Pain. Weightlessness. More Pain. Screams, threats, questions... So many questions. They never stopped. She'd answered none; first from fear, then from the incredible soreness in her throat from the bloodcurdling screams he'd forced out of her. There was so much pain. Her shoulders had long ago slipped from their sockets. There was no ground, no support; only the dank humidity that enveloped her naked body. She knew she was naked because she felt the sharp edge of the knife as it tore off her clothes. She knew she was naked because she felt every shallow cut administered to the tender flesh of her skin. So many cuts. She'd tried to remain brave, to emulate the strength she'd seen in movies, but then he started using his hands. His first targets were her eyes. He'd battered her face relentlessly; she'd heard the sickening noises of her facial bones breaking. Still, she refused to speak.
He'd strangled her. Over and over again, he'd wrapped his large, cold and slimy hands around her neck and squeezed until she'd nearly fainted. When she began to go limp, he beat her awake. Still, he asked questions, countless questions about her knowledge on the demon realm. Had The Order sent him after her? Were they tying up loose ends?
He hadn't raped her; he told her humans were disgusting and that though she was pleasant to look at, she had the smell of a Belial all over her. What was a Belial?
Her eyes were swollen shut; she couldn't see anything. Not that she'd want to look at the man who'd hurt her. Too late, she'd realized that he wasn't Spencer and that she wasn't safe. She never even had a chance to run; he'd grabbed her and dared her to scream while he held a knife to her throat. There was no one on the trail, no opportunity for escape. He laughed when she struggled, encouraged her to continue. He got off on her effort.
So she stopped, determined to give him nothing. But he didn't like that. And he made it known. After the beatings came the real game. The rules were simple enough; answer his questions and he wouldn't hurt her. She didn't believe that for a second. She knew she was going to die; she'd do it with dignity.
She never knew how terrifying the sound of a blowtorch was until then. He started small, going after her fingers and toes. The more he asked, the more he burned. He became bored after he'd burned her side enough to expose the muscle; she knew because he told her what he saw. Her screams of pain did nothing to deter her. He kept on, switching his tactics. He held the knife to the fire so that it would cauterize all the cuts he made. However bad, the slow burn of the hot blade was nothing compared to the scalding water he drenched her with. How was it possible to be completely numb while at the same time, incredibly sensitive to pain?
How long had she been there? Days? How many? Torture this severe should have killed her by now; she had no sight, could not speak because he broke her jaw, and could hear nothing but her own tortured cries. How could she speak if he broke her jaw?
No food, no water. Just pain. Endless Pain.
She wasn't aware she'd passed out until she was awakened by the agonizing pain of the whipping. Dozens of lashes cutting hot lines into her. Her back, her legs... All of it on fire. He'd finally realized that she couldn't speak and had taken to toying with her, trying to find her breaking point. He wanted to see how far he could go before she abandoned all will to live. She must have been crazy to hold on, but she couldn't let go.
She didn't want to die.
"You're stronger than most," he said, "I've killed stronger demons in less time." Nyx was impressed; the lowly human was worth everything he'd put her through. It was becoming difficult to keep her alive though; her strangled sounds were boring him and even a demon as cruel as he had a sliver of mercy. The only reason he waited as because he knew the half breed would come after her. And once he did, he'd show him who the better assassin was - by murdering the human in front of him. Then he'd gain his seat at The Order. The half breed would live, if only to spend the rest of his days locked in a cage to think over his many mistakes. "But you... You've got grit. Grit... That is the term you humans like to use, am I correct?" He laughed as he looked about the makeshift torture chamber, amazed by the amount of blood he'd managed to splatter over the obscure, cave-like walls. More blood covered the dirt on the ground and had he more than candlelight to rely on, Nyx was sure that he would have seen the extent of the damage he caused. He leaned against the wooden table that held his instruments and gazed at the human. She hardly looked like anything with the severe swelling taking over her body. Her skin was blistered in dozens of areas; bruised and bloodied in others. But she'd kept on, enduring the fun he'd had with her. "I'm impressed."
Nadia groaned in response. She wanted to tell him to go to hell, but it seemed as if she was already there. She was so tired, so hungry. When would he end it?
"But let it be known, human. This is the price you pay for sticking your once pretty little nose where it doesn't belong."
"A price you'll be paying very soon."
Nyx grinned happily as he pushed himself away from the table. "Half breed. I was wondering when you would show up."
Andraemalek did not look at Nadia as he stepped into the room. He knew that the second he did, all bets were off. He had to keep a level head in the underworld; there were too many enemies to keep track of. Slowly, he took a step forward, a silent telling that Nyx would have no choice but to go through him to escape. Not that he would; Andraemalek had every intention of killing the bastard before he left the underworld.
Nyx stared at the half breed in its demonic form. Though impressed, he was not intimidated. "We've been waiting for you for a long time." He turned to look at Nadia and raised a brow as he said, "Might feel like a longer wait for her, though."
"You've got a lot of mouth for a demon that's about to die." Andraemalek noticed that Nyx chose to stay in human form, the same figure he'd taken the night of their fight. "I'll be more than happy to shut you up."
"I'm so scared." Nyx laughed at the larger demon as he prepared himself for the impending battle. He wasn't scared at all; in fact, he was rather excited to go another round. This time, he wouldn't let the half breed live. "How's your side?"
