The Devil's Love

Playing with Fire: Chapter 23: Anton

I didn't tell Sarah but her annoying sister had stood at the door for about a minute after I'd shut it on her. Maybe she was expecting Sarah to come out and apologize and right what she clearly thought was wrong. It didn't matter, she wasn't getting in here and she wasn't going to ruin our day.

Allison and Sarah were the complete opposite to each other in personality and in looks. One was fragile the other was hard. One polite, one rude. One beautiful, the other... well, let's just say that there was no chance of my eyes wandering to her.

The two sisters being so different made me curious. Even the way that Sarah spoke of her parents made me wonder if she was adopted. I could not understand how two people could shower their love upon one child and berate the other as if she was unwanted. It made me want to search out their souls and throw them into the pit. Maybe I might just do that.

I knew why Allison was here, I saw the envelope poking out of her bag. It was obvious that she'd come to gloat that she was getting married. Rather than send the envelope through the mail, she wanted to hand deliver it and crush Sarah's spirit. But there was no chance of that happening.

The woman had driven from Philadelphia just to do this. It wasn't an unreasonable journey if it were true that she wanted to see her sister but to gloat about how good her life was and tread on the delicate flower that was Sarah was not reasonable. So her trip here was for nothing, unable to burden Sarah's life and unable to tell her of the news, I was glad the horrid thing was gone.

Thankfully there hadn't been enough time for Sarah to see the ring on Allison's finger, a small diamond that sat off the band and seemed rather fitting for Allison's style. It was ostentatious and pretty and I didn't want to tell her it was a created diamond rather than the real thing. Or maybe she knew that and was pretending that it was real and the boyfriend had spent a fortune on her.

"I have something for you."

Sarah lifted her body from my arms and looked at me with a frown.

"It's not more clothes is it?"

"No."

I couldn't help but laugh, the cheeky thing. Reaching into my empty pocket, I pulled out a small box and opened it. Her eyes widened at the ring and she was left speechless.

"It is a crown for a reason, Sarah, you must understand that in becoming my wife you also become a part of my world. Your life and what you do with it will always be up to you but deep down you will be the queen of hell. I rule it and no one can ever take that away from me but there is one who can stand beside me, one who can help me rule."

Slowly and carefully her fingers reached out and traced over the diamonds, there were dozens of them and they were all real. The crown was made of yellow gold, embedded with diamond chips to make it look like a real crown. A large diamond filled the inside of the crown, both neatly embedded on a white gold band that was filled with more diamonds.

"Once you put it on you are bound to it and my world."

"I can't remove it?" She asked with a frown. "What if it slips in the shower? What if I get dermatitis? I get that real bad Anton."

I sat up and took her delicate hand into mine, wondering how such soft skin could suffer the condition.

"You can remove it, Sarah, what I mean is that you take on the role from the very second you put it on."

"But I can still work in my shop, right?" She asked as she reached for the ring again.

"For a short time, yes."

Her fingers pulled away from the ring as a deep frown etched into her face.

"What do you mean a short time?"

"You will be immortal Sarah, how long do you think that you can walk these streets before someone realizes you are an eighty-year-old woman who looks like she's twenty?"

Despair replaced the frown as she looked up at me.

"How long do you think I'll have?"

"Fifty years, maybe a few more if you tell people you're having cosmetic work done."

"But Igor..."

I pulled her into my arms with a heavy sigh.

"Igor will always be fine. Even with you as a human, he would know that one day your time together would be over before he knew it. As an immortal human you are able to grant him so much more of a working life together and when the time comes the two of you can reassess what you both want in your lives. Maybe you can start another restaurant in another state and take your wonderful chef with you."

"So is there anything that I have to do in hell?"

"There are a few things that you could do if you wanted to but nothing if you do not want."

Sarah pulled the ring out of the box and settled against my body as I leaned on the wall.

"It's rather flash Anton, do I need something so big?"

To outdo your sister, absolutely.

"Yes Sarah, you do. You are going to be the mate of the ruler of hell. The devil is all about the deadly sins and greed is one of them. We are not misers nor are we uncharitable but we are most definitely ruled by materialistic greed."

"Am I going to become something that this me would despise?"

"The inner you will never change Sarah, you will always be good-natured and charitable. But you will see and you will want, the real you will say I can do without so I will take but I will give it away."

She sat up looking rather confused.

"But the council said that I cannot give things away, how is this possible?"

I grinned at her, a smile so wicked that the confusion dropped from her face and was replaced with a smile of her own.

"Do not worry about what the council wants Sarah."

Because I will have my way, I will ensure that you can do as you please and donate whatever you want.