Momentous revelations incoming… Enjoy!

Chapter 5

Three weeks had passed since Lauren's passionate night with her love. The scientist in her still screamed at her each time she thought this way of Bo – that none of this made any sense, because she barely knew the succubus. But lately, the blonde found that when it came to Bo, her scientist self wasn't as powerful as it used to be. Because since meeting Bo, she no longer went by the pure logic dictated by her brain, but instead, let her heart weigh in as well. And not just in private matters, but also in the lab. It felt good. Refreshing, really. It was almost like she'd gained a new perspective, which greatly benefitted her work for the Ash, and for that, she was grateful.

Especially during moments like one afternoon about two weeks ago, when Dyson had come to the lab, under the pretence of needing something for a case, when really, he'd spent the entire time alternating between not-so-subtly blaming her for Bo's escape and taking out his bad mood on her, because the Ash was still on his back about it. She would've felt sorry for the grouchy wolf, if he wasn't such a douche to her all the time. On the plus side, it made lying to him so much easier. Literally.

Lauren was lucky that Dyson was too encumbered with himself to notice that something about her had changed – unlike the people in her lab. Fortunately, nobody hassled her with questions, and for once, she was grateful for the fae's indifferent arrogance towards a lowly human such as herself. She simply wouldn't have known what to tell them, other than what they all probably already knew – that she was head over heels in love. She just couldn't wipe the grin off her face, even though she hadn't seen Bo since that night in limbo. She'd been a little worried about her afterwards, because she still didn't know where the succubus was or how long it would be until she'd see her again. That night, they'd agreed it would be best if Lauren didn't know anything of Bo's whereabouts – in case someone had a hunch and decided to set a mind reader on Lauren. Luckily, she didn't have to worry for long, as on the very next afternoon she'd received a voice message from an unknown number.

Hey, Lauren, it's me. Delete this message right away, okay? I just wanted to let you know that I'm somewhere safe. I'll try to come visit you again in limbo, but I don't know how I did it last time, so it may take a while… or not happen at all. But please know, that I'm doing everything in my power to see you in the real world. I've been told this process could take weeks, but I'm working hard on making it happen as fast as I can. Hang in there, my love. I miss you.

"I miss you, too, my love", Lauren whispered with a faint smile. It was late at night, and she was at home in her private lab, taking a break from work, when her mind drifted back to Bo's message. She'd instantly recognised her voice and listened to it as many times as she deemed safe, before dutifully following the brunette's request and deleting it. Initially, her heart had felt heavy in her chest, as every fibre of her body yearned for her lover's touch. But she held onto what Bo had told her – that she was doing everything she could to see her again as soon as possible. She would wait, for however long it would take, and in the meantime, try to find out more about their mysterious bond.

After their all-too brief encounter in limbo, Lauren had used up all her free-time to conduct some research of her own in her home lab – in secret, of course. Every night after returning from work, she would open the fridge, where she kept all kinds of samples, and take out the ones she'd extracted to find out more about her mysterious connection to the succubus. She'd drawn her own blood to check for any kinds of changes, and also taken a saliva sample, hoping to find residue of her own chi, which she was eager to analyse.

Much to her dismay, the latter had been unsuccessful – likely because too much time had passed since her near-death experience during Bo's escape. The blood tests, however, had shown that her body was indeed changing, which excited her immensely. Ever since the first results had come back positive, she'd entered a routine of drawing blood daily to meticulously document what was happening to her. Initially, the variations had been minimal – less fastidious scientists may have even skipped them as non-noteworthy. But not Lauren. With every new sample, she discovered that she was slowly but surely changing. And she felt it, too. She felt stronger, younger and more energetic than ever before.

But what her research couldn't give her was the reason for those changes. And neither could the books she'd borrowed from Trick. She'd read both of them back-to-back several times, but the information she got was vague, at best. And from her previous venture into the Light's archives, she knew there was nothing to be gained there, either.

Which was why she decided to try her luck with the Dal's enigmatic bartender once more. She needed to go see him anyway to return his books, but from their last chat, she also remembered that he seemed to be surprisingly knowledgeable – especially when it came to succubae. Curious as to why that was, she set out for the Dal.

It was a regular weeknight, but the place was bustling, when she arrived. She found Trick behind the bar, polishing a glass and supervising a couple of his staff, who helped him out on busy nights like this. He waved at Lauren and gave her a friendly smile when he saw her. But his expression turned serious quickly when she told him why she was here. With a gesture, he signalled her to follow him and then descended the stairs leading to his study. Without saying a word, he took the books from her to put them back on the shelf and then faced her with an inscrutable expression.

Lauren swallowed nervously. She still didn't know what to make of Trick, but she also needed some answers, so she decided to be bold and address her observation from their last meeting. "Thank you again for the reading material", she opened with a slightly shaky voice.

"You're very welcome", he answered earnestly. "It seems like you didn't find what you were looking for though. Do you need more books?"

"I was hoping that maybe you could help me", she blurted out and then hurried to add: "You don't have to, of course. I mean no disrespect… I really appreciate you helping me out last time, but your books didn't give much insight beyond what you already told me and…"

She stopped herself when she noticed his lopsided smile at her awkward ramble. Sheepishly returning his smile, she straightened her posture and took a deep breath to gather her thoughts. "Last time we talked, I got the impression that you possess detailed knowledge about succubae and their mating ritual. Intimate knowledge…" Trick blushed a little and avoided her gaze. The timid reaction from the somewhat intimidating man gave her the courage to go all-in and ask the million-dollar question. "Please, Trick, if you know more than what you told me last time, I need to know. This is really important."

For a while, he just stood there, pondering his options. Trick was a man of many secrets, and he was unsure whether it was wise to share some of them with Lauren, especially at this point. His granddaughter was still missing, after all. Dyson had been at the bar before opening hours to report to him that his search remained unsuccessful. In all honesty, Bo's continued elusiveness from the eyes – and noses – of the most capable fae made Trick's chest swell with pride. But he was also worried for her life. His influence reached far, but there was only so much he could do for her safety as long as she was out of reach. Which was why, ever since he'd found out about her arrival in town, he'd been on high alert, pressuring Dyson to find her, because he knew she'd be safe with the wolf.

But she'd escaped, and then Lauren had come to him with this wild story of instant connection and near-death. A death that shouldn't have been near at all. The way Lauren had described the feed to him, he knew she should have died that day. But she was alive. In fact, she looked better than ever before, and the outrageous implications of this observation had surprised him so deeply that he ended up letting the information about the mating ritual slip. He didn't mean to disclose this much to the human doctor, but now that she was back a second time, he thought that maybe it was time to start trusting her more. After all, she'd been nothing but loyal to the Ash ever since he lured her into slavery in such a despicable way. And if she really was Bo's mate… Well, it would change everything.

Sighing, he made a decision. "I know it is", he replied and gestured for her to have a seat on the sofa standing in the middle of the room. She did, and he sat down next to her. "The reason why I know so much about succubae is that my late wife was one." He paused, gloomily hanging his head.

Tentatively, Lauren covered his hand with her own. "I'm so sorry for your loss", she whispered. In all her years with the fae, she'd never seen Trick sad, ever. The sight caught her by surprise, but she sensed that something big was about to be revealed to her, so she gave him time until he was ready to continue.

"She passed away a long time ago", he explained with a pained expression. "But I still miss her every day." Lauren nodded, her gaze filled with compassion. He gave her a weak smile and took another deep breath, swallowing his sorrow. It was time to finally open up to someone about his past – at least parts of it – and if the doctor really was to Bo, what he thought she was, he owed her an explanation.

Straightening his back, he faced the blonde. "Her name was Isabeau, and as I already mentioned, she was a succubus. But she was special. I'm sure you've learned from your research that succubae are promiscuous creatures by nature. They seek out many sexual partners and aren't interested in monogamy or marriage."

"And your wife was different?", Lauren asked.

"Yes. She was special in every way. Kind. Compassionate. And loyal to a fault, even when I… lost myself." He avoided the blonde's gaze, and to his relief, she didn't further inquire about his strange statement. "Before we met, she lived her life in much the same way all of her kind do. She didn't have any lasting relationships and didn't want them either."

"What changed?"

"We mated", he stated matter-of-factly and then, catching Lauren's lifted eyebrow, hurried to add: "I was referring to the bonding ritual. The one you and… the elusive succubus likely share as well."

Lauren frowned. "But there was no… ritual. I mean, all she did was… um, touch me. Using her powers."

Trick swayed is head from side to side. "The word ritual may be a little exaggerated, but what you described is all it takes. I'm sure you've read all about it in the books I gave you. The bonding only occurs, when the succubus – or incubus – meet their optimal mate. This implies mutuality."

"But we don't even know each other. How can it be mutual?"

Trick shrugged. "Magic?" Lauren huffed, and he laughed. "I know it's hard to grasp for a reasoned mind like yours, but I'm afraid it's nothing that can be explained, scientifically… Just like love." He took her hands and squeezed them lightly to get her attention. "You felt it though, didn't you? In your heart?"

The blonde's grimace morphed into a smile. "Yes", she breathed.

"You've got to understand that succubae and incubi rarely choose to bond with a mate, because doing so changes their very being."

"How so?"

"Once the mating ritual has been completed, the involved succubus' or incubus' sexual appetite slowly decreases, and with it, their inherent need for variety of chi. This change is necessary, as a monogamous relationship would never work outside of a bond. It empowers the creature to survive on one person's chi for the rest of their life. But it also makes them dependent on their mate, whose chi bec–"

"What?", Lauren interrupted, the terrible consequences of this revelation crashing down on her. This was exactly what she'd been afraid of. "But if what you say is true and Bo and I really share this bond now, doesn't that mean…? I mean, I'm human, and she's fae. She should live hundreds of years, and I… Does this mean she'll die when I do?" Tears welled up in her eyes, and her breathing sped up. Her end may well be decades away, but she couldn't stand the thought of Bo inevitably suffering an untimely death, only because her inner succubus had made the mistake of bonding with a human. Her tears were flowing freely now, and she was on the verge of a panic attack.

"No, Lauren… Lauren, calm down, please. Look at me", Trick implored, gently touching her cheek to wipe away her tears. "I wasn't finished. In fact…" He got up. "Wait right here, I need to fetch something." She nodded, looking a little calmer, and he inwardly breathed a sigh of relief at the memory that had just hit him. Myrddin's journal…

Turning around, he headed for one of his many bookshelves. He climbed a small ladder and pulled out a huge tome, which he carefully placed on a table beside him. Then, he reached into the space where the large book had been and pulled out a smaller one – tiny, in comparison to the rest of his collection. Carefully placing the tome back where it belonged, he carried the booklet to the sofa and sat down next to the doctor. He flipped through the pages and then presented Lauren with the one he'd been looking for.

"I'm sorry I didn't show you this before, but I'd simply forgotten about it until just now", he explained and then added a little sheepishly: "I have to admit, being fae myself, I never worried about what you just said. I'm sure the author of this journal would've chided me for this shameful error. He was a scientist, much like yourself – curious about anything and everything. He didn't care about the differences between fae and humans, so he studied both."

Reverently, Lauren accepted the ancient book and squinted, trying to decipher the ancient Middle English script. She gasped and threw Trick a wide-eyed look. The title indicated that the journal belonged to none other than the legendary Merlin himself, and even though it didn't much surprise her that the famous figure had been fae, holding this ancient treasure in her hands filled her with complete awe, her fear from a minute ago almost forgotten.

Unfortunately, the writing was so small and densely written that in the midst of all the black ink, hardly any of the faded yellow paper remained visible. As much as she appreciated Trick entrusting her with this priceless book, it would've taken her months to translate the legendary author's words. "Trick, this is incredible, thank you… but…" She gave him a pleading look.

He understood. "Myrddin was a close friend of mine, and as such, able to study Isabeau's and my bond closely. Now, we're talking 13th century here, so he didn't have the kind of lab equipment you do, but he did gain some insight." Trick paused, taking the book back from Lauren to check the page she'd been looking at. He pointed at the first word of a paragraph in the middle and started translating. "It says that once a true bond has been established through a succubus' bonding ritual with her soulmate, the mate's chi becomes more and more potent the longer the bond lasts, until eventually, said succubus is able to survive solely on her partner's chi. The downside is that she becomes dependent on her mate… However", he added emphatically at Lauren's exasperated huff, "the benefits significantly outweigh the risks, as with each new feed, the mate's life force is strengthened – for one, in order to permanently sustain a fully grown succubus, but more importantly, because the mate's chi becomes a lot more potent than any quantity of chi the succubus might get from other sexual partners, no matter their bloodline or rank within fae hierarchy."

"Fae hierarchy", Lauren echoed, slumping her shoulders.

"No, Lauren, I told you, Myrddin studied both fae and humans. His findings are based on myself and my wife, because we were the only subjects on the matter at his disposal. Had he concluded that his findings didn't apply to humans, he would've clearly stated it." He held up the book and turned it around, so Lauren could see the page. "But he didn't!"

The doctor still didn't seem convinced, so Trick reminded her of her own test results. "You said you've been feeling younger and stronger since your first encounter with Bo… I mean, Miss Dennis, right?" Lauren nodded. "That was the chi exchange!"

"But that exchange almost killed me!", she exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air.

"Exactly!", he replied triumphantly. "Almost is the key word here!" Trick closed the journal and put it on the table next to the sofa to take the doctor's hands. "Lauren, what you explained to me was clearly a full feed… Believe me, I know. Not even fae can survive those on a regular basis – that's why succubae usually have a lot of different partners, no matter their genus. Fact is, her feed should've killed you. But it didn't!"

Lauren frowned. "Because Bo's friend interrupted her."

He shook his head. "She was too late. No, you didn't die, because the bond had already been established at that point. It's true, you passed out when the feed was interrupted, but that may well be because the connection was still fresh… or maybe simply because you're human and not fae, which makes your body slightly weaker. But neither of that matters now, because fact is, a succubus cannot kill her own mate through feeding. On the contrary – over time, feeds will strengthen the mate and if necessary, extend their life span to match their partner's." He held up the book. "It's all in here. I mean, it makes perfect sense, if you think about it."

He had a point. Which succubus or incubus in their right mind would even consider entering into a bond restricting their very nature, if said bond didn't come with benefits greatly outweighing the enormous risk of co-dependence? Lauren did feel a little strange about the thought of serving as Bo's personal garden, which the succubus needed to tend to on regular basis in order to survive. On the other hand, the brunette couldn't help her nature, and besides the scariness of the fact that Lauren's chi would eventually become the only source of nourishment for Bo's succubus, she was also enticed by it. A succubus at her mercy… The thought was kind of exhilarating. She shuddered at the sudden possessiveness surging through her. It was a new sensation that felt both good and foreign.

Suddenly remembering where she was, she cleared her throat to gather her thoughts. Trick's revelations all sounded amazing – but honestly, too good to be true. She'd been with the fae long enough to know that there was always a catch. And in that moment, she knew which one applied here.

"Relationships between fae and humans are forbidden", she said, deflated.

To her surprise, Trick lifted an eyebrow, a mischievous twinkle in his gaze. "There's something else I haven't told you", he said, getting up to fetch yet another book from yet another jam-packed shelf. "After you'd told me about your first encounter with Bo, I remembered something", he explained, flipping through the pages. "One of the most ancient fae laws in existence." He found what he'd been looking for and placed the book on Lauren's lap. Then, he pointed at the headline.

"Ownership regulations", she read out loud, and he nodded.

"Correct. As you know, a lot of fae species need humans to survive. And there was a time when most of us simply took what we needed, no matter the consequences. Before these laws were written down, anarchy roamed in the world, and a lot of humans died at the hands of uncaring fae. Now, this was way before my time, but I know that at some point, humans were on the verge of extinction. I'm ashamed to admit that it was only when we faced our own demise, my kind decided to establish rules. Which, naturally, weren't exactly humane back then… We're talking about ancient times, long before the pyramids were built." He sighed. "Most were based on slavery, as it was a widely accepted concept in those days, even amongst humans. But the world turned, and humans learned from their past mistakes, while the fae… well, let's say, living hundreds or even thousands of years isn't always a blessing. Some of us are so deeply stuck in the old ways of our kind that the mere thought of change seems unimaginable. Hence your disgraceful indentured servitude to the Ash."

He looked at Lauren, his face showing remorse. "To make a long story short… A true succubus bond overrules any and all potential previous claims. Which means, if your bond is true – which for reasons previously stated, I'm almost a hundred percent sure of – it cancels out any contract binding you to the Ash."

Lauren's jaw dropped. "What?!" Her mind raced. No more obligations to the Ash? Did this mean she was free? No, impossible. She knew way too much about the fae. Law or not, the Ash wouldn't just let her walk away. Besides, Bo was nowhere to be found, and…

Trick saw the wheels turning in her head. "I know it's a lot to take in, and in all honesty, you're basically trading one fae owner for another."

The blonde threw him a bewildered look. "What does that mean?"

"Like I said, this law is ancient and thus, shameful. Your bond with Bo effectively frees you from the Ash, but at the same time, binds you to her. I'm afraid, you will never be truly free of the fae."

"I don't care", Lauren blurted out, before she could fully process the meaning of her words. But revisiting them, she knew they were true. "She would never use me like… I mean, I hardly know her, but … I love her."

Trick gave her a warm smile. If he hadn't been sure before, he was now – Lauren was Bo's mate, and he would do anything in his power to protect the both of them. But that meant he needed to get a hold of them somehow. He was no fool – he knew the Ash's leniency would turn sour the second he found out about losing one of his most valuable assets. They'd have to tread very carefully.

"Let's keep this to ourselves for now, shall we?", he said to the doctor, who nodded enthusiastically. He leaned forward, seeking her gaze. "Lauren, this is very important, so I have to ask… do you know where Bo is?"

Lauren swallowed. She knew now that she could trust Trick – she felt it deep in her heart. But she couldn't help him. "No, I'm sorry", she said, the fear over Bo's safety suddenly rising once more.

Deflated at her answer, he let out a long sigh, worry distorting his features. Lauren watched him intently. Even with all this crucial information raining down on her at once, it hadn't slipped her notice that during the course of their conversation, he'd changed from referring to Bo as "the succubus" and "Miss Dennis" to calling her by her first name. Lauren's instincts told her that there was more to this. She needed to know.

"Trick?"

"Hm?" He looked up.

"I didn't say anything at the time, because I didn't notice it right away, but… after I first came to you, I noticed a change in your demeanour as soon as I mentioned Bo's name. So… why are you so interested in her?" Immediately, he avoided her gaze, falling into his old habit of collusiveness.

And then, suddenly, something clicked into place. Bo's name. The name of Trick's wife. Isabeau. Bo. Isabeau…

Lauren's eyes widened. "Trick…", she said, flabbergasted at the magnitude of her own thought. "Are you Bo's father?"

He sighed. The doctor was smart. Too smart to believe any more fairy tales. It was time to come clean.

"No", he replied. "I'm her grandfather."