Demon Slave (Shadow Quest Book 2) (14 page)

Then he charged. It wasn’t the woman he went after, it was the walls around him, the ground under him. The cement splintered as he cracked his fist into it over and over, bloodying his knuckles. He went on like that until he collapsed from exhaustion. The crowd was riotous, denied the brutality they craved.

Four massive bodies entered the pit. Nadua kept an intense focused on the two that held Marik still, while keeping her back to the other two, who were working on placating the deranged mob.

After it was all over, the people threw rocks into the pit as they left. Marik took each hit huddled with his back to the broken body left behind.

Her vision blurred and Nadua hovered in that mysterious space between sleep and awake, every detail of the dream burned into her mind. Was it only a nightmare?

She opened her eyes to ask Marik about it, but an unfamiliar face was gazing down at her.

Nadua screamed.

“
I’ll kill you, pirate!” Sonya lunged at the man pilfering her liquor.

He dodged quite well for someone who’d just been guzzling straight from a bottle. They were standing in the storage room of her pub, and she was blocking the only exit.

“
Calm yourself, female. I was just sampling the product to see what would be best to recommend to our clients.”

“
My
clients!” She growled as her horns began to glow against her straight black hair.

“
I’ll pay for the liquor, it was only a drop.”

“
Damn right you’ll pay for it! And that bottle was nearly full till you got your hands on it.”

The bastard had the gall to roll his eyes at her. “Very well, I’ll buy you another bottle. What’s the big deal?”

What’s the big deal?

The big deal was she had to see this damn pirate every day! Had to train him to work in her pub, and even pay him a salary! A kindness forced upon her by her big brother, Sebastian.

Ethanule brushed his blond hair back, revealing his slightly pointed ears. The pirate was from the same race as her best friend, Anya, but they couldn’t be more different from each other. Anya was sweet and loveable. Ethanule was arrogant—almost more so than Sonya’s other brother, Cale, if that were even possible—and thought himself superior to demons.

With a slur in his voice, Ethanule tipped the scale of her anger from enraged to murderous by saying, “You know, you’re rather attractive when you’re pissed off. You should remain that way all the time.”

She swung at him, but again she missed. How could he be so fast, especially drunk? Sonya blamed the confined space. She wasn’t used to fighting in such small quarters. Besides, she didn’t want to disturb the many bottles lining the walls.

“
What’s going on?” A soft voice that Sonya instantly recognized came from the doorway.

“
Princess!” Ethanule greeted Anya with a smile.

Sonya took advantage of his temporary distraction. She latched her tail around the almost empty bottle still grasped in his hand, and then flung it hard into the side of his head. The glass shattered, and a smile spread across her lips as he went down.

Anya shrieked. “What are you doing?” She rushed past and knelt beside the pirate’s limp body. “Ethan?”

“
His head is far too thick for me to do any real damage.” When Anya gave her a chiding look, Sonya whined, “He was stealing my liquor.”

“
You two have got to stop fighting. Sebastian and I are leaving for Undewla soon and you’ll be acting as captain. If you want your pub to stay open, then you need him. Everyone else is occupied with their own jobs. Sebastian had to pull one of the mechanics to work the galley.”

“
Yeah, and the food just isn’t the same.”

With worry etched in her features, Anya’s head dropped. She continued to blame herself for Marik’s situation.

“
It’s not your fault. And you’ll find him, don’t fret. Marik can take care of himself. I’m sure he’s fine.”

Ethan grumbled from the floor, “That was a cheap shot, demon witch.” Gripping his head, he sat up.

Sonya couldn’t help but smirk. “But I thought I was oh-so pretty when I was angry? Change your mind, did you?

“
Indeed.”

Both she and Anya watched as he summoned his gift. Ethanule could heal himself and others. At the spot where blood was matting in his blond hair, he placed his hand. A bright light erupted underneath. Sonya shielded her eyes from it. When it was over he stood, a bit wobbly. Whether it was from the hit or the stolen alcohol, Sonya didn’t know.

“
That tail of yours is wicked. I’ll be sure to keep an eye on it from now on.”

“
You do that!”

Wait, had she just given him permission to check out her tail?

“
Just keep your eyes on my pub, and if I catch you sneaking drinks again, you might not be able to heal after what I’ll do to you.”

* * *

Marik woke fully on the Edge and found that his hands gripping the neck of someone threatening his woman. Cords of confusion tangle in his brain.

Not my woman
.
Nadua
.

He roared at the man pinned up against the cavern wall. A pair of horns, similar to his own, poked through the man’s sandy blond hair, causing Marik’s murky mind to swirl.

A lithe voice urged him to cease, but he had to protect what was his. Marik’s grip tightened.

“
Marik! Stop! He just startled me.” When Marik didn’t back off, she added, “He’s not fighting.”

Nadua was right. His eyes had not gone red. His horns remained cool. He wasn’t showing fangs, and his arms were limp at his side.

Marik pulled away from the Edge as best he could, easing his hold slightly, but not enough for the stranger to move. “Who are you?”

Nadua gasped. “What? You don’t know him?”

Sucking in a breath, the man responded, “My name is Rex.” After another breath he added, “Did Orson send you?”

Marik let go and backed away, placing himself in front of Nadua. “I don’t know any Orson.” Aggression still coursed through him, but curiosity started to overrule.

Rex snapped his eyes between Marik and Nadua, brows drawn in confusion. Apprehension shadowed his feature. With his shoulders slumping, he took on a hopeless expression. “But I thought...” Rex raised his head to study Marik’s horns. Incredulous, he continued, “You haven’t come for me?”

With Rex maintaining his nonthreatening stance against the wall, and the last of the Edge seeping away, Marik was beginning to comprehend. By the looks of him, this demon has been on his own for some time. His clothes were poorly mended and badly stained. His sandy hair, falling unevenly below his shoulders, looked as though it hadn’t been tended to in ages. It wasn’t difficult to guess his story.

“
Was it you who killed that Kaiylemi?”

Rex nodded.

Nadua spoke. “Oh, no. You don’t expect me to believe that you don’t know who this is.” She was backing away from them. She’d put up her hood and wrapped her face with the attached scarf so that Marik could only see her eyes. They looked annoyingly suspicious.

“
Nadua.” Marik took a step toward her, still keeping the other demon in his sight. “I promise, I don’t know him.”

She continued her retreat, looking as though she was ready to run. “It’s just a massive coincidence that we suddenly find another demon? This is just too convenient. What is your game?”

“
This isn’t some silly trick.”

At the mouth of the cave, Nadua stood against the darkness of early morning. Thick clumps of drifting snow sparkled in the space around her.

Marik growled, “You can run, but you won’t get far. I’ll just bring you back and keep you tied up for the rest of the duration.”

“
You expect me to trust you when you talk to me like that?”

Marik didn’t answer. The manner in which he’d woke made him more than irritable, and the renewed fear in Nadua’s eyes had him wanting to lash out.

When she edged out farther, he yelled in a tone that he’d meant to be pleading, but it came out as more of a demand: “Don’t!”

Turning on her heels, Nadua took off down the hill. If he had forced her to remove her skins last night, as he wanted to, she never would have made the attempt.

Note to self
.

Marik turned to Rex who was now slumped on the floor, ignoring them completely. His demeanor screamed despair. “Stay here,” he ordered.

Rex gave the tiniest of nods without looking up from the ground.

Marik wasn’t sure if the demon would obey, but he couldn’t worry about that now. He needed to go after Nadua.

Outside, he spotted her tracks. She’d already disappeared into the dense gnarled trees. Marik plunged through the surprisingly deep snow after her. It must have stormed heavily throughout the night.

It didn’t take long for Marik to catch up to Nadua, who was plowing ahead of him, buried up to her chest. By her increased speed, she knew he was nearing. Still, he easily closed the space between them.

He leapt toward her. She let out a squeak when he caught her around the waist. He took her to the ground, turning at the last moment to keep from landing on top of her. Fluffy white flakes covered them both. She squirmed to get away, but Marik rolled her so that she was under him.

Nadua lifted her head to holler in his face. “Let me go!”

Through the melee, most of the snow under them had been pushed to the sides, creating a kind of private cocoon.

“
Why are you running?”

“
You’re not being truthful with me!”

Marik stifled a growl. “Yes, I am!”

“
No, you’re not. I’m still just your prisoner, aren’t I? Let me go! I just want to go home to Ava!”

“
Well, that’s not going to happen! Not now! In fact, you may never see Ava again!”

Nadua stilled. The look she gave him gouged his heart and ripped him out of his rage. Though it was said out of anger, he knew there was nothing he could do at the moment to take it back.

Her shock flashed to anger and then morphed into hatred directed at him. It didn’t matter. He only needed to get Nadua to the
Marada
and then Sebastian and Anya could take her from there. If Nadua didn’t want to go with them after speaking with her sister, fine. She could stay on this floating ice cube for the remainder of her days.

Surely they could defeat the Kayadon without her. Whatever her gift was, it couldn’t be that influential. Thus far, the chit hadn’t given the slightest hint that she even had any power, besides attracting people who wanted to kill her.

Inwardly, he cringed, realizing he’d never bothered to ask if she had a gift. And by the stubborn look creeping over her now, she wasn’t about to answer any questions at the moment. He must remember to inquire, after she cooled down a bit.

He should have been pleased that she didn’t fight when he hiked her over his shoulder and carried her back to the cave, but the relenting dead weight of her body irked him. Inside the cave, he set her down, and tried to avoid her hurt gaze.

Rex hadn’t moved from his spot on the floor, and didn’t even look up when they entered.

It crossed Marik’s mind to restrain Nadua, but he couldn’t stand to do that to her. Even though he needed her to stay put, he wouldn’t tie her up and leave her defenseless. Not when there were so many unknown threats around them.

He turned to Rex. “You’ve been here a long time, haven’t you?”

Studying the ground, Rex nodded.

“
Were you involved in what they call the Demon War?”

Rex looked up, displaying a hollow chasm of loss in his dark gray eyes. “Is that what they call it? I remember fighting. I couldn’t say how it escalated so quickly.” He dropped his head. “I was left behind.”

“
Have you been living here, in these caves?”

Another silent nod.

Then Nadua chimed in. “You look quite tidy for a cave dweller.”

Although Marik didn’t appreciate her tone, she did have a point. His clothes and hair were a mess, but the rest of him looked as though he’d washed and shaved this morning. Marik felt his own stubbled chin.