Page 18 of Chasing Secrets
At that moment, it became clear that something was going on with Jalen, and Chase wondered what his mate was hiding.
Chapter Five
Pain ripped through Vaughn, twice as intense as it should have been, as if someone had cranked his pain receptors past their limit. He bit down hard on his tongue, swallowing the scream rising in his throat, tasting copper as blood filled his mouth.
Sweat trickled down his temples as he strained against the metal shackles biting into his wrists. The dungeon’s damp chill seeped through his torn shirt, contrasting with the burning agony radiating through his body.
“I hope you’re not expecting me to beg,” Vaughn bit out through split lips. “Not really my style.”
He tried to shift away from the metal-studded whip dangling from Vex’s hand. Crimson rivulets traced his ribs, sticking cotton to flesh with each labored breath he took.
Vex’s lips curled into what might have been a smile on anyone else’s face. In the dim light of the single torch mounted on the wall, his features seemed to absorb shadows rather than be illuminated by them. Broad-shouldered and tall, the demon moved with an unsettling grace as he rolled up his sleeves, revealing forearms corded with muscle.
“They didn’t pay me for begging.” Vex circled him again, muscles rippling beneath a tight black shirt as he flexed his fingers. Not a flicker of emotion crossed his face as cold, flat eyes studied Vaughn. “Just pain.”
“Well, you’re certainly earning your paycheck.” Vaughn tested the shackles binding his wrists to the wall. Solid iron, probably enchanted, because that was just his shitty luck.
Vex ran a finger along the whip’s edge, his gaze never leaving Vaughn’s face. His voice remained calm, almost pleasant. “They said you had a mouth on you.”
Vaughn strained against the metal shackles, muscles trembling as he looked for any position that might ease the pressure on his shoulders. Metal links clinked softly as they reached their limit, his arms suspended awkwardly between hanging and raised. “My fan club list is getting pretty long these days.”
The demon smelled different from others Vaughn had encountered. Like a demon, yes, but with something else layered beneath. Something older.
“Mind sharing who they are? I’ve pissed off a lot of people over the centuries.”
“Someone who wants you to suffer.” Vex’s fist slammed into Vaughn’s ribs with calculated accuracy.
Vaughn’s breath caught somewhere between his lungs and mouth as the impact sent shockwaves through his body. Black dots swarmed his vision, making the world go dim.
All demons were born with some kind of power. It seemed Vex’s was weaponizing pain itself.
Vaughn laughed, though it sent fresh jolts of agony through his ribs. “Could have at least thrown in some ambiance. Maybe a torture playlist? A few candles?”
Without warning, Vex pressed his palm against Vaughn’s chest, igniting a supernova of pain and making it feel as if every nerve ending had been doused in acid. Vaughn couldn’t stop the scream that tore from his throat, unfiltered and guttural.
Breathing harshly, Vaughn felt his wolf snarling to get free. Just as he suspected, the shackles were enchanted with some spell that kept him from shifting.
“They mentioned your arrogance.” The demon moved behind Vaughn. “How satisfying it would be to see you broken.”
The hairs on Vaughn’s nape stood rigid as Vex’s footsteps whispered across the floor behind him. Eyes squeezed shut, Vaughn tracked the demon’s movements by sound alone, his spine instinctively trying to curl away from whatever was coming next.
His skin was suddenly too tight, shoulders hunching involuntarily to shield his spine. Cold sweat traced paths down his temples as he hung there, anticipating the inevitable whisper against his ear, the cruel words thick with intention.
Then Vex moved into his line of sight, and Vaughn sagged against the restraints, fighting to catch his breath. He scanned the room again, looking for anything that might help him escape, needing desperately to get the fuck out of there. The promise he’d made in the darkness of his youth mocked him now. Never again would he be at another’s mercy.
Each clink of the chains peeled back scar tissue, exposing memories he’d buried beneath decades of careful control.
The dungeon itself offered no clues to his location. Stone walls, damp floor, iron fixtures. He could be anywhere from an actual medieval castle to some rich psychopath’s basement renovation project. No windows, no sounds from outside. Just a single wooden door and absolutely nothing within reach.
“Professional courtesy. One asshole to another. Tell me what I did.” Vaughn reeled his shit in, refusing to hand Vex a weapon to use against him. The graves where he’d buried his past were deep for a reason. No pissed-off demon with a vindictive-wielding shovel would excavate all his psychological wounds.
But Vaughn felt his resolve slipping. Even though he was deploying sarcasm, he was also questioning his ability to stay strong.
Vex selected a knife from a small table nearby, turning it so the blade caught the light.
Vaughn watched the knife, calculating his chances. Not good. Without knowing how long he’d been missing, he couldn’t count on the pack finding him soon. If they even knew where to look.
Vex stepped closer, his face coming into sharper focus.
