Page 89 of Two Who Live On

Releasing my magic, I obeyed. Milo knew every potential outcome, so if he believed my involvement would hinder his chances, I would stay out of it.

“Good.” Milo’s mind remained tethered despite falling out of sight and attempting to murmur himself. “It’s a coin toss on whether or not I manage to banish this devil and live to tell the tale. Dorian can’t witness that. He can’t witness any more horrors this abomination plans to bring out to fight against oblivion.”

Fuck that. If he wanted me to stay away because he thought I couldn’t handle it, he was wrong, and I’d be damned if I allowed Milo to gamble his future on the flip of a coin. Fate wouldn’t guess at our future. Destiny could fuck itself.

The succubus gripped my wrist, transforming the world into fuzzy rose-colored bliss.

“Stick around, lover. Relax.” The succubus’ hiss held an intoxicating captivation which left me unable to resist, to channel, tomove. Her whim was my rule. Her desires passionate and beautiful and flawless. I needed to stay. Everything about this battle, this… It faded, and I stopped, enthralled by her kind smile and gentle words. “We’ll let those two work things out and await the devil’s return.”

“Pretty sure I already killed you,” Acolyte Reed said, tiptoeing like this was a fucking game.

Ugh. Ellie. She was one that clung to my memories.

“You cut her head off, which didn’t kill her,” Lena snapped. “Do you ever pay attention?”

“Well, I would’ve banished her if Enchanter Evergreen hadn’t held me back.”

“Here’s your chance,” my kind-hearted friend said. “Show me what you little acolytes can do because I’m a hungry girl, and this lovely telepath is off limits.”

No. I resisted the delight elicited by the succubus’ compulsion. It hit harder, so I conjured my telepathy, linking it to Milo.

He’d wandered too far to sync my branch and break this hold. I remained in this place, trapped in a still body, observing the succubus who stretched her fingers far and wide, transforming them into talons ready to shred the acolytes to ribbons.

Each of them weaved around the strikes.

Acolyte Reed aimed her key, locking the talons in place one by one.

Lena released bubbles, eroding the bound talons.

They had this. Milo wouldn’t have brought them here if he didn’t believe they’d be enough to stop the succubus on their own. Or…with every guild witch spread thin across the city, he had no choice but to entrust two acolytes to handle a powerful demon independently. I trembled, resisting the compulsion and failing to break its hold.

A single talon wriggled, shifting from a powerful bladelike weapon into a twisting whip.

“Ellie, look out!” Lena shouted.

“Your branch is pathetic.” The succubus snatched the key Ellie used for support and withdrew her elongated fingers, freeing them from the lock Acolyte Reed had used. “Witches who require items to aid in their magics are tragically weak. What’s the point of a branch if they can’t cast it in their own rite?”

The succubus shattered the key, laughing as Ellie’s heart sank.

“Weak witches with weak branches have an unsavory flavor.” The succubus skirted around me, eyes trained on Lena and mocking tone directed toward Ellie. “You should consider yourself lucky, little witch. I’ll make your death quick. As for the arcane caster…I’ll spend hours devouring her piece by piece.”

The succubus chased after Lena, who threw bubbles to defend and distance herself. The demon didn’t evade the burst of magic. Instead, she took a deep inhale, consuming the bubbles. Grabbing her throat, the succubus’ eyes widened as she held back a gasp. I waited for the magic inside her to explode. She rubbed her stomach and burped.

“Apologies.” The succubus laughed. “Your magic doesn’t settle well, but a bit of struggle never bothered me much.”

Lena hurled more tiny bubbles from her palms, attempting to create a wall to trap the demon. They held a gleam in the darkness but didn’t slow the succubus who sucked the magic in. Her back swelled momentarily, and I hoped this time, the burst would incapacitate her. It didn’t. She remained impervious to Lena’s branch, drawing more strength each time the young acolyte cast. Unable to break the compulsion, I watched in horror.

Wriggling, tentacle-like fingers stretched, coiling around Lena’s hands. Augmenting her limbs to bind the witch prevented her from compelling on contact. It didn’t matter, though. Lena fought against the succubus’ grasp but couldn’t break the hold or cast her branch.

“I had hoped for more entertainment.” The succubus strutted closer. “Guess even delicious branches have their limitations.”

“Guess you didn’t realize I was letting you consume my branch intentionally.”

An explosion within the succubus created splatters of tar, painting the street in acidic rot. One after another, the bubbles the demon had devoured with ease exploded and broke the succubus’ body along with her hold over Lena. My fingers wiggled and I tightened a fist, resisting the compulsion. The succubus’ vulnerability was an opening I needed to take advantage of. She prioritized piecing her body together as bubbles continued exploding inside her.

“I’ll rip your arms off for that, little witch.” The succubus reeled back a single arm—using the other to keep her tarred insides from spilling onto the street—and transformed her fingers into talons ready to slash Lena and the entire block.

Ellie flew behind the succubus and grabbed her arm. “I don’t use the key to enhance my branch; I use it for precision aiming.”

---