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Slash of the boyXboy kind. There is also devilXhuman relationships. No like? Then go away.
The priest in front of the altar glanced back fearfully at the laugh and then turned back around to continue praying frantically.
I leaned back in the pew. “You crazy whore,” I said as a frown tugged down the corners of my mouth. She spun around to give me a dark glare, pearly teeth bared in an animalistic snarl, and her hand tightened around the handle of the knife. Walking gracefully over to me, she pulled back her hand and I instinctively pulled back, ready to defend myself if she tried to smack me. But she saw that and a smiled a small smile. Then she reached forward slowly to pat me softly on the cheek with a silken ivory hand.
“I’m not crazy,” she murmured, looking at me with forget-me-not blue eyes. “I’m actually quite smart. Selling you for my youth? Very smart of me, that is.”
My eyes widened and then narrowed. “Oh, yes. Selling your own son instead of your soul is much better.”
Glaring, she brought the flat of the blade against my cheek and hissed, “You are not my son. You are a mere burden.” Her eyes seemed to stare past me as she continued. “You ruined everything. You are why he had to leave. You are why I had to leave my home to come to this forsaken village to find work. You are why I lost my love and beauty.” She glanced down at her hands. Before her deal with the devil, they had been tan and wrinkled from the sun and calloused from hard work. Then she shrugged. “So, yes, it is much better than selling my soul.”
I rolled my eyes and snapped, “I wouldn’t be such a problem if you hadn’t whored yourself out for money.” The sharp prick of the knife at the outside corner of my left eye reminded me that she was armed and I was not. There was coldness as she moved the knife so the tip was right above my eyebrow. I froze. She had hit me numerous times and had beaten me senseless before but she wouldn’t…
With a smirk she whispered, “The devil never said you had to be intact.” I glanced over to the priest but he was still bent over, praying with desperate, almost fevered words. He would be no help to me. Then she pressed down, warmth already starting to trail down my face, and started to drag the knife down. I opened my mouth to scream…
…and woke up, my yells of agony echoing in the almost empty room.
My eyes darted around quickly. It was the same room. Same large bed, same dark walls, same large dresser, same door to bathroom…I fell back onto the bed and my hand came up to touch the slightly raised scar that went vertically down my left eye. Then I scowled when I realized what I was doing, my hand snapping back down to lie on the bed. Stupid dream. Groaning, I pushed the silken covers off of me and stood, stretching.
A sort of adrenaline started to quickly fill me as a side-effect of the dream and it made me jittery and jumpy. I could feel the smile form on my face as the dregs of the dream started to fade in favor of a plan to escape my room. That day in the church, after my mother had placed a knife to my cheek and scarred me, I had passed out and the woken up in a room. My room. My beautiful gilded cage. I also had woken up with a vertical scar courtesy of my mother. Strangely enough, I had been able to see perfectly fine despite the line of cloudy blue which showed my mother had pierced the eye and I had been in absolutely no pain. Stranger than that was how there were sharp shards of bottle green within the blue of my eye. I just put it out of my mind as quickly as possible and concentrated on a way to get out of my room.
On that first day, I had found out that I was trapped in the only room at the top of an onyx tower that was right in the middle of Hell and right next to Satan’s palace. Ever since that day two months ago, I had constantly been trying to escape. Not to really get back home, but for fun. Or just to be in somebody else’s company (or something’s company) even if they were dead. It kind of sucked when you were always alone.
I had already found a few loose onyx stones that I could knock out easily so I could head down the stairs connected to the tower. Which was quite fun considering how it was very high off the ground and the stairs were slippery and small. I was glad that nobody but newcomers looked at it. It was a strange sight to see a black tower next to an ornate palace in the middle of Hell, I guess.
I kneeled and placed my shoulder against the cracks between the black stones. Then I leaned and pushed. It was really easy just to push the stones out and off the stone walkway surrounding the tower. Grinning, I crawled out, careful about the edges of the stone and the small walkway. It wasn’t long before I was at the top of the stairs and carefully walking down. Fortunately, I hadn’t fallen before and I wasn’t planning to today.
Once I got to the ground, I stopped and looked around, already edging away from the stairs and towards the palace. That was my place of destination toady. I usually attempted to get into the palace once or twice a week to see how far I could get in but I was usually caught by guards and forced back to my cage. It was strange how they never hurt me though. I didn’t dwell on it and just blessed whatever was keeping me from getting hurt by the guards. Vaguely, I wondered how far I would get today. Probably not far. Oh well.
The iron around the open window of the palace was warm as I grabbed the frame and pulled to tug myself up and into the room. I didn’t bother to look around, opting to sneak out of the room and find a room closer to the center of the palace instead.
Hours passed with me just roaming the hallways, avoiding various demons, and glancing into rooms, only to find them either empty or filled with scrolls with words written in languages I couldn’t recognize. It was all so…boring. At least it was better than being in that room. The only thing that showed I was getting closer to the center of the palace was how the amount of demons got smaller and smaller and the rooms had no windows. The rooms also got no more interesting but I figured something interesting had to show up.
Which it did. But by total accident on my part. I was stupid and didn’t watch where I was going, causing me to almost run into a group of demons when I turned a corner. Thankfully, there was a set of doors right next to me which I pushed open and dashed into the room, slamming the doors shut behind me.
Unfortunately, there seemed to be people in the room. Cringing slightly, I turned and faced the now silent people. Three of them were rotting corpses, flesh falling off yellowed bones in large hunks, the rest a dark black-blue color. The only person seemed to be a real, living human. One thing that alerted me to the fact that he wasn’t was how, around the edges, he seemed to…blur. There was also how, even across the room, I could see that his eyes were a bright glowing emerald color, another characteristic of a non-human. I realized a second later that the color was the same as the flecks in my one eye.
He stared at me for a long moment and then let a sliver of a smile appear. “Gentlemen,” he said to the corpses, eyes still on me, “excuse me for a moment.” He stood, a black cutaway morning coat drawing the eye to his lean form -- which it did. But I forced my eyes up; heat colored my cheeks when I saw that the black silk cravat at his throat only emphasized his pale skin and the clean cut of his jaw. It quickly led my thoughts to darker places.
An irrational bolt of fear flashed through me when he came towards me so I straightened and looked him right in the eye which seemed to amuse him greatly. He grabbed my arm and started to tug me towards the only other door in the room. Once there he tugged me through and shut the door softly on the rotting eyes of the corpses.
Then he turned to me, ran one long fingered hand through his black hair, and then crossed his arms. “Tell me. Why are you so far in my palace, little bird?”
“I’m not a little bird,” I immediately snapped, glaring at him.
He smiled at this, just another small action of his lips turning upwards humorlessly. “If you say so. But why are you so far in my palace?”
I leaned back against the lone desk and huffed. “What’s it to you?” Probably not the smartest question, but, hey, things tended to slip out of my mouth at times.
One eyebrow arched, he came towards me, one hand out to caress my cheek. I flinched at it though and he let out a dark chuckle. Then he stepped forward so he was mere inches from me. “Me? You did interrupt my meeting with three important people.” He paused. “There is also how I am the ruler of this whole place and how you are my little bird so you do have to answer to me.”
My jaw dropped. He was the… Cool revulsion was apparent in his eyes as he pushed my jaw up with one almost spider-like finger. “That is not very graceful.” His finger lingered there but then he pulled it away, the tip brushing the underside of my chin.
I pointed at him. “You’re the devil?”
He inclined his head towards me and murmured, “At your service, little bird.”
The nickname snapped me out of my surprise and I glared at him. He smiled at me once more. “So tell me. Why are you so far in the palace?”
I looked away. His bottle green eyes peered right at me, demanding me to tell the truth. “Aren’t you going to ask how I even got here?”
He grabbed my hand to pull me closer to him so there were only centimeters between us; one icy finger trailed elaborate swirls on the back of my hand and distracted me. “Of course not. I know how you got here. I also know that you have been escaping your cage for quite some time. So, come now, tell me.”
I looked up at him, only to see his eyes weren’t so demanding now and they seemed warmer…or maybe I was just imagining things. Lifting one shoulder in awkward shrug, I muttered, “I don’t know. Guess I was just lucky today.”
He made a small contemplative noise. “Maybe.” When he looked at me, there was a sudden calculating edge to his eyes. “If there were one thing you wanted, what would it be?”
That was sudden. I fumbled for an answer. “I don’t know,” I finally replied.
He leaned forward, cold lips brushing the edge of my ear and whispered, “That is not an answer. Think of something else.” Then he pulled totally away from me.
I thought and thought and thought, but nothing really came to mind. But then I looked out the glass paned window. The ground of Hell was charred and soot-blackened as the walls; everything was lit by the orange-red glow of the flames; and there was the constant smell of sulfur. One also couldn’t forget there were souls of all kinds. Most of them were really depressing.
I walked over to the window, contemplating, and pressed my fingers to the warm, almost hot, glass. Then he followed, standing beside me and wrapping his arms around my waist. His chin settled on my shoulder and his nose bumped into my neck. Surprisingly, I wasn’t repulsed in any way. The coldness emanating from him was almost comforting and some part of me urged him closer so we would be touching.
“What do you want?” he whispered.
“I want to go home,” slipped out of my mouth. I froze, thinking over what I just said. Did I really…? ‘Maybe’, was the only answer I could come up with.
“So be it,” he murmured, pulling away from me. For a moment I almost mourned the loss of his presence, but I stopped myself, shocked.
I turned, slowly, still at a loss. But then I saw a smirk hiding in the corner of his mouth and remembered that he was, in fact, the devil. “What do you want out of this?”
He blinked at me. “What do you mean?” He actually seemed confused.
My hands clenched into fists. “You’re the devil. You make deals. That’s how you work.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “If you want my soul, you’re not getting it. I’d rather spend eternity here.”
He tsked at me. “Your soul would never last here. Despite its strength, it would wilt like a spring flower in the winter without the body. It’s too pure, too…” He searched for a word. “Bright.”
Still not deterred, I crossed my arms. “What do you want then?”
The smile he gave me wasn’t small. It was sharp and dangerously beautiful. Dark secrets lurked at the corners of his lips. “A kiss.”
Well. That threw me for a loop. “…What?”
He took a small step towards me, eyes glinting. “A kiss. Nothing more, nothing less.” The distance between us was about a foot. I could have easily reached out and grabbed him by the lapel of his coat if I wanted to.
“Why?”
His smile disappeared. “I do not need a reason.” Peering at me, he stilled, black brows furrowing together to form a ‘V’. “I must warn you though. If you do go back, other humans will not see you as human. Mortal, yes; human, no, The exposure to hell causes your soul to give off certain waves that warn others that have touched your soul before.”
My eyebrows rose. “You’re warning me?”
His mouth pulled down in a slight frown. “Should I not?”
“You’re the devil -”
“You have already covered that, you do know,” dryly.
I ignored him and continued. “You’re not supposed to warn people.”
He clasped his hands. “Since I am the devil,” he threw me an amused glance, “I can do whatever I want, including warning you.”
I threw my hands up in the air in frustration. “Fine. Whatever.”
The smile curled on his face. “Alright then.” When he stepped towards me, I realized what I had just agreed to. It was too late though. His hand went around my arm and pulled. I stumbled and his mouth fell on mine. It was softly and gently seductive- something I probably should have expected. If I had expected it, I mean. The kiss was soft, giving, and strangely gentle. My eyes fluttered shut, all girly-swoon-like. And I leaned forward to press back, to return the kiss.
Suddenly, the pressure vanished. The chill from his hands was gone, the stifling heat from Hell exchanged for a slight breeze and cool air. I opened my eyes and glanced around. I was home.
An almost child-like glee filled me as I started walking through the town, a smile adorning my face. Then I noticed the glances being thrown my way. The look in the townspeople’s eyes was suspicious and, at times, fearful. It made me nervous.
I was halfway through the town when a priest saw me. Paling, he aimed the crucifix on his rosary at me and sputtered out, “Demon!” Almost immediately, the townspeople around me started to head towards me. I could see the glinting half-mad look in their eyes and I started to run.
“I’m not a demon!” I cried. But the priest was with the crowd, shouting words of encouragement, words of praise.
“Just corner it in the church!” he yelled fanatically. “I can exorcise it in the house of God!” His words brought on a joyful cry from the people.
“Oh, great,” I moaned pitifully, willing myself to go faster, faster, faster. The mob was right behind me and I could see the white-washed walls of the church. Well, that wasn’t good. My mind raced with ideas but I already knew none would work.
Then I tripped. My hands and knees scrapped along the gravel road, sending bolts of pain along my arms and legs. Painfully, I tried to crawl, tried to get up and away from the crowd. But then I noticed that everything was silent. The pounding of feet, the happy cries of the crowd, the frantic yells of the priest: all gone. I glanced back.
They were all still as if frozen. Relieved, I let out a sigh…and then almost screamed when a cold hand grabbed my shoulder. I whipped around. The devil stood there, eyebrows raised, one hand on my shoulder. “Are you wounded?” I thought I heard a slight touch of concern, of worry, in his voice but I brushed it off as my imagination.
“Just my hands and knees,” I muttered as he carefully started to help me up. As he leaned down, I wondered. “How did you know I needed help?” I finally asked, curiosity overtaking me.
When he straightened I noticed that his simple touch had healed the cuts and scrapes on my knees. I stared in slight amazement as he took both of my hands in his. With a mere moment-long touch of his fingertip, my wounds vanished. He looked at me when he was done; then he reached out to touch the outside corner of my scarred eye. “I was the one that healed your eye.” He brushed a fingertip over my eyelid as I stared at him with gratitude. Suddenly the bottle green flecks in my eye made sense. “It lets me have a vague idea about what is happening to you.”
I gulped slightly as his finger paused and started to move its way along the upper part of the scar. “So…you can kind of sense me?” I guessed.
He nodded as he pulled his finger away, hands going in front of him to clasp. Gently, my hand went up to touch the scar. “Thank you,” I murmured. “For uh…” I trailed off.
He inclined his head. “You are welcome, little bird.”
The grateful smile fell off my face at the nickname. “Didn’t I tell you not to call me that?”
“Yes. And?” He shrugged, a slight smile tugging at his lips. To my disappointment, it vanished as his gaze slid from me to the townspeople. “I did warn you,” he whispered, eyes going away from the scene almost…regretfully? Yes, regretfully.
I looked back at them and then turned to look at him. “Oh well.” Pushing a bit of sadness away, I forced a smile on my face. “I can always go to other places, right?”
Slowly, he nodded. “But all by yourself?”
I stilled at that. That would be…lonely. I almost shuddered at the thought. I had been lonely enough in for the past two months. First hand experience (courtesy of my mother) had also taught me that foreigners would be shunned in any place for quite a while. As I thought cool fingers wrapped around mine.
I looked up into bottle green eyes.
“I could take you places you could never imagine,” he murmured, bringing my hand towards his face. Softly, he brushed his lips over my knuckles. Heat covered my cheeks. He continued. “I could show you worlds where souls do not connect. I could take you places that are not possible for human souls to enter.”
I threw him a slightly scornful look. “But I’m human, remember?”
His lips brushed over my knuckles as he spoke. “Your soul has been changed from Hell, though.”
Was the devil offering…companionship? My eyes narrowed. He seemed to read the thoughts in my eyes. “I ask for nothing in return but companionship…and a chance.”
…Huh? A chance? A chance for what? His lips curled up into a silkily seductive smirk as he kissed my hand gently and caressed the edge of my wrist with his thumb. Oh. The message got across. New thoughts popped up. Should I? Should I offer the devil…a chance? The idea was laughable: the devil trying to seduce me with gentle touches and soft brushes of lips. He was asking for nothing but a chance. It seemed kind of unfair.
He smirked again, this one impish. “I’m not asking for eternity, little bird.”
I scowled at him. In return, he leaned forward to brush a kiss over my scar. I looked away ashamedly as he pulled back.
“Well?”
Well what? …A chance couldn’t hurt…could it? I was already screwed enough as it was. No, I didn’t think a chance could hurt. Looking at him, I murmured, “Fine,” softly.
He pressed another kiss to my hand as he smiled a sliver of a smile and then pulled away, our hands still clasped. Then he threw a dark glance at the frozen crowd still behind us. “Let us go, little bird.” I bared my teeth at him; he just smirked in response. “I do not think this place is fitting. Do you?”
I looked at the maliciously happy crowd and the joyful priest. “No, I don’t.” Then he pressed a soft kiss to my cheek and whisked us away to worlds unknown to me.
