Page 61 of Lost and Bound

“Settle down, Nom.” Cane’s voice barks from across the darkened room, and a part of me calms in an instant, while the other part bristles at his command.

“Settle down? You’re delusional. Arlan was feeling me up, and now I’m being held prisoner by a stranger. You lot…”

“Careful, Maya, your prejudice is shining through,” Arlan warns.

From the opposite side of my room, I can hear movement over the pounding of my heart. Fear is making my senses come alive. Hands wrap around my waist, and whoever is pressing into me from behind is strong.

“Arlan said you tasted good. I’ve never quite believed what he says. I like to figure things out myself.”

Whoever he is, his voice is deep and gravelly. It feeds the fear racing through my veins in ways that are hard to describe; I go from scared to terrified. I put it down to my primal senses doing their job to keep me alive.

I scramble to escape again, and the chuckle it draws as I fight to free myself makes all the hair on the back of my neck stand up. His hold shifts and becomes something different; not hurtful, but unyielding just the same.

Someone finally turns the light on, and after I blink away the sudden burst of brightness, I look down and lose sight of everything from my chest down. I’m covered in darkness. The smoke-like wisps coil and move as if they’re alive and a part of him. I might be a newbie in this world, but there are only a few beings that have this kind of ability.

“Demon,” I whisper.

He’s not the only one to hear. Arlan is smirking when he purposely moves into sight, and Cane growls under his breath. I look around, knowing that Emrys will be close, since his purple strands of energy are slithering around the room.

My breathing hitches as I struggle to fight through an assault of desperation so intense it threatens to pull me under. All my senses are screaming at the obvious danger that surrounds me; my ears hurt as they ring, my eyes see everything, my smell confirms my fear. These four are at the very top of the pyramid of power at Thales and maybe even in the whole world.

I can’t manage to breathe past short, frantic pants, barely any air passes my lips and even less gets into my lungs.

“Let her go, Bael,” Cane demands. “She’s going to faint.”

I fight against the demon’s phantom hold. My hand falls through the blackness, getting swallowed up until I find an arm, then I dig my nails in until he’s hissing against my ear.

“You fight so good for a Nom.”

“Please, let me go. You’re scaring me.”

“You make that sound like it’s something I should be ashamed of.”

I feel something flicker against my throat, and the whimper I make is a genuine reaction—laden with fear.

“Does it hurt you?”

“Your touch? No, it repulses me.”

He laughs again, and it’s deep and throaty, like his voice box has been scratched from the inside.

“I wasn’t talking about me. I was wondering if your throat is sore from Arlan’s feeding.”

At the mention of Arlan’s name, my body remembers how I escaped the vampire before. Without thought, and surprising both of us, I slam my fist into the demon’s face.

He chuckles as he leans in closer, completely ignoring the fact that I punched him. “I’m only letting that unnecessary violence go unanswered because Cane needs you conscious for his interrogation. But a word, little Nom—anything else I want from you, I can take whether you’re willing or not.”

His arms, and whatever else he’s using to keep me prisoner, let go. Arlan is still in front of me, so I shove him aside with a ferocity I never knew existed. “Don’t you ever take anything from me again, you piece of shit.”

The smirk on his face only grows bigger, making his fangs poke through. “You’re a Nom. Nothing you own or have is yours. If I want to drain you dry, I will. If Bael wants anything from you, he’ll take it. And if Cane wants to interrogate you until your mind snaps, no one will stop him. In our world, you’re here to be used however we choose.”

“That’s not true,” I insist, though my voice breaks with emotion. I push past Arlan and crawl away. I’m not sure I have the strength to stand as what he said is too shocking to comprehend.

I don’t stop moving until my back is against the wall. Movement in the window registers, and before any of them can stop me, I let Bugby in.

He’s radiating a rage that mimics mine. I do nothing but watch as he shows this group of idiots exactly how wrong they are. For a raven, he’s really mastered the art of the takedown, and he flies at them with his talons out, aiming for wherever he can reach. He squawks so loudly; they cover their ears. And for a moment, while my new pet is defending me, and their focus is on him, I get the chance to sure up my sanity.

I’ll need to work through the shock and horror of what happened, and Arlan’s awful words, but I refuse to give them any more of me, including my tears. I lock everything away, promising myself I’ll deal with it later.