by Julia Mills
He nudged her as instructed by his leader, making her feet lose contact with the floor and her wrists and shoulders to shout in pain. After swinging for what seemed like forever, she was once again stable and surprised the hound remained at her side.
Audrey’s skin itched where his coarse black fur poked through the fabric of her frock. She was shocked to look down and see the hound staring at her. Even more surprising was the expression in his blood-red eyes. It was one of sadness, almost despair, and in direct opposition to his usual threatening demeanor. He seemed to be trying to communicate with her. Or maybe he just knew what was coming and felt remorse for his part in her punishment.
That didn’t fit with what she’d seen from the pack in the past, but nothing was ever as it seemed in the Underworld. Everything constantly changed. Either way, it was disconcerting and something she’d never noticed in all the time they’d spent in the Chancellor’s service together.
Another command from the Demon Lord had Balor baring his teeth and growling. The hound’s actions were ferocious but dampened by the forlorn look in his eyes that remained no matter how he loudly he snarled. It was obvious that Balor was simply going through the motions because he had to. He did not have the free will that Audrey did. The poor dear was simply an animal doomed to serve Adramelech for a lifetime, with no options but to obey or die at the teeth and claws of his own pack mates. Before this moment, the princess had truly thought of all the hellhounds as little more than mindless beasts, but now she had to wonder. Her pondering was cut short when Adramelech uttered his third command.
In a flash, Bás was on her other side mimicking Balor’s actions but without any of the misgivings she’d seen in his counterpart’s eyes. No, the larger, crueler, leader of the pack was ready to do whatever the Demon Lord commanded without thought, and Audrey knew without a doubt that it did not bode well for her. Bás had always looked at her like a piece of meat and the glint in his red eyes said he was imagining bits of her sliding down his throat at that very moment.
Now, isn’t that a pleasant thought?
“So tell me, princess, exactly where have you been this evening? Or more importantly, who have you seen? Could it be a certain suitor who after all these years still pines for your favor?” As if matters weren’t already bad enough, Adramelech sauntered toward her as he spoke, an evil sneer on his lizardy lips and a torturous glint in his eyes that made his fake British accent all the more annoying.
When she didn’t answer, he stopped right in front of her and huffed like a petulant child who’d been denied a cookie. Refusing to acknowledge the Chancellor, Audrey braced for what she was sure would be the severe consequences of her actions. But instead of hitting her, Adramelech stretched his claw-tipped paw and with the tip of his talon strategically placed under her chin, lifted her head until they were eye-to-eye.
Grinning as if he’d heard a good joke, the Demon Lord chuckled. “Cat got your tongue? Or should I say dragon got you?” His laughter echoed through the chamber, making the hair on her arms stand on end.
Audrey tried not to react but knew the Chancellor had seen the tremble of fear she’d been too slow to hide. It mattered not. There was no way she would let him hurt Rian. The princess would do whatever she could to keep her mate safe and topside, away from the evils her captor was notorious for. Rian was the only thing good she had in her life. The only thing Adramelech had not taken from her or destroyed right before her eyes. The Dragon Leader the Universe had given Audrey to love would stay whole and untouched. Only over her dead body would the Demon Lord touch her dragon.
Taking a quick breath, Audrey lifted her chin just above Adramelech’s nail as a show of defiance, and to let him know she still had her own mind. She then feigned a confidence she didn’t feel and lied her pleasantly plump butt off. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I was in the Pits. The party was so much more than I ever could’ve imagined. I was too keyed up to sleep and needed to walk.”
Fury sparked like fire in the Chancellor’s eyes. He lunged forward. The claw instantly punctured her tender flesh. Warm droplets of blood slid down her neck as the Demon Lord struggled to regain his calm, cool facade. It took every ounce of courage and control in Audrey’s body not to cringe, but if there was any chance Adramelech was going to buy her story, the princess had to sell it...big time.
She watched cautiously as the Chancellor slowly stepped backward, stopping only when he was right outside the black circle she’d hadn’t seen painted on the stone floor until that very moment. Dread slithered up her spine as Adramelech carefully kept eye contact. He had a plan. She could see it sitting there, festering in the depths of his insidious mind. There was no doubt it included her shedding blood, if not several layers of skin and a few semi-vital organs. The Demon Lord wanted her to pay for her insolence; he just had yet to decide to what degree she should suffer.
When he spoke, the lisp of his forked tongue raking through the fangs protruding from his reptilian lips became evident, which any other time would’ve made Audrey laugh aloud. She’d always found it funny that Adramelech worked so hard to speak without any indication that his ancestors slithered across the dirt on their bellies. Usually, his spitting and stammering was hilarious to watch and even funnier to listen to, because it always accompanied him freaking out about something inconsequential.
Unfortunately, this time he was hanging on to what little control he had left by a quickly unraveling thread. Even worse, Audrey was the object of his rage. “Do you ttthink me daft? You ttthink I can’t sssmell the ssstench of dragon on your ssskin? Could not sssee you withththth thththththat abomination? You know I possesssss the magic of the mossssst powerful wizzzzards to ever graccce hell’sss gatesss. ThThThThere issss nowhere you can hide.”
Adramelech flew to within inches of her face, grabbed her by the hair at the nape of her neck, and wrenched her head back with such force that Audrey’s neck cracked. Only able to see the pulsing of his black elliptically vertical pupils against his bright yellow irises, the princess wished to be anywhere else in the world.
The Demon Lord spit in her face as he screamed, “SSSay it. Tell ththththththe truthththth demon whore...my whore. SSSSay hissss name.”
Audrey shook with fear, all pretenses that she could outsmart the Chancellor evaporated in the heat of his true wrath. He wanted her to say Rian’s name because she’d learned early on that names have power—especially in the Underworld—and even more so when spoken with the unconditional love she felt for her mate. Were the princess to speak her mate’s name, Adramelech would have all he needed to summon the Dragon Leader and hold him captive. Worse still, he could infect Rian with a demon and send him back to his clan to maim and destroy all his kin.
Thoughts sped through her mind as the Chancellor’s hot, fetid breath burned the skin of her face and neck. Pulling so hard on her hair that Audrey was sure he would walk away with not only a handful of her tresses but also a large piece of her scalp, Adramelech grinned and chuckled. “I like ththththe ssssmell of your fear, princesssss. Wonder what it tastessss like?” he asked right before his long forked tongue licked up her cheek.
Eyes rolling back in his head, the Demon Lord groaned low in his throat. “Deliccccioussss. I cannot wait for thththththe resssst.”
The rest? What rest? What the hell...
Audrey’s thoughts were cut short by the Chancellor’s shout of “Cuimilt!” which she all too well recognized as tear in Gaelic. The bastard switched languages for her benefit, to give her a split-second of recognition of the fate about to befall her. There was no time to wonder what was being torn and who was doing the tearing, as Adramelech disappeared from sight and Bás and Balor rose to their hind legs, teeth bared, claws extended.
It took mere seconds for the hounds to leave Audrey a trembling mass of abrasions, blood, and naked skin. She could feel her feet covered with the shreds of fabric that only heartbeats ago had covered her body, which was now tattered and torn. Praying it was over bu
t knowing there was more to come, Audrey sighed. This was only the preamble; Adramelech’s way of teasing her with the pain and horror yet to come. He wanted her to know he held all the cards. He commanded all in his dominion. He held her very life in his hands.
She’d seen him do it many times over the years. Everything that had happened up until this moment, except maybe him losing his temper, had been carefully orchestrated to keep her off balance and terrified. To make her do or say, anything he commanded. Was that what Balor had been trying to communicate? Did the beast feel bad that the Chancellor was up to his old tricks?
The crack of a whip and the sound of flesh being torn in two echoed off the tall brimstone covered walls a split second before searing pain sliced down the entirety of Audrey’s back and buttocks. Before the first scream had exited her already gaping lips, another strike tore at her skin, then another and another, until her world focused on that pinpoint of time between assaults. The tiny bit of time when there was hope the attack would end and she would be left to die in agony. Dead, but finally free of the torment she’d been made to endure for so very long.
For what seemed like forever, luck was not on Audrey’s side. On and on Adramelech beat at her body, all the while hurtling insults at her, promising her a fate worse than death. Repeatedly he told her that he would beat her every day for eternity, keeping her just this side of death so that she may truly know the depth of his anger at her betrayal.
On those brief, beautiful moments when Audrey succumbed to unconsciousness, the bastard would stop the torture and wake her with torrents of ice-cold salt water thrown from all angles at her battered body. His demented laughter would fill the chamber as she woke with anguished cries, pulling at her shackles, tearing the skin of her wrists, but moving in whatever way she could to avoid the caustic solution.
Hours passed as the Demon Lord’s stamina seemed endless and Audrey watched her blood mix with the soot and water at her feet. Black dots danced before her eyes from what she could only assume was blood loss but still, Adramelech railed on, beating and screaming until it was all a blur of pain and anguish and prayers of death.
Then, as if a switch had been flipped, it all ended. No more lashes from the barbed tip of his tail, no more ranting and screaming; just the sound of Adramelech’s heaving breath after his workout. Audrey’s body had sustained so much damage; there was not one iota of her existence that did not scream with pain. She was quite simply a mass of agony. Her thoughts were foggy, her vision blurred, and her extremities numb.
Sometime during her punishment, Audrey’s legs had given out, leaving all of her body weight hanging from her wrists ensconced in three-inch shackles of iron. There was no doubt they were broken and that her shoulders and elbows were dislocated. If she survived this thrashing, it would be a miracle, and as she damn well knew—miracles didn’t happen in hell.
Holding her breath, not only because breathing caused sheer agony but also because she had no clue where Adramelech was, Audrey gasped and tried to move her unresponsive leg as something warm and wet licked just behind her knee. No matter what she did, her body refused to cooperate. Worse yet, her attempts at movement had made it abundantly clear that several of her ribs, if not all of them, were broken.
Another lick, this time from her ankle to her thigh, forced a barely audible grunt from her over-worked and abused vocal chords. If she listened hard enough, Audrey could still hear her own screams reverberating in the chamber. Her only solace through all of it had been that not once had she uttered Rian’s name. Adramelech may very well have beaten her to death this time, but he’d done so in vain and she would go to her grave knowing her mate was safe.
“What the...?” she croaked as the third lick slid up her other leg. Thankfully, this time she felt the scratch of hellhound fur, something she’d become accustomed to during her time in the Underworld.
Figuring it was one of the smaller, less aggressive hounds but still unable to move, Audrey swallowed a few times and raggedly whispered, “Who is it? Who is here?”
A low deep whisper of woof came from her side just before Balor appeared. The same sad look in his eyes she’d seen before her beating remained, combined with a deep remorse that radiated from his being. Audrey felt sorry for the hound. It didn’t make any sense but then, nothing in her life ever had.
“Is he gone? Are they all gone?” she asked, whispering as loudly as she could.
The same low woof was the only response she received but somehow, she knew it meant they were alone. She also knew it wouldn’t last for long. It was another of Adramelech’s games. He was letting her think it was over. Letting her fall into some false sense of security that eventually, she would be let down from her restraints and put somewhere to heal. It was a classic maneuver the Chancellor had used on many occasions.
Since Audrey had begged for the sweet oblivion of death, had prayed for at least a few unconscious moments—only to be denied—the princess decided to tempt fate and get the next beating over with.
Taking several small breaths since deep breathing was impossible with her broken ribs, Audrey summoned all the courage she could find. Clearing her throat, she yelled as loudly as she could, “All right, you sick son of Satan, get your pansy ass back in here and finish what you s-s-s-tarted.” Her voice broke on the last word as pain racked her damaged body.
Balor whined and recoiled from her to slink back to the corner where she figured he’d been placed to keep watch over her. It was better that way; no reason he should be punished for actually having a modicum of empathy for another being. Audrey held her breath, mostly because breathing equaled agony, but also to see if she could pinpoint where the Chancellor was hiding. She knew he wouldn’t be far. He would’ve stayed close so he could hear her struggle and writhe in pain. She hadn’t given him the satisfaction—nor would she—and for that, Audrey was sure the bastard would be back sooner rather than later.
The princess once again called on a strength that came from the knowledge that no matter what she had to endure, Rian would be okay. The Chancellor would not have her mate. This time, she even lifted her head, although doing so caused the blood from the wounds on her back to flow more freely.
Looking around, Audrey cringed at the rivers of her blood creating some sort of horrific mosaic as it flowed between the large grey stones of the floor. Her stomach, empty from all the times she vomited during her attack, rolled at the splatters and splashes decorating the walls. It was evident they could’ve only been achieved by someone who loved their work. And Adramelech did indeed love his torture. He’d literally turned it into an art form after his many millennia in hell.
Closing her eyes to focus her energy and block out what had already happened, Audrey injected as much of the hate she felt for Adramelech into her voice as she could and shouted with a voice so ragged not even she recognized it. “You wanted to know where I was didn’t you? Who I was with? How I escaped you even if it was for just a few moments? Wasn’t that what you worked so hard to beat out of me?”
Pausing as spots danced before the darkness behind her closed eyelids and her breath came in tiny spurts, Audrey refused to give up until she’d gotten the Chancellor back into the room. He would finally finish what he’d started. She would so whatever it took to get him to kill her. Enough was enough. The bastard had been her jailor, her tormentor, and the bane of her existence for long enough. She and Rian had tried for every moment of their less than conventional relationship to find a permanent solution to her confinement, only to come up empty handed at every turn.
There was no way she was going to continue to let one of the best men she’d ever known take any more chances with his life for her. Today was the day. This was the spot. Audrey Dobresou, Princess of the Green Isle Kingdom, would make her final stand, and God willing she would die as she she’d lived, with her head held high and no regrets.
One quick breath and she said the words she knew would bring not only the Chancellor but her demise. “I was wit
h the dragons...my dragon. And it wasn’t the first time. I have seen him every full moon for the last ninety years. I have kissed his perfect lips. I lay in his welcoming arms and I have pledged my undying love to him.”
She paused as the click of large talons against stone reached her ears. The bastard was coming and it was time to nail her own coffin shut. One quick prayer to the God she knew had never left her was quickly followed by the profession of her unconditional devotion to her mate. She pushed all the everlasting love and affection she had for Rian through the iron-clad bond that flared to life every time she saw him.
Opening her eyes because she wanted to see the fury on Adramelech’s face, Audrey did what she had to do; she taunted the bastard. “Don’t you feel like a complete and total failure? I mean the other demons have to be laughing at you. After all, you are supposed to be the all-knowing, all-seeing Chancellor and President of the High Council of Demons and a little insignificant princess from some backwater kingdom got one over on you. Wow, you must...”
Her words were cut short by the strike of a humongous claw-tipped paw right across her face. Her neck cracked so loudly it bounced off the stone walls as her head flew back from the impact. A small smile curved the edges of her bleeding mouth. She’d done it. Made the beast of all beasts lose his tenuous control. It was the first time Adramelech had ever touched her face. He was out of his mind as punch after punch landed on every available surface of the front of her body.
Sliding into blessed unconsciousness, Audrey could only feel the sweet release of impending death. A single tear slid down her cheek as Rian’s face floated across her mind. Her only regret was that he would live a life without love. Sinking farther away from reality, Audrey begged the Universe for one final wish.
