“So, what exactly are you doing when you do that?” I asked the red demon. “Is it some kind of magic?”
She shrugged and shook her head. “Not really. It’s more of an instinct. It’s what we are. We can sense at any moment what someone’s specific fantasy would be. It doesn’t work on everyone, and some people are less swayed by sexuality. But some men and women are weaker.” She giggled as she said that.
“What’s it like for them? Whenever you do that?” I watched as the man Lindsay spoke to seemed to almost swoon right there, and nearly worried he would pass out. He definitely looked several years older, maybe mid-thirties? He had no idea what he was getting himself into, but he certainly didn’t look like he was about to complain.
“The glamour around us helps that,” Siena explained. “They don’t remember the specifics of what we say, just that they feel attracted to us. It has a lot to do with hormones flooding their brain that act as a distraction.”
I contemplated this as the man paid for three drinks for us without Lindsay having to do anything in return. I’d seen her do things like that dozens of times, but I’d always assumed she was just really good at flirting. It made sense, though; once, I asked one of her boyfriends how the two of them met, and he couldn’t remember. He just knew that it happened at a bar.
Lindsay handed me a tequila shot. If I ever started off with something strong, it was because I didn’t plan to drink the rest of the night, and that definitely rang true this evening. I wanted to watch my friends as much as possible. Obviously, the way a sex demon attracted a partner worked vastly different, but perhaps I could learn something about the subtlety of it. Mostly, I felt like I needed to decipher how to use my strengths and abilities to the advantage of others. I didn’t know exactly how helpful hellfire could be, though.
In between their helpful demonstrations, the three of us actually had a good time dancing. It was highly preferable to the last time I’d been out at a club which I’d only just remembered was the night my entire life had changed. It was the night I really met Daath and Syrion, the night I killed the reaper…
Anytime I got too distracted by memories or thoughts like that, however, Lindsay and Siena were quick to shake me back to the present, literally. After they both found partners to dance with, I took the opportunity to sit and have some water.
I spent the night avoiding conversation with strangers, silently deciding to only wear sweatpants when I went out with Lindsay from then on. Dressing up was fun, but I despised the attention it got me. I must have done a good job of giving off leave-me-the-fuck-alone vibes because almost no one tried to talk to me, but I could still feel their eyes. I’d tried to understand why Linds enjoyed this kind of attention, but it never seemed anything but intrusive to me. The first time a man came up to ask me what I was drinking, I told him I was the designated driver for the night, and that was enough of a cockblock to get him to leave me alone. The only other guy who bothered me parked himself at the next table over and just kept staring at me. I finally got him to lay off by digging into his head and planting thoughts about how badly he had to pee until he finally ran off in the direction of the bathroom.
When I wasn’t busy trying to ward off guys, I analyzed what I knew about the situation at hand. What could I do? As a reaper, I helped souls pass from this world to the Bay of Souls, but the problem was amongst living people on Earth. If I had any sort of secret affinity for persuasion as my friends did, I didn’t know it. I couldn’t do half of what Syrion or Daath could do in terms of conjuring, and I’d only learned to world jump. Maybe they could teach me, but what would that do to help improve the state of things?
Siena and Lindsay made sure to accost me every time they noticed my mind wandering, but it didn’t take long before Siena let us know she’d be going home with the guy she’d been getting free drinks from all night. Lindsay spent about half an hour all over some guy, but she’d promised me that she wouldn’t bring anyone back to the apartment tonight, since I wasn’t sure how long I’d be home. She was finally ready to go around 1:30 am.
I pulled my blazer across my chest to keep warm as we waited on the sidewalk for a cab. There weren’t many people out at that hour, and the ones that were out were other club-goers. Eventually, a cab arrived, and I opened the door for Lindsay but stopped. Across the street, there was a young girl. She looked to be about fourteen, but she wasn’t like everyone else. It was obvious to me that she was a spirit. I hadn’t noticed her before because she wasn’t wandering around. She was sitting, holding her knees and leaning against a chain-link fence.
“Myrcy? Come on,” Lindsay said absentmindedly, tugging on my sleeve. I nodded and got in the cab next to her, but the little girl
