Firstborn (The Legacy Series) (11 page)

W
e spent three days hopping from one motel to another. I taught Abi some basics on controlling her energy flow, so she wasn’t sending out a strong signal. But it wasn’t fool proof.

The most important part was
getting on that boat.

So
, I told Amaymon my plan and he laughed. Then, he explained in explicit detail just how dumb I was and how one can’t simply buy tickets to such a thing. You have to check availability – one tiny nick which I had overlooked.

Then
, he suggested a sure fire way to get on the boat without technically breaking any rules. “Use the girl.”

When I glared at him, he elaborated. “You can’t force your way through. I mean, you can. But then you would whine about how bad a decision that was and give me a headache. You need someone to mess with their heads, to make them do your bidding and Abigale
, here, is the perfect person to do so.”

I waved him quiet. “So
, you want her to seduce whoever is in charge into signing our names down?”

“Yes.”

“Doesn’t that strike you as immoral?”

“Ah
, yes,” he replied. “Immoral. I’m sure if you explained that nicely to your sister and her angels she’ll call off the chase. What’s her number again?”

“I get it, I get it,” I said.

And that’s how that went down. We parked outside their office the following day and went over our game plan.

“All I need is for them to be fuzzy,” I instructed. “Think you can cover that?”

I intended to               do most of the talking, anyway.

Amaymon had other ideas.

“Hey, Abi. What kinda car do you drive?”

Abigale looked at him quizzically. “A Lexus convertible. Why?”

“Figures. So, are you loaded?”

“No,” she replied. “I got it at a good price.”

“Uh-huh,” said the cat.

“What are you getting at, Amaymon?” I asked

“She charmed the dealer,” he replied flatly.

“No, I did not!” she replied loudly.

“How did you feel when you talked to the guy? When you got the car?” he asked.

The girl shook her head. “I don’t know. Happy?”

“Of course, happy. Look deeper.”

“I don’t know.”

Amaymon stood on all fours and climbed onto her lap. “You felt in control. Euphoric. You felt like you were a dominating force and had control over anything.”

Abigale swallowed hard.

“I - I’m not sure. I might have. How do you know all this?”

Amaymon purred.

“I’m a demon, too, girl. That’s how we roll.” He flicked his tail and rubbed his head with his front paw before sitting down elegantly on her lap.

“Listen to me
− you and I, we’re of the same mould. Sure, yeah, I’m a full demon older than Earth itself and you’re a genetic mix between demon and human, but our fundamental nature is the same.”

He stared intently at her. “We get our powers from chaos
. It’s our nature.”

She stared back at him, as if in a trance.

“If you’re trying to make a point, just spit it out, Amaymon. We’re on a schedule,” I said.

Amaymon flicked his head irritably. “Okay, here’s the key. What is the one thing that makes humans so chaotic?” he asked as he alternated his gaze between the two humans in the car.

Neither of us had any idea what he was talking about.

“Emotions!” he yelled after a while. “Holy kittens, how did you ever make it as a species?”

He let out an exaggerated sigh and turned back to the succubus.

“Tap into those emotions. Dominate, control. I want you to walk in there like you own the place and everyone in it, got it?”

“Are you sure?”

“He might be onto something here,” I said. “But I still don’t want you to go overboard with it. Just let me do the talking, OK?”

She jerked her head into a nod.

We entered the office and it was cle
ar which of us was in control. Abigale’s stride suggested a profession where cameras flash, fans swoon, and salaries are well above the six zero figure. She walked in front of me, her pose almost suggesting that she was blessing each tile by stepping over it. She reached the counter and looked at the guy behind the desk. He was completely lost in her gaze. She said something and made delicate movements with her hands. There was a subliminal sway of her body which made everyone’s brain stop working − including mine.

The poor guy behind the desk never stood a chance.

We were offered coffee even though we didn’t order any. Heck, I didn’t even know this place gave you coffee − no one else had any.

There was one guy who kept passing by our desk. I guess
he was trying to burn her image into his skull. I really hoped he’d be alright. Lust over a fantasy has driven too many men over the edge even without magical enhancement.

I had managed to resist her charm but that didn’t mean I was out of it. Let’s just say
that walking became very awkward.

I let her speak – anything I would say would sound like white noise at this point. Instead
, I used the time to reflect on something. This was some serious power she had. I doubt even one person in the building was unaffected by her.

And she was only a budding succubus
− not even at full power yet. Just how strong will she get once she’s fully mature?

And then
, that small voice spoke.
If she goes rogue, will I be able to take her down?
I really hate that voice. The deal was done and a few minutes later, Abi and I were the happy couple with the Imperial suite. But as we walked outside, she did not drop her glamour.

“Abi?”

She turned, the brunt of her power aimed at the only person there – me.

“What?” she whispered in a tone that made me fantasize very depraving things about the two of us.
Her hand snaked onto my shoulder and it was like the air had left the atmosphere. I couldn’t breathe.

Then
, Dark Erik showed up again, like a Deus Ex Machina. I felt my power push against hers. And I have something to admit − I only made it out because she was still a novice.

I grabbed her shoulders firmly and hugged her. She yelped but I didn’t care.

I know what you’re thinking – but no, I did not lose it. I just needed her inside my aura. I fired off a spell aimed directly at us. The temperature plummeted so violently, it was painful. Snow formed around us as the moisture in the air crystalized.

W
e both jumped away from each other, the notion of lust congealed safely away. We stood there for a minute, panting at one another. She refused to meet my eyes.

“It’s normal,” I said after a while.

She gave me a reproached look.

“I’d be more worried if you weren’t attracted to power,” I insisted

“How so?” Her voice was a whisper but there was nothing sensual about it.

I smiled at her.

“Because then you wouldn’t be human.”

She smiled at me and I gave her a reassuring look.

Amaymon’s head popped from the car.

“Did I miss anything?”

15

They say you never know how big something is until you see it up close.

Here’s an idea of how big this ship was
− I could see it from forty-five minutes away. As we got closer it got bigger and bigger, until I lost count of how many times I wondered how such a gargantuan hunk of metal could float.

We walked up the carpeted
gangplank-like thing where sailors welcomed newcomers. Abi showed them our tickets and once again I saw loopy smiles on their faces. They completely ignored me. That was just fine by me. I get enough stares back home.

Besides
, I had some stuff in my gym bag which I’m sure was not allowed in any public place.

As soon as we were alone in our room, my gym bag began shaking violently.

“Erik,” came Amaymon’s muffled voice from inside. “I know we’re alone now. Let me out.”

The cat struggled inside the gym bag. We could only manage to afford two tickets in the end, so Amaymon had to be stuffed inside the bag with my belongings and sn
uck aboard as a cat. He had made some obvious pun on the cat literally being inside the bag and complied. I think he was actually looking forward to it.

N
ow, I made him regret his decision.

I chucked the bag on the king
-sized bed and just watched the show. It was like something out of a cartoon as the bag hopped from side to side.

“The all-powerfu
l Amaymon, brought down by the mighty zipper,” I said as Abi stifled a laugh and joined me as we watched the struggle. Soon we were both giggling like idiots.

“Erik! Let me out of this damn bag!”

Nah, not yet. It’s not every day I get to screw the cat over.

“I swear to God, Erik, if you don’t let me out of here I am going to mark my territory over everything inside here. Let me out of this bag, you son of a bitch,” he yelled from the bag. Then he went quiet.

The damn cat was pissing on my equipment.

I rushed over and unzipped the bag, freeing the cat inside.

“Good one,” he said. “That makes our tally one for you and a million for me.”

I chuckled proudly.

“I’m starting to think you guys are a bunch of idiots,” said Abigale as she rummaged inside her bag. She pulled out a colorful article of clothing and waved it in my face.

“I am going to go change. Don’t let him peep,” she said, aiming the last part at the cat.

Amaymon scoffed at her. “I can only imagine the hot babes here. Who would waste time on you, little girl?”

A cushion sailed across the room and hit the cat.

“Could you not be disgusting for a second?” I asked him as I checked to make sure none of my stuff smelled like cat urine.

“I lick myself clean,” he replied. “What do you think?”

Before I could come up with an answer, the phone rang.

“Hello?”

There was a breath on the other side and a soft chuckle. “Hello, brother.”

Oh, crap.

“Oh, crap.” I’m not one to hide my feelings.

“How are you enjoying your stay?” asked Gil smoothly on the other side.

“How did you find me?”

“Painstakingly,” she replied. “We have to meet.”

“I disagree,” I replied as I prepared to hang up on her.

“The angels agreed to talk.”

Did I say
Oh, crap
already?

I held the receiver very firmly to my ear. “What changed?”

“Everything.” Way to be ominous, Sis.

She sighed. “Meet me at the pool once we leave port. That should be in about three hours. Don’t be late,” she ordered before hanging up.

I remained there for another couple of seconds, listening to the dial tone as if it could provide some answer which didn’t make my head feel like exploding.

That’s a lot to ask out of
a dial tone.

“Gil?” asked the cat, as he curled the bed. Clearly, he had been listening in on our conversation.

“Gil,” I confirmed.

“If angels agreed to spill information, then that’s a good thing, right? Might shed some light on our mystery,” he said as he bent over and licked his leg.

“Yeah. We still gotta figure out what attacked the girl in the first place, and why,” I said as I began absentmindedly pacing around the room. “And can you please not do that when I’m around?” I told the cat.

Amaymon released his hold on his leg. “Check out the babe.”

I spun and saw Abigale exit the bathroom wearing a colorful bikini which inspired colorful fantasies. She also had one of those sarong things around her waist which hugged her body in all the right places.

“You all right?” she asked me. I had been staring –
of course I had been staring! I’m a guy and she’s a very attractive succubus.

Get a grip
, Erik. You’re on a job here.

I shook myself out of my trance.

“Yeah. Yeah,” I said.

“Who was that on the phone?” she asked.

“Gil.”

Abi raised an eyebrow.

“Gil is my sister. You remember her. She had a demon dog and threw a lot of spells at me and wanted to kidnap you,” I explained.

“Was that before or after
you
kidnapped me?” she asked sarcastically.

Amaymon let out a chuckle. “She’s got you there
, dude.”

“It was a rescue,” I insisted. “Proof of that is
here on a cruise ship in a bikini rather than in a dungeon with a straightjacket.” Some people can be really ungrateful. “By the way, why are you wearing a bikini?”