Way to go, Crackhead Me, Damien thought as he took a swig of water the next day and recalled what he'd said.

Now I'm gonna have to go talk to them and explain so they don't start thinking something stupid.

He somehow knew Vera was already coming up with all kinds of misunderstandings. Well, not misunderstandings per se...but taking things far too seriously. Vera loves him, and her sense of self-esteem when it came to him was abysmal so it's understandable if she overanalyzed every little negative thing he said just in general. 

Though, he did admit his words were pretty dickish. But in any case, you can't put much stock in the words of a dude who's high as balls anyway. 

Still, it's odd. He is a major dick sometimes, but not like that. He was stoned out of his fucking mind, sure but he could handle his drugs. So why'd he get so pissy? That, dear Watson, was pretty goddamn obvious. And it's because he'd been feeling that way ever since he started fucking around.

To his knowledge, Sex Demons as depicted in a whole bunch of novels he'd read thrived off of the emotional aspect of humanity. Fed off their energy. 

And humans are pretty dang mean, can't deny. Easily jealous, petty, prone to anger. Damien, he's like Buddha. He's chill, yo. Most of the time. Unless you put olives or pickles in his potato salad. Then he gets real nasty. 

Seriously, those things just don't go together. The textures, the tastes....ugh. Ruins the whole thing. 

But back to the point, it just ain't in him to say something so asshole-y to his favorite trees without due cause. Like if they didn't immediately run away from an oncoming fire when he told them to, for example. 

So he can only surmise he delved a bit too deep into the orgy. Can't be helped. He was feeling a whole plethora of wild, orgasmic energies coming from the sex party he'd cooked up. It was entirely impure, laden with dark, violent desires. That's what made it so damn euphoric! 

Sadly, he's pretty sure its starting to mess with his head a bit. 

Note to self, tape my mouth shut next time. 

Thinking so, he finished his glass and extracted himself from Lani and Linia, then carefully tip-toed over the naked bodies of over a dozen young women scattered across the floor.  His memories were blurry as hell for the most part, he only recalled feeling their presence outside the room.

The women, virgins all, had been attracted to him from far away and came to serve. He had fun deflowering them. 

Chuckling at the memory, he made his way down the hall where even more naked women were scattered. Only these ones weren't alone. Men accompanied then. He was feeling peckish, so took off in the direction of the kitchen. 

Making himself a BLT, Damien munched out until he passed by the ballroom and noticed something slick under his feet coming from the open doorway. 

It was dark, sticky, like a spilled wine. He nearly ignored it, but copper finally hit his nose. Looking in, his entire face froze.

"What the fuck?" He muttered. 

Across the entire room was an array of severed cocks.

That wasn't what confused him, however. 

Rather, it's because he was damn sure this was a different ballroom than what he'd seen the other night.

What the cinnamon toast fuck is going on? 

***

"What do mean, it's been a full week?" Damien met up with Vera at the Inn they had set up camp previously only to be met with shocking news. "It was only supposed to last a few days!"

Vera rubbed her eyes drowsily, looking simply adorable. "That's what you're focused on?" She yawned. "Not the fact you publicly executed a third of the local Nobility and led the entire city to rob, then burn, their estates?" She frowned. "Or that the 'small, tasteful orgy' you were going on about turned into a full blow hundred-mile fuck fest?"

Damien paused. "Wow," He said, stunned. "I did that?" His tone was colored with hints of both surprise and pride. "A hundred miles." He whistled, clearly impressed with himself.

Vera threw a candle at him. "I haven't been able to sleep well in forever thanks to you."

"I mean it's a hundred-mile orgy, Vee." He emphasized. "Like, damn. That's amazing, right?"

"Amazing?" She stared at him as if he'd just said the dumbest thing she'd ever heard.

He felt his face drop. He wished Bea was awake. She'd understand.  He glanced up at Vee. "Did anyone bother you?"

She massaged her temples. "Most were too preoccupied with having sex. I holed up in my room and survived off cheese." 

A thought occurred to him. He cursed. "What about the other children in the city?" 

Vera knit her brows. "The entire area was under the effect of your power, so..."

The color drained from his face.

"...you just started hunting every pedophile you saw. Basically, everyone in the city was under your control by that point. All the drugs plus your weird Sex Demon powers made quite a combination. So you rallied a third of the orgy-goers to hunt them down, cut their cocks up and stuff it into their mouths before rounding them up and executing them, too." She shivered. The screams still haunted her. 

Damien grunted. "But that still means..." He shook his head. "No, well, sick fucks like that would've done it anyway soon or later. At least now they're all dead. How many were there?" 

"I'm not sure, I was holed up, remember? I only know this much because you were pretty loud with announcing things. I think there must've been a few hundred? Thousand? I lost count around there."

"You kept count?"

"The sound of a guillotine chopping down onto their necks was my lullaby one of the nights." Vera felt an eye twitch. 

Damien didn't notice. Well done, Crackhead Me. You've redeemed yourself.

"So, the married women and children?"

"How am I supposed to know? Maybe the women holed up and just masturbated? Its not like people broke in doors. Everyone on the street just started fornicating. I assume couples indoors did, too?"

"...Do you, like, think I caused any incest?"

"Almost definitely." 

I take it back, Crackhead Me. You done goofed. 

"Know what? Not my problem." Damien chose to ignore it. In fact, he blamed the people themselves. If they didn't want to fuck their family members, they'd leave and fuck someone else. 

Damien didn't fuck his mom when she used her Sex Demon mojo on him. Why can't other people just say no, too? 

He nodded to himself. 

Yep, I'm a dick. 

"I'm going to have to start a support group, aren't I?" He sighed. "By the way, where's your mother?"

"I don't know," She replied, biting into a fluffy pancake and stuffing it into her mouth with relish. Damien had made it for her before coming up as an apology for being an asshat when he was stoned out of his mind.

He noticed a bit of syrup dripping down her mouth and took a handkerchief from a breast pocket to wipe her clean.

Vera leaned forward for him, then felt her ears redden and hurriedly backed away, wiping her mouth on her own with a napkin.

I'm getting too used to this, she thought morosely. It was just so easy to be caught up in his care, but she had to deny it. 

Damien saw that and flicked her on the forehead. "Silly shrub," He chided. "What kind of nonsense are you thinking now?"

Vera felt the sweetness in her mouth turn bitter. She swallowed and gently placed down her fork. "I'm the maid here, or I'm supposed to be, and yet here I am letting you fawn over me. I hate it."

Damien rolled his eyes. "Why, because it's unprofessional?" He smirked. "Or because you love it too much and think its wrong because my crazy bitch of a mother says you're not worthy of her precious baby?"

As her heart pounded, she stayed silent for a moment. "You keep on saying things like that, treating it like a joke. I hate that, too. I hate it so much."

For once, his eyes lost all humor. They were flat and dull. "You wouldn't have to hate it if you could just have some faith in my ability to not give a fuck what that bitch says. You're scared of her. I'm not. And as long as I'm with you, you don't have to be either."

"You're only saying that because you still don't realize how evil your mother is. She only ever shows a cute, kind side to you and Dolly. The rest of us don't have such luxury."

Damien rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I know full well how bad she is," He responded. "That's irrelevant. The problem here is you think she'll somehow force me into leaving you even if we did get together. That she'd break us up and make me marry someone else." He laughed. "Yeah, you think that because she's so powerful, right?"

Vera pursed her lips. "Young Master, you'll be more powerful than her someday. And on that day, you'll have the freedom to be with and do anything you want. But that's far off. So please, stop making this harder for me."

He shrugged. "Nope." He grinned. "That woman isn't a danger to us. Me and Dolly are her weaknesses. She can't stand us hating her. You see, Vee, we're important to her. You aren't." He stated simply. "That means she'd never find you worth killing if it means forever antagonizing me. She might believe I'd get over it in a few years, maybe a few centuries, but I think our stare-down that day told her that I can and will carry a grudge for an eternity."

He leaned in close. "Which means I'm your shield. All you have to do is stay by my side and you'll be safe." 

Vera looked down. She seemed even smaller just then, like a skittish little mouse. "I thought you were getting tired of having to hold back for us, though?"

His face went blank. "Hold back?" He felt a tug at his lips. "When do I ever really hold back? I've got a tolerance for bullshit, sure, but it's low.  What, you thought I was feeling some type of way just because you guys have weak stomachs?" He snorted, trying to hold back laughter. "See, I knew you'd think too much about it. Look, Vee, I don't care if you guys don't like blood. I'll keep it to a minimum when I can, but I don't usually just maim and kill when it's unwarranted anyway. If you guys hate it that much, look away. Or throw up. Either way, I'll do what I think I should regardless of anyone. I'm not at all resentful of any judgment or feel restrained just because you two dislike me butchering people sometimes." 

Damien held her gaze. "Yes, you can leave me if you really hate it so much. But no matter why you stay with me, as long as you two are under my supervision I won't ever feel you're a burden."

"...I'm stupid." Vera chastised herself, wanting to hide in a hole. "I should've known not to think of you as a normal person." 

Damien let out a full, bellowing laugh at that. So hard his sides hurt. "Oh, Gods...the fact you did, though...Vee, when have you ever known me to take things like that to heart? If I did, I'd never have survived all your tongue-lashings up to now."

 Vera felt utterly foolish. Dummy, you actually thought...why did you ever think about it from the perspective of someone sane!  I even told mother all those things, too, acting as if I knew everything...ah, you idiot!"

She brought the blanket up over her head. "I should've never left that jungle... Coco, you were right!" She agonized.

"Who's that?" And what jungle, he thought to himself, utterly unaware of Vera's short stint as a hermit.

"No one!" Vera shouted. 

Coco was a very nice coconut she'd saved from a gang of giant, mean-looking crabs. They bonded fast, becoming friends immediately. Even though Vera almost ate her, she was very forgiving and consoled her. Instead, they ate the crabs and cannibalized the other coconuts. 

Those coconuts bullied Coco, calling her small and ugly, so they deserved it. 

Damien watched her with amusement. "So,  ready to marry me yet?"

Vera stopped her shaking and instead turned completely still. She dropped the blanket and looked down at herself. Her small, nubile body.

"....Even if I let myself believe in you, look at me." The words came heavy. "You don't know my kind. We grow normal the first few years, but that's all. I could be stuck like this for decades or longer. You're a Sex Demon. Depriving you of intercourse for so long would be like killing you."

Damien got a headache. "Holy fuck you're stubborn. All these little problems..." He cursed. "Will it actually kill me, then?"

"Well...you aren't a full one, so probably not."

"So what's the big deal?"

"I don't want to ask you to go through that just for me." She admitted.

"I give fuck all about that," He stated bluntly. "Would it hurt?"

"Yes, very."

"I can handle it." He said confidently.

"But I hate seeing you in pain."

Damien threw up his hands. "For fuck's sake, Vee!" He shouted. "Know what, forget it. I'm just going to keep being a manwhore for the rest of my life, then."

She threw him a hateful glance. "Why does it have to be that way? Can't you just be happy with someone else? If you really think you can protect them, then find someone who you can love and have children with now!"

"What, and have you on the side watching? "

"Yes!" She roared. "That's what I was planning to do all along anyway! I'm fine with taking care of your children! I'm fine with never being able to have you!"

"What the hell?" He glared. "Vee, that's fucked up on so many levels."

"So?" She asked. "You want things I can't give you right now, so where does that leave us?"

Damien flew into a rage. "I'm willing to wait for you, but you aren't willing to make me wait," He wanted to pull out his hair at such nonsense. "Son of a bitch, what kinda bullshit is this?"

He needed a drink. Something hard. 

Taking a breath, he calmed himself. Then, he left the room. 

Vera watched him leave with reddened eyes. She felt sick to her stomach. She thought that was the end of it. That he'd had enough of her. 

But he came in a few minutes later with a pen and paper. He held it up to a wall, writing furiously. 

Then he walked over and shoved it into her hands. "Sign!" He hissed.

Vera blinked, looking down. "Wh...what is this?"

"A binding contract entitling you to legal status as my first wife. It also gives you the exclusive right to birth my first child." He stood there with obvious impatience, his words coming fast and hot. "As for me, it grants the right to freely have sex with other women until you reach physical maturity. After that, I'm yours! So sign it already!"

Vera looked at him, stunned. "What would this even solve?"

"Nothing!" He tapped his foot irritably. "It just gives me peace of mind. I came to the conclusion that I'm fine with you being unhappy that I'm not happy So what if I'm a slut for a while? So what if you hate that? All I care about is our future. You can stay miserable too, but at the end of the day we're marrying and that's final! Now either you sign that fucker of I'm putting my head in that guillotine myself and hope I reincarnate into a life where my next love interest is a bit more reasonable."

"You're really going to use your life as leverage here?!" Her mouth fell in disbelief.

"I told you. I have a low tolerance for bullshit."

She looked into his eyes, looking for she didn't know what. But she saw the absolute conviction in them. He meant what he said, without a shadow of a doubt. 

"What about Dolly?" She asked quietly. "You're going to just leave her?"

"I'm a selfish prick. I never claimed otherwise. She can cry a little and get over it,"  He hit her with another harsh stare. "Are you going to sign?"

Vera felt trapped. "Do I even have a choice?"

"Of course you do. There's just consequences for them. Such is life."

She wanted to hit him. "You're so unreasonable!"

" We're a match, then." He was entirely unrepentant. "You forced my hand, I dunno what else to tell ya."

Aggrieved, Vera slowly picked up the pen. 

It was just a bit of paper and ink, but...

He's willing to go so far for me..

Vera, the cowards she is, had never been able to get over her insecurities. Of her position. Her fear of his mother. Her jealousy over Dolly, who could so easily have everything Vera couldn't. Namely, him. 

Her knuckles were bloodless. "Do you...even know what I am to you?" 

I'm your blood, too. I'm your sister, too. 

Just not the right one. But she couldn't bring herself to say any of it. Again, fear clutched at her heart. 

Damien looked at her curiously. "My better half?" He answered with a grin. 

....Vera couldn't speak. I really am an idiot. All my fantasies about a life together, and I conveniently ignored what I am. Our relation. It'd sicken him if we did this and he found out later. Would he hate me? Abhor me? Such a disgusting desire....but I still want him....

She couldn't hide it forever, she knew that. His mother, at least, would use it against him. The hypocrite. Even though she'd force him to accept Dolly.

Vera could sign this now and knew for certainty he'd honor the agreement. All she had to do was write down her name. 

It was tempting. But...

"I'm your sister."

She couldn't do it to him. 

"Come again?" Damien froze, sure he'd misheard. 

Vera saw that expression on his face and felt something break. "Me and Baz. Our mother used samples of your father to make us." Her lips felt numb, her words barely above a whisper. "They had a long history, and she eventually fell for him. But he met your mother, and there was no point competing with her. So when you were born, it almost destroyed her. She knew she had to give birth to another, someone to serve you." The words spilled from her mouth unceasingly. "She could've done it on her own, without anyone. But she chose to include your father. She wanted at least that. To bear his child even if it meant going against his--and her--back. That's how Baz was born...and then, with Dolly's birth, came me."

Damien felt his blood run cold. For the first time in his life, he was speechless.

Vera felt the tears run hot down her cheeks. "I'd always known who I was to you, you know. My mother passed down those memories to me. All of them. Her whole life. It's why I was more mature than other children my age. She chose me for that. But I was still so young...I couldn't make sense of it all. It hurt sometimes. As an infant, it was hell. But you grew fast, enough to hold and soothe me. You made all the pain and heartache go away. Then Dolly grew attached to you and stole all your attention. I couldn't even complain because it wasn't my right. Then you started trusting me to do things because you knew I could do them. You didn't treat me like a child anymore, like someone who needed you."

She bit her lip painfully, the only thing keeping her from breaking down into sobs. 

"So I started a-acting up. I thought it'd make you n-notice me again." She clenched her teeth. "And it worked, but then you began to look at me like I was annoying and troublesome. But even that was better than nothing, so...!" 

Damien hugged her. Tightly. Warmly. Like he never wanted to let her go. And she stopped. 

Vera broke down. 

"I was your sister, too." She cried. "I wanted you, t-too." 

But she didn't let you, Damien finished. There's no way his mother didn't know. No way she, with her personality, would tolerate Vera acting like a sister to him. 

It made her hate the woman even more. 

Damien stayed like that for a long time. Holding her. Comforting her. Until her tears and snot ran dry and she just stayed quiet in his arms, sniffling occasionally. 

"Better?" He asked after a while. 

She nodded against his chest. 

"Good. Then....sign."

Vera shook her head. "N-no." 

"Vera..." He sighed.

 "No!" She refused. "You're only saying that to prove a point. Act like it doesn't matter to you, but--"

Damien kissed her. A soft, light meeting of the lips. But deep. Like she were precious. Because she was. 

Vera melted for him. But as soon as it was finished, she looked away. "You can't mean that."

"Don't tell me what I mean."  Damien ran a hand through his hair. "Fuck, even I'm not sure what I mean by that right now. All I know is that you love me, and I'm not ready to give that up."

Damien looked at her. She seemed more innocent and vulnerable than he'd ever seen her. He knew that whatever he said next, after all he already had, could save or destroy her. 

He viciously kicked all doubts into the ether. "Fuck it," He growled. "You're only my half-sister anyway." And took her lips. 

She was so soft and warm, like flower petals. He wanted to savor her deep. To ravish every inch of her sweet mouth. 

But though their biological and mental ages paired well, their physical ages were so different. His body matched his real, mental age. But her's didn't. 

So he held back. Much as he wanted to make her forget about all this pain she held inside, he couldn't. 

Not now.

"Sign." He whispered into her ear, not taking no for an answer. "Now."

Vera shivered. That low, sexy voice...for the first time, she understood what the women around him felt. Although her youthful body wasn't under his spell, she still could recognize his attraction. He carried such power and comfort in his arms, it was hard to deny him anything. 

She didn't want to, either. 

Wordlessly, she wrote her name on the paper before her with mixed, complicated feelings. 

Damien folded it carefully and put it away. He wasn't sure how to confront her anymore with the knowledge he currently held. But it was too late to back down now, and he didn't care to. 

Thinking about it more, this isn't even my body. I'm just the guy who's taking it for a ride.

"I won't regret this," He assured her, cupping her cheek affectionately.

Vera felt heat prick at her eyes yet again. For the first time, she was honest with her feelings. "Even if you do...please don't stop loving me."

He could only smile wryly. "As if that was even a possibility at this point." He suddenly remembered something. "Wait, what did you say about your mother?"

"Ah," Vera exclaimed. "Well, she left."

He stood bolt upright. "The fuck you mean, she left?!"