Chapter 1
To save myself the trouble, I ordered a household robot. But the seller sent me a living, breathing person instead: a succubus with a tail who could never be satisfied.
He drained me half to death. I listened to reason and sent him back.
But then I saw the surveillance footage: him curled up and shivering in a freezing warehouse. Against all logic, I drove back in the middle of the night to pick him up.
That night, he buried his face in my neck, his scorching breath ghosting over my skin. "Master, who else has touched you?"
His icy, scaled tail coiled tight around my waist, the sharp tip pressing against my throat. "Tell me. Can anyone else fill you up the way I do?"
*****
The delivery guy dropped the tall box at my door, looking out of breath. "Hey, what did you order? This thing is heavy as hell."
I replied casually, "It's a housekeeping robot. Super high-tech."
After the delivery guy left, I opened the box.
There was no gleaming metal as I'd imagined. It was a man.
A naked man was huddled in the foam padding.
From his lower back, a black, scaly tail trailed out. He was absentmindedly slapping the side of the box with it.
I was completely floored.
I whipped out my phone, snapped three quick photos of the box, and sent them straight to customer service. [Care to explain?
[I ordered a fully automatic vacuum and mop, and you sent me some random dude?
[And he's got a tail. Are you guys trafficking people or running some Resident Evil experiment?]
Customer service replied instantly: [Hey there. This is our newest housekeeping buddy, totally lifelike.
[He can sweep, cook, warm your bed, and keep you company. With so many features, you're in for a real treat.]
I couldn't help but laugh in disbelief. [Are you kidding me? Give me my money back.]
The typing indicator kept flashing for ages. [Hey, this is a special blind box prize. No returns once you've opened it.
[Plus, he's already imprinted on you. If you send him back, he won't make it.]
I was about to type out a furious reply when the guy in the box suddenly moved.
He slowly sat up, his long hair slipping down to cover half his face.
His eyes, vacant and unfocused, slowly fixed on me. They gleamed with an eerie purple glow. Those eyes were anything but human.
He stared at me, his nose twitching like he'd caught a scent.
The next second, he suddenly lunged at me.
His cold, slippery tail coiled around me, tightening with every passing moment.
"Hungry." He opened his mouth, revealing sharp fangs, and nuzzled against my neck.
I freaked out and kicked him away.
He froze for a second, didn't even react, like he couldn't feel any pain at all.
Then, a weird flush of color crept across his pale face. "You smell so good."
I scrambled into my bedroom and locked the door behind me.
With my hands shaking, I sent a voice message to customer service. "This thing is trying to eat me. I'm calling the cops. I'm suing you."
Customer service sent a string of pleading emojis. [No, wait. Ma'am, that's a succubus. He's not gonna eat you, I swear.
[Please, don't panic. Try him out for three days and give him something to eat. That's all. Please.]
Outside, I could hear the sound of claws scraping desperately against the door.
Then came his hoarse, pleading voice. He begged, "Master, please open the door. I'm so hungry."
I spent the whole night holed up in my bedroom.
The noises outside finally stopped when the sun came up.
Clutching my pepper spray for dear life, I carefully cracked the door open.