As soon as he reached his front sidewalk, he stopped.
Something was wrong…. The air around the property felt dense… stagnant…
He used purification on himself; a barely perceptible light covered him with a thin layer. Whatever awaited him inside, he wasn't going in unprepared.
He pushed the door open slowly, and the scene that greeted him in the living room made his jaw clench.
At first glance, everything looked almost normal. Lillith was sitting on the sofa, hugging her inseparable teddy bear with both hands, and looking at him with the same innocent face as always.
But the air told a different story. A metallic smell of blood lingered, weakly masked by something that smelled like… expensive perfume.
And there was an unnatural silence in the house.
"Damn it, Lillith. You really messed up, huh?" Lief said, closing the door behind him with forced calm.
Lillith blinked, her huge eyes fixed on him. "It wasn't me!" she protested, "It was their fault. And besides, if it weren't for—"
"So you are the human playing with purification... No wonder~. You must be special to be so handsome~~"
Before Lillith could finish her excuse, a female voice, incredibly syrupy, resonated from the dimness of the dining room.
!
Lief instantly went on guard, but before he could even raise his hands, a black shadow moved with impossible speed.
In front of him, where a second before there was nothing, a woman appeared. She was a vision of voluptuous curves encased in glossy black leather and a tight sweater. Her white hair framed a face of supernatural beauty, and her red eyes, from which tears of blood seemed to flow, analyzed him with a mixture of amusement and desire.
Her entire being exuded an aura of danger and a seduction so potent it was almost a physical attack.
"Come here~" Dorothy purred, her smile turning predatory. "Let me taste you~❤️"
It wasn't a suggestion, and teleporting, she closed the last meter of distance, and without giving Lief time to react, she lunged to kiss him.
Lief's first reaction was purely instinctive: activate purification.
A bluish-white light erupted from every pore of his skin, a sacred explosion designed to annihilate anything impure that touched him. The energy crackled between them, trying to reject her.
But then, their lips met.
Dorothy's lips were incredibly soft, but cold as marble, and tasted of something strange and addictive, like sweet wine.
But Dorothy did not recoil despite the purification.
Instead of being repelled, she clung to him, pressing her body against his.
The purifying light collided with her demonic aura, creating a sensation that wasn't painful, but electrical.
It was a scorching sizzle, a friction between the sacred and the profane that sent waves of both icy and hot pleasure down Lief's spine.
He should have pushed her away, unleashed his full power. But his senses were being bombarded. His hands, which had been raised to reject her, met the soft leather of her skirt and the impossible curve of her waist, and she deepened the kiss, her tongue tracing the edge of his lips with expert confidence before sliding inside his mouth.
Lief's world narrowed to that sensation.
The purification was still active, but he, paralyzed by the novelty of the sensation, did not exert the necessary force to repel her. The bluish-white light flickered between them, burning her just enough to be exciting, but not enough to harm her.
It was a long, deep, and slow kiss.
A duel in which Lief felt he was losing, or perhaps didn't want to win.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity,
Dorothy pulled back, but only a few centimeters. Her lips were moist and slightly reddened, and she breathed calmly, as if it had cost her no effort.
She slowly licked her lower lip, savoring it, and her red eyes gleamed with satisfaction.
"Wow..." she purred, her voice now even deeper. "That burning sensation... It's top-notch. It's been a long, long time since I tasted anything so delicious."
"..."
Lief was genuinely bewildered, his mind still processing what had just happened.
It wasn't just that this woman had withstood the purification at point-blank range, but that she had enjoyed it…
That electrical burning sensation, which should have disintegrated a demon, had been an aphrodisiac for her. He realized, with chilling clarity, that he had been completely overconfident.
This woman was in a completely different league.
"Who the hell are you?" Lief snapped, forcing himself to calm his racing pulse as he stepped back two paces, creating a safe distance.
Dorothy smoothed a curl of white hair with lazy elegance, and that playful, dangerous smile returned to her lips. "They call me Dorothy. In certain Underworld circles, they refer to me as the Queen Succubus." She gestured vaguely toward Bee's remains in the corner. "My idiotic believers summoned me a moment ago, asking for power... but I never expected to find a human as interesting as you~."
"Interesting?" Lief repeated, raising an eyebrow, his tone now pure caution.
"Oh, yes~. A human capable of mastering purification is an extreme rarity in this boring era," she said, and began to walk slowly in a circle around him. Her eyes scanned him up and down. "And so young, too... so full of... potential~."
A sharp throat-clearing interrupted the tension from the sofa. "Ahem... I'm still here, in case you haven't noticed!"
"I am perfectly aware you are still here, Lillith, because this whole damn mess is your fault!" Lief retorted, without even looking at her. But a visible spark of purifying light crackled in the palm of his hand.
It was enough of a threat. Lillith instantly quieted, shrinking and using her teddy bear to cover her mouth.
Seeing that caused Dorothy to let out a chuckle. "Really? You discipline her with purification?" Her smile grew even brighter, revealing a hint of fangs. "Using the power of angels like a leash... What a perverse idea~. No wonder the little one is so obedient."
"Master...," Lillith whispered from behind the bear, her voice now devoid of all mischief, "this woman is very dangerous. The evil energy she has... is much, much stronger than mine."
Lief nodded slightly, confirming what he already felt.
This Dorothy was no ordinary creature; the vibes she emanated were oppressive, enough to set his nerves on edge.
"So, Lady Dorothy..." Lief said, refocusing on the succubus and cutting straight through the game of seduction. "What are you still doing in my house?"
Dorothy glided to the sofa, sat down, crossing her legs in a slow, deliberate movement that stretched the shiny vinyl over her thighs. "For you, of course, handsome~. Humans with access to purification are far too rare a commodity. I want to... get to know you a little better~❤️."
"Get to know me?"
"Mmm~," she nodded. "For example... where such a young boy got such sacred power. Why you can handle it so easily. And," her gaze became ardent, undressing him with her eyes, "...if perhaps you would be willing to make a deal with me."
Lief frowned. "Cooperate on what?"
"This world is full of interesting presences, darling~. Angels, demons, all sorts of supernatural beings crawling in the shadows." Dorothy took a sip from a glass of red wine that had simply appeared in her hand. "But humans like you... a man who can wield purification like a toy and who, at the same time, doesn't mind playing with demons... well, let's just say you are a very, very rare vintage~."
"And?"
"And that's why I want to make you an offer." Dorothy set the glass aside, her playful look turning serious. "I want you to join me. I can give you power you haven't even dreamed of. Knowledge that has been buried for centuries. Wealth, influence... anything you desire in this world. In exchange," she added with a smile, "you would only have to take care of a few... small matters for me~ from time to time."
"..."
Lief let the offer hang in the air for a long second, and finally, a slow smile spread across his face. "You know... that sounds like an incredible offer."
Dorothy's ruby eyes shone with triumph. "So...?"
"But I'm going to turn it down."
The words seemed to hang in the air, and Dorothy's victorious smile froze.
"....Why?" she asked, her voice losing its syrupy tone, now tinged with genuine incomprehension.
"Because I don't like being controlled," Lief said simply, shrugging. "Besides, my life right now is pretty good, don't you think? I have a (mostly) obedient demon little sister, a girl I like, a bunch of interesting adventures... Why would I want to complicate all that by signing up for a new boss?"
"..."
Dorothy's expression darkened. "Are you absolutely sure you want to reject me? My patience has a limit."
"And what if it does?" he retorted, not backing down an inch. "What are you going to do? Start a fight here, in my house?"
The tension in the room skyrocketed. The air crackled, and Lief could feel Lillith tensing up on the sofa, ready to spring at any second.
The confrontation seemed inevitable.
But, suddenly, Dorothy's expression broke, and she burst out laughing.
"Truly surprising." She clapped softly. "I like you more and more, Lief Connor~."
She glided toward him, her aura becoming seductive once again. "Very well. Since you don't want to join me for now, I will simply wait. Because a day will come, little human~, when you will need my help."
She stopped right in front of him, so close that he could feel the unnatural cold emanating from her. She rose onto her toes, bringing her pale lips close to his ear. "And remember," she whispered, her voice a promise that sent a shiver down his spine, "when you encounter a problem you simply can't solve, when your back is against the wall... you just have to call my name. I'll be listening."
Having said that, her figure dissolved into the shadows.
".."
The living room fell back into silence, and only then did Lief slowly let out a sigh.
His gaze flickered for a moment to the bloodstains on the rug and then went to his little sister.
"By the way, what exactly happened to the nanny?"
Lillith blinked, as if they weren't in the middle of a carnage. "Oh, her. I guess I sent her to meet her 'Great Dorothy' in person."
Lief nodded, without needing to ask for more details. Knowing Lillith's methods, the fanatic's final fate had not been pleasant at all.
"Well," he said, running a hand through his hair and suddenly feeling the weight of the last twenty-four hours. "I think that was enough madness for one night." He stretched lazily, popping his neck. "I'm going to take a shower to wash off... well, all of this. And then rest."
But as he headed for the stairs, he knew perfectly well that this was not an end, not by a long shot.
This encounter was only the beginning.
It was clear that beings with Dorothy's power were not a rarity; the world was full of them.
That only meant he had to keep pushing, he had to get stronger, and much faster than he had planned.
________
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