I open my eyes to an unfamiliar rocky ceiling—again.

  "Sigh... this is the third time."

  The words feel heavy in the quiet air of the cavern. It's becoming a bit of a routine, isn't it?

  The first time, I woke up in the damp grass of the forest after the Jones brothers decided my life was worth less than the dirt on their boots.

  The second time, I was staring at the impossible, gold-veined architecture of Velora's obsidian pace.And now, here I am, under a jagged canopy of grey stone.

  I try to shift my weight, to push myself up and assess where "here" actually is, but I find I can't move.

  I look down and see the reason. Rose is curled against my side, her arms wrapped around my torso in a grip so tight it's as if she's afraid I'll dissolve into mist the moment she lets go.

  Her breathing is soft and rhythmic, her grey-white hair fanned out across my chest.

  The memories of the night come rushing back—not as foggy fragments, but as vivid, high-definition pybacks.

  The intensity of it, the raw, predatory hunger I felt, and the way we did together in the moonlight...

  Even if I wanted to convince myself it was a fever dream, the warmth of her skin and the ck of clothing on both of us is undeniable proof.I am no longer just Harry Vedman, the shy student. I am the thing that ravished her…

  I scan the rest of the cave. It's cool and dry, the light of early morning filtering in through a crack in the distance. But there's no sign of the demoness who started all of this.

  Was she my imagination? The thought flickers through my mind. Did I just have a psychotic break on that cliffside and imagine the pace, the horns, and the portal?

  "Stop overthinking."

  The voice doesn't come from the air; it comes from the very stone of the cave wall. I watch, eyes wide, as a section of the rock ripples like water and dissolves into a violet mist. Velora steps through, the early morning light silhouetting her from behind.

  "Really, Harry. For a few moments, I leave you alone to handle some business, and the first thing you do is decide my existence is a hallucination." She sounds genuinely irritated, crossing her arms over her chest. "You hurt me, lil' bro. Truly."

  I blink, taking her in. She isn't wearing the thin bck nightgown anymore.

  Now, she's cd in what looks like light medieval armor made of a strange, matte-bck metal that seems to absorb the light.

  It hugs her curves while making her look like a high-ranking commander. She looks stunning—lethal and regal all at once.

  "Complimenting me in your thoughts won't get you an apology," she says, though I see a small, satisfied quirk at the corner of her lips as she turns her face away.

  "Tch. You caught me." I manage a small smile, feeling the strange, new resonance in my chest.

  "I was just kidding. How could I deny your beautiful existence? It's just... this is all still so new. Waking up and knowing I'm not human anymore. Knowing I'm an Incubus."

  "Hmph. Call me 'Big Sister,' then maybe I'll consider forgiving your ck of faith." She tilts her chin up, demanding the title with a triumphant air.

  "No." The reply is out of my mouth before I can even think. It feels inherently wrong to call a woman "Big Sister" when just looking at her sends a jolt of supernatural desire through my veins.

  The Incubus in me doesn't see a sibling; it sees a woman it wants to have—or conquer.

  "You're forgetting that I am a Succubus, Harry. There is no need for human hang-ups like shyness here."

  "Still a no." I am firm, but then I see that devilish, predatory smile spread across her face. I know I've lost this round before it's even begun.

  "Fine. Then I suppose you and that human can just forget about these." She holds up several high-end shopping bags I hadn't noticed before.

  "I took the liberty of 'borrowing' some clothes from the nearby town. But if you'd prefer to show your new 'assets' to the world, be my guest. Or are you an exhibitionist—"

  "Big Sister," I bark, cutting her off before she can finish the sentence.

  "Fufu! See? I knew you were a fast learner." She gives me a triumphant smirk that makes me want to roll my eyes.

  It feels incredibly awkward. I've spent my life being the protective big brother to Chloe. I've never had anyone to look up to like this, except for Olivia, my stepmother, but that's a different kind of retionship entirely.

  "Now, if you're finished pouting, can you come over here?" Velora sits on the smooth stone floor a few yards away, gesturing to the spot beside her. Her pyful nature is still there, but there's a flicker of something more serious in her amethyst eyes.

  Without me saying a word, she flicks a finger toward Rose. My breath catches as Rose's sleeping form gently floats into the air, hovering like she's on a cloud.

  Velora moves her across the cave, ying her down on a soft pile of silk she must have conjured, keeping her a respectful distance away. Rose doesn't even wake; she just sighs and curls back into a ball.

  I stand up—my body feeling lighter and more powerful than yesterday—and sit beside Velora. My eyes, however, keep drifting back to Rose.

  I'd read enough manga, novel and seen enough te-night anime to know the tropes. Succubi and Incubi feed on life force. Yesterday, my mind was a screaming mess of lust and survival instinct, so I didn't care.

  But now, in the cold light of day, the guilt is starting to settle in. Did I hurt her? Did I take too much?

  "I thought you didn't love her," Velora says, her voice dripping with mischief.

  "I don't... I mean, I... ugh. It's complicated," I mutter, rubbing the back of my neck.

  HiralVedman