A Demon's Devotion Ch. 04

"Well? Why can't you?"

"Please. You've been a teenager more than once, right? You of all people should know how much it sucks."

To her surprise, Levi let out a short laugh. "A fair point. Though in your case, at least the condition is temporary."

"That's just the thing though." Beatrice sat up. "Everyone talks about how I'm supposed to use this time to figure out who I am, but then they won't let me actually do the things I wanna do. Instead, they just cram the same stupid lessons down my throat as everyone else, like that's somehow gonna help me. Like getting a fancy degree or working a nine-to-five is what'll fix my life. As if the people who do that aren't some of the most miserable motherfuckers on the planet. A planet which, need I remind you, is probably gonna burn and kill us all soon anyway. So really, what the hell is even the point?"

Beatrice lifted her hands in exasperation, only to be met by Levi's inscrutable stare. Belatedly, she realized she'd ranted herself out of breath.

"Whatever," she muttered, staring back down at her plate. "It's not like you care anyway."

Levi's hand entered her vision, collecting her empty dish and stacking it atop his own. "The call of nihilism is tempting," he said. "But you're letting it deafen you to more pressing concerns. Namely that you don't want detention. And you don't want to anger your Master. Do you?"

Beatrice met his eyes. Behind the curtain of weariness, she could see traces of flame enduring in the darkness. She shook her head.

"Good girl," he turned and headed towards the kitchen. "Then finish the assignment. It might not save the planet, but it will save your ass. For now."

With that, he marched out of the room, leaving Beatrice even more adrift than before. Of all the ways for the evening to play out, this was not what she'd expected. The fears and hopes she'd been wrestling with had waned bit by bit, replaced by a strange feeling she couldn't quite place. Déjà vu, maybe? There was something about the way they'd been talking, something about the look in his eyes and the tightness in her chest...it reminded her of their first night together.

And that gave her an idea.

Beatrice shifted on the couch, spreading her legs wide. She lay back with a sigh, hiking her shirt up to expose a swath of smooth belly before letting her hand trace the inner seam of her leggings. A moment's hesitation: was she really about to do this? In some ways, it would go against her mission to resist Levi at all costs. Then again, it wasn't like things had been going super well on that front. And besides, a part of her was curious about how he'd react.

So she closed her eyes, and thought back to that first night with Levi, back when she'd first glimpsed true shape of his demon form. The memories were hazy, yet still glowed with dangerous potency. Even now, she could summon those traces of heat inside her, could recall the pull of his gaze and the irresistibility of his voice. He'd conquered her completely back then, had opened her up and filled her with pleasures beyond mortal touch. Even the memories sent tingling embers across her skin. She wanted to chase them, to capture them, to press them deep in her flesh and reignite the fire that would melt her into mindlessness.

As if guided by these thoughts, her hand drifted over the taut fabric between her legs. Right as Levi returned.

He froze in his tracks, a full beat passing before he asked: "What are you doing?"

It was the exact reaction she'd been hoping for. Beatrice smiled. "I was just thinking. It could take all night for me to write something good enough for you. So instead...what if you did all the writing yourself? That way, my hands will be free for...other activities."

Levi's expression didn't change, but she could tell he was tempted. He stepped closer, his eyes fixed on her face, as if he didn't trust himself to look anywhere else. "A servant doesn't bargain," he growled. "She does as she's told."

A part of her shivered at menace under voice. But she didn't flinch, didn't halt her hand's beckoning spirals. "A servant's job is to please her Master, right?" she asked. "And what would please you more? Me trying to write poetry all night? Or me giving you...exactly...what you want?" She slipped her fingers into her leggings, her breath lifting as her palm glanced her crest. Her pussy tightened with anticipation, already wet and warm to the touch.

He sensed it. She could tell. That spark inside her was beginning to warm him as well. The ice in his expression thawed, bit by tantalizing bit, even as it was clear he was trying to hide it.

He cleared his throat. "There's no need for these games. If I wanted you to pleasure yourself, I could simply force you to do so."

"Mmmm...but that wouldn't be the same, would it?" She bit her lip. "You don't wanna force lust outta me. You want me to give it to you for free. Like a good girl should."

Levi said nothing. His eyes darted to the laptop, then Beatrice, then away again. His erection strained against his jeans.

"Please, Master," Beatrice breathed. "Let me be good for you. I want it so bad. I--"

"Very well." He snatched her laptop from the table. "You may continue. But you must do so without speaking. I need to concentrate."

"Yes, Master," Beatrice purred, victorious. "Whatever you say."

Levi moved to the neighboring chair, as though wanting to keep a safe distance. It was just as well: it left his servant more room to play. She stretched her legs out, making a show of wiggling free from her leggings before dropping them on the floor. Her panties were already soaked, her dripping sex having rendered them all but see-through. She hesitated, aware that Levi was watching out of the corner of his eye. A whisper of anxiety trembled up her arms as she pulled the damp fabric free. It was strange. She'd already been naked before him several times, had done far worse than masturbate in his general presence. Yet for some reason, the thought of doing this here, now, of her own volition...it felt like her heart was pumping helium into her brain. As her panties came free, she tossed them aside, accidentally hitting his foot in the process. He startled, and shot an incensed glare her way. Despite an instinctual twinge of fear, she giggled.

This was kinda fun. She'd been so caught up in trying to fight him off, she'd forgotten how easy he'd been to toy with. What was it he'd called her again? Tempting? Beatrice hefted her shirt above her head and unhooked her bra, pretending not to notice Levi's staring as she kneaded her tits and sunk back into the cushions. A tremor of arousal wriggled through her. She wondered if there was something about her that drew him in, something that made her especially...tantalizing to demons. If Levi was to be believed, he'd been trying to avoid using his powers for eighteen years before they'd met. Yet she'd stolen that away with a single kiss, hadn't she? He was a demon of seduction, and yet she'd seduced him, made him lose control moments before he stole it from her.

She wondered if she could do it again. Could she make him want her the way he had that night? Would he swallow her fears as he did back then, empty her of thoughts beyond service and surrender? Would he subsume her into his galaxies, ignite her body with blinding pleasure even as her soul sank into darkest abyss?

Could he tell now how much she craved it?

A moan shuddered from Beatrice's open mouth, the softness of her breast stretching as she pulled the stiff pink nub of her nipple. As terrible as it was, she longed for it now, the wonderful oblivion that had claimed her that night. She wanted to feel herself stripped bare, reduced to her raw essence, a thing to be taken and fucked and devoured. She wanted to feel helpless and weightless in the arms that had claimed her. Free from the world. Free from humanity. Free to just...just...

Her mark pulsed, each joyful throb raising her up, up, closer to cresting that awful, beautiful wave she was chasing. She rubbed harder, faster, whimpers leaked from her lips as her pussy prepared to erupt. It was coming. She arched her back, a final spasm rocking her hips before...

She gasped. Her body folded inward as she came, every delicate muscle now seized with tremors of joyful release. She rolled to the side, her face pressing into the cushion, uttering broken, helpless cries. Unable to contain the feelings overflowing from within.

At last, when she was able to lift her head again, she did so.

And found Levi standing over her.

He wanted her.

That was the first thought to pierce the dreamy fog. She wasn't sure if it came from Levi or not. But she felt it deeply all the same. It was as compelling as the black light in his eyes, the song in his slow, heavy breath. Traces of his real form flickered over his narrow frame, a cosmic shadow threatening to consume them both.

She wanted to touch it.

She reached out her shaking hand.

Levi jerked back. "D-don't!" he exclaimed, stumbling into the coffee table before falling in a pathetic tumble. He scrambled upright, his eyes remaining fixed on her, as if terrified she might pursue him. "Y-you can't..." He raised a warning hand. "I..."

He looked away. Beatrice sat up in stunned silence, covering herself without knowing why. Finally Levi rose, grabbing his book and storming away without a second glance.

"I have to go," he said. And then he did.

In the silence that followed, Beatrice collected her clothes and dressed, too muddled and confused to do much else. Almost as an afterthought, she moved to inspect the laptop left on the chair. She scrolled down the screen. The poetry assignment was done. Her plan had worked.

Hadn't it?

____________________________________

How dare she. How dare she.

The truck banged and clanked down the road, roaring as if fueled by the angry beat of Levi's heart. He navigated the darkening suburbs on pure instinct, unable to think beyond the black, swirling clouds in his head. Headlights and street lamps passed in a blur. His hands twisted the cracked steering wheel.

How dare she. How dare she.

How dare she attempt such pathetic exorcisms. How dare she try to bargain her way out of her duties.

How dare she look at him like that.

She would have to be punished. No, ruined. This couldn't stand. No servant should be allowed to behave in such a way.

No human should make him feel like this.

The yawning mouth of his cul de sac approached, the homes standing like teeth anticipating his approach. Levi slowed the truck, stilling his thoughts as well. He had to regain control, had to deaden his throbbing pulse. If only to make from the porch to his room unscathed.

The truck door slammed like a gunshot. Levi cursed his clumsy body, so unwieldy and unyielding to his wishes. He jammed his hands in his pockets, making his steps as short as he could manage. No doubt his father had heard the demon's arrival. The question was: would the man care enough to act on it?

Over the click of the door handle, Levi could hear a sports announcer rattle off statistics. That was a good sign. Without a word, he stepped into the house, heavy shadows cloaking his entrance. As he set his shoes aside, he peered towards the flickering light of living room. The T.V. was on, the back of the couch crowned by a scraggly, balding head. The old man was right where Levi had left him, entranced by the game on the screen. The returning teen grit his teeth, suppressing the renewed fury in his gut.

How typically Thomas. It may have taken an infuriating amount of demon power to get him to shut up and sit down, but now that he was rooted to the couch, he probably wouldn't move till morning. It was just as well--with any luck, the old man would still be passed out by the time Levi left for school. That would save at least one of them a headache.

Levi exhaled as he shut his bedroom door, the quiet and solitude offering space to rearrange his thoughts. There was no need to panic. No need to let his emotions run away with him again. He had to remain cool and in control. It was the only way he would keep a hold on Beatrice, the only way he could convince her to accept her training. That was why he'd said nothing about her necklace, why he'd pretended not to notice her fumbling attempts at magic. There was no use getting upset when he hadn't the power to punish her again, no use letting his façade of omnipotence slip. Up until the end, the charade had been going well.

But then...but then...

Levi threw himself onto the bed, trying and failing to tear his mind away from the memory. Perhaps if he cast it in a different light. After all, wasn't it a victory of sorts? Of her own volition, she'd given him the energy he craved, had replenished what he'd lost dulling his father's anger. That was much more than he'd expected from a simple study session. He should be pleased with such a turn of events.

But he wasn't. He felt restless. Frustrated. Grateful in some ways that he'd forced himself to leave...

...And yet sad that he hadn't stayed.