“Hey, stop that!” a gruff voice shouts. Suddenly I’m thrown violently onto the floor with a sharp blow to my head, and a powerful kick in my side knocks the wind out of me. Then another. And another. Excruciating electric shocks shoot down my spine. Everything starts to go blurry.
“HEY, leave her alone!” I hear Corrine scream. I open my eyes enough to see her hitting and kicking a demon twice her size. He turns from me long enough to shove her back on her chair, then lifts me up by my hair and slams me back on mine.
“This is your last warning. You try anything… anything… and I’ll kill you myself! I don’t care who has the bounty on you!” He draws a line across his neck and glares at us before turning back to the crowd, who’d been watching with eager excitement. Finally, a little taste of the action they’d been waiting for.
The guard moves to the middle of the stage and motions for the crowd to settle down. A moment later, the Belith leader comes and stands in front of us.
“Gather ‘round for tonight’s Prisoner Delight!” the massive demon shouts. The crowd hushes and moves closer. “First: There is to be absolutely no killing of the prisoners, unless it is of their own doing or by one of the guards. Any citizen committing a killing will have his hands chopped off and skin peeled from his back. Second: You may not use your powers on the prisoners, but you may use physical force. Be creative. Third: If at any time the prisoner loses consciousness, wait until he or she is healed and awake before continuing. And last but not least—have fun!”
He exits the stage, and two other guards come up behind Corrine and me. They grab our hands and tie us up like Kieron. The ropes burn, and I know they’ve been enchanted. Corrine gasps. She bites her lip and squeezes her eyes shut, then takes several deep breaths. Suddenly, I find my heart going out to this girl who risked her life to try to help me. I can’t even imagine her profound terror right now.
The crowd erupts in boisterous cheers and claps, and some of them begin gathering up sticks, rocks, and other large objects. Weapons. The entertainment is about to begin.
Despite their rambunctious energy, they approach in orderly fashion, one at a time. The first is a young female Belith who slaps Corrine across the face several times and then yanks out some of her hair before running away giggling. The next is a demon who appears to be in his teens, holding a handful of rocks. He winds up and throws them as hard as he can in my face, splitting open my skin in several places. Then a heavyset female with ragged, grey hair and pointy teeth approaches. She holds a red-hot poker to Kieron’s cheek, and he lets out an anguished yell. The woman laughs hysterically and runs down to re-join the party below.
The torture train continues. One after the other the Belith demons of various ages, sizes and shapes take their turns hitting, slapping, spitting, burning, stabbing, and otherwise tormenting us in almost every way imaginable.
Be strong… you can endure this… you are stronger than them. Block out the pain, I chant over and over in my mind.
“Why are they doing this?” Corrine moans. “Why don’t they just kill us and get it over with?”
I shake my head as a large demon comes up and punches Kieron straight in the face, breaking his nose.
“This is their fun. They want us to suffer while we wait for whatever other demon is coming to get us,” I say as one comes up and stabs me in the arm with a fork. I bite my lip and force myself not to show any reaction.
I’d already figured it was probably someone from the Legionare who was after me—one of Abbaton’s minions following up on his orders to punish me should I ever return to Thiberoux. Although I actually was kidnapped from Mortal World and brought to Thiberoux, I’m sure they don’t care about technicalities. Not if there’s a reward involved. But why Corrine and Kieron are a part of all this is beyond me. Especially Kieron. Corrine was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. But they went after Kieron and got him. How? Why?
Somehow we manage to endure for several torturous hours, until finally, like a child who quickly discards a new toy after the initial excitement, some Belith start wandering away, no longer interested. They’re notorious for their fondness for maiming and murder, and I suspect the strict rules are limiting their fun. This is tame compared to the game they’d really like to play.
“Do you think they’re done?” Corrine whispers in a scratchy voice. After all the screaming I heard coming from her, I’m surprised she can still speak.
I look around. My eyes are still swollen, but I can barely make out that the only demons paying us much attention now are the guards, and they’re standing several feet away talking to each other, only occasionally glancing in our direction.
“Maybe for now,” I say. I don’t have the heart to tell her that this was just a small preview. Our nightmare is only just beginning.
I turn to Kieron. “How are you doing?”
He nods wearily, and manages a tiny smile. I’m so glad I had the chance to sneak in a quick healing before the Belith had their way with him. Of the three of us, he’s been hurt the worst by far, but he’s hanging in there. More than anything I want to put my arms around him and hold him close. To heal his pain with my warm hands. Even though my feelings toward him have shifted lately, I care for him just as much. I still love him, and to see him suffering so badly because of me is almost more than I can take.
“Hang in there,” I whisper. “Help is coming soon, I promise.” But why are Vincent and Demetri taking so long to return? I’d hoped they’d be back long before now.
“How’re you doing?” he asks.
I shake my head. “I’m okay,” I lie. Truth is, I don’t think there’s a spot left on me that isn’t hurting. Yet for some reason the pain has dulled to a tolerable level. I don’t even feel the burning ropes around my wrists anymore.
I turn back to Kieron, and he fixes his dark blue eyes on me. “Can I ask you something? I need to know,” he says.
“Of course, anything.”
“Do you still love me?”
“Absolutely,” I answer without hesitation. But I’m a little surprised that’s what he wanted to ask me, especially right now.
He clenches his jaw. “Okay, let me phrase it another way. Are you still IN love with me?”
I catch my breath. The same question I had been asking myself. I look at him, unable to respond. What can I say? That I love him like a brother? Funny how that one tiny word makes such an incredibly drastic difference.
After a moment of silence he nods and looks back at the ground. “Yeah… that’s sorta what I figured. Something’s changed, and I’m not sure what.” He looks at me again, and the pain in his eyes guts me to my core.
“You’re perfect for me… for us,” I whisper.
He slowly shakes his head. “Something changed when we got to California. With Liora, too. Hell, maybe even before that, but we were just so caught up in chaos that we couldn’t see straight.”
“Oh, and now that things have calmed down so much for us everything is crystal clear?”
Kieron looks at me and gives a soft chuckle, then becomes serious again. He’s quiet for a few moments. “I know you’re pregnant.” He looks back at the floor.
I gasp and stare at him. “What? How did you know?”
He keeps his eyes down and shakes his head slowly. “I’ve suspected for a while now.”
I take a deep breath. “I was going to tell you.”
“When?”
“Soon.”
“How about now?”
I try to organize my thoughts into something coherent. Haven’t we both had enough torture tonight? But maybe he’s right; maybe it’s now or never. I have only a few hours left until sunrise, and I’m starting to think it’s unlikely I’ll live to see another night. Vincent and Demetri are taking too long to return.
Where the hell are they?!
I glance over at Corrine. She looks like she’s asleep. Her eyes are closed, and her head is hanging to one side. Good. She deserves a respite. I sigh again and tu
rn back to Kieron.
“Yes, I’m pregnant. Obviously it’s not yours.”
“Obviously.”
“It happened just one time.”
“Bones?”
I nod, unable to look him in the eyes. His jaw clenches, and he looks away.
“I’m not surprised. I always knew you loved him.”
“It’s a different kind of love. He’s… he was… I… I can’t even explain it.”
Kieron shakes his head, his eyes downcast. “You don’t have to. I saw it in your eyes every time you looked at him. When I woke up in the Hlbafa prison and saw you in his arms, I knew. I was convinced I’d lost you to him forever. But then he died… And I’ve felt so guilty and horrible for being the cause of your pain—”
He looks up at me, blinking rapidly. “I knew you were hurting, and that I could never take his place. But I loved you so much, I hoped it might be enough and eventually you’d see that we were right together.”
“I love how you love me… and Liora. You make us feel good. Whole. Safe.”
“But you don’t want good, whole, and safe. You want passion and danger. Someone who lights your blood on fire.”
“Bones is dead,” I whisper. “He’s gone.”
“I loved you from the first time I saw you. You had some kind of unexplainable hold on me, and I never felt that way before. It threw my world into a tailspin. But it’s been the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
Tears are sliding down my cheek, but I don’t care. “Do you know what Bones told me right before he died? That he and I have known each other in lots of past lives. He can remember them, but I can’t.”
Kieron nods, his face glum. “Yeah, pure demons remember their life-tracks, unlike us. Guess that explains your tight bond with him.”
“But he also told me something else. He told me that you and I find each other in every life, too. That you and I always meet up somehow, even though we never remember it.”
He looks up. “Really? What else did he say?”
I bite my lip as the tears fall freely. “Actually he didn’t have a chance to say anything else. Those were literally his last words to me as I fell asleep, and when I woke up he’d already been killed.”
I see the genuine compassion in Kieron’s face. “I’m so sorry. I really am. All I ever wanted to do was help you and protect you. I hope you know that. If I had any idea at all what Abbaton would do, I would have never gone to him in the first place.”
I shake my head. “It wouldn’t have mattered. Bones was already planning on offering himself up as a sacrifice anyways. The Hlbafa demanded two deaths for their losses, and Bones said it would be him and whichever Hellhound brother volunteered. I wasn’t able to talk him out of it before I fell asleep. His mind was made up, and there was no changing it. So if it hadn’t been Abbaton, it would’ve been the Hlbafa.”
Kieron is quiet for a long time. “Thank you for telling me that,” he finally says in a muted voice. “I’ve been blaming myself for his death and feeling such guilt for causing you so much pain. That’s the last thing in this life I ever wanted to do. I thought I was doing the right thing, and instead I ended up hurting you. It’s been eating away at me ever since. I thought you blamed me too, and that’s why you’ve been pulling away.”
I give him a weak smile. “Well, you can stop beating yourself up. I’ve never blamed you for Bones’s death. I knew you were only trying to do right in a messed-up situation, and you did manage to get Liora out of there safely.”
He nods slowly. We both sit, each lost in our own thoughts. Corrine appears to still be napping. It’s probably the only peace she’ll have for the rest of her short, doomed life, and I hope she sleeps as long as she can.
Finally, Kieron looks over at me. “If we get out of here… when we get out of here… I’ll do whatever you want me to do. I’m not going to stop loving you, but if you need space, I’ll give you what you need.” He takes a deep breath and glances around. “But not yet. Now we have to concentrate on surviving this somehow and getting out with our necks intact.”
********
The time passes slowly, and I’m about to lose my mind. Kieron and I just sit making occasional small talk but not really saying anything. What are the Belith waiting for? And where the hell is Vincent? Is he ever coming back?
“Who do you think wants us?” I ask Kieron. “At first I was assuming it was the Legionare, but since they caught you too, I’m thinking maybe the Hlbafa. It’s the only thing that makes sense. They destroyed Dryndara looking for me, and they probably blame you for double-crossing them and bringing the Legionare to their village.”
He shrugs. “Sounds plausible, although I always thought the Hlbafa and Belith were mortal enemies. Centuries of bad blood there. Strange to see them working together.”
I roll my eyes. “Who knows with demons? One minute they hate you, the next they’re snatching girls off the beach for you.” A thought suddenly occurs to me, one I’m surprised didn’t cross my mind earlier. “How were you caught? What happened?”
Kieron lets out a small groan and shakes his head. “It was so unbelievably stupid, I can’t even believe it worked. It’s almost too embarrassing…”
“Tell me.”
He sighs and glances back toward the village center where a few Belith are still wandering around. “I’d just woken up, and no one was around. So I went down to the beach to see if maybe you guys were there. Then I saw you… well, what I thought was you… down the shore a ways, screaming and waving at me frantically, like you’d been hurt.”
“Oh, no.”
He nods grimly. “So I ran over to you, and was ambushed by a half-dozen I don’t-even-know-whats and got the crap pummeled out of me. I came to later as I was being dragged up here.”
I bite my lip and nod. “If it makes you feel any better that’s pretty similar to how they tricked Liora and Corrine, too.” I frown. “Speaking of, Liora will be coming soon. You have to try and help her somehow. I don’t know what to do.” I thought Vincent would be back by now…
He shakes his head. “You don’t even have to say anything. I love you. That hasn’t changed. I’ll do everything in my power to keep her safe and get her out of here. Admittedly my power is a bit limited now, but…”
“So, these horrid neck things… they really will slice our heads off if we try to escape or teleport away?”
He nods. “Unfortunately, yes. They’re specifically designed to prevent that sort of activity. The Legionare uses them a lot, and I’ve used them myself from time to time when transporting particularly dangerous demons. Just never thought I’d have one used on me.”
I frown. “Well, how do you get them off then? I mean, once you’ve transported a prisoner or something… you don’t keep them on forever, do you?”
He shrugs. “Well, sometimes, yeah. Depending on the demon, they might stay on indefinitely. But if I’m the one who put it on, only my touch and a disarming spell can remove it.”
“So the only way these things are coming off our necks is if the dickwad Belith who put them on us has a change of heart and takes them off with his own two hands?”
Kieron nods. “Well, technically it just takes one hand, but yeah. Only his touch can open them up safely.”
My mind starts spinning. So instead of charming the necklace itself or using magic on it, the trick is to go through the demon who put it on in the first place. Maybe somehow I can use my powers of persuasion on him to— Nah, that won’t work. My psychic powers are pretty ineffective on other demons. Humans, sure. I can make them do whatever, whenever. Unfortunately, demons are a different story altogether. And considering he’s the leader of this hostile clan, I can only assume he’s quite powerful as well.
“Hey, check it out… Looks like something is happening.” Kieron motions with his chin. I look over to where a group of Belith is gathering. They’re getting louder and more frenzied, and I’m alarmed by the sudden shift in energy.
This c
an’t be good.
The commotion continues to grow, and the crowd starts moving toward us. Someone shouts gleefully, “They’re here! They’re here!”
“I’ve got a really bad feeling about this,” Kieron mutters under his breath. Corrine lets out a soft moan and slowly blinks her eyes.
“What’s happening?” she asks, her voice trembling.
I keep my gaze fixed on the mob, and my heart begins to race. My stomach is twisted in knots, and I have to fight an almost overwhelming urge to claw my way out of my bindings, necklace or no. I need to get away from here now!
“Lucky… Lucky… what is it? What’s happening?” Corrine asks again.
I still don’t answer her. I just stare straight ahead, unblinking, every cell in my body poised for action.
A hush falls. An eerie calm that sends shivers down my spine.
Then I hear the sound of giggles, and my blood turns to ice.
The giggles turn into laughter, as the crowd parts to make way for the two newcomers. They head straight toward us.
“No... no!” I cry weakly, as Kieron gasps in horror.
And the two Amazèa demons giggle even more.
Chapter 29. Lucky/Liora
My hands are trembling, and I can barely breathe. “No, no, no,” I whisper. Kieron starts tugging at his ropes, and I’m too stunned to warn him to stop.
“Who are they?” Corrine asks. “They’re so cute! What are they doing in a horrible place like this?”
The Amazèa demons. Vile creatures, deceptively innocent and beautiful, with their golden blonde ringlets tumbling down their petite backs, and their huge blue eyes, as round and big as ever on their baby doll faces. To a human they don’t look more than eight or nine years old, and appear to be the embodiment of sweetness and grace.
But I know they are pure evil. The most wretched monsters to ever breathe air. They are the ones who killed Kayla and Michael, and later my friends Cody and Ivy. They are the ones who attempted to steal my powers, and ended up stealing my soul instead.
They are the objects of my vendetta, and my blood burns with hate knowing they’re alive and free while I’ve been kept a prisoner of their wicked curse. Apparently with all the chaos and drama in Thiberoux and with the Legionare, they’ve managed to escape from captivity. Somehow that doesn’t surprise me in the least.