The rest of the week was extremely uneventful. No one tried to kill her. No one showed up on her lawn. Work went smoothly. Ben didn’t even question when she would leave the house. Unfortunately he didn’t try to kiss her again either, and neither of them brought up what happened that night. Everything was back to normal; that is, whatever relative normal her life had become.
It was already late in the afternoon and Elizabeth was busy getting ready for church when Ben knocked on the open bathroom door. He was already dressed and looked extremely appetizing in his formal wear. His khaki slacks were pressed neatly and hugged his firm rear while the collared shirt gave him a distinguished look. Leaning casually against the door frame, he waited patiently while she finished straightening her hair.
“What is it?” she said.
“It would be better if we didn’t mention anything to Lucifer.”
Grabbing the container she kept her makeup in, Elizabeth applied a light coating of foundation. “I don’t know what you mean.”
He didn’t budge and watched her carefully move onto the eye shadow and then mascara. Putting the container up, she glanced at him.
“You know exactly what I’m talking about.”
Shrugging, she pushed past him. She needed to find a pair of shoes. Searching the bottom of the cramp closet, she could feel his presence looming over her. “Look,” she said, “as far as I’m concerned it’s in the past. There’s nothing to talk about.”
His eyes never left her. Pushing past him again, she sat on the edge of the bed and slipped on the shoes. Subconsciously she dressed a little nicer than she normally would for church. Ben’s eyes never left her though, which made her smile a little on the inside. The dress she was wearing didn’t leave much for the imagination and the heels she picked did wonders for her calves. She wanted him to regret not making another move on her.
He waited until she was ready to go and followed her silently to the stairs. Staying a few steps behind, he watched her descend the stairs closely, his eyes never leaving her backside. She acted like she didn’t care, but he knew better. She’d been spending more time in the bathroom lately and was taking more care picking out her clothes. She was even wearing makeup more frequently now.
Smirking, he opened the front door for her and leaning close to her ear whispered, “I’ll drive.”
His voice was as smooth as silk and her spine tingled when she walked past him. He smelled like a hint of cologne and she took an educated guess that it was Old Spice.
Getting into the old fashioned Firebird wearing a dress proved to be more difficult than she would have originally thought. It was a comfortable car, though, and extremely fun to ride in. They arrived at the church in roughly ten minutes. Lucifer was already there, sitting on a bench outside waiting for them. He had on a classic pinstripe suite with a crisp white shirt on underneath. He looked very old fashioned and very classy. The two men nodded a greeting to each other but Elizabeth only smiled broadly.
Walking towards the building, she motioned for Lucifer to go first. It just seemed like good manners since he was her guest, but also she thought it would be better to be behind him, just in case he spontaneously burst into flames.
Luckily for them and everyone already seated inside, he did not. Leading the way down an aisle, Lucifer picked a pew close to the front. Elizabeth tended to sit closer to the back. Being this close to the altar was a little out of her comfort zone, since she had a bad habit of not paying attention during the sermon. Scooting into the pew, her guests followed suit, and to her surprise, both Belial and Lucifer knelt to pray. She spent more time wondering about what and to whom than she spent saying her own prayers.
Thankfully they were both extremely well-behaved during mass. Not surprisingly, neither of them said a word. Elizabeth, on the other hand, belted every song at the top of her lungs and responded with the congregation at every turn. When it was time for communion, neither man moved. They remained in the pew while Elizabeth went to receive it. She had assumed they would move down for her, but when she returned to the pew, Lucifer was still seated at the end with Belial right next to him.
Side-stepping into the pew, she climbed over their laps to reach her seat. Straightening her dress, she knelt again and waited for the rest of the congregation to receive communion. Kneeling next to her, Belial had a dumb grin pasted to his face. He had intended to move down for her but was glad Lucifer had stopped him.
After mass ended, the group scuffled to the back of the church with the rest of the congregation. Outside, the usual crowd assembled and they had to push their way through the small groups of parishioners. With much relief, Elizabeth was able to reach the edge of the crowd without having to talk to anyone. Belial was right on her heels, but somewhere in the throng, they had lost Lucifer. Scanning the remaining people, Belial finally spotted him talking to the priest.
Grabbing Elizabeth’s hand, he pulled her in the direction of his master. By the time they reached the priest and Lucifer, Mrs. Trahan had joined the conversation. Glancing up at the heavens, Elizabeth dreaded the next few minutes.
“Oh, Elizabeth!” Mrs. Trahan said. “I was just saying how pleased I was to see all of you at church today. And Father, the sermon was just splendid.”
Both Belial and Elizabeth nodded in agreement. “Yes, Father, I was very impressed.” Lucifer said. “You have a way with the scripture that is hard to find now a days.”
The priest was tickled pink by all of the compliments but Elizabeth desperately wanted to leave. Staring at the parking lot longingly, she watched Darrel Trahan make his escape. Hands in his pockets, he strolled to his car and climbed in, waiting for his wife to join him. How she wished she could be in that car.
Ben’s hand found hers, jolting her back to reality. The demons were saying their goodbyes. Lucifer shook the priest’s hand one more time and, smiling broadly, turned to leave. By now they were some of the last people at the church. The parking lot was bare, but that made Ben’s car easier to see. Letting out a huge sigh of relief, Elizabeth circled the car, running a hand along the smooth black hood.
“You two have been keeping something from me.”
Elizabeth’s eyes grew wide. Staring at Lucifer her mouth dropped open. Belial was concerned as well but didn’t say anything. Time slowed. She waited for Lucifer to say something, anything, but no words left his mouth. His amber eyes remained locked on hers. They were cold and stony. She desperately wanted to break from his gaze but something compelled her to remain absolutely still. Her body tightened and her heartbeat quickened. He was rummaging around and it felt like he had pierced her soul.
Eventually a thin smile cracked his face, and Lucifer said, “You know my policies on such things.”
Elizabeth didn’t understand, but she quickly realized that he was addressing Belial, who nodded a few times in response. They had a silent conversation that she was not privileged to. Glancing at Belial, Lucifer nodded twice, and then abruptly turned and left. Elizabeth wasn’t sure how he had gotten to the church. Maybe he flew. He definitely didn’t drive, and instead walked towards the cemetery positioned behind the building.
Belial watched his master until he disappeared behind a large mausoleum. Glancing at the concrete beneath his feet, he shook his head and climbed into the car. Elizabeth was already seated and buckled. Arms crossed, she was chewing on the inside of her cheek and her leg shook nervously. Gripping the wheel, Belial eyed her from head to toe. To go home would be shame, especially with how great she looked. Biting his bottom lip, he asked, “Do you play pool?”
Glancing at him, Elizabeth said, “I used to.”
Nodding, Belial threw the car into first gear. Taking a left out of the parking lot, they headed away from Elizabeth’s house, and instead drove towards the city. There was a white building roughly halfway between the town she called home and the city. “White Diamonds” was written in bright neon letters o
n a huge sign positioned next to the highway. It was a large metal building that only had an appealing front façade. Inside were at least twenty pool tables and a large semi-circular bar that sat in the middle of the room, displaying every drink option available.
Handing the woman behind the bar his ID, Ben took the tray of pool balls from her with a smile. They played several rounds, and then took a break to order something to eat. There wasn’t much of a selection and most of what the bar offered was greasy or fried, but that suited Elizabeth just fine. They each ordered a burger with fries and took a seat at the bar to eat.
“So what were you and Lu… well, you know, what were y’all talking about?”
Belial only glanced at her for a moment then returned to his burger. The silent treatment again. Elizabeth thought they were past that, but apparently she was wrong. The evening news was playing on one of TV’s hanging behind the bar, and since Ben wasn’t in the mood to talk, she turned her attention to that.
They did the weather report and a few local stories, and then switched to a young reporter standing outside the local police station. Nudging Ben with her elbow, Elizabeth pointed to the TV once she got his attention.
“… to police Chief Harvey Theroux, who had this to say about the crime.”
“We have gotten the lab results back and so far they are inconclusive. The two men died from their wounds, which appeared to be made from a large sword or blade of some sort. There is still no evidence of anyone else being at the scene of the crime and we are currently offering a reward for anyone who can give us any information that might help us in our investigation.”
“Chief Theroux declined to answer any questions about the feathers found at the scene…”
Belial glared at the TV. Humans had become so persistent. In the past, something like this would be blown over and forgotten, but not now. Lucifer won’t be happy when he finds out.
Elizabeth glanced at Ben between bites. He looked upset but didn’t seem enraged like he had the last time they heard a report on the attack. After they finished eating, Elizabeth gave him a shove and motioned back towards the pool table. He was indifferent now but got up and followed her to the table anyway.
Racking the balls, Elizabeth glanced up when she heard a commotion to her right. Four young men now occupied the table next to theirs. They were drunk and weren’t concerned about the noise they were making or the scene. Laughing loudly, they hollered and hooted at every woman who passed their table. Glaring, Belial kept his arms crossed and scowled at the men. They only made his mood worse, which in turn upset Elizabeth.
About halfway through the game, she’d had enough. She was determined to have a good time and wasn’t about to let a grumpy demon or drunken idiots bring her down. The cue ball stopped near the brooding demon, so swaying over to it, she purposely bent down in front of him to make the shot, sticking her butt out as far as possible. Glancing down, Belial couldn’t help but look. The dress she was wearing was tight, and it only accentuated her curves more when she bent over.
Sashaying to the other end of the table, Elizabeth leaned over again, this time pressing her arms together tightly to get a slight pop of cleavage. Belial’s eyes were locked on her now. All thoughts of the men at the other table left him. This was a side of her he hadn’t witnessed yet, and gripping his pool stick tighter, the wood creaked beneath his grasp.
Circling back around the table again, this time she had to nudge him back in order to get the shot she wanted. Bending, her butt almost touched his lap, and when she motioned to hit the ball, a soft bump from behind caused her to miss. Straightening, she saw a grin on Ben’s face and was glad to see her tactics had worked. Within minutes he was able to sink all of his balls and the eight ball. Putting the pool sticks away, Belial returned the balls to the woman behind the bar and paid her.
Placing an arm around Elizabeth’s waist, they turned to leave. They didn’t make it very far. Passing the table occupied by the drunken men, Belial paused when they yelled at Elizabeth.
“Hey baby, come over here and we’ll show you a good time.” The man was thick around the waist and had dark, scruffy hair that desperately needed to be combed. His face was lined with stubble and his eyes were blood shot.
His friends had similar appearances, and the shortest member of the group decided to give his input. “Yeah, get over here and we’ll show ya how real men do stuff.”
Rolling her eyes, Elizabeth pulled on Ben’s arm, but he didn’t move. Facing the table, his blue eyes turned fiery and a low, growl-like sound exited his throat.
All four men quickly shut their mouths. Taking a step away from Belial, they were completely stiff and their eyes never left the demon. Holding onto the pool table, the shortest one crouched behind it, and he looked like he was ready to run. Elizabeth wasn’t sure what they were seeing, but it wasn’t what she was seeing. Grabbing his hand firmly, she dragged him towards the exit. Pushing the door open, she heard one of the men yell after them. Pointing frantically at the couple leaving he tried to warn everyone in the building, “He’s not human! Someone stop him! He’s not human! I’m telling you!”
Without glancing back, Elizabeth pulled Ben out of the building and to his car. His eyes were narrow and hard. Opening the door violently, Elizabeth barely had time to close her door when he peeled out of the parking lot. The screeching of tires and the smell of burnt rubber infused the air. Gripping the door, her fingers hurt she was holding on so tight. “Can you slow down?”
He barely gave her a second glance and instead of slowing down, down-shifted and drove even faster. She was never more thankful that cars had seatbelts but even that knowledge didn’t calm her nerves. Her stomach was in her throat and her heart was racing as fast as the car.
Speeding down the dark highway, Belial flew through a stop light when it turned red. Elizabeth’s back was so tight that her shoulder started throbbing again. Holding onto the door with one hand and her seatbelt with the other, she yelled at the demon, “Damn it, Ben, slow down! You’re going to get us killed!”
He gripped the steering wheel tightly. She could hear the leather stretching under his hands. Shaking his head, he glanced at her for a second and loosened his grip on the wheel. Taking his foot off the accelerator, the car slowly glided back down to the speed limit and Elizabeth let out a deep sigh of relief. Her muscles loosened all at once and, folding her hands in her lap, she was able to relax a little. “What happened back there?”
“What do you mean?”
“With that guy,” she said. “What did you do to him?”
A sly grin parted his lips and he left it at that. From the evil look on his face, she was beginning to think that she didn’t want to know and, crossing her legs, decided to sit silently for the rest of the ride. Staring out the window, she watched the moon duck in and out from behind the trees. It was almost full and glowing, creating a halo effect around the imperfect circle. Glancing back at Ben, she saw him staring at the rearview mirror every few seconds. There were a pair of headlights following a short distance behind.
“What’s wrong?”
Glancing back in the rearview mirror again, he said, “We’re being followed.”
Looking back over her shoulder, she stared out the back glass and asked, “How can you be so sure?”
“Trust me.”
His response was simple enough but Elizabeth still wasn’t so sure. Turning off the main highway, he drove down one of the more deserted roads. There were no houses, only cane fields, and sure enough, the car followed. Belial continued to glance in the rearview mirror every few seconds, but the other car kept its distance. Frowning, he gripped the wheel and turned off the road onto a dirt path framed by cane fields. It was one of the lanes the farmers used to drive their tractors and other equipment through the fields. There were no lights except for the meager glow from the moon and the stars.
Stopping the
car in the middle of the fields, Belial threw it into park and saw the other car pull up behind them slowly. Turning around in her seat, Elizabeth watched the car creep to a stop and the headlights switch off. Belial’s eyes never left the rearview mirror. “Stay in the car,” he said. “Lock the doors.”
“What?”
Without another word he opened the door and slid out the car. “Hey, wait!” Elizabeth said. “What are you doing?!”
Slamming the door in her face, he glared at the other car. Hearing more car doors close, Elizabeth turned her attention back to the other vehicle. Two dark figures emerged from it. Wings shot out of Belial’s back. He was ready for battle and already had his sword drawn. Elizabeth stared at the crystal weapon. It perplexed her. It wasn’t there but then the second he wanted it… boom, there it was.
One of the dark figures approached Belial slowly. A gleam at his side caught her attention. A cloud of white shot of out the figure’s back and he was next to Belial in an instant. The battle had started in a blink on an eye. Watching the fight was like watching a whirlwind. Their movements were swift and fluid. It was graceful, more like a dance than a battle. They barely touched the ground and glided over it more than anything.
Belial was on the defensive. The other being flew at him with incredible speed. Elizabeth was so captivated by the battle that she completely forgot about the second figure that had emerged from the other vehicle. A weak scream escaped her lips when the door next to her swung open. Leap-frogging over the shifter, she slid into the driver’s seat. Bending, the angel climbed into the car to grab her, but was too slow. She barely paused and was out the driver side door in an instant.
“Elizabeth!” Belial barely had time to yell to her. His attacker wasn’t giving him an inch and was determined to keep him occupied and away from her.
Climbing out the car, the second angel scanned the area for her. She hadn’t stopped, not even when Belial called to her and was running out into the cane fields. Striding around the car, he started the chase. There was no need to fly. She was slow and the hunt was always more fun.
Racing through the fields, Elizabeth ran and leapt rows as fast as she could in heels. Glancing over her shoulder she could see the angel walking after her. He was toying with her. He could have flown and caught her in an instant but didn’t.
Running on her toes, she nearly tripped several times. Her ankles hurt and her heart was working overtime trying to send enough oxygen to her cells. Her breaths were growing ragged but she couldn’t stop. She could hear the angel. He was only a few feet behind her and gaining. Looking over her shoulder again, she tried to see where he was, but it was too dark to make out anything.
Letting out a weak scream, she hit the ground with a thud. The earth had disappeared beneath her feet. She was now lying in the dirt in the middle of a ditch. Her ankle was killing her and he shoulder throbbed. At least she wasn’t wet. Crawling against the bank of the ditch, she plastered herself to the side of it. Slowing her breathing, she listened to the footsteps somewhere above her. He couldn’t see her.
Remaining perfectly still, the footsteps slowly moved away. Barely moving, she tried to look around. There was nothing but fields to her left, but to her right, there was a tall black mass in the distance. That had to be a row of trees; at least, she hoped it was a row of trees. Staying low to the ground, she crawled through the ditch towards the black form. The farther she went the quicker her heart beat in anticipation. She was going to make it, the trees were in sight; they were so close.
“There you are.”
Her heart dropped straight into her stomach. Scrambling she raced towards the trees. Loose dirt kicked up under her feet, slowing her down and stumbling she struggled to get off the ground. Hands grabbed her arms, pulling her forcefully upwards. Her feet left the ground for a split second, but then he dropped her. She wasn’t far off the ground so it didn’t hurt, but confusion set in.
Rolling over, she saw Ben. He had found her and was on top of her would-be abductor, beating him into the ground. The other angel was nowhere to be seen, but that was a good thing in her book.
Feeling the angel was no longer a threat, Belial tried to interrogate him. “Who sent you?!”
The angel didn’t move. Picking herself off the ground, Elizabeth made a poor attempt at dusting off. “I think you killed him.”
Shaking his head, Belial’s eyes never left the angel. “No, he’s alive.”
Sure enough, only a few seconds later the angel moaned. He was a bloody mess and didn’t seem to register their presence anymore. “Ben, can we go?” Elizabeth said. “I just want to go home.”
Grumbling, he glanced at her for a second. Then he looked back at the angel. “Fine, come on.”
Smiling, Elizabeth limped back towards the car. Her ankle was sore. She had twisted it while running, so walking back was more of a chore than a pleasure. Belial watched her struggle for a few minutes, but eventually was fed up by the slow pace and, picking her up, carried her back to the car.
She was never more thankful to see the car. It was her own personal Heaven, her sanctuary. Settling into the seat, a deep sigh of relief left her body when the engine turned over. Swinging the car around, a cloud of dirt surrounded them. Belial sped back to the road and, bumping back onto the pavement, took a moment to check on her. “Are you hurt?”
Shaking her head, she stared out the window. “No, I’m okay. Thanks.”
“You were limping.”
“I was running in heels in the middle of a cane field.” It came out a little more snarky than she intended. Belial glared at her skeptically so running a hand through her hair she elaborated, “I think I twisted my ankle, but it’s fine, I’ll walk it off.” Nodding, he didn’t say anything else.
Arriving at the house, he exited the car with amazing speed and circled around to open her door before she knew what was happening. Escorting her to the house, he allowed her place her weight on him to ease the pain in her ankle. Helping her up the porch steps, he opened the front door as well and, closing it behind them, scanned the yard meticulously through the window.
“What are you doing?”
Spinning around, he smiled brilliantly. “Nothing.”
“Right.”
Elizabeth was skeptical but was too tired to get into it. Yawning, she trudged up the stairs slowly, leaning on the banister for support. At the top of the stairs she turned towards the bedroom but was abruptly stopped and instead found herself pinned against the wall. Belial was firmly pressed against her within seconds, his lips locking onto hers. After being attacked and running for her life she really wasn’t in the mood, but he fixed that within a few short seconds. His lips were warm and his tongue moved expertly causing her heart to race.
They quickly found a comfortable rhythm and, running his hands up and down her sides, he examined every curve. Her heart was pounding and she could feel her body throbbing with lust. A bulge formed under his pants and feeling it pressed against her, Elizabeth thought she was going to explode.
His hands ran along her thighs and in one quick movement, her legs were wrapped around his waist and his hands had a firm hold of her butt. She held onto his back when he lifted her from the wall and carried her to his room. His bed was just as soft as she remembered and the sheets felt silky against her skin. He was straddled on top of her and his hands and mouth never stopped.
Moving from her lips, he kissed her neck. Sliding an arm under her, he wrapped it around her waist while stroking her leg with his other hand. She’d never felt so good before and was ready to take him in completely, but suddenly he stopped. He remained completely still and his eyes were locked on something outside the window.
Turning from under him, Elizabeth was able to cock her head enough to see a glowing figure outside the window. It was Crocell. He glowed even more now that the sun was gone and a frown was plastered a
cross his face. Letting out a weak squeak, Elizabeth squirmed out from under Belial and quickly dashed out of the room. It wasn’t the most grown-up response but she didn’t want to be in that room for whatever they had to discuss. Crocell scared her in a primal sort of way.
Sighing, she took off her shoes and went to her room to get ready for bed. Her whole body was awake but it was late and she needed to get caught up with a lot of house work in the morning. Deciding it was for the best, she crawled under the sheets and tried to sleep.
Glaring at Crocell, Belial slid off the bed slowly and opened the window for the demon. Sliding into the room with ease, Crocell closed the window behind him while Belial shut the door to the room.
“You forget your place, Belial. That woman is not yours.”
Smirking, Belial took a seat on the edge of the bed. “What do you want, Crocell?”
“Lucifer is not pleased with your lack of progress.”
Glaring at the glowing demon, he responded coldly, “Then maybe he should send someone else. She’s stubborn and headstrong; he should be able to relate to that. Besides, I was making progress until you showed up.”
Crocell smiled. “Is that what we’re calling it now?” Glaring at Belial the demon continued, “You know why he sent you.”
Standing, Belial paced around the room. “Yeah, I know why, so he needs to be patient and let me do what I need to. It was his idea not to force her. If he wants her to come willingly, then he needs to let me work.”
“Just be careful you do not break any laws along the way,” Crocell said. “I would hate to see you punished.”
Smirking at the demon, Belial said, “I’m sure you would.”
“Any more news on the angels?”
Shaking his head, Belial said, “No. They attacked again tonight, but I couldn’t get any information out of them.”
Crocell’s eyes narrowed. Frowning, he walked to the window and slid it open. “Very well. I will let him know. Oh and Belial--be sure not to really fall for her. It would be a shame if she would be promised to someone else in the end.”
Belial glared at the demon when he slid out the window. Damn Crocell. Shutting the window, he leaned on the frame for a moment, staring out into the darkness. This was supposed to be a simple job. Come in, gain her trust, and get her to join Lucifer. He knew he was supposed to remain ambivalent towards her, but Lucifer had to know that would be impossible. Even though she was only half-demon, her blood called to him just like it would to any demon. Letting out a sigh, he stared at the ceiling.
Circling towards the door, he opened it and paused. Moving slowly, he crept towards her room and peeked inside. She was in bed already. That was for the best. Turning, he returned to his room for the night.
Chapter 14