A Match Made in Hell - Calbrina

Chapter 6

"Thanks for saving me back there," I say to Caliban once we get far away enough from the crypt. "I don't know what I would've done without you."

"Of course. What kind of future-husband would I be if I let some old vampire suck the blood out of my soon-to-be-wife?"

I can't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of that, of all of this. "Well in that case, I'm wondering why you didn't come in a little sooner?"

"Oh, well, I-"

"Shut up, I was kidding." I nudge him with my shoulder as a smile hesitantly appears on my face, "You know Cal, we could take a little more time to return with the pieces of silver."

"Cal?" He says with the largest grin on his face.

"Zip it or you'll never hear it again," I respond with mock-seriousness.

He laughs, and I can feel it. That joy and warmth that you feel at the beginning. "What do you have in mind?"

—

We end up standing in front of Dr. Cee's. "Where are we?"

I pull a face at him. "What does it look like? A diner/bookstore. I've been craving a strawberry milkshake."

He looks at me as though he's afraid to say what he is going to say next."What's a milkshake?"

And he was right to be. "Oh...my...Satan... I knew it was different in Hell but I never knew you were being depraved down there." I make a gesture with my arm before I continue, "This cannot stand, I cannot marry an uncultured demon. Follow me."

I'm attempting to keep my cool as I sit us down in a booth. I pick up my menu and motion for him to do the same. Soon a waitress named Jenny comes to take our order. After taking a few moments to read it he asks, "Which of these should I get?"

"Two milkshakes, one strawberry and the other vanilla, and two burgers with lettuce, tomato, and bacon, please."

"You got it," she says and walks away.

"So, do you come here often?" Caliban is looking around the shop, taking in the shelves of books,

"Yeah, usually with Theo, Roz and Harvey. It's a small town, so there aren't many other places to go."

"Ahhh. They're an interesting group, those mortals."

"Right," I sigh. "We haven't actually talked about the whole fiasco earlier."

"You mean when your ex-boyfriend punched me," he laughs. "I don't think he likes me very much."

I rub a hand over my face in exasperation, and let out a chuckle. "Yeah, I guess so. I'm sorry about all of that, I never meant for you guys to get into a fight."

"It's alright, Sabrina. I'd do it again a thousand times if it meant we were here right now."

In this moment, I can picture it, our future. Ruling Hell by day and laughing at all the ridiculousness by night. As I look at Caliban, I wonder how it took me so long to realize my feelings for him. They've always been there, I've realized, creeping through the frustration filled distaste I'd felt prior.

When we talk like this, freely and without outside eyes, I don't have to think about the chaos of my life, able to fully place myself in the moment. The joy I feel with him is unlike what I felt with Harvey and Nick. With them, there was always some sort of pressure, to be smart and perfect at all times. But Caliban makes me feel those things anyway, always speaking to and about me with respect and admiration, confidently trusting my choices while also offering a helping hand.

I decide I should be honest and hesitantly say my next words. "Caliban, these last few days have caused me to do some thinking. You know how earlier I said that our relationship would be strictly political?"

His brow furrows as he looks at me skeptically. "Yeah."

"Well, I've changed my mind. Whether I wanted it or not, you've started to grow on me."

His smile lights up his whole face, as though I've just given him his favorite toy on christmas. "Really, Princess? I knew it was only a matter of time before you started to like me."

Jenny comes back with our order and places it in front of us. After the type of days I've had, I'm extremely hungry, immediately taking a bite of my burger. Caliban takes note of this and does the same. When he bites in, it causes Caliban to let out a moan that stops me in my tracks. My eyes meet his over the table, but I quickly look away, taking a sip from my milkshake.

After a few moments of silence while we eat, I speak up. "So, what do you think?"

He swallows the food in his mouth before responding and I force my eyes not to track the movement of his throat. "It's good," he starts, but elaborates when my face says that I clearly am looking for a better answer. "It's delicious. I can see why you're here so much."

"Yeah, that and-"

"There aren't many other places to go," he finished with a soft smile. "I listen when you talk."

For some reason, that's what breaks my restraint, and I lean over to place a kiss on his lips. At first he doesn't respond, staying still beneath my touch but soon he eagerly reciprocates, placing a hand on the side of my face. He attempts to deepen the kiss, but the table is in our way and we're forced to break apart.

I'm about to say something when I hear voices shouting my name. It's Roz and Theo. "Shit, we've got to go, now." I spring up from the booth and head to the door, panic taking control over my body.

"Slow down, my Queen. What's going on?" Caliban is by my side within seconds, following me outside.

"My friends are in trouble. It's got to be the pagans. With everything going on I completely forgot that their sacrifice is happening tonight."

He places a hand on my arm to soothe me. "It'll be alright, tell me where we need to go."