Page 12 of Taken to the Deadlands (Stolen Demon Brides #1)

Chapter 12

Mia

N ight had fallen when I heard it.

The rustling of feet down the hallway.

It had been almost a week since I had come to the Demon Realm, and there was no sign of the “ghost” Aris wanted me to reach out to, even though she assured me she was probably here.

Multiple times I had wanted to come clean. To tell her that it was all a farce. But I couldn’t bring myself to. Not when she was sharing so much with me.

I originally thought the sounds were the various demons that might have been staying in the house, but when the pounding started, I found myself frozen in my bed. Fear overtook me. It clogged my throat and tied me to the bed.

“Aris?” I called into the darkness.

The only answer I got was a pause in the pounding. Then it started again, though this time it was harder, more frenzied. Like they were trying to break down the wall.

“Aris!”

It was mere seconds later that I heard her footsteps down the short hallway between our rooms. Then, my door was flung open.

Light flooded the room—just enough for me to catch sight of Aris’s disheveled hair and robe. She wore the same one she always did, but this time it was open, giving me a view of perfect breasts.

I averted my gaze to her eyes. They were glowing a dull red.

“Are you hurt?”

I shook my head. Embarrassment flooded me. Suddenly, I felt like I shouldn’t have called her. Especially when she rushed in like that .

“Someone was pounding on the walls,” I said, pushing myself up to a sitting position.

She looked around the room with a frown. She was still breathing heavily, but the redness in her eyes was fading.

“I didn’t hear anything,” she murmured. “Are you sure it’s not a ghost? Maybe you finally called her?”

I gritted my teeth. I can’t fucking see them , I almost said.

Instead, I shook my head.

“Ghosts can’t touch things like that.”

It was a lie, but she didn’t see through it. She just nodded and turned to look out onto the hallway.

“Well, whatever it is, I can’t see, hear, or smell it,” she said.

Fear shot through me.

Was this something that could get past even her?

And if something got past her, what would that mean for me?

“I’m sure I heard it,” I said, sitting up on my knees and ready to go to her. She motioned for me to stay put.

“I believe you.”

Her words warmed my chest and shattered my heart at the same time.

You shouldn’t. Out of all people, it would be easier if you didn’t trust me.

She stepped out into the hallway, and my stomach lurched.

“Can you stay?” I asked, my voice shaky. “Please?”

She looked over her shoulder at me. From the expression on her face, I wasn’t sure if she would, but she surprised me by nodding and turning back.

“I can smell your fear.” She closed the door and came to stand at the foot of my bed. I gripped my night slip nervously.

“Sorry,” I murmured. “I’ll try to turn it down.”

“No.” There was a slight growl in that word. “It’s not that it’s feeding my frenzy. It’s uncomfortable in a different way. I don’t like you to feel this way.”

Oh god, please don’t say things like that.

Things that made me like a demon far more than I should. I already felt bad enough for everything she had gone through, and now this?

I shouldn't feel like this about her. I shouldn't feel bad for a creature who could tear my kind apart with her teeth. I shouldn't feel bad for the demon who almost did the same to me.

But as I sat there, crisscrossed on my bed while she stood, her eyebrows pulled together tightly and a frown on her face, I couldn't help the emotions that swirled inside me.

“Talk about something,” I all but begged. Trying to distract myself from her. Trying to stop my eyes from moving to her chest again.

She seemed to have no qualms about her nudity, but it was making my stomach warm.

Another emotion I couldn’t chance.

“What do you want me to talk about?” she asked. When she cocked her head to the side, her long hair fell off her shoulder.

She usually kept it braided back and out of her face. This was the first time I was seeing it down.

“Her,” I forced out, even though I wanted nothing to do with the other human that took up space in her mind. “Tell me about the human you want to contact. Maybe if it is her, I can use the connection.”

Lie. Lie. Lie.

But it was what I needed. A reminder of why I was here. It made me feel like a completely shitty person, but that was the point. So that I wouldn’t let my mind go wild with thoughts of Aris.

"I'd rather talk about your payment instead," she said, her frown deepening.

“You’d treated me well enough,” I replied. “And if you want me to get this done, I need you to tell me more about her.”

She shook her head.

“I have treated you as I would any other human, but that doesn’t change the fact that what you are helping me with is something worthy of payment.”

“I told you I don’t need it.” I forced out a sigh. “You’ve been very good to me. Taken me out, given me delicious food, even clothes! I literally could not ask for a better demon.”

“You could,” she said, her voice filling with venom. “You could ask for a demon who wouldn’t hold you hostage. For a demon who would save you. Save your human friends. Just because I am treating you as a guest and not a pet doesn’t mean you should get complacent.”

Yeah, it would be fucking nice if you just let me go. But I'm also lying about seeing your ghost girlfriend, so I’m not one to talk here.

I knew there was something hidden in those words. Something about how much she loathed herself, but I didn’t let myself dwell on it. I couldn’t. Because if I did, I might never get out of here. And in order to convince her I was the real deal, I needed to know about this goddamn human.

If we were in the human world, I would have gone on social media. Stalked her a bit. Googled her. Tried to piece her life together.

But in this realm, I had to rely on Aris. And she wasn’t giving me nearly enough for me to sell it.

“Fine. I’ll let you know when I think of some kind of payment." I offered her a smile. “But truly , it would help me if you told me more about her."

She let out a huff and crossed her arms over her chest, slightly covering her self.

"You can't just see her walking around or something?" Aris asked.

I couldn't stop myself from laughing.

“ No , I can't just see her walking around. I have to pull on her spirit. And how can I do that if I don't know who she is? How do I know which of the many spirits I feel brushing upon me is hers?"

"You can feel them all?”

Shit.

“Yeah," I said, though my confidence dipped when her eyes narrowed. “I mean, you were the one who mentioned soul pieces, right? So you know that a human soul can be anywhere they've been. Including attached to the person—demon—who ate them.”

Her face relaxed just enough for my heart to slow down in my chest.

“I haven't eaten that many,” she muttered.

I raised an eyebrow at her. “How many in total?"

“Won’t it scare you?” she shot back.

I sighed. “I told you on the cliffs that I can’t hold it against you. Just tell me.”

Her jaw tightened, and I could hear her teeth grinding in the quiet room.

“Three hundred,” she finally replied. "Back when I was young, I would let myself indulge maybe once or twice a year, but as I got older, I skipped years altogether. The more powerful the human, the more power they had, the longer they would sustain me."

I nodded, biting my bottom lip.

Don't ask, please don't ask, just shut ? —

“How long did she last?"

“Twenty years," she answered. ”But I didn't get any powers from her."

"You can take our powers?”

She gave me a stiff nod. "They help with the hunger. Though sometimes, if you're lucky, the power will transfer to you. I was not. Another reason I wouldn’t chance eating you.”

Oh geez, how thoughtful.

“So, what do you eat now?"

My mind went back to our time in the dining room together. It looked like a bunch of burnt meat, but I didn’t allow myself to wonder what kind of meat it could be.

She looked away.

"What?" I demanded. "What could be worse than eating humans?"

"Eating other demons," she said. Her eyes shot to me as if she were almost afraid of what my reaction would be.

"Demons like your maids or demons like hellhounds?" I asked.

She didn't want to smile, but I saw her lips twitching. "We don't have hellhounds here. But yes, something similar. They don't always taste that good."

"But it's still a way for you to stop yourself from eating me and other humans. Nothing to be ashamed about.” I leaned back on my pillow, placing my hands behind me and tilting my head. "I'm guessing not all demons think like you."

She gave me a shrug.

"I guess I'm lucky then,” I said on a smile.

Something like happiness showed on her face, and it shouldn't have made me feel the way it did. I opened my mouth to change the subject, but then I felt a strong force swirling around the room. I snapped my head to the right and toward the aura, expecting to see one of those gruesome monsters from the auction house again.

But instead, there was nothing.

"Did you see something?" she asked.

Damn it. Maybe I should just come clean. Whatever was in this house wasn’t a fucking ghost. And the more I tried to pretend it was, the more danger I could be in.

"Listen, I have to tell you something. I?—“

My throat clogged and the blood in my veins froze when I caught sight of a flash of white behind her.