by Jan Stryvant
"Oh? Why's that?" Wrath asked.
"Because he was always nice to everybody."
"Well, we're here," Fawn said.
"If you're going to be there past ten, you better call us, or Wrath and I are gonna come looking for ya," Olivia said.
"Sure, I'll call. Don't worry," he said with a smile. "I hope George is still here and not like off to college or something. Man, I haven't seen him in months."
Getting out of the van, he closed the door, waved to the girls, then started up the driveway. He felt the ward when he stepped through it, but it didn't do anything to him. Then again, he'd been coming here for years, so there'd probably been an exception put in it for him.
When he got to the front door, he rang the doorbell, and then took a step back and smiled. He knew they had one of those camera doorbells. It only took a minute, and then George whipped open the door.
"Dan! What are you doing here?"
"I bought my parent's old house! I just moved in," Dan said with a smile.
"You bought the house? Where'd you get the money for that?"
"Long story. Can I come in?"
"Of course you can!"
Dan stepped in and saw George's father Herman standing behind him with an interesting expression on his face.
"Mr. Stidham," Dan said with a smile, "after George and I have caught up, do you think you'd have a few minutes? I was hoping to ask you if you'd like to help me with a little something."
"Getting rid of Weson isn't a 'little something'," Herman said with a rueful snort.
"Dad, you and Dan can talk shop later; first I want to hear what's been happening to him! The rumors have been driving me crazy!"
"You know about, well, about all this?" Dan asked George, looking back at him.
"I know some. I mean, I've known about magic for a couple of years now. Dad here started teaching me a year ago. But he only recently told me about what you've been going through."
"Come on," Herman said to them. "Let's go sit in the den. I think I'd like to hear about all of this as well. The stories I've been hearing…" Herman shook his head, but then suddenly smiled. "I suspect the truth is going to be a lot stranger than the rumors!"
"Just warn me when it's almost ten," Dan said as he followed George and his father to the den.
"What happens at ten?" George asked.
"My girlfriends are gonna stop by looking for me if I don't call 'em."
"Girlfriends as in plural?"
Dan nodded.
"Damn! You've really been doing good!"
"As I understand it, Dan there now has five girlfriends," Herman said.
"Five?" George looked over at Dan in disbelief as they walked into the den.
Dan nodded. "Yup. Five. But…" he gave George a sheepish look, "they're all demons."
"Whoa! No way!"
"Yes, way!" Dan replied, laughing.
"A lot of people think they're just using you, you know," Herman said.
"Actually, it's more like I'm using them," Dan said, then laughed at the expressions on both of their faces. "Seriously," he continued, "because of the curse, we all had to work together, and I learned pretty quickly, if you fall in love with a demon girl, you damn well better run her life, or she's not going to respect you or love you back. Demons mainly respect strength, and while I may be inexperienced, it turns out I'm more than strong enough."
"Still, five of them?" Herman asked with a look of disbelief.
"And one of them is a succubus, too!" Dan said, grinning again.
"Whoa! A succubus? Are they anything like the stories?" George wanted to know.
"Yes, and no. Most of the ones who end up here on Earth aren't the type you want anything to do with. Cause they'll probably kill you. But some? Like my Lofn? She's a treat."
"There's some nasty rumors about her," Herman pointed out.
Dan nodded, "I know. Wiles thinks she's Hana, and I'm going to let him keep thinking it for now."
"Why?"
"Because he thinks she's in charge, not me. So he expects me to do what Hana would do."
"Ah, I see," Herman said slowly with a nod.
"Who's Hana?" George asked.
"A succubus from the fifties who did a lot of bad things in Europe."
"How'd you all meet, anyways?" George asked him.
"Well, it started with Wrath. The curse I was under caused me to trip the trap she'd been cursed into, and we accidentally became bound together. It was both funny and annoying. She wanted me dead, but couldn't kill me."
"Why'd she want you dead?"
"Because killing me would break her curse. But she couldn't, because of the way my curse was done. Of course, if I killed her, it would've broken my curse."
"So why didn't you?" Herman asked with a frown.
"Honestly?" Dan said and gave an embarrassed smile, "As I got to know her, I really liked her. Something about her just clicked, if you know what I mean. So we made a pact and swore a blood oath. After that, I found out about her friends, and I promised I'd free them as well."
"And they were very grateful, right?" George said laughing.
"Oh, maybe not at first," Dan said with a chuckle, "but they all came around eventually."
"Is it true you've been to the demon realms?" Herman asked.
Dan nodded. "Yup! Let's see, I've been to Varmal, Rakkys, Maidaanon, Zavaeni, Innsjo," Dan ticked them off on his fingers, noticing the shocked look on Herman's face, "and another one or two I forget the names of," he said, making sure not to mention the plane his father lived on.
"Seriously!" George said looking impressed. "I thought those places were like, instant death to a human!"
Dan shrugged. "First time I went to Varmal with the girls, it was a little strange. It turns out most humans who go there tend to get themselves in trouble pretty quickly because they don't understand how things work there."
"Why'd you even go?" Herman asked.
Dan smiled. "Wrath wanted me to meet her dad. He's a pretty powerful demon with a lot of magic, and he's good at teaching."
"You were taught by a demon?" George asked, eyes boggling.
Dan nodded. "So when that whole banishing thing happened—I got sucked in with one of them, by the way—I already knew what to expect and how to handle myself. That made it easy for me, as I then had to go find the others.
"It helps that I've gotten powerful enough to protect myself, and," Dan grinned again, trying not to look embarrassed, "I've kinda figured out how to deal with most demons. I mean it's not really that bad, if you know the culture, and honestly? Some of the places I've been to, I sorta like and wouldn't mind visiting again someday. But some of the others were just too, well, too different to really enjoy."
"Well with those girls of yours, I'm sure they can help deflect a lot of problems just by using their charms on people," Herman said. "I've heard they're quite lovely."
Dan shook his head sharply. "Anyone lays a finger on them, and they'll be lucky if I don't kill them."
Dan noticed the shocked look on Herman's face. "I never pictured you as the jealous type, Danny."
Dan snorted. "Oh, trust me. When I say they're my women, I'm not joking. I've killed more than one demon who thought he could get away with it, and more than enough of Weson's people who got in the way. The last six months have been something of an eyeopener for how the world works. How it really works.
"There are some hard and fast rules in my life now, and taking care of my women and what's mine? Protecting them and taking care of everything for them? Yeah, I'll do whatever it takes, and I'll do it immediately. The girls? They like that. They're pretty big on commitment."
"Demons are into commitment?" George asked, looking surprised.
"Mine sure are," Dan said with a warm smile, thinking about it.
"You blew up that van in Placerville, didn't you?" Herman asked.
Dan nodded. "Yeah, that was me. I kinda lose it when somebody attacks one of my women, you know?"
"Weson thinks you're dead, you know," George said.
"Oh?"
George nodded. "He didn't think you'd survive being in the demon realms."
"What about Wiles?"
Herman spoke up, "Wiles thinks the succubus is just using you to get her way."
"Oh, I know that!" Dan said with a chuckle. "Even in the demon realms, everybody's afraid of succubi! Same for Wrath's dad, once they find out he's my father-in-law. I take advantage of that every chance I get. So when I saw how Godfrey kept looking at her, I had her play into it."
Dan watched as Herman shook his head, and then sighed.
"Dan, she's a succubus, and…"
"You want proof."
Herman nodded.
"So if I show you that I'm the one in charge, and not them, you'll help?"
"Help with what?" George asked.
"Removing Weson," Herman said.
Dan shook his head. "Killing Weson. I'm not just removing him; I'm going to kill him."
He noticed the shocked expressions on both of their faces.
"Look," he continued, "my father, my mother, they both died because of Weson. I could almost, almost forgive him for my father, because he did go off the deep end after Kevin died.
"But driving my mother to suicide? Cursing me? Cursing my women? Trying to kill us? No. None of that is forgivable. Weson is dying, and I'm going to be the one who does it."
George gulped. "Did he kill Kevin too? The rumors are saying he did."
Dan shook his head. "No, I don't think he killed Kevin. It was just too fucking random. I've talked to a lot of wizards, and they all agree there was no way Weson could have done it."
"So after you get rid of Weson, then what?" Herman asked.
"Sacramento is mine," Dan said, looking Herman in the eye. "This is my town. I own it, and I'm going to run it. After Weson's gone, I'm going to tell Godfrey he either bends the knee, or he gets the hell out of town."
"And Dale?"
"I already talked with Dale about this."
"Oh?"
"I own her house now. Dale's people are going to be gone soon enough."
"Wait! What about Wiles' attack on them when Weson was going after you in Auburn?"
Dan sighed. "Yeah, we were hoping to keep both Godfrey and Weson from finding out she isn't there anymore. Right now, you and Godfrey are the only people who know about it."
"That's a lot to take in," Herman said, looking at him.
"Dad?" George said.
"What?"
"We have to back him."
"That's a lot to be taking on, George! This isn't going to be some small or easy fight. Weson's powerful. And he's dug in. Wiles isn't a pushover, either."
"Dad, we know Dan! We've known him all his life! Hell, he's my best friend! Why the hell wouldn't we?"
"I'm still worried about those girlfriends of his," Herman admitted.
"How about I have them come over?" Dan asked.
"You want me to invite five powerful demons into my home?" Herman asked, looking at him like he was crazy.
"Look," Dan said with a frown, "setting aside the fact that you're my friends and I've known you my entire life, if I do anything to hurt you, do you really think I'll be able to get people like Royce, Takett, or any of the other mages around here to side with me?
"The simple truth is, if people think demons are running this town, I'll be fighting off people coming from all over to 'stop the demon hordes' and all that kinda crap. Hell, after I get rid of Weson, you might even join up with Wiles, figuring he's the lesser of two evils!"
"He's got you there, Dad," George said with a grin.
"Still…" Herman said, looking concerned.
"I have a question for you, Mr. Stidham," Dan said, causing Herman to look up at him with an even more concerned expression now.
"You knew about the curse Weson put on my family, right?"
"Yes, I knew about the curse," Herman said with a sad expression on his face. "Not at first. I didn't learn about it until much later, until after your mother died."
Dan took a moment to think about that.
"And I'm sorry for not helping you, but you have to understand, I couldn't risk setting foot in Sacramento. Going against Weson. Weson has been ignoring me, and I'd rather keep it that way. It may sound cold-blooded, but I wasn't going to risk my family to try to save you, Dan."
Dan nodded in agreement. Sure, back when it was all happening, he might have been upset about it. But the truth of it was clear to see: if his own stepfather hadn't been able to protect his family, Dan sincerely doubted Herman could have protected his, either.
"You're right, after what Weson did to me, it wouldn't have been safe. He would have destroyed you, George, your wife, the rest of your family, everybody.
"But do you really think he's going to continue to ignore you once he's in power? Weson's a greedy bastard. In a lot of ways, he's not all that different from the demons he hates. Who knows? Maybe that's why he hates them so much, because he's too much like them.
"In any case, you're my friends, and even if you don't help me, I'm not going to punish you for it. Yes, I want your help—if nothing else, to prove to everybody that I'm not the spearhead for some stupid demon invasion.
"And look on the bright side," Dan said and suddenly smiled.
"There's a bright side?"
"Of course there is! You get to be my most trusted advisors! You're getting in on the ground floor!"
"What kind of a deal, exactly, are you offering?"
"Pretty much what Umber did. But that's just one of the things I need help with. I want to be sure I'm not being too greedy."
"Why would you, of all people, be worrying about that?" George asked.
"Because right now my only advisors are my wives. And they're all demons."
"And demons can be greedy," Herman agreed, and then sighed. "Fine, I can't ignore your argument, Danny. Call them up, but we'll meet out on the back porch, if that's okay?"
"Sure, can borrow your phone?"
"What happened to yours?"
"I haven't had a phone in months, and honestly? I don't miss it."
"Sure, go right ahead."
Getting up, Dan followed George into the kitchen, where the phone was.
"I do feel really bad about what happened," George said to him. "I think Dad's embarrassed that he wasn't able to do anything about it."
"Before I met the girls, I might have been upset about it, but honestly? It was worth going through all that shit just to find them," Dan admitted. "I really do love them, and I'm continually amazed they feel the same way about me."
"Still, man, five women? That's pretty impressive!" George said with a snicker.
Dan snorted. "It just kinda happened. Demons are sorta weird. In some ways, they're just like us, and in others, they're most definitely not. And they're all a little different. But they all carry a certain amount of attitude, because of where they came from. Once you get past that, though, everything's fine."
"So, like New Yorkers?" George asked.
Dan had to smile. "Well, maybe not that bad…"
Dan gave each of the girls a hug and a kiss as they walked up onto the porch; he didn't just want to show each of them that he cared, as he always made sure to do—no, this time he wanted to make sure both his friend George and George's father Herman saw it, too.
"Girls, that's my friend George, and that's George's father, Herman," he said, motioning to the two.
"George, Herman, allow me to introduce my wives, and no, I'm not joking about that. In order, this is Wrath," he said, bringing Wrath forward to shake hands with each of them. Herman almost hesitated. George just boggled.
"She's a felish. This is Aella; she's a displacera," he said, introducing her next, and then moving on as she shook hands.
"This is Fawn; she's a bovera, of the sheep variety, if you hadn't guessed," he said with a grin, then moved on. "This is Olivia; she's a cerberus. Then last but definitely not least is L
ofn, who, as I've told you, is a succubus."
Dan just stood there and smiled as he watched George and Herman react to them. Herman was a little wary, but George was impressed and wasn't just looking at their chests.
"I have to admit, I'm jealous of the wings," George said after everyone had been introduced and they all sat down. "The idea of being able to fly…" He shook his head and smiled. "Yeah, sorry, but I'm jealous of the wings."
"You know there are magic spells that'll let you fly, don't you?" Fawn asked.
"Yeah, but that'd be cheating!" George said with a goofy grin.
Dan couldn't help but notice that both Wrath and Lofn smiled a little at that.
"So," Dan said, looking around at the girls, "Herman is worried that you're controlling me. How do we prove him wrong?"
"I'm not sure you can," Olivia said.
"Why's that?" Fawn asked immediately.
"Because he does listen to us." Olivia sighed. "At least some of the time."
"When it suits him," Aella agreed with a smile.
"Or when we're right," Wrath added.
Dan pondered that a moment.
"What, you don't threaten him?" George teased.
"Umm…" Olivia blushed. "That's not exactly safe."
"Dan spanked her the last time she tried that!" Fawn said with a snicker.
"And what makes it worse was, he was wounded at the time, too!" Wrath said, smirking.
" I seem to recall a certain felish getting put in her place!" Olivia retorted, and now it was Wrath's turn to look embarrassed.
"I notice you're being awfully quiet over there, Lofn," George said with a grin.
"I don't like being embarrassed in front of strangers," Lofn said with a smile. "But yes, Daniel has shown—more than once, I might add—that he has no fear of me. Which is quite refreshing, as he knows exactly what a succubus is capable of."
"Was capable of," Dan said and leaned over and gave her a hug.
Lofn smiled softly and leaned into him a little before continuing.
"But Olivia's right. We're his wives; we're all bonded to him, and he to us. He listens to us when we advise him, if he thinks we're right."
"And he tells us when he thinks we're wrong," Fawn grumbled.
"And does stuff that either scares the shit out of us or drives us all crazy," Wrath said with a sigh.