Page 118 of The Firebrand
Thenswoosh,thud, swoosh, thud. Two objects hit the concrete floor.
“Get their bodies out of here, Kur. If I ever hear of you trying to make a profit on the side again, I’ll do the same to you. I can find more coyote shifter scum anywhere. Clean this cell out, too. Afterward, have someone pull out the male in cell five. I’ve got a buyer for him on the way.”
The man in black paused in front of Braelyn’s cell. With a bloodied sword in one hand, he gripped the cell bar with his other. “I know you’re awake. You might as well get up.”
Braelyn uncurled from the floor and leaned against the hard wall. “Where am I?”
“In hell, and I’m Satan.”
“Okay, Satan, Rein enjoys killing sickos like you.” She hoped her voice didn’t shake as much as her hands.
“The Firebrand will never find you.”
Braelyn closed her lids, picturing Aisen as a target. She speared a thought into his mind as she had Rein’s.Let me go.The specter clutched his head, his razored eyes pinpointing her. Rattling keys, he searched for the right one. When he found it, he opened her cell, barreling toward her. He yanked her up by an elbow and drew back a fist, plowing into her jaw. Her feet left the ground, and she smashed into a wall, slumping to the cold floor. “Don’t try that shit with me, girl.”
Braelyn wiggled her chin. “Why are you doing this?”
“You don’t need to know.”
“Staying well informed is in my job description.”
“You’ll be sold, used, and dead soon. No need to go to your death with too much knowledge.”
“You’re a dick. When Rein gets me out, your ass is toast.”
Kur’s drawling, disembodied voice interrupted, saving her from another smackdown. “We’ve got number five, boss.”
Aisen strode from her cell, locking the door behind him. “Good. Bring him along. The succubus has taken a liking to his green eyes and soft, young body.” Refocusing on Braelyn, he said, “Until we meet again.”
“When we do, you’ll have a blade in your heart.” At least, Braelyn hoped he did.
Two guards towed a naked, dirty, bruised, barely conscious man down the corridor behind the white-haired Aisen. They held him by his arms, his feet leaving a trail in the dust.
The jailers laughed. “What kind of succubus can be satisfied by such a small dick?”
Braelyn listened for several minutes after the voices died out before she returned to the woman across the way. Still no response.
A man called out in a raspy whisper, “You won’t get anything from her. Guards or other buttheads have raped her the last two nights.”
Braelyn seized the bars, her knuckles white. “Where are we?”
“I don’t know. Maybe hell. Isn’t that what he said?”
“How long have you been here?” Braelyn tried to squeeze her head further into the space between the bars, but it was too tight.
“A few days, I think.”
“Are you hurt?” she asked.
“You mean like her? No. Not yet, but…” He choked up.
“I’m Braelyn.” She slumped against the cell door, loosening her grip. “What’s your name?” He sounded young.
“Brandon.”
“How’d you get here, Brandon?”
“I don’t remember. One minute I was walking down the street. Next I woke up here.”
