3. Prisoner

QUINN

"Aspen…Will you please talk to me?"

I gritted my teeth until my jaw throbbed in agony, determined to keep my eyes glued firmly on the filthy metal floor beneath us. There was so much rage pulsing through my veins that the only thing that stopped me from striking Beau in the back of a moving van were the cuffs around my wrists. The bastards had gone as far as to connect them directly to the floor and keep my ass firmly on the small bench.

If he didn't shut up soon, I would risk cutting my skin with the feeble hope of jamming my foot into his jaw.

Although the irritation was dominant on my face, that didn't stop him from leaning forward and straining against his cuffs. "Please," he begged.

"Why should I say a goddamn thing to you after what happened?" I growled.

The icy edge woven within my words was enough to encourage Beau to draw back. He blinked several times while he processed my words. The silence only lingered for a moment before he broke it. "You can't hold that against me. I was terrified, Aspen."

"So was I! Yet I was the one that stayed behind and tried to do my job." I shifted on the bench to angle my body toward the back doors. Compared to the last hour, the van had started taking more turns and the speed had dropped dramatically. We were getting close to our destination and there wasn't a part of me that wanted to be taken by surprise again. The throbbing bump on my temple was proof enough that the bastard could've killed me.

A frustrated groan escaped his lips. "You can't honestly blame me for doing what comes naturally to us. Demons are predators, Aspen. We're the prey. Granted, I ran to save my own ass and I still ended up corralled by them."

I pressed my lips together in a desperate attempt to stifle an empty laugh. It didn't matter how hard I tried to suppress the urge, one still managed to escape anyway. When his brown eyes narrowed into thin slits, I simply studied the barred walls separating each cuffed couple. It was surreal how the entire van had been divided up into sections, keeping the problem as contained as it could get. All it took was a quick glance in both directions to realize that half of the group was missing.

Which could only mean that they'd been shoved into a separate van or the demons had simply killed them.

Only two of them were from the bottom ranks — mere grunts of the APL — while the rest of us were higher up. I could still hear Tate grumbling under his breath while his twin brother remained silent. Fear haunted their auras with the underlying disappointment that we had essentially failed at our own end game.

"We took so many precautions…" Tate scowled and glared at the rest of us. "How in the hell did this happen?"

Theo kept his gaze low. "Does it really matter at this point? We're done for, brother. Our lives are forfeit."

"Because someone didn't do their job." Tate ignored his brother's soft remark. He straightened his back and surveyed the rest of us with flashing brown eyes. "Someone let this happen. Whoever did this betrayed us!"

Beau flinched. His shoulders sank as the older man succumbed into an enraged rant. As soon as Tate's gaze swung our way, his own dropped.

The shame wasn't his alone to bear. It took two to tango and I was the one that had tempted him into the supply closet. Although it pained me to realize that I had a part in the APL's downfall, the emotion wasn't strong enough to take over. I was still pissed and I was just itching for the chance to punch him.

The anger dissipated slightly when the brakes squealed, followed by a sharp turn from the van. I allowed my body to lean against the left wall. Between a slip-up in judgment and how the events played out, I hadn't gotten a wink of sleep. Attempting such a thing in a van owned by demons was even more of a reckless idea. Which left me a ragged mess that was not prepared for a damn thing that was coming my way.

If the demons had torture in mind, I was screwed.

A tense silence fell upon us as the vehicle finally slowed to a stop. My stomach twisted in agony when I heard both of the front doors opening. A quick peek at the others revealed that I was the only one that could hear all the movement outside. Damn my fucking hearing. It was just another thing to remind me that I wasn't entirely human.

Both of the back doors were yanked open, revealing two men in sleek black suits that seemed more fitting as bodyguard material for a club. The taller brunette smirked at us while his bald companion scowled. It was obvious by the annoyed expression on his face that he'd wanted no part with our transportation. He was only here because that had been the order he'd been given. The sooner we were out of his hair — or lack thereof — the better.

"Ladies and gentlemen…" The grin grew on the brunette's face. "Welcome to hell. The name's Gavin. I will be one of your concierges for the evening. Why don't you all follow me to the lobby?"

The other demon rolled his eyes and lifted the thick chain in his hand. "Will you start pulling them out so we can get them attached and sent on their way? I have things to do."

Gavin released a weary sigh, pulling a set of keys from his pocket. "You mean you have a pussy that you want to get back to."

"Not my fault you get off on this shit."

My stomach churned as the two carried out a friendly banter while the brunette started locking the cuffs from the chain link connecting us all to the floor. I couldn't look away as he traded the thinner chain for the thick one. For every APL member that was connected to it, he pulled until the prisoner stumbled out of the van.

Both Oliver and Colby crumbled down onto their knees, squeezing a cackle from Gavin and a smirk from his bald companion. The amusement didn't linger long when Gavin had to ease into the van to unlock the first set of metal doors, granting him access to the next set of APL members. He moved quickly to attach each set to the same chain and prompt them out into the garage with the others.

It didn't take him long to finally reach Beau and I.

Beau's brown eyes flickered toward me. "I'm sorry," he breathed.

"Go fuck yourself," I muttered. I hadn't intended to say anything at all, especially with demons within earshot. The way Gavin's lips curled into a pleased smirk only confirmed that I should've just kept my mouth shut.

He released a whistle, reaching out for my cuffs first. "Sounds like trouble in paradise for you lovebirds, eh?"

I kept my eyes averted while he pulled on the chain, prompting me off the bench. "You're assuming there's any feelings between us."

"Hot damn!" Gavin cackled. "She's got quite the mouth on her, that one!" His green eyes flickered toward a cowering Beau. "What are you going to do if the boss takes an interest in her, lover boy? Are you willing to risk your life to save her ass like the knight in shining armor that you are?"

"Today, Gavin." His companion snapped.

My cheeks grew hot as I marched into the garage to join the others. There was a part of me that encouraged my eyes to wander just so I could take in my new surroundings. Hell, I would need to find my way back outside once I managed to break free from these damn chains. Yet I couldn't find the will within me to observe. I could feel the questioning gazes from the other members, including heated glares from the brothers.

The shame only grew worse when Beau joined me on the chain line.

By the time Tate and Theo were connected to the line, the entire garage was heavy with mixed emotions and I felt like I was suffocating under it all.

Gavin released a delighted whistle while he slammed the van doors shut. "Can you feel all that in the air, Marcus? Fear…confusion…rage." He wagged a finger at the brothers with a smirk. "Perhaps it's a tie with rage and betrayal for you two. You really believed in your cause, huh?"

Tate flung a thick ball of spit at the demon, managing to catch him on the front of his suit before he could pull back in time. "Go to hell, filth," he snarled.

Marcus wrinkled his nose at his companion. "Disgusting creatures…"

"That's fine." Gavin reached into his front pocket and tugged a folded handkerchief free. He wiped the glob away without a care in the world. "All of the bosses have flown in to bear witness to your punishments. I don't give a damn who gets the pair of you. It'll end the same way regardless of who buys you. You'll end up pissing on yourself by the time you're hauled out of here, mortal."

That was enough to wipe the enraged expression off Tate's face.

Not a single person in line was willing to break the silence as the chain started to retract back into the floor, forcing us further into the garage so that the demons could yank the sliding door back down. Only once my exit was sealed shut did it finally give us some slack. All it took was each demon pulling a gun out of their back pocket to prompt us in the other direction, straight toward a set of double doors that were already open.

Another male demon waited for us just inside with another thick chain draped over his arm. "Normally, I wouldn't mind you screwing around, Gavin." His voice was low and dripping with agitation. "Except you got the same memo that the rest of us did. Not only are the lords coming here to give judgment of the mortals, but so is the prince."

I was managing to carry myself just fine, heavy chain and all, until the word ‘prince' came out of his mouth. My foot managed to catch the smoothest part on the floor, sending me down on one knee and bringing both Beau and Evelyn down with me. The entire line almost went down if it wasn't for the boss brothers and a few others ahead pulling on tight to keep everyone else on their feet.

Gavin howled with laughter. "Did you see that, Marcus? The little spitfire is clumsy as fuck. Oh, that's hilarious."

"Absolutely amusing," Marcus responded in a flat tone. "Do us both a favor and take them off our hands, Wesley."

His voice was further away, encouraging my eyes back toward where we'd come from. Although Gavin had walked alongside us toward the third demon, Marcus had halted near the part of the floor where the chain came out. All he had to do was jam a foot down to bring everyone else to a halt. I winced as both of the brothers cried out from the ragged metal digging into their skin. The faint smell of iron in the air hinted that the wounds were already bleeding.

Gavin seized the first person's cuffs, keeping a firm grip while he took his chain off so that Wesley would replace it with his. "You'll have to keep us up to date on how the verdicts go, friend."

Wesley responded with a snort, dropping the chain as soon as we were connected. "You know very well how the verdicts are going to go. Why are you so interested in this batch, anyway? They're all human and they were stupid enough to commit a crime against the royal family."

Chills trickled down my spine. Just because the demon hadn't spoken the words didn't mean he hadn't inferred them. We'd gone against the ruling demons by stealing from their own funds. It didn't matter what our good intentions were, it was still a crime. I'd seen humans be condemned to death for less.

"Please." Emma raised her cuffed hands and cast her wet blue eyes at Wesley. "I didn't know what was going on in the basement. I thought I was being hired to be the nanny of the Eldermiles' five-year-old son! I had no part in their crimes!"

I had just risen off the ground when Emma made the mistake of grabbing the demon's arm. All it took was a push from him to send her flying back into the wall behind her. The way her eyes rolled up into the back of her head left me nauseous to the point where the room started spinning around me. The smell of iron grew even more dominant.

"Emma!" The man next to her on the chain line sank down beside her. "Hey… Look at me. Open those eyes."

It took everything I had not to wince. You fucked up, Colby…

The edges of Wesley's lips twitched. "Don't know the others, huh? Looks like this male is very fond of you."

Colby glared up at him while his companion tried to shake Emma awake. "That was unnecessary. You could've killed her."

Any hint of the amusement that had started to leak onto the demon's face immediately dissipated. He took a step back to give us a clear path into the next room. "Move your asses. I won't hesitate to toss someone else. Even little Emma."

Although Colby's nostrils flared at his words, both he and his companion reached down to hoist Emma up to the best of their ability. In the end, their movement was so restricted that they had to drag her along the floor. The rest of us were forced to shuffle in after them.

The temperature seemed to drop dramatically once we piled in. The chain simply retracted into a hole near the left wall and kept Colby in place. What little freedom the rest of us had ceased as soon Marcus snagged the other end of the chain and attached it to another hole on the right side. It essentially kept us locked in place with nowhere to go.

Not much time passed before the doors were kicked open again and the next line of APL members shuffled inside. It didn't take long for them to be chained in a line behind us, leaving two solid lines of prisoners staring at a wall of glass.

The air hitched in my throat when I realized there were seven seats within that room, six of them forming a small row closer to the glass while a single one was placed a row up, placed perfectly in the middle. The tension ripping through my body was nothing compared to the moment that the door within the room swung open and several men drifted inside to take their seats.

Every single one of them was intoxicating to the eyes in their own way, yet the way they carried themselves screamed danger and death. It took everything I had not to cower as their gazes swung toward us once they took their seats. So these were the demon lords, right-hand men to the prince himself.

The rest of the APL members — excluding the livid twin brothers beside me — immediately ducked their eyes out of pure fear. Hell, with the way Theo was shaking, he was clinging to that anger with everything he had in a desperate attempt not to succumb to the same paralyzing terror washing through him.

I was the only one to lift my jaw in defiance. Their presence certainly left a suffocating weight on me that made it difficult to draw each breath. Yet, I had endured my own lifetime of hell in the body of someone who should have given me love — not disgust. The way the demon lords peered down on us was merely a different mixture of the same venom and I refused to cower.

It didn't take long for the two in the middle to take notice. The demon lord with piercing crimson eyes honed in on me while his amethyst-eyed companion jabbed him in the side with his elbow. I'd watched enough people during the day to read his lips.

"Look at that one, Nico. The boss will love breaking the spirit of that one."

His crimson-eyed companion merely scowled. "You're assuming he'll let any of them live beyond tonight."

Marcus drifted into the room with two more suited men bearing automatic rifles. He planted himself in front of us with a scowl of his own. Although his annoyance for being here was clearly painted on his face, he didn't express an ounce of that emotion verbally. When the door in the room behind him swung back open, he wasn't the only one to flinch under the sudden fluctuation of power sweeping through the room.

My heart skidded to a halt as soon as he strolled into view. I could feel my legs becoming rubber beneath me while my throat went as dry as the Sahara Desert. Swallowing did absolutely nothing except send a wave of pain down my spine. Even with so much pressing against my aura and leaving me to tremble like the rest of my fellow APL members, I couldn't break my eyes away from him.

Power dominated his aura, mirrored within those piercing golden eyes. They were on the verge of glowing beneath his black locks, even if the left half of his head was shaved to portray unique tattoos on his scalp. All he did was strode toward his seat and ease down onto it with a flawless grace that left my mouth watering.

So this was the prince himself, a walking embodiment of sex on a plate.

The fact that he was having this effect on me horrified me to the core. Although the desire to avert my gaze was overwhelming, I refused to let myself cave. As those piercing golden eyes drifted over us, I merely raised my chin more.

I would have managed to remain standing tall if it wasn't for the fact that his presence also seemed to affect the APL members in an entirely different way. Before I had a chance to prepare myself, every single person dropped to their knees and began to plead their case. The sudden drop in the chains pulled against my cuffs, causing the metal to dig into my skin.

I hissed, struggling to stay upright.

Theo was the only one to remain on his feet with me, except he immediately bolted forward in a feeble attempt to lunge at the royal. "You can go back to fucking hell where you belong, you twisted creation!" He attempted to deliver another ball of spit at the glass. It hit the ground, nowhere near his desired target. Still, he remained on his feet with his chest puffed out.

At least until one of the armed goons jammed the butt of his weapon into his face.

Theo crumbled onto the floor with a pained groan.

The smell of iron was even stronger in the air now, causing my stomach to churn. I finally broke my gaze away from the demons and squeezed them shut. None of the others could smell it the way that I did, which always made me uncomfortable. I could never handle the sight of blood. Now it was being shoved into my face with absolutely nowhere for me to retreat to.

Of all times to yearn to be normal and have my own bastard blood mocked.

The injury to his brother seemed to be enough to convince Tate to take a stand of his own. With his brother fallen beside him, there was only so much he could straighten without dragging his own kin along with him. His wild hazel eyes were glued on the demons. "The angels will overthrow you! You will all burn in hell where you rightfully belong."

The same goon that had struck Theo down seemed eager to do the same with Tate. I was stunned when the energy in the air seemed to shift, bringing the goon to a halt. All it took was another shift before he reluctantly backed down and rested the weapon against his shoulder.

All it took was a shimmer behind the glass before the prince himself teleported down to our level. As soon as he was in the same room with us, his power grew immensely. Tate couldn't remain on his feet as it weighed down on all of us. The prince's lips twitched. It was exactly the reaction that he'd anticipated — and expected. That smirk seemed to fade as soon as his gaze swung my way.

Although the smell of blood had shaken my will to remain defiant, I managed to stay on my feet despite everyone huddling on their knees around me. It caused the metal to dig into my skin even more. I had no regrets about my bold decision until the prince shifted and headed in my direction. I gritted my teeth as he grew closer, my knees growing weak beneath me. The sensation grew worse when the aroma of musk and smoke brushed against me.

The room started to spin around me to the point where I feared that I would end up on the ground with the others.

A hand shot out, catching me by the chin. The warm sensation from the prince squeezed all of the air out of my lungs. There was no hope of taking a fresh breath when he turned my head and forced our gazes to lock. The full weight of that power left me suddenly willing to turn my back on everything I had believed in. Whatever he asked, I would give him.

Even if it was my soul.

The prince shifted his hand, dragging the tips of his fingers along my jawline. He left a trail of fire in his wake.

"What would you like us to do with them, sire?" Marcus arched an eyebrow, his gaze shifting between us. It was clear by his expression that it was highly unusual for the prince to take an interest in a prisoner, especially one that had stolen from him. He was nothing more than a child hanging on the edge of their seat with overwhelming anticipation.

The prince mused over his question for a moment. "Let Nico have their leaders. Kill the rest."

Panicked gasps sprang up around me. The fact that I had been roped into the same fate as most of them should have left me crumbling at his feet. Except there seemed to be a part of me that realized he wasn't done with his orders.

Just as I'd expected, those pale lips parted again and he murmured, "This one is mine."

My heart skipped a beat. I should be absolutely horrified for a fate that was certainly worse than the rest of the organization piled together. So why did the idea of this man owning me excite me? Why could I feel a wetness pool in between my legs for a man that could easily rip off my head and impale it on an iron rod?

The prince's hand fell, those fingers curling around my throat. All he did was squeeze once and a soft hiss escaped my lips. The edges of his lips twitched again. "Send her to the lab and then deliver her to the conference room."

Marcus bowed his head slightly. "Yes, sir."

As soon as the prince drew back, I found my body trembling. There wasn't a part of me that understood what kind of reaction I was having now that his warm touch was gone. Was I quivering out of fear? A life of imprisonment was nothing more than eternal torture, especially when the bastard realized that I didn't age like everyone else. There was no death in sight for me like it was for the others — even if the brothers were staring down a prolonged torture by the demon lord known for his torture methods.

I had reached a whole new level of screwed.

The panicked protests ceased when the other goon started firing upon the lines. It didn't matter if I was still standing tall. The bastard had a good enough aim to strike down every single person around me until only three of us were left.

That was when the crimson-eyed demon lord teleported into the room. All he did was share a quick glance with the prince before he reached out to seize the brothers by their shirt. Their chains dropped down to the floor, empty. The only thing that had been left behind was a pool of piss in Tate's spot.

True to Gavin's word, Tate had succumbed to his fear.

Now that I was completely alone with the enemy, my own will started to crumble. I could barely keep myself on my feet when a sharp pain pierced my chest. It took me far too long to realize that the room was already tilting and my body was no longer willing to comply with me. By the time my gaze fell to the small dart protruding from my chest, it was in full effect.

I crumbled onto the ground with a soft groan. The last thing I saw before the darkness surged forward to claim me was the prince's golden eyes and that pleased smirk.