Heaven and Hole

He seemed pleased to see me, but I had no time for fun. "I need your help. Can we check the surveillance footage?"

I explained the urgency and we descended into the basement. We must have reviewed the moving images ten times. The angle of the camera was such that Whitney's face was not visible as she said my name. Relieved, I went back to bed and my girlfriend. We had a lot to talk to Whitney's parents about.

It was a crash call and too complicated to include Tom. On our way to the grocery store, Lily and I buzzed Lucy and Oúriēl. We recounted what we had observed. I could see Lucy seething at our description, smoke rising from her body. Even the mild-mannered Oúriēl's face darkened. Something told me that under his diffidence there lurked something else. But what got their attention most was Whitney seeming to come briefly out of her spell.

Oúriēl spoke for both of them. "I think she is fighting it. There is some vestige of her free will not that is not totally crushed by Raine's spell, and she is fighting it. That's my girl."

Lucy continued, her anger maybe very slightly less evident. "And that offers you an opportunity. She may be able to remain lucid for longer periods. That might allow you time to break the spell. Your previous interaction with her helps with that. Just one term of genuine endearment should be enough. It doesn't have to be undying love, just heartfelt affection. Do you think you can do that?"

We both felt we could. And our own feelings for Whitney were not artificial in the least. She was a sweet girl and a pleasure to be intimate with.

I wanted to share something. "Raine's staff, it seems to be important. Clearly he is channeling Shapiro, but it looks like he is using his staff to do it. Maybe he is also controlling Whi... Freya that way."

There was general agreement on this point. Oúriēl summed things up, "It is likely that some of Raine's, frankly rather impressive, powers emanate from this staff. But, without knowing its true provenance, it is hard to know what to do about this fact."

Lucy took over from her partner, "It's probably too dangerous to observe what I assume will be tonight's ceremony," she said, almost thinking out loud. "But monitor her bedroom door, and be ready to act. The good news is that Raine is nowhere near having the right words. We have a little time."

Closing the portal, Lily and I knew what we had to do.

As predicted, Raine tried again the next night. We viewed the party enter The Observatory, and Raine later leave, seemingly again in a rage of frustration. As Miss Shapiro led the girls away, she appeared to look in the direction of the camera, but perhaps I was imagining it. We switched our view to the hallway outside Whitney's room. Shapiro took her in, remaining a few minutes, then guided Elena to her quarters. Now we had to wait and hope.

Maybe an hour or more later, Lily jogged my arm, and I saw Whitney emerge from her room. We flipped off the cameras and went out to meet her. She was again nude, the circumstances weren't at all appropriate, but I couldn't help thinking about the taste of her pussy. I'm a demon, OK, don't judge me!

Whitney seemed confused. Lily touched her arm and she startled. "Lily? Is that you, Lily? And Emma?"

She started crying and looked rapidly around, as if scared of something lurking in the shadows. "What is going on? I had these terrible dreams. So terrible. But you are here now. I..."

And with that, she was gone again. We gently took her back to her room and tucked her in. Sitting on Lily's bed, we talked.

"I thought that was longer, how about you, Lily?"

"It was thirty seconds from when she opened the door, ten from when she recognized me."

"How are you so precise?"

Lily shrugged. "It's an angel thing."

"I have no idea how long it was yesterday, but certainly not ten seconds. Maybe two. I think Lucy and Oúriēl are right. But we need more than ten seconds."

"Yeah, a few minutes at least. We need to give it time."

I kissed my living stopwatch, and we curled up together.

We apprised my Mistress and Lily's Master the next day. Both were encouraged, excited even. We also caught Tom up, but there was little he could do, beyond his existing help.

Things played out in a similar way for the next two nights. The morning after the fourth night, we explained to Lucy and Oúriēl that Whitney had stroked Lily's face when she was herself, and had appeared to be on the cusp of saying something. Then the spell cut back in again.

"Tonight," growled Lucy. "Tonight, should be enough time. Save my precious Freya and you will be further rewarded. But... and I can't stress this enough... don't fuck up! We are so close."

That evening, we waited as we had before. Demons aren't meant to get tense, but I seemed to have missed that part of my training. I found Lily's customary preternatural calm comforting. Then Whitney's door opened.

She was herself almost immediately. Less confused. More coherent.

I took the initiative, Lucy's words ringing in my ears. "Whitney. Remember the meadow? Remember what we shared? Can you remember that? Tell me what you felt."

"I do. I remember. You were both there, and it was sunny, and the touch of your fingers was electric. And your bodies felt so soft and warm..."

"That's right, Whitney. What else did you feel, what emotions?"

I was on tenterhooks waiting for her reply. But as she smiled in reminiscence, and opened her mouth to speak, there was a blinding flash of light and then everything went black.

I woke, feeling nauseated and with a horrible ringing in my head. Opening my eyes, it took a while for an image to form. I realized that I was in The Observatory. I was on my knees. I moved to stand and found I couldn't. Looking around, I saw my ankles in shackles, and my arms held wide in chains. The metal of both looked the same as Raine had used for Shapiro's leash. I strained, but knew already it was hopeless. My bonds were not just physical.

The room was empty, Lily was beside me, a few feet away. Also bound, still unconscious. I called her name, and she stirred, shaking her head as she came to. Even her greater strength was no match for the mystical metal. Looking around, I half expected to see Tom, and was worried it would be his lifeless body; but we appeared to be alone.

It felt like we were hanging there for some time. Enough to get me really pissed. Then the doors swung open, and Raine, Shapiro, and the two girls were with us.

The preliminaries were identical. Whitney and Elena mounted the plinths, and Shapiro restrained them.

As she did this, the occultist approached us. "So what do we have here? More spies? How pathetic. I used your predecessor until she was hardly there anymore. Then I made her into fish food. You two are next."

He laughed horribly.

"Just try it, you limp-dicked excuse for a man." Not so much what I said, but the ferocity with which I spat at him, took Raine aback for a moment.

But he recovered quickly. "I'll make you eat your words, whore! And other things. You'd like that, you little slut, wouldn't you?"

Before I could come back at him, the doors burst open. Tom was standing there, brandishing a pump-action shotgun. Raine and Shapiro exchanged a glance. Shapiro raised an eyebrow quarter of an inch, and Tom was flung sideways into a wall, collapsing in a crumpled heap.

Shapiro looked at me unblinkingly. "Not a big fan of the Second Amendment if I'm honest. And why bring a gun to a spectral fight?"

Despite her words, there was something about Shapiro's demeanor that wasn't quite right. It was for a millisecond, but did I detect the hint of a wink?

Pushing these unimportant nuances to one side, and my fury doubled by the sight of Tom's battered and maybe lifeless body, I turned my rage on Raine, picking my words to hit home. "I doubt any woman has liked a thing about you in decades. You're old, you're ugly, you stink, and your personality isn't exactly top decile."

"Big words, for a woman in restraints. I'll take what I want, and leave the little pieces of you floating in the lake. Just like that bitch April. She pleaded with me to end her. You will too."

"I seriously doubt that, asshole."

He grabbed my hair with one hand and my face with the other. Squeezing, opening.

I gnashed my teeth. "Just try. I'll castrate you, motherfucker!"

"Shapiro! The other."

Having already disrobed, Shapiro slunk towards Lily, her hips sashaying as she put one heeled foot in front of another. She had Raine's knife in her hand and, pulling Lily's head up by her ponytail, held it to her throat.

Raine cackled. "Now, open your throat bitch. Or your sister's throat will be opened in a most unpleasant manner."

I obeyed. Letting him enjoy his little victory. The seeds of an idea forming in my head. He face-fucked me hard. It was unpleasant, but mostly due to putting up with Raine and his disgusting odor. Demons aren't made like humans. We can be flayed alive with metal-barbed whips and still make jokes at the expense of our would-be torturer. A cock down my throat was never going to bother me too much. Though I did my best not to let Raine realize this. My plan hinged on getting him close to orgasm.

As unobtrusively as I could manage, I began to suck. Equally surreptitiously, I tried to take glimpses of Raine's face. When his brow furrowed and his teeth clenched, I theatrically pulled back, choking and gasping. I slumped in my chains, every inch the defeated and broken woman he wanted me to be.

"Good. Very good. And now you will watch me violate your sister."

I whispered in a croaky and weak voice. Calibrated just loud enough for him to hear. "No, you bastard, not that."

Almost knocking Shapiro aside, Raine grabbed Lily and thrust into her mouth. "Take it you worthless bitch. Take it deep."

Lily swiveled an eyeball towards me, and we shared a wordless look, my intent becoming clear to her. She clenched her throat muscles onto Raine's cock, making a tight, slippery sleeve for him. She was a deep throat virtuoso, and a mere human could take only so much. Raine pulled Lily's head into his loins and screamed in ecstasy. I could see my girlfriend calmly swallowing. I closed my eyes and started counting.

When the blue light came, it was dazzling. Six miles from Trinity ground zero dazzling. There was no noise, save for the tortured air crackling as it ionized. The glare blinded me momentarily, even through lids that were closed tight. I sensed the luminosity dim a little and risked opening first one eye then two.

Raine had fallen backwards, and was lying on the floor between the plinths, covering his eyes. Lily was standing. Her bonds dissolved, her wings unfurled and arched above her. Her eyes blazed with blue light. Electrical discharges flowed from her fingertips to the ground.

Still standing, and with a crooked smile on her face, was Shapiro. Her collar and chain were also both gone. Looking down, I saw that I too was free. I stood, closed my eyes, and felt my own wings burst from my back.

Raine recovered, and raised himself up, using his staff. He thrust it in our direction and spoke a word of power. Nothing happened. He looked at Shapiro who merely raised an eyebrow.

I couldn't resist. "Battery dead, sweetie?"

Raine's face contorted into a twisted, purple mask of hatred at my words. "Emissaries of Heaven and Hell. Unfortunate, but mostly for you. Shapiro!"

The she-demon shrugged. "My battery seems to be... er... dead as well Nathan. I'm sure you will think of something."

The mage turned back to me in fury and began to chant, holding his other hand towards us both. Red fire formed around his outstretched limb and he launched a fireball forwards. And then another.

Lily raised her arm and opened her palm. A blue orb enveloped the two of us. Raine's bolts harmlessly impacted on it and dissolved. He moved his arms towards Whitney, but Lily's protective globe rapidly expanded, throwing Raine back to the platform and covering the two supine girls.

"Is that all you've got, asshole?" I have never been able to resist a good taunt.

Raine's eyes blazed. With another word, the red flames enveloped his staff and he hurled it, javelin-like at Lily. It penetrated her shield and struck her between her eyes. She fell to the floor poleaxed, and the blue orb instantly dissolved. The staff clattered to the floor, and broke in two, the magical fire still consuming it. As it did, I saw Shapiro's skin glowing momentarily, and she shuddered as if stepping into a cold shower.

I leapt to Lily. Cradling her unconscious form, I looked up and saw Raine try to flame Whitney. But he seemed to have exhausted his powers for the moment.

I taunted Raine again, "Only half the man without your magic stick, right?"

He caught my eye, snarled, and made for the knife that Shapiro had been holding; she must have dropped it when Lily had gone nova. He grinned maniacally as he secured it and made for Whitney, murder in his eyes.

Demons can be lightning fast. I leapt, landing between the plinth and the deranged mage, my wings raised and beating. "No! You! Fucking! Don't! Asshole!"

As I stood there, Raine clearly working out how best to attack me, I heard Lucy's deep voice. Not in my ears, but in my head. "Leave the creep to me, Emma."

I felt myself grow. My skin changed from pale to deep pink. My nails became black talons. And I felt her presence, her incandescent rage. A mother's rage.

My lips moved, but it was Lucy who spoke. "Raine, your staff is broken! Prepare to die, worm!"

I - or rather Lucy - launched myself at him, knocking him over onto his back, the knife clattering. My long, sharp nails lacerated his face. My burning breath charred his features. My wings thumped into his body with shuddering force. Raine's blood spattered with every swing of my arms, his body convulsed with the heavy impact of my wings. I'd seen death before, I'd caused it many times, I saw it was close now.

And then another voice, speaking in the other half of my brain. Calmer. More reasoned. Yet still burning with the same anger. "Our daughter, dear. Think of Freya. His staff may be broken, but the spell is not. And you need to find out what he knows. Spare him now. Time enough later."

So this is what it was like to have advisors on your shoulders. Who knew?

I felt Lucy's anger become controlled, turn colder. Raine was a bloodied, unconscious mess on the floor, barely breathing.

Turning, I - maybe we - stepped towards Whitney. Her restraints had also evaporated. She was coming round and the fist thing she saw was me standing above her.

There was recognition in her eyes, but not for me. "Mommy? Is it you Mommy? I... I saw you in my dreams. Is it really you?"

Lucy and I jointly stooped and kissed her forehead. "My child. My child. I never knew that you knew me. I thought your father and I had been careful, stayed in the shadows. But your feelings do you credit."

Whitney sat up and flung her arms around me. "I love you Mom."

There was no sound, no sign. But with Raine's staff destroyed and Whitney's expression of love, we all knew the spell had been unwound. The curse lifted.

Then I felt the knife between my shoulder blades, and fell to the floor.

Immobilized, I looked up and saw a barely-living Raine raise the knife to stab Whitney. He was too close. It was too late. There was nothing I could do.

And then he froze. Froze and began to float off the floor.

Walking from behind his body, came the sultry form of his Executive Assistant. Arm raised in command and clearly enjoying herself.

I felt Lucy talking through me. "Agrat! Nice of you to join the party. And thank you."

"It's my pleasure, Mistress. I didn't want to come between you and your victim. But I thought maybe a little help?"

"Of course, and I will be grateful, as agreed."

As agreed? What the fuck?

Shapiro flicked her hand and a metal cage formed around Raine, crashing to the floor, with his broken, now comatose, body encased in it.

"I'll leave him here for you, Mistress. I assume you will want to talk to him further."

I felt myself nodding from the floor. I stood up. A nasty gash in my back. But, hey, I'm a demon girl. We are pretty tough.

I embraced Whitney again and Lucy spoke through me. "I will see you very soon, Freya. Daddy and I are leaving now. I love you too, my darling."

I felt Lucy and Oúriēl's presence recede and my body return to normal.

Lucy's last words were to me. "I won't forget, Emma, I am grateful."

Now myself again, I rushed to Lily. She was still unconscious.

"She will be fine," said Agrat, or Shapiro. This was getting way too confusing.

Shapiro touched her face once and Lily opened her blue-gray eyes, still looking dazed.

"Take a moment, angel," said the demon. "Pretty impressive stuff with the blue light. But those shields are magical, they don't help much with physical objects. Anyway, you're just as tough as Emma, right?"

Lily nodded, a little weakly, rubbing her forehead.

Shapiro turned to me. "I'm pleased to meet you properly at last, Emma. You're neither quite as ugly, nor quite as stupid, as Cozbi told me you were."

"Cozbi? You know her? That faux-fiend bitch never had any taste in women."

Shapiro laughed out loud. "Too true. Hell hath no fury, right?"

She walked over to Tom and touched his brow with a single finger. Our friend opened his eyes, and shook his head, then looked up rather sheepishly at Shapiro.

"Sorry about that, Tom. You should have taken my advice and stayed out of things."

"Yes, Ma'am. Never was much good at following orders. I guess that's why I'm an ex-Marine. Wow! My head hurts."

Shapiro pulled Tom to his feet, with a smile. He seemed to be a hit with any female demon he met. She then helped Whitney off of the plinth. Elena was also now waking and the six of us moved to leave the room.

As we did, Shapiro looked at my back. "Just a graze. Let's see to the others first, shall we?"

"Yes, but then you have some explaining to do, Agrat, or whatever your name is."

"Sure. Emma, there is lots to talk about."

We gathered in the larger of the two first floor living rooms. Shapiro, now dressed more conventionally, had found blankets for Whitney and Elena, and the girls were huddled in them, sipping on warm drinks.

Tom lay on a couch, looking tired. Lily sat me down and took a look at the gash in my back. A human would probably not have survived the attack, but Lily told me it was already healing. Having settled the girls as best she could, Shapiro joined us.

She seemed relaxed, almost jovial as she spoke. "Well, that was intense! But all's well that ends well. Or is 'as you like it' the phrase? I forget. Will was such a darling man. And very grateful for my editorial input; amongst other things. Anyway, Lucy and Oúriēl will be here soon. There are some questions that they may be better placed to answer. Aside from that, ask me anything."

She sat back in her chair and crossed her legs. I had so many questions, but started with the obvious one. "Who are you, and how do you know that bitch, Cozbi?"

Shapiro laughed again. "Well, Lucy used my name. It's Agrat. Cozbi and I used to be colleagues, back in the day. Though, unlike her, I'm pure born, just like you, Emma. Not that she had a chip on her shoulder about that or anything. I don't know what happened between you two, and I don't trust Cozbi to be honest about it, but you sure got under her skin."