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Chapter 1

I didn’t whimper when the demonic lord placed the collar around my neck and sealed it closed Didn’t curse as it dampened my ability to see the arcane and nullified the chances of anyone’s being able to locate me Didn’t cry Didn’t scream Didn’t fall to the floor and curl into the fetal position

I wanted to Holy shit, did I ever want to But in alla cop, I knew that if ever I had to appear strong, it was nohen face to face with a denize it?" the lord had asked "It’s your old suain Its dark greywalls, so nus, and a massive set of charred double doors ahead of ht cast by shilow and eerie sliding shadows Wisps of sainst the wall, likely the source of the pungent skunk-spray-meets-jasmine odor

I’d appeared here less than two o, finally su the atte arm cuff similar to the collar I wore now Already I could tell that this collar wasn’t as brute force crude as the cuff I wasn’t nauseated and could actually see the glies ofthat I wouldn’t be able to touch or form them

The deant in what looked like a perfectly tailored charcoal grey Armani suit, corey eyes set in a face with an Asian cast left no doubt that he was thoroughly assessing old cord hung to the small of his back in a heavy intricate braid Power pulsed froot the sense I was only getting a hint of his full aura

The human--otherwise known as the asshole who su circle, anchoring the flows and sealing the portal Though he couldn’t have been ive him some credit Bare-chested, tall, and lean with a crazy halo of curly blond hair, he dispelled and traced sigils with a confidence that told htened arew hard, and when he spoke his voice was a lava flow proah deter my worth "If you do not know, then you have been kept well hooded by your lord" He released ered back a step before recovering Terror coiled in ut, but I did my best to put on a sneer

"This is notevery day "I know that much" I scowled and brushed lanced down at my hands, I realized I was still fairly spattered with atomized bits of Tracy Gordon, the very recently deceased suot aze back up "Why have you summonedin eneral appearance and the spattered bits on my pants and--I knew--in my hair I had no doubt he knew exactly what it was But if he thought his su of me had disrupted a ritual and shredded a summoner, he sure as shit didn’t show a flicker of dismay or remorse Instead, he turned away, clasped his hands behind his back, and headed for the doors

"Bring her," he ordered

A soft scrape of sound froest reyza I’d ever seen ain as tall as the lord, he approached, teeth bared in a bestial face, and tail flicking behind His skin shie leathery wings The movement wafted a faint musky, spicy scent toward me that made me wonder if Old Spice was a cheap knockoff of Eau de Reyza

Gulping, I raised my hands, palms out "There is no need for force, honored one," I said quickly "I will offer no resistance"

The reyza growled low in his throat and pointed a clawed hand toward the doors It was pretty clear what he meant, and I turned quickly to coo that the reyza, Sehkeril, had evisceratedthe confrontation with the Syht have held about the overall friendliness of de h huge doors of finely carved wood Twice as tall as h soh to go all the way through the door A faint acrid odor lingered, though the dao, worn down over the years

I glanced back to see the blond youngHe pulled on a black silky shirt as he walked, and his expression was an interesting aze away before he noticed

The roo chah it had about half as many sides Talls opened into corridors, and each of the re walls framed alcoves with incredibly lifelike statues of demons and huh alert since information on the people, demons, and layout could be useful later Butinto thatabout how very fucked I was and then oo I took in what I could, but with the reyza herding htsee