Page 36 of Demon: Monsterverse
The wind whirled in my ears as he lifted me. Oh God. It was too high off the ground, and all this on my already abused body was not helping. My stomach roiled as the ground and I separated more and more.
TWENTY
BRIDGET
My eyes watered ashe flew among the thick purplish fog.
“Stop moving, human,” he roared, but unlike the times Tene said it, it caused my insides to shrivel. My body seemed to lock in place as he lowered from the sky, unveiling the city below. From above, it looked like any other normal human city complete with skyscrapers. No way that was what I thought it was? The rounded ears of a notable roller coaster in Los Angeles poked into the fog, the metal structure tipped to the side so the ears leaned to the left. Rust and mossy growth coated sections of the ride.
At the bird’s-eye view, it allowed me an overview of the other buildings. I’d heard about the Rift sucking in cities bordering the fault line from people that joined my ex-village, but seeing it was something else. Not even the old geography books preserved by our village put justice to the sight.
A green rusted sign was propped beside a building, the edges frayed as if a flame blower had been taken to it.North 5glinted on the sign, and the rest blurred from extensive damage.
The dragon’s wings beat as we neared the ground, and the sprawling city blazed with flame-lit lamps. The flare cut through the gray-hued world. I yelped as the side of a building smacked my thigh, and I wiggled in the dragon’s grip, which sent a wave of agony through my limbs.
A clear sight through the window of the sky rise left me gaping. Were they playing poker?
I blinked, astonished, unable to process the flashes of life around me.
The dragon’s claws unhooked from my skin, and I stumbled forward, my legs tangled within my skirt. Dropping like a log, I whimpered. A burn in my thighs prickled up and down my limbs.
A red brick building loomed with light from torches illuminating the face of the front. A minotaur stumbled through the door, escorted by two green orcs.
I gawked, but that was all I could do before the dragon’s claws sank into my shoulder and he dragged me down the slim alleyway, squeezing his body between the crevices. The towering building cast a shadow and there were no lights for me to see as I stumbled over cracked asphalt.
Vines tripped me up, but I kept to my feet, as he held onto me. An intimidatingly large metal door stretched across the side.
He slammed a meaty claw on the surface, and a loud bang vibrated across my skin. The door swung open, and an orc stood at the threshold with his arms crossed.
“I’m here to see the naga.”
The orc looked from him to me, dropping his gaze down my body and back up. I gave into the urge to hug my front even though my dress covered me well. He grunted and moved into the building.
“Go,” the dragon ordered, and I raced up the step. The door thudded shut, and a low lamp at the end lit up the long hall. My shoes rasped over the carpet. What had this place been before the Rift?
The orc turned and put his palm out, stopping our progress. I laced my fingers together and sweptmy gaze around. There was another door to the left a little farther down the hall, but that was it. I didn’t know what was through there, but I debated making a run for it. I peeked at the dragon. I wouldn’t get far enough.
This dragon meant no good; death glinted in his slitted eyes.
Licking my lips, I shuffled from foot to foot.
The door the orc went through creaked, casting a yellow light from within. He was only gone for a moment before a voice floated to my ears.
“Enter.”
His claws wrapped around the back of my neck, then he shoved me into the room. I sucked in a breath. A monster behind the deskstared at me, and I froze as my stomach dropped. I may have pissed myself if the dragon didn’t whack my back and send me stumbling forward. My knees hit the ground with an explosive grunt.
She stared at me from a reptilian, snakelike face. The features of the cheekbones narrowed in an odd mix of snake and humanoid. Breasts bulged at her chest covered with sleek scales.
She leaned back, her elbows pressed into the armrests of her seat, and the end of her tail flicked beneath the desk.
“I could use her.” Her slimmed face turned to the side, dragging her gaze down my body.
In a swift move, she tossed a small bag at the dragon, and he caught it. He grunted and backed through the door, leaving me behind.
My heart elevated to a dangerous level, and I whirled, but the orc slammed the door behind him. The thump echoed around me, sealing my fate.
Oh no.
