Chapter Six
Raphael
“Do you have any advice for me?” Andre asked.
I turned to him. “Show no mercy, take their souls only when it is safe to do so.”
“Yeah, I know all that, but where do I even begin to look? We’ve been to all kinds of demon dives since this shit broke out and I haven’t come across any demons baring the mark of a ‘K’.”
“If it were easy to track and kill them, this war would be over already, Andre. You’re going to have to torture humans and demons, I suppose, to see if anyone knows anything. Only this time, you can ask for specifics, like that brand. Just make sure you aren’t caught on tape torturing them, we don’t need to have to explain that.”
“Like looking for a needle in a haystack. Wonder why I didn’t get a partner,” he whined, and I couldn’t tell if he was joking or being serious, so I decided to ask him.
“Do you want one?”
He shrugged. “Maybe, if he could be helpful.”
“Apparently, our king thinks you’re capable of handling this on your own. Remember, you’re an Agoto, powerful and fierce. You can do this, Andre, follow your intuition,” I said.
“Thanks for the pep talk. Well, then, let me get to work,” Andre said, then teleported.
“You handled that well,” a sweet, child’s voice said from behind me.
I turned to see Lord Oria approaching me. I stiffened even though I didn’t want to.
She smiled, and it was the devilish smile of someone feigning innocence. “Are you afraid of me, Raphael?” The sound of her voice shimmered in its angelic tone. She really was a seductive demon, but one of great power. She commanded respect without saying a word.
“Unnerved, my Lord,” I admitted. Of all the Lords I could have been paired with, I wondered why Adriel picked this one. She had the nerve to have the most innocent of childish appearances, such a vast misrepresentation of the horrible-looking demon inside, which I had witnessed, and wished I hadn’t been present to see.
She skipped up to me, stopping once our toes touched. She was looking up at me, grinning. “I know your greatest fears,” she taunted.
“It is your nature to know such things, is it not, my Lord?”
She nodded. “You fear death. You fear having your soul roasting in the fiery pits of hell. You fear being tortured for all eternity. Shall I show it to you?”
I swallowed and clenched my fists in my attempt to remain calm. “That would be what our king deems distracting, wouldn’t you agree, my Lord?”
“Ohh poo, you’re no fun.” She pouted, sticking out her plump, pink bottom lip.
“I’m afraid I am not, my Lord. Shall we go?” I asked, making a sweeping gesture toward the exit.
She reached up, fingers wiggling at me. “Pick me up. I promise not to scare you.”
“I assure you, my Lord, I don’t scare easily,” I said, then reached down, picking her up. “Do you have a destination you’d like to go to?”
She nodded. “We have targets, but we also need inspiration. A way to think that we have not thought of before. You will see a Natini, I hear there are two on this plane.”
“I only know of Saleah, and she is in Florida.”
“Then we will go to her and you will undergo the spell of the Oasis.”
“If that is your command, my Lord.”
“It is.”
Well, this was going to be interesting. I tried hard not to focus on the very powerful fear demon in my arms. I hadn’t thought about visiting Saleah at all, so I guess I had to admit that it was a smart move. Best I call first. She wouldn’t be happy if I attempted to pop in with a fear demon, and one that was a Lord. I pulled out my cell and dialed her number.
“Yes, Raphael?” she answered.
“Lovely Saleah—”
“Oh no, this can’t be good.”
I chuckled. “I need your help. I need to see you, and I am not alone.”
“Ooooh, is your sexy mate with you? Did he loosen up a bit?”
“Though he has loosened up a great deal, I’m afraid he is not with me, my dear. Lord Oria will be accompanying me.”
The phone was silent for several seconds, then she replied, “You are lucky that I consider you a good friend. Fine, I will lower the wards.”
“I am in your debt,” I said. I knew how much I was asking of her. It wasn’t that she didn’t want one of her Lords in her home. It was the situation of how this particular Lord in question was one that induced fear. According to Vahiel, no demon liked Oria, he included. I ended the call and began teleporting us to Saleah’s gorgeous Florida mansion. I felt my feet touch down on her marble floors, and that was when I placed the faux-child Lord on her own tiny feet.
“My Lord and knight,” Saleah greeted in a very formal manner as she curtsied. “I am here to serve you.”
“By the sound of that telephone call, it would seem that you object to my being here,” Oria stated with a pout.
Saleah looked up, eyes wide. “Oh no, my Lord. I am humble and loyal, always.”
Oria burst into a fit of childish giggles as she looked at a very nervous Saleah. “You can stop cowering, demon. I will not kill you, nor will I torture you. Your loyalty to our king is evident.” She walked around a little, touching things as if she had been given permission. “I’m hungry. Feed me.”
Saleah rose and nodded. “Yes, my Lord. What would you like to eat?”
“A baby,” Oria answered.
Saleah bristled as she was unable to hide her disgust at the request. “My Lord, I cannot fulfil that desire.”
Oria cocked a blonde eyebrow. “Oh? And why not?”
“Not all demons are evil.”
Saleah’s response took me aback. I knew she was fierce, but had never seen her take on a Lord.
“Eating a baby is evil to you?” Oria asked. “It’s just a human, and they have plenty.”
“Perhaps another demon will be able to cater to your palate, my Lord. Best I help you with why you’ve come so you can move on,” Saleah stated. I could tell by how tightly pinched together her lips were when she spoke, she was extremely angry the Lord was challenging her. Her creamy, pale skin flushed with her demonic blood. Her green eyes stared forward, and if I didn’t know any better, she was daring the Lord to make a move to punish her for denying the request.
Oria jumped up and down, laughing manically. “Ohh, I’ve been in hell for so long, I’ve missed this. In hell, demons know their place. But here on this plane, you’ve all become so defiant. It will be fun to reeducate you.”
“May I ask, when did you leave hell, my Lord?” I asked for two reasons. I wanted to take the heat off of Saleah and hoped that I could. And the other reason, I was curious as to when she had arrived. Was it when so many demons escaped hell, or before?
Oria turned to me, her big, blue eyes peering deeply. “I was summoned before the gate was closed. And once my duty to my king is done, I will return and reclaim my post. This world is only so much fun, and then it’s not.”
She pouted a little, and I had to repress the chill that threatened to run down my back. Yes, the sooner we could get Oria back to hell to reign terror over damned souls, the better. I walked over to Saleah, taking her by her slender shoulders. She was hot to the touch, so I knew she was pissed. Her long, fiery red hair flowed down her back in waves, giving her an ethereal appearance. I was sure humans stared when they saw her, most demons did, too.
“Saleah, we need inspiration of where to look for Mahmet. We came here so you could open our minds,” I said, getting to the point.
She nodded. “Yes, yes, of course. Unfortunately, the Oasis will not accept a Lord.”
I raised both eyebrows, questioning, “Why not?”
“Too much power. It has even been known to reject other powerful demons who aren’t Lords,” she said.
“All right, so just me then.”
Saleah nodded. “Very well.”
“I’m still hungry,” Oria stated. “And I don’t like being ignored.”
We both faced her and bowed our heads. “My Lord, as if one could ignore you. I am simply wanting to carry out our order from King Adriel and your command, then I promise, we will leave and get you something to eat.” I held up a finger for pause. “However, I would suggest it not be a baby. Our king is trying very hard to show that not all demons feed on humans. He doesn’t want people to know the truth. Killing a baby would defeat his purpose, do you not agree?”
Oria looked off to the side and crossed her tiny arms over her flat chest and then huffed.
“Do you not agree, my Lord?” Saleah repeated the question.
“I had a baby two nights ago and it was delicious,” she whined.
I tightened my grip on Saleah’s shoulders, stilling her in her rage lest she’d say something that would do her harm. I knew very little about the demonic Lord, Oria. Just what she was, but as far as the personality went, it was a learn-as-you-go experience. One, I wished I didn’t have to have.
“I don’t doubt that the baby was a tasty morsel, my Lord, but nonetheless, it would be ill advised to seek another,” I told her. I really wanted to persuade her to choose a different human to feed on. A person who didn’t have a lot of family looking for them was a prime choice.
Again, Oria whined and stomped her tiny Mary-Jane covered foot on the polished marble, cracking it in a spider web design. Saleah gasped as she gawked at the expensive damage that was done to her home. Again, I added pressure to her shoulders, keeping her in check. As her knight, she had to yield to me, and she did, exhaling deeply in her attempt to calm her anger.
“He would not approve of me eating more babies. Fine… knight. But I will feed on a human,” Oria said, finally relenting.
I bowed my head. “Of course, my Lord, we will feed on one together. I’ll take their soul and you can have their flesh.”
Oria smiled then and uncrossed her little arms. “I like that idea. Okay, hurry up. I want to play with the breakable humans.” With that, she skipped off to the garden outside.
Saleah shrugged my hands off her shoulders. “You’re on my shit list for bringing that Lord here,” she said as soon as the glass door closed.
“I had no choice, I was commanded,” I said.
“So.”
I tilted my head. “Saleah, be reasonable.”
“Fine.” She rolled her eyes.
“Thank you. We need to find Mahmet, he’s been protecting Katashniel. With him out of the way, our king can kill the bastard and that will be one less thing we all need to worry about. Now, let’s get this ritual over with so I can take this Lord out of your home.”
“I ought to send you the bill for the damage done to my custom marble floor,” she threatened as she pointed to the ugly crack.
“Me? Send it to King Adriel. He’s the one responsible for bringing her here. I’m just stuck with her. Now, let’s hurry up.”
“Very well. Follow me,” Saleah said, then she led me into a room she called the Oasis. It was tranquil with what I assumed was a demon-made waterfall and exotic plants. In the middle was a pond that glowed bright blue as it shimmered and sparkled. The air was cool on my skin and comforting as if one were on a tropical island. “Get in.”
I began to undress out of my suit and Saleah smiled approvingly as she watched me remove every article of clothing. “Like what you see?”
“Always. Too bad you still have that restriction on you. When do you think our king will lift it? I long to have your cock inside me once again,” she said.
I shrugged as I removed my socks, which was the last of my clothing. I placed everything someplace dry. “Not sure. Andre is still adjusting, though Brian has nestled in nicely. I’m sure Brian would also like to fuck you and his female friend, Melissa, once again. But he’s also satisfied with Andre and me, too.”
Saleah pursed her lips. “I have not met this Andre, but I would like to.”
I smirked. “He’s quite something. A Dom by nature, which explains his unwillingness to submit in spite of being punished by Adriel, Lord Silas, and myself. I respect his resolve, I do… but I’m also looking forward to the day when he just takes it and shuts the fuck up.”
Saleah laughed. The soft, feminine sound vibrated off the walls and I smiled. “Maybe he’d be more inclined to take it if you took it from him?”
“That doesn’t fit our dynamic,” I said.
“Well, see, that’s why you have a stubborn bull on your hands.”
“He’ll break.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt you’ll break him. Okay, get in, and no matter what happens, don’t panic.”
I arched both eyebrows. “‘Don’t panic’, why would I panic? What’s going to happen?” I asked. I knew what Saleah did, but I’d never needed such enlightenment or inspiration before, so I’d never undergone this ritual.
“Once you’re in the water, you are to relax your body. I will then begin the ritual and the water will embrace you. So, don’t panic, or you’ll break the spell. But that shouldn’t be a problem for a big, strong, demon knight like yourself,” she teased and informed.
I scoffed and stepped into the water, which would be freezing cold to a human. But for me, it was cool to the touch, nothing more. “Do I need to go in further?”
“You have a great ass, baby. And yes, to the middle.”
I laughed at the compliment as I walked deeper into the pond until the water touched my nipples. I was now standing in the middle of it, so I began to relax my body, allowing it to float on the surface. I could hear Saleah chanting in our demonic language and I understood the words…well, some of them, anyway. While she was chanting, I began to feel the water tickling me like little fingers. It was an odd sensation, to say the least, and that was right before I was sucked under as if pulled by large hands. I swirled around and around violently, unable to rise back to the surface. I had no control. I finally understood why she had told me not to panic.
Being an Agoto, I could hold my breath indefinitely, it was just uncomfortable because I was used to breathing. Enjoyed it quite a lot, in fact. I forced myself to stay calm, and as I did, I began to slip in and out of consciousness until finally, everything went black. When I woke up, I was floating on the water again, the room was brighter to me than normal, and my head was throbbing so much so, I felt I would vomit. Immediately, I stood up, splashing water about.
“Remain calm or you’ll be ill,” Saleah said. “I don’t want you puking in the sacred pond, contaminating it.”
She was right about that, because I felt the bile rising. Quickly, I teleported from the pond to her bathroom just in time. The spinning I felt upon waking started to subside as I purged my stomach contents. Ugh, I couldn’t even remember the last time I had vomited. It’d been over a century, for sure. I rinsed my mouth out and took a good look at myself in the mirror. I was soaking wet, but I looked the same.
“Feeling better?” Saleah asked from the doorway.
“You didn’t tell me about the side effects,” I complained.
I could see her shrugging in the reflection. “Does it matter? Would you have chosen not to be enlightened had I told you what could happen?” She waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t be such a big baby, Raphael. It’s only a little vomit. The more important concern is; did it work?”
Actually, it was a lot of vomit, but she was right. I needed to know if it worked, that was the more pressing question, and I wasn’t sure if it had or hadn’t. “How would I know? It’s not like I saw any visions while I was under.”
“Everything went dark?” she asked.
I nodded. “Yeah.”
She smiled. “Then it worked. Had it not worked, you would have seen only white, which meant after being tossed around, you had been rejected.”
“All right, so what happens now?” I asked, still trying to figure out how all this shit worked. At least my stomach was fully settled and my head was no longer hurting.
“You’ll be inspired to ask questions you wouldn’t have bothered to ask before. Look in places you wouldn’t have looked before. You’ll think about ideas you haven’t before,” she explained.
“How long will it last?”
She shrugged. “A month, maybe? But you can always come back.”
I nodded. “I think it would be wise for Brian and Andre to go through this as well. Brian’s also been partnered with a Lord and tasked with locating Mahmet.”
She frowned. “Which Lord?”
I laughed. “Which one would you not want in your presence?”
She rolled her eyes. “Only Vahiel is charming and welcomed, if I’m being honest.”
I laughed harder. “I can’t argue with that. Anyway, he’s been partnered with another Lord whom I’m unfamiliar with. Lord Dakkar.”
“Oooh! Oh, well, in that case, yes, he is welcome in my home and my pussy.”
“Saleah, come now.” I shook my head and chuckled.
“I’ve heard some pretty impressive rumors about Lord Dakkar.”
“You have? I wonder why I hadn’t. How long has he been on this plane?”
“Well, he’s been here before, but returned to hell. He seems to make periodic visits. Recently, he’s been here since the night of Katashniel’s rising. From what I’ve heard, he keeps to himself. Doesn’t make big scenes, but rumors have been milling around since the dark ages about him. Apparently, he’s the reason why vampires are popular in modern civilized mythology. I heard when he drinks your blood, you orgasm and maybe die if he drinks too much. But hey, not a bad way to go, I say.”
I wasn’t too keen on Brian being partnered with him or being ordered by our king to fuck Dakkar. But I guess our king, in his infinite wisdom, assessed as much, even when I didn’t say anything. Well, considering Adriel’s ability, I didn’t have to say anything. He would have read both my emotions and Andre’s… probably Brian’s too. That was why he made it so we’d all be able to fuck Dakkar, and from my little encounter with him in the lobby, I was sure the Lord would take full advantage.
I turned, finally, facing Saleah. “I’ll send them, because it’s important they have every advantage I do.”
“Just have them give me the heads up so I can lower my wards,” she said.
I nodded. “Of course.” I stepped up to her, taking her hand and kissing the back of it. “Thank you, my dear. You have my gratitude.”
She smirked. “I want more, but I’ll settle for that. Now, please… get that Lord out of my home.”
I smiled because I understood her sentiments. I teleported to the Oasis room and dressed quickly. It was a good thing I had no shame in my physical form. Once dressed, I teleported to Oria, who had gathered many beautiful and exotic flowers from their roots. No doubt, Saleah would have a heart attack when she saw her garden ravaged. Yes, indeed. It was time to leave.
“We should leave now, my Lord,” I said, holding my arms out to her.
She nodded. “I’ve picked all the lovely flowers I like anyway.”
I scooped her up in my arms and teleported back to Alandale. We needed to start somewhere, and the place where our king resided was as good a place as any to test out my new insight and grab a nice meal.