Chapter 2 Demon Mark

• "Ah!" I was absolutely petrified and instantly covered my eyes with my hands.
• This has to be a dream, right? Yes, it must be!
• The man grabbed my wrist, pressed my hands down on the bed, and then ordered me in a stern voice, "Open your eyes!"
• I shook my head. Even taking another look was terrifying for me.
• "Please spare me, lord. I have never done anything disrespectful to you—"
• "Don't be afraid. I won't harm you. Open your eyes." The intimidating voice conveyed a terrifying sense of oppression.
• I didn't want to open my eyes, but they opened involuntarily. Then, a handsome face appeared in front of me, and I stared at him. I had to admit that he was indeed handsome, but sadly, he wasn't human…
• He smirked as he noticed me staring at him blankly. "Are you satisfied with me?"
• His smile was like a blooming snow lotus; it was cold yet alluring. This had to be how a beautiful deity looked like. Nonetheless, the next moment, his words convinced me that he wasn't any deity!
• "I'm very satisfied with you. This time, they chose a good sacrifice."
• Sacrifice? I'm a sacrifice! Even though I'm already a sacrifice, he said he won’t harm me!
• Tears trickled down from the corners of my eyes as I begged for mercy in a trembling voice, "P-Please let me go… I don't want to die yet. I can offer you alternate sacrifices, like meat, poultry, delicacies from all over the world… You can choose whatever you want—"
• "Do you think I'll eat those?" His lips pressed against the side of my neck as he spoke. When his cold lips pressed against my neck, I thought he would bite me in the next second.
• I was on the verge of breaking down as I sobbed, saying, "I ate garlic today, so my blood reeks of stench. I'm not tasty at all. Please don't bite me… Let me go, lord. I can do whatever you want as long as you don't kill me—"
• "Can you really do anything?"
• "Of course!" I hurriedly answered him.
• He chuckled lightly and whispered in a deep, seductive baritone as he exhaled coldly, "I want you."
• Once he was done speaking, he didn't even bother asking for my consent before tearing off my clothes and getting inside. I attempted to fight back, but my inexperienced body was unable to put up any sort of resistance to his teasing. After an intense fight, I felt possessed, gradually falling under his control. Unfortunately, he didn't seem tired, and I couldn't remember how many times he tortured me. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore and passed out.
• A moment before I passed out, I heard him whisper, "My name is Cassius Boyd."
• It was Mindy who woke me up. When I opened my eyes, she was standing beside my bed with a blushed face. Then, she bent over and covered me with a blanket, and it wasn't until that point that I realized I had been lying in bed naked. This explained why Mindy's face turned crimson.
• I also blushed and wanted to sit up, but just as soon as I moved, there was a tearing pain shooting through my lower body, and my waist was so sore it felt like it had been broken. This painful feeling reminded me that everything that happened last night was not a dream. When I quickly lowered my head, the birthmark had vanished, and a silver snake with gleaming silver scales coiled around my chest.
• "Celeste, stop dreaming! I'm asking you something!" Mindy questioned me. "What's the matter with you?! Tattoos can't be done blindly. How could you ask for a scaled dragon tattoo? If you want to get an animal tattoo, you can always choose a dragon or a snake. Even though a scaled dragon is cultivated from a snake, it has indecent intentions. Before it becomes a dragon, it is considered a demon. You've tattooed a demon on your body, Celeste."
• I was dumbfounded when I heard that. "Isn't this a silver snake?"
• "A snake tattoo will not have scales. However, your tattoo has scales but no horns. This is a scaled dragon."
• It was no surprise that I thought this silver snake was more majestic and beautiful than the pictures on the Internet. It turned out to be covered in dragon scales! It was a snake that was transforming into a dragon. How could it not be prettier than snakes?
• Then, Mindy asked, "The person who tattooed you is too careless. Where did you get it?"
• When I looked at her, I suddenly doubted that the man from the day before was her father.
• She continued, "There is something wrong with this tattoo. I will take you somewhere to remove it. If you like snakes, I'll get my dad to give you a new tattoo when he returns from our hometown. I guarantee it'll look better than this one."
• Her father was in her hometown. Clearly, the man I saw last night was not her father. I either went to the wrong place, or someone pretended to be her father and tried to hurt me. I didn't have time to think about it, but I knew everything strange began with this tattoo.
• I couldn't wait to remove it right away, but my body was so weak I couldn't even stand up. After resting for a long time, I forced myself to get up in the afternoon and dragged her to locate the store from the day before.
• On the way, I asked Mindy if she had heard any unusual sounds or movements last night. She responded by telling me no, but she had to come over and wake me up this morning because I was moaning.
• I was even more terrified after hearing that. When the man was there at night, Mindy and the others could not hear anything. They were only able to hear me after the man had left in the morning. That would also mean no one could hear anything if he killed me!
• I was trembling with fear, but we finally arrived at Windmill Street. I dragged Mindy and walked in. From a distance, I saw a group of people in front of yesterday's store. I pushed through the crowd, only to see yellow banners barring the crowd from entering and police officers scurrying through the store.
• "What's wrong with this store?" Mindy asked the surrounding people.
• "The owner is dead," someone answered. "He's been dead for a week."
• My head immediately buzzed. Was the owner dead? Then, who was the one who did the tattoo for me yesterday?