To be in the world again after so long. This really was the right choice. The elderly being thought to himself as he limped through the gate and entered Anailia, feeling a smile touch his lips as he did.

He’d spent so long simply sitting and waiting, hoping to slow the decay that had been consuming his magic that he’d forgotten how beautiful the world could be, even if it wasn’t the one his heart longed for, but had gained the chance to see it all over again at the end of his life. Making his way from his home to the closest gate had taken ages, but it had been the most alive he’d felt in centuries, actually doing something and getting to experience just a little bit of the world as he did. He only wished the last of his brothers could have held out just slightly longer to go on this journey with him. If he was to die, then this was the way to do it.

But I can’t be so negative yet. He thought with a small shake of his head. I swore to them that I would try. I can’t simply accept my fate until after I beg a meeting with the enchanter and learn once again that nothing can be done. Only then can I return to the Meliae, tell them I love them, and finally give in to the inevitable.

Even as he was telling himself not to be negative he was doing it without a hint of hope for his circumstances. His body had only gotten worse during the journey, leaving one leg barely functional, and as he made his way to the home of the queen, trying to take a shortcut to save what little time he had left in the world the other gave out as well, leaving him to collapse on the ground.

All he could do was let out a small laugh. Even if it was pointless, to fall this close to his goal was too much, and as he looked at the back alley he found himself in, not having the strength to drag his body, he gave in and closed his eyes, waiting for the end.

He’slatehe’slatehe’slate. She thought to herself, getting antsy as her elven companion never returned.

A series of minor mistakes and assumptions on both their parts had led to her current situation. Potential starvation and the slipping of her mind.

When they’d arrived in Anailia and they’d found a room, she’d let her companion rest before feeding, and the exhaustion of the trip led her to falling asleep before he’d woken up. As potentially bad as that would have been, it would have been fine if she’d been able to drink from him as soon as she woke up, but he had left, assuming she’d had her fill as he rested to go observe as they had planned.

Even that wouldn’t have been disastrous. It was far from good, sure, but she could hold on a little while as long as he came back, but as the hours passed and he never arrived, the sun falling low in the sky, she felt her hold slipping as her reasoning grew worse.

IneedtowaitIneedtowaitIneedtowait. But what if he doesn’t come back? Why did I only bring one? No, there isn’t enough to go around, could only bring one. Whereishewhereishewhereishe?

What would she do if he didn’t come back though? She could already tell things were looking bad for her, waiting any longer would be a disaster, leaving her with a single option.

She put on a long cloak to protect her from the final rays of the day's light and hurried out, not even locking up as she rushed to where her companion would be, somewhere in the area of the queen's home. She hadn’t been there herself yet and ended up lost on the way more than once, the gnawing hunger and growing pain making it hard for her to keep her thoughts straight as she tried to avoid drawing more attention than she had to until she was finally in the area of her destination.

Not here not here not here!

She carefully rushed around, trying not to draw the attention of the nearby guard she spotted as she looked for the elf, trying to catch his scent in the air if nothing else would work but without any success.

As a last-ditch effort as the reason began to leave her she walked past the open gate, hoping to catch a hint that he might be inside but coming up empty, having no choice but to continue walking past, seeing someone else walking towards her as she did.

Her nose told her it wasn’t an incubus, a fact confirmed by her eyes as she got closer. Instead of having slit pupils, the man’s before her were clearly round, and no tail to be seen, but why did such a thing matter? Seeing someone like that so close to the residence of the ruler of the country brought something to her thoughts, but she couldn’t tell what. The hunger had gotten too strong, and worse, he smelled incredibly good.

Justatastejustataste. Just something to hold me over. It wouldn’t be so wrong, would it? He wouldn’t mind, would he?

She knew she had to contain herself, but as he walked by and his scent in the air filled her nose she couldn’t stop, forcing through the surprising level of resistance his flesh gave as she sank her teeth into his firm warm throat while she pressed him against a wall, keeping him from the sight of any nearby guard as she drank and running her tongue along his neck, savouring every drop of a flavour unlike any she’d enjoyed before.

Almost by instinct, she’d covered his mouth to keep him from screaming, but as the warm blood passed her lips and her sense of reason returned to her, what came with it was a deep sense of personal horror. She’d attacked an innocent person, and if he had really been going to the home of the queen it might have even been the one she'd come to this very nation to try and meet.

If that really was the case then what was she going to do? She needed time to think, but that meant doing something just as unethical, something that would be a crime in almost every part of the world she found herself in. It was too late to worry though, the moment she’d sunk her teeth into him he was already under her thrall, the dark mana within her flooding him as she drank, and without the years of mental training that the few elves in her community went through to help keep her people fed while resisting the side effects he would be defenseless against her. Even the typical succubus wouldn’t have the resistance of thirty needed to keep her powers at bay.

She let go of him, ignoring the sense of hunger that remained and the flavour that clung to her tongue to look him in the eyes. She thought she saw worry there, but that was impossible, his mind should be blank, waiting for the orders she would give him. It was surely just the shape of his face. With so many races in the world, it was easily possible to misread an expression, that was almost certainly the case here.

She was about to give the order. To forget what had happened and go rest immediately, hoping that it would stick and his mind would be clear in the morning when the unexpected happened, something she never would have predicted. He spoke first.

“Are you okay?” He asked, concern clear in his voice and showing that the worry she’d seen in his eyes wasn’t just in her head, but that just made the situation worse. That meant he wasn’t under her thrall.

Seeing the fear and panic in her eyes he slowly raised his hands and spoke in a gentle voice. “It’s okay, I’m not mad. You aren’t the first thing to take a bite out of me and you won’t be the last so don’t worry. You’re a vampire, right? Your kind doesn’t attack unless they're desperate, right? So do you need some help?”

Whatever she’d been expecting the moment she couldn’t control him, it hadn’t been that. She couldn’t help but hesitate, fearing a trap to imprison her for her crime as he held out a hand to her.

“It would be dangerous if you’re still hungry, wouldn’t it? I don’t mind if you have more, let's just go inside and you can eat a bit. Then if you’re feeling up to it you can tell me what happened, alright?”

He gestured to the queen's home with a nod of his head and she couldn’t help but agree. For a non-succubus to be there, there was a good chance he was the one she’d be looking for, or at least one of his associates, and even if she ran she’d never make it back home without losing herself to a rampage along the way. It had been so long since she’d truly eaten her fill, she knew that what few mouthfuls she’d gotten hadn’t been enough.