Page 47 of Zodiac Demons

“Is there a spell? A potion? Anything at all?” I nudged the conversation along, my patience notably thin. “Anything that can break the pact of a virgin and an incubus?”

Madam Claudine frowned, then she sat across from me at her coffee table with a dire expression.

“No amount of magic can break the covenants of your species. When the devil created his children, he did so with very specific rules, and while I may be able to cure ailments or external magic that’s been thrust upon you, I can’t separate you from the law of your species any more than I can remove a vampire’s need for blood or an Eastern Zodiac Shifter’s need for their fated mate.” She tapped her finger on her knee, looking bewildered. “At best, I can create a limiter collar that might suppress your power enough to stave off hunger for longer periods of time, but with how far you’re in the red at the moment, you’re going to need to replenish first to even survive the limiter.”

I frowned and she frowned. A limiter collar would essentially turn me into a human, stealing all of my power and ability to shift, and however burdensome this situation may be, I had no desire to be legitimately human. The sexual needs and full moons were the only thing that were truly a flaw of my species, but that didn’t mean I hated my existence to the point I wanted to be mortal and powerless.

“Is it truly not an option to be with this woman?” She asked next, and I furrowed my brown even more deeply.

Was she truly not an option?

I thought back on the day she’d offered to let me feed on her. She’d made valid points in noting that she wasn’t currently my student at this exact moment, and that in just a few more years she would graduate and we would no longer be in the power imbalance we were in. She was sweet, smart, beautiful, kind, and captivating beyond my comprehension. I liked everything about her as a person, and I was attracted to her in a way I’d never felt before.

And then I recalled that she was literally mated to fucking Marcus, and any rationale flew off into the atmosphere.

“She is truly not an option.” I confirmed. “Is there nothing in my Capricorn side that could counteract the demands of my Incubus? Nothing at all?” Was I begging? Maybe.

Yes.

“Well…” Madam Claudine fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat. “There’s one thing that will work, but I really didn’t want to mention it. Being you’re an incubus and are reasonably indifferent to sex, maybe it won’t be as unconscionable as it sounds.”

I sighed, no idea what that was supposed to mean. “If you have something, can you please just tell me? I don’t need the song and dance and suspense.”

She sat up straight and cleared her throat. “Consent,” she said, rather bluntly, as if the word alone meant anything to me.

I motioned with my hand for her to move it along.

“As an Alpha Zodiac Shifter, you know that consent is an important part of all pacts, yes?”

“Obviously.” I was starting to think my problems were more tolerable than this conversation.

“Well,” She inhaled deeply, as she dabbed sweat from her brow. “Just like breaking consent can dissolve a mate mark, as your shifter blood is so deeply interwoven with your incubus blood, there is a way to dissolve your sexual dependency on her. If she were an Omega, there would be little I could do, as even by shifter doctrine, she would be more of a possession for your use, but as a subservient Beta, she’s to be provided for as a cog in your machine. Think of it as you’re the CEO, Betas are your employees, and Omegas are the customer. You need your customers to produce profit, but you have no obligation to provide for their happiness or protect them. Your employees, however, are what keep the company alive, and you’re expected to foster their talents and work together so that your customer continues to spend with you.”

“I promise I know the hierarchy of my species.” I snapped, so she got back on track.

“You simply have to betray the Alpha and Beta mate contract by the ritual of your incubus contract. Unlike an ordinary incubus, you have the unique ability to break what’s ordinarily a permanent arrangement, by…” She trailed off, her professional assessment becoming strained and awkward.

But I was stunned just as speechless, so I couldn’t blame her.

“By… taking her sexually without consent.” I forced myself to finish that sentence for her. The word ‘rape’ was so abhorrent in my mind, I couldn’t even say it, when that was exactly what she was suggesting. “You’re saying if I forcefully take her in a way she doesn’t consent to, it will break our bond, and I’ll be free of my magical chains.” I did my best to betray no emotions, but the reality was only just starting to register, and my blood had frosted over.

“It’s not uncommon that incubus feed on their victims in their sleep unknowingly, which is in every sense of the word the same thing, so…”

We both just stared at each other uncomfortably for several moments, letting it sink in. The most disturbing part of this was that she, for all intents and purposes, was correct. An incubus wasn’t widely considered a terrifying demon of lore solely because they gave women great orgasms, and that made men with no dick skills insecure. It was the sexual feeding in the middle of the night and the forced impregnation, without consent and with high consequence, that characterized and built the image of my monster lineage.

I knew that.

Everyone knew that.

And I would never, in any point in the history of human or monster kind, fucking do that.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Karras. I’m sure that isn’t what you wanted to hear, but you have to keep in mind that, unlike those of us who worship the Triple Goddess, or the humans who worship the saints, you are a child of the devil’s design. You’re not always going to have the option to be a good, upstanding, law abiding citizen by human morality, and this is a part of your species.” She was lecturing me like a child, though to her credit, she was likely several thousand years my senior. I was still too lost in absorbing this reality to respond. “There’s a reason humans call you monsters. Even nowadays, most of magic kind barely bats an eye at murder, manipulation, and various forms of slavery. Feeding on lesser creatures is built into your DNA, regardless of social change, so to be predisposed to sexual crimes isn’t any more shocking than violent ones in the grand scheme. If you thought Satan himself would rewrite your coding because you personally think your species is in the wrong, then I don’t know what else I can tell you.”

“You’ve said enough.” I assured her, getting up from the couch. “The results are unfortunate, but I appreciate the information, Madam Claudine. I’ll leave a few extra droplets of blood for the Triple Goddess on my way out.”

“Thank you, and again, I apologize. I’ve known many demons who wouldn’t bat an eye at such a suggestion. You’re one of the good ones.” Her kind words did nothing to quiet the swirling horror in my head.

So my choices were sexual assault or marriage. Great. Fantastic. Totally reasonable.