Scathe

by Chacelyn Pierce

  Lilith's grip tightened on her wrist. "Satan! Look what I found for you, a new play thing." There was a hush as the band stopped playing mid-song, and the room's attention focused on Andrea being pulled across the dance floor. Her breaths came in and out too rapidly to calm down, but she tried to keep her spine straight and her eyes forward. Demons were still in the way, but a small number blocked sight of the throne and what sat upon it.

  Andrea needed room to maneuver in case the opportunity of escape presented itself. "Let me go, I want to walk up there on my own."

  Lilith turned to glance at her over her pale shoulder. Her eyes were the color of burning coals and slit like a crocodile's. "So you can run away. I'm not foolish, human. I feel your panic. It's too late to back out now. You are here for him, so have him." Lilith pushed Andrea none too gently into the opening before the throne. The last row of demons jumped out of the way. Andrea tripped on the hem of her tight dress and sprawled onto the floor. No one offered her a hand up, and if they did, she wasn't sure she'd take it anyway.

  Andrea craned her neck higher, her gaze skipped up the dais's five steps and landed on the throne made of bones. Upon the immaculate chair of remains sat a beast of pure terror. Some twisted monster of snake, goat, and dragon. Andrea's jaw dropped in shock at seeing the creature she would have to confront. Ortus should've been clearer about the physical changes Luc underwent when he became the Prince of Darkness. She'd not been prepared for it.

  Satan rose to his feet—no, not feet, hooves—and peered down at her from a mask made out of a huge ram's skull. The horns wrapped twice around and ended with the points out. Through the eye sockets, the hollowed gaze of Satan stared back at her. His eyes resembled a viper's and were the color of a bloody sunset. She broke the gaze off first, feeling uneasy about his intense glare. His upper body was layered with reddish-purple scales tapering to the black goat-like lower body. Arched high on his back, his impressive wings resembled a bat's and were complete with a sharp black talons curling menacingly on each digit.

  Andrea swallowed down the terror enveloping her like a wet blanket. On shaky hands and knees she stood up and decided to face the threat standing on two feet.

  He looked over her, and everywhere his gaze caressed, the sensual heat against her skin prickled like needles. The sensation was something she never wanted to experience again in her life. "Well, well, well, what have we here? Are you lost?"

  As her vision studied the beast before her, Andrea's voice failed to answer. The demonic monster had remnants of Luc's voice, but it sounded layered on top of a lion's growl and scratchy rocks. Luc was somewhere buried deep within the beast. How could she bring him back from this? Can she bring him back?

  His massive hoof slammed down on the marble, and the vibrations rippled in her bones. "Answer me, damn it! Are. You. Fucking. Lost?"

  "No."

  He hummed and made a great production of placing a clawed finger against the jaw of his mask as if in deep thought. "What human willingly comes to my playground? Have you decided to be a sacrificial lamb in my honor? Is that what you are, Little Lamb?" He held a palm out and Andrea gulped when she noticed the size and sharpness of his claws.

  Focusing on the task at hand, she glared at the spot over his shoulder. She couldn't look down because she'd see the true demons' reflections on the marble and she couldn't gaze into Satan's eyes because he jumbled her concentration. "I'm looking for Lucifer, I need to speak with him?"

  Satan cleared the dais stairs in two steps. He gave Andrea a wide berth as he circled her like a cat stalking a bug. His attention was divided between her and the demons surrounding them in silence.

  He snarled as he glared at her. "This is not Lucifer's realm. He's weak and there is no room for weakness. Down here, I reign." His eyes flared with an internal firestorm and Andrea swallowed down a quarter of her fear. Satan was a renowned bully through history. She couldn't match him in strength in his own realm, but she might be able to match him for snippy comments and attitude. He could burn her to a crisp with a mere twitch of a finger. But as he said, there was no room for weakness in Sheol. In order to get anywhere with the being in front of her, she'd have to find a damn backbone. If she might die or be a prisoner down in the underworld, it was best she did it with pride.

  Andrea stood up, found some courage from Lord knows where, and slid the feathered mask off her face. She let it fall to the ground where it shattered in three pieces. With a sad regret she noticed it was exactly like the mask Luc placed on her face inside his home. There had to be some significance to that. After all, Lucifer and Satan were one in the same, two sides of the same being.

  A gasp from Lilith snagged her attention. Judging by the widened stares and gaping mouths of the demons surrounding her, she'd broken a cardinal rule Satan had in place: the masks stayed on. Not hers though, she would test him, and hopefully, he'd bring Luc to the surface enough for her to talk to him and bring him back.

  Satan laughed, a rumbling sound of jagged pebbles in a closed palm. "You are brave, I'll give you that. I have no tolerance for fools, but your naïve entertainment has my complete attention."

  Come one, Andrea, focus on how to get through to Luc.

  Satan was the darker side of Luc that hurt; the pain he kept locked away from everyone manifested into a coarse exterior. He couldn't escape his contempt, and it had been too strong for him to fight. As Andrea watched the burning ire in Satan's gaze, she noticed he was consumed by his hatred. Sheol was a place where the pain and scorn grew tenfold. The inferno became a twisted outlet for his true form and a wild power to flourish. Lucifer didn't trust himself to escape from its grasp when in the underworld. No wonder he never wanted to stay in Sheol and sought out the comfort of Earth. Sheol would be his prison of pain. His existence consumed him from the inside out. Andrea wanted to free him from it, and she felt pity for the devil watching her in an ill-mannered way.

  But there was still hope.

  Whether he knew it or not, little pieces of Luc escaped whenever he could. Even the classy party theme seemed suspiciously Luc inspired.

  "Why a masquerade ball?"

  Satan crossed his arms. His scales scraping against each other sounded like chalk on a blackboard. "Why not, Little Lamb? There is a sinful beauty to it."

  Andrea licked her lips. "You know what I think?"

  "No one cares what you fucking think. I only care how you'll tremble once my cock is inside you," he said as he ran a claw underneath Lilith's chin. The demoness closed her eyes in bliss and purred like a stroked cat. Andrea ignored the bead of blood rolling down Satan's black talon. He moved away from Lilith's shuddering body to incite the next demon. A wicked gleam in his eye sparked when he glanced at Andrea. His malevolent smile broadened when she frowned. "What's the matter? Are you jealous or disgusted?" He moved behind a short female demon, cradled her petite neck against his massive clawed hand. Andrea had no doubt he could break it in a single grab, and for a moment, Andrea could've sworn by the gleam in his eye that the idea crossed his mind. He pushed her buttons trying to figure out what made her sensitive and easy to manipulate. Instead, Satan's touch softened and he caressed the demon's neck in a loving manner.

  "Imagine yourself in her place, against my body, my breath warming your skin, my cock in your body. Me devouring your soul and you enjoying it."

  "Doubtful."

  He chuckled and left the female so abruptly the demon blinked rapidly to shake his off enthrallment. Satan stepped closer to Andrea, his hooves clanking roughly on the tile. "Oh, come now, don't be a fucking prude, Andrea Renee Matthews. I know I'll enjoy discovering what you feel like for the first time."

  "Lucifer already knows what I feel like. Why don't you fish him up inside and ask him." Andrea hoped he'd dig deep and a sliver of Luc would snag the reins of the memory, pulling him back to the surface. Satan stopped whatever he was about to say next and glared at Andrea in such a way that made her think her soul was truly in danger.

  He sud
denly barked out a laugh that echoed off the walls and ceiling. He threw his head back, and his mouth of fangs gleamed under the overhead light. It reminded her of the tortured statue on top of Luc's fountain in front of his mansion. The brass creature seemed filled with pain and anguish. Even though Satan laughed at her, his agony was apparent. Eve created this thing, Eve's soul was her soul, and that meant the answer to bringing Luc back had to be buried within her somewhere.

  As his laughter died, he came to her, so close she could smell the brimstone wafting from him and feel the heat from his scaly skin. As she examined it more, she realized he didn't have scales like a reptile; his skin had been badly burned and had healed that way.

  Burned out of Heaven. She remembered Michael burning him in Eden and knew the angel had to have been stripping Luc down to his true self. The burned Devil, no wonder the angel said all those things about her seeing him in his true form. It made sense why Luc wanted her to be sent away. The burns were tragic, and she felt at fault for putting them there.

  "Like what you see? Don't worry, there's more scars in places you have yet to lay eyes on." He removed the skull mask, hoping to frighten her more. His face wasn't as horrendous as his body. It resembled a paler, sicklier version of Luc. The skin had been burned black along the left cheek and his chin. She could almost believe it was Luc except for the eyes. The silver was the color of blood and the whites were a charcoal black. So unhuman it was chilling.

  "Little Lamb, there is no chance you're ever leaving with your soul intact. You would have better luck corrupting a nun. Looking for Lucifer led you to the monster living within him. I can let you see him, for a price of course." He smirked, the gesture pulling gruesomely at his facial scars. Satan lifted up a section of Andrea's hair and twirled it around his claw. His smile widened when she sucked in a breath.

  Andrea struggled to find words. "No deal. I want Luc without gimmicks and body sharing."

  Satan dropped his hand away from her hair and moved forward to crowd her space. "So careless and stupid. You act as if you have a choice of those things." He leaned in, his lips merely a hair's breath away from her ear. "I am king, and I will devour your body along with your soul." His black serpentine tongue slipped from his lips and flicked against her cheek. He cackled as she stumbled back. Andrea didn't know the most intimate details about Luc, but she knew he was nothing like the sadistic creature tormenting her.

  The eyes were all wrong; the gaze belonged to a devil that oozed malice and seemed to want to make her into a plaything. Granted, Luc still wanted to make her into a plaything, but only on a sensual level. Luc seemed capable of love. This creature was truly the thing of nightmares; it would prey on her soul, violate her body, and would make trophies out of her bones.

  She closed her eyes and remembered the moments she shared with Lucifer, the one who haunted her lifetimes. He was her anchor, her solid rock even when she hadn't known. It had to be the same for him. She wasn't going to give up on him, not ever. She would undo the pain Eve caused; she would stay forever connected to him.

  But you already are. You've always have been.

  She could feel the truth of that revelation pulsing under the surface of something hidden within. Andrea closed her eyes, blocking out the sight of Satan leaning closer to her. She ignored his tormenting words, the nasty hateful things he whispered to distract her. Instead, she focused on the signature of Luc radiating in her soul. There…she could see it as if it were strings of gold wrapped around her heart. The slivers pulsed in time to her heartbeat. Small and fragile, she visualized herself scooping it up and cradling it in her hands. It had to be Luc, it was the light he ignited within her. A spark of emotion connected them many lifetimes ago. The weak demonic energy had another essence supporting it, keeping it strong.

  There came a soft echo of murmurs in her mind. The past life's emotions and thoughts seemed alien as they melded with hers. Even creepier was how Luc seemed to awaken them while he wore the face of terror. She really was the reincarnation of Eve; Andrea remembered glimpses from Eden and Venice, to where she stood now. Being in his presence, seeing the torment she'd put him through shattered the final shields the angels had put over her memories.

  Her soul reminded her of a balloon, floating from one life to the next, hoping her string would be grabbed by Lucifer, the one who meant the most to her. Try as they may to keep her and Luc apart, the angels probably never believed she'd traipse through Sheol to claim him back. It had to be the hammer that shattered the glass over her memories. Being with Luc allowed her to peek through that window, but being with the Devil broke it into a million pieces. Michael must've expected Luc to stay trapped in Sheol while another lifetime and remembrances buried themselves deeper into her soul. And yet…

  First Sinner, one touch of love weakens; a touch of weakness and you will be trapped by flames.

  It's the words Michael had said to her before sending her away from Eden. Had he known she'd come for Lucifer? Was that a warning or a clue? She took it as the former, but she wasn't so sure.

  Satan's presence started to block her thoughts. Without thinking, Andrea closed her eyes and placed a hand on his scarred chest. His feverish skin jerked at her contact.

  As the past surged behind her eyelids, she saw the many memories had been stripped from her mind but not her heart. The overloading of such love and devotion had been overbearing, and the fear the angels placed around her was no longer any concern. Not when she had to live lifetimes without her true love, the driving force behind each heartbeat. She missed so much from her life. The warmth that surrounded her reminded her of a sunny day with the sun's kiss upon her skin. At once she felt whole again. Luc's devotion, no matter how dark and tainted it became over the eras, he was still the angel of light that captivated her from the dawn of time. However, she would not turn away from it again.

  "I choose you, no other. This is my vow: my heart and body is yours, for my soul has already been claimed by you. I give it to you freely. It waits for you even now, even in the most treacherous place known to mankind. You have searched epochs for me, and I am here…for you. I remember you, all of you, and I have loved you since many lifetimes ago. Let me love you again, in this new life."

  ♦♦♦♦

  Satan tried to take a step back from the human female, but he became locked into place. His damn hooves might've been glued to the marble for what little movement he could manage. Her palm sat heavily on his chest, covering the area void of any heartbeat. She must've assumed the touch would cause him to weaken his internal defenses. He would not fold at her touch or words, but Satan became utterly mesmerized by the complete bliss Andrea Renee Matthews radiated. He wanted joy; to have a smidgeon of the happiness would be a reprieve from all the torment and chaos that reigned in Sheol. He'd hoped her touch might've transferred some of the jovial energy, but all he sensed had been the warmth of her damp palm against his skin. Jealousy was a hot spear tearing his insides apart until he punished her for making him feel that way. Looking at her dwelling in serenity with a slight smile and her eyes closed, Satan did something he'd never been able to do. He let go of the negative charge within him that could scorch her body and soul into a pile of ash in the blink of an eye. Those words she spoke, powerful words rumbling in the hollow cavity where his heart might be, they caught him off guard, but only slightly. It caused him to pause. The other part of him became livid at what she'd done.

  How dare she speak those words to him and try to change him. She attempted to pull the old angelic being to the surface with her feelings and admissions. The spirit of Eve tormented him and almost ripped his heart out a second time. As the manifestation of Lucifer's pain, he would not allow her to weaken them again. No matter how the fallen angel within him wailed to rise to the surface. The woman, this Andrea, was a rarity, and Satan could see why Lucifer was enchanted by her, but she must be punished for the past transgressions of her soul. Her sins got him sent to Sheol, and with her here, he'd share the punishment.
He'd delight in giving her the meted out lashings to help ease the pain wrought on his existence.

  She'd surrounded herself with an aura brightening the whole damn room, and Satan winced as the warmth threatened to thaw his cold bones.

  What would happen if he let it?

  A part of him was curious to see what her touch might awaken in him. Perhaps, on a tiny scale, she might be the way for him to reach an ambience of tranquility. To have rapture that he could only dream about. The feeling of such happiness had always been foreign to him. He was a manifestation of hate and pain, the despair was all he knew. Yet, while Andrea's hand stayed against his skin, it cooled his heat. He showed no rage, no malevolence toward her, or anyone at the moment. He wanted to drift with her. She felt like a calming breeze, cooling his skin and blowing away the ash of ugliness that coated him and everything he touched.

  The heaviness settling in his heart cast all his thoughts of Andrea momentarily to the side. The tingling fire in his empty chest cavity stole his breath with each rapid spark. The ballroom spun for a turn, the surrounding demons warping into indiscernible shadows. However, his focus never wavered from the beautiful face standing before him. Still calm with her thick lashes closed and her full lips ripe for the taking. She looked so hopeful, searching inside him for a fragment of Lucifer. She saw the good in him no matter how buried by the flames he became. He couldn't ignore the feelings he had. Even as Satan, he had a deep-rooted affection for the woman's soul. The beauty of it trapped him in a paradise that he never wanted to leave.