Succubus Lord 2

by Eric Vall

  “Right away, Jakey!” Todd scurried toward the bedroom area of the suite and disappeared behind the whitewashed wall.

  With the threat gone, I finally took a moment to get a good look at the suite. The place was really nice. Todd and I had been in Phoenix before, but we’d normally slept in our car or crashed on some random dude’s couch. We’d never had the money to stay in a luxury resort like this.

  A Victorian-style chandelier hung from the ten-foot tall ceilings, and the entire floor of the suite was made of hardwood. The living area of this particular room had a fireplace surrounded by white marble and topped with an elegant, stone-chiseled trim. Everything in the area had muted, earthy colors, and the overall aesthetic felt like it was subtle, yet tasteful.

  “It’s quite nice, isn’t it?” Sia smiled and put her hand on the small of my back as if she had read my mind. “It’s almost a shame that we had to mess up the feng shui by adding a corpse.”

  “I dunno, I think it really ties the place together.” I laughed and put my hand on the redhead’s shoulder.

  “See?” Cupi playfully smacked Liby on the arm. “I told you they would bond, eventually.”

  “We’re not-- It’s not like that!” Sia pulled out of my grip the second she heard the blonde’s words.

  “Then what is it like?” Libidine’s mouth twisted into a sly grin as the words left her mouth. “Don’t you love Jacob?”

  “Of course I do.” Superbia crossed her arms in annoyance. “I was-- It’s just--”

  “I found it!” Todd exclaimed as he came running back to our side with what I assumed was Anton Blum’s cell phone in his hand. His actions brought everyone’s attention off Sia and onto the newfound clue. The imp handed the device to me, and I clicked the button on the side.

  “Damn, it’s locked.” I sighed. “Any ideas on what his password could be?”

  “That’s easy.” Todd placed both hands on his hips. “Try ‘696969.’”

  “There is no way his password is ‘696969.’” I laughed as I punched in the numbers. “See? It’s--”

  The password was accepted, and I now had access to the phone of one of Hollywood’s biggest movie producers.

  “You can thank me later, bro.” Todd chuckled. “Preferably with nachos.”

  “I guess pervs all think alike,” Cupi joked with an eye roll. “Seriously, I probably would have taken that asshole out even if he wasn’t a demon. Creeping on young girls like that.”

  “Who knows?” I pondered as I scrolled through Blum’s contacts. “Maybe after we get done slaying all these demons, we can use our powers to focus on the world of man? There’s certainly a lot of fucked-up shit that we mortals do to each other.”

  Then, my eyes caught a familiar name in the producer’s list, and I froze in place. Robert Quinn, a high-level CEO at one of Silicon Valley’s leading tech companies. Quinn was one of the “white whales” of our demon list, a man we’d wanted to go after for weeks but didn’t really know how. He was just too powerful and well-known in the public sphere.

  “It looks like Blum knew Robert Quinn,” I explained.

  “This may finally give us a chance to bring that fucker down!” Cupi slammed her left fist into her right palm.

  “Exactly,” I started. “Quinn is far too protected for us to get to him on our own. But if we borrow some of this asshole’s resources--”

  “We could get close enough to kill him.” Libidine finished.

  “The problem is, we have no idea where he is located,” Sia sighed. “His contact may be in Blum’s phone, but he could be over in Europe right now for all we know. That’s why he’s been such a difficult demon to catch.”

  “But you see, Superbia, we have something that we didn’t have before,” I turned to Todd and held out the phone. “Would you like to do the honors, bro? I know you love using that new power you just discovered the other day.”

  “Fuck yes I do,” the imp giggled as he swiped the device out of my hand. “It makes me feel just like the Terminator.”

  Todd’s tiny finger pushed the “call” button next to Robert Quinn’s name, and the phone lit up with a light blue screen. It rang on speaker for a solid thirty seconds before a gruff, southern voice answered on the other side.

  “Hey there, Quinn,” Todd said as his voice now sounded exactly like Anton Blum’s. “Long time no see.”

  “What in the ever-lovin’ fuck are you talking about, Blum?” Quinn’s twangy voice grumbled back. “We just saw each other last night!”

  “Sorry, I have to admit I was a little fucked up yesterday,” Todd retorted. “My memory of last night isn’t exactly the best.”

  “Seriously?” Quinn sounded annoyed. “Did your dumb ass also forget that we’re supposed to meet tonight?”

  “Oh yeaahhh.” I could tell that Todd was trying his hardest not to speak with his normal sarcastic tone. “I totally remember. But just for the sake of anyone else who might be attending, where are we meeting again?”

  “Damn it, Blum!” the voice on the other side spat. “The forest, with the rest of the group. Just like we do every couple of months. Has all that coke finally fried your brain?”

  “You’re just jealous that I’m the life of the party,” Todd let his signature snark out for a moment.

  “Mention that you’ve got somebody you want him to meet,” I whispered into the imp’s ear. “A young hotshot tech guy.”

  “Speaking of the group,” Todd continued in Blum’s voice. “I’ve got somebody I want you to meet.”

  “What the fuck is this, a blind date?” The man on the other side sounded completely dumbfounded. “This is some top secret stuff, Blum.”

  “I know that.” Todd grinned, and it looked like it was taking everything he had to keep from bursting out in laughter. “But this guy is cool. He’s an up-and-coming young hotshot in the tech industry who’s been dying to meet you.”

  “I don’t have time for this shit, Blum.” The voice on the other line was fuming. “I’m already on a tight schedule as it is. I have a flight to catch immediately after we’re done tonight.”

  “I promise it’ll be worth every minute of your time,” Todd pleaded. “This guy is a total prodigy with security systems and all that fancy software shit that you do. We met this morning, and he told me all about how much he loves your work and how he’s looking for a new business partner. One thing led to another, and before I knew it I was offering to set you two up for a meeting.”

  “Today,” I mouthed to the imp.

  “A meeting today,” he continued.

  “Are you out of your goddamn mind?” Quinn asked. “After all the complaining you did last night, you think I’m just going to up and let some random guy you found into my business empire?”

  “He’s not just some random guy,” Todd explained. “He’s a fucking genius, and I don’t use that term lightly. He’s even going to sweeten the deal by bringing his whole harem of hot women along as a token of his appreciation. I just spent the day with the redhead, and let me tell you, it was amazing.”

  There was a moment of hesitation on the other side.

  “Is he one of us?” the gruff voice asked.

  “Of course he is.” Todd exclaimed. “I wouldn’t even be giving him the time of day if he wasn’t. Where are you at right now?”

  “Seriously?” Quinn asked. “I’m still at my mansion here in Phoenix.”

  My heart sank when he said the words. Robert Quinn was within our grasp.

  “Can you text me over the address?” Todd asked the man on the other side. “I got a new phone and completely lost all the messages from the last few days.”

  “You idiot,” Quinn sighed. “I’ll send you the address as soon as we get off the phone.”

  “Thanks a bundle!” Todd said in a tone that bordered on sarcasm.

  “Just remember,” the gruff voice warned. “I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing it for the cause, and because I want to believe you about his women.”

&n
bsp; “No problem, Quinn,” Todd confirmed. “They’re as good as yours.”

  “This better be worth my time,” the voice muttered. “For his sake, and yours.”

  There was a quick beep and then silence as the call was ended.

  “What did we just get ourselves into?” Todd finally asked.

  “We found out where Quinn is.” I sat down in the muted brown sofa and placed my hands behind my head. “Now he’s going to expect a visit from one of Anton Blum’s associates.”

  “But instead, he’s going to meet our wrath.” Cupiditas smirked and plopped down next to me.

  “Maybe.” I shook my head back and forth. “It was probably a bad idea to just rush into this attack without a plan, but when else are we going to have a chance to bring down the untouchable Robert Quinn?”

  “Never.” Cupiditas placed her hand on my shoulder. “You made the right call. If we don’t get him today, he’ll be impossible to find. He’s always on a plane.”

  “What is the plan, Jacob?” Cupi asked as she swung her leg around and then wiggled her ass up into my lap.

  “We need to prepare for whatever this fucker is going to throw at us,” I said as I looked at the three beautiful women. “Do we know what kind of powers we’re dealing with here?”

  “Flauros is a demon who mostly relies on smooth talking and deception to get what he wants,” Sia explained. “He’s also known as a demon of vengeance.”

  “Then that makes total sense how he got to be a multi-billion dollar CEO.” I nodded. “So he’s ruthless and can manipulate people. Is that all?”

  “He’s also very powerful with his red Hellfire,” Cupi added. “Unlike you or I, he can conjure it in any position without so much as batting an eye.”

  “Uhhh, what does that mean?” I asked.

  “He can… hmmm.” Sia tapped her cheek with her finger and then she snapped her fingers. “He can just make his fire appear anywhere. It doesn’t have to travel like an arrow.”

  “Fuck,” both Todd and I said in unison.

  “He has teleporting red Hellfire.” I rubbed my eyes again. “How are we going to counter that?”

  “No need to fear, Jacob.” Sia ran her small fingers through my brown locks. “That’s what I’m here for. My black Hellfire of fear is more than just a deadly telekinesis. It also can subdue other magic user’s powers, if the caster is weak enough.”

  “Will it work on Flauros?” I asked the redhead.

  Sia shook her head. “It will, but only if the five of us can chip away at his strength first.”

  “Oh, so just another battle of attrition with an eons old demon on his home turf," I laughed. “No biggie.”

  “Bro, I think we could do that in our sleep,” Todd chuckled, but I recognized that his laugh sounded just like the laugh he would do when he was actually nervous.

  I looked around at all of my friends. They looked hopeful, but there was also more than a bit of fear in their eyes.

  This was going to be our hardest battle yet.

  “I really wish we had more time to think this through, but it sounds like we have something that at least resembles a plan,” I said.

  “Now, who’s ready to go demon hunting again?”

  Chapter 2

  Shadow, our black Jeep Wrangler we’d picked up back in Boston, glided down the desert highway at breakneck speed toward Robert Quinn’s mansion. A bit of research had told us that the CEO owned a vacation home here in Phoenix and that he was currently in town for some major tech conference.

  “There’s something I’m still not getting, Jakey.” Todd raised his hand from the passenger seat as if he were a kid in grade school, so I gave him a nod to continue. “Why would Anton Blum be in contact with the CEO of a tech company? I know they’re both demons and all, but there’s not, like, some giant group chat of Hellspawns or anything... is there?”

  “It is strange,” Cupiditas said from the backseat. “Most demons are egotistical and stubborn. They hate each other for the most part and only get together when they have to work toward a common purpose.”

  “In short, demons are assholes.” Liby shrugged. “But you of all people should already know that, Jacob.”

  “I think this is a fairly open and shut case,” Sia’s voice chimed in. “They are both trying to influence mortal men from the highest level of society. What more of a common purpose do you need?”

  I nodded. “Agreed. There have been murmurs on the internet that Quinn was looking to spread his company’s influence by creating new entertainment technologies and apps,” I explained. “I would almost bet money that this is that ‘top secret’ project he’s been talking to Blum about.”

  “Bro, it’s ingenious.” Todd laid back on the black interior of the Jeep. “A demon puts an app on every cell phone in the world? It’ll be like that old book, 1984. He who controls the mind and all that.”

  “Wow, Todd, I’m shocked you’ve read that one,” I said in a surprised tone.

  “Bro, I’m upper, upper class, high society.” The imp giggled as he adjusted a fake bowtie on his neck. “God’s gift--”

  “I know the song,” I laughed.

  “I just thought the girls would get a kick out of it.” Todd shrugged. “‘Big balls’ and all.”

  “What was that about big balls?” Libidine perked up. “Are we talking about Jacob?”

  “Seriously, Superbia, you need to see them sometime!” Cupi giggled to her redheaded friend. “It’s not just an expression.”

  “I’m sorry I brought it up.” Todd shook his head and stuck his finger in his mouth to make a gagging motion. “Anyway, back to this cowboy-hat wearing fucker we’re going to see. What’s our plan, again?”

  “I’m going to pretend to be some hotshot, up-and-coming software engineer,” I explained. “I’ll bullshit my way through with some business jargon the best I can, but he’s going to realize something is up eventually. Hopefully, by that time, the Invisible Imp can have one of his magnificent demon traps set up for the asshole.”

  “Ooooh,” Todd responded giddily. “Whaddya want me to hit him with? One of the Pentacles of Saturn? An Inuit Bone Trap? What about the eggshell method of Sardis? I’ve always wanted to try to capture a demon with an egg!”

  “Let’s just stick with the Key of Solomon,” I said with a laugh. “We know that one works.”

  “Fine,” Todd sighed, “but you’re missing out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to capture a demon with an egg.”

  “What will our role in this charade be, Jacob?” Sia asked.

  “You guys get the greatest role of them all, Superbia.” I smiled as I looked back at the women in the rearview mirror. “First, you three get to be my super-sexy supermodel girlfriends.”

  “Models?” Sia asked.

  “Yep,” I said. “I’ll love showing you off.”

  “Yay!” Liby exclaimed at the thought of being flaunted, and even Cupiditas let a smile slide up the corner of her mouth. Superbia tried to remain stone-faced, but I could tell by the glimmer in her eyes that she was just as excited as the other two succubi.

  “Quinn will also have at least a couple of armed guards at his place,” I continued. “Your second task will be to take them out while I’m shooting the shit with this asshole.”

  When I looked back in the mirror again, I saw that the succubi’s emotions were all reversed. Libidine looked somewhat nonchalant while Cupi and Sia were grinning ear to ear at the prospect of combat.

  Maybe I was finally getting the hang of these girls.

  Robert Quinn’s house was only about a twenty-minute drive away from the Royal Palms Resort, in the Encanto neighborhood of Phoenix. It was where most of the rich folk of Arizona liked to take up residence, and this guy was no exception. As we pulled up to his summer home mansion, I couldn’t help but marvel at its elegance.

  The whole place looked like it could have easily set this guy back many millions of dollars. Quinn’s mansion was three stories of whitish-gray stucco
in the Spanish Mission style. Atop the red tile roof sat a small balcony surrounded by a black iron rail, and I noticed an armed security guard standing there at his post.

  The sight of the rifle in his hand made my heart thump in my chest, but I tried to remain calm.

  “Todd, time for stealth mode,” I whispered to the imp.

  The imp nodded and then whistled a popular spy tune as he vanished from sight.

  Shadow pulled up into the driveway, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw the guard on the roof stand up and draw his weapon. Before we could even exit the vehicle, two more armed security personnel greeted us.

  “Hello, sir,” the first guard uttered coldly. “What brings you to the Quinn estate today?”

  “Name’s Marcus Pearson.” I nodded. “Mr. Quinn is expecting me and my friends back there. We’re associates of Anton Blum.”

  “Ah.” The guard nodded without changing his facial expression. “He said you’d be coming.”

  The second man opened the passenger side back door and motioned for the succubi to exit the vehicle.

  “Who are they?” the guard asked as he gestured to Sia, Cupi, and Libby.

  “My girlfriends,” I explained as I got out of the Jeep.

  “These are your girlfriends?” the first guard asked as he glanced up and down Libby’s long legs with both his eyebrows raised.

  “Marcus is a wonderful lover,” Libby giggled and winked at the guard checking her out.

  “He’s also a rich up-and-coming software engineer,” Sia repeated my earlier words in a canned voice. “We are supermodels, and supermodels love men with money.”

  “Uhh, okay,” the first guard said as he gave me a respectful nod.

  “What’s with all the security?” I jokingly asked to change the subject. “Afraid Bill Gates is coming to take out the competition?”

  “I would hold my tongue once you get inside,” the first guard sighed as we followed him and his partner toward the main entrance. “Mr. Quinn isn’t really one for jokes.”

  The second guard knocked on the large door four times in a row, paused, and then rapped six times more. There was the muffled, mechanical sound of a deadbolt as it was unlocked, and then the door slowly opened.