7.
Queen
H oly Hell!
A wave of disbelief washes over me, my heartbeat pounding in my ears. Surely this can’t be…
I gulp before I finally speak, “I didn’t know you’re a shifter.”
“The original one.” He arches his brow at me. “I can shift into anything I want. This—” he points at himself “—is how I used to appear to humans on earth, but it’s not my true form.”
“Are you really him?” I ask, unable to help my nosiness. “I mean, like, the Lucifer?” A shiver runs down my spine as I utter the name. I can’t help but feel both awed and intimidated.
He gives me a smirk, and he’s honestly so fucking perfect, I’d sin for him too.
Not now, of course. Now I have my Alex.
“That’s never been my name,” he replies. “The mistranslated and spined verse you’re referring to is directed at Alexander’s great-great-great-grandfather who was the king of Babylon at the time before the curse struck him. But I suppose that’s how most of the humans know me today. No wonder they are so lost since they can’t even interpret the book correctly.”
“Is the book accurate then?”
“Some parts of it are, though it’s mostly twisted to fit whatever narrative they wanted to enforce with religion. The truth is still kept away to this day.”
“What’s the truth?”
“You’re not ready yet.”
“Don’t patronize me.” I cross my arms over my chest.
I did not just talk back to Satan himself!
He’s visibly amused. “I see that Alexander wasn’t lying when mentioning how spunky you are.”
“Tell me,” I coax.
He approaches closer, and I realize he’s even taller than Alex’s human form—I’m talking, like, NBA tall here. His skin is almost translucent looking from up close, and I’m no longer the palest one around. He appears human… but doesn’t.
He sits down on the grass and I follow him as though I were hypnotized. He makes me nervous and at ease both at the same time, and I honestly wasn’t this confused even when I first saw my wolf-man.
“I was what you people call an angel, sent on earth to keep the garden safe. Never to speak, never to touch, only to watch over. Then my father created them… and he wanted me to bow to them! I was his most perfect creation and they were nothing but a filth made from the dust of the ground!”
Wow, someone has a strong opinion.
“But,” he continues, “when I saw her, I knew that I’d risk it all for her.”
“Eve?”
“No.” He shakes his head. “Eve came from Adam. Before her, there was another one, created equal to him in my father’s image. And she shone the brightest. That weak man couldn’t handle her light. He needed a mate who was below him, so he could control her. But even Eve couldn’t be subdued.”
“You tricked her,” the words slip from my mouth.
His expression changes as he angrily furrows his brows, and his narrowed eyes turn pitch black. “I showed her the truth!” His defined, angular jaw tenses, and his nostrils flare.
Okay, so he has a temper—noted.
“What happened to the first one?” I ask softly, a bit scared of him, but also too invested in the story.
“Seduced by her beauty, I taught her charms and spells, and all the cosmic secrets. I believed she was my mate, but I was just a fool, and our punishment was severe. She was banished from Eden, long before Adam and Eve were cast away, and in spite, her heart hardened, and her beautiful light darkened. She became the first witch, the mother of all monsters, and later, the queen of demons,” his tone has no emotions but pain fills his eyes.
I gasp. “Lilith?”
“Or Inanna, Ishtar, Isis, Venus, the Queen of Heaven, King of Hell, you name her! She’s the goddess of all names.”
“Wait, King of Hell? Isn’t that supposed to be you?”
“You’d think,” he snarks. “Lucifer, or rather Morning Star, is simply Venus. It was always her . As it began with Adam, Lilith is the reason why human men carry such deep-rooted hatred toward women. She was more powerful than he could’ve ever been, even if he stayed in Eden, and she made herself the god of this world.”
His words hang in the air like a heavy fog, I can hardly fathom their meaning. That’s not what I expected in the least.
God is a woman, huh?
“And what should I call you?”
“Satan is fine. I, too, have many names, though. Some call me Horus, others Apollo, but the old world knew me as Baal. Maybe you can come up with something fresh?”
I grow more confused by a second. “Um, that doesn’t make any sense.”
“Similarly to Lilith, it depends on the region where the myths originated. After the fall of Babylon, people began to speak in different languages, migrating to various parts of the world, and that’s how the word-of-mouth discrepancies came to be, which added to the later confusion. However, it’s not as complicated as it appears. At the end of the day, they all are the same stories describing the same events. The Ancient Serpent fell to be reborn in flesh and became the ruler of this world—thanks to her magic. It’s a much longer tale, but she betrayed me, and my mortal life eventually ended. The Leviathan, the Dragon, or simply the Beast, is my immortal form.”
“Not a winged goat with a pitchfork?” I joke.
He laughs, tossing his head back, and the sound is like an angel singing… which I suppose is precisely what it is.
I get serious again. “And by father , you mean…”
“Your creator,” he finishes nonchalantly.
“God?” My eyes almost fall out of their orbits.
“It’s a title. Titles can be subjective,” he nuances. “But yes, my father loves to create, then move to a different project when things don’t go as planned. Yet, mankind is self-absorbed enough to believe they are the only ones in the entire universe.”
I chew on my bottom lip as his words sink in before I ask, “Are you really more of an alien then?”
“What’s the definition of an alien?”
“I don’t know… um, an extraterrestrial being?”
“Then I suppose that’s who I am.”
My brain feels like scrambled eggs while I try to fit the puzzle pieces together. It doesn’t help that he’s so ambiguous.
“Can I ask how you got that ultimate rebel label stuck to you?”
“After I defied nature by mating with Lilith, there was a war in heaven.” His eyes get completely blank and he sighs heavily as though with regret. “A third of the angels fell with me like burning stars dropping from the sky, and my brothers took human wives. We lived peacefully among mankind and we slowly taught them everything we knew. We became their gods—or the alien race, if you will—that came to illuminate them. The biblical scriptures call us fallen angels, the history Anunnaki, and we can be found in every ancient religion—whether it’s the Egyptian, Norse, or Greek pantheon, me and my brothers are deities people worshipped.”
It all makes logical sense, but my cognitive dissonance kicks in, and I try to reject what I’m hearing as the truth.
“So, you’ve seen it all?” I ponder.
“There was a rise of technology and knowledge in these days. The Nephilim race was soon born, the offspring of our kind and human women, more commonly known as the Giants. Those were the dark times with lawlessness and much bloodshed as we fought against them. Many beasts were also created during that time. My father’s wrath came next, and the Great Flood was upon the face of the earth. Mostly everything got destroyed, but we had hidden our civilizations underground. And although some of the Nephilim also prevailed, their numbers lessened significantly, no longer posing a threat to us. But their departed spirits turned into demons, who still haunt the earth to this day. Then, began the rebuilding of the new world and the birth of government tyranny. The rest is history.”
I stay quiet, trying to gather all the information. A week ago, I was just a girl who found a stray dog, and now, I’m having a tea party with Satan over gossip, minus the actual tea.
There’s a certain clarity that comes with new revelations, but I feel so emotionally drained that I can’t think straight.
“I don’t care about humans,” he says out of the blue, breaking the silence. “I simply don’t respect them. The universe was a much better place before their creation, and I mean it with absolutely no offense to you, Julia. But it pains even me to watch all the suffering happening in the world of mortals. I may not get along with my father, but I know that’s not how he intended things to go. No surprise he left, and people love to blame me for that. I only showed humans the truth of how they are not alone. They did this to themselves. All for power to have a dominion over this earth that’s not even theirs.” He stops, the anger paints over his immaculate face. His frustration is palpable, and I can’t help but feel a sense of kinship with him. “The only goat I am is a scapegoat, but the true devil is within them. Because look what they’ve done over the centuries. Who sacrifices their children in fire for good fortune? You certainly don’t see us monsters doing this, do you? But they killed off most of the beasts. Well, they killed each other in wars, too. They even killed their own god. And now, they’re killing the planet itself.”
“That’s… deep,” I whisper, more to myself.
“Something for you to think about,” his words seem like a challenge and a gift wrapped in one. I realize that this encounter is changing me, my eyes open to a reality that is far more complex than I ever imagined. He’s so incredibly wise that I could listen to his melodic voice for hours. His every stance is intriguing and thought-provoking. I never would have thought he, of all beings, would evoke such a strong need to reflect.
“Don’t be angry with Alexander. He can be overprotective, but he means well,” he tells me, circling back to the beginning of our conversation. And there’s no doubt he’s a loyal friend. “It’s a heavy burden to carry the crown, especially now that he’s found you. He cares about the state of this world so much—to a greater extent than any of us. It’s even more significant to him now, with you in the picture, to ensure a safe future for the family he wants to build with you.”
A tear rolls down my cheek, and a lump grows in my throat, tight and heavy like a stone. He’s right. I’m so lucky Alex found me, yet here I am, wasting our time pouting when the future is so uncertain. It’s natural to be scared—my life is about to change in ways I can’t yet comprehend, but the important part is that we have each other. And we owe it to none other than him.
“Thank you for helping in Michigan,” I mutter, grateful to be here. “I know you didn’t do it for me, but still, we wouldn’t have made it without you.”
“Absolutely. I’ll take any opportunity to kill some humans.” He winks at me, standing up. I glare at him, and he quickly adds, “Just kidding! Remember this—I’m only a villain because people needed one.” He leaves on that note, his playful banter lightens the ache in my heart just a little.
However, something starts gnawing at the back of my mind.
If Satan is real, does that mean that Granny… I mean, Senator Carter, was right about Alex?
Can you come back here already, or do I need to come get you?
I smile involuntarily, hearing Alex’s voice in my head like on cue. I gather myself rapidly before heading back to the castle and upstairs to our sleeping chamber.
“Guess what? I met Satan,” I announce as I enter the room. It feels surreal to even say it out loud.
“And?” he prompts, curiosity lacing his tone.
“I’m confused as fuck,” I admit , shaking my head as if to dispel the chaotic thoughts swirling inside.
“Go figure.”
“But he seems to be a good friend,” I continue with a tiny grin. “He almost got you off the hook.”
Alex hums. “Almost, huh?”
“Are you the Antichrist?” I blurt out, the question slipping from my lips before I can stop it.
“Well, let’s see.” He pauses dramatically as if I needed any more suspense. “My ancestors are the king of Babylon, and his wife, ‘a whore of Babylon’ . I suppose I come from the antichrist bloodline according to the book.”
“So, when you said my soul belongs to you—”
“Welcome to hell, little Red.” His smirk is playful, but I can feel the underlying tension.
“Is this really hell?”
“No. Lilith and her demons occupy the actual underworld. But this is the land of the condemned. And if there is an afterlife, we are not going upstairs—that’s for sure.”
“Why didn’t you tell me this before?” I press, frustration bubbling beneath the surface.
“Because I wanted you to come here willingly.”
“And if I didn’t, what would you do? Take me by force like Edwin did Clara?”
“If I had to,” he responds, and I can’t tell whether he is cynical or truly means it. “Look, I understand you’re freaked out, but you know me. Do I plan to overturn the government and take over the world? Absolutely not. Quite the contrary, actually. I’d love to free mankind from the slavery of the system they live in. I’d love even more if my kind and other beasts could exist peacefully among humans. If that makes me the bad guy, then so be it.” He takes a long, pensive pause, then adds, “Please, try to put the religious prejudice aside.”
“Alex, I don’t care about the religion! I know that’s not you,” I exclaim. “You weren’t truthful, though!”
“I wanted to be! My plan was to take things slow and wait to explain everything step by step,” his voice rises after mine. “But you got into heat—”
“Oh, so it’s my fault?” I interject, crossing my arms defiantly.
“No! Let me fucking finish, will you?” He growls, his eyes flashing darkly. “You got into heat, and it’s become too distracting for me. Next, there was the whole ambush by Dean, not once but twice. It was one thing after the other, and I couldn’t… everything was out of my control! That’s not how it was supposed to happen! Then you died, and it got even worse after that. And now you hate me.”
“I don’t hate you,” I say softly, my irritation drifting away.
He stares into my eyes intensely. “Do you really feel like that? Like I took your life away from you?”
It hits me that my words also must have hurt him, and I feel awful. But I need to be fully transparent with him. “No. Yes. I don’t know. I have a lot of emotions right now.” I choke up a little. “What I am sure about is you , Alex. I’d still choose you. I just wish I had all the information at the time.”
“I know.” His gaze drops, regret etched across his face. “I’m so sorry you had to sacrifice so much for a monster like me.”
“You’re not a monster. And it doesn’t feel like a sacrifice.” I exhale sharply.“But you have to have respect for my humanity. Yes, I didn’t know at the time that I was being controlled like a puppet, but it was still my life. It wasn’t much, but I was sort of happy with it. It will take me a moment to mourn the loss of it. I’m not saying I regret it, though a bit more understanding on your part would help. Because this is all new to me, and I’m battling internally with how it goes against everything I’ve been taught since being a child. Please, try to understand.”
“I apologize.” He closes the gap between us in one jump. “I didn’t mean for it to sound so cutthroat. And you’re right, I didn’t take your struggle under consideration sufficiently.”
For the first time, I feel like he truly hears me, gets where I’m coming from, and genuinely feels sorry.
“It’s okay. I should’ve communicated better,” I acknowledge, climbing on my tippy-toes and tossing my arms around his nape to lower his head. “Can you shift?” I ask sweetly as I place small kisses along his muzzle, hoping to bridge the emotional distance between us.
“No, I’m too upset. Why?” He tilts his head in confusion.
“I want to kiss you.” Sometimes, I just crave to feel the softness of his lips on mine, and right now would be one of those instances.
He leans closer, kissing me in his own way, the roughness of it stirring something deep inside me, even though it’s not quite what I long for.
“I love you,” I whisper, my heart swelling with warmth as I melt into his touch. “I just need some time for things to sink in.”
We kiss again, deeper this time, savoring the moment entirely. Our tongues dance together passionately, our breaths mingle in the charged space between us, and his scent, musky and familiar, fills the air around me. I realize I’m no longer standing but being carried in his arms across the room.
In the blink of an eye, I find myself on the bed, the softness of the mattress contrasting with the weight of him pressing against me. I feel the hard muscle beneath his fur, the restrained strength in his every movement—the mere thought of his power excites me.
“That was our first official fight,” I tell him, giggling.
His clawed hands grip my hips, sending shivers racing up my spine. The heat of his firm body seeps into mine. As he hovers, his shadow casts a dark silhouette over me, his tail upright, swishing from side to side behind his back as if he were ready to attack. His eyes, glowing with mischief, lock onto mine as he leans in closer.
“You know what that means?” he asks in a low rumble.
I shake my head, acting all innocent, but my eyes drop lower. Nestled between my sprawled legs, I see how his hard, dark pink cock slides out of the black, furry sheath, inch by inch, quivering and pearling a clear drop of pre-cum at the tip. My breath hitches in anticipation. My pussy tingles.
His sharp claws move swiftly, slashing through the fabric of my sweater with precision, leaving it in tatters. My bared chest rises and falls rapidly, as my skin gets exposed to the cool air.
“It’s time to make up,” he answers, his low voice thick with promise, then mauls my tits, ravening like a starved beast.