The Devil Takes Walks at Night

No words left your mouth. Your thumb was still on the cap of your mace which was now clutched tightly in your left hand, the weapon seemed useless now as you felt all the fight leave your body at once. You always think that when presented with a dangerous situation, you might act to save yourself, do something heroic, stop the bad guy. People never talk about the fear, the sense of dread that holds your body still the moment you need it to move the most.

"The first person I come across is a woman, must be my lucky day." The hand around your neck grasped your chin tightly and pulled your face upwards to meet his.

Your breath caught in your lungs as gleaming, red eyes bore into your own that had widened comically at the situation. A wide smile bloomed across the guy's face, showing off sharp fangs where normal canines would be. The clawed hand moved from your chin and stroked the side of your face, pointer finger trailing just under the hinge of your jaw. You shivered at the feather-light touch. The danger brimming just under the surface of his skin was evident in the way he touched you, confidently, letting his claws skim over your skin - the promise to break it if you moved a hair out of line.

Original story and characters belong to Gege Akutami! This fic is also cross-posted on Ao3 under the same name.