The Struggles of Dating a Demon [Completed]

Family

And perhaps it was a kingdom of sorts, but looking around only made Mabel's tears fall faster.

The ground beneath them was made of black clay, steam rising off the top as though the underside was on fire. Scraggly trees devoid of leaves rose from the ground, stretching up into the blood red sky. An imposing castle cast a shadow over everything; creatures reminiscent of gargoyles stood in front of the elaborate gate. Various people clothed in tattered robes and looking as though they hadn't been fed a decent meal in years milled about. From what Mabel could tell, they were completing various tasks, all with a ball and chain attached to one foot.

"Lovely, isn't it? Aleron took over delving out tasks after I was banished, but he isn't one for anything fun—says the puny humans don't deserve worse than what they already have, or something like that. I have a new idea, though, and I think you'll like it."

Mabel had the distinct feeling that, whatever it was, she wouldn't like it at all.

***

She wasn't sure how long she'd been here. She was only aware of two things:  her throat was drier than Hell itself, and her body felt as though it had been put in a blender. Mabel was coated in bruises, cuts, and had been spitting up blood since she'd woken last.

Her room (if it could be called that) was similar to a prison cell, but much worse. The floor was made of brick and was hot at all times, leaving Mabel's feet and other patches of skin blistered and swollen; there were no windows, and breathing had gotten harder with every passing moment.

Thankfully, the strange gargoyle guards hadn't been in her cell that day. Whenever they came, they made sure to give her the 'special treatment' her captor had laid out (getting slammed around like a ragdoll wasn't Mabel's idea of 'special,' but there wasn't much she could do about it). Even though Mabel had faith in Aleron, she knew perfectly well that she wouldn't last much longer. With no food or water and around-the-clock torture sessions, there wasn't much hope for her, if any.

She stared up at the ceiling blankly, not even blinking when the heavy cell door was pushed open. A quick glance confirmed it was one of the gargoyles, and silent tears streaked through the dry blood coating her face. The gargoyle sneered and snatched her by the hair, dragging her behind him as he started up the long flight of stairs that led to the main floor of the castle.

A distinct sense of melancholy settled in Mabel's stomach, and she could only describe it as the feeling of impending death.

This is it.

The gargoyle threw her down at the feet of the creature still in Herman's body, and she struggled to her knees, coughing up bile and blood.

"Hello, Mabel." The thing greeted sweetly, kneeling to grasp her face in its hands. "I see my underlings have been doing as they're told. Unfortunately, it would seem you're not going to last as long as I originally thought. You'll have to forgive me for that error—I have trouble understanding humans. Aleron was always the empathetic one, after all. Now. Let's make this quick, shall we . . ." it trailed off abruptly, straightening up as though it had been electrocuted.

There was a beat of silence, and then the entire castle shook with the roar that filled the air.

"MABEL!"

The tears ran even faster down Mabel's cheeks, but they were of joy.

Aleron had finally come.

The gargoyle gripped her shoulder tightly when she tried to stand, keeping her on the ground. The beast in Herman's body sighed, but—even through her cloudy vision—Mabel could see the nervous glitter in his eyes. Even this thing hadn't anticipated Aleron's will to keep her safe.