The Vengeance Demon Ch 01

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

*****

"Ahh! Oh, my god!" the naked male scrambled to fight his way out of the restraints. It was a feeble attempt, and mediocre at best. His feet were slowly disintegrating, only stumps where his toes were a short time ago.

The woman smiled down at him.

I love going back to the classics,

she thought as she watched the male trying to squirm free. She liked starting with the feet when given a choice. The male experiences the most pain and has to watch his body literally melt away. When a client wishes simply for a painful death, she can't help but revert to this old standard.

"What's happening to me? Who are you?" The pain he was experiencing was evident as he spoke. "Ahh! My feet! What the hell is happening?" The curse had finished his feet and was continuing up his bare legs. The male stared up at her in terror.

She ignored him and looked down at her phone.

Great, this is taking longer than I thought

. She looked back at her target and saw it would be at least ten minutes before her work would be done, so she knew what she had to do. She bent down and whispered, "Laed Hizaln." She hated that incantation. It always took the fun out of the job but she was desperate.

The male kept screaming but the silencing curse was working like a charm. She smiled at her joke.

I'll have to remember that for the next holiday party

. She unlocked her phone, clicked Recent, and called the first number.

After one ring, a man answered, "Hey, Raan. You running late?"

"How did you know?" Raan laughed.

Funny how well he knows me after just a short time

. "I can be there in like thirty minutes. Will that work?"

"What if I just pack up the food and head to your place in about an hour?"

"That'll be perfect, Holden. Honestly, an hour will be better anyway. Is that really ok?" Raan smiled and looked down at the filthy male. His knees would be the next to go. The pools of goo were starting to reek and he looked like he might pass out soon. She needed to make sure that didn't happen.

"Works for me. Spaghetti is an easy reheat. I'll see you then."

"Ok, bye." Raan hung up the phone and looked down at the now footless male. "Why couldn't you be more like Holden? Hmm? He's a good guy and good guys don't end up as puddles!" She kicked his torso. "Are you listening? Oh, yeah." She laughed as she undid the silencing curse. The screams were only moans now.

Pity

. She had to pause the punishment, otherwise he'd be unconscious very soon. "Raijee Yald." The melting ceased and, along with it, the pain. "There. Now, what were you saying?"

She watched him gather what was left of his energy as he spoke. "What's happening? Who the hell are you? Please, I'll give you anything! Just stop!" the desperate male was panicking as he stared at her, then at what was left of his legs, then back to Raan. "What do you want?"

"Good question. What does any woman want, Matthew? How about-"

"Just tell me, bitch! I have money! Anything you want, just stop!"

I love when they call me names, like that'll change their fate.

"Oh, Matthew. How colorful your language is. A gentleman would use different vocabulary, but not you."

"Why do you keep saying my name? Who are you? What are you doing to me?"

Raan loved this part. Why does giving reason to the male always make her feel like she's in the last five minutes of a

Law and Order

episode? "I am no one. No one to you, that is. Just like your wife. She-"

She watched the pathetic male start pulling on his restraints as he interrupted her. "My wife? What did you do to her? I'll kill you if you-"

"If I what? Fucked her best friend? Would you kill someone who did that?"

"What the fu-"

"I would." Raan grinned as she saw the understanding wash over him.. "Was it worth it?"

Before the male could answer, she spoke the silencing curse again. As he mouthed a plea for his life, she spoke the words to continue his ill fate. Nothing short of what he deserved. Raan knew it wouldn't be long as she watched the curse travel up the remainder of his pasty, thin legs, right to his unfaithfulness.

*******

Raan made it home minutes before she expected Holden, leaving little time to ready herself. Work had been smellier than normal since some adulterous goo had gushed onto her shoe, so she hoped she'd have time for a shower.

Oh well

. She'd have to do her best. After the normal cleanup routine, she could still smell that human mush odor. Raan removed her black pumps, bagged them, and threw them in the back of the hall closet. She ran down the hall to her bedroom and grabbed another pair. The third date had enough presumption without opening the door partially undressed.

Raan heard the doorbell from the other room.

No time to change

. She grabbed a brush from the dresser and ran it hastily through her long, dark hair. She took one quick look in the mirror and smiled. She always loved the way she looked. Tall, thin and just pretty enough. Raan never left a man dead at the sight of her, but she rarely left a room without being noticed either. Her tight gray jeans hugged her hips nicely and ample cleavage was peeking out the top of her gray, peasant top. Nodding at her reflection with approval, she turned from the mirror and headed into the hall and to the door.

"It's me," a familiar voice from the other side said.

She quickly unlocked and opened the door. "Hey. I left the downstairs door unlocked again, hmm?"

"Yep. I locked it behind me. Don't girls worry about that kind of thing?" Holden shrugged, holding up two bags as he motioned to come in. His short hair was parted to one side and she could tell he had spent some time on it. "Shall we?"

Raan moved aside as Holden smiled and headed toward the kitchen.

He has to know how attractive he is, but he doesn't show it

. She really liked that about him. He was taller than Raan, only slightly, and his hard arms looked like he had worked out moments before she opened the door. He had a beautiful face, a strange word to describe a man, but it had such perfect proportions that she often wondered if he were intended a girl, but it had been changed at the last second. She watched him walk as he made his way through her place. He had only been there once before, just to wait as she got ready for a date, but he seemed to know his way around. She turned to shut the door before following.

"So, how was work?" Holden was pulling out containers of food when she got to the kitchen door. "Rough night?" He opened a large container and headed to the microwave.

"Kind of, actually. Hopefully I won't be called out again." Raan didn't like answering questions about work, but she tried not to let it show. She told everyone she worked as an on-call nurse, giving her an easy excuse to go to work at a moment's notice. Her clients rarely had requests that weren't time-sensitive. "I didn't mean to keep you waiting."

"I'm not worried about it. Work is important." He hit the two minute button on the microwave and turned. "Do you want salad first?" Holden held up a container.

"Not really." Raan walked over to the counter next to him and looked at the contents. "No, thanks."

"Me neither." Holden walked to the fridge and put the salad inside before turning back to Raan. "Oh, well. Thought I should bring it, just in case."

"I may have some later, I don't know." Raan moved to the silverware drawer to the left of the sink, grabbed two forks, then pulled down two plates from the cabinet next to the stove. She walked them back to the counter and looked in the remaining bag. "What else did you bring?"

The microwave beeped and Holden brought the spaghetti to the counter. "Dessert and a few movies." Holden began scooping some spaghetti onto a plate then scooted it toward Raan.

"I like dessert." Raan smiled as she put some spaghetti on her plate then closed the container.

"Good. Me too." Holden leaned in to kiss her as he spoke. He lingered on her bottom lip for a moment, sucking it gently before pulling back. He then grabbed the movies from the bag and started walking around the counter. "Living room?"

"Sure." Raan grabbed her plate and followed him to the next room.

They sat next to each other on the couch and started eating. Raan felt Holden push himself closer to her. He put his plate on the coffee table and turned to her. "What's your tattoo mean?" He nodded toward her wrist. "Do you get tired of people asking if it hurt?" He asked, as he grabbed her plate and sat it on the table, pulling her arm to him for a closer look.

The butterflies in Raan's stomach matched the tingling below her waist as she felt his touch on her bare skin. "It hurt a lot and it's just a symbol. It's something the other girls that I work with have too." Raan didn't want to go into details. She couldn't get her mind to focus on anything but Holden's touch.

"Something to do with your job?" Holden said as he rubbed his thumb along the mark on Raan's wrist. "When did you get it?"

Raan felt goosebumps as he stroked her arm, thinking of how she would stroke his shaft very soon. "Not really. It's just a tattoo that we all have. I've had it for a long time and it's a constant reminder of the choices I've made."

Holden let go of her wrist and looked at her. "What do you mean? Choosing nursing for a career?" He paused and grinned slightly before speaking again. "Or is it something to do with a guy?"

"Isn't everything?" Raan smiled and looked down at her wrist. "Yeah, it's lame but it started with a guy. So, it isn't as much about what I do and more about what I've done."

"Or who." Holden smiled.

"Right." Raan shrugged at him. "It isn't something I'm proud of so it's unfortunate, to say the least, that it's on my wrist."

Holden looked back to the coffee table, reached for his plate and took another bite. Raan followed his lead and grabbed her food. She ate a few bites before putting her plate down again. She got up from the couch and headed for the kitchen.

"Do you want something to drink?" She asked without turning.

"Sure."

"Ok." Raan said from the kitchen as she grabbed two glasses from the wine rack before picking one of her favorite brands of wine. She walked them back to the coffee table then sat down next to him.

"Where can I get a bottle opener?" Holden scooted the bottle of wine closer to him before standing.

Raan pulled his arm and motioned for him to sit back down. "I have one," she said as she laughed and turned to the end table. She opened the drawer and pulled it out. "I tend to need it in here."

"Entertaining a lot of guests?" Holden asked as he exaggerated a frown then laughed. "None of my business." Holden put his plate on the table then grabbed the wine bottle. "May I?" He said as he held out his free hand.

Raan dropped the bottle opener into his hand and watched as he started to free the cork. When he finished, he looked up at her and she smiled. "I don't have that many guests... Too busy with work, as you know."

Holden laughed and placed the cork on the table in front of him. He then handed a glass to Raan and held one for himself. He poured hers until she motioned to stop, poured his own, then set the bottle of wine down before leaning back on the couch.

"You do work a lot."

"That I do." Raan took a sip of wine and pressed into the couch. "So, where are your tattoos?" She looked him up and down, as if really searching.

I'll see them soon enough

. "Do you have any?"

"I don't. I haven't really found anything worth keeping around for that long." He shrugged. "Besides, I wouldn't want to cover up any part of this body."

Raan laughed as she watched him motion over his body, nodding. "Right." She smiled and shook her head as she took another sip of wine. "Works of art can't be defaced."

"Hey, you said it. Not me." Holden smiled and nodded before sipping his wine. "I can flex for you, if you want."

"Maybe later." Raan grabbed the wine bottle and poured some more. "So, why did you choose IT?"

"It's easy. Computers just make sense to me, and there's always a need for it. Just like you with nursing. It'll always be around so you'll never be out of work."

So will smiting,

Raan thought glumly.

If only he knew how long I've been doing this.

"Job security is important, I guess. Do you like it?"

"Sure. It's fine, nothing super exciting but still good. I don't have to see a ton of people, just machines. So, it's better than it could be!" Raan watched Holden pour himself more wine before he continued. "My turn. What's the story behind your name?"

Raan froze. She tried not to let the uneasiness show, but she could tell he noticed. She didn't want to tell him about her name because it wasn't really her name.

Hell, I don't remember my real name

. She began her life as a demon with this name, leaving her human name and human life in her past. "It's kind of a long story."

"Ok..." Holden said then hesitantly continued, "Well, why didn't your parents spell it with an 'I'? You pronounce it like the weather but it isn't spelled that way."

"Yeah, it had nothing to do with the weather really." Raan didn't want to lie to him, but knew there was no other choice. And like the rest of her kind, she was a great liar, so she thought of a story quickly and said, "My dad came up with it. He wanted to name me after his great grandma, RayAnn, but he didn't really like that. So, he went with a shorter version, I guess."

"Well, that's cool. It's fun to be named after someone in your family." Holden took another drink then sat his glass on the table.

"Yeah. And where does your name come from?" Raan smiled and set her glass on the table too. She wondered if she would ever be able to trust someone enough to tell them the truth about herself. Or if it would just put them in danger.

Majken would never allow me to be happy. Not with a human, at least.

Raan knew they were taught that males did not bring happiness, so claiming to have that with one would be a laughable offense.

"My grandpa. No changes there. They wanted me to have his name since I wasn't able to meet him. He passed when my dad was young and he always knew he'd want to name his kid that." Holden smiled and moved closer to her. "Any other questions?"

Raan smiled and closed her eyes as Holden leaned in to kiss her. She felt his tongue split her lips and she began to lose herself in the embrace. They hadn't kissed like this before and she'd been longing for him to make his move since the day they had met. He pushed himself on top of her as they repositioned onto the couch. Raan felt his bulge as Holden slowly thrust himself against her while they kissed. He moved his hand up her shirt and under her bra to feel her bare breast as he continued the motion. She positioned her hands between them and unzipped his pants, pushing her right hand through his boxers and finding his dick. Holden pulled himself up a little, allowing Raan to pull his hardness out and stroke him as she listened to him moan through their kiss. When Holden moved his mouth back from hers, she knew they both wanted the same thing.

She pushed him off of her and he let her, falling back to a lying position on the other side of the couch. Raan pushed herself down and let her mouth engulf his dick as she moved her right hand to massage his balls. She pulled her mouth up until the tip was on her lips, then pushed it all the way to the back of her throat. Raan slowly moved her head back and forth, keeping Holden's dick as close to the back of her throat as possible. She listened to him sigh as she pushed him in and out of her mouth, rubbing and squeezing his balls simultaneously. She could feel him push himself upward as he gently held the back of her head and she knew he was getting close.

As she slowly moved her lips back up to the tip and off his dick, kissing the head in one smooth motion, a familiar pain started throbbing in her wrist.

Not now, dammit.

She tried to ignore it and pushed her mouth back down his shaft, as he moaned once more. Holden eased her off of him and pushed her to the opposite side of the couch before unbuttoning her pants. As he started pulling her pants down, the pain had escalated to a point where she had to stop.

Fuck.

She held her pants where they were and Holden looked up at her, confused at the sudden hesitation. She gently pushed him back then moved to a sitting position. She immediately pressed her right thumb into her wrist and after a few moments, the pain stopped. She quickly grabbed her phone from her pocket to use as an excuse.

"Something wrong?" Holden asked moving to a sitting position as well, obviously annoyed by the interruption. He motioned to her phone as Raan watched his hardness start to fade.

"Yeah, I'm sorry." Raan looked at her phone, pressing the screen as if she was really checking. She didn't want to go now, she

really

didn't want to go. But, she didn't know what would happen to her if she ignored it. She was terrified of what that choice would bring. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I have to go back to work."

"Right now?" Holden asked. He pushed his member back into his pants and zipped them closed. "Wow. Well, what can you do?"

Raan looked back at her phone. There was no reason to look at it, the summons was through her mark, not the phone. Maybe it was habit or maybe it was that she didn't want to look at Holden after stopping so suddenly. "I'm really sorry, Holden. I have to go though." She started toward him and stopped as she watched him pick up the few dishes they had used. "It's ok. I just wish they'd give you... and me... a break," Holden said without looking at her. He walked the dishes to the kitchen and Raan heard him set them in the sink.

She followed him and grabbed her purse from the counter. "I didn't think they'd need me again tonight, Holden."

"No worries. I wish they could have waited an hour though," Holden said as he turned around to face her. "I had a few more things in mind for tonight."

"Me too."

"Will you be there long?"

"It may be the rest of the night, honestly. Can we try again tomorrow?" Raan asked.

Hopefully Majken didn't fuck this up for me

, Raan thought as she looked at him.

"I guess we'll continue this tomorrow then. I'll be here around 7?" Raan nodded as they walked to her door. "Get out of here so you can save a life."

Or take one,

Raan thought as she closed the door behind them.

********

Raan beeped her fob as she walked up to the small, rundown building. She walked through the revolving door and saw Marissa sitting at the front desk, which was the only furniture in the room. The reception area looked more like a hotel lobby then an entry to an on-call nursing agency, but it fulfilled its purpose. If anyone walked in from the street, Marissa could easily appear to be a homely receptionist who would graciously tell them they had the wrong building and send them on their way.

"Hi, Raan." Marissa, short, round and plain, sat behind her desk at the end of the small room. "You're late."

"Funny." Raan barely smiled at the pathetic attempt at humor as she moved straight to the elevator.

Ugh, Marissa.

She pushed the down arrow and waited, not sparing a glance at the girl.