She was Kiara.

She had a different name, once, several human lifespans ago. But it was a life she’d practically forgotten. A Succubus, she’d once been younger, weaker, feeble. Yet she’d been chased all the same.

‘Charmer’ they called her, the word poison in their lips. Maidens and humans alike feared her. When she was naught but a Youma it was fear of her potential, now that she was a Succubus, it was fear of what she could do. And for good reason, with but a touch she could bring the most powerful of maidens to their knees, a whisper and pleasure like none other would push them to the brink of ecstasy.

Kiara had traveled a long long time, searching, looking. Her powers were great, but they were not enough. She wished for the last step, to achieve that which so very few Succubi ever had: to become a Dark Queen, the last step in her genus, the culmination of power.

To do so, she needed a human, one like none other, steadfast and strong, powerful in their own right, a champion able to resist yet still in service of her… or so the old dusty books had said.

The latest candidate was currently hurling the remainder of his stomach onto the rooftop.

It made Kiara briefly ponder if this had been the right choice.

The moon shone down on them through the cloudy sky and magical mist. One the insufferable vampire had summoned. All was silent when all should be chaos, such was the power of the mist. Kiara was certain the blood-sucker was no pushover, it would be a pain to deal with once things got serious.

As it stood, she was more focused on the human called Rick. But something was wrong. Nausea from one’s first teleportation was to be expected, particularly if forced, especially if the target was a human.

The trembling shivering fever and near violent spasms as red glowing veins crept up his neck was a sign of something more concerning.

Her pet-to-be was suffering from elemental energy poisoning. A severe one, if the pulsating glow was anything to go by. But it didn’t make sense, the spell had been a very short range, not even a full ten meters. Certainly having a human move through a dozen of those would put them at risk, but just one?

Had he been taking energy from somewhere else? His aura was pulsating, almost, just barely to a level she’d come to expect from a normal human born from a maiden.

But her prey was anything but normal. She’d learnt that the hard way.

Those were thoughts for later. There was a brute she had to deal with, a threat to her project that was far more immediate.

“It might feel like you’re going to die, but even if it’s a lethal dose, it can be dealt with later.” Kiara spoke to the human as he clenched and struggled to remain conscious, eyes unfocused and bile trickling from his lips. “Try not to move too much.”

Rick looked at her, even with the energy burning through his body, he had enough presence of mind to try and focus on her. Kiara’s lips curled at that formidable will. It would be all the more enjoyable when he was hers.

She’d chosen her prey well.

“Now I only need to get rid of the cat.”

The Sabertooth’s aura was blaring outwards like a typhoon, seeking her prey. A measured response of a seasoned fighter, and if this brute fought anything like the other cat, then Kiara did not want to make things easier for her. The mist made it harder for the cat to properly use her aura as a way to feel out her surroundings. Any normal maiden would find the mist quite annoying, but for one wielding aberrant energy as Kiara, it was a simple matter to peer through the magical shroud.

How fortunate for her.

With a soft smirk, she extended her powers, invisible tendrils of ghostly aberration, ones that would be nigh impossible to detect.

Except by Rick.

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What a blunder that had been.

Kiara snorted, another of the questions she’d wanted answered but would have to wait.

“Found you.”

From within the fog an orange form blurred, shooting outwards. Kiara barely had the time to raise her defenses before the claws racked across her torso. One gigantic fuzzy paw grasped at her, the other landed a strike on her stomach, an attack that would’ve gored anyone that wasn’t as tough as a Succubus.

“Don’t you know about personal space?”

Touching a Succubus was the first mistake.

The energy of aberration shot straight from Kiara’s body and into the claws of the filthy feline, climbing up and into her body, subverting the swell of energy found therein. Kiara needed only twitch her power and the maiden abruptly squirmed, letting go and tumbling down, body growing hot and heavy with delicious arousal. Kiara made a dismissive sound, she’d tried to paralyze her, but this one was smart, she had cut off her own energy before the power had gotten a proper hold.

“Succubus.” A hiss of anger and disgust, a glare through the mist.

Kiara quirks an amused brow. “Not so dumb after all.”

“What do you want with the human?”

“I should ask the same. He’s my prey.”

That seems to surprise the cat in turn, the growl and flushed cheeks turn into a snarl. “Humans want you dead.” A smirk follows, her aura flaring outwards. “Or to make you a tool.”

She shrugged nonchalantly, shaking her head dismissively. “They can certainly try.” They had done as much many times already, after all.

“Stand down, sister, he is not worth your attention. He is the most pathetic human I’ve laid eyes on.”

And that would be because she was a blind brute.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been called that.” A lock of perfect azure hair is flicked over her shoulder as her wings spread wide. “Sister.” She spits the word, golden eyes flashing with malice.

Her hand brushes over the patch on her stomach, the scratch is gone, the flesh becomes pristine and flawless. Kiara considers the situation, feeling Rick’s gaze upon her, is he still conscious? Barely.

Still, it was a perfect opportunity.

“He is mine now. Run along, little cat, before I spank you.”

Cooperation from the human was tantamount, at least until she’d properly shown him the pleasures of serving her. The less effort she needed to ensure it, the better. And what better way to entice his greed than by making him see how powerful she was?

Her aberrant powers reach out in every direction, a hundred invisible tendrils of pleasure, seeking the feline prey. But the maiden senses the danger, even if not exactly from where. Rather than take the risk, the brute quickly made some distance between herself and Kiara.

“Are you scared, kitty cat?”

“Just not stupid.”

There was a slight chuckle. “I doubt that.”

She sensed the movement of energy, shadows streaking up the buildings walls and towards… Kiara’s eyes widen, blue fire explodes from her fingers and flies towards the house’s walls, burning away the shadow right before they reach Rick. The human’s pale, shivering, red glowing veins pulsing across his face and eyes. He’s probably blind by now, but still fighting to stay conscious.

Could it be some sort of poison?

No, it had all the signs of elemental overload, and yet-.

The distraction costs Kiara, the feline could move silently when she wanted, and she’d not missed the opportunity. This time it’s not claws and fur that meet Kiara’s face but stone and shadows. The rock smacks against her head with the potency of a cannonball, any lesser maiden would’ve found her head ripped off. Kiara’s head still snaps backwards and her flight is interrupted, she stumbles, darkness and disorientation shrouding her vision in every direction, making it impossible to control her descent.

The maiden bounced between the walls of the alleyway as she tried to regain control, but her focus was on disrupting the darkness around her. By the time she’d succeeded she’d already been half-way to the ground. Not a good situation when there was a barrelling mass of muscles flying towards her. This time the Sabertooth didn’t even try to scratch or claw at her, she just punched.

With a bang and an explosion of air, Kiara’s body soared through the house, punching cleanly through. One wall, two walls, three walls, four. The wild spinning halted and she spread her wings, pulling herself to a halt midair and shooting out and up.

She spots the feline as she slings Rick over her shoulder.

Kiara snarled. She was of half a mind to ask herself why the feline hadn’t killed the human, and though the rest of her was glad she hadn’t, something definitely wasn’t adding up. Beating her wings with everything she had, she tried to catch up with the feline.

But it was an exercise in futility, there was no way she’d be able to catch up to a Sabertooth that fully intended to run away. Which in and of itself was concerning, the brute had clearly not been as rattled as she’d thought.

The bile and anger rush through Kiara as she curses.

The course of her flight is corrected. Wherever the feline was headed, the vampire was sure to know. And if the loud roars further east to the city were anything to go by, that fight was still going hot.

A roar shakes the city, its power gives Kiara pause. It came from the other cat. Her eyes narrow.

It was time to strangle a bat.

And she had to hurry, the knights in the castle were reacting to the commotion.