Chapter 15 High Noon Thoughts
High Noon Thoughts
Grace
Wading to the edge of Cobbin Lake, I clasp the last shreds of my mother’s ruined dress to me, praying no one sees me before I make it to my car, practically naked as the day I was born. I’ve lost nearly all my clothing to Sepher's manhandling; they’ve been as good as sacrificed.
Whatever. I figure nudity is a small price to pay to be alive at all, especially alive and well-fucked and back home.
Sepher wasn’t going to let me redress anyway, not while in his presence.
I’d be more likely to be given something I don’t want to wear just as much as something I do if I tried to argue.
I take a moment to press my bare feet into the silt and pebbles at the bottom of Cobbin Lake, appreciating the fact that Sepher returned me by the shore.
Facing the house, the sun gets in my eyes, much higher than it was when I left.
The windows glint brilliantly in its light, and the trees surrounding the house sway from a gentle breeze.
Hell was… okay.
But it’s nothing compared to home.
Walking the rest of the way to the beach, I wipe my feet, grateful for the soft grass, the clear water, and the solid ground. I guess my opinions on Cobbin Lake have changed.
“Grace, I expect an offering soon. In fact, I will be waiting for it. Don’t make me wait long,” Sepher warns teasingly.
I look to the left and find him lounging in a devil-may-care way on a wet inlay under the shade of a tree offshore, most of him still in the water.
His form wavers like it’s weightless against the breeze, and I know he’s not physically there.
He’s projecting, given partial access to Earth by our bond.
“I just left,” I grouse, clutching the dress to my front and stepping away from the water before his tentacles pull me back in.
“I didn’t expect you to be so needy so soon. ” I tease him back.
Hearing the slam of a car door, I jolt and spin away, not waiting for his reply.
Dashing up onto the whitewashed deck and gathering my things on the chair, I jump back down into the manicured grass and hunker low.
Scurrying to the side of the house where my car is still parked, I dodge under the open windows, praying that the renters aren’t already here.
I don’t know what time of day it is, though I’m certain it has to be around noon. Is it tomorrow? Did I spend a whole day in Hell?
I try not to think about it as I round the last of the honeysuckle bushes to the additional side driveway where my dad stores his pontoon.
Plucking my keys from my items, I unlock my car and jump in.
Once inside I glance over my shoulder and discover two unfamiliar cars in the main driveway, one with the trunk open and luggage sitting out waiting to be taken inside.
Damn it.
Shaking out my clothes from yesterday, I quickly start to shimmy them on, and while I do, I notice a large glowing black symbol on the center of my chest. I immediately recognize it as one of the symbols in the summoning circle and wonder if it has to do with Sepher’s insignia.
As I watch, the symbol fades into my skin, and I breathe a sigh of relief.
That would require some wild explaining.
Pulling my shirt down, I glance back at the lake to Sepher.
He’s staring at me from far in the distance, yet I can see his grin as clear as day.
I give him a tight smile, my heart wrenching, sad we live in entirely different worlds.
And his, well, his is unlivable, period. At least for someone like me.
I’d date Sepher if he weren’t a demon…
Lowering my seat back, I wait out of sight for the renters to finish unloading their belongings into the house, before quietly turning on my car and pulling my sedan out of the driveway.
As I round a curve following the lake road, I catch glimpses of the water through the trees, glittering in the noonday sun.
I search for Sepher, but I can no longer see him. Each flash of the lake is too fast.
I reach up to rub my chest and neck. I no longer feel him either. When he was near, his presence was too heavy not to notice, especially now that he’s permanently bound to me. I guess he must’ve gone back to Hell.
My heart aches at the thought. After how long it took for him to say goodbye, he was still reluctant to let me go, and I know I wasn’t wholly ready either.
I pause on the thought—a part of me wants to stop the car, to leave it behind in the middle of the road and return to the lake, to Hell with the rest. But a more sensible, logical part of me keeps on driving.
Fuck Hell. It’s too wet.
As I turn off the road and head away from the lake, my hand drops to my stomach, another ache filling me.
That fucker got me pregnant. He hadn’t intended to, or so he said, but it happened. That’s the last time I have sex without a condom. Apparently my birth control can’t protect me from demon seed.
Within a few short hours of fucking me—hours spent in panic and near hysteria—Sepher tended to me as my belly swelled uncomfortably large, coaxing me with sweet words and teasing doom.
Then, to my horror, I painlessly gave birth to a sac.
A sac he believes will protect the many eggs his seed magically fertilized within me.
Running my tongue along my teeth, I clench my core, checking again that everything is normal and feeling fine.
That I’m normal. I’ve barely begun to unpack the last day, let alone the last six hours. Time felt different in Hell. It seemed like yesterday and the whole issue with the summoning circle had been weeks ago.
After I recovered from birthing the sack, Sepher buried it in the sand and promised to guard it with his life. Shuddering at the thought of what might grow from our union, I realize I may now be the unlikely mother of monsters.
Once I get a new phone, I’m ordering sushi. And then I’m going to research everything I can find on demons and mermen.
I curse under my breath.
Then I let out a burst of laughter.
Well, I’m not lonely anymore.
Sighing, I settle back in my seat and turn my signal on for Main Street, feeling my stress fade away.
It’s not like I’ll have to be in charge of our offspring, Sepher was more than willing to take on the burden of the task.
If a hundred murderous humanoid demonfish spawn suddenly, I’d rather they frenzied somewhere more acceptable… Like Hell. Ha.
Turning up the radio, I let myself zone out to the music as I make my way to my apartment, excitement and hope beginning to brew within me. Classic rock blares and I sing along, ready to be home and showered.
But my bubble of invigoration threatens to burst as the chorus of the song dies, right when I park my car and notice my hands on the wheel for the first time.
The tips of my fingers are white and crackling.
My lips turn up in a smile as wonderment fills me. Twisting my hands in the bright ray of sunlight shining through the window, I marvel as the white sparks slowly disappear into my arms.
But the fact remains: I brought my magic forth all on my own and without the potential of hurting myself or someone else. I’ve never been able to do that before or after that night.
Letting my hands drop back to my lap, I lean my head against the seat, appreciating the moment.
Thank you, Sepher, Duke of Hell.
Thanks to him, I’ve changed in a way I have yet to figure out, but that I know is… good.
I grab my things, climb out of my car, and walk up the stairs to my apartment.
Thank you.