The chains pulled tight,cutting into the bare skin of my arms and torso. I didn’t know what the bonds were made of. All I knew was that they tightened whenever I moved and that they hurt like hell.
Ha. No pun intended.
Nails dragged over my chest and I flinched, causing the chains to tighten again. I hissed in pain before forcing myself to take a deep breath and relax my body. Fighting would only make this worse.
The chains were attached to either side of the cave, keeping my arms stretched out at my sides. I couldn’t count how many times I’d been here. It seemed to be the demons’ favorite position for me, probably because it gave them the most access to my body without giving me any way to defend myself.
If I stayed still, the chains didn’t cause any discomfort, but staying still was usually impossible.
A second pair of hands grasped me from behind, talons digging into my flesh, adding more scars to the myriad that covered my body. I could feel blood inching its way down my torso from the slices on my chest, and I tensed as I fought not to fidget at the sensation. It might not be painful, but it was its own kind of torture.
The sound of footsteps echoed off the rock walls around me.
My prison was at the dead end of one of the passages that made up the caves. If someone was coming this way, they were coming for me.
A man came out of the shadows. He looked human, meaning he was a greater demon.
I didn’t keep track of the demons who visited me. I simply saw their rank. I could only assume they all answered directly to Lucifer since he was the one who owned me now, but I suppose he could have just dumped me here and told his other demons to have at it.
Not that any of those questions mattered. It didn’t change my reality.
The women who were clawing at my chest backed off, letting the man approach. He looked me up and down, taking in the patchwork of scars that marred my skin. I watched him, waiting for whatever punishment he’d come to deliver.
I didn’t have to wait long.
He drove his fist into my gut, just under the chains that wrapped around my ribs, forcing a grunt from me. But I managed to keep my arms still. It was a wasted effort.
They wanted me to fight, wanted to watch my own attempts to escape the pain cause me more. And they would get what they wanted. One way or another, they always did.
The greater demon pulled a knife and a vial from his belt, and I closed my eyes. I knew what came next. Despite having lost my soul to Lucifer, there were still traces of heavenly fire running through my veins, and the demons wanted it. I wasn’t sure exactly what they were doing with my blood, but they always came back for more.
There was a sharp sting as the knife cut into my arm, and black blood dripped into the vial. On the plus side, my skin had gone back to its normal color upon my arrival in Hell. Now it was just my blood that was black. Once upon a time, my blood had been gold. Back when I’d been an angel with a family and a name. That life felt like a dream, one that was slipping farther away with every moment.
How long would it be before I forgot the faces of my brothers and sister? How long before I didn’t remember my own name?
“Enjoy your time with your visitors,” the greater demon said, stepping back. “I’m sure they’ll take very good care of you.” There was a threat in his words, one I didn’t think was directed at me.
I couldn’t reply if I’d wanted to. I was drained, just like I was every time they took my blood. Everything was murky, like every thought and memory was covered by a thick, suffocating fog.
“Make him move,” the demon said like a last parting shot, and then he was blending back into the shadows, his footsteps receding.
Lips pressed against my neck, and I jerked, surprise winning out over sense.
The shackles at my wrist squeezed, and an anguished groan slipped past my lips.
And then my breath froze in my chest as the demon woman in front of me ran a finger along the edge of my waistband. Not her nail, but her actual skin. A shudder of revulsion worked down my spine despite my efforts to stay still.
I should have fought harder before. Should have given them more of my pain. If they’d gotten their fun that way, I might have been able to avoidthis.
I’d faced cuts and the evil, tightening chains, long hours without sleep, and every other torture they could come up with. But this… this was the worst.
The demon’s hot breath fanned over my abs and I tensed, bracing for what I knew would come next.
A wet tongue ran along my lower stomach, just above the fabric of my jeans. I tried to recoil despite having nowhere to go. The chains held me in place, rendering me helpless as the second demon’s mouth roved over my neck.
I fought even though I knew it was useless. I fought until the chains around my ribs were so tight I couldn’t breathe, until the pain was bad enough that I couldn’t feel anything else. Their lips were drowned out by the burning in my lungs and the way my limbs were being stretched to the breaking point.
The edges of my vision were turning black, and I welcomed the darkness, the escape from the endless torment of the cave.
