Page 5 of Tortured Soul (Soulless #1)

Lola

“ H urry up, we don’t have all day,” one of the guards escorting me said as I slowed my pace, looking around. His voice sounded familiar.

My internal groan was loud in my mind. “Maybe if you didn’t make me wait all fucking day in that damned tower, we wouldn’t be losing daylight.”

The wall-mounted lanterns illuminated the cobblestone streets with shades of warm yellow, casting lights on the stone walls, doors, and various closed shops.

It was still way too hot. What was once Arizona had always been known to be a furnace, especially during summer. As it was mid August now, I could confirm it was in fact, not exaggerated.

“You should have thought about it before you pissed Carter off,” he grunted. “He’s the one who took his sweet time mentioning your arrival to Arc.”

Arc…Was that the infuriating one? The one that was still confusing all my senses? What a weird name. But he had the tipped ears of the first of a kind, he was probably old. Maybe older than me. Names were weird back then.

“Carter wasn’t the only one who could have mentioned me. Aren’t you the one who tripped me down the stairs? You and at least ten others knew I was here, you could have sped up the process.”

One of the guards gasped as he stumbled slightly.

“I did not trip you down the stairs. You did that all on your own. ”

I shrugged. “Not how I remember it. I guess it’s your word against mine. Don’t worry, they don’t like me much, they’ll probably believe you over me anyway.”

“That’s not—”

“And after being manhandled by that Carter Divine ass, I’m not expecting much anyway. Although, I was hoping that a fellow demon would—”

“Look, if you’d just gone with us without trying to push everyone’s buttons, then—”

“Oh, that’s how it’s going to go then?”

How I loved riling people up. In fact, I got so good at it that it usually got me in trouble. But when someone was mad and completely out of their mind, they made mistakes. They acted rashly.

They became easily overpowered. Enough for me to attack or bolt.

What could I say? A girl did what she could to stay alive and on top of the food chain. Even if she got a few punches in the process.

The other guards tapped their feet in annoyance around me. I ignored them, keeping my stroll lazy and slow, studying the buildings and little streets.

It was actually a pretty place, when you overlooked the sand and dirt covering most of the cobblestones and buildings.

Not sure how they managed to do it, but in the large park I’d sighted earlier, the grass was a vibrant green even in the near night, and trees were climbing high, probably allowing some benches to be covered by shadows during the day.

Must be nice to get some reprieve from the sun.

There were lots of storefront signs on the first floors of buildings that surrounded the park. Although it was dark inside—probably because it was ten at night and people had a life—I was surprised by the number of shops and restaurants in this place.

Here I thought it was only some kind of makeshift camp, only to find myself in a town that had probably been prospering for years or decades.

What an ignorant demon I’ve been.

“So,” I chirped, ignoring their obvious annoyance. “Where are we going?”

“To get you sorted into a house.”

“Oh…Like that old wizard book? What was it called again? ”

“What are you talking about?” one of them said, and I definitely heard her rolling her eyes.

“You know, that old book…” I stopped, arching a brow. They all stared at me in silence, sometimes casting each other glances. “Come on, you can’t all be babies, you obviously know what I’m talking about. The little wizard boy that—seriously? No one?”

“Why on earth are you talking about—wizards?”

I wish I could see their faces behind their masks. As of right now, they were all looking at me in silence. Awkward silence.

“Did I say something?” My head fell to the side in confusion. “Is there going to be a magic hat? Or a cup?”

There was a loud sigh before I was pushed forward, and just like that, we were walking again.

“We’re meeting with Kai. He’ll be the one to find you a free room in a shared house,” the demon who escorted me up the stairs earlier said. “No magic cup or whatever.”

My body tensed as I kept walking.

“Shared house?”

“What did you expect? That we would provide you with a house to yourself when you haven’t even started pulling your weight in here?”

“No, of course not—” Shit . “I have money aside, I can pay for my own stuff or my own place.”

“It’s not up for debate. We don’t have enough houses for now, and they’re reserved for families or binded groups. You’ll share a house with others unbinded.”

I groaned internally. Unbinded Immortals were fine, as long as they were tied.

I used to live with other unbinded demons, but we were all tied to our Archdemon, which made things…

well, easier. The tie tamed us, making us less inclined to fight or fuck each other.

There were always conflicts, but Immortals in the same tie could not harm or kill one another.

Not to forget the tie and the bind served as a suppressant. Highly useful when you were a Succubus releasing tons of pheromones…

Placing a Succubus in a shared house filled with unbinded and untied Immortals? Hell, I was going to have to make sure there were locks on my door. Many locks. Maybe even magical ones.

“What’s got you so quiet all of a sudden?” the demon asked from behind me.

“I’m just not sure it’s a good idea to put me in a house with unbinded and untied Immortals.”

He snorted. “Get over yourself.”

“I know what I’m talking about. I’m untied. I know what my pheromones can do to—”

“We had a Succubus in my last tied group. It’s always been fine.”

“In a tied group, yes. Did you know that when we’re transferred from one Arch to another, there’s a few weeks where we're locked in a room? For our own safety? Because people seem to think the magical link that ties us to the new Archdemon and group is immediate, but it’s not.”

“I’m sure you’ll be fine and you’re overreacting.”

I was definitely not. But once again, people weren’t taking me seriously. I guess I was used to it…

I was merely a Succubus. A sex demon, completely useless except when people were looking for a good time. They would not take me seriously if other Immortals tried to force themselves on me—which would happen if I wasn’t careful about my pheromones around unbinded or untied.

After all, could someone really force themself on you if your whole purpose was to bring sexual pleasure?

It kept happening. I kept being dismissed.

“But did you really say no? Why are you complaining when he actually gave you that energy boost? You’re lucky enough to be able to feed from other Immortals, you should be grateful.

You look radiant by the way, he definitely suited you.

” I was used to being shamed for what I was.

“ You have to admit your pheromones were teasing him. If you didn’t want it, you should have been more careful.

” Because of course I had complete control over the amount of pheromones my body released.

It was simple, but strangely, other Immortals struggled with the concept.

High pheromone levels only meant that I was getting low on energy and that I needed to find someone to sleep with soon.

It wasn’t an open invitation. Needing to have sex with someone didn’t mean I had to accept anything or anyone.

So every time my contract was transferred to another Archdemon, I was isolated. Because others couldn’t hold themselves in my unbridled pheromones’ presence, I was locked away. It didn’t help that I was the first of my kind, and pheromones got more potent with age.

Which all brought me back to why I really didn’t want to be sharing a house with untied and unbinded Immortals.

“Are you sure I can’t share a house with a binded group? I’ll make myself small, they won’t even notice I’m here.”

Binded Immortals were less receptive to pheromones coming outside of their binded group. I didn’t even mind if they had frenzied group sex all day, I’d hide in my room and put on ear plugs.

“Do you really think a binded group would accept to share their space? With a Succubus?”

“Why not? It’s not because I’m a Succubus that I sleep with everyone,” I grumbled.

He let out a long, obnoxious exhale. “Look, if you make friends with a binded group and they accept you, you can transfer. But in the meantime, you’re going to have to share a house with other unbinded.”

That was going to be a problem…I gave him a shaky nod, my throat too tight to utter any words, and followed as they climbed the steps of a large white stone building.