The Next Morning

I was tired, so very tired. "Was that real?"

"Yep," Gemma said next to me. "That spell breaks when you fall asleep. But you're super tired, right? We should move before Lady Bella gets upset."

I can-

I jumped out of bed. Ooouch my leg. Gemma chuckled as she stretched, letting her bare breasts just hang in the air. Ugh, what did it matter, not like anything I didn't already see or touch. "Warning you. Lady Bella doesn't like it if you leave without showing her gratitude."

"Gratitude! Gratitude for what exactly!" I shouted.

Gemma placed her finger to her lips. "Shhh. You may wake her. She gets hungry when she wakes up."

"I'd like to speak with her, actually! Like, okay, magic is real. I am gonna go with that, it would be stupid to pretend otherwise. But I would like to ask her why she'd do that to people!" I said with a firm voice.

"Hmm. Well, you can't literally speak to her directly. Only magical entities can," she paused and put a shirt on.

"What about you?" I asked, keeping my eye on her while I looked for my own clothes. "Why would you do any of this to me? Offering me books? Were they all magical?"

She stood up and raised her brow at me. "Everything in my store is magical. That's the point of a demonic curioshop," she said. "Oh wait, the tea and kettle aren't magical. I just like tea," she said with a finger on her chin.

"Demon? Like. Hell? Bible? Demon?" I asked, holding my cross.

She puckered her lips at me in a sort of blown kiss motion. "Hotter knowing what I am? I can translate what Lady Bella says if you want?"

The room was shaking a bit. Earthquake? This part of the country? No way? "What the-"

"Shit, shit shit. Lady Bella, I am sorry. I am just moving slowly," Gemma said, running downstairs.

Huh? No way. She grabbed the Moorhelfer book from where I must have left it last night, and the shaking did seem to stop. She was saying something but I was a bit too far away to hear. Ugh. Glancing at my phone. Had some text messages from Chrissy. Her study date with Trish and some other girls was fun, and today she was having her girls day with the few friends who were about to leave for spring break.

I sent her a text saying that sounded good and I would probably be by tonight or maybe tomorrow. I had to figure out this whole demon thing out before I risked involving her. I could run for the door but that seemed like the worse option since they had shown me once already they could at least sometimes control me. And at the very least I didn't want this Bella to be mad or coming after me.

The voice was coming from a backroom, I followed it, trying not to touch anything, considering she said everything in this cursed store was all magical. I didn't even wanna look at it in all honesty. Though the door was a little kitchen area with a small round table. Gemma was boiling water.

"Ah, seems he wasn't dumb enough to run," she said.

I looked at the book and at Gemma. It was still hard to process that a book had forced us to have sex like that. "So-"

"Don't stare like that," Gemma said, and then picked up the Moorhelfer. "She doesn't like your mean eyes."

"Pardon me?" I said, raising a brow.

Gemma giggled. "She says you are pardoned, and you may sit as well," she paused as she walked by me. "Lady Bella is not like the others. Harder to ditch, easier to anger. Sit."

She was back to smiling as I glanced at her, grabbing something from a shelf. Huh. Something was... chilling about those eyes. Wait, she said only magical beings could understand Bella, so that made her magical? I hope nothing evil. Oh crap this whole thing felt evil! What did I do! I just tried to help some random lady move some boxes!

Clank. Huh. Pancakes? Gemma had pancakes as well? "Uhm. Thanks?" I said.

She nodded. "Lady Bella loves to play, and playing burns through a lot of calories. So, important to replenish while we can."

They looked normal. I cut into them. "These aren't like... cursed or anything are they?"

"Just blueberry," Gemma said before sipping her tea. She then glanced over at the book. "Sorry, he is just, being a moron. Most football players are. They get hit in the head so much they are half air in there."

I ignored the insult. "How can you hear Bella but I can't."

The room shook a bit. "Lady Bella, surely you meant Lady Bella. Surely even a moron can understand that much," Gemma said with a smile even I could tell was fake. She wanted to punch me.

"Uhm, Yes. I'm not used to saying lady before a name," I added as an excuse.

She snickered. "To answer your previous question, I'm a demon. A living demon. All demons are forever but they aren't bound to the living world forever. So I am still of both worlds."

I clutched my my cross. Right! It hurt her yesterday! "So, she can hear me?" I asked.

Gemma just shook her head. "Obviously. Wait. Lady Bella. I know that... I was just-"

Her body to squirm and jerk in her seat. What... in the fuck? Her hair was changing color to a more pure blonde. Becoming straight too. Her clothes were changing, something more black and fancy I guess, but the strangest was that she was becoming shorter? What in... part of me wanted to run, but I felt like that would just give this thing a chance to attack my backside.

She was staring at me with these eyes that looked like she wanted to murder me. "I grow weary of my favorite Lady in Waiting and valued friend being used as a mere telephone, especially after I assisted you in fornicating with her last night, to which I shall remind you, I have yet to be thanked for! It is quite rude," she said, puffing up her cheek and looking away. She opened her mouth and the fork began hovering with a piece of pancake on it. Moving on its own.. She bit down the moment it reached her lips. She smiled softly when she did.

What? She... actually wanted me to thank her for that? "Uh, I... are you Bella-"

"Lady Bella! Twice now you insult me in this manner! If you do not pay me the respect I am due! I shall keep it in mind for when it is time for me to repay you in kind, is that clear?"

My spine shivered. I stood up straight. "Yes, Lady Bella."

She tilted her head. "You are weird, and you are letting my precious Gemma's fluffy pancakes get cold. Stop being so weird and eat already," she said with a sigh as she took another bite.

My stomach did growl a bit. I sat down and decided to just listen to her, and we ate in silence for a bit. I occasionally looked up and saw what looked almost like a normal person enjoying pancakes, but also realized that whatever I was dealing with was about as far away from normal as I could possible get. If I wasn't careful, I felt like this could become a very bad day.