Faith stepped into the kitchen and froze. Her entire body tensed, muscles coiling like a predator ready to strike. Her dark eyes locked onto me with laser focus.

In that moment, I picked up on a thousand tiny details I'd never noticed as Liam. The way she balanced her weight, ready to move in any direction. The slight calluses on her hands that didn't match someone who spent their days digital drawing. The too-careful way she held herself, like someone trained to be ready for anything.

"Who are you?" Faith's voice was sharp, controlled. "How did you get in here?"

I held up my hands slowly, playing innocent. "I found a key on top of the doorframe." Not technically a lie - I'd known exactly where to look for it.

"That doesn't explain why you're here." She shifted her stance slightly, blocking the only exit from the kitchen. Her movements were too precise, too practiced. This wasn't my digital artist ex-girlfriend - this was someone else entirely.

My mind raced. There was danger here, a readiness for violence that I'd never seen in her before. Whatever Faith really was - government agent, private security, something else entirely - telling her I had any connection to Liam felt like a terrible idea.

"I got curious," I said with a small shrug, forcing myself to appear casual despite every supernatural instinct screaming at me to prepare for a fight. "Found the key, apartment seemed empty. Thought maybe I'd find something interesting."

Her eyes narrowed, scanning every inch of me for signs of deception. "You broke into a random apartment... out of curiosity?"

"When you say it like that, it sounds bad." I gave her my best sheepish smile, though I could feel my demon nature coiling beneath the surface, responding to the threat she represented.

Faith's posture remained rigid, her eyes boring into me. "The doorframe is at least seven feet high. How did someone your height even see the key up there?"

I kept my expression neutral, though internally I cursed myself for not considering that detail. "Pure luck, actually. I was walking past and saw something reflect in the sunlight. Got curious and checked what it was."

She crossed her arms. "So you just happened to spot a tiny key?"

"Look, I know how this looks." I gestured at myself, drawing attention to my casual outfit - a simple blouse and jeans chosen specifically to blend in. "But I'm not here to steal anything. I mean, what kind of thief breaks in during broad daylight wearing this? If I wanted to rob the place, I'd at least dress in black."

A flicker of amusement crossed her face, almost too quick to catch. Her shoulders lowered slightly.

"Besides," I continued, "the place is empty. Nothing worth taking anyway." I kept my tone light, conversational, like this was just a silly misunderstanding between strangers.

Faith's stance softened marginally. The deadly readiness didn't disappear entirely, but some of the immediate tension bled out of her frame. "You really expect me to believe you're just... what? An overly curious passerby?"

"When you find a mysterious key, don't tell me you wouldn't be at least a little tempted to see where it leads." I smiled disarmingly. "Though I'm starting to think this wasn't my brightest moment."

Her lips twitched upward slightly, and more of that combat-ready posture melted away. "No, probably not your smartest decision."

"Do you live here?" I asked, keeping my voice gentle. Maybe I could learn something about what happened to my body.

Faith's expression clouded. "No. It belongs to my ex."

"Oh." I paused, watching her face carefully. "Then why are you...?"

She ran her fingers through her dark hair, the gesture so achingly familiar it made my chest tight. "It's complicated." Faith leaned against the counter, some of her defensive posture crumbling. "He disappeared two months ago. Just... vanished. No note, no warning signs, nothing."

I stayed quiet, letting her continue.

"The police say there's no sign of foul play. His phone, wallet, everything was here. But he just..." She gestured helplessly. "I keep coming back, hoping maybe I missed something. Some clue about where he went."

The raw pain in her voice hit me like a physical blow. My supernatural senses picked up on the depth of her emotions - genuine worry, lingering affection, and underneath it all, guilt.

"I broke up with him," she continued, seemingly desperate to unburden herself even to a stranger. "Two weeks before he disappeared. I thought... I thought I was doing the right thing. My work is complicated, dangerous. I didn't want him caught up in it."

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

I felt a strange disconnect, hearing her talk about me - about Liam - while standing here in this demon body. The irony wasn't lost on me. I'd thrown myself into work after our breakup, trying to forget her. Then just when I finally moved on, I'd woken up as Lily.

Now here she was, clearly wanting to fix things, and I couldn't even tell her the truth. The person she was looking for didn't exist anymore, at least not in any way that mattered.

The cruel cosmic joke of it all made me want to laugh or scream. Instead, I just stood there, watching my ex-girlfriend worry about someone who was standing right in front of her, completely unrecognizable.

I searched for something comforting to say, something that wouldn't reveal too much. "Sometimes people need space to figure things out. Maybe he just needed time away from everything."

"Maybe." Faith's shoulders slumped. "I just wish he'd left a note or something. Let someone know he was okay."

"I'm sure wherever he is, he's fine." The words felt strange coming out of my mouth, talking about myself in third person. "Sometimes life takes unexpected turns."

Faith gave me a thoughtful look. "You know, you're surprisingly easy to talk to. I didn't expect to pour my heart out to someone who broke into my ex's apartment."

I wondered if it was my succubus aura making her open up, or if some part of her recognized something familiar about me despite this different form. The thought made me uneasy.

Looking at her now, I realized maybe this separation wasn't entirely bad. I'd already started moving on as Liam before all this happened. Now as Lily, I had a whole new life, new experiences, new... everything.

Still, a nagging thought persisted - where was my original body? If I was in Lily's form, did that mean Lily walked away in mine? I needed to find out what happened, but how could I even begin searching?

"I should take that key back," Faith said, holding out her hand. "Can't have random people wandering in here, even if they turn out to be good listeners."

I placed the key in her palm, our fingers brushing briefly. The contact sent a jolt through my supernatural senses, making me grateful for the glamour hiding my true form.

Faith walked me to the door, her eyes tracking my movements as I stepped into the afternoon light. I felt her gaze follow me down the street, making me wonder what she was looking for.

I walked through London's bustling streets toward Big Ben, my mind racing with questions about Faith. Her stance, her alertness - she moved like someone trained for combat. Not exactly the digital artist profile she'd claimed to be.

The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the pavement as I dodged around tourists taking photos. I'd need to come back alone, investigate properly without Aria and Isabella in tow.

The library at the Academy might have information about scrying spells. If I could find the right books, maybe track down what happened to my original body.

I spotted Aria's violet eyes through the crowd near Big Ben, Isabella's silver hair gleaming beside her. They waved enthusiastically, and I pushed my worries aside. Right now, I had to play tour guide without revealing how familiar I was with London.

"This place is fascinating," Isabella said as I approached. "So different from New London."

"We should explore more," Aria bounced on her heels. "But first, we need money."

I patted my pockets, knowing they were empty. "Right. We'll need British pounds."

Aria's eyes sparkled with mischief. "Well, I saw some nice hotels earlier. Perfect place to find lonely businessmen with fat wallets."

"Quick meal and profit," Isabella nodded. "Efficient."

I let out a resigned sigh. My old human sensibilities still nagged at me, whispering how this was wrong, degrading. But those thoughts felt hollow now, disconnected from my current reality.

For succubi, the whole concept flipped on its head. We weren't selling ourselves - we were the ones using mortals for sustenance. Getting paid just added a sweet bonus to an already satisfying meal.

"There's a place called The Dorchester," I said, pushing aside my lingering hesitation. "Lots of wealthy executives stay there."

Aria's eyes lit up. "Perfect! Lead the way."

Isabella nodded approvingly. "Good choice. Their type usually carries plenty of cash."

We merged into the flow of pedestrian traffic, heading toward Park Lane. The setting sun painted the sky in deep oranges and purples, perfect timing for the hotel's evening crowd.

I'd already fed on Arthur - this wouldn't be much different. Just with some extra pounds in my pocket afterward. I could spend time showing Aria and Isabella around London, then return to look for my old body another day.

"This way," I gestured as we approached the grand hotel entrance. Aria practically skipped beside me while Isabella maintained her usual graceful stride.

The doorman pulled open the heavy glass door, and warm light spilled onto the sidewalk. Together, we stepped into the opulent lobby, ready for an evening of feeding and profit.

I stepped out into the cool night air, still processing what just happened inside The Dorchester. My ring felt heavier with nearly five thousand pounds stored inside. The amount seemed absurd - who carries that much cash?

"And then he just handed it over!" Aria giggled, practically bouncing down the sidewalk. "Said something about an expense account and corporate cards. I just smiled and nodded like I understood."

Isabella walked silently beside us, a satisfied smirk playing across her lips as she listened to Aria's enthusiastic retelling.

"Mine kept going on about futures trading," I said, remembering the middle-aged businessman who'd been so eager to impress. "I just batted my eyes and told him it sounded complicated."

"Playing dumb works wonders," Aria agreed. "Though I genuinely had no idea what mine meant about digital currencies and blockchain."

I caught myself before explaining cryptocurrency. These weren't concepts they'd encounter in Hell.

The city lights sparkled around us, and I found myself wanting to show them more of London's nightlife. The London Eye would be beautiful right now, all lit up against the dark sky. Or we could walk along the Thames...

"We should explore more," I suggested carefully, trying to sound uncertain. "I think I saw some interesting places when we were walking earlier."

"Ooh yes!" Aria clapped her hands. "This world is so different from New London.

"And no obvious magic," Isabella noted, eyeing a traffic light changing colours. "They've created interesting substitutes."

"Maybe we could walk by the river?" I proposed, as if the idea had just occurred to me. "Or find somewhere high up to see the city lights?"

Aria's eyes lit up. "Yes! Let's do both. We have plenty of these paper bill things now."

I led them toward the Thames, carefully maintaining the pretence of discovering the route alongside them. The night was young, and London had so much more to show my demon friends.