Chapter 91: Lydia's Fate...

"Drew just hit me."

Wade frowned, almost taking the cell phone off his ear to look at it. "Well, what did you do to make him do that?"

"I didn't do nothin'! 'cept probably save him from this crazy blonde bitch here."

"You know what you did!" Drew's voice was loud enough to be heard over the phone.

"Oh. You said that word again. Jason, ah'm a white Southerner and ah'm offended when ya go sayin' that shit."

"Oh, Drew's just pissed 'cause he botched his save versus skank and I didn't!" Jason snapped. "Anyway, we got a woman here I think is probably a bad guy who just tried to seduce us both," he went on. "I mean, beat-up blonde outside a blown-up house full of vampires, and here we were both ready to drop everything and double-team her in the bushes. She's unconscious now, but I'm not sure what to do with her."

"Right," Wade nodded. He looked to the people sprawled out on the hallway floor in front of him. "Hey, Drew and Jason say some blonde chick just almost seduced 'em both outside. They got her captured now."

"Ugh. Lydia," Alex groaned. He was still on his back. "I threw her out a window earlier."

"They mustn't allow her to speak," Lorelei offered quickly, but weakly.

"She's knocked out now." Wade said. "Also, Taylor an' I saw a whole mess of half-nekkid people runnin' around downstairs, too, away from the fight. They didn't look like vampires at all. Didn't seem like much of a threat, either."

"Oh, man," Molly said. "Those are the people that the vampires were keeping as party favors. Did they seem all mesmerized or anything?"

"Nah. Just confused an' scared. A bunch of 'em were headed for the parkin' lot."

"Just let them go," Onyx suggested. "I think most of them didn't really know what was happening to themselves, anyway. We'll have to look around and make sure none of them get stranded here. Shouldn't be too hard for Molly and I to work that out."

"Their first instinct will be to run, just like the vampires themselves," Lorelei nodded. "I have seen it in the past. Most will have confused memories of the party, but virtually all of them were likely been lured here without knowing what was in store. They are probably a problem that will resolve itself, but it would be good to ensure no one is left behind here."

"Right. That's all you guys." Rachel heaved herself up off the floor. "I'll go deal with whoreface."

"No," Lorelei said. "Wait...please."

Alex rolled over to her, putting his hand on her arm and brushing hair out of her face. "You're hurt bad," he said softly. "Is there something I can do?"

The succubus looked up at him wearily, but offered a slight, affectionate smile despite her pain. "I will not expire. That danger has already passed. You know what will heal me, Alex," she told him softly. "I will endure until then."

"That's the only way?"

"It's the best way," she nodded. Lorelei put her hand, covered in blood and filth, upon his shoulder. "You rescued me. Again."

Alex just shrugged. "I love you."

Lorelei nodded. She said, loudly enough to be heard by all, "We should not linger here. The authorities may be delayed, but they cannot ignore all of this for long."

"Alex," Onyx spoke up as she rose, "we need to talk."

"I know," he said, looking back to her and Molly. "I know we do."

"Lydia," Rachel reminded him gently. "I can go take care of this. Bitch has a lot to answer for."

"All of this, I would imagine," Lorelei nodded.

"Can you bring her with you?" Alex asked Rachel, looking between her and Lorelei.

Rachel nodded, her face patient and affectionate. "I can," she said, reaching down to help Lorelei to her feet. "We've got a lot to talk about, too."

"The three of us," Lorelei nodded.

"You're gonna be nice to her?" Alex asked the angel.

She shrugged, but nodded. Rachel had one arm around Lorelei while the succubus held to her shoulder with both arms. "I'm an angel. I'm sweetness and fucking light to everyone," the blonde grinned as she gently led Lorelei down the hall. "Like a beautiful rainbow right up the ass."

Wade moved to follow, but stopped as he came to Alex. He gestured to Taylor. "She just drove a flaming truck through a giant demon an' a house full a' vampires t' come get you," he noted.

"That was you guys?" Molly asked.

Taylor just shrugged. She still held a pistol in her hands. She was looking at Alex, too weary to blush but too embarrassed to know what to say.

Wade pulled Alex to his feet. He slapped his friend on the shoulder before walking off after Rachel and Lorelei. Alex turned to Taylor, still leaning back upon the wall for support. "You did all that for me?"

She didn't answer immediately. Taylor shrugged again, saying nothing. Her lips were pushed forward, quivering a bit, and tears threatened to break free from her eyes. "You're my best friend," she managed to say. Her voice wavered as she spoke. "You were always my best friend and I never even really knew until all this happened."

Alex gathered her up into his arms. She held onto him there in the hallway for a long moment, sniffling but soon getting hold of her feelings again.

"Thank you," Alex murmured. "Is it... can I tell you I love you without it making everything weird?"

"Yeah."

"I love you."

"I had sex with your girlfriend," Taylor confessed half in laughter. "I think I've got a thing for her."

Alex laughed back. "I'm glad you do."

"Well, then you're a pervert," Taylor smiled. She squeezed him again before pulling off to wipe her face. She turned to see Molly and Onyx looking on awkwardly. "These are your friends, too?" she asked.

"Yeah," Alex nodded. "This is Molly, and this is Onyx."

The witches both mumbled hellos. "You look like an Onyx," Taylor smiled quietly. Then she looked back to Alex and said, "I'm gonna go catch up, okay?" She leaned in to kiss him softly on the lips and then headed out.

With that, Alex finally gave his full attention to the two women. "Uh..." he began with uncertainty. They watched him with a mixture of bemused smirks and expectant eyes. "So there's a lot to explain."

"Uh-huh," Onyx replied.

"I should let you two talk alone," Molly thought aloud. She got a single step before Onyx slapped her hand down on Molly's wrist to halt her in mid-stride. The redhead took her lover's meaning and stopped walking.

"Is Molly your girlfriend?" Alex asked hesitantly. Onyx just nodded. "Uh. Wow," he mumbled, scratching the back of his head. "This just gets weirder."

"Molly knows everything," Onyx told him.

"Everything?"

"Everything I know," Onyx elaborated pointedly.

"Uh. Right. So I should start at the beginning?" Again, Onyx just nodded. "Okay, well... uh... I guess I should start by saying that if you've felt an unnatural attraction to me it's 'cause I really, really like you. Uh. Both of you. And I would've liked to tell you everything straight up front but I didn't really know how or think I could. And if it seems like you like me more than you should, it's not anything intentional but it's because of Lorelei. The, uh, succubus. Which is like a, um, sex demon," he added.

Onyx and Molly shared the same exact snort and smirk. Alex continued. "And, well... I guess I should start by saying that sometimes I'm really, really dumb."

************

With the shooting ended and the danger passed, those less able to defend themselves made their escape. Confused, frightened people who had only a short while ago been walking party favors were able to find their belongings and clothes in a few scattered rooms. They hastened to depart, many of them rushing to their cars without pausing to get dressed again. All they remembered was a spooky, kinky costume party that ended in genuine violence and fire. Seeing a handful of people still hanging around the wrecked mansion with guns didn't give them any urge to pause in their flight from the grounds.

Rachel effortlessly carried a bench over from the porch in one hand, setting it down near the bushes where Lydia lay under several watchful eyes. Lorelei was there, held up by Drew's strong arms until the bench was settled. Then Drew gently helped her sit down upon it, smiling and shrugging a bit as she thanked him.

"I wish I could just heal you," Rachel frowned.

"I'll be fine soon enough," Lorelei replied. Drew sat down next to her where she could lean on him.

"You could heal me," Jason suggested dryly. Lorelei looked to him curiously, then pursed her lips and looked away. The young man's face still bore the red mark of Drew's slap, complete with all five fingers.

"Or you could not," Wade smirked. His gun was still leveled in Lydia's direction, but he was standing more casually now.

Rachel's smile was playful. She looked to Jason, gesturing in Wade's direction. "Head Motherfucker In Charge there says you get to live with it."

Jason just sighed, glancing at Wade with a frown. "Jerk," he grunted.

Lorelei looked around at the angel and assembled mortal friends. "I simply haven't the words for how grateful I am," she said quietly. "This is twice now. And at such risk."

Taylor sat down next to Lorelei opposite Drew. "We'd do it again," she said, gently slipping an arm around Lorelei and kissing her cheek.

"Yeah," Wade nodded. "Got off really damn easy, if y'think about it. Only real casualty out here's mah truck."

"I will gladly buy you a new one," Lorelei told him. "But you all risked your lives against such monsters. Any number of horrors could have been inflicted upon you."

Wade just shrugged. "First time since ah've been home ah didn't feel bad 'bout bein' discharged," he said.

"You were needed much more here at home," Rachel suggested quietly.

"Maybe so. Be glad to go back t' livin' a normal life at this point, though."

"You've a far better chance for that now," Lorelei noted. "Centuries-old monsters don't just grow on trees, nor does a band of unscrupulous sorcerers such as were assembled here tonight sprout out of the ground spontaneously. Their numbers are shattered. The leadership of both factions has been eliminated. The survivors will remain hostile toward one another. You may not see the effects immediately, or perhaps ever, but what happened here tonight will cause a dramatic shift of power in the city and its environs."

"You think they'll come after us?" Jason asked. "Look for revenge?"

Lorelei shook her head. "It's a rare predator indeed who goes out looking for a fight just for the sake of inflicting harm. Isn't that right, Lydia?" she asked. "You've certainly awoken by now."

"If you think I'll grovel, you are mistaken," Lydia said, as she sat up in the grass. The blonde succubus brushed herself off, looking at each of the people assembled around her in a semi-circle. Behind her were only bushes and the side of the mansion. Wade and Jason both had guns on her and there was a guardian angel standing there among them. There was no escaping this.

"I care not," Lorelei shrugged. "That deep chasm of weakness you feel within yourself is from the loss of your master. Ba'al is dead, slain by mortal hands in his own realm. Harrow is dead in the Pit at the hands of an angel. You know as well as I that such deaths are permanent. There will be no more regeneration for you."

"Ba'al's lands are in disarray. Your allies here in this city are either dead or scattered in fear, having fled for their very lives." Lorelei's voice was tired but matter-of-fact in her explanation. "My love walks free. I remain at his side. Alex could claim you as his own right now, though I believe I know his mind more than well enough to assure you that the prospect would disgust him." The succubus calmly pulled a strand of her hair back from her face. "I wanted to be here to tell you how badly you had lost at every turn."

Lydia spat at her. Utterly unbothered by it, Lorelei wiped the spittle away with a weary smile. "Telling you this brings me every bit of joy that I expected it might."

"So, uh," Wade asked, "what do we do with her?"

"I've got that covered," Rachel answered. Her eyes were on the prisoner. "I told you what would happen if you fucked with either of them."

"You lick the hand of the Angelic Hosts?" Lydia sneered at Lorelei.

Lorelei cocked her head at the insult, but did not bristle. Rather, she simply reached out to Rachel, taking the angel's hand in hers. Rachel kept her gaze on the prisoner. Her eyes went wide and a slight gasp of shock and unexpected arousal ran through her as Lorelei's tongue slowly, sensuously took one of Rachel's fingers into her mouth and sucked on it. The succubus kept her unperturbed eyes on Lydia while she worked the finger in and out of her lips a few times, plainly savoring the motion each time.

Rachel whimpered. Lorelei released her hand gently, unsurprised when the fingers lingered near her where she could certainly take them up again. "I expect I will lick a great deal of this one," she said coolly to Lydia.

"Uh," Drew blinked.

"Woah," Taylor breathed.

"Can, uh," Jason mumbled, looking repeatedly back and forth from Lydia to Lorelei and Rachel. "Can I get a replay of that?"

The angel shook herself, forcing a scowl at Lorelei before she looked back to Lydia. "I should take care of this. She attacked a mortal who was still under the protection of the Hosts. She needs to be taken and judged."

"Wait a moment more," Lorelei said. "We need to let the others catch up. As I said, at the moment she belongs to Alex. Though he will doubtlessly reject her, it must still be his decision, not mine."