There was no waking from what had happened.
Rein opened his eyes slowly, but the world did not greet him with light—it pressed in with the weight of unspoken horror. He stared blankly at the ceiling, still and silent, the violet glow of hovering flames dancing in his vision. Something in his chest felt wrong. Not broken. Not bruised. Just… wrong.
He sat up slowly, and as his mind began to clear, it hit him—he was fine. No wounds. No pain. But… he remembered dying. More than once.
The memories didn't come as full images, but fragments—screams, pressure, pleasure, excitement, darkness. Her hands and tail feeling every part of him. Her lustful eyes. The way she looked at him like a toy that wouldn't break. The taste of blood in his mouth. The cold of the sheets beneath him and the heat of her breath against his skin.
He clutched his chest. It should've hurt. It should've burned. But there was nothing.
"She killed me," he whispered. The words didn't feel real. "She actually killed me."
And then brought him back somehow.
Again. And again.
He gagged, leaning forward, trembling as a wave of nausea rolled through him. But nothing came up. Just the bitter taste of fear and something else he couldn't name.
His gaze darted around the room, but he froze. The sight of the boys around him—*alive*—was a twisted contrast to the void gnawing at his insides. They were unconscious, their chests rising and falling faintly. But the ones who weren't breathing were dead. It felt like he was stuck in a nightmare that had repeated itself over and over again.
And then, he saw him.
Evan. The boy lay still on the floor, looking no different from the others, but his chest—barely rising and falling—was a fragile, shallow promise of life.
Rein scrambled toward him, hands shaking. His heart thundered, each breath coming too fast. He wanted to help, but the weight of dread held him still. "Please, wake up, Evan. You have to be alive."
But Evan didn't stir.
The weight of it hit him, crashing like a tidal wave. The boys around him—*they were dead*. But... he was alive. He should have been dead too.
The faintest voice echoed in his mind. *"She's coming for you."*
Rein jerked his head up, but it was too late.
The door creaked open, the air thickening, almost suffocating. She was there, the succubus. A figure bathed in shadows, her eyes gleaming as if she already owned everything in the room.
She stepped forward, her voice a soft whisper, but it felt like a scream in his mind.
"Awake already, sweet boy?" she purred. "I thought I'd have more time before I claimed you again."
Rein's heart slammed against his ribs, and his breath came in short gasps. She had *killed* him. Over and over again.
But now… now, he was alive.
Alive for her.
Alive for *this*.
His body froze, paralyzed by a mix of terror and disgust, while her eyes gleamed with sickening anticipation.
She wasn't done with him yet.
Not by a long shot.
She pinned him down on the bed again with a kiss that Rein failed to reject. As her hands swept from his neck down to his manhood, the succubus suddenly jerked up and clicked her tongue in annoyance.
Elsewhere, the mountain trail was silent save for the crunch of boots against stone and grass.
Kael tightened the strap on his scabbard, frustration in his jaw. "This isn't how it was supposed to go."
"No," Ciena agreed curtly. "We underestimated her. I did."
Diana trudged ahead of them, fists clenched. "I should've protected him. I saw it. I saw it happening and I couldn't move."
"You couldn't have known," Kael said, trying to sound firm. "You did your best."
"But my best wasn't enough!" she snapped, whirling on them. Her eyes burned with guilt and fury. "He's just a kid! He wasn't even supposed to be part of this—Ciena dragged him into it!"
"I know." Ciena's voice was low. "I know, Diana. And I regret it."
"But we can't turn back now," Kael added. "We lost him once. We're not losing him again."
They pressed on through thickening trees, nearing the base of the cliff where the succubus's lair was rumored to lie hidden. The sky above was thick with ominous clouds, a violet hue casting the world into shadow.
A sudden wave of pressure slammed into them.
Their breaths caught. Magic. Ancient, heavy, and seductive. The trees rustled with unnatural wind.
Then she appeared.
Floating from the cavern mouth ahead, her wings fanned wide and proud, glowing eyes trained on them with amusement.
"I see you've come to fetch him," she said with a sultry laugh. "How brave. And how foolish."
Her eyes settled on Diana.
"You lost him. And now you think you deserve a second chance?"
Kael gripped his sword. Diana raised her wand. Ciena's hands shimmered with arcane sigils.
"We're not here to beg," Kael growled.
She smiled wider. "Oh, I do love when they fight. It makes their essence so much tastier."
Lightning cracked above as the wind surged.
"Come then, children," she purred. "Let's see if you've grown since last time."