for a moment, as if I suggested something wrong, or perverted, but then smiled and turned her head back around to take care of Malina.  It was better than a slap, so I started to move in and out of her slowly.

It was my turn to be shocked a moment later, as I felt Lilliana’s warm generous breasts push into my back, and her arms went around me, and she started to rub my chest with her hands and kiss the back of my neck.

I moaned in pleasure as I continued to slide in and out of Karen.  Lilliana moved with me, grinding her pussy against my leg and I shivered in pleasure at the hot sounds of pleasure Lilliana made right next to my ear.  It was almost like we were both fucking Karen, while Karen continued her oral assault on Malina’s sweet sex.

Let’s just say what followed was a wild ass evening, and leave it at that.  Thanks to my connection to Malina, I was able to satisfy them all, before all was said and done.  I just hoped Karen wouldn’t regret it, I knew it was her first time with multiple partners, but Malina had encouraged us to join, and I trusted her judgement.

Chapter 33

“You ready to have your ass kicked?” Karen asked with a challenging smirk on her face.

I looked at her, she looked good in a pair of black yoga pants, and a leotard.  After our shared intimacy, and a shower, we’d eaten and relaxed for a while just chatting.  It was a relief that Karen didn’t seem awkward about what just happened, so I just went with it.  I supposed we should probably talk about it sometime, and define where we wanted to go, but I was the guy and wasn’t in a hurry to do so.

After, we decided we needed to test out my defense as we’d planned earlier in the day.  The thing was, I wasn’t supposed to attack her back.  I had ten spells and three effects going, plus the partition spell in my primary mind.  I had a full set of protective spells around Malina and I, we were standing so close we were touching.

Lilliana was off to the side, with another complete set of protective spells.

My job was to defend, and Karen looked a little too excited about her job to attack.  It seemed all my women wanted to bring me violence along with the sex.  Regardless of my doubts, I scoffed in faux arrogance, and showed my usual confidence.

“You’re welcome to try,” and I winked at her.

At first, things went really well.  She hit me with a sleep spell, which my magic shield absorbed easily.  Then she hit me with her inherent fire power and held it on my fire shield, which started to pull magic from my core at a decent pace.  Of course, my connection to Malina was more than robust enough for me to channel that much power and more to replace it.

Then she started a double casting spells.  Wind, more fire, two sleeps.  She had split them up, one of each at me and Malina, and one of each at Lilliana.  This caused the drain to increase.  I did have an unlimited amount of power, theoretically, but besides the strength of my will, there was also a rate limit at which I could channel it.  Still, I had a fairly large internal supply of infernal magic to draw on as well.

It wasn’t until now that I was absolutely sure Karen hadn’t been bluffing about how gifted she was, her internal magic supply was limited, and she couldn’t replenish it.  But my large internal supply was a mere bucket, compared to her tub.

And she could cast very fast.  Fast enough to not only overcome the amount of magic I could channel, but also to swiftly drain my internal supply.  Something had to change or I’d be taking a nap in the next thirty seconds… tops.

I told Lilliana, “Start dodging spells if you can.”

Malina and I also tried to dodge spells, but since we had to stay so close together, be touching in fact as Karen and I would in the real fight, it was impossible to dodge most of the attacks.  Lilliana was much better at it, being a vampire and very fast.

Still, despite that I was still being drained.  So I decided to attack even though I wasn’t supposed to.

Big mistake.

My spell hit her, and she not only grounded it, but she started to siphon my magic through my own spell and feed it back at me as an attack.  I dropped the spell quickly, but it was too late.  Nap time.

I woke up to Karen’s smiling face looking down on me.  Sure, rub it in.

Karen asked, “Why did you attack me?”

I shrugged, “You were winning anyway.”

She nodded, “Because you just let me attack your various shields, why didn’t you reverse any of my spells, try and get me that way, the same way I got you when you sent a spell my way.  Those are defensive spells, and is what you should have done to keep ahead of me and even drain my magic faster.  In the real attack, don’t worry about attacks, I got those, just defend.”

I nodded, I knew that.  I told her the truth despite the blow to my ego.

“You cast too fast for me.  By the time I could even remember the counter to a spell you were dropping that spell and on to the next.”

She narrowed her eyes, “How can I gloat if you admit I’m better?”

I laughed, “Sorry to ruin your fun.  To be fair I’m new at this, I just need a lot of practice.  Still, it’s kind of hot how powerful you are.  Small sexy package, big trouble.”

She rolled her eyes, “Flirt later Shawn, let’s do it again.  We’ll practice until you get faster.”

I frowned, “Do we have the time?”

She shrugged, “We don’t have time to get you up to speed to be my equal in a magic duel, you just have to last long enough for me to kick Clarissa’s ass.  I think our goal should be for you to lose a lot slower.”

I ignored the prick to my ego, I’d done well enough considering it had only been a few days since I first encountered magic.  Karen was one of the best mages out there, and one of the most powerful.  Also the sexiest, but I might have been slightly prejudiced in her favor on that one.

“Alright, let’s do it again.”

And we did.  We were in somewhat of a hurry, we wanted to get it done before Clarissa caught wind of our plans somehow and set up a trap.  Still, we wanted to be ready, needed to be ready, first.

Over the next several days we practiced almost constantly, and Karen consistently kicked my ass, but it took her longer every time, except when I was getting tired and did something sloppy.

When we weren’t training, I was sleeping with all three of them.  Sometimes together, sometimes not.  Our group sex was fun, and exciting, but believe it or not I enjoyed the higher intimacy of a one on one sexual encounter, and could focus better on pleasing one woman.

Karen and I never really talked about where we were going with this, or at least we hadn’t yet, but it was clear to me that I was falling for the cute pixie-like mage who was neatly wrapping me around her finger.  I hoped she felt the same, I believed she did, but I think we were both reluctant to plan for the future with the present so uncertain.

Once we’d completed the pact, and both had what we wanted, and we were relatively safer, perhaps we’d talk then.  Right now, I think we were both a little afraid to admit the depth of our feelings.  Or maybe it was just me.  If the sex was any indication, I had nothing to worry about there.  She sought me out as much as I did her, and at night we all shared the same bed.

Chapter 34

Goddess, she was a fool.

Karen stared at his face, he was sleeping, and she’d woken first.  She felt Lilliana’s thigh against her naked ass and smiled.  It was strange how natural it felt to sleep in a bed with Shawn and two other women.  If she didn’t know better, she’d say he put her under a spell.  She’d have laughed at anyone if they told her this would happen, never in a million years would she have believed it.

He was a warlock, with a damned harem, and would probably be fucking random strangers to knock up in the future regardless of what happened between them.

It was insane, she was insane, but clearly, she loved him, and not just a little bit.  It had snuck up on her as they trained over this last week.  He was so strong, and confident, yet he played off his achievements like it was no big deal.  Intense, confident, yet not arrogant at all.  He truly had no idea how amazing he was to advance so quickly with magic, she thought he was ready now to face Clarissa’s spell casting, they were all ready.

What had done her in though, and stolen her heart, was he didn’t seem to mind she was stronger than he was, or better.  He just… thought it was hot, and had pride in her ability.  Most men would feel threatened, or get angry and frustrated.  He just… kept going, and had gotten much better.  Earlier he’d held her off for almost ten whole minutes, which was more than long enough.

If she didn’t take Clarissa in less time than that, they were all dead anyway.  Lilliana would be holding the doors, but she couldn’t hold back a contingent of security mages forever.

She also loved the way he made her feel.  She’d always known she was cute, never sexy or beautiful, and she’d been perfectly okay with that.  But she couldn’t feel anything less than beautiful when he loved her in bed, it was so apparent in his eyes that she believed it to.  She felt safe, protected, and cherished when he held her in his arms.  She felt incredibly sexy when she caught his intense eyes caressing her body, when he thought she wouldn’t notice.

She’d never had that before, and had never felt like that before.

All she knew was, if he died on her, she’d kill him.  She was actually looking forward to marrying him, and having his child.  The one thing she wasn’t happy about is that they’d live apart, she’d only be able to visit, and with her leading the mages she had no idea how often that would be.  At least until she could be sure the mages would honor the treaty she signed, and he’d be safe visiting her as well.

She feared that would change things, too much time apart, but life went on, and she hoped that somehow things changed for the better instead.  Absence would either make the heart grow fonder, or it would kill what they had, and obviously she hoped for the former.

She grinned.  It was time to get up, and she was hungry for some breakfast.  She decided to give him a delightful wakeup call and slithered down the bed underneath the covers…

Chapter 35

It was time, we were ready to do this.  I just hoped we were all alive when it was finished.  We were headed toward the mage building.  Lilliana was up front driving the BMW with Malina riding shotgun.  I was in the backseat with Karen, and she was snuggled up against me, as if worried it might be the last time.

We had planned well though, and unless we’re surprised in a major way, we were pretty sure we’d pull it out.  At least, I was pretty sure.  I had the four demons I’d raised in the trunk, as smoke, and was pretty much at my limit for holding spells.  Honestly, it would be a relief when they sacrificed themselves to take out the wards and I could drop the spells.

If that sounded a little heartless, it helped that they were pure evil, and wouldn’t really die anyway.  Hell was full of evil, but the fallen angels, the greater demons, had the potential to be both.  I counted myself lucky my patron was one of those.

Not that she couldn’t be scary as hell when she wanted to be, no pun intended.

Since I had all the defensive crap going, Karen had taken care of the car itself.  It was hard to notice right now at least for humans, mages as well unless they had their mage sight active, and it couldn’t be found with magic at all.  Someone would have to eyeball it to see us coming.

Lilliana asked, “We ready?” as she pulled the car over, a half block away.

Karen didn’t sound nervous at all, “Let’s get this done,” and opened the car door.

Karen took the lead, with me practically stepping on her heels.  It was to keep close enough to cover us both with one spell, though I have to say it was also nice to be able to hover to keep her safe, without being called an overprotective asshole.

There were a couple of mages outside the side door smoking, Karen just stared at them for a couple of seconds and they fell to the ground out cold.

She muttered, “Pathetic, I’ll have to fix that.”

Malina chuckled, “It’s just as well for right now.”

Karen smiled at her, and then we approached the door.  Still no alarm, but that was about to change.  I called one of the demons to me.

“Take down the wards around here.”

The demon didn’t look happy, but he turned and sent balefire at the wards, and the wards struck back.  As was the plan, the demon did a reversal spell, but not a safe one, a modified one.  It grabbed the magic of the wards and instead of grounding it safely outside of his mind and straight into the infernal, the demon filtered it through his own mind and body.

That enabled him to pull the magic from the wards very quickly.  It also burned out his brain, and his body started to steam.  The demon held on as long as he could, but eventually his body went up like a bonfire soaked in gasoline, and turned to smoke.  One spell down, the only problem is, the wards by the entrance were still up and running.

Shit, it was going wrong already.

I summoned another demon to me, and had him finish off the wards, which he did quickly.  Still, that was two for the outer weaker wards.  We all exchanged glances, and wondered if two demons would be enough for the inner wards?  I couldn’t summon another replacement either, not without a circle and the correct arcane symbols available, and the mages wouldn’t wait patiently while I drew one out in the damned alley.

“Let’s go.”

The three women nodded grimly, the last two demons simply glared, and we moved into the building and up the stairwell just a few feet down the hallway.

We went up five floors and stopped at the level with the council chambers.

“Is this too easy?”

Lilliana remarked, “It’s part of the plan, but I expected to see some of the security mages on the way up.”

I frowned, “Alright, assume they know we’re coming, and they strengthened the wards on that outer door because they knew we’d enter there.  If I’m wrong, you can make fun of me later.”

Karen laughed nervously, “Should we abort?”

I shook my head, “Let’s see what we’re facing, we can always run after that.”

We slipped into the hallway and there was no one there, at all.  Granted, it was the middle of the night, but shouldn’t there have been a guard or two by now, outside of the smokers I mean.

We edged down the hallway and the council room double doors came into view, just like Karen described.  The quicker we got in the better.

I ordered, “Alright you two, go take down those wards, now.”

The demons moved forward and attacked in concert, the wards attacked back.  Karen’s eyes were glued to the doors.

Karen sighed, “Clarissa is actively controlling them, and based on how hard she’s resisting the demons, the whole council is there.”

The demons went up like a couple of bonfires, and I could still feel the magic of the wards, and I was sure Karen was seeing it.  They were still strong.  I wasn’t sure how, but Clarissa had known we were coming, and had set a trap.

I suggested, “Maybe we should get out of here, and come up with a new plan.”

But it was too late, the stairwell door opened and security mages ran out.  Doors along the hallway were thrown open, and even more filed out, and completely filled the hallway.  There must have been… all of them, how many that was I wasn’t sure.

Lilliana reacted first.  She ran forward and started to pummel them around, most just flew off, obviously shielded, some few screamed in pain before they hit one of the walls, or the ceiling, and got knocked out.  Many spells came at us, and I took it on the shields the best I could and pulled power as fast as I could from Malina.

Karen was on the defensive as well, capturing spells with reversals and taking them out the mages one at a time, but there were so many.  If it wasn’t for Lilliana going crazy and treating them like bowling pins, we’d probably be dead already.

Then, of course it had to get even worse, Clarissa attacked us from behind through the council room wards which according to the plan should have been down by now.

We were fucked, nothing had gone right, and I felt my spells failing from the two pronged assault.  Karen and Lilliana could only do so much.

We were dead, it was a matter of moments.

Malina’s voice was surprisingly calm, “Close your eyes.  See you soon lover.”

Of course, I looked instead of closing my eyes like a dumb fuck.

Her body started to glow with a bright white light, and I saw wings.  Beautiful shining white wings that stretched almost the full length of the hallway.  Tears came to my eyes and I shut them, she was getting too bright.  I felt her infernal magic reach out like a tidal wave.

Me powerful?  Karen powerful?

I didn’t even understand what true power was, not until that moment.

The hallway was filled with screams as the security mages were no doubt being blinded as badly as I was, but at the same time they were still being pummeled by a pissed off and desperate Lilliana.

No, Malina said killing others was a last resort, and those mages weren’t the true danger, although they were formidable.

All of Malina’s power went out like a tidal wave, and rolled over the mage’s wards, drowning them in her own power, and then she pulled it all back, and took the mages magic with her own.  The wards blinked out.

A moment later the bright light blinked out as well, and I opened my eyes only to find Malina was gone, and where she had stood was a black spot on the ground, the waves of heat rising from it were so hot they were visible, like looking through the exhaust of a jet engine, creating the illusion the wall behind it was wavering.

I grabbed Karen’s hand, turned, and kicked in the fucking door to the council room.  That bitch needed to die now.

Karen said, “I’m too low, we have to get out of here.”

I said, “Fuck that, defend with me, they get to die the hard way now.”

I knew it was insane, Malina would be back tomorrow, when I called her back from hell, if I was alive to do so that is.  But I was too pissed off to run now.  She’d immolated herself to save me, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to let it be for nothing.

Karen opened her mouth to ask how, but I held up my hand, Krystal was already a sword in my hand, a blade of Onyx.  Krystal’s breathy voice was excited as she whispered sweet nothings of death and blood in my mind, and for the first time I wasn’t even slightly disturbed by it.  I figured the old girl deserved an orgasm or two… or maybe nine…

Chapter 36

Karen looked up into his burning eyes.

She not only thought she was crazy, but apparently she was damaged too, not right in the head, because instead of being scared by his intense anger and the incredible danger they were in, she was getting more than a little wet.  This so wasn’t the time for that.

She finally nodded in agreement, “I have enough magic for defense, that sword can get passed their shields?”

He nodded grimly, “Their physical shield might cause a brief delay, but as you taught me, those shields are the hardest to maintain and eat up power, and Krystal has magic of her own.”

She followed him through the doors, taking a quick look back into the hallway.  Lilliana seemed to be holding her own just fine.  She was moving so fast the mages were having trouble hitting her, and quite often hit one of their own as she dodged and struck from among them.  She was glad to see the vampire was showing restraint, just punching and throwing until their shields failed and they were knocked out.

Karen didn’t want to start her first day with a massacre, killing the council and declaring herself as ruler would be hard enough for mage society to swallow.

She held his left hand tightly as they moved into the room, the council was in the center of the room away from their dais and long table that they usually sat behind, and had formed a circle of nine mages.  They grimly moved straight toward Clarissa.

She decided Clarissa must have been frightened by the look of implacable anger on Shawn’s face, because she panicked.  Instead of a spell casting duel, Clarissa gathered the power of all nine there, and used her inherent ability of fire, and shot it at them as she screamed.

“Die traitor!”

Traitor?  Perhaps of the council, but the council had betrayed their own people.  The accusation rolled off her back and found no hold in her mind.

They had another problem though.

Shawn stopped, and struggled as he fed just one shield, the spell shield against fire, with all the power he could muster.  There was no spell for her to counter since it was inherent magic, so she wasn’t sure what to do.  Her skin felt hot as they heated up, and she knew they would slowly burn to death if she didn’t do something fast.

She couldn’t defend, so she attacked instead, not really being able to see her targets.  She got an idea and chose air, and cast a double spell that started to blow some of the fire back into Clarissa’s face, though not nearly all of it.

But enough it seemed, to make the difference.

Shawn’s shield stabilized, and she kept up the double spell as he once more started walking forward.  She had no idea how he knew where he was going, all her mage sight could see was the magical fire, and his shields which wrapped around them both.  She knew warlocks detected magic in a different way, so she trusted he knew what he was doing.

Then he struck with the sword, once, twice, and a third time right into the fire.  The third time the sword kept going as he extended his arm, and the flames cut off like a spigot had been closed.

Clarissa screamed in a way that just might haunt her dreams forever, as her life force was drained into Krystal.  She shuddered, that was one scary sword.

The rest of the council were almost defenseless at the shock of being circled with someone being drained of their life.  She wondered for a moment if the sword was draining them all of life through that connection somehow.  She decided to use her inherent ability, and raised them with fire.  It was horrible, the way they went up in flames, their blackened bodies falling to the ground, completely absent of life.

It was horrible, but she knew it was a mercy compared to what the love of her life had planned for them.  Clarissa’s scream finally cut off, and Shawn kicked her off his sword.  Clarissa’s blood just… ran off the sword, as if it couldn’t find purchase, and then Krystal morphed, shrunk, and turned into the ring he always wore.  She shuddered.

They turned without a word and went back toward the doors.

She yelled, “Enough, stand down.  The council is dead.”

They all stopped, and Lilliana looked a little beat up, but over half the mages were on the ground.  Really it was embarrassing, she’d have to increase their training regimen.  To be fair, Lilliana had Shawn’s magic protecting her the whole time… which made a huge difference.

She looked around and sighed, she had a lot of work to do.  But first, she had something else to do.  She pulled down Shawn into a hot kiss.

“Now we just have to get married,” she whispered in his ear, a smile pulling at her lips because of the secret she’d been keeping from him.

Shawn raised an eyebrow but was smiling now, all the anger gone, “Aren’t you forgetting something?  A small detail perhaps?”

She smiled mysteriously and whispered in his ear, “Haven’t forgotten a thing, I removed that spell days ago…  I decided I couldn’t wait anymore.”

She smiled wider as understanding lit his face…  She couldn’t wait to see how he’d respond when he found out it was a girl.  Well, they could always have another, even if it wasn’t part of the pact.  Actually, she was kind of counting on it, and had no plans to ever let him get away.

Epilogue

The last twenty-four hours had been insane.  I’d stayed by her side as she took over the mages, for some reason not one of them protested.

Karen hadn’t wasted any time, she declared herself high councilor, threw out all the laws made in the last thirty years, and declared a tournament to start immediately at dawn, the winners to take the other eight council positions.  She also declared that once that was completed, she was subject to the laws and could be challenged for her position, as it should be.

When the time came, no one had taken her up on her offer.

It would take time of course for things to truly settle down, but she’d already left the rest of the council in charge for a little while.

She was beside me now, back at the mansion.  I wasn’t sure how long she was staying, but I was more than sure she’d visit as often as she could.  I decided I’d be visiting her as well, I think they were all too afraid to cross her, and I’d have backup with me when I arrived.

Plus, Krystal terrified them.

We’d also signed the treaty.  We’d debated, and wanted to make it an alliance, but decided that would freak out the vampires, shifters, and fae, so instead had gone with the same kind of treaty I had with the others.  A simple non-aggression treaty, with mutual support for outside influences and threats that didn’t originate from Chicago.

I had high hopes, and wasn’t sure how long it would really last, but for the first time there was peace between the mages and my house.

But right now it’d been exactly a day since Malina sacrificed her demonic avatar to save me, along with everyone else, and we stood in the cave, my ritual room, where my crazy ride had gotten started barely two weeks ago.

Karen was holding my hand, she was also in a wedding dress, and I had a tux on.  I wasn’t sure how she got one so fast, but I’d caught her and Lilliana whispering together yesterday a few times, so I had my guesses.  Regardless, it was time we sealed and finished the pact.

I called her forth with the easy one-line incantation just like last time, more of an invitation than a summoning.  This time the Latin rolled off my tongue as if it were natural, and much more eagerly than before.  It was amazing how much my life changed in just over a week.  I couldn’t believe how strongly I felt about this sexy woman beside me in just ten days, but it had been a hell of a ride.

Malina appeared just like last time.  Bright white light, and when it faded a woman that was beautiful beyond belief, a small knowing smile lit her face as she appeared with the same long golden blonde hair, and those deep blue eyes.

This time though, she came fully dressed, with a black tube dress that was barely there, and a pair of red high heeled pumps.  I smiled, on anyone else the dress would be scandalous, on her it was just… right.

Malina smiled, “Are we going to a wedding?”

Lilliana snickered, “You aren’t, at least, not as the guest.”

Malina frowned and looked at me, “What in hell’s infernal fires is she talking about?

I grinned, “We decided we wanted you to marry us.”

Malina’s jaw dropped open, “You want me, a greater demon, to marry you before man and god?  Are you insane?”

Karen said a little timidly, but with a wide smile, “It was actually my idea.”

Malina gaped at Karen for a second, and then said, “Are you both insane?”

Lilliana’s laugh was filled with joy, “A little bit, yes, I think they are.”

Afterword:

I hope you enjoyed the story.  More is planned for Shawn in the future.

If you can, please take the time to leave a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads.

About the Author:  If you have any comments or suggestions you can send me an email at magicwrtr@gmail.com.  I started out posting short stories online and at readers’ requests started to publish them.  If you like my work, or even if you don’t, please consider leaving a review of this book.

Other erotic fantasies by D. R. Rosier:

Cirenthian Chronicles – Book one is Out of Darkness.

Marcus, an ancient vampire, finds himself moved to another world where suddenly he is alive again, and magic is a known and powerful danger.  No longer a vampire and dealing with emotions he hasn’t felt in over a millennium, will he be able to start a new life?  This series is now complete.

Necromancer Chronicles – Book one is The Necromancer.

Vincent is a necromancer and has an even darker secret. Feared by the rest of the supernatural community he lives on his own, often struggling with his powers, and how to use them. But change is coming, and he will soon find himself dragged into the middle of a suspicious and untrusting community.

Anise is a sorceress, but she has secrets of her own. She is an ancient being, who has walked the earth for time immemorial. She lives in a never ending cycle of life, forever watching those she dares to care about age and die. But she is about to find something new that will offer her hope, if she can live long enough to find it.

Cytherean Chronicles – Book one is Flame of Cytherea.

This two book series follows the chosen champion of a goddess, brought to her world and healed after he was mortally wounded on Earth.  At first Justin is a little lost, not knowing anything about the world he finds himself in or even why he is there.

Ashley’s Tale – This two book series follows the tale of a woman with unique parentage in a world greatly different from our own Earth.  It is twenty-five years in the future, and the supernatural have long since been exposed.  Ashley must struggle with her conflicting nature to find a balance, and her hidden power, as she is taken unwillingly into an extraordinary destiny.

Ashley’s Daughters – This three book trilogy is about Ashley’s three daughters.  It’s about a new world of dragons, and a second new world of human mages and all the fallout involved.  Of course, it’s also about them finding love, and their place in the worlds.  It starts about twenty-eight years after the end of Ashley’s tale.

Sentient – This is the standalone book following an artificial intelligence from an advanced race, a man who comes back from war a little broken, along with diverse others as the Earth itself is put into danger as they are dragged into an interstellar war against their will.

Sentient: Evolution – This is a sequel to the stand alone book Sentient.  It takes place a thousand years later, when Aide finds herself alone and broken, yet still following her programming.  Others join her as a new menace approaches, one that makes the Sthellan look like a great neighbor in comparison.

Will Aide be able to recover and rise to a new challenge?  She’s been alive too long, she must either evolve, or wither away, if only she could bring herself to care…

The Dragon Slayer and the… This is a series of novelettes in a unique world, each story will be different characters with HEA endings.  These will be about eighty pages long and priced appropriately.  The first book, The Dragon Slayer and the Princess, is now available:

Sir Lance Spears, Baron, knight dragon hunter, has been hunting dragons for ten years. It’s what he’s dedicated his life too, eradicating the dragons that destroy human villages and see humans as prey.

He’s also been alone for ten years, and tired of the women of the peerage that see nothing of him, only of his titles and money. Not to mention, they all play the courtly game and faint at his feet. That’s not what he wants. He wants a challenging intelligent woman who will help make life interesting.

He should have been more careful about what he wished for, as his life is about to become very complicated as nothing seems to make sense about his next dragon hunt. It doesn’t fit in his world view as he enters a neighboring kingdom to help slay a dragon. He’s not sure what’s going on, and he also can’t get a certain princess with fiery eyes and attitude out of his head either. He better figure it out though, or he could lose everything… including his life.

Return of Magic -  This epic fantasy series follows Katie Merlin’s successor, and diverse others as magic reemerges in our world in response to a dire threat.  The government is in tatters, technology stops working, and most of the world’s population is dead.  A new era for mankind has started, and they must share it with other races, such as elves and dragons.

Melody Smith Novels – This is an urban fantasy that follows Melody Smith, a siren with hidden depths.

Melody Smith is a siren.  It isn’t an easy life, most of the people around her are affected by her mere presence, and she has very few true friends in her life.  Her love life is a disaster, and her boss and guardian, Brent, has been keeping secrets.

She’s about to find out she can become more than she ever would have guessed, if she can survive.

Shawn Moore Novels – This is an urban fantasy that follows Shawn Moore, a warlock.  The first book in this series is Warlock: Love, Sex, and Damnation.

Shawn is a young man down on his luck, living in the streets.  He isn’t lazy, it’s just for some reason people don’t like to be around him, and even fear him to a certain extent.

His life is about to change though, as a man named Ben tells him he had an uncle, an uncle that died and left him an estate.  He isn’t sure he buys it, and has no idea he’ll soon be fighting for his very life.

Not to mention, his soul.

More books and series can be found on my author’s page at amazon.com/author/drrosier

Non-erotic Fantasy titles:

amazon.com/author/dlharrison

The Formerly Dark Mage, by D. L. Harrison – This standalone fantasy book follows the life of Silvia and takes place in a world unique and separate to our own.

Silvia is a dark mage. Unfortunately, she finds herself about to be sacrificed. Someone must have told her evil master about her plans to kill him and take over. After that, things just seem to go downhill. She has no choice but to escape the kingdom of Zual, something that to her knowledge has never been done before. She will need to deal with many issues she never had to face before.

Among those issues, the white mages, and her conscience.

Celia Winters Novels, by D. L. Harrison – This is an urban fantasy series.  Celia is a witch who finds out she is so much more in the first book, Witch’s Moon.  There are no cliffhangers, and each book will be complete in itself, though because of character development and the timeline I’d recommend reading them in order.

Just a Psychic: The Power of Air Book One, by D. L. Harrison starts off this series of a man who comes into powers he knows nothing about, and tries to both handle the present difficulties and find out about his past.

Ben has grown up with missing memories of his early childhood.

He has known he was a psychic since his earliest memories, seeing the future and gaining knowledge with his gifts.

Is it possible he isn't just a psychic?

Ben's world is about to be turned upside down as he turns twenty-one, all is not as it seems.

Alicia Jones novels, by D. L. Harrison is a series that follows a bright young inventor and scientist named Alicia Jones.  It is a space opera and light science fiction.

The first book is titled First Contact:

Alicia Jones is a genius, and a little odd.  At just twenty-three years of age, she is close to finishing her doctoral dissertation.  But when she tests her latest theory in the lab to generate a strong EM field, it has very unanticipated results.  Results that lead to faster than light travel, and first contact with another race.

Her life just gets more complicated after that, when she finds out who she really is, and that the universe may not be as nice a place as she’d been told.  Her determination to help keep Earth safe takes her to places more dangerous and strange than she’d ever envisioned.

Spirit Sorceress series, by D. L. Harrison is a new urban fantasy series.  Miku is a spirit sorceress who spent the last one hundred years growing up and learning about her power in the forests near Seattle Washington.  She’s about to make her debut in the big city, but not in a way she ever expected.

The first book is titled Spirit Sorceress:

Miku is a spirit sorceress who spent her unusually long childhood in the forest away from the city with her mother and father.  After tragedy strikes, she finds herself alone and on her own.  She knows that one day she’ll need to move to Seattle, and fully accept her birthright, and if necessary finish her training on her own.

But before she’s ready, and still in grieving, a rogue vampire and his band come along and change everything.  She’ll need to learn her new place in the world, and find some allies quick if she’s to survive.

Book Description

Shawn is a young man down on his luck, living in the streets.  He isn’t lazy, it’s just for some reason people don’t like to be around him, and even fear him to a certain extent.  They’d always had.

His life is about to change though, as a man named Ben tells him he had an uncle, an uncle that died and left him an estate.  He isn’t sure he buys it, and has no idea he’ll soon be fighting for his very life.

Not to mention, fighting for his soul.

WARNING:  This book is an erotic urban fantasy novel.  If you are offended by explicit sex, do not buy this book.  There are MF, FF, and MFF scenes of a sexually explicit nature.

NOTE: This novel is told in the first person point of view of Shawn as the main protagonist, and the third person for various other characters.