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ANNETTE
The demon snarls as the mystical flames spring up, encircling him in a cage of fire… but I did it! In theory, at least. Relief and pride wells up within me as he hisses against the warding spell. “Perhaps I am not so powerless after all.”
Yet as I gaze upon the captured demon, he does not cower or rage against the bars. Instead, he prowls the circumference of the flaming prison, studying it with an intensity… No, an interest. He looks more amused than afraid.
His otherworldly curiosity sends a chill down my spine. He does not seem like a creature that considers himself bested.
The fire illuminates the cords of muscle rippling as he tests the magical boundaries. As I gaze upon the encaged creature, I'm taken aback by his sheer size and presence. His torso ripples with muscular power, arms thick as a sjyak trunk. His red eyes glow menacingly, so alien and otherworldly.
He slowly, languidly appraises me and suddenly I feel much less the captor than the prey. He's like a wild beast pacing before me, taking his sweet time, noticing the slit up my skirt. The curve of my hip. No doubt the meat on my thighs. “I’m not a piece of meat!”
“But aren’t you?” He grins, baring rows of sharp jagged fangs, fangs for devouring flesh. Yet he seems endlessly amused by it all. He's toying with me.
I steel my nerves. "Surrender, and promise to leave!" I shout, desperate to keep my voice from shaking. "I've defeated you!"
The demonic hell beast throws back his head with a grating, bassy booming laugh that chills my blood. "Defeated me?" His voice rumbles deeply. "You prolong the inevitable, witch." He grips the flaming bars, ignoring the sizzling burns.
I gesture, tightening the mystic bounds, but still, he stands tall.
Sweat drips down my temple as I strain to maintain the spell. The demon meets my eyes, grinning wickedly. "Release me now, and I'll go easy on you." His hands continue to sizzle.
Impossible!
But I refuse to show fear. I am here as a protector of the innocent. People have died at his hands, of that I am sure. "I will never set you free, monster!"
Yet even as I boldly defy him, doubt gnaws within me. What happens if my power fails me? "You are now under my control!"
"Under your control, little witch?" He grins at me, all sharp fangs and menace. "You amuse me with your audacity. But my patience will wear thin far before your jokes."
I sweep my hands to reinforce the enchantment, but the demon remains unfazed, a smug smirk on his face. "Release me now," he rumbles. “Or you have no idea of the world of punishment you will receive...”
"I will never set you free!" I answer back, my defiance sounding hollow even to my own ears. The demon's red eyes spark with something more like intrigue than anger. “You are under my control, foul demon!”
"I shall enjoy making your death slow and agonizing." He grips the flaming bars harder, the scent of scorched flesh wafting as he easily withstands the pain.
I suppress a shudder.
“Tell me, little one, what exactly do you know of my kind?” His claws trail tauntingly down the crackling mystical wall of the cage.
“I, um…”
My heart hammers, but I stand firm, desperately pouring all my magic into maintaining my spell, hoping it will hold this beast at bay.
“Do you know what I could do to a little piece of meat like you?” With a demonic roar, he flexes his muscular frame and the fiery cage surrounding him explodes into wisps of smoke. I'm blasted back by a shockwave of energy, all my magic extinguished in an instant. I hit the ground hard, the wind knocked out of me. Dazed, I look up to see the massive demon looming over me, eyes ablaze.
He extends a clawed hand as mystic energy crackles around it. I scream as lightning-like tendrils envelop me, and I writhe helplessly in the clutches of his demonic power.
It feels like an eternity before he withdraws the energy, leaving me panting at his feet. I look up to see his fanged grin as he towers over my battered form.
This is the end.
I clench my eyes shut and await the final agonizing blow, accepting it with as much honor as I can muster.
But the expected blow never comes.
Instead, clawed hands close around my arms and yank me roughly to my feet. I cry out in fear and humiliation as he easily lifts me, struggling uselessly in his granite grip.
Powerless, I meet the demon's burning gaze. His fiery eyes seem to pierce my very soul, peering through flesh and bone. I shiver as a grating chuckle escapes his fanged maw. "You are no witch," he rumbles. "Merely a human playing with powers beyond her meager comprehension."
