The Summoned Demon: 3. A Bargain in Blood

The candles had burned low, their wax dripping into ugly puddles across the floor. The circle, once so sharp and deliberate, now looked smeared and broken—as if the ritual itself had collapsed under the weight of what it had unleashed.

Mara’s body trembled, her back still pressed against the wall. Sweat cooled on her skin, making her shirt cling damply to her curves. She should have been horrified. She should have been clawing at the door, calling a priest, anyone. Instead, she was panting, her body humming, her thighs still sticky with the evidence of what he had done to her.

And he was watching.

The demon crouched in front of her like a predator at rest, his eyes glowing faintly in the dim light. His fingers—those same fingers that had dragged every sound from her throat—were wet, glistening, and he licked them slowly, savoring.

Her stomach flipped.

“You taste like you were starving,” he said. His voice was dark velvet, rich enough to make her clench all ove