Author's Notes: This story includes elements of the following: anal sex, BDSM play, group sex, lesbian sex, mind control, and nonconsent/reluctant sex. This story does not present BDSM in a realistic manner - it's fantasy, folks. I want to thank my wife for editing, her guidance, insight, and suggestions. I also want to thank my friend, Ann, for her support of this project.
Brianna sat back, giving Caliban an incredulous look. They were in Caliban's private room at the Hot Spot. She sat behind a plate of spinach chef salad, listening intently. She wore a cream-colored evening gown with a plunging neckline, a faux sapphire necklace that almost covered her entire chest, and a pair of matching earrings. She cocked her long supple neck to one side. "Now you're going to tell me you went back to hell for this woman - girl really - that you weren't even having sex with?"
He chuckled. "In two hours, you've learned I'm rich, I'm a demon, I invented cannibalism, and I have a harem of five women," Caliban noted with a sardonic smile. "Yet the thing you have trouble believing is that I might sacrifice myself to save a friend from dying in the bowels of hell."
"Shit - I knew you were flush the moment I laid eyes on you. And I'm more than willing to believe all that kinky shit. I'm into that; maybe not to that level, but I get it," Brianna leaned forward with a smile. "You proved that you were a demon; you took my panties and had me jill-off in front of both you and the waiter. That was fucked up, by the way - I don't have an extra dress to put on," Brianna said as she shifted in her seat. "And the fact that you're willing to compel me to stay and force me to listen to this confession of yours? I can believe you would be into some Hannibal Lecter shit. But then to tell me you're the good guy?"
"I'm not claiming to be the good guy," he said as he took a sip of red wine. "I'm a demon, and I can take what I want. The fact that I don't should prove that I'm trying to be better than what I was." Caliban cut another piece of steak and ate it. He swallowed and took another sip of wine.
"So what exactly are you trying to say, Mr. Prince of the Second Circle?" she smirked.
"I'm saying that I went back to hell."
_____________
Alex shot a withering glance behind her. Raguel was a handsome enough man; he had long blond hair, sparkling blue eyes, and a ridiculously muscled physique. Alex realized that Raguel would be precisely the type of man that her legs would turn to jelly over if it wasn't for the disgustingly smug smile on his face paired with his judgemental gaze. He turned her stomach, and she silently swore to give more average-looking boys a second look.
"I'M HERE!" Caliban yelled from fifty feet away. "I'm ready for my one hundred years of torture by the hands of you motherfuckers. You've won. You've brought me low. Now let them go."
"Caliban, don't give them what they want," Melissa yelled. "If they were going to kill us, they would have done so by now!"
"Well, you're safe. The short bitch, on the other hand, not so much," Raguel chuckled.
"I don't intend on giving them what they want. They'll try to break me, but they won't succeed." He glanced at Alex, and she saw his eyes were heavy with sadness and pain.
"I think you misunderstand why we're here, Caliban," Periel said.
"Would it change anything if I did?" he growled.
"Not really," Periel responded.
"Then I couldn't give a damn about your reasons," Caliban spat. "Now let them go, and I'll come along willingly."
Alex glared at Caliban in disapproval as Raguel prodded her forward. She and Melissa walked past Caliban. Alex and Melissa turned to watch each of his arms grabbed by the winged forms of Periel and Raguel. There was a sudden bright flash of light, and the three of them were gone.
"What the fuck are we going to tell Layla?" Melissa whispered.
"I suspect she already knows," Alex responded. "I'm sure Caliban left his car out there, probably with the keys in the ignition. We should get moving before someone steals the car, and we have no way home."
Melissa nodded.
The two women walked solemnly towards the exit of the warehouse. Tears blurred Alex's vision as she recalled Caliban's explanation of the conditions in Hell. Melissa placed a hand on her shoulder as they walked.
"He had the far off stare when he talked about Hell," Alex murmured. "And he tried so hard to play his experience off as someone else's, but then he would say something, and you just knew he was talking about his own experiences. It was haunting." Tears fell freely from Alex's eyes. "Now, he just walked right back into literal Hell to save my life."
"It's okay," Melissa said as she gave Alex a one-armed hug.
"No, it's not. I was so rude to Caliban, and I never apologized," she lamented.
_____________
Layla watched as the elevator doors opened, flanked by Nevada on her left and Sarah on her right. The moment the doors opened, the three of them started towards Alex and Melissa. Nevada ran to Melissa and hugged her tightly while Sarah and Layla embraced Alex.
"I'm so sorry," Alex cried into the huddle between Layla and Sarah.
"It's not your fault," Layla said quietly.
"Where's Lilith?" Melissa asked.
"She's preparing a summoning room," Sarah said.
"To summon Caliban, right?" Alex asked as she stepped away from Layla and Sarah.
"That's the idea," Layla said before turning to Melissa. "I've made this offer to Nevada, but I'm going to make it to you as well; if you want out of your contract with Caliban, he's given me access to give you what he owes you. You can just walk away a rich woman, and you wouldn't need to be a pet to a demon."
Melissa blinked and then looked to Nevada.
"I said I'd go where you go," Nevada said, answering Melissa's unasked question.
"You can have some time to -"
"We're staying," Melissa interrupted Layla. "We want to finish out our contract with Caliban."
"Really?!" Layla asked. "I thought you'd jump at the chance to leave."
"Really?!" Melissa mocked, "I thought it was obvious we'd choose to stay. Nevada and I wouldn't be together if it weren't for Caliban. That and I think we'd both miss the kinky sex, and..." Melissa looked away and mumbled, "...maybe we'd miss all of you as well."
"You do realize that Caliban might not be the same," Alex warned. "Who knows what they're doing to him right now or what effect it might have on him."
"I don't have a choice," Layla said.
"You do have a choice, Layla; you all do," Alex insisted. "I've grown to respect Caliban; I don't want that to be tarnished by seeing him return as some horrible monster."
"It's not your choice, Alex," Nevada said. She turned to Layla. "I'll summon him with you!"
"Where she goes, I go," Melissa said.
"Me as well," Sarah added.
"No," Layla said. "Just me. This started with me. It has to be me." Layla turned around and started to walk away.
"Why?!" Sarah asked.
Layla looked back. "Please, just let it be this way."
Alex gasped. "Oh. I get it."
Layla gave Alex a sad look and then continued to walk away from them. She stopped at one of the two kitchens in the penthouse to grab some fruit, three bottles of water, and a bottle of scotch. Then Layla continued down the hall, past furniture removed from one of the bedrooms, and into the emptied room where Lilith carefully made arcane symbols on the concrete floor with black calk. She formed strange characters in the space between two concentric circles on the floor. Inscribed inside the innermost circle was a nine-pointed star with more characters written inside the star. The entire summoning circle dominated the room, leaving a little space in front of the balcony doors.
"It's beautiful," Layla said. "You're going to have to teach me how to do that."
"I will. I don't plan on going anywhere. Layla, you know I could do this with you, don't you? I've surrendered myself to the fact that this is going to be the rest of my life. I can -"
"No," Layla said. "We've been over this, Lilith. He and I have things to discuss; I don't want anyone else involved - even you."
"I know -"
"And I know you know. You're not stupid, and neither are the rest of the harem. If they haven't figured it out already, I'm sure Alex is cluing them in. This is the way it has to be," Layla insisted.
"Fine. Well, there's nothing to do until moonrise. Maybe you'd like to spend some time with your harem dodging questions?" Lilith suggested with a sad smile.
"I'm going to spend that time alone. I've got a lot to think about," she responded. She placed a hand on Lilith's cheek and bent down to kiss her. "No matter what happens, you'll always be my Mistress."
Lilith nodded and hesitantly left the room.
Layla looked out the glass doors at the city skyline. With a sigh, she ate her fruit and drank water to pass the time and waited for nightfall. Her restlessness was hard to ignore. If she left the room, she knew she would be bombarded with questions she wasn't prepared to answer. Instead, Layla focused on the questions that she needed to be answered.