Page 40 of Thanatos' Craving

I stepped forward, grasping my scythe in both of my hands and trailing it up his thigh and near his dick.

“Fine,” Koozoth hissed, deciding to cooperate. “But know this: it’s not worth your time. You won’t find anything useful in my mind.”

I took a deep breath and willed myself to delve into Koozoth’s consciousness. As I entered his mind, a wave of darkness and chaos washed over me, a testament to the evil that had taken over his being. The images flashed before my eyes, a chaotic jumble of depravity, violence, nudity, women being sexualized against their will.

In the midst of the chaos, I saw fragmented memories of that fateful night when he was going to purchase my Juniper. I saw him touching her, taunting her, wanting to do defiling things against her, and I felt a sharp pain in my chest at the thought.

Fury surged through me, igniting a fiery storm of emotions. My vision blurred with red-hot intensity, my ears pounded with the deafening roar of what should have been my heart. The air thickened with the acrid scent of burning frustration, as my skin prickled with a seething heat.

He touched my Juniper. He touched what was mine.

My heart pounded in my chest, a mix of possessiveness and protectiveness coursing through my veins. Anguish clawed at the edges of my consciousness as I watched the crowd’s ravenous hunger for her. Every gaze, every touch they craved, was a sharp knife piercing my soul.

She moved with a raw sensuality that seemed to transcend the boundaries of the stage. Her body, bathed in the dim lights, was a masterpiece of curves and grace. The way she swayed her hips, the way she arched her back, it was all too much for me to bear.It was as if she possessed a captivating power that could enthrall anyone who dared to look.

But as much as her beauty enchanted others, it was her spirit that ignited a fierce possessiveness within me. The thought of anyone else laying claim to her, of anyone else experiencing the depths of her passion, was unbearable. She was not just an object of desire; she was a person, a soul that I cherished with every fiber of my being.

I ground my teeth in anger, ready to head to earth and find every male that had ever looked upon her in lust. Every single one of them. I would find them and take their souls.

I shook my head.I had a job to do, I must continue.

So I dove deeper into the operations.

Throughout the demon’s mind, I saw his routine; the women working day in and day out. The horrible living conditions, the dancing, the practicing, the private rooms, auctions.

As Koozoth stabbed Juniper, I could feel her pain and terror.

My wings rose behind me, my boned hand reaching out, and I grabbed the demon by the face.

“You piece of shit.” I spat.

My eyes rolled back into my head as I tried to concentrate. There was much more to this story. It wasn’t just Koozoth running the operation. He didn’t have the capability. He was just the follower, most of the possessing demons were. They were the pets, there was no way that this puny demon did all the work.

He was still a powerful, multiplying demon who could create more of himself with the body he inhabited. But nothing more. With his death, the owner had lost all of her guards. So that was something.

I hunted more. I scoured his mind but there was a magic, a command, a power blocking me.

“Who summoned you into the mortal’s body?” I bellowed.

The raging fire that had enveloped us gradually subsided, leaving us cloaked in darkness. Shadows loomed over us, as if they were liquid darkness itself. The crackling lightning illuminated the scene, its blinding flashes searing into our retinas, while its thunderous roar reverberated through the air. With a firm grip, my hand tightened around the demon’s neck, depriving him of breath. As I exerted pressure, more viscous black blood oozed from his wounds, the metallic scent filling the air.

“You said you would give me mercy!” he cried.

The demon’s chained hands to the two poles on either side of his body tightened as he tried to seek relief. “S-Sammael was the warlock who commanded me into the body but gave me to another handler!”

I jerked his neck for him to continue.

“That’s all I remember. I don’t remember their name, I really don’t! I remember following orders at a strip club and killing the ginger and then I ended up here!”

I penetrated his mind further. His soul should have been as open as a tome. There was magic around his soul. It was deep and dark, and I couldn’t even penetrate the part of his soul that hid that part of his mind.

I sneered and pushed him back. He was worthless to me now.

Magic, especially dark magic, evolved every day. Even gods could be blindsided by its power. Many years ago, they were fortunate to eradicate a lot of that dark magic. This was something new. There was a magic bonding around his soul and part of his mind that was hiding who he was working for.

Once in the Underworld, I should be able to see him for who he truly was and all of his sins. They stripped him of his body, and his soul was left bare.

With frustration, my shadows created a windstorm inside the arena. My robes gathered around my body, showing off myboned legs. With my scythe in hand, I wielded the darkness that surrounded me. My eye sockets became the only light, a bright electric blue.

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