The first thing that Solene saw when she woke up was her dear husband’s face smiling down at her. Due to her training, it had been weeks since they slept together. She missed that element of their marriage and of course, this too. Nothing was better in the morning than waking up with Henri’s smile welcoming her. She wished to give him a morning kiss but he actually beat her to it.
“Good morning, beautiful,” he greeted. His hand reached her face, caressed it, and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.
“Henri…” Her lips broke into a contented smile then.
“How are you feeling?” He moved closer and started kissing her neck, placing small hickeys and creating tingly sensations all over her skin.
Solene released a delighted hum. She angled her head to the side and allowed him more access.
“Surprisingly, I feel fine,” she answered after considerable thought of last night: two Henris, two wonderful cocks, and them, penetrating her at once. No pain thanks to their power. No ickiness. Nothing at all. What a wild ride it was and she loved it.
“Good,” he muttered, continuing to bombard her with kisses. His cock had lengthened already, ready to pierce her at any moment. “Because you might want to prepare. Anklet will be arriving soon and you wouldn’t want her to see you still bare.”
Solene wrapped her arms around his chest and invited, “Shower with me then? Let’s be wet together.”
Henri’s lips turned upward. “How could I refuse if my queen orders me like that?”
He picked her up from the mattress without the bedsheet, walked her to the bathroom, and laid her inside the bathtub. He joined her there then and made love to her again all the while the warm water ran.
Solene was in heaven’s gate again. His kisses were so fine. His touch and mouth praised her in every inch possible. His cock made her feel full again just like last night and she knew she was making love to both of them in one body. She didn’t want it to end, but reality had caught up with her and it was time to face it.
“Stay?” she asked as they both stood up in front of her bathroom mirror, sporting a post-orgasm glow. Her eyes trained on his lean abdomen reflected by the mirror, salivated while watching it, and craving to touch it again.
Henri chuckled at this and embraced her from behind.
“I want to but you’re still in training, Solene. Ursula has strict rules regarding me bothering you.”
“You didn’t bother me, I summoned you,” she corrected.
“Hm, yes, correct, but be that as it may, she’ll have my head if I stick around any longer.” He blew a gentle air onto her ear, making her bit her lip in response. “You’re almost at the finish line, Love. Your emotions are balanced now so you can—”
“Oh! Of course!” Solene interrupted in a jovial tone. “I can complete that spell!”
She moved to face him and happily gave him a quick peck on the lips.
Henri smirked at her, happy to see her excited mood. “Glad that I gave you a boost.”
He watched as she dressed in haste; watched how her curves moved, how her breasts bounced, how his hickeys covered her skin. He registered it all in his head and cherished it. The next time they would meet would be the day after. By then, she’d formally become his equal.
*
*
*
“Good morning Milady Solene,” Anklet greeted when she found her Mistress already in the living room with the grimoire on her lap.
Solene looked up and greeted back, “Good morning too Anklet.” They exchanged smiles before she proceeded to flip the pages of the book to the Creation Spell.
Anklet slowly examined her: new set of clothes, her hair into a high ponytail, her skin in a pinkish glow and her lips a healthy red like her Mistress had bit it many times.
“You look so much better now than yesterday, Milady. Have you properly rested?” she innocently inquired.
Solene gave her a nod. “Yes, Henri helped me,” she replied.
The latter was taken aback. “The… Master was here?” For a good reason, she knew Henri was off-limits in Lady Ursula’s plane. If he was here with her then that meant he broke the rules. Was she allowed to keep a blind eye to it?
“I inadvertently summoned him yesterday,” Solene added after sensing her bodyguard’s discomfort.
Anklet stepped back now feeling even more uncomfortable. “By summon… you mean…”
“Yes, I know he is the king of the Underworld, Anklet,” Solene voiced out in a firm tone. “I know he is the Demon of Death personified.”
Anklet’s shoulder shrunk. “Oh…” she said, feeling considerably less anxious now that the big secret was out.
Solene however crossed her arms and gave her sharp stares. “You could have told me earlier about this truth, you know. It would have saved me time to complete the spell.”
Anklet hastily lowered her head. “I apologize, Milady. Lady Ursula has strict orders not to tell you and so did Master Henri.”
Solene slouched on her couch and released a sigh.
“Hm, that’s fine. It worked out great anyway,” she expressed, giving the latter an understanding smile. “Now, I’ll be finishing this spell.”
“I’ll give you space, Milady. I’ll just be outside,” Anklet offered and with that, she left the hut.
Solene, now alone, concentrated on the Creation Spell. The pot of sunflower seeds laid on the coffee table in front of her waited as she spoke the incantation. A few days ago, she had a hard time finishing the spell due to her emotional imbalance. Now, she felt rejuvenated, renewed, and at peace with herself and with her emotions, so after chanting the incantations, the seeds quickly sprouted healthy stem and leaves.
Solene was ecstatic to see this. She jumped out of her couch and tossed her arms up in the air.
“Yes!” she cried out, feeling proud of herself and this accomplishment.
Now, returning to her seat, she decided to advance the seedling into a fully grown sunflower plant. She picked up her grimoire again, chanted the incantations, and set her sights on the green leaves. A bright yellow light appeared surrounding the plant and within seconds, it shot up into the ceiling, showing off the biggest sunflower shape Solene had ever seen.
“Oh my goodness, you’re such a beauty!” she exclaimed. “Anklet! Come and see!”
In less than a minute, Anklet entered the hut with an expectant face. She saw the sunflower and her Mistress’s cheerful face and this made her happy too.
“Congratulations Milady!” she cried out.
“Thank you Anklet. I have finally fulfilled all of Lady Ursula’s orders!” Solene voiced out. She stood up from her seat, caressed the delicate yellow petals of the sunflower and giggled to herself.
“Will you plant this sunflower for me? I don’t want it to wilt.”
Anklet entered the living room in haste and replied, “Of course, Milady. I will plant this near the river.”
Solene smiled on her way. “Thank you Anklet.” She watched as the latter lifted the giant out of the room. The stem and flower were holding strong so she didn’t need to worry about it during transport. With a satisfied smile, she sat back on her couch and grabbed the grimoire.
Now, everything was turning better for her: her marriage, her inner peace, and her position as a conjurer. What was left was her birthday and the issue of demons, spectrals and elementals haunting her. Confidently, she knew she could protect herself and others now, but still, there was this gnawing feeling inside her; a feeling deep within her gut. The voices in the grimoire had been sending her vague warnings too. It had been going on for days now.
Straightening her spine, she flipped the pages of the grimoire and it magically stopped at a once-blank page of the book.
‘My dear Solene, if you can read my writing now it means you have successfully prepared yourself into becoming a full-fledged conjurer. I know the path wasn’t easy, the training taxing and the spells exhausting, but I’m happy you made it. However, I wish I could say that your next path ahead will be easier. Unfortunately, it is not. Your life will experience more trials. You will face death again and again. I want you to be prepared. I want you to…”
Solene read on, registering and dissecting his words in her mind. The more she read, the more she understood her situation ahead. Her father didn’t warn her exactly of what will come of her future, but he taught her how to prepare.
Minutes into her reading, a maid entered the hut. It was Cassandra.
Solene looked up and instantly her eyelids fluttered in surprise. After their argument days ago, she actually expected the maid to avoid serving her, but here she was and with a tray of food in hand.
“I brought refreshments, Milady,” Cassandra stated as she entered the living room.
“Cassandra.” Solene left the couch. Her face was a picture of confusion and slight discomfort. “I thought we were clear about not needing to serve me?” she asked with her arms crossed.
“Yes, that’s right, Mistress,” Cassandra cast her eyes downward and showed a remorseful look, “but I wish to make amends.”
Solene’s expression lightened. “You don’t need to. I understood what you went through. I understood your side. I already forgave you.”
“Thank you, Mistress. You’re so kind,” Cassandra lowered her head and thereafter placed the tray of food on the nearby desk. She lit a scented candle and prepared the refreshment all the while Solene returned to reading the grimoire.
“That smells good,” Solene stated once the scent of the candle filled the room. It was close to rose and citrus combined.
“Mrs. Su usually uses this when preparing for a funeral, Milady,” Cassandra explained. “Do you want some tea?”
“No, thank you. I’ll serve myself later,” Solene replied, still feeling a bit awkward with Cassandra’s presence. “Wait, did you say funeral?”
She eyed the maid again, but this time, the once remorseful look changed to a gleam of wickedness.
“Cassa… ndra?” Solene muttered, her body suddenly feeling heavy. Her lids started to droop and her breathing became strained. Her neck stiffened just as she fell back on the couch. Unable to hold her grimoire, the book fell to the floor with a loud thud.
“She’s dead,” Cassandra announced with an echo of a man’s gravelly voice.
With this, Solene realized the dangerous situation she was in, but how? How could a demon actually possess somebody inside the estate and worse, be able to enter Lady Ursula’s plane?
“I must say, she was slowly turning a new leaf,” the disguised demon sat opposite Solene’s seat and smirked. “I almost couldn’t use her as my pawn. Lucky me I only needed just a small amount of her hatred to be able to possess her.”
Hatred… of course, Solene thought. That damn negative emotion had brought nothing but misery to her.
“Hello Solene,” Cassandra greeted but her eyes lacked mirth. “I’m so glad to finally be able to meet you.”
“Wh—o a—e yo—?” Solene tried to say, but her voice came out broken.
The demon sat as if it was in its throne: shoulders all squared and leaking an aura filled with sickening haughtiness.
“I’m Prince Amon, one of the seven princes of Hell, rightful next-in-line to the throne of the Demon Realm,” he declared using Cassandra’s voice.
Solene’s eyes squinted. She remembered Lady Ursula’s lessons about demons. True, they had a hierarchy in their realm and the seven deadly sins of humans represented the seven princes of Hell. She didn’t know them by name save from the one Lady Ursula mentioned being an important ally in the future, Prince Andrei, the crown prince of Hell. The Demon Prince of Pride. It was unfortunate this demon in her front was no Prince Andrei.
“Oh, you can’t see me in my true form,” he said after seeing no recognition in her eyes. “I’m bound to this earth vessel,”—he pointed to all of Cassandra and continued—”In addition, if I transform into my real self in this plane, your husband will likely know and that won’t be good for me.”
“Wh—t… d… y—o—wan—t fr—m… me?” she struggled to say.
“What do I want from you?” Amon echoed; his eyes in a red glow.
“Well, I want what any demon, spectral or elemental wants, your body. I want to cross over into the human world. As the Demon of Wrath, my realm isn’t enough for me. I want to expand my influence. Earth is the best because it has an unlimited source of hatred. I’m not satisfied with demon possessions alone, sweetling. I want to fully exist in the human realm.”
Solene sent him sharp glares. Amon saw this and scoffed.
“Your unique eyes remind me of your father. He was very stubborn you know.” He changed his position in a way that looked like Cassandra was seducing a man: legs folded and breasts pushed up. “I ordered him to summon me but he declined, so I had to choose the next option: his death. I had my half-demon kill him. His body would have served me as a vessel, but my henchman failed to bring your father’s body to me because of the King of Sattus’s intervention.”
“Hm—ph!” Solene tried to move, but an invisible force stopped her. Feeling hopeless, a lone tear streamed down her cheek.
“You can’t move. The incense filling this room is paralyzing your body. I mixed it with my special poison, sweetling. I’m just giving you a chance to breathe because I wanted us to talk first.”
Out of nowhere, a cigarette appeared in between his fingers and it lit up on its own. He started puffing from it, the smoke consequently got mixed with the candle’s scent.
“Now, summoning me or using your body to enter the human realm isn’t my goal anymore,” he started again. “I’m eyeing a bigger prize now. My father, the King of Demons, recently died. He and I had the same views: we hate the King of Sattus and we want for the demon realm and the spiritual realm to merge. Easily, I could have become the next king but my brother, fuck him, claimed the throne right away.”
Cassandra then stood up and neared Solene, her hand reaching to touch her sweat-covered forehead.
“So this brings me to you, Queen of the Sattus.” His eyes dipped into her cleavage, but it didn’t show any hint of lust. It showed far sinister reasons than that: the desire for blood to gush out of her fair skin. “As you are right now, you can’t escape from my control. You’re weak, but tomorrow midnight is another story. On your birthday, you would have more than enough power to kill high-class demons. This means you are a threat to me and my plans.”
“He—in w—l… ki—l… yo—!” Solene managed to shout out, her eyesight blurring by the minute.
“Not if I kill him first.” He flashed a wicked, confident smile. “And the same goes to my stupid brother.”
She tried to summon her four-headed familiar; tried to cast a spell but both were unsuccessful. Something was blocking it and she was certain it was because of this damn demon.
His cigarette morphed into a different object. It was sharp. It was deadly. It was a black-bladed dagger and the tip was directed at her chest.
“Sorry, not sorry, sweetling. I can’t allow you to live beyond today.”
HENRI!
That was the last thing on Solene’s mind before pain, real and intense, replaced the anguish in her heart.