by Caleb Zane
Then the demon was gone.
Ai ran hard and fast. Luckily, the earth here was easy to track a person. Desiree wasn’t trying to hide her tracks. Ai was able to follow her trail with ease.
By the time she reached Desiree, her friend and lover was resting. It looked like she had walked most of the night out in the cold, dark land. She was nearly to one of the gates that would lead to Ashya.
“Desiree,” Ai said.
The woman remained silent, lost in thought. Ai wondered if she was ignoring her. What was going on?
Orlas was there too. “You came for her,” the demon said.
Ai nodded. “I did. She needs to be with is. We can work this out.”
Desiree refused to look at her. She didn’t even acknowledge Ai.
Orlas frowned. “She’s being her stubborn self.”
Ai groaned. “I’m sure.”
The Asian woman walked around and knelt in front of Desiree. “Listen. I don’t want to die either. I am willing to find a way to stop that, but the four of us can together. Four is better than one.”
Desiree still remained silent, but at least she was looking at Ai. Her face was twisted with sadness and pain.
“We can make it work and figure out a way. Maybe Ziva can think of something. Or Kaiden, or you. Me. I don’t know, but running off alone helps none of us. We love you. We need you.”
“I know,” Desiree said softly.
“When I woke up, I thought you had died. I was in so much pain. Then I learned you had left us, abandoned us.”
“I didn’t abandon you. I was searching for a better way.”
“We can find that better way. Have faith in God. In the prophecy. In us.”
“How are we going to fulfill it all if we are dead?”
Ai didn’t have an answer for everything. She wouldn't pretend to. “I don’t know, but we can try.”
Desiree stood. “I did find something out that will help us, though it won’t prevent our dying.” She scowled.
“I guess you’re leaving was worth it then, but come back. Please. Kaiden’s crushed, and Ziva’s really upset too. We can make it through anything together. Maybe there is another way. Maybe there isn’t. So long as we’re together, everything will be all right.”
“Will they even take me back?” Desiree muttered. “I never meant to hurt them. I just wanted to save us all.”
Ai laughed. “Of course they will. You are part of us. You help complete us.”
Desiree smiled and hugged Ai. “Thank you. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. Come back.” Ai picked her up and started the run back to the others.
Ziva was standing with Kaiden. “I can’t stop thinking about the Crown of Thorns and the Holy Grail.”
“The crown isn’t with the grail,” Kaiden said.
“I know that,” Ziva said. “But the grail could help with the problem we are having.”
She was sure of it. The more Ziva thought about it, the more she was positive this was In Ziva’s gut, she felt the crown would be close. Why she thought so she didn’t know, but she had this feeling. Not that anything like that had happened before.
“Kaiden,” she said “We have to go to the grail.”
Kaiden raised an eyebrow. “You feel strongly on this.”
Ziva nodded. “I do, never more strongly in my life.”
“We’ll see that Ai says and hopefully Desiree.”
It wasn’t long before a storm cloud of dust appeared on the horizon, and Ai arrived carrying Desiree in her arms.
Ziva dashed over to her two best friends and hugged them as Ai set Desiree down.
“I was so worried,” Ziva blurted out. “Don’t ever do that again.”
Desiree was bashful and not her usual self. “I’m sorry. I was selfish and cruel.”
Ziva was beyond happy to have Desiree back.
Desiree glanced over to Kaiden with shame. He was off to the side watching them.
Ziva saw the smile on his face. He was pleased Desiree was back. He’d been hurt that she’d left, but he was glad she was back.
Desiree walked over to him and peered into his eyes. “I’m sorry.”
Kaiden didn’t say a word. He was silent, statuesque.
Desiree leaned against him, and he held her. Desiree kissed him on the lips. It was short, but Ziva could tell it was filled with love, with passion. It melted Ziva’s heart to see them that way. She knew they loved each other and would be okay.
Once Desiree pulled away, Kaiden spoke. “Ziva wants us to search around the Holy Grail. She thinks it might be the key to keeping us alive and going to Hell.”
Desiree’s eyes darted to her. “I was thinking along the same lines.”
Ziva couldn’t resist a snarky comment. “You should have stayed, and we could have talked it out and then went as one.”
Desiree hung her head. “You are right. I’m sorry.”
“I guess it is settled,” Ai said.
It was time to start this quest, and Ziva was ready for it. Nothing was going to stop them. Nothing. She was ready to take on the world. She had her family with her. Her lovers. Her friends. Her soulmates.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Kaiden wanted to go in search of the Holy Grail, but he was scared about entering the angel land. They had no scouts there, and in the demon land, they had little knowledge of Lilith. It was beyond frustrating.
Kaiden had run headlong into stuff without a plan before and had gotten lucky, but he wanted to have one now. He needed to be more in charge of things and be the Chosen One. Not this half-baked leader that he was.
Right now, he was just going by the seat of his pants and was worried he was going to mess up.
“We can go,” he said. Ziva was smart and right.
None of the angels voiced an opinion on the matter. It was almost as if they feared the Crown of Thorns. Kaiden was tempted to ask Zaphkiel about it so he could understand why they were so reluctant to talk about it, but that would have to be addressed later.
After piling into the beat-up car, they rode to the wall. It had several gates to enter either side. This northern one should still be working. They had busted a different one.
Ziva was behind the wheel and in high spirits. Kaiden loved seeing her so happy, seeing them all happy.
“Hey, Desiree, didn’t you learn something important while away?” Ai asked.
“Oh, yeah.” Desiree flushed. “On my trip, I ran into a demon with a hammer for a head. He said the Crown of Thorns was in Ashya, in the mountains.”
They all turned to her and blinked.
“Why didn’t you tell us sooner?” Kaiden asked.
Desiree shrugged. “Just got caught up in returning. I’m sorry.”
Kaiden could never be mad at her for long. “Way to bury the lead.”
The others laughed. None seemed too upset that she hadn’t mentioned it sooner.
Kaiden had the car stopped, and he climbed out. The angels and Orlas needed to know about this.
The angles landed.
“Why did you stop?” Zaphkiel asked.
“Desiree talked to a demon and he said the Crown of Thorns is in the mountains in Ashya,” Kaiden explained.
Muriel pursed her lips. “That might be the place.”
“Then we are heading there,” Kaiden said. “Unless any of you object.”
The angels all appeared uneasy, but none said they shouldn’t follow the demon’s advice. Who knew Desiree’s leaving could be a boon after all?
Chapter Twenty-Three
Just as they reached the gate in the wall, Kaiden saw a woman standing there or what he thought was a woman. The closer they got, the more it appeared that someone wasn’t quite right with her.
“Is she naked?” Ziva asked.
“She is,” Ai said. She had the best vision of them all. “Naked and touching herself.”
Kaiden squinted his eyes. There was no way a woman would be out at the wall doing that. But sure enoug
h, there she was, a tall woman who was just beneath Ziva, Ai, and Desiree in attractiveness was fingering herself. She had the biggest breasts Kaiden had ever seen and a small waist. Kaiden was sure that she had the finest ass around too. She was flawless outside of standing outside in the buff.
Ziva stopped the car a short distance away, and Kaiden exited.
As soon as he did, Kaiden realized this wasn’t a normal woman. He wasn't sure what she was, but the air around her was different. She leaked sexuality and pulled him in, but it wasn’t like with Ziva, Ai, or Desiree. This was unnatural, sexual, lustful. All Kaiden could think about was bending her over and fucking her. Not making love. Fucking. He wanted to pound her until she couldn’t walk. Until he couldn’t walk.
“What in the world are you doing?” Ai called from the car.
Kaiden looked down. He had unzipped his pants and was stroking his penis. “I don’t know,” he admitted as he continued to rub his penis. “Stay in the car. Something is wrong.”
They kept the windows up and remained in.
Zaphkiel landed next to him and sneered. “Succubus.”
She even had an effect on the fallen angel. He was rubbing his chest and licking his lips.
This was the most awkward situtition Kaiden had ever been in. Him with his dick out and Zaphkiel doing that. In the car, his three loves had looks of confusion and horror.
The other angels were staying far away. Kaiden didn’t blame them.
As he continued to touch himself and inched slowly to the succubus with his pants being left behind, Kaiden asked, “How do we kill it and make this stop?”
Zaphkiel groaned. “The only weak part of its body is the vagina. Well, unless someone is fucking it. Then she can be killed.”
Ai was out of the car and next to him. “You aren’t fucking that thing.”
He watched and could tell the second she was entranced by the succubus. She shoved her hand down her pants and started fingering herself. “Ah,” Ai moaned.
“You should have stayed in the car, my pretty,” the succubus said. “It has been a long time since I had a foursome and a fallen angel. This is going to give me lots of energy.”
“Wait, what?” Ai asked. “I thought she was weak when fucking.”
“She is,” Zaphkiel said. “But, well, think how we are now, and we aren’t even touching her. The contact will distracted up too much. We’ll be sucked in. We won’t be able to fight, and she’ll take our life force.”
Kaiden didn’t like that at all. The thought of the extremely attractive succubus taking his life force through sex freaked Kaiden out. He wasn’t sure how to handle this.
In the car, Ziva and Desiree were loudly arguing over a way to help kill the succubus.
“So we have to kill her,” Kaiden said. His pants were completely off, and his cock was throbbing.
Zaphkiel had his pants off too, as did Ai.
Kaiden fought the pull of the monster and tried his best not to be drawn her. At least he still had his sword with him.
“She’s weak in just her genital area,” Ai said.
Zaphkiel nodded. “Correct.”
The angel appeared to be in pain, more than Kaiden had ever seen. “Are you okay?”
“No,” Zaphkiel managed. “This is wrong.”
The angel was clearly torn as he fought the lust the succubus was instilling in him. This was the opposite of what most angels stood for, and it was eating away at Zaphkiel.
“I’m sorry,” Kaiden said.
“Kill her,” the fallen angel said.
“I will.”
The succubus laughed. “You can’t. Look at you all. Touching yourselves. Playing with your dicks, your pussy. It’s turning me on. I’m already getting stronger and more powerful.”
That terrified Kaiden. If she was going to get stronger, she could take not only them but Ziva and Desiree and even the angels and demon. Actually, Orlas was nowhere to be seen. The demon was smart and keeping her distance.
Kaiden figured that the only way to kill her would be to use his sword on her. First, he had to see if Zaphkiel was right. If the blade would not hurt her, then he would have to think of something else.
He was going to half to plunge his sword up her hole. Kaiden refused to think of that as anything else but a hole.
Closing his eyes and not letting himself be drawn into the succubus’s pure beauty, Kaiden thought of Ai, Ziva, and Desiree. His lovers. His loves. He focused on what they meant to him. Each of them loved him. His harem was what gave him strength, gave him power. It wasn’t the sex. That was nice, and Kaiden enjoyed that, but it was so much more than that. It was the talks, their souls and minds. Them. All of them. Every part of them, including their bonds.
Focusing on his devotion to his harem Kaiden stopped masturbating and walked toward the succubus. He stopped in his tracks doing his best to fight the succubus, but he still played with his cock. Both Ai and Zaphkiel were inching closer. Both had left their pants behind as well.
“No,” the succubus screamed. She clearly didn’t like him stopping.
Kaiden ignored her, turned to the car, and winked. He hoped they would pick up on it. If he was going to kill her, he was going to do it right.
He pulled his blade and saw out of the corner of his eye that Ziva had her daggers out in the car.
Kaiden leaped into the air and closed the gap between himself and the succubus. His blade struck her and nothing. It was just as Zaphkiel had said, but that didn’t stop Kaiden.
“You can’t hurt me,” she said.
“I can, and I will,” Kaiden said.
She might be a monster and have a sexual pull on beings, but she could be made weak. Without hesitating, he grabbed her and bent her over. What he saw scared him. Her flower—or flowers—wasn’t like a human. She had two vaginas. The thought of her being able to have three men in her at once went through his head. Actually, four if one had his cock in her mouth…
Kaiden was nearly lost in her again. Her pull was nearly overwhelming. He forced himself to think of Ai, Ziva and Desiree and the time he had made love to all of them and how he had felt whole and complete.
The spell was gone again.
It was now or never.
Kaiden used his sword as a dildo and plunged it deep into her.
The succubus screamed.
Ziva burst from the car, rushed over to the succubus, and stabbed the monster in the eyes. The vile succubus dropped to the ground in a heap, dead.
Kaiden walked over to his pants and pulled them on, as did Zaphkiel and Ai. Both with flush with embarrassment and anger. Kaiden was too.
Desiree stepped out of the car. “Normally, I’m all for some fun, but fuck that thing.”
“Yeah,” Ai said. “I felt helpless.”
“Me too,” Zaphkiel said.
The rest of the immortals approached, and Kaiden decided that once they got on the other side of the wall, they would camp. This had been awful, and he just wanted to cuddle with his loves.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The next few days, they drove to the mountains. It was a long and painful drive. On the third day, they passed the house that Kaiden had lived in for a very short time. Even though he hadn’t been there long, it still held memories. Good ones.
The first time he’d met Ai was there. Ziva had showed up to aid and love him. That was his home when he had gone to drink from the Holy Grail.
On the sixth night, they arrived at the base of the mountains. It wasn’t exactly by the temple that was home to the Holy Grail but close. All of them were sitting on logs around a fire. The demon had never been this far into the angel land. It was a surprise that no angels had even come to them or tried to stop them. They had a demon and her bond. That was to be illegal. Not that Kaiden knew all of the rules.
“I can feel it,” Orlas said.
“Feel what?” Desiree asked.
“The Holy Grail.”
“It is close,” Zaphkiel said. “I can sense it
too.”
“All demons and angels can,” Muriel said.
“I want to see it,” Desiree said.
“It might be part of our salvation,” Ziva said.
Kaiden knew they wanted it. “The priority is the crown and then the grail if we can.”
Ziva and Desiree nodded.
Talking and joking as they sat around the fire was nice. Even though Kaiden knew they would need to sleep, he was thankful for the late night and their conversation.
Just before Kaiden and the others were about to go into the tent, he heard the familiar sound of angel wings flapping in the wind.
A moment later, an angel landed in front of them, one Kaiden knew.
“Raquel,” Zaphkiel said.
“Zaphkiel,” the Angel of Justice said. Raquel had been charged with hunting fallen angels in the past. “I thought I sense you and the human close by.”
“We’ve come to search for something else,” Kaiden said.
“Good,” Raquel said. “The Holy Grail isn’t for you.”
Kaiden hoped he was wrong, and that it was. “We search for the Crown of Thorns.”
Raquel sneered and looked to the other angels. “Does he speak the truth?”
“He does,” Muriel said. “Not that we want to. You know we hate that vile thing.”
“It is filled with hate. That is no real crown but a device of torture and pain meant to harm Jesus,” Raquel said.
“I know,” Kaiden said. “I don’t really want it, but I was told it would allow me to travel to Hell.”
“If you die, it will let you pick your place whether Hell or Heaven. Why you would pick Hell is beyond me.”
“To kill Lilith,” Kaiden said.
“You are a strange human,” Raquel said. “Very strange. You survived the grail, and now you want to die and kill the bane of all that is evil on Earth. You are close to the crown. That much I can say.” The angel lifted into the air. “Good luck. You’ll need it.”
And he was gone.
Chapter Twenty-Five