The Succubus's Prize (A Deal With A Demon) by Katee Robert

Author:Katee Robert [Robert, Katee]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Trinkets & Tales LLC
Published: 2024-04-17T00:00:00+00:00

13

BELLADONNA

After a dreamless sleep, I wake in the morning and lie in my bed for several long moments, staring at the ceiling. After what happened with Inna and the others, I’d expected the pleasure to extend past my waking moments. I’d . . . wanted to see Rusalka within the safety of dreams, to gather the courage to do the thing I couldn’t quite manage in the daylight. To touch her.

Instinctive tension tries to fight its way into my muscles in response to that desire. I know what my mother would say—a whole host of ugly terms that I refuse to let my brain formulate on purpose—and I know what Pastor John and my father would say—sin is tempting for a reason, so as to guide people off the straight and narrow. I even know what Ruth would say, tears in her eyes—how she would beg me to pray with her as if this is a rotten part of me to be pruned away by faith.

But . . . even the weight of others’ condemnation can’t quite touch the golden dome around the memory. The pleasure, yes, but also the tenderness and care. I barely know Zhenya, Inna, and Danik, but I’d felt cherished all the same. Which is not even getting into how protected and safe I feel with Rusalka, even when desire for her makes me dizzy.

This doesn’t feel dirty. It doesn’t feel wrong.

As I dress, I mull over what Rusalka told me about the god of the incubi and succubi, a great, unknowable being they worship through adhering to their nature because how could something intrinsic to your nature be a sin?

It’s enough to make my head spin.

I pull on another dress, this one much more modest than last night’s, and open the door to peek out. The hallway is empty, and I can’t decide if I’m relieved or disappointed. In the end, it doesn’t matter. I’m too hungry to hide in my bedroom until someone comes to fetch me.

From the little I’ve seen of the house, I can tell it’s big but laid out in easy-to-navigate lines. After a little trial and error, I find a kitchen on the same side of the building as my bedroom but down on the first floor.

There’s a person there who doesn’t look like any incubus or succubus I’ve seen so far. Their skin is a deep-crimson color, and they have horns similar to Azazel’s, though they’re nowhere near his size. And they have a second set of horns growing out of where their eye sockets would be.

They turn to face me as I step through the door. “Belladonna, it’s lovely to make your acquaintance. I’m here on behalf of Azazel, and I’ll be doing periodic check-ins to ensure you’re cared for and unharmed during your time in this territory.”

The words have the flow of a rehearsed speech, are almost stilted. I edge farther into the kitchen and slide into a chair that allows me to see the whole of the room.

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