A Succubus Awakens Ch. 04

After a while Gwen got up and stepped into line for coffee. Amy watched her, puzzled. Some guy in front of her wearing a beanie and tight fitting jeans struck up a conversation. Gwen laughed at something he said and cocked her hip, leaning toward him slightly. It was obvious she was flirting. Eventually the man realized he was now the front of the line and reluctantly broke their conversation to order. Afterward he hung around, pretending to put cream in his coffee while Gwen ordered. But when she finished she strolled directly back to Amy without a glance, two cups in hand.

"Here, I noticed yours was out."

"Thanks. You should be careful, you don't want to lose control."

"What? Oh. I was just talking to him, he's a student at UCSF."

"You were flirting with him."

"Was I?" Gwen looked surprised, but then broke into a wicked smile. "Wait. Are you jealous?!"

Was she?

"Of course not! I just want to make sure you keep your... urges in check."

"You're jealous. Well you can relax. My urges are sufficiently checked, and besides. That guy can't hold a candle to you."

Gwen winked at her, and she desperately willed herself not to smile.

"Okay, sorry. I just want to make sure you stick to the rules."

"I will, don't worry."

Had Gwen hesitated? No, she was probably just paranoid. Something about the exchange with the man in line had set her on edge. It was obvious that the continued feeding had instilled her with some kind of attraction toward Gwen. The jealousy surprised her though. Knowing the attraction was artificial apparently didn't make it any easier to resist. It was a troubling thought. She decided to change the subject.

"I thought you couldn't drink coffee anymore."

"I can, it just doesn't taste good anymore. Same for pretty much everything." Gwen took a careful sip and tilted her head to the side. "Although this tastes better than the last time I tried. Somewhere in the ballpark of good, even."

"You told me you couldn't drink any."

"Did I? I was probably just being dramatic." Gwen shrugged.

"Well I'm trying to understand how demons work, and apparently I may be the only one doing so on the planet. You're the only first hand source of knowledge I have, so in the future try to be specific instead."

Despite her frustration at Gwen's negligence, another pleasant tingle ran through her.

"Yes ma'am."

"And stop saying that."

She returned to her book, and after a while Gwen did the same. Her anger faded, and she spoke without looking up.

"Maybe it's because you've been feeding."

"What?"

"The taste. Clearly you don't need human food for sustenance, but maybe if you're otherwise satiated you can still enjoy the flavor."

"That makes sense."

"Let's test it. See if food tastes better too."

"You're just hungry."

Gwen knew her too well.

She bought the book she'd been reading, and Gwen bought three of her own. One was a memoir of an explorer from the colonial era, and the other two seemed like compendiums of famous artwork. Gwen had always liked art, but she was a hopeless artist herself. Amy tried to be encouraging, but when Gwen gave up in sixth grade and vowed never to paint again, she completely understood. Gwen's total came to nearly a hundred dollars. It was surprising to see her spend so much, especially after her recent shopping spree. Usually she was frugal, bordering on miserly. Yet she wouldn't accept help. It frustrated Amy to no end when she offered to pay for things and Gwen vehemently refused. Now though, she spent her money without a second thought. Another sign of her shifting personality?

The bookstore was fortuitously close to Chinatown, so Amy drove a few blocks, parked on the street and led them past the Dragon Gate and down the winding alleys beyond until they arrived at a tiny run-down shop. Above the door in red, with no English to accompany them, were the characters for dim sum. She'd been dying to try this place. She stepped through the door into the dark interior, and Gwen cautiously followed. Stools sat lined up along a long counter, there were only six. A glass divider behind the counter separated it from a row of trays stacked with dumplings, rolls, and various other dishes. As they entered a bell rang and an elderly woman turned to greet them in cantonese.

Gwen turned to her confused as Amy responded in her own broken Cantonese. Despite being a first generation immigrant, her father hadn't bothered to teach her any of his native language. Recently, she'd been trying to learn it on her own, and relished the opportunity to practice. Eating her favorite food was a nice bonus too. They took seats where the woman gestured and Amy began pointing at each of the trays until the woman had filled up two wooden steamers. She shuffled around the counter and set them on the counter in front of them, along with two steaming cups of tea.

"Time to research."

She slid one of the steamers closer to Gwen, who raised an eyebrow.

"I hope you plan to eat most of this."

"Oh, I do."

The food was even better than the reviews described. Soup dumplings, or xiaolongbao as she'd recently learned, were always her favorite and these were perfect. They burst as she bit down and the rich flavor of pork and broth filled her mouth. Gwen even ate two of her own dishes before tapping out. Now she leaned an elbow on the counter to prop her head up and watched her as she finished the rest of their food. Amy did her best to carry a conversation with the woman with mixed results. But the woman, who she learned was named Lei Wai Han, seemed happy for the attempt.

"I have no idea what you were saying but I think you're getting better."

"Ha. I barely knew what I was saying. Thanks though."

They were walking back to the car. She was full, and if she was being honest, a little sleepy. Still, they had more to do before her meeting, so she did her best to perk up and began walking faster.

"I have no idea how you eat so much and look that good."

She turned to find Gwen watching her salaciously. She became instantly aware of how her opened wool coat had slid lower down her shoulders, opening at the front to frame her chest, and how her brisk pace was causing her hips to sway. Before, Gwen would never have commented. Aside from the fact that she had previously only been attracted to men, Gwen knew she disliked the attention her body often brought. Now she was growing increasingly more bold with her flirtations. Instead of discomfort though, Amy felt a twinge of pride. She pulled her jacket up and buttoned it though.

"Stop staring."

"Yes ma-

She gave Gwen a gentle shove before she could finish.

The occult store turned out to be a total waste of time. It was filled with new age crystals, essential oils, and talismans. All taunting their ability to cure serious medical conditions. Basically all the things that she couldn't stand, being an aspiring doctor. The clerk watched them with narrowed eyes as they browsed and poked fun at the wares. She asked Gwen if she sensed anything that might actually be magic and got an incredulous look back.

"How the fuck would I know?"

They slipped out, and walked toward the nearest BART station. She would take a train, then walk the rest of the distance to her meeting, and arrive with ten minutes to spare. Part of her was eager for the chance to learn something new, but she was also sad to leave Gwen. Their trip hadn't amounted to much in terms of research, but it had been a fun day. Hanging out, exploring the city. Almost like old times. Almost. She could no longer deny that their relationship had changed. Gwen was different. And if she was being honest, so was she.

The day's events had made it clear that whatever her previous inclinations had been, she was becoming less and less resistant to Gwen's advances, and the unwanted attraction she felt toward Gwen whenever they kissed her had taken up permanent residence. What if, like Gwen, her personality had begun changing? The thought terrified her. An uncharacteristic anger filled her, and she squeezed her hands into fists. Her pace grew faster. Gwen scurried to keep up with her longer strides. What right did Gwen have to play with her mind? To change who she was? How long before she'd been warped enough that she wasn't even Amy anymore. Her sexuality wasn't a dial to be turned to whatever setting most pleased Gwen.

No, that wasn't fair. Gwen was going through the same thing, wasn't she? Prior to the changes Gwen had no interest in her beyond their platonic friendship, but when the changes began she'd been subjected to the very same unwanted shift in attraction that Amy was blaming her for. They were in the same boat. She came to a halt, and Gwen bumped into her from behind.

"Ow! Amy what the hell?

She let out a sigh and felt her anger go with it. Her grip relaxed and she turned to face Gwen.

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine just, can you walk a little slower? Some of us aren't Amazons. I swear I need to take two steps for each of yours."

"That's not what I meant. Gwen, I- I'm scared of you."

"...Oh."

"I know it's not fair. You can't help what's happening to you, and I know you don't want to hurt me."

"...But?"

"But you're changing. Not just physically. Your personality, and your behavior. When all this started you were terrified. Now you seem almost...happy about it."

Gwen put a hand to her chin, and tilted her head to the side, considering her words. Other pedestrians shot glares as they were forced to step around them. Amy ignored them. Finally Gwen spoke up.

"To be honest, I've noticed that too. It's like I need to constantly be moving, no time to slow down and think. I guess demons really do operate on instinct. And you're right. The changes don't bother me anymore. They feel right. Like, this is what I was always supposed to be."

Amy's stomach sank at Gwen's last words. She opened her mouth but it was dry and she wasn't sure what to say. Luckily Gwen saved her the trouble. She took her hands, held them firmly and looked up at her, face filled with determination.

"But it's still me, Amy. I look a little different. I'm a little more impulsive. And, admittedly, I'm a lot more horny. But I'm Gwen. I still love reading, and programming, and I still fucking hate calculus. I still have every memory of growing up together. All the sleepovers, all the study sessions, all the late night talks. I still love you. Whatever else changes that won't. I promise I won't hurt you."

"I- I know you don't want to, but what if you can't help it? The feeding is doing something to me. I know you can feel it."

"I can stop feeding then. I've got more control now, I can handle it."

"No, that's not an option. You clearly need sustenance."

"Then I'll cut back. Just once a week?"

Amy considered. If Gwen could survive on so little energy, and that was a big if, it might work. Whatever happened to her when Gwen fed seemed to fade over time, but with the frequency of their current feeding schedule the effects seemed to be building. It was a tempting offer, but memories of the time Gwen attacked her still loomed in her mind. They couldn't risk another incident. She didn't want to go through that again, and she didn't want anyone else to either.

"No... I don't think that will work."

"Amy, please don't leave me."

Gwen was watching her intently. Amy could clearly see how worried she was. Gwen's grip had tightened and she now clung to her hands as if she'd run away the moment she was free. They were ice cold. Amy could see she was shivering too.

"I'm not going to leave you."

As soon as she said the words she felt her body relax. She hadn't realized how tense she was. This discussion was pointless. She was worrying over another decision she'd already made. The fear was still there, but she'd never forgive herself if she fled from this. Gwen would be lost without her, maybe even become one of the monsters described in the archive. If she stayed she could protect Gwen from herself. Keep her in check. Be the voice of caution and reason that Gwen needed. They'd face this together.

"I told you to wear a jacket."

Amy pulled her hands free, removed her coat and wrapped it around Gwen.

"You also said you wouldn't give me yours."

"I'm a pushover."

They stared into each other's eyes. Gwen's were a cloudy blue. Maybe it was a trick of the light, but today they seemed darker than usual, almost indigo. Amy was overcome with the urge to kiss her. She knew it was artificial. A symptom of the connection between them, but did that really matter? Only a week ago she'd thought this might be easier if she returned Gwen's affections, and now she did. Artificial or not, it certainly felt real. If she was to be drawn into a sapphic romance by whatever dark magic brought about Gwen's transformation, she might as well enjoy it. Gwen let out a startled gasp as she leaned down and pulled her into a kiss.

Someone further down the sidewalk whistled, but Amy ignored him. Normally the attention would fill her with embarrassment, but something about her resolution to protect Gwen gave her a newfound sense of strength. Pleasure built as the kiss lingered, partially hers and partially Gwen's. Her hair had fallen forward with the lean, and as she broke the kiss and stood straight she brushed it back to clear her vision. Gwen stared up at her, mouth agape, still standing on her toes. Amy's coat was wrapped around her like an enormous cape.

"I won't make you go through this alone. Just promise me. If we can find a way to reverse this, and return you to normal, we'll take it."

Gwen swallowed. There was a long pause before she responded, "I promise."

"I'll try to meet you back here around six. If it's going to take longer I'll text you."

Amy didn't want to go, but the meeting was more important than ever. Until now she'd been treating her observations of Gwen's changes as an experiment, and In the beginning that's all they were. Her actions had been driven entirely by curiosity. She hadn't cared that her best friend had invisible horns and the body of a supermodel. It didn't affect their friendship, and she had the unique opportunity to study something that perhaps no one else ever had. Her motivations had shifted along with Gwen's personality, however. Slowly, as she grew to fear she was losing her friend, she began to harbor hope that she might find a cure.

And although she was slowly giving in to Gwen's temptations and being drawn into a romantic relationship, she still wanted things to go back to normal. For some reason the contradiction didn't bother her and she refused to let go of that goal. This was the first time she'd spoken it aloud though. Gwen's self control might be waning, but she had no such excuse. She'd be strong enough for both of them. Before she could rationalize some excuse not to, she turned and marched toward the station. She couldn't resist turning around before she stepped inside though. Gwen stood frozen where she'd left her. She waved, Gwen waved back, and she stepped through the station door in search of answers.