The Binding - Bred by a Demon (Rough Reluctant Monster Breeding Erotica) by Madelene Martin Page B

cloak around her, warding herself against the autumn breeze. She
kept her head down and walked swiftly through town, heading toward the old
ruins - the place where the barrier between worlds was weakest.
    It took longer than she
remembered to reach the lower levels. Leah had only been here once, on her
first minor summoning, and she had to be sure she found the right spot. She
held the lantern above her head, illuminating the cracked stone walls.
    Finally she found the
flooded section, and knew she was on the right track. She took her shoes off
and held them in her hand as she trudged through the ankle-deep water.
    The room at the end of the
corridor was dark and claustrophobic. At least it was dry. Leah took off her
cloak and flung it to the corner of the room. She arranged her equipment on the
ground and hurried to get the candles lit, arranging them in a circle.
    At last the room was less
intimidating in the soft glow of the flames. She found the remains of old
summoning circles scratched on the floor - some in fading chalk, some in
ancient red paint. It wouldn't do for the ritual she was about to attempt, so
she spent some time scrubbing at the floor with a rag to get it as clean as
possible. Her hands and knees were aching by the time she sat back to examine
her work.
    Opening her books to the
right pages as she knelt on the stony floor, her white dress spread around her,
Leah thumbed through her notes. She took out the ink and the brush and began to
paint a wide circle, and then the intricate seal within it.
    Crawling on her hands and
knees, she worked slowly on the intricate symbols, making measurements with her
hands. This was no minor demon summoning - she had to be cautious. The lines
had to be solid and straight, the candles arranged just so.
    Her heart began to beat
faster as she got deeper into the process. There was no going back now that
she'd come this far. With the candles lit, she snuffed the lantern, conserving
its fuel for the trip home.
    She checked if the paint
was dry. Then she took several deep breaths, closing her eyes for a moment to
center herself, and took the old ceremonial knife from her belt. Cringing
slightly, she opened her hand and made a shallow cut in her palm.
    She pressed drops of blood
onto the ground at the points of the symbols, then held the dirty cloth against
her hand for a minute to stem the flow.
    Picking up the heavy ritual
tome she stood up and backed away from the circle, careful not to smear its
lines. She emptied her mind with another cleansing breath, trying to bolster
her courage. She wouldn't give herself a chance to back out. Her brother needed
her.
    Leah read the words from
the page, her voice quavering once or twice as the reality of the situation
pressed itself more heavily on her.
    The demon Nthar had many
powers at his command, one of them being healing and the curing of diseases.
Even the weakest of demonic entities could cause harm to a human, and Nthar was
dangerous, with many legions of lesser demons at his command. But he was bound
to answer truthfully any question put to him by a witch summoning him with the
use of his seal. If the ritual was completed correctly.
    She stood still, forcing
herself to breathe and tightening her fingers on the edges of the book in order
to stop them from shaking. In her nervousness, it was difficult to obtain the
trance-like state she needed in order to see into the between-world. And
without this sight, she would be unable to contact the demon – to open the door
for his essence to enter her plane.
    Finally she succeeded in
quieting her thoughts, feeling herself disconnect with the earth and drift in
the nothingness. It was always a disconcerting feeling – half-tied to her body
and still able to control it, but her mind able to hop between this world and
the gray between.
    With the book held before
her in unfeeling fingers Leah began to recite the memorized chant – the words
emanating from her spirit as well as her body.
    As