Attractive Like Smoke

Most succubi, once turned, tried everything within their meager power to turn themselves back, or quell the desire inside them, refusing to take the lives of the men that so foolishly fell at their feet with just a glance at the haltingly beautiful faces. Some of them even went insane and insistently tried to kill themselves in numerous different, and horrific, ways despite the obvious fact that they're immortal. In fact, it was rare for a turned-succubus to be pleased with what they are.

Rose Calven was one of those rarities.

Even when she was alive, human, there was a certain sadistic side to her that she had been aware of but never really thought it through much. A few other people noticed, getting on her nerves was liking taking a bath in gasoline and dancing around a bonfire. But even then, she never would have thought about killing another human being, even if it was a man.

She was never sure how or why she died or when she turned into what she was, but she knew that all of those things had happened because one of the few civilized things you got once you died, was an explanation. Unfortunately for her, the explanation she had gotten was much along the lines of "you're dead, you'll never be alive again and Lucifers turned you into a succubus. Good luck."

She figured out everything thereon with little help. Luckily though, she stumbled across a mansion in the afterlife where succubi and incubi were taken in for training and safe keeping. The woman, Kara, that basically ran the place was an ancient succubi herself and was another one of those rarities that enjoyed the job. She was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen and didn't appear a day over 22 but was almost 933 years old. When I first discovered her age, I couldn't help but think about all the men she must have killed. Succubi and Incubi can go about two weeks without sex but they can feel the withdrawals after just 24 hours.

Those that couldn't stand what they'd become tried refusing to kill, but by the end of the two weeks, they wouldn't have a choice. The evil within them would snap and kill even more than they would have. They couldn't die. It just wasn't possible. The evil was simply too strong. But Rose didn't have to worry about that. She loved what she did and she always would.

But that wasn't true.

She just didn't know it yet.

|x|x|x|x|x|x|x|x|

Rose opened her pale eye lid and let her eye wander the length of her room, please to discover that, due to the lack of sunlight, it was time to get up. She lifted the thick white blanket off her body and let her long smooth leg slip over the side of the bed followed by the other. She glanced at the clock hanging over her crimson red door that was set to London, England time and groaned upon realizing she still had an hour until it was time to leave.

She slowly made her way to the window half covered with red drapes and, with the tip of her finger, edged a drape to the side in order to get a quick view outside. Everything was pitch black to the human eye, but her demon eyes made everything a little bit lighter and she could see all the happenings going on outside the mansion.

Avelin, another rarity, was sitting with her back propped up against the back of a willow tree, her vacant green eyes fixated on the swing hanging from the tall metal poles, the wind gently rocking the seat back and forth. God knows how long she had been like that, Rose wouldn't have been surprised if it'd been all night. Alexi, a tall russian boy permanently aged 19, was staring at the black sky, his emotions drifting up up and away forever. Alexi was not a rarity. He hated himself and had attempted to kill himself multiple times in the one year he's been an incubus. He's killed 42 women.

She was surprised to see that Alexi was out there, usually he spent all of his time tucked away in his room, sleeping and brooding, moodily hoping to die. Rose didn't understand that. Killing was worth it, the feeling you got being a succubus and doing... succubus things. It was priceless.

Rose let the drape slip away from her finger and she walked back over to where her massive closet began. If they didn't complain, Kara gave them a new set of clothing at the end of every week, usually a new dress and a set of lingerie. Every once in a while she'd mix it up, but that was what the female inhabitants of the mansion knew to expect. The men got suits, as far as Rose knew.

Rose tugged on the handle and pulled open the closet door. She glanced around, deciding she was in a red mood, as usual, and slipped out. She pulled out a red bra and matching lace underwear along with a garter belt and slowly got dressed, grabbing a pair of red heels along the way. She ignored the mirrors, there was no need for it as a succubus, and pushed open the door leading to the hall.

As usual, there was the faint sound of music being played somewhere close within the mansion though she could never tell where. She made her way down towards the stairwell, a flurry of excitement rushing through her veins. Xavier was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs, his tall, slim figured covered in a nice black suit over a dark purple silk shirt, buttoned halfway. He had a smirk on his perfectly formed lips that said so much but nothing at all.

She didn't know how because she didn't remember him, but she and Xavier knew each other when they were alive. Kara told Rose that they died at the same time, together, and the moon-shaped scar on both their wrists was proof. She also told them that they were in love. She didn't know how Kara knew that, but Rose believed her.

"You look ravishing," Xavier whispered, linking his arm through hers. Rose was going to spend the rest of her non-life with Xavier. Succubi and Incubi could have sex without killing each other, so it worked out fairly well. They were happy, especially Xavier who was not a rarity. He must have been strong in real life, because he almost succeeded in resisting the beast inside him; he almost killed himself. He hated killing others, so it was a nice relief for him to have a pure happiness without ruining it by killing. Something inside her liked being the only one able to make him happy.

"As do you," She answered, grinning. She glanced around the empty ballroom, curious. "Where is everyone?"

"Already left. We decided to leave early. Ready?" he asked. His smirk was still in place but she could see the glint of sadness and mortification at the thought of what he was going to do tonight. See, although Incubi and Succubi can have sex, they're only able to get power from humans. They can only survive off of humans. He has trouble coping with that, a lot of them do.

But not Rose.