Chapter 1: A Desperate Hour

Calyndi reclined atop the gargoyle that graced the side of the tall skyscraper, idly twirling her luscious green hair with her left hand while her right ran up and down her thigh. The black bat-like wings that sprang from her shoulder blades drooped lazily behind her as she leaned against the cold stone of the building. One leg was propped on the gargoyle's head, while the other dangled over the edge of the large statue – her high-heeled boot scraping softly against the gargoyle's cheek as her calf swung in lethargic grace.

Calyndi was bored.

She stared out over the city below her, the glare of cars and streetlights filled the air with a yellow aura, and the dank scent of fumes lifted into the air around her. Those lights did nothing to brighten her mood – all the souls trudging through their lives in that artificial glow, only occasionally feeling enough of anything to make them worth Calyndi's time. She knew that on those brightly lit streets the hum of neon mingling with the screech of car horns wasn't enough to awaken most of the city's inhabitants from the tired dream that was their lives. Despite being a creature of darkness, she could bear the light. But she wasn't sure that she could bear the drudgery of human existence.

But as she stared harder at the city below her, she could also see cracks in the light – places where the perpetual glow was broken by those dark, mysterious alleys where the night was allowed to flow into the urban space. Those alleyways used to be so alluring to Calyndi. The fear that emanated off of a lonely woman, her eyes flicking back and forth as she jumped at the tiniest sound; or the muffled moans of passion as a lustful couple ducked behind a trash bin, unable to hold back their desires; needing to feel each other's naked bodies.

And then there were the illicit deals. The dark streets were often home to drug lords, thieves, or the most predatory specimens of humanity. This is where prostitutes would make their offers, their bodies filling with an intense loathing for the lecherous man who paid for their use. And that man's own loneliness would practically drip from his pores. All of these outsiders, the criminals and the desperate, were always filled with one passion or another, be it fear, rage, or just deep, unyielding despair.

It was in those alleys that Calyndi usually dwelt.

That was where she would find her prey. That was where she would feed.

But though she was feeling herself growing hungry, feeding wasn't the first thing on her mind at the moment. As her hand continued to idly stroke her thigh, she couldn't help but be aware of the needs that had been growing within her for quite some time now. After all, even a succubus, instinctively able to satisfy every passion and desire of others, had her own cravings, and Calyndi's hadn't been satisfied in a while.

Sighing in frustration, she peered into the one large dark area in the midst of the city's artificial glow. It stood out – a deep, fathomless pit of night in the midst of a city teeming with light. It wasn't just devoid of light, but instead seemed to suck light into it, devouring it and leaving inky blackness in its wake. There, she knew, was the cemetery. There ... was Devin.

Just the thought of him sent shivers down her spine. He was tall and muscular – a being who radiated power. His features were dark and handsome, filled with a blend of arrogance and cunning that was alluring, especially to a succubus who so rarely met someone who was her equal, let alone someone that might (only might) be able to outdo her. She remembered their first meeting all too well...

She had been lounging at the 9th Circle – a local bar and lounge that only those of the underworld could enter, or even see. She and her friend Linki had been sharing stories about their latest prey, ignoring the lustful gazes that they each drew from the other patrons. Linki frequented the place quite often, so the various ghouls that were the bar's regulars knew that she wasn't interested in them, but they mistakenly thought that Calyndi, who only occasionally went there, might be open to their advances.

But there was no chance of that. They were demons like Calyndi and Linki – creatures who fed upon the feelings and emotions of others. But they had developed a different approach than the seductive charms that the two alluring succubi favored. Rather than passion, they feasted on fear, and the best way to draw this out of their victims was through appearances that were monstrous and vile. And like all creatures capable of changing their outward form, the more time they spent in one shape, the more that shape came to define what they looked like naturally. While Calyndi had gradually become more and more inherently beautiful with each new man or woman that she seduced, these creatures became more and more intensely hideous with each man, woman, or child that they attacked; delighting in the cornucopia of fear of that they consumed as a result of their decayed, mutilated appearances.

It was too bad, really. As fellow demons, they might have been able to satisfy the urges that Calyndi struggled to cope with. But their appearances were so repulsive that she could feel no desire when she looked upon them. Sure, they could shift their appearance to be more attractive, but their hideousness was so natural to them that such a change would require too much concentration – they would never be able to perform up to her standards while struggling so hard not to revert to their monstrous natural shapes.

On that night, though, Calyndi had briefly considered another solution to her problem. She had looked across the small table at her beautiful friend and thought about what a night with Linki would be like. Linki often took human form, eschewing the exotic beauty and bat-like wings of the succubus; qualities that Calyndi refused to hide. But beneath that human form was the will and strength – and staying power – of a succubus, and that was exactly what Calyndi needed. She had imagined Linki's long copper hair sliding through her fingers and the strong, athletic, yet feminine body pressing against her own. It wouldn't have taken much effort for Calyndi to make this happen. She knew that her friend, like everyone else in the bar, wanted her rather desperately. And Calyndi hadn't doubted that a night with Linki would give her all of the release that she wanted. After all, she was nearly as beautiful as Calyndi, herself, and there was something rather intriguing in Linki's odd humanity.

Linki clung to this unusual appearance – unusual for the underworld, anyway – because, unlike Calyndi, she usually spent her nights in the bright, populated areas of the city's night. Rather than dwelling in dark alleyways, she preferred to frequent night clubs and bars – taking on the appearance of full-fledged humans so that she could blend in with the mortals that dwelled within the city. Using her beauty as bait, she had no trouble luring men and women to her. She also found it rather easy to convince these men and women to slip away for a moment; to find some secluded spot where they could get to know each other. And that is when Linki would feed.

But her fascination with moving amongst the humans so openly also seemed grounded in something else – something rather unusual in the underworld: Linki seemed to crave intimacy. She didn't only use her beauty to draw prey to her – she used it to draw companions, however temporary they might be. Linki wanted a sense of belonging – the lonely existence of a succubus didn't suit her, and she spent her nights in search of emotional fulfillment with the same sense of frustration that Calyndi felt on a physical level.

For that reason, Calyndi had known that it would be best to keep her relationship with Linki strictly platonic. She didn't want Linki clinging to her in the hopes of something happening between them that Calyndi simply couldn't offer. Still, the temptation had certainly been there, and Calyndi's own need for release had been slowly building for so long that she had – almost – decided to give in to her lust and take the beautiful woman who sat across from her at the small table in that mysterious bar.

But then, all thoughts of Linki's unusual nature vanished when the door had opened and the most handsome man that either had ever seen entered, striding to the bar while everyone watched. Most watched in fear but, for the two succubi watching from the corner, their attraction to the man was purely born of desire. Calyndi stared at the man, spellbound by the power that radiated off of him. This, she thought, would be the solution to her problem – this man could give her the physical pleasure that she craved and, if his haughty look was any indication, he would not develop any emotional attachments.

A quick glance at Linki had revealed that she, too, had become enraptured with this man who had entered the bar – but hers was a look that went beyond lust: Calyndi had seen Linki's emotions beginning to swirl with fantasies that would most likely never come to fruition. Telling herself that she was only trying to save her friend from inevitable heartbreak, Calyndi had decided to approach the strange man – certain that, despite Linki's considerable beauty, she would be able to draw his attention away from her friend and begin to work her own charms.