Page 1 of Taken to the Demon Court (Stolen Demon Brides #3)

EVE

“ I swear! I didn’t sell you out! We were just in the same club at the same time, ya know? It’s a small town and Candy’s is the best spot.”

Bitterness spread across my tongue, and something went off in my brain.

A lie. But I couldn’t tell if it applied to the whole sentence or just the part about him selling out my clients.

He was quaking in his boots, his eyes periodically darting to me. The two men in front of me had their hands full with weapons. A metal bat that gleamed in the overhead streetlight. A pocketknife. A garbage bag. And a long rope.

I didn’t have to ask what they planned to do with the information I’d given them. It was too obvious.

I looked up at the night sky that was barely visible from the city’s light pollution.

How much longer is this going to take? At this point, they were just like cats playing with their food before putting it out of its misery.

Maybe a normal person would have felt bad knowing that they were likely going to send the man to his early grave… But th is was a dog-eat-dog world, and unfortunately for him, I needed a way to make money.

The two men looked back at me with expectant gazes. I held my hand out for the rest of the payment—it was half before, half later—and, of course, I’d never tell them what they wanted until they paid me.

I learned the hard way that anger was almost sure to follow, and not many people wanted to hand out cash as they plotted murder.

The leader let out an annoyed huff and dug in his pocket before pulling out a wad of cash and handing it to me. I wouldn’t disrespect him by counting it in front of them, so I took it and slipped it into the back pocket of my jeans.

“Tell the truth, man,” I said and rolled my neck. “You know what will happen if you don’t.”

“I know what will happen if I do!” His voice was rising, panic evident in his tone.

“So you admit it?” I asked with a smile. “You sold them out?”

“No-o…” he muttered, his eyes falling to the floor. “I swear I didn’t sell them out.”

More bitterness, but less than the first time. A half-truth maybe?

“Then why were you seen with them?” one of the men asked, his tone harsh.

It looked like the fight was slowly leaving him. Like he was realizing he wasn’t about to get away like he thought he was.

It was always like that, especially when they got a look at me.

I had built a good reputation for myself over the years as a freelance lie detector. It was hard at first to convince people of my powers, but since one can’t argue with results, I began booking up to a year in advance in some cases.

People always thought they could outsmart me. Like somehow they would be the ones to fool the human lie detector.

But they were all proven wrong.

If I was being honest, I got some sick satisfaction out of doing just that. And even though I knew the man would be leaving the alley that night with a broken leg—if he was lucky—excitement still spread in my chest.

“Look, I didn’t want to meet with them. They threatened me. You know I’m loyal to you guys and I wouldn’t have gone if there was literally any other way.”

Not even the slightest hint of bitterness.

“It’s the truth,” I confirmed and turned to leave. “But he did sell you out.”

The two men paid no mind as I left and advanced on him.

“Hey, no; listen, she said it was the truth, right? So you know I didn’t have a choice?—”

“We all have choices; you just chose wrong.”

The sound of the bat hitting his body was the last thing I heard as I left the alleyway and walked down the dead street.

No one in their right mind would be out at three in the morning unless they were doing something shady. But that was when most of my jobs took place. In the darkness and with a threat of violence looming over the victim-to-be.

I grabbed the money from my back pocket, counting it carefully as I walked the same route home I did every other night.

I once felt bad about what my part in some of those jobs did to people, but the more I got paid—especially those who tipped well—the more muted those feelings became.

And these clients had decided to give me a five-hundred-dollar tip for my services.

With a smile, I put the money away.

It was only then that I realized…

I’m not alone anymore.

Someone— something —was waiting for me in the darkness .

She had pure white hair, red horns that stuck out from her head and curled back, gleaming red eyes, and a skintight red bodysuit that showed more skin than it hid.

It has to be cosplay, right?

But even without speaking a word, my mind told me she was not human. It was something in her aura, the way it caused everything around us to darken.

My heart sped up in my chest, but I forced myself to hold my ground.

“I don’t know what you want, but I’m not it,” I said, turning right back on my heels.

And suddenly, she was right there in front of me with a wide smile that showcased all her pointy teeth.

“Your power is extraordinary,” she purred. “I know many a demon who would like to take it for themselves.”

My power?

Most people thought I was crazy at first when I told them about the lies. But she already knew. Not only knew, but said it was extraordinary. Nothing I’d ever heard before.

“Demons?” I asked with a scoff. “Is that what you call yourself?” She opened her mouth to speak, but I lifted my hand to stop her. “Never mind, I don’t care. Have a nice night and don’t bother me again.”

I turned again, but this time she didn’t follow. She let out a loud laugh.

“Oh, we’ll have fun with you.”

Without warning, her clawed hand grabbed my shoulder. Pain spread through my head, and before I knew it, I was falling into darkness.