Page 79 of Hunted By Her Demon Wolves

Chapter Thirteen

Crawling on all fourpaws, Cadmus stalked toward the entrance to Gorgo’s lair. His brother crawled beside him, but his cousins, who couldn’t see the opening, were behind them. Gorgo had put an enchantment on the entrance, so only his slaves could find it. Since Cadmus and Damon could still see the opening, it was their job to mark it for the others. His focus was primarily on the smoky membrane covering the cavern entrance. Was it a shield? He hadn’t seen it before.

Gorgo had never needed a barrier to his cavern, for demons had always been too terrified to come within scenting distance. But then again, Gorgo’s lechers alerted him to any dangers. He remembered he’d still had a keen sense of smell during his time as a lecher, despite his dulled cognition. Perhaps it was because he was eternally hungry, but he could always scent the blood of nearby demons.

He wondered if his lecher brothers scented him now, or if Gorgo saw him in his flames. He could still smell the faint scent of mint on his fur, which meant his mother was projecting her celaris spell toward him. He didn’t need to look over his shoulder to know she was there, watching, waiting. He would find a way into Gorgo’s lair. He couldn’t let his mate suffer.

The closer he got to the translucent membrane covering the mouth of the cave, the more his head throbbed. He shook his head, his ears flattening as a strange fog settled in his skull.

Damon’s whimper echoed in his head.This doesn’t feel right.

I don’t care,he answered tersely.We must find a way in.

He focused again on the membrane. A strange light pulsed off it in thrumming waves. Had it been enchanted?

We need to get away from it,Damon whimpered.

From what?he thought he heard himself say.

Damon let out a keening whistle through his nose as he laid on the sand, his head on his paws.I-I don’t know.

Neither do I,he said as he laid down beside his brother. He was hot and tired and needed rest. He’d no idea what he was doing here. Why had they come to a place like this?

I’m tired, Damon said through a yawn.

Cadmus yawned, too.Then let’s take a nap.

Weren’t we looking for someone?Damon asked.

Cadmus wracked his brain for the answer, but he couldn’t remember.Let’s just rest. We can look for whatever we lost later.

A thud shook the ground, followed by another. He looked behind him to see two familiar black wolves had fallen over.

His nostrils flared.They smell like our cousins.But that couldn’t have been right. They hadn’t seen their cousins in centuries. With a whimper, he rested his head on his paws and closed his eyes.

* * *

PHOENIX WOKE IN A POOLof sweat, opening her eyes and then closing them. The room was mostly dark, but even the faintest flicker of light hurt her throbbing skull. Her bones ached and her muscles burned. Where was she, and why was it so hot? She licked her parched lips. She was so damned dehydrated, her tongue swelled. That burning in her muscles intensified. No, not her muscles. Her skin. It felt on fire!

Gasping, she opened her eyes again, and struggled to comprehend what she was looking at, a hideous crimson-skinned demon with a slash where his mouth should’ve been, two slits for a nose, a solitary, giant eye, and a big, bulbous bald head.Gorgo.

She tried to summon her magic, her wolf, anything at all, but felt not even the slightest spark. How did she get here? Where were Cadmus and Damon?

“Wh-what are you doing?” she rasped, fighting against her restraints.

She looked at her bindings, rusty wire that cut into her wrists and ankles and another wrapped around her waist, serving as a belt for an ugly brown robe. She was lying on a metal grate, and beneath her were glowing red coals. She was being barbecued!

Gorgo stirred the coals beneath her with an iron rod, that slash on his face pulled back in a sneer. “Burning away your impurity. I wouldn’t need to do this if you’d kept your legs closed, you filthy bitch.”

The crackle of the coals was her only warning before flames rose up around her, setting her robe on fire and scalding her flesh. The pain was unlike anything she’d ever known, what mortals must’ve felt while burning in the lake of eternal fire. “Ahh!” she cried, writhing on the grate. “Stop! Please!” She tried to summon her magic again to no avail.

“That’s right, whore.” He chuckled, fanning the flames. “Beg your master.”

Sweat dripped into her eyes and down her ears, sizzling when it hit the flames. “Why are you doing this?”

“I told you why.” He prodded her arm with the red, glowing tip of the rod.

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