by D. R. Rosier
Even if I had the time, and even out there in the world I could make a circle pretty quickly with an earth spell, summoning demons out in the open in a human world seemed like a bad idea.
That all left re-summoning the demons every time I went out, which was slightly more palatable, but it took a few minutes each. The spell itself took maybe thirty seconds, but then I had to give them orders. Don’t eat the humans, don’t try to seduce me, don’t fuck and consume the souls of humans, and the list went on and on of all the things to order the demon not to do while binding it. Then of course, I’d have to give the specific orders for what I did want. So in reality, it took two or three minutes or so a demon, maybe longer, which meant I’d be dicking around for twenty to thirty minutes every time I wanted to step outside for fresh air.
I was thinking it would be worth doing before a major battle, but for just going out and maybe running into an ornery mage, vampire, or shifter, it was far too much trouble.
There were a few more summoning rituals that weren’t for fights or support in the field so to speak. I could question demons for wisdom and knowledge, but didn’t really need that one with Lilith available, and now Julia could help me too. There were also other types of possessor demons, which I could use to send after people, which I’d never do. It was pretty dark stuff, no thanks.
Then I got an idea.
“Hey Lilith?”
I was hoping she was reading my mind, and she was. She showed up a minute later.
“What is it?”
I said, “I just had a crazy idea. Summoning wards. Is it possible?”
I went on to explain the idea, about what a pain in the ass the spells were. Wards could be programmed, and didn’t require a constant maintaining thought in my mind either. I could make a complicated ward that would spit out ten demons, with the instructions on what not to do, and what to do to guard me, all without me having to maintain it, or spell it out. Maintaining a demon’s connection to this plane wasn’t that expensive in magic either, so as long as I charged the ward once a day, I should be fine.
Lilith said, “Sorry, that won’t work. The demon has to be bound to you directly to accept your orders, if it was done through a ward you wouldn’t be able to give it new orders, or change old ones, which means you’d have to spell out every possible situation inside the ward. It’s a bad idea. Working smart is better than working hard, but sometimes the only way to do something right is to do it the hard way.”
“Alright, I’ll just stick to doing it manually then, when we know we’re going to run into trouble.”
Lilith agreed, and headed back to the kitchen.
I went ahead and learned the other two divination spells that I’d be using most often, the ones to identify people for heirs and soul pacts. Then I joined Lilith back in the kitchen for lunch.
I was a little worried about Julia, but I could still feel her with detect magic. She was definitely changing, her magic was evolving, into what we’d find out later. Still, I’d feel a lot better once it was all done, and she was back with us.
Lilith said, “She’ll be fine, perfect. I’m glad you ignored my objection this time, Julia is perfect.”
I teased, “You just like her supple perfect bubbled ass.”
Lilith smirked, “You said it, not me.”
True enough, I did like her sexy ass, and a lot of other things about her. It also occurred to me I should have probably disliked getting my mind read, yet it didn’t seem to bother me at all. I decided not to worry about it.
“Maybe, but I remember your lips were the ones on it.”
Jeez, I was like a five-year-old. I needed to let off steam, all the stress, changes, and studying were getting to me. The marathon sex had helped of course, but I was still unsure on how all this was going to work out. The shifters were a major problem, or at least the head alpha was, and I didn’t know shit about the local mages or vampires yet.
Lilith’s smirk got bigger, “Jealous?”
“Damn, maybe I am, a little bit. I definitely needed to give that ass some adoration and attention soon.”
She giggled.
It should seem wrong, a demon giggling, but it fit her innocent seductiveness perfectly.
She said, “The vampires are arrogant asses for the most part, and considering their immortal now, they plot and stress about staying alive even more than mortal humans do. They’re regimented and a true dictatorship as I’d said before. The mages have the nine council seats, and there are always people plotting to gain their positions, though they usually don’t murder to get there. They have a non-lethal form of dueling challenges, so usually the most powerful or very clever wind up the winner.
“I can tell you a little about them but it won’t really help much. Arthur Sayville is the head vampire of the coven here, he’s ancient, about nine hundred years old. He’s a hard ass, and doesn’t tolerate any mistakes with feeding from humans, so there’s that much good to say about him. His second and mate, is named Helen, she’s just over six hundred, another ancient ranked vampire though weaker than Arthur, and she’s a curvy redhead that’s quite attractive, arrogant, and bitchy. Their head enforcer or head of security is Jason, I’m not sure what his last name is. He’s about four hundred, and ranked a master vampire. He’s Arthur and Helen’s right hand, who does all the dirty work and maintains discipline. The best you can hope from them is neutrality I think.”
She paused for a minute, “The mages head councilor is Carlos Antione. He’s in his late fifties, and still very powerful. He’s not a bad sort really, and he keeps the backstabbing at a minimum. The mages might be worth contacting at some point, but not until you’ve established yourself as a power here in Seattle.”
She was right, it was good to know a few details, but it didn’t really help me figure out what might happen. I’d have to play things by ear, and see what happened after we dealt with the head alpha prick.
After lunch, I got back to it, studying I mean. I had a good grounding now, across the board on magic. The spells interested me the most, there were so many, especially non-combat related spells. I started to study them, and didn’t stop until I felt Julia stirring…
Chapter Fifteen
Joseph was on the job, he was in the park service, and he wasn’t the only one. The shifters occupied and ran in the state forests around Seattle, as such the Rangers needed to be shifters as well. They couldn’t have a human one around, they’d identify there were cat and wolf tracks that were too large for the species, and too numerous, without effort.
He was making his afternoon rounds checking on some hikers that might have gone lost. Not that he gave a shit about humans, but if too many got lost in the parks it would generate attention from certain quarters they didn’t need poking around.
That’s when Carmine had come barreling toward him, this time on two feet.
Joseph took one look at him and knew the idiot had failed again.
Joseph growled, “How hard is it to round up one slut? What is it this time?”
It was starting to become a matter if he could not kill Carmine, instead of deciding if he should or not. He was out of patience. If this shit went on too much longer people would start to talk about the bitch that got away, they’d start to think maybe he wasn’t unbeatable, and would then quite likely start to plot against him. He couldn’t have that, wouldn’t have that.
Carmine said, “The mage, alpha. He can’t locate her, says she’s behind wards. They…”
Joseph lunged forward and backhanded Carmine, sending him flying into a tree.
“No mage would dare interfere with shifter business.”
Carmine stayed on the ground, which Joseph admitted to himself, probably saved the weasel’s life.
Carmine replied in a shaky voice, “Not a mage. The mage said he was blocked by infernal power, a warlock has her.”
Joseph laughed incredulously, and mockingly, “A warlock? Did this mage tell you anything else? What kind of warlock would stick
his nose into our business anyway, there hasn’t been one in Seattle for five years.”
Joseph remembered it well, after all, he’d torn the last one to pieces.
Carmine replied carefully, “A new one just moved in, the mages are trying to locate his lair, but…”
Joseph growled, “But what?”
Carmine finished, “We… I mean, they never found out where the last one lived. The mage thinks it’s likely the new warlock is in the same spot, and chances are they won’t find him until he ventures out. He also said it’s not a huge priority for them, and not his problem, since he hasn’t interfered with the mage council or society like the last one had.”
That annoyed Joseph, and he almost ordered Carmine to teach the mage a lesson in respect, but even he wasn’t that crazy. They had their hands full with the damned murderous leeches as it was.
“What do you suggest,” he said in a deadly quiet voice.
Carmine said, “I offered double the usual price, the mage will be checking for her location every hour, and will call me as soon as he has it. I’m not sure there’s anything else we can do.”
Damn it, Carmine was right, there wasn’t much else they could do, except he needed her to die, painfully and publically. If there was no discipline and consequences for disrespecting him, it would just happen again. It’d already been two days since the bitch murdered his enforcer, and ran off.
His body vibrated in anger, “Go, now. Contact me as soon as the mage calls to update me. I want that bitch found!”
Carmine ran as if his life depended on it, and it did.
Joseph stood there and shook in his rage. Rage at the incompetents around him, rage at those he just knew were plotting against him. His enemies, hiding all around him. He wondered for a moment if Carmine could be one of them, deliberately mocking him with his incompetence, but decided that was paranoid.
He wasn’t paranoid, that was one thing he was sure of. They all wanted his job, and he had to keep them in their places. He felt like he was losing control, how could one little bitch defy him successfully, if she didn’t have help from the incompetent morons around him.
The rage grew to be too much and he exploded into his bear form, and ran into the forest, looking for a deer to kill, or some other prey. He’d have to look for those hikers later, god help them if he ran into them anytime soon…
Julia woke up and took a deep breath.
Andrew wasn’t there, but his scent was all around her, on her, on the sheets and the pillows. It made her feel… safe, and she would keep him safe, or die trying.
She rolled off the bed, and giggled as she almost fell over on her face. Holy shit she was fast. That would take some getting used to. She closed her eyes, and felt tears in her eyes as she felt her cat instincts, lying in wait just below the human ones. She was one person of course, but she had the instincts of both tiger and human at the same time.
In human form, her human instincts were in ascension, but her cat instincts still informed her personality, grace, and her highly overcharged sexual nature. That hadn’t changed at all, she wanted him, the sooner the better.
In cat form, her tiger instincts would be in ascension, she’d be more tiger than human, except that her human instincts would ride below the cats, and inform that form as well. She was never fully human or fully cat that way, but always a mix of both.
She caught a look at herself in the mirror, she looked exactly the same as she always had, and someone had dressed her in a short red negligee that was silk again. She’d have to thank Lilith, she looked amazing in it. She smiled, and noticed the one change she did have, but her fangs were extremely small compared to the vampires she’d seen.
Her sense of smell, and eyesight seemed a little sharper, and her hearing seemed about the same. She was faster, stronger… but what else?
She sensed another animal inside her as well now, along with her cat. It was hungry, and demanding sustenance, her instincts knew that if she didn’t feed it, it would take ascendency and she’d feed like an animal until it was sated, only then would it release her to fade in the background. Maybe she was so close to that state because the bond was new? She knew she’d never let it get this bad again.
Kitchen… as soon as she had the thought, and the desire to be there, shadows appeared around her body and her sense of vision blinked. She jumped, startled to find herself in the kitchen, and gasped in surprise. What the fuck was that?
Lilith answered her thought, “Teleportation,” and threw her a bag of blood.
It was still warm, and her nose could tell it was fresh, just taken from a body, or preserved with magic perhaps? Either way, it was also disgusting, she didn’t want it. She tossed the blood on the counter and opened the fridge. There were three steaks marinating in wine. She grabbed the container and started to eat the steaks raw, at least three pounds of it. She could feel the demanding entity within her, it hungered for raw flesh not blood.
Lilith said, “That’s weird. Maybe it mixed with your shifter magic, shifters like to eat raw deer and shit… that was also tonight’s dinner.”
Whatever. She was starving now. She ignored Lilith’s laugh, and focused on eating. She knew the animal within would back off as soon as it was sated, but right now she felt like mostly animal, overcome by the needs of the starving and greedy demon animal within.
Andrew. She whipped her head to the side as he entered the kitchen, and stared at him with hungry eyes, but her hunger for him had nothing to do with food at all.
Lilith said, “She’s fine, apparently we need to stock raw meat, not blood. Or let her go on hunts maybe, I bet she’d enjoy that.”
She would very much enjoy it she decided, as her teeth ripped into the steak, and she swallowed another strip of meat. It was so good.
Andrew asked, “Any idea what she can do?”
Lilith giggled, “As strong and fast as an ancient vampire, she can still shift into a tiger, but I think it might be bigger now, closer to twice the size and weight of a normal tiger, as opposed to just a third again as big. Umm, teleportation, don’t ask me how, but I just saw her do it. I can also feel the compulsion there, but I’m not sure how strong it is. Chances are it’s stronger than usual.”
Andrew asked, “Why?”
Lilith said, “Because she was already compelling as a cat shifter with her pheromones. That part is the same, and anyone who’s mind is off guard and charmed is easily compelled, the abilities will complement each other I think.”
Andrew looked at her closely, and the look of concern on his face touched her, and made her even more horny, but she had to eat first, then she could fuck his brains out.
“Fine, eat, good,” she managed to get out around the mouthful of raw steak. Great, now he probably thinks she’s an idiot. She started in on the last steak. She already felt the demon backing off, hopefully three steaks would be enough. It should be.
He exchanged a glance with Lilith, who nodded at him in reassurance, and he smiled at her. She felt… invincible when he did that. Not to mention her new strength and speed, she’d tear that bastard Joseph apart if she got a chance at him… maybe. He got a lot of power from the packs, maybe even more than she had now, but Andrew promised to help her. Swore on his soul that her sisters would be safe, and that they’d take his head alpha ass down.
She’d make sure he was safe though. She didn’t love him, she’d just met him, but she felt a strong ownership of him. He was hers, to protect, to fuck, to sleep with, to obey. She’d swore on her soul too, but she had no idea just how easy it would be.
She dropped the container in the sink, and rinsed out her mouth, and then turned and stalked toward Andrew with a seductive swing of her hips, and graceful slow movements. She was fast, but seduction was a time to be slow. She touched his chest and was amused at his slight apprehension along with a whole lot of lust in his scent. She slowly conformed her body to his, and kissed him languorously, as she rubbed her body against him subtly.
Not unlike a cat in heat.
She broke the kiss and nipped his bottom lip. She saw he was about to speak, and covered his lips with her finger, and then slid her body down his slowly, sensually, as she fell to her knees before him. Her eyes bright with lust, desire, and worship, never broke contact with his. Her hands deftly opened his pants and fished him out, he was so firm and hard in her hands already, and she nuzzled his cockhead with her cheek lovingly, while her eyes kept his mesmerized. She felt the pre-cum coat her cheek, and smiled as she turned her head to the side, and licked him slowly from the base to the tip.
When she licked the pre-cum off his tip she moaned in approval. She was absolutely soaked down below, her body trembled in desire and pleasure as she slowly slid her lips over the tip, while she caressed his balls with her left hand palm, and teased his taint with her fingernails. The right hand slowly squeezed and milked his base as her lips tightened around him, and she slowly bobbed down. His hard length felt so good as it slid along her hot wet tongue, and she traced the veins in his cock with the tip of her tongue, and then swirled her tongue around his tip as she pulled up, only to sink back down once more.
She was lost in the sensations of him in her mouth, and his pleasure under her control.
His eyes were full of pleasure, awe, and a wild lust that made her pussy clench. The scent of his arousal, the taste of him, and his manly scent made her shudder, as she had a little orgasm.
He said, “Fuck Julia, that feels amazing.”
She came off his cock and smiled up at him, and then stood. She kissed him, and she was pleased at how eagerly he kissed her back, then she pushed him away, walked over to the kitchen table, and bent over it. She could scent Lilith’s arousal as well, but the succubus was just enjoying the show right now.
She looked over her shoulder, “Fuck me Andrew, I need it, I need you…” she begged. She did need it, she wasn’t acting, or being merely playfully seductive, she needed him in her.