Lucifer's Bride [Complete]

42

    "That's perfect!" The door to our room opens as we enter the hall. "You can meet the others while we eat."

I manage to gain my footing and follow closely behind him. "Others?"

He grins over his shoulder at me. "Beelzebub, Asmodeus, Leviathan. All the other angels that fell with me. They've been asking about you relentlessly since I announced our engagement. Meeting you will finally shut them up."

Yes! Food!

My body rejoices silently, the promise of long-awaited nourishment spurring me on to keep pace with him. We make our way quickly down the hall, turning sharply down one of the many smaller halls that branch off the man corridor. We begin to turn randomly, spinning left and right down a myriad of hallways until I'm nearly dizzy.

Left...right...right...left....right...shit!

Finally, we exit onto a wide ledge of black rock that peers over the fiery river of screaming souls. Lucifer pulls me over towards one edge of the outcrop. An enormous circle is etching into the rock, inscribed with more designs of the demonic language. Lucifer snaps his fingers once and the circle twists, breaking away from the rest of the ledge and sending a plume of black dust into the air. A hole has formed where it was once connected to the rest of the ledge, and it floats within the small space, waiting for us.

Gently, Lucifer coaxes me onto the circle of rock. The designs now glow bright gold, radiating heat as I step onto the heated surface. Lucifer snaps his fingers again, smiling at me as the floating disc of rock jerks, then descends into the hole.

'Going down?" he grins at me.

I stare at the glowing symbols my feet, then met his haze. "Hellevator?"

He throws his head back and gives a sharp laugh. "Cliché, but it works."

Our elevator descends quickly, taking us into the bowls of Hell. A tunnel of black rock surrounds us the entire way, barely lit by small flames embedded into the rock that flash by as we shoot downward. We grind to a stop seconds later, the platform pausing at a large arched hallway cut into the rock. Lucifer leads me into the brightly lit hallway, taking hold of my hand so I don't fall too far behind.

The hallway is short, so short that we exit into an enormous dining hall in seconds. It's twice the size of the main foyer, with rich blue and green marble slabs tiling the floor and walls. Along the entire length of one wall are enormous oval cut-outs that let us peer into the vast chasm of souls below. The fiery pits below give off a soft red-orange glow that illuminates the room.

In the middle of the room sits an enormous carved oak table that stretches nearly fifty feet across the floor. Covered with rich fabric, it carries the weight of hundreds of plates on its dark stained surface. From cooked venison to tiramisu, there's almost no delicacy left out of the feast.

Along the table's length sit dozens of high-ranking demons, each seated in an elaborately carved chair diving into his own silver plate piled high with food. Those farthest from where Lucifer and I stand are simple generals or Keepers that manage the damned in the pits. The guests nearest to us have the charred remnants of wings attached to their shoulders, denoting their status as fallen angels. At the very end of the table sit two empty chairs, inlaid with stones and covered in twisting metal spires.

The biggest, tallest and most elaborate chairs at the table. I couldn't begin to tell you who those belong to.

Giving me a soft smile, Lucifer tugs at my hand and leads me toward the empty seats. One of the fallen angels looks up for an instant, then slams down his utensils and snaps his spine straight. He stares at us, holding completely still as we approach. The other demons look up, startled by their companion's sudden movement. They, too, notice us and halt their meal. Lucifer pulls my seat back and allows me to sit first, pushing me in quickly then taking his own seat at the table.

A hundred pairs of eyes stare silently at us, waiting for instruction. My eyes flick to each of them, taking in my new, very formidable company. Their eyes, a menagerie of colors ranging from electric blue to pitch black, lock on me, periodically flicking to Lucifer in interest.

"So," the fallen angel nearest to me speaks, his deep voice making my entire body vibrate. "This is our new queen?"

"Beelzebub." My husband smiles and nods. "This is the former miss Amelia Harlowe. She's our newest addition to the family and our proud queen."

The angel turns to me and smiles. He's strikingly handsome, with bright silver eyes, pale skin and wavy blond hair. A jagged scar runs from the top of his left eye to his jaw, marring what would have been a flawless face. His wings shift slightly as he reaches for my hand. He holds it lightly and inclines his head, his eyes never leaving me.

"You majesty," he croons.

I smile back. "Amelia is fine."

He nods and smiles wider, lifting his head and releasing my hand. His eyes flick to my dress and widen with interest. I flush as I suddenly remember that the first two chains of my bodice are missing, leaving very little to the imagination. Beelzebub grants himself a few precious seconds of staring before gathering himself and chivalrously returning to his plate of food. I exhale quietly, relieved. I'm safe from being ravaged by and overly-interested fallen angel...for the moment.

Lucifer turns to me and begins to counts off the former angels that line the table: sitting alongside Beelzebub are Asmodeus, Mammon and Leviathan. Sitting directly across from them are Belphagor, Samael, Astaroth and Azazel. They're all stunning handsome, but they don't come close to my husband. He shames them all.

A little farther down the line of demons, leaning over the table so she can glare at me, is the deathly gorgeous and oh-so-infamous Lilith. Golden-haired, ocean-eyed and rosy-cheeked, she wears nothing more than a draped Grecian-style violet gown, mocking the idea of purity and delicateness by weaving dozens of tiny dead flowers in her hair. She's the epitome of murderous beauty. She's also a good competitor for Leyna when it comes to giving me they evil eye of death.

Fuck. Evil bitch part two.