Luka and I spent the rest of the week watching old movies, drinking red wine and taking long walks in the countryside. At night she visited me in my dreams and during the day we talked and laughed in her crystalline dome. I knew I was falling for her and there was nothing I could do to stop it. In fact, if the truth be told, I didn't want to. She was the most fascinating person I had ever met. How could this be? How could a succubus demon have more humanity than anyone I knew? We met often in that house of crystal -- this is where she felt most safe -- hidden from predatory demons that roamed the physical plane. It was on one of these occasions that she tried to explain her world to me, which in retrospect I realised, was because she wanted to prepare me for the trials that were to come.
"There are many of my kind on this plane," she said. "Many far stronger and more malevolent than me. They are relentless, searching for hosts with weaker demons to subsume and aggrandise themselves. Now that you have me, my love, we have to be careful."
"How so," I asked nervously.
"As you develop your will, you will become visible to the ethereal world and attract their attention. The ethereal plane has many entities that would risk a lot to have you, but we have a little time before we need to worry about that."
"But we have the gatekeeper?" I asked.
"Yes, my love, but there are truly powerful demons in this world. The first demons, the 'primordiai' are creual and malevolent and powerful. If they should take an interest then we will be in trouble."
"And what will happen if they find me?" I asked now, worried for Luka.
"They will forcibly try to possess you and destroy me," she said. "If they do that you will lose your free will, become a puppet, a hollow shell of a man dancing to their tune, but I will not let that happen to you, my sweet love."
"And you?" I asked.
"I will become no more. Oblivion, the eternal rest."
A tear rolled down her cheek.
"I will be forever gone from this plane and will never see you again."
She smiled, "But that will not happen."
I smiled too -- I would not let that happen either and we talked the rest of the evening away in her house of glass.
On Sunday morning I woke up at dawn, in fact, I woke up refreshed at dawn every morning. Luka said that this was because I was becoming more in tune with the natural world. She said that the world consisted of the physical plane that we could see and touch and the ethereal plane that we could only feel. Over the millennia, humans had lost touch with the spirit plane, but having her inside me re-established that connection. My senses were sharper too, and I took enormous pleasure in the small things -- the birds squabbling in the hedgerows, the winter sun warming my face and the emptiness of the country lanes.
I arrived at 9am for the morning service and I was greeted by Father Nicholai and Sister Anne-Marie. The pastor shook my hand and I took my place in the church. I sat down whilst the congregation milled around me, exchanging greetings with one another. In the general turmoil, Anne-Marie approached me and caught my attention with her eyes. I followed them to the confessional booth and I winked back at her understanding her message. No one noticed me slip behind the velvet curtain and a minute or two later I was joined by another person in the adjoining chamber.
"How can I help you?" Anne-Marie's said in the stillness of the little space.
"I have sinned mother."
"Confess your sins to God my child."
The church organ rang out and the congregation began their morning hymns.
"I fucked her again, twice."
