Chapter 20 Lucifer
They shouldn’t be gone long, but already the castle is quieter and colder, the way it’s been for as long as I can remember.
I’d sent Kai to the border to deal with the angel.
Asta and Bast went to visit Asmodeus in hopes of getting him to answer some questions.
It seems unlikely to me that they will get anything from him, but they were adamant that they need to try everything, and who knows, maybe Asmodeus has stopped attempting to remove the intestines of anyone who so much as mentions his mortal in the last few centuries.
If not, I guess they will learn.
Talian, though, I have no idea where he went, and when I search for him, I don’t come back with anything right away. I have no doubt I could find him, but I don’t care to right now. I’m sure he’s out looking for a way to help the mortal.
She’s all they talk about, all they think about, and while I don’t get the infatuation, I can understand the need to free her from Rome.
Nobody deserves to be tied to his asshole self.
The castle isn’t empty; the imps and hellhounds are still here, but they aren’t exactly good company, the way other demons are.
One should only speak with animals so often if they want to remain sane, though I’m unsure I can actually go insane; it’s not something I feel the need to test, and the mortal…
Well, I suppose I probably should check on her.
I’ve tried to stay away. I have no experience with mortals, but I know that most have a healthy fear of Hell and, by extension, me.
They should; it’s a healthy fear considering mortals only ever meet me when their soul is damned to eternal suffering.
With the exception of this one.
A soft rhythmic sound echoes down the hallway as I head deeper into the castle toward the wing I gave Asta for all of them while they are here.
The sound gets louder the closer I get, and with it, I hear the sniffles I’ve come to expect around her.
Not that I can blame her. From what I’ve heard, she has no idea where she is, who they are, or really who she is. In her mind, these guys stole her from her home, from the man she believes she loves. But even that can’t be trusted because sometimes she does remember them.
The door is already cracked. I push it open but remain in the hall as I glance around the room, and though I still hear her, I don’t see her.
Usually, she’s on the bed, only leaving when one of them makes her, either to shower or come down and eat.
I move into the room, following the sniffles and sobs until I stand at the end of her bed, only to find her tucked into the far corner, her knees up to her chin, and her head pressed into the wall of the corner.
She’s here, and she’s alive, which means I should leave. The last thing this poor mortal needs is to be more afraid.
I move across the room quietly, though I’m uncertain she would hear me even if I were as loud as the moaning of souls in the fields of punishment.
“Don’t close the door!” her plea echoes around the room, making me stop short. “Please.” Her voice is hardly more than a whisper, but it’s impossible to miss the pain, the fear in that one word.
The door is only barely open, but it’s enough. That's all I need to be able to see her, on her hands and knees at the end of the bed, fresh tears running down her cheeks and…
Is that blood?
“Who hurt you?” My voice echoes around the room as I move back into the room with purpose this time.
She scrambles back into her corner, away from me, and it doesn’t take a genius to know I came on a bit too strong.
It’s easy to lose control when my emotions get involved. So much power is at my fingertips, though I hardly need more than just the barest amount.
I’ve been mostly alone for so long, I’d forgotten what it felt like to be truly angry, to care even if just enough to not want harm to come to someone. Because that’s all this is, me caring what happens because it’s my job to take care of her, because she clearly means something to the others.
“N–no one.” Her lip trembles as more tears track down her face. “I just want it to stop.”
The anger bleeds out of me as her words sink in, the urge for blood shifting from someone in the castle to Rome.
I’ve never liked him, not that anyone could blame me, considering he’s the reason I was cast from Heaven. But believe it or not, it had nothing to do with that. I might actually go so far as to thank him for that, but I couldn’t stand him before.
I stand watching her for a moment, unable to move, unsure what to do.
“Aerilyn…” I trail off, unsure what to say.
Mortals are often lacking; that’s the beautiful thing about them. They have free will, the ability to make mistakes and learn from them. Sadly, oftentimes, most don’t, choosing instead to stay stuck where they are.
But Aerilyn had that choice taken from her by Rome, a being whose job is to protect and cherish mortal lives.
It’s disgusting, and in no way her fault.
“Rome is a monster.” She flinches when I say his name, but even without that, I can feel her love for him, hear the way her heartbeat picks up pace.
He’s conditioned her to respond the way he wants, yet I’m the one who’s supposed to be the king of torture.
After who knows how long, she finally looks up, and I get a good look at the state she’s in.
I saw the blood from the door; it runs down her face, over her eyes, and down her nose.
Flicking my eyes to the wall behind her, I see a spot that matches, and I know it’s self-inflicted.
What I hadn’t noticed before were the rest of the marks.
The shirt she wears is too big, hanging off her shoulder and showing off a bit of skin that had been hidden by her hair until now.
Fuck, I wish it still was, because looking down at her, I see the physical manifestation of her pain written on her like a call for help. Deep gouges litter her neck and chest, red welted lines, and I don’t need to look to know that if I checked her hands, her fingers would be bloody too.
“Please just make it stop.” The pain in her eyes is haunting, more so than some of the souls I’ve tortured at my hand. I wish I could give her what she wants, but despite being the ruler of Hell, I have no desire to kill this girl.
“I can’t.”
It’s a lie. I could, but I don’t want to, and if she stopped to think about it for a moment, she wouldn’t want me to either.
I cross my legs and lower myself to sit on the ground beside her.
“You're a good person, Aerilyn.” Her head pops up at my words, and I see the uncertainty that shines in her eyes. It makes me want to kill Rome even more.
“I can see it in your aura, feel it in your soul.” I don’t tell her how I felt her soul.
Something about giving a piece of my demon soul to her for her to cross over feels like it might be a little much for her to comprehend in her current state.
“If you were to die right now, you wouldn’t be staying here. ”
It takes her a moment, but I see it the second she processes what I’m not saying.
“You mean…” she trails off, unable to finish her question as her eyes well with tears that have yet to fall, and I take pity on her.
“If you died, you would go to Heaven, and you’d be right back where he wants you to be.”
She shudders before burying her face in her knees again.
It’s harsh but necessary. The last thing I need is for her to get any ideas about how she can end her suffering, only to end up facing an eternity of it.
Her whole body shakes as she sobs, and I feel helpless.
I’m not sure I’ve ever felt helpless before.
“Don’t worry, they will figure this out.” I’m not sure it’s actually true. I can’t guarantee it, but I say the words and hope they are true.
“What if they can’t?” The way she looks at me makes me want to make sure it’s true.
“We will.”
“We?” Her eyes search mine, and I should correct it. This mortal has nothing to do with me, but I want her to.
I don’t confirm or deny it, instead pulling her into my arms. Despite how strange it feels, I know that’s what she needs.
Contact, comfort.
She sniffles and hiccups a few times before her breathing levels out, and I know she’s asleep.
‘One of you needs to get back here.’ I send the thought to all of them, looking down at her and allowing them to see through my eyes.
I feel their shock and anger for a moment before I close my mind to them again. I have enough on my mind. I don’t need to add their emotions to it, and I don’t need them to feel mine.
I’m unsure how long we sit on the ground waiting, but eventually I feel something shift in the castle, and I know someone is here.
Bast.
I feel him a moment before he’s here, bursting into the room and making a beeline for us.
‘She’s asleep.’ I tell him and watch him relax, even if only slightly.
I stand, careful to keep my hold on her so as not to jolt her. I nod Bast onto the bed. Thankfully, he understands and doesn’t argue. I wasn’t sure who would come, but I’d hoped it was him or Talian.
Asta and Kai are a little more stubborn.
I hesitate for a moment at the edge of the bed before I make myself set her down. Bast moves quickly, pulling her into his side, and when she remains asleep, I move to the door.
I have a promise to keep.