Category : Stories

Sub Category : Fantasy

Part 1 - The Meeting

He crept out of the shadows silently, like a black panther focused only on his prey. In truth, he materialized from the ether, but it was well enough to say he simply appeared from behind the floor-length curtains and was now staring hungrily at the woman in the bed.

Had he been human, his mortal eyes would have never made her out. But, since he was a demon, the darkness presented no problem for him.

She was rather attractive for a human. Watching her lying there, her curly blonde hair fanning out over the pillow, her breathing deep and even, Nihilis hesitated a moment.

He cocked his head to the side and regarded his quarry, mischievous violet eyes glowing faintly in the black. Two concentric rings of flaming orange ignited like fire around his dilated pupils as he made his way closer to the bed.

He found himself wondering briefly why he'd been assigned to her of all people. Then, a smile spread slowly across his chiseled face, starting at the corners and working its way toward his thin lips, lifting them into a sneer.

Oh, but looks deceived, did they not? If anyone could understand that, it would be him. 

The sneer revealed the demon's teeth, white and small, perfectly aligned, but with incisors sharper and more noticeable than most. 

He'd been accused of being a vampire more than a dozen times. It always amused him that, in the end, that's what those he'd been assigned to ended up wishing he was, as they slowly went insane.

Ah, memories.

No more time for that now, he reminded himself. After all, there would be plenty more memories to savor soon.

He ran his tongue over his teeth absently, a habit he'd picked up centuries ago and had never quite learned how to kick.

Weirdly, some mortals found it attractive. Did all humans, deep down, secretly wish to be devoured?

He took two more steps toward the bed, and he was directly over her. Leaning forward, he parted his lips to whisper in her ear, his special way of implanting thoughts and visions that would eventually drive his victims mad. 

She sat bolt upright. As she did so, one of her long curls gently caressed his lips right before her left hook landed squarely in his jaw.

"What the--?!"

A sudden burst of light seared into Nihilis's corneas, instantly extinguishing the orange flames while turning the violet irises black. Instinctively, his arm moved up to cover his eyes, and let out a low hiss.

It took him only a moment to recover, and when he turned his black eyes on the woman, he expected her to scream. In fact, his ears began to ring lightly in anticipation, the thrill working outward and down his spine.

But she didn't scream. She didn't run. She just stared at him, large grey-blue eyes filled with a mixture of shock and wonder...but no fear?

Her pink lips partedly slightly, and her breath, which was coming in short, erratic gasps only moments ago, was slowing to a normal rhythm.

"Hello." Her voice was deep yet feminine, soft yet powerful.

Hello?! Were maniacal demons appearing in her bedroom at 3 in the morning a common occurrence for her or something?

He regarded her but said nothing, and he watched as her eyes traveled over his face and body.

She saw it all. Dark, feathery hair, pale skin, red lips, sharp teeth, black eyes (which were slowly reclaiming their violet hue), a dark suit circa 1950, and a bolar hat from the same era, and a thin, human-looking body on a 5'9" frame, but she did not run.


Instead, she rose off the bed slowly, walked toward him on bare feet and stared directly into his eyes.

Then, she did something that not one human had ever done in the centuries he'd been practicing his craft; she put both hands in his hair, pulled his face down to hers, and kissed him with a passionate ferocity that made his shoulders pop and his black wings unfurl.

With a mind of their own, the feathered traitors unfolded to their full expanse before wrapping themselves around the woman, enveloping her as he pressed his body into hers, eagerly returning the kiss.


Part 2 - WTF?

Nihilis felt a shriek rip through his mind like a banshee. He reared back from the woman with a hiss, his heavy wings flapping backwards and then snapping shut into his shoulder blades.

The woman stared at him, shock registering in her eyes, her lips forming an "O" of surprise.

"What the fuck?!"

The demon instantly regretted his exclamation and how utterly human it sounded.

He struggled to compose himself. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and let out a low, guttural growl.

When he spoke again, his tone was calm and measured, and at least a full octave deeper.

"Aria."

She blinked in surprise at the sound of her own name, and a small smirk teased at the corners of his mouth. He was regaining control...some, at least.

"A demon materializes in your room in the middle of the night, wakes you up out of a sound sleep, and your first instinct isn't to scream, run, or pray...it's to KISS him?"

Aria regarded him thoughtfully, her large eyes taking in his clothing--a tight-fitting pinstriped suit, a red tie, and a bolar hat. On his slender fingers, he wore several intricate rings. 

His face seemed mostly human, save the dark smudges beneath his violet eyes. The marks seemed to begin just beneath his lower eyelids and spread downwards towards his high cheekbones. 

If Aria was forced to describe them, she'd say they looked like a black ink pen had exploded on fine linen, soaking through until it bloomed outward, snaking into the fabric until it lost momentum.

"A demon?" Aria questioned. Her voice was at a lower register than he expected. "You're gorgeous."

A sound reminiscent of a laugh bubbled up from the demon's chest, and he let out a chuckle.

Aria smiled, a flush of pink rising from her neck to her pale cheeks.

"No horns. No tail. No red skin. You've got the wings, though." Aria pointed out. "I would have thought you were an angel."

"Lucifer was an angel." A practiced line, but it had the desired effect. For the first time during this entire encounter, Aria looked frightened.

Nihilis regarded her. Slender build, blonde hair with ringlets that cascaded down her shoulders, large, curious eyes, and small, pink lips. She had the type of features that were ageless. If he hadn't already known she was 30, he'd have guessed she was still a teenager at first glance.

"Yes, you're right," Aria said. "Lucifer was an angel, and he was beautiful." She took a step back, then another. Her hand reached out behind her and she felt the mattress before she sat back down on the bed.

"So, what do you want with me?"

"I was assigned to you."

"What do you mean 'assigned'?" 

Nihilis glanced downward. "Orders."

Aria raised one thin eyebrow. "From the devil?"

He smirked. "No. Not exactly. But somebody on this plane of existence does not like you, and they've summoned me to um...how do I put this delicately...take care of you."

Aria's expression fell flat, her eyes looked away from the creature and went glassy. Her lips parted, her breathing became shallow, and she began rocking from side to side. 

Dissociation. He'd seen that before.

"So, that was to be my last kiss?" She spoke so softly, he would have had to ask her to repeat her question had he possessed mortal ears.

At first, he was confused. Then he understood. In less than the time it took to blink an eye, he went from standing to seated next to the woman, his arm around her, his face only inches from hers. 

He bared his teeth as he spoke. "Oh, no, love. I will kill you, but not tonight. First, I'm going to drive you insane."

Aria screamed.

Part 3 - The Dream

Aria woke with a start so sudden and severe, her left hand shot out and knocked her alarm clock off the nightstand. It hit the hardwood floor with a 'thwock' of breaking plastic.

Instantly worried she'd damaged it beyond repair and would need to replace it (the thought made her feel panicky), she reeled it back up onto her twin bed by the cord and stared at the display screen.

"Oh, thank God!" The display screen had a hairline crack down the middle, but the time was accurate. 11:11 AM. She hurriedly checked it against her smartphone to be sure. 

The old-fashioned clock was in perfect working order. She'd had it since she was a child and, since she had such difficulty learning how to operate any type of new equipment (especially all this digital crap), she never wanted to be forced to replace anything she already knew how to use.

Just one of the many aspects of being autistic that she contended with on a daily basis. Funny, she knew she wouldn't feel nearly so out of place with her 'quirks' if she didn't have to spend so much time around neurotypical (non-autistic) people. 

"Speaking of which..." 

Aria talked to herself all the time. It was as natural to her as breathing. 

She replaced the clock on the nightstand and frowned. What had startled her awake like that?

As she rose and padded to the bathroom, she tried to conjure up an image of her last dream, but even the bits and pieces were fading away. 

She sighed, then got a whiff of her own breath. Ugh! Morning breath was the worst. 

As she brushed, washed her face, and showered, she contemplated the fact that, according to articles she'd read, most people could not smell their own breath. She thought that was weird, but, apparently it was true.

Heightened sensitivity to smell, taste, texture, sound, and everything in between was just a part of her norm.

When she was a child, she'd go into sensory overload whenever an adult tried to talk to her too closely. She wouldn't hear the words being spoken, she would smell the person's breath. 

Suddenly, her entire world was engulfed in the experience of one smell. There were no words, no meaning, no feeling, just an overwhelming sense of being trapped in a small bubble filled with whatever that smell was until she couldn't take it anymore and would scream bloody murder.

Needless to say, forming relationships was hard. Thankfully, Aria lived in her own world and was quite content in her solitude. 

When she returned to her bedroom, she donned a pair of khaki pants and a white polo shirt. She slipped her feet into comfortable flats and went to the kitchen to make a cup of tea and enjoy her usual breakfast of a protein bar and some yogurt.

After breakfast, she was back in the bathroom, applying a bit of makeup now that all the fog had cleared from the mirror.

Concealer, blush, mascara, lip gloss. Simple but professional. She pulled her mass of curls into a tight twist and secured it with a clip.

Perfect. She was ready for the day. 

***

It wasn't until after lunch in her cubicle, where she'd just finished a sandwich and salad she'd brought from home that the memory of the dream resurfaced.

At the data entry department in which she worked, people either talked quietly amongst themselves or listened to music or audiobooks to keep them from losing their minds to the monotony of the work.

Even Aria, who thrived when engaged in repetitive tasks, found the stories on Librivox to be a Godsend. 

In the momentary silence between one story and another, Aria caught the last few words of a sentence that caused her stomach to flip-flop like a suffocating fish on dry sand. 

"...he's gorgeous, but it turns out he's a demon in disguise!"

"Oh, I love that show! It's that new one on.."

A new story had started and filled Aria's ears with the beginning of what were probably some important plot points, but she heard nothing. Her vision swam and there was a sudden buzzing in her ears. 

Yanking out the ear buds, she forced herself to close her eyes and take a few deep breaths.

With a shaky hand, she reached for her water bottle and took a few swallows. Her racing heart slowed, but her underarms were bathed in two small pools of sweat.

Usually, that kind of sensation would drive her into the bathroom, frantically stuffing wads of paper towel between the fabric and her sensitive skin, but at this moment, she couldn't move.

The conversation carried on, keys clicked and clacked, the audiobook still played on through the ear buds, but her world had become muted, grey, and small.

A demon? Was that what she'd dreamed about last night? She always had intense, full-color dreams, so why was the sudden remembrance of this one sending her into a panic attack?

She remembered now. The kiss. The threat. Those eyes. That chiseled face. Those wings!! 

She gasped then quickly clamped a clammy hand over her mouth. She held her breath. Someone in the next cubicle cleared their throat, but nobody mentioned or inquired about her small outburst. 

"It was a dream," Aria whispered to herself. "It was only a dream."

Wiping her palms on her pants, she put her fingers back on the keyboard and resumed her typing. 

On the website, the Librivox story played on, forgotten. 

**
**

Part 4 - The Bargain 

"So, what is this shit, huh?" 

The humanoid creature in the long trenchcoat grinned, revealing pointed teeth similar to that of his companion. 

"What? No 'Hello, old fiend'?" 

Nihilis rolled his violet eyes into the back of his head.

"Fiend. Cute. Has that joke ever actually gotten a laugh?" 

The other demon raised a large and sinewy red hand to his equally red beard and scratched it thoughtfully, his emerald eyes glinting in amusement.

"Once. Back in 1412. A sassy Irish lass. Oh, she was a nice one."

Nihilis raised a hand, his eyes fluttering closed.

"No details, please."

Rhemus raised an eyebrow but made no attempt to continue the story. 

"So what's the deal?"

"With what?"

"Aria. Why was I assigned to her?"

"How should I know? You were summoned by some wannabe priestess on Earth, remember? Not my gig."

Nihilis growled.

"You oversee gigs. At least all of mine, so why me for her?"

Rhemus grinned again. "Would you have rather had Massimus sink his talons into her? Or perhaps Theodora? She does know how to work those spikes."

"Not my point," Nihilis retorted through clenched teeth.

"What is your point, exactly, Ni?" Rhemus wanted to know. His tone was all business now. Not a trace of his former mirth. "Since when do you ever question your assignments?"

"There was the baby."

Rhemus balled up one red hand and smashed his fist clear through a brick wall that had conveniently appeared for that purpose. Up until then, the two creatures had been occupying in a void with nothing but a conjured flat surface to stand on and the usual amorphous fog.

"You are never going to let me live that down, are you?"

Nihilis put his hands up in a defensive posture. He took a small but involuntary step backwards.

"It was a mistake. They had the same name, and I'd had a lot to drink the night before."

"All that carousing with humans."

Rhemus appeared to relax. The busted brick and the reminder of the wall disappeared back into the ether. 

"Well, they can be fun." Rhemus said. "What's your deal with this one, anyway? She's no child."

Nihilis thought a moment. "No. But she..."

"What?"

"She feels different. Innocent. Not just innocent of whatever deed she supposedly did to get a curse put on her, but almost...pure."

"And? Innocence has never stopped you before. Usually you eat this stuff up, Ni. What's gotten into you?"

Nihilis shrugged, his enfolded wings giving an involuntary flutter. Sometimes he hated the things. He was the only demon he knew with feathers instead of naked, bat-like wings. At least they were black.

"I want to strike a bargain." Nihilis spoke these words quickly and with purpose.

"Oh, no. You are not invoking the bargain!"

"I am."

"Are you kidding me?"

"Nope."

"And you'll actually go through with it?"

"Yep."

"For one human female?" Rhemus retorted. "Is she that pretty?"

Nihilis ignored the last part of the question but answered the first.

"I'm not entirely sure she's human."

Rhemus rolled his eyes and sighed. He crossed his large arms over his chest and glared at his companion.

"How did I know you were going to say that?"

"Because the baby wasn't human, either, and his is the only other life I've spared."

"You're sure about this?"

"We'll soon find out, won't we?"

"Very well," Rhemus said. He waved one hand in the air. "The bargain is invoked."

Both demons vanished in an orb of blue light, leaving only fog and eons of silence behind them.

Part 5 - The Human Condition 

When Nihilis opened his eyes, he knew only two things: One, his head was pounding like a bass drum on steroids. Two, he had breasts. 

The sudden realization of the latter made him completely forget the former to the point where he sat up like a pebble catapulted from a slingshot and promptly fell to the floor.

Or, he assumed it was a floor because it was much harder than the surface he'd been lying on seconds ago, and now he had knee pain to match his head.

Pain. He never did like that feeling. Not that he didn't feel any at all as a demon, but as a human, it was like comparing a fall from a 20-story building to a paper cut. 

Human bodies were unbelievably fragile. He was utterly amazed they'd managed to survive this long.

He rolled over onto his back, opened his eyes, and put his hands on his chest.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me!!"

Not only was he in a human body, he was in a female human body! 

He stood up and took in his surroundings. It appeared he was in a dorm room of some kind. There was a full-length mirror directly in front of him, and he walked over to it, his eyes widening as he took in his naked form.

He was tall, thin, pale, with small breasts and long, slender hands. He had a sparse patch of hair covering his nether regions, and above that, more astonishing to him than even this female form, a belly button.

"Well, I'll be damned."

A low chuckle behind him made him jump and cover his nakedness with both hands on each private area.

"I had no idea you'd be such a babe," Rhemus said, materializing out of a corner. 

"Fuck off."

Rhemus leered. "I just might."

For a moment, Nihilis was struck with terror. A centuries-old, practically omnipotent, sociopathic demon felt an emotion so helpless, so weak, so primal, that he nearly fell to his knees on the spot.

Rhemus obviously noticed, but thought better of mentioning it. Instead, he waved a hand and simple, genderless clothes appeared on Nihilis's body.

A baggy white T-shirt and a pair of jeans with appropriate undergarments beneath. 

"Rhemus, I swear I'm going to kill you when I get my wings back!" Nihilis sounded a lot less threatening than he meant to.

"Me? You invoked the bargain. I don't choose what body you get. You know that."

Nihilis opened his mouth to speak but his demon companion cut him off.

"You have 30 days. If I were you, I'd worry more about proving your theory than what bra size you need to wear, or you'll be trapped in that meat suit until you die of natural causes."

Nihilis swallowed the lump forming in his throat.

As Rhemus dematerialized like the Cheshire Cat, he spoke only five more words.

"Hope she was worth it."

Part 6 - First Day

The one helpful aspect of invoking The Bargain is that while he may look completely human on the outside, he still possessed all of his supernatural abilities, and he would have them for the next 29 days.

If he failed to prove his theory correct, however, not only would his powers be permanently stripped from him, he'd be stuck in this mortal coil (in a female body, no less) until he died of natural causes. 

That was another clincher about The Bargain. A demon-turned-mortal was not permitted to, say, throw himself from a bridge or step in front of a bus to hasten the process. He would just have to...live.

A shudder ran through his mortal flesh as he walked into the large, four-story office building, but he plastered on a smile nonetheless. 

The receptionist at the front desk greeted who she knew as Elizabeth Bradshaw, a temp who'd been working at the call center for the past month. 

Nihilis had chosen the name from a book he'd seen in the library of the college he supposedly attended. A quick snap of his fingers created a student ID, license, and security badge for the call center. 

An entire wardrobe perfectly suited for the butch lesbian on her way to breaking the glass ceiling was now sitting in her small closet.

It was everything the new demon-turned-human could do not to conjure an entire male wardrobe, but he didn't see the point in drawing unnecessary attention to himself. 

He was on a mission, after all. However, that didn't stop the impish little creature from snapping a packer into existence and keeping in his pants everywhere he went. 

The bulge raised more than a few eyebrows, and "Liz" (he preferred it to "Beth") delighted in the human confusion.

Why he couldn't change his whole body with the snap of a finger, even he didn't know, but he did the best he could to make do with what he'd been given.

"Hey, Liz."

Nihilis nodded. Gary from Accounts Receivable.

"Good morning." Helen from Customer Service. 

Nihilis smiled. 

"Sup, Liz!" 

Charlene (Charlie) from the mail room. 

Nihilis, now Liz, jutted his chin out in a quick, masculine greeting. 

Charlie was out and proud, and even though this was legitimately the first time this person had laid eyes on the person she knew as Liz Bradshaw, Charlie had developed an instant crush and, as far as the human knew, had felt those tingly butterflies for a month.

When Nihilis got to his cubicle and sat down, he put on his headset and sighed with relief. 

Aria was in the data entry department, which was separated from customer service with a partition, but he still had a clear view of her from his station. 

He smiled when the first call came in. This was going to be a breeze.

***

By lunchtime, Nihilis wasn't sure if he wanted to slam his fist through a wall or burst into tears. 

Another caveat of The Bargain was he couldn't hurt any human being for any reason other than self-defense or the protection of another. 

The horrible customers he'd had to deal with over the past 3 hours was enough to nearly drive him crazy!

No way he could do this for 28 more days. Ugh!!

When Nihilis entered the cafeteria, he grabbed one of the red trays from the pile and got in line. This was one part about being human he didn't mind at all, eating.

As he walked to the counter in his dark blue power suit, heels clicking on linoleum, he glanced up at the LED screen that featured today's specials. 

It was at that exact moment, when Nihilis was momentarily distracted, that someone blundered directly into his path.

"Oh, my God! I'm so sorry!" 

When Aria looked up to see who she'd slammed into, their eyes met. She stared at him (her) in open-mouthed shock, her expression similar to that of a deer caught in headlights. 

"Are you OK?" Nihilis asked. 

"I...I didn't see you. I'm really sorry."

Before Nihilis could utter another word, the startled woman, who was clutching a bottle of unopened iced tea to her chest, broke into a run and vanished from the cafeteria, leaving Nihilis to stare after her in something akin to wonder.

Part 7 - The Meeting (Again)

"I'm so sorry I startled you."

Those were the first words out of "Liz's" mouth when Aria walked out the front door of the office building. 

And Aria's response was to cry out, jump back, and stare at this strange human woman who had seemed to appear out of nowhere for the second time that day.

"What the fuck?!"

The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.

Liz's violet eyes widened, and she raised an eyebrow. 

"Well, that didn't go as planned."

"Who are you?" Aria cried. "Are you trying to scare me?"

"No. No. Not at all. I'm sorry." Liz rose from her perch on the small stone wall that surrounded the front of the building. She approached Aria like the frightened deer she obviously was.

What was up with this girl? Her energy was so very different from when they'd first met. Did she actually prefer demons to humans?

"No." Aria said.

Liz blinked. "What?"

Aria's eyes darted in every which direction, her gaze only occasionally landing on Liz like a pollinating butterfly before flitting off again.

"No." Aria said again, her tone strangely flat. "Of course you're not trying to scare me. I just startle easily. Hello. I'm Aria."

Her tone had lilted upward slightly on the introduction, but it seemed forced, as though she'd suddenly put on a mask.

"I'm Liz." Nihilis held out one graceful human hand. "I've been working here a month. I'm surprised we haven't met."

Aria narrowed her eyes, this time training her gaze directly at him. It was quite an intense stare.

"A month?" Aria echoed. "Oh."

She looked down again, her gaze now burning into the sidewalk. 

"Well, we work in different departments."

"Right."

She looked up again, her delicate features twisting into a mixture of what looked like confusion and mistrust. 

This was not going well at all!

Liz cleared her throat. 

"Well, um...listen, I just wanted to apologize, that's all."

"Thank you." 

With those two simple words, Aria walked briskly away, got into her car, and drove out of the parking lot.

Liz stood, mouth agape.

"See you tomorrow?" Liz said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

***

It took exactly 5 days to actually have a conversation with Aria for longer than 2.5 seconds. 

Liz had tried finding her at lunch and on breaks, asking other people about her, trying to locate her office friends (she had none), and even walked past her cubicle three times. Each time, she was completely absorbed in typing, her earbuds jammed into her ears. 

On the 5th day, Liz walked into the bathroom to relieve herself (she still wasn't quite used to having these human needs), when she heard muffled voices coming from the accessible stall.

She never had a chance to make out what they were saying because the door to the stall suddenly slammed open, and a girl with short, black hair, red fingernails, and 3-inch heels stormed out, nearly body-checking Liz on her way out of the bathroom. 

As Liz stared after her, the sound of a choked sob brought her attention back to the stall.

She peered in and saw Aria sitting fully clothed on the toilet, her face in her hands, tears spilling through her fingers and onto the floor.

"Are you OK?"

Aria looked up, and there eyes met for a brief moment. Then, her face crumpled. "No. I'm not."

Liz stepped closer, and the crying woman shocked the human demon by jumping up suddenly and throwing her arms around her.

Liz returned the embrace, gently rubbing Aria's back as she continued to cry.

Minutes passed, and Aria's sobs began to quiet, her muscles relaxed, and she stepped away from Liz, her swollen eyes taking in the person she'd so impulsively thrown herself at.

In her mind, a light went on, and her knees buckled in response. 

"I...I know you."

Liz smiled, a full grin with gorgeous teeth and canines that were a bit too long. Those eyes. That smile. That confidence. 

Aria's already-pale face drained of any remaining color. 

"I know you." Her voice was a croaked whisper.

"Yes," Nihilis said, cupping her face in his hands and drying her remaining tears with his thumbs. "You do."

Part 8 - The Obligatory Sex Scene

"I knew it was you! I knew it. I knew it. I knew it!"

Nihilis and Aria were stumbling into Aria's apartment, alternating between passionate kissing, yanking each other's clothes off, and talking. 

"I know, " Nihilis said with a grin. "I knew you'd figure it out."

Aria took Nihilis's perfectly-chisled if slightly-more-feminine face into her hands and pressed her full lips to his, sliding her tongue into his mouth delicately, playfully.

He returned the kiss, sliding his slender fingers into her mass of curls and grabbing a fistful at the back.

She moaned with such intensity, he felt the sound vibrate through his chest, which was very quickly becoming topless as Aria yanked his shirt and sports bras off, all the while looking like an eager child opening a birthday present. 

She stepped back to admire his naked form in this female, human body. 

"Wow." She breathed.

Nihilis grinned and looked down, and, had he had his usual equipment, it would have deflated like a popped balloon. 

"Um..."

"What's wrong?"

"I've never done this before."

Aria's eyes widened. "Wait. You're a virgin?!"

"No! Oh, God, no. I've had thousands of lov..." He caught the look on Aria's face. "Yes. No. I mean, I've never done this in a woman's body before."

"Oh!" Aria gasped, pushing her body against his. "Cause you're not a woman."

"Right."


Aria grinned. "I have just the thing."

The lithe, blonde woman lead her naked lover silently by the hand toward the bedroom. She motioned for him to get under the covers while she rummaged through a drawer.

Nihilis couldn't quite tell in the dim light, but it almost appeared as if she was assembling something. 

There was a clicking sound followed by what sounded like a leather belt tightening. When Aria turned around, Nihilis laughed. 

A full-on belly laugh that made his human ribs ache and tears stream down his face. 

When he regained his composure, he saw that Aria's face had fallen, and she looked like she was about to cry. 

He quickly got out of bed and went to her. He took the object from her hands. 

"No. No. It's OK." Nihilis slipped into the leather straps and pulled the dong tightly to his own equipment before cinching the buckles as tight as they could go. "I get it now. I just, well...I've never seen anything, real or manufactured, quite this big."

Aria giggled, heat rising in her cheeks. He kissed her as he guided her over to the bed and finished undressing her. 

Her body was beautiful. Creamy skin, full breasts, generous hips, and hair as natural and curly as the mane atop her head.

"Delicious."

Nihilis slipped his tongue across his teeth as he took in her naked form.

Aria shocked him by growling, pulling him to her, and shoving her tongue furiously down his throat. 

They kissed so deeply and breathed so hard, they both felt they might suffocate, but neither could or wanted to stop.

"You have no idea how sexy you are when you do that."


Nihilis started to ask what she meant, but he couldn't utter a sound before her mouth found his again, kissing, suckling, devouring him.

"I can't get you close enough to me!" 

He pushed her down onto the bed, crushing her body with his, and she sighed deeply, apparently deeply enjoying the pressure his body provided.

He pushed against her, moving rhythmically, grinding against her as she spread her legs further to accommodate him.

He entered her, and they both gasped like they'd been hit by an electric current. Her nails dug into his back, and her mouth found his neck where she closed her teeth on his skin, applying pressure but doing no harm.

"Oh, you like biting?" Nihilis grinned down at her. 

Her hands were in his hair now. "Feathers. So soft."

A rumble built up in his chest, rising into his throat and vibrating at the back of his throat. He let out a low, controlled growl as he pulled Aria's hair away from her neck and bit down into her flesh, taking care not to draw blood.

She moaned, tightening her hips around him, pulling him deeper into her, her arms locked around his body in a vice-like grip.

He moved his hands down her body, grabbed her ample bottom with both hands and sent a shockwave rippling through her entire lower half.

She gasped, pushed him back, and stared at him wide-eyed. 

"Oh, yes. I may not have my wings, but I still have my powers."

"Oh, God!! Yes!!" 

"Not exactly, but we'll go with it for now."

As he moved on top of her, thrusting deeply, he lifted them both off the bed, so they were slightly airborne, the bed sheet waving and drifting in a faint red light.

With each thrust, Nihilis added a little extra jolt of energy that made Aria's entire body tingle like static electricity. 


She moaned, growled, and pulled his hair as she matched his rhythm, enjoying the deep, satisfying sweetness that pulsed through her entire being. 

He grabbed her hair at the crown of her head and sunk his teeth in once more. 

She screamed with pleasure, holding on tighter, her entire body seeming to fuse with her as they moved faster, more frantically. 

The red light glowed brighter, encompassing them both, spilling out into the room, and splashing the walls.

Hearts pounding together, bodies slick with sweat, they moved into a crescendo, their bodies humming like instruments played by virtuosos.

Every move he made, she matched, pulling him deeper into her, letting him devour her, consume her, claim her.

When the final moment came, she let out a scream so fierce, so primal, that, for one moment, Nihilis thought he'd hurt her.

Then, he felt his own wave crash into her, and he cried out. Her mouth covered his, and she swallowed his sounds, her body slowing, her hands gently exploring his sweating, trembling frame. 

The light dissipated, and the couple floated gently toward the bed, landing in safety and deep satisfaction in each other's arms.

...

...

...