Chapter 8

When Nick finally arrived, Amara was standing perfectly still in the middle of the living room, her hands held high. Fire surrounded her fingers and palms, and she was pretty sure she could feel heat emanating from her horns as well. Her phone lay on the floor next to her, its case blackened and warped.

“Niiiiick this is really scary!” She shouted. Fear kept her perfectly still, she didn’t want to risk setting the house on fire.

Nick’s eyes were wide, his chest heaving from the sprint over here. He had clearly gotten dressed in a hurry, and was wearing what looked like very loose-fitting pajamas. “Okay, cliff notes, what happened?!”

“I was on my way home, and I ran into Derek, but he was super drunk and we kinda fought a bit, and then I got really angry and suddenly my hands were on fire and then he was on fire and he ran away and now I can’t stop and I’m scared if I move I’ll set something on fire and I don’t know what to do!” Amara was talking a mile a minute, her words bleeding together as she tried to stay calm.

Moving closer, Nick held up his hands to mirror hers. “Okay, wow, that’s a lot to take in, but we can get through this. Eyes on me, match my breathing.” He made a show of taking big breaths, trying to calm her down. “We can get this under control, alright?”

Amara nodded, her eyes locked on Nick’s. She already felt better with him here, but the flames on her hands refused to go out. “Okay, deep breaths, I can do this, I can do this...” She watched as he moved closer, and soon they were only a few feet apart. “How bad is it?”

He laughed nervously at the question, then took a minute to look her over. “Well, you’re not Vee anymore. Your hands are on fire, and so are your horns, which also seem to have grown a fair amount. They’ve practically doubled in size. Wings are still gone, though.”

“Okay, that’s honestly better than I expected.” She forced a laugh, trying to fill the silence. “So, options, what can we do about this?”

Nick furrowed his eyebrows, deep in thought. “Oh! Didn’t Evelyn make you buy a fire extinguisher?”

“Yes! That’s perfect! It’s in the hall closet!” She pointed down the hall, then jumped in surprise when a small ember jumped off her finger and floated a few inches before vanishing. ‘Fuck! Sorry!”

It only took a few minutes for Nick to ready the extinguisher, and they moved to the hard floor in front of the main entrance. “Hands first? I’d feel weird starting with your horns.”

“What, you’re not into facials?” Amara laughed again as she pushed her hands forward.

He rolled his eyes before pulling the trigger. A cloud of powder burst from the nozzle, covering Amara’s hands as she jumped in surprise. They both froze for a moment, waiting to see what would happen, and after a few seconds the flames returned.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” She groaned in frustration.

“Hey, at least we’ve learned something. I had a feeling this wasn’t normal fire, the purple tint makes no sense. It must be magically resistant somehow.” He put the extinguisher down before grabbing a towel to clean up the floor.

“That’s cool and all, but it doesn’t help me right now. What else can we try?” She leaned against the kitchen counter as she waited for Nick to finish cleaning.

“Well, there might only be one option left...” He sighed as he threw the towel aside. “The one thing that seems most effective with you.”

They locked eyes, and a moment later Amara figured out what he meant.

“Seriously? Now?”

Nick shrugged. “Hey, you’re the one with sex-fueled superpowers.”

Amara grew quiet, admitting that Nick had a point. She looked at him and nodded in agreement. “Alright, it’s worth a shot. How do we do this? I can’t really use my hands...”

“Some people would consider that a turn on, actually.” Nick stepped closer, his aura stirring as he walked. “Ever thought about trying bondage?”

“It may have crossed my mind a few times. You?”

“Tried it once or twice, I think it’s pretty fun!” He knelt down in front of her, his hands moving up her legs. “Not an option now, what with the fire hazard, but maybe something to try later.”

He pushed her sweater up, exposing her toned stomach, and lightly kissed her. She bit her lip as he explored her waist, his hands pulling her pants down slowly. A cool breeze tickled her hips, but the tingling sensation was soon replaced by Nick’s hands.

He grabbed her exposed hips, holding her tight as he tenderly bit them. She yelped impulsively, then giggled as he kept pushing her pants down.

“Mmm fuck, when did you become a biter?” She asked.

“You seem to enjoy it, I thought I’d turn the tables since you can’t use your hands.” He smirked, then bit the other side of her hips. She jumped again, then felt her pants hit the floor. Nick helped her pull her shoes and socks off, and soon she was eagerly kicking her pants to the side as well.

When he returned his lips to her thighs, she moaned softly. He was taking his time, which was perfect. With each passing moment, each teasing kiss, the panic from earlier faded. The tension gradually left her body, replaced by an all too familiar demonic itch.

He continued to tease her, biting the sensitive skin inside her thighs. She wanted so badly to grab his head, to make him pleasure her more directly, but she knew she had to keep her hands safely in the air.

Instead, a different thought crossed her mind. Adjusting her stance, she moved her tail between her legs and reached for Nick. He was still kneeling on the floor, and her tail traced up his legs before finding a hard bulge in his pants. She massaged it slowly, exploring what she could do with her tail.

Nick responded by hooking fingers into her panties, pulling them down frustratingly slowly. He kissed each inch of skin that he exposed, and she moaned when she felt his lips on her sensitive clit.

“Yes, please taste me...” She whispered, eager to feel more.

Amara twitched when his tongue ran over her pussy, her body tingling with excitement. He moved it back and forth, each time teasing her entrance as she pushed her hips into him.

Her tail moved up, pushing into his pants in an attempt to return the favor. It wrapped around his shaft, and she carefully started stroking him.

“Fuck, that’s new!” Nick whispered, his breath hot against her sex.

Amara grinned at his surprise. “Good new, or bad new?”

He dug his nails into her hips to make her squirm again. “Very good! Just ... surprising, it feels like a snake is giving me a handjob.”

They both laughed, but Amara’s voice quickly gave way to more moaning as Nick pushed a finger into her. He pushed deep, curling it the way he knew she loved. His free hand dug into her ass, pulling her close as a second finger entered her.

Moaning even louder, her tail squeezed his cock tight. “Mmmmyes that feels amazing!”

His fingers pulled back, almost leaving her, before pushing in hard. He started fucking her in long, slow strides, his fingers wet from her arousal. He kissed her clit again, teasing it with his tongue as he picked up the pace. She could feel her body tensing, an orgasm starting to build as he kept fingering her.

Nick was focused on her pleasure much more than usual, and the effect it was having was incredible. Before long, a slow, rumbling orgasm surged through her body, catching her completely by surprise.

“Nick! Don’t fucking stop!” She moaned, her body tensing around his fingers. He kept a steady pace as he continued, his tongue continuing to massage her clit.

As she came, her body convulsing against the kitchen counter, she felt her senses expand once more. She connected with the space around her, and her apartment seemed more vivid than ever. The flames surrounding her hands and horns suddenly felt safe, as if they were just another extension of her body.

It took a minute for her orgasm to stop, and once it did, she looked down at Nick. He slowly pulled his fingers out, his eyes jumping to the fire in her hands.

“Fire’s still going, can you put it out now?” He asked.

“I think I’ve got a bit more control? But that’s not how this works, Nick.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m a succubus, I need to feed on your arousal, your sex, not mine.” She tensed her tail again, teasing his cock. “If masturbating could power my abilities, I’d be ruling Hell by now. How do you want me?”

“Let me lay down, I think that will be the safest.” Nick pulled back, his cock leaving her tail’s grasp, and started pulling his clothes off.

Once he was finally naked, Amara stood over him, her eyes glued on his cock. Using her tail, she carefully straddled him, lining up her entrance. She almost moved for a kiss before remembering that her horns were on fire too. Her arms were starting to get tired, and she hoped she would be able to get rid of all the fire after this.

Her tail, no longer supporting her weight, moved to his cock again. She wrapped around his shaft, testing all her different muscles as she teased him. His aura grew brighter as she stroked him, her flared tip playing with the head of his cock.

“Ready to be inside me, Nick?” She asked, taking full advantage of his love of dirty talk.

He nodded slowly, his body twitching as she kept stroking him with her tail. It finally loosened its grip, aiming his shaft at her entrance before she sat down completely. Moving her tail out of the way, she gasped as she started to ride Nick. Slow, purposely strokes, mimicking what he did to her just minutes earlier.

She watched his aura eagerly, adjusting her rhythm and angle to make it as bright as possible. Nick’s moans grew louder as she did, his body thrusting deep into her.

“Fuck, Amara, you get better every time...” He whispered.

“You love it, don’t you? Having your own personal demonic sex toy?” Amara kept bouncing on his cock, her hands grabbing her horns as she rode him. “I’m such a slut for this cock, I’d do anything to keep feeding on you!”

Her words strengthened his aura further, and Nick’s hands moved to her legs as she picked up the pace. She focused on her newfound sense of control, reaching out with her senses to connect with his aura, and began to draw strength from it. While it had no conventional taste, she felt as if she suddenly had ambrosia coursing through her veins.

She kept a comfortable pace, taking care not to push Nick too far as she continued to feed on his sexual energy. She was amazed at how much insight she gained from his aura; it was incredibly easy to move him closer to, or further from, his orgasm.

“Don’t think I can’t see what you’re doing, you’re such a tease!” Nick whispered, his thrusts still meeting hers.

“Who, me? I’m just an innocent little college student...” She playfully bit a finger, flames dancing up the side of her face. Her eyes grew brighter, and this time she had a feeling their flare was a bit more literal.

“Well, if you’re not in control, then I think I’ll take what I want!” Nick shifted his hands, holding Amara’s hips slightly, and started fucking her faster.

She watched as his aura grew quickly, its intensity pushing more energy into her. She felt her own body start to betray her, to ask for another orgasm, and she had every intent of letting that happen.

“I’m close!” Nick gripped her legs tight, his body tensing. As his orgasm approached, Amara did everything she could to fuck Nick back, looking for another climax of her own.

She moved her hands off her horns, instead grabbing her sweater. Her tail joined in, wrapping around her torso as she started cumming hard, her screams filling the room.

With one final thrust, Nick’s orgasm joined hers, his cock emptying its load into her. Amara’s hips twitched as she came, her senses overwhelmed with pleasure. Her tail burst into flame, joining with the fire on her hands to turn her torso into a small inferno.

Nick’s hips continued bucking with pleasure as he finished cumming, but soon the moment started to pass. His body relaxed onto the floor, and it only took another few seconds until Amara felt her own tension ease as well.

As her breathing relaxed, she focused on the flames surrounding her body. She closed her eyes, connected with the fire, and tried to extinguish it. The flames dwindled, eventually dying out completely, but their potent energy lived on. Amara pulled it inside of herself, where it nestled comfortably.

When Nick opened his eyes, they immediately went wide with panic. “Fucking hell, Amara!”

“Are you okay? I didn’t hurt you, did I?!” Amara looked down, scared she might see burns on Nick’s clothes.

“I’m fine, but I could feel how intense the fire got. And look at your sweater!”

Looking down, Amara saw her tail was still wrapped around her chest. When she uncurled it, she realized the parts of the sweater it had covered were completely burned away. She was effectively wearing an elaborate, burnt ribbon for a shirt, and she was shocked it hadn’t fallen apart yet.

“Well,” Amara said, looking at Nick, “how does it feel to fuck the hottest girl on campus?”

Nick groaned, his head hitting the floor. “Can I assume the terrible joke means you’re feeling better?”

Amara slowly got off Nick, his semi-hard cock leaving her body. She stood up, holding her hands out in front of her, and looked down at Nick. “You tell me! Any fire?”

He took his time getting up, making sure to pull his underwear back on, then looked Amara up and down. “Not a single spark! What do you feel like? Is there control? Or does it feel like the first shapeshift?”

“I can still feel the fire, but now it’s inside of me? I think if I focus...” Amara paused, holding out a hand. She focused on the energy she’d moved earlier and tried to pull it into her palm.

Within moments, a flame appeared in her hand. She giggled as she watched it, running her fingers through the fire. The extent of her heat resistance finally hit her; she knew how hot the fire was but couldn’t feel it in the slightest.

“AHH look at it! It’s so cute!” Amara tested her control, bouncing the flame between her hands as Nick watched.

“Wow, that’s ... incredible! Let’s try to be careful with this, alright? We have no idea how this compares to regular fire.” Nick’s face was, comparatively, filled with caution. “How about we put it out for now and test something else. What about your wings?”

Amara nodded, recognizing Nick’s wisdom. She put the fire out, pulling its energy inside herself again.

Next, she shifted her attention to her demonic body parts. She flexed her tail, pulling it in front of her. Content that it existed, she then tried to connect with her wings. While she couldn’t flex and engage them the way she had with her tail, she could still sense their presence.

Curious, she tried to reach for them, to pull them forward the same way she’d done with the fire. With a dull flash of light, and a small scattering of fire, her wings suddenly reappeared on her back. As they did, she heard a ripping noise, and watched the charred remains of her sweater fall to the floor.

Amara jumped for joy, running to Nick and squeezing him tight. In her excitement, she even picked him up, spinning him around slightly.

“NICK! This is incredible, thank you so much!” When she finally put him down, he gasped for air. “Oh, uh, sorry. I don’t think I know my own strength...”

“Well, in your defense, it’s been growing exponentially for the last few weeks.” He coughed again while rolling out his shoulders. “Maybe we should start tracking it? Who knows, you might be throwing cars around by Christmas.”

“Could you imagine?!” Amara jumped around the room for a moment before speaking again. “Okay, moment of truth, it’s shapeshifting time. Who should I be?”

Nick moved to the nearby couch and took a seat. “You think that’s a good idea? What if you get stuck again?”

“C’mon Nick, I gotta try! Pick someone!”

“Alright alright. You’ve already been Vee, how about Tessa? If something goes wrong at least you’ll be able to talk to her about it.”

Amara nodded her head, then closed her eyes. Connecting with that energy, that inner fire, felt comfortable. It seemed to be the source of her abilities, it could manifest her wings, it could appear as fire, but could it do more? Focusing on it, she pictured Tessa, then tried to turn that fire inward.

It took a few moments, but soon she felt a tingling sensation in her body. It was warm, coursing through her body in a fraction of a second, and then she opened her eyes.

“Anything?” Amara immediately noticed that her voice was different, a little lower than usual.

“Oh, that’s weird...” Nick mumbled, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

“What? What’d I do?!”

“It’s just ... I’ve never seen Tessa without any eyeliner or piercings before.” Nick paused a moment before his concerned facade broke, betraying his ruse.

“You can be such an asshole sometimes!” Amara sat down next to him, pulling out her phone and turning on the camera.

Sure enough, the body staring back at her was convincingly Tessa. She shimmed in excitement before looking herself over, marveling at the changes. “You’re completely right though, I barely look like Tessa at all. I’ve seen her once or twice without her makeup, but the piercings too? Wild!”

Before turning the camera off, Amara took a few selfies and sent them to Tessa. She giggled maliciously, then turned back to Nick. “Time to turn back!”

“You might want to stand up again, there’s fire when you shift.” Nick added.

In the middle of the room again, Amara repeated her previous actions. She connected with her inner fire, aimed it at herself, and pictured ... well, herself. The same sensation from earlier washed over her, and within seconds she knew it had worked. It felt a little strained this time, as if her strength were wearing thin, but her body was hers once again.

This time, however, she hadn’t manifested her demonic features. She pushed her hands through her hair, confirmed the lack of horns, then did the same with her low back.

“Looks like you’re getting pretty good at this!” Nick said. “Did you get rid of the tail and horns on purpose?”

“I did! This solves all my wardrobe problems!” She remembered she wasn’t wearing her sweater anymore and picked it up off the floor. “Although, it seems like I need to be careful when I bring my wings out.”

“Good thing the sweater was already destroyed, right?” Nick yawned, leaning back on the couch. “Now, no offense Amara, but I don’t normally get up this early ... Can I crash here for a bit?”

“Now that you mention it...” Amara yawned herself, checking the time. “I was about to go to sleep when everything caught on fire, and the shapeshifting definitely took more energy than I anticipated. Maybe we should both get some sleep?”