The island was more than anything I imagined. Shaped like a massive infinity symbol, the divine and beauteous piece of land was adorned with emerald, lush vegetation, and beautiful white sandy beaches with just as magnificent clear, azure waters surrounding it. The picturesque view from the private jet was absolutely breathtaking; my jaw dropped.
A few chuckles came from behind me, and I found myself staring at Devlin, who was holding two glasses of white wine. He looked down at me with amusement as he passed me a glass, saying, "Like what you see?"
I nodded profusely. Like a little child with a big sweet tooth in a candy shop, I excitedly blurted out, "Wow. Who would've thought you could find heaven in the underworld?"
Hands on either side of the small window, I bring my body closer to the window and allow my eyes to wander back to the scenic resort we were about to explore. My body felt light. It was as if I was dreaming, and I never wanted to wake up.
"You're so cute."
My eyes widened; I was taken aback by what I had just heard. "What did I just hear? Devlin, did you say -"
"I-it's so cool. I said the scene is so cool," he stammered. He was sitting across from me now with rosy cheeks, looking askance. Before I could say anything else, he cleared his throat and then continued, "I knew you'd like it. It's a very special place with a lot of history, and I hope you get to experience some of it with me - and relax, of course."
"History?" I beamed. "I would love to learn about your family - obviously - since you're technically the royal family of my kingdom. Anyway, even if you weren't, I'm honestly honored to be here. Never in my life would I dream of being here with a good friend."
His cheeks reddened even more as he said, "Yeah, hopefully, our relationship can grow a little more while we're here."
I don't know why, but that sentence prompted a small but sincere smile on my lips. This side of him was nice to see. The more relaxed side of him, that is.
It reminded me of the time at the festival. We competed for the title of the best game player by seeing how many toys each of us collected. He won by a good margin but, surprisingly, gave me his toys instead at the end. Our time there was spent with spontaneous laughter, teasing remarks, and the pure enjoyment of each other's company. I never knew how wholesome it was to have someone you could trust with all your heart. The only thing that bothered me were the prying eyes...
Now that I look back at it, we garnered a lot of attention there. There were a multitude of expressions. Some were of awe and excitement, while others were of green-eyed jealousy or unfathomable distaste, and I do wonder if it was because of how undeniably gorgeous Devlin was. I may be oblivious, but even I knew my friend was exceptional eye candy.
However, I never paid much attention to the obvious. Instead, I would register his warm, husky laugh; the occasional snort that would come through when the joke was funnier than he expected; or how his nose reminded me of Rudolf the reindeer whenever it got cold outside or he was embarrassed. It was small details like that that marked their existence in my mental notebook rent-free.
"Hey, Dev, I'm looking forward to this," I said, my heart fluttering a little at the thought of our time together. "Just being with you."
Instinctively, I covered my mouth with wide eyes. The reality that I had professed those words hit me hard.
The red across his cheeks deepened, and, again, he avoided eye contact with me before mumbling, "Uh, that's good to know. I can't wait to be with you too."
An explosion of emotions filled my gut as the butterflies in my stomach fluttered uncontrollably. My cheeks burned red as I averted my attention from him to the outside world and allowed silence to fill the space between us. Maybe I was catching a fever or something.
XXX
Upon arrival, my heart sank faster than a bag of rocks in a pond. I couldn't believe my eyes. They were really in front of me in all their awfulness.
"Manfred and Estio?" Devlin was as surprised as I was - and probably just as disappointed - as he pulled our suitcases with him into the reception. "What brings you both here?"
Estio bowed then, with one hand to his chest, spoke up, "My greatness, forgive me, but, with everything that has happened in the last few months, I thought it would be best if I came as extra security for the both of you."
Both of us? Don't crack me up.
My eyes rolled to the back of my head and back. Even a rock knew he was here for Devlin. He was never fond of me hanging out with his beloved future king for some reason, and Devil Boy was unheeding of that fact because the diabolical demon was so good at hiding it.
Sick of seeing Estio's lying, repulsive face, I turned to the epitome of death, Manny, and grunted, "What's your excuse, rat face?"
"Don't worry, I don't want me here as much as you do," growled the teen with folded arms and a disgusted expression. "But your mother and grandfather wanted me here to watch over you, and my grandpa thought it would be a suitable punishment for me since I mixed up our packages."
Ugh. This was supposed to be my time to relax and spend some quality time with Devlin. However, now I have to babysit this demon kid and worry about a damn demon guard or commander drowning me or worse.
I sighed, getting a headache. "Okay, this couldn't get any worse."
Estio and Manfred exchanged looks. Devlin and I looked at each other with fear in our eyes, then back at the other two.
"What made you two look at each other like that?" I asked, feeling sick to my stomach.
They ignored me until Devlin spoke up, "You heard the lady, what's going on, Estio?"
Estio appeared apprehensive but eventually started talking: "My lord, don't panic, but we have a very special visitor here."
"A special visitor?" queried Devlin. "Is it one of the great devil royals?"
Manfred gulped as Estio shook his head. "Not quite, my lord..."
Devlin and I stood there for a few minutes, pondering who it could possibly be. However, when Devil Boy ran out of patience, he demanded they tell him, "Stop playing games and tell me who it is, you two."
His eyes glowed red, and I quickly stepped in front of him and asked him to calm down. He managed to dampen his anger and then asked them again, "You guys, who is it? Your hesitation makes me think it's him, but he hasn't visited any kingdom for over a decade now."
Their even more awkward silence answered his question. All the blood drained from Devlin's face as he dropped the luggage. His eyes opened wider than I had ever seen them, and I couldn't help but be worried.
"Hey, Devil Boy." I smacked his cheek, but he didn't even flinch. My concern only grew as I grabbed his shoulders and did my best to shake him back into reality. "Hey, Devlin Ira, snap out of it!"
Manny stated the obvious: "He's in shock, Jules."
"Why? Who's here that he's frozen Devil Boy?" I yelled.
None of them answered me for fear of my reaction. But they didn't have to because He appeared on his own.
The two massive golden doors behind me swung wide open to reveal a man. With clear, tawny skin and striking but intimidating bright blue eyes, he strolled toward me with grace and power in each stride. His aura was outstanding; he swallowed the attention in the room without a single word of demand. I had never seen or felt anything quite like it.
Wearing a simple white shirt and black pants, you got a good sense of his physique. He was built like a statue of a Greek god, but not like the overly muscular ones. His deadly smirk intensified when our eyes locked. Normally, I would look away, but it was nearly impossible to break eye contact with him; he was like a vacuum, sucking you in. Towering over me, he came to a stop in front of me. It was then that I noticed his frame was slightly taller than both Devlin's and Estio's.
I looked to my sides, and Devlin, Estio, and even the disrespectful Manfred had all gotten down on one knee and were bowing. Confusion overrode my features as I mouthed to them, "What are you doing?"
They ignored me and faced the ground as if too scared to speak. I looked ahead of me at the strange, gorgeous man in front of me and blatantly asked, "What are you? A god?"
The man chuckled at my words and then said, in his deepest, most hypnotic voice, "Not quite. But you could say I am close to that. You actually know me pretty well."
I gulped, adjusting myself to his intense presence. "No, I don't think I do," I said with an honest tone.
He gently grabbed my hand and gave it a peck. "Julane Jones, isn't it?"
His touch sent a strong surge of heat throughout my body. For a moment, I almost collapsed under its strength. "Yes, I'm she," I said, feeling woozy and a little flushed.
"They call me the Devil of Devils or the Original Devil," said the ridiculously handsome man. "But you may just call me Lucifer."
My jaw hit the floor. Horror filled every fragment of my being as I digested his words. It was at that moment that I knew my life was entering another shitshow.