"I guess it’s just you and me, huh?" Syndra whispered with an awkward smile, crouching in front of the wooden crib. "The rest are off to figure out... Well, what happened."
Her elbows lay over the edge of the crib with her chin resting on her hands.
"Most curious," She sighed. "The fact that I’m the one left behind isn’t, though. Nyl made a big deal about us being family, but at the end of the day, I am just your cousin."
The baby was staring right at her, and was perfectly silent.
"I heard rumors that babies are supposed to be slapped on the butt or something. You don’t need me to do that, do you?" Syndra pursed her lips. "Not like I can touch you anyway."
Indeed, the child had been put in complete quarantine.
"Nyl almost punched Tariana for having touched you, you know? Even though Tariana is the one who pulled you out of... Well, there. Most curious," She repeated. "Males are dangerous in the presence of Succubi, after all."
The silent baby blinked and reached forward with its two tiny hands.
"Nu-uh." Syndra immediately moved away. "No touching, as per the Queen’s... Orders..."
The Succubus raised an eyebrow as she thought about it a bit more.
"Hm, you are a male, right?" She asked while staring inquisitively. "You’re not one of those... You know... Futanaris or whatever, right?"
Syndra scratched her head, and the baby moved.
"Hahaha! It was almost like you shook your head to deny it! Hahaha! Mann, babies are funny. And so cute!"
The awkwardness from Syndra’s smile had completely disappeared by now.
"Say, I do wonder though..." She extended a hand forward, dangling it above the baby. "I mean, you came out of Nyl, right?" His tiny hands were desperately trying to reach hers. "Her ability to drain males of their Life Force is in a league of its own, but you came out of her. I mean... You were in physical contact with her for months, weren’t you? She was scared to hold you earlier once she noticed, but that must just be her being emotional. The rest will probably realize it too." Syndra started lowering her hand before seemingly deciding against it. "Since you’re a Succubus’s child, but are a male, then the closest equivalent to what you are is an Incubus, making you immune to our draining ability anyway."
Not just Nyl, but Tariana had touched him too.
If he wasn’t immune, then surely he would have, at the very least, started crying and thrown a tantrum. No one enjoys having their Life Force stolen, after all.
"Hmmmm..." Syndra waved her fingers around, dangling them just out of the baby’s reach. "You’re really trying to touch me, huh? I guess it’s only natural for a baby... I think?"
Syndra was convinced that the baby couldn’t be affected by the draining ability of Succubi, but she still wasn’t sure about letting him touch her, simply because of the Queen’s orders.
She was part of the Royal Family, sure. But she was on the outer edge of that family, with Nyl being at the center, of course. She was supposed to follow orders, even those that the Queen’s "Daughters" would ignore.
’Oh, fuck it. He’s trying so hard to hold my finger! I can’t say no, and I know he’ll be fine!’
In a courageous spirit of familial rebellion, Syndra lowered her hand enough for the child to reach it.
The child’s tiny hands wrapped around her index finger, and squeezed as hard around it as two marshmallows could have.
"My god, you’re just the cutest thing in the...!" Syndra’s sentence was cut short. Her eyes went wide at the unfamiliar sensation. "What is...?!"
Her knees all of a sudden lost all their strength and fell to the ground.
Before the Succubus knew it, she was gasping for air.
’Girl.’
Syndra’s hair stood on end as a remarkably deep and masculine voice resonated. She gulped and looked around her.
’You talk too much.’
The voice was so threatening, filled with so much power and strength, that she refused to believe where it was coming from, despite the answer lying right in front of her.
"How... Are you doing this?" Syndra struggled to ask, feeling her body growing weaker by the second. "Let... Let go of my hand... Let...!"
The Succubus was beyond shocked. Not only was all energy leaving her body, but her hand and arm felt particularly weak. She lacked even the strength to pull her arm away from the child.
’Do not be afraid,’ The voice said as the Succubus strained and grimaced in panic. ’I will not kill you.’
"What the... What do you want? Why are you... Doing this? How...?! Let me go!"
The baby’s eyes narrowed. An annoyance was written all over his face.
’You’re going to do exactly what I tell you to do. You will be just fine,’ He telepathically explained. ’Cousin.’
Syndra gulped, biting her lip nervously.
She couldn’t move away or resist.
The one-day-old baby had her completely dominated.
"F... Fine." Unable to take any more of her Life Force being stolen, Syndra lowered her head, submitting completely. "What do you want?"