Janet and I parted ways with Robyn to rush inside the elevator. She pressed the button to head up to the second floor and smirked as the doors closed.

“I’m so ready to kick some ass,” she announced, stretching. “You?”

“Don’t get too excited,” I told her, feeling the temperature in the elevator rise at a rapid rate.

“You’re no fun. But have you thought about how you’re gonna fight this chick? If you don’t want me to incinerate her, what are you gonna do?”

“I’ll try to free her mind with my light. If that doesn’t work, I’ll just have to beat her ass until she begs me to stop.”

She purred with a wink. “Hot. I’m sure she’ll love that.”

I smiled. This girl was too much.

The slow ass elevator finally opened to a narrow hallway with a black carpet. Shade Crawlers manifested through the walls of the silver interior; their malicious intent made clear with the reveal of their fangs.

“Stay back, Janet. We got some unwanted guests.”

I sprinted down the hall and purged every demon in the vicinity with a combination of strikes and throws of my chakram. Janet followed behind, admiring my finesse.

“Did you check them out?” she asked, leaving me with a blank expression. “Get it? Hotel? Guests? Check out?”

Okay, I had to cringe and laugh. “Yeah, they’re gone. Let’s go demonetize this trashy influencer.”

We barged inside room 217 to see something that made my heart drop. Lucas was half naked and bound to a bed by his ankles and wrists. Sitting on top of him was Cassandra, who stroked his bare chest as he ogled her in a daze.

“Oh, look who made it,” she said in a low, arousing voice. “And with not too much time to spare. Lucas and I were just about to get to the best part.”

“You’re sick,” Janet said. “How many other guys have you forced into sleeping with you?”

Cassandra tittered. “And who is this fiery young lady? Did you perhaps want to make this a group session, love? Or shall it just be us girls and we allow Lucas to watch?”

The overflowing rage inside of me was ready to erupt. “This will be the last time you ever do this to someone.”

She slid her body off Lucas with her attire only consisting of a black leather leotard and high heels. “I haven’t even started yet, darling. But try me if you think you can take me.”

“Oh, I can. Trust me.” She was gonna get her ass beat. “Janet, get Lucas out of here. No questions.”

Janet glared at Cassandra as she walked past her and burned the ropes constricting Lucas. She struggled to lift his heavier body, but eventually managed to wrap his arm around her neck and walk with him toward the door.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Make sure Robyn doesn’t get near him,” I added while keeping my eyes on Cassandra. “I’ll get home just fine. Don’t wait on me.”

Hearing Janet close the door behind me, I braced myself for a physical altercation as Cassandra proceeded to walk around the large, luxurious room.

“Do you know why this is my favorite place in the city?” she asked over the sound of her heels clicking against the floor.

“I don’t know. Is this where you first became an escort? I should’ve guessed you slept your way to the top.”

She snickered. “Spicy, but no. This is where my ex-fiancé proposed to me, and where I caught him having an affair with that whore you stopped me from killing. Now, I come here as a reminder of what made me so powerful. Without his infidelity, I would have never realized that I am stronger alone. I can have any man I desire now.”

I snorted at her backstory. “Ever thought of going to therapy? Psycho.”

“Psycho? Never. I prefer the term, refined. Wouldn’t you say so?”

“No. You’re a shallow witch using the power of sex appeal to get what you want ‘cause you got hurt in the past. I bet you think you’re so important and desired ‘cause men and women leave thirsty ass comments on your page, but really, you’re not. You’re more like an expired product that I’m gonna knocked off the shelf if you don’t stop interfering in my life.”

All she did was laugh again and say, “So young and short-sighted. As you grow older, you’ll realize that you must use everything you have in a world that gives you nothing. That includes your body. To shame me for using lust and sex to empower myself is childish, and I dare say, outdated. Don’t you think?”

“I don’t care. You’re messing with my boyfriend, and excuse me for having morals. The worst part of all this is that you don’t even care how you’re influencing girls who believe being like you is enough to succeed. You’ll never be respected, and you’re gonna have a hard ass time finding happiness if all you have to offer is your body, no matter who you sleep with. You’re nothing but a trashy, soulless succubus who feeds on people’s weaknesses and—”

“Aha. There you have it—their weaknesses. Yes, your boyfriend may love you so much it hurts,” she cooed as she mocked me, “but just like every other person in the world, all he truly craves is pure, unadulterated sex.”

I winced at her comment before scanning my surroundings for a weapon. She would need to be taken out with one shot. Her ability was too dangerous for a long fight.

“Perhaps you weren’t satisfying him enough,” she continued, ignoring my advances to the lamp by the nightstand. “But don’t worry, I fed on his lust. Even though it wasn’t much, it tasted divine.”

I pulled the lamp out of the socket. “Tell me how this taste.”

The swing of the weapon hit Cassandra across the face and knocked her to the floor. My heart pumped with adrenaline as thoughts of continuous assaults played in my mind, but looking down at her seemingly unconscious body lying face-first on the floor, my rage simmered enough to drop the lamp and claim victory.

Confirmation of her status came quicker than expected with the sound of incoherent mumbling. I stood over and demanded, “Don’t you ever touch my boyfriend again. You better pray that the people you’ve hurt in the past have enough heart to forgive you. I sure as hell won’t.”

I emitted a light in my palm and directed it down at Cassandra, hoping to free her from whatever spell she was under. Before the radiance could discharge out of my hand, however, a pair of fingers rubbed across my leg.

“Stupid, stupid girl,” she muttered, stumbling to her feet while keeping her hand around my ankle. “I’m going to have fun killing you.”

Immobilized from her touch, I could do nothing but feel the palm of her hand slap against my cheek repeatedly. She then wrapped her fingers around my throat and pushed me onto the bed.

“My beauty will be the last thing you see,” she declared with a bug-eyed expression, climbing on top of me as I struggled to breathe. “Have you ever been aroused by asphyxiation? I’ll make sure you die happy, little girl.”

I was looking into the eyes of the woman who was close to taking my life away. Those same eyes grew wider with the sound of a gunshot. A clot of blood gushed out of her mouth before her body fell on top of mine.

My lips parted to scream, but the masked shooter's hand covered my mouth. I clawed my fingers at the black glove they wore, using my last breath to let out a muffled cry for help as my vision darkened. It wasn’t long after that the darkness completely took over.