Part 14

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If you had to stereotype, you’d conclude that the figure Zeldris had summoned was, in fact, the literal devil. Zeldris bows before speaking. The dark mark is back.

“Father…”

“What excuse are you going to give me this time?”

You finch.

His voice is a combination of nails scraping on a chalkboard, DC’s Darkseid, and glaciers breaking underwater.

Zeldris is keeping himself much cooler than you’re keeping yourself.

“The cultists performed the ritual incorrectly. There’s no excuse needed. They’re dead. I dealt with it. With your permission, this human should be released from the ritual.”

Zeldris’ father turns his head quickly to look at you and you keep your head down, not daring to challenge him by looking into his glowing red eyes. You can feel his eyes burning holes into your bowed head, metaphorically, though you suspect he could do it literally too if he wanted to. You don’t move, hoping that your diminutive stance and the salt hula hoop will be enough to protect you from his interest

“How impudent,” he says “does this pathetic little creature really believe that salt will keep her safe?”
You fight the urge to tense up as he keeps talking, “What? Did she put herself in there to avoid you? Are you not man enough to handle a little burn?”
Zeldris says nothing, so his father keeps speaking, “very well, salt may deter you but it has no effect on me.”

“Wait,” says Zeldris.

The other demon ignores him and picks you up by the back of your shirt.

The salt didn’t even slow him down.

You hate feeling like a helpless kitten being picked up by the scruff of its neck, but you ragdoll as a sign of submission, limbs going limp. You have no idea how else to react and hope that he won’t hurt you if he doesn’t think you’ll fight. You don’t want to think about Hunter at a time like this but the memories flood in as you remember shrinking away from fights with him and hoping he wouldn’t break your stuff… or you.

Zeldris speaks calmly, “I asked her to stay in the salt circle. She wasn’t kneeling in there to avoid me. And as for the sacrifice, it’s not a question of whether or not I could take it for my own. The only necessary fact is that her consent is implicitly required in any sacrifice involving my cult and she has not consented.”

You suspect the larger demon is rolling his eyes, but you don’t want to check. He sighs. Part of you is afraid he’s going to eat you. He certainly is big enough.

“If I had known you were going to make a simple sacrifice this difficult for yourself, I would have sent Estarossa. At least he doesn’t bother with such pointless formalities. Are you trying to disappoint me the way Meliodas did?”

There’s that name again.

Meliodas.

The Graveyard (Zeldris x Female Reader)Where stories live. Discover now