Chapter Eleven

"You cheated!"

I smirked, leaning away from the electronic pool table to scan the guy's credit card, taking away the money that the poor bastard had bet on the game. I flicked the card at him and he caught it, slamming it down on the table and taking a step toward me.

"I didn't cheat," I answered, "I never cheat. You just really suck. Or are you gonna bitch and whine right here in front of all these people?" The demon hesitated, glancing at the faces of everyone watching, who were laughing and roaring insults at him. He ground his teeth together, shot me a dirty look, took his card, and slunk off into the shadows of the bar. I laughed as the crowd whistled and shouted, jostling the guy on his way out as I tucked my scanner back into my pocket.

I'd been out here a week and already made six thousand cred on this stupid game. More than enough to buy some better clothes.

I went to the bar, giving the game a break so the saps could give it a shot, testing out their abilities to see if they were good enough to go up against me. I sat at the bar, knocked on the table to get the bartender's attention so I could order a scotch. I picked up my card, flicked the little tab on the side so that the number amount came up on the tiny holographic screen.

Six thousand and ten creds.

I'd ditched my last card in the alleyway. Hades would be able to track me no problem if I ran around using my own credit card. So I'd bought this cheapie Razr card at a liquor store and so far, it was doing the job. And who knew I had a knack for playing pool? Fuck, I wasn't cheating, I just happened to be good at something I'd never done before. Seriously.

The bartender slid me my scotch and I took it, rolling it around in the crystal glass before I tossed it back, savoring the warm burn that traveled down my throat and into my stomach. I got a stomach cramp, brief and fleeting. I hadn't eaten in a couple days. I should probably order some nachos or something.

I waved the bartender over and ordered the cheapest bar food, which happened to be a basic burger and onion fries. I looked down at my card again with a frown after having swiped it to buy the food and drink.

Five thousand ninety-six creds.

I took a deep breath, wiping a hand down my face before the bartender brought the food over. I scarfed everything down and stood up, leaving the bar through one of the side doors. I looked both ways, keeping an eye out for any of Hades's feelers.

It was stupid of me to still hang around Styx with Hades trying to find me. My brothers were spread out all over the realm trying to find me and Hades himself was residing in my mansion, like he was expecting me to come back. However, I didn't want to leave Styx. It was easy to blend into the crowd in the shittier part of the city. And if someone did recognize me, they didn't give a shit. I wasn't anything special to them. Just another redheaded freak of nature looking for a quick cred.

I headed down the alley toward the shops to buy myself a new set of clothes. What I was wearing was starting to stink and I wasn't stupid enough to strip naked in a laundromat around these parts.

I stuck to the shadows, and it was easier now that I was basically entirely infected. The black sludge still ran through my veins, blending into the darkness was so much easier, and the best part; no one could detect me. It was probably why Hades was having such a hard time finding me.

Thank the gods for that small mercy.

I snuck into a thrift store and poked around for something in all the used clothing. Most of it was fashion from months ago, stuff no one wore anymore. I managed to find a black hoodie and jeans, and I'll be damned if I wore used underwear no thanks. What kind of people donated used underwear? Were people that desperate for some ass coverage? No, I was going commando for the rest of my life.

I stepped out of the shop, frowning down at my card.

Five thousand and one creds.

"It runs out fast when you don't have royalty payments," a voice said. I snapped my head up and spun around to see Adrian leaning up against the wall by the doors. I narrowed my eyes on him, not as worried about dealing with him as I would be one of my brothers. Not that Adrian was a pushover anymore.

Nope, gone with the tiny little demigod who flinched at loud noises and cowered in corners. Adrian had jacked himself up over the years. He was muscular now, not morbidly, but nice and lean and well sculpted. He was older now, taller, filled out into quite the male. His blonde hair was cut stylishly, nice and fluffy and swept to the side. He didn't wear the rags he came to us in, nope. He wore designer steel toed boots, a loose gray shirt with a padded black vest over top and bleached jeans. And yeah, I wasn't fucking blind. The kid was hot now. He wasn't bad looking in the past, more like a cute little puppy you found in a box on the side of the road, but now he was all grown up and badass and asking for a fight.

"Well, well," I greeted him, straightening, "Funny seeing you on this side of town. Don't you have your own city to rule over? I hear Inferi's coming along pretty great since the old days." Adrian frowned, pushing off the wall and putting a hand on his hips.

"Theo, we both know I didn't come here to talk to you about work."

"Oh yeah? Did you come here to drag me back to my dad?"

"Not exactly," he admitted slowly and I frowned curiously as he averted his eyes, then looked back at me, "Theo, I don't think I ever said this to you back in the day... But thank you." I stared at him, confused for a split second before I realized what he was talking about. It had been so damn long that I forgot how we even knew each other.

Adrian had been just a kid when I first heard his prayer when I was laying in my room at home. It was rare to hear prayers in that day in age, and now they were all, but obsolete. But I'd heard his cries, his pleas, his desperation, and I recognized it for what it was. I knew what was happening to him and he needed a way out, but I wasn't just going to open the door for him and let him out. He needed the strength to fight his way out, so I gave that to him.

Next thing I know, he's killing the pieces of trash that made his life miserable and he escaped and he followed my voice, followed me right into the Underworld where his life changed forever. And so did everyone else's.

"If it hadn't been for you," Adrian stopped, and I looked at him as he looked down at his feet for a moment, then looked up to meet my eyes with his soft cornflower blue ones, "I don't want to think about where I would be right now. Probably dead."

"Yeah, well... You're welcome, I guess."

"That's why I can't let you go," Adrian said, and I scowled at him, "I can't let you do this to yourself. This isn't who you are, Theo. Don't let this pain define who you are. Trust me, I know what that's like and it really sucks. I got tired of being the victim. I got tired of being the coward. I wasn't going to let what those people did to me define who I was, who I am today. So don't let that happen to you." I ground my teeth together. Damn. It just had to be Adrian who showed up. Cute little Adrian, all grown up and no longer a fearful brat. If I attacked Adrian, he would fight back now. And he was not a fucking light weight like he used to be.

His attacks were timid and careful back in the day. He was still using his powers, still figuring himself out, his magic. Now, he knew exactly what he was doing when he charged up. He knew exactly how to fight me and win if he really wanted to.

Unfortunately for him, I also knew what to do if I wanted to win.

"Sorry to burst your bubble," I said, making Adrian sigh, his expression pinching with pain, "But I'm not going anywhere. I know who I am now, Adrian. I know what I want. And I'm not going to let Hades's hero complex get in my fucking way. And I definitely won't let you get in my way either. So if you're going to attack me, you better do it already, because I'm not sticking around here anymore. I have one last order of business to take care of." Adrian frowned curiously. I started to walk by him, but he moved in front of me. I sighed.

"It's really gonna suck to have to hurt you, Dree. Either back down, or get ready to have your ass kicked," I warned. Adrian stood his ground.

"I'm not a kid anymore, Thee. You don't scare me."

"Good," I muttered, then swung my arm around to catch him in the throat, but he ducked fast and settled for slamming into my side, knocking me across the ground. I caught myself on the ground and flipped myself back up onto my feet, aiming a punch for Adrian's face, but he bent back to avoid it and spun around with a spin kick that caught me right in the jaw. My head snapped to the side and blood filled my mouth, making me moan as I straightened to cup my jaw. I licked the blood from my lip, turning to look at Adrian, who stared at me patiently, not breathing hard, not trembling. He stood tall and proud and ready to keep going without any effort at all.

"I am really going to enjoy this," I murmured. Adrian pursed his lips tight, clearly disagreeing. I lunged at him, catching him and throwing him up against the wall of the building. Adrian slammed his forehead into mine and I cursed, ducking back. He threw a punch at my gut, but I caught his arm and twisted it sharply, forcing his whole body to turn as I tucked his arm up behind his back and he hissed in pain as I threatened to remove it from the socket.

And I should've. That would've been my next move. Dislocate his arm, slam his head into the brick wall a couple times, then hit the nerve in his neck that would send him down.

But for some stupid fucking reason, I couldn't do it. I froze up, and it gave Adrian the perfect opening to twist himself out of the position, grabbing me by the throat and slamming me up against the wall instead. He looked like he was going for something in his pocket, and I knew before I even saw it that he was gonna try to tranq me, so I flung my foot into his hand, sending the syringe flying out of his hand and onto the ground.

I twisted away from him, gripping his arm and flipping him over my head and onto his back where he gasped in pain and rolled onto his side. I ran for the syringe, but he caught me by the ankle and yanked me down. I crawled across the ground to snatch it, but Adrian yanked me backwards and I went skidding across the ground into a dumpster, rattling the hell out of it. I cursed and shot to my feet as Adrian made a run for the syringe. I bolted for it just as his hand clasped it, but I was close enough for a kick to the face, my boot landing in Adrian's jaw. I heard a crack and I momentarily paused to see Adrian gasp, clutching at his face. I quickly recovered, snatched up the syringe and went for Adrian, who rolled out of my way and shot to his feet, flinging his foot at my crotch, but I dodged and spun, removing the cap from the syringe and planting it right into Adrian's arm, pushing the plunger and watching the sedative rush into his system.

And he fucking fell like a rock.

One second he was up on his feet, spinning to snatch the syringe away from me, and in the next, his eyelids fluttered and he crumpled to the ground unconscious. I bent down, taking the syringe out and tossing it into a trash can. I looked down at Adrian, who lay unmoving on the ground. I looked around, but anyone who had been nearby when our fight started had moved indoors to avoid the confrontation. I looked back down at Adrian, kneeling and reaching out to touch the side of his face where I'd busted his jaw.

The magic went in, did its job, repaired the damage, looking good as new. I rummaged around in his pockets until I found his phone and sent a distress call out to Malachi. I tossed the phone down by his head and stood up.

"Sorry," I muttered, then paused to wipe blood off my face, a smile creeping onto my lips, "But damn, Adrian, you're strong. I knew the moment I met you that you'd grow up to be a badass."

I teleported from the shops across town to another bar where I entered and started up another round of pool. I forced myself to focus on the stick in my hand, the glow of the balls as they flew across the glowing green grid lines. I focused on the males and females around me, who shouted encouragements and curses, watched them forfeit their creds to me. I picked up my card after every game, watching the numbers steadily rise.

Six thousand fifty.

Seven thousand twenty.

Seven thousand nine-hundred twelve.

Seven thousand thirty.

Eight thousand forty-nine.

The numbers went down each time I made the mistake of buying a drink or something to eat, so I focused on just watching the numbers go up. Game after game after game.

Eight thousand seven-hundred twenty.

Eight thousand nine-hundred ninety-nine.

The people came and went, and went the bar closed down for the night, I went outside and found a suitable spot to sleep that was out of the way and in the dark. When the sun came up, and I heard the jingle of the front door, I was up and inside, starting up another round. And when people began to realize they couldn't beat me, they gave up and I moved onto the next bar. I played another several rounds, scratching at my wrists, scratching at my neck, watching anxiously as the numbers flew up on my card.

Nine thousand sixty-eight.

Nine thousand five-hundred twelve.

Nine thousand six hundred eighty-three.

Nine thousand eight-hundred ninety-eight.

I slammed the stick into another ball, watching it sail across the board and slip into a pocket, resulting in a resounding roar from the crowd. A few guys who had followed me from the other bars patted me on the back and hollered my name as I took the opposing's card, slid it, and watched the credit number fly up on my card.

Ten thousand.

I let the people cheer and shout while the loser slunk out of the bar bitterly. Some ass offered to buy me a round of drinks, so I agreed, meandering to the bar and ordering a scotch as everyone gathered around me. Their voices were all the same to me, just empty praises and promises, females offering for a night, males offering to buy me more drinks.

I drank up, until the party had faded and the guy paying my drinks had to ditch me so he could go home to his lady friend. I felt comfortably tipsy, so I left the bar and headed across town, gripping my card tight in my hand as I approached the brothel sitting on the edge of town with its neon sign and its tinted windows. There wasn't anyone around in terms of authority or family. Just a couple tweakers and a female smoking a cigarette.

I went through the doors, doing a quick scan to reveal it was safe inside before I approached the front desk, where the female greeted me with a warm smile.

"My lord, such a pleasure to have you returning to us."

"Yeah, thanks, whatever. I want Teren."

"He's currently with a client--"

"Are you telling me, Prince of Styx, to fucking wait for a prostitute?"

"Oh-Oh, n-no, my lord, I simply thought--"

"I want Teren. I have ten thousand creds for him. Tell the other guy to get out or I'll have him arrested for obstructing royalty."

"Right, of course, my mistake, right away, my lord." I watched in irritation as the female typed a bit on her computer, then phoned a call in to Teren's quarters. There was a moment of awkward tip-toeing around words so the female didn't offend me as I stood there watching her make the call before she hung up and gave me the key to Teren's room.

I headed down the hall and up the stairs toward Teren's room. On the way around a corner, I nearly bumped into a female, who flashed me a flirty smile before she went down the stairs, her heels clicking the whole way. I grimaced at the sound, scratching at my wrists before I made it to Teren's floor and approached his door, opening it up right away to see him just putting on his pants. He looked pissed at first, only to go still when he saw who I was.

"My lord," he said, quickly bowing at the waist, even though his pants were zipped up. I cocked my head.

"You don't need those pants for what we're going to do," I said. Teren straightened to look at me with a frown.

"If you say so," he said.

"No," I said, moving across the room and getting up in his face, "That's the only command aside from this next one that you are to follow... I want you to beat me mercilessly. I want you to cut me. I want you to hurt me. I want you to do it fast and hard, slow and painful. I want it to hurt. I want to scream until my throat is raw. I want you to ravish me. And you are not to stop until our hour is up." Teren studied me for a moment, then inclined his head. He stepped back and I watched him closely as he cracked his knuckles before he slid his pants back down his legs, revealing a pair of tight leather underwear that only made his bulge that more pronounced. My mouth watered at the sight, until he grabbed me roughly by the jaw, squeezing hard.

"Get on your knees," he ordered. I didn't obey right away, and he hit me for it. The back of his hand came hard across my face, my head snapping to the side, busting my lip open. I sank down onto my knees, breathing hard as I touched my lip, and he slapped my hand away. I watched him go across the room to his handy-dandy set of toys, picking up a black leather riding crop. He stroked the length of it, and I watched his dark fingers slide along it before he snapped it and it cracked in the air.

A combination of thrill and fear raced through my veins, my heart pumping hard as I watched him walk over to me slowly, tapping that crop against his leg. I swore I could faintly hear the sound of high heels clicking on the wooden floors.

Crack!

The whip came across my face and I gasped, feeling my skin split open and blood seep down my cheek. I moaned, sinking forward on my hands and knees, savoring the electric pain that pulsed through my face and down the back of my neck. I watched Teren's legs as he moved around me.

Crack!

I cried out as the crop went across my ass, my whole body surging forward on instinct to escape the hot sensation spreading across my skin and up my back.

"Remove your clothing," Teren ordered. I sank back on my knees, quickly slipping the hoodie off and throwing it aside. I kicked the pants off and slid them across the floor with the hoodie. I felt the riding crop come across my bare skin now, slapping against my ass and I moaned, arching my back.

"It's filthy to wander around without underwear on," Teren said, trailing the riding crop up my back to the back of my head. I closed my eyes tight, gritting my teeth to keep myself from talking. I didn't want to hear my voice. I just wanted to hear Teren's. I wanted to hear his heavy footfalls on the floor as he walked around me. The sound of the whip cracking across my back, my ass, my arms. The stinging pain shot up into my head and I moaned, arching at the sensation.

"Sit back," Teren ordered. I obeyed, grimacing at the way my ass burned when I sat back on my heels. I watched as Teren walked across the room, grabbing a pair of black leather cuffs off the dresser. He came over and forced me to put my arms behind my back, clasping the cuffs on tightly. He grabbed me up by a handful of hair, dragging me over to the bed and shoving me down onto my stomach so I was half-off and half-on on the bed.

The riding crop came back with a vengeance, this time not just striking my ass, but all up and down my back and I cried out, pressing my face against the bed as I breathed hard. Sharp stinging slap after sharp stinging slap cut across my back, my body tingling and my cock getting so hard it hurt. I arched my back and whined, then gasped as that crop came against the back of my thighs.

"Are you begging me to fuck you? Is that what you want, little prince? Do you want me to spread your legs and fuck you like the bitch you are?" Teren asked. I nodded against the bed silently, breathlessly. Teren set the riding crop aside, was messing around with something on the dresser. I didn't care now, I just wanted to feel him rip me in half. I felt his footsteps vibrating the floor, swore I faintly heard the click click click of heels.

Something came down over my face, and for a moment, I was confused until I realized it was a muzzle. A black leather muzzle that cupped my jaw and covered my mouth, part of my cheeks, strapped on tight. I wanted to say something immediately, but my voice was completely muffled and it only made Teren tighten the thing.

This wasn't what I asked for. I didn't want to play some stupid BDSM game. I wanted him to beat the shit out of me, and he was on the right track up until this point.

Something sharp punctured my skin near my neck and I managed a muffled protest.

"I'm sorry, my lord," Teren's voice said softly, and I blinked rapidly, tilting my head to the side to look up at him to see him looking down at me pitifully. He stepped back, putting the syringe on the desk, and I expected to see my dad walk in like he owned the goddamn place and he was so smart for finally catching me, except...

Click click click.

The door knob on the door twisted and opened slowly. At this point, my vision tilted and I felt dizzy and weak, weaker than before anyway considering I had no food in my stomach since that burger and fries combo the day before. I felt Teren grab me up by the arm, twisting me around and shoving me back on the bed so I was forced to sit with my arms twisted uncomfortably behind my back and a mask covering my mouth, squeezing my face tight.

The door came open completely and my mind immediately stopped working.

A drop-dead gorgeous female stood in the doorway. She reminded me of a pin-up model with her curvy figure, her vintage black dress that covered her from head to toe with a turtleneck collar that spread down to her shoulders made entirely of lace. Her thick black hair fell in waves over one shoulder, matching a pair of black eyes. And I meant, completely black eyes. No sclera, no pupil, iris, nothing. It was like a pair of black holes drilled into her head, fringed by thick delicate black lashes. And fuck, her heels, her spiked black heels clicked as she entered the door, shutting the door behind her.

I'd seen her before. I couldn't remember where, but I'd definitely seen her before somewhere.

"Teren," the female said, her voice a husky purr that sent goosebumps over my skin, "I told you not to hurt him so much." Teren looked down at the floor. He didn't look too happy about any of this.

"He asked me to do so. It was the least I owed him for this whole thing," he said quietly. The female laughed softly, coming over to cup Teren's jaw, tilting his head up so she could look down at him. And that's really how friggin' tall this female was. Teren was no small male, but he actually had to look up at the female as she studied his face.

"You're such a sweet, sweet male. Were I already not occupied, I would have taken you with me," she purred. Teren sucked in a sharp breath and swallowed hard. But I don't think it was because of her words, because when she got near me, I could feel the cold that followed with her. The icy breeze that wafted off her skin, made my goosebumps all the more harder, and a tremor snake up my spine.

My vision tilted again and I grimaced, managing a low moan as I ducked my head down to look at the female's heels.

"Oh, dear. Was the dose not enough?" The female murmured, reaching out to lay her hand on my head. I snapped my head up and moved away from her, drawing one leg up so I could scoot back further onto the bed. The female lowered her hand and gave me a smile that I'm sure was meant to be warm and friendly, but looked way more creepy than anything.

"There's no need to be afraid, sweetheart. My intention is not to hurt you," she murmured. I glared at her, not believing that bullshit for a second. She turned to face me and I scrambled back on the bed, trying to catch myself despite not having my arms available to me, only for someone to grab me from behind.

"Sweetheart," the female exclaimed to the person beside me, "Where is your other form? I hate this one." I managed to tilt my head to see a familiar massive male gripping me. It was the guy who'd been following me from bar to bar, buying me drinks and urging me to keep going at the games.

"My other form is too small," the male answered in a deadpan voice, "This one is stronger. Also, kill the prostitute so we can leave." Teren's mouth fall open and his eyes went wide in horror. The female tsked at her lover, then reached out with one hand and grabbed Teren's throat. Without even doing anything, she snapped Teren's neck and his body hit the floor.

"That wasn't very fair," the female said with a pout, "I liked him. We could have turned him."'

"Oh, please. His soul was bright as daylight. It was making me sick just looking at him. Get me another syringe, this one is squirming too much for my tastes." To make the guy's job worse, I started writhing even more. I kept trying to break the cuffs, but holy fuck, there was something wrong with them. They weren't breaking apart, and the muzzle was too tight for me to slip off, so all I could do was kick my legs and buck against the guy.

Meanwhile, the female walked across the room to a black case on the dresser, taking out another syringe and coming toward me. My protests were muffled as I kicked and thrashed in the male's grip.

"I don't want him to kick me," the female said, pausing in front of me at a good distance to avoid my legs. The male rolled his eyes and threw me down on the bed before I could do anything else. He gripped one of my legs and snapped it. The pain exploded up my leg and into my head, making me scream into the muzzle, throwing my head back and breathing hard. My body went slack after that and it got worse when the female finally drew near, leaning over me so she could plunge the syringe into my neck.

I squirmed, but it became half-hearted as the sedative slipped into my veins and infiltrated everything, numbing the pain in my legs and my back from the whip. I blinked, rolling over onto my side as I breathed hard through my nose.

"He needs clothes," the female murmured, moving around the room in search of clothing, completely bypassing what I'd worn before.

"Seriously? You're looking for clothes? He's already going to be our dog. Dogs don't need clothes."

"You wouldn't understand because you're not a person."

"Ouch, baby."

"I did not mean that to be rude, but it's a simple fact," the female continued as she opened up a wardrobe across the room, "Ah, perfect. A simple resizing and these will be wonderful. These would look quite cute on him. Can you uncuff him for me, darling? I want to get this shirt on him." The male rolled his eyes and bent over me, uncuffing me. I went to lift my hand up to punch him, but my arm just went noodle on me and hit the bed. I groaned, rolling over onto my back. My vision swam and turned, making me blink sleepily.

I could feel them shifting me around, clearly getting clothes on me. It felt like leather pants and a long sleeved crop top. A second later, the huge male was lifting me up off the bed and putting me over his shoulder like I weighed nothing. I moaned again into the muzzle, gripping weakly at the male's shirt, trying to push myself away from him. The female came around to get in my face, touching my chin with a single finger so she was looking at me with a soft smile.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. You're going to be okay. Everything is going to be okay, so close your eyes and sleep for a while, hm? Come on now, close your eyes... Good boy. Very good boy."

My eyes fell shut and I went limp on the guy's back, my consciousness fading to black.