Page 20 of Craving Demons

“Fuck!” I groaned. “What was that?”

“That’s my power,” Harmonia said with a soft smile. “I can bring peace and harmony to any soul, or remove it just as easily.”

“Can I have it back?” I practically begged.

“Yes,” she said. That was the best news I’d heard all week. “As soon as you understand you have powers too.”

Aaaand there it was.

“I have what?” I felt like I knew where this was going. “You’re going to tell me I’m a demon too, aren’t you?”

“Daemon, not demon.”

“Whatever, I’m neither, I’m a nice girl who—”

“Daemons aren’t evil, Ana.”

“Oh?”

“They’re just people with powers.”

I got the distinct impression that was a drastic understatement, but at least it was easy to understand. “And you’re saying I have powers? Can I cause people to peace-out like you do? That might help with those gangsters.” Fuck! I’d told her about them! I’d told her everything about me! Including the seven hundred dollars’ worth of sex toys and a mention of man-meat. Double fuck!

Why had I done that?

Because I’d felt so amazingly carefree.

“No, your powers are of a… different sort.”

“Oh?” I didn’t really believe any of what she was saying, though I couldn’t deny she’d made me feel heavenly for a moment there. But that must have been hypnosis or some trick.

“Yes, you make people feel good in another way.”

And the encounter with the man in the elevator returned to me so I took a guess. “I make people wanna fuck?”

“Pretty much yes.”

“Wonderful.” I didn’t see how — even if that was true — it could help me with Tommy Two-Toes. I rose from my chair. “Ah… look. I thought this would be a good job, but I can see now that ah… I was crazy… and you’re crazy. I’m not a sex demon, and I don’t know how you made me feel so wonderful, but I should go and—” I turned to leave.

“Iremia,” she said.

I nearly fell as, once again, I felt all my worries leave me. I swayed for two steps before leaning heavily on the wall, but my arms were relaxed and weak. I turned, putting my back to the wall, and slid down to a sitting position.

“Wow, girl, you need to bottle this, you’d make a fortune,” I whispered.

“I have, and I did.”

“Oh, then… yeah.”

She came to crouch next to me. “Doesn’t this feel real?”

“Yup!” I said, trying not to drool in my dreamy peaceful state.

“So, you can feel my power?”

“Yup!”

“Because I’m a daemon.”