Page 107 of Demon with Benefits
Okay, so maybe it’s not just a “measly” whip.It was still conditioning, though, and she knew Meph could fight it.
Valefor snapped the whip again, and again, Meph screeched.
This time, he didn’t stop.
The sound went on and on. On the ground near the base of Meph’s shadowy cloak, Iris slapped her palms over her ears. It was like a thousand fingernails running over chalkboards simultaneously. It was the most horrid sound she’d ever heard, and she was pretty sure when he finished, there’d be blood running out of her ears.
Valefor was shouting for obedience over Meph’s din, stepping backward and snapping the whip, but Meph was past listening. He scuttled toward his former master on shadowy spider legs, or maybe he just floated. However he moved, it was eerie and promised death.
Valefor’s speech turned pleading as he retreated another step. “Now, now, calm yourself. You can have her after I perform the ritual, how about that? I won’t kill her, I’ll only take what I need, and then I’ll—”
He cut off with a choke. Meph’s racket stopped, and everything went quiet.
Meph’s claws were wrapped around Valefor’s throat.
Valefor struggled, trying to break free from that skeletal grip. Twisting violently, he stumbled into the wall, Meph moving with him, only a few feet away from where Iris huddled on the floor.
Suddenly, the fight seemed to drain from him. He shrank back against the stone, and his powerful, animalistic form seemed to go rigid. Iris watched as Meph leaned in, exposing his skull-like face from beneath his hood. His red eyes glowed. His horrific mouth parted, and his long tongue rolled out.
And then it was Valefor’s turn to scream.
It was a scream of abject terror. It was bone-chilling. Bloodcurdling. Iris curled into a ball and covered her ears once more. She was pretty sure she was screaming too—anything to drown out that terrible sound—but she still couldn’t hear a thing over the soul-splitting howl.
And then silence fell.
It was so abrupt, it felt almost as loud as the screaming. Slowly, heart slamming against her ribcage, she cracked her eyes open and lowered her hands. She turned her head and looked up—
Into red orbs in a skeletal face with a tongue so long it could double as a noose.
“M-Meph?”
He bent all the way down to her level, his empty stare quizzical as he studied her. “Isss.”
“Yeah, it’s me.” Her whole body was shaking with residual terror and numerous life-threatening injuries, but she’d never been more grateful to see such a frightful sight. “You did it. You saved me.”
His head cocked, and then he stretched out one of those bony fingers and lightly brushed her cheek. His touch was ice-cold and sent a shiver worming down her spine, but he didn’t hurt her.
The fear coursing through her blood suddenly warmed into fondness.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
He watched her intently, as if studying the prize he’d claimed and waiting to see what it would do. She wanted to say something, to ask him to help her, to take her back to Earth, but her tongue was like a lead weight in her mouth, and she couldn’t seem to control it enough to speak.
Now that the immediate danger had passed, her strength was leaking out like water through a punctured vessel. She closed her eyes, willing the spinning to stop, but she was starting to realize it might be too much to ask.
“Isss,” he said.
She made a humming sound in agreement, and it was the last thing she knew before she finally, mercifully slipped into unconsciousness.
21
BLACK AND BLUE
THE NEXT TIMEIRIS OPENED HER EYES, SHE WAS IN Acave. It was dark, and the only light came from the red sky through the entrance beside her. She saw the outline of rocky cliffs in the distance and immediately recognized the mountain range beyond Valefor’s castle. She wanted to look out the cave mouth to get a better idea how far they were from the lair, but the idea of dragging herself that far seemed like too much trouble.
“Meph?” she whispered.
She was on her back, hips aching from the hard stone she was lying on, and she wondered how long she’d been unconscious. Her face was swollen, and her entire body felt like one big bruise.
