The huge structure before us, nestled amongst the trees, looked like an old gas power plant. The exterior was rusted metal and concrete, giving the structure a red-tinged color. Massive steam stacks lined one side of the building, and the forest had begun to overtake them, their sides draped in vines and moss. Lights flashed from the windows, and heavy bass rumbled through the metal.
“I’m glad you wanted to come,” Zane said, and slipped his arm around my shoulders. My stomach was light with anticipation as we walked closer, my hands twitching. I’d left my guns in the car, but I still had my knife. I hoped leaving them hadn’t been a mistake.
I trusted Zane, but I didn’t trust other demons. I just had to reassure myself that if anyone tried to harm me, Zane wouldn’t stand for it. I had no doubt he’d go absolutely ballistic on anyone or anything that got invasive with me.
It was the first time I was sincerely entrusting him with my well-being. I was walking into a place where every single other being there could crush me like a bug. I was walking into a party full of predators, and I was their favorite prey. So I took a deep breath to steady my nerves, and shoved my nervous hands in my trouser pockets as Zane pulled open a thick metal door.
The moment the door was open, the sounds and smells of the party within were unleashed.
The interior of the power plant was massive, reaching up several stories. The upper floors were made of grated walkways, and abandoned machinery was scattered around — massive generators and turbines.
Everywhere, crowded onto every available inch of floor, were demons.
Their bodies twisted with the music, dancing, grinding up against each other. Golden eyes shone in the dark, sharp teeth caught the blacklights’ glow. Most of them were at least partly, if not fully, undressed. There was bare skin everywhere I looked, most of it adorned with piercings, tattoos, and scars.
Couples, throuples, and more fucked against the machinery, on the leather chairs and couches, on the floor. Dancers swung from the chains that dangled above, some of them restrained, contorting themselves into positions that should have been impossible. The air smelled of sex, musky and sharp. It smelled of liquor, tobacco, and weed.
It simultaneously reminded me of the dirtiest underground clubs I’d ever set foot in, and the classiest, most exclusive ones.
Zane and I waded into the sea of bodies, and he kept me tucked close to his side. I expected it to be a struggle to make our way in, but without even glancing at us, the crowd parted as if on instinct. The music blasted from every angle, massive speakers tucked away amongst the rusted old machinery, playing some dark heavy beat. As we went deeper, I noticed more and more eyes turning our way. Their gazes landed first on me, then slid to Zane and quickly looked away.
“They’re scared of you,” I said. He chuckled.
“They respect me,” he said. “Although I suppose there isn’t much difference.”
Phantom touches caressed lightly over my back, over my head. They were quick and cautious — almost curious. It was impossible to tell who was doing it, but I kept glimpsing hungry smiles through the crowd.
Zane must have felt me tense. “Don’t worry. They’re just curious.”
“They’re getting a little too touchy,” I said, gritting my teeth as a particularly adventurous phantom touch stroked over my lower back. “Whoever the fuck just did that is gonna get their face rearranged.”
“Oh good, you’ve got a vicious one, Z!”
There was laughter from above us, and I looked up. A demon was seated between the blades of a huge turbine, her feet dangling down. Her brown hair was cut short, her ears pierced with so many silver rings it was impossible to count them all. She smiled widely, and that particularly eager phantom touch returned, trailing up my spine.
“Scared to get too close?” I yelled up at her, and the touch turned into a very distinct sensation of claws on the back of my neck.
Zane was shaking his head. “Don’t tease her too much, Hana. She’ll throw something at you.”
The demon leaped down, landing just inches away from me. “I’d be more than happy to play with her sharp toys if she has any she wants to point my way.”
I didn’t step back. She was my height, her claws painted so they glowed green in the black lights. She was wearing a leather jacket with nothing beneath, and there were dermal piercings just below her collarbone, the jewels appearing deep violet in the light. She wore tight, tiny jean shorts and laced up boots.
I looked too long. “Like what you see?” she said. Right as I opened my mouth to retort, a woman came bouncing up through the crowd, her long blonde hair disheveled and her lipstick smeared, a big smile on her face and a drink in each hand.
“Hana, someone just invited us to — Oh!” She looked between Zane and I, and Hana wisely took the drinks out of her hands before she bounced excitedly and said, “Oh, hi! Nice to meet y’all! I’m Sadie!”
She was human. She had big blue eyes and an easy smile, and she squeezed me into a hug before I could say a word. She was so damn peppy I could barely hold back a laugh as she took her drink back from Hana and started slurping it down.
Zane was laughing. “Cute, Hana. Real cute.” Hana rolled her eyes, pulling Sadie a little closer.
“Yeah, a sweet little dumbass is what she is.” She shook her head as Sadie began to dance, still sipping her drink. A little more seriously, she looked at me and said, “Sorry about that, didn’t mean to freak you out. I’m Sathanas, but that’s a mouthful, so call me Hana.”
“Juniper,” I said. “Sorry I threatened to destroy your face.”
She shrugged. “Not the first time, hopefully won’t be the last. Good to see you here, Z. Been a while.”
“Been busy,” Zane said.
“I see that.” Hana scraped her claw over a bloodstain on my shirt. “Nice costumes. Really authentic.”
“Very.” I smiled.
“We’ll be back,” Zane said, squeezing my upper arm. “We still gotta check in with Azzi.”
Hana rolled her eyes. “Have fun. We’ll be upstairs on the couches. Come join us.” She gave me a wink as she and Sadie turned away, disappearing into the crowd.
“Friend of yours?” I said. Zane tapped a finger near the piercing through his eyebrow.
“That’s hers,” he said. “It’s been a long time. She got me into hunting souls.”
“Damn, you really like assholes, don’t you?” I said. Seeing her, and having met Leon, and taking an honest look at myself, I was beginning to see a pattern. Zane laughed out loud.
“Figuratively and literally, love.”
We made our way through the crowd, toward the other side of the factory floor where a massive platform had been erected out of machinery and bent steel beams. Even over the music, I could hear moans of pleasure and sharp cries of pain.
“This is what Hell’s like?” A particularly tall demon brushed past me, their golden eyes flickering down to me, their white hair long enough to brush their thighs. “Were they carrying a whip made of barbed wire?”
“You’ll see every variety of pleasure and pain here,” Zane said. “Whether your desires are sweet or wicked, dangerous, unusual, disgusting — you can get here, just as you could in Hell. But listen up.” His voice took on a serious note. “Azriel is this Clan’s host. He watches over everything here; he makes sure it all goes smoothly. No one gets to stay without his approval, so watch yourself around him.”
We’d reached the foot of the metal platform. Speakers were clustered around the base, the music thumping hard through my body as we stood in front of them. Above us, a being sat in a swinging chair constructed of thick chains, his long dreads hanging over his shoulders as he peered down at us. His deep brown skin was adorned with ink, the lines of his absurdly defined muscles clear beneath the tight, thin fabric of the black shirt he wore.
“Lucifer Almighty, if it isn’t Zane!” He smiled down at us, the chains around him jingling at his movement. “And Zane has brought a little mortal soul, eh?” One moment he was seated in the chains — the next, he was off the platform, beside us, walking between us as he looked us up and down. “Been a long time, Z. Where’s Leon? Still bound up with that awful magician?”
“Nah, he’s got other problems to deal with,” Zane said. “Juniper and I were looking for some place to have a good time, if you’ll welcome us.”
“You know I’d always welcome you,” he said, but his eyes were on me. “Ooh, you’re an interesting one, aren’t you? That soul of yours has bled.” His gaze moved over my shirt, his smile widening at the bloodstains. But then his eyes lingered on my chest, and goosebumps prickled across my skin as he stared at my scars. “Oh yes. You’ve bled. Body and soul. You smell a little nervous, human. Are you scared?”
I was rigid, my back so tense it hurt. But Zane gave me a little nudge, and I forced myself to exhale. “Sorry. I’m…I’m nervous, yeah. It’s weird to not be the scariest person in the room.” I paused. “It’s weird to be one of the only…people…in the room.”
He nodded in understanding, circling me, his eyes stroking over every inch of me. “We predators enjoy the hunt, but we’d never hunt what belongs to another. Zane has claimed you, and there isn’t a single being here who won’t respect that. We’re here for one thing, and one thing only.” He spread his arms. “To have the most fucking depraved night we possibly can.” He leaped away, back atop his platform, and reclaimed his seat amongst his chains. Another demon crawled eagerly to his feet, pressing their head up against his leg as if begging for attention. Azriel waved his hand at us, using the other to grip the demon at his feet by their hair. “Enjoy yourselves. If anyone bothers you, mortal, come to me. I’ll take care of it.”
