Of Demons and Fae

"So the troll has been dealt with?" Director Yarrow asked. "You're sure?"

"It'll sleep for the next week or so," Greg told him. "Plenty of time to relocate it to a national park."

The director nodded. "And your aid is working on finding a place to send it, Agent Sanders?"

I nodded. "He's coordinating with both the Park Rangers and the local fae. There are plenty of parks nearby which could use a resident troll." A troll with a patch of forest took care of the local flora and fauna. Paths made from natural material were tolerated, as were humans who respected the local ecosystem. I'd had many a peaceful nature walk in a troll forest.

"And the demon?" asked Director Yarrow. Greenwinter visibly tensed.

I held up a baby monitor. The screen showed the demon sprawled on top of a bed. He wasn't breathing, but, before he fell asleep, he reassured me that this was normal for his type of demon. "I fed him, and got him a hotel room. He says he'll sleep for about a day while he recovers from all the healing he did." Even with the baby monitor, and the demon's reassurance that I'd be able to tell if something was wrong, I still wanted to go check on him.

"Do you have any magic left, Agent Sanders?" Director Yarrow asked.

I shook my head. "The demon finished it off. However, if you'll recall, I recover magic swiftly." Though mostly only while I was sleeping. I yawned. It had already been a long day, and I hadn't exactly gotten the recommended 8 hours last night. Or the night before. I frowned, trying to remember the last time I'd had a good night's sleep.

The director frowned. "I'm still taking you out of rotation. Focus on helping the demon get better, and convincing him to join the agency. I think it would be best if he was your new partner. You two seem to work well together. Good job at the bridge, by the way. If you hadn't slowed the collapse long enough for the police to clear the highway, there would have been a lot of casualties."

I nodded. "Thank you, sir."

The director nodded back. "Anything else we need to discuss?" The answer to that was no, so Director Yarrow said his goodbyes and ended the video conference.

I stretched and yawned. "Whelp, I'm off to bed."

Greenwinter met my gaze. "Don't you have an appointment later today?"

My eyes widened. "Crap! The fae princess." I stood. "I need to get ready!" I probably had something suitable to wear in my suitcase, but it needed to be ironed, and-

Simultaneously, Greg and Greenwinter's cell phones went off. Greg got his out first. "Crap. There's been a vampire outbreak in DC. They need all active teams." He stood. "The plane takes off in an hour. We've got to go." He raced from the room.

Greenwinter nodded, and stood. "Take care of yourself, Jennifer. Demons are not trustworthy." For the first time, I wondered if he knew more about this new type of demon than he was letting on. "And fae princesses are not easy to deal with, either." He left the room at a more sedate pace than Greg. While he could move quite quickly when he needed to, he rarely saw the need. "Goodbye."

I left through the other door. "You take care of yourself too, Greenwinter. Vampires suck."

As Greenwinter left, I sniggered at my own bad joke. Then I hurried to my car so I could return to the hotel.

*

An hour later, I entered the Japanese restaurant where I was to meet the fae princess. I looked around the room. All the diners appeared to be human. However, I knew from experience looks could be deceiving.

Grimacing, I adjusted my skirt. I hated dresses, but fae were very into gender norms, so a pant suit was out of the question.

The hostess came up to me. "Do you have a reservation?" she asked me.

"Sanders," I replied. "Party of two."

She nodded. "Right this way."

She led me to a small table by a window. No one was waiting for me, so my guest had not yet arrived. Good. Fae royalty hated waiting.

Fae royalty hated lots of things. Perceived disrespect topped the list. You also needed to use their full names and titles when you addressed them, unless they told you otherwise. I found this out the hard way when I referred to a fae prince as "Prince Nightwind" rather than "14th Prince Nightwind Veilswift Snowflurry." He hadn't bothered to correct me. He'd gone for his sword. I'd won, and I hadn't killed him, but, ever since then, human relations with the fae Winter Court had been strained.

I made a face. Hopefully I wouldn't screw things up with Princess Roselet Thyme Meadowsweet. The fact that she didn't have a number attached to her title was promising. It meant she wasn't a child of the current ruler of the summer court. I frowned, trying to remember who that was. Queen something something Meadowsweet. With any luck, this princess wouldn't mention the queen, and I wouldn't need to remember her name.

The hostess was back, leading a seemingly human woman. I frowned, trying to work out if this was the princess. She was incredibly beautiful, and her eyes were a truly stunning shade of green. Probably her, I decided, in glamor.

I stood and bowed. "Welcome, Princess Roselet Thyme Meadowsweet."

She giggled. "We don't have to be all formal. Please, call me Princess Rose."

I blinked. "As you wish, Princess Rose." There were two potential reasons she wouldn't want to be formal. One, she was part of the group of young fae that sympathized with humans. The other fae called them humies, and not in a nice way. Two, she wanted something important. I was inclined to suspect the latter. But, then, I was by nature a suspicious bastard.

Princess Rose sat daintily, settling her skirts neatly around her legs. Despite her stated desire to be informal, I noted, she was well dressed in clothing typical for a minor fae royal, with a graceful pink dress covered in flowery lace and delicate white shoes. The small silver hair ornament adorning her ebony locks suggested a tiara without being overly ostentatious.

She smiled at me. "I've never been to a human restaurant before," she admitted. "How does it work?"

As I explained the process of looking at the menu and ordering our drinks and food, her eyes danced. This was obviously a strange and exciting new experience for her. "If you have any questions about what menu items are," I finished, "Ask me." I paused. "Just to warn you, a lot of the dishes are going to contain raw fish."

The princess's eyes widened. "Raw fish? Doesn't that usually make you sick?"

I shook my head. "This stuff is specially prepared so it doesn't."

She giggled. "How delightful! I like fish. I was quite partial to trout before the long slumber. The nixies would catch it in the river and bring it to court to win favor from the queen. She'd have it roasted with almonds and lemon juice." She sighed. "Sometimes I miss those days."

I smiled wistfully. "There are times in the past I miss, too," I said, thinking of Tommy, and our life together. "But there's no going back, I suppose. You've just got to keep moving on." Day after lonely day.

Princess Rose nodded sagely. "Very true. And I don't think I would go back, even if I could." She giggled. "Life is so interesting right now!"

I wondered when she'd come to what she wanted. I sincerely doubted she'd come just to talk about the good old days. It would be rude of me to ask, though, so I kept on making polite conversation.

We chatted about all sorts of things. The princess was pretty up to date on current human affairs and modern technology. She even had her own cell phone, I discovered. So maybe a human sympathizer? I couldn't be sure. Taking advantage of tech did not predispose you to liking the people who created it.

Talk turned to the FCB and my work. Princess Rose had apparently met Greenwinter, who was also a member of the summer court, and wanted to know all about what he was up to these days.

As we got our meals, I began to wonder if she'd ever get to the point. However, after she'd taken a nibble of seaweed salad, she smiled and said, "I bet you're wondering what I want."

"A bit," I admitted.

She giggled. "More than just a bit, I think. I mean, you've been very polite and patient, and all that, but it's obvious you were waiting for the other shoe to drop, so to speak."

"I have enjoyed our conversation greatly," I said stiffly, hoping she wasn't offended. Offending fae royalty was bad.

"I'm sure you have," Princess Rose said, smiling. "I meant no offense. Now, as for what I want..." She bit her lip. "It's a bit complicated. I've got a brother. He's very much a human sympathizer. Our mother did not... Approve of his interests. So he, umm, kind of ran away."

She shrugged. "Our mother wanted to disown him, but our grandmother wouldn't allow it. The two of us have always been her favorite grandchildren."

"You want us to bring him home," I stated, frowning. The idea of bringing a fae royal home in chains didn't appeal.

She shook her head. "Not if he doesn't want to come. Grandmother just wants to know where he is. If he's ok. That sort of thing. And if he doesn't want to come home, she wants a way to stay in contact with him."

I nodded. "What does your queen think?"

The princess smiled. "She won't oppose grandmother on this, if that's what you're wondering."

I nodded. "Good." The last thing I wanted to do was offend the summer queen. "How's your salad?"

Princess Rose grinned. "Delicious."

*

After dinner, I returned to the hotel. Before retiring to my room, I decided to check on the demon. The cop on duty in the hall outside his room nodded to me as I scanned the key card and stepped inside.

The demon appeared to be breathing now, and he'd kicked off the covers. Was that a good sign? I frowned, and looked him over. No sign of the lacerations that had been left over after the battle. Just smooth, pale skin. And lots of it. The demon was naked.

I found my eyes lingering on his cock. My girly bits quivered, ever so slightly. I forced my eyes upward. However, his chest wasn't any less sexy. Lithely muscular, with delicate nipples, it made me want to climb into bed with him.

"Like what you see?" a voice purred.

I jumped, and my hands were on my gun before I realized it was the demon talking. I swore. "I thought you said you wouldn't wake up for a while."

He shrugged. "I wouldn't have if you hadn't come in."

I winced. "So I woke you up. I'm sorry. I should have been quieter."

"Quieter wouldn't have helped," the demon told me with a chuckle. "I can hear your heartbeat. Your breathing. Every move you make. You couldn't possibly be quiet enough." He grinned. "And even if you were somehow completely silent, I would still be able to smell you." His nostrils flared. "You smell nice..."

He reached for me. I batted his hand away. "Before we do anything, we need to talk."

The demon raised an eyebrow. "If you want me to be able to concentrate on anything besides your delectable looking magic and how nice you smell, I need to feed before we talk."

I sighed. "Fine. But, afterwards-"

"Afterwards," the demon promised, rising from the bed, "We can talk about anything you want."

His lips pressed against mine, demanding. I responded, moaning. When we came up for air, I gasped, "At least tell me your name. We've had sex twice, and I still don't know your name."

"Estries," he told me, and his mouth engulfed mine once more.

Our bodies pressed together. I could feel his cock against my hip through my skirt. It was so big, so hard... I wanted it. I wanted it inside me. I moaned.

With my hands, I began to explore his exquisitely sculpted torso. His hands slid behind me, one beneath my ass, the other against the small of my back. He lifted me, and then gently lowered me onto the bed. Our lips parted long enough for him to slide onto the bed with me, and then pressed together once more, working frantically. He took my lower lip in his mouth and nibbled on it lightly. I whimpered.

I felt him lift my skirt. Deft hands pulled down my underwear. The tip of one finger brushed my clit. I pulled away, gasping for air and feeling a bit dizzy. I felt a hand slip beneath my bra.

I'd never been this passive when having sex with Tommy. However, with Estries, it felt right to just lie there and let him toy with my body. His skillful hands and mouth played over me. Every touch made me quiver. When Estries's mouth engulfed my clit I stifled a scream, my hand over my mouth. The last thing we needed was the cop outside hearing us and bursting in to rescue me.

Panting, I watched Estries's head between my legs. He was good at this, I though muzzily. Even without the tentacles.

I grabbed his hair and tugged. Estries, laughing, parted from my pussy and pressed his lips to mine. I could taste myself on him. I moaned, and then gasped as his cockhead bumped my clit. It bumped me again, and then slid lower.

With Estries's cock pressed against my entrance, about to impale me, I realized I was still wearing my fancy meet-the-fae-princess dress. I didn't care. I just wanted... I wanted-

I squealed as Estries pressed into me. Then I closed my eyes, groaning. He was so big...

As the demon began to pound me ruthlessly, I began my final climb. I felt my legs begin to tremble. My mouth felt so dry. And the feeling in my gut was- It was-

My pussy clenched, and I screamed as I came, my cries muffled by the demon's muscular shoulder. It wasn't as crazily intense as the first two times we'd had sex, and I was glad of it.

Panting, we slid apart. Estries grinned. "Not bad for a light snack." He nuzzled my cheek. "More of that later, I think."

I pulled my underwear up and straightened my dress. "Perhaps," I said. Then I sat up. "Get some clothing on. We need to talk."

Estries tried to tug me back onto the bed. "Can't we cuddle for a bit?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Do you need to cuddle to feed?"

He shook his head, sighing. "No." Tentatively, he met my gaze. "What we just did... Is that all it was to you? Feeding me?"

I frowned. "I barely know you."

Estries looked away. "True."

For a moment, we were both silent. Then, Estries sat up. A button up shirt and slacks materialized on his form. I tried not to stare. He'd said he could make his clothing appear and vanish at will, but I'd never gotten a really good look at that process before.

"So," he said, "I'm listening. What was it you wanted to say?"

"I belong to the PCB, or Paranormal Containment Bureau," I told him. "We're a government organization that works to mitigate the effects of dangerous paranormal elements, such as, for example, the mage who summoned you."

Estries smiled, but the expression held no humor. "So this is the part where you tell me to play nice or else. I get it."

I shook my head. "Actually, this is the part where I offer you a job."

Estries blinked. "What?"

"The PCB is dangerously short on agents," I explained. "We've got two basic types. One, fae who are willing to work to help humans. These are few and far between, and the number is unlikely to go up. Two, human mages. Unfortunately, newly awakened adult mages tend to go insane for a while after awakening." I shrugged. "I'm a lucky exception. Since containing a crazy mage long enough for reason to return is nearly impossible without magic dampening artifacts, and these are rare, most newly awakened mages need to be put down for public safety."

"We've got a few on ice," I continued, "but it's impossible to know when, or even if, they'll regain their senses. Even if they do, they may not be suitable as agents for whatever reason." I sighed. "So, yeah. We likely won't be getting an influx of agents from that direction, either. Not anytime soon, at least."

I leaned forward, expression serious. "So, our pool of potential agents is unlikely to increase anytime soon. However, the number of paranormal incidents per year, well, that is increasing. We need all the help we can get, and, from were I'm sitting, you look like you might be able to help."

Estries looked at me thoughtfully. It was impossible to tell what his opinion of all this was.

"We're not asking you to volunteer," I continued. "The job comes with a six figure salary." A salary I'd barely touched in over a year. "And there are other benefits." Though healthcare and dental seemed redundant for a being who could heal in an instant and shift shapes. "If there's anything else you want, within reason, ask. The contract is negotiable."

Estries smiled. "I suppose there is something you could offer that I find... Tempting."

"What?" I asked.

"You. Your body. Your magic." His teeth seemed eerily pale in the dim lighting.

I swallowed. "The plan was for you to be my partner, so any, umm, compensation involving me is definitely on the table. As far as negotiation goes."

The demon chuckled. "Then let's negotiate," he purred, licking his lips.