Page 8 of Tortured Soul
Chapter 3
Lola
“Hurry up, we don’t have all day,” one of the guards escorting me said as I slowed my pace, looking around. His voice sounded familiar.
My internal groan was loud in my mind. “Maybe if you didn’t make me wait all fucking day in that damned tower, we wouldn’t be losing daylight.”
We were probably nearing 10:00 p.m as we spoke. The sun was now almost completely gone behind the horizon and the stars were already shining in the sky.
The wall-mounted lanterns illuminated the cobblestone streets with shades of warm yellow, casting lights on the stone walls, doors, and various closed shops.
It was still way too hot. What was once Arizona had always been known to be a furnace, especially during summer. As it was mid August now, I could confirm it was in fact, not exaggerated.
“You should have thought about it before you pissed Carter off,” he grunted. “He’s the one who took his sweet time mentioning your arrival to Arc.”
Arc…Was that the infuriating one? The one that was still confusing all my senses? What a weird name. But he had the tipped ears of the first of a kind, he was probably old. Maybe older than me. Names were weird back then.
“Carter wasn’t the only one who could have mentioned me. Aren’t you the one who tripped me down the stairs? You and at least ten others knew I was here, you could have sped up the process.”
One of the guards gasped as he stumbled slightly.
“I didnottrip you down the stairs. You did that all on your own.”
I shrugged. “Not how I remember it. I guess it’s your word against mine. Don’t worry, they don’t like me much, they’ll probably believe you over me anyway.”
“That’s not—”
“And after being manhandled by that Carter Divine ass, I’m not expecting much anyway. Although, I was hoping that a fellow demon would—”
“Look, if you’d just gone with us without trying to push everyone’s buttons, then—”
“Oh, that’s how it’s going to go then?”
How Ilovedriling people up. In fact, I got so good at it that it usually got me in trouble. But when someone was mad and completely out of their mind, they made mistakes. They acted rashly.
They became easily overpowered. Enough for me to attack or bolt.
What could I say? A girl did what she could to stay alive and on top of the food chain. Even if she got a few punches in the process.
The other guards tapped their feet in annoyance around me. I ignored them, keeping my stroll lazy and slow, studying the buildings and little streets.
It was actually a pretty place, when you overlooked the sand and dirt covering most of the cobblestones and buildings. Not sure how they managed to do it, but in the large park I’d sighted earlier, the grass was a vibrant green even in the near night, and trees were climbing high, probably allowing some benches to be covered by shadows during the day. Must be nice to get some reprieve from the sun.
There were lots of storefront signs on the first floors of buildings that surrounded the park. Although it was dark inside—probably because it was ten at night and people had a life—I was surprised by the number of shops and restaurants in this place.
Here I thought it was only some kind of makeshift camp, only to find myself in a town that had probably been prospering for years or decades.
What an ignorant demon I’ve been.
“So,” I chirped, ignoring their obvious annoyance. “Where are we going?”
“To get you sorted into a house.”
“Oh…Like that old wizard book? What was it called again?”
“What are you talking about?” one of them said, and I definitely heard her rolling her eyes.
“You know, that old book…” I stopped, arching a brow. They all stared at me in silence, sometimes casting each other glances. “Come on, you can’t all be babies, you obviously know what I’m talking about. The little wizard boy that—seriously? No one?”
