The Witch and the Incubus Ch. 06

"Okay."

Alex broke the hug and smiled bitterly. "I mean, you'd think he'd realize it's not a phase after my first two surgeries... There are only so many times someone can threaten to disown you before you begin to wonder if you'd be better without them. So, yeah."

"What bedroom are we putting this in?" Nevada asked.

"My room, apparently. Is this the bitch?" Salpsan spat as he strode into the room. Caliban and Lilith were right behind him.

"THAT'S ENOUGH SALPSAN!" Caliban growled.

"No - that's not enough CALIBAN! You used to be a real demon - the kind of demon that would lay waste to an entire village for one blood-fueled week of debauchery. The mortals would either worship or fear you - there was nothing in between. What the fuck happened to you?!" he yelled.

"I fucking grew up, maggot. If you don't start showing me the respect I deserve..." Caliban warned.

"The things you did in Jericho alone would make the likes of Caligula and Marques de Sade blush. You used to fuck your whores until they bled from their holes, and then..."

"Fuck you, Salpsan. You don't fucking get it, do you?"

"...and then," Salpsan yelled over Caliban, "you'd slaughter them when they became useless and fed them to the others! YOU INVENTED CANNIBALISM, CALIBAN!" The room fell silent. "They didn't know that, did they?" Salpsan cackled. "And I'm being punished because I wanted one of them to dance..."

Caliban growled as he twisted and flexed his muscles, tearing through his clothing as he transformed into a dark red-skinned demon.

"Oh-Ho! Big man!" Salpsan smiled as he looked up to Caliban. "What are you going to do now?!"

Caliban grabbed Salpsan by his face and yelled, "GO BACK TO HELL!" There was a bright light, and when it had faded, Salpsan was gone.

Caliban looked behind him. Layla watched his face for any trace of denial of what Salpsan had said - waited for him to deny the accusation or at least give it context so she could understand. Instead, Caliban's mouth twisted in anger while his eyes betrayed a sense of profound guilt. He turned, still in his demon form, and walked away.

As he turned the corner out of view, Layla doubled over and threw up.

"Lilith? Did you know about this?" Nevada asked, almost begging for some explanation.

"I knew he did awful things - he even admitted a few to me - but nothing like this," she whispered in response.

"Am I the only one that's not shocked?" Alexandra said. Everyone turned to her.

"DON'T START!" Layla screamed. "DON'T YOU FUCKING START WITH THAT SHIT!"

"I wasn't going to. He's a broken man, Layla - in a way that's deeper than any of us can even fathom. He told me what Hell is like. It scared me so much, I just, I can't help but pity him." She uttered as she stared where he had stood.

"You, of all people, are defending him?!" Sarah looked at Alex in disbelief.

"I'm not defending what he's done. I'm telling you that he was punished long before he committed the crime..."