CHAPTER 7: THREE FACES FROM HELL

KAELEN'S POV 

The sun had risen high now, its rays piercing through the canopy of leaves above me and bathing the ground in little golden spots. The bustling noise of the merchant market slowly faded away, swallowed by the thick silence of the forest. 

“Ugh," I groaned softly, as I pressed my palms against my side, trying to stop the blood from pouring out. My other hand grabbed the reins tight, yanking it back and stopping the horse from veering into the shrubs.

‘Your foot's healed,’ Thrakos muttered in my skull, his voice smug. 

I glanced down at my foot to see that it had indeed healed up, the flesh that had been torn apart now smooth again. 

“Well, then heal my bloody side," I said through clenched teeth as I leaned forward on the cart's worn dashboard, my vision slowly blurring. “I'm… losing a… lot of godsdamn blood here, Thrakos.” 

‘Fixing a wound like that isn't as easy as the one on your foot, Kaelen,’ Thrakos said, his chuckle resonating through my mind. ‘You have to let the flesh knit back slowly and the bones bridge their gaps with time. Forcing my power into you at once–’ He paused, his voice dropping down to a venomous whisper. “--your body would be torn apart the moment my hellfire passes through your veins.’

I bit down on my lip, trying to push down my pains and stop the questions clawing at my throat from pouring out. I wanted answers—about his powers, about who he truly was, about what I was becoming and why I wanted his touch so bad. But I knew whatever answer he was going to give me wouldn't be useful, so I did the next best thing and swallowed my questions. 

“Alright then," I hissed, groaning a little as he hit a bump and my broken ribcage jabbed at my side. “Do it your own way." 

Silence stretches on for a moment before Thrakos' voice came again, this time dark, low and hungry. ‘There is another way, Kaelen. One that's quick–instant and… filled with pleasure.’

Flame erupted between my thighs, flooding my crotch before I could ask the Demon King what he meant. Suddenly, a hand–his hand–came out of thin air, wrapping around my dick with my cloak caught in-between. 

“Oh–” I gasped, my voice slipping out as Thrakos stroked me through the fabric. His thumb burned a hole through the fabric, rubbing me off as heat surged through my veins. With every movement he made, force flowed through me and I trembled. My pleasure began to overshadow the pain as my dick hardened under his touch. 

‘That’s good,’ Thrakos whispered, his hot breath pouring down on my neck, sending shivers down my spine. ‘Open up and let me in. Let me fill you up.’

“Fuck," I gasped, my eyes rolling to the back of my head. Then, I yanked my head back down, snarling, “STOP!!!" 

Thrakos' hand wavered, slowly leaving me until it disappeared into a cloud of smoke. I was left shaking, my chest rising and falling with heavy gasps. 

I looked down at my chest. The gaping hole was no longer there–a small scar with trickling blood the only evidence of my wound. Thrakos had given me what I needed, but hell, he treated me like I was nothing but an object to him. 

But the worst part of it all was that, deep down, I didn't want him to stop. I hungered for his touch, the feel on him in my mouth and his claws on my chest. I wasn't going to admit it though. Doing that would be worse than bleeding to death. 

“You're a fucking bastard," I said amidst soft breaths as I whipped the reins, pushing the horse forward. 

Thrakos laughed, his sultry tone shaking the halls of my thoughts. ‘And you’re mine, Kaelen.’

I opened my mouth to give him a reply, but then a certain sound broke out from the treeline beside me, low but steady. I pulled the reins and the horse snorted before slowing down to a halt. A small frown formed on my face as I turned toward the sound. 

Gushing water. 

I jumped down from the cart, the stolen clothes clutched to my side and sticky with blood. I stretched my hands forward, parting the hedge before me. The shrub gave way to reveal a stream with clear water that flowed over glistening stones. 

“Fuck, yes," I growled as I rushed into the stream. Water splashed around, the sound of my chuckle tearing through the quiet forest. As I slowly descended toward the center, I gently pulled off the ragged cloak, careful not to drag it along my still healing wound. 

The water was cold and shocking but it did its job. Within seconds, the water flowing from where I stood swirled with crimson. Grime and pieces of flesh were carried away by the water as I scrubbed. 

I cupped my hand and dunked it into the stream, and I was about to pour the water over my face when I suddenly noticed something. My reflection–it was grinning at me. 

My face squeezed into a frown, the water in my cupped hand dripping back into the stream. “What in the—” 

Before I could finish talking, a spurt of water burst forth from the stream, slamming into my chest with a force that sent me sprawling backwards. My elbow crazed the wet stones and a sharp pain shot up my arm. 

“Ugh," I groaned as I crawled back up the bank, the bruise on my elbow slowly healing. My bloodied cloak, caught by my foot slowly drifted from my grasp, carried by the current. 

I looked up just as the surface of the water began to stir violently. A soft mist rose from it, coiling upwards like smoke. Faces shifted from within the fog as it began to take shapes. 

“What in the hell–”

Before I could finish talking, three beings burst forth from the mist, snarling and growling as they hovered around me. They all carried my features, although grotesquely distorted, and bared long fangs at me. 

As they drew closer, their faces began to contort and shift, morphing into three distinct forms. The first transformed into a towering beast with three heads, each snapping and foaming at the mouth with acid. The second had bubbling skin with eight breasts dangling under it as it's three eyes rolled to the back of it's head. The last, shaped like a lion, had long fangs that stretched out of its mouth and stained with blood. 

A sick shiver ran down my spine as I got up from the floor. “You have to be fucking me," I muttered under my breath as I stretched my arms. 

Thrakos chuckled in my head as my cock hardened. “Now?" he asked in a soft whisper.

I clenched my teeth and nodded. "Now.”

The runes on my arms glowed red as long chains burst forth from it, curling around me as they hit the ground. I took a step back, whipping the chain as the demons all raced towards me.