Kiss of the Succubus Ch. 06

Grace sobbed and moaned. Daniel rocked her gently and consolingly.

"Why did Joe push her? I thought if I killed Balko she wouldn't jump! Why did Joe push her?"

"Gabby! Gabby made him do it. That's what she does."

It was hardly a consolation. Grace was a mother, at least she had been. And she chose vengeance over saving her daughter. Catherine had been right. Killing Lukas would cost her everything.

"We have to kill them. Lukas and Gabby. We have to kill them now!" Grace demanded.

She rose to her feet and strode towards the house without a trace of fear in her body. Daniel hurried after her, praying that he was still the less mentally stable of the two of them. She headed around to the front door, and walked inside.

They needed a moment for their eyes to adjust to the dark. Sounds emanated from down the hallway; the sound of a young woman screaming. Grace and Daniel cautiously stepped inside. She noticed her clothes still lying in a pile by the floor. Grace didn't bother putting them on. Somehow, clothing felt too human. Grace left her humanity at the bottom of that cliff. Instead, she picked up the mallet and stake she'd left on the kitchen table. She turned to Daniel.

"Let's go," she said.

Daniel grabbed her arm.

"Wait. I don't know how to kill a succubus."

Grace stopped. After a second of thought she realized she didn't either.

"What did the book say?" she asked.

She was referring to The Kiss of Death. They'd both read it.

"The book never said how to kill one," Daniel said.

"The Blackheart from Boston?" Grace asked. The final chapter from the book.

The Blackheart from Boston told of a succubus who over the course of two hundred years married wealthy men, drove them to illness and death, and moved on to the next, accumulating wealth as she did. A Boston banker named Gerald Blackheart married her in the 1920s, but then learned of her past from the nephew of one of her previous husbands. When Blackheart lost most of his wealth in the crash of '29, she left him, only to discover he'd been stockpiling all of her belongings, expensive clothing, and hidden assets without her knowledge. He burned them all, right before her eyes. Realizing she hadn't a dollar to her name, Mrs. Blackheart threw herself into the Charles River and drowned.

"You want to drown her?" Daniel asked.

"No," Grace said. "She died because he destroyed her belongings. A succubus only cares for material things."

Daniel winced. "Gabby doesn't own anything. Not anymore."

"She must have something!"

"I'll be damned if I know what. She doesn't even own clothes. I mean, she walks around buck naked half the time." He noted Grace's own lack of attire and added a quick, "no offense."

Grace paid it no mind.

"I'm killing Balko now. I'll figure out how to ice the bitch later."

Grace walked down the hall. Daniel noticed the lighter and kerosene and took them both. He ignited the lighter, providing the pair with some illumination as they made their way through the darkened house. She found Joe Pratt lying dead on the floor. His pants were around his ankles, while his empty eyes stared up at the ceiling. She paused, but found she had nothing to say for her fallen partner.

She did notice scorch marks on the floor nearby, where the carpet had been burned, that told her one thing: Gabby Becket had been here. Grace stepped over Joe's body and continued down the hallway. Daniel stepped around the deceased detective and followed.

The sound of the whimpering girl became clearer the further down the hall Grace progressed. She slowed her pace as she proceeded, holding her mallet and stake at the ready.

The door to the master bedroom was ajar. Swallowing nervously, she entered. Inside, she found Lukas Balko, drained and emaciated on the bed, wearing only his undershorts. Gabby sat next to him, holding a long steak knife. To Grace's surprise, the whimpering young woman with them was Bethany Dutton. She was handcuffed to the bedpost and begging for mercy. Grace was even more surprised to see Gabby now had horns and wings, the latter of which were now folded behind her back.

Grace watched as Gabby methodically placed the steak knife between Bethany's legs, and slit her inner thigh. Bethany let out a squeal, and Gabby then placed the bloody knife to Lukas' lips. As he licked the blood, life gradually returned to his withered form.

"Get up, bitch," Grace demanded, holding up the mallet and stake. Gabby looked at her and smiled.

"Grace, it's so nice to see you. I didn't expect you alive again so soon!"

"It's over. You and Lukas are done."

Daniel Becket entered the room. He instantly froze, and stepped backward the moment he saw Gabby.

"I'm sorry Grace, but Lukas is now your husband, as he is mine. As you can see, he isn't doing well right now. That must be why you and Daniel still have your free will."

Grace shook her head.

"I'll never be his puppet."

Gabby took to her feet.

"Oh, you will, Grace. You wear his mark on your thigh. You're one of his now. Joe Pratt had you killed just as I asked. You're only on your feet now because Lukas willed it. That's right, Grace. You're a succubus. Just like me."

Grace looked down at the brand on her thigh, and felt a twist in her stomach. It was true. Joe had shot her dead. The only way she could be alive now is if Lukas had resurrected her.

"You're sick," Grace said. "You're a monster."

"Perhaps. And you will be too."

Gabby stared Grace up and down; her snake-like eyes flickering as she sized up her rival, while Grace did the same. She seethed with rage thinking of how this woman seduced her husband to his death. She had to admit, Gabby had a fantastic figure. Grace was almost too distracted by Gabby's beauty to notice the ring on her finger. The one with the black stone. Gabby's wedding band to Lukas.

"Mr. Becket," Grace said. "Left hand. Ring finger."

Daniel brought himself to look at Gabby's hand. The sight of that evil stone in place of the band he'd put there on their wedding day burned his blood. He set the lighter and kerosene on the dresser; knowing what he had to do.

He grabbed Gabby's left arm, giving it a twist, and held it down upon the nightstand. Gabby shrieked, and struggled in his grasp.

"Hit it!" he yelled.

Grace held the mallet high, and swung it down, smashing it against Gabby's hand. She pounded it hard, enough to snap the band in two and break a few of the bones in Gabby's hand. The broken ring fragments fell to the floor as Gabby's yanked her crushed hand away and held it against her breasts.

"You BITCH!" Gabby screamed. "My ring! I-"

Gabby froze, as she saw Grace going for the kerosene on the dresser. Setting the mallet and stake aside, Grace pulled the can open and doused the older succubus with its contents.

"Burn in hell, you bitch," Grace said, and grabbed the lighter.

"NO! It's me, Mrs. Becket! Grace, please!" Gabby held up her arms in defense. Grace ignited the lighter. The flame flickered tall and brightly.

"That won't help you," Grace said, the fire of the lighter reflected in her vengeful eyes.

"Dan! Stop her! She's going to kill me!"

Grace outstretched her arm, ready to touch the flame to Gabby's kerosene-soaked body, when Daniel grabbed her wrist, and snatched the lighter from her hand.

"Mr. Becket! What are you doing?" Grace squealed.

Daniel put Grace in a headlock, and she struggled to break free.

"Don't let her go, Dan! She's a succubus, just like I was!" Gabby cried.

"Mr. Becket, don't listen to her, I'm on your side!" Grace's words fell on deaf ears. Daniel pulled her from the room, and nearly had to drag her down the hallway back to the living room. Gabby followed, grinning at the turn of events.

"Tie her up before she causes any more harm!" Gabby commanded.

Daniel didn't hesitate to obey his late wife. He held Grace onto the floor face down, and braced her backside with his knee. While she struggled to wriggle free, Daniel removed the belt from his pants.

"No! Mr. Becket, don't! She's controlling you, just like she did to Joe and Ted! You can't give in to her! She'll destroy you!"

Daniel wrapped the belt around Grace's hands and feet, and securely hog-tied her. Grace struggled, but found the belt held her firmly in place. Daniel rose to his feet.

"Oh, Daniel, I've missed you!" Gabby cooed. She wrapped her arms around her former husband's shoulders and the two embraced.

"I'm so glad you're back," Daniel said, tears pouring from his eyes. Grace watched helplessly from the floor at the reunited couple, while she tried desperately to think of a way to escape. She rolled to her side, but that made it even more difficult for her to fiddle with the belt binding her wrists.

"I've missed you, I've missed you, I've missed you," Daniel repeated, running his hands across Gabby's body. He counted his blessings that he finally got her back, his sweet wife Gabby. He would never let her go again. Gabby looked Grace in the eye as she hugged him, smirking.

"Mr. Becket! Listen to me! That's not your wife! She's a demon! She's going to kill you!"

Daniel's eyes flickered. He heard Grace's words. But Gabby's body felt so good in his hands. Her round ass felt so good in his grasp, and when he cupped his hands around her large breasts and squeezed, nothing else in the world seemed to matter. He swirled his thumbs around her nipples, and felt them stiffen. He felt his penis begin to rise.

"Yes, Dan. It's me," Gabby said sweetly. She pressed her body against his even more tightly. "You can have me. Kiss me."

She closed her eyes, and puckered her lips.

"NO!" Grace screamed as loud as she could. "Do NOT kiss her! You'll die! She'll send you straight to Hell! DO NOT kiss her!"

Daniel could not take his eyes off Gabby's bright red puckered lips. She leaned towards him, and he could not help but lean towards her in return. She wrapped her hand around the back of his neck.

He leaned closer, and smelled the aroma of kerosene that soaked her body. The grill lighter, the one he'd taken from Grace, was still tucked in his back pocket. He stopped.

"Don't stop, baby," Gabby whispered. "Kiss me. It's been too long."

She puckered her lips again, and leaned in. How he wanted to kiss her again. He craved it. Needed it. But he hadn't forgotten what she'd done, what she'd become. Daniel felt all the muscles in his body melt, but found the courage to grab the lighter. He felt the smallest pang of regret when he ignited it, and touched the flame to Gabby's left nipple. The fire engulfed her body in seconds.

Gabby let out a howling scream, as Daniel pushed her away and ran to Grace.

"I'm so sorry, Grace, she got in my head. I couldn't stop her-"

"Just untie me!"

Daniel struggled to untie the belt from Grace's wrists when Gabby grabbed him from behind and clawed her nails across his neck. Daniel responded with a sharp elbow to her face, knocking her to the floor. The flames eating away her flesh spread to the carpet as Gabby rolled around on the floor in anguish.

Daniel touched the open gash on his neck, and immediately realized he was too lightheaded to even stand, let alone free Grace. He collapsed to the floor. Grace watched helplessly at the blood draining from Daniel's neck, as he lay motionless beside her.

"No!" Grace squealed, as she wriggled her arms and legs. Nothing would weaken the belt's grasp, and the flames on the floor were gradually spreading. She scoured the room for something, anything, that might help her break free.

The pocketknife. Her grandfather's pocketknife still lay on the floor in the corner next to the broken stake. Except it lay on the opposite side of the trail of fire Gabby had left in her wake. Taking a deep breath, Grace rolled onto her back, back onto her side and onto her belly again across the floor, quickly passing through the wall of flames and emerging on the other side with miraculously minimal burns.

She angled her body so her hands could reach the knife, and quickly wedged the blade into the belt knot. She cut as quickly as she could, even as Gabby's screaming and thrashing continued. The fire melted away the succubus' face, yet she still seemed able to see out of her demonic eyes. She stared at Grace in fury, and crawled towards her like a wounded jackal desperate to make one final kill before its demise.

Grace cut as quickly as she could as the burning succubus neared, blood and drool draining from her open jaw. Gabby hissed and panted as she crawled closer and closer. Grace edged away from her, but was up against the wall and had nowhere else to go. Frantically, she sawed away at the belt, but Gabby was almost upon her.

At last Grace was able to cut loose one hand, and immediately used her free hand to jam the blade directly into Gabby's left eye. She stuck the blade in as far as she could, and twisted. Gabby made a "gack" sound, and finally fell to the floor motionless. The fire continued to burn away her flesh as Grace scrambled away.

"Grace! Grace!" Bethany's voice sounded from the bedroom. "Help! He's getting up!"

Balko. Slowly but surely, the wounded vampire was regaining his strength. Grace pulled at the belt still binding her right hand and ankles together, but without the knife it was too difficult to pry it off. She rolled into the kitchen, hoping the linoleum might slow the fire's approach. Desperately she pulled at the belt, squeezing her nails under the loop to pry it from her skin.

It wouldn't budge. Grace cried out in frustration as she watched the fire inch its way up the walls. She rested her head on the tile floor, praying for an answer.

It was then that she spotted something under the couch. Not something that could help her current predicament, but it was a welcome discovery nonetheless. From where she lay she could see straight underneath the living room couch, where a bottle lay. It was the holy water her grandmother used to keep on the mantle. It must have been knocked off and perhaps kicked underneath the couch by a careless visitor at the cottage. No matter, it was there.

Grace pulled at the knot with her free hand as hard she could, and soon managed to get both hands free. From there she was able to wrestle one of her feet loose as well, and didn't bother with her remaining foot.

"GRACE! Help! He's sitting up!" Bethany shouted.

Grace darted over the wall of flames back into the living room, and reached under the couch. She grabbed the bottle of holy water and hurried back to the bedroom. True to Bethany's word, Lukas was sitting up on the edge of the bed. Bethany had managed to tie a pillowcase around her bleeding thigh, while backing herself against the wall trying to stay as far away from him as possible. He reached towards her, but winced in pain, and turned to look at Grace as she entered the room.

"Grace," he wheezed. "You've come back. And now, you're mine."

The sight of Grace filled Lukas with a newfound strength. He lunged towards her, just as Grace managed to pull the cap from the bottle of holy water. Smelling the fumes, he stopped dead in his tracks, and Grace splashed the blessed liquid in his face.

His skin sizzled, and he let out a scream as his face peeled away where the water had touched him. He backed away from Grace, climbing up onto the bed on his hands and knees before turning towards Grace and holding out his arms in defense.

"Worthless whore!" he scowled, glaring at her. Grace responded by pouring the remainder of the bottle directly onto his groin. His scream was loud enough to shatter the windows. He clutched his crotch in agony, burning his palms as he did, and rolled onto his side and pulled his knees to his chest.

Grace tossed the empty bottle aside and grabbed the mallet and stake from the dresser. Nothing would stop her; she pounced onto the bed like an animal and bared her teeth in anticipation of her kill.

Balko tried to wrestle free, but his strength had dwindled. He could do little more than squirm as Grace turned him onto his back and placed the pointed stake directly upon the still-healing wound in his chest. He screamed the instant it touched.

"Do it! Kill him, Grace!" Bethany screamed.

Lukas stared up at Grace with pleading eyes. Grace had nothing but fury in hers.

"It's over for you, you son of a bitch." Grace raised the mallet.

"NO!" Lukas pleaded.

She brought the hammer down. She slammed it upon the butt of the stake, sinking it into Balko's chest. She felt a bit of tension release in her own body. It felt surprisingly good to penetrate a man for change. Grace licked her lips and pounded the stake again.

Lukas moaned loudly and painfully.

"Grace, please! Don't!" he whimpered. He clutched the stake with his frail hands, desperately trying to keep it from sinking deeper.

"Don't listen to him! Kill him Grace, kill him now!" Bethany urged. She shook her hand, trying in vain to break free of the handcuff binding her to the bedpost.

Grace swung the mallet again. Lukas' hands were no match for Grace's fury. The stake slid between his fingers and further into his rib cage.

"Grace," Lukas creaked, the breath nearly gone from his voice. "I can give you your daughter back. She can-"

Grace swung the mallet again; silencing his words as the stake sunk in deeper. Lukas opened his mouth to speak, but only gasping came out. Grace raised the mallet again.

"Mommy!"

Grace froze.

"Mommy! Help! Help me!"

It was unmistakably Kayla's voice. She could hear through the open window- had the window even been open before?- Kayla's voice coming from the back yard. Calling for her.

"You- your daughter needs you, G-Grace," Lukas gasped, his mouth filling with thick black blood. "You'd bet-better go- go help her."

Lukas gagged, as black blood spilled out of his mouth down his chin. Grace shook her head.

"It's a trick," she said, her eyes filling with tears. "You bastard, it's just a trick."

She swung the mallet again, and pounded the stake even harder.

"Mommy!"

She pounded it deeper.

"Mommy help! Help me please!"

"STOP IT, STOP IT, I KNOW IT'S A TRICK!" Grace screamed, pounding the stake with all her might. She pounded the stake again and again, until she could feel it emerge from Lukas' back and sink into the mattress.

Lukas narrowed his eyes.

"N-Now y-you'll ne-ever knooow," he gasped.

He closed his eyes and Grace suddenly felt the stake in her hand become very warm. She released her grasp and watched as smoke erupted from underneath Balko's skin. Slowly Lukas, as well as the stake in his chest, completely dissolved into a mass of solid soot. A pile of ash clumped together in the shape of a once-powerful vampire was all that remained. Lukas Balko was no more.

Grace stared at the charred remains before her; barely able to comprehend what she'd done. It wasn't until the mallet slipped from her grasp and landed on the floor that she was shaken back to consciousness.

Black smoke filled the room, and Grace was suddenly reminded of the fire that was consuming the living room. Grace jumped from the bed and hurried out of the room.

"Grace! Wait! Don't leave me here!" Bethany cried, rattling her handcuffs against the bedpost.

Grace stared back at Bethany with contempt.

"Please! It was Neil's idea to rob you! I didn't even want to! I tried to tell him we shouldn't but he-"

Grace grabbed Bethany's face and held her head against the wall.

"Listen, bitch," Grace said, staring into her eyes, "you ever want a second chance at life, you have to own up to the shit you did the first time around. My daughter's dead because of you. Don't fucking tell me it's not your fault."

Bethany gulped as Grace's eyes burned a hole into her soul. For a moment she was afraid Grace might kill her herself. Instead Grace released her grip on her and stormed out of the room. Bethany broke into tears.