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“I uncovered how Marcillo managed to skip town, even with Archer’s men watching him like a hawk.” I reached out to seize a chain that kept the bars hovering above the pit. My fingers curled around it, tightening until the metal started groaning. It appeased the inner beast in me, but it was nowhere near enough to sate that wild rage. My cock twitched, warning that it simply wasn’t the right sound. “He slaughtered three mortals to consume their essence.”
“The loss of three humans is not the cause for this.”
“No, but there was a young boy among them. The parents gave Marcillo permission to take possession of the boy with the belief he would keep him safe.” My jaw started to shake as the rage tore through my veins with so much strength that my vision started to go dark. I closed my eyes and struggled to get a hand on it before it spiraled out of control. “Marcillo slaughtered the boy, Nico.”
His crimson eyes flickered back toward me. “An angel prince took an innocent life for his own means?”
My ragged breathing kept getting caught in my throat. I was grateful for all the screaming below to cover up the sound. “It appears so.”
Nico blew out a breath, running his fingers through his hair. “It doesn’t look like the angels are keen on playing by the rules anymore, boss. Marcillo is fed up with handing territory over to us just to remain in debt. He doesn’t seem interested in keeping those feathers of his perfectly white. We’ll be dealing with a fallen angel royal by the time this war is over.”
The edges of my lips twitched. I wasn’t even sure why in the hell his comment was so funny. Still, I found the laughter rumbling in my chest. It wasn’t long until the noise escaped my lips and echoed off the columns, overpowering the agonized souls down below. The weary expression on the demon lord’s face revealed he wasn’t sure how he felt about the noise coming from me, not that I cared.
So that’s how it’s going to be, Marcillo. You’re going to break all the rules and go against everything your people stand for just to win this war.
“Did you feed Gabriel to the hounds?”
He pressed his lips together, studying me for a moment before he answered softly, “Actually, I was more in the mood to…pry information from him before I cut him up for the pups. As long as you don’t mind a few pieces missing… I still have him downstairs. You’re lucky that I haven't cut out his tongue yet.”
“Good.” I gestured at the empty chain swinging over the pit. “Bring him up. I think it’s time we had another chat.” Easing around him, I drifted toward the small throne the demon had built to oversee all the events unfolding in the pit. I eased down onto the chair, pleased that he had swapped out the rugged stone for one donned with gold and cushions.
Nico responded with a nod before he shifted his attention, and he boomed out a command in our native language.
It only took a moment before the chains started to move, prying the bars sealing the pit wide open. The chain swinging above me lowered down into the pit, the hook lost amongst the smoke within seconds. It continued to pierce the pit until a violent jolt from the gears brought the chain to a halt. Nothing more than a few minutes passed before everything got rolling again, except it moved in the opposite direction. As I drew in my next breath, the top of a cage rose out from the pit.
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when the demon lord had insisted a few things would be missing. Yet I was floored to see the angel was literally missing the majority of his extra limbs. Both his arms and legs had already been ripped off, no doubt to appease the hounds. Chains had been installed in their place so that the angel could be hung from the top of his cage without much movement allowed.
There was so much blood coating his body that I wasn’t sure what other extra limbs Nico had taken off.
Gabriel moaned softly as the chains came to a halt, rocking the cage violently. His head remained hung forward even when he rasped, “To what…do I owe…the pleasure?”
Nico came to stand behind the chair. His body had stiffened and he showed no outward signs of wanting to participate in the conversation. He was simply standing by to ensure the angel didn’t manage to pull a miracle escape — if it was even possible, at this point.
“I want to know where your prince likes to hole up here in the States.” I remained relaxed in the chair.
A noise escaped him, although the angel was far too weak to utter anything close to what he’d desired. It took him several attempts just to raise his head and peer at me with bloody eyes. “What makes…you think…that I know, demon…prince?”
It took me far too much time to realize that Gabriel wasn’t looking at me. He couldn’t. There was nothing within the eye sockets for him to even see me with, which meant he was having to depend on his other senses. Cocking my head to the side, I murmured, “Anything else that’s missing?”
Nico snickered softly. “Why don’t you do a closer inspection and find out for yourself, boss? Not going to give away all my tricks.”
I think I’ll pass.
The demon lord released another amused noise, but didn’t push the matter. He simply returned his attention to the broken angel.
I wrinkled my nose. “You’re an angel, Gabriel. One that your own prince trusted to steal from me. You honestly want me to believe that he didn’t offer up a list of possible locations he’d hide if shit hit the fan?”
This time, when Gabriel released a laugh, it escaped his lips as a raspy noise that could only be compared to a dying animal. “Something…tells me…that Azaiell is…no longer around…to give you…that answer.”
My fingers curled, digging into the material wrapped around the arm of the chair. I knew killing the angel would come back to bite me in the ass. I just didn’t anticipate it would threaten to rip off my entire backside in the process. A guttural growl escaped me as I ripped my gaze from the stub hanging in the cage. “If our friend here has no use left for him, Nico, you might as well give him to the hounds. Quit robbing them of a decent meal.”
The demon lord clicked his tongue. “As you wish, boss.”
Gabriel jerked his head up slightly, almost as if he could sense that I was gearing up to leave. “It might…help…if you asked…the right questions.”
I had slipped onto the edge of my seat, fully prepared to rise from the chair and give him my final dismissal. Those words managed to completely redirect me. I paused, narrowing my eyes. “Very well. What is the question I should be asking, then?”
His lips spread, exposing a mouth with several missing teeth already. “Rumor has it…that our prince…has recently formed…an alliance…with an angel…that fell…at birth. Critical numbers…with the promise…he would gain…a place…amongst the royal families.”
