Demons, Daemons

~from the dictionary:
1. A devil or evil being; especially, in the New Testament, an unclean spirit that possesses and afflicts a person.

I guess that is as good a description as we are all familiar with. It also is (2.) a persistently tormenting person, force, or passion.

Okay. But what do they look like? Do they look like us? Or are they different looking?

I've got books that have depictions of demons in them. Some resemble bats, rats, snakes, and a wild combination of just about every creature, including man.

So, as a writer who dreamed up new/different worlds, I had to come up with some ideas as to what demons might look like. Maybe some looked human enough. Others, not so much.

In the second book, Vampire's Trill, my main character, Sabrina Strong meets a few demons. One is a Nelapsi demon, and considered an ancient relation to vampires.
Excerpt:

I wasn't entirely over my anger when I heard Rick say quietly, "That's a Nelapsi.”

“Nelapsi? Really? What is a Nelapsi?”

“A really ugly demon. Well, actually it's part demon and part vampire. But then they're closely related.”

“Got cha.”

That was when I saw the attacker's face. His head was totally bald, and red eyes held me in their thrall, the pupils were cat-like. He was eerily handsome — in a demonic way. The ugly parts were more the two snake tails and giant bat wings.

“Your woman?” he asked Tremayne, his smile slanted sinisterly, filled with sharp teeth. Fangs in both the lower and upper jaw.

“Get your own, you slimy asshole!” Rick slung bravely.

The creature's smile broadened, but he narrowed his eyes at Rick.

“You bring a leprechaun and a lovely human female with you here? Bjorn, you must have lost some brain cells in the centuries you've been on earth.”
But in other places the demon isn't quite so hard on the eyes.
That would be Jacob in another section of this scene:

I entered the room, and the women followed me in. The walls were made of masoned stone, the floor looked like slate. Inside, my guides took me into another room where there was an old style lounge, red velvet covering it, one end slightly higher than the other. I recognized it as a fainting couch. Before I could throughly take in my surroundings, the women were touching my clothes, trying to undress me. I jumped back, and they looked confused. They said something to me, and I tried to explain that I didn't need their help, but they couldn't understand. Obviously, we had a language barrier.

Concern rippling their delicate brows, they spoke, slightly frantic, to one another, and then one of them scurried through another doorway — this one had green veils over it — and in a moment, a man stepped out. He wore a light gray robe with his hands tucked inside the deep sleeves. His face was so gorgeous I was stunned mute.

He spoke a single word to them that must have translated “leave,” and they darted through the green, curtained door and disappeared.

“Welcome. I am Jacob. You are a stranger here, yet I welcome you happily,” he said in a nice, mellow voice. “Your name is Sabrina?”

“Yes.” I was also stunned he knew my name, but, I reminded myself, I was in another realm.

He made a sudden intake of air, his head tilted slightly, and he blinked those brilliant blue eyes. A look of surprised delight lit across his face. “You are the sibyl?”

“Oh, uh, yeah,” I said, realizing this might be significant, but I was thinking of the demons who wanted to kill me earlier. I bit my lip watching what he would do, my hand on the laser's handle.

He made a low bow, his long, black hair falling into his face as he straightened and he had to shake it. “I welcome you, mistress. Please, understand that we only wish to give you a retreat, allow you to bathe and — forgive us if our ways are not your ways — but you must dress in something more... appropriate?” He was looking me over. I'd noticed that everyone here (except for Naamah, who was actually nude), was in either a dress or a robe.

“Oh, sure. No problem,” I said, relief flooding me.

“This way,” he said, hand outstretched toward the next curtained-off threshold.

I went ahead through the entry and found myself in a small, low-ceilinged room with a sunken bath that probably resembled the one Cleopatra herself plunged into. Decorative lanterns cast golden light all along the walls, and their gentle glow reflected in the water. I was happy to see this was a private bath.

“Disrobe, mistress, and bathe. I will return with your new attire.”

I watched him duck out. I stood with indecision. This situation sent red flags up all over the place, but the water was scented, and I could tell it would feel sooooo good. Worried I'd be in the middle of pulling off my underwear when Jacob returned, I quickly stripped, letting everything lay wherever it fell. I located the steps that descended into the pool. Poking my toes in, I found that it was a perfect bath temperature. In a moment, I was neck-deep and swishing around in my own private hot tub. Eventually I found that there were a couple of little ledges to sit and settle back on. Luxuriating, I leaned back with my eyes closed. Nice. All I needed was a glass of Moscato, and a hunk of chocolate and I could forget where I was.

My eyes snapped open at the sound of water parting with someone entering the pool. I saw Jacob, totally nude, striding into my personal hot tub. ©Lorelei Bell
Well, yummy! I felt that the contrast between the two demons would give you an idea of the types of demons I dream up. And just in case you aren't sure what Jacob is---hint, hint, he gives pleasure, and -bus is part of his name, and there is a female version of this. Can you guess what type of demon he is?