***The Infernal Plane of Lust***

***Isabella***

“Amon!” I let go of Shax and dashed towards the young man who already looked much better now that his injuries had healed properly. He even saw to it to put on some decent clothes, even if it was just a mixture of cloth and leather armour, although, he certainly needed a bit more fashion sense. Wearing only black and grey was so dry. Although, it was clear that he needed more rest. The poor stud was so pale.

On my way to him, I pulled a chair out from under some unimportant demon who was about to sit down and placed it right next to Amon. Then I seated myself and laced an arm around his. “I have missed you so much. It hasn’t been a long time, but I was still worried when I had to leave you like that at the glade.”

“Ah…” He wiped his mouth, a little lost for words while the demoness across from him was trying to clean her face and hair with a handkerchief.

Then I noticed the others at the table and waved a hand. “What an illustrious group! Are these your friends? I am Isabella, nice to meet you!”

The rest of the group just stared at me as if a famished tiger had just sat down at their table.

Another male demon who was also sitting at the table turned his attention to Amon. “You haven’t mentioned anything about meeting a succubus.” He turned his attention to Shax who also arrived at the table with Jada in tow. “Shax, you’ve brought us company.”

Shax kneeled down which brought him to just the right height to be even with the rest of us normal-sized folk. “Yes… unavoidable. Hoped… they would go away.” He pulled a chair closer for Jada to sit down and looked to Amon and me. “Only half… successful.”

“You are such a treasure, Shax, but I was never someone you had to worry about.” I smiled at the large brute who I had gotten to know a little during my trip to this enclave. Shax wasn’t exactly stupid; no I believe that he understood far more than he let on, but his mind was a little slower than that of other demons. This sluggishness, I lacked a better way to express it, allowed him to resist mind magic far better than someone of his power had any right to. It was a vain hope, but maybe that made him the perfect mate for Jada.

Shax looked to the other demon at the table. “Uphir… help.” He shook his hand, which was somewhat restricted by a giggling Jada holding onto him.

“You got yourself a succubus, so deal with it,” the demon named Uphir said it as if Amon and Shax had caught themselves some sickness.

I took the cutlery from Amon’s weak fingers and started slicing up the meat on his plate for him. “Amon, dear. Why don’t you introduce everyone?”

“Dear?” He looked at me but apparently decided that complaints about my choice of address wouldn't get him anywhere. Amon cleared his throat and gestured around the table. “These are Kitia, Philomena, Uphir, and Shax. I guess you could call them my minions…”

The others looked torn between opposing that statement and saying nothing. In the end, they chose the latter.

“… and this is Jebril. A new addition who happened to tag along after I got my people back from some unsavoury fellows.” He finished by gesturing towards me. “And this is Isabella Ashborn.”

“Hi, again.” I pointed the knife towards my sister while I used the fork to shove a piece of meat into Amon’s mouth. “This is my sister, by the way. Her name is Jada Ashborn.”

Jada smiled and licked her lips when Uphir met her eyes. “Hi, I am Jada, Shaxy-baby’s girlfriend.”

Uphir recoiled a little, then turned his attention towards Amon. “You know, normally I would ridicule you for catching yourself a succubus. Especially after Jebril's story, but given your age and the fact that Shax did no better, I will refrain from saying anything. Just see to it that there aren’t more where those two came from.”

“Aw, we are plenty, but I promise that we have only the best of intentions for Amon and his friends,” I reassured Uphir and then addressed Amon, “How were you doing in the meantime? Did you train your flight as I taught you?”

Amon pursed his lips. “A little, I can already leap quite the distance.”

“Good, do you want to learn anything else?” I leaned into him and stuffed another piece of meat into his mouth. My dear demonling would have to become a strong Demon Lord rather sooner than later. “In case you didn’t know, my family has a lot of influence around here. I am sure that Jada and I can get your group some decent jobs in case you have nothing to do at the moment.”

“Ahem, I think that I am fine for the moment,” Amon tried to play it off. “I think we just need some time to organize ourselves and find a safe place to train.”

Just then, a shadow fell over Amon and me, and I looked towards a large demon rippling with muscles who was looming above us. “Who are you? We are talking business here, in case you didn’t notice.”

The demon pointed at my chair. “You stole my chair from right beneath me!”

I looked down and shrugged. “But you aren’t sitting on it, so it’s no longer your chair, right?” I smiled up at him, sure that he would come to terms with the new state of things.

“Isabella!” Rather than allowing the situation to escalate, Jada sprang up and touched the troublemaker’s upper arm. “You can’t just take other people’s chairs like that. What were you thinking?”

I didn’t fail to notice the pink spark that jumped between Jada’s fingers and the demon’s skin.

“And you, big fellow,” she addressed the demon and turned him around like a puppy to guide him towards the exit. “Why don’t I show you something wondrous as a little apology? I promise you that chairs are overrated.”

The two left, and Shax let out a sigh of relief.

Amon took the fork back from me and speared the next piece of meat himself. “How did you even find me? And how did you meet Shax?”

“Oh, dear.” I petted his shoulder. “Succubi have their ways once they got the taste of a man and Shax just happened to drop into our courtyard.” Then I turned to Shax with an apologetic expression. “Sorry, but you shouldn’t expect Jada to go away just like that. She will be right back after she takes care of things.”

The huge demon nodded a little apprehensively but appeared to accept that a succubus affliction wasn’t cured that easily. “Fine…”

***The Infernal Plane of Lust***

***Amon***

I watched warily as Jada led the troublesome demon away. She was mind-manipulating him without a doubt. Would Isabella be capable of doing the same thing to me? “Actually, I might want to learn to resist what she is doing to him.”

Isabella looked after her sister and hummed. “Hmmmm… that might be possible, but it will certainly take you time and a lot of training. It took me three decades to build up the mental fortitude to resist my sisters and stop being the family’s fetch-pet.”

“Are you really an Ashborn?” Jebril got a question into the conversation.

Isabella nodded. “Of course, why should we lie?”

Following that, the djinn looked at me as if I brought her the greatest trouble she had ever been in.

I ignored her and took another bite of my meal. “It’s not like I could have done anything about meeting her. She kind of saved my life after I had a bad landing.”

The others looked at me as if it was even worse than they thought, so I quickly amended my words, “But Isabella and I are quits, our accounts are balanced as far as that is concerned. If anything, she still owes me for the price I paid.” I looked to her. “Right?”

Isabella nodded. “Totally.” Then she purred. “But I wouldn’t say no if you decided to incur just a little debt towards me.”

Something told me that such a state of affairs should be avoided at all costs with a succubus. “Yeah, no. I think the status quo is okay as it is.”

Philomena raised her voice, “You said that you might be able to provide us with employment?”

The succubus nodded and clasped her hands. “Depends on what you want to do from here on out. My family has connections. We could set you up as an independent party so that you can take some quests around this region, though that might not be the smartest thing to do with all the slavers around. Another option would be to introduce you with recommendations to one of the better warbands which operate from here.”

Uphir narrowed his eyes. “What would such a favour cost?”

“I've taken a liking to Amon, so it would be very generous of you people if I got unrestricted access to him so that I can...” She licked her lips. “...work to balance our accounts. And maybe I could join you guys on a quest or two? It seems like it could be fun.”

Her husky voice sent a shudder down my spine.

“Fine!” Kitia took the offer.

My head snapped towards my underling who had agreed over my head in a matter of such importance. “What the-? You can't agree just like that! I am sure that we can find ourselves a warband of our own.”

Uphir shook his head and raised a hand to stop me. “Amon, please. You should reconsider this. Do you have any idea how hard it is to get into a decent warband that doesn't get you killed on the first mission?”

I frowned but said nothing.

He took the chance to explain. “Look, there is no doubt that we will find some warband to take us in. Just ask Kitia how this works. She has been in a bad one for quite some time before she got out.” Uphir looked to the side, clearly expecting Kitia to take over.

The demoness bit her lip and thought.

Some seconds passed before she spoke. “There are different kinds of warbands. The wannabes who come and go like demonlings without a caretaker. And those who aspire to become a legion in their own right one day.

“We definitely don't want to end up in the first category. Just like the worst ones who work with a designated core group and make a living off taking the most dangerous commissions. The kind where most of the normal warriors won't come back. They intentionally take grievous losses during the mission just so that they have to share less of the reward, normally angling their contracts so that they don't have to pay anyone who died. Once they return, they stock up their losses with hopeful idiots and those who have no other choice or hope. Most of the time the newcomers make serious losses on such missions.”

Her eyes flicked towards Isabella. “If she knows the decent groups around here, the ones who do not operate like that, and we really want to go down that path, then we should take her offer. Otherwise, we would have to stay sitting ducks here for a year until we have figured everyone out. I wouldn't trust anyone who I don't know personally to refer us to the right people. And if it is true that you have still some favour on the bank with her, then this might be our best opportunity to find a decent group. Just to remind you, the decent warbands are those who do not recruit people regularly or lightly.”

I grumbled and massaged my chin as I thought the matter over while I studiously tried to ignore what Isabella kept trying to do with her tail beneath the table while I used my own to fend her off. This would be a choice governed by logic, and not one made under duress or influenced by two bouncy assets.

“You are aware that a good warband also offers some decent training to its newcomers,” Isabella threw in. “They want powerful members, which is exactly what you need.”

It was true that finding our luck with a small group of five or six people wasn't feasible. The two slaver groups which I encountered so far were sizeable, with about thirty people in the latter one. I wouldn't have had a chance against the first one if I hadn't played dirty and after my toys had been used up, all we could do was to rely on the surprise effect and run away.

If we went out as we were now, it would only be a question of time until we got unlucky enough to run into more than we could handle. Or until someone else got the drop on us. I wasn't confident to take on a group with thirty people and walk away smiling every time.

“What kind of training could they offer?” I asked.

“Any kind,” Isabella replied. “The Band of Ebandon are decent men and women, with all of them being experienced veterans in their respective fields. If they take a commission, their leader sees to it that most of his people return. I rarely heard of Ebandon losing more than ten percent of his people, and in the cases he did, his enemies paid a far larger price. I can only recommend them. They are working for my mother on a regular basis.”

“So you are saying that a group of freshly ascended demons like us could find no better?” I asked.

Isabella chuckled. “Hardly, at least not around here. And it happens so that Ebandon's warband is stationed right in this settlement. We could go tomorrow morning to their barracks.” Then she leaned closer and drew a circle on my chest. “And maybe we could have a little fun tonight.”

I gently pushed her hand away. “Thanks, but I am still winded from last time.”

That drew a few surprised looks from the others, but the awkward situation was thankfully resolved by Jada's return. The succubus drew up to the table with a skip in her step and sat down next to Shax. “All dealt with!” she announced.

Shax looked at her and then down to her waist. “Thought... shackled?”

Jada shared a look with Isabella and both succubi giggled like mad, little children. She slapped his biceps playfully. “Oh, you naive boy. Mom may have hindered one way to please men, but she hasn't closed up all my holes. I sucked that little annoyance up all the way. But I want the first time between the two of us to be special. So no worries, Shaxy-baby. You will get the full experience.”

“Yeah.” I looked down at my now empty plate and decided that a proper retreat at the right time would do me good. “I will call it a night if we go and get ourselves introduced right tomorrow morning.”

I extracted myself from Isabella who stood up to follow me, but I pushed her back down. “Alone.”

“Aw...” She was visibly put out. “I will just wait here then... maybe follow some other guy to his room? You are missing something, I assure you!”

“I will miss my sleep,” I commented and excused myself.

The tavern's guestrooms were upstairs, so I quickly fled the scene before Isabella could follow me and find out which room I had rented.

The upper floor was just a single long corridor, so I had no problems in finding the door with my number. I turned the lock to my room and opened the door. Then I stepped inside, a little surprised at how homey the inn's guestroom felt. It wasn't a large room, but there was a decently-sized bed and a sturdy table with four chairs.

I let go of the door and allowed it to close on its own while I inspected the little bathroom that was to my left. It had a shower and a toilet with a basin. Wonder over wonders. I had never expected to find a thing such as this in the Infernum. There were indeed demons who cared about cleanliness?

In my time in the mortal realm, I had taken quite a liking to luxuries such as this, so I wasted no time and tried the shower, smiling to myself all the way even if the water smelled a little like sulfur. One couldn't have everything.

A knock on the door made me grind my teeth and stop the shower. “Yes!”

I stepped out and took the freely supplied robe. Normally I wouldn't have given a shit about answering in the nude, but I had a feeling who would be out there. “Isabella, I am afraid that-”

Upon opening the door, I swallowed the words in my mouth and raised both eyebrows at the sight of my visitor.

Kitia, equally lightly dressed in one of the tavern's provided robes, stepped into my room with an apologetic smile on her face and closed the door. “Sorry to disappoint, but I have to admit that what I have in mind probably isn’t so different from what you thought would happen.”

She opened her robe and touched my chest while rubbing herself between her legs with the other. A mischievous smile played over her lips. “I thought of giving you a special thanks for helping to save me, and I admit that I have been feeling frisky since my evolution. And who knows what would have happened if you hadn’t lent your aid. As a first time experience, I thought you wouldn’t be half bad.”

“Ahem,” I cleared my throat, not knowing how to reply to that. It wasn’t that I had anything to save, or that Kitia wasn’t a damned sexy demoness, but I truly didn’t understand what had brought this on. Should I point out that I didn’t particularly care about saving her, and that I had just tagged along behind Philomena and Uphir?

No, that would be stupid! Even I understood that much.

Kitia dropped her robe, presenting me those bouncy globes that had already drawn my attention on the day of her evolution. She took my hands and brought them up to support her chest. The mere act of touching them worked like a charm and my tiredness was instantly blown away.

I couldn't help but give her a little squeeze and she giggled as she gave me a modest kiss. Even the rest of her body was glorious as far as I was concerned, with muscles and curves in all the right places.

Then she walked to the table and leaned over it, presenting me her rear while dipping two fingers deep into herself. Her tail curled and she let out a little moan.

What the fuck are you doing!? A needy female is practically prostrating herself in front of you without panties and you are just looking! Are you even a man!?

For once, I couldn't find a reason to disagree with the other, so I opened my own robe and stepped in behind her. I placed my hands on her buttocks and dug my fingers in, finding her behind soft and yet firm. She reacted and placed her legs further apart, lowering her opening to exactly the right height.

All I had to do was to poke forward with my already erect member, dipping the tip inside that soft wetness. She gave a little gasp and locked up while arching her back as I gave a few thrusts, working myself just a little deeper each time.

“Oh, ah!” Kitia looked back at me with lidded eyes and made a few little noises. Her tail straightened and she tightened up around me. She tried to pull away, but I didn't relent and followed her until she was completely backed up against the table and could escape no longer where I continued to tease her until it seemed like she was ready.

Knowing how much better the real thing would feel, I couldn't deny myself any longer. I pushed her tail to the side and gripped her hips tightly, pulling her all the way onto me until her soft bottom slammed against my hips. That engendered a surprised but pleased scream from her and I got to work in earnest as her insides got even slicker.

We did the tango until both of our bodies were glistening with sweat and somewhere along the line Kitia found her rhythm and pushed back at me.

All the while, I did everything I could to hold off the inevitable as I brought Kitia over the edge several times. She was a heavily breathing mess on the table when I found my limit. Her quivering tightness made me lose the fight as I leaned over her, reaching around her belly and her chest. I squeezed that addictive female body against me while fondling her. Pulling her down onto me while my hips came up, I pushed into her as deep as I could before I exploded.

She squirmed and shook, finding her latest release in my arms as she fought against her orgasm with me on top of her.

It took a minute, but eventually, Kitia recovered and pushed me off with a regretful sigh that it was over. “That was awesome. Are you sure that you aren't an incubus? I never knew what I missed. Now I kind of regret spending all those years in ignorance as an imp. What a waste of time!”

“Ah, yes,” I still didn’t know how to go about this newest development, even if I had taken advantage of it.

Kitia stalked over and picked her robe off the ground, dressing with a swift swish of the cloth before turning around and giving me a wink. “We should do this again if it suits us.”

Wait, what? It was already over? Isabella would have gone another mile. I blinked and chided myself for having those thoughts. A single time with a succubus and I was already tarnished for all other women? No, I had to pull myself together and concentrate on what was happening here.

“If it suits us?” I frowned. “So that doesn’t mean that we are…”

“Are what?” Kitia looked confused.

“No, nothing.” I intertwined my fingers. “Look, I am just bad at this and you know my circumstances! I really don’t know how demons do this, but I have watched mortals of the opposite-”

Kitia smacked her forehead and raised a hand to stop me. “Nononono, don’t continue about the mortals. We demons are nothing like that! Well, maybe over on the Infernal Plane of Greed they do things differently. I heard they get attached somewhat fierce, but everywhere else demons are fairly relaxed about a friendly fuck, and the two of us are certainly nothing more than that.” She smirked. “I am just a sucker for the powerful ones.”

I let out a sigh. “Thought so.” Not that I meant any insult to her, she turned out to be great, but I certainly didn’t know Kitia well enough to regard her as mate-material.

She frowned and turned serious. “But since that succubus is after you, I should warn you that there are various contracts that would practically force you into such a relationship. Like breeding contracts or mating contracts. Make sure to never sign one of those. Neveeeerrr!”

I felt my left eye twitch. “Please explain.”

“Oh, both are essentially the same with varying depth to it. You agree to certain conditions to partner up with someone. It’s mostly done between members of strong bloodlines to breed powerful offspring,” she mused. “I think the point is to make sure that in case the partners are on the warpath the encounter won’t end in bloodshed. It essentially protects both parties from each other, so be careful about those.” She gave me a wave and opened the door. “Bye! It was fun.”

Then she was gone, leaving the brooding me with a mess of worried thoughts. “I see…”