The Devil's Love

Shadow of Death: Chapter 26: Sarah

Brannon was shrieking as he gripped his feet, trying to put them into his mouth.

"How about a walk to see what Igor is doing?"

I picked him up, feeling an increase in his weight from when I'd fed him earlier this morning.

"Have you put on weight?"

The drool was running long streaks down his hand.

"Maybe we might let you have this, eh?"

Brannon looked at the ring, warily taking it from me. Instantly it was in his mouth, and he munched on it instead of his poor, wet hand.

Stepping out into the corridor I noticed a black feather on the runner. Finding it rather curious, I looked up the path and saw another one. Were the crows molting? They never came into the castle; it wasn't possible for their feathers to be here.

"Sarah."

I turned with a gasp, seeing Anton behind me.

"Are you done with the office for today?"

"For a little while, I will have to return soon."

He held his hand out for me, and I was hesitant, something was wrong.

"Anton, why are there feathers everywhere?"

"I gave the wings a stretch."

"You have wings?"

His clothes fell away and were replaced with a silky black material; broad black wings stretched out from behind him.

"Holy shit." I gasped.

Brannon shrieked again, struggling in my arms as I walked closer to Anton. As I touched the feathers, Anton took Brannon. They were soft and incredibly beautiful.

"Oh look at you," Anton said with a chuckle.

I turned and looked at Brannon who was still munching on his ring, the bright grin directed at his father who was holding him at eye level. Little black wings had ripped through his playsuit and were flapping and stretching.

"Far out." I groaned. "He's not going to be flying everywhere, is he?"

"No, his wings won't be strong enough for some time. Even then he'll need to learn how to fly and control them. This is nothing more than copying his daddy."

Great. I did not need this kind of stress and learning that my newborn son has wings was definitely causing stress.

"Okay young man, put them away. It's present time for mummy."

Brannon slid the wings back to his body as he looked at me. He gurgled his spit and continued to munch on that poor ring.

Anton took my hand as we walked up the corridor, passing our bedroom door. As we reached the end of the corridor we stopped, Anton looked at me with a smile.

"You know that I only ask you to alter your clothes when it is an official event and that I do not ever wish to dictate such things to you for anything else, right?"

I nodded a little curious to why he would say that.

"This is not official, but I ask in this one instance that you alter yourself to something regal, exude that stunning beauty and put yourself up on that pedestal. Can you do this for me, Sarah?"

"Sure."

Anton smiled as he watched the clothes change before him. I altered it to a tight black dress that hugged my curves and pulled everything in. It was tight until it reached the mid-thigh level where it became a flowing and loose ruffle that trailed behind me. The bodice was constricting and pushed everything up and into place, catching Anton's perverted gaze.

"Very nice. Don't forget the sparklies."

I felt the heaviness around my neck, glittering stones that would be worth an absolute fortune. My hair was pulled up into curls at the back of my head, nestled behind the crown that I really didn't like.

Brannon looked adorable, his playsuit repaired and not showing a single sign of having just split apart to accommodate the wings.

Anton took my hand again, the door opened by itself and we were faced with a darkness like I'd never felt before. Taking the first step through, Anton turned back and offered a reassuring smile.

"What I do, I do for you. Remember that."

I nodded and stepped over the threshold, fearful of what was in this room. Light spilled through the darkness as the flames on the candles began to rise. Behind me, the door closed quietly and roused the attention of a woman that was tied to a chair.

A woman that I knew.

Allison lifted her head, her face blotchy and red from crying. I couldn't help but stare at her, wondering why she was here, what Anton had done to make her like this and what he expected to happen from now on.

"Sarah!" She cried out, struggling on the chair. "Oh, I was so worried about you."

"Since when?" I said quietly.

Her eyes darted to Anton and Brannon.

"You married the devil?"

"Yeah, I did."

I turned to Anton; his face was offering nothing as he looked to me.

"This is your idea of finding solace?" I asked calmly.

He nodded.

"You've scared her half to death."

"Would you like me to finish it? Then you could throw her into the pit."

"No," I said a little angrily. "She might have been absolutely horrible to me, but that doesn't mean I want her dead."

Anton gestured to her with no remorse.

"Does she look dead to you?"

"You know what I mean." I hissed.

I moved behind Allison, undoing the ropes and freeing her. She hugged me hard, the most affection she's ever shown me. It was rather sad; it took the devil to drag her to hell for her to hug me.

I pushed her away with a restrained frown.

"Let's not overdo it, shall we? You can't make up for a lifetime of hatred and bullying just because I saved you from the devil."

Her eyes turned to Anton who was watching her, the dark grin crossing his face with pure malice.

"You are bound to the underworld until I allow you to leave Allison." He began. "I would suggest that if you want a comfy bed to sleep in, that you play nice, otherwise I will show you where I put the damned."

"Why am I here?"

"Because we are remarrying tomorrow and I thought that even though you were a complete bitch to Sarah for many years, she deserved to have some form of a family at her wedding. But this is your only warning, put a foot out of line, breath a word that is even slightly negative, and I will have you hanging over the lava lake with one toe dipped into the boiling lava. You will know what my true nature is, you will learn what it is like to suffer at the hands of the devil. I will make you pay through blindingly painful torture. Now, who is up for a walk?"