S and Murder (Hannah Graves Spin-off One)

Seven

Seven:

Whoever coined the phrase, “good enough to eat,” had clearly met a succubus. That was exactly how I felt as I strode into the spire of the King.

I felt sexy, and I felt like I was going to leave here a well-satisfied woman.

The room was bathed in rich royal purple and gold trimming. The hall opened into a garden party with subtle string music and a light snare drumbeat. The music was more inter-woven than most mortal measures, with eight bars of four counts, and then it seemed to switch into triple-beats periodically. It was a lot of sound for such a light event.

The ambiance was light and festive. Hidden, for all their annoyances, were usually great about being somewhat fair and balanced. Sometimes, I felt this was true, despite who sat on the throne.

“All rise!”

Royal guards called out, and I could hear the clang of their long pole-like energy weapons. They could be used for melee or ranged combat, so a functional design, even if they were a bit bulky and reminded me a bit of that old Star Gate show I saw on SyFy reruns.

Siegfried strode in, he was almost delicate for a tall man of six-foot. His waist was extremely slender, and his slight but well-toned muscles bespoke his prowess, despite the paper-thin proportions.

He had long raven locks and an Italian-like olive complexion. He was always in an impeccably tailored tuxedo, with his usual silver cuffs. His eyes looked almost lazy like he was perpetually annoyed with the world.

He strode in with his beautiful blonde arm candy for the evening. She was a magus, but he seemed to pretty much mate with every species, from what I have seen. As a succubus, I could not fault him for liking diversity in his snack selection.

“Please, dance, drink, merry-make. Hidden is one, and to each of you my throne is forever open to your pleas.”

Siegfried said in a dry tone, and he swept his gaze over the entire room in the next moment, and I could tell he committed every face to memory. He pretended to be lazy, yet he was an ever-alert feline-like predator, waiting to pounce on his prey. He didn’t feel powerful, but there was a silent deadliness to his aura, something that my logical mind could not exactly fathom.

Ren cleared his throat in my direction, as he came gliding over with his seductively gorgeous daughter on his arm. I wasn’t sure where his wife was tonight, but I could gander it was something work-related if she was missing the court festivities. He projected pride for his daughter in his every expression and action. Ren loved his family profoundly, I almost envied Christen. Mister dragon-kin tough guy was a scaly p***y cat to his girls.

Christen was wearing a white dress that was trimmed with silver, matching closely with her light-colored hair. She was bold in her fashion sense and her personality. She was also one of the liveliest immortal girls I had met. If I had a sister—which I could honestly never know at this point—I would hope that she was half as remarkable as Christen. Also, her ability to look beyond the social conventions, and be friends with me, despite my random differences from the other species of earth.

“If you two will excuse me, I am off to work the room to get donations for the lower town reconstruction efforts.”

She said, and she gave her dad a mildly chastising look and said, “You be nice to her, and try not to be such a damn brute while you’re at work.”

He gave her a look of indulgence and he smiled sweetly to her.

“Good luck with your fundraising, and your hunting.”

He said to her, and she flashed him a slightly annoyed look as she sashayed off to raise funds for her good cause. Christen was like the leading reformist voice in the Nix city clan. She was basically raised in Hidden City, so she was passionate about fixing it, and guiding it towards a better future. It was for reasons like this, that I could still love this city, despite certain royals. My eyes inadvertently swung back to Siegfried, who nodded at me curtly, and he flicked his fingers at us in a bidding motion. Part of me was praying Ren had missed the gesture while watching his daughter depart to the dance floor to begin working her bachelors over for their checks. She had game for a Nix, and she seemed to be enjoying the hunt for mister right.

“Come one, we have been summoned.”

Ren said, and he gripped my arm firmly, but gently, and he tucked my arm through his own, like how he had with Christen. Part of me wanted to kick and scream, rather than go talk with Siegfried, but I was unfortunately too mature to do that now.

It was not lost on me, the way the circle of twelve royal guards tightened their hold on their sheathed weapons as I approached their king. He ruled the land I lived on, but make no mistake, he was not my king. I had no ruler, and I wanted no ruler. Somedays, Ren was lucky I was so tolerant of him because there was something inside me that felt like piercing the hearts of all who dared to press me down into any form of servitude. I was like a Nix alpha-female, but without the dragon scales and the wing on my back. Instead, I had hunger issues and seeming endless starvation for physical contact. s*x was like my drug of choice, not merely because it kept me fed, but also because it made me full. Full of the hopes that someday I might exist beyond simple endurance and survival. That my life might culminate into something a smidge more meaningful, and I might even know a few simple truths about my origin.

“Lord-Detective Renford, Lady Spencer Kacey, I am pleased you could make it here tonight.”

He said, and part of me almost believed he meant the greeting. I was never sure why he chose to bestow the title of “Lady” upon me as if maybe that would dissuade me from feeling less prisoner to his social structure.

“My King, I am honored to be in your presence once more.”

Ren said earnestly and I managed to withhold the eye-roll queuing in my eyes.

“Hello, how are tricks?”

I asked simply, and probably a lot more familiarly than was particularly encouraged in court. The guarded circled closer and Siegfried held up a hand and they stopped mid-step.

“No, no, this is a free kingdom, the Lady is permitted the courtesy of being informal with me. Such is her right, and her place in this courtship.”

Siegfried spoke with authority, basically pardoning me, to what end I could not be sure. The truth was, I was hoping to be thrown out, and never invited back again.

“Tricks, as you put it, are going rather well. We have cause to celebrate, and we have made many in-roads with the apex clan as well. We stand united to face any potential problems down the line as a single unified people. Hidden, has only come out stronger from the latest assaults and attempt to undermine our way of life and to snuff out our hope.”

Siegfried spoke to me, but his voice carried around the courtroom, and the many eyes and ears were being addressed, even if indirectly. I could tell there were tensions in the air, and a lot of fears were making the rounds of the city. Fear was like a sour and bitter perfume, with a rancid taste. For a succubus, that emotion was as repellent as a skunk was to the average human.

“Sounds like you guys are having fun. Don’t let me disturb you then.”

I said, and I made to turn, and Ren dug his hand in tighter and held me still. He was not being violent, but he was ardently insisting I stand still and shut up for a moment. Despite everything between us, even his grip was not bruising to my skin, he was a gentleman to his very soul.

“Not at all, I would just like to hear your observations about this disturbing case involving your former lover. I hear the modus could be compared to your chi siphoning ability. The way your species feeds to maintain metaphysical balance and health. Would you care to enlighten me?”

No not particularly! I thought to myself, and Siegfried’s lip twitched, and I could deduce in that minimal tell, that he was telepathic. I bit my inner lip and I sucked down a gulp of much-needed oxygen. I then looked him in the eyes once again, and I swallowed my pride.

“It is nothing like my ability to feed. I am far too sophisticated to tare the life-force form from someone’s chest as if we were in some sort of fantasy video game. Her chest cavity was seared in many places and her metaphysical drain was so blindingly painful that it left her once beautiful eyes a milky white and glassy from the glaring unimaginable burst of pain.”

I steadied myself, and I looked around at all the beings feasting, drinking, and dancing while listening to my conversation as if it were mere gossip to amuse themselves.

“Whatever killer her was not born with the expressive ability I have, because it is far too rudimentary and sloppily done. This is something that has developed a new skill, in my best-educated guess from the facts on hand.”

Siegfried nodded, and he snapped his fingers, and the curtain around the canopy of the tent-like area his throne was positioned, dropped a purple wall between him and the rest of the court, cutting us off. Not even my sense of metaphysical energies or auras could penetrate the darkness of the thin veil separating us.

“As you have gathered, no one can eavesdrop on us now.”

He told me, and I gave him a bewildered look.

“You could have dropped that veil before I said that much!”

I said, and his guards moved again, but he cleared his throat and they stood down once again.

“Incorrect, I had to allow them to see the appall and your disdain for the crime, so they would not view you as a suspect or someone complicit in this dreadful affair. Some would have me put, what is the mortal phrase, oh yes, ‘Open season,’ upon you, Spencer.”

Siegfried stood up and he paced over to us, and he produced a card between his fingers like the magician he appeared as in garb.

“If you should require aid.”

He said, and I huffed, and Ren inclined his head in thanks. He took the card with a careful motion, and said, “We are grateful for your concern and your level of vigilance, you Majesty.”

Ren squeezed me arm tighter as if trying to communicate something to me with nothing but his grip. I had a vague—not really vague at all—feeling I knew what that something was.

I waved my hand dismissively and said, “Sure, sure, your kingdom, and all that. We will keep you apprised, not that I work for you, BT Dubs.”

His wicked smile was instant, and he said, “I am not given to such folly as to believe you my employee, Lady Spencer Kacey. You are merely the most controversial ward this court has ever known.”

With the second snap of his fingers, I felt a fleeting sense like something had flashed around me—power. Then the court was in view. Everyone stared in curiosity but remained still and calm.

“Now that I have conducted the only matter of business for this evening, let us dance and make merry.”

Siegfried announced, and everyone applauded in approval. I shifted myself closer to the wine and reached for a cup. Ren looked like he was about to stop me but then decided against it.