Summoned

Chapter 14

I wake in a cage.

A fucking cage.

Like I'm some sort of animal... Some sort of common beast...

A cage, in some sort of dungeon, lit by firelight.

Me.

In a cage.

I'm bare-chested, my shoes have also been removed. My chest feels wet, and my toes are cold. At least they let me keep the jeans, but enough is enough. I will not be caged like some animal, I am Makenzie of Fire, a Demon of the Second Caste, I will not tolerate this treatment.

I try and breathe out my demonic form, but nothing happens. I try again, and in the darkness around me I hear laughter. The flames of various torches flicker as a breeze wafts through the spacious room in time to it.

I try again to breathe out my true form, to change, so I can escape this place – so I can face those that have trapped me and teach them a lesson.

But nothing happens.

I cannot change.

I try and pull shadow around me – there's more than enough of it in this dark space, make it seem like I have left the cage... But again, nothing happens.

I grab the bars of the cage and try to rip them out so I can escape... But I have no strength either.

Why?

My chest hurts, and something is dripping on the floor of the cage. Blood, blood from cuts on my chest... How? I'm a fucking demon, I'm impervious to anything on this plane of existence...

Why had my chest been cut?

"You are bound in human form Demon," a voice boomed through the dungeon, causing the bars of the cage to resonate. More laughter and at the cusp of hearing... Yes, whispers.

"You are going to fucking regret this!" I scream out, grabbing at the bars and shaking them. "I will rain Hell down on you!"

"Little Demon, only of the Second Caste – you are nothing but a tool to use. Be silent and heed your betters." A different voice, a lighter voice. And the attitude...

Yeah, the attitude? That, I recognised.

"Fucking Malakhim!" I scream out.

A patch of darkness near the edge of the room parts, and a winged-male steps out of it. Attired in armour, and with a sword in hand. I half expected it to be Calhoun, but it was someone else, someone I didn't know.

"Raif..." The name was shouted from the other side of the room, the voice strained. In the dim light I could make out another Malakhim, Cal. As the light got brighter, I could see that he was strung up, his wings impaled on spikes on the rough wall, a sigil carved into his bare chest too, blood still oozing from it.

Is that what they had done to me, carved a sigil or rune onto my body?

They would fucking pay if they had.

The other Malakhim, Raif – Cal had called him, walked towards the box I was in, sword pointed in my direction. Like Cal he was well defined, beautiful even, sexy with the chiselled jaw line and black wavy hair. No beard, but clean shaven. But his eyes, they glowed with a fire I had never seen.

"You've led us on a merry dance demon, but the time has come..."

"Raif, why?" Cal sounded weak.

"Tashet must pay!" The angry words echoed around the space which was slowly filling with whispers and light. I was beginning to see more of the room – more of the so called dungeon – it was actually the inside of a spacious church, and under the dark arched window was an altar. Pale men and women in suits, stood around the edge of the inside of the church, their eyes uncovered and red.