Crazy Seduction(erotica)

“What’s it do?” Sigrid asked suspiciously.

Walter snorted at her tone. “It strengthens the holder’s link to the realm for a period of time. Amplifies their ability to draw on the magic.”

“What’s to keep someone from using it constantly, to build the strength of their link to godlike powers?” Sigrid boldly asked.

“The Reliquary itself. It manages the flow and closes if there is too much draw. You can certainly strengthen your power, probably to two… maybe three times your usual levels but that’s it. It wears off eventually and you’ll have to wait for the same period of time to use it again or risk having it have the opposite effect. As it is useless to you, you should give it to me.” He decided to keep to himself the fact that the old magic was weakening. He wanted that Reliquary!

It was Camila’s turn to lay down the law. “Not so fast, Walter. First, you’re going to help extract Stanley from this mess. Call the Fae as Stanley’s legal advisor and get them to back off.”

He scowled at the Succubus. “This is the Queen of the Fae we’re talking about. She cannot back down without losing the respect of her court. She’s just asking to speak with Stanley. That isn’t unreasonable.”

“She claimed him as hers the moment she saw him. That isn’t something a reasonable person says,” Camila argued.

“Camila, accept that Stanley has to at least speak to the Queen. Grant her that and potentially nullify the threat of future attacks. Deny her and she will not stop until she takes him from you. Know this,” Walter explained.

Camila fumed. She looked at Sigrid who took up the argument.

“Ok, be Stanley’s go-between and set up a meeting. With witnesses from the Hidden Races Council. If we are disclosing Stanley’s existence, then it has to be before the others as well so Queen Mab doesn’t have a chance to snatch him and hide him away. He needs to ensure his independence. The Treaty of Independence for the former Fae races makes no mention of Satyr’s as they were extinct by the time it was written. We’ve been told Stanley was born during the time the Queen reigned over them all, so technically he may still be her subject but he’s living in this age and has no desire to be a subject of the Queen. That’s true, isn’t it Stanley?”Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“Yes! Uh, I want nothing to do with the Fae. They’ve shown their true colors and they aren’t for me!” he asserted.

Walter snorted at Stanley’s stern expression.

“Now, they are expecting to get these ‘items’ back from Stanley. How are we going to deal with that if you want the reliquary?” Camila asked.

“That’s simple. The building where Leaharin’s body was discovered is not owned by the Fae. They were trespassing when they brought Stanley there. With the death of Leaharin, the reliquary and anything else he left behind became lost property. Stanley was free to remove them from the building as they were evidence of his abduction. His subsequent exchanging of the reliquary to me for my legal services will be documented and he will receive a receipt for the transaction. A contract is something the Fae understand quite well. They have to accept its legal standing. Stanley will be off the hook so to speak, in regards to the reliquary at least. You can give them the tablet and the journal though I would be very interested in seeing what the Master Inquisitor was writing in it. There must be something about Stanley in there.”

“Write up the contract. While you do that, Stanley will get the items.” Camila said and nodded to Stanley.

Walter moved further back in the cavern to his office to produce the receipt as Sigrid kept her eye on him. Stanley walked back up the ramp to step through the doors to where his clothes were. He closed the doors behind him then froze when he felt lips on his neck. His muscles just stopped responding to him and panic began to surge through his mind.

“I’m very sorry for this.”

He felt a sharp pinch then a darting tongue licking the wound on his neck as his body tingled. The bite was cold and there was no pain. The tongue paused from its darting to press against the wound then he heard the soft but rapid patter of her feet as she rushed away towards the stairs.

When his body suddenly unlocked he pitched forward against the doors with a crash. His unclenched muscles dropped him to the floor and he rolled over onto his back. His head was swimming and his body was shaking from unspent adrenaline.

The door burst open and the three women charged through, Sigrid in the lead. “Stanley! What happened?”

He looked up into her frightened face as his teeth chattered. “I- I th-think she b-b-bit me!”

“What? Where?” she yelped.

“Neck.”

Sigrid moved his head to the side and sure enough there were two small red holes on the side of his neck. They weren’t bleeding.

“That BITCH!” Sigrid roared.

“Am I going to die?” Stanley asked in a quiet, frightened voice. His shakes were quickly settling down.

“What?!? No! No Stanley, you’re in no danger. The bite has no permanent effect. Depending on how much of your blood she drank you might feel a little woozy. That will pass.”

“Then why did you yell like that?” he asked.

“She attacked you! Stole blood from you! That isn’t done and it won’t go unpunished!” she growled in outrage. She was also feeling horribly guilty at failing to keep her promise to protect him. There was also the fact that it happened the moment he was out of her sight, something she’d said she wouldn’t let happen. Her anger turned to shame. “I’m sorry Stanley! I should have been with you!”

Stanley reached out and took her hand to reassure her that he wasn’t blaming her. “It’s ok.”

“Marisa, go get Stanley’s computer bag from the truck. Keep an eye out for the vampire,” her mother said and the young succubus snapped her glamor in place as she rushed away, claws extended.

“I don’t think she wanted to do it.” Stanley said weakly as he struggled to sit up with Sigrid’s help. His head was really spinning. He must have lost more blood than he thought or maybe he was just recovering from the scare and adrenaline rush.

“Marisa? She doesn’t mind,” Camila said, confused by his response.

“No, I mean the woman who bit me. She… apologized before she did it. It felt sincere and a little bit desperate. I don’t know why.”

“I do.”

They turned their faces to the doors of the cavern to see a petite Chinese man in a black silk dressing gown. A red dragon was embroidered upon it. He couldn’t have been more than 4′ 8″ and looked like stretched leather over bones. His eyes though, were sharp and Stanley could see the strength in them. This was his glamor, his illusion… and it displeased him. The hugely powerful dragon became the frail old man.

Walter saw Stanley’s look of surprise and scowled. His eyes flicked to the staircase and he seemed to be trying to decide something but he sagged and turned an annoyed expression at Camila and Sigrid. “You may have cost me a very useful servant. If she was desperate enough to attack one of you in my home then she’s desperate enough to have fled the house, even without her sight. By now Meixiu is most likely out of my reach. I will search the neighborhood for her just the same. She was my servant for many, many years and I had her trained perfectly. She was the youngest daughter of the president of a company I purchased decades ago. A gift to show his respect.” Walter pursed his lips together in a deep frown. “If I have to find another and begin the training all over again, it will cost me a great deal of valuable time.” He turned a baleful eye on Sigrid.

“We had nothing to do with your losing your slave. She attacked Stanley without provocation then ran away. Did you give her a reason to run?” Sigrid growled through clenched teeth.

Marisa returned with the computer bag and Walter’s mood completely reversed. “Ah! You have it!” he said eagerly.

“Contract first,” Camila said.

“Yes, yes,” he agreed as he kept his eye on the prize. He pulled a scroll from the sleeve of his gown and handed it to Camila. She unrolled it and read through the text. She nodded and handed it to Sigrid who read it as well. Satisfied, she turned to Stanley who was now holding his computer bag.

“Put this in a secure pocket inside the bag and give Walter the reliquary,” Sigrid said.

He slipped the scroll into the bag and zipped the compartment closed. Then he fished out the stylus. In the brighter light of the antechamber he could see the delicate scrollwork of its metal shell. The tip which he’d originally mistaken for a pen was made of some smooth stone. It was lovely but he wanted nothing to do with it. He reached to hand it to Walter who took a step back.

“Wait! I don’t want to activate it just yet. Give me a moment!” Walter said eagerly with a grin and shuffled away as quickly as his old body would let him go.

Stanley glanced at Sigrid who had an annoyed look on her face.

“Why is Walter’s glamor so old? It hampers his movement so much. He’s obviously so much stronger and more vital as a Dragon.” Stanley asked quietly.

“It’s not Fae magic. He makes his own spells. I’ve never witnessed him change. You’d have to ask him… but I suggest you don’t,” Sigrid said.

“I heard his question and I’ll give him an answer,” Walter said returning with a small tray lined with silk. He held the tray out and Stanley laid the reliquary gently on its surface. The man smiled at Stanley and nodded. Stanley reached into his bag and handed Walter the leather-bound journal as well, bringing another delighted smile to the man’s face. He shrugged as he accepted the tablet as well though it was clear he had no interest in it.

“Dragons don’t use a glamor or any kind of spell. We have the ability to translate our true form into any other form but certain aspects of our true form are maintained. As a Dragon, I’ve been around a very long time so my Human form approximates that age. I could use other shapes but Human is the one I must use to survive here so I try not to switch to it very often.”

He turned to Sigrid. “I never switch in the presence of others as the distortion of reality can have… detrimental effects.”

Stanley made a choking noise as he flashed to the memory of Leaharin screaming when he was folded in two. Sigrid gave him a sharp look, clearly wanting him to remain quiet.

“What is it?” Walter asked.

Stanley looked away, unable to speak.

Camila stepped forward. “Stanley has had a very rough couple of days. He needs rest. Real, uninterrupted rest. He won’t be able to rest easy until we can put this all behind him. When are you going to contact the Fae Council?”

“I will contact them now as well as the Hidden Races Council. Will Stanley be available this weekend to meet with them?” Walter asked.

Stanley looked at Camila with pleading eyes. “No, Monday is early enough. Give him time to recover from the attack,” she responded. Stanley’s expression was grateful.

Walter nodded to himself. He could work with this. “I’ll need his address for the Hidden Races Council records.”

“I’ll email you the details. Thank you, Walter,” Camila said as she gathered up Stanley’s clothes from the bench and began leading them from the room.

Stanley watched her with surprise as he’d expected to switch and get dressed here but he guessed there was a change of plans. He nodded to Walter, pulled his robe on, and hustled after the others.

He noticed Camila had switched her glamor spell on as they climbed the stairs. He made to ask Sigrid but she just shook her head at him.