Devilish Love

14. I Hit It Off With A King

Chapter 14: I Hit It Off With A King

Lucifer stepped deliberately forward and coughed. This gave me a chance to move away from the creepy Devil King, and so I was very relieved. Quickly, I walked to Lucifer's side, rejoining him, and he shuffled closer to me too.

Lucifer's father barked a laugh. "Children, stop standing there like that. Let's go sit and eat!"

I smiled nervously and nudged Lucifer, who was standing stock-still. He snapped out of his daze, blinking twice, before we went to the fancy long table to sit. There were only three people, so we sat at one end of the table, which was draped in a beautiful white tablecloth. It was odd, but Hell actually was not as dark and dreary as I had imagined. There were colours here too, and they seemed more vivid, actually, than what I remembered at Customs up above.

Lucifer and I sat across from the Devil King. Later, I learned his name was King, quite literally. But before I began to judge his name, I realised that it would have been weird to call him something else, because he fitted into his name so well, and because he seemed so imposing, like he had been made for the role of King.

The first course was served, and Lucifer frowned at his bowl. I watched him take a tentative sip, then he smiled like a little child and gulped the rest down hungrily. As I observed him, I discerned that it must have been hard to keep such an awesome body shape throughout the years. If Lucifer ate like that every day (and honestly, I think he did), being able to be so fit and lean was a miracle. I bet he had muscles under- Stop!

I daintily scooped my soup outwards as a proper lady should do and spooned it into my mouth. It tasted very nice. It tasted like wild mushrooms and herbs.

"Oh, do you like it?" Devil King asked.

 I smiled tightly at him. But I couldn't help thinking, as I smiled in a fake manner, that he looked kind of like a sleazeball. I mean, handsome, yes, but the feeling I got from him- the vibe- was wrong. All wrong. It was a sinister feeling, which didn't match up with his smile that did not meet his eyes. Okay, maybe it matched up.

I reminded myself not to burp. Of course...body over mind, so when I opened my mouth...

You guessed it wrongly. A burp did not come out, I had suppressed it well enough. But the word certainly came out. "Oh, yes. It's full of burps."

"Herbs," Lucifer corrected in his classically grumpy manner.

I laughed loudly and quickly. "Of course I said that! Didn't you hear?"

He looked mildly confused, which I noticed was his resting face around me. "You said b-"

Under the table, I found his foot, and pressed down hard. He didn't even wince, remaining as stoic as ever. Still, his right eye flickered uncertainly and changed colour to crimson. Angrily, he stared ahead and didn't meet my gaze. I suppressed a smile. Even Lucifer's frown looked cute. He just could not manage to look unattractive. What I would give to have that problem!

"Yes, it's just so aromatic and scrumptious," I smiled, turning to face the Devil King. Like the sleazeball or not, I had to put on my best act so I wouldn't get, uh, locked up or something in Hell.

He placed a cold hand on mine, and I was forced to drop the spoon into the bowl. It hit the bottom with a clank. "My pleasure. I made this menu specially for you, my dear. It's been a while since Heaven allowed a famous girl to come here."

I covered my mouth and giggled. It was just a habit of mine, and it wasn't that I was girly or anything. It was simply a habit. 

I could hear the clicks of cameras and flashes. 

The dinner progressed, and as I ate course after course of delicious food, I found myself stuffed, and this included my mind. It seemed to grow more and more cloudy as time passed. And after that the gray cloud in my mind swirled around, enveloping everything, and I shut my eyes, wincing from the pain and sudden disorientation.

I heard shouting. Disjointed words, funny voices- angry voices, yelling- the sound of people leaving in a hurry, equipment shoved into boxes or cases...

A pair of gentle hands slipped around my waist and I sighed. It felt so soothing and relaxing to be babied again...Then there was a loud crack, like someone had been blasted twenty feet away. I giggled, eyes still closed. Ah, that was funny...blasting people away...

But then the hands disappeared. They were replaced by stronger hands that pushed my waist in as they lifted my body, and jabbed mercilessly at my body.

"Eee, aah, ooh aah," I found myself frowning, eyebrows drawing together.

Shouting again. Footsteps, and again that loud crack. Then, silence.

I needed to open my eyes, right? But I felt so silly, so happy. I had never felt this way, free of every care in the world, and I liked this feeling so much...was it too selfish of me to choose feeling this over whatever was happening?

"Come, darling," a harsh voice grated on my ears. 

In my half-deadened state, I scrunched my eyes up. Eew, I didn't like that voice.

That jolted me awake. I was not going to be knocked out! NO! WAKE UP! I screamed at my brain and eyes. 

My eyes fluttered open, and I saw the dining room, once beautiful, and now in disarray. The cameras were gone. Lucifer was-

Oh, gods. I saw him. And to my fear and disgust, I was being carried by a man with snake's eyes, a crocodile heart and the brain of a pea. The Devil King had me cradled in his hands, nestled close to his chest. Okay, okay. I had to get out of this awkward situation. 

His grip loosened just a little as I pretended to murmur gibberish. Seeing the opportunity, I leapt out of his arms and fled to Lucifer, who was slumped in a corner. His eyes were shut and golden blood leaked from a cut on his cheek.

"Lucifer, are you awake?" I yelled, shaking his arm hard.

He lifted a hand weakly and covered the ear that was facing me. I didn't know whether to laugh or to cry, I was so outraged! He was such a defiant person even in a half conscious state. 

A chilling voice behind me made the hairs on my arms stand up straight, and Lucifer's eyes popped right open in horror.

"Don't be so evasive, dear. I want to have a talk with you. One-on-one, devil to girl."