Among Demons : Succubus Divine

Ch. 12 : Distracting Conversation

I was beyond thankful that I wasn’t needed for the following two days and managed to hide away in my cave during the remainder of the investigation.

The new information gathered had yielded a possible suspect that the three man team quickly tracked. And it was soon found out that my earlier guess was right to some degree; it was indeed a Human that was behind everything. But he wasn’t some jilted lover, Demon-hater or anything fancy like that. No, the sociopathic bastard had apparently had a fascination with Nymphs his whole life and had been moving from state to state targeting Nymphs with blonde hair while looking for his perfect dream girl. He would date them, court them, befriend them and gain their trust for days at a time. But once the woman stepped out of his super critical fantasy in some way, he would go insane and kidnap them. Once under his control he would torture them and try to force them to become the perfect woman he had been looking for.

Cruelly, none of them fit the role exactly and death would be their punishment.

Communication with the states and cities that the crazy fucker had previously lived in soon revealed that he had left a trail of bodies almost all the way through to the middle of the States. And the near constant phone calls and corroborating evidence kept revealing more and more women that had suffered at the hands of this Human trash. The most insane thing that had been found though was that he was a married man with a pretty young and blonde wife and pair of identical twin daughters, both of whom were also blonde. Said wife was reportedly interviewed in her hometown and things were beginning to look like she was going to file for divorce and hide away to protect her kids, which I very much approved.

The bastard in question was found soon after in his hotel room and from what I was told, he was arrested after coming right out of the shower. His room also showed proof that he was responsible for everything and had already set his sights on a much younger Nymph that was only sixteen. Photos, ID’s, and crude tattoo equipment was found on the spare bed in his room along with several journals going back to his youth when his obsession seemed to have started.

Detective Marcus constantly kept me posted during the two days I stayed away and emailed me or texted me throughout it all. It was strange that he would go to the trouble of keeping me updated, but I was grateful to be kept in the loop. I wasn’t certified to go out in the field and actually follow them around, so either way, I needed to stay behind. This was also helpful because while the three Detectives were busy with the field work, I used the information I was given to fill out the documents of the investigation. So when the culprit was processed and the last of the evidence was added into our archives, the last things needed were signatures before we could file the case completely. This would allow everyone working the case an extra day off on top of the two we would normally get for closing the case.

During this free time I was also able to get a small team of Demons to follow around my Aunt and her family after that painful reunion.

It didn’t make sense to me that these Humans, who so openly hate Demons, to willingly help out in this investigation like they did. And the fact that they had had that information in the first place was already a huge red flag to me. Granted, they could have happened on it all since a few more people had come up with similar information that would have led to the same man. But the fact that my Aunt had all of that Black Salt, the threats of other weapons or ‘toys’ as my cousin called them, and the fact that she knew things down to the last detail… It was suspicious and dangerous to me. And something in my gut was telling me that my Aunt was planning something. Whether it was something against me alone, or all Demons, would need to be known before I could take action against her.

“It’s open!” I shouted, walking back and forth in my kitchen on my first day off after the investigation was closed.

“Why?” Nyla stepped in, glaring at me and the front door while I focused on the spaghetti I was making. “Why the hell is your door unlocked Dev?! That’s dangerous!”

“I just stepped out to check my mail.” I chuckled, turning off the burner and smiling at her. “I ran in to make sure my food wasn’t burning.” My eyes soon trailed over to the solid black dress bag she placed on my couch. “Ooohh, is that what I think it is?” I placed the lid on my pan and rushed over, smiling at her while she dramatically unzipped the bag.

“I did add a few things and changed the color.” She admitted, watching me as I peeled apart the opening and looked inside. “But I feel that this would look A-Maze-Balls on you.”

My smile grew tenfold as I stared at the dress that was contained inside, my mind racing to find the perfect time and place to wear it out.

“I’m almost done with the other two so don’t worry about those.” She zipped it back up again and giggled when I hugged her, thanking her over and over again.

Nyla’s passion had always been fashion, though more accurately, hand making unique, one-of-a-kind clothes for herself and those close to her. She was the one that tackled the job of dressing me for the few important Council meetings I had to attend as Matron and would also gift dresses and outfits to me for my birthday and christmas. Other times, when she was just feeling bored or had a sudden flash of inspiration, she would call me to her apartment and have me help her as a model too. This, of course, meant that I never really needed to go shopping for fancy clothes. Only work outfits, lingerie, jackets and shoes were the things I needed to get.

I moved the dress bag into my room and chatted with my friend a bit while we pulled out plates and drinks to my little breakfast counter area that held three high-seater chairs. We caught up on things that happened while she was away with family and I told her about the investigation I had helped close. It was relaxing to spend time with her like this and I knew that she missed the times when we would sneak out, head to a fast food place and just eat and talk in her car.

“What is it?” I finally asked, catching her yet again chewing on her nails and getting uncharacteristically quiet. “You’re clearly trying to work up the courage to say something Ny… What is it?”

She smiled weakly and nodded, sucking in a deep breath and holding it for a second before releasing it.

“It’s just… I don’t know how to say it without you getting upset or worried.” She muttered, making my brows crease. “You and Nick get all helicopter-parent with me when I do or say something that’s even a little dangerous.” My eyes narrowed now and she started to squirm a bit as she kept going. “I love you guys and know that you’re just looking out for me but… It just makes moments like this super weird for me.”

I sighed, nodding in understanding, since Nick was twice as overprotective with me about all kinds of things. But worry began to flutter in my chest as I tried to think of what it was that she had done to make her think that I would get upset. I love Nyla to bits and would do anything to ensure her safety, just like Nick would. We were all super close and looked out for each other in all things outside of our little bubble. Though Nick was more like the protector since Nyla and I were Demons and our safety was almost always under threat.

“Just say it.” I told her, trying to calm myself and my racing mind.

“I… well I’ve kinda been in a relationship… with a Human.” My body froze and static filled my head as her words kept coming. “My boyfriend is actually someone working in the precinct you’re in right now…” My eyes fluttered a little and I slowly leaned back, trying to collect myself.

“For how long?” I murmured, slowly regaining control of my rapid thoughts.

“Nearly eight months.” She squeaked, looking like she wanted to laugh at my reaction yet still too nervous to move.

“Does he know?” I motioned to my eyes and she frowned a bit.

“No… I’ve been covering my amber ring with contacts.” She looked down at her hands and looked a bit more sad as she spoke. “We actually met while I was out with my contacts on so he’s only ever seen me with solid blue eyes.”

“Nyla.” I sighed, rubbing my face with my hands.

“I know, I know!” She jumped in, taking my hands in hers and looking at me pleadingly. “I know what you’re going to say Dev. But I really like him! He’s sweet and funny and such a big goofball too! His personality blends with mine and I have so much fun when I’m with him.” She looked down at our joined hands and smiled softly, her ringed eyes drifting off to a memory of said man as she continued. “I know that it could all come crashing down on me if I keep lying to him about what I am… but I want to show him this side of me first, you know? I want him to see me as me for a bit before I add in all the Demon powers, wings and everything else that comes with being what we are.” She looked up at me and now appeared to be much more serious, but I could see that a sliver of fear was dancing in eyes. “I already planned on telling him the truth and maybe even showing him my wings after just a bit more time. But I wanted to tell you guys first in case… in case…”

I nodded, pulling her closer and hugging her tight.

My mind drifted as we continued to talk some more, moving on from this topic so we could both relax and enjoy the evening.

I wondered if my father had felt this fear that I spotted in Nyla’s eyes when he thought about telling my mother the truth. Had he wanted to stay beside the woman he loved for just a bit longer regardless of everything that he was keeping to himself? Had he been in pain pretending to be something he wasn’t for so long just to keep her happy? Would things have been different if my dad had been just as brave as my best friend and told my mom the truth? Would I have grown up with both of them in my life if my mom knew… or would my dad have been left alone with me?

So many questions and possible scenarios spun around in my head as the sun inched across that sky. And while Nyla stayed and watched a movie with me, leaving once it grew dark outside, my head was still filled with what-ifs and worry.

“Are you sure you don’t want to know?” She asked me while I helped her gather her things. “I really don’t mind telling you.”

“Don’t.” I chuckled, handing her the leftover container I served her. “You know how I get about Humans Nyla. My brain will end up convincing me to dig up all kinds of things about the guy and I might even drag Nick into it.”

She laughed harder, smiling as we slowly neared my front door.

“That’s so f*****g true!” She said as she hugged me. “You’re both so scary when it comes to other Humans, and Nick is one of them!”

“Can you blame us?” I asked her, opening the door and glancing out at her little car parked next to mine. “Trusting others is already hard for the both of us, but if you give us even the name of the guy you're seeing we’ll end up finding everything we need to know about him to see if he’s worthy of our sweet little Fay.”

“Aww.” She smiled brightly, giggling as we hugged one more time. “I love you guys too, even if you’re both nuts.”

I stood in my doorway and waved once she was in her car, smiling when she honked at me before driving away.

I truly hoped that Nyla would stay this happy with the guy she was with and that I would soon be calm enough to meet him and see how he reacts to Demons in general. I never hide my eyes unless it’s for a job, so if the time comes when Nyla brings around this Human to meet me and Nick, his reaction to her best friend being a Demon would be the best indicator on how he would react to Nyla. But as I busied myself with cleaning up and getting ready for bed, I chuckled to myself and my whirling mind.

My hand was gripping my phone and I was close to calling my brother even though it was late and telling him about this. But I stopped myself, reminding myself that Nyla hadn’t told me anything about him except where he worked so I had nothing to go on.

“I really need to calm down.” I chastised myself, shaking my head while I lay in bed with thoughts of tracking the Human down still spinning in my mind.