by Zandria West
‘Fucking feed me then,’ I say, holding his gaze.
Okay so this is a step we haven’t taken before. I’ve never fed off Gabriel or Reuben. It’s not that I couldn’t – I mean sure, human blood is sweeter, but theirs would have enough oomph to it to keep me purring like a Porsche for a week.
Gabriel takes a step back. ‘Are you out of your mind Alex?’
‘Getting there right now, yes,’ I say, my grin effectively baring my teeth at him. ‘When I think about what might be happening to Lana it drives me insane. Feed me Gabriel, and I will run. Then you can do whatever voodoo you want with the spirits of the fucking forest and it will just motivate me to run further and faster and not stop until I reach Lana or die trying. Understand?’
I can’t use compulsion on Gabriel, his magic resists it. But I can still be pretty damn convincing when I want to be. I see a calculated, thoughtful look in his eyes. He gives me a small nod.
I’m on him in an instant, one hand holding his head steady, the other gripping his shoulder, and then, a moment later I sink my teeth into his neck. Gabriel doesn’t even flinch.
His blood doesn’t taste sweet; it tastes rich and dark and ancient. I feel its energy fill me, burning within me, making me stronger, clearer, angrier. I want to keep drinking, it feels so good. The more I have, the more powerful I feel. But I know I need Gabe, I can’t afford to weaken him too much. After a couple more deep swallows, I force myself to pull away.
Blood is smeared down his neck, dripping down onto his clothes.
‘Here,’ I reach forward and wipe it away, then lick it from my fingers. I meet his eyes and feel a spark of electricity between us. Our years fighting together have taught us respect for one another, our bond with Lana has joined us on some deeper energetic level, and now, with Gabe’s blood humming in my own veins, we feel closer again. Closer than we should be.
‘Do you have what you need?’ he says, his voice gravelly and low, his liquid-dark eyes not leaving mine.
I swallow the taste of his blood and nod.
‘Then go.’
I don’t need to be told twice.
23
LANA
I may not have any hope of escape but that doesn’t stop me from trying to come up with a plan.
It’s a funny thing, how you can be completely without hope and still not give in to despair. Probably just the brain’s way of sparing itself from the reality of impending torture and death. Which is fair enough, I suppose.
I study the interior of the truck. Varik is beside me and a guard is beside him. Varik is cuffed, and his cuffs are secured to a bolt at the base of the seat. They’re really not taking any chances with him. The guard is armed, though I’m not sure what with. He has a kind of flask on his belt that I think might be a grenade or a gas canister. I’d be willing to guess that it’s not something you’d want to go off inside a vehicle. Behind us is a steel cage, and on the other side of the cage I hear moans and curses. I don’t turn to look, but from listening carefully I’d say there are three or four more prisoners in the back. That’d be the rest if the members of the Gaping Maws that were taken from the Grey Pack’s territory. I wonder where they’re holding the boy who was taken? None of the moans sound like the noises a child would make. I hope he’s okay.
I look to the front of the truck. A grunt is driving – a muscular, thick-headed demon with fat stubs of horns protruding from each temple. His skin is a pale green and shimmers in the light. If it wasn’t for the fact that he’s ugly as sin, holding me prisoner and may end up killing me, I’d say that the shimmer was almost pretty. Beside him, Boss Demon sits, his hands on each of his massive thighs, his horns just about touching the ceiling. The truck is bigger than a regular human-size vehicle, I realise. It’d have to be otherwise he wouldn’t even fit through the door.
‘How far is it to where we’re going?’ I ask.
‘You’ll know when we’re there,’ Boss Demon grunts.
‘This is against the Accord. I’m a human. You can’t take me prisoner like this.’ I figure it’s worth a try.
‘Read the fine print, sweetheart. You enter our territory willingly, you submit to our laws. And demon laws can be kinda open to broad interpretation.’
Probably true. I never paid much attention in Demon Studies at high school. The subject matter drew me of course, but the way they taught us was too dry and too abstract. And even though you’d think I might have learned more while I was working at Hell on Earth, I was mostly focused on memorizing how to make the cocktails. Madame Trevelie was renowned for the fact that all her drinks were made by human hands and untouched by spells.
I shiver for a moment as I remember my job. I liked working behind the bar. I liked the challenge of making drinks. I liked the rush when the place was full and Ellie and I would just look out and see face after face of demons and other supernatural creatures waiting to be served. I liked leaving work each morning after sunrise and walking back to my own home.
Then I think of what I’ve lost: my home, my cat, my brother, my job. It didn’t seem so bad, somehow, when I was with the guys. Partly because knowing that I was the magical key destined to restore the Barrier between worlds gave me a sense of purpose. Partly just because being with them, I felt like I belonged somewhere. They wanted me. They loved me.
And now it’s all gone. I haven’t just lost my life in the human realm, I’ve lost it here too.
I’ll never have the chance to meet my mother. She’ll be waiting for me and I’ll never arrive. The Barrier will collapse, and all hell will, literally, break loose.
I let my head rest for a moment against the dark glass of the window. It’s hard to see through, but I can make out the impression of the forest passing us by, tree trunk after tree trunk after tree trunk. The further we go, the more distant my life seems. I close my eyes. I can’t let myself think about what’s coming. The smart thing to do would probably be to reach across and grab the grenade from the guard’s belt and let it off in the hope that it kills me.
This is the point at which if Alex was here, he’d tell me that my idea was really fucking stupid.
I even miss his sarcasm and his constant prying into my thoughts.
Damn, I miss all of them.
But nobody’s coming to save me. I can die quickly, or I can die slowly.
Or I can come up with a better fucking plan and live.
That sounds like the best option, if only I was able to string a few coherent thoughts together. I’m just so tired. I’m beyond exhausted.
I give up, and for a while blank everything out except the motion of the vehicle, the occasional groans and calls from the prisoners, and the grunts that pass for conversation between our captors.
Then I hear a different noise. It’s less of a groan, and more of a cry. The sound is sharper, stronger. I open my eyes and look around.
Varik has started sweating. His muscles are corded, standing out on his arms and neck. He sounds like he’s holding in a full-blown howl. Then he tosses his head from one side to another and I see something crack and shift.
‘Um, excuse me,’ I say to whoever might be listening.
No response from the front of the vehicle.
‘You might want to check back here, something’s happening.’
There’s a mutter and a grumble then Boss Demon turns his head slowly around to see what has distracted him from his crossword or whatever the hell he’s doing in the front there to pass the time.
‘What’s the problem? And if you tell me you need a toilet break, I’m going to laugh in your face.’
‘Nope, that’s not it. It’s the wolves…’ I scoot myself away from Varik as far as I can, which is only a few inches. He’s groaning and thrashing in his seat, and the guard who’s seated beside him is finally starting to look alarmed.
‘It’s the moon,’ I say. ‘It’s full tonight.’ Probably unnecessary information at this point but I’m still not sure how smart these demons really are.
; ‘Stop the goddamned truck!’ Boss Demon yells. We screech to a halt.
Varik lets out a full body shiver, and then he starts to shift. I watch in horror and amazement. My amulet is suddenly so hot that I can feel it burning the skin on my chest.
Yeah, thanks, I know, I want to tell it. I can see with my own eyes that I’m in significant mortal danger right now.
‘Let me out!’ I yell to the front seat. ‘Please, let me out –’
‘Prime the blaster!’ the boss demon yells.
I see the guard on the other side of Varik scrabbling to remove the cannister from his belt.
Meanwhile, there’s another agonizing jerk and Varik’s head changes shape – his skull actually distorts in front of my eyes, flattening and lengthening into a long snout, two rows of deadly-sharp teeth descending. His eyes roll back into his head then grow milky and then finally shift to a bright, clear yellow like some experiment we might have done in high school chemistry.
I look down to where his arms are. Only he doesn’t have arms any more. And the handcuffs are most definitely not going to hold him.
He growls, a slathering, blood-curdling sound, punctuated by bared teeth and actual drool. Then he turns and looks at me and sniffs. I hold as still as I possibly can. It’s the only bit of advice I know about wild animals – no sudden movements. I mean, even if I wanted to run, I can’t, so it’s really all I can do.
‘Now!’ Boss Demon yells. There’s a sudden flash and the cabin of the truck fills with pale smoke. I feel it tickling the back of my throat and making my eyes water, but it doesn’t seem too bad. Not what I expected at all.
Varik, on the other hand, starts wheezing and heaving like he’s about to cough up a fur ball.
‘Reload and go again, there’s four more of those fuckers in the back. I want them laid out!’ Boss Demon yells.
From the back there are whimpering, growling, gagging noises as the wolves have been caught at various stages of transformation by whatever is in the gas that has been released. I wipe my eyes with my sleeve then pull my shirt up to cover my face and filter the air.
‘Thank fuck for wolfsbane, eh,’ Boss Demon says conversationally.
So that’s what it is. Wolfsbane is non-lethal, to the best of my recollection, but painful to the point of being debilitating for wolves. We kept some in a hydrant behind the bar in case a riot ever broke out. Only way to break up an angry werewolf pack, one of the bouncers once told me. Clear the room in ten seconds flat. I’d never seen it used though. Varik has his ears flattened against his skull and seems to be panting for breath.
‘Right, let’s transfer the human prisoner. I need this lot subdued and I don’t want her looking for any opportunities in the chaos…’
Before I know what’s happening, my door has opened and somebody is pulling me out and marching me, with a grip as tight as steel, to the next vehicle. Not the luxury of a seat for me this time, though. It’s straight into the cage. I’m pushed in so quickly my head smashes against the roof, and the door is slammed shut behind me, leaving me in sudden darkness. For a moment I can’t see a thing. Then my eyes start to adjust and I can just make out the shape of a boy. He’s shivering, curled up into a ball on the floor of the truck. He looks up at me, eyes wide and wild, and he bares his teeth in a pitiful attempt at a growl.
‘It’s okay,’ I say raising my hands to show him my empty palms. ‘I won’t hurt you.’
The truck jerks as it begins to move and just as it does, I sense something. A tugging at the bond: it’s distant, but clear. The sign of the snake on my right arm begins to feel warm and tingly.
Alex. He’s near.
I drop to the floor and close my eyes and concentrate as hard as I can on the thread connecting us. I reach for him, feel for him.
Fuck I hope she’s safe…
I hear his thought.
Hang on, I can actually hear his thought. For a moment I want to laugh and sob simultaneously, I’m so relieved to hear him, even though he feels very faint and very far away.
Alex?
I try to send my thought to him. I close my eyes and focus as hard as I can.
Lana? Is that you? Are you okay?
I feel a shiver of excitement. He’s always been able to tell what I’ve been thinking, but now it seems that I can sense his thoughts too. I guess the intense emotions of being held prisoner have released something inside me, some depth to my power that I haven’t yet explored.
I’m being held prisoner by fucking demons, what do you think Alex?
A rush of emotions fills the bond: joy, annoyance, frustration, terror, longing…
The wolves—? I feel the question in his mind. He must have realised that they would turn, and that I’d be trapped.
Subdued with Wolfsbane. We’re moving on again.
I can’t reach you Lana –
I swallow, narrow my eyes and grit my teeth. All I want is to see him. All I want is for him to hold me and tell me that everything is going to be alright. But it’s not going to happen. This might be as close as we get.
I ran as far as I could. Not far enough.
His exhaustion weighs on me through the bond and a sudden surge of warmth rushes through me which is nothing to do with the danger I’m in.
Thank you I say, trying to fill the thought with everything I feel for him. I’m truly grateful for everything he’s done for me. I’m grateful just to have known him, even if it was only for a little while.
Thank Gabe. He’s the one who fed me…
‘What?’ I can’t help it, the word bursts out of me.
‘No talking!’ a gruff voice yells from the other side of the cage.
Gabriel let Alex feed on him? I don’t know what to think of that. I’m caught somewhere between wondering how desperate they must have been and trying not to admit how I kind of secretly wish I had been there to see it…
Yeah it was fucking hot
I smile at Alex’s thought, my first real smile since everything went to shit back at the camp.
I’m coming for you. Don’t give up. I’ll never stop looking…
And then the truck changes gears and picks up speed down a slope and Alex’s thoughts fade away to nothing in my mind. No, not nothing. They leave a spark of determination.
I’m going to escape. I’m going to find a way out of here.
24
LANA
I actually sleep for a little while after I talk with Alex. I guess the contact with him reassured me. And I’m exhausted – the walk alone would have destroyed me, without being taken prisoner by demons, and testing new psychic abilities on top of that. It doesn’t feel like I sleep for long, but when I wake everything feels worse not better. Every inch of my body aches like I’ve taken a beating. My feet are swollen and sore. My head hurts and my mouth feels thick and dry. When was the last time I had a drink? I can’t even remember.
I try to ignore the discomfort, because I know it’s only going to get worse. Most likely, a lot, lot worse.
The boy watches me with big, scared, confused eyes.
‘Did they hurt you?’ I whisper to him, but he doesn’t reply. I don’t even know if he understands me.
I close my eyes again for a while and feel the rhythmic motion of the truck lulling me.
What am I going to do?
The road we’re on is flatter now. I can’t see outside but I know what that means: we’re down off the mountain and into the lowlands. It can’t be too much further until we reach the city. And then, the prison…
‘You’ve got lots to look forward to, human,’ a gruff voice says from the front of the car. ‘A nice cold hard floor. Some mouldy crusts of bread. A pot to piss in that will probably be cracked. And then, tonight, you’ll be meeting the Angel, I’d say…’
I shiver. He’s trying to wind me up, I know. And he’s succeeding.
‘Who’s the Angel?’ I ask.
The demon laughs, a laugh that booms and rattles the sides of the truck. ‘He’s our torturer
in chief. Nobody’s as cold as he is. No mercy. Lives for causing pain. I think they’ll give you a nice little introductory session with him just to set the mood. Not often we get a real live human to play with…’
I swallow. I don’t like pain. I’m not a fan. And even though I manage to get myself into ridiculous situations, I’m not actually brave; more just reckless and stupid. I don’t know how I’ll get through this. I close my eyes, my stomach churning with horror.
Then I feel something touch me and I jump. It’s the boy. He’s reached across and taken my hand. His hand is small and dirty and smeared with blood. His hand is warm. He looks up at me and I see concern in his expression, and suddenly my eyes fill with tears. There is no way out. Alex was my best hope and he tried but didn’t make it. This kid looks as lost and helpless as I do. It’s us against the might of the Demon Council, and the resources of the demon prison. Which I have been told, in great detail, is impossible to break out of or into. Impenetrable fortress, I think were the words that Gabriel used to describe it.
My moment of optimism earlier suddenly seems like the blindest stupidity. There is no escape. I’m going to die. I’m going to be tortured horribly and then I’m going to die.
I’ll never see Alex or Reuben or Gabriel again. I’ll never fulfil my purpose.
The boy squeezes my hand. I appreciate his attempts to make me feel better but they’re not going to work. Unless he’s hiding a fucking key in his palm, or some kind of weapon we can use to overcome the guards and escape from this goddamned cage, nothing he does will make me feel any better.
The last part of the journey seems to pass too quickly. All I want is for it to continue. Maybe we could keep driving forever and never reach our destination. But too soon we start to slow, and then take a series of meandering turns that I know I should probably be trying to memorise so I can get out again if by some miracle I manage to escape, but I just can’t bring my mind to focus. The only thing it wants to focus on is the fact that I’m about to be locked in a cell and tortured. And I’m going to scream and cry and wet myself and totally not resist at all, though what I could possibly tell them that would be useful I can’t imagine, since I know basically nothing.
