Two days later.
Inside a classic bar in Portland.
"So, do we know why the hell there are so many demons in Portland recently?" The speaker was a beautiful woman with black hair, wearing an elaborate black Victorian lace dress that hugged her body. Her green eyes, like two emeralds, stared at the short man wearing an iron mask. Her gaze was cold and commanding, like a queen looking at her subject.
"The demons are hunting an Exorcist Priest, someone who exorcised an Infernal Duke. I think Rigani must have felt it a few days ago," the short man replied in a hoarse voice, his black eyes behind the mask not daring to meet the green-eyed woman's gaze.
"Of course I felt it; the entire West Coast felt the exorcism. It was the strongest exorcism in centuries. The Church is ecstatic to have such a powerful exorcist." She replied as the cigarette between her fingers released a thin wisp of smoke into the air. Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
It wasn't hard to understand why the demons had arrived; the Infernal Duke had been humiliated by the exorcism and had sent demons to hunt the Exorcist, indicating that the exorcist was currently in Portland!
"The Witch Court thanks you for your services, Moon Shadow," the woman said, dismissing the short man with the mask.
"It is an honor to serve the Witch Court once again." Moon Shadow nodded and bowed, disappearing into the shadows of the wall corner.
"What shall we do, Great Mother?" A young woman, dressed similarly to the black-haired woman with green eyes, approached and asked with a serious expression. Behind her, five other young women listened attentively.
Sophia was an eighteen-year-old with honey-colored hair and gentle blue eyes; she looked like a princess straight out of a fairy tale.
"Locate the Exorcist, Sophie," Morgana La Fay, one of the Twelve Great Witches of the Witch Court, pondered for a moment before continuing. "But don't approach him if you find him; with his power, he will kill you like a bug."
"Yes, Great Mother." The young woman named Sophie bowed and left the bar with her fellow witches.
"You've been looking at me for a while. Aren't you going to greet your old friend?" Morgana casually remarked, her eyes narrowing with a mysterious smile on her lips. The cigarette in her hand still released a thin wisp of smoke into the air.
At the back of the bar, sitting at a round table, a woman with brown skin and eyes as black as pearls raised her glass, obviously inviting Morgana to sit with her.
Morgana picked up her purse and walked over to the table, where she placed her purse and took a seat.
"Fifty years since we last met, Bilqis," Morgana greeted the Heretic Goddess with a smile, her lips adorned with bold purple lipstick.
"Umu." Bilqis pouted at the mention of fifty years. "Don't say years; it makes me feel old."
Morgana laughed at her friend's childish reaction, resting her elbow on the table and propping her head on her hand.
"What brings you to Portland?" Bilqis took a sip of her martini and asked, seemingly casually.
Morgana's smile deepened at her friend's apparently casual question. "Too many demons and the exorcist who exorcised the Infernal Duke," Morgana replied, her green eyes fixed on Bilqis.
The image of Daemom flashed in Bilqis's mind, but she quickly dismissed the absurd thought. She hadn't sensed any sacred aura from Daemom; her divine energy would have reacted if it had come into contact with the Sacred Energy exclusive to angels and exorcists.
Initially, she thought the demons were after Daemom and Amara, but after hearing that the exorcist of the Infernal Duke was in Portland, Daemom's arrival seemed nothing more than a coincidence to her.
"Do you know anything? After all, Portland is your territory." Noticing something in her old friend's expression, Morgana asked with an innocent smile.
"I don't know anything." Seeing the same look on Morgana's face, Bilqis shook her head and spoke in a casual tone.
Seeing the obvious lie on Bilqis's face, Morgana's smile widened. She narrowed her eyes but didn't press further.
"Shall we go to that nightclub where that Ifrit is infatuated with you?" Morgana invited her friend with an amused smile.
The image of a young man with golden hair and incredibly blue eyes flashed in Bilqis's mind again. The memory of the sweet yet inexperienced touch of his lips and the warm yet aggressive feel of his hands made the goddess sensually bite her lips.
Since that night at the club, Bilqis had found herself thinking about Daemom more than once or twice. He was like a deadly poison coursing through her veins, making it impossible for her to forget him.
Bilqis felt her cheeks burning with embarrassment at what she was feeling. She refused to accept that she was having feelings for a young man she had met by chance and shared a heated kiss with.
She wouldn't fall in love so easily, not for that beautiful face seemingly sculpted by the gods, nor for his tempting lips, nor for his arrogant and sarcastic personality.
Seeing the blush on Bilqis's bronzed cheeks and the slightly shy look in the eyes of the Goddess of Beauty and Sex, Morgana rubbed her eyes, seeming to doubt her own perception.
There was no way the goddess of sex could display such a shy expression like an inexperienced maiden. However, seeing the situation her friend was in, Morgana realized that what she was seeing was indeed real!
"You look like a lovesick virgin," Morgana commented with an incredulous tone, clearly shocked to see Bilqis genuinely showing such an expression.
Who on earth could make the Goddess of Sex display a look like that? She estimated that even if Eros himself came personally, he wouldn't be able to make Bilqis behave this way.
Bilqis's blush deepened further at Morgana's words. She glared at her friend angrily and retorted, "I'm not in love!"
Ignoring the deadly look on Bilqis's face, Morgana asked with a mischievous smile, her eyes narrowing into a cunning and amused gaze. "Who is it? Don't tell me it's that little puppy of yours named Zafir."
"It's not him!" Bilqis replied coldly, then realized what she had just said in her impulsiveness.
Seeing the sly smile on Morgana's lips, Bilqis realized she had walked into Morgana's trap.
"Humph." Bilqis huffed coldly and crossed her arms, causing her ample breasts to jiggle momentarily. "I refuse to say anything."
"Doesn't matter, I'll find out who he is sooner or later." Morgana wore a victorious look and spoke with a confident tone. "Now, let's leave this bar and go to the nightclub to dance a bit."
Bilqis didn't want to go, especially knowing that Daemom was working there. But her body was far more honest than her mind, allowing Morgana to pull her along with little resistance.
Bilqis looked at Morgana as she led her and sighed, following the thousand-year-old witch with a smile appearing on the Queen of Sheba's lips.
She missed this, having a friend to talk and joke around with like any other person. Friendships were rare in a world constantly on the brink of war.
Morgana was one of the few friends Bilqis had, and she unexpectedly trusted the woman despite her history full of betrayals and attempts to usurp the throne from her half-brother, the legendary Arthur Pendragon.
Entering Morgana's black McLaren MP4-12C, Bilqis settled into the passenger seat next to the main seat, leaning back into the soft and comfortable upholstery.
The thought of encountering Daemom again stirred a strange feeling in her stomach. She couldn't help but curse the young man and wondered what spell he had used to make her feel this way after just one kiss!