Incubus Master: Complete (Yaoi) Page 13

“True, but I’ve been broken in, so to speak. He has to be—“

  “Stop mulling over this,” Figaru said.

  “Psh.” Vandrel scratched a line of bark off the tree beside them. “I’m pent-up, and it’s your fault. Leatha only paid attention to me when Rowan was cruel to her. She’s caring for him every day now. He’s beholden to her. Things have never been better between them. Why did you make his damn chain so short?”

  “His punishment fits his crimes. Aren’t you lying with him as well?”

  “I hate him more than ever now,” Vandrel said, frowning. “Leatha won’t give me the time of day.” He slashed the tree with three claws.

  Figaru caught his wrist. “I won’t bed Jinady during this mission. It will be some time before he returns, then a long while after that before the shard’s effects dissipate from him. A final tryst before committing to him is justified.”

  “Are you propositioning me? That offer was terrible.”

  Figaru’s raised his eyebrow. He pulled Vandrel into his arms, tilted him back, and locked their mouths together. Vandrel’s lips had parted in shock. Figaru dove in his tongue. He touched it to Vandrel’s, then lathed and wrangled. Vandrel clutched the side of Figaru’s shoulder. He felt the smaller demon’s taut body unwind.

  Figaru broke their mouths, but kept Vandrel dipped back in his arms. His stern gaze at the smaller demon was resolute.

  Vandrel blinked a few times before opening his eyes. His lips were still parted. Figaru could hear his breathing.

  “You win.”

  Figaru smiled softly. He righted them. Vandrel led the way to his quarters with an unsteady gait.

  Jinady was entitled to move out of the trainee cabin into a double. He took the opportunity to relocate that evening. There was very little for him to move, and his bunkmates had become too talkative with him since his public kiss with Figaru. He wanted to be well rested for his mission tomorrow.

  The only indication of a roommate in the new quarters was the large man’s sleeping form under blankets on one of the beds. Jinady settled in quietly. He heard the figure stir after he’d climbed into his own bed. Jinady’s back was to him but he stayed awake in case the man woke up.

  “Hiya, Jinady,” Scor said.

  Jinady bolted upright in the bed.

  Scor sat on the other bed with his legs crossed. He leaned back and had a vicious smile.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m your roommate.”

  “That’s a lie. They wouldn’t put me with you.” Jinady felt more than afraid. He was on the verge of tears. Something about this situation felt familiar.

  “Calm down,” Scor said. He still had that awful smile. “Last I knew you and me were buddies. You’re acting like I hurt you or something.”

  Jinady’s hand went to his chest without him being aware of it. He was panting like a trapped animal. “Get out.”

  “Get out? I told you this is my room too.”

  “I’m not playing that game,” Jinady said. “Leave.”

  Scor’s smile turned into a sneer. “What if I don’t? You going to tell Figaru I sucked your cock?”

  Jinady thought about running for the door. Scor was fast enough to catch him, he was sure. There was no way for Jinady to resist him if he intended to do something.

  “Why are you here, Scor?”

  Scor’s words were somber and calculated. “Just for that. Making sure you don’t forget your promises. You’re getting a lot of alone time with the big boss the next few days. Don’t tell him about that incident…or anything else I’ve done to you.”

  “What else is there to tell?” Jinady’s lips were trembling. “That’s the only thing you’ve ever done to me. It’s the last thing I want him to know.”

  “Yeah,” Scor said, with a crooked smile. “Of course.”

  Scor got up and went to the door. He opened it, but looked back at Jinady. “I’m still dying to fuck you. That smooth white skin…looks pretty sweet.”

  Jinady forced his voice to be steady. “It’s never going to happen.”

  “Never say never, babe.” He stepped out. “Trust me on that.”

  Scor closed the door. Jinady secured the latch to lock it from the inside. He stood listening to the night several minutes. Scor did not return.

  Jinady curled in his bed, piling blankets over him. It took a long while for his heart to stop racing. The encounter with Scor bothered him. It was as though he was on the verge of remembering something, but what, he didn’t know. He let his mind drift into slumber.

  PART THREE

  Chapter 16

  “Jinady.”

  The sound of a demonic voice inside the cabin made Jinady lunge out of his bed. Figaru grabbed him by both his forearms. Jinady struggled. His eyes were wide, but it was taking him long moments to realize it was Figaru and not Scor.

  “You’re safe. Calm yourself.”

  “Figaru.” Jinady tried to catch his breath. He fixed his gaze on Figaru’s serene face.

  “I’m sorry for trespassing.” He released his hold on him. “There’s something wrong with your aura. What’s happened to you?”

  “What?” Jinady dragged trembling fingers through his hair and away. “Nothing’s happened.”

  Figaru examined him. After a moment Jinady peeked up. The demon’s expression betrayed no emotion. His silence meant one thing. Figaru didn’t believe him.

  “You panicked when I came in,” Figaru said.

  Jinady cleared a lump from his throat, but didn’t speak. He was thinking of a lie to cover Scor’s visit last night. Figaru was so imposing. He couldn’t form the words.

  “Which demon hurt you, Jinady?”

  “None of them. I haven’t been hurt.”

  “You have a demonic marking on your aura that wasn’t there last time I saw you.”

  “What do you mean?” Jinady’s mouth had gone dry.

  “I don’t know. I’ve never seen this in a mortal’s aura before.”

  Jinady sat on his bed side. He stared in front of him. “Well…how could it…? Does it happen from talking to demons?”

  Figaru concentrated. After a moment he reached a large hand to sooth his hair.

  “Never mind, Jinady. Don’t fret. Demonic residue can sometimes mean you were harmed by demon magic. You say you weren’t, and I believe you. This must be a phenomenon I’m not familiar with. There’s no reason to worry. It will go away.”

  Jinady looked at him.

  “I shouldn’t have frightened you. You must still have nightmares.” He removed his hand. “You’ve scarcely had time to rest.”

  “I’m fine,” Jinady said. “I want…I want to go on the mission.”

  Figaru smiled at him.

  They started out before daylight. Jinady was groggy but excited to be with Figaru. He walked beside him in a strange heady state. He felt as though he were still asleep. His feet didn’t seem to touch the ground as he walked.

  Figaru carried all their supplies in a pile of equipment on his back. They left the camp through a downward sloping grass path.

  The shard tower was draped with a heavy black curtain when they passed it. Soldiers acknowledged them. Jinady grew more alert. Figaru was walking slower to match his pace.

  They reached the lower gully where there were apple orchards. Jinady saw a farmer digging out an old stump in the field.

  “Is this area is outside of the shard light?”

  “Yes,” Figaru said. “It’s not as safe as I’d like, but the shard’s presence repels much further than its glow. Only the strongest demons could come this close, and even then only at night.”

  Jinady considered. “Should we take some apples? Or would that be considered stealing?”

  This made Figaru smile. “Farmer Conroy would be happy to share with us. We don’t need them.” After a few steps he said, “There’s a better treat growing halfway through our journey. Look forward to it.”

  Figaru’s words made him feel giddy. He kept his foo
lish smile out of Figaru’s view.

  The path became a dirt road beyond the orchard. The sun lit the sky with orange hues on the horizon.

  Jinady was feeling bliss. A moment or two his hand swung near Figaru’s as they walked. He wished Figaru would take it. Then he blushed at how silly he was being. He felt like he was bathing in Figaru’s radiance. This glow brought him drunken euphoria. He felt special and stupid at the same time. The sensation was too pleasurable for him to ruin with probing questions.

  They paused for a meal in the shade of several mature walnut trees. Figaru unloaded his pack, and then lowered his large form onto the ground. He was sitting the same way he had when he spoke with Jinady in the mountain. His thick tail coiled around massive hooves. Jinady was struck by the memory. Figaru had been reassuring, even then. When he gazed at him now, he saw all his features as beautiful. Even his demonic aspects—they were no longer evil qualities. Figaru had to be a demigod. He was too noble and regal to be a mere incubus.

  Figaru was fixed on Jinady’s eyes. He patted the ground next to him.

  Jinady blinked. He’d been standing and staring. He hurried to sit where Figaru indicated. His heart raced as Figaru laid out food on the leather saddle pad.

  Snap out of it.

  Jinady bit the inside of his lip. Figaru cast a strong spell on him. He’d been swept away before just by a touch of his hair or a hug. What chance did he have throughout an entire mission?

  Figaru gave Jinady a hunk of seeded yellow bread. It was soft.

  “Oh.” Jinady marveled. This wasn’t the same fare he’d suffered on the prior journey.

  “Don’t be misled. Much of what I’m carrying is rations like you had before.” Figaru took out a small piece of bread for himself.

  Jinady savored a bite. He had a tin mug to sip water from. Figaru set out chicken and gooseberries for him, but took no more for himself. He moved back a few feet to recline against the tree trunk.

  “Aren’t you going to—“ Jinady winced at his ignorance.

  “Don’t be troubled. I like that you forget I’m a demon.”

  Jinady listened while staring at his food.

  “Demons take food for pleasure. Not out of necessity.”

  “I’d wondered,” Jinady said. His shoulders slackened. He continued to eat.

  Figaru looked outward and began to speak in a slow trance-like tone. Jinady listened without turning back at him.

  “Incubi are descendents of Galla, the goddess of lust. She considers sexual acts with partners to be rituals in her honor. When we pay homage to her, so to speak, she renews us with her magic.”

  So masturbation doesn’t count? Jinady kept the juvenile thought from his lips. “That sounds like a myth.”

  “You’ll witness Galla for yourself in the Glowing Mountain.”

  Jinady’s eyes widened.

  “The shards are composed of her essence, which is too much power for most demons to behold.”

  “That’s amazing.”

  Jinady ate a while in silence. He perked up. “She’s the reason we need swan shards then. You said incubi are her descendants. She’s the one who unleashed them on mankind.”

  Figaru spoke softly. “This wasn’t such a crime in my land. Mortals and demons live in harmony.”

  “I can’t imagine that.”

  “I know.” Figaru’s words were heavy.

  Jinady cleared his throat. “Especially living in harmony with succubi. Did Galla spawn them too?”

  “Galla is responsible for succubi, but she’s not their mother.” Figaru moved back to the saddle pad to fold it. “I’ll tell you as we walk.”

  “This was more than a century ago. Mortals outnumbered incubi, but the demons still terrorized human settlements. They demanded women be sacrificed to them and thereby amassed gigantic harems.”

  Jinady stared at Figaru as they climbed toward denser forest.

  “An incubus told a slave girl named Swan about the goddess Galla and her glowing mountain in the Northwest. Swan escaped and went to the mount. She appealed to Galla to help the women.

  “It’s said that Galla didn’t understand her pleas. The women were subject to frequent sex, which she thought was good.”

  “There was also no threat of human extinction since she’d ensured women impregnated by incubi gave birth to human offspring.

  “Swan spat at Galla, accused her of unleashing a plague on mankind, and called her a perverted, self-indulgent child.”

  “Did she kill her?”

  “Galla isn’t vengeful. She hadn’t realized how her offspring were causing mortals heartache. She turned Swan into a succubus powerful enough to withstand her essence in the mount. Swan was given the ability to turn women into demons. Those succubi would be able to transform still more women. This way, women would be able to resist the incubi.

  “Galla intended to share her magic with succubi just as she did with incubi. She hoped to encourage them to be unified in love. Swan rejected Galla’s magic. Female demons aren’t true succubi because of it. They aren’t sexual demons. They must sustain themselves through death, not love. The numerous new demons consumed the life force of animals and weaker incubi. Then they began to devour men.

  “Swan realized she’d unleashed a greater plague than that she’d accused Galla of. She withdrew back to the glowing mount. She’s the one to bestow us with the shards of Galla’s essence.”

  Jinady had started tearing dry skin off his bottom lip with his fingernails. He had little apprehension about his mission until then.

  “I’m going to see a succubus, and a goddess?”

  Figaru looked down at him. “You probably won’t see Galla, Jinady. Swan used to be human. She has great compassion for men.”

  Jinady stopped picking his lip while Figaru looked at him. He chewed at the dead skin with his head lowered.

  “You’ll meet a mortal girl in the mount, also.”

  “Oh?” Jinady asked.

  “Swan’s daughter.”

  Jinady took a deep breath. He was slightly more at ease about it.

  Chapter 17

  The incline of the road grew steeper the further they went. Jinady’s calves began to ache. At sunset Figaru gestured to a knoll on the side of the path.

  “This is the last peaceful campsite we’ll find. Let’s stop for the night.”

  Jinady was grateful. He didn’t think about the greater implications until he was on the last bite of his dinner. Figaru was building a tent between two trees.

  Jinady’s heart began to race. What would happen tonight? He’d be naïve not to expect sex. Figaru had been clear about his feelings. He hadn’t pushed him away.

  Now, he must accept whatever happens.

  “Shindra picked the area clean of firewood.”

  The words jolted him from his thoughts. He looked toward Figaru. The tent was long, but didn’t seem wide enough for two.

  “I’m going over that hill. There’s a juvenile spikey in the area. He might come to pester you, but he’s harmless. Don’t panic and kill him.” Figaru started off. “That would ruin everything.” He went out of sight.

  Jinady resumed his thoughts. After a few minutes he stood to stretch and arch a crack or two out of his back. The last light of the sun was fading. Crickets began to sing nearby him. It was growing chilly fast, so Jinady went to the pile of equipment and dug out his coat.

  “Hi!”

  Jinady whipped around toward the high-pitched demonic voice. The spikey was sitting beside the spot he’d risen from. Two yellow eyes without pupils shone in the darkness while the rest of its gangly form was obscured. It seemed to be a creature made from fat sticks.

  “Go away.” Jinady’s fear was dissipating. The thing was much smaller than him.

  “What? What did I do?”

  Jinady’s brow furrowed. It sounded like a rejected child. He wondered how juvenile incubi fed. Were they sexually mature at birth?

  “I’m with a very mean demon,” Jinady said. “He
might hurt you.”

  “He’s really strong,” the spikey said. His eyes widened in awe. “I could sense him. He’s even stronger than papa.”

  The thought of this little stick-boy being an incubus was growing obscene. “How do you feed?”

  “Kisses.”

  Jinady restrained a smile. He’d just become adorable. He put his coat over his shoulders and sat a short distance from him.

  “Will you kiss me?”

  Jinady made a grain of a laugh. “Then the demon I’m with really will hurt you.”

  “Oh! Is he your boyfriend?”

  “Something like that.” Jinady was smiling. He was close enough to make out more features of the spikey. It were as though a four-legged stick bug was dipped in black ink and trying to look human. The head was a narrow oval with fat flowing strands of hair that looked like black noodles. It didn’t seem to have a nose.

  “Well I don’t want a grown-up kiss. I just—I’m really hungry. Last time a human here gave me a little kiss. It was like the best thing in the world! Sometimes the others I was with, well that I used to be with, sometimes they kiss me when I’m hungry, but it wasn’t nothing like that kiss. I felt so strong. I just danced. And the human said he should have me as a pet. I would love to be his pet! But the demon with him, big, but not as strong as your demon, he said no way. But I really, really wanted to be his pet.”

  That must have been another shard gatherer and his guardian. “What happened to the others you were with?”

  “I stayed behind. I hoped another human would come to this spot. I’ve been waiting forever, but here you are.”

  “You should catch up with your people. You’re too young to be alone.”

  “Do you want me for your pet?”

  “I’m sure that’s not allowed.”

  “Could you ask?”

  “What do I do when you grow up? You’ll want more than kisses.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Jinady laughed hard. The demon giggled along with him, despite not getting the joke.

  “Ok, I’ll kiss you,” Jinady said. “Then you have to go away.”

  “Whee! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”