Page 12 of Demonic Division

The enormous creature perched upon the throne at a glance could be mistaken for a man, but a second lookreveals the same inhuman features as Cyprien. Twin horns buried in a mess of raven hair taper straight up toward the vaulted ceiling, the tips ending in sharpened points like snake fangs. Golden fissures spread across the surface of the horns, glowing with each pulse of his heart, breathing with a life of their own. The fissures travel down his face and neck, the brilliant webbing contrasting beautifully with the hue of his skin. Both eyes appear to be encased in gold, with no pupil or iris to be seen. When I look closer, I’m surprised to see faint colors swirling within the void, dancing and brimming with life only to be consumed by the gold in the next moment.

Perhaps more terrifying than the demon is the shimmering head of a massive serpent peeking out from his fur-lined coat. Its predatory eyes meet mine, holding me captive as it peers beneath my skin, poking thethingthat’s living there, prompting it to claw toward the surface.

My breath catches in my throat as a slippery tongue flicks out, testing the air. Sampling my fear. And as it does so, the scales along its long, flexible body shimmer with a faint golden light—a spellbinding performance just for me.

I blink, and the snake has lowered itself around the demon’s throat like a golden necklace, leaving me to wonder if that interaction actually took place. If it did, its master doesn’t seem bothered by it. The dark-haired demon regards me, his eyes swirling with hatred beneath a brow chiseled from stone. My posture bends beneath the intensity, but it’s only for a moment. In the next, another demon appears at his side, arms folded as his piercing sapphire eyes survey the room.

The new demon stares down his strong nose with disdain, wiping away a stray strand of cobalt hair that falls over his eyes. Just like Cyprien, his skin is encased in thatstrange pale armor, swirling with intricate glowing runes that match the color of his eyes—but that’s the only similarity the two share. The blue demon has a narrow face and build, with a severe mouth that seems permanently etched into a frown. He has horns, but they’re so short, I’m only able to make out the rounded tips peeking out from the thick waves of hair flowing from his scalp. Though he’s leaner than the other demons I’ve encountered, he still looks powerful, and the muscles straining beneath his skintight armor are proof of that.

“Dagny Olavera. Welcome.” The voice that flows across the room holds the same severity as in his expression, absent of the cheerful lilt I’ve become accustomed to with Cyprien.

My gaze flits between their expressions as my fingernail digs into my cuticle, carving a fresh wound into the mangled flesh. “It’s… nice to meet you all. But I never told you my name.”

As if I had never spoken, the blue-eyed demon continues undeterred. “My name is Lir. And this”—he gestures to the golden-eyed demon sitting on the throne—“is Lord Kaebl. He has been made aware of the situation with you and Cyprien.”

“Oh. Great… so could you maybe fill me in as well?” I gesture around the room with one hand, trying to breathe past the fist tightening around my windpipe. “All I know is I woke up to a demon at the foot of my bed and was dragged here against my will. Oh, and that you seriously need a space heater in here or something.”

The demon named Lir narrows his eyes, his lips pressing into a thin line. “Lord Kaebl thinks it would be best if you remained silent for the rest of this meeting.”

I gaze past Lir’s shoulder, finding thegolden-eyed demon’s gaze fixed on me, unblinking. “Is there a reason he refuses to address me himself?”

Kaebl’s eyes flash red as a small chuckle sounds from Cyprien. “I told you she was special.”

“Kaebl wishes you to be silent as well,Cyprien,” Lir snaps, to which the yellow-eyed demon answers by sticking his tongue out. Lir sighs tiredly, running a hand over his face to compose himself before turning his attention back to me. “Lord Kaebl is unable to use his voice. Otherwise, hewouldbe the one to talk to you. The others and I are able to hear his thoughts when he wishes, and as his… liaison, I am tasked with interpreting them for your human ears. As forwhyyou are here…” He takes a deep breath, seemingly pained by what he has to say next. “You have unwittingly entered into a soul bond with Cyprien and his familiar, and we need to sever it.”

My mouth goes dry. “Come again?”

He carries on, unwavering. “I wish I could say I was surprised Cyprien never informed you of this. But I cannot, and we’re all here now, so we must proceed with the facts as they are.” He clears his throat, gazing down his strong nose with a cold indifference. “Unfortunately, we cannot allow you to return to the human realm until we can figure out a way to break this bond. As such, Lord Kaebl has decided you will be kept in the cells beneath the castle until this task is completed.”

My mouth falls open as shock courses through my veins, freezing my muscles in place.Soul bond? Breaking? Dungeons?

“Can we dial it back to thebondingthing?”

“I’m afraid we cannot.”

I clench my fists at my sides as my shock turns to rage, and a scream threatens to break free. “Why?Why am Ibeing punished for something I don’t even understand? What even is a soul bond?”

Lir looks at Kaebl, frowning at whatever he hears. “We cannot say at this time.”

“What?” I sputter. “What kind of bullshit is that? You have to tell mesomething?—”

“We do not have to doanything,little human.” A demonic voice fills the air, distorted with rage. Lir’s eyes flicker with shadows as he stares at me, his canines sharpening to dangerous points and piercing the skin of his lower lip. “We do not bow to you. You will know what you must when the time is right. No sooner, and no later.”

I shake my head, my eyes filling with angry tears. “I deserve to know why I’m beingimprisoned.”

Lir growls, leaning forward like he means to pounce, but Kaebl shoots a hand out, clutching Lir’s arm and holding him to the landing. His jaw ticks as he turns his multicolored eyes onto Lir, a frown creasing his brow. Whatever he says is enough to calm Lir, and on the next blink, Lir’s eyes are back to their brilliant blue.

“My apologies, Kaebl. I forgot myself…”

Kaebl pats his shoulder, shaking his head once. Another moment passes, and Lir’s shoulders relax. He turns to face me again, voice back to its familiar monotone as he says, “Lord Kaebl wants to know what exactly happened with the rabbit before Cyprien arrived.”

I cross my arms. “Oh sure, I’ll just tell you every little thing you want to know just to be locked in the dungeons.”

Lir looks at Kaebl, then back to me. “He’s willing to rethink the imprisonment.”

“Really? Just like that?”

Kaebl places a hand over his heart, eyes piercing meacross the room with their intensity. Lir clears his throat, mimicking the motion.

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