IncuBUST

Charmspeak

I opened my eyes and glanced at Octavia. Her gaze met mine and she suddenly stopped trying to pull me away from Barapha her arms falling limply to her sides and she took a step back.

I didn't really want to do this again, but if Sissy couldn't stop him...

I let go of his wrist and reached back until my fingertips brushed his body and I wrapped my arm around him slipping my hand up the back of his shirt and digging my fingernails into his frigid skin. His grip tightened around my neck and I felt his lips on my bare shoulder, his teeth nipping at me, cool breath tickling my skin.

With the hand on his back I pulled him tighter against me, pressing my back into his front and my other arm reached up, my hand curling around the back of his neck and I leaned my head back against his chest looking up at him with wide eyes glittering unnaturally blue.

He pulled away from my shoulder and looked down at me, his eyes wide with shock, his face flushed from my heat. He hadn't been expecting me to respond so favorably to his advances.

"Please, let me go, Barapha," I murmured softly and I felt his grip on my neck loosen but he didn't let go of me or remove his hand from my pants. I hadn't used 'charmspeak' in a while so I was rusty. I bit back a sigh.

"We're in public, you know, and I..." I trailed off and cast my gaze downwards toward the floor. The flashing lights cast colored shadows on my eyelids. I looked back up at him after a moment and whispered, "I'm kind of shy."

I hate myself.

A dark violet blush spanned his light brown cheek bones and he hastily removed his hand from my pants and the hand around my neck fell away and came to rest gently on my shoulder.

Ha. It worked.

I released my grip on his back and neck and let my arms fall to my sides. Sissy stopped tugging at Barapha and stared at me. I turned to look at her and tried to ignore the gazes of like half the bar.

"I think I'm ready to leave now," I said and she nodded. I looked to Octavia and she nodded as well. Octavia started hastily towards the exit, she had had enough excitement for tonight...maybe a little more than she bargained for.

Sissy followed after her and I tried to do the same, but Barapha's hand on my shoulder was like a harpy's claw clamping down on its prey. I looked up at him, but his face was turned away and I could see a blush creeping down his neck.

I felt bad. I had no reason to. I was only saving my own life. That was why I didn't use 'charmspeak.' I didn't like manipulating the feelings of other people, even people who basically sexually assaulted me. It wasn't completely his fault. I let Sissy drag me here. I let Sissy dress me like this. I let myself attack him first. He was only retaliating. What did I expect?

I reached up and covered his hand with mine and his grip relaxed. His fingers were cold but not as frigid as they had been. Maybe he had just been hungry. He looked down at me, but I looked away before our eyes could meet and I took the opportunity to slip away. He let me.

I rushed out of the club. I knew Barapha was a rotten person. He killed humans as frequently as the law would allow; sucking the warmth out of them until they were nothing but chunks of flesh frozen solid. He didn't have to do that. There were any number of fire elementals he could feed from; dragons, salamanders, gods and goddesses of fire, fae with affinities for fire, not to mention incubi and succubi though we were a rare species. There were only about a dozen of us documented in the entire United States.

Barapha was hard and cold like ice, but like ice he could also be incredibly fragile. I shook my head as I left the building. No, he was a terrible person. He had hurt Sissy. Told her he loved her over and over all the while using her for her warmth and the warmth of the other Mythics she invited into their bed.

But that was nearly fifty years ago. People, even immortals, could change a lot in so many years.