Succubus Tear (Triune promise) (46 page)

The man stopped in his tracks and looked up. Yep, it
was
Cain, but he was different. His once rough, pockmarked skin was smooth and almost dewy looking. His eyes were clear, his hair shone, and his posture was stronger.

He looks so healthy
.

“Hello, Cynthia.” Even his voice seemed healthy.

For one insane moment, Cynthia envisioned Cain falling to his knee, professing his wrongs and asking her to marry him.

The moment quickly passed as Cynthia noticed the beautiful woman that was with him. No, “beautiful” was far too lacking a word. Her beauty was the sort that would make men or women weep with longing. She could be the singular example Hollywood and Madison Avenue could use to declare the quintessence of feminine beauty was dark, not fair. A happy smile slipped from her face as she seemed to recognize her.

“Hello,” Cynthia said weakly. “I don’t know if Cain has ever told you, but I am—”

“I know who you are,” the beautiful woman said as she squeezed Cain all the harder to her side.

Cynthia nodded and decided to drop pretenses. “Does Cain love you?”

The woman dropped her eyes. “No,” she said quietly.

Cynthia rested her gaze upon Cain. “You haven’t changed. Your heart is still as cold as it always had been.” She shook her head. “Even worse, I know what she will go through.”

“Cynthia, I—”

“No, Cain. The saddest thing, is I can see that she loves you far more than I did. How could you?”

“Cynthia. You were right,” Cain called out.

She looked over her shoulder; the beautiful woman was hissing something in his ear. Cain shook his head and said something back. The woman looked to Cynthia and called out.

“Cynthia, wait.”

“What is it?” Cynthia said, turning around, fully looking only at the beautiful woman.

“Let Cain speak to you, he has guilt.”

“I don’t owe you anything. I don’t owe Cain anything.”

The woman stepped close to her, and for a moment Cynthia was afraid. But the moment passed and she spoke with her eyes lowered. “But he does.”

Cynthia looked up to Cain. “Fine, what?”

“You were right,” Cain said. “God exists.”

Cynthia’s jaw dropped. The fact that Cain was atheist and Cynthia a Christian was the second biggest source of friction in their relationship. She recalled the many times Cain could quote chapter and verse of the Bible, and use it against her. The many putrid nuggets of what he called logic and rationale to refute what he called her “superstition.”

Cain went on. “I could say so much more, but I think that just saying this would say the rest.”

“Does that mean you’ve been saved?”

Cain shook his head. “No.”

Cynthia felt a crash in the pit of her stomach. “I see. There is more hope for you, though. At least there is that.” She looked at the beautiful woman. “What is your name?”

“Al’bah.”

Cynthia nodded as a tremendous jealousy gripped her heart.
What did she do so right, that I did so wrong?
she wondered. Everything about Al’bah radiated beauty: her physical appearance, her stance and body language. Even her voice and scent were beautiful. 

“Al’bah, is this because of you?”

“I do not know. This is the first time I have ever heard him acknowledge that the Creator exists, and meant it.”

“The Creator? Don’t you mean God?”

Al’bah nodded. “Yes, God.”

Cynthia looked up to Cain and back to Al’bah. “God bless you, Al’bah,” she said, holding out her hand.

Al’bah’s jaw dropped to Cynthia’s statement. She seemed to be happy, jealous, angry, and sad all at the same time.

The conflicting emotions faded, leaving behind a thankful expression. She reached forward and shook Cynthia’s hand. “I like you.”

Cynthia walked over to Cain and was about to say something when the mechanic called out to her.

“Hey, missy, a new customer wants me to work on his truck. I’m afraid I need yew to move the car.”

Cynthia buried her face in her hand and sighed deeply.

“Here, take Charlie’s car,” Cain said, holding out the keys.

“Serious?” 

“Yes, but Cynthia a warning: the cops are on the lookout for this car.”

Cynthia narrowed her eyes. “Really? And what—”

Cain shook his head. “I’m innocent, but there is no way to prove it. You can tell them where you got it and where I was going if you want to stay out of this.”

Cynthia looked over at the ’87 Accord. “Stick, huh? Okay.” Her eyes took on a new light. “God bless you, Cain. I hope you find what you are looking for.”

“
NO!
”

Al’bah screamed, trying to reach for Cain’s hand, but it was too late. Cynthia’s fingers brushed Cain’s hand as he handed the keys over, and he instantly collapsed upon the ground.

Cynthia stared for several moments at Cain’s still form. “What…I don’t…what happened to him?”

Al’bah looked as though she had been kicked in the stomach and doubled over. Her face was contorted in fury and hurt. She turned to Cynthia; her face full of murder.

Cynthia had been in extremely dangerous situations before; during these moments, she sensed the presence of God protecting her. But those moments were nothing compared to the sensation of danger and protection she felt now.

“Please help me,” Al’bah whispered. “Help me get him inside.”

Cynthia started to reach for Cain when Al’bah spoke again. “Do not touch his skin.”

Once Cain was upon the bed, Al’bah immediately cowered in a corner of the room.

“Please leave us,” she whimpered.

“What happened? Please tell me. What’s wrong?”

Al’bah stood and faced Cynthia, and screamed.

“I cannot stand before the presence of the Lord! He is within you! Leave me!”

Cynthia closed her eyes and bowed her head.
Lord, please allow me to speak with this creature who is not in your sight.

The distress that Al’bah was exhibiting faded. She immediately rushed to Cain and covered his body with her own, weeping.

“What are you?”

Al’bah opened her eyes that glowed a sickly yellow. “I am Succubus. Al’bah is a name given to me by Cain, my Bond.”

“What happened to him? What did you do to—”

“
Fool! I did nothing to him!
” Al’bah snarled, baring a mouth full of fangs.

“Was this my fault?” Cynthia asked, somehow fully aware that despite her malevolence, Al’bah could not harm her.

“No, the fault is Cain’s for touching you.”

“How do I know you aren’t the cause of this?”

“You have the Creator within you. I cannot lie to you.”

“Why did—”

“Please!” Al’bah begged. “Has there been enough suffering for one day? Your presence hurts me! And Cain will be lucky to be alive before this day is through. Even if he survives, he will wish for death for all the agony he will be under.” 

Al’bah placed her head above his chest, still looking at Cynthia. “I care for Cain, I love him. I would want nothing more for him to be a Christian as you are. If that means anything, leave, and tell no one what happened here.”

Cynthia closed the door and stifled a shaking gasp as she walked to Charlie’s car.

What was that all about? And a Succubus? What the hell was going on? What was Cain caught up into that the police would be after him? And where was Charlie?

“Charlie would never even let me drive this thing, and now it’s mine,” she muttered as she pulled up to the gap-toothed mechanic. “It seems that this time, prayer did help me. Do what you wish with the car. I wish you well and will be praying for you too.”

She quickly loaded up her bags and
 pulled off the maneuver she watched Charlie execute with such grace, a smoking peel-out that would tip over any other vehicle, but Charlie was a true gearhead, and the car held, faced north, and was off.

Al’bah’s Fury, Cain’s Punishment

“I’m warning you, Charlie. If you keep eating bread and cheese like that, your bowels will regret it more than my nose.”

—Stella Tsukada

“And so I said—” The front-desk representative to the hotel noticed a beautiful woman waiting. “Just a moment. May I help you?”

“Room 104. We were supposed to depart today, but I need to extend our duration.”

The man shrugged and pulled out his ledger. “How much longer?”

“A month.”

The man looked up and closed the ledger. “A month? Do you have any idea how much that’s gonna be, missy?”

The lady held out several hundred dollars.

“Oh, I guess you do.” He pulled out his ledger again and accepted the money.

***

“Wake, Cain. Please. Wake,” a voice said.

The senseless darkness burst into stars as Cain became aware that his body was wracked with agony. He cried out and desperately tried to bury his consciousness back into the blackness of the void.

“No! No, Cain, I will not let you sleep again. You must wake, you are dying!”

“Al’bah, please!” Cain begged. “I can’t stand it.”

“Cain, please! Wake! Stand up! Your body is dying! I am dying!”

Suddenly Cain sensed another force within him fight against the pain. His resolve battled against the crushing agony that felt as though his muscles were being torn to shreds.

The blackness that was punctuated by starburst slowly turned red. Cain fought for every inch he stepped away from death’s door. He reached out and opened his eyes. Al’bah filled his vision, and his hands were filled by hers.

“Al’bah! Help me!” Cain cried out.

“Here! Here!” Al’bah gasped.

Water?

Water!
Did Cain ever drink water in his life? Did he ever let life-giving water pass his lips? “More!” After a small moment, more water touched his lips. Cain barely had the strength to lift his arms. Al’bah had to help him drink.

Slowly the hell of thirst slacked off, and an overwhelming flood of senseless bawling escaped Cain’s body. They were cries of misery, of agony. They were the vocalizations of pain and fury. It was the fullness of betrayal and of shame.

***

Al’bah was horrified; Cain was losing his hold on the physical realm. Humanity always had a barrier of a sort against the spiritual, but Cain’s barriers were weak now that he was so close to death; the spiritual were pressing upon that barrier. She sensed the legions of hell beginning to take notice of him. She could sense that they were waiting. They wanted his body; they wanted his power. Cain’s soul was not saved, and they wanted that, too.

“
MINE!
” Al’bah shrieked to the invading darkness. She hissed, feeling her body transform in response to her rage. She extended her own spiritual power across the small hotel room she and Cynthia placed him in. They would have to kill her first, before they touched Cain.

Why did I not tell him?
she wailed in her head as several red eyes started to stare at her from the shadows.
Why was I so afraid?

Since his illness, Cain had drifted in and out of consciousness. Each time he woke, he would scream in agony and beg to be released into sleep. Each time it was harder to get him to wake. For the moment, Cain’s body was in no longer in immediate danger of dying, but his mind was being assaulted by the whispering shadows.

“
HE IS MINE!
” she screeched at the presences she felt around her.

“This one is defended.”

“They both are not long for this world. They are Bonded.” 

“What foolishness! The mortal had no idea!”

“That is because the Succubus kept him ignorant! The Succubus blinded her eyes to the truth! Give him to us! If you loved him, he would not be ill.”