Page 13 of Bad Demon

No. The word screamed through my mind as Grady walked in, a smirk on his face.

The Chemist untied me, and his pet demon—the fucker who had murdered my mother—scooped me up and carried me from the room. I wanted to fight, to kick, and bite, but I was far too weak. He shoved open the basement door, and we descended into darkness. The Chemist flicked on the light, and the red bulb did little to illuminate the room. A snarl came from the corner, and the familiar rattle of chains made everything inside me recoil.

Grady dumped me on the ground as The Chemist took the cattle prod from its place on the wall. Sparks and a cracking sound came from the thing as he tested it. It was the only way to make Ghoul stop. The Chemist nodded, and Grady used his foot to nudge me closer.

Ghoul’s chains rattled again before his hand shot out of the darkness. A bony hand grabbed my ankle and dragged me into the shadows. Red eyes flashed, and then sharp, cold fangs sank into my flesh, agony slicing through me as he greedily gulped down my blood.

My jaw unclenched and I opened my mouth and screamed.

“Looking for anything in particular?” A deep voice resonated through the room, startling me from the memory.

I spun around, and Rune stood in the doorway.

He slid his hands into his pockets and tilted his head to the side. “I haven’t seen you in a while, Fern.” His eyes—a yellow-green, so similar to mine—studied me closely.

I dipped my head. “No, I guess not.” My voice came out all trembly—and not just from the memory.

The top few buttons of his dark shirt were undone, revealing his ink and the brands scarring his skin, and power oozed from every single pore, so heavy and thick that just being in his presence had goose bumps breaking out all over me. I needed to pull it together.

If anyone could sniff out bullshit, it was Rune.

“So, what brings you here, little one?” he asked, those eyes penetrating my freaking skull, as if he could see my mind spinning, searching for what to say, how much to reveal.

He wasn’t here as only an enforcer; he was here to protect us as well, but showing weakness around him was definitely not a good idea. Lying outright wouldn’t work either. Whatever I said now, I had to mix in truth if I wanted to get out of here without any trouble.

“I found out more about my family history. I was hoping something here might give me some insight.”

Rune scented the air, then grinned, flashing a set of fangs very much like mine—demon, not vampire. “You’re afraid. Why is that?”

My spine straightened without my say-so. “No, I’m not,” I said with way more attitude than I should have.

His brow arched. “No?” He stepped closer and scented the air again.

He was the second arrogant goddamn male to do that to me today. My fear spiked, and heat flushed through me as reflexive, uncontrollable, irrational, stupid fucking anger hit me. I choked it down.

“I mean, yes, okay, fine. You scare me. But I assume you scare everyone,” I forced myself to admit. Again, it was the truth; I’d just omitted a few of the reasons for my fear.

“There are a lot of females who enjoy my company very much,” he said, that grin still in place. “You don’t feel that way though?”

“I don’t doubt it’s true,” I said. “But I’m more in the shit-scared than turned-on camp.”

He chuckled, low and, yes, sexy. “Fair enough. Is there anything you’d like to ask me? I know the books in this library well.”

“Blood drinkers—do we have a compendium of all the demon breeds?” I asked. Because what the hell? He was one himself. It wasn’t like it was against the rules if you did it responsibly, left humans alone, and used one of the drinking clubs.

“Finally figured out those cute little fangs aren’t just for show, have you?” he asked, his gaze moving over me.

My face heated again. “Um … yes.”

He studied me, his tongue sliding over one of his own fangs. “Have you fed yet, little one?”

I shook my head, unable to lie to him now, even if I wanted to for some reason, and I was terrified he’d ask me something that would get me into a whole lot of trouble. “No.”

“I sense your hunger. Don’t leave it too long. I wouldn’t want you to lose control and do something you shouldn’t.”

He reached out like he was about to touch my face, and I flinched. I couldn’t help it. He dropped his hand.

“It would be a shame if you let that happen. Take care of it—and soon.” He stopped by one of the shelves on the left, slid a book out an inch, and then walked out, shutting the door behind him.

---