Beauty Bride 2

by Gen Phan

  Looks like it to me.

  She gives us another sarcastic smile. "If anyone in this place is a brat, it's the new queen." She sneers to herself. "She's a fucking human, and yet Lucifer's practically drooling over her."

  That's right. He's nuts about a human, not you.

  I'm barely able to hold back my smile.

  "I know your attitude, Lilith, but have a little respect for Lisa." Kerion's voice is irritated. "She may be human, but she's gotten closer to the master than anyone."

  Lilith's sneer remains. "Only because of her tits."

  "Beside the point," Kerion stops another rant from starting. "You're only upset because your childishness keeps you from accepting defeat. Had you matured a bit more, or tried to act like a woman, you'd have moved on by now."

  She sulks like the child she is. "I am not jealous!"

  Kerion shrugs. "Then move forward and hear us out."

  "Fine," she spits, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at us.

  I barely keep myself from rolling my eyes. For someone as formidable and infamous as Lilith, she acts like a rotten brat. I suddenly realize that she's much like my mother, only worse. Both of them are only happy when things go their way, otherwise they sit and whine for the entire day until someone finally acquiesces to their demands to shut them up. Lilith's not a scary as I had originally thought, just really annoying.

  Kerion clears his throat and steps forward. "The queen's been replaced."

  Lilith stares at him, slightly dumbfounded. "What?"

  "Latifah's found a way to switch bodies with Lisa. She's parading around as the queen."

  Lilith's eyes widen, flicking from Kerion to me. "Latifah's right there!"

  For the first time that I've been wearing this skin, I'm indignant. "I'm not Latifah!"

  Lilith's eyes shoot to me, widening then narrowing in confusion. "Yes, you are, you ambitious little whore! Don't play games with me!"

  Kerion shakes his massive head. "No, she's not, Lilith. This isn't Latifah. This is Lisa in Latifah's body."

  There's a silence as the two of us wait for her answer. Lilith continues to stare at me, switching from outraged to confused and every emotion in between. Finally, she sighs and sits back in her chair, lacing her long fingers together and closing her eyes.

  "So the bitch finally got away with it," she whispers.

  Kerion, as relieved as I am, nods. "Yes. She managed to catch Lisa off guard and switch bodies with her. I witnessed the entire thing, Lilith. Take my word for it when I say this is not Latifah."

  And she's prancing around with my husband!

  CHAPTER 57:

  Lilith's eyes open, sliding to me. "So this is the new Lisa?"

  "New?" I stare at her, confused. "You think that just because I'm not in my body I'm just some replaceable thing?"

  Her evil smile returns. "As far as I'm concerned, you're not my queen right now. No crown, no queen."

  Oh, super bitch. I've had enough of you.

  The boost in self-esteem and pride I've gained from being queen comes roaring to the surface, giving me a much-needed blast of strength. Unfortunately, my defensiveness rises too, along with my competitiveness. "Come down off that chair and say that to my face."

  Lilith stares at me for an instant, caught off guard by my challenge. Her smile returns anyway. "At least I'm in a throne. You seem to have lost yours. And to a succubus, no less."

  I'm hurt, but not surprised. Lilith may have the body of a woman, but like most of the girls I went to high school with, she's got the mentality of a spoiled kindergartner. Luckily, I've dealt with this type of personality before, so I know just how to handle myself.

  "Fine, then. Since you're too much of a coward to come down here, I'll come to you."

  Before Kerion can step between us, I make my way toward Lilith's chair. She bolts upright and glares at me, outraged that I would dare challenge her. But in her eyes, I can see fear and uneasiness. She's unused to someone not taking her word as a final answer, so seeing me walk towards her with pure determination and frustration is a shock to her.

  I stop a foot before her chair, staring down at my most powerful adversary. In this body, I'm weak and can't defend myself. But my soul is the exact same as before, so I can and will stand my ground no matter who I look like. If that means I have to fight Lilith head-on, so be it.

  "As your queen, I'm giving you an order," I make my tone as steady and even as I can. "Say that to my face."

  Furious, Lilith rises from her chair and looks me dead in the eye. In Latifah's body, we're evenly matched in height; if I were in my body, she'd have to look up slightly. But here and now, we're on even ground. No unfair height differences, no fights over whose boobs are bigger. It's just the two of us staring at each other and fighting it out like normal, hell-born women.

  "I said," she rolls the words in her mouth, savoring their taste. "You're not my queen."

  My mask of cool composure never shifts. "Fine. Then I refuse to recognize you as my superior as well.".

  She pulls back an inch, indignant. "How dare you! I watch over ever succubus that comes through here!"

  I shrug. "But I'm not a succubus. Like it or not, I'm your queen. I may be in a different body, but I still rule this place."

  She smiles at me again. "Only until Lucifer figures out what happened. One he realizes the woman he's sleeping with isn't you, he'll toss her and your body into the fire pits. Which means you'll be stuck here in Latifah's body and Lucifer will be free game."

  For the second time in my life, I explode on Lilith with full force.

  "You spoiled, rotten little whore! How dare you presume me to be so weak that I would roll over and allow myself to be cast aside! After all I've gone through! After all the shit that's been dumped on me! I don't care if you were born and raised in the dirtiest slum in Jerusalem! Your queen has been replaced, hell is going down the drain, and all you can think of is yourself!"

  She steps back a foot, trying to retreat but having nowhere to run. Her eyes are wide, filled with shock and horror. Exactly what I want.

  "Being soulless and empty is no excuse for acting like a trashy, spoiled child. Lucifer is your master. Your obligation in life is to defend him at any cost, even if that means putting up with me. Now, I give you a choice. Either rise above your childish behavior and act like a woman who's worthy of your position, or continue with your games and see your master and your world fall to pieces."

  My heart is pounding, and my pride and anger has swelled beyond the confines of my tiny frame, but I don't care. I've said my piece. The ball's in Lilith's court now, and it's up to her to decide if she wants to make or breaks us.

  She stares at me for a moment, her eyes still wide and fearful. Slowly, though, her face returns to its normal snobbish appearance. A sly smile breaks on her lips, and she gives a quiet laugh.

  "You've got a backbone, I'll give you that." Her smile never fades. "You're human, but at least you've got some strength to you."

  "Damn straight." My defensiveness has subsided, but my irritation remains on full blast. "I say again, chose your path. Either find yourself under the rule of a highly unstable succubus who's willing to let your world fall into ruin, or helps us save it."

  She half-scoffs, half-laughs at my order. "Oh, sweet Lisa. Thinking she has the power to rule our world. Such a simple little human girl." She steps forward, closing the tiny distance between us. Her smile widens, becoming more sinister and ugly.

  "You really think he cares about you? About a mortal girl who has no business holding the queen's throne? No, he doesn't give a shit about you. You're just a silly little toy he brought down here to play with, not a queen. You don't deserve him like even Latifah does. At least she's a fucking demon. But you...so simple, so quiet, so weak. You don't have what it takes to rule over us. And once Latifah signs that execution order, I'll never have to deal with your stinky, worthless-"

  I don't let her finish. Cocking my arm back, I swing as har
d as I can and smack her across the face. She squeals and stumbles backwards, cupping her cheek in her palm. Somehow, I manage to keep myself from exploding in rage, but I'm more than done with this bitch. She's obviously too absorbed in her own chance of stealing Lucifer to care about Hell falling into Latifah's hands.

  Fine, then. I'll do it myself.

  CHAPTER 58:

  Spinning around, I walk away from Latifah and her exquisite throne, striding across the marble floor with my head held high. I pass by Kerion, who watches in amazement as I dare to turn my back on one of the most powerful demons here.

  "Come on, Kerion," I call as I make my way to the doors. "She's not going to help us."

  Without hesitation, Kerion nods and follows behind me. Without having to look, I know Lilith has recovered behind me and is glaring daggers at my back. I don't care. She's not going to help me save my home or my husband, so she can rot in Heaven for all I care.

  "Kerion!" she calls after us. "You're going to follow her?"

  Kerion stops and turns to face Lilith. I do the same, partly because I want to wait for my friend and partly because I want to watch the fireworks.

  Kerion nods to Lilith. "Yes. Unlike you, Lilith, my loyalties are set with those who have offered me help and kindness, not privilege and power. You choose to sacrifice our world and our master for your own petty jealousies. Your selfishness with be your end someday, and Lisa and I will be there to laugh as you tumble from absolute power into oblivion."6

  Having said his piece, Kerion turns back toward me and crawls across the marble to the doors. Lilith stands by her throne, staring wide-eyed at the two of us. She's never been called out before by anyone, and now she's just been blasted by a human and a very powerful spider. We've knocked her off balance abit. Good.

  "Ah, one final thing..." Kerion never turns around as he addresses Lilith. "If Lisa and I do manage to recover ourselves and fix this mess that Latifah's set up for us, I'll be sure to tell Lucifer how very helpful you were."

  I smile as her jaw hits the floor. Kerion threw out an amazing last card. The threat of facing my wrath might not be enough to frighten her, but facing my husband's wrath leaves her speechless. Risking facing his anger just to be spiteful is suicide on her part. I watch her lip tremble as she considers just how bad Lucifer's eruption might be.

  Knowing my husband and the situation we're in, it's probably going to be epic.

  Forgetting to take one last look at her, I spin on my toes and stride out the doors. Kerion follows close behind me, his head held almost as high as mine. We may not have succeeded in gaining Lilith's help, but we definitely left one hell of a soul-searching session for her. I celebrate quietly as we turn back into the main hallway. I showed her my backbone twice now, so she knows that I'm ready and willing to use it.

  The main hall is empty now, almost deathly silent compared to when we first entered here. I'm relieved; Kerion and I can talk in peace now without being questioned or berated by an overly-curious demon.

  One of his long, slender legs strokes my back as we walk. "You did very well back there. I can see why the master trusts you so much."

  I smile back. "You weren't so bad yourself."

  "Gah, that woman is nothing to me. I've dealt with her on a few more childish occasions than that. We're all used to it now."

  Lilith can get more childish?

  I sigh and stare at the ground as we walk. "It's sad that she's willing to sacrifice her entire world just to see me miserable."

  "That creature would sell her own mother to gain power," Kerion adds.

  "Shit. Even I wouldn't go that far, and my mother's the one who got me into this mess."

  My stomach turns at the thought. Mom's a little self-absorbed, but I'd never toss her into the pits for money or power. Not that I'd ever need to; her greed got me Lucifer and a crown, so I'm practically set. But I know her. Greedy as she is, I'm still her daughter, and there's been more than one occasion where she's gone ballistic on someone because they messed with me. She's a mess, but if I were in trouble, she would care enough about me to push Lilith into the fire first.

  "Some people are users and abusers, nothing more." Kerion sighs along with me. "But we may have a chance with that last threat. As insatiable and self-centered as she is, Lilith's no fool. She knows that once the master find out what happened, he'll figure out that she never helped us when she had the chance. She's risking her black soul to spite you."

  "Well...I guess that's good." My stomach is still turning from the thought of my mother. I wonder how she is. I haven't seen her since she was presented to me. I hope she's okay through all of this. I'd hate to lose her because Latifah and Lilith want my Husband more then Hell.

  "It will certainly give her something to ponder."

  I swallow whatever fear I have and straighten my spine. I set my eyes straightforward, staring down the hallway in the direction of my bedroom. Down there, my unknowing husband and my evil hyper-bitch doppelganger wait for me. I'm scared to fight her, but I have no choice. It's do-or-die time, and I'm ready to do.

  "Well, until Lilith decides to help us, we do this alone."

  Kerion nods and follows closely behind me, ready to sacrifice life and limb fora queen he barely knows. Loyalty at it's best.

  CHAPTER 59:

  Motherfucker.

  The thought was angry, filled with hatred and disgust. And for good reason. That idiot Bradfield dared to show his spoiled face again, demanding yet another chance with Lisa and taunting him with his own twisted ideas of superiority and power.

  It was a miracle in itself that Lucifer didn't kill the boy this time.

  Instead, all it took was a few bursts of fire and another round of degradation to send the idiot packing. A spoiled little shit with a mouth to match, but completely lacking backbone or the ability to defend himself. It amazed Lucifer that this boy's face was still intact; surely he'd pissed off enough people with that attitude to warrant a few good beatings.

  The old angel sighed. He didn't know why he spared the boy's life. It wasn't in his nature to do so. If he did things his way, that brat would be a soot stain on the marble flooring. But no. Something was holding him back from incinerating the child. Something strong, powerful and beautiful.

  Ah, that's it. Killing him would upset Lisa.

  He stopped, standing completely still in he empty hallway, his mind spinning and his emotions going haywire. Since when did he care about a human's emotions? After millennia of manipulating and seducing them to their dooms, he now suddenly cared for how his queen might feel.

  But why? True, Lisa was his queen, but she was still human. Skinny, weak by comparison and completely unacquainted with the rules of this realm. It shouldn't matter what she thought of his actions. All she needed to do was keep his bed warm and the spare throne occupied. Her thought and emotions shouldn't have even been considered on the issue.

  Unfortunately, they were. As much as he hated to admit it, Lisa did have a certain charm that left his head spinning and his knees weak. She could tempt him into anything, even a round of rough sex minutes after spilling his heart into that bath. She could tease him, taunt him and toy with him. And every time, he fell for it and ran straight into her arms.

  Lucifer sighed and continued his languid pace. A human... millions of years later and it was a human that brought him to his knees. Not Michael, not his father. A teenage human girl from Arizona with long, dark hair and eyes that pierced through his rotten soul.

  Women.

  As much as he filled his thoughts with anger and frustration, he knew he could never deny that woman anything. She held what was left of his heart in her soft, warm hands, and she wasn't letting go for blood, flood or fire.

  Not that he minded being entranced by her. Lisa was a knockout in her own right. Long legs, soft skin, eyes that burned through him and a rack he could springboard from. She was by no means as famous as Gisele Bündchen-- poor Gisele could never compare to his lithe, ample queen -- but s
he was more than tempting enough to draw his eyes during even the most crucial of conversations.

  But it was more, much more than her simple appeal or her ability to coax him into anything. Lisa cared for him, taking the time to let him rant and pour his heart out when no one else would care to listen. She'd shown him kindness and sympathy when no one else dared to. She kept repeating how much she loved him, how much she wanted him, and how much she never wanted to hurt him. How she would never leave him until he tried to harm her.

  She'd promised that. No one had ever promised him that. Even his father had abandoned him, and for the slightest of reasons. But Lisa...she had more courage and heart in her than most demons. She'd charmed Beelzebub and the others, and managed to put Lilith in her place, so she couldn't be completely foolish and incompetent. In truth, she was anything but. After spending only a week being married to her, Lucifer could tell she was more than able to hold the reigns of his kingdom. If Michael somehow managed to take him out for a moment, Lisa would make sure the ship stayed afloat.

  It was a deadly mix of beauty, strength and kindness that made him lose all thought and spill his soul. She had the power and the skills to make him do anything she wanted but never took advantage of them. Yet she was a genuinely sweet soul who only asked form him to share the bed and speak his thoughts.

  "Alright, fine! I love the woman!" He yelled the words into the empty air. "There! Satisfied?"

  In a strange way, the silence almost was.

  He sighed and kicked at a small stone as he walked. That woman was intoxicating, almost annoyingly so. But she was kind and gentle enough not to drive him mad. Unlike that damned Latifah...

  Disgusting witch.

  He shivered at the thought of the wretched creature. Arrogant, idiotic and beyond infuriating, she would stop at nothing to gain his attention. It wasn't Latifah's looks or body that repelled him, it was her attitude. Her pride and vanity rivaled Lilith herself, but her lower rank made it all the more annoying. That, and she constantly degraded Lisa simply for being human. He growled to himself, barely resisting the urge to slam his fist into the wall.