Wisarix smiled as she was pulled across the otherworldly plane, dragged between dimensions by the call of powerful magic. The summoning circle which was attracting her was focused and precise, not just the shoddy work of some first-time amateur. Whoever was summoning her knew what they were doing, which would usually mean they knew exactly what they wanted from her.

Being summoned was always an exciting process. Who knew what lay on the other side, waiting for her in the real world? Sorcerers always had the same reason for summoning a succubus, of course. It was always about sating their lusts, but that could take any number of forms. What twisted fantasies would she fulfill today? What perverse fetishes would she enable?

As Wisarix burst through the dimensional boundary, she found herself in a vast, empty, dream-space. Purely as a safety measure, it was normal for a succubus to only be allowed into a sorcerer’s dream and not the real world, but this was an exceptionally blank dream. The environment didn’t take the form of a candlelit bedroom, or a sex dungeon, or a crowded public space, or even any recognizable place, but just an immense blank slate of white.

At first Wisarix wondered if there had been some sort of mistake, but then she turned around and saw a sofa facing away from her. The sofa was L-shaped and long enough for about two or three people. Someone was sitting on the sofa, but he was looking away from her.

Even before walking over, Wisarix took a moment to check her appearance. First impressions mattered, and she took pride in being a powerful succubus summonable only by master sorcerers who invested large quantities of magic to entice her.

Her current body was tall but curving in all the appropriate places, clad in a pair of high heels and a set of skimpy black lingerie which hardly covered any of her lightly tanned skin. Her face was totally free of blemishes and perfectly proportioned, her hair a jet-black color and tied back into a loose ponytail. And just to distinguish herself from any ordinary mortal woman—a pair of short horns protruded up from her skull, and a pair of broad, bat-like wings extended from her shoulder blades. To top it all off—a long, thin tail snaked out from her rear, colored blood red with a pointy arrowhead tip.

It was stereotypical for a succubus to look so obviously like a succubus, but Wisarix was fond of the classic look and it usually proved effective. She strolled forward, casually putting one heeled foot in front of the other to make sure her hips rocked sensually and her tail swished from side to side. She kept her wings half-unfurled, which was an uncomfortable position to hold for too long, but which definitely looked more impressive.

Walking past the sofa, Wisarix didn’t turn to look the sorcerer. Instead she casually sat down at the other end of the sofa, stretching herself across that L-shape extension and putting her perfectly toned legs up one at a time. It took deliberate effort to look casual yet sexy at the same time, and Wisarix could feel the sorcerer’s gaze on her. Without even looking, she knew his eyes were sweeping across her body, admiring her sensual nature, worshiping her physical perfection.

Smiling to herself, Wisarix finally turned to look at the powerful sorcerer who had summoned her. What she saw made her smile fade, replaced by a slightly confused frown.

Sitting at the far side of the sofa was a young man who looked just barely into adulthood. He had decently attractive looks—his hair was dark brown and neatly trimmed, and he wore a pair of thin, wire-frame spectacles. He also wore a pair of full-length trousers and a magician’s coat which was buttoned all the way up. His clothes were well tailored to his skinny form, but this wasn’t exactly a sexy look. Since this was all his own dream, the sorcerer could have dressed in whatever attire he wanted, but for some reason he’d chosen a bland, realistic appearance.

And he wasn’t even looking at her! Leaning on the armrest, the sorcerer had a bored, uninterested look. He was reading from a book which he held with his other hand.

Wisarix paused, unsure how to react. “What are you reading over there?” she tried.

“A book,” replied the sorcerer. He did not elaborate further.

Wisarix tried prompting him. “Must be a very interesting book…?” When this elicited no response, she sat up and turned so that she was sitting sideways on the sofa, facing the sorcerer. “Don’t be shy now. My name’s Wisarix, and I’m here to satisfy your deepest desires. Why don’t you tell me your name, handsome?”

“Don’t play your games with me. I know demons can instantly discern names,” snapped the sorcerer.

“Well, look at Mr Fun over here…!” Wisarix rolled her eyes, but the sorcerer wasn’t looking and he missed the sarcastic gesture. Concentrating for a moment, Wisarix peered at the sorcerer and examined his soul to get his name. “You are… Jack. Alright. So, Jack, how shall we start things off?” Wisarix smiled and extended her hand towards him. “Take my hand. I can see your name at a glance, but I’ll need a touch to see your desires…”

Jack licked his thumb and turned a page of his book. “Don’t touch me,” he replied without even looking at her.

Wisarix retracted her hand, trying not to let her wings droop in disappointment. “Ok, fine! We can do this the slow way. I won’t read your soul, so you can just tell me what you want.” She gestured across her body. “What do you think? Do you like what you see?”

Jack finally lowered his book and turned to stare at her. His gaze swept across her body impatiently, and then he gave an indifferent shrug.

With some effort, Wisarix resisted the urge to sigh. “No? Not your thing? How about something more standard?” Channeling her demonic power, she shifted her form—her wings, horns, and tail vanished away, leaving her looking totally human. “What about now? Sexy? Yes? No?” Wisarix shifted her form again, altering her proportions to make herself more petite. Her hair switched to a short trim with a fiery ginger colour, and she made her skin paler with a scattering of freckles on her cheeks. Finally she shifted her overall appearance to make her look younger and around Jack’s age,

Winking at the sorcerer, Wisarix spread her legs enticingly. “I can change myself to fit whatever you desire. Name any physical change you want, and I’ll do it specially for you.”

Despite her best efforts, Jack didn’t look impressed and he certainly didn’t look aroused. “I appreciate the effort, but this isn’t necessary. Just take your natural form. I don’t care.”

Wisarix went back to her standard appearance with her tail, horns, and wings reappearing, then she decided to shift tactics. Reaching behind her back, she undid her bra strap though she kept the undergarment in place with her other hand. “What about my clothes? Is this outfit covering too much for you? Your coat looks so restrictive. How about we both change into something a bit more comfortable? Tell me what you would like me to wear.”

Jack made no moves to remove his own clothing, but he finally gave her something to work with. “Fine. It’s kind of late at night, so how about you wear… pajamas.”

Wisarix snapped her fingers, and instantly she was dressed in a lacy, see-through garment which left her shoulders totally exposed and barely even reached her upper thighs. She kicked off her high heels, leaving her bare feet exposed. “Something like this?”

Jack looked faintly amused. “I was thinking something more warm and comfortable. Like a pair of long-sleeved tops and bottoms, with a matching pattern.”

“I can do that, sure!” It took a second for Wisarix to visualize this idea, and then she made the change. Now she was wearing a cute set of long-sleeved cotton pajamas which covered her with a pinkish polka dot pattern from neck to ankles. The back of the pajama tops had a pair of thin slits for her wings to fit through, and there was also a little hole in her pants for her tail. “Mm… Do you like how I look now? We don’t need to rush into sex. We could start with some light snuggling, and then see how things go from there.”

Much to Wisarix’s despair, Jack just picked up his book again and flipped to his bookmark. “No thank you. You can do whatever you want, but leave me alone.”

“This is not… oh! Oh, I get it. When you said I can do whatever I want, did you mean I should—” Wisarix put two fingers together and made a gesture towards her groin. “—finger myself, while you watch? Is this a voyeurism thing? You want me to dress up like a woman about to sleep, then I touch herself while you watch, and I ignore you as if you’re secretly spying on me in my bed?”

Jack looked up from his book. “What? No! No. Nothing like that. I literally meant you can do whatever you want. I don’t care.”

“Nnrghhh…” Wisarix made a frustrated, non-verbal noise, and she grabbed one of the throw pillows off the sofa and hugged it against her chest. “What do you want from me?! You won’t let me automatically sense what you desire, and you won’t tell me what you desire! What’s a succubus supposed to do?!” Wisarix slid down the sofa and lay all the way back. She pushed the throw pillow against her face and made muffled, frustrated noise. “Mrhghghahg…”

Jack laughed. Not a cruel laugh, but one which sounded genuinely amused. “Haha. Sorry. This must be confusing for you.”

Wisarix pushed the pillow aside and stared upwards into the blankness of the dream space. “Yeah, no shit! This is the worst summoning ever.” She took a deep breath, then shook her head. “Ok, that was me being overly dramatic. This is the lamest summoning ever, but I’ve definitely had worse.”

“Really? Like what?” Jack asked.

“Ooh, the stories I could tell. There was this… this one time with a creepy guy who wanted me young.” Without looking, Wisarix waved vaguely in Jack’s direction. “Not young like you. You’re young adult, which is a different thing. This creepy guy wanted me really young. Uggh, it crept me out the whole time. I never responded to that summoning circle again.”

“Since when do demons have morals?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Wisarix turned her head to stare at Jack. She gestured towards the coat he was wearing, pointing at the Magician’s Guild emblem at the shoulder. “You’re a sorcerer, but too young to be a master sorcerer. You must be… senior apprentice? Maybe a journeyman at best? They teach you that demons are just otherworldly creatures who are nothing at all like you, but if you ever become a master sorcerer you’ll have learnt otherwise. Not all demons are the same.”

A moment passed in silence. Sorcerer and demon sitting on far sides of a couch, among the endless emptiness of a dream. Wisarix enjoyed the feeling of soft cloth against her skin. It was a different pleasure than the ones she was used to, but these pyjamas were very comfortable.

Then she sat up and turned towards Jack. “So why the hell did you summon me anyway? What’s the point of summoning a succubus if you’re not going to fuck her? Is that what gets you off? Playing jokes on succubae?”

For a long moment Jack just kept staring at his book, as if he wasn’t going to answer. Finally he closed the book and put it down. “Fine, I suppose you deserve an answer. I didn’t summon you, alright? The summoning circle you responded to isn’t actually mine.”

“Huh? That’s not…” Wisarix shook her head. “You can’t summon a succubus using a summoning circle, and then have it go to a different person. The blood pact wouldn’t allow it. If I’m here, it because you wrote a demonic contract and signed it with your blood.”

“You’re right, but you’re also wrong.” Jack pointed at the Magician’s Guild emblem emblazoned on his coat’s shoulder. He then pointed at a similar emblem right below it. “See this here? Kadrin College of Magic. That’s where I’m studying magic, and in the real world there’s where I’m currently asleep in one of the hostels. But headmaster for the college, and master magician for sorcery—guess who they are?”

“Uhh…?” Wisarix said.

“That’s right! My parents. And they keep trying to micromanage every aspect of my life, despite them not understanding the slightest thing about me. Because we’re related by blood, they can create certain blood pacts on my behalf and against my repeated, clearly expressed wishes.”

“Sounds like someone has some parental issues.” Wisarix grinned. “Would it help if I changed my form to looked like your mother? You want to give mommy a little spanking…or something more than that?”

“What? Ew, no! Gross!” Jack shuddered, and genuine disgust rolled across his face. “Ugggh, that’s a horrible mental image. I have no wish whatsoever to see my parents naked, let alone touching them. I think I’d rather see a few cosmic horrors than experience that.”

“Haha! Relax, it was just a joke! Mostly…” Wisarix’s smile faded as she frowned in confusion. “But seriously speaking—you mean that your parents summoned a succubus for you? Why would they? That’s not something I’ve encountered before.”

Again Jack was quiet, then he stretched his hand towards her, palm facing upwards. “Go on then.”

Wisarix hesitated once, then she reached out and grabbed Jack’s hand. Just a light grip was enough. That simple physical contact let her access the magic running through his body, which allowed her to peer into his soul and read his desires. And that told her everything she needed to know. “Oh. Riiiight. I get it now.”

Jack pulled his hand back and nodded. “Yeah.”

Wisarix yawned and stretched out her limbs. She flapped her wings a few times to get her blood flowing, before furling them neatly up onto her back. “So… have you told him about how you feel?” she asked casually.

“Of course not! How could I possibly…” Jack shook his head. “I never had many friends growing up. And now that I’ve finally made a few, I’m not going to risk losing one of my closest friends. He probably doesn’t feel the same way about me, anyway.”

“How odd! You’ve fallen in love with your best friend, but you’re scared to find out if he’s as queer as you. And yet it must be pretty obvious that you guys have something going on between the two of you, if even your parents have noticed and indicated their disapproval.” Leaning back, Wisarix folded her legs and hugged her knees against her chest. “Summoning a succubus to try and seduce the gay out of someone… now that’s a creative idea! It doesn’t seem to be working, but I find that almost funny. Haha…”

“I’m glad you’re finding it funny, because I’m not,” Jack muttered.

“Oh, come on! Are we having such a bad time? We’ve got pajamas, we’ve got a comfy sofa, and we’ve having a good talk. I’ve always thought I was good at bedside conversation, but it turns out we don’t even need a bed for that.” Wisarix tapped her chin thoughtfully. “By the way, just because I can’t fulfill your sexual desires doesn’t mean no one can. Want me to hook you up with an incubus? I know a guy who can top, bottom, or do whatever you want. I’ve got lots of contacts in the otherworldly plane.”

Unsurprisingly, Jack didn’t look convinced at all. “No thanks. I’m not that sort of person. I just… Andrew is special to me, that’s all.”

“That’s cool. It’s totally up to you. So tell me about this… Andrew?” Wisarix scooted closer and reached towards Jack’s hand, which was resting on his knee. When he didn’t object, she took his hand in hers and peered into his soul again. “I always get to see lust, but actual love is wholesome for a change, and there’s something just so pure and naïve about young love. I can see you really care about Andrew, and I do hope it works out between you two.”

“Eh. It probably won’t. He’s better than me at sports, in all our classes, in just about everything, really. No reason at all for him to like me,” Jack said.

“Wait, wait, wait. Hold on a moment.” Wisarix blinked. “So you mean that this Andrew is enrolled in this… this magician’s institute or academy? He studies with you too?”

“Yes? It’s a college—the Kadrin College of Magic. It’s accredited by the Magician’s Guild as a private learning institution—” Jack stared to say, only for Wisarix to cut him off with a wave of her hands.

“Hang on now!” The succubus opened gestured around them. “This is dream space, but in the real world you’re asleep in the college hostel, right? You said that earlier.”

“Yes…?” Jack said hesitantly.

“So then what are we waiting for? Let’s go to the real world! We’ll go find Andrew, you confess how you feel to him, and then you two can kiss and hold hands or whatever, as your budding young romance commences!” Wisarix unfurled her wings and wrapped them around herself like a blanket. “Hnng, it’s so sweet and romantic I’m gonna die! To be young and in love, ahhh! Nice, nice.”

“I can’t just…” Jack didn’t look convinced. “But what if he doesn’t feel the same way about me?”

“That’s easy to find out. I’m a succubus, remember? It’s late at night so Andrew is probably asleep, and I can just read his soul and check how he feels about you. No problem, yeah? Oh, I’m so good at this matchmaking stuff! I’m a master of love and intimacy.”

Jack still didn’t look convinced, but now the idea had begun to dig into his head. “I don’t know…”

“Think about it. Best case scenario—your friendship with Andrew advances into a passionate romance. Worst case scenario—he doesn’t feel the same way about you, but now you know for sure. Maybe your heart ends up broken for a while, but at least you can move on and he won’t be the wiser because we won’t wake him up,” Wisarix explained.

“Hmm… When you put it that way…”

“Come on, do the adventurous thing for once! You’re sitting next to a succubus and yet you didn’t even fuck me, so the least we could do is end this summoning with a little excitement and romance.” Grinning widely, Wisarix waggled her eyebrows. “Come on. Come on. You know you want to.”

“Fine, we do it!” Jack hopped to his feet, practically leaping off the sofa. He reached into his coat and drew out his wand—a thin length of metal about as thick as a finger and as long as his forearm. “But be warned, Wisarix, no funny business. I’ll banish you if you try anything.”

“And here I thought we were friends? Haha, it’s ok. I get it. You’re a sorcerer, and you’re paranoid about demons, even cute sexy ones like me.” Wisarix placed her hand over her heart. “Demons can’t lie, as you are obviously aware. I hereby swear that I shall not try to escape into the world, I shall not try to harm you, and that when I touch Andrew, I will do nothing to him except read his desires purely for the purposes of conveying this information to you, without deceit or manipulation. Alright? Good enough?”

“I guess that’ll do.” Jack took a deep breath, and then he spoke a word of power. “Venatare!”

The endless emptiness of the dream world folded into itself, and everything went dark and quiet.

xxxxx

Something about the real world just felt more, for lack of a better word, real. Smells were more noticeable, sounds were more distinct, and everything seemed to possess greater detail but not in an easily describable way. The air had a faintly masculine odour, and Wisarix could hear the steady hum from a ceiling fan.

Blinking her eyes open, Wisarix found herself lying on a bed. There was the familiar warmth of another person lying beside her, and turning her head revealed this person to be Jack. It wasn’t at all uncommon for Wisarix to wake up in a bed next to a man, but this would be one of the rare times where sex hadn’t been involved. It was even rarer still for her to be in the real world instead of dream space.