Four Harmonies waited anxiously on the premise of the Devil’s lawn. None of them were certain when they teleported to Lucifer’s Castle about what might happen. The girls huddled around the Archangels with tensed shoulders.

After a soundless minute of gazing at their surroundings with held breaths, the Harmonies relaxed a little, with no Infernals attacking them. They steadily ambled over to the mahogany doors, with silver spikes aligning in the middle of them that completed the look of the luminous castle.

Michael reached towards the wrought iron handles when a low growl pierced the silence in the dense forest around the castle. The skittish Prowlers leaped closer to Michael, clinging to his side with wide eyes. The other Archangel, Raphael, guardedly flickered his eyes to see where the growling came from.

A hellhound emerged from the transition zone of the woods. The beast—or one could claim three beasts in one body—grouched at the Harmonies. Saliva drooled from its three mouths, and six red eyes blazed dangerously at them.

Gulping her fears of being shredded alive, Kate gasped, “Cerberus!” Her friend quavered in her cloak, Sara’s breath shaking with trepidation, knowing hellhounds could smell fear and hunger for it.

Michael whispered, “Don’t move.”

With muscular shoulders, Cerberus licked its fanged teeth as he crept closer with blood thirst. His skin radiated a hellfire glow underneath his thick fur.

The Harmonies froze in their spots like a game of freeze tag. Sara whipped out her sword in defense.

Mouths curving into a hungered smile, the monster lurched towards them. The girls screamed, and the Archangels, horrified, jumped into action. Before any blood could be shed, a whistle broke the terrified screams. The hellhound skittered to a halt, inches from baring its teeth into flesh.

“Cerberus, that’s no way to treat our guests,” mocked the Devil, a smile twitching at the corners of his handsome complexion. He motioned his hand for the hellhound to leave, which the monstrous animal obeyed. However, Cerberus glared warningly at the Harmonies, retreating into the woods.

“That was unnecessary!” sneered Michael, staring in disbelief at his twin brother.

Lucifer smirked at his victory, frightening and subtly threatening them to behave. Looking at the Harmonies, he rested his gaze on Sara, narrowing his slender black eyebrows.

Shrinking behind her father, Sara’s heart dropped dead in her chest. She realized she hadn’t bumped into a random person that night after finishing the Anti-arches, but the Devil himself, who accidentally spilled hot coffee on her. Well, shit. She flashed a panicky smile in hopes of appearing no ill towards him.

The shyness and timid stare from the girl Lucifer recognized, he casually mentioned, “I nearly didn’t recognize you without Infernal’s blood drenching your hair and covering half of you.” His smirk vanished into a frown, not expecting her to be a careless Harmony. The reason he said that was to see her reaction if she had killed the Anti-arches that day.

Besides the shocked, pale face, the girl didn’t react any differently. Instead, the Archangel stared alarmed at her and sputtered out with exasperation, “What?”

“I...” Sara shuttered, “accidentally bumped into him a couple of days ago.” She glanced away, humiliated for not realizing the man with slick black hair and dark chocolate eyes was the Devil. She slid her sword into a built-in sheath hidden in her cloak.

Lucifer almost pitied the girl. With the sword she carried, he assumed she was a Prowler. He would never imagine Michael letting out a girl as young as her to be out killing Infernals. Glimpsing at Kate, he suspected she was the one to slay the Anti-arches.

He replied, swiping his hand out in a grand bow at the young Prowler, “My apologies for the incident.” He wondered how native she would be to believe that his gestures were genuine.

“What incident?” demanded Michael, his jaw clenched.

“D—” Sara halted her answer, almost about to call him ‘Dad,’ but her father had told her to call him Michael to clear away complications with his brother. “Don’t worry, Michael,” she quickly rephrased, staring at the ground and shuffling her feet.

A sour expression crossed his brother’s face. Lucifer responded smoothly, “No need to be judgmental, Michael. Accidentals happen.” He already noted that the way the girl acted around the Archangel was odd, and he was curious to find out why.

Kate sneered, “Did you have to send your hellhound after us just to entertain you?” Rage coursed through her; remembered what he had done to her family—murdering her parents in front of her heartlessly. She tagged along because her boss insisted on her aid in figuring out more about the Galas since she was the only one who had encountered him so far.

“I had to be sure you didn’t bring anyone else.” With that answer, Lucifer whirled on his heels and swung open the heavy medieval doors.

Even with the perplexed emotion swirling inside Miss Dixon and her heart beating with uneasiness at thinking they were walking into a death trap, Kate was speechless in the embellished ballroom. A polished piano shone on a stage, and a sparkling chandelier hung in the center of the ballroom.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Watching the two girls stare, amazed by the room, Lucifer stated, “You should see my castle in Hell.” His brother cut a glare at him, not finding his joke amusing. Changing the subject with a roll of his eyes, Lucifer questioned, “Raphael, what brings you here?”

Raphael had been quiet, but he perked up and said, “I thought Michael and you could use suggestions about the Gala throughout the meeting.”

“Speaking of meetings, are you alright having it over drinks and dessert?” Lucifer strode up the grand staircase, the railings decorated with golden swirls. Flinging a pair of dark oak doors where his friends waited in the corridor, he said, “If you like, Elena can hang up any accessories you don’t want during your stay.”

The Archangel asked politely, nudging Kate to take her coat off, “I do hope you have wine.”

“Probably poisonous wine,” Kate muttered under her breath, reluctantly giving her coat to Elena.

Frowning at his sidekick’s comment, Michael thanked the Infernal for taking his lapel coat. He wore a white tunic and trousers, his golden hair waving past his shoulders and shining like woven silk.

Lucifer answered, chuckling, “Chateau Patrus was imported from Bordeaux, France.” He watched the young Prowler hunch in her cloak as Michael tugged on it.

The girl whimpered, “No, please, I need it!”

With some persuasion and knowing the castle was warm enough so Sara wouldn’t get cold, Michael took her cloak and handed it to Elena.

The weight of the cloak once Elena grabbed it puzzled her. “What is in this?”

Sara whined, “I need it for protection!”

Everyone raised their eyebrows beside Sara as Elena flapped the insides of the cloak. From a glance, there were knives, swords, daggers, and ninja stars strapped to tough leather fabric. Pockets with clipped buttons held items, and Elena dug into one, a handcuff dangling from her finger.

She grinned, “Either you are much into BDSM and sadism hands-down, or you have trust issues.” She winked, “And some protection you need, girl.”

The assassin stared, baffled by the Infernal’s statement, unsure how to take her comment. “I like to carry my weapons for extra security,” she commented, hoping to not look like an insane person.

After Elena hung the cloak in the closet, the Devil strode down the corridors. The walls had the color of fresh blood. A painting of a majestic red castle lit above a huge kingdom was framed overhead by a console.

Sara examined the picture in a stylish Gothic dress that had dropped shoulder sleeves, exposing her sharp collarbones. She swirled around in the white dress with a golden corset and golden lines designed on the skirt’s bottom. “Mr. Morning Star, is that Hell?”

“Yes,” Lucifer answered, pondering if the girl’s polite inquiry was to be respectful because of his status as the Devil or if she genuinely cared about formality with anyone she met. He motioned his hand to his friend with auburn short hair and said, “This is Elena; she is my only girl sidekick who has my devoted trust.”

Elena waved at them with a smile, wearing leather pants and a black blouse.

Strolling to a bulky man who stood as tall as the Archangel and wore black clothing, Lucifer claimed, “Caliber. Some joke: He’s my bodyguard because he wears sunglasses and always has a gun hidden on him.”

The ‘bodyguard’ nodded firmly, his eyes seriously staring at the wall like military fashion, his hands clasped in front of him and his feet slightly apart. Kate and Sara were mentally noted for not messing with him, the Infernal looking like he knew how to give a beating.

Gesturing at his last sidekick, Lucifer said, “Jackson, he rules Hell when I’m away for a long period.”

Jackson had blonde hair and wore jeans and a black shirt. He gazed at the Harmonies with suspension, but his sapphire eyes betrayed his curiosity. “First time for the Harmonies and Infernals to gather for business reasons; I take it this is about the Gala that crashed party into Hell the other day?”

Obviously Kate thought, wishing to get past the formality and get to the point.

The Infernals stared at the Archangel. Michael got the cue to introduce his sidekicks a bit too late to make him clear his throat in silence. He turned to his Prowler, “As you know, Katerina does my business when I need her too.”

Kate folded her arms across her chest and muttered to the Infernals, although not looking at them—especially not meeting eyes with Lucifer—” Hi."

Cutting a glare for her to behave, Michael directed his arm to his brother: “Raphael, the Seer, is the head of the Sanctums.”

The Seer bowed in his angelic rope with a golden, shiny belt around his waist. “Glad to be here.”

“And Sara,” Michael paused, hesitating who she was to him in sight of his brother. “My newest recruit, a Prowler.”

“Nice to meet you,” smiled Sara, twisting her golden cuff that hides her assassin mark, which her father desired to hide to keep her safe. Although she couldn’t fathom why Lucifer would want to hurt her.

“Isn’t she a bit young to be a Prowler killing my Infernals?” Lucifer asked, watching his twin brother go pale.

Michael quickly stated, “She’s training with her friend Kate to be a Prowler.”

“Hmm,” Lucifer replied, an unbelieving look flashing on his face. “Come on, let’s get our meeting started so we can get it out of the way.”

The tension between the Harmonies and Infernals zapped with electricity and kept everyone on their toes. They went down hallways, going left and right, feeling like a maze to the girls. The darkened corridors with blood-red walls gave off a vibe like a demonic-possessed house.

They arrived in a spacious living room, looking more like a man’s cave that would give any guy a run for his money. There was a large U-shaped leather couch that faced a huge television screen covering most of the wall. On the other side of the room, a small bar with various liquors on glass shelves shone in the dimmed light.

In the middle of the den was a square table, a puzzle being worked on, and four cushioned chairs around it. A reading nook was tucked where a window shone from the moonbeams spilling inside the room. Collector books lined the shelves.

“Fath—Fantastic room!” awed Sara, “Michael, could we have our living room be like this?”

Michael rolled his golden eyes and muttered, “Our living room is just as nice as this one.”

The Devil chuckled, motioning his head to Sara. “Sit anywhere you like; make yourself comfortable.”

Looking at her father with approval, Sara sat on the reading nook sofa, scanning the books.

A maid walked in with a tray of plates and silverware, revealing a cake. “Are we ready for lemon-blueberry cake?”

“Yes!” Sara clapped her hands, but she slumped on the sofa from her father’s stare.

“Well, then I guess so,” said Lucifer, already pouring wine into fancy glasses. Caliber’s posture was straighter than a ruler as he stood silently in a corner.

An impatient, soft sigh escaped from the Archangel’s lips, and he was greatly disturbed by their small talk. He cut to the chase: “So about the Gala who created recklessness in Hell, which I do apologize for not telling about sooner because I thought he wouldn’t be causing trouble among us.”