Halo Of Horns (Discontinued)

TWENTY-NINE

Berith's skills in alchemy could not be contested. He could turn any metal into gold, sending the spawn of Adam into a frenzy at his feet.

Once, Belphegor was flooding the young mind of Leonardo DaVinci with ideas and inventions, promising him riches and glory. Berith saw the opportunity to utilize the human's talents and together the two demons convinced him to build a great machine that would transform any metal into solid gold.

Berith's intelligence was what human societies feared. If he could walk among them he would build houses of pure gold and with his riches watch those below him beg and suffer.

Azazel could understand the hatred steered toward the human race. Their entire existence was a threat to them. The Lord so loved his children he forgot about his angels, whom he placed beneath the feet of mortals.

But Berith did not act out of hate like The Fallen. He did not torment the lives of humans or punish their sins because he resented He who put him in Hell, but instead, he did it for fun.

His own whimsical entertainment.

Azazel's hate was so consuming, so great, he could not understand the simple pleasure of mindless meddling. He wanted them to suffer, and to know why. This wasn't a game to him.

But even amongst all of his anger, there was grief for the great love he once knew and shared with the mortals. A love he had so long forgotten until Irina.

Despite not understanding Berith's reasoning, he respected him enough to take advantage of his services when he needed them.

It was the next morning and the rain that broke through the night began to cease as the fire in the sky burned to life. Azazel wrung his hands in worry. He needed that potion and he needed it now. Irina's party was in a few hours and the longer they waited the greater the likelihood that Lucifer would stumble upon their secret by accident.

Mammon did not tell him how soon he would get the potion to him, but he hoped it would be soon. He wanted an excuse to see Irina before the party. She had asked for space and he was giving it to her, but an excuse as important as this was excuse enough. As long as it let him see her.

Irina felt the same way, her heart yearning to indulge in its desires. She disliked this new obsession she had for Azazel. Considering he openly despised her throughout her childhood, she should turn her nose up at him. Instead, she flocked to him with the crook of a finger. She was helpless. He made her feel lighter than air and softer than fur. He adored her now.

Because of the bond.

That was the only hang-up. As much as her heart told her to trust him and to love him, her mind spoke a different tale. She pushed the voices to the back of her mind every time, but they were still there.

"He doesn't love you, it's only the bond."

And so what if it was? He treated her well enough now. He kissed and held her, all things she never thought she would experience in this empty world.

But did any of it matter if it wasn't genuine?

Irina tugged a hand through her knotted hair, only enraging her further. She had been stressing, planning, and worrying over said plan for the latter half of the night. Her eyes drooped with drowsiness but her mind reeled and kept her heart hammering, making it impossible to rest.

She could see it was dawn through her window. The orange glow flooded her bedroom, her two serpents scurrying to their hot spots on the windowsill. They could lay there for hours, enjoying the warmth of the fire sky.

She needed a shower. As much as she loathed being alone with her thoughts, sitting in her room wasn't doing much to help either.

Irina reached to the hem of her shirt as she stood and made her way to the bathroom. She could remember Azazel's touch, as much as she pushed it to the back of her mind. In fact, she wanted nothing to do with this whole mess for at least 10 minutes. Just enough to relax for a moment and collect herself, but of course, that wasn't going to happen. The bond pulled her in the opposite direction, wanting her full attention.