The Devil's Lover: The Resurrection

It was impossible not to kiss her back. After all, he had imagined it ever since he saw her soft coral lips. She tasted so sweet. It was everything he thought it would be. He reached for her arms to draw her closer to him. Her skin felt as smooth as it looked. If he could have her…if she could be his…

  He knew he was going to regret what he was about to do. Still, he abruptly broke the kiss. When she wanted another, he pushed her back until they both sat up straight.

  “No,” he said as he held onto her tiny wrists. “Fey, it’s happening again.”

  She looked confused. “Don’t you want me?” she asked. “I can tell you want me.”

  Grant groaned with frustration. “Look, Fey, you’re not yourself right now. It would be wrong of me to take advantage of you.”

  Her eyes glowed brightly, angered by his rejection. He winced when it looked like she was going to strike him. When he opened his eyes again, she lay unconscious on the floor.

  †††††

  “Oh God, no!” Chevalier said after he opened the door to his apartment. Lucifer stood amongst the torn up furniture and shattered glass. Other smaller items scattered all over the floor. “I just- damn it, Lucifer! I just cleaned up this morning! Do you have to bring a hurricane with you everywhere you go?"

  “I have a feeling you have something to do with this.”

  “What?”

  “You dropped that rodent at my place on purpose. Surely, you knew.”

  Chevalier realized what Lucifer was referring to.

  “About time,” Chevalier rolled his eyes, “and it was not a rodent.”

  “And there is more you’re still not telling me,” Lucifer accused.

  “I’m not required to tell you anything.” Chevalier began to pick the papers on the ground. “Looks like a typhoon just hit this place.”

  Her scent still lingered in the air.

  “That demon…” Lucifer recalled. It was a suspicious detail. “Why are you and Trent protecting her?”

  “She’s hot?” Chevalier knew he was testing Lucifer’s patience. He turned his face to the side so Lucifer wouldn’t be able to see him trying to hold back a laugh.

  “Where is she?”

  “Last time I checked, she ran away with her photographer. He's in his early thirties, handsome, and single.” That last piece of information was completely irrelevant.

  “I will clear this up once and for all.”

  “Aren’t you curious?” Chevalier asked.

  “About?”

  “Even if she is who you think she is…hypothetically speaking…how do you know she didn't have a change of heart, too?”

  “Complete nonsense,” Lucifer dismissed the question.

  “I don’t believe you are not one bit curious if there is anything between them.”

  He could tell Lucifer was on the verge of punching him. “An island, near the coast. If you go now, you might be able to catch up to them.”

  And quick enough, Lucifer was gone.

  “Naughty me, I shouldn't have teased him like that,” Chevalier told himself. “But on the other hand, after everything Lucifer has put me and Kali through, he deserves to suffer a little.”

  Looking back at his trashed apartment, Chevalier realized it was going to be a long night.

  †††††

  She didn’t know why Grant had been stealing glances at her the entire morning. There was a curious look on his face, like he wanted to ask something but didn’t know if he should. Kali quickly dried the rest of the dishes and placed them in the cupboard when she heard the coffee pot whistle.

  “How do you like your coffee, Grant?” she picked up the pot and poured the contents into the coffee cup.

  “Black, thank you.”

  “That’s odd,” she brought the cup of coffee to him. “That’s how Chevalier likes his coffee, too.”

  “How long have you known Chevalier?”

  “How long?” Kali did some calculations in her head. “All my life, I guess. I don’t recall a year without him.”

  “How long is ‘all your life’?”

  “I might be older than you.”

  He laughed heartily. “I’m at least ten years older than you are.”

  Yes, it was hard to believe. She wasn’t going to convince him. Chronologically, she was already thirty-five years old, even though she only remembered living twenty-two years of it.

  “Are you sure this island is inactive?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I felt movements in the earth. Can’t you feel it, too?”

  Grant shook his head, “No, there’s no volcano on this island.”

  “Oh.” That was odd. She could have sworn she felt subtle disturbances in the ground. “I must have imagined it then. Do you have any plans for today?”

  “I thought I could take a few pictures of you in swimwear, but that was before I knew you were sensitive to the sun.”

  She looked outside the window and hesitated for a long moment. She looked back at Grant and then lowered her eyes to look at his chest. She had been feeling guilty for causing him so much pain.

  Kali sensed Lucifer’s presence and hostile intensions suddenly growing near.

  She had promised him that he would never see her face again. He was eager to get rid of her, so why was he looking for her? Her body was shaking with fear. She was terrified of him, but she didn’t know why. This energy from him was dark and ominous.

  Kali flinched when she felt a tap on her shoulder and dropped the cup of coffee onto the carpet.

  “Did I startle you?” Grant asked as he picked the cup up from the ground.

  “We need to get out of here. Please, we need to get away from here,” Kali pleaded. She quickly looked out of the window and then tugged Grant by the sleeve. “There isn’t much time.”

  “Get out of here?” Grant looked confused. “Why? It’s perfectly safe here.”

  “No, it’s not safe,” Kali promised him. “He’s coming.”

  “Who?” Grant followed Kali outside and quickened his pace to keep up with her. “Who’s coming?”

  “There’s no time to explain,” Kali quickly ran toward the parked helicopter. “I don’t know what his intensions are, but he’s angry. If we don’t leave now, he’ll catch up to us.”

  Grant caught Kali by the wrist to stop her from running. “Is this man you’re talking about who I think he is?”

  “There’s no time!” she warned. “We need to leave now!”

  “Why are you so afraid of him? What did he do to you?” Grant gave her a suspicious look. When she refused to answer, he pressed on. “We’re on a secluded island. There is no way he can reach here. He won’t be able to hurt you here.”

  “You don’t understand. There isn’t a place on this Earth he can’t reach. He’s close by!”

  “How…how do you know this?”

  “I…I can feel him. I can sense him,” Kali stared toward the northern sky. “Each second we waste, he’s getting closer.”

  “Even if he is coming, I want to face this man,” Grant refused to budge.

  “You may not have a choice,” Kali said in a worried tone. “He’s already here.”

  Grant scanned their surroundings and was taken aback when he saw Lucifer materialize several meters away. Kali instinctively hid behind Grant's body.

  “Trent?”

  Kali shook her head. “He’s not Trent…”

  “What are you?” Grant inquired, keeping calm. His heart was pounding in frenzy.

  “What kind of protection do you think he can provide you by standing behind him?” Lucifer asked the girl, ignoring the human completely.

  Kali winced when she felt Lucifer’s fierce eyes on her.

  “Since when are you afraid of me?” Lucifer moved closer to them. Grant stepped in front of Kali, making a clear line of defense. Lucifer made a gesture with his hand and sent Grant flying onto the sand. “Who will protect you now?”

  “Leave him out of this.”

  ?
??I am not interested in him. Without a doubt, you would shed tears for this unworthy man if I did kill him,” Lucifer said as he blocked Grant’s assault. This time, Lucifer kept Grant suspended in the air. “However, I will make use of him if you are uncooperative.”

  “Let me go!” Grant shouted.

  “I didn’t know blackmail was your specialty.”

  “It is not,” Lucifer assured her.

  “What do you want from me, Lucifer? Why are you here?” Kali lowered her eyes. “You couldn’t wait to get rid of me.”

  “Right now you sound like you want to get rid of me.”

  “Go back to your wife, Lucifer,” she couldn’t look at him in the eyes when she said that.

  “Aren’t you supposed to convince me otherwise?” Lucifer raised her chin with the tips of his fingers.

  “Be a man!” Grant reacted to his gesture. “Can’t you see she doesn’t want you?”

  “What I do with her is none of your concern.”

  “What are you planning to do with me?” Kali demanded.

  “I have reconsidered.” He was using his seductive voice. “Perhaps it is not a bad idea to keep you by my side.”

  “You-” Anger rose up her cheeks. Unacceptable! Completely unacceptable! “You have a wife,” she said through gritted teeth.

  “Wasn’t that what you wanted when you crawled into my bed?”

  She did not hesitate to slap him across the face. He didn’t dodge. Tears swelled up in her eyes. She couldn’t believe what he was saying. What he was proposing. It was preposterous! She could forgive him for not recognizing her. At least then –

  Oh God, she felt betrayed.

  “She’s not that kind of woman!” Grant struggled to escape his suspension.

  “Another unwanted comment from you, and I will personally guarantee your demise.” It would only take a second or two.

  “Yes, that was exactly what I wanted,” Kali said with tears streaming down her cheeks. She offered him her hand. “You saw right through me.”

  “No, Fey!” Grant objected. He reached out to her, but it was futile. They both disappeared into thin air. Several seconds later, gravity slammed him back to the ground.

  Chapter 15: His Wife and Mistress

  He banged on the door many times before Chevalier answered it. Grant rushed into the apartment without the other man’s consent. He searched the house quickly before he realized that she wasn’t there.

  “Did they make up yet?” Chevalier asked.

  “You knew about him, didn’t you?” Grant grabbed Chevalier by the collar.

  “Why? What happened now?”

  “He took her,” Grant pulled on the collar aggressively. “That creature took her!”

  Chevalier brushed Grant aside and snickered at his choice of words. “They’ll be fine, he won’t harm her.”

  “How do you know for sure?”

  “Because he knows who she is, and he won’t harm a hair on her head,” Chevalier yawned. “Now go home and let me rest. I spend the whole day cleaning Lucifer’s mess.”

  “Is that his name?” Grant tried to recall. “Yes…Fey mentioned his name once before, but I didn’t look into it. When I first met Trent, I had a feeling I had seen his face somewhere. This man's aura reminded me of...that event thirteen years ago.”

  “What event?” Chevalier asked curiously.

  “I was only an amateur photographer at that time and was assigned to the zoo. That was when…those pictures, if I can find those pictures, I can confirm it.”

  He rushed out of the door.

  †††††

  Lucifer sat leaning against the sofa with his glass of red wine. He gave it a light swirl before taking a sip. His keen eyes were on her. When she couldn’t take being stared at any longer, she snatched the glass from his hand and drank it. She grabbed the bottle and chugged down the rest. It was too bitter for her taste, but it wasn’t nearly as bitter as how she felt.

  The sorrow was gone, substituted by rage. There she was, feeling sorry for herself that her husband didn’t recognize her, but at least she felt a bit of comfort telling herself that he loved her wholeheartedly. Ironically, he blackmailed another woman into becoming his mistress. And now she was the other woman.

  “Do you happen to have another bottle?” she asked and tossed the empty bottle aside. It shattered on the floor.

  “I think that is quite enough for today. It doesn’t matter how much you drink, you won’t get drunk.”

  “Now you tell me,” she muttered. “I’m tired. I’m going to bed.”

  "I will accompany you.”

  "You have a wife, Lucifer!” She couldn't believe those words came from her mouth. The irony was far too much. "I'm sure she is pining for you.”

  "And you do not pine for me?"

  She suddenly felt trapped. "Whatever feeling I may or may not have for you is irrelevant.” She turned away so that he won't be able to see her face. His eyes made her felt vulnerable.

  "Strange," he smiled, "it was only a few days ago that you attempted to seduce me. I thought you would be happier now that I have arranged for you to be by my side.”

  "I never tried to seduce you!" she retorted. She couldn't help but turn to face him. He was clearly testing her patience. "It was true that I wanted to be by your side, but not like this! No, Lucifer, never like this! Don't force me to betray myself!"

  She was startled when he dropped the glass onto the floor. The next moment he was standing in front of her. The transition startled her, although she thought she should have gotten used to it by now. "I do not take refusal so lightly.”

  She stared directly into his eyes, challenging him. "I wish to be free of you Lucifer! I wish that I could escape your hold on my heart because it’s suffocating me! I feel like I can’t breathe! Why don't you just aim a knife at my heart and end the suffering for the both of us. Put me out of my misery. And by God, I hope you will never have to regret it.”

  A storm was forming in his eyes. She could feel the energy of his anger shaking the foundation of the old mansion. If she provoked him enough, he might do the deed for the both of them.

  Instead of aiming a knife at her heart as she had requested, he disappeared right before her eyes.

  †††††

  "It is rare to see you, Grant,” the priest said. "You haven't stepped foot in this place of worship in years.”

  "I need to know the whereabouts of my uncle,” Grant said. "I need his help.”

  "He will return in a few days from the holy city,” the priest informed him.

  "It can't wait that long,” Grant massaged the bridge of his nose.

  "What seems to be the problem?"

  He took a moment to decide if he should discuss the issue. "Someone very important to me is possessed and is being held captive by a demon. I need my uncle's help to rescue her and banish the demon from her body.”

  Grant had never been the kind of person who made up lies. "Do you have any knowledge on this demon?"

  Grant pulled out several photographs from his shirt pocket. "I took these pictures thirteen years ago. I had never believed in these kinds of things so I never paid attention to them, but recently I've seen things that I can’t deny.”

  "These pictures...,” The priest's hands were shaking. He quickly wiped the sweat off his forehead. "Are they-?"

  "I swear on my life.”

  The priest made a sign of worship with his hand. "I...I must inform my superiors of this immediately.”

  †††††

  Chevalier pushed the double door opened and entered the dining room. His entrance didn’t garner him a glance. The atmosphere was thick and uncomfortable, almost suffocating. He pulled back a chair and seated himself.

  The dining room was lavish with food from one end to the other. The servants were still bringing up more food from the kitchen. It was quite wasteful, considering the fact that no one at the table actually needed to consume any of it. Nevertheless, Chevalier placed the news
paper in his hand on the table and poured himself a cup of coffee.

  "I don't recall inviting you,” Lucifer finally broke the silence.

  "No, I invited myself,” Chevalier replied with an easy smile. "You would be bored to death without me.”

  When Lucifer’s only response was a stoic expression, Chevalier reached for the newspaper and handed it over to Kali. "There is something interesting I think you should read. It’s all over the television, too, but I didn't think this old mansion would be so well-equipped.”

  Kali unfolded the newspaper to take a look. The bold headline and series of photos were hard to miss. Trent could read the text from his side of the table.

  "I'm surprised he had pictures of that day,” Trent remarked.

  "You still remembered that day, Trent?" Chevalier asked. Trent was quite young back then.

  "Bits and pieces, but I remember enough. I can't help but wonder why Grant would release these photos. What does he possibly have to gain by exposing us?"

  "He thinks that I am held captive and my life is in danger,” Kali massaged the bridge of her nose. "He's not completely wrong.”

  "Well?" Chevalier asked Lucifer. "Aren't you going to do something about it?"

  "Such as?" Lucifer's voice was indifferent.

  "I don't know what you are capable of, but are you just going to let our existence get out?"

  "Whether they know or not is irrelevant.”

  Chevalier raised a brow. He had been expecting a different reaction. "Do you mean to tell me, you never used discretion? That you never cared at all?"

  Lucifer took another sip of his wine.

  "He's right, Father,” Trent expressed concern. "If the public buys into this story, they’ll come in mobs. And they’ve come pretty far since shovels and pitchforks.”

  "Not to mention religious groups and the government might get involved. You know, Lucifer, you’re not exactly the most lovable figure in society’s point of view.”

  "Their opinions of me are also irrelevant.”

  "I don't find that funny,” Chevalier said. "You and your kind dragged me into this, and I'll be damned if they cut and probe me like I'm some sort of science project.”