Page 65 of Hell-Bound

Ren jumped back, yanking her piccolo from her lips, choking and gasping for air.

Azur didn’t move, he only stared into the smoke, jaw tightly clenched.

The smoke began to take shape, and a form made entirely of black webbing appeared and spoke.

“Xarek Wyvryn does hereby agree to uncover the weakness of Lord Azur Pelegros and vows to surrender this information for the exclusive employ of the designated party to use as they see fit. If this information serves to subdue Lord Azur Pelegros, Xarek Wyvryn will thusly take over Lord Azur Pelegros’ position as King of The Hells for the rest of his Immortal life.”

As the words echoed off the stone walls, the webbing shattered and floated to the carpet before melting like snowflakes.

“It was…a contract,” Ren murmured under her breath.

She looked up to Lord Azur, his hand frozen in the air in front of him as if reaching for something.

His eyes wavered.

Ren didn’t know what to say, so she waited as Azur looked through her.

He finally lowered his hand and swallowed.

“It seems,” his voice was steady despite the change in his eyes, “that my dear friend Xarek is trying to do away with me.”

“But…you’re a god, right? You can’t be killed,” she offered.

Finally turning his attention towards her, his eyes set back to their serious tone.

“You are right, my dear. The trouble is, Xarek Wyvryn is not an idiot. Whoever he signed this contract with has plans for me. It didn’t say kill, after all.”

He lifted his hand to run it through his hair, a curl falling free. He looked flustered—actually flustered.

“Wow. A god is scared of a little violin player,” she said coyly.

He walked towards her torturously slow.

“Oh my darling Ren,” his face pained, “do you know whatthis says?”

He held up the paper with her name on it.

“Xarek knows about you—knows your name. He has plans for you, my pet. He plans to try touseyou.Controlyou.”

Ren suddenly felt very small and very afraid. She had felt Xarek’s power that night. It wasn’t as overwhelming as Azur’s, but something about Xarek’s power, his type of power, was irresistible to her. Ren recalled the fog in her head. Her mind flooded with desire and lust as she danced. The smell of his breath made her numb to everything. Everything except Azur’s voice.

“He can’t do that. Right? He can’t control me—”

“Oh, but hecan,my darling. He does what Devils do best!”

“Haveyoutried to control me?” she spat more from fear than anger.

“No, Ren. I cannot compel you. I cannot control you,” he said, “we have a contract.”

It wasn’t an explicit revelation of truth, but she understood nonetheless.

“It’s in my contract? That you can’t control me?”

His chest barely moved as he breathed.

“One might say that there have been contracts signed by myself and other parties in the past to ensure that every interaction between the two parties must be…consensual. However, other Devils,” he proceeded, “are not bound by such constraints. Devils, especially those that are lords within The Hells, like Xarek, have influence over Mortals. Powerful influence.”

Her throat closed. She tried to suck in air, but it wouldn’t come. This was happening again. The loss of control—the complete inability to grasp any certainty in her life. Her unknown past haunted her, the unknown path ahead, and now the knowledge that she could be utterly manipulated and controlled by another entity. She felt her legs shake, and she looked around wildly.