Dead and Horny

Hi all!

Here is the next chapter of D&H, and this one is a doozy! Not only will there be some big revelations about Lily's condition (both in our world and in her dreams), but Dana is about to run into a familiar face that some of you were expecting, but will probably still surprise some.

As always, I hope you're enjoying the story. Thank you so much to people who have been writing me kind feedback, October is usually my favorite month, but this year has been extra hard (on all of us, I imagine). Don't forget to check my bio for release dates, I try to keep that as accurate as possible.

I've kept you away from the girls long enough. Enjoy!

Safe Harbour

Lily gazed across the water, her eyes trying to find any sign of land. She was floating in the ocean, the technicolor clouds above her tumbling about like cotton candy in a dryer. She was unable to get enough lift out of the water to fly, and the dark depths below shifted as if alive. She was in the Dreamscape, of that she was certain.

"Lily..." It was Dana's voice, but it sounded impossibly far away. She had been hearing Dana for a couple of days now. At first she had tried swimming toward the sound of her voice, hoping to escape the dream she was stuck in, but to no avail. The last thing she remembered was getting into a car with Dana, her mind a jumbled mess.

Looking inside of the dreams of the beast in the pit had been a terrible mistake. It had been like trying to swallow the ocean in one big gulp, an apt metaphor considering her current situation.

But oh, the things she had seen there! Terrible cities buoyed up by shadows that sat high in the clouds. Oceans of darkness filled with stars, strange ships made of the bones of long dead behemoths; it had been a visual cornucopia of madness itself.

And then they had found her. Her mind had crumbled when they came for her, and then she had awoken. Somehow, despite being far away, the thing had kept whispering to her even after they were disconnected, whispers that made it difficult to think.

Sitting in the car next to Dana, silence had finally come, and with it the sleep of the Damned. Quite literally, because Lily was fairly certain the Dreamscape she was in was her own.

Which should have been impossible. She could pop in and out of someone elses Dreamscape with no trouble, but having a Dreamscape meant having a soul capable of generating one, which she certainly did not. And while she was, in fact, in possession of many souls, those had been devoured and were now a part of her, incapable of dreaming.

And so she swam. Time had no meaning here, either, and she would occasionally hear Dana above the roar of the waves. Lily knew that they were heading to Oregon, but that was about it. Mike had property in Oregon, and Lily hoped that his land in Oregon was magically protected much like his home was.

Mike.

Now there was an enigma. It wasn't just the fact that her new master was kind to her, or that a piece of her now lived inside of him. No, it was the fact that she wanted to hate him, but couldn't come up with a good reason why.

She touched the necklace on her chest. When she had fought with Cyrus, he must have gotten it off of her. The fact that it was in here with her now meant that she was probably wearing it in the real world. She took a break from paddling to tread water and look at the clouds.

There was a splash behind her, and when she turned around, she was surprised to see a figure swimming her way. She waited for the figure to approach and was surprised to see that it was, in fact, Mike.

"Okay, Romeo, this is a surprise," she said, but he got close enough to grab her by the wrist and then pulled. As he yanked on her body, she felt the whole world shift and split apart, revealing a small island with an old Victorian home on it. The house was only ten feet tall and looked like it would be better suited for a miniature golf course than habitation.

She swam with him and the two of them crawled onto the beach. Mike helped her stand, and she could only gaze at him in awe.

"We're...is this your dream?" she asked. "Like, you're standing in front of me, but I don't feel like that's really you."

"No idea. Been stuck here for a bit though. It's kind of peaceful. Watched you swim around the island for a few hours so figured you might be stuck." He stuck his hands in his pockets. "If I'm being honest, I think it's your dream."

"It can't be my dream. Demons don't dream."

"But you weren't always a demon, were you?" Mike had pulled a child's bucket and a shovel from behind his back and was now busy building something out of sand. "In fact, you used to have dreams, once upon a time."

Lily grabbed him by the collar and turned him around. "How the fuck do you know that?"

"You've been dreaming about it." He smacked her hand with his shovel and she dropped him. "I know everything that goes on in here, you know."

"How?" She tried to grab him again, but he moved just out of reach to scoop up some sand in his bucket.

"I have a theory about it, actually." He flipped the bucket upside down on the sand and then lifted it. The resulting cylinder was almost six feet tall, and the bucket shriveled up like a used balloon. "Wanna hear?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"It's your dream. Well..." he looked around. "Kind of." He pulled a squirt gun out of his pocket and sprayed down the sand with a continuous stream, making it nice and wet. "Humans dream. Demons don't."

"Ugh. If I'm going to start having dreams, I would rather they don't become lectures." She watched as he tossed the squirt gun, and then started manipulating the sand with his hands.

"Better than the nightmares you have been having." He was moving quickly now, and she frowned. The figure he was making looked exactly like Aladdin's princess, and she didn't like where this was going. "You started as a human. A wish turned you into a demon. So, what would that look like?"

"A lot of screaming and being on fire." She said it casually, but shivered inside. When she looked at Mike, it felt like it was really him, but not quite. Almost like an echo.

"Yes, well, I confess I don't know what demons are made of. However, fire it is." He pulled a lighter out of his pocket and lit it, then held it to the sand. The flames caught, and the princess was consumed. When the flames vanished, the sand had turned into black glass, and she saw a perfect likeness of herself standing there. "Your soul became the demon you are today."

"Is this a shitty, low-budget remake of my rebirth?" She tried to force herself awake, but was stuck.

Damn

.

He sighed. "Maybe if someone hadn't blown the entire budget on trying to mind-meld with Cthulhu's asshole cousin, I could show you something better."

Lily scowled. "Oh, that's real clever."

"Yes, it was. Now shut up." He stepped aside and pointed to the dark figure. "You used to be someone else. Maybe she was even a nice person, who knows? If so, it certainly didn't carry over."

"Ass."

"Anyway, I wish I had a clever metaphor for what happens when you eat souls, but I'm afraid I have no idea what that looks like." He put his hands on his waist and regarded the figure before him. "I forgot where I was going with this."

"You've got to be fucking kidding me." She dug her fingers into the sand and willed a stone to appear. The size of a softball, she lobbed the stone at the sand sculpture.

Instead of falling apart, it shattered like glass. Beneath was the sandy visage of the princess, looking out at both of them.

"Oh, I remember now!" Mike approached the figure and tapped the glassy exterior. "A foreign element has been introduced. Think of it as an extra line of code that interacts with the original operating system."

"Oh, please, kill me." She summoned a noose and pretended to hang herself, her feet dangling a foot above the sand.

"Hear me out." He picked up a piece of glass and held it up to his face. It was her left eye and forehead, and it lined up perfectly on his face. "Why did you see yourself in Mike's head?"

She let go of the noose and fell onto the sand. "So, you admit you're not Mike?"

"I never said I was. At least, not all of him, but I need you to focus." He pressed the glass into his face where it merged with his features. Part of his face was now her own. "You're a succubus that eats souls, but a tiny piece of you is in him. What if something slid in to fill that gap?"

She narrowed her eyes, contemplating the entity that stood before her. It was Mike, but it also wasn't. It was like a small copy of him, but incomplete.

"Holy shit," she whispered. "You're a piece of his soul?"

"I think so. A part of you lives in him, but a part of him now lives in you as well. And now that you have this tiny little piece of soul, you've started dreaming again." He turned and looked at the house behind him. "It was weird, at first. I dreamt I was a princess, and that I was marrying Aladdin of all people. How weird and fucked up is that? I kept thinking I would wake up at home and in my bed, but no. You were part of that dream, so I thought you had trapped me here, but you seemed just as confused as I am. It seems that while the soul is technically mine, I get to have your dreams for you."

"That's unheard of. Impossible even."

"Maybe for a true succubus. But you used to be a human, remember? Your soul was destroyed and made into something else, but maybe, deep down, it still remembers." He smirked. "Besides, while you were busy drifting in and out of consciousness, I caught some weird details about going back in time? So don't lecture me about impossible."

"So how does this help me? Or you?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "But for someone who has complete control over the dreams of others, why are you so disconnected in here, your own head?"

"It's my dream, but you're having it for me." She shook her head in disbelief. "Romeo, what am I going to do with you?"

"I can think of one thing." He slid his arm around her waist and pulled her in close. His breath was hot against her skin, and her eyes widened in surprise as he looked deep into her eyes.

"OW!" He had pinched her ass, and she shoved him away. Rubbing her butt, she glared at him. "What the fuck?"

"Thought maybe if I pinched you, you'd wake up." He chuckled and held out his arm. "Guess it's your turn. I've tried it on myself, but nothing happens."

She grabbed a handful of his flesh and dug her nails in. She half expected his skin to tear, but it held strong beneath the sharp grasp of her fingernails and even stretched like putty.

He sighed. "Nope. I thought that might do it. Damn." He placed his hands on his waist. "There's got to be something we're missing here."

They circled the island for a couple of hours. It was much smaller than the one in Mike's head, and when they went in the house, the furniture had been painted on the wall like a dollhouse. They gave up and went out onto the beach where they summoned up a pair of beach chairs and just watched the water for a while.

Every now and then, Lily got a flash of the real world, but all she saw was a forest trail. These glimpses were brief, but when she returned, sometimes hours had passed for Mike. They kept each other company on the shore and watched as the stars moved across the night sky.

Out in the water, dark shadows moved about, breaking free of the surface and keening to the night sky.

"What are those?" Mike had asked her after the first time.

"I have no fucking idea," she replied, but recognized their predatory nature at once. She had seen many mysterious things in the Dreamscape, and it would seem that her fledgling soul-piece was being hunted. "Promise me you'll stay out of the water."

He agreed, and they waited until dawn. When the sun came up, Lily watched as the dark shapes vanished beneath the waves. She squinted into the sunrise, putting up her hands to provide shade.

The sounds of the ocean disappeared, and she found herself sitting on a beach chair on the cool, imperial marble tile of the palace. Startled, she fell out of her chair and reached for Mike. Her hand slid into his and she squeezed hard and then pulled him in.

They helped each other stand without breaking contact, and Lily found herself in Aladdin's throne room. They were surrounded by servants and dignitaries who patiently awaited orders from the newly crowned king. The throne next to his was currently empty, and the scene was completely still.

"Did someone hit pause?" Mike asked, then moved toward one of the nearby nobles. He put his hand on the man's face and gave it a push. "No reaction. Ideas?"

"Just one." She walked up to the throne and climbed the steps to the other chair. "It's another memory, but it's missing something."

"Oh." Mike shivered. "Can't be much worse than that one where I burned up, so let's get started." He jogged up to the empty throne and got ready to sit, but Lily stopped him.

"These are my memories, Romeo. You shouldn't have to live with them."

One side of his mouth curled up into a crooked grin, and he took her hand in his own.

"I'll still be me when it's over, don't you worry." He sat down in the throne and his visage immediately changed into Lily's. This version of her was wearing the thick kimono style that was becoming popular in the East and her face had been painted elaborately. The princess had been reported murdered by a neighboring kingdom some decades back, so Aladdin had taken a consort to keep him company.

The dream flowed into motion, the men and women of the court now milling about, and Lily stood next to Mike and put a hand on his shoulder.

"You have failed me," Aladdin muttered under his breath so that only she could hear it.

"I have," Mike responded in Lily's voice. "It should have been easy, but the leader of the Han is protected by powerful magic. I couldn't even get close enough to him to see into his dreams."

"I see." Aladdin stroked the small beard he had grown. He was much older now, but Lily knew it was a deception. Aladdin himself had stopped aging mere years after he got the lamp. Immortality was an easy thing to wish for, but she often wondered what price he had paid. Truthfully, she wondered if that was when his humanity had fled him. After all, a man who could not die would never see another mortal as his peer. "But I suppose that makes sense. The Han dynasty has expanded at an unprecedented rate. If the emperor has magical help...well, we both know that hastens the process."

"Yes, my lord." They sat through the proceedings as Aladdin gave advice to the farmers who were suffering drought, orders to the army who protected the western borders, and then passed a royal decree regarding taxes from the middle class. He had no need for such money, not with an infinite wealth of riches to pull from, but it was all about controlling the populace. He wanted his kingdom to be run a specific way, and his will was absolute.

Once the room had emptied, he dismissed his guards and servants. It was now just him, Lily, and Mike, and they sat in silence for a long time.

Aladdin pulled the lamp from beneath a silk scarf on his throne and gave it a rub. The djinn inside made a grand entrance from the dark smoke that gathered, and crossed his arms in anticipation.

"Master," said the djinn, his eyes glittering like gemstones.

"I have need of your counsel," said Aladdin, and he slid free of his throne. "I sent the succubus to kill the emperor and she failed because my target was protected. I wonder what you might know of this?"

The djinn grinned, showing all of his teeth. "This man would rule China. He will conquer many tribes, and his kingdom shall become part of a far greater legacy. He is surrounded by powerful warriors, both magical and divine. This destiny is one that shall reverberate through time."

"Does he have a djinn as well?"

The djinn nodded. "He does. It is a greater djinn like myself, and capable of granting his heart's desire once a day."

"So why can't I wish that he fails?" Aladdin summoned an image of his kingdom, which floated in the air before him. He had wished to become the most powerful sorcerer in the world, and such a spell was but a mere thought to him. "In such a manner that cannot be traced to us, that is."

The djinn thought about this for a minute before speaking. "You could wish that he fails, and I could set events in motion to make it so. A wish of that magnitude would surely be noticed by the djinn who accompanies him. It would be within his power to learn your identity, and I fear they would come here to attack you. Thus, your wish would likely be wasted, and we would be exposed."

Aladdin scowled. "And I assume that I can't wish him dead? Or wish the djinn destroyed?"

The djinn nodded. "A djinn can bend the universe to his will, but death cannot be commanded. I would be forced to dispatch him through ordinary means, and in this, I believe I would fail. He is far too well protected. As for destroying the djinn...you could wish his vessel destroyed. This is death for our kind, and it would bring the wrath of all my kind down on you. One wish a day would not be enough to protect you, Master."

"Could you empower her?" Aladdin gestured at Mike. "Maybe grant her the ability to get close enough? Teleport her into the man's bedroom?"

"Again, I could do so, but I doubt she would survive. It is likely that they already know such an attempt was made."

"I don't care if she survives, I can make another."

"She would not succeed either." The djinn's eyes flickered gold and blue. "This man's destiny is divine. He will succeed no matter what we throw at him, this I assure you. Fighting one of my own kind would be difficult enough, but his warriors are fierce and possess magic of their own. He will come here and your kingdom will fall, and you will be forced to flee, but where others shall die of old age and become dust, you will have the chance to reclaim what is yours, if you are patient."

"I am not." Aladdin looked at Mike, then back at the djinn. "What would you have me do? Wait a hundred years in the shadows like a rat and then start over? And how do you know that this man hasn't wished for immortality like myself."

The djinn grinned. "You wished for immortality, and this I granted you, but it came at a cost. It's one of the few wishes that requires one. This man was not willing to pay the price."

"Interesting." Aladdin grinned. "Then again, how many would?"

"Too many, I wager," the djinn responded.

"I wonder," said Mike in Lily's voice. "Could their djinn be countered if my master could make more than one wish a day?"

The djinn ignored the question, but Aladdin took notice.

"What are you implying?" he asked.

"You are allowed to make one wish a day. It occurs to me that the djinn could grant you more than one wish if he chose. He implies that these rules have him bound, but what would he be capable of if he could grant more than one?"

The djinn scowled. "I cannot kill another, nor can I grant more wishes. A wish is a powerful thing, and even one a day threatens the fabric of reality. You know this already, cursed one."

"Where are you going with this?" asked Aladdin.

Mike smirked and looked at Aladdin. "There will always be someone more powerful than you. Think about it. This emperor is aided by magical beings and a djinn of his own, so maybe you lay low until he passes through the world. But then what? What if destiny strikes again and someone else seeks to strip you of power in two hundred years? Or a thousand? The world is constantly changing, and though you are immensely powerful, can you hope to keep up with only a wish a day?"

Lily jumped out of the way as Aladdin opened the palm of his hand and blasted Mike with lightning, knocking him out of the throne. "I can do this with but a thought."