Among Demons : Succubus Divine

Ch. 3 : Thicker than Blood

My mood was elevated as I neared Nick's neighborhood, my music blasting as I wove in and out of the different little roads.

I had just gotten off the phone with him telling me that he was going to stop and get some drinks for dinner after dropping off the body of the Shifter at the morgue. It was a common thing we had to do when dealing with Demons that were attacking Humans and risking the safety of the rest of us. Our laws were different from Humans and death was the only sentence that fell upon those that went against their Leaders orders. But that didn’t mean that those Demons weren’t worthy of respect afterwards, so the small morgue that was just a block away from my apartment was crucial. It had been bought by a sweet Demon family and they are the only ones besides Nick that know the truth about me. So they open their doors at all hours and help tend to the bodies of our people who had chosen to rebel, allowing them their final Blessings and funeral rights free of charge.

I slowed down as I neared a cute two story house at the end of a cul-de-sac, parking next to the sidewalk and gazing at it fondly.

It was a beige colored craftsman house with white trimmings and a pale gray roof that gave off a cozy feeling everytime I came to visit. The porch was wide and framed by bright white railings and dark brown stone steps that matched the front door. I could see the living room through the main window as I climbed out of my car and knew that the large window above it on the second floor was Nick and Holly’s bedroom.

I hesitated a bit as I neared the porch, glancing back and relaxing when I caught sight of Nick’s truck turning into the street. So I waited until he was pulling into the driveway before ringing the doorbell, plastering a big smile onto my face as the door clicked open.

“Oh, Devin.” The small brunette squeaked when she saw me, smiling a bit nervously while Nick jumped out of his car. “Is that Nick?”

“Yeah, he’s coming.” I told her, stepping back so she could lean out to see him. “He invited me for dinner and I, of course, beat him here.”

“Woman!” Nick huffed, stomping up the porch with an annoyed and playful look in his eyes. “Don’t start with me.” He stepped closer to his wife and kissed her cheek, making her smile before she turned back into the house and led us inside.

I joked around with Nick and helped him set things up in the dining room while Holly added the finishing touches to the meal. My mind drifted into a sea of nostalgia that had me smiling and bringing up stories from many years ago.

I was very young when I was added into an orphanage, having lost my parents before I was old enough to remember them. That was where I first met Nicolas Carnia, a scrawny boy that was two years older than me. He had been one of the first Humans in that dreadful building to realize that I wasn’t Human. But unlike the adults and other kids, he didn’t treat me differently.

In fact, he remained indifferent to me for a while before the abuse we suffered through brought us together.

He hated being there and fought with everyone he could, which made him a problem child that was deemed worthy of beatings. And me, the sad little four year-old Demon orphan, was also added onto the list of punching bags that were starved and locked away for days. Nick was smart for a six year-old and would sneak out of his room to steal food and water while the adults were distracted or asleep. And it was during these heists that he would come by my room and give me half of what he had taken through a small hole in the wall. He would never say anything though and just pretended like he didn’t know me at all, keeping that mask of apathy on his young face at all times.

But as the secret nights of snacking continued, we started to talk through the door that separated us.

Soon, we were helping treat each other's wounds after getting hit, though I was terrible at it since I was so young. And he slowly started to interact with me more and more, playing and helping me with chores. When I was finally old enough to start first grade, having been kept from attending kindergarten or pre-school, he tutored me. And if anyone started to pick on me or if the adults tried to strike us again, he stepped up and challenged them, blocking me as much as he could. He defended me to his friends who tried to get him to call me names and when I started to physically change thanks to my being a Succubus, he protected me from the many men that wanted to use me. He taught me all sorts of things I didn't understand about Humans while I taught him about anything Demon related that he was curious about. We learned to fight together, cussed like sailors when we were mad, and were able to communicate with nothing but our eyes whenever we needed to.

Nick became my only family during those terrible days and even though many people questioned us for saying so, we called each other and treated each other like siblings. It never mattered if no one understood us or if they tried to separate us because of what I was. Nick stood by my side through it all and I stood by him. He was my big brother, end of story. I never cared that he was Human or that we looked absolutely nothing alike. I never cared about the rumors that started up when people found out about our relationship.

Nothing had ever been strong enough to break us apart.

And now, a full twenty years later, he was still here by my side, supporting me in all of the crazy and sometimes dangerous things that I chose to do. Of course, I did my very best to support my dear brother and backed him up in anything he chose to do too. So, like a good little sister, I was a witness to his proposal and wedding that added his high school sweetheart Holly to our family. And for nearly four years after their wedding everything had been wonderful and peaceful between the three of us.

That is, until Holly learned the truth about me.

We had kept the truth about me being a Succubus since I first met her while they were still dating. I had used contacts to hide my ringed eyes and made sure to never use my powers while she was around. But the truth was weighing down on us both as time passed, and it had pained me to watch my brother struggle against himself because of it. After he proposed we tried to find a good way to tell her but things kept piling up. And months before, during and after the wedding never seemed good enough since poor Holly was going through the loss of her last family member during those times and dealing with the inheritance and funeral.

But the truth finally came out a little over six months ago during a girls day out.

Holly and I had planned a spa day and were enjoying our time relaxing and talking about all sorts of things. When it was all over and we walked out of the spa feeling refreshed, it was late and we ended up running into a trio of men. They were walking across the parking lot and stunk of beer and cigarettes, laughing loudly when they spotted us. I still remember chastising myself for parking so far away from the building while I dragged Holly with me as fast as I could.

Those men very clearly wanted one thing from us and I was left with no choice than to use my powers to keep anything from happening to Holly. I didn’t want my brother to lose the woman he loved in any way and I knew that if those men had touched her that she wouldn’t be the same woman anymore. So I exposed myself to her, the contacts in my eyes melting away because of it all, and managed to chase away the men before Nick arrived. Because of this, I ended up staying away from their home for a full twelve days while Nick explained everything to her, doing his best to calm her.

I had been filled with worry at the time and I couldn’t have hated myself more because I felt like I had ruined my brother's relationship. And as more days passed without any communication, I felt worse and worse.

When he finally called me and invited me over, the feeling of the room was awkward but I felt so much better seeing that they were still very much in love with each other. Sadly, things have remained a bit weird and uncomfortable since that day, though I do my best to act normal. I also couldn’t lie to myself when Nick finally opened up and told me what it was that was making things so difficult for Holly to accept, feeling bitter self-hatred every time I thought of it.

Plainly explained, it was me. Me being a Succubus was the thing that kept pestering my sister-in-law and making things awkward. That was because, like many other Humans, she believed that my race thrived off of chaos. The chaos that came about because of infidelity and the destruction of a loving relationship. This was the big thing that so many Humans blamed my race for, because they thought that we held the power to make anyone and everyone cheat on their spouse, fiance, or girlfriend. That we ‘fed’ on the relationships we ripped apart and that our powers were meant to be used for only those purposes.

Of course, those myths were absolutely and completely wrong.

For starters, no Succubus or Incubus don’t feeds on broken relationships, but on the c****x we reach during s*x. We also feed on the pleasure of physical touch and make-out sessions that get steamy and wild. That is what fuels our powers and keeps our bodies healthy and strong, though we also need regular food like Humans, just in smaller portions. We also have no control over people if they’re hearts are spoken for, so even if we wanted to take a man or woman away from their partner, if they were truly in love, our powers were weak against them. My race also has the ability to see the little colorful lines that connect two people and reveal their relationship and how strong it is. So we can easily see if someone is in love or not and whether our powers would have any affect on them.

I as well as Nick had explained this to Holly a few times and I had even told her that Nick was completely lost for her. But things remained a bit… weird.

Even now, as we sat at the table eating and talking, I could see her clear blue eyes flicking to me nervously. Her hand reaching out to Nicks every so often and a tiny frown wrinkling her forehead when Nick and I would share a little sibling moment that could appear as something else if you over thought it. She would also rake her hand through her warm brown hair a lot too which I had learned to mean that she was growing anxious and I quickly excused myself once our meal was done.

“Are you sure you’re ok?” Nick asked me, having volunteered to walk me out. “I know how you get after a hunt like that and…” he glanced over his shoulder and frowned when he spotted Holly peeking at us from the entrance to the kitchen. “I’ll talk to her again, don’t worry about it and-”

“Don’t, it’s fine.” I stopped him, stepping away from him as I walked out of their home. “I don’t want to be the reason why you guys fight or anything. Don’t worry about it.”

He reached out and stopped my retreat, gripping my wrist tightly while he continued to frown.

“Stop it.” He closed the door behind himself and pulled me closer, glaring when I tried to back away again. “Quit distancing yourself Dev.”

“I’m not.” I tried to argue, but he quickly jumped in, challenging my words.

“Really? You’re not? Then why haven’t I seen or heard back from you in nearly a week?” I flinched a bit, catching the sting in his voice. “You won’t answer my texts at all anymore Devin. Do you really think I don’t know what you’re doing?”

I sighed and looked back up at him, fighting back the urge to cry like a little girl. Nick has always been the one to make me feel like that bratty little kid I used to be, seeing through me so easily that it sometimes scared me.

“I don’t want you to sacrifice anything more for me, Nick.” I muttered, bowing my head and pressing my face against his chest. “I’m a big girl now, you don’t need to keep tabs on me or have me in the picture anymore… I can take care of myself now.”

“The f**k you can.” His arms came up and squeezed me tight while his breath fanned over the crown of my head. “We made a promise, Devin. We swore that we’d stay in each other's lives until the end, remember?” He pushed me back a bit and looked down, smiling faintly at me. “You’re my annoying little sister, and I’ll be damned if I let you disappear from my life over something like this.”

“You stubborn jack-ass.” I chuckled out, hugging him again while he laughed.

His words warmed me and the long hug we shared soothed my worries.

I hated being the reason behind anything he was denied, hated that I was an anchor to him when I knew he could be doing so much better without me. I never wanted Nick to sacrifice anything for my sake and was always ready for him to push me away so that he could achieve all the things he wanted. But he never did. And even now, when I had literally become the source of discomfort in his nearly perfect relationship with Holly, he was still asking me to stay in his life. I hated that I felt so lucky and happy to hear his words and I sometimes wished I could be strong enough to vanish so that he wouldn’t have to struggle over anything because of me. But I also knew that I could never just abandon my brother who has done so much for me.

“And yet you love this jack-ass.” He sassily retorted, making me laugh some more.

“Sadly, yes.” He pouted at my answer and spun me around, guiding me to my car while using his grip on my shoulders to push me from side to side, making me stumble.

“Oh! The cruel fate of having such an ungrateful baby sister!” He ranted, his voice taking on a terrible accent that had me giggling as I continued to trip and lose my balance. “Woe is me who has to suffer the verbal abuse bestowed upon me by my dearest and most precious kin!”

“Says the man that keeps bringing up the most embarrassing moments of my life everytime I see you!” I shouted back, trying my hardest to stop him from shoving me around.

“When else will I get to enjoy tormenting you when you don’t visit anymore?” I finally shook myself free and raced the last two feet to my car, grinning and feeling like a damn kid again. “Drive safe and get some rest.”

“Yeah, yeah.” I rolled my eyes at the sudden parental tone he always took on when we parted ways, stepping closer for another hug. “Love you, you big dork.”

“I love you too, Little Droplet.” He kissed the top of my head and waved me off as I climbed into my car, staying on the sidewalk as I slowly pulled away.

I rolled down the window to my passenger seat and stopped for a second as he turned away, honking my horn so he would look back.

“Go make a baby!” I shouted, laughing when he cringed and shook his head, shooing me away from his home and rushing back inside.