Page 21 of Taken to the Deadlands

I had expected Mia to say something about yesterday, but this morning she had yet to mention what happened. Embarrassment and humiliation burned my entire body all night, causing me to get the worst sleep of my entire existence.

I was the one who procured this deal, yet I was also the one still having trouble asking her for what I truly needed. Maybe it was the pain of remembering what had happened, how her blood had tasted on my tongue, and how I had felt when my teeth ripped through her flesh. Or maybe it was the moans and cries that still haunted my mind, along with my name falling from her lips.

"Oh my god," she said with a light laugh. “Got mad and chopped its head straight off, didn't you?"

"I wasn't mad," I answered with a frown. "I was upset."

"What could a demon from hell be upset about?" she asked.

"My meal running away," I admitted, my eyes shifting to her. Her smile dropped for a moment before she forced it back onto her face.

"So, is that why we're out here? For you to remind me who’s in charge here?"

I shook my head. "I heard that soul pieces can reside in places humans used to visit."

Her eyes trailed my face.

"You're not wrong," she said after a moment. "Though it would be strongest where she died. Unless this place was really important to her, I doubt her ghost would be wandering around here."

"You didn't hear anything last night?" I asked.

She shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Not gonna lie. After being kidnapped and sold to a demon, the last thing that was on my mind was looking for a ghost. Exhaustion caught up to me, and I was out like a light," she replied, and I nodded.

"Let's try again soon then. When you’re ready, I’ll accompany you to your room."

She pulled her bottom lip into her mouth, her teeth grazing it softly. I didn't want to admit what that action did to me.

"I guess we'll have to wait and see if she stops by for a visit," she said, her voice trailing.

I shifted on my feet, unable to stand the guilt gnawing at me, but I couldn't pinpoint its origin. Did I feel guilty because of the vicious murder I had committed or because of what I was about to spill to Mia?

"If anything, her soul would have remained there because I killed her there," I blurted out, watching her expression intently. She was good at hiding her fear, but I could smell it on her.

Her eyes widened just a fraction before they went back to normal. Her teeth dug into her bottom lip a bit too harshly, and the smell of sweat filled the air, just like last night and at the auction. The frenzy was in the back of my mind, begging me for just a taste.

But then as fast as it came, it was gone. Like she was trying to… mask her fear. My heart swelled.Perfect little human.

"You killed your companion," she said. I nodded.

I thought long and hard last night about admitting it, but after tossing and turning, I thought it might be the best-case scenario. Maybe if I told her the truth, it would help her connect faster. And the faster she connected, the faster I could tell her what I needed, and then the faster Mia could leave this place.

"Why would you kill your companion?" she asked, her voice dropping to a whisper.

I tore my eyes away from her and back to the headless statue.

"I didn't mean to."

My voice cracked, the emotion that filled it embarrassing for a demon. We shouldn't feel anything for our human playthings. We shouldn't feel bad for them. We shouldn't think twice about eating them. Yet here I was, upset over what happened lifetimes ago.

"Back then, I still ate humans sometimes," I admitted. "And when I was with her one night, much like what happened between us, she started bleeding. Normally, a small amount shouldn't faze me, but I hadn't eaten in a while because she didn't like it and I wanted to?—“

I couldn't finish my sentence.

Mia didn't push me to.

I jumped when I felt the warmth of her hand in mine.

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