by Marc Cabot
He looked down at her and his eyes were blazing stars. Her perfect face was confused and almost... almost... sad. “I’ll never trade it, Simon, I’ll never...”
“Silence!”
Her mouth snapped shut and she looked at him. He had traded his soul for her, and still he kissed her, even as he prepared to give it. All the year together flashed through her spirit, the blink of an eye to one of her kind, and she realized that not once, not one time, had he ever complained or blamed or so much as spoken harshly to her. Even his command to be silent had only been firm, not vicious. Long after his first lust had long since been sated, he had kept her close, He had been kind to her despite knowing what she was and what she would do to him. He could have had any woman he wanted - and she would have helped - but what he mostly wanted was her.
“PRESCIUM ANIMUS! Let the price now be paid!”
Lily had been made to corrupt men. She was very, very good at it. But she was more than just evil given form: to be truly effective, to be truly seductive, she had to be more. And that spirit, that piece of her that made her Lily and not just an extension of the Adversary’s will, did know regret at last. Unlike every other vicious, evil, calculating, perverted and arrogant bastard who’d ever summoned her, Simon had shown her something different. He had wanted something different. Something more.
And now despite all his power, the bargain would be kept. He would be hers... and she would lose him forever. For the first time in all the awful years a single tear fell unbidden from one emerald eye. Like everything about her it was an illusion. Unlike every other one she’d ever shed, it was not a deception. In despair, she waited for the end. Oh, Simon... I can’t even tell you... Please, NO!
As her silent plea winged she knew not where his voice crashed like thunder.
“I do not choose to give my soul, Lily. I choose another. I choose... yours!”
Something inside her... wrenched. She rocked back on her heels, mouth wide open, eyes staring into his and far, far beyond. For one fleeting second she heard a scream of rage. The sound was filled with madness, with horror even a demon could hardly bear... and then it was gone. At the same time, something warm touched her forehead. She couldn’t see it, couldn’t tell what it was... but there was a feeling. A feeling she had a name for, but had never understood. And just a single word.
Welcome.
Then it was gone as well.
Simon sucked in a deep breath as the power faded. He hadn’t known... couldn’t have known... if trying to seal the bargain that way would work, but he had put every bit of his supernatural will into trying to force the cosmos to accept it. Every day for a year he had spent at least a few minutes meditating on it, forming and storing the energies that would push reality in the direction he so badly needed it to go when they were released at last. And he had waited until the very last moment to shock and overwhelm her, to keep her from suspecting and possibly resisting due to her very nature. Now it was his turn to wait as her mouth moved silently and her eyes slowly came back to the here and now.
“Simon, I... I feel so strange... what have you done?”
“I cheated. I do that.” He reached down and put his hand on her cheek and she started so hard she almost fell over.
“What have you done? I never... it never... I can feel you. I could always feel you but now I can feel you!” Her eyes were huge and her chest was heaving. He knelt down before her so their eyes were level and laughed.
“I gave you your soul. Demons may not have a physical body, but they do have a soul, or at least a spirit. Animus. They are animus. And until the year was done, you were mine to command. So it was mine to give, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, but... what have you done? I feel so strange... weak. But everything feels so real. So... solid.” The confusion in her face was absolutely complete.
He put his other hand on the other side of her face and held her eyes with his. “There are three kinds of beings who own their own souls. God, the Adversary... and humans.”
She took in a deep breath. For the first time ever, she needed to. “You mean I’m... one of you?”
“Well, I was reasonably confident you wouldn’t turn into God, and the Adversary job is taken.” Despite herself she laughed. Then she choked a little bit as she learned that laughing and breathing had to be synchronized.
As she sputtered, he said, “I waited until the year was almost up just in case, but I was pretty sure it would work. You had to keep your bargain, and this was the only way. It would have caused a paradox, otherwise. And when you said you almost felt sorry for what was going to happen, then I was positive. Me and my shining example had already tempted you away from the Adversary’s team. You just needed a little help to finish the separation.”
Her eyes widened. “I am free. I can feel it. I can feel it! I can do what I want! I can let you go!” Then the tear was back, and this time it brought friends. “Oh, Simon. I don’t want to take you to Hell... but I don’t want to let you go.” Her hands came up and gripped his. “I don’t ever want to let you go. Please forgive me.” Though only flesh and blood now, her hands were amazingly strong.
Now it was his turn to laugh. “Silly Lily. What have you done to forgive?”
“I don’t want to let you go! I still want you to belong to me!” Her voice was rising. “I want to keep you forever and ever, just like before!”
He squeezed her hands. “The good news is, now that Hell is out of the picture, I think that’s a great idea.” Then he kissed her. For a second she froze in shock, then her body, still as close to perfect as human imagination could manage, melted against his. The warmth of her skin was different now that it was real. The taste of her was different. Her heart was beating so hard he could feel it. His arms slipped around her and pulled her close. After a moment, she started to sway and he lifted his head and held her steady.
“Oh, Simon. Is this what it’s like for you?” Her voice was shaky and her eyes were closed. “I mean, I enjoyed it before, it’s how we’re made, but this... oh, God...” With a gasp her eyes flew open again.
“I said it! I said His name! He’ll...” She looked around in terror. Despite himself Simon laughed again.
“He’ll what? Strike you down? Humans are allowed, dear, and He seems to approve of this little experiment. The one thing I wasn’t sure of was if God would be willing to allow you to become... free. But if He was okay with it, I didn’t think the other side would get a vote. And I figured that there’s nothing He’d like better than to give a little piece of the Adversary’s work the chance to find its way home.”
She gasped again. “You mean... I could go...”
“Why not? I’m not sure if your previous record even counts against you, since you didn’t have any say in the matter. But starting now you get to make your own mistakes. And with a little luck, start earning some credits.”
He kissed her and she groaned helplessly. Before she could start to sway he went on. “Now, taking His name in vain is against the rules, but frankly, I don’t think using it in that situation counts. I think of it more as a prayer. Or at least an offer of thanks.”
“And now I understand what thankful means. And gratitude. And... love.” Tears were pouring from her eyes and she sniffled some very Earthly snot, which made her cough. “This is going to take some getting used to.”
“Well, you’re human now, but you happen to know a very powerful magician. So long as we don’t go trading in souls, we can cheat a bit on the duration front as well.” He smiled at her with affection. “Who knows? Maybe magic will work for you, too. You’ve certainly got lots of experience.”
Tears and laughter mixed are hard enough to deal with when you’ve lived a lifetime in a mortal body. Lily almost choked on them, but Simon pounded her on the back and just kept saying, “Breathe!” until she had it under control again.
When she had gotten her breathing sorted out, he continued. “Obviously using your powers for our little games is no longer an option. B
ut it will probably take a while for you to get bored, what with being a real little girl and all...” His hand slipped down and cupped one perfect buttock, then squeezed. She gasped and melted into him again. “Thought so. And if we do, so long as we don’t do anything actively bad, I still refuse to believe that happiness and pleasure are all that offensive to God. It’s a risk I’m willing to take, anyway.”
She looked into his face with joy, the first joy she had ever known. She thought her brand-new heart might explode in her chest. “I’ll risk it. I’ll risk anything, with you.” An odd expression came over her face.
“What is it, Lily? Are you all right?”
She looked at him with puzzlement. “I thought I wanted to try out my new body with you, but something feels... odd.” She pulled back from him just a bit and put her hand on her stomach. “It’s here. It feels... hollow. Like I could knock and it would echo.”
He laughed again. “Bad news, Lily.”
Another new sensation flared in her... worry. “What? What is it?”
“Your body is just as flawless as it was when it was an illusion...” She smiled but still looked confused as he paused. “...but now it’s heir to all our troubles. By the sweat of thy brow shalt thou eat bread.”
Understanding dawned. “I’m... hungry?”
“Yep.” He kept laughing.
“What’s so funny about that? I’ve never really tasted food before, not like this. It’s going to be amazing!”
“Oh, I was just thinking of how you’re going to react to the next part.”
“What next part?”
He grinned at her quite as evilly as any incubus could have managed. “What goes in, must come out. Thousands and thousands of years of perversion, and you’re finally going to really understand why some holes are considered... dirty.”
Her eyes grew very wide.
“Like you said, this is going to take some getting used to. Don’t worry, I’ll help.” He stood and pulled her up onto her feet. “Let’s go. We’ll start with something easy in and easy out. You’ll get the hang of it. You’ll see.”
His hand never left hers as they walked toward the door.
The End... of this story.
Want more? You can find links to all my books at http://www.dreamsofcontrol.com!
Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE An Unexpected Interruption
CHAPTER TWO An Unbearable Temptation
CHAPTER THREE An Unimaginable Journey
CHAPTER FOUR An Unforeseen Resolution