Despite everything she’d been through since moving into this house, Artemis had never experienced a sensation like this. The creature’s snakeskin cock opened and filled her pussy in one continuous move. Once inside, that strange tentacle wagged, shaking like a child’s rattle. He found every forgotten place, explored the deep terrain of her cunt. It felt so strange to be infiltrated in this way. She could barely breathe.
And then another tail slid down the crack of her ass until it found her second vulnerable aperture. The slick, satiny snake tail plugged her up, shoved itself inside, filled her. Two tails, two holes, no waiting.
“How do you like that?” the snake hissed in her ear.
She couldn’t think. She couldn’t speak.
“Tell me the truth, my darling: won’t you miss me when you’re gone?”
Artemis panted harder as the snake’s tentacle tails undulated in her pussy and her ass. “No, I… I can’t live like this, with you watching me all the time, attacking me…”
“You love it.” The snake thrashed her neck with that whip-like tongue, and a bead of blood dripped from the slit in her skin. “You love being taken by a beast you can’t see, a beast you’ll never know.”
“No.” Her voice shivered and shook. She had no control over it, no control over anything. “I love Budd. I tolerated you because I didn’t want to hurt him.”
“But you’re willing to hurt him now?” the beast cackled. “You’re full of it, darling.”
“I’m not.” She struggled against him, suppressing the glowing pleasure inside her body while clutching the fear and revulsion she ought to feel. “I don’t want to hurt Budd, or Vincent, but I can’t take this anymore!”
As she struggled against the snake, the whole house shook. It felt like an earthquake, a huge one, when voices rang out beyond the bedroom door: “Artemis? What’s going on in there? Let us in!”
“Budd?”
The sound of his voice in the hallway gave Artemis enough strength to arch up from the mattress, though that was probably the stupidest thing she could do. When she sat, the motion drove the snake’s leg-tail deeper inside her ass. The tentacle in her pussy responded by ramming her harder, building pressure in her pelvis. How was it possible to be this full and not explode? Explosive: that’s how she felt, as the snake hurled her down on the bed.
The doorknob jiggled relentlessly. “Open up!” Vincent’s voice, this time. He was there, too.
“I can’t!” Artemis cried. “The beast has got me. Help! Please help!”
Lava swirled in the heavens on the ceiling while the boys banged against the bedroom door. “We’re coming for you.”
The creature’s tentacles slid across her skin as he whipped her nipples with his terrible tongue. Her flesh sizzled. The more he lashed her, the more she bled, until the pain of those razor-like incisions superseded the pleasure of being stretched to her limits.
“Stop it!” Artemis tried raising her hands enough to push the creature away, but his arm-tails grew longer. He wrapped them around her wrists. “Stop! You’re hurting me.”
His arm tentacles lengthened yet more, winding up her shoulders and around her neck.
“Oh god,” she gasped, choking on her words. Red storm clouds swirled above her head as she struggled for breath. “Stop it. You’re killing me!”
“Quiet.” The snake tightened its hold on her neck, and there was nothing she could do about it. “Do you know how many women have left me? No more, my darling. You will not leave.”
“Artie?” Budd called as he banged against the door. “Are you okay in there?”
“No!” She tried to scream, but it came out like a wheeze. “Help. Budd, Vince, help me!”
“Hold tight,” a woman’s voice said from the hallway.
Artemis recognized that voice… who was it?
“He’s strangling me,” Artemis sputtered, trying her hardest to fight off the snake.
As she bled quite badly from her chest, she didn’t get nearly enough air into her lungs. And all the while, the snake’s tails pulsed relentlessly in her pussy and her ass. He didn’t stop fucking her just because he was killing her. No way.
“Help,” she gasped. She didn’t have the power to scream. Her head was spinning. The lava above her constricted as the blackness of death circled around it. Her eyes fluttered closed just as the bedroom door burst open.
“Oh, god!” a woman screamed. Nora, from the rally. That’s where she knew that voice from. “This is much worse than I thought.”
Artemis could feel the men, her men, grabbing at the demonic snake. He just whipped them away. If she’d not been so battered she would have had the strength to slip out of its death grasp. Instead, she rocked with the motion while Budd and his son struggled to free her from the creature between her legs.
Vincent pulled at the snake, getting his arm wrapped tight in the process. “King! It was you all along? How could you?”
“Don’t blame the snake,” Nora said, from across the room. “He’s possessed by a demon.”
“What demon?” Budd pulled at the snake with all his might. The possessed King wove its tentacle tails around Budd’s big body, too.
Nora picked up that strange wooden box from mantle. “Budd, where did you get this thing?”
“Is this really the time?” Vincent panted.
But Budd responded, “It came with the house. A lot of this stuff was here when we moved in. The last owner left in a hurry, seemed like.”
The snake’s two tails surged in Artemis’s pussy and ass. Nora approached with the box in one hand and the lid in the other. “This is where your demon lives. We’ve found its little home.”
“Well, make him go back there!” Vincent shouted as the multi-tailed snake fought to push the men away.
“Okay. Everybody hold on tight. This is going to be a bumpy ride.” Lifting the box over her head, Nora began reading the strange words carved on it.
“Dad, what is she saying?” Vincent asked.
Budd shrugged. “Sounds like Latin, to me. Maybe a prayer.”
“Make it stop,” Artemis begged as the snake burrowed into her open orifices, like it could escape its coffin by living in her. “Budd, it hurts. Help me, it hurts!”
The snake’s thickness and largeness opened her wider than she ever thought possible. It didn’t help that she was wet as hell, and snakeskin smoothed an easy path inside.
The lava skies thundered above them as Budd grabbed one cock-tail and Vincent took the other. Nora raised her voice, reciting the words on the box even louder than before. When Artemis looked up into the red sky, bolts of lightning crossed it, and thunder vibrated the room with deep bass harmonics. She wondered if that was hell… or if hell was loving someone as great as Budd and choosing to leave because his house wasn’t safe.
Nora’s voice grew louder. It thundered over the smothering rumble, commanding the demon to return home.
“This isn’t working,” Artemis said. “It’s killing me…”
“We won’t let that happen,” Budd assured her while Nora read on. He tugged at the snake’s writhing tentacle, but when it didn’t budge, a fierce love-driven strength crossed his face. Doubling his effort, Budd untwisted King’s tail from around his huge arm and stormed across the bed.
Artemis rolled toward him as the mattress sank under his muscular weight. He stopped her motion by pressing her shoulders down on the bed.
“What are you doing?” she asked, breathlessly.
All he said was, “This,” before bowing to her lips and kissing her with such passion and tenderness he became her whole world. All she could feel was the pulse of his tongue against hers. All she could hear was the hammering of his heartbeat. Nora’s voice faded into the background as Artemis derived strength from the man who loved her… from the man she loved.
His kiss faded the hell that surrounded them. His kiss drew goodness forward and warded off the evil. His kiss sent the demon spiralling out of Vincent’s snake. When its
tails left her body, she felt at once abandoned and elated.
Thunder roared overhead while Nora’s words drew the beast into its small wooden cage. She clapped the lid on tight, and the lava cleared from the white plaster ceiling. The winds stopped howling. All went suddenly quiet. The only thing Artemis could hear, beyond Budd’s heartbeat, was the racing breaths of everyone in the room. Then, through the closed and draped window, came the refreshing sound of the sparrows singing in the trees.
Nora opened the curtains and sunshine gleamed in through the window. Budd traced a calloused finger down her chest and asked, “He did this to you?”
She reached for a sheet, for something to cover her naked body. “It’s okay, Budd. Don’t worry about me. I’m fine.”
“No you’re not,” Vincent cut in. His python was balled up around his arm, and he held the fearful creature lovingly against his chest. “Dad, she’s not okay. She’s been through so much since she moved in, and she needs to tell you about it. She needs to know you’ll always be there for her, no matter what.”
“Well, of course I will.” Budd lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it gently. “I love you, kitten. I’d do anything for you.”
Tears filled her eyes as she nodded. “I know you would. You already have. You’ve--”
The wooden box cut her off by flying out of Nora’s hands and landing on the floor like it had legs. They all watched in horror as it shivered and shook, trying to rattle off its top.
Nora wasn’t having it. She dove on top of the box, smothering it with her chest.
“The monster wants out,” Vincent said. “What do we do?”
She cradled the box the way Vincent clung to his snake. “Vince, take me to the kitchen. Get me some string or twine, and some salt. We need to bathe the box and the twine in salt water, then tie it up. That’ll secure it until we can do something more permanent.”
They left the room in an instant, leaving Budd in bed beside Artemis. He held her hand and gazed into her eyes, showing her he’d always be there.
“It feels so different in here. The air was thick before. It tasted swampy and… ugh, just gross. And now the air is sweet. Budd, can you open the window? Let’s hear the birds sing.”
Budd kissed her forehead before rising. When he heaved the window open, fresh summer air blasted the room with the scent of wildflowers and freshly mowed lawns. Not only could Artemis clearly hear the birds singing, but she could hear the breeze in the trees, the neighbourhood children laughing as they played, and friendly dogs barking as they tried to join the games.
Turning from the window, Budd asked, “You’d really leave without telling me?”
She shook her head. “Not anymore, babe. And I was leaving because of it, not because of you. I love you.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me what was going on? Did you think I’d love you any less?”
The hurt in his eyes drove a spike through her already-injured heart. “I’m so sorry, Budd. I was so stupid. But you saw that thing. You saw what it was capable of. It was stronger than both of us.”
“Separately, maybe.” He fell to his knees at the bedside and kissed her knuckles. “But together, nothing can take us down. That’s why I want to marry you. Artemis, will you be my wife?”
Vincent stepped casually into the bedroom. “Knock-knock. I brought this salt water. Dad, Nora said you should wash Artie’s cuts with it. That’ll seal up the negative energy or something.” He looked from Artemis in bed to his father on the floor and asked, “Did I interrupt something?”
Artemis laughed. She couldn’t help it. “Your father just asked me to marry him.”
Vincent’s face fell, momentarily, and he warily asked, “What did you say?”
“I haven’t answered yet.”
“Oookay.” Vincent handed the large bowl of saltwater to his father and crept out of the room. “Pretend I was never here.”
Budd laughed as he moved onto the bed beside Artemis, swishing the washcloth around the bowl. Artemis peeled the bed sheet down from her chest, and it stung where blood had adhered the fabric to her skin. That was nothing compared to the sting when Budd traced that saltwater-laden cloth down her chest.
“Ow, ow, ow!”
“I’m sorry!” he said, pulling away.
She took his wrist and pushed his hand back against her stinging chest. “It’s okay. If Nora thinks it’ll help then we have to do it. I don’t ever want that demon inside me again. Only you.”
With a charitable smile, Budd cleansed her flesh. She dug her nails into his thigh to suppress the need to scream. It hurt so badly she wanted to cry. And it hurt even worse when he traced the cloth down her swollen pussy and her aching asshole.
Her toes curled. She bit her lip so hard it bled.
“I hate seeing you in pain,” Budd told her. “If I could bear it for you, I would.”
“I know, babe.” And the knowing actually took some pain away. “You’re my hero, Budd.”
He broke out in a blush—an actual blush! “Nah, I’m no hero.”
“You are,” she said. “You’re mine. Forever.”
A childlike smile broke across his lips. “Does that mean you’ll marry me?”
Another round of tears filled her eyes when she said, “Of course I will.”
Epilogue
Two rows of bikers tossed flower petals at Artemis and Budd. Their wedding aisle was lined by a dozen motorcycles. Together, they made their way down the beach, trailed by Vincent and Budd’s buddies. There by the water stood Artemis’s mother and sister, a few friends from out of town, and Nora. The sensitive also happened to be an ordained minister. Who knew?
Artemis clutched her mother’s hand and smiled gleefully. She wouldn’t let anyone give her away. Not a chance. Because no one had ever owned her.
After today, Budd would own her heart. Oh, who was she kidding? He already did. They were just making it legal.
When Budd’s leather-clad biker friends formed a semi-circle around the happy couple, Nora commenced the ceremony by picking up a wooden box wrapped in layer upon layer of saltwater-impregnated twine. It was secure for now, but the only hope to be rid of the demon box forever was to send it away forever.
“Thank you for gathering here today.” Nora held up the box. “To begin the ceremony, Budd and Artemis would like to make a symbolic gesture. Every couple experiences hardships. Let this wooden box represent everything Artemis and Budd wish to put behind them. It’s wrapped in the purified twine of forgiveness. Budd? Artemis?”
When Nora handed over the demon box, its twine stung Artemis’s fingers. She gazed at her husband-to-be. He felt no pain. All she saw in Budd’s eyes was hope for their future. When he kissed her sweetly, his glowing warmth passed from his lips to hers. She felt his confidence, and it reassured her as they heaved the box into the ocean, both releasing it simultaneously.
As the sun glinted on subtle sea waves, the demon landed so far out Artemis saw the splash but lost track of the box. Since Nora had informed them a purified object must be released on an outgoing tide, whisked into the oblivion of ocean water, they’d arranged the entire wedding around watching their horrific past float away. Only their love and solidarity would remain.
Brushing off the nasty feel of the demon box on her scarlet gown, Artemis looked at Budd. He offered his hand, and she took it. When he gripped it tight she knew nothing bad could ever happen again, and tears welled in her eyes.
She stared at Budd like a schoolgirl throughout Nora’s wedding recitation. The mushy sentiments struck her so deeply she didn’t even need to hear the words. Good thing, too, because her ears hummed with the ocean’s outgoing waves. She was lost in bliss with Budd. It was a moment she’d never forget.
Nora turned to Budd. “Do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?”
Squeezing her hand, Budd said, “I do.”
Turning to Artemis, Nora asked, “Do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
&nbs
p; “I do.” She nodded vehemently, blinking back tears. “I do, Budd. I do!”
Without waiting another moment, Artemis kissed the man she loved. When his lips touched hers, she was lost. She’d be his forevermore.
Their guests laughed riotously and applauded their embrace. Somewhere in the background, Artemis heard Nora say, “Would you look at that? They couldn’t even wait for me to pronounce them husband and wife!”
“Better hurry up,” her mother said. “Jeeze, we’re gonna have to turn a hose on these two!”
Quickly, Nora said, “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss… well, you’re already kissing, so keep at it.”
When everyone chuckled, Artemis detected a distinct rumble underscoring the laughter. It was a familiar voice, a deep voice, and one she’d heard too many times.
Breaking away from Budd, Artemis spun around to look into the faces of every joyful biker in their midst. They’d launched the demon into the ocean. How could it possibly have escaped? And where was it? Which of these men could it possibly inhabit?
She looked every smiling biker in the eye. Blue, green, hazel, brown. No red. Not a one.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Artemis laughed at herself. It was nothing. She was just imagining things. After all she’d been through, she was bound to be skittish. She turned to their minister for reassurance. In that moment, a red light flashed across Nora’s eyes. Artemis gasped. Her muscles locked. But by the time she’d blinked, the red was gone. It must have been a reflection from the sun.
“What is it?” Budd asked. “What’s wrong?”
She looked into her husband’s eyes and then back at their minister’s. She stared at Nora, but no trace of red. Same old sensitive: warm, knowledgeable, always willing to help in any way possible. A demon as wicked as the one they’d tossed in the ocean could never summon the power to overcome her.
“Nothing’s wrong, baby. Everything’s perfect.” Artemis kissed Budd again.
Vincent started up another round of applause, and everyone followed suit. The crowd called out, “Kiss, kiss, kiss!” and, wow, did they ever! Artemis had her husband, had her happy family all around her. She was starting a wonderful life with Budd. Together they’d extinguished the demon that threatened their eternal happiness. They’d launched him into the salt of the sea. They’d definitely seen the last of him.
Monsters and Shifters and Men, Oh My! Paranormal Menage and Multiple Partner Romance Stories Page 18