Since he hadn’t known about the request of attendance demanded by Lucifer, Abraxis had taken them to his lodging, not quite a castle but something worthy of his potential… on the other side of Hell. He thought about opening a portal, but he didn’t want to expend the energy. On top of that, Lilith likely wouldn’t trust him not to go back to the mortal world and disappear for a little while. Wouldn’t be the first time, nor would it be the last.

So as they made their way to the Nine Gates, Abaraxis convinced himself that this was all his plan. He wouldn’t be able to get out of it anyway, so he considered the merits of meeting with Lucifer. His ego was boosted from being personally requested by the Emperor of Hell and was planning ways to manipulate his betrothed to get what he wanted from her father.

Everything drew a blank. A heat of wrath burned like coals in his gut, causing the shadows around them to flicker as his Talent flared to life. It was still a meager thing, but he’d grow into his own. With the help of Big Boss and by going behind the back of the demonic society, he’d be able to ascend the hierarchy far faster than anybody had ever seen before!

And nobody could convince him otherwise.

That was the plan, and he’d stick to it. Lucifer was a stepping stone, as was Big Boss. Thinking as much, he shot Lilith a curious look. The Demongold armor fit her well, protecting all her vital areas while keeping enough flesh revealed to be tantalizing. Due to its nature of being conductive to Miasma and lightweight, very few things found in Hell could surpass its usefulness to keep a person alive.

Especially a high profile like Lilith.

Speaking of high profile…

“Do you sense them?” he asked her, but when she looked at him and he saw the playful rage in her eyes, he realized he’d been the one slow on the uptake.

They were surrounded, and he hadn’t noticed.

He took a deep breath and sighed, putting the blunder out of mind. Don’t think too much about it and it doesn’t exist. He had been planning great things for the future, after all. Just… don’t let it happen again. You’re better than that!

“They never stop,” she growled as her red hair began to catch flame, her Talent activating. Like tinder, her entire body caught flame as a flaming sword split the ground and rose up and into her hand. She pinned him with a stare, silently speaking volumes.

When he expanded his senses to determine the caliber of his foe, he lost interest in fighting. If he wanted that rush of combat and adrenaline, he’d choose to fight or screw Lilith instead. She was a blazing flame he could temper himself with—the thought of failing to defeat her or the effects of her lustful charm never crossed his mind.

“These drek aren’t worth my time anyway,” he muttered, waving her stare away. His restless, twitching hand moved away from where it had rested against one of his daggers. Rather, he clicked a timer on his watch, crossed his arms, and judged each movement she made. “Good luck, and don’t die! Your father would spit roast me if anything happened to you under my watch!”

He could overpower her in a fight, even when they were both fully powered, but the two of them were only fledglings. She was significantly outnumbered, fifty to one, but he didn’t worry too much. He himself was a bit of an enigma, and she could hold her own against him until she ran out of steam. So against drek like these, even if outnumbered, he looked forward to watching her dismantle each and every one.

Her victory would simply be another testament to his greatness, as was natural. But… how she dismantled them, that spoke to something deep in his stomach. To see her face off against the fiends, demons two stages higher than their own current Existential Stage, he remembered just how amazing he was to be able to take such a monster in a head-on fight.

Vicious as they come, her claws raked through armor and reinforced demonic flesh like moving a hand through air. Clean cuts, precise vital targeting, and a flame that roasted enemies alive. Not to mention the waves she could send dozens of feet through the air to immolate her foes or cut them just as her claws did.

“And she’s not even using her full power,” he said with a proud smile on his face.

She was his betrothed, his. Nobody else’s, and he’d use her well when the time came. He’d cherish her usefulness and keep her alive for as long as he could. Such was the demonic way, though he knew he wasn’t the one gaining the most from their coupling.

Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

It couldn’t be helped, though.

Who would he take in her stead? Who could fulfill a usefulness equal to or greater than her? None other than the descendant of Lucifer and Andariel would be enough for his pride, as nothing greater than Lilith existed in the Four Worlds—he’d looked before accepting the conditions of their betrothal.

So he’d have to make do with the beautiful monster wreaking havoc on those who chose to foolishly harass them on their travels. He would never admit it, but admiration and respect burned like a pyroclasm in his chest as he watched her move, watched her kill. Graceful, powerful, skilled. She didn’t waste a movement. If he hadn’t been born in her generation, the Nine Hells and Four Worlds would’ve been shaken and stirred by her birth.

But that was to be expected of his betrothed.

Careful, Abraxis, he warned himself. Becoming aroused now would burn too much time he already didn’t have, so he’d have to hold off fulfilling his desires for the feeling of her flesh against his for significantly later. She stirred his pride with her lust in a way he didn’t quite understand, but it didn’t feel so bad.

Looking up at the sky, he wondered how long she’d take to finish things up. Last time, he’d managed a party the same size in three minutes. More than that had already passed. She had a long way to improve, but when her time clocked in at a solid four and a half minutes, he grinned and let his pride in her performance show.

So when she stalked towards him, licking the Miasmic blood of her kills off her claws and staring at him like that, he knew he was in for a fun time. After their play-acting for the sake of their future plans in the mortal world, he’d sensed her aggression, her desires to dominate him.

Unfortunately for her, he was an immovable object, one unwilling to be dominated, and would make sure she remembered that fact.

“Braxy, let’s play too,” she called, her voice husky and burning with as much Sin as she could muster. “That was so disappointing. After having you so many times, that can’t even be considered a warm up.”

Her lower lip trembled and her jaw slackened from the weight of his Talent bearing down on her. Focused and purified by Sin, it settled over her shoulders and tried to force her to her knees. She tried to resist, but her back arched. Then her knees bent.

He didn’t even have to move a muscle to subdue her, that was the difference in their power, but the sultry look in her eyes and the way her tongue licked at her lips—a counterattack that made him lose focus for but a brief second.

Damn, he growled to himself. He wasn’t the only one out of sorts after her performance. He wanted to play with her, just as she wanted him. A reward for doing a good job wouldn’t be so bad for her, Abraxis, he lied to himself.

His pride and her lust, they were heavy on his mind and wore down his careful resistance.

Almost.

She almost had him, but he tempered his will and fueled his Talent with the feelings of lust, her Sin she forced on him. He wouldn’t bow down, wouldn’t be dominated. Not by anyone, and especially not a puppet meant for his own use.

Even as the worst of her charm magic assaulted his mind, he’d had enough sense not to move from his spot. But now that he’d taken control over himself once again, he stepped forward and lashed out at speeds he couldn’t see but felt.

Fingers wrapped around her throat and lifted her feet from the ground. Lilith’s flames lapped against him in retaliation, but if he committed to doing something, he’d absolutely do it right.

His white hair, starting from his roots and moving to the ends, blackened into something darker than night from the activation of the full extent of his Sin and subdued her, forcing her back down to her default, unpowered state.

“Fucking Hells, woman,” he snarled, breathing heavily as he wrenched her forward until their noses touched. He locked his lips with hers, hungry for some part of her. A part he could control.

They stayed locked together, losing all sense of their surroundings and ignoring the demonic corpses littering the area, for who knew how long. Long enough to take the edge off of whatever remained of the lust he’d felt while leaving her hot and steamy and not at all satisfied.

When they broke apart, very forcefully and at his whim, she pouted. A deep thing that he had to look away for a second to break the will-shredding effects of that damned charm magic, an incredible Talent she got from her mother.

No wonder Lucifer is with Andariel. He’d always wondered why a demon of pride would ever pair together with one of lust, but what he’d experienced, not that he hadn’t before, was a reminder as to how… intense things could get with a proper coupling. A competent partner to be proud combined with the lust of both partners, a dangerous combination.

Lilith’s legs shook, and color flushed through her cheeks—an impressive feat through obsidian skin, one he patted himself on the back for. He tilted her head to the side and whispered in her ear, “Good girl. You did a good job, my betrothed. Keep it up, and you’ll be in for a good time soon.”

He caught her as a violent spasm passed through her body, one of pure bliss, and stole away her conscious mind. He’d trained her well in their time together, but he had a long way to go until she’d be a perfect product, a continued reminder of his greatest success. How could she faint from only one intense usage? He had great ambitions, and if she couldn’t come to develop her power properly—

One step at a time, Abraxis. One step at a time.