Free Rise of the Fae by Rebekah R. Ganiere Page B

bastard didn’t deserve pants. He didn’t deserve to live. He deserved a lifetime of torture and misery for what he’d done.
    Neeman reached for a cigarette and pulled out the gum. Why had he chosen now to give up smoking?
    One thing was for sure. The tactics they’d learned, to fight Vampire, vampyr, vamp and human, were not going to work on demons. If this was a lesser demon, they were screwed. All of them. Totally screwed.
    * * * *
    Neeman pulled the car up to the side of the compound and pushed the button to open the bay door. John’s death weighed on him. He’d told Riley they weren’t ready and now he had a human’s blood on his hands. Something he’d never wanted.
    He rolled the vehicle inside and waited for Riley to pull his in before closing the door. Stephos opened the back passenger side and yanked Rex out. The still unconscious demon flopped to the floor, his head smacking the cement.
    “Owww!” Rex awoke and grabbed the back of his skull.
    Stephos slammed the door. “Get up, scum.”
    Dazed, Rex sat up and looked around, still rubbing his head.
    “Scum? That hurts coming from a Vampire.”
    Stephos yanked Rex to his feet and punched him in the gut. “If you speak to me again, you’re going to wish I’d killed you back on that lawn.”
    Rex laughed heartily. “Oh please, do you know where I came from? This is nothing.” He smiled and his lips moved silently.
    “Don’t!” Neeman raised the remote. The collar lit up. Rex cried out and fell to his knees. Neeman continued to hold down the button on the remote until he was satisfied, with Rex curled in a ball on the floor. He released the button. “This is the collar we use for slaves. If you get far enough from me, your head will explode and I don’t think even you could survive that.”
    Rex gagged and then vomited all over the cement. Blood splattered the ground. Neeman covered his nose and choked down his own bile.
    “Get him up,” he said. “And hose down the garage. I don’t want that sinking in.”
    “Sure.” Stephos covered his own nose. “Come on.” He dragged Rex along by the arm to the elevator.
    “What should I do with John?” Riley asked, his voice subdued.
    Neeman locked gazes with him. “Get a couple of the humans. Wrap him in a sheet and we’ll bury him.”
    Riley nodded and started toward the elevator. Neeman grabbed him by the arm. He wanted to reassure Riley it wasn’t his fault, but Riley was at least partially responsible. As much as he himself was. Neeman patted Riley on the shoulder, gave him a grim smile, and nodded once.
    Riley nodded back.
    It was the best Neeman was going to be able to give. The group squeezed into the small elevator, the smell of blood and vomit permeating the air. The doors opened to the first floor, the area used as offices and interrogation.
    “Bring him.” Neeman motioned Stephos forward. He headed for the interrogation room when the scent of cinnamon and vanilla hit him and Selene rounded the corner. Dammit, really? The woman was everywhere.
    “What are you doing up here?” He strode toward her. “I told you to stay put.”
    * * * *
    Selene had been so bored she thought her brain might explode. After sitting in her room for over an hour with the voice in her head incessantly bugging her to leave, she’d decided if she had to be in this jail, she might as well explore it.
    There was the bedroom wing, which encompassed an entire floor of the compound along with a large common room and the kitchen. The common room had nothing she found of interest besides a stereo, some music discs, and a few comfortable couches.
    After locating the elevator, she’d gone down a level and ended up above the large training arena. A few Vampires and humans were practicing below. She watched them for several minutes and shook her head. They were practicing the same moves as earlier. She was tempted to go down and teach them herself, but she didn’t think Neeman would appreciate that.
    After watching