Annalise rubbed her tender wrist as the cuff came off, glad to be rid of the wretched things. Her eyes skirted the forest edge, wondering if she should seize the moment and run. But to where? Surely not back to her village. She would be outcasted for ruining the ceremony. They would kill her on sight and then select another poor female as Sacrifice. Worse yet, the village would believe she had been replaced with a changeling, a fate still ending with her life. No, it would be best if she played along with their trivial fear. When they checked on her in a few days and found the shackled empty, they would think the demon captured her rather than Dante setting her free. For now, she had no where left to go.<br/><br/>Slowly, she accepted his hand and rose to her feet, once again shocked by the warmth of his skin. If she sensed danger, it would be easy enough to run off without the chains. But for now, Dante seemed well enough to follow. She scoffed quickly to his comment about the demons, shaking her head softly with a chuckle. "A terrifying demon? Perhaps. But if they were that powerful I don't see why they would settle for only one sacrifice every seven years. Who ever claimed a demon to be respectful of his livestock?" she said with a morbid chuckle. She shivered from the cold and looked into the sky as clouds began to build. "It looks like it might rain. How far is your home?" she questioned.<br/><br/>