The devil stood before his wife, lifting her to her feet. With the child still feeding, he leaned closer to her and whispered in her ear. She smiled before taking a soft kiss from him and disappeared into the air.
My heart was racing as the devil lengthened his body, turning back to us. His red eyes were filled with amusement as he looked at me.
"Brannon, do you wish to stay for the changeover or would you like to step outside?"
"Stay." Brannon said with determination.
"Then you must know of the rules before we start. You cannot intervene, you cannot tell me to stop. Emily has asked for a deal and this is how it will be. She has signed on the dotted line and there is nothing that can stop the process now. Sit on the lounge and do not move your backside from it until it is over. Do I make myself clear?"
Brannon walked to the lounge, sitting on it. His face was filled with as much fear as mine. I'd signed the form; I'd accepted whatever little clauses were in it. I could only hope that Michael didn't have any input into it.
The devil pushed the two chairs against his desk, creating a larger space in his office. Standing to one side, he gestured for me to approach and face him. Hesitantly I walked over, feeling like my legs were made of stone.
I glanced at Brannon, he offered me a smile that looked like he was trying to be supportive. His being here was enough support, instead of running off to the other room out of fear of what might happen, he stayed to be with me.
The devil stood before me, firm in his stance as he parted his legs slightly. I frowned, wondering why he'd need to be standing so strong.
"Are you ready Emily?"
His tone was filled with smugness, I looked up into those deep red eyes that seemed to be getting richer in colour as his skin colour faded. Darkness was consuming the devil; I was beginning to see the true beast, the one I'd always feared.
Glancing past him, I could see Brannon had moved to the end of the lounge, stretching to see around his father. Taking a deep breath, I stood strong and nodded.
"It's going to hurt," The devil said, sounding amused. "In fact, it's going to hurt a lot. That's what losing innocence is all about. The fall from grace, the good girl turning bad, it is a path that is filled with pain and suffering. The once pure soul is broken and shattered into the darkness. When you feel the pull, remember the truth. Remember everything that has happened and why you asked for this, it is the only thing that will get you through the pain. To be a true fallen angel, you must endure suffering. You must know what torture is. When you get to the other side of the pain, you will be like us. This is the deal Emily, you are not bound to me or this world, you are only bound to your love for Brannon. You will be a fallen angel entirely. There will be no devotion, no words of compliance to my will. You will be one of us. It will be as if you were born a fallen angel like Brannon. Nothing will be able to change this, you won't have to fear anyone coming after you and filling you will purity spells."
I nodded again, relieved at the revelation. No matter how much they hated it, those in heaven who were against this love wouldn't be able to do anything about it. I could suffer momentary pain for a lifetime of safety. It was worth it.
"Do it," I said defiantly. "Get on with it, devil."
"The name is Anton." He said coldly as the colour in his face dropped even further.
It was nearly white; the once peachy tanned skin was now a deathly pallor that filled me with fear. Darkness surrounded the eyes that were now a rich, blood red. It had consumed the entirety of the eyeballs, looking as if they were made of blood and nothing more.
"Only angels call me devil."
The devil's tone was filled with anger, it was growing fast and it looked like it wasn't the only thing that was growing. He seemed taller, though I couldn't be sure.
"You're not an angel, are you Emily?"
I shook my head, finding that my voice wasn't working. The devil's voice was changing, becoming louder and deeper. It sounded as if it was echoing through the room.
As I glanced at Brannon, a circle of fire surrounded us, flaming so high I couldn't see him anymore. I could hear him calling out to me, it sounded as if he was miles away.
The devil loomed over me, now I was positive he was getting taller. A glow shone off his pale face, the flames of the fire cast its pale yellow shadow against his sickly skin.
He was different now, not just the menacing way he spoke or the changing features, it was something else. This wasn't Anton anymore; this was the beast. I'd been warned about facing off against the beast, he wasn't someone that could be easily reasoned with. Anger controlled him, he was crazy and struggled with the thoughts in his mind. At least, that's what I had been taught. As for the truth, I don't really know. I guess I was about to find out.
"Bound to the love of the son of the devil, Emily Feldman in the present and Emily Dremain in the future, a life in the underworld and in the fiery pits of hell, a servant of the rules and ideals of hell forevermore. Take this life of the angel and become an entire fallen angel."
The devil smiled at me, the malevolent smile showed razor sharp teeth that were worse than anything I'd seen at the feeder club. They looked serrated, glistening in the light of the fire. His skin became so white it looked like he'd put face paint on, those eyes became a raging fire of their own.
Purple veins slithered across the white as the monster continued to change. The once perfect suit was ripping, the seams pulling apart as his body doubled in size. As the veins continued to consume him, I knew that he was becoming the true devil. The one that everyone believed he was.
I stared up at him as he towered over me, the material falling into the fire that burned it quickly. Bare chested, I saw the veins becoming fatter and turning red. Sliding over his body, the white became red and the once neatly styled hair now had black peaks growing.
My mouth dropped as I looked down, the long tail whipped out and settled by his leg. The hand that had been at his fur covered side shot out, the flaming trident snapped to his hand and as the other hand gripped the pole, the devil rammed the trident into my stomach.
The force crippled my body, the flames consumed me. As I looked through teary eyes to the smiling devil, I understood what he meant by suffering.