Bellicose, page 4
And right after that was the ability to find any and all 'food', or in this case humans, around him!
'I don't think it's their souls…'
'Still…' Mihalis said in shocked surprise at even the thought of such a thing!
"Brushes!" Mihalis' lion suddenly said aloud, and stepping 'back', Mihalis shifted into his lion form and let him drive for a while.
"What the hell?" Talin said, surprised.
"I need brushing," Mihalis grumbled in his lion form.
"Now?"
"I just learned something… uncomfortable. I'm trying to cope."
"Be right back!" Jade said, and streaked out of the room as the rest of his wives gathered around him.
"What did you learn, my prince?" Hengity asked, giving Mihalis a concerned look.
'Shit, forgot about him, what do we do?' his lion asked.
'Lie.'
"I've discovered that some of my powers of old are no longer available to me," he guided his lion to say. "It would seem more has changed in this world than even I suspected. But do not fear, we shall still persevere. I'd just hoped it would be easier." And he left it at that.
An hour later, and feeling much, much mellower, Mihalis went through the entire spiel once again with Lord Forrude. He could feel that his people were getting antsy; he'd left them pretty horny after Hjul's audience, and they all knew they were going to get another blast when this one ended.
Though he got the distinct impression his wives were looking forward to it.
About the only difference was, Lord Forrude took a little longer to make the connection of how things would be different. He was, however, duly impressed by just how much power his new prince could handle, and he felt grateful not only to Hengity for recommending him to his new prince, but to Hjul, who had warned him that this new prince of theirs was far more than Hengity's words had hinted.
When Forrude's people had cleared out, and Mihalis had dropped all his powers, he looked around the room.
"Try not to scare the horses," he said as clothing flew from everyone.
"But there aren't any horses here!" Noje called out from where she was being surrounded by several wolves with obvious intentions.
"I was talking about the ones back in Carson City!" he replied with a laugh as he gathered his wives up and headed back to their bedroom.
"Someone get Beri. I want her with us tonight, as well," he murmured as they made a beeline to the bedroom.
"Somebody getting hers tonight?" Taeria chuckled.
"Several somebodies."
"Oh, I like the sound of that," Talin said in a husky voice.
§
"So, how'd it go this time?" his father asked him as he popped into existence on the side of the mountain.
"Don't tell me you've been waiting here all night?" Mihalis said, looking at his father, then noticing that his mother was there, plus Moms Roxy, Peg, Estrella, the First, Keairra, Saf'kij—all the First's wives, as well as many of their children, the ones who were in the First Pride.
"Okay, I won't tell you that," Sean said with a smile.
"Lena warned us you were getting tired," Keairra said.
"Oh," Mihalis said, feeling a little relieved.
"However, that was several hours ago," the First rumbled with a smirk, making Mihalis feel embarrassed all over again.
"Well, at least he can still blush, so obviously nothing serious is wrong with him!" Peg said with a giggle as Sean rolled his eyes.
"So, Mihalis, how are you doing?" Cali said, coming up next to him, taking his arm, and sitting him down.
"Well, I haven't split yet, though I think after this meeting, I'm going to."
"Why?"
"The power my dark elf is getting from the djevels doesn't fit well with what my lion half gets from the power pool. While I'm awake, I can just convert it—assuming I don't forget—but while I'm asleep?" Mihalis shook his head. "It's a connum… con… It's complicated," he said with a snort.
"Conundrum, but continue," Sean said.
"Sleeping definitely helps with the anger, as does romping in bed with the wives, but it doesn't do anything for my temper, and, well, looking at this from either side, I think my hair-trigger temper might be related to all the nastiness I'm getting. Also, there's the horns now, and I think there's a few other things I just haven't realized yet. Until I've figured it all out, I decided—both my lion and my dark elf—that it'd be better to split willingly until we've learned how to deal with all of it."
"Again, why?" Cali asked.
"Because splitting unwillingly or in a moment of hubris really hurts," he grumbled. "Plus, if we do it on purpose, it makes getting back together a lot easier. Or at least we think it will. We still need to try it and see."
"Can you not run the convert spell when you're asleep?" Peym, one of the First's wives, asked.
"It has to be maintained. When I sleep, it stops."
"Couldn't you imbue it into a ring or something?"
"No, I don't…" Mihalis stopped and looked at his father. "Dad?"
Sean looked thoughtful for a moment. "I don't see why not. I'll look into it."
"What about your powers, Mihalis?" the First asked, and Mihalis winced.
"Umm, yeah, I gained a bunch. All my old 'cubi powers have gotten ridiculously cheaper in cost to cast. I've also gained versions of all of them that allow me to affect a large mass of people or djevels, instead of just one."
"What else?"
"Umm, I'm all but invulnerable to physical damage now—thought that's hellaciously expensive, and"—he shook his head and looked down at the ground— "I can rip out people's life force from a distance, just like djevels rip out souls."
It got very quiet for a moment.
"Are you sure it's not their souls, Mihalis?" the First asked in a very soft voice.
"As sure as I can be without actually doing it, and I don't want to do it, Grandfather. I don't want to do it at all. My lion is positive that it's not their souls, but I don't want to chance it."
"While I'd suspect your lion is right, Mihalis, I'd still advise you not to chance it, either. Souls are forbidden to us, and taking one would lead to serious issues."
Mihalis nodded.
"So was taking their oaths harder this time, or easier?" Estrella asked.
"Hjul was easier than Ennakoida, and Forrude was even more so."
"Diminishing returns?" Roxy asked.
He shrugged. "Probably. I noticed all the new stuff after I got Hjul's oath. Forrude's doesn't seem to have added to that. If I get Kova, maybe it'll all step up again?"
"Being a power pyramid, I wouldn't be surprised to find that there are distinct limits—or maybe discrete levels—you need to pass before you can unlock more abilities," Estrella said. "The more lords a prince had, the more djevels, it seemed the more powers they had."
Mihalis nodded again, and then yawned.
"If it's all the same to the rest of you, I'm going to actually sleep now," he said, looking around.
"Sleep, Mike," Sean told him, and a moment later, Mihalis was gone.
"So, what do you think?" the First asked Sean, who was looking thoughtful.
"I think he's getting a handle on it, but that life ripping bit, that worries me."
"Why's that, my husband?" Cali asked.
"Well, I seem to recall biskops could do that, but it took him two lords to get it?"
"Because it's not exactly a 'cubi power," Peg said. "'Cubi have to be engaging in sex with someone to feed off of them; this is just an enhancement of that when you think about it. We know all djevels can eat souls, but the lower ones have to actually be touching a human to do it.
"That's why I think his lion is right. This isn't a new skill; it's an enhancement. Like the others are."
"Makes me wonder what other skills of theirs he might gain?" Sean mused.
"I just wonder if those skills will go away once we kill the lords, and he loses this new power, or if they'll stay with him?" Estrella asked, looking over at Sean with a thoughtful expression.
"Well, as he already has them, the answer to that, we'll discover in due time," the First told them. "For now, we'll stick to the plan he and Sawyer worked out."
"You know, if Kova joins with him, I'm going to miss flying out to his lands and killing his djevels," Cali complained.
"There's always Basun and Kontrabas to the east, sister," Estrella teased.
"Yeah, but that's a much longer flight."
"We all have to make sacrifices, Dear," Sean teased, giving her a hug. "Now, I'm for bed. Night, all."
Another Lost Weekend
"Ugh," Mihalis and his lion grumbled together as he dropped his ass into the chair at the kitchen table. A plate—no, make that a platter—heaped with food appeared before him almost instantly. At the same time a dark elf… Beri, his nose told him, as his eyes were still trying to focus, dropped into his lap, and without even thinking about, it he wrapped an arm around her, propped his jaw on top of her shoulder, and tried not to drool as she started eating his food.
"Yup, she's pregnant," he heard one of his sisters say, and without even realizing it, he reached out and grabbed Talin as she walked past him, and dragged her into his lap as well.
"Eat," he whispered in her ear, and then kissed her on the back of the neck.
"Talin, too!" one of them giggled.
"And Caitin, she's pregnant as well," Talin said between bites as she ate off of his platter.
"Where's she gonna sit? He's running out of room!" He was pretty sure that was Noje.
"Well, if he shifted into a lion, they could use him like a bench…" That was Harmony. He'd look to be sure, but he really didn't want to look away from all that food.
"Beri, be a dear and get some more food, please? Plus, we should let Caitin have a turn," Talin said as she slid out of his lap and onto the chair beside him.
"Yes, Tal," Beri said, and as soon as she'd left, Caitin slid into his lap and started eating. But after a couple bites, she turned in his lap and shoveled food into his mouth!
"I can feed myself, woman!" he protested.
"Sure you can," she said as she continued to feed him.
Nirvana.
He was in heaven and had just achieved nirvana.
'Wow! This is just as good as getting brushed!' his lion said as they both basked in the attention of one of his now pregnant wives actually feeding him.
'How are we doing?'
'Well, we're doing well. I think we lost a little ground when we split last night, but with the way we're feeling right now, I think we'll be making that up, don't you?'
Mihalis had to agree. They were both feeling quite content and very much in their happy place, as he savored the moment, closing his eyes as Caitin continued to feed him.
"Damn, I think you broke him!" he heard Cinnamon say as she came into the kitchen.
"Trust me, I'm enjoying this almost as much as he is," Caitin said with a laugh.
"Huh?"
"Touch him. He might not have his wings out, but he's still broadcasting."
Talin put a hand on him as Jade and Kerrie came into the kitchen and did the same.
"Whoa, that's one happy husband!" Jade said with a smile.
"That he is," Talin agreed. "Michael, did your 'cubi abilities increase?"
Mihalis nodded slightly as Caitin fed him another bite.
"Well, you might want to try to get them under control, or I think we're all gonna end up back in the bedroom."
"Mmmm." Mihalis looked internally at his own personal power pool. His lion powers were at normal levels, but the djevel powers were all but overflowing, so his Incubus powers were coming into play to burn off the excess. Which meant all his empathic powers were active, and he was broadcasting his feelings.
The only reason he wasn't broadcasting to the entire room was that his wings weren't out. But what was the most interesting was that while Jade and Kerrie had enjoyed touching him, Talin not only hadn't taken her hand off of him, she was leaning into him as well.
Activating his Convert ability, he began changing the djevel power to lion power, which his lion immediately pushed into the power pool to keep him from getting too full.
"Awww, he stopped." Caitin sighed, and Talin sat up, shook herself, and looked at him. He recalled how easily Shaylee, her mother, had picked up on his feelings the last time he'd been over there. He needed to take a closer look at his skills; apparently Fae were a lot more susceptible to him now that his powers had increased. That made him wonder some more. He'd already noticed that humans were a lot more attracted to him when he was in his incubus aspect. That it was now affecting faeries was an interesting development. Then again, considering how fast they'd all fallen into his bed, maybe that effect had always been there, and it had just gotten stronger?
"Okay, what was that, Michael?" Talin asked.
Swallowing the last bite Caitin had fed him, he gave her a hug, kissed her on the neck, and then sighed happily.
"The costs of my abilities have dropped significantly. That faint bit of broadcasting I've always suspected I was doing must have gotten both easier, and cheaper, as well. As I'd filled up to overflowing on my powers last night and forgotten to drain them" —he shrugged— "those abilities became active to burn off the excess."
"Huh, well, I guess that explains it."
"Explains what?"
"It's Monday," Talin said, and then snickered loudly at the look on his face.
"Monday?"
"Yes, we've been in bed, or rather, you've been in bed—we took food breaks— since Thursday night."
Rika, Azure, and Taeria sauntered into the room. All three had their wings out and weren't wearing a stitch of clothing, which was when he realized he wasn't, either.
"I'm not complaining!" Azure purred. "I got to practice a lot of my tantric magic gathering abilities!"
"Is this going to happen every time I take some lord's oath?"
"Oh, I hope so!" Harmony said, surprising him. "I had those wolves in bed for like, two days!"
He looked over at her, and she smiled and waggled her wings. "They brought friends."
"Hey, at least we got them all out of there before the Auction started back up!" Noje said, laughing.
"I'm afraid to think of what kind of impression you left on those poor råge…" Mihalis groaned.
"Oh, they cleared out right quick!" Cinnamon laughed. "Djevels are pretty much terrified of a feeding succubus, and those wolves were obviously in the throes of some kind of demonic attack, with the noises there were making, plus the way they all ended up passed out on the floor."
"I think you just made his point for him, Cinn," Taeria said, coming over to give Mihalis a kiss. She then got a plateful of food and took a seat at the table, as Azure and Rika also gave him a kiss and followed suit.
"So, now what?" Rika asked as she sat down with the others to eat.
"Hmm?" Taeria asked.
"What next? What's the plan? We own the town. All the djevels around here report to Michael. That fancy smuggling tunnel is done. We have a nice hotel with a wonderful chef. So" —she shrugged— "now what?"
Mihalis leaned back in his chair and looked around the kitchen.
"For the next few months, nothing, I hope. It's going to take some time to get the rich and infamous, along with any other such leaders, to start coming here, where they can conduct their business well away from any prying eyes.
"With the djevels, I think it'll be a few weeks before Kova makes up his mind about who he's going to swear to, or even if he's going to. Bratsch is supposed to be too weak yet to start attacking me or playing other such games. I think he's still consolidating his position. It helps that Dad's building the new mountaintop base between him and Basun to keep him off balance. It also helps that winter is upon us, and djevels really don't do all that well in freezing temperatures.
"Oh, and Steve did win the election, right?"
"Of course he did! Where were… oh, right," Cinnamon said and blushed.
"I think things are going to be kind of quiet, which, with what I'm going through as I learn to deal with all this new power and the side effects of it, is fine with me."
"You know it's not going to last, don't you?" Noje said, looking at him.
"Yeah, but if we're lucky, maybe we'll get a week or two of relative calm."
"Dr. Ruxton asked about you," Harmony said.
Mihalis sighed. "Ah, dammit. I missed lunch with him last week. I guess I need to go down there and pay him a visit."
"I told him you were busy dealing with the djevel lords. That it was turning out to be harder than you'd first thought."
"Thanks."
"He understood, but I think he's got something he needs help with, and he wanted to ask you about it."
Mihalis looked up at the clock on the wall. It was just after eight.
"Guess I'll walk up there around lunchtime and see what he needs. After that, let's all get together in the council room, and you can catch me up on what I've missed over the last week."
"Sounds like a plan," Talin replied with a nod. "I need to talk to Biggs and go over our finances. I'll also find out if they've completed their tests on the pipeline yet."
"Anything going on in town that I need to know about, Cinn?"
"Other than Cynthia wanting you to pay her a visit again?" Cinnamon said with a chuckle. "Not really. Word got around pretty quickly that all three of the djevel lords in the area came and swore allegiance to you, bro. Right now, I think everyone wants to be on their best behavior. Brost even told me that the folks down in our little 'trailer park' seem to have gotten the message not to mess with the big, bad incubus lord, or any of his women."
Mihalis nodded and, picking up his fork himself, he shifted Caitin to the side in his lap and started eating again.
"So what are you plans for the morning?" Caitin asked as she resumed eating as well.
"I have a new enchantment project."
"What are you making this time?"
"My lion wants a set of wings like we share in our hybrid form."
