No... no! No... no!!"
Janeth was slumped on the concrete, legs refusing to work, her whole body shaking like she was freezing while the sound coming out of her throat was barely human.
Her eyes were bloodshot and wide, fixed on the succubus with a hatred that needed no description. She wasn't just crying. Janeth was shrieking until her lungs burned, aiming every bit of her agony at Rose who had used her body and image however she wanted.
"You're a monster! You fucking parasite!" The words screamed out of her throat while tears ran down her face and her voice cracked into something barely human.
Rose was still on her knees in front of Alex, as she looked back at the professor over her shoulder with a mocking smirk, her massive tits jiggling with the turn.
"Oh, shut up, you boring bitch! You should be thanking me for giving that pathetic body some real action! That slutty hole was begging for it every time I took over and—"
"Enough."
Alex's voice wasn't loud, but it cut through Rose's laughter like a blade. He didn't yell or lose his temper. He had no experience dealing with such situations, but controlling his girl was a clear step to take.
Her jaw snapped shut instantly while her body stiffened as the bond reacted to his command.
The mocking grin vanished from her face, replaced by something calm and obedient. She lowered her head and said nothing more, her tail curling tight around his body.
Turninghis gaze back to Janeth, Alex's chest tightened by what he was witnessing. She was falling apart in front of him, and he had no idea how to stop it.
'Liza, what the hell am I supposed to do? She's losing it.'
'She's broken.' Liza's voice was serious. 'And she needs someone to stand by her side. You have to be the one to calm her down, even if she's terrified of you.'
Alex took a slow breath and walked toward the sobbing professor.
As he got closer his shadow fell over her, and when Janeth looked up and saw him standing there, something in her face changed. Her eyes went wide and her whole body went rigid.
"Ah..."
She didn't see the student she knew. She saw a man. A large, powerful man standing over her while she lay on the ground in torn clothes, and her shattered mind filled in the rest.
"Janeth... look at me." He kept his voice as steady as he could. A long pause before he spoke again. "It's Alex. You're safe now. Rose won't control you anymore."
But Janeth didn't hear the comfort. As he stepped closer she let out a series of sharp, choked gasps like she was suffocating, her face a ruined mask of tears and makeup while she kept her gaze pinned to the dirt.
"No... no, no, no..." She whimpered while her body buckled in a violent shiver. "Please... not again... I can't... don't touch me..."
She started shaking her head side to side while her hair whipped around her face and her breath came in breathless hitches. Every time Alex moved she flinched so hard she nearly hit the brick wall behind her.
Seeing her in such state, he stopped and took another step back to give her some space. She was absolutely terrified of the sight of a man.
Even his comforting words didn't help. To her, his presence was just another weight about to crush her, another man coming to claim his turn with the body Rose had served up on a silver platter.
"Just kill me... please..." After a long cold silence, her lips shook out some broken low noises. "If you're going to do it just do it... don't make me... I can't... please, just end it..."
Her hands clawed at her own shoulders as if she were trying to crawl out of her skin, and
Alex felt a cold feeling settle in his chest. A once-proud woman reduced to begging for death in a dirty alley because of what Rose had done to her.
He looked back at Rose with a fury he didn't bother hiding. The succubus caught the look and shrank back slightly, her tail pressing tighter against her thigh.
Fortunately, he had Liza on his side, who finally spoke quietly. 'She's going to hurt herself if we don't stop this. She needs rest and she needs to be away from the sight of Rose.'
Without any more word, Liza suddenly took control of his hand and reached it out toward Janeth.
"N-no...aghn" The professor flinched and let out a tiny terrified sound, but before she could blink a wave of heavy magic hit her and her eyes rolled back.
She slumped into his arms asleep, with tears still streaming down her face.
Even unconscious her body twitched and jumped from the shock of it all.
Alex looked down at her while Liza spoke. 'I'm taking her to my room. It's the only place safe enough for her to rest.'
Before Alex could respond a pink magic circle formed under their feet, and the alley quickly vanished, replaced by a royal grand bedroom.
They were standing in the middle of Liza's private space. The air was warm and carried a faint scent of something floral, insanely soothing.
The room was huge and comfortably dim, lit by a soft pink glow that seemed to come from the walls themselves.
Alex adjusted his grip on Janeth and carried her across the room, past dark wooden furniture and shelves lined with old books, until he reached the massive bed at the center.
He laid the sleepy woman down on silk sheets that were cool to the touch, and her body finally stopped shaking as she sank into the mattress.
He stood by the bed looking at her pale, tear-stained face.
"We need to actually help her." His voice was quiet. "She can't stay like this. How do we fix someone this broken?"
Liza paused before answering.
'It's not impossible. But you need to be the one to help her. Her heart needs to choose you. That's the only foundation strong enough to rebuild what Rose broke.'