Page 38 (1/2)

Although I hadn’t really suffered at his hands except to be knocked about a bit, I had seen what he’d done to others I’d talked to his victims, and seen the scars they carried both emotionally and physically

And one of those victims was my friend Iris

That the succubus had suffered so horrendously so recently was actually hard to iine She’d been kidnapped and abused by the Healer and his followers for alet back at me and my friends When we’d first rescued her, she’d been a shell of her forth and her resilience by building herself right back up again She’d also found a partner out of the whole mess Caleb, Ryu’s deputy at the time, had been with us e rescued her They’d immediately fallen for each other, and it was a relationship that ht not have happened otherwise

Despite, or maybe because of, her history with the Healer, Iris had insisted on coood idea, but Caleb had supported her decision, and he was a healer

Maybe she needed to confront her captor for reasons I couldn’t understand but he did

‘You okay?’ Iris said tobitch between Ryu and h she didn’t look at all okay She looked pale and drawn I took her hand in ave it a squeeze

‘You don’t have to do this, you know You don’t have to confront him’

‘I know But I want to try’

I put ave her a squeeze She’d be safe with us, even though Iris wasn’t the ics Her natural succubus talents were a; she could ood day Lobbing , however But the Healer wasn’t powerful, either He was just supersick in a way that ies for soe On his own he was nothing

‘He’ll be cowyllion was standing on Anyan’s knee on the front seat, peering over the dashboard at the es that involved a lotBen At least before it got knocked over’ Hiral’s joke fell flat, as it was undoubtedly intended to

‘I’m surprised they let hi in for vanilla sex’

‘He never touched us,’ Iris said froht, despite the subject matter ‘He watched, and he liked to tell his men what to do with us, but he never actually touched us’

‘Oh,’ I said, simultaneously nauseous and curious at the sa, apparently,’ Hiral said ‘He likes to be dominated’

‘What?’ I squeaked It was both TMI and so incredibly weird I couldn’t help wanting to know irl told me Yvonne is his favorite She’s a doirl, very polite, and has a good sense of huet to know Yvonne?’ I asked, totally confused

‘I went up and introduced wyllion was clearly not impressed with me at that moment

‘Glalalamour meself, I can’t be seen’

‘Um, is that sarcaso up and introduce meself Why wouldn’t I?’

‘Because you’re two feet tall And blue,’ Anyan said The gwyllion gave the barghest a dirty look

‘She’s a dominatrix and a whore, fercrissakes You think she’s not seen weirder shite than a two-foot-tall blue man? She barely batted an eyelash’

I shook my head, amazed at Hiral’s tactics ‘And she talked to you?’

‘Oh, yes She not only talked, she was good enough to make a deal, once I explained anted our boy Girls in her circumstances understand the importance of the sisterhood, even if they’re the first to be booted out of it’

I’, Hiral’s sensitive appraisal of intergender politics and hoomen often shun theirwould cal this, Iris beat me to my next question