Page 20 of Taken to the Deadlands

She sighed and looked back toward the exit.

“This was her room when she was here,” she explained. “I was hoping you could sense her. I’m not sure how your gift works.”

I wanted to throw up. Here I was, invading her previous partner’s space, even trying to fuck her in this same room. Everything was falling apart.

“What… um… happened to her?” I asked.

Aris stiffened. “You don’t need to know that. Just tell me what you want.”

I shook my head.

“Just let me go when we are done,” I said. “That’s all I need from you.”

She nodded wordlessly.

“But it would be easier if you told me more about her,” I added after a moment.

Somewhere, far off, a clock chimed.

“Later,” she said with a look that caught me off guard. I didn’t know what I expected from a demon, but it wasn’t the emotions that were twisting up her face. “Sleep well. I’ll wake you in the morning.”

Chapter 9

Aris

Would she fear me if she knew?

No, she already did. I could smell it on her. Even if only a little bit.

The real question was… Would she still be willing to help me if she knew?

It wasn’t that hard to believe that, once she knew the horror her fellow humans had suffered at my hands, she too would come to resent me for the being I was.

At least we would have that in common.

I had tried my best over the years to keep a human-free diet, but it was against everything us demons had been taught growing up. And went completely against my instincts.

But still, I would keep trying. For her and the others who came before her.

And she had yet to pick a price for her services.

There might have been demons in the Underworld that treated humans with little respect, but I wasn’t one of them. At least not anymore.

She was here to help, and she should be taken care of as such.

I looked down at the human beside me with a small frown.Mia.

She hadn’t eaten much at breakfast, and now she was at my side, staring up at a decapitated statue that had been a favorite of my last human.

“So, what is this?” Mia asked, her voice sounding a bit… bored even.

I shot her a look.

“Humans don’t like this?”

She shrugged then looked up at me with an almost forced smile. “Art, you mean? I guess, but it looks like you had a bone to pick with this one.”

Her words caused my lips to twitch. I was surprised she picked up on it. The other human had just assumed it was meant to look like that.

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