"You're... you're trying to use me to get to my world!"
"A world to feast upon, completely unprepared for the likes of me," the demon said. "Aren't you a smart girl. Smart and strong - exactly what I like."
Aubrey pushed through her hyperventilation. "I'll never make your deal with you!" She clenched her teeth in determination. "Never!"
"Bold of you to believe you have the choice to refuse." Lord Nightmare grinned. "You remind me of someone I know, down to the same fury in your eyes." He took a step backwards, admiring her. "It'll be fun to watch you break."
The tentacles tightened around Aubrey's extremities, making her wince, and lifted her to a height more convenient to the demonic beast in front of her. She thrashed against them, wondering how something so soft and slimy could hold her so rigidly.
"It's really a shame you refused to play along."
The lower two tentacles squirmed up to her knees, separating them. Frozen in shock and hopelessly out-muscled, Aubrey didn't even try to keep them together, staring up at the monster with a tiny, helpless cry of fear.
"But if that's how it's going to be..."
Tentacle number five lunged its head under her denim skirt, effortlessly stealing a critical garment. It was gone before the yelp of shock had even escaped her lips. The demon pulled his hungry gaze up from the unguarded goal long enough to meet her eyes, gleefully clutching the giant egg in his fingers.
"...Then we'll just have to do things the old-fashioned way."