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Even as I creep toward the door, I can feel my heart jumping into my throat, making it impossible to breathe. Deep down, I already know the answer to my questions, and I know who is to blame for the door being left open.
I just don’t want to believe it. Not of my best friend, when everything had been so pleasant a moment ago.
Slowly, I pull the door open further, still reaching for any other possible explanation. I want to blame anything else, anything that lets me believe Drir’gen isn’t down there with her.
But at the top of the stairs, I hear a shrill, frantic scream. My heart constricts in my chest, and I race into the dungeon as quickly as my legs will take me. I’m moving so fast that gravity very nearly finishes the job for me, but I manage to right myself before I go sprawling.
I turn to see Drir’gen there, his hands fondling my prize. She is mine, not his. I may have been willing to share the snacks in my pantry with him, but this is a step too far.
My vision turns red, and I can feel fire begin to boil in my veins. Everything in my body heats up, the very ends of my nerves tingling with fury.
Despite the pleasant buzz that I had, the alcohol instantly seems to flee from my system. I’m immediately sober, almost painfully so. It comes to me like a slap in the face, almost like walking outside on a cold, snowy night.
And when she turns to look at me, her hazel eyes silently pleading for me to help her, I lose all control. The berserker side of me takes over, giving into the rage, as I lift a heavy hand to smash his face.
102
ANASTASIA
I was so close to getting out of this dungeon. It only would have taken another step or two.
But not only was my escape blocked by a hideous demon, he chased me right back to where I started from. I’m here once more, at the bottom of the stairs, backed nearly into my cell in my attempt to get away from him.
Unfortunately, down here, there are only so many directions I can go. I couldn’t shake him when he was so determined to pursue me. I’m in a worse state than ever, with one of his meaty hands wrapped around my exposed throat. The other paws me animalistically, making my skin crawl.
It’s not just his touch that creeps me out. He’s truly appalling, a monstrous beast with cracked, heavy horns that curl forward and backward. His skin is scarred and rough, his hand abrasive as it glides over my body.
“You must be the prize Volikan has been boasting about all night,” he declares harshly. He licks his lips, eyeing me menacingly. His yellow eyes flash, clearly displaying his cruel intentions for me.
I don’t bother to answer, mostly because it didn’t sound like a question. The creature’s mind is already made up, and I don’t think anything I say could matter at this point. Whatever he plans to do with me, I can only sit back and watch it happen.
I can’t help but feel a bit betrayed. Not by this demon’s ill treatment of me, but Volikan’s. He left me down here by myself for all this time, and then sent a friend in here to use me instead.
The idea that he would trade me out like this is shocking, even if I’m not sure why I’m so surprised. Volikan is a demon, after all, and I suddenly wonder why I expected anything different.
It was hard enough, making my peace with the fact that I would be given away to a demon. I wasn’t pleased at the idea of having to breed against my will, but I had managed to convince myself that there could be a silver lining.
I would take one partner and bear him a child. In exchange, I would be safe. I would have a warm house and a place to stay, and food. It could have been worse, I tried to convince myself.
None of those things had managed to pan out for me. I was here in a dungeon, hungry and thirsty. Having my hopes dashed that way had felt bad enough, but was it really getting worse?
Seeing that Volikan intends to lend me out to other demons as he sees fit is just one blow more than I can bear. I hadn’t truly wanted to mate with him, but I certainly don’t want to just be passed from hand to hand.
And yet, what choice do I have? I’m stuck here, to be used and abused until my stomach is swollen with their offspring. If I refuse, they’ll just kill me.
Tears spring to my eyes, feeling utterly dismayed and abandoned. For the first time, I think that Volikan might have been right when he told me the gods aren’t going to help me here. Maybe even the gods are blind in this abysmal place.
The new demon continues to grope me. He doesn’t let go of my neck but spins me around so that he can smack my bottom. The move is jarring, making me wince. He lets out a low laugh, seeming to like my reaction, and slaps me again.
“Bet it feels nice in that tight ass of yours,” he growls. “I can’t wait to find out tonight.”
He spins me around once more, jamming his hand roughly onto my breast. Then he pinches so hard it hurts, and I’m sure beneath my clothing, angry red prints in the shape of his fingers are already flaring to life.
A shadow moves behind him. I turn my head reflexively to see. In response the strange demon tightens his grip on my neck, sneering at the unauthorized motion.
It’s Volikan. The sight of someone familiar fills me with unexpected comfort and I immediately chastise myself for it. He’s not here to help me. No one can help me now.
I stare at him with dull, helpless eyes, wondering if they could ever convey the depths of the betrayal that I feel. Something in his countenance hardens, watching me.
