I rolled over again and gently rested my hand on Daraxandriel’s bare hip. She was awfully happy becoming a succubus again. I thought she liked being human. I liked her that way. She didn’t have a tail that wanted to strangle me and I didn’t wake up covered in sweat every morning. Wait a minute. If she’s a succubus again, why isn’t she hot? I snatched my hand back and leaned away from her. Oh my God! This is Lilith!
I bumped against Daraxandriel again – the real Daraxandriel – and she murmured something incoherent before nudging me back with her elbow. I sat up and scrubbed my palms on the covers, trying to remove any trace of Lilith from my hands. I felt vaguely unclean.
Unfortunately, I was also wide awake now. Great, I thought resignedly. Could things get any worse?
It was clear I wasn’t going to drop off to sleep again anytime soon and if I tossed and turned too much, I was going to wake my charges. I heaved a sigh and carefully crawled out of the bed, pausing with my hand on the door knob to glance back at them. They lay there peacefully in the faint moonlight, like two sleeping angels. It was almost possible to forget that one of them was a demon and the other one was evil.
I eased the door open and peeked out into the hallway, but everything was dark and quiet. I considered retrieving my pants to cover up my boxers but I figured the odds of me encountering anyone at this time of night were virtually nil, so I stepped out and closed the door silently.
I couldn’t help but cast an apprehensive glance at Mrs. Kendricks’ door. No light showed underneath and I wondered if she was disappointed that I didn’t take advantage of her subtle invitation to share her bed tonight. I had to admit I was tempted – well, maybe curious was a better description – but I reminded myself firmly that giving in to her was just asking for trouble down the road.
Instead, I headed for the kitchen, thinking maybe a glass of milk might help me relax. To my startled surprise, someone was already in there.
“Well, hello, Peter,” said Mrs. Kendricks quietly. “I didn’t expect to see you up.” She sat at the table in the dark, outlined by a swath of moonlight coming in through the windows, a cup of what was probably tea sitting in front of her. She still wore her nightgown but her wands were missing and her hair was down. “Is everything all right?”
“Oh, uh, yes,” I stammered. “I, ah, woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep. What are you doing here?”
“Thinking,” she sighed. “You’ve handed me quite a conundrum.”
“Oh. Sorry,” I said, chagrined, and she laughed softly.
“It’s not your fault, Peter,” she assured me. “I think we can point the finger at Lilith without too much argument.” She gestured to the chair across from her and I took it awkwardly, all too aware that I was sitting in my underwear in front of a beautiful woman who made it very clear from the start that she wanted me.
“What are we going to do about her?”
“There’s not much we can do at the moment, unfortunately. She’s human now.”
“That’s just a technicality,” I argued. “She’s really a succubus.”
“A succubus cursed with humanity.”
“So?”
“So the usual sorts of things we can do to rid ourselves of a demon won’t work on her.”
“Oh.” An uncomfortable thought occurred to me. “Is that why you never did anything about Dara?”
Mrs. Kendricks was silent for a long time and I felt a knot twist in my stomach. “Dara helped us against Dr. Bellowes,” she said finally. “She deserves our gratitude for that.”
“But now that she’s a real demon again?” I pressed, although I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear her answer.
“I’ll do what I can to help her,” she said. She didn’t add for now out loud, but I heard it clearly anyway. “I think the better question is, why do you want to help her so much? What does she mean to you?”
I really didn’t want to tell her the truth but she deserved to know. Maybe she’d finally give up on me. “I love her.”
“Even though she’s a soulless demon?” she asked mildly.
“She has a soul.”
“It’s not hers. She can’t keep it.” I already knew that so I didn’t bother arguing the point. “Why do you love her?”
“Because –” I stopped and then shook my head. “I don’t know.”
“Is it gratitude? She helped you defeat Dr. Bellowes and save Susie, after all.”
“No. Well, maybe. A bit,” I admitted.
“Or is it lust? She’s very beautiful, both as a human girl and as a demon.” I didn’t answer. “Chivalry, perhaps? She’s trapped in a strange and hostile world and you’re her only friend.” I shook my head. That didn’t seem quite right either. “Maybe it’s simply friendship. You’re two kindred spirits who enjoy being together and doing things together.”
I snorted. “It’s mostly french fries and Legends of Lorecraft.”
Mrs. Kendricks laughed quietly and then sobered. “Have you had sex with her?”
I considered sputtering in indignant outrage at the suggestion but she’d see right through that. “No.”
“Why not? Susie told me you two sleep in the same bed.”
“She doesn’t want to. She just wants to hold me at night.”
“She may be afraid of hurting you.” I looked at her doubtfully and she shook her head. “Emotionally, not physically. She knows her days on Earth are numbered, one way or the other. She doesn’t want you to get too attached to her.”
That echoed what Melissa said to me in the restaurant. “Then why is she always with me?”
“Because she’s afraid for herself too. She needs you to be her hero.” I tensed when she reached over to me across the table but she just lifted the Philosopher’s Stone by its chain. “She gave you a very rare and precious gift,” she mused. “Many people would literally sell their souls for this, like Dr. Bellowes did. Dara could have bought her freedom a thousand time over with this.”
“I don’t even know what it does.” The ruby’s facets flashed as it twisted in the moonlight. “It’s not a wardstone.”
“No, it’s a Source.” I could hear the capital S in her voice.
“A source of what?”
“Of life. All the spells we cast consume our life energy – sometimes a little, sometimes a lot – and it takes time to replenish it. There are limits to what a witch can do in a day. With this Stone, there aren’t any limits. It’s an infinite well of power that can be tapped by those who know how. It can rejuvenate you when you’re tired, heal you when you’re sick or injured, even extend your life.” She released the Stone and it swung back and tapped me on my sternum.
“But I don’t know how to do any of those things,” I protested. “Giving it to me was a total waste.”
“Do you really think so, Peter?” she countered. “How did you power all those spells you cast back then? Why weren’t you exhausted at the end of it?” She reached over and tapped the Stone, sending it swinging again. “You already know how to use it.”
“Maybe I did then but I don’t have those powers anymore. I’ll never be a hero again.” I couldn’t disguise the touch of bitterness in my voice.
“Never is a very long time, Peter,” she said, sitting back in her chair. “Be patient.” She cocked her head thoughtfully. “So did you have any problems getting Melissa home?”
“Huh?” Her non sequitur caught me by surprise but she just waited for me to answer. “Ah, no, not really,” I stammered as I felt my ears warming.
“I’m glad to hear it.” Mrs. Kendricks wrapped her hands around her teacup, smiling in a way that made me strongly suspect she knew exactly what happened with Melissa. “The initiation affects everyone a little bit differently. It can lead to some ... unusual behavior.”
“No kidding,” I mumbled and her smile broadened. “So what happened to you, then?”
She laughed. “For about a day, I was convinced I could talk to animals.”
“Really?”
&nbs
p; “Really. My mother practically had to lock me in my room until it wore off. I kept running into the woods behind our house to converse with the squirrels.”
“So could you? Talk to animals, I mean?”
She considered that. “It’s hard to tell, actually. I haven’t been able to do it since, so I suppose not.” She sounded disappointed.
“Too bad. It would have been a handy skill to have.”
“Not really. What do squirrels have to talk about except nuts and other squirrels?”
I had to laugh at that. “Good point.”
“Do you love Melissa?”
That threw me for another loop. “Wh – what?”
She leaned her head on her hand. “Do you love her? It’s obvious she loves you.”
“I just told you I love Dara!” I protested.
“That doesn’t stop you from loving Melissa too.” She cocked an eyebrow at me. “Well? Do you?”
I had no idea why she was quizzing me about my supposed love life. Maybe she was just scoping out the competition. Her expression made it clear she wasn’t going to give up without getting an answer, though.
“I don’t know,” I said finally. “Maybe.”
“Have you had sex with her?”
I wanted to bury my face in my hands and pretend none of this was happening. I settled for rubbing my forehead instead.
“No.”
“Why not?” She waited patiently while I thought that through.
“I don’t want to hurt her,” I decided. “She’s had all sorts of relationship problems already and I don’t want to make it worse for her.”
“But she wants you, doesn’t she?”
“Yes,” I sighed.
“I think Melissa’s afraid, like Dara, but for different reasons. She’s afraid of making another mistake, but now that she’s finally found someone she trusts, she’s also afraid you’ll leave her. She’s offering herself to you so that you’ll stay with her.” Mrs. Kendricks smiled wistfully. “She needs a hero too.”
I shook my head. “I can’t save everyone.”
“You don’t need to save everyone,” she told me. “Just those two, for now.”
“Don’t you need a hero too?” That came out a bit harshly but her eyes twinkled with amusement.
“Oh, no, I’m good,” she assured me. “Thanks for offering, though.”
“Then what was all that nonsense about wanting me?”
“Oh, it’s not nonsense,” she said easily. “I do want you.”
“Why?”
She shrugged. “I have a thing for heroes.”
“I’m not a hero,” I insisted.
“You were last month.”
“Except you wanted me before any of that happened.”
“You’ve always been a hero, Peter,” she said. “You just never had a chance to prove it until then.”
I watched her as she rose from the table and carried her cup to the sink, rinsing it out and setting it aside. The moonlight shone through her nightgown, silhouetting her voluptuous figure against the thin silk. I had very little doubt that she knew that it would.
“I don’t love you,” I said quietly.
“I know,” she replied. “I don’t need you to.” She stood there like she was waiting for me to say or do something, but I just sat there. I couldn’t see her face clearly with the moonlight behind her and I wondered what she was thinking. “I’m going to bed now,” she said finally. “We have a lot to do tomorrow.”
“All right,” I said. “Good night.”
Something about the tilt of her head told me she was disappointed by my choice but she didn’t say anything else. She just paused on her way out of the kitchen to touch her lips to my forehead and then she vanished down the hall without a backwards glance. I stayed where I was for a long time, watching the moonlight creep across the kitchen floor.
8
I’ve noticed that sibling rivalry seems to scale with family size. My friends with a lot of brothers and sisters talk about their problems with violations of personal space, petty arguments over whose turn it is to load the dishwasher, stupid pranks that get out of hand, and accusations that their parents always liked the other one better. My theory is that everyone only has a limited amount of patience to deal with the inevitable frictions that arise when too many people share too little space. Once that’s used up, the smallest things just erupt into arguments, hair-pulling, and threats to tell Dad.
In contrast, Susie and I get along just fine, although that’s mostly because she avoids me – and everyone else – most of the time. She has her interests and I have mine and we don’t have to compete for Mom and Dad’s affections. I don’t recall ever fighting with Susie over anything important and I’d risk my life to save hers. I did exactly that last month.
I have to believe that, underneath all the yelling, all those rival siblings still love each other. Otherwise, why are they wasting all that time and effort breathing each other’s air and crossing that invisible line on the car seat? They wouldn’t bother doing any of that to some stranger they happened to sit beside, unless there’s something seriously wrong with them.
The first light of morning seeped through the windows as I opened my eyes again, making the room look like an oil painting. I was on Daraxandriel’s side of the bed but her sauna of a body wasn’t pressed up against mine as usual. I levered myself up and saw her spooning against Lilith instead, her arms and her tail wrapped around her sister with her chin resting on the top of Lilith’s head. It was a surprisingly sweet picture, although I knew it would immediately devolve into chaos the instant one of them woke up.
Somewhere in the house, a door opened and closed and I heard a mumbling of conversation. It got closer and I sat up, straining to hear what Mrs. Kendricks and Stacy were talking about. I couldn’t make anything out until they passed the door.
“So what are we going to do?” That was Stacy, sounding irritable. “They can’t stay here.”
“I have an idea,” Mrs. Kendricks assured her. “We might be able to capture –” Her voice faded out and I hurriedly slipped out of bed and ran to the door, hoping to catch the rest of her explanation. I eased the door open and leaned out, but my breath caught in my throat and every other thought evaporated from my head.
The two of them were standing in front of their bedroom doors, exchanging some final words, but all I heard was the stuttering beat of my heart against my ribcage. They obviously just came from greeting the dawn, because they were both skyclad. In other words, one hundred percent naked.
Their backs were to me so I couldn’t see anything especially revealing, but my view offered clear and incontrovertible proof that butt shape was hereditary. The location of Mrs. Kendricks’ elusive fourth wardstone remained unverified, however, as they stepped into their rooms and closed their doors.
I retreated into the bedroom, setting my back against the door as I let out a shaky breath. I rarely saw Stacy out in the real world and up to now she’d always been fully clothed. She had more in common with her Lorecraft character Liriel Moondancer than I ever suspected and I felt a tiny surge of envy. Her boyfriend Todd was a lucky guy.
I retrieved my pants from the floor and sat down on the edge of the bed to pull them on. Daraxandriel stirred and rolled onto her back with her arm flopping across the empty space where I’d been lying. Her hand swept back and forth, just missing me, and a frown pulled down the corners of her mouth before she drifted back down into sleep. Lilith, on the other hand, remained absolutely still and I had to check to make sure she was still breathing.
The hallway was empty when I stepped out but I heard a rush of water from the bathroom. Someone’s taking a shower, I deduced. Stacy, probably. Little Peter immediately conjured up a mental image of the proceedings and I told him to mind his own business. If Stacy ever suspected I’d caught a glimpse of her in the altogether, I was a dead man.
I went into the kitchen and looked around doubtfully, wondering what to do about food. I di
dn’t know whether Mrs. Kendricks intended to make breakfast for everyone but grabbing something just for myself seemed rude. I compromised by hunting through the cabinets for a glass and pouring myself a glass of milk from the refrigerator.
“Good morning, Peter.” I turned and found Mrs. Kendricks standing there. She wore a simple sleeveless dress with a tiny floral pattern and her hair was impaled with her wands again. “I didn’t expect to see you up so early. We didn’t wake you, did we?”
“Ah, no, not at all,” I assured her, clearing my throat. If she didn’t realize I’d seen her and Stacy, I certainly wasn’t going to tell her. “Did you sleep all right?”
“Well enough, I suppose.” She took her stainless steel kettle from the stove and filled it at the sink. “Not as well as I would have liked.” The reproving look she gave me made it clear that it was my fault. I hid my discomfort by sipping my milk. “I hope our guests behaved themselves properly. I didn’t hear any shouting last night,” she noted as she set the kettle on the stove and lit the burner.
“Not after they finally conked out. Demons sleep like rocks,” I observed wryly.
“Do they? I wouldn’t know, I’ve never slept with one.” She was taking a glass casserole dish out of a lower cabinet so she couldn’t see my ears turning pink.
Stacy came in then, wearing a UT Southwestern t-shirt and dark track pants. She eyed the two of us as if she was trying to discern if we’d been up to anything untoward. I tried really hard to look innocent but it turned out to be a lot more difficult than it should have been. Her shirt was a bit snug and my eyes kept wanting to stray south.
“So when do you want to get started?” she asked her mother. She retrieved two mugs from another cabinet and set them on the counter. “I’m supposed to meet up with Todd this afternoon.” She took a half-loaf of homemade bread from an enameled box and started slicing it up with a long serrated knife.
“After we eat,” Mrs. Kendricks told her. “It shouldn’t take long if everything goes well.” She shooed me aside and opened the fridge.
“What shouldn’t?” I asked uneasily. Despite Mrs. Kendricks’ assurances, I still wasn’t entirely convinced she was on Daraxandriel’s side.
Soul Mates Page 8
