Deals with the Devil (PA #1)

Chapter 6

Romeo (Lust), Age Ten

"Low, you gotta quit looking at your intended target area before you swing. You keep giving yourself away," I advise my best friend.

It's the hottest time of the day, with the sun at its highest point in the sky, so of course this is when we're expected to have combat training. Outside. In the heat. Where I'm sweating so badly that my long black hair keeps sticking to the sides of my face.

Luckily, the training grounds are empty of everyone except me, Willow, Lizzie, and Killian. We used to have demon trainers, but Killian kept beating up the ones who touched Lizzie, so now we just train by ourselves.

Willow huffs. "How exactly am I supposed to hit you if I can't see you? Last I checked, I don't have any superpowers that allow for that kind of thing." She briefly closes her blue eyes, humming loudly to herself, before she opens them back up, throws her hands in the air, and says, "Nope. Still no powers."

From their positions against the fence to my left, Killian and Lizzie laugh at Willow's dramatics. Being completely human, Willow often gets frustrated at her physical limitations when it comes to combat training. No matter how hard she tries, she will never be as strong as the rest of us. For that reason, I try to make sure that she uses her other assets, like her brain, to the fullest extent possible. If she can outsmart her opponent, then she won't need to rely on physical strength as much.

Trying to ease her frustration and comfort her, I reach forward to grab her hand. As usual, I feel warm pinpricks from the spots where our skin touches.

"Use your peripheral vision, Low. Or aim for the big areas, like my abdomen, so even if you're somewhat off-target, you'll still be able to hit something. Just one more time, then we can stop for the day. Okay?"

She nods her head in a determined way before squeezing my hand and then letting go. Immediately, I miss the connection but step back from her and into a loose fighting stance.

Without any warning, Willow runs forward, drops into a slide, and then thrusts her wooden sword up and into my stomach. Impressed that she's able to take my advice and execute it so well, I disregard the slight pain that will definitely lead to bruising later.

After she stands back up, I fold her into a tight hug. Loud cheers come from the peanut gallery next to us, but I ignore them in favor of focusing on the feel of Willow in my arms.

Out of all of my siblings, I'm the only one whose Sin has not manifested itself. My parents and tutors believe that Lust won't take effect until I hit puberty. Regardless, my body always feels different when it's near Willow. Tingly and warm. Comforted, almost. I'm not sure if that's how all humans would feel to me, or if Willow is just a unique case, although I suspect the latter.

After the hug goes on for a beat or two too long, I reluctantly pull back. Before anything can be said between us, a deep voice rings out across the courtyard. "Good job, Little Warrior. At this rate, you'll be making grown demons cry in no time."

Willow beams at Ragnar's compliment, knowing that any praise from the future commander of Hell's army is rare and therefore special. Meanwhile, I stiffen, my muscles locking up in fear of what could happen next.

Ragnar approaches our little group, looking much taller and bigger than any fourteen-year-old has a right to be.

In the last couple of years, he has become somewhat unbearable. Whether it's the hormones changing his body, his Sin becoming stronger, or our mother's urging that he date Beelzebub's nightmare of a daughter, Ragnar is now a ticking time bomb of unchecked rage. With the exception of Alexander—who loves to provoke him—and Willow, we all walk on eggshells around Ragnar to avoid triggering his short fuse.

Unlike the rest of us, Willow, being the good friend that she is, usually goes out of her way to do nice things for Ragnar. After my mother first told Rangar to begin courting Beelzebub's daughter Priscilla, he was so angry that he killed several low-level demons as a demonstration of his frustration.

That same night, Willow snuck into Priscilla's room and chopped off all of her pretty blonde hair, leaving only patches of fuzz behind. As vain as Priscilla is, she refused to leave her room until the hair grew back to a respectable length. Even with specialty potions to quicken the growth process, Priscilla still ended up locked away in her room for three months.

For that time, Ragnar was able to live his life without the threat of Priscilla hanging over his head. He and everyone else believe that Lizzie is the one behind the hair cutting, but Lizzie and I know the truth. While Willow might be perfectly sweet and forgiving when people wrong her personally, she absolutely does not tolerate anyone threatening the life or happiness of the people she loves.

Focusing back on the conversation at hand, I realize that I must have missed some important details.

For some reason, Willow is now attempting to teach Ragnar the dance moves to some song that was popular on Earth a few years ago. Killian joins in, executing the moves flawlessly while Lizzie sings about being all in this together.

I close my eyes, reach up to rub away what is surely madness, and then open them back up to see that the scene does not change. If anything, Ragnar is getting even more excited about the whole thing, pumping his arms up and down aggressively before clapping alongside Killian and Willow.

Ragnar, the same guy who only ever smiles at death and destruction, arches his lips up to match the happiness that can be found in his eyes.

Figuring that I unknowingly entered a parallel dimension where everything is backward, I decide to just go with it. Following Willow's instructions, I join their makeshift dance circle.

Even though it is kind of ridiculous, the song and dance intended to entertain human children manages to amuse me as well. Or maybe it's just how enthusiastic Willow is about the whole thing. Her happiness always seems to leak into mine, and this time is no different. I really love this girl.