Free Five: Out of the Pit (Five #2) by Holli Anderson

seconds until they lifted it over the circle drawn on the floor. They none-to-gently dropped Trey and the chair when they’d reached the desired spot.
    “I need to be unbound to do this, you know.”
    “Yeah,” Alec huffed. “We figured that much ya poop-eating pee-drinker.”
    “You have such a gift for words,” Trey said.
    We all lent our strength to the closing of the circle. Halli pricked her finger for a drop of blood and uttered the words to close the circle. When he was securely locked inside, Alec spoke the words that unbound the duct tape. I heard it drop to the floor.
    “Maybe Paige would like to join me in the circle… now that my hands are free.”
    “Shut. Up.” Johnathan growled.
    “What’s wrong, Johnathan? Afraid she wants me more than she wants you?”
    “She doesn’t want you,” Halli said. “She’s never wanted you. I read up on Incubi. You use a special blend of mind control and pheromone infused potions to lure your prey. It doesn’t hurt that you’re incredibly handsome or that your voice is so melodic. It draws women to you. Your mind control does the rest. Paige loves Johnathan, that’s why she’s been able to fight your powers. Now, leave my friend alone and get on with your side of the bargain.” Halli’s gentle little voice was infused with strength.
    “I’m not a normal Incubus, my dear. I’ve been around for centuries, honing my skills. Most of my ‘prey’—as you call them—are more than willing participants.”
    Someone shot a jolt of power into the circle; I’m pretty sure it was Halli. Trey let out a squeak of pain. “That was completely unnecessary.”
    “Get on with it, Incubus.” Joe commanded. “Tell us what your plan is.”
    “Fine. I will call on a favor from the Demon,
Shalbriri
. Hopefully, your circle is strong enough to hold a lesser Demon.”
    “It was strong enough before, with just two of us,” Halli replied.
    “Hmm. I wondered if the Demon had been the cause of your blindness. Anyway, Shalbriri owes me a favor, so there will be no bargaining. I will call it up, it will return your sight, and then I will send it back. Easy.”
    The chill that ran down my spine could have been attributed to one of several things—Trey’s melodic voice; the thought of facing
Shalbriri
again; or the excitement of possibly being able to see again. I think it was mostly due to the last one, but might have been a combination of the three.
    In a trance-like voice, Trey sang, “
Shalbriri from the darkness below, I seek thee for the favor you owe. Come to me, your gift bestow, then quickly return to your prison below.”
    A ripping sound filled the room, followed by a
pop
. I became slightly nauseated with dread as the Demon entered our realm.
    The familiar British accent of the Demon gave me chills. “Ah. Trey. Yes, yes. It’s about time you called in this favor. I don’t like owing the likes of you. Why
are
you inside the pentacle?”
    “Well, as you can see, we aren’t alone here.”
    The Demon made a most evil hissing sound unlike any a human could muster. “Oh. I see. A couple of them are familiar to me.”
    “Shalbriri, to return the favor you owe me, you will return Paige’s sight to her.”
    “Aww. Incubus, I’ve only had it for such a short amount of time. Isn’t there something else I could provide in trade?”
    “No, Demon. Her sight. Now.”
    “Right. Give me her hair, then. This will not be pleasant for her… I will at least get some pleasure out of it that way.”
    Before I had time to contemplate the Demon’s words, a pain a hundred times worse than when he took my sight drilled into my eyes, my head. A million tiny cactuses drenched in habanero juice penetrated my eyeballs from the front, while flame-tipped razor blades dug in from behind and a circumferential vise clamped down on all sides. I wasn’t sure which would happen first—my eyeballs would burst into flames or my head would explode—but I was sure one or the other would