This is part 3 of a multi-part story. The main characters are:
Chris - the main POV character.
Jenny - Chris' wife
Desdemona aka "Mona" - a mysterious, beautiful redhead who moved in next door to Chris and Jenny
Lazarus - Mona's husband, as yet only referred to
The story began with Chris having a series of recurring wet dreams featuring a beautiful redhead. Chris started to notice that his wife, Jenny, was having sexual dreams each night as well. Her behavior seemed to be changing, too. Part 1 ends when Chris comes home to find his new neighbor, Mona, in the kitchen talking to Jenny. He is shocked when she looks exactly like his fiery dream lover.
In part 2, we meet Mona, and Chris becomes fascinated by the beautiful, mysterious woman. She is the singer of a metal band, Her Demonic Majesty, with her husband Lazarus, and has a strange tattoo on her abdomen, which also happens to be the logo for the musical group. Chris grows increasingly concerned about the continuing dreams and the changes to Jenny's behavior and plans to visit a therapist to try to understand what is happening. He and Jenny are invited to a party by Mona, and as he is showering to get ready, he sees markings on the glass where his wife had drawn Mona's symbol.
"I am He! the Bornless Spirit! having sight in the Feet: Strong, and the Immortal Fire!
I am He! the Truth!
I am He! Who hate that evil should be wrought in the World!
I am He, that lightningeth and thundereth.
I am He, from whom is the Shower of the Life of Earth:
I am He, whose mouth flameth:
I am He, the Begetter and Manifester unto the Light:
I am He, the Grace of the World:
"The Heart Girt with a Serpent" is My Name!" - The Bornless Ritual, Aleister Crowley
Chapter 8
When I came out of the shower, I found my clothes laid out on the bed. Jenny must have come up and selected what she wanted me to wear. I assumed it was to match her outfit. She'd never done this before, which struck me as unusual, but I figured she was excited, and wanted to make a good impression with the new neighbors and their friends.
I slid into the prepared pair of tight black jeans that had a couple of rips and tears in them. Jenny had picked them up at Rue 21 last year for the Queen + Adam Lambert concert. I hadn't worn them since. Fortunately, they still fit. From somewhere deep in my closet, she had found a black long-sleeved shirt that was covered with tiny silver skulls. To go with it, all was a pair of black athletic socks and a black high-top Reeboks I once wore to an 80's costume party.
"How thoroughly Gothic," I mumbled, as I fastened the silver snaps that adorned the front of the shirt.
Once dressed, I ran a brush through my hair and headed downstairs. Jenny, still in her bathrobe, smiled and kissed me lightly on the cheek.
"I made shrimp fajitas," she chirped. "I already ate, so don't wait for me. I'll be back down when I'm ready."
"Oh, ok," I replied as I sat down. I noticed another bottle of Blood of the Fallen was open. Jenny took her full glass with her as she skipped out of the room. It was clear she was in a great mood and looking forward to the party. I poured a glass of wine for myself and dove into the delicious Tex-Mex my wife had prepared.
By the time Jenny reappeared, I had finished off the fajitas, cleaned up the kitchen, and drained most of the bottle of wine. I was daydreaming. I was in a twilight forest, walking along a path. I felt as if something menacing were watching me, following me. In the distance, I could see the trail opening into a small clearing. In the center was what at first appeared to be a stone gazebo, with a domed roof. As I drew nearer, I could tell it was an altar or shrine of some type. I felt drawn toward it, as if I were drifting above the ground, moving closer and closer, regardless of my willingness to approach it. I could see candles glowing through the arched windows. As I circled around to the front, there she stood: my dream lover, naked, beckoning me to come closer.
Her flaming red hair.
The piercing green eyes.
The heart tattoo on her abdomen.
"Can I get a refill?" Jenny asked from the doorway, surprising me. I jumped and spun around.
"What?" I asked, much louder than I intended.
"Can I get a refill?" Jenny asked again, holding out her empty wine glass. She wore a short, lacy black dress, with long, dagged, dangly sleeves, and a built-in corset of deep crimson that pushed her breasts up. The elegant cups barely covered her nipples, giving her a pronounced cleavage. The fabric covering her breasts was so sheer that even from across the kitchen, the dark hints of her areolas were clearly visible. Under the frilly black skirt, she wore thigh-high fishnet stockings and a sexy pair of black stiletto heels. Her hair was worn long and framed her face well. She had on the perfect shade of red lipstick and heavy eyeliner.
She was fucking hot.
I shook my head, trying to make sure I was seeing my wife and not some gothic superstar. "Wow," I exclaimed. "You look amazing!"
Jenny grinned and held up her glass. "Thank you, Chris," she replied.
I picked up the bottle and emptied what was left into her glass. "Should I open another bottle?"
"That was the last one. Maybe Mona will be generous and give us some more."
"You know," I said as I tossed the empty bottle in the recycle bin, "I googled them. Apparently, their band is pretty successful. I mean, it must be for them to have been able to buy out the winemaker and put out such high-quality wine. You know this stuff costs a fortune?"
Jenny sipped the glass slowly, savoring the rich flavor.
"Yeah, I figured they must be rich to be able to buy the house next door to us. Even with the murder-suicide thing, it had to sell for a couple of million. I'm sure the wine is worth the price. It's delicious."
"Have you heard their music?" I asked as I pulled my phone out of my pocket and pulled up Spotify.
"No, not really. Mona told me about it, but we didn't get around to listening to any. How is it?"
"Better than I expected," I said with a laugh. "I mean, the description sounded weird, but there's something almost magical about the combination of all the ancient folk instruments, Mona's angelic voice, and Lazarus's growling."
"Growling?"
"Yeah, you know when the guy sings in that deep raspy voice? I usually don't get into it, but the way they mix it up, it's fascinating. Plus, he does it in like some weird ancient language, which adds to the mystery. Here."