Eubexa shook slightly with fear as she waited for a response.

  < What gave me away? >

  The voice in her head was intimidating and powerful, a contralto with an otherworldly, sultry affect. Given nine years of experience as a sex slave, though—most of those in a brothel—she was no stranger to acting, nor to seduction. She knew exactly what the demon was doing. Eubexa firmed her resolve in the face of the being's overwhelming presence, and 'spoke' as normally as she could.

  It was lots of little things. Honestly, I suspected that you were in Diavla, at first.

  < I was. >

  Eubexa blinked. Then...is she still possessed?

  There was a short pause. Apparently, the demon decided that there was no harm in Eubexa knowing. < No. I couldn't leave a shard behind, else the clerics would have detected it when they tested Diavla for possession. >

  You entered me while I was unconscious after surgery?

  < Correct. >

  Eubexa absorbed that, and pushed herself to project confidence. You must have been truly desperate, to take such a miserable body as mine for a host.

  < It was certainly the last place a cleric would think to look for me...Eubexa. >

  Eubexa shivered. This was terrifying, but there was nothing for it but to press on and learn what she could. May I know your name?

  < I am Melsuria, the Goddess of Lust. >

  Goddess? Eubexa scoffed before she could stop herself. Her regret was palpable a moment later, and perhaps that tempered Melsuria's reaction.

  < Yes, Goddess. You are an elf, and lack understanding of such things. Your mortal sensibilities may not grasp it, but what else would you call a being with powers as vast as mine? >

  And yet, you had to hide in a dying cripple. Eubexa reminded herself that she had nothing to lose, and needed to fight back any way she could.

  < Have a care, mortal. You are my host, to do with as I please. >

  Not yet, I'm not.

  Eubexa felt...something. She shuddered, wondering what was coming. But Melsuria said nothing more for a moment. Eubexa suspected that the demon had just tried and failed to punish her. Swallowing nervously, she decided to dare greatly.

  Cards on the table, Melsuria. I know I'm screwed. You're more powerful than I am, and soon I will be utterly helpless and completely under your control. But... you don't have full control over me yet. Maybe this necklace is interfering, maybe you're weak at the moment, maybe it just takes time. Whatever the reason, I have a short time now where I could make serious trouble for you.

  < I can restrain you from any action that would harm me. >

  Sure about that? I would expect that you would want to think very hard about it. Because, if you're wrong, you could end up dead—not just banished, but destroyed utterly, forever.

  There was a pause.

  < Your audacity amuses me, mortal. What would you ask of a Goddess, in exchange for your cooperation? >

  Existence. You know what I mean. I don't want to be so completely absorbed by you that I cease to be myself. And I don't want to be a passive observer, a prisoner for all eternity!

  Eubexa felt a surge of emotion, not her own, just for a moment.

  < I know what it is like to be imprisoned. >

  There was a pause.

  < Help me to establish myself, to take over your group, and I will free you. >

  How?

  < Destroy or lose the Amulets of Protection. Touch and hold the others, so that I may leave shards of myself to grow in them. Once I have control of the group, I will take a different host, and remove myself from your soul completely. >

  You're Healing me, aren't you?

  < Yes. >

  Even...my face?

  There was a pause.

  < That isn't necessary for my goals. >

  But you can do it?

  < If I heal you completely, then you will serve me, as one of my succubi. >

  Eubexa wasn't sure exactly what that meant. She focused on the most important part.

  Freely?

  < Little mortal, once you taste what I have to offer, you would give yourself to me willingly. But yes, you will no longer be my host, and I will not compel you. You will still have your own thoughts and desires, and some freedom to indulge yourself. You will be my servant, not my puppet. You will remain...as free as a young man with a full purse, standing in front of a brothel. >

  Eubexa felt a moment of empathy with the demon—both of them knew exactly what that meant.

  She thought over the deal, and was surprised by a pang of remorse at the thought of betraying her companions. So, she tried to head it off.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  My group is all elves, besides the one human. Some of us may be immune. If I get you...three other humans, say, and infect them with your...essence...will you leave my entire group free?

  < Five humans. All from different homes. And if I grant this, you will aid me wholeheartedly, without reservation. >

  Yes.

  < I find this entertaining. It has been thousands of years since a mortal dared to bargain with me. Very well. Eubexa Corvolli, we have a deal. >

  ° ? ? ? °

  It was strange, getting used to having no privacy in her own thoughts. Eubexa did her best to adapt. Melsuria was a constant companion, and they could talk whenever Eubexa was not busy translating or answering questions. Apparently, the demon could read her thoughts easily, and her memories with a bit of effort. Still, it was simply easier for the demon to ask questions when she wanted to know something. And Eubexa had questions of her own.

  Do you know anything about the other two demons that got loose? she asked.

  < Arthalax is a demon of Murder, and Quazulin is a demon of Hate. They are not the most subtle of beings, which works to our advantage. We want to get far away from their territories. >

  We're headed for the southern coast, as soon as we're done in Oak Mill. That's half the continent from here, so that should be plenty far enough, right?

  < Yes. How soon can we leave? >

  We need to find four more elves that are hiding somewhere in the forest. Varga and Orvan are following the trail, and we four—five, I suppose—are taking the roads to Oak Mill. We'll be there in about eight days. Hopefully, Varga will track them down quickly and convince them to join us.

  < When the time comes, I may be able to help with that. >

  Thank you.

  < We are working together, Eubexa Corvolli. The sooner we find your lost elves, the sooner we can get out of this country. I have no interest in a demon war. >

  Eubexa realized that Melsuria thought of a 'demon war' as a war between two demons, not a war between a surface race and a demon's empire. She also noticed that Melsuria accepted the label of 'demon' for her kind when she wasn't preaching her glory. The alien perspective would take some getting used to.

  < By the way, what year is it? >

  It is 6467 in the canonical elven calendar. Humans use other systems.

  < Hm. So, it's been a bit over four thousand years since my last kingdom fell. Since they were humans, there probably isn't so much as a bloodline to avenge myself against at this point... Ah well, one less distraction, I suppose... >

  Four thousand years. Even elves didn't live that long. Eubexa was impressed. Her thoughts turned to another topic.

  You've been sending me to sit as close as possible to people having sex, haven't you?

  < Of course. I need to feed, after all. >

  How close do you need me to be?

  < As close as you can. In the midst of it, if possible. >

  Eubexa snorted, then frowned in concern. Does it harm those you feed upon?

  < No, of course not...well, spell casters find themselves a little more tired after, but that's about it. I generally make it worth their while. >

  I'm sure you do. You must be the world's greatest lover.

  < I am, in fact. Thousands of years of deliberate experience will do that. >

  Eubexa focused on her surroundings again, and picked up On Fighting Demons, opening it to the last page she had read.

  < What are you doing? You don't need to read that. >

  I need you to tell me which parts I'm allowed to read to Master—

  < Call him Tom. I am your Mistress now. >

  Eubexa digested that for a moment. Yes, Mistress. Tom...has been waiting for me to read this book to him. I need to at least make a show of it to keep him from growing suspicious. I thought I would read parts to him and skip the bits you want me to skip.

  < Very well. I am curious what the mortal has to say. I'm not familiar with this Thazagor he fought. >

  Eubexa worked her way through the next chapter slowly, memorizing which parts to skip and what to say in their place. After a while, she found herself yawning.

  You don't have to do that, she protested sleepily.

  < Yes, I do. You need healing. I'm holding up my end of the bargain. Your body is an absolute wreck and can use all the help it can get. Go to sleep. >

  Yes...Mistress...

  ° ? ? ? °

  When Eubexa woke, it was night, and dinner was almost ready. Diavla and Kervan were arguing over the steaming pot. She watched curiously for a minute. With your experience, you're probably an excellent cook, too, she commented to the demon. Want to butt in?

  < I'm an exquisite cook, but no. It would look strange if you suddenly mastered the culinary arts. You can speak up if they start to burn it. >

  Yes, Mistress.

  The food ended up perfectly ordinary, and Eubexa ate three helpings. The human was watching her as she finished. He spoke up in Western, and she responded in kind.

  “How are you doing, Eubexa?”

  “I'm...doing well, Mas—um, Tom.”

  Tom Walker gave her a huge smile at that. “Thank you for finally using my name, Eubexa.”

  She grimaced, not that the man could see it. “I decided to take the gamble that you won't kill me for not showing you sufficient respect.”

  “Oh, look, you're still here, un-killed. Thank you for trusting me.”

  “It's not easy, but...I'm working on it.”

  “Is being in less pain helping with that?”

  < Yes. >

  “Yes,” Eubexa answered obediently.

  “Good. You know I don't want to control you any more than absolutely necessary, right? If you have any requests about the collar, don't hesitate to ask.”

  < Anything? >

  “Anything?”

  Tom spread his hands in invitation.

  < Get him alone for this. >

  Are you going to—?

  < Yes. >

  He might combust from embarrassment, Mistress.

  < You just have to phrase it properly. Pit his ethics against his reticence. It's not fair that the others get to have pleasure and you don't, he's the only one who can give it to you, and so on. Plead with him. He won't be able to say no, particularly when he just promised. >

  Eubexa did as she was bid, got Tom alone, and hesitantly said what she wanted. Even in the dark, she could see his face changing color. She begged, as instructed. Tom agreed, as predicted. Interestingly, he asked her to lie down and close her eyes before he pulled out the control wand.

  < Oh, that's adorable. He put it on a time delay, so that he doesn't have to watch. >

  What?

  < In ten heartbeats, I'm going to get a snack. >

  How do you know? Wait, can you hear his instructions? Because I can't. I just have to ob—!

  A horrible mixture of pleasure and pain wracked her body as Eubexa convulsed. She stiffened and couldn't even breathe, let alone cry out. She felt a complex swirl of emotions as she rode the sensations and the pleasure began to fade, while the pain lingered. She blinked away tears and worked to even out her breath.

  < Blech. That tasted terrible. >

  Eubexa was speechless.

  < All right, I can see now that that was a mistake on my part. >

  Goodness, Mistress, do you really think so? Eubexa snarled. She was too focused on handling the pain to be tactful, but one corner of her soul took note that Melsuria was capable of admitting fault, a surprising trait for a demon. She shifted slightly, and gave a small, involuntary hiss. And this is only one eighth part of the pain I would have felt? Spirits!

  < Don't worry, I'll make sure to heal all of that very thoroughly before we do it again. Meanwhile, do not let Tom know that that hurt you. Just keep quiet about how it felt and let him think it went well. Tell him that you will want more of that sometime, just not yet. >

  Understood, Mistress. It won't be the first time I've had to fake it.

  Eubexa felt the demon laughing in the back of her soul, and sighed.

  This is going to be an interesting journey.