Kiss of the Succubus Ch. 05

She knew what he was. He'd let her know, and yet somehow, she'd looked into his eyes and saw not a monster, but a man she could love. He was forever grateful to her for that. She showed him the joy that could come from enjoying a home cooked meal, of sleeping in a bed, of feeling the sunshine. He had to take special elixirs to survive the sun's rays, and while the discomfort was still considerable, Lukas had grown accustomed to its warm presence, and even come to enjoy it.

He'd given all to Annabelle; he'd even sworn off drinking blood. While he would no longer retain his eternal youth, and had begun to gradually age as the years passed, so did she. Lukas found he was perfectly happy with the thought of growing old with Annabelle, and dying a mortal's death. Coming home to have his loving mortal, human wife greet him made it all worthwhile.

He walked through the parlor, not hearing a sound.

"Darling?" he repeated. Nothing.

He walked from the parlor to the den, and through the dining room. It was curious to hear the home so quiet. He set the petunias on the dining room table as he caught sight of someone in the kitchen.

"Darling!"

Annabelle Balko lay on the kitchen floor, lifeless. Lukas turned her on her back, and saw the distinctive twin holes in her neck. The same vicious holes he'd put in so many young women in the past. But never into her. Never to this woman. He felt Annabelle's skin. She was stone cold.

His vampiric senses told him Annabelle's killer was still in the house. Closer than that, perhaps. He turned around, and was treated to the grinning face of his oldest friend.

"Beautiful, wasn't she?"

Aleksei was slouched against the oven, basking in the afterglow of his meal. Aleksei Orlov. The man who'd given Balko his old life. They'd met as young men, and together they'd gone into business, becoming successful entrepreneurs even after the crash of 1929. At night they'd murdered dozens of young women, and pledged their souls to the Devil in exchange for eternal life.

At the time, that was appealing to Lukas. He'd come to revel in destruction, but as he'd gotten older, he'd changed. He and Aleksei both had dabbled in life in the straight and narrow, but for Aleksei, the draw of murder and blood was too immense. In the end, Annabelle, whom Lukas had met through Aleksei, had chosen Lukas as her one true love and a heartbroken Aleksei had gone back to his blood-feeding ways for good.

"Aleksei. Why?" Lukas asked.

Aleksei shrugged.

"With a body like hers, how could I resist?"

Lukas bared his fangs.

"You pathetic mongrel. You just couldn't stand to see my success! You couldn't handle that I've out-shined you in every possible way!"

Aleksei scoffed.

"Success? Is that what you call theft? Everything you have you took from me. Even her. I never should have invited you into the Blood of Seven."

Lukas shook his head.

"You and your ego. I always knew it would be your undoing. I just never imagined you'd put it above her."

Aleksei climbed to his feet.

"To hell with you, Balko. 'Til we meet again," he mimed tipping his hat.

Lukas was on him before he could take another step. Aleksei, prepared for the attack, was ready to sink his fingers into Lukas' face. He clawed and slashed, while Lukas shoved the older vampire's body into the wall.

Aleksei wrapped an arm around Lukas' neck, and held him in a chokehold as he wrestled him towards the counter. He was strong, almost a match for him. But Lukas couldn't imagine Aleksei even thinking he could best him in a fight. Not until he'd wrestled him onto the counter.

Now Lukas could see how Aleksei planned to walk out of his home alive. On the kitchen counter was a silver candlestick, with a center mount that had been sharpened into a point. Lukas wondered how Aleksei had gotten it into his home without burning himself.

Aleksei twisted Lukas' body, pushing him hard until his neck was directly over the candlestick blade.

"Don't worry Luke. You and Annabelle will be seeing each other very soon. Very soon indeed!"

Aleksei shoved Lukas' head down, the silver blade puncturing Lukas' chest. Steam shot from his wound as Aleksei pushed harder, forcing Lukas to sink deeper and deeper upon the silver blade.

"Dearly beloved! We are gathered here today to mourn the death of one Lukas Balko. A good friend. A loyal husband. A successful businessman. He will be sorely missed!" Aleksei taunted.

Lukas tried to scream, but the silver entering his body paralyzed him. He couldn't move or speak, and could only reflect upon the bitterness of the betrayal of his dearest friend in what were likely his last moments.

With his last ounce of strength, Lukas seized the candlestick with one hand, scalding himself as he did, but managing to pull it from his chest and toss it aside. He tried to throw it at Aleksei but was in no position to hit him. Upon losing his weapon, Aleksei choked Lukas harder, squeezing him, forcing the black blood to ooze from the open hole in Lukas' chest.

Lukas reached for the nearby knife rack. Gasping, he grabbed the handle of the butcher knife and removed it, holding it tightly in his free hand. With one hard swing, he spun around and thrusted the blade into Aleksei's chest.

The stainless steel would have done nothing to Aleksei, but Lukas pushed it in hard. Hard enough and deep enough that the wooden handle sunk into Aleksei's heart. His eyes glowed deep crimson, and smoke emanated from his hair. His skin, formerly pale and white, turned to an ashy gray. Slowly, Aleksei's body disintegrated into pure soot, leaving Lukas alone with a pile of dust before him.

He ran to Annabelle, held her body in his arms, and he screamed. He'd been a vampire for years, but it wasn't until this moment, that he truly became a monster.

It was forbidden for one of the Blood of Seven to kill another. It was no surprise to Lukas that he was summoned before the High Council to atone for his sin. Lukas pointed out that it was also forbidden for a member of the Blood of Seven to kill a family member of another member, however the Head Warlock Baylor declared that Aleksei was exempt from this rule, as he and Annabelle had fornicated.

Upon hearing the word "fornicated," Lukas lunged at the warlock, and had to be restrained by three fellow vampires. Lukas vowed in that very moment to kill the wives, sisters, and daughters of every Blood of Seven member, and to "fornicate" with each unfortunate lady first so he could be exempted as well. He knew they would possibly take vengeance against Catherine if it weren't for the fact that it was widely known among the Blood of Seven members that at the time no one wanted Catherine dead more than Lukas.

To Lukas' dismay, Aleksei was kept on as an honored member of the Blood of Seven posthumously, while Lukas had his membership revoked. He was sentenced to forty days in the Box, the most hellish torture a vampire could endure.

The coffin was made of solid silver, and Lukas was to remain locked inside for the duration of his sentence. It was as good as a death sentence; no one expected Lukas to survive. He was first injected with a syringe of garlic, weakening him to a point where he could be handled by a sextet of mortal monks who'd been entrusted with the secrets of the Blood of Seven. The men laid Balko into the Box, and sealed him inside.

Being inside brought him an agony greater than an acid bath for a mortal man. His skin peeled from his body; his bones were charred; he resembled a corpse that had been doused in kerosene and set ablaze.

He owed his survival to the last person he would have expected. She opened the casket his first night, and placed a cup of fresh blood to his lips.

"Catherine," he gasped.

She'd saved the blood from one of her bath girls, smuggled it into the warlock's temple under her coat, and brought it to her dying brother. She remained with him, soothing his burns with a wet towel and promising him he would survive. She returned the next night, and the next, each time bringing him young virgin blood to drink, and encouraged him to fight on.

No one could believe their eyes when Lukas Balko climbed out of the Box after that fortieth day, undead and well, and no one dared question his threats against them. Yet Lukas did not follow through on his threats. From that day forward, he no longer wished death upon his sister, and would not invite vengeance upon her.

He left the temple that night and fled to the United States, never to be seen by the Blood of Seven members again.

* * * * *

The motel room door opened, but Lukas was too weak to open his eyes. In his weakness, he found himself hoping it was Catherine. It took him a moment to remember that she was dead. Thanks to Grace Harker. He cursed Harker's name again.

He heard a girl scream in fright, and he thanked the Devil his plan had worked. Haley dropped the folded stack of bedsheets as soon as she saw Neil's broken, twisted body lying on the floor. He feared she might leave, so Lukas called out to her.

"Help! Help me! Please!"

Terrified, Haley stepped around the bed, and gasped when she saw Lukas lying on the floor, with a dagger protruding from his side.

"Oh my God!" she cried.

Lukas winced.

"Please. Help me," he repeated. He reached out to her.

"I- I'll call 911," she stammered.

"There's no time," Lukas gasped. He spat black blood onto the carpet. "You need to pull it out."

Haley took a step back.

"I- don't have training to do this!"

"Just pull it out!" Lukas cried. "You have to! Pull it out now. Or I'll die."

Haley looked around the room; anxiously realizing the burden of saving this man's life fell upon her shoulders. Trepidatiously, she stepped towards the incapacitated vampire, and knelt beside him.

"Do it," Lukas said. "Just grab it. And pull."

"I'll try," she said, uncertainly.

Haley gripped the handle of the dagger and pulled. The dagger easily slid out from Lukas' damaged flesh, sending a splash of black blood onto Haley's legs. She squealed, feeling the cold, tar-like liquid cling to her thighs, and she tossed the bloody dagger aside. She was glad she was wearing shorts; if she'd been wearing long pants they most certainly would have been ruined.

Lukas breathed a sigh of relief. He was still drained and weakened, but the paralyzing pain was lifted the moment the dagger left his body.

"I'll call you an ambulance," Haley said, unsure if she should wash her hands first or not.

"No," Lukas said. "They can't help me. Only you can."

More anxiety gripped her.

"How am I supposed to help you?" She found herself contemplating the man dying because of her medical incompetence, and panicked even more.

"C-come here," Lukas whispered. "I'll tell you."

Haley leaned towards him.

"Closer," Lukas said reaching out with one sticky hand and beckoning her towards him.

Haley took another step closer to the wounded vampire, until her ear was just inches from his mouth. Lukas grinned. He grabbed Haley by the back of her head, and sank his fangs into her throat.

* * * * *

Darkness enveloped her.

Nothing, not even the light of the moon lit her way. Grace squeezed her daughter's hand as they trudged through the forest, feeling branches snag their hair and meager nightclothes.

"Mommy, let's go back! I'm scared!" Kayla cried.

"We can't sweetie, I'm sorry! We can't let those people find us!"

Grace had to admit, she wanted to turn back badly. She was no longer certain she was even headed in the right direction as she headed further and further into the forest. The fear, the gripping terror, of Balko finding her, of finding her daughter, chilled her blood to a standstill. Grace would rather be lost in the forest forever than let that happen.

Reaching out with her left hand, she felt in front of her as she proceeded, step-by-step, through the forest. Every time she felt a tree, she would guide Kayla a little to the left and continue, praying they would not fall into an open well or any other danger this forest held.

Her feet were in agony. Both she and Kayla were barefoot, treading across the forest earth and stepping on branches, pine cones, and needles, making their trek just a bit less bearable with every step. The thought that they were leaving a blood trail leading directly to them led Grace to continue faster, and pray she could outrun the hungry vampire on her heels. She knew he could not be far behind.

A loud howl broke the silence of the night, a wolf or coyote by the sound of it. Kayla squealed, and wrapped her arms around Grace's leg tightly. The source of the howl came from nearby. In the direction they were headed.

"Maybe we better stop for a bit," Grace whispered, grateful to have an excuse not to continue.

She sat down onto the ground, finding a sturdy tree to lean against. Shivering, she pulled her T-shirt down, trying to cover her legs, but it wasn't quite long enough to reach beyond the top of her thighs. Kayla took a seat on her lap and curled into a ball, and that seemed to keep her warm. They would just take a moment to rest, Grace decided. Just a few moments, and they would continue on, not be delayed by fatigue or fear of the forest when so many more terrifying things were behind them.

Grace took a deep breath and let her shoulders settle upon the tree behind her. It was not comfortable, but the momentary rest was a blissful recess from her trek though the darkness. She rested her palm on Kayla's head, feeling the young girl drift off into slumber. She could wait a bit longer, just so Kayla could get a little rest. Grace took watch, scanning the darkness for danger. She sat and she watched, and before long she too, had drifted fast asleep.

* * * * *

The gas station was abandoned. Grace, nor anyone else for that matter, was anywhere in sight. Joe slowed to a walk as he hurried into station area, out of breath. Nothing but dense fog lingered in the air wherever he looked.

"Grace!" he shouted, hearing nothing but his own voice echo back at him. He dropped his arms to his sides, helplessly.

He walked between the gas pumps, hearing the faint drizzle of gasoline filling a container. Walking from pump to pump, between the seemingly endless rows of them, he found a faceless stranger standing at one of them. The stranger held the pump and squeezed the nozzle, draining gasoline into a metal drum.

"Excuse me, have you seen this woman?" Joe asked, showing the stranger a photo of Detective Harker.

"She's gone!" the stranger murmured, despite having no mouth, or other facial features for that matter. The stranger walked away with the can of gas in his or her hand; Joe couldn't tell the stranger's gender, and disappeared into the fog.

He looked around hopelessly. He couldn't see or hear anyone, even the gas station looked to be unattended. He hurried to the gas station door and peeked inside.

There was pure darkness inside. Joe grabbed the door handle and pulled hard, and slowly, the door creaked open. Hesitantly, Joe stepped inside.

All he found inside was a morgue. No one appeared to be working, but he did see two bodies laid out onto examination tables, both covered with a sheet. Joe pulled back the sheet on one of them.

Grace. She lay on the table, cold and still. Her empty eyes stared back at him, unmoving.

"I'm so sorry, Grace. I tried to find you. I'm so sorry," he whispered.

He looked to the other body. It was much smaller, clearly a child's body. Joe couldn't bring himself to look at that one. He walked away from the examination tables, and noticed something hanging over the sink. A key.

Joe hurried over towards the sink and grabbed it, and quickly dropped his pants. The key easily unlocked the cock cage, and he removed it, breathing a sigh of relief at having his penis and balls free once again.

He turned back to the examination tables, only to find the bodies of Grace and Kayla were missing. Instead, only one body was present. Gabby Becket lay nude on one of the tables, uncovered by a sheet. Slowly, she sat up, and smiled at him.

"Hello, Joey," she said sweetly. "You're free. I set you free, Joey."

"Thank you," Joe said, unable to take his eyes off her beautiful body. Her soft skin seemed to shine under the illumination of the overhead lights.

"Will you make love to me?" she asked. She opened her legs invitingly, bending one at the knee and letting the other hang over the table's edge.

Joe stepped towards her and took her in his arms. He kissed her passionately on the lips, and climbed onto the examination table on top of her.

"Take me, Joe. I'm all yours. Take me now."

He slid his penis inside her. She moaned deeply as his cock found its place inside her warm, wet pussy. He began to thrust, slowly at first, and building speed as his excitement grew.

"It's been so long since you've gotten laid, hasn't it?" she asked.

Joe nodded. He pounded her harder, basking in the ecstasy of the moment. Relief consumed his being. Relief at having control of his own penis once again. Relief at finally having a female body to touch and hold. Relief at finally having an opportunity to release. He was fast approaching it.

"Ooh, Joey, give it to me! More!" she moaned. He was all too happy to oblige. He squeezed her supple body in his hands and ravaged her, feeling himself grow larger and larger inside her.

"Give it to me give it to me give it to me-"

Joe awoke with a start. He lay face down in his car, with a pounding headache while his cell phone buzzed. He sat up, realizing he was still in the parking lot of the Blue Lion. He felt down into his pants. The cock cage was still there.

"Fuck," he cursed. He didn't need Gabby torturing him if his subconscious was going to do it for her.

He took out his phone and answered it.

"Pratt," he said after a beat, needing a second to remember how he should answer the phone.

"Double homicide at the Shady Woods motel in Mount Franklin," Captain Pillar said.

"Mount Franklin?" Joe asked. He rubbed his hand against his forehead. "That's- out of our jurisdiction."

"We got a dead girl. Raped. Blood drained. They requested someone who worked the Balko murders. Right now, that's just you."

Joe looked at his watch. It was barely dawn.

"Well, if I leave now, I might be able to get there by um, noon?" he said, phrasing it as a half-question.

"I'll tell them you'll be there at eleven-thirty," Pillar said.

"All right." He paused. "Hey. Did they find Harker?"

Pillar sighed.

"The uni showed up to the gas station where she was spotted. No one was there."

"Fuck," Joe said.

"You'd better get going."

"Does this mean I'm back on?" Joe asked, but the captain hung up on him. Joe put his cell phone back in his pocket, sighing. He would have to make a stop at a drug store if he was going to survive this day in his current condition. Reluctantly, Joe started up his Impala and headed to Mount Franklin.

* * * * *

He arrived at the Shady Woods just after eleven. He checked his hair in the rear view mirror. It was still a bit messy, but he hoped it hadn't been obvious he'd spent the night passed out in his car. It occurred to him that he still didn't have his badge. That might be a problem at a crime scene with several detectives who didn't know him.