“You are no one else’s but mine,” he bites out. “Kill them!”
The thought of losing them has the fight draining from me and a tear slips down my cheek. “No! If you don’t harm them, I’ll go with you willingly, no more fighting. My mind is linked with them, and I will feel it if you hurt them in any way. Then I will spend every single day finding ways to kill you and your demons. Don’t test me.” I line my tone with as much steel as I can manage, though I’m so fucking scared I’m shaking.
You can do this Luz. You can endure this for them.
“You heard your queen,” the head demon commands. Then he turns my way with what I assume is supposed to be an alluring smile. I try not to vomit and follow him into the mansion. I’m not sure what he has in store for me right away but I pray that it’s to throw me somewhere I can fight my way out of and find my men in time.
What I truly need is to earn his trust so I can use it against him.
“Why do you keep taking our souls?” I ask, genuinely curious as I begin making mental plans to escape. His response is a booming laugh that has him leaning back comically.
“That’s hardly pleasant talk for our first in-person meeting, now is it? Let’s have dinner and wine first, at least. I’m Drekavac, my little light, but you can call me your king.” He goes to set a hand on my arm and I cringe away from him. “Ah, shy I see. Don’t fear, you have a week to get rid of those nerves. We will have a lovely ceremony before we are permanently bound together. Then I will finally get to explore that gorgeous body of yours to my heart’s content,” he says, with a warning in his eyes that tells me it will be with or without my cooperation.
On that terrifying note, I decide not to ask anything else for now. I’m happy to know he won’t touch me until then, and now I have a timeline to get us out of this mess.
No big deal, right?
ChapterFourteen
Luz
True to his word, Drekavac treats me like his queen. I have my own room that is nicer than I expected from this place. The walls are an awful, antique floral pattern, the bed a four poster with sheets that actually look semi-clean, and the bathroom is also clean, but simple. Everything looks as if it was built in the forties and simply maintained until today. I’m assuming that I was given a part of their king’s side of the mansion.
I’m even served food that is clearly brought in from the human side of the veil, though I only eat what is given to me prepackaged. I saw the cook’s kitchen, and hell no, I will never eat anything cooked in there.
If I try to leave my room, I have to be escorted by demons. I’ve considered killing them and giving them the slip, but I need to have Drekavac’s trust or he may hurt the guys before I can find a way to save them.
Thankfully, I’m completely alone in my room, otherwise I don’t think I would sleep at all. I want to visit the darkness and try to find Thea or the guys, but I haven’t found a way to get there intentionally. Not to mention leaving my body vulnerable would be a terrible idea.
The window is barred, blocking my only other escape route. I’ve even checked behind the wallpaper and bookcase for secret doors, hoping I might get lucky and find something.
My eyes drift back to the window, since it really is my only chance, but I don’t exactly have a tool kit tucked into my leather pants. Scouring the room, I find a small, thin metal shard that is loose on the bed frame. It takes several tries, but I’m finally able to pull it free, slicing my hand in the process.
Thank fuck I’m a reaper or I could add tetanus to the list of issues I’m facing right now.
I hurry over to the window as I rip off a strip of fabric from my shirt and cover the wound. It will heal but not instantly.
Once I manage to get the ugly, frilly curtains out of my way, I try to find the screws holding the bars in place so I can loosen them with the flat side of the metal piece. I’m feeling like a badass reaper version of MacGyver until I notice the window is barred from the outside as well as the inside. There’s no way I can squeeze through. Not to mention, the window’s bars are welded together.
Good job, Luz. You clearly forgot the demons have long creepy arms.
Now that my triumphant moment has been thoroughly smashed to pieces, I decide to just go out and explore. I assume this giant mansion has a basement, which is likely where I’ll find the guys. Once I know more, I’ll knock my guards out and proceed. I tuck the piece of metal underneath a blanket, check that my dagger is still secured in my boot, and walk out of my room. Drekavac gave the weapon back to me, which shows what he thinks of my ability to cause real damage. I guess when you and your people can’t die, little scares you.
“Hey boys, can I go see my friends?” I ask, and they blink back in answer. “Good talk,” I mutter, walking away. They immediately shuffle after me as I wind my way through the halls aimlessly, taking the stairs to the lower level as soon as I find them. I try not to look at my surroundings too much, given that I saw enough on my first trip here.
Navigating isn’t easy but the guards unconsciously turn me in the right directions, growing nervous and talking to me in Latin when I veer the wrong way. I make a mental note each time.
There’s only one part of the first floor I haven't gotten to and I go right for it. They call out as I stop at a wide, wooden door. It’s different from all the others and I somehow know my men are in there. As soon as I reach for it they extend their long arms over me and slam their hands down on the wood to stop me from pulling it open. I turn slowly and look at them like I’m confused, which causes them to start speaking in Latin again. I do a not-so-subtle move and cover my eyes with my hand, like I’m exasperated, allowing me to have a chance to peek from side to side. The hallway is empty of other demons, so I quickly crouch down and pull my dagger out of my boot. Barely breathing, I cut one of the guards down quickly, meaning I only have to face one.
The demons are faster than I originally gave them credit for. No sooner do I pull my hand back from taking down the first demon, the second lunges at me. I hunch down and brace my shoulders, flipping him over my back. I turn, expecting him to be on the floor, but instead I’m met with a clawed hand punching me into the wall. I hit the wall with a thud, and pain radiates through my head.
As he comes back at me, I pretend to be hurt until he’s close enough, then I lunge for his throat. My vision is still blurry from the impact and I manage to only get a shallow cut in. The demon starts shrieking in outrage and attacks me again.
This time the demon makes contact with my stomach, causing me to double over and wheeze through the pain. Instead of letting it keep me down, I let it make me angry. Apparently angry and desperate are the only times I can cause real damage in a fight. He assumes the time I take to regain composure means I’m done fighting and he stops attacking.
At this point I know if I get hit again, I’ll be done. My head hasn’t stopped pounding and I’m exhausted, likely meaning I have a concussion. I twist around him quickly, stabbing him in the back. I pull the dagger free just as he whirls around to face me. He’s still shrieking in outrage as I cut his throat. As soon as he drops I run back toward the door and slip inside, clicking it shut behind me. There isn’t a lock, but I don’t exactly have the time to dwell on it.
The door leads to stairs, and I quickly follow them down. The basement has stone walls and dirt floors, looking more like a real life scary movie than I’m comfortable with. One large cell takes up one wall, and torture equipment is spread throughout the room, including a full display of rusted tools that are equal parts terrifying and disgusting. Half drip with blood and I worry it is from my guys.