Page 149 of Hell Bound
Sameera’s eyes met mine in the mirror.
She swiveled on her chair, brushing a perfectly curled lock of hair over her shoulder. Tonight, she’d eschewed her usual white in favor of a sheer, blood red dress.
The maids had nestled a glittering diadem of rubies in her hair, something that would be considered a grave insult to the queen of another court—to wear a crown denoting higher status in her presence and on her land.
But here it would be a game, a test of wills. Not that this mortal-born Lilith would know what that meant.
“Clean him up,” she commanded a maid sharply, her teeth flashing against her red lips. “He shall be my accessory for the night.”
One of the maids hastily picked up a bottle and a wad of cotton from the dresser, carrying it over to me with her eyes cast towards the floor.
I would fight Sameera, but not her maids. They had done nothing to deserve this.
The young demoness trembled as she knelt next to me, uncorking the bottle and soaking the cotton with a pungent-smelling liquid.
I didn’t make a sound when she touched it to my wounds, nor when it began to burn deep beneath my skin.
Wherever the stinging liquid touched, the wounds began to slowly knit themselves together. Soon my body was a patchwork of fresh pink scars and old, smeared blood.
“Please come with me,” the maid whispered, and for her sake, I complied without a word.
But I wouldn’t allow her to bathe me. The maid hung back while I washed myself, moving slowly, my entire body aching like three days had been enough to catapult me into old age.
After all that time being bled, my wounds were healing more and more slowly. The steady, throbbing pain had settled in for what seemed like a permanent stay.
When I was clean, there were no clothes forthcoming.
Sameera rose from the dresser when I left the bathroom.
“Almost perfect,” she said, smiling as she looked me over. “You get the honor of being my faithful dog for the evening.”
Although the collar was a new gift from Asmodeus, Sameera had quickly mastered the finer points of compelling the curse.
She no longer needed to speak the exact words to make her intentions clear. All she had to do was exert her will upon it.
The chains forced me from my human skin, trading it for fur and four paws. The collar, created with magic as much as with leather, grew to accommodate my new size, remaining snug around my throat.
I landed on all fours, cramped in the dark quarters… but this had been my first shift in days.
The wolf stretched, as though awakening again.
Sameera wrapped the end of the glittering leash around her wrist, tightening it like a bracelet. “Come, Lucifer. Your packmates will all be dogs for the night, just as you are.”
Some of that hopeless dread churning inside me dissipated as I strode forward.
A growl rumbled from my chest.
Sameera walked me out of her quarters. Her hand landed on top of my head as we strode down the hall, nails scraping through my fur in a sickening imitation of petting.
The ball was already beginning when she led me towards the doors. A shadow stood in the doorway, waiting…
Asmodeus stepped forward, smiling. He held out a hand and Sameera placed hers in it delicately.
“You look ravishing,” he told her, in a tone that was almost gentle. “I’ve looked forward to this night for so very long.”
Sameera simpered, wrapping her clawed fingers around his. “But do I compare to the queen?”
Her eyes flashed when she asked, belying her playful tone.
