Succubus Tear (Triune promise) (53 page)

Cain forced himself to remain seated, forced himself to not shout. Even still, Al’bah flinched as though he had raised his hand to strike her. “Okay, what about if you were trapped under a rock, and I had to cut your wings off to save your life? Do you think that it would be so
easy
to let go of something like that?”

The shock on Al’bah’s face made Cain immediately regret saying that. “I, um—”

Al’bah bared a mouth filled with fangs; her eyes were jet-black, and her hair seemed to writhe as though alive. “No!” She stood and clasped her hand to his mouth. “I will not let you apologize for that comment! You said it! And you will deal with knowing that it crossed a line with me!”

She bent her neck at an alarming, unnatural angle that would have killed a normal human, so her head was now at eye level with Cain. “Know this, my love. My most precious Bond! You, who saved me from the maw of corruption! You, who I will love until existence is commanded to cease to be. You will not compare your money to me
ever again!
”

She let go of Cain’s mouth and stood. Her eyes were still jet-black, but her hair and mouth were normal.

Cain was livid and horrified at the same time; now
she
crossed a line. He stood, and despite her disturbing change, he stepped closer to her. “You’re right. My money was a testament to my life.
Proof
that I achieved all my life. You don’t understand. It was proof of all my torturous days, hours, and
years
I endured under the hot sun and freezing cold! My many injuries, and the endless struggles I endured!”

Al’bah’s fangs returned, and her breath reeked of rotting meat and blood. Her scent
burned
in his lungs, and she pointed a three-inch-long claw to his chest. “And now it is gone!” she hissed, her voice sounding startlingly similar to Taint’s voice. “You worshipped money for so long, and now you have lost the equivalent of a god in your own mind! All of it sacrificed to save your life! You were getting ill, and you did not listen to my warnings! Are you so consumed by pride that you cannot remember I needed spiritual power attached to physical objects to make fire? I cannot produce fire on my own!”

“Peh! You were
quick to want to burn it even before I got sick! Seems like you got what you wanted after all. Are you satisfied?”

Al’bah’s eyes went from a black void to a burning red inferno without skipping a beat.
Her hair changed into a writhing mass of black snakes with burning green eyes. They hissed and bore their dripping fangs at him. “Just say it, Cain! Declare that you love money!”

Spurred by the weight of all his loss and his fury, Cain stepped forward and grabbed Al’bah’s shirt and brought his nose to touch hers. He was finished with being cowed by spiritual creatures. If Al’bah wanted to hurt him, Cain would allow it and never have it be said that he was afraid of her. “Fine! I love money!
”

The snakes hissed even more menacingly but backed away from Cain’s face. Al’bah raised her wickedly clawed hand between their chests, and gently pushed
him away, her face still contorted with fury. “And now it is gone, and you have nothing to show for it, save your life! And though I am sorry to cause you grief, I will
never
relinquish my satisfaction of destroying your wretched idol!”

Cain felt something within him snap. He wanted to kill something! How
dare
she!

“What are you doing to me?” Cain mumbled, feeling his head spin.

“You call upon strength that is no longer there. Your body is spent.”

Cain flailed out and would have fallen if Al’bah had not grabbed him. That she was able to without cutting him wide open surprised him. She gently laid him upon the floor and shook her head, with tears in her burning crimson eyes. “Such rage,” she said, starting to rise. “So be it, Cain. Be mad at me for as long as you wan—”

She stopped, as Cain tried to grab her arm but only managed to brush his hand across her elbow, barely able to whisper.

“Al’bah…please…”

Al’bah stopped and leaned closer on all fours.

Her expression made Cain want to cry again. Even though her eyes still glowed with bloodlust, and even though she bared her wicked teeth, her expression of anger was not one that came from fury, but of hurt. He had hurt her to the point of provoking her… and for what reason? What right did he have? She saved his life, and she only wanted his love. Did he really just give it to money?
 

“It’s not so easy for humans to let go,” Cain said as he panted and gasped for air. “It’s not easy for me to let go of the last
ten years
of my life, and have
nothing
to show for it.”

Cain closed his eyes and brought Al’bah’s clawed hand to his face. “I know you saved my life. I know you feel my remorse and anger. But I am not like you, Al’bah. You
know
. And I wasn’t strong enough.”

Al’bah had returned to normal; her violet-blue eyes sparkled with tears, her brow was furrowed with confusion, and she bit her lower lip. “I know this, Cain. Perhaps you should sleep. I—”

Cain grabbed her hair.
No! I must find a way! How can I tell her! How can I pass my understanding?
He felt
something
within him reach out and touch Al’bah. She gasped, and her face filled with a different kind of shock. 

“Please,” he gasped, struggling to speak. “Allow me…to be weak. I’m only human, after all. God knows I am weak, Al’bah. I…I wish you could know. I wish I could show you.” His breaths became calm as he felt the peaceful lull of unconsciousness take him.

***

Al’bah looked into Cain’s peaceful face for several minutes. It was the first time she actually
felt
Cain’s soul touch hers. It was an experience she had before with other beings like her, but never with a human. She had touched Cain’s soul before. But this was different. Cain’s soul had become spiritually stronger somehow, and instead of placing her hands in water, the water reached out and placed its hands in her.

Do I dare to believe that his pride is breaking apart? Do I dare believe that all his spiritual energies are returning to him?

“Is he asleep?” Serenna asked upon reentering the living room.

Al’bah shook her head. “No, but he is weary all the same. I had to put him on the couch.”

Serenna stared at Al’bah for a moment and went off to prepare the evening bread. “Al’bah, please come with me,” she called over her shoulder.

Once in the kitchen, Serenna got the dough that had been made a few days before, and with Al’bah’s help she began to make the final preparations. “Al’bah, you know that fornication is a sin, yes?” Serenna said bluntly.

Al’bah dropped the salt tin she held and blushed a deep red.

Serenna kept working on her portion of the dough and said, “You know, Pastor Hughes is set to visit next week. Perhaps you and Cain could talk to him.”

“I—that is to say, you know…” Al’bah stammered, picking up the salt tin and focusing intently on her own portion of the dough.

“Well either way, I hope that you and Cain are on a path to God and salvation,” she said, dropping the subject.

I hope we are too,
Al’bah thought longingly, sparing a glance to Cain, who had at last fallen asleep.

It was not long until the bread dough was finished, with little else to do but wait.

“Al’bah, I can tell you are upset. What is wrong? Did Cain give you a hard time about his money again?”

Al’bah did not even look up from the table and nodded, and started to cry.

Serenna pulled up a chair and held her close. “Easy, child. Men are strange in their ways. I would wager even Amidres’ would be like this over the loss of his newest power tools. He doesn’t mean it.”

Al’bah bawled out, “But he does! He blames me! Oh! And even though I saved his life, it is true. I did what I had to, but he is still upset.”

“Come now, Al’bah. Surely there are redeemable qualities in Cain? A beautiful young lady like you wouldn’t be with just anyone?”

That was true, but Al’bah was certain Serenna did not mean her statement as she or even Cain would understand it. She sniffed and wiped her nose with a cloth. “I know, he is mine.”

“Well see, there you are. How long have you known him?”

“Hmmm, four weeks, I think.”

Serenna gasped. “And you’re already engaged?”

“Yes,” Al’bah said, wishing she did not have to use a different, convenient definition to Serenna’s language. She had told them that they were “promised and Bound” to each other. Which they took to meaning engaged to be married.

“Well see, there you are. A handsome man like Cain also wouldn’t be with a beautiful young lady if there wasn’t a good reason. You two just got together—you hardly know him, and he hardly knows you. Give it time. A good relationship needs time to grow like a good tree.”

Al’bah crossed her arms. “Relationships are different than love. Relationships can be so tiresome without tenderness. All love needs is our decision.”

Serenna smiled and blushed. “Ah, so very true. Amidres’ and I only knew each other four months before we were married. He said the same thing to me.” She winked at Al’bah and continued to smile. “Just be patient with him. Give it three months, okay?”

Al’bah blinked. She did not expect Serenna to be so…well spoken. There was a certain logic to her words. Cain was human, after all. “Thank you, Serenna.”

Where Worth Lies

“The best deceptions are made of a portion of the truth. The weakness of humanity does the rest.”

—Walter Stratton

“My apologies, Cain.”

“What? Purity? What are you…?” Cain sighed deeply. “I’m asleep again, aren’t I?”

Purity nodded. “Cain, it is by my action that your currency and your health were taken from you.”

“How is it that you could have taken it? Al’bah is the one to blame for my money, and the freezing cold was to blame for the pneumonia.”

Purity shook his head. “Cain, there is more than what you can see. Already you are beginning to realize this. The cross man bears is never the same nor as great as that of the Savior of mankind.” Purity pointed to Cain’s hand. “Already you are becoming different as the object of your worship is taken from you.”

Cain looked at his hand; it had a faint purple glow, much like Al’bah’s eyes.

“Your Bond strengthens.”

Cain felt his anger rise, but it was faint, distant—almost as if it were the memory of anger.

“Why did you do it?”

“Because Taint was going to destroy you by giving you everything you wanted.”

“What?”

“Do you not see? What need would you have for a God, if you saw yourself as one? Taint’s goal is to corrupt the world, as ordained by darker masters.”

“Why am I so important? Why is Al’bah so important?”

Purity looked as though he wanted to turn away, to not meet Cain’s eyes. “Because your Al’bah is a Succubus.”

“What makes Al’bah so special?”

Purity shook his head. “Cain, your Al’bah
is
a Succubus. Her nature, save for her original sin against the Creator, is true.”

“What difference does she make? She is just one Succubus.”

“Ignorant!” Purity shouted. “You have no idea!” He held up one finger. “Cain, there is
one
God! How powerful do you think that is? There once was
one
man! Look what his sin did to the entirety of your race! There is
one
Satan! There could have only been
one
sacrifice that saved humanity!”

Purity took a deep breath in and continued. “And there is but
one
true Succubus, and she is yours. Can you not grasp the implications of a human being Bonded to her has?”