Page 45 of Unbinding the Demon
“Oh yes, I do... Was it not you who had sacrificed that small dog? What was it, a young black lab, if I recall correctly?” I inquired with a wicked grin and a raised brow.
“Yes!Yes, that was me!” Relief filled his eyes.
“And do you want to know what I thought of that?” I questioned with an inviting smile.
“Wh-What?” he stuttered, but he seemed to relax a little.
“I thought it was insulting that you gave me an offering that only someone as sadistically sick as your god would enjoy!” I snarled, causing his face to pale with fear. “I deplore the harming of innocents. And besides, I rather like dogs, and think that they should be treated well...” My hand waved in a circle. “Which reminds me, I need to feed mine. And lucky for him, you’re not so innocent.” A sinister grin crept across my face.“Oh Belzar...”I called in a sing-song voice.
Large, black abyss wolf paws stepped into view as Belzar ominously emerged from the dark, rustling stalks. His face remained shadowed, but his glowing golden eyes stood out as he hungrily stared at the man with a low snarl.“Hmm, this one’s still alive... and plump. I’m pleased.”His raspy voice echoed in my mind as he slowly approached, revealing his monstrous undead form.
I stood up while dragging the now-crying, terrified man to his feet. “Yes, and perhaps we should have some fun and tear him apart together.” I smiled at Belzar lovingly. He was one of the two good things that had come from The Abyss. My good friend Valarendrik being the second.
“Ashton? Ashton, where did you go?”Gwendolyn’s soft voice echoed through the shadows.
Belzar glanced over at her ghostly figure as she searched around on the path.“Azathoth, she’s looking for you.”
I sighed, but duty called. “Well, maybe next time.” I calmly threw the hysterical man over to him. Thick crimson blood gushed around his maw as he caught an arm with his razor-sharp jaws, causing the man to scream in agony. “Enjoy your meal and don’t forget to save his wallet for me.”
“I will. And you make sure that you treat her well. She’s precious to us.”Belzar’s voice was stern. He eyed me as he snapped the arm off and ate it with a loud crunch. The man’s screams became even louder as blood sprayed from his stumpy, tattered limb.
“Yeah, yeah, I will.” I waved him off while turning away. He had been lecturing me about chivalry nonstop ever since I’d lost my temper the other day. It was apparent he was growing attached to her too.
I peered out at Gwendolyn from within the shroud of corn, with Belzar mauling the wailing man behind me. Once her back was turned, I materialized from the shadows in a cloud of black mist. The butchery behind me disappeared. The sky was once again eggshell blue. Sunlight streamed down through the corn leaves, and I was in my human illusion once more.
I looked around to make sure that we were alone and then leapt at her. My hand clamped down on her mouth, startling her. She flailed her limbs as I dragged her deep into the waving corn. Tiny crickets hopped away as I pulled her down to the ground and straddled her, nose to nose.
“What the living fuck, Ashton!?” Her green eyes twinkled like emeralds as she glared up at me and slapped my chest.
I laughed with a grin. “I just want to fuck you, that’s all.”
“Again!?”
19. Ouija Boards Blow
Thunderous rumbles and booming roars rolled throughout the valley. Flashes of crackling lightning penetrated the suffocating dark and spread across the swirling clouds like incandescent veins. Heavy rain pelted against the glass window panes of the little blue house. Candles of varying colors, shapes, and scents were lit all around the home since the power kept flickering.
William, Lacey, Amelia, and I were sitting on my bedroom floor around a small wooden ouija board. The mystifying thingamabob was decorated with burned engravings of thorns, skulls, and a pentagram in the middle. We were trying to kill some time before going to William’s sword swallowing performance at a special Halloween drag competition. Unfortunately, it was being held at Hell’s Hornbeam, the club I had been trying to avoid.
I attempted to straighten out my big floppy witch hat for the millionth time. The thing seemed like a sentient being that wanted to stay crooked. We all wore our various costumes, but mine seemed to be the only one acting up. The skirt on my gothic red and black corset dress was too short for my liking, and it hugged my curves while pushing my boobs up. My black heeled boots trailed up past my knee and were absolutely ridiculous.
It was hard not to feel self-conscious while peering over at Lacey. She wore a sparkling light green fairy costume with pale flowers in her curly hair and glittering gossamer wings on her back. Her shoes were open-toed, sparkling silver heels. The outfit was much more modest than mine, and she looked downright beautiful.
My gaze then shifted to Amelia. She was a zombie, soaked in fake blood, with over-the-top gruesome makeup. Her hair was in complete disarray, sticking up all over the place. She wore tattered clothes that were ripped in some very revealing spots. They were covered in dirt and bloodstains, and paired with old Converse sneakers. She definitely wasn’t going for a sexy look.
William, on the other hand, was in full drag as a skimpy, practically naked shield maiden. His Nordic-style bronze and silver armored skirt just barely covered the glittery silver thong he was wearing. He matched it with a breastplate that looked more like a very revealing bra. Next to him were his shiny silver heels, along with two fake Viking swords. He wore his hair in an elven style, with intricate braids woven into his long blonde locks.
“Oooh... OH!It’s moving! It’s fucking moving!”William screeched as the planchette began to creep across the board.
“Holy shit, it is! What’s it saying?” Amelia sounded just as thrilled.
I gazed at the board in surprise because the planchette actually was moving over the letters. Lacey and I both didn’t believe in all that supernatural hocus-pocus codswallop, but William and Amelia were open to it. We all eyed the board in disbelief and anticipation, as our hands followed the words that formed.
Y-O-U G-U-Y-S A-R-E D-U-M-B.
“You guys are —What the!?Lacey!” William glared at her in an annoyed yet humorous way.
Lacey’s face twisted up as she tried to suppress her big, guilty smirk. Then she couldn’t hold it in any longer and burst out laughing. “Wow! I didn’t think that you guys would figure out it was me so quickly!”
