We’re Addictive

"Aunt Becca?" Dorian called out. She shook her head slightly and held it for a few seconds.

"I think I stayed in the bath too long. I only noticed you came by because of the noise from the bike."

Dorian nodded and walked to the kitchen, glancing back at his aunt, who seemed a little out of it.

[Hey, what are you doing, man? Why does she look a little lost?]

Dorian called out to Yamir, the most likely suspect behind his aunt's strange behavior.

[She's a tough cookie, alright… might need to work on her a few times before she really gets into you in another kind of way, kid.]

Dorian froze mid-step, turning his gaze back to his aunt, who was watching him. She quickly looked away when she noticed his stare.

"I'll head off to bed… yeah, I think I spent too much time in there. Sleep well, Dory."

She slowly made her way upstairs, scratching her head as if struggling with some internal thought.

[Yamir, I know what you think about her and I can't lie, she's fucking gorgeous but come on. She has a husband and a kid. A kid my age… There are lines I can't cross.]

Still, Dorian swallowed hard. That deadbeat husband didn't deserve her.

And his non-blood-related cousin? She seemed to have left the house, which was probably why his aunt didn't want to talk about Ashley at the moment.

[Nah, you're going to have her. Mark my words, "Dory." As an Incubus, I can't let you go without certain pleasures. And taking someone who needs it like her from a guy who didn't deserve her? That's one of my creeds.]

Dorian couldn't help but gulp once more, he had just lost his virginity a day ago, today he enjoyed taking it from a beautiful girl, but having it with an older, more experience woman… he wondered what it would be like.

[Dude, you're filling up my mind with so much when I need to concentrate on university and making money, damn it!]

Dorian thought about the upcoming garage sale and how urgently he needed to start fixing up the rooms. He planned to get two tenants before the new school year began. He had to hurry and post the room availability online, and time was running out.

[Fine, leave your aunt for later… We'll tackle the money problem tomorrow. But remember you're an incubus now. A weak one, sure, but you still need to learn our ways. So, let's begin.]

Yamir cleared his throat, and Dorian found himself thankful he wasn't going full husky with it.

[I recall you thinking earlier that you didn't know what "marking" meant. That's because you weren't paying attention to the right parts. When you mark a girl, a faint glow will appear just above her womb. That's where our energy comes from; it all collects there.]

He paused, as if giving Dorian a moment to process the information.

"Ah… so that's why…"

[Guess you did notice. Just remember, we're not succubi who drain people dry. Bleh. That's not our style! What we thrive on is mutual passion, a woman's love and lust combined. That's what truly feeds us.]

"Alright… so tell me… like what else do I really need to know?"

[Well, I made the system simple so you could get the hang of your powers. I'm going to introduce the heart system next… it'll let you track each girl's emotional state and alert you to any danger.]

As Yamir spoke, ten softly glowing hearts appeared mid-air in front of Dorian like a translucent hologram, gently hovering in front of Dorian's line of sight. Each heart was lined in pink, and one of them pulsed faintly, half-filled with a glowing red liquid.

[See that? That's the gauge.]

The red liquid inside the first heart slowly drained away, leaving it empty.

[That's her passion fading. We don't just feed off them once and walk away. We have to maintain the bond. Feel your woman's passion, give her attention, let her shower you with affection. That's how you keep the hearts full. And when they're full, you're full.]

Dorian leaned forward slightly, eyes scanning the floating display. "So this is... Lina's? Or Emma's?"

[Doesn't matter who. You need to know and keep track of who's who. I'm not doing your homework, I'm just giving you the tools. Each girl gets her own gauge. Some fill fast… others will resist.]

Dorian nodded slowly, eyes fixed on the floating hearts. He had a feeling this one was Lina's.

And he had definitely forgotten to text her back.

Damn it!

[And when it empties because you forgot to 'CALL', flirt, check in, whatever? You lose access to her energy. Worse, another guy might fill it for you.]

Dorian winced, frown deepening. It felt like a slap across the face, even if it hadn't landed physically, it made him react, wanting to slap himself as well.

"So, you're telling me… they also work like loyalty markers?"

[Heh. Not loyalty but… desire.]

Yamir's voice was smug and, of course, very smooth.

[You see, there's a danger after a woman tastes what we Incubi do to them.]

Yamir's tone dropped into something more serious. The floating hearts pulsed faintly as he continued.

[We're addictive. Once a girl gets a taste of our power, she might go mad for it so desperate in fact that she starts looking for pleasure elsewhere just to feel something close.]

Dorian's brows drew together, the meaning of that statement sinking in.

[That's why I keep telling you always, always… always keep track of your girls. They're your power, yeah, but they're also your responsibility.]

Dorian gulped.

[Remember, we feed off them, sure, but we also need their affection. If something goes wrong… if you hurt her, neglect her, or let another guy swoop in? Don't blame me. That just means you weren't trying hard enough.]

Yamir let the silence linger a second before finishing.

[So, treat each one right. Give them time. Build the bond slowly. Romance them the right way, then you can add them to the harem. Only then can you really be a Cupid.]

There was a grin in his voice now.

[That's when you get the real perks. Thousands of women, like me. Well… in my real body, anyway.]

Dorian exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. "I guess… girls like Emma wouldn't be into the whole harem thing. So how would that even work? I mean, in your world, maybe that is fine, but here? Women just want to be normal couples."

[Ah, my friend, that is where your dream powers come in.]

Yamir's voice shifted, going from less of a lecture tone to more of a seductive one.

[Hypnotizing? That's for the weak. We're not vampires, chasing short-term cheap thrills with their gaze. We're Incubi—especially us Cupids. We build real bonds.]

Dorian said nothing, but he was starting to feel excited.

[Dreams are how you guide her.]

A flicker of red swirled around the heart gauge, as if responding to the idea.

[They let you explore every lust-filled fantasy she has. In that space in her own little world, there you will anchor her heart to you. You become the one constant she always returns to.]

[And slowly, gently… You help her accept what you need from her. Show her a world that goes beyond what she thought love could be and then bring that world into reality.]

Dorian stared at the faintly glowing hearts.

"You're serious about this, huh..."

[Deadly serious, kid. You want to keep their hearts? Then learn what makes them really passionate about, the dream worlds are enjoyable places where you can do the impossible...]