demon, would be priceless beyond comprehension.
Pestilence gestured to the broken Aegi. “Want to see what you can get out of him?”
She brushed invisible lint off her black leggings. “I’ve got things to do.”
“No, really.” He dug his fingers into her shoulder so hard it had to hurt, but she didn’t let on. “I’d love to see you operate.”
“What part of, ‘I’ve got things to do,’ don’t you understand?”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “You know, I’ve never seen you do anything but hang around and watch others get their hands wet. Maybe you’re… squeamish?”
She snorted. “Hardly. I’ve done things you can’t even imagine.”
He doubted that. His imagination was truly awesome. “Then show me.”
She stared at him, long and hard. Finally, she shrugged, chose a serrated blade from the selection of torture instruments hanging on the wall, and tested its edge. Bloodwelled along the cut on her thumb. She licked it, sealing the wound, and the sight, the scent, gave him instant wood.
“Have it your way,” she said nonchalantly, and sauntered over to the Guardian, where she started her gruesome work.
He watched, his excitement growing with each of the human’s screams. His plans were coming together. Soon, The Aegis itself would set the Apocalypse into motion, Limos would return to the evil bitch she was born to be, and Arik… he was going to die.
But not before Pestilence claimed his soul.
Fucking demons .
They were Arik’s favorite two words, and he kept repeating them over and over. Well, they had always been favorites, but he kind of suspected that the time spent in this shithole had erased his vocabulary and left him only with fucking and demons .
Arik sat still as Tav finished healing him—again. It was the second time in twelve hours, which wasn’t unusual, but Arik had hoped he’d have a reprieve from the torture since they’d decided to execute him.
Not so much.
He cast a glance at the door, where he’d looped his uber-thin braided string around a blackened bar between the wall and the lock. So far, so good. No one had noticed. Demons weren’t the most observant creatures on the planet.
“So, Tav, whatcha got planned for later?”
Tavin peeled off his surgical gloves. “Sex.”
Right. Seminus demon. Needed to have sex or die. “Groovy.”
“And you?”
Escape . Arik shrugged. “I’ll probably eat the bucket of fish skin and guts your friends bring me. After that, I’m pretty sure I have an appointment with the executioner. Why? You want to make a date?”
Tav shoved the gloves inside his medic duffel. “You’re not my type. Sems can only come with a female.”
“Huh. I’m not a Seminus demon, but I can only come with a female too.”
Tavin laughed, something Arik had never seen him do. “I like you, human.” He sobered, his smile turning sad. “I doubt I’ll see you again.”
Arik clapped the demon on the back. “You know, I appreciate gallows humor a lot more than sappy goodbyes.”
Tav shouldered his bag and signaled the guard. “I hope you find peace, human.” He lowered his voice just a little. “And remember that if you always go the right way, you never have to make a left-hand turn.”
“Ah… okay. I don’t have any baffling bits of wisdom for you, but hey, I make it a rule to never bet on white horses. Following that advice has never lost me any money.”
“I’ll remember that.”
The door opened, and Arik strategically placed his hand over the handcrafted rope he’d wrapped around the vertical bar the door locked into. “See ya around, demon.”
Tavin stepped out, and as the door swung shut, Arik dragged the strands of thread downward, grateful for the elastic stretch, so it formed a barrier between the lockmechanism on the door and the bolt catch on the bar. Now he just had to pray that the tiny bone he’d ground into a pick would be strong enough to work the lock from the outside as the rope put pressure on the
Pestilence gestured to the broken Aegi. “Want to see what you can get out of him?”
She brushed invisible lint off her black leggings. “I’ve got things to do.”
“No, really.” He dug his fingers into her shoulder so hard it had to hurt, but she didn’t let on. “I’d love to see you operate.”
“What part of, ‘I’ve got things to do,’ don’t you understand?”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “You know, I’ve never seen you do anything but hang around and watch others get their hands wet. Maybe you’re… squeamish?”
She snorted. “Hardly. I’ve done things you can’t even imagine.”
He doubted that. His imagination was truly awesome. “Then show me.”
She stared at him, long and hard. Finally, she shrugged, chose a serrated blade from the selection of torture instruments hanging on the wall, and tested its edge. Bloodwelled along the cut on her thumb. She licked it, sealing the wound, and the sight, the scent, gave him instant wood.
“Have it your way,” she said nonchalantly, and sauntered over to the Guardian, where she started her gruesome work.
He watched, his excitement growing with each of the human’s screams. His plans were coming together. Soon, The Aegis itself would set the Apocalypse into motion, Limos would return to the evil bitch she was born to be, and Arik… he was going to die.
But not before Pestilence claimed his soul.
Fucking demons .
They were Arik’s favorite two words, and he kept repeating them over and over. Well, they had always been favorites, but he kind of suspected that the time spent in this shithole had erased his vocabulary and left him only with fucking and demons .
Arik sat still as Tav finished healing him—again. It was the second time in twelve hours, which wasn’t unusual, but Arik had hoped he’d have a reprieve from the torture since they’d decided to execute him.
Not so much.
He cast a glance at the door, where he’d looped his uber-thin braided string around a blackened bar between the wall and the lock. So far, so good. No one had noticed. Demons weren’t the most observant creatures on the planet.
“So, Tav, whatcha got planned for later?”
Tavin peeled off his surgical gloves. “Sex.”
Right. Seminus demon. Needed to have sex or die. “Groovy.”
“And you?”
Escape . Arik shrugged. “I’ll probably eat the bucket of fish skin and guts your friends bring me. After that, I’m pretty sure I have an appointment with the executioner. Why? You want to make a date?”
Tav shoved the gloves inside his medic duffel. “You’re not my type. Sems can only come with a female.”
“Huh. I’m not a Seminus demon, but I can only come with a female too.”
Tavin laughed, something Arik had never seen him do. “I like you, human.” He sobered, his smile turning sad. “I doubt I’ll see you again.”
Arik clapped the demon on the back. “You know, I appreciate gallows humor a lot more than sappy goodbyes.”
Tav shouldered his bag and signaled the guard. “I hope you find peace, human.” He lowered his voice just a little. “And remember that if you always go the right way, you never have to make a left-hand turn.”
“Ah… okay. I don’t have any baffling bits of wisdom for you, but hey, I make it a rule to never bet on white horses. Following that advice has never lost me any money.”
“I’ll remember that.”
The door opened, and Arik strategically placed his hand over the handcrafted rope he’d wrapped around the vertical bar the door locked into. “See ya around, demon.”
Tavin stepped out, and as the door swung shut, Arik dragged the strands of thread downward, grateful for the elastic stretch, so it formed a barrier between the lockmechanism on the door and the bolt catch on the bar. Now he just had to pray that the tiny bone he’d ground into a pick would be strong enough to work the lock from the outside as the rope put pressure on the
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