Page 128 of Unbinding the Demon
Our lips were still smiling and dancing together, as Azathoth softly pushed me onto my back and laid on top of me. He pulled away and peered down into my glossy eyes with overwhelming love glimmering in his citrine gaze. The water gently lapped against the shoreline right beside us while he caressed my hair.
“I love you,” he whispered with an overjoyed smile.
I reached up and caressed his cheek in return. “I love you too.” We both quietly laughed for a moment, high on the whirlwind of wondrous emotions. “So, um, what’s the final step going to be like?” I inquired with a smile, feeling a rush of excitement.
“Well, we have to wait for the next full moon,” he murmured. “And then...” A wicked grin flashed across his face. “Let’s just say things are going to get...hot.”
52. Under the Beltane Moon
The pleasant piney scent of a candle filled the bathroom, while I sat in the darkness created by my closed eyes. Soft, tickly hairs lightly caressed my downcast lids, making it difficult to keep them from twitching. My lips wiggled as I pursed them together, trying to stifle my laughter and stay as still as possible.
“Babe, knock it the fuck off! Or I’m going toaccidentallymake you look like a drunken stripper who’s been slapped in the face with a garbage bag,” a male voice sassily threatened.
Was that supposed to get me not to laugh?
Unable to take it anymore, I threw my head back in a loopy fit of giggles. “I’m sorry! I just can’t help it! It tickles so much!” I exclaimed as my eyes fluttered open, bringing William’s irritated scowl into view.
One hand was on his hip and an eyeshadow brush was in the other. He had twisted his pale yellow hair into a frizzled messy bun on top of his head and tucked an unlit joint behind his ear. He tapped his foot against the gray tiles with impatience, while glaring over at me.
The wooden stool I sat on squeaked beneath me as I pulled my fluffy red bathrobe tighter around my waist. A blindingly bright ring light shone directly onto my face, propped up on the sink counter. It stood tall among a sea of various cosmetic products that were strewn about, making it look as if a makeup bomb had gone off.
Since tonight was the demonic equivalent of my wedding night, William had insisted on going all Bobbi Brown on me and dolling me up. And holy hot damn, was that man skilled with a makeup brush and a curling iron. The look he'd given me was smoky but natural, with tastefully applied umber eyes and rosy lips. My long chestnut locks were curled into loose ringlets and pulled back on one side with an elegantly bejeweled barrette that reminded me of silver-spun twigs.
“Come on, I’m almost done!” He brought a liquid eyeliner pen up to my right lid. I reclosed my eyes. “I just have to add some small wings. Then trust me, once Azathoth gets a load of how hot you look, it’s going to totally knock his fucking socks right off, baby!” he exclaimed.
“He’s already seen,” I giggled. “He’s been in here for the past, like, five minutes or so.” William finished up my eyeliner as I spoke. When I opened my eyes, he had a look of confusion plastered on his face.
“Wait, really?” He spun on his heel and glanced around the room all paranoid-like.
“Yes, really,” Azathoth’s deep voice rumbled as he appeared with a big black poof, chilling in the empty clawfoot tub. He was in his human illusion, most likely for William’s sake. Although he still screamed like a child and leapt across the room.
Azathoth seemed indifferent to William’s sudden fright and casually continued speaking. “I wanted to make sure you weren’t using any flammable hairspray, but then I decided to stay and watch. And although I’m not wearing any socks for you to knock off...” He tapped his large bare foot against the edge of the tub. “I still think you look smoking hot, my darling.” He made a clicking noise while winking with a finger-gun snap and point.
“What the!? Get the fuck out of here!”William hissed while pointing toward the door. “Don’t you know it’s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding!?”
Azathoth hopped out of the tub in one smooth motion, then held his hands up. “Well, in my defense, this isn’t a human wedding.” William began shooing him toward the door as he tried to explain. “We’re binding our souls together to complete our infernal matrimony,“ he rambled as William’s slender, flailing arms shoved his large, moseying frame out of the room. “There’s really no need to be superstitious about it,” he added while glancing over his shoulder.
“Get! Begone with you! You satanic peeping poltergeist!” William made an exaggerated“Heee-yah!”kung-fu noise as he dramatically kicked the door shut right behind Azathoth’s bumbling butt, then locked it for good measure.
I giggled, knowing that he could teleport back in if he wanted to, but I didn’t say anything. William swiped a loose lock away from his forehead as he strolled back over to me. He took both of my hands in his and gently squeezed. Light glimmered in his sky-blue eyes as he looked at me with adoring brotherly love. But even through the love, I could still see the anguish of his broken soul within his watery gaze.
We had grown a lot closer over the past almost six months, and now shared a bond formed by our mutual pain and sorrow, weighted by the heavy burden of survivor’s guilt. He blamed himself for Oliver’s death, as I did for Lacey’s. Even though Azathoth insisted that neither of us had any blood on our hands, it was still hard not to feel crushed by grief and self-blame.
Azathoth had offered to have a normal human wedding as well, if I had wanted it. But truthfully, I didn’t. The thought of a wedding without Lacey there as my maid of honor felt like a scathing knife in the chest. I didn’t think I could stand in front of a crowd of people, joyously getting married, while she slept within the earth’s cold dark embrace. I felt guilty that I was getting my happily ever after, and she was not. And I doubted I’d ever be able to forgive myself for what had happened.
William’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts as he began to speak. “Not to brag, but you really do look amazing.”
I looked up at him with a bright smile. “You should be bragging. It’s not every day I let someone gussy me up like this.” We both laughed softly. “But thank you for doing it. You did an amazing job.”
“Bitch please, it was my pleasure.” He squeezed my hands again. “Are you nervous at all?” he whispered with a sense of curiosity.
“Of course I am! I’m merging my soul with an ancient evil demon and becoming his bride tonight! That’s some seriously nerve-racking stuff!” My overjoyed demeanor contradicted my words.
He laughed and pulled me into a hug, wrapping his arms around me. “Well, don’t be. I can tell you two were made for each other. He’s going to make you happy and take care of you always.” He squeezed me tightly. “I’m so happy for you.”
“Thank you,” I whispered while squeezing him back.
He stepped away and grabbed the joint from behind his ear. “Alright, well, I’m gonna go light this bad boy up. Then I’ll either clean up or pass out in the guest room. I’m not sure yet.” He laughed as we both started walking toward the door.
