I wasn’t exactly terrifying.
Maybe they knew what my curse was and feared I’d gobble them up.
The Devil’s posture stiffened. Sighing, he looked down at the dogs beside him. Despite my approach, he hadn’t turned to face me. He was unconcerned. His dogs, on the other hand? Completely freaked out.
Some monsters they were. More like scaredy cats. I frowned. “What’s wrong with your hellhounds?”
“It would appear,” he said slowly, “they have exceptional memory.”
I scrunched my nose, not understanding what he meant. Whatever.
I bolted forward, scythe in hand.
“What’s the goal once you attack?” he asked.
I froze mid-step.
“You can’t escape. I feel nothing. And yet you’re still driven to fight. Meanwhile, if I do the same—you feel quite a lot, don’t you?” He bent to pet the cowering hellhounds, then straightened again, still facing the window. “Get in the cell.”
Anger and embarrassment scorched my face. He was right. In his domain, I had no control. My family might know I was here, but I doubted they had any clue how to reach me. Reaperscouldn’t fade into places they couldn’t visualize, and something about this place—something he’d done—was keeping me locked in.
Raising my chin, I said, “I’m not getting in there.”
He turned slightly and let those glowing red eyes land on me.
“You’re not?” he asked, before vanishing.
My stomach twisted as panic flared. I took a step back, and then a large hand closed around my throat. He reappeared in front of me with a storm brewing behind his expression.
I raised my blade, but he yanked me off the ground with ease. My eyes burned, bulging from the pressure. A fiery ache clawed at my throat. Still, I stabbed him in the shoulder, but he didn’t flinch.
I wasn’t ready when he slammed me against the cold, metal bars.
The Devil was like a flame, scalding me with his body heat as he rammed into me. The bars dug into the middle of my back, but his grip on my neck loosened. I gasped for air, and the pressure behind my eyes eased.
My jaw tightened as I met his gaze. I dared him to see the fury in my eyes.
His tail slithering and wrapping around my right pants leg caught me off guard again. Panic replaced the rage. I knew the exact moment he saw it. The Devil’s jaw slackened, and his eyes gleamed with something twisted. That slow, creeping smile returned.
“You gave it away too easily,” he muttered, leaning in.
His tail tightened, sliding higher--onto my thigh. My skin crawled.
“My tail?” he mused darkly. “You’re afraid of it.”
I swallowed hard before fading. I reappeared behind him and yanked my weapon from his shoulder—but didn’t get the chance to use it.
He knocked me flat on my back. For such a hulking monster, he moved way too fast.
I faded again, reappearing across the room from him.
He rubbed his neck, unfazed, and began strolling toward me like he had all the time in the world. He said, “Come here.”
Lifting my chin, I found the nerve to make everything worse. “Be a good boy,” I ordered. “Stay where you are.”
I knew I was fucked. Until I could escape his domain, there was no hiding, no winning. My curse would wear me down just as surely as the Devil’s looming presence.
I froze mid-step, eyes widening as I realized something was off. No pangs in my stomach, no hunger clawing at my insides. That couldn’t be right. My gaze snapped to the Devil, who stood across the room like a shadow waiting to pounce. Was it him?
