Satan's Queen

1

Hell didn't seem so terrible.

Not anymore.

Kaitlyn felt calm. She felt powerful. She felt safe. Even amid the flames and volcanos and poisonous rivers, she almost felt at home. Though he wasn't with her, Kaitlyn felt Lucifer's eyes at every step. He'd given her boots to wear so she could walk through the warm ankle-deep ash of the Damned without getting burned. Dangerous serpentine shadows would raise their heads to look at her, only to duck back down and slither away again.

Kaitlyn gripped onto her necklace wondering how the demons knew to avoid her. Was it the baby? Did they sense Lucifer's warning? Did they smell him all over her? Perhaps he'd warned them himself.

Kaitlyn pressed her hand to her belly. She was only several weeks into her pregnancy. She could feel nothing yet. The pain that had once plagued her so often was gone. She didn't even feel nauseated.

The train of her dress dragged through the dust as she paused to watch the countless dark figures writhing in the flames. She hardly felt anything anymore. Numb. Distant. It was still all so surreal. A man was screaming. She recalled that terrible dream of her parents doing the same. It made her heart beat hard. It made her clutch at her necklace more tightly.

Stop it, Kaitlyn.

Lucifer had assured her that her parents weren't here. That they were up in heaven. Was Jacob with them? Were they all looking down on her? Witnessing her betrayal? What were they thinking of her? Maybe shaking their heads in disbelief?

With a shaking hand, Kaitlyn wiped the ash from the tip of her nose. She dared to look above but all she could see was the swirling grey of a world tormented by exploding volcanos. Heaven was so far away. Down in the depths, it was hard to imagine it even existed.

'Don't judge me,' Kaitlyn said.

Kaitlyn walked back towards the castle. It wouldn't be long now and she could return to Earth. Thank God! She was getting so sick of the dreariness of hell. She couldn't wait to see blue sky again. She couldn't wait to breathe fresh air again. To have freedom. Lucifer was right—despite his reign, it felt like a prison down here.

She climbed the steps to the front doors. Before she entered she turned at the sight of movement—another demon keeping an eye on her. Kaitlyn shook her head. Despite everything, despite all her sacrifices, Lucifer still didn't trust her. They made love every day, several times a day. They spoke with each other. They held each other, as though they loved each other. And yet he still couldn't trust her.

What more assurance could she give him?

She walked through the castle's massive halls, her boots thudding heavily against the volcanic rock floor. There was hardly a room she didn't know now, free to wander its huge expanse. There were only a few places off limits, which he'd bidden her not to explore—and she felt no need to go investigate. Lucifer had his reasons, she was sure.

She turned to her left, feeling his pull like a gentle tug in her chest. He wanted her. He had finished judging his souls for the day and he was restless.

Kaitlyn entered a large "living room" Lucifer had constructed to make her feel more at home. There were windows with curtains looking out onto a fake blue sky and rolling green hills. Though she'd never overtly expressed her desire for her Earthly home, Kaitlyn appreciated it.

Even if it wasn't the real thing.

Large plush couches. Cushy rugs. A small table with two chairs, always loaded with her favourite foods. He made sure she was always well fed. The most unusual thing was the television that he'd linked to the world above.