Ashley's Tale - Demon's World 04

Chapter 13

I started hoping for another Demon challenge as I was asked to go over the last few days for the fourth time in a debriefing.

Did I mention all the kudos and high fives the witches the world over got for protecting our dimension? No, because it never happened. Apparently the government was very uneasy they could not take control the blockers. They also never told what or who, just that the dimension was now protected. I suppose just one supernatural race holding the key was a national security issue. Of course, there was nothing anyone could do about it.

My mother and Cat had thought putting blockers in the Demon dimension a good idea, but it would take at least another three days. Possibly longer as it wasn't an emergency, they had other things to do after all, not spend all day building enchantments for gravity waves.

To be fair, I did get a thank you from the President and that senator I still couldn't remember a name for, but I was feeling positively unappreciated at the emotions I was getting from my favorite Feds, dumb and dumber, as they grilled me and asked questions. Another thing to admire about Demons, less paperwork!

I looked at the clock and it was almost three, I'd been in here since nine am. I would think saving the world and all would get me a respectful briefing where they took what I said at face value. Instead I feel like I've been put through the interrogation ringer all day. Finally I stood. Making a run for it seemed to be the only way to escape.

"Guys, go over the tapes, if you think of any questions, and by that I mean new questions, not something you already asked twenty times, feel free to contact me. I need to go."

They glared at me, and for a second, just a brief second, I actually missed the fawning fear as a Ruler. What could I expect though? A hero's parade, rainbows, puppies and kittens? Perhaps we were part of the government again, and I had my job back, but there was still a level of discomfort there. It was normal too, so I don't know why it bugged me so much.

I gave them my best clueless smile, as if I didn't understand they wanted me to stay, and walked out. Despite my blonde hair, I don't think they bought it...

I opened a portal right outside the room to the condo and jumped in the shower. Tom was excited to see us get home yesterday and arranged some type of group date for tonight. I wasn't sure what we were doing yet, but it was time for all of us to hang with Gloria. If we all liked her enough, we would go for single dates after that.

It was a good system, but I realized it must be terribly daunting to the outside person, having to get to know and try and impress three people at once. So I was already predisposed to like her for actually being interested.

I dried off and stood with the towel wrapped around my body, staring into the closet. How could I possibly pick an outfit when I didn't know what we were doing or where we were going. I shrugged, texted Tom for the info, and went to the kitchen and made coffee, I was feeling drained after surviving my inquisition.

I felt a portal open up behind me and Cat stepped out, she was back to a teenager in age but no weird outfit, she looked cute.

She snickered, "Don't you ever wear clothes child?"

I laughed and said, "Only when I must... What brings you by?"

She reached out and touched my forehead, I was dizzy for a second, but I suddenly knew how to build one of the gravity enchantments.

Cat said, "Since it was your idea you should help, plus, since you were a good part of figuring it out, I thought you might want the knowledge. I expect you to make half, your mother and I will make two more."

I wanted to object, but that was just my inner laziness, she was right.

"Alright, I can do four of them. It will take longer though, I have work during the week."

Tomorrow started the weekend, so I could probably make some. If I give up my social life. I could see it took them about eight hours to make one, so I had no room to complain, they had worked sixteen hours a day while I was gone to finish them so fast.

She snorted and said, "You could probably make all of them this weekend."

When I looked at her blankly she said, "You mean you don't know why things are so slow around you compared to other Witches? With the perception change you can probably do one every couple of hours, although subjectively it will take you just as long as us."

I had wondered that, ever since that day on the job when I almost killed the Angel after losing my temper. Things were so slow it almost felt like time was stopped. I was embarrassed she thought it obvious but I asked, "No idea, will you tell me?"

I almost sighed when she asked me a question, but I should have expected that.

"When you spar with a normal human, how much faster are you even without touching your powers?"

Oh my god, I am such an idiot. It was so obvious and I felt so stupid for not realizing it myself.

Of course I was faster, the Witch magic speeds up a Witch from Human speed, but Demons are already about four times faster than Humans by default. So of course, the Witch magic speeds up my perception by that much more. I think I must have been red faced because she just nodded even though I didn't answer the question.

Cat opened a portal and left as I heard the front door open. It was kind of early for either Tom or Bonnie so I poured a cup of coffee and walked out in the living room. It was Tom, and I am guessing the woman with him was Gloria. She looked about twenty two, so she at least a century or two old. She didn't seem it though. She had long curly red hair, green eyes and a cute face. Her body looked good and I could tell she had D cups, she was also trying not to laugh.

I was in a towel...

I'm a succubus so I didn't feel uncomfortable in front of this stranger with a towel, but I was mightily annoyed my first impression was going down the tubes. I started immediately plotting Tom's demise as I pulled my poise together like only a Succubus could.

Tom was blushing, obviously he didn't think this through and he was figuring that out.

I smiled as if this happened every day and said, "Hi, I'm Ashley, you must be Gloria. Did you want something to drink? I have fresh brewed coffee, or I can arrange something stronger?"

Gloria smiled brightly, "Coffee sounds wonderful."

Well, I liked her already, someone to share my addiction with. I went back into the kitchen after asking how she liked it and made her a cup. She was putting off good vibes, that would be another plus to the good column.

I didn't bother asking for the plans again when I gave her the drink, Gloria was wearing a pair of jeans and a blouse, so I walked to the bedroom and shut the door. Well, it could have been worse, last time I made coffee in the condo I had been naked.

I took another sip, then put my coffee down long enough to throw on a pair of jeans and a nice shirt. I slipped into a pair of boots and looked in the mirror. I used power to fix myself, not that I looked bad, just needed to get my hair dry and styled. I grabbed my coffee on the way back out and joined them by the couch.

Gloria asked, "So Tom tells me you're on the police force?"

I nodded, "Supernatural task force division, among other things," like saving the world, stripping... The important things.

I added, "It gets crazy sometimes, but it's a good job, I enjoy it at least. How long have you been in the healing business?"

She said thoughtfully, "Hmm, a long time now, I was a doctor for twenty years before we were revealed. One good thing is I don't have to move again every five years or so anymore. I can also just heal them straight off instead of giving just a trickle here and there."

I was at a loss, I wanted to ask more questions but I didn't want it to get awkward like I was giving an interview. I remembered I still had no idea what we were doing and turned to Tom.

"So Tom, what is the plan for tonight, or is it still a surprise?"

The door opened and we all looked toward Bonnie, I was starting to wonder if he would ever get a chance to answer my question. Bonnie looked annoyed, which made sense, she had been debriefing too, and apparently for longer than I was. I hoped she hadn't shot anyone.

When she spotted Gloria she reached for a smile and came up with a grimace, I could tell I wouldn't be the only one plotting Tom's demise.

Bonnie said, "Hi, you must be Gloria. I'm Bonnie."

Gloria replied, "Nice to meet you."

Bonnie looked like she wanted to say more but was at a loss, finally she said, "I'll be right back..."

A few seconds later we heard the shower turn on and I smiled.

Tom finally spoke, "Sorry about this, I didn't know your debriefing would last all day, I thought you two would be... well, sorry."

I sighed, he had a point, if only the U.S. government was that reasonable.

"Yeah, I didn't think it would last quite so long either, I left mine early."

He raised an eyebrow so I said, "I ran for it, they were driving me crazy after my fourth time through it all."

I was tempted to ask again what we were doing, but god knows what would happen next if I did. The world could end. I knew it was a ridiculous thought, but it was there all the same.

Risking it, I asked, "So, what are we..."

Bonnie yelled interrupting me mid sentence, "Ash, can you come in here?"

I sighed, why did I even bother? I hadn't even gotten the question out that time. I got up and went into the bedroom, Bonnie was holding her hair up in despair and she had an angry look on her face. I suppressed a smile and gave her a soft kiss while I fixed it for her.

"Day from hell, aren't you glad you came with me?"

She snorted. "Staying with you might have been worth it." Her lips twitched and she said, "Is that the crap you always have to put up with? Reward of torture?"

I shrugged. "Yes, although it's been worse at times..."

She blushed remembering when I was locked up for two weeks. That had been not good.

I kissed her again, just because she was so damn sexy standing there in her bra and panties, then I waited as she put on jeans and a shirt.

She asked, "You ready for the fair?"

I laughed, "I am now..." now that I finally knew what we were doing.

Chapter 14

I took a bite of my loaded up bratwurst sandwich. It was absolutely delicious drowning in sauerkraut and spicy mustard. I was starving from my ordeal earlier, and made everyone stop at the bratwurst vendor for dinner.

The fair was at least ten blocks long, and it had games, vendors, even a few rides. Bonnie had fallen into her cop training and was questioning Gloria while I tried not to laugh. Gloria though was dealing with it well though, I could feel the thread of her amusement, but she was also taking it seriously. I hadn't felt a negative emotion from her yet, outside of nerves. I almost choked on my food when I realized Bonnie sounded exactly like her mother did when questioning me.

Bonnie asked, "So Tom said you were interested in polyamory?"

Gloria replied, "Oh yes. I was in a similar relationship a few years ago, and loved it, but they were Humans. Nothing wrong with that of course, except when they aged and I didn't... Things started to get awkward after five or six years when they matured toward thirty and I still looked twenty. They all swore they'd love a mate who stayed young, but it didn't work out that way.

"I've been trying to find another group for a while with no luck. It isn't very common, and when Tom told me about all of you, well, it sounded good enough to at least try out, see if we could get along."

We learned quite a bit about her, she was about a hundred and fifty, still a baby for an Angel. She liked to ski, shoot pool and travel when she got a chance. Probably more importantly than any facts, was the way she felt to me, her essence. She was so much like Tom that it made me wonder if all healers had the same basic personality. She was very calming for me to be around, and it was clear she sincerely just wanted to get to know us.

Eventually I stopped the inquisition by suggesting we try out the games, maybe find a beer vendor. I was thirsty from my bratwurst. All in all we had a good time. It wasn't until close to midnight I found out she had a graveyard shift at the clinic, which probably was for the best, I wanted to take her home with us, and that was jumping the gun just a little.

Of course, that didn't stop the three of us from having fun when we got home. We did take a few moments from our pleasure to talk about Gloria, and we decided we all liked her well enough to go for single dates. After we all took her out, well we could decide then if it would work or not.

The next morning after coffee and breakfast, when I was feeling awake, I grabbed one of the four jewels that Cat had left me and got to work. It was both easier and harder than I thought it would be. It did take me only about two hours, maybe a little less, of real time. Subjectively however it felt like weeks, and it was a little boring setting up billions of small connections to create a field.

When I got done, I tried to think of an easier way to do it, but came up blank.

I sighed, I still had plenty of magic so I started the next. When I finished that one, I was lower on magic than I should be and sighed. I needed to put off the other two until tomorrow, besides, Cat and mom wouldn't have the other four done until then anyway.

I also needed to feed. My stomach came first, so I made quick salad and soup for lunch. I wasn't sure where Tom and Bonnie had gotten off to; they were supposed to be off today. I decided to go dancing, it might help me relax a bit as well as feed. I was only over in the Demon dimension for three days, yet I still felt like I had a target between my shoulder blades. Not that I shouldn't be alert, but I didn't think I needed to worry about getting killed by every person in range either.

Perhaps it was more than that. We had closed off Earth, I was about to jail the Demon dimension tomorrow to save hundreds of others, I had my job to go back to in two days, there was a good chance I would have another mate soon. I had my powers under control, and outside of an annoying debriefing there really weren't any other negatives in my life right now.

Maybe it was just my inner pessimist, all that good stuff with no bad in sight had my teeth on edge. I thought it a little sad that I couldn't accept good things, but on the other hand, my life has never been that easy. Not much to do though, except wait for the other shoe to drop. Another possibility, it could be my Witch abilities warning me something was coming. If it was, it was being very vague about it. But I hoped it was just my pessimism.

I decided to walk, try and clear my mind on the way to Tony's. The fresh air would do me good.

I did feel a bit better by the time I got to the Sapphire club. But there was still something nagging at me. I went in the back entrance and got changed. This time I wore knee high boots, red thong, matching lacey bra, jean shorts that barely deserved the name, and a denim vest. To finish off the look I put on a cowgirl hat.

When I looked in the mirror I thought I pulled off rodeo slut very well. I made my way out on the floor and went over to the bar. Tony didn't look happy, until he set eyes on me, then he smiled.

"Ash, could you do me a favor and work a full shift? I'm two short right now, so if you wouldn't mind doing more than your usual two rotations?"

I smiled, "How could I say no, especially if you pour me a drink."

He was family of sorts after all, and had done me many favors over the last few months. It would hardly be an issue for me to stay here for the afternoon and evening, until nine or so.

"Sorry, I didn't even say welcome back, I heard you were back two days ago?" he asked as he handed me that drink.

I nodded happily. "Things went well I suppose. Hopefully we won't have to worry about it anymore."

We shared some more small talk while I finished off my drink. I figured since I was going to be here that long I might as well not waste the energy, I figured I would be full in an hour or so of skimming. That meant a lot of energy from our lustful patrons would just go to waste. I transmuted part of my boots, so they were studded with stones. It wouldn't hurt to have a life energy cache for an emergency, and that made me think fondly of my theatre experience.

By my fourth set I figured out there was a slight issue I hadn't accounted for. I was incredibly hot, horny, and ready for sex. I was overcharged big time, and I still had quite a few more times on stage. Offloading into the stones was helping, but the energy still passed through me to do that, and it was having a noticeable effect.

The men in the audience could hardly miss how wet I was, considering it was one of the places they looked, and my thong was soaked by now. I was quite sure they could see the painfully hardened nipples peaking through the lingerie bra as well, which was unmistakable once the bra came off. They didn't complain of course, so I just went with it, if anything I got better tips, but it was only the promise of Tom and Bonnie later that kept me from losing it.

Tony thanked me at eight, and said he had enough girls that came in and I could split. He looked very amused at the state of my arousal. It was clear to me now that my succubus side did in fact influence my own body. My Aunt Jezebel did get horny when she danced, but she was never a hot mess like I was right now. It had actually gotten to the point I used power to prevent myself from having an orgasm right on stage.

I walked in the back, changed as fast as I could, and took a portal to the condo.

Tom was on the couch... getting a blow job from Gloria. And Bonnie was not home. I must have missed the memo, maybe they tried to tell me this morning, but I was so deep in a trance for those four hours they couldn't get my attention. I reached out for Bonnie's presence, I knew it so well now, and she was on Long Island visiting her family?

What did I miss, and how awkward would this get when they saw me? I assumed this was his single alone date with her tonight, and things apparently went well. Fuck. I didn't want to interrupt that, not that I didn't want to do them both until they passed out on me right now, but I wanted to do this right, and that meant my date with her first, before screwing her brains out.

It didn't help at all that she looked hot taking in Tom's rock hard nine inches, I needed to leave, now.

I went in the bedroom and grabbed the other two jewels. I needed a distraction if they were both unavailable. I checked my messages just in case I missed something, and sure enough I had one for both of them in my queue from when I was checked out. I wasn't sure where to go for a minute, then I made a portal to my room at my mom's house, and got to work...

Not wanting to drain myself, I just used one of the stones I filled up earlier to power and anchor the enchantments. I had gathered a lot of power over the time I danced and one stone was enough to do them both, and I still had another eleven of them. The gravity wave jewels were more than just for creating the waves. They also had spells to keep them equally apart and in orbit.

They also absorbed power directly from radiation and sunlight. It was a brilliant if surprising way to do it. All Witches can gain power by stealing from the nature around them, but the thought of doing that is anathema, no Witch would wither grass, trees and other living things. But out in space, absorbing the sunlight and harmful radiation wouldn't harm life at all.

It was after midnight so I checked the apartment and Tom was the only one there. According to the message from Bonnie she would be back in the morning, she was spending the night at her parents' house. I took a portal back home, glad I was done with making those gravity wave enchantments. I just needed to wait for the other four before placing them above the Demon's world.