Kylia and the House of the Veil

It seemed like any other day. Everyone and I were going about our work as usual, today being my mopping day for the lobby. I kindly greeted guests as they arrived and departed. It was peaceful enough, even up till the afternoon.

Until she showed up.

The moment she walked in the door, I felt a shift in the entire building, as if her very presence brought dread to every individual inside. When I looked up from the wet mop I’d only just put to the floor, I was a bit taken aback by her. I immediately took in the horns, wings, and ember eyes with their slit pupils that perfectly matched Julian, but that was all about her that resembled even close to my friend.

She was dressed, if you could even call it that, in a scantily clad red leather outfit that left nearly nothing to the imagination. Her red hair was long and perfectly straight with side-swept bangs that almost hid her left eye as the rest hung all the way down to her lower back. She walked with a graceful and elegant swing of her hips and stride in her step that rang out power, pride, and confidence. I watched her strut by me to the front desk, her dangerously tall pumps clicking against the floor.

She stopped at the front desk, where Adler was clearly doing everything he could not to stare at the newcomer and her bouncy, curvy figure. She smiled as she laid her hands on the desk and leaned in, further revealing her cleavage and turning poor Adler’s face a bright red. She spoke in a voice that reminded me immediately of the hiss of a snake, yet the beauty and softness of an angel, “Hello, handsome.”

Adler managed to finally pull his eyes up to her face as he cleared his throat, trying to compose himself like a gentleman, “Y-Yes, good afternoon, Miss Jade.”

She smirked, “Tell me, where’s my lovely little Julian?”

Adler spoke, trying to keep his eyes up, “Uh, h-he is, uh, in his, um, o-office.” He was straining so hard to control himself that it reminded me of something similar. Someone who could turn anyone into a slave of their…

It was at that moment that Julian walked into the lobby, talking with Anansi on his shoulder. His smile immediately soured when his eyes fell on his new guest. I was actually shocked by how his mood had changed so drastically. His expression became hard and cold, the friendliness and warmth of his smile fading into a darkness and cruelty I never knew possible for him. He completely changed, and that worried me.

The woman, Jade as Adler called her, noticed Julian and her grin stretched across her face, “Julian.”

Julian spoke in a harsh tone, “What are you doing here?”

Jade only grinned, “Isn’t it enough just to see one of my own kind?”

It was at that moment I immediately realized what it was I was remembering. She reminded me of what Julian described of himself, as well as the female counterpart of his kind. Incubus and Succubus. She must have been a Succubus, only not as modest and considerate as Julian.

Julian stormed over, “I have told you before, you are not welcome here, Jade.”

However, the moment he was within reach, Jade suddenly spun on her heel and threw her arms around Julian’s neck, pressing herself up against him in as suggestive a way she could. From how Julian’s whole frame locked up at the contact, I could see it did seem to make some impact on him. Jade smiled as she leaned in close enough to Julian’s face that I’m sure he could feel her breath as she spoke, “You can’t tell me you haven’t missed me, Julian.”

Julian seemed to snap out of her influence and pulled her off of himself, his face still cold and hard as he gripped her wrists, “That is quite enough, Jade. You will leave. Now.” His voice was almost at a hissing low, yet the last word was empowered by his darker, more threatening tone. He was not gentle in the slightest about this. I was sure he would have picked her up and thrown her out without batting an eye with how much he seemed to despise her very presence.

Jade smirked, amused by his anger, “Well, isn’t that rude? To one of your guests. How are you even still in business? What happened to being a ‘gentleman’?” She said the word gentleman as if it were somehow some kind of joke.

Julian’s eyes seemed to burn with hate as he scowled, “Leave, Jade.” I noticed how he wouldn’t even call her Miss or Ma’am, like he would with just about everyone else. There was no kindness in him towards this woman, and I could easily understand why.

Her chuckle was both inviting and venomous, “Oh, Julian. You’re really going to keep fighting with me? When will you just admit how much you miss me? How much you need me?” She leaned in, despite Julian holding her arms from him, “How much you want me?” The last one was not a question in her tone.

Julian pushed her back further, releasing her as he moved back himself, “I will not ask again.” Not that he had up until this point.

Jade simply shrugged, “Fine, Julian. I can see you’re still too stubborn for your own good.” She smirked, “I suppose the little ‘shows’ have been feeding you enough, for now.” I noticed how Julian’s face grew a deep shade of red at the mention of these… shows? I couldn’t help but wonder what that meant. She noticed and laughed, “Poor Julian. So caught up in his own little fantasy that he can’t even admit to the little things he can’t help needing. No matter how you may pretend not to, I know you still thirst. It’s what you are, Julian, and one day you’ll learn to accept it.”

She smiled that snake-like grin, “And when you do, I’ll be waiting for you.”

Julian’s clear embarrassment turned to rage, “Get out!” I admit, hearing Julian raise his voice for the first time made me jump in fright. I and everyone else in range.

Even Anansi spoke up, sounding as surprised by Julian’s outburst as I was, “Please, Julian, stay calm. Don’t let her get the better of you. She’s just trying to get under your skin. Pay her no mind.” Julian seemed to take Anansi’s words to heart as he seemed to hold his tongue.

Jade smiled, “Till next time, Julian.” She started past him, Julian not daring to say a word or risk getting worked up again.

However, Jade didn’t go without one last trick up her sleeve, not that her tiny outfit had any. She suddenly turned back, throwing her arms around his neck and pressing her ruby lips against his. The immediate reaction from Julian was surprise, then I noticed how his body seemed to relax and slip closer to her. I was surprised by how he seemed to suddenly accept the gesture, even beginning to return it.

Of course, it was short lived as Julian suddenly seemed to realize what he was doing and shove Jade away. Jade smirked as Julian spit with an audible hiss. He threw a deadly glare at her, a strange heated aura beginning to grow around him.

It was Orion who spoke up as he slid into the lobby with Adler, who I hadn’t noticed left at some point in this, “Julian, not here. Not in front of Miss Kylia.”

Julian seemed to only just notice me as his eyes fell on me. I didn’t say a word, but I’m sure my expression showed my confusion and worry, thus why he seemed to instantly calm. The aura seemed to fade away and his face grew more into the Julian I knew, even if he was still clearly angry and cold towards Jade. He turned from Jade and spoke calmly, or as calmly as he could manage, “Go.”

Jade seemed satisfied by her evil deed as she grinned, before paying Orion a glance, “Hello, red-tail.”

Orion didn’t even blink, “If you’re still here in five seconds, Simone will be seeing you out. Or perhaps this time we’ll ask Colton to try his hand at removing you from the premises.” The mention of Simone seemed to cause Jade’s grin to falter, but Colton completely wiped it from her face. She clearly wanted nothing to do with either of them.

She didn’t even say another word as she made her way to the door. Though, she finally threw a glance at me as she walked by. For that split second that she passed, I noticed the hint of a grin. That made my blood run cold as she walked out of the hotel. She was finally gone, and the tense air of the hotel seemed to finally release itself.

Julian seemed to calm down a great deal too, sighing as his usual self came through, even if he now seemed a bit tired. Though, I did notice how his ember eyes seemed to glow a little brighter.

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Jade grinned coldly down at Wilder, “Don’t bother trying to fight me, Imp. Just surrender to me. You know you want to.”

Wilder was clearly struggling as he didn’t say anything. I knew he was deep under her power, and there was nothing I could do about it. Where was Julian?

Wilder opened his mouth, but I could see he couldn’t control the words that tried so hard to force themselves out, “I… I-I… I g-... I… I gi-...” He looked frustrated and panicked as only the words she wanted to hear kept stumbling past his lips.

She only grinned wider, “Two little words, Wilder. I give. That’s all you have to do. Give in to me and this can all be over.”

Wilder was sweating bullets as he fought with everything he had against her, but it was in vain in the end. “I… I gi-... I give.” It looked as if something in him finally broke under the pressure as that last word slipped out.

Jade didn’t hesitate. Her lips pressed against his and I could immediately see the effect. I could only watch as I saw Jade drain away Wilder’s very life through her kiss. Wilder seemed to have the slightest control to move his hands to push her away, but it wasn’t enough. I could see his marble eyes begin to roll back in their sockets as he grew pale and his writhing grew weaker. I struggled against the chains, but I knew that even if I could get free, I couldn’t do anything to save him. I watched as his arms fell at his sides. All the while, Jade never blinked as she watched her evil handiwork with a twisted sense of pride and pleasure in her eyes.

Suddenly, my voice lept from my lips, “Please stop!”

Jade threw a glance over at me, a hint of curious amusement in her eyes. I continued, unsure what else I could do, “Please, let him go! It’s me you want, right? I’m the one… I…” I decided there was only one thing Jade cared enough about to let go of her prey, “I’m the one Julian really loves! If you want him, you have to go through me, and you can’t do that if you waste your power on Wilder!”

Jade smirked coldly before dropping Wilder like a sack of potatoes. I felt worried when he didn’t move, until I noticed his chest rise and fall, even if very slowly. He was still alive, for now.

Jade turned to me with a cold grin, “Is that right? My, aren’t you a cocky little girl. Thinking you can play with me so easily.” She walked my way to tower over me with a mean smirk, “I still can’t understand what he could possibly find so attractive about you that he can’t get a million times better from me. You’re small, weak, ugly, and clearly not very experienced in pleasing a man. Why would anyone waste their time on such a worthless little girl?”

I continued to play my trump card against her; her own fallacies about Julian and me, “And yet, he does, even while he knows a so-called ‘real woman’ like you. Clearly, to Julian, I’m the better woman to have.”

Jade clearly hated that as I noticed her left eye twitch, even as she continued to smile, though I could still sense the venom in it, “Is that what you think?” She leaned down, taking my chin in her hand and forcing my eyes to meet hers, “Maybe it’s because he likes having a little girl to play with. The authority and control can be rather delicious to an Incubus as old as him. Don’t think for a moment that because he chose you that you are somehow a better woman.”

Then her grin grew, “However, what about you?”

I was a bit surprised by the change, “Me? What about me?”

She smirked, “Well, you seem to satisfy him well enough, sure, but… does he satisfy you?”

I felt my face go red as the image of being in bed with Julian managed to pop into my mind’s eye. Of course, such a thought felt shameful, yet what did I expect when here I was claiming to do it all the time? I was beginning to fear she would realize my lie and call me out on the bluff, but she took it in an entirely different way.

She chuckled, “That’s what I thought. You’re still such a virgin about such things, meaning you’ve never really been broken in. What, did he put you to sleep each time? Couldn’t bear to go through with it, so you let him put a spell on you and take over from there? My, no wonder he likes playing with you. You’re like a little sex doll!” I felt my face burning red with embarrassment. She thought Julian put me to sleep to have sex with me? What a horrible thought that was, painfully reminding me of when Bennett would force me to get drunk and do that very thing with me while I was completely out of it. The very idea of Julian doing anything like that disgusted me, not because it was a terrible experience in general, but because I knew Julian would never, ever, do something so despicable.

Jade laughed, “Well, we can’t have that, now can we? Surely a little human girl like you would want a taste of an Incubus’s true power and pleasure.”

I felt worry as I could see a wicked plot forming in her mind, “Wh-what are you talking about?”

She chuckled, “What else? I think even you deserve to see what our kind is truly capable of. Why kill you the old fashioned way when you would die never truly experiencing our power? Even I’m not that evil.”

I gasped in fright as she forced me to my feet and pulled me close, “After all, whether Julian wants to accept it or not, I truly am one of the best experiences anyone will ever have.” To my shock and horror, she changed into a man, looking much like Julian now. She, or rather he, grinned down at me as he pulled me in close to her, his, bulging muscles, “I can show you just how incredible I am, far better than anything Julian could ever do for you. No one who’s ever had a taste of me died in regret.”

I found myself hyperventilating as I tried to push away from her, him, “You-- You’re an Incubus?”

He laughed, “What? Didn’t dear Julian tell you? Incubus and Succubus aren’t male and female individuals; they’re male and female forms! Truth be told, we’re neither gender. We take the gender of whatever our prey desires. This way, no matter who or what creature we may try to feed from, we will always succeed.”

I was terrified, realizing just what this meant, “No! No, you can’t do it without my consent! Julian said you can’t use your power to feed on me unless I agree to it!”

He shrugged with a mean grin, “That’s nothing for someone as powerful and desirable as I. Just like little Wilder, you’ll give me what I want. You’ll do it because this is what you really want deep down. You can struggle or fight it all you like, but sooner or later, you will give in. You’ll want me too badly to fight it for too long.”

I knew he was right when I felt something start to grow in my chest as our eyes met. Once I found myself staring into them as I struggled to get out of his embrace, I realized I couldn’t look away. No matter how I tried, I was trapped looking into his eyes. They filled me with a warmth that reached every inch of my body. Even the touch of pushing my hands against his chest made me want to keep touching him. Feeling him and his warmth. I found myself wanting him to hold me closer, warm me with his own body heat. Even the smell of him made me feel at ease, relaxed.

I could feel my body growing weaker as these sensations filled my senses. Touch, smell, and now taste as I felt him pull me closer and kiss my neck. It made my whole body explode with pleasure, just at the feeling of his lips brushing my neck, tickling me in just the right way. My body was too weak to even push away. I was even beginning to forget that this was Jade only moments ago, looking only to kill me in the most humiliating way she could. To kill me with the very thing she thinks I’m using to keep Julian away from her, the reason any of this is happening at all.

I felt his lips brush my ear as he whispered softly, “Just say yes. Say you’ll give yourself to me, Kylia. We both know you want this.”

It made me feel so wonderful hearing him say my name. I felt a closeness to him at the sound of it. I wanted him to keep saying it, again and again as he continued to warm me. It’s all I wanted, yet there was still that weak, tiny little voice that said no. It continued to warn me that I was in danger. I had to get away before I gave in, just like Wilder.

Wilder, who was still on the ground, possibly dying. I had to help him. We were in danger. We had to get away.

Jade chuckled softly, the sound like music to my ears, “Just let go, Kylia. I promise you, your last moments will be the greatest moments of your life.” That made the little voice just a little bit louder.

And yet, I felt my lips part just enough for my voice to escape, “I…” No. “I-I…” Please no. “I g-gi--...” Julian, where are you? “I… gi…” Someone, please help! Anyone!

“I giv--”

To my utter relief, and surprisingly painful disappointment, I didn’t get to finish as Jade suddenly gave out a loud, agonizing scream, releasing me and allowing someone to grab my arm and pull me away. I managed to come to my senses enough to make out the figure with his long red snake tail, “...O-Orion..?”

Orion kept me behind him as he stayed between me and Jade, protecting me from any other assaults, “Are you alright, Kylia?” I didn’t answer as I managed to see Jade spin around to face the one who had attacked him, and it wasn’t Orion. I easily saw the long, deep slash down his back when he faced away from us.

The one who attacked him stood facing him with a long, now bloodied, sword in hand. Julian looked utterly livid, his eyes glowing a bright, vicious red with his pupils as thin as lines as fire surged down his arms and into the hilt of his blade. Even the ground around his feet burned with fire that I knew was coming from him. I had never seen Julian like that, but I could easily understand why knowing him.

Jade seemed both enraged and surprised, “Julian…”

Julian spoke in a harsh, furious tone that cut everyone to their cores, “Shut up, you heartless monster. Do not dare let my name roll off your revolting tongue!” His eyes cut like knives as they met Jade’s, “You truly have crossed the line this time, Jade. You dare put your hands on members of my staff, my family, and think I will not come to strike you down? I would kill for far less being done to one of my own, so give me one good reason why I should not slay you right this moment for not only taking advantage of my friends’ weaknesses, but trying to use your power to steal away their very souls just for the sake of your own disgusting pleasure?”

To my own surprise as well as Orion’s, I found myself speaking, “Please don’t hurt him, Julian!” What was I saying? I continued talking against my own will, “It’s alright, I’m not angry.” Of course I was, yet I could still feel that warmth inside me. I still wanted him. I was still under his control.

When I tried to go over to them, to try to say what something inside of me thought was sense, Orion grabbed me and pulled me back. I found myself struggling against him, “Let go of me, Orion!”

Orion looked worried as he glanced at Julian, who only seemed angrier seeing me that way. He faced Jade, “I may not be willing to hurt a woman, but I have no grievance with killing a man who would dare put his hands on someone as innocent and loved as Miss Kylia!” He raised his blade, ready to deal a deadly blow to Jade, which Jade realized in fright he was completely serious about.

Immediately, Jade changed back into a Succubus, jumping back from Julian’s swinging blade only to trip and land on her behind, “Julian, stop! Stop! I surrender!” I immediately felt the warmth vanish as she changed back. I stopped struggling and felt myself calm down. Her control was gone. I was myself again. Orion seemed to see it as well, letting me go, even if he still watched me with concern, afraid I was only pretending so he would let go.

I sighed, “Thank you, Orion.” He gave a nod and turned his attention to removing the chains still cuffed to my wrists.

As he worked on that, I watched as Julian held the tip of the blade to Jade’s throat. She was clearly nervous as he glared down at her, not saying a word for sometime. I watched, wondering what Julian would do next.

Finally, Julian spoke, his eyes fixed on Jade but the words to me, “Are you alright, Miss Kylia?” I could hear how he tried to calm his voice so his anger and hate for Jade at the moment didn’t mistakenly feel sent at me.

I nodded, “I’m alright.”

He spoke again, still doing his best to control his tone and stay calm, “Are you sure?” I did notice the hint of fear and worry in his voice, indicating that he didn’t just mean was I alright physically. He was worried what she managed to do with me before they arrived and what effect that had on me.

I nodded again, “Yes, I’m sure. You showed up before I could give her permission to do anything.”

Jade opened her mouth to speak, but Julian coldly shoved the sword closer to her throat. I noticed the drop of blood run down her neck from where the blade managed to pierce her skin. She didn’t dare make a sound.

Julian spoke again, “What about Wilder? What did she do to him? Do you know?”

I only then remembered Wilder. I looked over to see he was actually now joined by Knox and Kace, Kace holding him in his arms as Knox, clearly worried sick, tried to wake his brother. I spoke, “She managed to make him give in and nearly killed him before I spoke up. I used her jealousy of me with you to get her attention, taking her interest off of Wilder enough to let him go. I’m… I’m not sure I did it in time. He was still breathing, but… I’m sorry I couldn’t think of doing it sooner.”

Julian’s eyes never left Jade’s face, “It is alright, Miss Kylia. If he was still breathing, then it means she did not get to finish, and Wilder owes you his life for that.” I felt relieved to hear that, as did Knox and Kace from how they sighed, letting the weight of fear roll off their shoulders.

Orion finally got the cuffs off of me, “There you are. Did they hurt you at all?”

I shook my head, rubbing them gently, “Not really. Just a bit sore now. Thank you, Orion.”

Julian finally spoke to Jade, “If you think changing back into a Succubus is enough to curb my wrath for what you have attempted to do here today, you are very sadly mistaken. I have no intention of letting you get away with this.” Jade’s eyes showed just how frightening those words truly were.