A Halloween Tail

"Ahh crap, I forgot to glamour," I heard Lily mutter.

"I love the stripper look," one man said, leering as he reached out toward Lily. I pushed us back further, the bins on one side, the wall hemming us in, the men blocking our escape. The smell was worse too, though I wasn't sure if it was from the men or the bins.

"Come on, girlies. We just want to play," the other man moved alongside his friend, further narrowing the gap out. He grinned at us, black teeth and gaps. "You can be the sluts we know you want to be. We're not going to judge, are we, Lenny?"

The man laughed, reaching out again toward Lily. I batted his hand away, and he laughed again.

"We're just on our way home. We don't want any trouble." I'd tried to inject some confidence into my tone, but it came out almost as a whimper.

Both men stepped closer, and now they were in touching range.

"You can scream if you like, ain't no one around to hear you in this rain," he grasped the front of my coat, pulling at the buttons. "They never come anyway, do they?"

"Abby..." Lily hissed my name, urgency in her voice. I knew she was afraid. This was all my fault.

"Please don't," I said, shrinking back. There was nowhere further to go; I was pushing against Lily. I tried to keep her behind me as the man pulled at my coat again. A button pinged off and his dirty hand slid inside, pawing at me.

"Abby!" Lily's tone was demanding now, but what did she want me to do? What could we do?

I tried to push him away but he was simply too strong. He laughed at my efforts and his hand came up over my breast, squeezing painfully.

"Get off me!" I cried, pushing ineffectually at his hand.

Beside me the other man reached for Lily, sliding his arm around her waist and pulling her into him. I felt her drawn from me, and still there was nothing I could do.

"Abby, now would be a good time..."

She didn't sound scared, she sounded worried. 'Now would be a good time'? What did that mean?

And then it struck me. "Lily! Defend us!" I saw her eyes flash red in my peripheral vision, and I hastily added a condition. "Don't kill them!"

The men had laughed at my initial command, but their smiles faltered at my qualification. They both glanced at me, and it was all the distraction Lily needed.

Her tail whipped around, the tip of it slicing through the arm of the man holding her, a cut that traversed his bicep even through his thick, dirty coat, and blood splashed across his chest. Her tail flicked again, back and forth, and each swish was a slash across a limb, a neck or a cheek. Her control was absolute. No target was missed, no cut was too deep. The casual lethality of her tail was obvious, and I knew she could have killed them in a fraction of the time had she so chosen. Had I not stopped her.

Some mere seconds had passed since my belated command, and then the men were falling swiftly back, bleeding from numerous wounds, their jackets in tatters. I ran my eyes over them swiftly; none seemed too serious, but the shock of Lily's rapid attack had all the impact we needed. We had the opening to escape, and I took Lily's hand and pulled her after me. We ran past the bins and onto the street, tearing down the pavement in the rain, leaving the men behind. They'd made no attempt to follow.

"I'm sorry," I gasped, as we slowed to a walk. "I didn't know you needed my permission."

She stopped, turning toward me, misty wisps all about her from where she was impeding the rain. "It doesn't matter, Abby. You realised in time, didn't you?" Then her hands were inside my coat, rearranging my cardigan and shirt after that horrible man had laid his hands on me. I shied away from the memory of his hands, focusing instead on Lily's gentle touch. Rain ran down my collar, but her touch was warming, and I felt myself slowly relax as she smoothed down my clothes. She pulled the coat about me when she was done, re-fastening it with the two remaining buttons.

Dammit, he'd ripped one of the buttons off. I knew I didn't have a spare. I loved this coat. Bastard.

"Let me try something," I said, taking Lily's hands in mine. It took but a moment to figure out what I wanted to say. "I command you to defend us, and yourself, whenever you wish, to the force you deem appropriate."

She smiled at me.

"Will that work?" I asked, seeking her approval.

"That'll work just fine," she said.

"I don't think you should kill people though," I added, voicing my concern. "But I don't want to stop you... if you think it's necessary."

She raised my hand to her mouth and kissed it. "I appreciate your thoughtfulness, and I won't kill unless I see no other option. You have my word."

I smiled with relief. "I hope there'll never be a need again. But better to be prepared, right?"

"Absolutely. We're almost back home. Let's get inside, okay?"

"Sure." I nodded.

We continued on our way, holding hands. The rain seemed to be growing stronger. My coat was soaked, but I hardly noticed: it was fascinating to be walking beside this beautiful Lust Demon with the halo of steam around her.

I needed to know more about her, but moreover I needed to know how to keep her safe. Us safe. My ignorance was as much a threat as the men had been. More, perhaps, for Lily had dealt with them swiftly enough - in the end. If I hadn't been so ignorant, they'd never have been a threat.

"Before our rude interruption, I was asking you to tell me about how the summoning thing works. Perhaps you should start with what I need to know that I don't already."

"Well... it's pretty simple, actually. You summoned me, I'm bound to you, I have to follow your commands." I had to focus on her words; even listening to her speak was a wonderful distraction. She had such a mesmerizing voice. "I can't harm you - that's a major thing. My powers don't work on you - beguilement, illusion and such."

"Oh... is that why Julia said you were wearing body paint? I'd wondered."

She smiled at me. "Yes. Others see me differently than you do. They don't see my horns, for example, or my tail." She sounded a bit despondent about that. I think she was very fond of her tail.

"That's what you meant when you said you 'forgot to glamour', when those horrible men found us."

She grimaced. "The heating charm I do doesn't play nicely with the glamour. It's easier to be wet and glamoured, or dry and myself. I can use both, but I must concentrate a lot more, and I... got distracted."

By my hurtful comments, she meant. I really had to do better. I squeezed her hand and sought to change the subject. "You were telling me what you can and can't do?"

"Yes. Well, as you just discovered, I can't act without your explicit instructions. Oh, I can do basic things, of course. Open doors. Pick stuff up. Borrow coats..." she glanced across and grinned at me. "But I can't, for example, rob a bank or start my own taxi company," and despite the levity of her words, I heard the bitterness that underlay them.

I was silent as I considered this, and we walked some more down the street.

She seemed surprisingly accepting of her lot in life, but I hated that she didn't have free will - at least in the context of being unable to act for herself. But what if I removed that restriction, what I let her act as she desired, and she became a destructive force of chaos, killing at random or beguiling people in dangerous ways?

So maybe I was naïve, but I just didn't think she would.

Yet she said her powers didn't work on me, but what if that was a lie? What if, even now, she was beguiling me to grant her freedom? I glanced across at her. Was it irresponsible to trust her? She was a demon, wasn't she?

Yet she wasn't anything like what I'd expected.

Fuck it. At some point you just have to trust your instincts. I didn't think she was lying. She was gorgeous, stunning, and not just in looks. From what little I'd seen of her she was capable of amazing empathy; I'd seen her vulnerable, she'd unselfishly shared herself with me, and ultimately she was simply nice.

Who would've thought a demon would be nice?

Bad press, I figured. Exclusively written by bitter old men. That said it all, didn't it?

Perhaps she was accepting of her lot in life because she'd never had another choice. It was tough to miss what you'd never had... but Lily struck me as highly intelligent, and clearly capable of articulating herself. Then there'd been that tone of bitterness, even though she'd hid it well.

No, accepting or not, she deserved to have her freedom, to be able to make her own decisions. The way she'd been treated for so long wasn't right. She deserved so much more. I would give her that freedom.

But what if she decided she wanted to leave me?

The thought of her preferring to be without me was suddenly terrifying, and for a moment I felt like I couldn't breathe. But if, all along, she didn't actually want to be with me, then... then I had to let her go. I wasn't going to make her do things she didn't want to.

I am totally shit at this demon-summoning control thing. But nothing had prepared me for the vibrant life that was Lily, and the responsibility I now had for her.

As for the killing, chaotic reigns of evilness or suddenly deciding to wear crocs... these things I would simply have to address 'if and when'.

I stopped again. I'd made up my mind. "Can't I just... tell you to act as you want?"

She turned toward me. "I suppose you could," her tone sullen, her expression withdrawn. In a moment of insight I realised she didn't think I'd do it. I was dangling something she knew she'd never have.

It made my heart ache for her, and I was even more determined. "And it would last, if I phrased it like I did with the defence thing?"

"It would, if you worded it carefully." Tentative, neutral. I could see the seed of hope in her eyes.

"Um... anything I should know, before I put my foot in it again?"

She stared at me for a long moment before she answered. "Are you serious about this?"

"Deadly." I said, squeezing her hand. But despite my reassurance, she still looked uncertain, still looked disbelieving. Tentatively, she squeezed back.

She'd lived a life of being controlled, and the prospect of freedom was too far out of reach for her to accept. The only way to prove to her I meant it was to do it.

"So... anything I need to know?"

"Nothing that I can think of," she said, her voice still cautious. "Whatever you say, I still would have to follow your commands. I still wouldn't be able to hurt you. We'd still have the Trace."

"I would never command you to do something you didn't want to." God, I hoped that was true.

She chewed her lip for a moment. "I don't think you would either."

It was amazing she could be so trusting. I knew I wouldn't be if I'd lived the life she had.

"What's the Trace?" I asked. She'd just mentioned it, but it hadn't been in the book. It seemed important; I heard the capital letter when she said it.

"We're linked, through the Trace. So I can always find you, and... if you know how, you can always find me."

"Wow. So... that's how you knew where I was tonight?"

She nodded. "Yep. And... your pentacle was a bit... er... crappy. I could walk right out of your flat without a problem."

I grimaced, remembering where I'd broken the circle when I'd fallen. "It was my first time, okay? Next time I summon a hot Lust Demon, I'll do it better."

"You did it pretty good first time." She smiled at me, but it lacked her usual vibrancy. I'd been discussing her freedom, then allowed myself to be distracted with the Trace. She clearly thought that was the end of it, and I could tell she was trying not to dwell on her disappointment.

Her resilience was amazing. From her perspective, I'd dangled her freedom, dropped it again, and yet she'd still offered me a smile. If I'd had any remaining doubts, they were eliminated in that moment. I wanted to do this. Needed to do this. Lily deserved to be her own person. I wouldn't have it any other way.

I reached for her other hand, holding them together in mine. "Okay. Let me try... something like..." I thought for a moment. Something simple would be best, so it was clear and loophole-free. "Lily, from this point forward, I command you to act as your heart desires." I considered what I'd said. It seemed straightforward. It should work, shouldn't it?

For a long moment she stared at me in disbelief, then burst into tears.

Crap. How did I fuck it up? I frowned, thinking back over the words I'd chosen. I couldn't see anything wrong.

"I'm so sorry, Lily. Tell me what I did wrong, and -"

"You... you gave me free will!" she sobbed, clinging to my hands.

Oh. Well, I guess I did it right then. I held my breath for the moment she realised she could just walk away. My pulse began to pound in my ears. Please don't leave, please don't leave.

"Is... is that okay?" I asked, cautiously. "Now you can rob banks and start your own taxi -"

She flung herself at me, knocking me back a step, and her mouth found mine. Her kisses tasted salty with her tears, and her hands were pulling apart my coat. I was pretty sure another button pinged off but, hell, that hardly mattered right then, and frankly it would be easier to replace all of them at once. It was tough to care about coat buttons when her hands were pulling at my clothes, working beneath my top to get to bare skin. The rain took rapid advantage of the opening Lily had given it, and in seconds I was soaked, but she was so warm that I hardly cared.

She made the rain feel quite nice.

"Yes," she whispered between kisses, "it's very okay." She pushed her tongue into my mouth, hungrily seeking mine, and I opened to her with a whimper. Her hands slid up my back, beneath my clothes, and the feel of her touch on my bare skin was electrifying.

She broke the kiss and breathed, "I would never have dreamed..." she nuzzled against my neck, pushing my head to the side, lips and tongue trailing down to my collar bone, "...that anyone..." her kisses were frantic, her hands pulling me in tightly, our bodies pressing together, and I melted against her. "...Would ever..." one hand slid around, cupping my breast as her thumb brushed across my nipple. I gasped, my back arching. "...Grant me such a gift..."

She pulled back slightly to better see my face. "Please can we go home? I so badly want to fuck you right now."

I shivered against her as I heard her words, and it wasn't from the cold. She'd warmed me inside and out: whatever she was, she was still a Lust Demon.

And as her hand gently squeezed my breast, I realised I was quite okay with that.

I nodded, not trusting my voice, and together we made our way to my flat. I clung to her hand the whole way.

By the time we arrived I was drenched and shivering. Lily's hand was warm but without her touch on my body I had quickly grown cold.

She pulled me swiftly to the lift, and as soon as the doors were closing she kissed me again, her hands once more inside my coat, beneath my clothes.

"You're freezing," she said. Her lips turned up at the corners, her smile playful as she didn't even try to be subtle. "We will have to get you out of these wet things."

Fuck. But I didn't care what she did with me, so long as she stayed. Besides, it was hardly as if I was against the idea. I squeezed my thighs together.

The lift had never seemed this slow before, but Lily used the time well, and I was whimpering my arousal when we eventually juddered to a halt.

My keys were in my pocket, and it took a while to open my door. It would've gone faster if we'd been able to stop kissing each other.

I finally got the door open, and we fell through, giggling together like schoolgirls, breathless with our kissing and the anticipation of what was to follow. I retained enough presence of mind to pull the key from the lock, mainly because I didn't want any intruders for the next... well... day or two.

We'd need at least that long.

Lily pushed the coat from my shoulders, and I let it drop to the floor. It was heavy with rainwater and squelched underfoot. She grasped the hem of my cardigan and began to pull, and I raised my arms to help. Sure, it had buttons, but this was so much simpler.

It seemed we were both in a rush.

She hooked my strappy top along the way and pulled both off me, baring my torso.

I'd expected her to pull the wet clothes fully off, but she had other ideas. She stopped when they were over my head, entangling my face and arms, and while I was momentarily helpless she took full advantage. I gasped as her warm mouth covered one breast, her tongue flicking over my nipple.

It was so strange to consider I had never been with a woman before, and now I could think of nothing else.

I arched my back, offering myself to her mouth, and it was only the thought of having my hands on her that gave me the motivation to pull the clothes off my arms and drop them to the side.

"You're cold," she murmured against me. "I don't want you catching a chill. Why don't we get you in a hot shower?"

"Will you come too?"

"Of course."

Well, when you put it like that...

"Okay," I breathed, and I was still happy to give her anything she asked.

She pulled back, looking at me. "You didn't mean to summon me, did you?"

"No." I'd told her I didn't. I'd told her I'd been aiming for something a little more... masculine.

I quailed inside. Was she offended?

"Have you been with a woman before?"

Ah. That was why she'd raised it.

"No," I said again, suddenly nervous. Did that make me less desirable to her? But she'd asked gently. I hoped it would be ok. Still... I'd given her free will - or, at least, I hoped I had - and as much as I could, given that she was still bound to me. And she was still here. So, that counted for something, right? "Have you been with a woman before?"

She smiled. "It's fair to say I've been with everything before. But yes... many women. My previous masters have often enjoyed sharing me with others; women included."

Her whole existence had been one of compulsion and command. No wonder she had cried when I'd freed her.

I'd never make her do anything she didn't want.

"Lily... I command you to never do anything you don't wish to do."

She shuddered against me. "Aww, crap," but she was smiling.

I blinked. 'Aww crap'? "Why 'aww crap'?"

"Well, now I have to persuade myself that I really want to do stuff like cleaning, otherwise it'll never get done. And I really hate cleaning."

I giggled. "We can get a cleaner." Wow, did I just say that? I'd known the girl for an hour or two, and we were making domestic arrangements?

But it wasn't like she'd be leaving any time soon. She was bound to me.

She reached for the waist of my skirt, but I took her hands in mine, stopping her. She looked up at me, her brow mildly furrowed, her head cocked slightly to the side. Trusting. Inquiring. Patiently waiting. So fucking gorgeous.

"Before we do this, I have to know something. Do you... do you want me to send you back? There's a banishing spell... in the book. It would undo the binding, wouldn't it?"

For a moment she went perfectly still, like a statue carved from the silence of time, and I held my breath.

It had been mere seconds, though it had felt far longer, but eventually she spoke.

"You... gave me free will."

"Yes," I said, chewing my lip nervously. Please.

"And I don't have to do anything I don't wish to do."

"That's right." I could feel my heart beating in my chest.

"Do you wish me to stay?"

"Yes, please." Hell, yes. "But only if you want to."

"Hmm," she sounded thoughtful. "Go back to hell, or..." her hands moved once more, her fingers pushing inside the waist of my skirt, slowly working it down over my hips. "...stay here in heaven."