Naked as the day they were made, Bael and Maharet lay in the smoking crater where his bed had been. She panted, clouds of smoke flowing out from between her red lips with every breath. There were no words. Just a look of surprise, exhaustion, appreciation, and complete surrender. The sex had been good before, but this time it was incredible.

How does he do it? She wondered. How does he make me feel like this?

When they got to hell she had expected Bael to rip her clothes off and take her right then and there. And she had wanted him to. Instead he took his time, whispering promises of pleasure and sweet temptations in her ears as he stripped her naked.

She tried to take his pants off but he held her back, not letting her take control. Then he went to work, caressing her body, building anticipation, asking her questions, pinning her down so all she could do was lay back and enjoy the experience.

Even when she burned his clothes off and there was nothing left but skin between them he didn't give in. But she did. Oh yes she did. She gave in a little, then a lot. She gave in again and again until she was out of breath.

When she wasn't sure she could go any further Bael found new ways to bring her to her knees and make her legs shake. Then he carefully took her hand, interlaced his fingers with hers, looked her in the eyes, and gently began to make good on his promises.

The world burned and shook around them as the two demons made love. Bringing something joyful and pure into this hateful place.

Now hours later they lay in the ashes of his bed and a question loomed. What now? They were back in hell. Bael had won the bet. Six was safe and if Maharet wanted to she could leave. The traveler's bond would weaken and break as soon as they separated.

She looked at him, this undeniably male demon with his big curving horns and powerful hands. He looked back at her lovingly and went in for a kiss. Maharet knew that if she let his lips touch hers she was done for. She had a chance to escape, to break free, to get away before Bael learned her secrets.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Because Maharet had secrets that could make even a baron of hell think twice about continuing their relationship. Bael seemed to notice her hesitation. “What is it that you want?” He asked. “Because I know any relationship with me as a major part of it is probably bound to fail. But I want to try and make things work with you. With us. And if it doesn’t, then well… at least I know I tried.”

When he put it like that Maharet felt her defenses soften. There was no guarantee this thing between them would last and that almost took away some of the pressure. She leaned in and kissed him, closing her eyes and savoring the moment. There was no way of knowing if it would work, but she wanted it to.

***

Back at the house Six was sitting on the front porch and looking at the wreckage that had been Murphy with confusion and despair. She wasn't sure if the demonic SUV could feel pain. But going from three hundred miles per hour to a dead stop in less than a second must have hurt. If Bael hadn't used his magic to protect her she would have suffered the same fate.

Still, she had the strangest feeling that Murphy didn't mind. It was as if he was somehow content in his world of crushed quarter panels and leaking seals. After all, he had chosen this. Which was almost more depressing.

There was also the question of if Bael and Maharet were coming back. Her book of divination spells for dummies said they were in hell. Which made sense, but wasn't terribly reassuring.

Titan appeared a bit later with a newspaper. He dropped it at her feet with a thud. “WHAT HAPPENED TO MURPHY?”

“He was in a hurry then stopped too fast.” Six said, not feeling like explaining things. Eventually got up and went inside. Bael and Maharet had been gone for hours and she was getting hungry. It was time to make some spaghetti.

The water in the pot came to a boil just like it always did and the pasta cooked as it should. But she hit a snag when it came time to open the jar of tomato sauce. She tried to twist the lid off but it just wouldn't budge.

“Do you need some help?” Asked Bael, walking into the kitchen as if nothing had happened.

Six threw the jar at his face. He caught it effortlessly, not pretending to be the dopey clumsy demon anymore. Or perhaps merely remembering who he used to be. Bael popped off the top and handed it back.

In response Six threw the jar at the ground and screamed. She screamed because she was overwhelmed. She screamed because she knew this was all temporary. She screamed because she knew that one day Bael would leave her alone like everyone else eventually did.

Then she ran out of the kitchen and hid in her room. She couldn't deal with this right now. It was too much. It was all too much.