The Devil's Love

Tempt the Devil: Chapter 1: Anton

The gold embossed letters glinted under the light, white card thick and hard. It looked like a linen, ridges and lines made to look like a pretty invitation. It is pretty my mind chided me. Love is beautiful, more so when you get to watch it develop and maybe even assist it through your own subdued ways. Who would have thought that the devil could have a heart? Certainly not I, the man himself.

I am the devil though I do not go by that name. Officially my title is master of the afterlife, devil was just an easier form to take. Over the years it has become a rather negative name, no thanks to the humans. To them, I am all things evil and not something to be messed with. Don't get me wrong, I am exactly that. But they do not see the real me, the person that is and always will be normal. I was made in the image of mankind with the hope that they would not be frightened when they came to the underworld and for the most part, it has worked. Telling a person that I am the master of the afterlife confuses them and they do not realize that they face the beast himself.

My world is beautiful though some would see it as endless and odd. A land of leaf litter that looks like an autumn day, black trees that hold the souls of those who should never return to life and a red sky. It is beautiful, people do not see how much effort has gone into crafting those leaves or the trees. Of how the sun glows red here and not the usual ball of yellow and orange. How it is always the one temperature, perfect weather.

As I flicked the card back onto the desk I sighed heavily, turning out to the view of my world. The underworld, limbo, hell. Call it what you will, I loved it all the same. Cerberus whined as he put his head on my leg, he could feel the downturn in my mood. He was a loyal dog, even if he had moments of being incredibly annoying.

My latest addition to the underworld was Rowan. She was the soon-to-be wife of my right hand, Nicolas. Rowan had been so upbeat when she knocked on my office door, her pretty beaming smile could liven the most dormant of hearts. Nicolas was a lucky man. My mood had been in a good place, even the wedding invitation had not subdued it. After all, who could become upset at two people showing their loved ones that they want to spend eternity with each other? Certainly not this man. I was happy for them; they were the newest of my loyal servants. Demons and in a small way, they were vampires as well. Life was growing within Rowan, that was her reason for her servitude to me. All that she wanted was to give her love a chance at watching a child of his own grow. Since Nicolas had become a demon, he was no longer able to create a child and it was something that upset Rowan terribly. She gave her life as a human to give him a chance.

No, Nicolas and Rowan marrying did not send my mood into a downward spiral. It was the invitation itself. I was grateful to be invited. Pleased that they cared to think of me. But in doing so they brought up dark and morose thoughts within. Two little words that could create this mood. Master Anton Dremain plus guest. Plus guest.

Who does the devil bring to a wedding? One of his own kind? Unheard of. One of his demon play things? Unwise. I could imagine the uproar already, picking one over another would be tantamount to starting a war between the women.

So demons and deities were out of the question. Maybe I could go solo to the event. No, I would not be doing that.

"What a preposterous thought."

Cerberus whined again.

"And what are your thoughts?"

His head turned to the window, to the land that I had once walked on a daily basis. I had become tied down to this desk, with the growing world came a higher movement in my world. Life and death moved quickly and I no longer had the time to walk and gather my thoughts.

But with the newest addition to my team, life was a little easier now. Nicolas handled the crows, dealing out their movements and ensuring that the souls made their way into the underworld. He had taken up the task with little issue, I smiled softly as I scratched behind Cerberus's ear. The deal for Nicolas's life wasn't a standard one but it was one that benefited this world and of course myself which was standard.