Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Stories I've Enjoyed: "At the Crossroads" by Monique Poirier

Monique Poirier's "At the Crossroads" appeared in Like Heaven and Hell: Erotic Tales of Angels and Demons, which Circlet published in early 2011.

A half-blood angel infected with incubus venom plucks a demon from the gutters of the Gray City to satisfy his infernal craving. Neither of the two is able to treat this as just another encounter:

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry... next time, I promise... next time I'll make it so good for you..." he panted into my ear in counterpoint to thrusting hips. I closed my eyes and arched my head until the tips of my horns touched the firmness of hay behind me, my breath coming in quick gasps as I was filled again and again. He'd slicked the way with something, and the sensation was... novel. Nothing like the pain I was used to, and that spot inside me that turned my insides to liquid fire was touched intermittently. He was promising to make it good? This was as good as I'd ever known.

I really wanted these two to end up together, somehow, which is one of the best signs that a story is working. Also, I was reading it over breakfast, and it almost made me late. I loved the concept of the Gray City, where the two characters meet--a sort of no-fire zone between heaven and hell. I also liked that the story didn't shy away from the ethical questions it raised. This is a really strong story, and closed out the anthology on a great note.

I've previously posted about two other stories in this anthology, "Switch," and "Give and Take."

For full disclosure, I've published with Circlet before, but I bought and read this book entirely on my own.

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