I readjusted inside the metal cage, the muscles in my body on fire after days of being awkwardly stuffed and crowded in atiny prison. But it was more than that. I’d securely wrapped and stuffed a blade in my vagina. The angle I was forced into made it press painfully against my insides, and no matter what I did, I couldn’t ease the discomfort.
It was worth it, though.
We hadn’t been told when, where, or how it’d happen, but our intel suggested soon. So, I’d kept a dagger up there for several days before my capture. I was glad I hadn’t been tempted to remove it. Being uncomfortable was better than being unarmed in a den full of demons.
I could disarm someone without a weapon to use, but after seeing the strength I was up against, I’d need to be clever. Regular methods for disarming an enemy wouldn’t cut it.
Hours passed, and nothing. Every part of me ached—my limbs, my stomach, my head. I’d thankfully swindled some water from that bastard Boris earlier, but I hadn’t eaten in several days, and my stomach reminded me every chance it got.
There wasn’t anywhere to go to the bathroom in this cage. Degradation took on a whole new form when you were made to wet and defecate yourself. I hadn’t had the pleasure of undergoing that sort of shame yet. I’d been leashed and taken to a bathroom over the last few days. The urge to go was nearly as torturous as having my fingernails removed at the root.
Finally, the door behind me opened, the heavy wood dragging across stone. Hopefully they’d remember I was a living, breathing thing and take me to the bathroom, or at least give me some food and water. If not, I’d get mouthy and demand it. No sense in acting compliant just yet. I hadn’t any reason to. I’d wait until they tortured me first, then I’d pretend to be more obedient to avoid it.
I turned my head, but I couldn’t see who had come through the door without the top of the cage getting in my way. Someone sighed before large boots came to a stop beside me.
I remember those boots…
“I’d tell you not to run, but you wouldn’t get far even should you try, human,” a deep voice that rolled over my skin like thunder said before the lock holding the metal cage together was removed.
My limbs sprang out. If not for my reflexes, I would’ve whacked my head on the ground the instant the metal holding me gave out. Instead, I was in a crouch before I knew it, cutting a violent look up at the demon standing over me.
His eyes were narrowed with hostile curiosity. I’d forgotten to lean into my angry but helpless woman disguise. My movements gave me away, and I had to hope he wasn’t clever or had abilities that gave him access to my thoughts.
My neck hurt from the angle I’d jerked it into. After being bent toward my chest for several days, the sudden backward curve was slicing pain into my head already.
It couldn’t be helped. This bastard was at least six and a half feet tall. Maybe taller. It was a little difficult to tell from the ground, but he was absolutely massive. His throne hadn’t made him seem so large, but on his own, towering over me, he was the biggest enemy I’d ever encountered. A fucking giant. A beast of myth and legend.
But I refused to let his size get to me.
I wasn’t tiny by any means. I towered over most women, and I’d learned how to use my body to outmaneuver any enemy. I wasn’t terribly worried about evading him. Still, it made my stomach twist to think demons were this large out of their dragon form. I couldn’t imagine how massive they were in it.
Eyes the color of sapphire mixed with specks of black danced around my barely-clothed figure. The tendons in his neck were pulled tight as the silent assessment went on for minutes.
I shivered.
Despite the startling size of him, this demon was gorgeous. I’d been warned they would be. Stories of them captivating and capturing humans on looks alone preceded them. But Boris hadn’t been, so I was hoping this one wouldn’t be either. I wasn’t that lucky. He was so pretty it made it hard to look away and remind myself he was a killer.
A demon.
My enemy.
Silently, the demon folded his massive arms over his door-wide chest and tilted his head to one side. His long black hair washed over the golden skin peeking out around his neck and arms. He’d pulled part of it back, which meant his gorgeous eyes, aristocratic nose, and lush lips surrounded by a barely-there shadow of hair weren’t obstructed by the silky length.
He hadn’t worn anything spectacular. Definitely not what I’d expect from the Sky Demons leader. Just a black shirt that stretched across massive pectorals and a pair of dark pants.
I’d thought for sure they’d wear capes or something befitting their leadership station. Maybe armor? But to my eternal dismay, minimal armor was another damning discovery.
They didn’t need it.
Fuck.
The look of him made him come across far more dangerous than any other person I’d crossed paths with, including the other demons I’d met so far. Especially after no one fought him for me when they were perfectly happy to fight each other.
Something told me there were very few who were brave enough to challenge him. He might appear more man than beast at first, but the feeling he put into the air was all vicious demon.
Perfect. I couldn’t have asked for a better outcome.
He was trying to figure me out like something didn’t make sense to him. Had he already sensed the truth? No, that wasn’t it.The glow in his sapphire irises wasn’t that of an enemy sizing up a challenger. It was…lust?
