Liliana - Contract lets Razaketh control her

Liliana abruptly stopped speaking. The demon lowered his wings. His words—smooth, steady, calm—poured over the crowd.

"Come to me."

As soon as his words hit her ears, Liliana felt her shoulders draw back and her face fall slack. The labyrinth of tattoos that covered her skin alit with the demon's call, and she screamed in the privacy of her mind as, without urging or permission, her body waded forward into the river of blood.

***

"You really ought to read contracts before you sign them, you know. People hide all sorts of nasty clauses into them. The other co-authors were so straightforward, but I like a little flair in my dealings."

Razaketh tipped his chin, and without warning, Liliana's right hand balled into a fist and rushed toward her own face. It halted a hair's width from her left eye. Her face was frozen in the emotionless expression of obedience, but internally she squirmed.

***

"I don't think so," the demon roared, and Liliana felt her shoulder dislocate itself.

***

But as the word formed in her mind, she halted.

Her breath had stopped.

She tried to suck in air, but her diaphragm was completely still.

Liliana tried again but found herself unable to breathe.

***

FEAST