by Michael Todd
Yvonne eyed Calvin appreciatively. “Welcome. We have you in one of our most luxurious suites. Would you like to purchase our all-you-can-eat option for your stay?”
“That would be fantastic,” he replied, ready to chow down.
She held out a plastic band and secured it around his wrist. “You can use this at any of our Pebble Beach hotels, as well as Couples and Lucas.”
They’re going to lose money on us, his demon piped up.
Calvin had to keep his snicker in check as Yvonne handed over his keys.
Yvonne smiled coyly. “Enjoy your stay…and don’t hesitate to let me know if you need anything.”
“Thank you.” He returned her smile and headed for Suite 1652, the attendant with his luggage following him.
Everything was stone: the walls, the floors, and even the countertops inside his suite. He hadn’t stayed in luxury like this in a long time—if ever—and he couldn’t have been happier. After the attendant was gone, he picked up the pamphlet for the hotel and sat down on the edge of his very soft bed.
Let’s see. What do we have here? Hot tubs on the bottom floor outside. Okay, I can get down with that. Two pools with night service—very nice. I wonder why you would swim in the pool when the ocean is right there, though?
Sharks, his demon replied. Nasty bastards, sharp teeth.
Ah, no. It says right here swimming isn’t advised due to strong undertows.
At least the view is one of a kind.
I know, right? I haven’t seen anything like this in my whole life. It’s fucking beautiful.
So, what’s the plan? Swim? Party? Buffet? What are we going to do first?
I planned on just chillin’ here, maybe getting some room service. Tomorrow, we can go out to Cabo and take in the local scenery.
Calvin flipped off his shoes and yawned, stretching his arms over his head, getting ready to relax. He walked over to the window and stared out at the ocean, his eyes eventually trailing back to the pool below. There were a dozen or more very luscious women around the pool, wearing nothing more than a few strings and small triangles of cloth.
He rubbed his chin. “On second thought, I might go for a swim.”
His demon snickered. It’s like I know you…
5
Matt, Brandon, Dillon, and David were off from school after a long Friday of tests and assignment submissions. They all sat around the picnic table at the local park, where most of the kids hung out when they weren’t planning to catch the train into downtown Chicago.
The place was perfectly manicured, just like every lawn and every cookie-cutter house in their nearby neighborhood. They were the kids of middle-upper class families, expectations high, results minimal—just enough for them to still go out on the weekend and party it up with their friends.
Matt drummed his hands on the table, bobbing his head up and down. Brandon reached across and held down his hands, tired of hearing his drumming. Dillon winked at one of the girls across the way. She giggled and shook her head, walking off with her friends.
Matt nodded. “Isn’t that the new girl?”
“Yeah.” Dillon smirked. “She’s in my chem class. Super-smart and super-fucking-hot. Her dad’s some kind of surgeon in Chicago, and her mom is a fitness instructor. She seems to be a mix of both—sassy little sexy thing with book smarts.”
Brandon laughed, high-fiving Dillon. “Perfect combination, dude. Good girl by day, party girl at night.”
David ate his Fritos quietly, just listening to the guys talk. Ever since he had become infected, he felt set apart from the other guys. The four of them had been friends since kindergarten so they still kept him in the group, but he just wasn’t feeling the bond anymore.
As far as dating was concerned, he was pretty much looking at a dry life. None of the girls would even give him a second glance when they saw the flash of red in his eyes.
“You guys going to Cynthia’s pool party on Saturday?” Brandon asked. “I heard all the girls are gonna be there.”
“Hell, yeah,” Dillon blurted.
“It’s on my calendar with like twelve circles around it.” Matt laughed. “How about you, David?”
Matt did the most to include David, trying to pull his friend out of his shell a bit. “Nah, her mom said I wasn’t allowed to come. Cynthia said that since I got this damn demon in me, she was scared to let me come over there.”
“Bummer,” Dillon replied.
Matt gave him a sympathetic smile. “Sorry, man. That sucks.”
David leaned back, chewing on the straw from his drink, and shrugged. He was pissed; he had been ever since he’d become infected. He didn’t understand what all the freaking out was about.
It was a stupid tiny demon he’d gotten messing with some lame mirror game awhile back. He grabbed his stuff and stood up from the table, nodding at Matt before heading toward his house. He was tired of listening to everyone talk about the things he couldn’t do.
His mom was in the kitchen cooking when he got home. He took his shoes off and hung his book bag on the hook by the door, then went into the kitchen and grabbed a cookie off the plate before sitting at the island.
David’s mom looked over and smiled as she took a sheet of cookies from the oven. “Hey there, sweetie. How was your day?”
“Stupid,” he complained bitterly. “I hate my freakin’ life.”
His mom put the tray down and came over to wrap her arm around his shoulders. “Hey, hold on! What happened?”
“Nothing happened. It’s the same problem as always—the stupid demon inside me.”
His mom turned his face to her so she could inspect his eyes. “Is it acting up? Do we need to go back to the clinic?”
“No.” He sighed. “It’s not that. The demon doesn’t even talk. It just sits there. It’s everyone else who has the problem. They act like I’ve got some sort of disease. No one likes me anymore, and my friends’ parents’ say I can’t come to parties or be around them. They act like I’m contagious or something. Everywhere I go, my eyes are a dead giveaway. Everyone treats me like normal until they see that red flash, then all of a sudden I’m a pariah.”
“Not everyone will treat you that way, sweetie,” his mom told him gently.
David snorted. “I offered to help some old lady across the street with her groceries the other day. She was thankful until my sunglasses slipped off and she saw my eyes, then she pretty much just snatched the bags from me and hobbled off like I was going to eat her or something. The world is going to hell, and I’m stuck right in the middle of it. The worst thing of all is, I have no one there with me—it’s just me and my damn demon.”
The barracks were loud and rowdy, full of soldiers freshly returned from PT. Brock looked at the floor as he always did when he passed through the barracks, not wanting to give his succubus the pleasure of viewing sweaty, half-naked men.
He grabbed a towel from the locker and wiped his face, letting the other guys pile into the showers ahead of him. He was out of boot camp now, so he had a little more control over when and with whom he took a shower these days.
When his succubus was behaving herself, he showered alone. Otherwise, he would shower at the same time as Phillips—a guy on his squad she absolutely loathed—and the sight of him naked pushed her deep down inside. That day she had been quiet, which he was thankful for.
The Rapid Reactionary Force was interesting.
They were barely even friends yet; just a bunch of guys who had no choice except to band together as brothers at the drop of a hat. When the siren blared they got their shit together, teamed up, and were out the door within twenty minutes.
There were no load-ins, and there was no long-winded explanation of the task. They boarded the planes with whatever weapons they could carry, got a minor briefing on the flight or drive over, and dropped in.
That was it.
The whole point of his sector of the military was that they were able to buy the military time to load their shit in a
nd get there. That, or help the cops when the incursion wasn’t big enough to call out all the forces. They were like the mercenary teams for the United States government, the main differences being that they were not trained nearly as well as the others, and their freedom was not their own.
By the time Brock had gotten in and out of the shower, everyone else was dressed and taking advantage of the downtime. The men talked, played cards, wrote letters or emails—whatever they wanted to do.
Brock never wrote letters or emails, he didn’t take naps, and he wasn’t overly friendly with the others yet. Music just made him miss home. He always hated it when the guys would blare his CD when he came into the barracks although he always smiled and laughed, not wanting to give in to the homesick feeling in the bottom of his gut.
“Brock,” one of his brothers called. “Come hang out with us.”
Brock hung up his towel and went over to take a seat in one of the chairs they had pulled up around the end bunk. The guy slapped his leg and leaned back, putting his arms behind his head. “Rutger here is telling us about his imaginary girlfriend back home in Boise.”
Everyone laughed except Rutger. “She’s not imaginary. We’ve been together since middle school, and one day, when this demon shit is gone and we’re both back to normal, I’m gonna marry her.”
“Let’s just hope whatever demon’s inside of her isn’t too wild.” Another soldier chuckled, thrusting his hips forward with one hand out in front of him.
Rutger rolled his eyes and looked away, shutting his notebook. He glanced at Brock, realizing that he had no idea what kind of demon was inside him. He was a quiet guy, and no one really knew much about him except that he’d been the lead singer of a successful rock band.
“How about you, Brock? How did you get your demon?”
Brock shook his head and leaned back with a groan. “I was fucking around with that mirror game, playing it with some chicks I met on tour.”
“Aw, man.” Several of the guys chuckled. “That sucks.”
“I’ve heard groupies do that,” another chimed in, making a lewd gesture as he spoke.
The first soldier leaned forward and nodded at him. “You must have been pulling in some mad fucking sweetness as a rock star. And shit, now, with that demon… Is that where you go when we get liberty? To fuck all the chicks? Seriously, I don’t know why you left being a rock star. You could be doing whatever you want out there on the road, and never get fucking tired. Five, six, seven chicks a day.”
“Yeah, man,” another joined in. “Tell us stories from the road, bro! You didn’t come here the moment you were infected. You had to have a taste of the wild life.”
Brock put up his hand and shook his head. “I haven’t slept with a single woman since I became infected, not once I left tour—which was the next morning.”
The first soldier snorted his disbelief. “What?”
“Yeah, right, dude. Give us the details. Don’t hold back,” another urged with a laugh. “He’s fuckin’ with us. He’s gotta be.”
Brock shook his head in resignation. “Nope, dead serious. Not a single one.” He sighed. “The thing is, well...my demon isn’t the normal garden variety. She’s a succubus.”
The soldiers loved that.
“Whoa!”
“That’s fucking sweet. I bet she’s like talking kinky shit in your head all the time.”
“I’ve heard stories about what they can do to men if they infect them. We’re talking like sensations whenever you want it.”
Brock rolled his eyes. “That’s definitely not the case with my succubus. She’s a bit of a bitch.”
I can hear you, asswipe.
“It sounds awesome, but the reality of it isn’t as fun as you think. She’s strictly-dickly, loves herself some sausage. She only drives stick.”
The guys got quiet for a minute, looking around at each other while that sank in. Once it did, their faces turned and they all expressed sympathy for Brock, really feeling for him. A couple of them stifled snickers, but the rest of them were Sorry Central for poor Brock.
Brock let out a half-laugh before his face became serious. “Look, we are going into some bullshit together, and I’ve got your backs. But if any of you offer my succubus dick, I’ll shoot you myself.”
The guys broke out into laughter, patting him on the shoulder. “Thanks for taking one for the team, bro.”
Just then the alarm went off overhead and the green light that signaled support for a small incursion came on. Brock was on that sub-team, and so were the guys around him.
They suited up and headed out, ready to kick demon ass.
Katie pulled up in front of the Stewart Hotel in the blacked-out SUV and looked up at the hotel logo written elegantly in black and white on the front of the awning of the tall stone building.
Two doormen came over, and one opened her door and held out a hand to help her out of the car. The other went to take her bags, but she stopped him with a shake of her head and loaded the luggage rack herself. The doorman raised an eyebrow when metal clinked in one of them as she set it down.
She gave them a bright smile and walked straight inside to the front desk. There was no one at the desk, so she waited a moment, taking in the light, airy feel of the hotel. It was beautiful; the décor sumptuous but understated, not overdone like so many of the hotels she had stayed in before.
After a few minutes, she tapped the bell on the counter and sighed. Are they getting it on back there, or what?
Pandora sniffed the air. They want to, but no. Sadly, they are not doing it right now.
A young woman came out from the back, her cheeks flushed pink. She rushed over to take care of Katie, slightly flustered as she spoke. “Sorry about your wait, ma’am.”
Katie ignored her discomfort, putting on a polite face and giving the woman her information. The woman began to type quickly into the computer just as a tall young man with bright blue eyes emerged from the back.
His eyes were on the young woman’s ass as he came out, but as soon as he saw Katie, he straightened up and hurried off to his duties. Katie stifled a comment, looking down at the brochures on the counter instead.
The young woman was still flushed as she handed Katie the key cards. “Here you are, ma’am, Room 1928. The bellhop will help you with your bags. You are on the nineteenth floor. It’s a beautiful view from up there.”
“Wonderful.” Katie smiled. “Thank you, but I’ll take my own bags.”
The bellboy looked crestfallen. “Are you sure, ma’am?”
“I am, thank you.” She took her key cards and pushed the luggage rack over to the elevator. Service was nice and all, but the last thing she needed was for the bellboy to drop one of her bags and cause an accidental gunshot or explosion in the elevator. She would never live that one down.
As she entered her room, she thought back to it and cringed at the word “ma’am.” Had she already aged so much?
Maybe if you got some sleep, like I keep telling you.
Like you keep telling me? Do you mean like you ’kept telling me’ while we were on vacation? Can it, Pandora. Let’s just get settled in.
Touchy. Pandora scoffed. Maybe you need to get laid more than I thought.
Katie ignored her and looked down the small hallway straight ahead. There was a closet on the right that could accommodate her entire wardrobe from back home in it.
To the left was a door that led into an expansive bedroom with its own bathroom. The colors were light and earth-toned, and the bed looked like it was made out of clouds. Katie leaned against the doorway and gazed longingly at the bed, imagining the deep sleep she would get in it, cocooned in the mountain of blankets and pillows.
It was a dream come true.
The bathroom was small but all marble, a sleek and shimmery design that screamed luxury and pampering. The government didn’t usually spring for a place like this, but then they didn’t have another hunter who could do what she could. In a way, she was a specialt
y weapon, and the funding to fight the greatest threat to mankind was relatively endless these days.
Katie made her way out of the bathroom and down the hall, where the suite opened up into a plush living room. Floor-to-ceiling windows gave the impression that the room was much more spacious than it actually was. Toward the front was a small desk, where several menus for local eateries and room service sat by the phone. The room was simple but stylish, with a large comfortable couch and a large flat-screen television with a small bar next to it.
Katie ran her hand over the amber throw on the back of the couch. Oh, that’s soft.
This is great and all, but I need to see this microwave.
Katie chuckled and walked around the half-wall into the kitchen, where she made straight for the fridge and looked inside.
Yes, I can work with that, Pandora hissed. I can fit a fair number of donuts in there.
And here’s the microwave.
Katie pulled out the drawer and looked at the dials. Things for heating, things for toasting, and then there was the full-power cooking capability. She opened out the lid and mentally noted how many donuts would fit.
Eight, Pandora answered before she could finish her calculations. Krispy Kreme? Excellent! We can reheat those babies without leaving the room. I was worried I would have to ask the front clerk to run over there a few times a day. Come on, put your shoes back on. Let’s go out and get donuts right now!
Katie laughed at Pandora until she realized that she was dead serious. All right, all right, but you’ll have to wait just a few. I want to unpack my suitcase first. I don’t need to roll back up in here covered with sugar and get it over everything I brought.
You are really testing me today, you know that?
Katie smiled and went into the hall to fetch her luggage. She was half-tempted to take her time, but Pandora’s constant sighs were already getting on her nerves. She folded her clothes and put them in the dresser, then shoved that suitcase into the closet. The rest were her weapons. In the hotel, she didn’t really want to just set them out for anyone to see, so she placed them in the closet and shut the door, dusting off her hands. She put the ‘No Disturb’ sign on the door and left.
