Twenty-Six

Miriam’s hand was warm as it clasped around mine. I opened my eyes to her sweet face, glowing and perfect as it hovered over me. “Well hello, gorgeous,” she sighed, seemingly relieved as she leaned down to kiss me, and I loved her.

“Are you hurt?” I insisted, quickly raising to sit so that I could inspect her, but she was perfect as ever, bright and warm, like she’d been having the best day every day for years.

“Shh,” she coaxed, easing me back into the sheets. “Everything’s fine.”

I stared at her, lost in her and how much I loved her. She was so beautiful. Every breath she breathed, every dart of her eyes as she looked me over, every hair that fell into her face as she leaned forward, every wrinkle of her nose as she came across part of me that gave her pause. Finally, I couldn’t take the silence. “Miriam, what the fuck happened in there?”

“You,” she smiled softly, a gentle pain in her eyes to remind me of what was lost. “Without Stewart, Jinn lost it. The lycanthropes were able to detain her until she was transported.”

“Transported?” I asked as if I’d never heard the word.

“She’ll go before Lucifer to explain herself,” Miriam sounded almost saddened for Jinn, as if it were an undeserved punishment. I was only surprised she still existed to punish. “I imagine that will be the end of her.”

“If she’s lucky,” I mused as I leaned back into the bed. I tried to remember the torture she had inflicted in my memory, but it seemed a lifetime ago now. It was fading, being rewritten by the Glow within me. Miriam’s radiant skin emphasized how pallid mine had gone in its recovery.

“You need a fix,” she gently reminded me, though understanding hung heavier between us than anything else. How could I harvest anymore? Everything felt different now. I felt different now.

“She loved Terry,” I blurted as my eyes grew heavy with the weight of Charlotte. Miriam’s fingers massaged mine and I was grateful that she was so pure. “They were partners. I don’t know for how long. Stewart convinced her that Terry was a necessary sacrifice to have her son back. They played her the whole time.”

“Charlotte loved her son more than anything else,” Miriam mused, and for once, I was grateful that she knew Charlotte too. “When we were together, she would speak to his memory nightly. Every now and then, when her grief was too much, she’d come to my room and we’d pull out my shoebox, and she would look at the things I had left from Peggy. She was jealous, but not in a hateful way, at least not then. It was just unfair that he was so far gone. I don’t even know the boy’s name, but he weighed on her daily.”

“Cassius,” I told her, and though my tired eyes remained closed, I knew the pieces fell easily together for my clever succubus. “She said she forgave me, in the end.”

“She meant it,” Miriam assured me, releasing my hand. My eyes opened in a panic, but she was still there, my wonderful love, and she moved to sit on the edge of my bed. As I shifted to make room for her, she curled next to me, and for a moment, it felt so mundane again. Miriam’s gentle arms wrapped me in a careful embrace, and we lay silently with one another, chests light without the weight of an Armageddon hanging over us.

I loved Miriam for her ability to accept me as I was, to accept the situation as it was, and not question it, as if it were just another day. I had so little faith in her, but she always seemed to just accept me as I was. I didn’t deserve her kindness. “They played me too, Mir. I’m sorry.”

Miriam exhaled slowly but didn’t speak. Instead, her face buried into my neck and her embrace tightened around me. She knew. I didn’t deserve such acceptance, and yet here it was. I would never deserve those I had surrounded myself with, yet here they were.

“Tomorrow’s a new day,” Miriam promised. “Maybe even a new world.”

“I’m ready, as long as you’re with me.”

Miriam hummed a confirmation but didn’t speak. Instead, she nestled closer to me. Her breath warmed my collarbone, her hair tickled my shoulder, and her body against mine made me feel complete. How could I have ever doubted her?

“Are you up for a transfer?” she asked gently, as if I would ever tell her no. “I can supply you for now, if you’re comfortable with that. I’m sure harvesting is the furthest thing from your mind.”

“What happens if we don’t harvest?” I asked instead, though Miriam moved to undress anyway.

“I’ll just supply you,” she answered sweetly, slinking back into my bed. I was grateful how far we’d come from the clinical transfers we had done so often at the office. Miriam undressed to be with me. She was eager to be with me. It wasn’t a trap or a punishment or a collection. My Miriam was offering me intimacy, in a way I could share with no one else, and she offered it in a way marks never did—willingly.

“No,” I kissed her, unable to resist my hands from roaming her shimmering frame. “I mean, if we just stopped.” Miriam guided me down to the sheets, onto my back as she took her familiar place atop my hips. “No harvesting, no transferring, no…” My hands moved to caress her thighs as she waited for me to finish my thought. “No anything, Mir. What if we just stopped?”

Miriam moved her hands to my stomach, crossing her wrists as she contemplated my question. Her head tilted, her blonde curls dropping to one side of her face as she leaned forward to kiss me. “Do you want to stop?” Her chest brushed against me as she hovered her face above mine. Her eyes were intense as they pierced mine, somewhere between curious and taunting. I couldn’t process the question as she moved her hips to connect with mine.

My whole body electrified as she engaged with me, her Glow excess combusting with my deficit. She poured into me, flooding my mind and body with love and warmth and healing. I couldn’t hear her for all of the electricity between us, symphonic as it was.

Miriam stretched her long torso, more in control with me than I had ever managed with her. She extended her graceful fingers to stroke my cheek and I melted into her. I loved her for the little things she did to remind me how different this encounter was from others.

Her aura faded as we went but her natural glow remained. Miriam could light up any room, with or without a harvest. I felt my body rejuvenating the longer we entwined. I put my hands on her hips, interrupting our dance, much to Miriam’s joyful exasperation.

“Hey,” she complained, leaning down to kiss me. She moved her hands to mine, fighting my grip, but I held firm.

“I don’t want to take too much,” I insisted as I tried to disconnect from her, but Miriam wasn’t having it. She moved to kiss me, tangling her hands in my hair as her hips trembled in my hands.

“I’m not done,” she begged through our locked lips and all of me fought to resist her seduction.

“Miriam,” I pulled her to the side, disconnecting from her as she instead fell to her back on the mattress. I moved to pin her, her body too much to look at while trying to ignore her. “I mean it.”

My love lay her head back a moment, staring at the ceiling as she panted. I tried to ignore her heaving chest, her glistening body beneath me. “Collin,” she whispered, and I leaned to hear her. “You aren’t going to hurt me.” She tugged my torso and I relinquished to align with her.

Miriam’s legs wrapped around my hips and with an eager kiss from my succubus, we were reengaged, though this time she matched my pull. Together, we united, our energies sparking as they combined but refused to transfer between one another. Being with Miriam was an experience like none other. She was my safety. She was my answer.

Through it all, Miriam was the best reward.

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“Well hello, gorgeous,” she sighed, seemingly relieved as she leaned down to kiss me, and I loved her.

Ugh! I love how he ends this with “and I loved her.” But also, she is perfect, and I LOVE HER!

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I stared at her, lost in her and how much I loved her. She was so beautiful. Every breath she breathed, every dart of her eyes as she looked me over, every hair that fell into her face as she leaned forward, every wrinkle of her nose as she came across part of me that gave her pause.

That right there, that right there, Col. That’s a woman that truly loves you. We are all in admiration of her. She is beautiful and perfect, and she just fucking loves you and you finally love her the way you should.

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“She’ll go before Lucifer to explain herself,” Miriam sounded almost saddened for Jinn, as if it were an undeserved punishment. I was only surprised she still existed to punis

ME TOO BECAUSE SHE DESERVED TO BE EATEN ALIVE LIKE SCAR WAS BY THE HYENAS!

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It was fading, being rewritten by the Glow within me.

My fucking god. This right here. It says so little but so much at the same time. The glow has seemed to transform in the story, in Col, in reality now to something that is beautiful and full of life as opposed to the life-draining force it was before. You know what this reminds me of, strangely, the end of the Return of the King where Frodo’s in the bed. And before you go, wut? Let me just say like I said about RRD earlier, that that fucking scene got me so hard. When fucking Sam walks in and the shire music starts playing. It tore me apart for so many reasons, but most of all, because the biggest evil of their world was gone now, though evil surely remained, as here, but everything was beautiful and peaceful in that moment. Everything they’d fought for had come to light and here was the peace. That’s how I feel with this. That’s my best equation.

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chests light without the weight of an Armageddon hanging over us.

See? Fucking see? God. How glorious. I feel so much better too, you guys.

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“She meant it,” Miriam assured me

Man, I really hate Charlotte, but that just speaks to how well-written her character is. She really had a redemption arc there at the end, and it really made me grow fond of her, and this line best sums up her character’s story for me. It’s beautiful. And the name of the son, waeeeehhh.

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I didn’t deserve such acceptance, and yet here it was. I would never deserve those I had surrounded myself with, yet here they were.

As is written, the summation of your character Col. That’s okay, though. That’s called character growth that you can admit your flaw. But you’re absolutely fucking right, you don’t deserve Mir. But no one does.

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My Miriam was offering me intimacy, in a way I could share with no one else, and she offered it in a way marks never did—willingly.

Yes, much unlike the office. This is love, Col. Welcome to an intimate love that you’ve never had. You earned it. You’re lucky.

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Her eyes were intense as they pierced mine, somewhere between curious and taunting.

<3 Perfect.

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I couldn’t hear her for all of the electricity between us, symphonic as it was.

Ugh, <3

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“I don’t want to take too much,” I insisted as I tried to disconnect from her, but Miriam wasn’t having it. She moved to kiss me, tangling her hands in my hair as her hips trembled in my hands.

“I’m not done,” she begged through our locked lips and all of me fought to resist her seduction.

Be a fucking gentleman and let her finish, Col, fuck. But also, she’s so beautiful and he’s always fucking pulling the emergency break when he shouldn’t. LOL

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Through it all, Miriam was the best reward.

Absolutely she is, and you are absolutely blessed, Col. But seriously, let her have it, you aren’t going to hurt her. She told you that, member?


Listen, they always make love so poetically. I’m in love with that. It’s not mushy and it’s not profane, it’s just perfect. They are always so perfect together, even in bed. I’m so glad that here at the end, he’s really let himself fall appropriately for her. He earned her, but god forbid he ever fucking forget how fucking lucky he is that she stood beside him even when he doubted her like one billion times!

The almost-end of this culminating with them sharing glow in this beautiful way is just satisfying. I love how it is so full of light and life at the end. You know that all these dark things still exist, but here are Mir and Col, and their “glow” is a sight. She is a sight, and he lucky to have her bring such “light” into his life.

Love, Bf