Satan's Captive

3

Kaitlyn woke some time later. How long she'd slept for—she couldn't say. But she felt so much better, like she'd slept a full night's unbroken sleep. It had been many years since she'd done so. It had always been hard to relax after a busy, stressful shift, knowing she would have to do it all again the following day. It was even worse while on the run with Jacob and the others.

Rolling over, she pressed her face into the pillow. The bed was so comfortable. She should thank Father Michael and Charlie for all that they'd sacrificed.

Kaitlyn's eyes widened. She sat up with a start. Her heart pounded in her throat as she looked around the all too familiar room. It wasn't the church. There was no God here, no angels, no goodness. Hell. She was in hell!

Was she really in hell? Had she really done it? She looked around desperately, then rubbed at her eyes. She shook her head. She could always hope that she was simply stuck in one of her dreams. But hoping was useless. It all came back to her in a rush. It all felt so surreal—her betrayal of her angels, her journey through the sky, her descent into hell.

Into hell.

'Zeke,' she gasped, eyes filling with tears. She couldn't believe what she'd done. Satan. She was here with Satan. To be bred like a cow. To crush the Earth. 'Jacob.' She suddenly remembered the man with the black hair kneeling in Satan's throne room. The man who had attacked him. I would have enjoyed it. I would have laughed.

The tightness in her chest eased. She continued to weep but it was no longer out of guilt. Jacob. It hurt to think of him. It hurt like a punch in the guts.

When the tears stopped, Kaitlyn stood. She really needed to go to the bathroom. As though the room could hear her thoughts, she suddenly noticed a door to her right. Walking over, she opened it. Her eyes widened at the beautiful bathroom within. Marble floor. Polished rock walls. An open shower and an enormous tub. Or was it a hot tub? It was more than big enough for two. Kaitlyn stared at it as she imagined herself resting against Lucifer's hard chest, the water bubbling around them.

Turning away, she went to the toilet. Once she was done, she returned to their room—their room; Kaitlyn bit her lip—and discovered a pile of clothes on her bed. She picked up a shirt. To her surprise it was simple and loose-fitting. The pants were the same. I want you to be comfortable here, Kaitlyn.

Kaitlyn was grateful. The last thing she wanted was to wear something sexy or revealing like that slinky black dress she'd worn previously; that time when she'd beaten that man in the face. She still didn't know who that crazy woman was. Kaitlyn didn't want to know her again.

After changing, she noticed a brush and some perfume on a nearby cabinet. There was make-up too. She studied the rest of the room closely. The furniture was refined, minimal and tasteful. She'd never really noticed any of it in her dreams. They had always been blurry. Out of the way. Unimportant to Lucifer's objective.

Beside the brush and perfume was a polished timber jewellery box, which she hesitantly opened. She gasped. Diamonds. Little rubies. There was a giant emerald ring which reflected the light of the flames as she picked it up.

Kaitlyn stared at it. Something hard lodged in her chest. It reminded her too much of Jacob's angel eyes. The way they flared when they'd first met. How kind they'd been when they first held each other in the aisle of Father Alexander's church. He'd been so warm.

She shoved it back in the jewellery box and snapped the lid shut. Stepping back, Kaitlyn wiped her mouth, feeling nauseated. She had to get out of here. She had to get out of this room.

Lucifer had left her a pair of sandals, which she slipped on. Then she was out of the door and hurrying down the hallway. She had no idea where she hoped to go. All she knew was that she needed to get out.