I command the ritual that will strip the demon lord bare for medical examination under the eyes of witnesses, my voice steady as I prepare the velvet table in the chamber beneath the Blood Moon. I tell myself my need for absolute control will protect me from the terror of being truly seen.

Hugo submits to the ritual without a word, his massive frame and ridged obsidian horns bared for every witness to see. His craving for acceptance is the one thing he will not name. Every instrument I lift, he takes without flinching. I can command this examination in front of them all. I cannot command what it will expose in me.