Time seemed to stop. He was devastatingly handsome—neatly trimmed beard, close-cut hair with deep waves, full lips, strong jawline and cheekbones. He was gorgeous.
“How you doing, Lor Pussy Fairy?” he drawled, his deep Baltimore accent thick.
He advanced, and I backed away. “Stay the hell away from me!”
With a swift motion, he ripped the necklace from my neck and fed it to the spinning gear on his chest, where it melted into his skin. Seizing the moment, I slashed him with my venomous nails—Nightshade poison seeping into his veins.
“Now, you got me heated,” he growled, his voice a dangerous rumble. Green veins snaked across his skin, but he remained standing. In a blink, his chain shot from his arm, coiling around my neck. It burned like molten metal, searing my skin. I clawed at it, but it only tightened, choking me.
“Don’t fight it, pussy fairy. It’ll be over soon,” he taunted, voice dripping with malice.
He smirked, gold flashing on his teeth. I recognized that grin—the man I’d seen outside the lounge. That smirk was unforgettable.
He yanked the chain, dragging me closer. His tribal markings spun hypnotically, dizzying me. My magic fizzled, my wand out of reach—the chain was draining my strength, suffocating me. Desperate, I spat in his face. The chain constricted, cutting off my air.
“You filthy lil’ bitch!” he snarled, wiping the spit from his cheek with contempt.
Troph, Hoax’s right-hand man, came thundering toward us on a massive black Clydesdale, its wings camouflaged perfectly with the forest canopy. The horse beat the air, soaring above our heads as the warlock kept his grip tight around my throat.
“Let her go! She has nothing to do with our war!” Troph bellowed from above, his voice echoing through the mayhem.
“Nah, I can’t do that! I’m trying to bust her down first. After all, I’m making her wildest dreams come true!” the warlock shouted back, his tone twisted with mockery. He glanced down at me. “Don’t you want me to fuck you and give you pleasure your little elfy boy can’t?” he sneered, then leaned in, his breath against my ear. “I can hear all your past thoughts, see every secret desire,” he taunted, his grip tightening until black spots danced at the edges of my vision.
Troph conjured a fiery orb in his palm, then shaped it into a flaming sword. His horse dove from the sky, wings slicing through the air as he charged the warlock. “These old headsreally think they can defeat me,” the warlock chuckled, pure arrogance in his voice.
A chain shot from his free hand, coiling around Troph and yanking him from the saddle. His sword clattered to the ground as Troph crashed into a tree. “Ahhhhhh!” he howled, the chain wrapping around his neck. I watched, frozen, as it ripped his head clean off his shoulders—blood sprayed the grass, and his body slumped lifeless.
The chain around my neck twisted, morphing into a birdcage that shrank me down to fit inside. I clawed at my throat, gasping for air as he scooped up the cage, holding me like a trophy.
“You’re a demon!” I spat.
He laughed, a low, chilling sound. “I’m worse than a demon. You’ve been around demons all your life, and you’re scared of a little decapitation?” he mocked, eyes glinting with wicked amusement.
“FUCK YOU!” I screamed, gripping the bars until my knuckles turned white.
He grinned, teeth flashing. “I plan to, Lor Pussy Fairy. If I’d known you existed, I would’ve been shown up.”
His ninja mask slid back over his face as he strode toward the village. My heart sank at the sight—bodies of Hoax’s men sprawled across the blood-soaked grass, limbs twisted, faces frozen in terror. The air stank of iron and burnt flesh, smoke curling from the wounds of the mutilated deceased . He was after Hoax’s army, but why drag me into this hell? Was it my whispered wish for Hoax’s death that damned us all?
An elf crawled nearby, half his face missing, blood bubbling from his mouth. The warlock summoned an ancient shotgun, gears spinning along the barrel. He pulled the trigger—two black blasts struck the elf, who screamed as his flesh burned to ash. The stench of cooked meat hit me, bile rising in my throat.
“Please tell me my friends are safe,” I begged, tears streaming down my cheeks.
“They got away,” he said, but his voice was flat, unreadable.
“Liar!”
He shrugged, nonchalantly. “I’m not here for you to trust me.”
Sin was kneeling in the grass, cradling his mother’s broken body. Her wings were butchered, her throat torn open, blood pooling beneath her. His face was streaked with tears and blood, agony twisting his features.
“SIN, RUN!” I screamed, desperation cracking my voice.
The warlock’s voice boomed over the carnage, commanding the shattered survivors’ attention. “Listen up! I’ll be back—and next time, everyone dies! Consider this a warning. Tell your bitch-ass leader in hiding that this is long overdue! I will continue to slaughter all of you until he mans up and faces me! He knows who the fuck I am, and I came back to collect his head! Oh, and this lil’ pussy fairy is my welcome-back gift!” he announced, shaking my cage for emphasis.
Sin rose, blood-soaked and trembling with rage. His ears sharpened, eyes slanted, teeth bared—his elf side barging through. “Put my wife down!” he snarled, voice trembling with rage.
The warlock smirked. “Be easy, dummy. I don’t want to kill you yet. I want you alive so you can hear about me making your pussy fairy squirt. A real warrior would’ve killed his father for disrespecting the women in his life. Let this be a lesson—let it strengthen your bitch-ass,” the warlock spat.
