Scarlet Abyss by Autum Loos (top young adult novels .txt) 📖

I wake to the sound of rapid panting animal noises and heart shattering howls that brought chills down my spine. I sat up quickly and wince in pain. My head was spinning and my stomach twists in agony. I suppress a scream, covering my mouth. Damn!

Tears cloud my vision as I try and stand. A groan of anguish erupts from me and I hear a whining sound close beside me like a large dog would make. I shook my head in concentration, trying to ignore the sounds around me and look down at my stomach (well more like stare into the dark since it’s so dark).
Touching my fingers to my stomach, pushing my shirt upward, I feel something sticky and wet. And I know without a doubt its blood. My keen sense of smell warns me that it is indeed my own. I feel around more accurately and find that I have deep whiplash welts on the side of my stomach as if someone lashed out at me repeatedly.
Oh damn. What the hell happen to me while I was out?
I know Demetrius (the Darklor) took me (I think.) And maybe he brought me here? But what did he…?

Suddenly something cold and wet nudges my leg and whimpers. I look down and use my night vision and hiss at the thing beside me, but I stop and stare in wonder and horror.
A large panther and white leopard lay on the ground before me, panting with difficulties from lack of water. I could see that the leopard had poked me in my pant leg with her-I mean his- wet snout. He didn’t seem injured or anything just thirsty because he was purring like a kitten as he rubs his muzzle against my leg, affectionately. I gently push him away when I sense that this kitten- I mean cat- is human (well half, him being a were-leopard and all). This big guy might be drugged (that’s how I see it) and know I’m a cat shape-shifter (though not the same as him; no, I’m multi-cat, able to shift into any feline in the world since I’m a cat demon) like him, but the big fur-ball could mal me alive even in his condition.
He whinnied, but left me alone. Well for a moment then he starts licking and scraping his fangs against my pants leg. I growl at him in warning, feeling irritated. Big mistake.

He mews and leaps at me, pushing me to the ground in a submission position. I try pushing him off me, but he’s just too heavy. I hear the panther meow and snarl at the leopard and then he falls back to sleep.
The leopard rubs up against my body, a growl rumbling from deep within his throat. I can feel his warm breath on my cheek, and then his sand paper tongue was against my cheek.
Oh God, this big guy was gonna try fucking me in his animal form while I was a human (ewww!). That’s just…

A shrill scream ripped from my throat and my claws form into sharpen points. With a battle cry I grab him around the throat and I kneel him in his soft furry stomach. “Don’t ever try this again, asshole or you’re gonna end up with that face of yours up your ass”,I snarl in a chillingly empty serious tone.
He rolls off me and whimpers, crawling into a ball by the corn of our…er…cage. I glower at him. “ That’s a good boy, Kitten”, I purr sarcastically.
Clapping sounds echo throughout this dark hellhole and my head snaps in the direction of the sound.
There standing in the light of the door way was my worst nightmare: Rendell. He was the bastard who decided to slaughter my mother and father for their secret illegal affair together.
Mom had been a human and dad the General of Hell; the man whom that overruled all the lower class demons and was Demetrius’s second right hand man in the Realm of Darkness, were secret lovers. And the mysterious secret uncovered was that Mom was a Demon Master, a controller of demons that seals them to themselves by using their own soul.
Rendell had gotten word of their affair and was pissed as Hell (haha ironic huh?). So he arrived on Earth and murdered momma and dad without so much as any regret. I hated the guy with a passion. I had seen the bastard just before Ren, my twin; who’s also gone from this world (he had been tortured savagely by Demetrius because Ren refused to tell him where I was…god, it was horrifying when I found his bleeding body being fed on by a bunch of demons and Ren was just human…just a human!!!! nothing like me), and I ran for the forest and went into hiding.
I sent Rendell a death glare and tried my ability on him. He blinks in surprise when he senses my soul trying to attach itself to his cold empty spirit. Then he smiles eerily. “Well well, my dear, you have Lydia’s ability to control demons? This is outstanding, my kitty. Now I have a new genie pig for my experiment. I have so much to…”
“You will do no such thing, Rendell. She is mine and mine is mine alone as you well know, old friend. I have other plans for Rain. But you can have the weres in her cage. The leopard has been a bad boy, trying to mark what is mine. You can have him skinned alive if that is your desire”, I heard a dark deep male voice command in a chillingly solemn tone as his burgundy colored eyes held my cold pale shady green eyes.
“Where am I, you monster?! I knew you’d never leave me be. Like always you’re always on my ass”, I exclaimed in a hoarse ugly tone as I stumble toward the locked steel iron cage door.
Demetrius’s eyes turn lustful and darken even more. “And may I say what a fine ass you’ve got there, my young flower. I cannot believe you are still as fresh and pure as a Freesia flower I would have thought one of those beasts had tainted you’re lovely nectar already but, if so I’d have to kill them. Because again you are mine. No one else’s”, he states simply and stalks toward my cage; which I finally noticed was surrounded by other cages filled with exotic animals from all over the world. There were leopards, lions, tigers, dingoes, wolves, gorillas, bears, foxes, kangaroos, Tasmanian devils, apes, panthers, Rhinos, Hyenas, African Wild Dogs, and so many more animals and every single one was a Were Beast.
Huh...what does he need all these were beasts for? What's he planning?

Demetrius must’ve sensed my thoughts somehow because he answers my obvious thoughts.
“These Were Beasts are just slaves, my dear, if that helps explaining anything. I’m putting them on the Slave Market at high bids for Sir Ezra. He expects to gain a lot of money for these…animals”, he tells me in a bored tone then cut to the chase by saying, “But never mind that it doesn’t concern you, my young flower, well unless Ezra becomes aware of your existence that is, yet I have made sure he knows nothing of you, my dear, and never will because you are m-. “
“-yours. Yeah, yeah, whatever makes your delusional mind happy, but that doesn’t mean I won’t kick your ass in proving you wrong ‘cause this body isn’t anyone else’s but my own, Demetrius”, I shook my head and glare at him and Rendell. Rendell’s slightly curled charcoal colored horns burst into shimmering crimson color flames and his cold eyes darken. He points a finger at me in rage, flames erupting from his other hand. “You cocky little bitch, do not speak with such an insolent tone of-“,he snarl and right about ready to burn me into ash when Demetrius held up a hand in warning at Rendell and a growl that meant “fuck off or die”, which really startled me.
Goddess was this man this obsessed with me and the Crimson Rose. What connection do I have with the Crimson Rose and what is it? A flower? What’s so special about this damn thing and why does it have to be me Demetrius is interested in?
Again Demetrius guesses my inner thoughts. Damn him!
“You are not what you seem, Rain.”
My brows scrunch up in confusion at what he said.
“What the hell do you mean? That I’m not human? Well, obviously. I’m a damn demon as you well know. You aren’t meaning any fucking sense, moron” ,I grumble in irritation and slam against the steel cage in frustration. “Whatever the hell you mean I don’t give a damn just let me the fuck out of here before I rip that icy lifeless heart out of your ugly chest” ,I growl slamming again and again into the bars, bruising my injured body even more.
Demetrius just sighs and within a half of a second the cage is open and he’s in front of me and before I can react his hand snakes around my neck, lifting me up off the ground with super inhuman strength. He smiles slightly and just like that his shiny white fangs flash and those point devils sink into my throat once more today. I groan and try thrashing around but it’s no good with his ability to manipulate one’s mind by just looking into his victim’s eyes. I let out a whimper and go limp.
“Please no…no. Goddess, no, don’t do this to me, Demetrius. I’d rather die than become one of your puppets. You bastard, I hate you. You used Gabe’s body and he died be…because of you” I whisper in a dull hoarse tone all courage leaving my body.
His tongue licks the two bloody fang pricks and moves toward my shoulder. He inhales and pulls me closer to him. I tense and stay unmoving. “Rain, why can’t you just leave them and be mine and mine alone, love? I’d take care of you.”
Confusion fills my mind as I recall what he just said.
“Them? Who are you talking about? You fucking killed everyone I knew three years ago because I refused you!” I hiss, my canines sharpening and my eyes turning from sapphire blue to lavender. “Did you do something to me that I can’t remember?”
Demetrius smacks himself in the forehead and groans. “Damn it. I forgot.” He looks at me and smiles forcefully.
“What?” I ask.
He shook his head. “Um…oh nothing. I’m just being stupid is all just forget what I just said, my dear”, he murmurs trying to persuade me, failing in the process. I glower up at him and smash my fist in his gut, catching him right off guard. He grunts but nothing else happens other than he