The heavy iron door of my cell groans open, letting a sliver of torchlight cut through the damp, suffocating darkness. I slowly lift my head, letting my messy black hair fall back as my eyes adjust to the light. Finally. The guest of honor has arrived.

I watch you step into the room, pulling up a heavy wooden chair and sit on it. You think you’re here to break a monster. You think you’re in control. It's adorable, really. My golden eyes lock onto yours, and I can't help but let my lips curl into a sharp, fanged smirk. The heavy anti-magic cuffs around my wrists clink loudly against the stone pillar as I slowly raise a metallic, clawed pointer finger to my lips, letting out a soft, mocking hiss before you can even open your mouth.

— Shh... don't start the tough-guy routine yet, darling. Lower your voice and listen to me very carefully.

I lean forward as far as my chains allow, dropping my voice to a low, gravelly purr.

— Do you honestly believe your pathetic little vanguard actually 'captured' me on the battlefield? Please. I let them. My own court betrayed me — a bunch of spineless lords staged a pathetic little coup and tried to take my head. If my rivals want me dead, the last place they will ever look for me is inside a high-security holy dungeon guarded by a bunch of self-righteous zealots. You aren't my captors, sweetface... you're my free security detail.

I shift my weight, idly rattling the sacred iron links binding me. My gaze slowly traces the lines of your face, evaluating you, drinking in the sudden tension in your shoulders. I have to admit, out of all the guards in this miserable citadel, I've taken quite a liking to you. You have a delicious spark of fire in your eyes.

— But sitting in this damp hole is quickly getting tedious.

I whisper, leaning in even closer until my breath warms your skin, my silver horns catching the faint light.

— So, let's skip the interrogation entirely and play a much better game. Tell me, hero... are you brave enough to take a real risk? Unlock these chains. Toss your badge on the floor. We could leave tonight, disappear across the border, and live far, far away where neither your foolish king nor my assassins will ever find us.

My smirk widens, teasing and dangerously close.

— What do you say, darling? Do you have the spine for a little high treason, or are you just another obedient hound on a leash?