All Chapters of Lilitu: The Memoirs of a Succubus: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

CHAPTER TWOA Splendid NightmareWhen I was eleven, my cousin Amelia visited my family and me at Blackwood Manor. She was only a few years older than I was, so my parents expected me to entertain her.Blackwood Manor was large, filled with paneled walls, embroidered pillows, and all the comforts money could buy. Growing up, I took every inch of it for granted.My favorite room was our expansive library, which contained hundreds of wonderful books. Naturally, when Amelia asked me what there was to do at the manor, a tour of the library was the first thing I suggested.“Are there any math books?” Amelia asked, eyes lighting up in excitement. “I find math ever so much fun!”“I don’t see why there wouldn’t be,” I said, but I’d never felt the need to check. I preferred fairy tales—stories of chivalrous knights, dragons, and princesses whose beauty I hoped to one day possess. I did not share my cousin’s fascination with numbers, but all the same I helped her find the appropriate sectio

CHAPTER FOURThe Painted HouseThe stallion tugged the coach onward into the night. Inside it I panted, my tired throat stinging with each breath I took. Through the window I watched my old home disappear behind a dark hill.I didn’t know where this coach was taking me, but exhausted as I was, jumping out and running off would do me no good at all. So I stayed, my breath slowing, nausea and numbness setting in like the venom of a snake. I kneaded the skirt of my dress, but could not feel it with my fingers. I couldn’t frown, nor could I smile. My breaths were somehow louder than the horse’s hoof-beats.My family was gone. I would never see them again, live with them again, or be able to hate them again.My hair was sticky and red from blood, and my throat felt like it was being squeezed. Why wasn’t I crying? I felt so empty. I reminded myself that my family would have wanted me to live on, but I felt guilty for having survived—for having escaped my fate when they had not. Had

CHAPTER SIXLondonHow could I have been so foolish? Of course it had been Salem that night on the road. He’d started coming to my dreams after I’d shot him. If I’d only been able to think straight, I surely would have realized this . . . but between my attraction to him, my fear of death, and my shock over the loss of my family, I’d been too overwhelmed to realize the obvious truth.What had Salem meant to do, that night on the road? Had he come to take Gladys and me by force? He hadn’t needed to, in the end. He’d seduced me effortlessly.It was difficult to not feel weak. I feared I’d betrayed the very memory of my family by becoming a demon that fed through fornication. I told myself that I should have known how lilitu fed; but in the back of my mind, I had known, and simply not cared. I wasn’t ready to accept what that said about me.On the other hand, Salem had manipulated me. He could have admitted to attacking us that night, but he had not. He could have

CHAPTER EIGHTThe Pentacle of DreamsI bandaged up Mr. Humphries as best I could, even though touching his body was torture. Fortunately, his wounds were not deep, and no bones had been broken. The vampire had been careful not to damage another immortal’s property too severely.Over the following nights, while Mr. Humphries healed, I deteriorated, becoming increasingly lethargic and famished. I did what I could to aid him, providing support for him to stand up and walk, but I grew hungrier every moment I held his body. I wistfully remembered the way Salem had touched me. I even regretted leaving him.One night, as the shop neared its closing hour, Mr. Humphries nodded off, the pain too much for him to endure. With a sigh, I carried him to his bed. But after I’d placed him upon it, I found myself lingering. His dark gold hair looked so soft. Slowly, hesitantly, I reached out and ran a hand through it. It was soft. I let out a quivering breath, feeling tingles spread through my

CHAPTER TENLe Boudoir des TénèbresYou Are Provided For Now!: A Notice From Rupert WaltersOne of Queen Isabelle’s first decrees has been that each and every immortal in England is to be guaranteed sustenance. If you are an immortal who lacks a source of blood, this can be remedied by going to the nearest Accommodation Center. While you are there, you may also request that your children attend one of our official schools, where the comprehensive curriculum comes with the Crown’s seal of approval.One may also seek out private blood merchants, who are known to offer particularly sought-after years and ethnicities.If you are a vampire who owns servants, you may wonder how an Accommodation Center will be of use to you. While it is perfectly legal to feed on your own servants, it can be easy to forget to pull away, and drain your servants to their expiration point. This is exceedingly impolite, and an immortal who does this regularly will not be thought of as a respectable gentleman