Incubus Ch 02 1

Lilly

The sun coming in through my window woke me slowly. I yawned, sat up, and looked about my room. It was messy, with books on magic and college textbooks scattered everywhere. A book on omen reading sat next to a book on Java, and my book on demonology-

My book on demonology. The ritual. Last night. I wondered if it had all been a dream. I'd had vivid dreams before, though never one so... Explicit.

I looked down at my breasts, and felt the rough cotton of the sheets against my bare behind. I was naked. Completely naked. I never slept naked. And I felt a little sore in my private places. So it wasn't a dream. Last night had really happened. I wondered what my new demonic familiar was getting up to now. Probably nothing good.

I dressed and padded downstairs, barefoot and apprehensive, to get my breakfast and find the demon. I wondered what I would do if he wasn't in the house. What if I had just unleashed an unspeakable evil on this world? Would he go around raping women until I stopped him? Could I stop him? Last night had proved that my control over him was, at best, limited.

There was noise in the kitchen. Not loud noise, just the quiet clinking and clattering of dishes. I peered nervously into the room.

The demon turned to me from where he stood, unloading the dishwasher, and smiled. He wasn't naked, thank God. I wondered where he had found the clothes. "Good morning, mistress. I trust you slept well."

I jerked my head out of the doorway, panting. What the fuck? Was he... Cleaning my kitchen?

"Are you alright, mistress? I made you breakfast," the demon called from the next room. "Scrambled eggs and toast. I couldn't find the ingredients for anything more complex. I hope you don't mind."

How could he act so casual, as if last night hadn't happened? As if he hadn't-

"I also did some cleaning. Your kitchen was a mess," said the demon, peering out into the hall at me. I took a step backward, then another, and then turned and fled to my room, slamming the door behind me.

Okay, I had to get rid of him. But how? The book on demonology. Right. I picked it up and flipped through the pages. Okay, dismissing demons... Dismissing demons...

Last night's pledge had bound him as my familiar, so the normal dismissal spell wouldn't work. Neither would waiting for the initial summons to fade. I acted as an anchor, binding him to this world. And I would continue to do so until my death, because I had used the "until death do us part" pledge. Fuck.

Apparently the only way to dismiss a demon that had been bound as a familiar involved starving him, which would take awhile, or trapping him in a pentagram. I picked up the remaining cow blood and a brush.

A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door. "Mistress? May I come in?"

I hurriedly threw a rug over the pentagram and runes I had just painted. "Sure!"

The door opened. The demon took a step into the room, and then paused. He lifted the rug, and shot me an amused grin. "Nice try." He carefully smeared a rune with his foot, and then dropped the rug. "I take it that your little book doesn't mention that I can sense magic."

Shit. It did, but I had forgotten. That would make trapping him in a pentagram pretty much impossible. The demon took a step towards me. I took a step back. He grinned again.

"Your only real option for getting rid of me, if you desire to do so, is to starve me out. But that will involve going against your pledge. Remember, you promised me your body and magic?"

"Fuck you," I snapped.

"Maybe later. The thing is, if you refuse to honor your pledge, my compulsion to obey you will fade, until you won't be able to keep me from doing whatever I want to you." He smiled slyly. "Perhaps my hold on this reality will fade faster than your ability to command me, but I doubt it. And, of course-" Suddenly, the demon was right next to me, pressing his hand gently over my mouth. "There is the fact that I am significantly faster and stronger than you are, and you need to speak to command me." He removed his hand.

"Get out of my room!" I growled.

"You will need to concentrate on the command to force me to obey you," the demon told me. "But I will leave, as you request. After you tell me one thing." His green gaze met mine. "Where is your teacher?"

I blinked. "My what?"

"Your teacher. Your tutor in the wizardly arts. Where is he? Or she, if it a woman." He eyes searched mine, and he sighed. "I take it you don't have one?"

"Why do you care?" I asked.

"Multiple reasons, but the main one is that you seem poorly trained. We will have to do something about that. Untrained wizards have a tendency to get themselves killed. How long have you been studying?"

I didn't see any reason not to tell him. "Six months next week."

He blinked. "You're joking."

"Umm, no, I'm not. You said you would leave my room?"

He ignored me. "You've been training six months, and you thought demon summoning was a good idea? What the hell were you thinking?"

"Is that any of your business?"

He shook his head. "You have no idea how lucky you are, child. If you had messed up the spell, even a bit, or if I had resisted the summons, or, frankly, if you had ended up with a demon even a little less cooperative than me, you would be dead right now. Or worse."

He blurred past me, and picked up my book on demonology. "I'm keeping this. For now, at least." Another three blurs, and he held a small stack of books. "These, too. You can have them back when you aren't likely to get yourself killed."

"Why, you fucking patronizing asshole!" I tried to focus on a command. "Give me-" But he was gone, with the books. And there went my only possibility of learning enough about demons to get rid of him. "Fuck!"

When I went down to get some breakfast, the books were gone. A quick glance at my bookshelf told me he had taken some of my other books on magic, too. Asshole.

The demon glanced at the plate with the scrambled eggs and toast. "Want me to microwave it for you? It's gotten a bit cold."

I didn't answer. In fact, I ignored the food the demon had made me in favor of cereal. Except, when I tipped the box over the bowl, I found that I was out of cereal. "Fucking-" I felt tears welling up in my eyes. The demon, the forced orgasms, his high handed removal of my books. It was all too much.

I felt a hand on my back. "Perhaps, while you eat, we should talk about the reason why you summoned me. The toast is cold, but the eggs are still at least a bit warm. Or I could make you something else."

I blinked back the tears. "No, toast and eggs work." When I was sure I had myself under control, I turned, went over to the table, and sat down. "Do you remember what I told you last night?" I asked.

"Yes. You wish me to avenge your mother's death," he answered. "Do you know who killed her?"

I shook my head. "I was kind of hoping that you could figure that out. The book mentioned that demons can sense magic? And track the magic users, once they've gotten a feel for their magic?" If that wasn't true, this whole disaster had happened for nothing.

He nodded. "Yes. So she was killed by magic?"

I remembered the greasy black aura over the corpse. "Yes." I blinked back tears again. "Yes, she was."

"Where?"

"My par- my dad's place." My father. He had taken up drinking after Mom died. I fought not to cry.

The demon's hand brushed my cheek. "I'm sorry."

I batted his hand away. "Fuck off."

"Is there anything I can do?" he asked.

"Yes. Track the damn killer." Breakfast finished, I stood. "It's a half an hour's drive to my dad's place. We'd better get started. I've got classes this afternoon."

The demon tried to make small talk during the half an hour drive to my father's house, but I wasn't interested in chatting. Not with him, anyways. Eventually he gave up and sat silently, looking out the window.

Having him so close to me made me uncomfortable in a multitude of subtle ways. There was the danger he represented, of course. He was very powerful, with impossible strength and speed, and that made me nervous. I also had no clue what his motivations were. beyond sex and magic. Obviously he had other goals as well. Otherwise, I would have woken up either in the backyard covered in slime, or in his clutches as he started to feed again, not clean and dry, alone in my bed. And then there was the whole thing where he made me breakfast and cleaned my kitchen. It was confusing, to say the least.

He made me uncomfortable in other ways, too. I remembered the feel of him, in my pussy and in my ass, pushing me to climax. I remembered the feel of his muscular chest a he held me close, and his cock rubbing against my back. And he was certainly not unattractive. He would need to feed again sometime, wouldn't he? I shook my head to clear it. I could not be looking forward to another encounter with my rapist.

But I was, wasn't I? Last night had felt better than anything I'd ever felt before. And the idea that this attractive, if somewhat feminine, man wanted me enough to force the issue made me feel good. Desirable. Special.

Enough introspection, I decided. We were here. I pulled into the driveway of my dad's house.

Estries

We pulled into the driveway of a house with a large, and rather unkempt, front yard. This must be Lilly's father's house. Lilly turned off the engine, and got out of the car. I followed as she went up to the front door and rang the bell.

We waited awhile, but no one answered. "He must not be home," Lilly said, fishing in her purse for her keys. "Might be just as well. I don't know how to explain you. He won't mind if I let myself in."

The door creaked open, and I immediately smelled booze and vomit. Lilly wrinkled her nose. "He said he was going to quit," she complained to no one in particular

We had to step around a puddle of dried puke to enter. I decided not to comment.

It turned out that Lilly's father was home after all. He was snoring, half on the couch with his face mashed on the floor. "Dad?" Lilly called.

Her father snorted. His eyes slowly opened, and then quickly shut again. "Turn off the the damned lights," he groaned.

Lilly obediently turned off the lights. "You said you were going to AA, dad."

"I am not an alcoholic," her father slurred, trying to sit up. "I just drink socially. You know, with my friends?"

"I know what socially means, Dad," Lilly sighed. "And it does not mean come home so drunk you can't make it onto the couch."

"I'm your father. Show some respect," the old man slurred. He gave up on sitting, and slid off the couch. Then, slowly, he stood. Finally upright, he blinked at me. "Who're you?"

"He's just a friend, Dad," Lilly sighed,

"Aren't you gonna to introduce us?" he asked.

Lilly sighed again. "Dad, this is Estries. He's a friend. Estries, this is my father, Sam."

"Estries. Sounds foreign." Sam blinked at me. "You foreign, boy?"

"Dad, Estries is-" Lilly began, but her father cut her off.

"Let the boy speak for himself," he said.

"I'm not from around here, no," I said.

Sam shook a finger at me. "Don't want no foreigners dating my girl."

"We're not dating, Dad. We're just friends," Lilly sighed.

"That's what the boys say," her father said. "But you know they only want one thing." He glared at me, swaying slightly. "You stay away from my girl. Got that? Or I'll kill you dead."

His eyes widened, and he put a hand over his mouth and lurched off, out of the room. A second later, we heard him vomiting.

Lilly sighed. "Hopefully he made it to the toilet."

"Hopefully," I said, looking after the man with an expression of disgust. "Now, where did your mother die?"

"In the kitchen," Lilly said, then added, blinking back tears, "I found the body."

"How long ago?" I asked.

"About three months. It... It took me awhile to, you know, get everything together. For the ritual, I mean," Lilly explained.

"I might not be able to find anything," I warned. "It might have been too long ago."

Lilly blinked again. "I know," she whispered, then added, in a stronger voice, "Try anyways."

"Of course. Now, where in the kitchen?" I asked.

Lilly pointed.

The first thing I noticed when I entered the kitchen was bottles. Lot and lots of bottles, all different sizes, most empty, but some unopened, or half full. The sink was full of dishes, as was one of the counters, but most of the kitchen was occupied by bottles.

Lilly sighed. "I'm going to do some cleaning," she said. "You just do your thing."

I nodded. I would have to look deeply to have any chance of sensing the remains of killer's spell after so long. I closed my eyes. It was easy enough to cut off sight, then. One by one, I blocked out the other senses inherent to this form. The smell of alcohol. The feel of the floor beneath my feet, and the clothes against my skin. No taste, easy enough to ignore that. And then, finally, I blocked out the sound of Lilly rummaging through cabinets, and muttering to herself about trash bags.

It was not dark in this little, cut off world of mine. It was not silent. I was beyond darkness, or silence. It was nothing. Pure null. Except for one thing. The sense of magic.

I could feel Lilly nearby, a fiery cloud of power and noise that smelled like rain and felt like a purr. Outer shell of magic, inner orb of life force. I could feel the bond between us, created by the pledge. It was warmth, and comfort, and the smell of peaches, and the color blue. It was not stretched taunt, but was waving, like a jump rope will if a person shakes it from each end.

Lilly's mother must have had the potential for wizardry, just like her daughter, because I could sense her, too. This still felt like her home. I could feel where she was standing when she died. Her magic marked it. And, around that, I could feel...

Wrongness. Darkness. Death. A feeling of greasiness, and the sweet smell of decay. Something was off about the remains of this spell. Yes, it was death magic, but it shouldn't feel quite so... Dead. It had something to do with the wizard who cast it. Maybe something was wrong with his or her magic. It would make the killer easy to track. Every wizard's magic had a signature, like a fingerprint, but this was... Very distinct.

I reached with my mind, searching for the fingers that had made this print, the claws that had ripped a mother's life away. For an instant, I found it. It was close. And then, just as I was about to get the precise location, it was gone. Damn. My eyes snapped opened.

It took me a second to process the sudden influx of information from my non magical senses. There was a kaleidoscope of light and sound and smell. And, I noted, a slight pain. I looked down.

There was a kitchen knife buried up to the hilt in my stomach. I sighed, and looked over at Lilly. "That's not going to actually hurt me, you know."

She glared defiance. "I had to try."

I removed the knife, and absentmindedly mended the hole in my flesh. The shirt was a projection of my will, and easy enough to fix. "You may as well accept that you're stuck with me, my dear. Nothing you are capable of can kill me."

With a flick of the wrist, I threw the knife at Lilly, who shrieked and flinched. "You can, however, irritate me quite a bit," I continued. "This could make our relationship somewhat chilly."

Lilly looked up at the knife just above her head. "You could have killed me!"

"I never miss." I turned to leave the room. "I'll be in the car."

A few minutes later, Lilly joined me. She started the car, and pulled out of the driveway. I stared out the window, thinking.

I wished I hadn't taken her by force last night. I wished I hadn't needed to feed so badly that I couldn't afford to ask for permission, out of fear that the answer would be no. It had been about a year, in mortal time, since I had left the world of my birth, looking for a mistress or master of my own. I had wanted someone I could love like my parents loved each other. In that year I had nearly been summoned several times by magical practitioners who were obviously evil. I remembered one, an old man, had a girl tied up near the pentagram, presumably for me to feed on once I had pledged to him. I shuddered.

Lilly's summons had seemed like a godsend after all those evil wizards. Here was a young woman who was good, thoughtful, and kind, one who wasn't likely to make me do something nasty. The hint of grief and desperation made me feel needed, and protective. I had answered the summons without hesitation, and had fed primarily to ensure I remained by her side. And now, because of that, Lilly wanted to get rid of me before I had even accomplished what she summoned me to do. There was no way around it. I had screwed up.

"Ummm... Estries?" Lilly was speaking quietly, like she wasn't sure she wanted to attract my attention.

I looked over at her. "Yes?"

"I just wanted to say... I'm sorry I stabbed you." Lilly shifted uncomfortably. "Are you still mad?"

I shook my head. "No." Well, not mad at her, at least. I was kind of mad at myself.

Lilly nodded. "Good."

We sat in uncomfortable silence for a few minutes. Finally Lilly asked, "So, did you get anything? About my mom's killer, I mean?"

Ah. The reason for her apology. I should have known. "Yes. I felt the spell. And I was able to sense the killer. However, before I could get an exact location, the killer must have noticed I was searching, and must have shielded to block the magical signature. I'll try again later. Don't worry, I'll find whoever it is, and make them regret ever touching your mother."

There was another brief silence. Then Lilly whispered, "Thank you."

Lilly

Classes today were uneventful. When I got home, I discovered that Estries had made me dinner. It was kind of nice not to have to worry about cooking. Besides, Estries was a good cook, even without much to work with.

"When's your next day off?" Estries asked as I finished my spaghetti. "I'd like to do some grocery shopping."

"I've got enough time tomorrow," I answered. "Before my lab."

"Good. I'll prepare a list," said Estries. "I'm going to try to find the killer again. Please don't stab me this time."

"I won't," I assured him, looking at my feet. Not like it would work, anyways.

Estries closed his eyes. After a few minutes, he opened them again, scowling. "Shielded before I could get a location again. Damn." He looked over at me. "I'll keep trying, of course. I'm sorry." He looked sorry, too. Very apologetic.

I sighed. "I'm going to bed." Halfway out of the kitchen, I stopped. "You planning on feeding?"

Estries shook his head. "No. Why?" He half smiled. "Do you want me to feed?"

"No. I just didn't want to wake up in the middle of the with something up my ass!" I snapped. But he was right. I did kind of want him to feed again.

"Fair enough, mistress," Estries conceded. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," I replied, ignoring my faint pang of disappointment.