Something Unexpected

[Maira]

Something about the girl caught Lia’s attention. Maybe it was the way she moved on the dance floor, or maybe it was the shock she’d gotten when the girl had bumped into her. Or maybe, just maybe, it was the look in the girl’s eyes that hinted she was a bit more devilish than outward appearances indicated. Lia knew nothing about the girl except her name, Ruri, and she only knew that because she’d heard one of the girl’s friends shout it over the music. It had been a very long time since somebody had caught Lia’s attention quite like this girl had and she was dying to know more about her.

When Cian finally shimmied his way off the dance floor back to the table Lia had claimed for them, she let him sit and rest for a bit. They each finished their drinks and then Lia dragged him back out to dance with her. Considering their heritage they typically didn’t tend to dance with one another. An incubus and a succubus moving together to the rhythm of the music had a tendency to lead to strange things happening between other club patrons. Nothing like two incubi and a succubus, but Tale hadn’t been around in quite a while…

Shaking her head to suppress thoughts of her disappeared lover, Lia pulled Cian close and let the music take over. She couldn’t help but let little bits of her magic escaped her control, she liked the effect that she and Cian had on people. So did the club owners, it brought in good business. For some reason on the nights she and Cian came to dance the club always seemed to have an influx of customers after they showed up. Yes, their released magic could lead to a few fights when men or women wound up dancing with somebody other than their special someone but the extra revenue was worth it to the club to keep letting Lia and Cian come and dance.

Once she managed to get her rebellious memories under control Lia searched the crowd for the girl again. It didn’t take her but a moment to find her and when she did, her dancing faltered ever so slightly. The girl was staring straight at her and Cian, watching them with unmistakable interest. Leaning her head into Cian’s neck, she nipped at his ear and told him, “When I turn us, look over my shoulder at the girl with the long brown hair and violet eyes. She’s watching us and I think she may want to dance.” That said, Lia twisted and turned, her hands trailing over Cian’s chest and down to his hips as she positioned herself between him and the girl.

*****

Ruri had noticed the succubus and incubus shortly after they walked in together. Most people in the club noticed. The auras the pair of them exuded were tantalizing to Ruri’s mind. She wasn’t the most adept telekinetic Vampire out there but for some reason she was very good at reading auras. She wasn’t entirely sure but she thought that particular skill may have come from her ability as a deathwalker Pard. Or maybe it was her Angel talent. Honestly she had no clue. Regardless, the pair caught her interest.

The woman seemed to have noticed her as well, and Ruri couldn’t help but smile at that. After all, in addition to the interesting aura the other woman was beautiful and had an amazing body and Ruri was quite single. Her parents always cautioned her about being careful, and they taught her signs to look out for in people that might wind up being total creeps, but Ruri was old enough to make her own choices. And if she had her way she wouldn’t be leaving the club with her friends tonight.

Not too much later after the Custoss’ arrival, Ruri felt something in the air change. There was a subtle hint of desire, and sex, and freedom swirling among the bodies writhing on the dance floor. When she looked, Ruri wasn’t surprised to see the incubus and succubus at the center of the magic. She wasn’t sure if it was coming from just one of them or from both of them, but she knew she wanted to be closer to it. Yet she didn’t move. She just stood and watched, hoping that one of them would notice her and invite her over. When the woman did see her, Ruri’s heart jumped into her throat with anticipation and then plummeted back into her chest when the woman turned her back on her. What had just happened? The woman had been watching her all night and now, when she was letting her magic free, she turned away from her?

Ruri was about to turn away herself and find somebody to dance with when the man looked at her. She hadn’t smiled at the woman, but she did for the man. Maybe he would not shut her out so quickly.

[Demeter]

Cian was well aware of the bodies that pushed against him while he slithered around the dance floor. He didn't stay with one partner for long but moved his way around the floor, infecting the crowd with lust. He needed this outlet tonight. There were just some times when it all became to much and he had to go create a little chaos. He wondered what it would take to get Lia out on the floor with him to create some real trouble.

They'd known each other for somewhere around 40 years now and they were very good a creating trouble together. He wouldn't say that there wasn't a level of romance between them but it also wasn't sex, sex, sex all the time. It was comfortable companionship. They'd shared a house on the quiet outskirts of town now. Lia had her studio, set back on the property, and her own space in the house and he had his areas.

Except, they had settled into a pretty dull routine. Since they weren't tied to deities that allowed them to be randomly summoned by magic users, they pretty much got to do their own thing. Monday through Friday, it was nothing but work. Friday evenings were dinner ordered in and a movie fest. Saturdays, though, they went out and found some place that they could stir up. Cian grinned as he remembered the brawl they'd caused last week. He loved jealous couples, they led to the best of times.

He eventually moved off the floor and draped himself over a chair at the table Lia was guarding. He slugged down water before letting Lia drag him out to the floor. Apparently, he wouldn't have to bribe Lia and she appeared to have a very specific goal in mind. Once on the floor, they didn't have to think about dancing and how move to pull next. They just flowed right along with the music. When Lia turned him and he narrowed in on her prey, Cian barely managed to keep smiling. He'd seen pictures of the girl before. Even though she lived with her fathers, Saiyuri was always gushing about the girl.

He kept his eyes fixed on Ruri while he spoke to Lia. "You're trying to kill me aren't you?" he asked. "Saiyuri still hasn't forgiven me for Keane, even though Shay was not only willing but the aggressor in that little episode. That's Ruri, her daughter and you very much want her, don't you?"

[Maira]

Lia felt Cian stiffen and she knew he had found the girl she'd been directing him to. What she didn't know was why he stiffened. Normally their tastes ran pretty close to the same so she was more than a little confused. At least, until he started talking that is. The mention of Saiyuri, one of Cian's best friends, nearly caused Lia to spin around and take a better look at the girl. The last of Saiyuri's daughters that Cian had been with, and incidentally given a son to, had been the spitting image of her mother. This girl tonight, Lia was fairly certain looked nothing like either her mother or older sister.

Once the music gave her opportunity, Lia turned so she was dancing with her back pressed up against Cian's front and she snuck glances at the girl to try and match her up with a mother who would likely skin Cian alive if he slept with another of her daughters. After a few moments Lia decided she could see a faint resemblance and she turned back to face Cian. "Well shit. I don't want to get you killed love, that is the last thing I want. As for what I -do- want, Ruri definitely qualifies."

Turning to look over her shoulder at the girl, Lia shot her a smile which was returned instantly and with more than a hint of desire flashing in the girl's eyes as she watched Lia and Cian dance. Lia laughed and looked back at a very nervous looking Cian and told him, “And apparently the feeling is mutual. Look at how she’s watching us. Most people who don’t know what we are get all clouded by the desire, she is fully aware of our magic, I can almost guarantee it.”

*****

She wasn’t sure what kind of smile it was the man was trying to give her, but for some reason it seemed he made her nervous. She’d seen him on the dance floor, switching from partner to partner with seemingly no hesitation or worry, but one look at her had him going pale and smiling like a boy who had never even asked a girl out. Then the woman turned around and changed how she was dancing with the man. Ruri did her best not to stare, but the magic the two of them were exuding made it very hard not to. The fact that she wasn’t the only one staring was the only reason that Ruri wasn’t embarrassed and why she didn’t stop.

Almost immediately after the woman turned back to face the man, she looked straight at Ruri over her shoulder and smiled at her. Ruri couldn’t help but smile back at the woman, and while she hoped it wasn’t too obvious how much the magic was starting to get to her, Ruri was sure that the self-satisfied smirk on the woman’s face meant it was.

As soon as the woman turned back to the man, they seemed to get lost in a discussion and Ruri made a split second decision before she could change her mind. In only a matter of a few steps, Ruri found herself standing behind the woman, just out of sight of the man. She took a deep breath and then stepped around to the side of them so it would be impossible for either of them to miss seeing her. When they both looked at her the poor incubus looked like he was about to faint and the succubus looked like a cat that had just been given a big bowl of cream. As flattered as she was by the way the woman was looking at her, she zeroed in on the man and asked him in a playful tone, “Why so nervous handsome? I just want to dance.”

*****

Lia could almost feel the girl’s approach and when she finally slipped into view, she couldn’t help but feel like she’d won a prize. Ruri had been being cautious, watching from a distance, up until now. But now, she was the one making the first move. Cian couldn’t fault her for flirting shamelessly if the girl started it after all. Only, it wasn’t Lia the girl was flirting with. Lia had to fight to keep herself from doubling over with laughter at the deer-in-the-headlights look that Cian had on his face when Ruri started flirting with him. She couldn’t help but applaud the girl for focusing her attention on the very nervous Cian. After all, Lia had made it very apparent to the girl that she was game so the only person who needed winning over was poor Cian.

[Demeter]

Cian was thankful that the club was crowded and overwarm because he was sweating bullets. Once she'd figured out Keane's paternity, Saiyuri had cornered him and threatened to geld him if he even so much as looked at one of her daughters again. A serious threat to any Incubus. And, even though Ruri had been raised by her father and Saiyuri often was more of a favorite aunt then mother, he doubted that Ruri was excluded from the gelding clause. And now Ruri wanted to know why he was so nervous. Couldn't very well say that he didn't want to be gelded by the woman's vengence Custos mother.

Cian groaned and buried his face against Lia's neck. He gave her collar bone a quick nip before whispering in her ear. "Should Saiyuri come after me with a egg spoon, you better damn well protect me. The things I do for you, woman."

He took a moment before lifting his head and giving Ruri his most charming smile, and purposefully swelling the outpouring of his magic and directing straight at Ruri. He only stopped when Lia gave him an elbow in the stomach. "Dancing can always lead to other things, "Darlin', and I wouldn't want to be on the wrong end of a fist to the face. I don't have to worry about that, do I?"

[Maira]

Despite the heat in the club, and her own body being warm from the dancing, shivers raced up Lia's spine when Cian nipped at her collarbone before making her promise to protect him if Saiyuri decided to geld him for what he was about to do. Triumphant, Lia couldn't help but beam a huge smile at her fellow Custos when he turned on the charm and let his magic loose, directing it all straight at Ruri. Leaning in to nip his ear while he was speaking to the girl, Lia whispered a quick, "Thank you!" before she too turned her attention and magic towards Ruri.

*****

Ruri wasn't sure what exactly was going on between the two, but after the man buried his face in the woman's neck for a moment he seemed to have gotten over whatever nerves had been bothering him before. His smile was warm and inviting, and she could feel the air around her change again as he released more of his magic. Heart racing, and feeling much bolder than normal, Ruri slipped closer to the pair. She placed her right hand on the man's chest, gripping at his shirt a bit, and answered him, "I'm well aware that dancing can lead to other things handsome, but you don't have to worry about any fists in the face on my behalf."

When she felt the woman looking at her, and more magic joining the man's Ruri knew she had won. They were both hers. At least for one night and she wasn't about to pass up the opportunity. Her older sister Shay still talked about her fling with an incubus that had given her Keane, and here Ruri had landed both an incubus and a succubus!

Giving in to the magic, the music, and the man's charm, Ruri slipped between the Custos pair and reached up on her tip toes to plant a playful kiss on his lips. Then she turned her head and did the same with the woman.

[Demeter]

Cian growled, just a little, and nipped at her lips. It seemed to him that the agressiveness came from Saiyuri's side of the genetics because Ruri was just as bad, if not worse, then her older sister. If she got her pretty little hands on his arm cuffs, she would most definatly be just as bad as Shay. When she turned to kiss Lia, he snuggled up against her.

He gripped her hips with one hand while the other was still holding onto Lia. "I suppose we should make some introductions. I'm Cian and this is Lia. And you are?"

He wasn't about to let on that he knew who she was and that he had a connection to her family. He would just have to see if she made the connections herself. Slowly, he manuvered them towards the center of the dance floor. With the two of them bent on seducing the poor girl into a puddle of mindless lust, he just knew that things would get wild in the crowd. He could already sense a different edge to the crowd and knew that they wouldn't be able to keep this up much longer. But he'd let the girls make the move to leave.

[Maira]

Ruri couldn't help but give a satisfied smirk after Cian nipped her lips and snuggled into her back. When he introduced both himself and the woman, a little flag went up in the back of her mind but Ruri ignored it for now. Instead she just introduced herself in turn, "I'm Ruri."

The trio didn't last much longer at the club, Ruri could only handle their joint magic about half an hour before she felt herself getting a bit out of control. Her wings had nearly been released a couple of times before she breathlessly told Cian, "Its time to get out of here Cian." When he didn't respond immediately she turned to Lia instead and told her, "Unless we want to make a bigger scene than we already are, its time to find somewhere more private."

Lia, understanding immediately what the girl was getting at, nodded and started directing them toward the exit. When they got there, she asked Ruri, "Do you have a coat or a purse to pick up from coat check?" Ruri shook her head 'no' and Lia just kept them all moving out to the street to get taxi. She and Cian rarely drove to the club because often they were in a less than ideal state to drive home safely.

*****

The ride back to Cian and Lia's house was quick, and a bit hazy for both Lia and Ruri. The younger girl was happily smooshed between Cian and Lia in the backseat of the taxi and if the way the driver had to swerve a couple of times was any indication he was getting quite the show.

Once the taxi pulled up to the house and its passengers spilled out, Lia shoved a much larger bill at the man than was necessary to cover the fare. Before the car was even out of the driveway, the trio was inside and clothes started coming off.

The first article of clothing to go was Cian's shirt. At the sight that greet Ruri, she couldn't help but smile appreciatively. His chest and stomach were nicely muscled, his shoulders were strong but not overly bulky, and his arms were strong and lean as well. Not to mention they had these cool silver armbands on them.

Again the flag went up in the back of Ruri's mind and this time she paid attention. Shay's incubus had had armbands, and when she'd taken them off his magic had gotten even stronger. And then she remembered that Shay's incubus had also shared a name with the son he gave her, even if the spelling was different. Ruri's eyes went wide and she looked at Cian again this time with an even bigger smirk than she'd had all night. Immediately she slipped one armband off, and then the other, before he could object. The surge in the magic flowing around her nearly took her breath away, and completely unbidden Ruri’s black feathered wings released and her long brown hair shimmered to black as her angel form reacted to the Custos magic suddenly surrounding her. She had been told that while in this form she bore an uncanny resemblance to both her big sister and her mother, and judging by the look on Cian’s face, Ruri could only believe that those other people had been correct.

Knowing who Cian was, Ruri suddenly knew who Lia was and she also knew how the succubus’s full powers would be released. Not for the first time in her life, Ruri thanked her big sister’s complete and utter lack inhibitions when it came to sharing things. She would bide her time to release Lia’s powers, not wanting it to be too obvious she now knew who they were.

As Ruri’s wings had destroyed the shirt she’d been wearing, Lia took it upon herself to rip it the rest of the way off the girl and as she did so she whispered in the girl’s ear, “So that’s how you knew us for what we were,” and she stroked one of the girl’s black velvety wings. Ruri smiled at Lia and nodded, then shivered at both Lia’s touch and at the slight chill in the house and being suddenly minus her shirt. Seeing the goose bumps on Ruri’s exposed skin, Lia caught Cian’s eyes and glanced at the stairs while she said, “Why don’t you two head on up, I’ll get us something to drink.” With Cian’s magic fully released, Lia knew the two of them would likely start without her, but she would be patient and give them time because while Lia may have been the one that had sought Ruri out, the girl seemed very smitten with Cian.

[Demeter]

The little minx was faster then Cian had given her credit for. She'd had his arm bands off before he knew what was happening and then, really, all was lost. His feathered wings broke free and his own magic started to effect him. Still being such a young incubus, he didn't have full control over his abilties and sometimes, like when the armbands were decorating a floor rather then his arms, his own abilties got the best of him.

He caught Lia's glance towards the stairs and nodded. With a wicked grin on his face, he coaxed Ruri out of the living room and towards the staircase. At the base of the stairs, he yanked her closed and kissed her. His lips moved from hers to nibble along the line of her jaw before finding a nice spot at the base of her neck to focus on. Meanwhile, his hands were busy on a mission of their own. Ruri's bra had been saved from being ruined by her wings and Cian made short work of the hooks. He tossed the article of clothing over his shoulder before hoisting her up. With Ruri's legs around his waist and her mouth busy on his skin, Cian somehow managed to get them up the stairs to the second floor.

They left a trail of clothing for Lia to follow. He got them, both stumbling along while trying to strip the other and to get to the good parts as fast as possible, into his bedroom. Where he scooped Ruri up and tossed her onto the california king sized bed. He took a moment to grin at the way she looked, sprawled over his bed and only wearing her wings before joining her.

[Maira]

Round one didn't last long once Cian got them upstairs, Lia walked in just as the pair fell in a heap of sweaty limbs and a few stray feathers both of them breathing heavy. Knowing that the night was nowhere near over, Lia couldn't help but tease, "I hope you recover quickly Ruri, because I haven't had my turn then." Then the succubus pulled her shirt off over her head and intentionally relased her own wings, white and dragon-like.

Seeing all of their wings, Lia couldn't help but laugh at their situation. Two Custoss, with white wings, had been seduced by one little angel, with black wings. Not for the first time Lia had a sneaky feeling that little Ruri was a lot more devilish than she first seemed.

As she approached the bed, Lia tossed waters at the pair still laying there panting before setting her own on the bedside table. Even that little distraction, having turned her back ever so slightly, was enough of an opening for Ruri to roll over onto all fours and then slip off the bed to stand behind Lia. She slipped her arms around the other woman's waist and then hitched her thumbs into the waistband of Lia's skirt. The succubus couldn't help but laugh and ask, "Already? Are you sure you aren't a succubus too?" Then she turned in the girls arms to face her, kissing her, and ten helping Ruri slide her skirt down over her hips. Once Lia was wearing as little as she and Cian were, Ruri shoved the other woman onto the bed and quickly followed after her.

*****

Ruri wasn't sure what time it was, or how long she had been with Cian and Lia, but she did know that they were all getting bit tired. Not quite ready for the night to end, Ruri decided that it was time to release Lia's powers too. Currently she was happily snuggled up between them, Cian was dozing and Lia was starting to stir again, tracing circles on the small of Ruri's back.

Sounding a bit sleepy herself, Ruri asked Lia quietly, "So, why did Cian's power go crazy when I took those armbands of his off?" Completely unsuspecting, Lia answered the girls question, and those that followed. When she was done explaining, Ruri asked one more, "You don't have armbands, so you must be in better control of your powers right?"

Lia laughed lightly and answered, "I'm a lot older than Cian is sweetheart, I don't -need- any devices to keep my powers under control. My powers however are also a lot stronger than his so I choose to keep them dulled with my little chain here." At this point Lia gently tugged on the mini golden version of her in her succubus form.

That was all that Ruri had been waiting for, and with a mental shout of triumph, she leaned in closer to the other woman and kissed her to distraction as her hands quickly found and undid the clasp on the delicate gold chain. As soon as it was undone Ruri was once again left breathless, this time as Lia’s succubus powers rushed out and swirled around her. “Oh Goddess!” Ruri exclaimed barely above a whisper.

“Now look at what you did Ruri, you woke up Cian again,” Lia purred in the girl’s ear, and that’s when Ruri felt Cian rousing behind her.

[Demeter]

Cian was the first the wake in the morning. Even with Lia's surge in magic, they'd only been able to hold out for a few more rounds before collapsing in a sweaty tangle of limbs and wings. Cian groaned as he scrubbed a hand over his face. It had been a while since things had gotten that wild in bed.

He rolled his head to the side and groaned again. Before he'd fallen asleep, he'd gotten a quick glance at the clock and he was pretty damn sure that it had only been a few hours since they'd gone the last round. Grumbling, Cian wondered why he was awake and took stock of his body. He felt fairly lethargic but the answer quickly revealed itself. He had to answer the call of nature.

He smoothly extricated himself from the tangle of limbs, only early a murmer or two from the girls, and padded down to the guest bathroom to avoid waking the others all together. After taking care of business, Cian headed downstairs. He didn't bother to pick up the clothing that was scattered all over the hallway. It was his own house and if he wanted to prance around in his birthday suit, he damn well was going to.

In the living room, he swiped up one of the armbands and settled it around his bicep. He repeated the process with the other band before heading upstairs. He had to get Lia back into her chain. If both of them woke refreshed and without any dulling devices, he worried for Ruri. He was sure that between the two of them, they'd driven her to the point of exhuasted and if they magic was a full strength they'd do her some harm.

It took a bit of manhandling, but he got that chain back around Lia's waist. She didn't help either, sleepily protesting the treatment. That finished, he crawled back onto the bed and settled in behind Ruri. They'd kicked off most of the covers but he was able to hook the thin top sheet with his foot and drew it up over all three of them.

He snuggled up against Ruri, give the girl's neck a quick, little nuzzle while draping an arm over her waist before falling back asleep.

[Maira]

While she didn't feel him leave, Ruri felt when Cian came back to bed and snuggled up behind her. When he nuzzled into her neck and draped one of his arms over her waist, Ruri ever so slightly leaned back into him, started purring softly and then she too was out like a light again.

*****

Lia stared at the bed, and the girl in the bed, and tried to stretch out the kinks in her back and neck from passing out so hard after such a work out. She looked to Cian, who was also staring at the girl in his bed, and asked, "So, umm... Do we wake her or just let her sleep herself out?" Considering who the girl's mother was, and in turn her fathers, Lia was kind of nervous about letting Ruri sleep until she had fully recovered. Sometimes when their powers were both unleashed on somebody the person could sleep for days afterwards and if somebody didn't hear from Ruri there was likely to be chaos.

As she stared at Ruri all snuggled up and sound asleep in the very rumpled bed, Lia couldn't help but smirk. It really had been a long time since she and Cian had fully released their powers and enjoyed themselves so much. And this unassuming girl had managed to get them both out of the things that controlled and dulled their magic. It was almost like she knew what to do...

Turning from Ruri and hauling Cian out to the hallway, Lia exclaimed in a whisper, "Shit Cian, I just realized that she knew exactly what she was doing when she took off your armbands. And the sly little fox managed to get me to tell her what my chain did." She poked her head back in the bedroom to double check and make sure Ruri was still asleep before closing the door a bit and asking, "Do you think a certain big sister of hers spilled the beans about us? Or possibly her mother in an effort to keep any of her girls from accidentally winding up in bed with you again?"

[Demeter]

Cian tugged the sheets up just a little farther. Without them in bed, snuggled up next to her, the air conditioning in the house could cause a person to freeze. He and Lia both like to keep the house on the cooler side of things during summer. "Let her sleep. If we even managed to get her up, I doubt she'd be in any state to make a cohertent phone call and that would be just as bad as nothing at all. I'll find her phone and dash off a text message to her father. Something about how she's crashing a friends place and not to worry."

Cian blinked when Lia mentioned that the girl had known what she was doing. She'd found the neatly hidden release button to his armbands almost instantly. And it had taken her sister longer, much longer, to find the release on the very same bands. He hadn't really been thinking last night, so thought that she'd meant to unleash their full powers hadn't occured to him.

"Well, huh. Little minx," he muttered while peering around the door. "It wouldn't have been Saiyuri. She'd probably perfer that her daughters don't know I exist. I don't doubt that Shay spilled the beans in a very graphic matter to her little sister. That girl isn't shy."

After deciding to ask Ruri what she knew after the girl was recovered, the two went their seperate ways. Lia to clean the very soundly sleeping Ruri up and he to turn down the sheets in the guest room and to find Ruri's phone.

After pulling on the jeans he'd worn last night, he found the phone under the couch, though he wasn't sure how it got there. He scrolled through her text messaging history and once he thought he had her style, and a very handy excuse, he typed a message to her father about how she was going to stay at a friend's place for a few day and help that friend get over a bad break up.

The message was received and replied to in short order, something about that being okay and that he and Dominic were actually going be out of town for a week, something about an emergency trip to the London Hotel, so she could stay at the friend's as long as she wanted. Cian powered down the phone while wondering, not for the first time, about Lysander.

He told Lia that their asses were covered, at least for a week, while he moved Ruri from his bedroom and into the guest bedroom. He looked down at her. "She should have known better, even the most experienced person would be drained by two of us at full power. There are few who can handle us like that and not be exhuasted liked this."

***

It was late Wednesday afternoon before he heard the thump of feet on the stairs. He knew it wasn't Lia because Lia was out teaching an art class at the community center. Ruri's finally awake, he thought, while stowing the groceries he'd just gotten back from buying into the 'fridge. He looked over his shoulder and raised a brow at the pale and rather rumpled woman bracing herself in the doorway. Ruri's hair looked as if a bunch of bats had taken a spin through it.

He turned and went to her, guiding her into a chair. "I'm not going to feel sorry, Ruri, for putting you into this condition. You obviously knew what you were doing. He leaned forward and tipped her chin up with one finger so he could look her eyes. "The question is, Ruri, how you knew what you were doing."

[Maira]

The bed she woke up in wasn't the one she fell asleep in, yet it also was't her own. Ruri was very confused. Hadn't she gone to the club with her friends and then left with Cian and Lia? Was this still there house? There was only one way to find out so Ruri padded toward the bedroom door, catching a glimpse of her hair in the mirror above the dresser and cringing, and snagged the silk robe off the back of the door. She slipped into the robe and then out of the bedroom.

Walking down the hall, Ruri tried to remember if things looked familiar or not but she was pretty sure that she must've been under the influence of quite a bit of incubus magic if things looked this strange to her. She'd been drunk a few times and still managed to remember details almost crystal clear the next day so this was very disconcerting to her. Why couldn't she remember?

She found the stairs and started down them slowly. She wasn't tired anymore but her body was weak and she couldn't help but wonder just how long she had been asleep. She knew the sex had been fantastic but the only time she'd ever been this weak was when she'd been sick as a kid and unable to eat for nearly a week. Surely she hadn't taken that long to recover from her time with the Custoss.

Hearing noises in the direction of what she assumed was the kitchen Ruri, again slowly, made her way there. By the time she reached the kitchen doorway she was feeling rather woozy and had to brace herself on the door frame. The look on Cian's face as he came to her, and the led her to a chair to sit, almost worried Ruri. Some of his words did worry her. He had figured her out, and now she had to answer a kind of awkward question, but it could have been much worse. He could be telling her to get the hell out of his house instead of calmly asking how she knew.

With a weak smile, and his finger still under her chin, Ruri answered the incubus, "I didn't know at first. Your name sounded familiar when you introduced yourself but I ignored it. Then when we got here and I saw your armbands I remembered a few details that Shay had told me and I had to see if she had been telling the truth. And once I knew who you were I knew who Lia was, simple as that." Then, with a glint in her eyes she added, "And I don't want you to feel sorry for putting me in this condition, I don't regret it one bit."

[Demeter]

Cian couldn't help the grin. "Darlin' its Wednesday afternoon. If I were any sort of gentleman, I would feel sorry for doing this to you but since you did it to yourself, I don't." He turned away, back to the 'fridge, and pulled out a carton of eggs. "You just sit there and try to keep yourself upright while I make you some scrambled eggs."

While he beat the eggs and heated the pan, Cian looked over his shoulder at Ruri. "You heard me. It's Wednesday afternoon and you've been asleep since Sunday morning," he pointed the spoon at Ruri. "We will not be repeating that little experiement until you can handle us again. The only reason you're not dead, Ruri, is because you are not mortal."

He poured the eggs into the pan and cooked them through. After setting a plate of scrambled eggs and fork down in front of Ruri. "Additonally, you're fathers believe that you staying with that friend of yours, the one with the bad breakup, while they are in London, for the week. I think they must have told your mother because she hasn't called me in a panic because her baby is missing. I would hate to tell her that her baby is fine and asleep in my guest room because me and my girlfriend sexed her into exhaustion. She'd kill me. By the way, if she gets word of your wild night out and does kill me, I will come back and haunt you."

[Maira]

When Cian mentioned her parents, Ruri flinched. It was a good thing somebody had thought to contact them, even if what they'd been told wasn't the truth. At the mention of how her mom would react if she found out about their night, Ruri laughed outright. "She won't kill you Cian, she has actually mellowed out a lot over the past few years." Shaking her head, and laughing to herself, Ruri tucked into the eggs that Cian placed in front of her.

*****

After the plate of eggs, Cian had gotten Ruri back upstairs to rest a bit more. She woke to the smells of barbeque a couple hours later and her stomach complained very loudly that one measely plate of eggs after nothing for 3.5 days was not nearly enough and she had no choice but to haul herself back out of bed. Luckily this time she didn't feel nearly so weak and she managed to make it downstairs easily, once again wearing the robe as she had no idea where her clothes were currently hiding from her. She did have the sense to at least finger comb her hair before poking her head out the back door to where she heard familiar voices chatting away.

When the big glass door slid open, Lia turned from her place at the grill and waved at the girl with her tongs. "Nice to see you've rejoined the living Ruri," the succubus said with a smirk turning up one corner of her mouth. Out of the corner of her eye, Lia saw the slightly pained look flit across Cian's face. The man was still determined that his life was shortly going to be ended by Ruri's mother if she ever found out about what had happened between the three of them.

Ruri laughed at Lia's joke and padded out onto the patio and sat down in a chair in the sun. The cat inside of her purred at the golden light warming her body. For a few minutes Ruri just sat with her eyes closed, basking in the sunlight and listening to the conversation between Lia and Cian.

[Demeter]

Cian knew that neither woman believed him about Saiyuri. They had never been on the recieving end of the woman's threats, though. And okay, maybe he wasn't scared for his life but he was scared for his balls if Saiyuri didn't take the news well. If she ever learned about the news, that is.

He and Lia had talked and between them, they had decided that they wanted to keep Ruri around for a while. Incubus and Succubus they might be but they were never summoned by anyone except their deities. Ruri, Cian thought as he watched Ruri relax in the sun, had wanted them for themselves and not because they'd resembled anyone. It was a pleasant thing when one's main power was seduction and one had the ability to make a person think they were seeing someone else.

Cian glanced at Lia, watching as she flipped steaks and rotated foil wrapped potatoes. He grinned when she gave a slight nod and pointed her tongs at the shifter on the chaise chair. One quick poke in the side confirmed that Ruri was still awake. "I meant what I said earlier today, Ruri. You don't get to play with us like you did on Saturday until we think you can handle us without spending the next four days in bed. Once you are fully recovered, we'll build up your stamina until you can handle us without being exhausted. Until you're recovered thought," Cian paused and lifted an arm. He reached over and lightly trailed fingers up and down Ruri's arm while his free hand took hold of the hand Lia held out to him, "how does pizza and a movie on Friday night sound? Just the three of us?"

[Maira]

She wasn’t certain, but Ruri was pretty sure that what Cian had just said meant that he and Lia had decided they wanted to pursue more than just a one night stand with her. This was an unexpected thing to learn, but made her more than just a little happy. Then, before she could think of what the future may hold for the three of them, Cian invited her to come back for a night in with them. She couldn’t help the big smile that turned up the corners of her moth and she answered happily, “I would really like that.”

*****

Lia was strangely nervous. Ruri was supposed to have come over after dinner with her mother and family but it was now two hours after the time Ruri had estimated she’d be over. She knew that Ruri had planned on telling her mother about the budding relationship between herself, Ruri, and Cian and with this delay in Ruri’s arrival Lia was fairly certain it hadn’t gone well.

When Cian paced back into the living room from the kitchen, Lia turned from her place at the bay window that overlooked their front yard and driveway. She had been waiting to see Ruri’s old truck pull in. Now facing the obviously worried incubus, Lia went to him and slipped her arms around his waist. She was both seeking comfort from him and giving it to him as well.

*****

Dinner had been uneventful, practically boring even. If she hadn’t planned on having a very important conversation with her mother after the meal she probably would have left as soon as the table was cleared and the dishes were put in the dishwasher. As it was, she waited around until her younger adopted siblings had gone off to do homework and play.

Once the kids were out of the kitchen and it was just her mother, her, and her step-father, Ruri turned to Thiery and was about to ask him if she could have some time alone with her mom when the doorbell rang. Still rather nervous about talking with her mom, Ruri volunteered, “I’ll get it!” loud enough for the smaller kids to hear so they wouldn’t bother running downstairs. She hurried out of the kitchen to the front door which she promptly opened with a smile that quickly crumbled when she saw who stood on the other side. The sight of her other two dads smiling warmly at her would normally have cheered Ruri up under any circumstance, but this one was different. She was about to, essentially, offer her boyfriend and girlfriend up on a platter to her mother’s vengeance Custos wrath. At least with these two here she’d hopefully have more witnesses to her murder, or if she was lucky two more people to tackle her mother before she flew off in a rage after Cian and Lia.

“Hey,” she said by way of greeting before she stepped out of the way to let them into the house. Once they were inside she asked, “So what brings you two over? You just missed Mom’s dinner.”

*****

Dominic wasn’t surprised to see Ruri at Saiyuri’s house, the girl often spent time with that part of her family when she wasn’t at home with him and Lysander. What he was surprised to see was her normal cheerful smile fade at the sight of him and L when she opened the door. He’d only ever seen that happen with her a handful of times and it was always before she confessed to something serious that she thought would be getting her into a lot of trouble. Once Ruri let him and L in and had her back turned as she walked back towards the kitchen, all the while asking them why they were there, Dominic looked pointedly at L to see if he’d noticed the disappearing smile on their daughter’s face.

*****

Saiyuri was recovering from a long first week of being back at work in years with the help of a glass of wine. Theiry had decided to join her, and toasted her survival with a nice cold beer. They were sitting at the kitchen table chattering away about the insanity of Saiyuri’s first week at the hospital when Ruri, followed by Lysander and Dominic walked into the kitchen. “Hey L!” Saiyuri said happily as she bounced out of her seat and over to give the tall dark haired vampire a hug. Then she turned to Dominic, hugged him quickly too, and added, “I thought L said you had to work tonight at the Inn? I wasn’t expecting to see you.”

When Dominic shook his head and answered, “Uncle Donovan changed his travel plans so he won’t be leaving for a few days,” Saiyuri nodded her head in understanding. The older man was travelling more and more, leaving Dominic in charge of the Inn more and more, she expected that sometime soon Donovan was just going to make it official and sign the place over to his nephew.

She was about to drag L upstairs to the room she used as an office, where she kept the painting she’d been gifted by an older member of the Pard, when Ruri cleared her throat and quietly blurted out a lot of words that set Saiyuri’s head swimming. She heard one of the men in the room inhale sharply and she felt more than one set of hands on her, though whether they were supporting her to keep her from passing out or to hold her back from running out the door she wasn’t sure. All she knew for sure was that there were two Custoss that needed a serious talking to for messing around with her baby girl. One of them was even a second time offender, but with a different daughter this time. Damn Cian.

*****

Her mother’s reaction was pretty much exactly as she’d expected. Her eyes had immediately flashed crimson and her body had gone rigid with her emotions. Being closer to her, both Dominic and L had grabbed her arms and Ruri couldn’t help but back up a step or two. When she did, she wound up bumping into Theiry, who in turn put his hands on her arms though she was pretty sure he was just being comforting and supportive.

*****

By the time she finally talked her mother down from her plans of castration and roasting a couple Custoss over a bonfire, with the help of all three of her fathers, Ruri was exhausted and three hours late for her night with Cian and Lia. She finally pulled her truck into the driveway and heaved a sigh of relief as she turned the key to the off position.

After resting her head on the steering wheel for a moment, Ruri hurried out of the truck and up the walk to the door where she rang the bell and knocked. From the other side she heard feet running and then the door was flung open by an anxious Lia who then quickly looked over Ruri’s shoulders into the darkness before asking, “Your mom isn’t with you is she?” Ruri laughed and shook her head no. That was apparently enough of an answer for Lia and she was then dragged inside and enveloped in a tight hug. As she was being squeezed breathless, Lia hollered up the stairs, “Come on down Cian, she’s alone!”

[Demeter]

Cian paced from living room to kitchen and back again. every few trips, he would stop to stare at the windows, looking and listening for Ruri's truck. Ruri was telling her parents about their relationship. And while he knew that Saiyuri would gnaw off her own hand before phyically harming any of her children, CIan also believed that Saiyuri not accepting them would hurt just as much. And there was Ruri's fathers to contend with.

He'd wanted to be there, as support but both Lia and Ruri had argued against it. He had to agree that Saiyuri would probably go for his throat if she saw him. So he stayed at the house and waited with uncharacteristic impatience. Ruri was late and was starting to worry. Though he doubted physical harm, Cian knew it had to be a an ugly scene. If she wasn't still with family, he hated to think of Ruri driving around town, alone and with whatever throughts she had.

In the few weeks that they'd been together, he become very fond of Ruri. He knew that Lia felt the same and neither one thought of Ruri as a spur of the moment fling. Not anymore. And when Ruri's truck rolled into the driveway, both him and Lia scrambled to stand in the doorway, both waiting to greet and comfort their lover while making sure she was okay.

Cian pried Ruri away from Lia and cupped her face in his hands. "Do we have to leave the country?" he asked before kissing.

***

Lysander stared up at his bedroom ceiling. Dominic was sprawled next to him, sound asleep. He was thinking of his little girl and her rather unexpected announcement earlier in the evening. She was in a rather unconventional relationship. He still wasn't sure how he felt about it but he could hardly make a fuss about it. Ruri was quite set on the relationship and he'd once been as unconventional as Ruri. When he'd been a young man, being gay wasn't just unconventional but just not talking about.

Sighing a little, Lysander shifted and wrapped his arms around Dominic. So, he'd let his little girl be involved like a succubus and an incubus. And, he thought as he snuggled down for the night, he'd hunt them down in the morning to question just what their intentions were. Should be easy, he thought, as he was pretty damn sure the gallery had shown some of Lia's stuff before and had her address on record.

***

Cian sat in the darkened media room and wondered just how hard it would be to shift Ruri. After making sure that everything was going to be okay, they'd trooped down to the media room for a movie fest. He was sprawled on the couch, Ruri was snuggled up against him and Lia was on the floor, back against the couch and a bowl of popcorn in her lap. Things were being blown up on the screen and his arm was asleep.

Using the leg that was hanging off the couch, Cian lightly kicked Lia. "Hey, help a guy out, Lia. I can't feel my arm anymore and Ruri is zonked out. Help me get her up to her bed." They each had their own bedroom, mostly because they could be cranky artist types and wanted their own space, and they'd given the spare room over to Ruri. They just hadn't told her yet.

[Maira]

Lia realized she'd been hanging around too many felines when she nearly hissed at Cian for prying Ruri out of her arms so that he could check her for himself. At his words though, asking if they needed to leave the country, Lia looked curiously at Ruri for her answer. When the younger woman just laughed and answered quickly with a mischievous smirk on her lips, "Not unless you're planning a vacation," Lia laughed too and then wandered back into the kitchen where she'd been pouring herself a stiff drink. She may not be worried anymore, but the waiting and worrying and done a number on her nerves.

*****

When Cian pried her out of Lia's arms and then asked her if they needed to leave the country, assumingly to escape her mother's wrath, Ruri couldn't help but laugh and make a playful remark. After that Lia left the two of them alone and Cian kissed, it was gentle and tender and if she were anywhere near as empathic as her older sister Lani she probably would have been able to read everything in his mind from that kiss. As it was, Ruri had a pretty good idea of just how worried he'd been.

When he finally stopped kissing her, Ruri stayed snuggled against him and told him quietly, "All of my parents were there, not just my mom. That's why it wound up taking so long. Lysander and Dominic showed up just as I was getting ready to ask to talk to mom alone instead of with Theiry around. So instead of going through the same thing a bunch of times I just dropped it on all of them. Mom started to go all Custos on me, her eyes did the creepy glowing red thing, but Dominic and Lysander grabbed her before she could do more than that."

After a minute she realized that she'd been rambling on and stopped to apologize, "Sorry, I just meant to tell you they were all four there so you might get a talking to from any of them. I told them that they aren't allowed to hurt either you or Lia though because what we have here isn't just some fling. We're all consenting adults and we all want this so they can just go jump off the nearest mountain peak if they can't get over their issues." Just repeating the words she'd actually somehow managed to growl at her mother when she started threatening Ruri's lovers, Ruri could feel herself shaking with emotion again. She had never stood up to her mother like that before, had never needed to, and the shock had been clear in Saiyuri's eyes.

When Cian just nodded silently that he'd heard her, and then he suggested they grab Lia and go down to the media room to watch a movie, Ruri was pretty sure he was trying to distract her from her obviously emotional night. More than happy to give in to his comforting measures, Ruri nodded with a smile as she twined her fingers with his and dragged him off toward the kitchen after Lia.

*****

Waking up in the spare room didn't surprise Ruri, it had happened a couple times and she was getting pretty familiar with it. What did surprise her was that she didn't remember falling asleep in the first place. They had sat down to watch a movie, Ruri snuggled up against Cian and Lia on the floor where Ruri's hands could reach her hair. The succubus really enjoyed it when Ruri played with her hair, she said it relaxed her, and after the night they'd all had Ruri was more than happy to help out in such a small way. The last thing that Ruri remembered was Lia going upstairs for more popcorn after the three of them emptied the first bowl within minutes of the movie starting.

As she laid in bed for a few minutes, Ruri listened to the sounds in the house and smiled. She could hear Lia and Cian puttering around downstairs and she was pretty sure she could smell coffee and eggs so she had a good idea of just what they were doing. Eager for some caffeine and something more substantial in her stomach than popcorn, Ruri hurried out of bed. She quickly used the brush that now lived on the dresser in the room to try and tame her long hair before she slipped into the big fluffy robe on the back of the door.

Just as she reached the landing at the bottom of the stairs, the doorbell rang and out of habit she shouted, "I got it!" and then she scampered to the front door to see who was there. It was almost an exact repeat of the night before, Ruri answered the door with a smile on her face that dissappeared almost as soon as she opened it. This time though, instead of inviting her fathers in, Ruri actually walked through and shut the door almost all the way behind her.

Outside on the front porch, staring at her fathers, Ruri asked suspiciously, "And just what do you two think you're doing here?" She knew that Dominic loved her as much as his other kids even though they weren't blood related, but she also knew that he was a lot more laid back than Lysander so the dark haired man was the one she focussed most of her attention on.

[Demeter]

Lysander smiled at his daughter. “What makes you think that I’m here about you? I run a very successful gallery, Darling, and Lia is a featured artist. I often check up on my artists to see what they have been creating for me,” he said while edging past Ruri. Eventually, he was able to open the door and sailed into the house.

It was true enough that he visited the artists who worked with his gallery. Later in the week, he was going out to the middle of nowhere to check on a cranky, anti-social elemental stone carver. He had to make sure that Kamen wasn’t dead. But he had alternative motives for being here and the sale of one of Lia’s pieces was a wonderful cover.

“Lia! Dear, sweet, wonderful, precious Lia. I have excellent news for you,” he called as he searched for the woman. Once he found her, flaked out at the kitchen table, Lysander swooped down and grabbed her hands. He tugged her up, planted a noisy kiss on her mouth and spun the stunned woman around. “I’ve just come from the gallery. We’ve sold the big canvas, the one you called Death of Passion, to an art collector in Seattle. And he wants to see more. Much more. Please tell you’ve got a studio full of finished canvases for me.”

After Lysander lured Lia out to her studio, Dominic was left with Ruri and Cian. The incubus glanced between the two before offering Ruri’s stepfather some eggs and bacon. What followed was 60 minutes of awkward silence and Dominic trying to keep Ruri from chasing after Lia and Lysander. When Lysander returned to the kitchen, he said that Lia was still in her studio, wrangling the canvases they’d displaced. He leaned against the doorway, watching the three talk about current events. “Ruri, come take a walk with me in the backyard,” he said after a moment.

Lysander stepped out behind Ruri and shut door behind them. Taking her hand in his, Lysander walked along the fencing that closed in the backyard. “Last night, when you told us what you have going on here, I’ll admit that I was shocked. Not by the situation, so much, but by you thinking that you had to fear about what we might have said or done. Now, your mother, that I understand. Your siblings have spent their lives trying to break Saiyuri and some of her reactions are over the top. But fearing me, I just didn’t get because I’ve had a similar experience. And then I realized that I’ve never told you about that experience. The only people who know are Dominic, your Auntie Krystal and Krystal’s parents.

“I’ve never told you not because I didn’t want you to know but because it just didn’t seem that important. I grew up in the 1940’s and 50’s and one just wasn’t gay back then. Especially not nice boys from good families. I came out to my father accidently. We were having one of our infamous arguments about my future. He had definite plans for me and they differed from what I wanted. He wanted me to go to Yale, become a lawyer, join the family firm and marry a nice girl. We went back and forth for a while until I just blew up and said that I wouldn’t be doing any of that and I especially wouldn’t be marrying the nice girl he picked out since I’d rather have a guy.

“He kicked me out. With a few months of high school still to go, my father kicked me out of the house. I finished out the year living with Krystal’s parents. The long and short of this is that I won’t judge you, Ruri. I told myself that if I ever had children, I wouldn’t treat them like my father treated me. I just want you happy, Ruri.”

After their talk, Lysander took Ruri back instead, gathered up Dominic, and looked between Lia and Cian. “Keep my little girl happy and don’t hurt her otherwise I will hunt you down like dogs and bury you in my backyard.”