Chapter Ten #2
Yeah, Theo wasn’t buying that for one second. He followed the demon to the last door. This one wasn’t made of bars but instead a solid gray door blocked Theo’s sight from seeing inside.
Theo really didn’t want to know what was inside there.
Micitian turned with his hand on the lever, giving Theo that awful smile. “My son doubted that I could be helpful to you. You should know that I can be very helpful.”
Helpful? How was summoning Theo away from his mates helpful?
“This is door number one,” Micitian said. “Or you can choose door number two.”
This was just a big game for the demon. Theo shook his head.
“Would you like to see your options?” Micitian asked dramatically.
“Sure.” Theo just wanted to get back to his mates. This wasn’t fun to him.
Instead of opening the door like Theo expected, Micitian shoved a cover to a small slit over.
“Go ahead! Look!” Micitian encouraged.
Shuffling forward, Theo had to rise to his tiptoes to reach the slit. He peered inside and gasped, falling back on the flat of his feet. The summoner from the fae realm, Bywater, was tied to a pole with a gag in his mouth. “What?”
“I captured him for you,” Micitian said, pleased with himself. “After I had him use his powers to summon you to me, of course.”
“How?” Theo demanded. They had been working so hard to protect against summoning.
“I gave him a little power boost and this.” Micitian pulled out a tissue with a small amount of blood.
Theo didn’t understand. “Is that—”
“Your blood,” Micitian said. “You really should be more careful where you leave things lying around. This was like a gift just sitting in the trash.”
“You stole my bloody tissue from a paper cut and kidnapped the summoner?”
Micitian laughed. “That’s a great present, am I right?”
No! Theo didn’t want to be summoned and he didn’t want to ever see Bywater again! This was his worst nightmare.
“You don’t seem pleased.” Micitian looked disappointed.
“Why would you do that!” Theo pointed toward the door. “That’s awful!”
Micitian frowned. “I thought it would be a nice present to welcome you to the family.”
“It’s not!” Theo shouted.
“Oh! I did not expect that reaction.” He opened the door and waved toward Bywater. “You don’t want your revenge?”
“Revenge? No! I want to be left alone. I don’t want to have to worry about being summoned ever again!” He couldn’t help that his voice rose.
“Fine.” Micitian lifted his hand toward Bywater and snapped his wrist around.
The sound was horrible and Theo covered his ears at the sharp snap of bone but he couldn’t tear his gaze away from the weird angle of Bywater’s neck.
“There. That’s taken care of.” Micitian said. “No more summoning.”
Theo gagged. He had to whirl around to keep from throwing up.
“You said you never wanted to be summoned again,” Micitian reminded him. “Now that has been taken care of. All safe. You’re welcome.”
Theo backed away from the demon. “You…you can’t just…”
“Now this was the reaction that I expected from you when I first had you summoned. Where was this?”
The magic inside him began to boil up. Theo knew that he would be no match for such a powerful creature but this was crazy.
“I almost don’t want to show you your other present. You don’t seem to appreciate all the trouble that I went to for you.” Micitian pouted. The demon god actually freaking pouted at him.
It was official. Theo was in hell. Okay, he knew he was in hell but this was like his hell.
Micitian laughed. “I’ll show you anyway.”
Theo didn’t want to see. He didn’t want more gifts from the demon. “Where are my mates?” he questioned.
“They’re safe. Should I allow them to eat as they wait?”
Theo threw his hands up. “Sure.” Hellcats! This was ridiculous. And not in the fun way that Wylder was.
“Done. Now come along. This is the best present ever! I must give myself credit. I really outdid myself with this one.” Micitian grabbed Theo’s shoulder, transporting them.
* * * * *
Dario
“Pizza?” Wylder leaned closer to the table in front of them now laden with twelve pizza boxes. “I don’t get it.”
Mitch rolled his eyes. “Micitian probably asked Theo what he wanted to eat and Theo said pizza. He’s just showing off and telling us that he has Theo right where he wants him.”
Dario glanced over at Mitch and winced. Mitch was in his natural form and was so mad that smoke literally escaped his nostrils.
That just made the guilt deep in his gut grow.
Dario had screwed up. Until they moved into the new house, the agreement had been that Theo and Wylder were never left alone.
It had been on his watch that Theo had been snatched away.
It had been years, if ever, since Dario had been this helpless. This was even worse than the first time that Theo had been summoned. Theo was in the hands of a demon god that had no reason not to hurt him. Why would Micitian even take Theo? What purpose would this serve?
Mitch was certain that his sire wouldn’t harm Theo but Dario didn’t have that trust.
“You need to calm down.” Wylder patted Mitch’s chest. “Want some pizza? I’m starving.”
Mitch sighed. “We might as well eat. It could be hours of waiting at this point.”
Alek opened the top pizza box before placing slices on plates and passing them out. Dario accepted his plate only to set it on his lap. How could he think about eating when Theo could be going through anything as they sat there doing nothing.
“Eat.” Alek nudged his knee. “Theo is going to be fine.”
The large screen in front of them turned on, showing a video of Theo and Micitian in a hallway. Theo was yelling, yelling at the demon, before Micitian opened the door and snapped a prisoner’s neck right in front of their boy.
Theo looked like he was going to throw up.
Dario leapt to his feet, sending the plate on his lap flying. Mitch was also standing and cursing his sire in his native tongue. Dario had never heard that from Mitch. It was kind of hot.
The video changed to show Theo following Micitian down another hallway.
“Now what?” Dario growled.
“Who was that?” Wylder questioned.
“I didn’t recognize him,” Alek stated.
Neither did he.
“Probably someone that my father has an issue with. I’m not sure what he is trying to prove,” Mitch said.
“Poor Theo,” Wylder whispered.
“He was practically vibrating,” Dario pointed out. “He needs to control his magic. There is no telling what Micitian might do then.”
Dario fell back onto the couch. He couldn’t help but blame himself for Theo being there.
If he could do something, Dario would take Theo away and never let anyone around him again.
Over the years, the dragon population had dwindled toward practically no numbers.
The power the dragons once held placed their kind above other magical creatures.
Which had also been their downfall. One scale from his dragon form could go for millions on the dark net due to the magical properties.
Yet here Dario sat, helpless to do anything for Theo.
“What is that?” Wylder pointed toward the screen.
“The chamber,” Mitch said softly. “It is where my sire places the prisoners he most enjoys torturing.”
Dario had to turn away.
“Why would he take Theo there?” Wylder asked.
He had to shake out his hands from how tight he had been clenching his fists. He whirled back around as Wylder gasped.
The chamber had been opened revealing Bramley, Theo’s brother, wrapped in chains.
Theo stumbled back, nearly falling on his ass.
* * * * *
Theo
“Hopefully you appreciate this,” Micitian told him.
Theo wasn’t sure what he was looking at. At the end of the hall and surrounded by darkness was a metal coffin or something. It looked horrifying, etched with symbols that Theo had no knowledge of their meaning.
Screaming escaped from the coffin thing, making Theo jump.
Micitian cackled. “Isn’t that just the best sound ever?”
No. No, it really wasn’t. “Who…who is in there?”
Micitian lifted a handle hidden in the side of the coffin. “Your biggest enemy, of course. The chamber is only for the best.”
The demon lifted the top of the chamber. Still looked like a coffin to Theo. Or maybe it was actually a chamber of torture.
Inside, wrapped in iron chains, was his brother.
There was no way that Bramley could hurt him from how he was wrapped in chains and with the spikes from the lid of the coffin pulled out leaving him broken and bleeding, Theo couldn’t help wanting to be as far from Bramley as possible.
He stumbled back, nearly tripping over his own feet.
“Isn’t this lovely?” Micitian inquired.
“You’ve had him this whole time?” Theo asked. No wonder no one could find his brother. A demon god was keeping him trapped in hell.
Micitian hummed. “Maybe not the whole time. It took my demons a couple of days to find him cowering in a cave inside the unseelie mountains. Pathetic really. Although you did quite the number on him with your magic. Obviously, you had no control over what you were doing. There is so much I could teach you.”
“I don’t want to learn this.” Theo pointed to where his brother had obviously been tortured.
“He tried to kill you,” Micitian reminded him.
That was true. “There’s still a right and wrong way to do things.”
“Do you think that he would show you mercy? He has been planning this for years. Since before you were even born. He killed your father to take his place at the top of the unseelie court. He became king by killing the one before him.”
None of what the demon said was false.
“And what he did to your mother,” Micitian said. “He haunted her. Chased her from realm to realm until she had no place to hide. Even when she managed to give birth to you he didn’t stop coming for her. Everything that has happened since your birth is all his fault.”
Theo shook his head. “What do you want me to do? Why are you even doing this?”
“I want you to embrace the unseelie blood that pumps through your veins. What are you going to do with him?” Micitian paced forward. “What does your magic tell you?”