Date with Destiny-Demon Style

The hallway seemed to stretch on for miles as they walked. Her steps were brisk, putting her a few feet ahead of her mother. The five inch heels of her black stilettos clicked against the dark tile. God, she felt like a freaking skyscraper! The small, translucent lace panties that showed off her long stems didn't exactly make her feel any more comfortable. People always said she had the legs of a model. Right now she wished those legs would turn her around and start running. But alas, she was stuck with her mother following a Rage demon down the massive corridor to the bedchamber where she would spend her first night. With a cannibalistic prince, no less. An idea that put a scowl on her lovely face.

The tight waist of the bustier didn't help her mood, either. Jet black with red velvet laces up the sides and back, it crushed her ribs and pushed her breasts up to her chin. She hated it. Her mother had laced the damn thing too tight. She couldn't quite catch her breath in it, making her feel like she was drowning. She would give it some credit, however. As uncomfortable as it was, at least it made her small chest seem larger.

She crossed her arms over the bodice, uncomfortable with showing this much skin. The thin black robe that railed behind her like a cape was the only thing she was given to make her feel more comfortable. It didn't help much, but it was something. She'd never been comfortable with her body, much less her sexuality. Her mother, in all her infinite wisdom, had miraculously forgotten to explain to her the dynamics of sex. She learned most of her information about human anatomy from playing with her dolls.

"Why didn't you tell me one of them was a cannibal?" She looked back at her mother, scowling.

"It's not my place to tell you which prince to choose. That is a choice

you

have to make." Her mother made an apologetic face.

"You could have at least warned me what he was before I went out there and picked him!" She whipped her head back, glaring at the back of the Rage demon in front of her.

"Would you have wanted me to tell you which was the necrophile, too?"

She screeched to a halt, wheeling to face her mother. Her mouth gaped open. "Which one was that?!"

"The blonde one on the far left. He kept winking at you."

A shiver of revulsion shot through her. Cannibal or necrophile?

One that kills you and eats you or one that kills you then sleeps with you?

She didn't know which could be worse. "You wouldn't have actually let me sleep with

him,

would you?" She gave her mother a frantic look.

Her mother shook her head. "I wouldn't have had a choice. We must follow Hell's rules."

"Fuck the damn rules!" She shouted. "Those stupid laws are going to get me stuck here with a cannibal price or a necrophile or God knows what else!"

"Kara, we have to play their game. Remember that you could be killed for not obeying the laws." Her mother's voice was condescending, making her mood even more foul.

"And I could ask a Greed demon to devour you." She muttered the thought under her breath.

"I'm just trying to help, sweetheart." She felts her mother's hand on her shoulder, a sad excuse for comfort.

"You're doing a horrible job." She shrugged, trying to break contact with her mother.

The hand slid from her shoulder. Staring straight ahead, she watched out of the corner of her eye as her mother hung her head. She sighed inwardly. She didn't like being so harsh with her mother, but it was her mother who brought her here in the first place. If she had just kept her at home, the demons would have eventually found her, but it probably would have been after she'd graduated college. Her mother's strict following of rules had made Kara erupt more than once. This just happened to be the Mount Vesuvius of explosions.

The hallway turned, leading to a dead end of blood-stained bricks covered in carvings of tortured souls. At the end of the hall stood an enormous door carved with scenes of Cerberus devouring the souls of those damned to Hell for their gluttony. The bricks that outlined the door were covered in scenes depicting the lower circles of Hell.

Oh, this was going to be fantastic.

The Rage demon pounded on the door, signaling their arrival to those on the other side. She pulled the thin robe round her, trying to hide her form from prying eyes. A deep rumbling voice called them to enter. She dropped her hands to her sides, defeated. No chance of going back now

Her mother's hand rubbed her back. "I'm sure he'll go easy on you."

She looked at her mother, desperation in her eyes. "You think so?"

Her mother gave her a cheery smile. "Oh, come on. He can't be

that

bad."

"But you said he was a cannibal. What if he decides to eat me?" Her eyes were wide with worry.

Her mother giggled at her fear. "Well, he might. That depends on what you want."

Kara's eyes nearly popped out of her skull. "What?!"

Her mother, seeing her face, quickly attempted some damage control. "No! No! Not like

that

, Kara! He won't actually devour you. He'll just..."

Kara's face softened for a moment, a look of confusion crossing her features. That confusion was replaced by a look of understanding, then absolute horror. She blushed furiously, her eyes darting to the floor.

The door swung open. Darian, the young prince she had chosen earlier, was standing in the middle of a cavernous room with his father at his side. He was wearing nothing but a pair of black jeans. His muscular chest and abdomen had been cleaned and painted a deep gold. The same gold paint shimmered on his strong arms. His chiseled face was upturned, eyes closed, his breathing slow. A thin, whip-like tail -where did

that

come from?!- snapped back and forth furiously.

The enormous demon crossed the room with thunderous steps, placing his hands on his son's shoulders. "Remember, Darian. She is

not

food."

Her eyes widened in shock, then narrowed as she looked down and glared at her mother. All she got was a nervous, half-assed smile. Not even her mother would protect her. Wonderful.

Being dragged here by my spineless mother to spend the night with a cannibal prince. Well, hell. I can't get much safer that this, can I?

she thought angrily.

Darian and his father whipped around to look at them. Instinctively, she drew her robe even more tightly around herself. Giving one last look of expectation to his son, Marcianus turned and made his way to them, having to duck through the door to exit the bedroom. When he finally came through the doorway, she was finally able to take in his monstrous form.

Standing over seven feet tall, his skin was black as coal and his eyes burned a fiery gold. Massive horns grew from both sides of his head, curling up near the pointed tips. Arms as thick as tree boughs were wrapped with gold armbands emblazoned with archaic script. A colossal trunk of a body that would have made even a loin second-guess attacking lead to thighs like marble columns and long feet with grime-crusted claws.

Holy shit. If he gets fired from here, he's got a head start for being hired as a professional Boogeyman.

She swallowed loudly at the thought.

Marcianus nodded to her. "Princess."

Shaking, she managed a faint smile.

He grinned back, showing rows of teeth as sharp as razors. "I hope you find my son to you liking."

She nodded, putting on her best eager face. "I'm sure I will."

Her stomach turned. Forgetting about the cannibal she was about to sleep with, her mind focused on a new thought that sent her heart racing: If the prince didn't eat her, his father might.

Her mother, with all of her maternal instincts clearly running at full capacity, patted her on the back and wished her good luck. Then she moved behind Kara, put her hands against her back and shoved her through the doorway. Before she had a chance to turn around, the massive oak door was pulled shut. Her only path to safety had been closed off, leaving her locked in a bedroom with a gorgeous -and probably ravenous- demon prince. Perfect.

Looking around the room itself, she was taken aback by the absolute luxury of it all. High arched ceilings, walls tiled in black marble and ornately decorated sconces burning brightly. In the center of the room stood an enormous four-post canopy bed carved of solid mahogany and stained so dark it looked black. The four posts that extended up from the bed frame cradled a massive amount of sheer red and black fabric that spilled over every edge of the canopy all the way down to the floor. The fabric itself was opaque enough to let someone see only a delicate outline of the bed's occupants without obscuring them completely.

Oh, God. She'd have to sleep there. With

him!

Drawing a long, shaky breath, she turned around to face the hell-born prince who would share that bed with her for the night. He was as stunning up close as he was at a distance. His eyes were the color of the deep ocean, slowly changing to a stormy grey.

Huh. It's like his eyes are some kind of mood ring. I wonder what grey means...

What if it meant hunger? She shifted uneasily, staring at the tiled floor.

He cocked his head. "Aren't you going to look?"

She looked at him, questioning in her eyes. "Look? At what?"

He spread his arms wide. "Me. You're supposed to inspect me to make sure there's nothing you don't like."

"Oh." She chewed her lip. "Nobody told me I had to inspect anything."

He dropped his arms, giving her a confused look. "Your mother didn't explain this to you?"

She shook her head, her eyes returning to the ground. "Mom manages to find a way to never tell me anything. Trust me. If it's important, she'll find away to avoid the conversation."

"Here, then." He stepped forward, stopping only inches from her. Heat radiated off his skin, the power it held so immense it made her shiver. She looked up at him, surprised to see how tall he really was. Even in five inch heels, he still stood a good four inches taller than her.

He spread his arms wide again and straightened his spine. "Take a look."

She hesitated, stalling for time. She didn't want to be here inspecting this man/demon/cannibal. She just wanted to go home and crawl into bed.

Too bad, so sad.

He laughed at her hesitation. "Relax. I'm not going to bite you."

Her eyes widened and her gut clenched.

"Oh." His eyes softened, giving her an apologetic look. "My apologies."

She swallowed, fighting the lump in her throat. "It's okay."

Trying to ease the obvious tension, Darian gave her a promising smile. "Well, come on, then. Inspect me. You might as well get it over with now."

Surprised at first by his prodding, she softened and smiled back.

Thank God. At least he has some chivalry in him.

She stepped back to get a better look. Pleased, he straightened his back again, putting on a show for her.

She tried to hold herself together while looking at him, but this man was just too much to bear. Corded biceps and toned forearms were the first to grab her attention. The gold paint on his skin drew her eyes down to his face, then down his neck to his abdomen. Smooth, defined pectorals and abs that could have been made of chiseled rock captured her eye before her gaze continued down. The muscles of his waist were so cut they were almost painful to look at. Tight black jeans covered his legs, but they managed to show off a good amount of definition despite the heavy denim.

Cautiously, she stepped around his form, inspecting him from all sides. She felt his eyes on her as she moved around. He seemed to be watching her as she moved, inspecting her as she inspected him.

She stood behind him, staring at the mass of naked skin stained with gold. Whoever had put the paint on his body, they did a damn good job. It glinted in the soft light of the sconces, highlighting the definition of his shoulders and back. There probably wasn't a muscle in his body that he hadn't worked on. It was when her eyes dropped lower that she finally saw his most prominent feature up close.

A tail, long and thin, grew out of the base of his spine. Pitch-black in color, it swung lazily from side to side. So slowly that she started to become hypnotized by the smooth rhythm of its motion. Her mind felt fuzzy, like she was dreaming wile awake. The tail continued to swing back and forth, drawing her even deeper into it's hypnotic...

"Something wrong?" His tone was concerned.

His voice snapped her out of the trance. She whipped her head up to see him peering over his shoulder at her, his eyes a beautiful emerald green.

She shook her head, smiling shyly. "No, no. It's just...I've never seen a

tail

before."

He smiled back at her. "Your mother didn't tell you shit."

She beamed. "Not a damn thing."

He laughed, a musical sound that resonated off the marble walls. "You poor, uneducated thing. How will you survive here?"

Her humor faded and she gave him a stern look. "Don't mock me."

His laughter stopped abruptly. He turned, putting his hands up. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything..."

"Let me explain something to you." Her tone was stern, making his mouth snap shut in surprise. It always empowered her knowing that she could shut a man up just by changing her voice.

She crossed her arms. "I wasn't blessed with a mother who told me everything I needed to know when I needed to know it. I got the mom who was so clueless about talking to her daughter that she barely explained

anything

to me until I was sixteen. I learned how to read by watching Sesame Street. I learned how to count by using children's books. I learned about sex by playing with freaking Barbie dolls! So don't think that just because my mom didn't tell me crap about shit that I can't find some way to make it out okay."

The look in his eyes slowly transitioned from shocked to challenging. They shifted again, changing from emerald to crimson.

Uh oh. Warning! Warning! Red means anger!

He took a step toward her, catching her off guard. She took a step back, fear coursing through her veins again.

"What the hell are you doing? Back off!" She took another step back when he edged closer. "Don't think I won't smash your face in."

"Don't think that you frighten me." Moving quicker than lightening, he stepped closer until he stood a breath away from her. Wrapping one arm around her waist, he hauled her onto his shoulder and began to make his way towards the bed.

"HEY! Put me down!" She pounded her fists into his back.

"Not a chance, little girl. I intend to have some fun tonight, whether you like it or not." She could hear the grin in his voice, causing her to panic and hit harder.

Not good. Definitely not good.

"You asshole! Put me down!" she screamed.

"If you insist." He pushed the filmy material of the canopy back and dropped her onto the enormous mattress. The impact sent sheets and pillows flying into the air before collapsing down onto her.

She heard the sound of ripping fabric, making her fight through the torrent of feathers and cotton to find the cause of the noise. Darian was still standing in front of the bed. He was reaching up high into the waterfall of material that flowed down from the canopy, tearing away long strips of the fabric.

Fearing the worst, she tried to scramble backwards to the headboard. But the sheets had become tangled around her, locking her in place. Trapped, she could only imagine the plans he had in store for her. None of the scenarios she came up with seemed promising.

He grinned down at her. "Poor thing. Locked in a room with a cannibal. How will you survive?"

She glared at him. "By punching your teeth in!" Calling on the hidden strength granted to her by her demon father -something she almost never did- she twisted one arm out of the binding knots of fabric and aimed her fist right at his eyes.

He caught her fist in his palm, smiling sarcastically at her. Moving too fast for her eyes to register, he began unwinding her limbs from the sheets and tie them to the bed posts.

Splayed out like a fresh sacrifice, she pulled against her restraints. He climbed onto the soft mattress and crawled over her hips, straddling her waist. He reached out and played absently with her top, tracing the edges of her breasts with his finger.

He leaned close, his face an inch away from her own. "Let's see what we have under this little bodice, shall we?" She could smell honey on his breath, along with hints of vanilla. Somewhere, hidden deep under the sweet scents, she swore she could detect the coppery residue of blood. The smell was intoxicating, choking her senses. It made her dizzy and lightheaded. Vulnerable.

Smiling, he leaned back and grabbed the top of her bodice with his hand. He pulled his hand back sharply, tearing the fabric to shreds. His eyes widened as he took in her form, causing him to grin.

Whimpering, she blushed and turned her head away. She hated being stared at by men on the streets, and this drooling mongrel was no better.

She flinched when she felt his fingertip brush her skin. Still refusing to look at him, she shivered as his finger slid lightly along her flesh. Her traced her ribcage, her stomach, her waist. His finger drifted up to her chest, dolling out feather-light caresses onto the sensitive underside of her small breasts. Her breathing quickened, and she struggled to control herself.

Damn him

.

He chuckled softly. "My God, woman. You look good enough to eat." His finger pressed harder against her flesh.

She whipped her head around to stare at him, fear eclipsing whatever anger had previously found home within her heart. That anger burned even hotter when his fingers softly toyed with her nipples, tugging lightly at the soft nubs.

His smile turned wicked, his knife-edged canines glinting in the soft firelight of the sconces. "In fact, why don't we start there for tonight?"

"Wha-" her cry was cut off when he pressed his palm to her mouth. He shook his head, his eyes -- black as the marble tiles- piercing hers.

"Ah! No more fighting. This is your first time in Hell, princess, but I've lived here my entire life. My house, my rules."

Grinning like a mad man, he crawled down to the edge of the bed, sliding off the sheets and onto the floor. He stared at her spread legs, running his nails up and down the soft skin of her inner thigh. She tried pulling at her restraints again, but he just smiled at her. She wasn't going anywhere.

Reaching forward, Darian's fingernails caught the edge of her panties. In one swift motion he had ripped the unyielding lace away, finally leaving her fully exposed and helpless. His finger ran along the crease between her thigh and her outer lip. Finally defeated, she leaned her head back onto one of the soft pillows.

"You've never been devoured before, have you?" His eyes flicked up to her, now an iridescent gold.

She shook her head.

His laughter echoed against the walls. "A perfect virgin. You have more and more surprises every minute." He gave her a soft smile. "Don't worry. I'm not actually going to devour your flesh and bones. I'm just going to give you your first dose of what each of us will give you while you're here."

With that, he crawled back onto the bed , kneeling between her feet and arching his spine so his head was between her thighs. He leaned forward and ran his tongue along her slit, drawing a whimper from her throat. Her body tensed, her heartbeat beginning to race. Blood pounded in her ears, drowning out all sound and thought.

He kept up the gentle assault, kissing and nipping her as she bucked against him. She begged him to stop, but what started out as clear, lucid words slowly melted into harsh gaps and pleading cries for more. She'd lost the battle of fighting against him. Now she had to battle herself to make sure she didn't lose her mind.