by Laurèn Lee
“He’s a demon again, as you very well know,” Lucifer wheezed. He clutched his cane and held on to the armrests of his throne as if they served as life support.
“Not as powerful as before and still not nearly as powerful as me,” Liam warned.
“You are not indestructible. Everyone has an Achilles heel.”
“I don’t,” Liam said.
“Your hubris will be your downfall, Liam. Mark my words.”
“Sure, old man. You keep thinking that.”
“This isn’t the end.”
“It’s the end of you!” Liam opened his palm, and a ball of fire swirled madly in his hand. He wound his arm, prepared to end Lucifer at that moment.
Lucifer closed his eyes, tapped his cane against his throne and disappeared.
Liam glanced around madly, but Lucifer was gone. He rubbed his hands together and strode toward the throne. He breathed in deeply, sat down and leaned backward against the spine of the stone chair.
“It’s all mine. All mine.”
He cackled, sending echoes bouncing around the cavern as though a hundred Liams had declared victory.
9
Charlotte woke as the pounding in her mind reverberated against her skull. There was no doubt in her mind she acquired a concussion as she turned to purge what was left inside her stomach. Bile rose in her throat and splashed against her teeth as she let it leave her body. She moaned, and tears streamed down her sullen cheeks.
“Finally, you’re awake,” a voice called from her bedside. “I thought you’d never come to.”
Charlotte squinted and saw her very best friend rocking in the wooden chair Tori’s grandmother passed down to her after her death.
“Tori?” Charlotte squawked.
“In the flesh.” Tori’s eyes burned red, and Charlotte’s stomach dropped again.
“Your eyes!”
Tori fluttered her eyelashes. “You like?”
Charlotte struggled to sit up as another wave of dizziness washed over her. Confusion squeezed its way inside her mind too. Why had her best friend knocked her out? Why were her eyes glowing like a demon’s?
“What is going on?” Charlotte breathed.
“Well, I’m a demon now. And I think it’s time you and I had a talk.”
“Who did this to you?” Before Charlotte finished her question, a part of her already knew the answer.
“Liam, of course. He’s pretty badass!”
“Badass? Tori, what the actual fuck?” Life slowly oozed back into Charlotte.
“I’m part of his army now. Jealous?”
Taken off guard, Charlotte clenched her fists and forced her legs to swing over the edge of the bed. Her feet touched the floor, and instead of feeling the hard thump, she felt the smooth, cool texture of the wooden floor. Someone had taken her shoes. She stared down at her toes, and the black nail polish had chipped drastically since she last visited the salon.
“Where are my shoes?”
“I took them,” Tori responded nonchalantly.
Tori strutted around the room, and Charlotte noticed other physical differences in her best friend. Her arms were more toned, her belly flat, even her hair appeared silky and soft. Demonhood suited Tori, except for you know, the whole being a bitch thing.
“Uh, why?” Charlotte asked.
“So you wouldn’t run.”
“You do realize I still have feet, right?” Annoyance crept into Charlotte’s tone as she struggled to comprehend what was going on.
“Oh, do you want me to take those, too?” Tori grinned, baring her bleached teeth to Charlotte.
“This is insane. I’m leaving,” Charlotte said. She took a deep breath and tried to keep her cool.
“Not so fast,” Tori said as Charlotte rose from the bed. “I can’t let you leave.”
“Who says?” Charlotte crossed her arms over her chest. She couldn’t believe she was arguing with Tori, now a demon, about what she was or wasn’t allowed to do.
“Me! And, well, Liam said I needed to keep you here until he could come back,” Tori said.
“So you’re his bitch now? And what about Adam?” Charlotte stared into Tori’s eyes, not believing what she was seeing. Tori had once been completely devoted to Adam, and now? Well, now she was devoted to the Devil.
“Adam’s dead,” Tori replied flatly.
Charlotte’s jaw dropped. “You killed Adam? What the fuck?!”
“It wasn’t me. Liam did it,” Tori said, shrugging with indifference.
“Did Liam also suck out your brains while he was at it?”
“I don’t think so.” Tori scratched her head.
“You’re not keeping me here,” Charlotte said with a venomous hiss.
“Try me.” Tori dragged her pointer finger across her cheek, revealing knife-like nails.
“Tori, this isn’t you. You have to snap out of it!” Charlotte’s eyes begged her friend to remember who she truly was inside.
“People change, Char. Some people move, get a new job, and others fall deep into demonhood.”
At that moment, Charlotte accepted the inevitable: Tori was gone. Whatever Liam had done to her was most likely a permanent side effect of losing one’s soul and falling victim to her ex-fiancé. She couldn’t waste any more time trying to convince her best friend about the reality of the situation. Tori’s brain was far too clouded with smoke from the fiery depths of Hell.
“Fine. You win.” Charlotte shrugged.
“Damn straight.” Tori smiled in triumph.
“Can I at least go to the bathroom if I’m going to be treated like a prisoner?”
“Nope. Liam said to keep you right here.”
“So, are you going to clean up when I can’t control my bladder any longer?”
Tori furrowed her eyebrows and wrinkled her nose. “Hmmm. That sounds disgusting. I definitely don’t want to do that. Just go, but hurry up!”
“Anything you say,” Charlotte said.
She calmly strode to the bathroom, barely big enough to fit a second person inside, and firmly locked the door behind her. Charlotte turned the faucet on, and the splash of well water rushed through the clinking pipes and sprayed against the stained porcelain sink.
Adrenaline coursed through her veins as her palms moistened. Charlotte listened at the door and heard Tori singing to herself in the other room. Maybe some things would never change; Tori never knew when to shut up and let the music play.
Charlotte’s chest heaved as she stepped onto the toilet and pushed the window open, slowly at first, and then when she realized Tori was oblivious, she pushed the screen out of the window, which allowed the breeze to flow into the room without restrictions.
Outside, birds twittered in the twilight of the day. Leaves on the trees swayed gently and rustled against each the scratchy, dry surfaces of their neighbors. Charlotte didn’t have her purse or her car keys, but she kept a spare key in the glove compartment. She took one more listen to see if Tori was coming, and when no sounds came, Charlotte held her breath and hoisted herself out of the bathroom window and leaped onto the gravel. She took one final glance at the house before she sidled against it, then sprinted toward her car. The spare key was exactly where she’d left it, and without any hesitation, she started the car and sped away from her best friend, her stomach seizing with every mile she put between them.
10
Adriel sulked at a glittery slot machine inside the Sunshine Casino. The waitress brought over his fifth whiskey and soda and squeezed her breasts tightly as she bent down to set the drink beside him. Adriel tossed her another five dollar bill and smiled weakly.
“Thanks, doll,” the waitress said through ruby-red lipstick. “You know, I get off at ten if you’re lookin’ to party?”
“No thanks,” Adriel said, pulling the crank of the machine once more.
“Well, here’s my number if you change your mind.” The waitress handed him a cocktail napkin with her phone number written in lip gloss.
Adriel waited until she walked away before crumpling the napkin and tossing it on the carpeted floor. Three sevens populated before him, and the machine buzzed and sang obnoxiously. Patrons craned their necks to search for the lucky soul who hit the jackpot. Adriel stared at the machine while it whistled and revealed his grand prize: seven thousand dollars.
He didn’t need the money, but he cashed out regardless. He knew what he needed to do and decided to stop hiding from his future and chase it down instead. Outside of the casino, the sun began to sink toward the canal, setting the water ablaze. He only wished Charlotte was here to see it too. A homeless man sitting against a nearby dumpster caught Adriel’s attention. The man called out to pedestrians, asking if they wanted to buy his homemade jewelry.
Adriel walked over to the man and tossed his winning casino voucher into his lap. The man scoffed at first, but once he picked up the piece of paper, his eyes widened to the size of cantaloupes.
“You sure about this, mister? That’s an awful lotta zeroes!”
Adriel shrugged and stalked away. That guy would make better use of the money than he ever could. As Adriel crossed the busy intersection heading toward City Hall, the homeless man tapped him on the shoulder, out of breath but eager.
“Here, sir. It’s the least I could do.” The main, who had hair down to his elbows, handed Adriel a leather bracelet, worn and frayed at the edges.
“What is it?”
“It’s a bracelet. Made of real leather, too!”
“I’m not sure I have much use for is,” Adriel said.
“Please, I just want to repay you for your generosity.”
“Well, all right then. Thanks.”
“Thank you!” the man said with a grin as bright as the setting sun behind them.
Adriel watched as the man turned around and frolicked toward the casino, presumably to cash in his voucher.
Maybe Adriel wasn’t completely bad after all?
He looked down at the bracelet and instantly wanted to tell Charlotte all about it. She was the first person he thought of when he woke up in the morning and the last person he thought of before sleep swept him away at night.
But did he love her enough to become human again, and for good? Could he live as a human and die as a human? He didn’t know if he had the strength to stay mortal forever, and yet he couldn’t imagine living without Charlotte by his side, either.
Adriel reached a crossroads in his heart and needed to decide whom he loved more: Charlotte or himself.
Charlotte turned off her cell phone in fear of being tracked somehow. Tori might have been an airhead, but she wasn’t totally stupid. She surely had discovered Charlotte’s great escape by then. However, Charlotte didn’t feel one ounce of sympathy for her. If Liam punished Tori for letting Charlotte get away, then so be it.
In that instant, though, Charlotte realized just how alone in this world she truly was. Her ex-fiancé wanted to become the new Devil; her best friend lost her humanity; and the man, or demon, she thought she was in love with didn’t quite reciprocate her feelings. If he loved her like she thought he did, he’d give up everything to be with her, right?
A single tear slid down Charlotte’s cheek, and she couldn’t help but wish Adriel sat beside her to wipe it away.
Not only did Charlotte have no place to go, but she also had no clue what to do. She couldn’t go back to Buffalo; Liam could easily find her if she went home. She couldn’t hide out at the bar seeing as how it was destroyed. So, now what? Where could she go? She couldn’t feel Mary Elizabeth’s aura; Cyndy didn’t have a cell phone, and there was no way she was going to crawl back to Adriel.
Highway signs flew by as she sped along the 90 Westbound. On either side of her, cars raced by. Some held families; some had a lone driver just like her. She wondered where everyone was going and where they’d been. Were these people happy? Were they loved? Did they have someone to care for and be cared about in return?
Loneliness rested on her shoulders, and it felt as though she were drowning in the canal with a concrete block tied to her foot. She couldn’t catch her breath and couldn’t find the energy to fight against the darkness.
Ahead, a sign for lodging appeared, and without hesitation, Charlotte swerved onto the exit and followed the directions toward the Mammoth Motel. She needed to figure out what she was going to do, and she needed to do it right away. She had enough cash stashed under her seat to pay for a few nights at the motel.
Charlotte parked under an oak tree in an attempt to keep her car hidden from passersby. Who knows who could have followed her or was on the lookout for her vehicle. She dug under her seat and found the wad of crumpled bills rolled together with a rubber band.
Her shoulders slumped, and she sighed heavily as she stepped out of her car. She craned her neck to see if anyone was acting suspicious or watching her. Once she figured the coast was clear, she jogged to the motel’s entrance. A wave of stale air and cigarette smoke assaulted her senses as she stepped inside.
At least it was better than being trapped with Tori, she thought.
“I’d like a room please,” Charlotte asked the attendant on duty.
The teenager’s hair nearly ate his face, and he wiped his Cheetos-covered hands on his ripped jeans.
“Seventy-five dollars,” he said and held out his hand.
Charlotte stared expectantly at the boy and waited for him to correct himself. There was no way this place cost that much. They didn’t even provide free WiFi or continental breakfast. She cleared her throat. “Uh, are you sure it’s that much?”
The boy smiled, and Charlotte noticed he was missing one of his front teeth. “You caught me! Just forty bucks is fine.”
“Okay, that’s more like it. Do you need my ID or anything?”
“Maybe just your phone number?” he winked.
Charlotte pushed down the bile which had risen in her throat. “Not today, kid.”
The boy’s smile wavered as he handed her the room key and returned to the video game on his computer screen. Charlotte took his cue as the time to go find her room and come up with a game plan.
The motel didn’t have an elevator, so Charlotte trekked up the three flights of stairs and studied the rusted numbers on the doors as she walked down the long hallway. Then, she found her room: 314. She inserted the key into the lock but realized it was already open. She turned the knob and pushed open the door. A tendril of dread snaked down the small of her back as she sensed she wasn’t alone in the room. Someone else was there, lurking in the shadows.
“Hey, Charlotte.”
11
The door slammed behind her as Charlotte whipped around to see who called out her name. A man stood against the wall, half-hidden by the tattered curtains.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me, babe.” Adriel walked out into the light, a smile spread across his face.
“Jesus Christ! You scared me half to death!” Charlotte bent over, trying to catch her breath. “Wait a minute. How did you know I was here?”
“I don’t know exactly,” Adriel said. “I wanted to find you, and something inside me said to come here.”
“So, you’re like an all-star stalker now?”
Adriel chuckled. “Guess so.”
Charlotte reminded herself not to smile. She needed to remember why she was angry with Adriel in the first place. Her heart sank as she recalled the look of disgust plastered on his face when she asked about him giving up his demonhood once and for all.
“We need to talk,” Adriel said. He combed his dark hair with his long fingers and exhaled.
“There’s nothing to talk about. We’re not good for each other, and we don’t have a future. No further discussion needed.
“Charlotte, please!”
“I will not allow myself to be broken by another man—or demon, for that matter. If I’ve learned anything from this whole mess, it’s that the only person I can rely on is myself.” Charlotte’s chest heaved up and down,
and she couldn’t help but let herself get worked up.
“You know that’s not true. I’m always here for you. I love you, Char,” Adriel said.
“I should have never gotten involved with a demon in the first place. You’re evil, for Christ’s sake!” Charlotte glared at Adriel with her fists clenched.
“I’m not a bad person. I’ve done bad things, but I’m not all bad.” He looked into Charlotte’s eyes and silently begged for her forgiveness.
“Not all bad, huh? So, tell me, why did Lucifer want you to become a demon in the first place? Why would he think you’d be so good at being bad?”
I’ve got you now, Charlotte thought. Adriel had been vague about his past before. There was so much she didn’t know about him, just like with Liam. Were they one in the same? Was Adriel just better at masking his devilish deeds?
Adriel sighed and slumped onto the double bed, which creaked underneath his weight. “Do you really want to know?”
“I don’t know. Do I?” Charlotte challenged him.
Adriel waved Charlotte forward and beckoned her to sit beside him. Reluctantly, she took his cue and sat down next to him. The bed frame moaned again as a puff of dust sprang into the air.
“I’ve been a demon for a long time,” Adriel began. “And, before that, I wasn’t always a good man. I killed people before I even ventured into Hell. Children died at my hand.”
Charlotte pursed her lips and turned away from Adriel. She stared at the motel door, longing to escape from the place she thought would be her escape. Had he really killed children? How could the hands who touched her lovingly have also put an end to an innocent child’s life?
“I wasn’t always a bad seed, though. I had my reasons for turning dark. I’m not proud of everything I’ve done in my life, but for the most part, I had good intentions,” Adriel said quietly.
“I don’t understand how a person can be both bad and decent. It doesn’t make sense.”
“Life isn’t black and white, Charlotte. Sometimes, the gray blurs the edges of what is right and what is wrong. I lost myself in the maze trying to find the light, I admit that. But meeting you has guided me toward who I truly want to be.”
