Page 4 of Taken to the Deadlands (Stolen Demon Brides #1)

Chapter 4

Mia

T hey forced us out of our beds and dragged us away, kicking and screaming, in the middle of the night.

Or at least I thought it was the middle of the night. Not that our cage had any sunlight or windows to prove it. And as nice as it was, there was no denying that it was anything other than a prison. Though, if you asked me, I could have probably spent a few more days there without complaint.

The demons that barged in to get us were all wearing the same black uniform, and many of them looked human, save for the horns, claws, and sharp teeth. At least it wasn’t that creepy fucked-up thing from before.

Iris allowed them to take her without much fight, giving up almost as soon as her feet touched the hallway outside our room.

Eve and I, on the other hand…

“Get your hands off me, you fucker!”

I tried to break out of the guards’ hold, but both of them were quickly on me, forcing my arms to my side. One of them was already fed up with my screaming and forced a hand over my mouth. I tried to bite it, but the skin was so hard it probably hurt me more than it hurt them.

At least Eve was giving them hell. She screamed, kicked, and slapped them. Too wild of an animal for them to contain.

It wasn’t much use though. We were still dragged down the dark hallway and into an even darker room, where we were pushed to the ground. As soon as the demons’ hands were off me, I pushed myself up and tried to get to the door before they closed it, but some kind of force knocked me down.

Glowing rope-like objects circled my upper body before pulling tight, constricting my movements. I turned back to look at the culprit but was met with another demon guard. By the looks of his glowing eyes and glower, I assumed he oversaw the others.

They were brutes, but at least they couldn’t shoot glowing magic at us.

“Be gentle,” he warned the other demons that surrounded us. “Humans are fragile, and the buyers will be really upset if their goods are damaged.”

Buyers? Goods?

I shot the other girls a panicked look, but both of them already seemed to be frozen in place, gaping at the demon.

I guess we all heard the same thing.

Hands gripped me and forced me up once more. This time, I couldn’t find it in me to fight them.

“It’s not like they would care anyway,” one of the demons by my side muttered.

“Right?” said the one that held Eve, looking back at us. “They’ll be too busy in a feeding frenzy to notice a bruise or two.”

Fear clogged my throat.

The demon in charge huffed as we passed him.

“Remember that not every demon is here to get a human to feast on,” he reminded them. “Some come to find a companion or someone to bear their children. Either way, they pay good money…”

His voice trailed off as the incessant thoughts in my mind grew louder.

What? No.

Run. Fight them. Do something.

I turned my head to look back, but there were guards following us from behind, and with my arms currently bound, I wouldn’t be able to fight them like I needed to.

Eve flung her whole body back. The demons on either side of her scrambled to hold her, not expecting her to react so suddenly. At the same time, my guards’ grasp on me loosened just slightly as the ones in front stumbled back.

I took my chance.

But instead of darting backward, I darted forward.

The only guards in front of us were already trying to keep their humans under control, so I guessed they wouldn’t try to grab me.

And I was right.

I slipped beneath Eve’s legs, dodging the hands that failed to take hold of me.

“Go Mia!”

Iris, who had been compliant until now, clashed against her guards, throwing them off balance enough for me to slip past them.

When I pushed back the curtains that separated us from the next room, bright lights blinded me, but I couldn’t stop. Not when I could feel the demons right behind me.

Loud rumblings and cheers called my attention. I blinked a few times until my eyes adjusted and followed the noise.

I froze for just a moment, taking in the darkness of the room in front of me. I realized in that moment that I was on a small stage and people— no, demons —were all around. I couldn’t distinguish their faces because of the lights, but I could make out distinct shapes like horns, sharp glittering teeth, glowing eyes, and the heavy feeling of death in the air.

I didn’t let it shock me for too long and kept moving across the stage until I ran into a hard chest and it sent me sprawling. The demon reached for me, and I screamed and jerked against his hold. When he tried to cover my mouth with his claws, I bit down hard on his hand. His loud growl roared in my ears.

In an instant, his weight disappeared, only to be replaced with another. I turned my head to see the demon fighting two others that had to pull him to the other side of the stage. His eyes were wide and bright red, his teeth bared, and loud growls rumbled from his chest.

“Oh my, it’s your first appearance, and you’ve already caused a frenzy,” someone said from behind me.

Dread hit me hard as I was pulled to my feet only to come face-to-face with the demon who had whisked me here in the first place.

I opened my mouth to scream at her, but with a single wave of her hand, my throat felt like it was on fire. A cough racked my body, and my lungs burned. I couldn’t breathe.

She didn’t stop whatever magic she was doing until black clouded my vision and another demon held me up. I tried to fight him, but his hand was wrapped around me and gripped my face, forcing me to watch the crowd. The longer I stared, the more I could make out the horrific faces that looked back at me.

Some of them could pass for humans, but many looked like something straight out of my nightmares.

“Since the spirit seer offered herself up so prettily, we shall start with her,” my kidnapper said from the side. “Spirit seers are rumored to have a sharp taste, with hints of winter and mulberry. We will start the bidding at three thousand royal gold, though remember you can always offer something from your realm to sweeten the deal.”

The volume of the room raised in response. I couldn’t make out the bids, but the white-haired demon seemed to have no such problem.

“Five thousand gold and… a mermaid scale! Okay, anyone… Six thousand and a dragon egg? No, no, that would raise it to at least ten thousand gold. Can anyone match?”

The noise around me quieted as my heart slowed.

Is this it? Is this really how it’s going to end? Am I really being auctioned off to fucking demons in another dimension?

I didn’t know how long the bidding went on, only that the entire time I was faced with the cold, hard fact that there was absolutely nothing I could do to save myself.

“Eighty thousand and a soul sphere going once… twice… Sold to Demis from the Fire Fields!”

My breath caught in my throat. There were a few grumbles here and there, but overall, the commotion quieted.

A large demon who was at least seven feet tall walked up to the stage. His entire body looked rock-hard with wound like slashes all along his limbs and face, showing a burning red color underneath. He stood tall, though his back seemed to be hunched permanently. His mouth opened to show me a set of decaying but sharp teeth.

“Touch me and I’ll kill you,” I forced out, but it only made the demon laugh.

“Come, human, it’s been years since I feasted?—“

His eyes widened and his entire body froze. A smaller figure stepped out from behind him, her eyes narrowed in on me.

She was unlike any other demon I had seen before. Her skin was gray with an iridescent shine to it in the light. Her long black hair fell to her waist with two long strands braided back, keeping most of it out of her face. Two deep blue horns jutted from her head and curled back.

She wore a loose blue silk robe that was open in the front, showing off her bare chest, and loose black pants that were tied at the waist. Her claws were tipped in black, and only then did I realize that one of them was also dripping bright red blood.

She let out a sigh and pushed the giant demon away, causing him to tumble to the stage. No one attempted to catch him as he rolled off it.

“Seventy thousand.” Her voice was low and husky and caused a thrill to go through me.

I looked at the white-haired demon to my right. There was a small smile on her face.

“Killing the bidders is against the rules,” she tutted, though she didn’t seem all that angry.

The demon girl shrugged.

“We know you won’t punish me, so why don’t you just give her to me?”

The auctioneer demon cocked her head.

“It’s been a while since you’ve had a human, Aris of the Deadlands. Pray tell, what amuses you so much about this one?”

Aris. That was her name.

Aris shrugged.

“Take it or leave it,” she grumbled. “No one can match me.”

“Eros and Oros can.”

Aris’s mouth twisted into a snarl.

“They will not bid on this one. Give her to me. I am running out of patience.”

The other demon sighed but didn’t fight her.

“Seventy thousand going once… twice… Sold to Aris of the Deadlands!”

When Aris’s gaze met mine, my breath was stolen from my chest.

This woman—demon—is going to eat me.

Another thought followed that one .

Well, at least she’s hot.