The Mortal Brides of the Djinn King and Prince

Chapter 14

Gabriella was not sure how long she had been in hell; it seemed like years. Her days were filled with the agonizing cries of a million tormented souls, her nights with Lucifer fondling her, taunting her with every known temptation to humanity. She was frightened and confused, wondering why Lucifer kept her from the punishment other souls that committed the same sin suffered. He kept insisting she was special to him and that she reminded him of another person he knew eons ago, centuries ago. The sadness and bitterness in his eyes when he spoke of the past before his fall was undeniable. She found herself curious about what could cause such a strange shift in the obsidian lord of torment but was too frightened to ask. Her thoughts seized when she heard him near; the swishing of his black cloak was a noise she now knew instantly.

"Tell me, my pet, are you in the mood for a little story," Lucifer asked Gabriella in a haunting voice. She watched in awe as he came forth from the dark corner of his chamber to stand full height before her, where she sat on the bed of silk. She hated when he stared at her like a lover would his woman, her eyes lowered to the shackles that circled both her hands and her feet.

A single tear slid down her cheek when she remembered the first night, he had let her loose from the wall after keeping her chained there for two days. She had tried to run, but the metal clasp on her wrists and ankles burnt like acid into her flesh, leaving blisters up and down the entire length of her arms and legs. He later explained to her that if she ever tried to leave, they would never come off, and she would eventually burn from head to toe until she was nothing but ash. She had promised to stop, and then he kissed her arms, hands, wrists, fingers, legs, ankles, and toes everywhere his lips touched and healed immediately.

"Gabriella."

Lucifer's calm, cool, collected voice warned; Gabriella forced her memories from her mind, and glancing back up into his eyes, she forced a half smile.

"There, that is better, now answer me. Would you like to hear my story, or shall I say our story," he asked.

"Do I really have an option?"

"Now, now Gabriella, be nice, not that it matters, but no, I suppose you don't," Lucifer hissed in slight agitation. He leaned down, his long hair brushing her face. The golden strands felt like teasing caresses upon her flesh, and she felt ashamed of her reaction. Gabriella cursed her body for feeling anything but loathing for this beast. It was as if she had traded one demon for another, Lucifer being the worst evil of the two. Her cheeks flamed with heat; disbelief washed over her. How could she truly compare Asmodeus to this horrid creature? Asmodeus would never bask in torment as Lucifer did. Her eyes met his; anger tore at her soul, and she had to fight the urge to spit in his face.

"Alright, Lucifer, let's hear this story," she stammered.

"I am not sure how familiar you are with the bible, but since you threw yourself from a church chapel, I would say not well. In the beginning, before there were humans or animals, there was darkness; in this darkness, there existed nothing but Djinns and other mystical creatures, all ruled by many different gods and goddesses. It is said one of the Gods decided to end this by bringing forth a great ball of energy. This energy was later known as light, and the light was so powerful it destroyed the others, leaving the one God all alone. In a moment of great sadness and despair, he pulled forth all his power, creating twelve arc Angels. The Angels loved him, or at least they would have if they had been given the chance to know the emotion. These angels were very loyal to this mighty God, who had done everything he ever asked them to do, but it just was not enough. God wanted to create a creature that could feel as he felt, feel the emotions of love, sadness, anger, fear, etc. When he made the angels, he had forgotten to give this to them, so in his eyes, they were imperfect."