Games of a Different Kind-{sequel to Toys of a Dangerous Mind}

Chapter 3

The girl-Naomi- stared at me, shocked at my sudden vehement outburst. The same feeling coursed through my blood, where had that come from? Keeping everything inside had been easy, but the girl had pushed me to a point where I had exploded. 

"When did you give up?" she asked, a strange knowing look replacing her desperate expression. The tone of her voice was almost as if she was speaking to a friend, and I hated it. I had no friends, I didn't need them. In any case, Naomi would soon be Turned- and a vicious disposition would replace her helpless, pathetic emotions. And until the day I turned, no demon would be a friend of mine.

"Two months ago," I replied, the words tumbling from my mouth. "When I was captured after having escaped. It was all a trick, a ruse- a few words and I had thought I had a grand escape." I laughed bitterly, remembering the enthusiam, the crazy hope, the stupidity of it all. Naomi looked sympathetic, and then her features changed, and I knew the words that would fall from her lips.

"Please. Help me escape." I also knew I would reject them. 

"Idiot girl, there IS no escape! Have I not told you that already!?" Harsh words, but I had to make her see, had to make her stop begging. No matter how hard she pleaded with me, I would never accept. Her 'escape' would be foolish and her plans would quickly fall like a line of dominoes. And I would never help her kill herself. The girl was to be Raxis's first 'compatible' while we were together, and I would not wrench his toy away from him this time.

When Elena had escaped, her eyes slowly closing, a weak smile dying on her lips- the punishment had been severe. In a torrent of shouts and curses, he had disappeared in a flash, and before she could fully fly away from his grasp, he flung her soul into a cell of the Games of Pain. Those who touch with Raxis, and mingle in the stained life of his, are tainted. These people are so much easier to claim as his- and be cast into his never-ending games. 

When my Change was complete, even as a demon, death would find me. I was simply reborn into another body, and given a full lifetime before I took my last breath. And Raxis had promised me, after I stood there defiantly, holding a bloody razor over Elena's body, that he would double my punishment in the afterlife. 

"I can't," I declined. Seeing the hurt and fear all over her face, a slight pang of guilt went through me, but I reined it in. I was not going to be hurt more and the only way was to let her fall into Raxis's grasp. 

"I would be punished, and..and it would not be a good end for you," I continued, my reason ending lamely. A barrier sprung up whenever I even thought on telling her of the Games of Pain. The burden should not be cast onto another. My excuse felt dirtied, as it had already been used. On him. Him, the boy, my old friend. Liam had been ignorant that his brother would be tortured if he killed him, and when he found out I had kept it from him....his anger was terrible. 

"Please!" Naomi begged. "Goddamn it, just help me!" 

"I CAN'T!" I repeated forcefully, getting to my feet. "Just stop asking me, my answer will stay the same!" Her anguished expression was tripled, and I tore my eyes away from the brimming lake of tears forming in her eyes, and strode out the room. Flustered, I tripped, my high heels betraying me as I fell to the ground. 

And then I stopped. The floor stopped rushing up to meet me, and a pair of arms were wrapped around me. Comforting, reassuring, wonderful- I yanked myself away, brushing myself down. Flurries of emotions, crazy ideas, stupid things to say- god, no. Not now. Ruining this emotionless state I was trying so DAMN hard to become, ruining everything and bringing everything I didn't want to feel racing back to the surface of my mind.

Tall, blonde, familiar, heartbreaking, stubborn, loving, loyal, angry, amazing and standing right in front of me. And also staring at me with an indecipherable expression on his handsome face.