Chapter 28: 28. Catching Up

"That much of her story is true," Eva stated with a scowl. "Verothilas arrived to investigate a few hours after the volcano started to erupt. However there weren't any other demons around? As far as I could tell the eruption was a natural phenomenon."

She added bitterly, "Verothilas must have decided to take advantage of the volcano, to use it as an excuse? She struck before I even knew I was in danger, then instead of finishing me off she took my bracelet from my wrist and scratched the binding runes into the back of it, along with my glyph."

My demon sighed as she finished the story, "Then as I lay there helpless in the shadow of the volcano, she marked a circle in the ash around me and performed the ritual. My last thoughts were of the two of you, I wished I could have warned you of her treachery."

The demon family were sitting together on the sectional sofa, Eva was in the middle with Mira to her left and Lilith on the right. The big blue demon still had an arm around her, the two hadn't let go of each other yet.

I was sitting in a love-seat across from them, and I'd been mostly silent for the last twenty minutes or so. The others were slowly catching up, sharing their stories of what happened and how they came to be here.

So far I'd learned that Eva and Lilith used to be friends with two other demons. Armaros was the oldest and strongest, and from the sound of it he was also the scariest. And Verothilas was the number two in the group, in terms of strength and age. She was number one in terms of being an absolute bitch though, from what I'd heard.

The big blue demoness just started to describe how Verothilas was finally defeated when there was a knock at the door. Mira answered it, and Marianne came in.

My girlfriend froze for a few seconds when she saw Lilith, but relaxed seeing how Eva and I were both here and looking calm. Once she got over her shock at seeing the demoness' true form she took a seat next to me on the love-seat.

Before joining her parents again Mira offered to get us something to drink. Marianne and I both accepted, and the ravenette fetched us cans of soda from the kitchen. She also got herself a fizzy vodka drink.

Once everyone was comfortable again Eva suggested, "Perhaps we should do introductions, now that we're all here?"

She gestured to the demons on either side of her, "This is my lover Lilith, and my child Mara. This is the family I've been seeking for the past four years."

Then she gestured to my girlfriend and I and continued, "This is Lexi, she is the one who freed me from my prison. And Marianne, my friend and Lexi's girlfriend. They are the family I found, while searching for the family I lost."

Hearing her describe us as family left a little lump in my throat, while Marianne smiled as well. She greeted the other two, "Hello Lilith and Mara. It's wonderful to finally meet you both."

They greeted the two of us as well, then with her cheeks growing a shade darker blue Lilith said "Actually Efranir, I've been calling myself Lily these past few years. The name Lilith has attracted some unfortunate baggage through the ages."

My demon had a knowing smile on her face but she replied, "Very well Lily. And likewise, I am now using the name Eva. I thought it fit in better with the modern world, Efranir is a little too archaic I think."

The younger demon grinned as she added, "And I'm not Mara. My name is Mira, but Mara's still here with us too. That story's way more complicated though."

The next half hour or so was spent trying to explain that situation. Lily's body shifted and returned to the shape it was when Eva and I first arrived, she became Mira's identical twin, except she had the demonic horns and tail and was dressed in a nightshirt instead of the hospital volunteer outfit.

Eva sat between her identical twin daughters and tried to keep up as the two of them did their best to explain the bizarre circumstances that led one demonic child to become two. And it started with tragedy, as we learned that the eruption of Vesuvius was caused by a demonic death after all. Instead of Eva's lover it was her child who died near the mountain. Mara had been on her way to visit Lily when Armaros attacked and killed her, at Verothilas' request.

Then two thousand years later the demonic Mara was reborn as a human child, and through a series of improbable events she was reunited with Lily, became pacted with her demonic parent in circumstances eerily similar to my own, and ultimately became fully demonic again. And somewhere along the way that one demon reborn human turned demon became two people, sharing a single body. Until all three of them defeated Armaros together, then they had enough power to create a second body.

That somewhat long and confusing tale concluded with the three demons, Lily Mara and Mira, being able to share their two demonic bodies.

The rest of us listened with fascination, and at times sadness, as the demonic twins' story unfolded. In the end though Eva and her two reincarnated daughters hugged each other, and everyone agreed it didn't really matter how we all got here. The point was after three millennia of hardship and suffering their family had finally been reunited.

"So while you two are here talking with us," Eva asked with a curious look on her face, "Is Lily also present? She's able to see and hear the conversation? But we cannot see or hear her?"

Mira nodded, "Right. She's in our head but she can see what's going on out here. Me and Mara can relay stuff, like if she wanted us to say something for her."

"It's like watching a big hi-def TV," Mara added. "She has a fancy apartment with a big leather sofa and stuff, so she can chill out in there all day but still keep an eye on things out here. And Mira's got a place in there too! She's got a copy of her villa from Thera set up, so the three of us can hang out in there together when we want some quiet demon time."

"Interesting," Eva said as she looked thoughtful. "I'd love to find out how to do that for myself and Lexi."

"Lily's going to come out again," Mara announced. "She wants to talk some more, and maybe she can help you make your own apartment or whatever?"

A moment later the demon girl's body shifted and grew, till once again the large blue demoness was sitting on the sofa next to Eva.

Once she was back Lily addressed her lover, "I can try to teach you what I've done to make it comfortable inside Mara's and Mira's mind. I admit it took me a few days of trial and error to figure it all out. Before that it was much too cramped inside Mara's head."

Eva grimaced, "That's why I only retreat inside Lexi to rest."

"Or to hide," I added with a little smile.

My demon blushed slightly as she mumbled, "Or that."

The others all grinned, then Lily asked "How do you exist outside her though? What you've been doing since you got here, I've never experienced that before."

Mira nodded, "It would be super convenient if we could learn how to do that too. Then while two of us are using the bodies the third one could still come out too."

Eva cringed slightly as she confessed, "I don't really know how I do it? As I said, I found it too cramped inside Lexi so I just be outside her instead?"

She added, "Nobody but Lexi and Marianne can see or hear me like this. Lexi because of our pact, and Marianne because she's gifted. Apart from them, the three of you are the first who've been able to see me like this."

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Lily appeared to think about that for a few moments, but instead of continuing that discussion she took the conversation in a completely new direction.

"I have both Armaros and Verothilas imprisoned," Lily said, "And more importantly I know how to syphon power from them. That's how I was able to free myself, and how I created these demonic bodies for Mara and Mira and myself."

After a brief dramatic pause she stated, "I could do the same for you Eva. I could recreate your demonic body and restore you completely."

Eva's eyes widened, and she immediately looked over at me and Marianne. From my demon's expression I could guess she was feeling the same as me. We were both interested, but wary.

As much as I liked the idea of anything that would make life better for Eva, I couldn't help wondering how it might affect me or the bond between us if she was restored. Our pact was supposed to be for life, but I wasn't sure how that would work once she was back in her own body again.

My demon was obviously thinking the same thing as she finally asked her lover, "What would that do to Lexi? And what would it do to our pact? Would this process separate us?"

Lily admitted, "Lexi would be exposed to demonic energy. She would become part-demon, or maybe even fully demonic. If you were fully restored then that would also probably separate you both."

"You could always form a new pact afterwards?" Mira suggested. "That's what the three of us did. That's how we all share the two bodies. We also share power, and we can all meet up and talk to each other inside."

My demon and I exchanged another look, then Eva decided "I think we need some time to discuss this. Lexi and Marianne and I all need to be a part of this conversation. We've been together for four years now, the three of us are family."

"Of course," Lily nodded.

We were all quiet after that, like nobody really knew what to say. I knew me and Eva and Marianne were all going to have a serious conversation about this stuff later on, but for now I knew my demon was still enjoying the reunion with her family.

"I was wondering," Mira broke the silence, "How did you three all meet up? And when exactly?"

Eva looked to me, so I gave her family an abridged version of the tale. Starting with how I stole the bracelet then died on the Underground, then how Eva appeared and offered to resurrect me. I also explained about being trans, since I'd already mentioned that to Mira earlier. I told them how Eva and I formed our pact about halfway through the week, then finally how Marianne and I met, and how Eva's bracelet basically brought all three of us together.

"As for when, it was somewhere around the middle of May twenty-twenty when all that happened." I blushed slightly as I added, "I don't remember the exact date."

Marianne added with a smile, "Lexi and Eva and I first met on Friday May twenty-second twenty-twenty. And she told me it happened on the Monday, so that would have been the eighteenth. Unlike my girlfriend, I would never forget such an important date."

I cringed slightly but pulled her close and gave her a kiss.

Meanwhile Lily was slowly shaking her head, "Mara and I first met in June twenty-nineteen, only eleven months earlier. And in fact I talked with Mara about maybe going to visit Verothilas' properties in March of twenty-twenty, but we got busy with other things instead. If we'd got over there, I'd have found your bracelet Eva. We could have been reunited four years ago."

"This is greedy of me," I interjected, "But I'm glad you didn't. Otherwise I never would have met Eva, and without her I'd have never met Marianne. My life is a million times better with both of them in it."

My girlfriend kissed me and agreed, "Mine as well Lexi."

Eva looked up at her big blue lover and stated, "All things happen for a reason Lily. Fate reunited us when the time was right. First I had to meet Lexi. I had to help her, and help bring her and Marianne together. Our reunion had to wait until after those other tasks were done."

Lily pouted, "I won't argue. I want to, but I won't."

"I'm not sure we can say it was fate that brought everyone together," Marianne said. She still had one arm around me, and gave me a gentle hug as she stated "It was Lexi's father who brought the three of us over to Canada. If we weren't visiting Mr. Harris in the hospital we would not have encountered Mira."

There were a couple nodds from the three demons sitting on the sofa, then my girlfriend added "Perhaps it's wrong of me to ask, but surely between the three of you there is enough magic to help him?"

Lily and Eva looked at each other, but their child was the first to respond.

"Is your dad trans? Lily could turn him into a succubus, then he'd have perfect health and a good long life."

A moment later Mira blushed and added, "Sorry! That was from Mara, not me."

I was quiet for a second after my brain sort of short-circuited at the idea of turning my dad into a succubus in order to cure his cancer.

"Speaking of my dad," I said once I got past that visual, "I'd kind of like to get back to the hospital and finish my visit with him?"

"Of course Lexi," Eva said as she got to her feet. "I'm sorry, we should have gone back immediately."

I shook my head, "It's ok Eva. We're going to have to explain what happened though, the teleporting and everything?"

Mira sighed, "I'm probably fired now, after vanishing in the middle of my shift. I guess I should go back though and find out."

"Mira you can ride back to the hospital with us if you like," Marianne offered. "I'm still hoping someone will answer my earlier question though? About using magic to help Lexi's father."

Eva responded, "I think I need to talk with you and Lexi about Lily's offer first Marianne? Then we can discuss what we can do for Mr. Harris."

I agreed with that, so we all got up to head back to the hospital. Eva and Lily exchanged another hug, then she and Mira followed me and Marianne out to the car.