Amber pointed upwards. “I don’t know what’s going to happen to her,” she murmured. If only it wasn’t dark; if only people were still up, they might have told Andrew what was going on.
“Pain, surely,” Brandon said, his eyes going wide at the sight of Harleen falling. “But she cannot die here, can she? She has already passed on…” Instead of the last sentence coming out as a question, he had chosen to let his voice trail off, only because of the look currently etched out onto Amber’s face. “She is not dead?”
Amber didn’t have time to answer because at that moment, Harleen made her presence just before their feet. Luckily, however, her wings took much of the impact of the fall, and the only thing that had happened was that Harleen temporarily lost her breath. She started coughing, trying to catch it back again, and Amber dropped to her knees, ready to do whatever it was that she needed to do in order to help Harleen.
It was then that she realized Brandon was still there. She snapped her head in his direction, all thoughts of flirting out of her mind. “Go get the king,” she ordered firmly. Amber had always been good in tense situations, even when she was alive. She turned her attention back to the queen, reaching out to place her hand on Harleen’s neck in order to check her pulse. “My God,” she whispered to herself. “She’s so cold. Harleen?” She focused her eyes on the barely conscious woman. “Harleen, can you hear me? If you can’t speak, nod yes or no.”
With great effort, Harleen managed to nod a couple of times. She had never felt colder in her entire life, and wanted nothing more than to push herself up into a standing position and run into her bedroom, snuggling underneath the covers and her husband. She couldn’t even speak, let alone get up. Hell, she struggled to breathe.
Yet, in a manner of mere moments, Andrew was by her side, on his knees, his dark hazel eyes taking her in, his face worried. Harleen furrowed her brow, unsure of what it was that they were all worried about. She felt fine if cold, bruised, and her back might ache for a while, but…
“You’re right,” Andrew murmured upon cupping Harleen’s face in his palm. “She’s dreadfully cold.” He turned his eyes to Amber, completely ignoring Brandon’s presence on purpose. It was against the rules for him to be out so late. “We need to get her in the house. Go to our room and start a fire. I’ll be right behind you.”
Without warning, Andrew slid his arms underneath his wife and scooped her up without struggle. Harleen placed her head where it seemed to fit the best – right where his shoulder and neck met, and her eyelids began to droop.
“You’re so warm,” she murmured in a tired, strained voice.
Though Harleen couldn’t see him, Andrew smiled against her hair. His grip on her tightened as he entered the castle, and once he got her on his bed, he began to check on her even more so than he already had.
“She can speak,” Andrew informed Amber. “She spoke to me. She can speak.”
“We need to get her warm,” Amber said, completely forgetting to address Andrew as a king, her only focus on getting Harleen better. “I haven’t been here long enough to see this before. Have you?”
“There has never been anyone brought here alive before,” Andrew said, his eyes flitting into Amber’s before looking at his wife once more.
“I saw the stars,” Harleen murmured to no one in particular. When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Andrew, and a smile slowly eclipsed onto her face. “I wished on one.”
“Oh yeah?” Andrew asked as Amber started to wrap her up in blankets. Her wings had completely disappeared by now. “And what did you wish for?”
Harleen rolled her eyes. “You’re not supposed to tell or else it won’t come true,” she said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. She stopped herself and furrowed her brow, suddenly off-track due to her thoughts. “Actually, it was more of a question than a wish, and just as I asked it, I got my answer.”
Andrew ran his fingers through her hair, smiling down at her. “Is she going to be all right?” he asked Amber, but his eyes stayed firm on the woman he had married.
“I think so,” Amber said, “but I can’t be sure, and you know I can’t. As long as she stays warm, I don’t see how she could get any worse.”
“I saw Rosco up there too,” Harleen said, completely ignoring the fact that they were talking about her right in front of her.
This gave Andrew pause, and without thinking, he asked too sharp, “What?”
“Yeah,” Harleen said, not noticing Andrew’s intense gaze on her face. “He pulled up in the parking lot and started making out with this girl I don’t even know. But somehow… I wasn’t even bothered.” Her eyes found Andrew’s, and another small smile touched her lips. “I just didn’t care.”
Before he could stop himself, Andrew leaned over her and captured her lips within his for a quick but passionate kiss. She had come back to him – that was all he could think of, that Harleen had chosen to come back to him. He didn’t think he could be any happier.
“You know I’ll never let you go,” Andrew said, completely ignoring Amber’s quiet departure. His eyes were still holding onto Harleen’s, and he wanted to make sure she realized just how lucky he was to have her. “But I feel as though I must ask you…” Now that she was back, he allowed himself to hope, that maybe she loved him the way he no doubt loved her. “Have you ever thought about having kids?”
“I am eighteen years old,” Harleen said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world, even more so than not revealing a wish made upon a star. “There is no way I can” -
Andrew cut her off. “Because I happen to want kids,” he said with a roguish smile. “Lots and lots of children. I’ve always adored them. And since it is mandatory that you stay warm, I have an idea of just how to kill two birds with one stone, as it were.”
Harleen bit her bottom lip but couldn’t stop the grin from spreading across her face even if she had tried. “Really?” she asked him, feeling her pain start to subside. “Would you mind sharing?”
There was that crooked smile she had come to love. “Not at all, my dear.”
Chapter 8
The next day, Andrew decided to have Harleen accompany him to the Gates of Hell. He rarely if ever showed up here, but because he was ruler of Hell, he had to make appearances at some point, and during this one, he wanted Harleen with him, if only to see what kinds of people ended up here. As they got out of the carriage, Andrew interlaced his fingers with hers, and began to lead her down the line of people waiting for admittance. Nobody had noticed their presence yet, which was perfectly acceptable to Andrew, and even more so by his wife.
“I don’t understand,” she murmured to Andrew. “Why are there so many people here? I mean, I know there are bad people in the world, but I never expected there to be this much.”
Her eyes flitted around, seeing children, seeing couples, seeing all different sorts of people that didn’t seem to fit in that evil stereotype. They were soft spoken with eyes that seemed just as confused as hers were. She didn’t understand; God had created these people. In the Bible, it said that His people were created in His likeness… Why would He send them here? Maybe some of the people belonged here, but children? Mistakes were made yes; humanity wasn’t perfect, which was how they were separated from God and angels, but if God was truly a parent, shouldn’t He love His own children no matter what?
Maybe this was all Andrew’s fault. Seeing as how Andrew was Satan, it wouldn’t be too hard to figure that maybe he might have tempted them in order to get them down here. Harleen visibly paled at such a thought, and though she had respect for her husband, she wouldn’t doubt that she would be indescribably disappointed if Andrew did such a thing. However, even the first story in the Bible had Satan slithering around and tempting Eve to bite the apple. Was it the same, even now? Did Satan continue to tempt humanity?
“Andrew,” she said, her eyes filled with hope that her question would be answered in the negative. But she couldn’t be
sure, and she hated herself for it. “This is not your doing, is it? I mean, you’re not the reason all of these people are here? You didn’t purposefully tempt them here, trick them here, did you?” Her eyes pooled into his, and she hoped that the man she had come to love wouldn’t be behind something so devious.
“Of course not,” Andrew said, placing his hands on her shoulders, locking eyes with her. “How could you ask me something like that, Harleen? That’s petty, even for me.”
Harleen frowned upon hearing her full name fall from his lips. He only called her that when he was upset about something, and she had a funny feeling that what he was upset about currently might be her. “Well, I don’t understand just how many people could come here. Does God take every mistake as an offense?”
“Humanity is already corrupt,” Andrew explained, his eyes softening when he realized she was only worried about these people. She was, after all, a human as well, and it was only natural for her to worry about humans as well. “The morals that were once held in high regard have all but disintegrated. Children are having sex at a younger age with each generation. Fifty percent of marriages end in divorce, and crime is up. People can’t stay loyal to anybody or anything or any God for the matter. They use Satan, me, as an excuse for their behavior, saying that I’m the one who led them to a life of sin when they should take responsibility for themselves. It is not my doing that they indulge in their carnal temptations, it is their own. And then they wonder why they are here?”
“Surely not every single one of these people is how you describe them?” Harleen asked, almost begged. She had to have faith in humanity, even if it was only a fraction of it. “Not every single one of these people is evil or has given into temptation, and even if they had, surely they learned from their mistakes?” She pushed her brow up high, looking at her husband with such hope that he hated being the bearer of bad news.
“No,” he agreed, making sure to keep his voice gentle and tilting his head down in a half-nod. “No, surely not all of these people fit that description. Some people may not be of the same Christian denomination, some might be homosexual or indulged in homosexuality, some might have engaged in sexual behavior before marriage, some might have had an abortion, some might have gotten a divorce. The list goes on and on. Amber was sent here after dying because she is of the Jewish faith, and I’m sure you know that Sean’s here because he’s gay.”
“How can they help that?” Harleen cried, throwing her arms out in frustration. “How can anyone help their circumstance?”
“They can’t,” Andrew said. “But they can ask God for forgiveness.”
“But they shouldn’t have to!” she exclaimed, getting frustrated with how this system worked.
“Exactly!” Andrew said, the corners of his lips quirking up. His eyes sparkled at the fact that she had recognized her own point. “Exactly, love! Why should people have to ask for forgiveness for who they are? If someone really does believe that their story is already written, wouldn’t it therefore be God’s doing if one was gay, if one was another religion? These people didn’t ask for God’s forgiveness because they didn’t think they had to, and as a result, ended up here.”
Harleen’s eyes flitted around the crowd of people once more, feeling something settle in her stomach, resembling something like satisfaction. “I still worry about them,” she murmured.
“And that’s humanity for you,” Andrew said, his voice conclusive. “But you’ve been here. You know there’s no need to worry about them. Hell isn’t as horrible as people assume it is.”
“I know,” Harleen murmured, her focus firmly on the line. “But the difference between me and these people is that I knew you before I even came here. And not as big, bad, scary Satan; as Andrew, some guy from Australia who was way too close to my uncle for being eighteen years old. These people, they only know you as Satan, and I’m not sure if you remember, but humanity and what is known about you hasn’t always been kind.”
Andrew shrugged as though it didn’t matter. “You’re right,” he said, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her towards him so he could rest his chin on the top of her head. “But word of mouth and watching me themselves usually changes their mind.” His lips twitched up into his crooked smile. “Plus, I married you, and everyone seems to adore you.”
“I’ll just leave out the fact that you forced me to marry you, shall I?” Harleen asked, an amused grin of her own spreading across her face. She wanted to look up at him, but she didn’t want to disengage his head from hers; the position they were currently in made her feel incredibly safe, incredibly comfortable.
“You shall,” Andrew said, his eyes sparkling. “And it worked out, didn’t it? You like me.”
“Maybe just a little,” Harleen teased back.
The two were silent for a long moment, simply enjoying the other’s presence, when Andrew decided to tell her something. “I come here to welcome them,” said, his mouth close enough to her ear so she could feel his hot breath on her neck. As it always did, it gave her goose bumps. “I want them to meet me personally, get adjusted here faster, that sort of thing. I like to think that if they meet me and see that I’m an agreeable sort of fellow, then maybe their adjustment here won’t be too bad. Who knows? Maybe they’ll enjoy this place once they realize what an amazing guy I am.”
“I’m sure once the women see you, they’ll want nothing more than to sink their teeth into you,” Harleen observed with a smirk already noticing a group of women eyeing her husband even though it was quite obvious that Andrew’s attention was focused only on the woman in his arms.
“Yes, my good looks have a lot to do with it too,” he said with arrogance, but because it came out charming, Harleen couldn’t do anything but laugh at it.
After another few minutes, Andrew and Harleen began at the front of the line and started to introduce themselves to Hell’s new inhabitants. Some people were surprised at how good looking Satan was, and even more surprised to find that he was charming and hospitable. Others wouldn’t say anything, either because they still regarded him as people up on earth did or because they were afraid of him. Some flirted with him, some were disgusted with him, but it seemed that everyone was surprised when he introduced Harleen as his wife.
As though Satan couldn’t be married.
Harleen couldn’t blame them. She had felt that way too. One time or another.
Chapter 9
It should have been a beautiful morning waking up together. Alone time to spend together was far and in between, and it was moments like these that kept the couple, who had yet to admit that they were in love with each other, clinically sane. But it wasn’t. This morning was ominous and dreary, and it was because of miscommunication and misinterpretation on both parties’ part.
As usual, it was Harleen who woke up first. She had always been an early bird on earth, and being in Hell didn’t change her sleeping habits. The only thing that did change was the fact that she had a warm body to snuggle against now, a man she loved to wake up with. Normally, Harleen knew she had about ten minutes before Andrew would wake up, and it was in the silence that she let her thoughts intermix with her daydreams. Sex was a beautiful experience that they engaged in at least three times a week, depending on when Andrew came home and how tired either of them was. Since her realization of her feelings, sex had taken a whole new meaning, and she allowed herself to indulge the attachment that formed with him. Each stroke, each caress was like a match striking fire, and she felt herself only fall deeper and deeper.
It was hard for her to say whether or not Andrew felt that same way as she did, but she knew that he cared about her, and it hadn’t even occurred to Harleen that he could ever cheat on her. Even though it was Hell, she had always figured that Andrew would be faithful to her. And he was.
But something was amiss this morning. Harleen couldn’t explain how this was so, but when she opened her eyes, she felt that something was just… off. Maybe it was because instead of waking
up with Andrew’s arm wrapped around her waist, he was curled up on the other side of their California king bed. Okay, sure, it wasn’t a common occurrence, but that didn’t mean anything was wrong. Yet, despite her attempts at rationalization, she couldn’t shake the feeling. Instead, she tried to reassure herself by rolling over in order to be close to him. Just as her head touched his shoulder, Andrew quickly sat up, a gasp slipping out of his mouth as though he was surprised to be woken up so suddenly.
Harleen quickly sat up as well, furrowing her brow. That wasn’t what usually happened. Instead of kissing her cheek, he seemed to be shaking something out of his head. Maybe even Satan had his own nightmares.
“Good morning,” Harleen said while simultaneously trying to stifle a yawn but failing.
“I’m late,” he murmured, shaking his head so his disheveled hair followed his movements. “I’m so fucking late. Goddammit, I should have set that fucking alarm.”
Harleen frowned at his frustrated tone. He hadn’t even looked at her, least of all responded to her greeting. And what, exactly, was he late for? He hadn’t told her about having to be anywhere today at any sort of time, and he had a couple of hours before he was expected in Court… It was then that Harleen noticed that Andrew was already off of the bed, sliding his black jeans on.
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