by Dante King
I shut my mouth. I had plenty to think of, after all—Lucifer had just confirmed that both Hell and Heaven were real, tangible places. All the arguments throughout human history, the millions of hours spent on philosophy and religion and scientific thought—they’d just been upended with a few simple declaratory statements. I’d said I wasn’t a terribly religious guy, but just then all the lessons I’d absorbed in Sunday School as a kid came back with a vengeance. I swallowed hard, daring myself to ask another question.
“So all that stuff about the afterlife—Heaven, Hell, all that shit...that’s real?” I tried to make it sound casual. “I mean, I need to know, if I’m gonna be your new recruit.”
Lucifer sighed. “Mortals. Always so preoccupied with destination over journey.” He made another steeple with his fingers on the table, a sign I was already beginning to learn meant the Master of Hell was irritated with me. “Those stories—and they are just that, stories—you absorbed as a child are...well. They’re like peering at a fine, artistic painting through a window. A window that is covered in so much dirt and grime, the true picture can never be seen clearly—only guessed at. Do you understand?”
I didn’t. And I wanted to know—desperately, as it turned out.
I opened my mouth to ask yet another question. Only for Christina to cut me off.
“Prince of Darkness!” the blonde whimpered, lowering her head all the way to the floor. Her forehead touched the stone, her ass rising into the air to compensate. I couldn’t help but notice the way the posture made everything below her waist look amazing. “I...I apologize for my behavior earlier! I did not know it was you! I could not have fathomed…”
Lucifer looked like he’d been waiting for just this moment, and was happy to have something other than tedious questions about the afterlife to focus on. “Of course, my faithful servant,” the aged figure said with a chuckle. “Although you knew not what you were doing at the time, you have served me well. This man will make a fine candidate for my succession.”
Christina’s shoulders slumped against the floor in a posture of almost comic relief. “Yes, my Lord!”
I’d thought I’d been shocked when I ended up in a medieval basement with Lucifer himself. But it was Christina’s behavior that proved to be the true surprise.
“Lord?” I grabbed Christina’s shoulder and hauled her to her feet angrily. “You know this guy?”
“Well, no,” Christina said with a laugh. “Hardly anyone actually knows the Devil! I mean, do you have any idea how favored you have to be to actually get a face-to-face interview with the man himself? In my wildest fantasies, I never dreamed I’d get the opportunity…”
Something inside my chest went cold. “You’re a devil worshipper,” I realized. Pieces clicked together in my head—the books in Latin, the strange symbols on her bedpost. The ‘camping trip’ that I now realized was anything but. “Holy shit. You’re a Satanist?”
“Um, duh,” Christina purred. “How do you think I got this gorgeous and successful, babe? Hard work?” She tossed her head back and laughed.
My lips felt numb. I should have figured it out earlier, of course. The signs were all there. But how often did ‘hey, the girl I’m maybe about to bang kinda seems like she might worship Lucifer’ come into the equation in an ordinary guy’s life?
“She called to me in her prayers when she was but a girl,” Lucifer said. He sounded almost proud. “An ugly duckling...but with ambition.”
Christina gasped, clasping her hands beneath her breasts. “My Lord, you remember me!?”
“I remember all my followers,” Lucifer said with a smug smile. “From the mightiest to the smallest.”
Christina turned to me, her words babbling out in an excited rush. “I was so tired of being the girl all the other girls picked on,” she said quickly. “It was torture, Luke—you didn’t know me then. You wouldn’t have recognized me. I was, like, a totally different person then…”
“She was,” Lucifer added.
“And I’d just seen that movie The Craft,” Christina babbled, “and I thought—shit, maybe I could do a spell or something to get those girls off my back. But that wasn’t all I wanted, Luke—I wanted to be gorgeous. And powerful, and respected, and all that shit…”
A chill trickled down my spine. “So you sold your soul to the Devil?”
She laughed. “More like a timeshare,” she said, spreading her hands with a smile. “Look, it’s not like I’m the only one. Scroll up any ten hot women with a brand on Instagram, and nine of them are in the Devil’s employ. We’re a big coven, Luke...and it’s all digital these days.”
I took a step backward. “I can’t believe what I’m hearing. So this was all you, the whole time? With that Angel of Darkness shit?”
Christina shook her head. “I had no idea that was going to happen,” she admitted, sounding honest. “But I’m glad it did. Really, this is a huge get for both of us, Luke. This is going to be, like, life-changing…”
Yeah, it’s changing my life, alright, I thought. We’re both in league with Lucifer himself now…
Yet at the same time, the thought sent an illicit thrill through me. Going to college in Hell didn’t sound like the most appealing proposition—but with Lucifer giving me his protection and favor, I’d probably be alright. What would it be like to relive my old college days, but be in charge this time? Instead of the slacker loser who couldn’t even ask Christina out on a date, I’d be the big man on campus—the guy who had an in with the Man Downstairs. Girls would be all over me. Everyone would want to be my friend. Lucifer even said there were parties…
One thing niggled at me, though. “What would have happened if I chose the other angel?” I asked.
Lucifer concealed his shock well, but I could tell the question surprised him. “What other angel?” he asked smoothly.
I charged on heedlessly. The look in Christina’s eyes was begging me to stop, but I wasn’t about to do what she wanted. Lucifer’s smug comments about her had thrown her a little bit off the pedestal I’d put her on, and her story about being a Satanist did the rest of the job. Christina wasn’t some hardworking, diligent woman—she was lucky. She’d taken a Satanic shortcut, using Lucifer’s power to jump ahead of people who’d worked harder than her for less than what she had. And she’d had the nerve to treat me like I wasn’t a serious dating prospect!
“The program offered me two angels,” I said, frowning as I remembered.
“Two pathways? There should have been only one. Darkness.”
“There were two,” I repeated. “The other was the ‘Angel of Light’...”
For a moment, Lucifer’s mouth hung open. Then he began to chortle. “Well now,” he said, a coughing fit cutting off his words for long moments. “That would have been most interesting…”
I didn’t like that tone one bit. “What would?”
“Choosing a human must have made the magic revert to the original pathway,” Lucifer muttered, talking to himself. “Typical, but something of a pity all the same…”
I’d heard more than enough. “If I’d have chosen that other angel—would I be in Heaven right now?” I asked.
Lucifer scoffed. “Of course not. The program is mine—when a suitable candidate activates it, it opens up the opportunity for them to become a Lord of Hell. You would have ended up as my creature one way or the other. But a Lord of Hell with an angel of light’s powers on top of their ordinary ability...well. It would’ve been quite the sight to see.”
I tried to imagine it. A demon lord with a bunch of angels at his command? I couldn’t picture it—not unless Lucifer’s powers corrupted them somehow. Turned them into the kind of angels you’d see on a Black Sabbath album cover taking a smoke break.
“I was an angel myself once,” Lucifer mused. “It’s not an option many take—or are able to, even if they wanted it—but it is there. Ever there.”
Suddenly Lucifer clapped his hands together. The sound startled Christina and I both;
shaking us from our reveries. The old man’s chair scraped backward as he rose to his feet, moving around the table with a shuffling step that seemed undignified for a person as powerful as him.
“If you’re going to represent me at the Infernal Academy,” Lucifer said, giving me a quick up-and-down glance, “you’re going to have to look the part. These...rags of yours. They won’t suit you at all. And they will actively impede your quest to master your abilities…”
I looked down at my ragged uniform. You’ve got that right, I thought. Girls aren’t exactly going to be flocking to me when I look like this…
“These gravely digs of mine,” Lucifer intoned, “will surely prove a sight.” He wiggled his fingers, and my uniform unraveled. For a moment, I stood in front of Christina, totally naked and blushing, then tendrils of darkness formed from the air itself to wrap around my lanky frame.
They tugged and squeezed until they were skintight, feeling almost sensual in their embrace. I guess I should get used to pleasures of the flesh, I thought, glancing down to see my new clothing as it began to form. Black pants with matching black boots sheathed my legs, along with a thick leather belt covered in pentagrams and upside-down crosses. A moment later the touch of silk brushed against my chest as a clean white shirt formed, covering my bare torso.
I’d thought that was all Lucifer meant to dress me in. Then he traced a complicated symbol in the air and the remaining strands of darkness formed themselves into a jacket. It was thick, open at the front, with rich crimson coloring inlaid with intricate black patterns across the fabric. Silver buttons studded both sides of the front, should I choose to close it against the weather.
“There we are,” Lucifer said, stepping back and admiring his handiwork. “That is more suitable.”
I looked down at myself and nodded appreciatively. I really did look good. The clothes fit like they were tailored, and were of a cut way more expensive and dashing than I’d have gone with back on Earth. With a start, I realized he’d done something to my hair, too—the shaggy locks I’d been meaning to do something about had been cut down to a manageable size. Guess I can cancel my next visit to the barber shop, I thought with a smirk.
“It’s great,” I said, running a hand down the side of my jacket. Despite wearing two layers, I felt nice and cool—as if magic had been weaved into the fabric. “I kind of expected armor, though. I don’t need to worry about getting into fights at your Academy, do I?”
“Perish the thought!” Lucifer laughed. “But if you do, those clothes will suit. That fabric may look simple, but it will stop a bullet. A mortal bullet, in any case.” He sprang forward, something glittering in his hand. “Now let me put this on you as well, please…”
I puffed out my chest, expecting some kind of pin or nametag. Instead, Lucifer reached for my ear. I jerked away at the last moment, dancing out of the older man’s grip.
“Hey, what gives?” I asked. “What the fuck?”
Lucifer opened his hand. A small earring lay in his outstretched palm, with a blood-red jewel in the center.
“It’s just an earring,” Lucifer said flatly. “You’re going to need it—it’s a focus for your powers. It will aid you immensely—”
“I don’t wear jewelry, as a general rule,” I protested, rubbing at my earlobe. “Besides, I’m not even pierced!”
Lucifer looked confused. “It’s very common,” he explained, “among my followers. Particularly the female ones. You will meet women at the Academy who are pierced in a great number of places, young man…”
As he spoke, he gave Christina a significant look. The blonde blushed, her eyes widening.
“Christina, you’re pierced?” I asked, looking her up and down. She’d seemed like too vanilla of a girl for that, but then again I had just learned she worshipped Satan.
“No!” she yelped, too quickly.
I leaned forward, squinting. “Wait—are your nipples pierced?”
She threw an arm over her breasts, her eyes narrowing. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
I glanced back at Lucifer. “According to this guy, I was about to find out before your crazy computer program brought us both here. So maybe you should drop the innocent little girl act already?”
Christina held the annoyed gaze for another moment, then let her arm drop. “Fine. And I am pierced, okay? You know why? Because it’s decadent. And decadence is what serving the Lord of Darkness is all about!”
“She does have that part correct,” Lucifer said. Then, with a more pleading air: “put the damn earring on, Luke. No one’s going to give you grief about your style choices, if that’s what worries you.”
With a shrug, I took the earring from his palm and brought it to my ear. There was a brief flash of pain, then it hung from the lobe like it had been there my entire life.
“Thank you,” Lucifer said. “You’ll learn very quickly how important that little jewel is, my boy. It may be the thing that saves your life one day.” He reached into his robes, pulling something else out. “And this little keepsake is just for luck…”
I stiffened, but it was just a simple bracelet. Three bands of leather, tied tightly around each other, with a string of tiny blue jewels inlaid at the spots where the three bands connected. I frowned down at it, wondering where it had come from. In comparison to the earring, this seemed...simple.
“It will clash with your robes terribly,” Lucifer said, raising his eyebrows, “but if you keep that arm tucked in your jacket a bit, no one will notice.”
I took it and put it on. Just like the earring, it fit me like it had been made specifically for me—like it had been waiting my whole life for me to wear it. “What is this?” I asked, tapping the jewels. “Another magical tool?”
“Just a little keepsake,” Lucifer confided, looking with nostalgia at the band. “A sign of favor I once received from the hand of the Almighty himself. As you might imagine, it’s intimately connected with the Celestial Realm. A most powerful item, indeed.” He met my eye. “If you truly are the kind of man who could wield the powers of the Angel of Light, it may prove useful to you.”
I wanted to ask him for more details, but the tone of finality with which he closed the previous sentence gave me the impression that would have been a mistake. Instead, I nodded gratefully, indicating the fine clothing and the gifts. “Thank you.”
“Think nothing of it.” This task done, Lucifer turned his attention to Christina. The blonde had taken my remark about her nipples personally, and was occupied making a detailed study of the other side of the room, all while pretending not to notice us.
Lucifer put an arm around my shoulders. The gesture felt almost fatherly, which disturbed me more than anything else that had happened so far. “You desire this woman,” he said, nodding at Christina’s taut back. “Yes?”
Freed from the confines of polite society, I allowed my gaze to linger for long moments on Christina’s body. Her long, shapely legs, her round ass you could bounce a quarter off of—the luscious gap at the apex of her thighs. A surge of desire washed over me, my cock stiffening in my new silk boxers.
“Yeah, I do,” I said. “I’ve wanted her for a long time, you understand. But that wasn’t a possibility until recently…”
Lucifer assumed a pained expression. “I understand completely. Yet, such emotions are...fickle. I’d like to show you something, if you don’t mind. I think you’ll like it.”
Why the hell not? I’d already gone this far. “Sure.”
Lucifer waved a hand, and a portal crackled to life on the far side of the room. Christina, who’d been doing her damndest to pretend she wasn’t listening to every word we were saying, gave a start and turned as a gorgeous demoness stepped through the rent in the air. Her eyes filled with naked jealousy at the sight of the beauty before us.
Me? My entire body groaned with desire in response to the arrival of the demoness.
It was the first time I’d ever seen someone who wasn’t human, other than Lucifer, of c
ourse. And I doubted it would be my first time, either, if this was all somehow real and not some crazy dream.
Chapter 3
“This is Mareth,” Lucifer said with a knowing smirk. “She’s another one of my apprentices. A first-year student at the Academy. Think of her as your shadow: someone to help you settle into your new situation, show you the ropes.” He gave me a pat on the back. “Her mother was a particularly competent succubus. You understand?”
I most certainly did. I’d spent most of my trip here lusting after Christina, but even her considerable beauty paled and wilted before Mareth’s. A dangerous beauty, for the succubus looked like she could tear a man to shreds just as easily as make his wildest dreams come true. Her skin held a rich crimson tint nearly the same shade as my robes, and so much of it was on display that I found myself salivating. It didn’t help that she wore a naughty imitation of a Catholic schoolgirl’s uniform, with the knee socks and pigtails to match. Her skirt was cut so close that it was more of a belt with an attitude problem—so skimpy that every sashaying step she made across the stone floor showed off her round ass and swollen mound.
Mareth wasn’t wearing any panties—and unlike Christina, there was no doubt that the demoness was pierced in several places that would give the man claiming her greater pleasure.
“Oh—hi, Master!” the succubus giggled. For a heart-wrenching moment, I thought she was referring to me—then I realized her greeting had been directed at Lucifer.
Of course, I thought. Everything in Hell served him in one way or another: any organization chart down here had him at the very top.
“This is Luke,” Lucifer said, indicating me. “He’s my new candidate to become the Archlord of Hell, as you can see. He’s going to be attending the Academy shortly—I’d appreciate it if he had a friend to help guide him.”
Mareth looked me up and down with a gaze so frank it scandalized Christina. “Oh yeah,” the succubus purred, licking her lips. Her tongue was longer than a human woman’s, with a silver stud in the middle. Any man who saw that tongue would be instantly consumed with thoughts of what the succubus could do with it. “I’d love to pop your cherry, Luke! The Infernal Academy is the coolest!”