When people think about ‘demon summoning’, they usually envisage an intricate chalk circle on the floor of some medieval dungeon, a plethora of dribbling candles, and maybe the vital organs of some dead animal in a bowl somewhere close by – at least that’s what I’d imagined. None of that is technically wrong, I suppose, but here in the 21^st century there are a couple other considerations to be made. Also, chalk, wax, and blood are probably a nightmare to clean out of a carpet and I was hosting games night on Friday.

That meant that my ‘ritual room’ was a slightly embarrassing sight. The room itself was just my living room with the ceiling lights turned out. The chalk circle was drawn on a large piece of cardboard I’d found at the skip. The candles (arranged evenly around the circle) were just tealights – held in ramekins for safety. My ‘animal sacrifice’ was a clear plastic measuring jug quarter-filled with pig blood (surprisingly easy to order from the butcher’s). There was also a tripod in the corner of the room, on which my phone was dutifully recording the whole affair for later review.

My one consolation was the much more thematic tome from which this ritual had come. I had acquired it from a local charity shop for a laughably low price; someone had probably inherited the thing and thought it a practical joke not worth keeping. The pages were yellow with age and the sleeve, devoid of title, author, illustration, or blurb, was made from thick brown leather. It was filled with all sorts of intricate sketches and diagrams that I had spent many nights feverishly studying. My knowledge of demonology basically started and ended with this volume. I’d become slightly obsessed with it, but, if tonight went well, it would all have all been worth it.

Sat on an old wooden chair, I opened the book to a chapter I had read many times before: ‘Summoning: Concubus’. Shivering slightly with anticipation, I began reading the incantation within.

…

6 minutes and 13 failed attempts later, I successfully finished reading the incantation (Latin pronunciation is hard). I stared unblinkingly at the cardboard, intent that, whatever should happen next, I would observe it as fully as possible. And then… nothing happened. I counted to 10. 20. 25. Surely something should have happened by now?

I double, triple checked the tome. I had definitely spoken the activating chant correctly, and my setup, though unconventional, should have worked perfectly fine. Was this book just a practical joke? I felt a pit form in my stomach; my grand plan was falling apart before it could even start.

Just as I was about to try the incantation once more, I noticed the tealights seemed to be glowing just a little brighter than they had a minute or so ago. Not wanting to get my hopes up, I put the book down and watched them with intent. Ever so slowly, the flames of the candles rose higher and higher into long streaks of light. I was slack-jawed with awe. As they grew, the flames sped up and began to twist around each other into a swirling tornado of fire just within the bounds of the chalk circle. I could feel the heat coming off it like the midday sun. I was frozen to my seat.

And then, all at once, the flames died back down to their normal intensity in the safe confines of the ramekins. The jug was now miraculously empty. In the centre of the chalk circle, where before there had been nothing but air, was… a demon! It worked! IT FUCKING WORKED! I tried – with some effort – to compose myself before continuing.

I honestly didn’t expect a real-life succubus to have any visual similarity to the… ‘popular depictions’, but I was clearly wrong. Its skin was a smooth, flawless crimson and its body was lithe and feminine. It wore nothing but a lacy black lingerie one-piece that left little to the imagination. Between its legs I could just make out a forked tail swishing like that of a cat. It had pitch black, shoulder length hair, through which I could just see two small nubs pointing out from its forehead. Perhaps its most striking feature was its eyes; the iris was bone white and the ‘whites’ were as black as the pupils. It looked at me with an expression of faint amusement.

“Hello” it said, raising its eyebrow. Its voice was… normal… and with no noticeable accent. “You can stop staring now.”

I tried to project myself with an air of competence and grandeur as I stood up and met its gaze. I’m officially a demon summoner, goddamnit! “State your name, demon.” I commanded in what I hoped was a tone of firm authority.

It looked back down at my amateurish excuse for a chalk circle. Looking myself, I realised it was really more of an oval. “First time, huh?” Its lack of formality momentarily disarmed me. “You don’t need to talk like some fancy lawyer, you know?”

“Um-”

“My name’s Satitaeb – but please, call me Satie. She/her. Yourself?”

I’m never going to pronounce that correctly, so ‘Satie’ it is. I introduced myself similarly. This conversation was getting out of my control worryingly fast. I opened my mouth again to say more, but was interrupted again.

“Pleasure to meet you!” She held out her hand for a handshake.

I looked down at the proffered limb and smirked. It was clear now why she had wanted me on the back foot. “I’ll admit that this is my first time doing this, but I’m not so dense as to cross the chalk circle to shake that.”

She shrugged and pulled the hand away. “Okay, fair enough. Can’t blame me for trying!”

Mirroring her casual tone, I responded, “Sure. So… Sa-ti-taib… is that Latin?” It was almost certainly a trick to give me some false sense of security, but trying to talk like some high cultist would just make me look like an idiot. I just had to keep my guard up; so long as she didn’t figure out my plan, I was safe.

She seemed almost surprised at how quickly I’d dropped the formal tone “Sort of. Demons make their own names, so most end up being obscure puns. Mine’s no different.”

“Interesting…” It was. If I could, I would spend the whole night probing her for demon lore. If all went well, I might just get that opportunity. “I must admit, I was expecting a more formal affair.”

“Yeah, us newer demons largely try to move away from all the tired formalities and malicious half-truths; they just get in the way. Humans are more than capable of damning themselves without us playing 20 questions. Plus, it tends to take newbies like yourself off-guard. The old guard love that whole shtick though.”

“So you’re a younger succubus? Is that why your horns are so small?” Holy shit. I was glad I’d been recording this, or else I’d be spending this whole interaction scribbling notes.

She lifted a hand to touch one of her horns “Basically. Horns are a signifier of power for most types of demon. Demons tend to get gradually more powerful over time, so older tends to mean bigger. I’m only 134 myself and admittedly not that strong for a concubus. There are things I could do to get larger horns, but it’s not that big a deal, really. It’s like you humans and going to the gym; it makes you physically stronger, but that’s just not that important to many of you. Not that that matters between us; unbound, I could probably cave in your skull by looking at you too hard!” She grinned widely – as if she’d told some brilliant joke – giving me a perfect look at the demon’s slightly-too-sharp teeth.

I was just slightly too taken aback by that last remark to think up another question.

She waited for a moment. “Well, if that’s it for small talk, let’s get down to business!” She adopted a more predatory smile. “I assume you’ve summoned me for The Wager.”

“Correct. I’ve read the terms thoroughly.” I said, trying to keep the smugness out of my voice. If this worked – if I could convince her, just until The Wager started – I would have more than any other human ever had.

“… You’ve got a trick, don’t you?” She asked with a kind of condescending curiosity, like a mother looking at their toddler’s art project. Shit. Evidently, I had not been as unreadable as I thought. I stayed silent, not wanting to reveal more. “You’re not the first to try and worm your way between the wording of a demonic contract. Noone has ever succeeded before.” I said nothing. Maybe she was lying but, either way, I was still sure; so long as she agreed to The Wager, I would win it. She smirked. “Still confident? Impressive. I look forward to seeing it. Regardless, I still need to read the rules to you; it's just policy, you understand?”

She produced a sheet of clean A4 paper from thin air and read from it quickly. “The Wager of Infernal Temptation is a pact made between a mortal and a bound concubus they have summoned. The wager takes place over exactly an hour and starts as soon as this contract is signed. The concubus is permitted to ‘tempt’ the mortal, despite being bound. If the mortal reaches orgasm during the wager, the wager ends and the mortal loses. If the mortal resists orgasm for the full hour, the concubus loses. If the mortal leaves the space visible from the circle the demon has been summoned to, the mortal is disqualified and automatically loses and the wager ends. If the concubus attempt any other forms of supernatural influence or extortion on the mortal, the concubus is disqualified and automatically loses and the wager ends. The party that does not lose receives a pre-decided prize from the losing party’s possession. Both parties must name their prize before either can agree to the wager.

“There’s some boilerplate stuff at the bottom too, if you want to read it.” She turned the document around so I could look myself.

I sat back down and took a minute to make sure the terms were exactly as I believed them to be. It was almost funny how easily I could win this. “Everything seems to be in order. Okay, you start; what is it you want?”

“Well, as much as I hate the old tropes, the standard protocol for such deals is to claim your soul, so I ask for that as my prize.”

“I figured as much… Just for clarity, what does it mean for you to ‘own my soul’?”

“It basically means I own… you. I’ll have a direct claim on all your property, you will obey any command I give, and I can make any changes I want to your mind. Also, as a demon, I’ll be able to read your mind at any point and from any distance and make alterations to your physical form as I wish. For what it’s worth, I’d take good care of you.”

Well, that’s terrifying. As confident as I was, the infinitesimal possibility of failure still concerned me. I was only human. “Alright, in which case I ask the same; if I win, I want your soul as my prize.”

This garnered a look of faint bemusement from Satie. “That’s a new one. A human owning a demon’s soul… Alright, why not; it’s not like you can win.” A pen manifested in her hand and she signed ‘Satitaeb’ in red ink. She held the paper and pen out so I could grab both without crossing the threshold.

Taking a deep breath to steady myself, I signed the contract. The paper disappeared. I just stood there, contemplating my victory. This was it. I’d won!

My quiet revery was soon broken by Satie’s voice. “So, now we’re passed the point of no return, can you tell me your big secret now, or will I have to wait?”

I grinned with all the smugness I’d been saving until this point. “Okay then; I’ll tell you. I know, beyond reasonable doubt, that your temptations won’t work on me.”

She looked down at me with a playful smile, evidently believing she was just indulging me. “Oh? Why is that? Do you have some protective charm? Are you cursed to chastity by another demon?”

I couldn’t wait to rip that grin from her face as she realised her fate. My own smile widened. “Oh, nothing so complex…”

“Then what, pray tell?”

Somehow, I grinned even further. I stood up and leaned in further with each word (careful, still, not to cross the chalk line). “Because I am completely. Totally. Black band. Asexual!”

Satie’s face fell to a look of puzzlement before quickly shifting to a look of predatory glee. “Oh, you poor, ignorant child. I almost feel sorry for you. Did you think I was going to give you some… supernatural strip show? That’s not how ‘temptation’ works. That’s not how concubi work.”

My smile hollowed. What was she talking about? This was airtight, wasn’t it?

“You see, we concubi can cause arousal directly. That’s what ‘tempting’ means. We just like to dress more… overtly sexually. It’s tradition, see. We don’t need you to be physically attracted to us to give you… pleasure.” She put particular emphasis on that last word, and it seemed to coincide with a light tingling at my core.

Frowning, I stepped back. This had to be some trick, a desperate ploy to make me doubt myself. I couldn’t have overlooked something so basic. “N-no. You’re bluf-ffff!” My denial was interrupted by a strong gust of pleasure that knocked me to the ground. Oh god.

“Oh, I am going to enjoy you! It does raise some questions though; should I change your orientation? I’ve never had an ace before. I made my other thralls bisexual, and they were all allosexual already, so should I make you the same? I suppose it doesn't matter much for now; I have forever to play with your mind.” I was hardly listening at this point; half of me was desperately fighting the arousal leaking into my mind, and the other half was franticly trying to think up some way to escape this.

I tried to stand up, but the succubus clicked her fingers and an even stronger wave washed over me. My body fell back to the floor. I had to fight the urge to pull down my underwear and touch myself there and then.

I’d… experimented before; I wasn’t viceless. I’d tried all sorts, but nothing could have prepared me for arousal this intense. She clicked her fingers again and another wave of pleasure threatened to pull me under.

I was an idiot! What made me think I could withstand such an infernal power? I’m completely unprepared. It’s all over. I’m not special, I’m jus-

My self-flagellation was cut short by another click. I bucked against the floor. She was speaking now, but I couldn't quite understand her. Did she even want me to? I was so on edge it almost hurt. I was sure she could push me over, but I could tell she was savouring this moment.

She clicked again.

And again.

And probably more times after that. I’d lost count after the first few. How much time had passed? Had it been 5 minutes? 55? It took all I had not start stroking myself. Maybe I already had; it was hard to tell. I was delirious. I think I was babbling something, but I couldn't be sure. Maybe she was talking?

Yes, she was saying something. The words themselves escaped me, but a small part of me managed to comprehend it. She was going to count down, and once she was finished I would cum, and I would belong to her forever. Oh yeah, I forgot about that part. Another click, and I’d forgotten it again.

She said a number that was too big for me to parse… so probably at least four. She clicked. I bucked.

There was another number. She clicked. I bucked. Maybe there was another one after that? Maybe two more?

Oh, I remember that number! It was… SIX! I was quite proud of myself for that. She clicked and, as I bucked, that pride was pushed out by the overwhelming arousal.

“Five.” I distantly noticed that her voice was coming back into focus. Click. Buck.

“Four.” Maybe, if I could just resist that last number… Click. Buck.

“Three!” No, I realised, I didn’t have the power to resist this; I barely had enough to want to. Click. Buck.

“Two!” Fuck. Click. Buck.

“ONE!” No-no-no-no-

CLICK!

Something inside me cracked. I screamed. My body writhed on the floor. All at once, any thoughts of how bad this was, or the horror of my immediate future, fell apart in my mind. The bliss was all consuming. My senses failed me; I floated in a void of pure white ecstasy. I wanted to stay in that moment forever. It felt like I did.

…

Gradually, I returned to myself. Looking down, I saw my hand was still between my legs. I guess I did touch myself. Huh. As lucidity returned to me, I finally grasped the gravity of my situation. I was a slave. I would never be free again. A large part of me wanted to curl up and cry. I was so confident before; it had all gone so wrong so quickly. Idiot. I looked up at my new owner. She looked back down with a calm smile.

“Break the circle,” she said with a warm, slightly condescending voice. I was confused and she must have sensed it. Right, yeah; she’s in my mind now. “The chalk circle. Break it and let me out.”

It was a strange feeling, being given a command. It didn’t feel like I had to, and I certainly didn’t want to, but I just did. I could control how I went about doing it, but trying to avoid her instruction felt as possible as falling upwards. I stood up, pulled up my underwear, walked over to her, and used my clean hand to rub off a section of chalk from the circle. I felt numb.

As soon as I’d finished my task, I felt a breeze flow over me. I was briefly confused until I realised that I was now clean of the… ‘emission’ that I had just produced.

An instant later, I felt her arms around me in a tight but comfortable embrace. She was warm and soft. I knew that she was the one who’d done this to me, but it was all too much. I cried, first soft, then ugly and loud. I’ve lost everything. I’ll never be myself again. I did it all to myself. I’m weak, I’m crying onto the shoulder of my captor. This is the end for me.

“That’s right, pet; let it all out.” Cooed the demon, stroking my hair soothingly as she half guided, half dragged me to a sofa at the back of the room. She sat me down and let me cry in her arms for a while longer.

Eventually, I calmed myself down enough to ask her a question. “W-why are y-you being so…”

“Nice?” She supplied. “Well, you were a free mortal before; being cruel and gloating are kind of obligatory. Now, you’re my property. The old guard might be into ‘eternal torment’ and all that but, personally, I like to take care of my things.”

Property. Things. Just the reminder of my new station was enough to send me back into an – albeit smaller – bout of tears. She stroked my hair again until I’d worn myself out.

After a little more time, the absurdity of the situation hit me, and I dislodged the clinging demon. We sat there in silence for a minute or so. I couldn't bear to look at Satie, so I had no idea what she was thinking. When I felt I could handle whatever response she gave, I turned and asked, “S-so… what happens to me now?”

Satie took a moment to consider before responding. “First, I’m going to make some changes to your mind and your body while I get some chores done; I’ll put you in a light trance while I do so to avoid any mental whiplash or physical pain.” I steeled myself.

“I’ll make you love me and see me as your rightful owner. You’ll love to obey my commands and let me play with your mind and body. There’s some other stuff too, but it’s nothing you wouldn’t expect. If I’ve got any time left before everything else is finished, I’ll install some of my favourite triggers, but it’d take too long if I tried to give you every trigger I wanted to now so I’ll give you the rest over the next few days. I think I’ll leave your sexual orientation alone for now, but I’ll probably either make myself – and possibly my other pets – an exception or just make you allosexual; I’ll decide later.” My breath was shaking. She was speaking far too casually about this complete reassembly of my soul.

“As for your body, I’ll make some minor changes for your own sake – remove the gallbladder, strengthen the immune system, etcetera - but I’ll mostly leave it alone… unless there’s any changes you want to make, but we can discus that later. Regardless, you shouldn’t notice anything while it’s happening.

“While I’m doing that, I’ll look through your mind for anything you own that’s worth taking with us for practical or sentimental reasons and gather it together.

“Once everything’s done, I’ll let you write a goodbye note for whoever’s coming to the house next, and then I’ll take you to my place so you can meet the others. Then you can enjoy an eternity being my much-loved pet and toy; you will never want for anything again.” She ended with a cheerful smile, as if that was supposed to make me feel better about all this.

“… Is there nothing I can do?” I asked dejectedly.

“No. You made a bet and lost. I’m sorry you’re feeling down about it, but if it’s any consolation, you won’t be for much longer.”

She looked across the sofa at my glum face and sighed. “How about this: We can sit here for a while until you feel prepared to start the change. I’m in no rush, but don’t take advantage of my leniency just to spend more time as you are now, okay?”

“… Okay.”

…

I checked the clock. It had been over 30 minutes. I was still trying to reconcile the fact that I’d never be able to sit on this sofa again. A part of me still mourned my grand plan, slain by my own stupidity. There had been no words exchanged between the two of us. Looking across, I saw that Satie was sitting back languidly, eyes half closed, smiling softly. I gathered the courage to break the silence. “Um… what are you doing?”

“Hm? Oh, just checking up on my other thralls… and on you, actually. You have an interestingly shaped mind.”

“Oh… thanks?” And that was that. Another silence loomed overhead, but I wouldn’t let it fall. “When this is all over, what will I… do?”

She shrugged. “Many things. You won’t get bored if that’s what you’re asking. I keep a good collection of books, comics, games, toys, and so forth so my pets are never left wanting for entertainment. I might take you with me if I’m meeting a friend or doing an errand. I like playing with the minds – and sometimes bodies – of my toys, often constructing elaborate scenes or characters for my amusement; often this is sexual, but not always. I’ll usually undo any changes once I’m done.

“Currently, for example, your peers-to-be are playing a board game, unaware that I’ve given them the instruction to slowly strip each other down and masturbate one another as they play. They don’t even notice their own orgasms! It’s great fun to watch, but I can tell you’re not interested.”

“Indeed.” Honestly, that was kind of reassuring. At least I wasn’t about to join some satanic murder cult. In her own twisted way, it was clear that Satie cared about me. If the person I was had to die, at least the person I would be would have a decent life… fuck. I waited a little longer, but it couldn’t be delayed any further.

“I think I’m ready.”

“Thank you.” She shuffled closer and subjected me to another cuddle.

“So, how does this work? Do you just snap your fingers and I fall asleep?”

“Actually, yeah.”

I frowned. “Wait, really?”

“Well, the snap itself is somewhat performative – I just like to do it anyway, as you’ve already seen – but now that I own your soul, I can pull you into trance pretty much instantly. I’m going to count you in first though, more so you can mentally prepare yourself for it than to aid any hypnotic element. Are you ready?”

“Sure.”

“Alright then. Three.” She removed an arm from around me and placed it directly in my line of sight. I remembered the last time I’d heard her listing numbers; this was an altogether more peaceful countdown.

“Two” The hand in front of me changed position, readying to click. Goodbye, world.

She seemed to pause slightly longer for that last digit. She leaned into my ear and whispered “One” and her other hand – which had snuck behind my other ear without my noticing – clicked.

I dropped. My eyes closed and I felt the world around me fall into the background. My mind was numb. Strangely, it wasn’t as deep a trance as I had expected. Granted, I had little experience with such things, but the fact that I was capable of recognising that was unexpected.

I felt Satie silently remove herself – presumably to set about collecting anything worth keeping from the house. I was alone; my only anchor to real space beyond my seat had left. I was alright with that, actually. After the night I’d had, a bit of solitude was welcome. I could feel her, though, like her hands were massaging my brain. Not wholly unpleasant, all things considered.

I love Satitaeb.

That’s new. Presumably it was her influence. It didn’t even need repeating to sink into my head as law. She was perfect, after all.

I love being owned.

As I absorbed the statement, I could almost see the links it formed with the last. How different of a person was I already, just two commands in? I certainly far less concerned about my future now.

I love that Satitaeb owns me.

I could only imagine Satie was writing these herself; I’d never referred to her by her full name in my head before. Could she hear me thinking about her now? Could we communicate? I wondered… Satie?

“… Yes, pet; I hear you.” Despite my open invitation, I was surprised at the response from within my own head.

Thank you for owning me.

There was the psychic equivalent of a giggle. “You’re welcome, love, now relax and let me keep going. I’m multitasking enough as it is.”

Okay. I relaxed a little further.

I enjoy having my mind toyed with by Satitaeb.

It’s hard to overstate how surreal it was to be able to see the words that were moulding my mind in real time. Enjoyable, though.

I enjoy having my body changed by Satitaeb.

I didn’t actually feel any immediate effect from that particular commandment. I knew intelligently that my body was shifting but, as Satie had, I couldn't feel anything.

I enjoy having my triggers used on me by Satitaeb.

Satie mentioned something about triggers, right? I was now quite eager to learn what they were.

I enjoy following commands that Satitaeb gives me.

It was quite nice, being just cognisant enough to watch myself being rewritten without the panic that would surely usually accompany such a thing. That’s probably the point, isn’t it?

Being in Sattiaeb’s presence makes me happy, horny, and submissive.

With her access to my mind, was I not always in her presence? I imagined it more referred to physical presence. I certainly didn’t feel anything now, but I guess I wouldn’t in this state of trance.

I love Satitaeb’s other thralls.

I’d never even met my slave-siblings, but I felt a new warmth towards them all the same.

Making Satitaeb happy makes me happy.

Was that not implied? I guess not. I could feel a new desire to please her grow within me.

I feel no embarrassment or stigma against Satitaeb or her other thralls being naked or expressing sexual pleasure around me.

… Alright. I guess I was okay with that.

I feel no embarrassment or stigma against being naked or expressing sexual pleasure in the presence of Satitaeb or her other thralls.

That one made me a little nervous. So long as they didn’t involve me in anything, I guess I didn’t mind.

I feel no embarrassment or stigma against Satitaeb or her other thralls being sexually stimulated or stimulating others around me.

So long as I wasn’t expected to join in, they could do whatever they wanted. This line of statements was starting to make me a little uncomfortable.

I feel no embarrassment or stigma against being sexually stimulated by, or in the presence of, Satitaeb or her other thralls.

Even in my half-lucid state, that one set off some alarm bells. Just because I wasn’t embarrassed, that didn’t mean I was comfortable with it.

Satie? Are you there? You wouldn’t make me do anything… uncomfortable, right?

“No, of course not, pet! I’d never make you do something you didn’t want to do. If what I want you to do would cause you upset, I’d just make you want it before I made you do it.”

Well, she did say she would probably change my sexuality, so I wasn’t surprised by that. I don’t suppose I minded anymore, so that was actually quite reassuring. I’d changed so much, hadn’t I? Thank you. I love you, Satie.

“I love you too, pet. If we’re talking, I might as well let you know I’m moving on to triggers.”

Triggers, huh? I was dimly excited to find out what those might be.

When Satitaeb says ‘strip’, and clicks her fingers, I will remove one article of clothing.

Only one? I chided myself; my standards for normal had shifted so much in one evening.

When Satitaeb says ‘strip’, and clicks her fingers twice, I will remove all articles of clothing.

Okay, that made more sense; it was a multi-purpose trigger, for finer control.

When Satitaeb says ‘Ragdoll’, and clicks her fingers, I will become completely limp and physically unresponsive unless given a specific command.

That was certainly a more… interesting one. Just so long as she didn’t use it and forget about me. I doubted that she ever would, though.

When Satitaeb says ‘You-time’, and clicks her fingers, I will masturbate until I reach orgasm.

I wondered how much Satie really needed these triggers; she was corrupting me perfectly fine without them now. Maybe it was just faster to have them pre-prepared. Perhaps she just liked to know we didn’t need her to touch our minds directly to make us do whatever she wanted.

I will not remember the last 2 triggers, even if they are used on me or another thrall.

Curious… The last trigger I remember was the masturbation one, so there must have been some more since then. I didn’t even notice any lost time, although I suppose I wouldn’t in this state. I was almost surprised I was allowed to remember that these triggers even existed at all.

When Satitaeb says ‘clear’, loudly and clearly, any currently active triggers will lose their effect on me.

A safety trigger, I imagined. I was glad of it; I doubted a safe-word would be enough in the circumstances.

Suddenly, my attention was caught by a familiar voice in the forgotten real-space. “You’ve done very well, pet. I’m going to wake you up now. I’ll count up to five and you’ll wake up more and more with each number. When I reach 5 you will be fully awake and aware.

“One.” I could feel myself returning to my slumped body.

“Two.” My still-closed eyes twitched. I could feel the fabric of the sofa beneath me.

“Three.” My eyes half-opened, but I couldn't quite decipher the signals they were sending to my brain.

“Four.” I could see Satie standing before me now. I was pretty sure I could have followed this momentum to wakefulness by myself at this point.

“Five. Wide awake.” And I was. I took a moment to readjust to approximately normal thinking.

Oh, wow. Happy, horny, and submissive; that was the exact wording. Just knowing that she was right there in front of me was like a powerful drug. I didn’t want to think about anything else but her. I smiled up at her dumbly.

She smiled back. “You’re adorable.”

I squealed softly at the praise. She sat down next to me again and cupped my cheek. I leaned into it.

“How do you feel, pet?”

“I feel amazing, Satie.”

She pursed her lips and removed her hand. Had I done something wrong?

“Oh no, dear, I just think you should call me something else now. My other toys use titles like owner, mistress, or ma’am. What do you want to refer to me as? I encourage you to be creative.”

I gave it a minute’s thought. “Hm, I do like Mistress, but can I also call you Miss Satie? It just feels less formal.”

“Oh, I like that one. Good idea, pet!” I moaned a bit at the praise. God, I was turned on. “A clever little thing like you deserves a reward!” She leaned in playfully and whispered “Shall we try some of these triggers?” I could have melted.

“Yes please, Miss Satie!”

“Alright then. Ragdoll.” With a snap of her fingers I was slumped back in my seat, completely slack from head to toe. Miss Satie guided me into a lying position, with my head in her lap. This was heaven. “You can move your mouth to speak to me, understand?”

My mouth – and presumably other parts of my vocal system – was partially my own again. “Yes Mistress. Thank you.”

“Very good… Tell me, pet, what was your plan for if you did win The Wager? I’m curious; what would you have done with a captive succubus?”

“… I’m not actually sure; I don’t think I’d thought that far ahead. I guess I just wanted to learn more about demons from you.”

“Well, I do love an inquisitive pet. You-time.” She clicked again and my arm regained just enough function to slip under my underwear and start stroking.

“Thank you, Mistress.” I’d thanked her a lot, hadn’t I? I hadn’t been commanded to thank her for every command and trigger; it just felt right. I got the feeling Miss Satie liked a proactive pet.

“Tell me, do you prefer this defeat to that victory?”

“Mmh… god yes…” I’d never been so glad to lose.

I was rewarded with a small chuckle from Miss Satie. “Do you think you would have said that before I reshaped you?”

I tried to think earnestly, but I was – understandably – distracted; I was reaching the edge now. “Yeah, I th-think so.”

That seemed to surprise Miss Satie. “Oh, can you elaborate, pet?”

I tried, but the words just wouldn’t form in my head. “Nooo… Too horny; can’t think.” I was so close now.

Another chuckle. “Alright, pet. Cum,” she commanded. I couldn’t disobey a command.

My eyes flickered and I let out a soft moan. Although a less intense orgasm than my last, there was something to be said for the calm bliss of being lovingly brought to release in my Mistress’s lap. My hand became limp again between my legs. Miss Satie pulled my arm back to my side. A familiar gust passed over me, and my hand and underwear were clean again.

“Clear.” The trigger was spoken with a neutral tone and a slightly louder voice than either of us had used up until now. I flinched away instinctively. It was almost disappointing that I didn’t get to be Mistress’s limp little cuddle-toy for longer, but we had an eternity to do that again; Mistress wanted my attention now. I shuffled, just slightly, to a more comfortable position, though I had no desire to get up from her lap.

“So then, what makes you think you would have wanted this before? You seemed so… steadfast.” She was stroking my hair now. I never wanted to leave her lap again.

I gathered my thoughts before responding “I think I was just too obsessed with winning. I also wasn’t sure what you’d do to me if you won. If I’d known it’d feel this good to just submit, I wouldn’t have bothered with any wager. There are people and things I’ll miss, but my life was far from perfect. Leaving it all behind for this is a privilege.”

“Hm…”

That was all that was said for a few minutes. We just stayed there, a picture of contented bliss. Eventually, her attentions ceased. I wanted to grab her hand and pull it back to my head, but I could tell Miss Satie had something to say. “I have an idea. How would you like to share this gift with the world?”

Yes! Was that not obvious? This was perfection, why would I ever want to keep it to myself?

“I’m just thinking… some of the old guard like to start cults every couple of decades to gather more thralls – that and I think they get a kick out of making mortals hate each other. You see, concubi can leach off of the excess mana emissions of souls they own, so those obsessed with power often build colossal harems.”  I had no idea what any of that meant, but I desperately wanted to learn. My desire to research the demonic had only grown since being literally claimed by the subject. “I’ve never really been interested in that sort of thing before, but you’ve made a good point. With my… gentler brand of control, I wouldn’t need to bother with ‘corrupting’ mortals or any of that nonsense; I’d just have to convince them that what I was offering was true, and you could help me with that. How would you like to be a cult leader, pet? You could teach everyone to worship me and love my gifts and, when your mortal life ends, you can return to my side and join my other pets for all eternity. How does that sound?”

… I was admittedly reluctant to return to the life that I’d just been promised a release from, but idea of sharing this perfect existence with anyone who would listen – and of being useful to Miss Satie – was enough to convince me. Perhaps a change in purpose would give me a new lease of life. Besides, even if I said no, I was sure Mistress would simply make me want to do it. “That sounds wonderful, Mistress.”

“Thank you, pet. Maybe I can get some bigger horns after all… Alright, I think you need to get up now.”

I sulked slightly as I removed myself from the lap of luxury. I regarded the room for the first time in a little while and noticed a large box on the floor of tools, media, and knick-knacks from around my house. Presumably that was the stuff Miss Satie was going to take with us to our new home before plans changed; it had basically everything that was important to me in it. Mistress stood up behind me. “It seems I need to leave you for now, pet. There’s a lot of preparation I need to get done if we’re going to start this project and it seems you have some clearing up to do. Summon me at the same time tomorrow and we’ll discuss plans. Make a note of any ideas you have between now and then; I value your input. Oh, and use this ritual instead next time.” I was handed a paper (again, seemingly ex nihilo) detailing a much simpler – and cheaper – ritual.

My heart fell. We couldn’t have met more than 3 hours ago, and I already couldn't imagine living without her.

“Don’t worry pet, I’ll be right here if you need me.”

Thank you.

“Goodbye, pet.” She said, stepping back onto the cardboard.

“Goodbye, Mistress.”

The flames twisted themselves around her again, but this time, when they dissipated and my beloved owner was gone, the tealights went out.

Now I was alone, my mind returned to something resembling the shape it had been before the events of the evening. A cult leader, huh. I’d never been the most outspoken person in the world, but with Miss Satie’s guidance, I was sure I could handle it.

I considered the events of the evening as I tidied the room, starting with the ritual components. This was certainly not how I’d imagined tonight would go, but I was hardly disappointed. I placed the instructions for new ritual on top of the ancient book and placed them in my ‘demonology’ drawer. It was admittedly a bit archaic, but I’d watched too much internet horror to put demonic writings on a computer.

Oh, the phone! I rushed over and ended the recording. I wondered if I’d notice anything new the next time I watched through events. That was a ‘tomorrow’ job though… as was unpacking the box Mistress had so lovingly filled… and figuring out this new ritual. A lot had happened tonight, and I was tired now.

…

As I prepared to go to bed, I thought about how I might go about this whole cult business. Who could I convert? When? Where? Then I remembered. I’m hosting games night on Friday. I grinned as I climbed under the covers. I was sure Mistress knew all sorts of ‘games’ we could play.

Then I drifted off, and had the best night’s sleep I’d had in years.