The hustle and bustle of the bar buzzed and filled the room. People filtered in and out in various states of inebriation, some laughing and some crying. The coin flowed as freely as the ale, tankards clacking against wooden tables as workers regaled tales of their days to people they had just met.

Leora watched the room from the bar, quietly cleaning spills from clumsy drunks. When she had shown up on the doorstep of the bar in the middle of the night, black streaks down her cheeks from her tears, the owner had taken her in.

In exchange for working the bar she was provided with room and board, and Leora was eternally grateful. It was a steep learning curve, sheltered by her holy life as she was. Handling coin efficiently and serving customers proved to be quite challenging at first, but after just a few days and busy nights, she had a handle on it.

After only three weeks she was a regular face in the sea of bar patrons, with many of them giving her a happy wave as they entered the bar or a lecherous gaze down her top as she brought them their orders.

Leora’s mind wandered to the Abbey often, her time there a memory that haunted her. She missed the simplicity of life as a nun, the time to meditate, and spare moments to pray.

She longed for the peace a strict daily schedule provided.

A calmness in not having to think.

There was an irony in freedom being more stifling than the structure of religion, and Leora certainly felt that way now. Though interacting with people and the town kept her spirits up, when she was alone in her room her thoughts wandered to the Church and worship.

And in the dark, they wandered to Corvina.

In the privacy of her room, when the ache between her legs became too great, she touched herself to the thought of Corvina. Her Superior’s hold on her mind and memories faded with the distance between them, but love was hard to erase.

As was dependence and addiction.

Such was Corvina’s self-admitted design. She had planned it all so that Leora would not be able to simply run away. With Corvina not around to hold them, her puppet strings were left dangling without purpose but wired deep inside Leora’s mind all the same.

Leora’s feet and back ached from the physically demanding work. She finished up with a few more patrons and then waved to the owner, signaling the end of her shift. The kindly man raised a hand in response and that was all the permission Leora needed.

She left through the back door and out into the alleyway behind the tavern. The air was slightly cool on Leora’s skin, a chill that indicated winter would soon arrive. The chill made Leora miss the comfort of her habit.

The clothing she wore was designed more for earning tips than for modesty. Even after wearing it daily, showing even a small amount of skin still felt sinful. It was for the best that she left the habit in her room, it served only as a reminder of Corvina and the Abbey.

Along the walls of the Alley were a series of posters depicting sketches of women with large lettering above their heads that read “MISSING.” In a busy town, people were sure to go missing or run away, but since her arrival Leora had noticed an increase of disappearances.

She knew that if anyone came for her, she would be safe. She could defend herself.

Her shoes clicked on the stairs as she walked up to her room. The buzz of noise from the tavern below was audible through the floor, yet Leora found it somewhat comforting.

She kicked off her shoes as soon as she entered her room and collapsed onto her bed, her aching feet cherishing the few moments of respite. As she laid in the not-quite-silence of her room, Leora meditated on her new life.

It was a life she could be happy with, eventually.

“L-Leora? Are you t-there?”

Leora’s blood ran cold, the raspy voice having no clear point of origin and instilling a deep sense of fear in her.

She buried her head under her pillow, hiding from the ethereal voice. Leora hoped it would go away and yet it had been like this for days. Every day she returned to her room and within moments the voice would arrive like clockwork.

Nails scratched against wood in long drawn-out sounds, as if there were a cat trapped outside, begging to be let in. Leora had ignored the voice each night, hoping it would move on.

She promised to never grow close to another lest she harm another soul. She could not live with the guilt of harming innocent mortals, it was why she chose to ignore the feminine voice behind her door, night after night.

“I beg of you, Leora… I want more. I need more. I — ”

The voice turned to sobbing, Leora could hear the desperation in its pleas.

“P-please… I cannot go on without it anymore. I will worship you like you deserve, so please…”

Guilt twisted in Leora’s gut. She decided enough was enough, the voice had to move on. Whatever it wanted, Leora could not provide it, at least not in a way that Leora felt was safe. She had to tell them to never come back.

She lifted the pillow off her head and followed the sound of sobbing towards her door, opening it slowly so as to peer through the crack. On the other end was a small woman with tired puffy eyes, which immediately met Leora’s.

“May I enter, Leora? I do not mean to trouble you so late but… it’s been a week since we last spoke and I… I need you.”

Leora’s memory had been destroyed by Corvina’s influence. It was a struggle at times to even remember people’s orders at the tavern. The girl at the door, however, was unforgettable.

The night they had met, Leora had seen her stumbling around the tavern. She was a mess of a woman, but there was a charm to her that appealed. Her eyes were particularly beautiful as they reflected the ember glow from Leora’s.

With a smile, Leora opened the door further and gestured for the smaller woman to enter. Leora decided that it would cause no harm to simply spend a little time with the younger woman.

“Good evening, Evelyn.”

The small woman hurried inside with flushed cheeks and a shy smile. She was wearing a beautiful black dress that showed the slightest amount of cleavage, and Leora couldn’t help but glance at it.

“Thank you, Leora. You are so kind.”

She quickly hurried to the side of Leora’s bed and knelt beside it, her breasts bouncing slightly at the motion. It made Leora blush.

“Nothing I do satisfies me like you. I know our previous time together was my first with a woman but, I’ve been practicing. I would love to show you my progress.”

Even with just one night together, Leora had instilled an otherworldly devotion in Evelyn. The thought of the girl spending days alone thinking of new ways to worship excited Leora.

The fire in Leora’s eyes enlightened Evelyn, filling her with a new religion with Leora as her Goddess. It was the natural hierarchy that existed among mortals and mythological beings, and to fight was futile.

With the newfound religion overwhelming Evelyn’s mind, it had been easy to convince her to follow Leora out of the tavern. What happened once they arrived in Leora’s room was nothing short of spiritual. It was a blur of Leora’s fingers between Evelyn’s thighs, and a bliss-filled kiss that never ended.

Leora remembered feeling good, but her memory of the details was foggy at best.

Leora approached the younger woman and gently placed her palm on the girl’s cheek. Evelyn visibly relaxed and perked up at the attention, leaning into the touch.

“I can help you relax, Mistress. Just like before… I’ve been practicing!”

Leora’s eyes widened as she noticed two pin prick wounds on the girl’s neck. They offered implications that filled Leora with shame and horror.

She had fed on Evelyn.

Leora could hardly blame the girl for returning to her room, begging Leora for more. Mortal minds were not made to withstand the pleasure she could offer. Of small relief was the fact that Leora could still sense Evelyn’s soul, yet its presence did not relieve her of unease.

She was hungry and there was prey before her.

Her new body came with a new libido, it was an unending simmer of heat between her thighs. Distracting as it was inconvenient, she did her best to ignore it until she had the privacy of her room, hoping her fingers would offer some relief.

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately for both women, Evelyn interrupted that routine.

As she gazed down at the girl before her, she considered her options. It had been a hard day and some attention from a woman did sound appealing — her fingers would only get her so far. Pleasure from another was a much different experience.

The otherworldly demonic lust that began to build inside of her twisted her mind. It felt like she was losing control of her thoughts and actions, the fire taking over.

“Do not disappoint me, Evelyn.”

The words came from Leora’s lips, but it was her lust that spoke them. Evelyn shuddered at the words, ember-glow flickering into life in her eyes.

The skirt Leora wore was barely long enough to cover her knees. It was far lustier than Leora was used to but showing skin loosened customers’ grip on coin. She lifted her skirt and revealed the pair of pure white underwear that laid beneath.

She tugged them down with the slightest effort and let them fall to the ground. Her fingers gripped Evelyn’s hair, painfully tugging her along so that she could reach Leora on the edge of the bed.

Leora spread her legs and Evelyn bit her lip. The girl had been straight as an arrow when the two had met. Now, as she looked up into Leora’s eyes with devotion and need, it was as if she had been a lesbian her whole life.

The mortal waited for permission, her mind offering her no alternative. Leora knew how it felt when otherworldly forces twisted a mortal’s thoughts; Evelyn had to follow Leora’s words and will, and to act on her own was simply an impossibility.

Leora used Evelyn’s patience to take in the beauty of her lust. It swirled around her body in violet coils like wisps of smoke. Human sin was delicious and addictive, the scent of it now making Leora’s tail flick and her body shiver.

Working in a tavern benefitted her greatly, a place filled by overindulgence and inebriation. It left her with a pleasant buzz after a full day’s work, albeit exhausted from the constant stimulus.

Evelyn’s sin was different, it was something to savor. Her lust grew as she eagerly awaited Leora’s word. So too did Leora’s hunger, the violet swirls driving her wild. She had resisted consuming Evelyn’s soul before but the temptation was calling to her again.

Fortunately, demons never were very good at resisting temptation.

“Worship me, girl.”

The command made Evelyn’s eyes flutter, hitting deep inside the woman’s core. Evelyn practically pounced on Leora as she was released, a feral beast of pleasure and sin.

Leora wrapped her legs around Evelyn, pulling her closer. The girl’s kisses felt like silk against Leora’s skin, drawing satisfied moans out of her. Evelyn’s mouth explored Leora’s body, and when her lips and tongue found Leora’s cunt, it was as if Leora’s grip on reality crumbled under the pleasure.

The world shifted around her until all she could see was the violet fog around her partner. With a growl, Leora gripped the back of Evelyn’s head, her claws gently digging into the girl’s scalp eliciting a whimper.

Her tail coiled around Evelyn’s thigh, the spaded tip ever so slightly grinding against her pussy. The human was cracking under the sheer weight of Leora’s lust, her hips thrusting against an object she could not even see.

Evelyn’s tongue found its way past Leora’s labia, gently and carefully entering her. The girl was right, she had been practicing. Leora rewarded her partner’s efforts with a pleasured moan.

“Mm. Good girl.”

Admittedly, it did not take much to make Leora feel good. Her whole body was wired for sex and even the slightest touch could send shivers down her spine and sparks to her cunt. The mortal served her better when she pretended, and so she used her pleasure as leverage for twisting the girl.

Evelyn visibly shivered at the praise and pulled away just enough to replace her tongue with a couple of fingers, lips moving up to kiss Leora’s clit.

Leora threw her head back in pleasure, drinking in the sheer lust of it all. A human girl between her thighs, serving Leora as her kind should. It was almost beyond belief that just a few weeks prior to this moment, Leora had been a chaste nun.

Evelyn’s fingers pumped inside Leora in slow deliberate motions. Her tongue flicked Leora’s bud just enough to enhance her pleasure but not so much as to cause discomfort. It was almost perfect.

“I am impressed. Maybe I will keep you chained here as my own personal toy. Would you like that, girl?”

As if to make the question unfair, Leora’s tail pressed harder against Evelyn’s dripping slit. Leora knew how impossible it was to think clearly when pleasure fogged the mind, and the pleasure Leora offered was otherworldly.

Muffled moans of agreement came from between Leora’s thighs. The verbal contract caused the demonic fire inside Leora to become an outright inferno.

She gazed down at Evelyn’s eyes, and they looked up to meet hers. The drug-like quality of Leora’s fluids had caused them to grow dim and blank, reflective of Evelyn’s state of mind. The sight of it stirred something primal inside of Leora and she could feel herself nearing the edge.

It was a place that Leora had unfortunately become all too familiar with. No matter how hard she tried or how close she managed to get, orgasm never arrived. She growled possessively and gripped Evelyn’s head tighter.

“Fuck. Do not stop, Evelyn. Prove to your Goddess that you are worthy of her chains.”

Evelyn obeyed. She simply could not think of doing anything else. She kept her pace and her patterns, doing her utmost to push Leora over the edge.

Frustratingly, like all the times before, Leora could not cum. She rode the edge almost painfully, climax in reach of her fingertips but never close enough to grasp.

It was an unfortunate curse, surrounded by sin and filled with pleasure at the slightest touch, only to be left on edge and never able to relieve the pressure. Her mind was a constantly quivering mess of need.

Deranged desperation took hold of Leora and in one swift motion she pushed Evelyn away and backwards onto the floor. She positioned her cunt just above Evelyn’s face and lowered herself onto it, grinding against the girl’s face.

Evelyn’s fingers moved to her own pussy, fingering herself as her face was used by her Mistress. Leora’s thighs clenched around Evelyn’s head, moans of bliss and groans of frustration leaving Leora’s lips.

Still, release was out of reach.

She cursed Corvina for the damage she had done, for how helpless Leora was without her. She could not even climax without her former Superior’s permission. Were she a human her state would be pathetic; for a demon, it was positively shameful.

As her hips thrust over and over, she felt something inside her begin to stir. It was an energy that felt familiar to Leora, yet from where she could not place.

Suddenly, her mind flashed to a memory, as vivid as if it had happened just yesterday.

Leora saw the tavern through blurry eyes. It was a busy night and she had far too much to drink. She made her way to the bar to order more ale and the beautiful woman who arrived to help her immediately captured her attention.

She looked into the woman’s eyes, and the rest of the tavern melted away.

She heard the girl behind the bar speak in a voice that made her thoughts turn to ash. When she asked a question, Leora was compelled to answer.

‘… your name?’

‘Evelyn…’

‘A pretty name for a pretty thing, do you not agree?’

‘Yes, Mistress.’

The dissonance shattered the memory, bringing her out of her vision. That was not her memory; it was Evelyn’s. The source of the energy she was feeling suddenly became clear; she was drinking from Evelyn’s soul, just like she had with Kristina.

It tasted delicious, filling Leora with an unholy vigor that nothing else could provide.

Suddenly, more memories flashed into her mind. Different times and different states, but all of them involving Leora behind the bar.

Every memory ended with a hand reaching out to take Leora’s. The hands changed as the memories flitted by, different skin tones and sizes, but all belonged to women.

The missing posters from the alley flickered in her mind and Leora finally put the pieces together.

Leora was the reason women were going missing. She wondered how many women she had destroyed and immediately forgotten, their families crying as their loved ones never returned home.

Tears ran down Leora’s cheeks, the emotional pain offering enough clarity to regain control of her body. The sensation was addictive, and it took everything in her to stop. This had to stop. She did not want to leave Evelyn a soulless husk.

She lifted herself off of the human and moved to lift her off the ground, one arm supporting her neck and one behind her knees. Leora gently lowered Evelyn onto the bed, the girl’s expression locked in ecstasy.

Leora joined her on the bed, wrapping herself around the smaller woman possessively.

Evelyn was the one thing she had. She could not lose another thing she held dear.

Sleep came quickly for them both and in the relative silence of the room, the shadows started whispering.

. . .

It was the following evening when fate happened to exert her inexorable will upon Leora’s life. The tavern was far busier than usual. People lined the walls and filled seats all in various states of intoxication. Women sat on men’s laps as they laughed and regaled stories of little importance to one another.

Leora dashed around the tavern like a woman possessed, tips sticking out of her cleavage. She moved from keg to table to kitchen and back to table. It was enough to make her head spin.

She was rushing back to the kitchen when someone stopped her. A small woman with grey hair, no older than fifty. She had tears in her eyes as she looked up at Leora, a hand reaching out to touch Leora’s cheek.

“Leora? Is that really you?”

The lack of familiarity must have shown on Leora’s face as she pulled away from the touch. She did not know who the woman was or how she knew Leora. Her face was familiar, in a way that was on the tip of Leora’s tongue, but the details eluded her.

“It’s me, your mother. Mary. You are so much taller than I remember. We prayed and prayed but the Lord did not answer our prayers. Until now! Oh, I’m so relieved.”

“My mother? I - I do not remember. My parents hate me and you are trying to deceive me. I urge you to stop before I get the tavern’s owner.”

The woman was wounded by her words.

“Your father and I do not hate you. Your siblings miss you. We all miss you.”

Leora’s head throbbed as she tried to reconcile her memories and the woman’s words. She grew unsteady on her feet, wobbling ever so slightly.

“I cannot remember you, I am so sorry. I - my head - it hurts.”

She steadied herself on a nearby table and tried to collect her composure. Flashes of the woman who was claiming to be her mother appeared in her mind from times long since past.

“You are white as a sheet. Leora, come home, I will make you tea and we can talk through it all. You shouldn’t be on your feet when you are as unsteady as you are.”

The tavern owner saw her from across the room and sensed she needed help. He excused himself from a customer and walked over with determination in his step.

“Is she bothering you Leora? Do you need me to kick her out?”

Leora shook her head and fanned herself with her free hand.

“No, Jason, no. That is alright. She claims to be my mother and I think… I think she may be right. May I excuse myself from work for the night?”

Jason looked at the other woman and gave a curt nod.

“She looks exactly like you. Listen, Leora, don’t make a habit of this. You may go, but I expect you back tomorrow. Bright and early. You’ll be scrubbing the floors for this.”

Leora smiled and hugged the burly man.

“Thank you, you big softie. I shall see you tomorrow.”

He smiled and waved, turning back to help the customers waving their empty tankards around.

Leora gestured to the other woman to lead the way and they left the bar together, tears of joy streaming down her mother’s face.

“Thank the Lord. My daughter is coming home.”

. . .

The woman did not have to take Leora very far. The house she lived in was a short walk across the town. When they arrived, Leora had another break with reality, her memories clashing with the truth she saw before her eyes.

The flower beds she remembered being dead and decrepit were covered in protective blankets, keeping them warm for the cold days ahead.

It was a level of care and love that conflicted with the memories she held in her mind. The darkened garden and words of hate played in parallel with hazy memories filled with joy and light.

“Come inside, Leora. You look exhausted.”

Her mother, though Leora still did not fully trust the woman’s claims, held the door open for Leora to enter. She walked in and children of various ages all dashed to see who had arrived.

“Ahem. This doesn’t look like bed time to me, kids.”

They all screamed excitedly and bounced with energy, piling hugs onto Leora. Leora stood awkwardly, unsure how to react to the kids who recognized her.

“Big sis is back! You found her, Mom!”

Their mother laughed and smiled.

“It was the Lord’s blessing who brought us together again. I’m sure you all have so much to tell your sister but that can wait until morning. To bed, all of you.”

The sternness in their mother’s voice brought back a feeling of nostalgia. It was not one out of anger or frustration, but simply care for her kids. The children hugged Leora tightly and dashed off to bed.

It was a rush of energy that Leora had not been prepared for. She let out a deep exhale, bringing herself a little calm.

“Do you still take your tea black?”

Leora nodded in response and sat herself at the dining room table. It was a long table, 10 seats total, made of a beautiful dark wood that had familiar knots and imperfections. A part of her remembered eating dinner at this table every night for most of her youth, the table older even than herself.

Little memories like the table were filtering through her mind as she took in the room around her. Her family’s faces, however, were all still a void in her memories. Her mother returned with a tray of tea cups and baked goods, seating herself at the head of the table next to Leora.

“That always was your seat. The others would not sit there even after you went missing.”

Leora helped herself to a cookie and some tea. It was a buttery cookie that crunched as she bit into it, all but rolling her eyes as the flavor filled her mouth.

“Thank you for this. I remember so little, but the smell of this house stirs memories in me I had long since forgotten.”

Her mother scoffed. “There is no need for thanks, silly. I am your mother and this is your home. You are always welcome here, for tea or to rest your head.”

Leora was filled with warmth. It was a comforting thought, knowing she had a place like this.

“Where have you been, daughter? We’ve been worried sick. When I heard of a beautiful woman with no memories working at the tavern, I rushed over immediately.”

Leora tried to tell her everything that had happened but thought only of Corvina’s face. How unbelievable it would be to hear she had fallen in love with a woman who turned her into a demon.

‘Your mother would not love you if she knew.’

“I - I was at a convent. Nuns were not to leave or speak with the outside world, so I could not even write a letter. I am so sorry.”

Her mother had shock written across her face.

“You? A nun? Every Sunday I begged you to come to church and you refused, and yet you run off and join a convent? Why?”

Leora bit her lip and tried to recall why she had joined Sacred Night but nothing came.

‘Corvina saved you. Corvina helped you. You are so grateful for her finding you.’

Whispers echoed in her head, though she could not discern if they were her own thoughts or if someone was whispering to her spirit. The whispers had been a regular occurrence at Sacred Night but in the weeks she’d been away, they had stopped.

Until now.

She shook her head clear of the distracting words and looked back to her mother’s eyes.

“My Sister Superior found me and took me in. She showed me what I had been missing. I was naive for missing Church with you. I do not recall the details of how she found me but I know that I am grateful she did. Even now…”

Leora trailed off and recalled the awful things Corvina had done to her… and, regretfully, how much she missed it.

“Part of me wishes to be proud that you found the Lord.” Mary gave a nervous laugh. “Yet another is hurt that you left me. Oh, Leora. Why did you return? You sound fond of the place and yet I found you in the tavern.”

Her mother reached out to touch Leora’s hand and Leora pulled it away instinctively.

“I - I do not want to talk about it. It hurts too much to think of it.”

Her mother pursed her lips but nodded, respecting Leora’s boundaries.

“Alright, dear. There is no need to force yourself. I just - we were worried about you and would like to know what happened. You were gone almost a year. Swear to tell me all, eventually?”

Leora gave a small nod and a sad smile. Her heart ached to tell her mother the truth but she was not ready to hear it. Something her mother had said nagged at Leora, however. She had been a novitiate at the abbey for three years prior to her Firsts, and eight months since then.

Leora’s head ached. She pushed the conflicting timelines out of her head, choosing to believe her mother misspoke. It was too painful to think otherwise.

“Is Father here too? I would love to see him.”

Her mother sighed and shook her head.

“‘Father.’ You speak so formally now. Is that what the convent taught you? No, your pop is not here. After you went missing, Kristina fell apart. She searched everywhere for you… and one day, she stopped coming home.”

Leora’s blood ran cold and her ears began to ring.

“Your papa was heartbroken and has been searching for the two of you ever since. I have no idea where his search has taken him but he has not been home in weeks. I’m sure he’ll be delighted when he finds out you are home again. Have you seen Kristina?”

She recalled the taste of Kristina’s soul, tears welling up in her eyes.

‘It was delicious. You cannot stop yourself from taking more. Poor Evelyn is addicted to you now, forever cursed to seek out the pleasures of a demon. Because of you, Leora.’

“I suppose you haven’t. I will count my blessings, I have my Leora again. We will find Kristina together.”

Leora gave a weak nod in response, trying to suppress her emotions.

“Are you happy at the tavern? You seemed so busy but you also looked fulfilled. Is Jason treating you well?”

She gathered herself and cleared her throat before responding, her hands clenching tightly on her lap.

“Yes. It is busy and physically demanding work but… I am happy. He lets me stay in a room free of charge and I get to make people smile.”

Her mother smiled, proud of her daughter for finding a space in the world for herself.

“I do wish you’d come home sooner, but I am glad you are happy. You will always have food and a bed here, if you ever need one.”

Leora beamed. “Thank you, Mother. I am sorry I did not come see you sooner. I truly lost all of my memories of my time before the convent. It has been difficult adjusting to the everyday life of the townsfolk.”

“I understand, dear. The angelic woman who told me where to find you explained it all.”

Leora’s eyes widened, panic in her voice. “Woman? Which woman?”

“Oh, Leora. I can’t believe I forgot to mention it. Something incredible happened. An agent of the Lord Himself helped me find you. He finally heard my prayers and sent an Angel to my side.”

Her heart began to race. Leora stood up suddenly, the chair scraping harshly against the wood of the floor and started moving toward the door. Her mother intercepted her with a hand on her wrist, stopping her in her tracks. Her grip was firm.

“You must meet Her, Leora. She told me you had to meet Her.”

Leora turned and saw something that filled her body with fear: her mother’s irises highlighted by a ring of ember.

“Mother? Please release me. You know not the forces you are meddling with.”

“Oh little Leora, do you not trust your mother to have your best interests in mind?” The voice came from behind her, unmistakeable. It sent shivers of need down Leora’s spine.

“Corvina. Release my mother from your magick. She has nothing to do with this.”

“Mm, I do not think I will.”

Corvina paced around Leora and slinked an arm around her mother. Leora’s new eyes could see Corvina’s previously hidden black wings curling around the small older woman possessively.

Her mother’s face was fixed in an empty smile.

“Leora, isn’t she beautiful? A real angel sent by the Lord to guide me to you. I don’t know what I did to deserve such a blessing.”

Leora growled at Corvina, her tail flicking behind her. “How did you know where I was, Corvina? How long have you been watching me?”

“Oh, I always know where you are. We are linked, my love. Connected.”

Corvina gave Leora a twisted grin.

“I have been watching long enough to see you take part of that innocent girl’s soul. I am so proud of you for giving in to your lust. I suppose I should not have expected any less from my twisted other half.”

“I am not your other half. I do not complete you. The only truth in that statement is that you twisted me.”

Her former Superior ignored her protests, simply smiling in response.

“You ran from the Abbey under the misguided pretense of protecting your Sisters. The truth, Leora, is that you ran from me. You are afraid of how you feel, about me and about what I have done to you, but I can help you. I will show you how you truly feel.”

Corvina snapped her fingers, a loud crack that disrupted Leora’s thoughts, and then gestured toward her own head. Floating just a few inches above was a cracked grey halo, looking dull and devoid of holy light.

“I’ve been searching my entire life for you, Leora. The Night to my Light. A woman who could rival my strength and balance the world. You were destined from your birth to fall to Hell just as I was to fall from Heaven.”

Corvina bore black wings and a broken halo. She was no demon, sudden understanding shadowing Leora’s face.

“You are a fallen angel. How could I have been so blind?”

Corvina laughed. Her confidence was written across her face.

“Humans have small minds. They see something that their minds cannot process and can only think it a demon. An otherworldly horror intent on pushing them to sin.”

Corvina waved her hands around in circular motions, revealing dozens of eyes that previously lay hidden. She posed her hand with palm upwards, long claws pointing to the sky. A black snake crept from her wings, coiling around her arm and resting its head in her palm.

The sketch from the journal.

It was a hypnotic motion that captured Leora’s eyes, helpless to look away. After a moment, Corvina snapped her fingers again. The sound jolted Leora, the snake and eyes vanishing in an instant.

“Though I suppose that last part is true. I am otherworldly and I do so love it when humans sin. I settled in a convent for a reason. Women who are eager to worship a God are easy to manipulate, and watching them sin is so very enjoyable.”

“You are sick. Evil.”

Corvina dragged a claw along Mary’s throat, a threatening gesture that made Leora freeze.

“Humorous. That is what my Father said when he cast me down to Earth. What He failed to realize is He created this.” She used her wings to gesture toward herself. “I was made this way not by my actions but out of desperation. An Angel without the Light of Heaven has to find another source, or starve.

As it turns out, sin is a delectable replacement.”

Anger filled Leora’s heart. The pain she felt for humanity’s torture at this creature’s hand forced her to utter an inhuman growl.

“How can you do such things to innocent people? Humanity deserves better than to be your playthings.”

Corvina let out a deep and sincere laugh. After a few moments, she collected herself and grinned at Leora.

“Is that what you think? You have so much to learn still. Humans are filled with sin from the moment they are born, innocence is a fabrication. It is impossible for humanity to redeem its actions. I am simply… helping them along their due course.”

Corvina licked her lips, a physical reaction from just the thought of what she had done.

“What started out as hunger turned into purpose. This is my destiny, Leora.”

She leaned down and whispered into Mary’s ear and her grip on Leora’s wrist released. Mary’s arm fell to her side, limp and devoid of will.

“She has gone far away now, lost in a happy little vision of my design. You are familiar with those, Leora. Though the ones I made for you were far more… filthy.”

Leora glared daggers at Corvina. Her Superior’s grin and the claw on her mother’s neck taunted her. She was trapped, unable to act lest more human life be on her hands.

“You remember the rule, do you not? It would be so easy to walk over to you, fuck you senseless, and bring you back to the Abbey without protest.”

Her cunt ached with need and her cheeks flushed. It was a visible reaction that she could not hide from Corvina. Her Superior laughed, that deep laugh that filled Leora with shame.

“You slut. You want that, or at least, your body does. I am sure that little voice in your head is screaming at you. How embarrassing.”

Leora averted her eyes and looked down at the floor, her cheeks red.

“No, it will not be that painless. The rule is you have to come along willingly. You have to act. You have to give in, make the choice, fall to your knees, and admit you love me.”

She wanted to scream, to bare her fangs and fight, but Leora knew she could not. There was truth in Corvina’s words that Leora could not deny.

“What if I do not? If I turn around and walk out the door. What then?”

Corvina shrugged and gripped Mary’s chin in her claws.

“I am sure you can glean the stakes. I destroyed your memories but you still feel something for this pathetic mortal. If you did not, you would not have followed her.

Regardless, if you run, I will find and tempt you again. I have eyes everywhere and I can feel your presence, wherever you may flee.”

It was yet another illusion of choice. Corvina knew Leora was not seriously considering running, the confidence in her voice giving that away.

“You cannot even have sex without harming another. How do you expect to live a happy life outside of the Abbey if you harm everyone you touch? You need to fuck just as much as you need to breathe, Leora.”

Leora bit her lip. Corvina was right. Leora had tried to abstain but could not last longer than two days. It was like someone else took over her body and by the time she regained control, a woman was mewling on her bed begging her for more.

The light in their eyes gone as their soul joined the amalgam of sin inside Leora.

“If you give in, I can show you how to control your powers. We have hundreds of tomes that you can learn from, and you have centuries to read them.”

She wondered if she would be able to control her urges to feed. With enough time and practice, maybe she could live a normal life.

“I shall make your defeat easier on you, Leora.”

Corvina snapped her fingers once more, tingles flowing across Leora’s body. They faded quickly, leaving Leora slightly confused.

“Was that supposed to do something?”

A smirk appeared on Corvina’s lips. She leaned down to whisper into Mary’s ear again, and consciousness returned to her eyes. They immediately widened in shock and horror.

“L-Leora, why do you have horns?”

Leora cursed Corvina under her breath. Corvina smiled wider.

“Oh Mary, your poor daughter… She was tempted by Satan. She sold her soul to the devil in exchange for power, turning herself into a demonic slave to his will and losing her memories in the process.”

Her mother covered her mouth with her hands, tears in her eyes.

“No… Not my daughter. How awful.”

“Mm, I am afraid so. Do not worry, Mary. I can save her. You trust in your Angel, do you not?”

Mary nodded and fell to her knees.

“Please! Save her!”

Leora gritted her teeth. It was all lies and her mother would never know the truth. Her mother was too far gone to listen to her now. She had to endure the torture she was being forced through.

“I heard you were looking for your daughter, Kristi—”

Leora growled and interrupted Corvina, her words echoing with energy.

“Enough, Corvina. Stop. We need not hurt her any more than this.”

Corvina smiled and snapped her fingers again, returning Mary to the trance-like state she was in previously. She left Mary on her knees and walked to Leora. A measure of confidence, knowing that Leora would not run.

She crossed the distance between them slowly with confidence and grace. Leora had grown taller with her demonic changes but was still shorter than Corvina by a head’s length. The angel pushed Leora against the wall and lifted Leora’s chin with her claws.

The familiar warmth of Corvina’s eyes filled Leora. It was a gentle buzz that made her wet and ever so slightly foggy headed. Corvina’s touch made her weak in the knees.

As much as she tried to fight, to deny, she had missed Corvina.

“Are you ready to give in, Leora? Is it time to return home?”

Leora let out a small whimper, her lips ever so slightly parted and an empty look in her ember eyes. Her defiant heart wished to rip Corvina apart with her claws and yet, she leaned into the touch.

Fate held Leora in her clutches and there was nowhere else to run.

“Yes, Mistress.”

Corvina pressed her thigh between Leora’s legs, forcing them apart. Leora reacted with a moan, Corvina’s eyes becoming her entire world. Her demonic tail coiled around Corvina’s waist as their lips met in a passionate kiss. She shut her eyes and even in the dark, Leora could see the burning ember flames of her Superior.

Leora slipped her tongue past Corvina’s lips, knowing the drug-like qualities of the angel’s saliva would obliterate her mind even further. Corvina acknowledged the act of submission by smiling into the kiss.

For the first time, Leora heard Corvina moan. It filled her with pride. She was pleasing to her Angel.

Tears of pleasure and pain, betrayal and bliss, streaked down Leora’s cheeks. She felt complete for the first time since she left the convent.

Corvina broke the kiss, their tongues connected by a single strand of saliva. Leora opened her eyes, her pupils thin snake-like slits of black in a sea of gold flame.

“Good girl.”

The praise hit her addled mind like a spark to kindling, sending white-hot heat to her clit and melting her thoughts.

“F-fuck, I missed this. I missed you. I want you. More of you. In my head. I was so stupid for running away from the Abbey.”

Corvina circled the base of her horns with a finger and hummed quietly. It was a strangely pleasurable sensation, the protrusions still feeling foreign to Leora.

“You are stupid.”

The matter-of-fact statement shook Leora to her core, the drug and her Angel’s words emptying her mind.

“A pathetic, dumb, lust-drunk demon whore. Resisting her rightful superior, her Owner. Do I have to keep you on a fucking leash so you do not stray from my side?”

The degrading words bounced around Leora’s head. Her tongue hung out of her mouth, panting like a beast in heat.

“I made you this way, it is only right that I get to keep you. You are Mine, Leora. Repeat it, so that it may stick in that stupid demon brain of yours.”

Corvina’s free hand lifted Leora’s dress and slipped into her underclothes, finding her dripping cunt with a well-practiced ease. Corvina’s fingers entered her without resistance and Leora felt a spark of pleasure course through her entire body.

If there were not a soporific spell cast upon the house’s inhabitants, they would all have heard the high-pitched moan she could not keep suppressed and her screams of devotion.

“I am Yours! My Mistress. Yours. Everything that is and was, all of me, is Yours. Your demon, Your whore. An Angel’s beloved demon. Fuck me, please. I need more. I need You!”

They were the ramblings of a woman who had lost her mind. A girl who had seen things she could never unsee.

Of a woman whose will had been erased and rewritten by her own actions.

“Cum.”

Leora screamed, her toes curling and her body arching in sheer ecstasy. The fiery waves of her orgasm seemed to have no end. Moments felt like hours, each drop of drool that fell from Leora’s smiling lips representing another second of infinity.

It was in this ceaseless bliss that the Leora that was, was obliterated into ash.

The Leora that rose like a Phoenix from the ashes burned brighter than the sun itself.

She had finally accepted her fate and was ready for her Vows.

Ready to be with Corvina for eternity.