by Jack Crosby
“Hey, I killed the demon general and brokered a truce with an old sea titan. I’ve done plenty lady!”
“Ughhhh, you’re impossible! The least you can do is watch the Nyx for us. I need Veronica to help me finish dealing with the crew.” She handed me a cat and stormed out.
So there I was with the Nyx. Remembering the advice Khloros gave me, “Hello cat.”
“Hi there.”
Shit, I nearly dropped it. “You can talk?”
It licked its paw. “Of course I can. No one’s actually really talked to me though, unless you count the Lust demon and the exile who only speak in some sort of weird gibberish.”
I put it down on the couch, no longer feeling all that comfortable holding it. “I think they are talking to you as one would talk to a small animal.”
“Oh, well I suppose that makes sense given how I chose to appear to you all.”
“Well, when you’re a cute and cuddly cat, that’s generally how people treat you. Especially women...”
It flashed its feline grin. “I didn’t feel comfortable in my natural form around everyone yet. My best chance to acclimate was in my animal form.”
“Well now I’m just all sorts of confused. If you’ve got a human form, why did you constantly harass me as a cat?” It just sat there like no biggie dude. “You animal spirits confuse the hell out of me.”
It walked in circles before curling up. “What can I say? I am still young and mischievous. You can’t deny me some fun.”
“So just how old are you?”
The Nyx shrugged her shoulders. “Time isn’t something we concern ourselves with in Shangri-La. I guess in terms of human years I would be considered on the cusp of adulthood. Though time doesn’t dictate that, experience does.” Then she gave me a small frown, “If we lived by time, we would not enjoy much of it as my people tend to live no more than thirty-five to forty Earth years.”
Most of the minor spirits weren’t long lived. When they left Hell, they gave up their ability to be practically immortal like their demon cousins who obviously stayed behind. “I’m sorry, that short of a life doesn’t provide much time to enjoy it.”
She agreed with that. “As the princess, it will be expected when I am declared ready, that I will take over for my mother. She will get to spend the rest of her days in peace as I take over until the cycle repeats itself.”
“In that case, we really need to get you back. Having a void in the lineage has ruined a great many of civilizations.”
Yep, even amongst the celestials, hierarchy and lineage are very important. If an heir was lost, it could break out into civil war amongst a people to put a new ruler on the throne. Trust me; you don’t want celestials going to war with each other. Well maybe War would (hence his name), but he’s a psychopath.
The weird cat was staring at me, making me super uncomfortable. “So really, why did you decide to talk to me?”
It got up and walked closer, plopping down on my lap. “I have grown to like you Death. Being around you and your antics amuses me. It is not what I expected when you rescued me.”
Fantastic, the kid was awestruck with me. “I don’t really care for animals, but you aren’t half bad. Anyways, what’s your name? We’ve just been calling you the Nyx.”
The cat got up and jumped on to the floor. “Allow me to introduce myself.” She changed and it wasn’t what I was expecting. Her true form was a knockout college coed human girl. You know, the type dads have many sleepless nights over because they know their daughter is just too damn good looking for her own good. She was taller, my height to be exact, with golden brown hair and smooth tan skin. Her body from what I could see was damn near flawless. It was completely obvious why Nyxes had their reputation.
Her magic produced a full robe, like one from a fancy hotel with a hood and all, so thank the Almighty she was covered. She kept her yellow, cat like eyes, so I knew it was the Nyx and not some demon sent to kill me. “I am Princess Astrid of the spirit fortress of Shangri-La.”
Panicking, “Change back into the cat right now!”
Taken aback by my yelling, she did. “Did I do something that upset you?”
“No, no, nothing.” I gave an awkward nervous laugh. “I’ve just gotten used to you as a cat, that’s all.”
I doubt she bought my excuse because she was way too smart and as Pyrrha said I was an idiot. At least she went with it though and didn’t question anything else. “For the remainder of our journey, I will keep my true form hidden, if that will make you happy.”
“Yeah, that’s keep it like that. We don’t want to freak out the others, do we?”
She laughed. “I think that Veronica would be most disappointed. She enjoys mothering me as if I was her own I think.”
“She did risk her own life and her station to save you. I think she’s just got some sort of connection to your wellbeing, so don’t be too freaked out.”
“I do need to change into a human form from time to time. Generally, I waited until you were all asleep to do so, just to release the magic. If it pleases you, I will keep up my charade of being just a feline.”
Nodding vigorously, “That would be fantastic.” I even gave her a thumbs up like a total nerd.
For the next hour or so, me and Astrid kept talking about different things. For one, I didn’t know nearly as much as I thought I did about Nyxes or any other the minor spirits. To me they were creatures to be avoided and put down if they got out of line. I kinda felt bad about my previous attitudes. She didn’t go into great detail, but the generalities were interesting.
Nyxes weren’t the sex monsters they’d been out to be, at least from her perspective. You know the saying a few rotten apples spoil a bunch? That’s what happened to them. A few got a taste for human flesh and used them as a viable food source, so the entire Nyx community got a black eye for it. No, most preferred to stay hidden, far away from the rest of the world.
That’s why the Nyxes and other spirits picked the mountain fortress because they were afraid of humans and of course demons. Their people are easily subdued and turned into sex slaves. That’s a terrible life to live, and it made it worse that the Arch-Demons of Hell stole her from her mom.
“My mom told me when I was very young that I always needed to stay close to Shangri-La as the rest of the world was a cold and cruel place.”
She didn’t know half of it. “Yeah, this place is a bit rough. Humans automatically want to kill everything they don’t understand, that’s why we all try to keep a low profile.”
“You mean as War and you wanted to do with me?”
I put my hands up defensively. “Hey, I never admitted to being perfect and if you’ll remember correctly I quickly came over to team want-to-live.”
She gave me a mischievous cat smile that made her whiskers curl. “I am just jesting with you. I understand killing me would be the most practical route, but I do thank you all for risking your lives to protect mine.”
Just then the door opened and Veronica and Roxanne, both looking pretty beat, slumped on through. “Damnit, these humans are so inquisitive. Why can’t they just go on like blind mice, like in the old days?!”
Veronica ripped off both of her heels and sat on the floor. “Free will is something they earned Roxy. Do not be in a hurry to take it away.”
“Rough go of it out there?”
Roxanne pushed me out of the way and took my place on the couch. “You have no idea.” She looked at Astrid, “I’m surprised the Nyx is in one piece. I was seriously worried about leaving her with you.”
“Master Death took quite good care of me Miss Roxanne.”
Roxanne and Veronica stopped what they were doing and looked on like seeing the little animal for the very first time. This was incredibly amusing to me. “You two, let me introduce you to Princess Astrid of Shangri-La.”
Roxanne’s red eyes went from Astrid back to me. “Ahh fuck no! She did not talk to you first!”
Chapter 19 – Mind Games
“Master Death, what are you doing here? I can handle this.”
I didn’t recognize where I was. I wasn’t on the big boat anymore, but in a pretty spacious room. The walls were lined with weird looking animal statues and there was a figure sitting on the throne in the middle of the room. I couldn’t quite make out who it was, but the voice was feminine.
Walking over, the fog lifted and the lady sitting on the throne was a total knockout. The gold of the throne accented her yellow, cat-like eyes. I knew who this was, but something didn’t add up. She looked a few years older, though not much, but my memory told me it could only be one person. “Astrid, is that you?”
She gave me an amused smile, “Of course it is. Who else would it be?”
The door to the chamber opened and two guards, one as a lion and the other a tiger, dragged a demon into the room. It looked like a Wrath demon, just based on what I could see. It was beaten all to hell and back. “Umm, what’s going on? Why aren’t we on the boat with the others?”
She got off the throne and walked over to me. “Oh my love, they were afraid your memory would be still causing problems. We have been living in Shangri-La for a few years together. You gifted me immortality and took me on as your wife.”
I did what?! “I think I missed quite a bit. When you finish holding court here, why don’t you fill me in?”
She brushed my shoulder as she went towards the demon. “Of course my love. Go rest in our chamber, this will not take long.”
My body knew where to walk to even if my mind didn’t. I’ve been here for years? How is that possible? I left through an opening at the back of the room and took the second door on the left. Inside was a huge bed with all sorts of decorations. On the table closest to the bed was Leviathan. Part of me wanted to grab it, but the other part didn’t think I was in any danger.
I laid down on the bed and the softness made me sleepy. Closing my eyes, I dozed off. Even as I slept, I felt a peacefulness that seemed quite out of place. I was awoken by the feeling of soft hands running me. “My dear, you fell asleep.”
I opened my eyes to see Astrid beside me, naked. Seeing her body for the first time, it was tight and trim with perky breasts. “Whoa, hey now! What’s going on?”
She wasn’t put off by this. “It is okay my dear, we are man and wife. You have always found my body appealing, tonight will be no different.”
“You said we’ve been here for a few years? So are you the queen now?”
She threw a leg around me, “Yes I am. With Death at my side, Shangri-La is a safe place for all to come. Only fools wishing for a quick end try to endanger our kingdom.”
Her strength was great, as her one leg was enough to overpower me, bringing me close. I was horribly uncomfortable with all of this. “What happened to everybody else?”
She leaned in and whispered in my ear, “Your friends are safe, remember, back in their own lands. Roxanne was upset that you chose to stay with me, but you recognized the sense it made.”
Our lips locked in a kiss. Again, it felt so good, but something still wasn’t adding up. Pulling away, “I granted you immortality? That’s something I swore I’d never do…” Among my powers, the ability to grant immortality was one I hadn’t ever used.
I was certain this was Astrid. She looked a tad older than I remembered and more proper, but hers was a beauty one would never forget. “It pains me that you have to go through this again. Abaddon was freed and the war that followed took many lives. When he attacked us here, I was struck down and you went against your word so that I could live. As you said, without an heir, the line could not be broken.”
Just what the fuck didn’t I remember? “Lord Almighty, I can’t believe that monster broke out of Tartarus. Is he still alive?”
“He survived the onslaught on Shangri-La, but he is just a shell of himself. You personally slaughtered his Wild Hunt and then stabbed your scythe deep into his chest.” She closed her eyes, as like reliving a bad memory. “As I lay there, dying, you tried to kill the monster but it was not enough. He was broken and fled.”
Why would I not remember such a battle? “My memory problem? Where did that come from?”
She took my hand in hers. “It was the price you paid for giving me my immortality. Such an action needed an equal reaction to balance it out.”
I guess that made sense. It could also explain this ill feeling lingering. Either way, “Have things recovered? How bad was the war Abaddon started?”
She got up and put a robe on, then sat on the bed, cross-legged. “It was a terrible time in history. There was no way to keep the humans from finding out about the celestial beings. World governments rebelled against us as well, so we were fighting battles on both sides. Most celestials went into hiding, either here or in Atlantis.”
“Without our help, who was there to stop the mad demon?”
“No one, millions of humans died when he revealed himself to the world. Eventually, he decided to attack us and with the help of your brothers, we were able to stand. It was only when you saw me fall in battle though did we win. Your rage was… horrible.”
She went into great detail about what happened, no longer just giving me short answers in the hopes of appeasing me. When we made it to Shangri-La, I decided I was going to stay and protect her. As we grew close and she grew, we fell in love. It was then word of Abaddon’s release reached us.
Dante, Veronica, War, and Roxanne led a group of celestials into Tartarus to end the creature once and for all. They failed and Abaddon was freed. From there, he started small, picking targets to draw us out and allow the humans to discover that we were in fact real. Once they turned on us, believing we were the cause of the problems, he revealed himself and decimated the Earth.
Angels and demons alike retreated, as no one was safe from his wrath. Hidden places like this were our last bastion and he eventually discovered us. By then my brothers had joined me for one final stand. In the heat of the battle, when Astrid was mortally injured, I went nutso and killed everything. I couldn’t kill Abaddon himself, but I injured him badly enough and without his Hunt, he retreated.
As she wrapped it up, “It has been about a year and no one has heard from the monster. It is believed he is biding his time.”
I popped up, “Then I should be out there, hunting him down! If there’s even a chance he could come back, I can’t allow it!”
“We,” I noticed that right away, “will finish the demon off. But before we leave Shangri-La, there is one last thing we have to do.”
“What’s that? Get the army prepared?”
She slinked back over to the bed, “We have to produce an heir.”
I stopped, completely baffled. “Whoa wait a minute…”
She dropped her robe to the ground. “I normally have to beat you down from having sex. This is a bit of a role reversal.”
She pushed me down on the bed, her toned body just oozing a radiance that her kind was known for. Nyxes were after all sex creatures. With the twist of her finger, the button on my jeans was undone and they were no longer on. Apparently I’d given up wearing boxers, as I’d been riding commando.
She crawled on top of me, “I can feel my body, ready to produce you a child. This is the moment we have been waiting for.”
Softly she was rubbing up against me, getting herself and me ready at the same time for the fireworks. As it slickened, I slipped in easily. I gasped and bit my lip. Nothing could ever prepare me for that feeling. Pure ecstasy hit me like a freaking Mac truck. Astrid wasn’t in the mood to wait and right there on the side of the bed took me to town.
As she moved her hips faster and faster, I found myself in an eternal struggle. To produce a child would be the most dangerous thing I’d ever do. Especially when I myself had no idea what was going on. I knew there was no way I could keep myself from climaxing. I was already so close…
****
My eyes opened and I was lying on the bed next to Roxanne. Or should I say inside
Roxanne. She was grinding me so hard and in no time was I gripping on to her hips for dear life as I finished.
When I finally calmed myself down, she looked back at me, “Holy shit Mr. Grimm, that was mighty fine fucking! I’ll expect that more in the future!”
I took a few deep breathes, “Sorry, I just couldn’t help myself.”
But in the back of my mind, I knew something was wrong. My eye caught a kitten curled up at the end of the bed, with a weird feline smile on its sleeping face. Yeah, something was very wrong…
Chapter 20 – Land Ho!
War docked the ship like a champ the next morning in Amsterdam. Ironically, I’d never been to this town and as much of a mess-up as I was, even that fact caught me by surprise. The girls were finishing packing their belongings up and War was tending to the horses. I had other matters to attend.
I took Astrid with me as I went to make sure the coast was clear of a demon welcome party. On my way out, I was greeted by a blond kid named Allen who wanted to be helpful, but I had no need for such things. With Astrid hidden in my jacket, we began patrolling the ship terminal. And also the real reason for her being here. “What the hell was last night about?”
She looked genuinely confused. “Did I do something wrong while we were sleeping?”
I wasn’t quite ready to buy the innocent act. “The dream, how did you do it?”
“Death, I honestly have no idea what you think I did. What dream are you talking about?”
Shit, her words seemed full of honesty. Now I really didn’t know what was going on. Breaking down, “I had a weird dream that we were in Shangri-La together.”
Her mouth formed a perfect circle, “How would you know what my home looked like to have a dream about it?”
“That’s why I thought you were messing with me. I figured you were playing out some weird fantasy or something.”
