Page 9 of Taken to the Deadlands

Glowing rope-like objects circled my upper body before pulling tight, constricting my movements. I turned back to look at the culprit but was met with another demon guard. By the looks of his glowing eyes and glower, I assumed he oversaw the others.

They were brutes, but at least they couldn’t shoot glowing magic at us.

“Be gentle,” he warned the other demons that surrounded us. “Humans are fragile, and the buyers will be really upset if their goods are damaged.”

Buyers? Goods?

I shot the other girls a panicked look, but both of them already seemed to be frozen in place, gaping at the demon.

I guess we all heard the same thing.

Hands gripped me and forced me up once more. This time, I couldn’t find it in me to fight them.

“It’s not like they would care anyway,” one of the demons by my side muttered.

“Right?” said the one that held Eve, looking back at us. “They’ll be too busy in a feeding frenzy to notice a bruise or two.”

Fear clogged my throat.

The demon in charge huffed as we passed him.

“Remember that not every demon is here to get a human to feast on,” he reminded them. “Some come to find a companion or someone to bear their children. Either way, they pay good money…”

His voice trailed off as the incessant thoughts in my mind grew louder.

What? No.

Run. Fight them. Do something.

I turned my head to look back, but there were guards following us from behind, and with my arms currently bound, I wouldn’t be able to fight them like I needed to.

Eve flung her whole body back. The demons on either side of her scrambled to hold her, not expecting her to react so suddenly. At the same time, my guards’ grasp on me loosened just slightly as the ones in front stumbled back.

I took my chance.

But instead of darting backward, I darted forward.

The only guards in front of us were already trying to keep their humans under control, so I guessed they wouldn’t try to grab me.

And I was right.

I slipped beneath Eve’s legs, dodging the hands that failed to take hold of me.

“Go Mia!”

Iris, who had been compliant until now, clashed against her guards, throwing them off balance enough for me to slip past them.

When I pushed back the curtains that separated us from the next room, bright lights blinded me, but I couldn’t stop. Not when I could feel the demons right behind me.

Loud rumblings and cheers called my attention. I blinked a few times until my eyes adjusted and followed the noise.

I froze for just a moment, taking in the darkness of the room in front of me. I realized in that moment that I was on a small stage and people—no, demons—were all around. I couldn’t distinguish their faces because of the lights, but I could make outdistinct shapes like horns, sharp glittering teeth, glowing eyes, and the heavy feeling of death in the air.

I didn’t let it shock me for too long and kept moving across the stage until I ran into a hard chest and it sent me sprawling. The demon reached for me, and I screamed and jerked against his hold. When he tried to cover my mouth with his claws, I bit down hard on his hand. His loud growl roared in my ears.

In an instant, his weight disappeared, only to be replaced with another. I turned my head to see the demon fighting two others that had to pull him to the other side of the stage. His eyes were wide and bright red, his teeth bared, and loud growls rumbled from his chest.

“Oh my, it’s your first appearance, and you’ve already caused a frenzy,” someone said from behind me.

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