Elene and Neko stood before the massive, carved doors of Lilith's office. Even though the succubus could barely stay on her feet and cold sweat was dripping from her temples, she reached out with a trembling hand to adjust the strap of Neko's black top one last time.
"Remember... watch your tongue," Elene whispered, her voice unnaturally low and full of warning. "Mistress Lilith is in no mood for games today. If you want to survive this day in one piece, just be obedient."
With those words, she spun on her heel and walked away at a brisk pace, nearly limping, leaving Neko alone in the empty corridor. The boy watched her go, bewildered.
What happened to her? he thought, knitting his brows. Yesterday Lilith was in such an excellent mood... laughing, playing with me... How is it possible for everything to change so drastically in just one night?
He looked down at his outfit. His cheeks burned with a living fire. He was standing in high heels, wearing something that barely covered his skin and exposed the underside of his breasts. The awareness that he had to face an irritated Demon Queen in this state made him want to sink through the floor.
He took a deep, shaky breath. No sense in dragging this out. He pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The office was cast in twilight, illuminated only by the glow of levitating documents. Lilith sat hunched over her desk, her pen moving with furious speed.
"G-good morning, Mistress..." Neko began, trying to keep his voice from trembling too much. "Did... did you want to see me?"
Lilith didn't even flinch. She didn't look up. A silence so heavy fell over the room that Neko could hear his own heartbeat. Finally, he heard her voice - it was so cold he felt as if a shard of ice had been dragged down his spine.
"Since when can animals talk?" she asked, without stopping her writing.
Neko froze. Shivers raced down his back.
She really is in a tragic mood, the thought flashed through his mind, immediately followed by a prickle of irritation. Animals? I might have ears and a tail, I might have breasts and... that thing between my legs now, but I am not an animal!
Despite this, he didn't dare utter those words aloud. He stood in total stillness, fixing his gaze on the rug.
Lilith, hearing no answer, let out a sigh of clear frustration and tossed the pen onto the desk. The sound of the impact was like a gunshot.
"Did Elene dress you in what I ordered?" she asked her second question, still staring at the papers.
Neko glanced at his hips, at the ties of his panties and the stockings. "Yes... Mistress Lilith. I confirm," he managed to get out, breaking the rule of silence again.
In that moment, the aura in the office thickened violently. Lilith slowly raised her head, her eyes gleaming with a dangerous, golden light.
"Have you truly not learned that I do not like repeating questions?" she said in a voice that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. "I know you haven't completed your full education yet, but logical thinking should tell you that I have no desire to hear my pet speaking Demon - "
She suddenly cut off mid-sentence.
Her gaze rested directly on Neko for the first time. She swept her eyes from his black headband with the bow, down the high collar, past the exposed underside of his breasts, to the high cuts on his hips that emphasized every curve of his body.
The anger in her eyes didn't vanish, but for a moment, it was overshadowed by something else. By pure, predatory surprise at how perfectly the black leather and ribbons composed themselves against his pink hair and submissive posture.
Her gaze lingered on the scrap of material that barely covered Neko's chest. For a moment, she analyzed every detail of his appearance with the severity of a sculptor judging an unfinished statue.
A shame his breasts are so small... flashed through her mind as she inspected the exposed lower part of his bust. This top looks best on gargantuan breasts, or at least on my size... but for now, given the pace of his changes, this will have to suffice.
She rose slowly, the rustle of her royal robes the only sound in the tomb-quiet office. She approached Neko, towering over him with her presence. She raised a hand and gently but firmly took his chin, forcing him to look her straight in the eyes.
"I knew this outfit would suit you, sweetie," she said, her voice regaining a hint of honeyed sweetness, though it was still laced with a chill. "Do you like how you look?"
Neko went still. He remembered her recent words about "talking animals," so this time he refrained from making any sound. Even though in his estimation the outfit was scandalously provocative and erotic - even by the standards of the Castle of Desire - he merely nodded obediently, never breaking eye contact with her golden pupils.
Lilith smiled with satisfaction at this immediate surrender. "Good kitten. I see your education hasn't gone to waste after all."
Suddenly, without warning, Lilith yanked the bottom edge of his black top, exposing his breasts completely. Before Neko could even flinch, her hands clamped onto them with aggressive force.
"Ahhh!" Neko let out a loud moan as pain and sudden arousal shot through his body.
Lilith squeezed him hard, kneading the swollen tissue with a clear irritation that she channeled into his body. Neko wobbled slightly on his high heels, clutching his fingers tight so as not to fall. Every few seconds, another defenseless sound escaped his throat.
Despite the pain, thanks to his new [Masochist] talent, a wave of heat began to pour through his body, and his small member in the cage began to pulse violently, straining against the metal bars with such force it almost cut the skin.
Lilith watched his reactions, and her mood - which only moments ago had been tragic - began to slowly improve. He really is the best medicine for stress, she thought, feeling the tremor of his muscles beneath her fingers.
After a long while, she released his breasts and, with one swift motion, pulled the top back into place, covering their upper half. Neko stood before her with a flushed face and heavy breathing. For a moment, carried by the gargantuan desire triggered by [Hunger for Closeness], he wanted to open his mouth and beg for more - to be touched again, for her not to stop.
But when he looked at her face and felt the chill of the Demon Queen radiating from her, he felt an icy fear choke his lust. He didn't dare speak a word.
Suddenly, the ring on Lilith's finger flared with a corpse-pale light. In the air, just before her, a silver necklace materialized - a delicate chain with an intricately crafted pendant in the shape of a cat's paw.
Without a word of warning, Lilith closed the distance. She leaned over Neko so abruptly that her ample breasts were only a few centimeters from his face. The boy felt the hit of her intoxicating scent and the warmth of her skin. For a moment, the only thing he could think of was to simply bury his face in her cleavage and forget the whole world.
But before he could react, he felt the chill of silver on his neck and heard the metallic click of the clasp. Lilith straightened up, and the saving (and simultaneously torturing) sight of her bust vanished. The Queen inspected her work and nodded.
"Neko, speak," she commanded shortly, crossing her arms over her chest.
Neko felt a prickle of irritation. First you don't want me to speak, and now suddenly you order me to? Make up your damn mind! he thought furiously, and opened his mouth to hurl those words out.
"Meow?" flowed from his throat instead of an angry tirade.
Neko's eyes widened sharply. He coughed, cleared his throat, and tried again, wanting to ask what she had done to him.
"Meow... meowww!" the voice sounded clear, melodic, and absolutely feline.
Desperate, he tried to utter a full sentence: "Mistress, what does this mean, please take it off me!" Only a long, drawn-out sound came from his mouth:
"Meow, meow meow meowwww!"
Neko froze with his mouth open, not understanding what was happening. Lilith, on the other hand, burst into a short, pearly laugh.
If any resident of the Castle had found out that Lilith, on the day of her worst mood, had laughed sincerely and lightly, they would have deemed the storyteller a madman. Her laughter in such a state usually heralded a massacre, not amusement. Neko was likely the only being capable of triggering such an anomaly.
"See, Neko? I'm in a truly bad mood today and I have no desire to listen to Demonic," she said, stroking his cheek. "This necklace will stop you from making unnecessary, human sounds. Animals should sound like animals."
Neko, still shocked, raised a trembling hand to the necklace. He touched the silver paw, his mind racing.
Dammit... sometimes I forget this is a magical world. How the hell does this even work? Does it change my vocal cords or just the perception?
He wanted to ask her about the artifact's function, but again... "Meow... meow?"
Lilith tilted her head with feigned interest. "What was that, kitten?"
Neko, irritated, began to gesture and meow more intensely, trying to convey that this was unfair. "Meow! Meowww, meow-meow!"
"Ahhh, I see..." Lilith murmured with a glint in her eye.
Neko breathed a sigh of relief. For a second, he thought the necklace's magic allowed her to understand his feline phrasing. However, the joy was short-lived.
"You're quite right, sweetie," she continued with a malicious smile. "Real kittens walk on four legs, not two. Since you want to be so authentic..."
Neko's tail tensed so hard it stood nearly vertical. He looked at her in horror.
Dammit, she's playing with me! She knew exactly what I meant, and she's twisting it on purpose!