Lemuria

Chapter 8

Long Live the King

Ephiran Academy, 15 Years Ago

*Crack*

The sound of the slap echoed across the courtyard. Marlow staggered back from the force of the blow, losing his footing and falling to the muddy ground. Hate-filled eyes glared above his red, burning cheek, turning their fury upon the furious princess looming above him.

"You pathetic excuse for a man! I know it was you spreading those rumors. And for what?" Cleome, filled with an unfamiliar wrath, didn't care that her audience consisted of the scions of the most wealthy and powerful families in Lemuria. Marlow wants spectacle? He'll have it.

"What kind of simpering worm insinuates that a woman was...promiscuous...like that?" She struggled to find the right words. Cleome had been horrified to find word travelling around the campus that she had been...loose with the common folk. The princess had never given a man a second glance before, let alone allowed herself to be sullied by one.

"Were you that embarrassed when I spurned your clumsy advances? I know your family's house is all but in ruins, but attempting to woo me to solve your financial problems?" She sneered at her distant cousin. "You are an embarrassment both to your name and to the bloodline that I regrettably share with you."

And, with that, the fury vanished from her countenance, replaced with the aloof dignity of royalty as she turned and strode away, leaving the humiliated Marlow both figuratively and literally in the dirt at her feet.

Red with embarrassment, the young sorcerer rose, all too aware of the muttering, insults, and mockery radiating out from the assembled crowd, all directed at him. That uppity bitch. She'll pay, one way or another. I don't care how long it takes. Some day, she'll be the one prostrated at my feet. And she will beg for my forgiveness.

Ephiran Palace, Present Day

"Go to hell." Princess Cleome stood atop the ramparts of the palace's curtain wall, glaring down at the man who had brought her people so much misery.

Marlow frowned. He had hoped that the sight of Ephira's current state, along with the presence of his forces arrayed outside her walls, would have taken the bitch down a peg. "Well, that's no way to negotiate your surrender. Maybe your lovely mother would be better-suited for--"

"The queen has given me full authority to deal with you as I see fit. I see no need to taint her senses with your presence. You want to negotiate? Here are MY terms. Free all of my people from those...abominations. Cede control of all the land you have taken. Then, turn yourself in for trial and execution."

The sorcerer gestured at his forces mirthfully. "Seriously? Even the old windbag you abandoned to keep me busy in the city proper did a better job of negotiating than that. At least she had SOME leverage." Cleome's jaw clenched. She had begged Oriana to let her and the royal guard aid in the city's defense, but to no avail. Word had reached her of the atrocity at the monolith. One more crime Marlow had to answer for.

"You can posture all you like. We both know that your beasts cannot penetrate our barrier. I simply need to wait."

Marlow had to admit the princess had a point there. The first drones he had sent marching toward the wall struck an invisible, magical dome and were reduced to dust, host and all. And, loath as he was to admit it, he really was running out of time. The imps he'd assigned as scouts had brought dire news.

Much of the Ephiran army had arrived and was beginning to organize a counterattack. While he had ordered some drones to plant seeds to slow the advance, the Ephiran mages had become quite adept at detecting and removing his traps. Marlow had a day at most. Thankfully, his trump cards had arrived just a few hours ago.

"I suppose you will just have to let us in, then." He snapped his fingers, causing several of his drones to part, creating a path through the perimeter. Cleome's eyes widened as a score of twisted, bestial creatures, Marlow's hounds, loped into sight. At the back of the pack was a large, scarred male, clearly the leader. He proceeded more slowly than his kin, pulling on a leather cord with one hand.

The sight of the miserable creature at the other end of the leash caused the princess's heart to drop as a strangled, primal cry erupted unbidden from her lips.

Kaya's bound form meekly waddled over to take up position beside Vraka. Tears streamed from her downcast eyes, which she refused to raise to meet those of her beloved princess.

Marlow was slightly taken aback. He'd assumed the princess's composure would have lasted until the main course. But here she was bawling over the appetizer. Well, may as well make the most of it. "I caught your little pussycat trying to flee the country. Guess she knew a lost cause when she saw one." Kaya's cheeks burned at the falsehood, but a low, rumbling growl from Vraka reminded her of the consequences should she make a scene.

"Don't worry, though. My hounds have helped train any disobedience right out of their sweet Clittycat. Just watch." He turned to Kaya and, conjuring a thick, rubber phallus in his hand, issued a sharp command before throwing the lewd object. "Fetch!"

To Cleome's horror, the bound Scout General waddled after the hefty dildo, worked it into her wide-open mouth, and brought it back to the grinning sorcerer.

He patted the wretched thing's head affectionately before planting the toy firmly in the ground, its bulbous head sticking straight up like a depraved pillar. "Sit!"

Kaya obediently positioned herself over the toy before rearing back on to her back legs in a crude squat, plunging its length into her cunt. But her humiliation was not yet complete. "Fuck!"

Cleome could only look on in stunned shock as her former bedmate followed the order, vigorously bouncing up and down on the rubbery cock, grunting and howling, until reaching a screeching climax. The exhausted cat slumped forward, the toy slipping from her slick hole with a wet pop.

Marlow still wasn't satisfied, though. After all, a royal audience demands an impressive showing. He issued a final command. "Present!"

The once-proud Scout General meekly crawled in front of Vraka, splaying her bound front limbs to present her holes to her bestial master. Cleome felt sick to her stomach as Kaya waved her ass back and forth enticingly, begging Vraka to mount her. The princess let out another shriek as the monster obliged, mashing the poor feline beastkin's tits into the dirt as he pounded her hole with vigor.

"Please, just stop! I'll do--"

"Anything?" The sorcerer added with a smile. "Hold on to that thought for a moment, princess. I have another guest for you to see first."

As he spoke, a forlorn Verity stepped into view, looking healthy in body if not spirit. Healthy, that was, save for the dollops of cum dripping from her worn, loose snatch with each step. The likely source of her condition followed a few paces behind: a cloaked and hooded figure, fully obscured save for the massive erection jutting proudly out from the folds of its cloak.

Trying desperately to regain her composure, and even more so to ignore the unearthly howls now emerging from Kaya's ring-gagged mouth, Cleome spoke with a calmness she certainly did not feel. "Do you think I care what happens to your demon pet?"

Marlow's response was simply to reach over and pull down the hood covering the well-endowed figure's head. Cleome stared, transfixed by the sight of her sister's unfamiliar new form. Anise looked up at her beloved Cleome with tear-stained eyes, meeting her gaze. "Clee, I'm so sorry. The creatures. They did something to me. I--"

Marlow cut her off with a gesture, leaving the warped princess miserably silent, pleadingly staring up at her sister. Cleome will think of something. She always does. She has always protected me before, and she'll do it again, somehow. I know it. Marlow held up a contract with a flourish.

"You will drop the barrier, let us in, and sign this contract. You will be stripped of your title, but will retain a position in the royal court. Your mother can keep the throne, but I will be declared king. If you refuse, your sister and your kitty both die. Right here, in front of you." With a flourish, Marlow extracted a metal pin from his coat and transmogrified it into a vicious-looking axe. "Well?"

Cleome didn't realize how tightly she had been gripping the parapet until she felt the warmth of her own blood seeping out under her fingers. Her mind raced. Did Kaya really abandon me? Was I just a means to an end to her? Regardless, the whimpering creature before her, cumming helplessly as Vraka emptied yet another load of his seed into her freshly-knotted hole, didn't deserve such a wretched fate.

And Anise? Cleome's beloved sister wept helplessly, eyes mad with fear and...something else. But regardless of what had been done to the second princess, she was still Anny. Still my family. My sister. How can I abandon them?

But then her thoughts turned to Ephira, and to Lemuria as a whole. Marlow had to be stopped. No matter the cost. No matter how horrible the choice. The true burden of leadership.

Cleome took in a deep breath, then let it out slowly. The longest breath she had ever taken. I'm so sorry. "Once again, go to hell. No sick ultimatum will make me betray Ephira. This is bigger than me, or my family, or my feelings. You will die tomorrow."

Mustering all of the fortitude she had remaining, Cleome turned and took her leave, trying desperately to ignore the anguished wail that violently wrenched its way out of her beloved sister's mouth. Thank the Goddess mother isn't here right now. Her composure lasted until she reached the bottom of the stairs. Her guards rushed to her side as she collapsed, weeping, to the ground.

"That fucking cunt!" Marlow was apoplectic with rage. All of his plans were about to fall apart thanks to that heartless bitch. The whore was supposed to be begging him to show her mutant sister and slutty cat mercy, not spouting that "greater good" nonsense and waltzing away.

All he had left was the nihilistic satisfaction of beheading Anise. He turned to face the princess, now frozen in terror as much as by his earlier command. The look in her eyes gave him pause. Fear, yes, and the ever-present lust that seemed now to be a permanent aspect of her being. But also anger. Hurt. Betrayal. Not directed at him.

"My lord, might I have a quick word?" Verity adopted a placating tone. "There might be a better use for dear Anise. One that gets you exactly what you want." Marlow looked at the demoness warily as she continued. "Anise knows everything about this palace. Including how to break in past the barrier, undetected. I know you tire of her presence, and would love to see her head roll, but you are FAR better off sparing her."

Marlow's eyes narrowed as he tried to divine the demon's motive. "What is your angle? It isn't like you to volunteer such useful advice. You know you can't worm your way back into my good graces. Not after helping the Ephirans and nearly ruining my--"

"Oh, for fuck's sake! You know I can't lie to you! You made sure of that. I want your plan to succeed so that I don't die! I want the Exile's corruption to sweep across the land! And I want HER. You gave me to her, and she had her way with me in every manner you can imagine. Now I want our positions reversed. NONE of that can happen if she is dead."

Silence fell across the assembled group, broken only by the sound of Kaya groaning as another member of the hunter pack began to have his way with her.

Anise glared at Verity with renewed venom. Before Marlow had the pair dragged from Melusine to Ephira, she had almost managed to forgive the treacherous demoness. Sure, Anise still kept her bound, gagged, and well-fucked, but there had been a change. A connection. Affection, even.

And now it was all too clear that it had been yet another lie. All the succubus wanted was a chance to turn the tables on her. Again. First Cleome, now Verity. Anise had suffered all the betrayal she could stand for a lifetime.

"Well, princess, is Verity right? Can you get me inside the palace unseen?" Teeth gritted, a fuming Anise nodded. Anger subsiding, Marlow broke out in a grin. "Let me fetch my hounds. Then, you will lead me to my victory."

He thought for a moment, then laughed. "And you know what? I'm feeling generous. After Cleome surrenders to me, maybe I WILL order you to turn yourself over to Verity. Why not? I'll be king. Neither of you will be of any consequence to me any more."

A fresh dread crept through Anise as the sorcerer strode away. What would the demoness do to her once their roles were reversed?

Verity followed dutifully behind her master, but briefly turned back toward the distraught royal and gave her a meaningful look. Not one of smug victory or anticipatory lust. Rather, the same expression she had worn in their chambers in Melusine. Begging for Anise's trust. The broken princess sighed. Sure, why not? It isn't like I can get any more "betrayed" than I already am.

Ephiran Palace, Throne Room

Queen Isabelle was inconsolable. The news that Anise had survived the slaughter at Melusine, only to be cut down so cruelly had proven too much for even her famously regal, refined demeanour.

Princess Cleome had sent the remaining guards to the walls. Marlow might be planning some desperate assault as his time ran short. Once alone with her mother, she had fallen to her knees and begged for forgiveness. To her shock, Isabelle immediately swept Cleome into a tearful embrace, holding her surviving daughter close. An hour passed before either regained enough composure to speak.

"I should never have put you in that position. I told myself that foisting all these responsibilities on you was preparing you to take the throne yourself, but that was a lie." The queen wiped the freshest tears from her daughter's face. "I was a coward. I didn't want to make the difficult, NECESSARY choices. I couldn't. So I left them to you.

Her expression turned to one of motherly pride, albeit still tinged with grief. "But you were so strong, Cleome. You put your nation, your people, above your own happiness. Above mine. Above the safety of those you love. You did your duty in an impossible situation, and were she in your shoes I'm sure your sister would have done the same."

"Is that so?" The queen and princess turned in shock as the naked Anise strolled into the throne room. "So noble, so selfless. My sister, the brave princess, stabbing me in the back!" Her eyes burned with a manic rage. "And you, mother, calling her actions heroism! I guess we all know have proof of who the favourite is now, don't we?"

From the shadows behind her, the dark shapes of Marlow's hounds and drones faded into view. Their master and his succubus pet followed shortly after.

Terror gripped Cleome. Her guards were nowhere to be seen, and she was unarmed. "Last chance, princess." Marlow held up the contract once again, waving it mockingly.

"Kill us, then." Cleome was shocked by the calm, unyielding declaration from her mother. "Nothing has changed. We are prepared to fulfil our royal duties in service of our nation, even if it means our death." Isabelle looked pleadingly at Anise as she spoke, hoping that her youngest would understand. But there was a madness in Anise's eyes now, a primal fury overruling her once-sweet nature.

Marlow nodded sagely at the queen. "So noble. I clearly took the wrong approach when negotiating with your daughter before. So let's try again. Either you sign this, or I order my drones to slaughter every man, woman, and child in the city. Your army might be able to hunt me down, but there will be no Ephira left by the time they do so."

Anise chimed in, her tone still one of cold fury. "Go on, mother. You and Clee were ever so willing to sacrifice my life to save our people. And Marlow is asking for much less than that from you."

Cleome closed her eyes in defeat. "My mother keeps the throne, and I renounce my title, right?"

Marlow's eyes glinted as a broad smile spread across his face. "And I become king."

The princess was barely able to meet his gaze. "The people of Lemuria will be left completely unharmed?"

"As long as they accept my rule, they will be allowed to go about their lives."

Eyes downcast, Cleome signed the instrument of surrender. Isabelle followed suit, reddened eyes still locked on those of her twisted younger daughter, desperately seeking Anise's forgiveness. The paper glowed, alit with a sickly green fire, and fell to ash. The words of the agreement remained in the air for a moment longer, then drifted away. The agreement was sealed.

Matlow reared back and laughed, an ugly, manic sound. He had done it! King Marlow! The first of his name.

"Cleome." The absence of her former title burned the ex-princess's ears. "Go and tell MY palace guards to drop the barrier and open the gates. And then send orders to MY army that they are to stand down, surrender their arms, and turn themselves over to my drones. And don't worry about their safety. So long as they comply, they won't be converted. They are my subjects, after all."

Face burning with shame, the former princess took her leave with one last regretful glance at her family. She hated leaving them behind with that monster, but at least her mother would be protected by the terms of the deal.

"I'm not quite done with Cleome yet, but I thought it best to save her for last." Marlow gave Queen Isabelle a predatory wink and approached her. "You, on the other hand? Your time is done."

The queen backed away from the freshly-minted king, stumbling and falling back on the throne. "The throne of Ephira dates back to the age of the Goddess, does it not?" No one bothered to answer Marlow's rhetorical query. "Well, as promised, it is still all yours." With that, he reached out and uttered a guttural incantation.

Anise watched in fascinated horror as her struggling mother sank into the surface of the ornate wooden structure. She found herself filled with a confusing mix of emotions as Queen Isabelle thrashed about in panic, desperately trying to claw her way free of her hungry seat. Regret, horror, and concern, yes, but also a certain satisfaction. And a warm, tingling lust as her mother fully submerged, leaving no evidence of her presence behind.

A pleasurable sensation caused her to glance down, revealing Verity's blue hand gently stroking her cock. "Just wait. It'll be okay." The demoness's soothing voice was like sensual silk in her ears. "Now watch."

The throne's seat twisted and churned as the queen reemerged from the ancient object's depths. Or, rather, as her head emerged, facing toward the backrest, blonde hair spilling over the front of the throne. Isabelle's panicked eyes darted back and forth as she issued an unintelligible cry. Part of the seat had extended upward along with her head, covering her lower face in a stiff, wooden mask that prevented any movement. A circular opening over Isabelle's mouth forced it into a painful, permanent, and very inviting "O"-shape.

"Mother!" Anise gasped in shock, struggling as Verity held her back, still gently pleasuring the confused royal's tool.

"She already gave you up for dead. Twice." The succubus's ministrations picked up their pace. "She even approved of Cleome casting you aside, in the end. Don't you want her to pay for her betrayal?" Anise grimaced. You're one to talk.

Marlow slowly, almost reverently, approached the throne. Gingerly, he lowered himself into place, grinning down at the terrified queen now staring up at him from between his thighs. "Oh, did you think I was going to keep you as a figurehead? You should really read things more closely before you sign them. ESPECIALLY when under duress."

Report

He unbuckled his trousers, allowing his cock to spring free, now resting half-erect on Isabelle's cheek. "Your throne is still your own, forever." And, with that, he reached down and slipped his member into the queen's gaping mouth.

Anise, still entangled in Verity's sensual embrace, watched the spectacle with a mixture of revulsion, grim satisfaction, and shameful arousal. She turned her head slightly toward Verity. "You're right. She locked me away my whole life. She let Cleome abandon me. She betrayed me like Cleome did. Like you did. Let her p-AYYYY!"

The succubus grinned as the pheromone-addled princess's seed spattered messily across the throne room's floor. Marlow was distracted. Time for gamble number...whatever.

She leaned in to whisper intimately in Anise's ear. "I never betrayed you. Marlow wanted you dead, but I knew you were special. I knew his creatures would turn you into the wonderful, beautiful being you are now. I saved you. Because I love you."

A flood of emotions rushed through Anise as she stared, dumbstruck, into the demon's eyes. Burning hatred, furious lust, tantalizing shame, and sensual wrath. Above all, passion. She lunged forward, planting her tongue desperately in Verity's mouth. The succubus guided the princess's cock, already erect once more, into her sopping cunt as the two fell to the floor in a tangle of limbs. That's a good girl. Become everything you were meant to be.

Ephira Outskirts

Commander Pritchard looked on at the missive in shock. The letter was authentic, to be sure. It had the correct royal Ephiran seals, both magical and non-magical. It had arrived as any other royal orders, in the form of an ethereal blue dove, a costly enchantment to safely secure the most important of messages.

"Sir, what are your orders?" Hands shaking, the commander turned to the soldier who had broken the silence. He struggled to find the right words, but his expression said it all. The war was over. Lemuria had fallen.

Ephiran Palace, Throne Room

Cleome had thought that passing by Kaya's cum-slathered form, sprawled out barely-conscious among several of Marlow's dozing hounds, would have been the worst part of this already catastrophic evening. But reaching the royal messenger and ordering her nation's last hope to throw down its arms had been crushingly awful in its own way.

The return journey, requiring her to once again pass her former lover, had simply added salt to the wounds. But even those indignities were nothing compared to the sights waiting upon her return to the throne room.

Cleome struggled to take it all in. Her sister and the demonic whore fucking like animals in the corner. Her mother's wretched fate. Marlow, grinning like the beast he was as he pistoned his tool in and out of Isabelle's helpless mouth. The horrible retching sounds coming from her beloved mother's throat as it was violated. The sights, sounds, and smells struck the former princess all at once. Something broke in her. Screaming incoherently, she charged at the man who had so thoroughly brought her life to ruin. Fuck contracts, fuck the crown, and fuck him!

Unfortunately for Cleome, the blinding shock and rage prevented her from noticing the small bundle of thin wires Marlow had placed at the foot of the throne until it sprung to life at her approach, ensnaring her body.

Like hungry serpents, the thin wires burrowed under her clothes, twisting up and down her limbs and body, forming a grid-like lattice that covered her from her head to the tips of each finger and toe. Cleome grunted with exertion as she tried to move, but every inch of her body had been ensnared. Even wriggling a toe was proving to be an impossible task.

"You--Aargh!" Her words abruptly turned to a pained screech at the feeling of thousands of tiny pinpricks radiating across her body, the result of countless needlelike protrusions jabbing into what felt like each and every one of her muscles. To her shock, she could no longer even struggle against the bonds. Her body was no longer her own.

"I had considered throwing you to my drones to see if you ended up like...her." Marlow gestured toward Anise, who was currently laying on the floor, tongue lolling out. She stared at the ceiling, struck dumb with pleasure, while Verity enthusiastically rode her cock.

"But somehow I doubt you have enough of the Goddess's essence in your veins to avoid simply becoming a drone. And that wouldn't let me see the look in your eyes when you break. So, I--just one moment."

Marlow shifted his focus back to the ornamental queen between his legs as he came, pressing her nose against the base of his cock until he finished blowing his load into her royal mouth. Smiling contentedly, he stood with a wet sound as his member slipped out of the silently weeping queen's mouth. Her eyes blinked in panic as the wooden cage around her head formed a plug to keep any mess from leaking out. Re-fastening his pants, he circled the paralyzed princess appraisingly.

"No, corrupting and reshaping you would be so...unsatisfying. So I developed this little tool instead. My "body cage" stops your mind from sending signals to your body. But don't worry, it can send those signals itself, instead. Isn't that wonderful? It gives me complete control of you without sealing away that defiant little mind of yours."

He smiled hungrily. "Disrobe."

Cleome's eyes darted back and forth in fear, the only outward sign of her distress as, to her horror, she heard her own voice brightly chirp a reply. "Of course, master!" Her hands, no longer hers to command, smoothly began unfastening her armour.

Before long, she stood stiffly at attention, clad only in the near-invisible wires of her newfound prison. Cleome struggled to no avail against the dopey smile plastered on her unwilling face as her body proudly displayed her pert tits and neatly trimmed bush to her most hated foe.

"You'll spend the rest of your life regretting what you did to me, whore. But first, I have my end of our deal to hold up." He snapped his fingers, summoning a pair of imps. The small demons struggled as they approached, holding a wooden chest just above their heads. Reaching their sovereign, they dropped the object with a loud thud.

"Open the chest and put on everything inside. My associates will help get everything cinched up properly."

"Right away, master!" He grinned at her cheery tone, so divorced from the former princess's usual serious countenance. A gentle throat-clearing sound diverted his attention. He turned to see a cum-soaked Verity, standing over an exhausted, but clearly satisfied, Anise. Right, those two.

"What?"

"So sorry to interrupt your moment of triumph, your highness, but I just wanted to quickly remind you that you promised--"

This? Right now? He had more important things to deal with. Like his complete and total triumph.

"Fine. Anise is all yours. She has to follow your commands now. Do whatever you want with her." Not sure why you need control, anyways. Anise looks like she is already eating out of your fucking hand. He waved the demoness off. She was starting to irritate him again. It might be time to revisit his original plan and dispose of them both.

"All ready, master!" The bright announcement drew his eyes firmly away from the Verity and her royal stud of a princess. Marlow's face broke out into a wide, lecherous smile as he turned to face the enslaved Cleome.

Frustrated tears of humiliation welled up above Cleome's moronically grinning mouth as her unwilling body struck a pose to flaunt its new wardrobe. The ex-princess now wore a lewd facsimile of a jester's garments.

Marlow's eyes wandered up from her bell-adorned boots as she stood unsteadily, not helped by the en-pointe posture her feet were forced into by the 7-inch heels. Her legs remained uncovered, aside from the mesh-like carapace that ensnared her entire form, while her torso was crushed by a tight corset. Its integrated half cups pushed her bare breasts up and out invitingly.

A short skirt, also adorned with bells, did almost nothing to cover her otherwise exposed pussy and ass. Shoulder-length, fingerless gloves adorned the princess's arms while a garish crown, once again adorned with bells, completed the ridiculous ensemble. The garments all shared a vivid yellow and green diamond pattern, its gaiety a stark contrast to the horror flooding Ceome's mind.

"I did promise you a role in my court." Marlow circled his prey, experimentally groping at her unresisting form as he did. After a few minutes of idle foreplay, he snacked a palm against his head in mock exasperation.

"Oh, but I have forgotten the final touches! What will visiting dignitaries say if you greet them with an offer of a suck or fuck without wearing your complete uniform?" Cleome's cheeks flushed at the thought of her fate-to-be.

Marlow mockingly reassured her as he dug through his pockets. "Don't worry, I promise you'll keep your position as my royal fuck-jester for a long, long time. After all, I have so many games in mind for you. Ah, there we are." He pulled out three more bells, each attached to a silver ring. "Now, where do you think I should put them?"

To Cleome's despair, her own traitorous voice rang out. "Please, master, put them on my big, stupid tits! And one on my slutty clit, too!" Marlow pretended to consider the words he had willed out of his puppet. "Well, if you insist. But only if you beg me to fuck your stuck-up cunt once I'm done."

As the enslaved jester spouted unwilling thanks for his generosity, Marlow uttered a quick incantation. The ringed bells flew from his hands, quickly opening, piercing her nipples and clitoris, and then seamlessly returning to their original, sealed state. Aside from a slight yelp, Cleome carried on begging for Marlow's cock uninterrupted throughout the painful process.

And with that, it was finally time. Abandoning all pretence, Marlow shoved his new slave to the ground, causing the chimes of her bells to ring out across the throne room. Then, without further ceremony, he dropped his pants, dove on her unresisting form, and thrust his erect member into her awaiting pussy.

"Oh, master, fuck me blue!" Cleome heard her voice yell excitedly as she tried, with no avail, to resist. Marlow laughed as he thrust forcefully in and out, pawing roughly at her exposed titflesh. "I bet you regret slapping me now, don't you? You deserve all of this for what you put me through, you uppity, condescending--"

Marlow's rants turned into a scream of anguish as Anise tackled him, her parasite-given strength allowing her to easily pull the sorcerer off her sister and hurl him to the ground. Pure fury covered the nude princess's face as she raised an arm to deliver a crushing, fatal blow.

"Stop!" Her body shuddered slightly and ground to a halt as Marlow's command took hold. "What the fuck was that!? How? Why?" Anise struggled slightly before the answer spilled unbidden from her mouth. "You gave me to Verity. I have to obey her. And she told me to distract you."

The split second that it took for Anise's words to sink in was still too long for Marlow to react. Abruptly, he felt a searing pain in his chest. Looking down, he saw a bloody, taloned hand punched through his torso. In its grasp, beating its last, was a heart. My heart. Marlow slumped to his knees as the life rapidly drained from his body.

Verity's voice came as a warm, venomous whisper in his ear. "Something you should know about us succubi, bitch. We get more than mere sustenance when we feed. We consume your very essence. And between you using me as your fuckpig and Anise ravishing me day and night, I have more essence from both the Exile and the Goddess than any other being in history. Including your dead ass."

She gingerly withdrew her hand, still clutching Marlow's lifeless heart, and watched as his body tumbled uselessly to the ground. "Which gave me just enough strength to push past your orders for one beautiful moment." She winked conspiratorially at the stunned sisters. "Thanks for distracting him, loves. Even with all the power I've obtained, I don't think I could have resisted a direct command. But you two kept his mind right off me."

"Now, want to see one more trick?" She took Anise's stunned silence and the vapid grin still stuck on the prone, helpless Cleome's face as a 'yes.' With gusto, the demoness threw back her head, unhinged her jaw, and swallowed her gruesome prize whole. The sisters watched in stunned silence as the succubus's throat briefly bulged to accommodate the organ working its way down her gullet.

Smiling lasciviously, Verity licked her fingers clean. "It is oh so messy, but should a greater demon such as myself need to truly, completely absorb a soul, eating the heart will do just that. It just usually isn't worth the hassle. Not enough meat on the proverbial bones. In this case, though..."

Verity turned to Cleome, still sprawled on the floor, and issued a command. "Finger-fuck yourself while apologizing to poor, sweet Anise for being such a horrible sister."

Immediately, Cleome's bindings transmitted the command, forcing the hapless jester to sit up and plunge her fingers into her still-sore cunt. Her voice followed suit, swiftly obeying the orders from her new mistress.

"I-I'm s-so sorry, Anny. I s-stabbed you in the b-back. I d-deserve all this a-and so much m-more." Her words were stilted, although whether from an attempt to resist her bindings or from the building pleasure as her hand plundered her own depths, Verity couldn't tell.

Beaming, the demon turned to the younger sister, who was still frozen by Marlow's final set of commands. Well, not completely frozen. Verity smirked as she took in Anise's now-rock-hard dick. "Don't speak. I'm going to release you in a moment, but first I want to have a little chat. So just listen for a moment, okay?"

She paused briefly as Cleome let out a particularly vibrant moan. "I have all of Marlow's powers now. All of his creations are mine to do with as I please." Panic shot across the princess's frozen face. "Oh, don't be like that. I'm no Marlow, ruining the world over a petulant grudge. But, I have to admit, he certainly set up an...enticing state of affairs." Verity leaned in close, silky-smooth fingers wrapping around the princess's now-familiar tool.

"Even if I wanted to, I can't undo most of what he has done. For example, his drones and their hosts are completely bonded. Even you, due to the unique nature of your...conversion, are something I don't think I could ever reshape back to your original form. After all, Marlow sure couldn't. However, I owe you. After all, I did force this state of being upon you. So, if you want, I will take all of my drones, hounds, and demons, and leave."

The demon nodded her head toward the still-apologizing Cleome, her back arched as she brought herself to a screaming orgasm. "Or," she continued, still gently toying with Anise's dick, "we could leave things as they stand. You're still the Ephiran princess, while your jester and Queen throne over there have both abandoned their titles. You know, just like they abandoned you. Think of it: you could be Queen Anise, scion of both the Goddess and the Exile. Free to partake in ANY carnal delights that tickle your fancy."

The demon blushed slightly. "I could stay as well, too. If you want me to." Anise shuddered silently as her seed spilled out over the succubus's delicate hand.

Verity stepped away, licking the silvery bounty of her labours off her fingers. Then, she turned and fumbled through the deceased Marlow's pockets until she located parchment and a quill. Anise, perplexed, looked on in still-enforced silence as the succubus quickly wrote out a contract.

"Marlow loved his double-dealing, but I would rather be open and honest with you." The demoness held the document up for her companion to see.

I permanently relinquish all control granted to me by the Exile's power over the corruption in one Princess Anise.

"See? No conditions, no stipulations. I never betrayed you, and I hope this will prove it."

And with that, Verity pricked her finger and signed in blood.

Anise immediately stumbled slightly as her cramped legs returned to her own full control. The demon looked at her with caution. "Well? What will it be? What do YOU want?"

Anise looked at her pathetic, moaning sister, then to her helpless, silenced mother. They had betrayed her, yes. They had been willing to sacrifice her for the greater good. So fucking noble.

Then, she turned to the demon. The creature who had, willingly or not, helped bring her kingdom to ruin. Who had (literally) spawned unspeakable horrors and made her into...this. Twisted and corrupted. And strong. And beautiful.

"How long have you been using your pheromones on me? You succubi can muddle the mind and fill it with lust. When did you start dosing me? And did you ever stop?"

Verity, concern etched on her flawless face, held the princess's gaze. Moment of truth. "I started right after your transformation. I wanted you distracted and horny so you'd rather fuck me than kill me. I figured you wouldn't notice it on top of all the other changes. And I didn't stop using them. I'm still doing it right now. Because you want me to. I can tell, you know. All of this depravity? It's everything you ever desired. And my pheromones? They just gave you an excuse to do what you've ALWAYS wanted to do. In fact, they make it more fucking fun for you. So I'll ask again. What do YOU want? Because, right now, at this moment, it can be pretty much anything you'd like."

Visions of carnal delights danced in Anise's head. The demon was right. Was it due to the Exile's corruption or simply her own depraved desires? She didn't know. But as much as she wanted to wallow in the pleasures of the flesh, she was royalty. She had duties. Her people needed her to protect them. She couldn't just cast that aside to--

"Want to sit on the queen's face and play with my tits while your joke of a sister blows you?" Verity grinned mischievously as her offer derailed Anise's train of thought, causing it to crash right through her last vestiges or morality.

After a moment, Anise returned the smirk. Fuck responsibilities. Fuck my family. Fuck this whole country. "Well, obviously."

End of Chapter 8