Surprise excerpt from The Deceived

Rachael was tied down to a stone table inside Elizabeth’s castle, covered in blood and bruises. The ropes rubbed against her skin, leaving burns as she attempted to escape.

“We cannot fulfill what we need to do if you do not let go of Jesse!” Elizabeth appeared inside of the room. “He’s nothing more than a cover! Let him burn!”

“I have done everything you have ever asked of me without question,” Rachael stated. “But this… just please do not do this! He has done nothing wrong.”

“He is in the way!”

Elizabeth waited for a response from Rachael but there wasn’t one.

“I’m giving you one last chance.”

“I can’t,” she answered.

“Then suffer!”

Elizabeth angrily stormed out of the room.

The ropes tightened around Rachael’s body, binding her flat against the stone. A thin line of smoke escaped from around the base of the table as several sets of claws dug into the stone, using it to pull themselves up. Demons.

Rachael fought against the ropes as the demons climbed up to her. She was unable to get away as they reached the top.

They were far worse outside of human bodies. Wasted away and starved for human flesh.

The first one, looking much like a human child, climbed onto the table and looked at Rachael with its head tilted to one side.

“I’m not a human. You don’t want me,” she told it.

It paused in confusion, leaning down towards her. She turned away in disgust and fear as it licked the side of her face. It sat back up with a shriek of joy, calling the other demons to it.

“No!” Rachael fought harder. It smiled at her, its brethren clawing at the base of the table to join it.

“No!” she screamed, unable to get away.

The first one attacked her, sinking its teeth into her throat. Another one grabbed onto her hair, slicing her face in its attempt to get to her. More of them surfaced, biting and clawing her. They were eating her alive. Somehow they knew to avoid the ropes, keeping her tied down.

However, her screams were not in vain.

A few minutes after the first demon made its attack, Jesse ran into the room.

“Hey!”

The demons retreated back into their place under the table with shrieks of fear. The smoke stopped when the last one disappeared beneath the stone.

“Jesse?” Rachael asked in disbelief.

“Rachael, love, why didn’t you tell me?”

He untied her and she clung to him, leaning against his chest and holding onto his coat.

“I didn’t want Elizabeth to hurt you,” she told him.

“I’m your guardian.” He lifted her off of the table, holding her close to his chest. “I’ve been trained since birth to destroy anything that could hurt you. I can handle her.”

He carried Rachael out of the room, turning down a hallway that led deeper into the heart of the caverns they were in.

“Jesse, the door is the other way,” Rachael realized.

“We’re not going to the door.”

She looked over Jesse’s shoulder to see numerous demons behind them, dragging themselves along the floor and panting with hunger.

“Jesse…”

She started to panic.

“Everything is going to go exactly as I want it.”

A door opened on its own in front of them, revealing an entrance straight into Hell.

“Jesse!”

She struggled to get away from him but he was too strong, tightening his grip to the point where it hurt her.

“Rachael, don’t you trust me?”

His voice was mocking her even as his face stayed sincere. He stopped at the edge of the room.

Thousands of demons writhed in the burning pit, climbing up the sides to get to Rachael.

“No, please!”

“Don’t you love me?” he asked in feigned concern. “Don’t you believe that I will always protect you?”

Then he started to let go.

“Don’t do this to me!”

She moved from trying to get away to trying to hold on.

“But, Rachael.” Even his face wasn’t sincere anymore. “I love you.”

He let go completely and she fell, screaming, over the edge.