Chapter 19 — Things just get weirder and weirder

Zoe:

I can’t believe what I’m hearing. My life has taken so many turns, but I never expected it to get this bizarre. I feel like Alice down the rabbit hole. There’s no other explanation, though. It’s beyond coincidental that I’ve seen this man before. He’s the man from my nightmares. The one who has killed me. I struggle in his arms, feeling some kind of electricity vibrating around us. My stomach flips as I become weightless. I feel like when I used to ride the Splash Mountain ride at Disney. I remember the excitement of going up the mountain and the way my body would float before it would plunge down. That’s how I feel right now, weightless.

My eyes burn as a sharp beam of light burns through my retinas. My head spins and aches with every sharp, piercing slash of light. Just as soon as it starts, it stops. I close my eyes, trying to stave off the nausea revolving inside my gut. My head pounds painfully; I feel like I just got off a roller coaster. After a moment, my world is set to rights. I blink my eyes and focus on where I am standing.

I gasp in shock at what I find. I’m in some kind of throne room. The walls are a fiery black with glowing embers of a fire. It reminds me of how charcoal grilling looks like when it’s in full fervor. However, it doesn’t smell like smoke. The place actually smells like roses. The floor is covered with a thick red carpet, and in the middle of the room, there is a throne made out of steel. The throne’s solid sheen glows with a blinding silver light in the center of the room. A noise behind reminds me that I’m not alone.

Turning around, I come face to face with Lucifer. “Where am I?” I ask, feeling half mystified and have terrified of the answer. Lucifer tilts his gorgeous head to the side and gives me a snide smirk. “Where do you think you are, luv?” I close my eyes again, trying to clear my thoughts. I know what his husky British voice is asking, but I can’t bring myself to believe it. I mean, there’s no way that I’m in hell. It’s just ridiculous. The devil can’t be standing before me. And he’s definitely not talking to me with the same James Bond accent that Azazel has.

However, he doesn’t look like I expected him to. For starters, he looks younger than I expected. He looks like he’s in his early twenties. He has dark wavy hair, intensely dark eyes, and a chiseled jaw. He kind of reminds me of that really hot model Simon Nessman. He’s tall and muscled with an athletic frame and the most beautiful angelic face I've ever seen. His eyes are mysterious and fringed with long lashes, and his jaw is sharp with pouty lips.

A snapping sound in front of my face pulls me back from my thoughts. Flinching, I take a step back and open my eyes. Without a thought, I slap his hand away from me. Thankfully, Lucifer seems more bemused than angry at my tone. “My, oh my, you are a feisty one, aren’t you?” He asks, sliding a tendril of my hair through his finger and quirking his lip with a jeer.

I take another step back, making him release my hair and reply, “I’ve seen you before, in my nightmares. Why are you doing this to me?” He snorts with contempt and strides elegantly towards the glowing throne. He carelessly slumps down onto the seat comfortably. It’s difficult not to stare at such blatant male perfection. He throws off the same ‘don’t fuck with me vibe’ that Azazel does. He also projects the same sexual aura, albeit a little more potently than Azazel, which is saying a lot because Azazel is walking sex on a stick.

My body heats when he leans his back on the throne and carelessly rests a leg over one of the armrests. One thing that the Bible had right is that Lucifer is one of the most beautiful fallen angels that I have ever seen. He has pitch black hair and the darkest eyes I’ve ever seen. Where my eyes are the color of ocean waves, his are a velvety midnight blue—reminding me of a moonstone. He’s dressed in a black fitted shirt that contours to his muscled chest and black leather pants that look like they’re painted over his powerful thighs. Twining his arms carelessly over his washboard stomach, he narrows his eyes towards me and takes a deep breath.

“Believe it or not, I’m sorry for killing you all of these centuries. However, you have to understand that this is the only way I could make Azazel pay. And my job is to deliver punishment to those who step out of line. Azazel betrayed me... Me! The king of hell!” His face tightens as he points at his chest heatedly. I flinch back at his every threatening statement. He’s not shouting, though, which makes it even more frightening. No, he sounds calm and cold in his indignation. As if at any moment, he will explode and annihilate anyone within his vicinity.

My breath hitches and my heart speeds up at the sound of his fury. Shaking my head, I take a step back to create more distance. My body is on high alert, prepared to escape at any moment. My head still aches from my relapse into song earlier. I should have told Sahara no. I should have never sung. Regret wars with my terror as my thoughts swirl back to Azazel and the determined look on his face before we disappeared. I can’t stop wishing that he was here. I’m usually a very independent woman, but this is beyond anything I’d ever consider. I never expected to be kidnapped by the devil himself. I don’t know what to feel right now. Not wanting to think about it anymore, I block off my thoughts and focus on the matter at hand.

“I don’t understand? How is this possible? And why would you kill me to punish Azazel? I’ve only known him for a few weeks.” I utter in bewilderment. Lucifer scoffs and thumps his head back onto the backrest before he rises with unnatural speed. I stumble back, frightened by his large presence stopping before me. I feel like a cornered animal as he takes me by the forearms and pushes me against a nearby wall. “Oh, lovely girl, it’s more than possible. After all, you are Azazel’s fated soul mate.”

He releases my arms but remains in front of me with a penetrating stare. “You see...” He continues to talk as he raises his hand and caresses his index finger down my cheek. “…what you’ve thought were dreams are actually memories of your past lives, and I’ve killed you in all of them. Of course, you have to be such a pest and reincarnate every few hundred years. It’s a bloody nuisance. And to add insult to injury, your new reincarnation is of a powerful Siren.” He finishes with an accusing glare.

I don’t know how, but somehow I feel like I should apologize for not dying permanently. Dazed beyond belief, I shake my head in denial, even though, inside, I know that what he is telling me is true. And if that is the case, then this deep, intense, emotional need that I feel for Azazel also makes sense. My throat clogs with horror as his eyes darken into molten pools of ebony. I feel like I am looking into a bottomless pit of nothingness. My vision hazes as I am pulled into the never-ending desolation of nonexistence in his eyes. It’s a feeling I’m being sucked into the waves of a dark, dismal bottomless ocean, and I can’t breathe.

My lungs burn with every breath I take. I want to close my eyes, but I can’t. As quickly as it starts, it stops. Lucifer takes a step back and watches as I slump down breathlessly onto the floor. “Don’t worry, my little Siren; I don’t want to kill you—this time. No, there’s something else I want from you.” I rub my hand over my throat as I watch him warily.

“What do you want?” I croak out. He simply smiles and extends a hand to help me up. I hesitate at first, then reluctantly take his hand and rise from the floor, never taking my eyes off his. But he simply gives me a congenial smile, pretending that he didn't just nearly suffocate me with his deadly power.

After a moment, he loosens his grip on my hand and takes a step back. “It’s very simple, really. I want to know why your power exudes such a strong corruption. Sirens aren’t the malicious sort. Yet, you nearly brought down the club tonight. It makes no sense. You shouldn’t have such malignant power.”

He throws his head back and inhales deeply before he lowers his head and hones his gaze on me with speculation. “So tell me, luv? How is it that you’ve come to be this strong?”

I shake my head at his question. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t even know what a Siren is.” Lucifer’s eyes widened with incredulity. “You really don’t know what you are?” I shake my head and swallow deeply. “No.” To my chagrin, he throws his head back and lets out a boisterous chuckle.

All I can do is stand there and tolerate his mocking amusement. After a few seconds, his laughter dies down to a few muffled cackles. He sniggers and shakes his head in bemusement. “Oh, luv, the things you should know. Well, let me educate you, my beauty. Sirens are rare supernatural creatures who can influence a being by using their voice. You can usually find them frolicking near the ocean. However, several centuries ago, they began to live and mate with humans. Unfortunately, the intermixing of human and siren blood meant more human children and fewer sirens.” He says with a look of disgust and continues. “Which became the reason for the decline in the Siren population. Bloody humans ruin everything.”

I tense when he takes my hand in his gently and raises it between us. “Only the females of the species can be Sirens. This makes the power even more unique if you ask me. You, my dear, are one of a handful of Sirens left in existence. I’m surprised that Azazel hasn’t told you what you are or of the perversion of your power.”

His words give me pause. “What do you mean?” He scoffs at my question, circling around me with an attentive look. I try not to drool when he raises his hand and rubs his thumb over his lush lips. “Well, luv. Considering that Azazel is a demon with very strong power, I’d think he’d have noticed the perverted magic surrounding you. It’s impossible that he’d have missed it. It literary oozes from your pores.”

I look down at my hands, trying to see what he is implying. However, they look normal. No weird glowing power, blood, or anything. He scoffs again and reaches for my hands, gripping them tightly. “That’s not how it works, luv. You have to use your supernatural powers to see it.” Somehow his words make my fear disappear to be replaced with molten anger. I tear my hands from his and take a few desperate steps back. “No, this is not right! You’re trying to scare me. I’m done with this! Please, just let me go!” My voice rises to a near hysteric level. I turn around and look around the room, desperate to find a door. I just want to get out. A feeling of suffocation tightens over my chest again, but this time he’s not the one suffocating me.

I notice from the corner of my eye that Lucifer is about to say something, but I don’t want to hear it. All I want is a moment to breathe. My eyes focus on a nearby wall. It looks different from the others. I make my way towards it and stumble back when I crash into a large force. Arms settle over my forearms and keep me from falling onto the floor. My eyes clash with glowing amber ones. The weight of my shoulders lifts as relief courses through me. It’s Azazel. And he looks irate. Before I can say a word, he pulls me behind me and faces a startled Lucifer.

“How the bloody hell did you get in here?” Lucifer asks furiously. My breath hitches when another voice interjects. “I let him in, father.” I turn around and face Fallon. Lucifer’s eyes narrow into thin slits and his chest stalls when he sees who it is. “Fallon…my son. What do you think you’re doing?” He asks with a cold sneer. Fallon moves forward and stands shoulder to shoulder with Azazel. He crosses his arms and gives Lucifer his most fierce glower. “What are you doing, father?” Fallon asks evenly.

Azazel takes my hand and takes a deep breath before he whispers. “Apparently, your father has been killing my mate for the past … I don’t know how long, all because he’s buggered over the fact that I left his service. And now he’s trying to kill her again.”

Fallon gives Lucifer an exasperated look. “Why am I not surprised that you’d be so pretty?”

Lucifer shrugs with an air of indifference. “So, what if I bloody am? He humiliated me!”

Fallon rubs his forehead as if trying to halt a headache and shakes his head. “So, you thought it would be a brilliant idea to kill his mate?”

Lucifer shakes his head and strides back towards his throne to slump carelessly over the seat. Releasing a deep, suffering sigh, he slides his hands across the throne’s armrests and gives us a harmless smile. “Me? I’m just getting to know Azazel’s beautiful little Siren. Aren’t we, luv?” He asks me with a wounded pout. I shake my head in astonishment at his seemingly innocent reply.

Azazel’s shoulders stiffen, and a growl escapes his pointed teeth. “You bloody, vindictive git. You couldn’t let it go, could you? I gave you what you wanted. I left hell, and I stayed out of your way, but you couldn’t tolerate the fact that I thwarted you.”

Azazel’s body swells in his anger. Every muscle in his body begins to vibrate. I watch in awe as his wings begin to retract from his back, and his hands begin to sprout claws. I can’t see his face, but I’m sure that his eyes are glowing, and his sharp teeth are protruding from his mouth. He lets out an outraged cry and launches himself toward Lucifer.

However, Lucifer is not to be left behind. His body changes too. His leather jacket and jeans begin to reshape and mold to him like a second skin, and large red wings with what looks like sharp horns at the tips extend from his back. Horns grow out of his head, and his legs lengthen like that of a cat. Sharp claws over long feline paws replace his boots. His body looks like a dragon’s skin but in black and red. That’s what he reminds me of, a dragon with a human-like face. Even in that form, he is somewhat alluring.

“I’m going to kill you!” Azazel shouts as he launches from the floor toward Lucifer. Both men fly up and forward and collide with each other. I flinch when they both hit the ground hard and start pummeling each other. Azazel falls on his back, while Lucifer straddles him and strikes him hard on the face. Lucifer is about to strike another blow when Azazel's head-butts him, pulls his legs back, and pushes his chest. Lucifer tumbles back but gets up quickly and kicks him in the stomach as Azazel is getting up.

Azazel’s body rolls back, but he does this weird flying back spring and lands on his own two feet.

They both stand aggressively in front of each other, waiting for the other to make a move. Both men have blood on their faces, but I don’t see any sign of a cut. Azazel spits blood out of his mouth and prepares to attack again. “Why couldn’t you have just let it go, Lucifer? I kept my end of the bargain. I left hell and never tried to go against you. Why did you make a go for my mate?”

Lucifer aims a clawed hand at Azazel’s throat, but Azazel dodges it, falls on one knee, and kicks Lucifer’s legs from under him. Lucifer falls to both knees with an angry cry and blasts some sort of magic from his hand, thrusting Azazel to a nearby wall. “Do you think that would make things right, Azazel? You humiliated me that night. You snuck into my room and held a sword to my throat. Do you think I would let that go without retribution? I’m the damned king of hell! What kind of evil warlord would I be if I let you go unscathed? You needed to suffer for your betrayal! And I found a way to do it over and over again!”

I cry out in desperation when Azazel’s knees buckle as he slides down the wall. However, he doesn’t give up. He’s about to rise from his subjugating position when Lucifer materializes a sword out of thin air and thrusts it toward his neck. I move forward as if to protect him, but Fallon intervenes instead.

“For hell’s sake, stop it! Both of you!”

Both men stop their struggles but remain standing there like two fuming bulls. Fallon takes a deep breath and looks at his father. “Listen to me, father. This is not the best time for such petty squabbles. We have bigger issues to deal with, and if you want to continue being the king of hell, you have to cease your vendetta against Azazel. Because if you don’t, being humiliated is the least of your worries.”

Lucifer narrows his eyes and walks to his throne with a threatening glare. “What do you mean if I want to continue being king of hell? Are you trying to usurp me, boy?”

Fallon rolls his eyes and makes a calming gesture with his hands. “No, father, I’m not trying to usurp you. But someone else is. And if you don’t let this go, they will win. Killing Zoe will only bring the end faster.”

Lucifer’s eyes focus back on me with a menacing glare. Azazel must see his intent because he walks to me and wraps me protectively in his arms.

“Is she the Erue?” Lucifer asks Fallon with a sinister calmness. Fallon shakes his head. “No, she’s not the Erue. But she is a power siphon that is being used by an evil witch to put an end to the world.”

His words hit me like a bomb. I look at Azazel for help, but to my shock, he doesn’t seem surprised by the revelation. Placing my hand on his cheek, I turn his head to face me.

“What is he talking about, Azazel?” I croak out, terrified of what his answer will be.

Azazel’s eyes dim as he gazes at me imploringly. “This was not how I wanted to tell you.” He says with a rueful grimace.

I close my eyes, trying to wake myself. Perhaps I’m in some kind of nightmare right now. Perhaps I got in some kind of accident and am dreaming this whole thing up. It would make sense then why I’m dreaming of such gorgeous men in one place. I feel like I’m experiencing a roller coaster of emotions. But nothing happens. I’m still in the same place when I open them back up again.

“What is he talking about, Azazel? What’s a siphon? Why is he saying that I’m a Siren?” I ask Azazel in panic. “Please, tell me this isn’t real?”

He shakes his head, keeping his eyes directed at Lucifer with a scowl. “I’m sorry, luv. There is a great deal we need to talk about. But I promise you; I will not let anyone hurt you.” I shake my head, trying to regulate my breathing and push away from his arms. Placing my hands over my ears, I back away from him. “Not this is not real!” I choke out.

Azazel extends his hand to me in entreaty. “It’s real, Zoe. Everything is real. Please let me explain.”

Lucifer lets out a bemused snicker. “Yes, please explain, Azazel. What in the bleeding hell is happening here?”

Azazel extends his claws and takes a threatening step toward Lucifer. “Do you think that I want to explain anything to you after what you’ve done, you daft fool? I’d rather let the fates take your arse back to hell and let you deal with this on your own.”

Fallon holds Lucifer back and mutters. “Stop it, father. Just take a breath. How about we go somewhere to talk privately.” He turns to Azazel with a grave look. “I know you’re angry at him, Azazel, but we have to consider the big picture now. We need Lucifer.”

Everyone glares in Lucifer’s direction when he snorts in response.

Fallon exhales in irritation and continues. “The fate of hell and the world are at stake right now! We need to sort this out before we all end up dead! So, let’s put our squabbles aside for now so that we may save the bloody world!” He snaps at both of them in agitation.

Fallon and I both wait with bated breath as Azazel and Lucifer both stand there in a Mexican standoff. On the one hand, I want Azazel to kick Lucifer’s ass, but on the other, if what Fallon says is true, there’s definitely a lot that needs to be said. A lot that I need to know about. Because if what Lucifer said about what I am is real, I am in the middle of it all. I just don’t know how I’m going to handle whatever they’re going to say. And that rocks me to the core.