Demon Coil

CHAPTER FOUR

Tali's gaze transferred from the holoscreen to Lacuna. "You're being an ass," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. Lacuna looked away. "Like that. You haven't looked at me since I woke up."

"Can we talk about this... somewhere else?" Lacuna asked, her eyes darting around the room. Rex was nowhere in sight and Sygny and Arno were still in their room as far as she could tell, but she felt exposed.

"I guess," Tali said. She stood, walking towards their room. Lacuna followed and shut the door behind them, choosing to sit on her bed. Tali caught Lacuna's gaze and sat with her back against the wall on her own.

The shorter girl's lip quivered as she looked at Lacuna. "I hate how you don't care," she said. "I'm a game to you."

"Fuck. Tali..." Lacuna said, playing with a braid in her long hair. She dropped it and started plaiting a different lavender tress. "We're not dating."

"But we're friends," Tali shot back.

"But that's not what you want."

"No."

"I don't know how to date people," Lacuna admitted, running her fingers through the small braid to undo it. Tali didn't reply, but looked away. "Maybe I could try, though. If you help me with something."

"That's not the right way to do this," Tali said, still not looking at her. "I want you to want to date me. But what do you need help with?" she asked, her natural curiosity winning over. "Are you doing something bad?" her tone of voice made it clear that she didn't mind at all.

Lacuna explained the note, and Joss' insistence that she not go. "But this is my past," she told Tali. "I need to know. I can't be in the dark about myself forever. All I know is that three years ago you guys found me bleeding to death on the street, with no memory of where I came from, or even my name."

"Of course I'll help," Tali said. She stood up, walking across the space between their beds on silent bare feet and pressing her hand to Lacuna's stomach, where she knew there was a scar. Lacuna looked up to her; Tali's face was above hers for once. Wavy brown hair formed a curtain around their heads. "Is this okay?" Tali asked in a whisper, running her hand up Lacuna's ribcage.

"Yes. No. What does it mean?"

"Nothing you don't want it to," Tali replied, and dropped her full lips to Lacuna's, their kiss unmarred by alcohol or the pounding bass from the club. Lacuna gasped in surprise, and Tali pushed her back onto the bed.

"You're wearing too many clothes," Lacuna said, panting.

Tali smiled, stepping away from the bed. Lacuna lifted herself onto her elbows watch as Tali's shirt disappeared, revealing her soft stomach and full breasts. She left her skirt on and returned to the bed. "Your turn," she whispered, and helped Lacuna sit up again so she could pull the black tank top over her head. She pushed Lacuna's bra straps off her shoulders and the garment dropped, revealing perky breasts. Tali smiled before running her tongue over the dark brown nipples and then biting one gently. Lacuna gasped, arching her back and burying her fingers in Tali's hair.

Lacuna rolled them to the center of the bed, pinning Tali's wrists above her head with one hand, making sure her spikes didn't catch in the pillows. Her free hand teased Tali's body, pinching her nipples and tickling her soft stomach. Tali giggled and tried to twist away, but only managed to press her hip into Lacuna, who pushed back and let go of her arms.

"Got you," Tali whispered, rolling them over again. Lacuna accepted that with a smile, enjoying the view as Tali slid down her taut stomach and dipped her tongue into her navel. When she got to the waistband of Lacuna's shorts she grinned and bit the denim above the button, pulling it up and then down to undo the closure.

Lacuna reached down to help her pull them the rest of the way off, taking her panties with them. Tali hummed, and gave Lacuna a sly look. "So eager," she said. Lacuna stuck out her tongue and wiggled her knees farther apart.

"Less talking," Lacuna panted, and tried to lift her hips.

"But I like talking," Tali replied, holding off until Lacuna whined in desperation before running her tongue along her slit, just once.

"Fuck you, tease," Lacuna said, struggling. She put her hands over Tali's, but the other girl's grip on her hips was too strong, and she didn't have enough leverage.

"Say please," Tali said, her lips close enough that Lacuna could feel her warm breath.

"Please," Lacuna whined.

"Please what?"

"Fuck." Tali waited, enjoying Lacuna's struggles. "Please lick my pussy. Make me cum," Lacuna said, her nails digging into Tali's hands.

Tali obliged, licking her lips and diving into Lacuna's inviting heat, teasing her pussy with her tongue and coming up for air to flick her clit. Lacuna writhed on the bed, begging Tali not to stop, moving her hands to her hair and guiding her back when she wanted to stray. Tali could feel her own juices making her thighs slippery as Lacuna moaned, and right before she went over the edge Tali stopped, stroking Lacuna's hip with her fingers. "Shh..." she whispered as Lacuna panted.

Lacuna's gold eyes snapped open, and Tali crawled back up her body to press their lips together, sharing the tangy taste of sex. She bit Lacuna's lip, their mouths opening and tongues teasing as Lacuna ran her hands down Tali's soft back, petting the creamy skin.

"On your back," Lacuna ordered, and Tali obeyed, watching as Lacuna flipped up her skirt, pretending to hide behind the fabric. She found the zipper on the side and released Tali from the garment, throwing it to the floor. "What do we have here," she said, running her fingers along Tali's dripping pussy, tucking two inside her and feeling the walls contract against her. She sat back on her feet, watching Tali's face as she played with her, rubbing against her inner walls and using her thumb against her clit.

"More. Please," Tali panted, and Lacuna leaned down to add her tongue, running it over everything to collect Tali's juices. "Come here," Tali said, and Lacuna's looked up to see Tali making a come hither gesture. Lacuna reached up to run her fingers over one of Tali's spikes, making her twitch. She was thus distracted while Lacuna flipped around and presented her pussy.

"Mmm," Lacuna hummed against Tali's clit, dipping her fingers back in from the new angle as she felt Tali's tongue on her again. She curled her fingers to torture Tali from the inside and they drove each other, burying moans in each other's flesh and building the heat between them.

Just when she felt Tali about to slide over the edge Lacuna pulled back, gently licking over her lips and running her hands down Tali's thighs. She struggled underneath, but Lacuna's knees penned her in as her hands pressed down to keep Tali from raising her hips.

Tali kept working on Lacuna as she tried to twist herself free, making Lacuna start to shudder, her pussy pulsing. When she couldn't take anymore she lifted her mouth and sucked Tali's clit between her lips. Tali's moans of pleasure as she succumbed and came brought Lacuna off and she collapsed, flicking Tali's clit one more time with her tongue as waves of pleasure rolled through her body.

"C'mere," Tali muttered as they melted into the sheets, Lacuna's head pillowed on her thigh. It took a valiant effort but she turned over and maneuvered her head to the right end of the bed, curling up against her lover. Tali ran her hand down Lacuna's arm as she nestled into Tali's breasts and let her tangled lavender hair drape around them.

* * *

"I hate wearing black," Tali said, looking down at her outfit.

"I was actually worried you might not own anything black," Lacuna replied before sticking her head out into the hallway.

"Pfft," Tali said. "As long as you don't have to wear pink we're safe. Is it clear?"

"Yeah, no one's out there. Let's go."

They slipped out of their room and hurried to the basement door, tiptoeing down the stairs. Lacuna flipped the light switch at the bottom and revealed the space. Tali's area was on one side, explosives scattered around in a manner that couldn't be safe. Arno's half of the basement was also deserted, his van taking up one side in front of the garage door. There were also various automotive parts and a shiny motorcycle that he was working on for someone in town.

"Are we forgetting anything?" Lacuna asked, looking at Tali as she packed a few things from her worktable into a black bag. Tali shook her head no and, upon seeing the bombs disappear into the bag, Lacuna hoped they wouldn't need to blow anything up. Walking over she touched her shoulder, turning her around to look into her eyes. "You're sure you're okay with this?" she asked, running her fingers over Tali's black jacket.

"Yes," Tali said, her hand on the bag's zipper. She opened her mouth to say something else but before she could do so she froze, looking over Lacuna's shoulder at the stairs. "What was that?" she asked, her voice dropped to a whisper. Lacuna fell silent as well, listening for whatever Tali had heard as she turned her head.

Sure enough, there were footsteps on the stairs, and then the sound of a door closing. "Shit, shit, shit," Lacuna whispered, her eyes darting around.

"Shh."

They both waited, confused when no face appeared. "What the..." Lacuna began, but dropped her eyes after a moment and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Nasah," she said, her voice rising above a whisper as she reached over to pat the demon's skull. "You scared the hell out of us." He lolled his tongue out, tilting his head.

"Well, I'm not going to say no to him coming, but we better go now," Tali said, disappearing behind the van to open the normal door next to the motorized garage one. Lacuna followed, Nasah happily padding along behind her.

They disappeared into the night, Lacuna pulling a hood over her distinctive hair. It was dark but there were occasional functioning streetlights, and the smog above the city reflected light so they could see where to place their feet. As they headed to the address neither of them spoke, but the tension was focused outwards.

"Next left?" Tali whispered, breaking the silence.

"Yeah. I'm not going near the warren," Lacuna replied. They crept down an alley with Nasah on Lacuna's heels. She tried her best not to let him trip her.

"Do you hear anything?"

"No. Wait. Shh," Lacuna said, dropping into a crouch and sliding around the corner of the building. Light footsteps met the concrete farther along, stopping at a door thirty feet away. The pedestrian took off their hood, revealing Joss' silvery hair. They knocked on the door and waited.

Movement at the other end of the street caught Lacuna's eye and she just silenced herself from calling out a warning. Three figures melted out of the shadows, a smaller shape behind them. Joss didn't seem to notice them, waiting at the door with as relaxed a posture as they ever held. Tali pressed against her back and she felt something hot in her core.

"Oh no," Tali breathed, and Lacuna reached up to pinch her.

"Shh!"

The figures approached within ten feet of Joss. At the last moment they spun, flinging their arms out in a sweeping gesture. The group froze.

"Who are you?" Joss asked, their voice slicing through the air. One of the interlopers collapsed to the ground, panting.

"Who... are... you?" a male voice said, pained as if he had been choked.

"A representative."

"Not... who we asked... for," the kneeling male said, starting to regain his air.

"Too bad. What do you want with her?" Joss' voice was like ice, and Lacuna felt Tali press harder against her, trying to lean around the corner, but she pushed back.

"We'll only speak to her."

"I'm sure we can work something out," Joss said, and snapped their fingers. The speaker went back to his feet with such speed that Lacuna almost missed it. At the same time the other two dropped to the ground. "They're dead," Joss added. A streetlight crackled to temporary life but the area was otherwise silent.

Joss must have released the speaker, who Lacuna could now see was a male part demon with curled white horns on his head, because he swayed and fell to his knees with none of the precision he had under Joss' control.

"You're lying," was what Lacuna thought she heard him say and he moved over to one of the fallen figures, pressing his hand against its neck.

"Why would I lie? I only need one of you to tell me what's going on here," Joss said.

There was a long moment of silence. "Ospoxun wants her. That's all we know. Well, knew," he said. "You're going to kill me now, aren't you?"

"Yes," Joss said, lifting a hand. Before he could cut off the boy's air again, though, a sharp whistle split the air.

"Ow," Tali whispered, moving away from Lacuna, who couldn't tear her eyes off the street. Something was coming, smaller than a humanoid but much faster. The boy rolled out of the way as it charged, striking Joss in the chest. He slammed against the door behind him and Lacuna stood, moving from foot to foot and trying to decide what to do.

Nasah decided for her, bounding around the corner and tearing down the street. He grabbed the thing by the tail—making Lacuna realize it must be another lesser demon—and shook his head back and forth with loud growls. When it turned to face the new threat Lacuna saw bright green eyes looking out of a dark, reptilian face. It tried to take a bite out of Nasah's head but did no damage against his hard skull.

"Where's the kid?" Tali asked from behind her, looking down the street. He was nowhere in sight.

"Oh, no," was all Lacuna had to say. Nasah and the other demon were in the street now, snarling. Nasah had unsheathed his amethyst claws, which Lacuna knew were much harder than the stone they appeared to be. He slashed at his enemy. Joss seemed to be standing, though when they shook out their arms something dark splattered against the sidewalk.

"They're hurt," Tali said.

"And we'll be hurt if we help them," Lacuna replied. "I'm not supposed to be here, and by extension neither are you." The sounds of the demon battle in the street covered their conversation but Lacuna was much more worried about what else it might attract. Joss could handle themselves, she hoped. She turned to Tali, reaching out to grab her wrist below the spikes. "We need to go. Now."

"Alright, alright." Tali said.

* * *

"Maybe I'd feel less like slime if we learned something," Tali said. She had traded her black attire for heart printed leggings, high-waisted shorts, and a crocheted crop top decorated with pastel green hearts. She sat on Lacuna's bed with her back against the wall braiding Lacuna's hair.

"Clearly Ospoxun is the key," Lacuna said. "We need to figure out where he came from."

"And how are we supposed to do that?" Tali asked, pulling a hair band off her wrist and tying off the braid she had been working on.

"Easy," Lacuna said. Tali snorted. "No, really. Joss is going to figure it out for us. They're going to be pissed. I told you they got security footage of that bouncer, who knows how. But they have more resources than us, that's for sure."

"And they kill people for fun."

"What did you expect? Joss is basically a great demon, with how little humanity they have. They care for us for some reason, but even then—you should have seen what they said to me. Tore me down," Lacuna said, squaring her shoulder's against Joss' words the afternoon before.

"What did you do in your past life?" Tali asked, her voice quieter as she ran her fingers along the braid. Lacuna's hair was like silk.

"Fuck if I know," she said. If she stopped to think about it too long her head started spinning, chasing its tail as one useless theory blended into another. Sygny had even tried to fix her once, some hypnosis crack that he read somewhere. She had been ill for days, her head spinning every time she stood up, but it hadn't worked.

"Hey," Tali said, tugging on her shoulder. Lacuna snapped around, staring at her with unfocused eyes. "Come back," Tali said, and Lacuna blinked, forcing herself out of her thoughts. She sighed, lifting a hand to press the heel into her forehead.

"Lay down," Tali said, and there was an edge of command in her voice that Lacuna obeyed. Tali joined her, forcing their eyes to meet. "It's going to be okay. We'll figure it out," she said, continuing to pet Lacuna's hair.

Their lips met, molding into each other lazily. Tali nipped gently at Lacuna's mouth, and she responded with a gentle tease of her tongue. Lacuna pressed her knee in between Tali's thighs, forcing them apart and pressing herself closer as they tangled together. After a while she let her lips trail away, burying her face in her lover's neck and hoping the morning would bring answers.