Soul Guardian

Chapter 30: Hot Coffee

Cherry always enjoyed her time on Earth. The mortal realm had nice weather, plenty of people to eat, and of course, chocolate. She had fallen into the barista gig by pure chance but it was really working out well for her. That was, until she saw a familiar flame demon walk through the door.

At first she was worried, then she became resigned to her fate. If Maharet Flameheart was here there could only be one possible outcome. Cherry was about to get dragged back to the second circle of hell and grounded for all eternity. The only thing she could do was meet her fate head on and horns first.

It still sucked though. Cherry hated hell and her older siblings were all lazy little assholes. Ever since her parents split up and Mom moved back up to the second circle things had been tense between them. Probably because Cherry was part of the reason why Dad left.

But that wasn't her fault. The blame rested entirely on her Mom. Lilah was the one who cheated. Cherry was just the unexpected fruit of that union. Though Dad probably should have known better than to expect fidelity from a succubus.

Looking back it was surprising that their union had lasted so long in the first place. How could an old sloth demon like Orik hope to keep up with a succubus? Lilah had settled down thinking she would be the hot young sex object and ended up gathering dust on the shelf instead. A few hundred years and one drunken fling later it all came crashing down.

Cherry didn't know who her real father was and Mom claimed to have been too drunk to remember. “Frankly, the way some of those parties at Harrows went, you're lucky you don't have hooves.” Lilah had told Cherry when she pressed the issue. Which was a particularly nasty thing to say since Cherry did in fact have hooves, horns, and a tail to go with them.

Most succubi were soft dainty creatures with gentle curves that begged to be touched. Cherry was all those things, except she was nearly six feet tall and hated physical contact. Even a hug was incredibly uncomfortable for her and sex was absolutely out of the question. Which was quite problematic for a succubus.

Mostly Cherry made due by feeding off of sexual tension and longings of those around her. Look but don't touch, those were the rules. That was why Cherry went for a more soft academic look in hopes of toning down her natural allure.

But there was only so much a sweater and glasses could hide. If anything it had the opposite effect, making her fall into that most elusive category of being both beautiful and approachable.

The young succubus thought about her predicament as she pulled the shots and steamed some half and half for the latte. She did not want to go back to hell. Not now, not ever. Luckily her magic was particularly strong, no doubt a gift from her mysterious father. Perhaps she could use it on Maharet to get her to look the other way? It was certainly worth a shot.

Cherry called out the order, pausing when she got to the name. “I've got a quad shot breve vanilla latte with cinnamon for… Maharet! That was an order for Maharet!”

The greater flame demon approached the counter, her eyes going wide as she recognized Cherry. “Thank you.” Maharet said as she reached for the cup.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Oh silly me!” Cherry said, taking the cup back and gently blowing across the top. “I made it a little too hot. Don't you hate it when coffee is too hot?” Her hazel eyes sparkled with hints of green and mischief as she put the full force of her magic behind the enchantment. She channeled the entirety of her will and personality into one simple command. Desire me!

All around the coffee shop mortals began to swoon and become dizzy as they were caught in the radius of the spell. There was the sound of breaking glass as the cashier dropped a glass pitcher of cold brew but nobody noticed. All eyes were on Cherry.

Maharet blinked a few times as if trying to clear her head. Then she took the cup, chugged the contents in one go, and left without a word. Where was she going in such a hurry? Cherry wondered as she watched the demon sprint away.

***

“Oh my.” Bael said as he felt the spell hit him. They had just been getting ready to head home when it started. He leaned back into the rich leather seats of the demonic SUV. His connection to Maharet meant they shared strong emotions and this one was particularly potent. Bael glanced over at Six to make sure she was buckled up.

Then he said words that Murphy had been waiting to hear since he rolled off the assembly line in Detroit. “Murphy, I want you to take us home as quickly as possible. Drive fast.”

Six shot him a look of disbelief. “Murphy! Do not obey that order! Abort! Abort!” She called out. But it was too late.

There was a sound like thunder as Murphy's 5.2 liter V8 engine turned over, vibrating with excitement. Six braced herself for what was coming next, clutching her teddy bear backpack for moral support and extra padding. Then once the engine was warmed up Murphy launched forward with all the noise and force of a ballistic missile.

A cloud of smoke trailed behind them as Murphy burned not just rubber, but the asphalt beneath his wheels. They were doing sixty miles per hour by the time they left the parking lot. The speedometer read one hundred miles per hour by the time they hit the freeway on ramp. And it was steadily ticking upward.

The numbers stopped at one hundred and twenty. The orange needle indicating speed did not, choosing instead to continue around the dial once more. The world around them faded to a blur of abstract colors and wind noise as the needle went around the dial a third and final time.

Then just as suddenly as they had begun, they stopped right in front of their house. Bael sensed what was coming and put his arm out to protect Six from the sudden deceleration, magically stealing her momentum, taking all of it for himself. Time slowed. Nothing moved. Then Murphy’s chassis began to crumple like a soda can as that cruel mistress named physics took her toll.

The anchor points for Bael's seat belt failed spectacularly. They were not designed to handle this kind of strain, not by a long shot. He continued forward like a cannonball, passing through the windshield.

But once he was safely outside there was an ear splitting crack as something broke the sound barrier. Bael’s forward movement stopped and he landed on his feet, unharmed. Six looked at him with shock. He gave her a thumbs up gesture and ran off without a word of explanation.

What the hell was going on? Six wondered.

***

The two demons met halfway down the hill. Bael wrapped his arms around his wife and held her close, feeling Maharet’s intense warmth radiating through their clothing. “You and me, right now!” He said, feeling their bond go critical as they made contact. He wanted her. He needed her.

Maharet nodded, jumping up and wrapping her legs around him. “I forfeit the bet.” She said, barely able to stop herself from burning their clothes off right there on the street. “Take me home.”

Bael snapped his fingers and teleported them both to his apartment in hell. There were things he wanted to do with Maharet that he wasn't sure a mortal dwelling could survive.