Joy had endured stabbings. Whippings. Being cut open. Having her hand severed and reattached.
She had faced horrors that would break most people.
She had never felt anything like this.
It overwhelmed her completely. She couldn't think—could only moan, whimper, and beg her mother to stop.
But Maria showed no mercy. She continued pouring energy into her daughter, watching with something between pity and satisfaction.
Finally, she glanced at Cassius and beckoned him over with a smile.
"Come here, dear. Help me out a little."
Cassius had been perfectly content watching from the side—watching one succubus mother torment her succubus daughter.
It was a hell of a show. But he went over obediently anyway.
Maria looked at him with a tender gaze.
"I honestly do feel bad for Joy right now. What I'm doing to her...it's something a mother should never do."
Joy's heart leaped. Maybe—maybe her mother was finally going to let her go—
