The relationship didn't end well. She knew it wouldn't.
       Maysi left one morning to go shopping, and upon her return in the afternoon, she found her boyfriend of six months in the backyard burning all that she owned. She made a quick search of the house. All her personal items were gone. No shoes, no clothes, no toiletries.
       Whit was on a tear.
       While he was outside stoking the fire, Maysi went to the three-car garage where she'd hidden her jewelry. She opened one of the wooden cabinets that lined the back wall, pushed aside some empty plastic containers, and sighed. At least he hadn't discovered her ensorcelled lockbox. She looked over all her recent purchases, from costume jewelry to expensive pendants, then shut the lid and took the whole thing with her.
       With a quick glance to make sure Whit was still occupied with his sacrificial pyre, she fled the house and called her mother.
       "It's started," she said with as steady a voice as she could manage.
       "I told you it wouldn't be long," her mother replied without too much I-told-you-so in her voice. "Go back to your own apartment, grab what you need, and catch a flight home as soon as you can. It should happen in the next day or so. You didn't buy much."
       "He wouldn't let me."
       "I know, dear. That's water under the bridge. You did what you could. It's time for phase two. Hide what you can throughout the city. The cheaper items are in more obvious places; the pricier pieces are in more difficult locations. That should keep him busy for quite some time. And off the streets prowling for victims."
       "Yes, Mother, we've been over this."
       Matilda Petticoat sighed on the other end of the line. "I know, dear. But since this is your first Keeping, you'll forgive me for being a bit over-protective and repetitive."
       Maysi allowed herself a slight smile. "I forgive you. And before you remind me, I'll bring the most expensive piece home, that diamond necklace I was able to purchase a few days ago. He'll spit hellfire when he can't find it."
       "Very good, Maysandra," Matilda said, her motherly pride coming through. "And don't worry. Even though it seems bad now, it can always get worse."
       "Oh, wow. Thanks, Mother. You really know how to comfort a gal."
       "Love you, Mays."
       "Love you, too."
       She hung up and thought about this second phase of her assignment. She'd already picked out the hidden locations and would start placing the items immediately. Keeping Whit obsessed with finding jewelry strewn throughout the city was the easy part.
       It was the third and final phase of her assignment that would be the most dangerous. That's why she'd take with her the costliest item she'd bought with his money. Like a homing beacon, the necklace would draw him to her, and she wanted to be on her own turf when the confrontation finally happened.
       Facing Whit in all his shifted fury was not something she looked forward to. Battling an incubus, after all, was nothing to trifle with.
       
Six Months Before
       Whitmer Babcock liked the ladies. Every night after work, it was a different bar, a different pick-up line, and a different girl he brought home for the rest of the night. In the morning, they were gone, never to return. Literally.
       He didn't bat a thousand, but four out of five nights wasn't something to sneeze at. Plus, an occasional weekend. But he only prowled the bars then if the previous week had been mediocre. He needed most weekends to recover at his second home upstate. Otherwise, Whit had an appetite that refused to be satiated.
       Until he met Maysi Petticoat.
       She was an Athena. An Aphrodite. A Calypso. He was immediately smitten. He'd never seen such a beauty.
       He met her one evening at Burberry's, a tony little hot spot in the Upper East Side, a few blocks from his apartment near Central Park. He was on his way home from a lucrative number-crunching job at a financial company in Midtown when he spotted her from the back seat of his taxi.
       "Pull over!" he demanded.
       Whit paid the driver and hopped from the taxi in hot pursuit. Maysi, her long blonde hair flowing, beckoning, had just entered the club. Alone. He composed himself and sauntered in a few moments later. After ordering a drink and sidling up to her at the bar, he used his best minimalist line.
       "Come here often?"
       "Every night," she said, red lips moist and inviting.
       After that, he pulled out all the stops, but she was somehow able to resist his charms. So he came back the next night. And the next. And the next after that.
       Finally, after a week of unadulterated charisma, he finally convinced her to accompany him to his place to relax, get away from the noise, and have a few more drinks. She drank his wine, then left before any hanky-panky could even get started.
       It took an entire month of savoir-faire before she finally consented to spend the night. Through it all, he hadn't satiated his appetite at all.
       She moved in with him a few weeks after that. Whit was surprised he'd invited her to. His nights of conquests were typically one-and-done. But of this woman, he couldn't get enough. It was as if she held some kind of sway over him. He was mesmerized. He started buying her gifts. Trinkets at first. Little pieces of jewelry. Some shoes or clothing items when they were out shopping together.
       After a few months, he even invited her to his secret retreat home across the Hudson, up Chappaqua way. He never took anyone there. This was his sanctuary, his private sanctum. His shrine. But Whit wanted Maysi to share it with him for some unfathomable reason.
       
Three Months Before
       "I've found his den at last," Maysandra said to her mother on the phone the day she returned to New York City. She'd just spent her first weekend with Whit at his home upstate. They'd been together a few months, and he'd finally started revealing his true devilish nature to her.
       "Wonderful. I knew he'd take you there eventually. What's it like?"
       "As sick and creepy as you thought it would be. Pictures of all his former conquests. Some of their personal items. Even a journal detailing his perverse abuse of his victims. He has some kind of altar set up in the middle of the house. He's seriously whacked out, Mother. As a veteran Keeper, I assume you've entered your fair share of these kinds of demonic lairs?"
       Matilda paused. "Yes, my dear, I have. It's not something we veterans, as you say, are particularly proud of or want to relive. Our team is tracking down all his victims, getting them the help they'll need to recover. Now I know these next few months will be hard on you, but it must be done. Did you leave any of your belongings there?"
       "I left a few things, yes. Everything he's bought me I'll bring with me over the next few weekends. He's quite taken with me. I assume he'll keep buying me gifts."
       "Yes, and that's good. The next step is to get him to give you his credit card. You'll need to start purchasing more items with his money as soon as you are able; the more expensive, the better."
       "Right. This further binds him to me until he begins shifting into demonic form. And you're sure this will keep him from preying on other women?"
       "Yes. Once the spell starts to wear off, his true nature will begin to emerge. Your 'kept' incubus will want to track down everything he gave to you and destroy it in order to completely break your hold over him."
       "I hope this works," Maysi said.
       Her mother assured her. "Whit won't be able to terrorize others ever again. No more ravaging of innocent women's minds or bodies. You're his master now, as long as you hold on to at least one expensive item you bought with his money."
       "But why does a demon search out and destroy the least expensive items before moving on to the more expensive ones?"
       "That's just the way it works. It's part of their nature. Hell's funny that way."
       "And Whit...he doesn't even know he's a demon yet, does he?" Maysi asked.
       "Probably not. Once he starts shifting, though, he will. And that's when it gets dangerous. Destroying you will be his sole obsession for the rest of his life on earth. Unless you can send him back to the Abyss."
       "Wow, you make a great life coach, Mother. Thanks for the pep talk."
       "We'll chat tomorrow, Maysi. For now, get some rest. You'll need it."

       When Maysi first discovered her mother was a witch, she'd been surprised but not all that alarmed. There had always been something different about Matilda Petticoat. But 'witch' wasn't quite right. Her mother was part of an ancient fellowship that served as guardians against the malevolent forces that sought to break through the corporeal boundary that separated the noumenal and phenomenal.
       Sort of a spiritual Knights Templar for women. With magic swords. And kick-ass moves. But 'white witch' would do in a pinch.
       They were called the Keepers. They kept the demonic hordes at bay. Insiders joked they were the original Guardians of the Galaxy, and their job was to battle and beat Hell's own versions of Thanos. Their fellowship extended around the world, and most of the new members were daughters of existing Keepers.
       "The power is already within you, Maysi," her mother had said. "You simply need to accept the invitation to join the Keepers and commit to the training needed to stave off the demonic. There are no dead-chicken initiation rites, no secret handshakes. Just a lot of sword work and a yearly convention where we sit around and tell stories of how we saved the world."
       "And no one in your fellowship is ever defeated by these demons?" Maysi wanted to know.
       Matilda had been frank with her. Sorcery was dangerous work, and yes, some were killed in the line of duty. But she would be Maysandra's coach.
       "And I'm still alive, aren't I?" she'd asked, proving her point.
       "After how many missions?"
       "Close to a hundred now."
       Over the course of a few months, her mother shared some of her most memorable stories. The lure of excitement and adventure finally was too much for Maysi to resist, and she said yes to the Keepers. Her first job was to meet with and learn from dozens of otherwise crones from around the world.
       Then came weeks of physical training. Swordwork, spell-casting, the art of the allure. Finally, Maysandra was ready for her first assignment. The waiting was nerve-wracking.
       When word came down from the organization's leadership that an incipient incubus was preying on women in Manhattan, her interest was piqued. This devil-in-waiting had to be stopped before he shifted into a mature and powerful fiend. Maysi and Matilda were asked to master this demon and prevent his reign of terror.
       Mother and daughter talked it over. With very little hesitation, Maysi had said yes. She moved from their home in Indiana to New York City and immediately attracted the attention of Whitmer Babcock. Within a week, she'd captured his attention.
       Six months later, her spell over him started to slip.
       
One Day Before
       Maysi was frustrated. The most expensive gift she'd received from Whit so far was a thousand-dollar tennis bracelet. If her relationship had been real, she'd have been ecstatic. But the strain of pretension--and the pressure of the mission--was wearing her down. She had to move things along, or she might lose her influence over him. So she asked, in as nonchalant a manner as she could manage if she might borrow his credit card. Whit immediately became suspicious.
       "Why?"
       Maysi had a quick reply. "I'm maxed out, and I need to borrow a few hundred dollars for a new pair of shoes. I'll pay you back, I promise."
       Reluctantly, Whit agreed. He was still in her grip, it seemed, but he handed over the card with narrowed eyes.
       "A few hundred bucks. Max."
       "Absolutely, Whit. I'm just in a bit of a jam. I get paid next week. I only need a pair of shoes!"
       The purchase turned out to be $35,000 instead. A Blue Nile Floating Diamond Platinum Pendant Necklace, 1.75 carats. She looked stunning wearing it if she did say so herself.
       That night, jittery with nerves, she called her mother and told her about the purchase.
       "But I think I've lost control over him as a result, Mother. He took back the credit card and asked me what I had bought. I lied, but he'll find out soon enough. I forced this part of the relationship and pushed him too hard. Phase one is coming to an end, and I hope I have enough items. I'm sorry."
       "Freshman mistake, dear. No immediate harm done. You have enough jewelry, from what you've told me. Just keep the necklace with you and report back when he starts destroying your possessions. It won't be long now."
       Maysi called back the next day.
       "It's started," she said.

       After she fled Whit's home, she stashed the various gifts he had given her and valuable items she'd accrued with his money throughout the city. She then flew home to Indiana wearing the Blue Nile Diamond Pendant. Her mom met her at the airport.
       "He'll be here soon to confront you once he realizes he's been tricked," Matilda said. "Stand strong and stay firm. He can't actually harm you at this point. He has to find every item you stole from him and destroy them first. But he will try to intimidate you. Are you ready?"
       "As ready as I'll ever be. I'm hoping this encounter makes for a good story to tell at our next Keepers Gathering."
       "It will, dear. Even though the worst is yet to come, the story is not quite finished."
       "Have I ever told you how encouraging you can be, Mother?"
       On the way home from the airport, they chatted about other things, nothing serious, until they got back to their house. All was quiet.
       "I guess we beat him home," she called to her mother as she walked down the hall to grab her magical sword. She paused at the door. A faint crackling noise whispered from within, grew louder, then exploded outward, flinging open the door to her room.
       The demon appeared in a flash of fire and heat. Sulfurous smoke billowed outward, and the ruby-skinned devil growled, "Give me the diamond necklace." It pointed to her prized possession.
       Maysandra stepped back in alarm, the intense heat forcing her to gasp, but then she straightened her spine. With as much brashness as she could muster, she exclaimed, "You can't have it!"
       "It is mine!" the demon spat.
       "Not yet, it isn't! You aren't even close to finding all the other trinkets scattered throughout the city. Go back to New York and enjoy your treasure hunt. You don't belong here."
       Her mother, shimmering sword in hand, came and stood beside her. Both of them glared at the demon, not backing down.
       Maysi was comforted by the fact that the incubus would not break from this task. Thus he would not be able to prey on any more innocent women. Still, standing up to such a beast at the height of its fury was more than a bit intimidating. This was one malevolent devil.
       The hell spawn -- who still resembled Whit in a macabre sort of way -- tossed its head back and roared.
       "I will find them all, and I will come back to rip that necklace from your lovely neck, you succubus! Then I will utterly destroy you. You will wish you had never been born."
       "That's quite an original line, Whit. Almost as original as the one you laid on me when we first met. Do you remember? 'Come here often?'"
       Maysi laughed. Her mocking tone, though, was all an act. She trembled and caught her breath. Nevertheless, he took the bait and exploded in fury. The incubus disappeared with a flash of fire and heat, leaving behind only the smell of burning sulfur.
       Maysi turned and collapsed into her mother's arms, sobbing in exhaustion and fear.
       "Shh, shh. You did fine, Maysandra. We'll be ready for his return. Have no doubt."
       She sniffed and rubbed a tear from her eye. "Thank you, Mother."
       Yes, she knew the demon would be back. One day. Maybe a few months down the road, maybe a year. They'd keep tabs on his progress and prepare. For now, they would take the temporary win. Her path to a full-fledged Keeper had begun, and that was a story worth telling.
       She just hoped and prayed she'd be ready for that final showdown. The one where she'd send him to the Abyss with a slash of her sword. Her first assignment was done, but the mission was far from over.