Taken to the Deadlands: Tales of the Stolen Demon Brides

Chapter 3 - Aris

I took a deep breath. Answer what you need to. Give nothing else.

"I heard there was a spirit seer here," I admitted.

Oros let out a laugh that was so loud it caused other to turn and stare at us. I cursed her for her lack of tact.

"And what would you need with a spirit seer, hm?"

"To eat them of course," I quipped. "Maybe steal their power if I am able to."

It was mostly a lie. Demons rarely could steal their powers after devouring the human. It was nothing more than a myth because there was not one demon who would ever actually admit to stealing the powers for fear that they too would be eaten.

"Didn't you stop eating humans?" Eros asked. My eyes narrowed on the darkened stage. I didn't want to meet her calculating stare. She would see right through me.

"And you both?" I asked.

Eros let out a hum.

"There is a human lie detector here," she said. "You and I both know how well that would do in the court."

I nodded. Demons were notorious liars, but the royal family even more so. They were cunning, ruthless, and I did not envy Eros and Oros's life.

"Maybe we can have. Bit of fun with them as well," Oros whispered, her excitement obvious in her tone. "According to Beau, their nectar taste just as sweet as their blood."

My hair raised on end and an unrecognizable heat flared in my belly. How many years had it been since I had a chance to taste a human in that way?

Memories of her body against mine. Of her sounds as she came. All of it hit me so hard, it felt as if I saw her yesterday as opposed to a millennia ago.

"Airis."

Fuck. Couldn't I just be left alone?

"Yien," I greeted, looking off to the side. I may have banished myself to the shadows, but Yien was born from them. She could have been standing in the corner the entire time, her shadows hiding her presence. I wouldn't have put it past her. She stepped forward, her shadows melting away as soon as she stepped into the dim light.

Her inky hair fell to her waist in straight, silky strands. Her light purple horns jutted out from her head and curled backwards. Looking closely I noticed the dark jewels that were embedded in them. Her all black eyes narrowed on me, the ghost of her white pupil was the only thing that let me know I was her target.

Unlike the others here, myself included, Yien didn't dress up for the occasion. Instead, she wore a loose robe that tied around her waist and pants that hide most of her frame. They, too, were all black. I didn't have to look down at her feet to know that she wasn't wearing shoes.

She never did.

"I need your help."

I bristled at her comment. Help? Since when was I ever the one to ask for help?

"You want one?" I asked.

She gave me a stiff nod. It wasn't hard to read her. She may have been just as old as me, but sometimes she acted more similar to a child than the terrifying demon she was supposed to be.

"I have enough money for one or two rounds, but not any more."

"Too bad they don't take that god awful glitter that falls out of your ass," Oros commented.

Yien's eyes narrowed towards the twins. I let out a sigh.

Yien and I were as close as I was with the twins. Meaning not at all. But unlike the twins massive herd of cash, Yien lived in the shadow realm where the need for money was nonexistent. They lived off of their powers and rarely came to auctions like these unless they were desperate.

"Why do you need a human all the sudden?" I asked.

Yien's eyes looked back down to me. I couldn't gleam any information from her expression. Maybe that was a good thing. I feared for the day that she showed actual emotion.

"I want a companion."

Oros let out a laugh that caused a few of the demons in the room to look over at us.

It angered me. I didn't like that the demon was being made fun of. I too knew what it was like to be chained up in a realm with no warmth but my own.

"If you want a companion so badly just fetch one of those demons your estate employs. I'm sure they'd jump at the chance too get a mouth full of thei—"

"After you run out of money let me know," I found myself saying. My better judgement told me to stay out of it, but I couldn't help but feel for the demon.

"Thank you," Yien whispered and took a step back into the shadows. She didn't cover herself fully, just enough so we could see her face and clawed hands. It would be enough for me to know when to take over.

Damn just how much money am I going to drop today?

It wasn't every day the four of us showed up in one place. To bet on humans no less.

The crowd roared to life when lights flooded the stage. A small, winged demon with brilliant white hair and red horns took center stage.

No one knew her name. We all just called her madam. She had been in charge of this auction house for as long as I could remember and she specialized in bringing the tastiest humans to the Demon Realm.

"Who's ready to purchase some humans?" She asked, a wicked smile spreading across her face and showing off all her sharp teeth.

Here we go. I will buy the human. Take her home, and when all is said and done, I can finally move on with the hellish life I had been living.

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