I can’t see his face in the blackness of his hood.
“Welcome to your new home,” he says in that dark voice of his. It feels like it’s coming from everywhere and nowhere. “This is where you’re going to live from now on.”
“It’s a nice home,” I say, resuming my perusal of the space. “Why are you giving me a home?”
“I’m not giving you anything. You earned this.”
A broad smile crawls across my face. “I did? Wow. I can’t remember anything, but I must’ve done something good.”
“You’ve done something, alright. Tell me what you remember.”
His tone is harsh, and I can’t deny him an answer if I tried. “My stomach hurts. And I think it hurt before I got here. I don’t know my name. I don’t know what I look like, but I have pale skin. And,” I pull a strand of my long hair, “purple hair? That’s certainly odd.”
I think he’s watching me as I speak, but I can’t be sure since I can’t see his eyes.
“What else?”
“Nothing. I have this vague feeling of loss, but that’s it.” It’s a little more than vague, but I’ll keep it to myself. I feel like a part of me has been removed and scattered around the universe. Something vital to my existence is missing.
The man folds his hands together, resting them on the table. “Your name is Briar. You are an ancient demon called a succubus.”
“That’s a pretty word. Succubus.” As soon as I say it, warmth washes over me, and I know it to be true. “What does it mean?”
“It means you feed off of lust through blood, sex, dreams… it’s such a nasty habit, and you went too far this time.” His voice is harsh, and my already queasy stomach drops. “You killed someone, someone important, which is why you’re here.”
“This … this is a prison?”
“It’s not just any prison. It’s the ultimate prison. You will not age. You will not die. This is your eternity.” He reaches across the table, grabbing my hand. “And if you’re not learning your lesson, we’ll start it over again.”
He pulls his hood down, and I am shocked by how beautiful he is. When my eyes are drawn to his, I notice how red they are, like fresh blood.
And everything goes dark.
* * *
My stomach hurts.
It’s the only thought in my mind. I can’t even remember my name.
All I can conceptualize is that my stomach hurts.
“Awaken, demon,” a gruff voice shouts. “On your feet.”
Demon? Is that my name, then? It’s not very pretty.
I pull myself to my feet, my eyes adjusting slowly to the room I’m in.
The home I’m in.
“I don’t have the time today. Come.”
I stumble across the home and find a man sitting at the table, wearing black from head to floor, his pale, scarred hands sticking out from his sleeves.
“Who are you?”
“Fuck, I always forget how annoying this part is,” he mutters.
What part?
