Nathalie raised her hand as she mustered arcane words. The tip of her finger flashed red, and she placed it on Mason's chest. Then she pulled him into a violent kiss.
Mason's body shivered hard in response to the effect of the spell. He felt something hot circulating his body as though finding a place to settle.
Love me, bastard. Love me!
Nat's voice echoed in his mind. The demon pulled back, and…
"Your eyes, Mason," she trembled, her voice shaking with what seemed like shock and surprise. "They are glowing. Are you also a demon? An Incubus?"
"I'm… I'm not an Incubus," Mason muttered, feeling his body heating as the force he was feeling in his body rushed out with a sudden surge of energy.
Nathalie choked on her breath as a powerful force seized her muscles in position. She collapsed on her knees, her glowing eyes dimming.
"I love you, my Lord," she professed.
"What are you doing?" Mason said, his body now calm. He furrowed at Nat and tilted his head.
Nat mumbled some words which are hard to comprehend, and Mason assumed she was grumbling.
"What are you doing?" he asked again, and after a moment of visible struggle, Nat raised her head, now covered in sweat.
"I tried to charm you, but I was enchanted instead," she replied. "You should've told me earlier that you're a fiend."
"I'm not a fiend or whatever you're talking about!" Mason retorted. "I'm a–"
"Someone more powerful," Nathalie cut in. "Would you release me if I help you find your necklace, my Lord?"
Mason paused reflectively. She was calling him her Lord, which means she truly was enchanted. But why? How was he still protected when he was no longer wearing his necklace?
Telling her he doesn't know how to release her might be advantageous for her. If truly she was a Succubus as she claimed, most demons might not be tricky in nature, but they're desperate. Their desperation to get what they want makes them adopt cunning behavior.
Exposing his ignorance would give her the upper hand, allowing her to manipulate him into thinking he was in control while she led him down a treacherous path.
"Deal," Mason said. "Help me find my necklace, and I'll release you from the spell."
"Yes, my Lord," she replied, and she stood up.
"You can't keep calling me your Lord. Are we in the medieval time or what?"
"I tried to call you–" her tongue curled and twisted. She was trying to call him by his name, but the spell was too strong for her to overpower. She must serve with respect.
Mason couldn't begin to think of what would've become of him if the spell had worked on him. His fate would've been sealed, and he would've become a slave for this demon, serving her until she drains every bit of energy and fertility in him. Before finally blessing him with a painful death.
Maybe painless if he served her well enough. Mason shook his head to shake it off.
"Very well then, can you get us out of here?" he said, more like an order than a question.
"That's the least I can do, my Lord," Nat replied. Mason could tell she was doing her best to restrain herself from calling him her Lord. She wished to break the spell.
Who would've believed a demon is serving a powerless human? She must have thought the same and regretted looking for him.
"Follow me, my Lord," she said as she stepped into the secret door she had come in. Mason cast one last glance at Mirabelle before disappearing into the secret door.
As the door closed behind them, Nat muttered some arcane words, and her hand was set ablaze by a fire both menacing yet harmless. The dark was illuminated, and ahead was a staircase leading into more darkness.
Mason had to contain his surprise and maintain an air of normality so as not to appear naive to the demon.
The succubus was the first to move, taking slow steps as she descended the staircase. The air was thick with the scent of detergent. This place has been cleaned recently, which indicates it was a place of regular use.
The staircase was narrower than most, barely able to contain two people standing side by side. No doubt it was an escape route for the drug lord if things were to go south.
The silence was discomforting, so Mason kicked it off.
"Tell me something I'm supposed to know, Nat," he said.
"You must–I must protect you from now on, my Lord," Nat replied. "If you die, I will die too. I can't live without you."
"I doubt that is true," Mason chucked.
Nat said nothing. She continued her descent, her blazing hand held aloft.
"Is Nathalie your real name?" Mason asked.
"Ye–No!" Nathalie said. She was going to lie, but the spell repelled her against it. "My real name is Netusizah, and–"
She managed to stop herself. Indeed, she must be really powerful. But Mason didn't stop there, he wished to know if he could trust the demon.
"Tell me more about yourself, Netusizah."
Nathalie turned her face to Mason, beaming with a smile, none of which reached her eyes. She was smiling, but her eyes were glaring. What a nice combination, Mason thought.
"Stop asking me stupid q–" She couldn't complete her word before inexplicable pain ravaged her; she bent down and convulsed.
"Are you okay?" Mason said, bending down beside her. He placed his hand on her shoulder, and like magic, her pain disappeared. If any god is listening to me, thank you for protecting me from being enchanted! he shouted inwardly.
Nathalie stood up, her face pale against the undying fire burning on her hand.
"I'm sorry, I'll refrain from asking personal questions," Mason said, adopting his best smile. "You'd adapt, Nat. You'll eventually find yourself liking me as time goes on.
"I love you, my Lord," Nat said. "I already do, and I'll love you till the end of–" She again managed to stop herself.
Mason smiled and motioned for her to lead the way, while he trailed closely behind.
"Can I trust you, Netusizah?" Mason suddenly asked.
"I love you, my Lord," she replied. "And I'll love you till the–"
Perhaps there was nothing like trust in a demon's nature. You'd be a fool to trust them. What mattered most was that she loved him for now, obviously due to the spell. As soon as the enchantment was broken, he'd be left to face her wrath.
Finally, they reached the bottom, and the fire burning on Nathalie's hand flickered out. She opened the door and invited her Lord out.
Mason looked around. He was now on the dance floor, just below the decking, where the DJ was standing. Nat led him to the bar ahead and ushered him to sit.
"We can't stay here after what we did to those people," Mason whispered. "We need to leave now."
"Yes, my Lo–I need to recharge to be able to find the necklace," she said, and she crumpled beside him. The pain was back, and Mason quickly touched her. "I'd be useless without wielding my full power," she managed to complete.
"So how do you rechar–"
"Must you even ask me–harr!"
Mason touched her again.
"Regardless, I can't stay here in the open," he said. "If those people wake up and I am spotted, things might get difficult. And I wouldn't recommend using your power on them."
"Follow me, my Lord," she said as she wove her way between the array of couches and led Mason to a door behind the bar. The man behind the counter wanted to speak, but his words died in his throat, and he wore a smug grin on his face, enchanted.
Beyond the door was a spacious room filled with bottles, the same one Mirabelle had poured his drink from earlier. Nat approached a shelf and pushed a bottle back.
At the sound of the bottle, the shelf glided to the right, revealing another entrance. Beyond the entrance was a long corridor, accommodating about 6 rooms on each side.
The doors are transparent, and as they walked, Mason saw each room containing two opposite genders on the bed, doing their thing. Moans and screams of pleasure filled the corridor from different rooms.
Nathalie suddenly stopped, whirling around as though looking for someone hiding.
"What's wrong?" Mason asked curiously.
"I heard your name," she replied. "Three of them are outside, looking for you."
"Who?"
"I don't know them. Two girls and a guy."
"It's them. My sister, secretary, and friend," Mason said as the realization hit. "How were they able to locate me?" He reached for his pocket and brought out his phone. The screen was cracked, but it was still on.
"They tracked you with that," Nat said, nodding to his phone. "Should I bring them here, my L–"
"Yes. I mean, No!" Mason replied. "This place is dangerous, I can't risk bringing them here."
"They're trying to contact the police. Should we leave them?"
"Police? We can't let them do that. Bring them here."
Mason was expecting her to go look for a secret entrance or something, but she raised her hand and muttered something indistinct.
With each syllable, reality bent, and a shimmering portal cracked open the air itself, its edges blurring into the corridor like a mirage.
The gateway pulsed with eerie energy, casting flickering shadows that danced across the succubus' face.
Mason's eyes widened, and his jaw dropped. A real-life portal!? He exclaimed to himself, barely managing to control his shock and surprise. He thought that was it, and all that was left was for her to go in and bring his friends, but three figures emerged from the portal.
It's them: Nana, Vivian, and Raymond! They entered a portal they'd never seen before?