Innocent Devil’s Harem Ch. 115 (Patreon)

February 12, 2023

NOTE: Okay, due to all of your feedback, I’ve lengthened their conversation on these topics (prior to Rachel receiving his blood).

This delays what I initially had planned, but hopefully it also completes the conversation many of you felt like had been left incomplete.

<< Chapter 114 | Ch 1 (Book 1) | Ch 16 (Book 2) | Ch 31 (Book 3) | Ch 46 (Book 4) | Ch 61 (Book 5) | Ch 76 (Book 6) | Ch 91 (Book 7) | Ch 106 (Book 8)

- CHAPTER 115 -

There were a lot of things I wasn’t telling my brother.

A lot of things, largely because I felt like my whole story was just too unbelievable to accept as truth. That disclosing everything all at once would just be too much for them, and I really wanted them to see the ‘benefit’ of what I could offer, before they were hit with all the potential negatives associated.

For instance, the possibility of ‘losing consciousness’ when injured, and attacking a nearby source of blood was a problem, but not one that I felt like should be a dealbreaker. And ultimately, I felt like letting them stress about that, when it was extremely unlikely to happen, would just be a waste of our limited time together today.

Also a potential problem, was the possibility of all of them transforming when I grew into my crowned form, but an issue that I felt like ultimately put more restrictions on me, than anything else. And honestly, I felt like that wouldn’t actually happen to them, although I couldn’t pinpoint exactly why I thought that.

Perhaps it was because there would be a difference in the relationship.

All of my women, including Serenity, Gabriella, Avery, Michelle, Gwen, and of course Natalie, had to be ‘claimed’ in order to share in a stronger connection with me. One that was likely the source of them transforming when I grew beyond seven feet. Something I’d done almost subconsciously with everyone else, including Rebecca, Rosa, Miriam, and Delilah.

But even if that wasn’t true, it just meant I’d have to be much more careful.

Again, something we could figure out after they grasped the full benefits of what I was offering.

Because it shouldn’t be a dealbreaker.

And then, there was the fact that I could grow so large in the first place.

I had an entirely different reason for not divulging that information just yet.

Mainly, because none of them would be able to look at me the same again, especially if they found out before they really got to know me.

I wanted an equal alliance with Joseph.

Not servitude out of fear.

Because honestly…

I was terrifying in my crowned form.

Huge, massive, powerful, imposing, and I looked fucking scary as hell.

Dark gray skin, brilliant white hair, massive black horns, enormous powerful wings, and alarming gold eyes set against a midnight background, a sight that could be equally as terrifying for my enemies as alluring for my lovers.

And if Joseph saw me like that, before he really got to know me…

He’d walk on eggshells around me for the rest of his life.

I didn’t want that.

Same reason why I didn’t really want to share all about my past as well.

At least not yet.

Because my past shouldn’t matter as much.

If anything, these recent memories told me something very important.

Something that should have been obvious.

Obvious about this new life I’d created for myself.

Why now?

Why…after all this time…had I finally broken my curse?

The reason?

Because…

I’d left nothing unfinished.

I didn’t fully know what all that might mean, but I felt confident of that fact itself now.

Nothing…

Absolutely nothing…

Had been left unfinished.

I’d waited this long for a very good reason.

I’d freed Gwen roughly a hundred  years ago, and yet still waited to break my own curse.

Sure, it was possible that I hadn’t quite figured it out yet, how to actually break my curse. But deep down, I felt like it was something else. I’d been waiting on purpose.

Waiting, for the perfect opportunity.

Waiting, for all other problems to be resolved.

So that I could finally be at peace.

Without a doubt, I didn’t leave unfinished business lurking in the shadows.

Why would I?

I wouldn’t reincarnate myself, or whatever it was that I did, and leave myself open to danger.

I would have made preparations.

Perhaps even made other allies.

Allies that I was currently unaware of, but that were out there.

Waiting.

Maybe…

However, unfortunately…

I wasn’t going to be able to get by not sharing certain things.

And not because I changed my mind.

On the contrary, it was because my forgotten past just wouldn’t leave me alone.

Possibly because of my train of thought itself.

Because I was thinking about the past. Feeling confident that I wouldn’t have exposed myself like that, by leaving anything unfinished. By leaving dangers lurking in the shadows. Dangers that I knew I might forget about completely.

That didn’t mean there weren’t ‘present threats’ out there, but likely not old enemies with grudges against me.

Although, the actual memory that hit me was more complicated this time.

Because it felt like…more than one hallucination happening at once, making it extra confusing.

After telling Joseph about the fight I’d had with our father, and then suggesting that we go ahead and give Rachel an injection of my blood, to at least get her transformation started, Joseph agreed with that plan. Prompting Serenity to pull out a syringe, even as Natalie stood up again with the intention of being the one to inject my blood into Rachel’s arm, out of respect for my brother, with me generally not wanting to get overly close to any of his women…

However, my brow then furrowed in confusion.

My mind felt…off…

And Rachel…

The blind woman who was sitting there holding onto Joseph’s arm…

She didn’t move.

Didn’t budge and inch.

Her head angled more toward Serenity on my right, even though she was technically sitting across from me.

And yet…

Rachel unexpectedly met my gaze.

“Kai?” Serenity whispered in confusion as she turned her head to focus on me, syringe in hand, stopping in the middle of unwrapping it for me, the white cooler still on her lap, her arms on top of it as she held the packaging.

Natalie turned toward me too, her brow furrowed in confusion and concern.

Because Rachel couldn’t see.

And because her ‘eyes’ were closed.

And because she hadn’t moved at all.

“What’s wrong?” Joseph asked in concern.

I couldn’t respond.

I couldn’t respond because a flash of red caught my attention from the corner of my eye.

There was a thin young-looking girl with brilliant red hair lying naked on the stone-cold floor.

Wings and tail broken.

Legs broken.

Fingers and arms broken.

Covered in blood, some of it hers, coming from her mouth.

Most of it not hers.

My entire body tensed at the sight, and I felt my heart begin to race, felt my mind begin to panic, felt like my entire world was about to fall apart all over again, at the sight before me.

A nightmare.

A true fucking nightmare.

One I couldn’t wake up from.

I was both in a private well-furnished living room, and simultaneously within a suffocating dark chamber of death.

And yet, there was a third hallucination.

One of Rachel, one of Miriam, and one of…

Something else.

Rachel didn’t budge, and yet she unexpectedly looked away then, as if noticing something far off in the distance.

I didn’t turn my head, frozen stiff, and yet I saw it too, as if I had looked.

Three threads of light, reaching out toward me.

Waiting.

They’d been waiting.

Like outstretched hands, they’d been waiting for me to accept the offered gesture.

I didn’t understand what was happening, as I felt another thread of light beginning to reach out from me, swaying and twisting and growing as it stretched toward those lights, sensing as the three began to stretch further for me, sensing as three of my women began to form something that was unique and different than anything I’d ever experienced before.

Avery.

Michelle.

Gabriella.

The threads of light merged into mine, and suddenly I felt anchored.

Suddenly, as their warmth reached my heart, I felt more stable.

Three hallucinations.

This one…perhaps more real than I assumed.

I still felt tense, but my panic began to subside.

Rachel…didn’t budge.

And yet, she turned her head to look at me again.

I…didn’t move my head…

And yet, I focused down at the broken girl lying on the stone-cold floor as if I had turned my head. The distance between us feeling as if I was standing, despite being seated. The distance suddenly growing closer, as if I were actively kneeling down.

Tense…but stable.

I felt anchored.

---

I knelt over her trembling form, bruised and battered, blood on her face, blood on her body.

Some of it hers.

Most of it not.

She was so traumatized that she didn’t even try to get away from the new threat looming over her. A being she would no doubt consider a threat, when she couldn’t even ‘comprehend’ its existence. My existence.

For, without a doubt, she would assume the creature before her was a threat after the intense violence and slaughter she’d just witnessed.

An unrecognizable monster.

And she was next, for all she knew.

Or so, any logical person in her situation would assume.

She barely reacted when I bent down and scooped her smaller trembling form in my arms.

But, as I rose to my feet…

She finally spoke up.

“Please,” she whimpered.

I didn’t respond, still far too angry, too filled with rage to respond.

For…

I was Wrath now.

And Wrath couldn’t do anything other than be Wrath.

She continued.

“Please…” she sobbed. “Please…just kill me.”

I stopped.

My rage…

Dissipated.

I…

Was Wrath…no more.

She continued as her chest hitched.

“God has forsaken me,” she whimpered. “I’d rather burn in hell than endure this living hell. At least then maybe I can see His face, before I’m judged and condemned for eternity.”

I struggled to speak.

Struggled to respond…

Struggled to control how her words made me feel.

I’d lost so much capacity to feel anything, and yet I felt this pain now.

Because…

None of this was her fault.

It wasn’t her fault she’d been cursed.

And it wasn’t her fault this happened.

If anything, it was my fault.

If only I’d checked on her sooner.

If only I hadn’t gone so long without making sure she was still safe.

Slowly…my anger began to resurface.

A different kind of anger.

One I felt toward myself, for once.

I began walking.

Began leaving, my feet splattering in the river of blood I’d created, with her held in my large arms.

Her captors and tormentors all dead.

Slaughtered.

I finally opened my mouth to speak.

My tone was hard and firm.

It was unforgiving and absolute.

“Don’t give up hope,” I said firmly. “You are not forsaken.”

It was all I could say.

All I could manage.

So, I said it again.

My tone was even harder. “You are not forsaken,” I repeated, glancing down at her vibrant red hair as I said it. My gaze shifting to the bruises, shifting to the cuts, focusing on the broken mangled fingers, focusing on the broken legs. Naked and battered and tormented. I knew I was probably causing her wings pain by how I held her, but there was no way to not cause her pain, when she was injured this badly.

If only I knew a spell that could effectively heal.

But every single one I’d tried wouldn’t work. Every single one I’d attempted to create wouldn’t work. Because I was cursed.

I’d found other ways to recover from my own injuries, found ways to break certain curses, but to heal someone else? To heal them of injuries, as opposed to a curse that plagued them?

It was a magic that evaded me.

Completely evaded me, even after all this time.

If only…

My voice was strained.

“Can you heal yourself?” I unexpectedly wondered. “My anger has given me sufficient magic. I can give it to you. Use your charm and take it.”

She stiffened at that.

She didn’t respond.

My brow furrowed at her rejection. Because, the very fact that she was speaking to me meant she at least was able to grasp that I was an intelligent being. Certainly, she’d once grasped that I was ‘a person’ at one point in time, very long ago, but that was before my curse fully manifested into what it was now. But her speaking to me at least meant she should be able to grasp that I was someone who she could take magic from.

“Why?” I finally managed.

“I can’t,” she whispered, still trembling.

It took me a second to realize what she could possibly mean…

And then…I finally looked closer at her aura.

A seal.

Of course.

She couldn’t use magic at all.

My jaw clenched tightly.

It would take me some time to break this seal on her, given how complicated it felt. Long enough that her bones may set on their own in their current mangled state.

I wanted to kill again.

I wanted to slaughter all of them again.

I spoke without thought. “Do you know a healing spell that works? I shall try.”

She flinched at that, perhaps at my volume, or perhaps at the words themselves.

“I…I do,” she finally managed. “One I created…with help. Based on…” Her chest hitched and she began sobbing. “Based on the Valley of Dry Bones, in…” She sobbed again, seeming to grow emotional specifically at the passage she spoke of. Emotional at specifically the reminder of a different time, perhaps one of hope and faith, instead of the hell she’d just endured, for far too long. “In…Ezekiel 37,” she whimpered.

“Tell me,” I demanded, causing her to flinch again.

She didn’t respond, trying to control her sobbing.

I continued to walk, waiting.

Finally, she managed to speak in a strained voice.

The voice of a tormented angel.

Her wings all but plucked. Her body all but destroyed.

“The place at which I once resided…the place at which I now return.”

My eyes widened.

Something…

Something stirred deep within me.

A feeling…I’d long since lost.

Most feelings I’d lost, but this was one I’d almost forgotten about.

She sniffled. “This flesh, this bone, this vessel of mine…” Her body tensed, holding in another sob, before she continued. “Obey…obey…make haste…obey.”

A song.

Almost like a lullaby.

She wasn’t singing it, but I understood the repetition.

And the purpose of it…

A prayer.

It was a prayer.

“My soul, my spirit, this essence of mine, flow throughout, flow within…” She sniffled. “Obey, obey…make haste…obey.”

A plea…to more than just the physical…

A plea…

To the divine.

“Bone now mend, sinew now bind, flesh persist, and breathe new life. Make haste, make haste, make haste, persist,” she sobbed, her voice shifting back into a whine. “Make haste, make haste, make haste, obey.”

My jaw was set.

My heart was full of pain.

For only now, after so many years, after countless years, did I finally understand.

Understand why healing magic eluded me.

Her spell.

Was a prayer.

A plea to God.

More than that…

It was a plea to her body…

A plea for her body…

To return to God.

Her will and mind wanted to be obedient, but her body was disobedient.

‘This flesh, this bone, this vessel of mine. Obey. My soul, my spirit, this essence of mine. Obey.’

She was begging her body, her vessel, her soul, her spirit to return to God.

And only then did she say that part that would actually cause healing.

Only then did she instruct her body to recover from her injuries.

Only then did she instruct her body to breathe new life.

To accept the breath of God, the source of all life.

And I…

I was struggling to accept that.

Struggling to accept what that said about her.

That she still had hope and faith, even after all this time. Or at least had hope and faith, not long ago.

And I was also struggling to accept…

That I would have to pray, in order to fix her.

In order to heal her.

If only I could swallow my pride.

When I said nothing in response, she began sobbing again.

Her body broken and bruised.

Mangled and beaten.

Her soul and aura tainted with torment, grief, and suffering.

My own soul…

Tainted with death and endless loneliness.

No doubt she could sense all the death on me.

But for her…

I would swallow my pride.

For her…

I would pray.

I spoke…

To myself.

A plea…

To return…

To where I once came.

“I reside…I now return,” I managed, feeling no need to include all the repetition of her lullaby. “This flesh, this bone…this vessel of mine.” I gritted my teeth, my eyes beginning to sting. “OBEY. My soul…my spirit…this essence of mine…”

I struggled to continue.

I felt like I couldn’t continue.

I felt like I couldn’t go through with asking my body to return to God.

But she whimpered, and so I did anyway.

“OBEY.”

My jaw clenched shut as I felt something else stir within me.

Something stir, both within and without.

For I…

I was the one who was still forsaken.

I was the one forsaken.

Not her.

And yet…

Maybe my curse…

Just maybe…my curse…

Didn’t separate me from all others.

Maybe my curse didn’t separate me…

From the Divine.

I could feel my magic moving. Finally, after so many failed attempts, I could feel my magic reacting to a healing spell.

Could feel it reacting to this plea.

I focused on the broken form trembling in my arms.

“Bone mend. Sinew bind. Flesh persist…”

The valley of dry bones…

God’s resurrection.

Because all life…

Was of his breath.

It was magic itself. The very thing that gave all living things…

Life.

And so of course, life magic itself would only react to a plea to the divine. A plea to its source. A plea to the origin.

The Creator.

I continued.

“Breathe…new life. Make haste. OBEY.”

Unfortunately, my magic was too strong.

The broken girl in my arms immediately shrieked at the top of her lungs, blood flying out of her mouth, the blood vessels bursting in her eyes even as they just as quickly healed, as all her broken bones audibly crunched, a sizzling sound occurring on all her bruised and battered skin as it recovered. And just like that…

She completely lost consciousness, her body going limp in my arms.

Passed out from the abrupt intense pain of this healing.

Fully recovered…

But only physically.

Scarred for life…

In every other way.

Scarred in every other fucking way.

And if there was anyone to blame.

It was me.

My fault.

This nightmare would haunt me, for all of eternity.

---

Slowly, as I stared at the limp girl in my arms, who wasn’t really there, my heart full of pain, I began to realize that my face was actually against Natalie’s flat stomach. To realize that I wasn’t standing, wasn’t walking, and wasn’t carrying. Began to realize that Natalie had wrapped her arms around my head, holding me tightly against her, now standing before me as I sat on the couch leaned forward slightly.

I noticed her first, because my bond with her made it feel like she was an extension of my own body.

In the same way that I would notice my own hand first, before anything else.

Before anyone else.

Which was why I only then began to slowly realize that Serenity also had her arms wrapped around me, the white cooler and syringe abandoned on her other side, holding me tightly to try to anchor me to the here and now. To try to comfort me for what they were witnessing themselves happening in my head.

And yet, even with Gwen, Delilah, and of course a very emotional Miriam, all extremely ‘present’ in the bonds I shared with them, I felt fully anchored by three others.

Avery, Michelle, and Gabriella didn’t have a clue what this thread of light was, or why it was different than anything else we’d experienced thus far. And ultimately, it felt like it didn’t do anything meaningful. I was still connected to Michelle and Gabriella uniquely as a pairing, while being connected to Avery and Natalie separately as their own pairing, and yet…

I felt anchored.

Stabilized.

This sensation like…

Like everything would be okay.

That’s all it was.

Just light.

A bond of light and hope.

Seemingly nothing more and nothing less.

One that simply allowed their own emotions to anchor mine.

One that simply…

Gave me hope for the future.

A buffer from the pain…of the past.

I was confused.

By a lot of things.

But I was also…

Okay.

I was okay right now.

Slowly, Natalie pulled away enough to focus down at me, her light brown eyes framed by her cosmetic tattoo looking extremely concerned, with Serenity also easing away even as she kept her arms around me. Their concern, affection, and endearing love was intense. There being nothing more within their desires in this moment, other than just wishing for my well-being.

Wishing for me to be okay.

I took a shaky breath.

Miriam was sobbing back at the mansion, having just witnessed an extremely painful and traumatizing memory for her in a completely new light, with Delilah and Gwen holding onto her. But I personally was alright right now.

It was obvious everyone else in the smaller private living room at Joseph’s mansion was confused.

I hadn’t even heard Joseph ask again what was wrong, but saw in Serenity’s head that Natalie had told him to wait when he did ask.

I was still trying to understand what just happened.

Obviously, I vividly recalled another horrible memory. And obviously I formed some kind of ‘different’ bond with Avery, Michelle, and Gabriella, one that I didn’t understand, other than comprehending what it was doing for me. Giving me hope and making me feel emotionally stable.

But then, there was the other thing.

The thing with Rachel.

The person in question clearly didn’t have a clue that anything related to her was going on, and honestly I felt like that was truly the case -- that it had nothing to do with her specifically.

Instead, it was as if…

As if I was remembering someone else.

Someone who looked strikingly similar to her.

I wanted to ask.

But first, I had to explain some things.

Stuff I felt like they weren’t ready to hear.

Natalie shifted her weight to the side, turning slightly and sitting more on the arm of the couch so that she was now across from Joseph, who was likewise sitting on the arm of the other couch, with her keeping her hand on my shoulder, allowing me to be able to look at the others. Serenity likewise pulled away more, but kept her hand on my leg.

Unsurprisingly, Joseph and his three wives all seemed completely confused.

I took a deep breath.

“Sorry,” I began simply.

Joseph glanced down at his three women, with the older looking brunette, Laura, exchanging a glance with him, before he spoke hesitantly. “Umm, I mean, are you okay?”

I took a deep breath. “I’m okay.” I sighed heavily. “It’s just that…” I paused, glancing at Laura on Rachel’s other side, and then at the younger-looking brunette Jamie, suddenly wondering if they really were mother and daughter, before briefly focusing on Rachel directly across from me, and then back at him. “Well, there are other things I should probably tell you. But honestly, I don’t think you’re going to believe me.”

Rachel unexpectedly spoke up. “I’ll believe you,” she blurted out.

Joseph and I both glanced at her, before we met each other’s gaze.

He nodded. “Yeah. I don’t see any reason why you would lie to us, so I’ll believe you too.”

I frowned at that, just because I knew he hadn’t a clue at just how unbelievable my story really was.

Opening my mouth to speak, my mind abruptly went elsewhere, and I blurted out something entirely different than what I intended -- to delay sharing the truth.

“Do you know an incubus named Jonadab?” I unexpectedly wondered.

None of them reacted at all.

As if I’d asked about the weather.

Joseph just frowned. “Umm, I think so?” he said hesitantly. “I mean, if it’s who I’m thinking of, then he currently goes by Dr. James Miller.” He shrugged. “He’s not a medical doctor, but more the educational kind. Has a PhD or whatever. I haven’t really met any of the other immortals though. Our father…” He grimaced. “Well, he kind of protected us from the others.”

I was shocked to hear that.

My brow furrowed. “So then, are you worried about what’s going to happen, now that he’s gone?”

His grimaced deepened. “It’s…a concern. Yes.” He took a deep breath, closing his eyes briefly before continuing. “When an immortal dies, as rare as it is, the others get to divvy up his assets. And by extension, they get to divvy up…the women. Including any women who are with the immortal’s living sons.”

Laura and Jamie both tensed at that, seeming as if they were hearing this for the first time.

I couldn’t tell if Rachel reacted, but she didn’t seem surprised.

Her aura felt…neutral.

Like nothing was as bad as what she’d already endured.

Or maybe like she had hope that nothing would ever touch her again.

Not once she fell under my protection, due to my blood.

“Fuck,” I hissed. “So then, our other brothers won’t get anything if it’s determined that he’s gone? Everything instead goes to the other incubi?”

“Yes,” he replied with a nod. “All of us are mortal, and so they don’t treat us like we have any kind of rights. And they’ve used modern society to anonymously ensure everything is owned by them. Many of them have separate holding companies and trusts, simply for the purpose of having a stake in each other’s business dealings. Our father’s sons -- as in, our brothers -- have no right to anything, aside from the personal wealth they’ve accumulated by working for our father.”

I honestly couldn’t believe what I was hearing, even though in hindsight it made perfect sense.

Of course a society of immortal men wouldn’t let mortals have the wealth they’d accumulated, in the form of businesses and assets. It wouldn’t go to someone’s sons. Instead, it would go to the other immortals. For, even if our father did care about his sons, in his own messed up way, how much more did he care about, or at least respect, his brothers. Especially when many sons had come and gone, for all of them. Many sons had lived and died.

So instead, his full allegiance was to those who suffered the same trials as him.

Those who fought together to defeat the monster that cursed them so long ago.

Those who he truly considered brothers, even if he didn’t get along with all of them.

And very clearly, not everyone got along, but even still, I suspected the principle was there.

And it made me realize something important.

When Jonadab showed up to try stealing my women, there was absolutely no fear within him of how my father would react to such an injustice, despite him saying that he despised my father.

The reason?

Because it wouldn’t have been an injustice in my father’s eyes.

Instead, it was a way for Jonadab to vent his frustrations, knowing ultimately it would do nothing to get back at Absalom, and that ultimately there would be no consequence. A petty stab at one of his sons, that ultimately did nothing except cause pain for someone else connected to the man he really hated.

“So…” I began hesitantly. “This guy, Dr. Miller, never showed up to try to take advantage of any of your women?”

Joseph’s eyes widened in shock, and Rachel stiffened. “No?” he said in surprise. “Why? Did he show up to your place?”

Natalie cleared her throat. “Technically, I was the one who killed him,” she blurted out.

Joseph, Laura, and Jamie all focused on her in shock.

Natalie shrugged. “I don’t regret it,” she added. “I realize it might cause problems when people notice that he’s missing too, but I’d still do it again. The bastard found where Kai lives by kidnapping one of his classmates. No doubt he had horrible plans for her as well. He fucking deserved worse than what I did to him.”

I simply nodded, causing Joseph, Laura, and Jamie to focus on me.

What was done was done, and even if I could change things, I knew I wouldn’t.

I couldn’t.

Leaving him alive would have been far worse, because he wouldn’t have stopped trying to get what he wanted. He wouldn’t have stopped trying to mess with my life, and I suspected that these immortals pulled more strings behind the scenes than I even realized. No doubt power over individual people had eventually become ‘not enough.’ And so they’d used modern society to gain power over the masses.

In today’s society, that probably meant owning a lot of powerful firms and companies, and possibly either being involved in politics, or otherwise having certain politicians in their pockets.

Or maybe they didn’t care about that kind of thing.

If they only cared about ‘real control,’ then all they would care about was money.

After all, there was no greater modern servitude than being in debt.

Just like feudal lords who owned the land the peasants farmed, so too did a landlord own the land and building that people lived in. So too did the food eaten by most, ultimately come from somewhere else, owned by someone else, produced by someone else.

And that realization made it kind of feel as if the other incubi were a greater threat than I initially realized. Perhaps not a ‘current’ threat, but one that could be a major problem if I wasn’t careful. Especially since they were collectively more like a massive hydra, that couldn’t be killed by cutting off a single head, rather than a single evil organization or mafia that could be defeated by slaughtering the leader.

The exact opposite of the werewolf army.

There likely was no leader for the incubi.

And they could probably attack in ways I never even imagined.

Financially, legally, and other methods that had nothing to do with regular violence.

Which ultimately meant…

I had to stay off their radar as much as possible.

I couldn’t let my true identity get out. Couldn’t let them figure out that I was a threat.

Because I wasn’t sure I was prepared to handle the true threat they posed.

When they didn’t respond to Natalie’s admission, instead just focused on me now, I decided to continue.

“So yeah, he’s dead. But there shouldn’t be any evidence of his death either.” My brow furrowed. “Unless you think the cursed meat at the banquet was related to that?”

He frowned. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I’m sure our father has other enemies, but that’s not the kind of thing he’s ever shared about. But thank you again for speaking up when you did at the banquet. Rachel would have been fine, but I definitely would have been a goner.”

Rachel simply nodded at that, tightening her arm on his as she held her head forward, toward me sitting across from her, in a neutral position.

“You’re welcome,” I said simply. “And honestly, like I said before, the only reason I did was because you were both about to eat.”

“And I thank you again,” he repeated sincerely, only to frown. “But then, what does that have to do with…umm, well, whatever happened just now? Is it bothering you, or something? Their deaths?”

I sighed. “No…” I took a deep breath, realizing there was no point in further delaying it. “No, what just happened…was I remembered something horrible.”

Joseph’s eyebrows raised at that, seeming confused, even as Rachel spoke up from across me.

“You remembered something horrible?” she repeated, sounding sincerely concerned. “Like, when you were little?”

I took another deep breath. “No. I remembered something…from before that. Something from before I was born.”

They all gawked at me, even Rachel’s mouth falling open.

I focused on Joseph. “And this is why I didn’t want to tell you yet. Because I’m sure it’s hard to believe that I’m more than just an eighteen-year-old guy.” I took a deep breath. “The truth is, I was alive three-thousand years ago. I was alive when Delilah was alive. In fact, Delilah was my girlfriend way back then, three-thousand years ago. And I was cursed the same time she was.”

They were all speechless.

Joseph struggled to respond. “You…you were an incubus?”

I shook my head. “No, my curse was different than everyone else’s. I became immortal like them, but from what I’m only now beginning to remember, I was still cursed all this time. A curse that made me unrecognizable to most others. To the point that I could stand in a room full of humans, and none of them would notice me. And when I was around demons, they would be unnerved by my presence. Unnerved and fearful of what they could not fully comprehend.”

“Like a ghost,” Rachel whispered.

I was shocked that she seemed to be truly accepting what I was saying as truth.

I considered that. “If I remember correctly, I think there were some who did identify me as sort of a ‘ghostly shadow.’ Present and physical, and yet indistinct and metaphysical at the same time.” I took a deep breath. “But that’s the real reason why I’m so powerful. And the real reason why my blood is special. Because I designed this body that I now exist in. A body that is able to break curses and heal, both for myself and for others, if I choose to share.”

Joseph nodded slowly, still visibly struggling to wrap his mind around that. To grasp the concept that the younger sibling sitting before him was actually much older than he appeared.

I suspected he wouldn’t be so disbelieving if I showed him my crowned form.

But I also didn’t want to scare him shitless.

He spoke up slowly. “So…does that mean you might have enemies we have to worry about?”

I shrugged. “I don’t think so. I wasn’t exactly the kind of person to let my enemies live, and it seems I’m still not the type to show mercy to those who are truly a threat. Don’t get me wrong,” I quickly clarified. “If our father had been willing to try bargaining with me or something, then I would have attempted to avoid violence. But when I see no other options, I don’t waste time. If it needs to be done, to keep those I care about safe, then it will get done.”

Rachel spoke up. “And we fit in that category, right?” she wondered. “Those you care about?”

I focused on her. “Umm, I mean…” I shrugged, only to kind of feel stupid for doing so, since it was a gesture she couldn’t see. “Yeah, I guess you do. You guys are kind of the only family I have left. And, like, if one of our brothers showed up and tried to take advantage of you, I’d at least beat the shit out of him. Only reason why I might not kill any of them is because they aren’t truly a threat, but more like a nuisance that needs to be taught a lesson.” I scoffed, thinking of the situation with Avery and Trey. “Kind of like this guy I know at school. He’s the asshole jock type, but not really a threat. Just a nuisance.”

Surprisingly, Rachel smiled at that, almost as if she was amused by the reminder that I was still dealing with high school drama. Perhaps amused to recall that I was technically a lot younger than her, with me feeling a sort of affectionate aura coming off of her now.

An affection directed toward me, perhaps like how she might feel about a younger sibling.

Joseph shook his head. “Our brothers are more dangerous than you give them credit for,” he said seriously. “The only reason why they haven’t been able to touch me is because, in the nearly twenty years I’ve been working for my father, I’ve shown myself more competent than them, and found my own ways to protect myself just in the first couple of years, thankfully before I met Laura, Rachel, and my other wives.”

My brow furrowed. It didn’t escape my attention that he mentioned ‘Laura’ first, causing me to wonder if she was actually his first wife, despite the fact that Rachel went with him to family gatherings. Though, I had to admit that made sense, given that Laura was clearly a bit older than him, and Rachel was a whopping six years younger, meaning that the earliest he might have started dating Rachel was when he was twenty-four and she was eighteen.

Rachel lost her eyesight roughly five years ago, when she was twenty-six, but the range of eighteen to twenty-six years old was a pretty large gap. For all I knew, they might have only been together for a couple of years at that point, as opposed to the full eight years prior to that horrible day they attended our adoptive parents’ funeral.

However, despite my curiosity, I was much more focused on the first part of what he said.

“Wait, you worked for our father?”

He shrugged. “Well yeah. He has a lot of huge companies, far too many for him to micromanage himself. Who better to make a CEO or top executive than someone who he ultimately has absolute control over? One of his sons.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

Because suddenly other things were starting to make sense.

“You said…he was like a father to you. More so than your real father.”

He grimaced at that, turning his head away, his voice strained. “Yes.” He then sighed. “Our father gives us the opportunity to make something of ourselves. Funds our education, ensures we have the proper training, and then lets us ‘be put’ in progressively more demanding positions, ones were our decisions hold more weight. For those who are successful in that environment, they keep getting promoted.”

“So, what exactly do you do then?” I wondered.

He shrugged. “Currently, I’m the CEO of a retirement fund worth billions. Not a company you would have heard of, unless you happened to work at a job where they used our services, but yeah. It’s not a job someone my age would have normally landed in, were it not for him.”

“Damn.” I said simply, frowning. “So, what do you think will happen now?”

He sighed. “I don’t know. Depends on how long it takes before they realize that him missing means more than just ‘him missing.’ Although, even if they take control of his assets within a year, I doubt it would jeopardize my job. And if it did, I have plenty of connections. Plenty of backup plans. Between my education and especially my experience, I’m not worried about finances at all.”

I nodded as I considered that.

“And what about the whole ‘divvying up the women’ thing you mentioned?”

He frowned. “Well, if you can really give my wives immunity to compulsion, then it shouldn’t be a problem. They don’t take people by force, and they can’t really take someone who is unwilling. It would be too much of a headache, and too much of a risk of being exposed, if a woman who can’t be compelled started talking.” He shrugged. “Obviously, they’d probably just kill such an individual, but that causes its own problems and risks. So being immune to compulsion should be a solution on its own.”

I nodded again, thinking of our other brothers.

It was tough because, as much as I knew they were all assholes, I realized their women might actually be really sweet and innocent people, similar to Michelle, Avery, Gabriella, or even like my classmate Claire, or any other normal girl, who had found herself in a confusing situation where she felt like she was ‘stupid’ for doing things she didn’t particularly want to do whenever the compulsion had worn off. Girls who felt trapped potentially in an abusive relationship, with no way out, unless the man in their life got bored of them.

The tough part?

I wasn’t sure I could do anything to help them. Not when there were so many of them.

I couldn’t single-handedly take down every single incubus, and every single one of their sons, in an effort to free all those women, some of whom might be in the relationship willingly, like Joseph’s women. If anything, it might cause more harm than good.

Perhaps some of those women would end up homeless, jobless, and otherwise in a worse situation overall. Same kind of overall issue, in a way at least, as everyone currently starving in the world. Or even just all the other women out there who were otherwise in a bad situation with a normal human man. There was just so much that I couldn’t fix on my own.

And by the time that I saved one person, there would be ten others in a similar situation.

It would be an endless battle to set right all the injustices in the world.

I sighed heavily, focusing on Rachel again.

It was like she sensed that my attention was on her, speaking up almost automatically.

“Yes?” she whispered.

Joseph focused down at her in surprise.

She continued. “Are you…I mean, can we…”

Natalie immediately stood up off the arm of the couch on my left. “Oh, we’re sorry,” she said sincerely. “Yeah, we can do it now. I’m sure you are kind of anxious to get your eyesight back.”

Rachel unexpectedly sniffled, otherwise not having looked emotional at all. “Yeah, well…being blind really sucks,” she admitted, sniffling a second time. “And after realizing I might really be able to see again…” She sniffled, her face twisting in grief this time. “After realizing that I don’t have to be like this for the rest of my life…” Her body tensed, looking like she was trying to hold in a sob.

Or at least trying not to start outright crying.

Joseph leaned over more even as she leaned into his side, with him rubbing her arm in that awkward position in comfort.

I accepted the syringe from Natalie, who had picked it up off the couch cushion, and finished pulling it out of the packaging, before forcing the needle through my durable skin.

Because I knew it was time.

Except, there was one thing I still wanted to ask her about.

Preferably sooner, rather than later.

“Hey Rachel,” I said gently, prompting her to take a shaky breath.

“Yes?” she managed.

“I’m drawing some of my blood right now,” I reassured her, already pretty much having half the tube full. I continued as I pulled it out of my arm, handing it to Natalie, who just waited with it for a moment. “But I was wondering if I could ask you about your family.”

Her brow furrowed as she sniffled again.

Joseph spoke up. “Umm, that’s kind of a sensitive subject.”

“It is?” I said in surprise.

He nodded, glancing at her, before continuing. “Umm, yeah. She never knew her father, and her mother is deceased. Passed away when she was really young.”

“Like when I was only a baby still,” Rachel agreed, taking another shaky breath. “Barely a few months old. So I don’t remember her at all. And I don’t have any siblings. I grew up in foster care until I was four years old, not with an especially great family since they basically fostered a lot of kids for the money, and then I was adopted. It was an older couple. My adoptive father died of a heart attack when I was thirteen, and my adoptive mother had a stroke when I was seventeen.” She sniffled, seeming more collected now, despite the topic being discussed. “She survived the first stroke, but ended up having a worse one in the hospital and died. I didn’t want to end up in foster care again, and I was almost eighteen at the time, so I kind of managed to bounce around from house to house, living with some of my friends back then.”

Natalie chimed in. “Well, that explains why you’re a badass bitch. You’ve clearly been through some shit.”

Laura and Jamie both looked at her in alarm, as if what she’d said was offensive, but Rachel just laughed, sniffling again.

“Umm, yeah. About the shit part, at least.”

“Nah, you’re totally badass,” Natalie said reassuringly.

Rachel tried to hold back a smile.

“So, what was your mom’s name?” Natalie casually wondered, clearly just being social.

Rachel took a deep breath. “Umm, which one?”

“Oh,” she said in surprise. “I guess both?”

Rachel cleared her throat. “Well, my adoptive mom’s name was Laura actually,” she reached over and patted Laura’s leg. “Nothing like my friend here,” she said playfully.

The brunette MILF rolled her brown eyes.

Rachel continued, turning her head more in my direction. “And my real mom’s name was Evelyn.”

An unexpected chill ran up my spine, as I saw her again…

Saw her looking at me.

A young woman who looked just like Rachel.

Her name?

Evelyn.

Eve.

FEEDBACK: Thoughts?

I tried to address most of the concerns brought up in the previous chapter's comments.

Also, I don't have a name for this chapter yet, if you want to suggest an idea. (Was thinking something like 'Disclosures' might be good.)

Chapter 116 >>

LIST OF STORIES >>

LIST OF ARTWORK >>