Page 50 of Demon Rejected

Picking up my binoculars, I try to zoom in on the mansion. There’s movement in the back part of the house. I’d bet my bike that Grayson is dirty. He’s involved in everything that moves in Vegas, from arms traffic, gambling, and prostitution. Everything has his dirty fingers on it. He even built this club to attract a specific clientele that he is blackmailing later. No matter what your heart desires, you can find it here, from a BDSM dungeon to orgies like during Caesar’s time.

I’m going nuts. My wolf is itching to shift and storm the place, sniff Matt out, and get Scarlet out of the line of fire. Her phone is in her car. She had to leave it there. I can trace it to the parking spot. There’s no reason to think that she isn’t safe. She’s just a girl applying for a well-paid job. An incredibly hot girl. A damn hot woman who makes it difficult to be around her without ripping her clothes off and fucking her. Damn, I am going crazy. What was going through Matt’s head when he rejected her? Fated mates are rare, so rare that when a couple finds each other, they stay together for eternity. When one of them dies, well, the other mostly dies too of a broken heart. Fated mates have entwined souls.

My body was numb from lying on the hard desert. A few snakes moved around me.

I undressed fast and shifted. All I want is to get closer to the house and have a look. I won’t do anything stupid. Breaking loose into a run, I covered the ground so much faster than I would have in human form. Being a wolf is amazing. It feels like freedom. My beast wanted to take over. I kept my wolf in check and didn't allow it to jump over the fence. I sniff around, staying low, making sure the guards don’t see me.

Something is off. Something smells like shifter, but not like Scarlett. It smells like something old, foreign, and dangerous.

* * *

Scarlett

I returned to the changing room and slipped fast into my clothes. The jeans and shirt covered me up. It was better to sneak around dressed than naked. After putting my car key in my jeans pocket, I slipped out of the dressing room. I didn’t care about the stuff in my bag. There was nothing I’d keep after today. It was a typical stripper bag, stuff that I had found already prepared for me by Ziggy’s team.

My stomach pulled together. Focus, Scarlett, focus, we must find Matt and yell at him.

Sparky made a giggling noise. She was on fire, ready to jump out and burn everything down.

The hallway was empty. The scent was not present here. It was attached to Grayson. That made it clear to me that Matt was in Grayson’s presence not long ago.

The club was heavily guarded outside, but there was no one inside. Was it stupid or smart of them? I looked in the opposite direction from where I came. There was no sound. My red wolf was up, snarling. I was tempted to shift and allow her to sniff Matt out, but a red wolf would maybe attract too much attention. It was silent, too silent. And still, I couldn’t stop myself from snooping around.

Keeping my footsteps light, I snuck around, looking for access to the basement. If he’s somewhere, they’re keeping him in the basement. If someone is asking me what I’m doing, I’ll just say that I’m looking for the toilet. That’s always a good excuse.

No one kidnaps my fated mate, even if the asshole rejected me. If someone keeps him captive and beats him up, then it’s me.

I’m possessive and a bitch like that.

Ziggy was yelling at me in the back of my mind. I should not snoop around. There were no doors, not on the left, not on the right. A narrow staircase opened in front of me. Oh well, it didn’t make sense, but damn.

With each step I took up, I felt a cold chill setting over my spine. I don’t think I’d make a good spy, but damn, I’d do everything to save that damn asshole. Matt, that stupid ass. Technically it wasn’t his fault because he got captured, but I needed a target for my frustration. It was easier to be upset and angry than to be afraid and shivering.

One single door awaited me at the end of the narrow staircase. Who the fuck designed this house? I need answers, and I need them soon. The sooner, the better. As I tried the lock, it was closed. I allowed Sparky to jump out. She pushed her flaming paw against the lock, and it started to melt. My hand moved through her flaming coat as we stepped inside. She was next to me, and my inside wolf cried to be let out too. I shushed her. There was no sense in shifting, not yet.

The room in front of me was a small office, looking rather non-descriptive, with a desk, a small window, and a large file cabinet. Sparky walked towards the cabinet and started scratching against it. She wanted to set it on fire and waited for my approval.

“No, girl. Leave it. I’ll try to push it to the side.”

The file cabinet was heavy, but my instinct told me there was something behind it. Something that smelled like a shifter. In what hell was I launching myself? My stomach was knotty and my courage was low, but fuck it. The file cabinet made space and, behind it, was what I expected, a door—a metal safety door. As soon as I allowed Sparky to push herself against it, she melted a hole through the door. The hole was big enough to squeeze my body through. Heat isn’t an issue, but the molten metal stuck to my hair. Awesome, I love my hair.

As soon as I pushed my body through the hole in the door, a strange smell hit me. It was the smell of shifters and cold, darkness, a mix that made my blood freeze. A long, dark, and narrow corridor stretched in front of me. What’s with these people and small passages? There are no windows along the corridor, just the feeling of light. I move as slowly and silently as I can with Sparky right next to me. My other wolf cries for a chance. I try to feel for Matt, but something is blocking me.

Moving toward the door at the end of the corridor, I try it out, and it’s open. Signalling Sparky to get behind me, I push the door slowly open. Darkness greets me on the other side. Awesome. My eyes need a few heartbeats to get used to the darkness. I slip slowly inside. Sparky moves close and I absorb her again. No one needs to know I’m a Fire Wolf, and I don’t need to advertise it by having a wolf made of flames walking next to me. Sparky is awesome like that but, as awesome as she is, it’s my responsibility to protect her.

The holes in the door could have been made with explosives or a torching device, or a meteor, whatever shit.

After I get used to the dark, I see shapes and shadows. Not all darkness has the same quality. A strong smell of copper, blood, and something else I never sensed before reaches me. Two steps and I find myself in front of a small, spiral, metal stair. Walking down, I hope that I found the basement, a very secure basement. Only as soon as I arrive at the bottom of the stairs, I see what I smelled. Both left and right are huge cages, and in each of them are kids, teenagers mostly, that look beaten and haggard. One boy stays close to the bars, careful not to touch them.

“They’re silver. Please, run, bring some help. Please."

Fire sprinklers on the ceiling release stinking steam. The steam hits the kids inside the cages. They scream and try to move away from it. It touches me too, but all I sense is a slight sensation of discomfort and anger. What are they doing to them? They’re shifters.

I allow Sparky to step out. Silver is a problem for most shifters, but not for me. I learned about it but kept as secret the fact it doesn’t bother me at all. Sparky melted the bars, making a hole large enough to allow the kids to leave.

Small voices mutter behind me. I signal them to shut up and follow me. I can’t just leave them behind. They’re kids. How could they do that to them?

The boy who talked to me walked up to me. He was full of energy now that he was free “There, they keep a few of the more hardcore prisoners over there. I’ll show you."

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