Page 19 of Demonic Division

“Of course, little one.” He stops to take another breath. “And may I say, I can tell you’re delicious.” His pupil lengthens to a catlike slit, showcasing the white of his eye as he takes another deep breath. I watch in a mix of desire and terror as he reaches an inhumanly muscular arm through the bars of the cage, a clawed index fingerreaching across the distance between cells. “Won’t you come closer? You’re so, so far away. Reach through the bars—I want to see what you feel like now that I’ve smelled you.”

I swallow hard, forcing myself to remain in place. “I think I’m good right here.”

His eyes flash bright red as he drops his arm to his side, the inky tattoos melding with the shadows once more. “Perhaps some other time.”

“Perhaps not.”

“Why? Are you afraid of me now?” he asks, his voice cloyingly sweet. “Or of the way I make you feel?”

I don’t waste a beat. “Yes.”

M throws his head back, his throat bobbing with his laugh. “Careful, Wildfire. The truth will get you killed in The Far Place. And I’d rather avoid that, if possible.”

I swallow thickly, something in the back of my mind telling me to run, to get away from this person. Thisthing.

“Why? You don’t even know me,” I say, but my words fail to hold any conviction.

His smile widens. “Perhaps Iwantto.”

I shake my head, gesturing to the bars between us. “I don’t think that’s such a great idea.”

“And why not?”

“Well…” I hesitate to find the words. Because you’re a demon? Because you’re likely a dangerous criminal? Because that knowing smile is really starting to creep me out? “I just… it’s not a good idea, okay? That’s all there is.”

“Hmm. Pity. I was so looking forward to it.” He steps back from the bars, retreating to the shadows.

I breathe a sigh, settling back against the stone and closing my eyes. I pull Cyprien’s blanket tighter around my shoulders, burying my nose in the furs as an eerie silence envelops me. There’s no sound save for the occasional dripof water and no light except that eye glinting at the far side of the room.

M's claws tap rhythmically against the stone, breaking the silence with an ominousclick, click, click.The sound reverberates off the walls, sinking beneath my skin and scraping the inside of my skull as I sit there, rocking back and forth.

“The whistling was better,” I murmur, too delirious to care about poking fun at the demon. No answer arrives, but the clicking stops, and that glowing red eye vanishes into the blackness, leaving me more unnerved than before. More alone.

It’s so quiet down here, I can literally hear myself blink, and a part of me wonders if some sort of magic surrounds this space, cutting it off from the rest of the world.

That, or I’m already starting to lose my mind. Weak stuff.

When I think I’ll go mad from the silence, a high-pitched whistle fills the air. But this time, the demon heeds my request, and a peppier tune punctuates the air.

Despite my earlier apprehension, I can’t help the chuckle that rises in my throat. “You know Britney Spears?”

The whistling ceases, replaced with the low rumble of M's laugh. “You’re a fan?”

“Of ‘Toxic’? Isn’t everyone?”

He laughs harder, the sound echoing off the walls and sending a shiver down my spine. He crawls back to the bars, bringing his face into the light and highlighting his sinful smirk.

“I find it easy to connect to the lyrics,” he murmurs.

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

I laugh with him, and that last shred of uneasiness from being in his presence vanishes. Unwittingly, my eyes trail over his frame, admiring the dip and swell of his powerfulmuscles.If I’m to be stuck in this hell with a demon, at least it’s a hot one.

“Since we’re going to be down here for a while, I guess I should ask your name,” I murmur, forcing my eyes back to his face.

His smile widens, having caught me checking him out. “You can call me M for now.”

“And later?”

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