Satan's Whore Ch. 05

Kat's fingers paused on the key to Daniel's room. She still called it a room although cell was a more appropriate word. She felt him on the other side of the door.

She felt fear. Incredibly, he didn't fear for the fact that he was being kept prisoner and might come to a bad end. He didn't fear so much for the succubus who held the key to his room and for whom he felt an unreasoning attraction. He feared for his soul. Of all of the fears that Kat had tasted, this one was the most rare, sublime, and pure. Most feared physical death and pain. Others feared the evil that lurked beneath the surface of things. Few now feared for their immortal souls. The taste hearkened back to distant times when people lived such miserable lives that the promise of a better afterlife was all they could hope for.

Yet despite his fear, his soul had called to her during the first night of his captivity. She hadn't projected her will into his room, but he had sent her such a response of yearning that it took her breath away. Somehow, he'd managed to lock onto her, though she doubted that he consciously knew he'd done so. She used that connection to calm him even as her own agitation grew.

How was it that he could so easily find her? Ordinarily, mortals responded to the projections of demons in the same way that a moth might respond to a flame. It was a deadly instinct, but one they ordinarily didn't initiate themselves. Yet here was Daniel, searching her out and homing in on her.

She turned the key.

***

Kat entered the room bearing a covered tray. "Breakfast," she said.

Daniel sat on the edge of the bed and realized that he was hungry. He'd been tormented by none of the dreams that had afflicted him of late. To his surprise and despite satisfaction of having enjoyed an unusually deep sleep despite his current predicament, he found that he almost missed those nocturnal visitations.

Kat approached and placed the tray on the bedside table. She was simply dressed in a light sweater and black skirt that fell to just above the knee. The simplicity of her clothing served only to accentuate her extraordinary beauty. He wished that she'd worn a burlap sack, something that didn't quite hug her curves so much. Daniel's heart gave a lurch and he longed to touch her.

"I didn't know what you wanted," said Kat, "so I gave you a little bit of everything."

"I'm sure it's fine."

Kat turned to leave. He didn't want her to.

"What are you going to do with me?" he asked.

She turned to him again, her arms crossed, framing those breasts he'd dreamed about in such detail.

"We're still deciding. There are options."

"But letting me go is not one of them."

Kat shook her head.

"I wish I could free myself of you on my own, but I can't," said Daniel. "I know that. I need help, and there's no help for me outside of the church. Do you understand?"

Strange how he thought that freedom from being attracted to her was more pressing issue than his imprisonment.

She approached and sat next to him on the bed. He could feel her warmth and smell her delicate aroma. It was probably no more than soap and shampoo, but to him it was the headiest scent that had ever reached his nose. She placed a hand on his knee and gave it a squeeze. It was meant to be reassuring but to Daniel, it was something else entirely.

"There are always alternatives," she said.

She didn't remove her hand. He closed his eyes and focused on those few square inches of contact they shared. Even through the fabric, he could feel the slenderness of each finger, the warmth of her palm, and the unique whorls on each fingertip. He could feel her strength and something beyond it that he wanted.

The contact broke and she was on her feet before he could open his eyes.

She smiled weakly. "Enjoy your breakfast," she said.

Then she was gone, before she could explain the alternatives to him.

***

What was that? wondered Kat as she returned to the kitchen. It was almost as though he'd been feeding off her through that smallest of contact, rather than the other way around. Her hand still tingled.

She found Isabel at the kitchen table, reading the newspaper. "No news about our guest," she said. "Yet."

"It's too soon," said Kat.

"It won't take long for them to start looking for him."

"I know."

"You have turn him. It's either that or..."

"I know."

"It'll be a victory for you if you do manage to turn him. No one wants the alternative. Besides, I can sense something between the two of you."

The thought of turning him roiled in her gut. To twist something so innocent and true -- she didn't know whether she could to it. "He is unusual," she said.

"That he is," said Isabel as she returned her attention to the newspaper.

***

Kat returned shortly after breakfast. In her arms she carried a pile of clothes and placed them on the bed.

"These are Jean-Paul's," she said. "They may be a little big but they will do until I've had a chance to wash yours. But first, you need to shower."

At first Daniel thought of resisting as all good prisoners should, but then realized that he wanted nothing more than to rid himself of the stink of fear that clung to him since his arrival.

He followed Kat to a large washroom, complete with a massive old clawfoot tub large enough for two and a more modern shower stall on the opposite wall.

"Your choice," said Kat.

He indicated the shower and waited for Kat to leave. She didn't.

"I can't leave you alone in this room. The window overlooks the neighboring property. You might signal them."

"And I'm a prisoner."

"I didn't ask you to come here."

"I won't signal anyone. I promise." The thought of undressing in front of Kat made him cringe.

"I'm sorry. I'll close my eyes if you want."

"Okay." Daniel undressed hurriedly, casting nervous glances to Kat. Stupid, he told himself, this modesty after all he'd evidently done with her -- or had done to him by her -- in his dreams.

He quickly hid himself behind the frosted glass of the shower stall. Soon steam swirled around him. We washed, keenly aware of her presence. He could see her distorted outline through the glass. So close, he thought. No doubt she could see him as well. Perhaps because of the distortion, he found that being seen like this didn't worry him, though it was arousing. He was keenly aware that the fulfillment of his every carnal dream stood no more than a few feet away.

He finished and opened the door a crack. "Pass me a towel, would you?"

"Come and get it," she replied. She stood across the room, towel spread in her hands and a smile on her lips. "I promise to keep my eyes closed, if that helps," she said.

He approached her and he made to reach for the towel.

"Allow me," she said, moving the towel out of reach.

She must have been peeking, thought Daniel. "I can do it," he said.

"Please," she said and draped the towel over his head. Before he could protest, she`d started drying his hair and face and then moved to his shoulders. She dried him unhurriedly, running the towel inch by inch over his arms, back, chest and abdomen. It was an intimate exploration, but the towel that separated their skin robbed it of its immediate sexual undertone. If anything, he felt like a child.

He squirmed as she dried his legs the insides of his thighs, ending her journey at his groin. It was only then that he realized that he was fully erect, his attention having been concentrated on her soft touch.

"Oh no," he muttered.

"It's fine," she said lightly. "I'd be insulted otherwise. And you would have cause for worry."

She dried him there too and his knees almost buckled at her touch. He hoped, and then cursed himself for hoping, that she would use her mouth there, that she would pleasure him as she had in his dreams. In his mind, he could imagine her lips around his shaft and her tongue dancing around it.

Alas, there was only the towel with which she stroked him, as though waiting for his word. But he wouldn`t allow himself to ask.

Too soon she was done. There was no more of him to dry and no reason to linger.

She smiled at him. "I'll leave you to get dressed. Promise though that you won't do anything foolish," she said, glancing at the window.

"I promise."

With that, she left him and his erection alone.

***

Kat visited him throughout the day. Sometimes she brought magazines. Sometimes she stopped in just to see how he was doing.

His moods swung wildly. When he found himself growing excited at the sound of her steps in the hallway outside his room, he'd remind himself that he was still a prisoner and that his captors were at this very moment planning his disappearance. There were moments of fear, particularly when he heard raised voices downstairs, and moments of pleasure when Kat chose to visit him.

On one such visit, Kat asked him, "Is your God merciful or vengeful?"

"I'd like to think the former."

"But you don't know. The old testament paints very a different picture."

"I suppose it depends on the circumstance. God can be merciful or vengeful. Stands to reason then that I should perhaps hedge my bets and not tempt God's wrath."

Kat nodded. "Can there be good in a demon?"

Daniel looked startled and started to respond and then shook his head. "I don't know. I never thought about it that way."

***

The setting sun cast dark shadows in the forest that Daniel's window overlooked. His first full day of captivity was drawing to a close. It was strange how quickly he'd adjusted.

The key rattled in the lock and Kat entered, carrying a tray. She lifted the cover to reveal a schnitzel, green beans, and potatoes.

"For a prisoner, I certainly eat well."

"At least you are eating. There are those who would like to see your last bite."

Her words chilled him and brought home the reality of his situation. "I know. Am I to thank you?"

"Probably not." Kat leaned against the wall. "When you sleep, you call to me."

"And yet you don't come."

"I'd prefer to hear you speak the words."

"I can't."

"So we wait."

That night, lying in bed, Kat felt him. She didn't need to project to elicit a response. It was there, insistent. But it was only an undercurrent. She strained her hearing in the hopes that he would give voice to his yearning, but he did not.

***

By the third day of Daniel's captivity, news of the missing seminarian had made the various local news outlets. Ordinarily, missing persons didn't make the news unless it involved suspected foul play, but the fact that this one was a foreigner and a seminarian piqued some interest.

Kat sat on a chair opposite Daniel. This was an important discussion and she didn't want to sway him by her proximity.

"We have a problem," she said.

Daniel watched her attentively.

"The authorities are now aware that you're missing and are looking for you. We can't let you go and we obviously can't keep you here. If we let you go, you'll return to your life with some very unusual tales and if they believe you, you'll make life difficult for us."

"That's true."

Kat wished he could have lied.

"That said, you're a danger to us here. Sooner or later you'll escape or be found. Either way, it would be impossible to guarantee your silence."

"You do seem to have a problem."

Kat shook her head. "We have a choice," she said. "You have a problem."

Kat could feel his growing tension and agitation.

"And what is your choice," asked Daniel

Kat paused. "There are two ways to guarantee your silence. You could join us -- join with me -- as a consort."

Daniel grew pale. "A consort? What do you mean?"

"You would be bound to me for the rest of your life. It would be like a marriage, but one for which divorce is not an option."

Despite the sense that they'd grown closer in the last few days, Kat now only felt aversion from him. She had hoped that the innocent intimacy they'd shared over the last few days would have been enough to sway him, but the look of disbelieving horror on his face revealed how badly she had misjudged him. Perhaps she'd been harboring her own hopes -- hopes that had blinded her to the nature of this particular mortal.

She decided to lay it all out on the table. "You'd have to serve my master."

"Sell my soul?"

"I didn't say that it was a bargain," Kat snapped. Then more quietly, she said, "Frankly, I'm not worth it."

"You said that you have two choices," he said bitterly.

Kat took a deep breath. "It would be easy to make you disappear."

Daniel's eyes widened. There it was. The possibility had become an ultimatum. "Kill me? You`re serious? You wouldn't."

"I wouldn't. Others would."

"But that's..."

Her anger and frustration spilled out. "Illegal? Immoral? You'd be dead already if it weren't for me, you stupid boy. And in case you've forgotten, you're dealing with demons. Morality doesn't exactly figure greatly in our thoughts."

"So you're asking me to choose between you and my God. There's really no choice, you know."

"I know," said Kat. "I only thought it fair to lay out the options."

***

There's really no choice. He repeated his words in his head that night while the house slept. They were brave words, and empty.

Daniel turned on the bed. Kat had no idea how much it cost him to keep from throwing himself into her arms. Then again, perhaps she did. She had an uncanny way of knowing things and a knack of knocking away the underpinnings of his resolve and his faith.

The cards were now on the table. Sell his soul or die. Enjoy earthly delights or the bliss of the eternal hereafter. The choice should have been easy but it was not.

He thought of praying, but when had his prayers ever been answered? Maybe God wanted him to suffer these temptations and come out of it a stronger man. He doubted he could. If this was a test, he wasn't equal to it.

A braver man would gladly martyr himself for his beliefs as countless individuals have before. But Daniel was not particularly brave, especially when courage would deny him the very thing he lusted for with every fiber of his being. Courage and martyrdom were great in the abstract and inspirational to read about, but in reality, they were cold and lonely things.

Kat had given him a day or two to make up his mind.

He hoped that it would be enough.

***

Kat unlocked the door to the bedroom. Surprisingly, she looked as tired as Daniel felt.

"I've been thinking about your proposal," he said.

"And have you come to a decision?"

"No."

"A woman might be offended at the time this is taking," said Kat lightly, forcing a smile.

"The fact that you have horns makes the decision more difficult."

Kat turned to leave.

"Come here please. Lie with me," said Daniel.

She looked surprised, as though it was the last thing she'd expected of him. Then again, he was surprised too; the request had come to his lips unbidden. Kat returned and lay on the bed. God, but she was beautiful. Why did he tempt himself in this way?

He placed his hand tentatively on the slope of her waist. It was the first time he had touched her consciously. She felt warm and wonderfully alive.

"Can I ask you some questions?"

"Ask me anything. I'll try to answer as completely as possible."

"How old are you really?"

"Twelve centuries or so..."

"Centuries?"

"Give or take."

"You don't look a day over thirty."

"Centuries?"

Daniel laughed. It sounded good to hear him do so. "You know what I mean." He then blinked. "The things you must have seen."

"Seen and done, Daniel. We weren't exactly spectators. We've shaped much of history."

"The wars. The crusades...."

Kat nodded. "The church had its crusades; we had ours."

"I sometimes forget what you are. When we're here, like this, I can't imagine."

He shook his head. It was almost impossible to reconcile the woman with whom he lay and the truth of what she was. "Have you ever killed anyone?"

"Yes."

Daniel looked pained. "Tell me."

"I'll tell you of the last one. Before I came here to Germany. I killed a pedophile."

In spite of himself, Daniel felt relieved as though sin were relative.

"A priest," added Kat. "Daniel, I killed a priest who'd been abusing little boys."

Daniel didn't know what to think. He had no sympathy for priests who abused the innocent. Death at the hands of a demon was perhaps a fitting, if strange justice.

"What's it like being a demon?" he asked.

It was such a simple question that it bordered on the stupid. He saw that her brow furrowed and it looked as though she were about to chastise him for his childishness. She gave him a rueful grin. "It's lonely," she said finally.

"You're kidding."

She looked at him. "I'm not."

She took his hand and placed it on her left breast. Daniel was startled, yet this wasn't sexual and he intuitively understood it. His hand rested on her breast and she openly spoke with him in a way she'd never done before.

"These days, people don't believe in our existence in any form let alone physical. We're caricatures in fiction, little more. People think of us -- if they think of us at all -- as some quaint throwback to ignorant times, a convenient excuse for the odd wet dream or rape or aberrant sexual practice. So we exist on the periphery, little more than a rumor."

"I can see how that might be lonely," said Daniel, not believing that he could utter such words to a demon.

"Your exorcist is entirely right -- disbelief is the devil's playground. Yet strangely, those who don't believe in the devil have no problem thinking that angels guard over them and that miracles actually do happen. But we do exist, and not just as some dark spirits that dwell in the bowels of the earth. You've seen that we're among you and not all of the work we do is possible in spirit form. Physical interaction is often more... immediate. Can you imagine if it became known that demons, in physical form, lived among mortals?"

Damian tried to think of it.

"Nothing would happen," said Kat. "A few marginalized priests would make life difficult for us, but in the end, nothing would happen because to the masses we don't exist. To put it another way, we're like the ancient gods who no longer have worshippers. They've ceased to exist as gods.

"So we go about our business and it really doesn't matter. And in return, have nothing but the trappings of casual intimacy without the substance. And that's part of the reason that it's lonely."

Daniel had started to pity her and could taste her loneliness. He gave his head a shake, remembering again what she was. "But you possess people. You can't deny it."

Kat took a deep breath and then continued. " Possession is a misnomer. We don't possess anyone, but we do speak to their weaknesses and nudge them along certain paths. Whether we do this as a member of the community or as some spirit that comes in the night is irrelevant. In both cases we take and magnify what already exists and use it."

Damian looked at her. She was right. She had used what already existed in him. She had recognized his weakness and had capitalized on it. She was the most sublime of predators. What had he been thinking?

"Are you still taking advantage of me? My weakness. Are you nudging me even now?"

"No."

"I can't be sure of that, can I?"

The magical closeness they had shared had evaporated. He rolled over on the bed, removing his hand from her breast, turning his back to her.

He felt her leave the bed and, seconds later, heard the key turn in the lock.

***

"Come to the kitchen. I'm tired of bringing food up for you and you're no doubt tired of being in here."

For the first time in almost a week, he emerged from his room.

"Everyone appears to be out," said Kat as she descended the stairs.

Daniel stepped onto the main floor. The stairs opened to the foyer. There stood the front door. He could easily make a dash for it. Instead, he followed Kat to the back of the house to the kitchen.