Sunlight sliced through the blackout curtains like it had a personal grudge.
Lucian Steele groaned, rolling over in the tangled sheets. His phone buzzed somewhere under the pillow—probably another birthday reminder he'd ignored. Eighteen. Finally. The number felt heavier than it should.
The door creaked open without a knock.
"Up, lazy bones." His mother's voice was warm but edged with that no-nonsense succubus authority. "The Academy starts in two hours. You think turning legal means you get to sleep through orientation?"
Lucian cracked one eye. Lucy Steele stood in the doorway, arms crossed under her impressive chest, wings tucked neatly behind her like a cape. Even in a silk robe at 8 a.m., she looked like she could seduce a saint into sin. She always had.
"It's the middle of the semester," he mumbled, voice still thick with sleep. "Can't they just… email me the syllabus?"
Lucy laughed—a low, throaty sound that made the hairs on his neck stand up. "This isn't a human school, sweetheart. Incubi and succubi trickle in every day once they hit maturity. The academy never truly 'ends.' You either learn to feed, fight, and fuck properly, or you end up feral in some back alley. Now shower. Wear something that doesn't scream 'virgin sacrifice.'"
She tossed a black button-up and slim pants onto the bed before sweeping out.
Lucian stared at the ceiling. Virgin. The word stung more than it should. He'd spent seventeen years pretending he was normal—human enough to blend in at the mixed schools, awkward enough to avoid questions. But today the blood in his veins felt different. Hotter. Hungry.
He dragged himself to the mirror. Same messy black hair, same sharp jaw, same green eyes that hadn't yet turned the telltale crimson of a full awakening. No horns. No wings. Just… him.
For now.
The Academy of Lustful Craving sat on the edge of the city like a gothic fever dream—black spires wrapped in crimson ivy, windows that glowed faintly even in daylight. Wards hummed in the air, thick enough to taste.
Lucian stepped through the grand double doors into a circular atrium packed with students. The scent hit him first: perfume, musk, cinnamon, and something darker mixed together.
Heads turned.
Succubi lounged on velvet couches, tails flicking lazily. Incubi leaned against pillars, smirking like they already owned the room. Everyone looked too perfect, too predatory.
A cluster of succubi near the central fountain noticed him immediately.
"Oh my gods," one whispered, loud enough to carry. "Fresh meat."
Lucian kept walking. He could feel their eyes sliding over him—appraising, amused, hungry.
He found his assigned homeroom: Lust Dynamics 101. The door slid open on silent hinges.
Inside, the desks were arranged in a loose circle. No boring rows here. The instructor—a tall incubus with silver hair and a perpetual half-smile—wasn't even present yet.
Lucian took an empty seat near the back.
The whispers started immediately.
"He's cute."
"Super innocent vibe. Look at those eyes."
"Bet he's never even kissed a girl properly."
A succubus with bubblegum-pink hair and a tail that curled like a question mark leaned over from the desk beside him. Her top was basically lace and good intentions.
"Hey, newbie," she purred. "I'm Vira. What's your name?"
"Lucian," he said, trying to sound casual.
"Lucian," she repeated, tasting it. "Adorable. So, Lucian… have you ever had a woman before?"
The room went quiet. Every eye turned to him.
He opened his mouth. Closed it. Heat crawled up his neck.
The silence stretched.
Vira giggled, delighted. "Oh, honey. That's a yes-or-no question, but your face just answered it."
Another succubus—tall, dark-skinned, with golden eyes and horns that curled like a ram's—leaned in from the other side. "Don't worry, cutie. We're very… welcoming here. You can have one of us if you want. Right now, even."
She licked her lips slowly.
Lucian's pulse hammered in his ears. Something inside him stirred—hot, insistent, like a second heartbeat lower down.
Before he could stammer a reply, the pink-haired one—Vira—snapped her fingers.
A swirl of crimson smoke erupted in front of his desk.
When it cleared, a third succubus stood there—long raven hair cascading over sheer black lingerie that left almost nothing to imagination, curves that could start wars, eyes glowing faintly violet.
She looked down at Lucian, then at the circle of giggling succubi.
"Aww," she drawled, voice like velvet dragged over gravel. "I guess some pathetic loser wants me first."
She bent at the waist, putting her cleavage directly in his line of sight. "See you later, virgins."
With a wink and a flick of her tail, she vanished in another puff of smoke—summoned away, probably by whatever desperate soul had called her.
The class erupted in laughter.
Lucian sat frozen, heart racing, body burning with a mix of humiliation and something dangerously close to excitement.
And then—
A cold, mechanical voice echoed inside his skull.
[INCUBUS SYSTEM ACTIVATED]
[Happy Birthday, Lucian Steele. Welcome to the Feast.]
[Lust Energy: 0 / 1000]
[Warning: First Feeding Required Within 24 Hours or [Ravenous Frenzy] will commence.]
A translucent red window materialized in front of his eyes, visible only to him.
The laughter around him faded to white noise.
Lucian's hands trembled under the desk.
Today wasn't just his birthday.
It was the day everything changed.