A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I apologize for the delay. Everything went to Hell in my personal life, and I've only now just recovered enough to continue with this story. I like it a lot, and like the support I've gotten for it so far. =)

I'm going to say this RIGHT NOW, even though it's not important yet... I am deviating from canon where it concerns Succubi and Incubi. I rather disliked the original rendition and with the inclusion of Lilith, I think it only fair I make them more like the mother of them, no?

I am also looking for a beta, and will probably edit the previous chapter since some things don't make sense, lol. Expect this to be a recurring thing as I reread my own story. x)

Warnings: Mildly graphic violence, with some blood.

It was a quiet existence, this life in the shade of a copse of olive trees. No better life, really, for a wood nymph, all things considered. Sure, she couldn't frolic along in the Greek forest, playing along the banks of the river that was her father, but the peace and solitude afforded by the isolated location were certainly things she wouldn't pass up. She was a simple nymph, after all, and rather enjoyed watching the daily life other smaller creatures and plants, and even that of the humans that passed by, not knowing what she was.

So the new presence in the nymph's grove did not at first startle her. After all, other magical creatures lived here, too. It didn't even alarm her when she realized the presence was demonic; they usually left her alone, not knowing who or what she was. When the woman entered the nymph's limited view, however, all traces of her initial dismissal of the creature evaporated.

The demon was a fairly pretty one, if a little odd looking. She was a dark skinned woman, which caused her unnaturally blonde hair to stand out especially. Her clothing wasn't quite the tight leathers favored by many demons, though in its own it was provocative. None of this would've worried poor Daphne before, and in fact she still was wondering if she needed to worry. Until, that is, the demon stopped walking directly in front of her and decided to speak.

"Hello Daphne," she chimed, smiling brightly at the tree. Isolation meant no one saw her speak to what was considered an inanimate object, and so no one could call the woman crazy. "Are you enjoying your chosen prison?"

She waited a few moments more, staring intently at the pretty tree. When no response came, she continued.

"You don't want to talk?" The leaves of the tree rustled though there wasn't wind to guide them. Interpreting that, the demon replied again.

"Please don't try to sell to me that you can't step out of that form and address me personally." She was still chipper, though her smile took a darker turn. This made Daphne nervous. How did she know the nymph could willfully shed this form?

"Perhaps you should consider defending yourself," came yet another attempt to goad the nymph out of her hiding. She almost did, but hesitated a moment too long. "That stubborn, hmm? Well I suppose I could just dismember you here. It's not like it matters which form you're in, anyway."

With that, the eager demon produced an ancient knife whose origin Daphne couldn't place. Unsheathing it, she held the knife up for a moment to intimidate. Perhaps she really did need Daphne to be herself for it to work. The sun glow off the blade was bright, and getting brighter the longer it was held in direct sunlight. Nothing happened for a long moment, pregnant with anticipation, then crimson washed over the blade like a miniature tide, which caused the demon to smile.

"Well, this one sided chat was certainly fun, Daphne. Hope you had a nice life." She plunged the knife into the center of Daphne's trunk with careful aim, grunting at the amount of force used to penetrate the bark. Agonizing pain erupted from what amounted to the nymph's chest, and blood began to pour from the gash. Much of it appeared to be absorbed by the evil blade now wedged in the tree.

Involuntarily, Daphne found her form melding back into that of herself, despite not knowingly willing it so. Now it was clear where the knife had struck; it was in her heart, and she was surely dying.

"W-why?" she croaked finally, voice a hoarse whisper from centuries of non-use.

"For your skin, of course. Such a fair nymphy can get into many places a poor skinwalker can't. Your innocent visage will hide me long enough that I can do harm." Since Daphne would be dead within just a few short minutes, the demon felt telling her would be of no consequence. Who would hear, the non-nymph trees?

Sheer terror shown through in Daphne's eyes before they became lifeless. Having taken its fill of her blood, the hilt of the bespelled blade began to glow, revealing symbols not native to this continent. With precision, the skinwalker did as was expected: she skinned the poor nymph and carefully folded the skin into a large, intricately woven sachet. She would not let this golden opportunity go to ruin. With the crack of a single lightning bolt, the skinwalker departed, leaving only the nymph's body and a burn radius in the spot she previously occupied as evidence of her intrusion.

Having witnessed this exchange, a young centaur, horrified at the sight, blew his hunter's horn as he galloped back to the herd, not sure what to make of what he saw but determined to report it to everyone that mattered.

A/N2: I know, I know, it's short. But I am also short of time. The next chapter will come after the 30th; as I am also working on my NaNoWriMo, which is not fanfic.