Demoness

by Morgan Hawke

  Cassandra’s brow furrowed as she shrugged into the silk robe. “Is that the way it’s supposed to be?”

  “According to my experience, yes.” He nodded. “Unless of course you failed in your mission...”

  Cassandra turned to look at him. “What would have happened if I hadn’t succeeded?’

  Marco shrugged then pulled on a long black robe. “You’d still be there until you completed the Magister’s command to take the Monsignor’s virginity, no matter how long it took.” He tied the belt at his waist then offered her his hand.

  Cassandra took his hand and let him lead her from the luxurious bathroom. “So, I would have been stuck in another place and time with a pushy, demonic roommate?” Cassandra’s eyes glittered with the possibilities, then she thought again. Her demonic roommate would grow more demanding, controlling and bloodthirsty the longer she carried it. She shuddered broodingly as she followed him to the sunny breakfast nook by the kitchen, where brunch had been set out.

  Her mouth watered at the sight of the food set out on the table. Weird. I didn’t want to eat a bite there the entire time. Now, I’m starving, she thought. Briefly, she mused on the fact that she’d never been hungry her entire visit to medieval Paris.

  “The Unholy One has been known to accept a blood relative, like a son or daughter as a substitute for the original target, but that means waiting until a blood relative appears...”

  Cassandra grimaced. “That could take a while.”

  Marco nodded. “That’s putting it mildly.” He rolled his eyes. “Also keep in mind that He prefers them mature and preferably corrupt. So, once they’re born, you’d have to wait for the relative to grow up, then you would probably have to do the corrupting yourself too, before they were ready for a proper sacrifice.”

  “That could take a really long time. I won’t play with anyone under eighteen.”

  “If you had stayed, you wouldn’t have aged, and you’d still be a full demon, but trust me, it wouldn’t have been fun.” Marco assisted her into a chair at the heavily-laden breakfast table. “The biggest problem is that when you take too long to accomplish a mission, you get assigned a Keeper.” He gently kissed her neck then seated himself in the chair next to hers.

  “A Keeper? What’s that?” Cassandra asked as he piled food onto the gold-embossed plate.

  “It’s a demon twice as powerful as you and very nasty. They’re sent to ‘help you’ finish your obligation.” Marco shuddered delicately. “Even if it takes a century or two.”

  “Not a friendly bunch, huh?” Cassandra asked as she scooped food onto her fork. “Something worse than my roommate? Oh, boy, that sounds like fun,” she said sarcastically.

  “Trust me on this one. Keepers are ugly, spiteful, malicious sons o’ bitches,” he said shaking his head vigorously. “Been there, done that. You don’t want to go there,” he added with a wave of his fork. “Keepers tend to leave messes. Big, sloppy and gruesome messes...One day I’ll tell you what happened to me—but not today.”

  “So, basically, what you’re saying, is that since I worship Satan, I’m going to get summoned to play demon every now and again?”

  “That’s about it, in a nutshell. Once you’ve dedicated yourself to Satan, it seems that He gets to call on you for assignments,” Marco agreed.

  “So, without any warning, I go on a little vacation, play demon and then I’m back the same day I left.” She trembled as she sipped her coffee. “And, you knew about this all along?”

  “Done it myself a few times,” he shuddered visibly and looked away. “I figured your turn was coming up, but I had no idea when.”

  She frowned at him. “Why didn’t you tell me before?”

  He raised a brow. “Would you have believed me?”

  She shrugged. “I guess not. If I hadn’t just spent the last few days in medieval Paris myself, I would have thought you were smokin’ crack,” she smiled while cringing inwardly.

  “And this was only the first assignment,” Marco said as he sipped his coffee. He regarded her from over the rim of his mug. Marco’s golden eyes gleamed with a sudden, but brief, spark of infernal flame. In shock, Cassandra recognized the glint from its reflection within her own haunted gaze. She had never really noticed it in Marco’s eyes before.

  “Just remember, my dear Cassandra,” Marco said softly, “with demons, there’s always more.”

  Fini.

  About the Author

  For me, writing is more than a passion; it's an obsession. I am a voracious reader of Romance, Science-Fiction, Fantasy, Horror and Erotica, so naturally my stories follow along the lines of what I want to read.

  Where do I get my ideas from? Rampant curiosity. I play the game of 'What If?' with everything I encounter. Everything I do and everything I see, triggers a story to be told.

  Why do I write? I write to keep my sanity. The stories crowd into my head. I write them down so I can get some peace.