Flinging the duvet aside, Sinéad pulled herself upright with a groan, blearily examining her surroundings. She seemed to have ended up in her bed upside down, her head nestled between two pairs of feet. Her bedmates, Chloe and Molly, made little mumbling noises, still asleep but slightly disturbed by Sin’s movement, and as she clambered over Chloe and out of the bed, the two girls unconsciously snuggled closer together.

All three of them were naked. Sin briefly thought there was something strange about that, but she couldn’t hold onto the thought as she wandered through to the living room and retrieved her discarded clothes. As soon as she’d got dressed, she forgot that she’d been nude at all. She recalled a perfectly normal afternoon hanging out with her roommate and their friends, culminating in one of their usual shared naps. They’d developed a routine of sleeping in nice cosy cuddle piles after spending time together at one of their apartments - all perfectly platonic and fully-clothed, of course. Today they’d been joined by two newcomers - that hypnotist Aislinn Gold, and Orla, the girl from her show who’d done a striptease for Kelly. Sin remembered that Orla had agreed to become her new roommate, since Lizzie was leaving.

Lizzie was leaving! Sin felt a pang of sadness. Although they’d only known each other for a couple of months, she’d grown really close to her roommate, and was disappointed by her sudden departure. But she couldn’t blame her - the girl was in love. Sin hoped one day to find that kind of love, the kind that made her willing to drop everything. She’d struggled to ever find anyone she liked enough to even kiss, which had earned her a reputation as a bit of a prude. That was what she liked best about her new group of friends - they never judged her for being less overtly affectionate and touchy-feely than the rest of them. And Lizzie had been the architect of this group, their unofficial leader. It was a shame to lose her.

Making her way to her kitchen, Sin fixed herself a bowl of cereal as a snack, feeling the need to replenish her energy. Hanging out with her friends always left her worn out for some reason, and even after the afternoon nap, she still felt a little fatigued. One by one, her friends trooped out to join her, each stopping to collect their clothes and put them back on, forgetting that they’d been naked and allowing their memories of the afternoon’s orgy to be transformed into those of a casual get-together, just as she had. She quite happily shared some of her cereal with them.

Two members were conspicuous by their absence, and the group disappointedly concluded that Lizzie and Aislinn must have departed while they were asleep. “We didn’t even get a chance to say a real goodbye,” Chloe said despondently.

“At least we got some time with her before she left,” Kelly remarked. “That’s better than nothing.”

“And she found Sin a new roommate,” Molly piped up, grinning at Orla. “Welcome to the gang!”

Orla beamed back at her, and at all of them. “Thanks, guys. Hey, if you’re free now, I don’t suppose you could help me move my stuff in...?”

“Yeah, of course,” Sin said immediately. “And Lizzie said we could divide up everything she left behind. You can have first pick if you like.”

She and the redheaded near-stranger shared a smile. She had a feeling they would get along famously. It was so typical of Lizzie’s generous spirit to find her a new friend even on her way out of her life.

The others also agreed to help Orla, although they collectively decided they should all go out and get some proper lunch first. As she fetched her handbag and her mobile from her room, the phone started to ring, a call coming through from an unknown number. She answered quickly, feeling a flicker of irritation. “Yes? Who’s this?”

“Is this Sinéad Connolly?”

“Yes,” she replied impatiently, stepping out of her bedroom and shooting a glance down the corridor. The others were already halfway out of the door, Chloe hanging back to wait for her.

“I need to ask you a few questions about your roommate, Lizzie. You’re happy to give me a couple of minutes of your time?”

“Sure,” she said breezily, her annoyance evaporating in an instant. Of course she was happy to answer the unidentified caller’s questions. Why wouldn’t she be? “Just a second.” Moving the phone’s receiver from her mouth, she waved at Chloe. “You guys go on ahead, I’ll be there in a minute.” Chloe nodded, and was closing the door behind her a couple of seconds later. “Ask away,” Sin told the phone.

“I’ve heard that she’s dropping out of uni to go travelling with a new girlfriend. What can you tell me about this?”

“Oh yeah - I only just found myself. It’s totally spur of the moment, they only met yesterday.”

“Really?” The voice sounded surprised, somewhat understandably.

“Yeah, she’s fallen head over heels in less than 24 hours. It’s very unlike her.”

“I see... And who is this person she’s fallen in love with?”

“Aislinn Gold. She’s, uh, she’s this stage hypnotist. We went to see her perform at our SU last night. I didn’t think Lizzie was enjoying it, but I guess she liked getting hypnotised more than I realised...”

“Wait - Lizzie was hypnotised?”

“Oh, yeah. I think she thought Aislinn was a bit arrogant, and wanted to prove she couldn’t hypnotise whoever she felt like, so she volunteered. Kinda backfired on her - Aislinn made her act like a cat on stage, in front of all of us. I thought she was pissed about it, but then this afternoon she came by and told us they were a couple and they were leaving Dublin together.”

“And when are they leaving, exactly?”

“I mean, technically Lizzie’s already left here. She moved out of our apartment this afternoon - just upped and left. She might’ve officially dropped out by now - she and Aislinn might even be on the road at this point...”

“Right...” The mystery caller’s tone was agitated. “And when was this? When did you see her and this Aislinn Gold?”

“Around noon? I mean, that’s when we all met up. Then we hung out for an hour or so, and I think the two of them left while the rest of us had an afternoon nap. So they’d have left a bit after one o’clock.” She glanced at her watch, noting that it was only half-two now. “If you’re trying to track them down, I guess you might still have time.”

“Is there anything else you can tell me? Where does Aislinn live, for instance?”

“I think Lizzie said she’s staying in a motel. No idea which one, though.”

“Alright. Thank you, you’ve been very helpful.”

“No problem. Hey, not to be rude, but what’s it to you, anyway? How d’you know Lizzie?”

“That doesn’t matter,” the voice snapped. “You can go ahead and forget every detail of this conversation. As far as you’re concerned, you got a boring sales call, and you were polite for a minute and then hung up.”

“OK.” She promptly ended the call, glaring at the phone. Next time someone tried to sell her double glazing over the phone, she was hanging up straight away.

***

“Alright. Thank you, you’ve been very helpful.” Phoebe turned away from the cashier, crossing the shop to rejoin her partner, who was just finishing his own conversation with the manager.

“They claim not to know anything,” she told Tiernan in a low voice. “They say it was a quiet night, and they got so bored they went to the back room to do a stocktake. They were only gone for a few minutes, but when they got back the register was empty. Never saw O’Shea, or anyone else for that matter.”

He raised an eyebrow. “I take it from your tone that you don’t believe them?”

“Not a word of it - ask me, they’re shifty and evasive, and definitely hiding something. Might even be involved. And when I asked about CCTV, what d’you know, apparently there’s no footage from the hour of the robbery.” She noticed a grin spreading across his face, which she slowly reciprocated. “There’s a backup, isn’t there?”

“Boss was just telling me,” he nodded. “The footage gets sent to two different servers - one the staff know about and can access, so they can check for shoplifters and the like, and the other they don’t know about, so he can check if they’re stealing from him. He’s got it linked up to his phone, he’s finding the footage for me now.”

Phoebe whistled through her teeth. “God bless paranoid bosses.”

The manager, who had thankfully not heard her rather unflattering comment, soon brought his phone over to the two gardaí, handing it to Tiernan. He held it out for his partner to see, and they watched the footage from the approximate time of the burglary. It was black-and-white and fairly grainy, and there was no accompanying sound, but it was better than nothing.

“Well, there, straight away the cashier’s lying,” Phoebe noted. “There’s fully four people in the store.”

They watched as a middle-aged man paid for his bottle of vodka went on his way, and a young couple cut in front of the cyan-haired customer queuing behind him. “Rude,” Tiernan muttered. Cyan clearly agreed, and was kicking up a fuss, but the other two turned to her and exchanged some words, and after that the quarrel seemed to be at an end. But then things started to get weird.

“Is she... sucking her thumb?” Phoebe peered at the screen in bemusement.

“I think so,” Tiernan said slowly, equally bewildered.

“What the...?” Phoebe trailed off as the queue-jumpers approached the till, studying their appearances intently. One was a tall, slender, androgynous skinhead, clad in black from head to toe. The other was a short young woman with long blonde hair, dressed in what looked like a magician’s costume. “Who the fuck are these people?”

“The blonde’s Aislinn Gold,” Tiernan said. “She’s a stage hypnotist.”

This was enough to get Phoebe to drag her eyes from the screen, shooting her partner an astonished glance, her lips twitching. “How do you know that?! I wouldn’t’ve thought that’d be your kinda thing...”

“It isn’t,” he said defensively. “My little sister went to see one of her shows.”

“Riiight.” Not sure whether to believe him, Phoebe smirked at him, before returning her attention to the footage - in time to see the cashier emptying the contents of the till onto the counter, from which the hypnotist promptly scooped it into her bag. “What the actual fuck?” the female garda whispered.

Tiernan said nothing, but he looked as shocked as she felt. They watched as Aislinn Gold’s lanky companion continued speaking to the cashier, and then to Cyan, who still stood nearby with her thumb lodged firmly between her lips. After a couple of minutes, the hypnotist and her partner left the shop, at which point the cashier could clearly be seen deleting CCTV footage from the shop’s computer. They then came out from behind the counter, put the ‘closed’ sign in the door, took Cyan by the hand, and led her to the back room.

They watched more footage from the next hour on fast-forward, during which no-one else appeared. There was definitely no sign of the man who’d confessed to the robbery - which was academic, since they’d just seen the actual culprits.

“Why would Derek O’Shea confess to a crime he didn’t commit?” Tiernan shook his head in bewilderment.

“You said this Aislinn Gold is a hypnotist,” Phoebe mused. “Could she have made him think he did it? D’you think maybe she did the same thing to the cashier?”

“She barely spoke to the cashier,” he pointed out. “This other person did. Maybe they’re a hypnotist too...”

“Yeah, maybe they hypnotised the cashier and this blue-haired girl.” Phoebe was warming to the idea now, despite how absurd it sounded. “Got them to turn over all the cash, then go out back and bone down.” She smiled at his dubious expression. “I mean, can you think of a better explanation?”

“I think any explanation would be better than that,” Tiernan said drily, “but no, I can’t think of one right now. Whatever the truth is, Derek O’Shea’s innocent, and Aislinn Gold’s clearly behind all this. We need to find her.”

“Well come on then, man, no time like the present.” Phoebe crossed to the door of the shop.

Tiernan hung back, handing the manager’s phone back to him. “So you don’t want your Mars Bar, then?” he hollered after his partner.

***

“I’m a dumb kitty for Mistress. I’m Aislinn’s helpless pet. Good pets don’t think. Good pets obey. I’m a dumb kitty for Mistress. I’m Aislinn’s helpless pet. Good pets don’t think. Good pets obey. I’m a dumb kitty for Mistress. I’m Aislinn’s helpless pet. Good pets don’t think. Good pets obey...”

Lizzie wasn’t in trance, but she felt so blank and mindless that she might as well have been. She was slumped in the passenger seat with her hand thrust down the front of her latex trousers, diddling herself senseless as she chanted her mantras, her eyes tight shut. Her head was empty of everything but her mantras, and the mental image of Miss Gold’s glittering irises, filling her mind with enchanting, enthralling light.

“I’m totally obedient. I’m perfectly submissive. I’m completely controlled. I’m hopelessly hypnotised. I’m totally obedient. I’m perfectly submissive. I’m completely controlled. I’m hopelessly hypnotised...”

Every utterance, every repetition, every peak of pleasure, strengthened the mantras in her mind, carving them deep into her subconscious. Her voice continued, chanting aloud as she masturbated, never pausing as she diligently conditioned herself. Every time her fingers brought her to the brink, every time she helplessly edged in her owner’s car, she found herself switching to a different set of mantras - as she did now, her digits thrusting into her deepest, darkest, most sensitive depths.

“I belong to Miss Gold. I’m her snake, and she’s charmed me. I’m her domesticated demon. I exist to serve her. I love to please her. I need to obey her. I belong to Miss Gold. I’m her snake, and she’s charmed me. I’m her domesticated demon. I exist to serve her. I love to please her. I need to obey her. I belong to Miss Gold...”

“That’s enough,” came Miss Gold’s voice, the most important sound in the universe. More important than the pleasure she was bringing herself - even more important than the submissive statements she was engraving into her consciousness. Shuddering with lust and submission, Lizzie pulled her hand out of her trousers and sat up, dimly realising the car had come to a stop. “We’re here,” the hypnotist told her.

The demoness glanced at her, eyebrows raised in faint concern. For the first time since she’d known her, Aislinn seemed on edge, anxious - afraid, even. She fidgeted, biting her lip, nervously smoothing down her flowing locks. This was unlike her. Lizzie wanted to hug her, or at least put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, but she hadn’t been given permission. So she sat and waited patiently to be told how she could serve and please her Mistress.

“I, uh...” Aislinn murmured, then took a deep breath and started again. “This is important, pet. The most important thing we’ve done so far. Everything we’ve done up to now was about testing your powers, and cutting your ties, and having some fun. But I need this to go right. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Mistress,” Lizzie said, nodding fervently. Truth be told, she actually didn’t understand - Miss Gold hadn’t given her any actual information yet - but all she really needed to know was that it was important. Aislinn wanted it done properly, whatever it was. And what she wanted, she would get. Lizzie would make sure of it.

“I... I’m not even sure I’ll need you at all for this,” the hypnotist continued, meeting her domesticated demon’s eyes at last. Lizzie shivered, captivated by the sparkling golden irises once more, but retaining consciousness and awareness - as enthralling as her owner’s gaze was, she could tell it wouldn’t be appropriate to get lost in it right now. “I hope I won’t need you for it, actually. I really do.” Aislinn’s eyes lowered, her expression so forlorn. “But if I’m honest with myself, I think I probably will.”

Lizzie couldn’t help herself any more. Aislinn looked so despondent - she needed reassurance. Reaching out, she put both hands on Aislinn’s upper arms, giving them a comforting squeeze. “Mistress, whatever you need from me, I’ll do it,” she assured her. “Even if you don’t need anything at all - even if you just want me to stand and wait for you. I exist to serve you. I love to please you.”

Hearing her slave’s words seemed to cheer Miss Gold a little, and she gave Lizzie a grateful smile. “Alright, kitty. Here’s what I want you to do...”

***

“Thank you for shopping with us, have a nice day!” Ruby said, saying the perfectly innocent words in a slightly sultry tone. Their customer grinned bashfully back at them, before making for the exit with the bag containing his purchase clutched in his hand. They smirked as they watched him leave - they’d sensed he’d be one of those who’d get easily flustered with even the barest hint of teasing. They’d developed a bit of a knack for spotting that type of customer.

Ruby had been working at the sex shop for a couple of months, and was still finding it fun, being surrounded by erotic toys and clothing all day and dealing with a variety of patrons and their intriguing purchases. They were determined to cling onto the excited, amused feeling for as long as possible - they knew most of their colleagues were fairly jaded at this point, and just considered it a job like any other without really thinking about the saucy context. Ruby didn’t want to reach that mindset just yet, although they supposed if they stayed long enough it might be inevitable.

Hearing a faint breeze as the door swung open, they turned to face their newest customer and give a welcoming smile. The grin froze on their face, collapsing into an expression of shock and alarm, their heart plummeting in their chest at the sight of the buxom blonde stepping into the store.

No, whimpered a voice inside their mind. Not her. Not here. Please... A torrent of emotions flooded through them, chief among them fear and anger at the sight of their ex-girlfriend. Panic gripped their chest, outrage flared inside their belly - and if they were honest, yearning swelled deep within them, accompanied by shame and disgust for feeling any yearning for the woman who’d hurt them so badly.

Aislinn approached hesitantly, her expression trepidatious, as if she were approaching a nervous horse. Which was reasonable, because Ruby was considering bolting, or possibly kicking her in the chest, if only they hadn’t been trapped behind a counter. “Hi,” she said quietly, with a small, nervous smile.

Ruby did not smile back. “What are you doing here?” they snapped - or at least, they meant to snap. It came out as a pleading whine instead, to their frustration - even now, they had trouble outwardly expressing anger towards their ex. “You can’t - you can’t be here, Aislinn!” they continued, fighting to control the tremors in their voice. “I asked you to stay away from me!”

She flinched a little, looking confused and rather hurt. “I - I didn’t think you meant forever. C’mon, Rubes, it’s been months! I did as you asked and backed off for a while so you’d have a chance to cool down...”

“Cool down?!” This time they did snap, their fury evident in their voice at last. How dare she imply that Ruby was the one at fault, that what happened was something they just needed to get over...?

“Yes, so we could discuss it,” Aislinn continued hurriedly, almost beseechingly, her eyes wide. God, those shining eyes - even now, in their indignation, they found the glittering irises so enchanting... They were forcing themselves not to make eye contact for more than a second.

“So we could talk about what went wrong - what I did wrong - and work through it. Together. Like a couple does.” She trailed off, awkwardly shifting her weight from one foot to the other, biting her lip. Ruby had never seen her so tense, so agitated. It was as if the façade of the commanding, controlling hypnotist had dropped away to reveal the real woman beneath, a woman every bit as unsure of herself as them...

No. No. It was a trick. A ploy to gain their sympathy. Showing vulnerability to get what she wants. Abusers did it all the time. Even knowing it was a manipulation, Ruby struggled to resist it. (That was rather the core of the problem.)

It was hard for them to think of their ex-partner, their girlfriend of almost three years, as an abuser. At the beginning, it’d been so much fun. Ruby had been a volunteer in one of her shows, and they’d been as enchanted by Aislinn herself as they had by her hypnotic talents. They’d dived into a relationship with her, exploring all the avenues of mesmerising submission they could go down. (They were a switch, but usually more sub-leaning, and Aislinn had definitely brought out that side of them.) They loved the way Aislinn could enthral them with her sparkling eyes, her delicate touch, her husky voice, her evocative words... They loved the triggers she planted in their mind, the suggestions they played out, transforming her into a playful puppy one second, a mindless robot the next, and an eager slut after that. And they truly, deeply loved the power-exchange dynamic they evolved, where they spent more and more time as a dedicated slave at their apartment.

Except, they had some conditions that they’d set out at the start - boundaries they didn’t want to be crossed. And they’d wanted to still have a life outside their relationship - to maintain their friendships, to pursue their passions... But as time went on, their life was being consumed more and more by Aislinn’s wishes, Aislinn’s commands, Aislinn’s priorities. Ruby neglected their own interests - they loved to draw and paint, but they were fairly certain they didn’t produce a single artwork during the last six months of the relationship. They grew isolated from their friends. They gave up more and more freedom, surrendered more and more boundaries, allowed more and more limits to be breached... The most difficult part was, for a long time they thought they’d done so willingly.

It was only in hindsight - remembering their decision to let Aislinn finger them under a table in a café, or post a lewd photo of them online, without being able to recall the thought process that led them to permit the breaching of those former hard limits - that the betrayal became obvious. The memory manipulation. The gaslighting. Aislinn had moulded them into an unthinking, unprotesting slave, with no room in their life for anything other than her. Even when they realised that, the toxic situation was so profoundly erotic, and their love for Aislinn was still so strong, that tearing her hooks out of their mind took a long time and a lot of effort. They hadn’t realised they could still muster that much willpower until they’d tried.

Ruby hadn’t given Aislinn the chance to drop them again, to cut out the memories and the awareness of her betrayal. They’d fled their apartment and went to stay with a friend, and only answered a phone call from her once, just so they could explain what had happened, some traitorous part of them thinking they owed her that much. She had been livid, raging at them down the phone line, demanding that they return home and submit to her. When that didn’t work, she’d turned on the charm, feigning remorse while trying to deploy a conversational induction. It very nearly worked, Ruby’s mind was so scattered and their willpower was so depleted after three years under her hypnotic spell, but thankfully they’d had their friend stand by to rouse them. That had been it. Ruby had lost their temper, demanded that Aislinn stay away from them, hung up, and blocked her number.

That was almost three months ago, and they hadn’t had any contact from Aislinn since. Now here she stood, in their new workplace, looking so bereft. And even knowing how she’d hurt them, how she’d violated them, Ruby’s heart still ached with longing for her.

“There’s nothing to talk about,” they sighed. “I’ve got nothing else to say.”

“Really? A three-year relationship comes to an end, and all I get is one phone call to explain it? Because that wasn’t enough, Ruby. It didn’t explain it. I genuinely don’t understand what happened.”

Ruby groaned. “And I don’t have the energy to try and explain it to you again. And I’m working anyway. You should leave.”

They ducked out from behind the counter and crossed the store to a display of erotic candy, trying to look busy and preoccupied by rearranging them, although they really didn’t need to be. They were annoyed, but not especially surprised, when Aislinn followed them. They didn’t turn around, remaining facing towards the candy display.

“I am leaving,” Aislinn told her. “I’m leaving Dublin. Tomorrow, probably, or the day after - but soon, anyway.”

“Well, good,” Ruby mumbled, their heart pounding.

“Come with me.”

“What?” they sighed exasperatedly. “No! I’m not - I’m not doing that.” They hated the catch in their voice. They hated that it had happened because an image of them and Aislinn driving out of the city together, hands entwined above the gear stick, had flickered through their mind.

“Look, I know I hurt you -”

“You abused me,” they interrupted, with a tone carrying only half the vehemence they’d hoped for. “You completely disregarded my consent.”

“We were in a CNC relationship!” Aislinn spluttered, sounding completely mystified.

“Yeah - consensual non-consent!” Ruby finally turned to face her in total, disgusted astonishment. “Do you actually - have you actually read the definition of that?! Or how about ‘subject agency’? ‘Agreed boundaries’, ‘negotiating’, ‘hard limits’ - stop me if any of these sound familiar? No,” they continued, without waiting for an answer from their baffled ex. “Of course not, because it always has to be up to you. You decide everything, all day, every day. I get no say, no choice in my own life.”

“I thought that was what you wanted!”

“Up. To. A. Point. I loved having that kind of relationship, but not constantly. I wanted a life outside being your toy. You agreed I could have that, and then you started cutting me off from it, bit by bit. And gaslighting the fuck out of me.” They turned away again, shaking their head, feeling tears prickling in the corners of their eyes. “Getting away from you was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I did it. I’m getting my life back. I’m better off without you. I’m happier, I’m healthier, I’m less fucking lonely... And you think you can just walk in here and act all sorry, and I’ll immediately crawl back to you? Well, too bad. I don’t crawl for you any more, Ash. I only do that for people I respect, who respect me too.”

They realised they were shouting, and made an effort to calm themself, brushing their black-and-teal fringe out of their face. “Bottom line, Aislinn,” they said, their voice quieter and more even. “I made my boundaries clear, and you repeatedly, unashamedly crossed them. And you made me think that was OK. Which it wasn’t, not remotely! Look, at this point there’s no chance in hell that I’d ever take you back, even if you did understand that what you did was wrong. But it’s academic, because you clearly don’t!”

They dared to look her in the face, and were shocked to see her crying openly, tears rolling down her cheeks, her lip trembling. That traitorous part of them was urging them to step close to her and wrap her in their arms, but they smothered the impulse, gritting their teeth.

“Just tell me you don’t love me,” Aislinn whispered. “Just say that, and I’ll leave, I’ll go.” There was a long pause. “You can’t, can you?” she continued, a little bit of hope appearing in her expression.

Ruby knew they were struggling to let go of their love for their ex-Mistress. There was a time when she was all they thought about, and even when she wasn’t standing in front of them, she was rarely out of their mind - or, indeed, their heart. But there had to be an end to this. They had to draw a line under their relationship. And maybe, by saying it out loud, directly to her face, they could kill their own feelings for her at last.

They inhaled deeply, steeled themself, looked right into her shining, mesmerising eyes, and said, “I don’t love you.”

Her mouth dropped open. She stared at Ruby in horror, her expression agonised, as if her heart was genuinely ripping in half. But it only lasted a second before she regained some composure, her face going blank and rigid, a mask trying to conceal the hurt she felt, although her wet eyes still showed it. “I don’t believe you,” she said hoarsely.

“Ah, for fuck’s sake,” Ruby blurted, turning away again and starting to march back to the counter.

“I don’t, I’m sorry!” Aislinn scurried after them. “You can’t have moved on from us - not ever, and certainly not that fast!”

Stopping mid-stride, Ruby faced her once more, throwing their hands in the air. “Maybe I haven’t, not entirely,” they admitted wearily. “Maybe I never will. But not in a good way, Ash. In a ‘seriously damaged’ way.”

“Then let me fix the damage!” she pleaded.

“You can’t. I don’t know if anyone can, but you definitely can’t. You’re too fucking broken yourself.” They were proud of themself for being able to put real venom in their tone now - even as they felt pangs of guilt and sorrow as they saw how their words stung Aislinn, and a dollop of self-loathing for caring how she felt.

She hung her head, the tears on her face dropping to the floor below her. “I love you,” she said softly, her tone one of utter heartbreak - and bewilderment, as if she still couldn’t understand what was happening.

“No, Ash, you don’t. You love the idea of me. You love the person you were trying to make me into - the person you nearly did make me into. Someone who’d never question you, someone who’d never defy you, someone who’d just obey you. But you don’t love the real me. You’re not capable of loving a real person - with the exception of yourself.”

They turned and walked away once again, returning to their counter.

“So that’s it?” Aislinn said, thoroughly dejected. “You won’t come with me?”

Ruby gave her a pitying look. “No, Ash, I won’t,” they said, simply and firmly.

Her soft, wet eyes turned hard and cold. “Then I guess I don’t need to feel bad about the next part.”

And without another word, she pivoted on one foot and swept out of the shop.

Ruby stared after her in faint alarm. The next part? What was she planning? Aislinn had a talent for devising ingenious punishments, they knew that. When they’d been together, she’d always come up with a creative means of disciplining them whenever they displeased her. But that was then, and this was now, Ruby reminded themself. What could Ash possibly do to them now that they were apart?

Shaking themself out of their disturbed reverie, they turned to see a customer approaching the counter. “Sorry to intrude,” she said, smiling sympathetically. “Seems like you were having quite the disagreement...”

They winced. “Yeah, that was my psycho ex. And I’m the one who should apologise, for bringing my personal problems to work with me.” They gave a bitter chuckle. “Although I guess it was mostly her fault...”

The girl raised an incredulous eyebrow. “Was it? Seems to me that she was trying to have a conversation with you, to try and resolve your issues, and you kept shutting her down.”

Ruby felt a surge of irritation. Who did this stranger think she was, commenting on their issues with Aislinn?! “Look, I’m sure you mean well, but you really don’t understand the situation,” they said tersely.

“Maybe not, but I saw how upset she was. I didn’t hear that much of your argument, but I did see that whatever you said hurt her. The poor girl looked devastated. You must feel bad about that, surely...?”

They were about to snap something about how Aislinn deserved whatever harsh words she was told, but their vitriol was suddenly overwhelmed by a wave of remorse. It was true - she had looked devastated. And of course they felt bad about it. How could they do that to someone they’d loved - to someone they still loved, on some level - no matter how badly she’d treated them? The defiant voice in Ruby’s mind objected, reminding them of Aislinn’s mistreatment of them, but that voice was much quieter now than it had been a minute ago.

“I just hate to see such a perfect couple fighting,” the newcomer remarked. “You two seem like such a good match. A confidant, commanding, wise, strict yet caring dominant like her - and you, such an obviously weak, dumb, helpless little sub, who needs someone like her to look after you and control you. How could you ever think of leaving her, when you so clearly belong to her?”

Ruby no longer cared about the stranger’s impertinence - she was right. They and Aislinn had been perfect together. Sure, she’d been strict at times, uncompromising, even cruel - but that was because they were dumb and needed her guidance. And yes, she’d crossed their boundaries and ignored their consent with increasing frequency, but she knew best. She was wise, and commanding. If she did something they didn’t like - something they didn’t want - it was because she knew it was for their own good.

What had they done? How could they have left her? How could they have ever believed they’d survive in the world without her? They needed her to take care of them and tell them what to do. They were just a weak, dumb, helpless little sub, lost without ther domme. And how could they have been so unfair, so vindictive towards them? A tear rolled down one of their cheeks, closely followed by another on the other side of their face, as they stared, distraught, at the door through which the love of their life had exited a couple of minutes ago.

“You’re her toy,” the devil on their shoulder urged them. “She’s your Mistress. You belong to her. You need her, more than anything else in the world. You have to get her back.”

Of course they did. But they’d hurt her so badly, they weren’t even sure she’d take them back at this point. “How?” they asked desperately, turning to face their new confidante for the first time since their abrupt change of heart, finally seeing the crimson gleam in her eyes.

“I think you know how,” Lizzie smirked.

***

Aislinn stood near Pret a Manger, on the opposite side to Ruby’s shop in this particular hallway of the shopping centre, tapping her foot anxiously. She wasn’t good at leaving others to do her work for her, unsupervised, and this was the first time she and Lizzie had been apart since she’d put the teen demon into trance the night before. But her storming out was part of the ruse - Ruby had to think she’d left, and couldn’t suspect Lizzie was connected to her until it was too late.

She reflected that she could have come in with Lizzie, and had her control Ruby immediately. It would have saved time, effort, and a lot of emotional tumult on both sides. But she’d wanted to give them the opportunity to come willingly. She’d hoped, prayed, that they’d seen the error of their ways and decided to return to her. After a few months apart, they must surely have realised by now that they needed her? That their life had never been as good, as fulfilling, as it had been with her? That they were the happiest they’d ever been when they’d lived with her, under her, totally controlled by her...?

Apparently not. Ruby still wanted nothing to do with her. And for the life of her, she didn’t understand why! She knew she had sadistic tastes, and enjoyed humiliating willing subjects and hapless victims alike - just look at what she’d done to that rude idiot in the diner, and his bimbo girlfriend. But Ruby was different. Everything Aislinn did to them was an act of love. Every alteration to their mind, every amendment to their personality, every punishment for their infractions... It was all so they could be the perfect toy she knew they were. So they could both be completely content, living in domestic dom/sub bliss, a powerful hypnotic dominant and her flawless brainwashed submissive. How could they not see that? How could they compare the tireless work she’d done sculpting them, adjusting them, improving them, to abuse?! And the notion of violating their consent was just absurd. They’d effectively signed away their consent when they’d agreed to the relationship dynamic they’d have. They were the one who needed to rethink their understanding of CNC...

She’d given Ruby the chance to come to their senses, and rejoin her unprotestingly. Their rejection had sealed their fate. They’d left her with no choice but to give them no choice.

Her fretful musings and justifications were interrupted by an uncanny sight from the other side of the hallway. Ruby had exited their workplace and was approaching her as fast as they could - which wasn’t all that fast, since they were on all fours. Their knees scuffed over the smooth white floor, their hands making slapping sounds with each step. A flicker of amusement went through Aislinn, appreciating that her pet demoness had compelled Ruby to do exactly what they’d vowed not to do - but that was drowned out by sheer relief at the sight of her beloved returning to her. She barely even registered the sight of Lizzie following close behind them, smiling proudly as she delivered them back to their owner.

Reaching Aislinn, Ruby sat up on their back legs and gazed up at her beseechingly, their eyes glistening. “I’m so, so sorry, Mistress,” they sobbed. “I don’t know what I was thinking, why I left, but I never will again. I’ll do anything to earn your forgiveness, I’ll take any punishment you see fit. I just want to be your good toy again, to serve and obey you forever and never ever be apart from you again...” They bowed down and began showering Aislinn’s crimson heels with passionate kisses. The hypnotist wept with joy as she watched them lovingly run their lips and tongue over her shoes’ glossy surface.

She shot a grateful smile at Lizzie. “Thank you, pet,” she whispered. The demon returned the warm smile, bowing her head deferentially, non-verbally assuring her that it was her pleasure.

Kneeling up again, Ruby glanced back at Lizzie, and then up at Aislinn once more, seeming to process that the unfamiliar face was her Mistress’ new plaything. Aislinn bowed down to grab them by their short hair, tugging them slowly to their feet. “Time enough to tell you all about Lizzie,” she assured them, gazing into their eyes. They stared back lovingly, looking rather dazed, perhaps finally getting trancey from the sight of their owner’s shining irises now that they had no desire to resist her. “For now,” she whispered, “just come here...”

And she pulled them in for a tight hug, rubbing her arms over their back, burying her face in their hair, breathing in their scent. She never wanted to let them go again.

***

The car journey was the first one Lizzie had spent out of trance since she’d met Aislinn. Ruby had questions, and a jubilant Miss Gold was feeling generous and allowed her slaves to chat. The more Ruby learned about the demoness, the more they wanted to know, their eyes growing wider as they gazed over their shoulder at her from the passenger seat.

When Ruby had learned of the demon’s mind-manipulating magic, they’d quickly realised she’d put them under her spell. They looked troubled for a moment, while Aislinn shot them a worried glance from the drivers’ seat. “Is that a problem, toy?” she asked, a little tremulously. Lizzie chewed her lip, still unused to seeing her Mistress so insecure, bracing herself to harness her mind-moulding magic if necessary.

There was no need. After a pause, Ruby’s disturbed expression settled into cheerful docility. “No, it’s perfectly fine, Miss,” they replied. “I mean, I left you with no option, didn’t I? Besides, I love being controlled by you. I need to be controlled by you. I guess, in my head that just meant being hypnotised by you - being enthralled by your demon pet’s dark magic never occurred to me!”

“In all fairness to you, how could it?” Aislinn chuckled. Ruby and Lizzie joined in with her laughter, but their sycophantic giggles were interrupted by the thick vibrating dildos they’d appropriated from the sex shop, randomly firing inside them again. Squeaking with surprise and arousal, they squirmed in their seats. Lizzie wasn’t sure she preferred the real, tangible sex toy to the hypnotic vibrator Miss Gold had given her in the pre-dawn hours, but she did enjoy how full it made her feel. And she appreciated the act of petty theft from Ruby’s (former) workplace.

Soon enough, they reached Ruby’s new flat. Aislinn had admitted, wincing with embarrassment, that she’d had to sell their apartment not long after they broke up, unable to afford it on her own income, and had been jumping from motel to motel since then while trying to accumulate enough funds to leave Dublin. This only made Ruby more remorseful and apologetic, begging their owner for the chance to make amends.

“All in good time,” the hypnotist promised, leading the way into Ruby’s bedroom as if she owned the place - which, through them, she now effectively did. “First, I want to show off my pet hell beast to you.”

At Aislinn’s command (and after removing the dildo with a moan of pleasure), Lizzie obediently shifted into her demonic form for the first time since she’d been under her hypnotic control. Her skin turned green and scaly, coarse to the touch. Her canines and fingernails elongated into wickedly-sharp fangs and talons, and short crimson horns emerged from her forehead. She grew a foot taller, her muscles engorging, her clothes stretching and straining. The front of her latex trousers bulged as her hefty cock replaced her slick cunt, its tip already dribbling precum.

Her Mistress and her fellow submissive stood and watched the transformation, Aislinn’s eyes wide and manically gleeful, Ruby gasping with amazement. “Oh my God, she’s gorgeous,” they sighed, studying the reptilian demon with a rapturous expression. “I was expecting something more, I dunno... traditionally devilish... but this is so much better!”

“Didn’t I tell you, ‘Lizzie’ is short for ‘Lizard’?” Aislinn sniggered, approaching the docile demon as she stood on display for them both.

“Really?”

“Maybe. That’s what she said last night at the show. She was probably joking, but maybe ‘Lizard’ is a common demon name.” Miss Gold shot the lamia an inquisitive glance.

Lizzie cringed a little. “My full name’ss actually Elizssabeth...”

“Ah. Well, we can always pretend otherwise.” Aislinn winked at her. “‘Lizard’ definitely suits you better.”

She grinned. “I agree, Missss.”

The dominant began running her hands over Lizzie’s body, groping her tits and abs through her top. “Tear this off for me, pet,” she ordered, and the demon’s talons reduced the top to shreds within seconds, letting the material fall to the floor - along with her bra, the straps of which had also been sliced through. With Aislinn’s permission, Ruby darted forwards and started to feel Lizzie up as well, and she sighed with deep satisfaction, her glowing red eyes rolling back in her head at the feeling of two pairs of hands running over her scaly torso, squeezing her thick biceps, fondling her latex-clad butt, teasing fingers around her hard nipples. She went limp in their grasp, head lolling gently, arms hanging at her sides, giving in to the pleasure of being caressed and handled. Every sensation was heightened in her demonic form, so every touch drove her wild.

She’d never imagined that being treated like this - a sex object, a piece of meat, there for the enjoyment of others - could feel so incredible. She’d put many others in that position in the last couple of years, and made sure they’d loved being dominated and objectified as much as she loved doing the dominating and objectifying, but it now seemed absurd that she’d never thought to experiment with her own submission - not until she’d given her mind and body to Miss Gold, allowing her to drag her into total, blissful subservience. It was the greatest pleasure she’d ever experienced. It sent tremors through her. It was hardening her cock, to the point where she thought it might rip through the front of her trousers.

Her fellow slave noticed this. “Mistress,” they blurted excitedly, “you didn’t tell me she has a dick!”

They cradled the bulge with their hand, rubbing it through the latex. Lizzie let out a low moan, humping their palm. She managed to regain control of her rolling eyeballs in time to see Aislinn’s bewildered expression. “She didn’t earlier,” the hypnotist muttered, evidently confused even as she continued to fondle the demon’s boob and rub her palm over her lower back.

“Uhhh... it’sss only there when I transssform, Misstressss...” she hissed, shuddering with ecstasy.

“Well, that’s a fun little bonus,” Miss Gold sniggered. “And oh my God, the hissing! I fucking love that. Tell me you exist to serve me.”

“I exssissst to ssserve you...”

“Incredible,” Aislinn murmured.

Grabbing Ruby’s wrist and pulling their hand away from Lizzie’s thrusting groin, she slipped her fingers under the waistband of the demon’s trousers and pulled down, peeling them off her ophidian skin. Her impressive shaft swung out of the latex’s grip, hanging in mid-air, visibly twitching and throbbing. Like the rest of her body, it resembled a normal penis, but significantly larger and with scaly green skin. “Wow,” the hypnotist sniggered, “doesn’t that look big and tasty? Don’t you think, toy? So juicy, so appetising...?”

Ruby was licking their lips, their gaze fixed on Lizzie’s cockhead. “Mmm... yes, Miss Gold...”

“Well then, what are we waiting for?”

At their dominant’s instruction, Ruby clambered onto their bed and lay on their side, facing towards Lizzie, who bent her right leg and planted it on the mattress, bringing her left leg right up to the side of the bed so she loomed over it, her erection within reach of the black-and-teal-haired enby. Pausing only to pull off their sweater and throw it aside, revealing their ample chest, Ruby scooted closer and wrapped their fingers around her shaft, shoving it into her mouth. Lizzie threw back her head, keening and hissing euphorically as she felt their soft, wet lips fellate her, their delicate fingers stroking around the base to make up for their mouth not being big enough to take her vast girth.

Not content to merely spectate (for long), Aislinn scrambled on top of the white duvet as well and began undressing her beloved toy, hastily unhooking their bra. “God, I’ve missed these,” she said, more to herself than to Ruby, and wrapped her mouth around one of their breasts, sucking it as hungrily as they were sucking Lizzie’s cock. At the same time she was fumbling with Ruby’s skirt, clearly trying to pull it off, but was rather hampered by the lack of distance between their body and the bed.

Distracted as she was by Ruby’s mouth, Lizzie nevertheless found it in herself to take the initiative, and help her Mistress out. Sometimes, she reasoned, being a perfect submissive meant acting without being instructed, in order to make your dominant happy. Raising a clawed hand, she curled her fingers in the direction of Ruby’s body. They let out a squeak as they were suddenly lifted from the bed by an invisible force, which raised them a few inches off the duvet and suspended them in mid-air. Her lips relinquishing their tit, Aislinn stared at Lizzie in amazement, realising she was responsible. Her pretty face contorted into the expression of jubilant malice with which Lizzie had become quite familiar.

Seeming undeterred by the magical levitation, Ruby resumed their ministrations to the demon’s dick, even as their owner pulled off their skirt, tights and panties, throwing them aside so hard they thudded against the wall behind her. Sliding the buzzing sex toy out of Ruby’s cunt, the blonde dominant buried her face in it and began greedily eating them out, thrusting her fingers inside them as her tongue lapped at their labia. Their frantic whimpers muffled by Lizzie’s massive phallus, the hovering submissive squirmed helplessly in the demon’s telekinetic grip, under their owner’s voracious tongue, spitroasted by the hellbeast’s cock and the hypnotist’s digits.

At length, Miss Gold pulled herself away from Ruby’s glistening crevice, breathlessly praising them, “Good toy, good toy...” She seized them by the throat, interrupting their head’s rapid bobbing along Lizzie’s wood, and pulled them away. At her command, Lizzie lowered Ruby safely onto the duvet. Still holding them by the neck, Aislinn pulled them upright, and they knelt in front of each other, face to face, Ruby’s leaf-brown eyes locked onto their owner’s hypnotic golden gaze. “Undress me,” she ordered, and they sprang into action, slipping her blazer off her shoulders, unlacing her corset, tugging down her skirt, her fishnet tights, and her panties. They never broke eye contact with her.

Lizzie fondled her needy cock as she watched them, enjoying the matching looks of adoration on each of their faces. Seeing Ruby struggling with the clothing on Aislinn’s lower half, just as she had done with theirs, Lizzie once again called upon her psionic powers, this time raising them both off the bed, allowing them to float in the air together. Now fully naked, Aislinn grabbed Ruby around the neck again and pulled them in for a rough, possessive kiss. Their bodies entwined as they hovered, scissoring while suspended, seemingly unfazed by gravity’s lack of influence over them, presuming their pet demoness would hold them safely adrift. And she would. She must.

She belonged to Miss Gold. She existed to serve her. She loved to please her. She needed to obey her.

To that point, when Miss Gold broke away from Ruby’s mouth for just long enough to cry, “Fuck me, my little demon bitch,” she didn’t hesitate. With an almost jaunty wave of her claw, she rotated the two lovers in mid-air along two different axes, putting Aislinn on the bottom as her cunt was brought within range of the demoness. The hypnotist came to rest on the duvet, Ruby on top of her, unable to stop making out with her even if they wanted to with her fingers still wrapped around their throat and her other hand gripping their waist.

Aislinn spread her legs wide, and as Lizzie peered across the bed, she could see her smiling triumphantly beneath Ruby’s face. Though she was on the bottom, preparing herself to be fucked, the Shining Vision was far from powerless. Rather, she was exactly where she wanted to be. Lizzie had the power, but Miss Gold had absolute control. And she and Ruby could do nothing but obey her, could desire nothing but to obey her.

It was with those zealous, worshipful thoughts in mind that the domesticated demon finally ploughed into her owner’s entrance and fucked her until she was screaming into Ruby’s mouth, her walls clenching and spasming around Lizzie’s shaft as she came again and again. At no point did Lizzie herself reach orgasm, the hypnotic locks Aislinn had placed in her mind still keeping her from crossing the edge. Her innate supernatural ability to precisely judge human arousal told her that Ruby’s release was being similarly restrained, and she idly wondered if the suggestions Miss Gold had surely planted in their mind had kept them denied the entire time they’d been broken up, or if the conditioning had merely reasserted itself when they returned to their rightful place as Miss Gold’s fucktoy. The malicious demon hoped the former was true.

Finally satiated after half a dozen orgasms, Aislinn had Lizzie pull out and Ruby clamber off her, the two sweaty, exhausted humans lying side by side on the duvet while the demoness sank to her knees on the carpet. Hauling herself across the bed, the hypnotist reached out and gave her scritches, and she trembled and mewled at the feeling of sharp nails caressing the grooves between scales. Aislinn soon started rubbing one of Lizzie’s horns with her thumb instead, an act that provided absolutely no stimulation at all. For some reason, her dominant choosing to caress a part of her body with no nerve endings, teasing her with her fingers’ continued proximity to her sensitive scalp, was driving her even wilder...

“You can cum, pet, but try not to let too much go on the floor,” Aislinn snickered, still stroking the numb protrusion.

Lizzie needed no further permission. She just managed to grab her cock and aim it at her leg before it spurted a veritable tsunami of hot, thick semen all over her thigh. Closing her eyes, she let out a bestial roar, jerking her hips violently, pistoning her phallus back and forth in her palm, aware of nothing but the wet warmth firing from her cockhead and covering her leg. By the time she’d finished, her thigh was plastered in sticky hellseed.

“Aw, look at my poor messy Lizard,” her owner teased. “Did someone have an accident? Not such a mighty demon now, huh? Just a subby little simp, so eager to cum for her Miss that she jizzes all over herself like a pathetic little virgin. So cute!”

Lizzie bowed her head, gasping and moaning gently, more humiliated than she’d ever been, loving it more than she’d ever have imagined.

Yawning, Aislinn rolled onto her back. “Alright, get some rest. We should all have a quick power nap - and then it’s time to pack and hit the road. Ruby, I take it you’ve reconsidered my earlier offer?”

“Oh, yes, Mistress,” Ruby replied sleepily, their tone warm and joyful. “I’ll go with you wherever you wish.”

“Perfect.” Grinning contentedly, Aislinn closed her beautiful eyes. “You just lie down there and get some shut-eye, pet. But try to stay in your demon form, please? I do find it so very appealing...”

“Yesss, Misstressss.”

Lizzie laid herself down on the carpet at the foot of the bed, wrapping her beefy arms around herself and closing her eyes. She vaguely wished she’d been able to clean up her thigh, but Miss Gold hadn’t given her any instructions to do so, so she guessed she’d just leave it. It’d dry while she napped, anyway.

She could already hear snoring from the bed, far away enough that she was fairly sure it was Ruby. God, how lucky was that silly enby, that Lizzie had been able to set their deluded mind back on the right course, and then bring them back to their Mistress? Then again, she thought dreamily as she began to drift off, how lucky was she that Miss Gold had hypnotised her at the show last night...?

Her forehead twitched into a faint frown.

Last night.

Miss said ‘last night at the show’ to Ruby.

And Sin... Sin said... “So that’s where you went last night...”

And the asshole at the diner... “I saw you at the SU... last night...”

Last night? The show... was last night?

No... it was weeks ago... I’ve been with Miss for weeks...

Haven’t I?

Even as her foggy brain fought to reconcile the conflicting information, the teenage demoness felt her exhaustion overtake her, and descended into a troubled, tempestuous sleep.