Natural Consequences (33 page)

“So we thought that was gonna be it from the vampires,” he said, facing her on the couch with a somewhat penitent, hunched-over posture. “We were all pretty careful for the first couple weeks, but the more time went on, the more it looked like Lorelei had been right and they weren’t
gonna be out for revenge. She said predators don’t look for prey that they know will fight back. But even so, it’s just… what else should we do? Hide for the rest of our lives?”

Amber’s brow furrowed. “But you haven’t done anything to provoke them since?”

“No,” Jason answered. “I’m pretty surprised by it all.”

“They seemed to know who you were,” she noted skeptically.

“Yeah, well, social media, right?” he shrugged. “The Internet’s an archive. Everything lasts forever.” The pair fell silent. The sound of Molly driving another nail into a corner elsewhere in the apartment carried through the living room. “I’m sorry about all this,” Jason told her glumly. “I didn’t know you’d be in any danger. But you can understand why I couldn’t just be up front about all this, right?”

“
It doesn’t make me feel any better that you were keeping secrets from me. Stuff that could actually affect me, y’know? I mean it’s not like you just didn’t want to tell me about your action figure collection or something.”

He frowned. “Okay, that’s fair, but still.”

“I’ll grant you I don’t know how you broach this subject,” Amber continued, “because it sounds pretty strange to me and I believe every word of it. So I’m not sure how you tell people that your friend’s girlfriend is an angel and his other girlfriend is a sex demon and you all just hang out.“

“
Y’know,” Jason muttered, “now that I hear you say it, that sounds like kind of a crappy thing to call her.”

“
I’m sorry?”

“The sex demon thing.”

“That’s what she is, isn’t it?”

“She’s my friend,” Jason shrugged.

Amber glanced around their surroundings, wondering whether to push this thought on him or not. She leaned in and dropped her voice lower. “How many people has she killed?”

Jason shrugged. “Bad people, you mean? ‘
cause from what Alex and Rachel have said, that’s how it works.”

“
Uh-huh. Has it occurred to you that she might be manipulating all of you?”

“Sure.”

“And?”

“I don’t think so. She’s never done anything to make any of us suspicious.”

“Jason, you said it yourself. She’s a demon,” Amber pressed quietly. “She’s, like,
literally
from Hell.”

At that, he scowled deeply. “Maybe you should point that out to Alex. He might not have noticed. While you’re at it, you can ask him if he ever noticed that his three best friends are a black
dude, a country hick and a Jew. Or that those two chicks he met in his photography class are both dykes. Maybe he’ll realize that’s more important than how people actually treat him.”

Words failed her. She tried to come up with some counter, but only felt worse for it. “I’m sorry,” she said. “That’s not what I meant at all. But you don’t think all this is dangerous?”

“Well, yeah,” he mumbled, bumping his fists together awkwardly. “So that’s all there is to tell you. You can ask whatever of whoever you want now. You’re in the know. But if you want to go, I totally understand. I mean not tonight. I’m not tryin’ to kick you out or anything. I think you should stay the night with us at least. But after that, if you want to just get away from us and never see me again…”

She shook her head. “Stop it.”

“I’m serious. You could’ve died tonight. Or worse.”

“You didn’t bail on your friend when demons were after him, did you?”

“Alex and I go back to elementary school. You only just met me. First real date and look how it turned out. Wasn’t exactly romantic. Or chill.”

“I think I found out my date’s the kind of guy who stand
s by his friends even when the shit
destroys
the fan,” Amber said, allowing a bit of a smile. “I can’t say all this stuff makes me comfortable, but… no. I don’t want to ditch you.”

Tension escaped from him with a long breath. “Okay,” he said.

“Okay.”

He gestured toward the hallway. “I’ve
gotta go hit the bathroom.”

“I’ll be here,” she nodded.

Jason stood, hesitated, turned and bent over to kiss her on the lips. She found she wanted it more than she would’ve expected. Rather than shrink away or put him off, as part of her knew she should, Amber sat up and brought a hand to his face. She knew she shouldn’t do this. Her body and her heart promptly overrode her brain.

It wasn’t meant as anything more than a brief kiss. His lips brushed against hers, but quickly found them wanting more. Contact grew and spread, and then deepened as their tongues met. They had done this before, and enjoyed it, and
now found it even more compelling than ever.

He didn’t move away when the kiss broke. She didn’t move far, either. “There’s probably only one bed in that guest room,” he said.

“We are
not
going all the way tonight,” she replied, but grinned.

“Okay, but I note that you specify
tonight
…?”

“Don’t you have to go to the bathroom or something?”

“Yeah. Sorry. Yeah,” he mumbled before he walked down the hallway.

Amber watched him go. It wasn’t until he stepped into the guest bedroom that she shook from her reverie and reproached herself for encouraging this. She reminded herself of all she had seen and heard, and thought back to her reaction to Alex jumping those two cops—which, she strongly suspected, was exactly what they were, rather than false uniforms over hired thugs.

Think. You’re on an investigation. You need to keep your head clear
, she told herself.
Prioritize. Get back into contact with the team or find a way to take notes or something.

Her phone remained in the leg pocket of her fatigues. She could check it, send out a text with more info
,or maybe try to provide at least some sort of update… but that would be risky. Any one of the people in this apartment might reasonably ask whom she communicated with at this hour, when her cover story emphasized loneliness and a lack of connections. She couldn’t risk that yet.

She could duck into the bathroom once Jason was finished, though—or maybe now.
The apartment was large enough that it might hold a bathroom unattached to a bedroom. She rose and stepped away from the couch, taking a look around her to decide where to go.

The apartment felt uncomfortably dark. The fire still burned, and a few lamps had been turned on here and there, but she still found more shadow than light. She couldn’t hear Molly and Onyx at work anymore, either. Amber put
her indecision aside and moved into the hallway.

Lorelei stood waiting. Startled, Amber stepped back. The other woman remained in her spot, watching her guest calmly. Her skin had returned to a human color; the
wings had vanished, as had the horns and tail. The revealing ensemble had been discarded in favor of a full-length black silk nightgown. The garment flattered Lorelei’s body to great effect. Even partly in shadow, her beauty stood out. Amber wondered if the demon had a single article of clothing that another woman might consider casual or plain.

Demon
, she remembered, and her heart pounded.
She’s a demon
.

“If I frighten you, I apologize,” Lorelei said.

“Seems like a loaded statement at this point,” replied Amber.

“I should ask how much Jason has told you, then. Or the ladies?”

“I wish I could say ‘everything,’ but I don’t think we’ve had time for that,” Amber shrugged, hoping she sounded friendly. She remembered what Jason had said: thus far, Lorelei had only ever hurt “bad people,” and had done no wrong. Other than alter her memory at the pool hall, anyway, but she had to pretend she still didn’t know about that.

Lorelei tilted her head slightly. “I would prefer not to make false assumptions
tonight,” she said. Her voice remained polite, but lacked warmth. “You seem guarded again. Perhaps more guarded now.”

“Jason told me what you… sorry. That sounds bad. He, uh, explained that you weren’t wearing a costume tonight.”

“Tactful,” conceded Lorelei. “I thank you for that effort.”

“I’m not sure what else I would say?”

“It is less a matter of what you might say, and more one of what you might think or feel. Few mortals ever learn of my nature. Fewer still learn and remain with me, unless out of overriding lust or ambition.”

Amber swallowed. Was that an accusation? A warning shot? “Jason doesn’t seem bothered.”

“No. Jason is dear to me. They all are. I have never had anyone to honestly call friends before I met the men you know now.” She paused. “I owe them everything.”

“You obviously think highly of them.”

“I do. And you?”

Don’t play this game with her
, Amber told herself. “I like them.”

“Jason
’s feelings for you continue to grow.”

“Kinda not sure how I feel talking about that. No offense.”

It seemed to Amber that Lorelei’s eyes narrowed, but with the room so dark it was hard to tell. “You are still unsure of your feelings,” Lorelei said, then tilted her head again. “No. You are not unsure of how you feel about Jason. Your conflicts have nothing to do with settling your desire, but rather with how you balance them with other concerns.”

“Are you reading my mind?” Amber asked. She took a half-step back.

“I have not that ability,” Lorelei said. “However, I understand desire… and I have walked this Earth for a very long time.”

Silence fell between them. Amber held her tongue.
Journalists do this
, she thought.
You were trained to do this. Stay silent and watch the subject, like you expect them to say something, and sooner or later they say too much just to alleviate the awkwardness…

“Is there anything I could do for you?” asked Lorelei. “Anything you wish to know, or anything I might provide?”

“Oh, I feel like I’ve got a lot of questions,” Amber chuckled despite her nerves, “but I’m not sure where to begin.”

“Anywhere.”

“Okay… you’ve killed people?”

“Countless people, yes,” Lorelei nodded. “I am not proud of it.”

“Were you? Before all this?”

“To say that I did not take pleasure in what I did would be a lie. Pleasure has always driven me, but I have never been a thoughtless drone. I knew I existed only to serve another. There is no pride in being a slave.
My victims all died for deeds that you would consider great crimes and sins. I do not mourn for them. But was I proud? No. Pride is only a recent gift.”

“Because of Alex? And Rachel?”

“They gave me the opportunity, yes,” Lorelei nodded. “I did not change for them. I am what I choose to be. But I would not have had that choice without them. I would not have either of them, nor would they have me, without Jason and the others.”

“So you said.”

“Understand, Amber, that I have every reason to be careful with my friends. I hope you can appreciate that.”

“Are you worried about me?”

“I think you are intelligent, discerning and wiser than your years would suggest,” Lorelei said. “You have entered a world you know you cannot yet understand, but you are quick to learn. And I know that in this chaos that erupted tonight, you stood in defense of those dear to me. I am in your debt, Amber. I truly hope we can be friends.”

“I kind of thought we were on our way there already…?”

“That was before all you learned tonight. I would be hopelessly naïve to think that these events and the revelations they bring would not color your opinions.

“On that note, again, you are welcome here tonight. This home is guarded. No harm will come to you.”

Blood stained the shirt, pajama pants and robe piled on the floor. Most of it came from his own veins. He sat in the warm bathtub, looking at his naked body, and found no scars. He had a few scrapes and abrasions, some matching the wounds he’d suffered and others from simple bumps and falls. Yet even the worst of it, like the gashes clawed into his chest, left nothing more than a few light scabs.

Rachel’s kiss had fixed the worst of it all. Like the mottled coloring of the skin on his hands, which had been burnt to the bone before she fixed them, the visual remnants of his wounds gave no clue as to
how serious they’d originally been. His body ached—he still felt like he’d been through a wringer—but he didn’t look that badly off at all.

His heart and mind told a different story.

He heard the pounding again, quick and sharp and brief, and once again he jerked upright, partially rising, splashing water out of the tub. The pounding stopped. Eight blows this time. Last time it was five. Before that, it was seven.

Lorelei told him he would hear some hammering. That prevented him from reacting decisively about it. He didn’t leap into action, but remaining calm provided its own challenge.

Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bambambambam! …Bam!

“Just a hammer,” he whispered,
easing himself back into the tub. Muscles in his neck and shoulders stayed tense. He knew he’d hear it again.

Alone in the bath, immersed in warm water and surrounded by white tiles and bright lights and marble countertops, Alex found himself staring at many things. He stared at the mirrors. The faucet. The water.

The lower-middle class boy in him felt mildly uncomfortable in this home, which seemed so opulent to the sensibilities of his upbringing. Memories of growing up poor in Detroit left him feeling even more out of place, as did thoughts of a life that ended only a few years before the one in Detroit began. Thinking of anything further back than that just made him feel like he must be in another world entirely.

He should be dead. Like so many times before.

He wondered when he would start shaking again. He wondered if the tub could stop an arrow or a bullet. He wondered if he shouldn’t get out of the bath just long enough to go get the gun or the sword and bring them both into the bathroom so they’d be in easy reach. Others might think that crazy, he reasoned, and part of him agreed, but most other people didn’t get jumped by monsters.

Bam! Bambamthump
“Shit! Ow!” someone snapped. He knew that voice. Molly’s voice, he realized. Again, he forced himself to sit back in the tub.

She just banged her thumb
, he told himself.
Nobody’s attacking her. She’s a tough woman and a witch to boot. Just an accident with a hammer. Nothing to freak out about. She doesn’t need your help.

Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!

See? Nothing to worry about. Right back to whatever the hell she’s doing.

He heard the door open and shut. Once again he tensed, and then came the knock at the bathroom door. “Love? It’s me. May I come in?”

“Yeah,” Alex answered, somewhat hoarsely to his surprise. He swallowed hard and answered again, “Yeah,” but the door had already opened.

She shut the door behind her, clad in that black nightgown that he liked so much. He liked everything she wore. He was fairly certain that was her highest fashion criteria, much as she might deny it.

Noticing the wet floor, Lorelei smoothly picked up a towel, ran it across the edge of the tub and then sat down on the now dry spot. Alex watched. His eyes drifted to her breasts when she bent over, and to her neck and her face, and when she sat beside him his gaze settled on her hip for a moment before rising once more.

She was fully aware of how he looked at her. She loved it as much as he loved looking
, and told him often.

It didn’t seem silly now, or juvenile, or shallow. It felt comforting. Intimate. He needed this, and her.
Outside their home, his endless lust sometimes felt like a constant distraction. When his memories threatened to overwhelm him, it served as an anchor.

“Molly says she is almost finished,” Lorelei told him. Her manner felt casual, but he recognized the deliberately calming tone of her voice. She was warm and reassuring without being patronizing.

“What’s she doing?”

“Creating protective lines around our home. She
drives iron nails into most of the corners to tie down a spell that will keep out the creatures of the night. Iron is of a time when mortal man found his way to fight back against the things that lurked outside the firelight. Man was no longer easy prey for the monsters after that. Iron is strong. Constant.”

“Iron rusts,” Alex replied quietly.

“Don’t tell that to the nails,” Lorelei smiled.

“It’ll keep our problems out?”

“This is not the only protection that Molly and Onyx will erect. Never fool yourself into thinking any defense is impregnable. All told, though, this home will be as safe from supernatural incursion as any wizard’s sanctum. It will be easily overlooked. Failing that, mere entry will be quite unpleasant for anything that isn’t mortal… or an angel. I asked that Molly and Onyx ensure such an exemption. And one for myself, of course.”

“Does she need to work in here?”

“As it turns out, no,” Lorelei shook her head. “I thought it would be necessary, but Molly confessed that this room is already covered by other lines.”

“Confessed?”

“I think she was hoping to get a look at you in the bath.”

“Ah.”

“She rides a high of anticipation and inevitability,” Lorelei said. “On any other night, I’d have sent her in here and jammed the door shut behind her. She and Onyx look forward to what the future will bring.”

“You seem like your anticipation’s pretty high, too,” Alex observed.

“It is.” She reached into the tub to caress his leg. He heard as much seduction in her voice as reassurance. “They spoke to Rachel. They spoke to me. We have all come to an understanding about all this. Everything is out in the open.”

Alex couldn’t help but smirk. “You vetted them in advance of us hooking up?”

“No. They wanted to ‘vet’ Rachel and I,” Lorelei smiled back. “Don’t forget that this began to build before you and I even met. As usual my motivations were quite selfish. I adore them both.”

Silence fell between them, but their gaze held. Both of them grinned a little wider. “You didn’t,” Alex said, “did you?”

“Only a little,” Lorelei shrugged, though her nails gently trailed up his thigh. “I intended to devote myself entirely to you for your birthday, but then the opportunity came... and I’ll note that the mere thought of what I did or didn’t do with them clearly has you quite aroused, so don’t expect any apologies from me.”

“You’re amazing.”

“It takes one to know one.”

Bam! Bambambambam bam!
Alex inhaled sharply, but he didn’t jump.

“That explains the water,” Lorelei observed, glancing at the little pools on the tile and the wet spots on the bath mats. “Your
tension will pass.”

“Yeah. Well. It’s easier with you here. Gives me something real and current to focus on. You kind of chase away
the ghosts.” He twirled a finger at his ear.

“Do you wish to talk about it?”

“No. It’s the same as before. Same as the first time it all hit me. Usually with the dreams, it’s just one set of memories or the other, but tonight it was all of them at once.”

“
Violence is obviously a trigger,” Lorelei said, her hand lingering at his thigh. “I have paid attention to the comings and goings of your nightmares. But as you say, we can lay that aside for later.”

“I just kind of have other things coming to mind. Seems like it’d help pull my brain the rest of the way out of this… whatever it is.”

She tilted her head curiously. “What’s on your mind?”

“When we first…” He paused, searching for the words. “Those first couple nights we had… I was afraid we’d never be able to have conversations like this. I had so much to get over with sex and with the
bonds and hooking up with other women, but I think deep down what I wanted from the start was the relationship.” He grinned at himself. “I was afraid I’d never measure up to you.”

“You all but literally gave the shirt off your back to a friend
in need. You made love to an angel in the middle of a crowd, danced with me just for the joy of it and took the head from a monster who stood beside Nero and watched Rome burn, all in one night,” said Lorelei. “You have always respected me. Always seen me as nothing less than an equal. I will never lose my interest in you, Alex.

“
Put me on my knees, ravage and use me as selfishly as you might. I will still feel your respect, your warmth and your love for me. I do not call you master, or put myself on display for you or offer myself to you because I am a woman, or because you are a man, or because I am a succubus bound to you through sorcery. I do it because we love one another and it feels good to us both.”

She drew another smile out of him. “
Well, as long as you know I respect you,” Alex replied.

Though she chuckled a bit, Lorelei soon grew serious. Her voice remained low. “I gave great thought to what I might give you for your birthday. No material gift seemed appropriate
. I knew you would be uncomfortable with anything expensive.”

“
I’m a twenty-year-old student living in a sweet downtown apartment with his hot, loaded, older girlfriend,” Alex chuckled, “and his
other
hot, older girlfriend. I’m not even working now. I think I’ve got it pretty good as it is.”

“You also have your hardshi
ps,” she reminded him. “But that is beside the point. I pondered what I could give to the man who possesses me and all that I have.” Knowing this would get an objection from him, she leaned in and put a finger to his lips before he could speak. “You do, Alex. You possess me. It gives me nothing but joy. I would have you embrace that tonight.”

He sat up in the bathtub, unable to
take his eyes off her. The finger on his lips moved away so she could caress his neck. Her voice remained calm despite the obvious desire in her eyes. “We lose nothing for acknowledging what already exists between us. Power exchange has always been a part of our romance. The only gift I wish to give you is one that you have had all along, but have been so reluctant to claim… master.”

Only a month ago, such talk excited him, but that excitement was overwhelmed by its accompanying trepidation. He feared setting precedents. He felt guilt and shame over the arousal this gave him.
All he wanted was an equal and a partner. He didn’t want to give her the wrong impression.

They knew one another much too
fear such misunderstandings now.

Alex shifted over in the tub, his eyes mostly still on hers as he reached for a towel and then stood. Lorelei rose along with him, stepping back to watch as he silently dried off. He stepped out of the deep tub, wiping off his wet calves and feet.

Lorelei sank to her knees in front of him. The stiff, erect manhood before her spoke to her lover’s desires. As her hands came up his legs and then took gentle hold of his shaft, Lorelei’s eyes turned reverently toward his. She stroked him smoothly, knowing exactly how to grasp him and how to please him. She knew he enjoyed this.

Her hands
soon rested on her lap. Her eyes remained on his, looking up at him as her mouth opened and leaned forward. Alex sighed with immediate satisfaction and growing desire for more as Lorelei welcomed him into her mouth.

Hardly a night or day passed for them without such acts. Sex and sexuality dominated their relationship to their mutual joy.
They tasted one another frequently, sometimes for hours, sometimes at several intervals on a given day. Tonight was not about all new acts; it was about exploring a new tone and context.

Lorelei made love to him with her mouth almost daily. At different turns, she would hold him prisoner, or provide easy satisfaction, or dominate him or simply shower him with affection, all through this one act. Tonight she did all that, but above all else, she served him with devotion.

Context made all the difference. Their lust rose. Lorelei brought her hands up again, clutching his ass as she bobbed back and forth. She coated his flesh with her mouth, unleashing her needs while seeing to his. They remained silent a long while, slaves to this shared pleasure.

Though she could learn his every desire through this act, Lorelei waited for his wordless
cues. Her tempo rose and fell with his breathing and the gentle touch of his hands on her head. The soft, needful moans that accompanied her heavy, erratic breaths reminded him that this was just as good for her as for him.

Magic
, Alex thought.

She withdrew only halfway as he came down from the high of
near-orgasm and looked up at his eyes with the rest of his flesh still in her mouth. Both knew he was not ready for this to end yet. Lorelei did not allow her lips to spread in a grin, but her eyes glinted with agreement and approval before she slid her mouth back down his full length once again.