Constricted: Beyond the Brothel Walls

by Ryans, Rae

  “He wants them back.” Her words tickled my skin. “Without slaves he’s nothing but a pretty face.” I cringed when she’d referred to the monster as pretty. Her head shot up. “That’s how we break them.”

  “Steal ‘is property?” Kor nodded as Veric cocked his head back and forth. I chewed it over, knowing what she had meant before it registered with the demon. But I didn’t see how we’d pull that off without more help or putting her in more danger. The demons already wanted Angel. “What ‘bout the other brothels?”

  “You say Arcadia’s a safe haven, and there’s no slavery.” We both agreed. The demons, witches, and vampires had all agreed that Arcadia would remain free. Humans did not become slaves although they knew nothing of our world. We had managed to rule by council and rotated out different faces as Prime Minister. “Then we shut them down and send them over the border.”

  I read the demon’s face as he regarded her words. Compassion and understanding flickered across his eyes. It spoke what I already knew. The law didn’t care what happened outside of Arcadia. Delphia lay splintered into tiny islands and made it impossible to police. He explained as much to Korrigan and me as we sat there in the snow. His undercover operation took years of planning to get past Jules. Our short time together hadn’t left me with much time to teach her the ways of our real world. The crash course wasn’t going over well at all. Well intentioned, but what she had asked of us was near impossible, not without a stronger force to back us up.

  Veric spoke of a hypothetical family, but his scent betrayed his lie. It was his family. I’d recognized him because of his brother. “There were two sons the woman birthed. One fought for the humans, fighting for freedom, and bringing down scumbags. The other became a King and broke every law the brother fought against.”

  “Did it stop him from trying?” He smiled and pulled his gun free. Veric checked the chamber and rested the weapon in his lap. Revolver, at least we had something in common besides Korrigan. The old-fashioned technology was accurate, and the ammo easier to produce as opposed to the fancy clips and mechanisms.

  The demon glanced over his shoulder, and my gaze followed to the shadows. “No, he didn’t give up even when they warned him to stop.” There wasn’t anyone there dead, demon, or human. Had the agent chased ghosts too? I chewed my lip thinking back to Hestin. He had been quiet since all this went down.

  “Help me,” she said. Her large eyes watered. “Look how much we’ve accomplished already. There’s got to be others that think as we do.”

  Veric had a brother all right, Boric, and that demon sat upon the throne of Garland. It consisted of the desert sands of the Southern Americas, but it still did not answer my question about Jules. Demon hierarchy didn’t elude me as much as I’d made it appear, but I’d figured the more ignorant I acted, the more information I’d wring out of Veric. Korrigan was part demon; a point Tomas had shared, but the agent knew more. Veric knew her, and I swore she recognized him too but I held no proof of either fact.

  “Take off the head?” I asked, glancing at the sky as snow fell yet again. The soft flakes glittered in angel’s hair, and she smiled as the flakes landed on her tongue. In so many ways, her innocence touched me. “How’d Jules rise in power?”

  Veric stretched back, his wings crackling as they retracted. “He’s friend to the King, but he’s not the head, mate. Not by a long shot.” His auburn head shook. “If it were that simple this would’ve been over years ago. We live in the bloody Revelation, mate, end times are upon us, or did you fail to notice the fire and brimstone? Boric isn’t even the head.”

  I ignored his banter and patted Kor’s hand. The demon slipped with that comment, but either she hadn’t understood, cared, or she had known the meaning of the Great Sundering.

  “How do we destroy him?” He glanced at me, eyes aglow with a warning I refused to heed. A smile tugged at my lips. Hell, he’d opened the floodgate, and I wasn’t about to let him damn it up now.

  “We don’t.” Korri dropped her mouth and tightened her grip on my hand. “Rather you don’t, luv.” His fingers caressed the snow. “He’d kill you and not in the neat, pretty way he twisted your head before.” There was more to the demon’s statement, but his fancy illusion of words blinded the truth. How would he have known about her snapped neck? Veric flashed a knowing smile and placed his hat on his head. “Me too, I’m afraid, but, not Petre and Nikolai.”

  I blinked at my brother’s real name. Few knew it at least to my knowledge.

  “My brother.” Her brow rose. Aside from Tomas and Korri, those who knew it were now dead. The damn demon had played me for a fool, and I shook my head. The laughter bubbled inside.

  “The curse makes you different doesn’t it?” Angel whispered.

  My brow twisted as I recalled the events. Emotions had overpowered me, but Demon Spawn had been outside, and Jules wasn’t alone. Seeing Korrigan bound and beaten had fuzzed my mind. My reactions were not calculated. But revenge and hatred had coursed through my veins. Even then, if not for the woman interfering, I’d have won the fight.

  “Aye luv, it makes him invincible. It’s part of the reason I went after you, mate,” he said. “And you were looking for her too.” Veric inclined his head. Korri asked why, and he smiled wryly. When he didn’t respond right away, she jumped to her feet and towered over the demon. Such a tiny woman, but when those hands fell to her hips, I listened. “Angel, you don’t want to know. Let’s leave it at that shall we.”

  “Oh no, you don’t, Veric.” He rose and retracted his wings. Her pixie frame shrunk under the large man as his shadow engulfed her. I laughed inside; it was like watching a Chihuahua take on a German Sheppard.

  Pain crossed his face again, and he glanced to me for help, but he wouldn’t find it. Korrigan deserved answers, and he held them locked down. Her tone softened as she asked, “What’d you mean you were looking for me too?”

  He palmed his neck and glanced over his shoulder again. “There are few of us left; some thought you an enigma, a rumor.” Veric’s scent grew putrid as he lied to her. Had he not realized that vampires scented those subtle changes?

  Her teeth ground and I shuddered from the sound. “Liar,” she spat and poked her finger into Veric’s chest.

  The sky lightened, and the others would wake soon. Neighbors weren’t an issue, but I didn’t want to use compulsion unless necessary on those inside. I stood and grasped her shoulders before it was too late. Angel pulled away from me and shot me a disgusted look as if she’d known I hid the truth too.

  “Why does everyone talk in circles?” Her arms crossed over her chest, and she glanced to the back door. “I’m tired of the lies … lies … lies … everyone lies to me. I’m a big girl y’know. I can handle the truth.”

  Her arms tossed into the air, and a pained sigh tore at my soul. Korrigan stormed into the door and clattered through the kitchen. My eyes fell to him, and Veric refused to meet my gaze.

  “She’s special mate; keep her from Jules and Boric no matter the cost.” He didn’t need to tell me twice. I had already made that mistake once. “We’re the good ones; they’re the bad, but none of us are a match for the ugly sods.”

  “What is she?” The curiosity arose. Would he repeat the same tales as Tomas? “You would just let her go? Just let me take her from you?”

  “Angel’s a sleeping giant. And no, I’ll row with you any day of the week before I’d let you ‘ave my wife.”

  I snorted and glared at the towering demon. “Wife? That’s absurd.” I stepped closer. “Why did you really seek her?” My eyes narrowed as his gaze met mine. “Why do you want her?”

  Veric stretched but maintained eye contact. “You know Asmodeus?”

  My head shook no. I didn’t know him personally since the original two hundred defectors were imprisoned well before the birth of my eldest ancestors, but I’d known of the Watchers.

  They were angels sent to earth to watch over humanity. Many of them fell in love with human women,
forsaking their duties and falling from the grace of God. Grigori gave birth to the Nephilim, who gave birth to the Elioud. At least that was what the books said. What did a watcher want with Korrigan?

  “We’ve been searching for meaning, a reason the earth fissured.” He cracked his neck and stretched. “The demons rose first, but we couldn’t figure out why the quakes started eighteen years ago. At least not at first. The world is ending, Petre. Korrigan can stop it.”

  The bible spoke of Revelation, foretelling the event when the demons rose again and waged war on Earth. But they had lived among the humans for centuries. I blinked, hoping Veric would reveal more.

  When he didn’t, I went inside to find Korrigan and left him to wallow in the snow. She fiddled in the kitchen, but tensed when I walked in. Neither of us spoke at first, and I hated the silence growing between us.

  I asked, “How much did you hear?” Korri shrugged her shoulders.

  A month of almost pure joy and discovery ended. The pain I’d promised to erase rewrote lines over her cherub face. The body I’d planned to heal, lay forever frozen in remembrance of Jules torture. I rested my head on her shoulder and kissed her neck. Four years too late, would she forgive me? Did she believe me when I said I loved her? My arms curled around her non-existent waist, and I turned her around.

  Korri whispered, “It’s not fair.”

  She’d changed into a pair of jeans and a bulky black sweater. It never seemed to matter what she wore, clothing engulfed and swallowed her whole. Korri wiped her hands and turned her head toward the window.

  Lined on the counter were fourteen bowls. I never asked where she’d found them, but the various sizes and shapes filled the small space. Everyone remained asleep, and I was thankful for the peace. But it hadn’t surprised me that, despite our problems and questions, Korrigan worried about the men and boys’ breakfast.

  Soon we’d head home and put this behind us. Tomas would arrive, and it would disperse. I prayed it stayed that way even if I knew we were far from understanding this world and our roles.

  “It’s not worth it.”

  She’d pulled her long, dark blond hair into a high ponytail, but a stray wisp fell into her eyes. It added to the innocence that had first attracted me to Korrigan. Her spark, even through the years of abuse and torture, remained. After all she’d survived, she cared more for others than herself. How could I not love her?

  My fingers found her chin, and I tilted her face to mine. The peachy color disappeared, replaced by the ashen vampiric skin. I hadn’t noticed before. Myths often spoke of vampires becoming more beautiful, or a more stunning version of their previous self. It wasn’t true. Like any disease, it changed the person inside and out. Yet every time I looked at Korrigan, her flaws grew more beautiful every day.

  My fingers pushed the stray strands away. “I promised y—“

  “You have my permission to break it.” Her brows creased, but she didn’t look away. “I won’t lose you. Don’t let the dreams come true.”

  Heavy boots entered the back door and stopped me from explaining the truth behind the dreams. “If there was another way … Jules can’t keep doing this, and you know he will,” Veric said as he stood in the doorway, but neither of us acknowledged his presence. “What if he comes for you again?”

  She chewed on her lip and poured cereal into the bowls. Probably more food than the men had seen for a while now. My blood healed injury, but it did nothing for their emaciated forms or hunger. I wished it did. I loved Kor the way she was, but when she was alive, I’d wanted her healthier.

  “Why am I so damned special?” Her fist curled around the cardboard box and crushed it. “Why won’t anyone tell me?”

  Korrigan’s shoulders slumped, and she slammed the box down. The cabinet doors rattled from her overused force. I didn’t have the answers she sought, but Veric did, and to an extent Tomas, too. They’d kept us both locked in darkness, but what else were we to do, but follow their lead, and try to find common ground.

  She tossed a towel over her shoulder and pushed past his massive frame. It still amused me, and I couldn’t stop my chuckle. Her light footsteps ran up the stairs, and I intended to follow, but he stopped me.

  “In the right care, like you or me, she’s harmless. In their hands, she’s dangerous.” His red eyes narrowed, and I lifted my chin. His size did intimidate me, but I didn’t allow the signs to show through my cold demeanor. “They sent me to find her, mate. I’m the one who knew where she was.” Veric shifted his weight. “I put her there.” His gaze flickered up with his hands as the words registered. “I had no idea what Jules was capable of.” He swallowed hard and shook his head. He told the truth, and as much as I wanted to beat the life from his body, I could not. “She was my wife before the ritual placed her soul in another. She still is my wife, and I love her even though Angel is the reason we’re in this mess.”

  The demon sounded like Tomas. I mouthed his last words and shook my head. That was crazy. The steps squeaked as Korrigan returned, but her feet halted.

  “Her birth unleashed Hell?” I contained my laughter and somehow held a straight face.

  “More complicated than that I’m afraid. Like Heaven, there are multiple levels of Hell.” He poked his finger into my chest and stared down at me. “You think my Elioud are scum, well mate, they’re nothing compared to the old Grigori. Asmodeus is her grandfather. Nephilim are just shades of them, and my power is nothing like theirs. That was the ugly we’re bound to face, and they want her too.”

  I didn’t care about that. I was still stuck on Korrigan being responsible for Armageddon and being his wife before a … ritual? Tom worked marvelous magic, but this was insane. Veric stalked through the door. “One baby can’t unleash—“

  Veric whipped around, and his eyes blazed. I stumbled back as he reeled on me. “They thought one angel couldn’t destroy utopia, but Lucifer did.” He wagged this thick finger in my face. “One person, angel, demon … Bloody God-forsaken vampire can change the universe, mate.” Veric grabbed my arm and pressed me back into the kitchen. His scarred head towered over me and leaned close. He whispered, “With or without her permission the Grigori can and will use our Angel to break through Lucifer’s prisons.” His eyes glowed brighter than usual, reflecting a reddish haze. “We’d shoot into the brown if that happened. She hid the bleedin’ keys.”

  Veric had called her Angel. And keys? What was he babbling about? There weren’t actual keys to hell were there? Whose bright idea had that been? My fingers curled, and a snarl formed deep within my chest. “She’s mine, not ours, and don’t you forget it.” I shoved the demon away and relished in his wide eyes. God, how stupid did Veric think I was? Tomas had picked the name from my head, but how’d he know? How’d he know about my curse and my brother? My mouth opened to ask.

  A knock sounded at the door, and I glanced at the stirring men on the floor. We kept everyone in one place, and the living room seemed a proper fit. They’d stayed asleep despite our arguing; their heart rates rose as they awakened. I shoved past the demon, more confused than before, and headed toward the door.

  Kor beat me to it and welcomed Tomas, accompanied by his guards, with an enthusiastic smile. I loved watching her lips turn, and her sweet eyes crinkle. His blond head cocked, eyeing the demon shadowing my steps as my mind rehashed all I’d learned from our new ally. As usual, his body language revealed nothing, but I filled him in nonetheless.

  “Ah, good to see you,” the Duc said, kissing her hands. Behind his guard was Sophia. “I believe you two ladies know each other already.” Tomas smiled and stepped in. The raven-haired woman followed, holding a small smile that’d brightened when she saw Korrigan.

  We served the men and boys breakfast, and the girls chatted briefly. None of it surprised me as Angel grilled her friend about the girls. The energy of their arrival buzzed through the house. But Veric’s words rattled through my brain, and my friend offered little solace. Tomas understood religion well enough to ref
ute the demon’s information, but he hadn’t. Why would he, seeing as he’d forewarned me weeks ago. Still, keys to hell?

  I leaned on the wall and allowed its strength to support me. The truth, I had to face the bizarre truth. Korrigan had a past life and magic cursed her into the body of a baby, because she’d done something with keys. Perhaps it hadn’t been the magic, but God. Had I believed in God? Yes, but I no longer felt him in my heart. Consumed with my curse, nothing else mattered until I met Kor. My darkness dissipated; her inner light flared and attracted me back to a life worth living. I loved her too much to abandon her although I’d yet the find the time to tell her as much.

  She smiled wide and goofy. A genuine grin, in all this darkness surrounding us, and she meant it for me. For now, we had accomplished what we set out for and had freed the slaves. What tomorrow brought us no one knew, but every day with her was heaven on Earth in this hell-bent world. Was she right to stop me from persisting about the demon and Jules? I’d made the promise in the letter and my heart. I swallowed; my throat burned dry as her amber-red eyes met mine. This world, the chaos and hatred, bred more pain. Killing Jules ended his ploys, but it would not erase her past, or the damage he’d inflicted on her pure soul.

  My eyes flickered to the window; more snow fell in sheets, and a sheen of grey haze covered the sky. The sun appeared less and less these days as winter drew near. Veric’s words echoed again. If he was right, what role did Korri play now? The demon understood more, but he kept secrets locked beneath his odd demeanor. I needed more than some old legend about the keys and gates of hell and not another reminder that she was once his wife.

  No one would take her from me, but I had to understand what we faced. She too had a right to know. My fingers curled and bit into my palms at the thought. It wasn’t about the contract, but I hadn’t lied when I reminded the demon she belonged to me. There were no us where his mind was concerned, and I’d be a damned fool to deny that Veric wanted her as much as I did.

  Still, I’d trusted him for now.