by Ryan Attard
"That would explain the god-like power," Gil agreed.
I cringed on the inside and felt sick to my stomach.
Let's recap, shall we?
God-like woman gets thrown out of Heaven and populates Hell in revenge. Then, she gets her hands on the sin of Lust, or creates the damn thing, and schlepps over here to dominate us all.
Here was how I felt about all this: "Fuck."
"Amen, brother," Amaymon said.
"Erik," Gil said. "Wait for the Virtue. Don't do anything stupid by yourself."
"Okay," I heard myself say, even though I had absolutely no intention of doing that, and my sister knew it.
This monster had to be repelled by Earth's forces, not Heaven's. We couldn't be in their debt. That was one check the world couldn't cash.
After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence my sister and her squad of misfits left, leaving me to contend with my own squad of sorry misfits.
"You do realize there's no way I'm letting some angel save the day?" I directed at the two next to me. "If we owed them a favor, we'd be inviting them to take over."
"Thought you might say that," Amaymon said.
I sat back on my deck chair and let out the longest sigh I could muster. Abigail settled on the deck chair next to mine.
"I keep my promises," I said. I turned my head, meeting her eyes. "Remember what I promised in the cabin. I won't let you get hurt. And I always keep my promises."
"It's a demonic god, Erik." Her tone sounded like someone who had given up.
"If there's one thing I learned in this world," I said, "it is that no one is invincible. And the higher they think they are, the bigger the cracks in their armor."
"So, I'm assumin' you got a game plan?" Amaymon asked.
"Not yet." I got up. "Thought I might cool off for a while."
"If you're gonna drown yourself, the water ain't deep enough," he said.
"Funny."
Abigail sat up. "Want some company?" she offered.
I shook my head. "I need some time to think."
"That might take hours," Amaymon shot back.
I flipped him off and walked into the pool. Cool water surround me and I dove under, enjoying the sensation. It was like being in a sensory deprivation chamber and I was finally alone with my thoughts.
There, where I knew no one could see me, I let all the fear inside me go and screamed my lungs out.
I don't know for how long I swam and dove and screamed, but I do know that once I had gone past the fear, my brain started working again. And in that moment of clarity, a plan had formed.
I smiled.
The time for self-pity was over. I had a god to kill.
Chapter 17
We spent the rest of the day following Abigail around as she flitted from one gift shop to another. Amaymon had finally dragged us to the games room where we shot pixelated zombies with toy guns that responded badly to quick reflexes.
And all this time I ran the plan over and over in my head, ironing out the kinks. It was a great plan, as far as suicidal plans went. Some might even call it genius.
You know, until you get to the suicide part.
Finally, we settled down in a restaurant and gorged ourselves, but not before Amaymon decided to address the elephant in the room.
"What's our next move?"
"We bait her," I said as I carefully cut my steak.
"That's it?" He never bothered to swallow or stop eating. "That's all you got?"
Abigail remained quiet and just buried her face behind her water glass.
"So, how do we go about doin' that?" he continued.
I jabbed my fork at Abigail. "With her."
"What?" she squealed. "Are you trying to get me killed?"
I put my cutlery down and held up my hands. "Just hear me out."
Both of them turned their attention towards me. "I don't know why, but Lilith is after Abigail, right?" I said. "So, let's give her just that. We'll provide her with bait she can't resist and then swoop in for the kill."
Amaymon raised his eyebrows. "And you think it's gonna be that easy?"
"Why not?" I retorted. "It's how we usually work, and I think now, more than ever, we should be playing to our strengths."
"And what if something goes wrong?" Abigail asked.
She was right to be scared, I suppose. She was the bait, and if something did go wrong, she would end up as monster chow.
But I wasn't seeing any other solutions.
"What if she gets to me and you guys aren't around?" she added.
"That ain't the problem," Amaymon said. "We're definitely gonna be there, and we will help you out. The only problem is that we know exactly bubkis about this demon. We don't know if we can kill it."
"I thought you were all powerful," I quipped.
"I am," he replied seriously. "But I also ain't stupid. No creature hunts something that's stronger than itself, Erik."
That stilted the conversation.
"I just can't accept that," I said after a while.
"You might not have a choice."
"NO!"
I didn't mean to shout, but I guess the stress was starting to get to me. Amaymon's eyes widened. I'd never yelled at him before, at least not about anything as serious as this.
"This case has something to do with the curse," I said. "I don't know how or why, but I can feel it."
I turned to him.
"You know as well as I do that there are no coincidences. Everything in our world happens for a reason. And here's what I know. A bunch of lizardmen take a school hostage without harming anyone. A genetically mutated lizardman shows up and decks me. Then, Gil comes along with a traitor and a busted mansion. Now, out of thin air, the Seven Deadly Sins just take form and come hunting succubii,” I said as I jabbed a finger at Abigail. "Can you spell conspiracy?"
Amaymon's feline eyes narrowed. "Still doesn't answer the question. Can we take her?"
I sighed heavily. "You and I alone, probably not."
The words tasted badly in my mouth but that didn't make them any less true. Judging from the legends alone, this one was more than we could chew.
"But you're forgetting something," I added. "We are not alone. Gil, Mephisto, the angels, and whoever this Virtue is, are all on our side now. I think all of us together can stop the demon."
Amaymon said nothing. I doubt he believed me.
Demons were largely instinctual monsters. If his instincts told him to avoid this threat, then I had to make one heck of an argument to convince him otherwise. But I would deal with him later.
Besides, no matter what his instincts told him, his contract to me wouldn’t allow him to just abandon me. Right now Amaymon had an internal conflict: listen to his instincts and run, or obey the terms of our contract and stay.
I left him to sort it out by himself.
"So," I said, settling back down. The steak had gone cold now, but I had lost my appetite long before it did. "We lure her out."
"When?" Abigail asked.
I pointed to a poster in response. "There's a welcoming dance tonight. Lots of people go to those things. The perfect spot for a predator to blend in."
"And what am I supposed to do?" she asked.
I smiled. "Buy a sexy dress and be the center of attention."
Her eyebrows shot up.
"Now this I'm interested in," Amaymon said with a devious grin.
"You go in, charm everyone you meet, do your… whatever it is you do, and when the Sin comes to get you, we'll keep it busy until the cavalry arrives," I instructed.
Amaymon leaned in closer to her. "Don't you worry, babe. I'll be watching your every move." He made a purring noise that sent chills down my spine.
I grabbed his ear and pulled him away. "I'll be watching both of you," I said.
Abigail closed her eyes, sighed and grabbed Amaymon's wine glass, draining it in one go. "If I die, I swear I'll come back and haunt you forever. You will never, ever get laid again," she threat
ened. "Let's go."
She rose up and abruptly turned to me. "And I'm choosing the dress. No whining about the price."
I nodded.
As we got up from the table, Amaymon nudged my side. "Don't worry, you won't know the difference if she does haunt you," he said. "You still can't get laid either way."
"Wait until we get to the dress shop," I replied with a sigh. "She'll screw me without taking her clothes off."
Chapter 18
I was regretting my plan already. It was easy to say 'we'll wait and see', but actually doing it was a totally different story.
There were a couple of factors I overlooked when devising my brilliant strategy.
The first was the fact that I had to sit on my ass all night while everybody else danced and had a good time.
I settled on a stool at the bar and surveyed the crowd there. It was mostly people in their late twenties and the majority of them were in groups. They laughed and made a lot of noise, all of which made me feel very old.
And bitter.
I was only a little older than they were and already felt twice as old. I guess having to do a lot of growing up in a very short period of time does that to you.
The second thing that pissed me off was all the attention Abigail was getting.
She entered the room half an hour after me since I had to make sure I had a good feel of the room before she went in. The succubus strutted in wearing a dress that would have probably bankrupted me; a short, provocative number which was still classy enough not to give her any labels. She wore her red hair loose around her shoulders and had little makeup on.
Who needs enhancement when nature gives you all of that?
I could feel her power all the way from the entrance of the hall. Damn, the girl was strong. Just what sort of damage could she do when she fully matured? I shuddered to even think about it.
Abigail strode in and took a glass of champagne from a stunned waiter. Poor guy—she was going to be haunting his dreams for weeks to come.
She made her way to the dance floor and suddenly it was a feeding frenzy. Guys were all over her, either trying to buy her a drink or get her to dance with them. She smiled and gently rejected some of them, dancing only with the good looking ones.
I automatically hated their guts.
No, I wasn't jealous—just concerned for her.
Yeah, right. Keep drinking the cool-aid, Erik.
At the same time, Amaymon was on the opposite side of the dance floor, and clearly he was having the time of his life. I also suspected he was messing with the DJ's playlist.
Why would anyone play the Blues Brothers to a crowd born two decades after the group was famous?
At one point he even started dancing. And by dancing I mean he was doing the robot. Because clearly he did not know the meaning of the word shame.
And then, she walked in.
There should be a rule somewhere that says two breathtaking woman can't be in the same room at once. Makes it easier for us guys to acquire our target. I mean, let's face it, we're not exactly cut out for multitasking. I'm the kind of guy who has to turn off the radio when I got lost. Meanwhile, I've seen my sister answer the phone, write down a memo and simultaneously order Mephisto about. Maybe that's why she was the boss and I'm the dancing monkey.
This woman was beautiful, a walking sculpture of perfection. Her skin had an exotic tinge to it, and her straight, pitch black hair hung loose around her shoulders. Her dress was a red number which hugged her body in all the right places. She batted her eyes at me, a pair of beautiful, dark orbs that peered right into my soul.
"You do know that drinking alone goes against the whole purpose of this dance, right?" she asked.
I was too mesmerized by her cherry-colored lips to catch what she said next.
"I'm sorry?" I mumbled.
She bent her lips into a smile that nearly had me in tears.
"Is this seat taken?" she asked. "May I join you?"
Holy crap.
I felt my insides do some backflips as if I was some teenage boy on his first date. Here she was, a woman that artists lose their minds over, with beauty that can never be captured, written or drawn…
And she wanted to sit with me?
I nodded clumsily and she took a seat, ever so gracefully, on the barstool next to mine. She ordered a drink and it came in a tall glass, with three different colors layered on top of each other: pink, orange, and green. Each color reflected in her eyes as she examined her cocktail and took a sip.
She cocked her head and I realized I was staring.
"Traditionally, people tend to mingle during these events," she said. Her voice was like ethereal music.
I shrugged and licked my very dry lips. "I'm a horrible dancer," I heard myself say.
She let out a laugh. "Me, too. That, and I am not usually one for mixers."
"So, what are you doing here tonight?"
"I enjoy watching others mingle," she replied with a wink that made my southern regions stand at attention.
I took a sip of my drink, hoping for some of that fabled liquid courage.
"So, you're scouting the talent," I said.
"Indeed," she said with a slight bob of her head.
The woman raised her glass. I followed her motion and we clanged glasses.
"I'm Rose, by the way," she said, holding out her hand.
"Erik." I shook her hand briefly and actually felt sparks between us.
When did my life become a romantic comedy?
"You have beautiful eyes, Erik. Has anyone ever told you that?" Her eyelashes did a fluttering motion which made my brain flat line for two seconds.
No one had ever commented on my eyes before. They usually take one look at my disgruntled appearance and quickly change lanes. I felt the need to compliment her in return, but like I said, my brain wasn't working.
"I like your… everything."
I cringed as I heard the words come out of my mouth.
Much to my surprise she actually giggled. "Been noticing, have you?"
"I'm observant."
"Is that so?" She raised her eyebrows slightly. "Then, what can you tell me about that one over there?"
I followed her gaze.
Abigail was sandwiched between two guys, all of them gyrating and rubbing against each other, hands wandering about. Just watching it made heat rise to my face and my throat dry.
Wow—add a cameraman and some background music, and you got yourself some soft-core porn.
And yet, there was nothing I could do. No demons, no danger. All that was left was to watch the show and listen to the little green monster inside me as it fumed.
I wanted that succubus. This was supposed to be my show and I couldn't swallow down the fact that I had to be on the sidelines.
Or maybe she was messing with my head. I already knew her powers worked very well on me. It wouldn't exactly shock anyone to know I don't date much. Abigail had a way of remind me of that little fact. Mostly because her powers were inspiring fantasies in my head that would give a priest a heart attack.
Rose had changed that, by inspiring fantasies of her own. Only in her case, she actually liked me. She came onto me. So, if I had to choose between who I wanted to be with at that very moment, Rose took the cake. I liked the simplicity of it all. Boy meets hot girl, hot girl miraculously likes boy—it was all very Adam Sandler.
So I tore my gaze away from Abigail and her entourage, and turned back to the woman sitting next to me.
"Not my type," I said hastily.
"Liar," she replied coyly.
"Nah, seriously," I insisted. "I prefer the shy, geeky ones."
Which wasn't a lie. If a girl can quote Star Wars and play Dungeons and Dragons, I'm interested.
Rose cocked an eyebrow. "Yes, you do seem to be that type. So, what do I have to do to get your full and undivided attention, Erik?"
"Keep talking and I'll take notes," I replied.
Yeah, I can be suave. It just
doesn't happen as often as I would like it to.
Her laughter rang in my ears and I felt her hand clasp mine.
"I hope it's not too forward," she said in a coy tone, as she leaned dangerously close.
"But I really like you," she continued. This time in her voice was so sensual my insides stopped fluttering and were replaced by a cheerleading squad.
"I'm not complaining," I said huskily.
She smiled and brought her face closer to mine. I could feel the warmth of her body on me. My mind got very foggy and all I could do was sit there and enjoy the feeling of her perfect body against my own.
I saw her lips parting and we kissed, delicately at first, but slowly becoming fiercer and more passionate.
The voice of reason in my head told me to think of the mission, to think of saving Abigail from any potential danger; the voice of horniness told the voice of reason to shut the hell up.
Either way I couldn't care less. I just wanted to kiss her. I needed her, as if she were all that was missing in my life. I have no idea how I managed to get up every morning without ever knowing she existed and now that I found her I needed to touch her, to be one with her.
So I just gave in. Right there and then, she had me.
The internal struggle inside my head ceased immediately within seconds of kissing Rose. Whatever influence Abigail had on me immediately evaporated and only Rose dominated my mind now. Abigail, Lust, the angels, Amaymon: they were all just echoes now.
Only Rose mattered to me and I had to sleep with her. It wasn't anything intimate. This was sex, pure and simple.
No emotions, no strings—just crazy monkey sex.
"Shall we get out of here?" I heard her ask. Judging from her tone of voice and the look in her eyes, she was thinking along the same lines. I wanted to scream yes, but was too stunned to move. Instead, I nodded and allowed her to drag me out of the room.
Chapter 19
There were moments of clarity, like when I realized we were in my cabin and on my bed. Like when I felt my sport coat and shirt being peeled off of me. My pants followed soon after. I hated the damn things anyway.