Her head hurt. Everything felt like a big blur. Rolling over, her hands gripped the sheets beneath her. They were cool and silky. Cracking her eyes open, she rubbed her head. It was throbbing. Pushing herself up, she slowly took in her surroundings. She was in bed, but not her bed. This one was a large king-sized bed with tall posts at the corners. Ornate fabric trailed down the posts and puddled on the floor below. The entire room was lavishly furnished. Sliding out from the covers slowly, she grabbed a thin robe that was folded neatly at the foot of the bed. Pulling it on over her nightgown, it hit the floor with ease.
Holding onto the bed posts, she scanned the room slowly. Curtains were pulled over the windows but there was light trying to creep in from around the sides. Moving slowly, she firmly placed one foot on the floor before picking up the other. Heading towards the curtains, she grabbed one gently. Pulling at the soft fabric, she saw that there was a large window hidden beneath. The room was on the second storey of what appeared to be a large house. There was a covered balcony outside which was overly lit. It was still dark out, but the light was so bright that she couldn’t see past the balcony railing.
Turning away from the window she spotted the bathroom. She was dizzy and her legs felt like Jell-O, but that didn’t stop her. Stumbling over to it, she leaned against the doorframe to steady herself, and then headed in. It was the nicest bathroom she’d ever seen. There was an enormous shower and a large free-standing tub set in front of a huge window.
She took her time using the bathroom. Then she headed back into the bedroom. Leaning against the doorframe she noticed another door on the opposite side of the room. Taking her time, she struggled to make it to the bed. Holding onto the bed posts, she braced herself on the furniture. She could feel the blood pumping under her skin. Every heartbeat made her head feel worse. What she wouldn’t give for an Advil.
Making it to the door, she leaned against it for a moment. Opening it slowly, she braced herself for anything. On the other side was a large room that resembled a living room. It was well-furnished and had two couches, a few high-backed chairs, and a large fireplace with a fire already going inside. Two familiar figures sat casually on the couches. They were discussing something softly but they stopped the second she emerged from the room.
Jumping to his feet, Belial strode gracefully to her side. He moved swiftly and fluidly, and for the first time, he didn’t look human. She froze when he reached for her hand. Looking down at it, her heart stopped. Her stomach was in knots, but after a second she took his outstretched hand cautiously. Most of her weight was resting on him. Sensing her weakened state, he slowly led her to the couch. Keeping a firm hold on her, he waited until she was securely seated then took a seat next to her.
Neither man spoke. They stared at her silently, content in the comfortable quiet. Elizabeth wasn’t so comfortable, however, and said, “Where are we?”
Her voice was weak and barely audible, but they somehow still heard her. Leaning back on the couch, the man who claimed to be Satan smiled broadly, “Whose house this is isn’t important. You went into shock when we were talking earlier so I brought you here to recuperate. I’d forgotten how fragile humans are. Apparently with everything going on your mind became overloaded. Belial will fill you in when he feels you are ready.”
Rubbing her temples, it felt like her head was about to explode. “Look, I don’t know what you want but I don’t want any part of it. Just take me home and leave me alone. I don’t want to get dragged into your war or whatever.”
His gaze left her and locked onto Belial. Glaring, his eyes narrowed and his pleasant face turned harsh and uncaring. Even angry he was beautiful, but Elizabeth knew it was just a front and he was in actuality a deadly creature. She felt sorry for Ben, however, and wondered if she had said something she shouldn’t have.
“How much have you told her, Belial?”
There was a hesitant pause. He thought his answer over carefully before responding, “Only what I had to so she would trust me.”
Lucifer’s expression never changed and his gaze never left the demon. Leaning back into the couch, Elizabeth let out a long yawn. She had no intentions of helping Ben out of this situation. She didn’t care for him, really. He was rude and impetuous and flat out creepy. Letting out another yawn, Lucifer’s eyes fell back onto her.
Shutting her mouth, Elizabeth’s muscles tightened all at once. Folding her hands neatly in her lap, she stared at the floor silently.
“Unfortunately, Elizabeth, whether you want a part in my war--as you so aptly put it--or not, you’re already a part of it,” Lucifer said. “You were attacked in your home. If you were attacked once, you will be attacked again.”
She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Gripping the robe in her hands tightly, she glared at the floor in disgust.
“If you want us gone, then help me,” Lucifer said. “The sooner we end this, the sooner you can rid us from your life, if that is what you wish.”
That is what she wanted. She wanted things to go back to normal. She wanted Ben gone and wanted to get back to her life. Nodding, she glanced at Lucifer. “What do you want me to do?”
Smiling gently he said, “First tell us anything you remember about the attack.”
Pointing at Belial, she replied smugly, “Ask him. He was there.”
Lucifer’s smile faded. “Let me rephrase. Tell us what you remember leading up to the attack.”
She didn’t know what he wanted. She didn’t remember anything out of the ordinary. She had gone to the funeral and then went home after running into Ben. Her eyes darted from side to side. This wasn’t helping her headache. “I don’t know. Nothing. I don’t remember anything. I went about my day like normal.”
Sighing, Lucifer glanced at Belial. Then, looking back at her, he persisted, “Try to remember something, anything, out of the ordinary. A noise? A smell? Anything.”
Rubbing her hands over her face, she shook her head. Glancing at Ben, she let out a deep sigh. He was leaning back on the couch, reclining at an angle. He looked just like he did when she saw him lying on her bed. Then it hit her. Her eyes grew wide and blinking she locked eyes with him.
“You do remember something.” Belial said.
Nodding, she thought back to what she’d seen in the bathroom. “Yeah… um, after I took a bath I saw something in the mirror. There was a guy, but when I turned around he wasn’t there.”
Belial looked over her to Lucifer. A calm voice sounded behind her. “What did he look like?” Lucifer asked.
Turning around to face him, she tried to remember anything but there really wasn’t much to tell. “I don’t know. He had a hat on. I couldn’t see his face.”
Grabbing her shoulders, Belial swung her around to face him. He was leaning in towards her now, urgency coating his face. “Was he wearing a trench coat?”
Nodding, a sick feeling filled her stomach. Looking over her head, he stared at Lucifer. Peeking over her shoulder, she tried to see what the demon was doing but to no avail. Dropping his head, Belial released her shoulders.
“The man you saw is named Samuel,” Lucifer said. “He’s better known as the Grim Reaper.”
Turning around, Elizabeth stared at him. Lucifer was leaning casually on the sofa again. He was staring off into space and had one leg propped on an adjacent table. His fingers tapped his knee absently in a quick rhythm. This was the situation he’d been trying to avoid all along.
“Well, if you really are Lucifer, then it shouldn’t be a big deal then,” Elizabeth said. “Doesn’t he work for you?”
A brilliant smile crossed his face and his golden eyes sparkled. Chuckling, he replied calmly, “Unfortunately, that’s not the case. I really am Lucifer, but he doesn’t work for me as you put it. He’s more of what you would call a double agent. His only goal is to collect as many souls as possible and by whatever means necessary.” Pausi
ng, he adjusted, crossing his arms across his chest. “Don’t talk to him, don’t touch him, and most of all don’t trust him.”
Lucifer paused and fell into another trance. Looking down at her feet, Elizabeth suddenly noticed that her head was feeling a lot better. It was almost back to normal. A long yawn unintentionally escaped her mouth. It didn’t go unnoticed. Belial immediately rose and said, “If you don’t mind, my lord, I should probably bring her home now.”
Lucifer nodded and added, “That’s fine. Stay there tonight and meet me back here at the usual time tomorrow.”
It was like being at a tennis match trying to listen to them both. Standing as well, Elizabeth said, “He’s not staying with me.”
Staring at her with a blank look on his face, Lucifer questioned, “You have a bed, don’t you?”
“Well, yeah, I have a bed, but I don’t have a guest room set up. I’m remodeling my house right now.”
His eyes were blank. He didn’t understand what the issue was. Looking back and forth between the demons Elizabeth realized what they were thinking. “Oh no, no, no, no! He’s not sleeping with me in my bed!” She was so upset she was nearly screaming at them.
Lucifer’s eyes narrowed at her but Belial wasn’t upset at all. “That’s fine. I’ll sleep on the floor.”
Elizabeth didn’t want him sleeping at her house, on the floor or otherwise. He wasn’t going to stay long enough for her to protest. Pushing her out the room, he led her down a grand staircase towards the front door. She could hear Lucifer following, and when they reached the bottom of the stairs he called, “Belial.”
Looking over his shoulder, Belial glanced up at the demon while still keeping a good hold on Elizabeth. He didn’t say anything but, raising a hand, he caught something that was thrown down to him. Opening his fist, she saw a black blindfold within. Her stomach fell and her breath grew still.
“She’s not ready yet,” Lucifer said. “Don’t take it off until you get well enough away.”
Belial nodded and turned towards Elizabeth. Her eyes were wide and her face pale. The color had drained from her pores. Leaning close, he whispered in her ear, “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
He smoothly pulled the blindfold over her head and covered her eyes. She couldn’t see anything. The fabric was knit too tightly not letting even a smidge of light in. She could feel his fingers pulling her hair carefully out of the strap and then his arm found its place around her waist again.
They took only a few steps then stopped again. A faint clicking sound reached her ears, and then a warm hand touched hers. Jumping, she flinched away from it. An arm wrapped around her again. Her whole body jerked, but she couldn’t get away; his grip was too tight. After a few steps the air turned unusually cold. Goosebumps covered her skin. The nightgown and thin robe did little to protect her from the cold. She shivered and instantly Belial’s grip around her tightened. Pulling her into him, he tried to warm her, but wasn’t very successful.
All thoughts of being cold quickly vanished, however, and were replaced with fear. Low rumbles and growling reached her ears, causing every muscle in her body to tighten at once. She couldn’t figure out where the sounds were coming from, but that didn’t stop her from shaking. Warm breath reached her ear once more and Belial’s smooth voice flowed in. “Stay calm and silent. Just keep moving with me and they won’t harm you.”
They? Elizabeth’s heart was racing. She tried to think of something else, anything else, but was unsuccessful. A wet nose touched her leg. Her stomach flew into her chest and her mouth opened to let out a scream but a firm hand slapped down on top of it, effectively silencing her. Panicking, she tried to remove the blindfold but was stifled again. Belial quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her into his chest. Her breath quickened but was shallow. She wasn’t getting enough oxygen and she was growing lightheaded.
“You need to calm down,” Belial said. “We’re almost there.”
Elizabeth did her best to follow his instructions. Concentrating on controlling her breathing, it didn’t get back to normal but she relaxed enough for him to start moving again. Retaking his position at her side, Belial continued to lead her down the dark path. She gripped his arm with excessive force, unwilling to move away from him for even a second. Her heart was still racing but the longer she walked, the slower it became. It felt like they were walking for an eternity by the time they finally stopped. Releasing her, Belial moved a short distance away. She could hear him talking softly close by but was unable to make out what was being said.
Something touched her hand, causing her to jump. Belial chuckled softly. He liked scaring her and right now it was too easy. Leading her a little farther, she stepped down onto a wobbly surface. He lowered her carefully, forcing her down until her butt came to rest on a hard seat. It was a relief to be able to sit for a while but the blindfold never came off. She was comfortable now, however, and sat quietly.
They gently bobbed for a while. The sound of water being turned over had a rhythmic quality to it and Elizabeth soon found herself a little too relaxed. Leaning against Ben’s shoulder she remained motionless, bobbing gently with her seat.
She was jerked awake. Sliding forward, she was almost thrown from her seat but was caught by Ben. Lifting her to her feet, he helped her off the ride. Leading her a little ways farther, a familiar clicking sound reached her ears, and then a car door opened. Her whole body relaxed all at once and for the first time she realized how tense she really was. Helping her into the car, Belial shut the door behind her and within a few seconds another door opened and closed. The rumble of the engine turning over was music to her ears. She knew she’d be home shortly.
She sat quietly in the darkness, listening to the sound of the engine and enjoying the vibrations of the seat. With every passing minute she could feel sleep taking her. Her seat grew increasingly more comfortable, hugging her body tightly. Turning her head, she snuggled into the smooth leather. Suddenly fingers grazed the side of her face and the blindfold was gone. Blinking, she stared at Ben for a moment, and then closed her eyes again.
They didn’t speak the entire way home, and once there Elizabeth didn’t have the energy to argue with him about staying the night. After locking the door, he followed her upstairs and grabbed a pillow off the bed. It took a minute, but there wasn’t a trace of what had taken place there. Everything was gone. All the feathers, the blood, even the body was nowhere to be seen. The window had been repaired and every last speck of glass cleaned up. She didn’t have the energy to contemplate how it happened and the minute her head hit the pillow she fell into a deep sleep.
Chapter 7