Limitless Evolution As a Snake

She shakes her head. ”No, no. I’ve got more, I can do this!” She stomps a foot, claps her hands together, and this time tries the full incantation: ”Charmus Maximumus!”

Nothing.

What in the harri poter was that, hahaha.

The pink fizzles before it even leaves her hands. The only thing that floats between us is a puff of static electricity, which zaps her on the nose and makes her yelp.

She clutches her nose, mortified. ”This isn’t possible. You should be drooling by now; you should be, be?” She can’t even say it.

I slither closer, just making sure she has to look up to see my face. ”You’re cute when you’re confused, you know that?”

She opens her mouth, then closes it. She’s blushing so hard the colour’s gone to her horns.

I lean in, voice low and smooth. ”Your little tricks don’t work on me, love.”

She tries to rally. ”But I’m a succubus,” she insists, voice wobbling on the edge of panic. ”It’s literally my job.”

I tap her on the nose. ”Not today, it isn’t.”

She wilts, tail curling around her ankle. She mumbles, ”I think I broke it,” and stares at her hands as if they might just explode if she concentrates hard enough.

For a second, I actually feel bad, but only for a second.

Then I remember how she looked at me after I flattened those rent-collector freaks, all starry-eyed and desperate for a win.

I wrap her in a coil, gentle, so she can’t squirm away.

”Relax,” I whisper into her ear. ”I like you better without the magic.”

She melts, slumping against me, face hidden in my scales.

”Really?” she says, muffled.

”Really, most people can’t even look at me without wanting to run or shoot me. You tried to brainwash me with a love spell.”

She giggles, soft and sheepish. ”I just wanted to see if you would.” Her voice fades, and she shakes her head.

”What?”

”If you’d stay.”

Her quiet words hit me harder than any spell. It’s the first time she’s sounded so unsure of herself. I squeeze her gently. ”I’m not going anywhere.”

She sighs, wings fluttering. ”You’re impossible,” she says, but it’s all affection.

I let her go, but she doesn’t move. She just stands there, cheek pressed to my chest, tail looping lazy hearts in the air behind her.

She’s still a little pink, but there’s a smile on her lips now.

She tries one more time, a little puff of pink magic, but instead of aiming it at me, she makes a tiny heart in her palm and lets it pop like a soap bubble.

She watches the shimmer, then glances up at me.

”Just making sure,” she says.

For a second, the only sound is the hum of the busted fridge and Cherry’s shaky breathing.

She collapses on the rug, hands over her face.

I slide over, careful, not wanting to scare her more than necessary.

”You okay?” I ask, softer this time.

She nods, then nods again, faster and faster, like maybe if she keeps nodding the world will make sense again.

She wipes her eyes, tries to talk, but it takes a minute before the words line up right.

”Thank you,” she whimpers. ”I, I couldn’t.”

I shake my head. ”You did good, love. I’m just glad you didn’t get hurt.”

She laughs, a tiny, broken sound. ”I never get hurt. I always just survive. No one’s ever defended me the way you did.”

I want to say something profound. Instead, I just wrap my tail around her, as gently as I can, and pull her into a coil-hug.

She doesn’t resist, she just leans in, wings drooping, and lets herself be held.

[System: You went a little feral there, but I loved it. Great Cupid’s Bite that was so fucked.]

I ignore him.

Cherry’s breathing slows. She’s not crying now, just shivering, maybe a little from cold, mostly from the shock.

OH MY GOD SHE TRIED TO CHARM ME WHAT THE HELL.

I replay the last minute in slow motion, pink little heart’s and a Direct hit with zero effect. I did not see that coming.

If not for the fact i am also literally the same species. I’d probably be flat on my back, drooling and confessing my undying love for her in front of an audience of unconscious rent-collector goons. It’s only now, with the adrenaline dying, that I realise how close I was to getting seduced into a puddle.

[System: Hahaha, did you see her face, mate? Deadset, she’s having a full existential crisis because her cherry-pop charm bounced right off your thick snake head! Absolute legend!]

I want to ignore him, but the smugness is too strong.

[System: Mate, you’ve got a heart of stone and a skull to match, you didn’t even flinch. If she had any sense, she’d run, but look at her, she’s already lining up the next attempt.]

I glance down at Cherry, who is now pouting and making tiny hearts with her tail, popping them one by one like bubble wrap.

She’s in full-on shock. I can almost see the self-doubt oozing off her in waves.

Part of me wants to explain: like, hey, I’m genetically engineered to not fall for cheap Succubus tricks; sorry, it’s not you, it’s me. But the other part, the bigger, badder, more fun part, wants to see how far she’ll go before she admits defeat.

I turn her face up to mine. She’s so pink it’s almost a warning sign.

”Do you want to try again?” I ask, grinning.

She looks at me, eyes full of raw, unfiltered confusion. ”I... I don’t know if I can. Maybe I just need to recharge?”

I pat her on the head. ”Don’t work too hard, love. You might burn out.”

She makes a noise somewhere between a whimper and a laugh.

[System: Not gonna lie, mate, I didn’t think you had it in ya. Most blokes get a whiff of that charm and go weak at the knees. You? You just blinked and kept standing- good form.]