Suddenly A Succubus Ch. 52 (Patreon)

Amara let out a sigh of relief as she set down the unconscious body of Cassandra Davenport. The Headmistress was incredibly light, at least for Amara, but she was already feeling the strain of having teleported for the first time. She thought about sitting on the park bench she’d placed Cassandra on, but the thought of relaxing next to such a horrid woman gave her chills. Instead, she settled down on the ground a few feet away, next to a large lamp post. In her presence, the nearby snow sizzled and melted away, creating a small column of steam.

The walk back towards the entrance of the park was by no means a difficult trek, but after such an intense battle, all the girls fought varying levels of exhaustion. Vee followed closely behind Amara, but instead of sitting down, she paced back and forth to keep a lookout for other witches.

Tessa brought up the end of the party, carefully guarding their other prisoner. While Cassandra had fallen unconscious after being caught, Simone was awake and alert, silently fuming at her defeat. The nature of Tessa’s victory, which had included many precise cuts to the tattoos covering Simone’s body, ensured that the telekinetic Coven Head had lost her ability to channel magic.

Chloé, presumably, was somewhere nearby. Amara trusted her to stay close and assumed she needed a break from manifestation to regain her strength.

“I don’t see Elizabeth or Palesa yet,” Vee said, turning to Tessa. “Have you heard anything?”

“Not yet. They’ve never been great at checking their phones,” Tessa replied. “Besides, they’ll be here shortly. I’m sure they’re eager to find out what’s happened.”

Vee nodded in approval. “Makes sense. While we’re waiting, I’ve got one last thing I need to take care of.” She walked towards Simone, then extended a hand towards the bench holding Cassandra. “Miss Gautier, please take a seat. I need to tend to your injuries.”

“You’re gonna fucking heal her?” Tessa said, shocked. “Need I remind you how dangerous she is with her magic?”

“Obviously, Tess,” Vee said, rolling her eyes. “I need to ensure that all the injuries lead to proper scars, which should permanently disrupt the magic of the tattoos. The human body is remarkably resilient, and there’s a chance the natural healing process restores her magic. Now Simone, sit down.”

After one last glare from Simone, she reluctantly moved to sit next to Cassandra. Over the next few minutes, as everyone waited for Elizabeth and Palesa to arrive, Vee used the magic from her Enochian Texts to ensure that all of Simone’s injuries resulted in proper scars. While she worked, Tessa moved to sit next to Amara, sighing in relief as demonic warmth washed over her. By the time Vee finished with Simone and turned her attention to Cassandra, the group heard rushed footsteps coming closer.

Upon seeing the group, as well as their relaxed state, Elizabeth and Palesa slowed their pace. Smiles appeared as they walked closer, glancing towards the other Coven Heads now pacified on the bench.

“I take it you have good news?” Elizabeth asked Tessa.

“Cassandra tried to teleport to some kind of safe room, but Amara stopped her just in time. The strain of channeling so much magic seems to have taken its toll, and I suspect she’ll be unconscious for at least a few more hours.” Tessa then gestured to Vee. “Both of their tattoos have been disrupted, and Vee is applying careful healing to make sure the magic doesn’t come back on its own.”

“That’s a good idea,” Palesa said, letting go of Elizabeth’s hand to walk up to Vee. “Our tattoos are quite resilient, and left to heal on their own, it’s very likely they would have reformed.”

“I trust you’re all safe?” Elizabeth asked, looking around. “I don’t see your… spirit friend. Her name was Chloé, right?”

“I’m here!” Chloé said quickly. Although she didn’t manifest, it sounded like she was hovering somewhere above Vee. “I’m just really tired after the big fight, and trying to manifest sounds like an absolute nightmare.”

After one last smile, Elizabeth finally turned her attention to Simone. She walked closer, crossing her arms in front of her, and returned Miss Gautier’s icy glare. “Simone Gautier. You and your co-conspirator, Cassandra Davenport, have been caught violating many of our Coven’s core principles. Had you succeeded in your plans, you would have endangered every single student present at Aurelius University. You would have ensured a constant influx of incursions, every single one of which might lead to a break in the secrecy we fight so hard to preserve. What do you have to say in your defense?”

Simone spat on the ground, narrowly missing Miss Bishop’s feet. “Power runs this world, Elizabeth. Yes, its presence corrupts, but without someone in charge, society breaks apart. By choosing to cripple ourselves for the sake of avoiding corruption, we clear the way for sadistic tyrants to ascend in our place.”

“Not an ounce of regret,” Palesa said, shaking her head. “Not that I expected better. If you have nothing useful to say, then I suggest you save your breath for the hearing.”

“You expect the other covens to side with you?!” Simone hissed, jumping to her feet. “You attacked us in cold blood! You ally yourself with demons! Through your efforts, we have been prevented from making this campus a safer place!”

“You cannot withhold a solution to a problem, then claim it is just when you choose only to partially administer it!” Elizabeth shouted.

“Face it, Bishop,” Simone said, stepping closer once more. Her tattoos attempted to flare, causing everyone to jump to their feet in response, but the magic fizzled out just as quickly as it appeared. “Without us, this coven is nothing. Say what you will about Davenport, but she knew how to command respect and demand order.”

Another surge of magic appeared, this one coming from Palesa as she held a hand up. A series of thick vines sprang forth from the ground, wrapping around Simone’s body and yanking her back to her seat on the bench. “That is enough, Miss Gautier!” she shouted.

The three Coven Heads stared daggers at each other for several more minutes before Vee cleared her throat, breaking the silence. “So, what happens next?”

The vines holding Simone down slackened, though only slightly, as Palesa turned to look at Vee. “In accordance with our traditions, we must call a conference between all covens in the area. We will explain the actions taken by these two, and a ruling will be made by council as to their fate. Given the mountain of evidence against them, I suspect their magic will be permanently sealed. There will likely be additional consequences to ensure they don’t attempt to undermine us in the future. This incident is going to cause decades of headaches; I just know it.”

“So, who handles all of that?” Amara asked. “Like, who’s in charge now? I imagine it’s not Davenport.”

Tessa immediately looked to Elizabeth, as did Palesa. Although Miss Bishop initially seemed surprised, she immediately let out a sigh of defeat. “I have to postpone that vacation of mine, don’t I?”

“Unless you want to put Tessa in charge, just to piss off these two idiots,” Chloé said, chiming in from above with a soft giggle.

“FUCK no!” Tessa said. “As funny as that would be—and it would be really fucking funny—that sounds like an absolute nightmare. Do you know how much paperwork Coven Heads have to do? I’ve seen the stacks before, it’s awful.”

Elizabeth’s dour mood lightened as she giggled at the thought of Tessa in charge. “Don’t worry, Tessa, we’ll be alright. I don’t know if I’ll be able to live up to the standard your mother set, but I’m confident I can do better than Cassandra. In the meantime, however, we need to focus on cleaning up this mess of ours. I couldn’t help but notice that all our hard work on the quad was recently undone. Quite dramatically, might I add.”

Amara averted her gaze to the ground, blushing in shame as everyone turned to look at her. “I… um… I’m willing to do whatever I can to help with that.”

“I can help as well,” Vee said. “I’m not as experienced with it, but there are spells in my Enochian Texts that can hasten the recovery of native plant life. Hopefully, when combined with Palesa’s magic, we can finish faster than last time.”

“I won’t lie, I’m curious to see the power of an angel up close,” Palesa admitted. She then turned to Elizabeth, saying, “I’ll go to the quad with these two. Everyone else, please accompany Elizabeth back to the manor. She’ll need assistance placing Cassandra and Simone under lock and key, then we’ll need to meet up with the rest of the coven and discuss our next steps.”

With a plan made, and everyone in agreement, the group split up to go their separate ways. Vee, Amara, and Palesa spent the better part of the next six hours repairing the quad. Under Miss Tsopnang’s instruction, Amara focused on clearing all the plant life she’d accidentally killed during her rampage, carefully separating the living branches from the dead. She did her best to internalize Palesa’s lessons on how to diagnose what she saw, eager to make up for her earlier callousness, but struggled whenever she tried to make judgments on her own. Thankfully, the nature of this repair effort allowed her frequent breaks to burn away piles of dead wood, a task she felt much more comfortable with.

She even attempted a variation on the methods she’d seen Palesa use at their last cleaning. While Amara couldn’t manipulate air like the Coven Head could, she tried to use her immense control over heat to disperse the smoke as much as she could.

Palesa’s words of insight were much better suited to Vee, whose understanding grew more robust with each passing hour. This knowledge made it easier for her to apply her Enochian rejuvenation spell, and before long, her skill was nearly on par with Palesa’s magic, though Miss Tsopnang was quick to remind them that angelic magic was inherently better suited to raw creation. The two of them fell into a comfortable healing groove, with Vee providing the hastened creation of new life while Palesa shaped it into appropriate forms.

The entire time they worked, in between small botanical lessons, Miss Tsopnang went out of her way to explain various facets of magic as well as the coven’s governing beliefs. The more Amara listened, the more she internalized just how vast the experiential difference between them actually was.

She learned about Palesa’s own troubled past, about the circumstances that led to her joining the coven. She learned even more about the hostile environment Cassandra had created and how difficult it had been to find slivers of happiness in her relationship with Elizabeth.

Initially, Amara assumed Miss Tsopnang was simply passing time with small talk, but as the hours stretched on, she began to suspect it was actually a curated learning experience. Each story she shared, each hardship she described, served as a powerful reminder of how quick Amara had been to judge the coven as a whole. Perhaps, in Miss Tsopnang’s own subtle way, she was trying to coach Amara to be better.

In those moments, Amara began to internalize just how young she was in the grand scheme of things.

By the time they finished, the quad had been restored to its proper pristine glory. If Amara had not personally witnessed the destruction of this field twice over, she never would have suspected any foul play.

With their work finished, they rejoined everyone else at the coven’s manor. There, exhausted and sweaty following hours of hard work, they began catching up with everyone else.

Imani, Nick, and all the other rank and file witches had successfully kept the Forest Preserve clear of citizens during the big fight. On Elizabeth’s command, many of the witches had returned to the site of the battle to remove all evidence of the struggle, which proved to be a daunting task. After all, Simone had completely uprooted several large trees and thrown a car halfway across the clearing, none of which were easy to clean up.

After Imani delegated a cleanup crew, she joined Tessa, Chloé, and Nick in contacting all of the students still on campus. They offered a simplified version of events, explaining only that a faction within the coven had gone rogue, and that the threat was now over.

It was quickly revealed that, as much as everyone hated Cassandra’s actions, her knowledge of planar mechanics was the cornerstone upon which the repair plans had been created. After regaining consciousness, she stated in no uncertain terms that she would never lend her experience to the aid of a coven that treated her so poorly.

Repairing the Planar Gate, unfortunately, was no longer possible.

This knowledge forced the acting Headmistress, Elizabeth, into a tough spot. In a perfect world, she would be able to allocate extra resources to the protection of Aurelius University. However, after taking several hours to dig through the mess of Cassandra’s old reign, she learned the coven she now led was in a sorry state. Resources were already stretched thin, and many facets of the organization had been restructured to allow Cassandra maximum influence. Her habit of gathering blackmail on fellow witches had not stopped at the other Coven Heads; she’d strong-armed many other people into various deals and trades meant to further consolidate control.

The other problem was a lack of clear information regarding Davenport’s support. While it was clear she’d been manipulating things behind the scenes, Elizabeth didn’t get the impression that the Coven had been completely unified against her.

“This coven is a fucking mess,” Elizabeth sighed, sinking back into her chair. In front of her, mountains of paperwork lay scattered on a large desk, combinations of financial statements, field reports, and personnel files. “I knew money was tight, but this? It’s a miracle we can keep the lights on, let alone keep tabs on magical occurrences scattered across the Midwest.”

The large office was somewhat crowded at the moment. Palesa, Elijah, and Imani had been asked to join this meeting, as had Amara, Vee, Tessa, Chloé, and Nick.

Of all people, Chloé was the first person to speak up, surprisingly. Though she wasn’t visible, her voice indicated she was resting next to Amara. “Um, how does that affect us? Are you saying we aren’t gonna get any help with the soft spot here?”

“In a perfect world, we’d be able to reassign a small team of witches to this campus. They’d live in this manor, stay in communication with you, and keep tabs on Ekstàpoli to watch for possible leaks. However, with the state the coven is in, I don’t see how that’s possible. The biggest advantage of the Gate, apart from, y’know, holding the rest of the planes at bay, was that watching over the campus only required a single witch.”

“We’ve got Tessa, don’t we?” Amara said. “Isn’t that enough?”

Elizabeth took a deep breath before responding. “You do, and she’s not going anywhere. However, if I’m going to be Headmistress now, I can’t ignore the fact that Tessa opted to obfuscate critical information from us for months. We’re going to be under a lot of scrutiny from other covens, and I simply can’t let the only witch at Aurelius University be one with a track record of insubordination.” She looked at Tessa next, smiling softly. “Don’t get me wrong, I know why you did it, but I need to act like I’m cracking down on this coven.”

“Nah, don’t worry about it,” Tessa said dismissively. “I’m used to being the black sheep. Do what you need to.”

“Headmistress Bishop, if you don’t mind, I’ve got an idea of my own,” Elijah said, stepping forward. He swallowed nervously, and the whole time he spoke he avoided looking anyone in the eyes. “I, uh, would like to suggest that we allow Imani to transfer to Aurelius University. She could act as our liaison while Altessa is on probation.”

Imani gasped in surprise, but stayed quiet in favor of letting Miss Bishop respond. “A wonderful idea, Elijah, but that doesn’t solve the monetary problem. We can’t afford to put two students through college here.”

“Ah, yes, um… about that,” Elijah muttered. “You see, back during World War Two, when Hitler’s regime was taking over, many common citizens did their best to gum up the works. They weaponized their own incompetence, they followed every single rule to the letter of the law, double and triple checking every step of the process to try and make things move as slowly as possible. It was a really effective way to slow down their efforts, and many lives were saved because of these methods. Actually, did you know some doctors invented a fake disease? They claimed it was horribly deadly, and the threat scared soldiers away, keeping hospitals safe from their searches, and in many ways that—”

“Mr. Jun!” Miss Bishop said curtly.

“Right, right, sorry. Anyways, um, what I mean to say is that I’ve been aware of Davenport’s scheming for a while. While I never suspected that she would stoop this low, I knew she wouldn’t hesitate to grab for power if given the chance. With that in mind, I… might have fabricated a series of financial statements and requests for material components.”

Miss Bishop pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. “You mean to say you’ve been embezzling funds from the coven?”

“F-for good reason!” Elijah stammered. “I-I want to request that this money be used to fund Miss Mabaya’s education here at Aurelius University!”

“You haven’t spent it yet?” Miss Tsopnang asked.

Elijah shook his head. “No ma’am. I always intended for it to go to young Imani here.”

Imani, with another look of surprise, finally broke her silence. “Elijah! Why would you do that? If Davenport had found out, she would have ruined you!”

“Oh, she knew the whole time. She held it over my head to convince me to help with her stupid siphoning plan.” Elijah stepped closer to Imani, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. “Imani, you try to hide it, but ever since you came to this campus, you’ve been so alive! You love being in the field, studying problems as they crop up, not poring over books with a crusty old fart like me.”

Tears sprang into Imani’s eyes, and she leapt forward to throw her arms around him. “Ohhhh Mr. Jun! That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me!”

After the two of them hugged, they both looked back to Headmistress Bishop with bated breath. She looked deep into Elijah’s eyes, then into Imani’s, and finally sighed in resignation. “Fine. If this means you give back all the money you stole, we’ll consider it the first part of your punishment. You and I need to have a long talk when we get back, Elijah.”

Imani leapt into the air. “Yes! Oh, this is so exciting!”

“This isn’t a vacation, Miss Mabaya,” Headmistress Bishop warned. “We’ll be expecting regular field updates, and because I’ve formally reprimanded Tessa, you’ll technically be in charge of keeping an eye on her.”

Amara looked over at Tessa, who didn’t seem all that worried about her new coven partner. In fact, she noticed a very slight stir of attraction in her friend’s aura. After chuckling quietly to herself, she lost the fight against a yawn she’d been struggling to hold back.

After spending an entire day cleaning up the coven, she was feeling particularly drained.

“As for the rest of you,” the Headmistress continued, “I’m formally designating you independent agents of the coven. It’s your job to keep watch over this campus, to prevent harm from befalling everyone that lives here while also working to prevent the general populace from learning about magic. You are to include Imani in all of your planning, and the failure to relay information to her will be seen as a slight against the coven. Is that understood?”

One by one, all the girls, and Nick, nodded in agreement with Miss Bishop’s decision. The rest of the evening was spent discussing details of their new arrangement: how the chain of communication worked, what resources they had available to them, as well as several in-depth discussions about various facets of planar metaphysics.

Amara hated lectures. She always had trouble with dry, abstract ideas, and it was a miracle she didn’t fall asleep at any point during their briefing. The only thing keeping her awake was her concern over her dwindling inner fire. Ever since losing control of herself in Purgatory, she’d been extra cautious about keeping herself well fed, but also being conservative with her abilities. Here, in the middle of the coven’s manor a mile outside of Aurelius University, she felt more depleted than she’d been in weeks.

In time, the meeting came to an end. Imani and Elijah left first, with the former bounding in excitement and babbling about what she wanted to pack for the upcoming semester at her new school. Amara tried to follow closely behind, eager to return home and finally get some rest, when Elizabeth called out to stop her. “Miss Lamour, could you stay with us for a moment?”

With a silent groan of frustration, Amara nodded slowly before looking at her friends. Tessa wore an insufferable smirk, as if Amara had just been caught cheating and asked to stay after class, but Vee was much more sympathetic. She gave Amara a reassuring smile, silently mouthed that everyone would wait for her outside, then closed the door behind her. With the room now empty, Amara turned to face Coven Heads Bishop and Tsopnang.

Surprisingly, the first person to speak was not Headmistress Bishop, but Palesa. When she spoke, she did so carefully, with precise words.

“Amara. Your actions last night were reprehensible, and there lies no trace of forgiveness in my heart. Even now, in this room, I still find myself frightened of you. It will take months, if not years, to recover what you stole from me.” Palesa turned to look at Elizabeth, and the two women laced their fingers together before she continued. “With that being said, I also cannot deny that your presence was likely the deciding factor in stopping Davenport’s scheming. Because of you… Liz and I no longer have to live in fear. We can be open about our feelings for each other.”

“For that, Amara, we thank you,” Elizabeth said. “But never forget that these conflicting ideas can both be true at the same time. The world is hardly ever black and white, and people rarely view themselves as evil. In throwing the first punch, you very nearly united the entire coven against you. We urge that you remember this the next time you find yourself in a similar situation.”

With a nervous nod, her face flush with guilt, Amara said, “Y-yes, Miss Bishop, Miss Tsopnang. I’m truly sorry for the pain I caused, and I thank you for letting me go back to school and stuff.”

Headmistress Bishop smiled, then politely gestured to the door. Releasing a heavy sigh, Amara quickly left the room and rejoined her friends. They all pestered Amara with questions about what the Coven Heads wanted, though their curiosity didn’t last long in the face of just how tired everyone was. They left the manor quickly and without ceremony, eager to go home.

A thick blanket of night surrounded Ekstàpoli. The group of five Aurelius University students, exhausted both from their fight this morning and the following community service, walked back to campus together in relative silence.

Tessa was exhausted, at times leaning so heavily on Nick’s shoulder that Amara swore she’d fallen asleep while walking. Nick, despite having been spared the morning’s intense combat, had apparently been running around all day to help rally students and coven witches, and he yawned almost as frequently as Amara did. Chloé was impossible to read, as her exhaustion rendered her invisible. Vee seemed the most alert of all of them, which didn’t surprise Amara in the slightest. After all, she was known for cramming her schedule with twice as many classes as necessary and never once complaining about the workload.

Circling around Lysander Hall, the five of them quickly agreed that they wanted nothing more than a good night’s rest. After promising to check in with one another the following morning, they all split up to return to their respective homes.

As Amara said goodbye and started walking, she didn’t question Vee’s presence in the slightest. After all, they lived in the same block of apartments, and walking home together had once been routine for them. At least, before the chaos of Amara’s transformation and the resulting drama. However, as snow crunched underneath Amara’s boots, and light flurries began drifting down from above, Amara finally asked herself the obvious question.

What happens next?

Do I ask Vee to come home with me, or would that be too presumptuous? If she does, do we… I mean, we kissed earlier, and she—

Vee playfully bumped into Amara, cutting off her train of thought. “Hey. What’cha thinking about?”

Looking up, Amara smiled as she found Vee’s brilliant blue eyes. “U-um, I guess I’m a little nervous?”

“Nervous? You? I can’t imagine why,” Vee said, laughing softly. Above her head, several snowflakes seemed to catch an invisible current, swirling around in a tight ring of sparkling light before resuming their fall towards the ground. “I get it, though. I feel the same.”

Fuck, she’s gorgeous.

Reaching out, Amara grabbed Vee’s hand, their fingers lacing together as effortlessly as the final piece of a jigsaw puzzle. They both smiled at each other before turning back to focus on their walk home. Amara tried to say something, but her thought was cut off by another heavy yawn. As if in protest of how hard she’d pushed herself today, the yawn ended with a small flurry of sparks leaping from her mouth. They crackled in front of her, causing her to jump in surprise.

“I haven’t seen you this tired since Purgatory,” Vee admitted. “Although, even then, you didn’t seem tired tired. More… hungry.”

“I’m shocked you’re not as beat as I am,” Amara said. “We had that whole fight with Davenport and Gautier, then spent hours cleaning up the quad again, and then we had to sit through, like, a magic lecture? I could barely keep my eyes open.”

“I’m used to being exhausted. I used to regularly wake up just before dawn to work out, remember?”

“Ugh, working out, another thing I need to start doing,” Amara groaned.

“Wait, really? Why?” Vee asked.

“Nick’s idea. School’s starting back up soon, and I have no idea how strong I am, so I need to retrain my muscle memory. It would be difficult to explain if I, like, ripped a door off its hinges or effortlessly picked up a really heavy box because I didn’t know how heavy I was supposed to make it look.”

“Huh,” Vee muttered. “I guess I never thought of it that way. I can turn my powers on and off, so I don’t need to think about stuff like that.”

“Lucky you!” Amara squeezed Vee’s hand tight.

Both girls laughed again, and before the conversation could continue, they found themselves at the small gate positioned near the entrance to Amara’s apartment. The building didn’t start immediately, as another ten feet of sidewalk extended past the gate, and Amara paused before heading down this path. She pulled her keys out, thrilled she remembered to fetch them from the roof of Lysander Hall, then looked over at Vee.

“So, um… this is my place,” Amara said quietly.

“Oh, is it? Gosh, I don’t think I’ve ever been here before,” Vee said, holding back another laugh.

“You know what I mean!” Amara blushed furiously as she tried to gather her thoughts. She absentmindedly scratched the back of her neck while averting her eyes, then continued. “I meant, like… ugh, I’m so bad at this! Do you want to come inside with me?”

When Amara looked back at Vee, she was already halfway to the front entrance. “I’d love to, but I seem to be the only person approaching the building. Are you gonna use your powers to unlock the door from the sidewalk?”

Smiling back at the love of her life, Amara laughed one more time before running to join Vee. She swiped her ID, then held the door open for Vee as they walked inside.

———

The familiar smells of home greeted Amara as she closed her front door behind them. Vee turned to the nearby coat rack, kicking off her shoes and removing her jacket, while Amara set her keys down on the counter. As she looked around her apartment, she became intensely aware of every blemish, scratch, and burn littered around the room.

This place is a trainwreck, ugh. Is this really where I want us to—

“Planning on taking your jacket off?” Vee asked, stepping in front of Amara.

“Huh?” Amara’s train of thought drifted back to their conversation. “Right, sorry. I guess I spaced out there for a second.” With a quick shrug, Amara’s clothes shifted from thick winter gear to comfortable home wear. Once the flurry of embers faded, Vee stepped even closer and softly placed a hand on Amara’s arm.

“How are you feeling?” Vee asked. Her voice was soft, yet effortlessly compassionate.

With a deep breath, Amara looked into Vee’s eyes and tried to organize her thoughts. “I’m… still nervous. Everything’s been so hectic for so long, I feel like I don’t know what to do with myself now that it’s all over. And now you’re here with me, and we’re completely alone, and I’m absolutely exhausted, but because of what I am that means I need certain things, and we haven’t talked about how that’s going to—”

Vee kissed Amara, effortlessly cutting through her nervous rambling. Their bodies pushed together, and her anxiety melted away in her love’s arms. Vee’s lips were soft and warm, and while she moved with slight hesitation, Amara couldn’t ignore the faint scent of excitement surrounding Vee.

“Hey,” Vee said. “I love you. You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met, and right now, there’s nothing I want more than to make love to you. If you’ll have me, that is,” she added with a soft laugh.

All at once, Amara’s hesitation vanished. She pulled Vee even closer, wrapping her arms around her waist as they kissed again. Despite the relative absence of her hellfire, warmth flooded Amara’s chest as they explored each other’s bodies. Her hands ran up and down Vee’s back, exhaling softly as Vee’s hands returned the favor. They gently traced down Amara’s back, then around her hips and up her sides, brushing lightly against her breasts before finding her neck. Gentle pressure from Vee’s hands formed a question, which Amara answered by tilting her head to the side.

Vee kissed Amara, their tongues briefly brushing together, before moving to kiss the corner of her mouth, then the side of her face. Her lips found Amara’s neck, showering it with kisses before moving higher. She playfully nibbled Amara’s ear, eliciting an impassioned gasp, then Vee whispered, “Take me to bed, Amara.”

Pulling back, they looked into each other’s eyes and stole one last kiss before pushing off the counter. Grabbing Vee’s hand, Amara turned around and led her to the bedroom, her heart thumping with anticipation as they drew closer.

Inside, shadows clung to her disheveled bedroom, cloaking the entire space in darkness. The light switch, despite only being a few feet away from the door, seemed like an impossible diversion, and Amara instead lit up the room with small wisps of hellfire. Rolling her shoulders, she prepared to dismiss her clothing, but stopped when Vee hugged her from behind.

“Leave it on,” Vee whispered, kissing the back of Amara’s neck, “I want to take it off myself.”

Amara shivered in anticipation and leaned her head back, rolling it onto Vee’s shoulders as she savored the feel of her lips on her neck. Reaching back, Amara pushed her fingers through Vee’s hair and pulled her closer. Their bodies pressed together, and Amara twitched in excitement as she felt Vee’s hands slide down her waist, teasing the edge of her pants. She wanted desperately to begin undressing, but she didn’t dare rob Vee of her request.

Instead, Amara turned around and grabbed Vee’s hands again, walking backwards until her legs bumped against her bed. Carefully raising her legs, she tried to climb atop the comforter while pulling Vee with her.

Due to her exhaustion, her foot caught on the covers and she fell backwards. While she avoided hitting her head against the wall, she couldn’t stop herself from laughing in embarrassment.

“Okay, that went better in my mind,” Amara giggled.

Vee crawled atop the covers, joining Amara on the bed before helping her reposition. “You know you don’t have to impress me, right?” she asked.

Amara’s head found her pillow, and she looked up at Vee. “I want to. You deserve it.”

“I’m here for you, silly. Awkward trips and all,” Vee said, lowering herself down atop Amara. Their legs laced together, and their lips met once more. Amara brought her hands to Vee’s waist, savoring the feel of her curves as they slowly matched the rhythm of each other’s bodies.

They stayed like that, gently kissing each other, for countless minutes. Although both of them continued to playfully explore the other’s body, neither made any attempts to escalate the intensity. Amara gently rubbed Vee’s back, who in turn gingerly played with Amara’s hair. The slow pace felt incredibly unusual for Amara, whose sex life had been nothing but quick, casual hookups ever since she’d lost her virginity earlier this year.

Is she taking it slow because she’s nervous? Is she unsure she even wants this?

No, don’t kill the mood, Amara. She told you she wanted this; you can trust her. She probably hasn’t had sex in ages, especially not with all the drama, so I bet she just wants to take it slow.

As Amara talked through her own anxieties, she found it easier to relax and simply enjoy Vee’s touch. Each movement, each quiet caress seemed charged with affection, and somehow even the relatively chaste act of making out felt exciting and new. Each breath she took provided hints of Vee’s scent, brief insights into her aura that Amara still had trouble reading, yet those hints reassured her that Vee wanted this.

Raising her hands to Vee’s face, their lips separated briefly. Amara took this chance to stare deep into Vee’s brilliant blue eyes, appreciating the way the warm hellfire embers illuminated her beautiful face. In her appreciation, however, Amara couldn’t help but notice the two glaring reminders of her past mistakes.

Gently holding the side of Vee’s face, Amara carefully ran her thumb over the thick scar that cut through her eyebrow. Razor-sharp guilt pierced her stomach, bringing with it flashes of all the chaos she’d caused the last few months. The combined weight of those memories escalated her breathing, and tears welled in her eyes as prepared to tell Vee how sorry she was for everything. Before she had a chance to say anything, however, Vee cut her off.

“It’s okay, Amara,” she whispered, grabbing Amara’s hand. “We all have things we regret. What’s important is that we’ve learned from our mistakes. When I look at myself in the mirror, I don’t see these scars as a reminder of our fight, I see them as a reminder of the person I almost became.”

“You’re clearly better at forgiving yourself than I am,” Amara muttered.

“I didn’t do it alone, Amara. I had you. At every step of the way, in every word you muttered, every text you sent, you told me I could be better. You never gave up on me.”

They kissed again, and Vee lovingly wiped the tears from Amara’s eyes. Every kiss, every touch conveyed a level of adoration Amara had never felt before. For her, intimacy had always been tied to arousal, to feeding, and understanding the feelings of her partner had always been easy. Here, not only was Vee’s aura incredibly difficult to read, but the love they shared was something completely separate from arousal. It was deeper, more profound, and Amara’s heart raced as she tried to navigate these new feelings.

This passion redoubled Amara’s enthusiasm. She stopped worrying about what Vee might be thinking, or how they were going to make this work. She simply wanted Vee to understand how much she cared for her.

Both of their excitement grew in the wake of this enthusiasm. Their hips met, grinding together as Amara and Vee both let out quiet gasps of burgeoning pleasure. Vee’s hands pushed underneath Amara’s shirt, gently wrapping around her waist, and the feeling sent shivers through Amara’s body.

Vee didn’t stop there. Her hands crept higher, savoring the feeling of Amara’s bare skin before brushing over her bra, then pushing higher still. Amara responded by lifting her arms over her head, and, for the first time since discovering her illusion powers, removed a shirt by simply pulling it off. Vee quickly tossed it aside, and before it hit the floor, it vanished in a burst of hellfire.

Amara eagerly returned the favor, her hands finding Vee’s waist and exploring her toned physique. Her angelic body, perfectly crafted over years of training, somehow felt soft and inviting in Amara’s hands. As she slowly explored Vee’s bare skin, her hands inching higher and higher, Vee shifted herself around until she straddled Amara’s lap. She arched her back, her head rolling back as she quietly gasped in excitement, then she reached down to help Amara pull her shirt off entirely.

When she leaned forward again, the feel of Vee’s skin against her made Amara tingle with anticipation. The arousal itself was nothing new—she’d long ago learned to expect a baseline level of horniness at all times—but previously that feeling had been overshadowed by utter exhaustion. Now, with Vee passionately kissing her neck and nibbling her ears again, the excitement of their coming activities began to work its magic. Each breath brought traces of Vee’s arousal, and Amara’s exhaustion began melting away.

Vee shifted further down, kissing Amara’s neck again, then her shoulders. Her lips soon found the tops of Amara’s breasts, still covered by an illusory bra. “I always forget how well-endowed you are until I see you like this,” Vee whispered.

“Do you often see me in my underwear?” Amara asked playfully.

Looking up, Vee smirked quickly before shifting further down, showering Amara’s breasts in tender kisses as she spoke. “Underwear? No, but you’re a succubus. Your weird exoskeleton thing leaves little to the imagination, and you pulled your shirt off when you lost control in Purgatory. Not to mention that little photo shoot you put together for Chloé’s charity.”

“Alright, yeah, that’s fair,” Amara laughed. “Although, you didn’t even see the more risqué pictures I took for that.”

“Didn’t I?” Vee asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“Wait, did you?!” Amara asked, gently running her hands through Vee’s hair.

“I wanted to donate to the fire relief. Though, I never looked at the pictures until recently, once I… y’know, figured things out.”

“Any favorite costumes? I can put on anything you want, love,” Amara said, her lips curling into a devious smile.

“I want you, Amara. No costumes, no pretense, just the amazing girl I fell in love with.” As Vee finished talking, she slid even further down, her lips now grazing Amara’s stomach. The affection diverted all of Amara’s focus, and she bit her lip softly instead of responding.

Vee teased the edge of Amara’s pants again, sliding her fingers back and forth along the hem. After several passes, she unbuttoned them, slowly inched the zipper down, then moved her hands to the back of Amara’s waist before sliding down into her pants. Amara arched her back, giving Vee plenty of room to begin pulling her pants off, but she waited. Instead, Vee allowed herself a moment to gently massage Amara’s ass, holding her tight as she kissed the edges of her panties.

The attention pushed Amara’s arousal even further. She moved her hands away from Vee’s hair, instead grabbing the sheets underneath her so she had something to squeeze and tug while she enjoyed Vee’s relentless teasing.

Eventually Vee took mercy, pulling Amara’s pants off and tossing them aside, where they too vanished in a burst of fire. Vee quickly crawled back on top of Amara, and their lips met once more. Amara kissed her even more passionately, desperate for deeper intimacy after all of Vee’s teasing. She reached down Vee’s waist, finding her pants, and unbuttoned them as quickly as she could. It took much longer for Amara, who was horribly distracted by her aching clitoris, but she eventually pushed through and managed to pull Vee’s pants off.

With one fewer layer of clothing between them, their hips met, and their legs intertwined. The feeling of Vee’s nearly naked body was electric, and Amara moaned aloud in pleasure for the first time that night. Her hips pushed eagerly against Vee’s, both girls running their hands up and down the other’s legs, lingering much longer on their asses as they appreciated each other’s bodies.

Vee reached behind Amara’s back, effortlessly unclasping her bra before pulling it off. Amara’s breasts fell free, and she was so distracted by Vee she nearly forgot to dismiss this article of illusory clothing. As it disappeared in smoke and flames, Vee leaned in and kissed each of Amara’s sensitive nipples, causing her to moan yet again before falling into a quiet routine of eager panting. Amara held Vee’s hair close, treasuring the feel of her love while savoring how good it felt to have her nipples bitten and played with.

In between gasps of pleasure, Amara caught the ever-increasing scent of Vee’s arousal, and finally reached out to begin feeding. Judged purely by the potency of her aura, Amara would normally think Vee was only barely aroused enough to warrant feeding on, but after their prior experience in Purgatory, she knew better. Vee’s angelic nature meant the true extent of her arousal was shrouded in secrecy until Amara started feeding.

Compared to how vibrant Vee’s aura seemed, Amara was shocked at how much arousal there was to feed on. It roiled and sizzled as Amara connected herself, eager to restore her energy and chase away her exhaustion. As strange as it felt to feed on Vee, the energy she received was in no way harmful, just oddly tingly, much the same way spicy food tended to be.

Vee shivered as Amara started feeding. “Fuck, I’ve missed that…”

“My feeding?” Amara asked.

“It’s so warm, it’s like having you inside me…” Vee crawled higher, kissing Amara again. “But we’re not there yet, are we?”

Amara giggled. “Not yet, love. You seem eager to take your time.”

“Can you blame me for wanting to savor every single moment of our first time together?” Another kiss, then Vee carefully maneuvered to whisper into Amara’s ear, “You’re so fucking hot, and I’m ecstatic I get to say that now.”

“Fuck, Vee…” Amara moaned. Unable to hold herself back, she reached behind Vee’s back to undo her bra as well, tossing this one to the floor to join the other non-illusory clothes. They pulled each other close, their naked chests meeting for the first time, making it even more obvious how little separated them now.

“Do you want to know a fun secret?” Vee asked.

“What’s that?”

“Remember when you first fed on me, back in Purgatory? Do you remember what I said I was imagining?”

Amara paused for a moment, her brain protesting her request to think about anything but the naked angel wrapped up in her arms at the moment. “Um… I think you said it was smut or something.”

Vee giggled. “I lied. I was thinking of you.”

“No! Really?”

Vee nodded. “I imagined kissing your soft skin, burying my face between your legs and eating you out while you pinned your legs around my head and came on my tongue.”

“But you said you only figured out your feelings after we went flying!” Amara said, her body growing even hotter after Vee’s confession.

“My romantic feelings,” Vee said. “But Purgatory is when I let myself admit that I found you attractive. I thought it was no big deal, like, of course I’m attracted to a succubus, that’s literally the point. Obviously I was lying to myself, but it all worked out in the end, right?”

Amara surrendered to her body’s urges again, passionately pulling Vee close and deeply kissing her. They only managed a few seconds of grinding against each other before Vee gave up, sliding onto her side and reaching for Amara’s panties. Amara briefly stopped her, not for want of delay, but because it was impossible to hold back her desire to taste Vee’s breasts. The curve of her breasts again highlighted just how physically fit she was, something easy to forget with just a cursory glance. As Amara’s tongue flicked over Vee’s nipples, the angel gasped and froze up, preventing her from undressing Amara. Instead, she ran her hands through Amara’s hair, grabbing tight and holding Amara close, encouraging her to bite even harder as she teased Vee.

Seconds later, Amara’s passion bubbled to the surface and she pulled away from Vee’s breasts, instead cradling her face to kiss her lips instead. Both girls held each other tight as their lips and tongues brushed together, their bodies in perfect sync as they locked their legs together again, now lying side by side.

Vee made the first move, again trying to pull Amara’s panties off, which encouraged Amara to do the same. It took several seconds of creative maneuvering, as they both refused to stop kissing each other, but soon they managed to remove the last of their clothing.

Their legs intertwined, and Amara gasped in excitement as her bare pussy touched Vee’s skin for the very first time. She hiked her leg higher, giving herself better access to tease herself against Vee’s body, and Vee responded by moving a hand to Amara’s ass. She massaged it eagerly, savoring its feel before sliding her hand to Amara’s waist, then her back. As her deft fingers traced small circles on Amara’s shoulders, however, Vee paused and pulled back.

“Vee?” Amara asked. “Are you okay?”

“You’re not all here, Amara,” Vee whispered, peppering in soft kisses as they spoke. “I said I wanted you, without pretense.”

“You mean my horns and stuff? Well, I… I guess I thought they’d get in the way. I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable or anything.”

“Amara, sweetie,” Vee said, grabbing the sides of Amara’s face. “I didn’t fall in love with you in spite of what you are; I fell in love with you. All of you. We’ve spent enough time together that I know how much you like having your true form out.”

Amidst all the excitement and the passion, this quiet moment of genuine thoughtfulness caught Amara off guard. She laughed quietly, even tearing up for a second before kissing Vee and sliding back, crawling off the bed so as to not damage anything. Closing her eyes, she fought the urge to pull forth her true form as quickly as possible. Vee wanted to see everything that she was, and now that Amara was fully naked, this would be her first time truly exposing herself to the love of her life.

With a deep breath, Amara connected to her inner fire. It danced and flickered at her touch, eager to continue feeding and restore its true strength. Hellfire skipped and swirled around her feet, slowly inching higher as if attempting some form of magical striptease. Amara shivered with anticipation as the flames reached her waist, condensing on her low back and leaping back as they revealed her thick, red tail. Moment by moment more of it appeared, growing thinner before finally ending with a sharp, flared point. It eventually curled to rest next to her ankles, and the flames of her transformation continued.

Hellfire passed over her back and thick skeletal structures made of black chitin sprang into existence. They extended up and out, forming the base for a layer of red skin that perfectly matched her demonic tail. Each of the spines ended with a fine point at the bottom, and they all collected into a single talon at the top. Amara flexed her wings eagerly, stretching them out as wide as she could without damaging her walls any further.

Lastly, the flames raced over her head, spawning two thick, black horns that briefly followed the curve of her head before angling up in one final point. Their darkened material glittered in the warm firelight, and in the wake of that illumination, soft red undertones shone though. The wave of hellfire ended just above Amara’s horns, where it briefly condensed into a tight ring of fire. Amara giggled playfully as she made the fire race around, mimicking the beauty of Vee’s halo before finally releasing it altogether.

“Well,” Amara stammered, “this is me. All of me.”

For some reason, exposing herself in this way made her nervous. Despite everything she’d been through with Vee, it was hard to shake the memories all of the times her demonic nature had forced a rift between them.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Vee stood up and said, “You’re beautiful, Amara.” She stepped closer, her hands moving to Amara’s waist before their lips met again. They kissed slowly, passionately as Vee repeated her gentle caress from earlier, only now she had significantly more body to explore. Her soft hands traced around the base of Amara’s tail, tracing small circles further and further back until she found the tip.

Amara then snaked her tail around Vee’s waist and over her shoulders, hugging her tight as Vee’s hands moved to Amara’s wings. She eagerly outlined each of the spines, occasionally squeezing them tight and quietly laughing in excitement. Amara pulled her wings closer, encompassing the two of them, and they kissed again under the soft firelight.

“This was it,” Vee whispered. “This was the moment I fell in love with you. I’ve imagined us on that rooftop so many times, and every time I think about it, I regret not kissing you.”

With a quiet smile, Amara kissed Vee again. “I wish I could say the same. I hate how much it took for me to realize how I felt about you.” Another kiss, this one longer. “Although, in a way… I guess it’s a little romantic that I fell for you in the middle of falling for you.”

Vee snorted with surprise amusement before playfully slapping Amara’s shoulder. “Oh my god, Amara, that’s so stupid,” she said, her laughter growing more intense with each passing second. “You’re the corniest person I’ve ever met, and I love you so much. Now go lie down so I can finally fuck my hot-ass demon girlfriend!”

With a giggle of her own, Amara released Vee from her nest of limbs and walked towards the bed, sitting on the edge with bated breath. “Is that what we are? Girlfriends?”

Closing the distance, Vee placed a gentle hand on Amara’s chest and pushed her backwards. “If that’s okay with you, love.”

“Absolutely,” Amara whispered, stealing another kiss as she laid down. Vee crawled on top of her again, both of them kissing passionately. Amara’s hands eagerly massaged Vee’s legs, appreciating how strong her new girlfriend was, while also taking the opportunity to trace the curve of Vee’s ass. Her tail slid up Vee’s back, holding her tight while patiently rubbing her shoulders in a tender hug, which caused Vee to shiver.

“Ooh, that’s an interesting feeling. You’ve really got a lot of control over that, don’t you?” Vee asked.

“There’s a lot more it can do, love. Want me to show you?”

Vee shook her head. “No, not yet. I want to start with you, so… what do you like?”

Amara cocked her head in confusion. “Vee, I’m a succubus. I like what you like, I enjoy myself the most when your aura is brightest, both from arousal and pleasure.”

“Sorry, that’s not good enough.”

“I-I…” Amara paused. “What do you mean?”

“You think I’m seriously going to accept that my girlfriend exists solely for my pleasure? That you’re incapable of having your own opinions about what feels good and what doesn’t?” Vee leaned in, kissing Amara’s neck before biting her ear and whispering, “Nah, I’m not buying it.”

“Okay, well… what are you thinking? All my experience is based around making other people cum.”

After a quick pause, Vee turned her head and kissed Amara’s tail, which still rested on her shoulders. “Alright, let’s try something. If you don’t think it’s working, we’ll switch it up, but I’m curious.”

Amara nodded. “Whatever you say, I’m happy to give it a shot!”

“For this to work, you’ll have to stop feeding on me. Think you can do that? Or is it an involuntary response when you’re around arousal?”

“No, I can control it.”

Vee smiled. “Great! And remember, I can feel you feeding on me, so I’ll know if you’re cheating.”

Reaching out, Amara grabbed Vee’s hand and nodded nervously. She’d never had sex without feeding on her partner, and pulling her senses away from Vee’s aura felt strange. It was like standing in the middle of a coffee shop and trying not to smell the coffee. Still, she trusted Vee, and that was all she needed.

Without that connection, Amara felt adrift. She was stranded in the middle of an ocean of arousal without a life raft, and she clutched Vee’s hand tight as she started inching down on the bed.

First, Vee kissed Amara’s shoulders, delicately teasing her skin with her tongue while her hands inched closer and closer to Amara’s breasts. As Vee’s fingers brushed against them, Amara gasped with unexpected excitement. Her fingers reached higher, cupping Amara’s breasts and gently squeezing them, and at that same moment Vee’s mouth found her nipple. She kissed it eagerly, her tongue flicking across the sensitive skin, and Amara let out an involuntary moan. Vee continued for several more minutes, kissing and teasing Amara’s breasts before sliding further down.

She kissed Amara’s waist, even biting it playfully as she moved. Her hands slid to Amara’s hips, holding them tight to prevent her from wriggling away from even more biting. Each tender nibble caused Amara to flinch in surprise, yet the more attention Vee showered over her, the more comfortable she felt receiving it.

When Vee’s hands slid to her legs, delicately tracing her nail up and down her thighs, Amara shuddered. Applying subtle pressure, Vee urged Amara to spread her legs open, and as she did, she pulled her heels closer to raise her knees. Vee repositioned as well, but instead of moving to the main event, she instead shifted even lower and began cradling Amara’s thighs. She kissed and nibbled and licked Amara’s soft skin, causing her to shudder even more while her breathing quickened.

Then Vee inched higher, bit by bit. Amara’s pussy ached for attention, not only because of all the teasing, but also because of how isolating it felt not feeding on Vee. Her clit throbbed in anticipation, and when the moment finally came, her head rolled back and she moaned loudly in thanks.

Vee kissed Amara’s tender clit, her tongue flicking across Amara’s entrance and sending tingles of pleasure through her entire body. Her legs shook, her tail gripped Vee even tighter, and she grabbed her bed sheets in rapturous celebration.

Amara no longer felt stranded. It had previously seemed impossible to open herself up to Vee without also feeding on her arousal, and now there was nothing that felt more natural. Every moment of pleasure that Vee brought Amara sang of her love, and the two of them quickly laced their fingers together again as Vee began exploring Amara’s pleasure.

She cautiously sucked Amara’s clit into her mouth, running her tongue back and forth across it. Every few seconds she paused, her tongue reaching down to tease Amara’s entrance, and before long she pulled a hand away from Amara’s and reached for Amara’s pussy. She moved her tongue back to Amara’s clit, then circled her slick entrance with a finger before slowly pushing it inside. Amara’s walls twitched, holding the finger tight as she moaned out again, even louder this time, and her tail moved away from Vee before slapping into the wall to accentuate Amara’s loud, guttural, “FUCK!!”

Amara rocked her hips back and forth, moving her free hand to Vee’s hair to lovingly cradle her head. A second finger pushed inside her, and another wave of pleasure washed over Amara. As strange as it was to experience no one’s pleasure but her own, the sheer height of her enjoyment rendered her unable to care. Vee’s tongue felt amazing, and Amara desperately wanted to cum on it.

“Vee, fuck… give me more! I’m so close!!” Amara gasped, her tail returning to Vee’s body. It wrapped around one of her legs, stopping just shy of pleasuring her in return, as she knew Vee wanted to wait.

Without saying anything, Vee pushed a third finger into Amara. She picked up the pace, fucking Amara faster and faster while Amara tried to match her pace. Her hips bucked and shook in time with Vee’s fingers, and her eyes rolled back in her head as Vee sucked on her tender clit, pushing her closer and closer to that final edge. Amara’s tail coiled tighter around Vee’s leg and her wings folded around them both as Amara tensed in preparation. Her legs, shaking so much they barely felt under her control, closed around Vee’s head as Amara took one, final breath of anticipation.

Amara screamed out in pleasure, cumming hard around Vee’s fingers while holding her other hand tight. Her hips quaked with orgasmic joy as Vee sucked her swollen clit, her fingers slick with Amara’s cum as she held the intense pace Amara wanted. Around the room, floating embers of hellfire burst into brighter and brighter shades, casting the room and the loving couple in various shades of red and purple.

Nearly a minute later, her voice already threatening to give out, Amara’s orgasm slowly retreated from its peak. Her chest rose and fell in time with her heavy gasps, and moment by moment her breathing steadied. As her wits returned to her, the rest of her body caught up, relaxing its many holds on Vee.

Her tail uncoiled, and her wings fell limp across the bed. Her legs released their grip on Vee’s head, and the love of Amara’s life took a deep breath as she carefully rose from Amara’s soaking wet pussy, smiling as she looked up at Amara. “Well, looks like I told you so,” she whispered.

Amara reached down and cradled Vee’s face in her hands, silently asking her to join her on the pillow. She had no energy for words, but she desperately wanted to shower Vee with the same love and affection she’d just received. As soon as Vee was close enough, Amara pulled their lips together as she moaned with appreciation. Amara tasted remnants of her own pleasure, still clinging to Vee’s face as they kissed, and the thought turned her on even more.

“That was incredible,” Amara whispered between impassioned kisses. “I don’t know how you did that.”

“Trade secret, I’m afraid,” Vee said, a devious smirk on her face.

“I want to do the same to you. Can I start feeding? And show you what I’m capable of?”

“I’ve only been fantasizing about it for days, love,” Vee said. “Don’t you dare hold back. I want to feel everything.”

Amara’s tail slid up Vee’s back, crept around her neck, then playfully tapped her cheek. “Everything?” Amara asked.

“Everything.”

An eager smirk appeared on Amara’s face, and she immediately reconnected to Vee’s aura. All the tingling excitement from earlier returned: the delicious arousal, the scintillating kick of Vee’s angelic nature, all of it. With this connection restored, Amara took a deep breath of renewal and began reading into it, looking for clues of exactly what her girlfriend wanted. In the past, she’d interacted with auras that were light and playful, deep and chaotic, scattered and turbulent, yet Vee’s aura was like nothing Amara had ever experienced before.

Her arousal was a steady, powerful river both serene and intimidating. Amara saw herself reflected in this aura more than any other she’d ever fed on, and their excitement blended together in new and beautiful ways. The steady surface of the river promised security, affection, tenderness, but it was not to be underestimated. The powerful undercurrent stood strong as both a promise and a warning, hinting at the true depths of Vee’s attraction, as well as her strength.

Above everything else, more potent than the undercurrent, more promising than the playful surface, Amara senses another emotion. It was something she had little experience in reading, and she only had a single memory of seeing it previously; the strange connection between Coven Heads Bishop and Tsopnang.

Love.

Radiant, unending love in which Amara saw herself, her own aura reflected back at her. Whether this was a new ability or simply a facet of her relationship with Vee, she didn’t care. All that mattered in this moment was their connection, their mutual adoration and the chance to bring joy to the most beautiful woman in the world.

As Amara drank in the aromatic nectar that was Vee’s arousal, her tail wrapped tightly around Vee’s waist. Once secure, she lifted Vee into the air, carefully reversing their positions on the bed. Vee laughed with excitement as Amara moved her, and within seconds she was laying on her back, smiling up at Amara with wonder in her eyes. Amara kissed her again, happily tasting the last remnants of her own orgasm as she prepared to work her magic on Vee.

“What do you like?” Amara asked, whispering into Vee’s ear.

“Is it cheating if I tell you?” Vee responded with a soft laugh. “Aren’t you the mighty succubus who knows everything and anything about sex?”

“It’s not quite that precise. I can read generalities, like if you’re looking for something lighter or rougher, and I can instantly sense if I do something that you find particularly exciting or off-putting. Normally my best bet is to try different things and see what works, but there’s some trial and error. It’s not like your aura has a flashing sign that says, ‘I love anal’ or whatever.”

“I wish I could see what you see, just once. It sounds fascinating,” Vee admitted. “I’m not really into anal, but otherwise I’m not that picky. I like having my clit played with, penetration feels nice, vibration is always fun… I don’t know, I can’t think of anything in particular.”

“Here I was expecting a challenge,” Amara said, playfully kissing Vee’s neck before reaching for her breasts.

“As long as I’m with you, love, I’m sure it’ll be amazing. I already feel like the luckiest girl in the world.” With a quiet moan, Vee gently reached for Amara’s head and began playing with her hair. At her urging, Amara continued sinking lower, and soon her soft lips found Vee’s sensitive nipples. She bit them gently, keeping tabs on Vee’s aura, and was thrilled to see a ripple of excitement.

Amara started massaging Vee’s breasts, savoring every inch of her girlfriend’s skin and she teased and tasted her nipples. Her tail, which had quickly unfurled from Vee’s waist after setting her down, now moved to Vee’s legs to begin sensuously working its way higher. Its nimble tip drew soft lines up and down her calves at first, but inched higher with each passing minute. Soon Amara was playfully tracing small circles on Vee’s thighs, creeping higher and higher while purposely avoiding her pussy.

The river that was Vee’s arousal began moving faster. Its edges skipped and danced, leaping further out in excitement as Amara teased and played with her. Hints of pleasure and bursts of eager anticipation crested with each anticipatory surge, and the smell surrounding Amara grew ever sweeter.

As Amara drew more of this nectar into herself, the tingly sensation of Vee’s aura now a familiar, exciting feeling, she surrendered to the desire for more. She released her grip on Vee’s breasts, traveling lower as she nibbled and kissed Vee’s waist just as she’d experienced minutes earlier. Her desire to taste the sex of her love was briefly overshadowed by the marvelous opportunity she now had to examine Vee’s body for the very first time.

Unlike Amara, Vee’s abilities didn’t require her to strip down every time a fight broke out. She’d always been fairly modest, and Amara couldn’t remember ever seeing her in anything more revealing than a bikini.

Though, for some reason, memories of Vee in a swimsuit now came rushing back in vivid detail.

Why do I remember that so clearly? Fuck, have I really been horribly attracted to her this whole time, and just never realized it? Ugh, I’m hopeless.

Casting those thoughts aside, Amara returned to the present. She savored every inch of Vee’s perfectly sculpted body, from her toned abs to her smooth, radiant hips that glistened with a hint of sweat, the lights from Amara’s hellfire skipping across her body like flashes of inspiration across a painting.

The lower Amara got, the harder it was to ignore the smell of not only Vee’s arousal, but also the delicious scent of her pussy itself. They mixed together, driving Amara further into passionate depravity as she took a deep breath, then nervously kissed Vee’s sensitive clit.

“Mmmm that feels lovely…” Vee muttered. Her words were reinforced by a surge of pleasure present in her aura, gradually intermixing and replacing the lingering arousal.

Amara reached out with her tongue, savoring her first taste of her lover as her fingers started gently exploring the layers of her pussy. Amara slowly massaged up and down, tracing the natural curves of Vee’s sex while purposely avoiding her entrance. Her current theory was that Vee loved foreplay, eroticism, and atmosphere above all else, which meant rushing into this would be a waste of time. Instead, she settled into a comfortable groove of softly licking and nibbling Vee’s clit, refusing to push her any further unless Vee requested it.

She never did. Vee seemed completely lost in the moment, her hands clinging to the bed sheets underneath them as her hips rolled in time with Amara’s subtle massage. Her quiet gasps and moans were music to Amara’s ears, and soon she decided Vee was ready for more.

Amara’s tail crept closer, gently teasing the inside of Vee’s thighs. It wrapped around one leg, then the other, and squeezed tight before its tip joined Amara’s fingers at Vee’s entrance. There, in time with Amara’s movements, it flicked up and down, not quite pushing inside, but close enough for Vee to feel. Through her tail, Amara felt Vee’s legs tense, then Vee tried to push her hips forward, eager to feel more of Amara’s tail, but she didn’t give it to her. She was waiting for Vee to say something, to ask for it, which Amara suspected would make the eventual release even sweeter.

Vee held out for a surprisingly long time. Her gasps turned to eager whimpers, and finally, after nearly a minute of silent pleading, she spoke up. “Amara, fuck, please give it to me. I can’t wait any longer!”

As Amara’s mouth was still occupied with Vee’s clit, she said nothing. Her tail simply slid forward, its flared tip pushing into Vee’s entrance. Vee moaned again, much louder, her voice shivering with pleasure. She moved her hands to Amara’s head, one grabbing her hair while the other grabbed a horn, and she held tight. Entering her pussy immediately caused her to buck excitedly, the first of many orgasms sure to come throughout the night.

This orgasm was small and short, a prelude to the main event, though Amara drank up its energy just as eagerly. With her tail now poised to show Vee the true heights of her sexual prowess, she felt more in her element than ever.

She flexed her tail, its muscles rippling as it slid even deeper into Vee’s pussy. It undulated softly, teasing and savoring the slick walls gripping it tight, and the tip slowly turned from side to side in an attempt to find Vee’s most sensitive spots. It wasn't long before she found the perfect combination of factors, and Vee's aura surged with excitement. It shook and churned as it abandoned all pretense of civility, now nothing more than a vessel for the furious rapids of Vee's orgasm.

A deep, powerful moan radiated through Vee's body as she came. Her grip on Amara tightened even more, and for a brief moment flickers of angelic sparks tickled the back of Amara's head, causing her to flinch in surprise. The sparks then jumped out, arcing through the air above Vee before expanding into bursts of light, shimmering and refracting through space as they sent iridescent cascades of radiant energy towards the walls. Hints of a ring of light raced around Vee’s head as well, somehow racing in and out of the pillow as if they existed somewhere other than here, their current visual merely a suggestion of Vee’s true presence. The aspects of Vee’s spirit that didn’t leap for joy to the surrounding room settled just underneath her skin, causing her entire body to glow with effervescent pearlescence while she squirmed with pleasure underneath her demonic love.

Amara was thankfully spared any further discomfort as Vee twitched and bucked around her tongue. The light exploding out of Vee’s body managed to avoid Amara entirely, and for a brief moment Amara remembered all the times she’d needed to direct her hellfire away from her partner during orgasm. Instead of lingering on that thought, however, Amara was pulled back to the present as wave after wave of orgasmic bliss flooded her senses, her connection with Vee filling her with the most delicious ambrosia she’d ever tasted.

Vee’s orgasm was so sweet it tingled. Amara’s body shook as she took it in, as if Vee’s pleasure was a powerful electrical current that she wasn’t supposed to handle. The energy raced through her body repeatedly before slowly settling into her inner hellfire, and even then, it didn’t exactly come to rest. It was more like it coiled tighter and tighter, ready to spring at a moment’s notice should Amara need it. All the while, the overwhelming sensation brought Amara to another orgasm of her own, this one shared completely with the love of her life. She felt echoes of her tongue on her own clit, a remnant of her tail eagerly fucking her warm pussy, and a sense of perfect synchronicity with the angel cumming underneath her.

As the seconds ticked on, and the waves of crashing pleasure began to recede, Amara finally broke her connection to Vee’s clit, which she’d been sucking and teasing this entire time. She took a deep breath, and before she could return for more, Vee adamantly tugged her horn, demanding her presence elsewhere.

Eagerly obeying, Amara slid higher on the bed, and soon Vee relinquished her grasp on Amara’s horn. Their hands moved to each other’s waists, and their lips met once again. They passionately kissed over and over, their tongues brushing together as they rode out the last moments of their shared orgasm.

The pleasure faded, bit by bit, yet the passion remained. They cradled, caressed, treasured, groped, and explored each other’s bodies, and not a single inch remained unexplored by the end of the night. In the wake of their first joint orgasm, their love pushed them to discover a soft, steady stream of pleasure that bubbled underneath, unending despite the absence of their powerful climax. Amara’s tail never left Vee’s pussy, eagerly throbbing, twisting, and fucking as their bodies celebrated their first union.

They made love for hours. Moaning, gasping, swearing, kissing, and whispering sweet nothings between themselves. Amara’s hellfire and Vee’s radiance never once snuffed each other out, nor hid from the presence of the other. They found a perfect rhythm of ebbing and flowing, circling and glancing, their light refracting and shining from one end of the room to the other. A celestial aurora so breathtaking it nearly paused the events creating it on several occasions.

In time, their spirits began to fade, their auras slowly separating as exhaustion began to set in. Despite all the energy Amara found in the throes of Vee's passion, the chaotic events of the last few days demanded recovery. Vee, despite her enthusiasm, didn't even have the advantage of feeding through sex. She fought valiantly to push through her own natural limits, but it was impossible to hide that her last few orgasms were comparatively quiet and peaceful affairs.

They ended the day curled tightly against each other, glistening with sweat and failing to reconcile their desire for sleep with their desire for each other.

Despite being the taller of the two women, Vee fell asleep with her back to Amara, wrapped up in a mixture of arms, wings, and tail. Amara, in turn, held Vee with more tenderness and love than she'd ever known was possible. She knew, with every fiber of her being, that she'd found true happiness with Vee.

Amara hugged Vee close, nuzzling the back of her neck while she peacefully dozed off, and whispered, “Goodnight, love.”

Vee mumbled something in response, though Amara couldn’t make sense of it. She had no idea if Vee was asleep, awake, or suspended between the two, and she didn’t care. They had each other, and that’s what mattered.

———

When Amara woke the following morning, she discovered she was a clingy sleeper. More than half her limbs were wrapped tightly around Vee, hugging her close while she nuzzled her head into her shoulder. Amara considered looking up at Vee, hoping to steal a kiss first thing in the morning, when she remembered her horns were still out. Without a good sense of where Vee’s head was, she opted to instead stay still, hoping to avoid waking her girlfriend up by bashing her in the face with thick demonic protrusions.

Instead, Amara took a deep breath, appreciating the subtle fruity scent of Vee’s deodorant before letting out a sigh of contentment. A quiet hum escaped her mouth as she settled in, listening to Vee’s heartbeat and appreciating just how lucky she was.

I wonder how I ended up like this. Wouldn’t it make more sense for Vee to snuggle up to me? Since I’m bigger?

Wait, no I’m not. Vee’s taller than me, I just feel bigger because I’ve got these massive wings and horns and stuff. We should probably set some time aside to figure out how cuddling works, I can’t imagine it’s easy to get comfortable around all the demon bits. It’s a miracle Vee didn’t banish me to the other side of the bed last night.

As if on cue, Amara felt Vee stir underneath her. She grumbled softly, then absentmindedly stretched out her legs before looking down. “Morning, love,” she said quietly, sleep still clinging to her words and slurring them slightly.

Now that Vee was awake, Amara reached up with her tail to guide her horns into a safe position. Now face to face with her lover, they happily kissed before Amara responded, “Good morning, gorgeous. How’d you sleep?”

“Amazingly,” Vee said with a smile. “You’re so warm, it’s fantastic. I've lost track of how many nights I woke up missing your warmth after Purgatory.”

Another kiss. This one took several seconds, and Amara gently caressed Vee's cheek as she savored the moment. “How did it take us this long to figure it out? Have we both just been dancing around our obvious attraction this whole time?”

Vee giggled before sneaking in another kiss. “God, knowing us? Probably.”

“It's a miracle we got together at all, honestly. It only took you nearly dying. Twice.” Amara briefly curled up even tighter against Vee, shrinking away from those terrible memories. Those thoughts were quickly dislodged by another question, however. “Wait, you're an angel. Can you do miracles? What even counts as a miracle?”

“Um, that's a big question,” Vee said. As she thought, she absentmindedly stroked Amara's horns. “I guess you could technically consider all my magic miracles, since it uses the power of Creation, but that ignores some common assumptions the Church has. Realistically, a miracle is considered an act of Divine power so immense that it reshapes some fundamental part of the world. My parents couldn't conceive, and a Miracle made it possible, as an example.”

“So you could theoretically make someone pregnant? Immaculate conception or whatever?” Amara asked.

“Fuck no! That's way beyond me.”

“Haven't you been getting stronger?”

“I mean, a little bit, but not by much. Plus, I still have no idea why that's been happening, and it's dangerous to attempt big magic without understanding how it works.”

Amara shuffled higher and kissed Vee on the cheek. “Well, you're my miracle now, so who cares how it all works.”

With a playful laugh, Vee kissed Amara back. “You're adorable, I love you so much.”

They kissed again, much more passionately, but were prevented from escalating their affection by a sudden noise. A sharp metallic clang echoed throughout the apartment, causing them both to freeze in surprise.

“The fuck was that?” Vee asked, instantly snapping to attention.

“It sounded like it came from the kitchen.” Amara reluctantly crawled off Vee and walked to her bedroom door, pausing only to manifest some pajama shorts and a comfortable tank top.

After a quick look back at Vee, Amara slowly opened the door and walked out. She crept down the hallway, treading lightly to not make any noise, as she approached the kitchen. Someone was shuffling around, opening and closing cabinets, and she even heard the familiar beeping of someone turning on the oven.

With a sneaking suspicion of who this might be, she poked her head out of the hallway. Just as she thought, she saw a tall, curly-haired man muttering to himself while rummaging through the fridge.

“Nick?” Amara asked, abandoning her attempt to be sneaky.

He jumped up in response, banging his head on the freezer door above him. “Ow, fuck… Morning Amara! What’s up?”

“Why are you in my apartment?”

Nick tilted his head in confusion. “I let myself in all the time, you know this. I figured I’d get a head start on the big meal.”

Off to Amara’s right, from the couch in the living room, another voice spoke up. “How much do you wanna bet she doesn’t know what today is?”

Amara flinched in surprise at hearing Tessa’s voice and immediately jumped backwards into the hallway. At the same time, she also threw up an illusion to completely cover the walkway, blocking it off with a large blank wall.

“Huh,” Nick muttered, his voice slightly obscured by the illusion. “You know, I could’ve sworn there was more to this apartment.”

“Maybe the place is haunted,” Tessa suggested sarcastically. “Should we get Chloé in here to hunt for ghosts?”

The two of them laughed and continued talking, but Amara stopped listening. Instead, she ran back into her bedroom to find Vee.

“Is that Nick I heard talking?” Vee asked.

Amara nodded. “Yes! And Tessa! He comes over all the time when we have days off but I guess he decided it would be okay to bring Tessa over and they don’t know you spent the night! Then Tessa said today was special or something? What do we tell them?!”

Vee laughed quietly as she started picking up her clothes. “Well, that’s easy. We tell them we’re dating, we spent hours fucking like rabbits, and then fell asleep.”

“Right, yeah,” Amara muttered. “It’s not actually a secret, is it.”

“Unless you’re ashamed of me and want to keep this illicit affair to ourselves. Want me to sneak out the window and pretend I just got here?” Vee teased.

“Never!” Amara said, growing flustered as her face grew redder. “I just… wasn’t expecting them to be here when we woke up, that’s all.”

“As for today…” Vee grabbed her phone, unplugged it, then checked today’s date. “Holy shit. It’s Christmas!”

“What?!” Amara gasped. “Fuck! With everything that’s been going on, I never bothered to keep track of the calendar! Ugh, I didn’t get anyone anything, and there’s not a single decoration in my place, and—”

She was forced to stop talking when Vee grabbed her face and passionately kissed her. “Amara, love, it’s okay. I’ll take a quick shower, you can clean yourself with your hellfire, and then I’ll borrow one of your old sweaters and we’ll dress up for the occasion. Then we’ll tell everyone about us and have an amazing holiday with all our friends. Okay?”

With a deep breath, Amara nodded and kissed Vee one last time. “Okay, you’re right. That sounds nice. I put up an illusory wall, so you should be able to get to the bathroom without Tessa harassing you.”

“A whole wall?” Vee chuckled. “You’re such a bundle of nerves.”

As Vee grabbed her clothes and walked past Amara, she pinched her butt before jumping away to take a shower. In the meantime, Amara refreshed herself with a quick hellfire cleanse, then stood in front of her mirror cycling between outfit ideas to find the perfect fit for today. She ended up settling on black velvet leggings and a thick, fuzzy red sweater. Her tail effortlessly slid through the illusory clothes, though she’d demanifested her wings out of convenience. Her horns stood tall atop her head, and she gave herself a large red Santa hat, complete with two holes for her horns to poke through.

Another fifteen minutes later, Vee joined her in the bedroom, and they picked one of Amara’s sweaters to give her for the day. After another kiss, during which Amara giggled with excitement as she smelled her body wash on Vee, they laced their hands together and left the bedroom. With a deep breath, Amara pulled down the illusory wall and started talking.

“Hey, sorry about that, I—”

“I fucking knew it!!” Tessa shouted, leaping up from the couch. “I knew Vee was here! Didn’t I tell you, Nick? Alright, fess up, tell me everything! Out with it!”

Unable to hold back a smile, Amara felt herself blushing with excitement. “Well, um, yeah. Vee and I are a thing now. Like, we’re… y’know… dating.”

“AAH!” Chloé squealed in excitement, appearing in the middle of the room as she flew over to Amara and Vee. “Omigosh! You have to tell us what happened! I’ve always thought you two would make a great couple but I never wanted to say anything ‘cuz that would be weird but AAAH that’s so exciting!!”

“What happened?” Vee asked, pausing for a moment to think. “I mean, do you want, like, the whole story or what?”

“It’s pretty simple, actually,” Amara said, holding back a playful smirk. “We fell for each other.”

Vee groaned, then jokingly shoved Amara aside. “Ugh, you’re never gonna stop saying that, are you? You’re such an idiot.”

Amara giggled far more than was necessary for such an obvious pun, then wrapped her hands around Vee’s waist and pulled her close. “Yeah, but I’m your idiot, and now you’re stuck with me, so tough.” The two of them happily kissed, prompting another delighted squee from Chloé, before letting each other go. At everyone’s urging, the two of them moved to the couch to tell everyone what exactly happened between them, and by the end Chloé was completely sobbing because of how romantic she thought it all was. Tessa, despite having been caught blushing a few times during their story, accused them of being drama queens to try and hide her obvious investment in the story. In the end, after everyone had said their piece, they dispersed to try and properly plan a holiday celebration.

Vee, Tessa, and Chloé decided to make a quick shopping run to grab holiday decorations while Amara stayed behind with Nick to help with the food. He explained his plans for the meal, walking her through all the sides and entrées, and she immediately got to work prepping everything next to him.

They were in the middle of chopping vegetables when Nick finally spoke up. “You’re happy with her?” he asked.

“Happier than I’ve ever been, Nick,” Amara admitted. She leaned against him for a moment, the two pausing their food preparation to share in the moment. “She’s perfect. I can’t believe I didn’t figure out my feelings earlier.”

“I had my suspicions a few times, if I’m being honest.”

“What?! Why didn’t you say anything!”

“There was a lot going on!” Nick said defensively. “Unless you’ve forgotten, one of us happened to turn into a demon recently. Then the campus got attacked, what, three times in two months?”

“Alright, that’s fair.”

The two of them fell silent, leaning against each other in peaceful solidarity for a few moments before Nick spoke up again. “You had to be exaggerating that story, though. You seriously expect me to believe she spontaneously generated rainbows when the two of you kissed for the first time?”

“I’m not lying! It really happened!” Amara fumed. “She can prove it when she gets back. Jerk.” Sticking her tongue out, she pulled away from Nick and then resumed her food preparation.

Nick chuckled to himself as he reached up to mess with Amara’s hair, his hand grabbing her festive hat and playfully rubbing it back and forth. “Glad to have you back, Amara. I missed you.”

The next few hours passed in the blink of an eye. Nick and Amara had their hands full preparing the Christmas dinner, and everyone else returned from shopping with multiple boxes of holiday decorations for the apartment. They were sad to report they couldn’t find a full-size tree, and instead were forced to settle for a tiny, two-foot-tall tree designed for side tables.

Between Chloé’s flight and Tessa’s telekinesis, decorating the apartment took surprisingly little time. They hung garland and lights around the ceiling of the living room, as well as silver tinsel around the couches, television stand, and windows. They also set up the large collapsible table from Chloé’s charity, covering it with a bright red tablecloth lined with festive holiday imagery. Vee grabbed Amara’s Bluetooth speaker from her room to put on cheesy holiday music, even pulling Amara away from the food prep a few times so they could dance together.

Thanks to Amara’s control over fire, she and Nick were able to make significantly more food than a single oven would typically allow. By the time everyone sat down for dinner, they were treated to a spread of roast beef, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, roasted brussels sprouts, warm buttery biscuits, and several other sides that barely had room to fit on the table.

Amara sat sandwiched between Vee and Chloé, who was very excited to eat her first real meal since recovering her memories and body. She wasn’t technically sitting, of course, more hovering at an appropriate height, which Amara found delightful.

After piling her plate full of food, Amara was just about to take her first bite when a sudden pulse of energy shook the living room. Immediately identifying it as a planar anomaly, Amara jumped backwards over her chair and summoned her chitinous gauntlets just to be safe. In the back of her mind, however, she had a sneaking suspicion that this energy felt strangely familiar.

In the middle of the living room, on the opposite side of the loveseat, a burst of hellfire appeared. It hovered for a brief moment before cascading out further and further, receding with a flash of light and leaving only a single figure standing in the room.

“Mom!!” Amara vaulted the couch as she shouted excitedly, nearly tackling her mother to the ground as she threw her arms around her.

Evelyn jumped in surprise as she caught her daughter, even managing to spin her around once as they hugged. “Oh! Amara! Is everything alright? I got back as soon as I could, but I’m afraid I was… well, let’s say I was far away from any cell towers for a while there.”

Amara cocked her head in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Walking around the couch, Nick spoke up to clarify. “Uh, that was me, actually. I sent her a couple of texts when everything was falling apart. Thankfully, we all pulled through! Sorry to make you worry, Evelyn.”

“Oh, Nicholas, how I’ve missed you,” Evelyn said with a warm smile. “Come here, give me a hug.”

After watching the two of them hug, an idea popped into Amara’s head. “Wait! Mom, you’ve got to meet everyone! We’re all doing dinner together and you’re just in time!”

“What do you mean ‘meet everyone?’ I’ve already met all your friends, love.” Despite her confusion, Evelyn let Amara pull her closer to the table.

“Okay, yes, but also no. I mean, like, meet them for real! There’s been so much happening!” Amara gestured her friends closer before she continued. “Okay, so obviously you know Nick, and thankfully nothing crazy has happened with him. He’s still the same doofus he’s always been. However, I want to officially re-introduce you to Altessa Blackwood, certified witch!”

“I’m not certified, Amara, that’s not how witches work,” Tessa grumbled. “Not that it matters. Good to see you again, Evelyn.”

“Good to meet you again, since apparently that’s what we’re doing,” Evelyn chuckled. She silently offered a hug to Tessa, but the witch turned her down.

“It’s because now we don’t have to hide all our magic bullshit anymore!” Amara said in a huff. “Anyways, next up: Chloé Belmont!”

Next to Tessa, just in front of Evelyn, Chloé reappeared and sheepishly held out her hand. Upon seeing this, Evelyn gasped and held a hand to her mouth. “Chloé?! I thought you were…”

“Um, yeah, it’s a bit of a long story, but I got better! Mostly. We don’t actually know what I am, but, yeah, it seems to be okay!”

Completely disregarding Chloé’s extended hand, Evelyn jumped forward and tried to pull her in for a hug. She instead phased completely through Chloé, stumbling briefly. After resetting, Chloé initiated the hug, this time manifesting properly. “I have so many questions, Chloé, but… I’m so happy you’re here. I was heartbroken to learn what happened to you.”

“Thanks Mrs. Lamour,” Chloé said. After an extended hug, which seemed to go on longer than Chloé had expected, Evelyn pulled away. She quickly wiped something from her eyes, then looked to Amara in anticipation of the next reintroduction.

“Okay! Last, but certainly not least: Aurelius University’s very own guardian angel! Vee Bennett!”

Evelyn looked to Vee, smirked to herself, then knowingly looked back to Amara. “…And?”

“And…” Amara blushed heavily before adding, “and also my girlfriend.”

With a delighted squeal, one that sounded identical to Amara’s from earlier, she politely cleared her throat and offered a hug to Vee as well. She happily accepted, effortlessly pulling Evelyn in for a hug before saying, “It’s wonderful to see you again, Evelyn.”

“It should go without saying that I much prefer this outcome to all the others you two apparently narrowly avoided,” Evelyn said. “I’m so happy you two found each other. I’ve only been here for a few minutes, and I can already tell how happy you make her. Hopefully you feel the same.”

“Without question,” Vee said.

After they finished, Evelyn turned back to Amara. “Is that everyone? There are no other invisible friends floating around?”

“No, that’s everyone,” Amara said. “But what about you? You have to tell us all about what you’ve been doing! Actually, wait, hold on, you can tell us over dinner. Nick and I just finished and we were about to start!”

“It does smell delicious, dear, but there’s something I should do first,” Evelyn said. “Among other things, I managed to claw back a fraction of my previous strength. It’s imperative that I take this opportunity to read your soul before I lose this chance.”

Swallowing nervously, Amara nodded slowly. “Y-yeah. Okay, that’s probably a good idea. Um, will I feel anything?”

“You shouldn’t, but there’s always a chance you might. I can’t guarantee anything,” Evelyn said, inviting Amara to sit down on the couch. “Also, keep in mind that reading a soul is an incredibly revealing activity. I’m not just seeing if you’re Damned or not, I’m seeing… well, everything. Memories, feelings, instincts, all of it. If there’s anything you don’t want me sharing with the others, please let me know now.”

Amara shook her head. “No, I trust all of them with my life. I’m ready.”

Standing in front of Amara, Evelyn gestured for everyone else to clear the space. After a pause, and a deep breath, she opened her eyes, which glowed unnaturally bright, even for a demon. An impossible presence enveloped Amara, one she’d never experienced before. It wasn’t quite fear, it wasn’t quite awe, but a strange mixture of the two. For a brief moment, she felt like a child again, an impossibly tiny thing standing beneath a titan.

The experience ended as quickly as it began. Evelyn’s presence receded, and tears sprang to her eyes as she fell to her knees to pull Amara into a tight hug.

“Mom? What did you see?” Amara asked nervously.

“I saw everything. The coven, attacking Palesa and Cassandra, almost losing Vee… You came so close, Amara, you have no idea…” Evelyn’s usual composure broke, and she shook in Amara’s arms as she cried.

“Close to what, mom? You’re scaring me,” Amara muttered.

“Close to Damnation, Amara,” Evelyn whispered.

“Wait, but that would mean—”

“You’re mortal, love. Completely untainted by Damnation.”

Amara gasped. “How? That doesn’t make any sense! I’m a demon, aren’t I? Doesn’t that come from Damnation?”

Evelyn looked Amara in the eyes, carefully cradling her face in her hands. “I have no idea, love. In all my thousands of years of living, I’ve never seen this before. You’re a mortal demon.”

“Holy shit,” Vee said from nearby. “Amara, that explains why my magic is less effective on you! If it’s trying to target Damnation, then it’s missing the mark!”

“And that’s probably how you broke out of Wellington’s circle the night of the ritual!” Tessa added excitedly. “Those kinds of circles assume the demons they’re trapping are Damned souls!”

Falling back against the couch, Amara paused for a moment to take everything in. “I… I don’t know how to feel about this.”

Evelyn took Amara’s hands as she sat next to her. “Neither do I, sweetie, and I’m drawing from thousands of years of experience. That being said, we don’t need to figure this out tonight. If it’s okay with you, I’d actually like to run a small test, while I still have my strength.”

Amara nodded, eager for something to distract her from the possible implications of her mortal status. “Yeah, that sounds nice, actually.”

Turning around, Evelyn beckoned for Tessa to come closer. “Tessa, dear, is it alright if Amara feeds on you real quick?”

“What?!” Tessa asked. “Uh, no offense, but I don’t really feel comfortable boning down in front of your mom, Amara.”

Happy to have a distraction from pondering the existential implications of her existence, Amara stood up. “Tess, you know you can’t hide anything from us, we’re succubi.”

“You’re so horny I smelled it before I even finished teleporting,” Evelyn added with a chuckle. “Based on your smell, I’d say you’re picturing my daughter and her girlfriend in bed.”

“I… that’s…” Tessa stammered, looking between the two demons present before giving up and walking closer. As she sat down next to Amara, she quietly grumbled, “Stupid succubus powers…”

Evelyn stood up, took a deep breath, then began looking at Amara with the same intensity she’d displayed earlier. “Whenever you’re ready, love,” Evelyn said, clearly straining to focus on her task.

As nervous as she was, Amara didn’t hesitate to reach out and connect with Tessa’s aura. Just as her mother had guessed, she found traces of both herself and Vee lingering in Tessa’s arousal. She established a connection, took a small sip, and then backed off. Once finished, she looked back at Evelyn with bated breath.

“That’s incredible,” Evelyn muttered, dropping her concentration.

“What? Am I okay?” Tessa asked.

“You couldn’t be better, Tessa. Normally, demons have to feed by stealing souls, or at least pieces of them. When Amara feeds, however, she’s not touching your soul in the slightest.”

“Wait, so when I feed, it’s not hurting anyone?” Amara asked, growing excited.

“As far as I can tell, yes,” Evelyn said. “That being said, you didn’t take much. When you fed from Palesa, you reached much deeper, and taking that much from someone is bound to have an impact. Based on what I just saw, though? I’d say the harm is purely physical. The deeper you reach, the more you pull away their tangible well-being, and the logical outcome of that is death.”

Amara shrieked with excitement, hugging Tessa before jumping up and tackling Nick with a big hug. “Omigosh this is amazing! AAAH!!!”

After letting Nick go, Amara ran over to Vee and passionately kissed her, even more excited that her angel girlfriend wasn’t imperiled by their recent sexual escapades. Her revelry was kindly interrupted when Evelyn spoke up again.

“Should we celebrate with a big Christmas dinner?” she asked. “We can only reheat it so many times before it starts to lose its luster!”

“Yes! Ugh, I’m starving!” Amara said, racing to the table. “Wait, do I still eat because I’m mortal? No, wait, don’t answer that, I don’t care. Mom, get over here and help me heat everything up again!”

Evelyn laughed and started walking closer to the table, but she stopped as she walked past Tessa. “Oh, Tessa, before we eat.”

“What’d I do this time? You’re not gonna feed on me now, are you?” Tessa asked nervously.

After a small chuckle, Evelyn responded, “No, nothing like that. I never told you this before, since I was trying to keep my identity a secret, but I actually met your mother once.”

“Shit, really? When?”

“Oof, that would have been… twenty or so years ago? She was a wonderful woman, and a spectacular Headmistress. She actually saved my life, as well as the life of a dear friend,” Evelyn said, her thoughts growing softer as she seemed to dwell on old memories. After a moment, she returned to the present, placing a hand on Tessa’s shoulder. “What’s important, Tessa, is that I saw you stand up to your coven when I read Amara’s soul. There’s no doubt in my mind that she would be proud of the woman you’ve become.”

Tessa gasped, and tears briefly appeared in her eyes before she jumped at Evelyn, finally taking her up on the hug she’d offered earlier. Evelyn hugged her tight, her tail softly massaging her back. “That’s… I mean, I never knew much about what she did back then…” Tessa whispered into Evelyn’s shoulder. “What happened?”

“Long story short? Cassandra was being a power-hungry bitch, and your mother stopped her.”

The two of them laughed, though Tessa’s joy was heavily mixed with the sound of bittersweet crying. “Fuck yeah, mom.”

Deciding to give them space, Amara turned her attention back towards the table to focus on reheating all the food. By the time she’d gotten halfway through the meal, her mother had conjured an illusory chair and joined in, the two of them finishing the rest of the warming up much faster. Afterwards, everyone crowded around the table and the feast began.

Evelyn, despite having seen much of the events from Amara’s point of view by reading her soul, was immensely curious about how exactly everyone had teamed up to stop Davenport and Gautier. Chloé went first, explaining how she accidentally overheard their plans while struggling to regain her memories, and then eventually reforming in front of everyone and sharing the unfortunate news. While they were on the topic, she did her best to answer some of Evelyn’s questions about her strange ethereal affliction. While Evelyn admitted she’d never seen anything like Chloé before, she was optimistic that Chloé’s control over her form indicated that she wouldn’t be wasting away any time soon.

Tessa eventually chipped in, sharing her perspective on Amara’s rampage, and how they managed to talk Elizabeth and Palesa into helping them out. She explained their plan to take out the coven’s siphons, and how she’d been ambushed underneath the Science Building. Above all else, she couldn’t stop raving about how much of a badass Chloé had been in the first fight against Gautier, saving Tessa’s life over and over in the mad dash to escape.

Before they jumped into discussion of the big fight in the Demali Forest Preserve, they also let Nick explain his side of the story, which was something no one present had heard anything about before now. He shared how, with Imani’s help, they’d contacted all the other witches in the coven and warned them about a pending incursion. Several witches present had low levels of detection magic, and with their skills the coven was able to completely evacuate the immediate area around the indicated field.

Finally, everyone was simply too excited to avoid talking about the big fight any longer. They all gushed about their favorite moments, but also the times where the mad coven heads had scared them senseless. Gautier in particular had been incredibly imposing, throwing trees and cars around like they were toys, all in the pursuit of killing Tessa.

“—and I was terrified because the car was flying faster than me, and then WHOOSH! Amara comes charging in with a hellfire rocket behind her, and she CAUGHT THE CAR!!” Chloé said, her words almost slurring together in her haste to share the story.

“Wait, the whole car?” Nick asked.

“The WHOLE thing, Nick, it was crazy!!” Tessa said, fighting Vee for the last of the brussels sprouts.

“Fuck yeah! I knew you had it in you!” he said excitedly.

“It was SO fucking heavy, you guys,” Amara admitted. “Don’t get used to me chucking cars around like baseballs.” She piled more potatoes on her plate, and the conversation continued.

They all spent nearly two hours talking and swapping stories about the fight, though eventually the conversation pivoted to all the crazy nonsense that had plagued the University over the last few months. They talked about Imani, the witch that would be transferring in next semester, and they wondered what nonsense they might have to face down next while they attempted to figure out a way to close the Gate.

Above all else, it was clear that everyone was thrilled to be in each other’s company. Amara sat between Evelyn and Vee, and couldn’t stop beaming with happiness over seeing everyone get along so well. When she wasn’t talking, she was eagerly listening to her friends talk about magic and monsters while she held hands with Vee, or twirled her tail around her mother’s tail just to enjoy her company. Even Nick and Tessa proved unusually affectionate, and although she desperately wanted to playfully sass Tessa, she held her tongue. She was simply thrilled to see her friends enjoying a meal together.

Once the sun set, and the food had mostly disappeared from the table, everyone gradually migrated to the couches in the living room. Chloé disappeared behind the television to mess around with the wires, while Amara and Evelyn stayed behind to clean up the leftovers. Between the two of them, they finished the task incredibly quickly, and Evelyn excused herself to the bathroom while Amara briefly rejoined her friends.

Nick and Tessa were cuddling on the loveseat, while Vee sat on the couch with a controller in her hands. Chloé had apparently set up one of her gaming consoles, and was hovering next to Vee as the angel attempted to learn the basics of the game.

“Okay, so that’s jump, and then this button looks like my sword attack?” Vee asked Chloé.

“Yeah! I mean, technically it’s not a sword, it’s a nail, ‘cuz you’re just a bug, but that doesn’t really matter,” Chloé said.

“Aww, that’s cute,” Nick said.

“I get the controller the next time you die, Vee!” Tessa said excitedly.

Amara joined in the fun, kissing Vee on the cheek as she joined them all on the couch. She’d briefly seen Chloé play this game before, though she’d forgotten many of the details. “You said they’re making another one, right?” she asked.

“They are!” Chloé said excitedly. “I’m hoping it’ll be out soon, but they haven’t said too much about it. It was originally a stretch goal for their Kickstarter, but—”

Chloé’s words were cut off as a monster caught Vee off guard, taking away the last of her health and killing her. Tessa excitedly jumped up, stealing the controller from Vee and starting her turn. In the middle of this exchange, however, Amara cast her thoughts back to her mother, and something finally clicked.

Wait, she doesn’t need the bathroom. What’s she doing?

Excusing herself from the group, Amara wandered towards the hallway to try and find her mother. As she expected, the door to the bathroom was open, though Amara’s bedroom was closed. From inside, she heard the faint sounds of sniffling. She nervously knocked on the door, then called out, “Mom? Can I come in?”

“Absolutely, dear!” Evelyn said.

When Amara opened the door, her mother seemed in perfect shape. There weren’t any traces of distress on her face, though it was impossible not to notice the faint smell of salt lingering in the air. She walked over to her mother, gently wrapped her tail around her waist, then asked, “What’s the matter, mom?”

“Nothing, I promise! I was just excusing myself for a moment to catch my breath.”

“Mom…” Amara gave a stern look to her mother. “My senses are just as delicate as yours. I heard you crying from the hallway, and I can still smell the salt from your tears.”

“Ugh, you were so much easier to fool when you were a child,” Evelyn said. After a moment, her facade broke, and she leaned against Amara for support. “It’s just… I’ve always wanted a family. Long ago, back when I first met your father, I thought there was a small chance we’d be able to live a happy life together, but the world had other plans. I had to return to Hell, and when I got back…” Evelyn paused, choking up slightly as she dug through all memories. Amara placed a hand on hers, urging her to continue. “After I lost him, I assumed my chance was gone. That I’d never have a real family, and even if I did, they would never know who I really was. Now? Look at everything you’ve accomplished, Amara. You’re surrounded by people that love you for who you are, and now they’ve extended that same welcome to me, despite knowing what I am.”

After a brief pause, Evelyn looked over to Amara and continued. “I was terrified when I learned you were a demon. I thought I’d condemned you to an endless life of misery as you fought back the forces of Heaven and Hell, but… I’m so proud of you, Amara. I’m so proud of everything you’ve accomplished. I just wish your father could see you like this, I know he’d feel the same.”

Evelyn’s tail moved to Amara’s waist, hugging her tight as they leaned against each other. “Now that things have quieted down a little, can you tell me more about dad?”

“I’d love to, dear, but not right now. It’s Christmas, all your friends are here, and you should be out there celebrating your big victory. Not wallowing in the past here with me. We’ll find a day sometime soon, and I’ll tell you all about him.”

The two of them allowed their tender moment to continue a little longer, and eventually decided to rejoin the group when a rowdy shout of excitement rang out from the living room. Amara eagerly sat next to Vee, hooking their arms together and cuddling up while they watched Nick take a turn at the game next. Evelyn sat on the couch as well, happily making small talk with everyone while politely declining the chance to play herself.

As the night stretched on, and the memories of their meal began to weigh everyone down more and more, the energy in Amara’s apartment slowly dwindled. They decided to stop gaming for the evening, and instead put on a cheesy Christmas movie while they still had the excuse of today’s date to watch one. When the group couldn’t decide on which movie to pick, Evelyn suggested they watch It’s A Wonderful Life, and when everyone else admitted to never having seen it, they agreed it would be fun to share their first watch together.

The tale of George Bailey rediscovering his love of life through the aid of his very own guardian angel proved to be the perfect capstone for the holiday. Everyone found it hilarious that angels were featured so prominently in the movie, and while at first Amara was worried that the story of an angel earning his wings might be a sensitive topic for Vee, she didn’t seem the least bit fazed.

Although everyone enjoyed the movie, Amara, unsurprisingly, quickly became the most invested. As the credits rolled on the final scene, she was squeezing Vee tight and crying onto her shoulder, absolutely overjoyed by how happy she was that everyone had gotten a happy ending.

With the movie over, everyone decided it was time to call it a night. Tessa and Nick bid farewell first, taking a few containers of leftovers with them as well. Chloé left next, although her exit was much more confusing. She had no need to leave through the door, or even to get dressed, and she simply left by floating through the exterior wall as she headed home. Evelyn, without any more pressing issues, once again congratulated Amara and Vee before summoning winter clothing appropriate for the weather. Despite not needing to sleep, she indicated she would be renting a hotel room to keep up appearances of simply visiting her daughter for the holidays.

The front door closed behind Evelyn, and suddenly Amara and Vee were alone once more. Vee let out a heavy sigh, collapsing into Amara’s arms while hugging her tight. “Can we go snuggle up in bed, love? I’m exhausted,” Vee grumbled.

Hugging her girlfriend tight, Amara kissed her forehead before starting towards the bedroom. “Of course, sleepyhead. Do you want me to carry you?”

Vee nodded eagerly, and Amara quickly wrapped her tail around Vee to help pick her up. As Amara walked through her apartment, she turned off all the lights and double checked that the oven was turned off. Vee was almost asleep by the time Amara set her down in bed, and she immediately burrowed under the covers before taking off her pants and sweater. She threw them on the floor, then reached for Amara to pull her under the covers as well.

She summoned her wings first, just to make sure they didn’t appear in the middle of the night and hurt Vee, then happily joined her lover in bed. They hugged each other close, Amara’s tail and wings cradling Vee as she nestled into Amara’s shoulder.

“Mmmm you’re so warm,” Vee whispered sleepily. “Thank goodness only one of us has wings, I can’t imagine how we’d cuddle otherwise.”

“You’re not jealous that Clarence the guardian angel got his wings before you?” Amara joked.

“Psh, I’m long past caring about how strong I am, or if I have my wings or not. Maybe one day I’ll get them, maybe not. I’ve got everything I truly want right here with you, Amara.”

They kissed briefly before Vee turned around, once again pushing her back to Amara, who in turn hugged her close. “Well, supposedly, every time a bell rings, an angel gets their wings. Should I just start ringing a bunch of bells until they finally appear?”

Vee chuckled in Amara’s arms. “Please, we both know it’s not that simple. Plus, if they appear now, you’re about to get a face full of feathers.”

“Ooh, good point. I guess I’ll have to settle for cuddling with my amazing girlfriend.” Amara pulled Vee even closer, the two nuzzling their cheeks together before finally settling in for the night. After all the excitement of the day, they were both exhausted, and it didn’t take long for their breathing to slow and their heads to grow heavy.

“Good night, Amara,” Vee whispered. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Vee,” Amara whispered back. “Sleep tight, and I’ll see you in the morning.”

Wrapped up in each other’s arms, the two girls were asleep within minutes. Outside, a soft snowstorm descended on the campus, blanketing the University in a fresh coat of snow as if the weather itself were celebrating the holiday. Miles above the campus, unseen by most students, the magical leylines of the world intersected, their magic intermingling with the ambient energy now flowing freely towards Earth from all the other planes of existence. Such a confluence of energy hadn’t been seen above Aurelius in hundreds of years, but with the magic restored, the true brilliance of cosmos was free to celebrate as well.

Miles above the sky, barely visible due to the snowstorm, soft ribbons of lights slowly appeared. They danced around, between, and across each other, creating a breathtaking canvas of blues, purples, and greens. All over the city, people slept calmly, unaware of how drastically the world had changed these last few months. They were unaware of the magical nature of the campus, and unaware of the invisible struggle to keep the world safe from harm. They were unaware of the mortal demon and her rebel angel, nestled peacefully in each other’s arms, and they were unaware of how drastically the world around them was about to change.

For tonight, however, everything was at peace.