The Demon Queen of Hell

"Well, never mind that." I didn't want to explain. "Stuff that will make you sick."

"Oh, I don't get sick," she said.

"Really? Never?" I asked.

"No, Daddy, I'm only kinda like you," she said.

"Well, you can't be eating raw meat where anyone can see you," I told her. I never had to tell her anything twice. Most children forget the shit you tell them in five minutes. Not Maggie. She never forgot anything, which landed me in hot water a time or two. Nothing I said escaped her attention, and if I mentioned doing something, she would remember and surprise me, a week later.

Once, I told her we should go to the lake on Saturday. I forgot all about it, and when I got up that Saturday morning, she was dressed and waiting for me. "Sup, Baby?" I said when I saw her.

"I was waiting for you to wake up. Today, we're going to the lake," she announced. Of course, then I remembered, and she looked so cute and so eager that I had to take her to the lake.

At some point, I was never sure when, she stopped having hooves, even when it was just the two of us, and she had normal feet from then on. I never knew if it was a conscious decision or just part of her growing up. When it was just us, she always had a tail, the eyes, those little fangs, and cute little horns, most of the time.

I think she was five or six when I became aware that Nina was keeping an eye on us. Maggie had just finished putting together a very complicated Lego set. She loved them and spent hours assembling them. They were also the bane of my existence. I dared not walk around the house barefoot. I had a pair of slides by the bed, and I quickly learned to put them on before doing anything. Stepping on a Lego with your bare feet on the way to the bathroom at 2AM tends to make an impression on a guy, pun intended.

Anyway, she had built a whole set and we were admiring her handiwork. "Mama likes it," she told me.

"Really? How do you know?" I asked.

"She told me," Maggie explained.

"When?"

"Today," she said.

"She was here?"

"Not exactly," she said.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"I don't know how to explain it," she confided. "We were... someplace else."

"Oh. How often do you talk to her?" I asked.

"All the time," she said.

"Oh. Okay." This was obviously some demon shit. It worried me.

"Maggie, can I ask you something?"

"Yes, Daddy. I might not know, though," she said.

"Baby, are you staying with me, like forever? Is Mama going to want you to be with her at some point?"

"Oh, no, Daddy. I'm going to be with you," she assured me. "I love you, Daddy, and I never want to be anywhere else. Sometimes I'm with Mama in the other place, but I'm with you in the real place."

"Do you think you could ask Mama to talk to me?"

"Yes, but she probably won't," she said. "I asked her why she doesn't love you and want to live with us. She said she does love you, but it's plicated."

"Complicated?" I asked.

"Yes. Daddy, do you think I could get the Millennium Falcon Lego set?"

"Yes, is that what you want for your birthday?" I asked.

She nodded, her mass of dark curls swirling as she did. "Yes, thank you, Daddy." That was the end of the conversation, and Nina never talked to me, so if Maggie mentioned it, Nina turned her down.

When she got to the third grade, she wanted to play basketball. She was tall for her age and she dominated the league. She had really good hands, even when she had three fingers and two thumbs when just the two of us played at home, and there was a little girl on her team who could handle the ball. She would bring it up, throw it up close to the basket and Maggie would catch it. It didn't matter what kind of traffic was around, she caught it, and no one could stop her. They even played boys teams and won. I went to every game and she gave me a thrill watching her. We had a little talk after her first game.

"Maggie, I know that you can... do stuff." God, this was awkward.

"You mean because I'm half-demon?" she asked.

Whew, well, that made it a lot easier. "Yeah, that. Remember when you told me you could kill and eat a leopard?"

She nodded, all her curls bouncing. "So, you're stronger and faster than little girls who aren't... half-demon?"

"I don't know," she said. "I think so. Could you kill a leopard, Daddy?"

"Noo, Baby Girl. No full humans can do that."

She thought for a minute. "Well, I guess I am stronger and faster than full humans then."

"Do you use that to play?" I asked.

"No, not really," she said. "It's kind of like my tail." She tickled my ear with it and giggled. "The other people wouldn't understand if I did the things I can."

"My baby is smart," I said. She beamed up at me. "And cute!" I snatched her up and squeezed her on my lap.

"Remember when you told me we could explode things?" she said.

"Uh, yeah, I do. Why?"

"When do you think we can?" she asked. "I like chasing things, too, but you don't like for me to chase Mrs. Peterson's dog."

That cracked me up. When I recovered, I asked her if she would like for me to buy some land in the mountains where she could blow things up and chase things. Her eyes glowed brightly, and she could hardly contain herself. She squealed and did a little dance in her excitement.

I promised to get started looking right away and reminded her about Mrs. Peterson's dog.

Poor Chopper was scared to death of her. We had been kicking a soccer ball around in the back yard when I noticed the mailman come one Saturday. Chopper hated the mailman, and he was barking furiously at the gate. I went out to get the mail at the end of the driveway, leaving Maggie in the back yard.

When I got back, she had climbed the fence and was zooming around Mrs. Peterson's back yard with an obviously terrified Chopper doing his best to stay three steps ahead of her. She was completely contrite when I told her she couldn't be doing that. Chopper never recovered from his fright, and anytime he saw Maggie he headed for cover.

She was still a little chubby when she started playing basketball, but that melted away and she got lean and fast. She was still a baby, but she was graceful and very coordinated for her size and age. Her coach was also the science teacher at her school, and she loved Maggie. Of course, the fact that she dominated the conference didn't hurt anything. As I got better acquainted with Brianna Morgan, I realized that she was really an amazing person. She was a very good basketball coach, and I thought she was being wasted coaching elementary kids. I wasn't complaining, but she sure seemed like she should be coaching the high school.

Maggie got the benefit of all that good coaching and she took advantage of it. By the time she was in the fifth grade, she was playing on traveling teams and getting quite a reputation. Nina was very tall, for a woman. Well, who knew; maybe all demonesses were tall. I was six-four, and Maggie was going to be tall, too.

I was at a basketball game and Brianna came up while the girls were getting dressed. I was sitting in the bleachers and she climbed up and sat by me. "Maggie had a good game, Mercer," she said.

"Yeah, she played well," I said. "You've got quite a little point guard there in Jasmine, too."

"She knows how to feed the post," Brianna said. "Do you and Maggie have plans?"

"Nah, we were going to grab something to eat and head home," I said.

"Can I come?" she asked.

I was a little shocked. I looked over at her and she was blushing. "Oh, yeah, I think so," I managed. "Let's ask Maggie."

She was very happy with that plan, and we went to Fogo de Chão, a Brazilian steakhouse. Maggie was quite the little carnivore, and she loved the different kinds of meat there.

We had a really nice time, and I liked Brianna a lot. Once I glanced over at Maggie and her fangs were showing quite a bit as she chomped into a piece of top sirloin. I caught her attention and tried to subtly tap my teeth. She caught my drift, and the fangs shrank noticeably. We shared a secret grin and Brianna never noticed.

We dropped her at her car, and on the way home I asked Maggie if she liked Brianna. "Yes. She's very nice, and pretty, too. Do you like her, Daddy?"

"I do," I said.

"I can tell she likes you," Maggie said. "Is she going to be your girlfriend?"

I laughed. "I have no idea, Baby. What would you think about that?"

"I don't know," she said. "You've never had a girlfriend. Why don't you have a girlfriend?"

"I've got you," I said.

I felt her tail sneak over and wrap around my arm. "Yes, and I've got you, Daddy," she said.

*****

We bought some land out near Live Oak Springs, about 10 miles out of town, and we got one of those Airstream Flying Cloud travel-trailers that we parked out there. If there wasn't a game on the weekend, that's where we spent our time.

She really did like explosions. We bought Tannerite by the case and she danced with joy when her carefully arranged blasting scenarios went boom. She could explode things that weren't explosive and set things on fire, but she liked designing the things she was exploding. She also zoomed around after all the wildlife that was unwary enough for her to spot.

Some she caught and ate, much to my dismay. Reconciling the little cuddly demon girl who snuggled up to me at night with the predator that was her second nature was disconcerting, to say the least.

I was getting to the point where Brianna was approaching that "girlfriend" status, and things fell apart. I had begun to notice that Maggie had these quiet times. She would be in the middle of something, then she would be quiet for a while. That was unusual, because she chattered at me constantly. She wouldn't move a muscle, and I wondered what was going on. I found out.

We were on the way home from our "ranch," as she called it. She was acting a little strange, like she wanted to ask me something but wasn't quite sure of herself.

"Mama is at home," she finally got it out.

"What home? You mean our home?"

She nodded. "Yes. She told me. She wants to talk to you."

"Well, what if I don't want to talk to her?" I asked.

She gave me a side-eye look. "Why would you not want to talk to her, Daddy?"

"That would take me a long time to explain, and it really doesn't have anything to do with you, Baby," I said. "I'm not sure I can tell you so you would understand."

"That's okay," she said. "I don't think you can keep from talking to her. She's a demon."

"Yes, I know. I could do a warding or a binding. Do you know what those are?"

She nodded. "Yes, Mama told me. If you do one of those, though, it will do things to me, too."

"Well, I hadn't thought about that," I said. "I promise I won't do anything like that. Do you think she's going to try to take you away from me? That would kill me, Maggie. I love you too much, Baby Girl." I could feel the emotions rising up, threatening to choke me.

"I don't know," she said. "I won't go, Daddy. That would kill me, too. I love you, too." Her tail sneaked over and wrapped around my arm like it always did when she wanted to be in contact with me.

"I'm not going to let anyone or anything take you away from me, Maggie," I told her. "Not even your mother."

Her tail gave my wrist a squeeze. "Thank you, Daddy."

"Well, I guess we'll just see what she wants," I said. "She didn't tell you anything?"

"No, just that she was at our house and wanted to talk to you," she said.

*****

She was there, sitting on the sofa, looking just as gorgeous as the day she brought Maggie. It made my heart hurt to look at her, so I didn't. I busied myself unloading Maggie's backpack.

"Hello, Nina," I said. "So nice of you to drop in."

She snorted. I could smell a faint whiff of sulfur, probably from when she opened the portal. "We need to talk, Mercer," she said.

"Maybe you do," I told her. "I'm not sure I have a single thing to say to you."

She looked at me as if I'd slapped her. "What's wrong with you?" she asked.

"Me? There's nothing wrong with me. It's something wrong with you, Nina. Let's see, you twist me all up falling in love with you, you vanish after giving me five minutes while you tell me you're leaving. Not a word, not a hint. Four years later, you drop Maggie on my doorstep and disappear again. You didn't bother for four years with anything like, "Hey, Mercer, I forgot to tell you that you're a father." You haven't spoken to me since the day you left her here, and now you want to talk? Fuck you, Nina."

Maggie gasped at my profanity. "Sorry, Baby," I said. "Do you mind doing something while your mother is here? I don't want you hearing this."

"Okay, Daddy," she said. She went in her room and closed the door.

"You know she can hear anything we say and watch us from other planes if she wishes," Nina said.

"Yes, and there are a whole shit-ton of other things she can do," I said. "I trust her, and I know she won't. She loves me, Nina, something you know nothing about, and she knows I love her. She likes me trusting her. Again, something you know nothing about."

"You know nothing of me," she said. "Don't be bitter, Merc. There are things happening and forces at play of which you know nothing, and it would freeze your soul if you did."

"Gee, well, that explains everything, doesn't it, Nina? I understand it all, now."

"Why must you be so sarcastic? I have never harmed you, Mercer, and I will never allow harm to come to you. I may harm you myself, though, if your attitude doesn't change."

"I'll take care of myself, thank you," I said. "And I'll take care of Maggie. I summoned you, didn't I? I'm not afraid of you, Nina."

She laughed. "Yes, I know. That's one of the things I love about you. You are in the presence of the Demon Queen of Hell, and you aren't afraid."

Okay, I lied. If Maggie was a little bundle of dynamite who could kill and eat a leopard, Nina was a tactical nuke. I wasn't powerless; I'd kept up with my skills, but like she said, "Demon Queen of Hell," and shit. I wasn't going to show it, though, and I wasn't going to back down.

"Why are you here, Nina?"

"It's Maggie's birthday next week," she said. "She wants a dog."

"I know," I said. "Are you telling me to get her a dog?"

"No, I'll get her one," she said.

"So why are you telling me?" I asked. "All concerned all of a sudden about my feelings?"

"Of course," she said. "You are the father of my child."

That hurt, and I knew it shouldn't. Somewhere in me was the idea that maybe she cared about me, just a little. "Oh, yes, I am." Brilliant.

Nina actually hung around until bedtime. She bathed Maggie and then did her poof of smoke thing.

We didn't see or hear anything of her until Maggie's birthday party. Brianna was there when Nina appeared. She and Brianna bristled like cats and I could almost feel the electricity snapping in the air between them. I was clueless, as usual.

After the guests left, Nina with them, I wondered if she had forgotten the dog thing. Maggie hadn't forgotten. She seemed to be waiting for something.

Of course, there was that dramatic entrance and Nina and a... thing appeared. It was vaguely dog-like, I suppose.

"This is Riam," Nina said. "He is a puppy, and he is for you, Mag'dra'ruth."

She squealed with delight. "A Hellhound, Daddy!" She was very excited. "I have always wanted one."

I, decidedly, did NOT want one. It looked like it weighed 100 pounds, it was as tall as Maggie and it was a puppy? It had... other undesirable attributes. Its tail was very long and vaguely reptilian, when it opened its mouth it was plainly on fire inside, and it had fierce red eyes that chilled my soul.

Maggie leaped on it and wrestled it to the floor as it made what were, apparently, happy sounds and motions.

"Umm... Nina, could I speak to you outside for a minute?" I asked.

She followed me into the back yard.

"Yes?" She cocked her head to one side in that familiar interrogatory way.

"What the... hell, Nina? We can't keep that... that! Humans will be terrified of it and the whole "demon jig" is going to be up! I don't know if the police can kill Maggie, but they will damn sure try to kill me, her and... and... what did you say his name was?"

"Riam," she said. "Calm down, Mercer."

"Calm down? It's a fucking Hellhound, Nina!"

"And I'm a demon," she said. "So is Maggie. Do you take her out with her horns?"

"No. Are you telling me that... Riam can change?"

"Yes, of course. He'll look like any other puppy when it's necessary."

"Oh..." Well, I still didn't like it. "Is he going to eat people or burn down the house with fire-breath or some shit?"

She laughed. That laugh still did things to me. "He's very well behaved. He's as smart as some humans, Mercer. Take a breath."

That was good advice. I collapsed into a lawn chair.

"Who was the female human with her hooks in you?" she asked.

"None of your business," I said.

She looked hurt, for some reason. "You have no idea, do you?" she asked.

"I guess I don't," I said. "No idea about what?"

"Never mind," she said. "So, we're all good on the dog?"

At that minute, a gorgeous little demon girl and a horrific beast charged out the back door. There, before my eyes, the beast sort of shimmered and became what looked like some sort of mastiff puppy. It was still huge, black and it had trouble with the eyes, but the red glow dimmed and became brownish. Maggie leaped on him and they wrestled around in the grass.

How could I say no? She obviously had fallen in love.

"What does he eat?" I asked Nina.

"Well, 'eat' isn't exactly what he does," she said.

"What 'exactly' does he do, then?"

"He feeds off the life-force of creatures he kills," she said.

"Good God, Nina!"

She winced. "He doesn't have to kill things often," she said.

"How often?"

"I really don't know," she said. "He'll let Maggie know. Take him out to your ranch, turn him loose and he'll do his thing."

"So now I'm letting a murderous beast out to slaughter the neighbors?"

She laughed. "He won't do that. He'll find something like pests and get rid of them for you."

"Just what I need," I said. "A demonic mousetrap."

She laughed again. "I had almost forgotten how funny you are, Mercer."

"Yeah, I'm a riot, all right. Say, isn't it time you got back to devouring souls, or something?"

"Why, you got a date with the human bitch?" she asked.

"Again, none of your business," I said.

She nodded. "Okay then. See you around, Mercer."

She went inside and when I followed her in, the red fog was beginning to thin. Maggie and Fido played outside for the next hour or so, and I watched football, checking on them, occasionally.

They finally came inside, and the beast was back. Maggie didn't seem to mind and came and snuggled me. Fido curled at her feet and she rested them on him. "I love my puppy, Daddy," she said.

I squeezed her. "I'm glad, Baby Girl. Did you have a happy birthday?"

Those adorable yellow eyes looked up at me and her curls bounced as she nodded. "I did. Thank you, Daddy."

That was the beginning of something different, and the end of something else. Brianna began to pull away from us, and the reason was that she was "unhappy with Maggie's mother being around so much." It was plain that I still had "feelings" for her, she claimed, and she stopped accepting dates with me.

Nina was around, too. She started dropping in on us on a regular basis. I asked her why, and she was evasive. "I love my daughter and want to spend time with her on a real plane," she said.

"See, I never really got that," I said. "Why is she with me, Nina? Why did you give her to me? Why did you wait four years, and why are you being all "Mom" now? I would never have known about her."

"She belongs with you," she said. "You're her father."

"You're her mother, why doesn't she belong with you? Don't get me wrong, I'd die for her, and you'd have to kill me to take her, but why?"