chapter 5(b)

The devils Kiss:A succubus' hunger

The Cage of Silk and Shadows

Angus sat hunched over his laptop, the glow of the screen illuminating the dark circles under his eyes. His fingers trembled as he typed, the keys clattering like a frantic heartbeat.

*Entry #127: She did it again. Made me feel small. Weak. When she looks at me, I can't say no—can't even* think *no. I summoned her to cure my loneliness, but she's become the disease. She drinks my fear like wine, and I let her. Who'd believe me? A 6'4" man, reduced to a puppet by a creature he invited in?*

*There's a man on this train. Caden. He knows what she is. Is he a victim? A hunter? Or something worse? He doesn't flinch at pain. Doesn't bleed right. I saw his eyes when the tea spilled—black veins, just for a second. Not human. Not anymore.*

*All I want for my birthday is freedom. But Selene... she wants to own me. To humiliate me. She laughs when I call her "Mommy," and I hate how part of me* needs *it. I don't hate her. I fear her. Fear the way my body betrays me. Fear that—*

The cabin door creaked open.

Angus slammed the laptop shut, but it was too late. Selene stood in the doorway, her silhouette backlit by the corridor's dim light. She stepped inside, her hips swaying with predatory grace, and the air thickened with the scent of jasmine and burnt sugar.

"What are you doing, little twink?" she purred, her voice velvet wrapped around a blade.

"N-Nothing," Angus stammered, his throat tight.

Selene leaned over him, her breath warm against his ear. "That doesn't *look* like nothing." Her hand slid down his chest, her claws pricking through his shirt. "But your guilt... it's delicious. Makes me want to pin you to the floor, strip you bare, and make you sob while I read every word."

Angus flinched. "I-I can show you—"

"No need." She snatched the laptop and tossed it onto the nightstand, the screen cracking. "I can *snoop* anytime. Or I can just take what I want." Her tail coiled around his wrist, yanking him to his feet. "You're *mine*, Angus. Your secrets, your shame... they're mine too."

She shoved him onto the bed, her strength effortless, and climbed atop him. Her dress pooled on the floor like a puddle of blood. "I love you," she whispered, her lips brushing his forehead. "You'll never believe it. You'll call it lust, obsession... but it's love. *My* kind of love."

Angus stared up at her, his dark eyes wide and glassy. "Happy birthday, honey," she murmured, her thumb tracing the hollow of his throat. "I have a gift for you. But you'll have to wait."

Her gaze softened—or maybe it was a trick of the light. For a moment, she looked almost human. Vulnerable. Then she rolled away, her tail flicking lazily as she settled into the pillows. "Sleep now. You'll need your strength."

Angus didn't move. He watched her chest rise and fall, her skin paler than usual. *She gave too much blood to Caden,* He knew nothing about it but realized something . *She's weak.* The thought should've brought him hope. Instead, it terrified him.

Because if Selene was weak, what would she do to regain her power?

The train burst from the underwater tunnel, sunlight cascading through the windows as the cabin shifted from turquoise to vibrant greens and golds. The jungle outside hummed with life—birdsong, rustling leaves, the distant roar of a waterfall. But inside, the air was thick with tension.

Selene's tail coiled around Angus's neck, not to choke, but to command his attention. Her eyes, usually glowing with predatory hunger, were softer now, almost human.

"Look at me," she said, her voice a low purr that sent shivers down his spine.

He obeyed, his dark eyes meeting hers. For a moment, neither spoke.

"I know," she whispered, her thumb brushing his jaw. "I know how you *burn* inside. You want to be more than my pet. You want to be... a *man*." Her laughter was hollow, devoid of its usual cruelty. "But Angus, my love, you already are. You just don't see it."

She slid off his lap and knelt before him, her tail unraveling from his neck to curl limply at her side. The gesture was so foreign, so *vulnerable*, that Angus froze. Selene pressed her lips to his boots, her shoulders trembling—not with malice, but something raw.

"You think I don't feel your fear?" she said, her voice muffled. "You think I don't taste your tears in the dark?" She looked up, and for the first time, Angus saw it—a single black tear tracing her cheek. "But beneath that fear, there's... *sorrow*. Not for freedom. For *yourself*. For the man you think you've lost."

Her claws retracted, replaced by trembling fingers that gripped his knees. "Our pact is eternal no man or demon can undo it. But tonight, I... I want to *give* you something. Not a trick. Not a game." She swallowed hard, the words sticking like ash. "At the villa, there's a surprise waiting for you. Something no one else could give you. Something... *just for you*."

Angus's breath hitched. "What is it?"

Selene's lips curved into a sly smile. "If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?" Her voice hardened, the demon resurfacing. "But cross me, and I'll carve that pretty heart out and wear it as a pendant."

Then, softer: "You wanted a companion. Not a monster. Tonight... I'll try."

She laid her head in his lap, her tail twitching weakly. Angus hesitated, then brushed a hand through her hair—silken, cold, alive with a faint hum of magic. She shuddered, a low, wounded sound escaping her throat.

Outside, the jungle roared to life—cicadas, howler monkeys, the screech of unseen things. But inside, there was only the rhythm of Selene's breath, slowing as she drifted into uneasy sleep.

Angus stared at her, his mind racing. *A surprise. Just for me.* Was it a trap? A new game? Or...

His fingers tightened in her hair. For the first time in years, he felt it—a spark, not of fear, but *power*.

Selene stirred, murmuring in her sleep: *"Mine."*

But Angus smiled.