Seneca couldn’t remember a time where she had been so happy, afraid and worried all at the same time. Her working hours seemed to drag by so slowly she could cry, each minute tracked and accounted for on the clock on her desktop computer.
If this was the movies she would be sleeping now, hiding from the sunlight. She wouldn’t have to have a job, because in the movies vampires were not white collar workers, they were rich and powerful and mysterious. The only power she had over anyone, as far as she could tell, was her cat Shack, who was currently staying with Olivia until she got her apartment mess sorted out, and that was even tenuous.
It was a sad concept, moving out of her apartment. She had lived in that low class hole, her low class hole, ever since she moved out of Kennedy’s house. The rent was the same as it was when she moved in, and she doubted she’d find someplace that cheap that also granted her the amount of privacy she desired. Her neighbors may not have been upstanding citizens, but they minded their own business and left her alone.
Although, she argued internally, if she was a movie vampire, she wouldn’t be able to go out in the sun, she would probably be terribly condescending and pompous, and there would be a lot more stuff like secret vampire councils and things like that.
Nevermind, she didn’t need anymore drama, even if it came with beautiful palatial mansions, fast cars and more money than she could spend. She didn’t need any more drama in her life, one psychopathic ex-boyfriend currently stalking her and her censhin was enough for her.
Movie vampires were dead, too, weren’t they? That seemed pretty unfun. Also, movie vampires couldn’t eat food. Case in point the delicious, creme filled maple donut that she was currently savoring in little bites, stolen from a retirement party the floor below hers. She could smell the sweet sugar and fried dough on the elevator and called Clarice to get the low-down. Both women had benefited. Another bite of the maple treat confirmed that there was no way she was giving up eating food.
It was too cold to be sitting on the cold metal bench today, but here she was, shivering as she ate her contraband donut with only moderate guilt. A cold draft blew by and she shivered, gauging her desire to go back inside with how much of her delectable donut was left. She stayed and savored another small bite.
Godwin had dressed her this morning before work. She fruitlessly argued with him that his choice of attire wasn’t exactly business casual, to which he replied that the term ‘business casual’ was an oxymoron. Then he gave her this look, his eyes begging her to wear it, the look promising her things if she let him dress her, even if he didn’t say it out loud. Seneca had to admit that the dress was fantastic, even if she did feel like everyone was staring at her.
The burgundy dress was three quarter sleeved and went down just below her knees, the neck line cut in a boat-cut, exposing her pale skin nearly from shoulder to shoulder. The dress bled color as it flowed down her in the most flattering way until all of the burgundy bled into a rich, deep black. She paired it with a pair of thick black tights and her knee-high winter boots.
Godwin had dressed to match her, of course, in the opposite scheme. Today he wore a rich black suit with burgundy accents. Even the ribbon around the base of his trilby was burgundy. He looked good when he walked with her to work, but he always looked good.
A hint of vanilla had her looking up, which is the only reason she knew he was there before he spoke. “Is your confection as delicious as you make it seem?” Godwin asked her as she took another small, savoring bite.
Her heart jumped in her her throat, nearly choking on her treat. “Godwin!” she exclaimed in surprise.
He smiled at her, tipping his hat. “Afternoon, hansa,” he said cordially.
“You scared me!” she told him, hitting his thigh softly. The wrong thigh, she realized a second later when he flinched. “I’m sorry!” she exclaimed, moving her hand to rub it where she had slapped.
“Worry not, it is well today,” he said warmly, his hand covering hers. She looked him over, still dressed in his deep black suit to match her outfit.
“Aren’t you cold? You never wear a coat,” she asked before taking another nibble of her donut. She wanted to make it last as long as possible.
“No, this is not cold enough to phase me. Is your pastry that delicious?” he asked her, eyeing the donut she savored.
She looked at it, then at him, then back at the third of a donut she had left. She offered it to him.
“It’s really good, and it probably tastes better because I hijacked it from a party I wasn’t invited to. The maple cream ones are my favorite,” she told him as he eyed it skeptically.
“What is maple cream?” he asked her, still not taking it from her hand. She giggled, then pushed the donut towards Godwin’s mouth. He leaned away from her, but not quickly enough, and she landed a dab of cream on his lips. For a second she was worried he would be upset with her for being foolish, but he smiled widely at her, his slappable kiss.
He licked his lips seductively but it was ruined when he tasted the cream. His eyes widened with surprise, and he licked them again, then grabbed her hand and brought the donut to his mouth without taking it from her. “Feed it to me,” he requested.
Her butterflies were crawling through her stomach, tickling and threatening to take flight just from his tone and the hungry look in his eyes. She brought the donut up to his mouth, his hand still on her arm, and fed him. He took a large bite, then closed his eyes as he chewed the rich, sugary confection.
“Maple syrup is made from the maple tree. From the sap, it’s boiled down into syrup. I love it,” she told him as he enjoyed her donut. Godwin’s hand stopped her from taking another bite, forcing her to feed him another bite instead. “Godwin!” she whined when he ate the last bite, licking her fingers in the process. Her core tingled with anticipation and she tried to ignore it.
“Hmm?” he asked as he chewed the last of her treat.
“You ate the last bite!” she whined playfully.
“You ate the first two thirds. I thought you were sharing. I will procure you as many as you desire, so long as you feed them to me again. Perhaps with less clothing next time?” he teased her.
She smacked him on the shoulder. “Godwin!”
He laughed, then leaned back on the bench, looking up into the canopy with a large sigh.
“What’s wrong?” she asked as she pulled out her actual lunch, boxed sushi from the grocery store. She cracked it open and took a bite of her first piece before he responded to her.
“How is your arm today?” he asked her instead of answering her question.
“Better. Feels good. Only a little stiff. I mean, it’s been a few weeks, so if it was still bad I’d be worried, but I think I’m almost back to normal,” she told him, though he already knew that. He made her report to him every morning. Even though she was staying at his apartment, they slept separately. Often, he left after she went to bed, to where she did not know. He was always back in the mornings, sleeping on the cushions in the living area. Any guilt she felt over it was quickly consumed by him, but she had the capacity to feel infinite guilty.
He nodded, still staring up into the canopy. “So, what’s really bothering you?”
He sighed heavily. “I have a solution to our Chester Gibson problem, but I am not fond of it…” he said, trailing off, his eyes locked on the the sky. He removed his trilby before it fell and placed it in his lap. He stretched out his legs and she noticed he hadn’t been favoring his left leg quite so much today. It helped her not feel so bad about hitting it a moment ago.
“Why not?” she asked him between bites. She was starving today, perhaps because she fed him everyday in the last week. Feeding him was exhausting, yet so incredibly satisfying she didn’t mind.
“Ah…I do not know how to prepare you for the encounter with her. I do not particularly like her, and I worry she will do something to offend you or our Josh Crocker,” he explained without explaining.
“Her?” Seneca prompted between bites of California roll.
He sighed heavily, his eyes closed, head still back to the canopy. “Sabati.”
“Sabati?”
“Sabati is succubus, one who lives in the vicinity. There are a small number of us in the area, but she is closest, and she owes me a favor. She is also one of the, ah, better SynLilin I know of in this realm to engage? Although better is a relative term. She has agreed to assist with the Chester Gibson conundrum,” he said heavily, “under certain conditions.”
“So, why does it seem like you are walking into your own death sentence? What are her ‘conditions’?” she asked him, wishing she had some soy sauce other than the little ketchup-sized packet that looked like it would squirt all over Godwin’s beautiful dress and brand new coat. Like hell she was going to take the risk of ruining it.
“Because she is SynLilin.”
“Ah,” Seneca said, licking her fingers to get the stray avocado from them, “technically you’re SynLilin, too, right? Last time I checked?”
“Do you remember when I mentioned that in my youth I was arrogant and selfish?” he asked her. She wished he would sit back up and look at her while he was talking but she didn’t want to push him.
“Ah, among other things, yes,” she replied with a blush, thinking about Godwin’s tail wrapping around her wrist, of how it felt around her neck. She longed to play with it again, wondered what it would feel like to bite it, to bleed him from the base of it.
He sat up, narrowing his eyes at her suspiciously. “Were you thinking of something other than the story of my adolescence?”
She blushed harder. “Your tail,” she said with a nod.
He smiled at her and her nethers tightened. “You like my tail?”
“I love it,” she whispered, staring at the ground.
“Hmm…” he moaned, leaning into her body, sending a bolt of lightening up her spine. She felt his spectral touch caress her cheek and she leaned into him, closing her eyes and enjoying the feel of his touch. “I will make sure that you get opportunity to play with it again.”
“I, ah…so, you were saying about your youth?” she redirected the conversation, extremely embarrassed with how excited the thought of him letting her play with his tail made her.
He chuckled, caressing her neck again with his spectral touch. She shivered. “I was,” he agreed huskily, “but I like our current conversation better.”
She snorted, then finished her last piece of sushi. “Whatever, don’t tell me about Sabati and I’ll just wing it when I meet her. I am meeting her, right? Or else you probably wouldn’t be telling me any of this.”
He looked hurt for a second, then shook it off of his face. Guilt stirred in her chest anyway. “Sabati. Yes. You will meet her, you and Josh Crocker. Those were her terms. Tonight.”
“We were supposed to play tonight,” she said, her voice thick with disappointment.
“If you wish it, we will play afterward. This is important, is it not?” he asked her, sitting up straighter.
“You know it is. I just…” she trailed off, feeling stupid and embarrassed, and those feelings were quickly turning to anger. She knew it wasn’t Godwin’s fault, she knew it was hers, but she was still mad.
“Hansa, you have a right to be angry, but be angry with Chester Gibson, not at yourself, or with me. I am doing what I can,” he said softly.
“You were talking about Sabati, why you are worried about us meeting her tonight,” she said in a clipped voice, trying to control her anger, trying not to snap at Godwin.
“Very well,” he sighed. “Sabati is how I described myself in my youth. Arrogant, haughty and selfish. She and I have different…styles of feeding, to say the least. Do you remember when our Josh asked about if I had the roles reversed in our relationship with you as my ghanza?”
Seneca packaged up the plastic container, complete with fake plastic grass and the unused suicide-bomber packet of soy sauce, and placed it to the side on the bench, then turned to Godwin. Their knees touched and her heartbeat paced up a bit. “Sure.”
“My time, the time it took me, oh, I cannot explain it. Just…she never learned that lesson. There is a reason SynLilin are cast out here, exiled, they are those who cannot serve others, and those who cannot function in society. She is both. Nearly all SynLilin here are both.” He raked his hands through his hair with frustration.
“Great,” she said, picking up the trash and walking it to the nearby trashcan. “So the human realm is pretty much prison for bad SynLilin?” She returned to Godwin and he rose. She never really realized how tall he was, but she was feeling it now. He stood well above her, and she looked up at him now as he replaced his trilby on his head. “You’re so tall.” The words slipped from her lips and she felt stupid, but it was too late to recall them.
He smiled and cupped her cheek with his warm hand. “You look spectacular in that dress,” he told her before he kissed her chastely on the lips. Her hands were on his lapels and she stood on her tiptoes, leaning into his body as she pressed her lips into his. She deepened the kiss and he let her, his other hand wrapping around the back of her head.
They kissed, and then he pulled away too soon, before it could get more serious. He hadn’t even fed from her, and she wished he would have taken the edge off of her anger. “You didn’t feed,” she whispered.
He pulled back from her. “I will tonight. I am sated for now. Keep your anger, hone it towards the one who deserves it. I will meet you again after your work has been completed?”
She nodded. “Thanks, Godwin, for doing this for me,” she said, meaning more than just the escort.
He nodded, saying nothing else as he returned her back to her building. It was hard to leave him, but the cold wind forced her inside. She could still feel his spectral touch on her periodically through the day, simple, comforting touches. They calmed her and helped her get through the rest of the tedious afternoon. By the end of her shift she was considering changing her opinions about the pros and cons of being a movie vampire. Not having to work for a living sounded good right about now.
Godwin picked her up and they met Josh at the Old Chicago Speakeasy where she had first met with Josh. Outside the bar Godwin stopped them both with a hand held up. He swallowed twice before he said anything. “We will meet Sabati. Please let me speak unless she addresses you directly.” He pulled a long, diaphanous black scarf from the air like a magician, plucking it from nowhere. Without touching her directly he wrapped it around her neck and tied it skillfully. She caught a glimpse of it in the reflection of the window. He made it look elegant on her somehow.
“Hopefully this will go quickly. Josh, Sabati is succubus, as I mentioned. She will have an effect on you that you will find hard to resist, though I will be there to help. Do not speak unless you are directly spoken to, and Seneca, please keep the scarf around your neck at all times.” Godwin traced a finger over her cheek and she leaned into it. He turned to Josh wordlessly and did the same thing to him.
She wanted to ask him why but he turned and entered into the phone booth facade entrance to the bar, picking up the receiver to open the secret door. She looked at Josh, who looked as nervous as she felt. He shrugged his shoulders, then followed Godwin into the bar.
Though they had sat at the bar before, there were tables in alcoves with full plush curtains that pulled closed for privacy. Godwin lead them both to one in the corner, the curtains already pulled closed. He lifted a corner then dropped it quickly. He grimaced, but it was quickly replaced with his neutral mask as he looked at both of them. He attempted a smile but it never reached his eyes.
Josh went to say something, but Godwin held his hand up, silencing him. He shook his head no, then pulled the curtain open. Josh looked at her but she could only shrug in uncertainty. She didn’t know what to expect, either, but if this made Godwin this uncomfortable, she was going to do what she could to help him through it. She tried to say this with her expression but was sure she failed. Josh nodded once.
Godwin motioned for them to enter the booth and Josh slid in first. Godwin went in next and Seneca sat at his other side. It was a bit cramped, especially so with both her and Josh still wearing their winter coats, but she was grateful for the pressure of Godwin’s body against hers and the touch of his hand, and his spectral touch, all on her in full force.
One of the most beautiful women Seneca had ever seen sat across from them, her posture screaming confidence. Her back was against the wall and she was sitting sideways on the bench of the booth, her feet on the seat, her bare, coffee-colored knees rising above the table like graceful mountains. Beautiful chocolate curls framed her feline face, accenting her deep brown eyes. Seneca could see the slight silver lining her irises, like Godwin’s. She dressed like royalty, fragile gold chains draping her forehead and neck, dozens of golden bracelets ringing each of her delicate looking wrists. Her loose-fitting silky green camisole barely covered anything else.
Seneca looked at Josh out of the corner of her eye and caught him staring at the copious amount of exposed breast. His face burned bright red but he didn’t look away. It pissed her off. Godwin squeezed her hand comfortingly. He must have done the same thing to Josh, for he nearly jumped out of his skin.
The succubus laughed and, goddamnit, even her laugh was sexy, husky and alluring. This woman was everything Seneca never could be, voluptuous and sensual, sexy as hell, so damn confident and self assured. Seneca hated her as hard as she could in that moment. The way her lips turned up at the ends, the way her eyes seemed to sparkle, the way the bangles around her wrists tinkled as she moved, everything about the succubus. She wasn’t normally a violent person, but she wanted to rip this creature’s eyes out and she hadn’t even said anything yet.
“Godwin,” the woman purred as if calling a lover’s name. Her tone of voice with Godwin raised Seneca’s hackles.
“Sabati,” he replied curtly.
She laughed again and Seneca wanted to ruin something beautiful on this woman. The level of her hatred was more than she was used to feeling, and somewhere in the back of her mind she wondered about having such intense feelings for a woman she had never met.
“I am so very glad to inspect your new pets, Godwin,” she purred. “It is far past the time for you to have found yourself some nalsurr te salstise. But, they are not much to look at, are they?”
The little pout on her face as she examined her nails had Seneca’s blood pounding in her ears. Sabati looked up, just a quick glimpse over her nails, making eye contact with her for a split second, amusement in her glance. Seneca fought to keep herself still with Sabati’s goading. Her fingernails were digging into her palms with so much force she wouldn’t be surprised to find blood later.
Godwin sat up straighter. “I do not believe your assumed quality of my ghanza and censhin is of any concern,” he said coldly. “They are not for you, so it matters not if you find them appealing.”
She chuckled and her smile had Seneca fighting off the urge to lean across the table and rip this woman’s hair out by the roots. Godwin’s spectral touch stroked her collar and she found some small semblance of calm through it, though she wished he would have eaten her anger earlier.
“Oh, Godwin, you are as dour as always. I suppose I should be surprised that you were able to find any nalsurr te salstise at all with your attitude since you came to this gods-forsaken realm. I can understand how you feel, exiles as we are, but you should strive to overcome your past. This realm is rich with those who have no defenses against our kind.” She waved away the words with a graceful swish of her hand, sending the golden bangles jangling merrily. “I will say, your male is the more attractive of the two. Are they well behaved? Fully trained?”
His hand tightened on her thigh. “Sabati, again, my ghanza and censhin are none of your concern. I consider their quality, nor their training, to be any of your business,” Godwin said civilly, but she could hear the growl in his voice.
“Godwin, as they say here, lighten up! It was an innocent inquiry. I am uninterested in your moody, mousy girl, but the boy, perhaps I could borrow him for a moon?” she asked, leaning on her elbow across the table. It exposed even more of her breast, glueing Josh’s eyes to her body almost comically. Seneca added it to the list of reasons she would never be on the same level as Sabati. Her breasts were moderately sized, but nothing compared to the succubus. They were so big, yet they were perfect, no stretch marks or wrinkles on those perfect round globes.
“That is not under consideration, Sabati. I summoned you to request payment on a favor owed, as you are well aware. There is nothing to do with my ageranel. If we can return to the matters at hand?” Godwin said curtly.
“Ageranel?” She laughed as if Godwin had told a joke. “That is very amusing.” Sabati turning so that she was looking directly into Josh’s eyes. “Boy, what is your name?”
Godwin’s hand on her thigh became a vice. Josh shook his head, blinking for the first time in minutes. “Ah, Josh,” he answered her, his voice thick with lust. Seneca wondered why he was being so affected by the succubus and she was not.
“Josh?” she replied lightly. Josh’s whole body trembled at the sound of his name on those pouty, perfect lips. She motioned with her hands for his and he moved as if half asleep, placing his hand on the table. “I would love to play with this one. I bet I could break him with ease. Let me see your wrist, kitten.”
Godwin’s hand shot off her thigh and caught Josh’s hand before Sabati could grab it. “Do not touch what does not belong to you Sabati.”
“Relax, Godwin. Let me read him,” she insisted, batting Godwin’s hand away and grabbing Josh’s wrist. Josh sucked in a deep breath when her fingers caressed his skin. Her fingernails were like talons, long and dangerous looking. They were at least an inch long, painted with a purple lacquer so dark it almost appeared black. Josh’s eyes slipped shut as she ran her fingers over the bottom of his wrist, his palm to the sky.
The curtain pulled open as a waitress brought them drinks. Josh pulled his hand back guiltily, as if he had been caught doing something wrong. Sabati, too, looked surprised at his sudden movement, though she hid it a second afterward. If Seneca hadn’t been watching her so closely she would have missed it. Was she surprised by the interruption or by Josh’s guilty actions?
Drinks were placed on the table by a woman in a sleek black flapper dress, fringed from the hips to her knees. She smelled strange, but Seneca couldn’t place how. “Grace, very good of you to bring refreshments,” Sabati purred to the waitress. The woman was pale and thin, the black dress making her look almost pallid. She was too skinny, too, and the dress hung off her body
The waitress smiled a huge smile and bowed slightly. “Of course, mistress. Anything else that I might do to please you?” Seneca instantly hated how needy the girl’s voice sounded. She balanced from foot to foot as if unable to stand still.
“No, my sweet fruit, not at the moment. No, no, wait,” she called as Grace worked to close the curtains. Grace stayed her hand, peeking just her head into the private space.
“Yes, mistress?” she breathed with anticipation.
“Do you like this boy?” she asked, nodding over to Josh.
Grace blushed, her whole face turning pink to her ears. “If mistress likes him, I like him.”
“Yes, yes,” Sabati said with another wave of her purple talons. “Of course. I mean, would you like to be fucked by him?”
“Sabati…” Godwin growled. Josh looked over to Godwin, a confused, slightly startled look on his face.
“If my mistress desires it,” she answered quickly, her eyes locked on Sabati. She hadn’t even glanced at Josh.
“Grace,” Godwin commanded in the tone that Seneca couldn’t (no, not couldn’t, didn’t ever want to) ignore, and her head swung around to him heavily. She looked at him as if she just realized he was there. “Leave us, forget about the boy, he is nothing to you. Go back to work.”
She nodded and left quickly, the curtain dropping back into place. Godwin looked down at the drink before him but he made no move to pick it up. Seneca followed his lead.
Sabati was pouting, her luscious lip jutted out petulantly. “Godwin, you are stronger than I recall. Your tone had even me longing to perform your will for a second.”
“Sabati, enough games. You have pushed too far. Will you-”
Sabati cut him off, leaning forward across the table. “You have not bound him, Godwin. He is available. I will take him from you as payment for your request and owe you yet another favor.”
Godwin’s body language didn’t mirror the tension in his hand when he returned it to her thigh. She wasn’t sure, but it felt like he was using her as an anchor for his anger. “We have only had a few scenes together, they are both new. You will do no such thing, I refuse you the right. Find another fucktoy, Sabati. You may not have access to Josh, not for a moon, not for a single night.”
She laughed, waving her hand away. “He is unbound. He can decide for himself whom he wishes to bow. Josh, would you like to play with me?” She leaned across the table, and Seneca was sure the ample exposure of her perfect breasts was intentional.
Josh swallowed hard, barely breathing. “No thank you,” he muttered softly. His voice sounded strained.
She snorted, a frown on her face. “No mere human can avoid falling to my charms,” she snarled. She turned to look at Seneca, locking gazes with her for the first time, and the power of her stare was staggering. It felt like she had the breath knocked out of her. “And girl, what is your name?”
She had to force herself not to look at Godwin, not to look away from the beautiful, terrifying succubus. Sabati’s eyes locked into hers, pure silver. She could feel the power that Sabati was pushing towards her. Sabati’s power was nothing like Godwin’s, it was pure force where his was a subtle touch. Godwin’s was a lover’s caress, Sabati’s a tooth-loosening slap to the face.
She opened her mouth, prepared to tell Sabati to go fuck herself, but the words that came out surprised her. “My name’s Seneca.”
Sabati laughed, and Seneca loved it, yet hated it at the same time. “Good girl. You will be a bit harder to break, I can tell, but I wager I could have you eating from my hand by the end of a fortnight.” Sabati’s words seemed to be casting a spell over her. On the surface, she loved Sabati, wanted to please this beautiful woman. Underneath she fought with all of her might against these feelings that weren’t her own. She was unable to deny the succubus, unable to resist her power.
“Would you like to come with me? Perhaps if you come, your friend Josh will come, too. My current toys are all nearly defunct,” Sabati purred.
Seneca fought the urge to beg Sabati for the right to be her toy, bile rising up in her stomach. Instead of answering, she kept her mouth shut, fighting Sabati’s power as best she could. Godwin’s spectral touch locked onto her collar and she swayed in relief as Sabati’s power seemed to be pushed away from her. Seneca could feel Godwin’s heat burning through the touch, and she imagined it burning Sabati’s contamination from her brain.
Sabati frowned, and even the pout on her lips was sexy. “Why do you keep touching your neck beneath your scarf? Remove your scarf, do it now,” the demoness demanded.
“Godwin,” she whined, slamming her hand back onto her lap. She hadn’t realized she had been fingering Godwin’s collar.
“Do it, Seneca,” he said, command thick in his voice. She slowly unwound the scarf, her hands shaking as she uncoiled the gossamer and lay it in her lap, revealing her collar.
Sabati grabbed her hand, moving faster than she anticipated. Her fingernails scraped the skin of her wrist and she whimpered as they sent stabs of pain into her arm. “You collared this plain creature?” Sabati hissed. “Collared and not yet bound. Godwin, you are a fool. I will take your Josh by force, and this one, too.” Sabati’s touch on her skin was like poison and she pulled away. The succubus narrowed her eyes angrily, grabbing her wrist back. Seneca’s heart beat like a drum in her chest and all she could think of was how much she needed to get away.
Godwin’s anger flooded around her like a heatwave as he pulled her hand from Sabati. She noticed he avoided touching the succubus. The sigh of relief she as exhaled the breath she hadn’t known she was holding was not missed by Sabati, her lovely face bunching up venomously. Anger swelled up within Seneca’s chest, her hatred for Sabati a too-full balloon, and it was too much. She burst.
“You horrible creature!” she snapped, leaning forward. Sabati’s eyes shot open in surprise. “How dare you! Never touch me, Sabati. And, you leave Josh alone, too. He isn’t yours, and he never will be. He isn’t a toy or a thing for you to play with. He is his own person, and don’t you touch him. I won’t let you lay another finger on him.”
“Oh?” the succubus hissed, turning her whole attention back on her. Her gaze was like a physical pressure on her chest, making it hard to breathe, making her feel sick to her stomach. “And how will you do that, you misbehaving pet? I could have your Josh licking my pussy before you could stop him, and he would love every second of it. Even if you tried to remove him, he would beg for the privilege to eat me out. I could make him forget anything else, I could make him devoted to only me,” she snarled. “Godwin has neglected his training with you both, but I can correct his folly.”
“We are not Godwin’s pets, Sabati,” Seneca hissed, her vision turning red.
Sabati laughed, her head thrown back sensually. “You think that you are not pets, Seneca? You are ignorant. SynLilin have pets, you are not his equal. Do you honestly believe your love for him is your own? You silly, obtuse girl, everything you feel is because of him,” Sabati snarled, leaning across the table. Seneca shivered at the rage in her eyes, but she refused to back down.
Sabati smiled as she saw her remarks about love hit home. “You honestly believed you loved him. You pathetic creature.” The power of Sabati’s gaze would have knocked her down if she had been standing. As it was, she swooned. “I have decided, Godwin. I will take your nalsurr te salstise. They can play with the man you wish me to crush.”
Fear ignited like wildfire and she knew she should try to control herself, control her emotions, that Sabati was doing this to rile her up, but she couldn’t. Sabati was threatening to give her back to Chip. Oh god, she couldn’t go back to Chip! Sabati would make her love every minute of it, too. No, no, no, was all she could think, then she realized she was chanting it aloud. Sabati laughed, obviously satisfied with herself.
Godwin pulled her hand into his, squeezing it tightly, holding it possessively against his chest. “You will do no such thing,” he said softly. Though his volume was low, the threat and command were heavy in his voice. He ran his fingers over Seneca’s wrist, his touch soothing the ache of contamination that Sabati’s nails left in her muscles. It felt like she had been electrocuted, the muscles screaming with pain. “Do not address my ghanza again. You will bind Chester Gibson. He is loyal and single-minded in his devotion. Do this, and we will be even. Touch either my ghanza or my censhin and I will make you pay. I will permit Seneca free reign to fulfill her threat. Do you understand me?”
She shivered, her eyes rolling back in her head. She moaned in pleasure. “Godwin, no one can make me swoon like you do. Are you sure I cannot fuck your Josh now, just to cut the edge? I will not drain him, I just want to ride him hard, I can take him here and you can watch.”
“Sabati, we are done here. Come near either of my areganel again and you will pay dearly. I believe your broken creature outside would be easy to drain. She is barely present as it is. You should take better care of your toys, else they are completely destroyed,” Godwin threatened coldly. He motioned for Seneca to leave and she slid towards the curtain, her whole body shaking.
“Even if she breaks, creatures like her are prolific here. So eager to please, to worship me. I have no particular interest in her, take her if you like, drain her, I care not. You look like you have not been fully sated in ages,” Sabati commented as if bored by the conversation, as if they weren’t talking about a human being. She picked at her nails idly.
“Bind Chester Gibson. If he troubles me or mine again, you will both suffer my anger,” Godwin demanded coldly, pushing Seneca from the booth. “And if you kill him, you will wish I had just let Seneca loose upon you.”
She laughed again, but Seneca didn’t turn around to see her. “You need better trained nalsurr te salstise,” she called after them cheerfully. Her tone turned dark as she called after them, “Oh, and Godwin? I deserve recompense from your Seneca. It is my right for the disrespect she paid to me. I will call for it in the future.”
Godwin turned around so quickly that Seneca almost fell to the floor. The words that left his mouth made her shiver, all in Daeva. She didn’t understand them, but the look on Sabati’s face through the curtain was enough for her to get the general idea of his threat. He pulled Josh from the booth and stormed from the bar, dragging them both by their hands. He was so angry that his hands were shaking, his fingers digging into her arm, but she didn’t say anything.
Dreadfully Erotic 