RHYDSTORM’S POV

That fucking piece of shite!

Oh Mateo was going to die when I got my claws on him and I mean it this time.

He had one job, one job to take care of my nightclub and now I was staring at my bar, Eros, with disgusting guy feeders in my bar!

The Alp-luachra were not typically allowed in bars or supernatural hangout spots because if you fell asleep in front of one, they'd crawl into your stomach and feed from you.

They were slow killers that were truly disgusting and now I have a riot of them in my bar!

I exhale sharply as around me, patrons are staggering and vomiting not noticing they are being drained from the inside by these leeches.

Eros was not supposed to look like this, it was supposed to be my feeding ground not an avenue for people with eating fetish.

And now it's useless.

“Mateo…” I mutter under my breath with anger.

“When I find you, I’m going to rip your wings off and decorate the ceiling with them.”

I pinch.the bridge of my nose as the irritation and exhaustion was getting to me.

I haven't fed in days and out here in the human realm, that could be fatal especially with my regeneration slower compared to when I was in hell.

I need release and sex right now.

Without hell’s magic or life force, this is what I'm now reduced to.

Feeding like a lowly incubus surviving in carnal pleasure.

Pathetic.

And if I didn’t feed soon, I would stop being selective and become aggressive.

And I cannot risk any aggressive behavior especially not with the Accursed Games coming up really soon.

That is the only reason I tolerate this world. I need to win trials and return back to hell so I can reclaim my heritage and look my bastard father in the eye.

Eros, the demon sin of pleasure that banished me, his son for being born half demon.

Like it's my fault and not his, so I named this nightclub after him in spite knowing he hates humans.

Four hundred years of exile and being called a mistake and a halfbreed abomination.

My horns ached faintly beneath illusion magic on my head like a phantom pain after they were cut off by my step brother as a reminder and a warning.

I will have my revenge but I need to feed first.

.

.

.

I scanned the bar for options but the population was not satisfying.

Vampires?

No. They were emo parasites pretending sadness was a personality trait for them.

Witches?

Absolutely not! The last one tried to bind my “essence” mid stroke.

I am not ready to be a father.

Werewolves?

Tempting, but with the full moon out, I'm not interested in being bitten mid release.

Elves?

Too much talking.

Dryads?

No, I am not repeating that botanical disaster.

Demigoddess?

I paused as I looked at her once more.

Demigoddess are rare as they come and for one to be here?

A boon for me!

.

.

.

.

We are fucking real hard and slow when I catch a scent.

It's warm blooded and… a human?

I slowly inhale as my cock reacts even before I do in hunger.

Who is that?

“…What is that?” I whispered.

The scent isn’t just present, it's alive and thrumming in my veins.

I turned slowly and scanned the alleyway but she's no longer there.

I exhale slowly and focus to find the source.

.

.

.

.

Then, I find it!

It's near the alley exit so I move with inhuman speed right in front of her and there she is.

A mortal.

She bumps into me and falls backwards before her eyes widen with shock at the sight of my still stiff member.

Oh right, I was interrupted mid stroke.

I stared down at her before finally asking her something since she's just content to stare at my naked self like a pervert.

“My eyes are up here, fledgling,” I remind this perverted human.

Seriously, who looks at a hungry incubus with desire?

And when she goes red and looks away in embarrassment, I internally regret telling her off.

Her face was definitely pretty too.

“Raise your head,” I say softly. “Let me see the face of my peeper.”

But as she does, the wind carries her scent straight to my nose causing me to stumble in my posture and nearly lose control.

“Who are your parents?” I ask, holding a hand to block my nose.

She e doesn’t answer but instead she's staring at me like I am a mistake or she's hallucinating.

Oh right, the horns and my hooves, I'm still in my partial demon form.

I inhale greedily again as my whole body tightens.

Oh… this mortal is dangerous.

I crouched down to her level on the ground and tilted my head.

“You’re the peeping Tom from the alley,” I say slowly as she finally shows fear and embarrassment.

I inhale again and something shifts wrongly inside me causing me to frown.

“…Impossible.”

Because I now understand what I am smelling now. She isn't just merely a human, she's something else.

Something pure that hasn't been tainted by any other supernatural.

.

.

.

She is a virgin.

The realization makes me think whether today is my birthday as the odds of a virgin female mortal still having a strong life force is practically harder than finding a celibate incubus.

“…How are you still alive?” I murmur as I assume other supernaturals would have surely tried to have her.

“I–uh–I think I’ll just leave now.”

She tries to sidestep me but I merely hold her in place, careful not to break her as I remember she's a human, and mortal

“Kiss me…”

I command using a tiny bit of the compulsion magic incubus are famous for, wanting to test something.

I already know how this all would pan out.

She'll blink, smile and come closer and closer to me until she kisses me.

I let out a cold smile as she moves closer and closer.

Just as I prepare to kiss he–

A punch from nowhere greets my face with a snarl from her.

“Die and go to hell you pervert exhibitionist!”

She instantly turns and runs for her dear life, running away and leaving me in confusion.

What the hell just happened?!

SIA’S POV

The walk back home should have calmed me down but it didn't, it only made it worse.

Every step away from the alley felt like I was walking from a dream that I couldn’t fully wake up from, except I was awake.

Oh from seeing the size of that exhibitionist, I was definitely awake.

I checked my phone twice just to confirm that I got no calls from Zach and I can't find Maya either.

“…Maya?” I called under my breath.

But it's silent without the usual flutter of wings, nothing.

That's odd.

“Okay,” I mutter. “So now I’m officially talking to myself.”

That should’ve scared me more than it did but I am still stuck in what just happened.

The alley, his voice, the man–

I stopped walking as I realized something strange.

I couldn't remember him anymore, if I even tried to, it all seems like my mind is covered with fog.

That didn’t make sense at all, I just saw him.

But when I try to recall his face, it's blurry. Like fog has settled over it.

I blinked.

“No, that’s completely stupid,” I say out loud. “I literally saw him like five minutes ago.”

I try again to focus.

A tall man cosplaying as a demon with horns and an intense voice

His face–

That's it. That's the extent that my memory will allow me to remember.

His face kept shifting at the edges of my memory like smoke blowing from the wind.

“…Why can’t I remember your face properly?”

By the time I reached my apartment, my thoughts had turned into tiredness as I locked the doors behind me and dropped down onto the floor with my keys.

Something in me feels okay but at the same time it all feels… wrong.

I could feel like my skin was listening to things it shouldn’t be able to hear or understand so I pressed my hand to my chest.

I need to calm down. So I walk into the kitchen and grab a cold glass of water and chug it down.

My reflection in the window catches my eye, making me pause and stare.

It's nothing wrong, but I no longer feel myself any more.

“Get it together, Sia,” I say quietly after trying to pinpoint the difference in me

But when I turned away, I could've swore I felt something watching me longer than I did.

I turned back quickly to see it was nothing but my reflection.

My phone finally rings, and it's Zach.

I almost smile without even thinking about it.

“Hello Zach.” I said.

“Where have you been? You said you’d call earlier,” he says.

“Sorry,” I replied quickly. “Busy day for me.”

I didn’t know why I said that but I imagine telling my boyfriend that I saw a tall 7ft dude choke a girl with only her throat and use her as an onahole isn't a good conversation starter.

Zach laughs softly like he didn't mind.

“You sound weird,” he says.

“I’m fine.”

Then he says once more, “You’re thinking too much again.”

That made me exhale slightly.

“Yeah,” I admitted as I looked outside at my reflection.

It's all pretty normal so maybe it's just the proposal jitters getting to me.

But for a split second–

I see something behind me in the glass.

A shadow that didn’t belong to the room smiling at me.

I turned around sharply but there was nothing there.

Zach was still talking.

“…Sia? Are you listening?”

“Yeah,” I say quickly. “Yeah, I’m here.”

But I wasn’t really, especially with this thing disturbing me.

I tried to picture him, the man from the alley again only to come up short.

Like something is actively refusing to let me see him clearly.

My grip tightened around the phone.

“Zach,” I said suddenly.

“Yeah?”

“…Do you ever forget someone’s face even when you just saw them?”

Silence before she laughs out in that sweet voice of hers.

“No,” he said. “That’s not normal.”

Right.

That should maybe reassure me but it didn't.

After the call ended, the apartment fell into more silence as there was no Maya or Zach.

It's just me and the presence with me giving me a headache.

I check the window again but there's nothing there.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that the air inside the room had changed like something was passing through.

I sit on my bed to relax and think about the ring and the proposal about to happen.

My graduation and a chance of normal life with–

The alley.

I shake my head to try and get it out of me but then later with frustration.

“Why can’t I see or remember you properly?” I mutter.

The room stays silent until I look down and see that my hand is shaking.

Not out of fear, but out of something even I can't recognize.

I stare at my palm with confusion and faint fear.

“…What is wrong with me?”

With shock, I'm in for a surprise when a new and strange voice pops up in my mind.

“You’re remembering incorrectly.”

I freeze as my breathing stops halfway.

I look around just in case but I can't find Maya.

That talk is from inside my head.

I swallow and ask even though I know it's not feasible especially with male voice in my head.

“…Maya?” I call again but this time there's no response or answer.

The silence that follows my question feels heavier than the one that happened.

And then, for the first time since the alley–

I couldn’t tell if I was alone in the room or if my memories finally stopped showing or popping out hallucinations for me.

I try one last time to remember his face but instead of the fog, I'm met with a calm and insipid voice.

“You were never supposed to remember him, you're not even real.”

“Who are you?!”

I yell back in my empty room, screaming and demanding answers like a lunatic screaming to himself.

Who is this person talking in my head?

SIA’S POV

I should’ve taken Maya more seriously was the first thought that I had when I stepped out that morning.

Not because anything obvious had changed for me but because everything now feels odd and… off.

The second thought was about how Maya could never find out about the first thought.

But other than that, everything felt wrong and majorly off.

It's like the texture and the ambience of the world had been arranged whilst I was asked and no one bothered to tell me.

Even people on the street felt louder than they should’ve been.

I frowned as I walked.

“Okay,” I muttered to myself, subtly adjusting my bag strap. “You’re being paranoid again.”

Normal day, that’s what I told myself.

Classes, errands and picking up a cheap too good to go bag.

All normal.

Except–

The fact that something kept brushing against my awareness like I was being watched from somewhere I couldn’t locate.

I stopped briefly at a bus stop mirror and checked myself once more if that voice would say anything.

But nothing I guess, so I head to my class.

What I didn’t notice was the faint shimmer around me almost like those two men like they had their own light fixtures.

Something that should’ve been normal to me for years all over a sudden, nothing felt right again.

.

.

.

I didn’t know I was marked for an attack.

At least, not yet.

I just knew the day felt wrong and instead of bailing, I stayed till midday and convinced myself that all was fine.

Almost everything I guess.

I was walking past the edge of the old forest near the love garden when the first sound came to me.

A snap on one of the branches on the floor.

I turn around slowly.

“…Hello?”

Nothing answered me as the things in the forest answered me instead.

I barely had time to step back before something massive hit the ground right in front of me.

A tall shape covered in fur and standing on two legs was staring right in front of me, making me doubt my eyes.

It's almost like an animal but not fully yet, truly a work of art for the makeup artist responsible for this.

But as another dropped down in front of me with another and another, I started having second thoughts.

Why were they snarling?

My breath caught.

“What the–!”

Fucking hell!! Those people weren't bluffing, werewolves are real!

But they don't look like wolves in documentaries, they were with humanoid structures but had exposed fangs and claws.

And let's not even get started with the drool and saliva.

And even worse, they were all looking at me like I was their prey.

Maya where the fuck are you?!

They were looking at me like a decision they couldn’t quite agree on and I'm praying desperately that I live.

I try to back away but stop immediately when one growls at me.

A third werewolf steps forward slowly, making me freeze.

“Okay,” I whispered to myself. “This is not real at all.” I try to deceive my mind.

But as they circled me with slow steps, and sniffing the air with confusion, I backed away slowly while they're distracted.

But I know my heartbeat is loud, too loud and I'm sure they know this too.

One of them stepped closer to me as its eyes narrowed and it inhaled deeply in my direction.

Then something like recognition hits his eyes as immediate aggression goes loose and they move at me, all at once.

They are too fast for me to even track their movements and try to dodge with my bare eyes.

I stumbled back.

“Wait–wait–!”

But they didn't wait at all as one lunged at me so I turned around and ran..

Branches whipped my arms as I pushed through the forest with angry pants from the werewolves behind me.

I didn’t look back, I couldn’t as I know I'll die if I waste any time.

Something grabbed the air behind me making me stumble to dodge it but I tripped and fell to the ground hard.

I rolled instinctively, expecting claws or teeth on my skin but nothing came at all.

The forest felt oddly quiet, too quiet but I stayed on the ground breathing harshly.

“…What…?”

I'm panting as the forest goes silent like it was all my hallucinations as the footsteps and growling disappear entirely.

I slowly lifted my head to see the forest devoid of any trace of werewolves.

It's almost like they don't exist and we're never heard of in the first place.

My breathing shook as I stared around.

“…Okay,” I whispered. “Okay, that’s– that’s hallucination level stuff.”

I pressed a hand to my chest to see my heart is still racing but since it's just here, then it had to be a hallucination from the start.

I swallowed hard and forced myself to stand.

“This is stress,” I said firmly to convince myself. “This is stress and lack of sleep and–and some weird life decisions.”

I turned away from the forest quickly and walked back to the main road.

I reach it eventually and find my discarded bag as my breathing slowed and became normal now that I'm back in crowds.

By the time I reached the street near my apartment block, I was almost convinced I was fine.

Almost.

And then I saw him.

A tall man standing a few meters ahead, watching me with interest.

I stopped immediately as I felt like something about him didn’t fit the environment.

He stepped forward slightly and I felt it.

That same pressure from earlier on with the werewolves only stronger and more focused from him, directed to me.

My instincts screamed at me to step back and run away but I didn't.

I couldn’t explain why.

“Are you okay?”

His voice was calm and placid as he asked me a question.

I frowned in reply.

“…Do I know you?”

He didn’t answer me immediately but instead, he narrowed his eyes at me like he's checking something.

“I saw you yesterday,” he said. “You make it home safely I see.”

I blinked with confusion.

“What?”

Yesterday?

I thought back quickly but I came up with nothing at all.

Except for the alley incident, nothing came up.

And it couldn't be him, this person's 6ft. The alleyway man was 7ft and steadily approaching 8ft.

Practically a giant.

“…I think you’ve got the wrong person,” I said carefully to him as he studied me more.

My grip tightened on my bag strap.

“…Who are you?” I asked slowly.