Page 186 of Crimson Promises
"Stop," he demanded. His tone was that of a man who had lost too much and wouldn’t lose anymore. Turning to Lucifer, his green eyes filled with resolve, he stated, "Take me instead."
Lucifer's eyes flickered with amusement. "Why would I want you when I can have her?"
“I’ll offer myself in her stead—as an indentured servant, as... as anything. Just let her go back home unharmed."
"Bennett, no," I whispered, tears blurring my vision. I could feel my heart shattering, the pieces scattering like stars across a midnight sky.
Lucifer studied him, intrigued.
“Killing you would be boring.” He flicked his gaze to my face and then back to his knuckles. “Fate works in perplexing ways. Perhaps you could be of use to my plans.” Lucifer strode back towards his throne.
A stone dropped in my gut.
Ben was stoic. There was no trace of fear or panic on his face. He maintained his wide stance as if that could protect him from Lucifer’s plans, protect me.
“I’ll make another bargain with you, Bennett Caelum,” he said. Caution flooded me. “You must complete two tasks of my choosing. Complete them, and she goes free. Fail them, you will perish, and Aurora remains here in Hell with me as my betrothed.”
I was pivotal to Lucifer’s plan. Why would he agree to this without an ulterior motive? If Lucifer believed what he claimed about my power, then there was no way it could be replicated by anyone or replaced by a few tasks. Unless he knew Ben would fail. I could barely hear them above the blood pounding in my ears.
Ben's posture stiffened, but his gaze didn’t falter. “If I complete them, then in addition to Aurora’s freedom, you will not compel or coerce her into using her powers. You will not harm any mortal she cares about. Both of us leave here and remain outside of this domain forever.” Ben seemed to have learned his lesson from blindly making a deal with the Devil the first time. Magic had to be specific. Lucifer would capitalize on any loopholes Ben failed to stipulate. “What are my tasks?”
“Disclosing them would give you an advantage. I may be many things, Caelum, but I honor my bargains. You must complete a task on each waxing crescent cycle of the moon. The next one is upcoming shortly.”
“And what am I to do in between each of those cycles? They’re weeks long.” He dared a glance at me. His eyes were bright and on high alert.
“You shall remain in your cell. It will give you plenty of time to devise a plan to complete your tasks or contemplate your demise. If you’re a model prisoner, I may even allot some time for my betrothed to come and say a final goodbye.”
“If I complete your tasks on each waxing crescent moon, you will uphold our agreement?”
“Absolutely,” Lucifer said. “Do you agree?”
Desperation clouded my mind as I rushed to Ben's side pushing myself against the bars, clutching his arm. "You can't do this, Ben! You can't be bound to him," I pleaded. I felt cold in my bones.
“I already am. What’s one more time?” His fingers brushed my cheek, wiping away the cascade of tears. "If it means you're safe, Aurora, it's worth any cost." He looked past me to the Devil. “Agreed.”
Lucifer gave a horrible smile. Magic fizzled in the air between them. Lucifer snapped his fingers as he burrowed into his throne. “Give Bennett Caelum a reception deserving of Hell.”
An invisible hand pulled me back towards my onyx seat.
Bennett was released from his cage. He took leaping steps towards me. But was then ensnared, caught off-guard by two of Lucifer's henchmen—formidable, towering specters, their eyes devoid of compassion or humanity as they dragged him from the cage to the middle of the room where they released Hell upon Ben. Each merciless strike, each heavy-booted kick they inflicted upon him, echoed in the cavernous chamber, tearing into my very soul with its reverberation.
Bennett's raven-black hair, usually sleek and effortlessly styled, was matted with sweat and blood. A particularly brutal guard, muscles straining against his dark armor, delivered a forceful punch to Bennett's abdomen, causing him to double over, gasping for air. The other, taking wicked delight in Bennett's weakened state, grabbed a handful of that dark hair, yanking his head back to expose the pale column of his throat. He then landed a sharp slap, the sound echoing louder than any other blow, leaving a flaming red imprint on Bennett's skin.
“Bennett, did you know…” Lucifer drawled over the grunt of pain Ben released each time the guards made contact with his mangled body. “That when you fail and I have the immense pleasure of marrying Aurora, not only will I not be able to keep my hands off of her, I doubt we’ll leave my chamber for a week. And as her husband, I will be granted a small vestige of her power.”
“I’ll never let that happen,” he spat as droplets of violet added to the rivers of his blood trailing down the floor.
Alarm rang through me. There was no way Lucifer could have access to even a fraction of my power. He would use it to raise his armies of Hell, and everyone I loved back on Earth could be potential casualties.
We were fucked from every angle.
That beautiful, stubborn defiance tore at me. Guilt, thick and all-consuming, swirled within me.
The sharp metallic scent of Bennett's blood assaulted my senses, merging with the stench of sweat and fear.
But as the cruel scene before me played out, my heart and mind wrestled with the chains of betrayal and confusion. Why? Why had he not just told me the truth?
Nostalgia tugged at me. I yearned for the comfort of my apartment, the smell of books at Ol’ Eleanor, and even my boring classics course. At one point, I had contemplated giving up everything I had worked for and established for myself in my life at Arch Cape. I almost gave it up for someone who had lied to me since we first met.
