“The demon,” the Great Mother spoke, and her voice boomed all around us, “is too strong!”

Silence fell over the hall like a leaden blanket. A pair of feet shuffled on the floor next to me and stirred up dust. A choked sob sounded from somewhere further back. A muffled, crashing noise made it through the thick wooden gates and made some of my fellow sisters whimper in fright.

I had seen him with my own eyes, felt the raw power spring forth from his hands and shake the foundations of our refuge. I had looked into the gleaming coals of his eyes as he held the Great Mother at bay with a negligent gesture of his red-skinned hand, his perfectly shaped body not even sweating. And, most of all, I had seen his manhood, thick and hard, pointing upwards from between his loins, throbbing every time the Great Mother’s magic washed feebly against his barriers.

I had, at that very moment, known what the Great Mother now told us. We were losing.

I should not have peeked. I should have held my eyes closed like the rest and kept chanting, loaning my tiny amount of magic to the Great Mother to wield. But I had dared to look, and what my eyes had encountered had been both alluring and terrifying.

A great, last effort from the Great Mother had pushed him from the hall and given us a little respite, and debris from the splintered statues and wall decorations littered the floor of the great hall and dug into our naked feet. Dust swirled through the air and danced in the sharp rays of light that fell almost horizontally through the wall-high, stained-glass windows that had somehow survived the onslaught undamaged.

When I had seen him, I had felt fear, for the first time since I had fled the devastated lands of the former United States and been given refuge in the safety of the Great Mother’s temple. It was situated in the middle of nowhere, hidden away in the mountains of the Baja California and safe from the constant uprisings in the north.

And I had felt arousal. His body was of unearthly beauty, his skin dark red and shiny, and black horns were protruding from his forehead. There was no doubt what he was. And the older among us, those over eighteen and having completed their first year of apprenticeship to the Goddess, also had no doubt why he was here, what he wanted to take from us more than anything. I could almost see his strong fingers gripping my pale arms, almost feel his manhood, disgustingly seductive, pressing against my thinly covered body.

“There is but one way left to protect the temple and all of you.” Her normally white, silken tunic was tattered and gray with dirt. Her face looked weary and exhausted.

A few of those around me perked up with renewed hope. Their expressions turned to fright when the Great Mother continued.

“We need a sacrifice!”

I heard sharp intakes of breath all around me. Feet shuffled backwards. Low murmurs broke out, trembling voices asked their neighbors what it entailed.

“To protect all of you, one of you must be sacrificed to the demon.” Her eyes roamed over us. She still stood proud and beautiful, her posture strong despite her fifty years. She knew how to capture our attention and to rally our hopes. Her shoulders sagged just enough to be noticeable. “There is no other way. We cannot allow the darkness to win, we need to protect the temple of the Goddess and the souls or her chosen ones.”

Another crash sounded outside, followed by loud thumps.

“We have no time to lose.”

A loud sob broke the silence after her words, and I saw one of the girls, a lithe blonde, at the front fall to her knees. “Will she - will she die?”

I recognized her voice despite the trembling and sobbing. Her name was Helen. She had arrived two weeks ago, right after turning seventeen, as was the custom. She knew nothing yet of the dark forces, of the depravity and sin they threatened the Goddess’ creation with.

“I will not lie.” The Great Mother’s voice grew quiet and sad. “We cannot say. What we do know,” she said, her head tilting up, fixing a spot above our heads and far away, “that depravity, sin and debauchery is what the demonic races strive for. Whoever blesses us with their sacrifice will have to leave the Goddess’ light and step into the darkness forever. She will,” she quickly added, louder, keeping the wave of desperation from drowning us, “be remembered forever, and her name will be hailed in these halls until the end of time.”

I heard more sobs start around me, and a part of me could not help but wonder who of us would be the one, who of us would be led to the demon and be forever subjected to his carnal urgings. Images flashed at the front of my mind, recent memories of rippling muscles and a stiff, fleshy rod topped with a thick, mushroom-like head.

I did not think. I just saw the desperation around me, and my worry mixed with these unfathomable feelings that were already churning and burning inside me.

I knew enough about sexuality. You had to, in a world where technology had as good as been destroyed, where fear and violence had become the law of the streets in the wakes of the South American Uprising, and where demonic beings and witchcraft had seized the opportunity to spread terror and confusion. The humans, those not involved in dark dealings, had only little left to them. Sexuality had become both a form of comfort and a currency, and I had been lucky to escape into the safety of the temple before my age would have forced me to trade my body.

My heart started to beat hard. The images still wouldn’t let me go, and my mind embellished what it had seen; red skin that rubbed against pale one, hands that roamed and squeezed; fingers with pointy nails that painted fiery trails over forbidden parts; his manhood, standing huge and enticing.

“I will!”

My own voice, strangely loud and distant, had spread a new hush and declared my fate with only two words. My feet carried me to the front of the assembled sisterhood on their own volition. I lowered myself onto one knee as was required, wincing when small shards of stone bit into my skin. Lowering my eyes, I addressed the Great Mother with a shaking voice.

“Let me - let me be the sacrifice to protect my sisters, Great Mother.”

She appeared startled for a moment, but she quickly collected herself. “You’re Catherine.” Her body almost appeared to float when she slowly stepped down from the dais. Scent of incense and roses wafted into my nostrils.

I obediently lowered my eyes once more, but she crouched down in front of me and lifted my head with a finger under my chin. She studied me, searched my eyes. A small wave of panic rushed through me that she might see my impure thoughts, might find that I had watched what we were forbidden to see.

Instead, she smiled graciously at me. “Thank you, Sister Catherine. Your name will forever be praised.”

She stood up, pulling me upright with her, and I felt light-headed. When her hand cupped my cheek, soft and soothing, I had to struggle to contain the tears that wanted to spill from my eyes.

“I am sorry,” she whispered. And to the hall she said, “No gift from the goddess may enter the dark realm.”

Her fingers trailed downwards over my chin and neck in an almost intimate way and made my pulse quicken once more. But then I felt her lift the string that held the goddess’ green pendant, felt her pull it over my head, and my mind slowly began to grasp the finality of my actions.

“Your tunic, Catherine.”

“Right - right here?” I stammered, wide-eyed, and my heart threatened to burst from my chest. “But - but they’ll all see…”

“They need to see.” There was a finality in her voice. “They need to know that this is no game.”

I opened the belt with shaking fingers, and before I could doubt myself again, I lifted the hem and pulled the thin cotton tunic over my head. Cool air brushed over my naked skin, and I closed my eyes for a moment when I felt my fellow sisters’ eyes roam over my body.

There were no panties or bra to protect my modesty. I tried to push the shame to the back of my mind - and felt something else, a darker, more earthly feeling grab a hold of me.

The Great Mother’s hands softly turned me around so I was facing my sisters. My cheeks exploded in a flaming blush.

“Great Goddess,” she intoned behind me, her words almost a song, “we have promised this soul to you, and she has pledged herself to you. Now, in our time of need, we beg you to release our sister from your service and allow her to become the sacrifice that saves us all.”

When her hand reached around me, the green gem embedded in the ring on her finger started to glow. My breath hitched when she touched the skin above my breasts, where the goddess’ symbol, a perfect circle, was proclaiming my devotion. Small sparks crackled between the gem and my body and made my skin tingle and twitch.

Gasps filled the air. I looked down, dread constricting my chest, and started to tremble all over.

Lines had appeared in the circle, meeting at the outer diameter in even intervals and forming five pointed tips. A pentagram now adorned my chest. My breath flew. His symbol!

“Go,” she whispered into my ear, “and stand before the doors.”

My knees wanted to buckle with every step, and I could not have been more glad when the Great Mother ordered my - now former - sisters to close their eyes and take up a protective chant. I circled them, self-consciousness setting my skin aflame and cool air touching me in forbidden spots. I felt my thighs rub against each other with each step. My nipples stood hard and pointy from my breasts.

A low rumble sounded through the hall as soon as I was in front of the entrance, not giving me time for second guesses, and the doors swung open.

He strutted inside as if he owned the place, and when his eyes fell on me, I felt them bore right into my mind. Heat washed over me, blood rushed in my ears and I lowered my gaze - only to find my eyes locked onto his bobbing manhood.

He came to stand only a few feet from me and threw back his head with deep, satisfied laughter that shook the hall.

His hand touched my shoulder, and I flinched, expecting to be scorched by his demonic skin.

Lightning appeared around us and blinded me; thunder cracked and boomed, deafeningly loud, and a swirling, spinning feeling made me dizzy.

* * * * *

There was no searing pain. There was no overwhelming heat. There was a short moment where the demon’s fingers gripped my shoulder hard to keep me from toppling over, but then he let go and I blinked my eyes.

“Welcome to my humble abode!”

I looked around and gasped. This was not what I had expected. No burning fire pits, no stink of sulfur, no pained wails to fill the air. We were in the middle of a huge room with a vaulted roof, and it held a comfortable looking black leather couch, plush armchairs and a coffee table, all in front of huge, clear windows that looked out over scenery stranger than anything I had seen before.

It was - my breath hitched - beautiful. The rolling hills of a landscape filled with plants and trees in all colors could be seen - not just flowers, no, their leaves and stems were equally gaudy. Rivers and brooks in the clearest blue and deepest green crossed through it, and the most beautiful birds circled the air in great flocks.

“This…” I started to speak, all fear forgotten over this sight, but my voice trailed off.

“The Otherworld.” His voice, while still dark and enticing, had lost the booming echoes. “A world on its own, just an eye’s blink removed from yours and yet so different.”

I had to concentrate to keep from hyperventilating.

He saw it, and he chuckled. “Sounds impressive, doesn’t it? I’ve worked on that line for some time.”

To say that things felt somehow off was an understatement. I cleared my throat. “But - but what about, uhm, the fires, and brimstone?” Nothing made sense, and I felt silly.

He laughed. No, he giggled! I guess I looked at him as if he had three heads. Well, he did have horns. And - no! I forced myself to keep looking at his face. He didn’t look that intimidating anymore.

“All part of the ruse.”

I let out a startled squeak when he grabbed my hand and pulled me after him towards the windows.

“You’re technically one of us now, so I’m allowed to tell you.” We reached the couch and he sat down, patting the place next to him.

I hesitantly sat down too, the realization that we were both completely nude hitting me like a slap, and I quickly wiggled a bit to the side to prevent our thighs from touching.

His chuckle told me that it didn’t go unnoticed.

“What’s your name?”

“Catherine.”

“Catherine.

Cat. A lovely name. Tell me, Cat, what do you know about our world?” His eyes held my own captured.

“You’re - you’re all demons. You use dark magic. And you…” The memorized lines about fire and pain wilted in the light of a reality that looked so different. “I don’t know anymore.”

“Oh, come on!” He prompted me with a teasing undertone. “There’s something else you know, I’m sure of that.”

Yes, there was, and it was exactly what I didn’t want to think about. “What is your name?”

“I’m John.” He grinned at me, and when my chin drooped, he let out a bellowing laugh. “Don’t look at me like that. I know, you all think we have these fancy, Greek names. You can’t imagine what a pain in the ass that would be. We’d be summoned by some dunderheads faster than we could return here.”

“I… I see.”

“But back to your knowledge. What else do you know?”

I was blushing madly again. He wouldn’t let it rest, I just knew. “Sex,” I mumbled. “It’s all about sex.” I felt like hiding my face in my hands.

“There,” he purred, and goosebumps raced over my skin, “that wasn’t that hard, was it, pretty Cat?”

“It’s not right.” I averted my eyes. “The Goddess…”

“The Goddess doesn’t care.” His growl cut me short, and when I looked up in shock at the blasphemy, he was staring hard at me. “And you don’t care either!”

“But…”

“I saw you look at me.” His short statement drew my breath away. “I saw you look when you should have been chanting, and I saw the desire in your eyes. I saw the need hidden away in your heart, and I could smell your arousal. I saw where your eyes wandered.”

He was right. But it was still wrong for me to feel like this. I wasn’t given time to sort my feelings, though.

“I am going to put my hand onto your thigh. I am going to touch your soft, pale human skin. Stop me if you don’t want that.”

True to his words, his arm extended, and his hand approached my naked thigh. I started to tremble. My breathing grew ragged. But I couldn’t move - didn’t want to move. And then his hand, hot, smooth and strong, touched my thigh and made my skin tingle.

“Don’t!” My protest was feeble at best, and he took no heed.

“What would you do,” he asked me, and I had a hard time concentrating on his words, “if the next wonderful meal was just a gesture of your hands away, if you could clean up around you with a snip of your fingers, if you could build whatever you need from just your imagination and if any book ever written could be summoned in the blink of an eye? With what would you fill your time, given that you had thousands and thousands of years?”

His fingers slid higher and made my thigh tremble. “Sex,” I mumbled.

“Sex?” He chuckled. “No, not just sex. Love. Passion. Carnality. Intimacy. Debauchery.”

His fingers were dangerously close to my secret temple now, and my breathing was shallow and labored. Any moment they would touch my private parts and discover the moisture I was becoming increasingly aware of.

“Look at my cock!”

“No!” It was another meek protest that was betrayed by my own actions. My eyes travelled to his appendage that stood proud and erect like a weapon. “The Great Mother taught us…”

“The Great Mother?” He seemed to find my words hilarious. “Let me show you the truth about the Great Mother’s teachings.”

It was just a flick of his hand, then the room seemed to be filled with the crackling of static electricity and a strong gust of wind ruffled my hair. I blinked, and when I opened my eyes again, the view from the windows was replaced by an image of a room that appeared strangely familiar.

I gasped loudly when a woman entered the room, dressed in a silken tunic. It was her! Her clothing still bore the tatters and smudges from the fight, but she had an eerie expression on her face. It was the Great Mother, and we were looking directly into her private quarters.

“I need you, servant!”

I jumped when she spoke, but John’s hand held me rooted to the couch.

“She can’t see or hear us,” he promised softly and alleviated my panic.

Another door opened, and a girl my age, no inch of clothing covering her dark skin, hurried inside. My breath hitched when I recognized her. “Ayla!” I covered my mouth, which made John chuckle again.

“You know her?”

“She - she used to sleep in my dorm. She is supposed to be away on a mission for the Great Mother!”

“She is pretty,” John whispered into my ear while my - former - fellow sister approach the Great Mother and slowly sunk to her knees. “Look at her well-toned legs and arms, notice her slim waist. See how perky her tits are.”

His breath tickled my neck. I told myself repeatedly that I shouldn’t be watching this, but I could feel his appreciation for her beauty almost physically. She was pretty, a Nubian princess, with her sleek, black hair cascading all the way down her back and her graceful movements.

“Yes,” John growled, “I can see what she finds in her. But now watch!”

She undressed! The Great Mother shed her tunic right in front of a sister. Throwing the garment carelessly to the side, she grabbed the necklace that held another stone of power and pulled it over her head. One never took off the Goddess’ blessing!

And then she transformed. In the blink of an eye, she - shifted, I couldn’t find another word. Her skin paled, her grey-blonde hair grew black and curly, her soft face grew harder and her eyes darkened to small coals. I forgot to breathe when her breasts enlarged into voluptuous orbs and symbols faded into existence all over her body.

“She’s…She’s one of your…”

“Of my kind, yes.” I felt strong fingers take my hand and pull it into his lap, but I couldn’t bring myself to mind, not even when I felt my fingers wrap around something fleshy, something that was soft and hard at the same time. “She somehow got stuck in your world, but she found the perfect place to pick her lovers, don’t you think?”

My belief crumbled to dust just when the Great Mother pushed Ayla’s pretty face between her legs. I watched with distraught fascination as Ayla’s tongue sneaked out eagerly between her lips and she started to lick and kiss our priestess’ forbidden temple. The Great Mother’s head tilted back with a blissful expression, and the symbols on her skin appeared to shimmer and dance.

A ball of heat built between my thighs, and I realized with a gasp that John’s fingers were stroking me shamelessly. Another gasp filled the air when I noticed that my own hand was firmly grasping his hard cock and rubbing up and down its length.

A twinge of doubt shot through me, but then I felt his finger, strong and thick, slip into my wet folds, and its silken caresses made me lose all inhibitions.

“Oh, goddess,” I moaned and gripped his shaft harder. “Oh, my goddess!”

“I want to fuck you! Tell me you want me to!” His growl was accompanied by the incredible feeling of his nails scraping lightly down my soft breast, just as my wicked mind had imagined. My skin was in flames.

“I’m - I’m a virgin!” My fingers took in the girth of his cock, and what they told me made me tremble with arousal and trepidation.

His fingers skillfully twirled my nipple, and his other hand caressed my secret temple with equal aptitude. His thumb found my aroused pearl, which stood swollen and throbbing.

“Fuck me! Take me!” I couldn’t care anymore. I had wanted him from the moment my eyes had opened, back then in the midst of the fight.

He pushed me over so I lay with my back on the couch, and then he was above me, pushing my legs apart with his own. His strong arms held up his body, his hands next to my head, and my vision was filled with tight muscles under gleaming red skin. His nipples, two black, pointy dots, seemed to cry out to me to kiss them. His erection bumped on my belly and my breathing quickened again.

I felt its tip slide down, incredibly smooth, and when I risked a look, a small spot of white moisture peeked from the small hole in its center. His cock slid over my labia and came to rest right in front of my entrance. I swallowed, then moaned.

“Ask me once more!” His voice vibrated with need.

“Fuck me!”

“Should I really?”

“Please, fuck me!” Desperation trickled into my words, a need that went beyond anything I had encountered in my life. “Please, please, fuck me!”

He did. His thick shaft pushed into me, and when its bulbous head slid inside my moist cave, it stretched my folds in a way so delicious that it brought tears to my eyes. He pushed, slowly, steadily, and more and more of him filled me with heat.

I felt a small twinge of pain, and he halted, his charcoal-eyes dancing. I couldn’t wait. I needed him to fill me completely. I wanted to feel him inside me all the way, to feel him stretch me and take ownership of my body.

My legs wrapped around his bottom, and like I was jumping into a pool of water, I held my breath. I pulled as hard as I could, and for a moment, pain shot through my lower body, but it quickly receded to a tingling sensation with occasional pricks of discomfort.

“Good girl,” he growled at me, but he kept his body still, allowing me to get accustomed to the incredible feeling of being stretched all the way.

It felt like he was filling up my body all the way. It was both sensual and incredibly naughty. I felt loved and owned. I felt… bliss.

He started to move only slightly, but it was enough to make the flame in my loins surge again.

“Fuck me!” I spurred him on, and he complied willingly.

It was incredible. I was flying. His cock soon pistoned into my pussy with abandon, stretching me and releasing me in waves of pleasure. My body shook with each of his thrusts and I gasped and moaned, unable to form coherent words. My hands roamed over his strong chest, fascinated by the feeling of the muscles that played under his skin, and I even got daring and twirled his nipples, drawing whistling gasps from his lips.

I was almost delirious with lust, a feeling I never wanted to stop. I was sweating, grunting and moaning, my sex a bubbling, churning volcano of lust.

He bit down hard on the side of my neck, and the slight pain seemed to travel directly to that spot between my legs, triggering a chain reaction. He pushed in hard and I felt his cock throb inside me. My own pussy clenched in waves around his shaft.

A wave of pure pleasure exploded through my body. I came hard, tumbling through a sea of lust and announcing my climax with a wail of pure joy.

* * * * *

His body slumped down, and we both fought to get back our breaths. I kissed him, softly and tentatively at first, but growing hungrier when I found that I loved his taste.

My voice was scratchy. “That was brilliant.”

His answering smile was hardly demon like, almost impish. “Just you wait for the next round.”

“Next round?” I had barely managed to voice the words when I felt his cock stir to new life inside me. “Oh my!”

He grinned. “Yeah, next round. And just think, we’ll have thousands of years ahead!”

My eyes widened. “Oh my!”

A drawn-out wail made me look to the side. The Great Mother was on her back, and her thighs clenched around Ayla’s head while she writhed in the throes of her own passion.

I couldn’t help but think about my fellow sisters. They were probably moaning my passing into the darkness right now and sending secret prayers to the Goddess to be spared the same fate. I giggled.

“What’s so funny,” John inquired, raising himself on his arms once more and studying my face with curiosity.

I decided that now was a good time to shed the formal language the Great Mother had tried to instill in us. “Sacrifice, my ass!” I couldn’t contain my laughter.