The Beast and Beauty

Chapter 20: Divine energy

Arabella

I hid the worry those words produced and asked, “why?”

“It’s my spell, my magic, so it requires my blood. You don’t need to drink much, just a little, and then you chant the spell with me.”

I hadn’t really expected it to be so easy, had I? But I thought on it, I could do this. I nodded, and he seemed surprised, I was a little surprised too.

After breakfast, he wheeled me to a different room, it was big and spacious, only this room seemed to be made of wood unlike the rest, dark mahogany, shelves were filled with potions and spells in bottles and other things like little creatures that I didn’t want to look too closely at.

He sat on the floor where a faded pentagram had been drawn. He looked at my face and smirked, “don’t worry princess, this was just someone’s idea of a joke, we don’t need the pentagram.”

He came and carried me over onto the floor with him and sat me between his legs with my back against his chest. This close against him, I found it hard to breathe, I remembered the feel of his lips upon mine last night, he had tasted like the moonlight and sunshine and warmth and love all at once, If such things could have a taste, there had certainly been no doubt about his divinity in that kiss.

He felt warm against my back and strong, this close I could feel just how powerful he truly was, and I asked, “do you have to dampen your power at all for humans?”

The question surprised him, but he answered, “yes, I have to hide my true power for a lot of beings, not just humans.”

“How come?”

“It’s just too overwhelming for them, even the little divinity you feel now can confuse the brain, I’m not sure how to explain it, but it’s a foreign feeling to the human mind and so it will interpret it the best way it can, sometimes it makes people feel fear, or anger or lust or love when I am near, or when any of my demons are near them.

I worried that my feelings for him maybe weren’t true, was this all my brain trying to process being so close to the divine energy he had? “So people could think they are in love with you when they are not really? Could they also think you are in love with them?”

“You are quite perceptive, yes, actually that happens quite a lot, especially in the realms without magic like earth. I’ve had people feel like they are in love with me or me them, but it’s simply my divine energy they are feeling.” He said the word divine with such disdain.

“So you’ve never loved a human before?”

I tried not to let my heart sink, after all he was Hecate’s not mine, or he wanted to be at least.

“No, well, not like that anyway, some of my demons are crush type demons, but I am not one of them, Dagon is, Asmoday is but like me Belial is not.”

“Belial? I think Dagon introduced me to him briefly, he’s a little scary.”

Lucifer laughed. “Ah yes, he can be quite cold and blunt, even callous at times, but he’s not that bad, certain people he can be really rather gentle and kind to if he loves them or likes them.”

“Loves?”

“Not romantically, though f.uck me you’d be surprised how many of you humans want it to be romantic with him and me, but no, if we do love you it’s more, hmm, fatherly I suppose.”

My eyes widened at that, and I turned to look at him, I think my heart literally just exploded and turned into ash. He could never love me romantically?

He grinned at my face and I quickly turned away, but it was too late, he had seen the fear. “I don’t see you like a child, you’re fine Belle.”

“You’re romantic about Hecate, though?”

I desperately wanted the subject off me.

“Hmm, yes, well she’s a goddess, and I’ve known her a very long time.”

“Why do you like her so much?”

I wondered if he would open up about their love story.

“I just do, I love how wild and unpredictable she is, I love how free she makes me feel and how she isn’t afraid to challenge me.” As if he realized how deep those words sounded, he added, “and let’s not forget how wild she is in bed, and beyond sexy and beautiful.”

I tried not to let his words hurt me, I needed to accept he would never view me in that way, and it wasn’t fair to expect him to.

“So, are you ready?” He asked. I nodded, and he picked up a small dagger that had been lying beside him, I was encircled within his arms as he lifted the blade and brought it down on his right arm and cut.