The Beast and Beauty

Chapter 8: The most wicked, the most evil and the most vilest

Arabella

I closed up the shop and then we headed home. Outside I saw the farmers’ lands that used to be filled with crops and fruit and vegetables and farm animals, now it was empty and dead, even the grass was dead, and no flowers bloomed.

“Do you reckon you could break this curse she cast upon us?” I asked.

Lucifer looked up at the sky and then back to me. “Sure, easily fixed if you can find a way to get this chain off me.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, and he muttered, “fine, a curse like this isn’t so easily fixed but yes, I could still break it, it came from my realm after all.”

“How? I thought you denied her entry.”

“I did, but Zatana has a sly way of working around the rules, she sent some dumb a.ss licker to do it for her on the pretence it was for themselves.”

“Must you be so horrid, I’m more inclined to believe they were terrified of her and felt forced into it.”

I jumped in fright when my stepmother appeared behind us. “You’re late on starting dinner, Arabella, but I see you both got distracted talking about me.”

Lucifer sneered at her with contempt, or more accurately a deep burning hatred for her. She put her hand on my shoulder and linked her other arm through Lucifer’s. “Would you like to know the full truth about this curse?”

When we both just looked at her confused, she grinned like she knew a secret we didn’t. “Those fairy tale books you used to beg your father to bring back from earth? Well, I learned a thing or two from them myself when I was forced to listen to those childish stories. I thought if true love could, in fact, break any curse, then it was better to be safe than sorry.”

She stopped us from walking and knelt in front of me, still smiling. “You are the product of true love, but you know that, your mother and father loved one another truly and on a soul-deep level and in turn he loved you just as much even when your mother died giving birth to you. I didn’t want any chance of him or another’s love to break the curse and save both this town and you, but as always, there are rules to curses, there always has to be that meddling true love in there to break them.”

“Stop rambling and just get to the f.ucking point witch,” Lucifer snapped.

She didn’t even look up at him, her eyes were firmly on mine. “I added a special mixture to my curse, true love can still break it, but I chose who’s true love it has to be, I thought who is incapable of love and even if he is then who would he least likely ever fall in love with?” She stood up for dramatic effect and spread her hands in the air. “Who is the most vilest, the most evil and the most wicked in all the realms? Why the devil of course, only the beasts’ love for you can break this curse, you’re too kind, I knew it would be much too easy for you to fall in love with him, so I made sure the curse can only be broken when HE falls in love with YOU, and let’s face it girl he will never love you.”

Her words hurt me deeply and tears filled my eyes, but it was Lucifer who had been listening intently to every word she said, and he asked, “you said save her, from what?”

She looked back at him and smiled cruelly, “oh, did I forget to add that bit of information? I mixed Arabella’s life in the curse, I have a beautiful glittering purple rose safely in my spell room in a glass, don’t be fooled by its beauty though, for when the last petal drops Arabella here dies. You have until then to fall in love with her, but we both know that won’t happen don’t we, beast?” She laughed in glee and disappeared.

A tear fell free and rolled down my cheek. “Are you ok?” Lucifer asked.

“I can’t believe she would do something so cruel, I mean I knew she always hated me, but this much? Enough to want me to die?”

I looked down into my lap, and Lucifer came behind me and wheeled me along the street. “I’m sorry she did this to you, unfortunately she’s right, I am incapable of love. I’ve done such dark and evil things and I enjoy them, there is no love or goodness to be found in me.”

I reached up and touched his hand gently, “let’s just go home and cook dinner. I want to forget these dark thoughts for a while.”

When we got back and started cooking, I cut and prepped the vegetables for a chicken stew. Stall owners have to cross to other realms for vegetables and fruit these days. I was cutting while Lucifer begrudgingly pulled out the pots we needed and set up plates and bowls when I asked, “you mentioned that God isn’t the only God, is that true?”

He looked around for the cutlery when he absentmindedly answered, “uh, yes, there are many Gods and Goddesses.”

“So why do people think there is only one God?”

He looked up at me and gave me his full attention. “There are realms and people who believe in the other Gods and Goddesses too, earth seems to be the one that most strongly holds onto the belief there is only one, just how man intended it to be a very long time ago.”

“So Zeus and Hercules are real?” I half joked.

“Zeus yes, Hercules yes and no, he is real but not the stories, In fact he’s a bit of a d.ick.”

I giggled at that and then asked, “so is your love a Goddess?”

“She’s not my love, she’s someone I f.uck and that’s it.”

“No, you like her, I can tell, especially if you want to get back to her.”

He rolled his eyes at me but didn’t deny it and said, “yes, she is a Goddess, Hecate.”

I dropped the knife in shock. “Hecate? The Goddess of witchcraft? I bet my stepmother tried to talk to her.”

“She’s many things, not just a Goddess of witchcraft, but yes, apparently Zatana tried working with Hecate to get what she wanted.”

“What happened?”

He shrugged and started putting the cut vegetables into the pot. “I happened, Hecate is wild and unpredictable and quite often will give her followers what they want, but she’s not above listening to reason and I told her not to give Zatana what she wanted.”

“What did she want?”

“This curse she cast, it’s from my realm, but it was originally a gift from Hecate to me.”

I looked up at him, and he snapped, “don’t look at me like that.”

“Well I am sorry, but why on earth would you want such a thing as a gift?”

“For many reasons, none of which I need to explain to you.” I huffed in annoyance at his response, and he placed both his hands on the table and looked down at me. “You do know who I am, right? I am known as the devil or the beast, like your stepmother said, I am the most vilest the most wicked and evil, are you really so surprised?”

“No I’m not, but I also know there is much more to you than just a wicked and cruel beast, I think you are capable of much more, and you simply choose to hide it.”