Page 52 of The Devil After Dark

fifty-one

LIANA

Oran adjusted the cuffs on his tailored navy suit as he sat at the table across from us, his glass of wine left untouched.

My spine was straight and my hands shook in my lap, but I just stared straight ahead, right at Oran.

“What do you think, Oran? She seems just like your type,” Merrick said from beside me.

His arm was still draped across the chair behind me.

Oran’s chocolate brown eyes roamed over me before settling on mine. “Do you have any questions, Liana?” he asked, his voice was as deep as I expected it to be from a man who was as large as he was.

It took me a moment to realize he had asked me a question. I nervously glanced at Merrick, who only nodded at me with a small encouraging smile. “Where are you from? What province do you live in?” I stammered.

Oran’s eyes lit as the corner of his mouth curled upwards. “The northernmost province. The winters can be long and dark, but the summers are beautiful.”

Both Merrick and Oran sat, watching me and waiting for me to ask another question. “If you’ve won twice before, why are you interested in playing again?” My stomach did a backflip as the words tumbled out of my mouth.

“My first woman tragically died in a car accident. The second did not survive the event,” Oran said stiffly.

My mouth went completely dry. I might actually pass out. “I’m sorry to hear that,” I managed to whisper. He only gave me a dip of his chin in acknowledgement. I had no idea what to ask. It wasn’t like I had a choice in any of this. “Do you have questions for me?”

“Only one,” Oran said as he leaned back in his chair. “Are you afraid?”

I swallowed and decided I wouldn’t lie. “Terrified.”

The next man who entered the room made my eyes bulge from their sockets.

Silas Sinclair crossed the room and sized me up as he pulled out the chair on the other side of the table.

Merrick had taken to twirling his fingers in my hair while we sat and the potential contestants made their choices.

To my horror, Oran had claimed a spot. Another man declined for the sole reason that he would have to compete against Oran.

Another spot had been filled by a man named Meyer who looked like he killed people before breakfast each day—hell he looked like he probably ate people for breakfast. And now here was Thea’s sketchy ass client, Silas.

There was no way Silas did not know exactly who I was, but he hadn’t said anything to indicate he knew me.

I just stared at him and panicked as Merrick twirled my hair around his finger.

Maybe Silas would help me. Maybe he would tell Roger where I was and someone could come rescue me from this shit show.

But the words Silas was exchanging with Merrick, as if I was not even sitting here, made me realize that was likely not going to happen.

“Oran and Meyer have claimed the first two spots,” Merrick said as his hand stroked up my shoulder, “Are you sure you want to go up against those two?”

Silas just laughed easily and stood up. “Stand up, Liana, let me really look at you,” he commanded.

My eyes darted to Merrick. He only nodded at me and gave me a look that told me to obey.

I stood and stepped away from the table.

Silas approached me and slowly stepped around me in a circle.

His fingers drew arcing lines across my skin before he stopped in front of me and leaned in close.

He inhaled like he was smelling me and I recoiled slightly from him.

He gave me one last look from my head to my feet before speaking.

“I think I will pass on this event, Merrick. I commend you for bringing such an exquisite prize, but she is not for me.” Silas Sinclair’s eyes caught on mine one last time before he turned and exited the room without another word.

The next man who entered the room looked like a normal person.

He was clearly athletic, but there were no overt signs he was a killer.

My heart was pounding so hard from the previous encounters that I completely missed his name.

He exchanged a few words with Merrick and then simply gave me a smile and said he would take the position.

It was as if I had completely blacked out the entire encounter.

The door clicking closed snapped me out of my frozen state.

“I … He … I didn’t get a chance to ask him anything,” I stumbled over my words as I turned to Merrick.

“Shhh, sweetheart. He’s in. Don’t worry about it,” Merrick said smoothly.

Then he poured more wine into my glass and held it up for me.

My hand trembled as I took it from him and set it on the table without drinking.

“Drink,” Merrick said sharply. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before reaching for the glass and taking a sip. It wasn’t worth fighting.

There was one final position for the Claiming remaining.

The next man who entered was very tall and quite thin.

He pulled back the chair and as he sat, flashing me a smile …

with pointed teeth. I felt myself completely disassociating from the room.

Fucking pointed teeth? I had a mountain of a man with Oran, a psychotic cannibal looking man with Meyer, and one normal looking guy.

Then there was this guy with pointed teeth.

If pointed teeth man asked me anything I had no idea if or what I responded.

The next thing I knew Merrick was pulling on my hand and the pointed teeth man was no longer in the room.

One of these men was going to claim me and then I would be whisked away to live with them like a prisoner.

I couldn’t fully freak out about what would happen after tomorrow night because I was too focused on the fact that I was going to be publically raped.

When we finally got back to the suite I had woken in earlier, I wasn’t sure if I was going to collapse onto the floor or attempt to break onto the balcony so I could fling myself off.

Before I could decide, Merrick’s hand fisted my hair, lifting it aside as his fingers unzipped my dress.

My arms instinctively raised to cover my breasts as Merrick peeled the dress off me.

I move away from him, turning and looking for something to cover myself with.

He snatched my wrist and pulled me back.

“What is that?” he seethed as he grabbed my hip and turned me.

“Cassio fucking branded you?” I pulled away from him and to my surprise he let me.

“You’ll be lucky if they don’t cut that off you tomorrow night,” he said quietly.

“Did you not notice when you had me naked earlier? Why do you even care?” I shot back over my shoulder as I headed towards the bedroom to find a blanket or a towel or something to cover myself with.

“You let the Devil himself ink you with his name. It’s not that I care, it’s that I’m surprised,” Merrick said as he followed me.

“The Devil?” I stopped and turned slowly.

“The Devil. Cassio earned the nickname because he’s known for taking souls …

killing that is. All our magic has the capability to kill, but he has the kind of magic that was made for killing.

He has not been shy about using it either,” Merrick said as he leaned on the door frame and watched me.

“I guess that’s why he named his club The Devil After Dark too.

Probably to remind all of us of who he is.

” I just swallowed and stared at him. I had no idea.

Not that Cassio and I had the chance to discuss his magic, but Merrick was basically implying I had been with the worst of the worst.

“Wasn’t it stupid for you to take me then?” I asked. He must have a death wish. If Cassio was as bad as Merrick said, so bad they called him the Devil himself, Merrick was an idiot for taking me.

But Merrick just laughed. “He can’t find you here. We take great measures to keep our events hidden, even from our own kind.”

“But after?—”

“After tomorrow night you will belong to someone else and if Cassio retaliates in any way, you will be killed. It was part of the agreement for this Claiming,” Merrick interrupted. I sank onto the bed. What little hope I had just summoned that someone might save me was washed away in an instant.