Innocent Devil’s Harem Ch. 117 (Patreon)

February 26, 2023

NOTE: This ends with a cliffhanger.

Enjoy.

<< Chapter 116 | 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 117: Unconventional -

As I began filling a second syringe with my blood, Natalie waiting patiently to use it on Laura, the person in question ended up speaking up again to fill the silence, seeming to direct her words to my blue-haired wife.

“Umm, so what about you, dear?” she wondered. “Natalie, right?”

She looked back at her in surprise. “Sorry, what?”

“Looking different,” she clarified. “You obviously turn into a werewolf, but do you look different at all when you’re still human?”

“Oh,” she replied, accepting the half-filled syringe from me and turning to face her. “You know, actually I don’t seem to have any kind of change like everyone else. It’s either I become a werewolf, or I don’t, for the most part. Although, my hair might be permanently blue,” she added.

“Seriously?” Jamie said in surprise.

Natalie nodded as she turned her head to look at her. “Yeah, I’m naturally a brunette. And when I was a normal werewolf, whenever I was forced to transform on the full moon, my hair would always be brown again. And not like a pretty brown, but like a really ugly light brown.”

I scoffed at that, not believing her natural hair color was anything other than gorgeous, causing her to smirk, but otherwise ignoring me.

She continued. “But yeah, I’ve turned into a werewolf a few times now, and my hair is still blue. Not sure why.”

“Me either,” I agreed, knowing they’d probably ask.

Although, I did have one theory beginning to formulate in my mind.

A really bizarre theory.

One that revolved around Natalie’s earlier thoughts about being a ‘wolf’ now, instead of a human. The idea that the ‘human form’ was a disguise.

What if my blood actually had a ‘chameleon-like’ effect on her genetics?

As in, if my blood had basically turned her into a different race of monster, a hellhound, which also just happened to be capable of shifting into a human, then maybe my blood essentially replicated her original form.

Replicated her human form.

Created a perfect match of what she looked like, prior to receiving my blood, to avoid detection of her true self. To avoid detection of what she’d become.

Which, seemed completely backwards, considering she’d been born human.

Very backwards to think that maybe her ‘true form’ was that of a hellhound now, and the human form was just a mimicry to ‘avoid exposure.’

But why else would her hair be permanently blue now?

And who was to say what the exact effect of my blood was?

After all, maybe that actually applied to everyone else too.

Maybe Serenity’s true form was an inferno imp now, and ‘human’ was just her shifted disguise. Maybe Gabriella was truly a full-blooded succubus now, and ‘human’ was just a disguise. At the very least, for me personally, I felt the most alive when I grew out my horns.

So then, even though I’d been born in a human form, perhaps my taller form was my true self.

My current form just a ‘convenient disguise’ to blend into modern society.

Of course, if that was the case, then it kind of made me wonder what Avery and Michelle were.

Were they simply humans who now had more demonic forms?

Or were they something else entirely?

Something ‘not human,’ that had a human form like everyone else?

Michelle’s eyes, in particular, were still a mystery to me, since no one else had that glowing white ring around the pupil.

It was something I hadn’t taken the time to ask Miriam about yet, and also something she hadn’t seen for herself, Michelle having never been transformed when the short redhead was around.

I thought about asking her now, but one check on her mind revealed that she and Delilah were having a serious conversation about the latter’s experience living around my father. Miriam was using the topic as an excuse to try to focus on something else, so that she wasn’t actively falling apart at recalling her horrible memory, coupled with the implications of what it meant for me to be the one who saved her back then. Of course, she also didn’t want to distract me by thinking about it while I was likewise trying to focus on the task at hand.

Specifically, Miriam wanted to know what Delilah knew about my father’s life, his various businesses, the connections he had, and other such information that we did kind of need to know.

Part of me wanted to listen in, but I didn’t want to be rude to the others, wanting to be attentive as Jamie spoke up in response.

“Well dang!” she said a bit dramatically. “If I can have a new permanent hair color, then I kind of want to dye my hair first.” She focused on me. “You said this takes like four hours per person, right? Would it bother you if I ran to the store to grab some hair dye really fast? Since you’ll be here for a while anyway?”

I just shrugged, a bit surprised to realize that was even something to be considered.

Kind of superficial, but also kind of not.

After all, we were talking about a permanent change here.

Far more permanent than something like a tattoo.

Jamie immediately focused on Joseph. “Do you mind if I pick something different? I can just dye my hair a darker brown, if you want, but I kind of want to go with something like pink or green.”

Joseph frowned as he seriously considered that. “Umm, no I don’t mind. Are you going to take Sarah and Emily with you?”

Jamie scoffed dramatically. “Uh, yeah! Of course! We’ll talk about it on the way, and then how about we call you to let you know what colors we decided on?”

He nodded slowly, only to glance at me. “Umm, sure. Just make sure you keep things vague on the phone though. And don’t talk about it being permanent while you’re out in public.”

Jamie’s expression became almost mockingly serious. “Right, gotta be extra careful.” She then grinned, looking sincerely thrilled, squealing as she clapped her hands once. “Okay! We’ll be right back in a few then.” She focused on Laura. “Mom, sure you don’t want to wait? You could be a redhead for the rest of your life.”

Laura gave her a polite smile. “That’s alright, honey. I’m fine. Just don’t take too long deciding,” she added. “I know our guests will be here a while, but don’t be longer than an hour. You still actually have to dye your hair once you get back.”

“Okay,” she replied cheerfully, abruptly wrapping her arms around Joseph and giving him a big hug in appreciation. “We’ll be back in a bit. Love you! Bye!”

“Err, yeah, bye,” he replied, watching as she turned around and practically ran out of the room. He then focused on us, giving an awkward laugh. “Well, that just made her day. She usually doesn’t dye her hair, but she used to do that kind of thing when she got out of high school. Got a cosmetology license first thing, and was doing hair for a couple of years, prior to quitting.”

“Oh that’s cool,” Serenity replied. “My best friend does nails. It’s a pretty good paying job, especially with the tips most people give.”

He nodded.

Natalie spoke up, directing her words to Laura, holding the syringe of blood in her hand. “So, I guess are you ready?”

Laura nodded, holding out her arm, prompting Natalie to move closer and bend down.

Joseph immediately gave his attention to her as well, clearly wanting to watch it happen.

Laura spoke up the moment Natalie put the needle in.

“Oh yeah, that feels different. I can already…” Her brown eyes fluttered closed, her head swaying a little, only to fall straight back, completely out even before Natalie had injected half of what was in the tube.

My blue-haired wife stood up after injecting the rest, glancing at Rachel briefly before handing the second used-needle to Serenity, only to sit back down on the arm of the couch at my side.

On the other side of the house, I could hear all three of the other women sounding excited by this ‘new development,’ none of them wasting any time, aside from grabbing purses, to leave for a quick store run.

The butler asked if they wanted him to accompany them, only for Joseph’s phone to begin ringing a few seconds later.

He answered it, having no idea what I already knew.

“Everything alright?” he asked right away.

“Of course, sir. But you asked me to stay with Ms. Sarah and Ms. Emily, and it seems they are about to leave. Would you like me to drive them?”

“Yeah, you can go with them,” Joseph replied, his tone becoming a bit pleading. “Just please remind them to keep things vague, especially in public.”

“I will, sir,” he replied. “No worries.”

Joseph sighed. “Okay, thanks. Let me know when you guys are on your way back.”

“Very well, sir. Bye for now,” he said reassuringly, hanging up.

Joseph sighed heavily again as he pocketed the phone, prompting Serenity to speak up.

“So, kind of seems like they don’t take this kind of thing very seriously.”

He looked alarmed at that. “Oh, no. They do, it’s just that I’ve done my best to shield them from anything bad, and I’m not sure if they fully understand the potential danger.” He grimaced, gesturing with his hand at the two passed-out women. “The three of us are the oldest, and the other three tend to think of us as being a bit paranoid sometimes, and maybe we are, but they do take all this seriously.”

Natalie spoke up. “I can kind of understand that. They know there could be danger, but don’t see any risk in talking about it amongst themselves in the cosmetics aisle of a store.” She paused as she placed her hand on my shoulder, focusing down at me. “Kind of like when we had breakfast at that restaurant last Monday. You didn’t worry about what they would think about how much Serenity and I were eating. Or about what we were talking about.”

I frowned, knowing why she’d directed her words at me.

Because Serenity and I both couldn’t help but wonder if maybe these women truly weren’t taking it seriously enough to deserve my blood, and Natalie was addressing those thoughts as a part of the conversation without making it seem overly obvious that we were thinking such things.

“Right,” I agreed simply, focusing on Joseph. “Just as long as they are truly taking it seriously.”

He nodded. “They do, and they are,” he reassured me, only to hesitate, as if unsure of what to say next.

I understood why, feeling the awkwardness in his aura.

Up until this point, we’d only ever interacted with Joseph with someone else around. But now, with both Rachel and Laura passed out, and with the other women actively jumping into a vehicle with the butler to run to the store for some hair dye, it was just the three of us…and him.

Which probably wouldn’t have felt awkward for any of us personally, even with an unexpected break in the conversation, but him feeling awkward, and me sensing it, kind of made the brief silence feel truly awkward.

However, he then focused on Serenity. “Umm, so what’s it like being a police detective?” he wondered, smoothly transitioning to a different topic.

Not surprising, since I was sure being a CEO did involve a lot of communication.

Managing people wasn’t something you excelled at without basic communication skills, but it did make me wonder if Joseph was inherently someone who felt uncomfortable in certain types of situations.

With his focus on Serenity, I used the opportunity to ‘check out of’ the conversation for a few minutes, because I had been having entirely ‘new realizations’ about something specifically in regard to Natalie. More than just her hair color, but other ‘differences’ as well.

One difference, in particular.

One that was kind of a huge deal.

Something I probably should have noticed a lot sooner.

Natalie wasn’t forced to transform when I grew out my horns.

Several times now I’d transformed, and while everyone else had shifted, even when miles away from me, Natalie hadn’t turned into a hellhound or otherwise shifted her appearance. In fact, while they had all stopped on the side of the road when I’d grown to my full height while first bonding with Rosa, Serenity uncontrollably shifting at the wheel, Natalie had been fine, not needing to hide herself at all.

And again, when I fought my father, all of my women uncontrollably shifted in appearance in response to that situation too.

But not Natalie.

Not the one person who could technically be my puppet, if I wished it. The one person who could literally become an extension of my thoughts. Like an extra hand for me to use.

Which was super confusing to me.

Why was Natalie immune to the effect?

Obviously, this wasn’t a subject we’d really had time to discuss, with the last handful of days being so busy, but I decided to use this opportunity to silently ask Natalie now.

Her response surprised me.

‘You let me stay as I am. You don’t make me transform.’

Such an obvious fact.

I wasn’t making her transform, when I grew out my horns, and so she didn’t.

In fact, in an effort to keep her ‘distant’ from me, so that she could have freewill, wearing her as a ring in my pocket instead of on my finger, I had very intentionally made sure to not affect her when I transformed.

And yet, that one little detail suddenly had me wondering if the reason why all my women were transforming uncontrollably…was because I was making them do it.

I obviously had a very powerful bond with all of them, to the point of having this telepathic connection with most of them. But even someone like Rebecca seemed to react to my increase in size, becoming more vibrant like Gabriella when I fought my father, whereas Natalie did not.

More than that…

Rosa too.

Gabriella, Michelle, and Avery were very focused on what was going on with us at Joseph’s house, so they were ready to confirm with the blonde vamp the moment I thought of it, who was also with them in the dining hall, verifying that Rosa also hadn’t transformed, or otherwise gotten bigger, when I fought my father.

Which was huge.

Because I also had an alpha-like bond with Rosa.

And yet…when I requested for them to ask her if she knew ‘why,’ she ended up giving a similar response.

‘I felt his stress. But my lord did not require it of me.’

Shit, was it actually my fault?

Was it my fault that my women uncontrollably shifted?

Was I accidentally making them shift?

I wasn’t sure, but realized I really needed to try testing it out in the very near future.

Because if that problem was something I could control, then it meant it wouldn’t even have to be a potential concern for Joseph and his family to worry about. Even more reason to hold off on telling him about the effect my larger form could have on them.

While I considered that, trying to focus on my bond with each woman in an effort to better understand it, Serenity was keeping Joseph entertained, currently comparing the reality of her job to the kind of thing they had on crime shows, since apparently that was something all the women loved to do -- it was the one genre they could all enjoy together, including Joseph, whenever they watched TV together.

Overall, I wasn’t paying too much attention, barely noticing when Joseph pulled out his phone again, but knowing it had probably been about fifteen or twenty minutes that they’d been talking.

“That them?” Serenity assumed, in response to him typing out a short message.

He nodded. “Yeah, Jamie let me know they were just pulling in. There’s a convenience store only about five minutes away, but it probably doesn’t have as large of a selection as they’d prefer.”

Serenity smiled. “Depending on how dark the other two are, they might actually need to dye their hair blonde first.”

Joseph shrugged. “Maybe. I’m not really an expert on that kind of thing.”

Serenity laughed. “Honestly, I’m not either. I just know I tried to dye my hair purple once, and it didn’t turn out great because my hair is naturally too dark.”

“Oh? And you didn’t try it again?” he wondered, just being casual.

She gave a somewhat shy smile, and I could already see in her head why, as she glanced at me. “Umm, yeah. Well, kind of felt dumb afterward, so didn’t try it again.”

I sighed, only just now understanding her intentions from way back then, several years ago, but also knowing I wouldn’t have reacted differently, since she had almost made me transform with the whole dress-up thing she’d done.

Still, it kind of made me feel bad.

“Sorry,” I whispered.

She laughed, lightening the mood. “You didn’t know. And I get why now. Like with you walking away and stuff.” She then focused on Joseph. “Basically, I’ve kind of had a crush on him for a couple of years now. It was two years ago for Halloween, and I kind of dressed up for him. Wore this silk orange and purple witch outfit. One that was probably a bit too slutty. Of course, dyed my hair too, and put on a bunch of makeup. Black lipstick and a ton of dark purple eyeliner.” She grimaced then. “I sort of used the excuse of an ‘office party’ that my work was having, which I didn’t end up going to. But yeah, was the only time I tried dying my hair.”

Joseph seemed confused, focusing on me. “Did you not like it, or something?”

I shook my head. “No, I just told her that I liked her hair how it normally is.” I then sighed, deciding to elaborate. “I used to have trouble controlling my transformation, specifically around women when I found them attractive, just because I didn’t have any kind of experience with girls. And so when Serenity ‘surprised me’ with the Halloween costume that was for a work party, I kind of reacted all kinds of ways. Basically ran up the stairs to avoid her seeing any signs I was transforming, while telling her I liked her usual hair color, and also yelling down last minute that I’d rather she stay home.”

“Which I did,” Serenity added. “It was one of those situations where I didn’t want to admit to myself why I was doing it, but knew deep down the reason.” She shrugged. “I had no interest in the work party. But did feel kind of dumb after that. Didn’t end up ‘trying’ again until just recently. At least, not for real.”

Joseph nodded politely, not asking for the details, with Serenity likewise not offering them.

I knew she was referring to the silk pajamas she’d gotten ‘for my birthday,’ something she again felt dumb about and ended up not wearing. One of those pajamas being the purple silk ones Gabriella wore, the other two being a blue nightgown that I’d fucked Michelle in, as well as a silver nightgown that Serenity wore for me.

Something I found a little amusing, now that I was thinking about it.

Just the fact that she’d purchased three sexy things for me, and that I got to enjoy all three of them, but that she’d only worn the one. Almost like she’d gotten me both two sexy outfits, and two sexy women to wear those outfits, for my birthday.

Best birthday present ever, even if it was a bit late.

Getting to fuck her in one, while having her encouragement to enjoy the other two gifts worn instead by her best friend and a hot blonde MILF.

Serenity smiled at all that, silently promising to dig out that purple and orange witch outfit too, so that she could wear that for me sometime soon. Or at least have one of the other women wear it for me, just so long as she got to watch.

At the same time, she spoke out loud again, in order to keep the conversation going, and to avoid Joseph from feeling awkward a second time.

“But yeah, I’ve never really been big on changing my hair anyway, so it wasn’t a big deal to me. And I probably wouldn’t have done anything different, had I known my hair color might be permanently whatever it is now. Just because I like my hair color, and it’s kind of the same reason why I’ve never gotten a tattoo.” She shrugged. “Would hate to change my mind later and be stuck with it. I know they have tattoo removal procedures nowadays, but I’m not sure if that would work on someone like us.”

“Probably not,” Natalie agreed, silently telling me that she was fine with that, specifically in regard to the cosmetic tattoo around her eyes. Because, while it wasn’t a decision she personally got to make, it also wasn’t something outside the realm of what she might have done anyway. And she could acknowledge that she objectively looked good with it.

She was also someone who would probably insist on using cosmetics daily, if she didn’t have the tattoo around her eyes, and so viewed it as taking away that hassle.

I was about to chime in, wanting to know if Joseph had any tattoos, just out of curiosity, and to keep the conversation casual, only for my brow to furrow as I instead focused on Rachel.

She was sitting there limp, her head resting on the back of the couch, her posture neutral and relaxed, definitely looking like someone who was just completely passed out.

She hadn’t moved an inch, and I wasn’t hallucinating her looking at me, or anything like that.

So there was no reason for me to focus on her.

It had barely been an hour and a half since Natalie injected her with my blood, maybe approaching two hours at this point, and we should have another two hours before we had to worry about her waking up. Or more specifically, before we had to be concerned about the possibility of her arousing in a feral state.

And yet…

I was sensing something.

Joseph immediately focused down at her too, in response to my glance. “Everything alright?” he asked seriously.

I nodded, trying to reassure him while I attempted to understand what I was sensing. It felt so ‘indistinct’ right now. Like a general ‘awareness’ of something, without the details.

“Umm, yeah.” I hesitated, as I thought of an excuse. “So obviously I didn’t mention this before, but Rachel kind of looks like someone I’ve seen, and I’ve been trying to figure out who she reminds me of.” I shrugged. “It’s why I asked about her family. Couldn’t help but wonder if maybe I’d met her sister before, or something, if she had one.”

He nodded in acknowledgment, seeming at ease. “Oh. Yeah, no sisters, or any other family, as far as we know.”

I shrugged. “Maybe she just has one of those faces. The kind where everyone feels like they know someone who looks like them.”

Could that be Eve’s curse? Not having her own identity?

Or perhaps it was something completely different, since that didn’t seem inherently dangerous.

And I felt like her curse would have to be dangerous in order for her to not raise her daughter.

“Maybe?” Joseph offered uncertainly. “Although, she’s never gotten that before. Not that I know of, at least.”

I nodded, still focused on her, attempting to understand what I was sensing.

I’d never really focused too heavily at Rachel’s body before, largely because I didn’t want to be disrespectful to Joseph, but knew just from a glance that she had similar proportions to Serenity. Thin waist and fairly shapely hips, overall having kind of an athletic build, even though I doubted Rachel did too much exercising…well, unless she did cycling on a stationary bike or other stuff like that.

And she similarly had medium breasts, likely wearing a C-cup bra.

She and Serenity had different faces, of course, and Rachel had lighter colored brown hair, but otherwise she and Serenity were practically twins when it came to physical proportions.

However, I did focus intently on her unconscious form now, trying to understand what I was sensing. Really, it was two things.

Something about her head?

And something else too.

“Hmm, it really is kind of bugging me though,” I commented, just trying to not let the conversation fall into another awkward silence, and so it didn’t seem weird that I was eyeing her so intently.

“Maybe someone you knew when you were younger?” he offered.

Suddenly, I understood the second thing.

My entire body stiffened, my mind going blank for half a second, just completely freezing up in shock, as realization dawned on me, having nothing at all to do with what he just said.

This…

This feeling…

Was exactly like when I came home after dying and resurrecting…

When I came home after achieving my crowned form for the first time…

When I claimed Serenity, Avery, and Gabriella, in that order, as well as Michelle shortly after, in the exact same way that I’d claimed Gwen the moment I resurrected. And with the first three, it happened the moment I sensed them, an instinctual desire to claim them accompanying an intense willingness to be claimed.

With Michelle, I felt like I ‘could’ claim her, but it would take a lot of effort. Whereas that sensation changed the moment she and I talked about it, and her indecisiveness disappeared. The moment she was ‘willing’ to be claimed, I was able to easily form that connection without much effort.

However, with Rachel…

It was somewhere between those extremes.

I didn’t automatically claim Rachel like I’d done to Serenity and the others.

But unlike Michelle had originally been…

It was very clear that…

Rachel…was fully willing to be claimed.

Just as willing as Serenity, Avery, and Gabriella had all been!

Something that alarmed me.

Especially since it would be so easy to do it!

I could do it right now with almost no effort at all!

Fuck!

I quickly focused on Joseph, trying to compose myself, fully ignoring the other sensation I was experiencing, having no idea what it was that was strange about her head, but also not caring in this moment, fearing that I might accidentally claim another man’s woman because I was too focused on her.

I tried to remember where I’d left off in the conversation.

“Umm, yeah, that might be. Could be someone I met when I was younger.” I shrugged casually, trying not to panic, afraid of what this would imply for his other women too, hoping they weren’t all easy for me to claim.

I mean, fuck!

With how it felt with Michelle, I would assume that there would be a resistance there. So why was Rachel willing?! Why did Rachel want to be my woman?!

I cleared my throat, my voice calm. “Honestly, it could also be someone I met in my previous life.”

His eyes widened at that. “Oh, dang. I didn’t even think of that.” He focused down at Rachel. “Wow, that would be weird. Like if you knew one of her ancestors or something.”

“That would be weird,” I agreed, frantically trying to understand this situation.

Thankfully, Serenity decided to probe for information on my behalf. “So how did you two meet anyway?” she wondered casually. “I’m assuming you were dating Laura first, right? Or is that wrong?”

Joseph grimaced at that. “Umm, it’s kind of complicated.”

Natalie scoffed. “Dude, we’re not going to judge you. There’s no reason for you to be embarrassed. Shit, if you have a kink for lesbians or something, we wouldn’t care.”

She was just taking a stab in the dark, given our suspicions at this point, but his face flushed at that, seemingly in embarrassment.

Serenity was quick to sound reassuring. “So is that it, then? What Laura meant by the relationship being different?”

Joseph was visibly flustered as he tried to offer an explanation. “I thought it would prevent them from being compelled,” he admitted in a rush. “L-Laura and I were good friends for several years, and I ended up telling her the truth about me. I’d been dating women casually to make sure I was getting enough energy to stay healthy, but I really wanted something more serious. Something more long-term, and also something safe. I figured since she was lesbian, that maybe if she and a girlfriend lived with me, then I could get enough energy from the two of them.”

“Wait,” Natalie interjected. “I’m so confused. Laura has a daughter, so she can’t be lesbian, right?”

He grimaced at that. “Fuck, I’m only telling you this because I know she would tell you herself if you asked. But the guy she slept with was her trying to make herself straight. She slept with the guy one time, decided she truly was lesbian, but also ended up getting pregnant from it.”

“Damn,” Natalie said in surprise. “And so what? She started dating Rachel, or something?”

He hung his head. “Shit, can we not talk about this?”

At this point, I had to know what was going on.

I couldn’t let it go.

I had to understand why Rachel was so willing to be claimed.

Specifically, by me.

Had she developed a crush on me in the short time we’d known each other?

Had she secretly been admiring me and thinking about how much she would like to be with me, all this time? Or at least since last night? I mean, she did sound super easygoing and comfortable on the phone the previous evening, to the point that she plainly admitted she was naked, having just taken a long bath.

Would she have told a stranger that? Admitted she was naked?

Or was it only because she felt super comfortable with me after thinking about our interactions at the funeral? Had she been thinking about me while she relaxed in the tub? Had she been thinking about me when I called?

Had she been relieved to hear my voice? Relieved to talk to me again?

Because Michelle, who also had an interest in me, had been far more resistant prior to us talking about it. It wasn’t an ‘automatic’ thing with her, unlike how easy it could be with Rachel right now.

Which meant, this was far beyond just a casual ‘interest.’

Rachel wanted to be claimed.

I quickly continued. “But you’re definitely with Jamie, right?” I commented, hoping to try to make him feel less embarrassed about it. “I don’t see any reason why you should be ashamed that you don’t sleep with all the women who live with you. Who cares if you’re only friends with a few of them?”

He sighed heavily, only to scoff. “Yeah, if only our brothers viewed it the same way.” He then grimaced as he focused on me. “But yeah, I like lesbians, okay? Or at least girls who are more interested in girls. Sarah and Emily were already a couple when I met them. Only difference is that they truly are bisexual, and were actively looking for a guy to join their relationship, even if just temporarily. Obviously, it’s become something much more permanent, but even now the two of them sleep with Jamie more often than they sleep with me.”

“So,” Natalie continued, her casual tone making it clear she wasn’t judging him. “It’s basically you, Sarah, Emily, and I guess Jamie too? Who are actually ‘together?’ And Laura is with Rachel, but they’re really good friends with everyone.”

He sighed heavily. “I mean…basically.” He focused on me with a grimace. “It’s partially why Rachel was targeted in the first place. Because she’s lesbian. The guy might have done it anyway, but the asshole who took advantage of her was trying to make a point, as if to say that I was too weak to make her want me.”

Serenity frowned at that. “And which asshole was it?” she wondered seriously. “Because I know we said she couldn’t get revenge, but at this point, I don’t think it would cause any extra suspicion for this bastard to disappear too.”

He grimaced. “Umm, not sure if you actually got a chance to really meet him. But it was Daniel.”

My eyes widened in shock.

Partially because I almost expected him to say Judah, but also because I realized we had met Daniel.

It was the asshole who had taken her sunglasses when we first arrived at the cathedral!

The bastard who was tormenting her!

Fuck, no wonder she was so stressed! No wonder she snapped at Serenity when she tried to help her! It wasn’t because he was ‘teasing her,’ but because he was literally the same guy who compelled her years earlier! The exact same guy who was responsible for her going blind!

And of course, the bastard probably didn’t even view it as sexual assault, when all he had to do was ‘look her in the eye,’ and suddenly she was doing whatever he wanted willingly. If anything, he probably had himself convinced that it was only teasing and shouldn’t be viewed as a big deal, his entire attitude about it seeming very different than how Rachel felt.

And yet, he still teased her, even once compelling her wasn’t an option!

Part of me wished I’d known, but I knew it was probably better I was only finding this out now.

Still, all of this left me with a very serious dilemma.

I’d heard Rachel call Joseph ‘her man,’ but now knew that was a ruse, even though at least one of the brothers had discovered it was a ruse.

Rachel wasn’t actually with Joseph romantically -- they were just friends who lived together in the same house. And while it was very likely that Joseph had watched Rachel and Laura having sex, possibly with some regularity, I also now felt confident that neither of them had actually been physically involved with him.

They weren’t actually a part of his harem.

Theoretically, that meant I shouldn’t feel bad about claiming Rachel, assuming it was what she wanted.

Problem was, why did she want to be claimed?

And would she truly feel that way when she woke up?

And if she did feel that way, what should I do about it?

Just ignore it?

I mean, I could just ignore it.

Probably should just ignore it.

But on the other hand, her willingness to being claimed didn’t necessarily mean she wasn’t still lesbian. As in, claiming her didn’t necessarily make her ‘my woman.’

Perhaps what I perceived as ‘claiming’ wasn’t really that at all. Maybe it was just me opening up that more intimate connection, where I could sense feelings and location from a distance, something that wasn’t inherently romantic at all. It might have more to do with a willingness to be loyal and obedient, as opposed to being my woman. In which case, if that was true, then it was possible I might get that sensation from Joseph when he became like me, simply because he was willing to be loyal to me as a friend and brother.

So then, maybe I was thinking about this all wrong.

In which case, it might be completely harmless for Rachel to continue living with Joseph, even though she had that kind of connection with me. Because ultimately she wasn’t actually ‘with’ either of us, instead only being with Laura.

Essentially, a friend only.

A friend to me.

A friend to Joseph.

Loyal to our families, despite not being a part of either one.

That wouldn’t be so weird, would it?

I wasn’t sure.

However, I stopped thinking about it real quick, when my attention was drawn to Rachel’s unconscious form again.

Specifically, to her head.

I’d definitely sensed something odd a few minutes ago, but only now was I beginning to perceive what was wrong with it.

And the realization alarmed the shit out of me.

I immediately held my hand out to Joseph, my tone urgent.

“Don’t move!” I demanded.

He froze solid, glancing down at her, only moving his eyes. “What’s wrong?”

I could hardly believe what it was, but knew exactly what I was perceiving.

Completely invisible.

Completely transparent, like the clearest glass in all of existence…

Was a curved blade, just above her head.

The exact same size and shape as my own blade.

My ethereal sickle.

A weapon.

Rachel was creating a weapon!

And while I could still sense her willingness to be claimed by me, a sensation that was rapidly dissipating…

I could also sense…

Aggression.

Anger.

Hatred.

A desire for…

Judgement.

Overwhelmed with a sense of impending doom, feeling like all our lives were suddenly in danger, I fully seized ahold of Natalie, and immediately began taking action as two bodies.

For, it was that urgent.

The circumstances that dire.

A memory of something similar, suddenly filling my mind.

Of what it would mean…

For her…

To have her Judgement.

We’d all die.

All of us.

The entire city.

The entire fucking city we lived in…

Would be obliterated from the world.

All of it destroyed.

By this impending Judgement.

And I wasn’t sure I could stop it.

Not without killing her.

Not without killing…Rachel.

FEEDBACK: Well, if you were brave enough to read to the end of this chapter, despite my cliffhanger warning, then what do you think?

Specifically, what do you think about Rachel? (Just in general.)

What do you think about Laura?

What do you think about Joseph's situation with his women? (Chapter title was called 'unconventional' for a reason.)

And what do you think about what's specifically happening with Rachel at the end of this chapter?

Chapter 118 >>

LIST OF STORIES >>

LIST OF ARTWORK >>