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Dave shrieked, sitting up in one sudden movement.

No, he had no dignity left.

Melchom was there.

He hadn’t been before, but now he stood beside the bed, looking at Dave with a mocking expression. Dave wondered if his heart could leap out of his chest and, if so, if Melchom could fix it or if it would be too much work.

“I didn’t…” He paused, one hand on his chest. The blanket had pooled below his stomach, but he didn’t care too much about his torso being exposed. “Did I really summon you?”

“You did.” Melchom smirked. Whereas Dave was beginning to try and process the fact that he could summon demons, Melchom looked completely unfazed. “I didn’t know you’d miss me so much.”

“I was bored.” Dave tried for nonchalance, knowing he was nowhere near achieving it. “I can summon you, then?”

“If you’re willing to face the consequences.”

Dave shuddered.

It was that dichotomy again, the one he didn’t know what to do with. Melchom behaved almost protectively one minute, almost patient and caring, then he was mocking and sadistic the next. Dave guessed it was a way to mess with his head, but knowing that didn’t exactly help him.

“What consequences?” he croaked.

His throat felt slightly better as the levels of sulfur in the air had decreased, but Dave didn’t think it would ever go back to normal.

“Put this on,” Melchom said instead, handing him a purple gift bag.

It even had the fancy paper inside.

Another day, Dave would’ve been hesitant or showed more resistance. Today, he didn’t care.

He should have cared.

The contents of the bag made him start shivering despite the room temperature. Dave gulped, trying to suck in the air that had left his lungs.

The set was gorgeous, and softer than he would’ve thought, he realized when his hand dived into the bag of its own accord.

His fingers traced the sheer robe, the crotchless bodysuit with the pretty patterns in lace, the garter belt, the matching thong in the same material. All the pieces were in his favorite shade of emerald green. Tears sprung to his eyes; there was no helping it.

“Why?”

He’d seen sets like this before, of course. He’d dreamed and fantasized about them. He thought he’d feel so empowered when he gathered the courage—and the money—to get one, like a pampered sugar baby who had the world at the tip of his fingers.

That was the opposite of how he felt now, when his dream had become a ploy for a demon to taunt him with.

“You like it, no?”

Dave clenched his eyes shut. He refused to answer, to give the demon more power.

No, he had to steel himself, to forget about the small moments that made him wonder about a softer side to the… creature. He forced his eyes up, then, focusing on the long, sharp horns, the red skin: the things that made him nonhuman.

“I’m not wearing this.”

“You keep forgetting I can make you do anything I want.”

He did.

Dave braced himself for the loss of control in his limbs and seeing his body do things against his will.

The moment didn’t come, but something must have happened because Melchom looked way too pleased.