3

"Don't panic, girl," Cesar said by way of consolation. "Practice is the best teacher."

I managed a weak snort. Easier said than done! He wasn't the clueless one about to face a demon for the first time. Oh yes, they had indeed explained a few things to me but it all had happened in a rush as midnight was approaching and everybody was afraid that Arthur might return soon. So what? It was past one in the morning already — and still no sign of the incubus.

"Just relax," Cesar repeated for the umpteenth time. The door to the en suite was left ajar, letting in a streak of light that weakened the flickering of the candles.

"Stop saying that! Just tell me once again what I need to do," I lay in bed fully clothed, covering my bare legs with the corner of a quilt. I'd asked them about some sexy underwear and stuff, but both men had hushed me up, saying something about the demons' love for all things natural and adding that we didn't have enough time to do the shopping, anyway. They'd allowed me to take a quick shower, though. Now Cesar sat on a chair by the en suite door, ready to switch off the light at a moment's notice, while I lounged in bed practicing various poses I believed to be sexy.

"There are two types of demons, warm and cold," Cesar went on. "Four elements: earth, fire, air and water. I hope you don't mind me telling you this over and over again because no one gets it right the first time. Fire and earth are warm elements, air and water are cold."

"What's there not to understand?" I asked.

"The thing is, female demons are always either water or earth. Which means a succubus can be either warm or cold. Which makes incubi either fire or air respectively: that is to say, also warm or cold."

"Now wait," I started counting. "Female are water and air..."

"Earth."

"Yes, earth, sorry. But I don't need to know about the female ones, do I? What if I only study the incubi for now? They can be either fire or air, right? The former warm, the latter cold. In order to exorcise the warm ones you need warm herbs, and vice versa?"

"Quite the opposite. The demons of fire love warm fumes. They enjoy them like you would enjoy a warm bath."

"But why all these braziers, then? Won't he enjoy them? I can barely breathe with all the smoke. It gets into my eyes!"

"Don't jump the gun. Haven't you noticed all the other herbs surrounding the pentagram?"

I giggled as I thought about Danny with his ass stuck out when he'd shoved his dried bunches under the rug. "Those were the cold herbs? Because you wanted to be sure you catch the demon even when you don't have time to determine his nature?"

"You don't hang around, do you?" Cesar sounded pleased. "Yes, it's quite common for a hunter to act without due preparation. That's why we need to have a full set of herbs on us at all times. Didn't you see all those bunches in my apartment? Hanging under the ceiling drying?"

"I did. Actually, I've been meaning to ask you. When you took me to your place, everything was ready for action there. Does that mean you have to keep all those braziers and things burning twenty-four-seven?"

"Is that what you thought?" he sounded surprised. "No, of course not. I only light them before I go out hunting. You didn't think I just happened to be in that bar enjoying a drink, did you? Oh, no. I was on the lookout for succubi. That's what we do when we don't have any customers, check clubs and bars for any trespassers."

"Some job you've got. But how about the weapons? The noose and the dart?"

Cesar nodded and reached out to rearrange the covers on my bare knees. "Exactly. The noose is for the warm demons as it's made with dry, cold herbs. The dart for the cold ones, as it's made with warm wood which was soaked in hot herbal extracts. The brazier fumes and the herbs that line the pentagram lock the demon within, not letting him or her escape the hunter. And the touch of herbal essences in the noose or the dart disembodies them."

"As in kills them?"

"Well, how can I say it... we don't really know. One theory claims that disembodied demons don't disappear but rather reduce themselves to a lower energy form. And after that, they can leak back into their own dimension."

"You want to say they precipitate."

He suppressed a smile. "You could say that. What's important is that they never come back to our world."

"But can they come back, theoretically? In order to... to wreak their revenge?"

"No good you thinking about that."

"What am I supposed to think about, then? I'd rather you went through the whole shebang once again. I tend to forget things when I'm nervous. Are you sure he can't see the en suite light through the window? What if that's why he's not coming?"

"Concentrate," once again Cesar began unbending his fingers, explaining nothing this time, only going over the main points. "First you need to buy you some time to allow the herbs to build up a good concentration of essential oils in the air. Secondly..."

I listened intently while focusing on the silence in the hallway. Soon the sound of footsteps would echo through it — the sound I feared so much and yet couldn't wait to hear. "My head is spinning with all the smoke," I said.

"Just don't think about it. The most important thing is your kissing him. That's how the demon sucks sexual energy out of a human. Think you remember? Should I show you again?"

"Please don't!" My lips were already numb with kissing. I didn't think I'd be able to enjoy kissing any more. I'd been unable to concentrate on what I was feeling as Cesar kept pulling himself away, critical of my actions, just when I was getting into it. You're doing it too fast; don't stick your tongue out; don't curve your lips; too soft; too hard; keep your mouth closed; keep your mouth open... That wasn't the way to treat your student! All work and no play — not even a sincere kiss. Having said that, when both Cesar and I'd finally thought I got it, he'd given me one final kiss, and it was like, mmm, too good to be true.

How had I managed to allow Cesar to drag me into all this? He was utterly cool, no doubt about it, but still. The thought scared me. And did I detect a shiver of anticipation running through my body? I'd have given anything to just make him stay with me a little longer.

"Keep the noose under your pillow," Cesar kept instructing me, "so that you can easily reach it. Don't forget that all incubi are ugly as hell so don't be too scared when it comes out. Demons can't cling well to the host body when excited so getting them out is a piece of cake. The most difficult part begins once they're already out."

"Can they hurt the hunter?"

"You shouldn't think about that."

"You mean he can hurt me?"

"Focus just on pulling him out. I'll take care of the rest. If he keeps Arthur as a host for a few more days..."

"And what if he's not coming because he can sense you here?"

"He's too fixated on your aura to notice mine," still, Cesar reached for the switch and turned the light off. "I think you need another kiss," he walked over to the bed. "He'll sense your arousal like a cook senses the smell of a pie baking in the oven."

I felt his warm hand sliding down my chest and kicked the darkness. "Don't get anywhere near me! I'm too wound up as it is."

Having adapted to the change in lighting, my eyes could now discern Cesar's outline skulking toward the en suite door in the flickering of the candles.

Then I heard footsteps outside. Cesar gestured his encouragement before disappearing inside the en suite. I sprawled out on the bed, repeating his instructions. Have a chat first. A bit of flirting. By no means let him jump on me at once, but also not resist too hard as it drives demons up the wall, making them unpredictable.

The footsteps died out by the door. Had he opened it? I couldn't hear a thing. There was no light coming from the hallway of this deceptively sleepy house. Actually, some of its inhabitants could be sleeping, I thought with a sudden bout of envy. They didn't have to worry about a visitation from an angry and unpredictable demon.

A dark outline stepped out of the shadows by the wall, walking into the circle of candles. My mind rushed. Kissing him was the most important thing. I had to kiss him. When the demon's forked tongue materialized in our reality, I had to feel for it and pull it out with my own tongue, simultaneously shrinking back. That would force the incubus out of the host's body. The pentagram concealed under the rug, the braziers and the candles lining it would create a protective circuit, not allowing the demon to escape back into his dimension. Then, not giving him time to come to his senses, I had to throw the noose around his neck and pull it tight. Enter Cesar, all so cool and fearless, who helps me to strangle the demon. We disembody the creature together — eh voila! We're victorious!

I squeezed my eyes shut and visualized the entire process the way they teach you at various self-help seminars. The mental movie ended too quickly, forcing me to open my eyes to the sound of soft footsteps and loud breathing.

Arthur was draped in a cloak. I blinked, but the illusion didn't go. The opalescent fabric hugged his shoulders, shrouding his wasted frame.

"Are you any better?" I heard.

"Much better... But I think I'll stay in bed for a while," I said in my best weak voice while sliding my hand under the pillow to check on the noose. It was there, grassy and still damp.

"Sure," Arthur chuckled as he approached, bending over me. "Mind if I sit with you for a bit?"

He was wearing jeans and the same acid-blue shirt he'd had on earlier. No jacket — he must have left it upstairs. I reached out — no, he wasn't wearing any cloak. Why would he? Just an optical illusion caused by the flickering candles and the layers of smoke from the braziers.

"Suit yourself," I moved off ever so slightly, allowing him to perch on the edge of the bed so that our bodies touched.

"What's with all these rituals?" he nodded at the candles on the floor. "Were you and Cesar up to something? Hope I didn't interrupt anything? Where is he, by the way?"

Oh, we'd come up with a perfectly good answer to this question. "He's out with your dad," I complained weakly. "He needs Cesar's help with something or other. I've done the room up so nicely for a quiet romantic evening and he's not even here! Does this happen often? What kind of business could he possibly have with your dad?"

Arthur touched my forehead with a finger, slowly tracing my nose, my lips, my chin. "Never bothered to ask them," he smiled. "They lock themselves in that cellar or in the conservatory and they talk and talk for hours. Boring. I'd rather you tell me a bit about yourself. What do you do?" his finger slid down my neck, then my chest.

"Oh," I groaned involuntarily.

"You don't like it?" he asked, his eyes laughing.

"On the contrary," I mumbled, embarrassed, trying to breathe faster. How was I supposed to know what demons liked? What would they want you to do? How could I find that out? "I study at City College. And I work as a waitress... at least I did until tonight," I paused, remembering the reason for my quitting the job. Better not tell Arthur about that — okay, not Arthur but the incubus inside him.

"Would you like me to replace him?"

"Depends on what you mean by that."

His finger stopped at the neckline of my T-shirt and began tracing it thoughtfully, leaving a warm glow behind. I could almost see a trail of sparks left on my upper chest. What a shame Gran's locket was broken! Its fragments were now stuffed in my desk drawer of my campus room. Why had Gran given it to me actually?

The thought was unexpected but familiar: I'd asked myself the same thing quite a few times before. Had she known something about me?

Bid for time, Cesar had said, but by now his words began to fade into the crimson haze enveloping my brain.

I couldn't think straight. A fire was building up inside my body. My skin grew incredibly sensitive, making me shiver under his soft touch. No guy had ever made me feel anything like this! Was it because he was an incubus?

"I'd suggest a pillow fight but I don't think you'd like that," I said, trying to cool down. Inconspicuously I slid my hand under the pillow again. The touch of the cool grass braid cleared my head a little. Excellent. This could help me to keep my mind in check.

Arthur threw his head back, laughing cheerfully like a boy. Then he bent over me, his eyes laughing. "I can think of something better than that."

He was very young — same age as me probably, virtually a boy. It had to be the demon inside him that made him look older and more experienced. I lay with my arm thrown behind my head, my hand under the pillow keeping contact with the noose. Arthur took my other hand and raised it over my head, too.

Even through all the covers I could feel the heat emitting from him. I was boiling. Dammit, Allison, you shouldn't give in! I bit my lip. This wasn't real! This was only incubi magic! You have to stay calm. You have to kiss him.

I tried to look into his eyes. With Cesar's instructions still fresh in my memory, all I needed to do was wait for our lips to touch. And that wasn't going to take long, by the looks of it.

He ran his hands up my arms, burning them, stooping lower over me. His fingers clenched my wrists. Suddenly his face was above mine. His lips parted, showing the tip of his tongue. Unable to fight it off any longer, I closed my eyes and leaned toward him. He was so excruciatingly hot.

"You're on fire too, babe," he whispered in my ear, his cheek brushing my lips. I groaned in disappointment. Wrong place! He'd missed my lips!

But he seemed to have a plan, too. He ran the tip of his tongue around my earlobe, tickling me behind the ear. "Just relax, babe. I'll take care of it all. I want you to forget everything, babe," he repeated like a spell.

In one unperceivable motion, he straddled me, his tongue still tracing my ear, my neck, the outline of my lips. I groaned; I couldn't help it. What did he think he was doing? I wasn't going to last much longer! I could barely breathe: the braziers surely must have done their work by now.

Arching my body under his, I reached for him with my mouth, parting my lips. I was going to kiss him the way Cesar had taught me. I just hoped his forked incubi tongue wouldn't scare me witless — if I could feel anything at all in this aroused state, that is. And fear — I was scared out of my mind. What if the creature was not just ugly but some kind of horror-film monster, what was going to happen then? Would I still be able to catch it with the noose?

"Slow down, babe," Arthur squeezed me with his hips, collapsing on top of me. I groaned again. I didn't care about disembodying him anymore. All I could think of was my own desire.

"Wait," he said as if answering my inner call. His fingers reached under the pillow, laced in mine and pulled something out gently. The noose. No!

In a swift motion, he wrapped the noose tight around my wrists, tying it to the bedrest. I lay there strapped. What was he doing? What was I gonna do? Help!

I really can't tell you whether his tongue was forked or not. Honestly, I wasn't in a position to tell anything at all. I'd forgotten all about Cesar — actually, I think I'd forgotten about him earlier — as I threw everything out of my mind, giving in to the ecstasy. I'd never, ever felt so good in my life. Arthur seemed to know all my sensitive spots, his hot strong tongue reaching me in exactly the right places, making me groan and shriek as I arched toward him. At moments I had this sensation as if his tongue was actually a flame of fire but it didn't burn me. His hands seemed to leave a trail of sparks on my body. I squeezed my eyes shut but I could see everything with my inner vision, like the dance of some fiery silhouettes on the bed amid the glimmer of the candles.

Arthur was drinking my skin as if collecting something from it. The ecstasy of his touch had gradually disappeared in a mental haze as I was losing control, growing weaker. I didn't remember the exact moment I'd passed out.

I woke up with the feeling of somebody watching me. I struggled to move. It felt like slow motion. Whatever had happened to me? My whole body was heavy, my hands like slabs of stone as if I'd spent all day yesterday doing heavy labor.

Finally I managed to focus — and suppressed a shriek. A very angry Cesar hovered over me.

"You scared me! Where's Arthur?"

Cesar undid my bounds and took a moment to massage my wrists. I knew of course I was supposed to feel guilty but I was too weak to care. Yes, so I failed my mission.

"How could you have allowed him to do this to you? Are you a masochist or something?"

I knew I had to be ashamed of myself but I was too tired. Instead, I felt offended. "Do I look like one?"

My eyelids felt heavy. Suddenly I was terribly sleepy.

"No. You're just too much into kissing and stuff."

"So what if I am?" I yawned, feeling too weak to cover my mouth. "What difference does it make?"

"Huge difference!" Cesar snapped, furious. "They obey your desires!"

"Why the hell didn't you tell me?" I couldn't keep my eyes open. I rested my head on the pillow and stared at him, trying to stay awake.

"I thought you knew that! Everybody knows that!"

"Well, I didn't. So what happened?"

"What do you think? You've slept with an incubus and he's soaked up your energy!" Cesar grabbed at his head. "How am I going to explain this to Robert?"

"Soaked up my energy?" I repeated through my slumber.

"Demons don't do it for their own pleasure. They feed on your released sexual energy. And judging by the groans I heard, tonight he's had one hell of a meal."

Okay, so he was right. I'd blown it. And still it had felt so good.

Which was my last thought before I passed out.

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