Life After Death

Quinn: his first succubus

{Quinn}

Mikaela was not happy about my departure, but Juliet was insistent.

I was torn between wanting to stay with my family, and wanting to get away from them for a while. I loved my sons, daughter, and wife, but the whole group of them was complicated. Killing faeries with Westley wasn't complicated. Now that at least some of my sons were married and out of the house, I could breathe for a little bit.

Westley was waiting for me at Vercyne, already at the stables with horses. I knew I was several hours late, but he didn't look annoyed.

"Juliet told me what happened," he explained as I strapped my bag to my horse. "Is everyone all right?"

"Better than the first time," I replied. "I will never get used to Galahad changing. Mikaela calls him Mordred now –some human name joke that I don't get–, but I'll agree that he isn't Galahad. He got past the lock last night and tried to make that twelve hours hell, only the twins took turns shaping him into a gerbil. Normally, I'd protest, but he's been threatening to kill everyone again. So I'm a little tired."

Westley laughed as he mounted his horse. "He's what? Twenty?"

"And he will be the death of me," I agreed. "I have no idea what he plans to do on his own. He is as apologetic as he can be, but he's killed Mikaela a couple of times and has done his best to kill the rest of us."

"Makes full moons exciting," he told me.

"I don't need exciting," I responded, and then followed Westley out of the courtyard.

In theory, I could fly us to our location and then we could transport back, but we never did. I imagined that life at Vercyne was not any less complicated than at the Torninc. Occasionally, I wondered if he regretted marrying into the royal line; he never got a chance to himself. The only time we ever did anything together was on these missions of Juliet's. I wasn't quite sure how far we would be riding, but I had set our plans back by several hours. It would probably be very late when we arrived in the town. Juliet told me the name, and I had it on a map, but I hadn't taken the time to remember it.

"How's Vercyne been?" I asked. "I haven't been up there in a while."

"Surprisingly quiet," Westley said. "Guinevere's moved out to the city and Nimue has all but vanished. I only ever see Tristan."

"I don't think Guinevere wants to deal with her mother," I remarked. "Has she brought Lunete by Vercyne yet?"

Westley winced. "No," he admitted. "I keep wishing if those two would just talk, everything would be resolved. But for now, it's stalemate. We all know Guinevere's only married Gawain because Adele would have hated it. But everyone loses in this scenario."

"I guess it was her worst nightmare come true," I mused. "Guinevere all but kidnapped Gawain and came back, two weeks later, married and pregnant? I don't think my son even knew what happened to him."

"I told her," Westley sighed. "I told Adele if she kept pushing that Guinevere would run to the first place that she could."

"It'll work itself out," I reassured him.

Westley closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Sorry to switch the subject, but did Juliet give you more details about what we're doing out here?"

"There's some rumor that a succubus is living in a town west of Donlin," I told him. He nodded. "And that we're to find out how she got here, and if she's harmed anyone."

"That's all I heard too," he said, sighing. "Juliet is not one for giving up information, that's for sure."

"In this case, I don't know that she has more than that," I replied. "She doesn't normally send us for reconnaissance. That should have already been done. But this is a demon we're dealing with, and I don't think she wanted to risk it."