Eyes Like Sapphires

Ansley

As far as I know, every last one of these bastards were on my shit list. They could all jump off a damned cliff into a batch of molten lava. Hell, I would help them.

Broken wing, my ass. These bastards stole me from my nest in the middle of my slumber, bound and gagged me so I couldn’t alert my siblings, and murdered the rest of them. As far as I knew, there was only one weapon in existence that could kill my kind, and yet there was another one.

This was ridiculous! They knew too much. Nephilim never told their secrets, but somehow they knew the right way to keep me weak and defenseless. They knew when to catch me with my guard down. They knew where and how to find us. Question was, what nephilim bastard snitched?

As soon as this bastard got off my back, and my wings were unbound, I was going to start slitting throats. Heads were going to roll, and I was going to be bathing in these bastards’ blood. They had no idea who they were fucking with.

These chains were definitely infused with some sort of powerful magic. I should have been able to break free of these. I didn’t stand a chance. The longer my face stayed on the floor of this stage, the stronger my rage grew.

My first victim was going to be the annoying auctioneer. He was the reason I was here in the first place. The one that gave the orders to bound me up, and keep me caged like a circus freak.

Every day and night, the bastard would visit all of the captured immortals he’d kidnapped from their homes. He would taunt them. Some of them he would personally toy with. But me, oh he found it enticing to deprive me of food and water.

Little did he know nephilim didn’t need food or water. We could survive off of energy, if it was properly concentrated. A few of his henchmen made lovely snacks to help me stay strong. Their souls weren’t as potent as I preferred, but they did me justice. I retained my strength, but left a special spot in my bottomless, soulsucking stomach, just for him.

I winced as the knee in my back pressed even harder. I did my best to try and fight against it, but they bound my beautiful wings. How was I supposed to fight against this?

I clawed at the stage, praying to find some sort of leverage in its sturdy figure. I had no luck. It just wasn’t enough, and my patience was running thinner by the moment.

My eyes scanned the crowd with a silent plea for help. I knew none of them would help—they were too busy laughing and placing bets on me. Still, it was worth the effort.

Just as I was going to give up hope, and succumb to save what bit of strength I had left, I locked eyes with someone. Oh, by the deity, he was decadent.

I could feel my breath catch in my throat as his sapphire blue eyes pierced through me. His jaw clenched, its already sharp contour becoming even sharper. His eyes narrowed, and I could see the vibrant hue transition to fire. “$25,000 in cash,” he said.

Fuck! His voice was so rich, so raspy. It was almost as if he hadn’t spoken in ages. That couldn’t have been true.

Damn it Ansley! Get your head in the game. This asshole just bought me. I shouldn’t have been focusing on how lickable his carmel-like skin was, or how badly I wanted to know where his neck tattoos led. I had to keep my eyes on my escape, not on his broad shoulders, and thick, muscular build.

Who was I playing? This man was fantastic! I could eat him up, every day for the rest of my life. By the deity, his chocolate-colored curls were enough for me to grip while I rode his face till dawn.

He smirked at me. I stopped breathing for a moment.

My sisters had warned me of these new immortal-like beings that were ravaging the dimensions. They were devils in disguise. Wolves in sheeps’ clothing. They were lethal and manipulative, and would do whatever it took to have everyone kissing their feet. There was no way to tell my sisters how right they truly were.

Now, I was stuck with them. I would have to navigate a way out and home. I would seek revenge on every last one involved in my capture, auction and murder of my siblings. There would be blood shed. Carnage.

I blinked and he was gone. A feeling of sorrow filled me, and it was uncomfortable. I had never felt anything like this before.

Suddenly, the pressure I felt on my back let up, and my wrists were unchained. Oh, sweet relief! It wasn’t enough though. I needed my wings unbound.

Fingers entwined with mine, and I was helped to my feet. “Easy, pet.” A wave of chills went down my spine and I shivered. I felt a hand brush through the feathers in my wings, and one of the bindings was undone.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” the auctioneer warned. He was right. Unbinding my wings would allow my strength to return, and they would all be in grave danger.

The second binding around my wings was removed, and I felt my appendages break free. Oh, it felt so go to feel the fresh, outside air blow through each feather. Such sweet freedom.

“Your funeral. As soon as we burn your insignia into her, we’ll sign the documents.” He had no idea what was actually coming for him. I might actually spare the man that freed my wings, but the auctioneer had karma knocking at his door.

“I’m well aware of the process,” hunk-a-licious grumbled.

I stretched my wings as far as they would go. The crowd gasped in awe. The sound of silence was utter bliss as they watched me.

Oohs and aahs escaped the crowd. I could see women whispering to each other. Men drooled. I’d almost forgotten the auctioneer had me in only a bralette and panties. Had I been a mortal, I probably would have been uncomfortable.

I rolled my neck, then my shoulders. A succession of pops and cracks echoed in my ears. The sound was music to my ears.

“Fuck my insignia. A creature like her should not be bound.” Creature? Perhaps I should take hunk-a-licious’s head on a silver platter. Then again, at least he had a reasonable idea about binding.

I spun around, my eyes locking on the auctioneer and the man that just bought me. I was seeing red. May the deity help all that got in my way.

I felt my nails extend to talons. My right wing extended out, wrapping around the auctioneer. I pulled him towards me and placed my hands around his head. I smiled. “You murdered my family,” I whispered to him.

I could smell the fear on him. It was just as clear as the scent of tobacco on his breath.

I forced him to look at me. Forced him still as I summoned out the purest energy from him, his soul. As the gray substance swirled around in the air, I could see all that he was. A pervert. A monster. A destroyer of hope and happiness. A being of minimal talent and power. He was pathetic.

I sucked his soul down, letting it fill me until it was completely gone. What a shame. It didn’t give me the feeling I thought it would.

The light left his eyes, and he waveredon his feet in front of me. Most people never survived the soulsucking process. I was surprised that he did. He wouldn’t last much longer without it though. It would be a waste to just let him rot inwards out, without expelling a bit more anger. Why not have a bit of fun with him?

I sank my talons into his throat, and pulled with minimal effort. It was amazing how quickly his body relinquished his trachea. I wondered how fast I could disembowel him.

I slashed at his stomach. His guts spilled in a beautiful display, and the crowd broke out into rage and disgust. By the deity, it was a massive amount of energy.

I turned the auctioneer towards the crowd, letting them see what was coming for them all. In one swift movement, I removed his head, and his body slumped to the ground. I couldn’t stop the growing cheshire smile on my face. “Behold what awaits you all!”

A scream ripped through the back of the crowd. As I was about to leap from the stage, darkness consumed everything.