by Shuler, Tara
“Ohh, it’s beautiful,” Beth gushed.
“It is a gift from Aztos,” Catherine explained.
In an instant, the breathtaking enchantment that had overcome Beth was flushed away. Now, the necklace was nothing more than a cheap bauble to her. She scoffed, annoyed that she’d been so enthralled with it.
“Let’s go,” Beth said.
“Don’t forget your veil,” Catherine said.
Beth bent down and allowed Catherine to pin the veil to her hair. The sheer fabric hung down her back and flowed over her shoulders, and Catherine pulled the veil down over Beth’s face.
“The ceremony is going to take place in the ballroom,” Catherine said. “Since your father can’t be here to walk you down the aisle, Azmond will do it.”
“Alright.”
They descended the stairs, and Azmond awaited them at the bottom. He smiled when he saw Beth.
“You look enchanting, my dear,” he told her.
“Thank you,” she said, nodding her head politely.
“Shall we?” Azmond asked, holding his arm out for her to take.
Beth took his arm, and they passed by the two arched doorways and walked further down the hallway. They stood before two huge wooden doors, and Beth could hear a somber anthem being played inside. It sounded more appropriate for a funeral than a wedding, but as Beth felt as though this were the end of her life, it wasn’t entirely unsuitable.
The doors opened, and a crowd of onlookers turned to watch Azmond lead Beth down the aisle. The room was dark, lit only by dozens of candelabra, which lined the aisle and the walls. They flickered and danced, casting a strange, golden hue across the guests.
At the end of the aisle, Beth could see Aztos. His previously unruly hair was slicked back, and he wore a dashing black tuxedo. He looked intensely handsome, and he exuded elegance. Beth, however, was largely unmoved. Admittedly, for just a split second, she was in awe of him. He was undeniably handsome, and his face looked warm and inviting. He almost looked… happy.
Then she remembered the way he had treated poor Catherine. He was truly incorrigible. She lifted her head, and squared her chin. She wanted to run for the door, but she knew there was nowhere to go. She didn’t even know if a human could escape Hell on her own, much less how to do so if it were possible.
The somber requiem stopped as Azmond placed Beth’s hand in Aztos’. Azmond stepped over to stand beside his son, and he nodded at the official, signaling him to begin the ceremony.
“We are gathered here today to join Aztos, son of Azmond, with Elizabeth Ellen Hall, daughter of Sharon and Tom,” the official said. “This bond is witnessed by Azmond, son of Zurian, Keros, son of Asgor, Delimod, son of Taivus, and Azazel, the Dark One, on behalf of our Lord and Master, Lucifer.
“At this time, we will accept testimony from anyone who wishes to offer a reason why these two should not be joined.”
The official paused, and the room was silent. Beth hoped that someone, anyone, might object. Sadly, no one came to her rescue. After a few moments, the official continued the ceremony.
“So it shall be recorded, no objections have been made,” the official stated in a somber, monotonous voice. “Elizabeth, daughter of Sharon and Tom, do you accept Aztos as your Lord and husband?”
She took a deep breath, and answered, “I do.”
“Aztos, son of Azmond, do you accept Elizabeth as your wife, and the keeper of your soul?”
“I do,” Aztos answered confidently.
“Then, in the tradition of our great and glorious Master, Lucifer… Aztos, son of Azmond, you will give Elizabeth your mark, thus cementing your bond for all eternity.”
Aztos stepped toward Beth, taking her hand and bringing it to his lips, kissing it gently.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
Before Beth had a chance to ask what he was apologizing for, he placed his hand over her wrist and pressed against it. A searing pain flowed from his hand and into her skin, burning her with the intensity of a thousand suns. She screamed in agony, and dropped to her knees. She could smell the flesh burning, and it nauseated her. A moment later, he released her. The pain disappeared as quickly as it had come.
She looked down at her wrist, and she’d been branded with some sort of mark. It was swollen and black, but she could clearly see the shape of a bird, surrounded by several tiny stars. She still trembled from the memory of the excruciating pain, but Aztos put his arms around her and helped her to her feet. His arm stayed around her waist, steadying her.
“By this brand, your union has been sealed. That bond, which has been witnessed by Azazel, the Dark One, servant of Lucifer, cannot be rendered asunder. In the name of our glorious Lord, I commit this bond to the Book of Eternity.”
Aztos lifted Beth’s veil, and he took her into his arms, planting a polite kiss on her lips. The ballroom was filled at once with thunderous applause, as the guests heralded the union of Aztos and Elizabeth. It was done. At eighteen, after a short and proper ceremony, Beth was now the bride of a demon she’d only just met.
Aztos took Beth’s hand and led her down the aisle. They passed through the adoring crowd, who looked on and still applauded the couple fiercely. Aztos nodded his appreciation to each row of guests as the two of them made their way toward the doors. The applause continued until the couple had left the ballroom, and the doors were closed.
“What now?” Beth asked.
“The guests will have dinner, and you and I are to retire to my room,” Aztos explained.
“I see. I guess this is the wedding night, after all.”
“We will not consummate this union until you are ready to do so,” Aztos said quickly, sensing her hesitation.
“Are you serious?”
“Despite what you may think of me, Elizabeth, I am not a monster. I have no desire to force you into anything.”
Beth scoffed.
“You could have fooled me,” she scolded him.
“This marriage was arranged by your mother and my father,” Aztos snapped. “I am as much a pawn in this as you.”
At once, Beth realized he was right. He hadn’t asked for this. He must have been a child when the arrangement was made.
“I’m sorry,” Beth said with contrition. “I hadn’t thought of it that way.”
“We must spend the wedding night in my room, as it would be improper to do otherwise. The guests will remain on the premises until morning, and we are not allowed to leave the room until then. But I do not expect you to consummate this sham of a marriage tonight – or ever. If you do not wish it, it will never come to pass.”
Beth looked into his shifting amber eyes, and he truly seemed sincere. She wanted to see evil in them, but nothing stared back at her but the innocence of another puppet in this game that was initiated by their parents.
“Alright, then,” Beth said. “We’d better go.”
Beth followed Aztos upstairs to his room. It was surprisingly small, considering he was the son of the apparent owner of such an opulent estate. The room was dark, as were all rooms in the estate, but it was cozy, almost inviting.
Aztos took off his tuxedo jacket and hung it up in the closet. He fumbled around in a drawer and removed some clothing, and disappeared into the bathroom. He emerged a few moments later wearing black sweatpants and a heather gray t-shirt, which clung tightly to his body. Beth couldn’t help but notice how well built he was underneath the shirt, and she raised an eyebrow curiously.
“I hope you do not mind, but I had the servant girl bring some clothes in here for you,” Aztos said. “I did not think you’d want to spend the entire evening in that dress. You do look enchanting in it, but it looks terribly uncomfortable.”
“It is, yes,” Beth admitted.
Aztos motioned toward the bed, and she noticed a pile of folded clothing. She picked it up and carried it into the bathroom. It was a small space, with a claw foot tub like the one she’d bathed in earlier. In the corner sat a chamber pot, and a mirro
r hung above a washbasin. She placed her clothes on the edge of the bathtub, and struggled to free her zipper. She sighed, and opened the bathroom door. Aztos eyed her curiously.
“I thought you were changing,” he said.
“I can’t reach the zipper,” she groaned, embarrassed.
“Oh, allow me,” Aztos offered politely.
Beth lifted her stray tendrils of hair away, and she turned her back toward him. He grasped the zipper, and tugged gently, pulling it down. He stopped just shy of her waist, his finger brushing lightly against her skin. The feel of his skin against hers was electrifying, and she suppressed a gasp.
Quickly, she scurried into the bathroom and shrugged out of her dress, letting it drop in a pile to the floor. She tossed aside the pinching high-heeled shoes she’d been forced to wear, and she tore off her veil and cast it aside.
The clothing she’d been provided looked inviting. She was given a soft pair of navy blue sweatpants and a baby blue tank top. Beth put them on, and they fit perfectly. They were so comfortable, she almost felt as if she were wearing nothing at all.
Beth was tempted to leave her discarded wedding gown on the floor, however she remembered her manners, and she picked everything up and carried it out of the room.
“Let me get those for you,” Aztos offered, taking the clothing away from her.
He hung the gown and veil neatly in his closet, and he placed the shoes on a rack inside it.
“Thanks,” Beth said.
“Allow me to remove your necklace,” he suggested.
She lifted her hair out of the way, and he gently unclasped the stunning piece of jewelry and placed it in its box, which now rested on his dresser.
“Have a seat,” Aztos invited her, motioning to one of the two chairs that sat beside a fireplace in which a warm fire crackled merrily.
Beth chose the seat closer to the back wall, giving Aztos the chair near the bathroom door. He sat down.
“So…” he said awkwardly.
“So…” Beth returned.
The two of them sat there for a moment, neither of them knowing what to say, and finally Aztos spoke again.
“Well, this is incredibly awkward,” he mumbled.
“Yes, it certainly is,” Beth agreed.
“Do you want to watch television or something?” he asked.
“I… thought you didn’t have electricity here…” Beth said.
“We do not, but we could skip out of here and head back to Earth for a while. We have a house waiting for us. We could go there for a while. No one would miss us.”
“That’s probably not a good idea,” Beth argued. “What if someone comes to check on us?”
“I doubt that will happen, but it is possible, I suppose,” Aztos admitted. “Would you like something to eat?”
“I’m not really hungry. Why don’t we just get to know each other a little?” Beth suggested. “I mean, apparently we’re now bonded for all eternity. It wouldn’t hurt to talk.”
“What do you wish to know?” Aztos asked.
“I don’t know. What do you like to do?”
He scratched his head and shifted uncomfortably in his chair.
“I read a lot. Classics, mostly.”
“Oh? Who is your favorite author?”
“Shakespeare,” he answered definitively.
“I’ve never read any Shakespeare,” Beth admitted.
“His work is often very dark. I guess that’s why I’m drawn to it. Edgar Allan Poe is another of my favorites.”
“The Raven,” Beth commented.
“That is one of his works, though not my favorite.”
“What is your favorite?”
“Probably The Pit and the Pendulum.”
“What’s that about?” Beth asked.
“It takes place during the Spanish Inquisition. This man has been arrested, and he is condemned to die by judges. He is trapped inside a room with a deep, dark pit full of water and a swinging pendulum that is constantly moving closer and closer to him. By attracting rats with food to the ropes that bind him, he is able to free himself just before the pendulum reaches him, and the pendulum rises back toward the ceiling. That is when the walls of his cell start glowing red-hot, and pushing inward toward him. He looks toward the pit, realizing that he is going to have to jump into it to avoid being crushed by the walls.”
“What happens?” Beth asked, intrigued by the story.
“Read it and find out,” Aztos returned, grinning mischievously.
“That’s not fair!” Beth groaned.
“I have it if you want to read it.”
“I’m not much of a reader.”
“Really? Reading is my favorite thing to do. If you do not read, what do you do?”
“I watch a lot of television and movies.”
“Like what?”
“Cooking shows, sitcoms, and a lot of the popular shows for teens. I like almost all movies.”
“Which shows, specifically?”
“Glee, The Vampire Diaries…”
“Glee?” Aztos groaned, interrupting her.
“What’s wrong with Glee?”
“It is just so… cheerful,” he said in disgust.
“What’s wrong with cheerful?”
Aztos glared at her, and then she remembered he was a demon. Maybe demons weren’t so comfortable with cheerful stuff. It had been easy to forget for a while. He was so attractive, and he could be exceedingly charming when he chose to be. He certainly didn’t look like a demon.
“What did you expect us to look like?” he asked her suddenly.
“What?” she asked, afraid he’d somehow read her mind.
“It just struck me that you must be surprised about our appearance,” he clarified.
“Oh,” she said, visibly relieved. “Well, I didn’t really have any preconceived notions about what a demon would look like, honestly.”
“But you probably would have expected demons to be ugly if you thought about it, right?”
“I guess so. Ugly… or at least scary. But you guys are fallen angels, though, right?”
“No, we are not fallen angels. Lucifer is, but we are all created by Lucifer.”
“Oh. Like God created the angels.”
Aztos cringed.
“Oh, right. Sorry,” Beth apologized.
“But, yes,” he admitted. “Lucifer creates us the way He creates angels, and the way He creates human souls.”
“But you can have children? And marry humans?”
“Yes.”
“Can you die?”
“Our souls are immortal. Only Lucifer can destroy us. We can lose our mortal bodies, though.”
“What does that mean?”
“We take mortal bodies in order to mix in human society. Those bodies can be killed – with some difficulty, of course. But our souls cannot be destroyed. Thus, Lucifer can resurrect us in another mortal body.”
“Would it look the same?”
“The new mortal body?”
Beth nodded.
“Not always. Lucifer chooses a body based on his plan for us. If we are killed before we complete our current mission, we will be resurrected with the same appearance. Otherwise, he may choose to give us a new form.”
“So you look like this for a reason?”
“I suppose so.”
“What reason?”
“I do not know,” Aztos answered truthfully. “I never really thought about it.”
“Hmm. You have no idea what your current mission is?”
“Did you have any idea what your mission was?”
“What do you mean?” Beth asked.
“All humans have a purpose when they are born. Did you know what yours was?”
“To tell you the truth, I didn’t even believe in…” Beth caught herself before she said the forbidden name. “All this stuff.”
“Well, I do not know my purpose, either,” he explained. “We do not know until we reach the point when it happens. We
do have temporary assignments that do not relate to our primary mission, though.”
“Oh. But you really believe Lucifer has a purpose for you?”
“Of course.”
“And do you believe I have a purpose?”
“I suppose so,” Aztos said. “All humans do, as far as I know.”
“Do you think He had it in mind that I would marry a demon?” Beth asked, her mouth twisting into a wry grin.
“I highly doubt that,” Aztos admitted.
“Yeah, I didn’t think so.”
“For what it is worth, I am sorry you got pulled into all of this,” Aztos told her. “I did not make this decision.”
“I guess it’s not so bad,” Beth admitted. “You’re not at all like I thought you would be.”
“What did you think I would be like?” he asked curiously.
“I… don’t know. But… you’re a demon. So… I guess I just expected you to be evil or something.”
Aztos laughed.
“We are actually not all that different from you, you know,” he informed her. “And you might be surprised to know that some angels are actually major douchebags.”
“Really? Wow. Wonders never cease.”
“I must say, I am pleasantly surprised, as well,” Aztos admitted.
“How so?”
“I expected you to be spoiled, bitchy, obnoxious, and obsessed with material things.”
“Is that what demons think of humans?”
“Pretty much.”
“Well, you wouldn’t be far off,” Beth said. “Most humans I’ve met are pretty much just like you described. That’s why I tend to keep to myself for the most part.”
“Well, a lot of demons I’ve met are just like you would expect, too.”
“But you’re not?” Beth asked.
Aztos suddenly grew quiet. He turned his eyes toward the wall, and he looked as though his thoughts were somewhere far away.
“Aztos?” Beth prodded.
“Perhaps it is best if I do not answer that one,” he finally said.
“I see.”
Beth knew Aztos had a dark side. She’d seen it herself when he’d twisted her arm, and Catherine had said he had struck her. She wasn’t sure how deep this darkness went, nor to what extent, and she was hoping she would never have to find out.
