We emerged from the VCD building into London's evening air. The streets bustled with commuters heading home, oblivious to the supernatural world hidden beneath their feet.
"I must admit, these mortals proved more interesting than expected." Isabella brushed invisible dust from her sleeve. "Their facilities and equipment surpassed my expectations. Though their bureaucracy..." She wrinkled her nose.
"Not everything can run as smoothly as hell," I said, falling into step beside her. "Besides, it's not like we handle all our own paperwork either."
"True." Isabella nodded. "But at least imps process everything efficiently. Did you catch how many forms that guard needed to fill after letting us in?"
Aria skipped ahead and spun to face us, walking backward. "Who cares about paperwork? Did you see how delicious their agents looked?" Her eyes gleamed. "Especially that Faith. No wonder you're so interested in her, Lily."
"What do you mean?" I stopped walking, caught off guard by her comment.
"Oh, come on!" Aria rolled her eyes. "That intense aura around her? The way she carries herself? That dangerous edge?" She fanned herself dramatically. "Absolutely mouth-watering."
My cheeks warmed despite myself. Before I could respond, Aria clapped her hands.
"But speaking of mouth-watering, we should absolutely find some tasty mortals to feed on before tomorrow. Build up our strength for the hunt!"
I sighed, though I couldn't stop the smile spreading across my face. "Follow me. I know just the place."
"Look at you!" Aria linked her arm through mine. "Our little Lily's finally stopped pretending to be such a prude."
Isabella walked beside us, a knowing smile playing on her lips as she watched our exchange.
"Oh, shush you," I swatted at Aria playfully, but she danced away from my hand with practiced ease.
A warmth spread through my chest as I watched her giggle. The truth was, I hadn't been pretending - not exactly. When I first woke up in this body, feeding felt like a violation, a disgusting necessity I had to endure until I found my way back. But now... now I revelled in every aspect of it. Each feeding brought new pleasures I hadn't known possible.
Not that I planned to admit that out loud anytime soon.
"Maybe I just got tired of keeping up appearances," I said instead, adjusting my glamoured dress. "Pretending takes effort, you know."
"That's for the better anyway." Aria's violet eyes sparkled. "Mother always said a succubus shouldn't hide her desires." She traced a finger along her collarbone, drawing the eye of a passing businessman.
Isabella's lips curved into a knowing smile. "That's actually good advice."
"Let's just get going," I said, leading the way down the street.
I led Isabella and Aria through Mayfair's winding streets to a different upscale hotel than our previous hunting ground. The Connaught's elegant facade rose before us, its windows gleaming in the evening light.
"Different crowd here," I explained, adjusting my glamoured appearance slightly. My brown hair lightened to honey-blonde, though my face remained fundamentally similar. "Less likely to run into anyone from last time."
Aria twirled, her glamour shifting her black hair to a deep auburn. "Smart thinking! Though I could've just made them forget anyway."
"Better safe than sorry." Isabella's platinum blonde darkened to ash blonde, her ice-blue eyes warming to pale green. "Besides, variety makes the hunt more interesting."
We entered the hotel's bar, drawing appreciative glances from the wealthy patrons scattered around the dimly lit space. The air carried notes of aged whiskey and expensive cigars.
"Perfect hunting ground." Isabella's eyes swept the room with predatory grace. "I spot at least three potential targets worth our time."
Aria practically purred. "Oh yes. That silver fox by the window? The one in the tailored suit?" She licked her lips. "I can smell old money from here."
I noticed a younger executive at the bar, his watch catching the light as he nursed what looked like aged scotch. "Remember, we're looking for more than just money."
"Of course." Isabella's smile turned razor-sharp. "We need stamina too."
"And discretion," I added, though my body already hummed with anticipation. "Let's split up. Different targets this time."
Aria's eyes sparkled with mischief. "Last one to drain their target pays for drinks?"
"Deal." Isabella straightened her glamoured designer dress. "Shall we begin?"
We separated, each moving toward our chosen prey with practiced grace.
The morning sun cast long shadows across London's streets as we made our way to the VCD meeting point. My body still hummed with energy from last night's successful hunt.
"I still can't believe you pulled that off," Aria said, practically bouncing beside me. "A husband and wife at the same time? That's some advanced seduction right there."
Heat crept up my neck. "It's not that impressive..."
"Even I'm impressed," Isabella added, her glamoured ash-blonde hair catching the light. "Getting both partners to agree without jealousy or suspicion? That takes skill."
I couldn't tell if I was more embarrassed by their praise or by them discussing my intimate encounter so openly. "It just... sort of happened on its own."
Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.
Isabella's laugh rang out, clear and sharp. "Oh please, things like that don't 'just happen.' You knew exactly what you were doing."
Desperate to change the subject, I pulled out the tracking crystal. "We should check if the vampire is still in the same location."
"Sound idea," Isabella nodded, clearly amused by my deflection.
I held up the crystal, focusing my energy through it. The gem's glow intensified as I turned toward yesterday's location.
"Still there," I confirmed, lowering the crystal. "Same as before."
"I'll admit, I didn't expect these to work," Isabella said, gesturing to the crystal. "I had other tracking methods prepared."
"Why's that?" I asked, genuinely curious.
"Once you understand how they function, it's fairly simple to avoid detection." Isabella adjusted her glamoured designer blazer. "Even someone without magical ability can manage it."
"Maybe it's because there aren't such amulets in this realm?" I suggested, trying to mask my own lack of knowledge about these tracking crystals.
"Quite possible," Isabella nodded thoughtfully. "These are from a rather obscure place, after all."
"So how do you block them?" Aria asked, voicing the exact question I'd been too hesitant to ask myself. Sometimes her straightforward nature really came in handy.
Isabella's glamoured form cast a quick glance around the street before answering. "It's remarkably simple, actually. At the start of each day, you just need to clearly state in your mind that you don't wish to be found."
"That's it?" Aria's perfectly shaped eyebrows rose in surprise.
I made a mental note to start doing this every morning. With my complicated situation, any extra protection would be valuable.
"Indeed," Isabella replied, her ice-blue eyes visible even through her glamour. "I don't fully understand why it works that way. From what I've heard, it has something to do with how the crystal searches for its target."
We rounded the corner to find Faith and Galahad already at the meeting point. A group of people in police uniforms clustered around Galahad as he issued orders in crisp, measured tones. Only Faith stood apart, dressed in civilian clothes like us.
"Ah, our... associates have arrived," Galahad said, his golden eyes flickering over our glamoured forms. His voice carried just enough frost to make his feelings clear without being openly hostile.
"The target might have sensed something's wrong," he continued, crossing his arms. "But we've secured every possible escape route. Even if it tries to run, there's nowhere for it to go."
Isabella stepped forward, her glamoured form moving with calculated grace. "I trust you remember our agreement, Galahad?"
"I remember." His jaw tightened slightly. "But understand this - if you fail to handle the situation, don't blame my team for stepping in to finish what you couldn't."
"We won't fail." Aria's voice carried an edge I rarely heard from her. Gone was her usual playful tone, replaced by something harder and more focused.
Galahad's expression remained neutral, but I caught a flicker of surprise at Aria's intensity. "I hope not." He turned to Faith, his features softening slightly. "Watch yourself out there."
The exchange felt loaded with unspoken meaning. I found myself wondering about their shared history, even as I pushed down a twinge of jealousy at his obvious concern for Faith.
"I will." Faith's voice carried the casual confidence of someone who'd faced danger before. "Not my first rodeo with vampires."
Galahad's eyes narrowed. "But it is your first time working with demons."
"True." Faith glanced at our group. "I guess I'll just have to hope these ones turn out to be alright."
The tension in Galahad's shoulders remained, but he dropped any further attempts to change her mind. I watched as Faith moved to a sleek black briefcase lying nearby. She flipped it open, revealing an array of specialized weapons and equipment.
Isabella peered over Faith's shoulder, her glamoured form casting a slight shadow. "Not bad, though there's room for improvement in the design."
"Thanks... I think," Faith muttered, checking each item methodically.
Galahad cleared his throat. "Do you need me to go over the plan again?"
"No, we're good," I said firmly, wanting to move things along.
Isabella nodded. "Everything's clear."
"I'll pass," Aria chimed in with a casual wave. "I'll just follow these two - they're better at the plan stuff anyway."
Faith clicked her last piece of gear into place and straightened up. "Let's get this over with."
I followed our group toward what appeared to be a construction site, complete with orange barriers and warning signs. The setup looked convincing enough to keep curious pedestrians away, though I knew the "workers" scattered around the perimeter were actually VCD agents in disguise.
Two of them guided us toward a manhole partially hidden behind some equipment. The cover had already been removed, revealing the metal rungs descending into darkness below. The smell wafting up made me curse my superhuman senses.
Faith stood at the edge, adjusting her tactical vest one final time. Her movements were precise, almost mechanical, but I caught the slight tremor in her fingers that betrayed her nerves.
Aria sauntered up to her, glamoured hips swaying. "Don't look so worried, darling. We won't bite." Her red lips curved into a playful smile. "At least, not until after we deal with our vampire friend."
"Aria." I kept my voice firm. "Focus on the mission."
She turned to me with an exaggerated pout, bottom lip jutting out. "You're no fun, Lily." But the dangerous glint returned to her eyes, showing she understood the gravity of our situation.
"If you're all quite finished," Isabella cut in, her cultured voice carrying an edge of impatience, "we should get moving. Time isn't on our side."
I watched as Faith descended first, her movements controlled and efficient. Isabella followed, graceful as ever despite the less-than-ideal setting. Aria made a show of hesitating at the entrance, wrinkling her nose.
"Ladies first?" She gestured at me with an exaggerated flourish.
I rolled my eyes. "Just get in there."
The moment we entered the sewer system, the stench hit me like a physical wall. My enhanced succubus senses made every nuance of the putrid smell crystal clear - decay, waste, and something else I couldn't quite identify. I fought to keep my expression neutral, but my nose betrayed me with an involuntary twitch.
"By Lilith's tits," Aria exclaimed, her voice echoing off the curved walls. "This is almost as bad as the Sixth Circle." She paused, considering her words. "Actually, no. Nothing could possibly stink as badly as Pestilentia. Remember that time we had to gather those mushrooms for alchemy class?"
I nodded, grateful for the distraction of the memory. The Sixth Circle of Hell, Pestilentia, lived up to its reputation as a realm of decay. Even brief visits left you smelling death for days afterward.
A quiet snort drew my attention to Faith. Her lips had curved into an amused smirk as she watched Aria's theatrical gagging and fanning of the air. But as soon as she noticed my gaze, her expression snapped back to its professional mask.
Isabella, meanwhile, moved ahead of us with perfect poise, as if we were walking through a palace rather than a sewer. Not a single reaction crossed her face, though I knew she had to be experiencing the same assault on her senses as the rest of us.
"Show-off," Aria muttered under her breath, just loud enough for our supernatural hearing to catch.
Isabella's only response to Aria's comment was a knowing smirk, the kind that somehow managed to be both elegant and insufferably smug at the same time.
I cleared my throat. "We should probably move. The amulet shows the target is still ahead of us."
"Fine, fine." Aria dropped her theatrical display, though her nose remained slightly wrinkled. "But I'm burning these clothes the moment we get back. And taking the longest bath in recorded history."
Isabella's posture shifted, the casual amusement vanishing beneath her usual mask of aristocratic professionalism. Her ice-blue eyes scanned the darkness ahead, calculating and cold.
Faith unholstered her gun with practiced efficiency, the metal gleaming dully in the dim light. The sound echoed off the curved walls, mixing with the constant drip of water and distant rumble of the city above. We fell into formation - Faith taking point with her weapon ready, while Isabella and Aria flanked me on either side.
Our footsteps splashed through shallow puddles as we moved deeper into the tunnel network. The darkness seemed to press in around us, broken only by the occasional emergency light casting sickly yellow pools across the wet floor. The air grew thicker, heavy with an unseen presence that made my skin prickle.
"I don't like this," Faith muttered, her gun sweeping back and forth across our path. "It feels like we're walking straight into a trap."