The Devil's Lover: The Wish (17 page)

“
Leave her out of this,
Soren!” Chevalier shouted at him.

“
But she’s the heroine of
this story,” Soren laughed. “And you want a villain like me to
leave her alone?”

“
What are you up
to?”

“
Simple,” Soren said. “I
want her and the child dead.”

“
Over my dead body!”
Chevalier retorted.

“
That can be arranged,”
Soren summoned his sword. He charged at Chevalier, lightning fast.
He moved so quickly that his afterimage seemed to trail behind.
Chevalier dodged, putting himself between harm and Kali. He landed
nearby and put her down.

“
Close your eyes,” he said
gently. “It will be over soon.”

He turned around to face Soren.
Summoning his sword, launched himself to join the opposing demon in
mid-air.

“
Chevalier!” Kali called
after him. She was afraid he was about to die.

Soren skillfully slashed, slicing
Chevalier across the abdomen. Chevalier began to bleed, but the
wound healed almost instantly. He blocked the next few attacks
before launching an offensive attack at the other demon. “You’re
not going to hurt her!”

“
What, with your skills as
a newly-born demon, you think you can defeat me?” Soren asked
scornfully. “I was created with the first order of the angels! I am
and have been a demon since time began. Only Lord Lucifer can rival
me!” He cut Chevalier again, this time across the
shoulder.

Chevalier gritted his teeth to
suppress the pain. It went away quickly enough. He managed to stab
Soren but could only do so by coming perilously close to him,
knowing that he would be pierced by Soren’s sword, as
well.

“
Chevalier!” Kali
shrieked, watching in horror as the two demons simultaneously
impaled one another.

“
Fool! Do you think
physical wounds can kill me? There are two things than can kill a
demon. Do you want me to explain?” Soren’s voice dropped to a
whisper. “There are two weapons that can vanquish anything in
existence. The first is Michael’s sword, and the second is
Lucifer’s bow. Other than that, you must stain your sword with the
poison from the Black Thorns to kill a demon.”

“
You-” Chevalier began to
feel the effect of the poison.

“
Of course, only if you
know where to stab,” Soren mused. “I do not want to kill you,
Chevalier. Be good, and stay out of my way. After all, you are my
creation.”

He pulled his sword out of Chevalier’s
flesh, the poison slowly causing Chevalier’s body to become
paralyzed. He felt himself crashing to the ground. The bystanders
began to scream when they realized the scene before them was not a
show. They started to run, scattering in all directions.

Kali ran to Chevalier’s
side.

“
Chevalier!” she called
his name in a panic. “How bad are you hurt?”

Chevalier opened his eyes, trying his
best to slow the poison from spreading. “Run Kali, leave
now!”

“
No!” she
cried.

“
Run! He’s only after you.
Run!”

Kali looked up at Soren, who was
approaching much too quickly. She stared at him, frightened by his
demonic aura.

“
Stay away from him!” she
spread her arms in front of Chevalier’s prone body, shouting with
all of the courage she could muster.

“
I suggest you worry about
yourself first.” Soren said. He grabbed her by the neck and pulled
her up until her toes couldn’t touch the ground.

“
I despise you, Kali,” he
said in a gentle yet eerie voice. She gasped for air. He threw her
against the wall in one smooth motion. She fell to the ground, a
small amount of blood spattering the floor as she
coughed.

Chevalier watched in horror, unable to
do anything to stop what was going on. Useless body! He cursed
himself.

“
What a beautiful sight,”
Soren said, seeing Kali gripping her abdomen. He came closer and
knelt down. Grabbing her hair, he pulled her face up to meet his.
He pulled out a small vial from his pocket and opened the lid with
this mouth. “Drink it!”

Kali shook her head, somehow knowing
it was poison.

“
Drink it!” he
commanded.

“
No!” Kali
protested.

“
I suppose you want to
know what it is,” Soren grinned. “This potion can disintegrate your
soul, Kali. Once you drink this, you and the child will evaporate.
You won’t be in the living or the dead realms. Lord Lucifer will
not be able to revive you.”

Kali shook her head violently, holding
onto her belly. “I won’t drink it!”

Soren let go of her hair to force her
mouth open with his hand. He poured the potion into her mouth. When
he finally dropped her, she fell to her knees, spitting the potion
out. She shoved her finger down her throat to dispel the potion she
had swallowed.

 “
It’s alright,” he
said in a pleasant tone despite the furious look in his eyes. “I
brought extra.” he reached into his pocket to take out another
one.

“
And you
will
drink this
one.”

A massive energy ball suddenly threw
Soren back. Lucifer materialized beside her.

“
Kali,” Lucifer said.
Seeing the blood on the walkway, his fists clenched. His sword
appeared in his hand as he turned to look at Soren.

Kali grabbed the fabric of his pants,
desperate to get his attention. Her stomach was starting to cramp.
She looked down as something caught her eye. Her white skirt was
becoming rapidly stained with blood.

“
Save it,” she begged him.
Her voice broke. The pain was too much for her.

“
Save our child, Lucifer,”
she managed to say. Tears stained her cheeks. “Lucifer… please
don’t let it die!”

Lucifer knelt down, gathering her
gently in his arms. Her small body was trembling, blood beginning
to flow more rapidly from her mouth.

“
What can I do…?” he had
never felt so helpless. Then he remembered. Using the sword to cut
his wrist, he brought it to her mouth. Blood dripped onto her lips.
He used his power to keep the wound open.

“
Drink,” he ordered.
“Kali, drink it.”

She continued to hold her stomach,
fearing for the life of her child. If Lucifer told her to drink it,
he must have a good reason. She grabbed onto his wrist and took a
deep drink of the swelling blood. Soren let out a low growl. He
looked away, unable to watch.

Adria appeared from a summoning circle
that materialized next to them. Her eyes widened. Drinking the
blood of a demon was both a blessing and a curse. Lord Lucifer must
be desperate to save her. Or else, he wouldn't do something so
foolish.

“
It hurts so much,” Kali
looked down. “Don’t let it die, Lucifer… I’m begging
you…”

Lucifer closed his eyes, a pained
expression on his face. When he opened them again, they glowed
fiercely. He grabbed his sword and jumped up to attack
Soren.

“
Help me, Adria,” Kali
said helplessly.

Adria stood still, debating whether
she should help. This human’s life or death had nothing to do with
her. But the girl was carrying Lucifer’s child, Adria said to
herself. She was sure of it. She knelt down to Kali.

“
I will help,” she
murmured. Adria picked Kali up in her arms and flew into the home
department of the nearest store. She laid the girl on a sample bed,
covering her with a blanket.

The girl was in so much pain. Adria
could tell she was near to fainting.

“
Stay awake, Kali. If you
want this child to live, endure the pain,” Adria
instructed.

Kali nodded obediently. If her child
could live, she’d endure anything.

†††††

Lucifer was driven by rage. He created
an energy field around his sword, so powerful that it visibly
glowed as he stalked forward. He struck Soren with such so much
power that even blocking the blow, Soren received most of the
damage. Soren pressed his blade against Lucifer’s, sure now that
Lucifer intended to kill him.

“
You’re going to kill me
for a
woman
?!”
Soren spat angrily.

Lucifer heard Kali screaming close by,
although he wasn’t sure where Adria had taken her. He was
distracted for a split second before his turned his full attention
back to Soren. “Do you think I will let you get away with harming
the woman I love and my unborn child?”

Lucifer’s tone was furious.

“
Your child, my lord?”
Soren asked mockingly. “It is even possible?”

“
The child is
mine
,” Lucifer answered
confidently.

Kali screamed again, her shriek rising
several octaves from the pain. Soren took advantage of Lucifer’s
distraction and kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying
against a glass display window. The glass window shattered, raining
razor-sharp sparkles to the ground. Lucifer rose from the deadly
shower to rise into the air to meet Soren.

“
You misunderstood my
loyalty,” Soren said bitterly. “If you name me as a traitor, I
shall become one. Once I defeat you, I will become the new ruler of
Hell!”

Lucifer’s body was cut by hundred
pieces of glass. His skin was healing quickly, tiny slivers of
glass tinkling to the floor as his body dispelled them.

“
Do you think that is
possible?” Lucifer dipped as Soren slashed at him. Soren fell from
the air, crashing onto the tile of the mall walkway. His body
caused a large indentation in the floor. Soren got up slowly,
giving his wounds a few precious seconds to heal.

“
Hang on, Kali,” Adria’s
voice floated to them. “Almost there!”

Kali’s face was drenched in sweat. Her
nails dug into the linens on the bed beneath her.

“
Breathe, Kali! Breathe!”
Adria instructed. She had no idea why she was so enthusiastic about
a human going into labor. “Push! Push harder!”

But it was Lucifer’s child; the first
Prince or Princess of Hell. She supposed this was something to be
joyous about.

Kali fainted. Adria eyes widened then
she slapped the girl. “You weakling, wake up!” she yelled. “If you
don’t wake up, the child will die!”

Adria slapped Kali once again. She
opened her eyes again, barely breathing.

“
Listen to me!
Push!”

Kali nodded. Her face became extremely
pale.

“
You drank Demon’s blood!
Lord Lucifer’s blood! So why are you still so weak?” Adria
demanded, frustrated. Humans are so pathetic and weak, Adria
thought. “Just push!”

Yes, I have to be strong. Kali told
herself. She could die when the child is born, but not now! If she
died now, the child would have no chance at survival. It was
premature, only six months old. Infants only had a good chance of
survival if they’re at least seven months!

“
Lucifer,” she chanted his
name, silently asking him for strength.

“
Almost there!” Adria
coached, “Push. Just one more push!”

Kali cried out and pushed one last
time. 

Lucifer and Soren paused, turning to
look towards the store where they had heard a baby's
cry.

“
So it is born,” Soren
said. “That bastard is born!!!”

He growled and flew in the direction
of the sound. Lucifer grabbed Soren by the shoulder, preventing him
from reaching Kali and the baby. Casting quickly, Lucifer called a
circle to bind Soren. His sword transformed a bow and arrow of blue
flame.

“
Lucifer
!” Soren snarled.

“
Goodbye, Soren,” Lucifer
said, leaping back and casting a spell on the arrow. He let the
arrow fly, perfect in his aim as it penetrated Soren’s body.
Soren’s soul left his body with a shriek of anguish, and then
disintegrated into nothingness. His physical form turned to stone,
and then rapidly crumbled into a pile of dust.

Lucifer raced toward Kali and her
child. He spared a second to look back at the pile of dirt that had
been Soren, a moment of sympathy and despair in his eyes. After
all, they had been brothers.

He caught his breath when he saw Kali
on the bed. She was covered in blood. He came to her side. His
hands were trembling as they reached out to her. He could sense her
faint breathing, and there was still life in her body. He could
breathe again. Climbing onto the bed, he gathered her in his arms.
He made another cut on his wrist, holding the dripping blood to her
lips.

He waited patiently. The color
returned to her face after a few minutes. Her breathing became
stabilized.

“
Lord Lucifer,” Adria
watched, holding the child in her arms. She forced a smile and
gently handed the child, now wrapped in linen, to Lucifer. He held
the baby in his free arm.

“
It is a boy, Lord
Lucifer,” Adria said. “The first Prince of Hell.”

Lucifer was speechless. Its platinum
hair was the same color as his own. The baby’s pale blue eyes were
staring back at him. The child was indisputably his.