We lay tangled together on the wide bed, limbs intertwined, breathing gradually slowing. Sweat cooled on my skin whilst Aria’s tail draped across my thigh. Isabella’s silver hair spilled across the pillows, catching the moonlight filtering through the window.

  Aria shifted, propping herself on one elbow to look at Faith. “So? How was it?”

  Faith blinked, her expression hazy. “How was what?”

  “Oh, come on.” Aria’s grin widened. “Do I need to spell everything out? Sex. Feeding. The whole experience. Your first time as a succubus—well, half-succubus, but close enough.”

  Faith’s mouth opened, then closed. Her hand found the sheet, pulling it higher across her chest.

  “Give her some slack.” I reached over, squeezing Faith’s shoulder. “She’s still processing everything.”

  “Indeed.” Isabella’s voice came soft from the other side of the bed. “Not everyone adapts as quickly as you did, Aria.”

  “Fine, fine.” Aria rolled her eyes but her smile remained. “I’ll give you a pass for now, Faith. But I am getting the full story later.” She swung her legs off the bed, standing with easy grace. “Right now, time to collect what we actually came for.”

  She crossed to the pile of discarded clothing near the wall and began rummaging through the silk garments.

  Faith pushed herself upright, watching Aria. “What are you doing?”

  “Getting the money. Duh.” Aria tossed aside a shirt, then a belt.

  Isabella rose from the bed with considerably more dignity than Aria had managed. She walked to where Deort lay sprawled across the adjacent mattress, his breathing deep and even. “Faith, Lily—help me with these two, would you?”

  I stood, feeling the pleasant soreness in my muscles. Faith followed more slowly, still clutching the sheet around herself until she let it drop.

  Isabella had already begun shifting Deort into a more natural sleeping position. “Take Ilos,” she instructed. “I’ll handle this one.”

  I moved to the third bed where Ilos had collapsed face-down. Faith joined me, her hands hesitant as she helped me roll him onto his side.

  “Like this?” Faith asked.

  “Perfect.” I arranged his arm beneath his head, making it look like he’d simply passed out from too much drinking rather than being drained by demons. “We want them comfortable. Less questions that way.”

  Osweald still slumped against the wall where we’d moved him earlier, his head tilted at an uncomfortable angle. Faith and I crossed to him, each taking an arm to lift him. His weight barely registered—mortals were surprisingly light when you had demonic strength…

  We guided him to the remaining bed, Faith supporting his shoulders whilst I handled his legs. She positioned his head on the pillow with surprising gentleness.

  “Found it!” Aria’s triumphant shout echoed from across the room. She held up a leather wallet, flipping it open to reveal neatly folded bills. “Oh, this is definitely more than enough.”

  “Help us dress them up first,” Isabella called over, already working a shirt back onto Deort’s unconscious form. “We need this to look convincing.”

  Aria groaned but pocketed the wallet and joined us. “You’re such a stickler for details.”

  “Details matter.” Isabella buttoned Deort’s shirt with practiced efficiency. “If the staff finds them naked and drained, they’ll ask questions. If they find them clothed and sleeping off a good time, they’ll assume it was just an enjoyable evening.”

  “Plausible deniability,” I murmured, pulling Ilos’s trousers back up his legs.

  Faith worked on fastening Osweald’s silk shirt, her movements methodical. “This feels strange.”

  “Which part?” Aria appeared beside her with Osweald’s discarded vest. “The feeding, the sex, or the covering our tracks afterward?”

  “All of it.” Faith stepped back, letting Aria handle the vest. “I just… I thought I’d feel worse about it.”

  “Why would you?” Aria replied. “It is what they wanted.”

  Isabella straightened Deort’s collar, then moved to help with Ilos. “They’ll wake in a few hours with vague memories and pleasant dreams. Better than they deserve, honestly.”

  I adjusted Osweald’s position one final time, making sure he looked naturally asleep rather than magically unconscious. The three men now appeared exactly like wealthy travelers who’d indulged too heavily and passed out in their rooms.

  Faith stood back, surveying our work. Her expression remained conflicted, but something had shifted in her posture—less tension, more acceptance.

  Aria counted the bills from the wallet, her lips moving silently. “This should cover our stay, with plenty of room for shopping.” She pulled out roughly half of the bills, leaving the rest. “See? We’re not even taking everything. Very considerate of us.”

  “Extremely generous,” Isabella agreed dryly.

  I crossed to where my own clothes lay scattered and began dressing. The others followed suit, pulling on garments whilst the three Malani slept soundly behind us.

  * * *

  I pulled the door closed behind us and hung the “Do Not Disturb” sign on the handle. The latch clicked with finality.

  Aria stretched her arms overhead, joints popping. “That went perfectly.”

  “They’ll sleep until morning.” Isabella smoothed her skirt, her movements precise. “More than enough time for us to enjoy ourselves.”

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  Faith walked beside me toward the elevator, her steps steady now. The earlier hesitation had burned away somewhere between the feeding and the sex.

  I pressed the call button. “So what’s the plan?”

  The elevator chimed, doors sliding open to reveal mirrored walls and polished bronze fixtures. We stepped inside, and I selected the lobby level.

  Aria leaned against the railing. “Beach. Definitely beach. The sun’s still out, and I want to see what Yocasta-2’s waters actually look like up close.”

  “Swimming?” Faith asked.

  “Or sunbathing. Whatever works.” Aria grinned. “We’ve got rooms paid for and money in our pockets. Might as well enjoy it.”

  Isabella nodded. “The guide mentioned bioluminescent reefs near the shore. Worth seeing in daylight before they glow at night.”

  The elevator descended smoothly, numbers ticking down on the display panel.

  “I could use actual relaxation after everything at the Academy,” I said.

  “Amen to that.” Aria pulled the bills from her pocket, counting them again. “We’re set for days with this.”

  Faith glanced at the money, then away. No judgement crossed her face—just quiet acceptance.

  The elevator chimed. Doors opened to reveal the lobby, with its sweeping views of turquoise water beyond the windows.

  “Beach it is,” I said.

  We walked through the marble-floored entrance, past clusters of Malani and Verdani guests lounging in plush seating. The afternoon sun streamed through the glass, painting everything in warm gold

  * * *

  The sand was warm beneath my back, heat seeping through the towel and into my skin. I’d stretched out in the shade of a blue-fronded tree, watching the waves roll in with their strange purple tinge where they caught the light.

  Aria lay beside me, arms folded behind her head. “I missed this so much.”

  “Missed what?” Isabella asked from my other side.

  “Actual sun.” Aria gestured upward at the sky. “I’m so sick of Igneus’s ceiling. Those giant stalactites with their fake day-night cycles. Nothing beats this—just laying around, soaking it up.”

  Isabella hummed agreement. “Even the artificial suns in some of the more established pleasure domes can’t compare. They try, but it’s always slightly wrong. Temperature’s off, or the light feels hollow somehow.”

  Faith shifted on her towel, adjusting the strap of her bikini top. “Good thing I’m only half vampire. Otherwise I’d be stuck indoors while you three enjoyed yourselves.”

  A laugh escaped me. “I used to hate this.”

  Faith’s head turned toward me. “Sunbathing?”

  “Yeah. Back when…” I paused, searching for the right words. “Before. I couldn’t see the point of laying around doing nothing.”

  “Don’t remind me.” Faith groaned. “Getting you to the beach was always a chore. You’d bring work papers, or start mentally solving engineering problems instead of relaxing.”

  Aria propped herself up on one elbow. “At least you get it now, right? Nothing beats lazing around while the warmth just wraps around you.”

  I considered arguing, then let it go. “I can see the appeal.”

  People walked past on the beach—Malani couples, clusters of Verdani chatting in their melodic language, a few disguised mortals from other realms. Heads turned as they passed. Some tried to be subtle about it. Others stared openly.

  A young Malani man with pale pink skin and silver horn bands slowed his steps, eyes tracking over our group. His companion elbowed him, but he kept looking back.

  Aria noticed. “Plenty of tasty morsels around if we get hungry again.” Her tail traced lazy patterns in the sand. “That one’s been circling for the third time. And the Verdani pair near the water keep glancing over.”

  “We’re here to relax,” I said.

  “True.” Aria’s grin turned wicked. “But we could still have a little snack. Just for fun.”

  “Aria.”

  “What? I’m just saying options exist.” She laughed at my expression. “I’m playing with you, Lily. Relax.”

  “Uh huh.”

  Faith chuckled, the sound lighter than I’d heard from her in days.

  Isabella sat up, brushing sand from her arms. “I’m going to cool off in the water.”

  Aria bounced to her feet with her usual enthusiasm. “I’ll join you.”

  They headed toward the waves, Isabella’s silver hair catching the sun while Aria kicked up sand with exaggerated steps. Within moments they’d waded into the shallows, the purple-tinged water rising past their knees.

  Faith shifted closer, filling the space Aria had left. “I said it before, but they really care about you.”

  “Yeah.” I watched Isabella dive beneath a wave while Aria shrieked and jumped away from it. “They’re good friends.”

  “More than that.” Faith’s tone was thoughtful. “You’re close with them in a way that goes beyond just friendship. I can see it.”

  I turned my head to look at her properly. “Is that weird?”

  “No. Just different from what I expected.” Faith tucked a strand of white hair behind her ear. “You might be right.”

  “Right about what?”

  “About what you told me earlier.”

  The conversation from before—about accepting her nature, about the difference between feeding and intimacy. I waited for her to continue.

  Faith stared at the horizon, where the turquoise water met purple sky. “I’m still not sure about everything. But what happened earlier…” She paused, choosing words carefully. “Being with you felt different. Not wrong, just… new. Then later, with Aria and Isabella, that was different too. Different from being with you. Different from Osweald.”

  “Different how?”

  “I don’t know yet.” Her brow furrowed. “With Osweald it was mechanical. Following steps, feeding, getting what we needed. With you it was…” She trailed off, cheeks darkening slightly. “It mattered. Then with your friends it was somewhere in between. Comfortable, maybe? Like it didn’t have to mean anything heavy, but it wasn’t empty either.”

  I processed that. “You’re figuring out the layers.”

  “Maybe.” Faith’s tail swished once against the towel. “Or maybe I’m just making excuses for everything I’ve already compromised.”

  “You’re not compromising anything that matters,” I said quietly. “You’re adapting. There’s a difference.”

  We sat in silence for a moment. The sun felt good on my skin—not burning, just warm and steady. Somewhere down the beach, children’s laughter echoed. Probably Verdani younglings based on the pitch.

  Faith stood abruptly, brushing sand from her legs. “Come on.”

  “Where?”

  “Water.” She held out her hand. “If I’m going to figure this out, might as well do it somewhere fun.”

  I took her hand and let her pull me up. The sand stuck to my back and arms until I brushed it away.

  We walked toward the waves together, our footprints mixing with dozens of others in the purple-tinged sand. Ahead, Aria was trying to dunk Isabella, who dodged with practiced grace before retaliating with a face full of water.

  The ocean looked inviting. Cool and clear, with the promise of bioluminescent reefs somewhere beneath the surface.

  Faith squeezed my hand once before letting go and running the last few steps, diving cleanly beneath an incoming wave.

  I followed her in.

  The cold water hit my skin like a shock, washing away the sun’s warmth in an instant. I surfaced, hair plastered to my shoulders.

  Faith emerged beside me, laughing. The sound was unguarded, genuine. “Freezing!”

  “Liar,” Aria called from deeper out. “It’s perfect.”

  Isabella floated on her back, wings spread beneath the surface for balance. “The temperature’s ideal for this climate.”

  I swam toward them, each stroke easier than the last as my body adjusted. Faith followed, kicking up spray that caught the light.

  Aria dove beneath a wave and popped up behind me. “Race you to the reef marker.”

  “No.” I twisted away from her reaching hands. “We just got here.”

  “Scared you’ll lose?”

  “Scared you’ll cheat.”

  She gasped in mock offense. “I would never.”

  Faith splashed water at both of us. “You absolutely would.”

  Isabella glided closer, effortless in her movements. “Let them argue. The water’s too nice to waste on competition.”

  Aria grinned and lunged for Isabella instead. Isabella dodged, sending up a wave that caught all of us.

  The afternoon stretched ahead, warm and lazy despite the cool water. No urgency, no threats.

  Just the four of us, floating beneath a multi-coloured sky.