by Eric Vall
Chapter 1
“Dude! It finally came!” My roommate barely withheld his excitement as he barreled into the living room of our apartment with a package in his hand. “Check it out, Jacob.” He smiled as he tore at the brown paper surrounding his purchase.
As he ripped the covering off the package, bits and pieces scattered all across the floor of the living room like confetti. For a second I thought about lecturing Todd about not making a mess of our apartment, but who was I kidding? This place was already a shithole. At least some half-assed confetti would make it feel a little livelier.
My roommate was your stereotypical stoner archetype. Seriously, he looked like he belonged in a hippie van solving mysteries with a Great Dane. Todd’s long, blond hair was always greasy and unkempt, and the smell of the sweet leaf reeked off him so frequently that most people just assumed he was using a hemp-laced cologne. To top off his look, Todd wore a bit of scruff on his chin in the shape of a rough soul patch, as well as a t-shirt with the logo of whatever old-school rock band or metal band that he was currently listening to.
My friend was giddy as he removed the final piece of packaging to reveal a leather-bound book that had to at least be a hundred years old. The book’s pages were wrinkled and dirty, the cover had scuffs all over it, and the spine was screaming for dear life as if it held onto the pages by only a single thread. I was surprised that it didn’t crumble into dust the second it touched Todd’s fingers. He jokingly blew on the cover to remove the nonexistent dust, brushed it off with his left hand, and then started to flip through the pages eagerly.
“What did you get?” I groaned because I had already guessed.
“The answer to all our problems!” My roommate slammed the book closed with a giggle and grinned proudly as he handed me his new reading material.
I took the ancient tome from him as if I was accepting a venomous snake. This thing was hundreds of pages long and had definitely seen a lot of use over its lifetime. I looked at the title- Demonology for Our Time.
“Did you seriously buy another demon book?” I questioned the scraggly man.
“Bro, not just any demonology book,” he tried to explain. “This is the big one. The big tuna. The book to end all books. The one book to rule them all--”
“I get it,” I chuckled. “This thing looks old as fuck, where did you get it?”
“The internet is a wonderful place, my friend,” Todd clicked his tongue at my question. “I found it on this obscure occult website and had it shipped in from the Vatican City. It only cost two-hundred dollars!”
“Wait,” I scoffed. “That wouldn’t happen to have been the two-hundred dollars I gave you for rent now, would it?”
“Don’t be mad.” Todd held out his hands to calm me down. “If all goes as planned, we’ll never have to worry about rent or jobs or that kind of thing ever again!”
“Todd…” I growled at my roommate.
Our apartment may have been super shitty, but at least it was a roof over our heads. I’d been struggling ever since I moved out here from Kansas City a few years ago and, even though he’d been my best friend ever since middle school, Todd sometimes made things difficult with all his impulse buys. We needed food and rent, not books that’d feed his occult hobby. I stood to storm off, but Todd caught me by the shoulder.
“Bro, hear me out,” he pleaded. “When have I ever steered you wrong before?”
“Do you really want an answer to that?” I raised an eyebrow at him.
“Yes, because we both know the answer is never.” He laughed and crossed his arms confidently. “And even if it has happened once or twice in the past, this time will make up for it.” He touched his thumb to his pinkie. “Scout’s honor.”
“Fine.” I sat back down and handed the book back to Todd. “So, what’s it do?” I couldn’t stay mad at Todd for long. For all his crazy shenanigans and odd viewpoints, he always meant well. I’m sure whatever hairbrained scheme he had that went along with buying this book, it was because he wanted to help us get out of our shitty situation. The least I could do was listen. What was the worst that could happen?
“You won’t regret this.” He gave me a pleased nod before he flipped through the book for a few moments. He eventually stopped on a page halfway through the text and gestured at it emphatically. “Do you know what a succubus is?”
“Vaguely.” I nodded. “Aren’t those the hot female demons?”
“Precisely! My vast knowledge must be rubbing off on you,” he giggled. “Succubi are female demons who are summoned to fulfill your wildest fantasies, normally in bed. But they are also said to bring luck, fortune, and even crazy-ass abilities to those who summon them!”
“So…” I trailed off for emphasis. “Your solution to our money problems is to summon one?”
“Survey says- Yes!” He pointed at me and made a dinging noise. “Besides, I’ve got some wild fantasies I’d like them to fulfill as well…”
“I’m gonna stop you there, Todd,” I laughed. “I’ll go along with this. Not because I think it’ll work, but because it would be pointless to have spent all that money on this book and not at least use it once. Where do we begin?”
“First thing’s first,” he said as he read over the text on the page.. “We need a pentagram, a metal bowl, and a piece of paper!” He thought for a moment. “I have just the bowl. It’s by my stuff in the closet. Can you grab it while I start drawing the pentagram?”
“Sure…” I nodded to my friend as he set to work. Finding a bowl wasn’t very hard in this place. Todd had them all over in his bedroom closet. As I stared back at all the “water pipes,” bowls, and other assorted paraphernalia before me, I questioned which bowl a demon would most likely want to use. The blue marble-ish one? The one that was shaped like a dragon? Then I saw it. Right in the center of the collection sat a large metallic chalice. It was blackish-red and had a pair of horns on its stem. Definitely what we were looking for, so I snatched it up and waltzed back out into the living room. Todd had already spread out our furniture and drawn a pentagram on the floor, and he was lighting candles at each corner when he noticed me out of the corner of his eye.
“An excellent choice, Jakey!” He smiled when he saw the one I had selected. He lit the final candle and then brandished a small pocket knife and a piece of paper. “So here’s what happens now,” he explained. “We both take a sheet of paper and write down our wildest fantasies and innermost desires. Make sure the letter is addressed to Lilith.”
“Lilith?” I questioned.
“Yes, Lilith. The first succubus.” He nodded. “In the demon lore, she was the original wife of Adam, but she refused to submit to her husband. That got her banished from the Garden of Eden. After that, she allied herself with Lucifer to become the first demon succubus, and in the eons since she’s become known as the Demon Queen, ruling over every single succubus that has ever existed.”
“You sure know a lot about this,” I couldn’t believe my friend’s encyclopedic rant.
“Oh, that’s just rookie stuff. The knowledge in this book, however, is the big leagues!” He waved off his train of thought. “Anyways, after writing our letters to Lilith, we need to smear it with a bodily fluid and burn it in the bowl.”
“Please tell me we’re using blood and not jizz,” I joked.
Todd just shrugged. “Succubi prefer semen, but I’m gonna do blood since it’s the essence of the soul and all that. But hey, you do you,” he laughed before offering me the neon-green sticky note. “Now, best get writing.”
I nodded and scribbled down my desires. It’d been awhile since I’d been in a relationship, and the last girl I’d been with made me wonder if she was actually a demon in disguise herself. So, I started there. I jotted down all the qualiti
es I wanted from a hot demon woman, as well as all the crazy things I wanted to do to her in bed and, well, in life in general. When I had finished, I realized Todd was already done, so I motioned for Todd to hand me the knife.
For half a moment, I studied the small pocket knife, and the feel of it in my fingers made this whole endeavor feel way too real. I glanced at Todd, and he gave me an eager smile and nod. I realized that if I bitched out now, my friend would never let me hear the end of it. Besides, what was the worst that could happen? I’d just have a small cut on my finger, and then Todd would mope around the apartment for a few days when he saw that the book didn’t work. Maybe he’d actually stop spending our money on this kind of shit.
I took a deep breath and then raised the knife to the tip of my left index finger. The blade slid along my digit slowly as it left little more than a dull sting in its wake. I closed the knife and handed it back to my roommate, who grinned at me like a maniac.
“Let’s do this,” I said as I met my friend’s eyes.
“You’re not gonna regret this.” Todd said, and I nodded to him.
“It’s weird. Usually, I’m unsure about, well, everything, but this time, I’m really hoping it works.” I laughed as I squeezed the tip of my finger to expel a droplet of blood, which I then smeared onto the letter to Lilith.
“Me too, bro. Me too.” Todd nodded before we each crumpled up our piece of paper and tossed it into the bowl.
Todd grabbed a couple of matches, struck them against the ignition strip of the box, and then dropped them on top of the paper. The sticky notes danced in the black and red cup as they caught fire and incinerated before our eyes, leaving only the faint smell of burnt ash and ferric blood. As the last bit of paper turned to ember, all the lights were cut in our apartment, and the candles blew out with an unseen gust of wind.
“Did it work?” I exclaimed, somewhat freaked out. “That was definitely not normal!”
“I don’t know.” Todd shrugged. “It says here that if the ceremony works, the succubus will come to you in your sleep.”
The lights returned at this point, but a lingering chill spread throughout the apartment. It might have simply been our leaky windows, but it was the middle of the summer. The chill sent a shiver up my spine, and I started to wonder what we had just let in. The absolute last thing we needed in this place was an evil entity causing problems. My landlord already had that role covered.
“Welp, I don’t know about you, but I’m beat.” Todd yawned. “Summoning a demon really takes it out of you! Time to hit the ‘ol dusty trail!”
Todd wiped the blood off his finger onto his pants before he turned around and shuffled off toward his bedroom. As he walked, he whistled a happy tune and nearly skipped across the floor. I tried not to cringe as each of his footsteps creaked and threatened to break through the old wood of the floor.
It was a bit strange because, even though it wasn’t that late, my body told me that it was time for me to head off to bed, too. Was this one of the side-effects of summoning a demon? Not that I cared. For a twenty-something like myself, sleep was a pastime.
I sauntered across the paint-stained hardwood floors of our apartment. Once I finally reached my room, I pulled off my clothes and tossed them onto the pile of dirty laundry in the corner. Then I hopped up on my twenty-year-old mattress and got comfortable. I hadn’t stared at the hole in our ceiling for two minutes before I was out like a light.
The next thing I knew, the sound of rustling coming from across my room jarred me from sleep. I squinted to see if it was a mouse or cockroach that was causing the ruckus, but the room was only illuminated by the sharp red glow of my alarm clock. It read 3 A.M. The witching hour. It couldn’t be. Could it? As my eyes adjusted to the low light, I scanned the bedroom for any sign of an intruder and reached under my bed for good ‘ol Bessie, the baseball bat I kept around in case I found myself in this exact situation. Through the neon glow of the clock, I could scarcely make out a figure standing in my doorway.
“Who the fuck are you? I’m warning you! Get the fuck out of my apartment or I’ll--” I started to demand as I climbed out of bed and readied the bat.
My words caught in my throat when I saw her. There was a naked woman standing in my doorway. Her long black hair ran all the way down her shoulders and barely covered her exposed nipples, which were pink and erect. Her eyes shone through the darkness with a purple haze, illuminating her beautiful sharp features. If not for the unusual glint of her eyes, I would have just assumed she was a regular woman. Was I dreaming? Or was this what I thought it was? Had Todd actually been right…?
The dark-haired woman took a step forward, gently placed her
hand on the bat and stared passionately into my eyes as she lowered the weapon. The violet orbs of her eyes were somewhat hypnotizing as they reflected off the shiny metal of the baseball bat, illuminating her beautiful face in the darkness of the night. If I didn’t know better, I’d have thought she was an angel.
“You won’t be needing this,” she purred seductively. “My name is Libidine. I was sent by Lilith to serve you, Jacob.”
Before my mind could attempt to process the situation, she playfully pushed me back onto the bed. As the springs groaned from the impact, the woman sauntered over to where I lay on my back and climbed on top of me. Then, with a sly smile, she pulled down my boxers. Seconds later, she had my manhood in her hands.
“Don’t worry, Jacob,” she said as she climbed on top of me. “Everything will be just as you wished. I guarantee it.”
Then the succubus lowered her lips onto mine and kissed me passionately.
Chapter 2
The next morning I awoke to the sensation of Libidine’s soft skin snuggled up against my own, her head on my chest, and her right leg wrapped around my waist. Words couldn’t even describe the exhilarating sensations that my body felt over the course of last night’s three-hour love-making session. The succubus had fulfilled all of my wildest fantasies, and then some. Apparently, I had fulfilled many of hers, as well. At least, that’s what the many sounds of pleasure that had filled my room last night had led me to believe. In between the moans and grunts and groans Libidine kept going on and on about how this was the most fun she had experienced in years. It made me wonder what kind of people she normally dealt with.
Libidine was a forceful yet sensual lover. She wasn’t one to dominate, but she knew exactly what she wanted, and she was going to get exactly what she wanted in any way possible. The beautiful naked demon finally stirred and rolled over away from my body as my stomach let out a loud growl. I needed to refuel my exhausted body and stamina.
I carefully slid out of from beneath the succubi and tossed on a pair of sweatpants to cover my lower half. As I tugged on my pants, I admired the woman’s curvy body again. Was I still dreaming? I thought about pinching myself, but Libidine began to stir.
“Good morning, loverboy,” she mused.
“Morning,” I ran my hand through the woman’s dark hair lovingly. “Would you like something to eat? We don’t have much, but I’ll gladly offer you some cereal and a cup of coffee.”
“That sounds marvelous,” she purred.
As I slowly strutted out to the kitchen, I wondered if Todd had the same luck as I had. Maybe he was able to summon the perfect stoner succubi, if there was such a thing. I laughed to myself and pulled out a couple of white ceramic bowls from my cupboard and two spoons to go along with them.
As I poured the coffee grounds into our machine, I thought about the incredible night I’d just had. We’d made love for hours, and I fully intended to go back for more once we’d filled our bellies.
While the coffee maker churned anb bubbled, I sifted through the cupboards. All the way in the back, behind the dozens of boxes of ramen, was a package of cornflakes. Or should I say, corn bran or corn crisps or whatever the generic version of the cereal was called. Only the best for Jacob Ralston. Maybe someday we could afford the name brand stuff. But today was n
ot that day.
I emptied the rest of the box into the two bowls, topped it off with some milk, and then I walked back over to the coffee maker as it churned out the black nectar of caffeine into the pot below. I poured the coffee into two of the five mugs we owned as I prepared to take it back to Libidine. It might not be much, but I was willing to give anything and everything to the Goddess in my bedroom.
“Hello again handsome,” I heard her say after I finished pouring the coffee, and I looked up to see her standing in the doorway of my room. For half a moment, my head spun as I took in her perfectly naked body, and I could feel my heart hammer inside my chest as if it was a train engine.
“Uhhh, h-h-hi,” I stuttered as I forced myself not to stare at her nipples. Instead I focused on her purple eyes as the room began to slow its spin. “I just finished making breakfast.”
“Ohhh, good,” she purred, and then she sauntered across the kitchen and took a seat at the table.
I passed her the bowl of cereal and the coffee mug. Then I sat in my own chair, raised the spoon up to my mouth, and tasted a familiar, stale crunch. Normally, breakfast time me thought about how much I hated my job and how much I wanted to just leave and start a new life somewhere else, but today all I could think about was Libidine and the incredible night we’d shared.
“Did you have a good time last night? I know I did,” Libidine cooed as she raised her spoonful of cereal.
I watched her tongue move past her lips and slowly slide along the underside of the spoon. She let out a soft moan when she tasted the milk, and then she closed her eyes and sighed as she eased the metal utensil past her full lips and into her mouth. The succubus leaned back in her chair and raised her face up as she let out another sigh, and then she gently pulled the spoon out of her mouth with a loud popping sound.
I think I forgot to breathe.
“Well?” She quirked an eyebrow.
“Uhhh… huh?” I asked.
“Did you have a good time last night?” she giggled.
“Is that even a question?” I winked, “three hours and seven climaxes between the two of us should answer your question.”
