Nikola stared at the tied up prisoners. Some were pleading him for mercy. Others were leering at him. He sat on the floor and concentrated and the pyres were lit. Like one the prisoners began to scream. Nikola closed his eyes and let the smell of grilled pork fill the room. Only one of these bodies will be used as Marek’s vessel. The rest will be his first meal. A way to seal the pact between them.

When the screaming stopped Nikola opened his eyes. Some were dead, others unconscious. He stood up as he felt cold despite the warmth of the pyres.

“Do you want vengeance?” He asked the emptiness. He saw his breath raise before him in puffs. “Victims of the Wuzhiqi and the Gudiao, do you want vengeance?” He screamed. The door of the dungeon flung open and the bodies of the prisoners begun to twitch. But they couldn’t be possessed as long as there was fire at their feet.

“Do you want the chance to become something greater? Something that will stand until the end of time?” Or until I end it, thought Nikola to himself. The bodies stopped twitching and one of the criminals opened his eyes.

“Please, have mercy. I have children.” He said weakly, his eyes looked human so he was not possessed. Nikola said a prayer in his mind for him and his family, but didn’t move to untie him.

“I can give you a new name! A new body! You will be Marek, the great tiger demon. And the Wuzhiqi will cower before you.”

“Aren’t you listening to me, you bastard? Have mercy!” Screamed the prisoner. Nikola approached him and took a closer look at him. He was sturdy and strong. Perfect for the vessel of Marek. But his will was strong too. Will his new creation be enough to defeat it?

“What is your name?” He asked the burning prisoner. He then rushed to dodge to the side as the man spat at him. Then he moved his head around wildly.

“You ask me if I want vengeance? Like Hell I do! I will haunt you until you die, you bastard! You show no mercy for the fate of my children? Well, I curse yours! I curse them to turn on each other. I curse them with misfortune! I curse them with hate! I curse…”

Nikola felt the soul magic leave the room. He stared at the open door in fear. Think of the children. Wei Caihong had told him. And Nikola had done what he wanted just as usual and now they were cursed. He doubled over and heaved on the ground as the prisoner’s laughter and curses turned into whizzes and then silence.

Think of the children. He had failed them. It wasn’t often that people could do accidental magic but a cornered beast was the most dangerous. He failed his children. How was he going to tell Wei Caihong of this?

Think of the children. He was. Darn it all, it was the only thing he could think about right now. Maybe he could feed them luck potions? Yes, no one needed to know. He’ll feed them luck potions and charisma potions and they won’t help but like each other. Wei Caihong didn’t need to know of his screw up. And he had a ritual to complete.

The dungeon’s ceiling, which formerly had water dripping from it, now had icicles hanging from it. Nikola broke one off and plunged it into the prisoner’s heart. He was dead and couldn’t feel the pain, but Nikola hoped his soul was still around. He’ll feed it to Marek. Perhaps that would even lift the curse.

“Marek, great tiger, come forth and take this body. Be born to kill the Wuzhiqi. Die if you let them linger in this valley!”

Nikola heard a tiger’s roar and he backed away. The prisoner’s features became more feral. His eyes snapped open and Nikola saw two golden feline’s orbs. The prisoner’s nails turned to claws and a tiger’s tail appeared behind him. His skin became golden with black tiger stripes. With one swift movement Marek broke the restrains on his feet and stepped out of the fire.

“What is this place?” Asked the newborn demon. Nikola checked his power really fast. In a straight battle Marek would win against him and he was yet to grow to his full potential. Just how has this happened?

“A dungeon. I am…”

“My God.” Said Marek, reverence clear in his voice. He approached Nikola and took one of his hands in both of his. Inspecting it.

“Your creator. You have a task to protect this valley.”

“I’d rather protect you. For a God, you are weak.” Said Marek. Nikola huffed at that. “And fragile. Like a female.” Added the demon and he inhaled Nikola’s scent. “You have mates already?” He asked, disappointed.

“Wives, two of them. And more children than I can shake a stick at. Now, your mission is…”

“Hunt the monkeys.” Said Marek. There was something mischievous in his eyes and it took a little time for Nikola to realize.

“The Wuzhiqi.” Corrected Nikola. “And I better not hear from you that you can’t tell them apart from humans.” Marek grinned at him and had the audacity to wink.

“But it’s so hard, my dear.” He said and Nikola got his hand out of the demon’s grip. Newly created demons always wanted to own a connection to their creators in some way. Or so the original creator of the ritual had told him. The ones who viewed their creators as mates were the clingiest and the most dangerous.

“I am not your dear! And quit playing dump. Now eat all these corpses and get to the canyon and start killing Wuzhiqi.”

“I don’t like charred meat.” Said Marek, turning his nose up at the corpses. Well, if Marek didn’t eat his offering now then Nikola had no way to bind him. And it would surely turn into a fight.

“What do you want from me to eat?”

Marek tugged at Nikola’s robe until a shoulder was exposed.

“Well…”

Nikola slapped him and covered his shoulder.

“I am off the table! I can make life very hard for you, demon. I am…”

“My God. And I would rather you don’t threaten me. I worship you now but I might stop soon. I can make life very hard for you, my dear.” He whispered the last part and reached out towards Nikola again. Could this be because of the prisoner’s curse? Eileen had jumped at the opportunity to head towards the front lines.

“Just a kiss and I’ll eat. Anywhere I want it, though.” Said Marek. Had Nikola created him from his own flesh and blood the demon would have been obedient. But Nikola hadn’t wanted to bring himself pain. Now he felt silly for not binding the creature to himself.

“Fine, but just one.” Marek smirked down at him and with feline grace he took a hold of him. Nikola’s shoulder was uncovered again. Stubborn bastard! Lips pressed between Nikola’s neck and shoulder and the demon took his time with the kiss. Uncovering Nikola’s other shoulder until Nikola was half naked in his arms. He shuddered and tugged at Marek’s tail which has wrapped itself around his right arm.

“Enough already. Now start eating.” He demanded and immediately regretted it as fangs sunk in his flesh.

“Not me.” Said Nikola as he felt his flesh being pulled up.

“No?” Asked Marek disappointed. “I call you God because you are immortal. You can regenerate, I know you can. So why can’t I get something delicious instead of these glorified chunks of ashen meat?”

Nikola tugged at the tail again. Marek looked him in the eyes and something about the pure look of fury in Nikola’s eyes made him back away and go to the nearest corpse.

“I was just playing, my dear. Don’t be mad.” Said Marek as Nikola begun to tug his robe up.

“I forbid you to search for any more loopholes in our contract.” Said Nikola just as Marek swallowed the first mouthful. The demon growled at him.

“I also forbid you from taking liberties with me. You are just my servant, remember that.”

“For the next ten years.” Said Marek in warning. “And after that I will steal you away and take so many liberties with you that your head will spin.” Then Marek smirked as he continued to eat. Nikola blinked at that. Well, it seems that nine years and some months from now he was going to have to order Marek to walk into a cave. And then someone would have to die to keep the demon there until the end of times. Someone strong? Perhaps Ursula? He never got around to having her reinstalled into the line of succession. But perhaps she would serve a purpose after all.

Marek picked a bone and snapped it in half. Then he showed it to Nikola.

“Bone marrow is quite the delicacy.” He looked like he very much wanted to add something to that but his mouth snapped shut and he let out a whine. It was working, the contract was taking hold.

“I also forbid you from trying to trick me. You have no right to even think about it.” Said Nikola as Marek’s face fell. If a demon offers you food and has shown interest towards you beforehand then it was as good as a marriage proposal. Penemue had explained all that to him early on, just in case.

“Why don’t you order me to become mindless next?” Snapped Marek at him. Nikola smirked at him.

“Perhaps I will. Now I order you to keep eating.”

“My God…”

“I can order you to play mute for the next ten years…”

Marek shut his mouth and then opened it only to eat. He couldn’t wait for the ten years to be over.

Nikola sat down and watched as Marek’s tail whipped back and forth. It was hypnotizing to watch. As Marek finished eating he stood up, wiped his mouth clean, and bowed.

“Now, where are the Wuzhiqi?” He asked and Nikola began to lead his creation towards the backdoor.

“You must also kill off any Gudiao you see.” Then Nikola pulled out the painting of the Gudiao from his sleeve. Marek hummed his approval.

“These seem like they have plenty of meat on them. And their pelts will make good clothes. These burned rags are an embarrassment.” Said Marek. Nikola hadn’t prepared him anything because he hadn’t known the size of the demon’s vessel. It seems that he was going to remain in rags until he coughed himself a Gudiao.

Nikola opened the back door of the dungeon and let his creation through.

“Stay safe.” Said Nikola without giving it much thought. Marek reached out a hand and touched his cheek, then took it away as if burned.

“You are a demanding mistress.” Said the demon as he rushed into the woods so as to not hear a command that took even this little form of rebellion away from him. Nikola shook his head and didn’t bother issuing the command. Let Marek remember him with irritation. Then he would give up on his silly dream to have him.

Nikola went to the entrance of the palace and pulled some weeds and scattered them at the front gate. That way he could say that the ghost had had a tantrum. He then made his way back to Danyang. Back in the inn the air was thick with tension. The children were around a table and seemed to glare at one another. Nikola stood by the door to listen in on the squabble.

“You are both adopted.” Came from Ryota as he pointed at both Wei Zhaohui and Nathaniel.

“You are both beasts!” Snapped Wei Zhaohui at both Ryota and Nathaniel.

“I am the only heir to the throne!” Snapped Nathaniel. Nikola choose this time to step out of the shadows and give each of his sons a hit over the head.

“There is no throne and we will be making a charisma potion today. Get to the kitchen.” The children rubbed the hit spots and dragged their feet towards the kitchen. Perhaps he could talk Marek into bringing a couple of Wuzhiqi to the edge of town so that he could implant the curse currently on his children on them?