Wasteland

by Lynn Rush

  “You’ve proven yourself quite strong to resist the Queen’s advances, son.”

  Beka.

  “The Queen of the Guardians is quite a prize, and it seems she had her eyes on you.” He sneered. “Although I question her judgment if she fell for a demon like you.”

  “You know of her?”

  “Of course. Why do you think I pulled you out early and threw you to the wolves? I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist the scantily dressed women of the desert. They reveal much in their attempts to stay cool in the heat.” Master rounded the side of the desk. He leaned on the front edge, facing me. His thin arms creased his crisp, alabaster silk shirt as he crossed them over his chest. “But once again, you did not fall. Did not come to full acceptance of your fate to be a demon.”

  “You planned all of this?”

  “Not the part where you fell into favor with the Guardian Queen. You were to have found a woman, mate with her and forgo your humanity, then kill the Queen and her precious little Jessica.” Master bared his long teeth. “Instead, you protected her, turned over the Mark to our enemies, and killed your fellow demon. For her. Did she brainwash you?”

  I huffed and hung my head low. The metal clamping my wrists behind my back dug into my skin. Better get used to it. Much more discomfort to come.

  Long fingers gripped my face, his nails digging into my cheeks. Master forced me to look into his demonic red, glowing eyes. His rancid breath stung my nose. “I cannot kill you. But your sentence will be carried out with the fullest extent of pain allowed.”

  “Why do I frighten you so?”

  He pushed me away by my chin and my back slammed against the chair. “You do no such thing.”

  “Gage said otherwise.”

  That earned me a stinging slap across the face. I ground my teeth, fighting the demon that wanted to emerge. It would do no good, the constricting collar kept my power at bay. Not that I could have killed Master. Only Lucifer was stronger than Master.

  “Why can’t you kill me?”

  “I would, and believe me, I want to, but your contract protects you, you know this. But I will be very creative with your confinement this time.” He leaned in close again, his sulfuric breath gagging. “The next time you emerge, you will run to the nearest female and ravage her, sealing your fate as my demon son. Then you will be fair game to kill should you defy me once, even in the smallest way.”

  Saliva gathered beneath my tongue, and I spit at his face.

  He spewed his rancid breath over me and backed away, wiping the side of his face with a white kerchief he’d plucked from his breast pocket. “Why Father allowed a clause in your contract is beyond me.” He waved at the guards. “Take him away.”

  The thugs hoisted me to my feet by my armpits.

  “Wait,” I said. “What if I were to offer to convert fully to your ways?”

  “Stop,” he ordered.

  The demons turned me, but I focused on the floor.

  “Let me speak to my true son. I do not negotiate with humans.”

  I scrutinized the demons flanking me. Their red skin, long, pearly teeth, and black eyes a reflection of me in my demon form. Could I stand to be like that forever, only taking human form as a mask when needed to mingle in public?

  The beast writhed as I considered my options. Do it. Either two hundred and fifty years in solitude again, or I could morph into the demon one last time and remain that way.

  Master tipped back and pressed a button on the phone. Within seconds a door behind the desk opened and a woman sashayed through. An emerald green dress, covering little of her private parts, clung to her slender body. Long, cascading hair draped over her, hugging the curves of her ample breasts.

  “David,” Master said.

  I let the burn engulf my heart, and I morphed into my demon.

  “You take this woman now, surrendering your human soul, and we will start anew, son.”

  Master reached for the woman’s hand, and she smiled. He led her to me. She stood inches from my body, looking up into my eyes. Her long, red nails abraded my chest, hitting flesh in the holes I’d scratched in the cloth earlier.

  I turned my head to the side, drawing in a deep breath as my heart slammed against my chest. “Anew?” Every muscle in my body stiffened in anticipation of the pleasure the woman before me would undoubtedly give.

  “A will as strong as yours, son, you would rule by my side. Second in command of a legion of demons.”

  The woman’s hands navigated to the front of my jeans, pausing along the zipper. I jerked away best I could, which wasn’t much. “I did not agree yet, woman.”

  She regarded me with heavy-lidded eyes. “You will.” Her breath was hot against my neck and her voice husky. “Your body has already.”

  “Or, maybe brunettes are not what you crave.” The woman stepped away and a dark plume of soot encased her. “Maybe you like this better?”

  The smoke faded. Beka’s stunning emerald eyes perforated the evaporating dark fog. My heart caved. She crept forward, her eyes wide, lips shiny. The tiny, green dress hugged her firm breasts. Her chest heaved, teasing my body.

  The immobilizing grips on my elbows, coupled with the debilitating collar, rendered me powerless to move.

  “David. Don’t fight it. We can be together. Everything will be perfect.” Her tongue lapped against my neck, her teeth pricked my earlobe.

  “I can’t—”

  Her tongue filled my mouth, and she rubbed her core against mine, igniting the excitement within me. “It’s not really you. It’s—”

  “I can be whoever you want me to be, any time you need it.” Her breasts pressed against my chest, and she moaned. “You want to touch me, don’t you?”

  She resembled Beka, but she tasted like soot. Smelled like smoldering ash instead of the lilacs that represented the woman I loved. But Beka was gone. This woman, identical to Beka, I could take right this moment. My body would get the release it’s craved for centuries.

  I stepped into her.

  She smiled, and her eyelashes shadowed her flickering eyes. “I want you to touch me, David. Would you like that?” Her tongue filled my mouth, but I only tasted brimstone and sulfur.

  It was not my Beka. No matter what the woman looked like, it wasn’t what I truly wanted.

  “No,” I said.

  Cool air prickled my body as Master wrenched the woman from me. She immediately clung to Master, her body pulsing against him from the side like a dog in heat.

  “Get him out of here.” Master turned to the woman. His mouth covered hers, and she morphed back into the dark-haired girl as Master slid the skimpy dress off her shoulders.

  The demons lugged me away. I morphed back to my human form, chest heaving. No. I would not dishonor Beka by succumbing to temptation. I would endure punishment, then someday, I would find her, and hopefully Jessica, and get my salvation.

  CHAPTER 28

  This new torture, created specifically for me, was more than I could have ever imagined Master possible of. Not sure why, considering he was the right hand to the devil himself. Leaking images of Beka’s body, face, and glowing skin into my consciousness while I lay in the dark, writhing from the burn. An unspeakable torture from which I didn’t think I would survive.

  Master must have found an evil witch who penetrated my thoughts and extracted these images. Or it was a spell to reveal what I held most precious so they could torment me with it.

  Each flash amplified the already raging inferno melting my skin. The first fifty years of the two-hundred and fifty year sentence are spent in fire, overloading every sense of pain and every nerve fiber possible. The remaining were spent in utter sensory deprivation.

  Once the fire ceased, it was a relief at first, until the madness of absolute void set in. I was still in the first phase, only Master added the images of Beka to intensify my agony. So I not only experienced the flesh melting from my bones but also my blazing desire for Beka.

  I should have tak
en the girl in Master’s office and have been done with this. No. I could not. I would not. I survived the last sentence, and I will survive this one. How long had passed since I last saw the real Beka?

  Another flash of her seized my mind. Flame licked my skin. I pressed my cheek against the cold, hard floor beneath me but it did little to extinguish the fire. I squinted, but the darkness had stolen my vision. Didn’t matter, I knew there was nothing to see. No flames. No Beka.

  Just a black void filled with agony.

  Muffled voices near me cut through my distress. Couldn’t be voices. I lay in a room protected from all stimuli other than what Master allowed. Cursed doors and hexed walls imprisoned me according to my contract.

  More voices. A scream.

  My mind must be breaking. Dementia had come earlier than the last time. Then again, the punishment was fifty times more vicious than the previous one. Mostly because I’d found love and lost it.

  Beka.

  Crackling wood and shouts invaded my ears. Prickles of electricity sizzled my arms. I lifted my hands to shield my face, but they were too heavy. The burn, paired with the thick, metal clamped around my wrists and throat, the weight was too much. The chains clanked as my hand thumped to the concrete floor.

  The darkness lightened. I blinked back blue dots forming from the overload on my senses. Metal clanged, vibrating deep within my eardrums. I opened my eyes, but the blazing light seared them back into darkness. What new torture is this?

  Fingers gripped my biceps and lifted me up. The chains held me in place. More sounds of metal hitting metal. Pinches of fire pricked my arms. The stench of charred skin wrenched my stomach.

  “Hold on, my David,” a sweet voice I recognized as Beka’s called out.

  Yes, Master had found an even more vicious torture. He’d duplicated the exact pitch of her voice, her tempting lilac scent. I sagged against the body cradling mine. It jerked, and more metal strikes rang. More pricks bit at my skin. The grip tightened on my armpit.

  I wanted to tell them to leave me be, but time had rusted my vocal chords. I could only grunt. Scorching fingers traced my arm down to my wrist and tugged. Chains snapped. I opened my eyes but met only darkness.

  Arms wove beneath mine, hooking my armpits, and lofted me up. My weak legs folded, but the strength beneath me stood fast.

  “Try, David. Try and walk.” A male voice this time. Familiar. Couldn’t place it.

  “What’s happening?” I said, but it came out as mumbles.

  A cool, refreshing liquid splashed my feverish face. It seeped into my eyes, moistening them. Dim light filtered through the curtain of darkness.

  “It’s me. Russell. Come. You have to move.”

  Did that man say Russell? Hope sparked within my chest against my better judgment.

  I groped the darkness and ordered my legs to move. I wasn’t sure how long they’d been inactive. Judging from my uncoordinated jerks, it must have been a while. “Beka—”

  “She’s busy right now. Hurry. Walk, David.” Russell’s body smashed into mine, pitching me forward. Something cold pierced my back, near my kidney. Flames erupted.

  “Need your demon, David,” Russell said, gasping. “Help.”

  I visualized Beka’s face. Focused on her voice the last time I’d heard her in the yard when I was taken. She’d survived if what Russell said was true. If, in fact, it was really him here to rescue me.

  Another nightmare. One of Master’s tortures.

  Needles stabbed my heart as I called on the demon. He had been asleep for who knew how long, but he readily emerged. A growl scratched my dry throat. My weak limbs pulsed, as my demonic side began healing whatever injury I’d received.

  I reached forward but grabbed only air. Russell’s body rolled off mine. I shuffled onward, knowing I would have to hit a wall soon. The light in my eyes brightened. Still unable to see through the cloudy blur. Finally, my long nails struck something. Flickers of lights, probably sparks, flashed before me.

  I scraped down the wall. Metal to keep everything out. Cursed metal. I groped at the chilled surface and worked myself up to my knees. More metal clanks behind me. Fear shot me to my feet. Using the wall to balance, I stood. A wave of body odor invaded my nose. Sulfur mixed with smoldering hair. Hair prickled on my neck. I swung my hand. A wash of tainted air crashed into me.

  “Demon,” I said. That time my voice didn’t crack. I swallowed hard, trying to clear the thickness coating my throat.

  “On your three,” Russell yelled.

  I swiped. My nails met another throat.

  “Move to your right.”

  Sparks flashed before me. A blade pierced my ribs, and I toppled. More sparks sprayed over me as I edged on. A hand latched onto my bicep. I swung.

  “Wait,” Russell said. “It’s me.”

  He hoisted me to my feet. My legs helped more that time. My back sagged against the unforgiving wall. Jagged edges of brick chafed my skin. “Beka?”

  “Out there, holding them off with Abraham.”

  “How long?”

  “Just got here.” He pushed me forward. My hand found air instead of wall, so it must be the door.

  “No. How long have I been gone?”

  “Talk later. Escape now.” He rushed past me, and I heard the ring of swords clashing again.

  I filled my lungs with the fresh air and focused on my body, willing it to work. Willing it to heal. I would carry whatever this was to the end, revel in the belief I was being rescued. Because I knew it couldn’t be true. But it was better than sitting like a lump on the cement, letting the flame consume me.

  I blinked through the neon blue dots littering my vision and made out the doorframe before me, so I crossed through. Light, not stinging like before, settled over me. Shadowy figures danced in front of me.

  “Walk forward,” Russell commanded me.

  I shuffled, hands out. The moving figures fell into focus as I neared a tall human. I recognized Russell’s, dark hair. A cold blade pierced my shoulder, and I collided with a wall. The color red tinted my blurry sights. Demon. I swiped. He gurgled and melted out of view. A swaying, blond cape snagged my attention. Hand grazing the wall to keep me steady, I followed the vision. It had to be Beka’s hair. So much longer than I remember.

  Two tall figures charged her.

  I followed the wall and reached out to Beka with my other hand. A flash of silver slammed against my wrist, sending sparks spraying. I turned and captured the neck of whoever struck me.

  I jerked him close, and his face became crisp and clear. Long teeth, red skin, and sickening breath. I cranked his head to the side, snapping his neck, and he sank to the ground. Let another person decapitate him. I only wanted to get to my Beka.

  This might be the torture, though. Her within arm’s reach, yet never able to touch.

  She plunged her sword into the gut of one demon and twirled, sliding her blade through the neck of the other.

  “David,” she said with a screech. She grabbed my shoulder and pushed. “Down.”

  I ducked. She swung. Dust sprinkled my bare back.

  “Come on.” She snatched my hand and yanked me forward.

  Russell joined us and slid his hand under my armpit on the opposite side of Beka. They steadied me, hurrying me along while Abraham followed.

  “How?” I asked.

  “Do you know this place?” Beka asked.

  Light-colored walls, squeaky tile floor, and closed doors lining the narrow hallway. “No. I am not at the New York compound.”

  “Turn right, stairwell at the end,” Abraham said.

  “Took some time, but we found you, my friend,” Russell said.

  “Friend?”

  “Shut up,” Russell said. “Focus on walking. Can’t your demon self heal any faster?”

  I dug my talons into my palm, as flames flared within my chest. The all too familiar twinge of my punishment spread through my mind. I was hallucinating. No one broke through Master’s defenses, let
alone take someone from solitary.

  But it was a dream with Beka by my side, so I would go with it. Just to feel my Beka close again, even if in a torturous dream.

  “Russell. Don’t pester him. He’s volatile right now.” Beka peered my way. “David. You remember us do you not?”

  “Could never forget my Beka.”

  “Focus on that. Fight the darkness.” She stared ahead. “We still have a bit to go through to get you out.”

  A sheen of perspiration clung to her glowing skin. Sweat beaded above her upper lip. I craved a taste of her salty flesh. My mouth watered at the thought. To touch her bare arms.

  A demon lumbered through a side door. Russell let go of me and lunged, sword drawn. Beka stayed focused, guiding me forward.

  “Just get to the roof,” she said.

  “I cannot leave. My contract is—”

  “You mean this?” She extracted a bottle, with a black seal on top, from a small bag strapped around the front of her. “We’ll deal with this shortly. Come on.”

  On clumsy legs, I followed. Russell had vanquished the demon and ran to the stairwell door.

  “Up,” Russell said.

  He took the stairs two at a time. Fatigue robbed my strength. I mostly pulled myself up with the railings to the first turn.

  “Five more flights,” Beka yelled. “Move it.”

  She planted her hand on my butt and gave me a shove.

  All the senses bombarded my mind. Too much. Too fast. I rumbled at the confusion. My animal voice echoed off the cement walls.

  She retracted her hand. “Sorry. Please, just hurry.”

  My legs throbbed, threatening to seize as I rounded the last stairwell. The door opened, metal crashing into my face. My dulled reflexes didn’t catch up to the motion until I lay flat on my back. Beka hurdled me and tackled the demon at the waist. They fell through the doorway.

  “Rebeka.” Abraham vaulted over me.

  I rolled to my side, sprung to my feet and stumbled after them. Abraham pinned the creature to the wall with his sword. Beka lay motionless, back against the sterile white wall, head tilted. I stormed to the demon and buried my nails in his throat.