The Offering Part 1

Lightening flashed, the bright light Illuminating the creature that sat confidently on the throne before him. He shuddered as those icy white eyes bore into his soul, threatening and alluring as she sat a proud Queen threatening to enslave him.

"I see that they have given you to me as some sort of peace offering. Do they really think they can appease me so easily?" She asked her voice like warm honey dripping into his ears. He licked his lips keeping his eyes on his lap, his hands balled into fists as he sat on his knees waiting for her decision, knowing if he displeased her he would die in agony.

"I volunteered. I want this, more than anything." He confessed voice shaking as the tremors of fear wracked his body. He dared a quick glance up at the demon, his curiosity overwhelming his judgment for a moment. His breath quickened as he got his first good look at the demoness. Her black leather boots climbed her legs stopping at mid-thigh, the tops of stockings peaking above them, and hugged her long curvy legs. He felt himself struggle for breath as his eyes moved further to see she wore only crimson-colored panties and a long-sleeved corseted top that pressed up her breast making the perfect mounds ride high on her chest. His treacherous eyes unable to look away traveled to her face and he gasped at the beauty. She smirked at his response her red lips pulled into a wicked smile. Her icy blue eyes seemed to glow in the dim light like sparks of fire in the shadows. Her hair was dark as pitch and cut short crimson bangs giving color to the midnight color, and on top of her head, two long curved horns rested nearly as dark as her hair.

Noticing he was staring he jerked his head back down abasing himself before her shuddering more from fear than the cold that seemed to radiate around him. He touched his head to the ground to avoid the temptation of looking up once more and risking the ire of this dark enchantress.

"Please..." He started to stammer and cut off as she stood her sharp heels creating a thunderous sound as she descended the stairs. The room echoed each step of her approach. He started to pant fear and overwhelming desire as he waited to learn his fate.

"I suppose you will do." She said haughtily pressing one of her heeled boots into his back. She rested her elbow on one knee her chin propped in her hand as she considered the sniveling mortal at her feet. She idly wondered how long he would last, before he too broke, his sanity becoming fractured until like the rest she had no choice but to put him out of his misery. His hair pooled around his face its blonde locks matted with filth. His body was so thin she could count his ribs through his pale skin and his spine stood out on his frail body.

By all rights he should have been deemed an unfit sacrifice and discarded like the pathetic bag of bones he appeared to be, but she sensed something in him that the others had lacked. He actually wanted this, badly enough to risk death and far worse. Her tongue darted out tasting the lust that radiated from him mixed with the heady scent of fear, it made her mouth water, the combination the sweetest taste she had ever experienced. She gave an involuntary moan as the taste hit her pallet. She had known the sweet taste of fear for well over two millennia, but this...this was something new. She took a step back from him turning away to catch her breath.

It was very tempting to give in and suck every last bit of life from his frail body, but she found she wanted him. She took a deep breath collecting herself, noticing the shadows had responded to her need their reaching hands extended toward her prey. She growled, making the man start at the sudden sound, and they retreated, becoming once more vague impressions of the demented room.

The room, much like her attire, was decorated in bright crimson and black, a sharp contrast with the crumbling stone walls and floors. Everywhere the eye looked were instruments of torture used to drain every ounce of sustenance from the mortals offered to her in return for her not decimating the local tribes. She had gone on quite the blood bath several hundred years ago and nearly made her food source go extinct. She had been appeased by one of the few remaining shamans to take these offerings over mass slaughter. Since then, she had been perfecting the best practices to keep the mortals alive while still feeding herself on their auras.

She sighed, glancing back at the man still kneeling, and walked over to a line of bells ringing one for a slave to appear. She had acquired several over the years deciding to not feed on them, but use them instead for labor. One such girl was a small feline creature with bright green eyes and moss-colored hair. Her kind often used by the local tribes as slaves was hand-picked for her and had been presented nearly a decade ago as a gift to celebrate the contract the mortals had made with her.

"Mistress called for me?" She asked obediently curtsying low her one leg crossed before the other in a well-trained manner.

"Take this one and see that he is cared for, the stench coming off of him is enough to make me gag." She snapped wrinkling her nose as she looked down at him. He had peeked up at her from beneath his bangs shyly and winced as she announced him disgusting.

"Yes, Mistress, right away Mistress." The girl named Dela purred her high sweet voice clashing harshly with the feel and decor of the ominous room. Dela approached the man who had not moved and wrapped her hands around his bare shoulders gently helping him to get to his feet.

Sighing the demoness sank into the plush throne that dominated the room crossing her legs as she watched them leave.

"Bring him to my chambers when he is presentable." She added as they left turning her attention away from the departing mortals.

"There, there.." The small catgirl soothed stripping him of his soiled loincloth and was now shoving him into a steaming basin of water so big it could hold at least three more full-grown men. He winced at the temperature contrast the water scalding his flesh for a moment the pain starting to make his loins stir to life. He didn't know why he was like this, he had been since the moment he hit puberty. Pain was his aphrodisiac, and on many embracing occasions, it had caused him considerable embracement. Once when he was no more than fourteen a boy from his tribe had decided to punish him for daring to try to court a woman he had an interest in. He had come in front of the entire tribe ruining his clothing and disgusting all who had witnessed. Afterward, the other men shunned him, and the women would flee if he approached. He was left scavaging for all he could in the shadows doing his best to stay out of sight. So when the time came around for a man of his generation to be offered to the demon, he had volunteered. If anything he could die of use to his people, and at best perhaps he could finally be gifted to someone who would appreciate his love of pain.

"What is your name, huh?" The cat girl asked watching as he used the offered soap to scrub every inch of his flesh and lather the soap in his hands to bathe his filthy hair several times. The clean water was soon filthy with the years of grime that coated his skin. He cleared his throat so unused to speak it took him several moments to form words.

"Ayu...you?" He managed his voice coming out hoarse and scratchy.

"My name is Dela, I serve the Mistress, so it looks like we need to be friends because now you do as well." The girl said happily her grin lighting up her innocent-looking face. "I am the Mistress's favorite." She announced proudly her fluffy tail swishing behind her. Suddenly her feet stopped swinging and she leaned in her voice going from pleasant to harsh startling him. "You had better not try to take her from me. I would hate to kill you when we could be friends."

"I...I.." He stammered eyes wide as he watched her go back from feral to sweet again the sudden changes leaving him trembling with apprehension again.

"Do not worry Ayu! I know you are too stupid to take her from a smart kitten like me." She said her voice mocking as she jumped down from the chair moving toward a wardrobe. She swung it wide making the doors clash against the stone making him start in the bath again water sloshing over the sides of the basin as he leaped to his feet.

She picked through the clothing as he dried himself watching her every move. She finally paused on a blue overcoat embordered with golden thread with sapphires woven into the silk. The pants were also made of sild the ankles embordered in the same golden thread.

"Here, this will do put it on." She said laying the clothes on a nearby stool. She walked past him to a vanity picked up an ivory brush and turned her hands on hips waiting for her toe tapping with impatient.

"Well hurry it up, do not make the Mistress wait. I still need to feed you." She said pointing at the clothing. He quickly grabbed them slipped them on and sat as he wore the first actual garments he had in years. He had never seen anything so fine in all of his twenty-five years and the thought of such clothing being wasted on him made him wince. Once, he sat she brushed out his long hair braiding it behind him and tieing it with a leather thong.

"There, that is much better we can not have you assaulting the Mistress's delicate nose with your stench, so you better expect to be bathed every day, filthy man." Dela said sternly pushing soft leather slippers onto his feet then grabbing him by the hand she dragged him to his feet pulling him out of the room and through the maze of the castle to the lower floors where a small cozy kitchen sat at the rear of the massive stone building.

"Go on sit down," Dela said waving her hand at the small wooden table. Ayu obeyed his hands in his lap as his dark blue eyes searched the small room. A large fire with a pot hung over it took up the majority of the room spreading its gentle warmth trough out and cooking what smelled like stew in a pot. His stomach growled at the scent of the smell of meat and cooked vegetables making his mouth water. He had not eaten in days, and now the scent was almost too much after such an overwhelming day.

"Go on and help yourself to the bread and jam I have about four more loaves baked up, so eat your fill it is just you and I here. The Mistress does not eat food." Dela said once more the sweet catgirl from before and not the feral beast marking her territory. He did as she instructed eagerly eating an entire loaf of bread. She placed a large bowl of stew in front of him, and he ate it so quickly the hot gravy burned his tongue. He winced feeling himself growing stiff at the burn. She didn't notice refilling his bowl her eyes watching him curiously. He ate the next bowl more slowly knowing he would be sick if he kept gorging himself.

"Thank you," He murmured as he looked down at the chunks of meat and various vegetables. "This is good."

"Glad you like it, let me get you some water." She said filling a cup from a nearby basin and sitting it before him. He sipped at it drinking slowly, once he had emptied his bowl again she took it away tossing it in a nearby sink.

"Well, best to get this over with. If I do not see you alive again, I am glad to have met you, friend." Dela said voice very serious, as she led him through the castle once more pausing before a large ornate door. He paused staring at the golden design of a gigantic snake eating its own tail bordering the black wood in crimson. A script he could not read filled the center in the same color its script etched and glowing with power. He turned back to Dela, but the girl was gone, and he was alone with a demoness ready to feast on him waiting on the other side.