Chapter 25

Earlier that day

Amara’s vision was blurred, the edges of her world tinted with blood and anger. The fight against the possessed cultists had been going well, in her opinion, until multiple spears of Enochian energy had lodged themselves in her back. Now, as she leaned on Tessa to try and escape the cult’s headquarters, it was taking all of her strength to stay lucid.

“That will buy us some time, we need to move!” Vee shouted.

Amara was only briefly paying attention to the words, and was much more focused on the blinding wall of energy that had just sprang into existence next to her. She squeezed Tessa tight, then leaned closer to whisper. “Tess, if I don’t feed soon, things are gonna get ugly.”

The witch nodded, and soon all three girls were scrambling through the dim corridors in hopes of finding another exit. The hallways seemed to stretch on for an eternity, and Amara had no idea which path they were taking. She could feel blood dripping down her back, and could barely muster the strength to keep following Tessa. She heard a few whispers occasionally, the other girls complaining about the path, but soon enough they found an illusory wall that Tessa was able to start working on.

“Thank fuck,” Amara said, gasping. She moved to a nearby wall, leaning against it for support as she tried to focus on holding herself together. She only barely registered that Vee was moving closer and had started speaking.

“Amara, I ... I didn’t mean to—”

“Likely fucking story,” Amara snapped. She could feel the angelic energy lingering on Vee’s body, and the smell was pushing her closer to the edge. The two girls locked eyes for a moment before Tessa managed to bypass the illusion, giving everyone a chance to escape. It only took a brief minute for Vee to scout the area and Tessa to bring back the illusory wall.

“I think we’re safe, this looks like a pretty standard basement,” Vee said.

“Good. Amara, do you want to recover here, or at home?” Tessa turned to Amara, holding her shoulders gently. The touch excited Amara, fanning the flames that were already raging inside of her.

“Now.”

Amara grabbed Tessa’s waist and pulled her close, their lips meeting as Amara’s hands started exploring the witch’s body. Her tail curled around Tessa’s leg, holding it tight as it sought out her sex, eager to start pleasuring her. Amara began kissing Tessa’s neck next, licking and biting as she felt Tessa’s aura start to grow. They both wanted this, and Amara was sick of waiting.

Tessa said something to Vee, who was still standing around for some reason, but Amara wasn’t paying attention. She was more focused on undoing Tessa’s pants, on tasting her sweet cunt that she could smell growing wetter by the second.

A door closed nearby, and Tessa’s hands quickly found their way to Amara’s body. “We’re alone, finally,” the witch said.

“Good,” Amara said. She pulled away from Tessa, quickly moving behind her and pinning her to the wall. One hand grabbed Tessa’s hair, holding it tight as she kept Tessa’s face pushed against the bricks. The witch was clearly excited, her aura was growing brighter and brighter, and Amara moaned with delight as she began feeding. Strength poured into her, and she held Tessa tight as she began pulling her clothes off.

Soon enough, the witch’s pants were bunched around her knees, along with her panties, and Amara’s fingers had found Tessa’s sex. There was no time for subtlety, not when Amara was this hungry. She pushed her fingers inside Tessa, feeling the tight walls twitch as Tessa moaned aloud.

“Fuck, Amara, I’ve never seen you this rough before!” Tessa said, moaning quietly as Amara began playing with her clit.

“I know you like it,” Amara whispered, playfully biting Tessa’s ear.

Amara’s tail moved closer, slowly circling Tessa’s entrance before pushing inside. As her tail began thrusting, Amara stepped closer and pushed her own hips against Tessa’s ass. Both her hands moved down, wrapping around Tessa’s hips, and she started grinding against Tessa in time with the thrusts of her tail. Through her connection with Tessa’s aura, she could feel all the pleasure she was providing, and it made her shudder with excitement.

It was almost like she had a phallus of her own, and was using it to thrust deep into Tessa’s eager cunt. The tip of her tail twitched, and Amara’s moans joined Tessa’s as they continued fucking. Amara was being pleasured both through Tessa’s aura, and by grinding her own pussy against the witch’s bouncing ass.

Tessa was soon moaning even louder, and Amara knew it wouldn’t be long before she came. While she regretted not being able to draw this out, Amara knew they couldn’t linger in this strange basement. After another minute of frantic fucking, both girls tensed with excitement as their orgasms took them. They both came hard, Tessa’s hands forming fists as she steadied herself against the wall, and Amara pushing her tail even deeper into Tessa while biting the witch’s neck. Amara felt her senses expand, Tessa’s powerful orgasm restoring all the energy Amara had lost in attempting to recover from Vee’s attack. She felt her wounds close, and the Enochian energy that had been lingering dispersed as well.

Amara stepped back, happily running her hands through her hair as she took a breath of fresh air. She felt like herself now, no longer a ravenous beast, and she gently pulled her tail out of Tessa’s quivering sex.

“Fuck ... wow ... Amara, that was ... fuck.” Tessa was still leaning against the wall, her breathing heavy. Amara stepped to the side, softly tracing her fingers over Tessa’s cheek.

“I didn’t hurt you, did I? I kinda ... let loose a bit,” Amara said.

Tessa shook her head quickly. “Only the good kind of hurt, promise.” Despite Tessa’s words, Amara couldn’t help but notice that the witch was rubbing her neck, rolling her head back and forth as she winced.

Shit, did I push her too hard? The last time I felt those urges take over was back on Halloween, inside Vee’s circle. I don’t even remember that entire night ... At least this time I didn’t black out.

With a nervous smile, Amara squeezed Tessa’s shoulder before moving towards the open floor nearby. She pulled her clothes off, summoned a healthy amount of hellfire, and used it to remove all the blood from her body. The flames also seared away the lingering sweat, the grime, and Tessa’s delicious juices that had gotten stuck to her tail. After a minute of bathing in hellfire, Amara quickly got dressed again.

There was a soft knock at the basement door, and Tessa quickly answered. “We’re decent, Vee, you can come on in!”

As Vee walked inside, Amara couldn’t help but scowl. While the injuries had been healed, looking at Vee made her back tingle again. The girls took a few minutes to discuss the next steps, and Amara could feel the tension in the air. Sure, Vee seemed willing to meet them halfway, but now seeds of doubt had lodged themselves in Amara’s mind.

It was late in the evening the following day when the girls were able to meet up again. Amara had borrowed Nick’s key to the gymnastics building, as they needed both privacy and a wide-open space to practice. The day leading up to this strange rehearsal had been confusing, to say the least. After so many weeks of beating herself up, convinced that she could change Vee’s mind by just explaining herself, Amara was now skeptical. In their very first fight, supposedly as allies, Amara had wound up with a volley of holy arrows lodged in her back.

What if Tessa is right? I’ve been so focused on proving to Vee that I’m trustworthy, but ... I never bothered to ask the same about her. Am I so desperate for forgiveness that I’m blind to what’s in front of me?

Amara was waiting outside the gymnastics building, idly scrolling through her socials as she waited for Vee and Tessa to show up. She wore an outfit similar to yesterday, athletic shorts and a matching sports bra, though this time they were a deep, royal purple. Comfortable sweats covered them, but they were unfortunately not the same sweats from yesterday; those had been a tragic casualty of the fight. She’d briefly revisited the elevator in Lysander Hall, just in case, but her clothes were nowhere to be found.

Vee arrived first, unsurprisingly. “Hey Amara, any problems today?” she asked.

“Nothing really. I don’t think they’re stupid enough to cause a scene in public. Tess tells me that people who know about magic like to keep it hidden.” Amara’s words were tense. After being literally stabbed in the back yesterday, she was having trouble extending the same generosity to Vee that she’d mustered their last few run-ins.

“I’ve heard the same thing,” Vee said. They stood there awkwardly for another few minutes before Tessa arrived, and Amara was pretty sure they both sighed in relief.

Soon enough, all three girls were entering the gymnastics building, and Amara quickly ran over to the light switches. The bright fluorescent lights took a while to fully kick in, but soon the building was ready for action. Amara started by pulling her sweats off, and she immediately noticed a swell in Tessa’s aura. Amara was fully aware that her outfit was pretty revealing, but she needed as little coverage as possible to make sure her wings and tail had room to breathe. Though, she couldn’t deny that it was nice to have clothes that so perfectly showed off how athletic her demonic body had gotten.

Remembering Vee’s request from back in Whitmore Hall, Amara spoke up. “Alright Vee, I’m manifesting my true form, which means there’s going to be some fire. That okay?”

“Sure, go for it.”

With a burst of hellfire, Amara’s demonic features returned to her. She happily ran her hands over her horns, always happy to have them back, and noticed that they seemed to have grown again recently. They reached further back than usual, and were now starting to angle back up as they reached the back of her head. A quick check of her tail and wings revealed nothing else had changed, so she started stretching everything out in preparation.

Vee, presumably, wasn’t planning on wearing the same revealing clothing; she was wearing loose, white and gold running pants that cinched at the ankles, and a blue athletic jacket. She pulled out her Enochian Texts, casting a couple quick spells while Amara continued stretching. They were far enough apart that the angelic magic didn’t sting too much, but Amara certainly bristled at its presence.

“Alright, what’s the plan you two?” Tessa asked, leaning against a nearby pommel horse.

“What? Why is this on us?” Vee responded.

“You two are our heavy hitters and have the most varied abilities. You want me to explain everything I can do? I can make knives float and try to stab people. There, you know everything you need to know.”

“What about when you threw Brandon across the room?” Amara asked. “I know you said that was stressful, but it’s an option, right?”

“Not really. See, most magic has trace amounts of psychic energy to it, likely even yours and Vee’s. Your hellfire, for example, is an extension of you, but you still have to control it. Think of the psychic connection like a muscle, a necessary part of controlling any magic that’s not physically attached with musculature. Pretty much everyone has a low-level psychic field, which means they can try to resist magical effects. Some people are better than others, but generally, the more resolute you are, the more you can resist most magic.”

“So why did it work on Brandon?”

“Cuz he’s a weak little bitch, that’s why. He’s got no backbone, and he was terrified of me. Fear can be incredibly helpful for bypassing psychic resistance. A roomful of cultists and demons, though? Better to assume you won’t be able to just light them on fire. You’ll have better luck throwing fire at them, or lighting up your fists and beating them senseless.”

“Makes enough sense, I suppose,” Amara said. She looked to Vee, who seemed to be looking at Amara’s tail again, though she quickly averted her eyes. “Vee, you or me?”

Both girls looked at each other silently, the tension more than obvious. “You first,” Vee said.

Hardly surprised, Amara sighed and nodded. “Alright, fine. It’s pretty straightforward, honestly. I have enhanced vision, I can see in the dark as clear as day, and I can also see electrical signals. I’m not great at deciphering them, but I’m working on it. I can also see auras around everyone, which tell me if they’re horny, who they’re attracted to, when they last had sex, things like that. I don’t think any of that is going to be very helpful in a fight.”

Starting to feel antsy, Amara jumped up on the balance beam and continued warming up while she kept talking. “Physically, I’m much stronger. I can overpower Nick easily, and you both know how strong he is. My shapeshifting lets me grow a chitinous exoskeleton over my body, giving me natural protection, but I can also sharpen it to give myself claws, or turn my tail into a blade.”

To illustrate her point, Amara manifested her chitinous gauntlets and sharpened her tail, swishing it through the air as a demonstration. “I can do the same for my wings, and give myself a pretty hefty shield, but it weighs me down. I can summon hellfire and exert my willpower over existing flames. If you see purple fire, chances are I’m the one controlling it. I’m completely immune to fire myself, but as a side effect of that, it’s really hard for me to notice changes in temperature, even dramatic ones.”

A thought jumped into Amara’s head, and she decided to test her balance even further. She leaned forward, planting her hands on the balance beam, and kicked her legs over her head. It was a rocky start, but with the help of her tail, she found the motion came quite naturally to her. “That’s about it, honestly.”

Vee seemed surprised that Amara didn’t have more to say. “That’s it?”

“Um ... I guess I also dreamwalk, but it’s pretty sporadic, and I’m not sure how to control it yet. Even if I could, I doubt we’ll need that in a fight.”

Amara and Tessa looked at Vee expectantly. The angel let out a sigh of her own, no doubt regretting that she had to give up divine secrets, but she soon began talking. “Alright, my abilities are ... complicated. Long story short, angels wield the power of Creation, and our magic can manifest as almost anything we want. However, the more esoteric our desires are, the harder it’ll be to control the magic.”

“Is that why you stick to making weapons?” Amara asked.

“That’s part of it, yeah. Angelic magic can be incredibly taxing, and it takes years of training to prepare our bodies for it. I have an innate well of angelic energy of my own, but it’s pretty small. That’s why this book is so important.” Vee tapped her Enochian Texts, and they glowed slightly under her touch.

“This book is essentially a battery, a reservoir of holy magic that’s been cultivated for generations. These pages contain detailed descriptions of spells, knowledge on how to cast them, and the magic to do it. Traditionally, every angel that inherits this book adds a spell of their own, and future generations continue to iterate and perfect those spells. Those arrows I created came from an angel that roamed the Earth a few hundred years back, and they’re one of the most reliable offensive abilities I have.”

“You’ve also got a banishment spell in there, right?” Amara asked.

“I do, but ... you saw me try to cast it. It takes a while, and I can’t be interrupted. Best case scenario, I can try to trap someone in a circle to buy time, but it’s possible to break out.”

Amara couldn’t help but glare at Vee, watching her recount the events that led up to their fateful fight. “Okay, so you have a lot of options. You’ve also been training for this your whole life, whereas I’m just some idiot that happened to turn into a demon. Do you have any suggestions on strategies? Spells that might synergize with what I can do?”

“I’ve certainly been thinking about that, but it’s tough. If you weren’t a demon, I could probably try to enhance your abilities, make you stronger and faster, maybe even give you weapons of your own, but I think it’s safe to assume that my magic will always hurt you, even if it’s not aggressive.”

“Agreed,” Amara said. “Even that healing spell you cast on yourself stung pretty bad. We need something that will let us keep out of each other’s way.”

“There’s another wrinkle, too,” Vee continued. “Not all the cultists have been turned into demons yet. I fought one that was still human. Depending on what magic I use, they might be completely immune to it.”

“Wait, that’s it!” Tessa said, rejoining the conversation. “You can separate the demons and the humans!”

“How would that help?” Amara asked.

“It’s simple. On Halloween, Vee locked you inside a circle, right? Well, what if we did the opposite? Lock us both inside a barrier, so that the only people that can get through are humans! That way, Amara can focus entirely on the demons, while Vee can take out any non-possessed cultists that enter the field. If I’m inside the barrier, that should buy me enough time to reverse engineer the circle!”

“That’s ... honestly a really good idea, Tessa,” Vee said.

“What, like it’s surprising?” the witch replied, sticking her tongue out.

“Well, we’ve no time to waste. Let’s test it out,” Amara said, jumping off the balance beam.

“Fine, just give me a few minutes. I need to figure out which spell would work best for that.” Vee sat down, opening her Enochian Texts and starting to flip through them. While she read, Amara busied herself by trying some of the other gymnastics equipment. A few minutes passed before Vee spoke up again. “Got it!”

Amara watched as Vee moved to the middle of the large spring floor, then held her book aloft and started reading. Her hair started billowing and angelic energy swirled around her, the book glowing as its magic activated. Various Enochian runes began to form around her, building in complexity, until they all connected to form a large wall that circled Vee, creating a space roughly fifteen feet across. As expected, Amara’s body reacted poorly to the Enochian chanting, but the uncomfortable seizing ended once the spell finished.

“Certainly looks impressive,” Amara said. “Tess, can you walk through it?”

Moving closer, Tessa carefully pushed a hand against the barrier, watching as it harmlessly passed through. She then took a step inside, shivering slightly as she did, but nothing seemed to happen. “I think I’m fine. It tingled a little, but nothing else. What about you? That’s the real test, isn’t it?”

Amara looked towards Vee, who gestured at the wall. “Give it a shot,” she said.

With a deep breath, Amara approached the glowing wall. She could feel the angelic energy bristling at her presence, and she braced herself for some discomfort as she reached for the barrier. The instant she touched it, her entire body seized up once more, holy sparks surging through her body. It felt like she was holding the Enochian Texts again, the energy making it difficult to move. When she finally managed to pull away, she was panting heavily, and could feel sweat running down her temples.

“Fuck, that stings...” Amara said through gritted teeth.

“That’s kind of the point, Amara,” Vee said. “Do you think you’d be able to break through?”

“Probably, I did it last time.”

“I’d like to see you try,” Vee said. The two girls stared at each other through the barrier, the tension obvious as the challenge was posed.

Amara’s eyes flared, and she happily manifested her chitinous gauntlets before engulfing them in hellfire. She took a few steps back, crouched low to the ground, and leapt at the barrier. She threw the entire weight of her body behind her first punch, watching as her fist collided with the barrier, holy sparks flying through the air and assaulting her body. The barrier threw her back slightly, but she wasn’t done yet. She continued attacking, trying to expand her senses to get a feel for the barrier’s limits. She had a harder time reading it than she did on Halloween, presumably because she was on the outside this time, but eventually she started to get a sense of what was needed. With each strike, another barrage of Enochian magic attacked her, and she could feel herself getting angrier from its influence. Eventually, just as the holy magic was threatening to wear her out, she managed to land a strike that sank further into the barrier than before. Her second hand joined in, then her bladed tail. She grabbed the edges of the barrier, let loose an angry shout, and ripped a hole in it.

All at once, the holy barrier surrounding Vee and Tessa dissipated. Amara watched Vee’s eyes go wide in surprise, and her own body seemed to recoil as Amara broke through the magic.

The angel and the demon locked eyes, and when Amara finally spoke, her words were surprisingly smug. “Looks like I win again, Vee.”

Vee snarled at Amara, pulling herself together before she started pacing sideways, skirting around Amara. “Please, I wasn’t even fighting back.”

Amara matched the movement, and now both girls were slowly circling the open floor, each waiting for the other to escalate the situation. Out of the corner of her eye, Amara could see Tessa nervously looking back and forth, before deciding to back out and take a seat on the pommel horse.

“Maybe we should practice fighting, since apparently you know so much more than I do,” Amara said.

“Maybe we should. You clearly have a lot to learn.” Vee dropped her Enochian Texts to the ground, then kicked them back to keep them out of the way. She unzipped her jacket, throwing it aside as well, revealing a sports bra that seemed to resemble marble, with streaks of white, gray, and gold running through it.

“Says the girl that trained her whole life just to lose to a month-old demon!”

“Um, guys? Maybe we should—” Tessa tried to say, but her words were instantly cut off by Vee.

“Shut up!” Vee shouted. She leapt forward, summoning her holy blade with a burst of Enochian energy. She slashed at Amara, who managed to dodge out of the way, but only barely. Vee continued attacking, again and again, trying to push Amara off balance, but Amara continued to evade each attack. This harrowing dance continued until Vee summoned a flash of light from her off hand, which startled Amara and created an opening for Vee to jab the demon’s side with the hilt of her sword.

“Your movements are sloppy and unrefined. Your inexperience is obvious,” Vee hissed as Amara grabbed her side in pain.

“Yeah? Well you can’t handle extra limbs!” Amara’s tail darted out, wrapping around Vee’s ankle and pulling hard. Vee fell to the ground, gasping as she landed flat on her back. “You only stood a chance because you caught me off guard.”