I didn't even give Wan Qiang a chance to blink before I lunged at him.
The metal that was just lying around in the house… the knives, the pots and basins… liquefied mid-air, slashing up like whips. One of them wrapped around his wrist, yanking him forward. He stumbled—and in that heartbeat, I drove the dagger I never left home without into the most delicate part of him.
That's right, ladies and gentlemen, I was kind enough to turn him into an eunuch without any sort of painkiller. And considering what I could have done to him, I actually think that I was being generous. However, it seemed like he didn't feel the same way.
The scream that followed was perfect. Pure. A keening, guttural wail that echoed through the village like a warning siren.
I couldn't help the grin that appeared on my face. I normally had to hide this side of me. Not that I thought anyone would really care one way or another, but I thrived on control. Not letting my inner demons out to play was part of that.
Meh, new world, new me and all that shit.
"Now we're playing," I purred, watching him flop to the floor like a fish out of water. "See, isn't this a fun game? Now that the first hole has been made, I need to see if I can keep getting it in the same hole over and over again… with you moving around like that and everything. I like to think of it as a more challenging game of pin the tail on the donkey. Ooh, maybe I should put on a blindfold! Now that would be even more fun!"
I was almost giddy as both pride and wrath hummed their approval.
Blood pooled on the floor and between his legs quickly. He tried to clutch at the wound, but that only made it worse. I was even kind enough to leave the knife still in there, a slick, twisted thing of iron and barbed wire. I knelt beside him and yanked it out slowly, deliberately, letting every serrated edge catch on the inside.
It was always a surprise when I could change the shape of metal when it was inside a body. I learned that trick completely by accident one day when out hunting.
His body spasmed. His mouth opened, but no words came out. The only sound to pass through his lips was a wet, shuddering gasp.
"You said you liked screaming dolls," I murmured, voice soft as silk as I crouched down beside him, careful to avoid the blood. It wasn't so much that it bothered me, it was just a pain in the ass to wash out without a washing machine. "I just wanted to be your favorite," I purred, lust pushing forward as I stroked his cheek.
Little known fact? Demons can feed on the same emotions as their category. So, wrath feeds on anger, hatred, revenge, all those fun things. Pride feeds on pride, but also on disappointment. And lust? Well, let's just say that his thoughts pouring out of him will keep that side of me well fed for a long period of time.
And the better I was fed, the stronger my powers would be.
When the screaming seemed to have quieted down, and his eyes glazed over with complete surrender and submission, I stabbed him again. "Oh, poop," I smiled as his screams grew loud again. "I missed the hole. Don't you hate that when it happens?"
This time, I purposefully aimed for another section, his thigh, missing the artery by a breath. He thrashed, all inappropriate thoughts of me disappearing from his eyes as he turned his head and glared at me. "I will kill you," he vowed.
Nodding my head, I hummed a song. "I'm sure you are going to try," I replied, talking to him like he was nothing more than a child. This time, I sliced down the edge of his arm before moving on to the other. Skin split open as my knife parted the layers and cells, and I could see the muscles in his arm trembling. Blood frothed at his lips as he couldn't hold back a sob.
"Still not fatal," I said in a sing-song voice. "I'll need to try harder."
However, this man came into a village in my territory, threatened humans and children, and thought it was okay. I needed to teach him the error of his ways. Therefore, every cut was carefully measured, precisely aimed to keep him alive while experiencing the highest amount of pain.
I was sure that I would make him pray for death, only to not have it happen.
"This is what you wanted, isn't it?" I whispered, my head cocked to the side. "You dragged me into a house. You dropped your pants. You said you wanted to play. Well, this is me playing."
Raising the knife, I brought it down again. This time in the side of his hand. He tried to scream, but his vocal cords refused to work even as I twisted the knife until I felt his carpal bones give way.
However, the gasp/gargle sound that he managed to get out satisfied something deep in my chest.
I let him crawl, just a little. I let him think he might reach the door, but then, mere inches before his escape, I kicked him onto his back. When he rolled over, a desperate plea on his lips, I pressed the heel of my foot into his throat—not enough to crush, just enough to hold him down.
"I probably should have warned you," I said calmly, looking down at the man at least twice my size. "I'm not just a little girl, and I definitely don't need Daddy to protect me."
He made a choking noise as blood ran from his nose and down into his throat. His eyes bulged as he stared up at me like I was the King of Hell.
I stepped off him and chuckled.
"I have to admit that I'm at war with myself," I sighed, crouching beside his head even as the outside world tried to intrude on our own little world. "I want to kill you because I need to set an example. But at the same time, you're not worth the effort of killing." Letting out a long sigh, I came to a conclusion that would satisfy every part of me.
"I want you to live," I announced, coming to my feet. "I want you to limp back to whatever pathetic hole you came from and remember this every time you try to piss. I want you to warn everyone you meet. Tell them to stay away from this village and this mountain. Tell everyone that a demon lives here, and I will take my pound of flesh if you interrupt my life. Do you think you can do that?"
Wan Qiang nodded frantically, tears and snot streaming down his face as he looked up at me.
"Make sure that I never see you again. Don't even breathe in my direction. I will know, and I will hunt you do." I paused to make sure he was still conscious. "If I decide to play with you again, I promise you, you won't survive it."
I stabbed his foot for good measure. Right through the arch. Clean and deep.
He shrieked before passing out.
Brushing dust from my skirt, I wiped my blade on what remained of his shirt before opening the door.
The village square was silent. All the villagers, the bandits, hell, even a few chickens had their eyes on me like I was some sort of ticking time bomb.
Zhou Cunzhang stared, a look of horror frozen across his face, with his hands still bound behind him. One of the bandits stepped toward me, only to quickly retreat when he saw the knife in my hand.
Good.
I took the blade I had used, raised it high, and smiled.
"You can all hear him now, can't you?" I said lightly. "He said he wanted to play with me, and it was such a fun game! In fact, he might never recover from all the fun that I had."
No one moved.
A child whimpered.
"This is what happens to men who forget they are prey," I added, stepping off the stoop, each step that I made deliberate, almost cheerful. "I gave him every chance to run, and he scoffed at me. Do you think he'll scoff at me again?"
Everyone, villager and bandit alike, shook their head at my question. Continuing forward, I passed one of the bandits and tilted my head. "Are you going to try and stop me?"
He looked like he might piss himself even as he raised his hands in surrender and backed away.
I kept walking until I was beside Zhou Cunzhang, his chest heaving even as his wrists bled as he fought against his restraints.
"I am not a child," I whispered. "No matter what I look like on the outside, you need to know that and remember that fact. I will never react like a child will, no matter what I do or say. Now... do I have permission to make an example out of the bandits?"
Zhou Cunzhang froze as I undid the knots in the rope before giving me the barest of nods.
And then the real fun began.