2

I was so restless about my discovery of the demoness I just couldn't sleep. This entire new direction in my life had jumped on me from nowhere, so that I had no time to get used to my new role. I needed to give it a good thought and decide whether I really wanted to do it, dashing around catching horny demons. And now this!

I knew of course that Maya's demoness had nothing to do with me. This was a job for a male hunter. But if Robert didn't seem inclined to entrust her even to his old friend like Cesar, who could he choose for the job? Admittedly, I'd feel much better had Cesar been indeed banned from seeing her. Just in case. As I'd already found out first hand, a demon's victim could easily fall for its host. Those text messages I'd received were a fine example. Me too, I still couldn't forget my night with Arthur — or whoever it had been inside him. This had probably been the most memorable experience of my entire life.

I shuddered, trying not to think about the demon's scalding breath and his fiery kisses. Instead, I concentrated on the memory of Cesar's apartment and everything that had taken place there. Thinking of him always got my pulse racing.

Deep inside, I still felt guilty for some reason. Don't know why. It was as if my arrival in their house had triggered the possession epidemic of Robert's kids.

It had all started long before you, I reminded myself as I tossed and turned for the hundredth time, unable to get comfortable enough to finally get some peace and sleep. I still had the feeling that my picking up that succubus bitch in the club had started some sort of chain reaction, even though it had nothing at all to do with Robert and his house. But that's human mentality for you: we seek a logical connection everywhere. And as this entire demon theme had only come up in my life two weeks ago, no wonder I was trying to find a connection where there wasn't any. I hadn't seen too many demons yet... or had I? Three in two weeks, was it a lot or not enough? I should ask Cesar about it. He was a seasoned hunter and a good-looking man... so hot... so cuddly...

I fell asleep while still pondering over this — and awoke before dawn again, half an hour before the alarm, as if it was me and not Maya who was possessed. Those succubus habits seemed to have rubbed off on me. No, not really: the true reason behind my early reveille was the fact that I was worried sick. What time would Maya come? How was I supposed to behave with her? It would be a good idea to talk to Cesar before seeing her — and even better if he'd already told Robert about her. Those two needed to come up with some kind of plan. I knew woefully little about demonic ways to offer any insights. Or could my succubus experience help, maybe? That's right. I needed to go see Cesar and tell him how I'd felt while being possessed. It might suggest some ideas to him.

With that thought I clambered out of the shower, tousling my hair with a towel to dry it faster. Finally I lowered the towel — and shrieked.

Maya sat on my bed.

She gave me a wink. Mechanically I covered myself with a towel: I hadn't expected visitors so naturally I hadn't taken any clothes in the shower with me. Not even a bathrobe. And Maya had this particular expression in her gaze... very succubian, should I say, to the point where I couldn't remain naked in her presence. No idea what those succubus bitches could do when they were hungry. Better chaste than sorry.

I grabbed the bathrobe from the bed and draped it around my bare shoulders, then slid past Maya to the chair where I'd left my stuff. Turning away so that the bathrobe shielded my naked body from her, I pulled on my underwear, skirt and T-shirt double quick. Only then did I turn to look at her.

Arthur's sister kept smiling that mysterious Mona Lisa-ish smile. I could see a typically succubian loose manner in the way she crossed her legs, leaning back on the bed. The real Maya would have looked ridiculous in this pose — had it not been for her aura of sexuality. My old succubus had swapped her original host for me, apparently thinking I was more suitable for her purposes. And what if this one, too, had decided to- Shit! Mechanically I stepped back.

Maya was watching my inner struggle with a smile. She changed her position with the lazy grace of a lioness (an admittedly underfed lioness, I had to say — definitely too androgynous to be Cesar's type), lacing her fingers over a knee. "I'd like to leave a bit earlier. You mind?"

"Well..." I paused.

I struggled to think. What worried me most was the fact that Maya didn't look too well. Her eyes had sunk, her skin seemed almost translucent. Had she slept at all? Or was it the succubus affecting the fragile girl?

Then we'd better hurry with the exorcism thing. And in order to do that, I needed to keep her in my room until the arrival of one of the other two. I was sure Cesar would come as soon as he spoke to Robert. I had no idea when they all got up in this house — hopefully before midday. Hopefully being the operative word. No, not even: undoubtedly Cesar would go see Robert as soon as he got out of bed, and Robert had to be an early riser. I knew the type, a workaholic boss driving everybody into an early grave, one who needs his wealth just for the sake of it, forgoing all life's little pleasures that come with it. The likes of him wouldn't blow their wealth on foie gras, champagne and hottubfuls of horny models. So I had to hold the fort for just a little longer.

But what was I supposed to do in the meantime?

Maya smiled condescendingly at my predicament. "I hope you don't mind if we leave before breakfast? I hate waiting. Besides, you don't know my father. He has this idea of me not being safe on my own. This way he won't know that I don't want to take my bodyguard along... we girls need no bodyguards, do we?"

Her smile was actually seductive, and on her ash-gray lips it looked quite sickening. No, I couldn't just leave her. I probably should sacrifice myself a little by pulling the succubus into myself. I could see that Maya wasn't going to last long in the company of the horny little devil: the lecherous glint in her eye was growing feverish and sickly. It actually might be a good solution. Then Cesar could pull the demon out of me and together we could guarantee the monster a warm seeing off!

I had no time to think it over. So I ad-libbed as I went. Maya rose from the bed, all the while chattering about the plans she had for the two of us for the day. Slowly I walked over to her, stretching my lips in a sexy — at least I hoped so — smile. Just as seductive as hers. How could I seduce the she-demon inside her? Should I say something or would my hints only scare the succubus off?

Maya froze, watching me in surprise. I tried to move naturally and freely, loose-limbed, to make it clear to the demon that my body answered her purposes better. It was curvier — honestly, it answered men's needs better. Maya was a stick insect with no breasts or backside worth talking about — not against my C-cups, anyway.

I came close and stopped, licking my lips anxiously, not knowing what to do next. My old succubus had approached me herself — and this one didn't seem so forthcoming. Dammit! What do I do?

I could see hell's fire glinting in her eyes. Her lips curved in a salacious grin. She was tense but still she wouldn't move. Come on now, do it!

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Losing patience, I slightly leaned toward her, bringing our faces closer, our breath mingling. She was feverish, wasn't she?

By now she was shaking — and still she just stood there watching me. How weird. Or was it normal for a succubus? What would I have done in my possessed state if a girl had started hitting on me? I felt like a total idiot standing in front of Maya pouting my lips, playing the staring game.

What if I kissed her myself and pulled the demon out? I could kiss a woman, I suppose. Once I felt the tip of her forked tongue and pulled it, it was as good as done.

But... I didn't have the noose! The fire demon had broken it last night. I was unarmed. Besides, the braziers on the table had been washed clean by the chambermaid — not an ember in sight, let alone a herbal kit to burn. Some predicament.

"I'm attractive," I finally said, unable to stand the tense silence between us. "I'm sexy and strong," if this succubus bitch was too slow on the uptake, I had to say it as it was. "Do you want me? Come and take me, then. Possess me."

I saw a weird expression in her eyes as if she couldn't restrain herself any longer. Her pupils glinted scarlet as Arthur's sister leaned toward me, her burning lips sinking into mine. I barely suppressed a surprised shriek. Besides, it did hurt... why was an earth demon hot like a fire one? They were supposed to be warm, true, but not that warm! And there was just no way she could be a water one. Because if I remembered rightly, female demons could only be water and earth and male ones, air and fire.

I didn't have to suffer long. The forked tongue touched my slightly parted lips, then disappeared back.

"No!" Maya shrank back with a groan.

I was confused. "No what?"

"Not this time!"

"What not this time?"

She shook her head, recoiling against the bathroom door. I very nearly repeated her gesture. Was it my old demoness, the one I'd already "hosted" once? Impossible. I'd disembodied her, hadn't I? Or was it her new incarnation? Was it possible? Where was Cesar? I just didn't know what to do without him!

Her lips curved again, the grin hard and sarcastic. "You won't fool me again."

In a smooth motion, Maya leapt across the bed and, while I was still about to take after her, turned the key in the door. I stared at her in disbelief.

"You can't escape now," she placed the key in her pocket.

"What do you mean? Weren't you going to go shopping? How are you going to leave, then? I mean," I felt totally confused, "what do you want?"

Maya licked her lips, slowly and carnivorously. "I want you."

"But..."

Hadn't I just offered her the same thing? Or — what was it she was suggesting? Was she a lesbian? Was it even possible?

Maya's lecherous grin, her gaze... why did she remind me so much of Arthur? Of the Arthur possessed by a demon. By the demon.

A vague suspicion formed in my overwrought mind. Impossible. Hadn't Cesar said that incubi and succubi had their strict gender preferences? Girls to the left, boys to the right?

Maya — or rather, if my suspicions were correct, the incubus inside her — went for me, his steely fingers clasping my wrists, disarming me. He clung to my neck in a fiery kiss. He — she? — was shaking as he covered my skin with kisses and impatient little bites raining down on my shoulders. Against my better judgment, I felt aroused. I could feel warm waves run through my body: was it the heat of the demon's ethereal flesh or of my own desire, triggered by the succu- no, by the incubus. Feeling myself succumb to it, I tried to force myself free but to no avail: even inside Maya's frail body the incubus was much stronger than me. Shit! Being raped by a girl, that would be a first. And if Robert found out that I'd screwed both his son and his daughter... he was gonna kill me, that little was clear.

The incubus was getting hornier. I realized with horror that my body was answering his — her? — call. The fact that he'd taken the shape of a slim fragile girl only seemed to arouse me more. She was the incubus from yesterday. What a mess.

Maya stood up, clutching both my wrists in her hand. She laid the other hand on the back of my head, digging her fingers deep into my hair, gently pulling my head back, looking into my eyes.

"I'm going to kiss you now," there was an open threat in her voice, "so I don't want any of your tongue tricks."

Fire played in her gray eyes. Maya pulled in air as if inhaling my scent. Lowering her eyelids, she slowly exhaled into my face, scorching my cheeks, forehead and chin; then she clung to me, burying her lips in mine, setting my mouth on fire, awakening some deep and yet unknown call. Fire ran through my veins, making my whole body tremble. I slackened in the demon's strong hands, arching my body toward him, feeling that I couldn't and wouldn't resist this all-consuming flame of exorbitant passion. This wasn't a girl kissing me: this was a fire demon, the essence of man, concentrated male spirit, the strongest and sexiest under the sun, beautiful in his impulses.

Then the fire was gone. Maya's hands relaxed, letting me go. The girl collapsed right on top of me. I barely stayed on my feet, trying to support her suddenly heavy body. I dragged it to the bed and dropped the girl onto the soft mattress. Was she unconscious?

She was indeed. Her gray eyes rolled up. She was barely breathing, her skin seemingly whiter than the sheet she was lying on. I shook her, with zero results. She was out. Dammit! What could have caused that?

Her frail body must have collapsed under the surge of the demon's sexual energy. I still remembered how this creature of fire had very nearly burned down the little summer house. No wonder this fragile girl couldn't sustain the heat of this furnace.

I rummaged through the braziers piled up on the table for the remains of my herbal noose, then tried to tie the girl's wrists with them. I had no idea if you could do it with the noose and whether the herbs it was made of could affect the host herself. Just in case I wrapped my bathrobe sash around her slack wrists as well. Climbing onto the bed, I grabbed Maya under her arms and laid her on the bed the best I could, trying to make her comfortable. I had no sympathy for the demon but it wasn't Maya's fault that she'd been taken over by this love-crazed creature. I felt very sorry for her.

Then I rummaged through her pockets for the door key, locked the room from the outside and rushed off to get Cesar.

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