The Devil's Lover: The Wish

by Dahlia Lu

  Chapter 12: Worst of All Sins

  The demoness waited until she was sure Lucifer was gone before entering the bedroom. She walked silently to the bed, peering at the girl with understandable curiosity. The girl was quite pretty, with soft golden brown hair that floated like clouds on a clear day. Her velvety skin and rosy lips may be prized among her kind, but was pale in comparison with theirs. Adria could not comprehend how this frail girl could possibly be of interest to Lucifer.

  Kali slowly opened her eyes then jumped when she saw the beautiful woman standing next to her bed. She sat up.

  “I am Adria,” the demoness introduced herself before the question was asked. "There is no need to introduce yourself, everyone already know who you are.”

  "Me?" Kali pulled the linen up to her chin to avoid any more exposure. "Why would they know about me?"

  "Bad news travel fast, I suppose," Adria leaned against the bed post. "Needless to say, we resent you.”

  "I know that, but I can't understand why.”

  "There is much you do not understand, and I don't expect you to. However, do not think for a second that you can stay here forever, human. This is not where you belong. Lord Lucifer is simply bored. Once you are no longer of interest to him, he will discard you without a moment’s hesitation!”

  The demoness was telling her something she had known from day one.

  "I’ve come to accept that,” she smiled faintly.

  The demoness was strangely intimidated by that smile. She raised her hand in the air, preparing to slash Kali’s face with her razor-sharp nails. Then she paused. Lord Lucifer definitely would not forgive her if she damaged the girl’s face, she thought. She turned to leave.

  “I am looking forward to that day,” she said before walking out the door.

  Kali knew all too well the truth of what the demoness had said. She shouldn't feel at home because this was not her home, and was unlikely it ever would be. To think of herself as anything more than a mere toy was delusional. Anything Lucifer said to her now could be quickly changed without a moment's notice. It was only a matter of time before she was discarded.

  Kali quickly wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes. She refused to cry for him. She was here to fulfill her end of the bargain, nothing more. His lack of long-term feelings for her should not be one of her concerns.

  Soren was waiting for Adria when she emerged.

  “Is that what you truly think, Adria?” he asked her. When she did not answer, he continued on. "Do you think he will simply discard her once he grows bored? Can't you see the look in his eyes? It’s not just mere infatuation. He is moving further and further away from us.”

  †††††

  Chevalier’s eyes sprung open as he gasped for enough air to fill his lungs. There was a soft glow to his beautiful golden eyes. His complexion was paler along with the rest of his body. Soren's face entered his view.

  "Where am I?” he asked. He used his hands to examine his throat. His voice didn't even sound like his own.

  “I'm impressed with your willpower. You’ve made it this far,” Soren praised. “I was about to concoct another plan in case you didn’t come through.”

  “Where is Kali?” Chevalier asked. That was the second question that jumped to his mind.

  “Follow me,” Soren said, heading out of the room. He led Chevalier through a dark hallway lined with giant glass windows. He could hear whisperings among the other irrelevant sounds, which seemed louder than they ought to be. He waved a hand in front of his face to test his vision. Was it possible to see clearer than 20/20? He could see the magnified detailed of his pulsing veins.

  Her scent was in the air. There was an array of scents, but he recognized and selectively weeded out the others. Her scent was drawing a roadmap right to her. She was so close by.

  His enhanced senses weren't the only thing he immediately noticed. He felt different. No, different wasn't exactly the right word. He felt as if he’d had been stripped of most of the emotions and complex facets of being human. Maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing.

  Will you hurt her? A voice in his head asked.

  “What?!” Chevalier said out loud. He was shocked by a thought other than his in his head. You want to hurt her, don’t you? She chose him instead of you!

  “It’s only demonic instinct,” Soren explained when he saw that Chevalier was troubled with his new set of thoughts. “All demons have them, although most of ours are dormant. What is yours telling you?"

  “Nothing!”

  “The future days will be a constant battle for control. You should learn to control it before it controls you,” Soren advised. “Demons who cannot control their biological instincts will lose their free will.”

  “Will they ever go away?”

  “Unfortunately no, but in time you will be able to force it into a state of dormancy,” Soren replied.

  She betrayed you! The voice continued to persist. She offered him the body that you have been wanting, after you’d waited for so long.

  Soren stopped in front of an enormous door and turned to tell Chevalier to enter without him.

  Chevalier opened the door without a moment’s hesitation, expecting anything to happen. She was lying in bed, pondering her own thoughts, when she heard the door open. She expected Lucifer, but her eyes widened with surprise when she saw someone else. She bolted up immediately. “Chevalier?”

  “It’s me,” he answered. Look at her, the voice said, the whore.

  She jumped off the bed and ran to him, quickly throwing her arms around him. Do you see? The voice said to Chevalier, when he’s not here, she throws herself at you.

  “I’m dreaming, right? How can you be here?” she asked happily as she buried her face in his chest. “I thought I’d never see you again.”

  “Did he hurt you?” he asked. She shook her head. He let out a sigh of relief. His entire body suddenly became stiff. Her body is tainted by him. She let him do it. She was supposed to be yours!

  “Chevalier?” She looked up at his pale face.

  “We have to go,” Chevalier said to her, after briefly scanned her body for injuries. “We have to leave this place.”

  Kali hesitated. “Leave this place?”

  "We must leave now before that fiend returns.”

  “I can’t…” she shook her head in refusal. “Chevalier, I must fulfill my part of the bargain. I can’t go back on my promise.”

  The whore still doesn’t want to leave.

  “Shut up!” Chevalier shouted at his instinct, forgetting to keep his anger internal. She gasped and took a step back.

  He wanted to say ‘not you,’ but it would just make things all the more confusing. He took her hand and led her toward the door. She pulled her hand back from him before they could reach the hallway.

  “I promised,” she said when he looked back. “I promised in exchange for your life.”

  “I don’t give a damn!” he snapped.

  “She does not want to come with you,” his voice startled the both of them. Lucifer stood in front of the door with a displeased look on his face. "She belongs here now.”

  Chevalier stood defensively in front of Kali. “It’s not that she doesn’t want to come. You won’t let her,” Chevalier corrected him. “She doesn’t belong to you, not if I can help it!”

  “Your scent..,” Lucifer murmured, sniffing the air. Then he chuckled mockingly. “So that is how it is. You agreed to become Soren's lab rat.”

  Chevalier glared at Lucifer, a low growl issuing from his throat. Kali could sense the tension between them rising. If they kept this up, Lucifer would lose his temper and who knew what would happen to Chevalier.

  “Please leave,” Kali said to Chevalier, fighting her need to beg him to stay longer. She walked to Lucifer’s side.

  “He’ll be leaving soon,” she pacified him.

  “Face me, Lucifer,” Chevalier said. “I challenge you.”

  “I suppose you want to test out your new
powers,” Lucifer nodded. “I will gladly comply.”

  “No!” she pleaded to Lucifer. “Don’t hurt him! Lucifer, don’t hurt him!”

  He looked down into her eyes, shiny with unshed tears. “This is the second time you’ve cried for another man,” he warned. "There is a limit to how much I can tolerate.”

  He turned his attention to Chevalier. “I despise those beautiful golden eyes of yours, and I hate your defiant confidence. I will get rid of you this time, once and for all!”

  “No!” Kali brought her hands to her face and shook her head violently. “Chevalier, don’t do it again. Please, leave before you make him any angrier.”

  Look at those fake tears. She just wants you to leave her sanctuary.

  “Having trouble controlling your instincts?” Lucifer saw right through him. “You are a newborn demon, after all.”

  Kali looked to Chevalier. “What is he talking about? What instinct? What demon?”

  "I did what must be done!" he was upset at the idea that he had distressed her. She has no idea the pain he had endured to get this far, or the high price he had to pay. "I sold my soul and my humanity to these fuckers to get here, so don’t tell me to just leave!"

  "What have you done?” she grabbed his forearm and searched his eyes. "Do you realize what you've done, Chevalier? Was it worth the life you've left behind? Was it worth the normal life you could have had? Answer me!"

  "I've made my choice and chose my battle. Don't tell me you're not worth fighting for, because I am willing to pay the price even if more is at stake,” he said in a much softer voice now. "I will get you out of here even if it kills me.”

  "I don't want to see you die!" she cried. "I want you to live, even if I never see you again!"

  "You see, Kali, I’m not willing to make that trade-off.”

  A force swept by her and tore Chevalier from her grasp. The next thing she could comprehend was the sight of his feet as he was thrown out of the window.

  "Chevalier!" she screamed as she ran to the window. She reached for him by instinct, even though he was too far away now.

  A pair of black wings sprung from Chevalier’s back, beating at the last moment to save him from the fall moments before he hit the ground.

  "Lucifer!" She angrily shouted at him, but he ignored her.

  Lucifer summoned his sword and jumped down to land next to Chevalier. Chevalier dodged him by leaping away with the help of his new wings.

  If you want to live, summon your own sword. The voice said to Chevalier.

  “How?”

  Just call it. The voice instructed. Just call it and it will come to you.

  A sword appeared in Chevalier’s hand. He managed to dodge Lucifer’s attack as the enemy’s sword whistled through the air towards his head. Chevalier pulled a few offensive attacks, but suffered from the heavy recoil of fending off the demon lord’s blows. He began to pant for breath.

  Lucifer grinned. “Not bad for a new demon. However, this will end very quickly.”

  “Don’t hurt him, Lucifer!” Kali yelled. She had raced down flights of stairs to make it outside while they sparred.

  “Give her back to me!” Chevalier shouted at Lucifer when their swords met, forming a shining cross between them. Chevalier pushed his sword against Lucifer's, but to no avail.

  “Give her back to you?” Lucifer inquired as he sent Chevalier flailing to the ground. “I would rather break her soul with my bare hands so that no one else can have her. I will not allow anyone to lay a hand on what is mine.”

  She had accepted that she didn’t meant much to him, but to hear it with her own ears made Kali’s heart weep.

  Adria’s words rang in her mind. Once you are no longer of any interest to him, he will discard you without a moment hesitation! Kali clutched her chest. It felt unbearably uncomfortable.

  Soren appeared beside Kali. “It hurts, doesn’t it?” he asked her with softness that completely out of character. “Do you feel like you’re suffocating, now that you know what you mean to him?”

  “You’re up to no good,” she accused.

  "If you have to choose between them, which will you choose?" when she could not answer immediately, he smiled. "I can make the decision easier. Would you choose the man who has loved and sheltered you your whole life or the man who has done nothing but deceive you?"

  "How much more can he deceive me?" Kali asked. Her eyes were rimmed with tears. "How many more lies can there be?"

  "Do you think that he was your savior?” Soren made a 'tsk' sound. "Everything went perfectly according to his plan. Didn't you find it strange that he was there with you at the hospital?"

  Her chest grew tighter.

  "No,” she breathed out the denial.

  "Yes, Kali,” Soren confirmed her worst fears. "Lucifer would never want you to find out that he had killed Chevalier in order to trick you into a bargain. I should know, I was ordered to kill him. Lucifer wanted you to come crawling to him for help so that you would be grateful to him forever. He had you eating right out of his hand.”

  "I see,” she said calmly. The streams of tears on her cheeks contradicted her expressionless face. "I should have expected this.”

  "I could offer a solution,” he lifted her chin. "I can put you out of your misery.”

  “Are you going to kill me?”

  “Am I that heartless in your eyes?”

  "Why would you help me?" Kali managed to ask. "You’ve always looked at me with contempt.”

  "You are right, I have,” Soren admitted. "It was unfair that he placed a mere mortal above me after all of the years I have served him. How could I not despise you when you have stolen my brother?"

  "Then why help me?"

  "I want you gone.”

  It was reasonable enough. "At least you’re honest about it.”

  He gave her a small red vial. “This is a potion that will allow the person who drinks it to forget the things they do not want to remember. One sip and all of your troubles will disappear.”

  Kali looked at the red vial.

  “It’s what you wanted, isn’t it? To forget the memories that cause you so much pain? To forget all of this ever happened, but most importantly, to forget about Lucifer?”

  “Yes,” Kali whispered. She took the vial and slowly pulled the cork out. She looked up to the demon fight above her before making her final decision. She closed her eyes and brought the potion to her lips.

  "Just one little sip,” Soren whispered to her ear, "and everything you thread will go away.”

  Leaning her head back, she swallowed the liquid from the vial. She dropped the empty container to the ground, a blankness stealing into her eyes. Soren leaned in closer and whispered a suggestion into her ear. His command echoed inside her hollow mind.

  Lucifer caught sight of Kali and Soren from the corner of his eye. She was walking dangerously close to the blackthorns.

  “Kali!” he yelled out. He was clearly distracted from the fight. “Kali, get away from there!”

  Chevalier took advantage of the opening and struck Lucifer with his sword. Lucifer lost his balance and fell into the thorns, the tiny daggers digging into his skin in a thousand different places.

  Jumping to his feet, Lucifer fought his way out of the brambles and ran to Kali’s side, his attention completely preoccupied from his fight with Chevalier. He caught her wrist before the blackthorns could touch her skin.

  “I told you not to touch that!” he shouted at her.

  She turned toward him. Her eyes were utterly lifeless, like a doll. Lucifer turned to Soren for an explanation and saw the fragments of the red vial on the ground.

  “What did you give her?” Lucifer lashed out wrathfully. He created a massive energy force and directed it toward Soren. It forced the other demon to fall back into the wall. The impact caused a sizeable indentation in the stone.

  “It is a potion that allows her to erase the memories she does not want,” Soren said, wiping the blood that leaked fro
m the corner of his mouth.

  Chevalier attempted to land and tumbled to the ground. He still hadn’t gotten the hang of this wing thing, yet. Kali's hands reached for him.

  Lucifer was rendered immobile. He gritted his teeth until his jaws felt as if they were breaking. He grabbed her slender neck in his hand. “You choose to forget me but you can still remember him?"

  The rage in his voice shook the foundations of the earth.

  Kali couldn’t breathe. She struggled to free herself from his grasp. Chevalier tried his best to remove Lucifer's hand from her neck, but he just wasn’t as strong.

  “After you promised me that you’ll never regret meeting me? Are you aware that you are committing a serious sin? I won’t forgive you! I cannot forgive you!”

  Chevalier felt Lucifer’s power quickly diminishing. He noticed Lucifer had loosened his grasp and took the opportunity to pull Kali away from the deranged demon. Soren was there to catch Lucifer before he could fall. The poison on the thorns was beginning to take its toll.

  Chevalier pulled her close and out of Lucifer's reach.

  “Take her north,” Soren instructed. “There you will find a gate. Command it to open and you will return to your realm.”

  Chevalier didn’t question Soren. He picked Kali up in his arms and flew north.

  “Sleep well, my lord Lucifer,” Soren said. “When you wake up, let us make her our enemy.”

  Chapter 13: The Nightmare of Hell

  Kali screamed. Chevalier threw down the silverware he was putting away and ran to the bedroom.

  “What? What happened? Why’d you scream?” he asked as he scanned the room for signs of danger.

  “I just had a horrible nightmare!” she said. “I was at this creepy-looking castle that was surrounded by this wall of black thorns! It was floating over more black thorns. And there was this scary looking…”

  “That’s it?” Chevalier scratched the back of his head. “You made me run in here for that?”

  “You have no idea how scary it was!”

  “Oh, brush your teeth,” he smiled. “I made some marinated salmon.”