Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty
Evie stretched her neck and arched her back where she was stiff from sitting for so long with her hands tied behind her.
A thick leather belt held her in place to the chair.
She’d struggled long enough with the bindings to make her wrists sore and bloody.
The “decline” hadn’t made her strength wane.
These were magical bindings resistant to her kind of brute strength.
Light crept through the small gap under the door to illuminate a hollow room populated only by her and the metal chair bolted to the floor in which she sat. Wrapped in her own thoughts, time crawled on. She dozed, but her dreams were confused and disturbing.
Maybe it wasn’t Dom who pushed them apart. Maybe it had been her.
She’d been afraid he’d disappear. So, she forced him to do just that.
She was done waiting for Dom. Done in the sense she was going to make him a part of her life. He needed her as much as she needed him.
Whatever kidnapped her wasn’t going to stop her from finally righting her life.
She tried to remain alert but eventually slept, even if uneasily, until something touched her arm. She awoke with a start.
Her pulse hammered in her ears, like a maddened drumbeat. “I’ll never tell you whatever it is you want to know.”
Ian’s lips pulled off his teeth in what should be a grin of excitement, but it came off unhinged.
He had shaved since their last meeting, retaining only a closely trimmed dark beard.
He wore a tailored black dress jacket over a black shirt and supported himself with a cane.
This time, he wore gloves. No weapon seemed apparent, but if he could nab her and move her with magic, weapons may be unnecessary.
A slow, deep chuckle filled the room around her.
“I didn’t bring you here because I seek information.
There’s nothing you can say that I don’t already know.
I know of your five sons. Of the one I killed and the other four who escaped the curse I cast to bind them.
I remember how many of my demons all of you have destroyed.
Those murderers should be here soon.” He clenched and unclenched his hands as if he couldn’t contain his eagerness.
“Why do you need me if they’re your targets?”
He smirked.
“Did you have something to do with the mages who imprisoned Dom?”
“I watched Dom murder my demons for centuries. When I finally had him beaten down to the point he was ready to give up and I told those idiotic witches how to kill him, you appeared and convinced him to live. You have remained a distracting annoyance ever since. He fixated on you to the point of obsession when I needed him to weaken again. Just when I finally got you out of his life for sure and he showed vulnerability, your pesky offspring colluded with angels to hunt my demons.” He leered at her.
“You are the queen of that whole endeavor now, aren’t you? ”
The timeline didn’t work in her head nor the “collusion” part, but she didn’t want to argue with him. This was the super demon she’d been searching to find for a long time. This was the one who’d tortured Dom and her family. “Why not kill me?”
“You’re no use to me dead, at least not yet. They’ll come for you. Then we can get to my interests. After all this, if you’re still alive, I may have use for you for a few nights.”
“I would rather face the strikes of a thousand vipers than lay with you.” She spat into the air.
He’d already left.
For a moment, frustrated at her inability to get free, self-pity swamped her. Her getting caught wasn’t part of her plan. But there was a plan. It had to work. If she failed, she’d lived a good life. She’d loved hard and was proud of all she’d done. No regrets.
Except Dom. She regretted how she handled their relationship.
Her final duty was to survive whatever this might be. She must protect the Madonna at all costs. And protect her sons’ secret angels from being known by this creature. This demon only thought they colluded, not that they were chosen by God to be his warriors.
The only control she had here was self-control, which she would never relinquish for a creature like this. As long as she was the master of her own thoughts and feelings, she wasn’t helpless. It was a small freedom, but one she would be grateful to keep.
She slowed her breathing and concentrated on the flow of air through her nostrils and throat. She felt the filling of her lungs. When appropriately calm, she smiled.
A boom like that of a gunshot woke her from dozing. Below her, she heard voices. Footsteps ascended stairs. Metal tinkled like keys jingling together. Or knives? The footsteps got closer…closer…
Ian had returned. This time, he wore full black tactical clothing. His gaze roamed her body in a way that made her feel vulnerable, as if she were a toy for his pleasure.
He reached out and traced a finger up her side, over her breast to her face. She swung her face around and sank her teeth into his forearm when it neared her face. Blood gushed into her mouth. She choked on it but didn’t release her bite. She could feel muscles of his forearm flexing.
He didn’t react. Didn’t pull away his arm.
At last, she released him, drew back her head, and spit his blood in his face.
Still, there was no anger or pain in his expression. If anything, he looked…aroused.
What the hell was he?
He leaned in with his hands on both her arms, pinning them to her side. A fire of curiosity was all his gaze communicated. No words. He wanted to test her next move.
She swung her free legs up to kick him in the balls. Before she could land the blow, he released her. He slapped her across the face. Hard.
Her head snapped to one side. Light flashed through her eyes, and her teeth knocked together.
When her vision cleared, she glared but made no move to attack again.
She understood she was at his mercy for the moment, but there was something going on outside.
Something that meant all of this was about to end, one way or another.