The Dark God's Bride

by Dahlia Lu

  “You should learn to listen.”

  “It didn’t hurt at all!” Except it did…

  A surprised gasp came from the door. Amara turned and saw Mary stand there blushing. “Oh my lord, I didn’t know you were… excuse me!” The girl slammed the door shut.

  Amara could see how his position could cause a misunderstanding from a distance. Living with Lizzie, it was a common scene to run into. She’d run into awkward situations so many times that she could piece them into a scene by now. Some things cannot be unseen like they say. Still, she couldn’t help but to redden with embarrassment. She hurried to her feet and folded her arms in front of her.

  He observed her and said, “You’re imagining the act.”

  “I don’t have to imagine.” She knew she’d said the wrong thing when she saw his eyes darkened again. She had the urge to clarify that statement. “What I meant was…”

  “You don’t need to tell me what you meant. I understand perfectly.”

  Do you really? “Fine...”

  He glanced at his wrist watch and then set the book aside. He stood and said, “It’s feeding time for you, mortal.”

  “I’ll pass.”

  “Feeding time...”

  “I heard you and I said I’ll pass. I’m not in the mood for food right now.”

  “I won’t repeat myself a third time.”

  “Skipping one meal is not going to kill me.”

  “I will not yield to you. You will come with me. You will sit quietly at the table and you will eat your meal.”

  “You are such a dictator.”

  There was that ‘and your point is?’ look on his face again.

  “Why are you so keen on this?”

  “It is one of my obligations.”

  “What obligations?”

  “I protect and provide for what is mine. You are a liability, but you are my liability, so I am providing.”

  She stared at him wide-eyed. “Are you serious?” Then she remembered he couldn’t jest, even if his life was depending on. It just wasn’t in his nature.

  She should not take his words too seriously either. Even if he claimed that he would protect her and provide for her, it could change without a moment’s notice. He could go berserk without a warning and snap her neck like a twig. It was highly possible.

  The biggest threat to me is standing in this very room and I’m staring at him. Can you protect me from yourself?

  “Fine,” she decided, “but I won’t be quiet about it. That is against my nature.”

  The corner of his lips slightly curled up in what appeared to be a smile. “Come.”

  Amara followed him out of the room and down the hallway. They walked past Mary and Elaine, who were whispering to one another. The girls saw them, blushed furiously, and then scattered.

  Amara frowned.

  They were living in the twenty first century. Things like this are all over the internet, so she didn’t understand what Mary and Elaine was fussing over, assuming she and Noctis were doing what Mary thought she saw. There was definitely an awkward element to it.

  He suddenly halted, causing her to run into his back. He glanced out of the window. “Mortal. We have uninvited guests.”

  “Guests…?”

  “Hostile guests...”

  “Hostile?”

  For the briefest moment, she could have sworn she saw bloodlust in his expression. Turning to her, he swept her into his arms as though she was feather light and teleported out of the mansion. He teleported multiple times. I will have a killer headache later, Amara told herself.

  “What is chasing after us?” she asked curiously.

  “A fleet of demons,” he replied quickly.

  Amara found relief. They may be hostile, but only to him. “You’re running away? This is a bit unlike you.”

  “Before today, I’ve never ran from anything.”

  “Is it because there are too many of them?”

  He looked down at her, surprised at her question. “I didn’t have baggage before. Having something to protect has put me at a disadvantage. As soon as I can tuck you away in a safe place, I will come back and destroy them all.”

  She frowned. Some of those demons were her friends. “Must you?”

  “I can’t think of a better way to spend my afternoon.”

  He finally stopped and scanned the location. They were surrounded by a lush forest in front and the foot of the mountains in the back. He carried her into a shallow cavern and set her down. Disoriented, she clung on to him while he cast a barrier around them. She could see the golden sphere in the pattern of a honeycomb glinting in the sunlight, before fading away into invisibility.

  “Stay here,” he instructed.

  Amara caught his left sleeve, refusing to let him go. She couldn’t let him hurt her friends, but she didn’t know how to keep him with her.

  “What, mortal?”

  She couldn’t think of anything to say on the spot. She frantically searched for an excuse to detain him.

  Her stomach growled, as if on cue.

  “I’m hungry,” she said and placed a hand over her belly. “You’re just going to leave me here to starve?”

  “I will only be gone for an hour or two. You will live.”

  She tugged on his sleeve. “I am hungry now. You said you would provide.”

  “We are being pursued,” he reminded her. “Wait until I come back. I am expected for a showdown and it would look bad if I was late.”

  “I’m telling you I can’t…”There was a throbbing pressure in the back of her head, same as the day before. Everything in view was dividing and moving in circular motions. Her vision became blurred. “…can’t…”

  “Mortal?” He reached out and caught her in his arms just as her knees gave out on her.

  She blinked and shook her head to regain clarity.

  “Now you are just being melodramatic,” he said.

  “You think I am faking this?” She asked, appalled.

  “You had your last meal five hours ago, not five days.”

  “It’s not the…”She was feeling woozy again, “Just put me down!”

  He set her down on the ground.

  “I will be back soon.”

  She gripped a handful of his hair and pulled him toward her. “I will never forgive you if you kill any of my friends.”

  “I am getting you food, mortal.”

  She released him. “I need some…” He disappeared. “…water.”

  Amara wondered if he’d heard her.

  Probably not…

  She leaned against the cavern wall and rested her eyes for a few minutes. She opened her eyes again when she heard squealing sounds. He had returned with a live, wild piglet in his hand. She stared at him as he nudged the struggling creature toward her.

  “You expect me to eat that?” She asked. “Really…? I mean really?”

  “It is food.”

  “So you want me to kill it, gut it and then barbeque it, when you could have just order me a burger and large fries?”

  Impatiently, he asked. “Do you want it or not?”

  She shook her head immediately.

  He released the poor creature and it frenziedly ran for the exit, hit the barrier, and squealed as it recoiled.

  “Mortal, I am late.”

  “You’re still going?”

  “Or they will come here and turn this place into a battleground. I prefer not to be distracted.”

  “By me…?” She teased.

  “Is there any other baggage around here?”

  “You care about me,” she concluded.

  “Quiet, mortal…”

  How far can she push his buttons? She wondered. “Admit it. You do.”

  With a stubborn look on his face, he sa
id, “I assure you it was not a conscious choice.”

  She smiled at him. Her voice softened significantly. “That’s a bit unexpected. Since when…?”

  He averted his gaze.

  She guessed. “When you failed to kill me?”

  When he didn’t answer, she laughed.

  “What is so funny?”

  “It must be ironic for you. This … unwanted friendship.”

  He remained indifferent.

  “Since you are so sincere, I accept your friendship.”

  “I didn’t offer.”

  “You are being difficult, Noctis. But then again, when have you not been difficult?”

  He turned his body, becoming acutely alert of his surroundings.

  She flushed and unconsciously sighed at the sight of his imposingly profile. He had the longest and darkest eyelashes that any woman would envy framing his fierce blue eyes. His nose was tall, proportional to his face, and perfectly projected. His cheekbones were high and chiseled. His jawline was prominent. He was such an imposing man.

  She was undeniably infatuated with his appearance.

  “They will be here any moment,” he said as he scooped her up into his arms. “Come.”

  “Where are we going? Are we running again?”

  He had teleported a moment too late. Their pursuer had caught up to them.

  Amara was expecting Trent, but it was Nala who arrived. The unearthly beauty was riding on an enormous canine-like beast with long black fur and fierce golden eyes. Her left arm had fully regenerated. Behind her were dozens of demons, half of whom Amara could identify by name.

  “You will pay dearly for your crime,” Nala said in a poised and graceful tone. It was incongruent with the suppressed fury in her eyes, promising a hellish fate to her enemy.

  If Amara were him, she would be shaking in her boots, but he looked undaunted. “They’ve left me no choice. We are going to the one place they cannot follow.”

  “Where…?”

  He was muttering something in a foreign language. He stepped forward and the scenery around them changed.

  Chapter Seventeen

  There was a lovely fragrance and a thin layer of mist in the air.

  Amara gasped at the breathtaking view of the cascading waterfall pouring ghostly, blue water from an unknown height above the clouds. She moved toward the edge to see where it was pouring to and nearly fainted at the height she was standing at. Strips of land, covered in green moss and crystal clear plants, were suspending in the air. They formed the network of bridges she was standing on.

  Surely, this cannot be Earth.

  “I am not very comfortable at this height,” she said to Noctis.

  The next moment, they were standing at the base of the waterfall. The water basin was glowing iridescent blue and was so deep that not even the crystal clear water could reveal its true depth.

  Beautiful fish with enormous, white fins were swimming just below the surface. Their scales were long, and ranged from metallic silver to the beetle’s blue green, and glittered resplendently like jewels below the gentle ripples. She dipped a hand into the water and was surprised that they were not frightened by her. They were just as curious of her as she was of them. She almost felt guilty for imagining what they would taste like grilled with a little bit of salt and olive oil.

  “Where is this place?” She asked, playing with the fish that were swimming playfully around her hand.

  “Paradise,” he scoffed. The word came out distasteful.

  “Paradise…? You mean this is…” She gasped a loud, as if knowing where it was, enhanced its beauty.

  “You will stay here and wait for me to return,” he commanded.

  “What do you wish to accomplish by facing them? I don’t know anything about Nala, but I am familiar with the beast that is her mount. His name is Fai the Condemned Divine Beast. Even the demons are intimidated by his presence.”

  “You think that I would lose?”

  Amara interpreted the question as rhetorical. “Fine, go,” she said, no longer worried for the safety of her friends; knowing that Fai was on their side. The beast lived up to his name. “Get torn limb from limb. If you come back with all of your pieces, assuming you’ll come back at all, I will help stitch yourself back together. I’m very good at sewing.” She nodded eagerly. “You’ll be good as new.”

  “Mortal. I must confess that…”

  His voice suddenly became inaudible. Amara stared at him. Her eyes were focused on his moving lips. He was saying something to her, but she couldn’t make out the words. The rushing sound of the waterfall was drowning out and fading into absolute silence. Everything became muted.

  He was staring back at her with a puzzled expression. Agitated by her lack of response, he turned his back and walked away.

  The world was slanting.

  Panic knotted in her guts. Something wasn’t right.

  She attempted to reach out to him, but her limbs felt stiff. Her cry for help was caught in her throat. The next thing she knew, she was staring at the clouds. The cold rush of water claimed her body. She was sinking lower, descending deeper into the unknown depth of the basin. Her vision blurred and receded into darkness.

  “Mortal. I must confess that at moments like these I have the overwhelming urge to wrap my hands around your slender neck.”

  Noctis waited for her to snap back with a clever remark, but nothing came. The girl stood motionless. Her large grey eyes were staring back at him with a blank expression. He became increasingly agitated with the silent pause.

  Cursing under his breath, Noctis turned to find an open area, so he could open the portal to the Earth Realm.

  His enemy this time was the beautiful demoness he’d met once at the immortal’s nightclub. From that one meeting, she had left a deep impression on him. Her dreamy, pale green eyes were hiding a brooding sorrow beyond spoken words. He recognized all too well the madness that dwelled within the gleam of her eyes, for he had seen it often reflected back from the bathroom mirror. She reminded him of a wounded animal; silently begging for merciful death.

  He had little clue as to why the beautiful demoness was tracking him with promise of retribution. He half-guessed that it had something to do with Lucifer. He had always loathed the thought of using his powers against a female, but if she had the guts to antagonize him, then she should be prepared to die by his hands. For all he knew, he may be doing her a favor.

  Noctis paused when he heard the splash from behind him that differed from the sound of the waterfall. He suspiciously looked over his shoulder and confirmed his suspicion.

  She fell in!

  He peered through the ripples to try to locate her, but all he could see was the shadows of darkness. A normal person would have been thrashing and screaming for help if they had fallen in. The girl disappeared as though she willingly allowed the basin to swallow her.

  Without so much as another thought, he dived into the cold water and swam for the bottom. She couldn’t have sunk too far. She couldn’t have.

  The deeper he ventured into the depth of the basin, the darker it became. He began to fear for her. Each second was critical for her survival. Agitations were so rapidly building up that he found it increasingly difficult to cope. Of all the living creatures he could have chosen for a companion, he just had to choose a weak human knowing that her weakness would become his own. Her body, her very existence was as sheer and fragile as a dragonfly’s wing.

  A flash of glimmer caught his eyes. The sapphire necklace she wore around her neck was reflecting the light. He swam to her, caught her ankle and pulled her toward him. He kissed her, transferring a breath that he hoped could save her life.

  He held her tight in his left arm and swam for the surface.

  Emerging from the cold water, he pressed his ear against her chest to listen for a hear
tbeat. It was so faint that it was nearly unnoticeable. He laid her on her back and pressed rhythmically against her chest. Her body began to expel some of the water that was forced into her lungs.

  “Mortal?” He attempted to wake her with a gentle tap on her velvety cheek. “Mortal, open your eyes.”

  She didn’t respond, lying in his arms, as still as death.

  Noctis grimly watched the unconscious mortal in his arms. He shook her out of frustration and the unexpected happened. She coughed on reflex and drew in a deep breath to inflate her lungs.

  “Open your eyes,” he pleaded, surprised by his own gentleness.

  And when she did, he felt the biggest relief he had ever experienced. She stared back at him with her dazed, grey eyes, clearly confused by what was happening.

  She was breathing, that was all he cared about.

  Abruptly, he embraced her in his arms, thankful that she was still alive. She came so close dying. He came to close to losing her.

  Noctis was facing the fact that he could no longer deny. This mortal meant more to him than he was willing to admit.

  His heart stopped cold in his chest when he thought of his nemesis. His madness had driven him to this state, but what about Lucifer? What made him fall in love with this woman? And why had he left her so vulnerable? There was no protection spell around her and nothing to guard her mortality. Was Lucifer content with a few measly decades?

  No, Noctis answered his own question, he would not. Lucifer cared little about the laws of order and chaos. He knew no limits and saw no boundaries. He did things his own way regardless of the consequences. Noctis’ very existence was the proof of it. Lucifer could have done the same for her or at least preserve her existence in some way.

  Yet she was mortal – delicate and breakable.

  Why had he not noticed it before? Had he been so blinded by his obsession with vengeance that he could not see anything else? Lucifer would never be so careless with his most coveted possession. Had the Archangels misinformed him? They had been wrong about Lucifer’s hibernation.