Eternal Ch. 08

Ghost called out a mental greeting as the front door slammed shut. Hello there. My name's Ghost. It's nice to meet you.

Harry played along. "It's nice to meet you too, Ghost. I'm Harry."

How are you doing, Harry? Done anything interesting lately?

Harry plonked down on the couch beside her. "Well, I went to ask about the job. Some guy at a gun shop is looking for assistance--mainly to guard the store while he's not there. A few other shops have been looted." He looked slightly embarrassed. "The catch was, he wanted me to prove I wasn't a looter. He hadn't really figured out how I was supposed to do that . . ."

When Harry ran out of anecdotes, Ghost shared a few of her own, stories of the friends she'd made even in the depths of Hell. The minutes passed with soft words--and, a few times, with laughter.

-- -- -- --

"It sounds like not all your memories are bad," Harry said.

Looking back on it, you know what's really weird? Ghost asked. Once I forgot who Leila was, I started to enjoy Hell. I really believed in Judith's cause, and I was happy to do anything I could to help her. Even when she needed to seal some treaty, and she used me as one of the terms--it wasn't as good as it is with you, but it was what I was made for.

As always, Harry was infuriatingly quick to reassure her. "It was what you needed to do, in order to survive and stay sane."

At first, I thought that too. I told myself that there was a Leila-me and a demon-me, and that I was letting the demon-me take over, just for a while. But then I started being the demon all the time. I went so long without remembering your face . . .

"There's a 'but' coming, right?"

Not yet, but good idea--that's the one hole we haven't used yet. She continued before he could work out what she'd said. There is no Leila-me, just me. I'm a demon, and maybe that's not a bad thing. She scooted closer to him on the couch, and rested the tip of her tail on his shoulder. You like this, don't you, having a demon as your lover? For you, I'll be the best demon I can be.

"You keep talking about how evil you are, but I can't believe it. There's more to you than sin."

Judith was the one who said that I was full of sin, and that I couldn't go to Heaven because I screwed Neil. I think that she was full of bullshit, and that I exist because Leila felt guilty about screwing Neil. I'm everything she couldn't tell you before she died. She grinned toothlessly at him. Or everything she couldn't show you, at least.

There was a certain tone Harry took whenever he thought he was about to win an argument. He used it then. "When you lick my face, to wake me each morning--what does that mean?"

It's the closest a tempter can come to a chaste kiss. And before you say it, yes, I care about love more than sex. That's why I've been going easy on you, and letting you get used to just how perverted I am. You know, if you really want to prove you understand me . . .

Harry seemed amused--or else he'd gotten better at pretending to be amused. "Should I be worried?"

The couch's too small for this. She stood, and turned towards him. You have twenty minutes to make and eat dinner. I'd recommend saving the dishes for the morning. When you're done, meet me in the bedroom--we'll be there for quite a while.

"Isn't this supposed to be our first date?"

Just come out and say it. You're old, and you don't want to have sex three times in one day. She smiled again, but her tone was serious. This is important to me. I'll tell you why later.

-- -- -- --

"So, what do you want me to do?" Harry asked.

Take me and make me yours, Ghost replied, lying facedown in their bed.. For once in your life, stop being tender and gentle, and ride me like a bucking bronco until I'm too tired to move. Show me that you know exactly what I want.

Harry seemed oddly disappointed. "You don't even want to kiss me?"

Leila had listened in on a few of Harry's sales calls, and Ghost took the opportunity to mimic his speech patterns as she stuck her rear in the air. Why pay the full market cost for a kiss when you can get this fine cut of demon ass for half the price? I can promise you one hundred percent that this ass is the best you've ever had--it's warm, it's firm, and thanks to the miracle of demon physiology, it's even self-lubricating! And as a one-time-only special offer, I'm including with this ass a demon's tail, absolutely free! What does a demon's tail do? Well, I can't tell you that right now, but I can promise you'll love it or--

She abruptly found herself flat against the bed, a familiar weight atop her. Harry hadn't even finished removing his pants.

That was faster than I expected. Go ahead, stick it in.

Harry obliged--at first cautiously, but soon realizing that she was far roomier than a human. I think it's a branch off the tube that connects my cunt to my mouth, Ghost continued. It doesn't have a tongue, but it does have the same liquids. And in case you can't tell, right now, it feels really, really good.

This feels strange, Harry thought, letting the link take the place of words. Very strange. Not that I dislike it . . . He shifted atop her, slowly and carefully.

Then you'll love this, Ghost told him, curling her tail behind him. She ran its tip around the rim of his anus, then pushed it just a fraction of an inch inside. She moved faster and faster, and she was gratified to find that Harry matched her pace, filling her with his lust as their thoughts blended together . . .

For a while there, she thought, once it was all over, I wasn't sure which of us I was.

"Are you sure now?" Harry asked.

I think so--she began, but Harry cut her off. "Let's just lie here for a while." She felt him begin to soften inside her, but the love that radiated from him only strengthened as he ran his arms under her chest and embraced her.

This is your way of proving how you feel about me, she thought, a statement rather than a question. You want me to understand that even if we're not making love, we can still simply be together like this. But there are two problems with that line of thought.

"Enlighten me," Harry said. "I've been inside your head three times now, and I'm still not sure I understand you."

For the first, there are a lot of stories I could tell you. Marlowe took me quick and dirty, then cast me aside when he was done. Belial made me tell him I loved him--looking back on it, he's the one I want to kill most of all. Isabella only touched me with her hands, keeping my body away from hers--I did kill her, under Judith's orders, wrapping a tongue around her neck and snapping it. None of them cared about me, not the way you do, and what I did with them was nothing like what I do with you.

She wasn't sure if Harry was more confused or disgusted. "Why are you telling me this?"

I know that you love me, Harry--or at least that you love Leila. I can feel it, breathe it, taste it, so powerful that it scares me. But it's in my nature to want your lust as well. You don't need to be afraid that you're using me.

"You can't stop me from worrying. You've been through a lot, and I'm not sure how stable you are right now."

Ghost would have laughed, if she could. My second problem will help you worry. What do you think happens to a tempter without lust?

That certainly got Harry's attention. "But--I still--"

Do you remember how your love for Leila changed, once the spark wore off? In its way, it was even stronger, but it lacked that raw hungry need.

Words seemed inadequate, but Harry had two left to use. "Oh. Shit."

It's not as bad as you might think--I only really need a bit of lust every few days. Things would be a lot easier if I could teleport to Hell, but I'm not a greater demon, so I can't control where I go. Without another demon to anchor me, I could end up anywhere.

"Ghost, why didn't you tell me about this earlier? I can keep doing this for a while, but what are we going to do when I'm sixty years old?"

Most tempters would have answered that question with a sentence containing the word "threesome," but Ghost knew Harry well enough to predict a negative reaction to that. Instead, she tried a more emotional approach. Remember when you said I was trying to drive you off? You're the reason I'm still here. Without you, I'd be somewhere random in Hell--maybe dead, maybe bound again, or maybe just alone. Staying with you means having to plan for the future, and Leila's plans never worked out. Her plans for work, her plans to start a family . . . We can argue tomorrow about what we'll do, but tonight, I just want you to keep me warm.

Harry wasn't completely incapable of taking a hint. Rather than saying anything, he simply hugged her tighter.

You know, Ghost thought, it's a good thing I don't breathe. I think you'd be choking the breath out of me right now.

"Pretend I am. Pretend you can't say anything. At least for tonight, I'll pretend too."