Death's Widow

by Lori Aisling

  He handed me a cup and sat, stretching his legs out in front of him. “Tell me what’s going on. Have you found anything?”

  I took a sip of the coffee he delivered, the bitter roast biting hard on my tastebuds. I glanced at the cup, the name of the coffeehouse displayed. I’d have to avoid this place; I was not a fan. “I need to know who you told I was going to Morocco, Jer. I know the members of the Light feel their intentions are pure, therefore the end justifies the means, but you have a leak. You’re the only one who knew my plans, and I had company when I arrived. I understand your penchant for honesty and transparency, but if I can’t trust you, then I’m not going to confide in you.”

  Knitting his eyebrows together, he pursed his lips before addressing my concern. “Is there any chance it was coincidence, Amara? I’m not saying you’re imagining things, please don’t think that, but I fear you are becoming paranoid.”

  Taking another sip of the wretched coffee, I shook my head and slid the cup away from me, it was truly foul, and I would drink damn near anything if you told me it was coffee. My instincts were on high alert, I didn’t trust anyone right now, but I knew I wasn’t being paranoid. There was something ‘off’ about his statement. Come to think of it, there was something ‘off’ about this entire situation. His casual stance in the chair, the way his eyes were assessing me... this was not at all typical of Jeremiel’s personality or behavior- he was normally very proper and sensitive.

  “Where have you traveled since Morocco? When you say you had company... Who was he? What did he say?”

  The ‘high alert’ went into full ‘Warning! Warning!’ mode with his questions. I didn’t mention the condemned soul was male. My fingers and toes were tingling, it felt like needles poking, unrelenting in its intensity. I was trying to construct a response, but my thoughts were scattered, and I was finding it hard to focus on anything other than the uncomfortable sensation now moving up my arms.

  “Amara? You ok? You seem sidetracked.” His voice was casual and calm, not showing any signs of stress, and when I looked at him, a smooth smile was on his lips. He knows something is wrong.

  A flash of light caught my eye and I looked at my cell phone. It was set against my computer monitor, facing me, turned away from my guest. Seeing the text message pop up on the illuminated display made my blood run cold and I realized the orange warning was escalating into the red danger zone. ‘Sorry I’m running a bit late. I wanted to bring you some food, I’ll be there soon- Jer’.

  If Jeremiel was texting me, who was this man across the desk? The stabbing sensation was moving up my limbs, becoming excruciating. I gritted my teeth against the pain and looked back at the imposter. He was calmly texting someone on his phone, looking up at me as he tucked the cell back into his designer suit jacket. His smile morphed into something deeply sinister.

  “This was so much easier than I thought, I’m almost disappointed. I figured you would at least put up a fight.”

  Home. I need to get home. I am strongest there. As if reading my mind, the man chuckled. “You can try and return to your realm, but with the toxin flooding your veins, you will be unable to access your power and you will still fall. You have no options, Amara Rush. Where are you gonna go? Where are you gonna hide? Shit, you don’t even know who you can trust. Try running to one of Callon’s many estates. As of this morning, we have the entire list. We have the condemned waiting at all of them. Your short-lived reign as Death has expired.”

  He was right- I didn’t know where I could escape, and it pissed me off. “Fuck. You.” I grunted through the waves of pain. “Who... Are...you?” Whatever poison was put into the coffee was quickly rendering me powerless. I knew my time was limited. My brain raced, trying to come up with a solution.

  “Oh yes, we have all heard of the threats you have blasted.” Mimicking me in a nasally, sarcastic voice, he whined, “I’ll kill them all! I will have my vengeance! They will pay!” He chuckled before continuing, “Yet what have you done, Amara? Nothing. You haven’t avenged your mate, hell, you don’t even know where to start. You cry. You whine. You wither away. You’re pathetic.”

  The image of a room blasted into my head, crystal-clear and vivid. It was the only option, and I was out of time. To make this leap of faith was either going to be my salvation, or my death sentence and either was just as likely. My nails dug into the hardwood of the desk while pushing as much willpower into my rapidly depleting intent as I could manage.

  The man across from me was laughing. “There’s no one out there for you, Amara. Surrender to the pain, you’re done.”

  No. I’m not done, dammit. His taunting gave me just enough extra will to power the intent I needed. I screamed as the pain of the poison reached my head, feeling as if my skull would split in two, then I felt my knees hit a smooth, tiled floor and I slid to a stop. I slumped to my side, curling into the fetal position while my muscles jerked and spasmed.

  “What the fuck?! Amara! Everyone, GET OUT! NOW!” The powerful voice was tinged with shock and surprise and I knew at that moment I made the right choice.

  “Help. Me. Please...Luc,” I whispered before everything went black and I faded into the bliss of unconsciousness.

  Love Hate Sex Pain

  I awoke when I felt a warm weight lifted off my chest. I dragged my lids open and saw Lucifer standing over me, his amber eyes twinkling, and he was holding my puppy. Her twin heads bobbed in excitement when her eyes met mine, the little viper dancing joyfully, her tiny, forked tongue tasting the air.

  I watched Luc pick up a deep yellow-colored glass vial from the nightstand next to the bed I was occupying. Holding it up to the small snake, the serpent struck, and I could see drops of a dark, thick fluid dripping into the container. Judging from the contents, this wasn’t the first time the reptile deposited the substance.

  “You saved me. Thank you,” I said, my voice scratchy and foreign-sounding to my ears.

  “I did no such thing,” Lucifer replied. “She did.”

  Staring at him in confusion, he smiled while putting the pup back on the bed beside me. She snuggled up next to my ribs and I sunk my fingers into the soft, thick fur at her neck.

  “You were poisoned, Amara. And the toxin used was not something I have any experience with. You were down for two full days before I brought the pup to you. The viper seemed to know exactly what to do and has been milking your body of this curse for over a week now.”

  “Over a week? How long have I been unconscious?”

  “We are headed into day ten. And I don’t think ‘unconscious’ is a strong enough word. Try a coma. I’d go with dead, but you continued to breathe occasionally, and once in awhile I could detect a heartbeat.”

  Struggling to sit up, Lucifer reached his hand out to me and I took it, using the stability offered to pull myself to a sitting position. “I’m so sorry. I can...go. I’m sure I can rest at home.”

  Satan raised his eyebrows as he stared down at me. “Yeah, umm...no. Sorry, lass, but you aren’t leaving yet. You are too weak, and I can’t risk you falling into the wrong hands. This is where the ‘he’s so selfish’ rumor comes from; I’m protecting my interests as much as you. We have a lot of talking to do, and you aren’t anywhere near ready to leave my bed.”

  “Your bed?” I croaked, as the shock of my situation began to clear.

  “Ironic, isn’t it? The safest place in all the realms happens to be under Satan’s sheets.” He chuckled before continuing his explanation. “You manifested in the garden room, where we last visited. You were dying, dear. I brought you here, and once it was clear an attempt was made on your life, that is where you stayed, unbeknownst to anyone but me. I will explain more later. I want you to get up, shower, and then get back in bed. I will return shortly and we’ll talk.” He turned to leave, pointing at an adjacent room. “Shower, Amara. There are towels and clothes for you in the bathroom. You wouldn’t want me to bathe you when I return, would you?”

  Oh, hell no. “I’m on it!
I’m up,” I assured him as I struggled from the depths of down and decadence. I was weak, my legs threatening to buckle as I slowly shuffled my way to Luc’s bathroom.

  My panties were still on, but my pants were removed. I was wearing an AC/DC t-shirt with the words ‘Hells Bells’ emblazoned across the front, which I’m sure he found incredibly entertaining. I couldn’t really be mad he undressed me, but as I assessed my body, I noticed little, tiny puncture wounds. There were so many of them: on my legs, torso, and arms. My little snake turned me into a living pincushion, and I couldn’t be more grateful.

  Stepping under the warm water, I sighed as the heat washed the tension from my muscles. I looked like a corpse; my skin was void of color and bones stuck out prominently on my...everywhere.

  While the shower worked its hypnotic magic, I let my mind travel back to the imposter who almost killed me. He said many things that really hurt and pissed me off, but dammit, he was right: I was weak. I have threatened, cursed, and acted like an ass, but what have I really done? Callon stressed the importance of demanding respect and in his letter he said to ‘never hesitate to enforce your demands’. Instead of being strong and able to maintain the counterbalance, I have been allowing myself to become the prey, fleeing the unknown and hiding in a mortal realm until being trapped, like a rat. Granted, I escaped, but it took coming to Hell and recruiting the assistance of the last person I should be relying on to save my life.

  I dressed in the flannel PJs neatly folded on the vanity. My host even left new panties, the tags still attached. Certain things are just weird. When a man you should be terrified of and not trust at all buys you underwear... it changes things. I was still leery of him, and I didn’t need to be reminded who he was, but of every Timeless in all creation, he was the one who saved me. He was the one I went to in my time of need. When did it become ‘opposites day’?

  I left the bathroom, the humidity from my scorching shower rolling out the door behind me, to find Lucifer sitting at the small, glass table in the corner of the room. My black and tan pup was curled up on his lap and he was reading an old book, seemingly lost in the pages.

  Hearing my approach, the little hellhound lifted her heads, and hopped off his lap, running towards me. She had grown- a lot. She was still adorable, though, and knowing the little viper saved my life left me feeling even more attached to her. I picked her up and walked the remaining distance to the table, taking my seat across from Luc.

  “You look a bit less dead,” he observed “Are you feeling better?”

  “Yes, much. Thanks again.”

  He waved his hand dismissively before reaching into a bag setting on the floor at his feet. “As Timeless, we won’t die like a mortal. However, we do waste away. You, my dear, look like shit.” He pulled a paper sac from the depths and set it on the table. “Eat.”

  My stomach grumbled as he pulled a burger and fries out of the In-N-Out bag. “No one doesn’t like this franchise. It’s evil,” he said, a smirk on his face.

  He brought enough for both of us and when the beefy, cheesy goodness hit my tongue, it was total bliss. He took a bite of his burger and started right in. “I can’t figure out this poison, Amara. I have poured over every book, document, and parchment in my archives and library. Nothing even remotely similar is spoken of. You weren’t dead, your soul was still very much attached to your body, but you weren’t alive, either. It was more like some kind of stasis.”

  My stomach rolled and I set the rest of the burger on the paper it was wrapped in as possibilities slammed into my brain. “This is what happened to Callon, right? He isn’t dead, is he? That’s why his name has never crossed the ledger! He’s alive and in this ‘stasis’!”

  “It’s possible. No one knows how to contain the power Death holds. Keeping him alive, yet siphoning his strength would be a much safer way to assure the power doesn’t somehow escape, or move into another vessel. But it would force the mantle of Death to be passed on to you, as he is incapacitated. It is also a really effective way to control him, thereby controlling you as well.”

  “What do you mean by that? How can they control me through him?”

  “They already are, Amara. Your grief, pain, and lack of experience as a Timeless is creating a window of opportunity for those attempting to change this game. You are weak, dear. Until you can figure out how to overcome your own hesitation and step up, they are in fact, controlling you.”

  “I realized my lack of commitment to the mantle while I was showering,” I admitted. “I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing, Luc. ‘Here, be Death, and while you’re at it, control Heaven and Hell’ isn’t great on-the-job training.”

  “You have all the training you need, Callon made sure of that. I have seen glimpses of it when you allow anger to control you. Your callous dismissal of my minion was easy for you. Yet, for some reason, you feel helpless. Why? What more ‘advice’ would make this better? You do understand the costs for your weakness, correct?” His voice raised an octave and his amber eyes flashed with annoyance.

  “I don’t know who I am fighting! I don’t know why, and I don’t even know where to start!”

  “You’re Death, Amara. We should all be walking on our tiptoes around you, not the other way around. You can kill me. Me. Prince of muthafuckin’ Darkness. And here you are, playing games with the archangels, making pals, and getting yourself damn near killed. Do you even know how you were dosed with the toxin? I could find no marks on your body.”

  “It was in the coffee Jeremiel gave me,” I murmured. “Not actually Jeremiel, but I thought it was him.”

  “What? Let me get this straight. When you were here last time, pining over your bad fortune and the condemned soul in Morocco, thinking perhaps you were duped by Mr. Goody-Two- Shoes, you assumed the best plan of attack was a fucking coffee date?! For fuck’s sake, are you kidding me?” he hollered at me, leaning across the table to hold my eyes with his.

  “It wasn’t actually him! It was an imposter who looked exactly like him! How could I have known? Jesus, Luc, you act like this shit is all my fault! What the hell was I supposed to do instead?”

  The intensity in his eyes increased and flames danced in their depths. His nostrils flared as he stared at me. “Would you like me to show you?” he asked, his tone much calmer than the vicious vision he presented.

  “Yeah! That would be fuckin’ great!”

  I felt my body fly across the room and I hit the stone wall, hard, and I slid to the floor. Instantly he was on me, grabbing my throat and pulling me up so I was eye level with him, my feet off the ground. I scrambled, ripping at his hand with my nails, kicking at him with my bare feet. In my emaciated and weakened state, I was no match for the large, muscle-bound man holding me.

  To avoid my strikes, he stepped closer and I felt his hips press against mine, pushing me solidly against the wall. “What are you gonna do about it, woman? You gonna make me stop?”

  He ground his pelvis against me and I felt tears trying to force their way into my eyes at this betrayal. The look on his face was primal, intimidating, and powerful. I felt something I had not felt since Callon ushered me under his protection and into his heart. I felt fear. Actual, spine-tingling, breath-stealing, terror.

  Lucifer’s handsome face was twisted into a mask of evil I couldn’t even recognize. “Make me stop, Amara. Or maybe you like it?” he sneered, running his hand up my ribcage to roughly squeeze my breast. “How about I make Death my bitch? I mean, everyone else has. Would you like that? Come when I call, sit on my cock when I demand it, kneel for me- oh yes, I think I could enjoy this body of yours. Look at those tears. Poor baby. This serves you right for using me and thinking I was a ‘good guy’.”

  He continued to taunt me as tears rolled down my face and my heart tore open with yet another example of my poor judgment. Satan leaned in, his forehead pressed against mine, and pushed his erection against my pelvis. “I bet you’re wet for me right now, aren’t you? I think it’s time for you to know
what it’s really like to get fucked. Callon was always such a whipped pup for your pussy. I bet he didn’t know how to make your kitty behave, did he?”

  That did it. My anger flared in defense of my soulmate and the rage that shrunk back to hide behind the fear shot to the front lines screaming its indignation. ‘NO!” I screamed, and with nothing more than a thought, the devil flipped through the air, spinning, his face crunching solidly against the solid, marble floor, one arm splayed at an awkward angle.

  I stomped over to him and using my intent, flipped him onto his back to look up at me. Where there was once a demon with twisted features and an evil assaulter was now Luc, the man who saved me, and offered me a puppy. His eyes were no longer filled with fire, and the demonic features vanished. His lips were pulled up in a bloody grin and I cringed as he popped his shoulder back into its socket with a snicker. “There she is. I knew she was hiding in there,” he crooned.

  “What the fuck is wrong with you? How could you do that to me?” My body was shaking and even though my bottom lip quivered, it wasn’t out of sadness- I was pissed.

  “It’s not what I did to you. It’s what you allowed me to do to you. And once I found your trigger, you put an end to it. Be honest, dear. How fucking easy was it for you to get me off you?”

  “It wasn’t hard, actually. I was mad- I am mad.”

  “You wanted to know how to deal with the Timeless fucking with you. That is how. You don’t have lunch and coffee dates. You walk into their fucking house and you show them who they are dealing with. It’s not like we die or break easily and we don’t do subtle. You don’t ask nice, you don’t beg. There is no dealing with Death! You can’t barter with Death! Death is all. Do you finally understand the power you wield?”