Hell To Pay by Marc Cabot

“Now, taking His name in vain is against the rules, but frankly, I don’t think using it in that situation counts. I think of it more as a prayer. Or at least an offer of thanks.”
    “And now I understand what thankful means. And gratitude. And... love .” Tears were pouring from her eyes and she sniffled some very Earthly snot, which made her cough. “This is going to take some getting used to.”
    “Well, you’re human now, but you happen to know a very powerful magician. So long as we don’t go trading in souls, we can cheat a bit on the duration front as well.” He smiled at her with affection. “Who knows? Maybe magic will work for you, too. You’ve certainly got lots of experience.”
    Tears and laughter mixed are hard enough to deal with when you’ve lived a lifetime in a mortal body. Lily almost choked on them, but Simon pounded her on the back and just kept saying, “Breathe!” until she had it under control again.
    When she had gotten her breathing sorted out, he continued. “Obviously using your powers for our little games is no longer an option. But it will probably take a while for you to get bored, what with being a real little girl and all...” His hand slipped down and cupped one perfect buttock, then squeezed. She gasped and melted into him again. “Thought so. And if we do, so long as we don’t do anything actively bad, I still refuse to believe that happiness and pleasure are all that offensive to God. It’s a risk I’m willing to take, anyway.”
    She looked into his face with joy, the first joy she had ever known. She thought her brand-new heart might explode in her chest. “I’ll risk it. I’ll risk anything, with you.” An odd expression came over her face.
    “What is it, Lily? Are you all right?”
    She looked at him with puzzlement. “I thought I wanted to try out my new body with you, but something feels... odd.” She pulled back from him just a bit and put her hand on her stomach. “It’s here. It feels... hollow. Like I could knock and it would echo.”
    He laughed again. “Bad news, Lily.”
    Another new sensation flared in her... worry. “What? What is it?”
    “Your body is just as flawless as it was when it was an illusion...” She smiled but still looked confused as he paused. “...but now it’s heir to all our troubles. By the sweat of thy brow shalt thou eat bread .”
    Understanding dawned. “I’m... hungry?”
    “Yep.” He kept laughing.
    “What’s so funny about that? I’ve never really tasted food before, not like this. It’s going to be amazing!”
    “Oh, I was just thinking of how you’re going to react to the next part.”
    “What next part?”
    He grinned at her quite as evilly as any incubus could have managed. “What goes in, must come out. Thousands and thousands of years of perversion, and you’re finally going to really understand why some holes are considered... dirty.”
     
    Her eyes grew very wide.
     
    “Like you said, this is going to take some getting used to. Don’t worry, I’ll help.” He stood and pulled her up onto her feet. “Let’s go. We’ll start with something easy in and easy out. You’ll get the hang of it. You’ll see.”
    His hand never left hers as they walked toward the door.
     
     
     
     
     
    The End... of this story.
     
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