Chapter 26 Allies #2
Asmodeus nodded, grinning. “Yeah, he was a bit of an idiot about the whole affair. Most demons lose the ability to connect like that with a human when they are turned. Most demons speak of love as sappy mortal stuff, something only the weak or the foolish fall prey to.”
“Remind me to never ask you for advice on love or feelings,” she said, raising her brows. “How does a mortal turn into a demon? Fiza told me she grew up in the Underworld. I assumed she was born there.”
Asmodeus chuckled. “Demons are born in the Underworld, but they rarely exist in their true forms here. They have to either change their shape or possess a human.”
“Possess a human?” Elizabeth repeated weakly.
“Yeah,” Asmodeus said, seemingly oblivious to her horror. “You just find someone with a form you like the look of and slip into their mind. Then, you have a little mental tug of war and devour their soul.”
She wrinkled her nose. “That sounds horrible.”
“Not really. Wearing my own form here itches. And I’d constantly expend energy trying to change my shape to blend in. Much easier to slip into the body of a human. I possessed a human and was living in this body when I was cursed.”
Elizabeth recoiled at the idea that she was sitting across from a human corpse that Asmodeus was possessing. She eyed his form warily and couldn’t stop herself from asking, “Why don’t you change your shape like Fiza does instead of possessing people?”
“Fiza and Maud are shapeshifting demons. It comes much more easily for them.” Asmodeus gave a loud laugh. “Water demons suck at basically everything else, but some of them are really good at changing their shape. Even their eyes are brown instead of black, and their pores have texture.”
Elizabeth furrowed her brow.
“Well, of course, you wouldn’t know the difference, but if a demon like me changes their shape to look human, it would be obvious. We’d be all poreless and glowy at the edges. Mortals would be able to tell immediately that we are not of this earth.”
A certain angel came to mind, his form perfect with poreless, glowing skin.
“What do you really look like underneath?” she asked suspiciously.
“You probably won’t like it.” He shrugged. “Most mortals find our natural forms … a little unsettling. Unless you’re into that kind of thing.” He gave her a roguish wink.
She ignored him. “So, Fiza is a shapeshifter demon, and the rest of you that look human all had to possess a human?”
A firm nod. “Basically, yeah.”
Finally understanding, she grew excited. “And you call us mortals. Does that mean you never age?”
“Yep. Immortal. I will stay gorgeous like this forever.”
“But you need to drink blood to survive?”
Asmodeus rolled his eyes. “Yes, we drink blood to feed our power and to anchor us to this plane. If we do not, we will lose our power and slowly fade into nothing.” He sipped from his goblet and gave her a wry smile. “We are not meant to be here, after all.”
“So, er, once someone becomes possessed, they become a demon and thirst for human blood?”
“Yeah, we prefer blood as the purest form of energy. The power rush from drinking human blood is … something else.” Asmodeus’s eyes misted over.
“Asmodeus,” she said sharply, for he had started gazing wistfully at her neck. Asmodeus shook himself lightly.
“But we aren’t mindless, blood-hungry lunatics.
We do crave blood, but we could, as you can see, obviously survive on animal blood and only hunt humans occasionally,” Asmodeus said, giving her a boyish grin and puffing up his chest. “The older, and much more handsome demons, like myself, have an easier time restraining ourselves and can go for much longer between feedings.”
She felt scandalized. Caspian had led her to think he needed to feed from her to survive. The knowledge that demons could survive on animal blood shook her to her core.
“We don’t kill everyone, sweetheart. Don’t look so put out. Plenty of humans beg us to feed from them.”
“I highly doubt that.” She couldn’t keep the disdain from her voice.
He gave her a lazy smile. “You’d be surprised. Immortality, demon magic, endless power, the ability to hunt and kill anyone who opposes you. Don’t think we don’t have mortals who petition us to turn them into one of us.”
She was revolted. “You’re kidding.”
“Nah. Not so much anymore, but a few centuries ago, loads of humans were begging us to make them immortal.”
“Can you really do that?”
“Haven’t you been paying attention? Caspian was once a man, and we turned him into a demon. We don’t do this often, though, because humans are very annoying, and I would lose my mind if I had to share this body with a human for eternity.”
“What?”
“Caspian allowed a demon to take him and use his body however he pleased. Now, the man and the demon share the same skin. They exist as one, and usually the demon is in control, but if Caspian sometimes says or does things that aren’t particularly demonic, that’s why.
” Asmodeus shrugged. “I don’t bother myself about it much. ”
“Why would anyone want that?” she asked, aghast.
Asmodeus rolled his eyes and crossed a leg over his thigh. He looked pleased to have someone other than Caspian to talk to, and she was starting to think he was a bit of a gossip at heart. “Well, it made him immortal and immeasurably more powerful.”
“Why would the demon care though? Isn’t it easier to kill the person?”
“Eh, Caspian didn’t put up a fight. Wanted his body to be used to cause general pain and destruction. He was a powerful magic user, too, so the demon thought it was advantageous for him to keep him alive in there as well.”
She furrowed her brow in confusion. “So, he’s a … a warlock? A male witch?”
“Nah, as a man, he was a human. A mage. Powerful one too.”
Her head was reeling from what she had just learned. “Wait, I have a question. Is there any defense if a demon tries to possess you?” She didn’t want to ever worry about getting possessed and having her soul eaten.
Asmodeus snorted. “Oh. That’s why you asked.
” He contemplated. “Depends on the strength of the demon. If a mid-level demon tried it, be strong of will. Make it hard for them to take control. If a high-level demon tries to wrestle control of your mind and body … er … pray to whatever gods you believe in. That’s all you can do. ”
A shadow crossed over her face. These were creatures that could wipe her from this earth without breaking a sweat.
“Chin up! You have nice demon lads to defend you now. Woe to the demon that tries to possess you now.” Asmodeus smirked. “Any more questions about demons or demon lore?”
“No,” she said, forcing her lips to curve upwards. It was a lie. She had so many questions, and every time she asked one, a hundred more popped into her mind. "Yes … and pardon me, but why do Mammond and Caspian have silver eyes while you and the others have black ones?"
“Silver eyes are the mark of a demon prince. If you see them, you know you owe them your allegiance.” He looked at her, and his face broke out in a mischievous smile. “Well, if you see silver eyes, that means your mortal ass should run.”
“And what happened with his family? Who did he seek revenge against?” she asked.
Asmodeus gave her a wry look. “I have known Caspian and fought at his side for many years. But even I don’t know the full extent of what happened to him as a mortal, or all the people he sought revenge against. I understand that there was once quite a list.”
Once.
She looked at Asmodeus expectantly, hoping he’d elaborate.
He grinned sheepishly. “Okay, now, I don’t know everything, but I do know that when his father died, it was the final straw.
He staggered to us with a heart black as coal, with no love or light left in him.
Only darkness. He was so angry, so full of hatred towards all of humanity that he would have destroyed the world out of spite if the demon he shared a body with hadn’t held him back.
” Asmodeus chuckled, as if it were something funny.
“Imagine, a mortal having to be held back from causing pain and destruction by a demon.”
Elizabeth pursed her lips. “One more question, if I may.”
“Certainly.”
“What happened to his last mistress?” She was afraid of the answer.
Asmodeus’s gaze turned pitying.
“He ... tired of her.”
Asmodeus rubbed a hand over the back of his neck and said nothing more, but she understood all the same.
“Oh,” she said, feeling small. She stood rapidly.
“I should be getting to bed now. It’s getting late,” she said. Her heart had begun to race, and she desperately needed space from the demons in the castle.
Asmodeus saluted her with his goblet of blood.
She made for the stairs and barely made it to the threshold of her bedroom before she closed the door and sank to the floor. She wondered why learning how seriously she was in danger disappointed her so much.