Frey’s life, old and new.

Alice ate dinner with us and I apologized to her for the awkwardness before she left. She was understanding as always but I still felt bad. She came to hang out and the mood got all serious.

Later that evening I caught mom on her phone, texting and reading with worry in her face while in her bedroom. I knocked on her door and she looked up at me.

“I’ll be fine, mom. I’m not the helpless kid I used to be anymore.”

That got a smile out of her. “That’s right, you’re not. Regardless, I’ll worry about you until I’m dead, and even then I’ll continue worrying if your grandma’s talk about ghosts is true. God knows you’re giving me reasons to worry.”

“I’m sorry…”

Mom shook her head. “Not your fault. But you’re right. You’re probably in a better position to handle things than I am. Just… don’t be afraid to rely on me, okay? I get how much those girls mean to you, but accepting that offer is not your only option.”

“...Okay. Thanks, mom. Goodnight.”

I was painful. Mom was confused. She wanted to help me but didn’t know how. She was out of her depth, and I was only ever so slightly more qualified to handle this. I didn’t like making her feel like that.

I had a hard time falling asleep. Trying not to think about this stuff made me think about it more. Eventually, though, sleep did take me, and I opened my eyes to find myself in a known atmosphere of a dream version of my bedroom.

I looked around and saw Frey sitting on my desk. The flowing light of her eyes directed at me, staring without saying a word.

“What is it?” I asked her, sitting up.

“Maybe it would be better if I left,” she said. “I don’t know if the power I can give you is worth the troubles I bring.”

I frowned at her. “What?”

“Your mother is right to worry. Accepting this guy’s offer means stepping further into the world of the supernatural. I don’t know if I can protect you from everything. Maybe you’d be better off if I left.”

“You don’t get to decide that,” I told her. “It’s one thing if I’m not of use to you anymore, but you don’t get to decide if I’m better off without you.”

“...”

I got out of bed and stood up. The action made me remember that Frey used to have me in a very disinterested and detached state when we first started talking. She would suppress my emotions so I wouldn’t talk back. She would tell me how things were going to be and I should just accept it. Now, though, there wasn’t any of that. I could move freely in my dream, my emotions were my own.

“If you were gone I’d have **** but to move on,” I told her. “I’d lose the powers you gave me. Who knows if I’d be able to maintain the relationship I have with the girls without them. I don’t want to lose them, but… I think I’d be able to move on if I did, eventually. It’s all thanks to you giving me the opportunity to grow up, Frey. I’m not the same kid who runs away from his fears and problems anymore. So I hope you’ll believe me when I say that I’d be sad if you left, and not because I’d be losing your powers.”

“...” Frey looked up to the ceiling, sighing. Her usually flowing bottom half turned into curvy legs, all so she could hug her new knees. “I was a succubus in a small tribe that had been struggling to survive after our city fell in a war. I was never a warrior or anyone special. Just a citizen, so I was more dead weight than help. Then someone came back into our lives. Lady Ishtar. I’ve mentioned her, remember? She was our princess in the literal sense. She was strong, confident and determined. I admire her even now, but I doubt she ever paid much, if any attention to me. She… didn’t come back like herself, though. She had become a Spirit of Lust and had possessed a young human man. Together, he and Lady Ishtar helped our tribe get on our feet and become stronger. I admit, I was… jealous of that man. He wasn’t just a guy Lady Ishtar took control over. He seemed so much more to her. A ‘partner’, she used to call him. I admired Lady Ishtar, so seeing that a normal human was more useful to her than me… I felt useless, a waste of space and resources. I ran away, came to this world and wandered for… Gods, I don’t know how long. That’s a huge gap in my memory. But next thing I knew, I found you. Hurt, frustrated, full of pent up arousal, weak… I took my chance. Now… Now I understand how Lady Ishtar felt about her human, at least somewhat. To her, he was a friend, a partner, a lover, a husband.” Frey chuckled. “I think things are a little different between us. You’re frail, anxious, insecure and weak. Just like me. It just so happens that I’ve lived longer than you. Makes me want to help you. I… I want to be stronger, Oliver. Strong enough to support you, to protect you. Sorry about what I said earlier. I’m not going anywhere. I found where I belong and it’s here with you.”

I stepped closer and… tried to hug her. It was weird. She was a ghostly form, yet hugging her felt like hugging cotton. Still, Frey hugged me back, chucking weakly and shaking her head.

“I hate getting sappy like this,” she said.

“I know. But it’s not like anyone else is watching, right?”

“Thank fuck.”

We laughed, but when I was ready to pull away, it was Frey who tightened the hug. “I mean it. I’ll be stronger. You go and convince Luke Allen to let you talk to at least one of his girls. I’ll do the rest. Believe in me.”

“I always have.”

“You might experience some headaches, though.”

“That’s fine."

To this day the intricacies of magic elude me, but looking back, I think that night had a strong effect on Frey. After that, she started to become what she always wished she was.

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