“Our pets are awake.”
The sound brought a chill down Jin’s spine. She knew that voice. She watched as a familiar figure squatted in front of her. It was Lionel, the demon who was her caretaker when she was the demon’s pet. Though being called a caretaker was a stretch. He was just the one that made sure she stayed alive.
Lionel reached a hand out and lifted Jin’s chin. “Look at you. Someone went and ran off to a new family. Look how well kept and fed you are. What’s the matter? Didn’t you like how your masters cared for you? Instead, you ran off and found something better.” His lips curled up in a disgusted snarl. “One of them even put a collar on you, I see.” He tilted her head to the side as he looked at her mark.
“Aww. Someone also stole your pet’s innocence,” the man behind him said as he clicked his tongue. “What do you want to do with this one?” The man gestured toward Susan.
“I don’t want her. We’ll just leave her here. It’s not like she can go anywhere. Either she’ll be found, or she’ll rot here and die. In either case, that doesn’t matter to me. But this one … this one is personal.” Lionel sneered at Jin.
“I couldn’t believe it when I saw you sitting there … laughing, without a care in the world.” He clicked his tongue loudly. “Ithought we taught you better than that. But look at you, trusting again. Well … we’ll just have to remedy this spoiled attitude you’ve developed.” A cruel grin spread over his face.
Jin had learned her lesson long ago how to act with the demons. You didn’t talk to them, and you avoided eye contact. Otherwise, you would be disciplined and taught respect. So, she kept her eyes averted, focusing on the ground.
“Where are we taking her? You taking her back to Leoric’s? Or to the crevasse?”
“Everyone’s on the move, and Leroic’s is too far away. The crevasse is closer to the others. This way, I can visit my pet often, until we put an end to this silly war.” Lionel stood up and turned to look at the other guy.
“To think the wolves and fairies think they stand a chance. No one stands a chance since Mephisto is fighting. He’s going to make himself the god of this world. This will be the world of the demons soon.” Lionel smirked and looked at Jin. “Are you going to be good and behave yourself, or do I need to knock you out again?”
Jin continued to keep her head lowered. She couldn’t afford to be beaten now. She had to protect her unborn child. She had to be obedient and docile. She was hoping beyond all hope that Chasen would find her, but she was also afraid of him finding her, of him being killed. She felt conflicted between wanting to escape and keeping the ones she loved safe.
Suddenly, Lionel lifted her up and flung her over his shoulder. She continued to hold still and make it easy for him.
“Looks like someone remembers her place after all.” Lionel chuckled. “Glad to see you remember your real master.”
Jin looked out of the corner of her eye at Susan and continued to watch her until they left the abandoned building and she was out of sight. Sam should be able to track her down.At the very least, Freja should be able to. She really hoped they would find her.
Her stomach rolled with nausea. She had been captured again. Was she once again going to be forced to be their pet?
CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX
Freja dashed around, following the slight traces of their scents in the air. Once she hit a wooded area, she caught the other scent again, the putrid scent of decay stinging her nose. She stopped and looked around. The sunlight danced on the leaves of the trees as they swayed with their secrets. A combination of scents wafted from some of the weeds that was even stronger. They had stopped here for a moment. She could smell Susan, Jin, and two other creatures of the dark. It was exactly what she had feared. And there was going to be blood spilled.
“What’s going … wait … Jin was here. I smell her.” Chasen turned his head in different directions, trying to figure out which way she went.
“You’re only smelling her because she was set down here for a moment. They’ve been covered in something to hide their scent.” Freja touched the bark of a tree and ripped a piece off of it. “This is the scent we’ll be following now.” She handed it over to Chasen. “It’s faint, but you should be able to get a small whiff of it.”
His nose turned up at it, and a low growl came from his throat. “Who took her?”
“Doesn’t matter. They’re dead the moment I see them.” Freja looked around. “They covered their tracks well, up to this point. But they got a bit sloppy. Idiots. They didn’t realize I’d be tracking them, or they never would’ve made this mistake. Good for us.”
She turned to look at Chasen’s agitated face. He looked so worried and angry. He was so scared for his mate, he was an emotional wreck.
“Don’t worry, Chasen. Tracking these things is what I do. I know it’s taken a long time, but I have the trail now. It doesn’t look like they hid it from this point on. They’re carrying two people, so we’ll be able to catch them.” Freja smiled at him as she tried to comfort him.
“Thanks, Freja. I know Hunter is going to kill me for this. But it’s my Jin …” Chasen’s voice cracked as it trailed off.
“Kill you for what? All you did was chase after me because, as Hunter’s mate, you couldn’t let me go alone.” Freja winked at him, and he chuckled.
“I guess we’re both going to be in trouble, then.” Chasen grinned.
“I’ll handle Hunter. For now, let’s worry about finding them.” Freja turned her head in the direction the scent seemed to be headed. “Just make sure you keep up. I won’t come back for you.”
“You won’t have to.” Chasen wasn’t as fast as Freja, but he was able to keep her in sight. He would run with everything he had. Getting to Jin was his first priority.
“Chasen, I know your emotions are all over the place. But I need you to lock it up and listen to me.” Freja eyed him and he gave her a small nod. “Alright. Let’s go.”
The two of them blurred from the area. The unimaginable speed from Freja was matched by that of a determined and angrymate. They both shared the same thought. Whoever took them was going to die.
