Bargaining with the Beast

A massive shadow loomed in the middle of the dance floor, taking up nearly the entire space.

Hazel held her breath, tilting her head back. Through the haze, she could just make out the outline—towering, easily ten feet tall. The details were obscured, but there was no mistaking it. A beast.

And somehow, whether because of her newly awakened power or something else, she could feel its unnatural aur