Page 46 of Demon Huntress
He lost focus, and the side of a gun hit him, throwing him back. His head bounced off the ground, and he tried to shake it off. Fuck.
He looked over the building and took in a hundred guards coming at them. They took down twenty, and thirty more materialized. He didn't see a way of getting out of this.
Chapter21
Cassandra
Something cold and hard pressed against Cassandra’s cheek. Her entire body ached, especially her joints. She groaned, trying to blink her way back to the conscious world. As she tried to raise her head, a pounding started in her temples that made her feel dizzy and weak.
Just breathe, breathe … don’t try to move too much.
Even though she tried to take her own advice, the cold, hard sensation underneath her was too uncomfortable, and she had to try to get up again. As she placed her hands against the surface and pushed herself up, she realized that she was face down on a concrete floor.
Immediately, her senses began to return to her. The room was very dark, only lit by pale security lights that glowed along the corners of the ceiling. Thick bars surrounded her, too close together for her to slip through.
“You’re awake, little lady.” The voice was kind and soft, gentle, even. It set her nerves on fire from the insincerity dripping from it.
“Where are you?” she said softly. Cass was trying to sound tough but not doing a very good job.
Laughter echoed around the room, making it impossible for her to determine the direction it came from. As her frustration grew, Cass thrust her hands down and attempted to get up so she could take control of the situation.
As soon as she moved, she heard the clank of chains. It took her a moment to understand what was going on.
I’m chained to the fucking wall.
The chains were loose enough to allow her to rest flat on the floor, but only just. She sat up and looked around, seeing the restraints on her wrists and ankles looped through holes in the wall. As the laughter around her increased, the chains got tighter until she was pressed flat against the concrete.
“I hope you enjoyed your little nap,” the gentle voice came again. “I tried to make you as comfortable as possible.”
“Show yourself,” she muttered, her eyes darting around the dark corners. She cast her gaze around so fast she almost missed the two very small points of red light. She gasped as she registered them and looked back into the corner where she’d seen them.
Glowing like tiny coals, the two crimson points fixed on her. They disappeared for a second, then came back blazing twice as bright as the creature blinked.
Its feet scratched across the floor as it came toward her. She kept her eyes on the lumbering shadow, her jaw set as she prepared to face her enemy.
It came forward into the pale light. When she finally saw it, she wasn’t surprised.
“Crenshaw,” she hissed. “Or should I say Ba’al?”
“Correct, my dear,” the creature said, bowing its head slightly. “I’m impressed by your efforts, I must say. We could use a woman of your skill on our team.”
“No chance,” Cass muttered.
“Of course. I expected no less from a demon hunter like yourself.”
Even though she knew it was hopeless, she fought the chains and thrashed against the wall. It only made them tighter, and a clunking sound behind her made her feel like there was a mechanism in the wall for tightening them.
Crenshaw approached the bars, his face inhuman in the deep, flickering shadows. All she could see were the red glow of his eyes like rubies with fire behind them and the lines on his face that made up his wide, cruel smile.
“My master loves blood,” he whispered. “And pain. Humans are so very useful for that. But you, my dear, will be a very special sacrifice for the dark lord. He will find you very tasty, indeed.”
“Fuck you!” Cass screamed, fighting the chains again, only making them tighter.
“Alas, no,” the thing chuckled. “It’s your blood and pain I want, not your body. Even if it is a lovely one.”
Fury rose in her chest, not just for herself but for all the people who were going to die. First, there would be the sacrifices to bring the dark lord to the world, then he would wreak terrible destruction upon the earth. Billions of innocents would die.
Hey, God? If you’re up there, you might want to lend us a bit of a hand.
