Chapter 1
AMARA
Well, this was just fantastic. Things had gone to Hell in a handbasket. The imps had dragged me into Lust, the big, wooden gates shutting with a thud behind us and cutting me off from the guys. Spitting the sand out of my mouth I yelled at the infernal creatures as I bounced uncomfortably on the hellcats backs.
“What do you want?! Let me go!” They didn’t pay me any attention as they continued on. Hoisting me up onto the backs of the hellcat horde as if I was crowd surfing, minus all the fun and music, we went deeper into Lust. Twisting and turning, desperately trying to see, I squinted and finally saw something. Several larger forms, almost human-like but I had a feeling they were anything but, were waiting ahead of us. I tried not to panic, but was failing spectacularly.
Abruptly the wind and sandstorm stopped. I cautiously looked around, noting we were finally inside. The cats having halted, the imps pulled me off them and I landed roughly on the ground. The sound of heels on stone drawing closer had me on high alert. In my periphery I saw a statuesque woman, her blonde hair tied up in a tightly coiffed bun, her features sharp and cold as she peered down at me. A shiver ran up my spine at her cruel, hard gaze that froze my blood. Whoever she was, she didn’t like me; that much was clear. Her eyes were judging me, and finding me wanting. She circled me slowly, as if sizing up a prey.
“This is her?” The woman’s silky voice asked, and the imps answering chatter resonated loud in my ears as they squealed with glee, or at least what sounded like glee.
“What do you want me to do with her ma’am?” A deep male voice demanded and I swallowed thickly. This was most definitely not good, not good at all.
“Take her downstairs,” she said with a dismissive flick of her wrist. I balked as I was picked up and hauled over broad shoulders like a sack of potatoes. Then my world went dark.
When I woke up it took me a few moments to get my bearings. My head was pounding but also felt full of cotton at the same time. I tried to swallow but I realized I was gagged, and a bitter taste accompanied my saliva down my throat. I clamped my teeth down, but they wouldn’t touch, the ball of the gag holding my mouth open uncomfortably. The man, or whatever he might be, because I knew better than to trust his appearance, had secured me to a chair. I made a noise of outrage at the intrusion and the man just smirked at me, putting back a small, empty vial in his pocket. I could smell the bitterness from here. Fuck, whatever that was, we had already swallowed it.
“Whatever was in that vial, it can’t be good!” Death’s voice seared through my skull.
“Thank you Captain Obvious, I figured as much! Got anything helpful to suggest instead? Maybe bust us out of here?” I snapped, still struggling to break free. I tried to summon my vines, but nothing happened. I was exhausted, and I had a feeling I could blame that fucking vial he had just pocketed. The straps were loose, but not loose enough that they would give quickly. Come on, come on, I kept thinking. I needed just one hand free to start fighting back.
“Better keep what’s left of your strength for later.” He grinned at me, a chilling sight. I ground my teeth against the gag, bucking my hips and shaking my body to try and break my restraints, but I was feeling too weak to do any damage.
“Now, to make you more… enthusiastic,” he said in a sly tone.
Quicker than my eyes could follow he was in front of me, a new vial shoved roughly into the side of my mouth. I spluttered and retched, refusing to swallow a drop. My captor stepped back, watching me with contemplative eyes and an amused expression on his face. I glared at him in return, hunching my body over as much as I could so the surprisingly sweet liquid would dribble out of my mouth. Suddenly, a sharp pain to my head and my back arched, the wrong way. He stood behind me, his fist full of my hair and pulling it, hard. Fuck! How fast was that guy?
“Now kitten, don’t be difficult. This can be quite fun if you don’t fight it.” He held my head there and I worked my throat, trying to prevent anything from going down it. It was no use; I felt it trickle toward the back. I yelled at Death to do something, anything, but just as I did a sense of calm washed over me.
“Your voice sounds funny, Amara. It’s like you’re underwater. Did you know your body is like 60% water? I like water.” Death giggled. “Reminds me of Ethan, I don’t know why. I know you were there, but how hot was Pestilence earlier when we ‘made peace’ in the living room? Girl, that demon can spank some ass, that’s for sure.”
Her voice had that dreamy tone and I could almost picture her lying on her back lazily, all relaxed and calm. A distant part of me was telling me I should be worried, but I found myself thinking about just how hot Pestilence had been.
“I wish he was here. Ethan, I mean,” I confided.
Him I could picture clearly. The sharp angles of his body, the mischievous glint in his eyes when he looked at me. The way his lips were demanding yet soft and unsure when we kissed.
“There you go. That wasn’t so bad, now was it?” the man said, interrupting my daydreaming. “Time to play, now. Let’s see how far we can push you.”
He reached behind my head and removed the gag. Then I watched him pull out what looked like a regular cell phone and tell whoever was on the line that I was ready.
“Are you ordering food? I’m quite hungry,” I asked. “What I’d do for pizza, right now.”
“Don’t worry, little kitten, we will feed you all right.” He chuckled.
“Ask him if we can get a cherry coke!” Death said.
“You’re a genius, Death!”
“I know! I wish our body was 60% cherry coke.”
“Me too…” I answered before asking for a cherry coke out loud. The man only chuckled more. While waiting for our food, I closed my eyes, humming lightly.
“Don’t fall asleep on me, kitten,” he said and a surge of happiness burst through my chest when I opened my eyes.
“Ethan! You’re here! I was thinking about you!” I exclaimed as I took my time gazing at him. Something was different about him. “Do you have new tattoos?”
“Something like that,” he simply answered.
I studied his arms and around his throat, looking at the new ink covering it. The familiar click of heels on the floor rudely interrupted my musings, the woman from before stopping right in front of me. My chin was roughly grasped between slender fingers, her nails filed into talons and painted what I could only imagine was the tackiest shade of hot pink. Gross, who even had hot pink nails anymore?
“I don’t see what’s so special about you,” she said, her voice dripping with disgust. “You’re not even his type,” she spat out.
“That’s rude. I don’t like you,” I commented. My brain-mouth filter was completely gone.
But her words still had doubt creeping in my mind. What was so special about me? Nothing really. I had no outstanding features, and not so long ago I had been just a nobody, a puking mess unable to hold a job. But Ethan was here, wasn’t he? He wouldn’t be if I did not have something special, right?
“Girl, you’re worrying too much,” Death giggled again. “Just let it go. Like the song.”
“You’re right. That woman is just a bitch. We should enjoy ourselves.”
“Remove the restraints, Nathan,” she ordered and Ethan got to work.
I stood, rolling my wrists and ankles to get rid of the soreness, the man taking my place and sitting on the chair. A sultry melody began and I heard the woman’s voice once more.
“Now, give him a good show. Strip.”
And I started swaying my hips, a flirty smile on my face.
