Look at him. Watch how he suffers.

He was anchored to the dark forest floor. Trapped. He tried to look away, not wanting to watch the horror that was surely to come.

Watch, you spineless coward!

The demon's claws forced him to look ahead. He struggled to wrench his gaze away. If he couldn't help the man on the ground, he didn't want to watch him die.

Another man stood over him, and he toed the man on the ground with his boot. They both looked exactly the same. The same short honey blonde hair. The same tanned skin and broad shoulders. A similar age to him. The biggest differences were their attire and their eye colour. One with steel-blue; the other with hellish orange eyes.

"You keep passing out on me," said the demon. "It's extremely annoying." He stepped back, his clothes blending him into the shadows. Only his ember-like eyes gave him away. "Get up or I kill you where you are, Jason."

Jason got to his feet, slowly but surely. "Why are you doing this to me?"

He could see just how battered and broken Jason was. There were bruises on his face, both old and new, and he looked tired-worn out.

Battle worn, he realized.

"Two reasons," the demon said. "One, I thoroughly enjoy beating you into oblivion. Two, you are holding me back. Either you make it easy, or I make it fun."

"Do your worst. Just don't hurt Maia."

In the blink of an eye, the demon had Jason in a chokehold.

"I will do whatever I want to your beloved Maia Arrowsmith," the demon hissed.

Jason stepped back, turned away, and threw the demon over his shoulder. Jason turned on his heel and sprinted in the opposite direction. The demon got to its feet, a cruel snarl twisted his face.

"You can't escape me, Jason!" he shouted.

Jason kept running, batting low hanging tree branches out of his face. Something long and sharp glittered in the demon's hand. He tried to cry out, to warn Jason, but the demon in his mind silenced him. In the blink of an eye, the demon caught up to Jason. A blood-curdling scream cut through the air. Jason fell to his knees, a knife sticking out of his shoulder. The demon twisted it, drawing another scream from Jason.

"So many loved ones," the demon purred, hauling Jason to his feet. "So many people I can bring harm to. How about your brother and sister-Nate and Naomi? Your mother Kelsey? What about your hot-shot father Jesse? Your best friend Chase? Your future brother- and sister-in-law-Eric and Margo. And let's not forget about your precious and beloved Maia."

The demon flung Jason and his back hit a tree trunk. He hit it with a crack and he cried out.He fell to the ground like a limp doll, his eyes wide.

The sound Jason had made crushed him. It was a small sound. Quiet. Hopeless.

The demon crouched down in front of him and grabbed his chin. Jason whimpered, his eyes full of fear.

"You can end your suffering," said the demon. "In fact, I will leave everyone but Maia alone if you give up. I am being reasonable." He let go of Jason and stood up. "You have some time to decide."

The demon turned its back on him and began to walk away.

"I'm not going to give up," Jason croaked. "After all, you're a demon and a psychopath-a master of manipulation and deceit. If I die, I'm taking you with me."

He could finally look away. The demon in his mind delighted in that memory.

His pain, his fear, his screams-do you not delight in the boy's suffering?

He didn't. And yet the demon forced every ounce of its sadistic delight into him.

Once Queen Melania gets her beloved Phillippe back, you will become my right hand man, and we will finish my assignment.

He backed away, trying to retreat into a pocket of darkness where the demon couldn't find him.

The demon prince laughed. Coward. No wonder your girl got beaten half to death.

He tried to block the demon out. Tried to.

But he wished someone would kill him.