Chapter 1 — Chapter 1

I looked at myself in the mirror in the bar's restroom and touched up my makeup. Matis did a great job! The makeup held up - and that was the main thing! A drop of perfume, a seductive dress with a plunging neckline - and I was ready.

I went out to the main room and took a seat at the bar. The bartender was almost one of us - as usual, he was promised a quarter of the haul. The bar in the upscale Baghdad hotel promised a substantial and much-needed score. The money in my bank account was running out, and I had to pay for my younger siblings' school fees.

"Hi, are you bored?" A pleasant male baritone enveloped my ears.

"Hi, not anymore..." I turned to the man, immediately assessing his Rolex, a ring with black diamonds, and a suit from a well-known brand worth several thousand dollars.

"How about we get a bottle of champagne and go to a room?" he suggested with a captivating smile, revealing a row of teeth as white as snow. Hmm, did I imagine seeing sharp fangs? Yes, it must have been the dim lighting.

"Right away?" I chuckled, finishing my water.

"We both know why we're here... If I like it, you won't be short of money," he whispered in my ear, embracing my shoulders.

"Well, since we know... let's go." I shrugged off his arm, stood up, and headed for the exit, catching the bartender's eye.

He closed his eyes - that was the signal that they would wait for me and let me out through the back door. No cameras there - I could change, wash off the makeup, and escape. What can you do, everyone wants money...

***

My story is mundane. We were refugees, and now my father worked as a street sweeper while my mother looked after the younger children: four brothers and three sisters. At fourteen, I stole for the first time to buy food, and by sixteen, I was breaking into apartments. Then I realized I was attractive, and started using my beauty to fleece men who were drawn to me. I stole rarely, but enough to cover the bills until the next payment was due. My siblings attended a private school. I wanted them to have a future... unlike mine. I had none - I knew that for sure.

The target pinned me against the wall in the elevator we entered, and brazenly scanned my body. I smiled, letting him. I was sure it wouldn't go any further. One glass of champagne with a quick-dissolve pill - and I'd be gone with the loot.

The doors opened on the floor with luxury suites. It seems I was wrong...

Looks like I'm in trouble. The place is crawling with security, damn it! The man from the bar took my arm and led me to a room.

"Boss, she's ready..." He pushed me forward.

A man of Asian descent sat at the table. His broad shoulders strained against a crisp white shirt, the thin fabric outlining his muscular physique. His black hair was stylishly cut and styled. His magnetic gaze from eyes as dark as night made me hold my breath and my heart race. A straight nose was accentuated by a sexy bump. I lingered on his full lips and swallowed reflexively. What was happening to me? The stranger was truly attractive to me, but that's not why I was here...

Looking at this stunning man, I immediately realized: I was in deep trouble. At the same time, I wanted him so intensely it burned me up, and I was terrified of the consequences of what I intended to do. You don't say no to people like him... and you don't rob them.

"You're dismissed," he nodded to the man who brought me here. "Please, take a seat," he now ordered me.

I obediently sat in the chair across the table.

"What drives you to do this?"

"You won't believe that I'm feeding my entire family in this fairy-tale land?" I relaxed and crossed my legs, catching the Boss's attention.

"Something so mundane? Being a whore to feed your family..."

"Who said I'm a whore?"

"Aren't you?"

"Why don't you find out!" I stood up, swaying my hips as I approached the table, leaning forward to show off my chest.

How much I wanted him! My loins ached with need.

"I'll find out," his voice had a growling edge to it.

The man sniffed me. His pupil suddenly dilated so much that it almost covered the entire colored iris.

"Shall we drink?" Suppressing fear and desire, I offered him the bottle of champagne.

"Maybe later..."

He suddenly rounded the table and, coming close to me, placed his hands on my waist. He squeezed, sending heat straight to my core. I moaned immediately and, unable to bear it any longer, pressed myself against him, feeling his aroused dick. With a fierce growl, the man moved his hands to my shoulders and, tearing my dress off with a yank, began kissing me passionately.

I don't know what it was... But the fear vanished instantly, replaced by animal passion that set my body on fire. It had been a long time since I wanted a man this much!

I gave myself to him like I had never given myself to anyone before. He quickly swept everything off the table and, laying me down on it, covered my body with fiery kisses, causing shivers and gasps.

"Ahh..." escaped my mouth.

"You're wet enough already..."

The man pulled away from my lips and ran his fingers over my dripping folds. Grabbing my hips, he positioned the head of his large dick against them, arousing me even more. Then, with a sharp thrust, he filled my loins.

"My Emirah, I've searched for you in countless worlds and now I won't let you go..." he mumbled deliriously, spouting nonsense.

I clung to his shoulders, wrapping my legs around him, and surrendered completely. He varied the pace, teasing me: sometimes moving slowly, sometimes speeding up until I couldn't contain my loud moans. Finally, he took pity on me - I was already begging for release from this sweet torture. Touching my hidden bud, he made me arch toward him. A powerful orgasm shattered my body into a billion pieces. I screamed and lost consciousness.

***

Coming to was hard, like waking up from a deep hangover: my head spun violently, and nausea rose in my throat. Did they inject me with something? I had never felt such an insane attraction to a man and such an intense orgasm...

I listened and opened my eyes slightly. I was lying on a large bed, wrapped in a sheet. In another room, a conversation was taking place that sounded like complete nonsense to me:

"I almost killed her during our union of souls..."

"You should have thought with your head, not your dick! She's human! You're a demon..."

I quietly got up, fighting a wave of nausea, and grabbed a man's shirt from the chair. The shorts were there too, so I pulled them on and tied them with the drawstring. I looked around—surely, there was nothing else to take?... Ah, yes! On the dresser were a watch, a ring, and a wallet. He must have been going to take a shower... I pulled out a wad of dollars, grabbed the watch, and without thinking, took the ring too. I slipped into the other room and opened the door to the hallway.

The security guards were lounging in their chairs, watching TV. The elevator was almost directly opposite—I could see from the buttons that it had stopped on this floor. There was only one way out: hope for luck.

I dashed to the elevator, frantically pressing the button. The guards immediately sprang to life and shouted:

"Stop her! She's getting away!"

But the elevator doors had already opened, and I jumped in, fumbling with the buttons in the chaos, aiming for the ground floor... but I missed and hit the button for the upper floor instead.

"Damn it!" I cursed under my breath.

Okay, think... There's a service elevator for the staff upstairs, and I need to block this one—that's the only chance I have.

The doors opened, I jumped out, and ran to the other side of the roof. Perfect, the elevator is hidden! But security guards were already running toward me, armed. I backed away, but I had forgotten to block the elevator... It opened, "spitting out" a man in a bathrobe. I backed toward the fire escape.

"Stop, you won't be harmed! Your family will never have to worry again!" shouted the man I had robbed.

Yeah, right! As if I'd believe that...

"Choke on it, jerk!" I threw the loot at his feet.

"Freeze, thief Yahna! Or we'll shoot!" The hotel security burst out of the service elevator like bullets.

That's it, I'm definitely going to jail!

"Don't you dare!" came a roar.

I threw open the door and stepped through. A shot rang out immediately. The bullet went straight through. My vision darkened, and I slowly began to slump. The man caught me before I hit the ground.

"Kill her!" came the order to the guards. "Why did you do this?" He started stroking my face.

"I have to pay for my kid's school soon..." I croaked with my last bit of strength.

The taste of blood filled my mouth. My consciousness was fading, and suddenly, instead of the man, I saw a demon-like creature with horns, fangs, and red-tinged skin.

"No, no... Don't go, please!" He was trying to stop the bleeding on my chest. "Doctor, quickly!"

My consciousness was slipping away, and I felt myself being pulled somewhere... I tried to open my eyes. The demon... He was holding my body, pressing it to himself, and screaming. Suddenly, he looked up at me and shouted:

"I'll find you, do you hear me!"

"I hear you..." I wanted to reply, but everything went dark.

And someone's voice said: *"Her soul is perfect for our plan..."*

***

What the heck is going on? Why do I feel so awful? My head was pounding, and my body felt alien. My mouth was like a desert! Struggling to stop the dizziness, I opened my eyes. Above me stretched an endless sky, dotted with countless stars...

"Lady Marihas, how are you?" A man suddenly leaned over me. He was handsome, by the way.

"I don't know who this Mari is, but I feel like crap..."

The man's eyes widened in horror. For a moment, I thought his pupils turned into snake-like slits. I closed my eyes wearily. I must have been drugged; what else could explain my condition? I'll definitely find out who did this to me and why!

"The lady is unwell from the poison; she doesn't remember herself..." the stranger lamented, gently wiping my face with a damp cloth.

"Who poisoned me and why?"

"You don't remember? You didn't want the fate of all the gifted girls."

"What gift?" I started to get up, but the stranger took the initiative and helped me sit more comfortably.

I looked around: a forest, a cart that resembled a wagon, and four muscular men, too well-groomed to be in this wilderness... They didn't fit here! In each of their gazes, there was... pity for me?

"You have the gift of fire. We're heading to the Temple of Gifts so you can willingly surrender your gift. In return, you'll be allowed to decide your own fate," the man spoke to me as if I were a child.

"Why are you talking to me like that? Do I look like a dumb kid?"

"Yes, you do! When you poisoned yourself, didn't you think about what would happen to us? That we'd be executed for letting this happen?" A blond man stepped forward and glared at me, his fists clenched.

I drank what the man next to me gave me, and I started to feel better.

"Listen, handsome, I didn't poison myself! I don't even know who you are, who all of you are... and where I am!"

I touched my forehead, which was covered in cold sweat. The clinging hair irritated my skin. I stared at the slender white hand I brought to my face. Brushing the strands away from my forehead, I was shocked to see a silky blonde lock.

"What is this?" Shocked, I couldn't take my eyes off my hair.

A small stream was nearby. With effort, I stood up and realized I was in a frail, pale girl's body...

"I want to see myself!" I pulled the stranger toward the water.

He picked me up and carried me to the pool. The river quietly flowed through the night. I leaned over, examining my reflection in amazement.

"What nonsense is this?..." I whispered in confusion, splashing water on my face. "Explain what's going on! Where's my beautiful athletic body? Where's my perfect tan?"

"Lady, what's wrong with you? Your mother will be displeased with us..." the man whispered in horror.

"My mother doesn't care about me! She disengaged as soon as I turned eighteen! What does Farida have to do with this?"

"Your mother's name is Antrisis!" came the protest.

"No! Farida, and my father is Said! I have four brothers and three sisters!" I couldn't help but raise my voice.

"Wait, Anris," the blond man, who seemed to be the leader, interrupted. "What's your name, lady? And where are you from?"

"Yahna from Baghdad!" I snapped angrily.

"How old are you?" came the next calm question.

"Twenty-three." I frowned at the blond man.

"Do you remember anything? From recent events?"

Thoughts raced at the speed of light. So, if this isn't a dream, I've ended up in some kind of mess? To put it mildly, it's terrible news! I have no skills left, I won't get far running, and the last thing I remember is a gunshot. Maybe I shouldn't tell them about my profession... Dead and gone.

"I was killed," I said without a trace of doubt.

"So, our girl is dead, and we'll be executed..." They exchanged puzzled glances.

"So... You've realized I'm not her? Now, if you feed me and tell me where I am and why you're being executed, I'll be grateful."

They picked me up again. Unable to resist, I asked the man carrying me this time:

"Why are you carrying me around?"

"You're barefoot. You'll hurt your feet." He pursed his lips in displeasure.

"Are you a nanny or something?"

"Yes, a nanny," my companion nodded, "I've been with you since birth."

"Right..." It's clear I need to run - and fast!

They laid me down on a cloth carefully spread out on the grass. A tray of food appeared immediately: mostly sliced meat, flatbreads, and fruit. I hastily stuffed it all into my mouth, washing it down with diluted wine.

"You're in the world of the Serpent People, Serpiness," the second of the group began reciting like a know-it-all.

"Hold on! Who are the Serpent People?" I froze, alert. Maybe race plays the same role here as nationality? They are Serpent People, like I'm an Arab.

"Beings with a second form as a snake."

"And you? And me?" I blinked in confusion.

"Both us and you," the guy smiled.

"Can you show me?" I asked eagerly, licking my dirty fingers and openly examining the nannies.

"A lady shouldn't do that!" one of them protested, wiping my face and hands with a damp towel. I just waved him off in annoyance.

"We can't, we're slaves."

I looked at him carefully, trying to understand what he meant.

"Slaves - what's that?"

"Servants! We belong to you. Only by removing our slave collars can we transform."

"And me?"

"You're a virgin... You can't. Only after you surrender your virginity and your gift at the temple will you be able to transform."

"Tell me more about that," I pricked up my ears. "My body is virgin, and for some reason, I have to offer my innocence to the temple and also give them a gift?!"

"Yes, that's correct. Weak gifts are offered for the chance to live freely."

"And why should I do this?" To be honest, it made me uneasy! It sounds like some kind of sacrificial lamb ritual!

"That's what the Mother decided. Afterward, they'll find you worthy husbands, and you'll be able to build your family nest."