Alone and able to think clearly about what had just happened, Seraph felt a wave of tears begin to rise up on the hem of shame. In the thirty-six years she’d been on this earth, she’d never had sex in her mother’s home. Not as a teenager overcome with hormones, and not as an adult who lived with her mother until she’d paid off her student loans. The immediate high from endorphins was eclipsed by her dismay at what she’d done. Seraph lowered her leg, fixed her panties, and pulled her dress back down. She grabbed the two bags of chips she had gone into the pantry for in the first place and, with wobbling legs, exited the kitchen through the back door, grateful that no one seemed to have been in the house and heard her being debauched. In the backyard, she refilled the two bowls with the chips and tossed the empty bags into the trashcan she’d set near the side of the house before walking over to the swing and gingerly easing down next to Sierra. Her friend eyed her in amusement, a smirk flirting at the corner of her lips.
“Why are you looking all wild-eyed and frazzled?”
Seraph tried to give her friend a reassuring smile, but her lip trembled and the attempt fell flat. Eyes widening in concern, Sierra scooted closer to Seraph and dropped her voice to just above a whisper.
“What’s wrong, Ser?”
Seraph shook her head. “Technically, nothing.”
Sierra frowned. “I didn’t ask for technicalities. I asked why you’re sitting here looking shell-shocked.” A thought occurred to her, and her eyes swept the yard quickly. She noticed Damon staring intently at them and quickly skirted her gaze past him before leaning into Seraph and asking, “Did something happen?”
Sighing, Seraph shook her head again. “Well…if you consider Damon fucking me in my mama’s pantry something, then…yeah.”
Sierra bent her neck to the side to get a better look at her friend’s face. “You don’t sound excited about it. I thought he was blowing your back out. You tired of him already?”
Another longsuffering sigh escaped Seraph’s mouth, and she stood up, grabbing Sierra’s hand as she did so.
“Come on.”
Seraph led Sierra into her mother’s townhouse and out the front door, down the path that led around the building to the driveway where she used her key to unlock her car.
“Get inside.”
Once both women were inside of Seraph’s car, Sierra stared at Seraph expectantly.
“Okay, you’re scaring me. What is going on? Di—did Damon…rape you? Is that what happened? I swear to the Almighty that I’ll kill him if he did. I’ll put my cousin BoBo on it. He can make a man disappear, and no one would even know he’s missing until it’s too late. Say the word and Damon’s ass is grass. Not even that good crab-grass that Auntie Joyce has in her back yard, but that weak shit, the yellow shit that they only plant on the poorer side of town and never grows no matter how much you water it. Just tell me; did he hurt you?!”
Seraph’s lips twitched at the corner at Sierra’s rant, but this wasn’t a laughing matter in the least.
“SiSi. I don’t know how to explain this. I feel like I’m addicted to really bad drugs. Damon is blowing my back out. Consistently. He made me come twice in that pantry. But…I—the thing is, I didn’t want it.”
Sierra stared at her. “You didn’t want to have sex with him?”
Seraph shook her head. “No. Not at that moment and definitely not in my mama’s fucking pantry. I’m not an exhibitionist; I don’t get off on the possibility of people catching me in a compromising position. I—when I say I didn’t want to, I mean mentally I didn’t want to do it, but there was this…compulsion over me that overruled my brain. Like, I couldn’t say no to him even though I wanted to.” She sighed and leaned back against the headrest.
“It’s been like that since the first time we had sex. The for real, penetrative sex. That shit at Jaime’s party doesn’t count because I woke up to frottage before he ate me out. But every time after we had sex the week following the party, I’ve been incapable of turning him down. He comes to me at work, at my house, here…he even fucked me in one of the cabanas at Lakeside Lounge. Everywhere and anywhere he wants. It’s like…as soon as he says he needs me to come, I switch to autopilot then he can do whatever he wants to my body. I hate this but I can’t fucking stop. Even now, I know he saw us leave the backyard, and I fully expect him to come bend me over right here in the front seat of my car while I’m parked in my mama’s driveway. And I know, without a doubt, that no matter how much the idea mortifies me, I’ll let him do it as many times as he wants.
The worst part of all of this is that Damon isn’t the Damon he once was. Once we started having sex, the old him disappeared. He used to stop by my office to talk to me randomly throughout the week; he would compliment me on my outfits all of the time. Hell, he used to ask to hang out with the crew sometimes. Now? All he wants to do is fuck. The minimal amount of words he has for me is about fucking or him telling me how many more of my orgasms he needs. He’s like a damn sex monster now. And, SiSi? I know I once said that all I needed was some young dick to put me to sleep and leave me alone, but now that I’ve got something similar, I can tell you that I want to go back in time and punch me in my face.”
Silent tears trailed down Seraph’s cheeks unchecked, and Sierra pressed a bunch of tissues into her hand, giving her some time to process her emotions without immediately bombarding her with the questions that arose as Seraph had spoken.
After a few minutes and a few more tissues, Seraph nodded and said, “I’m good.”
“Okay.” Sierra grabbed Seraph’s hand and squeezed it. “Look, I know this is going to sound crazy as hell, but I need you to hear me out before trying to shut me down. Okay?”
Seraph blew her nose and then turned curious eyes on Sierra. “Okay…”
“I think that Damon might actually be a real—for real—sex demon.”
Seraph stared at her for a second then started laughing. “Girl, what—ow!” The pain of Sierra squeezing her hand cut her off.
“You said you would hear me out, so hear me the fuck out. From what you just described of the interactions between the two of you and Damon’s behavior in the past two months, it sounds eerily like the actions of an incubus. Incubi are male demons that have sex with women in their sleep. You said this all began when you woke up to him on top of you.”
“Yes, but he was basically grinding his dick against my pussy. There was no penetration.”
With pursed lips, Sierra frowned at her, annoyed that Seraph was once again interrupting her. “Non-penetrative sex is still sex, Seraph. Frotting is sex; tribbing is sex. What he was doing was sex. He was having sex with you in your sleep.”
“But,” Seraph stared off in the distance, “when I think about it like that, it sounds like something I don’t want to name. Something that I would have never thought Damon could be capable of. Something that I never would have thought would happen to me. It sounds…bad.”
“Because it is bad! Demons don’t care about morals or consent, and they definitely don’t care about how they make their hosts look! All they care about is getting to live free another day, and incubi do that by making their targets orgasm. It’s like fuel for them. Without that fuel, they are weak and can be bound and cast out. It’s why he fucks you so damn much. He literally can’t survive without it.”
Seraph’s mouth fell open as so many things she’d questioned over the past ten weeks began to make sense.
“Oh my gosh,” she breathed. “All this time I thought he was strung-out on some kind of sex drug, and it turns out that he’s—” Pausing, Seraph turned to Sierra. “What did you say he was?”
“Well, I said I think he’s a sex demon. An incubus, to be exact. I think he’s being possessed, but I don’t know for sure.”
“Okay. How do we find out for sure? And how can I get this damn…incubus…out of my life?”
Sierra’s smile was an almost evil thing—caught between a scowl and a grin—and a little scary. “I know just the peopl
e you need to see.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The Remedy
The brightly lit street that Sierra had brought Seraph to had surprised her. It had taken nearly a week for them to be able to go—for Damon to have a mandatory department meeting at work—and, from the subject matter that had brought them here, Seraph had expected something dingy and run-down; something… questionable. That wasn’t at all what she found when they stepped inside of Zing’s Sweet & Sour, a candy store nestled in between a furniture store and an old school arcade. On either side of the path that led from the entrance straight ahead to a long counter on the opposite end of the store were half a dozen short shelves filled with different kinds of candy.
Why had Sierra brought her to a candy store? Seraph wondered.
“Welcome to Zing’s Sweet and Sour,” called a gentle voice infused with something warm and soothing that made the tension in Seraph’s shoulders slightly relax.
“Good morning, Zing,” Sierra called back before grabbing Seraph’s hand and pulling her toward the counter where a woman stood watching them, a soft smile on her face. As they drew closer, the smile shrank until it had disappeared completely.
Zing tilted her head at them, her hair—long locs twisted into two plaits on either side of her face—swinging forward as she did so. “Peace and blessings, sistahs. Tell me of the fear that brought you here today.”
Seraph’s eyes widened in surprise, but Sierra just nodded.
“I believe my friend,” she gestured toward Seraph, “is being attacked by an incubus.”
Before Zing could reply, the curtain of beads behind her parted and out stepped an older woman who looked so similar to Zing that Seraph did a double-take. They bore the same mocha-hued skin and thick locs that hung past where the eye could see, and they shared golden-brown eyes and a heart-shaped mouth. However, instead of the thin line where Zing’s smile had once been, the older woman—who was surely Zing’s mother—wore a wide smile.
“Good morning, friends!” she exclaimed after hugging Zing to her side and pressing a kiss to her cheek. When she noticed Sierra, her smile stretched wider, and she came from behind the counter, locs that hung down to her ankles and were seasoned with gray flying in the wind as she pulled her into a hug.
“Sierra! It’s so good to see you, dearest.”
Seraph stepped to the side, her mind reeling as she watched their interaction. As close as she was to Sierra, she’d never known about her friend visiting this place with the strange but beautiful women and their odd phraseology.
“Sari,” Zing called.
The older woman patted Sierra’s cheek before looking over at Zing. “Yes, dearest?”
Nodding in my direction, Zing began, “She is in distress. The black chokes her.”
All three women look at Seraph, and Sierra moved closer to her and took her hand.
“Mama Sari,” she said, addressing the older woman, “this is my friend, Seraph. I believe she is being attacked by an incubus.”
Mama Sari’s brows knitted briefly, and then she pursed her lips and let out a soft, melodic whistle. A few moments later the curtains behind Zing rattled once more, this time parting to reveal a man ducking to enter the room. When he straightened, Seraph’s eyes stretched as she took him in. He was tall—taller than the bead-covered doorway by several inches—with skin as dark as unrefined oil spurting from an untapped well. Rimless glasses sat perched on his nose above a salt and pepper beard that hung down to his chest, and his head was bald and shiny.
“My love,” Mama Sari crooned, eyes twinkling with appreciation as she stared at the onyx giant who was surely at least seven feet tall.
His cheeks bloomed, eyes crinkling. “Yes, keeper of my heart?”
“I need Zing. Can—”
“Go. I have the store.” Then, he seemed to sink nearly two feet into the ground behind the counter in one smooth motion.
Mama Sari grabbed Sierra and Seraph’s hands in each of hers and led them around the counter where Seraph noticed that the tall man had sat on a stool, which made his immense height less visible from the other side of the counter. He smiled at her, tipping his head in the direction of the curtain with a quick wink. That small act worked to calm her somehow as she allowed herself to be pulled beyond the beads and down a narrow hallway into a room where she was ushered into one of four chairs that surrounded a round table.
“Okay,” Mama Sari began after Sierra and Zing were both seated, “tell me how the angel acquired a demon.”
Seraph looked at Sierra who stared back at her expectantly.
“Just…tell her what you told me.”
With that, she did. Taking a deep breath, she focused on her fingers as she detailed the last three months, taking care to leave out the more explicit moments, just as she had done for Sierra. She told them how Damon’s demeanor had completely changed and even though they were having sex, he felt like a stranger. When she finished speaking, she looked up from her hands just in time to see Mama Sari and Zing exchange a look she couldn’t decipher.
Mama Sari smiled. “Well, friend, I have news. It is up to you to decide if it is good but know that it may not bring you much comfort.”
Anxious and not at all looking forward to what the woman had to say, Seraph held her breath.
Reaching across the table, Mama Sari grabbed both of Seraph’s hands in her own. “From what you have described, your Damon does have the characteristics of being possessed by an incubus. The possession likely took place during his time in New Orleans, which was just before the party where he initiated your first orgasm. Incubi are hellish creatures that must take a host in order to walk among the mundane. They thrive on sex, needing the hormones that are secreted during an orgasm to maintain a tight hold on their host. They tend to attack their victims at night, as we are all most vulnerable whilst we sleep, dipping into their dreams and presenting an irresistible interaction.” She paused and glanced at Zing briefly before returning her gaze to Seraph.
“Just about everything you mentioned is standard incubi activity…except for one thing.”
Leaning forward in her seat, Sierra’s lips parted. “What thing, Mama Sari?”
“Incubi are not known to pursue the same victim as consistently—persistently—as you have detailed. Night after night, they will attack scores of women to ensure that their hormone levels never fall enough for them to be cast out, but it has been three months for you. That is…puzzling.”
“I—” the lump in Seraph’s throat made swallowing difficult, but she had to push forward to give a final detail that she’d tried to avoid revealing. “Do you think it may have something to do with Damon being my cousin?”
Before Mama Sari could answer, Sierra piped up. “He’s her step-cousin! They aren’t related by blood.”
Seraph glared at her friend. “That doesn’t matter! I’ve known him since he was a small boy. He was raised by my father’s brother, even after Uncle Louis and Damon’s mother divorced. Blood isn’t the only thing that makes people family.” She turned back to Mama Sari. “Damon is my cousin.”
“Friends, please. Emotions are high and your energy is angry. Please, calm yourselves.”
“Calm ourselves?!” Seraph screeched as she pushed back in her chair, preparing to stand up and pace the room, her terror feeling too big for her to sit in it. “How am I supposed to remain calm when I’m getting fucked two-to-three times a day by a family member, and I can’t even say no to him?! Please, Mama Sari, tell me how, because I am desperate to know!”
“All is well.”
Seraph felt a hand on her forearm and gasped when she realized that Zing—who was previously sitting on the other side of Sierra—now stood in between the two of them. No sooner had she registered the thought did she release a breath she hadn’t known she was holding, expelling all of the fear and hysteria that she’d felt suffocating her with every piece of information Mama Sari laid at her feet. Suddenly, her head was clear and she truly believed what Zi
ng had said. All was well. She looked across the table.
“Please forgive me.”
Canting her head in acknowledgment, Mama Sari’s smile never wavered. “All is well, friend. If it is your desire to eliminate the demon from your life, you must first bind him and then cast him out.”
Seraph frowned. “If? Why wouldn’t I want to get rid of a damn demon?!”
Mama Sari’s lips stretched further into a grin that put all of her teeth on display. “Well, friend, there are many women who are looking for what this demon is giving you and might find your particular predicament enviable. However, it is not my position to judge; I am solely offering clarity and guidance.”
When she realized what Mama Sari was saying, Seraph’s face grew hot with embarrassment. She should have thought before she spoke. Of course, there were women out there looking for a man to give them consistently stellar dick without the emotional drama that often comes attached to a man. Hell, she and her friends had discussed the topic ad nauseam before she found herself in the crosshairs of a sex demon.
“Um. Right.” She cleared her throat and straightened in her chair, giving the wise woman her full gaze. “Well…how do I get rid of the demon that is possessing Damon?”
“First, you must refrain from coupling for twenty-four hours. Then, you must—”
Eyes bucked, Seraph jerked her neck back. “Twenty-four hours?! That’s a whole day!”
Sierra slapped her hands on the table and sat forward, face scrunched into a frown as she stared down her friend. “Girl, do you want to get rid of this demon or do you just want to complain about him but continue on as you have been?”
Pulled up short by the fire in Sierra’s voice and eyes, Seraph settled back in her seat and lowered her tone. “Really, SiSi?” Why did her friend sound so angry with her when she was the victim here?
“Yes, really. I didn’t bring you here to have you feign outrage over a situation where you expressed genuine fear to me. Don’t insult Mama Sari or Zing that way. Either listen to what she’s telling you or take your ass home and wait for Damon to show up and fuck you into a coma.”
An Illicit Seduction: a Dark Erotic Experience Page 7