Over the last few days, the only thing Lori could think of was whether or not to take those last two lives. The song, Cruel To Be Kind kept playing in her mind.

She tried to reason her conflicting emotions. On one hand, it was two more people and it would all be over. On the other hand, if she didn’t take them, she would be taking lives for the rest of her life. Deep down inside, Lori knew the truth behind her struggle, because either way, people were going to die. Her real reason that she kept denying was that she was starting to enjoy it.

For her, enjoying this was the hardest thing to admit. There was a power in it that Lori had never experienced before. Her entire life had been in a straight line, never taking risks or pushing boundaries. It was a thrill and it gave her such a rush to be completely out of control.

Lori took her third pass around her room when a thought popped in her head. She looked at her clock and saw it was already 5 PM, her mother would be home from work. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought to ask this before.

Lori ran downstairs and found her mom at the kitchen counter cutting up chicken and watching her soap opera like she had done every day of Lori’s entire life.

“Mom?”

Her mom was zoned out to some commercial for laundry soap and never responded. ‘Maybe she would have been better off as a succubus if this is the most interesting part of her life,’ Lori thought and snapped her fingers.

“Mom, seriously, you don’t have to watch the commercials, it’s recorded.”

Her mother jumped, startled from her zoning. “Well, I do if I have raw chicken on my hands.”

“Mom, I have a question. Has anyone ever decided not to break the curse? I mean has any woman in our family decided to just say screw it and become a succubus?”

The silence was almost deafening. Her mother gave her such a sad look that Lori knew the answer was yes. "One time that I know of.” She dismissed Lori and looked back at the TV and continued to cut up the chicken.

“Who? Mom, come on, you know that I am not going to let up until you tell me.”

“Lori, I don’t think us talking about it is going to help you. There’s no point and it’s a choice you have to make on your own.”

“Jesus mom! Just fucking spill it!”

Her mother’s back stiffened with anger. She dropped the knife on the counter and turned to wash her hands. “Do not speak to me like that. I don’t see what the big deal is.”

“Oh my God, mom are you that clueless? I’m changing. I’m fucking people and then eating them! And the worst part about all this is, I’m starting to like it, now will you just answer the Goddamn question.”

Her mom's face was bright red now and she looked as if she was going to cry which made Lori start to feel bad. She loved her mother but she was feeling more and more like a Barbie who a child had left out in the sun… Ready to crack.

Her mom took a deep breath as if to relax before she gathered up the chicken and put it in the pan. "I know and I'm sorry. It's been so long for me and in many ways, I forgot what it's like to go through this. I put it so far behind me.” She paused to gather the peppers and onions and began chopping them. Her mother looked up and said softly. “Your great-grandmother Alice chose to be a succubus.”

Lori felt a million thoughts and questions flow through her mind at once. Why would her great-grandmother choose to be one? How could she have still had a family? Did that mean she wouldn’t look like a monster? She never remembered Grandma Alice looking scary to her. In fact, she was always the sweetest woman and smelled like sugar cookies. She shook her head.

"I see you're confused and I understand. I'll try to explain the best I can, but first, you better sit down."

Lori sat on one of the bar stools and watched her mother continue to make her favorite dinner, chicken fajitas, and tell the story of her great-grandma succubus. ‘Just another normal day in my house,’ Lori thought sarcastically.

“When I was a little younger than you are now, my mother sent me to stay with my grandma Alice. I was excited because I loved being there. I had spent nearly every summer of my life there. One night I couldn't sleep. It was an extra hot summer evening and I decided to go out for some fresh air.”

She paused to added the peppers and onions to the pan and waited for the sizzle to ease before she continued. “Well, I hadn't got far when I heard sounds and voices coming from the barn. I was such a nosey teenager that I crept slowly towards them to see what was happening. As I peered around a large stack of hay I saw my grandma Alice and this strange man illuminated by the moonlight. They were completely naked and from what I could tell at the time, they were…” her voice trailed off and she waved her hand and gave Lori a, 'you know' look.

Lori laughed at her mother not being able to say the word considering what they were discussing. “They were having sex?”

“Don’t laugh at me. Yes, they were having sex. Grandma Alice leaned forward to kiss him and the sound of pleasure suddenly turned into screams of pain. She pushed back, sitting up straight and her mouth was covered in blood. It slid down her chin and dripped onto her breasts. I was so shocked and scared by what I saw that I stumbled backward. As I fell to the ground I swear she turned to look at me. I got to my feet and ran as fast as I could. Lori, I was so scared, I thought my heart was going to explode out of my chest. I mean Christ, my grandmother was a vampire!”

Lori stood up and grabbed the plates and napkins to set the bar top. “God mom, I would have thought the same thing. What happened? Did she come and get you?”

“No. I ran straight to my room and locked the door. I laid under my covers terrified she would come in and try to kill me. At some point, I had fallen asleep because the next thing I knew the sun was shining brightly through my window. I got slowly out of bed confused and hoping that it was all a dream. I made my way to the kitchen and she had breakfast for me like normal and she greeted me like normal. She handed me a big cup of orange juice and said, ‘We need to talk.’ I think my heart stopped.”

“Mine would have,” Lori said through a mouth full of food. “So what did she tell you?”

“She told me that the ladies in this family had been cursed by a tribe of gypsies as far back as the 1800’s. One of the men in the town had professed his love for a young gypsy girl. He pursued her and then finally took her innocence. He had promised to marry her and take her away, make her a proper lady. Instead, he left her the next day and married the woman he had been betrothed to."

"He was already set to marry someone else? What a dick! No wonder she cursed him," Lori snapped.

Her mother handed her a napkin and gave her a sad smile and continued, "The young gypsy was only seventeen and in the eyes of her people, she was spoiled. Unfit for marriage or anything else. It was all too much for her. The story was, she found the man and killed him in his bed while his pregnant wife slept. She forced her to drink her husband’s blood and placed the curse of the succubus on her unborn child.”

Lori no longer felt like eating and stared at her mother. “But no one knows what happened to the gypsy? Or if the curse can be broken? How did great-grandma Alice manage to stay married and have my grandma?”

Her mother also pushed her plate away. “No one knows about the gypsy girl or if there is an end to the curse. I’m sorry. Grandma Alice was already in love with my grandpa when she turned. Her grandmother told her to take from others, but that she could pull from grandpa without actually killing him. So that's what she chose to do. Grandpa was completely under her spell. She would find men to have sex with when the urge was too strong, but she lived happily with grandpa, pulling from him until he finally died. It crushed her, but she also loved the rush from all that power. She told me that she felt guilty at times, but it’s hard to tell what was real and was just for show with her.”

"How'd she pull from him?"

Her mother shrugged. "I don't know. I never asked because becoming a succubus wasn't an option for me."

Lori didn't even blink under her mother's steady gaze. Finally, she stood and took her plate to the sink. It was all too much. The story upset her far more than she thought it would. All because a man had tricked a girl into giving him what he wanted. He had used her with no regard for her family beliefs or values. “So now hundreds of men have died because of one selfish prick.”

“Yes.”

Lori needed to go away.

Her mom's eyes were large and sad. "Lori honey, I know it’s hard but please break the curse. I don't know how many you have left but power through."

‘I don’t know if I can,’ Lori thought and went slowly back upstairs to her room.

She decided to shower, but while in there all she thought about was the story. She needed a distraction and the first person she thought of was Harriet. Maybe they could watch a movie and just hang out like they used to.

Lori stepped out of the shower and saw there was writing on the fogged mirror. “You’re going to lose” It seemed to taunt her.

“What the fuck?” she mumbled.

“Give up already," a voice whispered.

“No, I won’t give up! I can do this. I can beat you,” she said with angry determination.

Laughter filled the bathroom.

"Shut up!” Lori yelled and left the bathroom.

‘I can do this,’ she repeated to herself and picked up her phone to send Harriet a text.

“Hey, bitch. I’m coming over, I need a movie night.”

Her phone beeped immediately afterward. “Bout fuckin’ time.”

She pulled her clothes on and threw her hair into a ponytail. “I just need one night of normal,” she said and left for Harriet’s.

Harriet was at the door waiting for her and the girls went up to her room. There was already popcorn and cookies on her desk, along with drinks in a mini cooler.

‘Just like always,’ she smiled at how normal it was. Then she turned and looked at the floor. It was no surprise to see that Harriet had already picked a stack of movies for her to choose from. Her smile widened.

She went through the movies and for the first time in her life and to Harriet’s disappointment she skipped horror movies. ‘I’ve had enough horror,’ she thought to herself as she picked up a cheesy looking comedy.

Harriet frowned. “Aw man, that was supposed to be for after we watched Race With The Devil. I’ve been saving it for you.”

Lori laughed, "Why did you give me such a big pile of movies to choose from if you wanted that one?"

It was the same routine every time. Harriet would hand her a pile of movies but secretly have one in the pile that she wanted to watch and somehow Lori never picked that one.

“Well, because I like to give you options before I decide what we actually watch. I want you to feel like you have a choice.” Harriet laughed and gave her a wink.

They were watching Race With The Devil and joking about old times when Lori felt something strange start to happen to her body. It was a familiar feeling, an ache, but not unpleasant. A warm tingle began to flood her and her clit started to throb with a need to be touched.

She closed her eyes and the image of Harriet with her head between Lori’s legs, and her warm wet mouth lapping against her cunt popped into her mind. ‘No,’ she thought, feeling her body starting to lose control. Harriet and she opened her eyes and situated herself trying to focus on the movie.

Lori starred straight ahead and watched the characters moving and talking, but the only thing she could hear was Harriet’s rich, slightly husky laugh. She could feel it sliding along her skin, she could feel it touching her everywhere, she could even feel it glide along her pussy. Lori struggled with the desire to touch herself.

She kept glancing at Harriet. She was wearing the same clothes as Lori, the same thing they had worn to bed for a while now, a tank top and a pair of Soffee shorts. Tonight it was different. Tonight, Lori saw how much the shorts rode up Harriet’s long leg, exposing the bottom cheeks of her ass. The tank was pulled low and Harriet’s cleavage was on full display. She leaned to the side to adjust, Lori caught a glimpse of a nipple and she moaned softly.

“What?” Harriet asked and shoved more popcorn into her mouth.

“Nothing,” Lori mumbled and took a sip of her soda. ‘What is wrong with me? She is so sexy, but I can’t, she’s my best friend. It would be so wrong.”

She adjusted her legs, rubbing her thighs together. She pulled the blanket up a little higher and tried to stop her hands from creeping closer to her shorts. She clenched her hands into fists, but when she looked back over to Harriet she had spread her legs some and kicked her feet back and forth in the air. Her shorts had ridden up a little higher and exposed the side of her cunny.

Lori felt more juices flood her opening and when her fingers finally slid under the blanket and into her shorts she felt her soaking wet panties clinging to her lips. She bit her lip and pressed her middle finger onto her clit through her panties.

Panic hit her, but her finger never stopped rubbing her panties onto her swollen nub. She thought, ‘If Harriet looks over at me, she will know what I’m doing and it will be the end of our friendship. I’ll lose her and for what? A moment of pleasure?”

Harriet turned to look at her and whatever she was going to say was forgotten. She sat up slowly her eyes locked on the moving bulge underneath the blanket.

Lori couldn’t stop, it made her body throb harder at being watched.

Harriet’s voice was almost a whisper, “What are you doing?”

“I’m sorry,” Lori said with a sob.

Her friend got on her hands and knees and moved slowly closer. She tugged gently on the blanket until she could see Lori’s hand down her shorts. “Were you touching yourself to me?”

“Yes,” she moaned in reply.

To Lori’s surprise, Harriet went on her knees and pulled her shorts down, then sat on her ass and spread her legs. Her pussy was mostly shaven and Lori could tell she was wet as well. “Show me,” Harriet said her own fingers gliding along her puffy lips.

Lori stopped and removed her hand long enough to pull her shorts down. As soon as she kicked them off her ankle she spread her legs and began rubbing her burning hot, dripping cunt. Her fingers moved quickly smearing her juices all around coating her lips.

Harriet watched her closely and started to mimic her best friend. Neither one of them had ever discussed doing this or shown any sexual attraction before, but there was definitely one now.

Lori moaned at seeing Harriet pleasuring herself. She spread her legs wider and kept her eyes locked on Harriet’s fingers as she slid her fingers into her hungry pussy. Feeding it, one and then two, pumping them in and out slowly at first.

She watched as Harriet did the same thing, mirroring her actions so she began to fuck herself faster. Lori was beyond caring now, she couldn't control herself, her mind felt strange and her body felt as it were on fire. Her legs started to shake as her fingers twisted and turned inside of her, juices gushing out around her hand.

Harriet was panting and fucking herself just as hard. It was too much for Lori and all at once it broke. Her eyes closed and her head fell back as she came. Her body jerked and she became aware of someone’s hands on her legs, pulling them down to the floor.

She opened her eyes and saw Harriet on her hands and knee between her legs. “Lay down,” Harriet said. Her voice was ragged and husky, full of desire and it made another spasm shoot through Lori.

Without hesitation Lori slide down onto her back with her head on the pillow she had been leaning against and Harriet crawled between her legs. She draped one leg over Lori’s hip and lowered her pussy onto Lori’s dripping wet cunt.

“Oh God,” she moaned and bent her knee. Harriet wrapped one arm around her knee and placed a hand on Lori’s breast, gripping it tightly as she rocked her hips.

Her pussy was grinding onto Lori’s and her nails were digging into Lori’s breast. Harriet rubbed harder and moaned louder she sounded close to cumming and it pushed Lori into another one.

As her orgasm built she felt the familiar ache building, the warmth was spreading through her body. ‘No,” she thought. The panic grew, she didn’t want to kill her best friend.

“Jesus, Lori,” Harriet moaned. She leaned down, gripped Lori by the hair, and kissed her long and hard. Her body rocked faster and then began to shake.

Lori kissed her deeply and could feel herself breathing in Harriet’s lust. It felt rich and delicious like expensive chocolate. She wanted more and held Harriet to her, drawing it all in.

There was soft laughter echoing in her ears and she became aware of Harriet no longer supporting herself up. She was leaning on Lori and the kiss was weak. She heard the whispered voice of Madame V, “Stop now.” and she did.

‘Was that what my great-grandma had done? And why would I hear Madame V speaking to me?’ Lori thought as the world grew dim and she fell asleep holding her best friend.

Lori was on her side on the floor and sat up slowly. She looked down and saw she was fully dressed. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. ‘It was all a dream,’ she thought.

Harriet is lying next to her and it was obvious they had been cuddling, but they hadn’t had sex. ‘Thank God,’ she thought and laid back down. A few moments later Harriet sat up quickly and looked around the room. She seemed disoriented.

“Holy shit girl. I had the freakiest dream ever. I mean it was kinda hot if I’m being honest.”

A sudden chill ran along Lori’s spine. “Oh?”

“Yes,” she paused and rubbed her face with her hands. “God I feel exhausted. Like I’m getting over the flu or something.” Harriet laid back on the floor and curled up with her pillow.

“That’s odd,” Lori said. Her heart started to pound. ‘What if we did and she just doesn’t remember yet. Jesus, she’ll hate me.’ She turned and looked at her friend. Harriet was really pale and there were dark circles under her eyes. “So… Uh… What was the dream?”

Harriet laughed softly. “Don’t get any funny ideas, but you and I had some insanely good sex. I don’t remember the details, just that it was hot.”

Lori laughed a nervous laugh. “Well, I’m sure if we did it would have been good.”

“Damn right it would be,” Harriet laughed again.

“I think I’m going to head home,” Lori said abruptly. She needed to be alone and think.

“Yeah okay." Harriet waved her off. "I want more sleep anyway.”

Lori was already up slipping into her shoes and gathering her stuff. “Yeah, sounds good. I’ll text you soon.”

She slowly shut the bedroom door behind her and leaned against it. Her head was spinning and she needed to get a hold of herself. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Lori knew she had pulled from Harriet and she didn’t know how. There were a few things running through her mind, 'What made Harriet different? Can I pull from other people and why in the world is Madame V suddenly speaking to me?'