The same could be said for the creature that slipped out of it. Around the creature was a faint nimbus of nothingness, a small gap created by the actions of the darkness curling away from the creature.

The creature was too beautiful to inspire such fear from an inanimate object but it did. The form was statuesque, lithe, and pleasing to all the senses. Every inch of skin was luminous with a skin-deep shimmer, every inch built to lure, to seduce, to befuddle the mind so much that it missed the form underneath.

Underneath it was the form of a predator, the mannerisms of a killer’s sheathed in languid elegance. But many will die never seeing it, blinded by their senses even as they bled to death.

The night was desolate and empty, a scene that could be anywhere in the world and the creature was comfortable in it, resplendent in its natural habitat.

A cruel smile crossed those beautiful features while the shimmer beneath the skin began to glow until it resulted in a blinding burst of light.

When it was over, nothing remained except the darkness, back to its natural form.

She traced the human skin with hands that were tipped by vivid pink claws that almost perfectly mimicked her true claws. Except they were softer and prettier and sadly shorter, nothing like the purposeful weapons she spotted in her true form.

She inspected her glamour, happier now that she didn’t have to look sickly or weak. Weakness disgusted her and she had tried so hard to not betray her innate nature, there had been barely perceptible slips but if the humans noted it, they had an explanation for themselves.

She scoffed, a sound that was impossibly loud in the silence of her room, but no one was there to hear the sibilant sound filled to the brim with malevolence. No one to see the healthy pink skin fade off to be replaced by something too beautifully bizarre to be conjured by the human mind. She was a terrible beauty and she knew it, her smile was filled with too much certainty, her eyes too jaded.

Humans were detestable creatures even half-breeds but earth was such a fascinating, absolutely chock-full with demons who preferred it to the dark pits of hell; the humans were the main lure though.

So much to indulge, so much to see, so many beautiful games to play. So many people to manipulate, to toy with and eventually break in any manner she wished.

She’d enjoyed fooling them so far, she had gotten so secure in her plans that she didn’t even bother looking in the mirror anymore to keep an eye on him.

At first, she had been afraid that her proximity to pain would trigger him awake but nothing. After that stunt with the boiling water and setting a nightmare demon after her, she had hunkered down and waited for reactions to her attacks but nothing.

It appeared that asleep, he wasn’t as aware as he always claimed to be. That information curled her lips in unholy mirth. She had teased her boundaries and found them non-existent.

She felt confident that she had all the time in the world, as soon as she got Lei Zhao out of the way she would easily take her revenge.

Already she was cozying up to Yan Mei, working with him as his personal assistant at his request was something that she had not even foreseen.

It made her plans even easier; she had already spelled his establishment to numb every emotion he had for his wife, but he had to keep working at it, their love was strong, impossibly so but hardly unbreakable. She was definitely going to shatter the bond that lay between the two of them, but that was only the top of the iceberg when it came to her plans for Yan Mei.

Yue Yan looked into the mirror again, her eyes blazing with a manic glint, as she made the decision to put things in play, just a little nudge in the right direction, pulling string before she could unveil her grand plan.

She snapped back her glamour into place before stepping away from in front of the mirror, hating every step she took away from the mirror. It might seem cliché but she was a demoness and took great pride in herself. Every time she hid her true self away, she balked at having to assume this weak mien and hide her true self away.

”Soon” she promised herself softly before she walked to her closet and picked something new, something appropriate for her plans.

She dressed carefully her hand lingering on the material, her eyes glinting with greed. This was what she deserved, a life that was meant to be hers; having all her desires met and being worshipped, this was her true fate.

Yue Yan moved back to the vanity and quickly applied make-up, she’d quickly learned to mimic her true coloring in this human skin and the effect was startling perfect.

She took a moment to caress her reflection with her eyes; it could never compare to her in full glory but it would did.

She finished dressing up and exited the room, as much as she loved being waited on, it was time to sit the live-in nurse, it was time to advance her plans.

It was time to take action. She was going to enjoy this immensely.

*************

**********

Anxiety was a hell of a drug and for a man who prided himself on being on top of everything in his life. But a good part of that anxiety had died down thanks to his wife.

Lei Zhao smiled, a look his driver caught in the mirror on their way to work. It was the look of a man perfectly satisfied with his life currently and please with the direction it was taking.

Since he had found out that Yue Yan had survived the accident and had been in a coma for three whole years, his mind had him into a panicked race to do right by her.

The panic had been so potent that even a reminder of his brother’s passing hadn’t been as painful as he thought he would be. Life really was for the living he mused; his mind stuck on reminiscing about the distant past.