Page 51 of An Unexpected Ascension
“Speed it up, demon,” I growl, pretending his nearness does nothing to my heartbeat.
“You might want to mind your manners, we’re no longer in Purgatory,” he reminds me. I only fold my arms across my chest andtilt my head impatiently. “Fine. Humor me here; what does your little twisted mind picture when you think of Hell?”
“My twisted mind!?” My brows pull together waiting for his response, none came. “Torture, fire, endless misery.”
He nods. “It can be all that for some, but did you ever think that Hell isn’t anywhere nearly as terrifying as everyone makes it out to be?”
“Is the demon trying to lure an angel to the underworld?”
“He is,” there’s a twinkle in the depths of his blue eyes, one that might indicate a soul hidden deep within, “but I’m also speaking the truth. Hell was always meant to be what everyone thinks it is today. Only, the second Lucifer held reign, it changed. Whereas Heaven is all rainbows and butterflies – quite literally – Hell is molten lava and clouds of blood.”
I shiver at the very thought of red skies.
“But it’s also rage?—”
“You’re not selling me even in the least.”
He smiles. “And love and lust, fear and sadness. Hell is everything you cannot have in Heaven. That dull ache that sits heavy in your chest, begging to be freed, it’s only here that you bear that burden. It’s here that the simplest of pleasures cost so greatly, even one little touch.”
As if to prove his point, his arm stretches out between us. Fingertips, calloused with dirty deeds, graze over my cheekbone and the light in the room flickers. Flinching away from his touch, the glow in the room grows back to normal.
“There’s justice in Hell for those that do not deserve a life of freedom, but for those like yourself or perhaps dear old Batty Betty, there’s life again – if you should want it.”
“What does that even mean? We’re dead, in Heaven or H-E-L-L.”
He rolls his eyes, but I refuse to pay just for the word.
“If you haven’t noticed by now, this world numbs you. It steals away any emotion that tips past that leveled line. Don’t you want toknow what it would feel like to love again? To sweat or see your own naked body? To feel human?”
I consider his questions, the latter bothering me in particular. As beat after beat of my heart ticks by, I begin to feel more like a mindless vessel and though the realization should frighten me, my fear is dampened by the very phenomenon he speaks of.
I grunt my response, nibbling my lower lip. “Then to dance maybe? Dance in a club with music louder than you can imagine and drown in enough liquor to melt that icy heart of yours.”
I can’t bring myself to say another word for fear that I might just say the truth; that I have wondered what those small, meaningless luxuries would feel like again.
His eyes search mine, looking for the words I refuse to say aloud.
“To know the truth of what happened to you? To have free rein of your memories whenever you want?”
“Your point?” I finally ask.
“Hell isn’t as terrible as everyone makes it out to be. Listen, the Gods of Heaven, they betrayed Lucifer. He worshiped them and Hell was merely a prison, but the second he learned just how power hungry they were, he was cast down. Lucifer...” He sighs, taking a beat to think his words over. “Is a just God and though he rules over the underworld, it doesn’t make him any less so. Your fears, everyone’s fears, of Hell are misguided. No, it’s not quite as serene and peaceful as Heaven, but neither is it boring and dull.”
“I take care of the children here. I have a purpose. I don’t need an eternity of fun and mindless mayhem.”
“Well, aren’t you Mother Mary herself?” He taunts. “Bless your soul, forget your sins, you belong here after all.”
“I don’t appreciate your sarcasm and yes, I do belong here. I’ve been trying to tell you this the whole time.”
He rolls his eyes. “We’re generations past seeing eye to eye. What I’ll tell you is this; your God, he’s undeservingly righteous, unjust, and doesn't belong. He and the restof the Gods will get what is coming to them. If you don’t believe me, the Tree of Knowledge has all the answers you seek.”
“Holy Fudge! You think I’d go near that tree just to see if you’re lying to me? Do you think I’m an idiot?” I shove to my feet, aiming toward the door.
A hand wraps around my wrist, tugging me backward. The ceiling light crackles, flickering like a strobe light in warning. The rays from the sun filtering through the window darken like the threat of a storm. All of this as I fall in slow motion onto the demon’s lap.
Fear strikes my heart as his arms trap me to him.
“You were made for Hell, Angel. You might be Mother Mary the Second now, but one way or another, you’re going to fall. I suggest you find the truth before you do so, otherwise the next time I see you, you’ll be screaming my name as I fuck the holy right out of that delusional soul of yours.”
