Great, that confirmed it. This bitch was the demon!

I was in one hell of a situation here. My spiritual guidance hadn’t come back yet, so I had no idea if my flame magic was installed, or even how to use it.

Well, I managed to stir up some heat when I was angry back at the hospital. So, all I had to do was get ticked off and—

SHIT!

She zip-lined like a phantom, the creepy tall woman jumped, scaring the crap out of me. With only an inch between us, I had little room to retaliate. She snatched me right up by my throat and body slammed me to the ground. Her grip on me was stupid tight, the demoness straddling over my legs while she tried to choke me out.

My face was heating up, my body losing oxygen fast. I tried to pry her bony fingers off of me but to no avail. She screeched that mind-numbing pitch on her ten times louder when she was closer to me. Her face churned into something monstrous—yellow beady eyes, elongated jowls, flesh tearing teeth.

Crap, I thought she wasn’t a true demon?!

I was fucked, until she suddenly tense up, her stomach bubbling from the inside out.

I had no clue what was going on but she seemed like she was in intense pain. Even so, her grip was still tight on me, before her belly swelled up four times its size. It looked like she was ready to explode! And I was right, her blood splashing me when her skin couldn’t take the stretch anymore.

I was showered in guts with no glory. I turned my head away and shut my eyes tight while the bloodfall continued to shower me in red. When I finally felt her grip on me loosen up, I opened my eyes, just as her limp body fell on me.

Now, I wasn’t the squeamish type, but this stunt here was going to scar me for life. I pushed her body off of me and struggled to stand on my feet. But when I looked down at my hoodie, it was white again.

I held my breath, my eyes jumping from my hands, to my feet, and back to my torso again. No blood. Had I been dreaming?

Confused, I looked around me, taking a serious and thorough look. No, I was awake. Hell, I even punched myself on the arm to make sure of it. Not only that, I felt like I was still in the woods, the sound of owls and crickets gradually picking up again. But, if that was the case, then how the hell did I—

“RHHAA!” I heard someone scream from in front of me. The blackness opened up to the same girl swinging a large cutting knife, and I wasn’t fortunate enough to have seen her in time to dodge it.

She cut me deep, my blood flung in the air like abstract art. I stumbled back, losing balance from her strike. When my ass hit the ground, I saw that I was back in the woods… and started to think that I’d never left.

What I’d seen must have been some type of illusion…

The back of my head struck the body of a tree. I held my breath, looking down at the damage she’d done to me. It was a foot long slash from my midriff down, the cut so deep that my intestines were two seconds from spilling out.

The pain didn’t register yet. I was shaking from the shock and the adrenaline. As I tried to staple my guts together with my hands, she sauntered to me, that big smile on her face looming over me.

“My, my, my! What a handsome devil you are! Now, I usually don’t mince man meat, but I just might make an exception for you!”

I grunted, my body now swimming in blistering agony. I was showered in my own sweat, my body seized by chills. She was clothed in a short white nightgown this time, taking another two steps toward me and licked my blood off her blade, the satisfaction in her eyes flickering. Until it didn’t…

That expression on her did a full 180—from delight to disgust. She spat out my blood, and just as she did that, my wounds started to stitch up by themselves.

Right, I was a demon now. And demons could regenerate…

I’m so glad to be Samael right now…

“A demon!” She huffed. “Around my turf?!”

“Not that I’m complaining but, I thought demons drink demon blood?” I asked her, buying myself time to finish regenerating.

“You could say that I have a refined palate. An expensive sense of taste. Human blood is richer than demon blood. Even gives you a nice energy boost! So tell me, why would I ever downgrade? I satisfy my urges. As I have been in Ether City for some time now. And I ain’t gonna let someone like you ruin my fun!”

“I’m not trying to impose on your operation here,” I said lying, “only trying to understand your secrets. How do you do it? Lure these humans to your den?”

She laughed deliriously. “Like I’d tell someone like you! An unseasoned demon who couldn’t even recognize a spell as simple as an illusion mask! What faction did you scrawl from? If you’re this pathetic, I can only imagine how weak and worthless the rest of your nest is!”

I smiled. “Celeste, I’d like you to meet my faction. If you spare me, I’ll bring them to you.”

She cackled. “Man, I like them dumb, but not this dumb. Unless… this is a trap. Did they send you as bait? You’re makin’ this too easy…”

I snickered. “You could say that.”

She frowned, my cocky attitude coming from the fact that I saw Lumi charging right at her from behind.

“Get off my man, you dirty hillbilly bimbo!” Lumi cried out, and then slashed Celeste right across her face when she pivoted around.

She stumbled back, trying to stop herself from falling. But Lumi was quick. Just as Celeste tried to escape, Lumi pounced on her like the cat she was, bringing her down. “AHHH!!” Lumi screamed at the top of her lungs, extending her claws out. She had a vicious face on, a different, angrier side of Lumi I hadn’t seen before.

I’d hate to be Celeste right now…

Her slashes were fast, like streaks of colors whipping through the air. She was ripping Celeste up like confetti, but I had to step in. Celeste was possessing a human, one that could be saved…

“That’s enough, Lumi!” I cried out. “She’s done.”

“She’s not done until she stops breathing!”

“She’s being possessed!” I reminded her, Lumi halting her next slash.

She looked up at me with glassy eyes, and then sprung off of the bloody demon on all fours. “Sugar bun,” she whimpered, now getting on her two feet before she wrapped her arms around me. “She could have killed you… I’m sorry. I should have known she had a few tricks up her sleeves.”

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“Come on, don’t feel bad. She separated us. Celeste has been doing this for years. She perfected the trade.”

“She couldn’t smell me though. I don’t think she knew I was around. The same way she didn’t know you were human. She tried to eat you, right?”

I smiled. “Yeah, but I’m fine. Thanks to you. I appreciate the save.”

She beamed. “It’s my job, sugar bun.” Lumi squeezed me tight, nuzzled against my chest. “If she’d tapped into one of your lives, I don’t know what I’d do!”

I glanced over to Celeste, who was doing a slow job at regenerating those gashes Lumi had given her. Did that mean she was dying from low blood?

“Are you sure you’re all right? Do you need any blood?” Lumi asked, looking up to me.

“Eh, no. I’m fine.”

“Don’t be modest, master. It’s what I’m here for.”

“Heh, yeah, I know. But seriously, I’m good.”

“Not good enough to ward a demon, apparently,” Wren said as she strolled in, Ruby and Trista not too far behind.

“So, that’s what the ruckus was all about?” Trista said, looking down at Celeste. “So, who found her?”

“I did.”

“Oh, and you’re still in one piece!” Ruby chirped. “That’s good news, but I see that you have a lot of blood on your sweater. Not to mention, a large gash.” She narrowed her eyes to Lumi with a cocky grin. “See sexy, if you’d had tagged along with me, I wouldn’t have let Celeste touch a hair on your head.”

“She had an illusion mask cocked and loaded!” Lumi barked back. “You wouldn’t have seen it coming either!”

“So, your second encounter, first one on the job. How did it feel?” Trista asked me. “Did you use your flames?”

“My flames?”

“You mean you still don’t have your flame magic unlocked?”

“My spiritual guidance hadn’t kicked in yet. It’s not something I turn on and off, right?”

“No, it’s not…” Trista scratched at her chin. “Hmm, now I feel bad for not at the very least giving you a blade to decapitate her. Maybe it’s triggered after your first feed…”

“Lumi, where is his bloodlust level at?” Ruby asked.

“10%...” she said in a concerned voice. “Isaac, I insist you drink from us. Either of us! At this rate, you’ll fall into psychosis by your next trial!”

“Not if I’m careful,” I said with a confident smile. I wasn’t being difficult on purpose—I might have been a demon, but at heart, I was still a human. I didn’t like the idea of biting into someone for food. Although at this rate, I might not have an option in the matter. I could feel my breathing getting shallow, and my heart rate rising. My stomach was gnawing at itself, the starvation trying to make me break.

Ignore it. I’m not at that stage yet. I still had time. If I can avoid another strike like that in the next trial, then I’ll be fine.

Wren walked right past me. She grabbed Celeste by her long black hair, where I noticed a bundle of shadowy tendrils emerge from the palm of her other hand. Shadow manipulation was one of Wren’s specialties, and with the way she positioned them around Celeste’s neck, I knew what she was about to do.

“What are you doing?! We can’t kill her!” I retorted.

“She’s a demon. It’s our job,” Wren said bluntly.

“There is another way!”

“There is, but I don’t see a reliable priest or priestess anywhere, do you?”

“So, just like that, huh? We aren’t even going to give her a chance?”

“A chance for what?” Wren said, and before I could say another word, she snapped her neck clean off.

I jumped. “What the hell is wrong with you?! We could have chained her up or something! At least until we found a—”

“This is exactly what I’m talking about,” Wren said, dragging the corpse on the ground as she walked over to me. “This is a demon,” she said, picking the dead girl up by her hair. “We kill demons. Especially demons who fall out of line. Your problem is that you refuse to see them as threats but victims, regardless of what they do. A possessed human is a demon. The demon is using the human’s body as a vessel.”

“So if that’s the case, what am I?”

She squared her eyes on me. “You’re complicated.”

“Complicated? I’m putting my foot down, Wren!” I barked at her. “Until we can find someone to exorcize these demons, we aren’t killing anyone!”

“Is that right?”

“It’s a rule I’ll enforce.”

She sucked her teeth. “God, Samael, your human side is showing, and it’s disgusting.”

“I’m not Samael, remember? I’m complicated, according to you. I’m not possessed by him, and I’m not entirely a reincarnation either, right? Instead, somewhere in between a resurrected human and a patchy rebirth of your prince. That’s the lie you’re telling yourself? Isn’t that what you want to believe?”

She glared back at me quietly.

“But I don’t buy that bull, because ever since I stepped foot into your club, you’ve been tossing me hostile vibes. It’s almost as if you don’t trust me. Like you have something against me. You don’t think I’m capable of being the head of this domain because you truly believe that I am Samael. And because I let this house down before, I’m more than capable of doing it again!”

“That’s right!” she blared. “Why should I put my faith in you?! After you let everything rot back home?! You’re no prince! A prince is supposed to protect his people!”

“Then why the hell are you here? If you can’t trust me, why agree to being part of my domain?”

“Because of my sister!” she shouted. “I joined this house because she wanted to join. And I… can’t see her going out like that… I’ve heard the stories, I’ve seen the aftermath. She believes in you, but you must excuse my inability to jump in joy at the thought of teaming up with a pathetic prince such as yourself!”

I rolled my shoulders back, trying not to get angry with her. Now I understood where she was coming from, and by the shared looks on my girls’ faces, it seemed like this was the first time Wren had confided to the group about her true reasons being here.

With a sigh, I said, “I’d asked Lumi before what my mission in all of this was. Not my personal one, but one as the head of the House of Samael. She’d said that I was to become the new King of the Underworld. Honestly, I couldn’t give a rat’s ass about hell. But then, I got a harem, and all of my girls are from hell. They also live here, in the mortal realm, which means that this is my problem anyway I slice it. It wasn’t until a few hours ago did I own up to being Samael. Realizing I’m a reset of who I always was meant I had to accept the responsibilities of my previous life. This is a chance to do better, and I’m serious about doing better. In protecting my domain. These reckless demons are in our home, and it’s my job to take care of them. But first, rules. In this new order, there will be rules you must follow. So when I say we don’t kill humans, we don’t kill humans. Making a deal with the devil is one thing, but I draw the line in packing up possessed humans.”

“You’re delusional. Even if we do get a priest to exorcize them, do you know where they go? Back to the underworld, where they could escape, and ride the friendly realms back here. Repeating the cycle. Is that what you really want? Infinite possession? Constant exorcisms of the same demon over and over again? You’re not thinking it through.”

“Then we close the gates,” I stumbled, trying to hide the fact that I was taken off guard with this new information.

“That’s impossible. Be realistic here. This no killing business might sound good on paper, but you’re only putting more people at risk.”

Then, was that it? Was Sasha screwed? Lumi didn’t mention Persallus being able to come back after we’d exorcize her from Sasha. Was killing the kind and gentle florist the only way? How about Ash? Who the hell was he housing? Would we have to kill that innocent person, too? He wasn’t in my mother, I knew that for a fact. He was probably in some sorry Joe who had made a deal. The thought of demon’s winning this way made my skin crawl, and the fact that I had to accept the way things were made me sick to my stomach. Was I really helping this city by slaughtering innocent lives? This couldn’t be the only answer…

“We are exorcizing Sasha…” I whispered, my girls turning to me. “We can figure everything else after. She is important to me. If Persallus finds a way to her, then—”

“She won’t,” Trista said. “Persallus isn’t linked to Sasha via contract. She’s a demon of fate, remember? She doesn’t do pacts. Which means when she does come back, she would have no way of finding Sasha.”

“It doesn’t mean that it isn’t possible, though,” Lumi said. “Normally, when a demon is exorcized, they are cast back to hell. If they come back, they wander around in a spiritual form. Now, if the demon had a contract open during an exorcism, they have the ability to find the soul they are tied to. A beacon flickers, making it easy to spot their human, so they may repossess again. But Persallus knows where Sasha is. However, if we can relocate Sasha, then we’d make it harder for Persallus to find her, given that she isn’t on her list.”

“Are you sure this is what you want, Issac?” Ruby said as she walked to me. “I remember you saying that you want Persallus dead. If we exorcize her, then she is free to roam the underworld, and come back as a different person. She will continue her mission of chaos here, and it’ll be on you this time. Can you carry that kind of weight on your conscience? You need to seriously think about this, master.”