Home for Horny Monsters Ch. 005

"Tink!" Mike cried, the lizard now the size of a large dog. It ran at him on its hind legs, letting out a high pitched shriek. He saw Tink off to the side, wrestling with a house that had too many kinks in it.

A thousand pounds of stone slammed into the elemental from above, grabbing it around the neck. Flames licked at Abella's stone skin, but the fire wasn't hot enough to bother the gargoyle. Clutching the elemental in her talons, Abella lifted into the sky, crossing over into the backyard. Mike and Tink ran back through the house and into the garden in time to see Abella fighting the angry elemental above the fountain.

"Naia!" Mike shouted, the nymph appearing directly below Abella. She waved her hands, forming intricate patterns in the air as a wall of water formed around the fountains perimeter. Abella landed in the fountain, holding the fire elemental in place as Naia made the walls crash in. The fountain steamed, the elemental desperately fighting through the waves that kept catching it and pushing it back toward the middle.

Abella pinned the elemental in place, the water in the fountain beginning to boil. Naia ran around the edge of the fountain, coaxing more water up from below. The garden filled with steam as the elemental unleashed its magic attempting to boil off the water and escape. Abella's face was a mask of anger, her teeth bared at the threat beneath her as it shape shifted, an amorphous being determined to survive. Mike and Tink could only watch helplessly as the air became too thick with vapor to see.

Several minutes passed, the noise dying down. A cool breeze sucked the steam away, revealing Abella crouched in the middle of the fountain, a tiny glowing ember trapped beneath her hand. Naia nodded at the gargoyle, and Abella crushed it with her fist, extinguishing its light.

"Holy shit," Mike muttered. Abella collapsed in the fountain, breathing hard. Mike hopped in, the warm water soaking his pant legs to help her stand. The gargoyle was covered in soot marks across her stony body. She sat in the cool water, breathing hard.

"That was no simple fire elemental," she told him. "He was almost too hot for me to hold onto."

"She's right," Naia added, kneeling by Abella's side. She ran her hands gently over Abella's skin. "Whoever summoned that creature has use of some powerful magic."

"We know where it came from." Mike explained what he and Tink had found in the trash can. "The fact that it came from the trash and didn't just attack me when I walked in the door means something, but I have no idea what. The Society clearly wants this house, otherwise they would have just burned the place down. Ideas?"

"I'm thinking this was partially a scouting affair," Abella said, holding up a blistered palm. Naia summoned a streamer of icy water to wash across it. "The elemental needed to see who was here first. I'm sure they have ideas, but it would be a bad idea to just attack without knowing who and what. I saw it in wars all the time."

"You've been in wars?" Mike asked.

Abella nodded. "Usually I used forts or castles as a hiding place. I loved watching the people below, and nobody questions another statue on the roof of a church. I have seen my share of sieges. My guess is that they sent in the elemental to scope out the territory and then kill you if possible."

"If I die, that's it. It was hard enough to find me, and as far as I know, I have zero family left anywhere." Mike shook his head. "I almost sold the place anyway, but the will stipulated that I had to come and see it first, and could only sell when full ownership transferred, which takes a few days. I die, it's only a matter of time before the Society gets this place, and then they get to you."

"Who are they?" Naia asked.

Mike looked at Tink, who sat on the edge of the fountain.

"Let's find out."

-

Mike and Tink sat at the dinner table, his laptop open in front of him. Tink wore her goggles still, carefully watching everything Mike did. Even though she got the basics of navigation, he showed her how to streamline her searches, avoid leaving a trail, and not spend all his money.

"I'll try and walk you through this," he informed her, clicking on a small icon in the corner of his desktop. It was designed to match his screensaver, a basic "Lake in the Mountains" photo that came with it. Prompting him for a password, he logged in to the desktop computer that was at his old apartment.

Having more than three months left on the rent, Mike had never bothered to formally move out. Right now, a person sitting in his room would watch the desktop come to life, controlled remotely by his laptop computer. He needed something far heftier than what he had now. Even though he had parted with his hacker ways many years ago, he knew better than to simply throw away the programs he had kept. His job, after all, was website maintenance, and knowing what the bad people were using was the best way to keep his clients safe.

He opened up a Dos command window, typing in the phrase ZeroDarkThirty.exe.

Anyone digging through his directory wouldn't even see the hidden file, but his computer rebooted itself into Dark Mode, a term he had laughingly coined one night between rounds of Counter-Strike.

His computer began running subroutines, bouncing off of servers all over the world. Anyone trying to trace it would run into difficulty without some hacking knowledge of their own, and even then, he had ways to erase his tracks.

He pulled up the Society's website, looking at its members. Elizabeth was his first target, and he immediately began digging into the local records. Tink watched intently, goggles on, as he pulled up easy stuff like birth records, address, and then went deeper with police records, real estate sales, and anything else he could find. Every time he found a lead, he opened a new window and let his programs do their work.

Nearly an hour passed in this manner, with him digging and creating his own file. He had Tink eat the pineapple off of one of the remaining pizza slices so that he could finish the rest while drinking a beer from the fridge. A second hour passed, and then a third. Only darkness could be seen through is kitchen window, which he discovered overlooked the greenhouse.

"Well, that's that." Mike stared at the results of his digging, shaking his head in disbelief.

"What Mike find?" Tink asked. She had been by his side for the majority of his hunt.

"Nothing. Which, in and of itself, is something." Mike pulled up the website for the Society. "Clearly, these bitches stink," he said, pointing at Elizabeth and Sarah. "But the only reason we know that is because we've met them, right? Well, look at the other eleven members of the Society." He pointed at the circular portraits on the website. "Statistically, I should have found something, anything, about even just one of them. A parking ticket, a court summons, anything."

"Mike have empty hands?" Tink asked.

"Mike have empty hands. And they shouldn't be empty." He stared at the strange faces before him. "Other than some birth records and their current addresses and such, I can't even find pictures of them from when they were younger. It's almost like they came out of nowhere."

Tink nodded to herself. "Everyone come from somewhere."

"Exactly." Mike rubbed his eyes. It had been a long day. "I'm not sure where to go from here."

"Everything look better in daylight," Tink informed him, her face cracking into a yawn.

"Old goblin saying."

"That's a human saying, too." Mike stared at his computer. He had even hacked into the website hosting the Society, only to find that it was just a run-of-the-mill Weebly page. Nothing of interest. Looking at Elizabeth's picture, he changed her name to Queen Cunt. Deciding that wasn't enough, he uploaded pictures of dicks for the rest of the member's profiles. He quickly changed the password to a string of random words, saved all changes, then logged out. Frustrated, he put his desktop back in sleep mode, severing the connection. "Why don't you head for bed? I'll meet you upstairs in a bit."

Tink nodded, pushing her goggle up. They had left circular marks around her eyes. He kissed the top of her head as he departed, her tail swishing from side to side. He stopped out in the garden, where Abella swooped down from above to meet him.

"Thanks for your help today," he told her, giving her a hug.

"You're welcome," Abella said, her breath tickling his ear. "Did you learn anything about the Society?"

"No, I didn't." Mike said, turning to Naia. She was floating in the fountain again, her bubble lights casting their shadows. "See you in the morning Naia."

"Goodnight lover," Naia said, rolling on her side and winking at him. He walked inside, stopping in the front entry way to stare at the empty spot the clock had been. That was going to be a puzzle for some other time, he thought to himself, before stepping onto the porch.

Cecilia was on the swing, her legs tucked up beneath her. Her head turned, empty white eyes appraising Mike where he stood. She patted the seat next to her, her spooky hair drifting as if she sat in a vortex of wind.

Mike walked across the porch, taking the seat next to her. "Thanks for all your help tonight," he said. "If not for you, I may have died."

Cecilia smiled. "That would be one way for us to spend some alone time together."

"I'm not ready for that kind of commitment," Mike replied. Cecilia grinned, her eyes crinkling along the edges.

"You are so different from those who came before," Cecilia said. "With the others, it was different. They were here, but largely distant. Emily spent time with me, but I could feel it, that tension in the way she spoke, how she sat with me. It's hard sitting with death, contemplating its infinite nature, wondering when I will come for you in your sleep. My kind were never well loved, but we were respected." She leaned her head on Mike's shoulder-his skin tingled at the chill in her touch. "My kind suffer from a special kind of loneliness. I wasn't ready to walk you to your final resting place just yet."

Mike shrugged. "Is it weird that I'm more worried about what was going to happen to the others? I mean, I wasn't keen on dying in a fire, but I kept thinking about what would happen to Naia, Abella, and especially Tink."

"Did you worry about me?" Cecilia asked. The Irish lilt in her voice was suddenly softer.

"Should I? I mean, I don't know enough about banshees to even guess at what could possibly happen to you. I imagine that whoever took this house, you would sit out here on your swing, content to watch the sun set."

"A week ago, that wouldn't have even mattered," Cecilia replied. "Ever since I came here, I sit on this porch, watching the house and waiting to take its owner to the afterlife. I haven't expected any more, or any less, but it beats the alternative of wandering the countryside, lost and alone, wailing out of self-pity. Still, even though I was mean to you, you made the effort. Emily would have done the same, but it was nearly a decade before she could even look me in the face, or be comfortable around me, for that matter."

Cecilia shifted, her hair tickling Mike's nose. "Yet here you sit. You treat me like a person, not a lost soul. You touch me without flinching away-even now, I can feel the warmth of your body against mine. That is something nobody has ever done for me."

"Part of that is Naia," Mike explained. "She did this thing where she took a piece of my soul and gave me a piece of hers. It was to bind me to the house, make me feel obligated to help. I don't want to take credit for something she did."

"That's where you are wrong," Cecilia said, running the fingers of her hand across the top of his. "Everyone who has lived here has been given the nymph's gift, but you are different than they were. There's a part of you that has been broken, damaged in such a way that you don't fit in anywhere else. You're a mismatched puzzle piece-someone put you in the box, but you make a crooked fit." She waved her hand back at the house. "This place is a crooked puzzle piece in the fabric of the universe. Even if a piece is found that fits here, the edges will never line up quite right.

"Your edges are crooked. I imagine it's what Naia saw in you. You don't fit in with the rest of the universe like you do here. You've already seen things that most men never will, experienced sensations outside of the human experience. Naia's magic may have snared you, but the person you are is what makes you special."

Mike shrugged, unsure what to say. "I'm just trying to do right by the monsters here. Now that I know that there are people out there who want this place, people willing to sic a fire lizard on me, I feel more determined than ever to make it work."

Cecilia snuggled closer, his chest tingling as she drew away his body heat. He wasn't cold-his whole body tingled like he was building up a massive charge. He could smell her perfume, a soft floral scent with a hint of cinnamon.

"Mike?" Cecilia said his name softly.

"What's up?" Cecilia moved away from him, sitting so that he could see her better. Up close, her sightless eyes were like pearls, fixing him with an intensity that rooted him on the spot. Her hair fanned out around her, floating ethereally around her head.

"I think... maybe you should be worried about me." Cecilia said. Her body floated above the seat, rotating until they were facing one another. One cool hand gripped the back of his neck, tiny sparks jumping up and down his spine. Cecilia pulled herself in, touching his face with her other hand. She was only an inch away, her nose nearly touching his.

"Very, very worried." She floated in, gently, placing her lips on his. He opened his own mouth in surprise, her tongue finding his. The tiny chills were nothing compared to the sensation of his breath being stolen from him, the core of his being rushing outward into her waiting lips. Warning bells went off in the back of his mind, telling him to push her away, run in the house, natural instincts that served to keep a man alive.

Mike's hand easily fit just beneath her ear, running along her jaw and neck. He pulled her closer to him, her weightless body becoming heavier as she settled on top of him. Her legs were spread around his, folded back on her knees. He broke the kiss, exhaling a cloud of vapor that could only be found on the coldest of winter evenings. He opened his mouth to speak, but she placed a finger to it.

"Don't say anything," Cecilia said. "Banshees are beings created out of the aether- we have human forms, but not human needs. We don't eat. We don't sleep. Other than taking a soul to the afterlife, we only watch. I've watched you since you arrived, seen how you treat the others. I can remember watching the others with the former guardians, feeling like an outsider looking in. Not quite welcome, not quite accepted. I watched you the other night, saw those things you did with Naia and the goblin. For the first time in my existence, I find myself wanting those things as well."

"But?" Mike asked.

"I may have the body of a woman, but I do not have the experience of one." Cecilia's scent was overwhelming this close up. "And I do not think I could handle the rejection if you discovered I was not worth it. I don't even know if we could be together as a man and woman should."

Mike gazed into the banshee's blank eyes. The spirit was already accepting failure before it had happened. "When you kissed me, did you like it?"

"I did," Cecilia admitted. "It was new. I can't remember the last time I experienced something new."

"Maybe I should worry about you," Mike told her, running his fingers through her hair. Tiny sparks kissed his flesh from beneath her snow-white strands. "You sit out here on the porch all day, but you came inside to help me with the fire elemental. You don't sit out here because you have to-you choose to be here. And it sounds like, finally, you want to know if there can be more." Mike's hand followed the curve of her neck, sliding down her collarbone to caress her breast through the soft fabric of her blouse. Cecilia let out a tiny gasp, her eyes going wide. "Let's find out. Together."

Cecilia, her lips slightly parted, nodded in agreement. Mike kissed her again, running his hands down her back and along the top of her ass. Breaking apart, he allowed his lips to explore the soft underside of her neck, tiny kisses that elicited gasps as he moved his way down to her collarbone.

Cecilia's fingers slid up the base of Mike's shirt, running along his stomach. The sparks coming from her fingers tickled him in a couple of places, but he held his laughter in, afraid to break the spell that had been cast. He allowed her to explore, each touch uncertain. She tilted her head to the side, allowing him to move even further. Her pale skin glowed, literally, in the darkness. Mike worked his way back up her neck, kissing her just beneath her ear.

"I like this," Cecilia said, pulling Mike's shirt off. Mike loosened the strings on the back of her bodice, allowing him better access to her breasts. Pushing his fingers beneath the lace, the fabric shifted oddly around his hands, stray beams of light connecting her clothes to her body.

"Whoa," Mike said, sliding her straps down along her shoulders. When he let go, they attempted to float back to their original position, clinging to her ghost flesh.

"Don't mind that," she informed him, wrapping her legs around his waist. Mike suddenly noticed how heavy she was. With her straps down, it was easy to push her dress down, freeing her breasts. Her nipples were tiny, spiritual afterthoughts on the part of whatever created banshees. He sucked at them, occasionally nipping, listening to the noises she made, narrowing in on what she liked. It wasn't something he had ever been super good at, and he could only attribute it to Naia's magic making him more aware, giving him new confidence. Running his lips across Cecilia's breasts, she started pressing her crotch into his, gentle pushes that quickly became more urgent.

Shifting from the patio roof drew Mike's attention to a dark face hanging over the ledge. Abella smirked at the two of them, content to watch. Mike tried to shoo away the gargoyle with a wave of his hand, but she wasn't going to budge.

"More," Cecilia whispered when Mike grazed a nipple with his teeth. "I want to feel more."

Mike removed a hand from her breast, twisting her body slightly sideways so that he could get access to her thighs. His hands moved up her stockings, finding smooth skin at mid-thigh. Cecilia parted her legs for him, allowing his fingers to roam up and over her legs. The electrical sensation was increased here, sending surges of chilled electricity to his very core. As long as he kept his hands on her flesh, it wasn't bad, but if he broke contact, the sudden jolt was unsettling.

"Mike," Cecilia whispered, kissing her way down his neck. Mike moaned, the sensations of electricity and ice colliding in his pine. His breath was visible now, the temperature of the air rapidly dropping. "I want more."

His fingers found the edge of her panties. Like her top, it was difficult to separate banshee from fabric, so he contented himself with running his fingers across the outside, feeling her thick mound through the thin material.

"Ah!" Cecilia sighed, breaking away from Mike's neck. He made tiny circles over her panties now, a wet spot rapidly forming beneath his touch as he gently moved her folds apart. "Ah! Ah!" Cecilia wrapped her arms around his neck, grinding her crotch down on his hand. Mike grinned, pinching a nipple with his free hand as he shoved her panties aside. Again, they tried to move back to their regular position, but Mike was too determined. He gently pressed a finger against Cecilia's slit, teasing her opening with wide, lazy circles. The banshee chased his finger, trying to press down on it every chance she got. The tiny shocks now felt like a steady surge of energy, but Mike was too horny to care.