A Demon's Devotion -- Ch. 03
The halls were loud this afternoon.
Or maybe that was just Beatrice's imagination.
It was odd, how a lack of sleep could both dull and sharpen her senses. Her entire morning had passed in a strange, static fog, a drowsiness that could spark at any moment into stinging awareness. One moment she'd be nodding off in class, and the next the chatter of her peers would prickle her awake. Yet as aggravating as the everyday had become, Beatrice saved most of her ire for the real culprit:
Levi. This was all his fault.
Beatrice grit her teeth as she trudged towards the cafeteria, fighting the growing maelstrom in her gut. It was the same storm of feelings that had kept her up all night, a twisted mixture of fear, rage, confusion, and lust. From dusk until dawn she'd tossed and turned, unable to escape her competing impulses. She'd wanted to give in, to surrender to the carnal yearning Levi had left her with, to masturbate to fantasies of her tormentor and seize the pleasure her sweating, trembling body craved. Yet with every venturing touch came the realization that she'd be yielding to his design, that every tingling ribbon of pleasure would become an instrument of bondage in his hands. With that thought, the rosy tint from her fantasies would vanish, casting her situation in much starker light.
Demons were real. Magic was real. And she was now the prey of both. These facts were undeniable, yet never failed to send Beatrice into a spiral of doubt, her frazzled mind questioning everything that had led her to this point. Inevitably, further thoughts of Levi would follow. Inevitably, she would think of the power he held over her, of how needy and enthralled she'd felt in his grasp, of the depths of pleasure he'd taken her to.
And so all through the night, this horrid cycle of desire and denial had continued.
But she hadn't given in.
No matter how bad the temptation had gotten, no matter how close she'd come to folding, Beatrice had resisted the cravings Levi had created. Which meant she'd resisted him as well. Even though his power had seemed inescapable, it was clear that he had his limits. And now Beatrice knew she could reach them.
The text he'd sent her in the morning had only proved this further. The message had demanded that she wear a skirt or dress to school, one that would "make her feel like an object of desire." Upon reading that, Beatrice had tensed, expecting any moment to feel Levi's power manipulating her like a puppet. Yet as she'd stood stock still in her room, eyes shut and muscles tensed, it'd gradually dawned on her that nothing was happening. There was no sensation of her body moving against her will, nor even a surge of arousal to weaken her defenses. Had he expected her to follow his commands willingly? Or had their previous evening exhausted his powers?
Either way, the realization of her own freedom had reinvigorated her defiance, and for a moment she'd considered dressing in the least sexy outfit she had. The thought of facing her friends cooled that impulse, so she'd settled on high rise jeans and an oversized sweater. True, the outfit was a little warm for late September, but it hit the sweet spot between defying Levi's orders and complying with social expectations. It proved that for all that had happened, she was still nobody's servant. She was still a free woman.
Wasn't she?
Beatrice straightened as she entered the cafeteria, her weariness fading as adrenaline coursed through her veins. Levi would see her soon. He would realize she had defied him. What would he do then? If her thinking was correct, he didn't have enough power to force her to go home and change, and she doubted he would do anything outrageous like coerce her to strip in public. Then again, underestimating him was what had originally landed her in this mess. Maybe she was being too brash. Maybe she should've thought this through more.
Too late now. As the crowded dining area stretched before her, a warm shiver ran down her spine, and her lips quivered as she suppressed a growing grin.
What the hell? Was she feeling...excited? Or...
Beatrice stiffened, feeling Levi's gaze like a cloud passing over the sun. She turned, her eyes finding his as if by instinct. His brow was furrowed, his expression tense, but unreadable. He beckoned with his hand, and Beatrice felt the barest tug on her crest, calling her to join him at his table.
With a satisfied smirk, she turned up her nose and kept walking. Her friends were seated just ahead, and Suzi was waving her over with a beaming smile. Beatrice returned the gesture, even as the demon's anger crackled at the edge of her senses. Served him right. He could act high and mighty when they were alone, but here at school, he was still lonely, pathetic Levi, and she was...
...She was turning around, her path abruptly diverting back the way she came. A jolt of panic raced through her. She tried to whirl around again, or at least cast an apologetic look towards her friends. Yet her strides remained unwavering and purposeful, pulled along by the familiar, invisible ropes that had captured her body.
The demon had seized control again.
As Beatrice approached him, Levi rested his chin on his palm, simmering with irritation. "Once again," he said, "it seems you've decided to make things difficult for us both. Have you truly learned nothing from yesterday's lesson?"
"Lesson?" Beatrice matched his glare with her own. "Is that what you call it, you disgusting p--"
"Apologize," Levi commanded.
Beatrice's insult tumbled back down her throat. Her hands lifted the hem of her sweater, her scowl melting into a placating smile as she dipped into a deferential curtsy. "I'm sorry, Master," she mewled with an unnatural lilt. "Please forgive your servant."
"Good girl," he replied with an absent turn of his wrist.
The invisible cords snapped free, and Beatrice straightened, burning with humiliation and fury. But before she could act, a cascade of pleasure flooded from her mark, dousing the flames and washing the strength from her legs. She let out a surprised squeak, fighting to remain standing as her knees wobbled.
"As you can see," Levi sighed, "juvenile displays of resistance will get you nowhere. One way or another, you will learn your place. Even if I have to train you like a wild animal."
"Who are you calling a--hhhha!" Another warm pulse reverberated through her pussy, her muscles clenching in poisonous ecstasy.
"Like any tamer of beasts," he continued, "I have various tools at my disposal. The carrot is for rewarding good behavior." He closed his fist, and the threads of his control returned, yanking Beatrice to attention. "The bridle, on the other hand, is for keeping you in line. And the crop, well..." his face darkened. "Something tells me we'll get to that soon enough."
He let his hand slide open and his influence receded. Beatrice remained still, wide eyed and trembling. It had all happened so fast, a dizzying rush of sensations some part of her still believed shouldn't be possible. Even though her clothes had remained intact, she felt stripped bare in front of her friends, in a way she knew they couldn't understand, yet probably sensed all the same. No doubt they were staring at her now, whispering among themselves about her strange behavior. Maybe some of the other students were watching too, wondering what could've possessed a girl like Beatrice to curtsy in front of a guy like Levi. Pins of unwanted attention prickled her back, but she kept her gaze straight ahead, her body flushed and hot with a roiling mixture of shame, dread, and...and...
Something else.
Levi's eyebrows rose, as though surprised by something Beatrice couldn't see. "Interesting..." he mused. "Most interesting indeed..."
"L-look, you've made your point alright?" Beatrice stammered. "Why did you want me over here anyway? Don't tell me you expect us to eat together or something."
His eyes narrowed. "Would that really be so surprising?"
"W-well it's just that..." Beatrice racked her brain for an excuse. "Talking with you is one thing, but if I sit here instead of with my friends, they're gonna think that's weird."
"Oh? Are they not privy to your little blackmail scheme?"
"N-no, they are. But this isn't how we normally do things. If I wanted to have lunch with you, I would invite you to sit with all of us, not shut them out completely. That's how drama happens."
"I see." Levi paused. As Beatrice suspected, he seemed reluctant to brave lunch with a gaggle of unfamiliar girls. Apparently not even demon magic trumped social anxiety. "Very well," he finally conceded. "You may sit with your friends. But it's still important that you perform your duties. So for now..." He slid a few crumpled bills across the table. "We'll start with you bringing me lunch."
Beatrice scoffed. "Are you joking? The line right now is insane. Why didn't you just grab it yourself when you got here?"
Levi's pupils glinted. "Because that is a servant's job."
Beatrice tensed. His words were stated as a simple fact, but their threatening aura was unmistakable. She quickly accepted the money without a word, memorizing his order and hurrying for the lunch line before he made her crawl there on all fours.
Or something.
The wait was excruciating. Beatrice tried to distract herself on her phone, but no matter how much she scrolled, her thoughts kept turning back to Levi, and how quickly he'd reasserted his mastery. It really was demonic--there was no better word for it. Not only had he blasted away her earlier defiance, but the shockwaves had completely destabilized her. Now every involuntary twitch or absent shift in her body was a cause for concern, a possible sign that he was seizing her "bridle" to ensure her compliance. Worse still, there was no way to avoid it. All she could do was follow his orders, and hope for the best.
Then again...it occurred to her that if she'd received a nibble of "carrot" before, her obedience now might lead to an even greater reward. Her heart skipped with an involuntary shudder, and she bit her lip, trying to ward the intrusive thought away. She told herself that it wasn't worth it, that she never wanted to feel his power again, no matter what form it took. Even so, she couldn't resist holding her breath as she headed back towards his table, her soaked panties squishing with every step.
"Good girl," Levi purred, accepting the tray of food.
Beatrice squirmed, her thighs rubbing together, eagerly anticipating the reward to come.
But then Levi hesitated, peering behind her for a moment before scanning her skeptically. "Weren't you planning to eat as well?" he asked.
"Huh? Oh." Beatrice glanced over her shoulder, realizing he had noticed the lack of lunch trays at her table. "Um, we don't have swim practice today, so most of us are skipping lunch. Y'know, to save on calories and stuff."
Levi frowned. "That won't do. Go back and fill a plate of your own."
Beatrice's jaw dropped. "What? Are you serious?"
"Of course. Now go."
