Demonicus (Overworld Underground Book 2) (11 page)

I bit harder and slid her finger from my mouth as my mind searched desperately for some way to divine her true name.

Tyler leaned over and nipped my shoulder. "I saw the perfect bed further back, babe."

Another wooden partition divided this area from the next. I took Eyja's hand. "Let's go play."

She rubbed her naked body against me. "Pull me by the chain, sweetie."

The last thing I wanted to do was lead a woman by pierced nipples, but if that was what she wanted, I could just pretend she was a horse. I clasped the chain and tugged. Her nipples stretched.

She moaned and looked at Tyler. "Make yourself useful and whip me while we walk, boy."

"With pleasure." He popped her across the ass so hard, the snap startled me.

Eyja screamed with ecstasy. "Oh, god, that was good!"

In that instant, I glimpsed a pattern. It vanished too quickly for me to see. It suddenly occurred to me how we had to extricate the information from this woman. Barboar had been in extreme pain when I'd divined his secrets. Though I didn't relish the thought of torturing anyone, we'd have to do the same to Eyja.

I saw a narrow table with padded leather thongs. "Lie down," I told her. "You've been a very bad girl."

She giggled, leaned over, and kissed me. Her tongue pressed into my mouth. I was so surprised, I didn't resist as her hand ran up beneath my skirt and slapped my backside. The kiss wasn't as awful as expected, at least not until she bit my tongue hard enough to draw tears.

I jerked back and tried not to show how much it had hurt. "Facedown on the table, now!"

"Yes, mistress." She did as instructed.

Once I secured the leather straps around her wrists and ankles, I motioned Tyler over and whispered in his ear. "She has to be in pain for me to see her name and pattern."

An evil grin stretched his lips. "It's time for your punishment."

"Punish me please, master!" She cast a sultry look over her shoulder. "I need a hard spanking."

Tyler took a wooden paddle off the wall. Without warning he flicked it down with an incredibly loud smack.

Eyja shrieked with pleasure. Her pattern flashed in my head, but once again vanished.

"More!" she cried. "More!"

Tyler gripped the paddle with both hands and let her have it. I screamed with Eyja, though mine was a cry of horror.

"That was amazing," she moaned. "I'm so close to coming, master. Please, punish me more."

Tyler gave me a look of disbelief. Eyja might be a demon, but her body was that of a human. The pain should've been too much for her now.

I shook my head to let Tyler know I still hadn't seen what I needed. He looked long and hard at the paddle and seemed to come to a grim conclusion. He raised it as if to smack her one more time, then chopped it down on Eyja's arm like a machete. A bone cracked and Eyja's moans turned to a true cry of pain.

"What the fuck?" she screamed.

Eyjaphlkutarveterya!
The word drowned out her screams for several seconds and the pattern flashed blue before my mind's eye. I wished I had a photographic memory, or some way to record the pattern, but the name would have to do.

I nodded at Tyler.

He pressed a hand over Eyja's mouth, muffling her screams, and removed his sunglasses. "Eyja, you should have told me you were back in town."

Tears poured down her cheeks, but her eyes flared with recognition.

"I have a surprise for you." Tyler turned to me. "Tell her."

"We have your name, Eyjaphlkutarveterya." Despite the tongue-twisting consonants, I had no problem repeating it precisely as I'd heard in my head.

She went absolutely still, face frozen in shock.

Tyler released her mouth. "What are you and the others up to? Why are you fucking with my companies?"

"Grim, please, do not exorcise me." Her lips trembled. "I am not here with the others. You know I never joined them when they tortured you."

"I do remember." Tyler narrowed his eyes. "But the timing is coincidental."

"I didn't even know they were back in Eden." She whimpered. "Please, let me be. You know I have only one pleasure in life."

As she pleaded for freedom, I realized there was something slightly different about her aura when compared to the nauseating feeling from Barboar. She seemed somehow different, though I couldn't put a finger on it.

"I have your true name, Eyja." Tyler uncuffed her uninjured arm. "If you interfere with my life I will banish you to the Abyss."

Her body trembled and sagged. "I am already cursed, Grim." Tears ran down her cheeks.

Tyler frowned. "Yes, I suppose you are." He grabbed my hand and we walked quickly for the exit. Once outside, we hopped into the car and took off.

Nausea swelled in my throat as the image of Tyler breaking Eyja's arm played back in my mind. Separating the demon from the young woman was terribly hard for me. To see the man I loved committing such violence on a bound and helpless person made me sick, even though I knew it was absolutely necessary. I opened the window and gulped fresh air to combat the feeling.

Is this the part of him that's like Barboar?
I couldn't bear to think of him in the same category as that creature.

I wanted desperately to discuss my feelings with Tyler, but was afraid I might undermine his ability to do what needed to be done when we encountered the next former associate.

He touched my leg. "I'm really sorry you had to see that, Em."

I covered his hand with both of mine and shivered. "I wasn't expecting it."

"It was the only way I could cross her pain threshold." He blew out a disgusted breath. "I don't like myself right now."

I looked at him. "Do you really feel that way, or are you just saying it to make me feel better?"

He stopped at a red light and looked directly into my eyes. Pain frayed the edges of the window to his soul. "I truly mean it."

"She felt different than Barboar." I tried to put the sensation into words. "He was repulsive and putrid. She felt almost pleasant in comparison." I took out my phone and recorded Eyja's true name precisely as I heard it in my head—
Ey-JA-phlku-tar-VET-erya
. I was still amazed I could pronounce it, but like Barboar's name, once I'd glimpsed it, I'd been able to say it, at least until the impression faded from my mind.

Tyler glanced at me. "It's very odd watching you say her name."

"Do you really think she'll leave you alone?"

He bit his lip and stared at the road. "It's true she never tortured me, but she didn't try to stop the others either." His shoulders hunched into a shrug. "I think we have a good chance of her staying out of this."

"Now we just have to find the other two and get their names," I said. "I don't suppose they're also sex addicts."

Tyler shook his head. "This is going to be harder than I thought. Not only do we have to find each one, but we have to torture the information out of them."

"At least we can do something about Barboar," I suggested.

His lips formed a tight line. "We might be able to banish Barboar before he possesses another body, provided I find someone who knows how to do it right."

Thinking of Barboar and his grenade strengthened my resolve. "Let's stop Barboar first. If he comes back, he'll tell the others where we live."

Tyler's hand squeezed mine. "Agreed."

I texted George.
Any luck finding an exorcist?

It was nearly one in the morning, so I didn't expect a response. Perhaps that was why I nearly jumped out of my seat when the phone dinged with a response.

Exorcist, yes. Abyssal banishment, no. Will let you know more tomorrow.

It occurred to me that I knew two specialists where banishing demons was concerned. I flicked through my contacts and found the number to a cell phone my father had used only once. After the Exorcists had purged Tyler, my parents revealed to me they'd used a soulstone to keep Tyler's soul from entering the rift to Haedaemos. They'd taken Tyler and me to his condo and left us there, warning me to be careful so as not to draw the attention of the Exorcists.

I hoped this phone call wouldn't do that very thing.

The phone rang continuously and never went to voicemail. I redialed, but got the same response. "I guess my father doesn't have his cell phone anymore."

"Do you really think your parents would help us?"

I stared forlornly at my phone. "Maybe. At the very least they could point us in the right direction."

Tyler's hand tightened on my leg. "Don't worry. We'll figure this out."

I released an exasperated sigh. "I wish I felt as confident as you. Just knowing that one of your former pals could slip into your condo at any moment and kill us all isn't very reassuring."

He steered around the backside of the Gregorian and toward the parking garage. His gaze flicked to a dark sedan parked near the front of the guest parking lot. I followed his gaze and barely made out a shadowy figure in the car.

Tyler pulled into the garage and parked. "I'm almost positive that was Detective Long in that car."

I glanced back though there was no way I could see the guest parking lot. "Why would he be parked out there?"

"Maybe he's still looking into the gunshots." Tyler shrugged and got out, came around and opened my door for me. "Just what we need—cops and demons spying on us." He blew out a breath. "Maybe we should move temporarily."

"We could live in my flat," I suggested.

Tyler chuckled. "Won't it be a bit small with Isabel and Jack there?"

"I think she's been staying with him a lot." It suddenly occurred to me that Isabel and I might not be flat mates for much longer, provided our relationships went well. It was a bittersweet realization.

"I'm not certain your apartment is entirely safe either." He shifted the car into park, got out, and walked around to open my door.

"What do you mean?" I asked when he helped me out. "They don't know where I live."

"I don't exactly publicize where I live, but Barboar still found me." Tyler led me to the lift and pressed the button. "I'm worried that he and the others might know about you."

Horror stabbed me in the stomach. "What if they know and went while Isabel was there?" I took out my phone and punched in a quick text to my friend.
Don't go back to the apartment. Might be dangerous.

I received no response, but assumed it was because she and Jack were blissfully asleep.

"I texted Joe and told him to have the security team watch this place."

That made me feel marginally better. "I still want to know how Barboar got into your condo."

Tyler nodded. "I'll have my people look around for clues tomorrow."

My feet ached from the high heels, and my skin crawled with the imaginary cooties I'd picked up from the sordid places we'd visited tonight. I wanted a hot shower and the warmth of Tyler's body against me as we drifted to sleep.

I announced my grand plan to him, and he quickly accepted.

Tyler left early the next morning for meetings with managers of his other companies as he traced what few breadcrumbs there were back to the source of his business troubles. Since two of his companies were in Charlotte, he chartered a jet.

Joe picked me up in front of the Gregorian. "Good morning, Miss Glass." He opened the back door.

"I'd like to sit in front, please."

"Sure." He opened the front door and went to the driver's side.

"Could you take me by my flat first? I need to pick up some clothes." I checked my phone for any messages from Isabel and tried not to worry at the lack of her response. I texted her again.
Are you getting my messages?

"Is something the matter, Miss Glass?" Joe regarded me with a discerning gaze.

"Not really. I just haven't heard from Isabel today."

"Mr. Rock told me about the break-in at the condo." He stopped in front of the apartment complex. "Are you worried about the same thing happening here?"

"You're rather perceptive, aren't you?"

"That was how I survived the war." He turned off the SUV, got out, and opened my door. "I'll accompany you."

"That's really not necessary."

He ran a hand across his head. "I think it would be best."

Better safe than sorry.
"Thanks."

Joe nodded. "No problem."

I jogged inside, thankful I'd worn flats, and we took the lift to my floor. I practically sprinted down the hall to the door, key in hand. It took only a cursory examination of the door handle to realize someone had forced open the door.

Joe knelt in front of it and ran his finger along the bent metal doorjamb. "Looks like they jimmied it open with a crowbar."

I twisted the knob. It turned easily—too easily. The inner mechanisms felt broken. The door opened and my heart froze with terror. The den and kitchen had been absolutely trashed. Empty cabinets hung open and all the glassware and food had been smashed and strewn all over the floor. But what truly terrified me were the crimson stains all over the carpet and the upended furniture.

The copper odor of blood filled my nostrils.

"You'd better wait here while I investigate," Joe said.

"Isabel," I croaked. Without another thought, I ran inside, Joe calling out to me to stop.

But I didn't. I couldn't. My best friend might be dead.

I checked her bedroom. It looked completely untouched, aside from some dirty clothes in the corner of the room.

My room was another story. Though nothing had been moved, a crimson pattern stained the duvet, and spattered blood streaked down the wall. I wanted to scream in sorrow and anger and horror. What had happened here?

"Shit." Joe's voice came from the hallway.

I ran to him and saw him staring at the bathtub. It was filled with blood. A blood-crusted arm dangled over the side.

A terrible scream burst from my mouth. I lunged for the tub, but Joe grabbed me.

"You can't touch it, Miss Glass. We have to call the police."

My screams drowned out whatever he said next.

He practically dragged me to the hallway and called the police. Already, other neighbors crowded the hallway, talking among themselves. I didn't know any of them.