A Demon's Devotion Ch. 03

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."

"Why? Are you trying to fatten me up or something?"

"Don't be ridiculous. Your weight is not my concern. That crest draws great amounts of energy from you, energy that needs to be replenished. A starved servant is useless to me. So do as you're told, and get back in line."

"Like hell I will," Beatrice spat. Acting as his waitress was embarrassing enough, but if he ruined her figure in the process, she would never hear the end of it.

Levi let out an aggravated breath. Then closed his fist.

Beatrice would've cursed if she still had control of her mouth. But the demon had already grasped her bridle, and she was helpless to resist. He directed her back towards the steaming chafing dishes, her eyes watching with helpless horror as her hands grabbed both a Caesar wrap and a batch of chicken fingers before adding a stack of cookies as well. Any passerby would think she'd just been possessed by the spirit of a hungry eight-year-old, and Beatrice wanted nothing more than to hide her face as her body piloted itself towards her waiting friends.

The bridle finally loosened as she sat, allowing her self-control once more. At least he's not going to force-feed me, she thought. Her stomach growled, her mouth watering as she took another look at her spread. If she was being honest, her hunger did feel sharper than usual. Maybe the crest was having an effect on her appetite. Maybe indulging a little wasn't the worst idea in the world.

The leering smile in Alissa's eyes quickly put that notion to rest. "Wow Bea," she uttered, her petite features quirked into a sneer. "You know swimming doesn't have a heavyweight class, right?"

"You're not pregnant or something, are you?" Teresa chimed in. "Ohmigod, is that why you got Levi lunch too? Is he your baby daddy?"

"Eeeew!" Suzi squealed with laughter. "Y'mean they've actually...y'know, already..?"

"Sh-shut up!" Beatrice protested. "It's not like that."

Lucy arched an eyebrow. "But he is the reason you got all this, right?"

Beatrice blinked, surprised to receive such a perfect lifeline. "Obviously," she replied, recomposing herself. "He said he's into chubby girls, and I'm trying to keep him interested so..."

"Does he have a fetish for curtseys too?" Alissa snickered.

"You have no idea," Beatrice groaned. "Seriously guys, he's even worse than you think. He's into all kinds of weird shit, and if I don't play along, he totally ghosts me."

"But..." Suzi's pouty lips frowned. "You're not actually gonna, like, get fat or anything, right?"

"Of course not. I'll just run laps around the school or puke it all up or something."

Teresa grinned. "Then you won't mind if I snag one of these for--"

"D-don't!" Beatrice exclaimed, almost slapping the cookie from her friend's hand.

The silence that followed was excruciating. Teresa set the treat down, staring at Beatrice as though she'd sprouted a third eye.

"You seem kinda stressed out," Lucy finally observed. "Are you sure you have this under control?"

Beatrice swallowed, staring at her food. The truth was, she'd never felt less in control in her life. But she couldn't tell her friends that. If they tried to help, there was a chance they'd end up Levi's victims as well, or else just cause more irritation for him to take out on her. Worse still, Lucy might decide that he was a lost cause, and choose a different blackmail target entirely. If that happened, how would Beatrice explain her subservient behavior towards Levi? So long as she was supposedly tricking him, she could at least sort of save face. But if that cover vanished, there was no telling the depths of humiliation that awaited her.

She hadn't even wanted to blackmail him in the first place. And now that mission was the only protection she had. The irony was so awful, she almost dissolved into helpless laugher. Instead, Beatrice managed an exaggerated sigh, and waved her friends' concerns away.

"It's all good," she lied. "I've got this."

_________________________________________________

Beatrice tapped her thumbs on her phone, pretending to compose a text as she waited by the bike rack. Across the parking lot, the usual post-bell traffic chugged along, cars and buses jockeying for space as they trickled out into the surrounding streets. Lucy's convertible honked as it nudged towards the exit, Teresa and Suzi blowing kisses at Beatrice from the back seats. She smirked and gave them the finger before turning back to her phone, feigning intense concentration. They had to think she was being held up by some pressing social concern. They couldn't know the true purpose of her delay.

They couldn't know she was waiting for him.

Fortunately, their sleek red car was long gone by the time Levi's rusty pickup rumbled into view. Beatrice cast one last glance towards the lot exit, half-heartedly fantasizing about a desperate dash towards freedom. But then her mark hummed with threatening warmth, and she hurried to toss her bike into the truck's bed.

She wondered if he was still annoyed with her.

After her disaster of a lunch, she'd approached her English class with mounting dread, her imagination saturated with horrible ideas of how Levi could make their shared hour a miserable. The whole lesson, she'd expected to feel his power, either forcing her to do something ridiculous, or else just toying with her libido for kicks. Instead, the time had passed completely without incident, Levi speaking only once to tell her to wait for him after school.

It was an order she dared not disobey.

The dented passenger door took several tries to wrench open, and for a moment Beatrice wondered if she was stepping into a rattling death trap. Yet despite the battle-scarred exterior, the truck's seats and floor were remarkably clean, the opposite of what she would expect from a teenager's hand-me-down. She was about to remark as such, but caught herself and faced forward without a word instead. If Levi wanted to play the quiet, unreadable game, she could too. Especially since open defiance had backfired so badly.

Not that stoicism came any easier. As the school shrunk in the distance, the danger in Levi's silence grew. It occurred to Beatrice that once they were alone, there was really nothing protecting her from his perverse imagination. For all she knew, this would be the first of many nights spent as his personal sex pet. The thought caused her shoulders to rise and her breath to quicken. She glanced his direction, only to find he was eyeing her as well, wearing the same strange, intense expression he'd held since lunch. It was a look that made Beatrice feel hot and cold all at once, even after she'd turned away. There was something in those dark pupils of his, some glimmer of intrigue or fascination that shook her worse than any spark of anger. Though she couldn't explain why.

When the demon did finally speak, it almost caused Beatrice to jump. "You did well to wait for me," he said. "I was anticipating I'd have to chase you around town."

Beatrice chanced another look his direction. His eyes were back on the road, a slight smirk playing on his lips.

Was he...actually pleased with her?

She swallowed, and decided to test the waters. "After what happened at lunch," she said, "only an idiot would try to make a break for it."

Levi laughed. "Perhaps. Though you are very strong-willed. And that can make you...unpredictable."

Beatrice tensed, worried this observation would lead to yet another punishment. But Levi simply chuckled again, as though punctuating a cheeky compliment.

Feeling encouraged, Beatrice probed further. "Is that why you haven't mentioned where we're going yet? Because you don't know what I'll do?"

"In part. Though to be frank," his eyes met hers, "I expect my servants to trust their Master's direction, even if they don't understand it."

"Ah." Beatrice nodded, not trusting herself to say anything more.

"Good girl."

He didn't keep her waiting this time. Her marker blossomed in a burst of pleasure, an involuntary gasp popping from her lips. Waves of arousal cascaded through her, each crest of hot excitement higher than the last. Her back arched, her shoulders pressing against the seat as the seatbelt strained between her breasts. She gripped it like a lifeline, as though the flimsy fabric could save her from the flood happy chemicals.

"From now on," Levi stated, his voice soft, but firm. "Whenever we are away from prying eyes and ears, you will address me as 'Master.' Do you understand?"

"Y-yes..." Beatrice moaned in reply. Not because Levi had forced her to, but because it was too hard to think of anything else to say.

"Yes what?"

"Yes m--" she bit her lip, a flare of defiance singeing her throat. But then a tremor of ecstasy moved through her hips, her desperate pussy rubbing against the seat and snuffing out the insolent impulse. "Yes...Master..." she whimpered.