Daughter to Demons by Jeffrey M. Mahr ©1999 Jeffrey M. Mahr -- all rights reserved

George staggered out into the living room a bit after noon wearing nothing but jockey shorts and a tired smile. Frank and Jackie, relaxing on the couch watching television, gave a guilty start and then greeted him.

"Do you believe me now?"

"Either you're telling the truth, or that was one hell of a great dream." George's smile grew bigger, if that was possible.

"Where's Julie?" Frank asked.

"She's still sleeping. I must have really worn her out." George dropped into the lounge chair in the living room and scratched himself absently.

"Yes George. She's still asleep. She'll stay sleeping until we agree what to do about her."

"Huh?"

"You've effectively raped her. What are you going to do about it?"

"Rape? What are you talking about?"

"She's in your bed because I made her come here against her will. That's non-consensual sex, otherwise defined as rape."

"Hey. She came into this apartment and jumped on me. How's that non-consensual?"

"Cut it out George. She's only here because Jackie made her come to prove herself to you."

"True, but I didn't force her to come here. I didn't force her to jump me. I didn't increase her lust level to the point she couldn't control herself. In other words, she may have been raped, but I didn't rape her." George seemed rather proud of his logic. Frank bit his lip knowing that Jackie would have to respond to those comments. He was right. It only took her the time to take a deep breath.

"You pompous, self-righteous, egotistical ass. For your information, I had to leave your bedroom. I couldn't stand the pain of the pure unadulterated love in that room. I had to feed off Frank instead."

Frank blushed but nodded to confirm her statement. His discomfort was not lessened by George's "Way to go horn dog."

Jackie frowned and continued. "You know you love her, and surprisingly enough, she loves you, not that I can see why. All her posturings were just attempts to get your attention."

"No way. She did everything possible to tell me I was persona non grata. She wouldn't talk to me. She was always giggling to her girl friends when I was around. She never even dated any other guys. We though she was a lesbian."

"It's true." Julie was leaning against the bedroom door frame in the baby doll night gown in which she'd arrived earlier that morning. She sauntered over to George and dropped down into his lap and placing her arms around his neck possessively. "I don't know how she knew it," a nod of the head in Jackie's direction, "and I can't imagine how she got me to build up enough nerve to come up her and throw myself at you. But I'm glad I did and I do love you."

She radiated love to the point that Jackie winced. Then she turned back to George and the glow was gone. She snarled and slapped him as hard as she could. "But that's for even thinking I could be a lesbian."

George was shocked. He reached up to rub his smarting cheek but Julie gently took his hand in hers and kissed the already reddening cheek.

Jackie coughed politely to get everyone's attention. "Gee guys, it's been really neat playing cupid here, but could we help me now?"

"What the heck are we doing here? We must be crazy." Julie and George huddled behind a dumpster next to the rear entrance to Calaca E. Julie shivered from the unseasonably cold wind blowing through the alley and George stopped complaining long enough to unzip his coat and give her the opportunity to huddle inside it with him sharing the warmth. The plan was simple, beard the demon in it's own den, so to speak. Julie and George were out back, as near the back door as possible. Given that they were dealing with a creature that could become invisible and float through walls, their job was not so much to stop it as to encourage it to go in a different direction in order to avoid the pain of their "true love." The hope was that the other direction would be one that would bring it closer to Jackie. In the meantime, Frank and Jackie were going in the front door. Frank, with his athlete's body, was to act as Jackie's escort and keep the human wolves away while Jackie tried to find her maker. The plan was not great, but it was the best they had been able to devise.

The first signs that the plan was coming undone came in the form of laughter and shouting from behind Julie and George. Turning, they saw a group of five tough looking young men strutting down the alley toward them.

"They won't see us here behind this dumpster."

"Sure. No problem." Julie shivered again and huddled even closer to George.

"Eh muchachos. Vimos aquí. Dos amantes."

Julie yipped and jerked when the dumpster suddenly moved and uncovered their hiding place.

"Eh puta, dé un beso aquí." One of the men pointed to his cheek and made kissing sounds while the others laughed uproariously.

When there was no response he switched to English. "I said give me a kiss whore. Share yourself." George rose to his full five foot eleven and moved between Julie and the taunting men.

"Amigos, un hombre muy macho. Estoy muerto de miedo." He sneered and the others snickered.

"Yeah, Macho Man scares us all to death."

"We don't want any trouble so why don't you just go wherever you were going." George struggled to keep his voice from cracking. Julie moved up behind him to clutch him for protection.

"Qué lástima. You found it. Now move out of the way and let your pretty little whore show us how good she is. If she's really good we'll even let you have sloppy seconds." They moved closer, beginning to circle their victims. Suddenly a knife appeared in the leader's hand.

"Oh shit." The words were muttered but the leader must have heard because his sneer grew even broader. The gang began to close in.

Frank and Jackie pressed, apparently aimlessly, through the crowd at Calaca E. Frank was leading, but he was moving according to gentle guidance from behind as Jackie tried to sense and locate the faint traces of magic that might be the succubus that had created her. She had not even known she could do that until she glanced out the window of the car as they drove to the club and realized that every now and then there was a glow that should not have been there. When she had concentrated she had found that specific people and objects seemed to have the glow and wondered why. At first, there did not seem to be any rhyme or reason, but then it had come to her. It was a logical assumption, but there had been no time to prove it. She only hoped that her guess had been correct, that it was some kind of magic aura because it was now being put to the test as they meandered through the club looking for an aura similar to her own.

There was nothing. Jackie had seen more auras on the drive then in the club, some brighter than others and speculated that the brighter auras meant more power. They had swept the bar area and the dance floor without success. All that was left was the bathroom and the employee areas. With Frank waiting by the entry hall leading to the bathrooms and beyond, Jackie checked the ladies' room. Still nothing.

"I'm going to check out the men's room and then the employee areas. Wait here." Frank nodded and then blinked as she faded into invisibility. Seeing it happening made it no less unbelievable.

"I think we're in trouble." Julie had a death grip on George's arm. George carefully watched the men threatening them while he struggled to get Julie to release his arm long enough to remove his jacket. He desperately wanted to have it wrapped around his arm as a protection against the knife the gang leader was brandishing.

The leader paused to encourage his troops. "Is it puta time compadres?" They cheered and he turned back to the scared couple.

"Eep!" Julie had backed into the wall.

"Ooh, look at the big knife. My you must be a brave one." The entire gang stopped advancing on the couple and turned as one to the new voice. Jackie was posing enticingly against the back door. George thought he saw a faint glow as she smiled at the gang members.

"Just stay there bitch and we'll take care of you next. Pablo. Miguel. Get her and hold her while Arturo and Jorge help me take care of these two."

"No problem Ricardo." The two gang members closest to Jackie rapidly closed on her. Each grabbed one of her arms... and collapsed with matching sighs of contentment.

"What the hell?" Arturo's exclamation grabbed the others attention and they again stopped advancing on George and Julie as they turned to see what had happened to their associates.

Jackie stepped daintily over the fallen men. "What's the matter boys? Am I too hot for you? Can't you handle a real woman?"

"Arturo. Jorge. Get that bitch," he growled, "and hurt her."

Jackie just smiled. Jorge waved his stiletto menacingly but drew back when Jackie just smiled and kept swaying closer. He glanced over to Arturo who nodded and picked up a broken broom handle and slapped it against his hand.

They lunged as one... and fell through the space Jackie had been occupying. Jackie appeared behind them. "Peek-a-boo." She reached out and daintily touched each one and they too collapsed while Ricardo watched in shock as his gang was incapacitated before his eyes.

"Uh hum." Ricardo turned back to his original victims to meet George's fist slamming into his face. He was unconscious before he hit the floor.

"Thanks for the help Jackie." George turned and enfolded Julie. "How'd you know we needed the help?"

"It was weird. I was just about to check the dressing rooms when your glow disappeared." She paused for a moment.

"Oh, did I tell you I can see your love as a golden glow?" She saw their blank looks. "Guess not. Anyway, it seems I see these auras around things. Lust comes out as a reddish glow, love comes off as a golden glow, magic is a pale blue and demons like me are various shades of black."

"What about the other succubus?" Julie asked.

"I haven't found her yet."

"Ah, actually, you have." A sensual voice from behind them caused them to turn as one.

"Dejá vu all over again." George muttered. Lilith was posing just as Jackie had, by the stage door.

"Well, well. I haven't seen a sister in decades." She floated closer to Jackie staring at her. "What are you doing here?"

George and Julie glanced at each other. "I guess we'll be leaving now." George kept himself between the two demons and Julie as they back out of the alley with Lilith and Jackie warily assessed each other.

"So why are you hunting in my domain?"

"I'm not. I'm trying to find you."

"Why?" She stepped back surprised and instantly wary.

"Because I think, somehow, I'm your daughter."

"So what did she say?" Frank sat on the apartment couch beside Jackie, his arm around her shoulders, stroking her neck and shoulder as he gently tried to pull her closer to him.

"She said, my research was pretty good and my guesses about magic auras were even better." She had long since stopped trying to keep him from touching her, realizing he could not help himself. No matter how hard she tried to turn off her sexual magnetism, a lot still seeped out. She realized Frank couldn't help himself. "If I live long enough, I'll probably even learn enough to do some magic."

Frank kissed her lightly on the head and Jackie squirmed uncomfortably. George and Julie were in George's bedroom and there was no question in Jackie's mind what they were doing. She wished they would stop or she might have to take a walk until they were done. "She also said to watch out for Sanvi, Sansanvi, and Semangelaf."

"Huh?" Frank stopped nuzzling Jackie for a moment. "Who are they?"

"They're angels I mentioned earlier, sent by God..."

"I thought succubuses were demons?"

"Slow down." Jackie sighed. "Let me tell the story at my own pace." Frank nodded and started nibbling her ear.

"When God created man, he also created Lilith, Adam's first wife; Eve was his second wife. Did you know that Cain and Abel were step-brothers?" Frank shook his head.

"Cain's mother was Lilith and Abel's mother was Eve. Lilith was apparently the world's first women's libber and refused to be subservient to Adam. When Adam tried to force her to obey him, she fled. God sent three angels as emissaries to reason with her and get her to return to Adam, but they failed." Jackie shrugged, momentarily pushing Frank's hand away. It was creeping towards her breast.

"Anyway, instead of going back to Adam, Lilith did a lot of begatting." Jackie shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. George and Julie must be thinking especially romantic thoughts in the other room. Frank hugged her even more closely and Jackie had to admit that it felt kind of good, now that she had learned how to control her hunger so that she didn't suck the masculinity out of every male who touched her. Of course there would always be a link between them now that he had touched her although Lilith had been vague about what that meant.

"So?"

"Oh, sorry. I must have been daydreaming. Anyway, Lilith had thousands of little demon babies just to anger God. Did I tell you she's also called the mother of all demons. Apparently God wasn't on Prozac back then and he was really angry about what Lilith had done so he gave the three angels a different job. They had to kill all Lilith's children... children like me."

"Why? Why are you leaving?" Frank was beside himself as he watched Jackie sort through the few possessions she had worth taking. It was down to his class ring and a couple of photographs in which George and Frank were prominently portrayed. George and Julie were in class, apart for one of the few times during the day. They were already making plans for a wedding after the spring semester ended.

"We've gone over this Frank, I can't stay here. Being around those two turtle doves is becoming more and more painful. Plus, the longer I stay the more likely I am to slip and suck you dry. I don't want to hurt my best friends." There was moisture around Jackie's eyes and she kept her face turned away from Frank as she spoke.

"If you leave you'll be alone. Stay here and we can help you."

"Against angels?"

"You believe that crap?"

"Look at me." Jackie wearily posed before Frank. "What do you see?"

"My friend."

"No really. What do you see?"

"A beautiful blue eyed blonde who's about five foot six inches tall."

"Wearing?"

"A white form fitting sweater dress."

"Thank you." Jackie spun around once. "And now what do you see?"

"A five foot two inch brunette with hair half way down her back, brown eyes," he squinted, "or are they hazel?"

"But is it still me?"

"Sure? By the way, nice sweats."

"So how did I do that?"

"Do what?

"Stop it." A dainty foot stomped. "You know what I mean. How can I be two different people."

"I don't know."

"Yes you do. Say it." Jackie crosses her hands and waited petulantly.

"Oh all right. It was magic."

"Correct. Give the man a cigar." Jackie smiled and dropped back down onto the couch. "Now if that's magic, can you accept that I might be a demon?"

Frank was silent for several seconds before answering. "I... I guess so."

"And angels?"

A deep sigh and a grudging answer. "I guess so."

"Angels who hunt demons?"

"All right already. You've made your point."

"Then you understand why I need to leave." Jackie stood to return to her old bedroom to finish picking out what to take with her but Frank grabbed her hand and pulled her back down onto the couch.

"No. I understand that you need help and we can help you. You remember help. It's what friends do." Suddenly there was a ravening beast slavering over him and he yelped as he rolled off the couch onto the floor.

When the beast didn't follow he regained a bit of his composure. "Funny. Very funny. You're shedding on the couch."

By the time he had gotten to his feet, she was the blonde again. Before he could return to his seat she was in front of him, lifting him off his feet and holding him above her head. "What can you do to stop an angel? I can lift you with just one hand, I can walk through walls, I can suck the life out of you without even trying." She gently put him down and he slumped onto the couch. "Damn it, I have to make a conscious effort not to hurt you. What can you do to help... against angels... angels who probably have enough power to make mine seem less than an ant's?" She dropped down beside him had in hands crying. "Can't you understand. You are my friends. I don't want to see you hurt."

"I don't know." His hand gently stroked her cheek and she jerked back as if bitten. "But I love you, and I will do whatever I can to help you and protect you."

"It's you." She jumped to her feet and back away from him. "The dull pain. I thought it was the link with George and Julie, but it's you. You... you love me." She turned and ran to her bedroom, locking the door behind her. Frank could hear her crying on the bed but she would not respond to his pleas to open the door and talk to him. After an hour, he dejectedly went to bed himself.