Copyright © 2020 Kaizer Wolf

Innocent Devil's Harem | Chapter 13-2: Risking Everything to Save Her

As I crept into the room, I was looking in every direction for any signs of anything, yet there weren’t even cameras as far as I could tell.

Still, my heart was racing, all my nerves on edge, and there was no way in hell I’d be able to try looking human right now, even if I wanted to.

Which meant…

Focusing on Serenity again as I began moving a little quicker, I watched her dark brown eyes shift away from the knives, widening slightly in shock as I got close enough to become visible to her eyesight. But I didn’t care at this point.

I didn’t care if she’d reject me. I didn’t care if she’d end up wanting me out of her life.

In this moment, her rejection was nothing compared to the need to make sure she survived.

The need to keep her safe.

Because, at the end of the day, when it really came down to it, I’d give up everything to protect her.

Even if that meant actually giving up her.

Thus, I remained focused on the task at hand, instead of worrying about what she’d think, or worrying about how this would change things.

Now close enough to really begin formulating a plan of action, realizing I’d probably just have to grab her, toss her over my shoulder naked and make a run for it, I paused again when I heard an odd clicking sound coming from up above in the distance.

Followed immediately by more clicking coming from behind me too.

There wasn’t even time to react.

Instantly, the wind was knocked out of me as something heavy hit me from the front and back nearly at the same time, splitting my bones as I was struck straight through.

Then, just as fast, I was abruptly lifted off my feet as my entire ribcage was strained to the point of feeling like the whole thing was being crushed under the sudden pressure.

Gasping for breath, I focused down at the metal rod sticking out of my left shoulder, feeling and looking like some kind of harpoon, realizing that metal prongs where similarly crushing me against my ribs on the right side from the one that had struck me straight through from behind. Both of them were attached to now taut metal cables, holding me a good four or five feet off the concrete floor.

Coughing up blood, struggling to breathe, my mind registered that the one impaling me through the back must have collapsed my right lung, knowing I might not be able to draw in air at all if the other had hit me just a few inches lower.

Never mind the fact that they’d both missed my heart.

Yet, as I reached out to try to tug on the cable in front of me, I knew there was no hope of me escaping any time soon, if ever.

I was trapped, unable to free myself or even support my own weight. Who in the hell would develop some crazy trap like this?

And who in the hell even had the resources to set up this kind of thing? How in the hell was it even aimed? Was it motion sensitive? Was the clicking sound some kind of aiming mechanism? Could I have avoided it if I hadn’t walked straight toward Serenity?

Pulling on one cable only meant that I put agonizing pressure on the other crushing my ribs as it held me in place.

Still, I had to try to get free.

Attempting to focus, I grasped the steel cable tightly again, making an effort to at least yank one of the barbed shafts out of my body, only to cry out in a vicious growl of torment. The pain was excruciating, more so than I could bear, even with my life on the line.

Even with my best friend’s life on the line.

Dammit!

Gritting my teeth, I tried yanking again, attempting to turn and twist in hopes that maybe it would find the exact angle that it had gone in. But to no avail, even as my growls and shouts echoed in the empty warehouse.

With every passing second, I began feeling colder and colder, like the temperature in the room was actively dropping.

Unexpectedly, a door opened in the distance, prompting me to stop what I was doing as I focused on the man confidently taking a step through. He had dark skin, a shaved head, and simultaneously looked old and young, like a man in his fifties or sixties who’d just aged really well. I’d certainly never seen him before, as far as I knew, but there was something about him that felt a little familiar, though I had zero idea why.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

After a second pause, he grinned widely, his white teeth a sharp contrast to his dark skin, beginning to clap loudly after looking the scene over.

“Congratulations!” he announced in a deep booming voice that echoed in the room. “I’m surprised you got here so fast! You’re just in time for the main event!”

I coughed again, tasting metal as I tried to speak. “Who the hell are you?” I demanded, my mind racing as I tried to stall, while desperately hoping to come up for any way to get myself out of this mess. Or at least for a way to get Serenity to safety.

“Ah!” he said, grinning wider as he approached casually. “I’m sure you’d like to know, wouldn’t you?!” he taunted, only to scoff. “Well, I think I’ll give you a hint! Nine years ago, I hired a man to kill my ex-wife and her soon-to-be-born infant. A nasty fellow, he was, but the bastard was perfect for the job!”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, my mind working into overdrive as I tried to process what he was saying. Tried to grasp the implications.

He didn’t wait for a response, laughing then as he continued. “I had cameras set up at the location where it was supposed to happen, so that I could have a recording to watch whenever I was in need of some entertainment.” His grin widened even more, a vile look to his dark brown eyes. “However, much to my surprise, something amazing happened! A devil, of sorts, appeared and killed the hired help, thereby finishing off the job for me, since I was going to have to end him myself afterward anyway.” He gestured with both hands toward me, as if he was showing me, to myself, on display. “And a child devil at that! I was amazed! Obsessed, really. I had to find this monster and thank him myself. And I knew exactly how I’d do it too.”

Finally, a plan began formulating in my mind as he moved closer, him seeming more than thrilled to monologue about everything he’d clearly worked so hard to achieve to get to this moment.

My right upper back began reshaping, pain radiating across my muscles from the effort, as he continued.

“First, I would figure out if this monster had anything worth losing, and then I would steal it from him. Because…” He paused as he finished striding right up to me, now only a few feet away, smirking up at his captive as he spoke with a lowered voice. “Because I had to make it clear that there was no greater predator than me.”

I didn’t care who this bastard was, or what connections he had to my past. All that mattered in this moment was that Serenity was going to die before my eyes if I didn’t end the threat, and this man had just unknowingly stepped within my reach.

Clearly, this predator didn’t fully understand what he was hunting.

Without hesitation, I finished shoving out my right wing, and whipped it around, aiming a bony finger in an uppercut arc, the difference in height making it so I could just barely reach his neck from this distance.

He still had a grin on his face as I stabbed him through the throat, with me lifting up even as it caused excruciating pain to radiate through my entire body from the strain. But I was irrational at this point, my mind feeling feral as my body grew colder.

I lifted him by his neck right up to my face, his hands grasping wildly at my wing, with me coughing as I spoke to him before the light died from his eyes, realizing I could barely draw enough breath for words.

“No,” I hissed, a growing thirst clouding my thoughts. “There is no greater predator than me.”

My mouth began feeling extra wet as I started pulling him a little closer, only for my strength to unexpectedly leave me, my fatigued wing dropping as it cramped, causing him to slip off into a heap on the floor. I could hear his blood gushing out below me, frantically trying to reach down with my wing to grab him again, not even fully understanding why I wanted to so desperately.

Instead, I ended up stabbing him aimlessly with the end of my longest bony finger, hearing him gurgle in pain, probably thinking I was intentionally torturing him when in reality I was trying for something else entirely.

When I realized I wasn’t going to be able to grab him, I finally gave up, and just hung there limply, attempting to focus on my breathing again, feeling like the lack of oxygen in my system was the problem.

Slowly, my clouded thoughts began to clear a little, prompting me to refocus on Serenity, still lying there, having silently watched with wide eyes everything unfold before her.

Shit.

Seeing her nakedness. Seeing her vulnerability. Suddenly the only thing on my mind was wishing I could cover her up. To shield her from all this.

To shield her from the monster I was.

Without thinking, I reached out my wing again, attempting for her clothing on the floor now, but of course it was too far out of my reach. Still, I tried aimlessly for a few seconds, my mind unable to focus on anything else, until a thought hit me.

She was safe now.

Assuming this guy didn’t have an accomplice, she was safe now. The drug would wear off, and she’d be able to get dressed and walk out of here. She’d be okay.

She’d survive.

Relief swept over me then, still wishing I could cover her up, but knowing she’d be able to do it herself soon. Which meant I really just needed to focus on getting myself free, if at all possible, or else I was the one who was going to end up dying.

Normally, I knew that pulling the harpoons out would make a normal person just bleed out, but I was pretty sure my body would at least try to seal up the wounds if I could just get them free.

Coughing weakly, I attempted to pull on the shaft coming out of my shoulder again, crying out as I tugged as hard as I could manage, fighting against the pain. But it was no use.

I might be able to chew through the cable if I could reach it, but I couldn’t even do that, since giving it a tug did little to bring it closer, instead just increasing the pressure against my ribs.

Finally giving up, I refocused on the person I’d loved for so long, feeling completely helpless and defeated now. And realizing that if she rejected me, then this was my only chance to apologize before she decided to never speak to me again.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.” My vision began blurring. “I was afraid you wouldn’t love me anymore if you found out. I’ve always been like this, since I was born. And I’ve always tried to hide it from you. Afraid I would scare you.” I coughed again, realizing my tears were brimming over now. “Gabriella knows,” I admitted quietly. “I’m the one who saved her last night.” Was it really only last night? How could so much happen in a day? “So she knows,” I continued with another cough, my thoughts feeling cloudy again. “That’s not why she loves me though. At least, that’s what she said. And I believe her. She liked me before she found out. And she liked me even after finding out.” I tried to focus on the girl I loved again, attempting to meet her gaze, wishing I knew what was going through her mind. “I’m so sorry, Ren. I’m sorry if I frighten you. I’m sorry this happened. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you when he kidnapped you.” I tried to suck in a deep breath. “I’m just sorry.”

Attempting to take another breath, I ended up coughing up blood instead, feeling like I was drowning for a moment before I finally managed to suck in a shallow gasp.

I had to do something.

I was really trapped, and I had to get free soon, suddenly realizing I was making assumptions about Serenity’s recovery. What if she needed medical attention? For all I knew, maybe the drug wouldn’t wear off like I thought. Maybe she’d be paralyzed forever, unless she got to the hospital soon.

I wasn’t even sure if that made sense, but at this point I was beginning to panic and felt like I couldn’t fully think straight.

Copyright © 2020 Kaizer Wolf