Witch Trial

“I think we should put this dangerous thing away, don’t you?” You said in a soothing voice while placing your hand over the amulet.

You could feel the magic pushing against you, but the power behind it was inconsequential in your current state. You fed your own demonic magic into the charm, causing it to burst into a purple flame and crumble without a trace. Elara stood still, but you could smell the combination of fear and arousal coming off of her body.

“What are you exactly, Elara? Obviously you know some magic.” You said in a whisper, your lips just inches from her ear. You made a point to blow just a bit of hot air along her neck as you spoke. You smiled internally as the blush on her face rose.

“A w-witch…” She mumbled barely audibly.

“Speak up, Elara.” You commanded.

“I’m a witch. Are you going to hurt me?” She asked the question in a shaky voice, fear and arousal playing with her articulation.

The human side of you wanted to immediately reassure her that you had no intention of causing her harm, but the devil side told you that you might lose your leverage. As such, you turned her delicate body around to face you. Your tail snaked its way around her waist while you stared into her green eyes.

“That depends, little witch. Are you planning to harm me and my family?” You held her chin in your powerful hands, daring her to look away.

“N-no. I th-th-thought she was controlling you?” She stammered, now even more nervous than before.

“I had no ill intentions towards you, little witch, but now that you know the truth, how could I possibly know that you won’t betray us if I let you go?”

“I won’t! I would never go against someone like you! I swear!” You searched her face looking for any sign of deception but found none.

“What do you think?” You said to the girls, focusing mostly on Morgana and Lexi. Morgana spoke first.

“We have no way of knowing her intentions. I think you should subjugate her and eliminate the problem. If you bind her, then we have nothing to worry about.” She said with a cold expression. Through your link, you could feel her anger towards the witch.

“I told you before that I would not enslave someone against their will.” You stated firmly through your mental link.

“Killing her would be the alternative.” Kiri said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Elara’s eyes grew wide with fear. “Please! I won’t say anything! I’ll even make a pact with you.”

“A pact?” You asked while raising an eyebrow?

Elara looked at you with confusion. “Y-you know…a d-devil pact?”

You looked at Lexi. “Like what you and I did before?”

“That could work. Though you need to understand what that means for you, Lord Asmodeus.” Lexi said, cutely scratching her chin while considering it.

“Pacts are fine, but having a pact with a witch is a little different. She won’t be a ****, like we are. She’d be more of an independent contractor, affiliated but not a real employee.” Lexi elaborated.

“Th-that’s right! Make a pact with me, and I’ll keep your secrets. I’ll even fix the sloppy work that was done before with your file.” Elara seemed a little frantic now that she saw a window of survival open to her.

“That’s not the whole story though.” Lexi jumped in.

“What do you mean?” You asked, wondering again if this witch was trying to deceive you.

“A pact with a witch would make you her patron. She would grow more powerful through having a pact with a devil of your calibre. It would also give her the ability to summon you and make requests.” Lexi, elaborated.

You looked at Elara, trying to find any cracks in her expression, but all you could see on her face was a genuine fear for her own survival and...lust.

“So would the pact prevent her from betraying me? It sounds like this would be mostly for her benefit.”

You looked intently at Elara. Although this was a performance, you couldn’t deny your own arousal looking at this cute woman quivering in your grasp. You could smell her desires, and your instincts told you that she wanted you despite being intimidated.

“As long as we structure the pact well, we can guarantee her silence. Remember what I told you before: if you go against a devil’s pact, you die.” Lexi stated flatly.

You listened, but never broke eye contact with Elara.

“The summoning and requests…how does that work?”

It was Elara that jumped in this time.

“I c-can’t **** it. I can summon you to my location with a spell. I can make requests, but you’d have to agree to it. I’d also have to compensate you for helping me.” She stammered.

“Compensate? You’d pay me?” You asked.

Elara looked down, no longer able to meet your gaze.

“S--sex.” She said in an embarrassed whisper, causing you to doubt if you’d heard it correctly.

“The payment is usually tied to the patron’s interests. Think of it like making an offering to a shrine. Seeing as you’re the devil prince of lust, the witch would have to make sexual offerings in order to benefit from your power.” Lexi mused.

You made a show of looking the petite witch up and down in an exaggerated way. Your burning gaze appeared to have just as much effect on her as your touch did.

“So, little witch…” You began in a sweet voice. “You have the audacity to threaten my family, then beg me to form a pact with you. A pact which would benefit you more than me? Tell me why I shouldn’t just use my magic to bind your existence to me permanently. Sex is fine, but I already have so many beautiful women in my life.”

You watched as the witch’s mind was racing to come up with an idea. Beads of sweat were forming on her brow as you poured your lustful magic over her.

“Magic! I could help you with magic! I don’t know the exact details of what’s going on, but I can see you aren’t fully versed in the power you hold. Not only could I help you develop your magic more, I’m part of a small coven. If you spare me and make a pact, then I will bind my whole coven to you. We are capable of performing rituals that would increase your strength and influence. I have so much to offer you, Mr. Holt!”

You gave an annoyed grimace.

“It’s customary to bow when begging nobility.” Cerena growled. She had been quiet up to this point, but it seemed like she had become annoyed with Elara’s attitude. You noticed all the women had harsh expressions on their faces, and you could feel the surge of magic from them. It was their **** bonds kicking in. The binding magic made their loyalty absolute. As such, even the most modest level of disrespect seemed to make them angry. If you willed it, you didn’t doubt they’d even go so far as killing her if she stayed a threat.

Elara wasted no time getting on her hands and knees in front of you.

“I beg you, Lord Asmodeus! Please take pity on this insignificant person, and form a pact with me! I swear that I will keep your secrets and serve you well for the rest of my life!”

Her forehead was practically touching the floor at this point. Honestly, you were struggling with how this was making you feel. You never had any intention of harming her, but also needed to protect your family. You liked the submission, but also felt awkward making this stranger bow. You wondered if royalty ever got used to such things.

“Look at her. It’s running down her legs.” Lexi snickered. “She really wants to pay you with sex.”

You looked at Lexi with a stern expression. Humiliation could be fun in bed, but this was bordering on cruelty. All the women seemed to be sporting disdain for the witch. It was a look you really didn’t like on them.

“Stand up, Elara.” You said in your normal voice, being done with theatrics. She shakily stood, looking at you with anxiety. In return, you tried to give her a comforting smile.

“I’m not going to hurt you. You took this case on because you were following your sense of justice. Lexi had told me that you were kind of a rising star at the AWIO, and had gained a reputation for weeding out bad sponsors and cases of ****. I know you’re not a bad person, and whether you believe it or not, neither am I. Several months ago, I was a normal guy. Then, I met my beautiful Morgana here, and everything got crazy. I had no idea I was a devil for over 30 years.”

You sat down in your seat again, crossing your legs and trying to be casual.

“I can’t change who I am, but I can choose how I will move forward. I want you to know that I sincerely love my partners. Each of their **** sigils were voluntary, and I’ve said many times before that I will never bind someone unwilling. So, I’m a bit stuck here. I don’t want to coerce you into anything, but I also really need my secret kept for the sake of my family.”

You paused for a moment to let her process.

“So, I’m going to do the best I can and give you a choice. You could become my ****, and permanently join my family, you can form a devil’s pact with me as we discussed, or you can simply give me your word that you will keep this a secret and do only your job; reporting that Cerena and Kiri are being treated well. If you choose not to do a binding or pact, and can promise you’ll keep my secret, then that will be good enough for me.”

“James, that’s way too risky!” Lisbeth shouted with a stamp of her hoof.

“She’s right! This bitch could ruin us!” Cerena piled on.

“I agree, Lord Asmodeus! We can’t take that risk!” Lexi stated.

“I’m in agreement as well.” Kiri said flatly.

“What are you thinking, pet?” Morgana said, crossing her arms in discomfort.

Each declaration made Elara twitch.

“Enough.” You said in a calm but firm tone. “I will not **** subjugation on anyone. Period. I’m a devil, not a psychopath.”

The room was tense. At your word, most of your partners grew silent. It was only Morgana who seemed still ready to protest.

“I’ll do the pact.” Elara blurted out, shocking you and everyone else.

“Why would you do that if I’m telling you you don't have to?” You asked quizzically.

“Are you kidding me? You’re a devil prince! Not only that, but you’re giving me a choice even though it’s risky for you. Not only are you powerful, but you are considerate as well. Getting a chance to form a pact with a being of your calibre would grant me more than I could have managed in my entire lifetime. With you as my patron, a whole new world of possibilities opens up for me and my coven.”

Elara’s personality seemed to be coming out now that she was convinced her life was not in danger.

“Okay, but didn’t you hear Lexi say that you’d have to commit sex acts in order to compensate me for the magic?” You asked, wondering if she might be a little air headed after all.

“I’m fine with that. I may not be as beautiful as your wives, but I promise I can satisfy you. Hell, my whole coven would jump you if it meant having you in our corner. Plus, I wasn’t lying when I said we could benefit you. The more followers you have, the more your power can grow.” Even though you were the one trying to give her autonomy, Elara was trying to sell herself to you.

“Hold on, I never said anything about other people.” You were getting flustered now.

“Oh! You won’t be disappointed. My sisters are all beautiful, and you’d be surprised how devoted witches can be to their patron.” Elara had shifted gears so quickly. Moving from fear to seduction so rapidly had caught even the lord of lust off guard.

You looked around at your partners. Each gave you an affirming nod up until you got to Morgana. She still looked frustrated, but eventually let out a sigh.

“I’m okay with it under conditions. First, Lexi and I will draft the pact. Second, you and your coven will agree to the pact without questions. Third, understand that if you ever attempt to use or hurt this family, I will make sure you all suffer.” Morgana had put on her noble attitude, leaving no room for discussion.

Elara, surprisingly, didn't flinch. Either she didn’t realize how serious Morgana was, or she had no intention of betrayal in the first place.

“Agreed.”