by Mac Flynn
"I prefer it," he replied.
"Well, I order you to stop that," I commanded him.
He chuckled. "I'm afraid that must be excluded from our deal. I cannot change my affection for you, nor the terms of endearment that come from them."
My shoulders slumped. "Fine, but not too loud."
"Very well. Now you should really try the duck. It is cooked to perfection."
Chapter 7
I hated to admit it at the time, but I actually had a good time. Sure, he still insisted on referring to me as 'my love' at every chance, but he was actually a decent conversationalist when he wasn't trying to kiss my lips. Before I knew it two hours had flown by, and so had our ducks-into our mouths. Our plates were empty, half the bottle of wine was gone, and I looked over the table at my companion with some new-found admiration.
"You know, you're not half bad to talk to when you're not trying to tempt me into damnation," I commented after he finished explaining to me the finer intricacies of wine.
David set his wine glass down and smiled. "Is that what you still believe about us? That we're devils in disguise?"
I shrugged. "That's pretty much the reputation 'Dream Presences' have in the human world," I pointed out.
"It is an unjust one. I prefer to think of us as on the opposite side of the same coin to, say, a priest," he mused. "We each have our benefits. The priests tell their flock that God loves and cherishes humans, and we show humans that they love one another. It's a matter of spreading the faith of love and worship."
I snorted. "Is that what you keep telling yourself?"
He grinned, undeterred by my comment. "Have I not shown you the capacity for love between us?" he pointed out.
"Well, you've shown me a lot of new positions, but I don't know about love," I quipped.
"All of our liaisons have been manifestations of my love for you. I know no better way to show affection than through the act of pleasing the object of affection," he explained.
I leaned back in my chair and sighed. "Giving a girl back her life would be kind of nice, too," I told him.
His smile faltered, and he reached across the table to clutch my hand in one of his. "I would give you-"
"I know, I know, you'd give me my life back if you could, but you can't." I pulled my hand from his and gathered my purse before I stood from the table. "Maybe we should go. It's getting kind of late."
David nodded and stood. "Yes, but we will see each other tomorrow, correct?" His tone was almost pleading.
"At six," I affirmed.
Some of his good humor returned, and he offered me his arm. "Then let us be off."
I smiled and accepted his arm. David led me outside and onto the busy street. Cars zoomed by and pedestrians in their fancy clothes strode past us. There were countless parked cars in the area, and I turned to David. "Which car is yours?"
"I do not own a vehicle," he told me.
My face fell. "So we have to try to get a cab in this rush hour?" I surmised.
"We could walk. The night is refreshing," he suggested.
I glared him him and jabbed a finger at my high heels. "I'm not walking any farther in these things than I have to." I tore myself from his arm and sidled up to the curb. Taxis sped by, both full and empty. I stretched out my arm and raised my voice to a loud holler. "Taxi! Taxi!" I called, but none of them stopped. "Damn it," I muttered. I turned to David and glared at his smiling face. "You could help, you know," I growled.
"I know of an easier way to return to your apartment," he revealed.
"We're not walking," I argued.
He shook his head. "Not walking."
"No buses."
"Not a bus."
"You can't be meaning the subway."
"Not the subway."
I raised an eyebrow. "Then what?"
"By shadows."
I blinked at him. "Huh?"
"By the shadows that our people use." He held out his hand to me and looked into my eyes. "Would you like me to show you?"
My eyes flickered between his outstretched hand and his beautiful blue eyes. "It won't turn me into anything, will it?"
He chuckled. "Not at all. You may enjoy it." I reluctantly slipped my fingers into his. He gathered me against himself and smiled down into my blushing face. His body was warm and smooth against me, and I felt the succubus inside me react lustfully to his presence. "We fit perfectly against each other," he commented.
"And inside each other," I added. I inwardly slapped myself for such a stupid comment.
David grinned. "Yes, but another time, my love." A tall sign post stood a few feet away from us, and he guided us into its dim shadow. "Are you ready?"
"Ready for-" I gasped when he stepped into the shadow of the post.
Darkness engulfed us, but it wasn't the cold, suffocating darkness I expected. Instead there was warmth and airiness to the space around us, and even though I couldn't see anything beyond the tip of my nose I was calmed by a sense of belonging. David's strong arms wrapped tighter around me, and I snuggled closer against him.
"Where are we?" I whispered. There was no echo of my voice, no stirring loneliness. Rather, there was a tinge of melody to my words.
"The Between. This is our home, a place we come to when we need to rest and revive ourselves from wandering too long in the light," he explained.
"Home. . ." I murmured. It sounded so right in this place.
"Yes, but not yet. When you're ready," he replied.
I was disappointed when light penetrated our dark little paradise. David guided me into the light and we stepped into the human world. We stood on my street in the alley beside my apartment building. In ten seconds we'd traveled as many city blocks.
"Wow, what a way to travel," I murmured as he reluctantly released me.
David smiled. "And the speed is greater, but I wished to show you my home."
I turned to him with a sly grin on my face. "You should think about redecorating. That whole black thing is out of style."
He bowed his head. "I will take that into consideration next time I change the furniture."
I strode toward the mouth of the alley and David followed. "Kind of reminds you of the first time we met, doesn't it? The alley, I mean," I mused as we stepped onto the street.
David tilted his head back and looked at the dark sky above us. "Yes. It was a night very much like this one," he agreed.
I turned to him and looked down at the slush-covered sidewalk. I dug a pointed heel into the ground and bit my lip. "So, um, I guess we'll see each other tomorrow."
I risked a glance up. He turned his gaze back to me and his sultry eyes told me he wished for more than a friendly goodbye. "Yes, at six," he agreed.
"I-um, I had a nice night," I told him.
It must have been torture to control the urge to take me there and then, but he merely bowed his head. "I'm glad to hear it. I, too, enjoyed myself."
I felt a rising within me of the succubus. She wanted the same lustful relief as his eyes begged. I tamped it down, but not entirely. Lust that powerful couldn't be extinguished completely. I stepped forward, wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him down so I caught his lips in a lust-filled, passionate kiss.
It took all my will-power to push him away. I gasped for air, but I had only a moment before he pulled me against him. His eyes were now red and looked on me with barely-controlled desire. "You tempt me to the distraction of my duties," he growled.
I sheepishly grinned at him and shrugged. "Sorry?"
A smooth smile slid onto his lips. "Perhaps I should punish you."
"Um, perhaps you should let me go," I replied as I nodded at his arms. "You promised me we weren't going to do anything other than training." David turned his head away, shut his eyes and ground his teeth together. His arms slowly eased open, and I slid from his grip and over to the bottom of the stoop. "I'll see you tomorrow," I reminded him in some little consolation.
He sighed and gave a nod, but didn't
make eye contact with me. "Until tomorrow," he agreed.
I waved at him, but he merely stepped into the shadows and disappeared into that wonderful world of Dream Presence home. "He's even cute when he's pouting. . ." I murmured to myself.
Chapter 8
I fumbled with my keys, but I started back when the front door was flung open. On the other side of the entrance stood Tiffany. She grinned from ear to ear. "You must have had a fun time. You're as nervous as ever with your keys," she teased.
I looked past her at a large pillow that lay on the floor near the door, and beside that was an even larger book. "How long have you been standing there?" I asked her.
"Almost since you left. I didn't want you sneaking back in without telling me what happened," she replied. "So how'd it go?"
I rolled my eyes and pushed past her. "Wouldn't you like to know?" I teased her.
She snatched up her pillow and book, and sidled up beside me. "Actually, I would," she returned as she followed me to the stairwell.
"Well, maybe I'm not going to tell," I countered.
Tiffany slid in front of me and blocked the stairwell door with her body. "Come on, 'fess up. It's late enough you must have had a good time."
"Maybe I'll tell you later," I told her as I tried to push past her.
My friend held her arms out on either side of her and frowned. "You've been saying that a lot, and I'm not hearing anything. What's chewing you up so bad that you won't tell me about it?"
Tiffany's face was serious, as was her tone. She was practically begging for me to blow her mind. At least now I had some furry proof in my apartment, and some more solid proof in my pocket. I sighed and folded my arms across my chest. "You really want to know the truth?"
"The whole truth," she affirmed.
I sighed, dropped my arms to my side and shrugged. "All right, but let's go up to my apartment. You're going to need to sit down for this one."
She raised an eyebrow, but dropped her blocking of the entrance. "All right, but this better not be too weird."
I smiled and led her up the stairs. "You'll see."
I led my friend up the stairs and to my apartment. I flicked on the light and looked around the seemingly empty rooms. "Mo? Mo, where are you?" I called to my supernatural feline.
"Mo?" Tiffany repeated. Mo peeked his head over to the arm of the couch and meowed at us. "You still have him?" she wondered. She tossed aside her items, strode over and seated herself on the cushion beside him. Mo stood, stretched and slid onto her lap for a good rubbing.
"He's kind of stuck to the city, and he's also part of the something I need to tell you," I replied as I kicked off my shoes.
Tiffany plopped herself on a cushion beside him and Mo slid into her lap. His purr echoed through the room. "I hope you're going to tell me where you got him because he's adorable," my friend commented.
I walked over and stood before the pair. "Actually, he found me in a graveyard on my way to a witch doctor," I told her.
Tiffany looked up at me and frowned. "I'm serious, where'd you find him? He's adorable."
"And I'm serious, too. He followed me from a graveyard and got into my apartment while the place was locked tight. I think he walked through the walls," I insisted.
Her eyes narrowed and her lips pursed together. "Liz, are you sure you're feeling well? You know cats can't go through walls," she reminded me.
"Or talk, and this one does both," I replied. I looked at Mo, but nodded at Tiffany. "Come on, show her your talking skills."
Mo seated himself beside Tiffany and his eyes glistened with mischief. "Meow," he replied.
My eye twitched. "Oh hell no, you'd better not pull this I'm-just-an-adorable-cat bullshit on me," I growled at him.
Tiffany stood and set a hand on my shoulder. Her eyes told me she worried about me. Worry, as in my-friend's-asylum-material worry. "Liz, I think maybe the strain of that date finally made you snap."
I shrugged off her hand and marched up to Mo. "Show her you can talk or I'm using this." I pulled the locket from my pants and waved it in front of him. "And you know how much trouble David causes when he's around."
Mo's ears flattened on his head and he growled at me. "You're scaring him," Tiffany scolded him.
"Good, I'm trying to scare him into talking," I countered. I swung the locket by the chain in front of his face. "I'm going to count down from five, and if I don't hear something other than a meow I'm going to show Tiffany David's appearing trick."
Mo's shoulders slumped and he turned his face away from me. "A spirit gets no respect in this city. . ." he mumbled.
I looked to my friend. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was slightly ajar. "Did he just. . .did he just speak English?"
Mo straightened and puffed out his chest. "I also speak Spanish, French, and a little Creole."
Tiffany's eyes bulged from her head and she pointed a shaking finger at the feline. "H-he did talk! Liz, your cat talks!"
"I am not her cat, but the guardian of the city," Mo argued.
Tiffany shook her head, and slowly lowered herself to the cushion beside Mo. "I. . .I think I need a stiff drink."
"Oh no, I'm not going to have you waking up tomorrow and believing this was all just a bad drink," I told her.
She threw her arms up over her head. "But he talks! He talks!" she insisted.
I snorted and rolled my eyes. "So now do you believe me that this is a spirit cat?" I quipped.
She blinked at me. "'Spirit cat?'" she repeated.
"Yeah, a cat that's like the spirit of the city. He sees all and knows-" I paused as a sudden thought came to mind, and it made me angry. I whipped my head to Mo and glared at him. "You knew David was going to be my date, didn't you?" I accused the cat.
Mo looked away, but I saw a glisten of mischief in his catty eyes. "Whatever makes you think that?"
I slipped the locket into my pocket and poked a finger into his chest. "Don't play dumb with me, cat. I know you can see everything that goes on in the city, and I bet your tail that you've been watching everybody around me and saw Ann and her boyfriend meet up with David, didn't you?"
"Perhaps," was his evasive reply.
"Uh-huh, and perhaps I'm not turning into a succubus," I quipped.
Tiffany raised her hand. "Confused friend still here," she reminded me.
I turned my attention to her, but jerked a thumb at Mo. "I had to get this cat to help me find a cure to becoming a succubus. Like I tried to tell you before, that guy we found was an incubus, and he turned me into a succubus. That's the girl version of what he is," I explained.
"So. . .so that guy really was a sucking thing?" she asked me.
I snorted. "Incubus, but yeah. He's also the guy I dated tonight."
"Come again?" she returned.
"The guy Ann set me up with? He's actually the incubus we saved from the alley. He wanted to try wooing me using 'human' ways," I explained.
Tiffany leaned back and her jaw dropped open. "You're joking."
I snorted. "If I was joking then I would've mentioned a bar and some religious leaders walking into it," I quipped.
"So you're not joking?"
"No."
"Wow. He's really into you," she commented.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I got that with his whole turning-me-into-a-succubus thing," I replied as I plopped myself on the couch on the other side of Mo.
"So anything else you need to tell me before my head explodes?" Tiffany wondered.
I grabbed the doll from the cushion beside me and sat it on my lap so it faced my friend. "Yep, so hold on tight because this is going to be a long night."
It took several hours to tell the tale of my woes, mostly because Tiffany kept having me back up and retell parts so it would sink into her brain. I couldn't blame her. If I'd been in her place I probably would've backed out of the room and made a quick internet search for psychiatrists. Fortunately, my proof, Mo, sat between us the whole time and chimed in with his own tidbits for m
y tales.
By the time I was done it was nearing midnight. Tiffany sunk into the couch, looked ahead and blinked her eyes. "Wow. . ." she murmured.
"That's putting it mildly," I commented.
"No wonder you've been stressed," she mused.
"Yeah, turning into a demon of lust hasn't been easy," I agreed.
"So you're really changing into a-what was it again?"
"Succubus."
"And there's no way to stop it?"
"Short of death, no," I told her.
She nodded at the doll that once more sat on the coffee table. "And according to your fortune that's what's supposed to kill you right now, right?"
"As far as I know, and that's why I'm getting to return it some time this week, probably without a refund, and say goodbye to it killing me," I revealed.
"But isn't that the only way to suppress your urge to make out with all the guys?" she pointed out.
"I'm going to use David's training to do that," I reminded her.
Tiffany furrowed her brow and rubbed her chin. "You know, there's a few ways we could use this whole sex-control thing to make a little money. You know, get a rich guy to give you most of his fortune. Stuff like that."
"No."
"Oh, come on."
"NO."
"But-"
"Tiff, I'm already neck-deep in trouble and just starting to dig myself out. I think I need to avoid finding more of it," I told her.
She sighed and shrugged. "All right, but with Mo's insider information we could've ruled this city."
Mo's tail twitched. "I am not allowed to interfere too deeply into the lives of the inhabitants. I merely keep the peace."
"Where were you and the cops when I got mugged a few years back?" Tiffany quipped.
"Watching," he replied.
She snorted. "I hope the cops weren't watching, too."
I stood and stifled a yawn with my hand. "All right, enough jokes. I need to get some sleep."
Tiffany stood and surprised me when she wrapped me in a big hug. She pulled me to arm's length and smiled at me. "Thanks for telling me all this, Liz. It must've been hard keeping it all inside."
