Devil's Deal: A Dark Fantasy Romance

I spend the next four days putting my head back on straight. I walk through the woods, and even though it rains, the trees mostly protect me from the gentle drizzle that’s nothing like the downpour that day I left the village.

My purpose is clear for now. Woland keeps messing with my head, hinting at his hurt feelings, laughing his warm, pleased laugh, and making it seem like he didn’t break my life into pieces. The worst thing is, it’s working. I let him feed me, called on his name, even asked him for help. I still hate him, but we’re back to this strange intimacy between two people who dance around one another, each trying to win and make the other lose. It is, indeed, like a game.

I still have nightmares. Maja’s baby dies in my arms every night. I pay too much attention to my body every time I wash, feeling like it’s not my own ever since he brought me back from the dead. When I’m in the river, I fixate on my scar, running my fingers over it again and again until it grows tender. It’s my reassurance, my proof that I am me.

Sometimes, I stare at my reflection in the water and try to scratch his mark off, even though I know it won’t help. I stop noticing the dead plants surrounding me every morning when I wake up.