Victoria carefully looked over her equipment and nodded to herself. After 7 years of preparation tonight was finally the big night. She had turned 18-years-old yesterday but had postponed this until tonight so that she could let her aunt throw her a birthday party. She looked at her clock and blew out a big breath. Only one more hour to go. She moved over to the full-length mirror and surveyed herself carefully one more time. She was sure that the years had improved her looks. Her long, curly hair was still bright gold and she had brushed it to glossy softness and let it fall in loose waves down her shoulders and back. Her skin was creamy and soft from all the moisturizer she had carefully rubbed into it after her bath. She'd been careful to keep out of the sun and only a few faint freckles were sprinkled across her snub nose and high cheekbones. She had applied a minimum of make-up; dusting her cheekbones with a bit of blush, carefully reddening her full lips and adding a bit of pearly, silver eye shadow to make her blue eyes seem even larger. Her lashes were already thick and dark so she hadn't bothered with any mascara.
She turned from one side to another, checking her figure. The lacy, white silk negligee she wore did little to hide her body and her nipples were clearly visible through the thin fabric. She worked out at the gym to stay in shape and her long legs were shapely and toned, her butt tight and rounded. She could wish that her breasts were smaller and more perky or that her nipples were larger but all in all, her figure was slender and curvy and she was mostly satisfied. She sucked in a big breath and then let it out, frowning at the slight outward curve of her belly. How many crunches would she have to do before it would stay flat? Maybe she should wait another year and starve herself? But no, she couldn't stand to wait even one more day. She wondered briefly if she should maybe rub some rouge on her pale pink nipples to make them stand out more but decided against it. No point in too much artifice, after all. She would have to do as she was.
One last time she checked the chalked symbols on the floor. The pentagram was perfect, each of the five lines exactly the same length and perfectly straight. The double circles surrounding it were smooth and even. The sigils between the two circles were downright artistic, each stroke smooth and ending with a flourish and exactly the same as the ones in the ancient book she had found locked in her parents' safety deposit box. The five fat, red candles were placed exactly where they were supposed to be at each of the pentagram's five points. The brazier was standing ready to be lit. She had spent 7 years finding and perfecting this ritual. She wouldn't make the mistakes her parents had. It had taken her a while to discover what they had done wrong. The books hidden in their safety deposit box had helped but she hadn't been able to access them until she turned 16. After that it all became so clear. The fools had gotten the rituals all mixed up! No wonder the demon they had summoned was so furious. They had been trying for a mid-level incubus and had called up an angry demon prince instead. There was even a chance that the mangled summoning had caused him pain. She had learned from their mistakes and would not make the same foolish errors. She knew exactly who she was summoning and would not beg a prince for power.
She shivered a bit and hugged herself in a mixture of fear and excitement. What felt like an entire flock of butterflies was fluttering madly in her belly. Her not-entirely-flat belly. She shook her head at herself. What a time to be worrying about stupid things like the way her stomach curved. It was minor. It didn't matter. Surely he wouldn't care? Once again that little voice in the back of her head piped up to tell her that she was being a fool. Why would he want her? It had been so long, would he even remember her at all? She had only been a child. He had rejected her then, what made her think he wouldn't reject her now? She lifted her hands to her cheeks and could feel the flush that warmed them.
'Stop it, Victoria'
, she mentally castigated herself.
'Such thoughts do no good.'
Victoria knew that she was beautiful. Everyone said so and it wasn't as if she hadn't had plenty of offers over the years. She had dated fairly often but always held herself a little aloof, never letting any of the boys who chased her get very physical. They had called her the Ice Queen in high school. But she was his. She had always been his and had kept herself pure for him. A virgin sacrifice was what her parents had given him and a virgin sacrifice she would be. She still worried about whether she would be good enough for him. He was a prince, after all.
Glancing at the clock she realized that it was finally time. She grabbed the long handled lighter and carefully lit the fat red candles at the pentagram's points, making sure she didn't smear any of the chalk lines on the floor. Next she lit the small brazier. She checked the ancient book of spells that lay on her makeshift altar and made sure that the bucket of water beside it was still warm and that the fat sponge still floated in it. The big Persian rug she had moved to create the space for her chalk lines was still rolled tightly against the wall. Her bed was freshly made with the finest Egyptian cotton sheets and neatly turned down over the midnight blue satin comforter. It was now or never.
Carefully checking the big book one last time, she dropped the dried herb mixture into the brazier and began to chant in a soft, low voice. She had practiced the chant in pieces many times but this was the first time that she was reciting the entire thing. She was proud of her smooth, confident delivery and that her voice never quaked, even as she raised it to intone the final piece of the summoning ritual,
"Belzathior, Belzathior, Belzathior!"
She watched carefully and felt a frisson of elation when she saw the thick reddish smoke rise inside the pentagram and begin to whirl about. Quickly, before the figure appeared in the smoke she slid around the make-shift altar and dropped to her knees, pulling the bucket of water with her. Her gaze was fixed on the swirling smoke column and when she saw the figure finally appear within it, she thought her hammering heart might beat right out of her chest. As the smoke cleared and he appeared she was frozen in breathless silence for an instant. He was exactly as she remembered him, down to the bare, muscular chest and tight, shiny black pants. He didn't look a day older, much less 7 years. He frowned down at her and said in that deep voice she remembered so well,
"Who dares to summon me?"
Immediately Victoria replied in a husky voice, "Forgive me, my Lord! It was not my intention to inconvenience you, nor do I wish to imprison you or constrain you in any way! This was the only way I knew to bring you to this plane. Allow me to release you."
Victoria quickly grabbed the sponge from the bucket of water and squeezed it hard, then she rubbed it rapidly across the chalk marks on the floor, wiping them out with sure strokes as she scooted across the floor towards the demon.
