But this strange existence never offered an easy way out of the betrayals and cruelties and need that living brought. He stepped back when they put their hands on Rachel, and he saw Enochs eyes glittering with pleasure. No, not Rachel, he reminded himself. The Lilith. A demon, neither male nor female, and hed broken the laws of creation and fucked her, at Belochs orders. It was the only way Beloch would do his part in helping them find the truths she had hidden inside her altered memories, and if Azazel paid for it with the soul hed already lost, then so be it.
There was no pleading, no reproach, no fury, in her huge eyes. After the first shock, something had closed down over her, and she turned her head away, not looking in his direction.
She had a trace of blood on her mouth. His blood. He reached up and touched his neck. Shed barely broken the skin, and the bleeding had been minimal. He had no idea why shed done it. But if hed had any doubts about what he was doing, that was a sign.
They were hurting her. Theyd manacled her hands, using iron to keep her lost gifts at bay. Demons were powerless against ironhed used it himself when hed staked her out to die. It would have been more merciful to have
left her there. It would have been over, in the past, and he would have forgotten her.
But they would never have gleaned the information she had locked in her brain, as the Truth Breakers were sworn to do. And he might have doubted his decision, with no proof that she was any danger to him.
He had that proof now. He was tied to her, part of herhis blood and his semenand she was part of him. In the taking of his fluids, she had taken his autonomy. They were bound together, in flesh and feeling. Until they killed her.
Take her to the Truth Breakers, he said in a harsh voice.
Well take her anywhere we damned well please, Enoch said, and Azazel wasnt sure which was worse: the Nightmens random, murderous violence, or the careful sadism of the Truth Breakers torture.
Beloch will be displeased if you kill her, he said coldly, playing the one card he had. He wasnt doing her any favors by saving her for the Truth Breakers. But the Fallen needed the information that was buried as deeply as her demon memory.
Enochs face darkened. We would never disobey his orders. But he wont mind if we hurt her a little. Get a taste of what youve been enjoying. Its not every day you get a chance to fuck the Lilith.
His blood roared in protest, but he managed to keep his voice steady. You would regret it, he said. Shes a scourge. Shell cause your man-part to shrivel and fall off. Im immune because of the prophecy. None of you would be so lucky. The lie came easily, shocking him. He shouldnt have been able to lie.
Enoch looked properly horrified, and the men holding Rachel shifted uneasily, appalled even to be touching her. Good. Hed spared her that much, at least.
Keep your distance, men, Enoch commanded. I dont know if Wing-boy here is lying or not, but shes not worth taking the chance. He glanced back at Azazel. I didnt think you had the stones to do this. You must be more like us than I thought.
Azazel didnt flinch. The rain was pouring down, drenching them, and he felt as if he were drowning. There was nothing more he could do.
They dragged her away. Theyd attached an iron chain to her manacles and they dragged her, refusing to touch her. She never looked in his direction, never made a sound of protest, even when she fell on the cobbles when they jerked her too hard. She simply struggled to her feet before they could yank the chain again. And she was gone.
THEY PULLED ME THROUGH THE streets as the rain poured down on us. I could barely walk with the shackles around my ankles, and I could feel the wetness between my thighs. From him, from what wed done. Just before hed turned me over to the killers.
Betrayal. I couldnt think, couldnt feel, I simply plodded onward, slipping now and then, going down hard and then being hauled up again. I wouldnt see him again. They would either find out what they needed to know, whatever was hidden in the recesses of my mind, or they wouldnt. Either way, I would be dead.
I should care. I should try to escape. But the shackles were iron. Even if theyd been tin, I doubted I would be able to break them. If theyd been paper. It didnt matter. Nothing mattered. I was ready.
They pushed me, sent me sprawling, laughing at me. By the time we got to the building I was bruised and bleeding, barely able to walk as I was shoved forward. Not into the warmth and comfort of Belochs retreat, but into a stark white room that looked more like a hospital surgery theater than anything else. There were various pieces of medical equipment and other things that I couldnt identify. I stared at them, trying to move my mind from the pain in my body and the shock of the appalling thing hed done.
They lifted me onto the table, using new restraints even as they kept the iron shackles in place. Theyd barely finished when six creatures glided in. They were dressed in enveloping, monklike robes, the hoods drawn low over their heads, their faces in darkness. They said nothing, simply arranged themselves around me, and I knew they must be the Truth Breakers. My stoic façade began to crack, and I looked around desperately, to see Beloch standing behind them with his kindly smile, his gentle eyes.