Read Online Seduced by Power by Alex Lux - Free Book Online Page B

sorry. I know you can never forgive me, but I love you so much, Derek. Forever. Remember that. No matter what else happens, I love you."
    Derek kissed me, his touch undoing me. "Rose, I don't blame you for anything. But we have to hurry. There's a dragon that runs this place. It'll be back soon. We need to get Dean."
    We walked across the room, the cries of the others escalating as we reached Dean's cage, where he lay, muscles worn away, little more than a skeleton. I opened the lock, and Derek pulled his brother out, hugging him as they both cried with desperate relief and hope. And, I'm sure, fear.
    Dean surprised me by leaning forward to hug me as well. "Thank you, Rose."
    How could he thank me when I was the reason he ended up here to begin with? The reality of what he'd suffered hit me hard and would have crippled me with guilt if I'd been anywhere else. But, we had more important things to focus on.
    They turned to leave, but I stopped them. "We need to get one more person. Donna."
    Dean nodded and walked toward another cage, this one even smaller. A woman, more girl-like than woman-like, crouched in the corner chewing on what was left of her hair and mumbling to herself.
    Derek shook his head. "We can't take her, Rose. She's too far gone, and she'll get us caught."
    "I can't leave her. It's my fault she's here in the first place."
    Ignoring Derek's tug to hurry, I opened her cage and reached for her, but she screamed and bit my hand, then shoved me out and pulled the cage door shut.
    "Honey," Derek's touch softened, "I know you want to make this right, but look at her."
    I was looking at her, and I saw the little girl with dead eyes that had haunted me nearly every night since that day in the playground. "Help me get her, then, if you're worried about this taking so long. I'm not leaving her."
    Derek sighed and knelt with me to pull her out as she scratched and bit and punched us. Dean helped us subdue her and guide her toward the inky pool I'd used to get here.
    We'd made it nearly to the edge when a great roar shook the cavern, scaring everyone silent for the first time.
    He appeared in mist, solidifying into a massive presence of body, wing and tale. Huge sharp teeth jutted from his face like stalagmite and stalactite, glistening like crystal. His scales, which covered his belly and head, shimmered in reds and blues, and his skin had the same appearance as Bankun, but smoother, more polished.
    Donna screeched and pulled away from Dean, plowing into me until I fell forward. Derek caught me, and I grabbed hold of Donna before she could run away.
    The beast breathed out smoke as he spoke. "Who dare flee my realm?"
    Shaking, I stepped forward. "Release my friends. They are not yours to keep. They belong in their own dimension."
    I hoped I sounded more confident than I felt.
    "And who might you be?"
    "I'm Rose. Half demon, half witch. I sent these three here by mistake and I came to retrieve them."
    With flickers of fire escaping its mouth, the great beast laughed. "The daughter of a demon. I know of you. You gave us plump meals with the promise of more."
    My face burned in rage. "There won't be more."
    "I know your father. There will always be more. You are his blood, his kin, his legacy. Demons pass on their powers. Yours has been tainted by your witch mother greedy for more power of her own, but it's still demon. As you age, your power will expand, feeding on everything around you. It is your way."
    This didn't sound like the hybrid of an Incubus. "Doesn't my father feed on sex?"
    "He feeds on sex, pain, pleasure, life. He is more than what you think. He seduces and entices, using glamour to manipulate. As my older brother, he controlled this realm once, until I defeated him in battle. Now he seeks to take what no longer belongs to him. He bred you for just such deeds."
    The floor dipped, my head spinning. Was my dad like the Devil or something? He used to rule hell. And now, holy crap. My uncle was a freaking dragon?