Succubus

*Oona’s POV*

I hoped Sebastian was home. It was rude to arrive uninvited and without announcement, yet again, but the matter was urgent. I was surprised to find him sitting in a chair, looking right at me.

"Oona, I've been expecting you. I thought you'd be a few hours earlier, but that’s alright. I have gone to pains to clear and block the house. So, why don’t you start by telling me what you know?"

I decided right away not to mention anything about Andy's mother's side of the family unless Sebastian brought it up first. I trusted Sebastian as much as I trusted anyone, but to speak of such things in the Underworld at all was beyond risky.

I tried to sort my thoughts out. "Sebastian, Andy's grandfather is an incubus. Andy is able to feed off of others, but almost passively, he taught himself."

Sebastian didn’t look surprised in the least. “Clever lad.” He smiled.

I was instantly frustrated with Sebastian’s blasé attitude. "I gave a seed to the grandson of one of our peers, Sebastian! No wonder he woke up! And when he ejaculated inside of me-"

Sebastian raised a hand. "Oona, calm down. I can guess what happened. You felt or saw a flash of light?" My eyes widened. Sebastian knew what was going on. I tried to stay calm and nodded.

"Did you both lose consciousness?" Again, I nodded. "Did your sigil appear on Andy's body afterwards, and does Andy now seem to have an uncanny ability to sense your mood?"

I laughed. "Yes, my sigil appeared on his chest. Not only is Andy able to sense my mood, he can read my thoughts, though crudely."

That was the first time Sebastian looked at all like he had heard anything that was news to him. He muttered to himself, "Unusual. I imagine that has to do with his mother's side of the family..." I said nothing. Sebastian knew more about Andy than I realized…. Why?

He thought for a moment, and I grew impatient. Sebastian clearly knew the what and the why of the situation, and I wanted him to tell me everything he knew.

At last he cocked his head, "Oona, as you know, we are different in age. Did you go to school as a youngling and learn, formally, the ways of a succubus?"

"Yes." Where could this be going?

His tone was soothing. "Alright. Tell me, how often do our kind form romantic pair-bonds? Did they go over this with you in school?"

Romantic bonding?!? "Briefly, maybe? They said that it happens sometimes to some of us. That if we find ourselves wanting to do it, not to be ashamed, and not to ostracize others for doing it." I barely remembered discussing it; I had been totally disinterested.

Sebastian pursed his lips. "But did they go over how often it happens? Did they talk about love? Or mating?"

I wasn't sure what he meant and almost laughed. Those were human things. "No?"

"I see. I will explain, then. Lust demons form bonds based on love with each other very, very rarely. It's just not a very common sentiment for us to feel, especially in the romantic sense. However, occasionally, two may fall in love." Ugh. I hated being called a ‘lust demon.’ It was such an outdated term.

Here Sebastian paused, clearly trying to word things delicately. I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. "If two of our kind are very deeply bonded, um, if they are committed to each other, if you will, they may choose to become a mated pair. It is a very old tradition and to say it is uncommon is an understatement."

I felt like an adolescent human getting a birds and bees talk. "A mated pair? What does that mean? How-"

Sebastian cut me off. "-Oona, to become a mated pair, in the usual fashion, a demon would fashion a seed for their lover and offer it to him or her. If their partner accepted it, and planted it, then the ceremony had begun.

"After taking the seed of another lust demon, one of our kind can only survive for about a week without feeding from him or her. Once the lovers lay together, the demon that accepted the seed has agreed to be the giver's mate. The flash, the sigil, the connection, are all normal and expected."

No. I realized a tear had slid down my cheek. I had forcibly taken Andy as my mate without his knowledge or consent, when he already had a partner he was very much in love with. I could never make this right. "Can this be undone?"

"Oona." His voice was soft and sympathetic, uncommon for an incubus. "The seed only has that effect if it is filled with love. Did you even know you loved Andy?"

My breath caught. It all made sense. Those strange feelings I had around him, when I thought about him. How irrational my behavior had become. "No." Another tear fell.

"Oona, I'm sorry. I, too, have loved a human woman. She believes I am dead." For a moment, he looked profoundly sad.

"I'm sorry, I digress. So, to return to the ceremony. Generally, after the one lover is mated to the other, he or she must prepare and present his or her own seed within a fortnight. If the seed is not implanted within that time, the demon who lacks the sigil, powers of the mind, and whose seed was originally accepted will succumb to a quick death." My blood ran cold. We sat in silence for some time.

"Andy loves a human woman, Sebastian. I'll not ask him to betray his heart. I've already done him a terrible wrong. Not that he even could, he does not love me, he could not make a seed with love. Can this not be undone?" Everything hung on the balance of his answer.

Sebastian sighed. "I'm sorry, Oona. It cannot."

Notes

bummer. sounds like even succubi should use condoms after all!

so sleepy, too sleepy to edit- sorry!


yeah- double-update night! :D