"Why so quiet my dear?" Asmodeus smiled humourlessly from his chair at the head of the endlessly long table at which we were the only guests, before taking another sip of his wine. "You haven't touched your food, is it not to your liking?"
I glared at the immaculately presented food that sat going cold in front of me, it smelt delicious. "No. It is not." I replied acidly.
"What a shame, perhaps you have a different kind of hunger, that this food cannot satisfy?" he smiled again but this time filled with lust.
What an obnoxious insufferable bag of absolute shit. I know, I know for a fact that he knows exactly what is wrong. I KNOW that he is reading every thought, every emotion, every single bit of information that passes through my mind and he has the cheek to just sit here and pretend like he's not.
"Won't you even look at me?" he said, a low current of annoyance dangerously lacing his voice.
I ignored him and continued mentally stabbing his metaphorical corpse in my mind, making sure to project the image very clearly for his personal viewing enjoyment.
"You will look at me when I ask you to." He demanded.
I felt a tug at my neck, I ignored it, but the more I did, the stronger it became. With increasing urgency, the stone in the necklace gradually forced my head round...What the hell?
"Much better." He pushed his plate of food aside and leant over the table, grasping my chin in his left hand. "Now I can see those beautiful eyes."
Yeah you can probably see that they're all red from crying because of you asshole.
His eyes softened a little "I am sorry that it was painful, if it wasn't necessary I wouldn't have hurt you, I don't want to cause you pain Allie."
"Yeah well, you fucking did." I heard my voice crack and waver with the threat of more tears. Tears of rage. He sighed.
"I know it might not feel like it, or be an adequate explanation. But it was necessary for you to wear this, I, needed you to wear this."
his crimson eyes drew lines across the bare skin of my neck, their gaze coming to rest on the red stone that had melded itself into my flesh. His hand followed the path his eyes had set and traced from my chin, across my jaw to the gem. It buzzed to life at his touch, the trapped flames humming and glowing beneath his fingers. It was warm, but not uncomfortable. I felt the sparks of electricity jump where his skin met mine despite myself, as he gently stroked the angry red scars surrounding the ruby where it had seared my flesh. At his touch I found my anger dulling from it's wicked point to a smoother, more background emotion. I could probably still have killed him though.
"What. Possible. Reason. Could you have. For burning a fucking gemstone into my neck?" I asked through gritted teeth, my voice now steady.
"Because of what you are Allie."
"And what's that?" I questioned menacingly.
"What you are Allie is very rare and precious indeed, so much so that you are in danger because of it. Therefore, I have marked you as mine. Any demon who sees this necklace, knows that any pursuit of you whatsoever is a direct challenge to me, and will continue only at the expense of his own life. It has an ownership enchantment placed on it that is unmistakable... to protect you."
"So you're saying... that you own me?" Asshole, I'd like to see you try.
"If only you would let me." He smiled and sat back in his seat. "You're much too feisty to roll over and sit like a good little dog," he taunted, trying to get a reaction out of me. "though you could be trained I suppose." he added thoughtfully.
"Never." I replied adamantly, my rage slowly unraveling at the charming expression he had now plastered all over his face. An attempt to butter me up no doubt. I sipped my wine, trying to remain pissed because it's what he deserved. He looked me over with amusement before speaking.
"Oh, one thing I may have forgotten to mention, although the necklace does not allow me to control your mind. It does offer me a certain ...physical power, over your body."
"wha—" I spluttered, mind flickering back to the tugging at my neck when he told me to look at him.
"Oh yes," his eyes wandered across my body hungrily "and I think you'll find that it can be, rather persuasive."
Oh dear god...