A soothing silence filled the bathroom, broken only by the soft splash of water and Neko's steady, deep breathing.
The boy, completely exhausted emotionally and physically, had fallen asleep in the Queen's arms, resting his cheek against her wet breast. Lilith did not move, careful not to wake him.
She simply watched his sleeping face with an expression almost no one in all of the castle ever had the chance to see - a rare, genuinely tender smile played upon her lips.
His peaceful, sleeping face is just as adorable as the one he makes when he's coming, she thought, brushing the tip of her finger against his cat ear, which twitched slightly in his sleep. So defenseless... So entirely mine.
She slowly lowered her gaze to where, beneath the surface of the water, the pink metal of the cage shimmered with a dull glow. Lilith reached out her free hand and gently gripped the cool bars, her fingers brushing the trapped body of the kitten.
He really does look precious with that cage on... the thought flashed through her mind, and her pupils momentarily narrowed in predatory delight.
This was no accident or passing whim. Lilith possessed a gargantuan, almost obsessive fetish for men locked in chastity cages. It was for this very reason that an absolute law reigned in her castle: every man, regardless of rank, had to be tightly and permanently locked away.
For the Queen, the sight of metal imprisoning male desire was the height of aesthetics and dominance. She let go of the cage and turned serious for a moment, knitting her brows in thought.
Am I perhaps spoiling him too much? she asked herself, analyzing the past few days. Most men in this castle, if they get out of their cage once a year, consider themselves incredibly lucky. For them, it is the highest reward, something they work toward for months in the sweat of their brow. And him?
Her gaze traveled back up, lingering on the outline of his small, soft breasts that had formed under the influence of her magic, and his fluffy pink ears. She smiled wider, her hand returning to stroke his head.
But he doesn't belong to the majority, she concluded with satisfaction. He isn't just a regular man meant to be a tool. He is my kitten... My little work of art. I suppose I can afford to spoil him a little.
Lilith let out a heavy sigh, leaning her head back against the edge of the tub. The warm water still enveloped their bodies, and the steady breathing of the sleeping Neko had a strangely calming effect on her.
"I promised myself I wouldn't allow him any orgasm that wasn't feminine..." she whispered to herself, closing her eyes. "But I hadn't seen you for nearly two days, kitten, and your aura was so thick that I simply couldn't resist a little play."
Slightly irritated by her own lack of willpower, she slowly lifted Neko from the water. With one subtle flick of her will, she deactivated the [Curse of the Shadow Queen], restoring his senses, though the boy remained lost in a deep, sleepy lethargy.
She pulled him from the tub with such gentleness it was as if he were made of the finest porcelain.
Lilith grabbed a fluffy pink towel and began to dry his petite body. She did it slowly, with almost reverent devotion. When she reached his hips, she paused a moment longer, wiping his rear.
A light, proud smile appeared on her face - the changes were progressing perfectly. His body was becoming softer, rounder, and... more feminine.
However, as her gaze rested on his small, tight opening, and she recalled the image of Elizabeth's powerful member, her expression suddenly turned grave. She frowned, and a rare shadow of genuine worry appeared in her golden eyes.
"He has the [Sex Slave] class..." she muttered under her breath, analyzing the situation. "In time, he will gain skills that will allow him to survive anything. His body will regenerate, adapt... Even without training, only minor physical harm would come to him."
She ran her hand down his back, feeling the delicacy of his skin.
"But it would still be too painful for him," she whispered with concern. "Too traumatic at this moment. Elizabeth knows no moderation, especially when her brakes fail."
She sighed, her thoughts circling around a solution to the problem. She had to prepare her kitten for the challenges she was setting before him.
I'll have to seriously consider his training, she thought, and her worry slowly began to give way to an entirely different feeling. Training that will ensure he can handle such a predatory vampiress without unnecessary pain... and perhaps even with pleasure.
She imagined Neko's face when he found out tomorrow or the day after what his "special stretching training" would consist of. The vision of his shocked face, wide eyes, and blushes of shame caused a perfidious, malicious smile full of pure desire to bloom on Lilith's face.
She licked her lips, feeling a mounting excitement.
She quickly finished drying the boy, trying not to wake him with her hands, which were beginning to grow hot again. She dressed him in his favorite, soft pink bathrobe, which perfectly emphasized his delicate beauty.
She carried him to the bedroom and carefully laid him on the gargantuan bed, tucking him into the silk sheets right up to his neck. She leaned over him and pressed a short, tender kiss to his forehead.
"Goodnight, sweetie," she whispered. "Sleep well..."
She retreated noiselessly from the room, closing the door behind her and leaving Neko in the embrace of a peaceful sleep, unaware of the plans his Mistress had just hatched in her mind.
***
The hallway outside Elizabeth's apartments was bathed in the morning twilight when Elene finally pulled the heavy doors shut behind her.
She leaned against them for a moment, letting the chill of the wood cool her flushed skin. Her hands trembled slightly as she tried to restore order to her hair; her maid outfit, usually impeccably pressed, was now wrinkled in a way that left no doubt about how she had spent the last several hours.
Suddenly, she felt a familiar, warm movement on her thigh. She looked down and, beneath the hem of her skirt, spotted a white trickle flowing slowly down her leg.
"Ugh... damn it, Elizabeth," she hissed under her breath, massaging her temples. "How much is enough? Truly, how many times can one woman climax? Even a Rank A succubus can't absorb that much essence at once. It's physically impossible."
With a swift, almost reflexive motion, she leaned down and wiped the seed away with her finger, feeling its thick, sticky texture against her skin. She glanced through the high window at the end of the corridor. The sky above the castle was beginning to brighten, taking on the hue of an orange sun. Morning had arrived far too quickly.
"I can't work like this," she muttered. "I'm supposed to set an example for the other girls in the castle, after all."
She reached into a hidden pocket in her apron and pulled out a small, shimmering sphere resembling a black pearl. It was a rare artifact used for ritual cleansing, highly prized among high-ranking demons who cared about maintaining an impeccable appearance after nighttime marathons.
Elene traced a quick, glowing pattern onto its surface with her fingernail and then, with a sigh, slid her hand beneath her panties. The moment two fingers guided the sphere inside, Elene froze.
For a moment, there was silence, until suddenly her body arched in a brief spasm. The sensation of suction and the violent gathering of energy from every corner of her interior was so intense that Elene bit her lips hard to keep from moaning aloud in the empty hallway. It wasn't pure pleasure - it was a mixture of relief and violent drainage that left her legs feeling like jelly.
A full minute passed before her breathing steadied. Elene waited a moment longer, then slowly, with a slight grimace, reached inside again. Extracting the artifact was much harder now. The small black pearl had tripled in size, becoming a heavy, white orb.
When she brought it into the light, the sphere shone with a blinding whiteness, completely filled with Elizabeth's condensed essence and Elene's own juices. The fluid was so thick that threads of mucus trailed after the ball, soiling the succubus's fingers.
"At least now I can walk without feeling like I'm about to overflow," she murmured, looking at the white object with satisfaction. "Though this pearl is now worth more than the kitchen's annual budget..."
She tucked the filled artifact into a special container, stowed it in her ring, and headed toward Lady Lilith's office, trying to give her steps the appearance of authority, even though her hips still trembled slightly with every movement.
***
Elene pushed the heavy, carved doors to the Demon Queen's study, trying to control the shaking in her legs. The moment her gaze rested on Lilith's face, a violent shiver ran through the succubus's entire body.
Hell... Elene thought, instinctively cowering. This is not going to be a pleasant conversation.
Lilith sat behind a gargantuan ebony desk, surrounded by hundreds of levitating scrolls and a stack of documents that seemed to have no end. She didn't even look up at her subordinate.
"Yes?" she threw out in a short, icy voice that cut the air like a razor.
For the past few days, Lilith had been in an excellent mood. First, she had indulged in perverted play with her new kitten, and then she had spent intoxicating hours with her beloved Elizabeth. However, the luxury of being a Demon King came with a price - state duties had not vanished; in fact, they had multiplied in her absence. All night, instead of resting after sex, Lilith had been forced to catch up on paperwork, which had caused her mood to deteriorate drastically.
Elene straightened up, trying to make her voice sound professional despite her extreme exhaustion.
"Mistress, I am reporting. Lady Elizabeth asked me to convey that she will visit Scarlet before leaving the castle."
Lilith merely nodded, still nervously scribbling on one of the parchments. She wasn't surprised; Scarlet, like Elizabeth, was a high-ranking pureblood vampire, and their houses had maintained complex relations for centuries.
"Anything else?" she asked, still not looking away from her work. The aura around her pulsed with irritation.
"That is all Lady Elizabeth asked me to convey," Elene replied quietly.
Then Lilith looked up for the first time. Her golden eyes no longer shimmered with amusement but with a cold, bureaucratic chill that was far more terrifying than her sadism. She pointed a long, black fingernail toward one of the chairs against the wall. Lying on it was a black outfit that looked slightly different from Neko's previous clothes.
"Take that outfit," Lilith commanded, returning her gaze to the documents. "Dress Neko in it, then bring him here to me. Immediately."
Elene nodded, struggling to keep her face a mask of absolute professionalism. She walked to the chair, grabbed the black outfit - which felt strangely cool and elastic to the touch - and with a deft flick of her hand, stowed it in her magical ring.
"Of course, Mistress. I will see to it at once," she said in a humble voice, before performing a low bow and turning to leave the study.
She was just about to press the handle when she stopped mid-step. Her heart hammered harder, and a cold sweat broke out on the back of her neck. Lilith, though still writing, stopped scratching her pen across the parchment for a split second.
"Something else?" the question came, even colder this time.
Elene grit her teeth, fighting an internal battle.
Dammit... do I tell her? Or not? she thought feverishly. I punished Neko while she was busy. I had every right as a Matron, and he asked for it himself, and normally I don't have to report such a thing but... he's still her private toy. Her 'kitten.'
She was about to move on and toss out a short "Nothing, Mistress," but suddenly the image of a choice-furious Lilith appeared before her eyes. If Neko mentioned it during today's training, and Lilith found out about the punishment from him rather than her... Elene knew her days might be numbered.
Better to inform her now, even if the risk is gargantuan. If he spills it, I'm finished.
She looked at Lilith's dark, sharp nails and sighed inwardly. Why must I have such bad luck? Today of all days, when she's in such a mood?
With a quick, nervous motion, Elene turned and dropped to one knee, bowing her head so low it nearly touched the rug.
"Mistress... there is something I must report," she choked out, stammering slightly. "During your absence... I personally punished Neko. I judged that his behavior required immediate discipline; he asked for it himself and... and he accepted it with humility."
An icy silence filled the study, broken only by the rhythmic scratching of Lilith's pen. Elene knelt, holding her breath, waiting for the sentence.