He rolls our suitcases down the aisle towards the checkpoint. I am carrying Clara in my arms. She fell asleep in the car on our way here. Karim had called one of his car mechanics to take the car for maintenance.
I settle down on the waiting seats and wait for him to get our boarding passes. He is very familiar with this place.
He assured me that flying is not so bad. I am not unused to being at unusual heights.
I see him nodding at the attendant and smiling. They seem to know each other well. Of course, they do!
I suddenly have a strange feeling inside. I feel the need to sink my claws into her and turn her into an undead.
Where is this coming from? I had felt the same way at the hospital.
Karim had said nothing. I had almost killed the doctor. Her head was only a second away from exploding.
But, I managed to stop myself in time. We were able to process a birth certificate for Clara by legitimate means and have officially adopted her.
I have decided to postpone my departure for a few months. After all, I do not have much time left. Maybe, I might be able to come back.
He returns with our passes and gestures to where we are supposed to wait.
I lift the girl up gently. He wheels our suitcases towards the deposit and comes back to take her from my arms. We look like a happy family to onlookers.
We finally arrive in Lisbon, Portugal. Clara had woken up sometime during the journey. She was sitting across us. Through out the journey, Karim had been holding my hand. It was something he never did.
He never does any of the gentle and sweet things that loving husbands are supposed to do.
Is the vacation a romantic gesture on his part?
We leave the airport and enter a hired car. We are taken to a beautiful beach house that overlooks the sea.
I have never seen such a large body of water before. There are no seas in my world. There are celestial rivers, of course.
Karim handles all the bags and suitcases. Clara is still very quiet. She barely ever says anything. Even though I and Karim love the quiet, we still want her to communicate a bit more.
Is it that she feels scared to talk to us? We barely even talk to each other, not like we are fighting, we just communicate better with silence.
"Are you hungry?" I ask her.
She nods her head. She is always hungry. Are human children always like this?
"Why don't you take her upstairs? I want to cook us dinner". He says.
He isn't smiling, but he looks reassuring.
"Don't you have something else you would like to do?" I ask.
He walks towards me until we are almost touching.
"Is it a crime to cook for you?" He asks.
I shake my head, mostly in relief. I was almost afraid that he was going to kiss me in front of the child.
I turn and hurry her upstairs. The girl is smiling weirdly as she runs upstairs. What does a five year old know?
After dinner, we go out to see the beach. Clara runs off to play with the tides while we sit down on beach chairs and watch her.
"When we return, I am willing to steal the gems for you so that you can return to your world". He says.
A week ago, I would have been so happy to hear those words. But now, they sounded a bit empty.
Do not get me wrong, I want to return to my world more than anything, but I feel like I have been tied down here on earth.
He sits up when I stay silent. My face remains cold and expressionless as always.
"Say something. Don't you want to go anymore?" He asks.
I look at him so he would know that I have heard him.
"Yes. I want to, but not now. Maybe in a few months". I say.
His eyes stop looking so dull only for a second. But it was long enough for me to know that he is pleased with my decision.
We return to the soothing silence for a while.
Then, he tosses me a gem stone. I catch it between my two palms. I look at him.
"Found it in my pocket. It must have fallen out of the parcel I gave you". He said.
I roll the stone between my fingers.
Clara is distracted with building her sand castle.
I decide to conjure up my original form.
Instead of my demon, I see another form. The form of a woman. A woman that I recognise.
Panic freezes me in place. That is my first body, before I became reborn as a demon. She reaches out to grab me. I roll off the beach chair. Karim is already looking for a weapon. None of us make a sound in order not to scare Clara.
Beasts start coming out of the portal as it widens. All Karim is able to find is an axe.
All of them are different forms of demons.
Suddenly, I can no longer move. All I can do is watch as the beasts troop out of the portal and into Karim's world.
I see one of them heading for Clara. Luckily, Karim beheads it before it is able to eat Clara's head off.
The woman in my previous body steps out of the portal and walks towards me. All I can move is my eyes.
She runs her hands along my hips and squeezes my butt firmly, without taking her eyes off mine.
"I have missed you". She says.
I gulp.
She runs her hands upwards, over my abdomen, breasts ,neck and finally stops at my lips. She leans closer and bites my lower lip.
"What a beautiful body you have". She murmurs huskily.
She runs her hands over my hair as she bends down to kiss my neck.
If I could scream, I would scream for Karim to save me.
Then, she drags me into the portal with her.