A Lovers War

Chapter 3

“Shit!” I said loudly. The demon looked back at me and smiled a sluggish smile. “I guess it’s too much to ask to go back, right?” I knew the answer to that already. I had walked right into that damned mirror in my baggy t-shirt. This is what I get for getting caught up in the moment; apparently you forget that you’re in your damn sleep ware!

The demon chuckled as he looked me up and down. “I am sure that master can find you something to slip into, but it may not be to your liking.” That made him grin ear to ear. He enjoyed seeing my naked legs. I rolled my eyes and shrugged my shoulders. No point in arguing with it.

The place was dark and musty; a small scent of blood and wine clung to the air like dampness. It freaked me out every time I smelled it. You could hear muffled screams off in the distance. I knew what the screaming was but I just didn’t want to imagine some poor soul being tortured over and over. The thought turned my stomach. My feet stepped in something wet, but the room was so dark that I could barely see my hand in front of my face.  If it were not for the demon’s hand gripping my sleeve I would be walking blind. I shook my foot in an attempt to get the wetness off but I don’t think that it helped.

We stopped. “Are we there yet?” I asked jokingly. You could never take this seriously because if you did you would drive yourself insane with the things that you heard and seen. Most of the time I thought of the old days when I was still a child, it’s the only thing that keeps me calm now days.

“Yes we are. Walk right in through the door and you will find the reason why you have been brought here.” The demon disappeared after he spoke those words.

A red door stood a few feet in front of me. It was not attached to a frame or anything. It was as if it floated. I had not encountered one of those yet. I guess there is a first for everything. The knob was so cold, which honestly surprised me since everything is uncomfortably hot in hell. I slowly opened the door to find an empty red room. Red satin drapes were hung all over the wall to give it a very romantic feeling. The floor was covered in a blood red carpet to which I am sure was dyed with real blood. Everything in hell had seemed like it was. A small black couch was in the center of the room and a silver chain lay across it with flakes of blood and flesh embedded on to it. What had I gotten myself into?

“Hello?” My voice echoed into the room, but no one answered back. I shifted uneasily where I stood. I didn’t like this at all.

A putrid smell stung my nostrils. I knew a demon was near and he was powerful. The worse they smelt the more power they possessed. “Ah, miss Astrid. I am glad you found the place.” A voice as sweet as honey wafted up from out of nowhere. A man materialized a few feet in front of me. He was a very short man. He stood no taller than five feet, but he demanded power. It was intoxicating. He wore a simple white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. For appearances he looked like your average Joe, but there was nothing average about this thing.

I took a step back from him I was somewhat afraid to be near him. He scanned me over from head to toe but his gaze seemed to slow when he got to my legs. I felt like a piece of meat. “Who are you.” I asked with deep commanding tone. I was surprised my voice didn’t fail me. Heat began to rise in my cheeks as he abruptly looked me in the eyes.

He surprised me by smiling. He stuck his hand out as if to shake my own. I shook my head no. He pulled back and shoved his hands into his pocket. There was something very off about him. He was to nice.

“Very well Miss Astrid. My name is Lamond. I will be handing out your orders this evening. I am the general of our army and we are needing your help with a few things. Would you like some clothes? It seems we caught you at a bad time.” Lamond gave me a friendly smile. I nodded my head about the clothes question. Lamond closed his eyes and inhaled and poof like magic a pile of clothes landed neatly on the couch.

“Take what you want Astrid and I will leave you to change. Just speak my name when you want to talk.” He disappeared.

I could feel that he had left because I could breathe normally again. The clothes were not to my liking at all but at least they covered more than just my top half. I chose a black silky corset top that laced in the front and back and chose a pair of dark was jeans with black thigh high combat boots. Who in the hell did these clothes belong to? Once I was sure I was ready for him to come back into the room I spoke his name.

This time he was not alone. Another man appeared with him. He was tall. A beautiful man. My heart thudded so hard in my chest. This man was not a demon though, he was a vampire. He was also very old at least five hundred. Nearly my age.

“Astride, if you don’t mind I brought some company. He is my right hand man.” Lamond motioned to the mysterious man to his right. “This is Demitri and I am sure you can tell he is not a demon. He is the head vampire of his clan and he has offered his unique abilities to our aide.” The one name Demitri bowed ever so gracefully. Lamond looked like a proud papa showing off his prized child.

Demitri gave me an award winning smile and said, “Astrid I have heard so many good things about you and your kind. You are very powerful creatures.” His voice was so thick with a European accent that you could drown in it. He literally took my breath away.

“Thank you, but I am sure you don’t know what my kind is Demitri.” I flashed a smile right back at him. I was bluffing though. My cool exterior would soon blow away and show my real feelings about this situation. I’m sure if they wanted to kill me now would be the time, I was very vulnerable.

“Ah yes, that is a very good question. What is your kind Astrid? None of these demons seem to know. I assure you, I will find it though.” Pure arrogance danced through his voice. He began to lose his sex appeal very quickly.

“You need not worry about that Demitri. My people need to be left alone, that’s how we have survived so long. You have me here so state your business. I’m ready for this to be over already.” My voice beamed with control. A frown line creased across his face.

The room had gone quiet. Lamond had enjoyed the show apparently because he was glowing with admiration. “Fine, Astrid the reason you have been called here is because we need your help in this war. A demon by the name Alfric has decided to declare war upon us. He has been in hiding for centuries and apparently he has been able to put together a very strong army. He not only has demons but also vampires, warlocks and anything else that you could imagine. He has a strong table of 7 that protect him. They are stronger than half of our army put together and this is where you come in my dear. We need you to take those 7 out by any means possible. If they win this war they will take our masters chair in hell and then come for the humans next.” His demeanor had completely changed. Lamond looked worried and that scared the hell out of me.

I shifted where I stood and sat down on the black couch in the small room. What had I gotten myself into? “Why do you think I can beat these 7 things?” I said with a wavering voice. Lamond gave me a smile as those words came out of my mouth.

“Astride we know how powerful you can be. You can easily beat my best men. Give yourself more credit than that. We need you.” His assurance in me scared me. I hated using my powers because it made me feel like the monsters themselves. The power was intoxicating; it was pure energy that made you go wicked. I had to put myself aside though because I wasn’t doing this for myself, I was doing this for Marie.

I finally answered, “fine I am here at your disposal.” I knew I would regret those words

Demetri-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->