Elyssa glanced down at her phone to check the time as her fingers tapped impatiently on the table. He was late, again. It was starting to turn into a habit with him and she wasn't happy about it. She only hoped his excuse this time was better than the last when he claimed to have gotten lost in an area he's been to a million times. Something was going on and if he didn't come clean soon on his own she'd be more than happy to start with the interrogations.

She didn't want to be that way with Dantes, and normally she wasn't. At least she couldn't remember being that impatient and such a stickler for time. She wondered if maybe the demonic side of her was affecting her more than she had realized, or maybe it was that she expected so much more from Dantes now that they were together.

Maybe that was the problem, she thought as she glanced down again at her phone. They were together...weren't they? She had assumed that they were, but now that she thought about it they had never really talked about the extent to which they both saw their relationship. Maybe he really didn't see her as his girlfriend. He did say he loved her though, numerous times in fact. That had to mean they were together, a very serious item in fact, didn't it?

She shook her head again. It had to be the hunger that was causing these doubts. She could feel it growing inside of her, gnawing at her. It wanted to be fed, and compared to that unquenchable thirst she had the patience of a saint. She was doing everything she could to hold it at bay. If she didn't feed soon though she'd be in trouble.

She glanced around the small cafe. It was almost empty except for a handful of occupied tables. It was a handful too many for what might come. Her skin felt like it was burning just as it always did when she was this hungry. Her back ached, another sign that she had waited too long to feed. If he didn't arrive within the next few minutes there was a good chance she'd start to turn and the result wouldn't be pretty.

The bell rang as someone entered, and Elyssa's eyes shot to the door. She breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Dantes standing inside, his hazel eyes scanning the room for her. He didn't have to look long, as she was almost on top of him within a second of him entering. Before he could blink, her arms were around his neck and her lips locked against his. She kissed him with such force and passion that he almost couldn't breath.

"I think that gives a whole new meaning to taking someone's breath away," he finally whispered when she pulled herself away.

"You're late, again," she hissed back, visibly upset. It wasn't the response he was expecting after such a greeting.

"I'm sorry. I got caught up and..."

"Save it. I need to feed, like right now," Elyssa responded before he could finish. The kiss had helped slightly in controlling the hunger, but not enough to quench it and she desperately yearned for more.

"The feeding times are coming more quickly, aren't they?"

"Yes. And you being late isn't helping at all."

"It won't happen again. We have to find a way to get this under control though."

"You're complaining? You know most guys might actually like..."

"I'm not most guys, and if we're talking about most guys they'd be dead after that kind of workout. And that's not even considering your succubus side," he said with a slight chuckle to ease the tension.

"What a way to go though, right?"

Dantes opened his mouth to protest and then stopped after a second thought, "You've got me there."

She grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him in for a second kiss, this time less forceful and more seductive than the first. As she pulled away, she let her tongue linger an extra second upon his lips and then whispered back, "And I'm glad you're not most guys." She reached up, running her hand along the stubble on his jaw. "And now you're making the hunger worse just by being here."

She leaned in again, kissing him for a second before playfully biting his lip as she pulled away.

"You don't want lunch first?"

She shook her head in a playful pout. "You are lunch...unless you want me turning into a succubus right here in front of everybody."

He paused a moment, pretending to debate his choices, "That's a really difficult decision...Let me think. Do I want to feed my stomach or...Hmmm, you're place or mine?"

She hit him lightheartedly on the arm, "I really hate you sometimes, you know that?"

He leaned in slightly wrapping his arms around her, and the minute she closed her eyes expecting his lips to lock upon hers he pulled back, "I know."

She mockingly hit him again just before grabbing him by his belt and dragging him towards the door. "Just for that you owe me an extra hour."

"You are such a tyrant."

"I know," she responded with a wink.

As he watched her pull him through the door, he couldn't help but be filled with mixed emotions. On one hand, he was completely enthralled by her just as he had been centuries before. He felt like a tiny puppy, ready to do anything she asked without question. He also knew it wasn't healthy and he hated it, but he just couldn't help himself. There was something about seeing her unhappy that turned him to mush. It made him want to do anything within his power to make her smile.

There were also the lingering doubts that continued to hang in the back of his mind. Was she like this with him because she loved him, or was it merely the succubus enticing her to act this way. It was kind of ironic that their first time together in centuries left him feeling as if he had taken advantage of her, and now he was beginning to feel taken advantage of himself.

Not that it mattered much at the moment. Whether she felt anything for him or not didn't really matter at all. Without allowing her to feed off of him she'd lose control and either murder someone else or die of starvation. He wasn't about to let her suffer an agonizing death, or have her conscious bear the weight of having killed an innocent person in order to survive.

Until he could find a way to reverse the spell that had turned her into a succubus, he'd allow her to use him to feed. Obviously it wasn't exactly a terrible thing despite his mixed feelings about it. Still, he'd prefer the peace of mind of knowing that it was her and not the succubus part of her that desired him in such a way. The only way to know for sure was to turn Elyssa back to the girl she was, the girl he had been madly in love with from the moment they met centuries ago.

The ride back had been a short one, as Elyssa's house wasn't much more than several blocks away. The hardest part was trying to get Elyssa to pay attention to the road instead of pawing at him while she was driving. She was like a reckless teenager in heat without a care in the world. And unlike him, she wasn't exactly immortal. It worried him if she was like this when he wasn't around to keep an eye on her, or if it was just when her hunger became to strong. He made a mental note to ask her about it later on.

As soon as they pulled into the garage she was on top of him. She didn't even take a second to shut off the car before she was trying to rip off his shirt and undo his pants. He struggled to slow her down and get her into the house, where they banged against walls and bumped into furniture on the way up to her room. By the time they fell through her bedroom door, neither of them was decent.

It was definitely odd having her feed off of him as a succubus, and nothing at all like he remembered her being when they were intimate in the distant past. Sure things got heated and passionate, and sometimes even a bit kinky. He even found himself with scratches at times when it was over, but it was never something he felt in the moment. It was always something that was noticed afterwards, and with surprise that they had held each other that tightly.

It was different now. Every bite and scratch was felt just as they happened. At times it was more painful than passionate, and he wondered if she even knew just how unpleasant the experience became at times. It was definitely getting worse as time went on, and it wasn't at all like the first night he spent with her as a succubus.

After several hours of pain and pleasure she finally rolled off of him. Scratches were still fresh on his chest and still bleeding. He assumed his back looked the same, if not worse. If he had been human, and without the ability to heal, he wondered how much worse it would have been, not to mention the scars that would have been there from previous rolls in the hay.

"That was amazing!" she blurted out, full of energy as she stared up at the ceiling.

"How are you not completely worn out?" he groaned in response.

"Worn out? I thought that was the warm up. What about that extra hour you owe me?"

"You're joking, right?"

She reached over, pulling herself up on top of him again. With a coy smile, she locked eyes with his, "I don't joke about this type of thing."

Before she could start, Dantes' phone began to vibrate on the floor.

"Hold on a sec," he said, pushing her off of him as he rolled over to check the call.

"...You got a cell phone?"

He hesitated for a second before answering her question, "...Yeah, a few weeks ago I think it was...I'll be right back. I need to take this."

Before she could protest, his pants were on and he was out of the room and down the hall. She slinked out of bed and snuck to the doorway, hoping to hear a bit of his conversation. Maybe this was the reason he'd been late several times. It wasn't like him to keep a conversation private from her, and she was still a bit stunned that he had not told her about having a phone. He detested technology and having one was a bit out of character for him.

"So you found something?...It won't take long...Yeah, I can be there within the hour. I'll leave right now...How's the solution to the other problem coming along...I promise we'll find out what's wrong and how to fix it. You have my word...Hey, thanks. I really mean that." As he finished his conversation, Elyssa ducked back into the room and hopped back on the bed.

A few seconds later he entered, grabbing a few articles of clothing that had been strewn onto the floor. "I have to leave. Are you okay for now?"

"I...I think so. Why such a hurry?"

"Possible demon issue. Looks like the angels are slacking a bit on their duties."

"Can I come?"

"No," he responded almost before she could finish.

"But I could..."

"Elyssa, I said no!" he snapped. He hadn't meant to but what he had to do was important, and it was even more important that at least for now Elyssa wasn't aware of what he was up to. He could see that she hadn't taken his response well.

"Listen, I'm not trying to be mean or rude. I don't want you getting hurt and without your powers..."

"I've still got powers. I'm stronger than I was, faster...I just don't have magic."

"And we have no idea how that'd translate in a fight. You're out of control at times, and I don't want you in danger."

"So you're a sexist. I get it. I'm just a weak little girl and I need a big white knight to save me."

"That's not what this is about, Elyssa"

"You're right, it's not. I'm not a weak little girl that needs rescuing. I didn't ask for a white knight! I didn't ask to be saved."

"And neither did I when you used that spell and now look where you are!" Dantes snapped again. They both went silent and still.

"I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry."

"...Yeah. It's fine."

"It's not fine. I'm just...It's not that I don't think you can handle yourself, okay? There's just one difference between you and me. If I make a mistake, I won't die. Immortal remember? You will. You're mortal, and I'm not willing to take that chance of losing you again. I guess you got the short end of the stick because you're stuck with me forever...If you decide to keep me that is."

She was still upset and angry, but his words had lessened the sting just a bit.

"Tell you what, if things get out of hand and I need you I'll give you a call since I have one of these now," he motioned towards the phone, "Fair?"

"I guess," she half pouted in response.

"Okay then. We're good then, right?"

"Yeah. We're good," she responded as he searched for a few other articles of clothing.

"I think...I think the rest might be down the hall or downstairs...I got a bit impatient on the way up here," she smiled coyly, "Oh, and you might want to wipe down a bit before putting on the shirt."

He glanced down, noticing the dried blood from the scratches on his body that had already healed.

"Good idea. I'll grab a towel in the hall."

She nodded as he turned, "Oh..."

"...What?"

"...Your back..." She cringed at the sight of it. Even for her, she had gone a bit overboard. It was almost completely covered in blood, and she could only imagine what scratches she must have inflicted for it to bleed that badly. She looked at the sheets too, and noticed they were also covered in it.

Dantes didn't know what to say. He didn't want her to feel guilty for what she had done, knowing that it wasn't completely her fault. He responded in the only way he could.

"...It's fine."

"You're sure?"

He nodded and forced himself to smile, "Immortal healing, remember?"

"...Okay..." she replied, a bit unsure herself. "You'll remember to call, right?"

He nodded, "Love you." He kissed her again and then disappeared down the hall half dressed and searching for the rest of his clothing.

"And don't forget you still owe me another hour," she called out after him attempting to make light of the situation. There was no reply, and she heard the door shut a split second later. He must not have heard her, she thought to herself.

She sat back on the bed, careful to avoid the blood stained sheets. It looked like someone had been murdered next to her. It worried her that she was becoming that aggressive and violent during the act. It wasn't like her at all.

"An extra hour..." she said under her breath. She had been half joking when she yelled it down to Dantes, but that wasn't quite the whole truth. She could already feel the hunger starting again. It was a soft burning sensation in her belly, gnawing, tempting, calling out to her. It wasn't satisfied. It wanted to be fed, and its desire was growing faster than she could indulge it.