I, Devil (a love story)

Chapter Thirty Three: Adramelech

I studied her files, word for word. I could feel Azazel's slimy fingerprints all over it. Sure, he changed things. I'm sure he omitted huge swaths of her life. I'm sure not a word of it could be trusted, since he was the biggest liar in the universe, but it was all I had to go on. I took back the briefcase from Sachiel, annoyed that he never used the keycard to tempt her with money. Then, I realized that it was a job for an expert. I was glad he hadn't tried to tempt her. It was something I wanted to do personally.

I didn't have any files on her, just her extended family. I never liked fairies because they never cared about material wealth or power. As a Devil, I had little to offer a fairy. Fairies liked trinkets with personal connection or favors. Of all the humans in the universe to 'fall in love with', why did it have to be a human with fairy heritage?

I sat in a carriage as I made my way from the bottom of Hell to Earth. I read and re-read her files. I scoured them in an attempt to find something, anything, Azazel left behind. Since Sachiel searched her memories and found anomalies, who's to say the whole thing hasn't been tampered with? I had to investigate for myself, even if it was difficult.

I felt that I was approaching the higher vibrational dimensions: including Earth and the dreamworld. I decided that if I were to approach Wendy directly then I would do so in her dreams, in her territory. I was going to meet her on her turf. I felt like I knew almost everything about her (if Azazel were to be trusted) and yet I never met her face to face. I wanted to avoid Meresin at all cost, but with the power of the Void he could be anywhere and I just had to take my chances. I was going to meet his girlfriend.

I found myself at a cozy fairy cottage, complete with a sprawling, wild garden and a cobblestone path. This was her inner personality's home. It was the place of her immortal soul. Each human is comprised of three parts, and one of those parts was currently alive on Earth. Thus, this wasn't her whole self. It was only a portion of her free-will and inner mind. Still, it was the closest I could get to Wendy, without interference from others.

I never had a good history with fairies. I wasn't as bad as Azazel, who literally angered Lillith, the mother of all fairies for all eternity, but I never liked them much. They were an immortal race forced to blend with human souls, and it didn't go well. They didn't carry much empathy and only wanted to have fun. Humans with fairy mixtures in their souls usually ended up in prison or penniless artists. This was because fairies didn't value social norms, so they were harder for me to manipulate. I really only cared about the majority of humans who could feed my money machine.

Looking at her house, I could tell she didn't care about money. She didn't have the usual white washed mansions I look for in people. Wendy's home in her dreamworld, in a place where it could be anything her inner-heart desired, looked like a witch's cottage. I felt just as out of depth with her as I did my mysterious brother, Meresin. I was used to dealing with the desires of the human majority, not its social outcasts.

To control what Wendy saw, I cloaked myself. I made my carriage appear like that of a fairy prince. I made the carriage round and shaped like a golden gourd. I made the wheels shining silver and made of tree vines, decorated in leaves and berries. I made the carriage pulled by thirteen fantasy beasts, none of which have ever been seen by human eyes except in fairy-tales. I dressed myself like a fairy king, draped in jewels and silk. I made my crown tall and pointed. As I readied myself to meet her, I made sure that I knew exactly what I was doing.

I had just one goal in mind: I wanted her to agree to a contract. I wanted her to become more loyal to me than Meresin. If she was my brother's one weakness, then I needed to have her in my pocket. I knew it would be difficult to tempt her with money, but I knew there was no human in all of the history of time that could refuse it forever.