Devil's Deal (Infernal Contracts Book 1)

by Tessa Hastjarjanto

  That’s when Nora noticed she wasn’t at Matthew’s house anymore. The eyes and the grin were gone; all she could see was grey. She doubted what she saw was real.

  Dust and rocks covered the ground as far she could see. There were no plants, not even weeds between the rocks. It was hard to distinguish the ground from the sky, if there even was one.

  In the distance a high arch was visible, made out of stone. The same grey stones as the rest of the plain. It’s high enough to touch the clouds, but the top was still visible—seven wings, the sign of the Seraphim. The air around the arch was filled with greenish grey mist. It’s not thick enough to obscure the view, but nothing is seen through the gate. Only rocks.

  Nora couldn’t help but look at the gate. It was awe-inspiring. She had never seen something so beautiful, but rough at the same time. It scared her.

  “Why are we here?” Danny asked Ben.

  “I don’t know. I didn’t bring us.”

  “I had a feeling he was coming, but I didn’t expect him to bring us here.”

  “Guys, where is ‘here’?’” Nora asked. It was the only thing she could say. Fear paralysed her; she fell down.

  “The Plain of the Unliving. What you see there, is the gate to the Angelic City,” explained Ben as he pointed towards the gate.

  “I would’ve expected him to bring us to the gate to Hell.”

  “Nora, whatever happens now, I promise I won’t let him hurt you,” said Danny as he sat down next to her.

  She wanted nothing to do with them, but something terrible was about to happen, and she’d take any kind of protection.

  Tears rolled down her face as she prayed. If only she could go home unharmed. She would go to church again, and live to be a good, loving person—a person her parents could be proud of.

  “I’m sorry, Nora.” Ben held her hand and kissed it. “If he tries to hurt you, I’ll take you to the gate. You’ll be safe on the other side.”

  “What? You must be kidding. No human has ever been there. How do you know she’ll be safe? Angels will do anything to hide their identity. You think they’ll just let her walk around like that?” Danny shouted.

  “You’re forgetting that this gate is still a long way away from the real City. I hope I can get her out of there before they noticed she crossed the gate.”

  “I thought the Angelic City was part of heaven.”

  “It’s not,” Danny said, with a harsher intention than he meant. “I mean, heaven as you know it, is not part of the Angelic City. Nor is the Angelic City part of Heaven. I’ll explain later.”

  “If there is a later,” Ben muttered. He was on his feet again, looking around for anyone else.

  Laughter came from behind them. Nora turned around and saw a well dressed older gentleman. He looked like a British banker from a century ago, with his top hat and pocket watch.

  “What a strange dilemma you’ve brought upon yourselves, boys. You’ll both be punished for dealing with a human.” His grin was the same one she saw just a moment ago, but his eyes were different. Something in his eyes moved like fire, like Hellfire flowed inside.

  He walked towards them and stopped before Nora. Danny wanted to come between them, but the man whisked his finger and Danny was pushed sideways. His boney fingers lifted her chin as he looked at her. “I thought you had better taste.”

  “This doesn’t concern you,” Ben growled.

  “Oh, on the contrary. This concerns me very much. You made a deal with my blood, thus I’m involved. It means that I’ll be the judge when there’s a stalemate. And apparently, it is so. My judgment is easy, you all die.” The grin was still on his face. Nora noticed the flames in his eyes changed from an amber colour to bright sparkling red. “Don’t you smell lovely, dear.”

  “Keep your hands off of her,” Danny crawled back towards them, but an invisible force held him back. Ben stood there, doing nothing. His face in a scowl.

  “Maybe I should play with you before killing them. I love the smell of fear,” the man came closer and sniffed Nora’s neck. Nora was too scared to say or do anything.

  “You’re wrong. It’s not a stalemate,” said Ben.

  “Oh really? So it’s not true that she said she hated you both equally.”

  Ben bit his lip. He couldn’t deny that, but he had to try. “Nora will make a choice. She’s just not ready yet.”

  “And how does that make me wrong? You both asked her for her verdict, and she refused to answer three times. Now, I’m a patient man. If you wanted to prolong this bet of yours for thousand of years, fine, but you didn’t. You asked her to pick a winner. You gave the signal to end the bet. And so it shall be. There is no overtime in hell.”

  “It’s true that we asked her to choose one of us. But I accept her answer that she will choose neither. If Danny accepts as well, then that answer is final.”

  “A stalemate.”

  “No, it’s a failure on both our accounts. We both failed.”

  The devil didn’t like what Ben proposed.

  “Punish both of us, but let her live.”

  “She can’t leave here, not alive. Unless she makes a decision.”

  “It is us who made the rules to our game, not you. You are not at liberty to change them.”

  “You think you can get away with this? No one defies the Lord of Hell.” The devil’s face changed. While it was already demonic before, the creases became deeper, his teeth longer, sharper, and his eyes grew bigger. His suit changed as the demon revealed itself. The top hat became its horns, and the coattail of his jacket turned into a tail with spikes.

  Fear held Nora in its grasp. She didn’t dare move.

  Ben moved in front of her, to shield her from whatever the devil was planning to do. “The last time we met, you didn’t have horns. Nor a tail,” said Ben, inspecting his opponent.

  “We settled the bet, no one wins. Love knows no winners, only losers,” Danny bluffed. His hands trembled and he clenched them to hide it.

  “Love? You made a bet about a human’s love?” His voice boomed through the space.

  Both Ben and Danny avoided looking at him, ashamed.

  “You surprise me, Daniël. Human love was once your downfall, literally. Now you’re risking your wings to fall even further?” There was a playful glitter in the Devil’s eyes, sure that he had played a trump card.

  Ben looked at Danny wide-eyed, then at Nora. Danny merely shrugged, and she didn’t react. Nora thought Danny would have told Ben, since they shared everything related to her.

  Danny glanced at the Devil. “You’re different from the last time I saw you.”

  A small bug flew by, and Ben was sure now. “You’re not Lucifer; you’re Beelzebub. How can you be Lord of Hell? What have you done to Lucifer?” Ben demanded from the impostor.

  “Ah, poor Lucifer. Weak-willed lord of nothing. He’s not worth being Lord of Hell. His punishments were soft. I’m the one giving these worthless souls a feel of what real terror is.”

  “We made this deal with his blood. Not yours. You’re a demon. Your ‘judgment’ is biased. You cannot rule Hell, it’s not allowed,” said Ben.

  “Oh, really? Says who? Your God? I don’t see him anywhere.” The Devil mocked them.

  “Only one of the Heavens can rule Hell. Such is the way of things.”

  “And you never broke any of the ‘rules’, right?” The Devil laughed. “Never in the two millennia that I’ve been here, on the throne, has God ever told me otherwise. Or any other ‘divine’ being. I don’t think the rule is real. You’re told that to give yourself more power. Tough luck, sons. You have me to deal with, no one else. Find your Lord Lucifer before you come chase me down. Ask him why he left.” He enjoyed seeing the fear in their eyes. All three of them were petrified.

  “Now, let’s go back to your silly bet. Who won?” The grin on his face grew as wide as his head, almost clipping his head in half. It looked grotesque. “I know you have feelings for one of these idiots.”


  “Nora is the only one who can decide.” Danny’s soft voice was only heard by the other two.

  Ben looked at her. “I know you don’t want to. But it’s the only way to return you safely. I don’t care what happens to either of us, but I want you safe.”

  Nora was still trying to comprehend everything that just happened. “You really want me to decide? My answer really isn’t any different.”

  “Then tell us who you hate less. Only then can we leave. I’m so sorry you were dragged into this. Into our stupid game.”

  Three pairs of eyes looked at her. All of them had different expectations of what she would say. Her choice was going to hurt one of them. What was the right thing to do? She wasn’t sure if it was what she wanted long-term, but for now, she was certain, even if she never said it out loud. Nora knew enough about the bet to make her choice.

  “I have chosen a winner.” She found the strength to stand up, with Danny’s help.

  “Oh please, indulge me. I can’t wait.” The Devil had returned to the image of a British banker.

  “I love Benjamin more. He is the winner.” Nora felt Danny lose his grip as he stepped away from her. She looked down, embarrassed.

  The red eyes looked for a connection, something she wanted to avoid. She turned away, and in her movement, their eyes connected. Just for a second.

  She saw what was behind those blood-red eyes—Hellfire. The eternal damnation for those who weren’t allowed into Heaven. She saw the demons waiting for her, ready to devour her whole. The souls of the people he killed screamed her, asking her to save them. Despair crawled under her skin, waiting to take her down. It was nothing like what she had seen in Danny’s eyes. This was who the Devil really was.

  This was the connection the Devil waited for. He had looked into her heart, just as she had looked into his. He had seen what she felt for Ben and Danny, and he knew the truth.

  “Alrighty then. Once a loser, always a loser. Daniël, say goodbye to your wings.” The Devil made gestures with his hands and Danny began to change to his real form, letting out a scream.

  Nora saw his skin turn grey, with wings growing from his back, just like that night in the forest. This time his feathers didn’t glisten. They were darker, like they were absorbing light instead of reflecting it.

  He hung there, a few meters above the ground, arms and wings spread while changing into his true self. It hurt seeing him like that, because this was her choice. She did this to him.

  She had hoped her experience with angels would be better, but since they revealed who they were, she hadn’t been this scared in her life before. Danny’s true appearance still inspired fear in her. She avoided his stare as he changed.

  Ben looked thunderstruck. He hadn’t expected to win, and now that his friend was being punished, he knew the bet was a mistake. They shouldn’t have used an innocent girl, nor should they have bet their wings. This was horrifying.

  Once in his original form, the wings spread, as if someone tried to hold him by his wings. Danny’s scream pierced Nora’s heart. The black feathers dwindled to the ground, and mixed with the grey dust and crimson blood dripping from Danny’s back. The Devil laughed as the wings tore further from Danny’s body. With one last pull the invisible force tore the wings off Danny, and he fell. He returned to his human form again before hitting the ground.

  Tears ran over Nora’s cheeks as she ran towards him and held his unconscious body close.

  Ben followed her to see how Danny was doing. With his first step towards them, he saw their environment had changed, and they were back in Matthew’s living room. The sound of the Devil’s laughter slowly faded.

  “You chose me so he would become a mortal, so you could be with him,” Ben said.

  “I’m sorry,” Nora wept.

  “I… Understand.” Ben walked out of the room.

  Nora heard an odd sound outside, like a massive storm hit them, but only for a second. It didn’t matter, Danny mattered. She checked his back for any wounds, but his skin was smooth. No one would ever know he had wings. She put her hand on his forehead, but he wasn’t feverish nor did he seem in pain. The peaceful expression on his face was misleading. Nora knew he was hurting, and there was nothing she could do.

  Chapter 29

  Matthew came home hours later. The sun had already set and Nora had fallen asleep on the floor next to Danny. She woke up when he turned on the light.

  “Nora, why are you here? What’s wrong with Danny?” Matthew kneeled and checked Danny’s head and tested his pulse.

  “How much do you know of them?” Her voice was nearly gone. The stress had taken its toll.

  “I think I know enough. It seems like it affected it you too.” Matthew touched Nora’s hair.

  “What? How?” Nora grabbed her phone and opened the front camera. A white streak lined her hair.

  “It happens when people experience extreme trauma. What happened?”

  “I looked the Devil in the eye.”

  “Yes, that would do it.” Matthew nodded. “You’re brave, Nora. Let this streak be a reminder of your strength. You handled all of this much better than most others would.”

  “I chose Ben, so Danny could stay. He’s been out of it since he lost his wings.” She couldn’t keep up wiping away the streams of tears. The sight of Danny unconscious hurt her.

  “Never underestimate a woman’s logic. I warned them.” He knew he was right. “Where’s Ben?”

  “I don’t know. He isn’t here?” She looked towards the door, expecting Ben to walk through.

  “No, but his jacket is still here.” Matthew stood up and went upstairs to check Ben’s bedroom.

  Nora still felt too weak to do anything. Maybe some mindless TV could make her feel better. Zapping through the channels, she found a reality show looking for the next big act, a rerun of an older season.

  “I know who’s going to win.” Matthew said as he came back down again.

  Nora didn’t react.

  “Ben has gone back.” Matthew plunged on the couch.

  “Back? Back to where?” Nora turned around.

  “To The Angelic City, of course,” Matthew said it like it was Amsterdam, far, but not too far.

  “Why would he go back?”

  “The game is over. And even though he won, you picked Danny. Why would he stay? Should he be tormented by having to look at the girl he loves, with the person he dislikes the most right now?”

  Nora could understand that. Her choice was selfish and unfair—a choice they forced her to make. They knew the consequences. Hadn’t they thought about what would happen afterward? What would Danny think of her? Is he a mortal now? Would he live without his wings?

  “I called your parents and said you’d have dinner here. I have to bring you home before eight, so we don’t have a lot of time. Do you want pizza?” Matthew sat down with the phone in his hand.

  “Can we order Chinese? I need comfort food.”

  “Of course. Anything in particular you want?”

  “Egg rolls.” She couldn’t say anything else before she started crying again.

  Matthew called in the order and carried Danny to his room.

  Nora heard him make more calls to the other speakers. Maybe they could recognise his symptoms; still breathing and no blood. She hoped it was just exhaustion and he would wake up soon.

  Half an hour later Matthew came back into the living room with the food. Nora told him everything that happened during dinner. Matthew didn’t say a word, only listened intensely.

  “I see.” Those were the only words he could say after she was done talking. He finished his plate and leaned back.

  “I think Danny is in a coma. I don’t see anything wrong with him except that he can’t wake up. I called a shaman to see if he can help, but he won’t be here until tomorrow. I promise I’ll call you when I know more.”

  Nora nodded. She had barely touched the rice and pork. “What should I do? What do I tell my parents?”

&nbs
p; “Focus on school. You have tests soon, right? Use that to get your mind off things. Try to forget about Ben. I have no idea what he’s thinking, but I don’t expect him back soon. As for your parents, tell them a boy desperately wanted to have you as a girlfriend and that Danny saved you. He brought you here to calm down. It’s not the whole truth, but you won’t have to lie either.”

  He was right. She didn’t want to lie to her parents.

  ***

  Nora arrived late at school and avoided her friends as much as possible. She hid the white streak under her curls and brushed it with mascara to hide the colour. During their first break, she went to the library before one of them could stop her. She was in no mood to talk to anyone. Pride and Prejudice was in her bag waiting to be read. Nora wanted to immerse herself in a good book, and reading her favourite, in English, might be enough of a challenge to distract her.

  Jonathan walked into the aisle, looking for something. “Hey, what are you doing hiding in the corner?”

  “Hiding in the corner. I’m sorry. I’m not in a great mood.”

  “Boy trouble?” He guessed.

  “Yes.” She had no intention of saying anything more on the subject.

  Jonathan sat down next to her with the book he was looking for. “I’m sorry. Guys can be such asses. I hope you don’t think all of us are bad.”

  “Nah, I like you and I’m sure your boyfriend is great. Otherwise you wouldn’t be with him.”

  Jonathan laughed softly. “Your mood isn’t that bad. You can still be positive.”

  “I’m just sad. And hurt.” Nora wasn’t sure how much she could say. Matthew hadn’t contacted her yet. “They left.”

  “I know,” Jonathan responded.

  Nora looked at him.

  “The teacher came in this morning to say Ben wouldn’t be attending classes anymore, he was called away for family affairs. He’s in my physics class.” Jonathan squeezed her hand. “Things will get better. I’ll make sure to tell him to stay away from you the next time I see him.”