“My brother is dead, so the deal’s off.”
“Yes, I’m fully aware. He was my vessel, and when he died, I was able to take on my true form. Through some sacrifice, that is. Blood of a virgin is quite powerful.” He smirks, licking his lips.
“Your brother let me have my fun with those girls, not that he could stop me. Samuel spent a lot of time watching you. So much so that I became obsessed. You can blame him for this. His seething contempt for you stoked my burning appetite to consume you. I plan on making our time together very . . . ” he pauses, as if trying to think of the right word “ . . . memorable.”
I recoil in revulsion, my fingers digging into the mattress behind me.
He continues as he starts toward me. “I have been practicing with the others on how to make the body last longer. But with you being a shifter, you will heal over and over after I inflict my torture. Watching you bleed will be so fucking sweet.”
His soulless gray eyes seem to gleam with delight. The smile that stretches across his face makes my body tremble in fear. I feel an icy chill run down my spine, and I know I have to leave. My legs feel like jelly, but I have to try to get out of here. I would rather die trying to escape than stay in hope of rescue.
I make for the exit, but he is fast and on me in a second. His hand wraps around my throat, the claws puncturing my skin. I feel the blood trickling down my neck.
“Trying to leave, my pet?” he growls excitedly.
My toes are barely touching the ground as I thrash around in his grip, trying to kick him with my legs. He draws me in close to his body, so close I feel his erection.
Whispering in my ear, his rotten breath skates across my neck. “Keep fighting. It only makes me enjoy it more.”
I feel his tongue slide up my neck, licking up the blood. My body revolts in disgust, and his head tips back on a laugh as he throws me across the room. My back hits the wall hard, and I hear more than I feel my back break. Dizziness swamps me as I crumple to the ground, dark spots dancing in front of me. I blink as I watch the creature’s dark figure approach me.
“I’m so glad you're not as easy to kill as those weak, pathetic humans,” it hisses.
Grabbing me by the hair, it drags me over to the corner of the room. I feel a searing pain and let out an involuntary scream, unable to move. I try to shift, but something is blocking it. The world slowly fades out of focus and darkness carries me away.
Chapter Sixty One
Salena
Iamsofuckinghungry, and my body aches something terrible. Yes, I have healed, but it has been a slow process. I was able to shift once a couple of days ago, and took a chunk out of the demon’s leg. Since then, he has been injecting me more often with something to keep me from shifting again. Without being able to shift, I don’t heal as quickly and I’m vulnerable. My body quivers uncontrollably, no matter how hard I try to steady it. It has been three days since Hayley showed up at my door, and I know my brothers and Logan must be frantically searching for me.
I hear the pounding of feet on the stairs, and my body locks up. The smell of the demon overwhelms me, and I fight to control my nausea. I sit up slowly, my senses on alert as he draws closer. Pulling a key from his pocket, he silently reaches for the chain that is wrapped around my neck, undoing the lock. The moment it falls to the ground, I surge forward, my forehead connecting with his nose. The demon is momentarily stunned. I don’t give him time to recover. I launch to my feet, running for the stairs. Taking them two at a time, I push through the door into the kitchen. Turning, I slam it shut like my life depends on it. I flip the lock, hands shaking madly, and drop my forehead to the wooden door and take a breath. A simple door and lock isn’t going to stop the demon, though. I feel a heavy exhaustion settling in my bones, and I know I have to keep going.
I turn, pushing from the door and my heart sinks when I see the door leading outside has been boarded up.
Fuck.
I dart through the house, my heart pounding in my chest as I move toward the front. I pause, sensing something move in the house. I am only a few feet from the front door. I turn, walking backwards to the door, keeping my senses on high alert. Whatever it is, it is dark and wicked, saturating the air with its stench. The air rushes around me, tossing my hair about. I slowly turn, feeling the wood of the door against my back. My heart is pounding in my chest, my lungs heaving with each quick breath.
Suddenly, I’m lifted into the air and thrown across the room, a loud yelp escaping me. My body smashes into the coffee table, sending it crashing over. Before I can get my bearings, I’m lifted again by an invisible force and thrown into the nearest wall. I groan on impact, my body landing in a heap on the floor. I slowly open my eyes and take a sharp intake of breath at the sight before me. Hayley stares me down, her lip curled in a menacing sneer. Her face is contorted in a cruel expression, but the lack of emotion in her eyes reveals she isn't really there.
The demon saunters into the room behind Hayley, his hand landing on her shoulder. She doesn’t so much as flinch, just stands there. I sit up, leaning my back against the wall as I stare between them.
“She was so easy to manipulate. So full of grief and self-loathing. I told her all about you and your pack and how you killed her husband. It was so easy. Too easy, really. Then I simply brought my friend in to take over her body. By the time she realized I had lied, it was too late. Any fight she had left faded when I threatened her son.”
My heart races and my stomach drops as a wave of horror washes over me. Hayley and Ro have been through enough. They don’t deserve this.
Squatting in front of me, his hand snaps out, gripping my jaw painfully in his hands. When his lips curl up into a wicked grin, I know he’s savoring the thought of my punishment. He’ll have something extra in mind tonight. My eyes drift shut as his clawed hand wraps around my throat and he lifts me to my feet. My hands fly up to grip his wrists, my nails biting into his flesh. From the corner of my eye, I see Hayley’s body twitch; her gaze snapping to mine. Brown eyes flicker with the void of the demon. She’s fighting it; she’s still in there.
The demon tightens his grip around my neck and walks back through the house. I see the door to the basement swing open. Dread settles in my stomach, and before I can react, he throws me straight through the door. The world tilts and spins, my body rolling down the stairs. My back takes the brunt of it, the stairs pounding into my back as I flip over. My head smashes against the wall before I come to a stop at the bottom, my eyes looking at the ceiling. I gasp for breath, trying my best to breathe through the pain racking my body.
I roll my head to the side, looking up the staircase I’ve just been thrown down, and see the demon’s shadow moving about. I close my eyes, struggling to draw in enough air. I don’t want to die here. I just don’t see a way out.
I drift off to that special place in my mind, a place that takes me away from all this, from the nightmare that awaits me.
“Oh, no you don’t,” snarls an ugly voice.
My face is gripped painfully in his hand, his long fingernails digging into my cheeks. I can feel the blood trickling from where they are puncturing my skin. I force my eyes open and shoot a menacing glare at the demon. But his eyes are following the path of my blood, mesmerized. Leaning forward, his long tongue darts out, licking the trail of blood. I quiver in repulsion, too weak to fight back.
