The Third Throne: Angel of Darkness (6 page)

“Because, my dear, you are very special.  You are my personal servant from this day forward.  You will wear what I want, you will do as I say, and you will never question me.  This dress is a symbol.  All who lay eyes upon it will know that you are in my service.  They will know you are mine and mine alone,” Lucifer’s eyes reflected his excitement.

“Where should I change?” Michelle’s voice shook.  She knew deep down what the answer would be, but was still hopeful for a different outcome.

Lucifer took the dress from the man, who was obviously a servant.  The servant was tall and attractive, despite his pale grayish skin tone.  His hair was dark and complimented his jade green eyes.  He was dressed in black jeans and a black T-shirt.  He stared blankly at Michelle, never once looking Lucifer in the face.

She was surprised to see the servant’s sins from when he was alive.  He was an ancient Greek farmer, though no older than a teenager.  He had killed the invaders on his land to survive their attacks.  He had made a deal to save his village.  Apparently, he hadn’t read the fine print if he ended up a servant of the devil.

She looked to Lucifer and was thankful that she couldn’t see his sins.  He was a blank slate.

“Leave us, Aganon, and do not return unless something is on fire that shouldn’t be,” he snapped at Aganon, who turned and ran back the way he came from.

Lucifer presented the dress to Michelle with an expectant look on his face.  Michelle couldn’t breathe.  She had never undressed in front of a man before, let alone one that could potentially hurt her.  The term “servant” didn’t put her at ease.  She assumed he had many “servants” who did “all sorts of things for him.”  She wondered why he wanted another and why her.  He was certainly wrong about her being special.

She wracked her brain trying to think of a way to stop this, but she didn’t think she could outrun him, and pushing him into the fireplace wouldn’t accomplish anything other than pissing him off.

Lucifer’s face changed from expectant to annoyed and cut off her mental relay.  She swallowed, took a breath, and went to work on the first button of the hideous pink outfit.  Lucifer’s expression worsened.  She guessed that he didn’t like the slow and steady approach that she was working with.

Lucifer quickly grabbed her by the elbow and glared at her.  She jumped, startled by his sudden intensity.  He hurt her arm as she squirmed.  She winced, but he didn’t seem to notice.

“Enough games,” he was growling through his teeth, and then licked his lips in anticipation.

She made it to the third button when Lucifer’s eyes fixated on something behind her.  The source of his anger was made clear when footsteps from behind her echoed through the Throne Room.

“I thought I made myself clear.  I am not to be interrupted!” Lucifer roared, his voice rattled the walls.

Michelle cringed and shook as the booming voice went through her.  She was flustered by Lucifer’s lustful gaze.  He looked like a starved man waiting for his steak dinner.

“My Lord, you know I would not interrupt if it weren’t an emergency.  Caleb motioned that I shouldn’t go in and I naturally assumed you were very busy, though he neglected to tell me what was going on.  I swear that boy needs a sound thrashing.  Perhaps we could do that later.  Now, if you don’t mind, I need your assistance.  Jeremiah is missing and Stefano is practically being overrun in the Hall of Winds without him.  You killed Philippe yesterday, so now I’m short staffed.  I also have Mark up my ass about some soul mix up, though I think he is just being a nuisance.  He’s demanding to see you at once.  And no, I can’t deal with it, so don’t even ask,” the newcomer ranted on and on as he quickly walked the length of the room, not allowing Lucifer to yell again.

Lucifer glared at the man with pure malice.  He looked like he was going to rip out his heart with his teeth.  Michelle felt bad for the man, or would have, if he hadn’t just saved her.  She tried to make herself very small and unimportant while the man walked up beside her.  She discreetly buttoned her shirt, hoping to be sent out of the room and away from this new dilemma.

The man was very tall, though, just short of Lucifer’s towering height.  He was wearing an outrageously expensive black pinstripe suit with a black on black silk tie.  He looked more like a CEO than someone in Hell.  Maybe he’d been a CEO, killed himself, and was Lucifer’s servant too.  He had dark blue eyes, almost navy, and short chestnut hair.  He was very handsome, though a tad less attractive than Lucifer.

Michelle found it odd she didn’t recognize the newcomer and that she couldn’t see his sins either.  She thought she knew most of the punishers.  She gulped when she realized that maybe her dreams were just dreams and weren’t a true picture of Hell.  She panicked at the thought.

No, the room was a carbon copy of her dreams.  The thrones were real and she had to be inside the castle.  There were times when she was stuck inside the castle, left to roam the corridors until she woke up.  She was grateful for those times, since she wasn’t in pain, but seeing how the punishers survived their day-to-day lives was cruel enough.

She took a closer look at the man standing next to her.  The voice was somewhat familiar, but the outfit was wrong.  The intensity in his eyes sparked her memory.  He was the overseer of the other punishers, the badass leather clad one who yelled at everyone. Here, he seemed refined and under control, though snarky.  He was the one they referred to as “my Lord.”

“Find Jeremiah, kill him, and feed his remains to Mark for all I care.  You can handle the rest.  As I said, I am busy,” Lucifer snapped his teeth to put an end to the argument.

“Well, I can see that you are… entertaining, but it’s going to have to wait.  You are the Master around here, aren’t you?” the man mockingly waved his hands at Lucifer as he turned to glance quickly at Michelle, only to stop and do a double take when he saw her face.  He stood up straight and stood still as a statue.  He stuttered, looking for the right words.  “My Lord, I didn’t…I had no idea…when did…of course you’re busy…I can deal with…with everything.  I’m sorry, my Lord,” the man sputtered as he half-bowed to Lucifer and half-bowed to her.  He paused mid-bow when he saw the dress in Lucifer’s arms and audibly gulped.

Lucifer hissed and regained some of his composure.  “No, of course you didn’t know.  How could you?  Well, since you’re here, you might as well see.  I’m sure Caleb will spread the rumors as soon as his tongue grows back,” Lucifer sighed and looked at the new man, as if waiting for his approval.

“Ah, so that’s why Caleb didn’t tell me… no, it’s all right.  I can come back,” the man clearly wanted to leave in a hurry.

“Lord Hades, this is my mistress.  She committed suicide because she was so eager to join me,” Lucifer smiled devilishly, a term that suited him very well.  Michelle could see where it came from.

“Hades, as in the Lord of the Underworld in Greek Mythology?” Michelle sputtered and blinked a few times, confused by the name.

“Don’t give his ego anymore to gloat about.  He is NOT a god and he certainly isn’t Greek.  He is a Fallen Angel, just like everyone else in power here.  Damned souls spreading false tales, I could kill them, again.  A couple of souls manage to be reincarnated into the world with some of their memories intact and an entire mythology is born.  The Rogue Angels used the mortal’s confusion to their advantage and started a war with Heaven.  That certainly was a mess to clean up.  Just because Hades is the Overseer of the Realms and they don’t see me on a daily basis, they suddenly think he’s in charge.  As if he could possibly want or do the job,” Lucifer rolled his eyes.

Hades stiffened even more.  He regained his composure quickly.  “It was more than just a few souls and it was indeed a mess that took forever to clean up, and no, I certainly don’t want your job.  I did like the title and the prestige though,” Hades shrugged at the thought of being considered a god.

“Prestige, hardly, the foolish mortals thought you oversaw all the souls, good and bad.  Lord of the Underworld, how poetic, and yet they call me the devil.  They had no love for you either way,” Lucifer sighed.

“Yes, fun times, but enough about me, when did you arrive, my dear?” Hades stared intently at Michelle, getting over his initial shock.

Lucifer cut off Michelle before she could answer.  “Not long ago.  I was just explaining things before she gets to work,” Lucifer smiled at the innuendo, making it obvious that Hades hadn’t distracted him from his previous lust filled thoughts.

“Work.  Of course.  I’m sure you will learn to…well…barely tolerate it here, just like the rest of us.  My Lord, as I said, you are needed in the Hall of Winds.  I’ll meet you there after I handle yet another crisis,” Hades snickered and turned on his heel.  He quickly left the Throne Room, possibly muttering to himself.

“Caleb!”  Lucifer shouted.  Caleb ran into the room from the front entrance and knelt in front of Lucifer before his name had died from Lucifer’s lips.

Caleb was average in height with short brown hair and dull blue eyes.  He looked like he’d recently survived a beating and apparently was missing his tongue.  She hoped it wasn’t the standard punishment for disobedient servants or her day was going to get a whole lot worse.

“Take my mistress to her room and see that she doesn’t leave.  I will be back shortly.  I’ve waited this long.  I want to make sure there are no more interruptions,” Lucifer said as he handed the dress to Caleb.

“Mistress?  Why do you keep calling me that?  My name is Michelle Black,” Michelle frowned as Caleb grabbed her arm, trying to drag her out of the Throne Room.

“Because, my dear, that is your new name.  You are no longer Michelle Black.  You will forever be known as my mistress.  Be dressed and ready by the time I return,” Lucifer smiled, which looked more like he was bearing his teeth.

Michelle or Mistress now, though she would be led through the covered bridge to the rotunda and into the main castle, but instead was dragged through the door to the right of the dais.  Caleb was pulling her through the heavy wooden door before she found her legs and started speed walking on her own.  They descended a narrow enclosed spiral stone staircase and descended lower into Lucifer’s tower.  She had to hold on to the inner wall to keep from falling.  They passed a number of doors on the interior of the staircase.  She had no idea what was behind the doors, nor did she want to find out.

Caleb finally stopped at a door with a symbol on it, a crescent moon with its ends pointed up to the sky.  There was a rounded sun with sunbursts above it and clouds above the sun.  She had no idea what it meant, but feared the worst since she had never stood in front of the door before.  She wondered how many more new and interesting places she had failed to see in her dreams.

He opened the door with a wave of his hand and dragged her inside.  It was a small round room with the same black stone walls that ran throughout the castle.  The floor wasn’t made of marble, but black stone.  There was a large bed with black silk sheets, which took up most of the room.  On the opposite wall from the door was a small wooden table with a handheld mirror and a hairbrush. With no windows in the rooms, the only source of light was two lit wall torches.  There was nothing else in the room.

Caleb threw the black dress on the bed, pointed at it harshly with his finger, made a slashing motion across his throat, and then ran from the room.  She got the message: put the dress on or be killed.

Mark stood in the Hall of Winds and studiously ignored Sebastian, the Records Keeper, and Overseer of the Gates of Hell.  He was the one who kept track of all the souls in Hell and maintained the information on each of them.

As the liaison between Heaven and Hell, it was Mark’s job to enter the pit of despair on a regular basis to deliver messages and news from Heaven.  He was also supposed to try to keep an eye on things.  No one in Heaven trusted Lucifer and his Fallen, but Father had ordained that Lucifer was in charge of Hell and could do with it as he saw fit.  While it was true that Lucifer was supposed to follow certain rules, he typically made them up depending on his mood.  Mark did his best to report what he saw, but he was not allowed access to anything.  He had to be babysat by one of the Fallen, since Lucifer did not trust him.

Mark held his breath, hoping Sebastian did not harass him for any number of reasons.  Sebastian was the best at his job because he was neurotic, but he was also a pain in the wings.  In Heaven, Sebastian had been cheerful and kind.  He maintained the lists of all the mortal souls, even before the mortals had fallen from grace and been cast out of Heaven.  Shortly after they had been cast out, Hell was created and Sebastian’s talents were needed here.  He was not given a choice.  While many of the angels volunteered to fall from the Heavens to do God’s will in Hell, Sebastian had gone kicking and screaming.  Mark was told it was like putting a cat into a bath.  Of course, he did not have to make Mark’s life hell too, though he tried to give Sebastian as much patience and understanding as he could.

Mark did his best to prepare himself for the onslaught of pain, torment, and agony when he descended into Hell.  He never liked spending more than a few hours and was desperate to leave as soon as he arrived.  Even though he had been visiting Hell for a number of centuries, he still could not get over the stinging sensation on his skin and the feeling that something was hunting him.  The depravity and decay turned his stomach and he hated it.  He wished Lucifer would hurry along.  He was not looking forward to seeing him.  Inevitably, there would be a torrent of swears thrown at him, most of them colorful and hurtful, but he would force himself to remain calm during the onslaught, or at least try to.

Looking around the dimly lit hand carved cavern, he watched the expressionless prisoners file through the long corridor on their way back to the Mortal Realm and wished he could go with them.  He would prefer to wander the Mortal Realm for a few hours than stand in Hell.  He tried not to look at the inbound souls, the ones who were confused, scared, or worse, violent.  He moved a few paces to his right to avoid any possible troublemakers.  He had seen enough riots get out of hand.  It was always sad to see the outbound prisoners get swept up in the chaos knowing that their sentences would be extended as punishment for their unruliness.  He made sure that Xavier, one of the guards who kept the prisoners in check, was between him and the line of inbound mortals.

Sebastian glared at Mark and tapped his fingers on his stone podium.  “What exactly do you want to tell him?  I’m sure I can handle a simple message.”

“The last time I left a message with you, Lucifer nearly took my head off because he never received it,” Mark stared drolly at Sebastian.

“That was fun, wasn’t it?”  Sebastian snickered as he turned his attention back to his scrolls.  He was busy counting the entering souls, checking them off his list, and marking down the reason for their descent into Hell, while marking off the souls leaving Hell for the Mortal Realm.

“Hardly.  Besides, I am here to speak directly to Lucifer and no other.  Those are my orders,” Mark desperately looked around for Lucifer.  He wanted to get this over with and get back home.  He knew Lucifer’s wrath would be a force to be reckoned with once he heard what Mark had to say.  He was actually a little fearful of Lucifer’s response.  He tapped his foot, eagerly.

Sebastian rolled his eyes and yawned at Mark.  “Then you will be waiting for a long time.  Lord Lucifer said he was not to be disturbed.  I have summoned Lord Hades for you.  I’m sure he can deliver your message.”

“That will not do.  Perhaps I should just meet him in the Throne Room.  It is rather urgent,” Mark sighed.  He watched Sebastian take delight in his discomfort.  He felt like his skin had a million flesh-eating insects feasting upon him.  The evil was wreaking havoc on his sensibilities, which made the anxiety of finishing his task all the more unbearable.

“Lord Hades said you should wait here, which means, you wait here,” Sebastian ignored him and he went back to counting, but he knew Sebastian made a game out of tormenting him.  It was one of his few sources of entertainment.

Lucifer was out of his mind as he walked through the castle, chest out, head held high.  He had won.  He had finally gotten what he wanted and was in a very good mood, or at least he would be if he hadn’t been interrupted by Hades.  Hades had chosen the worst time to barge into his domain.  Somehow, Hell couldn’t run properly unless he was called upon constantly.  Once he dealt with Mark and whatever mindless emergencies he brought with him, he would return to her.

His pace quickened when he thought about the girl, his mistress, his prize.  He was out of patience; he couldn’t wait any longer.  He no longer cared about anything; he only cared about getting her.  He had done anything and everything he could to capture her.  He had no other choice.  Desperation had turned into an imperative and he was forced to obtain her.  Now he could take his time and do with her as he pleased.

He thought about how the girl had taunted him when she slowly unbuttoned her shirt.  He was fully prepared to rip it to shreds to get to her skin before Hades had stormed in.  He would be damned if he let Hades gaze upon his trophy.  He would kill anyone who laid a hand upon her.  He would skewer the eyes of any man who looked upon her without her clothes.

She was his and she would do anything he wanted.  He wanted to toss her on his bed, strip the dress from her lean body, and sink himself deeply into her.  All of his fantasies would finally be fulfilled.  He would ride her until she screamed his name.  She would submit to his every desire and he would force her to please him whenever the urge was upon him, which was every hour of every endless day.  He had all the time in the world to indulge himself in her flesh and he would never let her leave.  He would chain her to the bed the first moment he had.  Once he was done with the tedium of Mark’s ramblings, he would take her to his room and fuck her for hours, or at least until he was called upon again.  No, he refused to be parted from her until he was ready.  He would leave Hades to deal with Hell; he was going to satisfy every impulse and every craving that came into his mind, if she survived.

The Fallen moved quickly out of his way as he strode past them along the pathways through the realms to meet Mark in the Hall of Winds.  He wasn’t interested in some long drawn out meeting with his brother, so he decided to agree with whatever he wanted, throw him into the tunnel and send him back home.  Typically, he left Hades to deal with their Heavenly brethren, for he cared little about the dealings in Heaven.  Lucifer was no longer welcomed there, so he didn’t give a shit about them.  Mark and the others made an annoying habit of trying to get him to report to them and keep them apprised of any situations in Hell, as if he couldn’t handle it.  He made it a point of leaving them in the dark as much as possible, unless the mess was big enough for someone to notice.  Then he would allow them to do the heavy lifting and make them feel like they were important enough to fix the issue.  They were nothing but a headache.

Mark was the most tedious of all.  The Angel of Understanding knew nothing about Hell and what was needed to accomplish their tasks.  How could he understand something that had taken the Fallen millenniums to understand?  Mark was a fraud and made a mockery of the term “understanding.”  He loathed his brother and wished he would stay in Heaven where he belonged, out of his business.  He growled as he entered the Hall of Winds, brushing past the souls waiting to leave Hell.  He didn’t need a spy in his Hell and he certainly didn’t need a tattletale.

As he approached, he noted Mark’s appearance and felt a pang of homesickness.  Mark was very handsome and elegant; he couldn’t deny it, even if he wanted to punch the angel in the face.  His brother was tall and lean with brown slicked back hair, and bright blue eyes.  He was a physical reminder of what he and the Fallen used to look like.  Mark appeared refreshed and peaceful while all who resided in Hell looked tired, worn, defeated, and murderous.  Mark was the before picture compared to Sebastian’s after picture.  Sebastian looked miserable on a good day with his black suit, short curly sandy blonde hair, hollow gray eyes, and two days growth on his face.  Lucifer hated being slapped in the face and taunted by the Heavenly Angels and their bright shining faces.  Despite being eager to get back to his mistress, he decided to stay a bit longer than intended just to screw with Mark and wipe that peaceful look right off his face, with his boot heel.

“How goes it, brother?” Mark smiled and nodded to Lucifer.

“Leave,” Lucifer growled at Mark as undiluted hatred rose up in him.  Lucifer realized he wanted a fight and he chose Mark as his victim.  He didn’t need any of his Heavenly brothers asking questions about his mistress.  He would kill them all for simply mentioning her name.

“I can not, until I say what I need to,” Mark was offended by Lucifer’s abruptness and took a step back.

“I’m not interested in what you have to say.  Leave!” Lucifer stepped closer to Mark to intimidate him.

“I am not in the mood to play games today, Lord Lucifer, I’m here on official business.  Perhaps we could meet in the Throne Room,” Mark squared his shoulders and tried to meet Lucifer’s taunting glare, but couldn’t meet his eyes.

Lucifer could smell Mark’s fear and he enjoyed it.  Mark tended to stay away longer after having words with Lucifer.  He knew Mark didn’t have the stomach for violence and confrontation so he often used that to his advantage.  Right now, he was more interested in tearing Mark’s pristine white suit to shreds to see if he would cry and run home to Father.

“The only place you are going is Heaven.  I said leave,” Lucifer stepped up into Mark’s face and stared him down, making Mark flinch.

“I see I’ve missed the beginning of the show.  I’m glad I got here before intermission,” Hades remarked as he entered the hall and stood at Lucifer’s right side.

“Lord Hades, he is being unreasonable.  Is there something you can do?  I am here on official business and would prefer to talk about this matter in private,” Mark sighed.  He looked to Hades for help.

“Oh, I think you can stay right here and share with everyone.  I enjoy watching Lord Lucifer make you squirm,” Hades watched Lucifer breathing down Mark’s neck and wondered if he was going to bite him.

“This is juvenile.  I do not have time for this.  If you want to do this here, then fine.  I come bearing a message from Lord Gabriel,” Mark said in a huff.

Lucifer’s brain collapsed when he heard mention of Gabriel.  Fear and panic poured through him.  He wanted nothing to do with Gabriel or anything he had to say.  His mind turned into a black haze as he abruptly grabbed Mark by the throat, snarled, and hurled him across the hall into the far wall.

Mark’s head snapped back when he collided against the wall and slumped to the ground.  He looked up at Lucifer, stunned and confused.  He was shaken by the blow and had trouble getting to his feet.

Lucifer unfurled his strong black wings and swung his shoulder.  The wing scooped up Mark and knocked him sideways, sending him skidding across the floor.  Lucifer was rabid as he bared his teeth and ran at Mark.  Lucifer’s foot stomped down on Mark’s leg as he tried to push himself away from the crazed angel.  The snap could be heard above the sound of the moaning souls who were oblivious to the fight as Mark screamed out in pain.

“Well, that was different.  Want to tell me what the boy did?” Hades was hardly shocked by Lucifer’s behavior; nothing fazed him anymore, though he did think it was a bit dramatic.  He had expected a tongue-lashing, not fisticuffs, but he was willing to go with it.

Mark cried out, trying to reason with Lucifer.  “Stop, what are you doing?  What is the matter with you?  I’m just the messenger. Lord Gabriel is the one who wants to speak with you.”

Lucifer ignored his pleas and slammed his knees into Mark’s torso.  He threw punch after punch, hitting him along every inch of his body, though mainly focusing on his perfect face.

“My money is on Lord Lucifer, of course,” Sebastian said to Hades, unaffected by the scene in front of him.

Hades was bored as he watched Mark attempt to take a swing at Lucifer’s face in defense.  “Of course Lord Lucifer will win.  I’m just wondering at what point we should stop Lord Lucifer and mop Mark up so that we can send him home in a baggie.”

Lucifer stopped Mark’s punch mid swing and wrenched his wrist into an unnatural position.  The sickening snap was coupled with a popping sound as Lucifer dislodged Mark’s elbow from the socket.

Mark roared in pain and continued to beg Lucifer to stop.

Lucifer was beyond caring as he watched the blood pouring from Mark’s beautiful face.  All his anger flooded to the surface as he waged war on Mark only to appease his hatred.  Mark was defenseless against the onslaught.

“Shit, time to end this before we have to get a new liaison, again.  It’s truly a pity what he did to Misha.  I rather liked him, well, no; I guess I didn’t hate him.  Regardless, we need to stop Lord Lucifer before he does any more damage.  I’ll give you a week off Sebastian, if you grab his left arm.  I’ll take the right,” Hades was concerned that Lucifer was having too much fun with Mark.