The Succling and Her Dues

Chapter Three: Act 1

[Victorian District, 2018 (Continued)]

Time slipped as the steam rose and frosted the glass panels separating Syifus from the rest of the imperial bathroom. His head bent forward, numbing his clenched jaw. A sigh escaped him when the final splotches of carmine from his feet flowed into the drain.

Stepping out of the shower, Syifus meandered toward a mirrored wall, examining the etched lines of gold—healed scars from the wounds Cauva inflicted upon him—splayed on his chest. It is better, this way, he thought to himself. But, I hope to see her one last time…

He dressed himself in a slick black tuxedo, one that accentuated his medium build and mysteriously piercing green eyes. He, of course, did not plan to seek her out in person. The shadows offered him comfort, knowing that he could blend in if he wished.

The shadows, however, were little and obscured by the irradiant fixtures hanging from the front of their home in the foyer. Commotion from the Black Box filled his perking ears, so he padded to the edge of the door, pressing his temple beside the cinnabar door.

“He reminded me of someone,” Anara confessed, her voice soft and mournful. “The hand servant from the palace.”

Syifus’ jaw ticked. He loathed any mention of that man. He never showed his disdain to either Anara or Cuava. Aquarius knew of this, but never shared it with them, despite her willingness to use information to her advantage.

“Impossible!” Cauva shouted, breaking Syifus from his lingering, distasteful thoughts. “Almost three hundred years it’s been. Two-hundred and eighty-six years, to be exact. A man who died for treason—”

“But he lives, you see,” Anara interrupted. “I saw him through Trenton’s eyes. How could I do it? The unthinkable. To a man I once loved.”

Syifus shivered at the echo of smacked flesh.

“Get. Out. Of. My. WAY!” Cauva seethed. Cauva was, indeed, a demoness scorned. Having lost her title, her legions, and her subjects, she craved order in any way possible. She often resorted to violence when she could no longer handle the thoughts, feelings, or demands of others. Perhaps her head has unscrewed beyond righteous direction.

Guilt ate away at Syifus. He crept away, retreating into the bed of Cauva’s chamber. And he sat on the edge of the bed, listening to the chimes of a looming clock above the door, wondering why they had so many clocks scattered across the mansion.

Bursting the door opening, Cauva shrieked and nailed her fist to the wall next to the door before slamming it shut. She cackled soon after, her anger bubbling in her shifting irises.

“Did you know who Trenton was?” she asked him, her face peering over her shoulder.

“Whatever do you mean?” Syifus queried.

She rolled her eyes. “A doppelgänger shouldn’t be possible. It never occurred to me that… that man would come into her life again.”

Syifus stiffened, his lips sealed.

“That scaly b***h had to mention Plaucius. I could see the resemblance of him through Phillip. A daft cunt would have seen it from the depths of the vast ocean—in the stars—if they stared long enough. Given the new circumstances, I doubt Death would accept my demands for the crown of Earth and Hell.”

“If I may be frank, humans have recorded such occurrences for centuries. Many believe that, to keep the bloodline pure among royal families, one would have had to breed incestually. Or…” Syifus gulped down, torn between how curious her fury would grow or how subtle she would take to the peculiar piece of information he had.

“Or what?” she demanded.

With a tight-lipped smile that quickly disappeared, he flatly responded, “They must simply sacrifice a secondary heir, one which will return later on in life to alter their motives from a previous life.”

Cauva’s brows furrowed, but a laugh escaped the cracks of her twisted smile. “I find it hard to believe, pet. But say it were true, Mr. Welkers would not exist. It would be through Phillip, alone, that would draw the notion of this occurrence ringing true!” Her hair smoldered and flickered with light sparks, twisting to and fro toward the ceiling.

Rotten grapefruit permeated within Syifus’ nostrils and filtered through his lungs, tears building at the waterlines of his eyes. Holding his breath would not help, and leaving the room for fresh air went without question. He stood and wrapped his arms around Cauva, embracing her until she melted into his arms. The smell of decaying fruit fled from him, replaced with scents of jasmine and chamomile.

“Had I known then that Phillip was not Kekash Alzar’s heir, I would have killed them sooner…” She wrapped her arms around Syifus’ waist, her nose nuzzling the crook of his neck. “You would have been alright with it then, yes?” She trailed wet kisses up his neck, sending shivers down his spine.

He hummed, but his eyes held sorrowful anguish; not that she was looking directly at him. But her touch did things for him, stirring passion that had been tucked away for decades. The kindling they lacked for some time. He had stopped counting the days. Hours. Minutes. Seconds.

“Were you angry with her for keeping him?” he asked. The halt of her salacious tongue made him wish he could take it back. He was curious, after all.

A tired sigh spilled from her lips. “I was elated when Phillip entered the world. It meant that I had accomplished the impossible. To conquer a realm that was never meant to be claimed by a succubus, nor demon, like me. Of course, I’d let Anara shower him with motherly affection, watching her love for him bleed out from her swollen teats. Then I would have taken him on his first name day. Then her life would have been mine, too, when her heart could not bear the loss of another precious gift.”

This was nothing new for Syifus. She sulked over Anara and Phillip every night. He tired of her malicious jabs towards the innocent succling and her son. They were simply pawns in Cauva’s pocket that had not yet paid their dues. “Flower,” he interrupted, brushing his fingers down her jawline. “I will stay here as long as you wish. I understand your reservations about me, but she can give you more than I ever could. Perhaps you should share her bed tonight.”

She purred, her eyes flickering and filled with lust. “And you will stay here?”

He nodded.

She stood up and stared down at him. “Good.” She snapped her fingers. A chain coiled around the post of her bed then stretched out and clasped onto the ring of a spiked collar that appeared on Syifus’ neck. “Don’t struggle too much, pet. I’d hate to see you in pieces.”

Suddenly, Syifus found himself bound to a chair, with a rather peculiar creature slugging toward his polished shoes. Purplish glowing ooze etched on the tile floor and reached him. “What… What is this?”

“My gift to you, pet, while I enjoy my night ravishing the one thing you can’t have.”

The spikes dug into his neck when he lunged forward.

She cackled and exited the room.

He relaxed a bit, then tensed when he felt the slimy gastropod trail up under his trousers and bulge its way to his groin. His undergarments did little in the way of protecting his phallus, for the creature found its way to the tip, slipping its denticles around him and easing its way down his shaft. He gasped, holding his breath as it pulsed, retracted, and then descended on his growing c**k, with tears streaming down his cheeks as the spikes tightened around his neck.