Haisley
Zyraxiel kneels before me, towering, a nightmarish figure pulled straight from the depths of my darkest fears. His skin is black and bracked, like coal, veins pulsing with an eerie red light that seems to glow just beneath the surface, as if his entire being is fueled by something dark and sinister. His chest—broad and powerful—bears twisted, sinewy lines, glowing faintly with the same hellish red that pulses in his eyes.
Those eyes… They lock onto mine, burning like embers, unblinking and cold. There's a terrifying intelligence behind them, something ancient and cruel. It's like staring into the abyss and feeling it stare back, a gaze that strips you down, sees everything, every hidden secret, every sin. His horns, curling grotesquely from his head, are almost regal in their horror, dark and jagged, a twisted crown on a demon king.
His face is brutal, sharp lines and hardened edges, lips twisted into something that could almost be a smirk, though there's nothing remotely human about it. His presence alone radiates power, thick and suffocating, like the room itself bends under his will.
But it's his body—his muscular, impossibly strong frame—that feels the most disturbing. Every movement he makes is deliberate, like a predator stalking its prey, his muscles shifting beneath that dark, cracked skin. And the worst part? His hand, massive and clawed, moves slowly towards me with a bizarre gentleness, completely at odds with the horrors I've witnessed. The warmth of his touch lingers, unsettling in its contrast to everything else about him.
Zyraxiel is more than just a demon. He's a monster. And yet, the worst part is how a small part of me, buried beneath all the terror, feels drawn to him—an instinct I can't control, a need for the warmth he offers, even though I know it's a lie, a trap.
I hate him. I fear him. And still, I can't look away.
"Come closer, for heat," Zyraxiel whispers, his voice dark and low, cutting through the silence like a blade. But I stay pressed against the wall, every instinct in my body screaming to stay as far away from him as possible.
Before I can resist, his hands, impossibly large and strong, reach forward, gripping the tops of my arms. His touch is like fire, pulling me closer, dragging me toward him without effort. I'm not even touching him, yet the heat radiating from his body begins to seep into me, melting the icy cold that has gripped me since this nightmare began.
How? I don't know how this is possible. Nothing about him makes sense—he's a demon, something out of the darkest corners of hell, yet his warmth wraps around me like a blanket.
I glance around quickly, my heart pounding, and I see it—none of the other demons are this massive, this terrifying. Why do I have him? The biggest and most terrifying one? My body trembles with both fear and exhaustion, but the warmth… it makes me want to inch closer. My mind is screaming to resist, to fight, but my body is desperate for relief, for the comfort he offers.
He reaches out again, and a swirling portal opens before him. For a brief second, a thought flashes through my mind: What if I jumped through? Would I escape? Or would it take me somewhere worse, somewhere I can never come back from?
Before I can dwell on it, his hand reappears, holding a plate of food. He offers it to me, and I stare at it for a moment, torn. I'm starving—I would be lying if I said otherwise. My body aches for sustenance, and though my mind screams at me to reject it, I reach out, taking the plate from his hand. I start eating, small bites, my hands shaking so badly I can barely hold the food.
All around me, the others are talking, but I can't join in. Words are impossible. My teeth chatter violently, my entire body trembling from a fear I can't shake.
Suddenly, the plate slips from my trembling hands, but before it can crash to the floor, Zyraxiel moves. He wraps his arms around me, pulling me into his massive, heated embrace. The warmth floods my body instantly, and I almost stop shaking immediately.
I hate myself for it, but I lean into him, pressing closer to the heat, desperate for the warmth and comfort. For the first time since this began, my body feels normal. I glance around and notice the other demons leaving after only a few minutes. Their portals linger, and the other women watch eagerly, hoping their demons will return. But Zyraxiel doesn't move. He stays with me, his warmth seeping into my bones like a drug I didn't know I needed.
He moves again, his arm stretching out as another portal opens. This time, he pulls out a mirror, its surface glinting under the dim light. He places it in my hands, and I stare at it, confused.
"When you need something, look into this mirror," Zyraxiel says quietly, his voice a whisper against my ear. "Ask, and I will hear you."
I stare at the mirror, my mind reeling, and before I can respond, he pulls back. He wraps the blanket tighter around me, almost tenderly, before disappearing into the swirling portal. A second later, the portal vanishes, and with it, his presence.
Around me, the other women start to cry, realizing the time is up. Some of the demons never came. Their disappointment is palpable, their tears falling fast as they understand what that means.
But I sit in stunned silence, trying to process what just happened. Zyraxiel stayed with me. He never left. Samantha, Laurie, and Sasha—they weren't visited. And somehow, that feels even more terrifying than anything that's happened so far.