King of Hell

by Melody Rose

  “Wow,” I said, “I was not expecting this!”

  “Come here,” Evelyn called, and she walked right over to a two-top table along the edge of the roof, gesturing for me to take a seat.

  I looked around from my new perch and noticed that I could see clearly down to the street below. “Still good for people-watching up here, too, I see.”

  “Oh, yes,” Evelyn replied. “Less conspicuous, too.”

  We drank in silence for a bit, listening to the music and watching the couples sway along to it. The band was playing acoustic versions of classic rock tunes, letting the guitars sing for them. The music was phenomenal. It was peaceful up here, a serene getaway that stood in contrast to the busy streets below.

  “Do you dance?” she asked suddenly.

  I laughed. “On occasion.”

  I was curious to know where this was going, so I took the initiative. I stood up and held my hand out, palm up, for Evelyn to accept. When she did, I led her to the dance floor, spun her around slowly, and pulled her into position. I realized at that moment, despite everything I had thought and felt, everything that had happened all this time, this was the closest we had ever been. My pulse quickened, and adrenaline rushed through me. I took a deep breath and got a whiff of the smell of coconuts in her hair, sending a shiver down my spine. I couldn’t think straight.

  Evelyn looked up at me through her eyelashes and smiled, a warm smile that told me she was exactly where she wanted to be.

  It happened before I realized what I was doing. With one hand still around her waist, my other hand came up to her neck as I grazed her cheek with my thumb. She didn’t move, so I leaned in. My lips pressed against hers, and we froze there for a moment until I felt her entire body relax against mine. She took a step closer so our bodies would align with each other and reached her hand out to touch my face, her hands brushing across my stubble as she went.

  I’d never felt a kiss like that before. The electricity that coursed through my body was immense, and I was already itching for more as she pulled away shyly. We looked at each other for a moment, neither one of us wanting to break the spell.

  Finally, she spoke.

  “Come on,” she said, her voice low and husky. “I have one more thing on our agenda for today before you take me back.”

  Still at a loss for words, I merely nodded, and once more followed her lead.

  24

  Evelyn

  Walking down my tree-lined street, I was struck by how odd it was to have Lucifer by my side. I had spent many years walking, running, and driving down this street, and realized how much these two worlds of mine were about to collide. I hadn’t told Lucifer this, but one of the reasons I wanted to bring him here was to help us both find answers. We couldn’t truly move forward until we found the source of these powers of mine, and as usual, I was confident that my mom had all the answers. She always did have the answer for everything, from the proper way to sew on a button, to how to pay my taxes.

  I thought back to when I first joined the military. I was on my own and away from home for the first time, and I had so many questions. She proved to be the best lifeline for me, and continued to be, even after I got out and joined civilian life. These questions we had now, though, were more specific to our family. I remained confident she wouldn’t let me down.

  I knew my mother would be home. Every Sunday, she went to church at noon and was back at the house within a couple of hours. She always cooked on Sunday, preferring to stay home and unwind instead of making plans with her friends. I had frequently made it a habit to visit her on Sundays after church had let out. While I was always taken to church as a child, she never forced me to go when I got older. She chose instead to let me make my own choices in regards to religion. I ended up not making any choices at all, leaving me with a plethora of useless knowledge, at least, what used to be useless knowledge.

  I found myself remembering all of it lately.

  When we arrived at my mom’s house, I stopped for a moment and admired it from the sidewalk. Beyond the front garden, the brick two-story house had a short flight of steps leading up to a front stoop. There were a couple of white Adirondack chairs over to the right, and the front door of the house was painted bright blue. I remembered picking out the paint color with my mom. I had wanted pink, and she had wanted green. We had compromised and settled on the blue color.

  As I started up the stone pathway that led to my front door, Lucifer spoke for the first time since we had left the coffee shop.

  “Where are we?” he asked in a hushed voice. I turned to face him, but he had stopped at the entrance to the front garden, still standing out on the sidewalk.

  I smiled, chuckling internally at his hesitation. It was unlike him to back down.

  “This was my home growing up,” I replied. “I always visit my mom on Sundays, and since we were up here, I wanted to take advantage of that.”

  “Don’t you think it’s too soon for that?” He smirked playfully. He dropped his head and stuck his thumbs in the pockets of his pants, continuing up the path to where I was standing.

  This had been my original plan all along. I realized at that moment that the kiss we shared on that rooftop definitely changed the dynamics of this visit.

  “Probably.” I smirked back at him, waiting for his response. “But I miss my mom. I’ve already told her I was coming, so we'll just have to deal.”

  Lucifer didn’t respond. He merely smiled and waited there for my cue, so I turned and continued up the front steps, glancing back to ensure he was right behind me. I was happy to see that he was.

  I was thoroughly enjoying being the one in charge of this interaction. I thought back to my previous relationships. I had never backed down or took orders from anyone in my personal life. Lucifer was the first one that I allowed to do that to me, but in my defense, he was the Devil holding me hostage. It was nice to be able to act like myself again, without worrying about the threat of torture.

  I rang the doorbell and stepped back to stand next to him. My mother knew that I was bringing a friend and that he may have some questions for her, but I hadn’t told her who this friend was. She’d met so many of my friends and boyfriends through the years, but I had never been more nervous about introducing her to someone than I was at this moment.

  A few moments passed, and she opened the door. Every Sunday, she would get dressed up for church, but when she came home, she reverted to her usual jeans and a tank top. Today was no exception. Her long, straight brown hair hung loose down to her waist, her makeup was still done from church, and her black tank top made for an understated backdrop for the silver chain around her neck. She smiled warmly at me before looking up at my plus-one. I noticed her eyes widen almost imperceptibly, and I knew immediately she approved, at least with his physical appearance.

  “Eve, it’s been too long! I miss you,” she chirped as she pulled me in for a hug. She grasped my shoulders and pulled me back, looking me up and down. “God bless you, you look gorgeous!” She looked over at Lucifer and winked.

  Cool, so she was already set to embarrass me.

  “Come in, come in!” She stepped back into the house, waving her arms inward to usher us inside. I stepped in, with Lucifer close behind, and heard the door close with a note of finality.

  This was it. No turning back now.

  “So, who’s your friend?” she inquired toward me but looked at him expectantly.

  “Ma, I think we should sit down,” I offered as we moved into the living room.

  “Of course, of course! Can I get you guys something to drink?” She had already headed off to the kitchen.

  “We’ll take a couple of seltzers!” I called out as Lucifer and I took a seat beside each other on the worn floral-patterned loveseat.

  “I don’t need anything,” he muttered into my ear.

  “She won’t sit until you have something in your hand,” I muttered back.

  I saw Lucifer scanning the living room and taking it
all in. For the first time in my life, I cringed at the crucifix hanging over the doorway and the framed print of the Lord’s Prayer next to the television. I looked down at the glass-top coffee table and saw her rosary beads sitting in a jewelry dish. I watched him out of the corner of my eyes. His facial expression didn’t change, but his shoulders were tense, and he seemed almost… nervous?

  My mom came strolling back into the room, seltzers in hand, and passed them out before taking a seat across from us in her wooden rocking chair. I noticed Lucifer sat upright when she re-entered the room. He was fidgeting a bit, smoothing out his pants and running his fingers through his hair. Yes, he definitely seemed nervous.

  “So…” my mom began. “Are you going to introduce this friend of yours? Or am I going to have to guess?”

  I laughed out loud at that one, looking over at Lucifer as I did. “Oh, you’ll never guess.”

  Lucifer also laughed before leaning forward toward my mom, hand extended. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he started, as my mom shook his hand. “My name is Lucifer.”

  My mom froze. “Lucifer? You poor thing. Your parents named you after Satan?”

  Lucifer looked at me, and I could see the cry for help in his eyes. It occurred to me right then and there that even knowing the weight his name carried, he probably never had to introduce himself to someone in a circumstance like this before. If his whole life was fire and brimstone, he most likely never had the need to impress anyone or expend the energy trying to gain their approval.

  An awkward silence ensued before I spoke up.

  “No, mom. He wasn’t named after anyone. This is… Lucifer. The one and only. King of Hell, etc. etc.” My voice started fading at the end of that sentence. I knew this would be tough, but I also knew it was necessary if we were going to make any headway on this mystery.

  Plus, if I could warm her up to him, her approval would mean the world to me.

  I did realize now, sitting here, that it would be a far reach to hope for any acceptance of a relationship. I thought back to my original idea behind this plan. Seeing Lucifer in my living room across from my very religious mother was supposed to be enough to make me realize what a terrible idea this relationship might be. It wasn’t working, though, and I had to trudge forward.

  While I was thinking all of this, my mother was just staring at me, processing what I had told her. She then turned to him and turned back to me.

  “This is Satan?” she asked. Her eyes darkened, and her jaw was clenched.

  “Yes, but--” I started, to no avail.

  “You let the Devil through our front door?” My mom’s voice was low and determined.

  “Listen, mom, there’s a reason. Let me… let us explain.”

  My mother took on the familiar demeanor that I recognized from my high school days. She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes, steeling herself for whatever bullshit I was about to throw her way. She always saw through my lies: the forged report card, cutting class, drinking too much at my friend’s house. She called me out on all of it.

  I knew I was facing an uphill battle, but I also knew that if told the truth, she’d believe me.

  I looked at Lucifer, and he looked back at me. He had a skeptical look on his face, and I could see his muscles were tense. It was clear that he wasn’t going to be any help. I was on my own, so I turned to face my mother, leaned forward, and braced my elbows on my thighs.

  “Something happened recently, mom,” I began. I told her about what had happened that night on the steps outside that old, creepy building. I told her that Lucifer had taken me with him to Hell to uncover the truth. I happened to gloss over the whole keeping-me-hostage thing, at least for now, but otherwise, I stuck to the honest truth.

  As I spoke, the tension left her shoulders, and her jaw relaxed. Her eyes, though, stayed sharp. She paid close attention to everything without a hint of surprise or confusion. When I was done, she took a deep breath.

  “Yeah,” she said in a low, hushed voice, eyes intently focused on me. “That makes sense.”

  “You knew,” Lucifer said suddenly. “You knew this whole time.”

  We both turned to look at Lucifer.

  “What do you mean?” I asked him. “She knew what?”

  “I never knew for sure,” my mom said, looking directly at Lucifer now, her voice still subdued. “I had heard stories, and I thought they were just that… stories. Eve, if what you’re telling me is true, then the only explanation is that these stories are true, too. I’m sorry I never told you, but I didn’t know it was anything worth telling.”

  “What are you talking about? And you!” I turned to look at Lucifer. “What the hell do you know? What haven’t you told me?”

  Lucifer looked at me and took a deep breath as if steeling himself to reveal some big secret. “Your great-grandfather, he didn’t have a father listed on the birth certificate.”

  “So?” Why did I get the impression everyone knew something I didn’t?

  “So,” my mom said with a sigh, “the way your Grandpa Ed told it, one of your ancestors was an angel. Every generation, the genes get watered down a little more, but he always insisted you were part angel. I always thought he was being sweet. He tended to embellish things, so I never questioned it when he went into specifics about his grandmother having a relationship with an angel. If the story is actually true, though…” She looked at Lucifer. “Then it would make absolute sense.”

  “What makes you suddenly believe the story now?” he asked.

  My mom laughed. “The Devil is in my living room. That’s what makes me believe. If you’re real, then everything else is too.”

  “Good point,” Lucifer replied, and the two of them laughed together. What kind of alternate universe did I step into?

  “Well, you’re right,” Lucifer added. “From what I have gathered, Filomena had more of a one-night stand. And he wasn’t just any angel. He’s an Archangel. Michael, to be specific.” He turned to look at me, and I was frozen to my seat in shock.

  My mouth hung open. Michael. Really?

  He turned back to my mom. “Nephilim are strictly forbidden beings. Creating one, well… the punishment would be worse than mine was. From what Filomena said, it sounded like they kept the child a secret to protect the child from both Heaven and Hell. They were successful, too. Other than Michael, myself, Lilith, and now the two of you, no one knows. I would think by this point, any descendants moving forward shouldn’t be of any concern for Heaven or Hell. I have to admit, though, that my potential mortality is of grave concern for me.”

  “I can certainly appreciate that,” my mom said, much more relaxed than when this conversation first started. “So, now, what are we going to do?”

  My mom finally turned to look at me, with my mouth still hanging open in shock. I took a moment to recover.

  I turned to the man that I had spent the afternoon dancing with. The man that I had kissed just before arriving here. It was easy to dance with him on my favorite rooftop and kiss him, all the while pretending that he was just that, a man.

  He wasn’t though, he was the King of Hell, and that fact stuck strongly in my head as my anger built toward him. This was a huge piece of news, one that directly impacted my family and me, yet he hadn’t told me earlier. He had plenty of opportunities. The implications of that, that he didn’t trust me, left me heartbroken.

  Determined not to give my mom any insight into our relationship, I kept my cool.

  “I honestly don’t know what to do with any of this information,” I replied earnestly. “This is all just beyond my comprehension right now.”

  “Same here, Eve. I’m still wrapping my mind around the fact that Lucifer is sitting on my couch,” she said, looking over at him with a slight smile. “I know you have a complicated story. Just… don’t hurt my daughter. I’m glad to hear she can and will hurt you right back.”

  After we said our goodbyes and headed back out down the sidewalk, Lucifer stopped and turned to m
e.

  “I’m glad you took me to see your life,” he said in a low voice, stepping closer to me. He tucked a rogue strand of hair behind my ear and cupped my face. I stepped back, pulling away from him.

  “You’re kidding me, right?” I shot back angrily. “How could you have this much information about my family history and not share it with me? What else are you keeping from me? When were you going to tell me?”

  Lucifer took a step back, his eyebrows raised in surprise at first, but he relaxed as he accepted my anger. “I’m sorry. It was my family, too, and I did not know what to do with the information. I guess I needed time to process it all first. Plus, I wasn’t exactly expecting to meet your mom today, and I sure didn’t expect it to come up in casual conversation. Kinda figured I had a bit more time.”

  I looked up at him, unsure of how to handle, well, pretty much everything I had just learned. I also wasn’t sure how I felt about him keeping this big of a secret from me.

  “I’d like you to take me back now,” I said, keeping my distance.

  “Yes, of course,” he replied, and with one touch of his hand, my world went dark.

  25

  Evelyn

  A couple of days after I had settled back into my routine in Hell, Lucifer requested I meet him for dinner on Friday night, and I’d hesitantly accepted. I was still upset about being the last to know such important information. I felt as if he was hiding something from me. However, knowing that Friday was several days away gave me time to process all that I’d learned.

  At the very least, we could use Friday’s dinner to clear the air, and potentially allow me to go back home. If it went well, who knew what could happen? I wasn’t yet sure if I wanted to pursue that possibility, though. The memory of the kiss from the other day still sent shivers down my spine, but I was unsure of how willing he was to make a commitment to me, to be truthful, honest, and dedicated to me.