The cool leather of the chair presses against my bare skin as a moan escapes my lips. Dim blue light bathes the cavernous space around us, glinting off metal surfaces and high-tech equipment that surrounds us on all sides. My head falls back, pleasure surging through every nerve ending as the woman on top of me moves with practiced precision.
"Fuck," I gasp, my fingers digging into her hips as she rocks against me.
She's beautiful in a dangerous way, her athletic body covered in scars that tell stories I can't begin to imagine. A red hood frames her face, casting shadows that make her expression harder to read, more mysterious. Her thighs tighten around me as she adjusts her rhythm, drawing another groan from deep in my chest.
"That's it," she whispers, voice husky with desire. "Stay with me."
My eyes drift beyond her to take in our surroundings, massive computer screens, glass cases containing what look like weaponry, the unmistakable shape of what can only be described as a bat-themed vehicle in the distance. Something about this place tugs at my memory, but the thought dissipates as she grabs my face, forcing me to look at her.
"Focus on me, angel," she commands, her piercing eyes locked on mine. "Just me."
I nod, strangely compliant. There's something about her that feels safe and familiar, despite the deadly aura she exudes. My hands slide up her sides, exploring the contours of her body as she continues to ride me, her warmth enveloping me completely. But something feels off.
"Where's Ellie?" The question tumbles from my lips, a name rising from some half-remembered place in my mind.
Her rhythm falters for just a moment, a frown creasing her brow as she looks down at me. But she doesn't stop moving, doesn't break the connection between us.
"Come on," she says, a hint of frustration coloring her voice. "It's been two years already. You said you'd take dating me seriously."
My brain struggles to process her words, but my body responds to her movements without hesitation. Two years? That can't be right. I was just... where was I just? The thought slips away like water through my fingers.
"Sorry," I mumble, pulling her closer. Her skin is hot against mine, real and immediate in a way that drowns out the confusion swirling through my mind.
She leans down to kiss me, her lips surprisingly soft given the hardness in her eyes. She moves her hips in a slow circle, making me gasp as pleasure ripples through me. Her eyes never leave mine, intense and possessive.
"God, Bryce would be so mad if she caught us doing this in her cave," she says with a wicked smile, running her hands up my chest.
Something shifts in the air behind her. A familiar figure materializes, towering and terrible, skin cracked with glowing fissures that pulse like hellfire. Those venomous green eyes meet mine with unmistakable amusement.
"Hello, Shane," Lileth says, barely containing a laugh as he watches us.
My heart stops. "Lileth?" I call out, but the woman doesn't pause or even seem to hear my outburst. She continues moving on top of me as if nothing happened, completely unaware of the demon's presence.
It's like we're in separate worlds that somehow overlap, with only me able to see both sides.
"Where am I?" I ask desperately, my hands still on the woman's hips even as I stare at the demon lord.
Lileth looks around the cave with exaggerated curiosity, those massive bat-like wings folded against his back. His lips curl into that dangerous smile I remember too well.
"I genuinely have no clue with you," he says, shaking his head. "In fact, I'm blown away by you. Your life is a mess, and yet somehow you keep navigating it with a smile on your face." His expression softens slightly, almost sympathetic. "Until now, at least."
The woman above me misinterprets my distraction as pleasure, grinding harder against me. "That's it, baby," she whispers, mistaking my widened eyes for passion rather than shock.
"This isn't real," I manage to say, my voice barely audible. The pieces start clicking together, the bat-themed vehicle, the cave, the woman I somehow know but don't recognize. "I'm dreaming again."
Lileth waves a dismissive claw through the air. "This? It's merely a possibility. But it's hardly important right now."
The woman continues moving above me, completely oblivious to our conversation, her lips trailing down my neck. Each touch feels real despite knowing this is a dream.
"I'm here to discuss something far more pressing," Lileth continues, his voice tinged with disappointment. "Specifically, how you've been using your gifts. Or rather, the remarkable lack of how you've been using them."
"What do you mean?" I ask, trying to focus on Lileth while the woman's hands roam my chest. "I teleport all the time."
Lileth sighs deeply, the sound like wind through a cavern. His glowing fissures pulse brighter with what I can only interpret as frustration.
"You are truly something else, Shane." He shakes his head, those venomous green eyes narrowing. "I know you are aware of what incubi do."
"Yeah," I respond, trying to sound knowledgeable despite my compromising position. "Sleep demons that fuck women or something like that, right?"
Another sigh, heavier this time. The woman above me shifts, completely unaware of our conversation.
"Kind of," Lileth says, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You've barely scratched the surface of what you're capable of."
The woman suddenly pulls away from our embrace and begins sucking on my neck, her technique eerily familiar. The sensation sends shivers down my spine as she works the exact spot that Ellie always focuses on.
"This is how you like it, right?" she murmurs against my skin. "This is what you asked me to do?"
I can't help responding to her touch.
"Ignore her," Lileth commands, stepping closer.
"Why are you even here? What do you want, demon dad?"
Lileth chuckles, the sound rumbling through the dream space like distant thunder. "I want so much, Shane, but you can't give me any of that." His expression softens slightly, almost paternal. "However, I'm here to give you a little advice."
"Oh?" I raise an eyebrow, trying to maintain some dignity despite the woman still trailing kisses along my collarbone.
Lileth steps forward, his massive form looming over us both.
"For the love of Mephista and all that is unholy," Lileth exclaims, his patience clearly wearing thin, "explore your godforsaken powers, Shane!"
I blink up at him, confused by his sudden intensity. "What do you mean?"
"You learned how to teleport and just told yourself that was enough?" His venomous green eyes flash with frustration. "Obviously there's more. Much more."
"Woah, I had no idea," I say, genuinely surprised. The possibilities hadn't even occurred to me.
Lileth rolls his eyes so dramatically I can practically hear them scrape against his skull. "I'll show you," he says with an exasperated sigh. "Focus on emitting your aura through your hands."
I glance down at my palms, still resting on the woman's hips as she continues to ride me, completely oblivious to our conversation. Concentrating, I try to visualize energy flowing through my fingertips.
"Like this?" I ask, not feeling any different.
"Just relax and let me guide you," Lileth instructs, placing his massive clawed hand over mine.
Suddenly, I feel a strange tingling sensation spreading from my palms. It's warm and electric, like static but more controlled. The woman above me gasps, her rhythm faltering as her eyes widen.
"That's step one," Lileth says with clear satisfaction.
He places an arm on my shoulder. "Now watch what happens when we put a little juice into it."
Golden energy courses through my body like liquid fire, flowing from Lileth's touch, through me, and out of my hands. The sensation is overwhelming, pleasure unlike anything I've ever experienced surges through every nerve ending. My entire body feels electrified with desire, amplified a thousandfold.
The woman's reaction is immediate and intense. Her back arches dramatically as she cries out, her entire body convulsing with pleasure. She's moaning non-stop, completely lost in ecstasy from nothing more than my touch.
"See?" Lileth says smugly. "With training, you can develop power like that independently."
I watch the woman writhing in pleasure, but all I can think about is someone else. "It's just not very useful," I mutter. "I only want to be with Ellie."
The woman's face contorts with frustration through her pleasure. "PLEASE," she begs between moans, "PLEASE STOP SAYING HER NAME!"
I furrow my brow, surprised by her outburst. Lileth completely ignores her, his attention fixed solely on me.
"And that brings me to my second bit of advice," he says, lowering his voice to something almost gentle. "Sometime soon in your life, when you feel at your most vulnerable, when you want to save everyone..." he pauses, his taloned fingers squeezing my shoulder, "you're going to have to channel all that energy like I just showed you and push it all out."
I frown, confused by his sudden seriousness. "Why would I…"
"You need to train. It's going to scare you. All that energy. You'll be afraid," he continues, cutting me off. "You'll think it's a bad idea, and it might even hurt. Probably a lot. But I promise you, if you want to truly protect those you care about..."
The dream shatters like glass.
I gasp awake, disoriented and overwhelmed by sensation. Ellie is above me, her body moving in perfect rhythm against mine. The room is bathed in a golden light that seems to pulse with each wave of pleasure coursing through my body.
"Shane," she moans, her voice thick with desire. "I LOVE YOU."
I blink rapidly, trying to make sense of what's happening. Ellie's eyes are completely glazed over with lust, her pupils blown wide as she rides me with desperate intensity. The golden light is coming from my hands where they rest on her hips, the same energy Lileth showed me in the dream now manifesting in reality.
"Ellie?" I whisper, watching as the light fades slowly from my palms.
She doesn't respond with words, just leans down to capture my mouth in a bruising kiss. Her body trembles against mine, overcome with pleasure that seems to radiate from wherever my skin touches hers.
I lean into her touch, suddenly overwhelmed by how much I need her, how much she means to me. The last traces of the strange golden energy dissipate as I wrap my arms around her, pulling her closer.
"I love you too, Ellie," I murmur against her lips.
She collapses against my chest, her breathing ragged as she buries her face in my neck. For several minutes, we just lie there, our bodies intertwined as we both try to process what just happened.
"What just happened?" I finally manage to ask, my voice rough and disoriented.
Ellie's eyes are already half-closed, her body heavy against mine. She mumbles something against my neck, her words slurring with approaching sleep.
"What was that?" I prop myself up slightly, trying to catch her gaze.
"You were sleeping," she murmurs, her voice thick and drowsy. "Then I woke up to your hands glowing as bright as the fucking sun." She shifts against me, her skin warm and soft. "You grabbed me and next thing I know I'm fucking you like my life depended on it."
The memory of Lileth standing in that dream cave flashes through my mind. The demon's instructions about channeling energy through my hands, the golden light...it wasn't just a dream.
"Lileth just taught me that trick," I tell her, running my fingers through her tousled blonde hair. "In my dream, he showed me how to channel energy through my hands."
"That's nice, baby," Ellie mumbles, already drifting further away from consciousness. Her arms tighten around me reflexively, pulling me closer as she nestles her face against my chest.
I feel her lips press softly against my skin, a barely-there kiss as sleep reclaims her. "You make me happy," she whispers, the words so quiet I almost miss them.
Then she's gone, her breathing deep and even, completely knocked out.