7. The Seven - Panther & Wolf
Aleiraah
Archie and Silas have stolen me away to celebrate our mini-anniversary.
Calling it a surprise, they blindfolded me and took us through a portal to the FoggyMoor forest. Here, trees shimmer with luminescent moss, and the ground is covered in vibrant grass and bluebells. A thin fog swirls throughout the forest, yet strangely avoids the enchanted maze at its heart.
To celebrate, Archie and Silas wanted to play. Typical shifters!
They never miss an opportunity to indulge, and since I love our little games just as much, I never complain.
As per the rules we all enter the maze at separate entry points. And it’s them versus me. If I find them first, I get to make love to them however I want. But, if they find me first, I'd have to bend to their wishes.
It’s only fair. Only they don’t know that I have some ‘friends’ helping me.
My friends—the will-o’-the-wisps swarm me as soon as I enter the maze.
Many of them inhabit the FoggyMoor since they prefer areas with heavy mist covering.
The will-o’-the-wisps have been my friends, since I can remember.
Always sticking close whenever they spotted me, as I grew up from a tiny demonling until now.
After exchanging hushed greetings with the will-o’-the-wisps—their little lights shimmering with joy at my arrival—I send them searching for Archie and Silas.
Both have a natural advantage of a strong sense of smell compared to me. They’d sniff me out in moments, so I’ve to constantly keep moving. I just need to dodge them until we reach the end of the maze.
Cupcakewalk!
I walk through the winding passages of the maze, thick walls on either side covered in vine and wildflowers, the will-o’-the-wisps guiding me every step of the way. We snicker in hushed tones when they rush me in different directions, evading Archer and Silas’s nimble tracking.
As I zip through the foliage encased labyrinths I think about my wolf and panther mates. Today is the anniversary of our first meeting.
In a curious twist of destiny, I first crossed paths with Silas Nightgleam of the proud Nightgleam panthera pack and Archer Moonbite of the fierce Moonbite wolf-clan on the exact same day and month, though years apart.
When they discovered this coincidence early in our marriage, they were deeply moved.
To them, it was proof that fate had aligned our paths, prompting them to honor the day I entered their lives as a sacred celebration of our bond.
I’m in the thickest part of the maze when the will-o’-the-wisps lead me down a different path than the one I’d been walking down.
I’m doubting stepping into this lane, as it keeps getting narrower and narrower. Just when I think I should turn back, something round and shiny comes into view.
The oddness of it makes my steps falter for a beat.
Vines brush my arms with each step. I almost give in to the urge to retreat when suddenly the maze yawns open, bringing me face to face with a mirror veiled in fog. Waiting. Strange.
It isn’t ornate—its plainness makes it all the more peculiar. What is a mirror doing here, in the heart of the labyrinth?
The longer I stare, the more I feel it staring back—something moving in the haze, urging me to step closer.
A knowing stirs within, as if this mirror has been waiting for me.
Going with my instincts, I draw nearer. About a foot away, the fog swirling inside the mirror clears and I see my reflection, only a different version.
The clothes I’m wearing are the same—a fit-and-flare purple dress with tiny, silvery crescent moons—but my reflection is astonishing.
Two amber horns curl from my temples, and a pointed tail swings behind me.
I hastily step back, eyes wide with surprise.
Suddenly, fog swirls inside the mirror, cloaking the image until it disappears.
I raise a hand to my temple feeling for the horns, but only meet smooth skin. I twist back just to make sure and there’s no tail swishing in the air either.
Is this one of those trick mirrors?
Only it doesn’t feel so. A powerful aura radiates from its surface that makes me slightly uneasy but intrigued nonetheless.
Gathering my wits, I step closer again. The fog clears to reveal a shifting image.
Glowing rings form around my body, and my aquamarine eyes turn to the color of hellflames with narrow, vertical slits.
My reflection wears a cocky grin. Inhaling sharply, I touch the glass, and the image changes again.
This time I appear weary with a rounded belly. I’m with child?!
Shocked, I place my hand on my flat stomach. My reflection does the same, though she bears a plethora of demonic features I’ve always secretly desired but never grew into.
Hellside was never my home. I preferred living under Mytherra’s skies, which might be why my demonic traits feel nonexistent.
Old tales say Hell withholds its gifts from the unworthy, unwilling, or unprepared—I don't know which I am.
Save for my inherited succubi heritage, I bear little signs of my origins.
Tilting my head, I wonder if the mirror shows one's innermost desires? If so, it might be showing the secret yearning I’ve always carried—the sharper edges of my demonic self, finally visible. But the baby bump is definitely a stretch.
My reflection offers a secretive grin as if she knows something I don’t.
Then, out of nowhere, hell flames burst around me inside the mirror, making me stumble back in surprise.
For a moment I almost felt the heat of those flames!
My reflection winks at me, fangs growing more pronounced in her grin.
Pulse skittering, I take another cautious step back, only to hear Archie and Silas bickering loudly nearby. I turn toward their voices, panicked that they have found me first, but see only their long shadows stretching across the ground.
Thinking I still have time to hide, I chance one last look at the creepy mirror. I turn around only to find the spot empty! Where the mirror once stood, there’s now only a wall of vines covered in wildflowers.
Bewildered and spooked, I look left and right, but sense no one who could have sneaked it away. While I stand frozen like a slow troll, pondering this anomaly, Archie and Silas pounce on me, squeezing me tightly in their muscular arms.
“Aaaah!” I scream in surprise. Ugghh! Sometimes I forget that I’m a powerful succubus demon.
“Got ya, Moon!” Archie laughs, his pale blue eyes twinkling. Dark blond hair appearing almost caramel in the moonlight. Thankfully the will-o’-the-wisps hid themselves away while I was screaming like a banshee.
Silas shakes his head, grinning, that flashes his canines. “Too slow, Kitten. Too slow.” The golden streaks in his inky black shoulder length hair gleam under the stars. His usually hazel eyes appear almost green, wickedly glinting, no doubt plotting my ravishment.
“I’m not slow. You two cheated with your shifter senses. I was almost out of this stupid maze!” I stamp my foot. And they both chuckle, swaying me slightly.
“But we always like to sniff you, Moon, because you smell so sweet.” Archie nuzzles his nose in the crook of my neck.
“Tickles!” I giggle and Silas purrs, licking my cheek, “And you taste like wild honey.”
“Did you just lick me, Silas?” I act appalled. Between him and Archie, I always get randomly licked. Such is the life of a succubus turned dream-cream cone.
“Remember, we can do whatever we want since we found you first,” Silas reminds me, his voice growing hot and low. “You just have to take it all like a good little succubus.”
“Yeah..yeah.” I roll my eyes and Archie pinches my butt, making me yelp.
“Here or by the cove?” He asks, sniffing my hair.
“Cove.” Silas growls, squeezing my boob through the fabric of my dress.
“What cove?” I ask breathlessly as he rolls my nipple between his fingers, intrigued.
“You’ll see soon.” Archie winks, and I huff. “You both are cheaters and bullies.”
“Yeah, we love bullying you, Kitten,” Silas rumbles, lifting me into his arms and carrying me away. I wrap my arms around his neck and stick out my tongue. Archie scoops up my fallen satin slippers and grabs my ankle, sliding his fingers up my shin as we walk out of the maze together.
The freaky mirror incident is pushed to the back of my mind as the two continue teasing me.
By the time we reach the cozy little cove in the forest, the moon is a silver coin tossed high into the night sky, spilling light over the clearing by the cove.
The dark blue water glitters in moonlight.
Mist curls low to the ground, moving silently over the spongy moss covered surface.
A huge spirit whale—as if outlined by dots of starlight—jumps out of the bay water and dives back in, making my breath catch in wonder.
“There are spirit whales in this bay? This is lovely!” I squeal in Silas’s arms as both chuckle.
There’s a huge white carpet laid out a few paces away with small lanterns dotted around it. A simple fare of fruits, fresh clotted cream and quiches are spread out at one corner under bell-shaped glass lids.
“Aww…so romantic! I love it!” I coo as Silas hunkers down on the soft carpet with me on his lap. I lean against his solid chest and Archie immediately draws my feet into his lap massaging my soles.
I bend forward and kiss him softly, then turn my head and place a tender kiss on Silas's lips.
We quickly demolish the delicious spread while watching a school of spirit whales dive in and out of the rippling bay.
A gentle breeze rustles nearby leaves. Between the luminescent moss on the bark and the bright moonlight, the surroundings take on a dreamlike quality.
With a soft sigh, I relax against Silas’s sinewy chest, listening to the haunting melody of the whale songs.
He rubs my tummy lightly asking gently, “Did we feed you enough, Kitten? Are you ready to purr for us?”
I imitate his purr and the three of us burst into laughter.