Her Black Wings (The Dark Amulet Series Book 1) Read Online Free Page B

off.
    “Of course you don’t, Leia.”
    Ram-head paced around the cavern. His tail swiped at the air while he whipped it back and forth. Elliott tracked the red-skinned idiot with only his eyes as the beast prattled on.
    “Leia…what’s this mean…princess, princess ?” The demon stopped in front of the angel poised to speak then moved away again. Eventually he perched on a boulder like Rodin’s The Thinker . However, there wasn’t a lot of thinking going on.
    The angel peered around the chamber, keeping his chin to his chest. One wall was shiny with moisture. On the opposite side, a fire crackled. The flames blackened the reddish rock up to the low, claustrophobia inducing ceiling. He took a deep breath.
    A waft of coppery scent brought Elliott’s chin up and he inhaled sharply. The bigger imp had returned.
    With a chainsaw.
    Soaked in blood.
    Elliott’s stomach plummeted. In reality the angel knew he wouldn’t die. However, mentally and physically he was going to suffer.
    A lot.
    Although he tried to remember what had occurred after waking up in Netherworld, the memory remained murky. The only things he could recall were sensations—his shirt being torn off, handfuls of feathers plucked, wrists and ankles cuffed.
    The chainsaw roared to life. A shallow slash was carved across his chest. Tears spilled from his eyes. The sting from the slice faded as blood oozed from the wound. Another pass of the blade dragged across his thighs. He sucked in a breath through his teeth. He pushed his back into the wall. A zig-zag pattern was sliced into his abdomen. Gashes were made on his biceps, shoulder, shins, and left cheek. He wasn’t howling in agony. He chanted under his breath, “This too shall pass. This too shall pass…”
    A final duty had been entrusted to him, and he would fulfill the assignment no matter how he felt.
    I will not screw this up.
    Spending forever trapped in this hell would suck.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER NINE
     
     
    Amalya
     
    Amalya felt the heat of the creature disguised as a handsome man; his breaths pelted her cheek. When he didn’t yell at her immediately she turned her head and peeked at him with one eye.
    “What do you say to me?”
    “What do you want me to say?”
    He shook her like a rag-doll. The floor came up fast. Her teeth gritted. She sprawled on the marble in disbelief. The man-creature had let her fall. Her knees and palms throbbed.
    “What do you say to me?” Man-creature balled his fists.
    “Tell you what, why don’t you just tell me what you want me to say?” She crawled away, her palms squeaking on the high-gloss floor. Hands curled around her waist stopping her retreat. “Let me go!”
    “Never!” The beast simmered beneath the surface. His eyes turned red for a second. White steam blew out his nose in a short burst.
    Amalya wanted to run. She thought about Reed and the trick she’d played on him. Of course, it had resulted in her death, but now this wasn’t an issue. His fingers crimped down on her sides, not tight enough to damage her, although she exploited the convenient man-handling anyway. Bracing the ball of one foot on the floor, she cried out. “Ow! Y-You’re h-hurting me!” Her tears dripped onto the floor and she sniveled in a convincing show.
    The heavy hold on her waist eased just enough for her to escape his grasp. She took off running, spring loaded from her foot. Four years of track had finally paid off. The only useful thing she’d learned in high school. Her bare feet squeaked on the marble.
    Amalya sprinted down the nearest corridor. At regular gaps along the walls, she streaked by blazing fires, the wind causing the flames to flare up, nearly igniting the train of her dress. She didn’t look back. There was no looking back at the man-creature. If he was chasing her, she didn’t know it. All she could hear was her own breath sawing in and out. She swallowed hard and licked her lips. Her mouth was a desert.
    Reaching a