Page 10 of Whispers From The Dark

“Ah, yes, how could I forget to mention that one? The Prince of Lust.” She rolls her lower lip between her teeth. Her eyes appear black in this light—not unlike mine. Her pupils widen as she allows her gaze to track over the body I inhabit. “Is that a requirement of the deals you make?”

“Does that intrigue you?” Allowing my influence to push at the boundaries of her mind, I don’t move a single muscle as I watch its effects crawl across her skin. She swallows excess saliva, a sign of her increased arousal. Her nipples are hard, visible through the faux-satin fabric—and, devil bless her, those beauties are definitely pierced. She’s breathing faster, and her heart races—is it my influence or something more?

“No,” she says, and though I suspect it’s a lie, I’m frustrated that I can’t know for certain. Being touched by Satanus has made it hard for me to read her. I can’t distinguish truth from lies as I normally can, his impact on her slim frame far more disastrous for me than she knows. My abilities are nearly limitless, even in a rapidly decaying body, and I dislike that Petra has seemingly found a critical failure within me.

A vampire walks over and smacks her ass. My jaw twitches as she looks over her shoulder at the man. I recognize his soul as well. It’s likely he came to my bar and asked for something, but I don’t remember what at the moment.

“Good to see you, Gavin,” she says, giving him a breezy smile despite the fact that he just assaulted her. Certainly, her reaction is a falsehood, but it vexes me that I could be wrong. There is no pleasure coming from her person, so I know she didn’t enjoy it. But she treats him like an old friend. She laughs at a stupid joke he makes and asks about his sick dog. But she sounds natural and unaffected. No clenching of the jaw hinders her tone, and no change in posture gives her away. How can she give compassion to a man who just touched her without consent? Does she not care?

When he leaves, her smile doesn’t change as she turns it upon me. I’m dreadfully annoyed by it.

“So, to make a deal with you, would I be required to partake in such activities the Prince of Lust would enjoy?”

She’s being so proper, but what I truly require from her is a vulgarity I’m not sure she possesses.

“There’s no point in making it a requirement.”

Her smile falters for a moment, and she’s unable to keep those big, pretty eyes from darting all over me.

“Because I wouldn’t be able to resist?” Her breaths quicken, and she shakes her head. I can almost see her rebuking my influence. “I only ask because I have responsibilities. I can’t go on a lust bender.”

I chuckle, reaching for my drink. “I have taken part in many a ‘lust bender’ as you call it, and, while enjoyable, the truest, most savory pleasure comes from moderation.”

She says nothing, only watching as I sip my beer. The flush hasn’t left her skin, and her soul is glowing from whatever she’s feeling. I can’t quite pinpoint the emotion, though I think it borders on hope. It’s strange, but just another reason I’m so interested.

I want to know what Satanus saw in her.

I notice a cigarette burn on her shoulder as she turns away, distracted by her blue-haired coworker. The woman mumbles something, and Petra nods. It’s like she snaps out of a trance as she shakes out her limbs.

“Will you be here in an hour?” she asks.

“No.”

“Your bar?”

“Doubtful,” I say, knowing she’s buying herself time to think about making a deal with me. I’ve found it’s better to make them decide sooner. Desperation always wins. “When I leave, my offer goes with me.”

“Please tell me your terms.” Straightening to her tallest height, Petra holds her chin high. Her tits nearly fall out of the top of her dress.

“We’ll flip a coin—you call it. I win, I get to inhabit your body for as long as I want. When I’m done with you, I’ll give you whatever your heart desires. You win? I’ll skip to the end, no demonic possession, and give you what you want.”

I pull my lucky quarter out of my pocket and roll it over my knuckles. It was a trick Joe Bauer perfected during his college years, and I always take a strange enjoyment when a host body’s muscle memory takes over. I cave into it quickly, a simple curiosity for human habits I’ve had my entire existence.

Petra watches the movement, and right when I think desperation will force her to agree, she takes a step back and inhales.

“You say inhabit, but I think you mean control?” She bites her lip and looks over a shoulder at Courtney, gesturing for her to hurry. A curvy, blonde vampire waits beside her, and I can tell Petra is eager to follow.

“Yes.”

“Inhabit only—for a week maximum. No control. You get to study whatever you find so interesting. I share my mind with a demon—which I can’t imagine is pleasant—and then get what I want in the end.”

She taps her foot, the pronounced muscle in her leg flexing with the impatient movement. Her soul flickers—from nerves or excitement, I can’t tell which. Perhaps it’s both.

“And what do you want, Petra? In the end?”

“I’m not as interesting as you seem to think. I want what most people do.” Crossing her arms, she waits for my answer. May the fiery pit bless me, I can’t wait to see beneath her dress.

“How much?”