Angus nodded, “I know the significance of this plant. We will keep it quiet until you’re ready.”
As Angus and Bride walked back to their cabin, I bent down to the plants once more, then walked the path of the mountain, finding three or four more clusters of the Lus Mór in places I wouldn’t expect to see it—especially because the sun and moon here were simulations of Underhill. There were some snakes near the plants, where they often liked to lay in Underhill. I wasn’t sure how they lived amongst theLus Mórwithout dying, but I left them be.
I gazed up to the top of the mountain peak, hoping to find some answers somewhere, but all I saw were our ever-present ravens circling high above.
“Thanks, homies. I’ll chat with you more about this when we have more time. In the meantime, I need to speak with Athena.” I dismissed my enforcers, thankful for the reprieve away from conversations I didn’t want to have.
The girls made their way out of the office, bowing at Athena as she walked in. Her power, beauty, and grace filled the room with her presence. She sat in the chair that Aibell had just vacated in front of my desk.
“Hey, Athena. It’s been a while. How are you?” I asked, settling back in my seat. We tended to have long conversations when Athena came for a visit.
“Hey, girl. All’s good here. I’ve just come by to see if you’ve heard the news?” she replied as she crossed her legs and got comfortable.
I sighed. “You’d think all of us old bats would have more to talk about than the office gossip. Which news are we talking about?”
“There’s a newPaxmember. Vada has joined the Demon Faction,” Athena whispered as if the entire building wasn’t talking about her arrival. She adjusted her burgundy blazer, unbuttoning it as if she planned to be here for a while.
I smiled. “I did. In fact, it seems she and I have already met.” I didn’t tell Athena that I couldn’t remember anything but waking up naked in her bed, but hey.
“What do you know about her?” Athena asked.
“Honestly, I don’t know much. I know her history before she was Vada, and I know she’s an incredibly powerful succubus, but that’s about it. Why?” I wanted to know more about her, but I couldn’t figure out if it was because she was new in town, or if our tryst last night made me curious why she would’ve taken me home and I couldn’t remember it. I wondered if I begged her to use her powers on me. It’d been a while. My face heated at the thought.
“Oh, nothing. She just seems exactly like your type is all.” Athena smirked as if she had me in a gotcha moment.
I wondered if Athena and Poe had been chatting this morning. I should’ve probably talked with Vada already, but I was going on little sleep, had a hangover, and had found theLus Mórall within a matter of hours. There was a lot going on, and I needed to release some of this pent-up energy before my death magic decided to come out to play.
“Yeah, that’s definitely true. Something just feels off. I haven’t quite figured out what it is yet. You know me. I’m constantly jaded and tired.” I scratched my nose, a gross habit I took on as a young child but couldn’t quite seem to kick when I was anxious. I put my hands in my lap to stop the behavior.
Athena’s features softened as she pulled her long, dark hairback into a quick bun, tying it back from her face. “I know you’ve been through some shit. Sometimes our instincts are spot on. I trust you know best, but I really don’t think there is anything to worry about when it comes to the Demons. They’ve been essential to the development of thePax.”
“We’ve all been through some shit. I mean seriously. I still train regularly, but I haven’t seen a major fight outside of the ring in decades. But something is definitely on the horizon,” I said.
I pushed back from my desk. My office window overlooked the Mississippi River with a view of the Arch. The Arch’s construction wound up becoming the perfect storm to create a large portal. Its usage was heavily guarded nowadays, but right now, it beheld a forest that resembled the Dark Wood in Underhill. That pathway had been blocked for some time on behalf of dear old dad, so I assumed it was likely the Cryptids’ universe.
“Speaking of training, I came in here to pick you up. I’d like to go get a workout in, and I know you need an outlet for that hangover,” Athena said.
“H-how did you know?” I asked as I turned back to her, perplexed.
“Did you know you still have your sunglasses on?” she replied with a laugh.
Fuck.
“Alright, deal. We need to grab some food before we hit the gym. I’m going on next to no sleep and I’m hangry. No one enjoys working out with me when I’m extra,” I said as I grabbed the workout gear I kept in the office for this specific reason.
Athena laughed as she stood up. “Fine. Let’s go”
March 17th
Relief. I was giddy with excitement and anxiety. I was ready for a change and had been for many years. I never thought I’d be permitted to go back to my home world. After millennia, I was finally going home.
I packed the last of my belongings I was taking with me to St. Louis in the only box I could find. Some of my belongings were in the pocket realm to make traveling easier. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to bring over ten thousand years’ worth of collected items back to Earth with me, but there were some items I couldn’t leave behind. Little sentimental things that reminded me of times in my life that were good. Since they’d been few and far between, I held on to the good as much as possible.
I was elated to be going back to Earth. Asmodaeus, my keeper and friend, was tired of my constant begging to return. He’d realized that the powers I had as the first succubus were passed along to other succubi over our long lifetimes, and that they could do the job I had been doing for millennia without me. Hashem hadn’t been communicative in many generations either. We all figured he’d abandoned his duties, which meantthat I wouldn’t be struck down for stepping foot back onto his creation.
But, from what I’d learned over the years, the world had changed significantly. Human innovation reimagined the way we viewed the world, and those revolutions made their way to Hell, too. Those we got in Hell weren’t innovators, but humans who gleefully took from others with the intent of power, fortune, or glory. The assholes who stole the intellectual property of women and people of color wound up in Hell, and I was often tasked with figuring out the worst of their crimes.
I spent my last day in Hell going over the finalized contracts for thePax, while working with Asmodaeus to get another succubus trained in my place. Asmodaeus’s job was like mine, though he was far older than even I. Lust was the game, and what we both knew was that lust took many forms. It was most often associated with sexual lust, but lust could be power, money, objects, or anything in between. We fed on all of it, and we ate well, though the flavor profiles changed based on who we interacted with. We had our preferences, but Hell wasn’t a place for the weak.
