Read Demon Possession Online

Authors: Kiersten Fay

Demon Possession (2 page)

BOOK: Demon Possession
4.9Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

Massive machines used for lifting heavy cargo loomed above her, bolted to the thick retaining wal s. No one was currently manning them.

Usual y a slave or two was brought with each delivery, though Analia didn’t see any this time. Darius liked to acquire things, people included. Though most of the crew were free, many, like her, were slaves, most of them women. And though they were treated just as poorly, they were rarely keptasisolated as shewas.

Each crew member, slave or not, was handpicked by Darius, selected for their great strength, knowledge, or beauty. Darius demanded only the best at his command. However, slave or free they al had one thing in common, they feared their leader.

Darius was a ruthless tyrant, and wasn’t afraid to dole out pain whenever he pleased. When he wasn’t punishing her for some perceived infraction, he often forced her to watch—what he referred to asdiscipline—as someone else suffered. In order—she suspected—to frighten her into submission. It worked.

She was once forced to witness a group, made up of one female and three males, beingdisciplined. One of the men had been condemned to death, the other three were ordered to take his life or die themselves. Analia never learned what they did to deserve such a punishment. They were given no weapons to carry out the act. Horrorstruck, Analia watched as they pounded at the condemned man with only hands and feet, to save their own lives. If she didn’t watch, if she closed her eyes, then she knew she would be on the receiving end of her own punishment.

Analia shook the memory away. This was her first real attempt at escape.She’d thought ofitmany times before, dreamt of what it would be like to be in possession of her own life. To do what she wanted when she wanted. Oh, how she craved freedom.To think, act, and speak with no fear of consequence.

No one forcing her to use her ability until her body—drained of almost al its essence—gives out in exhaustion. No man to encroach on her body, when she hadn’t the energy to fight him off. She shook her head.

Focus.

She peeked from behind her hiding spot. The guard was stil there, blocking her escape. He hadn’t moved from his position since she last chanced a look. She’d never seen the man before, which meant he was a member of the merchant ship, and was there for thesolepurpose of keeping people,such as her,from trespassing.

Her plan had been simple, wel … in theory. She planned to sneak onto the merchant ship, hide until it next docked, and then sneak off the ship, disappearing forever from Darius’reach.Easy right?

She just needed a little more luck, just a little to get her on that ship, one step closer to freedom. She deserved it, dammit! How much more should she be made to suffer? How much more could she take?

“Calic!” a male voice shouted. Analia jumped at the sound. She peeked to see the guard’s attention diverted to something inside the other ship.

“What?” was the blond guard’s clipped reply.

“The last load is stuck!” A voice yel ed. “We can’t get it through the doorway! It won’t fit!”

“It helps if you’re smarter than the door,” The blond guard muttered under his breath before yel ing back, “We got it in there didn’t we?” He sighed before disappearing into the ship and out of Analia’s view.

Her heart beat heavy in her chest. She waited a few seconds expecting him to quickly return. When he didn’t she sucked in a breath and moved forward, hesitant at first, and then dashed for the opening. She could hear nothing but the rush of blood in her ears and the quick thud of her wild heart.

Closer. Closer.

When she crossed the threshold onto the other ship her breath caught. No sign of the blond guard. Immediately she took in her new surroundings. The room was significantly smal er than the large one at her back, suggesting that the merchant ship as a whole was a fraction the size of The Hel Ship.

There were two doorways to choose, one to her front and one to her right. When voices came from the right she sprang for the opening to her front.

Spying ahead first, she moved through the door and into a long hal way. The air was warmer here, and a soft tan carpet tickled her feet. She was shocked by the sight of color on the wal s, a mocha brown warmed by the touch of soft overhead light.

Ignoring the exhaustion and hunger that loomed over her she moved quickly, seeing no promise of shelter. She was exposed and if anyone spotted her now al would be lost.

After passing through a few empty corridors, guided by instinct alone, she spotted an open doorway. From her position she could see the hint of a window, beyond it,a sight she hadn’t seen for a very long time. Disbelieving, she was drawn forward. The room was rounded with computer consoles wrapped around the edge of the room, a center console near the back wal to her left stood alone. A large window blanketing more than half the room and revealed a sight she’d cal ously been deprived of, a sight she had longed for. Awe overpowered her as she gazed through it.

Space!

Black. Deep. Vast. Space, speckled with pinpricks of light. Endless possibilities masked in darkness. The power of it held her where she was. Her tightly wound emotions nearly exploded at the beauty of it. Only one thing was able to tear her eyes away and bring her back to reality.

She was not alone.

His back to her, a young dark haired male sat facing the encompassing window. His attention was on his computer console, clicking away, oblivious of her sudden appearance.

“Cargo’s unloaded!” A distant voice came from behind. Someone was coming toward her. “The captain wants the ship ready to go as soon as he returns!”

Her stomach tightened, she felt a bead of sweat run down her spine. Silently she edged away from the door and crouched behind the main console, the only place where she could hide. Unfortunately she was only partial y hidden. The approaching male might not see her upon entering,but if the other man sitting at his station turned, he would spot her instantly. She watched him intensely, holding her breath.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

After glancing around, realization hit her and her throat went dry. She swal owed hard, taking in the rest of thecontrolroom. The heart of the ship! A room that wil soon be fil ed with bodies ready to take their stations. And the console she was crouched behind, considering its location in the room, must belong to the captain!

In a panic she searched for another escape. There were no other doors. There was nothing else to hide behind, in, or under. The console that she was crouched behind was only a few feet from the back wal , which was the only flat wal in the room, connecting it to the rest of the ship. She studied it for a moment, feeling that something was there. Something she’s not seeing.

Then she caught it from the corner of her eye—a smal latch near the floor, not too far out of reach.

The male entered the room. “Did you hear me?” He said to the other man. “Cal the crew back to their stations. We’l be departing as soon as the captain returns.”

“Yeah, I heard you.”

Analia scooted out of view as the male advanced into the room to attend an unoccupied console next to his col eague, leaving his back to her.

Ready to move she slowly reached out and gently lifted the latch. There was a soft click. Her breath caught at the sound. Glancing at both men, they didn’t seem to have noticed the noise. She pul ed gently, half expecting the tiny door to squeak from lack of use. But it silently revealed a smal opening just big enough for her to fit through. Shuffling through the space Analia pul ed the door closed behind her.Click. She almost growled at the sound, which seemed louder this time.

After a moment of bloodcurdling stil ness, she released the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding and surveyed her surroundings. It was a smal cramped space, seemingly for maintenance purposes. Tubes of varying thickness ran along one wal , slightly lit by a dim line of lights. The room was about four feet by three feet. Enough room for her to lie down with her knees bent, which, at the moment, seemed like a real y great idea. Every muscle in her body was pul ed tight, her heart stil pounded with adrenaline.

Making herself as comfortable as possible she fought against an exhaustion that threatened to drag her into oblivion. Passing out right now was not a good idea. Once she felt safe she’d relent, but danger stil loomed. The ships were stil attached and everything could stil go wrong. She tried to listen to what was happening outside her tiny enclosure. Nothing it seemed. She pictured the two men clicking away at their computers.

Light and dark spots began to star her vision, indicating that she was losing her battle against the overwhelming exhaustion pressing down on her. She had succumbed to exhaustion enough times to know that she was lost. Stil she strained to stay awake, rubbing her eyes to reinvigorate them, in a near useless attempt to keep them from closing again. Her brain pounded with the need to shut down. Only now did her heart begin to slow. Breathing was becoming easier. Body relaxing, her head lul ed.

Stay awake.

Vision blurred.

The last thing she heard was the voice of a man, someone who had just entered the control room. She was unable to make out what was said, but the deep masculine timbre seemed to ease her in some way. She al owed it to rol over her, a vibrating energy that wrapped her in a cloak of security. Or was that just exhaustion making her delusional? Stil , she couldn’t deny the energy she felt from him, even from within her enclosure. His rumbling voice boomed again, to her tired mind there was no making sense of his words.

She closed her eyes as she felt her body fal ing into blackness.

Chapter 2

Sebastian Uthair sat in the al -too-familiar spot, across from Darius in a chair similar to his, but slightly lower to the ground. Darius sat behind the large dark wooden desk, as usual. Wood was difficult to acquire in space, vastly expensive in its raw form. Ful y crafted it sold for astronomical prices, and was acquired as a means to display status or wealth. Wealth Darius had, which was made obvious by the overabundance of wood furnishings and expensive tapestries decorating his office. But status in space was meaningless. Space was a hostile environment that required a sharp and cunning mind over prestige any day. That and a shit load of weapons.

Most of the items in Darius’s office were displayed to exude a sense of upper-class and distinction, objects placed meticulously to build a sense of importance. Sebastian saw it for what it was; a facade of an egotistical man. This man was no more important than a leaf on the wind. As a merchant, Sebastian had to deal with these al -too-self-important types constantly.

Darius dressed—same as he decorated his office—with the purpose of seeming more important than he was. His suit, expertly tailored, was made from the finest fabrics one could come across. Shoes, buffed to a perfect shine. And his coffee-colored hair was molded neatly, framing his face.

Silently, Darius sipped his cup of steaming liquid while he,in turn,scrutinized Sebastian. Sebastian’s clothes were simple. His style was more wear-whatever-you-grab, and less preconceived, although today he put a little more thought into his dress. A pair of black pants—riddled with pockets, buckles, and secret places to hide his weapons—a pair of thick black boots, scuffed with overuse, and a dark coat, lined with a light-gray faux fur, over a simple white shirt. Around his neck he wore two heavy silver chains, which could double as weapons if needed. His short coal-colored hair was purposeful y messed, al owing his horns to peek out. He too knew how to put on a show. His appearance projected danger and reinforced the common knowledge that you don’t want to piss off a demon, especial y this one.

Darius sat silently, giving off his usual air of superiority. Sebastian matched him with a quiet reserve, knowing what was about to come, as he had grown to expect it.

Negotiation time.

“I’l give you half the agreed price.” Darius final y declared, in a tone meant to end the conversation there. He put down his mug and picked up his pen, readying to draw up the new contract.

Two items missing from the load and the bastard thinks he should get half off!Stifling his annoyance Sebastian replied, “That would not even cover my costs.” His voice was calm, a slight lift at the corners of his lips, his face a mask of arrogance. It was the only way to deal with the obdurate bastard.

“A few of the items I requested are missing from the load. I cannot pay the ful amount we agreed upon. If I did that, every one of my merchants would bring me only half of my order and demand ful price.” Darius tsked.

“There are only two items I was unable to acquire and those items are damn near impossible for anyone to get. I would have to risk my life or the lives of my crew, and you are not paying me enough for that.”

“I disagree.” A knowing smile played across his lips. “A few short weeks ago, a competitor of yours, Kierok, I believe was his name, was able to bring me one of those items, and charged me less than you quoted.” A steely pause, “Perhaps I should do more business withhim.”

Sebastian knew Kierok, a rival merchant and a heartless creature. He also knew that Darius was waiting for some kind of outburst at the prospect of losing him as a customer. He probably expected Sebastian to crumble at his words and beg for whatever pay he was wil ing to offer. But Sebastian could not care less if he and Darius did business. There was something abhorrent about the man. Sebastian sensed he needed to tread cautiously around him, always kept his guard up, as though he were a snake in the grass waiting for the perfect moment to strike.It takes one to know one.Sebastian himself was one to be wary of. When a snake strikes,youstrike back harder.

“Kierok doesn’t give two shits about his own crew and cal ously risked their lives to procure your goods. I don’t work that way.”

Darius studied him for a moment. Frown in place. “Kierok could provide me withal the same services as you,” He pushed.

Sebastian only smiled, never taking his amber eyes from the man in front of him. “If that’s how you feel I wil have my men pack up the cargo and we’l be on our way.”

Darius tried and failed to hide a sneer before saying, “Unfortunately I cannot wait for Kierok. But I wil not pay ful price for partial delivery.” He slammed his hand down on his desk to emphasize his point.

BOOK: Demon Possession
4.9Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

Other books

Crystal Gryphon by Andre Norton
Zoo Station: The Story of Christiane F. by Christiane F, Christina Cartwright
A Veiled Reflection by Tracie Peterson
Take a Chance on Me by Susan May Warren
Heartless: Episode #3 by J. Sterling
Running Northwest by Michael Melville