A YOUNG SUCCUBUS NAMED DELICIA by Michel Poulin - HTML preview

CHAPTER 29 – TROUBLE FROM HEAVEN

 

18:12 (California Time)

Thursday, September 13, 1973

Patricia’s house, corner of Lindbrook Drive and Malcolm Avenue Westwood, Los Angeles

California

Patricia was choosing the outfits she would wear during this evening of stripping at the PUSSYCAT CABARET when she heard the telephone in her bedroom ring. Hurrying to it, she picked up the receiver and spoke in it in a mellow, sexy tone.

‘’Patricia Love here!’’

She then heard the voice of John Hideyoshi, the owner of the FRIENDS’ CORNER BAR, whom she now considered as a good friend. John’s voice was tainted with concern.

‘’Patricia, could I ask you a big favor tonight? I really could use your help here through the night.’’

‘’Uh, I was about to go work at the PUSSYCAT CABARET, but I could always pass by your bar afterwards, once I leave the cabaret around midnight. What’s up?’’

‘’What is up is the full Moon, and this since yesterday night. I have two friends who are having, uh, health issues and who would need close supervision for a night or two.’’

‘’Then, I will be happy to come and help. You can expect me at the bar after midnight tonight.’’

‘’That will be very much appreciated, Patricia. Thank you in advance for your help.’’

‘’It’s a pleasure, John.’’ replied Patricia before hanging up at the same time as Hideyoshi. She then thought about the problem that John was having. It was actually a problem which came back regularly and at known intervals, which involved the periods of full Moon. Most of the Lycanthropes frequenting John’s bar had learned to a degree how to control at least partly their shifting between their human and their animal forms during the periods of full Moon. However, full control was hard to attain and they then had to stay inside one of the special rooms in the FRIENDS’ CORNER BAR, in order not

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to go roam the streets at night and kill or hurt innocents. While in those special rooms however, those Lycanthropes needed someone full time to watch over them and feed them. Patricia had already helped in that respect a couple of time in the past months, something she had been truly happy to do. Watching someone involuntarily turn into an animal, or in a hybrid between a human and an animal, was not a pretty sight and the person involved then needed close supervision for the two to three days during which the full Moon period affected them. Returning to her wardrobe preparations, Patricia finished packing a suitcase with her selected outfits, then changed shape into that of Jennifer Woods before leaving her house and heading towards the PUSSYCAT CABARET.

00:10 (California Time)

Friday, September 14, 1973

Little Tokyo District, Los Angeles

Having dropped first her suitcase full of stripper’s outfits at her house after work and changing back into her legitimate form, Patricia teleported from her house to a dark, deserted alley near the FRIENDS’ CORNER BAR that she used frequently. As usual, nobody was present in the alley and she was able to walk to the entrance of John’s bar without delay, pushing the entrance door open and stepping inside the bar. Roman Radu, at his usual post behind the bar counter, smiled to her and nodded his head in welcome.

‘’Hello, Patricia! John is in the basement rooms.’’

‘’Thanks, Roman. Uh, Priti is not working tonight?’’

‘’She couldn’t! A bad case of flu weakened her and she was not able to control her condition when the full Moon came. She’s in a basement room, watched by John.’’

‘’Oh, I’m sorry to hear that, truly: Priti is a good girl.’’

‘’That she is!’’ agreed Roman. Contrary to what some horror movies tried to make people believe, there was no natural animosity or ancestral conflict between vampires and lycanthropes. Both kinds lived their existences according to their individual routines and were indifferent to each other, as long as one didn’t bother or invaded the other’s vital space.

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Using the door near one end of the bar’s counter, Patricia then turned right and followed the corridor running parallel to the lounge. At the end of the corridor, Patricia opened a hidden door and climbed down the staircase leading to the secret rooms in the basement, ending up in a fair-sized room with concrete walls. A number of steel doors with thick Plexiglas windows lined up the walls of the room, giving a view inside sound-proofed, padded cells, each about six meters by five meters in size. Another, normal-looking door gave access to a restroom, while a small counter, a refrigerator, a television, a radio, a small table and two swiveling chairs completed the furnishing of the room. John Hideyoshi was sitting in one of the chairs and looked up at Patricia when she entered the room, with a smile appearing at once on his face.

‘’Aah, thanks for coming, Patricia! Two of our friends are in real need of help, as you can see.’’

Acknowledging him with a nod and a smile first, Patricia went to look through the Plexiglas windows of the two occupied cells. The first contained a magnificent Bengali tiger, while the second contained a huge rat measuring a good two feet from nose to rump, not counting the tail. The tiger was turning around its cell with obvious frustration, while the giant rat kept sniffing around the walls of its cell.

‘’I guess that the tiger is Priti, your night waitress. Who is the other one, John?’’

‘’Jodie Brown, one of our regular customers. She is still quite young and hasn’t learned yet how to control her condition, while Priti was weak from a bad bout of flu.’’

‘’Roman told me about Priti. Were both given water and food recently?’’

‘’I fed them less than half an hour ago and their water basins are full. There is still some leftover cheese in Brown’s food tray, so you will only need to give a slab of beef to Priti at about eight in the morning. If anything unusual or untoward happens, just push the buzzer and contact me by intercom. I have a pile of fresh magazines and newspapers in one corner, along with a radio and a television, to help you pass the time.’’

‘’Thanks, John: I will take good care of our friends.’’

John was about to leave when he hesitated and turned to face Patricia, getting closer to her and gently grabbing her two hands while staring into her eyes.

‘’Despite all those who call you a bad girl, Patricia, you are in reality a good person, one who cares when it counts. I am not normally fond of Infernals, but you are truly special for a Succubus. Yes, you showed that you could kill if need be, but you also

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exposed yourself to pain and danger in order to save young innocents from evil men. You also have none of the selfishness and cruelty so typical of Demons.’’

‘’What are you trying to say, John?’’

‘’That I am growing fond of you, Patricia, or should I say Delicia. We could make a decent couple and live together for the next few centuries, that is if you would also find me to be a good companion.’’

Patricia smiled tenderly at John and tickled his nose with her right index.

‘’I already like you a lot, John, but there is still a small problem concerning you.’’

‘’Oh?! What would that be?’’

‘’While you know what I am, I still don’t know what you are, except that you are not a normal man.’’

It was the turn of John to gently smile.

‘’It is true that I have kept my true nature hidden from you…and from others. Unfortunately, my natural shape wouldn’t fit inside this building. I tell you what: let’s meet in a deserted, secluded place on Saturday night, so that I can show my true self to you. You could come here first, then I could drive you to a deserted spot I know well.’’

‘’That would be fine with me, John. Since I never showed myself to you yet, then now would be as good a time for you to see me as a Succubus.’’ Stepping away from him, Patricia quickly removed her clothes, ending naked in front of John, then concentrated. A dim halo of dark light surrounded her as her shape transformed slightly, with a pair of small horns growing on her forehead while her skin turned to a reddish-brown color and her eyes became fiery red. The one major change to her human form was a pair of large, black feathery wings. Contrary to popular views about Demons having a forked tail, she had none and otherwise had the body of a normal but stunningly beautiful and sexy human female standing about six foot tall. John eyed her for a moment, appreciation showing on his face.

‘’You are decidedly a true delight for the eyes, either in your human or demon form, Delicia.’’

‘’I am happy that you like my natural shape, John. Be sure that I look forward to see your own true shape on Saturday. Oh, one last thing before you go.’’ Approaching him with a sexy gait, she glued herself to him and kissed him before giving him a malicious smile.

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‘’You know that us Succubi are truly fond of sex, John. If we end up as companions for the next few centuries, then you will have to prove to me that you can satisfy my urges as a bad girl, hmm.’’

Her challenge made John grin with amusement then.

‘’I may be a man only in my present shape, but I certainly have everything to satisfy you, my perverted friend.’’

He then quickly undressed, but Delicia stopped him as he was about to remove his last piece of clothing: his undershorts.

‘’Wait! Let me uncover myself that little birdie of yours.’’

Kneeling in front of John, and with her black wings still fully deployed, Delicia smiled as she pulled down John’s undershorts, making an already half-erect penis pop out. Using three fingers of her left hand to grab a hold of his member, Delicia took out her tongue and licked once the tip of John’s penis, making him shiver with pleasure.

‘’Ooh! To be frank with you, Delicia, I have not had sex with a Human woman for decades. I would normally be described as a wise old being, but I suppose that a little bit of fun couldn’t hurt.’’

‘’Decades without sex?!’’ exclaimed Delicia in an indignant tone. ‘’That sounds like blasphemy to me! And sex with females of your kind, whatever it is, have you had some in the recent past?’’

He answered her in a nostalgic tone, as she kept using her tongue and fingers on his penis while listening to him.

‘’I haven’t met a female of my kind in over three hundred years. In truth, I haven’t met any other of my kind for 260 years, after the last one I knew died of old age. I am afraid that I may be the last of my kind on this Earth.’’

Delicia interrupted for a moment her stimulation of his penis and looked up with sorrow at John.

‘’I am sorry to hear that, John, truly.’’

‘’There is unfortunately nothing that you or me can do about that, Delicia. Still, thank you for your consideration.’’

Wanting John to forget his passing sadness, Delicia resumed her stimulation work, smiling as she admired his erect penis, now a full nine inches long from tip to base.

‘’Not bad at all, John. It is a true shame to think that you haven’t used it for so long. It should make a nice fit inside me.’’

‘’Do you want it bigger? It still can grow more, if you wish so.’’

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Those last words made Delicia grin devilishly.

‘’Surprise me, John!’’

‘’Alright, but remember: you asked for it!’’

With Delicia still holding its base, John’s penis started growing in both length and diameter, until it measured a good thirteen inches in length, with its tip the size of a small apple.

‘’So, little girl, had enough?’’

‘’How about an itsy bit more: I really want to feel you inside me.’’

‘’You are truly incorrigible, Delicia.’’ sighed John with false displeasure. His penis then grew again, finally stopping at a length of sixteen inches. Its tip was now the size of Delicia’s clenched fist.

‘’Now, that’s to my liking! Since size is not everything, let’s see what kind of staying power this nice toy has.’’

Delicia renewed her stimulation work with gusto, using both tongue and fingers on the penis’ tip while pinching its base between two fingers. John’s breathing soon

accelerated steadily, while his body tensed up. He spoke between his clenched teeth after a minute or so.

‘’I have to…warn you that…I can control my reactions…to an unusual degree. I however must say that…ooh…that you are quite good at this.’’

‘’You can control your reactions, you say? Then try this!’’ Getting up, Delicia impaled herself on the giant penis, taking in her breath as she slid John’s member inside her wet vagina. John then showed some unusual strength by staying up on his feet while she was impaled on him, then started swinging his hip back and forth, making her bounce on top of his penis. At the same time, being quite smaller than her, he lowered his head and started licking and sucking in turn each of her nipples. With the pounding of his penis inside her bringing wave after wave of pleasure to her brain, Delicia abandoned herself into his arms, enjoying to the full the energetic sex. John himself was also apparently enjoying the moment fully, bringing Delicia to an explosive climax after two minutes of hard pounding. He also climaxed at about the same time but kept on his pounding, his penis still rock-hard. If anything, he accelerated further his pumping, bringing Delicia to a second, brain-busting climax after another minute and making her eyes cross under the waves of pleasure, until she blew out air.

‘’By the Devil! That was great!’’

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‘’Wait, you bad little girl: I’m not finished with you.’’ replied John, whose face was covered with sweat from his strenuous workout. He then made the tip of his penis grow even larger in diameter while continuing to ram it up and down her dripping vagina. Herself sweating from the incredible spasms of pleasure and with her vagina and clitoris feeling as if on fire, Delicia didn’t respond to his taunt, instead biting her lips and closing her eyes while enjoying the continuous pounding by his giant penis. Their third climax came at the same time for both of them, with Delicia letting out a loud moan, while John roared in pleasure. He then dropped her naked butt on top of the small table and slid his penis out of her vagina, making a good quart of vaginal fluid run out. She hugged him tightly at once while kissing him repeatedly.

‘’You’re fantastic, John! That was the best sex I ever had!’’

‘’I have to say that this reminded me why people are so obsessed with sex. You are a hell of a girl yourself, Delicia.’’

‘’You can say that again, especially since I come from Hell! Well, I certainly wouldn’t mind being your companion for a few centuries.’’

‘’How about working on gradually becoming something more, like becoming true lovers?’’

‘’How about discussing that further on Saturday night, after you could reveal your true nature to me?’’

‘’A fair point! I will be awaiting that night with impatience. I will now have to go upstairs to help poor Roman, who is alone to serve the customers tonight. Remember, if anything happens, buzz me!’’

‘’I will!’’

Watching with regret John leave, Delicia then turned around to look inside the two cells holding the lycanthropes. Both the tiger and the giant rat were eerily quiet as they stared at her, making Delicia grin.

‘’You liked the show, girls? I can’t blame you.’’

She then sat down on one of the chairs, not bothering to change back to human form or to put some clothes on: the natural state of a Succubus was naked, and she liked it that way.

04:45 (California Time)

Saturday, September 15, 1973

Basement room, FRIENDS’ CORNER BAR

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Patricia was now in her second night of watching the two lycanthropes, having been replaced during the day and evening by Harold McMasters, who had volunteered his time to relieve her so that she could go work at the PUSSYCAT CABARET. Both the tiger and the giant rat had been asleep for a few hours already and Patricia was passing the time as best she could by reading a few magazines. A weak female voice suddenly made her head jerk up and turn towards the cell which contained the tiger. What she saw was a naked, disheveled Priti Kumar, standing against the door of her cell.

‘’Could you let me out, Patricia? I believe that this crisis is now over for me.’’ Jumping to her feet, Patricia went quickly to the cell door, examining Priti through the Plexiglas window: she now appeared completely human, with her skin back to her natural light brown and her fingernails no longer claws.

‘’Let me buzz John first, Priti. I don’t know enough about lycanthropes to be sure that your ordeal is truly over. It won’t be long.’’

Running to the red button of the intercom, she pressed it for two seconds, then waited anxiously for an answer. To her relief, John’s voice came out after a short moment.

‘’Yes, Patricia?’’

‘’John, Priti is back to human shape. Could you come examine her?’’

‘’I’m on my way!’’

John was effectively down in the basement after a mere minute, nearly running down

the stairs. He then smiled on seeing Priti in her cell.

‘’Thank God! This could easily have gone on for another day. How do you feel, Priti?’’

‘’Tired and also a bit disoriented. What day are we?’’

‘’It is now nearly five in the morning, on Saturday the fifteenth. Are you hungry?’’

‘’A bit, yes. I am also thirsty.’’

‘’We will take care of that. Patricia, could you take some meat and milk out of the refrigerator while I get Priti’s clothes?’’

‘’With pleasure, John.’’ replied Patricia, moving at once to the small refrigerator. Priti was out of her cell and half dressed by the time Patricia put a plate of tartar ground meat and a glass of milk on the table of the central room. Priti finished dressing up, then sat down to eat, watched by both John and Patricia. The waitress made an

embarrassed smile to them as she ate.

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‘’I am sorry for causing so much fuss. I normally am able to control my shape-shifting, but that damn flu played havoc on me.’’

‘’You don’t have to excuse yourself, Priti.’’ said softly John, patting one of her hands. ‘’Your curse is a very cruel and merciless one.’’

‘’Uh, pardon my ignorance on this, John,’’ cut in Patricia, ‘’but isn’t there any magic spell which could remove that curse?’’

‘’Unfortunately, none exists at this time. I used the word ‘curse’ to describe lycanthropy, but it is in reality a disease, an old disease tainted by some very powerful and persistent magic. Harold McMasters has been trying for years to find a cure for it, but he would need the help of a top expert pathologist to have a chance to succeed. Unfortunately, contacting a pathologist about this would more than probably result in creating panic and alarm by making known publicly the true existence of lycanthropes. You can pretty well guess what the government would do if it learned about lycanthropes, vampires, outsiders and the like.’’

Patricia winced as she thought about that.

‘’You’re right! Soldiers would probably descend on this bar with guns blazing.’’

‘’Hey! Could someone get me out of this cell, please?’’

Turning their heads, the trio saw a thin black teenage girl standing naked in the cell which had contained the giant rat. John got on his feet at once, going to the cell and unlocking it, then retrieving a small pile of clothes and personal effects from a nearby locker and giving them to the black girl.

‘’Do you feel completely normal, Jodie? Are you hungry?’’

‘’I could use some cheese and milk, yes?’’

‘’Certainly! Dress up, then sit at the table with Priti.’’

This time, it was John who fetched the food and drink for the teenage girl, who took no time to start munching on her cheese.

‘’God, I hate being a lycanthrope! If not for you and your bar, John, I wouldn’t know what to do.’’

‘’Look, Jodie, you are still young and learning about your condition. With more experience and practice, you will be able to control your shape-shifting, like Priti usually does.’’

‘’Maybe but, in the meantime, it is making my life quite miserable. To be frank, I was more than once tempted to commit suicide to escape this curse.’’

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‘’Please don’t say that, Jodie. Look, we will escort you home after this, so that you can rest properly.’’

‘’Home!’’ said the teenage girl in a derisive tone. ‘’For me, home is either the streets or the hideout of the street gang I frequent in Southeast Los Angeles. The gang leader is probably going to beat me up for not showing up for three days and not bringing him something from my usual stealing. What a useless misfit I am!’’ The black teenage girl then broke out crying, prompting John, Priti and Patricia to gather around her to try consoling her.

‘’Don’t call yourself a useless misfit, Jodie, please.’’ pleaded Priti Kumar. ‘’You can be much more than what you are presently.’’

‘’How? I own next to nothing, have no family member left who would even want to see me and have hardly any education.’’

Patricia, who had been thinking furiously, then patted gently the girl’s shoulder.

‘’We can start by giving you a safe place to call home, Jodie. I am offering you to come stay and live at my place in Westwood. There, you will have ample time to think about what you want to do with your future. You could even return to school and get a proper education.’’

As both John and Priti looked at Patricia with surprise, Jodie lowered her head.

‘’That is very kind of you, Patricia, but what about my curse? I will still be facing it every damn month of my life.’’

‘’You will learn to fight and control it, given time. Right now, you need a place where you will be able to recuperate and feel safe. Forget that street gang of yours: they accepted you only in order to use and abuse you, believe me. Once you have finished eating, I will get you to my home.’’

Jodie looked up at her, tears in her eyes.

‘’Why do you do this for me? You are a Demon. You are supposed to be evil.’’

‘’I suppose that I should have been an evil being, yes, but I actually turned out to be too nice by the standards of the Abyss and my mother had to flee with me and drop me on Earth in order to save me from certain death at the hands of Demons made angry by my lack of evil. I want to help you, Jodie, and I am doing it simply because I want to be nice with you and with the others around me.’’

As Jodie stared at her with disbelief, John nodded slowly his head while looking at Patricia.

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‘’Patricia, I am proud of you, truly. If you need anything from me to help you help Jodie, you will only need to ask.’’

‘’Thank you for your offer, John. I will keep it in mind. Alright, Jodie, you are with me now.’’

That caused more crying from the black girl, unable to believe her luck. She meekly finished eating, then got up and hugged John Hideyoshi.

‘’Thank you for sheltering me during my crisis, John. I owe you, again.’’

‘’It was my pleasure, Jodie. You can thank me by listening to Patricia’s advice and building up a new, better life for yourself.’’

‘’I…I will do my best to turn my life around, John.’’

Led by Patricia, Jodie climbed the stairs to the level of the bar lounge, where she got a hug from Roman Radu before she stepped out in the dark alley on which the bar’s entrance opened. It was still night, being about five in the morning, and nobody was in sight, with most windows in the neighborhood being dark. Patricia patted her shoulder to reassure her.

‘’Come, Jodie! You will be safe with me.’’

She could make only four steps before a tall, winged form dropped down from above, landing in front of her in the alley and blocking her way. Patricia felt instant dread at the view of the bald, muscular giant with green skin and

white feathered wings wearing and holding a huge

sword. She was now facing an angel from the Celestial

Plane, and no simple angel at that: it was an Avenging Angel, whose main task was to hunt down and destroy Demons. The angel looked down at both Patricia and

the now petrified Jodie with utter hatred.

‘’You were indeed hard to find, Demon! Your

days of sinning and bringing chaos on Earth are

however about to end.’’

‘’Who…what is that, Patricia?’’ stuttered Jodie,

paralyzed by fear.

‘’Something that you would normally call an angel, but one that is definitely not nice, Jodie. Go, return inside the bar, quickly!’’

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‘’STAY, YOUNG MORTAL! EVIL IS IN YOU AND YOU MUST FACE THE PUNISHMENT FOR YOUR CRIMES, LIKE THAT DEMON.’’

‘’Don’t listen to him, Jodie. Run back in the bar, now!’’ Urged Patricia to the black girl, pushing her towards the bar’s entrance. Jodie was finally starting to move when the angel swung his huge sword at the two women. Patricia tried to interpose herself to protect Jodie but managed only to absorb part of the blow. Patricia was projected on her back to the pavement, while Jodie crumpled like a broken puppet. Holding her right side and right arm, which had been slashed deeply by the sword strike, Patricia grimaced with pain as she raised herself on one elbow to look at Jodie. The black girl was not moving and blood was flowing out of a long, deep cut to her throat. Anger filled her as she looked up at the approaching angel.

‘’YOU BASTARD! YOU KILLED AN INNOCENT GIRL!’’

‘’Innocent by your standards, Succubus.’’ was the angel’s contemptuous response as he raised his sword again to strike her. ‘’Now, die and be gone, Demon!’’ Not having any weapons with her and not being a natural fighter, Patricia now had nothing left but magic to help her. Fervently hoping that her magical studies with Harold McMasters would now prove helpful, she muttered a short magical spell, ending in a shout in Infernal.

‘’MAY THE HOUNDS OF HELL RIP YOU APART!’’

What looked like two large dogs with fiery red eyes then appeared instantly, one on each side of the angel. The hounds attacked at once, trying to bite and claw at the angel. The latter had to concentrate on one hound at a time, hitting one and slicing it in two with his sword, while the second hound took a bite at one of the Angel’s legs. However, that bite seemingly did little to the Angel, who swung again his sword, killing the second hound and making it disappear, like the first one. In the meantime, Patricia had crawled to get near Jodie, still hoping to be able to do something for her. Unfortunately, she found no pulse. In pain, angry and grieving, she looked back at the angel as he approached her again after killing the two hounds.

‘’Is that all that you got, Demon? That was pitiful!’’

‘’I am not finished with you yet, you mindless killer! CHAOS HAMMER!’’ An explosion of multicolored, ricocheting bolts of energy then enveloped the angel, who stopped his advance at once and raised one hand to protect his eyes. This time, Patricia’s spell seemed to hurt the angel in a significant way, making him scream in pain as a number of bolts hit him. Knowing that her spell would be active only for a few

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seconds, Patricia furiously thought about her next move. She was about to teleport to safety when she saw John Hideyoshi run out of the bar and come to her.

‘’NO, JOHN! STAY INSIDE OR HE WILL KILL YOU!’’

‘’I AM NOT LETTING HIM KILL YOU, PATRICIA!’’ replied John in a firm voice. Stopping just in front of her and shielding her with his body, John eyed with contempt and anger the angel still being struck by the multicolored bolts of energy.

‘’YOU PRETEND TO DO GOOD, YET KILLED A GIRL WE JUST HELPED THROUGH A PAINFUL CURSE! MY FRIEND MAY BE A DEMON BY BIRTH, BUT SHE IS NOT EVIL!’’

‘’STEP OUT OF THE WAY, HUMAN, OR I WILL DESTROY YOU AS WELL!’’

‘’YOU WERE WARNED, ANGEL!

NOW PAY THE PRICE!’’

John’s shape and size then started

changing quickly and dramatically as the

angel still was fighting off the bolts of

energy. From a man standing some 165-

centimeter-tall, John changed into a

Golden Dragon of colossal size, its head rising to over twelve meters in the air and

its body and wings filling completely the

dark alley. With the wounded Patricia and

the dead body of Jodie Brown under its

belly and protected from the blows of the

angel’s sword, the dragon opened its

mouth and spit out a cone of ultra-hot

flames, enveloping the angel in fire. The angel screamed with pain as its green skin started roasting and turning black. Even then, Patricia was not sure that John/the dragon would prevail on the angel, as she knew that such Celestial beings possessed a significant resistance to fire and other types of damage. Not wanting to risk seeing John get wounded or even killed, she then used her last card, one that she wasn’t sure would even work. As a Succubus, she could theoretically call to her help a Balor, a powerful Demon from the Abyss. However, she knew from what she had learned young while still in the Abyssal Plane that summoning such a powerful Demon more often than not failed. She was however out of useful tricks and tried her luck.

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‘’TANAR’RI OF THE ABYSS, COME TO MY HELP!’’

To her utter amazement, not one but two huge,

powerful Balors, four-meter-tall winged humanoids with dark red skin and massive clawed hands appeared

besides the angel. Each Balor was seemingly sheeted

in flames and held both a great sword and a whip.

Posing only for a second to look with amazement at the

dragon breathing fire on the angel, the two Demons

then lashed with their whips at the celestial, catching

both of his arms and preventing him from moving

around. Then, as the dragon kept spitting flames at the angel, the Balors started swinging their great swords in earnest, slashing deep cuts in the angel’s body. Now facing three opponents who individually overmatched him, the celestial succumbed under the combined blows of the Balors and the flames from the Dragon after a hopeless fight which took less than half a minute. Screaming a last shout of pain and despair, the angel then turned to ashes, destroyed for eternity. The dragon immediately stopped breathing fire then and changed shape back to that of John Hideyoshi, as the two Balors let out mighty, ferocious shouts of triumph. The Balors then surprised Patricia one more time by bowing deeply to her in respect before disappearing, on their way back to the Abyss. As Patricia was still on the ground, stunned and in pain, John hurried to her and took her in his arms before starting to run towards the entrance of his bar.

‘’What about Jodie’s body? We can’t let her lie there in the alley.’’ protested weakly Patricia. John gave her a no-nonsense look while continuing to run.

‘’Roman will get her. Right now, you need some urgent help for your wounds.’’ The vampire barman effectively ran out of the bar as they were about to get to the door and, going to Jodie’s limp body, picked it up before running back towards the bar. They were all safely inside before the first wail of a police siren could be heard approaching. John gave a knowing look at Roman, who still had Jodie’s body in his arms.

‘’I guess that a fight between a Dragon and two Demons against a Celestial was liable to have had a few persons panic around the neighborhood. Hopefully, those policemen approaching will think that someone had hallucinated and will not inquire too much. Let’s bring the girls downstairs to the basement, Roman.’’

‘’Got it, John!’’

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The two policemen who arrived a minute later on the scene and stopped their patrol car at the entrance of the alley found nobody at first after stepping out of their vehicle. However, when they looked at the pavement of the alley, they found that a large surface of it had turned into a puddle of liquid asphalt, while a big trash bin was blackened by fire, with its content still burning. Intense heat radiated from the melted pavement, making the senior policeman swear and stop his advance.

‘’Jesus! Did somebody burn some gasoline here in this alley?’’

‘’It looks like it, Ted.’’ replied the second policeman. ‘’Anyway, I don’t see any fire-breathing monster around here. Someone must have been on drugs.’’

‘’Right! Let’s call a fire truck to hose down this pavement and prevent a fire from propagating. I don’t think that we need to do anything else here.’’

‘’Shouldn’t we go ask questions around the neighborhood, to check if someone saw anyone start the fire?’’

‘’At this hour? Only criminals are up at such a time, while the rest of the people are asleep, or should be. Nah! Just call the fire truck.’’

In the basement of the bar, John gently put down Patricia on the floor, then knelt beside her and smiled in encouragement at her.

‘’Normally, the spell that I am going to use on you would not work on a Demon, because of its evil alignment. You, however, have just proven to me that you have no evil in you. That obtuse angel should have realized that quickly enough, but he was too inflexible and arrogant to accept that fact. I regret having to kill him, but he gave me no choice. By the way, you seem to have some mighty powerful supporters in Hell, for a Succubus who had to flee into exile on Earth. You saw how those two demons saluted you before disappearing?’’

‘’I did and I don’t understand that myself.’’ answered Patricia, clenching her teeth against the pain of her wounds. John noticed that and didn’t waste more time talking, approaching his two hands to her wounded side and arm. Muttering a quiet spell, he made his hands start glowing with pale white halos. Patricia felt the pain of her wounds diminish at once, while her cuts started closing and healing at a noticeable pace. John, sweat on his forehead and seemingly exhausted, stopped his treatment once her wounds were fully closed, leaving only slightly red scars on her skin.

‘’How do you feel now, Patricia?’’

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‘’Much better.’’ she answered while cautiously moving her right arm, feeling only some stiffness in it now. ‘’So, you know healing spells as well, John?’’

‘’Yes, and I much prefer to use such spells than combat spells.’’ Getting up from the floor, Patricia went to Jodie’s pale body, which Roman had covered with a blanket, and knelt beside it, feeling sadness returning to her.

‘’I so wanted to help her. Now, she is gone. At least she will not have to suffer again through the next full Moon. What a tragedy!’’

‘’And a senseless one at that.’’ added John, equally grieving. They were both silent for a moment before looking at each other.

‘’So, you are a Dragon. And I thought that Dragons were only mythical creatures.’’

‘’For most people they are, Patricia. However, they are still revered by many people around China and Japan, for the good reason that Dragons actually helped make the history of those two countries. My own parents founded the first Japanese imperial dynasty and ruled under human form over Japan for many centuries. I myself fought as a man on the Imperial side during the various wars fought across many centuries, wars which opposed the standing emperor to the various warlords disputing his authority.’’

‘’But, before that, where did your parents come from? Were they descendants from a type of dinosaur from millions of years in the past?’’

‘’Hardly!’’ replied John, smiling. ‘’Actually, us Dragons came from the stars: we are actually of extra-terrestrial origin. The first Dragons to reach Earth by spaceship came over 3,000 years ago and left Dragon eggs and a few adults to take care of them, before continuing on their mission to populate habitable star systems with Dragons.’’

‘’Wow! I am impressed, truly.’’

‘’Thank you, but I wish that story to be kept to yourself, Patricia. Can I count on your discretion about this?’’

‘’Of course, John! About our planned excursion tonight, do you think that we could go for a little flying together, like good little lovers?’’ Her request made John smile with malice.

‘’Why not? I haven’t flown with someone else for over 300 years now.’’

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