The word "succubus" hung heavy in the warm air of Liza's domain, and the broken woman's eyes widened in horror.
"A… succubus?" she whispered, her voice cracking. She physically recoiled, fingers digging into the silk sheets. "Become… like her? The monster that… that used me like a toy..."
She couldn't finish. Her breathing turned rapid and shallow. Her chest heaved, her eyes darting like a trapped animal. The panic was swallowing her whole.
"It's okay, Janeth" Alex said gently, leaning closer. "You're safe. No one can touch you."
But his words bounced off her. She was drowning in the memory, too deep for human logic to reach. Her hands shook violently, her mind trapped in the spiral of that violation.
A quiet pain settled in hus chest. This woman had been his professor, kind, professional, full of life. Seeing her so broken stirred a deep sense of responsibility and guilt.
