Esato let out a gasp as she was pulled down, her body now flush against Leopoldine's. She could feel every contour of the woman's body, her soft curves pressing against her own. Her mind was a whirlwind of emotions and sensations. Confusion, anger, curiosity, desire…

  Leopoldine watched as Esato's struggle with her emotions played out on her face. She chuckled softly, her thumb tracing circles on Esato's hip bone. "Oh, you're so sensitive, darling. So easy to rile up, so....responsive~”

  The touch sent tingles down Esato's spine. She tried to ignore it, tried to focus on her anger, on the need to protect the others. But she was so aware of Leopoldine all of a sudden. The woman's scent, her touch, and her pale body pressed against her own deep tanned one. Esato's eyes flicked down as if by instinct, and her gaze landed on Leopoldine's exposed cleavage. The generous curves were barely contained by the young woman's shirt.

  Leopoldine noticed the direction of Esato's gaze and let out a soft, throaty chuckle. "Oh, my my, I see you're looking at something you like, darling~"

  Esato jerked her head up so quickly it was a surprise she didn't get whiplash, her cheeks burning as she tried to deny the obvious. "I...I'm not looking at anything..."

  Leopoldine just laughed, clearly enjoying herself. "Oh, don't lie to me dear. Your body betrays you. I can feel how tense you are, how...excited~”

  Esato shivered at that, her body reacting to the words, to the tone of Leopoldine's voice. It was like her skin was electrified, every touch sending waves of pleasure coursing through her body. She felt...desperate, needy. She tried to fight it, to hold onto her anger and defiance, but it was slipping away as the overwhelming sensations took over. "N-no...it's your Connexus doing this to me...th-this isn't me at all, I'm supposed to be mauling you right now…”

  Leopoldine just chuckled at that, clearly enjoying Esato's struggle. She shifted their positions slightly so that Esato was straddling her, their bodies pressed even closer together. "Oh, darling, you really think it's that simple? That this is just my Connexus at work? No, this is you, dear. This is your body, your desires, reacting to me, to my touch~”

  Esato gasped at the new position. She could feel every inch of Leopoldine's body, the hardness of her muscles, the velvety softness of her curves. She was so sensitive, so aware of every point of contact. She wanted to pull away, to resist, but her body was betraying her. She let out a moan, her hands now gripping Leopoldine's shoulders, her body rocking against the woman almost involuntarily.

  Leopoldine hummed in satisfaction, her hands running up and down Esato's thighs, the touch firm yet gentle. "Oh, that's it, darling. Don't fight it. Let your body take over. Let me...pleasure you~"

  She rocked her hips up slightly, pressing against Esato and sending another jolt of pleasure through her body. Esato's head fell back, her eyes clenched shut as she tried to suppress another moan. "I-I can't...no, this isn't…”

  Leopoldine just chuckled softly, her lips brushing against Esato's neck. "Oh yes you can, darling. You want this. You need this. And I can give it to you...if you just surrender, if you just let go~"

  She punctuated her words with another gentle roll of her hips, the movement sending spikes of pleasure through Esato's body. Esato's grip on Leopoldine's shoulders tightened, her nails digging into the fabric of the woman's shirt. "I...please...n-need…”

  A panicked Noelle, sensing dangerous grounds being tread, extended her hands towards Leopoldine and Esato, her aura surrounding Leopoldine's body before flaring up for a brief moment. The aura disappeared, and Esato shook her head, knocked out of the trance she was put in. She looked down at Leopoldine and jumped back, her hackles raised once more. "Wh-what just happened?!”

  Leopoldine let out a chuckle as Esato jumped off of her, her expression smug. "Oh, my darling, you were doing so well. But no matter, we can always pick up where we left off later~"

  She sat up, smoothing down her rumpled clothing. "As for what happened, it seems your cute little friend here broke you out of my hold on you. Pity, I was enjoying my little game.”

  Esato stumbled backwards until she bumped into Alice, her mind reeling from the sudden shift in her emotions. Had...had she really just wanted...that? No, it was just Leopoldine's Connexus, it had to be. But then why did she feel so disappointed at it being broken?

  She pushed the thought down as Noelle approached her with concern in her eyes. "Esato, are you okay?" she asked softly.

  Esato nodded weakly, still trying to compose herself. "Y-yeah, I'm fine. Just...that was...intense."

  Noelle frowned slightly, glancing over at Leopoldine, who was just watching them with an amused expression. "Esato, that...that wasn't right. Leopoldine was..."

  "Manipulating me," Esato interrupted, her voice still shaky. "I know."

  Noelle's frown deepened. "That...that was wrong of her. She shouldn't have...done that to you.”

  Esato just shrugged, trying to play it off as nonchalantly as possible. "I...I'm fine. It's not a big deal, really."

  But even as she spoke, she couldn't quite meet Noelle's gaze. She could still feel the echoes of the sensations, the way her body had reacted so eagerly to Leopoldine's touch. It was...scary, how easily the woman had taken control of her like that.

  Noelle clearly wasn't buying Esato's nonchalance, but she didn't press the issue. She wrapped an arm around Esato's shoulders, pulling her close. "Just...be careful around her, okay? She's a predator. She'll take advantage of any weakness, any opening. You need to be on your guard around her.”

  Esato nodded, resting her head on Noelle's shoulder. "Yeah...yeah, I know. I'll be careful."

  But in the back of her mind, she couldn't shake the memory of Leopoldine's touch, the way her body had reacted so strongly. It felt like something primal, something wild had been unleashed within her. And it scared her, how easily Leopoldine had tapped into it.

  Leopoldine watched the exchange with amusement, clearly enjoying Esato's inner turmoil. "Oh, my dear, you're so easy to read. Trying to pretend you didn't enjoy it, that it meant nothing? So amusing~"

  Esato's head snapped up, her eyes narrowing. "Shut up. It was your...Connexus. You tricked me.”

  Leopoldine chuckled, unbothered by Esato's hostility. "Oh darling, it wasn't *just* my Connexus. You can't blame everything on me. I just...brought out what was already inside you once you came into contact with my body, what you were too scared to acknowledge.”

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  Esato's heart skipped a beat at that, her cheeks flushing with humiliation. Was it true? Had all her suppressed desires been lying dormant inside her this whole time, just waiting for the right trigger to set them off? She pushed the thought away, not wanting to even consider it. "...Get out of my volcano.”

  Leopoldine let out a mock gasp, feigning offense. "Oh come now, darling, is that anyway to treat a guest?"

  Esato growled, her body tensing up again. "You're not a guest, you're an intruder. Now get out, or I'll..."

  She made a swiping motion with her claws extended that clearly implied what she would do.

  Leopoldine just smirked at the threat, clearly unconcerned. "Oh, such ferocity. But darling, we're not done talking yet. We were in the middle of a lovely conversation, if you remember." She took a step towards Esato, her expression one of challenge.

  Esato's hackles rose again, her body instinctively going into a defensive stance. "Back off, Leopoldine. I'm warning you."

  But Leopoldine just smiled, seemingly enjoying the tension between them. "Oh, I like it when you get all hostile and aggressive, dear~. It's quite...arousing~”

  Esato felt her cheeks heating up again, her body betraying her yet again. "Shut up! I mean it, I'll..."

  But before she could finish, Leopoldine was suddenly right in front of her, their bodies practically brushing against each other. Esato could feel the woman's breath on her cheek, her voice low and smooth. "You'll what, darling? Are you going to maul me? Bite me? Or something more...intimate?”

  Esato was frozen in place, her mind a whirlwind of confusion and desire. Having Leopoldine this close to her was...overwhelming. She could feel the heat radiating from the woman's body, her scent filling her nostrils. It was intoxicating, and Esato was having a hard time focusing on anything else.

  She shook her head weakly, trying to get her bearings. "No...I...I..." But she couldn't finish the sentence, her mind too muddled to form coherent thoughts.

  Leopoldine chuckled softly, her hand coming up to cup Esato's cheek before she doubled back, letting out a low growl as she remembered what happened the last time she came into contact with Leopoldine.

  "Don't worry," Noelle assured. "I've used the Conceal technique to nullify Leopoldine's aura, so her influence on you as a result of physical contact is no more.”

  …Only temporarily, Noelle thought with a nervous mental sigh.

  Esato let out a shaky breath, relieved at Noelle's words. She was no longer under Leopoldine's influence, that was good. But that didn't change the fact that she was still incredibly turned on by Leopoldine's proximity. She could still feel the heat radiating from the woman's body, the scent of her body and hair filling her nostrils. It was overwhelming.

  Leopoldine, who knew exactly what effect she was having on Esato, just smirked at the young woman's dilemma. "Oh darling, you look so...flustered. Are you sure my influence is gone? Because you still seem to be quite...affected by me~”

  "I...I..." Esato managed to croak out, her eyes flicking between Leopoldine's face and her body, taking in every curve and contour. In a desperate bid to take back some semblance of control in the situation, Esato haphazardly spat fire at Leopoldine at point blank range.

  Leopoldine yelped in surprise and jumped to the side, her eyes wide as she narrowly avoided getting hit by the blast. She was burned slightly, the edges of her clothes catching fire, but she quickly put them out. She looked at Esato with a mixture of surprise and annoyance, but also...something else, something Esato couldn't quite define.

  "My goodness dear, that was quite the reaction. Do you usually respond to a bit of harmless flirting with attempted immolation?”

  Esato let out a huff, some satisfaction in the fact that she had managed to cause Leopoldine to jump back. She crossed her arms over her chest, feigning nonchalance. "You say 'harmless flirting', I say 'manipulative and invasive'. Tomato, tomato.”

  Leopoldine chuckled at that, shaking her head slightly. "Manipulative, perhaps. But dear, don't pretend like you don't secretly enjoy it. I saw how you reacted to me just a few moments ago. Your body was practically trembling with desire, even though I was just teasing you.”

  Esato's cheeks flushed with humiliation once again as Leopoldine pointed out her obvious reaction. But she refused to give the woman the satisfaction of knowing that she was right, breathing another sudden blast of fire at her again.

  Leopoldine quickly dodged the blast this time, letting out an exasperated sigh as she did so. "Really darling, I thought we were beyond such childishness. You keep trying to burn me to a crisp and for what, proving a point? You're only making it harder for yourself, you know.”

  Esato let out a frustrated snarl, taking a step forward towards Leopoldine. "Harder for myself? How so? And why are you so amused by this anyway?!”

  Leopoldine held her ground, her smirk still in place.

  "Oh darling, I can see right through you. You're a wild little animal, all snarling and snapping, but deep down you're just a bundle of pent up desire. It's quite adorable, really. Your anger is just a facade, a defense mechanism to cover up the fact that you're attracted to me. That you want me.”

  Esato bristled at Leopoldine's words, her face growing hotter with every word. "I...I do not want you! You're a manipulative predator, you'll just use me for your own gain and then discard me when you're done!"

  With those words, Esato's chest expands before breathing her biggest blast of fire yet at Leopoldine, the blast far too wide for her to dodge efficiently this time.

  Leopoldine's eyes widened in surprise as she realized there was no avoiding the blast. But instead of flinching or trying to dodge, she simply stood her ground, coating her body with her aura and bracing for the impact. The blast hit her full on, setting her clothing ablaze and sending her flying backwards through the air. As she slammed into the ground, Leopoldine let out a sharp gasp, her now nude body smoking from the blast. She sat up, dusting the smoldering remains of her clothing off of herself.

  Esato stared at her in shock, her anger momentarily forgotten as she took in Leopoldine's appearance. The woman's skin was mostly unblemished, her aura having protected her from the worst of the blast. But she was still covered in soot and ash from the fire, and her naked body was clearly on display. Esato blushed fiercely, her eyes involuntarily roaming over Leopoldine's curves, taking in every inch of her exposed skin, her desire flaring up despite her best efforts to push it down.

  Leopoldine chuckled again, shaking her head in amusement at Esato's flushed reaction. "Ah darling, you're so easy to read. Your eyes are practically glued to my body. It's adorable, really."

  She slowly stood up, unashamed of her nudity as she approached Esato again. "You can try to deny it all you want, but your body is betraying you~”

  Esato's heart was pounding in her chest, her body betraying her again as Leopoldine drew closer.

  "Stay back! Nobody wants to look at...that!" she protested, gesturing to Leopoldine's body.

  Esato growled again, trying to ignore the way Leopoldine's words were affecting her. She refused to give in to her desires, her body's treacherous reactions. "Shut up! You...you're just using your Connexus again, that's it! It's messing with my head!”

  Leopoldine chuckled again, stopping mere inches away from Esato. "Oh darling, my dear girl, I already told you my Connexus is not influencing you anymore. What you're feeling now, it's all you. Pure, unfiltered desire~"

  A second later after she finished, her Connexus rang, and she took it out of her pocket, giving it a quick glance before looking up at the others. "Hmph, it appears my colleagues at the organization need me back for scribe duty. Problem is, I have no clothes now thanks to this little dragon girl before me~”

  Esato was glad that Leopoldine's colleagues were calling her back, it meant that the woman would have to leave and this...this strange tension would cease.

  "Good. Go then," she said weakly, her voice lacking the conviction it had earlier.

  Leopoldine smirked at Esato's weak retort, her eyes roaming over the young woman's form. "Aw, but darling, you've burned my clothes to ashes. It would be uncouth to return like this~”

  Esato's cheeks heated up even more as she realized that Leopoldine was right. Without any clothes, the woman couldn't exactly leave the volcano.

  "Well...that's your problem," she said stubbornly, crossing her arms over her chest.

  Leopoldine tutted at Esato's stubbornness, her smirk growing wider. "Oh, come now, darling, you wouldn't send a poor woman out into the world in nothing but her birthday suit, would you? That's rather unkind~”

  Esato grumbled in frustration, knowing that Leopoldine was right. She couldn't very well let the woman leave the volcano without any clothes. But she also didn't want to give in to the woman's demands.

  "Fine. We'll get you some clothes. But you're leaving right away, got it?" She tried not to sound too grumpy, or too eager.

  Leopoldine chuckled in amusement, clearly reveling in Esato's reluctance and desire at the same time. "Of course, darling. But I do have a small request, if you girls wouldn't mind indulging me~”

  Esato was wary of Leopoldine's request, knowing the woman likely had something in mind. But she could hardly refuse.

  "...Tell us," She demanded, her voice filled with resignation.