Forbidden Bond To The Devil

Chapter Two

Hades

I woke up with a start.

The darkness and the shadows dancing around my room comforted me and for a second I almost forgot about the terrible nightmare that had just plagued me. How long had I been asleep anyway?

I reached my fingers to touch the space beside me and the coldness that greeted me had me hissing almost as if I was in pain. It had been long, too long since I had company grace my bed, and the loneliness in my dark heart was starting to eat me up slowly from the inside out.

Being an immortal came with its perks, like the ability to withstand the passage of centuries without feeling the weight of time upon one’s shoulders but sometimes it got boring and so I slept, for as long as my duties allowed me. But the thing with sleeping was the constant nightmares, visions of my past torturing me in my supposed sanctuary.

I could remember this last one clearly, I had been given a second chance.

She had been the most beautiful girl I had ever seen and in that dream, she danced between the light and the dark, her laughter like a melody that could banish any shadow, but slowly she had begun turning into a strange being, until she was completely unrecognizable and had held a knife over me.

Sighing heavily, I pulled myself out of my massive bed, my eyes were used to the darkness and I made my way towards the bathroom where the servants had prepared a steaming bath for me. As I sat in the warm water that helped to soothe my strained muscles I couldn’t help but ponder on my latest nightmare. It was different from the usual and I didn’t immediately know what to make of it.

The girl from the dream.

She had been beautiful, extremely so, but I don’t think I had ever seen her before and that was saying a lot because I had seen many, many souls in my lifetime. So much that they were almost starting to look alike. I could list every possible feature combination to ever exist but she was different.

I couldn’t tell if it was her silver hair or the strain of black that had danced within it, or if it was her eyes, a deep golden hue that danced with the light. Maybe she wasn’t an ordinary human. Could she be a supernatural? Maybe a Fae? In the dream, she had changed form so it wasn’t difficult to imagine her as a supernatural. But how could someone so beautiful transform into such a monstrous form?

My nightmares were never anything real and I had learned a long time ago that they were my karma, sent to torment me for the viciousness that I had once unleashed in the world, but something about this one felt different.

The water was starting to get cold and lose its allure and so I drained it out before rinsing off and moving back into the bedroom to begin my day. The silence that surrounded me as I slipped on my clothes and prepared for the day’s challenge wasn’t as satisfying as it usually was. In fact, at this moment, I craved company. I craved the presence of another being more than usual. I didn’t need them to talk to me, just knowing that they were here would have been more than enough.

After dressing, I made my way to the dining room. The magnificence of my castle greeted me through every corner that I walked. Many people knew me as the Demon Lord or the King of Hell as they liked to call me, but they always seemed to forget that I was also the Lord of Riches and whenever they thirsted for some, it was I who granted the request.

Every precious stone that formed underground was mine and so I wanted the best things for myself. My castle bathed in luxury and opulence was not a rare sight. Chandeliers adorned every room, casting a warm, golden glow that danced off the marble floors. Gold, glistening of gold everywhere, the intricate carvings on the grand doors, the velvet drapes that whispered against the cold stone walls. It satisfied me deeply.

I settled down to begin my breakfast, this was a part of my routine that annoyed me because I didn’t need to do it but I liked the normalcy that it brought to me so I indulged it every day. I had just begun eating when a servant walked into the grand room.

“Good morning Master.” He greeted and although I ignored him he went on.

“There’s a Fae here to see you. She says she brings you an important message.” The servant delivered and I paused, finally raising my head to meet him.

A Fae? In Hell?

Those proud, wannabe Angels usually preferred to stay far away from my gloomy, scary castles and preferred to lurk around Michael’s paradise. It wasn’t hard to see the reason though. Micheal might be stupid and made a lot of mistakes but he was also the kindest being and would open his Kingdom to every being. Well, except me and for good reasons too.

A Fae coming here would have taken a lot of courage and it also meant that whatever message she had was very important. Every being knew how easily irritated I got and my short temper made it even harder to deal with me.

“Send her in,” I responded, pushing the plate away having lost my appetite at the news.

A few minutes later a timid-looking girl walked into the room and I wasn’t sure what I was expecting but when I didn’t see a mop of silver hair with a strain of black my stomach dropped in disappointment.

“Speak.” I hissed through my teeth, irritation starting to slowly form through my frame.

“G-greetings t-to y-you H-hades.” She stuttered painfully, much to my annoyance.

“Speak if you want to or get out of my presence.” I bellowed and the poor girl cowered even more.

“I was meditating earlier today when I saw a vision. You’ve been granted a second chance and in Michael’s paradise resides the one who has been destined to chase away the gloom that resides in you and replace it with happiness unlike anything you’ve ever experienced.” She said and in a flash, I was standing beside her, as I wrapped my fingers around her neck and squeezed as hard as I could.

“How dare you come into my realm and mock me?” I spat in her face, squeezing even harder not caring that her face was starting to turn red and she was fighting to get air.

“I-I I’m not. She is the most beautiful girl I ever saw. With the most luscious silver hair and a strain of black and the most gorge-“ she continued to say but I wasn’t listening anymore.

I immediately let go of her throat, taking a step back. The small piece of information was causing my mind to reel. That was the girl from my dream. Could this be real? Or was The Fate trying to play some sort of sick joke on me? It wouldn’t be the first time.

“You say she resides in Michael’s paradise?” I asked and the girl nodded.

No wonder I was unable to recognize her.

“I thought it might be good news to you and ease the darkness that has taken over your heart. It would be a difficult relationship. You’re the king of Hell and she’s an Angel, chances are, she will fear you too much to want to have anything to do with you. But if you do things right, court her, make her fall for you slowly. I think the end of your dark days is here.” She said and I let out a loud laughter.

Without saying another word, I pushed her out of the way and made my way out of my castle. I could hear her calling after me as she rushed to keep up with me but I didn’t stop to wait for what she had to say.

“Hades! Wait! You can’t go there and take her forcefully! This is Michael’s kingdom remember? And you’re not welcome there. Plus, if you take her forcefully, you will scare her away and she might never love you. Hades, wait!” The Fae called but it was too late.

It was a good thing the Lord of the Angels had many dark secrets. One of which was asking for a favor from the devil himself. I might not be welcome in paradise but Micheal knew he wouldn’t be able to turn me away at least this once.

I was already going through the portal that led out of the underworld and I shut it immediately I was through to make sure no one could follow me.

***

The moment I stepped through the gates of paradise, I let out a hiss of pain. Why the f**k was everything so damn bright in this kingdom? The shadows that usually accompanied me wherever I went dissipated as soon as I stepped through the gates and I could already feel the effect of the Kingdom start to slowly weaken me.

I couldn’t be here for long.

Luckily, I could hear the quartet playing in the grand hall, and from the empty streets I could tell that Micheal was hosting another one of his extravagant feasts so I made my way there and the closer I got to the hall the stronger the pull that I had.

She was here. I could feel it.

What I didn’t understand though was how an Angel in paradise could have such powerful, dark energy around her that seemed to attract me. It didn’t make any sense, but this was not the time to question it because as I approached the hall, the scent of her presence grew stronger, and with each step, my determination to reach her intensified. Until I was forcefully taking off the door to the hall.

And just ahead of me, already watching the door with fear dancing in her beautiful golden eyes almost as if she had been anticipating my arrival, was the girl from my dream.

And she looked more beautiful than my mind could have been able to conjure. Without thinking, I made my way towards the front of the room determined to take her home with me.