I think you'll really enjoy the direction this is going.
(-)
"Okay, so I'm fairly certain you're a demigoddess," Pritkin said when I went to his room later.
I stared at him. "Hello to you too," I said, not sure what else to say to that.
He sighed. "Hello. But this is rather pressing."
Sitting on his bed, I said, "A demigoddess? Isn't a demigoddess supposed to be…kinda awesome and kick-ass?"
"Arguments could be made that you possess both those qualities. And, anyway, with the lifespan of such a being, you would be a mere child. You haven't come into your power yet, although lately I think we've seen some growth."
There was too much to unpack there. One thing that jumped out was that I was on-point about magical puberty. And one word stuck in my head: "Lifespan?"
"Well, we have yet to measure the full lifespan of the gods' offspring, both because they're fairly rare, and because any that have died have been killed." I couldn't help but notice that he was holding back some excitement. It only took a second to figure out why.
"So if this is true, you're stuck with me for longer than you thought," I said, and relished the sudden grin I got. Pritkin had been expecting to outlive me by several centuries at least if nothing killed him. Suddenly, he had a partner for the foreseeable future of his very long life.
"Why do you think I'm a demigoddess?" I asked. It still seemed a bit of a stretch. I was Cassie Palmer, always outclassed and on the run.
"For starters, your mother's background reminds me of my own," he said. "The records of my birth were destroyed in a bombing during the war. At least that's what I've told people. Your mother was raised at an orphanage that caught on fire. Also leaving a convenient lack of records. Any long-lived beings trying to pass as human would use a trick like that."
"Okay, but there are occasionally fires that destroy records. What else has you convinced?"
Pritkin sat on the bed too, leaving a good two feet between us. "Your mother was the Pythia's heir before Myra was."
"Right." I hadn't really forgotten, but what with the geis and fighting demon lords and pissing off a god, it had slipped to the background.
"Yes, and by all accounts she had unprecedented talent with the power. Then she ran away with your father and disappeared. We now know she lived near or on Antonio's estate while your father worked for him after they had you."
It made sense. My mother had been the heir before Myra, and if she was more talented, the power coming to me could almost be expected. I had been wielding it intuitively with no instruction, occasionally demonstrating more specialized skills.
"But being the Pythia's heir doesn't equal goddess," I said.
"I told you that Artemis, cut off from her world, would dwindle in power over the centuries. Eventually, she might seek out the one link she had to her old world."
And I got it. "The Pythia's power comes from Apollo and is connected to the realm of the gods. And since that power was familiar to her, it makes sense that she would wield it better than mortals." Okay, I was getting more on board with Pritkin's theory.
"It would also explain why you have an intuitive grasp of things that take initiates months or years to learn. You have an innate connection to the power as well."
This whole thing was eerily plausible. "So what does this mean for me?"
"Well, the first thing we do is keep it to ourselves. If you think you attract unwanted attention now, just wait until people discover that the Pythia is Artemis's daughter."
I shuddered. No, thank you. "Okay, and?"
"Wait and see," he said. "You've already begun developing enhanced traits, which will likely continue to progress." He went to his closet and said, "I also want you to have this."
He gave me the sword he used to wear, back before he had one magically engraved on his back. "This is my finest blade, and I've enchanted it to be invisible to norms, so you can wear it everywhere."
I took it with some reverence, because it was plain and simultaneously beautiful, probably because it was a gift from Pritkin. And I said it before I could help it: "If you keep giving me things like shiny bracelets and magic swords, I'm going to start to think you might like me."
The wry smile that got me was offset by the warmth in those green eyes as he said, "Wouldn't want you getting ideas."
Standing, I slipped the sword onto my back and unsheathed it, just to see how it felt. It felt good, natural. But, as always, everything did when it involved Pritkin.
As I sheathed it again, I said, "Well, Sal will be happy. I finally have a weapon I can use and carry on me, and black goes with everything."
That got a laugh out of him. "Your fashion strategy is going to become extremely effective. Beautiful but deadly."
"Who said anything about killing people?" Okay, intellectually I knew swords weren't used to initiate tickle fights, but I still had no desire to kill anyone.
Pritkin raised an eyebrow. "Maiming is only so effective, especially with more tenacious foes. I believe you once said if a vampire can move, they're deadly. That can apply to more than vampires."
"We'll see what happens when the time comes," I said simply. I didn't want to think about it.
"As long as what happens ends up with you living," he said. He held my gaze. "Seriously. If it's a question of you or them, the answer is you, every time. Don't hesitate, or they'll take advantage."
I really didn't want to have this discussion. "So, any other demigoddess issues to consider?"
He frowned, knowing what I was doing, but he let it slide. "It isn't an issue, just a thought, but I think I should study your magic."
"Why?"
"Well, if you recall, we have a bunch of gods that want to break back into the world. One in particular is especially upset with you. And since we have a sample of what makes them so formidable: their strange power, we should see what we can learn about it to help us better fight it."
Yeah, I did have a pissed-off Apollo coming for my head after I turned on him and destroyed the one thing he wanted. Figuring out a way to stand up to his god power sounded like a good idea. And a thought hit me. "Wait, does this mean Apollo is my uncle?"
Pritkin stared at me for a second. "Um, I'm not sure how accurate old legends were when it comes to relations between the gods. Even if he is, I doubt it will make a difference to him."
"Ugh, he said we were married. Talk about a funny uncle."
That got a snuff of amusement from the mage. "Trust you to think of such things." His eyes trailed along the strap that crossed my chest up to the hilt of the sword visible over my shoulder. "You look good like this."
I felt a little warm at the odd compliment. Pritkin liked seeing me armed. Without thought, my hand went to slide down his bare arm. Seeing him without weapons was appealing, because it meant he trusted me.
The thrum of pleasant feeling between us made me so cozy and content. Even without his arms around me, I felt safe. "You know, even if I was surviving before I met you, I never had a partner to do it with, other than Billy Joe. It's…I'm really glad you threw your lot in with mine, despite how monumentally stupid it was."
That got me a small smile. "It's only stupid if we could afford to lose you."
I tried not to let it show how that disappointed me. Because the use of plural meant he was talking about my being the Pythia. He was sworn to protect the Pythia and her heir, after all. At least now he believed I was the best candidate for the job, since he definitely didn't when we started. It wasn't-
"And for the record," he said suddenly, eyes not meeting mine as he slid a hand up and down my arm, mirroring my unconscious motions on his, "I've had a lot of purposes in my long life. But bein-working with you has been by far the most rewarding."
Was that slip purposeful? Being with me? "Because you have a partner now too."
"I've had partners before," Pritkin said. "Mac was one of the few people in my life who was also a close friend. But even then, we mostly interacted on the job. You…I've never had you before."
I was blushing; I knew I was. It was still hard to believe that Pritkin would open up like this. For me. That's what he was saying: he'd never had anyone know as much about him as I did who he could trust. I was probably the only one he hadn't felt the need to kill. Given that most people couldn't time-travel and meet him long before he was supposed to be born, I doubted many more than me had figured it out.
"How many people have figured out who you are?"
"As John Pritkin? Just you, at least who aren't connected to the demon courts. Total? Three. But the first two were a very long time ago, back before I was experienced at hiding it." From running his hand along my arm, he'd graduated to pulling me closer, sliding his arm around me. I was still touching his arm, and the hum between us was like a spell. Everything that wasn't Pritkin was muted. This man, this conversation, were all that mattered.
"And before you started hanging out with a time-traveler."
"That did give you an advantage," he agreed. We weren't quite hugging yet; there was space between us, but it was shrinking by the second. When his eyes met mine again, they were smoldering, and I was trying very hard not to think of anything I shouldn't. Like kissing him. I really, really wanted to kiss him. But that would almost certainly tempt him to feed.
Trying to distract myself, I imagined how hard he must work to appear human. Although he'd been with the Silver Circle for a long time, as far as I could gather… "What did you tell the Circle when you joined? Someone would have seen you heal by now." Not to mention that he was stronger than any human mage could be.
"They know I'm half-demon. But I'm told them I'm Ahhazu, a minor race that isn't seen as a real threat. I couldn't hide my hybrid status from the scrutiny of the workup they do when you join the Corps. But they didn't have the experience to tell what I was besides the kind of inhuman I was."
"And I bet that sold them on you joining the demon hunters. No one knew as much as you do about demons. I'm betting you haven't shared a lot of your knowledge since that might let them figure you out."
He nodded, and our eyes no longer met, but only because I'd been wrapped in his arms. "I've been so careful for so many years. If anyone discovers what I am, who I am becomes an instant conclusion. It…scares me, to think of being exposed to all that attention. The life I've built would be over."
Pritkin admitting he was afraid…this was closer than a hug. I held him tighter. "And when you realized I knew, you probably had a heart attack."
"I wasn't as panicked as I'd always imagined I would be, actually. Even if I knew you'd be upset since you'd realized I created the geis you were trying to escape…I wasn't truly afraid that you'd expose me. Maybe…maybe because I knew you understood me enough to know what it would mean for me. Maybe because I know you don't want the kind of attention that's been forced on you."
"You trusted me," I said, still feeling light and fluffy inside at that idea. "Instinctually. We might have had a rough start, but we really moved past it."
I felt his sigh as he was wrapped around me. "I never actually apologized about that. The murder attempts and…accusations of promiscuity."
That made me grin. "I realized that you'd seen me running around in that shirt that Billy Joe brought me, which likely influenced that impression. And…it's just part of what got us here." I hugged him tight and said, "And I'm happy here. So it's fine. It just means I've always known you were ridiculously devoted to whatever you put your mind to. And…now that that's me, I can definitely appreciate it."
Pritkin sighed and let me go. The sudden lack of vibes and closeness was jarring. "Actually, I appreciated the shirt. But as I was trying to be wary of you, and since my normal response to attraction is hostility, you really got the full force of my…unpleasantness. I never hated you. I wanted to, I tried to, to keep you away. But I couldn't."
"So trying to kill me was a compliment?" I smiled a little at that as I moved to sit on his bed.
I'd been hoping he'd join me, but he was playing it safe, retreating to the table. The mage shook his head. "No, I considered you a legitimate threat if you were the demon I thought you were. If not…you were sitting there, naked except for a robe, completely comfortable being fed on by monsters…you were incredibly dangerous no matter what you were."
Was he saying…? "Were you jealous?"
"Of course I was," he said, looking at the wall. There was no gun or sword at the table for him to work on, and his hands started fidgeting. I didn't want this conversation to stop because he couldn't keep calm.
I pulled the sword off my back and said, "Hey, I don't suppose this needs to be sharpened a little, does it?" It didn't. I could tell when I unsheathed it that it was sharp. But when he looked relieved and nodded, I gently tossed it to him. The whetstone was on hand, and he got to work.
Now that he was occupied, I said, "You wanted me even then?"
Green eyes flicked to me and back to the sword before he said, "I've always wanted you. I told you, hostility is how I respond to attraction. I had to get involved with you, to protect you, but I did my best to make you hate me and keep your distance. But you didn't."
"It's been obvious since we met that your angry outbursts were too over-the-top to be purely about what they seemed. You had something fueling that rage, something boiling inside you. Celibacy would have been higher on the list of guesses, but more due to your personality than a probation from hell."
He paused for a moment and said, "Mac told me to court you, you know."
I smiled a little, both sad and amused. "He did not use that word."
Sighing, Pritkin said, "No, he said 'pursue' but that makes you sound like prey."
"And given your heritage, that's not something you want to apply to relationships." Pritkin was a predator, but not the sexual kind, at least not voluntarily.
"No."
Of course, I had to wonder… "Why did he say that?"
It was always endearing when Pritkin got embarrassed or shy. He was blushing as he said, "He said he'd never seen anyone get under my skin the way you did, or deal with my…personality so matter-of-factly. Of course, at the time, I was still trying to be wary of you and keep you away. But especially after talking to you when he fixed your ward, he was convinced you were worthy of your office. And capable of handling me, as he put it."
I blinked back sudden tears. "And he died to protect me."
His green eyes were warm and soft as they met mine. "He believed in you, and all war mages are bound to protect the Pythia. Retirement didn't change that."
Now I was flashing back to what he'd saved me from. Those…things tearing off my clothes…that spongy rotten grub between my legs. I was dimly aware that I was shaking and tears were spilling silently from my eyes, even as a whimper clamored to escape me.
"Cassie?"
"They almost raped me." Tomas had helped me get over the initial trauma, but I'd been repressing all thoughts about it until now.
Pritkin's body stiffened, and he set down my sword. "What?! No one said anything about that!"
I started really crying. "No one knew. I used the rune, but it only sent me back two minutes, just enough time to shout a warning and run. That thing…between my legs…I never would have survived it."
I didn't even see him move to the bed, but I was suddenly in Pritkin's arms, pulled onto his lap. I held on and melted into the embrace as I cried, that familiar thrum comforting. I felt so safe, something I was convinced I would never feel again after that experience. It wasn't surprising to realize that the only times I felt safe, like everything would be okay despite all the insanity in my life, was when he was with me. I held on tighter as one broad hand moved up and down my back. It calmed me.
"I'm so sorry I wasn't there to protect you. I would never let anyone hurt you like that."
"Mac didn't either. That's why he died. The second time, he saw that the forest was going to take me as a sacrifice so…he offered himself instead."
"He was a good man. The closest friend I'd had in a very long time." It was something I'd assumed, once I'd gotten to know Pritkin better. He didn't make friends, and even if he was suspicious of me, he wouldn't have entrusted just anyone with my safekeeping, not when the Circle instructed everyone to find and kill me.
"He was a knight," I said. I pulled away enough to meet those green eyes. "War mages don't seem to use that term much anymore, but that's what he was. And you."
A slight smile quirked those lips. "You seem to think I'm a homicidal maniac."
"The two aren't mutually exclusive, especially when it comes to you."
"Glad to hear I'm so special." It was more sarcastic than was called for.
"C'mon, Pritkin, you've always been special, long before you met me." I didn't like that look on his face.
"Not in a good way."
I sighed, not up to arguing the obvious with him. Instead, I said, "Well, it's definitely a good way now." And before he could try to contradict that, I placed a kiss on his cheek before tucking myself up against him. It wouldn't last, but I loved being held by him.
The kiss must have been too much. His arms around me grew tighter as I felt him harden beneath me. "I'm sorry," he said. "Especially after you just told me…I'm not trying to-"
"Shut up, Pritkin," I said, sitting up to free myself of his embrace. "You'd never hurt me. And if I go sit in the chair, will you put on a show for me?"
It would never stop being adorable to watch him blush and get shy. "I…yes, please."
"I think when I ask you for a show, I should be the one being polite," I said, kissing his other cheek before sliding slowly off his lap. When I'd settled in the chair, I said, "With that in mind, will you please tell me what you want to do to me?"
He paused, shirt halfway over his head. "Is that fair?"
As he finished the motion, I rolled my eyes. "What have I been doing the past two times? Of course it's fair."
"I just mean…" He was fumbling with his pants since his eyes were on me, adorably earnest. He wanted me to get as much out of it as he was.
"Shut up, strip down, and start talking," I said flatly, although I was grinning.
And he let out a small laugh as he finally freed himself and slid his jeans off. "You realize two of those are contradictory, don't you?"
The toga-esque dress lent itself much more to seduction, and I let the fabric fall off of my shoulder. It left one breast tantalizingly close to being exposed. "I'm sorry, you were saying?"
Pritkin was already stroking. "I've thought about you too much to easily decide what to do."
I smiled. "What about right now?" I asked, playing with the fallen fabric. "What do you want to do to me right now?"
"I'm going to expose that breast and finally get my mouth on it." I could imagine it, all that ridiculous hair beneath my hands as those lips, teeth, and tongue went after my nipple.
"Yeah?" I asked, feeling more hot than usual, despite this dress being lighter than any of my others.
"And I pull the other half down so the other won't feel neglected." He shuddered a little. "Your skin is so delicious."
Okay, I was pretty sure I was close to soaking my panties already and we'd hardly started. I wanted so badly to feel this. To let Pritkin explore me, do things he'd only fantasized about until now.
"Those shorts you wear are thin. It wouldn't take much effort to just tear them open to get to you." I gasped a little. He'd already incorporated my new wardrobe into his fantasies. "I could just slide your panties aside to get a taste of you, something I've wanted for so long."
It wasn't until he gasped a little, looking between my legs, that I realized I'd pulled up my dress to stroke myself through the shorts. "Oh, sorry, just…" I reluctantly moved my hand away.
"Don't stop," he said. "If you keep your clothes on, I think I can handle it. I want you to cum too. Please, Cassie…"
Now he was begging me to touch myself. I slid my hand to just above the waistband and used the other to pull it open slightly. "Can I…?"
He nodded and I slid my hand inside both my shorts and panties, gasping at my first contact with my clit. I was so wet and it was so sensitive that I didn't need to do much work. Just some gentle motions had me whining.
And suddenly neither of us was saying anything, just watching as our pleasure mounted. "Can you see my arousal?" I asked, breaking the near silence.
"I feel it," he said. "It's like a force pressing on my skin. And when I'm causing it, it's like it wants to crawl under my skin." His hand was moving fast. "I told you that you have no idea what you feel like."
Shaking, getting closer to the edge, I said, "I've had incubi try to influence me before, and it feels nothing like you. You're so much better, so much more real. If I didn't know what you were, I wouldn't think anything strange was happening at all, just such incredible attraction and pleasure."
Apparently he really liked being told he was better than a full incubus, because at my words he cursed and exploded, milking himself, not stopping until I came. It was hard to tell with my clothes on, but with the sudden flood as every muscle tightened and I cried out, I was pretty sure I'd be squirting if I was naked. "Oh fuck…" I gasped. I kept gently circling my clit even after I finished, relishing the aftershocks it sent through me.
Pritkin's pupils were getting wider as he watched me. "You have no idea the things I'd do to you if I could."
I withdrew my hand, worrying that my continued pleasure was teasing his instincts. "Then I guess we'll have to keep doing this so you can tell me."
He closed his eyes with a groan, and when he opened them, they were fully human. "I never thought I could feel this ever again. It was so hard to do with strangers, so it wasn't anything like this. This is so much more…"
"Natural?" I offered. "Intimate?"
Sighing, he said, "Yes. And it's so much better when you cum too. It's…almost like it satisfies both parts of me without feeding."
It made sense. Besides feeding, incubi enjoyed their ability to bring incredible pleasure to their partner. Sure, the means served the end, but they loved to watch their hard work pay off in an explosion of ecstasy. Yes, I'd spent some time down in Casanova's, so I learned some things. And it was probably why my non-participation, physically, had bothered Pritkin so much. He had those instincts. But I was also pretty sure that, human-wise, he just wanted to be a considerate lover, giving at least as much pleasure as he received.
"I meant what I said." I looked at him, muscles relaxed and tan skin spattered with cum. "This is like nothing I've ever experienced, and it's too real to fake. You might be half-incubus, but this is you and me," I said, gesturing between us. "This is natural, how we fit. You feel that, right?"
Pritkin stared at me for a few moments. "Yes," he said quietly. "Natural. We both feel it."
Frowning, I couldn't shake the sense that he wasn't entirely speaking to me. "What are you talking about?"
He seemed to come out of his trance. "I'm agreeing with you," he said. When those calm green eyes met mine, he smiled. "I feel precisely the same way."
There was something he wasn't saying, but I was too relaxed and buzzing with pleasure still to put up a real fight about it. I stretched, and only after his eyes widened as he watched me did I realize that my breast had been exposed by that move. "Uh, sorry." I quickly fixed my dress.
Of course, now I had a new agenda with my outfits. Because… "We're doing this again, right?"
A somewhat wolfish grin crossed his expression, one of the most predatory looks he'd worn when we were doing this. "I'd be severely disappointed if we didn't."
"Good." I was mentally going through my wardrobe, trying to decide which would be good for teasing and partial exposure. Not that we really needed it; we got each other going just fine, but I enjoyed drawing his eye with small motions, captivating him without much effort. It made me feel kind of powerful, which wasn't something I was used to.
At the moment though… "I need to go shower and change. God, I hope Mircea isn't hanging around. I can only imagine what I smell like, and masturbating fully-clothed while surrounded by your scent isn't something I can explain away."
That brought a harder look to his eye, a less playful predator. "Does it really matter what he thinks?"
I groaned internally. "I told you, he's important. He's already feeling hurt from when I 'family-zoned' him; there's no need to rub in his face that I'm…doing things with you." I couldn't say we were involved, because we technically weren't, couldn't be. And, yeah, that hurt. Because we both hadn't said it, on purpose, but we both knew. If I wasn't his ticket to Hell, we would be together. We loved each other.
But Pritkin wasn't appeased. "You're living with him. He can touch you without worrying he'll hurt you. You wear his mark that shows everyone you're his."
"God, could you possibly sound more ridiculous and jealous?" I asked. Something was up, and I was pretty sure Pritkin's instincts were getting possessive. Which didn't quite make sense since incubi weren't known for being territorial. But looking in his eyes, which weren't quite inhuman yet, I saw something sliding into place, some new aspect between us.
I could feel it too, something searching, like Pritkin was trying to reach me from across the room. "What's happening?" I asked, a little unnerved at his behavior.
His pupils had been growing, but he suddenly closed his eyes and shook himself. When he opened them again, they were human. "I'm not sure. I'm sorry."
Pritkin stood up, only looking a little self-conscious about the fact that he was naked and spattered in cum. "I'm going to shower." Without saying anything else, he went in the bathroom and closed the door.
Aside from shifting into his bathroom and violating his privacy, there wasn't much I could do. Except stand outside the door and say, "If whatever just happened keeps happening, you'd better have a better explanation than that." Because I couldn't explain it, but something had just evolved between us, and I knew he had done it. But I shifted away, looking forward to my own shower.
(-)
Fun times. We're finally getting to the important thing that he's been hiding. Although he really wasn't sure until just now what, exactly, was going on with them.
Review if it suits you, but if not, I hope you'll keep reading.
