by Beverly Rae
“Blake! Watch out for Demogorgon!”
Blake, however, was too busying wrenching the Bracelet out of Michael’s hand to notice my warning. Instead of hot-footing it out of there, he leapt to his feet, clutching the weapon in his hand and turned toward Demogorgon. “Run, Michael. Save yourself.”
“Put on the Bracelet!” I figured he needed protection and since he had the most powerful weapon in the world, why not use it? But not my brave hubby. Instead, he shook his head at me.
“No, Jenn. I can’t.” Sending me a sad smile, he reached out to hand the Bracelet to the monster headed his way.
“No! What do you think you’re doing?” Had Blake fooled me? Had he planned all along to give Demogorgon what he wanted? I rushed toward him not knowing if I’d end up fighting my own husband for the Bracelet or helping him exterminate the High Demon Lord.
I made it halfway to him when he laughed at Demogorgon and lowered his arm. Grinning, he shook his head at his master and laughed again. “Sorry, asshole. The Bracelet isn’t for you. Besides, you don’t look good in gold.” He tilted his head to study the monster headed his way. “Actually, to be brutally honest, you don’t look good in anything.”
At least half of Demogorgon’s tentacles whipped out, wrapped around my husband, and lifted him high into the air. The last tentacle enveloped him, causing Blake to lose his grip on the Bracelet. The Bracelet fell free.
“No!” Blake struggled against the monster holding him, but he couldn’t get loose.
Michael dove after the rolling Bracelet, snatching it off the ground a split second before Demogorgon reached for it. “I’ve got it!” He turned to run, but the demon latched a tentacle around his ankle and pulled him off his feet. Once he’d snagged Michael and the Bracelet, Demogorgon lost interest in Blake and dropped him to the ground.
I started to take advantage of Demogorgon’s attention to Michael, but Blake held up his hand, stopping me in my tracks. “Stay there, babe.”
Confused, I obeyed and skidded to a stop.
Blake picked up one of the harpoons the demon lord had tossed to the ground and rushed him. Like a gladiator fighting for freedom, he launched his body at Demogorgon, shoving the spike deep into the creature’s ear.
I clamped a hand over my mouth, both awed and terrified for my husband. The High Demon Lord screamed a shrill ear-splitting shriek, making Otherworlder and human alike cover their ears. He released Michael, who held the Bracelet to his chest and crawled a few feet away. Pushing himself up, Michael scrambled in the opposite direction.
Amazingly, Demogorgon grew several feet taller and wider, adding to his immense form. With a terrifying growl, he faced Blake. “You have betrayed me! I will tear your heart from your chest and feed on it. Prepare to die, Shytuman.”
How enormous could this creep get? The earth below my feet shook from the creature’s weight and I struggled to keep my balance. “Blake, run!”
But my husband wasn’t going anywhere.
The demon lord screamed again, but this time added a new feature to the evil sound. Black pebble-sized pellets shot out of Demogorgon’s mouth, like a myriad of mini-cannonballs aimed directly at Blake. Horrified, I added my own scream to the chaos.
Everyone froze, including the few remaining ghouls still putting up a fight, their stares locking onto my unmoving husband. I called to him, hoping to spur him into movement. Yet my call only served to make him look in my direction.
The next few moments slowed down, making those seconds last minutes. I swear I thought the world had stopped moving and air no longer drifted around us. Blake’s eyes met mine and I held my breath, reading the message in those deep gray oceans. He knew his message had been received, and the corners of his mouth lifted a little.
Without a doubt, I knew the man I’d married was a demon. Yet, without a doubt, I also knew the man I loved was more human than I had ever believed.
He was prepared to die to save mankind. He was prepared to die to save me.
I reached out even though I was several feet away, needing to touch him one last time. My heart sank to the hole churning in my stomach and I readied myself for my husband’s death.
Michael, however, had other ideas.
Instead of running off as I’d assumed he would do, Michael changed directions, turning toward Blake and Demogorgon. Holding the Bracelet high above his head, Michael threw his body in between Blake and the black rain.
The pellets struck Michael, covering his body from his knees to his chin. The force of the strike altered the direction of his body, sending him flying over Blake’s head to land in a shallow, open grave. He cried out, emitting a horrible sound filled with pain, rage and anguish.
“Michael!” Blake hurried to his brother and I was right behind him. Together, Blake and I leaned over the grave and stared at Michael’s quickly dissolving body. What I’d thought were black pellets were actually tiny bugs. The scavengers scurried over Michael, eating away at his clothes and flesh. Bugs filled his mouth, muffling his screams.
And still he held on to the Bracelet.
Blake flexed, ready to hurtle his body into the grave to help his brother. I grabbed him, knowing his rescue attempt wouldn’t work, and struggled against him to keep my grip on his arm. “No, Blake, don’t. He can’t be helped.”
“But why?”
I shook my head at Blake, not understanding his question.
“Why didn’t he use the Bracelet? Why didn’t he save himself?”
I tried to answer, hoping an answer would come. But I was wrong. Why hadn’t Michael used the Bracelet? He could have saved his life with it yet, instead, he’d given his life for his brother. I looked at Michael, this time with a new appreciation. “Maybe, in the end, he wanted the same thing you wanted. For you both to become mortal again.”
Demogorgon’s evil cackle interrupted Blake’s reply. “Your brother is food for my little ones. They love a good ghoul treat. If he hadn’t betrayed me, I would’ve given him a quicker death. One with a smidge of dignity. Unlike the death I’ll give to your bitch.” Demogorgon chuckled, making his blubbery belly shake. “Bring me the Bracelet, Shytuman, and I may let you serve me a little while longer.”
I glanced down at Michael and immediately wished I hadn’t. A sea of black bugs covered him, from his one remaining foot to the tufts of hair left at the other end of the grave. The bugs continued to feast. With a squishing sound, his torso fell apart, separating his body into two parts.
“I’m going to send you back to Hell, Demogorgon.”
Blake’s tone sent chills up my spine. Hate, pain and misery filled his words.
Demogorgon, however, thought his threat was humorous. “Really? Why, thank you, for thinking of my comfort. You know I’m a homebody, don’t you? But alas, I must stay in this wretched world until my business is finished. Thanks anyway, old boy.”
I held on to my husband harder, knowing he wouldn’t quit until the High Demon Lord was dead. “It’s you and me, Blake. We’ll take this scum-sucking evil out of the world to…”
My words trailed off at the sight below us. Michael opened his eyes, bright lights amid the total blackness covering him. His eyes held no pain, no anger, only an urgency I knew wasn’t meant for me. “Blake, look!”
He followed my gaze to his brother. In the instant their gazes met, Michael shifted into ghoul form, pulling the top portion of his body away from the onslaught of bugs. Seeping up from the muck, Michael used his ghoul strength to raise his nearly severed arm─with the Bracelet still clutched in his hand.
“Bro!” Michael groaned and forced his arm higher. With incredible effort, he tossed the Bracelet to Blake. The Bracelet sailed above us, spinning above Blake’s head until he snatched it out of the air.
Life, Death, and Fashionable Accessories
Blake’s heartache spread over him, slumping his strong body.
“He’s gone, Blake. I’m sorry.” I searched his face, wanting to give him whatever he needed, yet feeling tot
ally helpless to do anything. Michael’s body fell apart, leaving only bits and pieces, dissolving under the slimy trails left by the ravenous predators.
“He saved me.” Pivoting to me, Blake searched for confirmation. “He saved us.”
Although I wasn’t sure about the us part of the deal, I wasn’t about to argue. “Yeah, he did.” Off to the side, our friends were fighting against more ghouls rising from the ground, but I wasn’t leaving Blake’s side. Not now. Not ever.
“He was human inside. Even after all this time as a ghoul, he was human. He still cared.”
Demogorgon’s cackle pushed my last nerve. “Saved you? For a short time, perhaps. Long enough to enjoy seeing his body devoured.” His laughter roared, shaking the ground beneath us. “Oh, drats. Is he gone already?” Demogorgon clucked his disappointment. “I had hoped he’d make a better meal. Now I’ll have to find another snack for my pretty ones. Perhaps your wife?”
“Leave my wife alone.”
“Shytuman, how touching.” The smirk on Demogorgon’s face died. “Don’t be a fool like your brother. You know you don’t have the power to stand up to me. Show me your loyalty. Follow my orders and give me the Bracelet. I’ll grant your wish and make you mortal again. Although I don’t understand why anyone would want to become one of those things.”
Had Demogorgon ever been human? I found it difficult to believe this Heap from Hell had ever possessed a mortal soul.
Shifting his bazillion pounds of lard, Demogorgon pointed at George, who stood pounding his fist into one ghoul after another. The two older Protectors battled at his side and Myra fought from his shoulders. “Oh, ho! Now there’s a good meal.”
“Leave my friends alone.”
“Friends, are they? Oh, how far you’ve fallen, little man.” Demogorgon’s black eyes blazed a fiery red. “Hand over the Bracelet. I grow weary of toying with you.”
Blake took a step toward Demogorgon, stopped, and studied the Bracelet. “No.” He cleared his throat, straightened up, and repeated in a determined voice. “No. I’m using the Bracelet for myself.”
“Then you must be exterminated.” Demogorgon’s roar drowned out the sounds of fighting and shouts.
I couldn’t take any more. Something inside me snapped. He’d killed my brother-in-law―okay, granted, I didn’t know or care a lot about Michael, but he was still family―and his death had caused my husband a lot of pain. Would I let this putrid pus from purgatory go after my man? Hell, no.
I dashed toward the monster with nothing but my bare hands for a weapon. Myra, using George’s shoulders as a diving board, jumped off and rushed the demon at the same time, which, of course, brought George hurrying after her. Acting like three very odd-looking ninja warriors, we attacked Demogorgon head on.
And I do mean head on.
George leapt into the air, making the highest jump I’d ever seen. If white men can’t jump, then Sasquatch sure can. Michael Jordan had nothing on my Big Foot friend. George’s body slammed into the side of the monster’s belly and his hands clamped around Demogorgon’s head. When I last looked at George he was doing his best to twist off the High Demon’s head.
I had a different head for my goal. And from her actions, Myra and I had the same idea. Obeying the teachings of a millennium of mothers, we went after the most crucial part of a male’s anatomy.
Myra dove, a perfect example of a baseball player sliding into home plate, and slid underneath the roll of fat covering his giant organ. “Penis or Bust!”
I laughed at Myra’s boast and skidded right up to the end of his purplish penis. Never have I ever been so close to that big a dick. And trust me. I never want to be that close ever again. “Grab it, Myra!”
Myra used the pin from one of her many pieces of jewelry to stab into his shaft from below. I grabbed the head of his cock and started twisting. Using all my body to wrench it around and around, I felt like the Crocodile Hunter wrestling a three-hundred-pound gator. Except, unlike the mighty Hunter, I was losing the match.
Demogorgon’s bellow deafened me and I flopped over from the top side of his penis to hanging on underneath it. Myra, who’d given up after making numerous slices to the thick, rubbery skin, pointed at the two older Protectors. They’d resumed their fight with the few remaining ghouls and were steadily working their way toward us.
But where was Blake?
I craned my neck around to see him standing where I’d left him. What the hell was he waiting for? “Hey, Blake! We could use a little help here, ya know. Use the Bracelet to destroy him!”
Blake gawked at me and I could see the whirlwind of his mind in his eyes. Why didn’t he fight with us? When the reason struck me, I almost let go of the creature’s prick. He was torn between two choices—to use the Bracelet to save us—or change himself into a mortal.
Anger flashed through me at his hesitation. Obviously the choice wasn’t as easy for him as it was for me. I wouldn’t have hesitated for a second to use the Bracelet to save my husband and my friends, and eliminate a major badass demon from the world. Anger, however, quickly morphed into hurt.
“Blake! Help us!”
Myra’s cry echoed my own and when he didn’t respond, I saw my anger and hurt reflected in her face.
“He can’t use it to help us. If he does, the Bracelet might not have enough power to change him into a mortal again.” I knew Myra would recognize the ache in my tone, but I had to stick up for my man. Right or wrong, I had his back.
Myra, my friend to the bitter end, nodded and increased her feverish attack on the demon. I, however, couldn’t continue twisting his dick. Instead, I held on and searched my husband’s face for an answer.
Love is a funny thing. It’s a song, but it’s the truth, too. Although I was disappointed in Blake for not coming to my rescue, I couldn’t fault him. Wouldn’t I want to be human again if I were in his place? Trust me, I would.
Once I realized the truth, I risked taking one hand off Demogorgon’s long shaft and waved at Blake, making sure he wasn’t in a daze. (Part of me hoped he was in shock and, thus, he’d have a good reason for not attacking the monster.) He shook his head, clearing it. “Blake. Use the Bracelet on yourself. Use it now!”
A smile spread across his face, sending me an unmistakable message of thanks. I smiled in return before going on the attack again. Weaponless, I did the only thing I could think to do.
I opened my mouth and―urgh!―bit the tip of Demogorgon’s dick. The High Demon Lord shrieked in agony but, trust me, my agony was a whole lot worse. One thought came through loud and clear.
Kill me now!
If someone had told me I’d be chomping off the end of a demon’s penis one day, I’d have bought them a one-way ticket to the funny farm. Yet, here I was, clamping down with everything I had in me.
Myra’s mouth fell open right before the grimace of disgust wiped the shock from her face. “Oh, God, Jenn.”
I didn’t hear her whisper over the wails of Demogorgon, but I read her lips and understood her anyway. I closed my eyes, tried to ignore the dreadful taste of demon blood and who-knew-what filling my mouth, and thought about Blake. If he returned to mortal, the filthy act I’d committed would be worth it.
Death had to be better than this.
The monster wrapped a tentacle around my neck, pulled me off him, and my last thought disappeared. I sensed him lifting me into the air and blessed blackness encompassed me.
Death by Dick?
I wondered if my grandmother would meet me in Heaven. Would I even make it to Heaven? Or would God frown on a woman who died biting the head off a demon’s dick? Plus, being married to a demon and having a ghoul for a brother-in-law probably wouldn’t help my chance much, either. I sighed, hoping all my good deeds as a Protector would offset those rather iffy qualifications.
“She moaned. Did you hear her moan?”
Had Myra made it into Heaven? And George? But where was Granny?
Although my eyelids felt like paperweights r
ested on them, I managed to open them to find Myra and George watching me. I guess they’d made it to Heaven, after all. Swallowing the dust in my throat, I croaked out a greeting. “Hi, guys.”
Their faces lit up with excitement. Myra leaned over to hug me―how had I ended up flat on my back?―and George patted me on the head. “Thanks goodness you’re conscious.” Myra stopped me from trying to sit up and pulled me into her lap instead. “Take it easy. We thought we’d lost you.”
I heard her words and started to respond until I saw Blake. He stood in front of Demogorgon with the Bracelet held high above his head. When I recognized the evil on his face, I pushed Myra’s hands away and sat up.
“He’s saving us, Jenn. All three of us. He’s using the Bracelet to save us.”
He was saving us? But at what cost? Would he use too much of the Bracelet’s power? Would he have enough to kill Demogorgon and make himself mortal again? Although my throat felt bruised from the strangling the demon had given me, I managed to yell. “Blake!”
He didn’t turn to me. Instead, he kept his focus on Demogorgon and his voice rang out loud and clear. “Demogorgon, vile creature of the Otherworld, I command the power of the Bracelet. Die, devil’s spawn, die!”
For a moment, all motion, all sound, everyone including the one remaining ghoul, the two older Protectors and my threesome froze, waiting for whatever might happen next.
Suddenly, the air around us thickened. The darkness in the graveyard deepened from the clouds covering the full moon above us. We waited, and Blake continued to hold the Bracelet high. His eyes blazed a deep fire red, telling me he was still a demon.
Little by little, I heard a faint ringing growing louder. The sound, which reminded me of the church bell on my grandmother’s small church, continued, the reverberation growing steadily louder with each second. One church bell grew exponentially into a cacophony of sound. If I hadn’t known better, I would’ve thought all the church bells in the world were being rung at this same moment in time.
