"What the hell happened to you?" Kassandra practically shrieked

  "I fucked a succubus for almost an hour," Rey smirked while giving Ajay the side-eye. Of course, Kassandra didn't seem to like that answer. She had an almost appalled look on her face. "Things didn't end amicably. She wanted my soul, and you know why I would disagree with giving that up. So, I proceeded to skull fuck her with a rock. Yes, an actual rock. Why are you looking at me like that?"

  They were back in the castle, and the lovely denizens of this filthy place didn't even let them get cleaned up before surrounding them. But Rey expected as much. After all, they had come back after a long time. It was hard to tell the time in Hell because the day and night were all the same. The same red, veiny sky hovered overhead all the time. Eventually, one got over it, but in the beginning, it drove everyone nuts trying to figure out when to sleep and when to wake up.

  Kassandra crossed her arms. "Then explain the blood?"

  Rey looked down at himself. He looked like a walking candy apple. He grinned. "Most of it's not mine. Though I am bleeding in several places, and I'd better not get a lasting scar on my pretty face."

  He wasn't lying. He was worried about that, but it looked like Kassandra and everyone else weren't. They had disbelieving looks on their faces.

  She sighed and looked at Ajay. "Is he telling the truth?"

  The recently turned man nodded, spoke with confidence, and didn't stutter when a hottie like Kassandra talked to him. "He is. We ended up in a succubus's dungeon and had to fight through a horde of enemies to get to her."

  "A sex dungeon?" Filomena raised an eyebrow.

  And just like that, all the confidence slithered out of his body. "N-No, why w-would you think that?"

  "No, a real dungeon," Rey interjected before Einstein's awkward cousin spilled the beans about his love-making session. "She just happened to be the boss of the dungeon."

  "Can you please explain properly, like a normal human?" Filomena asked, somehow irritated by all this.

  Could it be because of me? Rey snorted inwardly. Nah. Must be the stuttering Star Wars enthusiast.

  Rey sighed. "Fine. I'll explain, but listen closely. It's hard to repeat myself when you know I'm still fucking bleeding, and if I scar all over my face, I'm doing the same to all of you."

  Just not you, Kassi. Never you.

  Dr. Bahar stepped forward. "We can let them get cleaned up, and I'll tend to their wounds before we question them further."

  "Ah, thank you, doctor," Rey said. "At least there is one here with some patience." He threw a pointed look at everyone, even Kassandra. He didn't want everyone to think he was playing favorites.

  Sergei, the gentle giant, drew a bucket of water from the well, and Rey washed up. The slash marks on his face and body stung, and since he had no other clothes, he had to wear the same tattered rags. However, he hung them out to dry for a little bit. He didn't want to get sick. A fever in Hell was the worst since there was no Advil or antibiotics.

  He had to go about in his wet underwear and did so without shame, though some of the women tried their best not to look at his third leg, and a lot of them failed, Kassandra included.

  The good doctor treated them upstairs, in the same room as she had treated Kassandra and him when the Gorrans injured them. He sat in the chair while Dr. Dahar worked on sealing his wounds. Thank God he didn't need any stitches; otherwise, he would have been beyond pissed for two reasons. One, it would have scarred him permanently, and second, they had nothing to stitch him with or a needle.

  All things that could be found in a proper kingdom, but they were hundreds of miles away from the closest kingdom. Getting to the kingdom was a problem of mammoth proportions, and then surviving in the kingdom was another. As their souls were a beacon for any hungry demon to come, fill their belly with flesh and soul, and those dirty fuckers were always hungry.

  As the doctor fixed him up, he orated to the crowd of his great adventures. He may or may not have inflated some of his deeds and downplayed others. After all, he was quite humble indeed. If the others were surprised at the concept of dungeons, they didn't show. They took to it quite easily and were in quiet contemplation as the doctor finished.

  "Hey Ajay, I just had a thought," Rey said.

  "Yes."

  "Couldn't you have dried my clothes with your firepower? You know, evaporated the water like this." He snapped his fingers. "I wouldn't have to sit here and show my cock to the world."

  Ajay's eyes widened. "That's right. I'll be right back."

  "If you burn them, then you'd better burn your clothes too, or I'll take a dump on them, so you have no choice but to burn them," Rey called.

  With that beautiful imagery, Ajay left to become Rey's personal dryer. The others were finally coming to grips with what's what by the time he left.

  "So, a dungeon is an easy place to rank up," Jerry said.

  "Hey, if you get it, then they all do," Rey replied.

  "Shut up," the biker snapped.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  "Why did this dungeon just spring up there in the forest?" Tia asked, speaking up for the first time from the corner.

  "I can't rightly tell you, Ms. Yellow Hair," Rey replied. "Dungeons have a habit of springing up anywhere. If one sprang up next to the castle, our dear Phil would become the boss, and he would have to parade around naked to lure demons into it."

  "I'm sorry, I would have to do what?" Phil asked, clearly worried.

  "That was a joke," Kassandra clarified. "Or I think so."

  Rey looked to Phil and shook his head lightly, and mouthed. Not a joke.

  "You sure know a lot about this place," Tia stated. "Almost makes me wonder, you've been here before?"

  That gave Rey pause. She was planting a very dangerous idea in everyone's head, and he needed to squash it immediately, or it could turn ugly for him. He was no longer in the dungeon where he could speak freely, but maybe he didn't need to hide so much. He could give a little more tidbit here and there, even more than he had been giving.

  That would raise questions about how he was getting this information, but the dear old Seer Element would always come in handy. However, if he gave away too much, someone might be enticed to take up the Element themselves and realize it's not as clear as he made it seem.

  No, I'll stick to the same narrative as before.

  Rey barked a laugh. "If I'd been here before. I would've killed myself and turned demon like Phil and done away with these human morals."

  He wasn't lying about that, either. Well, most of it. The only reason he hadn't turned into a demon was that having a soul was very helpful in a place like Hell. It was a chip to bargain with. To be traded at a time when it would be most beneficial to Rey. Of course, he would just cheat the demon he had made a deal with because only an idiot would keep their word to a demon. And the major reason he hadn't turned demon yet—he was with all these humans.

  Being around all these living souls would drive any demon up the wall. Drive their hunger through the roof, and that was primarily why Phil betrayed them to Unokir. He opened the castle doors because Unokir said that he would get to keep a third of their souls. A barter that ultimately cost him everything.

  He made a mental note to keep Phil close and keep an eye on his activities. If he were having a hard time controlling his urges, Rey would put him down himself. The best thing would be to take down Phil here and now. But if he did that, then these lovely meat sacks who still foolishly considered Phil their friend would turn against him, and that would raise more problems for him. Chief among them would be—keeping Kassandra alive. Despite not wanting to get close to her, there were still some key things and knowledge that he needed to impart to her to keep her alive and moving.

  His last comment about doing away with human morals and hesitations had gotten them to look at Phil a little differently. A wariness had crept into their vision, and Rey had a hard time keeping the smile off his face. This was precisely how they should've been looking at him from the start. From the moment he returned, they should've been wary of him. After all, he wasn't human anymore.

  But who listens to dear old Rey? Even when he's trying to save their skin.

  "Guys, it's still me," Phil said. "Nothing has changed."

  "Except that you don't have your soul," Rey added.

  Then a miracle happened in Hell that day—Tia, the obnoxious, poisonous-tongued blondie, sided with Rey. "He's right. How are we to know that you even see us as human or just prey to be devoured when the time is right?"

  Yes! You go, Barbie's annoying twin.

  "I would never do that to you guys," Phil protested. "Guys, I don't feel any different." He turned to his sexy friend. "Gloria, you believe me, right?"

  She nodded. "He's right. Nothing has changed. He hasn't done anything that would cause me to think that he is trying to hurt any of us."

  "Well, if you find my body or the real-life Mean Girls with missing appendages or limbs, you'll know who to blame," Rey said.

  "Rey, we're friends," Phill said. "I would never."

  "I believe you," Rey lied. This is exactly how Phil had gotten them all to trust him and then shanked them in the butt. "Trust me, I want to believe you, but I'm not sure I believe your demon side. You must've felt the urge by now."

  Phil averted his eyes.

  "Yes, you have." Rey stood and walked to him slowly as he spoke. "The urge to feed on any living flesh. The hunger for our souls, which by now is something you can ignore, but no matter how much you eat, it will not go away. It will only grow and grow until it is maddening. A scream in the back of your head that will not silence, no matter how much demon flesh you consume."

  "That's not true," Phil muttered.

  "Oh, it is true, my friend—even this instant, surrounded by all of us living souls. You must want to feed. Feast on our flesh, drink our blood, and consume our soul, for only that will bring your demon side true nourishment."

  "S-Stop. You're lying." His hands were shaking now.

  "Am I? Then why are you cowering away from me?" Rey outstretched his arms. "Here I am, Phil. I give you permission to ravish me. Go ahead, take a bite."

  Phil shook, nearly trembling on the spot. It was clear to everyone that he was fighting something. Fighting with himself as he did his best to control himself. Then he stilled and smiled at Rey.

  He placed a hand on Rey's shoulder. "Thank you, Rey. Now, I know I can fight it."

  For fuck's sake. Rey sighed inwardly. Just one little bite would have been enough to make everyone see.

  Rey smiled. "That's good. Let's hope you can keep fighting it."

  He turned to go back to his chair, but before he had even finished the turn, Phil lunged for him. Someone screamed Rey's name while others cried out Phil's name. It was a cacophony of different names. Kassandra's hand flashed to her daggers. Gloria lunged for Phil, as did some others. Only Tia stayed still, choosing to watch the show. None had bothered moving at all.

  Rey flicked his fingers up and activated Gravitational Attraction. He flipped gravity for Phil, making him attracted to the ceiling. He crashed against the ceiling and was stuck there. He snarled, revealing fangs that weren't there moments ago. He stood and tried to fall to the ground by jumping, but failed repeatedly. It was rather comical.

  After a few moments, when Phil was tired of the attempt, Rey stopped his skill and let him crash to the ground. Surprisingly, it was Jerry who moved first. He clamped his arms around Phil's wrists and turned his arms to metal. No matter how much Phil squirmed, he couldn't get free.

  "I'll kill you," Phil raged. "I'll kill you and feast on your souls one day."

  Jerry, using one of his metal skills, locked Phil's arms behind him with a pair of thick handcuffs that were oddly in the shape of Jerry's beefy hands.

  Then Phil began to sob uncontrollably. "I'm sorry," he heaved. "I'm so sorry, Rey. I don't know what came over me. I just wanted to hurt and kill you. It was like someone else entirely had taken over, and I was no longer in control."

  "I know exactly what you mean," Rey said, which raised more than a few eyebrows. To which he winked at the others, hoping that would be enough. "Let's lock up our dear Phil until we decide what to do with him."

  "What? Rey, I promise I'll control myself. I won't do it again." Phil pleaded.

  "Phil, buddy, this is for our own good—mostly the humans, but you get the gist of it," Rey said. "Don't worry. We'll let you know well in advance before we decide to axe you."

  "What?"

  Jerry and Sergei dragged him away and hoped they would lock the dear demon up well before he tried his eventual attempt at escape. He had hope in the Siberian Tiger, but he was sure Jerry would somehow botch the job. This hadn't happened last time, but it was bound to happen sooner or later.

  Rey was going to kill him before Demon Daddy even had the time to step out of his room.

  "So, do we kill him now or let him think he has a chance?"