Page 48 of Hell-Bound

He was heaving, chest rising and falling with his rasping breaths. He was shirtless, muscles soaked in sweat and blood, wings having apparently shredded any remnants of his tunic. They were stretched wide in a glorious and terrifying show of dominance and power. His eyes were wild, and his hair whipped about him despite the lack of wind. His sharp features looked as if they were smoldering, cheeks like coal that emanated smoke. The smoke was absorbing all the light from her dagger, which he held firmly in his right hand. He tossed it aside unceremoniously and landed beside her.

“Nice trinket,” he remarked in a voice even deeper than the one she was used to hearing.

“Jester! What happened to Jester?” was her stammering response.

The Devil bent down to eye level, and a chill of fear raced through her body. His face, now close, was beastlike and radiating fiery tendrils.

“You’re in shock. I need to take you with me. Wyvryn will have to wait,” he grunted, moving to pick her up.

She swiped him away.

“Stop, no! Don’t touch me! I won’t leave without Jester!”

He froze, dropping his arms.

“Jester will be fine. He has the power to teleport and has already returned to my domain. Devils heal more quickly than Mortals, even ones who are Half-Elven. You need immediate medical magic, which I can’t do here.”

She reached for her chest and made a sharp inhale. Renata knew that she would die from her wounds if she wasn’t immediately tended to, but Ren remained motionless.

“So, may I take you now?” he asked, an eyebrow raised impatiently and a voice like gravel.

She nodded, swallowing.

“I need you to say it, Ren. Azur, you can take me.”

She looked him over, perplexed. This Devilownedher. And now he was asking to save her?

“Azur, you can take me,” she whispered.

He gave a nod and gingerly lifted her to cradle in his arms. With a start, she realized that she felt safe there as her whole body instantly relaxed.

Must be the shock.

He pulled her closer.

Despite the ichor and gore, he smelled amazingly like parchment and roses. As he took off, she could feel his strong arms adjust to her comfort, avoiding her tender wound. She drifted off to her first restful sleep in The Hells.

???

Ren woke up with a start. Sitting up in what turned out to be a small bed, she found herself in a modest room under the softest sheets she had ever felt. Her body hummed with contentment, demanding that she lay back down.

She pulled at the neck of a silk nightshirt to examine the deep wound underneath.

When did I put this on?

But the wound was gone. All that remained was a thin red line, evidence of her failed adventure with Jester. This scar, unlike the one on her arm, was a memory, a new one.

“Pa-leaaase don’t undress in front of me. You know how much it makes me uncomfortable.”

Her head shot up.

“Jester, you’re all right!”

The Devil was sitting beside her bed, another book in hand. She could have sworn she saw a small change in the color of his red cheeks.

“They fixed me up good, that’s for sure. I do have a question for you, though.”

Ren breathed out, relieved.