Chapter 36: 36. Family

"Come on Lexi, it's time to get up!" Marianne's happy but impatient voice brought me out of the nice relaxing sleep I'd been enjoying. "It's much too nice outside to let you waste the day in bed cutie!"

I rolled over and pouted, "You're way too happy for however early it is right now."

My girlfriend laughed, "It's quarter after twelve Lexi! You're not just late, you're late for lunch! Now come on, put something on or I'll carry you out there in the nude."

My ears folded back and I pretended to hiss at her. It was no use though. She just smiled and tousled my hair then scratched behind my ears, which almost made me melt back into a happy puddle on the bed.

"Fine," I sighed when she stopped, then pulled myself upright. "What should I wear?"

"Try this," she offered as she dropped what looked like a couple triangles of fabric and some string into my lap.

I rolled my eyes as I started getting into the skimpy garment, "Not much difference between this and staying naked, you know?"

She giggled, "Your choice cutie. You wouldn't be the only one to skip clothing out there today."

I didn't bother to comment, and once I had the minuscule bikini in place I stood up and stretched. My hands reached up as high as I could, though they were nowhere near the ceiling even as I was up on my tippy-toes. And my tail stretched out behind me as my ears pointed forwards.

Finally I glanced at Marianne and commented, "I see you're not doing much better."

She was in a one-piece swimsuit that somehow managed to have even less fabric than what I was wearing. Hers had more string though, in an elaborate criss-cross pattern that connected the tiny patch of cloth between her legs to the little dots that covered her nipples.

"You know the saying Lexi," she smiled as she took my hand. "When in Rome?"

"But we're not in Rome, we're -"

She cut off my response as she pulled me out the doorway next to the bed and onto the large patio outside.

It was indeed an absolutely beautiful mid-August day. The sun was shining down from a cloudless blue sky, and the light sparkled and danced across the water of the caldera to the north. The air was hot without being stifling, and there was enough of a breeze ontop of the hill that it didn't get uncomfortable even under direct sunlight.

My girlfriend dragged me around to the other side of the large pool, then the two of us sat at a patio table under a big mesh parasol. Lunch was already waiting for us, with an array of little sandwiches and fresh fruits and veggie sticks. There were some bottles of chilled spring water and a pitcher of freshly-squeezed juice, and everything looked and smelled perfect.

We weren't the only ones at the table, there were two others waiting there for us to join them.

Eva was dressed slightly more conservatively than me and my girlfriend, though her bikini still left most of her gorgeous figure on display. In contrast the tall ravenette beauty next to her was completely naked. Her dusky skin had taken on an almost bronze tone after only a couple of days in the sun.

"Good morning Lexi," Eva greeted me with a smirk. "Nice to see you finally got out of bed."

I pouted again, "It's not my fault! You lot probably all got to bed right after the party, but Marianne kept me up another hour or two after that..."

"And yet she was up by ten this morning like the rest of us," Lily pointed out as she helped herself to some grapes and one of the sandwiches.

My girlfriend teased, "It's ok Lexi. Everyone knows kittens like you need more sleep than everyone else."

I'd been about to respond with a witty retort when someone behind me shouted, "CANNONBALL!"

A moment later there was a tremendous splash from the pool, causing both Lily and I to flinch as some of the cool water spattered across our bare backs. My tail started twitching in irritation while Lily turned and glared.

The tall ravenette sounded exasperated as she stated, "Mara! That's enough! And Mira, don't you start!"

"Sorry mater," the twin with the horns and tail apologized as she floated naked in the pool. Her dusky skin had tanned bronze just like Lily's.

The other bronze-skinned demon twin stood perched on the roof of the huge luxury villa we'd rented. She was just as naked as the first, and from the look of it Mira had been about to follow Mara's lead by jumping from the roof into the pool.

Instead she stepped off and glided gently down into the water, her descent controlled by invisible wings as she sighed "Yes mater."

Then two of them proceeded to play around in the water together, accompanied by lots of giggling and splashing.

Lily sighed as she turned her attention back to the rest of us at the table, "I wonder sometimes if they'll ever grow up."

"Nonsense," Eva replied with a grin. "Three thousand years and you haven't changed love. You act like the stern mater, but I know you love them like this. You and I both hope they never change."

Me and Marianne exchanged a look and a smile, and I commented "For a couple of several-thousand-year-old demons, neither of you act much older than the twins you know?"

Lily flustered a little, but in the short time I'd known her I already figured out she was easy to fluster.

She looked the oldest, her human guise appeared to be a woman of about thirty. It was all an act though, she wore a shape that seemed 'mature' at a glance but in truth she was more like the older sister who never grew up. Like she was trying to live up to expectations of being mature without having any idea how to do it.

Eva didn't even try, she was a big kid at heart and she wore that on her sleeve like a badge. Her human shape looked about twenty-five, and sometimes her behaviour wasn't too far off of that. Other times she could cut loose and be just as silly and playful as her daughters.

"I never thought I'd come back here," Lily commented quietly.

Her mood had suddenly shifted to something like melancholy, which put a concerned look on her lover's face.

"Of all the places Lexi and Marianne and I visited," Eva responded, "This had changed the least. You wouldn't recognize Naples at all now love. And I'm loathe to visit my old homeland. I looked at it on the internet, that was enough. But here, this doesn't feel so far removed."

Lily nodded slowly, "You're right. I admit I was worried about coming here though. I was especially worried how our girls would take it. I suppose I thought it might upset them to see it again, after all this time."

Eva glanced at the pool where Mara and Mira were chasing each other in some sort of aquatic tag game, then smiled as she looked back at her lover. "It's not a sad place for them. On the other hand I'm not sure that it's home to them anymore? But I bet we can convince them and the rest of the DLP to make this a regular summer destination."

"I think you're right," Lily smiled, but there was still a bit of sadness in her eyes. "It may take me a little longer though, to finish grieving the daughter we lost. But I'm grateful for the two we've gained."

"Same," Eva agreed.

Then she smiled at me and Marianne and added, "More than just the two daughters love. We've gained two entire families. And for me at least, this island is a place of new beginnings. It's the first place Lexi and Marianne and I visited, when we began our travels four years ago. It's where the three of us took the first steps to becoming family. So let's focus on this millennium, and the happy memories we will make here together. All of us."

"Agreed!" I stated as I raised my glass of juice in a toast.

Marianne did the same, then Eva and Lily followed. We all touched glasses, then drank to the idea of new happy memories together.

As the four of us finished our lunch I asked, "Speaking of the DLP, where'd everyone else disappear to?"

Me and Marianne somehow managed to miss meeting the succubi while we were in Canada, but they all came out to Santorini with the rest of the demon family. So we finally got those introductions the other day.

You are reading story Missed Connections at novel35.com

They were an eclectic group, and of the three only Susan fit my expectations for a succubus.

She was taller than Marianne, slim and stern-looking, with short brilliant red hair and piercing blue eyes. She radiated powerful domme energy and it felt like she could bring strong men to their knees with a single arched eyebrow.

Melissa on the other hand was so stereotypically girl-next-door you'd think it was a set-up. Average height, average looks, average amount of extra weight around the middle, friendly face, wavy shoulder-length sandy-blonde hair and a very relaxed approachable smile made her seem just too normal to be a succubus.

Then there was Amber, who was the tiny cuddle-bean of the group. She was even smaller than me, with short messy brown hair and a shy blushy grin so adorable it could melt steel. She seemed too cute and pure and innocent to even associate with sex-demons, let alone be one.

"They all went out this morning," Lily responded. "Melissa and Amber took their cameras and went off to tour some ruins I believe?"

"Ancient Akrotiri," Marianne added. "They visited Ancient Thera yesterday."

"Right," the tall demoness nodded. "And Susan and Grace went up to Fira, to do some shopping."

Grace wasn't part of the DLP but she was another of Lily's succubi. She looked the part too. She was a tall blonde who just radiated sex appeal. All her clothes were designer labels and at first glance I thought she was some sort of model. Even in a bikini and beach skirt she looked ready to walk the runway. She kept her curly blonde hair perfectly styled, and her make-up was always impeccable.

"That just leaves one person unaccounted for," I commented as I took another look around the patio, in time to see Mira and Mara emerge from the pool.

Neither bothered with towels as they hurried over to the table where the four of us were sitting. The twins reached around to grab some of the fruit and little sandwiches, dripping water all over the rest of us and the table while Lily got all flustered and upset with them again.

Both girls ran away giggling with their hands full of stolen food, and I'd swear sometimes they were like a couple little kids instead of full-grown demons.

As they escaped to sit on some deck chairs on the far side of the pool Mara called to me, "Luc is still in bed. He'll probably be up in time for dinner, but not much sooner."

I turned to look at Marianne and demanded, "How come my brother gets to stay in bed all day long, but I get called out for sleeping ten extra minutes past noon?"

"I don't know if you remember last night Lexi," my girlfriend replied with a little knowing smile, "But Lucas was quite taken with Susan."

I face-palmed, "How many times did I tell him not to sleep with succubi?"

Lily rolled her eyes, "He'll be fine. All my succubi are careful, and I wouldn't be surprised if Susan went easy on him."

"For certain values of the word 'easy'," Eva mumbled as she stifled a giggle. "The two weren't quiet last night, and I got the distinct impression Susan may have broken the boy."

Marianne gave our demon a look then told me, "Anyways look on the bright side Lexi? Now that he got it out of the way, the rest of them will leave him alone. You remember what they said about safety, none of them will sleep with him for a month now."

"Right," I rolled my eyes. "That's still not a good excuse."

Eva shrugged, "Lighten up Lexi, it's vacation. Before you know it the four of us will be in London again, getting back to our normal lives."

"Ugh, don't remind me!" I grimaced.

She was right though. We had another ten days here on Santorini, then everybody would pack up and head home. Lily and the rest of the DLP would return to their lives in Canada, while my girlfriend and I would head back to London along with Eva and Lucas. Come September I'd be at work in the hospital and Marianne would be teaching at the university and doing research with the museum, while Lucas would start his new program at LCU.

In fact the only person who's life wouldn't return to something mundane was Grace. She wasn't actually a supermodel, but she worked with them as a fashion photographer. Apparently she just finished an assignment in London, and next month she'd be starting at a new gig in Venice.

Then again, I had to admit it was hard to call any of our lives mundane.

Marianne and I were both two-thirds demon, and both of us could absorb negative energy from humans. My girlfriend fed on anger and hatred, while I consumed fear and pain. Either way, we both left people feeling better than they did before encountering us.

We were both young and healthy and gorgeous, and we'd stay that way for decades if not centuries. We had some limited demonic magic, but neither of us had really learned how it worked yet.

My little brother was formerly my dad, and he was still human. For now at least. There was an open invitation for him to join us if he wanted, and he hadn't turned it down yet. And my big sister was the six-thousand-year-old demoness responsible. She was my best friend, she was family, and Lucas and I both owed her our lives. And Marianne and I owed her everything else.

Then there was the other half of our big extended family. Lily and the twins, plus the three succubi girlfriends. Four if you counted Grace, but she was more of a family friend rather than a girlfriend. Either way our extended family was ten or eleven people, and it was amazing. Especially considering how just over four years ago I felt completely alone and isolated.

And in that time I'd gone from sleeping on a ratty sofa in my cousin's unpleasant little flat to sharing a king-sized bed with my girlfriend in a private villa the size of a mansion, with a view from our room overlooking a volcanic caldera in the Aegean.

It really was incredible.

"Hey mater, mehter?" one of the twins called from where they were lazing in the sun by the pool. "Me and Mira were wondering, could we buy this place?"

I nearly choked on my juice at that question. I was scared to find out what it cost just to rent it for two weeks, I couldn't imagine what kind of fortune would be necessary to buy it outright.

Mara continued, "I know it's a lot, but it's really nice! And it'd be cool to be able to come visit whenever we wanted."

"It's much better than my old villa!" the other twin added. "I never had a swimming pool back then. And there's enough bedrooms to house the whole gang here! Mara's right, it'd be amazing if we could just come visit any time!"

Lily rolled her eyes and shook her head, "Do you girls have any idea what that would cost? Not to mention the paperwork we'd have to go through? I think it's more than enough to just rent it for a couple weeks each -"

"Of course we'll buy it," Eva stated loudly as she gave her lover a nudge. "It's a beautiful villa and there's no better way to guarantee it's available next summer than to own it outright ourselves."

"Anyways," she added quietly as she smirked at Lily, "It's only fitting that our girls have a place here once again. Thera was home to a demon since sixteen-hundred BCE. Now after a brief two-thousand-year hiatus, it is home to demons once again."

"Hear hear," I said with a smile as I raised my glass. "A toast, to home."

"To home," Marianne agreed as she lifted her juice too.

Eva did the same, and Lily grudgingly joined us.

"To home," the older demoness responded quietly. "And to family."

Eva, Marianne, and I all responded at once, "Family."

And we were.

~ The End ~