Chapter 3

     The two humans and the Incubus now sat in silence in the living room. The only light on being a lamp that helped illuminate the room well enough, and the only sounds being a ticking clock and a thundering of Kyleroth’s heartbeat as he looked at the coffee table and avoided eye contact. The two women were sitting opposite him on the same couch, which formed an angular U with its design with the coffee table in the middle. They had actually offered him a seat there, which he timidly thanked them for.

     When he finally gathered enough courage to make eye contact, he was surprised to see both were looking at him, and with a great deal of interest. The one called Stella seemed the most interested, despite sitting in an extremely relaxed pose that would probably be seen by some as slovenly and inappropriate, given how her legs were slightly spread and she leaned back against the back of the couch. The one called Paige was quite different. While she seemed interested as well, she still seemed rather cautious about his presence. Not nearly as hostile as she was before, but it was clear her guard was not completely down. She was sitting more lady-like than Stella, with her back straight, legs closed together, and her hands in her lap.

     Noticing that Kyleroth had finally looked up, Stella smiled and finally spoke, breaking the five minute silence that had befallen them after the all sat down.

     “So, Kyleroth… maybe we should finally introduce ourselves,” she said as she sat up properly now, though not as properly as Paige, “Estella Moreau, but everyone calls me Stella. Pleasure to meet you.”

     “And I am Paige Krasiński, librarian by trade. I am also pleased to meet you… I suppose,” Paige said. She was not harsh or disgusted in how she said supposed, but merely someone who was still trying to grasp the situation they were currently in, having what she originally thought was a demon sitting in their apartment like a guest.

     Kyleroth started to feel a lot less intimidated now that he knew their names.

     “Th-Thank you. I’m glad you decided to trust me with knowing you names,” he said with a very faint smile. Stella smiled back.

     “Well, now that we got that out of the way, tell us something: Where are you from?”

     “Yes! I’m actually interested to hear this myself,” Paige said, readjusting her glasses. The two of them were now leaning forward a bit towards him, starring at him with unblinking gazes. Which returned to intimidating Kyleroth, though not as bad as before.

     “Well… you see, my clan are actually from a place called Ripper’s Reef,” he answered.

     “Ripper’s Reef?” Paige repeated, surprised.

     “The reef that’s around seventy miles off of the coast what many ships avoid because it has a habit of sinking them?” Stella asked.

     “A-Actually, it is only sixty-six miles away,” Kyleroth corrected with a nervous smile.

     “Interesting… and you had a community there?” Paige asked him.

     “Yes. A whole clan of Incubi and Succubi,” he answered.

     “A whole clan of those living out on a reef? Exposed like that?” Stella asked, “But then again, no one has ever reported seeing anything living around Double-R…”

     “Oh, that is because we keep it hidden,” Kyleroth said, “There is actually an old fortress from the colonial era on it that we made into our home when we arrived here around one hundred an fifty years ago.”

     The two women exchanged a glance with each other, both wide eyed at this bit of information, before looking back at the Incubus.

     “How come no one sees it though?” Stella asked.

     “We, um… we keep it hidden from sight with magic. It basically makes it invisible to the naked eye unless the Incubus or Succubus Prime allows it,” Kyleroth answered her.

     “A whole community of these creatures, living practically on our doorstep?” Stella said to Paige, a little excitedly at this discovery.

     “And by the sound of it, they have their own hierarchy and special kind of magic,” Paige said, also a little excitedly. Kyleroth just chuckled nervously as the two of them talked about what he had just told them. But then Kyleroth realized something that made his eyes widen.

     “Wait!” He said with a frightened tone, getting their attention again, “You aren’t going to tell anyone, are you?”

     “Well, I wasn’t going to, but…” Stella said, pausing to see what Paige would say.

     “I am not so sure. This is a massive discovery, one that could change the world. And if such a race exists it would be important for people to know how to defend themselves from what you were going to do to Stella,” Paige said in a nearly emotionless tone. Kyleroth felt his blood turn cold out of fear for a split second before folding his hands and bowing his head in their direction.

     “Please, I’m begging you: don’t do that!” He pleaded. Paige raised an eyebrow in confusion while Stella just looked at Kyleroth in mild surprise.

     “If you tell anyone about our home on Ripper’s Reef, it will not matter. The Succubi and Incubi there will find out that our home has been compromised, and will relocate before anyone arrives. And on top of that, my family name will be disgraced,” Kyleroth added, trying to appeal to the two of them.

     “Your family name?” Paige asked.

     “Yes. The Larnil family has lead the clan that currently inhabits Ripper’s Reef for millennia. And the currently leader is my older brother,” Kyleroth said, “I don’t want him to be disgraced.”

     “What would come with being disgraced?” Stella asked him. Kyleroth’s expression grew more grim.

     “He would be removed from power as Incubus Prime, and my older sister would take over as successor. And no one, be them my kind or human, would want that…” Kyleroth began to feel a shiver roll down his spine at the mere thought of Jynsya being in charge. But this only made the two humans more curious.

     “What would be wrong with your sister being in charge?” Paige asked. 

     Kyleroth did not respond verbally. He only looked at Paige with an expression that could only be described as terror incarnate. The kind of expression one gives a person when they know they or someone they know is going to die horribly, or that something absolutely terrible would happen.

     That look alone was all Paige needed, as it too made her shiver in fear. As if just looking at Kyleroth’s expression had shown her just what would happen if his sister took over. And Stella could see this too. Far better than Paige even. And it made her feel so worried and so fearful that she actually almost threw up a little bit in her mouth. Thankfully, she was able to stop herself from doing so.

     “Well… okay then. So I guess this means we keep that part a secret?” Stella asked with a nervous smile trying to lighten the mood.

     “Yes. It does,” Paige answered without a moment of hesitation, then looked to her friend, “But it still begs the question what we should do with him.”

     Kyleroth felt another wave of terror take over him.

     “Why don’t we just let him go home?” Stella suggested.

     “Surely you can’t be serious,” Paige asked, mildly annoyed that she would suggest that.

     “Why not? We stopped him, learned his name, and know about where he’s from and everything. I’m sure he won’t bother us again, right?” She concluded by looking to Kyleroth with a slight smile, only for said smile to turn into a concerned frown. Once again, Kyleroth looked melancholy, and was even shaking his head.

     “No. I can’t go home either. Not after this…” he said.

     “What? Why not?” Paige asked, even more confused than before.

     “This was supposed to be an easy hunt. One for me to do to make up for failing all my others,” he said shamefully, “But unlike all the others, I was caught.”

     Paige originally felt a surge of anger at how he said Stella was supposed to be an “easy hunt,” but after noticing that Stella seemed to not really care, she said nothing. In fact, Stella looked like she actually pitied Kyleroth. And she did. In fact, so did Paige to an extent. Because Kyleroth was now without a home thanks to them.

     “If I return with this news… my family would be disgraced that way too,” he said, putting his face in his hands and sobbing silently. He had really messed up this time. So badly that he was now essentially homeless. Yes, he hated the life he had there, but it was still home, and with a brother he loved and knew loved him in a way. And even then, it was better than having to live life as a drifter.

     The second Kyleroth started to sob though, Stella quickly stood up from her seat on the couch. Paige looked at her, and noticed an expression of stubborn determination and comfort on her face.

     In a flash, Stella stepped over next to Kyleroth and sat beside him, placing one of her hands on his shoulder and the other on his leg.

     “It’s okay Kyleroth,” she said gently, “You can just stay here with us.”

     A deafening silence flooded the room as both Paige and Kyleroth looked over to Stella. Their expressions wide-eyed and jaw-dropped.

     “WHAT?!” Both of them ask simultaneously. Stella merely smiled.

     “I can tell you are not a bad person, Kyleroth. And while it was to stop you from doing something horrible, we did make you unable to go home. So, the least we can do, is offer our home,” she said, smiling the whole time.

     Kyleroth was shocked. But it was not the shock of terror. Not this time. Instead, it was the shock of joy. Not only had the same person he had been sent to hunt forgiven him, but now she had offered him a place to stay. And on top of all that, this is one of the first ever times someone besides his brother showed him any form of kindness. More tears began to well up in his eyes as his look of shock quickly became one of happiness and thankfulness.

     “Wait a second Stella!” Paige said, standing up, “What do you mean by that?! We may have been wrong about him, but, are you sure we can allow him to actually stay here?”

     Paige was not angry. A little frustrated that Stella made such a massive decision without talking to her first, but was more worried and just overall flabbergasted. Stella looked over to Paige with a slightly sad expression.

     “Come on, Paige. You heard him. He has nowhere to go now. And it’s because of us,” Stella said. Paige was not convinced by this though.

     “Because we stopped him from violating you in your sleep after he broke into our home?” She almost snapped, “I’m sorry, but this is not a good idea.”

     Stella had a feeling Paige would be like this. She has a very strong sense of justice, and is quite stubborn on the topic. But Stella was also determined. And became even more so when she looked to see Kyleroth beginning to look ashamed of what he had almost done, as well as fearful of what would become of him.

     “Paige, come on. Please think about this,” Stella said, giving her puppy eyes. Paige sighed and shook her head. Stella puffed her left cheek out in annoyance. But then she had another idea.

     “How about you think of it like this,” her expression returned to a slight smile, “If he is here, we can keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn’t try to go after anyone else.”

     Paige actually was surprised by the logic behind that. Furthermore, she also would feel rather bad for throwing Kyleroth out. Yes, he came to do something heinous, but he consistently expressed regret and genuine sorrow at the thought. And Stella’s “readings” of him helped prove that that was genuine. And she trusted her friend’s instincts, as they never lead her astray.

     “When you put it like that, it is hard to argue…” Paige said, not really wanting to admit that she also felt bad for Kyleroth, “So… at least for the time being… I would be okay with it too.”

     Stella grinned in response, standing up and walking over to Paige and wrapping her in a hug. Paige was surprised for a second, but smiled and hugged her friend back.

     “I’m happy you agree Paige,” Stella said. The two of them then heard Kyleroth moving. They released each other and looked in his direction, only to see him kneeling down before them and bowing his head.

     “I cannot thank you two enough for your generosity! I swear, I will make it up to you in the best way I can. Anything, you name it,” he said happily. Stella face became a mischievous smirk.

     “Anything?” She asked suggestively, looking down at the Incubus who know looked nervous at her tone.

     “Down girl,” Paige said, a slight scowl on her face as she fixed her glasses. Stella laughed.

     “Relax you two. I was only kidding,” she said, “Now, were to set you up to sleep?”

     “I think it should be here on the couch tonight. We can figure out more details tomorrow, after we rest,” Paige said, yawning. This was more than enough excitement for tonight. Kyleroth stood up, still smiling slightly and trying to hold back tears of happiness.

     “Anywhere is okay with me, even the floor,” he said submissively.

     “Don’t be silly,” Stella said as she stepped past him to go to her room, “What kind of hostesses would we be if we made you do that?”

     After Stella disappeared from their vision, Paige’s expression turned serious, and she took a step towards Kyleroth. A step that made him flinch slightly.

     “I know I was wrong about you, and I am sorry. And I am willing to let you stay, but I will also tell you this,” she said sternly, pointing to the collar around his neck, “This will allow me to keep you in line if you try anything undesirable towards Stella or me. I’m not threatening you, and I do not want to, but I will apply disciplinary actions if need to. Nothing severe or excruciating, but still disciplinary. Understood?”

     While this was not the most pleasant of interactions, Kyleroth understood. He was an Incubus after all, and was staying with them. So it only made sense to follow their rules. Without any second thoughts, Kyleroth smiled at her and bowed slightly.

     “I understand, Ms. Krasiński,” he said politely. He was a bit nervous as to what she would do, but believed her when she said it would not be severe.

     Paige herself could not help but blush a little bit at his response. He was shockingly very gentlemanly, given what he was.

     “Just- Just Paige, thank you,” she said with a nervous smile herself as he stood back up. Behind him, Stella came back into view, carrying a pillow and blanket.

     “Here you go. This should help you better out here,” she said, excitedly handing the items to Kyleroth, who gingerly took them. Both the pillow and blanket were well kept and felt so soft and warm. He had never had a pillow or blanket like these before.

     “T-Thank you so much, Ms. Moreau,” he said, his voice quivering slightly. Stella grinned.

     “Please, call me Stella,” she said with a friendly wink. Nearby, Paige yawned again.

     “Come on, we should all get to bed now,” she said, looking at the clock that now read 1:27am. Stella all turned to look, yawning as well.

     “Yeah. We should. Goodnight everyone,” she said as she and Paige both started to head to their rooms. Before they made it though, Kyleroth called to them.

     “Wait! Stella, I do have a question,” he said, the two women turning to look at him, “How exactly were you able to tell all those things about me earlier? Like, how you knew I was telling the truth and everything?”

     Stella and Paige both smiled, Paige playfully rolling her eyes as Stella pridefully crossed her arms under her breasts.

     “A master programmer like myself needs to be able to notice every detail they see. I’m just able to apply that to people and their facial cues and body language,” she said, talking like she was a hero describing her superpower.

     “That’s enough of that now. Let’s get to sleep. Sweet dreams everyone,” Paige said before grabbing Stella’s hand to pull her further down the hall toward their rooms. However, when they were out of eyesight of Kyleroth, Paige stopped and turned to Stella.

     “Okay Stella, please be honest with me here,” she whispered, “What are any other reasons you have for wanting Kyleroth to stay with us? You seemed extremely determined to allow him to, and I want to know why, beside him just being homeless.”

     Paige said sternly, but not harshly. Stella’s smile quickly disappeared, replaced with a frown that could only precede really tragic news. With a sigh, Stella answered.

     “The more I looked him over… the more I saw signs that he could have been a victim of abuse back at his old home,” Stella whispered back sadly. Paige’s eyes widened at hearing that, her blood starting to feel hot with a sort of shocked rage at hearing this.

     “What makes you think that?” Paige asked, clenching one of her fists and her teeth.

     “Well, for starters, what he is wearing. While I didn’t get that good of a look at the one who came into our apartment last night, I did notice he was wearing some kind of outfit that looked well made and like actually clothing. And he is wearing those torn up rags,” Stella began, “Then there is his just over all timid nature. It’s the kind I’ve only ever seen in victims of abuse.”

     “Is there anything else?” Paige asked, eyes closed in anger.

     “Yes,” Stella said, “It’s faint, but there are traces of a bruise on his chest. And I know it wasn’t caused by any of your spells, considering you never hit him in the chest.”

     Paige had heard enough.

     “Do not worry Stella,” she said, opening her eyes, “He will not suffer any kind of unfair abuse while he is here.”

     Hearing this made Stella smile. Albeit, a faintly sad one, but she was still happy to hear Paige say that. Once again, she wrapped Paige into a hug, who hugged her back tightly. Eventually, they pulled apart.

     “Good night Stel,” Paige said.

     “Good night Paige.”

     With that, the two of them turned and entered their rooms. Closing the doors behind them.

     Completely unaware of the conversation the two women had, Kyleroth stood there for a few seconds, still trying to wrap his head around what had just recently happened. And just how fortunate he was. He turned around and looked at the couch, smiling widely as some tears leaked down his cheek.

     Never before had he had something like this to sleep on. And having sat on it earlier, he knew it was comfortable.

     He set the pillow Stella had given him down at the edge of the side he sat on. After that, with a now free hand, he undid the tie on his loincloth so that it came undone, leaving him completely bare again.

     Now prepared to sleep, he laid down on the couch segment, resting his head on the pillow. The describe the feeling would be impossible for him now, as it was pure bliss. It was so soft, and it did not make the same irritating noise the straw he slept on back at Ripper’s Reef did. Nor did anything sharp and painful poke him, like the straw had. And he was sure no insects or vermin were nesting in the couch.

     Then Kyleroth took the blanket he was given, and draped it over himself. It was warm, soft, and made him feel safe somehow. The blanket he had back home barely kept him even lukewarm, given its holes and uncomfortable fabric. But this blanket, it made him feel a warmth he never thought possibly unless he was outside during the summertime.

     Kyleroth laid there for a few seconds, again contemplating what had happened this night. How it started off as any other horrible evening, but now…

     It was not long before the Incubus found himself asleep. Once again having one of the dreams that he loved so much. But this time, he would enjoy them more, for they no longer had to serve as just an escape from a hellish reality.