Chapter 34

Vee woke with a start several hours later. Without daylight, it was impossible to know how long she’d been out, but her exhausted body told her it hadn’t been a healthy eight hours. No, something had woken her up.

There was an unusual sound coming from inside her bedroom.

Her first fear was that a reaper had broken through the wards. The sound she heard was soft and wet, just like the sound of ghostly flesh sliding off the bones of those hideous creatures. When she looked around, however, it was immediately obvious that the bedroom was empty, other than herself and Amara.

Her second thought, after confirming her own safety, was that she wasn’t cuddled with Amara. Yesterday, she’d risen to discover that her unconscious self had spooned Amara for warmth, her arms wrapped tight around the demon in a desperate attempt to stave off the cold of Purgatory. Currently, Vee was safely on her side of the bed, though she still felt Amara’s familiar warmth.

Vee grabbed her comforter, holding it tight as she turned to look at Amara, hoping she might have answers. Amara’s lack of sex had likely prevented her from getting any real sleep, and she might have noticed something.

Amara was not only awake, but she seemed to be in pain, or perhaps horribly frustrated. Her breath was erratic, her eyes were closed, and she didn’t seem to realize that Vee was awake.

Worried that Amara might be having a panic attack, Vee quickly sat up, pulling the blankets with her. She turned to face Amara directly and, in the process, accidentally moved the sheets even further. As they shifted, more of Amara came into view, and Vee saw exactly what was making the strange noise.

Amara’s sports bra had been pushed up, and her incredibly full breasts were completely exposed. She was holding one of them, squeezing it tight while her back arched in desperation. Her other hand had pushed into her shorts, and several fingers were furiously working in and out of her soaking wet pussy. The smell of her sex was potent, and the sound of her masturbation grew louder now that the blankets no longer muffled the noise.

Vee was stunned. Words she had prepared were now stuck in her throat, and her eyes wandered over the naked body of her friend. For days she’d been wondering what might happen if Amara went too long without sex, and now it was time to find out.

As the seconds passed, Vee’s initial shock receded. She had trained to fight demons, not support them through withdrawal. Panicked thoughts rattled around in her head as she thought of how they might continue. She initially wondered if she could carry Amara to the portal to meet up with Nick and Tessa, but those thoughts were quickly suppressed in favor of something simpler, something more instinctual.

The nearly naked demon in front of her was breathtakingly gorgeous. Vee had seen most of Amara’s body before; she’d been almost completely nude for the entirety of the fight at the ritual circle, but Vee had taken great care to avert her eyes once the carnage had passed. Now, without any threats, and their friendship on the mend, her curiosity got the better of her. Her eyes lingered on Amara’s breasts, the arch of her back, the way her hips strained against her tiny shorts. The woman currently masturbating on the bed would never have passed as a supermodel, if only because the word seemed a woefully inadequate descriptor for the body currently on display.

Before Vee could stop to question herself, she wondered what Amara might look like completely naked. Without her shorts to constrain her, would the curves of her ass appear just as perfect as her firm breasts? Would her tail flick back and forth in excitement as she proudly displayed herself?

A twitch in her legs drew Vee’s attention to her own excitement, her own sexuality. She remembered just how long it had been since she’d pleasured herself, and a heat began burning in her core.

The feeling was immediately disrupted, however, when Amara’s eyes snapped open. Her nostrils flared as she took a deep breath, and her panicked masturbation stopped as she turned to look at Vee. The whites of her eyes had vanished, and powerfully vibrant amber irises stared at the angel, betraying a deep and powerful hunger.

“Delicious...” Amara growled, her voice shaking. In a flash, she shifted to her knees and faced Vee. “Give it to me!”

The speed of Amara’s movements caught Vee off guard, and she fell backwards. The sudden shift in demeanor had snapped her from her daydream, and she watched nervously as Amara began crawling closer.

Not only were her eyes completely blacked out, but her skin was significantly darker. In fact, when Vee glimpsed the tail and wings behind Amara, she could no longer see a difference. Amara’s entire body was now one, consistent shade of demonic red. Her tail danced erratically as she moved closer, pushing Vee into a corner.

“Amara, wait, let’s talk about this,” Vee said, holding up a hand to try and stop Amara’s advance.

Instead, Amara grabbed Vee’s hand and pulled it against one of her exposed breasts. “No more talking! I know what you want. I can smell it. You want to fuck me, Vee. Why fight it?”

Amara leapt forward, pulling Vee close as she attempted to kiss her. Vee turned her head, scared to start another fight, and instead Amara’s mouth found her neck. Vee felt Amara’s tongue on her skin, then her teeth, and she knew this was wrong. Whatever was happening between the two of them, this wasn’t the next step. Amara’s actions were panicked and desperate, and she wasn’t in her right mind.

“Get off of me!” Vee shouted. She pushed a hand against Amara’s shoulder, then summoned a burst of radiant light. Amara hissed with pain, and Vee took advantage of the moment to leap off the bed.

“Stop fighting me! I can show you pleasure beyond your wildest dreams!” Amara’s tail slapped the wall in frustration, then she turned to face Vee again. Amara slowly crawled off the bed until she was standing, and her breath was so hoarse it sounded like she was growling. The girls locked eyes, and Vee knew she had to think of something fast.

As she took a step back, her foot brushed up against her closet. It was a small walk-in, but it was big enough to hold a person. Without taking her eyes off Amara, she reached behind herself and opened the door.

The action caused Amara to leap forward in a panic, a horrid growl escaping her throat as she ran across the bedroom. Vee had expected this, and with another burst of light, she bought herself a moment to act. She grabbed Amara’s arm, using her weight against her, and pushed her inside the closet. She closed the door behind Amara, then pushed her own shoulder against the closet to keep her inside...

The door shook as Amara threw herself against it. She was openly growling now, pushing against the door with everything she had, but Vee knew she was too weak to escape.

After nearly a minute of struggle, Vee heard Amara slump to the ground inside the closet. Her breathing was even more ragged, and when she spoke, her words were pained and weak. “Vee, please ... I’m so hungry...”

Vee turned her back to the door, then slid down until she was sitting on the floor. “This isn’t you. This is Demon Amara, you can fight this!”

“I am Demon Amara! There’s no difference, no matter how much you want there to be!” Amara snarled. Her tone immediately softened, however, and she continued talking. “I’m sorry, I didn’t ... I don’t know what’s ... Vee, I’ll do anything you want. You want to hold me down and see what my tongue can do? Pull my hair while you ride my tail? Fuck, I’ll let you stab my shoulder again! You can quote scripture and pretend you’re the big strong angel saving the day!”

“You can’t possibly think that’s something I want,” Vee muttered, shocked at the suggestion.

“I can be someone else, then! Do you want to finally fuck Nick? I can be Nick! Name your favorite movie star, your childhood crush, I can be anyone you want!”

It took a considerable amount of strength for Vee to fight back her tears. For months, things had been so complicated between her and Amara, but they had finally found a way forward. The last few days, as scary as Purgatory was, were surprisingly enjoyable because she’d gotten her best friend back. It had been wonderful talking with Amara, learning about her transformation, and getting the chance to truly open up to someone about her own angelic heritage.

But now, the very thing that had driven the wedge between them in the first place was back with a vengeance. Her instincts told her that this wasn’t her friend, this was some monster that had taken her place, but no. This was Amara. She wasn’t being possessed or mind-controlled; she was just a scared girl losing a fight against her own instincts.

On the other side of the door, Vee heard Amara whimpering. It appeared she was trying to push her tail under the door, as Vee could see tiny flashes of red trying to poke through, but her tail was far too thick to fit.

How are we supposed to meet up with Tessa like this? I could try to run, have her chase me until we make it to the circle, but she might not have the strength to walk that far. Plus, what if a reaper shows up? She’s in no condition to get away, and I don’t know if the option would even occur to her in this state.

Another thought crossed Vee’s mind, and she took a deep breath to calm herself before speaking. “How does your feeding work?”

There was a moment of silence before Amara responded. “What do you mean?” She sounded calmer, though Vee had no idea if that was genuine or just a falsehood borne of desperation.

“How do you do it? Does it require touch? What do you take from people when you feed?” Vee asked.

“I can feed without touching, as long as the aura is strong enough. At the Halloween party I was able to feed on everyone perving on me, and a bunch of them never even scored a dance. Tessa gets so horny that I can feed from across the room sometimes.” Amara shifted behind the door, and it seemed like she was now leaning against the door just as Vee was. Her breathing was heavy, her sentences weak and stilted. “But ... I don’t know what I take. It feels like I’m just feeding off their arousal, their pleasure, but I have no way to know exactly what that means.”

She’s been feeding on Nick and Tessa for months, and they seem fine. But, I’m not strong enough to examine souls directly, so I can’t know for sure.

“Do people ... feel it when you feed on them?”

“Never.”

If I do this, there’s no going back. If it leaves any kind of mark on me, physically, spiritually, Heaven could find out. How closely are they watching me? I’ve never been able to talk to my Patron, could that mean they’re not watching at all?

“What if I ... take care of myself?”

“That would do it! I could just take a little bit, enough to get me back to the circle, you won’t even know I’m here!” Amara said, her desperation showing again.

She could be lying. In this state, she’d do anything if it meant a chance to feed.

Vee paused again, doing her best to steady her breathing as she weighed her options. Was she actually considering this? Was she okay letting a demon feed on her?

She’s more than just a demon, though, she’s Amara. We’re friends. She’s the only person in the world that knows how scared I am right now. She’s saved my life countless times; she’s proven over and over again that she’s a good person. She deserves my trust.

“Amara,” Vee whispered, “please be careful.”

“I promise, Vee,” Amara said.

With her decision made, Vee turned her attention back to herself. She was no stranger to masturbation, but her libido had a tendency to disappear whenever she was stressed. Due to everything that had happened recently, this meant she hadn’t even thought about pleasuring herself in months. What had she done before?

She decided it would be best to take it slow, to ease back into things. After all, if she weren’t relaxed, it would be difficult to get into the right mindset.

Closing her eyes, Vee began running her fingertips up and down her body. She explored the sides of her neck, her chest, and her legs, trying to reacquaint herself with the sensations. As her breathing steadied, she began moving her hands to the inside of her legs. She made small circles, inching higher and higher as her legs spread open, and it became easier to focus on the joy of her own touch.

It took several minutes to find a comfortable rhythm, to encourage her body that, despite the situation, it was safe to feel pleasure. She replaced the tips of her fingers with her nails, scratching herself ever so slightly in an attempt to heighten the sensations, and she could feel it working. The feeling from earlier returned, the heat in her core. With another deep breath, her fingers moved even higher, teasing her sex from outside her shorts, and she gasped with excitement. In that moment, however, something else touched her.

It wasn’t touching her physically, she was still completely alone, nor was it touching her mentally. It was as if, somewhere deep inside, she held an idea of who she was, and that idea had just met another presence. She knew instinctually that it was Amara, that she was beginning to feed, and her demonic presence sent tingles through Vee’s body.

“Fuck!” Vee’s precarious relaxation vanished in an instant and she jerked her hands away.

“What happened? Please, don’t stop...” Amara asked, her breath heavy.

“I can feel it. I feel you feeding on me,” Vee said, trying to pull herself together.

“But that’s not ... it has to be because you’re an angel, right?”

“It has to be! It would make sense, wouldn’t it? For angels to have a way to detect if demons were feeding on them?” Vee’s mind was racing, wondering what this could mean. “You don’t think that was my soul, do you?”

“I don’t know, Vee. What do souls look like? Smell like? I only know what I sense, and it’s not like I have any other demons to ask.”

Fuck! What does this mean?

Vee knew she could stop if she wanted to. Given the situation, she could easily overpower Amara and try to carry her to the Lysander Circle. She would be risking reaper attacks, and possibly even Amara herself if she grew more desperate, but it was an option.

She silently cursed to herself, wishing she were strong enough to see souls. She had never understood why her own powers seemed so limited, why she had always underperformed compared to the rest of Heaven’s army. She had trained for years, followed every command, aced every test, yet when it mattered most, her powers always came up short.

Of course, I have a real chance to help Amara now. Not as an angel, as a friend. Wouldn’t she do the same for me?

It didn’t sound like Amara was pawing at the door anymore, so Vee risked leaving it for just a moment. She grabbed a blanket off her bed, wrapped it tightly around her shoulders, and returned to leaning against the closet door.

“Amara?” she asked.

“Yeah?”

“I’m going to try again. I’m sorry I freaked out, this is kinda scary for me.”

“Can I help at all?”

“Just focus on yourself, Amara. We’ll make it through this, together.”

Vee closed her eyes, then took another deep breath. She tried to calm herself, to focus on the residual heat from the blanket. She thought about her wards, reminding herself that they were still strong, and she was safe inside her room. With each breath, she found more warmth, and soon she began exploring her body again.

Like last time, it was a slow process. The touch felt nice, especially under the warmth of the blanket, but it was hard to shake the knowledge that she would be able to feel Amara feeding on her.

She shifted, sliding further away from the door before spreading her legs open. Her fingers returned to her bare skin, tracing back and forth in time with her breathing. She let them wander under her shirt, and jumped slightly when she felt how cold her fingertips were. It wasn’t enough to distract her, and she hugged her waist tight for a minute to warm her hands. From there, they moved higher, teasing the bottoms of her breasts. With one last movement, her fingers found her sensitive nipples, and the heat in her core returned. She gasped, her legs twitching in anticipation, and she pinched herself gently.

The connection returned. A strange, intangible warmth that reached both into and beyond her, hungering for her arousal. She paused for a moment, trying to adjust to the feeling before she continued. The warmth began to feel familiar, almost blending into Amara’s residual heat on the blanket, and Vee finally felt comfortable enough to continue.

She’d been playing with her breasts for several minutes now, doing her best to stay aroused, and it was time to step things up. She pushed a hand lower, into her shorts, and found her sex once more. Her entire body clenched, reaching for pleasure, and she made herself relax as she started rubbing herself. Like every step before this, she moved slowly. Her eyes were closed, and she circled her hips in rhythm with her fingers.

Memories from months ago returned, and she thought about how peaceful life had been before her nightmares started. When masturbation had been normal for her, and she’d let herself fantasize about other students. She remembered scanning through dozens of erotic stories, looking for the perfect fantasy to lose herself in while pleasuring herself. On a few occasions, she’d even been bold enough to turn to pornography. The rush had been exhilarating, but in the end, she’d discovered she much preferred the written word.

She recalled her favorite stories and started replaying her favorite passages in her mind. As she did, she moved her fingers faster, and even let them inch closer to her entrance. The story in her head continued, one girl pushing another to the bed and kissing every inch while shifting downwards. Who the other girl was didn’t matter; Vee was focused on the imaginary feeling of lips teasing her clit.

She pushed a finger inside herself, and the fantasy continued. The faceless girl was moaning now, eager to taste Vee’s sex, and her tongue pushed deep inside Vee’s pussy. Using two fingers now, Vee pushed in and out of herself, the smell of sex filling her senses as she imagined a strong tongue inside of her.

She imagined herself reaching down, holding the woman’s long brown hair in her hands. It was thick and lustrous, and it bounced in rhythm with the tongue inside her pussy. Vee imagined the naked body of this stranger, the curves of her flawless dark skin highlighted in the imaginary light. She held herself with such confidence, completely sure that she would be able to get Vee off, and Vee loved being the focus of this woman’s lavish attention.

Vee’s hand moved to the stranger’s cheek, a small gesture of affection, and the woman leaned into it. Her tongue, and Vee’s fingers, briefly left her pussy as she looked down to meet the stranger’s gaze. When Vee saw the woman’s glowing, amber eyes, she knew exactly who was between her legs.

Amara.

The story in Vee’s head suddenly skipped a beat, and Vee was pulled back to reality. What was she thinking? Had she really just started fantasizing about Amara? It was one thing to let her friend feed on her, but it was another to actively imagine them sleeping together.

She tried to reset, to replace the imaginary woman in her head with one of her exes. The scenario in her head began to repeat itself, and she tried to find that same rhythm again.

“Fuck, don’t stop,” Amara whispered on the other side of the door.

“What do you mean?” Vee asked, confused. She hadn’t even thought about stopping and was still actively pleasuring herself.

“Just now, your arousal spiked, but then it vanished. What were you doing?”

Vee’s eyes went wide as she realized what Amara had been sensing. The only thing that had changed the last few moments was the person she’d been imagining between her legs. Had picturing herself with Amara truly been so obvious?

Can I really do that? Wouldn’t that be inappropriate?

A wave of nervous energy washed over Vee, and butterflies appeared in her stomach as she thought about her original fantasy. Was it right to think of Amara that way? Of course, she was already letting a demon feed on her, would it make much of a difference who she was fantasizing about?

Feeling as if she were discovering masturbation for the first time all over again, Vee turned her focus to her connection with Amara. A deep, passionate warmth, touching her in a place she never knew existed. Amara’s feeding, as surprising as it had first been, didn’t hurt in the slightest. That had to be a good sign, right? Surely, as an angel, her senses would alert her if this process was harmful. Though she didn’t fully understand what was happening, it was as if Amara were gently holding her hand, encouraging her that they were still in this together.

Vee closed her eyes, then returned to her original fantasy. As her fingers pushed back into her pussy, she imagined Amara between her legs. Her gorgeous brown hair cascaded down her back, which was arched to give Vee a better view of her demonic figure. Her powerful wings were wrapped around Vee, keeping her warm as Amara’s tongue continued probing the depths of her cunt. Her tail, thick and powerful, excitedly danced back and forth, playfully obscuring the demon’s voluptuous bottom.

She now understood the difference Amara had noticed. As Vee continued picturing her best friend between her legs, she felt a rush unlike anything she’d felt before. The thrill of experiencing something new, something forbidden, and gleefully continuing anyways. She knew Amara couldn’t read minds; this fantasy would be her little secret.

The images in her head began to blur together with her own memories. She thought back to just a few minutes ago, when she’d caught Amara masturbating. Her full breasts on display, her hands digging into them as she fought for release. Vee pictured her own hands taking control, cradling Amara’s curves and relishing the warmth of her body. What would Amara’s lips taste like? Were they as warm as the rest of her?

A new memory appeared, this one from the night of the ritual. After Amara had scorched herself clean, they’d spent several minutes wandering the halls together. Vee had done her best to avert her eyes, to avoid noticing just how much of Amara’s body had been on display, and apparently she had failed. Why were these memories so vivid? Why was it so easy to remember every curve of her friend’s naked body? As tempting as it was to pause, to examine how her own eyes might have betrayed her conscious desires, there was another temptation that was far more preferable.

What was it Tessa had said about Amara’s tail?

“She can do this thing with the tip where she--”

At the time, Vee had quickly cut her off, but now she desperately wished Tessa had finished the sentence. What did Amara’s tail feel like? What could she do with it?

Vee remembered the first night they had cuddled together for warmth, when she’d nervously asked to feel Amara’s tail. It was incredibly soft, delightfully warm, and completely prehensile. Earlier, Amara had invited Vee to ride her tail; what would that be like? The tip was slightly flared, but Vee imagined it would easily fit inside of her. Is that what Tessa had wanted to say? With the amount of control Amara had over her tail, she could twist it however she wanted, and her demonic senses would share which movements drove Vee mad.

Her thoughts were briefly interrupted when, on the other side of the door, she heard Amara moan. It was deep and guttural, and Vee could tell how relieved Amara was to finally have arousal to feed on. The moaning only pushed Vee’s fantasies further, as she remembered that it was her pleasure Amara was feeling.

In the fantasy, Vee was now between Amara’s legs. Her friend’s tail had reached behind her and was fucking her deep while her own tongue explored Amara’s clit. They were both moaning louder and louder, and Vee could feel her climax approaching. Fantasy Amara began bucking her hips, she was on the verge of absolute bliss because of Vee’s tongue, and her legs started squeezing Vee’s head. Wings surrounded Vee, holding tight, and everything froze as Vee came at the same time as Fantasy Amara.

Fuck ... Amara!

The dam broke, and Vee lost all control. Her moans joined Amara’s, her hips bucking as her pussy clenched tight around her fingers. Her other hand joined in, rubbing her clit as she tried to extend her orgasm as long as she could. As pleasure shook her body, she found herself completely focused on her connection with Amara. The fear had completely vanished, and she had committed to sharing herself, and this experience, with her best friend.

On the other side of the door, Amara seemed to be having a similar experience. The demon’s moans were much louder, which made Vee feel better about her own sounds. Vee managed to keep her own orgasm going for nearly a full minute, and as it started abating, she began refocusing on the world around her.

Slowly, inch by inch, she removed her soaking wet fingers from herself. She looked at her dripping hand, then immediately wondered how she was supposed to clean herself off without any running water. Amara was able to use hellfire, but Vee had never tried using her magic for something so trivial. Out of curiosity, and a desire to not cover her blankets in bodily fluids, she held up her hands and wondered if she might be able to manifest flames of her own. She knew that other angels were able to use purifying flames, so it was worth a shot.

Closing her eyes, Vee pictured Amara’s hellfire. In the past, it had been a horrible omen that had nearly caused her death, but her rejuvenated bond with Amara now brought memories of comfort and support. She thought of cuddling with Amara, her unnatural warmth a beacon of safety in this hostile plane, and remembered that her abilities were entirely rooted in hellfire.

Vee reached for her magic, bowing her head in respect, and imagined holy purifying flames dancing around her fingertips. Her magic seemed to respond to her prayer, and she opened her eyes in shock when a burst of light appeared in front of her.

In the center of her palm sat a bright, enochian flame. The embers were impossibly white, with flickers of yellow and gold dancing throughout, and they felt incredible. They were just as warm as Amara, and their light seemed to chase away the malaise of Purgatory that had crept into her bedroom. Color that Vee hadn’t even realized was missing now returned, and most importantly, her hands were completely free of all traces of her recent activities. She politely asked the magic to recede, its purpose served, and a massive smile appeared on her face.

I just made fire! I’ve never done that before! Why was it so easy this time?

With a quiet laugh, Vee relaxed her head against the closet door behind her. She had been so terrified of sharing this moment with Amara, and yet she felt amazing. She’d manifested an entirely new ability with ease, and as she looked inside herself, she didn’t sense anything missing. She felt whole, alive, and invigorated.

I need to tell Amara about this! I’ll bet she’s doing way better herself, too!

Vee knocked on the closet door, paused for a moment, then spoke up. “Amara? How ya feeling?”

There was no response.

Okay, weird. I know she was feeding on me; I felt it the whole time. Shouldn’t she be on top of the world now? Why isn’t she saying anything?

“I’m going to open the door now, is that okay?” Vee still couldn’t hear anything, and her elation started to fade slightly. Had something gone wrong? Would feeding on an angel have any adverse effects?

Suddenly worried, Vee opened the closet door slowly. When she first peeked into the isolated space, she couldn’t see anything. She had been under the assumption that Amara was leaning against the door, just like she was, but that was no longer the case. Vee opened the door further, and finally found Amara hunched further back in the closet.

At least, Vee assumed she was hunched. All she could see were Amara’s massive wings, which she’d wrapped around herself. They were shaking erratically, and as Vee paused to listen, she realized Amara was crying.

Vee moved closer, kneeling in front of her friend and lightly placing a hand on one of her wings. “Amara, are you okay? What’s wrong?”

The demonic cocoon tightened. Whatever Amara was feeling, she was clearly trying to keep it to herself. Vee wasn’t entirely sure how to respond, as she didn’t know what had happened. She wracked her brain, trying to think of anything that might explain this before, when something clicked. This wasn’t new behavior; Amara was having a panic attack.

Steeling her nerves, Vee reached forward and grabbed the edges of Amara’s wings, then gently pulled them apart. Amara’s resistance crumbled in seconds, and Vee finally saw her friend directly.

Amara was leaning against the back wall of the closet, her legs pulled to her chest. She was hugging herself tight with her arms and tail, and her head was buried in the crook of her elbow. Each breath she took seemed painful, sending uncontrollable tremors through her body, and Vee refused to not intervene. Vee slid closer, thought about what she should say, and finally laid a hand on Amara’s arm.