Into the Aether_Part One(17)

“Of course not, silly!” she replied, pulling his suitcase with her. She looked toward the bartender and called out, “Charge it to the room.” The bartender nodded, dazed.

Emily wrapped her free arm around Aaron’s and led him to the lobby, and then in the direction of the exit.

“No,” he said, “I have to go to my room.” Aaron pulled her in the direction of the elevator. Emily let out a soft sigh.

“If you insist,” she responded.

They rode the elevator and got off on the fifth floor. Aaron reached for his wallet and fumbled to pull out the keycard with every intention of falling on his bed and going to sleep immediately. A hand on his shoulder gently spun him around. He noticed first that Emily had brought his suitcase with them. That was nice of her, he thought sleepily. Emily grabbed Aaron’s hand and led him into the suite. The nagging headache flared at her touch, and helped cut through some of his haze.

“No, this is wrong, Emily. You were almost—” He was cut off mid-sentence as she started to kiss him passionately. Surprised, he held his hands aloft, but then, unable to resist, he dropped his arms and ran his hands slowly along the cool skin of her arms. They continued kissing until the unyielding headache grew into a searing coal at the back of his head. He tried pulling away, but she kept pressing against him.

“When I’m done, you’ll do anything I want,” Emily whispered into his ear. Aaron summoned all of his willpower and tried to push the pain away, but it was useless. A wave of nausea swept over him, his arms and legs growing heavy. Emily’s hands ran along his chest, expertly unbuttoning his shirt. He swayed slightly as she started unfastening the button to his pants. Realizing there was a bit of space between them, Aaron pulled away. The pain was so intense that he grasped his head and fell to the bed. Please, somebody help me.

Somewhere far away, his pants were sliding off. The pain reached a dizzying climax; Aaron felt himself starting to pass out. Emily climbed on top of him, only a thin layer of cotton separating them. His eyes rolled back in his head as the torment he felt forced him into unconsciousness. With a sudden sensation of something shattering in his mind, the agony was replaced by a feeling of lightness. A flood of relief coursed through him, the fog clearing. Opening his eyes, Aaron saw Emily on him—but she wasn’t Emily. Her face kept shifting between the beautiful woman he had met in the alley and the grotesque creature he thought he’d seen earlier.

“Get off,” he said loudly. Emily looked down at him, her hair tousled. “I said get off!” He grabbed her by the hips while twisting his body. She landed beside him on the bed.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” she asked angrily.

“What are you?” he retorted, standing up now. He pulled on his pants, hurriedly fastening the button, and then started on the ones on his shirt. The creature in front of him lost all semblance of the woman it was; Emily’s expression contorted into what he thought was one of fear and shock. “What do you want with me?”

“You… can see me?” she asked, her head tilting.

“Oh, I see you,” he said, disgusted. “Green skin and red eyes.” Aaron walked backward toward the door.

She let out a soft chortle and stretched out her hand. Aaron felt his feet leave the floor and realized he was floating before he was thrown hard against the wall on the opposite side of the room. A picture there dropped, the glass shattering around him. For a moment, he wondered if he would have to pay for it. Then the reality of what was happening started to set in: The thing in front of him was somehow able to move his body without touching him.

Emily walked up to him cautiously. “Who are you?” she asked curtly.

“You know who I am,” Aaron groaned. The weight of whatever was pushing him to the wall was pressing hard against his chest, making it difficult for him to breathe. “Please... I can’t...” he gasped. She took several steps back, and the weight on his chest lessened. Aaron took in large gulps of air, his eyes wide.

Emily crossed her arms and stared at him for almost a minute. She closed her eyes, and the air in front of her rippled and shimmered, reminding Aaron of a mirage on a hot day. She opened her eyes again and looked at him expectantly. He continued to stare at her, unsure of what to say next.

“You can still see me?” she asked.

“Yeah...” he replied slowly.

She walked up to him until there was only a half inch between their faces. “What are you, Aaron?”

He looked at the green face before him. Emily’s face was made of flesh, but it was riddled with rough patches that resembled leather; bits of hair sprouted out of her head. There was no nose to speak of, and her lips had been replaced by a thin slit. The most disconcerting part of her appearance was her eyes. There were no pupils or irises; they were a solid blood red.

“I asked you a question,” Emily stated.

“A schoolteacher?” She narrowed her eyes at him.

“A human?” he said, unsure if that was what she meant.

“No, you’re not,” she stated, poking a finger into his chest. “Humans cannot see past our abilities. You… are something else. Are you an Incubus?” she asked, her eyes now narrow slits.

“An Incubus? I don’t know what that is!” She continued to study him. “What do you want?” he asked.

She maintained eye contact while walking toward the phone. She quickly glanced at the keypad to dial a number, and then looked back at him.