Read devil 02 - tween a devil and his hard place for Free Online

the ears.
    I nodded. “That’s good, Depla. That’s a good start. See how we’re getting along now?” I smiled a slightly nicer smile at him and reached toward the other ear. He tried to jerk away from me but he was chained too tightly to the chair to go very far.
    I touched the tip of the ear but didn’t release my power into it. “Now if you answer my questions we won’t have to cook the other ear and, eventually, you’ll be able to slither back under the rock you climbed out from this morning.” I leaned as close to his oily face as I could force myself to go. “How much pain you feel right now is totally up to you, Depla.”
    He glared at me through beady red eyes. Tears had gathered in the corners. Not a very brave demon after all.
    “Why are the demons trying to break away from the royals?”
    Depla shrugged, apparently that was an easy one. “King Alcott is tired of being under King Dialle’s thumb.”
    He is no longer allowed to call Alcott king, Astra. My father has decreed it and he knows it. He needs to be reminded of that.
    I gave Depla a jolt. As the demon screamed and writhed I walked away a couple of steps. I pretended I was giving him some space but I really just wanted to take a deep breath of air that wasn’t awash with rancid demon.
    When he grew quiet again I stepped forward, placing a hand on his rock-like shoulder.
    He flinched.
    My bad side came out in a big way and I had to force myself not to smile. I liked it when the big bad dark worlders were afraid of little ole me.
    I’ll admit it.
    “Now Depla, you and I both know that, since he has decided to go against the Royal Court, Alcott has lost his right to call himself a king. So, from now on, let’s just call him Ally, shall we?”
    All three males turned to look at me with varying degrees of disbelief. I simply smiled at them and shrugged. “I like it. It sounds harmless and fun. Ally.”
    Dialle chuckled softly and shook his dark head.
    Gerch cracked his wide, craggy lips in what for him was a smile.
    Depla’s eyes got even beadier if that were possible and filled with more hate.
    “Also, never mention King Dialle’s name again without the king part. The royals are very sensitive on that point. Aren’t you Prince Dialle?”
    “Yes we are, Mx. Phelps.” I looked at him and winked. He nearly choked.
    I repositioned myself at Depla’s other shoulder, placing my finger on the first ear, which was still very red and had swelled to nearly twice its normal size.
    “Now, let’s continue. How does Ally plan to talk King Dialle into letting the demons form your own court?”
    Depla squinched his eyes shut like a child trying to ignore something he didn’t like. But he didn’t answer me.
    I snorted. “You’re kidding me right?”
    Depla just sat there, squinched.
    Instead of the ear I placed my whole hand on his throat and threw my power at him. The beady, red eyes flew open and his mouth jerked wide on a soundless scream. His whole body started to jerk until I had to move my feet so the chair legs wouldn’t land on them. His arms and legs went completely stiff and pushed outward against the chains, ripping deep gouges across all four limbs as they jerked against the unrelenting restraints. Blood flooded from his pores and ran down his face and neck.
    When I thought I’d made a strong enough impression on him I dropped my hand and stepped back, nodding to Dialle to finish the questioning.
    I didn’t think he would need me anymore.
    The demon slumped back into the chair, arms and legs finally going soft again but still jerking periodically with aftershocks. The long bristle hairs on his head and body were standing straight up in the air, waving comically in the cool death-washed breeze of the cavern. His head lay on his chest and his mouth was open, leaking saliva and blood down his shirt.
    Gerch jerked the demon’s head upward with a large, craggy hand under his chin and then dropped it. “I think she killed him.” He said