Chapter Three
Falling back to the ground, unable to move an inch due to pure terror, Lyriana was certain—this was no ordinary fallen. The malicious aura was too strong.
"Speak!"
The unknown figure emerged in his full nature, making her gasp in shock. What kind of sorcery was this? A faceless demon.
"Mate, I thought you said she wasn't the scared type? They obviously all lack faith." Beezebulb laughed hysterically.
(Unknown figure: Beezebulb, a corrupter known as the Prince of Darkness or Lord of Flies. Short for Beeze.)
"What… What are you talking about? Who else is with you?" Lyraina managed to force some words out.
Another figure emerged. Him. The man who haunted her dreams.
"Stay away from me! First, you appear in my dreams, and now in real life?" He was exactly as she remembered—his long black wavy hair, with braided strands framing his face, his golden irises hidden behind a mask. Covering her lips with her hand, she tried her best not to scream.
Damn! He still looked as handsome as ever but that wasn't the point here.
A small smile crept onto his face beneath the mask. Looking at Beeze, a few words escaped his lips, though Lyraina couldn't hear them properly. "Hand me the girl. I've done my part."
"In case you haven't heard, mate, no one trusts a demon."
The masked man turned his head slightly to get a better view of Beezebulb. "Do not irritate me. Hand me the girl. We had a deal—a tooth for a tooth."
"Are you kidding, Dragon? This is a rare treasure. If I had known you wanted to hunt her, do you think I would have agreed? I would have stolen her for myself!"
Lyraina watched them converse like she was some sort of commodity. Unlike many of the stories she had read, she was not foolish—she was realistic.
Stories where the female lead would say, "I'm not an object to be sold," and the male lead would find her stubbornness intriguing, sparing her instead of killing her… then, they'd fall in love and have a happy ending.
Bullshit.
In reality, she would be long dead. So instead of blabbering, she kept quiet, crying silently.
If they wanted to sell her or consume her?if they wanted to negotiate over her like a commodity…
Let them.
As long as she lived.
While she was weighing the probabilities of her survival, a sudden pain made her flinch.
Whipping her head toward the wound, she saw the other demon—Beeze—had scratched her arm with a knife.
Her eyes widened. "Oh dear God, I am following in Your path. Save me."
The masked man looked at her, emotionless. No part where he becomes protective? No part where he beats the other guy for touching her?
If this were a novel, Beezebulb would have been killed by the male lead but unfortunately for her,she was going to be bought! Lyraina lamented as a tear escaped her eyes.
A loud growl came from the masked man, followed by his slow, deep voice.
"We made a deal, didn't we? I don't like being cheated. You could have killed her if you wanted, but I clearly offered to give her to you, and you refused,Do you know the price I payed to get her. And now, you're telling me otherwise?"
His soft smile was terrifying. "Let's get one thing clear, Beezebulb. It may look like we're in this space together, but we both know you—and everyone else here—are stuck for as long as I say so."
He tilted his head slightly and spoke "So go ahead, touch her again and let's see what happens. Choose wisely—your death, straight to hell, or… should I arrange your burial? Do you prefer flowers?"
Oh no. This was worse.
What did they want to do to her?
They wanted to sell her?that was what she thought.
"Who are you selling me to please"Lyraina cried, "Who told you I was selling you?" He responded glaring at her and facing his attention to Beezebulb.
Tears streamed down her face as the question repeated in her mind. Why me?
Anxiousness flickered across Beezebulb's face as a nervous laugh escaped him. "Oh, come on, dear mate. I was just kidding. How about I lower the reward you owe me as compensation for the stress I caused you? Take care and enjoy." And with that, he ran far away.
To be forewarned is to be forearmed…
After another piece of shit was gone, the masked man turned his gaze back to her. She was crying heavily.
"How about this? Death by hanging or shooting?"
"What?"
"If you want the option of 'none,' shut up. I don't have time for this nonsense. If you don't stop crying, think twice…
"After all, the dead don't cry."
Yes, it had been established—she was going to die today and he would be the one to kill her. Her eyes darted around, searching for an escape.
"Is there any reason to be frightened?. Fine. I'll give you the liberty of asking three questions. Choose the wrong ones, and I might kill you."
She looked at him blankly,was he really asking her that dumb question?
"I know you need me for something, so you won't kill me," Lyraina challenged.
"And who says you won't die in the hands of those I sell you to?"
She froze, rethinking her life choices. Then, gathering her courage, she asked, "Who are you?"
"If that were the right question, I'd tell you—your worst nightmare. But no, that's a wrong question. A smart woman would have asked, "Am I going to live?"
She tried to stand but stumbled, falling again. He simply watched her in amusement.
"Okay, fine. Then at least tell me who you're selling me to. I don't want to be sold."
He looked at her in pure amusement before laughing hysterically.
"Lovely. Oh my, how lovely. It would be so sweet if you actually had the liberty to make decisions here. You shouldn't have tried to save me when I clearly didn't need saving. If you hadn't,I wouldn't have found you and you wouldn't be here."
"It was just a dream! I didn't know you could manipulate dreams." Her voice cracked as another wave of tears threatened to spill.
"Who told you it was a dream?"
As if he had read her mind of her cursing the fact that she was an holy warrior, he smirked.
"Let me tell you something, princess. Even if you were never a holy warrior, I would have searched through the four corners of the earth, across every continent, just to find a rare jewel like you."
"Why?"
"Three wrong questions." His voice was void of sympathy. "It's because you will be sold for a high price. After all, why would I go through all this trouble to make Beeze find your location? "
"Who sold me to you,I would be wed soon?" she begged, desperate for an answer.
"You've exhausted your daily questions. Get ready. At exactly 9 PM, if you try to run…"
Her heart skipped a beat. Was this a sign that it would stop beating altogether? That she would die?
He vanished. Just like he always did.
And then, she saw it—an eerie message again.
" Try to run, and …be my dead prey."
—Dragon.