by Jack Porter
“Can you stay in this form long enough?” I asked.
I could tell by her expression that she didn’t want to wait.
“Yes,” she said. “As long as you’re quick.”
That was all the invitation I needed. She was already wet, already starting to writhe, and was already trying to pull me toward her, using every last ounce of her strength.
I let her, entering her with urgency, driving myself in deep, all the way home.
Rachel let out a guttural noise that sounded partway between a cry of pleasure and a growl of frustration, and ground herself against me for all she was worth.
That was enough to tell me she could take it. I let out a growl of my own, unconsciously flapping my wings above me as I drew apart and slammed myself back in. Again and again, I pounded into Rachel, enjoying the power, the pleasure, the heightened sense of passion and lust, slamming into her in a state almost of delirium, forgetting about everything except for the wondrous, magical, divine creature beneath me.
For her part, she gave as good as she got, gripping me with her claws on my shoulders, back, buttocks, and thighs, flexing toward me with every thrust of my own, doing her part in our combined attempts to merge our bodies together.
Our tempo increased right out of the gate until within only a few minutes, we would have given a souped-up jackhammer a run for its money. I found myself feeling grateful that there was solid concrete beneath the practice mats because anything less wouldn’t have been able to withstand the pressure.
And then, just as I was reaching heights of ecstasy I had never felt before, Rachel bucked beneath me once, twice, and again, let out a primal scream, and went berserk, kicking out and scratching for all she was worth, her eyes clamped tightly shut and her expression a grimace.
I followed her seconds later, pounding deep inside her all the while, my own demonic cry ringing out over the city.
And then I collapsed, spent, on top of her, and might have just lain there, still inside her, if she hadn’t sounded a warning.
“I have to change back,” she said, sounding exhausted.
Even spent as I was, no longer fully erect, there was no way a human woman could take all that I had. But instead of withdrawing, I transformed first, and was rewarded with another of Rachel’s throaty laughs.
Seconds later, she and I were back in our normal forms, lying on the practice mats as if they were a bed, both of us panting in exhaustion.
“Um,” Sandy said, and I turned my head to see both her and Piper still watching, as if they had been doing so all the while. Sandy’s cheeks were flushed, and it looked as if she was breathing hard. Piper’s expression was one of out and out lust.
“When do we get to give that a try?” Sandy finished.
25
All this turning into a demon was tough on a man’s wardrobe.
I’m going to have to buy more clothes, I thought as I climbed into my last pair of pants and put on a shirt. Then I grinned to myself. At least I wasn’t the only one. Rachel would probably have to go shopping too, if she was going to transform into her succubus self.
I wondered idly if it was possible to halt the transformation halfway. Like, just give myself demon wings while staying mostly human in size and appearance.
“It is possible,” Azrael said. For the first time since he’d dropped his bombshell, his voice didn’t immediately set me on edge. I hadn’t exactly forgiven him, but it seemed I was on my way to doing so.
“Each form is yours, as is every phase in between. With time and practice, you will be able to control it completely.”
I found myself grinning again, imagining limiting the transformation to a single part of my anatomy. What would the girls say if I approached them sporting my massive demon schlong?
Of course, a dick that big would be virtually useless with the girls still in their human forms, but that just meant I had to hurry up and let Azrael level up as much as he could.
I wondered how long I would have to wait before Sandy and Piper would be able to turn full succubus. Julie would probably take a little longer, and there were a handful of other conquests running about who would likely be able to go full demon before her as well.
I checked myself out in the mirror, decided I was good to go, and went to join the girls in one of Dario’s comfortable lounges.
There was much we needed to discuss.
“So, in summary,” Rachel said. “It’s as simple as it has always been. We need to find a way to replace Bianca Gambetti as the head of the Syndicate.”
The Goth woman’s hair was still damp. She had also taken a shower after our exploits next to the pool, and had changed into a new outfit. As with most of her clothes, the color scheme of choice was largely black, although she did highlight it all with touches of red and purple, in the form of the jewelry she wore and the tattoos on her legs.
“We’re just going to have to do it the hard way,” Sandy said, expressing the thought that had been in my mind ever since I’d fought off Bianca’s soldier demon.
The hard way. Effectively, the same way we had carved off Dario’s part of the Gambetti empire.
“And remember,” Sandy continued, “Simon isn’t a Gambetti. We need to be sure the Syndicate will follow him when it’s done.”
“And don’t forget the divine shield Bianca wears,” Piper said grimly. “You said it’s the same sort of thing as the one you took from Dario? The same sort of thing the BDA Agents wear?”
“I didn’t see it in action, but I assume so,” I said.
“Well, there’s your answer,” the assassin said. “You can’t get through that shield, but that doesn’t mean you can’t hurt those inside them. Just smash this Bianca against something hard until she breaks.”
It was a valid thought, although it didn’t solve the problem of those demons the Syndicate boss kept as pets. And there was something else to consider.
“Taking over the Syndicate might not be enough,” I said. “We know there’s a hidden organization behind the BDA. The Establishment, Bianca called it. A cabal made up of powerful figures. But what’s the process for joining that cabal? Is taking over the Syndicate enough all by itself? Or is there another step in the process?”
All three girls looked at me, but Sandy asked the question. “What do you mean?”
“Does Bianca Gambetti have to announce me as her successor? Does she effectively have to sign that position over to me? Or is it even more difficult than that?”
There was silence all around. It was a valid question, that much was plain, but nobody knew the answer.
We talked a bit more about what we needed to do, as best we could. I was about to assign tasks, about to get Sandy and Rachel to see what they could find out, when my phone started to ring.
It was Julie.
“Hello? Simon? Look, there’s a whole lot of chatter going on here at the station. There’s something big going on, and it has something to do with the BDA. I don’t know the details–those sons-of-bitches aren’t great at sharing information, but I can’t help but think it has something to do with you.”
At Julie’s words, I felt an all-too-familiar sense of foreboding, and I couldn’t immediately tell if it was my own, or if Azrael had something to do with it.
Julie hadn’t finished. “I don’t know if they’ve figured out where you are, but it might pay to move again. Or at least keep an eye out.”
I nodded even though it was just a voice call and my favorite cop couldn’t see me. “Thanks for the warning,” I said. “See if you can find out anything more.”
“Will do,” she said. Then she hesitated. “I’ll ask around, anyway. But I’m coming to you.”
With that, she was gone, and I looked around at my little harem of women. I habitually took my calls on speakerphone, and they’d all heard Julie’s message. Rachel and Sandy both displayed looks of concern, and Piper’s expression was grim.
“See what you can find out from our people in the BDA,” I said to Sandy.
&
nbsp; If there was one downside to Dario’s place when compared with Megadeath’s mansion, it was that the older man didn’t have the same level of security set up. There were cameras both outside and in, but not like Megadeath had, and there were no weapons to speak of.
Nevertheless, there were advantages as well. Unlike Megadeath, Dario’s cameras were accessible via the net.
I quickly pulled the system up, and immediately started to swear.
The blond Agent with the scar on his jaw stood just outside Dario’s house. And he wasn’t alone. This time, he had brought nearly half a dozen Agents with them.
“Fuck!” I said. “They’re already here!”
26
As I watched, five of the Agents blinked out of existence. I toggled the screen, flicking through to other cameras, and my suspicions were immediately confirmed. The five Agents had not gone away. They hadn’t left the blond Agent with the scar on his jaw all alone. Instead, they had reappeared all around the house, as near as I could tell, spaced evenly.
“Fuck!” I yelled. Then, to the girls, “Move! Get out of here!”
My first thought, surprisingly enough, was the girls’ safety. My second thought was one of murder. I shouldn’t have given the blond Agent or his older female friend the chance to escape when last we had faced them. I should have found a way to smash them both into bags of wet goo held together by their divine shields.
If I’d done that, then they wouldn’t have been able to go back to the BDA to get reinforcements.
I didn’t stick around to find out what the girls intended to do. I hoped they would head to Dario’s garage, and get out of there before anything could happen. As for me, I turned the air blue with curses and staggered back out toward the pool, peeling off my clothes as I went. In under two seconds, I had burned through much of my R-rated vocabulary and left my shirt, pants, and underwear behind me.
I still had plenty of juice in the tank to transform back into my demon form, and so I did, launching myself straight into the air over the pool, aiming for a squat, bearded Agent who had set himself up at the boundary fence just beyond.
I let out a roar of demonic fury, and he had the time to look up with an expression of shock.
I was going to rip him apart with my bare hands even if he was wearing a personal shield.
Except that I couldn’t.
Instead of crashing into the Agent at full speed and bowling over, I crashed instead into the same sort of nearly invisible fucking barrier that the Agents had used to catch me before.
“Fuck!” I bellowed, loud enough that the Agent had no choice but to flinch. I curled my hand into massive fists and pounded at the shield, but it was just as solid and impenetrable as before.
I knew I had but one chance in this confrontation, if I didn’t want to find out what the BDA did to people like me. I had to get to the outside of this shield and attack the Agents from behind.
I had to be faster and stronger than they could expect.
If I was not, then all of us could be doomed.
With all my Azrael-given strength and speed, I hurled myself from one side of the property to the other, flapping my wings hard and fast, reaching the other side within moments.
Only to rebound off another nearly invisible wall.
This time, I didn’t even waste a moment to curse. I hurled myself toward another side, then another, then high, then low, bouncing off invisible walls at every attempt, feeling like a pinball ricocheting back and forth, unable to find a way through.
Nor, it turned out, was I the only one to attempt to break free. I saw that Piper had stationed herself next to the driveway, and she lobbed grenades one after the other toward the older woman Agent who had accompanied the blond one before.
Full credit to the Agent. She kept her cool throughout the bombardment, never even flinching at the detonations.
To add to the mayhem, Sandy chose to join in on the act. She didn’t have any weapons, and couldn’t yet turn into a demonic version of herself. Yet she proved surprisingly willing, putting herself at risk by driving her red convertible straight at the shield, only to crash to a halt. Metal crumbled and an airbag went off, but to my surprise, the car kept running. Sandy tore the airbag out of her way, stuck the car in reverse, backed up, and had another go.
All this I saw as I was pinballing about, growing increasingly frustrated and enraged. How dare these humans, these insects pit themselves against us!? How dare this hidden Agency try to prevent me from Ascending?
What right did they have to decide who rose and who didn’t rise to the top?
“They have the right because they have the power,” Azrael said. “But you have power as well.”
I growled out loud and hurled myself directly at the blond man, doing my best to puncture the shield that held us, willing myself through, just to have a chance of ripping the man’s throat out.
I imagined a world teeming with Azrael’s spawn, humans in all their infinite variety with inner demons, succubi, incubi, and whatever demonic entity would be produced within those people whose gender wasn’t so easily defined.
Once I had taken over the whole fucking world, then even the Establishment would have little choice but to bow down before me. If I had an army of demons at my side, there would be nothing the BDA could do to stop me.
The only question was whether Azrael could grow strong enough to bring this vision into reality.
Could he live up to the dreams I had?
“How about we deal with the current problem?” Azrael said, echoing Rachel’s advice. “Because it will be lot harder to turn these dreams into reality if we are being held in a dark hole where we can’t use our powers to their greatest effect.”
He was right, of course, but there seemed to be little I could do. I kept hurling myself around, searching for a weak spot, and was surprised to see Rachel in her succubus form doing much the same. I thought she had reached the end of her strength, thought she could only maintain her demon form for a comparatively short time.
“She has leveled up,” Azrael provided, a note of pride in his voice.
Nor was Azrael the only one to watch the Goth demon hurl herself about. I was in awe of Rachel, and everything she had become.
But she was having the same amount of luck as I was.
Which was none at all.
Luck, I thought. Ever since I had bonded with Azrael and started the journey up the status charts, I had been dumping points into luck, for both myself and the girls. All things being equal, a slight twist of fate might be enough to turn the tables of any adventure our way.
As had been the case several times in the past, notably during my battle against Megadeath #4, and taking his thumb as a trophy, which just happened to be exactly the digit I needed to open his front door.
It had been a while since I had taken any digits from my victims. But then, it had been a while since I had killed a man as well. In a way, I missed the simplicity of it, the cut and dried nature of kill or be killed.
It seemed that the world was much more complicated now. Kill or be killed had become a quest for leverage, and a battle to stay ahead of a faceless, merciless organization.
Whose thumb would I take if we could remove the BDA’s target from my back? Was there a singular thumb behind it all?
The Syndicate was simpler. My target there was Bianca, but just like with Dario before her, I wasn’t completely sure killing her outright was the best option.
“Azrael!” I demanded. “How much luck do we have? Is there a way we can use it offensively?”
I was grasping at straws, and I knew it.
“What do you mean?”
“Is there something we can try that might work in only one out of a hundred times? Something desperate we could try, that only the insanely lucky could hope to pull off?”
Even as I asked the question, I knew we were running out of time. The blond Agent with the scar on his jaw must have sent a signal. From my position high above Dario’s ma
nsion, I could see all the Agents step inward, shrinking the area within their shield.
We were all caught in a trap, and that trap was growing smaller.
27
I knew that once it had reached a manageable size, the blond Agent would utter the same command as before, and we would be blinked out of existence to some secure location where they were prepared to deal with someone like me.
“I do not know,” Azrael responded.
“Well fucking think of something!” I bellowed at my parasitic companion. “We’re in trouble here, and if we don’t force our way through these shields, I don’t know what could happen!”
For just a moment, Azrael remained silent, and I lamented the negatives of having a demon for a mental roommate. But then—
“The shields these Agents are using to capture us are of divine origin. Which means nothing in your mortal world can pass through them.”
At first, it seemed like an impossible answer, and I swore long and hard enough to make my throat ache with the effort. But then I reined myself in.
“Wait a minute,” I said. “You said nothing on this earth could get through the shields.”
“Correct,” came my demon’s reply.
A small part of me still wanted to throttle him. Not just for the crucial information he had felt back, but also because of his calm in the face of such mortal danger.
But then, perhaps he had good reason to be calm. Perhaps he knew he would survive no matter what happened to me.
If I was killed, would he cease to exist? Or would he simply reappear in the bowels of Hell as the soldier demon I’d killed would do?
“What about something divine?”
“I thought it might be clear by now. Even in your demon form, we cannot get through.”
I growled in frustration. “I’m not talking about that!” I said. “What if we activated a divine shield ourselves? Would a divine shield be divine enough to get through?”
Azrael didn’t answer immediately. Perhaps he wasn’t certain.
