Page 45 of Ashes to Ashes

Leviathan’s eyes flashed with an odd mixture of emotions - anger, surprise, curiosity. . . and something else that made Ashe’s stomach twist with anxiety. “I intend on thanking you for sending your beloved stepdaughter my way,” he said, his voice low and menacing. The air around him crackled with power as he took a step closer, looming over both women. “I have big plans for her.”

Her stepmother sneered, baring thinly veiled fangs in disdain. “Oh? And what might those be?”

“To make her my wife,” he replied coolly, his piercing gaze never leaving Ashe’s trembling form. “I intend on making her a princess.” With that, he turned back to Ashe and offered his hand expectantly. Numbly, she took it, feeling the warmth of his skin against hers despite the chill emanating from his very being.

“That thing? That poor excuse for a female?” her stepmother howled.

Leviathan’s hand was against her throat, pinning the older woman against the bookshelf with such force many of the books tumbled out. “I assure you, Ashe is the most deserving halfling I’ve ever met. So, I must thank you.” he turned back to Ashe. “We are here. I leave the decision up to you as to what comes next.”

She knew he meant what came next for her stepmother, not for them.

Just days ago, she wanted the woman to rot in her place. To feel the slap of whips and the cut of knives all while serving a hideous demon.

“I want to know why you chose me.” Ashe took a step further and set her hand on the Leviathan’s outstretched arm—the one holding her stepmother in place. “Loosen your hold. I want to hear it from her why I was selected and not one of her ridiculous offspring who had far less skill than I?”

“Because you were and still are utterly worthless to me.”

The words hit Ashe like a slap across the face, sending her eyes burning with quickly forming tears. She’d always known the woman didn’t love her, but she’d at least hoped she’d mattered somewhat after being raised by her for eleven years.

Her stepmother’s eyes narrowed, showing only the barest of color. “You were nothing but a burden growing up! You were always too smart for your own good, always questioning everything we did!” Her voice was sharp and venomous, dripping with envy. She spat the words like they were poisoned daggers aimed straight at Ashe’s heart.

Ashe swallows hard as the tears find a way to streak down her face. She tried to push down the pain that threatened to consume her, but every word struck harder than any of Belial’s knives had.

“You love to talk about how much better you are than everyone else,” Ashe said slowly, “but it seems that even a demon prince can see through your facade.” Her voice was like honey on ice as she spoke, cold and calculated like her stepmother’s. “You should be thanking me for finding a way out of this place.”

Ashe did not bother to turn around as she spoke. Not because she was better than the woman she was about to condemn, but because she worried it would freeze her words.

“Send her to a demon. Let her feel what I felt. I know this family will be better off without her.”

“No.”

The single word rumbled through the room, shaking the few remaining books off the shelves and even blowing open a window. Leviathan may not have his powers or form in this realm, but he was still who he was.

“What do you mean?” She turned and looked only at the handsome demon she’d somehow come to desire. “Was this meant to be a punishment? Let me think there would be justice and snatch it away?”

“There will be justice. My justice.” His voice dripped with power. “Your family seems to believe your fate would be best left to other demons. But you see, your words fueled me. They boosted my power and allowed me to do things otherwise impossible for me when I walk on human soil. Human tile as it would appear in this home.”

Ashe watched as the nails grew on his hands to the wicked talons he seemed to be able to control at will.

“This will bring you not revenge, but power. And you will see that as a princess, power is far more important than revenge.”

As Leviathan’s voice echoed, the room seemed to shudder in anticipation of the impending doom. Ashe didn’t move, but she took in every response from the woman who raised her. It wasn’t obvious what Leviathan was going to do, but Ashe couldn’t find the space to worry.

The other woman’s eyes widened with fear as she understood the gravity of the situation. Her face paled, and her heart raced with terror. She backed away from him, trying to find an escape route, but there was none.

Ashe watched as he raised his hand, and her stepmother flinched at the sight of those talons growing longer and sharper. The human woman tried to speak again, but no words came out as Leviathan lifted his clawed fingers towards her neck.

With one swift motion, he sliced through the air with such force that it sounded like a scream ripped from hell itself. Blood spurted from her throat as she gasped for air, choking on life’s last breaths. The stench of copper filled the air as her blood pooled on the floor beneath them both.

“See?” he said darkly, turning towards Ashe who now watched with detachment as if this were merely a play. “This is what you deserve.” His voice was cold and calculating, there was no emotion there whatsoever except perhaps satisfaction at inflicting pain upon someone else besides himself or those around him. “She will suffer from my father now. And you will never be harmed by her again, Ashe.”

The scent of death permeated the air - metallic and coppery like freshly spilled blood - mingling with the rich mahogany scent of old books that lined these walls. Ashe could almost taste it on her tongue, bitter yet alluring at once. It felt wrong to feel anything but numbness towards this horrifying sight; after all,this woman had brought nothing but pain into her life since she was a child.

But still, death was so final, so terrifyingly permanent. Even if she knew there was something beyond it for some people.

“I will not apologize for not following your wishes. Meeting her, seeing the vile way she envied you. The bitch would’ve found a way to hell to kill you. I will never allow that.”

Ashe couldn’t help but feel a strange comfort in his words, knowing that this woman would never again be able to harm anyone else with her vile tongue.

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