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***
Pierce took in a deep lungful of crisp air as he walked home from work. It was a beautiful evening outside--the sun had just set; the sky dyed a soft purple behind the mountains that loomed over the city. A cool breeze bit at his face and his smooth, shaved scalp.
Still, Pierce felt a little strange. Not enough that it offset his mood, but it left him with the faint feeling he was being watched. He glanced around, trying to see if he caught anyone spying on him--but no one seemed to notice him as he passed along the sidewalk.
As he stepped into his apartment and shut the door, the sweet, sharp smell of spices struck him. It was thick and exotic aroma, and he couldn't quite place their source.
He crossed the small kitchenette quickly before moving deeper into his apartment, still left with the strange feeling of being watched. As he went to his bedroom to change, he felt a sudden drowsiness fall over him like a thick blanket. His eyes drooped closed for a moment, then snapped open again in shock. The room had become dark, and the window had gone black: not even a sliver of light peered through the curtains.
"Huh," Pierce said, glancing around the darkened room. "Did I fall asleep on my feet or something--"
"Your chambers are rather quaint, mortal," came a sultry voice from behind him.
He wheeled around, and in the dark he saw two glowing golden eyes peering at him from the dark.
A shiver ran up Pierce's spine. He stepped back from the eyes. "What the hell? Th-this is a private residence."
He watched the eyes rise and move towards him. "Then invite me in."
And then, materializing out of the dark, came the most beautiful creature Pierce had ever laid his eyes upon. Those golden eyes glowed from a regal face, framed by long, dark brown hair. Her full lips curled into a sly smile, and it was only then he noticed the small horns rising from her forehead.
"Oooh," he intoned. "I get it. I'm dreaming. This is a dream."
The horned woman stood before him, her eyes glimmering. "You are. But I assure you, that makes this not a mote less real."
He could feel a palpable heat coming off her body. It was sensual. Enticing. His eyes drifted down to her lovely form. She wore a thin white dress with red accents--a color scheme that made him think of a fiery sunset or maybe blood on snow. It clung to her curves like it was a part of her; her ample breasts straining the fabric, the smooth white curving gently out to her flared hips.
"Who--what are you?" Pierce asked.
Her eyes ran up his body, the golden glowing orbs seeming to feast on his very appearance. When she looked at him again, her smile made his heart race and his groin grow hot.
"I am Azela, and what I am shouldn't concern you." She reached up with a long-nailed finger and gently ran it along his chin. It drew a line of pleasured fire along his flesh, making him gasp in surprise. "Of more importance is what I can give you."
Pierce stepped back, his eyes wide as he ran a hand along where she had touched him. He was pretty sure his face was never supposed to feel like. It felt good. Good enough to be alarming.
"Yeah, I should probably wake up now," he said, hoping by some chance saying it would make it happen.
She let out a low, sultry laugh. "I'm afraid I hold your mind at the moment, mortal. You will awake only when--or
if
I allow it."
He took another step back, pinching himself just to make sure. Instead of waking up, he tripped on his modest twin bed--or the dream facsimile of it--and fell back on it. The being Azela stood over him, her smile twitching slightly wider.
He took a long breath and said as calmly as he could manage, "Ok. So what is it you want?"
"I've been watching you, mortal. I could sense you even in your waking world. That is... rare. Tell me, have you lain with another yet?"
Pierce blinked. "'Lain?'"
"Fucked. Have you joined another in carnal pleasure?"
She leaned down over him, seeming to breathe him in. He pushed back into his mattress as much as he could, letting out a nervous laugh. "That's, eh, that's kind of personal, isn't it?"
She ran a finger down his shirt, her nail cutting the fabric like a well-sharpened blade. "We are presently within your mind, halfway between the mortal and astral planes. We are already as personal as it's possible to be."
Pierced watched this with growing concern. "Uh, fair enough. Yeah, I'm a virgin."
She cocked an eyebrow. "How is this so? You are not homely."
He felt something slide up his leg. He looked down to see a tail, thin, black as night, and flared at the end. It coiled around his thigh, easily as if it were a snake. His skin tingled where it touched him.
He watched the smooth tail for a moment before looking back up at her. "Oh, you know. Teenage years at an all boys' school. Classes taken online. Two years of a pandemic. Look. I'm working on it, OK?"
The demon ran her hand along his chest, making him jerk from the sheer intensity of the sensation. "Oof! That's a feeling, all right."
She watched him for a moment, silent. "You know," she said at last. "Most mortals are groveling before me by now. If they're not already crying."
"Does that change anything?"
"No," she said simply. "Merely an observation. I find you interesting, mortal."
He felt her fingers slide around his neck, an exquisite feeling difficult for him to even describe. "Interesting enough to use my name, maybe? 'Mortal' makes me feel like a piece of meat."
"You
are
a piece of meat." She pulled his face to hers. "But very well. You asked me what I wanted, Pierce. I want your essence."
"Is that, like, a fancy demon word for cum?"
The demon laughed, smiling widely. "No. But they tend to go together. It's your passion I want, Pierce. Your exertion. Your lust. Your soul."
"Oh. Is that all?" Pierce glanced to the side, and saw that everything around them seemed to shift, melting away like an oil painting under a heat light. What reformed was a place larger than his bedroom by many times. It was like a room carved out of black marble, with purple burning braziers and a circular bed larger than any Pierce had ever seen, with sheets of a glistening red material.
She let him go and he half stepped, half stumbled back. There were no shadows now, even though the light was low. Her body stood equal to his in height, toned and powerful and perfect. Her thin, black tail swished softly along the smooth marble floor.
"What do you need my soul for?" He said, nervously picking at the edges of his torn shirt.
"To sustain myself," she said absently, looking him up and down as he was with her. "Or to barter with. Or to spawn with, if I wish it." Her eyes glimmered. "A virgin's soul, one fully formed and matured, is particularly potent."
Her smile widened, showing the sharpness of her brilliant white teeth. "It's what makes you quite the find, Pierce."
"Lucky me," he said weakly. "Look, Azela. Is there any scenario here that ends with me making it back home in one piece?"
She sighed, softly. "No, I'm afraid not. I would do myself a disservice if I didn't drain you to the last drop. I can only take from you like this once, after all."
Pierce looked around. There was an exit to the room, a massive, curving arch, but it was directly behind Azela. And even if he got past her, he didn't like his chances, wherever he was. "Well. Shit."
She moved towards him, hunger in her golden eyes, then paused, her lips shifting to a pout. The demon stopped and studied him again, her brow furrowed.
"I must confess, however, your peculiar nature presents me with a... unique conundrum."
His eyes were drawn to her sharp teeth. "Conundrums are good. I like conundrums."
She poked him with her nailed finger. "Mortals are usually well in my thrall by now. Their passions overwhelming them, begging for the pleasure only my touch can give them."
Azela ran her hand up his side, leaving a trail of almost torturous pleasure in its wake. "But you seem oddly resistant to it."
"Aaaahh... This is resistant?" he said, his breath sharp as she ended with her hand on his cheek.
"Annoyingly so, yes."
He stepped out of her touch, his flesh still hot where she had touched him. "Well, I can't speak for anyone else, but the whole not wanting to be eaten thing is a bit of a mood killer, you know?"
"And thus, my problem," she said, stepping with him. "Your lack of passion hinders the potency your soul offers me."
"Oh. That's a shame," he blurted. "I guess you could just take me back then and--"
She grabbed his neck, much tighter than last time, and easily lifted him from the ground. He had to admit, the distinct feeling of pleasure from her touch made a strange sensation mixed with the fact that she was also choking him.
"You presume too much, Pierce," Azela said, her smile growing dark. "Pleasure is only one emotion that empowers a soul for my kind's uses. It is the one I prefer, but it is
not
