***
After removing the tiny slivers of wood from her feet, Belial looked them over to ensure his thorough cleansing and was pleased to see that he had done an adequate job. Now comes the somewhat fun part, he thought as he held a reddened foot in each hand. Soothing one’s pain came naturally to him, contrary to what some may think, almost as much as inflicting it, which was even more amusing. Some would ask why he would soothe a being’s pain if he were only going to inflict more at a later time.
The answer was simple; because it builds trust, he would say. Trust between the teacher and the pupil, between the tormentor and the tormented, the enlightener and the enlightened. Once trust in a relationship is gained, it becomes easier to bend one’s mind to your own philosophy later. To make them see things your way, you must have their trust and confidence, confidence that you will save them from the pain each time. They will believe anything you have to say after that. They must have faith in you, that you will take their pain away, even if it is you who injure them. They will look forward to that bliss that you provide in those few minutes after the initial cut is made in their flesh, or after the fifty lashes from the whip you wield. They know only you can give them release because you are the one controlling the knife or the whip, or any other such instrument you choose. That’s what he would say. Yes, now that Mara had experienced a smidgen of pain at the hands of Belial, he saw it only fit to soothe it a bit. So he took her once delicate feet in his hands and began to administer a comforting massage to the swollen pads and hardened toes.
“You should really cover these up,” he suggested as he moved his thumbs in circular motions over the balls of her feet, “they will be damaged beyond repair if you don’t.”
“I don’t have any shoes. I arrived without them,” she answered, trying to keep her head on straight and not center on the fact that Belial was giving her a foot massage.
“That can be remedied,” he replied. His fingers had moved to the center of her feet, the sensitive nerves electrifying as he moved over them. He seemed to know exactly where to push and the soreness she had been feeling slowly began to fade from the aching muscles as he worked every inch with manipulating thumbs. She placed her head down on the mattress, turning on her cheek and basked in the feel of his hands upon her, even if it was only for an innocent massage.
The flesh he was surrounded in was cool, and upon first contact the iciness had nipped at her body but as she got used to it, she found his cool temperature rather exhilarating. He wasn’t cold like the air in her cell. He felt more like a cool breeze in the middle of summer. Each tiny area he touched turned to putty in his hands, and he could sense it. A soft sigh that escaped her lips halfway through the massage session confirmed that and as he sensed the urge beginning to form within his loins to simply have his way with her, he forced himself to draw the soothing activity to an end. For more had to be done before the initial taking of the pupil, and unfortunately he currently had not the time to do it. It would have to wait, simple as that. If he could bend the will of others he could bend his own as well, if need be. So, with that thought, he provided one last sweep down the bottom of her feet and placed them back on the bed before dusting off his hands.
***
Just as she was beginning to feel completely relaxed, Mara felt the kneading fingers cease their movement and seconds later his hands had abandoned her body altogether. Opening her eyes in protest, she twisted her head to look at him as he pushed himself off the bed and stood beside it.
“Sorry for my impatience earlier, I’ll try not to let it happen again. It’s just that I get a bit irritable when I’m fatigued,” she heard him say with his back to her.
Again she was a bit surprised by his apologetic manner. Not a soul or a demon had offered even the slightest hint of an apology to her for anything since she had arrived in the infernal regions. Not until him, anyway.
“Uh, it’s fine. I can understand your point,” she replied, searching for the right words.
“Anything else that you need?” he asked curtly, turning to look at her.
Still lying on the bed, she shook her head but kept her mouth shut.
“Well, then I will bid you good evening, Mara. But please do one thing. Stay in here for the rest of the night until I call on you. I would hate for you to stumble into a room you are ill-prepared for because you are not yet familiar with my home. There are rules that must be followed here, and I will go over them with you tomorrow. Until then, it’s safer for you in here.”
Mara agreed to not emerge from her room until the following day, besides she wanted nothing more than to take a long, hot bath and get a decent sleep after so many nights on that rock-hard cot in the prison.
“Good. Well, good night,” he gave a slight bow and backed out of the doorframe shutting the door behind him.
“Good night,” she said in return but he was already gone.
She heard the sound of his retreating footsteps until they vanished from earshot and the room was thrown into uneasy silence again as she got up from the bed.
Wondering what kind of rules Belial had for his guests, she turned and walked into her bathroom, shutting the door behind her.
***
Belial was not able to sleep for quite some time, thus causing his dreary mood to heighten its tedium as he closed his eyes once more to make a feeble attempt at dozing off. He soon found it to be pointless as sleep eluded him, laughing its hideous laugh just beyond his reach. He sighed in frustration as his hand reached up to massage the bridge of his nose in the dark. He slammed his hand down beside him when he finished and turned on his side, platinum hair cascading across black pillows. This routine of tossing and turning went on for a while before he decided that no matter how hard he tried or how tired he was, his body was not going to shut down so easily. He sat up, trousers hissing against the black satin of his bed and his mouth twitched involuntarily from his decaying mood. Arms crossed over his chest in a pout, he leaned up against the wall and tried to clear his mind.
He had conveniently forgotten to contact Lucifer when he’d reached his bedchamber after leaving the new guest on her own, and he pondered whether or not he should get up and speak to the emperor himself or just let Lucifer eventually come to him. He continued to stew at the audacity of Lucifer and his 'request', no matter how much amusement he could squeeze out of it. His mind also wandered to Mara, and how she seemed so utterly different than she had been described to him. Was it possible that Lucifer somehow had the wrong impression of her? Or was she just as wicked as rumored, hiding under this shy facade for the sake of deceit before getting ready to pounce? Belial could not tell for sure yet, and although he had some idea, he supposed it would take more time spent in her company to discern her true motives. Her true self would most certainly emerge after a few of his teaching sessions but the question was what would he do when he discovered her real self? If he found her to be relatively timid, would he alert Lucifer or keep the information to himself for any later use it may have? If he found her to be the wicked siren that she was believed to be, would it make his intent to eventually conquer her all the more desirable? Whatever the outcome to the situation would be, he was sure of one thing. He would use it all to his advantage.
***
Unlike Belial, Mara had used her time alone to make the best of her surroundings. She had finished her bath, cleaning off her skin and wiping away the dirt that felt like it had clung to her for ages. She was thankful to have her feet free of splinters, but her mind was still plagued by thoughts of why Belial had suddenly shown affection towards her after acting so cool and collected beforehand. He seemed able to switch personas as quick as one could snap their fingers, and it baffled her to no end. Eventually she chose to put her thoughts on her new host aside for the time being and finished with her bath. She wasn’t going to be here long, anyway.
Afterwards, she had gotten into bed, pulling the blue covers up to her neck and basking in their warmth, as she always felt so
cold down here. It was such a different atmosphere than what she was used to, though she forced herself to get used to it for the duration of her stay. Her pillows were quite plush and her head sank into one as she laid it back, letting her weight rest on the mattress until she felt as if she were floating. Though she was still uncomfortable in this new home with its owner, she felt thankful that she no longer had to sleep on a hard cot and pace in a dank cell while reflecting on her actions. She wondered what she was going to actually do when she had to meet with Lucifer and the thought caused anxiety to well up inside her. It was true, her mission included gaining access to Lucifer’s domicile, but upon hearing that he had actually requested her presence there she only felt more troubled. Wondering what exactly the emperor wanted with her did not make her feel any better, either. She would have to inquire about it when she spoke with Belial next, but for now she let the darkness overtake her and her body drifted into sleep.
***
After quite some time Belial realized he wasn’t going to get any rest, so he got up and donned some new clothes in his darkened room and finished off his grooming by tying his hair back. Pacing about as if he had nothing better to do, he considered heading downstairs to take care of some business, but his mind was elsewhere and he feared his concentration was relatively low to try and get any work done. Not even wanting to think about his 'assignment,' he forced his thoughts elsewhere and did not even consider contacting Lucifer as he should. He soon found he would no longer have to worry about that though as there was suddenly a blusterous gust of wind erupting from somewhere near his bed chamber ceiling. Not long after, Lucifer touched down upon the ground and came forward with his black scepter.
“Avoiding me?” he asked a bit too vibrantly for his character.
“Only if you’ve been looking for me,” Belial answered trying to sound pleasant, though it wasn’t working.
Lucifer merely snorted at this and went on talking. He was in a rather good mood, though Belial couldn’t imagine why.
“Time is currently short for me, I’m afraid,” Lucifer said, “so I’ll be brief. How’s the little prisoner?”
“Doing fine, I suppose. I sent her to her room for now,” Belial answered.
“Been bad, has she?” Lucifer inquired wickedly, a sinful grin upon his lips.
“Actually, no, she really hasn’t made a peep. I locked her in the room because I’ve been trying to nap, but it’s useless,” Belial explained using a half-truth.
“Yes, I know,” Lucifer agreed. “Can’t remember the last time I slept.”
Since any good mood Belial was in had crumbled long ago, he remained silent, choosing not to engage in any more conversation than was necessary for the time being. Lucifer obviously noticed.
“I’ve come here to inform you that there has been a slight change in your assignment,” he voiced.
“Oh?” Belial raised pale eyebrows.
“Yes, one I suspect you’ll enjoy,” Lucifer replied and then continued in a purposeful tone, “Your assignment now is to coach Mara.”
“Coach her?” Belial asked, confused.
“Yes, coach, in the ways of carnal pleasure, if you get my meaning.”
By now Belial at least looked more interested in the conversation, “So that’s what you want her for.”
“Yes, well, she intrigues me. I would have thought that you have known me for long enough to have guessed that when I informed you of her at the meeting. Perhaps I was wrong, though. You’re slipping, Belial. Don’t walk so close to the edge of a cliff, my friend, you might fall off,” Lucifer replied arrogantly.
“I’ll be sure to take that under consideration,” Belial said in a neutral tone as he waited for Lucifer to continue.
“I want to make sure Mara knows what she’s doing by the time she comes to me. My time is precious, Belial, and I do not have enough patience to deal with an ignorant mistress. That’s where you come in. You’ve always been a competent seducer. It’s time to show me what you can really do. Simply, I need you to prepare her for her new existence. I’m sure I don’t need to explain your duties any further. You know me almost as well as I know myself, only you out of all the debauched beings here know my likes and dislikes. Your job is to morph her into my perfect mistress, a submissive one at that. You are granted the right to accomplish this in any way you see fit. On one condition, when she is handed over to me I want her unmarked. Do you understand? Not an inch of her pale flesh marred or it will be you who pays for her flaws,” Lucifer informed him with a baleful look on his sneering face.
Belial nodded curtly; not too comfortable with threats upon his self, he reminded himself who he was talking to and accepted it reluctantly.
“Good, then we both get what we want,” Lucifer replied, relaxing his stance a bit. “You get to test your skills and I get a female slave. I’ll be checking up on your progress every now and then. You don’t have very long, so I suggest you get started quickly. Don’t disappoint me. Perhaps after this is all over with, we can catch up on lost time, eh?”
Belial smiled quickly in response and then banished it from his face so as not to convey too much feigned eagerness.
“See you soon,” Lucifer said just as he disappeared in a whirlwind of black air. And then he was gone.
Chapter Seven
A knock at the door startled her from her slumber as her body sprung up to a sitting position in the bed. She had no idea how long she had been sleeping and rubbed her eyes as she walked over to the chamber door. Without a second thought she opened it, only to find herself face to face with a bouquet of black roses. Arranged elegantly, there were a full two dozen long-stemmed flowers, emitting a captivating fragrance that wafted around her until she felt a bit dizzy from the effect. The holder of the flowers leveled the bouquet to his middle and bent slightly, smiling.
“I thought you could use these,” Belial said. “They are my way of apologizing for my rude behavior yesterday. I do hope you’ll accept them, yes?”
She was speechless for a moment, so she just nodded her head, flabbergasted at his sudden change of mood. Hadn’t he already apologized?
“Good,” he replied and without waiting for an invite, stepped into the room and walked past her towards the table. After summoning a large vase and arranging the flowers at the center of the table he stopped to look at her, his look of rare merriment quickly turning to one of surprise. “Did I wake you, child?”
She looked down at herself, realizing she must look a mess. She was merely in a robe she had found on her bed upon emerging from her bath, casting off thoughts on how it had gotten there until now.
“Yes, actually. Sorry, it’s just that I haven’t had much sleep recently and the bed was quite comfortable,” she answered.
“Yes, it should be,” he interrupted, a bit arrogantly.
She flashed a nervous smile, and changed the subject, “The flowers are ravishing, thank you. Their scent is intriguing as well.” As she said this she walked up to the table to smell the sweet fragrance up close, which seemed to have a charming effect on her.
“Yes, aren’t they?” he agreed. “I always try to match the flowers to the lady I present them to. They suit you, as you’re just as captivating as the rosebuds.”
She was surprised by his statement, considering his attitude toward her the day before when they first met and glanced up at him quickly. She was even more surprised to find him staring at her, almost longingly, his light blue eyes locking onto hers before she broke the connection. Risking another glance she found his mouth tugging up on one side in an enticing smile. Am I blushing? I must be blushing. Is he flirting with me? she thought as she felt flushed, rubbing her lips together from the embarrassment that was no doubt showing on her face.
“Thank you again,” she managed as she folded her hands in front of her. Thankfully he said nothing else suggestive and nodded to her before walking back towards the door.
He turned at the doorway, however, and explained, “Breakfast is r
eady downstairs if you’d care to join me. I suggest you change into something more appropriate before coming down.” He gestured at her robe. “You will find more suitable attire in the wardrobe,” he nodded at the tall piece of furniture in the corner. He flashed a charming smile and retreated out the door, again. Embarrassed, Mara found herself wondering why it was that she found herself so shy in his company, when she had been so forward with some of the other spirits there.
***
After shutting the bedchamber door, Belial smiled to himself as he descended the stairs to the dining area. He was going to enjoy the offset of this game and he felt his mood improve immensely as he sat at the grand table waiting for Mara to join him for breakfast and some light conversation. It was time to turn this around and fully enjoy the game, along with the assignment. It was as Lucifer said; he’d get what he wanted.
***
The smell of freshly baked food encased the stairwell as Mara made her way down to meet with Belial. She found him seated at the head of a large dining table already decorated with various plates of food. Upon seeing her he got up from his chair and walked to his right, pulling out another chair and gesturing her towards it with a pale hand.
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