“This is a betrayal!” Kali yelled, but Daryl shut the door in her face. If what Dana had told him was true, he was about to become the most powerful member of the society.
“You were right,” he said, thinking of Sarah. “You were right this whole time.” He pulled out his phone, checking the text one more time while walking up the front walk.
Mike has a book. Calls it a grimoire? Has an apple on the cover. I’m sneaking it out—meet me on the front step in ten minutes.
It took every fiber of his being not to skip. He and Sarah had had many conversations about what powerful artifacts the house could be hiding, but the grimoire of Morgan le Fey, the most powerful sorceress in history, was a veritable goldmine. Rumored to have been part fairy, Morgan had possessed spellcraft that was near the level of a divine being, and rumors had abounded for centuries that she had written her methods into a spell book so simple that even an ordinary human would be able to cast some of the most complex spells.
It all made sense now. How Mike had managed to stymie the efforts of the society, make Sarah disappear, and even soundly defeat a sand golem with no preparation. It was like having a gun in a knife fight.
But what was possible in the hands of the magically adept? Sarah had told him that the knowledge of even a single page could bring an army to its knees, could change how magic itself was understood. Out of all the possibilities, this was the one that held so much promise for him! Even an hour alone with the book would be all the time he needed to transcend to a higher plane of knowledge, to understand himself on a fundamental level, to achieve true immortality without forfeiting what was left of his soul!
He had broken into a cold sweat. Standing just in front of the steps of the house, he was surprised to suddenly notice the car that had been crashed there earlier. Kali had mentioned it, but it must have slipped his mind. Waiting patiently, he heard the front door open.
Dana stumbled out, her face a mask of pain, clutching a massive book against her chest. It was easily the size of a suitcase and clearly heavy.
“Come, let’s get away from here,” he said, waving her down the steps.
Dana stumbled, gasping in pain and crashing to the ground at his feet. “Please,” she begged. “Make the pain stop.” She was already beginning to turn, her hair having faded to gray.
“Oh, silly girl.” He knelt by her. “You have given me a wonderful gift. For this, I must thank you.”
“Bring me back to life. Please.” Dana’s blue eyes had faded to gray, her life force dimming. “I did what you asked.”
“I have no intention of any such thing.” Daryl grabbed the book and pulled. Dana wasn’t very strong, but she clung to the book like a drowning rat to a log.
“The hunger, then. Make it stop.”
“This is just the first step. If you want the hunger to stop, then give…me…the book!” He’d tugged between his words, but it still wouldn’t slide free. “Let go of it before they hear you!”
“You said you would let me die. I want to see Alex again.” Dana was sobbing now, holding the book even tighter. “Please, let me go!”
“I will let you go when I am done with you!” Daryl had rolled her over enough to see that the book was glowing in her arms, scattering blue light. He started punching her, knowing that she wouldn’t feel any pain but hoping she would take the hint and give him what he wanted.
She slapped back at him, striking him weakly on the head and neck.
“And this book is just the start, so let go, goddamn it!” With a powerful yank, he fell over backward, the heavy grimoire lying on top of him. After scrambling to his feet, he ran back toward the car. His heart was pounding, his limbs trembling in excitement. He had done it! He had stolen what the house had protected for so long.
Stumbling, Daryl was suddenly aware that the stone lions guarding the front walk were still very far away. Blinking rapidly, he took a few more steps. His legs were numb. Tilting forward, he crashed into the front walk, the breath leaving his body and the grimoire tumbling free of his grasp.
Gasping for air, he tried to reach the book. Soft footsteps moved toward him, Dana’s tennis shoes coming into view. She pushed the grimoire toward his face, then knelt in front of him.
“You’re not you when you’re sleepy,” she said, a sadistic smile stretching across her face.
“What?” He bit down on his tongue, struggling to stay awake. “What happened?”
“The hunger. How do I get rid of it?”
“I was…using my magic to…” The words fell from his mouth, shattering on the cold concrete below him. “You’ll have to…eat. Can’t stop…transformation.”
“What do I need to eat?”
“Flesh…living…” He could barely keep his eyes open. His magic was uncoiling inside him, forcing adrenaline into every muscle in his body, but he still couldn’t move.
“Can you reverse it? Can you make me human again?”
Daryl let out a laugh. “No. One-way process.” He laughed again. “You’re stuck.”
“And so are you.” A scorpion tail appeared behind Dana, looming over her shoulder like a sinister shadow. Daryl’s mind rewound time to when she had been trying to defend herself, slapping away his assault. He had been a fool.
Dana’s eyes flashed yellow and red, her features melting away to reveal Lily, the succubus. “Last chance. Can you turn her back?”
“No.” He smirked. “And even if I could, I wouldn’t, you dirty, used-up cunt.”
“Then you’re no use to me.” Her tail whipped around, striking him several times. He laughed, his magic strengthening him even farther, his fingers curling up beneath him.
“Even if I fall asleep, I can escape the Dreamscape,” he told her. “Your power is no match for someone like me. Stab me, shoot me, cut off my head, and I will find my way back. My consciousness can occupy any cell in my body, heal any wound, and regenerate from any injury. All I need is time.”
“Oh, I don’t need you to sleep.” Lily stood, the heels of her boots clacking on the sidewalk. “I only need you to blink.”
Blink? Daryl didn’t understand, but the fresh infusion of her venom assailed his senses, and he felt fatigue crawl over him like a blanket. He was still pondering what she had meant when the grimoire unfolded a pair of legs from beneath its cover, crawled near his face, and opened its pages, revealing sharp teeth and a tongue that lolled from side to side.
He blinked in disbelief, and a loud pop sounded. When he opened his eyes, the book was now large enough that the tongue could wrap around him and pull him into a fearsome maw that consisted almost entirely of teeth. As the mouth closed, the succubus cheered on his demise. A necromancer could survive many things, but being devoured alive?
The answer was no. Daryl screamed as thousands of teeth bit into him and chewed.
The smell tickled at Dana’s nose, turning into a flood of fragrances. It was heavenly, like baked cookies or burgers cooking on a grill. She sniffed heavily, the smell permeating her entire being, the hairs on her arms standing straight up in excitement. She breathed heavily from her mouth, swallowing the drool that threatened to leak free.
It was blood. Warm, delicious blood, and lots of it. Smacking her lips, she looked at Zel, who wasn’t paying attention. The ball of anger in her stomach was becoming something else, spreading through her whole body like wildfire. She rose slowly, then moved toward the centaur, contemplating the new smells that came off her. The forest, leaves, and alfalfa were the heaviest, but beneath them all was the scent of steak.
Dana charged, a howl escaping her lips. Zel looked over her shoulder, her eyes wide in fright when Dana leaped through the air, her mouth open wide.
Zel’s rear legs kicked out, catching Dana squarely in the chest and knocking her across the room. It didn’t hurt, but Dana’s rib cage no longer felt quite right. She got back to her feet and
ran out the door into the backyard. Naia stood in the fountain, speaking quietly to a songbird.
Dana growled, the sight of Naia’s skin reminding her of the white meat of a chicken. Thoughts of gravy and dripping fat reignited her hunger, and she rushed at the fountain. The bird took off when Dana’s feet splashed in the water, and she tackled the nymph, her teeth sinking into soft flesh.
Naia turned into water and disappeared, then reappeared on the edge of the fountain. Dana splashed toward her, consumed by the idea that a nymph would probably taste like water chestnuts.
The water swirled beneath her feet, dragging her down, and she tumbled around in the fountain, clawing for any sort of purchase. One hand snagged the rim of the fountain, and she yanked herself free and rolled onto the ground.
“Stop her!” Zel had appeared in the doorway of the garage but immediately pulled it shut when Dana ran at her. All she could smell was flesh and blood, her other senses being drowned out by the solitary thought that she was hungry. Screaming, she slammed herself into the door, dust shaking free of the frame.
Lily appeared in the back door of the house, a large book covered in blood tucked under one arm. “What’s going on—hey!”
Dana crossed the distance between them, her eyes on the soft flesh of Lily’s neck.
Lily’s powerful tail knocked Dana to the ground, then wrapped around one of her ankles, lifting her in the air. Snarling and lashing out, Dana was dragged back to the garage.
“Do we have any rope?” Lily asked Zel.
“I think we can find something. But we need a chair to tie her to, and I don’t think the one we have will work.”
“Problem solved.” Lily tossed the tome into the corner of the room and turned away from it. Dana tried to look, but Lily’s tail twisted her around. One second it was a book, and the next it was a giant chair made of solid metal. The chair sprouted legs and crawled toward them like a spider.
“She’s gone mad with hunger, but I don’t know why.” Zel helped Lily strap Dana into the chair. Lily was clearly an expert with ropes—she quickly bound Dana to the chair, immobilizing her.
“That’s my fault. I think I may have made things worse. Daryl’s magic was sustaining her.” Lily was watching Dana with a sad look on her face. “But on the plus side, I want you to know that you’ll never have to worry about him ever again. He’s dead. I fed him to the mimic.”
“Gah!” Dana lunged forward in her chair, making it tip. The chair sprouted extra legs again and pushed her back upright. She slammed her teeth together, wishing that Lily would come close enough, just for a taste.
“You’ve got to have something,” Lily said to Zel. “Otherwise, I’m going to go grab the first unlucky bastard I come across. She looks terrible.”
“As a matter of fact, I did have an idea.” The centaur held up a small vial of a pearly white substance. “It’s something I made for Mike earlier to restore his energy. I didn’t think it would work on her at first, but the main ingredient has what she needs.”
“Hurry up, then!” Lily got behind Dana. Her tail wrapped around Dana’s neck, tilting her head back. “I’ll hold her, you give it to her.”
“Try not to spill any. This is my last batch.” Frowning, Zel tilted the concoction into Dana’s mouth. “If this doesn’t work, I don’t know what will.”
The taste was exquisite. It reminded her of bacon jerky with just a hint of something bitter in the background. The pain in her stomach receded, and her brain took over her body once more but only barely. Dana stretched her neck as far as it could go and licked the rim of the vial.
“I guess she likes it.” Lily scooped the dregs off Dana’s lips and into her mouth. Dana sucked on her finger, making sure to take it in.
“More. Do you have any more?” Dana looked around the room.
“Not currently. If you give me time, I can replenish my stock.” Zel was writing in another journal. “But I think we’re going to leave you tied up for a bit.”
“Hey,” Lily said, leaning in to examine Dana’s face. “Her eyes are back to normal.”
“But not her hair or skin. The mental faculties are first to return, though the subject is still hungry.” Zel turned the page, drawing something. “What I gave her wasn’t enough, but it did serve to restore her mind.” She held up the vial, then wrote something else. “We know a minimum amount, which is good news.”
“If we had enough of this, could we turn her human again?”
“Doubtful. We’ve charged the cells, but that does give me an idea.” Zel tucked her journal in one of her bags and pulled out another one. She made a couple of notes, then tucked it away. “I’ll need access to the Library that Naia was telling me about, but that’ll have to wait until the others return. Until then, I’m going to get everything else ready so we can mix up a new batch right away.” The centaur moved to the back of the garage, where her makeshift lab had been set up.
“I hope they come back soon.” Lily brushed a hair out of Dana’s eyes. “Hang in there, okay?”
“I’ll try.” Dana closed her eyes, doing her best to think about anything but food. Her mind swirled in circles, picturing everyone she had met in the last twenty-four hours. Thinking of them reminded her that each had their own scent, something that made her stomach rumble. The banshee smelled of lightning storms and peppermints, and the nymph reminded her of seaweed wraps full of rice and avocado. From here, she could smell the cinnamon and spice of the succubus, making her think of spiced cider in the fall and Thanksgiving dinners.
“Getting hungry?” Lily asked.
Dana opened her eyes to see that the succubus was using her tail as an impromptu stool. “Yeah. How can you tell?”
Lily leaned forward to wipe drool off Dana’s chin. “Would it help if I gave you something better to do?” She held out Dana’s cellphone. “Maybe you have some games on here or something? Check some emails, stream a movie, maybe? Also…sorry I took it. I needed to lure Daryl away from the others.”
“You killed him, didn’t you?” Dana took the phone.
“I did.”
“But why? You told me to forget about it.”
“You’re right. Killing another person places a terrible burden on your soul. And while you may be numb to it now, I don’t think your heart could take it if you become human again.” Lily laughed. “I, however, had no problem feeding him to the mimic. Bastard won’t come back from that.”
Dana shook her head. “That still wasn’t your call. But…thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Lily slid the phone under Dana’s hand, and she unlocked it with her fingerprint. A picture of Alex appeared, a photo of her on her motorcycle. Dana had taken the picture on their last trip, when they had ridden up to some cliffs overlooking the lake where they were camping. Over Alex’s shoulder was a beautiful blue horizon scattered with rays of light that had fallen through holes in the clouds above. In her mind, Heaven looked more like this anyway.
“You miss her.”
“Yeah. I do.” Dana didn’t have to ask how Lily knew. She could feel the tears dripping off her chin.
“I used to have someone like that. But that was a really long time ago.” Lily sighed. “Between having a broken heart and being a soul-eating bitch, I barely remember those feelings anymore.”
“Is that what’s waiting for me? If I can’t fix this?”
“Honestly? I truly hope not.” Lily scooted closer, putting her hand on Dana’s leg and squeezing gently. “I wouldn’t wish my fate on anyone who didn’t deserve it.”
“Thank you.” Dana grabbed Lily’s hand and squeezed back. Shutting her eyes again, she did her best to think nonhungry thoughts. Inevitably, her mind brought up the memory of the liquid that Zel had given her. The taste of it lingered in the back of her throat, and she smacked her lips. It had felt so warm sliding down her throat, and eve
n now she could feel that same warmth radiating out from her belly.
Minutes passed, and she became aware of the delicate fingers on her thigh, squeezing her flesh ever so gently. She opened her eyes and stared at those fingers, marveling at the sensuality that had been carved into every joint. She took the hand in her own and squeezed it. When it squeezed her back, the warmth radiated out again, focusing along her upper thighs.
“Hey, Zel?” Lily was looking at the back of the garage. “That stuff you gave her? Would it have any side effects?”
“None that I can think of.” Zel emerged from the shadows of her lab. “Why do you ask?” Zel’s nose suddenly wrinkled up. “That smells like human arousal.”
“Yeah, it does. How are you feeling, Dana?”
“I feel pretty good. Just trying to keep my mind off food.” She was rubbing Lily’s arm now, her gaze wandering across Lily’s chest. The warmth in her upper thighs was pulsating now, moving up to her hips, then back down to her knees. The logical part of her brain said that she should be concerned, but without a heightened sense of fear, it couldn’t be heard over the pleasant sensations in her legs.
“What was in that substance?” Lily asked, a cold edge to her voice.
Zel sighed. “A concentrated version of Mike’s semen.”
Lily’s head whipped around. “Excuse me? Why the hell would you give her something like that?”
“He’s a human who has been exposed to Mandragora spores at least twice and survived. And I’ve already documented that his essence has magnificent restorative properties. Based on the theory that zombies are actually eating life force rather than flesh, I assumed that his semen could be used as a food source.”
“Wait, semen?” Dana’s euphoric cloud popped. “I ate…semen?”
“Yeah. Yeah, you did.”
“That’s…” Disgusting, horrible, vile. These were all words that she wanted to say, but there would be no emotion behind them. Being a lesbian meant that she had successfully avoided the stuff her entire life. She expected her gag reflex to suddenly activate, but apparently that wasn’t going to happen either. “…gross.”
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