CHAPTER THIRTEENVisceral DreamsLilitu Feeding Etiquette: An F.A.Q. From Rupert WaltersThere seems to be a great deal of confusion about the niceties of lilitu feeding etiquette, and I have been asked to provide clarification. I will attempt to be as polite as possible while answering the common questions below, but the nature of the subject means that ladies of tender dispositions may wish to read with caution.Q: Is the consumption of venereal fluids necessary for lilitu to survive?A: Not precisely. Lilitu feed on erotic energy, which is derived most efficiently through the consumption of fresh venereal fluids. However, dreamfeeding demonstrates that it is possible for lilitu to gain sustenance without exposure to their partner’s physical form.Q: How long can lilitu go without feeding?A: Lilitu take between two weeks and a month to starve to death. An incubus must release his seed at least once a week, or it will build up inside him, leading to insanity, followed by death
CHAPTER FOURTEENDecadence & DeceptionIn the dream, I flew down to a pasture. I landed, searching for Sven, but the grass was so tall and dense that he would have remained concealed even right beside me. I knew I could remove the grass from the dream, but I didn’t. Sven wanted it this way. It was a test.The slash came swiftly from behind, chopping away some of my hair. I spun around, blade at the ready, only to find more grass, swaying in the wind.Expecting Sven to circle around me, I pivoted back and sniffed the air. The wind blew scents of grass, dirt, trees—and the sweaty, blood-thick odor of Sven’s body. His scent was more pungent to my left.I swung my sword.Sven ducked, then lunged towards me with his wristblades.I brought my sword up, stopping him mid-slash with a clang, but Sven did not withdraw. He pushed down against my blade, eyes glowing with wicked glee. We both knew that dying here would mean nothing more than waking up; he had no reason to hold back. By t
CHAPTER FIFTEENThe Ring & The RatsThere are those who say that England has experienced nothing but improvement since the Nightfall. Immortals say this because they are eager deny their culpability, and then mortals parrot it because they’re too frightened to acknowledge that their masters are no longer human. They freeze whenever they see a well-dressed, sharp-toothed gentleman walking down the street, a skeletal escort at either side of him. But when asked, they will say they are loyal to the Crown, and in awe of the divine powers their new masters possess. If servants are lazy or disobedient, they are lashed. Sometimes, they are lashed merely because their masters feel like it. Young women, even ones with children, may be purchased by incubi, who will rape them to death, then devour their bodies to avoid the scandal. Satyr priests are often given charge of the resulting orphans, and raise them to please their betters.All satyrs, it is said, have a connection to Black Heav
CHAPTER SIXTEENDartmoorSalem gripped myshoulders and grinned, but the distance in his eyes hadn’t gone away. “I must go to them. Tomorrow. Yes.”Oblivious to my fear, he collapsed backwards onto his pillow, and fell asleep once more.I was far too nervous to do the same. I needed answers. So I returned to the library, found the book from before, and continued reading from where I’d left off:The Viscera Sisters are known for establishing trios, finding each other by scent. After a trio has been formed, they may be claimed.Claiming the first Viscera Sister grants a ritualist the power to perform rituals instantly, without the need of a blood circle.Claiming the second sister grants the power to draw strength from an unusual form of energy, such as laughter, jealousy, or madness.Claiming the third sister allows for the creation of familiars, from which a ritualist may draw further power, and even new limbs to sacrifice instead of his own.The result will cause the man
CHAPTER SEVENTEENThe Sea of NeedlesSalem was archedover a Viscera Sister. The other two knelt on the bed at either side of him, rubbing against his arms. I wanted to kill them then and there, but I’d lost my weapon. If I tried killing them with my bare hands, Salem would probably pummel me to death.He grunted, his body tensing as it always did when he climaxed. The Sister beneath him let out a warped, inhuman scream. She arched her back, her pitch-black eyes wide open, her deformed breasts thrown out. Then she fell backwards again, her expression hollow. She did not move again.Salem became still, his eyes widening. “She’s ... dead?” His voice was hollow.“A necessary price for the transfer of power,” said the Sister to his right. She licked his ear.“I don’t understand,” said Salem, exhaling between his words. “You know you will die if I claim you, yet you seek me out?”“We live to give power to the strongest,” moaned the Sister to his right. “To you, my Vi
CHAPTER EIGHTEENFamiliarsAlkin hurried meinto the ship, past befuddled crewmen. “Get us gone!” he barked.He carried me to his quarters, and gently lowered me onto the bed. My hunger gnawed from his touch, so I turned away from him, and looked through the porthole instead. The ground become distant as we lifted into the air.“Is there anything I can get you?” Alkin asked, his voice frail with worry. “Water? Bloodwine?”I didn’t respond, for I knew what I would ask him for if I opened my mouth.My hands and feet still stung, and I didn’t feel any safer now than I had in the castle. Perhaps it was my imagination, but I could smell faint traces of Salem’s scent. I felt as though he were in the room with me, somewhere just out of my sight. It made me too anxious to sleep, no matter how exhausted I was.“What if he finds out I followed him?” I whispered. “What if he no longer cares for me when I return? If he’s become as powerful as the legends say, why should he have any int
PART IIIEscalationApril, 1877—February, 1878CHAPTER NINETEENUncivilOh, I’ve brokenmany hearts in the years since I became a succubus. I don’t mean to, but they always fly into my hands, begging for a squeeze. I had long considered the possibility that I might break Salem’s heart. But, as I returned from that ill-fated journey to Dartmoor, I feared that I’d broken Alkin’s heart as well.I barely spoke to him for the rest of the journey. I feared that he thought I was rejecting him by not going with him to Mekra ... but, painful though it was, I did not tell him otherwise. I didn’t want to give him hope that I would ever be his. Nor did I want to give myself hope.Sven spent the remainder of the journey pacing the halls of the ship with his wristblades drawn. I feared that he would hurt me, or Alkin, or even Ezekiel. He was an angry predator, and we were the only prey on the ship.When we landed in the London docks, Sven leapt out the wi
CHAPTER TWENTYSchadenfreudeOn the Uncivil: A Notice From Rupert WaltersIn recent months, there has some confusion about Black Heaven’s Cardinals. Allow me to clarify any misconceptions you may have.The Cardinals are ambassadors from Black Heaven. As such, they may take command of the nations they protect, should the previous rulers prove unfit. Many Cardinals have done just that, assuming control of their respective territories with the Black Vatican’s full support.This is not the case with Salem Sotirios of the Diabolos bloodline. A true gentleman and an inspiration to immortals everywhere, Lord Sotirios recognizes that Her Majesty’s bold leadership has improved the lives of countless immortals.Instead of squabbling for control of the throne, Lord Sotirios understands that he best serves England, and Black Heaven as a whole, by spearheading the hunt for Mekra. Our fair nation is still reeling from the attack on Buckingham Palace last year, and more recently Mekra has been