CHAPTER#77

"Or you come here and keep me company for all of eternity."

"Both of those are shit options." She crossed her arms. "I would rather kill myself."

"Ooh, I'm shaking in my boots." He wiggled his legs back and forth as if he was freezing. "I don't doubt that properly motivated, you would have the capacity for self-destruction. Even if you went to Hell for it, you would be beyond my reach."

"Sounds like I have you by the horns then."

"Now that's a fond memory. Do you know that I still get hard when I think about how you, a mere human, used me? I love it. Anyway, I need something more, but what to choose? Do I eat my marshmallow now, or wait five minutes and get two marshmallows?" He held up his fingers for emphasis.

Beth blinked. What the fuck is he talking about?

"I'm talking about you. Do I take control of your body and live out the rest of your days, or do you come back home to daddy?"

"Neither."

"Wrong." He held up a finger. "You see, this is where I have you by the tits." He took his hat off and stuck his hand in, withdrawing a sheet of paper. "You are aware that I can answer any question asked of me, yes?"

She nodded.

"You are also aware that I don't know the answer until I'm asked."

Again, she nodded.

"In a few days here, I will be forced to answer three more questions asked of me by the man you know as Amir, or even one of his cohorts. Now, the thing about the Society and I is that our relationship is strained. I'm afraid that I have abused the terms of my contract enough times that, once summoned, they ask my three questions and then banish me back to the mirror world. Since you insisted on covering the mirrors in the house, I was forced to wait until I could get your sleeping mind to dream of a mirror."

"Wait, what?"

"Yep. We don't always remember our dreams, after all. I marinated in your thoughts until I had the strength to control your sleeping form. Now, this tends to tire your body out, after all, and was why I was able to gain access to your computer earlier when you dozed off for a second. You didn't even realize how tired you were because I have been feeding you energy to keep you awake. Once I took it away..." he snapped his fingers. "That was all I needed."

"I'm not sure what you could have gained from my computer."

"Ah, now that's an interesting subject. You see, Amir and his associates will never grant me my freedom, nor will they renegotiate the terms of my employment. When he summons me up, I intend to give him information that he hasn't asked for, easily verified information from your laptop that will assure him that I do, in fact, have the ability to wear your body like a suit and walk right out of there with whatever my heart desires. Specifically, what Amir desires. I have long known what secrets the house holds, Satan only knows that they've all asked me enough about them. I've held some good answers close to the vest, for selfish reasons."

Beth wanted to throw up. If what she was hearing was true, then she had become a huge liability to the house.

"Ah, now you're getting it." He grinned, his sharp teeth gleaming in the light of day. "So let's say you have your bovine fuck buddy over there stick your head in the water here until you perish. I tell them everything they want to hear until everybody here has been properly enslaved or destroyed. Amir and his trained monkeys get their happy ending and I get the luxury of laughing at you all for the rest of eternity. I don't even have to be asked to know that you won't do it."

"But why? If you're going to tell them everything, then why not just do it?"

"A demon's rage knows no limits. The moment I am released from my prison, I would unleash hell on those who have trapped me. I don't want to see them win any more than you do, and I can tell you they will need a lot more than three questions to make that happen." He chuckled, his laughter overlaid with a much deeper, sinister sound. "The answer to your question is that I would rather get what I want and leave them out in the cold. Therefore, you have two reasonable options here. Option one, you continue to resist and I have a wonderful time slowly taking control of you. One day you walk away with one of the home's treasures and hand it over to the Society. As a reward for good behavior, they throw you back in with me, and I will make sure you never leave again. We spend eternity together working on the holes in our relationship." He held up a studded collar. "Once you've properly begged for forgiveness of course."

"Option two?"

"You come willingly. That reflecting pool would be perfect, actually. If you come on your own, I never let them know otherwise. The war between the Radley home and the Society goes on with no additional help from me. We spend eternity together, but maybe... just maybe..." he shook the collar, causing it to transform into a wreath made of flowers. He took off his hat and placed them atop his own head. "Maybe not as much begging is required."

"I don't understand. Why bother giving me a choice at all? Aren't demons supposed to be evil?"

"Evil, yes. Stupid, no. The human soul is a beautiful thing to behold, but it is beholden by certain rules. You see, either way, I end up with your soul. But the difference between a soul taken and a soul freely given..." he sniffed the air and shivered in delight. "It's so exquisite. Why settle for plastic when you can have diamonds?"

"I fucking hate you." She said it so forcefully that spittle sprayed from her mouth. Oliver had her trapped and he knew it. Hot tears were already rolling down her cheeks and she sank to her knees. Asterion returned from his hiding spot, kneeling by her side to comfort her. When she looked up, Oliver had vanished from the waterfall, but her reflection still wore the wreath of flowers.