A curl of satisfaction came from Damaris, and it was impossible to distinguish what was his own emotion and what was Damaris's. That seemed the end of the stream of memories from the demon but Damaris's presence was still there in his mind. Waiting, Archie realized, for him to respond or ask more questions or... something. It was a patience that was unfamiliarto Archie, the gentle silence unnerving. He took a moment, pretending he needed to save his page in the book and put it aside, or adjust his seat because his leg was going numb.
Archie sat back, trying to detach his feelings for long enough to think through some of what he just saw.So demons see the world in terms of different kinds of energies. And because you can see it, you can reach out and interact with it, in the same way that I can feel the heat of a fire getting low and put wood on to build it up again, or use it to light a lamp. We can't do that, so we call it magic. Is that right?
Yes. Though I do not think that is important to you right now, said Damaris with some amusement.
I'm getting there,said Archie mulishly. There was a little ruffle in his mind, as if Damaris was settling himself down too. Archie carefully thought his way around it again.And this energy, it's also what you feed on. Can you feed on all of it?
Yes. But same as for humans, some food is better than others.Damaris demonstrated, extending a tendril out until Archie could see it, an unnatural black shadow that appeared out from the foot of the armchair towards the fireplace. He felt it first, the pull of magic on the fire, and then he saw it too, the shrinking of flames that then spluttered out, leaving only the glowing husks of wood burned through too fast.
The magic felt strange inside him, as if he had stuffed a handful of dirt down his throat, grainy and dry inside his body, pouring like sand into the crevices between his ribs. He clutched at his torso and dry coughed as if that would get rid of it.Oh gods, this feels awful.
Precisely, said Damaris glumly. He pulsed, rolling it all back up like a lumpy boulder of magic inside of Archie’s chest that threatened to choke him. Archie got the distinct sense of regurgitation as Damaris thrust it all back out, the fireplace suddenly blazing so high Archie felt the heat blast his face. He gagged, even though there wasn’t anything really there.
If I must, I can sustain myself on heat. It's why so many demons are keen to cross over into the human realm, humans constantly prefer to live in warmth. But it is far better to make a deal with a human to gain access to the kinds of energies that truly nourish.Damaris's shadow retreated and Archie felt a sensation almost as if Damaris had run a hand through his hair.
He swallowed.So the idea of a succubus...
Ha. A human concept. Your human hierarchy of what energies are acceptable are baffling to us. Many of my brethren prefer to feed on the energies you call anger or sadness, which are as common as desire, and is desire not more preferable to feel?A stray thought leaked from Damaris, and Archie winced. He would have preferred not to have known that some of the king's mages were making deals with demons that fed on pain.
Finally, Archie could not avoid the crux of this conversation.What about us then? I thought that if I made myself... available for you, you would feed on me. If I fulfill your hunger, you would also make it pleasurable for me.
Yes. Is it not pleasurable for you? It seems you have been enjoying yourself,said Damaris archly.
Archie pressed his face into his hands even though there was no one around to see him. This was not a conversation he'dever thought he'd have with anyone, let alone a demon.What about the... people next door? What about them?
They are a snack. Something to whet my appetite before my next meal. Which I intend to have soon,added Damaris pointedly.
Archie struggled to order his thoughts and articulate them in a way that Damaris would understand.But you’re not… engaging with them.
No. I have no deal with them. I am merely observing from a distance. And occasionally encouraging it.Damaris showed Archie his vision again, focusing on the moving haze that Archie had been avoiding looking at that was the couple next door. When Damaris had reignited the fire, he had bundled all his magic up and thrust it out at once. Now, he did the equivalent of lazily flicking a finger in their direction and Archie felt the tiniest spark dart through the wall, then the aura got brighter.
Stop it. It’s not… It’s not fair,said Archie, struggling to find a way to explain it to Damaris without sounding like a petulant child.I struck the deal with you, I’m the only one who agreed to be subject to your magic. Leave them alone.
Our deal was not brokered with exclusivity,said Damaris, but he pulled back his magic.
Are you possessing other people at the same time?Archie changed tack.
No.Confusion tinged the edge of Damaris’s presence.
I said you could use your magic on me in exchange for hosting you in my body. If they don’t share the responsibility of hosting you then I say they shouldn’t get your magic.In truth, Archie wished he could better remember the wording of his own deal. He should have written it down or something, but he’d been rather out of his mind when he’d made it.
Archie could almost hear Damaris puzzling it out in his head, turning the words over, and waited.
That is not how it is done in the demon realm, but I taste the truth in your words.Damaris frowned. This logic wouldn’t really hold up in a human debate either, but Archie had read about this in the Wyndham book, about common it was for a human to think they were making a certain deal based on human morality and assumptions but a demon could interpret it a different way and not even consider it a loophole. He’d tried to sound firm about it and locked his uncertainties up very tightly in his magical mind tower.I do not agree, but I would rather keep one satisfied meal than many morsels. It is no difficulty to save my energy for more important magic workings.
Thank you,said Archie with some relief.What about Earl Damian? How does he play into this? Prince Ixthan asked if you had grander ambitions to take over the kingdom and I defended you. And now I realize I don't even know.
I am not pretending to be Damian. I am Damian, he does not exist without me. And he does not exist without you.Damaris pressed a partial set of images into Archie's mind, each of different men, different characteristics, all things that Archie had thought of previously. He'd suspected it, no, he'd known it, he just hadn't let himself admit it. Damian was a composite,created of all the things Damaris knew Archie found attractive into one man perfect for him.
He squirmed.But – why?
This is the most pleasurable form for you, is it not?Damaris sounded so matter-of-fact about it. He moved, and Archie felt it this time, the way he emptied out of Archie's mind into the shadows, and then Damian formed in front of him like an apparition, oddly translucent. Archie whipped his head around to check, even though he knew Damaris would have been able to sense the energy of anyone nearby. The library was still empty.
Slowly, Archie stood up to face him, his heart pounding. This was the first time he let himself examine Damian properly. The prince's party had been full of witnesses, and he'd been too taken-aback to allow himself to look. Even now the fear of being caught staring burned a low shame in his gut, fed by years of furtive paranoia. Damian stood a little taller than him, so he had to tip his head up to meet his eyes. Thick dark hair curled ever so slightly, framing strong eyebrows and a chiseled face. A wry smile formed with full lips that Archie had come to associate with Damaris's dry tone. Damian swept an elaborate bow with no little mockery and did a slow turn as if he were in the ballroom so Archie could see all the way around.
A set of broad shoulders and chest eclipsed Archie's own and swept down to a trim waist. Archie was so used to averting his eyes, the terror of being caught with wandering eyes on a man that it took him three tries to let himself linger on the swell of Lymond’s ass moving down to the thick thighs and shapelycalves, made more obvious with the tight leggings and short tunic he ‘wore’.
“Unfortunately,” said Damian, and then he vanished. Archie blinked, disorientated for a moment, and then Damaris had slithered back into his mind.Unfortunately, maintaining a corporeal form takes more energy than anything else.He sounded tired already, after just those few moments.
