Although relatively weak compared against other demons, succubi are, perhaps, humanity’s most natural enemies. The weapons they wield, our Achilles’ Heel. Unable to penetrate the mind’s defenses through sheer force, they take more subtle paths to domination. Taking advantage of our hedonistic impulses, they seduce, coax, and distract until a chink forms in the armor of our minds. Thusly, are they able to invade.
Know this, noble reader. Once your mind is touched by a succubus’ corruption, you are tainted. Ensuing attacks upon you become easier. Eventually, your mind will betray you, welcoming in your attacker and eagerly drinking in her poison. If you escape before it is too late, the corruption may fade with time, but prolonged exposure becomes permanent. In my years I have witnessed many brave souls reduced to whimpering slaves. Brought low by a single moment of weakness. Remain vigilant. Your will must be steadfast.
-Sir Arthur Thompson, The Demonic Archive
It was 2 AM before Gwen was able to sleep. A thrilling energy from the earlier… events, had clung to her and kept her awake. She didn’t mind. It finally gave her a chance to catch up on the assignments she’d been too worried (or too horny) to do. She lost herself in the work. Finally filled out the chem lab summary she’d been toting to and from campus for a week. Wrapped up a project for Algorithms, and slogged through Calculus homework. Fuck calculus. But once finished, there was nothing left to take her mind off what she’d done to Amy. She lay in her bed and replayed the events in her head. She’d attacked her best friend with all the care of a predator chasing prey. Maybe that wasn’t far off.
Once she had tasted Amy, what little of her control there was had gone out the window. Even now that sweet scent called to her from the next room. Gwen reset her hand on the wall and pictured Amy, sleeping on the other side. It wasn’t really a scent though, or a taste, or a flavor. It was something else. Some quality that Amy possessed that she’d been unable to sense before now. But it was something Gwen could consume. Had consumed, she reminded herself. And whatever it was, it was delicious. Energy, she supposed. That was in line with the myths. She hoped that was it. Energy would return, but what if she’d taken something more precious? What if she’d done something permanent? Gwen would never forgive herself. Or perhaps she would.
It hadn’t escaped her that after the incident she hadn’t felt particularly bad about her actions. A little, sure, but it was peripheral. Something she’d noted and quickly dismissed while focused on the lingering satisfaction of feeding, and the frustration that she’d been forced to stop. The demonic side of her wasn’t concerned with pesky human morality it would seem. Now though, she felt more like herself, more Gwen. Maybe if she stayed satiated her condition would be easier to manage. Gwen would be in control, rather than the sex-hungry demon within.
The undercurrent of arousal was still there, lurking beneath every thought, but it was easy to ignore. She could think clearly. She needed to find a way to feed regularly. Probably not difficult for a girl on a college campus. Tomorrow she would apologize. If Amy could forgive her everything would be okay. If not… Gwen closed her eyes and did her best not to think about it. After a while Sleep came, and with it the dream again.
Gwen floated. Surrounded by an inky darkness. Tiny swirls and ripples of distortion moved through it like water in oil. Gwen was aware, but not fully lucid. Her mind was foggy. Forming coherent thoughts took effort. The dream was familiar now. Each night she returned here. The first few times she’d barely remembered. She’d just floated drifting in and out of awareness. Now she could move. She raised a hand in front of her to examine it, the motion stirred the darkness. It resisted her movements, It was like moving through water. No, something thicker. Molasses? A bit cliche. Gwen realized she’d never actually seen molasses. She shook her head, sending out more ripples, and focused on her hand. Maintaining a train of thought here was difficult. Despite the darkness she could make out the shape of her arm, but it was blurry. It rippled like the darkness, struggling to maintain its form. Red light flickered across its outline.
Far In the distance, in the direction she thought of as up, was the ominous red light. It was always here. A menacing red sun, throwing off trails that looked like vapor and seemed to drift down as they dissipated. Dark lines crisscrossed its surface unevenly, breaking the shape up into wedges and chunks. Gwen thought they might be chains. It simultaneously called to her, and caused her to want to get as far away as possible. When she looked at it for too long, incomprehensible whispers filled her mind. She turned away. If she ignored it, the effects were barely noticeable.
Gwen turned in a circle, surveying her surroundings. As she did, lights danced on the periphery of her vision. That was new. Gwen concentrated, pushing her awareness out. Cutting through the ink. A million glowing pinpricks of light bloomed around her. They came in every shade imaginable. Some were bright, others dim. Some beamed uninterrupted, others flickered like candles. No two were the same. A few were large enough, or close enough perhaps, for Gwen to see that they were orbs. Others seemed so far that she could never reach them.
A large blue orb caught her eye and she came to an abrupt halt. A dim beam of light trailed from it towards her. The light drifted lazily like a string blown about by the wind. What was it? She swam towards the orb. Forcing her way through the darkness. It was difficult to judge distance here, but the orb couldn’t have been more than a dozen feet away. Still, by the time she reached it she was exhausted. As Gwen got close she began to feel odd sensations radiating off it. They were fleeting, and faded before she could process them. The simple act of moving had drained her and her vision swung in and out of focus. She felt the waking world pulling her back. She resisted. Instead she placed a hand on the orb.
The sensations came into focus. They were emotions. Anger. Fear. Sadness. Concern. The surface of the orb was warm. It had some give, tensing as she pressed, and reforming when she let up. Her body ached. She brought her other hand around, hugging the orb. She savored the warmth, and let her body drift with the flow of the darkness.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
————————————————————————————
For the first time since they moved in together, Gwen was up before Amy. After a night of tossing and turning she’d awoken to find that the horns had torn several holes in her pillow, and left her with a crick in her neck. The rush of energy from the night before was nowhere to be found, and the hum of arousal was growing again. Still, it wasn’t enough to be a problem. By her best guess it would be 3 or 4 more days before it reached the levels of the previous day. After taking her measurements (the horns were a quarter inch longer), she’d prepared coffee, more for Amy’s sake than her own, but was surprised to find it had some flavor to it. Still a bit dull, but it tasted like coffee. Now she sat on the sofa, absently tapping her foot and waiting for Amy to wake up. Why did it have to be Friday?
At the start of the semester she’d made the somewhat questionable decision to cram as many classes as possible into her Monday, Wednesday, Friday block. She’d figured if she bit the bullet for three days, it would leave her with four free-ish days each week. In the end she still had two classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but she enjoyed both of them. The plan mostly worked, but it made days like today hell. A slog of back to back classes for hours, followed by club activities. It was already eight, and she needed to be on campus in thirty minutes for calc. She considered waking Amy herself, but worried it would come across as too aggressive. She needed to be meek. Unthreatening. To make it clear she was in control.
Gwen was about to give up and try again after class when Amy shambled into the room and froze at the sight of her. Gwen was leaning forward, about to stand. She relaxed and sank back onto the sofa. Amy was a mess. Her usually immaculate hair was a frizzy tangle. There were faint bags under her eyes, and she hadn’t bothered with makeup. Her glasses sat slightly crooked. She was still beautiful. Gwen realized they were playing out the scene from the previous morning, roles reversed.
“I made coffee.”
Amy shrank a bit, and she tensed as she walked past Gwen to the kitchen. Gwen put an arm behind the sofa and twisted to watch her. She wore a white blouse, and pleated brown pants, tight at the waist but loose enough through the leg that they looked like a skirt at first glance. Gwen watched it sway, brushing up against her and revealing the contours of her hips and legs for a precious moment with each step. Mind out of the gutter Gwen.
“Listen, about last night…”
Gwen trailed off unsure what to say. Amy didn’t respond. She filled a thermos with coffee, and withdrew a neatly packed container from the fridge. She gathered her purse, her backpack, and snatched her keys from the rack next to the door. All in silence. The tension in the room was so thick it felt difficult to move. Gwen was reminded of the dream. Amy began unlocking the door.
“Amy, wait! I’m sorry.”
Amy paused. Gwen continued.
“I lost control. I hope you know that I would never hurt you.”
“You already did.”
Ouch. That hurt, but Amy was right. Desperation crept into Gwen’s voice as a night’s worth of planning spewed out in a confused plea.
“I-I know. But I think I can control it now. I won’t ever ever touch you again.” The words triggered a pang of sadness, but she meant them. Anything to save her friendship. “I can find someone else. I won’t hurt them either, but I need to find someone. And when I do I’ll be more careful. I can…feed more often and keep this under control. We can research together. Solve the problem. Please. You’re my best friend. I love you… I need you.”
Gwen’s heart beat like a drum as she waited for an answer. She gripped the fabric of her jeans. She realized she was holding her breath and let it go. Amy sighed and relaxed her posture.
“We’ll talk tonight.”
That sounded ominous.
“Sure… Um, can I get a ride?”
Amy ignored her, threw open the door and she was gone. That could have gone better. Gwen checked the time.
“Shit!”
————————————————————————————
The bus was late and she crept into Technical Writing 15 minutes after class had started. Professor Pérez noticed, and made sure that the rest of the class did too. Today he was demonstrating how to write memos, a supremely useless skill in Gwen’s estimation, and he went so far as to use her as the subject of the example memo. Regarding Ms. Weston’s Tardiness.
After that was Calculus (fuck calculus), then Chemistry and Chem lab, where she was did all the work while her lab partner Chris explained to her the difference between various styles of beer. Gwen didn’t mind doing the work, she had long ago learned not to rely on anyone else when doing group work, and normally she didn’t even mind Chris. He was an idiot, but he was harmless, and occasionally entertaining. Now she found herself grinding her teeth, imagining all the ways she could shut him up. When the TA dismissed them she practically sprinted out the door.
Then, after a quick lunch where she forced herself to eat, Linear Algebra. Uneventful, but by this point she had spent so much of the day worrying that she’d developed a persistent headache, and the muscles in her jaw and shoulders were cramping. She stepped out of the mathematics building into the brisk fall afternoon, and collapsed onto a nearby bench, spreading her arms along the back and tossing her head backward. She stared at the sky, and felt the wind tugging at her dangling hair. Leaves rustled as the wind threatened to pluck them free.
All day she’d been rehearsing a speech. A second, more coherent attempt to explain her plan. To convince Amy not to kick her out. She needed to make Amy understand what it felt like when she lost control. Make it clear that it hadn’t been her that night. Not really. She closed her eyes and concentrated. No. Ultimately Gwen was responsible for her own actions. She shouldn’t make excuses. Amy wouldn’t buy them anyways. A different approach then. She needed to put herself in Amy’s shoes.
Okay, she thought to herself, I’m a beautiful genius, perfect in every way, worshiped or envied by everyone, and my horny trash monster of a best friend just tried to seduce me and mind control me into fingering her. What do I want to hear? Her brows knit together. It definitely seemed pretty bad.
Amy was smart. Smarter than her. She felt truly terrible. Gwen just had to trust that Amy would see that if she explained. Sometimes winging it was the best course forward. Gwen brought a hand to her temple, she had a habit of rubbing them when thinking through a hard problem. Instead she met with the hard surface of a horn. She absently traced a finger up and down along its surface. It rose and fell as it passed over each ridge. A mocking voice cut through her thoughts.
“What are you doing?”
Gwen opened her eyes to see a smokey eyed redhead smirking down at her. Freckles were scattered across her cheeks and the bridge of her nose, and her hair was pulled into a ponytail framed by intricate braids. She wore a tight black sleeveless sweater, and a short matching skirt. They both looked expensive. So did her diamond earrings. Laura Fitzroy. Great.
“Just my usual pre meeting prep. Mentally preparing myself to deal with you. That sort of thing.”
“Har har. Well you’re going to be late. I wish you’d take your responsibilities more seriously.”
“Look who’s talking. We’re both in the same spot, Laura. If I’m late, so are you.”
“I’m running behind because I’m the treasurer of the student newspaper and a meeting ran over. You’re sleeping on a bench like a hobo.”
“You’ve got me there. You go ahead and I’ll catch up.”
“Let’s just walk together.”
“I’d rather die.”
Laura rolled her eyes and marched off. Gwen waited a couple of minutes before following. It was petty. She’d see Laura again in a few minutes anyways. They were both members of Aquatic Ecology, or Aqua Eco for short. It was a student organization dedicated to preserving ocean life and repairing damaged ecosystems. Amy had joined the Astronomy Society, and although Gwen also loved space, she wanted to differentiate herself from Amy. To not be in her shadow for once. She’d always loved sea creatures, hence Aqua Eco. Other than Laura, it was great.
Laura’s father was a very successful plastic surgeon and her mother a rising politician. She’d grown up with the best of everything, and always expected to have her way. She usually got it too. After all, Laura was God’s gift to mankind. The frustrating thing was that she really was talented. It would be so much easier to hate her and move on if she was just another entitled heiress, but Laura was like the dark world version of Amy. Top of her class, overachiever, member of just about every club there was. But in Amy, Laura had met her match. Gwen smiled as she crunched through the leaves to the science building.
Amy and Laura were both pre-med, and shared several classes. Amy came out on top in all of them. The only reason Laura paid any attention to Gwen was because she saw herself as Amy’s rival, and often pestered Gwen for details about her roommate, or attempted to use her to deliver some apparently devastating news or ply her for information. It was all in her head though. Amy didn’t have rivals.
Gwen took the elevator to the third floor, and stepped into the club room just as Laura was finishing roll call. The subject of the meeting today was a charity ball at the aquarium at the end of the semester. They’d been planning all month. The ball had been Laura’s idea of course. Her parents pulled some strings and roped in enough big shots that the donations would be worth it. Suffer through a stuffy dance to save some whales. Gwen could live with that, but she refused to like it. She sat quietly, eager to leave. When the meeting finally ended she raced for the door, only to be intercepted by Laura herself.
“Hey, what’s up with Amy?”
Gwen tried to ignore her and kept walking, but Laura followed her down the hall.
“She looks terrible today. Stress finally getting to her?”
“She just has a cold.”
“She’s never had a cold before.”
“First time for everything.”
“There was a test today in Organic Chem. I don’t think she did very well. Seems like the queen is slipping.”
Laura wore a smug expression. If Amy really did fail a test today, it was Gwen’s fault. The thought worsened her already foul mood.
“I guess college isn’t as easy as public high school.” She lingered on the word ‘public’. “Maybe she can’t hack it in the big leagues”
Laura really needed to shut up. Gwen’s irritation was quickly building to an uncharacteristic rage. With it, a familiar sensation. She sensed Laura the same way she’s sensed Amy before. Whatever her new sixth sense was, her anger seemed to have awakened it. They stepped into the elevator.
“Let your girlfriend know I’m here to help if she needs anything.” Laura flashed a fake smile dripping with condescension.
Without thinking, Gwen lunged and pinned her to the wall by a shoulder with more force than she thought possible. Laura’s eyes went wide. She tried to push Gwen away, but Gwen held her there easily with a single arm. Though they were about the same size, Laura was a lifelong dancer and her petite frame belied a lean athleticism. Gwen had seen her perform handstands, splits, and even a backflip once. Laura was stronger than her. Or she had been.
Laura abandoned her attempts and waited. Gwen could feel her. The same way she’d felt Amy the night before. Her scent was different. Less sweet, but with a pleasant bitterness. Like red wine. Gwen studied the girl cowering before her. Laura wasn’t Amy, but she had a haughty beauty of her own. So proud. So arrogant. What would it be like to break her? Gwen let her arousal swell. She felt her lips pull back into a smile.
This was an opportunity. She needed a way to feed, after all. Even better, it would get Laura off of Amy’s back. Two birds with one stone. Gwen instinctively reached out to take hold of Laura the way she had last night, but when her consciousness met Laura’s she couldn’t find purchase. It was like scrabbling at a wall of smooth steel. Her brows knit in confusion.
“I’d strongly recommend letting go. Unless you want to be sued into oblivion.” Laura’s voice was a low growl. She’d regained her confidence.
The elevator had almost reached the ground floor. Gwen let her go.
“Don’t bother Amy,” she forced out in an ineffectual attempt to punctuate the moment.
The doors opened and Laura strutted off with an affected composure. Gwen stared after her. An anticlimactic end. The outburst was surprising. Gwen could be a bit hot-headed, sure, but she’d always preferred words to violence. She’d certainly never been in a fight before. What bothered her more though, was that Laura had warded her off so easily. As far as Gwen could tell Laura was completely unaware she’d won their mental battle. Her anger was replaced by a sense of failure. She felt weak. Defeated. Gwen did her best to put the encounter out of her mind, though. There were other things to worry about.
————————————————————————————
Gwen stood outside their apartment. The setting sun painted the dull grey exterior orange. It reflected off the cars in the parking lot below like a million tiny spotlights. The shadow cast by the overhang of the roof rose slowly as the sun sank, like the curtains on a stage. She steadied herself. Deep breaths.
Amy was sitting on a stool at the counter when Gwen stepped through the door. She had the binder in front of her. A plate of noodles and a mug of tea sat next to it. They almost never used the counter, preferring to sit on the sofa whenever they ate. It seemed formal. Appropriate for a serious conversation, Gwen supposed.
“I made lo mein. Dad’s recipe” She pointed behind her to a pot on the stove with her thumb.
Gwen set her bag down, took off her shoes and moved to join Amy. She walked slowly, watching for any signs of discomfort as if Amy was an easily startled puppy. Amy seemed fine, normal almost. At some point she had gotten around to showering and cleaning herself up. She looked much better. Healthy and glowing. Apparently Gwen hadn’t caused any permanent damage. Relief flooded through her.
Gwen tossed a meagre portion onto a small plate, pulled out one of the cheap metal stools, and took a seat next to Amy. Gwen still didn’t feel hungry. In fact, it seemed like she no longer needed to eat, but she made an effort anyway. It seemed a nice gesture. The flavor was faint, but nostalgic. Amy’s dad used to cook this for them all the time growing up. A recipe from his hometown in Guangzhou. Gwen set her fork down and mustered the courage to make her case.
“Listen, Amy. I know I said it this morning but I want to say that I’m sorry. What I did last night was uncool. I won’t make any excuses.”
She paused. Amy turned to face her and propped her head up with one arm.
“Go on.”
“Whatever is happening to me is confusing, and I have all these new feelings. I- I think I might be in love with you now?” Her cheeks burned but she pressed on. “I’m definitely attracted to you. But I know you don’t feel the same way. You’re the most important person in my life, and you’ll always be my best friend. I don’t want to lose you, so I’ll do whatever I need to in order for you to feel safe. I’ll never hurt you.”
Gwen pushed images of Laura in the elevator out of her mind. Amy watched her and chewed her lip. The only sign of her embarrassment at Gwen’s confession. She seemed receptive, so Gwen continued.
“I feel much better than last night. I can keep these changes under control. You don’t need to worry.”
“You mean if you feed on someone.”
“What?”
“That’s what you said this morning. You said if you feed on someone you can keep it under control.”
“Well, yeah. I figured I could find someone, some horny guy or something and then… you know.”
She brought her hands together in a lewd gesture.
“No.”
“Okay. I get where you’re coming from. But I don’t think I can avoid it. I think it’s like eating for me now. If I go too long I get…hungry. It won’t be like last night. Promise. I’ll go easy on them, just sort of…top myself off.”
Amy sighed. “I meant no, not someone else”
Gwen’s heart skipped a beat. This morning Amy was terrified of her. Now she was offering to let Gwen feed off her? She must have misheard.
“You don’t have to do that Amy.”
“I’m not doing it for you. I’m the only one that knows you’re a succubus. We shouldn’t put other people in danger without them knowing the risk they’re taking. It’s unethical.”
“You doctors and your ethics. We don’t have those in computer science, ever heard of Google? Facebook?” Amy rolled her eyes. “But really, I don’t think it’s that unethical to give some horny guy exactly what he wants, even if I take a little bit in return. We could always ask one. I bet I know what the answer will be.”
“No. I’ll help you figure this whole succubus thing out.” It still felt strange to hear some saying ‘succubus’ aloud. “But I have some ground rules, and that’s one of them. You’ll only feed on me, and only when I consent.”
“Okay. Done.”
Gwen could definitely live with that. A small part of her lamented that she wouldn’t get to put Laura in her place, but getting to kiss Amy again was well worth it.
“What are the other rules?”
“Kissing only. I’m doing this to keep you satiated so you can maintain control, not for pleasure.”
Gwen knew that was coming, but pretended to be devastated anyways. She pouted dramatically and made puppy dog eyes at Amy “What about tongue?”
“…Fine. But that’s it.”
“Yes ma’am.” Gwen found herself enjoying this new authoritative Amy. Now that she knew their friendship was safe she was free to bask in the warm glow of her attraction.
“Stop doing that.”
“Doing what?”
“Smiling like that.”
“Is that a rule? No smiles?”
“No, it’s just creepy.”
“I’m a demon, apparently. I’m probably supposed to be creepy. Next rule.”
“We need a password. If I say it you have to stop whatever you’re doing. Immediately. No exceptions.”
“Sure.” Amy was unknowingly describing a safe word. “How about… Pasiphae?”
Pasiphae was an irregular moon of Jupiter, named after a Greek myth. In their childhood, they had gone through a Sailor Moon phase. Being the nerds that they were, of course they’d picked obscure celestial bodies when it came time to name their imagined characters. Amy was Sailor Pasiphae. Amy grinned wide, her dimple made an appearance, and creases formed at the corners of her eyes.
“Okay, that works.”
“Is that it?”
“One more. I’m going to continue to keep track of your changes and abilities. Like a medical journal.”
The same sense of worry that she’d felt when considering telling a doctor about her changes filled her. She didn’t like the idea of a thesis on her, filled with her secrets and weaknesses, sitting around for someone to find. She voices this concern to Amy.
“I’ll leave your name out, and make sure no one can trace it to you, but It’s a package deal. Non-negotiable. Either you accept all the terms, or I walk away. Or more accurately, you walk away since it’s technically my apartment.”
Gwen pushed away her apprehension and said aloud, “Fine.”
“That’s it. As long as you follow the rules, I forgive you. But no more chances. If you mess up, I’m gone. I love you, but I won’t endanger myself. Can you promise me?”
“I promise.”
Amy spent the rest of dinner grilling Gwen about more specifics. No, she didn’t have feeling in the horns. No, her skin wasn’t turning purple. No, she didn’t have fangs. Amy was back to normal, attacking the problem with an eagerness that Gwen found enchanting. Gwen told her about the strength. Right after promising she would stay in control didn’t seem like the right time to reveal she’d attacked Laura, so she made up a story about lifting a filled trash can. Had it always been this easy for her to lie? They tested her strength, first with arm wrestling, then by lifting Amy, then the sofa which was still a bit of a struggle. They’d have to go to a gym and take more accurate measurements sometime. By Amy’s calculations she was about as strong as a well muscled adult man. Not superman, but at 5’3″ and 130 pounds she was punching well above her weight.
Amy suggested other measurements and checks they should start taking. Fingernail growth, in case of claws. Shoulder measurements, in case of wings. Tailbone in case of, well, a tail. Gwen found out her tongue was about a centimeter longer than the average. It was the first time anyone had measured her tongue though, so she hesitated to attribute it to the changes.
Gwen avoided telling Amy about the dream. She wanted to keep it to herself. A private sanctuary. Or maybe she was worried that if Amy knew she had access to her sleeping thoughts she would raise her guard. Gwen imagined Amy’s warm blue orb, sealed within a carapace of cold smooth steel. No, that wouldn’t do. Amy spent the entire night furiously taking notes in the binder. Gwen spent it gazing longingly at Amy and eagerly anticipating the chance to kiss her.
After about two hours of being studied, the chance finally came. They both sat, exhausted, in the middle of the sofa, shoulders touching. No distance between them. No worry or fear. Back to normal, as if today were any other day. It was wonderful. Some sitcom was playing on the TV but neither of them paid any attention. Amy’s eyes were heavy lidded and kept sliding shut before she forced them back open. She yawned and stretched. The fabric of her blouse played against the swell of her breasts. Gwen caught a sliver of exposed skin at her waist. Her hunger stirred. It was small. Nothing like the storm of lust the night before. She resolved herself to keep it that way. Amy turned. Gwen realized she was biting her lip and let it go.
“I guess we should…”
“Yeah…”
“Okay, go ahead.” Amy closed her eyes, and leaned forward slightly. Gwen was reminded of the second kiss last night, where Amy took the initiative. Only this time, Gwen wasn’t pulling any strings.
Gwen leaned in and met her. It was tender. Loving. She felt the connection blossom between them. Her body grew warmer. She let it drift across the connection, but didn’t use any force. Like the calm flowing current of a stream. She pulled away. Gwen wanted to check that she was still in control. It felt like it. Sweetness still clung to her lips. Swirled within her. She savored it. The threads were there. She gave an exploratory pluck, just to check, then let them be. Gwen began to move in for a second kiss.
“Pasiphae.”
Gwen froze. Amy opened her eyes. They moved in jumps and starts as she studied Gwen’s face.
“Just checking. Go ahead.”
This time her eyes remained open. Gwen closed hers instead and moved in, then paused just before her lips reached Amy’s. She brushed against them and pulled back. Amy Surprised her by taking the bait and closing the distance herself. Gwen was careful to stay in control, but allowed herself to indulge a bit more. Her tongue played against Amy’s sealed lips. They parted, an invitation. The connection widened. Less a stream, and more a river. She tentatively brought a hand up and caressed Amy’s cheek. Amy took hold of it and pulled it away. Gwen whined into her mouth but relented. At least she hadn’t used the safe word.
Gwen fed. Slowly. Carefully. She teased Amy’s energy across the connection in small pieces. Each time, she noticed, a part of her rushed in to replace it. Like air filling a vacuum. So that was it then. Last night, the parts of herself she had felt were the result of feeding. She could feel it now too, a part of herself within Amy, waiting to be called. Faint. Distant. She ignored it. Knowing that it would fade with time, same as yesterday. After what felt like both an eternity and a single instant, it was over.
“Was that enough?”
Gwen briefly considered lying. “Yeah I think so.”
“Good.”
Amy wiped her mouth with her arm and stood, then extended a hand to help Gwen up.
“How do you feel? I didn’t take too much?”
“I feel a little tired, but I did before so I don’t think that’s your fault.”
“Good. Amy, thank you.”
Gwen surprised herself by pulling Amy into a hug. For a tiny moment, before she realized what was happening, Amy tensed and fought uselessly against Gwen’s newfound strength. Then she settled in and hugged her back. Gwen nestled her head against Amy’s chest. She could hear her heartbeat. It was fast. Then she released her, and looked up. They faced each other in silence. Amy’s face had a subtle pink tinge to it. Then they both prepared for bed.
As Amy gave her a quick wave before retreating to her room, Gwen felt a pang of longing. She wanted to join Amy. To fall asleep in her arms. Instead, she entered her room and shut the door. Oh well. Even now she could hear the faint calling of her essence, buried within Amy, vibrating across the threads to her. Besides, she would dream, and she could be with Amy there. Relish her unbridled emotions, embrace her, and whisper softly to her.
————————————————————————————
Amy breathed a sigh of relief as her door clicked shut, then immediately chastised herself. Gwen had always looked out for her. Supported her through everything. The least she could do was return the favor. Still, Amy couldn’t deny that she was afraid. Memories of last night bubbled up, unbidden. It didn’t seem like her looking back, but she remembered how it had felt. As if every action had been her own idea. She remembered wanting all of it. It was her idea to kiss Gwen. Her idea to pin Gwen to the sofa. Her Idea to slip beneath Gwen’s underwear and-
Gwen hadn’t forced her to do anything, she’d warped Amy until she wanted to do it herself. It was subtle too. Amy hadn’t even noticed. Not beyond the passing thought that her behavior was out of character. Until the end. The final moments before she’d broken free had been terrifying. A wrenching as her mind was twisted to suit whatever purpose Gwen had. An awareness of what was happening to her, and a panic that she was losing herself. Her legs trembled even thinking about it.
Amy had never cared about sex. She acknowledged the attractiveness of certain members of the opposite sex, sure, but she’d just never felt the need to explore further. Her interests lie in other directions. Last night, however, all other thoughts had been driven from her mind until only lust remained. Every moan, every smile, every touch sent a spark of pleasure through her. A reward. She remembered Gwen’s hand on her waist. Gwen’s thigh fixed tightly between her own. Amy remembered wanting all of it.
A rebellious jolt of pleasure ran through her. An aftereffect? She felt normal now, but what if the effects lingered. What if they became permanent? Amy shut down that line of thinking. She was right to be afraid, but she’d spent all day thinking herself in circles over this and had come to a conclusion. Although the danger was real, she wouldn’t leave Gwen to suffer through this alone. She’d never forgive herself. Rehashing old concerns was pointless. The decision was made.
Tonight had reinforced that decision, hadn’t it? Gwen hadn’t been coercive, or forceful. Amy had concentrated throughout the encounter, attempting to detect any anomalies in her thoughts or actions. She had, admittedly, grown slightly aroused. But that was easily explained as an involuntary response triggered by the act of kissing, or perhaps another aftereffect from the night before. Besides, the feeling was weak. So weak that it had barely registered. Gwen respected the password, and hadn’t resisted when Amy pushed her hand away. If slight arousal was the only effect of Gwen’s continued feeding then so be it.
Tonight was also a success in another way. Amy knew there was a chance that Gwen’s behavior the previous night was unavoidable. That some feral succubus part of her would always take control when she fed. If that happened Amy knew that escaping a second time was unlikely. It was a risk she’d accepted when she made her decision though. And it hadn’t come to pass. Tonight, Gwen had been tender. Loving. Not at all like the night before. Amy had even considered letting Gwen’s hand stay on her cheek, but didn’t want to send mixed signals. After all, Gwen had said she was in love with her…
Amy threw herself to her bed and buried her head beneath her pillow. She let out an anxious sigh. She was used to people confessing their love to her, or more often, their attraction. It was embarrassing at first. In those early years Gwen had played defence. Curtailing suitors before they even had the chance to ask. But she couldn’t hide behind Gwen forever, and she’d learned to deal with them head on. But how would she deal with Gwen?
Amy loved Gwen. Respected her. Admired her. She was bold, and confident. Everyone called Amy a genius, but she’d always felt Gwen was the more clever of the two of them. She was probably more well read, but Gwen always seemed to piece things together from scraps of information whereas Amy needed time and careful study to reach the same conclusions. Amy loved Gwen. But she wasn’t in love with Gwen. Part of her wished she was. Maybe this would all be easier. Gwen was the last person she wanted to hurt, and kissing her felt like leading her on.
Part of her wished she could just look the other way while Gwen enacted her plan, feeding on strangers and other students. Then they could go back to normal. Pretend Gwen wasn’t a succubus. Just be friends, like they always had. But Amy knew she couldn’t. Her conscience wouldn’t let her, and neither would her curiosity. She was fascinated. What was the extent of Gwen’s powers? Of her changes? Were her powers magical? Was magic real? If succubuses were real then what else could be? The possibilities thrilled her.
She flipped over and felt for the binder resting on her nightstand. She opened it and flipped through the pages so far, reading through their tests. The list of potential powers, and the ones they’d confirmed so far. She froze, then reread the list. No way. She sat up, her exhaustion forgotten, and padded down the hall to fetch her backpack. As she passed Gwen’s door she listened, but heard only the slow steady breaths of a sleeping girl. Hard to picture an energy draining demon instead.
She silently closed her door and withdrew her laptop. She tapped out the URL and began reading. She would read a post, then consult the binder, then repeat. Back and forth until she’d combed through every post and every page of the binder. She was right. Every power they’d confirmed so far was mentioned in a post on that crackpot website Gwen had found. Even more, there was no trace of the powers they’d disproved, at least the ones they were certain about. Unlikely to be a coincidence. She clicked through the pages searching for some kind of contact information. Eventually she resorted to tracking down the registration for the site’s domain name, then followed the breadcrumbs until she finally hit upon a name.
“James Thompson. Who are you?”