《The Things They Don't See》


 Chapter 1: Meet and Greet

    {Walter}


    I never thought that I''d end up here. People sometimes say that the mentally ill, children and anyone who can be vulnerable can see things that a normal person can''t. What these things are, I had trouble comprehending them until I found out the truth behind everything.


    The first time I met Victoria was when I saw something. She had come to the hospital because of an episode that had something to do with her mental health among other issues.


    I was called into my Boss''s office that day and I thought I was going to get fired. But no that wasn''t the case.


    My Boss is a young man probably younger than me and about the same height as me. He had short black hair and hazel eyes. He was dressed in his lab coat and wore blue scrubs underneath it. He had his stethoscope hanging around the back of his neck like most doctors that work at the hospital do.


    When I entered his office he smiled. "Mr. Hawkins! Please, take a seat."


    I took a seat across from his desk and frowned.


    He shook his head. "I know what that look is for and no, you''re not fired. Remember the lady that you had to calm down because her mother got into her room when she wasn''t supposed to be there today?"


    I raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, if I recall correctly her name is Victoria? Or Victory as her mom called her?"


    He snorted. "Victory indeed, it''s a miracle that woman hasn''t offed herself yet considering how bad her mother is. What you saw earlier was only a glimpse of what type of relationship they have. I hope she listens to my advice and files a restraining order against her."


    "Um, Dr. Stephen I hate to be rude but can we get to the point of why I''m being called in here today?" I asked.


    "Okay then, I have a job for you that will pay you twice your salary for a whole year," Dr. Stephen said.


    My jaw dropped. "Twice my salary? And why me?"


    "Well I remember looking through your resume it says that you''ve worked a couple of jobs as a live-in caretaker," He said.


    "Let me guess, you want me to do one of those jobs right? I''m not opposed to it, I just need to know who it is I''m working with," I said.


    He smiled and nodded. "Of course, the person you''ll be working with is Victoria. In case you''re wondering, her last name is Lee. She was brought in yesterday because of having a manic episode that her mother triggered. She can''t go home unless she has a caretaker with her. She''s opted to have a live-in caretaker. And she''s going to need one for the rest of her life from the looks of it."


    "Okay, well if she needs a caretaker for the rest of her life then why only a year?" I asked.


    "When there''s a long term client then the caretakers get switched out every year unless the client works well with caretakers and requests something in regards to a long term arrangement," He explained. "That makes sense and there is sometimes that a caretaker and the client fall in love. If that does happen, the caretaker can still work for the client, but the client and the caretaker need to declare what their relationship is."


    "I see. Although I don''t picture myself falling in love with a client anytime soon," I said.


    Dr. Stephen chuckled, "I can see that. You''re dedicated to keeping business and pleasure separate. You know my wife used to be a patient here and once she was released from the hospital we started dating and the rest is history! Of course this job isn''t a dating service but you never know what could happen."


    I shook my head. "Yeah, no thanks."


    He nodded. "Anyway, we''ll do an official meet and greet today. Considering it needs to happen before she can go home."


    He stood up from his desk and motioned for me to follow him out the door. When we got to Victoria''s room, Dr. Stephen knocked because the door was closed.


    "Come in!" Victoria shouted.


    We entered the room and Victoria was sitting on the bed fully dressed in a black t-shirt and blue jeans, she wore a gray sweatshirt. I tried not to smile when I looked down and saw her small feet. I couldn''t help but think that Victoria''s feet were the smallest feet I''ve seen on a woman.


    Victoria was a young woman who had to be in her late twenties like me. She had black hair and black eyes. The way her eyes looked I kind of wanted to pin her as possibly Chinese. But seeing that her mother was white, maybe she''s half Chinese?


    "Out of curiosity, what race are you?" I blurted. I mentally kicked myself because yeah that''s a good way to make a good impression with the first time meeting someone.


    Dr. Stephen laughed, "Sorry about that Ms. Lee. Mr. Hawkins over here doesn''t seem to have much of a filter today."


    Victoria blinked and then smiled. "Oh it''s okay, I get that a lot actually. And my race is mixed."


    I paused. "With?"


    "I''m half white and half black," She answered. "And no I''m not choosing even though my doctor seems to think I can pass as white." She rolled her eyes and looked at Dr. Stephen. "Isn''t that right doctor?"


    Dr. Stephen covered his mouth to stifle a laugh. After a moment he cleared his throat. "Anyway, I see that the nurse told you to get ready to go, that''s good because you''re meeting your live-in caretaker today."


    Victoria tilted her head. "And I''m going to assume that Mr. Hawkins is my caretaker?" She smirked. "Don''t worry I don''t have much of a filter either sometimes. I think we''ll get along just fine! Just don''t run away crying if I say something that might hurt your feelings."


    I snorted. "Nah, we''re good Ms. Lee-"


    "Victoria," Victoria cut me off.


    I paused. "Huh?"


    "Well you''re going to live with me for a year. I think we should be on a first name basis. So, My name is Victoria. Your first name is?" Victoria asked.


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    I nodded. "Okay then, my first name is Walter."


    She smiled. "Nice to meet you."


    "Well then you two will be getting to know each other especially on the car ride home. Wait for a moment I''ll be right back on with your discharge papers Ms. Lee," Dr. Stephen said.


    She nodded. "Sure."


    Dr. Stephen left the room and I took a seat on one of the chairs across from Victoria''s bedside. She seemed to have trouble maintaining eye contact because one moment she looked at me and the next moment she looked at the ground, then the next moment she looked at the wall then back at me during our conversation.


    I asked her the standard questions for a first time meet and greet like what her list of medications were, what was her normal routine and bedtime. I also asked if she had any food allergies and what she might need my help with.


    She''s lactose intolerant but she can drink milk substitutes. Otherwise everything else is fine. She''s not a picky eater which is good because I''ve worked with some clients who were picky eaters before and those clients can be rather difficult to work with. However, she has said that she doesn''t like onions or cherries. Even with just a simple conversation like this she seems pretty easy going.


    Not to mention she''s definitely not afraid to say what she thinks about things. The fact that she wasn''t afraid to state her opinions on anything made me feel at ease with her.


    Little did I know that once we got to her house we were in for a surprise.


    ***


    {Victoria}


    My house was located in a forest for many reasons, the first of which is to keep my little buddies locked up in the basement and out of sight. Unfortunately, no one believes me that my little buddies are actually real. I''ve been diagnosed with Schizophrenia because of it.


    But I do have episodes where I can''t feel anything other than anger and I blackout because of it. I think that might be a side effect of dealing with my little buddies in my basement.


    Right when I moved into the house I started seeing things. I saw blood running down the walls in the hallways. The closet doors in the bedrooms would open and close on their own. The worst part was hearing footsteps walking down the hall towards my room and hearing different voices whispering to each other in the bathroom closet.


    After about the first week I lived in my house was when I saw one of them. The creature looked like a mix between a bat and a human. It had a human face with bat wings and fangs. I thought there was only one of them in the house but it turns out that there were two of them. I asked them what they wanted and they said they only wanted to live in the house and that they would leave me alone. So I agreed, however, seeing and hearing things didn''t go away and when I told my sister Jenny about this she recommended that I go get help.


    I went to a therapist and was diagnosed with Schizophrenia and Depression. Things got so bad to the point where I couldn''t work a normal job anymore. So I hired a lawyer and went to court and got started on my benefits at the good old age of twenty-five. Yeah and it''s all thanks to my little buddies locked away in my basement. I''m going to have to warn Walter to stay away from the basement at all times!


    It didn''t help that once my mother found out about my mental health issues she''s been the most insufferable person ever. Which is sad because I used to look up to her once upon a time but now she''s been hostile towards me and then she loves to gaslight when questioned about her actions.


    It''s kind of funny because when I tell people about my hatred towards my mother they gasp and are very surprised that they''ve met somebody who doesn''t have a good relationship with their mother. I have to point out that not everyone''s upbringing is all sunshine and rainbows. Then when people find out about my situation they either pity me or praise me. That always pisses me off and makes me regret saying anything to begin with.


    I don''t need sympathy and I don''t need a medal just because I decided to live.


    Anyway, the house I live in is a modest two story house with two bedrooms and two bathrooms. There''s a kitchen and a living room, there''s pretty much everything that a standard house would have in my house. I''m proud of my house because it''s the biggest thing I''ve owned besides my car. I worked hard for this house and it''s paid off already because I inherited some money from one of my dead Uncle''s for whatever the reason.


    When Walter and I got home we walked up the porch steps and once I opened the door I was met with Jenny and her boyfriend David, along with my big brother named Jaxon sitting on the couch waiting for me.


    Jenny isn''t mixed, she''s just straight up white because she is a child from my mother''s previous marriage before she had my brother and I. Jaxon has the same light skin that I do but he''s slightly darker than I am so people always say he could pass for black and I could pass for white.


    Jenny practically rushed towards me when she saw me enter the house and gave me a big bear hug. "Oh I''m so sorry Mom went at it again with you sis! I wish I could''ve been there but I had to work and-"


    "Jenny, it''s okay we might be family but I''m not your burden to bear okay?" I said.


    "But-" Jenny started.


    I shook my head. "No buts Jenny. I''m fine, besides I''m going to have a live-in caretaker from now on to take care of me."


    She paused and raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? And who''s the guy standing behind you?"


    I turned to Walter and nodded. "This is Walter, he''s my live-in caretaker."


    "I don''t know about this sis," said Jaxon after he hugged me. "I don''t like this at all."


    I snorted. "You don''t like it when any man gets near me. He''s here to do a job, he''s not here as my date. And you know how I feel about relationships in general."


    He laughed, "Yup! Your words and I quote, ''Relationships suck so what''s the point?''"


    I laughed and nodded.


    "Well, why don''t we show Walter around and show him where he''ll be staying?" Jaxon said.


    "Yeah but you''re being awfully rude don''t you think?" I asked.


    Jaxon tilted his head. "What do you mean?"


    "You forgot to introduce yourself to him, duh," I said.


    He smiled and turned to Walter. "Hello Walter, my name is Jaxon and I''m Victoria''s brother."


    I tried not to laugh when Jaxon shook Walter''s hand and gave him a look as if to say, ''if you hurt my sister I''ll kill you.'' When Jenny saw that look she covered her mouth to stifle a laugh.


    She went up to Walter and shook his hand. "Hi, I''m Jenny, Victoria''s sister." She pointed to David who was still seated on the couch in the living room but now watching the conversation with interest. "The quiet one sitting on the couch is my boyfriend David. Don''t worry, he tends to be pretty shy around strangers."


    Walter nodded. "That''s understandable. It is my first time meeting you guys."


    "Alright, follow me," Jenny said. "I''ll give you the tour!"


    "What the fuck! Seriously? Jenny this is my house, I''ll give him the tour," I snapped.


    Jenny rolled her eyes. "Okay fine. Lead the way, this is your house after all."


    I nodded and started the tour. I showed Walter, every area of the house including the areas that were off limits, which would be the basement and the attic. I don''t believe in god so I chose not to use Bible scriptures to seal off the areas but I had a special lock that I got from a witch that had placed a spell on it. It''s somewhat worked before but seeing as my little buddies tend to be stronger at night and can still get out I don''t think the spell is working.


    The attic and the basement are off limits because that''s where my little buddies like to roam about. I almost have half a mind to say that the bedroom closets are off limits but Walter needs a place to put his clothes and whatnot so I''ll have to make do. I don''t think anyone else can see my little buddies which is exactly why I got diagnosed with a mental illness in the first place.


    However, when I showed Walter the closet leading to the attic that''s when I heard the whispers. I tried not to groan as I heard them. It sounded like my little buddies were bickering about something and I didn''t care to listen to what their argument was this time.


    Walter paused and stared at the closet. "Did you hear that?"


    "Hear what?" I asked.


    He gulped. "The whispering¡­"


    I shrugged and tried to play it off as if I didn''t hear them. "Nope. Probably just your imagination. It is late at night after all."


    He nodded. "Okay."


    I didn''t say anything else as Walter went to the guest room to put his things away and get settled in for the night.

 Chapter 2: The First Night

    {Victoria}


    Of course at the stroke of midnight my little buddies decided to start bickering again.


    "We should ask her¡­" Little Buddie One asked.


    "No, she won''t agree with it," Little Buddie Two snapped. "She''s tried to seal off the portal already. I doubt she wants to live with us. She''d have to-"


    I groaned and got out of bed. I knew they were talking about me going to their home in Hell to live.


    I went down the hallway and grabbed my silver bat because I found out that silver can keep my little buddies at bay at least for a little bit. I walked towards the closet that led to the attic with my bat at the ready in case I had to take a swing.


    The whispering grew louder and I went to open the door and right when one of my little buddies decided to crawl out of it I took a swing but instead of hitting them I hit the light bulb in the closet and broke it. The little buddy that crawled out of the closet shrieked and went back up the attic.


    "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" I cursed underneath my breath. "You guys know that I can''t make the closets off limits, so stay in the attic or the basement and shut the fuck up!"


    "Uh, Victoria? Are you okay?" I turned around when I saw Walter and I felt my face turn red.


    My little buddies seem to have a habit of making me look like a fool because they know how I''ll react to them. "Uh, yeah I''m fine. I, um¡­ Just attacking one of my hallucinations."


    "We are not hallucinations Vicky¡­" Little Buddie One said. "We just choose to appear to your first and you know it."


    "Did you hear that?" Walter asked.


    I shook my head. "Hear what? What are you talking about?"


    "That voice that called you Vicky? Did you hear it?" Walter said.


    My eyes went wide. "You can hear the voice too?"


    He nodded. "Yeah I can hear it."


    "Shit!" I exclaimed.


    "Okay then-" Walter started.


    Before he could finish his sentence I threw the bat up in the air and it smacked the door that led towards the attic and fell to the ground with a small thud. I could feel my heartbeat speed up and I felt like I couldn''t breathe. I felt like I couldn''t move and I was frozen in place.


    "Victoria! Victoria, what''s wrong? Speak to me," Walter said.


    I felt tears in my eyes as I squeaked, "Um¡­ I don''t know! It feels¡­ Hard to breathe!"


    "Oh crap," Walter said. He scooped me up in his arms as if I weighed nothing and brought me to the living room and sat me down on the couch. "Wait here, I''ll go get your medicine."


    I nodded. A moment later he came back with my anti-anxiety meds and a glass of water. I took one of the pills and chased it down with the water. Or at least I tried to. It felt like the pill got stuck in the back of my throat so I started to cough.


    Walter didn''t panic, he patted my back trying to settle the coughing fit down and it didn''t work.


    "The soda," I wheezed.


    "The what?" He asked.


    "On the¡­ Bottom shelf at the right in the front in the refrigerator there should be a Mt Dew that I normally use to take¡­ My medicine with¡­" I wheezed as I coughed.


    "Okay then, I''ll be right back," Walter said.


    He returned with the soda that I told him to get. I figured it''d be easy to find since every time I use a soda to take my medicine with, I mark it as ''take with medicine'' with a sharpie.


    I a couple of gulps of the soda and sighed with relief when coughing fit calmed down. "This is exactly why I take my medicine with soda and not water."


    He nodded. "Alright, I''ll keep that in mind. Feeling better?"


    "Yeah I am," I said. I looked over at the clock sitting on the stand next to the Tv and it said it was 1:30 am.


    "Waaaaaalter¡­." I heard Little Buddie One say.


    "Shut up!" Little Buddie Two said, "We can not appear to him yet! It''s not time!"


    "Well then we should ask mas-" Little Buddie One started.


    "Shut up! Let the humans sleep, they tend to be a little crazy without their sleep," Little Buddie Two snapped.


    "Says the one who decided to start arguing with me in the middle of night!" Little Buddie One snapped back. "You know humans like to sleep at night-"


    "Alright ready!" I said, while glaring at the closet. "Would you two shut up! Geez man, you''re driving me crazy!"


    "Uh, Victoria?" Walter said, "Why am I hearing voices coming from the closet?"


    "Again, you can hear the voices too?" I asked.


    He nodded. "Yeah I can hear them. They called my name this time around."


    "I see," I said.


    He shrugged. "Well, maybe it has something to do with the house? It could be that something''s not installed properly."


    "I have no idea," I said. "I haven''t been in the attic or the basement for a couple of weeks now and I don''t intend to go down there or up there any time soon."


    "Maybe you should check-" Walter said.


    I cut him off, "Nope. It''s not happening."


    "But-"


    I narrowed my eyes. "No, it''s not happening."


    He put his hands up to say he surrendered. "Okay, okay, we won''t go into the basement or up into the attic. Got it."


    I nodded and then yawned. "Alrighty then, now that that''s taken care of, I''m going back to bed. See you in the morning."


    Without another word I turned around and went back to bed.


    ***


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    {omniscient}


    Two tall humanlike figures stood outside the house that Victoria bought a year ago. They had been watching the house like their master told them to wondering why their master doesn''t want them to take Victoria back with them to Hell. The only thing they know is Victoria along with the man named Walter living with her are important to their master.


    The two humanlike figures have names and their names are Jezebel and Gray. They are what Victoria calls her little buddies.


    They stood on the porch just watching the front door but they didn''t open it or enter the house. Every time Jezebel and Gray talked it sounded like whispers but it was just their normal talking voices so hearing a conversation between them might make the hair on the back of your neck stand up.


    Jezebel leaned on the small fence in front of the porch and crossed her arms in front of her. "When do you think our master is going to tell us to bring her home?"


    Gray shook his head. "I have no idea. He''s very determined to wait until New Year''s Eve to take her back and hopefully she will have gotten close to Walter by then. And hopefully we will be able to reveal ourselves to Walter soon. Although it does seem that we''re accidentally revealing ourselves because of how much power we leaked when revealing ourselves to Vicky."


    Jezebel nodded. "Yeah that makes sense. But it was fun messing with her and I don''t know about you but I think messing with Vicky will never get old."


    Gray chuckled, "Oh yeah, the furniture moving trick! That never gets old, we should do that again soon. I wonder if Vicky''s going to pick up on the hint that we want light bulbs to play with, preferably ones that don''t break every time we touch them?"


    She shrugged. "I have no idea. Honestly, I don''t think she cares about that at the moment. We''re driving her nuts still and everyone around her thinks she''s crazy."


    "Yeah, it''s a shame though because even if her symptoms go away, she''ll forever be labeled as crazy," Gray said. He frowned. "Humans are the weirdest creatures to have ever popped up out of nowhere."


    "I totally agree but we should probably go back into the basement and let Vicky think she''s in control," Jezebel laughed. "Humans, they really think they can grab a demon by the balls so to speak with their silly little rituals that they do."


    "No kidding, but Vicky''s not human either, she''s just walking around in a human skin," Gray said. "And Walter''s not human either and I can''t wait until they find out the truth."


    Jezebel nodded in agreement and they went back to the basement in Victoria''s house.


    ***


    {Walter}


    So far working with Victoria has been rather interesting. Last night when I heard the voices coming from the closet that lead to the attic, Victoria seemed rather annoyed by the voices. However, the voices made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.


    The next morning I woke up around about 7am like I always did for work and Victoria was still sleeping. She told me about her sleeping schedule and how she likes to sleep about twelve hours a night. But with the voices and seeing things that''s preventing her from sleeping as much as she wants to.


    She went to bed around midnight, she probably won''t be up until around noon. That gives me plenty of time to go for my morning walk and do my morning routine. I went for a walk after I got dressed for the day and then I came back and took a shower and got ready for the day.


    I sat down at the island in the kitchen on a stool and checked my emails, messages and I smiled when I saw one from my sister:


    Hey there, I heard you''re doing another live-in caretaker job. What''s your client like?


    I responded: She''s a nice lady, almost the same age as I am and no I''m looking to date anyone and neither is she.


    My sister texted back: Aww man, that sucks! But hey there''s plenty of other fish in the sea LOL. Anyway, when are you coming back home for a visit? I haven''t seen you in a while.


    I rolled my eyes. My sister lives at home with Mom and Dad because she''s not even old enough to live on her own yet. She''s not even old enough to work a part time job because she''s only thirteen and she''s still in elementary school. Of course Mom and Dad would put her up to try and guilt trip me into visiting them before the holidays.


    Ever since I moved out of the house and went to college my relationship with my parents has been rather strained and I think it''s because they didn''t want me to be out from under their thumb. They wanted to be able to control me but with me out of the house and in another state, they have practically no say in what I do.


    Me: Not until the holidays. I have to work and I have a life that they really need to let go of the need to control me when I''m a grown ass man!


    Sis: Okay, okay geez man take a chill pill! Maybe you can meet up with me at least before the holidays?


    Me: Sure I''ll meet up with you. When?


    Sis: Cool, when are your days off?


    Me: I signed the contract and I get the weekends off because Victoria will be with her brother or sister during that time.


    Sis: Okay then, meet me at McDonalds on Saturday at five?


    Me: Sure I can do that. See you then!


    Sis: Later!


    I smiled as I put my phone down on the countertop and went back to looking at my social media accounts that I have. My smile turned into a frown when I saw on my Facebook account that I got a handful of messages from my ex. She and I didn''t work out because she was too controlling and insufferable.


    I''m not dating anyone at the moment and I don''t plan on getting back together with her anytime soon. I have half a mind to block her but I can be a little too nice for my own good sometimes so I just put her on read and ignored her.


    I was getting ready to look at something else when I heard a thumping noise coming from upstairs. I ignored it thinking that maybe I was just hearing things because Victoria would still be asleep at the moment so it couldn''t be her, right?


    I decided to pull out my headphones and watch random videos on YouTube. I watched videos for an hour or so and I was bored so I decided to watch some Tv and read a book. As soon as I put my headphones away I turned around and saw Victoria standing at the bottom of the steps staring off into space.


    I walked slowly up to her. "Victoria? Victoria, are you okay? It''s not time for you to be up yet."


    "Mommy? Mommy, where''d you go?" Victoria asked.


    The fact that Victoria was staring off into space and not even noticing my presence was a little concerning and it told me that she might be sleep walking. I would wake her up but I know that probably wouldn''t be a good idea because I didn''t want to scare her so I grabbed her hand lead gently up the stairs and back to bed.


    "Mom? Why are you so mean?" Victoria mumbled. "You know what? Fuck you! I hate you and go to hell! I can''t believe I loved you!"


    I paused and covered my mouth with my hand to stifle a gasp. I mean I know things were bad between Victoria and her mother but my heart just broke knowing that Victoria loved her mother once upon a time. She probably even worshiped the very ground her mother walked on. I wonder why she started hating her mother so much?


    I thought about waking her up but when I looked at the clock it was only 10am so I decided to let her sleep. Once I walked out of the room I heard the thumping noises again. This time I knew that it wasn''t Victoria because she was sleeping in her bed. I heard the thumping noises going away from me towards the closet that leads to the attic.


    That reminded me that I needed to replace the lightbulb in it. I went downstairs and grabbed my cell phone and as soon as I went back upstairs I heard the thumping noises again. I walked down the hallway towards the closet where the thumping noises were.


    I tried the doorknob and the closet seemed like it was locked at first but then when I tried the doorknob again it opened. I used my cellphone to shine a light up at the ceiling and since I was tall I could easily reach the ceiling without a stepping stool. I pushed at the door that led to the attic trying to open it but it didn''t budge.


    I heard the thumping noises again and the door stayed shut as I kept trying to open. After a moment or two I stopped trying to open the door.


    It scared the crap out of me when suddenly my phone went off. It was playing a custom made ringtone. It was the sound of me and friends chanting a song around the campfire. We were drunk and partying that night. When I heard the ringtone I tried not to laugh.


    "We''re all going to Hell¡­ We''re all going to Hell¡­"


    After trying not to laugh at my ringtone after the third ring I answered the call. "Hello?"


    "Yo, Walter! What''s up? I haven''t heard from you in a while," my best friend Aiden said.


    I went back to the living room and sat down on the couch. "I''m doing alright, just busy with work. I started another live-in caretaker job today."


    "Oh really? How long is the contract for this time?" Aiden asked.


    "A year unless I want to renew it for longer," I answered. "Sorry I didn''t pick up right away. I was too busy laughing at my ringtone on my phone."


    Aiden chuckled. "You still have us doing that chanting? Yeah that ringtone never gets old. Just whatever you do, don''t play that at church on Sunday."


    I burst into laughter because Aiden knows that I don''t go to church. But I am sort of a spiritual person still. I have morals and standards that I go by. I composed myself. "Yeah no, I would not only keep the ringtone on but I''d probably turn the volume up and I just might dance around because we know that''s the easiest way to summon a portal to hell."


    Aiden laughed even harder at that statement. When he stopped laughing he said, "So, what''s your new client like and are they okay with me stopping in every once and a while for a visit?"


    "Well my new client is a woman and as far as you dropping by goes I''ll have to ask her about that," I said.


    "Okay then, cool," Aiden said.


    We talked a little bit on the phone about nothing and then Aiden hung up. I thought about going to see if I could open the door to the attic again but I changed my mind. Taking care of Victoria is my top priority, looking at things like the attic can wait.

 Chapter 3: Soccer Ball

    {Unknown}


    I paced my room back and forth waiting for the other shoe of justice to drop so to speak. It seems I''ve finally been caught by the one whose daughter I stole from their crib centuries ago and had her reincarnated into the human world. Even though I''ve been caught finally, I don''t regret it.


    The reason why I stole from those stupid Fallen Angels is because they think way too highly of themselves. They needed to be taken down a peg or two. The Fallen Angels are a part of the Royal Family in Hell because they used to be Angels but they fell from grace when they left the ruler to serve Satan. Fallen Angels are automatically granted the status of royalty because Satan himself is a Fallen Angel.


    I stole a child from another Fallen Angel as well and had him reincarnated into the human world. I don''t regret doing this and even if I''m sentenced to be tortured for all eternity I''m still happy with my choice.


    However, I am sad that the daughter that I stole, her father as a couple of his servants watching her house. I do believe her name is Victoria. From what I know of Victoria has been deemed as crazy by the other humans and her mother is evil.


    The other child, his name is Walter and I don''t really know much about how his upbringing was but I hope his life is hell too.


    What I hope is that Walter and Victoria don''t find out who and what they really are anytime soon.


    At the moment I''m stuck in a room at the castle in Hell (I''m surprised they didn''t just put me in a dungeon) waiting for my punishment when the door slowly opened revealing a guard with a sneer on his face. I rolled my eyes. "Would it kill you to smile?"


    The guard rolled his eyes and didn''t say a word. He grabbed my hand and put a collar around my neck with a silver chain on it. The guard grabbed the chain in his hand and practically dragged me down the hallway as if he were walking a dog. Fine by me because I didn''t give a damn.


    The guard paused when we reached a room that had a set of two huge French doors and banged the knocker on it.


    "ENTER!" I heard a voice shout. That voice brought a chill down my spine and I liked it. Unfortunately that voice belonged to the one who would be giving me my punishment.


    When the guard and I entered the room I saw a man who had to at least be seven feet tall and possibly taller than that sitting on a gold throne. He gave me a look of disgust as another guard standing beside him handed him a scroll.


    He read off the scroll what my name was and what my crimes were. Then he got to the punishment and that punishment made my blood run cold. "Ava Marie, not only will the memories of you will be wiped from the minds of your family because of the nature of your crimes, you will receive the highest punishment, the second death."


    The second death to supernatural creatures isn''t really a death as it is a purgatory of sorts. Satan will literally find a memory of yours that''s the worst memory ever and lock you inside of it. I have a feeling of what memory he''ll lock me inside of because that was the day that I started hating Fallen Angels. That was also when I came up with a plan to kidnap their children and have them reincarnated.


    Okay, now I''m starting to regret my choice, sort of.


    Satan looked at me and tilted his head while giving me a sinister smile. "Yeah no, that''s not the second death that I have in mind for you."


    I paused. "Huh?"


    "You''ll see," Satan said. He turned his attention to the guard standing by me. "Hand me her leash please."


    The guard nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty."


    The guard did as they were told and Satan yanked on my leash after he stood up from his throne and dragged me down another hallway.


    "I''m not going to lock you up in any previous bad memories that you have of Fallen Angels. Because you stole from me and my right hand man, I''m going to make you have a new bad memory," Satan said.


    I glared at him. "So what type of memory do you have in mind for me? Go ahead, do your worst!"


    Satan laughed an evil laugh. "Oh don''t worry I will."


    Satan continued to drag me down the hallway until we stopped at a room that looked like it had nothing in it.


    I blinked. "Is this my punishment? Being locked in a room with nothing in it? Wow, I thought you said you were going to do your worst!"


    "Oh I am going to do my worst! This is just the start. You don''t like Fallen Angels now, but you''ll really hate us when I''m done with you," Satan said.


    I tilted my head. "Yeah I doubt that. What could possibly be worse than what''s already happened?"


    Satan gave me an evil grin that sent chills down my spine and not in a good way. He pushed me into the room and right when I thought I was going to land on the floor I kept falling into a dark abyss until I landed on a chair. That hard landing knocked the wind out of me and I heard Satan laughing as he stood in front of me. He had something in his hand that looked like an earring with a ruby jewel on it. I looked at it and at first glance it looked like a regular earring. Before I had chance to do anything he promptly pierced my right ear and I found that I couldn''t move.


    "What the fuck! I can''t move!" I said.


    Satan laughed a sinister laugh. "That''s the whole point my dear."


    "Exactly what do you plan on doing to me?" I asked.


    "Whatever I feel like, maybe a little torture here, some brainwashing there, hell I could probably just leave you here to agonize over what I might do next. Or maybe I''ll turn you into a pet spider and back to a human so many times that you won''t know what''s up or down," He responded. I didn''t say a word as I saw him go over to a nearby wall that had a shelf with a small dagger on it and picked it up. He gave me a big toothy smile as he said. "Now let''s get started. You want me to do my worst so I''ll show you what my worst is."


    ***


    {Walter}


    The next day I woke up at 8am surprised to see Victoria awake and cooking breakfast.


    I blinked. "You''re awake?"


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    Victoria nodded. "Yeah, I couldn''t sleep last night so I decided to get up. Hopefully I''ll be tired enough to sleep tonight. I hope you''re not allergic to eggs?"


    I shook my head. "No I''m not."


    "I also hope you don''t mind them being scrambled because that''s about the only way I know how to cook them," Victoria said.


    I chuckled. "Scrambled is fine."


    She nodded. "Okay then."


    She grabbed two plates and split whatever amount of eggs she had in half and grabbed a slice of cheese to go with hers and after offering one to me.


    We ate in a comfortable silence when I broke it by saying, "So what are you going to do today?"


    She shrugged. "I don''t know. Maybe I''ll practice playing my keyboard again? Work on cleaning the house? I don''t know just yet."


    "You play the keyboard?" I asked.


    Victoria nodded. "Yeah, I just started learning. I also have art class tomorrow afternoon. Maybe I could work on drawing someone as part of my homework but I haven''t had any inspiration for it at the moment."


    I smirked when I heard that. She raised an eyebrow. "What?"


    "You said your homework is drawing someone?" I said.


    She nodded again. "Yeah, why?"


    "I could be your model if you want?" I suggested.


    She choked. "Excuse me? You want me to draw you?" She composed herself. "Okay then, I''m not that great because I just started drawing not too long ago."


    She went back to her room and came back out with a sketchpad and pencil. She sat down at the kitchen table and motioned for me to sit down across from her. "Take a seat and sit up straight."


    I did what she asked me to. "Like this?"


    "Yeah, that''s great," She said. I had no idea how long I sat there holding the same pose but it didn''t seem like it was that long when she said, "Done! Wow, that only took me a couple of hours. That''s strange, most people say it takes longer to finish a sketch."


    "Can I see it?" I asked.


    "Sure," She said.


    She showed me the picture and my jaw dropped. The image looked exactly like me! She hadn''t colored it in yet but I wasn''t sure if it needed to be. I have short brown hair that I usually have combed back and I have blue eyes. She drew me grinning at her while sitting up straight and I had a sweatshirt on as she only drew me from the waist up.


    "How long ago did you just start drawing?" I asked.


    She tilted her head. "About a couple of months, why?"


    I shook my head. "There''s no way that you started drawing a couple of months ago. Seriously?"


    "Yeah? Why is it that good?" She said with a confused look on her face.


    I nodded. "Yeah, I think it is really good!"


    She gave me a skeptical look which I totally understand because I''m her caretaker so she thinks I''m just being nice. I''m not just being nice because I do think her drawing is awesome. Although that is the only drawing I''ve seen her do. If her other drawings are just as good I don''t think she needs art classes.


    Before I could say anything else I heard it. It was the same thumping noises that I heard the other night. Then I heard the voices. "No, we can''t tell them yet¡­"


    "Well we can have some fun at least, right?"


    I heard a creaking noise coming from my room. "What the hell?"


    "You heard it too didn''t you?" Victoria asked.


    I nodded. "Yup, I''m going to go check on something real quick."


    I got to the bottom of the stairs when I heard the giggling. I turned back to Victoria to see that she was still sitting at the kitchen table. She looked at me and shrugged.


    I heard another creaking noise coming from my bedroom as I slowly walked up the stairs. Yes, I get scared easily but try not to show it considering my line of work.


    "What''s the matter? Are you scared to go into your room?" Victoria said.


    I turned around to see her standing behind me smirking. I shook my head. "No I''m not."


    "Well then, why hesitate? Go see what''s in your room, it''s probably nothing," She said.


    Before I could any further I heard a noise that sounded like a ball rolling down the hallway. My eyes went wide when I saw a baseball rolling out of my room and towards me. The baseball bounced down the steps and when I picked up I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up.


    It was the very same baseball that I used when I first started learning how to play catch with my father.


    There was another sound of a ball rolling out from my room but this time it was a soccer ball. The ball came rolling towards us and it bounced down the stairs. I noticed Victoria''s eyes go wide when she saw the soccer ball.


    She walked towards it cautiously and picked it up. "Where on earth did this come from?" She looked at the ball and there was writing on it. "Dear Victoria, sorry you can''t play with us anymore. I hope your mother changes her mind, we could use you for a team. With love, Megan¡­"


    I saw the color drain from Victoria''s face. "I need to sit down."


    I nodded and led her to the couch and she was still holding the soccer ball as she sat down. As she sat on the couch she hugged the soccer ball. I wondered if the ball held some importance to her but I figured it wouldn''t be a good idea to pry so I said nothing.


    "I''m bisexual," Victoria said.


    I paused. "Okay?"


    "Megan was my first girlfriend," Victoria continued. "I played soccer up until my senior year in High School when my mother married my heartless bastard of a stepdad. For whatever the reason my step dad didn''t want me playing soccer and he made me quit the team. When he found out about my girlfriend he beat me half to death and told me to break up with her and never date another woman ever again.


    "So I dated a couple of guys just to pacify him and that seemed to work until he put one of my boyfriends up to propose marriage to me and then guilt tripped me into saying yes. Three days before the wedding I worked up the courage to leave. I wrote the guy a farewell letter and fled to another state under a false ID. I heard that the guy I was supposed to marry went looking for me and got into a car accident and died on the way to the hospital."


    She laughed a bitter laugh. "He''s one of the people besides my step dad that I''m actually glad who''s dead. Anyway, three years later I found out that my step dad was dead and he died of cancer. You wanna know what I did?"


    I tilted my head. "What''d you do?"


    "I had a party! I went out to a bar and got myself drunk and then the next day I went and got a cake. That was when I could still drink. I mean, I could still drink maybe one or two drinks but with the medicine that I take, I''m not taking any chances," Victoria said. "My brother and sister found me shortly after that and for whatever the reason they decided to move down to this state. I could''ve moved in with them to avoid this caretaker situation but I don''t want to be a burden on them and I''m perfectly fine taking care of myself. And there''s no way in hell I''d move in with my mom. Not after what she and my bastard step dad put me through!"


    I opened my mouth to say something and then closed it. I thought I had it bad but I didn''t have it as bad as Victoria did growing up. I can''t even begin to fathom what it must''ve felt like to have a parent who was so cold that didn''t want you to have any sort of happiness in your life. Victoria''s a strong woman because anyone in her situation might have either killed themselves or turned to drugs. I''ve seen it happen one too many times to count.


    She looked at me and shook her head. "Don''t give me that look."


    "What look?" I asked.


    "The look that says you either want to throw me a pity party or praise me for being a ''strong woman.'' I don''t need a medal just because I chose to live," Victoria said. She suddenly perked up and grabbed her sketchpad after gently placing the soccer ball on the couch. She took a seat across from the couch and stared at the soccer ball.


    "Uh, what-" I started.


    She shushed me. "Don''t talk yet, I just got an idea."


    I stayed silent as she started drawing. After a moment or two she stopped. "There! Finished!"


    She showed me the picture and it was a soccer ball with a pair of angel wings behind it.


    I whistled at it, "Wow, you''re really good at this!"


    She smiled. "Thanks. At least I finished my homework for art class tomorrow."


    I chuckled. "Yes, yes you did."


    We didn''t hear any strange noises coming from upstairs or anywhere else for the rest of the day. That was fine by me.

 Chapter 4: High School Sweetheart

    {Victoria}


    "Oh wow! Victoria, these pictures are amazing!" My art teacher said. I have no idea why she was fascinated with my drawings because they weren''t all that great. All I drew was a picture of Walter and the other picture was of a soccer ball with angel wings behind it.


    My art teacher even went so far as to call a couple of students over to look at my drawings. I wasn''t comfortable with this type of attention and I was hoping that I didn''t have a panic attack because of it. I was starting to regret asking Walter to just drop me off for class and then come back when class is over.


    Fuck! This isn''t good! I hate this, this is exactly why I had to quit working! I thought.


    I think my art teacher noticed how uncomfortable I looked so she said, "Alright class, let''s focus on today''s lesson and Victoria, I need to speak to you after class."


    I nodded. "Yes ma''am."


    Today''s lesson was mostly freestyle drawing. This means to just draw whatever we felt like drawing. For whatever the reason I felt like drawing a door. It was a large wooden door with a door knocker that was in the shape of an angel. Underneath the angel was an upside down cross.


    "Alright everybody, show me your work!" The art teacher said. I guess it would be easier for me to refer to the art teacher to her real name, which is Ms. Rae. That would be easier instead of referring to her as ''the art teacher,'' right?


    I reluctantly did as I was told and Ms. Rae smiled at me. "Yeah, I need to see you after class for sure. The question is with this piece, is it protecting you from something? Or is it hiding something?"


    I shook my head. "Honestly, I don''t know. It just came to me."


    I looked at my drawing and the door seemed very familiar. But I have no idea where the door was from or what it led to. I didn''t know how long I sat there staring at the picture because I felt someone tap me on the shoulder. It was Ms. Rae and she motioned for me to follow her to her office.


    She took a seat at her desk and I sat down across from her. "What''s this about?"


    "There''s something interesting about you but I can''t put my finger on it. However, your drawings are awesome! Have you ever considered drawing to sell?" Ms. Rae asked.


    I shook my head. "No, I don''t think I''m that good. But art is just a hobby for me, I don''t think I can handle having a job at the moment. I''m just lucky I didn''t have a panic attack in class today."


    Ms. Rae looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully. "Hmmm, so you don''t respond well to stress or pressure and being an artist isn''t really an easy job. However, for art exhibits and whatnot you can always send a representative in your place to meet future clients. You know what? Why don''t you test the waters and see how well your drawings are received?"


    I tilted my head. "Huh?"


    She nodded. "Oh yes, there''s a small competition going on and the deadline is within two weeks. There''s a theme to it and that is fantasy and horror. You know, considering Halloween is right around the corner. You would only need to do two drawings one with the fantasy theme and one with the horror theme. Anything goes, the only exception would be lewd pictures so no nudity. So, what do you say?"


    I thought about it and then nodded. "Okay sure, I''ll give it a shot. You said it''s in two weeks?"


    She nodded again. "Yup! It''s in two weeks. Here''s a form for it."


    She handed me a piece of paper.


    "Alright then and I hope I won''t let you down," I said.


    I took the form and Ms. Rae dismissed me. As soon as I left art class I saw Walter standing outside waiting for me. When he saw me he frowned. "What''s wrong?"


    I paused. "Huh?"


    "You have a look that says that you''re bothered by something," He said.


    I paused again and wondered. Am I that easy to read? Am I an open book?


    Walter chuckled, "Yes, you''re that easy to read at least with your facial expressions."


    "Oh," I said. "Do you mind if we talk in the car?"


    He nodded. "Sure."


    When got into the car, he started driving away.


    "So, what''s wrong?" He asked.


    "Well, um, I''m not sure how I feel about what just happened today. I mean, I know it''s a good opportunity and all but I don''t want to let my teacher down," I answered. "She liked the pictures that I drew for my homework and today in class. And she suggested that I enter in an art competition and the deadline is in a couple of weeks. The theme for it is fantasy and horror and I would need to draw a picture for each of them."


    "That''s good news!" Walter exclaimed. "Your artwork is excellent. You should totally give it a try!"


    "Yeah, that''s where the problem lies for me. I told my teacher I''d give it a try, but what if I fail? Or what if I succeed and I have to worry about being in the limelight? I mean, true I wouldn''t mind the praise from people and I''d have to figure out how to deal with criticism¡­" I said.


    "It doesn''t hurt to try, you know. And then worry about what happens afterwards. One step at a time and I''ll be there to help you as your caretaker and all," Walter said. He perked up. "Hey, I just so happen to know a couple of local celebrities who have struggles with mental health disorders like you. Maybe if you meet them and talk with them, they can give you a perspective that might help?"


    "Are they celebrities that have caretakers like me?" I asked.


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    He smiled. "Yup! True, they''re rich but they do have problems that they can''t always cope with on their own."


    "Okay, I''ll think about it, but like what you said, one step at a time right?" I said. "Besides, Rome wasn''t built in a day, right?"


    He snorted. "Yeah, an interesting way of reassuring yourself!"


    "What? It''s true right? Rome wasn''t built in a day!" I said.


    "Yeah, yeah, we''re home!" He said.


    I got out of the car and walked up to my house and as soon as I opened the door I heard a creaking noise coming from upstairs.


    Walter paused. "Is that noise coming from my room again?"


    I shook my head. "Wait, I''ll go up and check."


    Before Walter could respond I went over the stairs and went upstairs. When I got to my room my eyes went wide in horror because my bed had been moved all the way across on the other side of the room. I wanted to turn around and run but the door slammed behind me and I screamed, banging on the door to let me out.


    I heard a strange voice laughing as I saw the bed quickly move towards me. Just when I thought things couldn''t get any worse, I passed out.


    ***


    {Walter}


    I should''ve known Victoria was going to have an episode, but it came out of nowhere. She went upstairs to her room to check out where the creaking noise was coming from and the next thing I knew she slammed the door to her room shut. Then she banged on it screaming to help her get out and when I opened the door I found her passed out on the floor of her room.


    I didn''t understand what happened exactly but I checked her vitals like her blood pressure and everything and she seemed fine. She just passed out. I''ve seen people have episodes before but not this bad.


    I hope she''ll be fine soon. Maybe she''s just stressed about the art competition? I have no idea what''s going on in her mind but as I said, I''ll be there for her as long as she needs me. That reminded me to make a call to my friend Megan Sanders. She''s a local celebrity who has a friend that has mental health issues he struggles with. His name is Parker Williams. Parker Williams is a singer with Megan in a band.


    Parker Williams band is a diverse genre of music running from metal, heavy metal to pop music and rap music. He''s an awesome singer and Megan does back up vocals for him from time to time.


    So I gave Megan a call and she picked up. "Hello there! This is Megan Sanders'' phone! This is Megan speaking!"


    I snorted. "Hey Megan what''s up?"


    "Walter! It''s so nice of you to finally rise from the dead! It''s been months since I''ve heard from you and that hurts. And here I thought we were friends!" Megan said with sarcasm.


    "Aww I''m sorry I''ve been busy you know working at a hospital and now I just started a live-in caretaker job," I said.


    "Oh yeah! Aiden told me about that, he said it was a woman? What''s she like?" Megan said.


    I rolled my eyes. "Seriously? Being a caretaker isn''t a dating service! Yes, the woman I''m taking care of is cute and all but she says she''s not bad looking either."


    "Oh really? So that means I have a shot?" Megan teased.


    "Not funny Megan. Anyway, I found out that she''s really good at art and she just started drawing a couple of months ago. She''s going to enter into an art contest but she''s afraid she''ll let her art teacher down and whatnot. Is there a chance I can get her to meet up with Parker and he can give her some sort of perspective on this?" I explained.


    "Sure! What''s her name?" Megan asked.


    "It''s Victoria Lee," I said.


    It surprised me when Megan screamed. She composed herself. "Sorry about that, how on earth did you manage to find my high school sweetheart? I often wondered how she''s been doing," She paused. "Wait, if she needs a caretaker, how bad are things?"


    I paused that statement. I couldn''t fathom the chances of my friend Megan being the same Megan that Victoria dated in high school!


    "Well, that''s not for me to say you can ask Victoria yourself if you manage to meet her?" I said.


    "Yeah, I would like to meet her and no, I don''t think I''ll be asking for another shot with her. I mean, she didn''t stay friends after we broke up. But I think you two would probably make a good couple," Megan said.


    "Seriously?" I said as I groaned in disbelief.


    Megan laughed, "Okay, okay I can''t help it! When was the last time you had a relationship? I heard you''re pretty much married to your work no matter what hospital you work at. You love your job that much huh? Anyways, yeah I can set up a time for Victoria to meet Parker. I''ll send you a text when I find out his schedule for the week, sound good?"


    "Yeah that''s fine," I said.


    After I got off the phone, Victoria started waking up. She sat up and looked around. "What the fuck happened?"


    I paused. "You don''t remember what happened before you passed out?"


    She scratched the back of her neck and then shook her head. "No, this is why I call them ''blackout episodes'' because most of the time I don''t remember what happened."


    "I see," I said. "Oh, before I forget I was able to call one of my friends who''s a local celebrity that has issues like you do. Hopefully, I''ll be able to get a meeting set up with them soon."


    She nodded. "Sure. Um, how long was I out?"


    "Only a couple of hours," I replied.


    She let out a sigh of relief, "Oh good, because I''ve been out for longer one time. What time is it?"


    I looked at the clock on the nightstand. "It''s only 8pm."


    "Okay then, that means I have a couple of hours until I have to take my evening medicine," Victoria said.


    "So what do you plan on doing until then?" I asked.


    She shrugged. "I have no idea."


    ***


    {Megan}


    I can''t believe I''ll be getting a chance to see high school sweetheart Victoria again after all this time. I wonder why she didn''t want to remain friends after we broke up and she quit the soccer team? I know she probably has her reasons for not saying anything but I do remember the day after we broke up she wasn''t in school for a whole week.


    When she returned to school, her arm was in a cast and she had a black eye. I overheard the teacher asking what happened to her and she said that she had gotten into a car accident with family when they were traveling home. I could tell by the tone of Victoria''s voice that she was lying but I didn''t out her because I knew she had her reasons for lying.


    Years later I found out that she was getting married to some rich dude named Wyatt and I felt sorry for her because I knew what kind of person he was. Fortunately, I heard that three days before the wedding Victoria ran and left him at the altar. Then I found out from Wyatt''s brother that Wyatt died in a car accident while he was headed to wherever Victoria was staying to drag her back to the altar.


    The funny thing is Wyatt''s brother is happy the Wyatt is dead because of the type of person Wyatt was.


    But either way I have so many questions for Victoria when I see her if I get a chance to ask them.


    When I got off the phone with Walter, Parker who was sitting next to me this whole entire time looked at me. "So you''re finally gonna get a chance to talk to Victoria?"


    "Well, Walter wants you to talk to her because she''s entering into an art competition and she''s worried about what might happen. I don''t know why he''s so sure about her abilities but she must be good in order for him to want to talk to a celebrity who has mental health issues like her," I responded.


    "I see," Parker said. He looked thoughtful for a moment and then said, "Why not ask Walter to get Victoria to bring some of her pictures to show us? I can put her mind at ease with my advice then."


    I nodded. "Sure."


    I knew exactly what Parker was thinking. He wanted to see for himself if Victoria''s were good enough to enter into the competition. He also wanted to see how bad her issues were. I agree with him because if it''s bad enough for Victoria to need to have a live-in caretaker things must be pretty bad.

 Chapter 5: Victoria isnt yours!

    {Satan}


    Ava the woman who stole my daughter from her crib gave birth to another child for me and I gave her the second death that I sentenced her to.


    Little does my daughter know that I''ve been watching her for a long time now. I was told to wait until she was a certain age to send my agents to watch her. Her mate whose name is now Walter is currently staying at her house as her live-in caretaker. I also was able to contact a human agent named Megan who surprisingly used to date my daughter in high school.


    Human agents are people who make contracts with crossroads demons. What humans don''t know is when they make a contract they''re stuck serving that demon for the rest of their life. Megan just happened to make a contract with a crossroads demon in order to make the love of her life that just so happened to be Victoria fall in love with her.


    It''s a shame though considering Victoria''s love for Megan isn''t as real as Megan''s love for her. Humans tend to be a little bit crazy sometimes it almost makes me wonder if they''re actually all demons in disguise. They''re petty creatures that will do anything just to get ahead.


    When I found out that Megan failed to hold up her end of the bargain I was going to tell that demon to just drag her back to hell but in seeing that this bargain involved my daughter I made an exception. However, when I figure out a way to take Victoria and Walter home then I''ll drag Megan to hell with them.


    "Honey, come back to bed," my wife Cathy said. "You already got revenge on that woman who stole our daughter from us and she gave us a new child. Didn''t you say that you were able to locate where our daughter is now?"


    I sighed, "Yeah I did. I just want her to come home already!"


    "What''s stopping you from bringing her back?" Cathy asked.


    "A handful of things and on the next new moon I''ll need to start collecting things," I said. "And on top of that I need to wait until she''s a certain age and it has to be on her birthday. Not her human birthday, her real birthday the day you gave birth to her twenty-seven years ago!"


    "And what age do you have to wait for?" Cathy said.


    "I have to wait until she turns twenty-eight which means she''ll turn twenty-eight on the last full moon of this year. Walter''s already past that age but I want to wait until Victoria and Walter are together in order to do the ritual that I need to in order to bring them back," I explained.


    Cathy nodded. "I see. So basically it''s just a waiting game for the moment?"


    I nodded and sighed, "Yeah unfortunately that''s the case."


    I didn''t say anything else on the matter because nothing else needed to be said.


    ***


    {Victoria}


    The day finally came around for me to meet up with Parker and I was also told that my ex-girlfriend Megan would be there. I wasn''t sure how I felt about this but what I did know was that it was going to be an awkward meeting after not seeing Megan after all this time.


    However, the meeting place required me to dress in formal wear which meant that I would once again be having to wear a dress. I don''t like wearing dresses and ever since I left home I swore to never wear a dress again. But if things turn it the way Walter''s thinking they could turn out then I''ll have to start getting used to wearing a dress again and learning proper etiquette at a dinner table and everything else dealing with high society life.


    Walter did say one step at a time and I have to keep reminding myself of this. The first step would be entering this contest and seeing if anything comes of it. If nothing comes of it then there''s nothing to worry about.


    I made sure to take my sketchbook with me and I wound up buying a black dress with a skirt going just below the knees and I had to make sure the dress would fit over my big boobs. I knew that if I wanted to make a good impression then I wouldn''t be able to wear baggy clothing with this meet and greet. So I made sure to wear form fitting clothing and it just reminded me of how much I hate wearing dresses. My hair is naturally curly so I just washed it and left it down in a headband and the curls made the style. I don''t wear makeup or contacts for that matter so I made sure to pick out some glasses that didn''t make me look like a dork.


    Walter looked like a gentleman dressed up in a brown suit with a white shirt underneath the suit jacket and a black tie to go with it. I swear when I saw him walk down the stairs dressed up like he was my breath hitched in my throat a little.


    "Ready to go?" Walter said.


    I nodded. "Yeah."


    It didn''t take long for us to get to the restaurant and we found our table. Megan and the guy sitting next to her whom I''m going to assume is Parker were already there.


    Megan''s face lit up like a Christmas tree when she saw me and she got up from the table and walked over to me and gave me a hug. "Vic! It''s so nice to see you again after all this time! I''ve missed you so much!"


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    I hugged her back, not knowing what to do. "Uh, hi?"


    Megan snorted. "Silly me, where are my manners? Come on sit down with Parker and I and-"


    "That''s enough Megan. I think I can introduce myself just fine," the man sitting next to Megan said.


    When we approached the table he took out my chair and acted like a perfect gentleman. I looked over surprised to see Walter frowning at him as he rolled his eyes. I raised an eyebrow. "What''s wrong?"


    He shook his head. "Nothing''s wrong. It''s fine."


    I nodded. "Okay then."


    "Alright," the man sitting next to Megan said, "My name is Parker William. I heard you have some wonderful drawings and want to know what it''s like being famous with mental health issues?"


    "Yes, although I''m not sure if anything will come of this at all," I said.


    Parker nodded. "I totally understand. That''s how I started out. I entered into a singing contest and won and got into contact with a local band and one thing led to another and the rest is history."


    Before we could continue the conversation the waiter came and took our orders. I ordered one of the cheapest things there and I didn''t order wine because I can''t drink so I just ordered a soda to go along with my meal.


    Parker raised an eyebrow. "You can''t drink wine?"


    I shook my head. "It''s not that I can''t drink it, I''m just not taking any chances because of the medicine that I take."


    "Let me guess, you''re taking antipsychotics aren''t you?" Parker asked.


    I nodded. "Yeah. How''d you figure that out?"


    "I have that same issue which is why I didn''t order a drink with my meal as well," Parker said. When we finished eating he said, "Did you bring your artwork with you today?"


    "Yes I did," I responded. I grabbed my sketchbook out of my bag and showed a couple of pictures to Parker.


    He whistled, "Not bad, I think you''ll do just fine in this contest."


    Megan frowned. "What''s the soccer ball picture about?"


    I sighed, "It''s a long story."


    "I see. Either way, I agree with Parker. I think you''ll do just fine in this contest, can I have your number? Because I would like to get some updates on how well the contest went," Megan said. She handed me her phone and I put my number in it.


    I was going to say something about thinking that she had ulterior motives for asking for my phone number but I kept my mouth shut. I brought out my phone and we finished exchanging numbers.


    After everything was said and done we went our separate ways.


    ***


    {Megan}


    When Parker and I left the restaurant Parker gave me a look and I rolled my eyes. "Don''t give me that look."


    "Give you what look? Because His Majesty isn''t happy with you. Do you remember what our contract was?" Parker asked.


    I sighed, "You would put the love spell on Vic and I would bring you the minimum of five souls for you to feed on in Hell."


    "And how many souls did you manage to bring to me?" Parker asked.


    I groaned, "Zero. Look I''m sorry about that, I just-"


    "Let me guess, you couldn''t stomach the thought of killing people or getting someone killed for that reason," Parker said, cutting me off. "Here''s the thing my little human, if you''re going to make a deal with a demon you''d better be prepared to harm someone. If you can''t do that then don''t make deals."


    I took a deep breath and let it out, "Okay I get it and you''re absolutely right. I want Victoria to have a good quality of life this time. I want her to fall in love and I want her to fall in love with her mate and that is Walter. I knew he was her mate from the moment those two walked in the room. Honestly, I hate that she has a mate that''s not me. I would ask to renew the contract but I''m not."


    Parker tilted his head. "So what are you thinking about?"


    "I''m thinking that I''m going to try everything in my power to get Walter and Victoria together," I paused. "Maybe I should make a different contract?"


    "Seriously? You do realize if you don''t hold up your end of the bargain then your punishment will be twice as bad after you die, right?" Parker said.


    I sighed, "I know, I know but if I did make another contract with you what exactly would you want in return for whatever thing I ask for?"


    "Well if you decide you want to do another contract, I would take ten more souls plus the five souls that you have failed to give me from the last contract," Parker answered. "Listen, His Majesty has let your fuck up slide because this is his daughter we''re talking about. Honestly, it doesn''t matter how much dark magic that you put on Victoria, her feelings for you will never be real. The only time the love spell really works and the feelings become true is when deep down inside that person actually did like you and then it becomes a happy ever after scenario."


    I opened my mouth and shut it. I knew for a fact that Victoria will never have any real feelings for me whatsoever. That''s because I felt the spell break the moment we broke up. It was a devastating blow but it happened. I also knew that if I put Victoria under the love spell again it wouldn''t last especially with her mate nearby.


    I groaned. "This sucks!"


    Parker chuckled, "You can say that again! Although since you''re not into killing someone, I''ll amend the first contract and get something else."


    "Amend the first contract? Isn''t it a bit too late for that?" I asked.


    He shook his head. "Not really, as long as the person that''s made the contract isn''t dead or the demon making the contract hasn''t left their post. The demon making the contract and only the demon making the contract can amend it any time they want."


    I gave him a skeptical look. "So exactly what would you want from me now?"


    "Sex," Parker said. "You will be my sex slave for the rest of your life and the moment you refuse to give me sex (unless there''s some sort of medical condition that prevents it) that will be the moment that you forfeit your life right then and there."


    I gulped and then thought about it. "Okay then, you got yourself an amended deal. Even though I don''t like the idea of having sex with a man, I think I can stomach that a lot better than killing someone."


    "Alright then, since we''re already home, we can get started. And a friendly reminder Victoria isn''t yours and she''ll never be yours. Got it?" Parker said.


    I nodded.


    "Good," Parker took my hand and led me upstairs to his bedroom and I started to hold up my end of the contract. After the first round of the night Parker made sure to let me know that I would be sleeping in his bed with him from now on.

 Chapter 6: The Art Exhibit

    {Victoria}


    "Are you trying to kill me?" I questioned as Walter and I stood at the bottom of the biggest hiking trail. Or at least it seemed big because I hadn''t been doing any exercise in a while.


    Walter snorted. "No, I''m not trying to kill you. Your Doctor said that it would help if you get out of the house a couple of times a week and do some walking. This trail isn''t that bad. It''s probably a trail that beginner hikers would take."


    "Okay fine," I grumbled.


    Before I could protest Walter grabbed my hand and started pulling me up the trail and once we started going he let go and I just walked with him side by side. When we started to head back to the car my phone started ringing. "Hello?"


    "Hey Vic! What''s up?" Megan said. Judging by the sound of her voice she was excited about something. "Did you check the website that announces the winners for that contest you entered?"


    I shook my head. "Not yet. I''ve been checking it every other hour when my caretaker decided he was going to try and kill me by taking me hiking!"


    "Hey, it''s not my fault your Doctor wanted you to be more active," Walter protested. "Hey it''s better than moping around the room driving yourself insane while waiting for the results of the contest to come out!"


    Megan laughed, "Yeah he''s not trying to kill you Vic, he just wants what''s best for you just like a responsible caretaker would. Anyway, just check the website when you get home, okay? I''ll talk to you later!"


    She hung up the phone. As soon as I hung up the phone I practically raced towards the car. Poor Walter was wheezing when we got back because I ran.


    "Now who''s¡­ Trying to kill¡­. Who?" Walter said, still trying to catch his breath.


    I couldn''t help but laugh at that. When we got back home I checked the website and it''s a good thing that I was sitting down because the website named me as one of the winners for the contest! I also couldn''t believe my eyes when the website announced what the prize would be. The artist gets their work published with a publishing company called: Luna Illustrations.


    When I saw that I squealed in excitement. "Walter, come look at this!"


    Walter looked at the website and smiled. "See? I knew things were going to turn out great! So the next step here is to show up at the exhibit this Friday. I''ll come with you for moral support if you want?"


    I looked at him. "Yeah that would be a good idea. I''m not sure if I want to bring any of my family members into this just yet. I might let them know what''s going on but other than that¡­"


    He nodded. "Oh I totally understand."


    I sighed, "That also means I need to get a better dress than what I have now. Nothing too expensive, just enough to help make an appearance for the exhibit."


    Knowing about the fact that I would have to wear a dress again I groaned.


    Walter looked at me and raised an eyebrow. "What''s wrong?"


    "I hate wearing dresses!" I said.


    Walter chuckled, "Yeah I feel you on that one. I have a feeling that since I''m your caretaker I''ll be going with you?"


    I nodded. "Yeah, considering I don''t want any of my family members to find out about this yet."


    He shrugged. "That''s fine by me."


    Little did I know that something that would change my life completely was going to happen at the art exhibit.


    ***


    {Walter}


    I can''t speak for Victoria but I was feeling pretty excited about the art exhibit. Before we left the house Victoria came out of her room and didn''t look too happy about wearing a dress.


    I don''t understand Victoria''s aversion to dresses. I mean I know they''re uncomfortable but they can''t be that bad can they?


    As we drove to the exhibit I said, "Are dresses really uncomfortable to wear?"


    She nodded. "Yup! Not only because it makes me feel exposed (even though I tried to go a bit modest without looking like a grandma) and you have to sit a certain way so perverts don''t get a sneak peek at your lady parts even if you''re wearing underwear."


    "I see," I said.


    We pulled into the parking lot on the exhibit and got out of the car. I looked over and noticed that Victoria already had her jacket on. It was slightly chilly out and another thing I''ve noticed about her is she''s sensitive to the temperatures around her. So she put her jacket on and we walked inside.


    Once we got into the exhibit we walked around for a bit and then we stopped when we saw Victoria''s paintings hanging up on the wall in front of us and a crowd looking at them in awe.


    The painting that Victoria did for the fantasy theme for the contest looked like an entire fairy kingdom with two fairies flying above a rainbow in the sky. The painting that Victoria did for the horror theme was something that sent chills down my spine. The painting was of a creature that looked like a mix between a bat and a human with it baring its fangs. Its claws were out and much longer than a bat''s claws and it was on all fours hanging off the ceiling in the painting. The creature''s blood red eyes stared at you as if it was looking into your soul.


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    "And there''s the woman of the hour!" I heard someone exclaim.


    Victoria''s face lit up when she saw her art teacher coming towards us. "Hello there Ms. Rae!"


    "Hello to you too! And who is this handsome young man standing beside you?" Ms. Rae said while batting her eyelashes at me.


    I tried so hard not to roll my eyes at her attempt to flirt with me. I haven''t been flirted with in a while but I''m not desperate for female attention. If I would want anyone''s attention it would be Victoria''s! I paused at that. What the hell? Where''s that thought come from? Not to mention, I haven''t known Victoria for very long.


    "Ms. Rae, meet Walter he''s my caretaker," Victoria said. She looked shy about mentioning that I was her caretaker which I understand.


    "Oh that''s okay honey, there''s no need to be embarrassed about needing assistance," Ms. Rae said, giving Victoria a reassuring look. "I mean you''re still young but sometimes younger people have issues too. At least you got a cute one and not a pot belly pig!"


    I covered my mouth to stifle a laugh because that comment was hilarious! I composed myself, "I take you''ve seen that happen before?"


    Ms. Rae nodded. "Oh yeah I have. Anyway, all Victoria has to do is go on stage and accept her reward and then after that mingle with the CEO of Luna Illustrations and set up a date to meet with his lawyers and you should probably bring a lawyer with you as well. Once the contract has been signed you''re good to go."


    "Okay then, sounds easy enough," Victoria said.


    "As far as easy goes that''s a yes and no thing," Ms. Rae said.


    Before they could talk further an announcement was made. "Would the winner of the art contest Ms. Victoria Lee please come to the stage to accept the award?"


    When Victoria stepped on stage to accept the award, that was when I noticed her beauty. She hardly wore any makeup she didn''t need to in my eyes and her hair was naturally curly so she probably didn''t do much to style it.


    I tried not to gawk at her so I looked everywhere but the stage when I saw her smile for the camera. But I couldn''t help it. She looked even more beautiful when she smiled.


    "She''s a beauty isn''t she?" I heard someone say.


    I turned around to see an older man who looked like he was in his forties. He was dressed in a black suit. He had a white shirt underneath his suit jacket and a black tie. He wore black dress shoes and he had a cane next him that he was sort of leaning on.  He also wore a black fedora and almost reminded me of an old mafia boss. The only thing missing was for him to sit down on a recliner in the living room of his house smoking a cigar.


    The man smiled. "It''s about time I finally get to meet my daughter-in-law. She and her mother have a very toxic relationship and they''re on a no contact basis now. I''m friends with the man who owns Luna Illustrations. Who''d thought it''d take her winning an art contest for me to introduce myself. I doubt she even knows about me."


    I blinked. "Okay, forgive me if I sound rude but who are you?"


    "My name is Frank Randal," the man said. He held out his hand and I shook it. "And who are you?"


    "I''m Walter. I''m Victoria''s caretaker," I said.


    "Interesting," Frank said. "Victoria''s mother did tell me that she had some issues but didn''t say how bad they were."


    Once Victoria left the stage she paused when she walked towards me. I tilted my head. "What''s wrong?"


    "What is she doing here?" Victoria snapped.


    I had no idea who she was talking about until I turned around and saw the woman she was glaring at.


    ***


    {Victoria}


    Never in a million years would I think that I would run into my mother after I won an art contest! Of course she just had to ruin the mood.


    Mom put on the fakest smile ever as she said, "My, my Victory! I didn''t realize you liked art!"


    "Of course she does, she''s the winner of this art contest!" A man who was standing behind her exclaimed.


    She frowned and turned around. "Louis, what do you mean by that?"


    "You know those art pieces that you were just fawning over a few minutes ago?" Louis said.


    She nodded. "Yeah?"


    "Well they were painted by Victoria," Louis said with a grin.


    Mom turned and glared at me. "What did you do to win? Did you sleep with Louis? Because I don''t see how a piece of garbage like you could create such beautiful pictures like that!"


    "Excuse me?" I snarled. "I won this contest fair and square and will NOT tolerate you disrespecting me just because I''m your daughter you bitch!"


    "Well at least you found another meaningless hobby that you can make money with-" Mom started.


    "SOCCER WAS NOT A MEANINGLESS HOBBY! IT COULD''VE BEEN A CAREER HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR YOUR OH SO PRECIOUS HOWARD WHO SENT ME TO THE HOSPITAL AND MADE ME QUIT THE TEAM!" I roared.


    "How dare you!" Mom shrieked. She walked up to me and raised a hand and slapped me.


    I heard the crowd around me gasp when she did. She looked around and gave a sinister smile. "See? This is what you do to your children when they have any other sexuality than straight! And get this, this piece of garbage has mental health issues-"


    "THAT''S ENOUGH!" Louis roared. "First of all, I don''t know who you think you are causing a scene at my art gallery but it stops here! And second, I''m sure a lot of people would highly disagree with you about sexuality. It doesn''t matter if Ms. Lee is straight, gay or whatever she''s a talented artist and I didn''t know anything about her until today! Also as far as mental health issues goes, there are a handful of famous artists who have mental health issues and they''re able to produce wonderful works of art and I''m because of how talented your daughter is, she will go far with her art!"


    "That''s enough Louis!" Another man standing beside Walter said.


    "But- But Frankie darling!" Mom started.


    The man shook his head in dismay. "Wow, I''ve never seen a mother hate their daughter so much to the point where she doesn''t believe in her."


    Louis cleared his throat and turned his attention to me after Frankie managed to get Mom to leave. "I''m so sorry about that Ms. Lee-" His eyes went wide when he looked at me. "Oh crap! You''re bleeding!"


    I paused and touched my face. Before Louis could do anything Walter handed me a tissue. "I got it!"


    "Thanks," I said.


    "I have a first-aid kit in the car," Walter said.


    "Okay," I said.


    Louis turned around to the crowd of spectators. "Okay everybody! Nothing to see here, move along!"


    Just like that everyone watching went back to what they were doing. Louis turned his attention back to me. "Sorry about that, we should probably finish this conversation in my office on Monday. Either way, congrats on the win."


    I paused. "So, Mom was fawning over my paintings?"


    Louis smiled and nodded. "Yup! Especially the fantasy one. She couldn''t get over how cute the fairies in it looked. Then she found out who the artist was¡­"


    I rolled my eyes. "Yup, that is so typical of her. Okay then, I''ll see you on Monday then."


    He nodded. "See you on Monday."


    Without another word Walter and I left the art exhibit and went home.

 Chapter 7: Unannounced Visitor

    {Frank}


    I couldn''t stop laughing at the social media videos that were already posted on YouTube about what happened at the art exhibit. The titles of the videos of people reacting to the incident had me cracking up the most. One of the titles was: Mother slaps Daughter after finding out that she won an Art Contest!


    I had just watched another video and started to work on some paperwork for my business when Delilah came barging into the room.


    I rolled my eyes. "Don''t you know how to knock?"


    "Why the hell should I have to knock on my husband''s door? And why the hell aren''t you doing anything about those videos on YouTube?" Delilah growled.


    "First of all, this is my office for my business and you know good and well I work from home most of the day. What if I was in a conference meeting? Last time I checked you have no say over what I can and can''t do in this house," I scolded. "I''m not like your ex-husband that you can manipulate into abusing their children! And you''re lucky that this mansion is well guarded or there would be protestors on our lawn day and night in an uproar about what you did to your daughter!"


    "But she''s my daughter! I can do whatever I please with her!" Delilah said.


    I scoffed. "Not anymore because last time I checked Victoria''s a grown woman and can do whatever she wants to do. She''s beautiful and talented. Why do you hate her so much?"


    Delilah hesitated.


    I raised an eyebrow. "Well?"


    She took a seat across from me at my desk and sighed, "Victoria has been one of the most difficult children I''ve ever had to deal with. I always wanted a daughter who would love me and get along with me and do whatever I wanted her to do. Her older sister Jenny was from a previous relationship before I married Victoria''s father.


    "Victoria and I never got along. She hardly did anything that I wanted her to do. Then when she failed fifth grade her father and I took her to a therapist and she was diagnosed with a couple of mental health issues. I say Victoria was being rebellious because she didn''t listen to anything that I said.


    "And then Howard came along. He told me in order to get Victoria to listen to me, I should break her and do whatever it takes to do so. So I started hitting her and abusing in any way I could think of. Victoria was and still is the most stubborn child ever. We argued about things often and then when Howard saw that she had a girlfriend, all bets were off. He was very homophobic and hated Victoria for that reason.


    "He decided to punish Victoria by beating her and if it weren''t for me she''d probably be dead. I still agree with him being homophobic because I think being gay is wrong. Victoria is a piece of trash in my eyes because she does everything wrong and makes it her mission in life just to make life difficult for her own mother.


    "It''s funny because she doesn''t do that with her siblings though. If she starts not getting along with you I wouldn''t be surprised."


    I narrowed my eyes at her. "You do realize that my son is gay right? And if you ever lay a hand on him, you''ll be sorry you did regardless of you being my wife. I would say that you should work on making things right with your daughter but with your attitude towards her; I wouldn''t be surprised if she hates you now."


    Delilah nodded. "Oh she hates me alright. Ever since Howard came into her life and I''m not changing my stance on her sexuality, not one little bit. Honestly, at this point I don''t care about what she thinks, and I''m pretty sure she doesn''t care about what I think. That''s fine by me. I do know one thing: unless pigs fly, Victoria and I will never get along with each other."


    "I see. Regardless, I think I should finally introduce myself to Victoria," I said.


    Delilah snorted. "Good luck with that one."


    Before she got up to leave I said, "Oh and one more thing, if you ever lay your hands on your daughter again out in public like that, I won''t hesitate to call the cops."


    She sighed, "Yeah I got it. But you really should do something about those YouTube videos of me."


    I shook my head. "Nope. You caused the issue, you face the consequences."


    "Fine then, good luck with meeting your daughter," Delilah said as she got up and left the room.


    ***


    {Victoria}


    When Walter and I got home from the art exhibit, Walter made me sit down on the couch so he could take a look at my face.


    Walter frowned. "Are you going to press charges on your mother for assault? I think you should. That bruise looks ugly."


    I looked over at the nearby clock. It was only 8pm and the police station closed at 10pm. "Well if we head down to the station now, there''s still time to report the assault and press charges."


    He nodded. "Alright then, let''s go."


    We were headed towards the door when it opened to reveal a very worried looking Jenny.


    She gasped, "Victoria! I saw the videos on YouTube! I hope your pressing charges on that evil woman?"


    I nodded. "As a matter of fact, I''m heading to the station now."


    "Good," Jenny said.


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    That''s exactly what I did. I went down to the station and pressed charges on my mother and the police had no problems helping me with that. They even advised me to get a lawyer, which I would already have to get one anyway.


    When Walter and I got home I went to bed and had a bad dream. It had been a long while since I had a dream about Wyatt.


    Wyatt was my ex-fianc¨¦ and he was a piece of shit. He was abusive physically and emotionally, although he acted like a perfect little angel around my parents. So when I told my parents what was going on, of course they didn''t believe me.


    It wasn''t until after I told my parents what was going on that Wyatt decided to keep me locked up in his basement for a little bit in order to put me in my place. He even put a dog collar around my neck as if I were a fucking dog!


    It was on the night that I decided to escape when the abuse was at its worst! Wyatt had come down into the basement and beat the shit out of me and I was unconscious for a little bit and when I came to he did it again. After the second beating I woke up and a maid that worked for Wyatt, gave me a key and a way to escape him.


    I left the house with nothing but the clothes on my back and moved to another state where I managed to get a job under a fake name.


    I remember the last conversation that I had with Wyatt before he beat me.


    "You know, the sooner you accept that we are getting married the better off you''ll be!" Wyatt snarled as he looked down at me cowering in front of him.


    I shook my head. "Never! The only reason I agreed to the marriage is because of Howard! And I will find a way to escape you because I changed my mind!"


    Wyatt narrowed his eyes. "Excuse me? Howard is your stepdad and you will call him daddy as a sign of respect!"


    I spat blood out of my mouth from the previous beating and snarled, "NEVER! I HATE HIM AND I HATE YOU!"


    "Why you little-" Wyatt growled. He grabbed the baseball bat that was sitting next to the wall next to my bed.


    When Wyatt started beating me that''s when I woke up.


    ***


    After I woke up, I went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. My reflection matched exactly how I felt. I was a hot mess. My hair looked like it had been blown a gust of wind for  a bit even though I had it in a ponytail. My face still had a bruise on it from where Mom had slapped me.


    I fixed my hair and splashed some cold water on my face and that seemed to help a little bit. I pulled down my shirt a little to reveal the scar that the stupid dog collar that Wyatt had me wear left. Even after these years it was still there. I remembered using a knife to cut it off and it left a small cut that I never got stitches for. I was thankful that I didn''t bleed out or cut the wrong spot when I cut the collar off. I never got stitches for it hence that scar.


    "Are you okay?" I turned around when I saw Walter staring at me with concern.


    I pulled my shirt back up to cover up the scar and nodded. "Yeah I''m fine. I just had a bad dream."


    I walked past him and sat back down on my bed. I looked over at the clock on my nightstand. It was 6am. Well at least I got some sort of sleep before I had that nightmare!


    Walter sat down on the bed next to me. "Do you want to talk about it?"


    I paused and then shook my head. "Not right at the moment."


    "Alright then, you don''t have to tell me if you don''t want to," He said.


    I have no idea why but I started crying and it felt like a really dumb thing to do but I did it. Walter grabbed me and hugged me. "It''s okay to cry when you need to. You''re with me and you''re safe right now."


    I didn''t know how long I cried for but after I finished crying I leaned on Walter. Even though I felt tired I wasn''t sure if I''d be able to go back to sleep.


    "Um, Walter? This is a rather stupid question but can you stay in here until I go back to sleep?" I asked.


    Walter snorted. "That''s not a dumb question and yes I can stay here with you until you fall asleep."


    I got back underneath the covers and snuggled Walter''s lap. A moment later I went back to sleep.


    ***


    The next time that I woke up, it was noon. As I started on my regular routine I heard the doorbell ring.


    Walter answered it and I heard a familiar voice that I heard at the art exhibit. "Is Victoria here?"


    When I saw who was standing at the door I narrowed my eyes because it was the same person who was with my Mom at the art exhibit. "What do you want?"


    The man put up his hands to show he meant no harm but I didn''t care if he meant to harm me or not.


    "Listen, I just want to talk," the man said.


    I sighed and let the guy in. I motioned for the guy to sit down on the couch and I sat down across from him on my recliner.


    "Again," I said. "What do you want?"


    The man laughed, "You''re not one for small talk aren''t you?"


    I shook my head. "Nope."


    "First of all, let me introduce myself. My name is Frank Randal and I''m married to your mother," the man said.


    I clenched my jaw hearing that my Mom had snagged herself another rich husband really pissed me off. If anything, that woman deserves to live the most miserable life ever! She deserves to live the type of life she gave me.


    I didn''t even bother to compose myself. "If you''re here to get me to drop the charges against her then you can go fuck off. I want nothing to do with you or whatever wonderful lifestyle you''re giving my mother. I hope that when she kicks the bucket that she rots in Hell!"


    "Well, your mother did say that you hated her but I didn''t realize how much-" Frank started.


    "Yeah the word hate is an understatement," I growled. "I''m disgusted by her, I despise her and every other word that you put in with the word hate. And since you''ve decided to shackle yourself to that evil woman, I want nothing to do with you!"


    "But I have a business deal for you," Frank said.


    I pinched the bridge of my nose trying to keep my anger in check. "If you want to talk business, give me your business card and I''ll call and set up an appointment with you."


    "Wow, that''s awfully rude!" Frank snapped.


    "Uh-huh and you''re awfully rude for showing up at my house unannounced and just because you''re married to the worst woman to ever be alive I have no respect for you! I don''t have to show respect for you in my house!" I snarled.


    Frank sighed and handed me his business card. When he stood up he shook his head in dismay. "I never thought I''d see the day where a mother and daughter hate each other to their very cores. Anyway, hopefully we can do business with each other and be civil at least. I''ll see you around then."


    I rolled my eyes. "Yeah whatever, get out of my house and don''t come back and that goes for Mom too. As of today, I disown her from being my mother. And I don''t have a stepfather, I don''t know you and I don''t care to be family with you either."


    When Frank left I made sure to slam the door on his face as hard as I possibly could.


    After Frank left I was in a rage. I flipped over the couch and the recliner. I was getting ready to pick up a dish off the kitchen table and throw it when Walter stopped me. "Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Calm down! He''s gone, calm down!"


    I broke down sobbing. "I hate her! I wish she was gone! I wish she was locked up in a basement and tortured like I was. I wish¡­"


    Walter held me in his arms trying his best to console me. No matter how hard Walter tried to console I couldn''t help but get even angrier. I was feeling nothing but anger when I backed out.

 Chapter 8: What Happened?

    {Victoria}


    The next time I opened my eyes I was in a hospital room. I tried to get up from the bed but I couldn''t because I was tied down to it. Okay, what the hell happened?


    I heard someone let out a sigh of relief, "Oh, good you''re awake! How do you feel Victoria?"


    When I looked over I saw Walter sitting by my bedside with a look of concern on his face. I tilted my head and gave him a confused look. "I feel fine I guess? And confused as to why I''m here."


    Walter frowned. "What''s the last thing you remember?"


    I paused and tried to remember what happened to me but my mind drew a blank. I shook my head. "At the moment, I remember nothing."


    "You don''t remember Frank coming over for a visit? And then flipping out afterwards?" Walter asked.


    Once again I searched my memory and my mind drew a blank. I shook my head. "Nope. I don''t remember anything so I''m going to assume that I had another anger blackout episode?"


    He paused. "You mean you had a manic episode?"


    "Well if that''s what you want to call it, then sure," I said.


    Walter took out his cell phone and showed me pictures of what looked like my living room and it looked like it had been ransacked. I gasped, "What the hell happened to my house?"


    Before Walter could respond, the doctor came into the room and said, "Okay Ms. Lee, how are you feeling today?"


    "I''m feeling fine for the moment," I said. "How long have I been out?"


    "You''ve been out for a day. We thought you might be out for more than that but you''re awake now," the doctor said. "Walter told me what the possible trigger might''ve been for your episode this time. You were very hysterical yesterday when you came in and there were four different nurses besides Walter that had to wrestle you down to the bed so we could calm you down. That''s why you''re tied to the bed at the moment. I want to make sure you''re completely calm before I give the order to untie you."


    I looked down. "Oh."


    "Hey, it''s okay Ms. Lee," the doctor said. "This is all a part of having the issues that you do. This is exactly why you need a caretaker right now. Now, you''ll be staying here for a couple of days for observation and if everything''s fine then you''ll go home with Walter."


    I nodded. "Okay."


    The doctor looked at Walter. "Walter? I need to speak to you for a moment outside."


    "Sure," Walter said. He followed the doctor out of the room leaving me alone with my thoughts still trying to figure out what happened.


    ***


    {Frank}


    After I went to visit Victoria, I heard that she was in the hospital. I asked my assistant to try and find out why and apparently it had something to do with a manic episode. Who''d thought that mentioning being married to a woman like Delilah would set someone off that bad!


    My assistant managed to get a hold of Victoria''s medical records and let''s just say it didn''t look pretty.


    Victoria''s medical history started when she turned 14 and she had a near death experience because she was beat up badly by her stepfather. From the looks of things it seemed that her mother just stood there and let it happen.


    The more I read about Victoria''s medical history the more I started to see why me mentioning that I was married to her mother set her off.


    I sighed when I finished reading Victoria''s file. "Un fucking believable! Delilah what did you do?"


    "Um, sir?" My assistant said, "There''s someone here to see you."


    I raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Who is it?"


    "She says her name is Jenny Tyler," He said. "She wants to talk to you about Victoria."


    "Okay, send her in," I said.


    A young woman who looked like a younger version of Delilah walked into the room. She had brown hair and Hazel eyes. Her hair was up in a ponytail and she wore a brown t-shirt with a pair of blue jeans. She wore gray sneakers to complete the look.


    "Mr. Randal, it''s nice to meet you. My name is Jenny Tyler but you can just call me Jenny. I''m here to speak to you about my sister," Jenny said.


    I promptly motioned for her to take a seat across from my desk and my assistant to close the door behind him when he left.


    "So what do you want to talk about?" I asked.


    "Stay away from my sister!" Jenny growled, "She''s already been through hell and back because of Mom and knowing the fact that Mom is out there living her best life because of being with you is bound to set her off. As a matter of fact, it has already set her off!"


    I sighed, "Yeah I know. She''s in the hospital because of a manic episode."


    Jenny narrowed her eyes. "So then you know how serious this is? Victoria has extreme trauma because of what Mom put her through. If you knew the kind of person Mom was, you wouldn''t have married her. Oh sure, she acts all nice and innocent in front of the right people, but her true colors are nasty!"


    "I get it, but what do you want me to do about it?" I asked.


    "For starters you can keep Mom away from Victoria and you might want to tread lightly if you have to deal with Victoria because of her art," Jenny said. "I don''t know how much she remembers before the manic episode, but if she doesn''t remember you and if you wind up doing business with her, if I were you I wouldn''t mention being married to Mom."


    "So just let her find that out on her own?" I said.


    Jenny nodded. "Exactly."


    "I see," I said. "Is there anything else that you want to talk to me about?"


    She shook her head. "Nope, I''m just looking out for my baby sister, that''s all." She stood up. "Well it was nice meeting you Mr. Randal. Again Victoria''s been through hell and back. Mom''s living her best life by being married to you and I think it''s time that Victoria gets to live her best life don''t you think?"


    I nodded. "Yeah, I agree and I can help with that."


    She tilted her head. "Oh? And how are you going to do that?"


    I shook my head. "I don''t know but I''ll figure something out."


    She nodded and didn''t say another word as she left the room.


    ***


    {Victoria}


    "So you remember going to the art exhibit and you remember your mom slapping you?" My therapist asked.


    I nodded. "Yes."


    "And you don''t remember anything after that?" He asked.


    I nodded again. "Exactly."


    It was my monthly therapist appointment and my therapist decided to move it up from the original date seeing that I had a hospital visit because of a manic episode. My therapist is an older guy who had to be at least in his early forties, he was white and had black eyes and gray hair. He wore business casual clothing which was a brown t-shirt and blue jeans.


    "Something must''ve set you off enough to trigger a manic episode then," my therapist said.


    "That''s the thing, I don''t know what happened to trigger it," I said.


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    "Well maybe it''s best that you don''t remember what happened?" My therapist asked.


    I paused. "What do you mean?"


    "If whatever set you off so badly gave you a manic episode that required a hospital visit, maybe it''s best that you forget about it for the moment and figure it out later," He said.


    I shrugged. "I guess so."


    He looked over at the clock and nodded. "Alright, that''s it for our session for the day. Unless there''s anything else you want to talk about?"


    I shook my head. "Nope."


    He gave me another appointment to come back next month and I went home.


    ***


    When I got home I sat down on the couch still confused and trying to figure out what triggered the manic episode. I know my therapist said to leave it alone for now but it really started to bug me.


    I turned on the Tv and connected it to my YouTube account and picked a random video to watch while I stared off into space.


    "Are you okay?" I heard Walter ask.


    I looked up at him. "Honestly, I don''t know. I hate it when I have a manic episode and can''t figure out what I did afterwards. This is bugging me!"


    Walter sat down beside me and sighed, "What did your therapist say about it?"


    "Well he said maybe it''s best to forget it for now and figure out what happened later," I said. "I guess he''s right but it still bugs me."


    My cell phone rang and I looked at the caller ID and the number didn''t look familiar so I let it go to voicemail. Five minutes later, the same number called again and I let it go to voicemail. After the third time of that number calling me I decided to check my voicemail to see what the caller wanted.


    I didn''t know why but the voice on the voicemail sounded familiar, "Hello there, I''m leaving a message for a Ms. Victoria Lee? Can you please call back because I would like you to make an appointment with me in regards to a business proposal I have for you. When you call this number back please ask for my assistant Damon and he''ll know what to do. Please call me back as soon as you can. Thank you, have a  nice day."


    I knew that wasn''t Louis because I''d already talked to him and signed a contract and he wants me to paint a couple of paintings for him and I have six months to get them done. I also thought that it wasn''t my art teacher Ms. Rae. Either way, the voice sounded familiar and it annoyed me for some reason.


    Walter frowned when I hung up the phone. "What''s wrong?"


    "I know I''ve heard that voice somewhere, but I have no idea where," I said. I sighed, "I guess I should call this guy back then?"


    I called the number back and did what the message told me to do and I got a surprise when Damon asked if I could come to his office today. I agreed and when I went to meet Damon he ushered me into an office where an old man sat behind the desk.


    The old man looked like he had to have been pushing late forties. He was dressed up in a black suit and white shirt underneath the suit jacket and a red tie. He wore a black fedora on his head and reminded me of a mafia boss. The only thing that was missing was a cigar and a sinister look that would say ''if you cross me you die.''


    But he didn''t have a cigar and he didn''t have a sinister look on his face. He had a kind look on his face and he smiled when he saw me as if I were a long lost friend.


    "Ah, Ms. Lee! So we meet again," the man said.


    I paused. "Again? We''ve met before?"


    The man nodded. "Yes we''ve met before and I know you probably don''t remember because of your medical issues."


    Before I could ask, the man said, "Your sister stopped by and told me what happened. My name is Frank Randal and I''m married to your mother."


    After I took a seat across from Frank''s desk I said, "O¡­Kay? So what''s the business proposal you have for me?"


    "Well, I know about your medical issues and all that jazz and while I do feel bad that Delilah caused most of them, I can try and make it up to you," Frank said.


    I raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And how do you plan on doing that?"


    "Become a part of the family," Frank answered.


    I scoffed, "Seriously? You do realize how abusive my Mom was towards me right? Why the hell would I want to be lumped into the same family that she somehow managed to weasel her way into?"


    "Hear me out okay? I can help take care of the medical bills and find you new contracts so that you can make an income with art. Hell, I can spoil you rotten just like how you were supposed to be treated growing up. You should''ve had loving and caring parents. I know your Mom won''t be able to do that but I can do that for you," Frank said.


    I gave him a look of disbelief. "Uh-huh yeah sure, that''s exactly what Wyatt said before he chained me up in a basement like I was some sort of pet and used me as a punching bag because I refused to conform to high society life."


    Frank''s eyes went wide. "Who''s Wyatt?"


    "He''s my piece of shit ex-fianc¨¦ who is thankfully dead," I answered in a matter of fact tone.


    Frank composed himself, "You know not all rich men are bad right?"


    I scoffed again. "Sure they''re not bad. Okay, if I''m here to talk business with you then let''s talk business. If not then we have nothing to discuss."


    "Your sister told me that it''s time for you to live your best life. I agree with her," Frank said. "And not only do I want you to become part of my family, I want your sister and your brother to become a part of the family too. If you become a part of the family, I will make sure that you never see your mother ever again if that''s what you want?"


    I was in disbelief at what this guy was saying. "Are you doing this because you feel sorry for me? Because if that''s the case then I-"


    Frank shook his head. "No that''s not it. I''ve wanted to have you, your sister and your brother be a part of my family for two years now and your mother wouldn''t even let me meet you guys. You don''t have to live at the mansion or anything like that. If anything you can at least just have the family name."


    "What if I wind up getting married and get a different family name? What would happen then?" I asked.


    "We can worry about that if that bridge gets crossed," Frank said. "Tell you what, if I can convince your brother and sister to join the family will you join them?"


    "That''s going to be a tall order you know. Because they don''t like Mom either even though Mom favors Jaxon. The funny part is that Jaxon bad mouths Mom behind her back constantly," I said with a chuckle.


    "Okay, then that''s what I''ll do. I''m going to convince your sister Jenny and your brother Jaxon to join my family," Frank said.


    I paused. "Question, why do you want me to join your family so much? Is it just because you''re married to my Mom?"


    "That''s part of the reason. I knew about you before you were born," Frank said. "I can''t tell you exactly how, just that I knew about you and it''s rather unfortunate that I hadn''t been given a chance to help you until now."


    "Is there really a business proposal here or did you just want to talk to me about personal matters?" I asked.


    "It''s for both actually," Frank said. "I do want to commission a drawing from you."


    "Oh? What''s the drawing for? How big do you want it?" I asked.


    "I need it big enough to fit on the wall over the secretaries desk out the hallway," Frank said. "I''ll have Damon give you a contract and you can have your lawyer present for that if you want? Other than that, that''s pretty much all I have to say at the moment."


    "Alright, I guess I''ll be on my way now," I said.


    After Frank and I said goodbye I went home.


    ***


    {Frank}


    When Victoria left I felt happy that I at least got a chance to have a civil conversation with her about things. I intend to fulfill my promise that I made to Victoria''s father before he died. He knew Victoria''s mother was nuts and she got ever crazier after Victoria was born for whatever the reason.


    He asked me if anything should happen that I should take care of Victoria at least. But unfortunately after Victoria''s father died, Delilah had already moved on to be with Howard and Howard being my rival did his best to make Victoria''s life hell.


    Once Howard died I immediately decided to date Delilah and we got married. But it seems that the universe must not want me to fulfill the promise I made to Victoria''s father because it took until now for me to be able to help her. However, even now being able to convince Victoria to let me take care of her is going to be an uphill battle.


    I remember the day Victoria''s father made me make that promise to him. It still gives me chills just thinking about it.


    We were sitting in my limo just after I had finished a business meeting when he showed me an emerald jewel with a small black dot in the middle of it.


    I tilted my head. "Okay? What''s that?"


    "Inside this crystal is the offspring of a fallen angel," Victoria''s father said.


    I blinked. "Say what now?"


    "About 99% of the human race don''t know this but fallen angels, the ones talked about in the Holy book known as the Bible are actually real," He said.


    I gave him a look of disbelief.


    He continued, "Only certain humans have the ability to carry the offspring of a fallen to term and I found a special woman for this child. Her name is Delilah and she''ll carry this child and give birth to them. The day when this child''s powers finally manifest themselves we''ll be able to win the war against Angels and Demons once and for all!"


    At this point Victoria''s father looked like a crazy person that needed help badly. "What the hell are you talking about?"


    "You''ll understand what I mean one of these days hopefully," He said. "Just promise me that if something happens to me that you''ll help take care of this child and you''ll help Delilah help this child manifest their powers when the time comes."


    He held out his hand. "Promise me please?"


    I shook his hand not knowing the hell Victoria''s father was talking about and at the moment I still don''t know what he was talking about.


    There was a knock on my office door snapping me out of my thoughts. "Come in!"


    "So how did it go?" Damon asked as he entered the room.


    "Well it went better than what happened the other time I tried to meet her," I said.


    Damon smiled. "That''s good to know."


    I sighed, "Now I just need to convince Victoria that all I want to do is help her. The sooner I do that the better." I looked at Damon. "Any ideas on how to convince a young woman that not all rich men are pigs just because they want to help her out?"


    He looked thoughtful, "Hmm, why not just be kind and patient with her? Because more than likely she''s been through something bad in her past and that''s her outlook on rich people to be negative."


    That statement made me pause. "Fuck!"


    Damon tilted his head. "What?"


    "Victoria mentioned something about an ex-fianc¨¦ who was rich that chained her up in a basement for some reason," I said.


    His eyes went wide and his jaw dropped. "Seriously?"


    I nodded. "Seriously. But I''ll start by doing what you suggested. I just have to be patient with her. And sooner or later I''ll fulfill my promise to Victoria''s father."


    "I see," Damon said.


    I looked at my phone when Delilah texted me about being home for dinner. Lately I haven''t really wanted to spend time with her but I do anyway because I''m her husband. The time phone said it was almost 5pm and it was time for me to start heading out for the day.


    I stood up and left the room with Damon following behind me and went home.

 Chapter 9: Whats in this house?

    {Victoria}


    Louis wanted a couple of huge paintings for his building and he wanted it done in six months and somehow I managed to get the paintings done in three months. Which is good because Frank wanted me to paint a mural all the way down the hallway on the floor of his office. I managed to get that job done in the same amount of time that I worked on Louis''s paintings.


    I painted children playing in a meadow with fairies flying ahead of them. Frank and Louis loved my work and that was also great because my health issues started to act up.


    I''m going to blame that on my little buddies that I have locked up in my basement. Lately every night around midnight they would start talking amongst themselves and Walter would be able to hear them too.


    Today I woke up in a bad mood because last night my little buddies decided that not only would they not shut up but they decided to start breaking light bulbs around the house systematically. I had half a mind to not even change the light bulbs after the ones in the kitchen broke in the middle of the night.


    "Why do you look like you want to kill someone?" Jaxon asked.


    Jaxon and Jenny had come over for a visit and since it was on a weekday Walter was there also. They were sitting down at the kitchen table with me as I grabbed some of the eggs that I had cooked and sat down.


    "Because Victoria seems to think that there''s people living down in the basement that she refuses to let anyone go down into whatever the reason," Walter said. "Yes, I hear the whispers but I think we should just let someone go down there and evaluate things and see if there''s something wrong."


    Jaxon and Jenny paused when Walter said. Jaxon looked at me and sighed, "Listen, Vicky I know you went through a lot with Wyatt and I wasn''t able to get to you in time and I''m sorry about that."


    I gave him a look of disbelief because I had a feeling that he would try to explain things a way with what happened with Wyatt.


    I shook my head. "Don''t do that."


    Jaxon frowned. "Don''t do what?"


    "Don''t guilt yourself for something that wasn''t your fault," I said.


    "I''m your brother, I''m supposed to-" He started.


    I cut him off, "Protect me? Look you didn''t know, no one did and no one believed me when I told them what was going on. Wyatt knew how to act like a perfect little angel when he was out in the open."


    "Don''t you think it''s time you should work on getting past that?" Jenny asked.


    I sighed, "I''ve tried that and my little buddies down in the basement have nothing to do with what went on with Wyatt. Okay?"


    Jenny opened her mouth to say something when Jaxon stopped her. "Then what if Jenny and I took a look around to see if anything needs to be fixed?"


    "And then what?" I asked.


    "We''ll worry about that bridge when we cross it," Jaxon said.


    Jenny''s eyes went wide in horror. "Why do I have to go with you?"


    "Because you''re the one that suggested Victoria work on getting over what happened with Wyatt, so¡­" Jaxon responded. He looked at Walter. "You can come down with us if you want?"


    Walter shook his head. "Nah, I''m good. I''ll stay up here and make sure that Victoria''s safe."


    I gave him a pointed look and raised an eyebrow. "You''re keeping me safe huh? Well, you are my caretaker after all." I added with sarcasm. "My hero."


    Jenny snickered and Jaxon just shook his head and had an amused look on his face.


    "Alright then, I''ll go grab a flashlight and let''s figure out what''s going on with the basement!" Jaxon said with determination.


    When Jaxon grabbed a flashlight I grabbed the key that kept the lock on the basement door shut. We stood in front of the basement door and I unlocked it. Jaxon and Jenny entered the basement not knowing what horrors might be waiting for them.


    ***


    {omniscient}


    Jaxon and Jenny stood at the top of the basement steps and hesitated. Jaxon looked over at Jenny. "You go first."


    Jenny''s eyes went wide. "What! Why me?"


    Jaxon didn''t say anything in response he just pushed her forward and she went down the steps first. Jaxon soon followed and when they turned on the light they looked around. The basement didn''t look like much at first glance. There were boxes stacked in random places in the room and it looked like there were things that still needed to be unpacked.


    The labels on the different boxes said what room the things inside were supposed to go. A small couch sat in the middle of the room with a small Tv in front of it.


    Jaxon paused. "Hmm, I don''t see anything fishy down here so far."


    Jenny nodded and she was getting ready to say some when they heard a creaking noise as if a door was sliding open. They looked behind them to see a secret passageway underneath the stairs.


    She blinked. "What the hell?"


    Jaxon nodded. "My thoughts exactly."


    Before they could make their way towards the passageway the door closed.


    Jaxon and Jenny jumped in surprise when they saw that. Jenny went underneath the stairs towards the secret door that she had seen moments ago. But when she felt the wall where the door was there was nothing there.


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    Jaxon shrugged. "Well, I guess there''s nothing wrong with the basement. We should probably tell Vicky about the secret passageway though."


    Jenny nodded. "Yeah and-"


    She didn''t get a chance to finish her sentence when they heard a slight movement on the far right corner of the room underneath the stairs where the secret passageway opened up. What they saw next had them running up the stairs as fast as they could slamming and locking the basement door behind them.


    ***


    {Victoria}


    I gave Jaxon and Jenny a look of disbelief when I saw them run upstairs and slam the basement door behind them.


    "O¡­ Kay¡­ There¡­ There is something down in the basement," Jaxon said while trying to catch his breath.


    "Yeah there''s a secret passageway in the basement!" Jenny said. "The one time I didn''t have my phone with me and something like this happens!"


    Jaxon looked at Jenny. "Seriously?"


    She tilted her head. "What? You said we should tell her about that." She turned her attention back to me. "Oh and a family of bats decided to make a nest underneath the stairs."


    I blinked. I thought that at least hopefully they would see what my little buddies looked like. At that moment I had a feeling that my little buddies were probably using whatever magic they had to make things seem like something they are not.


    "So you just need to get an exterminator to get rid of the bats and a guard dog," Jaxon said.


    I raised an eyebrow. "A guard dog?"


    "Yup, just in case someone comes through that secret passageway," Jaxon said.


    "And get a cat along with the dog!" Jenny said.


    I paused. "Huh?"


    "Yeah get a cat too because cats can help eat whatever bugs or insects that come up from the basement. The dog will help guard the house of course," Jenny said.


    As soon as Jenny said that Walter perked up. "You could get a service dog and that would help when you go out in public."


    Jenny and Jaxon both nodded in agreement.


    "Okay then, looks like I''m going to go shopping for a dog and a cat," I said.


    ***


    {Walter}


    "Oh, look at this one! He''s so cute!" Jenny gushed as we went to look for a dog.


    The dog I had in mind for Victoria would not only be a guard dog but a service dog and would comfort her when she was out in public. Ever since the art exhibit I have felt the need to protect Victoria at all costs for whatever the reason. I''m going to assume that it has something to do with being her caretaker. I have felt protective of clients in the past but nothing about how I feel with Victoria.


    Anyway, as Jenny was gushing at the dogs and cats about how cute they were Victoria just seemed rather annoyed by everything.


    She groaned, "Seriously? You''d think that you were the one buying the dog and cat, not me."


    Jenny pouted, "Aww come on sis! Take a look around-"


    "Excuse me," Victoria snapped, "But this is my purchase and not yours! And-"


    Jenny put her hands up to show she surrendered and backed off. "Okay, okay chill! This is supposed to be a good experience for you."


    Victoria had her arms crossed and she was glaring at Jenny. I put a hand on Victoria''s shoulder and gave it a slight squeeze to get her to calm down and that seemed to work. Shortly after that Jenny exclaimed, "Hey sis! Look at this one! It''s just begging to go home with you!"


    I looked over to see a pen full of little German Shepherd puppies running around and they looked so cute. They seemed like they were past the age of being potty trained and there was a note next to the pen that said to ask about training them to be a service dog which was perfect.


    A young woman, wearing a store uniform which consisted of a red t-shirt and blue jeans, her name was Tiffany, came over to us. She gave me a flirting smile as she said, "I see you''re interested in the German Shepherd puppies."


    I don''t know why Tiffany flirting with me irked me but it did. Any other time I would''ve probably tried to go back to get her number after taking care of a client but I didn''t feel any attraction whatsoever.


    I cleared my throat, "Yes, we''re looking at the puppies and I see there''s a note about being able to train them for being a service dog?"


    Tiffany nodded. "Yes, they just have to go through a training course and then they can get their certificates and all that jazz. Actually, there are a couple of puppies in the pen that are already trained to be service dogs. It depends on what type of illness you need the dog for."


    "Well-" I started.


    Before I could say anything I heard Jenny squeal, "Oh my god! He is adorable!"


    I turned around and smiled when I saw Victoria holding a small black and light brown puppy and it was licking Victoria''s face. Victoria seemed somewhat annoyed by that which made the scene even more adorable than it already was.


    As soon as Tiffany saw this she stopped flirting with me and said, "Is that your girlfriend?"


    I shook my head. "No, she''s my client, I''m her caretaker and it''s a long story."


    "I see, so is she the one you need a service dog for?" Tiffany asked.


    I nodded. "Yeah."


    "Well you''re in luck that puppy has already been somewhat trained to be a service dog," She said.


    I tilted my head. "Oh really?"


    She nodded. "Yeah."


    So Victoria ended up getting the puppy and on the way home Jenny was excitedly suggesting names for him. Victoria opted to not get a cat stating it would be too much work to take care of it and the dog and I totally understand that.


    "So what are you going to name him?" Jenny said with excitement in her voice.


    Victoria smiled. "I think I will name him Cody."


    Jenny gave Victoria a look of disbelief. Victoria raised an eyebrow. "What?"


    "Out of all of the other pretty names I gave you, you chose Cody?" Jenny said.


    "And?" Victoria asked, "It''s my dog, I bought him so I get to name him. Isn''t that right boy?"


    She knelt down and scratched Cody behind the ears and he loved it because he leaned into it. "So I''m taking him to the vet as soon as I call and get the appointment set up. He''ll get his vaccines and microchip and everything else he needs."


    She picked Cody up and sat down on the couch with him in her lap. She sighed, "And for now he needs his dog collar put on him. Jenny, can you grab his collar from the bag?"


    Jenny hesitated. "Are you sure you want to put it on? You don''t have to do it if you don''t want to."


    Victoria looked at Jenny. "No, I need to do this. He''s my dog now so he''s my responsibility."


    Jenny nodded. "Okay then."


    For Victoria and Jenny to have such an extreme reaction to putting a collar on their pet confused me. I frowned. "I don''t get it. Why don''t you like dog collars?"


    "It''s a long story," Victoria replied.


    "I see," I said.


    Jenny grabbed Cody''s collar and handed it to Victoria. Victoria took a deep breath and slid the collar around his neck.


    "That''s a good boy! You got your collar now and you''ve been a good boy! You deserve a treat!" Victoria said. petting him as he wagged his tail. I had a feeling that the praise she was giving the dog was more meant for her and not him.


    Victoria stood up and looked at the rest of Cody''s stuff from the pet store. "Let''s see, we have two dog bowls, one for water and one for his food¡­" She started digging for something and after a moment she found what she was looking for.  "Aha! Here it is! One dog treat for the good doggie who stayed still, letting me put the collar on him!"


    Upon hearing that statement I gave Victoria a look of concern. Now I''m all for training a dog with positive attention every time they do something good but this dog collar issue is something new for me. Either way no matter how concerned I am for Victoria I made it a point in my line of work a long time ago that I wouldn''t pry into the personal lives of my clients and Victoria is a client so I''ll just have to wait until Victoria tells me about it.

 Chapter 10: An explosive argument

    {Victoria}


    "Come on buddy it''s okay. You''re just going in for a checkup," I said. At this point I was dragging Cody into the waiting room of the vet''s office.


    Walter chuckled, "I don''t know what it is about some animals but it''s like they know where they''re going."


    That had me think of an idea. "Hmm, I''ll just pick him up and carry him there. Once we''re in he should be fine."


    Walter shrugged. "It''s worth a shot."


    That''s what I did. I picked Cody up and when I got into the waiting room I put him down and let him look around. I was surprised when I saw a cat get down from the counter at the receptionist desk and come to greet Cody.


    The cat gently batted Cody on the nose and after Cody sniffed the cat for a couple of minutes the cat walked off.


    I heard someone giggle when that happened. I looked up to see a young woman standing dressed in scrubs and I assumed she was a nurse here and I was right. "I see you''ve met Rose, she''s our mascot and she can make just about any animal feel at ease here. Well it''s a bit difficult for her to comfort a hamster or a bird but you get the point."


    She motioned for us to follow her and when I started to follow Cody once again dug in his heels in protest. I groaned and picked him up. "You know you''re going to get too big for me to carry one of these days."


    The nurse giggled again. "He''s a nice size dog right now so I don''t think it''ll take that long for you to have a hard time lifting him."


    Walter chuckled, "You can say that again."


    I rolled my eyes. "No kidding."


    We followed the nurse back to a room and I helped her lift Cody up and put him on the exam table.


    "Alright, let''s see here¡­" The nurse checked Cody''s vitals and weighed him. She took care of the basics for his treatment and left the room after stating the doctor would be there shortly.


    When the doctor came in he smiled at Cody and then looked at me. "Hi there, my name is Dr. Markie and it''s nice to meet you. I hear you''re here for a check up and to make sure Cody gets his vaccines and stuff like that?"


    I nodded. "Yup."


    "Okay, let''s get him checked out," the doctor said.


    The doctor looked at Cody and gave him the necessary shots and gave him a microchip and his dog tags on his collar. Once everything was said and done I asked the doctor about Cody''s training as a service dog. The doctor asked me about Cody''s records from the store and I showed them to him.


    "It says here that he has been trained to be a service dog since birth and he''s already two years old. He just needs to be trained to suit your needs and he already has his service dog certificate. I can recommend a good trainer to help you out with that," the doctor said. "What do you need him as a service dog for?"


    "Oh um, I have panic attacks and manic episodes sometimes out in public. And I need him to protect me from crazy people out in public as well," I said.


    "I take it you''ve had some issues with the public?" The doctor asked.


    I pulled out my phone and found a video of a reaction channel covering what Delilah did to me at the art exhibit. Yes, I know she''s my Mom but I revoke that title until she learns to act like a mother. It''s unfortunate but I doubt she''ll learn to be a mother anytime soon.


    The doctor whistled, "Yeah I''d say getting a service dog would help. Like I said, I''ll recommend  a good trainer for Cody and you''ll get his tags in the mail. Other than that everything else looks good. Just check out at the desk and have a nice day."


    I nodded and brought Cody up to the front desk to check out. When I got home I sat down on the couch and Cody jumped up on my lap.


    "It''s a good thing the dog''s trained or this would be a lot harder to do and he''s already taken a liking to you. Maybe Jenny was right? He was so ready to go home with you," Walter said.


    I paused and thought about it. "You know you''re probably right? Not to mention he has a background that''s just what I need in a dog! I think my life is going to get interesting from here."


    Walter laughed, "Yeah I totally agree."


    ***


    {Satan}


    I smirked as I saw Victoria buy the dog that I planted in the pet shop for her. That dog is no ordinary dog; he''s actually a hellhound. He''s really smart and he''s over a century old! The dog''s real name isn''t Cody, it''s Cain.


    But the name Victoria picked out is close enough I guess.


    "So it looks like Cain found his way to his assignment?" I heard someone say.


    I looked up and rolled my eyes when I saw my assistant named Ryan standing at the entrance of my office staring at me. "Yes he found his way and now it''s just a waiting game to see what we can to bring Victoria and Walter home. And don''t go getting any ideas about betraying me again. I can see the wheels in your head already starting to turn."


    Ryan had betrayed me before by trying to trick a crossroads demon to make a contract with him so that he would have to serve Ryan and Ryan alone. That was a betrayal considering he wasn''t allowed to make any contracts with any other demon unless I told him that he could. I have no idea why I decided to give him another chance instead of just sending him to the thirteenth gate of Hell. So far he''s proven himself to be useful. If he ever thinks of betraying me again then we''ll have a problem.


    "Fuck!" Ryan cursed underneath his breath.


    I rolled my eyes again. "Exactly. You''re just lucky I decided to give you a second chance. I have no idea why I did that though. You better not fuck it up or I''ll just give you over to Alastor and see how you like him or toss you into the thirteenth gate of Hell!" I leaned back in my chair and laughed, "You know what''s funny about humans?"


    Ryan raised an eyebrow. "What?"


    "They really think they''re all that when they''re alive because they just so happen to be at the top of the food chain. But what they fail to realize is that once they''re dead they''re at the bottom of the food chain," I said. That gave me an idea. "That reminds me, when Victoria dies I''ll give her her own little pet. I can''t wait to find how she''s going to react about what I did with Wyatt. I think she''ll be very pleased with it, don''t you think?"


    Ryan smirked and nodded because he knew exactly what Wyatt did to Victoria before he died. "Oh yeah, the guy deserves it and possibly worse."


    I laughed, "Yeah you''re probably right about that. Anyway, I have a job for you."


    "Yes sir?" Ryan said.


    "I need you to monitor Delilah, Victoria''s human mother," I said. "Keep track of her and fuck around with her to slowly drive her crazy. You know, do like what those horror movies that humans make about demons do."


    "You mean anything from playing with light switches and making weird noises and slamming doors and stuff?" Ryan smirked.


    I nodded. "Yeah just whatever you do, don''t kill her. Just drive her slowly insane. I need her to be crazy in order for my plan to work. Don''t ask, you''ll see when the time comes."


    Ryan''s eyes lit up and his smirk turned into a grin. I could tell that this was going to be one of his favorite assignments that I''ve given him. He bowed. "Yes your highness, can''t wait to see how this one turns out."


    When he left the room I smiled because he has no idea what I''m planning for Delilah and the ending is going to be awesome.


    ***


    {omniscient}


    After hearing what Satan wanted Ryan to do, Ryan teleported over to where the residence of Frank and Delilah Randal lived. Frank and Delilah Randal lived in a mansion in the high society part of town.


    Since Ryan was a demon he didn''t need to ask for permission in order to enter the house. All he had to do was use his powers to slip through the front gate. He didn''t have to search long before he came across Frank and Delilah engaged in a rather explosive argument.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    "I''m telling you one last time if you ever lay a hand on my son the next time he comes to visit that will be the last time you have any rights to the Randal name!" Frank shouted.


    "But I thought you believed in the same values I did!" Delilah shouted back.


    "I''m not homophobic like you are and I wish you would''ve told me that before we got married," Frank said. "You didn''t think to tell me that now did you? That''s what I get for marrying someone after knowing them for two weeks! But I mean it Delilah. Just because you dealt with Victoria that way-"


    "Victory!" Delilah snapped.


    Frank paused. "Excuse me?"


    "I told you plenty of times before I had a complicated pregnancy with Victoria so I call her Victory!" Delilah responded.


    "I don''t care what you call her," Frank snarled. "But you need to at least act like an adult and be civil with her."


    "Victoria, Victoria, Victoria!" Delilah shouted. "Why is it always about Victoria? What''s so special about her anyway? I''m the one who gave birth to her! I also gave birth to two other children that are more worthy of praise and attention than she is!"


    Frank paused again and then burst into laughter. "Is that why you hate her so much? You''re jealous of her?"


    "It''s not funny and no, I''m not jealous of her! Why would I be jealous of my own daughter! I''ve destroyed her life to the fullest while living my life to the fullest! I have it so much better than her! Why would I be jealous?" Delilah said.


    "That''s exactly why she deserves to have a better life now," Frank said. "I think you''ve tortured and put her down enough. You need to grow up and get over your deep seated hatred. Why do you hate Victoria so much?"


    Delilah paused. "Honestly, I don''t know. All I know is I hated her from the very moment she was born. However, the idea of giving her up for adoption didn''t sit well with me especially since Jaxon and Jenny were already smitten with her."


    "Oh so you decided to keep her and use her as your own personal punching bag?" Frank asked.


    Delilah opened her mouth to say something in response but closed it and it was with that action that Frank knew he hit the nail on the head. At that moment every once of love Frank ever felt for Delilah was gone. He wondered if she only married him for his money.


    "Do you love me at all?" Frank asked.


    Delilah laughed, "What sort of nonsense question is that?"


    His gaze darkened to let Delilah know he was being serious with his question. "I mean it Delilah, do you love me?"


    She paused and blinked and then gave Frank a look of disbelief that he would come to his senses from whatever feelings he had for her to ask that question. "Why are you asking me that?"


    "It''s a simple question and you should be able to answer it without hesitation," Frank said.


    "Oh, so you''re a hopeless romantic just like all of my other husbands were!" Delilah said, "Question why should one marry for love anyway? My first husband, Jaxon, Jenny and Victoria''s father, (he''s Jenny''s father by default because I got pregnant from a one night stand with her) was a hopeless romantic and look where that got him. He''s dead, he got killed by his own father because of me! The idiot didn''t realize that I didn''t love him and I was getting ready to walk out on him. Had it not been for me getting pregnant with Victoria I would have done left him and taken Jaxon and Jenny with me! Actually I was dating someone else behind his back because I was in love with that person and not him. The guy''s name was Brian and oh boy he was everything I wanted in a man and not the useless husband that I had back home.


    "Before I met my first husband I was in love with my high school sweetheart. I thought I was going to marry him for love. Then I caught the bastard cheating on me and he even got the girl that he cheated with pregnant and married her instead. The last I heard they were living life to the fullest! They were truly in love! When my high school sweetheart cheated on me, my parents turned their backs on me saying that I was a worthless daughter because I couldn''t get a son of a wealthy man to marry me. They only approved of me dating the guy because he was rich. Sad isn''t it?


    "So to answer your question that you so desire an answer to, I don''t love you. Because in all my years of living I''ve learned that being a hopeless romantic as I used to be before I met you only causes problems. It allows the ones you love to walk all over you and when they''re done with you, they toss you away like trash."


    Frank gasped and looked at Delilah in horror. Now he realized that he made a huge mistake marrying Delilah. Had he known who Delilah actually was then he wouldn''t have thought that she was marriage material. But he knew that now wasn''t the right time to ask for a divorce although the thought immediately crossed his mind after he heard what Delilah said. Oh no, he was going to stay married to her for the time being but keep her at arms length.


    Delilah snickered, "Wow you look heartbroken! You look as though I shot your beloved son or something."


    "You might as well have done that," Frank snarled. "Yes, I prefer to marry someone that I love. Someone that I know I can trust with the family should anything happen to me. Oh but don''t worry, I''m not divorcing you, not yet."


    At that moment he knew that he would have to put his foot down when came down to Delilah laying her hands on either her children or his children just because of their sexuality.


    "So what are you going to do with me?" Delilah asked.


    "Well first of all effective immediately, you''re moving out of my room and into one of the guest room''s until I can have your own room prepared for you," Frank said.


    Delilah''s eyes went wide. "What? Are you kidding me? Please tell me you''re joking! You''re joking right?"


    "After what you just said to me, yeah I''m not joking. You''ll never get another taste of my dick for the rest of your life and I''ll make sure of it. As a matter of fact, I might consider having an affair," Frank said. His gaze hardened even more and the air around the two of them went cold.


    It was then that Delilah knew that Frank didn''t love her anymore and she didn''t have him wrapped around her finger as she had before. That also meant that she might not be living life to the fullest anymore. She knew at that moment that treating Victoria the way that she treated her throughout her childhood and as an adult was a huge mistake.


    "You know something about Howard, my husband who beat the crap out of Victoria when he found out she was dating a woman?" Delilah asked. At that moment she hoped that pulling this card out now would salvage at least some of her image in Frank''s eyes. She hoped that this story would get him to reconsider their relationship.


    Frank tilted his head. "What about him?"


    "When I first met Howard he didn''t want anything to do with me, you wanna know why?" Delilah said.


    "Why?" Frank asked.


    "Because he was in love with Victoria! She was in her last year in high school at the time! True, she just turned eighteen but Howard was old enough to be her dad," Delilah said. "I married Howard to keep him from going after her. I fell head over heels for Howard and I wanted him as mine and mine alone. It turns out he was using me to get to Victoria. And when she rejected him and reported him to the police he was pissed. The icing on the cake was that he found out that Victoria was dating a woman!"


    Frank gave her a look of disbelief. "You''re kidding me right? Who in their right mind marries someone knowing they''re pinning after their daughter? You must be really fucked up in the head and that''s another thing I''m going to order you to do is go to therapy!" He shook his head. "I cannot believe that you would marry a guy who should''ve been in jail instead of passing away quietly from cancer. You''re disgusting and unfit to be a mother!


    "And another thing, if you ever lay a hand on Victoria again or if you try to go after my son for being gay, then I will make sure to divorce you and I will make your life hell if you don''t sign the papers willingly. So as I just said earlier that effective immediately, you are to move into one of the guest room''s until I have your own room prepared for you. And once a week, you will start going to therapy to work out your issues that you should''ve been working on to begin with instead of taking them out on your daughter."


    "But I-" Delilah started.


    Frank cut her off, "No buts Delilah! You disgust me."


    He didn''t say another word as he turned on his heels and left, leaving Delilah standing in the middle of the hallway with her jaw dropped to the floor in shock at what just happened.


    She had no idea that there was a spectator watching the whole entire argument. Ryan stood there smirking because he couldn''t believe his luck at how easy this assignment was going to be. Demons tend to have an easier time messing with humans who are wicked at heart. Delilah was wicked to her very core. Ryan didn''t even have to look into her memories in order to see that.


    After a moment or two Delilah''s gaze went from shocked to cold.


    "Well fuck Frank and fuck Victory! That damn bitch has no idea how lucky she is!" Delilah grumbled to herself.


    Ryan''s smirk turned into a sinister smile. This is going to be fun! Let the games begin!


    ***


    {Delilah}


    I don''t get it. I really don''t. It happens every single time I''ve ever got with anyone. They''re always after Victoria. I''m not jealous of her, not one little bit but it''s always wicked people that are after her. The people that want to lay their hands on her and use her as their personal punching bag or their plaything. I never understood it and I still don''t. Honestly, if getting someone to love you involves having them after you for ill intentions then I don''t want it.


    Like I said to Frank, why marry for love when everyone is just looking out for themselves? When Frank asked me if I loved him and I told him I didn''t I knew at that moment that I lost a keeper. Frank truly loved me and he wasn''t after Victoria for ill intentions. He had her best interest and my best interest at heart as well.


    I have no intentions on trying to get back into his good graces because I don''t believe in being in a hopeless romantic. I don''t want people walking all over me. True, I have fallen in love before but that doesn''t mean I''m going to move mountains for the person I love just to have them stab me in the back.


    Oh well, at least I still have rights to the family name and Frank''s money. I only care about his money. Fuck being in love! It always turns out for the worst anyway. There''s no way in hell I''m going to make amends with Victoria either. She hates me to her very core as she should and there''s no fixing that.


    After my explosive argument with Frank, depressed and angry I went downstairs to the kitchen to grab a drink. Instead of grabbing wine like I normally do when I''m stressed I grabbed whiskey. I poured myself a glass and downed it in one go.


    I turned around when I heard a click signaling that the light switch in the living room was on.


    I went towards the living room to check and see if maybe Frank was there but when I saw no one there I turned the light switch off. As soon as I turned around to leave the light switch turned on again.


    I shrugged, turned the light switch back off and went back into the kitchen. I sat down at the kitchen table after warming up some leftover food that I had planned to eat with Frank tonight.


    No sooner had I sat down to eat Frank came into the room. Judging by the look on his face he wasn''t in the mood to talk to me which is understandable because of the argument we got into earlier.


    "Um, have you calmed down yet?" I asked.


    Frank looked at me and narrowed his eyes. "What do you think?"


    I didn''t say anything else. I just shrugged and went back to eating. After I finished eating I put my plates in the sink.


    "Oh, your room is ready for you," Frank said. He stood up, put his plates in the sink and left without sparing me another glance.


    When Frank left I heard the light switch in the living room click again. I went into the living room and after seeing no one there I turned off the light again. As I left the room I ran into the head maid out in the hallway and she showed me to my new room. Little did I know that things were going to get a lot worse for me and it''s all because I abused Victoria.

 Chapter 11: Feelings and an Affair

    {Walter}


    Shortly after Victoria took Cody to the vet we started training him on what we need him to do as a service/guard dog for Victoria. Cody''s a fast learner and that''s a good thing. Not to mention because he already has his certificate for being a service dog so Victoria can take him wherever she needs to go as long he has his work vest on it''s all good.


    However, lately Victoria''s been having nightmares and somehow I wind up in her bed holding her until she falls asleep again. Another thing I''ve noticed is that if she has a nightmare and can''t sleep she gets up and starts working on a drawing. She figured out that she''d rather just draw and then color it in later with colored pencils or something like that. Either way from what I''ve seen it doesn''t matter what she chooses to color in her drawings with she''s very talented at what she does. That''s good because she''s been getting a lot of different clients lately and every single one of them has been singing praises about her artwork.


    That also means she''ll have to attend another art exhibit soon. I think her nightmares have been occurring more and more lately because of that.


    Tonight was another night that she had a nightmare but I wasn''t there to hold her when she fell asleep because I had just gotten back from spending the weekend with my family. I saw her door closed so I figured that she was already asleep so I didn''t want to disturb her.


    I was going to lay down after I had taken a shower when I heard Victoria moaning in her sleep. It sounded like she was in pain so I went into her room to check her vitals just to make sure everything was okay.


    When I opened the door I paused and smiled as I saw the most adorable scene unfold in front of me. Victoria was snuggling Cody as if he were a stuffed animal and Cody was sleeping beside her. Which meant he probably knew she was having a nightmare and chose to sleep beside her for comfort.


    I went to grab my phone and when I came back I took a picture. After I took the picture Cody''s ears perked up and he looked at me. He climbed off the bed and went up to me and tugged my shirt and whined.


    "What do you want?" I asked.


    He tugged on my shirt again and pulled me in the direction of the bed. I smiled. "Oh I get it."


    I got in the bed and laid down. No sooner that I did that Victoria put her arm around my waist as if she knew it was me.


    "Hi Walter," She said in a sleepy voice. "Goodnight Walter."


    After that she went right back to sleep.


    She is so cute! I thought. I paused. Okay where the heck did these feelings come from? I''ve worked with beautiful clients before and not one of them gave me the feelings that I have for Victoria! I don''t know if this is a good thing or a bad thing?


    As I pondered this it made me think back to what my Boss said about what would happen if Victoria and I got together. He also said that he''s had other caretakers get together with their clients and when that happens they declare their relationship.


    I wondered if Victoria had any feelings for me or if she does then maybe she hadn''t recognized them yet? Thoughts about Victoria raced in my head and after a while I fell asleep.


    ***


    The next morning I woke up and Victoria was still sleeping which was fine because it was only 6am. Victoria isn''t an early riser. She normally gets up around about noon and that''s fine by me because it helps me go through my morning routine and I have extra time to take Cody for a walk. So her being a night owl makes things easier for my schedule.


    I got up and left the room and closed the door as gently as I could behind me.


    "Oh crap I didn''t realize you were going to be here!" I heard Jenny say.


    I spun around and saw Jenny coming out of the guest room and now she was standing in the hallway staring at me. I raised an eyebrow. "What?"


    "Why are you coming out of my sister''s room?" Jenny asked.


    I told Jenny about the nightmares and whatnot and she nodded in understanding. "You know what''s interesting is she never had nightmares if she was a kid. And having the lights off for sleep always helped when she was a kid. Does she still sleep with the lights off?"


    I nodded. "Yeah she does. She doesn''t even want a hallway light on because of the shadows that it puts on the wall for whatever the reason."


    "You''re a nice guy, you know that?" Jenny said. "Let''s go downstairs and get some coffee. I need my caffeine."


    I shrugged. "Sure I''m not much of a coffee drinker but okay."


    We sat down at the kitchen table after Jenny poured a cup of coffee for herself.


    "Has Victoria mentioned what her nightmares are about?" Jenny asked.


    I shook my head. "Nope. She just says she has nightmares and needs someone to comfort at least until she falls asleep."


    "Victoria''s been through a lot in her life and most of her trauma comes from what my stepdad Howard did to her and what her piece of shit ex-finance Wyatt did to her," Jenny sighed. "I hate Wyatt the most! Too bad he''s dead or I wouldn''t mind going to jail for his murder. I wouldn''t mind going to jail for killing Mom either but I don''t really have much of an excuse to kill her. She''s not really worth it considering from what I heard her new husband Frank is making her life hell now for whatever the reason. I have a feeling that it has something to do with how she treated Victoria. Serves her right!"


    "Huh, well at least people are taking steps to at least speak up for her now," I said. "But even if I didn''t hear this story there''s something about Victoria that I really like-"


    I paused. I can''t believe I just said that out loud.


    Jenny smirked. "I knew it! You do like her! And I think she likes you! It would be awesome for her to get together with someone who actually likes her without having ill intentions in mind."


    I blinked. "Huh?"


    Jenny nodded. "It seems like just about every other person Victoria meets wants her for some sick and twisted reason and she''s the one who winds up hurt in the end. That''s why she keeps everyone at arm''s length. Except for me and Jaxon of course. So you can understand that Jaxon and I are kind of wary about people who try to get close to Victoria. Until we see that they''re a good person.


    "Jaxon seems more wary about people getting close than I am though. He even seems jealous sometimes when people try to get close to Victoria. Although the only person Victoria dated didn''t have any ill intentions for her was Megan. But Megan seemed kind of obsessed with Victoria."


    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    Jenny was going to say something when we heard Victoria screaming, "Get off me!"


    We ran upstairs and saw Cody standing at the door barking at us and then looking back at Victoria. He turned around and jumped on the bed and started licking Victoria''s hands that were grabbing her neck as if she was being choked by someone.


    Cody turned around and barked at me again and whimpered. I walked over to the bed and sat down next to Victoria who was still grabbing her hands at her neck. I gently took her hands from her neck and said, "Victoria! Victoria wake up! Please wake up!"


    She calmed down a little but didn''t wake up. I leaned over and gently sat her upright and pulled her into my arms. That was when she woke up and looked around the room. When she saw that I was holding her, she blinked. "Walter?"


    I nodded. "Yes, Victoria it''s me. You had another nightmare."


    "Oh," Victoria said.


    We sat there in an awkward silence when Victoria broke it, "Um¡­ Thanks for doing this. Do you do stuff like this for your other clients?"


    I paused and shook my head. "The closest I''ve come is sleeping beside their bed and not in it. You''re the first one."


    "I see," Victoria said. "Let me guess you feel like you want to protect me don''t you? I understand because most people that get close or try to get close tend to have ill intentions. But you are just doing your job."


    I nodded. "True, I''m just doing my job. But what if I did it for other reasons?"


    Victoria''s eyes went wide. "Well, I''m not sure I''d still be comfortable with it? I don''t know. Wouldn''t that go against your job if we wind up dating or something like that?"


    "It wouldn''t if we declared our relationship and stuff. But we don''t have to do anything now if you''re not feeling anything towards me. Of course I''ll stop doing this if it makes you feel uncomfortable now," I said.


    Victoria shook her head. "It''s strange that even after hearing that confession I still feel comfortable around you."


    I smiled. "Interesting."


    "Yeah, interesting indeed," She said. "Can we just talk for now and see where this goes?"


    I nodded. "Sure that sounds like a good idea to me. So, do you want to talk about the nightmare? You were acting like someone was choking you."


    Victoria hesitated at first but then she said, "It was about Wyatt. You remember when I told you that he was an abusive person?"


    "Yes, you did," I said.


    When she told me her story about what happened with Wyatt it made my blood boil. She was in a relationship and Wyatt hit her, raped her a couple of times trying to get her pregnant and the worst of it was when he locked her up in his basement and put a dog collar around her neck as if she were a pet.


    She showed me a scar on her neck where the dog collar was. She said that she had to cut the collar off when she escaped Wyatt and she was lucky she didn''t hit a wrong spot or she''d be dead right now.


    Upon hearing her story it made me want to protect her even more. Even if we don''t get together I still have her best interests at heart.


    "I''m glad you feel comfortable enough to open up to me like that," I said.


    Victoria nodded. I pulled her into my arms again and held her. A moment later she started yawning. I smiled. "You think you''ll be able to go back to sleep now?"


    She nodded and I pulled her into my arms after we laid down and held her until she went back to sleep.


    ***


    {Frank}


    After finding out about how Delilah actually feels about me I was heartbroken. I immediately moved her out of my room because who in their right mind would want to share a bed with someone like Delilah? I don''t understand what I saw in her in the first place now that I think about it. She''s right about me being a hopeless romantic though. I also wrote her out of my will and had it sent to two different lawyers and made it so that the will couldn''t be changed unless I was the one who changed it.


    There''s no way I''m changing that will anytime soon. Delilah will be left with nothing if she plots against me. After I moved Delilah out of my room I started plotting against her. I still can''t believe that bullshit story that she married Howard in order to keep her away from Victoria. If anything it gave Howard a way in for him to get closer to Victoria. I guess love can make you do some crazy things, but still¡­


    It was late at night when I was working in my office catching up on some paperwork when the head maid came into the office. The Head Maid is a sexy woman and my type. Honestly, I did think about fucking her a couple of times but because I wanted to stay faithful to my wife so I stayed away from her. But that I found out about how Delilah feels about me, I''m starting to consider fucking her again.


    The Head Maid''s name is Quinn and she has an hourglass body shape with a big butt and big boobs to go along with it. I could tell from the very moment she came to work with me that she was attracted to me. But then I met Delilah and we started dating so I pushed whatever feeling I had for Quinn to the side.


    I looked at Quinn when she entered the room. "What''s up?"


    "Um, Master the Misuses is asking for you," Quinn said.


    "Oh? Did she say what for?" I asked.


    She shook her head. "No but she seemed very frightened about something."


    I sighed, "Okay I''ll go talk to her. Maybe she''s just being dramatic just to get my attention."


    I followed Quinn to Delilah''s room and as soon as I got there Delilah was screaming at the top of her lungs, "There''s something in the closet!"


    The other maids gave each other a look like they had no idea what to do. Delilah looked at the maids. "Please believe me there''s something in my closet."


    I rolled my eyes. "Okay then. Delilah I''m checking your room and if I don''t see anything I''m done for the night."


    Delilah looked at me. "And if you do see something?"


    "We''ll worry about that after I look inside the closet, okay?" I said.


    Delilah nodded but when I caught Quinn glaring at her I thought that would be the perfect way to get back at Delilah. Have an affair on her and I''ve already got a story in play if people want to sympathize with Delilah after the affair comes to light.


    I walked over to Delilah''s huge walk-in closet that I had made for her and looked around. I checked behind the clothes hanging up and nothing was there. I checked everywhere I could think of that intruder might be hiding or in places that an animal might hide and found nothing.


    I walked out of the closet and shook my head. "Delilah you''re seeing things and it makes sense that you''re seeing things because it is late at night. So I checked the closet and I didn''t find anything else, goodnight."


    "But-" Delilah started.


    I cut her off, "Goodnight Delilah."


    As soon as I left the room I told Quinn to follow me back to my office.


    When I closed the door I pinned Quinn up against the wall and started kissing her. She stopped me and pushed me back. "Master, I''m not sure if we should be doing this? You are still married after all."


    I smirked. "It''s okay I''m at a point in this marriage that I realized my mistake in marrying Delilah."


    Quinn raised an eyebrow. "Oh really now? So do you plan on divorcing her?"


    I shook my head. "Not yet because I have plans for this woman. Part of that would be having an affair. Why should I stay faithful to someone who''s an abusive witch to her daughter and has no feelings for me whatsoever?"


    Quinn nodded. "I see." She gave me a flirting smile. "So I take it you want to have an affair with me?"


    I nodded. "Yes and I would like to start it now."


    "Okay then," Quinn said.


    I went back to kissing her and I took her clothes off and I didn''t waste any time in taking off mine. However I did pull a condom out of my pants pocket after I fingered Quinn and gave her a mind blowing orgasm from me. I know I''m up there in age but you can''t be too careful nowadays because Quinn''s still pretty young. She''s young enough to have children. Right before she wrapped legs around my waist I made sure to put the condom on.


    I started thrusting in her fast and hard and she was begging me to do it. I loved her moaning and screaming with each thrust.


    "Oh yes! Harder! Harder!" Quinn screamed, "Oh, Mr. Randal! Yes! Yes! Right there, yes!"


    Quinn climaxed and then I climaxed shortly after that. After we caught our breaths I got off of Quinn and helped her get off the couch so she could put her clothes on. Once we got dressed I said, "Come here again around midnight. I''ll be waiting for you as long as something doesn''t come up okay?"


    "Yes Master," Quinn said.


    "Oh and by the way, when we''re having sex call me Frank and not Mr. Randel," I said.


    Quinn nodded. "Yes Master."


    I nodded at Quinn and went to my bathroom and took a shower and once that was taken care of I changed into my pajamas and went to bed.

 Chapter 12: Dinner at the Randal Mansion

    {Frank}


    After I started the affair with Quinn I started plotting a way for me to get Victoria to accept my family so I can help her out. She needs a powerful ally in the business world and I''m the one who''s going to give her that. I have no ill intentions for her and all I want is for her to live a better life. If that means helping her pay her medical bills and whatnot I''m willing to do it.


    Although from what I''ve seen Victoria seems a bit too humble for her own good. She''s making enough money to pay whatever bills she needs to pay and I''m sure there''s plenty of money for her to upgrade her house and whatnot. She just doesn''t want to upgrade her house for whatever the reason.


    I thought of inviting her to dinner and she said she would go only if Jaxon and Jenny agreed to go as well. I''m going to assume it''s for moral support because Delilah''s going to be there.


    That''s exactly why I called Jaxon and Jenny and set up an appointment with them at my office to talk about it.


    "So what''s this about Mr. Randal?" Jaxon asked when he took a seat across from my desk.


    "Well, I want to have Victoria come to dinner on Sunday evening and I want you and Jenny to come along with her," I said.


    Jaxon smirked. "Let me guess, Victoria said she wasn''t going to come unless Jenny and I came with you?"


    I nodded. "Yes."


    "I''m in, if Victoria needs me to be there for her I''m going," Jaxon said.


    Jenny nodded in agreement. "Yup and I''m going too. I''m not letting Victoria be alone around Delilah."


    Jaxon paused and looked at Jenny. "So you''re calling her Delilah instead of Mom too?"


    Jenny nodded again. "Oh yeah, I agree with Victoria. Delilah''s lost her title of Mom after the way she treated Victoria. I mean she assaulted Victoria out in broad daylight! Why should I give that woman any type of respect at all?"


    "Mom''s not going to like that very much. But okay then," Jaxon said. He looked at me again. "As I said before I''m in. If Victoria needs me to be there for her I''m going to be there."


    "Yeah and I''ll get to eat some fancy free food!" Jenny said.


    I smiled. "Okay then it''s settled. You''ll come to the Randal Mansion on Sunday at 7pm. I''ll let Victoria know this as well."


    "Oh another thing, um Victoria has a service dog now. She''ll need him to come along with her," Jenny said.


    "Oh that''s right! What about her caretaker Walter?" Jaxon asked, "I think he should be allowed to come too."


    "Yeah sure Walter can come along with Victoria''s service dog, anything else?" I asked.


    "Is there any type of dress code we need to be in?" Jenny asked.


    I shook my head. "Nope as long as you''re wearing clothes and it''s not too skimpy then everything should be good."


    Jenny gave me an evil smirk. "I know exactly what''s going to piss Delilah off when it comes down to dress code."


    I raised an eyebrow. "What?"


    "Wearing pants to a sit down dinner instead of a skirt," Jenny chuckled. "Oh this is going to be good. I can just picture the sexist comments coming out of her mouth when she sees that."


    Jaxon laughed, "Oh yeah, remember that time I wore a dress to prom because I didn''t like the tux that Mom picked out for me?"


    Jenny snorted. "I remember that alright! I still can''t believe you did that."


    "Yeah, that was actually kind of fun," Jaxon said. "When my friends found out why I did it they couldn''t stop laughing."


    "Oh but I remember the sexist comments coming out of her mouth when you did that. Where did I go wrong? I know I raised a boy to become a man and not a woman! Men aren''t supposed to wear dresses! Jaxon, are you gay?" Jenny said.


    I laughed, "Why does that not surprise me considering Delilah''s homophobic? I would''ve loved to see the look on her face for that. My son, Maverick is gay. I can''t believe I''ve been married to a woman for two years and it took me until to figure out how she feels about gay people and how she really feels about me."


    Jenny groaned, "Great, she married you only for your money didn''t she? That''s such a Delilah move."


    My jaw dropped. "How did you?"


    "The only thing she talks about nowadays is money. Money to buy this, money to buy that," Jenny said. "I''m sorry about that if you''d come to us sooner we would have warned you about her. But you didn''t so it is what it is. So the question is are you going to stay faithful knowing this?"


    I didn''t hesitate. "Nope, not anymore. What''s the point? Because I''m pretty sure that once something better comes along she''ll go that way and drop me like a hot potato."


    "I see," Jenny said. "Well, good luck with your affair and I''ll be at your house on Sunday evening at 7pm."


    I nodded. "Yeah I''ll send you a driver to come pick you up so just text me and let me know your address okay?"


    "Sounds like a good idea to me!" Jenny said.


    "The same thing goes for me!" Jaxon said.


    After they left the office I gave Victoria a call. I rang and rang until it went to voicemail. I thought her voicemail was funny because it said, "Hello you''ve reached the voicemail of Victoria Lee, if I''m not answering the phone before noon then it''s because I''m probably still asleep. If I''m not answering the phone in the afternoon and you need to get a hold of me please message me and I''ll get back to you as soon as I can."


    I chuckled at that. From what I heard Victoria tends to stay up late at night especially if she''s working on a painting and gets up at noon. So I left a voicemail explaining to her that I had talked to Jenny and Jaxon and they agreed to come to the dinner and what time the dinner was. After that I messaged her and looked at the clock. It was only 11am.


    I smiled and shook my head. This is going to be an interesting dinner for sure.


    ***


    {Victoria}


    It was Saturday evening and Jaxon and Jenny were sitting in the living room with me talking about the dinner that''s going to happen on Sunday. Walter doesn''t usually work on the weekends because he''s with his family so I wasn''t surprised when I told him about the dinner that he said he couldn''t come. I told him that fine because Jaxon and Jenny would be with me along with Cody.


    "So what do you plan on wearing to dinner tomorrow?" Jenny asked.


    "Something with pants considering Delilah''s going to be there just to piss her off!" I said.


    Jaxon laughed, "That''s the perfect way to get under her skin. Mr. Randal did say as long as the clothes weren''t too skimpy anything goes."


    "Well that means going to the dinner in your birthday suit is out," I said.


    Jenny and Jaxon burst into laughter at that. I frowned. "What''s so funny?"


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    "Dude, your sense of humor is funny!" Jaxon said.


    I blinked. "Huh?"


    Jenny snorted. "Seriously? Of course going to the dinner in your birthday suit is out because yeah that would for sure be too skimpy!"


    I don''t know why it took me a moment to process what Jenny said but it did and when I got it I laughed.


    Jenny smiled. "It''s good to see you laugh like that. How''s your nightmares? Did you have any last night?"


    I hesitated because my nightmares have been nothing short of intense lately and I don''t know how to get rid of them. Jenny frowned. "That''s what I thought. Maybe facing those dreams would be the first step to getting past what happened with Wyatt?"


    I sighed, "I don''t know. But what I do know is that dinner tomorrow is going to be interesting."


    Jenny and Jaxon nodded in agreement.


    ***


    The Sunday evening dinner came around and I was a nervous wreck. Mostly because I knew Delilah was going to be there. I wouldn''t have gone to the dinner if Jaxon and Jenny hadn''t come along with me.


    When the driver pulled up into the driveway it didn''t surprise me that Frank lived in a mansion. I knew the place was going to be big but instead of being in awe of the place I was wary of it. Wyatt lived in a place similar to this before I escaped from him.


    Jenny grabbed my hand as we walked up to the door and the butler greeted us. She gave me a small squeeze and even Cody seemed to notice I was on edge because he stayed right by my side in a protective stance.


    Then the most unwelcome sight greeted us as we followed the butler to the living room.


    "Well hello everyone!" Delilah said and she came out of the living room to greet us. She gave Jaxon a hug and he halfheartedly hugged her back just to be polite. She smiled at Jaxon. "It''s so good to see you again Jaxon!" She turned her attention to Jenny and hugged her and then when turned her attention to me, she tried to be friendly and hug me but I stepped back and refused.


    "No thanks, I''m good," I said.


    Delilah frowned. "Well this is my house, at least be polite. I thought I taught you better manners than that. Show some respect!"


    "Show some respect?" I repeated. "Like the type of respect that you show me out in public?" At that moment I started shaking with anger and Cody stepped in front of me growling at Delilah.


    Delilah growled, "And tell your mutt to calm down."


    I shook my head. "Nope and be glad that he''s only growling at you and not doing something else. He''s doing his job. Fuck you Delilah!"


    Jenny and Jaxon gasped at my boldness to call Delilah, Delilah instead of Mom right to her face.


    Delilah gasped, "Excuse me? I am your mother and I deserve to be treated as such!"


    "No you fucking don''t!" I snapped. "What kind of mother goes and assaults their child out in public? You lost that title a long time ago. woman!"


    If I was outside I would''ve spat on the ground just to show how disgusted I was with her. But I didn''t because I was trying to regain my composure.


    "That''s enough Delilah!" I heard Frank say. I turned and saw him glaring at Delilah.


    Delilah looked at him. "Why are you glaring at me? Victory is the one with no manners here! You should be scolding her!"


    Frank snarled, "Don''t tell me what to do in my house! Now Delilah if you can''t be civil with your own children then maybe you shouldn''t be allowed to eat with the family tonight?"


    Delilah cleared her throat and regained her composure. "Alright then, fine." She turned her attention to me once again. "Victory? Can you please tell your service dog to calm down? I''m not a threat okay? I was just trying to be polite."


    I shook my head again. "Nope. He''ll calm down when you get out of my face."


    Frank gave Delilah a pointed look and said, "Delilah go sit down on the couch I''m sure dinner will be ready shortly."


    "But-" Delilah started.


    He cut her off, "Go. Sit down and be civil or you''re going to regret it. Understand?"


    Delilah nodded and did as she was told.


    Jaxon chuckled. "Well at least someone finally put her on a leash."


    Jenny nodded. "It''s about time too! I''m surprised she hasn''t said anything about our outfits yet. They''re not what the stereotypical woman should wear but they are modest!"


    Jaxon snickered. "Yeah she''s lucky I didn''t wear a skirt to dinner instead of pants and embarrass her just to be spiteful! Oh well, maybe next time?"


    I knew Jaxon wouldn''t do something like that but it did make me laugh and Cody had calmed down but he still sat by my side in a protective stance.


    "Hey guys! Sorry I''m late, John had to make a quick stop at his sister''s house on the way here," I heard someone say.


    "Ah, Maverick! It''s good to see you!" Frank said. He went up to a man that looked like a younger version of him and hugged him.


    Maverick had another man standing beside him who was white and light brown hair and green eyes. They were both wearing similar outfits that consisted of black suits with white shirts underneath the suit jacket and black dress shoes to complete the outfit. I''m going this guy''s name was John and John was Maverick''s boyfriend because they were holding hands and standing close to each other as if they were a couple.


    Frank turned his attention to John and gave him a hug as well. He seemed sincerely happy to see them. Frank leaned in and whispered something into Maverick''s ear. He smiled and laughed as he pulled John into his arms and kissed him and he made sure Delilah saw it when he did it.


    I chuckled when I saw Delilah glaring at Maverick after he kissed John. Jaxon and Jenny were snickering at Delilah and she saw them and glared at them as well.


    "Maverick," Frank said. "I''d like for you to meet Jenny Tyler, Jaxon Lee and Victoria Lee. These are the people that I want to be a part of this family."


    He pointed at us as he introduced us and Maverick smiled and said hi. John followed suit and said hi.


    Shortly after that a maid came in and said, "Dinner is ready!"


    We followed the maid into the dining room and I took a seat next to Jaxon and Cody laid down on the floor next to me.


    "Well I see that your service dog is well trained," Maverick said.


    I nodded. "Yeah I trained him so he sits down while I''m at the table eating because I don''t want him to get into the habit of begging for food."


    "That''s good," Maverick said.


    He was getting ready to say something when Delilah said, "I don''t think dogs should be allowed inside the dining room considering it''s not sanitary."


    John''s jaw dropped. "Seriously? Wow you''re heartless Mrs. Randal! My sister has a service dog and the dog is to help her and others around her to detect if she''s getting ready to have seizures. She needs her dog at the table with her just like Ms. Lee needs hers!"


    Delilah opened her mouth to say something but then shut it when Frank glared at her. "You just can''t help yourself when it comes down to Victoria can you? Tsk. Sad that a mother hates her child so much that she''s not willing to give her child the proper medical care that she needs. But yet she has no problem using her debit card to buy that $26,000 dress that you''re wearing to this dinner today. What did you say to me just a couple weeks ago about Victoria?"


    He gave a dramatic pause and said, "Oh yeah that''s right! You''re happy you destroyed Victoria''s life while you live your life to the fullest! Oh and I forgot, you''re homophobic as well. Isn''t that why you assaulted Victoria at the art exhibit? Because she''s Bi?"


    Maverick and John gasped. Delilah glared at them and then glared at Frank. Since the dinner consisted of steak and sausage, with a small salad on the side for whatever the reason out of nowhere a piece of sausage went flying over the table and landed on Delilah''s dress effectively ruining it. Whoever launched it made sure to add a lot of sauce to the sausage because that was rather messy.


    I looked at Jaxon because the piece of sausage came flying from his direction. I snickered when that happened. Frank was trying so hard to keep a straight face.


    Delilah shrieked, "What the hell?"


    "Oops! Sorry I guess the universe is against me eating sausage today," Jaxon said. "What can I say? It just flew off my fork, my bad!"


    "You little prick! You better be grateful you''re the favorite child because you ruined a $26,000 dress!" Delilah snarled.


    Jaxon gave her a pointed look. "Good. You deserve to have that dress ruined the way you ruined my sister''s life! I think $26,000 is nothing compared to what you did to Victoria!"


    "Why you little-" Delilah got up and walked towards Jaxon but Frank stopped her before she got near him.


    "Delilah, you must be proud to be the most hated woman in this family! If you lay your hands on him, you''ll be sorry!" Frank roared.


    "But Frank! I''m your wife, you should be defending me!" Delilah whined.


    "Again, don''t tell me what to do in my own house!" Frank snapped. "Return to your seat now!"


    "Can I at least go and change my dress?" Delilah asked.


    Frank shook his head. "Nope. Return to your seat. Do it now, because if I have to repeat myself¡­"


    Delilah pouted, "Fine."


    She did as she was told and the rest of the dinner was eaten in silence.


    I noticed that after dinner Frank pulled the same maid that announced dinner was ready off to the side and said something to her and she didn''t look too happy about it. But I did manage to hear Frank say, "Don''t worry we''ll do it another time just not tonight."


    Once Frank said that the maid smiled and nodded. I don''t why it made me wonder if Frank had something going on with that maid. That would make sense that Frank would be dissatisfied with his marriage now. I''m surprised that he was actually satisfied before with Delilah.


    Now that I think about it in her marriage to Howard I overheard them talking about how after two years of marriage they stopped having sex for whatever the reason. That was right before Howard beat me half to death. That also made me wary. Although I did console myself by telling myself that Frank''s fucking the maid so he''ll never look at me that way, right?


    From what I know of, Frank and Delilah have been married for almost two years now. I shook my head, scolding myself for overthinking things.


    After that thought Frank called Jaxon, Jenny, Maverick, John and I into his office. Little did I know that Frank had in mind for Jaxon, Jenny and I would change our lives forever.

 Chapter 13: Franks Promise

    {Victoria}


    Jaxon, Jenny and I took a seat on the couch in the huge office that Frank directed us to. The office was about as big as an apartment building. There were two couches sitting across from each other in front of a huge desk. It reminded me of a movie scene where the Mafia boss sat at the desk like a king in order to give instructions to his crew. Although Frank does dress like a mafia boss.


    As my thoughts started racing and going nowhere, Cody started barking at me.


    Jaxon''s eyes went wide. "Oh no, Victoria, do you have your anxiety medicine with you?"


    That was when I started feeling like I couldn''t breath and the room started spinning on me. I heard Jenny calling my name and freaking out when I fell over and passed out.


    ***


    {omniscient}


    Jenny managed to catch Victoria before she hit the ground. Cody on the other hand was barking his head off and started pawing at Victoria''s purse where her anxiety medicine was.


    Jenny picked Victoria up and placed her on a couch.


    "What happened?" Frank asked.


    "She passed out from a panic attack," Jaxon said. "Her anxiety''s been really bad lately and it started happening ever since the art exhibit. She''ll be fine. She just needs to rest for a little bit. And when she wakes up we''ll make sure she takes her medicine."


    John shook his head in dismay. "Mrs. Randal really is heartless! Just think what would have happened at the dinner table and Victoria didn''t have her dog with her."


    "Yeah I think she had a panic attack because of what happened at the dinner table," Jenny said.


    Jenny sat down next to Victoria and pulled her onto her lap and held her while she was passed out.


    Frank smiled at Jenny''s action. "It''s good that Victoria has her siblings looking out for her."


    Jenny nodded. "Yeah I''ll whatever it takes if it means she has a better life now. However, I did think it was funny that Jaxon ruined Delilah''s dress by throwing a piece of sausage at it. And if I had doubts that Jaxon was the favorite child before, I don''t have any doubts now considering she declared Jaxon was the favorite right in front of everyone."


    Frank laughed, "Good job destroying her dress by the way. Yeah she deserves it. Anyway, Victoria will be staying here for the night in one of the guest rooms since you guys think all she needs is rest and she''ll be fine. And you guys can stay the night too if you want?"


    Jaxon shook his head. "I can''t, I have to go to work tomorrow."


    "It might be a good idea to call Walter here in the morning," Jenny said. "I have to go to work tomorrow too."


    "Who''s Walter?" Maverick asked.


    "He''s Victoria''s caretaker," Jenny answered. "More like a Government Sponsored Babysitter if you ask me. She had a severe episode that required her to be hospitalized and she couldn''t go home until she had someone to take care of her."


    "Oh," Maverick said.


    "Whatever you do, don''t give her that look that says you pity her," Jenny said. "She hates that look and I don''t blame her. She wants to be treated like everyone else regardless of her health conditions."


    John nodded. "I agree. My sister feels the same way about her health issues."


    "So what did you want to talk to us about Dad?" Maverick asked.


    "Well I want to try and convince Victoria to become a part of the family. But it''s like pulling teeth! And it''s because I''m married to Delilah," Frank said.


    Maverick took a seat on the couch across from Jenny and Victoria. He crossed his arms and nodded. "Well that makes sense that woman is evil. Exactly how have you been married for two years and not do any background checks on her?"


    "She probably would''ve passed the background checks. She has no criminal record surprisingly," Frank said. "She didn''t want me to meet her children for the longest time and I couldn''t figure out why. Now I know because it would''ve brought to light what she did to Victoria. And she was right because that''s exactly what happened."


    Maverick sighed, "So exactly why do you need Victoria to be in the family? Isn''t she becoming a popular artist now? I''ve bought a couple of her paintings myself. To think she only started painting a few months ago! Her paintings are awesome!"


    Frank paused for a moment and then sighed, "I made a promise to her father before he died to take care of her if something happened to him."


    Jenny looked at Frank and raised an eyebrow. "What?"


    Frank nodded. "It''s a rather complicated story but Victoria''s father really wanted her to live the best life that she could for whatever the reason. I was going to adopt her after she was born but Delilah refused to give her up. So Victoria wound up living a life she wasn''t supposed to live. I''m just sorry I didn''t get to her sooner but now she doesn''t trust me because I''m married to her mother."


    Jenny frowned. "Damn, I wish my Dad was like that I got adopted by a rich dude! Then I wouldn''t have had to put up with Delilah. It''s a shame Mom had me with some other guy before she got married to Jaxon and Victoria''s father."


    "Well here''s your opportunity to get adopted by a rich guy even though you''re an adult now," Frank said. "If you choose to become a part of my family, I will give you whatever your heart desires." He looked at Jaxon. "The same thing goes for you and for Victoria. I will spoil you guys rotten just like I do with Maverick."


    Maverick smiled. "Yeah, I agree Dad does spoil me! And I love him for it! I also love the fact that he accepts me even though I''m gay."


    Jenny nodded. "Alright then, I''ll do it. You don''t tell me twice but that doesn''t mean I''m going to quit my job and be completely reliant on you Mr. Randal."


    Frank rolled his eyes. "Please call me Frank. Calling me Mr. Randal makes me feel old."


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Jaxon laughed, "Okay then, since you say it''s okay we''ll call you Frank. And I''ll join the family too."


    "It''s okay you don''t have to quit your jobs or anything like that if you don''t want to. I''ll support you with whatever you need. You''ll have rights to the family name and everything else," Frank said.


    "Sounds good to me," Jenny said.


    Frank and everyone else in the room talked at length to figure out a way to convince Victoria to join the Randal family so he could fulfill his promise to her father finally. After that Jenny and Jaxon went home, Maverick and John stayed in a guest room for the night and Frank had one of the maids take Victoria and her service dog Cody to a guest room.


    The maid changed Victoria out of her clothes and put her in a comfortable shirt and sweatpants that were just her size. The maid who changed Victoria''s clothes was the Head Maid, Quinn. When she put Victoria in bed for the night, Cody jumped up on the bed and snuggled up to Victoria.


    Quinn smiled. "That is so adorable. Don''t worry Ms. Lee, Master Frank will take good care of you just like he does with everyone that he cares for in his life. You''re safe here even though Mrs. Randal isn''t the nicest person, lives here. Goodnight and may your dreams be peaceful."


    With that, Quinn turned off the lights and left the room.


    ***


    {Victoria}


    The next time I woke up I was in a room that wasn''t mine and confused as to why I got there. Not to mention the sun had come up and I figured something had to have happened to warrant me sleeping here.


    "Fucking manic episodes! Why the hell is it so hard to remember anything after I pass out from these things?" I grumbled.


    "It''s a trauma response," I heard someone say. I looked up to see Walter sitting by my bedside staring at me with concern.


    He sighed, "You probably had one because of all the excitement that happened with your mother yesterday."


    I grit my teeth. "She''s not my mother! She''s Delilah and that''s all she''ll ever be to me for the rest of her life."


    "Okay sorry, how are you feeling? Because I know you didn''t take your medicine last night considering you passed out in Mr. Randal''s office," Walter said. "What''s the last thing you remember?"


    "Being in Frank''s office and the room started spinning on me," I said. I searched my memory of last night and laughed when I remembered Jaxon ruining Delilah''s $26,000 dress.


    Walter tilted his head. "What''s so funny?"


    "Jaxon ruined Delilah''s dress by throwing a piece of sausage on it!" I laughed.


    Walter snorted. "Well damn, that would''ve been hilarious to watch! Too bad I couldn''t be there."


    "Yeah it was funny alright," I said. I paused and looked around the room. The room that I was in. It was another big room that was big enough to be a small apartment! But it was a bedroom and the bed I was lying on was a huge king size bed big for at least four people to sleep comfortably on. It''s too much space for me and it kind of irked me a little.


    "Let me guess, we''re in a fancy hotel or something?" I asked.


    "It''s or something because you''re in a guest room at Mr. Randal''s house," Walter answered. "Oh, that reminds me, I brought your medicine with you because it would be best for you to take it now considering you didn''t take your medicine last night."


    I nodded. Walter went and grabbed a bag that was sitting on a small couch that was next to the bed. As he was doing that a maid came into the room and smiled at me. I didn''t realize Cody was still sleeping next to me until he perked up and stared at the maid and I''m going to assume that he was trying to figure out if the maid was a threat or not.


    I petted his head to let him know everything''s fine and he settled down. The maid smiled. "Your dog is very well trained, Ms. Lee."


    "Yeah, he has to be because he''s a service dog," I said.


    "Okay," the maid said. "Master Frank wants to know how you''re doing and if you need anything this morning like medicine?"


    "Don''t worry Walter''s got it," I said. "Although a small tray for putting the medicine on so I take it would be great. And I''ll probably need something to eat afterwards."


    The maid nodded. "Yes Ms. Lee, any preference in mind for food?"


    "Eggs and bacon with a coke would be nice," I said. I looked at Walter. "Walter, do you want anything?"


    Walter shook his head. "No thanks. I already had something to eat while you were sleeping."


    "Oh, um what time is it?" I asked.


    "It''s 11:30 am Ms," the maid answered. "From what I was told, that''s your normal wake up time?"


    "And how long was I out for?" I said.


    "Only since last night," the maid said.


    I sighed, "Well that''s good to know."


    "Do you need anything else?" the maid asked.


    I shook my head. "No thanks. That''ll be all."


    The maid gave a short bow and left the room. Shortly after that she returned and handed Walter a small tray to put my medicine on and a tray of food that had what I requested on it.


    The maid left the room again and I started to eat. Once I was done eating Walter had my medicine on the tray that the maid gave him and he handed it to me. I took my medicine and after that I was ready to get out of bed. As soon as my feet hit the floor I staggered a little bit. Walter caught me as I regained my balance.


    "Maybe you should wait a bit before getting out of bed?" He suggested.


    "Nah, I''m good. I need to walk around for a bit," I said.


    He shrugged, "Alright then."


    Just as I walked back and forth across the room there was a knock on the door. It was the maid from earlier. "Ms. Lee? Master Frank wants to come in, is that alright?"


    "Sure it''s fine," I answered.


    Frank came into the room and when he saw me he smiled. "How are you feeling today Victoria?"


    I took a seat on the couch. "I''m feeling better now. Thanks."


    Frank took a seat on the couch next to me. "That''s good. You scared the hell out of me yesterday when you passed out. Good thing your dog alerted us to the fact that there was a problem."


    I nodded. "Yeah, that''s what he''s there for."


    Cody got down from the bed and sat down next to me.


    "Ah yes that reminds me, we do have food for him," Frank said. He looked at the maid. "Can you go grab the food and water bowls that we have prepared for him?"


    "Yes Master Frank," the maid said.


    After the maid brought Cody''s food in she set the bowls down off to the side and Cody went right up to them and started eating.


    "So," said Frank, "I have convinced your brother and sister to join the family!"


    I blinked. "Seriously?"


    "Yup, I''m going to draw some contract making sure they have rights to the family name and all that jazz. You said that you''d join the family only if Jaxon and Jenny joined and they have," Frank said.


    Walter sat down next to me and nodded. "Yeah they did join Mr. Randal''s family. Jenny made sure to have me tell you that when you woke up. I''m sure you''re going to want to talk to her about this as soon as possible."


    I nodded. "You bet I will talk to her about it! It''s just surprising at how easy that was."


    Frank nodded. "They want what''s best for you. And if they become a part of the family and it helps you realize that I have your best interests at heart and they''re more than willing to do that."


    "Huh, interesting," I said. "Well if Jaxon and Jenny are in, then so am I."


    Frank smiled rather pleased about this situation. I have no idea why he''s so insistent on me becoming a part of his family. But I''m fine as long as Jaxon and Jenny are along for the ride with me. I''ve always felt safe around them because when they were around Howard wouldn''t beat me and the same thing happened with Wyatt. That''s because they knew that if Jenny or Jaxon were there they would defend me tooth and nail.


    "Well alright then, I''ll go and draw up a contract and you''ll be legally and officially accepted as a Randal!" Frank cheered.


    He stood up and left the room. When he left Walter looked at me. "Are you going to be okay?"


    I shrugged, "I don''t know why he''s so insistent on me joining his family but okay. I''m sure he has his reasons. I am going to need a powerful ally in the business world anyway. And having the Randal family name behind me will help me out big time."


    Walter nodded in agreement. I had no idea how I would be proven right about having the Randal family name helping me out in the future but it would help me out a lot.

 Chapter 14: Why do I feel guilty now?

    {omniscient}


    Ryan smirked when he watched Delilah walk into her room and sit down on the bed. She sighed and mutter to herself, "Looks like I fucked up this time! The bad part is, I can''t even make it right so why bother? This is exactly why I didn''t want Frank to meet Victoria or Jaxon or Jenny! Fuck!"


    Ryan snickered silently to himself, "This is going to be waaaay too easy! I swear I think some humans are demons in disguise."


    He took out a bag from his pocket and took out a brooch that looked like a spider. The brooch was actually a human soul who had done wicked deeds while they were alive such as mass murder. A human soul has to be so wicked to the point where it can be manipulated for such purposes as changing into a spider to do a demon''s bidding.


    This type of spider can search through someone''s memories and use that to slowly drive someone insane. Especially if the memory has something that the person feels guilty for in it.


    Ryan put the brooch down on the ground and it turned a live spider. "Search Delilah."


    With that one simple command the spider grew and scuttled up to the bed and it crawled on Delilah''s hand and sunk into her skin.


    There was a particular memory that Ryan was searching for and when he found it, it was what humans would call disturbing. A demon on other hand wouldn''t be too phased by it as a matter of fact, a demon would be excited as it would give them a way into possessing a human''s body.


    The memory was the day that Delilah first laid a hand on Victoria. Delilah hated Victoria ever since the day she was born. As Victoria grew Delilah hated her even more. She was mostly jealous of Victoria because of her beauty and how she was slowly starting to be the favorite in the family. Victoria wasn''t Delilah''s favorite but everyone else in the family adored her.


    Victoria was only three years old the first time Delilah hit her. Actually Victoria didn''t really do anything wrong, she just somehow got on Delilah''s nerves. Victoria had been outside Delilah''s room crying for her attention.


    Delilah came out of her room and looked at her daughter with contempt. "Shut the hell up!"


    When Victoria didn''t stop crying Delilah picked Victoria up and sat her at the top of the stairs. She narrowed her eyes. "If you don''t stop crying I''ll give you something to cry about!"


    That threat didn''t stop Victoria from crying. It just made her cry harder. Delilah, thoroughly annoyed with her daughter, pushed Victoria down the steps. Delilah came to her senses when Victoria landed at the bottom of the stairs unconscious and she panicked because she thought she killed her daughter.


    Delilah called for her husband who was Victoria''s father at the time his name was Isaac. Isaac came out of his room to see Delilah panicking. "What''s wrong Delilah?"


    "Um, Victoria fell down the stairs!" Delilah shouted.


    "What the hell?" Isaac said. Delilah pointed to where Victoria was lying and he panicked. "Call 9-1-1 now!"


    Thankfully, Victoria didn''t die from that fall and Delilah tried to kill her at least one more time after that. But Delilah didn''t know that because Victoria isn''t human that Victoria will survive no matter how many times Delilah tried to kill her. It wasn''t time for Victoria to return to her true home as a Princess of Hell yet.


    Delilah did give up on trying to kill Victoria after the second time she tried to kill her. But she started to emotionally and verbally abuse Victoria instead.


    That was the memory that Ryan knew he could use against Delilah. He had a feeling that Satan would want a demon to possess Delilah at some point. But for now Ryan was going to have fun torturing Delilah. Especially since it seems that her actions are having consequences she''s feeling guilty about what she''s done.


    The guilt Delilah''s feeling now is only because she''s having to face her reality. That guilt Ryan could now use to slowly drive Delilah insane.


    Ryan looked where the spider went and commanded. "Return."


    The spider came up out from under Delilah''s skin and scuttled back over to Ryan. Ryan picked the spider up and said, "Change into child."


    At that command the spider changed into a small girl. Ryan nodded in approval. He put a finger on the little girl''s forehead and he focused on the memory of Victoria when she was three years old.


    Ryan grinned at his creation. "This is going to be so much fun! Delilah your guilt and your crimes are coming back to haunt you. And they will haunt you until you breathe your very last breath."


    Ryan used his magic to transform the child to look like Victoria when she was three years old. Ryan couldn''t stop grinning like a child opening their birthday present as he started to put his plan in action.


    ***


    {Delilah}


    It''s been at least a week since the dinner that Victoria, Jenny and Jaxon were invited to and the rather explosive argument that Frank and I had. I told him that I didn''t love him and that was the case and it still remains true. I just married him for money and I''m fine with that because I actually started cheating on him a couple of weeks before we had the argument. It just seems to be a pattern for me. I get married and two years into the relationship I find myself cheating on my partner.


    That''s okay because I''m pretty certain that after that argument Frank has been cheating on me. But now that Victoria''s in the picture and he''s found out what I did to her he''s been hell bent on making my life miserable. I guess that''s what I get for trying to kill my daughter a couple of times when she was younger.


    Maybe that''s why I feel sort of guilty now?


    Tonight I was in my room listening to music because I was bored. Frank did say we weren''t going to have sex anymore and he made good on his word with that and I can''t go anywhere without notifying him first. So sleeping with the guy that I''m cheating on Frank with is out. It''s because then he would know about my affair and I don''t feel like having any more problems coming my way.


    As I was listening to music the song that was playing paused to show someone was calling. It was from an unknown number. I picked it up. "Hello?"


    "Delilah is that you?" My eyes went wide because I recognized the voice. It was the voice of my first husband Isaac.


    I gulped. "I-Isaac?"


    "Delilah! What are you doing just standing there? Call 9-1-1! Victoria''s hurt!" Isaac shouted.


    I felt my mouth go dry at that statement because I knew what this voice who was pretending to be Isaac was referring to. He was referring to the time that I tried to kill Victoria when she was three years old.


    "Where''s Victoria at Isaac?" I asked.


    "She''s at the bottom of the stairs! Oh god! She''s barely breathing!" Isaac shouted.


    Soon, Isaac''s voice turned from his voice to dark and sadistic laughter.


    "Who are you?" I said.


    "You''ll know who I am soon enough my dear," the evil voice said. "You think your husband is the only one keeping a close eye on you? My dear, you have more enemies than you think. And all because you were out to destroy a woman that you should''ve been taking care of. Now your guilt will literally eat you alive at this point."


    "What do you want from me?" I asked.


    "You''ll find out soon enough and if you go to Frank about this I''ll kill Ben. It seems that you like cheating on your husbands with a guy that has a name that starts with a B," the evil voice laughed. "Let''s see you cheated on Isaac with Brain and he''s dead by the way so he won''t be much of a problem anymore. That should be a relief for you considering he blackmailed you in order to keep the affair going. You cheated with him again two years after you were married Howard didn''t you?"


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    The evil voice continued taunting me, "And now there''s Ben. Tsk, tsk I think this time you really lost a keeper. Oh well, but as I just said you''ll find out what I want from you soon enough. Until then, have fun with your guilty conscience! You''ll receive another call from me in two weeks time. Goodbye!"


    With that, they hung up the phone leaving me sitting on my bed speechless. I thought about going to Frank but then my affair would be exposed and Ben would be killed. If that person killed Brain and he''s not bluffing then he or she could very well kill Ben.


    "Fuck!" I cursed.


    I tried my best to calm myself down. But after a moment or two I went to the mini bar that was in my room and pulled out a bottle of vodka. I poured a glass and downed it in one go.


    At that moment I knew I was in big trouble. I have no idea who found out about what I did to Victoria when she was younger but what I did know was that if this information got out I was screwed.


    ***


    {Satan}


    I laughed as I overheard Alastor calling Delilah just to taunt her. The first guy that she cheated on her first marriage with was a guy named Brain and yes he''s dead. In hell a person of royalty can take what we like to call pets. These pets are human souls that come to hell because they did bad things while they were alive. The human''s that become pets can be changed into animals or any form that their owners deem fit for them.


    Sometimes the human just winds up staying in human form and does their masters bidding. Just as Ryan does for me and Jezebel and Gray do for Alastor. Jezebel and Gray are humans that did really bad things before they died.


    I don''t even think about what bad things they did because they''re rather disturbing and I''m the King of Hell. So if I''m disturbed about it, that''s saying something.


    At the moment Alastor has Jezebel and Gray watching Victoria''s house and are slowly appearing to her. So far from what they''ve reported Victoria can see them and hear them. Walter on the other hand can hear them.


    Which is interesting because Walter just came into the picture although he was going to come into the picture soon anyway. That''s because Walter was always supposed to be with Victoria. I''m hoping that they will naturally fall in love with each other and this arrangement will work out fine. Most of the time when demons are fated to be mates they don''t really fall in love with each other right off the bat. As a matter of fact it''s natural for them to want to dominate each other and be at each other''s throats at first.


    That''s what happened with my wife and I. We hated each other the first time we felt the pull notifying that we were mates. Usually demon mates hate each other and although they hate each other they can''t stay away from each other at the same time. My wife and I were at each other''s throats the first few weeks we found out were mates. Now we''re in love and we''ve been married for twenty-nine years. Victoria was stolen from her crib at the age of two.


    What made things even worse was that Victoria grew up being raised by a woman like Delilah. I have an evil plan for Delilah.


    As I laughed while watching Alastor place that call to Delilah, Ryan reported back to me saying that there was another demon following Delilah. When I found out that it was Alastor keeping tabs on Delilah I thought about backing off with my plan for her but Alastor wants Ryan in on the plan.


    I have no idea what he''s planning for Delilah but it''s bound to be good.


    "A penny for your thoughts?" I looked up when I heard Alastor speak.


    "What do you have planned for Delilah?" I asked.


    Alastor gave me a sinister smile. "Oh I have plenty of things planned for Delilah. Just sit back, grab some popcorn and watch the fun take place." He laughed, "This is going to be good!"


    I shrugged. "Alright then, if you say so."


    He nodded and snapped his fingers and disappeared.


    ***


    {Walter}


    Ever since I found out about what happened to Victoria at that Sunday dinner I''ve been on edge since then. I don''t know why and my urge to protect her has increased. I try to hold back on that because I don''t want to seem clingy. So I''ll ask how she feels every once and a while but I usually just rely on Cody to tell me if something''s going on.


    "So what movie do you want to watch?" Victoria asked as she sat down on the couch beside me.


    I had already gotten a bowl of popcorn and we decided to watch a movie and hang out for the night. I didn''t mind not one little bit and neither did Victoria. Which is a good thing considering at the moment we''re talking about the possibility of dating. I had talked to my boss about this and for whatever the reason he''s all for it.


    "As long as it''s not a chick flick or something like that, it''s fine," I said.


    "What about a horror movie?" She said.


    gave her a wary look. "I don''t think that''s a good idea."


    She rolled her eyes. "Because of my mental health issues? Look, I''m fine. Okay fine then what about an action movie?"


    I was getting ready to answer her when I heard Jenny walk into the room and say, "Hi guys!"


    I bit the inside of my cheek and tried to keep myself from groaning in annoyance. Victoria on the other hand didn''t bother to hide her annoyance. She looked up and rolled her eyes. "Seriously Jenny?"


    "What? I just thought I''d pop in and say hi," Jenny said. She paused and smiled. "Am I interrupting something?"


    "Yes, yes you are," Victoria said. "We were just getting ready to watch a movie."


    "Oh cool, have you picked one out yet?" Jenny asked.


    "Not yet and no you can''t choose!" Victoria growled.


    She stood up from the couch and picked out a movie. It was an action movie called: The Boys are in Town. I rolled my eyes at the title. But on the bright side at least it''s not a chick flick.


    When Victoria walked back to the couch she grabbed Jenny who was trying to sit in between us as if she were a chaperone.


    "I''m a grown ass adult I don''t need a chaperone," Victoria hissed.


    Jenny pouted. "Okay fine then, you''re sitting next to me and Walter can sit next to you."


    Victoria groaned, "Seriously?"


    "Aw come on! Cuddle with me? Please?" Jenny said while giving Victoria puppy dog eyes.


    Victoria groaned again. "Fine."


    When we got settled on the couch Jenny pulled Victoria into her arms and hugged her tightly. I saw her give me a look that said ''I won'' and I have no idea why. I just shrugged it off as we sat down and watched the movie.


    ***


    We finished watching the movie and Jenny went home for the night. Victoria had fallen asleep on the couch so I picked her up and carried her to her room with Cody following closely behind me.


    I left the room after Cody got on the bed with Victoria and was surprised to see the door of my room opened.


    "Strange," I said to myself. "I don''t remember leaving my door open."


    "That''s because¡­ It wasn''t open¡­ It was closed¡­" I heard a voice say. It sounded like it was coming from somebody who woke up in the morning and their throat was scratchy.


    That voice had some alarm bells ringing in my head. I called out, "Who''s there?"


    "Come and say hi¡­ My son¡­" The voice said.


    I looked around and saw Victoria''s baseball bat that she keeps in case her little buddies start whispering to themselves again. I grabbed it and walked slowly to my room. When I got to my room I panicked and swung the bat at what looked like an old man sitting on my bed.


    "Whoa! Whoa! Calm down!" The old man said.


    "No, tell me who you are and why are you in my room?" I asked.


    "Now is that anyway to greet your old man?" The old man asked.


    I paused. "Huh? What do you mean by that?"


    "I mean we''re family!" The old man said.


    I paused again. "Huh? Is this some sort of joke? Because if it is, it''s not funny!"


    The old man shook his head. "No, this isn''t a joke and if I were you I''d close the door. No, wait I''ll close it for you."


    The old man snapped his fingers and just like that the door to my room closed and the baseball bat that I was holding was gone. He patted the space next to him on the bed.


    "Yeah no thanks, I''m good. I think I''ll stand here," I said.


    The old man laughed, "You''re just like your mother. I wonder if you have her overprotectiveness too?"


    "How do you know my mother?" I asked.


    "Because I''m your father," the old man responded.


    I snorted. "Excuse me? That''s a load of crap! I know who my father is and it sure as hell isn''t you!"


    "Oh no, see that''s where you''re wrong Walter," He said. He smiled. "Interesting how human names are. Anyway, the people you think are your mother and your father, well they''re not. They stole you from your crib when you were three years old. But that''s okay because when they die, I''ll pay them back in full. Your ''parents'' have been hiding a lot of secrets from you just like Victoria''s parents, mostly her father, have been hiding secrets from her."


    "So is Victoria''s father still alive?" I said.


    The old man shook his head. "No he''s not. And unfortunately, the secrets that he was hiding died along with him. Delilah doesn''t know what Victoria is and she won''t know just yet. I have plans for her. Oh my! Where are my manners? My name is Alastor, I am Satan''s second in command. I''m also the one who assigns humans their punishments when they go to Hell. That''s my favorite part of the job. I''ve said all that I needed to say for now.


    "In a moment you''ll wake up in your bed and think that this was nothing more than a dream. Don''t worry, when you finally return to your true home I''ll show you the art of torturing people. Yes, it''s an art and it''s so much fun."


    "You crazy bastard!" I exclaimed.


    Alastor laughed, "Yes, yes I am and believe it or not, I''ve been called worse. I do love the human way of insulting people. You see, humans think they''re all that when they''re alive. But when they die and step into demon territory, they''re at the bottom of the food chain. And I love reminding them of that every single day." He stood up from the bed. "It was nice to finally meet you, my son. Soon you''ll be back in Hell and you''ll be the Prince that you were meant to be. Until then, goodnight."


    Alastor snapped his fingers and disappeared and after he did that I did exactly what he said I''d do. I woke up in a cold sweat as if I had just had one hell of a crazy dream.

 Chapter 15: Satans Second in Command

    {Victoria}


    It''s been strange lately because whatever ghost activity that''s been going on in the house has stopped. I''ve been able to get some sleep which is fine by me because whenever my little buddies decide to start talking is when they won''t shut up.


    My little buddies had been really talkative, up until now.


    I sat at the kitchen table and it was right after I had gotten up for the day.


    "You know what''s weird?" I said.


    Walter looked up from the book he was reading. "What?"


    "I haven''t been hearing or seeing anything lately," I said. "It just feels weird to not have chaos for once."


    He raised an eyebrow. "Really? Why?"


    I rubbed the back of my neck trying to figure out a way to explain things to him. Then I thought of something. "Well when I escaped from Wyatt, it took a while to get used to not being treated the way I was being treated before."


    "I see, that makes sense because once you get used to something it''s hard to get used to not having it," Walter said. "But I do kind of agree with Jenny, I think you should work on getting past what Wyatt did to you. Not all rich men are abusive assholes. I think Frank is a good example of that."


    I hesitated. "I don''t know about that. If anything Wyatt gave me a good reason to be wary of rich men."


    "Okay then, I''m not going to push you to do something you''re not comfortable with doing," Walter said.


    I nodded. "Yeah because you know I''m going to dig in my heels anyway."


    He laughed, "Of course you are and I wouldn''t expect anything less."


    We sat there in an awkward silence when we heard a door upstairs opening. Cody perked up from where he was lying, signaling that something was happening.


    I chuckled. "I just had to jinx it, didn''t I?"


    Then my little buddies decided to start talking amongst themselves.


    "I can''t believe our Master decided to visit him over a week ago!" Little Buddy One said.


    I looked at Walter. "Can you hear them?"


    He nodded. "Yeah I  can. And it''s even more pronounced than it was the last time I heard them."


    "So you believe me about someone being in the house besides us?" I asked.


    "Yeah, ever since Jaxon and Jenny found that secret passageway in the basement, I believe that''s these people are getting in," Walter said.


    "I don''t think they''re people," I said.


    Walter rolled his eyes. "You seriously believe that the people in this house are some sort of ghosts or demons for that matter?"


    I nodded. "Yes, wait until-"


    I didn''t get a chance to finish my sentence when I heard a door open and slam shut. I clicked my tongue in annoyance. "Okay then, fine I''ll prove it to you!"


    Walter shrugged. "Alright then."


    I went upstairs and I was going to grab that I normally use when I face my Little Buddies but I decided against it this time. Cody and Walter followed me and I paused when I got to the closet that had the door to the attic in it. The door to the closet was wide open and the door that led to the attic was open. The board that I used to nail the attic door shut was lying on the floor.


    "You''ve got to be fucking kidding me!" I growled.


    I continued watching until I saw a hand slowly reach down from the attic. The hand looked like a mummified hand that you would see in a zombie movie of the walking dead. Only this time it wasn''t the walking dead, it was the hand of a demon.


    No sooner had the hand reached down, it stopped halfway and the board that I used to nail the attic up flew towards the hand. There was a loud bang and a gust of wind that had Walter and I flying backwards. When I looked up again the closet door was shut.


    I stood up and dusted myself off. "So do you believe me now about my little buddies?"


    Walter stood up and after he dusted himself off he said, "Alastor."


    I paused. "Who''s Alastor?"


    He sighed and shook his head. "It can''t be him, it was only a dream anyway. I had this weird dream that some crazy old man broke into my room and told me he was my father. I know who my father is and it sure as hell isn''t him."


    "Yeah that does sound like a rather weird dream," I said.


    I was getting to say something else when I heard my phone ringing downstairs.


    "Fuck!" I cursed. I went back downstairs and grabbed my phone. "Hello?"


    "Oh hello, I need to speak to Victoria Lee?" The voice on the other line said.


    "This is Victoria speaking," I said.


    "Oh good, I''m Mr. Marker''s assistant, my name is Mia," the voice said. "Mr. Marker wants to meet with you again to go over making another deal for a couple of paintings. What time would be good for you to come in for an appointment?"


    Wow, he must really like my paintings if he''s contacting me again so soon after I finished the last job for him. I thought.


    "Well if you can make an appointment at least after 2pm that would be great. I should be able to come in tomorrow," I said.


    "Oh good, so I''ll put you down for tomorrow at 2pm?" Mia said.


    I nodded. "Yeah, that''ll be great."


    Once I hung up the phone Walter said, "Who was on the phone?"


    "That was Mia, Louis''s assistant. Apparently he wants to talk about doing another contract for more paintings from me," I answered.


    "What time does he want you to come in?" Walter asked.


    "Tomorrow at 2pm," I said.


    "So do you want me to come in with you for the appointment or should I wait out in the waiting room?" Walter said.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    "I think waiting out in the waiting room would be fine. I don''t know how long this meeting is going to take though," I said.


    Walter nodded. "Alright then, in the meantime what are we going to do about your little buddies?"


    I shook my head. "I have no idea."


    ***


    {Louis}


    I absolutely adore the paintings that Victoria has done for me! She has some serious talent. Even as I walk down the hallway that I had her paint a mural for me, I can''t stop gushing about the art work.


    Then there''s Victoria herself. She is such a beauty even when she isn''t wearing a dress and is in casual clothing. I wish I could be her caretaker instead of the guy who''s always with her.


    The thing is I''m not much of a gambler so I don''t take risks that I know won''t pay off in the end. So chasing after Victoria might be pointless from what I''ve heard Victoria is wary of getting into relationships with rich men. I have no idea what happened to her though. I''m gonna take a wild guess and say that someone hurt her enough to make her wary of men with my status.


    Until I can find a way to win Victoria''s heart I''ll just have to settle for having her paintings instead.


    "So I bet you''d do anything to at least stay by her side huh?" I heard someone say.


    I looked up to see a man sitting on the couch in my office as if he owned it smirking at me. The man looked like an older version of Victoria''s caretaker. He had light brown hair with gray streaks in it and instead of blue eyes he had black eyes.


    The outfit he was wearing looked like something a person of Royalty would wear. He had on red pants and a red suit jacket to match the pants that had a brooch that had a gold plated pentagram on it. He had a white shirt underneath his suit jacket and a black tie. He wore black dress shoes with white socks to complete the outfit.


    "That''s odd," I said to myself, "I don''t think I have any appointments at this time."


    The man shook his head. "Oh you don''t have any appointments. And don''t worry no one else can see me but you at the moment. I''ve put up a shield of silence so that we can have this conversation for however long it needs to happen. How much time do you have?"


    I looked at my phone and it said it was 4pm so it was almost time for me to get off work anyway.


    "Let''s see, I was planning on getting off work around about 6pm. But since I''m the owner of the business I can take as long as I need to for whatever this conversation is," I said.


    "Ah yes, so first off, like I said I cast a shield of silence so no one will hear us talking and at the moment only you will be able to see me," The man explained.


    I nodded and he continued, "And in addition to that no one will be able to hear our conversation or be compelled to come into the office until we''re finished talking. At least that way people won''t think you''re crazy. So without further ado let me introduce myself."


    He cleared his throat dramatically. "I am one of the many Princes of Darkness and Second in Command to the King of Hell, the Uncle of the future Queen of Hell, my name is Alastor."


    I paused because I couldn''t believe what I just heard. "Huh?"


    "I said, I''m-" Alastor started.


    I cut him off, "Yeah I heard you, I just-"


    "You don''t believe me?" Alastor asked with a smirk on his face. "I get that every time, especially since I only appear to those that I want to appear to." He laughed, "My son didn''t believe me when I appeared to him. But he will in due time."


    I tilted my head. "Okay so what do you want with me? And who is the future Queen of Hell?"


    Alastor smiled. "She is the very one you are longing to be with. Only problem is she doesn''t know she''s not human. I''m pretty sure once she finds out she''ll be able to use her powers for revenge and I will be there to teach her that torture is an art!"


    "So you mean to tell me that Victoria, the woman who has a dark past, the woman who is in need of a caretaker and has a service dog for her health issues is the future Queen of Hell and she doesn''t know that she''s not human? Did I hear that correctly?" I said while giving him a look of disbelief.


    Alastor gave me a look of pride and nodded. "Yes, indeed! And I have no doubts that she will be the best Queen that Hell could ever ask for!"


    "Okay then," I said, "So what do you want with me?"


    "What I want from you is your loyalty and your resources," Alstor responded.


    I nodded. "Why?"


    "Because I know you like Victoria and I know you''d do anything to help her out. Victoria has more enemies than you think," Alastor explained. "That includes her parents. Her Dad, even though he played the part of a doting father, he''s one of the ones who helped steal Victoria from her crib when she was two years old! We already caught one of the people responsible for it and it led to Victoria''s father. He''s dead now and we''re dealing with him accordingly.


    "Actually I''m dealing with him accordingly along with Victoria''s piece of shit ex-fianc¨¦." He grinned as if he was recalling a fond memory. "Ah yes, the sounds of their screams of terror are like music to my ears!"


    I blinked. This guy''s nuts! I don''t know if I should sit here and listen to this because of my curiosity or call the cops?


    It was as if Alastor could read my mind. He chuckled. "Yeah I know what you might be thinking but I can assure you that if you call the cops, they won''t believe a word you say. They''ll think you''re the crazy one because they won''t be able to see me. Like I said, I only appear to people that I want to see me.


    "And I''m appearing to you because I do believe you''ll be of good use when it comes down to protecting Victoria. Now, you already have a child that can inherit the business should you pass away right?"


    I nodded slowly. "Yes, why?"


    "Oh good, that''s perfect for what I have in mind," Alastor said. "Don''t worry your pretty little head about what it is. Let''s just say this will benefit the both of us."


    Alastor''s brooch on his suit jacket started glowing and he sighed, "Damn it! And here I thought we had all day for this conversation. Oh well, I''ll contact you again when I need you. And it would be wise to keep this conversation to yourself considering if you tell anyone they won''t believe you. And I bid you a good day!"


    With snap on his fingers he disappeared, leaving me staring at the space he was recently sitting in disbelief.


    ***


    {omniscient}


    Alastor walked down the castle hallways down to the 13th floor where the torture area was. The torture area was made up of thirteen dungeons that could as many one hundred people at a time. This area was what Alastor considered the place that he broke new souls in to prepare them for their punishment that Satan would assign to them when they appeared before his throne.


    He was happy to be back because he loved doing his job. He was also annoyed to be back because he hadn''t finished saying what he wanted to say to Louis.


    Alastor had been called back to Hell because one of the human souls got the bright idea to try and escape the torture area. What humans don''t know is that once they''re dead and they come to Hell there is no chance of escape whatsoever!


    "Tsk, tsk," Alastor said to himself, "These fools don''t understand that you''re dead and you come to Hell there is no way out. Oh well, looks like I get to have some extra fun today!"


    When he got to the torture area he stopped and grinned that person that was tied a chair in front. It was Isaac, the very man who stole Victoria from her crib! His face had bruises all over it and Alaster was certain that Isaac might have some broken bones.


    It was funny to Alaster how humans could still get broken bones and feel pain even though they were already dead. From what he knew of how Hell was set up the first ruler of Hell decided to place magic on the castle so that human souls that came to be processed and assigned their punishments could feel pain. But once the souls were processed the pain ceases to exist.


    "Well, well, well, look at the fool who tried to escape from Hell!" Alastor chuckled. He gave Isaac a wicked smile as he went up to him and cupped his chin in hand to make him look at him.


    "I''m not a fool Alastor!" Isaac snarled. He winced in pain when he did that. "You''re the fool if you think we''re going to let you demons win this war!"


    Alastor burst into laughter. "Oh that''s a good one. Yeah I''ve been watching you humans and you guys really think that you can stop people from going to Hell with their bad deeds going unpunished?" He looked Isaac in the eyes and snarled. "Well, do you?"


    "Oh I don''t know about that, what I do know is that we''re going to save innocent-" Isaac said.


    Alastor laughed again. "Wow, you humans are so full of yourself! There''s a reason why people go to Hell dumbass! And no one is innocent in Hell. Not even you."


    Alastor let go of Isaac''s chin turned towards the table that had the torture instruments on it. He shook his head. "Well I''ll just have to show you that you''re not innocent!"


    When he turned to face Isaac again, Isaac tilted his head. "And exactly how do you plan on doing that?"


    Isaac looked at what Alastor had in his hand. What Alastor was holding was a small spider. This spider would be able to crawl into Isaac''s memories and that would give Alastor more means to torture him.


    "I don''t think those bruises and whatever broken bones you have are enough punishment for you my dear," Alastor said.


    He put the spider on Isaac''s forehead and said, "Search."


    With this one simple command the spider knew exactly what to do. Alastor smiled a sinister smile as he found the memory he was looking for to show Isaac exactly why he was here in Hell. Alastor started to hum a happy tune as he got to work on torturing Isaac.

 Chapter 16: Exposure Therapy

    {Satan}


    I couldn''t believe my ears when Alastor told me his plans for Louis, the guy that Victoria works for. It''s so evil but bittersweet at the same time. I would expect nothing less from Alastor. He is my Second in Command for a reason.


    Before Alastor and I could continue our conversation my assistant Ryan entered the room and handed me a glowing brooch that had a holographic screen on it. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from snarling because on the screen was the image of the one creature I hate the most. His name is L. He''s the one who rules over Heaven and the one that humans worship and refer to as God.


    I hate the guy so much that I took the liberty of lengthening the guy''s name to Loser instead of calling him L.


    So instead of snarling I smirked. "Hello there Loser. What''s up?"


    Ryan and Alastor covered their mouths to stifle a laugh like they always do every time they hear L''s nickname.


    L rolled his eyes. "Seriously? You''re not going to stop calling me that name ever are you?"


    I shook my head. "Nope! And I''m not the one who kills my people just because they won''t obey my orders. Again, I ask you what''s up?"


    "I''m just calling to see if you''ve made any progress in finding my niece, you know the future Queen of Hell?" L said.


    I nodded. "Yes and I''ve found her. She''ll be coming back home by the end of the year." I paused and narrowed my eyes. "Wait, what the fuck are you planning with my daughter?"


    L laughed, "Wow! I don''t even have to say anything for you to get suspicious of me. Honestly, I''m not planning anything. It''ll be interesting to see how she reacts when she finds out what she truly is. It''s a shame I won''t be able to meet her because of that."


    "Yeah, that''s another thing, if you could gain control over your powers instead of staying locked up you could meet her in neutral territory," I said.


    He shrugged. "I''m just lazy like that. And who''s to say that I can control my powers? You know just as well as I do that I was never an overachiever when it came down to things like that. Of course Mom''s still rather annoyed that I can''t come to family dinners without accidentally killing a human slave. It''s not my fault that my powers act up the most when people don''t do as I say."


    I rolled my eyes. "You are so immature it''s not even funny. Stop being a narcissistic prick and grow up. You can control your powers and you know it!"


    L sighed, "Figured you''d say that. But I just called because I was bored. I mean there''s no reason why you can''t come visit me. You are a Fallen Angel after all."


    "Hmm, and whose fault is it that I became a ''Fallen Angel'' my dear brother?" I asked.


    "You refused to do what I wanted you to do and my powers acted up and kicked you out," L answered.


    "That''s exactly why I''m not coming to visit you," I said. "I''m not going to be a pushover and clamp down on my powers just to satisfy yours."


    I had no idea how worked up I was getting until one of the chairs in my office went flying at a nearby wall and was smashed to bits.


    L rolled his eyes. "Okay, I get it. Alright then, I''ll talk to you later, bye!"


    With that he ended the call.


    "Well that was a real doozy of a conversation ender," I heard someone laugh.


    I looked at the doorway to see one of my nieces Lilith standing there smirking at me. I rubbed the temples of my forehead and groaned. "What do you want Lilith?"


    "I was just wondering if I could help Princess Victoria figure out what she is? You know how many Gods and Goddesses I''ve trained to control their powers right?" Lilith said.


    I nodded. "Yeah I know. But do you really think you''ll be able to activate her powers? I mean from what Alastor''s told me he hasn''t sensed her powers becoming active yet."


    She chuckled. "Seriously Uncle Satan? I can train Gods and Goddesses to control their powers, I can most definitely help Princess Victoria out with hers. And if Uncle L would stop being so stubborn I could help him out too! But you know how he is."


    "Yeah I know, okay then if you want to go help Victoria figure out what she is before she comes home then be my guest. I must warn you this isn''t going to be easy," I said.


    She grinned. "Oh I know. And I love a challenge! Princess Victoria will come home finally and she''ll be a ruthless Queen of Hell just like her father is a ruthless King of Hell. And when she does get her powers I will help her to control them. It is my job after all."


    I shrugged. "Alright then, if you say so."


    "Oh I do say so," Lilith left the room.


    I sat in silence and stared at the empty doorway for a moment. After that I got up and left the room.


    ***


    {Victoria}


    I''m dreaming! This has to be a dream!


    I looked around trying to get my bearings and then I realized that I was standing in a basement. My eyes went wide in horror. Fuck no! No this can''t be happening! Maybe I just walked into the basement in my sleep?


    I walked a little further until I heard a small clang. When I looked down my blood ran cold because I saw a chain that went all the way to a nearby wall. I grabbed at my neck and noticed a dog collar around it. That was when I started to hyperventilate. Looking up I saw Wyatt standing in front of me giving me a sinister smile.


    However, when Wyatt opened his mouth he said, "Victoria! Wake up! Wake up!"


    After about the third time of Wyatt telling me to wake up I finally woke up and let out a sigh of relief when I saw Cody standing on the bed licking my face and Walter sitting next to me with a look of concern.


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    I pushed Cody aside just to let him know that I was awake.


    "You wanna talk about it?" Walter asked.


    "It''s that same dream over and over again," I growled. "The fucking basement!"


    Walter sighed, "Maybe you should work on getting past this? Because I''m sure the moment you do get past it the better off you''ll be."


    I rolled my eyes. "I know and you''re not the only one who''s been telling me this."


    "It''s been how long now since Wyatt died?" Walter asked.


    "Over five years now," I said. I gulped. "But the memories still scare me."


    "Well it''s up to you. I say you should work on it but go at your own pace," Walter said.


    He paused and looked thoughtful for a moment. "Maybe you should try some exposure therapy?"


    "Huh?" I said.


    "It''s the type of therapy when used in a controlled setting that can help someone deal with their trauma," He explained. "Oh! I know just the person who can help you with that. She''s an expert in that type of therapy."


    I hesitated. "I don''t know¡­"


    "Okay then, just try it at least once and see how you do. If you don''t like it, you don''t have to go back," Walter suggested.


    I nodded. "Okay, I''ll try it."


    "Good, I''ll give her a call and set the appointment up," Walter said.


    ***


    I sat down at the therapist''s office across from a lady who looked like she was my age. She reminded me of a librarian as she was dressed in a light brown knee length pencil skirt, she had on a light blue button top and judging by the navy blue collar she had another shirt underneath her top. She wore black high heels to complete the look.


    She crossed her legs and looked at me. "So Ms. Lee, what are you hoping to get done here today?"


    "Well¡­ I have some past trauma that I''m still dealing with. And I''ve had some people in my life suggest that I try working on getting past it. But there''s a problem with that," I said.


    She nodded. "Let me guess, you''re not sure if you can get past it? That''s understandable because a lot of people don''t get past whatever trauma they''ve been through. Even with exposure therapy like what we''re going to do today, some people just never get over it."


    "So what''s the point?" I asked. "If people don''t get past their trauma then what''s the point?"


    The therapist leaned back and gave me a pointed look. "What''s the point with you going to your regular therapist if there''s no cure for your mental health issues?"


    I thought about it. "It''s a way to help me work through my issues and get the right treatment."


    "Exactly, think of this like that. This type of therapy is a way for people to use it as a coping mechanism," She explained.


    I nodded. "Okay yeah that makes sense."


    "So tell me about the trauma you''ve been dealing with and we''ll go from there," the therapist said.


    I talked about as much as I wanted to tell her about what happened between me and Wyatt. I told her about how he locked me in his basement and treated me as if I were a pet. As I continued my story I felt myself getting pissed off. After a moment or two of me talking the therapist finally put her hand up to silence me.


    "Oh boy, it seems like you not only have trauma but some unbridled rage. Which is perfectly understandable," She said. "If Wyatt were alive today what would you do?"


    I shook my head. "Honestly, I don''t know."


    "Okay, what do you want to do to him?" the therapist asked.


    "Kill him," I answered without hesitation. "Although I wouldn''t because I like my freedom more than getting revenge and besides, how would I hide the body?"


    She snorted. "That''s definitely something to think about." She clapped her hands together and stood up and left the room. After a moment she came back with a small lamp in her hands. She set it down on the table in front of her and plugged it in.


    "Now, let''s begin," She said. "Lean back and close your eyes."


    I did as I was told. She continued, "You''re in a place that is full of nothingness. You see the color white all around you. The white will slowly fade to black and you should be standing in front of a door."


    When I opened my eyes the scene around me changed. I looked around trying to get my bearings and everywhere I looked there was a blinding white color. It reminded me of a room that I got locked in once in a mental facility. Then the white color slowly started to fade. A door appeared in front of me. It was a brown wooden door that looked like it had been polished and a smooth surface to it.


    My blood ran cold when I saw the door because I recognized it as the door to Wyatt''s basement. I looked around and Wyatt was standing right next to me with a sinister grin on his face.


    He shook his head. "Tsk, tsk, let''s go back down to your room my pet. You''ve been naughty again."


    "How was I naughty this time?" I said.


    "You told your parents about what was going on here," He snarled. "You weren''t supposed to do that. To think I was getting ready to take you out of the basement and stick you back in my bed."


    My eyes went wide in horror. I didn''t want to have sex with the guy anymore than I wanted to be down in the basement. Honestly when it came down to that I''d rather be in the basement.


    Wyatt frowned. "What''s the matter? I''m that bad in bed."


    I paused. "Did I just say that out loud?"


    He nodded. "That''s okay there''s plenty of other women to sleep with. You''ll get used to sleeping in the basement anyway."


    He yanked on a rope that he had in his hand and I stumbled forward a bit. That''s when I noticed that I had that dog collar on. Wyatt took me down to the basement and sat me down on the bed. He hooked the rope on the wall next to me and proceeded to go to another wall in front of me. That wall was the wall were the instruments that he would use to torture me if I did something he thought was bad.


    Before he grabbed something that looked like a whip I heard my therapist''s voice breakthrough. "Remember, this isn''t real! Wyatt isn''t here and you''re not in his basement."


    I took a deep breath and let it out.


    "Good, stay calm," the therapist said. "Now earlier you said you wanted to kill him, of course that is illegal and he''s already dead. However, since this reality that you''re in isn''t real you can ''kill him'' without any consequences to face after. Think, how would you kill him if there weren''t any laws stopping you from doing so?"


    "I would find a slow agonizing death for him," I said.


    "What kind of death?" the therapist asked.


    I thought about it and off the top of my head I said, "I would want to see him burn to death! I want to hear his screams of agony while he dies."


    The therapist laughed, "Good, consider it done."


    Before I could say anything Wyatt suddenly stood still. He still had a sinister smile on his face but he slowly started to be lit on fire. I don''t why instead of screaming and running away in terror I smiled at him and laughed, "Burn motherfucker! And burn slowly."


    As Wyatt was burning I felt a small burning sensation on my arm. I looked down to see a small strip of fire coming from me and the fire dripped on the floor. That was when I shrieked and started trying to put the fire out.


    "It''s okay Ms. Lee!"  The therapist said, "After you hear me snap my fingers, open your eyes and come back to me."


    I heard the sound of someone snapping their fingers and when I opened my eyes I saw my therapist smiling at me.


    I blinked. It was then that I looked at my therapist closely and she looked really familiar to me. When I recognized her I gasped because she was the maid who helped me escape from Wyatt''s basement over five years ago!


    The therapist''s smile turned into a grin. "Hello, Victoria. It''s been so long. I can tell by the look on your face that you recognize me. It''s me, Leah and I''m the maid who rescued you from Wyatt over five years ago. It''s good to see that you''re finally doing well for yourself now."


    Before I had a chance to process what my therapist just said I felt the burning sensation on my arm again. I looked down to see that my arm was on fire. "What the hell!"


    Leah just got up from her chair and blew on my arm and the fire went out. She stood up and looked at me. "And another thing, that''s the first of many times your powers might act up because you are not who you think you are."

 Chapter 17: A Tortured Soul

    {Victoria}


    "You are not who you think you are¡­"


    Those words kept playing in the back of my mind on the drive home. Walter was quiet for most of the ride until he said, "So, how did it go?"


    "It went fine¡­" I said.


    "That doesn''t sound good," Walter said.


    I looked at him. "What do you mean?"


    "Well people say that they''re fine as if it was a question and not a statement they''re probably not fine," Walter answered.


    I rubbed the back of my neck uncertain on how to proceed. But then I decided to tell him what happened although I left out the part where Leah said that I''m not who I think I am.


    Walter laughed after I finished telling him what happened. I frowned. "What''s so funny?"


    "It''s a good thing killing people is illegal but wanting him to burn to death, damn talk about unbridled anger!" Walter said.


    I nodded. "That''s exactly what my therapist said! I''m going to go back to her again."


    Walter smiled. "That''s good news! I think this is one step forward to getting over what happened to you."


    I nodded again. "I hope so, I really do. If this doesn''t work then what should I do next?"


    "Hmm, I think that''s a question that I don''t have the answer to," Walter said.


    ***


    {Alastor}


    I smiled as I walked down the hallway where the dungeons were. I heard the screams of the inmates in this level in the castle and they were like music to my ears! It''s funny how the inmates here seem to think that they are innocent. They need to learn that nobody is innocent if they are sent to Hell for punishment.


    I don''t understand why the inmates here think that they are innocent. I had finally finished with torturing Issac and sent him to his place as part of his afterlife in Hell. He was sent to the ninth ring of Hell where he''ll be gathering rocks to keep the fires of Hell going for all eternity.


    The last person I''m going to deal with that''s connected to stealing Walter and Victoria from cribs is Delilah. But before that I''m dealing with Wyatt. After finding out what Wyatt did to Victoria I''ve been itching to get my hands on him. But for whatever the reason, Satan was keeping him from me.


    Satan is in agreement with me that Wyatt would for sure be given to Victoria as a present for her when she returns to Hell. So I''ve only been torturing him once a week. I want to keep him aware of his surroundings when I give him over to Victoria finally.


    Not to mention, he seems to think he''s innocent and that he thinks what he was doing was in Victoria''s best interests. That''s laughable really. Treating someone like a pet because they won''t do what you tell them and beat them is in their best interest? I think not.


    I rounded the corner to Wyatt''s dungeon and he was lying on the cot sleeping. I often wonder if I should place a spell on the dungeons to keep humans from needing sleep. But I had to remind myself that I want him to be aware of his surroundings for Victoria and put my poker face on.


    "Wyatt! Wake the fuck up!" I yelled. "Time for your torture!"


    Wyatt sat up and stared at me in horror. "I-It''s you again!"


    I gave him a sinister smile. "Oh yes, it''s me. I''m just here doing what I do best. Because you know torture is an art."


    "But I''m innocent!" He shrieked. "I didn''t do anything wrong! Victoria she-"


    He didn''t get a chance to finish his sentence when I quickly opened the door to his dungeon and grabbed him by the neck.


    "How dare you try to shift the blame for your actions onto the Princess!" I snarled. "You''re lucky Satan wants to keep you aware of your surroundings or I would do a lot worse than I''ve already done."


    Over the centuries of being Satan''s Second-in-Command and Executioner I''ve learned that if you torture a person for days or weeks at a time, a human get confused about where they are or what day it is. The fact that I''m not torturing Wyatt so much he''s very well aware that he''s in Hell and I gave him a little clock on his nightstand so he can still tell what day it is.


    "Now," I said as I squeezed his neck a little harder. "Say you''re sorry."


    Wyatt didn''t do anything but glare at me.


    I laughed, "I can''t believe that you humans really think you''re innocent. News flash! If you go to Hell you are guilty it''s as simple as that. Let me let you in on a little secret." I leaned down and said into his ear, "Humans hardly ever get into Heaven. L is so stubborn he lets his own powers walk all over him. If a human fails to do what L wants them then they get killed in his realm and sent here for punishment."


    I let go of his neck and he sat down on the floor taking deep breaths and coughing because I strangled him. I rolled my eyes as I watched him regain his composure. "Are you done yet?"


    "You said Victoria was a Princess? How is that even possible?" Wyatt asked.


    "It''s possible because Victoria isn''t who you think she is. She''s a demon just like I am," I said.


    "But she just seemed so innocent and humble. I really tried to break her for her own good but the little brat decided she wanted to run from me," Wyatt said.


    "She ran because her powers are dormant at the moment," I said. "But don''t worry she''ll discover them soon and when she does I''m pretty sure she''ll have no problem protecting herself. Until then she has to depend on others for help. I can''t wait until she finds out that Walter''s her mate. I might be bound to Satan by being his Second-in-Command but my son is destined to marry Victoria."


    I dragged Wyatt down the hallway to the torture room. I gave him an evil smile when I tied him to a chair.


    "I''m telling you I''m not supposed to be here!" Wyatt declared while struggling against the restraints.


    I turned around and that gave me an idea of something I add to the torture, singing. Usually when I sing, scary images pop up and thankfully humans can''t really die in Hell or they''d die of fright.


    I started to sing. "You really think that you''re innocent? You really you''ve done nothing wrong? You really think that you have a pure heart. Your thoughts are about as dark as the night. And your soul is evil.  Your warped sense of justice has brought you here. But let me tell you one thing, nobody is innocent in Hell!"


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    I chuckled as the lights in the room started to dim enough just for shadows to appear on the walls. I continued to sing, "Come on my little inmate! Have a Hellish day! Come on, my little inmate! Nobody is innocent in Hell!"


    As I sang the shadows started to display pictures of Wyatt sitting in a dungeon and a demon standing over him. I looked over at Wyatt to see him staring at the wall in horror. He regained his composure once again and did something that took me by surprise.


    He started to sing, "This doesn''t scare me! Not as much as you think it does. Call me a monster even though I am innocent. For now I play your game. I don''t know why you treat people this way."


    Instead of staying shocked I just rolled with it. I squatted to be eye level and sang, "Oh you''ll be scared when you find out the reason as to why I''m treating you this way. I must say you''re a little bit special but I''m just getting started." I snapped my fingers and made Wyatt look at the shadows on the walls. "You see this? This is the story of the future rulers of your afterlife, the tale of Princess Victoria and Prince Walter. Once upon a time, there was a Princess and a Prince and they were both stolen from their homes. They got reincarnated and made into humans. They grew up where they didn''t belong."


    The shadows on the walls portrayed a young Victoria and Wyatt sleeping in their cribs. Someone came up to their cribs and took them and ran off with them.


    I continued, "We searched everywhere, high and low. But when we found them it was too late to bring them back home."


    "So basically this story plays out like Hercules?" Wyatt asked.


    I nodded. "Oh yeah, much like how Hercules was stolen from his crib. Although this story is a much more grim dark than Hercules was. What I do know for sure is Satan was pissed when he found out that Victoria couldn''t be brought home. And when Satan gets pissed, he makes me look like an amateur when it comes down to torture."


    I started to sing again, "Come on my little inmate! Have a Hellish day! Come on, my little inmate! Nobody is innocent in Hell!  If you can''t come to terms with this, I don''t care! You can try to escape, but you won''t get anywhere. It''ll lead you back to where you belong. Cause nobody is innocent in Hell! Come on my little inmate! Have a Hellish day! Come on, my little inmate! Nobody is innocent in Hell! I see the colors that surround your soul. Your soul burnt and it can''t be repaired. Sorry to say this but you''re not innocent!


    "Come on, my little inmate! Have a Hellish day! Come on, my little inmate! Nobody is innocent in Hell! Nobody is innocent, nobody is innocent, nobody is innocent in Hell! Nobody is innocent in Hell."


    After I sang the last line in the song I laughed a sinister laugh. It was a laugh so dark and deep that it could make anyone''s blood run cold and possibly freeze.


    I looked over to see that the color had drained from Wyatt''s face and I smiled. As I went over to the wall that had the torture instruments on and picked one. "Now let''s begin with your torture session, shall we?"


    When I started torturing Wyatt his screams were like music to my ears.


    ***


    {Walter}


    Apparently Victoria''s boss Louis wanted her to paint a mural for his mansion. It was going to be a mural at his home that would be down the hallway leading to his room.


    Most of the time when she would go to Louis''s mansion I would go with her and just sit in the living room reading a book or something until it was time for her to take her medicine.


    The idea for the mural that Victoria came up with was called: The tale of Two Brothers. It was an interesting concept about two angels and one of them was a fallen angel. It looked like it was going to be a beautiful one. She used clay as part of her painting to really make certain details stand out. At the center of her masterpiece she painted what looked like a wooden door.


    She had six months to get the mural done and she was almost done with it at the 4th month mark. One day I decided to watch Victoria as she worked. She looked like she was in her own little world, happy and content with what she was doing.


    "She''s beautiful isn''t she?" I heard someone say.


    I smiled when I turned around and saw Louis standing there. I know he has a crush on Victoria but I have a feeling that he''s not going to get her. She''s going to be mine. The more I think about that the more overprotective I become of her.


    "Yeah Victoria is beautiful," I responded.


    I had to keep myself from laughing when Louis''s face turned red. He stammered, "I-I meant the painting! Yeah that''s right the painting is beautiful!"


    I rolled my eyes. "I know you have a crush on her. But tread lightly because she''s wary of men with your status. And she might be getting a boyfriend soon."


    He looked at me and blinked. "Wait, you mean to tell me that you two haven''t made it official yet? You''re kidding right?"


    I shook my head. "Not yet, I''m going at her pace. But I''m pretty sure it''ll happen soon."


    He smiled. "I see, well good luck with that one. I wish I could be her caretaker. But you seem to be rather protective of her. So I''d say she''s in good hands."


    "A Tortured Soul¡­" Someone else said. I turned around to see an old lady who looked like the female version of Louis.


    "Mom!" Louis said. "I thought you weren''t supposed to be here until Friday!"


    He turned around and gave his mother a big hug.


    "I''m glad I came today," Louis''s mom said. "That girl''s got some major talent with her art."


    Louis nodded. "Yeah she does. Oh, the woman painting the mural is Ms. Victoria Lee."


    Louis''s Mom''s eyes beamed when he said who Victoria was. "She''s the up and coming popular artist that everyone keeps talking about! I might just commission her for a couple of my paintings at my houses overseas. I know because of her disability she probably won''t be able to travel much but I''ll figure something out."


    "It''s finished!" Victoria declared.


    We turned to see that the mural that Victoria painted was indeed finished. It went all the way down the hallway just like Louis wanted and it looked like the sketch she did but she added a little bit more details. Especially the details on the door that was in the middle of the mural. I swear one would think they''d be looking at a real door and try to open it only to discover it was just a painting!


    Victoria added ivy vines to the door with a small stream of blood dripping down them.


    "Wow, that''s beautiful!" Louis''s Mom beamed. "Especially the door, my goodness it looks so realistic!"


    "Yeah I know," Louis said. "But why did you add blood to the vines?"


    Victoria shrugged. "Don''t know, it just felt right. Is it too much?"


    Louis shook his head. "No, not at all. I was just curious, that''s all."


    "It''s okay because you''re a tortured soul Ms. Lee," Louis''s Mom said.


    "Mom!" Louis gasped.


    Louis''s Mom shrugged. "What? It''s always the crazy ones that make good art. Normal people can''t compare."


    Victoria blinked. "Ah, is that supposed to be a compliment?"


    Louis''s Mom nodded her head.


    "Oh, ah that''s a weird compliment but thanks," Victoria said.


    "No problem dear," Louis''s Mom said. "Well I''m going to retire to my room for the day. It was nice meeting you Ms. Lee."


    "Nice to meet you too!" Victoria said.


    After Louis''s Mom walked off Victoria gave me a confused look. I raised an eyebrow. "What?"


    "Who was that?" Victoria asked.


    "That was my mother," Louis said before I could respond.


    Victoria nodded. "Okay, she''s a beautiful woman."


    Louis smiled. "Thanks, I''ll relay to the compliment and she''ll be very pleased about it. Well, now that the painting is done, I''ll make sure to transfer the money to your account."


    "Alright then," Victoria said.


    "You might want to go to the bathroom and wash your face. You got paint on you," Louis said.


    Victoria nodded and left the room with Cody right by her side.


    "Dogs are wonderful creatures. It''s amazing how loyal that service dog is," Louis said.


    "Yeah, he''s a good dog. He definitely helps if Victoria''s having an episode or something like that," I agreed.


    "Okay I''ll go ahead and pack my things up and get ready-" Victoria started after she came back from the bathroom.


    Louis shook his head. "Oh no, I have a maid that can take care of that," He looked over at the small stack of paints that Victoria had organized after she was done. She even put the tarp that she had in case paint spilled on the floor rolled up and ready to be put away. "Besides, it looks like you put all of your things in one spot so it''ll be easy for the maid to just come and pick up the stuff and put it away."


    "Alright then," Victoria said.


    With that Victoria shook hands with Louis and we said our goodbyes and parted ways.

 Chapter 18: Lets make It Official

    {Frank}


    "Wow, Victoria painted that?" I whistled.


    I was standing in a hallway next to Louis after having dinner with him and his ex-girlfriend. They''d broken up shortly after they had their son and I have no idea why.


    "Daddy! I wanna go play!" I looked over and smiled when I saw a young boy who was around seven years old. He looked a lot like his girlfriend though because when she claimed that the kid was his, he got a paternity test and it confirmed that he was the child.


    Louis nodded. "Sure. I''ll come with you."


    "But I''m a big boy now," the kid said. "I can go by myself!"


    Louis rolled his eyes. "No, you can''t do that Jordan. It''s not safe to go by yourself. Not even daddy goes by himself."


    "Oh, is that why you always have that weird old guy driving you? And the two big Ogres sitting next to you with guns in their pockets?" Jordan asked.


    Louis snorted. "Ogres? Lance and James aren''t ogres! They''re big strong men and that''s exactly why they''re protecting daddy and his family. Got it?"


    "But Ogres are big and strong; they''re also vicious," Jordan said.


    Louis laughed, "Yeah just don''t go telling them that. I don''t think they''d take too kindly to that."


    Jordan paused. "Why not?"


    "Do you know what Ogres look like?" Louis asked.


    Jordan thought about it for a moment. "Oh, I see your point, Ogres are ugly!"


    I couldn''t help but burst into a fit of laughter. "That goes to show if you want an honest opinion about something ask a child."


    "Yeah Jordan did tell Avery that one of her dresses made her look like a cow once," Louis chuckled. "I was trying to be nice by saying she looks pretty because she was being grumpy that day. Jordan on the other hand¡­"


    "Hey Mom asked me for my opinion and I told her. I don''t get what the big deal is that the dress was ugggggly!" Jordan said.


    Louis and I laughed at that comment. In my eyes most children are innocent. It makes me wonder why Delilah has no soul when it comes down to Victoria.


    ***


    {Satan}


    I''m not happy at all that I couldn''t bring Victoria and Walter back by the end of last year. Apparently there''s a couple more things that need to happen in order for the trip home to be successful. One of those things is they need to figure out that they aren''t human.


    "Are you okay dear?" Cathy said as she walked onto the balcony where I was standing looking up at the stars.


    I sighed, "Does it look like I''m okay?"


    Cathy frowned. "Look, I know you''re upset about our daughter not coming home the way you wanted but she will come home soon. I can feel it in my gut. I think Lilith has already been able to activate Victoria''s powers a little bit. You can thank Wyatt for that one."


    I paused. "Huh?"


    She nodded. "Oh yeah. Lilith has been disguising herself as a woman named Leah and apparently that woman was the maid who helped Victoria escape from Wyatt. Lilith is also playing the part of an exposure therapist. Because of what happened with Wyatt, Lilith asked Victoria how she''d want to kill him and she told her slow and painful." She laughed, "That somehow activated her firepower but it was only temporary."


    I smiled when I heard Victoria had fire power. In Hell there are two types of demons. There''s demons with firepower meaning they can use the element of fire in any way shape or form. The second type of demon is ice power. Meaning, they can use the element of water in any way shape or form they desire.


    Most of the time demons use their powers in combat. There are hybrids but it''s rare. The majority of demons within the Royal Family have firepower so it makes sense that Victoria has firepower.


    "That''s wonderful!" I said.


    Cathy rolled her eyes. "Of course Victoria would have firepower. Too bad she didn''t get my ice power instead. It''s only the in-laws of the Royal Family that have ice powers. So I''m going to assume my future son-in-law is going to have ice powers. I don''t know why Alastor says he''s Victoria''s Uncle when Walter isn''t even married to her yet. Hell from what I found out they haven''t started dating yet."


    "Yeah I know, Alastor''s been watching those two very closely and they have been talking but no word of them dating yet," I said.


    "I think Alastor''s being a wee bit obsessive at this point. They''ll start dating. I have a feeling that they''ve felt the pull that they''re mates slightly, because from what Alastor''s told me Walter''s been rather overprotective towards Victoria lately. Victoria seems annoyed by it but not much," Cathy said.


    "Well that''s a good thing," I said. I tapped my index finger on my chin thoughtfully. "Yeah know what? I think I''m going to go to Earth and watch over Victoria myself for a little bit."


    Cathy grimaced. I raised an eyebrow. "What?"


    "Just don''t be too creepy about it dear," Cathy said. "I mean I know you''re the King of Hell and creepy is your middle name, but¡­"


    "What, you think I''m going to jack off to watching her have sex or something like that?" I scoffed. "Yes I''m the King of Hell but even I have my limits. If they start having sex then I''ll leave. It''s as simple as that."


    She nodded. "Alright then, I''ll see you when you get back."


    I kissed Cathy and grabbed a change of clothing. I spread my wings and flew off to Earth.


    ***


    {Victoria}


    I love being with Walter. He''s special to me and we''ve been talking about dating a lot lately. I love it when he holds me after I''ve had a nightmare but even if I don''t have one he wants to sleep in my bed at night. That''s fine by me.


    So I finally worked up the courage to talk to Walter about dating and making it official. I went to the kitchen to find Walter sitting at the kitchen table reading a book.


    "Hey Walter," I said.


    Walter looked up at me. "Hi, what''s up?"


    "Can we talk?" I asked.


    "We''re talking right now, what''s going on?" Walter asked.


    "Um, I want to make our relationship official," I said.


    Walter blinked. "Excuse me? You want to start dating finally? Did I hear that correctly?"


    I nodded. "Yes, you heard me. Let''s make it official."


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    He got up from the kitchen table and came towards me. "Kiss me."


    "Huh," I said.


    "Kiss me," He said. "You want to make it official, then kiss me."


    I grabbed Walter and pulled him into my arms and kissed him. It started slow at first but then Walter opted to deepen it by shoving his tongue about as far as he could in my mouth and I loved every second of it.


    When he broke away from me he said, "Yeah we''re going to have to talk to my Boss tomorrow and let him know what''s going on here. So he doesn''t get taken by surprise by this."


    I nodded. "Okay then. works for me."


    ***


    Walter and I spoke to his Boss and much to my surprise he was extremely happy that we were finally dating. After that we went home and Walter couldn''t keep his hands off of me.


    We didn''t have sex but we did make out for how long, I don''t know. We didn''t stop touching each other until we heard Jenny clear her throat. "Well, this is a bit unexpected."


    "Really Jenny?" Jaxon said. "I knew it! I knew Walter had eyes for Victoria and I say he''s a perfect match."


    I looked over to see Jaxon and Jenny staring at us. Jenny had a surprised look on her face, while Jaxon was smirking.


    I groaned, "Seriously? Can you two at least notify me that you''re coming over before you just open that door and walk right in?"


    "Uh, actually we did call you, but I guess you were a little bit busy to answer the phone," Jenny said.


    I went and grabbed my phone to see that there were twenty missed calls from Jenny and fifteen missed from Jaxon about coming over today. I could feel my face go red and Jenny and Jaxon laughed.


    "I see we''re interrupting something so maybe we should-" Jaxon started.


    "Oh no you don''t," Walter said. "You obviously came over here for a reason, so what is it?"


    "Well Frank''s birthday is coming up soon and he plans on finally introducing you, me and Jaxon as part of his family!" Jenny cheered.


    I gulped. Jenny knows good and well that I don''t like to be the center of attention much. It''s bad enough for me to deal with that type of attention from being a talented artist.


    Jenny sighed, "Look I get it, but you''re going to have to get used to it. And if you don''t want any rich men chasing after you, you could just announce that you have a boyfriend, if you want?"


    I looked over at Walter and he nodded. "That sounds like a good idea to me. Victoria''s mine and I''ll be damned if I let anyone take her from me because of her status!"


    Jaxon chuckled, "And I know you''ll protect her with everything you got. So I''m not worried, Victoria is in good hands."


    Walter smiled. Before he could say anything, Jenny perked up. "Hey, let''s watch a movie! We haven''t done that in a while."


    "Okay, what do you wanna watch?" I asked.


    Jenny picked out an action movie even though I''ve been wanting to watch a horror movie. I rolled my eyes at the thought of watching another action movie. Walter must''ve seen my reaction because he asked, "What movie do you want to watch Victoria?"


    "I want to watch a horror movie," I answered.


    Walter shook his head. "Not happening."


    "Why not? I''m not a child you know! You asked me what type of movie that I want to watch and I answered," I growled.


    "It''s not a good idea. Because-" Walter started.


    "I say let her watch a horror movie," Jaxon said. "Victoria''s always loved horror movies even growing up. If anything they''ll give her ideas for her paintings."


    "And if I start hallucinating I''ll deal with it," I said.


    "Are you guys nuts!" Jenny said. "I agree with Walter, I don''t think it''s a good idea."


    Walter looked back and forth between Jenny and I. He sighed, "Okay fine, let''s watch a horror movie. What movie do you want to watch?"


    "Stephen King''s movie called: It. The reboot of it and not the other version," I said.


    Walter''s face paled. "What the hell! Are you sure?"


    I nodded. "Yeah. I love watching movies that have what I''m afraid of in it. It adds to the experience. Why? Are you afraid of clowns?"


    Walter nodded. I groaned, "Fine we''ll watch a dumbass action movie instead."


    "No," Walter growled.


    I frowned. "No, what?"


    "We''re watching the damn movie!" Walter declared.


    "Excuse me?" I said.


    Walter crossed his arms and looked at me. "You heard me, we''re watching the damn movie!"


    "Why don''t we watch both?" Jenny suggested.


    Jaxon agreed, "That''s not a bad idea. We can watch the horror movie and then unwind by watching the action movie Jenny picked out."


    "Besides, you guys were in a really good mood, well up until we ruined it by accident. And seriously hope we don''t walk in on you two having sex," Jenny said.


    Jaxon gave Jenny a look of disbelief. "Seriously? I''m going to pretend you didn''t just say that."


    The tension between Walter and I eased at Jenny''s suggestion.


    "Yeah, there''s no reason to be at each other''s throats over a movie," Jenny said.


    "Fine," I said.


    I settled down on the couch next to Walter and Jenny made a bowl of popcorn. We ended up having fun watching the movie I picked out and then watching the movie Jenny picked out. I felt happy spending time like this. I wish that there could be more happy times like this but I knew that was wishful thinking.


    ***


    {Frank}


    My birthday was tomorrow and I paced back and forth in my office looking at my speech again for the one hundredth time.


    I cleared my throat, "Today is a special day, it marks the day that I was born forty-five years ago. But today is a special day for another reason, I have an announcement-"


    Someone knocked on the door, irritating me. I wanted to make sure that the speech was perfect and now someone interrupted me. I sighed, "Come in!"


    "Frankie, my baby!" Delilah said. She ran into the room and hugged me. It was a hug that I didn''t return. I stiffened in the embrace. She let go of me and frowned. "What''s the matter?"


    "What do you think is the matter?" I snapped.


    "You''re still upset that I told you the truth about me marrying you for money?" Delilah asked. "And by the way I know you''re cheating on me."


    I chuckled. "Oh you do? Took you long enough to figure it out."


    Delilah''s jaw clenched. "Who is she?"


    "Why does it matter to you?" I said. "It doesn''t. Oh and I found out about you having an affair with Ben. You really didn''t think I''d track you even when you were trying to ''sneak out of the house?''"


    Her jaw dropped. "How did you?"


    "I have my sources," I said. "So if we''re going with the ''I know you''re cheating on me'' guilt trip card. I could say the same thing for you."


    "But I have needs just like you do!" Delilah said.


    I raised an eyebrow. "And?"


    "At least let me have sex with you if you''re going to not let me go to Ben," Delilah said.


    I grimaced at that thought and shook my head. "No. Did I say you had to stop seeing Ben?"


    She paused. "No."


    "You can keep seeing Ben because I''m not touching you ever again," I said. Then I kept my voice low and threatening, "But if you ever breathe a word about my affair I''ll do the same thing to you and then some. I have more dirt on you than you could ever imagine. Do you understand me?"


    She gulped and nodded.


    "I need words Delilah," I growled.


    "Yes, I understand," She said.


    "Good. Now leave because I don''t want to see you again until the celebration," I said.


    Delilah left the room so fast one would think that she was on fire or something like that. Soon after she left my alarm for my phone went off signaling that it was for me to stop practicing my speech. So I went to my room and settled in for the night.


    ***


    {Satan}


    Well this is an interesting chain of events¡­. I thought. I stood around the corner watching a celebration take place. From what I could figure out, a man by the name of Frank Randal just announced that this was his birthday. What surprised me was the fact that he also announced that he just added three children to his family.


    Among those children he added was Victoria. That''s interesting because Ryan was able to figure out that apparently, Frank made a promise to Victoria''s father that if anything happened to him then Frank would take care of her.


    I wished that had happened but it didn''t. At least now Victoria will have a powerful ally at her side. When Frank dies he''ll possibly go to Heaven but more than likely he would have done something that will send him to Hell. Only 2% of humans that die (and it''s mostly babies) get sent to Heaven. The rest get sent to Hell.


    Depending on what you did to get sent to Hell that will be a factor in deciding what your punishment is.


    It was a wonderful celebration because everyone was drinking and having a good time. As I walked around the party I observed some people doing some shady shit in a back alley. Then the air around me became unbearably cold. I knew what that meant. It meant that someone was getting ready to die and be dragged to Hell.


    The only time the Grim Reaper doesn''t show up when someone dies is if they''re going to Heaven. Then an Angel shows up instead. I''ve only seen it happen twice.


    The Grim Reaper on the other hand, I''ve seen him show up just about everywhere I go when I visit Earth. I heard gunshots come from out of nowhere and when I turned around two people were dead and the Grim Reaper latched onto their souls and carried them to Hell.


    I shrugged and went back to the celebration. I watched Victoria leave with Walter and I followed them at a safe distance.


    When Victoria and Walter got home they couldn''t keep their hands off each other. I watched until it looked like they were getting ready to have sex and then I went home.

 Chapter 19: The Feather

    {Victoria}


    After the celebration of Frank''s birthday Walter and I went home and that was the first time we had sex. For me it had been over five years since the last time I had sex because after Wyatt I hadn''t really been into dating much.


    Walter was amazing in bed that much I can say. He wasn''t rough like Wyatt was, he was gentle and patient with me.


    The next morning I woke up and even though I felt sore in between my legs I felt some weird pain in my back. I tried to sit up in bed and that was when I felt it. It felt like someone had taken a knife to my back and cut all the way down it.


    As soon as I sat up I laid back down groaning in pain. Walter rushed into the bedroom. "Are you okay Victoria?"


    "I feel like I got stabbed in my back and whoever stabbed me decided to drag the knife all the way down to my hip," I said. "But other than that I''m just peachy."


    Walter rolled his eyes. "Leave it up to you to make a sarcastic remark while you''re in pain. Let me see it."


    I shook my head. "I''m not moving."


    "Okay, I''ll go get some pain meds for you then I''ll look at it," Walter said.


    He left the room and returned shortly with a couple of pills and a soda. I took the medicine and an hour later the medicine had kicked in.


    I felt okay to sit up and Walter took a look at my back. He gasped, "What the hell!"


    "Yeah I have no idea what happened," I said. "I''m pretty sure you didn''t do it. Unless you have some kinks that I don''t know about."


    Walter snorted. "I don''t have any kinks. At least none that I''m aware of."


    "Well that''s good to know," I said with sarcasm. "Now what?"


    "I think you need to go to the doctor and get that checked out," Walter suggested.


    That''s what I did. I made an appointment with the doctor as soon as they opened. Thank goodness that Walter took a picture of whatever was on my back because I don''t think my doctor would have any idea what we were talking about.


    "Okay let''s see what we got here. I''m going to need to lift up your shirt a little bit," the doctor said.


    I did as I was told.


    "Huh, that''s strange," the doctor said.


    "What''s strange?" I asked.


    "There''s a strange marking on your back where you said the pain was," the doctor answered. "Did you get any tattoos since the last time I saw you?"


    I frowned and shook my head. "No, why?"


    "The marking looks like a feather!" The doctor said.


    "Say what not?" I said.


    The doctor took a mirror and placed it behind me so I could see my back and my eyes went wide when there was one huge marking of a black feather going from my shoulder blade down to my hips.


    "Interesting," I said.


    Walter nodded. "Yup, interesting indeed."


    ***


    {omniscient}


    Dr. Stephen smiled as he looked at the picture of Victoria''s back. He''d been obsessed with her finding her mate and being returned back to her real father ever he met her and heard about her story from Lilith.


    He knew that Walter was Victoria''s mate and now that they were together he was pleased.


    "Isn''t it exciting?" He heard Lilith say. He looked up to see Lilith standing in the doorway smirking.


    He nodded. "Yes it is. I can''t wait for her to come home! Same thing with Walter. Even though Victoria''s powers are starting to be activated Walter isn''t showing signs of his powers being activated yet."


    "Hmm, let me see that picture you''re staring at," Lilith demanded.


    "Yes Mistress," Dr. Stephen said.


    He handed Lilith his phone and once she saw the picture she squealed with delight. "I can''t wait for her to shed her skin! But, I''ll have to wait and I have all the patience in the world when it comes down to my niece. Satan on other hand, is being a wee bit antsy. Mostly because he wasn''t able to go forward with his plan last year."


    Dr. Stephen looked like he wanted to say something but he knew better than to not speak unless spoken to in his Mistress''s presence. Lilith rolled her eyes. "You may speak."


    "How long do you think it will be until Princess Victoria and Prince Walter can come home?" Dr. Stephen asked.


    Lilith shrugged. "Honestly, I don''t know. I''ve started the process of activating Victoria''s powers but since I don''t have much of a reason to work with Walter yet, I can''t really activate his powers. Although, I wonder¡­" She thought about it for a little bit and then perked up. "Aha! I have an idea!"


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    Dr. Stephen raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"


    Lilith gave him an evil smirk and told him what she planned on doing. Dr. Stephen''s eyes went wide but he understood that something needed to be done.


    ***


    {Walter}


    Ever since that marking on Victoria''s back appeared there''s been a lot of activity in the house from Victoria''s little buddies. I''m starting to hear things and I''ve heard the board that Victoria has the attic locked with come off the attic door and a creepy hand reaches down and grabs it.


    Fed up with things happening in the house and not having any evidence to show people, I decided to set up security cameras and set up a camera in front of the closet leading to the attic.


    After a few days I finally got what I was looking for. At the same time Victoria''s marking started acting up.


    Before I could look at the video footage that I downloaded on my phone Victoria howled in pain. I ran over to her bedroom and she curled up in a ball on the floor shaking. Cody was pacing back and forth in front of the door and whining until I came in to check on her.


    "Victoria, I''m here, it''s okay," I said. I picked her up in my arms and sat down on the bed.


    "Make it stop!" She whined. "It hurts!"


    I jumped when the closet in the bedroom suddenly slammed open and clothes came flying out of it. Cody whined and then ran to the closet growling at it.


    "Calm down!" I heard someone roar. I looked to see if it was Victoria but she wasn''t saying anything.


    It was the old man that I had a dream about last month. It was Alastor.


    ***


    "Well I didn''t expect this to happen so soon!" Alastor exclaimed. "An interesting turn of events indeed! I thought it was going to take at least another year for the Princess''s powers to start showing."


    As soon as Alastor spoke the clothes from the closet went back to their place and the closet door closed and things calmed down. Victoria had stopped whimpering in pain and even Cody settled down.


    "Alastor," I growled.


    Alastor smirked. "Of course, I don''t expect you to call me daddy anytime soon. You still think you''re human." He walked closer towards where I was sitting and picked something from off my lap. What he was holding in his hand was a black feather. His smirk turned into a grin. "Excellent!"


    I narrowed my eyes. "What are you talking about?"


    "You see this feather? That came from your girlfriend," Alastor explained. He handed me the feather. "You might want to keep this. It''ll come in handy once you start gaining feathers too."


    "We''re not fucking birds!" I snapped.


    He chuckled and shook his head. "Oh no, no, no! Of course you''re not birds, silly. Nope, you''re something much more powerful than birds. You''re what humans call Demons."


    I blinked and gave him a look of disbelief. "Excuse me? So you mean to tell me that all of the activity that''s been going on in the house lately is because Victoria and I are demons?"


    He nodded slowly. "That''s correct. But I don''t expect you to believe me just yet. And don''t worry this time I won''t make you think this meeting is a dream like last time because if you tell anyone they''re going to think you''re crazy. Victoria is already labeled as crazy, I don''t need you getting the same label because that would block progress."


    "So what should I do?" I asked.


    "Just do what you normally would do as her caretaker for now. Once her powers really start showing and once your powers start becoming active you''ll need more help. And I''ll send that help to you when the time comes," Alastor said. He looked around and smirked again. "Well it looks like things have settled down. Oh and one more thing, if you show that video of my pets as evidence of things going on in this house people will think it''s fake."


    I sighed but before I could say anything Alastor said, "Don''t worry about it. You''ll figure things out. I shall take my leave now."


    He gave a playful bow, snapped his fingers and disappeared.


    ***


    {Satan}


    "Somebody looks upset!" Alastor said in a singsong voice.


    I looked up at him and rolled my eyes. "And?"


    "Look, I know you''re cranky from holding court all day because I know how insufferable humans can be-" Alastor started.


    I was sitting in my living room trying to unwind from work when Alastor came waltzing in. I cut him off. "Just get to the point already. You''re getting on my nerves!"


    "Okay fine," Alastor huffed. "But you should know that your daughter takes after you when she''s upset."


    I raised an eyebrow. "Which one?"


    "The future ruler of Hell, duh!" Alastor said. "Who else would I be watching?"


    "I don''t know I have a lot of daughters walking around in Hell, so yeah¡­" I said. "So how does Victoria take after me?"


    "Oh, when she gets upset things go flying like furniture, although it was mostly just clothes this time around. Her powers are just starting to get active," Alastor said. He brought out a brooch that''s used for recording things and communication and it was glowing.


    "What''s this?" I asked.


    On the holographic screen it showed two pictures. One picture was of a marking on someone''s back and the other was of a black feather. It didn''t even look like a full fledged feather to me. But it looked like the beginning of a demon developing their wings.


    Alastor grinned. "That, Your Majesty, is a picture of your daughter''s back and she''s starting to develop her feathers. It''s going to be weird for her considering she''s still in her human form."


    My eyes went wide. "When did this start happening?"


    "Just recently," Alastor said. "I''m assuming you want me to go ahead with phase two of my plan?"


    I nodded. "That''s phase two, the marking ritual. The target of course will be Delilah, she''s the perfect candidate for possession. And I''m not sure if we need Louis though. True, he has an heir to the business but I don''t think he needs to be involved even at this point. Let him live his life and-"


    Alastor shook his head. "See that''s where I disagree with you, Your Majesty. Louis has a crush on the Princess and he can be used to protect her during the ritual to get her back home. Of course if his heart is good then there''s a chance that he might go to Heaven when he dies. If he comes here after he dies I think we could at least give him some reward for keeping the Princess safe. Or if you prefer, once the Princess is home safe we could give him a reward then?"


    I thought about it. "Giving him a reward while he''s still alive actually sounds like a good idea. He can guard my daughter and your son for the ritual and that''s all we''ll need from him really. Let him live his life after that. Now, as far as Delilah goes, start working on getting her ready for possession. I also want to see if we could use Victoria''s powers to activate Walter''s."


    "I think that''s a great idea!" I heard Lilith say.


    I looked over at her as she came and sat down on the couch next to me. She grinned. "As a matter of fact, that''s exactly what I was thinking about doing." She looked at Alastor. "Did you leave that feather with the Prince?"


    He nodded. "I did and I have no doubt his powers will take after me."


    Lilith rolled her eyes. "Well duh! You''re an ice breather and your wife is an ice breather too. It would be interesting to see a demon that''s hybrid, able to use both fire and ice."


    I nodded in agreement. Most of the time even there is a kid in Hell who''s a hybrid they usually only have one power or the other never both. I have yet to see that happen.


    "Of course whatever child the Princess and Prince have they''ll probably be a fire breather," Alastor said. He looked at me once again. "So phase two?"


    "Yup," I said. "Phase two."

 Chapter 20: I want you to need me!

    {Walter}


    "What ya got there?" Jenny asked as she sat down on the couch next to me.


    "It''s a feather," I answered. I was in kind of a mood after Victoria had her episode and another appearance of Alastor.


    "Yeah I see it''s a feather, where''d you get it? Did you like to go bird watching?" Jenny said.


    I rubbed the back of my neck unsure of what to say. So I lied, "I found it."


    Jenny raised an eyebrow. "Where?"


    "Does it matter where?" I asked.


    She shrugged. "Guess not, just curious that''s all."


    There was an awkward silence until Victoria started howling in pain. We ran upstairs and saw Victoria rolling around on the ground and sliding on her back like she was trying to scratch it.


    "It hurts, it itches and it burns! Make it stop!" She whined.


    Jenny walked towards Victoria and Victoria''s eyes went wide and she shook her head. "No, stay right where you are."


    Jenny looked confused. "Why?"


    "Just stay there please," Victoria pleaded.


    "I can help you-" Jenny started.


    She shook her head again. "I''m sorry. I don''t think you can!"


    I walked towards them. "Victoria, take a deep breath and relax."


    "How can I relax when I feel like I have a bone sticking out of my back? I know it''s not broken but that''s what it feels like," Victoria said.


    "Let me see it," I said.


    She blinked. "Huh?"


    "I said, let me see it," I demanded.


    She sat up and turned around and lifted her shirt up. I gasped when I saw what looked like the beginning of a wing starting to form. When I touched it the wing disappeared back into her back as if nothing had happened. Once that happened, Victoria let out a sigh of relief, "Man that feels better. I have no idea what you did but that seemed to work."


    Jenny sniffled. "Hey no fair! I could''ve done that!"


    Victoria turned back around and looked at her. "There are some things that you might not be able to help me with."


    Jenny looked at me and snarled, "This is all your fault! Fuck you Walter!"


    "What the hell!" Victoria yelled.


    She went to get up and run after Jenny but I stopped her. "Don''t, I''ll talk to her."


    I ran downstairs. "Jenny, wait!"


    "Why?" She snapped. "Ever since Victoria started dating you she stopped needing me. I mean I knew this day would come but¡­"


    I paused. "Let me get this straight. You''re having some sort of empty nest syndrome? You know Victoria''s a grown ass woman right? Think of it this way, when you started dating David did you need anyone then?"


    "I didn''t, but Victoria''s different!" Jenny insisted.


    "How is she different?" I asked.


    She took a breath and let it out. "Growing up Victoria needed someone to be there for her when things got tough. I was there, Jaxon was there, but it was mostly me because Jaxon has more of a life than I do. I would''ve taken her with me after I left home but I didn''t have the means to take care of another person. I was barely making ends meet as it was.


    "At least I was there to patch her up when things went south in her life. Now that she''s grown I still patch things up for her. I feel like I''m her mom more so than her actual mother and I want her to look at me as a mother figure even if I''m just her bigger sister."


    "You are a mother figure to me," I heard Victoria say. I turned to her standing at the bottom of the steps with tears in her eyes. "You''ve been more of a mother figure to me than my own mother was. It''s just there are some things that you can''t help me with."


    Jenny walked towards Victoria. "But I want to be able to help you with everything! I need you to need me."


    Victoria looked down and stood there for a moment. Then she sighed, "I do need you, just not for everything. Besides, Walter''s right, I''m a grown woman and I need to do things on my own. Why do you think I didn''t move in with you when I needed a caretaker?"


    "I¡­ I¡­." Jenny stammered. Just right when I thought she was going to run to Victoria and hug her, she said, "I gotta go."


    She ran out the door so fast that one would think that she was on fire.


    "For fucks sake!" Victoria groaned.


    "What just happened?" I asked.


    "Now she won''t talk to me for a couple of days! She''s done that before when she''s gotten upset with me," Victoria said. "I mean I get that she doesn''t want to take her anger out on me but it still hurts."


    "I get it, I really do. I was like that with my younger sister at one  point in her life but I knew that once she got older, I had to let go. It doesn''t mean I can''t be there for her, I just needed to let her live her life the way she wants to," I said. "Jenny should do the same. Although I do admire her for helping you out the best she could."


    Victoria nodded. "Uh-huh¡­"


    I changed the subject, "Anyway are you hungry? I could fix you something to eat."


    "Sounds good to me," Victoria said.


    I got Victoria some food and as we were eating I couldn''t help but think about Jenny wanting to be Victoria''s Mom. It made sense and at the same time it didn''t make sense. Victoria''s a grown woman and I''m pretty sure that most parents that sooner or later their children will leave the house and have to stand on their own two feet. But I do understand wanting to protect Victoria because I want to protect her too.


    ***


    {omniscient}


    Jenny didn''t drive home but she drove to a nearby McDonald''s just to try and calm herself down before she made the long drive home. Tears flowed freely down from her eyes and she didn''t even bother to wipe them from her face.


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    Taking a couple of deep breaths she muttered to herself, "Fuck! Why the hell does it have to be now? She needs me! She''s got to need me! She doesn''t have to lean on her boyfriend all the time! Ugh! I hate him!"


    She took another deep breath and took out her cell phone and called Jaxon. On the third ring he picked up, "Hello?"


    "Jaxon, it''s awful," She sniffed.


    "What? What''s wrong?" Jaxon asked, with concern.


    "I hate Walter!" She snarled.


    "What did he do?" Jaxon said.


    "He didn''t really do anything except help Victoria out." Jenny answered.


    Jaxon laughed, "You know jealousy isn''t a good look for you."


    "I''m not jealous!" Jenny protested.


    "That''s what it sounds like to me. What happened?" Jaxon said.


    "Well Victoria was in pain because of something and when I went to go help her, she flat out refused. She refused my help Jaxon!" Jenny explained, "Victoria''s never refused my help! Not once."


    "Looks like you''ve finally run into something that you can''t help with," Jaxon said. "Didn''t you say that David wanted children?"


    "But we''re not married," Jenny said.


    "This isn''t the 1960''s anymore and at the moment you don''t need to be married to have a child. Fuck marriage anyway!" Jaxon said.


    "But Victoria is my child!" Jenny whined.


    "No, she isn''t, she''s your baby sister," Jaxon responded.


    "Same difference," Jenny snapped.


    Jaxon groaned. "Where are you?"


    "I''m sitting in my car at the McDonald''s around the corner from Victoria''s house," Jenny answered.


    Jaxon groaned again, "Okay stay there because you''re obviously upset and I''m calling David to come get your car."


    "But-"


    "No but''s Jenny. The last thing I need is for you to get into a care wreck. I''ll be there in a few," Jaxon lectured.


    Jenny sighed, "Okay."


    Jaxon hung up and that was when Jenny realized that he was right. It was time for her to have a child of her own and let Victoria go.


    ***


    {Delilah}


    I smiled and I hadn''t stopped smiling all day because I was able to be in the arms of my true lover, Ben. It was clear that Frank didn''t want me in his bed anymore and he was also cheating on me just like I was cheating on him. So if I tried to use that to drag his name through the mud, he could turn around and do the same thing to me.


    I just shrugged it off because as long as I had access to Frank''s money and could live a life of luxury I was cool with it. But even so I had a feeling that Frank had something more in store for me.


    The only time I stopped smiling was when I looked over at the clock on the nightstand. Ben looked at me and frowned. "What''s wrong?"


    I groaned, "It''s 7:30 pm so that means that I have to go back home."


    Ben snorted. "Let me get this straight, your husband allows you to cheat on him but he wants you home by a curfew? Why don''t you just leave him and marry me instead?"


    I scoffed, "No. Frank has more money than you."


    "Is that what this is about?" Ben asked. "Because you seem really happy to be with me every time we sleep together."


    "I know but I can''t marry you. I need someone with money and Frank has that," I said.


    He sighed, "Fine. So if I make more money than Frank then you''ll marry me?"


    I laughed, "Frank has more money than you ever will. He''s a freaking billionaire!"


    "So-" He started.


    I shook my head. "Nope. It''s not happening. I''m sorry but we can only be together this way."


    He looked at me as if I kicked his puppy or something. I rolled my eyes. "Don''t tell me, you''re in love with me aren''t you?"


    He didn''t answer me but he got up from the bed and left the room. I got dressed and just when I was about to leave he stopped me. I raised an eyebrow. "What?"


    He gave me an evil smile. "I''ll make you mine one of these days whether you come to me willingly or not. I''m sure Frank would love to get you out of his hair. I might not have money but I have something else."


    I narrowed my eyes. "And what might that be?"


    "You''ll figure it out soon enough. I want you to need me and I make it that way one of these days," Ben said. "But for now, until I have things in place, don''t come around or I might take you a lot sooner than expected."


    "You wouldn''t dare!" I hissed.


    Ben didn''t lose his evil smile when he showed me a gun that he had in his back pocket. "Try me sweetheart. I dare you to."


    The driver that Frank sent me with pulled around and honked the horn. I slowly backed away from him and got into the car.


    "Is everything alright Mistress?" The driver asked.


    I nodded. "Yeah everything''s fine."


    I could tell by the look on the driver''s face that he wasn''t buying it but he just shrugged it off and drove me home.


    ***


    I got home just in time for dinner. Lately my dinners with Frank have been rather quiet which is fine by me because I don''t really feel like talking to him.


    "Is anything on your mind?" Frank asked.


    I looked up at him. "No, everything''s fine."


    He gave me a pointed look. "Uh-huh sure you are. This wouldn''t have anything to do with Ben now would it?"


    I shook my head. "No-"


    "Oh please don''t lie to me Delilah. Ben called me and he wants to make arrangements for you to stay with him. I mean I am thinking about divorcing you but not yet. I have one more planned for you and then I''ll let you go," Frank said.


    My eyes went wide in horror. "No! Please don''t do that?"


    "And why not?" Frank asked. "You don''t love me, you''ve made that pretty clear. Besides, what do you bring to the table in this marriage? Do you have any ambitions on what you want to do for your future? I doubt it because I doubt you had any before you married me. You were just looking for an easy way into high society life weren''t you? I can''t say I''m not surprised considering your ex-husband''s were rich but not as rich as I am of course."


    "But¡­ But¡­" I stammered. I had no idea what to say.


    Frank smirked. "Oh don''t worry your pretty little head. I''ll give you enough money to be set for life. Hell, I''ll even give you a job in a company if need be. Although the money should be enough as long as you don''t blow it all in one go. You''ll still be able to live the High Society Life."


    He finished eating and left the room leaving me to finish my food in silence.


    ***


    {Victoria}


    My back has been killing me lately but it seems that whenever Walter touches it, the pain calms down. It keeps me from sleeping much as well. Thankfully, I managed to put my art commissions on hold until I got this issue under control.


    Not to mention Walter''s been feeling some back pain as well. Although I wonder if it''s just sympathy pain.


    Jenny seemed rather happy that I needed her help because Walter wasn''t feeling well. It kind of creeped me out in a way knowing that this whole entire time she viewed me as her own child. She also tried to help Walter out and he wasn''t too happy about that.


    "Why are men so freaking stubborn?" Jenny whined as she helped fluff the pillows on the couch so I could sit down and watch Tv.


    "Well maybe he doesn''t want you touching his back?" I said.


    "What? It''s not like I''m going to get him naked or anything like that. Although now I''ve gotten a chance to observe him more he does seem like he''s in good shape. That makes sense considering his line of work. I must say you two will make some gorgeous babies!" Jenny said.


    I choked. "Okay, yeah at the moment babies are off the table for us because of health issues. No reason why you can''t have a baby of your own?"


    Jenny nodded. "Yeah David and I have been talking about it and I''ve stopped taking the pill. So hopefully soon you might have a little mini me running around."


    I smiled. "That''s good to hear and then you''ll be needed by someone 24/7!"


    I was going to say something when I felt a sharp pain in my back.


    "Victoria!" Jenny panicked. "I''m taking you upstairs to Walter."


    Jenny scooped me up and carried me upstairs and knocked on Walter''s door. He answered it and groaned in pain. "What''s going on?"


    "Victoria needs you," Jenny said.


    "Yeah, okay just put her on the bed over here," Walter said.


    As soon as Jenny put me down on the bed Walter crawled back into bed and hugged me. The pain went away and Walter let out a sigh of relief. I looked at him and frowned. "Are you okay?"


    He blinked. "Actually, I feel better now. All I did was hug you."


    "Huh, interesting it''s just like when you touch my back I feel better. Do you think that maybe we just need to stay together like this when the pain acts up?" I said.


    "I don''t know but it seems to help," Walter responded.


    "Aww look at my babies!" Jenny gushed. "You guys look so cute together! Okay you guys stay here and I''ll go get your phone Victoria and just call me if you need my help."


    I didn''t say anything until Jenny left. "I don''t know why but she''s creeping me out right now."


    Walter nodded. "Yeah I was thinking the same thing. First she hated me the other day and now she likes taking care of me? She''s weird."


    I nodded in agreement. "Yeah weird indeed."

 Chapter 21: Delilah gets engaged

    {Delilah}


    The last few days have been really draining. With Ben''s threats and Frank''s impending divorce on the horizon I couldn''t help but pace in my room back and forth. When I stopped pacing I ran to the bathroom and threw up.


    There was a knock on the door. "Mistress Delilah? You have a visitor. Would you like to see them?"


    I frowned. "Who would be visiting me?"


    The maid shook her head. "They didn''t want me to say who they were."


    "Oh, okay then," I said. I followed the maid down the hallway to the living room and my blood ran cold when I saw Ben sitting on the couch with an evil smile on his face. "B-Ben? What are you doing here?"


    He tilted his head. "I''m here to kill two birds with one stone."


    I paused. "Huh?"


    "Actually it''s more like three birds with one stone," Ben said.


    He stood up and walked towards me. I backed up and before I could run off, he caught me by my wrist and drew me into his arms. "You''re going to marry me."


    I scoffed. "And why would I do that?"


    "Because I have a gun and even though I don''t have as much money as Frank does I''m still pretty well off and I will treat you like the Queen you are," He said. "I also have power. Again, not as much as Frank does but enough to protect you."


    I scoffed again. "Protect me? What would I need to be protected from?"


    "You have plenty of enemies in this house my dear. I wouldn''t be surprised if someone wanted to try and kill you right now," Ben said.


    "Ben, it''s so nice to see you come for a visit!" I heard Frank say.


    I looked up at Frank who strolled into the living room and took a seat in the recliner chair as if nothing was wrong.


    "Hello there Mr. Randal. Remember what we were talking about the other day?" Ben said as he sat down and motioned for me to sit next to him.


    I sat down but not next to him. I sat down on the other side of the couch that was furthest away from him.


    Frank smiled. "Oh that''s right about the divorce proceedings! I plan on starting them next Monday the 13th. Does that sound good to you?"


    Ben nodded. "Yup! That sounds great!"


    "Frank, please don''t do this!" I pleaded.


    Frank raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Why? It''s clear you love being with Ben. So this is the perfect trade. As I said before you''ll get enough money to be set for life. Not to mention Ben''s more inclined to protect you with everything he has regardless if you love him or not! It''ll be a dream come true for you."


    "But-" I started.


    Ben smirked. "No but''s Delilah. Once everything is final, you''ll be mine whether you like it or not."


    I hung my head in defeat. If only I hadn''t told Frank that I don''t love him then I wouldn''t be in this situation.


    Then I got an idea in hopes that Frank would change his mind. I turned to Frank. "What if I told you that I lied?"


    ''''About what?" Frank asked.


    "What if I said that I changed my mind and I do love you. Because that''s what this is about right? You''re cheating on me because I said that I don''t love you. I mean sure I cheated on you as well but that was a mistake," I said, trying my best to look sincere.


    Unfortunately Frank didn''t buy it. I guess I''m not as good of a liar as I thought I was. Frank shook his head and laughed, "Nice try Delilah, but I think you''ll be happier with Ben. And if you ever breathe a word about my affair I tell everyone how you tried to kill your own child. How you didn''t go to jail is beyond me. But I''m sure there''s a statute of limitations and all that other crap. You''re lucky you''re not in jail for assaulting Victoria like you did at the art exhibit that day."


    My eyes went wide. "How did you-"


    "I figured it out. I got access to Victoria''s medical records and in them there are three different times that she went to the hospital with life threatening injuries and Issac himself reported that you were the last one to be seen with Victoria," Frank said.


    I looked at Ben and he looked at me as if I had grown two heads. I gulped.


    Before I could say anything Frank said, "Did you or did you not push Victoria down the stairs when she was three years old? Again, I found out from her medical records that she fell down the stairs and almost died. You were the last one seen with her. Of course, there was no proof that you did it because it''s hearsay. So, did you do it?"


    I felt my blood run cold and as much as I wanted to lie I thought that maybe if I told the truth Ben wouldn''t want me anymore. I squeaked, "Yes."


    Ben shook his head in dismay. "Don''t worry Frank, I''ll make sure to keep her in line and away from her children since she seems to think that children are punching bags. From what I know of there''s Victoria, the one Delilah slapped just for being gay."


    "She''s bisexual," I corrected. "And Jaxon told me she has a boyfriend now."


    "Whatever, then there''s Jenny and your oldest Jaxon. Who apparently is your favorite," Ben said.


    I gaped at him because I couldn''t believe he would still want me even after everything that''s been said.


    "Why?" I asked.


    "Why, what?" Ben responded.


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    "Why do you still want me? Even after everything that I''ve done, why do you still want me?" I said.


    "It''s simple. It''s because I love you," Ben said.


    "Awww isn''t that cute, I knew you''d be better off with Ben. He loves you no matter how evil you are!" Frank taunted.


    Ben just shrugged that comment off, "So Monday the 13th, you''ll start the divorce proceedings and then Delilah''s mine?"


    Frank nodded. "Yup! I''ll have the maids start packing her stuff now. You two can go have sexy fun times in Delilah''s room to celebrate."


    My jaw dropped so low to the ground that I could taste it. I couldn''t believe that Ben would still like me. I also couldn''t help but think that there has to be a catch to this.


    Ben and Frank stood up and shook hands as if they just made a business deal. When you think about it, they kind of did. They made a deal involving the rest of my life. Some people would call this karma and some people would call it ridiculous.


    Ben turned to me and held out a hand. "Come on Delilah, let''s go to your room."


    "And do what?" I asked.


    He gave me an evil smile. "What do you think?"


    I hung my head. "I can''t win here can I?"


    He shook his head. "No, no you can''t."


    I grabbed his hand and we went to my room.


    ***


    {Ben}


    I couldn''t believe how easy it was to not only get Delilah in my bed but to get her to be my lover forever. But you know what they say, if it''s too good to be true then it is. Yes, there''s a catch for me taking her in but I don''t plan on telling her until after I have her at my place for good.


    I''m actually one of Satan''s servants and he sent me on this mission knowing that I would have no problem getting Delilah in bed. That was the first part of the mission. I got Delilah in bed and now the second part of the mission is to prepare Delilah''s body for possession.


    As soon as I took Delilah to her bedroom, I excused myself to the bathroom. I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Satan''s number. ¡ª Yeah I know Satan has a cell phone¡ª


    He picked up on the third ring. "Hello there Ben, how is phase two coming along?"


    I smiled. "It''s coming along just fine. Frank is planning on starting divorce proceedings on Monday the 13th and soon she''ll be staying at my place for the rest of her life."


    "So once she''s at your place we''ll complete the possession ritual and then move onto phase 3," Satan said. "Good, VERY good!"


    My smile turned into a grin. "Thank you master!"


    "Alright, call me when you have her at your place. For now, just go have some sexy fun times with your lover," Satan said.


    "Yes Master," I hung up the phone and my smile didn''t fade. I left the bathroom and before I approached Delilah I made sure to hide my gun in a place where she couldn''t find it and try to kill me. Of course you can''t kill a demon, so I just didn''t want her to find out my secret before it was time.


    I saw Delilah sitting on the edge of the bed staring off into space. I sat down and grabbed her hand to snap her out of it. "A penny for your thoughts?"


    She shrugged. "I don''t know. It just seems too good to be true. You''re still in love with me even after everything I''ve done. Even though I''m cheating on my husband with you and tried to kill my daughter, who loves someone like that?"


    "I do," I said. "And there''s nothing you can do to change that. What you did was in the past. True, you''ll never be able to make amends with your daughter and you probably don''t want to."


    I leaned over and kissed her. She responded to the kiss but then I pulled away and acted like I forgot something. She frowned, "What''s wrong?"


    "Just a moment," I said. I had prepared for this moment to make her eager enough to go through with the divorce proceedings. I grabbed the engagement ring that I had for her out of my suit jacket pocket and went up to her and got down on one knee.


    Delilah gasped before I even said anything.


    "Delilah Randal, would you make me the happiest man alive by becoming my wife after you divorce Frank?" I asked.


    Delilah had tears of joy in her eyes when she said, "Yes."


    I motioned for her to take her wedding rings off and replaced them with my engagement ring. I stood up and pulled her into my arms and gave her another kiss. This time Delilah''s hands went down to my pants zipper and she unzipped my pants. Before I knew it I was on the bed naked.


    "Hmm, I''m the only one naked here," I said. I pulled Delilah down the bed and took her clothes off.


    I fucked Delilah until she couldn''t walk. Once she was happy and stated that was when I got dressed and went home.


    ***


    {Satan}


    "This is great! Ben did a good job," I chuckled.


    "Really? Then what''s so funny?" Cathy said.


    "What''s funny is the fact that Ben is such a good actor that he convinced Delilah that he''s head over heels for her even after everything she''s done. Awww isn''t that cute?" I said.


    "And you say that I''m the evil one," Alastor said. "They don''t call you the King of Hell for nothing."


    Alastor walked into the room and sat down on the couch. "So things are going smoothly. My niece will be home in no time!"


    I raised an eyebrow. "You do realize that Walter and Victoria haven''t gone through with the engagement ceremony yet right? I think you''re jumping the gun here. Don''t worry, soon Victoria will be home and we''ll take this one step at a time."


    Alastor rolled his eyes. "Okay fine. I''ll stop saying I''m her Uncle until after they''ve gone through the engagement ceremony."


    I nodded. "Good. Now we just sit back and wait."


    ***


    {Delilah}


    The next family dinner was rather tense because of the fact that I got engaged to someone without completing the divorce proceedings.


    We ate our meal mostly in silence until Maverick spoke, "I still can''t believe you have the audacity to get engaged when you''re not even divorced yet! You are worse than a gold digger! Oh wait never mind you''re a gold digger and you''re evil! There''s a special place in Hell for people like you!"


    I thought he was done with his rant but he turned to Frank. "And you! How the hell can you just sit there and be okay with this?"


    Frank put his fork down and gave Maverick an evil smile. "It''s simple, I already have a plan for my revenge."


    Maverick didn''t do anything other than scoff and sit back down.


    "You know, you''re lucky that Victoria''s too ill to be here at the moment or I''d ask her to sick her dog on you," Jenny growled. "And I''m glad you''ll be out of my life for good after you divorce Frank."


    I was taken aback by that statement. I knew Victoria hated me but I didn''t realize that Jenny hated me too.


    Jenny rolled her eyes. "Don''t be so surprised, why do you think I haven''t called you mother this last year? Maybe I should just refer to you as Bitch instead? Calling you by your name is way too good for you."


    I sat there gaping at her. "Seriously? You hate me that much?"


    The look Jenny gave me and the silence that followed spoke volumes. I turned to Jaxon. "Do you hate me too? You''ve always been the favorite of the family you know."


    Jaxon looked up at me as if he were deciding something. He sighed and shook his head. "Yes, I hate you. It''s funny because I was the one that would make excuse after excuse for your bad behavior. In my opinion you should never have had kids. I mean thank you for giving birth to me but that''s where my respect for you stops as of today.


    "And you getting engaged before you get divorced is just the latest reason as to why you are a horrible person! Have you not once stopped to think about how your actions would affect others?"


    My jaw dropped because I had no idea what to say to that. I mean I know I did some messed up things but I didn''t realize that it would affect my children''s viewpoint of me. I abruptly stood up from the table and ran out of the room in tears. As I ran I heard Jenny and Jaxon laughing.


    Jaxon called out, "Goodbye and good riddance bitch! There''s a special place in Hell for you!"


    Little did I know that in the future I would find out how right he was.

 Chapter 22: A Fledgling Demon

    {Victoria}


    Lately because of the pain in my back I''ve been sleeping, waking up, grabbing something to eat, taking my medicine, wash, rinse and repeat. Walter seems to be doing better than me though.


    Today when I woke up the pain seemed to be worse than it was before. I sat up and my head was pounding as if it was being hit by a hammer constantly.


    "Oh boy, it''s that bad?" Walter asked.


    I could barely open my eyes when I nodded. "Yes. I feel like I''m getting hit with a hammer on the inside of my head."


    "Ouch," Walter said. "I''m going to go grab you medicine and then we can cuddle for a bit."


    I heard Walter leave the room but before he came back I started coughing and felt something fall on my chest. I opened my eyes to see that I had coughed up blood. My eyes went wide in horror. "Well gee I knew I was sick but I didn''t think it was that bad."


    I kept coughing up blood even when Walter returned with the pain medicine.


    He panicked, "Victoria, what on earth?"


    "I think I''m going to puke," I said in between my coughing fit. Walter immediately grabbed the nearby trash can and handed it to me.


    I have no idea how many times I coughed and threw up but the episode lasted for a while. When it finally calmed down I sat up and laid back on the headboard of the bed. "What the hell is happening to me?"


    Walter shook his head. "I don''t know but I think you should go to the-"


    "Hospital?" I heard someone cut him off. I looked up to see a man who looked like an older version of Walter. He had light brown hair with gray streaks in it and instead of blue eyes he had black eyes.


    Walter snarled when he saw him. "Alastor!"


    "Well hello there son," Alastor said.


    I raised an eyebrow. "Who are you?"


    "Ah yes, where are my manners? Introductions are in order¡­" Alastor said. "I am a Prince of Darkness, the future Uncle to the future Queen of Hell and Satan''s second in command¡­ Alastor. And just call me Alastor, those titles that I have are quite a mouthful to say."


    "O¡­ Kay? Why won''t a Hospital help me?" I asked.


    "Because human hospitals aren''t equipped to help treat a fledgling demon," Alastor answered and he gave me a pointed look to tell me that I should know this information already.


    I blinked. "A fledgling demon? What the hell!" I looked at Walter. "Look I know I''ve been sick for a while but I''ve been taking my medicine on time right?"


    Walter sat down on the edge of the bed and sighed, "Unfortunately you did take your medicine on time. This guy is real and he only appears to people wants to appear to. I would''ve told you about him before but I don''t think you''d believe me."


    I nodded. "You damn right I wouldn''t believe you. The guy is standing right in front of me and I still don''t believe it."


    "I guess I should sit down for this explanation," Alastor said. He snapped fingers and a chair appeared out of thin air and he sat down on it. "A long time ago when Earth was created, realms called Heaven and Hell were created as well. The first ruler of Hell ruled over Hell with an iron fist. He was very strict on demons as to when they could visit Earth and when they couldn''t. He also made the Royal Family which consisted of nine Princes of Darkness.


    "Each Prince had a different bloodline and all that jazz. I''m second in command so therefore I''m the first Prince of Darkness. Lucifer the first King of Hell''s rule was uninterrupted for thousands of years until Satan had an argument with his brother and for whatever the reason he got kicked out of Heaven and fell all the way through Earth into Hell.


    "Lucifer took a liking to Satan and took him under his wing. And then to everyone''s surprise Lucifer decided to step down from his place on the throne and hand it over to Satan. Lucifer requested of Satan that he ever felt the need to retire from being King, that he make sure the next ruler is a woman. Why Lucifer specified that the next ruler needed to be a woman no one knows. Hell, not even Satan knows the reason. He''s asked Lucifer on several different occasions as to why but never really got an answer.


    "The other strange thing that Lucifer said was that the next ruler couldn''t step down from the throne until she had ruled over Hell for 1 million years."


    I tilted my head. "Why only 1 million years?"


    He looked at me. "As opposed to?"


    "Forever, and why can''t Satan just rule forever too?" I asked.


    "That''s a good question, let''s just say that the last time Lucifer and Satan got together and had a little chat, it seems that as soon as his daughter is of age, Lucifer wants Satan to step down from the throne," Alastor responded.


    I opened my mouth and then shut it.


    Alastor laughed, "Yeah I know, Lucifer''s kind of a weirdo but then again, just about every citizen in Hell is either weird or just plain evil."


    "I see, so if humans can''t help a fledgling demon, then who can?" I asked.


    "The answer is simple: only other demons can help a fledgling demon," Alastor said. "As a matter of fact, there are demons on Earth disguised as humans that can help you."


    "Who?" I said.


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    Alastor looked  at Walter. "You have a friend named Parker right?"


    Walter nodded. "Yes." His eyes went wide. "You mean to tell me that Parker''s a demon?"


    "Yes indeedy!" Alastor said with pride. He pulled out a cell phone from his pocket and I gave him a look of disbelief. He tilted his head. "What?"


    "Demons have cell phones?" I said.


    "Yes we do," Alastor said. "We find them to be rather convenient than just using magic all of the time. You''ll figure it out once you become a full demon."


    "Oh," I said.


    Alastor dialed Parker''s phone number and when Parker picked up he had a short conversation with him and hung up. He smiled. "Parker has agreed to help you but we need to get moving as soon as possible."


    "Wait a minute, what about Jenny and Jaxon? Shouldn''t we let them know what''s going on?" I asked.


    Alastor shook his head. "Nope but just tell them you won''t be home at least. Maybe you could leave a note?"


    "I''ll take care of it," Walter said. "Jenny''s downstairs anyway."


    "She''s downstairs huh? Alright we''ll be leaving through the basement of the house," Alastor said.


    He snapped his fingers and I noticed that I wasn''t in my pajamas anymore but I was wearing a black t-shirt and black pants. I looked over at Walter to see that he was wearing the same.


    "Um, what about my dog?" I asked.


    "Don''t worry about him, he''ll be fine," Alastor said. He opened the door to my room and helped me get to my feet.


    We walked downstairs and Walter told Jenny that we were going somewhere and didn''t know how long we''d be gone. She took it at face value and left the house. Once she was gone we headed towards the basement.


    "Now let''s see here¡­" Alastor said as he went over to a nearby wall. He tapped on one of the bricks and it lit up. He smiled. "Perfect!"


    He pulled the brick out and a door opened leading to a secret passageway. He motioned for us to follow him. "Come along now, Parker will be meeting us at the end of this tunnel."


    Walter and I exchanged a look and shrugged. We followed Alastor and as soon as we got towards the end of the tunnel the pain in my back acted up again. I fell over and passed out.


    ***


    {Delilah}


    The divorce proceedings went off without a hitch and Ben and I were married a week later. The news of my marriage didn''t go over well with the media of course. They resorted to calling me all sorts of names including saying that I was a gold digging whore who only married Frank for his money.


    I didn''t deny it because it was the truth that painted me in a bad light. I was even getting death threats and Frank didn''t care. He ultimately told me that I deserved it and wouldn''t do anything to protect me and that I was on my own.


    It was then that I knew I had to do something but I didn''t know what.


    After I married Ben I was moved over to his house and not the original house that I thought he had. The original house that I would normally meet up with him to have the affair. His actual home was a mansion. It was just as big as Frank''s and just as well decorated.


    I looked over when Ben led me up the stairs to the front door of the mansion and said, "Why didn''t you tell me that you had this much money?"


    Ben looked at me and frowned. "Why do you think? You only married Frank for his money and you straight up told me that you''d only marry me if I had more money than Frank. Do you think I''m going to tell a gold digging whore like you how much money I have?"


    I deadpanned, "Good point."


    Ben nodded. "Now follow me, I shall lead you to your room."


    I followed him down a hallway and every room we passed by had a beautiful wooden door with symbols scratched on them. I didn''t think anything of it until we stopped at a brown wooden door that had the symbol of a pentagram on it.


    I gulped and hesitated once Ben opened the door. He raised an eyebrow. "What''s the matter?"


    "That symbol on the door isn''t that a witch''s symbol?" I asked.


    He rolled his eyes. "It''s just a symbol and this is your room whether you like it or not."


    I stood there hesitating again and Ben grabbed my hand and pulled me into the room. I looked around the room and it was beautiful. There was a huge walk-in closet off to my right and the bathroom was off to my left. In the middle of the room was a giant King sized bed that was decorated with black sheets, comforters and black pillows. There was a flat screen Tv that hung on the wall in front of the bed.


    "Wow, this room is beautiful!" I said with a smile.


    Ben smiled back. "I''m glad you like it because you''ll be staying here most of the time. You will not be allowed out unless you are accompanied by a guard. Now sit down on the bed, there''s something that I need to give you."


    "Okay," I said. I sat down on the bed wondering what he was going to give me.


    He knelt down and grabbed my ankle and just right when I thought he was going to do something sexual he put a silver ankle bracelet. I looked down and the bracelet had a simple plain silver chain on it with a butterfly pendant at the center of it.


    "It''s beautiful," I said.


    Ben smirked. "Uh-huh, it''s about as beautiful as you are. Whatever you do, don''t take this bracelet off. If you take it off there will be consequences."


    "What kind of consequences?" I said in a flirting manner.


    He laughed, "Oh honey, you don''t want to find out. Now, I have some things to take care of and I''ll see you when I have the time to."


    He gave me a kiss and when he left the room I heard a click telling me that the door was locked. It left me wondering what type of marriage had gotten myself into that Ben felt the need to protect me by locking me in my room.


    ***


    {Victoria}


    The next time I opened my eyes I wasn''t in my room. I was lying on the ground in what looked like a cave. It was possibly a dungeon because when I looked in front me there were what looked like bars.


    "Well it''s about time you woke up," I heard Alastor say.


    I looked closer to see that he had a tray of food in his hands and raised an eyebrow because it wasn''t your typical prison food. "Do prisoners here always get gourmet food?"


    Alastor looked down at the food and laughed, "Really? You think steak, potatoes and lobster is gourmet food?"


    I nodded. "Yes, because steak and lobster are expensive and most people can''t afford it. Anyway, why am I in a dungeon?"


    Alastor walked into the dungeon and set the tray of food at the table. "Well remember how I said you were a fledgling demon? The reason you''re here is because when you shed your skin you''ll be a danger to people around you. Only experienced people will be able to handle you. So before everything gets started I suggest you eat something."


    Alastor left and I shrugged as I sat down to eat.


    ***


    I opened my eyes again and couldn''t figure out when I fell asleep. The last thing I remembered was eating and that was it. It made me realize that the food was drugged.


    "Seriously Alastor?" I growled. "You fucking drugged me?"


    "I wouldn''t worry so much about being drugged and take a look around you," Alastor said.


    I did as I was told and saw that I was hanging from a ceiling by my wrists and they were tied up with a silver chain.


    "You''re not a prisoner," Alastor said. "You''re just being contained and in case you''re wondering Walter''s in the dungeon next to you and he''ll be going through the same thing."


    Before I could say anything I felt a sharp pain in my back. It was similar to the pain I''ve been having lately but worse. I screamed in pain.


    "Annnd it begins!" Alastor said.

 Chapter 23: Satans Crew

    {Delilah}


    Another week had passed and I was starting to get bored being locked in a room all day. When Ben came to visit me I asked if I could be let out. He said yes because he was going to let me out today anyway. He went even so far as to say that there was something he needed to show me.


    He led me down the hallway to a waiting car outside. I got excited because I was happy to get out and see the outside world again.


    Once we got in the car Ben told the driver where to go. The address sounded familiar because Frank and I used to visit this address before. It was a fine dining restaurant that had a club attached to it. I thought we were going to the restaurant but we didn''t. We went to the club instead.


    Ben pretty much dragged me along bypassing the bar and into a backroom. Once we entered the room I saw a group of men sitting around eating food, talking and drinking beer.


    I looked at Ben. "What''s this about?"


    Ben didn''t say anything. He cleared his throat and the whole room went silent. "Everyone, I would like you to meet the lady of the mafia, and her name is Delilah."


    I stared at him in disbelief. "I''m the lady of the what now?"


    "The mafia and this mafia in particular is called: Satan''s Crew," Ben answered. "They also answer to you within reason but they mostly answer to me. So just because you''re also a Boss make sure to run any of your decisions by me first. There is one thing that you need to do to officially become a part of the group."


    I tilted my head. "And what might that be?"


    "You need to get a tattoo," Ben said.


    "Why?" I asked.


    "Because it''s the symbol of our gang and with the tattoo you''ll be protected by us," Ben explained.


    I looked around at the group of men to see them raising their eyebrows at Ben with looks that were questioning his actions for whatever the reason.


    Ben snarled, "Do we have a problem?"


    Everyone shook their heads and said, "No Boss."


    Ben nodded. "Now I''m going to send my lovely wife over to the tattoo area to get that taken care of. I''ll be back shortly."


    "Yes Boss!" Everyone said.


    With that, he escorted me out of the room.


    ***


    {Ben}


    I went back to the back room where the "mafia" was waiting for me. We weren''t really a mafia, we just acted like one. I must say, our acting was on point today. The "mafia" is actually a group of Satan''s servants and he put together to help him gather wicked souls and present them to the Grim Reaper to be sorted. True, Satan did choose me to be the leader so I had to act the part. I''d hate to find out the consequences Satan would give me if I didn''t do a good job on my missions.


    As soon as I entered the room my co-workers cheered. I chuckled, "Yes, yes I know you flatter me too much. The acting is on point. Although this won''t really become an official mafia until the rightful leader takes their spot on the team."


    "Here! Here! Long live the Princess!" One of my co-workers shouted.


    "Yeah!" Everyone else cheered.


    I clapped to get everyone''s attention. "Alright everyone, drinks are on-"


    "I wouldn''t celebrate too soon if I were you," I heard Alastor say. He is another guy that I for sure wouldn''t want to piss off because he takes delight in torturing people. As a matter of fact he oversees the sorting of the humans who are sent to Hell for punishment.


    I shuddered when I saw him and bowed just like everyone else in the room was doing.


    "Your Highness, what brings you to our humble abode?" I said after he motioned for me to stop bowing.


    "I''m just checking in to see how well the mission is going on," Alastor said. "And it seems like things are going smoothly." He paused. "Where''s Delilah?"


    "Oh she''s getting branded by way of a tattoo," I said. "She''ll be back shortly and I''ll make sure she goes home and tonight I''ll make sure that enough magic is connected to the possession stone and she''ll be ready for possession."


    "Excellent!" Alastor said. "I''ll be checking in on you later, keep up the good work boys and the drinks are on me!"


    Alastor stayed a little bit to pay for the drinks and he left just in time for Delilah to walk into the room. She didn''t look well, probably in pain from getting the tattoo. I escorted her home and tucked her into bed. I couldn''t stop smiling like an idiot knowing what was in store for Delilah in the near future.


    ***


    {Alastor}


    Normally, I enjoy the screams of people suffering but this is an exception to the rule. Today I was feeling more annoyed with Princess Victoria''s screams. But I comforted myself by the fact that she was making progress in shedding her skin to become a full demon and not just a fledgling demon.


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    On the other hand Walter was making even more progress at shedding his skin.


    Even though Princess Victoria''s been screaming in pain she broke out of the silver chains that I had her tied up in at first and has tried to kill me twice. I think she realized that you can''t really kill a demon and stopped trying at least for now. On the other hand, Walter hasn''t tried to kill me for whatever the reason.


    I visited the cave that Princess Victoria''s been calling a dungeon for the fourth time this week. At this point I just want her to shed her skin so Delilah can be possessed. The idea is when Princess Victoria sheds her skin she can still use her human body if she chooses to. The same thing would go for Walter.


    Delilah will be possessed. The plan is to make it look like she murdered Princess Victoria and Walter. From what I know of Delilah''s name has already been dragged through the mud by people calling her a gold digging whore, which she pretty much is.


    When I saw Princess Victoria today I was delighted about how much progress she was making. She was starting to look more like a demon than a human. Demons have a specific color to their skin and it''s a dark red color. One would think that a demon is just a human that got severe sunburn. Demons look like they workout everyday 24/7 and that depends on how much power they have. That goes for both males and females. All demons have a long tail and at the end of the tail it looks like a spade from a playing card. All demons have human-like feet and hands that can be turned into claws when they''re angry.


    With Princess Victoria, I saw that she had developed claws for hands and they kept changing back and forth between human hands and claws. I smiled because I knew once she fully transformed into a demon she would learn how to change her appearance at will.


    "What the fuck do you want now Alastor?" Princess Victoria snapped.


    "Now, now Princess-" I said. I couldn''t finish my sentence when she charged at me. I just stepped out of the way and she ran into the nearby wall. I chuckled at her lack of fighting experience. "Don''t worry Princess, I''ll teach you how to fight and you''ll be a beast when it comes down to warfare. Satan will be proud!"


    "I don''t fucking care what Satan wants and I don''t care what you want!" Princess Victoria roared. "I just want to stop feeling this stupid pain that I''m in and get out of here!"


    "Don''t worry, you''ll stop feeling pain once the transformation is complete. Honestly, I''ve never seen a transformation take this long before," I said. Then I thought of something that just might speed up her transformation. Usually I use it for torturing people but even though this might bring her more pain maybe it would. The sooner she transforms, the sooner she can start learning to become the next ruler of Hell.


    I cleared my throat and started to sing, "I''m not going to sing a lullaby. I''m going to sing you a curse. It might help you transform and die a little sooner. Staying alive will only make things worse."


    Princess Victoria howled in pain as one of her wings came out and she rolled around on the ground as if she were on fire.


    "Interesting," I said. I continued with my song, "I''m going to make you hate me. You''re gonna scream and shout. I''m going to make you wanna kill me. If you don''t believe me then you can give me an X to doubt."


    "Oh I want to kill you alright! I''ll kill and send you back to Hell where you belong!" Princess Victoria as she tried charging at me again.


    I sighed and stepped aside to dodge her. I kept singing, "You got claws and got your skin tone down. But you''re still a little bit weak. I wouldn''t expect anything less from a fledgling that''s a Royal. Pain is your best friend, it tells you that you''re fine. So don''t worry you''ll be fine.


    "I''m going to make you hate me. You''re gonna scream and shout. I''m going to make you wanna kill me. If you don''t believe me then you can give me an X to doubt."


    I smiled because from the looks of it the transformation was being sped up. Why didn''t I think of this sooner? She''ll be transformed in no time at all.


    She looked up at me and her eyes turned from their usual black to blood red. She reached out and somehow managed to scratch my face. Normally I would hit back and the torture someone even worse for that but Princess Victoria is an exception to the rule. Actually, my heart swelled with joy. But because I was a demon the scratches on my face healed quickly.


    Then I thought of an idea. The little "mafia" that Satan decided to put together had already captured a fresh batch of humans that needed to be killed for one reason or another. So I snapped my fingers and six humans appeared in front of Princess Victoria.


    I pointed her in the direction of where the humans were and sang, "Now I see your little pretty claws here. Maybe we can put them to the test? I have some humans that you can kill."


    "I''m not a fucking killer!" Princess Victoria growled.


    "Oh but you will be, that is the nature of demons," I said.


    She paused. "Is that what''s going to make the pain go away?"


    I nodded. "Of course, you''re not human my dear and you don''t have to feel pity for them. They need to be killed. You are more powerful than any human is!"


    She hesitated and then she went down the line and ripped the throats out of every single human standing there. I clapped in excitement when she did that.


    She looked up at me and snarled, "Oh don''t get too happy Alastor! We have unfinished business!"


    I nodded. "Of course we do, Your Highness! I''m not done making you hate me! I''m still going to make you wanna scream and shout! I''m not done making you hate me! If you don''t believe me then you can give me an X to doubt."


    An hour later Princess Victoria was completely transformed into a demon. She looked hot! Her skin was dark red and she had muscles as if she worked out at the gym. She didn''t have any clothes on just yet and I was going to fix that soon. Her black hair went down to her butt and she had a long black pointy tail. She had tiny black horns poking out of her head and her hands that were claws turned into hands again. Her black wings were big and fluffy and stood out behind her.


    I had to remind myself that she has a mate and she''ll be my future niece so that I didn''t hit on her. But I did praise her, "Oh my, my! Your transformation is complete! And you look beautiful!"


    "Question," Princess Victoria said, "Where''s Walter?"


    "Oh, he actually completed his transformation a couple of days ago and he''s in his room. He''s been asking for you by way," I said.


    She perked up, "Really? Can I see him?"


    I shook my head. "Not yet. First off I need to get you some clothes and then you''ll be led to your room and be taken care of. And then you''ll be greeted by the welcome committee and your father afterwards."


    "You mean Issacs''s here?" She said with excitement.


    My right eye twitched at hearing his name come out of her mouth. I composed myself, "No, Isaac isn''t here because he isn''t a demon. He''s human and he''s not your real father like you think he is. I mean your real, real father will greet you. And you''ll be surprised to find out who it is!"


    Princess Victoria seemed puzzled by that statement and I don''t blame her. I suspect it''s going to take some time for her to get adjusted to being in Hell but I decided that I would try my best to be patient with her. Although patience isn''t my strong suite.


    I snapped my fingers and got her dressed in the same type of clothes that she came in. She was wearing black jeans and a black t-shirt that had holes for her wings to stick out of.


    "Come along now, it''s time for you to start getting adjusted to your new home," I said.


    Without another word she followed me to the black gate that led to the castle in Hell.

 Chapter 24: Theyre missing!

    {Frank}


    I was sitting in my office on a usual day of work happy as a clam to finally be rid of Delilah. The divorce proceedings went well and from what I know of Delilah''s living the life of luxury that she always craved. She''s not in love with Ben and Ben has accepted it. The poor fool, it''s not like he''s doing it out of a sense of duty or anything like that. I just don''t understand what he sees in her.


    I put on some jazz music as I finished up my work when there was a knock on the door. "Come in!"


    I looked up and smiled when I saw Jenny enter the room. Then I frowned when I saw she looked panicked about something. "What''s wrong?"


    "Have you seen Victoria around lately?" Jenny asked.


    I shook my head. "No, why?"


    "Because Walter and Victoria left to go somewhere and they haven''t been back yet," Jenny said. "I''ve been back to the house and nothing seems to be wrong, they just up and left for no good reason and that''s not like them. I''m really worried because they were both ill and had trouble just moving around."


    My eyes went wide. "How long have they been missing?"


    "Two weeks," Jenny answered.


    I gasped, "Seriously? Why didn''t you tell me after the first week they went missing?"


    "I thought they were going to be back by the end of the week so I didn''t think anything of it," Jenny said. She paused. "Now that I think about it, they never said when they were going to return. But it''s still strange considering how ill they were before they left. I mean, Victoria could barely get down the stairs without help because of the pain in her back."


    I raised an eyebrow. "Interesting, what were her symptoms when she left?"


    Jenny told me what the symptoms were and it sounded very strange for an illness. Either way it was alarming.


    I sighed, "Alright let''s go check the house again, maybe we''ll find something about where they went? If we can''t find them I''ll ask Louis if he''s seen them around. If not then we''ll put out a missing person''s report. They couldn''t have gone far in their condition."


    "Unless¡­" Jenny said.


    "Unless what?" I asked.


    "Unless they had help getting to wherever they were going." Jenny said.


    "You think maybe they were kidnapped?" I asked.


    Jenny shook her head. "Now how can we claim kidnapping when they walked out of the house on their own?"


    "Well they could''ve been threatened somehow. It does happen. Did they leave their phones at home?" I said.


    "I don''t know. I might''ve been with them 24/7 but I didn''t monitor their phones," Jenny said.


    "Okay then let''s go if Louis hasn''t seen them and if we don''t find their phones, I have connections that would be able to find them faster than the police," I said.


    She nodded. "Okay."


    ***


    We got to Victoria''s house and we saw Victoria and Walter''s cars out in the driveway. That seemed rather strange considering Jenny told me that Victoria and Walter said they were leaving and didn''t know when they would be back. I had a hunch that maybe they were kidnapped but I wouldn''t know for sure until I found their phones or them in the house.


    When we went up the door we found the door unlocked. Jenny shook her head. "That''s strange. Every time I''ve come over I have to either get the spare key that Victoria gave me to get in or knock on the door. The door is never just unlocked like this. Victoria''s very conscious of her safety and you can blame Wyatt for that one."


    I raised an eyebrow. "Whose Wyatt?"


    She sighed, "It''s a long story."


    I nodded and we entered the house. Right off the bat I was alarmed at the state of the house. It looked like someone broke in and tried to rob the place. The Tv was broken and the pillows on the couch were ripped to shreds.


    Jenny gasped, "No fucking way! The last time I came here after Victoria and Walter left, the place was fine."


    "When was the last time you were here?" I asked.


    "Last Wednesday and I haven''t been back since," Jenny said.


    "I see, well let''s keep looking, maybe we''ll find them," I said.


    Jenny nodded and then we came across a small blood trail and it led to the kitchen. I gasped when I saw the cabinets were opened and all of the glass china was broken and everything that wasn''t glass was thrown about the room.


    I looked at the kitchen table and there were two cell phones, one of the phones had a smashed screen so I knew it wouldn''t work unless it was fixed. There was a note beside the phones that said:


    Look at the video on the phone that isn''t broken.


    I gulped and did as the note said to do. When I turned the phone on, a video started to play. The video started out with a man who looked like he was my age sitting at a desk. The man looked like an older version of Walter. He had light brown hair with gray streaks in it and instead of blue eyes he had black eyes.


    The outfit he was wearing looked like something a person of Royalty would wear. He had on red pants and a red suit jacket to match the pants that had a brooch that had a gold plated pentagram on it. He had a white shirt underneath his suit jacket and a black tie. He wore black dress shoes with white socks to complete the outfit.


    He had an evil smile on his face. "To whoever is watching this you''ll notice that the house is in bad shape. I had my minions do that after I convinced Walter and Victoria to come with me. It was too easy to do that considering I told them that I knew someone who could help them with their little illness.


    "You see I''m just taking back what belongs to me. There is a man by the name of Issac who claimed to be Victoria''s father when the truth is, he isn''t. There''s also a woman whose name is Delilah who had some pretty good acting skills when she pretended to give birth to Victoria, she''s not Victoria''s mother. Just do a paternity test and you''ll see I''m telling the truth.


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    "Victoria is actually my friend Stanley''s child and Walter is my child. If whoever''s watching this comes after me, well let''s just say that would put Delilah''s life at risk because I would never harm my child or my friend''s child.


    "Again, I''m just taking back what belongs to me and my friend. Good luck getting the truth out of Delilah. She''s the definition of the word bitch. So, without further adieu this is the end of this video! Ta, ta!"


    After that the video ended. Jenny shook her head rapidly. "That can''t be true! I remember seeing Victoria shortly after she was born and Mom was holding her." She paused. "Now that I think about it, there was a lady in the hospital room with her. She was in a hospital gown just like Mom was. Mom was lying on the hospital bed and she said that the lady who came to visit her was my Aunt. A distant Aunt at that."


    Her eyes went wide. "You gotta be fucking kidding me! That makes so much sense as to why Mom hates Victoria so much. I wonder if it was the ''distant Aunt'' that gave birth to Victoria and they just switched places on the hospital bed to make it look like Mom gave birth to Victoria?"


    I shrugged. "I have no idea but I''m going to get to the bottom of this. If Delilah isn''t Victoria''s mother like this guy says and Issac wasn''t the father¡­ That little bastard! I hope what the guy in the video said was wrong because if he''s right then there''s an even bigger problem than just Victoria and Walter being kidnapped."


    "Meaning there''s probably a sinister reason why Dad made you promise to take care of Victoria? Like maybe he knew that Victoria''s real parents would come looking for her one day?" Jenny speculated.


    "I have no idea. But what I do know is we''re not going to find any answers standing here speculating about shit," I said.


    Jenny nodded in agreement. We went outside and got back into the car and after I dropped Jenny off at the office I went to Ben''s place to see if I could talk to Delilah to get some answers.


    ***


    {Delilah}


    I couldn''t believe that Frank decided to pop in and visit me. Not to mention somehow he uncovered the secret of the fact that Victoria wasn''t my biological daughter. True, I hated her since the day she was born but when Issac and I gave the surrogate the contract Issac stated that the surrogate would never be able to get Victoria back no matter what. That also included if I decided that I didn''t want Victoria anymore. If I didn''t keep Victoria then she would''ve gone to an orphanage. But I couldn''t find it in my heart to get rid of her because Jaxon and Jenny were already attached to her.


    Ben and Frank were looking at me waiting for me to answer Frank''s question. I sighed, "Yes, Victoria isn''t my daughter."


    "But didn''t you say that you had a complicated pregnancy and that''s why you call Victoria Victory?" Frank asked.


    "Yeah I did but it wasn''t me that had the complicated pregnancy. It was the surrogate and before you ask I don''t know the name of the surrogate. It was in the contract," I said. "I will be more than happy to do a paternity test just to show that I''m not saying this because I hate Victoria."


    Ben nodded. "That would be a good idea."


    So that''s what I did. I took the paternity test and it was compared with Victoria''s last blood sample that had been collected at the hospital. The test showed without a shadow of a doubt that I wasn''t Victoria''s mother.


    "Question, besides the paternity test, how did you figure out that I wasn''t Victoria''s real mother?" I asked Frank as we were driving home.


    Ben looked at Frank. "I am curious as to how you figured that out as well."


    Frank sighed, "Please keep this under wraps but Victoria along with her boyfriend Walter have been kidnapped by their real parents. That''s another reason why I came to you Ben because I knew once you guys found out you''d probably send out some search party for her."


    "You damn right I want to find Victoria!" I said, "Look I know I hate her and all but wouldn''t wish getting kidnapped by some psycho that claims to be their parent on anyone."


    "Please don''t go looking for her," Frank pleaded.


    I was puzzled by this plea. "Why?"


    "Because if you go after the kidnapper, they specifically said that Delilah would be the one to die. You can''t help anyone if you''re dead Delilah," Frank said.


    "I know but-" I started.


    "No," Ben said. "We''ll figure something else out. I''m not going to lose you because we just got married and I love you."


    I didn''t say anything after that we went home and the ride home was silent.


    ***


    {Jenny}


    "I swear I want to fucking kill that bitch!" I said as I paced back and forth. I went to Jaxon''s house as soon as I found out that Victoria and Walter were kidnapped. I felt like a failure as a big sister.


    True, I''ve always viewed Victoria as my child but what kind of mother would I be if I let my baby sister get kidnapped. I would be a terrible mother, that''s another reason why I didn''t want to get pregnant just yet.


    Jaxon, David and I were sitting in the kitchen trying to figure out what to do.


    Jaxon sighed, "I can''t believe Mom would do this. Adopt a child that she hated and blame it on us as to why she kept Victoria as her personal punching bag? That''s just beyond disgusting! There''s a special place in Hell for people like her!"


    "And you are absolutely correct my darlings!" I heard a voice say.


    I recognized the voice as soon as I heard it and I looked around for him. I spotted him standing by the knowing with a smug look on his face. I marched right up to him and yelled, "Who the fuck do you think you are!?"


    "Jenny, sit back down, we don''t know what he''s here for," Jaxon said.


    The man smiled. "Your brother is very smart and he''s always the smart one. So, sit down and get the fuck out of my face if you know what''s good for you."


    I took a deep breath, let it out and sat back down at the kitchen table.


    The man cleared his throat, "My name is Alastor. You see, this whole kidnapping situation was a long time in the making. Unfortunately we had to sit back and watch Victoria get abused by her so-called parents time and time again. We didn''t have enough resources to kidnap Victoria like we do now. There''s no need to feel upset because it''s not your fault. We''ve been watching you for decades now. We were looking for certain events to take place before we took Victoria and Walter back."


    "So what do you want with us?" David asked.


    "Excellent question good sir!" Alastor said. "We need you guys to make sure that Delilah becomes the ''superhero'' in this story."


    "Seriously?" I growled. "And why the hell would we make that witch look like a redeemable person?"


    "Because we give her a redemption ''arch'' and then we bring about her downfall," Alastor said. "And when she falls, I''ll make sure she falls hard, very hard!"


    I could tell that the way he talked about Delilah''s downfall with so much hate and malice that he was serious. I don''t blame him because right now I hate Delilah with a passion! She just keeps finding ways to make herself look like a villain and then cries about when people despise her for it.


    "But before we plan anything, I need to make a contract with guys," Alastor said. He reached into his suit jacket and brought out three separate files.


    I couldn''t help but be impressed because this guy really seemed to have everything planned out. As I read through the contract he spelled everything out to the letter on what to do and how information was going to come to light about Delilah and her death. I smiled when I read the part about her dying because I absolutely loved the idea. I already disowned her as my mother so her dying will actually bring me joy instead of pain.


    After reading over the contract Alastor handed all three of us a pen and said, "So do we have a deal?"


    "If I read the contract correctly, we make sure Delilah becomes a hero somehow and in return you''ll give us one billion dollars? You do realize we''re already well off right? Might want to come up with something better than money," Jaxon said.


    Alastor chuckled, "I had a feeling you were going to say that. Read the next option for your reward."


    Jaxon did as he was told and whatever he read made him gasp, "How did you know that?"


    "Oh I have my sources," Alastor said. He turned to me. "What do you think about getting a billion dollars as your reward?"


    I shrugged. "It works for me! As long as Delilah dies in the end, you got a deal!"


    With that, I signed the contract and Jaxon and David signed theirs. I can''t speak for them but I can''t wait for Delilah to die even if I have to kill her myself.

 Chapter 25: You arent Human

    {Victoria}


    The next time I opened my eyes I felt strangely at peace. I felt well rested and somewhat relaxed. Then I remembered what happened before I passed out and I sat up to discover that I was not in my room.


    I looked around the room and it looked like one of the guest rooms that I would stay in at Frank''s house. Only this room looked fit for a person of Royalty to stay in.


    The colors in the room were black and red. The furniture was a small black couch and a seventy-five inch flat screen Tv hanging on the wall in front of it. There was a black door to my right and another black door to my left that was left open to reveal a huge bathroom.


    The bed that I was lying on had to have been a king sized bed. Of course because I''m short the bed would be huge.


    "So where the hell am I?" I said to myself.


    "You''re in Hell," I heard Alastor say in a nonchalant way.


    I paused. "If I''m in Hell then that means¡­"


    He nodded. "That''s right dear! You''re dead and you''re home where you belong. You''ll also notice that you look different from your human form but that''s okay because your normal form is actually a demon. You''re a demon. Demon''s can have two different forms, a human form and a demon form. You''re in your demon form at the moment. But don''t worry because you''ll be taught how to change forms at will."


    "Why am I in a room that is fit for Royalty?" I asked.


    "Because you are a person of Royalty!" Alastor exclaimed.


    I gave him a look of disbelief. "A what now?"


    "You are Royalty, a Princess to be exact. The man that you thought was your father wasn''t even your biological father. Would you like a little bit of your backstory?" Alastor said.


    I thought about it. "Okay sure, tell me."


    "Let''s see you just turned twenty-eight now?" Alastor asked.


    I nodded. "Yes."


    "So you were stolen from your crib here at the age of two going on three years old, that''s twenty-six years ago," Alastor said.


    "But if I''m a demon then how can I be taken from Hell?" I asked.


    "Good question," Alastor answered. "It only happens to demons that are infants and toddlers. Most of the time when a human captures a demon they put it inside what''s called a Vessel. Ever watch horror movies where a woman gets pregnant after a ritual''s been done on her and she finds out it''s not even her child?"


    I smiled. "Yeah, I love those types of movies! Horror is my favorite genre!"


    Alastor chuckled, "Yeah anyway a ritual happens to summon a demon child from Hell and they get put into that Vessel. In order for a demon child to be vulnerable to that type of attack they have to be less than fifteen years of age. Anything older than fifteen that type of attack is useless. And that type of ritual is usually done by people involved in what humans call ''magic.'' Now for an adult demon a different ritual is used and that just happened to be the ritual that was used on you."


    "Interesting, but why did you say magic in quotation marks?" I said.


    "Because a human''s magic isn''t really magic, it''s actually a demon''s power that the human gets from them after they made a contract with them," Alastor explained. "But that''s a lesson for another day. You have a lot to learn about who you really are. Oh and before I forget your real name isn''t Victoria."


    "What is it?" I asked.


    "It''s Pandora," Alastor said.


    I blinked. "My name is Pandora as in the demon who has a lot of their powers stored in a box? That demon?"


    Alastor nodded. "And I''m going to guess that humans who summoned you were probably thinking that you were some ancient demon that they could use for their own benefit. They probably got a surprise when they found out you were a baby at the time. So they used you for their own benefit anyway."


    I tilted my head. "But how? About the only thing I was used for was a punching bag for Delilah."


    "Do you remember going to any strange place when you were younger?" Alastor asked.


    I racked my brain to see if I remembered anything but I couldn''t so I shook my head.


    "I see," Alastor growled. "They probably figured out a way to mess with your memory or at least block you from remembering it."


    "Oh," I said.


    "Anyway, I''m pretty sure you''re itching to see Walter soon. I''ll have him sent to your room soon," Alastor said. He left the room shortly after that.


    ***


    {Walter}


    I''m finding the information that I was given to by my father, Alastor, about who I really am and what I am is rather strange but it makes sense. It makes sense because now I have two huge black wings sticking out of my back. I had two small horns sticking out of my head and my hands were claws at first but then somehow I managed to turn them back into regular hands again.


    My skin looked like I worked out at an outside gym 24/7 because it was a dark red color and I had muscles. When I was a human I wasn''t fat but I wasn''t ripped either so the muscles kind of surprised me. I was dressed a black t-shirt and black jeans and I didn''t have anything on my feet so I was barefoot.


    I asked about where Victoria was and Alastor led me to her room. Victoria was sitting on the bed dressed in the same type of outfit I was dressed in and her wings were bigger than mine. It made me a little bit jealous. But she looked hot regardless. She had muscles and two short black horns coming out of her head. Her black hair went down below her shoulders and it was almost to her butt.


    She tilted her head when she saw me. "Why are you staring at me like that?"


    "Your wings are bigger than mine," I pouted.


    Alastor burst into a fit of laughter. "Okay that''s funny, you''ve been asking to see Victoria all day and that''s the first thing you say to her?"


    "What? That was the first thing I noticed," I said defensively. "But she is hot regardless."


    Victoria smiled at the compliment and Alastor cleared his throat, "Well, I''ll give you two some time alone and I''ll be sending in your welcome committee soon. I shall take my leave now."


    When Alastor left the room I looked at Victoria and said, "So, what do you think about all this?"


    She shook her head. "I don''t know. It''s a lot to process but it does sort of make sense? I mean humans don''t have wings so¡­"


    "That''s exactly what I was thinking," I said. Without warning I grabbed her and pulled her onto my lap. She was startled at first but then she settled down. "I wonder what Jenny and Jaxon are doing? Or if they''ve realized that we''re gone and not going back."


    Victoria shrugged. "Don''t know but what I do know is that I''m actually rather relieved that Delilah isn''t my biological mother. Honestly, I''m curious as to what my real mother''s like. Oh, you wanna know what my real name is?"


    "What is it?" I asked.


    "It''s Pandora," She replied.


    "You''re Pandora? The demon who had her powers sealed inside a box, Pandora? Wait, isn''t Pandora supposed to be ancient?" I said.


    "Yeah that''s what I thought but Alastor told me no that wasn''t the case. I guess the humans were probably shocked by that," Victoria chuckled.


    "Uh-huh yeah and apparently Alastor is my father, isn''t that a trip?" I said. "I''m not sure if I''ll be calling him Dad anytime soon."


    "Alastor hasn''t really told me who my real father is. So far all he''s just said is that Issac wasn''t my real father," Victoria said.


    "I wonder when you''ll meet your real father? I mean, surely you''ll meet him soon, right?" I asked.


    She frowned and looked down. "What if¡­ What if he doesn''t want to see me? Because of how much humans damaged me? What-"


    "No," I cut her off, "I''m pretty sure there''s a good reason why you haven''t met him yet. You''ll meet him. Sooner or later, you''ll meet him."


    Little did I know that Victoria was going to be in for a shock about who her real father is, really soon.


    ***


    {Satan}


    "I fucking hate humans!" Cathy roared.


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    Ever since Victoria came home we''ve chosen not to meet her just yet and at least give her some time to process things. So we''ve been watching her through the holographic videos Alastor''s set up for us.


    I broke my heart to hear Victoria speculate that because of the damage humans have done to her that I didn''t want to see her.


    I sighed, "I agree, maybe we made the wrong call here?"


    "Honestly, from the way I see it we''ve made a lot of wrong calls in this situation! We should''ve figured out a way to retrieve her and make her powers manifest the moment we found out where Pandora was! Those bastards! How dare they!" Cathy ranted. "It makes just wanna march down to dungeons and torture the inmates just to blow off some steam!"


    "Cathy," I said in a warning tone of voice, "calm down a little. Not entirely, just a little and what did we work out what to do when we get upset?"


    She gave me an evil smile. "We sing so we can annoy everyone and express how we feel properly."


    She cleared her throat, "So what do we do about all the sinners on Earth? If they were kind and noble as they say, all of them would be in Heaven. But at the end of the day they come to Hell. Our daughter''s got a gray hanging over her head and I want to make them pay!"


    I grinned and started singing, "I like what you''re thinking! But I need to finish finding the ones responsible for kidnapping our daughter, yes we''re gonna make them pay!"


    Alastor decided to enter the room out of nowhere singing, "I couldn''t help but notice you singing. I gotta put my two cents in."


    I groaned. "Seriously?"


    "Yes, indeed," Alastor sang, "All I have to say here is that revenge isn''t as simple as you think. I got a long, long list of people and I''m way, way, way ahead of you! Now before you ask, you''re the ruler of Hell and you''re a really, really busy guy! From the information that I gathered I got a long, long list of people that were involved in this evil plot!" He snapped his fingers and a scroll appeared in front of him.


    He continued, "Let''s see here, we have Delilah, Parker, Megan, Howard, Wyatt, Walter''s human parents Mike and Lauren, Head Witch at the temple her name is Luna and we already caught Ava Marie, the list just goes on and on!"


    When I heard that a crossroads demon was a part of the list of people who had a hand in my daughter''s kidnapping I stopped singing and snarled, "You know what? Fuck this stupid song! I''ll deal with that fucking crossroads demon myself!"


    I paused. "Alastor, before I go storming off, come with me to my office and show me the evidence of Parker working with the humans to kidnap my daughter."


    "Yes sir!" Alastor said.


    I gave Cathy a kiss and stormed off to my office.


    ***


    {Victoria}


    It''s been about two weeks since I came to Hell and settled into my new home. I still haven''t met my real father yet while Walter and Alastor are getting to know each other well. I''m starting to feel a little bit jealous. I mean what was the point of me dying, coming back to my true home if I''m not going to get anymore information about who I truly am.


    I remember when I was alive that I would sing every time I got upset. Tonight was no different. I felt my heartbreaking with each passing minute feeling that my parents didn''t want me. I would wonder around the castle at night sometimes I would sing and sometimes I wouldn''t. Tonight I felt like singing.


    "What was the point in this?


    Why did I have to die to come home to nothing?


    No one''s saying a goddamn word about who my parents are.


    I keep asking questions and getting no answers


    even though it''s breaking my heart.


    I see Walter and his father talking


    and they seem to be having a lot of fun.


    I can''t help but feel a little bit jealous this whole time.


    What was the point of this?


    Why did I come home to nothing?


    What was the point of this?


    When I feel my heart is breaking?"


    I paused in my singing when I heard another voice behind me singing, "Sorry I am late. I didn''t mean to make you wait. Your mother and I thought that we should give you space.  So turn around and say hello!"


    I turned around and I couldn''t believe my eyes when I saw a man who had looked like the older version of me in my human form. He wore an outfit similar to Alastor''s but the difference was that he had a gold sash going from his right shoulder to his waist on his left side. He also wore a gold crown on his forehead.


    "Hi, it''s nice to meet you and my name is Satan and I am the King of Hell," the man said. I could feel the commanding aura radiating from him and I believed him.


    I narrowed my eyes. True, I believed he was the King of Hell but I was in disbelief. "Is this a joke?"


    He shook his head. "This isn''t a joke. I''m not the type of man that would play a prank."


    I wasn''t sure if I wanted to run from him or to him. On one hand I was happy that my real father revealed himself to me finally. On the other hand, I was pissed. The King of Hell was too busy to visit his own daughter!


    "Oh that explains why I wasn''t wanted. I get it, the King of Hell''s waaay too fucking busy to visit his own daughter!" I snarled.


    "What, wait no that''s not what that was about and how come you didn''t know I was your father? Surely you would''ve had some sort of clue right?" Satan said.


    I grit my teeth. "I don''t know. Why don''t you ask Alastor about that? Oh wait, that''s right he''s too busy having father and son bonding time to fucking care! You know what? Fuck you and fuck Alastor too!"


    I spun on my heels and ran from him. I thought about running away from the castle but I didn''t really know my way around town. But when I thought about it, it made sense because I wear a fucking crown on my head. Although it''s a smaller version of Satan''s crown. I ran back to my room and slammed the door shut.


    I took my crown off and threw it off the balcony that was attached to my room. I didn''t do much after that except I was seething in anger and throwing furniture around like a lunatic.


    I didn''t know how long I was in my room destroying things when I heard a knock on the door.


    "Fuck off!" I roared.


    I guess whoever was behind the door was brave enough to face my wrath because the door slowly creaked open. I heard a soft feminine voice say, "Victoria¡­ I heard you met your father finally and I decided to come and meet you. And what the hell happened to this room!"


    "Look. I''m not in the mood for visitors, so whoever you are, go away!" I shouted.


    I heard the voice chuckling, "Uh, yeah you''re definitely Satan''s daughter alright! Looking at the state of this room, yeah you get your temper from him. Although Satan is ten times worse when he gets angry because not only does he throw furniture around, sometimes he''s been known to throw his servants out the window if he''s angry enough."


    I groaned and turned around. My jaw dropped because in front of me was a drop dead gorgeous woman! If I wasn''t with Walter I''d probably make a pass at her. She had dark brown hair with blonde streaks in it and hazelnut eyes. She was wearing a black dress with a gold sash worn the same way that Satan wore his. She had a gold crown on her head that looked like a copy of Satan''s crown.


    Since Satan is the King of Hell, I''m going to assume that this woman is the Queen of Hell. With that thought in mind I mentally kicked myself for drooling over my own mother.


    I gulped. "I''m going to assume that since you''re dressed like my dear daddy that you''re my mother right?"


    The woman nodded. "Yup, and my name is Cathy. It''s kind of funny because I never thought that my own daughter would drool over me."


    "Uh¡­" I felt my face turn red in embarrassment. I composed myself, "Just to let you know, I don''t do incest."


    Cathy laughed, "Well that''s good to know."


    She snapped her fingers and my room was automatically put back together as if nothing happened and my crown was returned to the top of my head. She sat down on the bed and patted the spot beside her telling me to sit down next her.


    "I can see from how the room looked that we once again made the wrong call when it comes down to you," Cathy said.


    "So tell me exactly why you didn''t want to meet me when I came to Hell?" I asked.


    "We wanted to give you some time to process things. I''m sure that living as a human for twenty-six years and finding out that you''re actually a demon must''ve been a lot to process. We also figured that Alastor would''ve told you that your parents are the rulers of Hell. So we thought that might be a shock to you as well," Cathy explained.


    "Well it would''ve been nice if Alastor had mentioned that to me. I''ve been asking questions this whole entire time about who you guys are and got nothing in return for answers," I growled.


    Cathy frowned. "Yeah I''m going to give Alastor a piece of my mind! Sometimes I wonder why your father chose him as his Second in Command. Did Alastor ever send you your welcome committee like he was supposed to? Because the welcome committee is also in charge of answering questions that Alastor didn''t."


    I shook my head. "Nope. Like I said, I''ve been asking questions only to be met with absolutely zero answers."


    "Okay that explains your rather violent outburst after meeting your father," Cathy said.


    I looked away. "I guess I owe him an apology then, huh?"


    She shook her head. "Nah, it''s okay. So the first meeting didn''t go so well and the fault lies with Alastor on that one. Now that you''re calm, do you want to try and meet your father again?"


    I nodded. "Yes."


    Cathy smiled. "Good, I''ll go get him."


    She left the room and returned shortly after. I tried not to laugh when Satan cautiously poked his head in the door and looked at me. "Is it safe to come in?"


    I snorted. "Yeah it''s fine. I''m calm now."


    Cathy practically pushed Satan into the room. He stumbled forward and caught himself so he didn''t fall.


    He cleared his throat, "So um, that was a disaster of a first meeting. Alastor''s an idiot. But don''t worry, I gave him a piece of my mind, we had a fist fight and I threw him off a balcony. Don''t worry, he''s fine, he''ll just be a wee bit sore in the morning. It''s all good now."


    I paused. "He''ll be a wee bit sore? He didn''t get any broken bones?"


    He shook his head. "Nah, demons that are a part of the Royal Family are somewhat invincible. But fist fights or just fights in general are usually how disputes in Hell are settled."


    "Yeah you might run into an issue sooner or later that you might have to put someone in their place. It hasn''t happened now because you haven''t really run into the normal residents in Hell," Cathy said.


    I tilted my head. "And why haven''t I met any residents in Hell yet?"


    "Because I put an order out to have guards watching you but at a distance so you couldn''t leave the castle. I''m thinking that soon you''ll be making a debut and I''ll announce to all of Hell that my daughter is finally home!" Satan said while grinning from ear to ear. With a normal person his grin would be enough to scare the crap out of them.


    The grin didn''t scare me. If anything, it made me happy to see my father so excited about something. It made me feel better knowing that now I do have parents that actually care about me. After that, we had a long conversation answering a lot of the questions that I had about them. Some questions they couldn''t answer right away because I learn those in my lessons that I would be taught shortly.


    It was almost daylight when Satan and Cathy left my room. I couldn''t help but feel happy about this. It was the first time in a while that I felt this happy about something.


    ***


    {Walter}


    I was headed towards Victoria''s room to check on her because she had been in a foul mood the last time I saw her. I paused when I saw the rulers of Hell come out of Victoria''s room. I knew who they were because Alastor told me who the rulers were. He emphasized the importance of being respectful to the rulers and that they don''t take disrespect lightly.


    I bowed to them when they passed by me and immediately rushed into Victoria''s room. I was surprised when I saw her sitting on her bed smiling like a fool.


    "Are you okay Victoria?" I asked.


    "Yes! I''m perfect! As a matter of fact, I''m better than perfect! I''m happy!" She cheered.


    I blinked. "Okay, who are you and what have you done with Victoria?"


    She laughed, "Yeah, yeah I know. It''s been a while since I''ve smiled about something. But I have good news!"


    I smiled. "Really? What is it?"


    "Well, I met my parents finally!" She said with excitement.


    "And who are they?" I asked.


    Then she dropped a bombshell on me when she said, "My parents are the King and Queen of Hell!"

 Chapter 26: The Cave

    {Walter}


    I stood there gaping at Victoria with the bombshell she dropped on me.


    We stood there in an awkward silence until Victoria said, "Apparently I was supposed to have sent a welcome committee to me and he was supposed to tell me who my parents were. And here I was thinking that my parents didn''t want me. True, Dad took care of Alastor for failing at what he was supposed to do. But my parents being the rulers of Hell explains why Alastor insisted that I wear this stupid crown on my head at all times when I''m not in my room."


    "Interesting," I said. I sat down on the bed next to her. "So what do you think about everything?"


    "I''m shocked but more relieved at the same time because me dying wasn''t as pointless as I thought after all," Victoria said. "I had a lot of questions for them about why they didn''t meet me right off the bat. They wanted to give me some space to process what happened. But thanks to Alastor fucking things up, my first meeting with my Dad was a disaster."


    "So what happened?" I asked.


    "Well I was wandering around the castle at night and Dad just came up to me and said Victoria, I''m your father!" Victoria said. She laughed, "I was so pissed! So I gave him a piece of my mind, ran back to my room and after I practically destroyed it my mother caming walking in. Apparently, I get my temper from my father."


    I tilted my head. "How so?"


    "According to my Mom he also throws things when he''s upset and not just furniture he''s been known to throw servants out the window. Good thing you can''t kill people once they''re in Hell," Victoria answered. "Even though a person in Hell can feel pain, they can''t be killed. Yeah, Dad and Alastor duked it out and Dad said he threw Alastor off a balcony and it''s all good now. At least between those two, not with me."


    "Ha!" I heard Alastor laugh. "What is a Princess like you, who doesn''t have combat experience that you have yet to learn, going to do to me? Throw me off a balcony too?"


    Alastor marched up to Victoria and right when I thought he was going to start yelling at her, he knelt down on one knee and bowed his head as if he were a knight.


    The action startled Victoria a bit.


    Alastor sighed, "Your Highness, I am sorry for not telling you what I should''ve told you. I thought that if I left you in suspense you''d be extra excited to see who your parents were. I forgot to take into account your confidence issues."


    Victoria looked angry but her gaze softened at Alastor''s apology. "Alastor, look at me."


    He looked up at her and she nodded. "Apology accepted but the next time my parents order you to do something in regards to me, you might want to listen to them. But when I do learn combat, I''m kicking your ass just like Dad did. You can get up now."


    Alastor stood up. "I''ll be sending you your welcome committee and your servants."


    She blinked. "Servants?"


    I nodded. "You get servants just like I do." I looked at Alastor and frowned. "Seriously Dad? Not only did you not tell her who her parents are, but you didn''t give her her welcome committee and didn''t give her her servants too? What''s wrong with you?"


    He laughed, "Yeah I know. I fucked up but I''m going to make it up to her." He turned to Victoria. "Soon I will be sending in ten different people, you will need to pick four of them to be your servants. You can do whatever you want with them that includes having sex with them. Honestly, I''m surprised Walter hasn''t done that with his servants yet either."


    "I wanted to wait and talk to Victoria about that," I said.


    Alastor shrugged. "Sure, sure, I have sex with my servants and my wife has sex with hers when I''m not available for her. Demon couples are faithful to each other and having sex with your servant isn''t considered cheating in Hell."


    "When is it considered cheating?" I asked.


    "It''s considered cheating when someone within the marriage has sex with someone who isn''t their slave or has sex with someone without working out a deal for an alliance," Alastor answered. "I shall take my leave now and we''ll get down to business."


    Alastor left the room and I turned to Victoria. "So about the servants-"


    She shook her head. "I heard exactly what Alastor said. And if that''s not considered cheating then go for it. Unless that''s too weird for you I totally understand. It feels weird for me since I''ve only been with you lately. Not to mention we''ve only been in Hell for a few weeks now. So it might take a while for me to get used to the idea."


    The idea of me having sex with one of my servants and having Victoria join in turned me on. I felt myself getting hard.


    Victoria looked down and smiled. "Is the idea of sex with one of your servants turning you on already?"


    "Not just that, but having you join in," I said as I scooted closer to her. I had her look at me as I reached over and kissed her.


    As we were kissing, Victoria reached over and unzipped my pants and just when she climbed on top of me there was a knock at the door.


    I groaned and Victoria rolled off of me so I could zip my pants up. Victoria smirked and whispered into my ear, "We''ll finish this up later."


    "Your Highness?" A voice called out, "It''s time for you to select your servants."


    "Come in!" Victoria said.


    The door opened to reveal five men and five women all dressed in black jeans and black t-shirts. They didn''t wear anything on their feet and the men had their cut like a military buzz cut style. The women had their hair pulled back into a basic ponytail.


    A man entered behind them and he was dressed similar to a butler. But I could tell he was a demon. He had light red skin and no horns on his head but a burn mark on his forehead of the Royal Family crest from the King and Queen Hell''s clan.


    I felt like this was a decision that Victoria had to make on her own and I wasn''t about to be a helicopter partner like I''ve seen some couples do when I was alive. So I got off the bed kissed Victoria and told her why I was leaving and left the room.


    ***


    {Frank}


    Victoria and Walter have been missing for almost a month now and I''ve been worried sick. The kidnappers haven''t contacted me or Jenny and anyone else that knows about the crime. Not to mention somehow the news of the kidnapping got leaked and I suspect it had something to do with Delilah being stupid enough to report the crime to the police.


    She told me and Louis that Jenny and Jaxon convinced her to get the police involved. So of course the police are going to look into it when Ben''s mafia has half of the police force in the state in their back pocket.


    Delilah called me and asked me to set up a meeting with her in my office. I agreed because I wanted to figure out why Delilah would do something so stupid even though it meant her life was at risk. It confused me because she hates Victoria and yet now she wants to rescue her?


    It was 3pm and Delilah walked into the room right on time with Ben by her side.


    I had to remind myself because this was an official meeting on the books I had to act professional. That''s because I really wanted to roll my eyes at the determined look on Delilah''s face.


    "Alright, sit down and let''s get straight to the point," I said.


    Delilah scoffed, "Well someone''s in a bad mood today."


    "And you''re not?" I asked. "I mean you look determined. So I''m guessing you have an idea on how to rescue your ''daughter.''"


    She rolled her eyes. "Remember how the kidnappers said that only my life would be at risk if anyone went to the police?"


    I nodded. "Yes and look I know I hate you and all, but I want to find a way to get everybody out of this situation alive."


    "Yes and that''s what I want to do also. Even if it''s not possible, I wanna go out knowing that at least I tried," Delilah said.


    "Why now?" I said.


    "What?" Delilah asked.


    "You hate Victoria with every being in your body. I know that for sure!" I declared. "Unless this is a stunt for you to repair your image?"


    She sighed, "I knew you were going to say that. But no, that''s not what this is about. You can thank Jenny and Jaxon because they''re right. I might hate my own daughter but I don''t hate her enough to see her get killed."


    I snorted. "Says the woman who''s already tried to kill Victoria. That''s rich coming from you. So let me guess, no one else can kill Victoria but you? Wow."


    Delilah''s face turned red with anger at that comment. She looked like she wanted to kill me. "You asshole! That''s not what this is about." She took a deep breath and let it out. "Okay, I know that''s what that looks like, but no, I''ll say it again, that''s not what this is about."


    "Then what is it about?" I said.


    Before Delilah could respond Ben cleared his throat, "As entertaining as this little argument is, I had my crew look for any clues as to where Victoria and Walter might be and we found something disturbing meaning there might be some foul play."


    Delilah and I paused and looked at him.


    "What?" I asked.


    Even Delilah seemed surprised by this. "Why didn''t you tell me before that you found something instead of lying to me and saying you didn''t?"


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "I was waiting for the right time to reveal it and I had to be certain that I was on the right track instead of getting your hopes up," Ben answered.


    "So what did you find?" Delilah asked.


    It wasn''t until Delilah said that that I realized Ben had a briefcase with him. He opened the briefcase and pulled out a file and placed the file on my desk.


    I opened the file and it showed a couple of different pictures of a cave entrance and a picture of a ripped t-shirt and a pair of bloody shoes.


    "There was blood on that t-shirt and we were able to figure that the blood belonged to Victoria''s boyfriend Walter," Ben said. "The blood on the shoes matched Victoria''s and there was a trail of blood in the cave that led to a campfire. It looked like whoever took them stayed there for a night or two. The ashes in the campfire looked like they were recently put out."


    "I see," I said. I kept looking through the file and there was a picture of the man named Alastor standing at the entrance of the cave. He looked as if he was waiting for someone.


    "The cave goes deeper than just the campfire so it''s possible that the kidnappers along Victoria and Walter are still there," Ben said.


    "I want to go into the cave and find her!" Delilah said.


    Ben shook his head. "It''s not going to be as simple as you think. You''ll have to get past Victoria''s kidnapper''s first. Then if you succeed you''ll have to figure out where Victoria and Walter are being kept. Delilah if you get captured there''s a very real possibility that you''ll be killed."


    "I don''t care. I''m going to find her," Delilah said with determination. "And I''m going to do my best to make amends with her. I''m going to find Walter too."


    Ben shrugged. "Alright then, it''s your funeral."


    I didn''t say anything else because at the moment there was nothing left to say.


    ***


    {Victoria}


    "Have you seen the news lately?" Walter asked.


    "News? What news?" I responded.


    Even though I was in Hell apparently, Hell as a way to keep up with what''s going on on Earth.


    Walter pulled out a cell phone and handed it to me. I snorted. "To think that Hell actually has cell signals."


    "Yeah I wondered about that too. Don''t you have a cell phone yet?" Walter asked.


    I nodded. "I do, why should I pull mine out when yours is already on the table?"


    "Look up social media websites first, people are going nuts over our disappearance. They''re branding it as a kidnapping," Walter said.


    I scoffed, "Of course they would brand it that way. We disappeared of our own free will, died and now we''re home where we belong."


    I scrolled down the screen on my phone and saw thousands of videos made about me and Walter. A lot of them were titled: Where is Victoria Lee? Popular Artist and her boyfriend are kidnapped! Where are They?!!


    I cackled at a couple of the titles. "This is fucking funny!"


    We were sitting on the balcony that''s attached to my room.


    "Your Highness!" I heard someone call out.


    At first I thought it was coming from inside my room and someone was looking for me there. That''s because I usually leave my door unlocked if I''m on the balcony just in case. But Walter nudged me and told me to look over my shoulder. I looked over to see a guard hovering in the air next to the ledge of the balcony.


    I nodded when I saw the guard. "Yes, what is it?"


    "His Majesty would like to have a word with you and Prince Walter," the guard said.


    "Did he say what it was about?" I asked.


    The guard shook his head. "No, he just said that it was important."


    I nodded. "Alright, tell him I''m on my way."


    "Yes, Your Highness," the guard said and he flew off.


    I groaned at the thought of flying. Even though Satan''s been teaching me how to fly I''m not very good at landing. I can stay up in the air no problem, but when I land yikes! Walter on the other hand can fly with no problems at all. Sometimes he likes to show off in front of me because of how well he can fly.


    "Aww come on, flying isn''t that bad!" Walter said.


    "That''s because you have a natural talent for it. I don''t," I said.


    Walter stood up and grabbed my hand. "Let''s go!"


    I got a shaky start but once I was up in the air I was fine. It was when we got to the throne room I went to land and almost tripped but I caught myself in time before I could do a faceplant.


    Cathy covered her mouth to stifle a laugh and Satan gave me an amused look. "Still having trouble with your landings I see."


    "Says the man who literally fell at my feet on our first date," Cathy laughed.


    "What? I couldn''t help but fall for a beautiful woman," Satan said.


    Cathy rolled her eyes as Satan turned his attention to me. "There is an issue concerning Earth and it involves the both of you."


    "What is it?" I asked.


    "Remember how I said that the humans sealed your powers in a box when they kidnapped you?" Satan said.


    I nodded. "Yes."


    "I''m sending you and Walter back to Earth to retrieve your box. And you guys seem to have a lot of loose ends to tie up on Earth anyway," Satan said.


    "How? We''re already dead right?" I said.


    "Yes you are dead but Alastor''s been preserving your bodies with his magic so that you can go and use them when you get to Earth. You''ll have to play the part of a kidnapping victim and let Delilah come and rescue you," Satan answered.


    My eyes went wide when I heard that. "What! Why does it have to be Delilah? Wouldn''t that just repair her public image? Why-"


    "Silence child," Satan said in a warning tone of voice. "It''s all part of the key to getting revenge on the stupid humans who thought that they could steal from the King of Hell and get away with it. Because when Delilah falls, she''ll fall very very hard. I mean just think about it, the woman who used you as a punching bag and tried to kill you a couple of times, either sitting in jail for the rest of her life or dead because one of your crazy fans was outraged that Delilah killed you.


    "Her image will be shattered and be beyond repair at that point. Everyone will think that the only reason Delilah rescued you was so that she could kill you."


    I opened my mouth to say something but the look Satan gave me told me to keep silent so I didn''t say anything. He continued, "Either way I will make sure that Delilah pays for what she''s done and I will make the humans on Earth hate her as much as I do. You can speak now."


    I smiled. "Honestly, I like that idea. It''s about time Delilah got a taste of her own medicine. Can I make a request for when I get back? It''s about my artwork."


    He tilted his head. "What is it?"


    "I want to be able to draw again so is it okay if I get some supplies sent to my room when I get back?" I asked.


    He smiled. "Of course, that''s not much trouble at all! I''ll give you anything you desire."


    He got up from his throne and Cathy followed suit. After giving me a hug he said, "You''ll have to meet Alastor in the cave that you died in. That''s where he''s been keeping your and Walter''s bodies. And I suggest you let Alastor beat the crap out of you guys for a little bit."


    I raised an eyebrow. "Why?"


    "Because you two have to play the part of a kidnapped victim. It''d be kind of weird if you guys get rescued and you don''t have a scratch on you," Satan said.


    "Makes sense to me," Walter said. "Because when I was alive I worked as a caretaker and a Registered Nurse and I saw my fair share of kidnapping victims. Some of them make it home alive with bruises and cuts on them and others aren''t as fortunate¡­"


    "I see," I said. I sighed, "That also means I''ll have to go back to a world where I''m labeled as crazy. And deal with my sister Jenny hovering over me like a mother hen because she believes that I''m her child."


    Cathy flinched. "Yeah that''s creepy. Anyway, once you get back from your mission we''ll have your debut party planned and you''ll be announced as the new Princess of Hell!"


    "Doesn''t Walter get a debut party too?" I asked.


    "No, I don''t," Walter said.


    I frowned. "Why not?"


    "Because he is a part of the Royal Family like you are, there are different clans within the Royal Family. Each clan does things different when introducing a new member of their family," Cathy explained.


    Walter nodded. "That''s right, remember the party we went to last week and I was seated at the head of the table?"


    "Yeah," I said, then I paused. "Oh, so that''s what that party was! And they gave you a cape with the family crest on it!"


    "Exactly!" Cathy said. "The main clan of the Royal Family, the rulers of Hell have even bigger celebrations and ceremonies. And rightfully so because it shows everyone in Hell who rules over them!"


    "And there''s not just parties that will signal you''re a new family member, there''s rituals and your coronation etc, etc¡­" Satan said. "Now I will teleport you guys to the cave and don''t forget to give me updates through Jezebel and Gray."


    "Who are they?" I asked.


    "They''re the ones that were causing the paranormal activity in your house. The ones you classified as your ''little buddies,''" Satan said. "Oh and your wings will be invisible to everyone except other demons. Demons have two forms: their human form and then they have their demon form. I''ll explain more about that when you get back or you''ll figure it out on your own." He sighed, "So this is goodbye for now. I''ll see you again when you retrieve your powers."


    Walter and I nodded as Satan snapped his fingers and we were transported back to the cave where we died and back into our human bodies.


    ***


    {Delilah}


    I know I haven''t been a good mother to Victoria because I hate her but now that I think about it I should''ve treasured her. If I had treated her well growing up then I wouldn''t be in this mess.


    But I''m determined now to at least try and make things up to her if I can. The car ride to the cave where Victoria and Walter were last spotted seemed long. I was lost in my thoughts as I went over every single bad deed that I did to Victoria while she was growing up. I also went over my recent wrongdoings towards her like what I did to her at the art exhibit a year ago.


    I found it hard to believe that so much time had passed. Ben was also silent throughout the car ride. The car pulled to a stop on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere.


    Ben got out of the car and walked over to my side and opened the door for me.


    "Follow down this road a mile or so and you''ll find the cave," Ben instructed. "Good luck and we''ll be waiting for your signal when you find them."


    I nodded and gave Ben a kiss. "I''ll find them and bring them home."


    With that, I headed down the dirt road and I found the cave exactly as Ben said I would.


    ***


    When I got to the cave, I saw a campfire that was lit but there was no one sitting next to it. I knew I had to act fast in order to find Victoria and Walter. That''s when I heard screaming.


    "Let me go! I promise I won''t do it again!" Victoria cried.


    I heard her being slapped and then someone else said, "Not this time! You''re not going to make a fool of me again! You might have your father wrapped around your finger but not me!"


    "Alastor don''t-" Walter said. I heard another slap.


    "Shut up you two! Now stay here, I''ll be back to knock some more sense into you!" Alastor snarled.


    Then I saw him as he marched out of the cave and he looked pissed. Once Alastor was gone I inched my way forward to the entrance of the cave and entered the cave. I kept walking until I found Victoria and Walter huddled up in a corner of the cave shivering. I gasped when I saw the state that they were in.


    Victoria had bumps and bruises on her face and she had a cut that looked rather deep going down her arm. Walter looked a little bit better but not much. He had a cut going down his arm as well and a bruise on his face.


    He was holding Victoria trying to console her because she was crying. "I hate him! I hate it here! I went from one psycho parent to another!"


    "Shhh, calm down," Walter said while rubbing her back. He looked up and gasped when he saw me.


    Victoria paused. "What is it?"


    I put my index finger to my mouth to tell them to be quiet. That''s when Victoria saw me and she didn''t look happy that I was here. I don''t blame her on that but when it comes down to being rescued, beggars can''t be choosers.


    Looking around I saw that no one else was there and I motioned for Walter and Victoria to stand up and try to move but when they got up, Alastor came back.


    "What the fuck do you think you''re doing?" Alastor growled. He was standing at the entrance of the cave and before he could I pulled out my gun and shot him three times in the chest. He fell to the floor.


    I wasn''t sure if he was dead and I didn''t care to check because my mission was to save Victoria and Walter and now was the perfect moment to do just that.


    "Come on you two, let''s go!" I said. I ran over to Walter and grabbed his hand. Walter and Victoria followed me out of the cave and down the dirt road that led to the car that Ben and his men were waiting at.


    Ben blinked in surprise when he saw us. "Well that was fast!"


    "I know, let''s get going before Alastor sends his men after us," I said with urgency.


    The driver nodded and stepped on the gas driving as fast as he could back home.

 Chapter 27: Pandoras Box

    {Victoria}


    Once we got back to Delilah and Ben''s house they escorted us inside and sat us down on the couch.


    "Okay, we need to call the doctor and let''s get them some blankets to cover up in," Ben said.


    His men standing behind him nodded. They left the room and they seemed rather excited when they left.


    Ben smiled. "Don''t mind them. They''re always like that after I give them an order."


    "I don''t know why considering those are your right hand men," Delilah said.


    Ben rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah whatever."


    That''s when I saw them, Ben had black wings coming out of his back signaling that he was a demon. My eyes went wide when I saw that and Ben smirked.


    Delilah looked at me and frowned. "There''s no need to be afraid of Ben. He''s an ally as a matter of fact, he''s the one who found the cave. And I''m the one who rescued you."


    I fought the urge to roll my eyes by putting on a smile. "Thanks, for rescuing me, Delilah."


    Ben''s men came back with two blankets and Walter and I took the blankets and I wrapped myself up in one.


    "The doctor will be here for you soon," Ben said.


    He started to leave the room and motioned for Delilah to follow him. Delilah sighed and followed him out of the room.


    ***


    {Ben}


    Ever since Princess Victoria returned to Earth I had to keep a lid on my excitement on being able to serve her while she''s on Earth. I decided to request an audience with Prince Alastor about possibly transferring my services to Princess Victoria.


    "So you do know that the transfer ritual is rather painful right?" Prince Alastor asked.


    I nodded. "Yes I understand."


    "And do you understand that since you''re married to Princess Victoria''s ''mother'' you''ll have to play the part of her ''step-dad.'' At least while she''s here on Earth?" Prince Alastor asked.


    I nodded again. "Yes, Your Highness."


    He sighed, "Alright then, seeing that you don''t really have a master, I shall grant you that permission. Once the Princess goes back to Hell to live permanently, you are to follow her back there as her servant, got it?"


    "Yes, I understand Your Highness," I said.


    "Good, we''ll do the transfer ceremony this weekend and I will inform Her Highness about this," Prince Alastor said. "You may go now."


    "Yes, Your Highness," I said.


    I walked out of his office practically jumping with joy. I got in my car and went home.


    ***


    When I got home I walked down the hallway towards the kitchen, I paused when I overheard Princess Victoria and Prince Walter talking about me in one of the guest rooms.


    "You saw it right?" Princess Victoria asked.


    "Yeah, I did. Ben''s a demon and that possibly means that he''s an ally," Prince Walter said.


    She shook her head. "I don''t know, he''s married to Delilah."


    "Yeah just because he''s married to Delilah doesn''t mean he''s evil. Frank was married to Delilah and he''s not evil," Prince Walter pointed out.


    I went up to the room and knocked on the door. "Come in!"


    When I opened the door I bowed. "Your Highness, I know eavesdropping isn''t polite but I overheard you talking about me. And I want you to know that I''m on your side. As a matter of fact, I will be one of your servants while you''re on Earth."


    "You may rise," Prince Walter commanded.


    I stood up and looked at them.


    Princess Victoria gave me a skeptical look. "What about Delilah?"


    "Don''t worry about her Your Highness-" I started.


    "Victoria," Princess Victoria said. "While Walter and I are on Earth finishing up some unfinished business, please don''t address us as Your Highness. People are going to think you''re crazy. For now, it''s just Victoria and Walter. No nicknames for me! It''s just Victoria."


    I nodded. "Okay then. But what if I call you Princess as a nickname? Because it''s gonna feel kind of weird not addressing you properly."


    Princess Victoria groaned. "Nope, no nicknames, means no nicknames. But only while we''re on Earth. When we go back to Hell, then you can address me properly."


    "Yes, Your-" I started. She gave me a sideways look. "I mean, Victoria."


    Her name coming out of my mouth without her proper title sounded kind of weird but I knew I was going to have to get used to it.


    "You may go now," Princess Victoria said.


    I nodded and gave her a short bow and left the room.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ***


    {omniscient}


    Parker walked into a church and walked down the hallway behind the confessional booths. He walked until he got towards the basement where the sealing ritual was done every year on Princess Victoria''s birthday.


    Parker knew that box wasn''t going to hold the Princess''s powers for very long. That''s because a woman named Karma had already foretold about a huge pandemic that would lead to World War III. That was one of the many reasons he had for helping the humans kidnap Princess Victoria from her crib.


    Parker didn''t like humans, not one little bit. To him humans are greedy selfish creatures that will do whatever it takes to get a head. He knew that humans made up an idea of a demon named Pandora that was so evil that even Satan was afraid of her. The idea that Satan was afraid of one of his subjects was laughable and Satan did laugh at the idea before his first daughter was born.


    Satan liked the name Pandora so he named his daughter that and it kind of backfired on him. Considering the fact that humans saw that there was actually a demon named Pandora but the demon wasn''t an ancient demon like the humans thought. The demon that they had summoned turned out to be a toddler. They somehow managed to transfer the child into a magic crystal prism and planted it into a vessel.


    When the vessel gave birth to Pandora, they opted to give the child away to a human family that pledged to take care of things.


    It was because of the prophecy that Parker agreed to help the humans out in exchange for one thousand human souls that would be brought to Hell.


    Even though Parker knew he would face the wrath of Satan once the Princess was brought home, he didn''t care. He wanted to see the greedy humans suffer and if the Princess wasn''t kidnapped like she was then the prophecy had a chance of not coming true.


    Once Parker got to the basement he walked up to a room that a black wooden door that had a pentagram drawn on it. He knocked on the door, well actually he slammed his fists on the door in such a way that commanded attention.


    "Yes, c-come in!" A fearful voice stuttered.


    Parker pulled the door open to reveal a young man sitting at his desk with black robes on and a white collar around his neck. The robes and collar signified that he was the leader of the church.


    Parker started feeling angry as soon as he caught sight of the guy. The man sitting at the desk was the very same man who promised to bring him one thousand souls twenty-six years ago and he still has yet to fulfill his end of the deal.


    Parker gave the young man a sinister smile. "Daniel."


    The young man glared at Parker. "Father Daniel."


    Parker gave him a sideways look. "Excuse me?"


    "You''re in my church Parker. The proper name is Father Daniel," the young man said.


    "Yeah go fuck yourself Daniel!" Parker said with contempt.


    Daniel gasped, "I will not allow you to use-"


    Before Daniel could finish his sentence Parker flicked his finger and the desk that Daniel was sitting at flew into a nearby wall shattering it to pieces. The contents on the now shattered desk spilled out onto the floor. Parker grabbed Daniel by the neck and slammed him up against the wall.


    "Now you listen to me asshole," Park snarled. "You might run this church but you don''t run me! As a matter of fact once you make a deal with a demon, especially a crossroads demon your life isn''t your life anymore. Your life belongs to the demon you made the deal with. You made the deal with me so I own you and I will address you in any way I please. So if I decide to call you a dog, you answer me without complaint. If I decide to just call you human or creature, you will answer me without complaint. Do you understand?"


    Daniel didn''t do anything but stare at Parker with contempt and disgust. Parker squeezed his neck a little, not enough to cut off his air supply, but enough to make it difficult to breathe. Parker snarled at him again, "I said, do you understand, dog?"


    "Yes, Parker," Daniel croaked.


    Parker shook his head. "Ah, ah, ah, nope! That''s not the correct response! Dog, the correct response is yes, Master! Because you are beneath me, you wouldn''t be able to be a leader of this church without me and my power. Do you understand me, Dog?"


    "Yes, Master," Daniel said.


    "Good," Parker said. He let go of Daniel''s neck and Daniel fell to the floor coughing. But before he could recover, Parker gave him a swift kick in his stomach. The kick was so hard it knocked the wind out of Daniel.


    Parker pulled up the chair that Daniel had been sitting on and so sat down. He stared at Daniel and waited for him to recover.


    "Now, you do realize that the box that you put Pandora''s powers in isn''t going to hold her powers for much longer, right?" Parker asked.


    "Huh? But I thought the sealing ritual that we do every year works?" Daniel said. He went to stand up but Parker stopped him.


    "You stay sitting, Dog," Parker commanded.


    Daniel obeyed the command and remained where he was.


    "Unfortunately this year I don''t think the sealing ritual will work. Now, I did my end of the bargain and helped you kidnap the Princess, you need to fulfill your end," Parker said.


    "But, finding one thousand souls isn''t that easy. I would be forsaking my duty to protect those in my flock if I gave them to you," Daniel said.


    Parker snickered. "Forsaking your duty? Seriously? Bitch please, you already were forsaking your duty once you made a deal with me. Or did you forget what I am?"


    Daniel sighed, "Yes, I know you''re a demon."


    Parker nodded. "Exactly. Now, cancel your sermon today because we have something to take care of."


    "But-" Daniel said.


    "No, buts Dog," Parker cut him off. "We have to take care of this now. Summon the others because soon the ruler of Hell''s fury will be upon us. And I don''t have the power to protect you from him."


    ***


    That evening, Daniel and Parker stood in front of an altar that Pandora''s box was sitting on. As Daniel and Parker lead the group of six people chanting to try and reseal it, the box only became more active. It only settled down once Daniel signaled to Parker that the ritual wasn''t working.


    "Well it''s about time I tracked you down Parker!" A voice roared from behind them.


    Parker stiffened at the voice because the voice came from none other than Satan himself. However once Parker turned around he saw a faint red light glowing and it slowly turned into a portal. Satan stepped through the portal and stood before Parker.


    "I would shake in fear but I''m not sorry for what I''ve done," Parker said with a wicked smile.


    "Of course you''re not," Satan said. He rolled his eyes. "No one is the least bit remorseful about kidnapping my daughter. But, that''s what makes punishing you guys so much fun! As of today, you Parker will be stripped of your human form and any human who made a deal with you will die."


    "Your Majesty-" Parker said while staring at Satan with wide eyes.


    Satan smirked. "What do you want me to show mercy? Yeah I don''t think so. The humans should''ve thought twice before involving themselves with demons." He paused when he saw Pandora''s box sitting on top of the altar. "I do believe that box belongs to my daughter and I know that type of altar very well.


    "It is the type of altar that is used to seal a demon''s powers inside a box. That means that I can''t open the box or take it from the altar. Only Pandora can do that. With that in mind, I''m sealing off this place to other humans and demons. Pandora will be the only one who can retrieve the box once she comes. And I''m destroying this building.


    "Don''t worry I''ll make sure that the humans who haven''t made a deal with you are safely out of the building before it collapses."


    Satan snapped his fingers and the building started to shake and moments later he snapped his fingers again to produce a silver collar with a silver chain. He placed the collar around Parker''s neck.


    That was when Parker did start to shake in fear. Satan laughed when he saw that. "Now you''re afraid? I guess you thought that you were the big man on campus seeing as you''re a crossroads demon and all. And if you''re worried about the humans, I''ll say it again. The humans should''ve thought twice before making deals with demons."


    Shortly after that Satan dragged Parker through the portal with him and the church collapsed. The only deaths that happened were the humans who made deals with Parker just like what Satan said would happen.

 Chapter 28: The Secret

    {Victoria}


    "Do you really think this is a good idea?" I asked Walter. We were standing in front of his parents house and he was getting ready to knock on the door when I stopped him.


    He looked at me. "Yeah I think this is a good idea. My parents have been wanting to see you for a while now." He rolled his eyes. "Of course, now I know they''re not my real parents. We just have to act like they are."


    He knocked on the door and when it opened Walter''s "parents" greeted Walter with a bear hug.


    Mrs. Hawkins was crying as she held Walter in her arms. "My baby''s come home!"


    "Thanks, Mom, you can let go now," Walter said as he struggled to get out of her hold.


    I covered my mouth to stifle a laugh. Without Mr. Hawkins pulled me into a hug and said, "You must be Walter''s girlfriend! It''s so nice to meet you!"


    He let go of me and I said, "Uh, yeah nice to meet you. My name is Victoria."


    Mrs. Hawkins stopped crying and let Walter go. She looked at me with surprise. "Victoria? As in, Victoria Lee? The popular artist Victoria Lee? I remember you!"


    I raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"


    "Yes, yes come in you two and let''s sit down and have a nice little chat," Mrs. Hawkins said.


    We were escorted into the living room.


    "So, would you guys like coffee or water?" Mrs. Hawkins asked.


    "Water, for me thank you," I said.


    Walter decided to have coffee with two sugars in it.


    Once everyone was situated I asked, "Mrs. Hawkins, you said you remember me? Did you see a picture of me in a news article or something?"


    Mrs. Hawkins shook her head. "I remember you, remember you. The last time I saw you we were celebrating your sixth birthday. Walter was seven at that and his sister was a toddler. I always thought you and Walter would make a cute couple one day. Oh, I got the picture to prove it and a home video!"


    "Mom!" Walter gasped, "Seriously?"


    "Walter, it''s fine. I''m actually curious to see this video and picture your mother has of me," I said.


    Mr. Hawkins nodded. "I''ll go get it!"


    He left the room and returned shortly with a picture and a USB port.


    "This was originally on a VHS tape but I had it reformatted for a USB port so we could watch it on a computer instead," Mr. Hawkins said.


    "Smart," Walter complimented.


    Mr. Hawkins smiled. "Thanks."


    He brought over a laptop and turned it on. Once it turned on he plugged in the USB port and clicked on a file titled: Victoria Lee''s Birthday!


    The video started playing and it showed six year old me sitting at the kitchen table looking bored out of my mind.


    "Mom! I wanna go play!" I whined.


    "No, it''s time to get your cake and open your presents," Delilah said.


    I looked like I was getting ready to say something when Issac (the person I thought was my real father) came through the door with a huge two layer cake in his hands. There was a crowd of other people that I didn''t recognize walking behind him singing, "Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday Victoria! Happy birthday to you!"


    Instead of being happy about the cake I looked annoyed for some reason. I saw my eyes turn red for a split second and then the power went out. It came back on as soon as it went out.


    A couple of people in the room cried out in fear and that was when the video ended.


    I blinked. "Wait a minute, I know I''m crazy but can you rewind to about five minutes before the power went out?"


    Mr. Hawkins nodded. "Sure."


    He did as I told him and his eyes went wide. "Is it just me or did your eyes turn red for a split second before the power went out?"


    I shook my head. "No, I saw it too."


    "Fuck!" Mrs. Hawkins cursed.


    I looked at her. "What, what''s wrong?"


    Mrs and Mr Hawkins exchanged a look and Mr. Hawkins sighed, "You wanna tell them or should I?"


    "I''ll tell them," Mrs. Hawkins said.


    Walter narrowed his eyes. "Tell us what?"


    "Remember when you asked me if you were adopted?" Mr. Hawkins said.


    Walter nodded. "Yeah, you always told me no that I wasn''t adopted." He shook his head in dismay and scoffed, "Figures that you lied. Considering I met my real father finally."


    Mrs. Hawkins breathed, "Alastor¡­"


    "It''s about time he made his move!" Mr. Hawkins grumbled.


    "Michael!" Mrs. Hawkins snarled. "Seriously? We raised Walter, he is our son, blood or not."


    Mr. Hawkins snorted. "Sure, sure whatever you say. It''s not like I don''t love Walter like he''s my own son, because I do love him but I didn''t agree with the others kidnapping him because he''s Victoria''s mate. That is the dumbest reason to kidnap a child and you know it!"


    Mrs. Hawkins argued, "But it had to be done! There was no other way that we''d be able to keep her on Earth without him!"


    "Would guys stop talking about us like we''re not here?" Walter snapped. "That''s rude! Especially with who you''re talking about!"


    Mrs. Hawkins gasped, "Walter, show some respect! I might not be your real mother but I raised you!"


    "Fuck your goddamn respect!" Walter yelled. "You showed the ultimate disrespect when you kidnapped me from my crib!"


    "Oh boy," I said. I grabbed Walter''s arm and rubbed his hand gently trying to calm him down. "Walter please, let''s talk to them about this calmly." I looked at Mrs. Hawkins. "Does Delilah know about what I am?"


    Mrs. Hawkins shook her head. "From what I know of, no she doesn''t. Only those who were involved in the summoning know. Delilah wasn''t involved, hell she wasn''t even your vessel or Walter''s vessel. Issac knew though, by the way how is he?"


    "He''s dead, he''s been dead for over a decade now," I said. I shook my head. "Let''s not change the subject here. So you guys, know what we are and you know we met our real parents now. And in case you''re wondering, yes I did get my wings and Walter has his."


    Mr. Hawkins whistled, "Wow, I wish I could see them. Humans can''t see what a demon looks like unless they''re dead. I bet your wings look magnificent!"


    "Okay, so you know what I am, you know I''ve been to Hell. And now I''ve been sent back to Earth for a very specific reason. I''m looking for my box," I said.


    Mr. Hawkins sighed, "Yeah, we know. But we don''t know where it is. We were only involved in your summoning and that was it. There are so many other people involved in this."


    Then I realized something. "Shit. That means my father will be coming after you guys! And more than likely you''ll be killed."


    Mrs. Hawkins nodded. "I know. Honestly, I thought it was going to come sooner than what it did."


    "But you haven''t been killed yet-" I said.


    Walter cut me off, "No. they stole from Hell and not just any demon, they stole from Royalty. I have half a mind to alert Satan of these people''s whereabouts. But since you guys did raise me and you treated me well growing up, I''ll ask Alastor to show you mercy while he''s overseeing your punishment."


    Mrs. Hawkins stood up and hugged Walter. "Thank you son!"


    Walter cringed. "Um, thanks¡­ Mom¡­"


    Little did we know that would be the last time Walter would ever call Mrs. Hawkins mother because the very next day, Satan came for them and their house was set on fire.


    ***


    {Walter}


    I wasn''t surprised when Satan came for the people that I called my parents. What I was surprised about was that I didn''t feel any pain or sympathy at their funerals. I wondered if it was because I knew they were in Hell so they still existed just not in this world.


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    My sister put a hand on my shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "It''s okay Walter, God needed more angels, they''re in Heaven now."


    I bit the inside of my cheek to keep myself from laughing. If only she knew what type of people her parents were. "Um, yes everything will be fine. That much I know Milly. And I know they would want you to continue to live your life the way you want to live it."


    She nodded and walked off.


    "The poor thing has no idea, does she?" I heard Alastor say.


    I shook my head. "Nope. Not a clue and apparently, there''s more people that are involved in this than we realize."


    "Don''t you worry about that, I''m waaay ahead of you. Just worry about helping Victoria find her box because you don''t need to worry about anything else," Alastor said.


    "Yeah, because I quit my job as a caretaker in general so I don''t have to worry about that. I got Victoria''s service dog back from Jenny. The poor dog missed Victoria so much," I said.


    "Yep, and don''t worry about finances and stuff like that. I got it covered for you," Alastor said.


    "Sure," I said. "Thanks Dad."


    Alastor gave me a nod and disappeared.


    ***


    After my "parents" funeral Frank insisted that Victoria and I stay with him. Mostly because he felt guilty that we got "kidnapped" and he didn''t feel too good with us staying at Victoria''s house for fear that the kidnappers might come back for us. The poor guy means well but he doesn''t know the whole picture and he doesn''t need to know the whole picture.


    Ben would come over from time to time to check and see if we needed anything but for the most part we''ve been fine on our own. After a week or two of staying at Frank''s house Victoria began to grow restless.


    I would often see her pacing back and forth in our room. Today was no different. I came back from walking Cody to find her pacing again.


    "What''s wrong this time?" I asked.


    Victoria sighed, "I need to go back home and not back to Hell not that home but the house that I have home. It''s my place, I bought it and that''s where I''m going to live. You and I both know that the ''kidnappers'' won''t come back. Either way I''m going home whether Frank likes it or not because this overprotectiveness is driving me bonkers!"


    I chuckled. "He can''t help it! Hell, when people hear about your story and what you''ve put up with they would want to protect you. That''s how I felt when I first met you."


    "I''m serious Walter," Victoria said. "I''m going back to my house. You can stay here if you want but I''m going back."


    I shook my head. "I''m not letting you go back there alone. I''m going with you of course."


    "Okay I''m going to go talk to him now," Victoria said. She walked out of the room as fast as she could.


    I laughed because it looked like she was walking as if her pants were on fire.


    ***


    {Victoria}


    I walked to Frank''s office that he had in his house for when he works from home. I just wanted to talk to him as soon as possible because I really wanted to get out of the house and get started on my mission to get my box.


    As I got closer I heard moaning and I knew what that was about. I stopped short when I heard someone call out Frank''s name when they climaxed.


    On second thought, I''ll just come back later¡­ I thought. I turned around and started to leave when I heard someone call out to me and I stopped.


    "Ms. Lee, I didn''t realize you were here," a man said. The man was one of Frank''s bodyguards, his name was Leon.


    "Oh, um Leon, I was coming to talk to Frank about something but I can see he''s busy so I''ll come back later," I said.


    Leon chuckled, "I think he''s almost done."


    Right on cue, the head maid Quinn came out of the office with her clothes wrinkled and a smile on her face. I smiled at her and silently cheered her on to win Frank''s heart. I felt that Frank deserved better than Delilah anyway. Even though Quinn was the head maid.


    At least he''s fucking the maid and not looking at me. Of course I have a feeling since Ben is now my servant¡­ I thought. I shook my head to get rid of the negative feelings. Just because Ben is my servant doesn''t mean we''d get together like that. No thank you.


    Leon cleared his throat, "I''ve notified Mr. Randal of your presence. You can go in now."


    I went up to the door and knocked. "Come in!"


    I entered the room and Frank made a motion to sit down across from him at his desk.


    "So, what''s going on?" Frank asked.


    "Um, I want to go home," I said. "It''s been great staying here and all¡­"


    Frank raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? I mean what if the kidnappers come back?"


    I shook my head. "Even if they do come back I can''t be living on the edge all the time. That''s why I have my mental health issues as it is."


    "I see," Frank said. "Well, if you insist on going back then I can send a couple of my bodyguards to watch the house."


    I was going to argue with Frank about that. but I decided it wasn''t worth it so I kept my mouth shut. I sighed, "Fine. I just want to go home. I mean thank you for everything you''ve done for me and all but um¡­"


    He chuckled. "It''s fine. I understand and honestly, you''re too nice for your own good. Just say what''s on your mind and if it hurts someone''s feelings then so be it. I didn''t get to be the business tycoon that I am today without hurting a few feelings along the way. Hell, I''ve lost friends over business deals before. It happens."


    I nodded. "Okay, um I''ll work on that. And I do mean it when I say thank you for everything."


    Frank rolled his eyes. "Seriously? You''re acting as if this is the last time I''ll see you. So when are you planning on leaving?"


    "Tomorrow would be good for me," I said.


    After that I went back to my room that I shared with Walter and we packed our stuff.


    ***


    {Alastor}


    Ever since Walter got kidnapped from his crib along with Victoria I had been set on tracking the people involved in the kidnapping down. Satan and Cathy on the other hand, had sent out a search party to find Victoria and Walter. When they did find them it was too late. Victoria and Walter had been transferred to human vessels and been turned into humans.


    So we had to watch them grow up from the sidelines. While Satan was busy gathering the necessary materials to summon Victoria and Walter to get them back home, I was busy collecting the humans who had a hand in the kidnapping.


    My list of people involved in the kidnapping just seems to keep getting longer and longer. I just added four more people to the list. This time I tracked them down to where they resided and they lived in a small town where everybody knows everybody. Here''s the kicker, turns out the town leader was involved. I asked for an audience with him and he agreed to it.


    Since I am the third strongest demon in Hell I can detect what attacks a human might try in order to "kill" me while I''m on Earth. You can''t really kill a demon if someone attacks a demon, it''ll just get sent back to Hell. There are other attacks that a demon can get trapped on Earth with, but the stronger the demon is the easier it will be for the demon to get out of the attack.


    I''m confident but every time I deal with humans I''m always on high alert.


    As I went into the town leader''s house I was escorted into the living room. The man''s name was Lucas and he took a seat on the recliner next to the couch.


    "So you want some sort of information from me?" Lucas asked.


    "Not information, more like confirmation of something that I found out," I said.


    He tilted his head. "Oh? Like what?"


    "Do you know who the rulers of Hell are?" I asked.


    He laughed, "Straight to the point huh? Yeah I know, Satan and Cathy. Why? Are you looking for them? I can summon one of them for you if you want?"


    I scoffed, "No, I don''t need that. I''m a close friend of theirs because I''ve summoned them plenty of times before."


    He stopped laughing and narrowed his eyes. "Then what do you need from me?"


    "I don''t know if you know the story of Satan''s child being kidnapped when she was two?" I questioned. "Her mate was kidnapped as well."


    Lucas stood up abruptly. "I know where this is leading but I''m afraid I can''t-"


    I laughed a wicked laugh as I started changing into my demon form. "No, don''t get to say you can''t because you can and you just gave me what I''m looking for."


    "Al¡­ Alastor?" Lucas stuttered.


    "I''m so glad you recognize me, who else is in your group?" I said.


    "I''m not giving you that information! Over my dead body! I wouldn''t give you that information even in the afterlife!" Lucas declared.


    "You wouldn''t give me the information you say?" I said with a sinister smile on my face. "Not even if I killed your family? Because I will do that and I''ll kill them slowly, so very slowly¡­"


    "You wouldn''t dare!" Lucas snarled. "They haven''t done anything to you! You are Royalty! At least fight fair."


    I snorted. "Seriously? You humans never fight fair so don''t fucking lecture me about how to fight someone. You use traps, you use Angelic weapons to ''kill'' a demon and yet you talk about fighting fair?"


    I started building up my power a little bit in my eyes as I stared straight into Lucas''s soul and he stopped dead in his tracks. He started shaking in fear. "N-no! No, don''t!"


    "Are you going to give me the names now?" I asked.


    He shook his head rapidly. "No, just stop doing what you''re doing!"


    "Aww, that''s cute!" I laughed, "You really think you can order the third strongest demon in Hell around."


    "I am loyal to the Fifth," Lucas declared.


    I smiled a sinister smile. I knew about the Fifth. The Fifth is an organized religion that claims to worship Satan as their God. But if they really worshiped Satan then they wouldn''t have conspired to kidnap their God''s daughter.


    Before I could look deeper into Lucas''s soul, he screamed, "Karma!"


    I paused. "Huh?"


    "Speak to Karma, she''s the one who started everything and that''s the only thing I''m saying!" Lucas said.


    "That stupid bitch!" I growled.


    Karma is an immortal being much like demons but her power level is right up with Satan and the ruler of Heaven L''s power. She is called the Keeper of the Universe. She mostly deals with bringing humans to justice and teaching them lessons by sometimes having their actions come back to bite them in the butt. Not to mention she sometimes uses demons to teach humans a lesson.


    Although her lessons don''t really yield much results except for entertainment for her for the most part. She must be really bored in order to stir the pot this time by getting Satan''s daughter involved with this.


    "Thank you, you dumb human but you''ve just added over a hundred people to my list. It''s a shame that they decided to steal from their God. I have no idea what Karma wants with Pandora but I''m going to find out," I said. "As for you, you''ll die right now and tonight when the rest of your family comes home to find your dead body, they will die too."


    "Nooo!" Lucas screamed. "Please have mercy on my family! They have nothing to do with this!"


    Another good thing about being the third strongest demon in Hell is that I have the power to detect when a human is lying. Of course I''m so powerful that I can spot a lie from a mile away. Sure enough, I was able to see that Lucas was lying. I chuckled, "Nice try human! I will see you in Hell. And I''m going to have so much fun punishing you."


    After I killed Lucas, I waited for his family to come home later that night. I didn''t hesitate to kill them. Once I took care of that I used my brooch that I use for communication and connected it to Karma''s realm.


    She answered my call instantly. "Alastor my dear! It''s about fucking time I got your attention! It''s almost our tenth wedding anniversary and you haven''t been home ever since our wedding day!"


    "Is that why you urged the humans to kidnap my son and Satan''s daughter?" I snarled.


    I married Karma over a decade ago but I only slept with her one time and wasn''t satisfied with her. She is my seventh wife. In Hell you can have as many wives as you want. Satan has more than one wife and he sleeps with his servants just like any other person in the Royal Family does. Cathy sleeps with her husbands and servants. But that''s a story for another day.


    "What? I was bored!" Karma whined.


    I rolled my eyes. "Of course you were. You know what, I''m coming home and you and I have a lot to talk about!"


    I cut the call before she could answer and teleported back to Hell.

 Chapter 29: More to the Story

    {Frank}


    Ever since Victoria and Walter left the house I hadn¡¯t been feeling at ease at all. I sent two of my best bodyguards with them. That¡¯s all I could do for the moment. But Victoria¡¯s right, she can¡¯t keep living on the edge, always worried, always watching her back, that¡¯s not a good quality of life to live.


    As I was in the middle of doing paperwork I got a phone call. It was Leon. ¡°Hello? Any updates?¡±


    ¡±They¡¯re fine for now Boss,¡± Leon said. ¡°Although it seems as if Ben¡¯s been visiting them more often and taking them to a dojo in town.¡±


    ¡±Hmmm, he might be trying to train them in self defense or something like that. Which is a good thing. The more they¡¯re able to at least defend themselves the better,¡± I said.


    ¡°Agreed, but we could teach them just as much as Ben or any of his stupid mafia,¡± Leon whined.


    I snorted. ¡°If I didn¡¯t know any better, I¡¯d say you¡¯re jealous of Ben.¡±


    ¡±Who wouldn¡¯t be? Victoria¡¯s the-¡° Leon started. He stopped himself. ¡°Nevermind.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°She¡¯s what? You know something that I don¡¯t know about Victoria don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡±Yes, but I¡¯m sworn to secrecy,¡± Leon admitted. He muttered under his breath, ¡°I¡¯m loyal to the crown.¡±


    ¡±The what?¡± I asked.


    ¡±Nothing Boss,¡± Leon said.


    That made me wonder about Victoria¡¯s real identity. She might be more important than I realized. If that¡¯s the case whoever kidnapped Victoria must be a very important person as well. It made me curious and I wanted to find out who Victoria¡¯s real family was but I didn¡¯t know where to start looking. So I called my team that¡¯s good at finding out about these things.


    I dialed the number and Johnny picked up on the first ring. ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡±Johnny, I need you to look into something for me. You remember Victoria Lee, the popular artist? Well she got kidnapped by her real family about a month ago,¡± I said. ¡°I need to confirm something for me on who her real family is. Apparently Delilah got Victoria from a surrogate but she doesn¡¯t know the identity of the surrogate. I want you to find out the identity of the surrogate.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s going to be a tall order Boss, but I¡¯ll see what I can do. Do you have any DNA samples from Ms. Lee?¡± Johnny asked.


    ¡±Yes I do,¡± I said.


    ¡±Alright, send me the samples and I¡¯ll get to work,¡± Johnny said.


    I ended the call and with my curiosity growing I couldn¡¯t wait until I got results. Little did I know the results would blow my mind.


    ***


    {Alastor}


    ¡°It¡¯s about time you came home!¡± Karma said as she greeted me at the door.


    ¡±Yeah, yeah I know,¡± I growled.


    ¡±What¡¯s the matter baby? You seem stressed,¡± Karma said.


    ¡°You have no idea,¡± I said.


    She led me over to the couch in the living room and sat down next to me. When she leaned in for a kiss I pulled back.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Karma asked.


    ¡±Is there some reason you decided to have the humans kidnap my son and the future ruler of Hell?¡± I asked.


    Karma snorted. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault that humans run with their wild imagination. I only told them of the vision I saw. I saw a vision about a plague that may or may not wipe out about a third of the human population around the world. Oh and my vision included a demon and a box of some sort.¡±


    I groaned, ¡°Seriously? Those crazy humans have this stupid idea that Pandora and her box has something to do with that. So she got kidnapped along with my son for twenty-six years! Her name isn¡¯t Pandora anymore. It¡¯s Victoria.¡±


    She gasped. ¡°Oh no! I¡¯m so sorry. I know humans are crazy but I didn¡¯t think they¡¯d go so far as to steal from the Royal Family like that.¡±


    ¡±Did you not hear what I just said?" I growled. "The humans kidnapped my son! My first born son! And the future ruler of Hell!"


    "Yeah, humans are the definition of crazy," Karma said. She paused and she looked like she was in a trance.


    I knew that when she went into that trance she was seeing a vision. When she snapped out of it she gave me an evil smile and I knew that smile meant something good.


    "What is it?" I asked.


    "Victoria and Walter are both destined for greatness! My powers told me your son''s name was Walter now," She explained. "Of course Victoria''s first obstacle will be dealing with her so-called ''family'' and then finding her box. Once she finds her box she''ll be unstoppable! And I''ll help you get all the names of the humans and demons that are involved in this shit. On one condition."


    "Depends on what your condition is," I said, giving her a sideways look.


    "You''ve been neglecting your wives a bit lately. I''ve heard complaints from wife number two and number three. Although you don''t seem to have that much trouble spending time with your first wife," Karma said. I could hear the jealousy in her voice. But she did manage to keep herself somewhat composed as she said, "The condition I purpose is that you spend time with each of your wives for two weeks. You have seven wives and that includes me. So that''s seven days in a week, so you spend time with one of your wives each day. As long as you have sex with me and your first wife at least once, at the end of the two weeks I''ll give you the names of every single human and demon that was involved in the kidnapping and now involved in the monitoring of your son and the future ruler of Hell. I think that''s a pretty fair deal, don''t you?"


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    I thought about it and she''s not wrong. I have been neglecting my wives lately because I''ve been so obsessed with trying to track down everyone who''s been involved in Walter and Victoria''s kidnapping. I had been trying to deal with the stress by taking it out on the inmates but maybe I needed something else.


    So I nodded my head and held out my hand. She shook it and I smiled. "Deal."


    ***


    {Frank}


    Johnny made quick work of what I gave him for information. It turns out that a guy named Stanley (and I have a feeling that''s not his real name) is the one who''s in charge of a mafia that owns the mafia that Ben runs. There''s two different mafia''s in this city and the smaller is owned by the bigger one. The two mafia''s are: Satan''s Crew and the Royals. The Royals own Satan''s Crew, so they''re the ones that call the shots and that''s probably how Ben was able to find Victoria and Walter so quickly.


    It made me wonder if he was just sitting on the information until his Boss gave him the okay to give it to me? I have so many questions but I have an idea that Ben won''t give me the information even if I tortured him for it.


    Stanley is also running the Royals with a guy named Alastor. An interesting name and it made me wonder why Alastor''s parents would name him after a demon. But based on the conversation that Delilah overheard when she rescued Victoria and Walter, Alastor is crazy so maybe his parents were right with that name.


    So basically Victoria is a mafia Princess and Walter is a mafia Prince.


    The surrogate that gave birth to Victoria was kidnapped from the mafia and I have a feeling that Issac was involved in the kidnapping somehow. From what Johnny was able to find out was now people who were involved in kidnapping Victoria and Walter from the mafia are starting to turn up dead.


    I just attended Walter''s "parents" funeral a couple of weeks ago. It made me wonder if his parents were involved as well. There''s a lot more to this story than I realize. A lot of people were involved in this stuff and Johnny just scratched the surface of the iceberg.


    With the information that I found out, I decided to pay Victoria and Walter a visit just to see how they were doing. I had a feeling that if Stanley and Alastor wanted to come for their children again, they could do so in the blink of an eye. I wasn''t sure how I felt about that. Alastor tricked Victoria and Walter into thinking that he had a cure for their illness. But then again maybe he did because they seem to be feeling better except for a few bumps and bruises that Alastor gave them.


    When I got to Victoria''s house I knocked on the door. Leon answered it. "Oh, hey there Boss."


    He let me inside and said, "What brings you here for a visit?"


    "Well there''s something that I want to speak to Victoria and Walter about. Where are they?" I said.


    He hesitated. "They''re in their room."


    I smiled. "Let me guess, they''re having sexy fun times aren''t they?"


    Right on cue I heard Victoria calling Walter''s name out and moaning. "Yes! Baby¡­ Fuck me harder¡­ Walter!"


    I chuckled, "Yeah I can wait."


    "Are you sure?" Leon said.


    "Yeah I''m sure," I said. "Remember Leon you work for me, and if I give you an order you follow it unless you don''t feel like working for me anymore. Got it?"


    He nodded. "Yes sir. I''ll go see if they''ve at least climaxed by now."


    I snorted as Leon went upstairs and knocked on the bedroom door. I sat down at the couch in the living room waiting for them to come down. When they came down I stood up and greeted them. "Victoria! Walter! How are you two doing?"


    "We''ve been doing fine lately. How are you?" Victoria asked after I hugged her.


    "I''m good. I''m just curious about some things," I said.


    Victoria sat down on the couch and Walter sat down beside her. She raised an eyebrow. "What might that be?"


    "Is your real dad the leader of a mafia? The Royals to be exact?" I asked.


    Victoria''s eyes went wide. "How did you find out about that?"


    "Let me guess, you did your homework on us finally didn''t you?" Walter asked before I could say anything. "I don''t blame you. I''d be curious too if my adopted child got ''kidnapped'' by people who claimed to be her real parents."


    I raised an eyebrow. "Why did you put the word kidnapped in air quotes?"


    "Because it''s not kidnapping if we willingly went with the person," Victoria said.


    "But Alastor said that he tricked you into coming with him. That''s still kidnapping in my book because he coerced you into coming with him," I said.


    Victoria and Walter exchanged a look.


    "Do you wanna tell him or should I?" Walter asked.


    "I''ll tell him," Victoria said. She looked at me. "Before I tell you anything, none of this conversation leaves this room, got it? Because if you breathe a word of it, I''ll deny it and your accusations will backfire on you."


    I nodded. "I''m really curious to know what''s going on. Although I could try and find out on my own. I''d rather hear it from the horse''s mouth so to speak."


    Victoria rolled her eyes. "Obviously. Well, the thing is everything looked like a kidnapping because Alastor set it up that way. To him he was just taking back what was his and Stanley''s. And I agreed with that. I went twenty-eight years in this world growing up in an abusive household with people who weren''t my real parents. I didn''t know that my real parents loved me and wanted me to grow up with them raising me.


    "I found out that Delilah only kept me because of Jaxon and Jenny. What kind of mother does that? A mother with no heart that''s who. A mother who would keep a child as their emotional and sometimes physical punching bag just to blame that on the two children that she already had because they were ''attached'' to me. You know how fucked up and wrong that is?


    "The man who I thought was my real father kidnapped me from my actual father. I have no idea why he did it though. I''m just glad that my real father actually loves me."


    I frowned. "Really? Because that''s not what I heard from Delilah when she rescued you."


    She gave me an evil smile. "That was a set up. I had some loose ends to tie up here before I go start my new life learning to be the next leader of the Royals."


    I paused. "Huh? Isn''t the leader of the mafia usually a man?"


    Victoria snickered. "Typical, that''s a stereotype. I''m actually the first born so that is my birthright. Anyway, Alastor got word that Delilah was coming to rescue me so I let him beat the crap out of me for trying to escape. That was all a set up to make Delilah look like a hero. And the plan worked because the news and the media are praising Delilah for being brave enough to go into the lion''s den."


    "But why? Why do you want Delilah to be the hero?" I asked. "You hate her!"


    She nodded. "Oh I hate her alright! There''s only one reason that I want her to be the hero for now."


    "And that would be?" I asked.


    "One word¡­ Revenge," Victoria said.


    I was confused by that statement. "But why would you get revenge by having Delilah save the day."


    She gave me another evil smile. "You''ll see. Because once Delilah falls and she will fall, she will fall HARD, VERY HARD! For now, just sit back and watch the show."


    I had no idea what to say to that. But I had a feeling that whatever revenge Victoria and Walter had in mind that it was going to be grand and honestly I couldn''t wait to see how everything played out.

 Chapter 30: The Deal

    {Victoria}


    "So the cats out of the bag now with certain people, that is," I said. I was talking on the phone through facetime with Satan and he seemed rather happy that Frank found out about him running a mafia called the Royals.


    "About this being a cover story¡­" Satan said.


    I paused. "What?"


    "I want this to be a real story for you. Just think of this as training for when you''re crowned as a Princess," Satan said.


    "And what happens after Delilah ''kills me?''" I asked.


    "You''ll just assume a new identity. Once you figure out how to change into your human form at will that part should be pretty easy," Satan answered. "How about this, we can make a deal?"


    I raised an eyebrow. "A deal?"


    He smirked. "I know where your box is. The deal I want to make with you is this, you lead the mafia for at least six months and then I''ll tell you where your box is. After those six months, you''ll get your box and then you can come back home."


    "Question," I said.


    "Yes?" He said.


    "Why is Ben insisting on teaching me sword fighting? I mean I understand hand to hand combat because even humans like to fight their fists, but a sword? I don''t really see that type of combat much. A knife maybe, but not a full blown sword. Unless the person charging at you is a complete lunatic," I said.


    "That''s because sword fighting is a common type of combat in Hell. The stronger the demon is more than likely they''ll either fight with their fists or a sword. Especially if it''s a demon from the Royal family," Satan explained. "So, do you accept our deal?"


    I thought about it. It would be so easy for me to ask my dad where my box is so I could go home. But on the other hand I still have so much to learn about being a leader and I''m not sure if six months would be enough to teach me. "Can I revise the deal a little?"


    "As long as it''s within reason," Satan said.


    "Well, I don''t think six months will teach me how to be a leader, don''t you?" I said.


    "So how much time do you think you''ll need?" Satan asked while raising an eyebrow.


    "A year," I said.


    He didn''t look too happy about that but he seemed to consider it for a moment. He nodded. "Okay, a year but Cathy and I will come to Earth to celebrate the holidays and your birthday with you of course. No, if''s and''s or but''s about it. Non negotiable."


    I chuckled. "Of course, it''s going to be somewhat awkward because you''re the guy who supposedly ''kidnapped'' me though."


    "Don''t worry about that, I got it covered. When you learn how to change into your human form at will you can change yourself into whatever you want to look like. Heck, you can even change your gender if you want. But either way regardless if I go in my regular human form or change it up a bit, I''ll be there," Satan said.


    Tears of happiness welled up in my eyes but I blinked them away. I wasn''t going to cry. I hate crying in front of people. I blame that response on Delilah and her precious Howard.


    He frowned. "What''s wrong?"


    "Nothing''s wrong," I lied.


    He didn''t seem convinced when he said, "Uh-huh."


    I composed myself. "So a year and then you''ll tell me where my box is?"


    "That''s the deal. So you do say?" He asked.


    I smiled. "Deal."


    ***


    {Satan}


    I have no idea what''s going with my daughter but there''s something going on. She smiled at me and looked like she was going to cry but she composed herself so quickly, I thought I was imagining things.


    "I saw that. I wonder if our daughter has trouble showing emotions in front of people?" Cathy said.


    She was sitting beside me on the bed the entire time I was on the call with Victoria.


    "Yeah I can sense when someone''s lying about something and she lied about the possible tears," I said.


    "Like I said she probably has trouble showing emotions and I''m going to blame that on that pathetic human that she had as a ''mother,''" Cathy growled.


    I nodded in agreement. There must be some way I can help her with that.


    It was as if Cathy read my mind. She shook her head. "I don''t think we can help her with that. Just let her open up to us and what we can do is show her that we don''t judge her like her human parents did. Heck, I''d accept her even if she did want to sleep with me. But every demon has their lines that they draw. And hers is incest. It''s taboo to humans though so maybe that''s where she gets that idea from?"


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    I gave her a look of disbelief. "Seriously? I''m not sure if sleeping with your daughter is the best way to help her get over this issue. Although she does get her good looks from me so I can see why you''d be attracted to her. "


    Cathy pouted, "She gets just about everything from you. Your temper, your good looks, your temper¡­"


    I snorted. "Yeah hopefully she won''t throw a human off a balcony because she''s mad at them. Humans are fragile creatures when they''re alive and yet somehow they''re at the top of the food chain on Earth. But here they''re bottom feeders."


    "No kidding," Cathy said. "I say we just give her time to open up to us. I''m sure she will in due time. And we have all the time in the world for that to happen."


    I nodded in agreement because once again Cathy is right. Right now, it''s just a waiting game.


    ***


    {Victoria}


    "So we''re stuck here for another year?" Walter said with a frown.


    "What? It''s not bad. Besides, I have more loose ends to tie up here than you do," I said. "Not to mention Dad said that he would come for the holidays and once the year is up then we''ll go back home. I''m thinking about going to a lawyer to write my will now. And no, it''s not going to be one that''s connected to Frank or Ben. I''ll make instructions for the lawyer to contact Jenny and Jaxon when we get ''killed.'' Honestly, I can''t wait until Delilah fucks this up and takes the fall. But all good things come to those who wait."


    He rolled his eyes. "Of course you would think that."


    He moved out of the way just in time to dodge Ben''s sword. We were at the training area for Ben''s mafia which was at the main house working on our sword fighting skills. I feel rather bored and annoyed by this because it''s not much of a challenge for me at the moment. Not to mention I don''t really see the point in learning this skill but I guess it''ll come in handy when I finally get back to Hell.


    Ben went to my left to attack me and I just blocked him with ease.


    "I volunteered for the deal because otherwise it might take me longer to find it," I said.


    "Uh, are you guys going to attack me or not? That is the point of sword fighting, is you know, actual fighting?" Ben said with an annoyed tone of voice.


    "I''m bored," I said.


    He rolled his eyes. "Well you wouldn''t be bored if you actually started doing some fighting."


    "Okay, fine then," I said. I readied my fighting stance and charged at him. He quickly moved out of my way before I could get a hit on him.


    He snickered. "Your defense is perfect, your offense however, is terrible." He turned his attention to Walter. "Walter, show me what you got. You might be able to show Victoria a thing or two about this sport."


    "Hey!" I said.


    Walter nodded and moved in to attack Ben and Ben blocked him but not before Walter''s sword grazed his shoulder. However if I''m not interested in learning something I find it very hard for me to learn even if it is important. That''s definitely something I''m going to have to work on.


    I wasn''t paying attention when Ben attacked me and I didn''t move out of the way in time. Ben''s sword sliced my right shoulder. "Ow!"


    Walter panicked. "Victoria!"


    Ben rolled his eyes. "She''s fine. She''s a demon, remember? Demon''s are somewhat invincible. And if you get killed on Earth you just get transported back to Hell. It gives humans the illusion that you''re dead for their peace of mind."


    I looked at my shoulder and didn''t feel any pain anymore and all I saw was blood. I shrugged. "It''s fine, let''s keep going."


    Walter looked like he wanted to say something but he didn''t. He nodded and I tried to attack Ben by charging at him. Once again he moved out of the way as if it was nothing.


    "Fuck!" I cursed. Then I remembered that I had that same issue when I wanted to fight Alastor and I have that same issue in hand to hand combat. With hand to hand combat I actually want to learn that.


    Ben chuckled. "Again, your offense is really terrible. It''s the same thing with your hand to hand combat. You got a bit of work before you''re ready for an actual fight with your fists and swords that is. But it is a good thing that you''re a good shot with a gun at least. You''re going to need to know how to fire a gun since you''re going to be the Don for the Royals."


    Walter snorted. "No kidding."


    Ben''s alarm went off on his watch and he sighed, "As much as I would love to keep going it''s time to stop. Not to mention we''ve been at this for about six hours now."


    I nodded and I didn''t like the idea of taking a shower in the gym locker room so I just changed into a clean shirt because I figured I''d take a shower when I got home. That''s exactly what I did.


    Once I got home I took a shower and found Walter sitting on my bed like he normally does.


    "I''ve been thinking," Walter said.


    "About what?" I asked.


    "We should start sharing a room instead of being in separate ones. We are dating after all. And when we get back to Hell we''ll start sharing a room there too," Walter responded.


    I nodded. "I like that idea. Besides, it makes perfect sense that we share a room because we already share a bed anyway."


    For whatever the reason Cody perked up at that and gave a happy bark and wagged his tail.


    I laughed, "Yup, that''s right Cody, just you, me and Walter."


    "That''s another thing, what are we going to do about Cody when we have to go back to Hell?" Walter asked.


    I smiled because I had spoken to Satan about that a couple of days ago right after we made the deal and he surprised me by saying Cody wasn''t a normal dog.


    "What''s that look for?" Walter asked.


    "That''s because Cody isn''t a normal dog. He''s a hellhound and his real name is Cain," I said.


    It was as if Cody knew exactly what I was talking about when he jumped off the bed and shook his fur out as if he had just come from the rain. Slowly he started to transform. His fur shrank into his skin and became just straight muscle and his skin was black. His paws did the same thing. This dog had muscles just about everywhere and he looked like he was a bodybuilder but in dog form. His ears stuck straight up and were pointy and his snout was a little bit longer than a German Shepherd mix.


    Once he finished his transformation he barked and stood tall and proud of himself. Hell, if I had a body like he did and I was a dog I''d be proud of myself too.


    Walter gaped at Cody. "Whoa! He''s a big doggy!"


    I chuckled, "No kidding. Although I expected him to be big because he''s a Hellhound."


    Cody transformed back into a German Shepherd and hopped up on the bed again. He just acted like nothing happened.


    "Again, we''re stuck here for one more year?" Walter said.


    I gave him a pointed look. "Seriously? Cody just transformed into a huge giant hellhound and that''s the question you go back to?"


    Walter shrugged. "What can I say? The dog is the least of my worries at the moment."


    "And I told you, Dad handing me the box will take a lot less time than me searching all over the whole planet for it," I said. "Or would you prefer that it be more than a year? Because if I go looking for my box on my own it''s bound to be longer than a year."


    He sighed, "I don''t like it but if it gets back to our actual family that wants us unconditionally faster then fine."


    "Yup, one more year and we go back home," I said. To tell the truth I couldn''t wait to be back home in Hell where I belonged.

 Chapter 31: Feelings?

    {Walter}


    I''m not happy about being stuck on Earth for another year since I''ve pretty much tied up my loose ends or so I thought. I got a phone call from Aiden with some rather disturbing news. Apparently, Megan was found dead in her room as she had passed away in her sleep. No one knows why.


    Then Alastor dropped a bombshell on me. He told me that the demon she made a deal with was involved in my kidnaping. Once Satan found him he stripped the demon of his human form and declared that anyone who made a deal with him would die.


    Megan made a deal with Parker and it involved casting a love spell on Victoria. When I found out what the deal was I was pissed! However, I was also comforted by the fact that she was in Hell and Alastor was overseeing her punishment.


    "So are you going to tell her about Megan?" Alastor asked.


    I shook my head. "I''m not sure. I''m conflicted about it."


    He nodded. "That''s understandable because she was a close personal friend with you and Victoria''s ex-girlfriend. But I wonder if Victoria''s feelings for Megan were true because of the love spell?"


    "That''s why I''m conflicted about it," I said. "Actually, that''s the biggest reason why I''m conflicted about it."


    He nodded again.


    "I''m afraid if I tell her then she''ll doubt herself and she might doubt her feelings for me," I said.


    "But your feelings are real. Megan''s feelings weren''t," Alastor said. "Or I could tell her for you?"


    I shook my head. "Nah this is my problem to deal with. I''d be a coward if I let my Dad take care of something that I should be taking care of instead."


    Alastor chuckled, "Okay then."


    After our conversation I went to Victoria''s room considering I was still at her house and sat down on the bed.


    I heard the shower going so I waited for Victoria to come into the room. When she came into the room she was wrapped in a towel and I could feel myself getting hard. She made eye contact with me and looked down at my crotch and smiled. "Well someone''s horny."


    "Yes, yes I am but that can wait," I said.


    She gave a dramatic gasp, "Who are you and what have you done with Walter? You neeeeever wait for sex when your dick is up."


    I snorted. "Yeah sure but this is important. Maybe you should get dressed so I''m not distracted?"


    She nodded and went into the walk-in closet and came back a couple minutes later dressed in blue jeans and a t-shirt. Did that help my boner go down? Absolutely not!


    I cleared my throat, "It''s a good thing you''re sitting down for this. So I''ll just cut to the chase. Megan''s dead."


    Victoria gave me a look of disbelief and then she shook her head. "No, no, no, Megan is dead? Megan''s healthy! Why would she die?"


    "Well Megan is dead. She passed away in her sleep. Keep sitting down because the reason why she passed away was because she made a deal with a crossroads demon who had a hand in our kidnapping. Satan caught the demon and declared everyone who made a deal with the guy is going to die. I wouldn''t be surprised if more people wind up dead soon," I said.


    Victoria looked like she just couldn''t believe her ears. "Megan¡­ Made a deal with a crossroads demon? When did it happen?"


    "I''m not sure but it gets worse," I said.


    She blinked. "How bad does it get? And how do you know this information?"


    "Ever since Alastor''s been obsessed with catching the people involved," I sighed. "Not only did she make a deal with a crossroads demon, she unknowingly became involved with our kidnapping."


    She nodded slowly. "So what was the deal?"


    "Well¡­" I hesitated.


    My hesitation made Victoria annoyed. "Tell me, it can''t be that bad right? Right?"


    I sighed, "The deal Megan made was that the crossroads demon cast a love spell on you in return for being his sex slave. But that wasn''t the original deal, it was the love spell in exchange for human souls."


    She fell silent and her eyes were wide. She looked speechless. We sat there in silence for a moment and at first I thought she wasn''t going to say anything but she broke the silence first by saying, "Did Alastor find out when the deal was made?"


    I looked at her. "When did you and Megan start dating?"


    Her eyes were wide as saucers when she answered, "In middle school. My Sophomore year in high school was when Delilah married Howard and¡­"


    "And, what happened?" I asked.


    "I started liking her about two months after I met her and she asked me out. We got together and we dated until Howard came along¡­" She shook her head rapidly. "That can''t be true! Does this mean that I''ve been straight this whole entire time while I thought I liked both men and women? I''m confused. But I did choose female servants in Hell because I thought they were hot. But¡­"


    She went quiet again and just stared off into space. After a moment she stood up.


    I frowned. "Where are you going?"


    "Out for a walk," Victoria said.


    "Do you need company?" I asked


    "No, I just need to be alone," She turned to look at me. "You know I love you right?"


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    I smiled. "Yeah and I love you too."


    She leaned over and kissed me. "Good, I don''t doubt that. I''m just questioning my sexuality at the moment."


    That''s when I got an idea. "I''ll give you some time alone right now but what if I help prove it to you that you''re not straight?"


    She tilted her head. "Huh? How can you do that?"


    "This weekend I''ll ask Alastor to send a couple of our female servants to this house and we can have a threesome or foursome so to speak. How does that sound?" I said.


    She laughed, "That''s just like you Walter. And that''s why I love you. Yes, that sounds like a good idea. So what happens if I find out that I''m straight and I was wrong about things this whole entire time?"


    "''We''ll worry about that bridge when we cross it okay?" I said.


    Without another word, she nodded and left the room.


    ***


    {Victoria}


    Confused¡­ Stunned¡­ Confused¡­ That''s exactly how I''m feeling at the moment. I mean it''s not everyday that you find out that your ex-girlfriend made a deal with a crossroads demon to cast a love spell on you just to get you to like them. Here I am standing out in the middle of the forest behind my house questioning my sexuality.


    I''ve found out a lot about myself this past month. The first thing I learned is that I''m not human, I''m not even crazy, I''m a demon and not just any demon, a Princess, the daughter of the ruler of Hell, Satan. I''ve also learned that my real name isn''t Victoria, it''s Pandora and I was sent back to Earth to find my box. Well I''m not really "looking" for my box considering Satan knows where it is and I agreed to stay here for another year to lead his mafia called the Royals.


    "Victoria!" I heard a familiar voice call out, "Where are you? It''s time to come back inside now!"


    I groaned, "Seriously? Who sent you Delilah?"


    Delilah paused when I turned around and glared. She shook her head. "No one sent me. I was just concerned because I heard you''ve been out here alone for six hours. I mean I am your mother so of course I''m concerned."


    "Excuse me?" I said. "Say that last part again."


    "I am your mother-" Delilah started.


    I scoffed, "Yeah no, you''re not and you never were. I''ve stripped you of that title for a reason and don''t ever think you can get it back. It''s too late to make amends now bitch."


    Delilah''s jaw clenched. "Then how can I fix this?"


    "It''s simple," I said while giving her a pointed look. "You don''t. Seeing that I have people looking for me I''d better get back to the house before there''s a search party sent out for me."


    "But-"


    I shook my head. "Don''t. Now let''s get going."


    Once we arrived back at my house I saw Ben, Walter and Jenny sitting on the couch looking at me with concern.


    "Are you-" Ben said.


    "I''m fine now," I said.


    He gave me a wary look. "You sure?"


    I shrugged. "I''m about as fine as I''ll ever be."


    Delilah looked confused. "What''s going on?"


    "Were you paying attention to what was being said at the last meeting we had with the mafia?" Ben said.


    Delilah looked down. "Nope."


    "Yeah you need to start paying attention or you''re going to wind up getting yourself killed. You are married to me after all," Ben lectured.


    "Okay, so what happened?" Delilah asked.


    Ben sighed, "Megan died."


    Delilah was confused for a minute but then it clicked. "Megan, as in Victory''s ex-girlfriend, Megan?"


    He nodded. "Yup, that''s the one and not only that, Victoria will be the new leader of the Royals."


    Delilah''s jaw dropped and the look on her face was priceless. "Victory''s going to be the leader of the mafia that owns ours?"


    "Yes, I am," I said. "Apparently my real father is the leader of the Royals. But I''m only going to be doing that for a year. I''m not going to explain why but it''ll just be for a year and I''ll do my art job on the side when I have time."


    Delilah looked at me. "You know a year''s a lot of time. If I can make amends-"


    I scoffed, "You''re crazy and again the answer is no. Sad that you waited until I got kidnapped to want to make amends. Not happening."


    "But Victory-" Delilah said.


    "And that''s another thing!" I spat. "Stop calling me that goddamn nickname! All my life, my name has been shortened all to hell! Vic, Vickiy, Victory, Ria, Tori and the list goes on and on! At this point I''d rather go by my real name instead!"


    Delilah paused. "What is your so-called ''real name'' because to me your real name is the one that I gave you."


    "Oh go fuck yourself bitch! You''re not my real mother, you''re not even my real family! Just because you put a name on a certificate doesn''t mean it is my real name!" I said with my voice raising a couple of notches.


    "But I rescued you! That should count for something shouldn''t it?" Delilah asked.


    I facepalmed and laughed, "Are you kidding me? So you think rescuing me cancels out every single bad thing you''ve done to me? You think I don''t remember the times you tried to kill me when I was younger? The media might be singing your praises now but I''m not and I never will!"


    I didn''t say anything else and I didn''t want to listen to what else Delilah had to say so I ran upstairs and slammed the door to my room shut.


    ***


    {Delilah}


    Once Victoria ran upstairs she slammed her door shut and it was so loud I was surprised the door didn''t fall off its hinges.


    "If that''s not expressing hatred for someone, I don''t know what else is!" Ben exclaimed.


    Walter stood up. "Yeah, I''m going to go check on her."


    When Walter started for the stairs I stopped him. He tilted his head. "What?"


    "How can I fix this?" I asked.


    He sighed, "Honestly, I don''t think you can fix this. Just leave her alone okay?"


    I hung my head in defeat. "Okay."


    Ben stood up next and motioned for me to follow him. "Come on, let''s go home."


    I nodded and once we got home I went to the kitchen and got a drink. It was whiskey. I poured myself a drink and downed it in one go.


    "What''s so special about Victory?" I muttered. I poured myself another drink and downed that one the same as the last one. "That stupid bitch! I saved her! I fucking saved her! She is so ungrateful! She should be thanking me for not giving her up for adoption to begin with."


    "Okay I think you''ve had enough to drink Delilah," I heard Ben say.


    I looked at him. "What''s so special about Victory? I mean I know I wasn''t a good parent and all but¡­"


    "You were more than just a horrible parent. You tried to kill her! Geez woman, take some accountability for once," Ben snapped. "Do you even hear yourself talk? You didn''t give her up for adoption because in your own words, Jaxon and Jenny were smitten with her and you felt that would be cruel to them. What kind of parent does that? You keep a child that you clearly didn''t want, blame it on your other children just so you could abuse the child that you didn''t want.


    "You know what type of parent does that? An evil type of parent and I''ve seen my fair share of evil parents. Hell, I''ve seen parents sell their children, their own biological children off just to settle a debt with the mafia and you''re right up there with them. But it''s okay because I still love you even though you''re evil. You''re an evil bitch but you''re my evil bitch and you''re perfect to be married to the Don of a mafia because of how evil you are."


    "Thanks," I said. I poured myself another glass.


    Right when I was about to drink Ben stopped me. "I think you''ve had enough. You''re going to have a headache as it is in the morning. Let''s go to bed."


    I followed Ben to bed. When I laid down I couldn''t stop thinking of a way to get Victoria to at least forgive me. Although I had a feeling that forgiveness might never come.

 Chapter 32: An intervention

    {Walter}


    The day after Victoria and Delilah''s heated argument Victoria was still seeing red. I don''t blame her on that one. Dealing with the fact that my human parents were the ones who kidnapped me was easier for me because I never had them try to kill me.


    Victoria on the other hand, from what I found out Delilah''s tried to kill her at least two or three times. The first time she pushed Victoria down the steps and Victoria was barely alive when she got to the hospital. The second time was when Delilah threw Victoria in the deep end of a swimming pool without a lifejacket on knowing that Victoria couldn''t swim. Thankfully, someone walking nearby saw it and jumped to save her. She was barely alive when she got to the hospital. The third time was when Delilah fed Victoria too much cough syrup when she was sick. Yet again Victoria arrived at the hospital barely alive.


    The reason why Delilah''s not in jail yet is because Delilah''s husband Isaac paid the police off on pressing charges. It''s unfortunate that money talks in this world but in Hell, money doesn''t mean a damn thing. In Hell it''s all about status and how strong you are. Hence the need for combat training like hand-to-hand combat and sword fighting.


    When the weekend came I had that threesome with Victoria as promised. She seemed to enjoy it and she said she did. But the following week was Megan''s funeral and that put Victoria in a foul mood once again. After Megan''s funeral, Victoria has pretty much stayed in her room only coming out for food and to take a shower.


    Today marks the fourth day she''s kept to her room. Frank, Jenny, Jaxon and Ben stopped by for a visit because they''re worried about her.


    "So how''s she doing?" Ben asked while he sipped on his coffee.


    We were sitting at the kitchen table talking. I looked up towards the stairs and frowned. "About as good as she''s going to be at the moment. I understand her anger but I don''t think her staying up in her room all day is a good way to cope."


    "Hmm, I say this calls for an intervention," Ben said.


    Frank nodded in agreement. "Yup. So what do you have in mind?"


    Jenny and Jaxon looked at Ben curious to see what he had in mind.


    "Well I am teaching her hand-to-hand combat and she could use a little more practice learning to throw a punch in general. I think at this point she needs to be able to hit something that''s a sure target and to be able to do it without consequences," Ben answered. "So I''m thinking it might do her some good to start learning how to box."


    Jenny gave Ben a look of disbelief. "Say what now? And why is my baby sister learning how to fight in the first place?"


    Ben looked at me. "Can I tell her or not?"


    I nodded. There was no point in hiding it from Jenny and Jaxon knowing Jenny and her tendency to be nosy when it comes down to Victoria she''ll find out sooner or later.


    "Do you know of the two mafia''s in this city called the Royals and Satan''s Crew?" Ben asked.


    Jenny and Jaxon nodded and suddenly Jenny''s face went pale as if she''d seen a ghost. "My baby sister''s involved in a mafia!"


    "Not just involved in a month she''ll complete her training to be the next leader of the Royals ready or not," Ben said.


    "But why?" Jaxon asked.


    "When Victoria and I got kidnapped, we were kidnapped by our real parents," I explained. "Victoria''s parents just so happened to be the leader of the Royals. So not only is it her birthright, it is her duty to become the next leader."


    Jaxon blinked. "So Vicky''s real parents¡­ Are mafia Bosses? Good grief, the poor girl can''t catch a break at all can she?"


    "Honestly, I see this as some sort of a blessing. She''ll become a strong leader and hopefully that will help her manage her disabilities better and she''ll send anyone who crosses her packing with their tail between their legs," I said.


    Jenny gave me a wary look. "I don''t know about this¡­"


    "Well whether you like it or not, you don''t have a say," Ben said.


    "So when are we going to stage an intervention?" I asked.


    "She''s asleep right?" Ben asked.


    I shook my head. "I don''t know."


    "Let''s go and if she''s asleep we''re waking her up," Ben said.


    ***


    {Victoria}


    "What are we doing here?" I whined. "I''m tired, I-"


    "That''s exactly why we''re here! You''re not really tired you''re just pissed, trust me I know the difference," Ben said.


    This time instead being at the training area we were at a gym and I stared at the punching bag wondering what''s the fucking point.


    Am I pissed off? That might explain the foul mood I''ve been in lately. It''s not everyday that you find yourself questioning your sexuality and then after having a threesome you confirm that yes, your sexuality was absolutely correct. I thought.


    Ben snapped his fingers in front of my face to get my attention. "I swear you have the shortest attention span of any student that I''ve ever trained!"


    I frowned. "Oh."


    Ben shook his head. "Don''t worry about it. Now, the reason why we''re standing in front of a punching bag is you need to work on your fighting stance. And this will give you the perfect opportunity to blow off some steam."


    I nodded. "Okay."


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    "Wait right here, I''ll be right back," Ben said.


    He left and when he came back I couldn''t help but laugh at what he was holding. He was holding a picture of Delilah and a picture of Megan. I was angry at both of them but for different reasons.


    He smiled. "At least I got you to laugh today. That''s a good thing."


    I couldn''t help but laugh even more. After a moment I composed myself. "So what are the pictures for?"


    "Good question," Ben answered. "Who do you hate more right now?"


    I raised an eyebrow. "Why?"


    "Because I think looking at the person you hate the most at the moment will give you more incentive to blow off steam," Ben explained. "Being pissed off and bottling those emotions up isn''t good for you even though you''re already dead. You might be dead but your body isn''t."


    I sighed, "I know that. I also know that I can''t kill Delilah but I can kill her picture."


    Ben laughed, "Okay, Delilah''s picture it is!"


    He put Delilah''s picture on the punching bag facing me and I couldn''t help it. I burst into laughter. I laughed so hard I was in tears. When I composed myself I said, "You''re really serious about this aren''t you?"


    He nodded. "Yup! The sooner you blow off steam the sooner you can focus on what''s more important like finishing up your training like you''re supposed to."


    "So exactly when am I supposed to officially take over as leader?" I said.


    "At the end of the month," Ben said. "Now let''s put you through the paces like we do every session but this time you''ll at least get to land a hit on a target. Although you are getting a little bit stronger with hand-to-hand combat. I think once you finally shed this body you''ll be a bit stronger. And hopefully a bit more focused. That''s another thing you''re going to have to work on."


    "Yeah I haven''t really had the best attention span lately," I admitted. "I might be pissed off but you have no idea what it was like to grow up with that bitch."


    "Tell me about it, but with your fists," Ben said.


    I stood facing the punching bag and readied my fighting just like Ben taught me. I took a swing and hit the punching bag right where Delilah''s picture was placed.


    "So tell me, what did she do to you?" Ben asked.


    I threw another punch. "She tried to kill me! And not just once," I took another swing, "She tried it three motherfucking times!" I took another swing and it landed on target just like the other punches.


    "Good, now rotate which arm you punch with," Ben instructed. "Tell me more about what she did."


    I kept punching the bag as I ranted, "She never failed to make sexists remarks about the way I looked, the way I dressed, nitpicky right down to how my fucking handwriting looked! My goddamn handwriting! I did a lot of things just to be spiteful to her and anyone else that got on my nerves!


    "Because we were in the high society lifestyle Delilah wanted me to wear a stupid dress every single fucking time we were out public. You know what I did just to be spiteful?"


    "What did you do?" Ben asked.


    I took another swing at the punching bag and continued my rant, "I wore jeans and t-shirt and there was no way in hell I was going to wear high heels no thank you. Not to mention I made sure that the t-shirt didn''t fit me! I found the biggest t-shirt I could find and it kind of made me look like a homeless person! A couple of Delilah''s friends called CPS on her for that. They thought she was being abusive towards me. Unfortunately, CPS found no evidence of abuse and left.


    "But that''s okay I did plenty of other spiteful shit, I mispronounced words on purpose, I picked my nose and ate my boogers out in public. I made sure to embarrass Delilah every chance I got. My friends thought it was funny because they knew what I was doing. They couldn''t help but laugh at the headlines with me every time I embarrassed Delilah."


    Ben laughed, "What were the headlines?"


    "Delilah Lee''s Daughter Caught Picking Her Nose Again! Delilah Lee''s Daughter Dresses Like A Homeless Person! Child Abuse Involved?" I replied as I took another swing at the punching bag.


    Ben laughed again but this time his laughter was harder. When he stopped laughing he cleared his throat, "Alright I think that''s enough for today. How do you feel?"


    I stopped punching the punching bag and much to my surprise I actually felt much better. "Honestly, that felt really good."


    "Do your hands hurt?" Ben asked.


    I looked down to see that my knuckles were a little bruised and bloody considering I didn''t use boxing gloves. I shrugged. "They don''t feel bad right now but I''m pretty sure I might feel something later."


    "Good, because part of being a mafia leader you have to get your hands a little bit bloody literally. You might have to do your fair share of roughing someone up because they''ve done something against the mafia," Ben said. "But it''s a good thing that you''re at least a good shot with a gun. And speaking of that I will be testing you on certain situations that might come up on the job. Your father has personally asked me to do that."


    "Makes sense to me, if you''re dealing with a mafia you''re not a saint by any means of the word. Even if all you do is just serve the mafia as a maid," I said. "I''m already dead so I don''t mind getting my hands dirty."


    Ben gave me an amused look. "True, but you have to be careful. Not everyone around you is dead like you are. Alright, now go get changed and I''ll have the driver drop you off at your home."


    ***


    {Ben}


    I''ve been giving updates to Satan about how well the Princess has been doing in her training. Strangely enough, I think having her vent while punching a punching bag seems to have helped her focus more on her training.


    In today''s match I''m eager to see how much she''s improved. I plan on having her do a round of sword fighting and after that a round of hand-to-hand combat.


    "I''m testing you today," I said.


    Victoria tilted her head. "On what?"


    I rolled my eyes. "What do you think? I think you''re getting better, besides you got one more week to go before you officially become the leader of the Royals."


    Victoria nodded. Which is a good thing because before I started telling her to vent to me about her problems with Delilah while punching a punching bag she would protest and whine about training. So I''ll take a nod over that any day.


    I looked over at the ring to see that it was empty and nodded. "Follow me."


    We stepped into the ring facing each other.


    "Now, ready your fighting stance," I commanded.


    She did as she was told just like I taught her. I looked at her fighting stance and smiled. Maybe she has the talent to become a boxer instead?


    Her fighting stance was just like a boxers. Her fists were in front of her face and her feet were positioned on foot in front of the other.


    I started the fight by throwing the first punch that she blocked. She continued to block my attacks with ease. It was annoying because she kept blocking attacks and not throwing any punches of her own yet. But then I realized something. The look on her face was calculating. She was waiting for an opening and I wasn''t about to give her that opening just yet.


    I threw punches and kicks at her and she threw a couple of kicks of her own that landed on target. She managed to kick me in my stomach and caught me off guard and that was the opening she needed. She charged at me while I was still trying to gain my composure and kicked me again. Her kick was hard; it actually sent me flying into a nearby wall and out of the ring.


    I landed on the ground with a thud. If that had happened to a normal person they would''ve been knocked out. I got up and dusted myself off. Victoria just stood there staring at me smirking because she knew she did a good job and wasn''t about to help me get to my feet. That was a good thing because being a mafia boss you can''t show mercy to your enemies. You give them an inch they will take a mile or two.


    "Alright then, next up is-" I said.


    Victoria rolled her eyes. "Sword fighting."


    I nodded. "Yup. Follow me."


    She did well in her sword fighting and I could see that she had improved on her fighting style quite lovely. I know for a fact she''ll become a great mafia leader and when the year is up, she''ll be more than capable of becoming the next ruler of Hell.

 Chapter 33: Victorias Debut

    {Delilah}


    It seems that every other day Ben trains Victoria for her position as leader of the Royals. He comes home looking like he got the crap beat out of him and he wears a smile on his face about it. He says she''s been doing really well on her training. I''m happy for her, but I just wish that I could get a chance to talk to her at least.


    But I doubt she wants to talk to me. Especially after our last explosive argument. Ben told me that soon there would be a celebration party which would be Victoria''s debut as the new leader of the Royals. Just like how there was a celebration party for me after I married Ben.


    The celebration is supposed to be held on Friday this week. So I started thinking of what gift to get Victoria. I''ve also made it a mental note to stop calling Victoria Victory. I''m going to try and at least respect her because I know for sure when it comes down to the Royals respecting someone who is their leader is a must. No one disrespects the leader and comes out unscathed. It wouldn''t matter if you''re a leader or married to a leader of another mafia or not.


    Depending on how bad the disrespect was the Royals might want to declare war on that mafia just to make a point. From what I found they''ve been known to wipe out entire mafia''s before no matter how big or small they are. The Royals are so fucking ruthless they put Satan''s Crew to shame even though Satan''s Crew is the second biggest mafia in the U.S!


    The Royals actually own Satan''s Crew for that matter. So with Victoria''s debut coming around the corner I know the gift has to be extravagant! A gift fit for a Queen! Not to mention so far during my brainstorming for the gift, I have come up with absolutely zero ideas.


    I decided to ask Ben what type of gift would be fitting to give the new leader of the Royals.


    "A gift you say? There will be plenty of other gifts for her even though it is just going to be a gala of sorts," Ben said. "And it''s not mandatory to get one for her. Just be on your best behavior at the event and things should go smoothly. Honestly, I don''t see why you''d want to waste your time on someone who hates you?"


    I sighed, "I know she hates me but I at least want to be respectful enough to give her the best gift ever. I know I''ve been a horrible mother to her and I never really got her any gifts for her birthday, let alone attend her birthday parties. I guess I was just jealous that all of my husbands wanted to celebrate her birthday and shower her with gifts and affection because she wasn''t my biological child like Jaxon and Jenny are."


    I paused. "Now that I think about it, I celebrated Jaxon and Jenny''s birthday''s more than I did Victoria''s."


    "So you want to try and use this as a way to make it up to her?" Ben questioned.


    I rubbed the back of my neck. "Well something like that. Although I have a feeling she''ll just throw my gift in the trash-" I got an idea. "That''s it! I''ll get her something that I know she won''t be able to throw in the trash because I won''t tell her where it came from until after she eats it!"


    Ben raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me? What do you mean by that?"


    I shook my head and smiled. "I''m not saying a word. You''ll just have to find out at the party!"


    My smile turned into a grin as I made my way down to the kitchen. I should''ve done this years ago as my family tradition when celebrating a girl''s birthday was to make a cake and not just any cake. It''ll be the biggest cake I''ve ever made!


    Even if I don''t get a chance to talk to Victoria at her party I can at least do that for her.


    ***


    {Victoria}


    "Do I really have to wear this?" I groaned as I sat down by the vanity in my room. I sat on the stool facing away from the mirror. The makeup artist worked on me while my mother Cathy sat observing me. Satan did say that they were coming to celebrate important events and apparently this counts as one of them. I guess considering after today I am the official leader of the Royals.


    I will rule over the Royals with an iron fist cause that''s what I''ve been taught needs to happen and I will let no disrespect of the mafia go unpunished.


    Cathy chuckled. "I know you''re not used to formal events even though you''ve been to a couple of them already because of your art. But this event is different, instead of modesty you need to look like a goddess! I mean you see the way I''m dressed! And be prepared to be drooled over!"


    I flinched when I heard that. "I don''t like that idea."


    "Why not? You can use your sexyness to have men and possibly women eating out of the palm of your hands. Not to mention it''ll help with your confidence issues," Cathy said.


    I scoffed, "It''ll help with confidence issues huh? Like wearing a revealing dress like this will help?"


    She nodded. "Yup. And I hope you got the hang of learning how to walk in heels?"


    I sighed, "Yeah I did. And it wasn''t easy either. I''d rather be learning how to do hand-to-hand combat than wear heels. Why do women insist on wearing heels? And whoever came up with them and started them as a beauty trend needs to be slapped around a little bit."


    Cathy burst into laughter at that comment. She cleared her throat, "Heels are sexy and they help with height difference. You are rather short and unfortunately you got that from my side of the family."


    There was a knock on the door.


    "Come in!" Cathy commanded.


    A maid entered the room and bowed. Cathy looked at her. "You may rise."


    "His Majesty wants to know if the Princess is ready to go. He says that the party started an hour ago and it''s time for the Princess to make her debut," the maid said.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    My eyes went wide. "Wait what! The party has already started?"


    Cathy rolled her eyes. "Calm down Victoria. It is a custom for the guest of honor, that is you arrive an hour after the party has started. So no biggie, don''t worry about it."


    I raised an eyebrow. "Really?"


    She nodded. "Yeah."


    "And done!" the makeup artist said.


    She spun me around and I didn''t recognize my reflection in the mirror. I almost thought it wasn''t me that I was staring at. The makeup artist went with light natural colors that matched my skintone. She didn''t give me any massacra because I squirmed a little when I saw the brush coming towards my eyes. But she did do some smokey eyeshadow to make my eyes pop. It was weird because I don''t have blue eyes or green eyes but my eyes are black. There''s nothing special about my eyes but with the eyeshadow it made them look beautiful.


    My hair was up in a braided bun with the braid twisting around the back of a small silver tiara on my head.


    "It''s not a crown but it will have to do since you won''t be home for a while," Cathy said.


    I nodded. "Makes sense."


    "What do you think about your dress?" Cathy asked.


    I looked in the mirror again and the dress that I was wearing was probably one of the most revealing outfits I''ve ever worn but not revealing enough to be considered a slut or anything like that. The dress I was wearing was a black knee length dress with a V neck that showed some cleavage but not enough for my big boobs to pop out. I always had trouble with that in high school because I was more well endowed in that area than most of the girls in my class.


    I''d get asked out by the popular boys and when I said no, I''d get picked on by the girls. Then rumors would start that I was gay and I confirmed it by saying I was bisexual especially when I started dating Megan. The popular boys weren''t happy when they found out that I was dating a girl. Mostly because it bruised their ego''s.


    Even though I dressed in baggy clothing to hide my boobs, that still didn''t stop the sexual harassment at school.


    But not anymore! Now that I''m the new leader of the Royals I will not allow people, man or woman to disrespect me or say taunting words about me whether it be behind my back or to my face without consequences.


    I smiled. "I really like the dress. It''s sexy but not skimpy. I hate skimpy outfits with a passion. I don''t want to wear outfits that barely cover my butt or boobs."


    "I totally agree with that. The only time I would wear something like that is if I wanted to seduce one of my husbands or servants for sex," Cathy agreed.


    "Husbands? As in more than one?" I asked.


    Cathy nodded. "Oh yeah, you can have more than one husband. But suggest you wait until you marry Walter before that happens at least. Servants you can collect now and it''s not against the rules to have sex with them. But you''ll learn about that another day. Today we celebrate you. It''s all about you."


    I smiled and nodded and Cathy took my hand. "Now let''s go."


    ***


    {omniscient}


    Everyone at the party was keeping themselves busy waiting for the guest of honor to arrive. A lot of people that knew the current leaders of the Royals personally knew that their daughter would be the one taking over the mafia and this party would be signaling that change.


    Then an hour after the party was in full swing the guest of honor finally arrived. Everyone looked to the stairs once her presence was announced and gasped. The crowd began to chat amongst themselves excitedly.


    "That''s her? That''s the new Don of the Royals?"


    "Dear god she''s gorgeous!"


    "I can''t believe it''s a woman leading this time around!"


    "Yeah I know it''s mostly because all of the leaders of the Royals have been men."


    "I heard the daughter is the leaders first born this time around. So it would make sense that she''s the new Don considering it is her birthright¡­"


    An older man who looked like an older version of the new leader went up to her and took her hand as he led her down the stairs. He whispered in her ear, "You look beautiful tonight Victoria."


    Victoria smiled. "Thanks Dad."


    "I bet you that Walter won''t be able to keep his hands off you once the event is over with," the older man taunted.


    Victoria gasped, "Dad! Seriously?"


    The older man chuckled. "Come on, let''s go sit down, those high heels can''t be comfortable."


    She laughed and shook her head. "They''re not comfortable and just like I told Mom, whoever invented these things needs to be slapped around a bit."


    The older man gave Victoria an evil smirk. "I just so happen to know the guy who made the high heels centuries ago! He''s already been sent off for eternal punishment in Hell unfortunately."


    "Well damn that''s unfortunate," Victoria said with sarcasm.


    As the older man and Victoria reached the bottom of the stairs they were greeted by an older woman and this woman was Victoria''s real mother.


    Victoria smiled. "Mother."


    The older woman responded. "You look stunning tonight. I told you this dress would work. Don''t feel so self conscious tonight. You''re beautiful and you should let everyone see how beautiful you are! Now come on, let''s go meet our guests."


    The older woman elegantly took Victoria''s hand and led her over to a group of people that were a part of the Royals. These people would be underneath Victoria''s command.


    Little did they know there was a woman by the name of Delilah watching Victoria and her real parents with envy.


    ***


    {Delilah}


    "That should be me leading Victoria over to her people!" I growled. I couldn''t stand the sight of Victoria calling anyone else but me Mother. If anything I should have that right by default because I raised her. She should be thanking me for not giving her up for adoption because of Jaxon and Jenny.


    "Do you really think you have that right, Delilah?" I heard Ben say.


    I turned around and saw him smirking at me. "Is this funny to you?"


    Just when I expected him to say it wasn''t funny, he laughed at me! My own husband thinks it''s funny that the child I raised is calling someone else Mother!


    "You little shit!" I snarled.


    Ben rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah curse me all you want. But as of today, Victoria is the new Don of the Royals and you will respect her as such regardless if she calls you mother or not. Because if you don''t I can guarantee that she is going to have so much fun punishing you."


    I gasped, "She wouldn''t dare! She''s too humble for that!"


    He gave me an evil smile. "Oh really? Do you wanna know how I was able to get her to blow off steam?"


    "How?" I asked.


    "I put your picture on a punching bag and let her vent about you specifically while she trained. She has so much hatred for you it''s not even funny!" Ben looked at me and narrowed his eyes as his voice turned dark and not in a good way. "Know your place Delilah. And if I have to remind you of it I don''t have a problem doing so. Victoria is a leader. You, my dear, are married to one. There''s a difference."


    I sighed, "Okay no matter. Even if she hates me, maybe I should remind her that I raised her! I''m her mother, not whoever that woman is!"


    "Don''t. You. Dare!" Ben hissed.


    I went up to the woman who Victoria called Mother and tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around and raised an eyebrow. "Who are you?"


    I gave her an evil smile. "My name is Delilah. I''m married to the Don of Satan''s Crew and I am Victoria''s mother!"

 Chapter 34: Public Discipline

    {Victoria}


    "My name is Delilah. I''m married to the Don of Satan''s Crew and I am Victoria''s mother!" I couldn''t believe my ears that Delilah had the audacity to come up to my mother and say such a thing!


    I felt my blood boil at Delilah''s arrogance and noticed the room temperature turn cold.


    Cathy smirked when she looked at me. "Well, it seems that we have the first person to disrespect the new Don of the Royals! That''s a record! Enemies of the Royals wait at least a week to try and test the boundaries."


    "What?" Delilah snapped. "I''m only stating the truth! I''m the one who raised her! I-"


    I was seeing red at that point. "Enough! How dare you come at me with such disrespect! Yeah you raised me, you want a medal?"


    "Why you little shit! Why don''t you show some gratitude, you ungrateful bitch!" Delilah shouted.


    The crowd watching gasped. I walked towards Delilah and stood tall. "Do you really think you can get away with being disrespectful this time? I''m tired of your abuse! I''ve put up with it my whole life and now I''m done."


    Delilah scoffed, "To think I actually brought you a gift!"


    I snorted. "Well whatever it is I don''t want it."


    A man standing behind me cleared his throat. I tilted my head. "Yes?"


    The man bowed. "Forgive me Boss but I''ve been appointed to be your second in command. I was supposed to meet you after the party along with your parents. But in light of this situation I think it is okay for me to meet you now. My name is William but you can call me Will for short Boss. And as your second in command I would recommend a public punishment for the woman."


    I smirked. "A public punishment you say?"


    "Let me make one thing clear Delilah," Cathy said. "Even if you had given Victoria up for adoption we would''ve found her regardless. Thank you for putting a roof over her head and all but you are no mother. So don''t you dare go thinking that you deserved to be called one. From what I hear even your biological children hate you too."


    I started to hear the crowd murmuring amongst themselves.


    "Can''t believe it! This is a record! Are we really going to see the first public punishment?"


    "Serves that bitch right! I wonder what type of punishment she''ll get?"


    I couldn''t take people''s gossiping anymore so I shouted, "SILENCE! EVERY PERSON HERE NEEDS TO SHUT THE FUCK UP!"


    The crowd did as I ordered. I turned to Will. "What type of public punishment would you suggest?"


    "Two types," Will said.


    "And that is?" I asked.


    Will motioned one of the guards to go get something. They left and came back shortly with a briefcase, the type of briefcase that one would store a large sum of money in. Will opened the briefcase and showed it to me. Inside the briefcase was a gun and a dagger.


    "You can choose the gun to shoot but not kill. Or you can use the dagger to stab but not kill. This is a punishment and not an execution," Will answered.


    I nodded because Will''s right. Delilah''s not supposed to die yet. She''ll die later but at the moment death isn''t in the cards for her. She needs to be put in her place while she''s still alive. I thought about it. Shooting her with a gun would be painful as well as stabbing her with a dagger. I looked at Will. "Can I use both?"


    Will snorted. "Unfortunately, no."


    When Delilah saw that she was seriously going to be punished she turned to try and leave. I saw it and commanded. "Guards! Seize her!"


    The guards did as they were told and held Deliah''s hands behind her back.


    "Don''t do this," Delilah pleaded. "You should be thanking me! I-"


    "Don''t you dare finish that sentence unless you want to be mute for the rest of your life," I sneered.


    Delilah closed her mouth and glared at me.


    I turned to Will. "Which weapon causes the most pain?"


    He shrugged. "It depends on how deep the wound goes. Would you like to flip a coin over it?"


    I nodded. "Why not?"


    He pulled a quarter out of his pants pocket.


    "Let''s see, heads she''s gets the gun, tails, she gets the dagger," I said.


    Will flipped the coin and it landed on tails. He handed me the dagger and I walked up to Delilah. "You should be honored. I''m going to use you to set an example. Nobody will disrespect me and get away with it."


    She gave me a pleading look and I rolled my eyes. With one swift motion I took the dagger and stabbed her in the gut with it. When I pulled the dagger out I smiled when she fell to the floor. Before she passed out I whispered into her ear, "Don''t worry, you won''t die tonight. It''s not your time to go yet. When it comes down to people like you, I''m going to enjoy being heartless¡­"


    After I finished talking to her, she finally passed out.


    ***


    {Alastor}


    I smiled as I watched the scene unfold between Victoria and Delilah. I couldn''t have been more proud of Victoria for her actions. That''s exactly how a future ruler of Hell should act. I''m just glad that Satan hasn''t let it slip that Victoria''s going to be the ruler of Hell when she''s not ready.


    I''ve been thinking lately about Delilah''s downfall. She''s already being possessed and she doesn''t even know it. I put one of my servants into her body and at the moment they''re just sleeping. They won''t wake up until I give them the order to. As I watched the scene with Victoria and Delilah that gave me an idea for setting up Delilah''s downfall.


    "A penny for your thoughts?" I heard Walter say.


    I smirked. "I just thought of what Delilah''s going to say once she kills Victoria."


    Walter raised an eyebrow. "And what would that be?"


    I shook my head. "I''ll be keeping that information to myself."


    "Seriously?" Walter whined.


    I chuckled. "Yes Walter. It''ll be a surprise and I''m sure you''ll get a real kick out of it."


    I turned around just time to hear Victoria address the crowd. "Let this be an example of what happens when you mess with the Royals! Let''s return to the celebration!"


    The crowd cheered and did as they were told as if nothing happened.


    "How can people just go about partying as if nothing happened?" Walter asked.


    "Well this is a mafia so this type of thing is bound to happen from time to time," I answered. "Public punishments can happen at parties like this. But I must say it is a record that one came on the same day that Victoria became the official leader."


    Walter nodded. "No kidding. And it just so happens to be from the very same woman who ''raised her.'' It''s more like she kept her as an emotional and sometimes physical punching bag and just because Jaxon and Jenny were smitten with her. Sometimes I wonder if humans are demons in disguise."


    I agreed, "I wonder the same thing too sometimes."


    At that thought I grinned. "I can''t wait to teach her the art of torture."


    Walter nodded in agreement. "She''ll need to learn anyway because she''s the leader. In the eyes of the law she''s considered crazy. She''s nuts when she gets angry. But I guess the good thing about being dead now is that she doesn''t have to take medicine anymore. Even so Cody still sticks by her side.


    "And I do believe that she''ll have a lot more than just a loyal dog on her side. Especially with how she handled Delilah."


    "Oh I agree," I said. "William will make an excellent second in command!"


    Walter frowned. "But how come I''m not her second in command? I''m her boyfriend and future husband."


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    "While it''s true that you are Victoria''s equal you''re not her second in command for that reason. You''ll have just as much power as Victoria will leading the mafia. If you were her second in command you wouldn''t be her equal. However, the say on decisions in regards to the mafia will be Victoria''s and Victoria''s alone," I explained.


    I was about to say something else when Victoria walked up to us with a look on her face that I knew all too well. As a matter of fact, Satan always wore that look he got done punishing someone. She didn''t look happy at all. She looked angry, very angry.


    I sighed, "I know that look Don Victoria. I''ve seen that look one too many times on your father after he had to punish someone."


    "I know. This is not how I pictured my debut going. I can''t believe that woman had the audacity to try and claim a position that is no longer hers and was never hers to begin with. So of course I''m angry," Victoria growled. "I''m also feeling tired already. This party sucks. I wanna go home."


    I snorted. "At least stay for another hour and then leave."


    She pouted. "Fine, I''ll stay but I''m not dancing."


    "You know what might help you calm down?" Walter asked.


    "What?" She said.


    "Alcohol! Since you''re not dependent on your medicine anymore, you can drink again," Walter said.


    Victoria''s face brightened at the thought of being able to drink again. I chuckled.


    "I never thought I''d be able to drink alcohol ever again. But now that you mention it¡­" Victoria said.


    "You have a special area for you to sit overlooking the party," I said. "Follow me and you will be able to drink your alcohol in peace."


    I led Victoria and Walter up the stairs and to the VIP area at the event and escorted them inside. Once Victoria and Walter got seated, I left to find where Satan went off to.


    ***


    {Louis}


    I haven''t seen Victoria around the office for weeks now. Most of the time I handle her contracts with people over the phone but sometimes I ask her to come in and meet me at the office.


    Ever since she got kidnapped I haven''t seen or heard a word from her. So I decided to talk to Frank and see if she''s doing okay and I got some surprising news.


    Frank came into the office and sat down. "You want to know about Victoria?"


    I nodded.


    "Alright, close the door, this information I''m about to give you must not leave this room," Frank said.


    I did as I was told and sat back down by my desk. "So what''s going on? Is Victoria doing okay?"


    Frank nodded and smiled. "She''s doing okay alright. Actually she''s doing better than okay! She hasn''t been able to reach out because of being busy lately. Have you heard of a mafia called the Royals?"


    My eyes went wide. "Yeah, what do they have to do with Victoria?"


    "They have everything to do with Victoria. Apparently Victoria''s real parents are the former leaders of the Royals," Frank said.


    I paused. "The former leaders?"


    "Yup, just yesterday they transferred the leadership position to Victoria and her boyfriend Walter. Not to mention she had to discipline someone and I must say it was rather extreme," Frank said.


    I couldn''t believe my ears. "You''re joking right? Victoria is now a mafia leader?!"


    Frank shook his head and grinned. "I''m not joking. If you want to see for yourself I can talk to Victoria or I should say Don Victoria and set up a meeting if it''s possible."


    My jaw dropped. "Seriously?"


    Frank nodded. "I''m dead serious. So do you want me to talk to Victoria or not?"


    "Oh yeah I definitely want to talk to her now," I said.


    "Good, I''ll see what I can do," Frank said.


    ***


    It wasn''t until Friday that Frank was able to set up a meeting with Victoria. I must say she has changed so much. But that''s to be expected of a mafia leader right?


    She was wearing a black dress suit and her suit jacket was black with a white shirt underneath it. Her pants were black and she had black dress shoes on to complete the look. Her curly black hair went down to her shoulders with a white headband on her head to keep it from getting in her face.


    The outfit was so different from the jeans and t-shirt that she would wear when I saw her. Now she was dressed like she meant business and it fits her because she''s the Don of a mafia and all that jazz.


    Cody was by her side lying on the floor just chilling out.


    We were sitting at a board meeting room which supposedly was at the mansion where I was at now. Victoria sat at the head of the table and I saw Walter sitting next to her.


    I blinked. "Victoria?"


    Victoria smiled and nodded. "Yeah, it''s me. It''s crazy I''m the Don of a mafia now. If you''d told me last year that I would meet my real parents by them kidnapping me and I would become a Don of a mafia I would have told you to get help. Mom wanted me to wear a dress as my formal outfit and I told her hell no. We argued about it for over an hour before she dropped it and I at least made sure to wear something that I would be comfortable in and not look like a homeless person."


    I grinned when I heard that. Even though Victoria had changed somewhat on the outside, she was the same Victoria on the inside. She hated the idea of wearing dresses.


    "And before you say anything I''m still the same tortured soul you met last year," Vitoria said.


    That was I needed to confirm that the person I was talking to was indeed Victoria and I wasn''t just seeing things.


    She motioned for me to take a seat at the left side of the table next to Walter.


    "So why did you want to see me?" Victoria asked.


    "Well the first reason would be to see how you were doing because I hadn''t seen you around the office since you were kidnapped. And the second would be to confirm if Frank what told me about you being the Don of the Royals was true. I got my answer," I said.


    She chuckled. That''s when I said something really impulsive, "Is there a way for me to join you and still keep my job?"


    Victoria looked taken aback by that. "What do you mean? What''s in it for you?"


    "Honestly, I just want to stay by your side even though I''m not your boyfriend," I admitted. "I know you''re with Walter now but I''ll just be happy being able to offer the Royals some form of support from me that is."


    Victoria thought about it. "Interesting."


    A young man standing behind Victoria spoke up, "Boss, I think there is a way for that to happen."


    She looked at him. "Oh?"


    He nodded. "Yeah. There are a lot of people in this mafia who work for us and still keep their regular jobs. We can draw up a contract for him at a later day."


    Just when I started thinking that was rather easy the young man added, "And then there''s the initiation test. That will help us discern exactly what he can do for the Royals."


    Victoria''s eyes went wide. "Is it going to be like what I went through? And is he going to have to be branded?"


    He nodded. "He''ll have to be branded but his test won''t be intense as yours is."


    "So what''s the test about?" I asked.


    "A few things like your skills in combat, negotiation skills, being able to think on your feet, stuff like that," the young man said. "After your initiation test then we''ll draw up a contract. Everything will be explained at a later date of course."


    "Okay-" I started.


    "Wait!" Victoria said.


    The young man looked at her. "Yes Boss?"


    "Will he have to learn sword fighting like I did?" Victoria asked.


    Walter snickered. "Seriously Victoria? Out of all the things Louis is going to have to deal with, you''re worried about him having to learn sword fighting?"


    The young man snorted. "My thoughts exactly but no, he won''t have to. Because there won''t be a situation where he''ll have to use that type of combat."


    "Is that everything that needs to be talked about?" Victoria asked.


    "With me present in the room, yes. In private no," the young man said.


    Walter nodded. "Do you mind leaving the room so Victoria and I can talk to Louis in private?"


    The young man along with the other guards that were with him in the room nodded and left.


    "So what do you guys want to talk to me about?" I asked.


    Walter looked at me and then looked at Victoria. Victoria tilted her head. "What?"


    "So what do you think of Louis''s feelings for you?" He asked.


    She smiled. "I think it''s sweet, but is this a good idea?"


    Walter laughed, "Honey, you''re the Don of a mafia. You have whatever you want. And if you want Louis in our relationship that''s fine too. And after you marry me then you can still be with Louis."


    My jaw dropped. "Wait, are you guys saying that you''re in an open relationship?"


    "Yes and that means you can either sleep with me or Walter-" Victoria said.


    "Or both of us," Walter said.


    Victoria snorted. "Or both of us."


    I thought about it. "Honestly, I never had a threesome before."


    Victoria blinked. "Seriously?"


    I nodded. "Yeah. I don''t usually have time to go to clubs and shit like that."


    "I see," Victoria said. "So what do you say? Do you want to be with us?"


    I smiled and didn''t have to think twice about my answer. "Yes I''ll be with you. Both of you. Although it''ll be weird sleeping with a guy, but I''m open to it."


    Victoria smirked. "Good, we can start tomorrow."


    My eyes went wide. "What! But I have to-"


    She shook her head. "Nope. Because the moment you leave here today. I''m making some phone calls."


    My jaw dropped. Then I felt myself get hard because I like the idea of Victoria taking charge.


    She grinned when she saw me shift in my seat. "Or, we could start this now if you want?"


    She got up from her seat and walked over to me. After having me uncross my legs she straddled my lap. That''s when I heard a click from the office door signaling that it was locked. I looked around and noticed that Walter and Cody weren''t in the room anymore. "Umm, Victoria? Where''s Walter and Cody?"


    She smiled. "They left obviously. Probably wanted to give us some time together."


    "But-" I started. I couldn''t finish my sentence when Victoria kissed me. I found it hard to think properly as she kissed me. She went for my pants zipper and unzipped my pants and pulled them off.


    The next thing I knew was we were both naked and she had me lay down on the table and was thrusting on me. I was moaning her name and didn''t come back to my senses until we came together. I panicked when I realized that we didn''t have a condom on.


    It was as if she read my mind. "Don''t worry about it."


    "How can I not worry about it?" I snapped.


    "Because I''m on birth control and I don''t plan on getting pregnant until next year. And my first child will be for Walter, not you," Victoria explained.


    I was somewhat relieved by that statement but not entirely. Victoria rolled her eyes. "We can do a pregnancy test every once and a while if that will give you a peace of mind? And if I do wind up pregnant I''ll do a paternity test just to prove that it''s Walter''s kid and not yours. Is that okay with you?"


    I nodded.


    She smiled. "Good now shall we continue or do you want to finish this tomorrow?"


    I was going to say no at first but then my body didn''t like that idea so I nodded. "Yes, let''s go again."


    "I''m going to make sure you have a hard time walking out of here today," She said as she gave me a mischievous smile. She kept to her word because by the time I walked out of the office I had a little bit of a limp as I walked out to the car Victoria had waiting for me.


    When I got to the car the driver held the door open and gave me a knowing smirk. I gave him a sideways look and thankfully he got the point and didn''t say a word as he drove me home.

 Chapter 35: Know Your Place

    {Victoria}


    Next morning I woke up feeling rather sore but in a good way. I had no idea what came over me yesterday when Louis came into the picture. That''s because when Louis left to go home I still wasn''t satisfied, so I went to Walter and fucked him next. Now that I''m awake I''m feeling horny again and it''s annoying. I wasn''t like that before Louis came into the picture and now I''m wondering what changed.


    As I was pondering what happened I heard Walter snickering. I looked at him. "What''s so funny?"


    "I can tell you''re still horny!" Walter said in a sing-song voice.


    I smirked. "Oh yeah? So what ya goin'' do about it?"


    He returned my smirk with a smirk of his own. "Nothing. We''ll just wait for Louis to get here and have more fun then."


    He turned to leave when I said, "Seriously Walter? Get back to bed now!"


    He laughed, "Nope. You gotta catch me first!"


    When he ran out of the room I got out of bed and chased after him. He stuck his tongue out as I ran down the stairs after him. I heard a familiar voice scream, "What the fucking hell! Vicky! Why are you naked?"


    I narrowed my eyes and hissed, "Last time I checked this is my house Jenny! I should be able to walk around naked and not be scolded for it! And what the fuck did you just call me?"


    Jenny''s eyes went wide. "I called you Vicky. Why? Is that a problem?"


    I nodded. "It''s a problem because I''m tired of the stupid nicknames! I think from now on I''ll just pretend you don''t exist if you call me that name. I hate the fact that Delilah gave me a name that can be shortened to hell and back. Honestly, I''m considering changing my name to something that can''t be shortened."


    "Well what do you want to be called by?" Jenny asked.


    "Just call me Victoria. Enough with the nicknames, okay?" I said.


    Jenny nodded. "Oh, by the way Frank and Jaxon are coming over today as well so you might want to get dressed."


    I groaned, "Seriously? They want to come over today of all days? Walter and I have plans, can whatever they want to talk to me about wait?"


    Jenny shook her head. "No, because apparently it involves Delilah. Delilah wants to sue you for compensation for her injuries that you gave her for discipline."


    I scoffed, "Well she should know she''s not getting a dime from me and I''ll make sure of it."


    Jenny raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"


    "Yeah," I said as I turned around, went back to my room and got dressed.


    When I came downstairs I saw Frank, Jaxon, Jenny, Walter and Louis sitting in the kitchen talking.


    Louis looked at me. "Why are Frank, Jaxon and Jenny here?"


    "Apparently Delilah wants to sue me for her injuries that I gave her," I growled. "She should be thanking her lucky stars that all I did was stab her when I could''ve done much worse. It''s about time she got a taste of her own medicine. And no, she''s not getting a fucking dime or sympathy from me. I''m a mafia Don and she will learn not to cross me. Not to mention we have just about every single Judge on our payroll in this city."


    I continued, "I don''t get involved in illegal stuff like Satan''s Crew does. So I have enough to link Delilah to drug trafficking if need be."


    Jaxon whistled, "Wow, hatred for someone can make a mafia leader do crazy things!"


    "Yeah damn straight it can!" I exclaimed.


    We talked about what to do with Delilah at length and once Frank, Jaxon and Jenny left I made sure Louis stayed behind.


    "I swear Delilah needs to be taken down a few pegs. Does she really think it''s a good idea to sue another mafia leader?" Walter said while shaking his head in disbelief.


    Louis snickered. "Well not only is she arrogant. She''s stupid too!"


    I snorted. I agreed, Delilah is stupid. She claims that she tried to make things up to me by buying me a gift more like making me a gift. It was a cake. The bitch really thought that making me a cake would make up for the things she''s done to me! But I''m not worried because once I became a mafia leader I swore to make Delilah''s life hell. Oh yeah, the media might be singing her praises and feeling sorry for her because I stabbed her at my debut as part of her punishment, but they won''t be doing that for long.


    Louis looked at me and shuddered. I tilted my head. "What?"


    "You''re giving an evil smile right now. I like it. You''re plotting something to do with Delilah aren''t you?" Louis asked.


    I nodded. "I am but it''s going to have to wait and unfortunately, patience is not my strong suit."


    Walter laughed, "That''s for sure! Anyway, enough about Delilah, let''s just focus on the three of us." He looked at me. "Let''s take this to our bedroom."


    I smiled. "Sounds like a good idea to me!"


    ***


    Once we got upstairs to the bedroom, Walter sat down on the bed. He motioned for Louis to sit down next to him. He looked at me and smirked. "I think you''re a little bit overdressed here."


    "Well that''s not my fault now is it? Dealing with unannounced visitors can be so stressful don''t you think?" I said.


    I started to take my clothes off very slowly and Louis couldn''t keep his eyes off me. While I had Louis''s attention Walter got undressed and started to undress Louis. Louis didn''t seem to mind Walter undressing him and when I got on top of him, I started kissing him.


    Once Walter took off his pants and I smiled when I saw Louis''s dick was ready to go for us.


    Without warning Walter somehow managed to flip me on my back and Louis was on top of me and Walter was on top of Louis.


    This is going to be interesting. Who knew Walter could be so open to things like this? I''m glad he is, I thought.


    When Louis started to thrust into me I lost my ability to think straight and that was exactly what I wanted at the moment. I didn''t want to think about Delilah. I sure as hell didn''t want to think about my responsibilities as a mafia leader.


    ***


    {Delilah}


    I waited for the final verdict on the decision for me to move forward and sue Victoria for stabbing me. I couldn''t help but wonder how things came down to this. If only I''d treated her better growing up then we would probably have a solid relationship right now. I had no idea that Victoria''s real parents were mafia leaders.


    This is my karma for what I''ve done. But I''m not willing to take it lying down. I am married to a mafia leader so I should be able to get compensation for what Victoria did. But it seems that I was wrong.


    It''s been two days since I said I wanted to sue Victoria and I haven''t heard anything back yet. That is until this morning when Ben burst into the room in anger. He''d been away from home for those two days and for whatever the reason, he doesn''t want to sleep with me anymore.


    "ARE YOU STUPID?" Ben roared.


    I blinked. "Excuse me?"


    Ben took a deep breath and let it out. "Are you aware that the Royals are our superiors?"


    I tilted my head. "Meaning?"


    "Meaning they own this mafia and every person who serves it," Ben snarled. "You really should''ve paid attention to your lessons."


    "You mean my etiquette lessons?" I asked. "The ones that I was taught the in''s and out''s of leading a mafia?"


    "Yes, and did they tell who our superiors are?" Ben questioned.


    I searched my memories and became embarrassed when I remembered what my teacher said about the Royals. I just didn''t think I''d be facing something like this one day.


    He narrowed his eyes. "So you do remember! And it doesn''t matter who the leader is, you have to show them proper respect. I didn''t realize how far your hatred for Victoria goes. And you''ve disrespected her yet again by trying to sue her! When punishments are done, they''re done for a reason. You should''ve realized that Victoria doesn''t recognize you as her mother. You have no ties to her now."


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    "But I have her birth certificate. I gave her her name. That should count for something right?" I said.


    He scoffed, "Yeah like that''ll hold up in court especially since you''ve already proven through paternity tests that you''re not Victoria''s biological mother. Just thank your lucky stars Victoria didn''t kill you that night. I hate to think what type of punishment she''ll give you after your trial has been heard."


    I paused. "My trail?"


    "Oh yeah, you''ve disrespected Victoria for the last time. However, if you go to her, get down on your knees and beg Don Victoria for forgiveness, she might not go ahead with trial," Ben said.


    I shook my head. "I get it! I didn''t do anything wrong! I just stated the facts! I am Victoria''s mother! I raised her."


    Ben rolled his eyes. "You also abused her, you tried to kill her and the only reason you''re not in jail for that is because you happened to be married to a rich man who could pay off the police."


    "There''s no way I''m going to apologize to someone that I raised for 18 years!" I declared.


    Ben walked towards me and raised his hand and slapped me. He slapped me so hard that I was seeing stars. I stumbled back in shock from the slap. I have never once had a man raise his hand to me. That''s because all of the men I''ve been with loved me dearly and wouldn''t dream of hurting me. I thought that was the case with Ben too.


    "You¡­ You hit me!" I gasped.


    "Yes I did. I might be in love with you but I''m not stupid like you are! You need to know your place here in this mafia. Because you might''ve been able to get away with things when you were married to a normal rich person, but you won''t be able  to get away with those same things being married to a mafia leader," Ben growled. "However, if you insist on carrying on like this I''ll be more than happy to show you your place here. Is that clear?"


    I nodded. "Yes."


    "Good. Know your place and be grateful that you can still live your best life. And be mindful of the proper manners you''re supposed to display regardless of who the person is," Ben said. "So, now you have two choices, one you can go to Victoria or in your case Don Victoria and beg for forgiveness and she might just not go ahead with the trial or you can try your luck and go before the Grand Council. You have until the end of the week to make up your mind."


    I looked over at the wall with a calendar hanging on it. "What date is it today?"


    "The 27th, which means you have two days to decide what you''re going to do," Ben said.


    I gasped, "What!"


    He nodded. "This is what happens when you don''t know your place."


    He didn''t say anything else as he turned around and left the room. Once he left the room I sat down on my bed weighing my choices and I knew exactly what I was going to do. I was going to try and earn forgiveness from the person I''ve mistreated the most¡­ Victoria¡­


    ***


    I thought that I was going to Victoria''s house to apologize but I was wrong. Mostly because it''s a rule that Victoria put in place the moment she took over the Royals. The rule is that no one except her inner circle and staff are allowed to enter her house whether it be for a visit or otherwise. It makes sense because she wants her privacy and it''s her house that she bought before she met Frank or became a mafia leader.


    From what I''ve found she''s finally been pushed to renovate the house to get up to par with someone of her status. She didn''t want to because she preferred simple things and that''s the Victoria I know. I''ve also heard that her house isn''t a big mansion like everyone thinks it is. It''s nice to know that even though her situation has changed in status and whatnot, she''s still the same loveable Victoria that everyone knew before that.


    When I think of the word loveable in regards to Victoria it makes me pause at the thought. I didn''t love Victoria growing up but I should''ve because she is loveable. She was an adorable baby and I had to admit she gets her looks from her real father. He''s handsome and her real mother is drop dead gorgeous.


    In order for me to meet Victoria I was taken to the training area for the Royals. As soon as I walked into the building I perplexed when I heard the clanging of swords.


    I looked at Ben. "Swords?"


    Ben nodded and smiled. "Yes, it is important for Victoria to learn how to sword fight. She''s getting better but her head''s often not in the fight because she views this type of combat boring."


    I chuckled. "That''s Victoria for you! She was like that in school. If she found the subject boring she had a hard time learning it because of her attention span."


    "So how did you get her to pay attention?" Ben asked.


    I shrugged. "I didn''t because I didn''t care as long as she got a passing grade." I thought about it and snarled, "I bet her little girlfriend helped give her incentive to pass. I really failed as a mother didn''t I?"


    Ben nodded again. "Yup!"


    "Gee thanks," I said with sarcasm.


    I watched in awe as I saw Victoria training. It was clear that the man fighting was no match for her. She charged at him, catching him off guard and grazed his shoulder with her sword. I flinched when I saw that and held my stomach where Victoria stabbed me.


    "You little bitch!" the man howled.


    Victoria sneered. "Oh really? You''re lucky we''re just training for the moment or I would really show you how much of a bitch I can be!"


    It happened so fast that you''d miss the next action Victoria took if you blinked. She somehow managed to get behind the guy she was fighting and held him in a chokehold.


    The man dropped his sword and he wheezed. "Hey no fair! I thought we were just training!"


    "Exactly, this is a lesson for you. Never let your guard down in front of me. Especially after you just insulted me," Victoria said.


    She let the guy go and he fell to the ground coughing. Right when I thought that was the end of it, the guy stood up and tackled Victoria. He threw a couple of punches at her and he dodged them and managed to push him off her. He stood up and threw another punch that Victoria caught. That was when Ben cleared his throat and called out, "Don Victoria! Mistress Delilah is here!"


    Victoria looked up and smiled. "It''s about damn time!" She looked at the man and threw a punch that landed in his stomach and dusted her hands as he fell to the floor groaning in pain. "That''s all for training today. I have other important matters to deal with."


    The guy got to his feet and instead of attacking her again he bowed. "Yes, Your Highness."


    He walked off and his composure switched as if he hadn''t been fighting Victoria a moment ago.


    Victoria walked up the stairs leading to the area we were at and walked past Ben as she said, "Follow me."


    She led us down a hallway that led to a room that looked a lot like the study room in Frank''s house for when he wanted to work from home. Only there wasn''t a desk in this room. There were two small couches that were across from each other in front of a fireplace. Victoria took a seat on one of the couches and motioned for Ben and I to take a seat on the couch across from her.


    Victoria rolled her eyes. "So what did you come here to tell me?"


    I took a deep breath and let it out. "I came here to ask for your forgiveness."


    She tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Do you think you''re worthy of my forgiveness?"


    I gulped. "Yes?"


    "Then why does that sound like a question rather than a statement?" She growled.


    I paused and thought. Why did that sound like a question? Because I''m better off doing whatever it is Victoria wants me to do than the Grand Council, right?


    "Ahem," Victoria said. "Is this a joke to you?"


    I shook my head. "It''s not a joke I-"


    Victoria shook her head in dismay. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, that''s just like you. A narcissist that''s too arrogant to admit when she''s wrong."


    I don''t know why but that comment pissed me off. It pissed me off enough to snap at her. "I don''t want to admit fault for something that I haven''t done!"


    She rolled her eyes. "Ah yes, gaslighting 101. That''s your favorite method when it comes down to me."


    My jaw dropped. "But I didn''t-"


    "Silence," Victoria said. "Did Ben tell you what your choices were in regards to me?"


    I nodded. "He said I could ask for your forgiveness or go before the Grand Council. I''m here to ask for your forgiveness but-"


    "Let me guess, you''ve changed your mind? Why does that not surprise me?" Victoria said. She shrugged. "Oh well it doesn''t matter because the Grand Council has decided your fate. I knew your pride wouldn''t take this seriously and here I am thinking that you could change."


    "But I can change!" I declared.


    "Why?" Victoria asked.


    I paused. "Huh?"


    "Why do you want to change? Is it because your actions have finally caught up to you? You got away with abusing me for years and not once did you feel remorse about anything. Not once did you try to change. Not once did you realize that you were wrong. You did nothing but gaslight me into thinking that I was crazy. Did you know how that made me feel?" Victoria asked.


    I stayed quiet and lowered my gaze as if this situation would stop and I would wake up and this would be a bad dream.


    "Look at me when I''m talking to you, you stupid bitch!" Victoria roared.


    I flinched and did as I was told.


    "I''m going to tell you how your actions towards me made me feel. They made me feel as though I was nothing. I felt that I was broken. And it turns out I was in the eyes of the law broken. It''s all your fault. Not once did you show me any compassion. Not once did you try to tell me everything was going to be fine. What did you do instead when you found out about my issues?" Victoria asked, while giving me a deadly stare.


    I gulped.


    "Well, I''m waiting for the answer to that question bitch!" Victoria snarled.


    I sighed because I knew exactly what I did. I used it as a way to keep Victoria where I thought she belonged. "I made you feel like crap. I told you that you were worthless. I even¡­ I even tried to kill you. And¡­" I gulped. "For that¡­ I''m¡­"


    I stopped at the word ''sorry.'' I really wanted to get that word out because I was sorry. "I''m¡­ I''m¡­ I''m-"


    I paused. What the fuck is wrong with me? I can''t say one stupid word that would make this situation better? Seriously? It shouldn''t be this hard.


    Victoria rolled her eyes. "That''s enough. As I was saying, the Grand Council has already made their decision. By the end of the day you and Ben will be divorced. And you will be my servant. Not to mention you''ll be staying at my house in the maids quarters."


    "No!" I shrieked.


    "Yes, because I''m going to make you feel exactly what I felt growing up. Since you can''t learn your place married to a mafia Boss, you don''t deserve to be married to one," Victoria said.


    I looked at Ben and couldn''t read his emotions because he had a stoic look on his face. "Ben? Do something! You said you loved me don''t you?"


    "Hmm, interesting. I might reconsider the divorce option that is, if Ben declares his love for you," Victoria said. "Then I''ll revise your punishment. If Ben declares his undying love for you and you can stay married to him. I''ll revise your punishment to twenty lashes with a whip on your back. And you''ll have to thank the person carrying out the punishment. Doesn''t that sound better as opposed to being a maid to your arch nemesis for the rest of your life?"


    She looked at Ben. "So what do you say? Do you love Delilah?"


    Ben smiled and nodded. "I do! I would move mountains for her if necessary!"


    Ben''s declaration of love touched my heart and I was glad that when he told me he loved me no matter what I did was true.


    Victoria shrugged. "Alright then, your punishment has been revised. I will send someone to lead you to your punishment soon."


    Right on cue someone knocked on the door. "Come in!"


    A man entered the room and he was dressed a lot like the bodyguards that were at the mansion that Ben and I live at. When he saw Victoria he bowed. "You called, Don Victoria?"


    "Yes, please take Mistress Delilah to the torture room. It''s time for her punishment," Victoria said.


    The man nodded. "Yes Don Victoria."


    The man motioned for me to follow him. On the way to my punishment I couldn''t help but think about Victoria''s words to me. Am I sorry because my actions are starting to catch up to me? Or am I sorry because I realized that I failed as a mother? At this point I think the answer is yes to both questions.

 Chapter 36: A Trigger for Your Powers

    {Ben}


    I smirked after Delilah was led away to begin her punishment. True, I declared my undying love for her but I didn''t mean it and Victoria knew it. Victoria having Delilah divorce me was just a bluff to play with her a little. When it comes down to Delilah I love toying with that woman. Apparently, it''s all a part of Victoria''s revenge plot.


    I''m all for it. I feel that I''m such a good actor that maybe I should try out to act in Hollywood? But at the moment I pushed those thoughts away so I can focus on making Victoria the best leader ever! She''s going to need this when she becomes the Queen of Hell.


    Part of me wants to tell her what she''s going to become but I can''t because I was specifically told not to by Satan himself. From what I know of, Satan told her that she would need leadership experience because she is a part of the Royal Family from Hell. Not to mention he made a deal with her about finding her box. He would help her find her box after she led the Royals for a year.


    Victoria sat there staring at me and as she was getting ready to say something her cell phone rang.


    "Excuse me for a moment, wait here until I finish my call," Victoria instructed.


    I nodded. "Yes ma''am."


    I waited patiently for Victoria to come back and she came back about a half hour later. She sat down on the couch in front of me and smiled. "I''ve talked about this with Walter and I swear your acting is so on point that I even believed you were in love with Delilah!"


    I grinned. "Thank you! I want to do my best as your servant. Just let you know I stopped having sex with Delilah just like you requested."


    "Damn you''re good!" Victoria said. "And since you''re my servant who has been the most loyal to me, I think you deserve a reward."


    "And what might that be?" I asked.


    She beckoned for me to sit down on the couch next to her. The next thing I knew she was straddling me and she took off my suit jacket and started unbuttoning my shirt.


    "Relax Ben, this is your reward. You are my servant and it''s perfectly fine for me to sleep with you. Walter and I talked about this. Because you''re married to Delilah we have to be somewhat discreet about this," Victoria said.


    "And what''s to stop people from coming in and interrupting us?" I asked.


    "This room is soundproof and it''s got a spell placed on the door that compels people to not enter unless they''re commanded to," Victoria answered.


    I was going to say something when Victoria started to kiss me. When she unzipped my pants I moaned as she started to stroke my cock a bit. I closed my eyes and basked in Victoria''s touch. If this is what I''m going to get as a reward every time I obey her, I will fucking obey her as much as possible!


    "Ben, look at me," Victoria commanded.


    I opened my eyes and my jaw dropped because she had taken her shirt off and she was beautiful. I knew she was beautiful with her clothes on but I had no idea that she had such big tits. My mouth watered when I saw them.


    I didn''t have much time to admire her beauty when she took charge and started kissing me again. When we started having sex I felt like I was on cloud nine. I knew the sex would come to an end soon but I didn''t want it to end.


    Unfortunately it did come to an end after I climaxed.


    "I think you might want to take a shower before you go home to Delilah. Can''t have her suspecting that you ''cheated'' on her now can we?" Victoria said with a smirk.


    I pouted, "Do we have to stop?"


    "For now," Victoria said. She looked at the nearby clock and sighed, "Go get ready. Delilah should be done with her punishment soon. One more thing."


    "Yes?" I said.


    "You can have sex with Delilah again if she requests it. I need you to make her believe that you truly love her and have eyes for her alone," Victoria said.


    I grimaced. "Do I have to?"


    She shrugged. "It''s up to you, but if I were you I''d do it at least once. You can think of someone else while you''re fucking her."


    I smiled because I already knew exactly what I was going to think about the next time I had sex with Delilah. "Okay, I can do that."


    "Good boy," Victoria said. "It''s time for you to get going."


    ***


    {Victoria}


    I must admit that having sex with my mother''s husband felt kind of weird. But since he is my servant there''s really nothing wrong with it. Of course, now that I had Ben declare his undying love for Delilah, I thought it would be best that he go back to being the perfect husband for her. I could tell by the look on his face when he left my office that he didn''t like that idea, not one little bit and I don''t blame him.


    Tonight when I got home I smiled when I saw Walter already asleep snuggling up to Cody on the bed. After I took a shower, I laid down and that was when Walter woke up.


    He smiled at me. "So, how did it go?"


    I smiled back at him. "Things went rather smoothly. I swear Ben is such a good actor, he almost fooled me into thinking that he really loved Delilah!"Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    "Oh? And you did give him his reward? You know the sexy fun time that we talked about?" Walter asked.


    I nodded. "I did. And it was kind of weird knowing that I slept with the woman who claimed to be my mother''s supposed husband." I yawned, "I''m tired."


    Walter nodded. "Yeah you look like it. Thankfully you don''t really have any important appointments tomorrow. Maybe you should just take a day off and rest?"


    I thought about it. "Hmm, you know that sounds like a great idea! For now, can you hold me at least until I fall asleep?"


    He chuckled, "Sure I can do that. Cody move over."


    He nudged Cody awake and he reluctantly moved so that I could cuddle with Walter. Shortly after that I fell asleep.


    ***


    The next time I opened my eyes it was dark. I thought I was in my room and that all I needed to do was turn on a light switch but when I tried to move I was tied down to something. By the way I was tied down I could guess that I was tied to some sort of table.


    "Do you think this''ll work? Because the exposure therapy seemed to do the trick for triggering her powers last time," I heard Walter say.


    "It will. We just need to make her angry enough to bare her claws at us," Alastor said. "She should be awake by now."


    I groaned, "Yes I''m awake Alastor. What the fuck is this all about?"


    "You need a way to trigger your powers at will. Remember when you went to that exposure therapist?" Alastor asked.


    "Yes, I remember why?" I said.


    "Well that helped get the ball rolling on triggering your powers. However, there might be times when your powers trigger on their own and that could be bad," Alastor explained. "You could accidentally kill someone before their time. True, you know where they go after they die but you can''t be so reckless. There are traps that humans can use against and I will be teaching you how to get out of those traps."


    "Is that why I need to get angry?" I asked.


    "You don''t have to get angry, you just have to figure out a way to trigger your powers," Alastor said.


    "We could always make a dummy that looks like Delilah for you to punch like Ben does for the punching bag you use for your training," Walter quipped.


    Alastor looked at Walter with a look of disbelief. "Seriously?"


    He nodded. "Yep and it''s helped her vent frustrations out a little because Delilah needs to live at the moment. It''s not time for her to die yet."


    I snarled at that comment. "I hate that woman. I''m holding myself back because I really want to kill her!"


    "I don''t blame you considering how she abused you and tried to kill you," Walter said.


    Alastor gave me a wicked smile. "Yeah know, bringing up painful memories of the past with Delilah just might do the trick. You have unresolved issues with her that never get resolved."


    "Honestly, it seems like she''s starting to see the error of her ways. Sad thing is that she''s only seeing it now because her actions have caught up to her. And I think it''s too late for the words ''I''m sorry.'' Even if she does manage to say those words. She won''t because she''s allergic to being a better person," I growled.


    Alastor snorted. "You can say that again!"


    "So how does this work? And why am I tied down?" I asked.


    Alastor laughed, "Now that I think about it, you don''t need to be tied down."


    He snapped his fingers and I was free of the restraints and I sat up and rubbed my wrists. "Did you have to chain me down with silver? That kind of burns my wrists."


    "Ah yes, a temporary side effect of silver and it''s not really a good weapon against demons. Maybe weaker demons like Jezebel and Gray but for stronger demons like me not so much. You will be a stronger demon when I''m done with you," Alastor said. "True, you''re doing good in improving your combat skills¡­"


    I raised an eyebrow and said with sarcasm. "I''m doing just good improving my combat skills? Not great? Not excellent?"


    He shrugged. "What more can I say? If you would just pay attention long enough to keep your head in the fight. However, I do find your technique of staying one step ahead of your opponent to be interesting. How do you manage to do that?"


    I knew what he was referring to and it had something to do with my abilities that I''ve been developing lately. I paused for a moment to figure out how to explain things. "Well even though it looks like I''m not paying attention in the fight, I am. It''s weird like I see trails of light coming from my opponent that show me exactly what move my opponent is going to put out next. Of course I don''t always see it on time and that''s when my opponent can get a good hit on me."


    "The Laser Pointer ability! Excellent! That''s one thing you got from your mom. Which is interesting because most of the time only water demons can get ability," Alastor said as he looked at me with pride.


    "Huh?" I said.


    "The Laser Pointer Ability, allows someone the ability to predict an opponent''s next move by showing beams of light casted by the opponent''s movements. And sometimes by their thought pattern. And before you ask there are two different types of demons in Hell, water demons and fire demons. You can tell which one is which by a marking on their foreheads. You might not have noticed your marking because you probably don''t pay much attention to your reflection in the mirror. You should probably take a look. Hold on a sec," Alastor explained. He left the room and came back shortly with a small hand held mirror.


    He gave the mirror to me and I looked at it. I saw on my forehead the symbol of fire and that is a triangle facing up. I looked closer and I saw another symbol next to the triangle and it was an upside down triangle. "Um, are there demons that have more than one symbol on their forehead?"


    His eyes went wide. "What? Let me see."


    He looked at my forehead and nodded. "Yeah you have two markings on your forehead. That means you''re a hybrid!"


    "Awesome!" Walter cheered. Then he paused. "Wait, aren''t hybrids common in Hell?"


    "Yes they are, however a hybrid in the Royal Family hasn''t happened in almost a decade," Alastor answered. "Not even in my clan!"


    "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" I asked.


    He shrugged. "That''s going to depend on you. You have defense as well as offensive abilities (no pun intended) and how you use your powers can either help or backfire on you. And you''ll figure that out as you go along. Today is the day you start figuring things out."


    He left the room and came back with a silver bracelet in his hand. "Here, take this."


    "Doesn''t that hurt your hand?" I said.


    "Not really. I''m stronger and I''ve been alive a lot longer than you have," He answered. "But for you this will help until you can figure out how to summon your powers at will. As I was telling Walter, your powers can be summoned by emotions. For Fire Demons the intense emotion of anger can trigger their powers. That''s why I thought that would work for you because at your exposure therapy you had your fire powers come out. But now that I know you''re a hybrid that changes things."


    Alastor handed me the silver bracelet I put it on and hissed because of the pain from the burn.


    He chuckled, "Hurts doesn''t it?"


    I rolled my eyes and said with sarcasm, "No, it doesn''t hurt. It just tickles a little bit."


    Walter snorted. "Oh it hurts alright. If she''s in pain and can talk she''ll make some sort of joke about how it doesn''t hurt."


    "Hmm, you might want to change your habits unless you think taunting the enemy is a good idea?" Alastor paused. "You know what, scratch that. You''re joking about being in pain might just be enough to throw your enemies off. And when they''re caught off guard, you knock them down and knock them down hard."


    "So what happens now?" I asked.


    Alastor smiled a wicked smile. "Your training to control your powers starts now."

 Chapter 37: Helping Victoria

    {Victoria}


    I heard that voice again. I''ve been hearing it for a long time. It started after I turned five and it was the voice of someone singing. Actually it was more like whistling and it was just one note being whistled at a time.


    I paused and couldn''t help but wonder about that voice so I followed it. As I followed the whistling it got louder and louder until I stopped when I saw a box. A silver box with two crosses on it.


    "Pandora¡­ Pandora¡­" I heard something inside the box growl. "Open me¡­ I''m here waiting for you! OPEN ME!"


    That was when I woke up.


    ***


    {Walter}


    I was sleeping peacefully when I felt Victoria twitching in her sleep. I sat up when I heard Cody whimpering and saw him pawing at Victoria.


    "Victoria! Wake up!" I said, shaking her.


    She slowly opened her eyes and blinked. "Did I open it?"


    I gave her a confused look. "Open what?"


    She shook her head. "It''s just a stupid dream."


    I wasn''t convinced and just when I was about to say something I heard Satan say, "Your box is calling out to you again isn''t it?"


    I almost fell out of the bed in surprise when Victoria caught me before I fell.


    "What the hell are you doing here Dad?" Victoria growled.


    He rolled his eyes and didn''t pay any attention to Victoria''s protest when he snapped his fingers and a chair appeared out of nowhere. When he sat down he sighed, "I''ve seen this happen plenty of times. A demon gets their powers taken away and sealed into some sort of object. It can be anything. I''ve seen demons'' powers sealed away into a doll! I never thought I''d see the day that this would happen to my own daughter."


    Victoria tilted her head. "Huh?"


    Satan nodded. "I visited you when you were younger and that''s how I was able to find you."


    "If you found me then-" Victoria started.


    Satan shook his head. "I couldn''t bring you back. And what made matters worse, is the humans who had kidnapped you were playing the part of your adopted parents and you had siblings. Remember the story of Hercules? Well, the Disney version of it?"


    I chuckled at that comment.


    "Yeah I know about that. Hercules became a mortal and couldn''t go home until he became a hero," Victoria said.


    "Actually, he couldn''t go home until he reunited with his powers, all of his powers," Satan said. "Just like how it happened to some demons, it happened to a god." He chuckled. "Silly humans really think they can one up us. They''re just delaying what will eventually happen. The demon or god will be reunited with their powers and they''ll be even stronger than before."


    "Is the dream going to stop when I''m reunited with my powers?" Victoria asked.


    "It''s plausible," Satan said. "If all of your powers are locked away in that box and not only some of it, the dream should stop. But we won''t know until you get your box back. But for now, just focus on learning how to be a leader. It is important that you at least know the basics of being a leader considering you''re my daughter and all."


    Victoria sighed, "This sucks! So what do I do now? And why are you in my room while I''m sleeping?"


    "Right now just focus on your training. You''ll figure the rest out later," Satan answered. "No, I''m not answering your other question."


    "Why not?" I asked.


    "Because that question doesn''t really need an answer," Satan said.


    "Okay that type of answer just sounds creepy," Victoria said.


    "No kidding," I said.


    Satan looked at me. "Walter, can I talk to you outside? There''s something I''ve been meaning to tell you."


    I nodded. "Sure, let me get dressed."


    After I got dressed I met Satan outside.


    "So what did you want to talk to me about?" I asked.


    "Well, did Alastor talk to you about what happens when a demon goes into heat?" He asked.


    I nodded. "Yeah he did. And it wasn''t a pleasant conversation either. Both males and females get it and it just so happens that females have it worse. Which is why it''s often a good thing for a female to have more than one partner."


    "That and there''s another issue that I''m pretty sure Victoria will be made aware of soon," He said.


    "And that is?" I said.


    "There''s a couple of enemy mafia''s wanting to test their limits on how far they push the new leader of the Royals around and if Victoria goes into heat while she''s fighting, that might not be a good thing," Satan answered.


    "It might not be a good thing?" I repeated.


    "I mean think of it this way, heat is painful for females until they have sex. If she''s in the middle of fighting and she''s in pain¡­" Satan said.


    I understood exactly the point he was trying to make. "I get it, but we don''t know when the enemy''s going to try and attack."


    "Which is exactly why I''m going to advise Victoria to strike before they do. I already know the names of the mafia''s in question so I''ll be briefing her about this soon," Satan said.


    I was going to say something when I heard Victoria scream bloody murder. We rushed back into that room and Victoria was on the bed curled up into a ball crying. Cody was whimpering and looking back and forth between Victoria and I.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Satan sniffed the air and his eyes went wide. "Shit!"


    I paused. "Let me guess, she''s in heat right?"


    He nodded. "And with that I shall take my leave and don''t forget to call Louis and Ben. I know you two have been fooling around with them. Remember, the more partners the merrier and I don''t do incest so I''m out."


    I chuckled. "Funny, the all powerful and immoral King of Hell will fuck anyone but his own children. How noble of you."


    "Yeah I have my limits just like Victoria does. Besides even if I did do it she clearly stated that she isn''t into that sort of thing. Either way I''m gone. I''ll brief her on what''s going on with the enemy mafia''s when she''s feeling better and that will depend on how much sex she''ll have. So I''m guessing about four days at minimum, five days max," Satan said. Without another word he snapped his fingers and disappeared.


    ***


    {Victoria}


    As soon as Walter left to talk to Satan about something I felt this strange burning sensation in my skin. I howled in pain and when I did Walter came running back into the room.


    "Victoria, look at me," He said.


    I did as I was told and saw Walter looking at me with a mix of concern and panic. "You''re going into heat."


    My eyes went wide and I groaned. "Yeah, Mom told me about that. I hate this."


    He smirked. "Figured you''d say that because apparently it''s worse for females than it is for males. I''m not looking forward to going into heat either. But since I have plenty of partners to help me out hopefully it won''t be so bad. Don''t worry I''ve already called Louis and Ben."


    I was getting ready to say okay but then I paused. "Ben''s coming?"


    Walter nodded. "Yeah, look I know it''s weird because he''s Delilah''s ''husband'' but you already slept with him. He''s your servant and he''s more than willing to help you with anything that you need. And from what I''ve been told, the more partners you have the easier it will be to get through your heat."


    "Great. At least I''ll only have to deal with this twice a year. Hey, I''ll take that over dealing with a painful menstrual cycle once a month," I said.


    ¡°No kidding,¡± Walter said.


    He reached over and kissed me and just as he reached for my shirt the doorbell rang.


    I blinked. ¡°Well that was fast!¡±


    ¡±Wait right here, I¡¯ll go get them,¡± Walter said.


    I nodded and shortly after he left the room he returned with Louis and Ben in tow.


    Ben smiled. ¡°It¡¯s an honor to be able to help the Princess out with her first heat.¡±


    I gave him a sideways look. ¡°Ben. No nicknames.¡±


    He paused. ¡°Huh? Oh, sorry Victoria.¡±


    ¡±Hmmm,¡± I said. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re sorry enough.¡±


    ¡±Oh really?¡± Ben said.


    I got out of the bed and walked up to him. ¡°Yeah because you¡¯re still dressed.¡±


    I kissed him and when stopped I looked at Walter and Louis and said, ¡°You two should get undressed too.¡±


    ¡±Don¡¯t have to tell me twice,¡± Louis said. Then he started to strip while I started taking Ben¡¯s clothes off.


    I grinned when I saw that Walter, Louis and Ben were already hard. I started to take my clothes when Louis stopped me. He shook his head. ¡°Nope. We¡¯re taking care of you today and that means you won¡¯t have to lift a finger.¡±


    He grabbed me and took off my clothes and tossed me on the bed. He got on top of me after Walter got behind me. After we had sex I still wanted more.


    ¡°Looks like you¡¯re ready to go again,¡± Louis said.


    Walter nodded. ¡°Yup and this is going to be fun.¡±


    ***


    {Ben}


    I can¡¯t believe that I get to help Victoria out with her heat. It¡¯s an honor to me and I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s considered cheating on Delilah. To humans cheating is a lot different than when it comes down to demons.


    The only time it¡¯s considered cheating is if you sleep with someone that¡¯s not your servant or they aren¡¯t within the arrangement of who you¡¯re sleeping with.


    When it comes down to cheating with humans it¡¯s considered cheating if you sleep with someone who isn¡¯t your partner. So what I¡¯m doing with Victoria now is considered cheating on Delilah. But I really don¡¯t care. What¡¯s important to me right now is helping Victoria out.


    Although I do have to be a little bit discreet about my reasons for going to visit Victoria during this time so that Delilah doesn''t get suspicious.


    When I got home after spending the day with Victoria, Walter and Louis, I made sure to take a shower and toss my dirty clothes in the wash.


    "Ben! Where are you?" I heard Delilah call out as I was getting dressed. I put on a shirt and jeans because I was settling down for the day.


    "I''m in here!" I answered.


    She entered the room smiling and hugged me. "I''m so glad you''re home! You''ve been working a lot lately."


    "Yeah well there''s been a lot of work to do lately," I said. That wasn''t a total lie but a half truth at least.


    "Oh? What type of work? Maybe I can help?" Delilah asked.


    I shook my head. "No thanks, I''m good." I paused when I felt myself getting hard. "Actually there is something you can help me with."


    She smirked as she looked down at the bulge in my pants. "And what might that be?"


    I grabbed her hand and had her feel my bulge. "What do you think?"


    I started kissing her and she moaned. "Ben¡­"


    She started grinding her crotch on me and said, "Please undress me and fuck me!"


    "Your wish is my command," I said.


    I took her clothes off and put her on the bed while kissing her. She went for my pants zipper and unzipped my pants, freeing my hard dick. I got undressed and held her down while I was on top of her.


    She looked up at me. "I missed you. I missed this. You''re the one person I don''t want to cheat on. At least for now."


    I didn''t say anything because I didn''t need to say anything. I knew of her habit of cheating on her partners after two years of being with them. I just started thrusting into her to get her to stop talking and the only thing I heard was her moaning my name which was much better than having her talk.


    ***


    {Victoria}


    I knew I was still in the middle of my heat but I didn''t care. I wanted something to do when my partners weren''t available. So I went down to the private gym. I started on the punching bag and about a minute in I started to feel winded so I had to stop.


    "Well, I guess working out because I''m bored wasn''t a good idea after all," I growled to myself.


    I sat down trying to catch my breath when I heard Walter say, "Do you really think working out is a good idea when you''re still in heat? Are you nuts?"


    "Apparently I am nuts," I snapped. "I was just bored."


    He scoffed, "I leave you alone for a couple of hours and you decide to do something stupid. You can''t really do anything when you''re in heat. What you were planning on doing if you got into so much pain because you haven''t gotten a release from sex? Let me guess, you didn''t think that far didn''t you?"


    I opened my mouth to respond but then shut it because he hit the nail on the head.


    He sighed and the next thing I know is he picked me up in his arms and carried me as if I weighed nothing.


    "Let me down!" I protested.


    "Nope. I''m going to make sure you don''t have to lift a finger," He said.


    "So what do I do when you''re busy working?" I asked.


    "You could read a book, watch Tv, maybe even work on your artwork again? It''s been a while since you''ve painted hasn''t it?" Walter replied.


    I nodded. "Yeah it has been a while. I wonder if I start painting now what would I come up with? Doesn''t being in heat affect your emotions?"


    Walter nodded. "It does but from what I know of, everyone''s different about how they deal with it."


    "I see," I said.


    "Now, enough talking and let''s get down to business," Walter said with a mischievous smile.


    That smile sent a nice little chill down my spine. "I like it when you smile at me like that."


    "I know you do," Walter said.


    He didn''t say anything else because I knew he wasn''t kidding about me not having to lift a finger much during my heat. I love him for that and so much more.

 Chapter 38: Werewolf Mate

    {Riley}


    I woke up early in the morning annoyed because my wolf wouldn''t stop pacing frantically in the back of my mind.


    Would you knock it off! It''s too early in the morning for this crap. I snapped.


    Sorry! I just have a feeling that we''ll be meeting our mate soon! Very soon! Lauren said.


    I rolled my eyes. I''m twenty-three and still have yet to find my mate. I''ve often wondered if it might be because I''m an Omega? I often get picked on for being one and I often get told that I''ll never have a mate because I''m an Omega. To add to the bullying I''m a lesbain. About half the girls in the pack avoid me like the plague because of that. Assholes.


    I do have a couple of good friends Liza and Sami. I''m actually closer to Liza and I have a tiny little feeling that she might be gay as well. She did tell me one time that she wouldn''t mind being my chosen mate if I don''t find my true mate soon. So if that''s not dropping a hint I don''t know what else is.


    I didn''t have long to think about what Lauren said before we heard Beta Joshua shout, "Alright you Omegas! Get your asses up and ready to go by 8am sharp! We have a very important visitor coming today and everything needs to be in tip top shape!"


    That order earned a couple of groans from my fellow bunkmates. Omegas don''t live at the pack house. They live in cabins that are stationed right behind the pack house. One would think we were in the military with the way things were set up. The bunks in the cabin''s were placed next to each other.


    "I wonder who the important guest is going to be?" Liza said with excitement.


    "I overheard one of the pack members talking about it yesterday and they said something about the guest being Royalty from the Demon Kingdom," Sami said.


    "What! No way! The King of Hell is coming?" Liza exclaimed.


    Sami shook her head. "I don''t know if it''s the King of Hell. For all we know it might be Alastor."


    The very mention of Alastor''s name caused me to shudder. I''ve heard horror stories about him. He believes that torture is an art and he oversees the humans that have died on Earth and get sent to Hell for punishment.


    Werewolves are considered as part of the afterlife as well even though we tend to roam about on Earth. But we can go back and forth from places like Hell with no problems. However werewolves and other supernatural beings aren''t allowed to enter Heaven unless the ruler, who is a guy named L, allows us to. That rarely ever happens.


    We did as were told and met up at the packhouse to begin our work for the day.


    "Riley!" I heard someone call out. I turned around and saw it was the head maid Ms Shaw calling out to me.


    I gulped. "Yes Ms Shaw?"


    "In my office now," She commanded.


    "Wow, what did you do this time?" Liza asked.


    I shook my head. "I have no idea."


    Liza nodded and I went straight to Ms Shaw''s office because I didn''t want to get in trouble by making her wait. I knocked on the door. "Come in!"


    "Am I in trouble?" I blurted out as soon as I walked into the office.


    Ms Shaw chuckled and shook her head. "No you''re not. I know that you still haven''t found your mate yet and I wanted to give a chance to try and find her or him today."


    I paused. "Huh?"


    She continued, "Not to mention you''re actually one of my best workers and it''s about time I recognized that. That being today''s important guests are from the Royal Family in Hell. They are King Satan''s daughter Princess Victoria and Prince Alastor''s son Prince Walter. They''re bringing fellow humans and other low ranking demons with them. I want you to be one of the ones serving them. You''ll mostly serve Princess Victoria and Prince Walter. I think and it''s just a hunch that your mate might be someone from their group or maybe even Princess Victoria or Prince Walter themselves?"


    "But, from what I know of Princess Victoria and Prince Walter are mates!" I gasped.


    "True, but they have more than one mate," Ms Shaw explained. "I''m sure if they discover that you''re their mate they won''t have any issue adding you into the fold."


    "What makes you so sure that Princess Victoria or Prince Walter might be my mate?" I asked.


    She shrugged. "Like I said, it''s just a hunch and I''m hardly ever wrong about these things."


    After that conversation she instructed me about where I should go and what I should do.


    I was escorted to the main pack house close to Alpha Maxwell''s office. The guest rooms were down the hall from there and that''s where I was going to work until the guest arrived and then I was going to be serving Princess Victoria, Prince Walter and Alpha Maxwell personally.


    Once Princess Victoria and Prince Walter arrived with their group of people I was escorted to the banquet hall where I would be serving them. The moment Princess Victoria walked into the room I was stunned by her beauty. She was a short woman with black hair and black eyes and she looked Asian to me. Her hair was done up in a french braid and she had a small silver crown on her head.


    She didn''t wear a dress like a normal Princess would but what she wore still made her look beautiful. She wore a business suit made for women. Her suit was black and she wore a red necktie with it and a black shirt underneath. The woman''s aura just screamed power. Even Alpha Maxwell bowed his head in respect when she first entered the room.


    Suddenly Lauren stirred in the back of my mind and screamed, Mate!


    Even I was thrown off by that. My eyes went wide. No fucking way! I can''t believe it! Which one?


    It''s Princess Victoria! I can''t believe Ms Shaw was right! Lauren squealed in excitement.


    I just stood there staring at Princess Victoria in shock and Princess Victoria stared back at me with the same reaction. She looked at Alpha Maxwell. "Who is that beautiful maid over there?"


    Alpha Maxwell looked at me and frowned. "Her? Why her? She''s an Omega. Her name is Riley."


    "Ah yes, you know I might just go to the High Council to get the way Omega''s are treated as slaves because of their rank within the pack changed. From what I know of they''re not sent to school like all the other children because they''re Omega''s? And they don''t get the same rights as other pack members because they''re Omega''s? Is that correct?" Princess Victoria asked.


    Alpha Maxwell sighed and nodded. "Yes, Your Highness."The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    "Honestly, I think Omega''s are just as much a part of the pack as other pack members are. Making them work as maids because of their rank is no different than slavery, am I right?" Princess Victoria asked.


    "Yes that''s true but we have a certain hierarchy here that needs to be followed. Everyone has their place in this pack and I think you should respect that because you''re from a different culture," Alpha Maxwell snapped. "Don''t you have servants?"


    Princess Victoria shook her head. "That''s different. They''re not servants because of their rank. Most of the time they''re servants because of how they lived and got sent to Hell before they died. Or they''re servants willingly. And even though they''re servants they get most of the same things that are awarded to regular subjects in Hell. Their children get sent to school like everyone else''s children do. The fact that your Omega''s don''t have proper education in general irks me."


    "But-" Alpha Maxwell started.


    Princess Victoria just straight up ignored him and said to me, "Riley? Would you mind serving Walter and I our food?"


    I nodded. "Yes, Your Highness."


    After Princess Victoria and Prince Walter were finished eating and getting ready to leave, Princess Victoria pulled me off to the side. "Please come to my room once you''re done cleaning. We have much to talk about."


    I nodded and turned around and left.


    ***


    {Victoria}


    When I left the banquet hall after eating Alpha Maxwell asked me to see him in his office. I have no doubt that this discussion was going to be about how I spoke to him at the dinner table.


    I didn''t give a damn about hurting his feelings at all. I can''t believe it''s only been a week after my heat and now I have another mate. Walter''s my main mate and I plan on marking him along with Louis and Ben when the time comes to do that. I was told that I can mark others and marry them but I just have to make sure to mark and marry Walter first.


    The funny thing is Walter went into his heat at the tailend of mine. I did the same thing Walter did for me. I made sure he was taken care of and barely left his side because he needed me. I will do the same thing for my new mate Riley.


    The reason why I''m here visiting this pack is because all supernatural beings, werewolves, witches, vampires and elves etc are considered a part of Hell. Satan rules over them as well and the High Council knows about it. Satan informed me that a couple of mafia''s are planning on attacking some of my subjects and that some of my subjects were being treated unfairly because of their position in their group.


    Satan told me that it would be a good idea to visit different groups of supernatural beings to make sure everyone was okay and that they knew who I was. Hopefully that would help gain more allies. From what I was told werewolves would probably be the hardest to get along with because of the hierarchy within their packs. Satan wasn''t kidding about that.


    Apparently, it''s natural for an Alpha to be the guy in charge and oftentimes they wind up ruling their packs like tyrants and that causes their pack members to become wary.


    True, I rule over the Royals with an iron fist but that''s because I have to. However, as I''m starting there are other ways to keep someone in check than threatening them. People that aren''t in my inner circle are respectful of me but have no issue approaching me to voice complaints and I consider if it''s an issue or someone just wants to find an excuse to whine about something. Most of the time it''s just someone wanting something to whine about and that irks me.


    As soon as I entered the room Alpha Maxwell motioned for me to have a seat across from him.


    He narrowed his eyes. "You know I can''t let your disrespectful behavior slide today."


    "Why? Because I pointed out the truth? That must''ve really hurt your feelings. You poor thing," I said with mock sympathy.


    "Watch your tone when you''re talking to an Alpha!" Alpha Maxwell snarled. "This is my home and you dare come into my home and disrespect me!"


    I cocked my head to the side and gave him an evil smile. My smile turned into a grin when I saw him shudder. I rose from my seat and towered over him. While looking him dead in the eye I sneered, "And you think that you can punish the Princess of Hell? I''d like to see you try! You aren''t my Alpha nor my ruler! If anything, I rule over you. True, this is your home but you know as well as I do that you don''t respect all of your pack members. You think you''re on a pedestal right now but sooner or later you will be knocked down a few pegs."


    I saw him shudder again and I don''t know why I decided to look but I did and I rolled my eyes when I saw that he had a bulge in his pants. "Get your brian out of the gutter Alpha Maxwell."


    "You know you would make the perfect Luna for the pack right?" Alpha Maxwell said, batting his eyelashes at me. "I''m clearly the better choice over Riley."


    Alpha Maxwell stood up and grabbed my wrist and since I didn''t feel the mate bond with him like I did with Riley I was relieved that he wasn''t one of my mates. The guy''s too arrogant and he''s clearly one of those Alpha''s who think they''re entitled to things just because they''re an Alpha.


    Alpha Maxwell frowned. "It''s a shame that you''re not my mate and I already met mine."


    I looked at him with disgust. "And why haven''t you accepted her as your Luna?"


    "It''s because she''s an Omega. I don''t need a weak wolf as my mate!" He growled.


    "And that is where you''re wrong," I said. "From what I know of, your Goddess is the one who makes the matches for werewolves right?"


    He nodded.


    "So she must''ve had a good reason to pair an Omega with you. There must be more to that Omega that meets the eye," I said.


    He paused and looked thoughtful. "Never thought of it that way before. But it might be too late considering I rejected her and she''s a rogue now."


    I narrowed my eyes. "You made her a rogue? Are you stupid?"


    He hung his head and couldn''t look me in the eyes. To me that body language alone was an admission of guilt.


    "Wow. You''re too arrogant for your good! As of today, I''m ordering you to go find your mate and beg for her forgiveness and to give you a chance. If she doesn''t accept you then you''ll just have to deal with it and find someone else to take her place. If she does accept you, you welcome her back into the pack with open arms. Do you understand me?" I said.


    He gulped and nodded. "Yes, Your Highness, I understand you crystal clear!"


    "Good. Now if you''ll excuse me, I have a new mate to get to know. Have a good evening Alpha Maxwell," I said. I didn''t say another word when I turned around and left the room.


    ***


    When I got to my room I saw Walter sitting on the couch talking to Riley.


    I smiled. "Hey there Riley. I bet you''re excited that you found your mate."


    Riley came up to me and hugged me with a tight bear hug. "I''m so glad I finally found you! To think that my mate was just another species!"


    I saw Walter laughing and I rolled my eyes as I hugged her back.


    "I love the way you smell. I know this sounds creepy but every werewolf can smell their mates and their mates have a certain smell to them. Because of that it''s easy for a werewolf to track down their mate if needed," Riley said.


    "I see. That''s interesting, the thing about being a demon is some demon''s don''t have a good sense of smell. What do I smell like?" I said.


    "Cinnamon rolls!" Riley responded.


    At that comment Walter burst into laughter. I glared at him. "That''s not funny Walter."


    "Actually now that you think it kind of is. But Cinnamon rolls are my favorite food. I usually have it as a treat for special occasions," Riley said. "How funny is it that my mate smells like my favorite food."


    I didn''t say anything as I took her into my arms and kissed her. What made us break the kiss was Walter clearing his throat, "Okay I''m going to sleep in the other room with Ben. You two surely need some alone time with each other. Have fun."


    Once Walter left I looked at Riley. "So why don''t we get to know each other a little bit? Because I''ll be leaving with my group and you''ll be coming with me."


    She paused. "Wow, I''ll be leaving? So soon?"


    I nodded. "Yup. You''ll have to say goodbye to your friends and family and I''ll make it so that you''re welcomed to come back and visit anytime."


    Tears welled up in her eyes as she smiled. "Thank you so much Your-"


    I knew she was going to formally greet me again so I pulled her into my arms and kissed her. It started out slow, but then I deepened it as she allowed my tongue access into her mouth. It felt like heaven to kiss another woman again. True, I''ve kissed other women and had sex with other women before but it felt nothing like this. It feels just as good as when I kiss Walter. I''m glad the werewolf mate that I have is a female and not that arrogant Alpha.


    I bet if Alpha Maxwell was my mate and not Riley it would''ve just fueled his ego so much that I would be looking for a way to reject him.


    When I pulled back Riley was breathless. I smiled. "I''m not going to mark you just yet but I will in the future after I''ve marked Walter first. Okay? So can you do me a favor during sex try to keep your wolf from marking me? Oh and don''t call me Your Highness. It''s Victoria to you and no nicknames please."


    Riley smiled. "So I don''t get to mark you yet? When do you plan on marking Walter?"


    I sighed, "Hopefully sometime by the end of this year if things go well."


    Riley gave me a puzzled look. "Why wouldn''t they go well?"


    I took Riley''s hand and led her over to the couch and had her sit down next to me. "I''m going to tell you my background and this is going to take a while."


    "Oh?" Riley said.


    I nodded and started telling her my story.

 Chapter 39: Just call this the Mating Tour! ... Seriously?

    {Riley}


    I couldn''t believe my ears when Victoria told me her backstory. Her adoptive mother was nuts! Yet she allows her to live all in the name of revenge. Although I am kind of curious as to what she''ll do for revenge. She already has one of her mates, Ben who''s posing as Delilah''s husband pretending to absolutely head over heels for her. Victoria met her real parents and staged a kidnapping with them and made sure that it was Delilah who would come rescue her. So that''s why the media is singing her praises right now.


    On other matters that we discussed would be if Victoria slept with her other mates would I feel pain from it? So Victoria and I did an experiment and nothing happened as far as pain goes. As a matter of fact that was one of the hottest things I have experienced! I had never felt so horny in my life just watching them have sex and then afterward I had sex with her.


    The next day Victoria gave me some time to pack my things and say goodbye to my friends and family. In this pack I don''t have anyone that I call family but my parents are still alive. ever since I came out to them, they pretty much disowned me. The only people that mattered to me enough to give a proper goodbye to were Liza and Sami.


    So I went to my cabin and started packing my things but little did I know Liza and Sami were waiting to give me a small farewell party.


    When I walked through the door of the cabin I was met with two very loud cheers of "Surprise!"


    I chuckled. "You two never cease to amaze me. I love you guys!"


    Liza and Sami gave me a group hug. Liza looked like she was trying not to cry.


    I frowned. "What''s wrong?"


    "I know we''re not mates. I wanted us to be mates for the longest time but I guess the Moon Goddess had other plans for you. You won''t forget about me will you?" Liza sniffed.


    "Ah come on Liza! I''d never forget about you!" I said.


    She sniffed again. "Okay, I''ll stop with the waterworks because my wolf is laughing at me telling me that I''m being ridiculous!"


    Sami rolled her eyes. "You can say that again!"


    "Hey!" Liza said.


    I laughed, "Oh you two! I''m going to miss you guys."


    Sami nodded. "I can''t believe your mate is the Princess of Hell! I heard she already has more than one mate. Why would the Moon Goddess pair you with someone who has more than one mate already?"


    I shrugged. "I have no idea."


    "Hey you stupid bitch!" I heard someone say from behind me.


    Sami and Liza glared at her. The woman standing behind me was none other than my mother.


    I sighed and turned around. As soon as I did, Mom raised her hand and slapped me. The slap was so hard that I was seeing stars.


    "Don''t go thinking that you''re mated to the Princess of Hell, that you''re so special that you can''t say goodbye to your own mother!" Mom snarled.


    I stood up and wiped the blood off my mouth. "If I recall correctly you disowned me for being a lesbian!"


    "And rightfully so," Mom said. She grabbed me by shirt and slammed me up against the wall. "It''s time I give you one last lesson about how to be a good daughter. You''re an embarrassment to the family name!"


    She my neck and squeezed and I know Sami and Liza are terrified of her or they would''ve stepped in to stop her. Which I was surprised when Liza yanked Mom off me and I fell to the ground coughing as Mom backhanded her for getting the way.


    "What the fuck is going on here!" I heard someone roar.


    Mom and Liza stopped fighting when they saw Victoria standing next to Alpha Maxwell with a very pissed off look on her face.


    She marched up to Mom and said, "Who the fuck do you think you are laying a hand on what''s mine!"


    "She''s my daughter and she dared to not say her goodbye to me," Mom said. "It''s bad enough she''s an embarrassment to the family being a lesbian Your Highness and she needed to be taught a lesson wouldn''t you agree?"


    Mom smirked probably thinking that Victoria would agree with her but no that seemed to make her even angrier. Victoria looked like she was seeing red as she marched up to Mom and grabbed her by the throat.


    "You know what, I had to deal with a woman who claimed to be my mother who acts just like you. Thinking that they have every right to abuse their children and toss them around as if they''re just toys. I was beaten nearly half to death by the very people who claimed to be my parents just for being bisexual. Honestly, I don''t think Riley needs to be taught a lesson. I think it''s her parents who need to be taught a lesson in not forcing their child to be something that they''re not," Victoria sneered. "Go fuck yourself! And the next time Riley comes for a visit if I ever hear about you laying your hands on her ever again I''ll do a lot more than just choke you."


    Victoria let go and Mom fell to the ground coughing. Victoria knelt down to her level. "Do you understand what I just said?"


    Mom nodded. "Yes, Your Highness, I understand crystal clear."


    "Good. Now leave my sight so that Riley and her friends can finish saying goodbye because we leave tomorrow," Victoria said.


    I tried not to laugh as Mom got up and ran out of the cabin so fast you''d think she was on fire.


    As soon as Mom left Victoria turned to me and grabbed me looking me over for injuries. She snarled when she saw whatever bruise Mom might''ve left on my neck from choking me. "Do you want me to go kill her? I can do that for you."


    I giggled and shook my head. "No, Your-"


    "It''s Victoria to you, my little wolf," She said with a smile.


    I nodded. "Okay, I don''t think you need to kill her. I think she got the message loud and clear. I''m not out for revenge like you are my dear."


    She smiled and planted a kiss on my forehead. "Alright then. I''ll see you tonight."


    I watched as she turned to leave. Alpha Maxwell on the other hand stayed behind. He narrowed his eyes. "This isn''t the first time that your mother has done something like this, is it?"


    I looked down and sighed, "No, it''s not. It would only happen when I''d get sent out on an errand somehow Mom would figure out that I was leaving for something and attack me when I least expected it."


    Liza gasped, "So that''s how you got those marks on your neck! Why didn''t you tell me?"


    "She''s my Mom. The last thing I want is for her to become a rogue just because of the abuse. As it stands I was hoping to avoid her as I was leaving," I said.


    "Okay she won''t become a rogue but she''ll spend a week in the dungeons," Alpha Maxwell said. "Omega''s might be serving as maids but someone abusing them because of their rank, sexuality or otherwise is where I draw the line. And starting tomorrow Omegas are free to go to school and choose their own career paths. And if there is abuse of any kind going on with an Omega, report it to me and I will handle it accordingly."


    Liza, Sami and I nodded and said together, "Yes, Alpha."


    With that, Alpha Maxwell turned around and left.


    ***


    {Victoria}


    When I saw Riley''s mother choking her I couldn''t help but have flashbacks as to how I was treated because of my sexuality. That pissed me off to no end. I wanted to march after Riley''s mother and strike her down right then and there. But out of respect for Riley I didn''t go after her.


    After the incident I went back to my room to settle down and relax. Then my cell phone started to ring. I snickered when I looked at the caller ID and it said Satan on it. I find it kind of funny that my real father''s name is Satan and I''m pretty sure if someone saw that contact on my phone they would probably think that I have some sort of relationship issues with my parents or something.


    I picked up the phone. "Hello?"


    "Hi there, how''s the tour going?" Satan asked.


    "A little tiring but on the bright side I found another mate," I said. "She''s a werewolf named Riley."


    Satan chuckled. "I had a feeling you might get more mates during this tour. That happened to me. As a matter of fact that''s how I met Cathy. She was my first wife and then others came along. By the end of the tour I had found six different mates. All of them ranging from other demons like Cathy to werewolves and vampires."


    I groaned. "I''m fine with the mates I have, thank you very much and that includes Riley. I''m not sure if I can handle any more mates after her. But I am happy that I have at least one female mate. It gives me a break from the males."


    Satan burst into laughter at that comment. When he composed himself he said, "I''m glad I don''t have that problem. But I''m also glad that I have a daughter. Most of my children are boys so I can kind of see where you''re coming from. I''m glad to have another female in the family besides my wives."


    I paused. "What if I''m not enough to satisfy all of my mates?"


    "You''ll figure something out and if all else fails you''ll permit them to choose another mate when you''re not available or if the Moon Goddess is willing she''ll provide them with another mate. Who knows, it might also become a mate within mates scenario," Satan said.


    "Huh?" I said.


    "Mates within mates means that one of your mates could be paired to another one of your mates. I know you have four mates now, Walter, Louis, Ben and now Riley. So it could wind up being Walter mated to Louis, Ben or Riley-" Satan said.


    "But Riley''s a Lesbian," I said.


    "Okay then, you get what I''m saying. It could be a combination of things. Or Riley could have more than one mate just like you. It happens," Satan said.


    When he finished his explanation there was a little bit of a pause. Satan broke it, "Listen, just use this tour as a way to get to know even further how things are done in your position and possibly learn how to control your powers. I hear they''re not fully under control yet?"


    I shook my head as if he could see me. "No, they''re not and honestly I''m surprised that they haven''t come out with this visit to this pack."


    "What pack are you at right now?" Satan asked.


    "The MoonStone pack," I answered.


    Satan snickered. "Yeah that''s Alpha Maxwell''s pack. Have you butted heads with him already?"


    "A little bit," I said. "I made a comment about how Omegas being turned into maids and not being able to go to school like the other children in the pack is pretty much slavery."


    "I agree with you on that one. But there are some Alpha''s who are just set in their ways or just follow their parents traditions at face value. The tradition of making Omegas work as maids from childhood is very outdated and it''s something I think the High Council should look into. Now it''s one thing if the Omegas are just prisoners of war but it''s another if the Omega has just been an Omega and a maid their whole entire life," Satan said. "The only time I''m okay with slavery is when the Omega is a prisoner of war. If the Omega is just a child and it''s happening just because of their rank then, no."


    He chuckled as he continued, "Funny, I''m the King of Hell and I have an issue with things such slavery sometimes. Honestly, to me slavery should just be used as a form of punishment. But that''s just me."


    "What''s funny about Alpha Maxwell is he actually is starting to change the tradition of Omegas being maids just because of their rank. And he did try to hit on me and ask me to be his Luna," I said. I shuddered. "Thank goodness the Moon Goddess didn''t pair me up with him. That would stroke his ego and he would probably be the only mate that I would actually consider rejecting."Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    "Although I have no doubt that you''ll be finding more mates on this little tour before you go back home. Just call this the Mating Tour!" Satan laughed.


    I groaned, "Seriously?"


    "What? I think it''s funny!" Satan said.


    "Uh-huh," I said with sarcasm.


    I heard someone giggle and I smiled when I turned around and saw Riley smiling at me. "Okay then, I gotta go."


    "Sure thing and don''t worry about reporting to me or anything like that. This is a chance for you to learn things in order to do your job properly. I''ll talk to you later," Satan said. He hung up the phone after that.


    "Yeah I''d think it would be some sort of punishment to be paired up with Alpha Maxwell at the moment," Riley giggled. Then she scowled, "Considering he rejected his mate and had a witch cast a spell on her to forget that she was his mate. He treated her in a very cruel manner and cast her aside like she was garbage. Then he made her an Omega! And that Omega is actually one of my best friends. Her name is Sami. Honestly, if I were Sami I''d think twice before accepting him again. Especially since she already remembers what happened. She''s pissed off at him and rightly so."


    I gasped. "He what! That''s a lot worse than what he told me happened. Why that little prick!"


    Riley paused. "What did he tell you what happened?"


    "That he rejected his mate and made her a rogue," I growled. "I''m really glad I didn''t get paired up with him now. Poor Sami. Honestly, after hearing that story I hope she doesn''t forgive him and that he never finds someone to take her place as Luna. But, if she does forgive him then I wish her luck and hopefully she finds her happiness. Whether it''s with Alpha Maxwell or not."


    Riley nodded. "Agreed."


    "To think I actually ordered him to go find his mate and beg for forgiveness," I groaned.


    Riley chuckled, "Knowing Sami, she might just reject him out of spite."


    "I''d hate to be the Moon Goddess. I''d be weeping and wanting to come down and punch the guy and console the Omega. Does Sami have a second chance mate?" I said.


    Riley shook her head. "Not that I know of."


    "Well that''s good to know for now. I''m curious to see how this is going to turn out," I said.


    "That makes two of us," Riley said.


    ***


    {omniscient}


    Two weeks after Princess Victoria, Riley and the rest of her group left the MoonStone pack Alpha Maxwell had been dragging his feet about doing what the Princess ordered him to do. He had a lot of pride about being strong and he didn''t want a weak mate. But just maybe Princess Victoria was right. Maybe there was more to his mate that meets the eye?


    Alpha decided that he wouldn''t drag his feet anymore because he knew that the longer he put this the worse things would turn out to be.


    He was nervous big time! He took the weekend off after dealing with back to back meetings all week. At the moment he was practicing talking to his mate in a mirror to help ease his nerves.


    He cleared his throat, "Um, Sami I know it''s been a while and you probably don''t remember me but I''m your mate and I''m sorry I neglected you. So-"


    He was interrupted by a knock on his office door. When he opened the door he was surprised to see Sami standing with a sinister smile on her face.


    His wolf stirred in the back of his mind. That surprised him even more because after the night he rejected Sami and made her an Omega his wolf refused to talk to him and because of that he couldn''t shift into his wolf anymore.


    "May I come in, Alpha?" Sami asked. "I''d like to report a situation of abuse to an Omega."


    Alpha Maxwell stepped aside to let Sami into the office. "So what happened?"


    "It''s been several years, Alpha! It happened seven years ago and you''re the abuser!" Sami growled.


    Alpha Maxwell''s jaw dropped. "You remember?"


    "Oh I remember alright! I remember every single detail about that night. You used me, then rejected me and then stomped me by making me an Omega. And because I didn''t get a chance to accept your rejection I felt it every time you slept with someone! Riley told me about what the Princess ordered you to do. I have no idea if you forgot about it or if you think that you''re too good to follow through on orders because you''re the top dog around here!" Sami snapped.


    "I was busy! And I intended to follow through with carrying out the Princess''s orders today. I took off work for this shit," Alpha Maxwell said.


    Sami snickered. "Oh you poor, poor thing! Here I am slaving away because of being an Omega with tons of chores while you only have to deal with the inconvenience of having to take off work. Let me guess, you think everything is going to be resolved by the end of the weekend? And that I''m going to jump for joy that my Alpha mate has finally recognized me has his mate after seven long fucking years? Do you know what it feels like when a mate feels the pain of their partner cheating on them?"


    Alpha Maxwell gulped. "N-no?"


    She stepped closer to him. "It feels like you''re being cooked alive, or more like you''ve locked inside a sauna for days. Oh sure, taking a cold bath helps for the pain a little bit but not much."


    As Sami was talking Alpha Maxwell''s whimpered.


    "I¡­ I had no idea. Look, I''m sorry, okay," Alpha Maxwell said.


    Sami snorted. "Oh, oh now you''re sorry!" She raised her voice, "SEVEN FUCKING YEARS AND NOW  YOU''RE SORRY! YOU DIDN''T EVEN GIVE ME A CHANCE! YOU TOSSED ME AWAY BECAUSE I WAS THE WEAKEST WARRIOR IN YOU PACK! AND YOU MADE ME OMEGA AND TRIED TO MAKE ME FORGET THAT I WAS YOUR MATE! YOU HATED ME AND NOW I HATE YOU WITH EVERY BEING IN MY BODY!"


    Normally Alpha Maxwell is never scared of anyone. He had fought countless monsters that most people would consider scary and they didn''t scare him. In the past he went head on into war with another pack because they dared to challenge him. Was he scared then? No he wasn''t. But in this moment the way Sami''s voice shook, actually her body was shaking and her wolf was threatening to come out and rip him to shreds. That scared him.


    Alpha Maxwell had personally seen a couple of times someone lose control of their wolf because of their thirst for vengeance and their anger clouding their emotions. He didn''t blame Sami for being angry. Why she stuck around for seven years while he was out living his best life was beyond him.


    Sami took a deep breath and tried to calm her wolf down. Patience Grace, we''ll have our revenge but I want you to be composed when it happens.


    But it''s been seven years! I can''t take anymore of our mate being an asshole! He deserves to pay for what he''s done! At least let me rip his dick off! Grace whined.


    Alpha Maxwell''s wolf heard what Grace said through the mate bond and he thought it was funny. Alpha Maxwell''s wolf''s name is Rex. Rex laughed. I like our mate''s wolf. I wonder why she didn''t rip dick off seven years ago, myself. You certainly don''t deserve to have one.


    "Listen just¡­ Give me a chance¡­ Please¡­" Alpha Maxwell pleaded.


    Sami burst into laughter. "Oh that''s a good one! And why should I do that?"


    "Because we''re mates!" Alpha Maxwell declared.


    "Aw so now we''re mates, how cute!" Sami said. She laughed a wicked laugh and quickly composed herself, "I propose a form of punishment for you."


    "Punishment?" He repeated.


    Sami nodded. "Oh yes, punishment. I''m not rejecting you or accepting you. Oh no, rejection would be too kind for you. And I''m not letting Grace rip off your dick, that would be too kind for you as well."


    He gulped. "So what type of punishment do you propose?"


    "I think you should know what it feels like to be cheated on," Sami responded. "Since you can sleep around and stick your dick in other pussies that aren''t mine I should be able to stick my pussy on any other dick that''s not yours."


    "But-" Alpha Maxwell started.


    She smirked. "What''s the matter? Is the big bad Alpha afraid of a little pain? So for the punishment I say for one year you let me sleep around with as many men as I want to and you remain celibate for the whole year. You see, I''m a fan of eye for an eye. Because those seven years that you were sleeping around guess what? I didn''t sleep with anyone.


    "Oh how I waited and waited for the day that you would see the light and change your mind. But you didn''t and it''s sad that you didn''t do it until someone with higher authority than you ordered you to do it. And that you''ve ''seen the light'' I''ve changed my mind. I don''t want to be recognized as your mate and Luna yet. All I ask is for one year I get to sleep around and you don''t go after the men that I''ve slept with. You should take comfort in the fact that I won''t be able to get pregnant by them because they''re not my mate."


    Alpha Maxwell''s wolf didn''t like the sound of Sami''s idea. But he wanted her to forgive him and wanted her to give him a chance at least. He gulped. "Although I don''t like the idea, I''ll do it. But on the condition that you don''t go outside of the pack to do it. I''ll¡­" He grit his teeth. "Supply you with the men that you sleep with."


    Sami rolled her eyes. "Okay then, I think we need to sit down and put this in writing don''t you?"


    "You don''t trust your Alpha to keep his word?" Alpha Maxwell while giving her a look of disbelief.


    She shook her head. "Nope. Not one little bit."


    Rex could help but be proud of his mate for finally standing up for herself. It''s about time our mate stood up for herself! I don''t like the idea she''s come up with but she does have a point.


    So Alpha Maxwell and Sami sat down and laid out a contract for the punishment for how long it should happen and what happens if someone goes against the rules. After they both were satisfied with the contract they signed it.


    Once Sami left the office to get ready to start Alpha Maxwell''s punishment, Alpha Maxwell sighed, "This is going to be a loooong year."


    Rex completely agreed with him on that. It was going to be a long year but if that''s what it took for Sami to forgive him and possibly give him a chance then he would do it.


    ***


    {Walter}


    The tour that Victoria''s father suggested we go on took three whole weeks! and during that time I found out that I had another mate who turned out to be a Vampire named Rose. She''s beautiful but she doesn''t compare to Victoria. Victoria''s my first mate and the one that I still give my heart to completely. Rose knows this so from what I know of she hasn''t gotten jealous of Victoria just yet.


    After learning that I had another mate like Victoria does she was okay with it. As long as I come back to her at the end of the day and don''t sleep with anyone outside of the arrangement then it''s all good.


    I made sure to tell Rose that I won''t mark her before I marked Victoria and she agreed with that. The same way Riley agreed with that.


    Speaking of mates Victoria found a total of two mates, one of them is a werewolf named Riley and the other is also a vampire named Ross. What''s funny about this is that Ross is Rose''s twin brother!


    Contrary to what most believe, vampires can go out into the sunset with hardly any problems at all. Yes, vampires do bite their mates when they first meet but it''s just to double check if that person is their mate or not. It doesn''t leave a mark behind. The official mark comes when they are fully ready to commit to each other. If vampires aren''t willing to commit to their mate then they don''t mark them. It''s as simple as that.


    But they do understand that they won''t be marked until after Victoria is marked. That ceremony is to take place on Victoria''s birthday next year.


    The first thing Victoria did when we got home was take a nice long nap. That was fine because she looked exhausted. Cody ran up to the bed and hopped on it and snuggled up next to her.


    "You guys have a dog, interesting," Riley said. "Although my wolf doesn''t mind. I think he''s cute. And the way Victoria''s snuggling with him is adorable! Let me get a picture of this."


    She took out her cell phone that Victoria gave her and took a picture. I have to agree with her. Victoria sleeping beside Cody as if he were a plushie will never stop being adorable.


    Ross frowned when he saw that and had a look of concern. "Poor thing, she''s worn out! A nice long nap-"


    He didn''t get a chance to finish his sentence when we heard Jenny shout, "I heard my baby was home! Where is she?"


    I groaned and walked outside to greet her. "She''s in her room sleeping. She''s been away from home dealing with stressful situations for the past three weeks. She even got wind on someone attacking the Royals on her own turf and shut it down quickly. She''s barely recovered from that stress alone."


    "Wow, my baby sister''s such a badass!" Jenny exclaimed.


    I smiled. "Yeah I know and we have some new additions to the family."


    Jenny grasped, "Are guys pregnant already?"


    I choked. "No we''re not. Now is not the time for kids and Victoria has agreed with that. What I met was we have a few people that will be joining the family."


    I walked back into the room and called Riley, Rose and Ross outside.


    "Riley, Rose and Ross meet Victoria''s big sister Jenny," I said. "Jenny, meet Riley, Rose and Ross."


    "Hello there!" Riley, Rose and Ross said at the same time.


    "Oh my goodness!" Jenny said as she hugged them. When she got to Ross stopped and gave him a flirting smile. "And who is this little cutie?"


    I''ve never seen Jenny flirt with anyone besides David before and it felt odd seeing her do that.


    Ross didn''t seem to like Jenny''s touch as he recoiled and backed away from her. "Don''t touch me and I sense that you already have a mate and it''s not me."


    "What? Can''t I appreciate a sexy guy when I see one?" Jenny pouted.


    "Appreciate yes, flirt with? No thank you," Ross said.


    "Jenny, can I talk to you for a bit?" I asked.


    She nodded and I pulled her off to the side. "Why are you flirting with Ross when you already have a boyfriend?"


    Jenny paused. "Oh, um about that. David and I broke up."


    I blinked. "What? Why?"


    "Well¡­ We did wind up having a child which I was gonna tell you guys about that when you got back from your trip," She answered. "However, when I first started dealing with my son I realized that I wasn''t cut out to be a mother. So I left and now David''s hell bent on taking care of his child alone and now he''s taking me to court for child support."


    "So you''re basically a deadbeat mother?" I said.


    "Hey you say that like it''s a bad thing!" Jenny protested.


    "It is a bad thing! Do you have any idea how much a child not having a mother when they grow up could affect them?" I asked. I couldn''t believe my ears. In my eyes Jenny was being rather selfish. "And if I recall correctly you were the one that wanted a child in the first place!"


    She sighed, "Yeah I know. I did want a child because I had to stop seeing my baby sister as my child. She''s grown to not be as dependent on me now because of her position in life. I just wanted her to need me. And I realized that''s why I wanted a child. I wanted to feel needed."


    My jaw dropped. "And now that you realize that you can''t hack it you run off with your tail between your legs? Coward."


    Jenny narrowed her eyes and hissed, "What did you just call me?"


    "You''re a coward!" I spat.


    "Okay what''s with all the commotion out here?" I heard Victoria growl. "I''m trying to sleep!"


    "Victoria!" Jenny said as she ran to give her a bear hug. "How are you?"


    "Well I''m grumpy because a group of people standing outside my door decided to wake me up from my nap," Victoria snapped.


    "It''s nothing. I just broke up with David and you have a nephew named Brandon," Jenny said as it wasn''t a big deal.


    Victoria''s eyes went wide. "What! When did this happen?"


    "You''ve been so busy lately it was easy to hide my pregnancy from you," Jenny said.


    "Alright let me change my clothes and let''s go talk about this in my office," Victoria said.


    Once Jenny left for Victoria''s office, Ross and Rose breathed a sigh of relief.


    "I think that woman is crazy," Ross said.


    I snorted. "She is, she wanted Victoria to act like her child."


    "I see, I''ll make a note to try and avoid her then," Ross said.


    "Aw come on Ross, she''s not that bad!" Rose said. "A little weird but not that bad."


    Ross shook his head. "My affection like that is reserved for just my mate."


    She shrugged. "Alright then."


    "Okay let''s get you guys settled in, your rooms should be ready to go. You''ll be able to decorate them in any way you like," I said.


    I motioned for them to follow me down the hallway to their rooms.

 Chapter 40: Victorias Power Surges

    {Victoria}


    I couldn''t believe my ears when Jenny told me that I had a nephew that she walked out on because she didn''t want to be a mother anymore. If I didn''t know any better I''d say she''s following in Delilah''s footsteps. The only reason Delilah kept me was because Jenny and Jaxon were already smitten with me and she didn''t have the heart to give me away.


    "Wow you''re following in Delilah''s footsteps alright," I said.


    We were sitting in my office and Jenny was sitting on the couch while I was sitting on a chair across from her. She narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean by that?"


    "I mean think about it," I said. "What was the reason Delilah didn''t give me up for adoption when she didn''t want me?"


    "Because Jaxon and I were smitten with you and she didn''t have the heart to give you away," Jenny said.


    "And what did you do when you had your son?" I asked.


    "I left because I didn''t want to be a mother anymore. And I wanted the child because I wanted someone to need me," Jenny said. Her eyes went wide in realization of what she did. "Holy shit! I am turning into Delilah! That''s not good! What do I do now?"


    "Well it didn''t work out with David but you could at least make an effort to be in your child''s life. He''s how old now?" I said.


    "He''s only six months old," Jenny said.


    I gasped, "What! You had your son for that long and didn''t tell me? If you needed extra help in taking care of your son you could''ve told me and I would''ve sent you help. I have the resources for that now."


    Jenny sighed, "Yeah I know. But my child is my responsibility. So I didn''t want to ask for help for that reason. Although David did encourage me to ask for help."


    "You''re an idiot,"  I said.


    She nodded. "Yeah I know that now."


    "Well you''ll work on fixing this right?" I asked.


    "Yes, I will," Jenny said. "On another note, I think we should have a welcome home party for you. Considering you brought some new family members with you."


    "Yeah about that. There''s something that I need to explain to you. Ross is also my boyfriend and Riley is my girlfriend. Rose is also Walter''s girlfriend," I said.


    Jenny paused. "Interesting. So it''s a polyamorous relationship type deal?"


    I nodded. "Pretty much."


    "I see," Jenny said. "Alright then, I''ll respect what is yours and stay away from him. But what if he wants to be with me?"


    I shrugged. "That''s up to him. There is another I should probably explain to you. It''s about the idea of mates. The term mates are often used to describe someone''s partner so to speak. It''s complicated and a long story."


    "Alright then, can I plan your welcome home party? Please? I''ll make sure it''ll be so much fun! I think you need to have some fun with all that traveling you''ve had to do these past couple of weeks. I''m sure being the leader of the Royals can be a rather tiring job. Oh and I heard you stopped taking your medicine for your mental health. I''ve been meaning to ask you about that, why''d you stop taking it? You know that''s important to you right?" Jenny asked.


    I sighed, "It''s complicated. But let''s just say I found another way to treat my illness without that stuff, okay?"


    She gave me a look of concern. "You sure about that? Is that why you don''t have Cody around you as much anymore? He gets to live the life of a normal house dog now?"


    "He''s still around but he gets to come and go as he pleases and he''s still in tune with what I need from him. He still likes to sleep on the bed with me and he alerts people when there''s problems," I answered.


    The look on her face told me she wasn''t buying that I didn''t need my medicine anymore for the mental illness that I was diagnosed with. At that moment I wished that I could tell her the truth. That I was a demon and not human. That I wasn''t just any demon, I was the Princess of Hell, Satan''s daughter. But I''m pretty sure that if I told her the truth now, she would say that that was a sign that I needed my medicine more than ever.


    After a brief awkward silence that consisted of us just staring at each other Jenny broke it by sighing. "Alright then. I''ll just have to take your word for it."


    I nodded. "Well I think that''s all we have to talk about for now. Let''s go meet up with the others."


    Jenny nodded in agreement. I stood up and started to walk out the door when I suddenly fell over and the room started spinning on me.


    "Victoria!" I heard Jenny call out as she rushed to my side. "Victoria!"


    I tried to stay awake and reach out to her but I couldn''t move. The last thing I saw before I blacked out was Walter picking me up and carrying me to my bedroom.


    ***


    {Walter}


    As soon as I saw Jenny run to me for help I was concerned. Jenny panicked and said Victoria suddenly passed out. I quickly followed Jenny to Victoria''s office and saw her lying to the floor trembling and clenching her jaw.


    "This is a side effect from her not taking her medicine right?" Jenny growled as I picked Victoria up and brought her to her bed.


    I shook my head because I knew exactly what was going on. Even before Victoria and I knew that we were demons I saw her having the same symptoms. When I asked Alastor about it he said that it was something called a power surge. It''s because her powers just recently awakened so to speak and her body''s having a hard time adapting to it. But I suspect that it might have something to do with the fact that Victoria''s not really alive at this moment; she''s just using her original body that Alastor managed to keep alive when she''s on Earth.


    Once she and I finally kill off our original bodies we''ll learn how to shift into our human form instead of just leaving our wings out all the time. From what I heard, first time shifting from your demon form to your human form is painful and I''m not looking forward to that.


    Ross frowned when he heard what Jenny said, "Medicine? What medicine is she talking about? I didn''t realize Victoria was sick."


    I shook my head again. "That''s not what this is." I sighed and looked at Jenny. "Jenny, you stay here and look after Victoria for now. I need to have a word with everyone else in the office now."


    Once we got to Victoria''s office I closed the door.


    "Before I tell you what I''m about to say, not a word of this leaves this room, okay?" I said.


    Ross, Riley and Rose nodded.


    "Okay, before Victoria and I found out that we were demons we lived as regular humans. But because Victoria could see and hear things that humans couldn''t she was deemed as a crazy person. The hospital that she was in would not let her leave without a caretaker. I was working as a caretaker at that very hospital at the time. That''s where I met her.


    "Then she got into painting and she became a popular artist and that led her to meet the human that she called mother again. Things didn''t go so well and the woman assaulted her and that''s when we realized she needed a service slash guard dog and that''s where Cody came in. What Jenny''s talking about is the medicine that humans had Victoria take for her mental health issues.


    "Turns out that this whole entire time she wasn''t crazy. She is a demon who can sense other supernatural beings around her. As a matter of fact, this house wasn''t as big as it is now a few months ago before we found out who Victoria''s real parents were. Victoria didn''t want to expand the house at all even though she was making good money with her art and Delilah''s ex-husband Frank gave her his family name even though Victoria prefers to still keep her last name as Lee," I explained.


    "Lee¡­ Lee¡­ Where have I heard that last name before? Other than Victoria having it?" Ross asked. Then he perked up. "Was Victoria''s adopted father named Issac Lee by chance?"


    I nodded. "Yes, why?"


    He scowled. "That bastard! He was involved in a cult called: The Fifth! They''re known for kidnapping children of supernatural beings! As a matter of fact they tried to kidnap Rose and I!"


    Rose nodded. "Yeah, but Ross and I were lucky enough to escape from them before it was too late. I''m so sorry you guys had to live as something you were not." She hugged me. "But you''re fine now. Once you get used to being a demon things will get better, right?"


    I sighed, "I hope so."


    Rose kissed me and I saw Ross gage when she did. I smiled and kissed her again just to get on his nerves.


    "Would you two get a room already!" Riley snapped.


    "What? I couldn''t help myself," Rose said defensively.


    "So what''s going on with Victoria now?" Ross asked.


    "I talked to Alastor about this before because it''s happened before already. I just didn''t know what it was because I didn''t know that Victoria was a demon at that time. But Alastor said that what she''s dealing with now is a power surge," I answered.


    Ross and Rose flinched when I said that. Riley on the other hand, looked confused. "What? What''s going on?"


    "A power surge is what happens when your body is trying to adapt to your powers. I don''t think werewolves don''t get them because their wolves help their humans adapt to their powers by shifting," Ross explained.


    "Oh," Riley said. She shuddered. "That looks painful. I''m glad I don''t have to deal with that. How long will Victoria''s power surges last?"


    I shook my head. "I have no idea." I looked at Ross. "When do power surges stop?"Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    "Victoria''s twenty-nine now and her powers have awakened. So who knows at this point. Normally, a supernatural being has their powers awaken around about the age of sixteen or eighteen. Anything later than that and they''re considered a latecomer. How old was she when she was kidnapped?" Ross said.


    "She was two years old," I said.


    Ross clenched his jaw. "Those bastards! I bet they sealed her powers away too!"


    I blinked. "How did you-"


    Ross took a deep breath and let it out. "Because that''s what the Fifth does! They claim they''re waging some sort of war against supernatural beings. That is about the dumbest thing I''ve ever heard of. From what I know of they started with werewolves, then moved on to witches, then they moved on to vampires, they even somehow managed to kidnap angels! And when their little ''war'' didn''t pan out, they moved on to kidnapping demons.


    "They''ve kidnapped just about every single supernatural being known to man. They claim that they''re trying to get rid of every immoral being on Earth. Well the jokes on them because it just speeds up their inevitable death and they go to the one place that they claim to wage war on¡­ Hell."


    I smirked. "And that''s where my Dad, Alastor gets to torture them. He believes that torture is an art."


    Rose shuddered. "Yeah he''s creepy."


    I snorted. "That''s just how he is. You know you''re going to have to meet him sooner or later since you''re my mate right? But he''s not that bad. When you die I will welcome you in Hell personally. The same thing goes for you Ross and Riley you''ll both have to meet Victoria''s father who is Satan sooner or later."


    "Anyway," said Riley, "How do we take care of Victoria while she''s dealing with her power surges?"


    "When they happen, just treat it like she has a case of the flu, I guess. For vampires drinking the blood of their parents seems to help ease the pain. I have no idea what-" Ross said.


    He was interrupted by Satan himself, "It''s kind of the same thing. Along with the blood of her first mate. If she drinks that it should help ease the pain. Other than that, just let her ride it out as if she has the flu." He looked at me. "And that''s the cover story we will give Jenny. She doesn''t know about our world and she won''t until she dies and I''m pretty sure Victoria will agree with me on that."


    As soon as Ross, Rose Riley saw Satan they gasped, "Your Majesty!"


    They bowed and Satan nodded. "You may rise."


    They stopped bowing and looked at him in fear. He rolled his eyes. "Listen I might be the ruthless ruler of Hell but that''s because I have to be. Ross and Riley, you two are my daughters'' mates. I know because Victoria told me about you. So call me Dad. Because I know Victoria will never consider rejecting you. And once you finish the marking ceremony at the end of this year, you''ll officially become family."


    "Y-Yes Your-" Ross started.


    Satan narrowed his eyes. "It''s Dad to you."


    Ross paused. "Okay, um Dad."


    Riley blinked. "Yeah, calling the King of Hell Dad is going to take some getting used to. So, Dad, how can we help Victoria through her power surges?"


    "Just treat her as if she has the flu. The power surges might pop up out of the blue until her body has adapted. However, I think that she''s using her original body, the power surges won''t stop until her original body is dead," Satan answered.


    Satan looked like he was going to say something else when we heard Victoria scream bloody murder. He frowned. "Ross, Rose and Riley can you guys go take care of her for a moment? I need to have a word with Walter in private."


    Ross, Rose and Riley nodded and did as they were told.


    Once they left Satan motioned for me to take a seat across from where he was sitting on the couch. He sighed, "You know what I said about drinking her parents blood and her first mate''s blood was right. That means you''ll have to mix some of your blood with mine and Cathy''s."


    "Question, how exactly are we going to get her to drink it?" I asked.


    He smiled. "Don''t worry about that. Just go to the private hospital we have here and get your blood drawn and I will take care of the rest."


    I heard Victoria let out another scream and it was clear that she was in pain. I frowned. "I should probably go check on her."


    Satan nodded. "That would be a good idea."


    Without another word, I ran out of the room to Victoria''s as fast as I could.


    ***


    {Ross}


    When I got to Victoria''s room I stopped short when I saw Jenny holding Victoria as if she was a baby.


    I don''t know why but seeing Jenny hold my mate like that irked me.


    "You can let go of my mate now. I can take care of her," I growled.


    "And what makes you think that you can take care of her better than me?" Jenny snapped. "I''ve been taking care of her a lot longer than you have. I know her better than you do."


    I rolled my eyes. "Uh-huh I''m sure you do. Do you know what her favorite food is?"


    "Does that really matter right now?" Jenny said.


    I nodded. "Yes, it does matter. You say you know her better than I do. If you answer correctly then I''ll agree with you. But as it stands I am her mate and not you. I can take care of her just as much as you can."


    "No-" Jenny started.


    "Would you two shut the fuck up!" Victoria mumbled. "You''re hurting my ears. And whoever''s holding me can you please let go? I just want to sleep! It hurts!"


    "What''s happening to her?" Jenny panicked.


    "She just has a bad case of the flu," I lied. I felt bad about lying but Satan was right. The supernatural world is so much more complicated than the human world. She''d never understand the way things truly are unless she saw it for herself. As long as she''s alive she''ll never see it.


    It makes me wonder if Victoria''s human mate Louis knows about this stuff. I''m going to assume that he probably does.


    Victoria squirmed as if she was trying to get away from Jenny. "Let me go!"


    "Shhh," Jenny said. "It''s me Jenny. I''m just holding you, stop squirming, you don''t want to fall off the bed now do you?"


    "I don''t care," Victoria whined, "Just stop holding me! It hurts!"


    Jenny groaned, "Okay fine, I''ll stop."


    Jenny gently placed Victoria on the bed as she stood up. Victoria rolled over and curled into a tight ball underneath the covers.


    "Alright guys I think we need to clear out for a moment," I heard Walter say. I looked over and I saw a man standing beside him.


    He had to have been somewhere around Walter''s age by the looks of it. He was wearing a business suit that was light gray and had a white shirt underneath his suit jacket. He wore a red tie to go with his suit. He had a look of concern on his face. "So this is what a power surge looks like."


    Walter nudged him on the shoulder with his elbow and whispered into his ear. "Jenny doesn''t know about our world and I don''t want her to."


    Louis paused. "Oh."


    Jenny tilted her head. "Power surge? What''s that?"


    "Actually I misspoke," Louis said with a nervous laugh. "What I meant to say was that''s what it looks like when she''s sick. That''s all."


    I nodded. "Yeah she''s sick with the flu."


    Jenny frowned and narrowed her eyes. "Uh-huh, she''s sick with the flu. No, this is a side effect of her not taking her medicine anymore!"


    "She doesn''t need the medicine!" Walter argued.


    "Would everyone just shut up and get out of my room?" Victoria shouted. "Your noises hurt my ears."


    She didn''t say anything after that as the pain from the power surge seemed like it was getting worse because she started panting as if she were out of breath.


    Somehow Walter managed to get Jenny to leave and Jenny wasn''t too happy about leaving. When she left the room I turned to Louis. "So, you''re Victoria''s second mate, huh?"


    He nodded. "Yeah I am. To be honest, I''m still trying to wrap my head around the whole supernatural being thing. But I did see a tattoo of a feather on her back before she found her real parents and from what Alastor told me it was one of her wings getting ready to grow out. But she''s dead, but not really? It''s hard to understand. But why is she panting like she''s running a marathon in her sleep?"


    "Because she''s in pain, I don''t know about you but I''m going to watch over her and at least make sure she doesn''t fall out of the bed," I said.


    I took my shoes off and got into bed next to Victoria. Right when I thought she was going to recoil at my touch she snuggled up to me.


    She let out a sigh of relief, "That''s better. It still hurts a little, it hurts so much it gives me a warm fuzzy feeling!"


    I gave her a look of confusion. "What?"


    Louis snorted. "Yup. She''s in pain alright. I saw her get a gunshot wound and she said it tickled."


    My jaw ticked at the very thought of Victoria being injured. I didn''t like that thought at all even though she was a demon and it wouldn''t kill her. I looked at Louis. "When did that happen?"


    "It happened shortly before she was headed home from her trip. I couldn''t go with her because I had to work. She got wind of an attack getting ready to happen on one of her people. I had no idea it was going to happen to me in my office. Apparently a rival mafia was trying to kidnap me in order to get to Victoria. That didn''t work because I normally keep a gun under my desk where I can reach it in case of stuff like this.


    "Of course I was able to defend myself as much as possible but then Victoria came in and killed the guys. But before she killed any of them one of them managed to shoot her in the leg. She laughed and said it tickled. That confused the enemy to no end and she shot them," Louis explained.


    "Hmm, as much as I love being high at the sound of your voice Louis, why don''t you shut up and lay in bed next to us? You know you want to," Victoria mumbled.


    Louis shrugged and mouthed the words ''I told you so'' to me. He took off his suit jacket and tie and that''s when I noticed how fit he was. He had muscles like he went to the gym on a daily basis. I smiled because in my eyes Louis was definitely worthy of being Victoria''s mate. I knew that he would do whatever it took to protect Victoria just like I would.


    Louis chuckled, "Like something you see?"


    I felt my face turn red. "Uh¡­"


    "It''s okay, I have slept with a guy before I am straight though. I don''t just sleep with any guy though. I''ll sleep with you if that''s what you want because you''re also Victoria''s mate," Louis said as he climbed into bed next to Victoria.


    "Let me guess, you slept with Walter didn''t you?" I asked.


    Louis nodded. Shortly after he laid down on the bed Walter came in with a tray that had a cup with some dark liquid in it and a couple of pills next to it.


    Walter frowned. "We need to wake Victoria up."


    "I''m awake, but I''m not opening my eyes," Victoria said.


    "You need to open up your eyes just for a moment so you can take this medicine. It''ll help with the pain," Walter said.


    I helped Victoria sit up and grumbled as she opened her eyes and looked at the cup with the dark liquid in it and wrinkled her nose. "That looks gross. What is it?"


    "It''s medicine and you''ll take the two pills along with it to help you sleep," Walter said. The way he said it reminded me of how my nanny would coax me into taking medicine when I was younger. That makes sense considering Walter worked at a hospital as a caregiver before he met Victoria.


    Victoria begrudgingly took the cup and took a sip. She cringed at the taste. "Yup, it''s about as gross as it looks."


    "You''ll have to drink the whole thing in order for it to work and take the pills while you''re at it," Walter said in a commanding tone.


    Victoria made a face and pouted, "Fine then, cheers."


    She grabbed the pills and popped them into her while she drank the rest of the medicine in one go. She made a face and cringed from the taste. It seemed that Walter was prepared for this reaction as he handed her a can of soda. "Here you go, this should help for the taste."


    She drank the soda and after she was done she handed the can back to Walter. After she handed the can back to Walter she snuggled beside me and instantly fell asleep.


    Walter whistled, "Wow. Satan did tell me those pills would be enough to make her sleep but I didn''t think they''d knock her out instantly! It''s for the best, let''s just hope whatever power surges she has in the future aren''t that bad. I hope I don''t have any. But I probably will, considering I''m not totally dead."


    I nodded. "How long do you think she''ll sleep for?"


    He shook his head. "I have no idea." He took the tray and turned to leave when he said, "You guys take care of her for now, okay? I''ll check on her tomorrow."


    When he left there was a short silence. Louis broke it by saying, "So, what type of supernatural species are you?"


    I snorted. "That''s a nice way to break the ice. But yeah I''m a vampire."


    "So you can''t walk out in the sunlight can you?" Louis asked.


    I nodded. "Yes I can. There are different types of vampires. The ones that can walk out into the sunlight like everyone else can, they''re called Daywalkers. But we also hunt for food at night. And no we don''t hunt humans like a lot of the media portrays us doing. We hunt animals and get our blood from there. Or at least that''s what my family does and what I''ve seen many other families do. It''s the weaker vampires that can''t go out into the sunlight and they''re unpredictable."


    He tilted his head. "Unpredictable? In what way?"


    "One moment they can talk to you and have a normal conversation and the next moment they could be attacking you," I said.


    "I see," Louis said.


    There was silence in the room after that. Shortly after that, I drifted off to sleep.

 Chapter 41: The Destruction of the Fifth: Part One

    {Megan}


    I opened my eyes only to be met with darkness and it felt hot, really hot, and not in a good way. I heard screaming and I couldn''t figure out where the hell I was. The last thing I remember was passing out after a long day of work with some slight chest pains and now I''m here. Although I have no idea where here is.


    I heard someone sit down next to me and they asked, "So how did you die?"


    I blinked. "Excuse me? Who are you? And where am I?"


    "My name is Alex and you''re dead and we''re in Hell. It might take a moment or two to adjust your eyesight to this place. It tends to be rather dim here in the first few moments of arriving," the person said.


    I blinked several times and just like Alex said my eyesight adjusted to the environment. I saw that I was sitting in what looked like a huge waiting room of sorts. I looked around to see that there were no exits to the place so leaving wasn''t an option. Everyone in the room was dressed in dirty brown clothes that looked like whoever made them just cut up a potato sack and turned it into a shirt.


    Everyone wore brown potato sack shirts and brown pants and sandals on their feet. I looked down to see that I was wearing the same type of outfit. I looked at the young man next to me and he was wearing the same thing that I was and his head was shaved. I reached up to find that my hair had been pulled back into a ponytail.


    "Okay, where are we?" I asked.


    "We''re in Hell," Alex answered.


    "Well this looks more like a prison than Hell," I said.


    "It''s because this is the intake area. We wait here until it''s our turn to be punished and then we''re sent off to our eternal punishment. I''ve only been dead for six months and my turn will be soon. They don''t get to you right away. There are thirteen different Princes that oversee punishments. So who knows when you''ll be getting yours unless you''re being punished by the King of Hell himself," Alex explained. "And-"


    "Megan Sanders!" Someone called out.


    Alex gulped. "If you''re getting called for punishment this quickly, then that means¡­"


    I looked over to see someone dressed as a guard marching towards me.


    He grunted. "Megan Sanders, you''re coming with me. His Majesty will be overseeing your punishment personally."


    I took note of how he emphasized the word personally as if the King of Hell had an ax to grind with me for some reason. Everyone in the immediate area gasped when they heard what the guard said and they murmured amongst themselves.


    "Wow, she must''ve really fucked up if the King of Hell is going to punish her right off the bat."


    "I saw her pop up just yesterday! She just opened her eyes only to be punished. Tsk, tsk sad."


    I ignored the people murmuring. I was just trying to figure out what I did to get the King of Hell pissed off at me. I mean I know I made that deal with Parker and I belong to a demon now but to piss off the King of Hell? I wondered if it had something to do with not fulfilling my end of the deal that I made with Parker? I had no idea.


    I would find out soon enough as I followed the guard down the hallway to see the King of Hell.


    ***


    When we finally stopped walking, we stopped in front of two huge wooden doors. Each door had a pentagram carved into it. The guard paused and looked at me. "When you go in there you bow and do not look His Majesty in the eyes unless he tells you to. Do you understand human?"


    I gulped and nodded.


    We entered the room and my jaw dropped when I saw an older man that looked like the male version of Victoria sitting on a throne. My eyes widen at the thought that my ex-girlfriend might''ve been the King of Hell''s daughter!


    The man sitting on the throne rolled his eyes. "Wow, you humans think you''re so special that you gawk at the ruler of Hell as if he is your equal?"


    "Bow to His Majesty!" The guard behind me barked.


    When I didn''t bow quick enough the man sitting on the throne stood up and walked up to me and slapped me. "How dare you join an organization that kidnapped my daughter! Better yet, how dare you make a deal with a demon to toy with my daughter''s emotions!"


    I didn''t say anything because I was speechless. I didn''t realize that Victoria was Satan''s daughter. True, the Fifth kidnaps children from supernatural species and has human families raise them but I didn''t think they''d go so far as to kidnap the ruler of Hell''s child.


    In kidnapping supernatural children the goal was to show that they could live in peace with humans. I think it''s dumb and that there is a better way for supernatural beings and humans to live in peace together than kidnapping children.


    "I¡­ I didn''t realize that Victoria was your daughter!" I exclaimed.


    Satan grabbed my chin and made me look at him. "That doesn''t give you the right to use magic to toy with anyone''s feelings. My daughter was questioning her sexuality because of you! Now, you''re going to tell me about the other two boxes that the Fifth used to seal her powers away when they kidnapped her."


    I knew what he was talking about but there were three boxes that were used to seal away Victoria''s powers because the Fifth thought that Pandora was going to be an ancient demon willing to do their dirty work for them. But what they got was a toddler. Very incredibly strong toddler. It was clear that her powers had just awoken at that time. I know because I was there that day Pandora was summoned.


    That was the night of a full moon and I remember being very excited to attend my first summoning ritual.


    I remember running to the ritual area and in my excitement I had forgotten my magic stone so I had to go back to my room to get it.


    As soon as I exited the room I bumped into the Head witch Mr. Perkins and he didn''t look too happy to see me.


    "Aren''t you supposed to be at the ritual site, Sanders?" Mr. Perkins growled.


    "I''m sorry teacher but I forgot my magic stone," I said.


    "Follow me. I know a shortcut because the ritual will be starting soon and I don''t feel like being late," He said.


    He snapped his fingers and we were teleported to the ritual site.


    I was snapped out of my memory when Satan slapped me. "You dare to daydream in front of me! I bet you won''t be so bold when I get done punishing you. But first¡­"


    Satan''s eyes turned from all black to all red. I wanted to look away in fear or close my eyes but I couldn''t. I felt a slight pressure in the back of my head and the room started spinning on me and I passed out.


    ***


    {omniscient}


    The High Ruler was pissed when she heard about what happened with Victoria and Walter. She called a meeting with the High Council and since she is the High Ruler the High Council cannot refuse her request.


    There are thirteen members of the High Council currently and they are of different supernatural species, werewolves, gate welders, witches, demons, fairies and giants. Thankfully the briefing room held enough space for everyone to sit around the table and have enough room to breathe.


    "Alright everyone settle down, let''s talk business," High Ruler Trinity said. One of the High Council Members raised their hand. She nodded. "Yes, High Council Member Mark?"


    "Have you finally decided on what you''re going to do with the Fifth? Something needs to be done about them. We''ve tried to fight back against them in our realms on our own but I don''t think we can fight on our own anymore," High Council Member Mark said.


    High Ruler Trinity nodded. "Yeah I know. It''s recently come to my attention that Satan''s daughter was kidnapped along with Alastor''s son by the Fifth twenty-nine years ago. It makes me wonder what the previous High Ruler was doing about this. But that''s why I called you guys here today. I believe the Fifth should be destroyed and every single of its members executed. All of you who agree with me raise your hands."


    Every single person in the room raised their hands in agreement.


    "Good," High Ruler Trinity said.


    "So what''s the plan?" Another High Council Member said.


    "High Council Member Tracy, I have found their headquarters and we catch them off guard and ambush them. Their headquarters are out in the middle of a forest, in the middle of nowhere," High Ruler Trinity answered. "I say we ambush them and take their leaders by force, execute them and their followers. Women and children that follow these leaders will not be spared."


    A couple of High Council Members gasped but then after a moment or two they nodded in agreement.


    "I know it''s a hard thing to do but the Fifth signed their death certificates the moment they started kidnapping our children and selling them off to humans to turn them into something that they are not," High Ruler Trinity said. "I plan to have this take place on Saturday. If anyone wishes to have warriors from their kingdoms participate in the war send them to me by portal transfer tomorrow. I''ll make sure to have my Gate Wielders greet them personally. That is all for this meeting."


    As the rest of the High Council Members left High Ruler Trinity''s Royal Advisor entered the room. "His Majesty, King Satan is here to see you as requested, Your Majesty."


    "Alright, send him in," High Ruler Trinity said.


    Satan entered the room and bowed. "Your Majesty."


    "You may rise. It still feels weird having people bow to me. Especially another ruler," High Ruler Trinity laughed. "So have a seat."


    Satan took a seat across from her at the table. "I hear you plan to execute the members of the Fifth?"


    She nodded. "Yes, do you have a problem with that?"


    Satan smiled and shook his head. "Nope, I don''t have any problem with it. You do realize that they have more than one headquarters, right?"


    She nodded again. "Oh yeah I know. I plan to ambush all three of their headquarters and help you find the other two boxes that the Fifth sealed your daughter''s powers away in. But before I give back the other two boxes to her I want to test her to see if she can control her powers. I hear she''s been having power surges?"


    "Yes, she has been and I have a feeling that the power surges won''t stop until she gets rid of her original body," Satan said.


    "Makes sense because she''s not entirely dead. I hated my power surges," High Ruler Trinity said.


    "How bad were yours?" Satan asked.


    "They were pretty bad considering I''m a hybrid. And from what I know of power surges are worse for hybrids. My power surges felt like I was being cooked from the inside out," High Ruler Trinity said. "And I dealt with the pain by drinking the blood of my parents. At least they cared enough to give me that much. I still have no idea why that works but it does. I shudder to think about how the kids that don''t have families deal with power surges."


    She shuddered at that thought. When she composed herself she said, "So the ambush starts on Saturday and on all three headquarters. If you have any warriors you''d like to send to join in on the fight, send them to me tomorrow."


    "Yes, Your Majesty," Satan said.


    "You may go now," High Ruler Trinity said.


    Without another word, Satan stood up and left the room.


    ***


    Location: The Fifth''s first Headquarters in a forest out in the middle of nowhere


    High Ruler Trinity stood on the frontlines with her army ready to confront the Fifth and make them pay for their crimes. But she wanted to be fair and give them a chance to surrender before she killed them. If they didn''t go to their deaths peacefully then she would take them by force.


    So she sent a messenger to the front gates and told the guards to deliver her message to the Fifth''s leaders. The message was for them to come out peacefully with her to the castle in her realm or they would be taken by force.


    Of course the Fifth sent the message with their reply that was a long winded version of the words ''fuck you'' and that made her smile.


    "Well then," She said to herself, "war it is!" She turned to face her army and casted a spell that allowed her fly high enough in the air that she hovered over her army. The spell also allowed her voice to be loud enough to be heard by everyone.


    "Brothers and sisters! My family, my warriors, I know plenty of you are ready to see to the destruction of this cowardly organization! They go against our laws that have let us live in peace with humans and other non supernatural beings for years! They''ve been kidnapping our children and changing them into something that they are not! They claim that they can get rid of every immoral being on Earth by using the very thing that they view as immoral just to get ahead!


    "This will not stand any longer! Everyone within this organization will be killed, that includes women and children that are in the organization and the elderly! We must not let anyone escape! They signed their death certificates the moment they started kidnapping our children and possibly killing their parents in the pursuit of power that does not belong to them! This ends today! They end today!"


    When High Ruler Trinity released the spell she floated back down to the ground gracefully and the crowd cheered.


    High Ruler Trinity''s warriors consisted of every supernatural being that she ruled over. There were werewolf packs, witch covens, fairy guilds and giants among other species that led their groups in teams. High Ruler Trinity stood tall and relayed her message to the team captains. "On my mark, get ready to fight! Werewolves and any other species that needs to shift get ready to shift in three¡­ Two¡­ One¡­"


    She jumped into the air and shifted into her wolf named Danger. Ever since she became High Ruler, her wolf grew three times bigger! Danger was stronger, had more muscles, speed and power than she ever had before she became High Ruler. Danger was a proud wolf and she was more than ready to go into battle. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Thankfully because of technology advancements and the magic of witches, High Trinity''s clothes did not rip off her body when she transformed into Danger. They stayed on and they were easy to move in.


    The Fifth put up a barrier that kept High Ruler Trinity''s army out for the moment. They also had their witches stationed above their gates. No one made a move at first but when High Ruler Trinity shifted the witches standing at the gates cast their spells.


    The Gate Wielders that were standing behind High Ruler Trinity, used their magic to summon their gates and deflect as much of the magic as they could.


    Fairies took to the air and the witches that were on High Ruler Trinity''s side took to the air as well and they cast counterspells killing any witch that they recognized as the enemy as much as possible. As a lot of bodies of dead witches fell to ground they were replaced with demon warriors that fought for the Fifth.


    Even though the demon warriors were strong, the demon warriors that were on High Ruler Trinity''s side were stronger because they came from Satan, Alastor and the other Prince''s of Hell''s clans. The demon warriors that fought on the side of the Fifth were of the lesser and weaker clans that no one really knew about.


    Although they gave the demons who fought on High Ruler Trinity''s trash talk saying things like, "You cower behind the High Ruler when we fight our own battles!"


    "Why don''t you guys go back to the castle in Hell while we do your dirty work?"


    The demon''s that were on High Ruler Trinity''s side said things like, "We don''t hide behind the High Ruler! If we did hide behind her we wouldn''t be out on the battlefield sending you guys back to Hell!"


    "We can''t wait until Alastor gets a hold of you and we hope that His Majesty Satan throws you guys into the thirteenth ring of Hell for punishment!"


    The Fifth even went so far as to have their witches and demons use bombs and dropped them on their enemy. But that proved useless because supernatural beings could avoid a man-made bomb faster than any regular human could. The werewolves dodged the bombs with ease.


    Within an hour of fighting Danger and the other werewolves with her were able to get by the front gates only to be greeted by more witches. That was when an old man dressed in black robes stepped forward. He stared at Danger with a deadly glare. "I am the main leader of this compound. Have you no mercy for the women, children and elderly here? Your fight is with me and my warriors leave the women, children and elderly out of this! Please I beg of you! Think of the innocent ones here!"


    Danger laughed. Ever since High Ruler Trinity became the High Ruler Danger had been able to do things that she was never able to do like talk without a mindlink. Danger gave the old man a sinister smile and said, "Mercy? Your women, children and elderly deserve mercy? They do not deserve mercy because they were involved in the very same activities you and your warriors were involved in. They signed their death certificates the moment they joined sides with you. Everyone in this organization will die! No exceptions!"


    "Fine then!" The old man growled. He nodded towards one of his warriors.


    Once he stepped back into the building the warrior that he nodded to shouted, "Warriors! Fire!"


    The warriors behind him had their hands lit up casting spell after spell at Danger and the other warriors with her. That didn''t stop them. As a matter of fact, it didn''t even leave a scratch on them! When the smoke from the attacks settled the warriors facing them had shocked expressions on their faces.


    Danger moved forward and she was so quick that if you blinked you would''ve missed her next actions. She tackled the lead warrior and ripped his throat out. The other warriors around her approached and tried to attack her but she made quick work of them by turning around and slashing their throats with her swords.


    She looked back at the warriors she was with and they looked at her with their jaws dropped. She rolled her eyes. "Follow me."


    Her warriors moved behind her without question. The warriors barged into the room checking every nook and cranny and killed everyone that they could find in the room. The screams and shouts of those being murdered didn''t bother Danger in the slightest. She had another mission to go along with this war. The mission was to find the other two boxes that the Fifth had Victoria''s powers sealed away in.


    Charlotte, High Ruler Trinity''s shadow said something through the mindlink that made her stop short. Trinity, I sense a huge power source in the next room. It might be one of Princess Victoria''s boxes or it could be a summoning ritual being done.


    Well if it''s a summoning ritual being done we can''t have that! The main reason we''re here is to stop the Fifth from kidnapping supernatural children! Let''s go! High Ruler Trinity thought.


    Danger ran down the hallway and went to where Charlotte directed her. Sure enough there was a summoning ritual going on. There was a pentagram drawn on the floor with candles sitting at the five points of the star and there was a woman sitting in the middle of the circle. She looked up and smirked. "You''re too late. I have a child inside of me! And this one is a demon. I''m honored to raise it as mine."


    "Fuck you!" Danger growled. She rushed at the woman only to be met with a barrier. When she stood up she looked at her warriors and commanded. "Kill the summoners! That''s the only reason the barriers is up."


    The woman sitting in the middle of the circle smiled. "Are you sure about that? The summoner-"


    She didn''t get a chance to finish her sentence when the summoners were killed and the barrier surrounding her went down and Danger charged forward and ripped the woman''s throat out, killing her instantly.


    Charlotte used her magic to reverse the summoning spell and the child inside the woman''s womb back to their parents safe and sound.


    That day everyone involved with the Fifth in that location died and all of the demons fighting on the Fifth''s side were sent back to Hell for Alastor and Satan to deal with. But unfortunately at that location High Ruler Trinity didn''t find one of Princess Victoria''s boxes because Satan had already found the box for that location.


    ***


    {Satan}


    Location: The second Headquarters of the Fifth. This location is also in a forest.


    I stood at the ready at the front gates of the second location of the Fifth for battle. I had received word that the High Ruler Trinity allowed the Fifth to surrender and of course they told her to go fuck herself. I should''ve told her that the Fifth would never surrender. They fight dirty and wouldn''t give up unless they were dead.


    Well the jokes on them because now Alastor has new inmates to torture. There was one woman who was a vessel that had a demon child in her womb but High Ruler Trinity made sure to kill her and send the baby back to their parents before it was too late.


    I really respect High Ruler Trinity with her ways of ruling. She''s only been ruling over the Celestial Realm for a decade now and her decisions with her subjects have been fair.


    At this location I didn''t do what High Ruler Trinity did because I know the Fifth''s nature. So why would I waste my breath when I already know what their response will be?


    While High Ruler Trinity''s army was made up of all of the species she rules over, my army is mostly demon warriors and witches. The demons and witches that stood by my side were some of the strongest warriors in Hell and the same went for the witches. I actually had the witches cast a spell to make themselves smaller so it would be easy for them to sneak past the gates and past the guards.


    I told them that once they got inside to cast a spell that would let me know and find the Fifth''s leaders that manage this location. I even placed some of my warriors at every exit and every ''secret passage'' in order not take a chance on anyone escaping. I made sure that the witches that were stationed at the exits placed a huge boulder in front of them so that everything was blocked off.


    Now all I had to do was get the signal from the witches who were inside and start the attack. It took about an hour of waiting until everything was set up. Once we got the signal from a witch who had cast a spell to make herself smaller we went into the compound. The whole place looked like a small village. There was a school building, a town hall building and houses lined up across from each other in one small street. It''s too bad because those houses would be burnt to the ground soon.


    There was a police station and when I saw that it made me scoff and think, Police station my ass! Why the fuck would they need a police station for? To manage the children that they kidnap and to make sure that no one is looking for the parents that they killed?


    In the center of the village was a huge temple. A lot of witch covens use some sort of temple to worship in, if the coven is big enough. This coven was big enough no surprise there. A lot of covens that are involved in organized religion tend to have some sort of area that they can worship in. Some of them just worship in a small field in order to be one with nature where they feel their magic is the strongest.


    Just as I was getting closer to the temple one of the guards saw me.


    "Halt!" The guard shouted. "Who goes there?!"


    I paused and rolled my eyes and covered my mouth to stifle a laugh. Who goes there? Seriously? If I didn''t know any better I''d say we''ve been transported back to medieval times.


    I kept silent because I had cast an invisibility spell with my magic and stood still. The spell would make me invisible but not quiet.


    The guard shrugged and turned around but as he did that an arrow went through his back and straight through his heart. I silently cheered for my warrior who moved so quickly as to take the enemy down.


    I had a feeling that one or more of Victoria''s boxes might be at the temple or at the police station. The boxes would be in an underground room at this location under lock and key. But that''s okay because Victoria will be able to open the boxes when the time comes.


    The battle started once the guard was attacked and I could hear the shouts of people fighting all around me. As I walked towards the police station I was immediately surrounded by police officers. They drew their guns at me. I had a feeling that they might''ve been able to cast some sort of spell that would allow them to see an invisible intruder in their territory.


    "Reveal yourself now intruder!" One police officer shouted. He looked like he was in his early twenties and wore a standard police uniform. His uniform was black and he had his weapons belt around his waist and he had his gun drawn.


    I smiled because I had a feeling this was an officer that had never seen battle before. Actually by the way these officers were acting, none of them had seen battle before. They looked nervous which I understand because when you''re fighting for your life you''d be a little bit nervous if not scared out of your mind.


    I reversed the spell and gave the officers a sinister smile as their faces went pale. "Gentlemen! Having a nice day are we? I hope I''m not interrupting anything? I wonder, do you know where the Fifth is keeping my daughter''s boxes?"


    I heard one of the officers'' radios go off and the voice said, "That is Satan the Devil himself! Open fire and wait until the summoning squad gets here. They''ll send him back to Hell where he belongs!"


    I couldn''t help but laugh at that. So I taunted them. "Go ahead and fire your silly guns at me. Oh and I''d love to see what the summoning squad can do."


    The officers open fired on me. When they were finished emptying out their guns on me, I stood tall and gave them a sinister smile. I cocked my head to the side and taunted, "You done yet? If you haven''t emptied out all of your weapons, then by all means please continue."


    "The summoning squad is here! All officers retreat!" The lead officer said.


    He and the other officers scattered like cockroaches. Silver chains came flying at me out of nowhere and I rolled my eyes. How silly of these humans to think they can control the Devil with mere silver! Idiots! Time to deal with these pesky little flies!


    Silver doesn''t really affect me as much as it would a lesser demon. But being the King of Hell has its perks like that. When I started training to become the next ruler I remember coming in contact with silver hurt like a bitch. But now, silver doesn''t hurt me anymore. So I transformed into my demon form. My demon form is four times bigger than my human form. When I''m transformed as a human I''m at least six feet tall and that''s pretty tall by human standards but short by demon standards.


    In my demon form I''m ten feet tall! For demons that is pretty tall. The average height for a demon is about seven to eight feet tall. My horns grew out of my head and my wings and tail grew out and it felt good to be in my demon form.


    I was surrounded by a group of witches dressed in black robes and they started casting spell after spell and I could feel what each spell was supposed to do. Some of the witches attacked me with damage spells that were supposed to weaken me enough for their leader to cast his exorcist spell. I knew because I could hear what the witches were thinking, that''s just one of my abilities. I hope that when Victoria starts developing more abilities that she''ll have this same ability.


    The attacks that the witches put out deflected off of me and I just stood there rolling my eyes. Then I came up with a plan. I thought I''d let the leader, who would most likely be the leader of this headquarters, attack me with his exorcist spell so he could stun me and bring me to the altar room. Hopefully, that would give me a lead as to where one of Victoria''s boxes were.


    The leader of the summoning squad finally stepped forward and gave me a wicked smile. "Well, well, I never thought I''d get to see the King of Hell himself grace me with his presence. I know exactly what you''re looking for but you''re not going to get to it. You know that saying goes ''not today Satan?'' Yeah I think the saying applies here in this situation."


    I laughed. "Wow, you humans are so cringe with your stupid sayings. But yeah I''ll humor you. What exactly will I not be doing today, hmm?"


    "You won''t be killing any more of my people! Whatever people you and your warriors have killed so far may they rest in peace," the leader sneered.


    I snorted. "Oh how noble of you to think that you can order the King of Hell around. But okay I''ll stand still so you can carry out your little attack plan."


    I did as I said I would do. I stood still and tried not to roll my eyes again when the summoning squad''s leader readied his fighting stance and chanted something in Latin that translated to, "With this spell I rebuke thee! With this spell I stun thee."


    A bright flash of light appeared in front of me and blinded me for a little bit. But when the light disappeared I found myself lying on the ground. I let the spell affect me because I knew what was going to happen. Every leader of a coven uses this type of spell when they try to get rid of demons. I say try because there really isn''t a spell to get rid of demons.


    A spell that has silver in it might keep a demon away for a while but they can still choose to haunt someone at any time.


    The leader of the summoning squad stood over me and smirked. "You thought you were stronger than me. You''re not. You''ll see that we take over every supernatural kingdom on Earth and we''ll rule over everything. Someone has to keep these immoral beings in check."


    I grunted because one of the side effects of the spell is that I lose the ability to speak. I knew that the next part of the spell would put me to sleep so that he could take me to the altar room and from there I could get a good lead as to where Victoria''s boxes were.


    The leader of the summoning squad kept his smirk as he said, "Goodnight Your Majesty. Have a nice nap."


    Shortly after that I fell asleep.


    ***


    {Alastor}


    I found it rather amusing that Satan let himself get captured by the summoning squad. I''m sure that they feel victorious at the moment and probably think that they''re really going to send Satan back to Hell and banish him from ever returning to Earth. Fools. These humans are about as dumb as they come.


    I tried not to laugh as it took almost everyone in the summoning squad and a couple of officers to carry Satan away because he was still in his demon form. I know why he let himself get caught. He was hoping to get a lead on where one of Victoria''s boxes were. He thinks he''s so smart sometimes but I''m smarter.


    But I know once he wakes up he''s going to kill every single witch in that altar room.


    One of my warriors came up to me and delivered a message. "Prince Alastor, the witches and demons have killed everyone inside the school and the police station. Thankfully there were no prisoners inside the cells. What should we do next?"


    "Have you targeted the houses yet?" I asked.


    The warrior shook his head. "No, Your Highness."


    "That''s the next thing you should target," I ordered. "Make sure to check underneath the beds and inside the closets, anywhere humans like to hide when there''s danger. We''ve already blocked every secret passageway so there''s no chance for escape. Make sure to get to those that might be hiding in a safe room and kill them."


    As the warrior turned around to leave I said, "Oh and one more thing."


    "Yes, Your Highness?" The warrior asked.


    "Show no sympathy for these people, even the children. High Ruler Trinity has passed down her judgment. And besides, even if they were to repent and change when they get older they''re still guilty and they would still be sent to Hell regardless," I said.


    As I heard the shouts and screams of the people being murdered I couldn''t help but smile because finally justice is being served. I started to sing the same song that I sang to Issac when I was torturing him. "Come on my little inmates have a hellish day! Come on my little inmates! Nobody is innocent in Hell!"


    I let out a loud sinister laugh. One everyone was killed on the surface there was one more target left and that was the altar room. I figured I''d let Satan handle that room. It was time for me to go look for Victoria''s boxes and I bet I could get to them faster than Satan could.


    ***


    {Satan}


    The next time I opened my eyes I looked around and found that I was lying on some sort of table in my human form. I rolled my eyes when I heard people chanting trying to do a spell that would send me back to Hell. As if that would work on the King of Hell himself.


    I sat up and laughed at the witches trying their hardest with their spells to contain me. "Did you really think that you would send me back to Hell? You wanna know something funny? I let myself get captured by you freaks."


    I swung my legs over the side of the table and stepped down from it. I smiled a sinister smile when every witch in the room stopped chanting and looked at me in horror. I went up to the leader and grabbed him by the throat. "What did you say about not today Satan? And no, you won''t be ruling over everything supernatural. We already have a ruler for that and I think she''s been pretty good at helping supernatural beings live alongside humans don''t you think?"


    He wheezed trying to respond to my comment but didn''t let him as I put more pressure on his neck. I didn''t feel like hearing a long monologue about how he and his minions will rule over the world and blah, blah, blah.


    I snapped the guy''s neck and his lifeless body fell to the floor with a small thud. I proceeded to kill the rest of the witches in the room and once I composed myself I walked out and found a secret passageway that led to an underground safe room. I stepped over dead bodies and there was a trail of them towards the safe room and I laughed when I saw what was in the room.


    "You gotta be fucking kidding me!" I laughed.


    In the room was one of Victoria''s boxes. It was a silver box that had two crosses on the top of it.


    I heard Alastor whistle behind me, "Wow these humans are idiots! Were they really trying to protect something that wasn''t theirs to begin with?" Then he added with sarcasm. "How noble of them. Two boxes down and one more to go."


    "Do you think the other box is at the next location?" I asked.


    He shrugged. "Maybe or maybe not? Remember how we found the first one in that small town? There are smaller branches of the Fifth. So once they hear the bigger locations have been taken out, they''ll go into hiding. But it shouldn''t be hard to track everyone in the Fifth down. I still have a lot of names to get through. I won''t rest until I kill everyone on that list."


    "Fine by me," I said. "I think we need to burn all of these buildings down like High Ruler Trinity did with the first location after she and her army killed everyone. It''s a shame that she didn''t find any of Victoria''s boxes there."


    He nodded in agreement. Once we burned every single building down we left the location. Two locations down¡­ One more to go¡­

 Chapter 42: The Destruction of the Fifth: Part Two

    {Ben}


    I''ve been really worried about Victoria lately. She started having power surges a week ago right before High Ruler Trinity made her ruling about destroying all of the locations for the Fifth. It''s about time the Fifth got what was coming for them.


    Every time Victoria''s had a power surge it looks like she''s having a seizure. But there are sometimes when she starts floating towards the ceiling from her bed and she looks like she''s possessed. When that happens Louis, Riley, Ross, Walter and I try to make sure to keep Jenny out of the room. That way she won''t find out the truth about her sister.


    Delilah on the other hand was harder to keep away from Victoria. As soon as she heard that Victoria was having power surges which we told her that they were seizures she insisted that she come visit Victoria with me. That only irritated Victoria and today was no different.


    When Delilah stepped into the house she walked ahead of me. "Delilah! Wait up!"


    She stopped as soon as she got towards the steps leading up to Victoria''s room. She looked at me. "Why? Why can''t I see her?"


    I narrowed my eyes. "You know why. Don Victoria obviously doesn''t want to see you-"


    I didn''t get to finish my sentence when Ross came up to me with a panicked look on his face. "Ben, we need you right now upstairs."


    "I wanna go!" Delilah said.


    Ross paused. "Yeah, no thanks we don''t even let Jenny come into the room most of the time with this. So you''re not allowed either."


    Jenny came up from behind Ross and sighed, "It''s true! They don''t want my help."


    "Then what should I do in the meantime?" Delilah asked.


    "Go wait in the living room downstairs, both of you. I''m sure you''ll figure out what to do to keep yourselves occupied or you could just go home?" I suggested.


    "Fine," Delilah pouted. "I''ll wait in the living room-"


    Jenny cut her off, "Why do you care so much now? You could find out how she''s doing at home!"


    "The same thing goes for you!" Delilah snapped.


    "Well at least Victoria will allow me to visit her from time to time when she''s not sick or busy," Jenny said while giving Delilah a smug look. "And I can refer to Victoria without a title in front of her name."


    Ross rolled his eyes. "Would you two knock it off! If you''re going to stay here, no fighting. This is a house where one of the most powerful mafia bosses lives. Not a battlefield!"


    "Speaking of battlefield," I heard Alastor say, "Ben I''m going to need to talk to you after you visit with Victoria."


    I nodded. "Yes sir."


    Alastor looked at Jenny and Delilah and said, "You two follow me."


    When they walked off I followed Ross upstairs to Victoria''s room. She was screaming bloody murder and I heard bones cracking as if she was trying to shift into her demon form.


    Ross flinched. "That looks painful. And she''s floating."


    "Yeah it reminds me of when I first shifted into my wolf," Riley said. She shuddered. "That wasn''t pleasant. But at least I wasn''t floating in the air when I did it."


    I went into Victoria''s room to find her floating in the air on her back struggling to breathe. If any regular human saw that they would''ve thought that Victoria was possessed.


    My eyes went wide when I saw that and I quickly shifted into my demon form and flew up to the ceiling. I grabbed Victoria and I held onto her as I flew back down to the bed.


    "Victoria look at me, take a deep breath, breathe¡­ Look at me," I said in a soothing voice.


    Victoria gasped for air but she wasn''t breathing properly.


    "Victoria," I said as I put my hand underneath her chin. "Look at me¡­ Look at me¡­"


    I took a deep breath along with her and I kissed her. After I kissed her she calmed down.


    "Shhh," I said. I held onto her and changed back into my human form. "It''s okay Victoria. Shhhh¡­"


    "I hate this," Victoria wheezed.


    "I know but it''s bound to happen because of your power. I even had to deal with power surges when I was younger," I said.


    "Really? How bad were yours?" She asked.


    "Bad but not this bad," I answered.


    "Is she calm now?" I heard Walter say.


    I looked behind me to see Walter standing in the doorway with a tray in his hands. On the tray was a bowl of soup, a cup with some dark liquid in it that I''m assuming was some sort of medicine, pain medicine and a can of soda.


    I nodded. "Looks like it."


    Victoria looked at the tray that Walter had in his hands and sighed. "I guess I should eat something after struggling to breathe properly."


    Walter chuckled, "At least take your medicine before you try to sleep."


    She groaned. "Do I really have to take that stuff?"


    "Yeah because so far it''s been helping you. You''ve only had one power surge every other day right now," Walter said.


    She snorted and said with sarcasm, "Oh gee, that sounds so comforting."


    He sat down on the bed beside me and placed the tray on the nightstand next to Victoria. He smiled at me. "I can take it from here."


    I nodded and stood up to leave. When I left the room Ross pulled me over to the side and said, "Smooth move kissing her. Good thing Delilah''s not around, you''ll break her heart if she catches you doing that."


    I laughed, "I know. Unfortunately, Victoria doesn''t feel that it''s time to reveal my ''betrayal'' just yet. It''s all part of her revenge and I can''t wait until she gets it."


    "Yeah the same goes for me," Ross said.


    I walked off to go talk to Alastor to see what he wanted.


    ***


    When I met up with Alastor he was sitting in one of the other living rooms that were in the mansion.


    "Your Highness? You called for me?" I asked.


    Alastor nodded. "This is about the third location of the Fifth that we''ll be going after tomorrow. I want you to be my assistant in directing the warriors to their targets during the battle. I think you''re more than capable of handling this task. I would have you lead the battle but I want to lead so that I can get into certain areas of the locations to have a better chance of finding one of Victoria''s boxes. This will be the last box we need to find because we''ve already found the other two."


    "Yes, Your Highness," I said. "Will do my best."


    "That''s good to know. I can''t until Victoria gets her revenge so she can come home finally," Alastor said.


    "That makes two of us," I said.


    ***Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    {omniscient}


    Location: The third Headquarters of the Fifth. This location is also in a forest.


    Ben and Alastor stood in front of the gates at the third location of the Fifth.


    "You know what''s funny, Your Highness?" Ben whispered.


    Alastor looked at Ben and raised an eyebrow. "What?"


    "That all of the headquarters for the Fifth are forests," Ben said.


    "I bet they feel secure because the terrain hides their location somewhat," Alastor responded.


    "And we''re not going to do what High Ruler Trinity at the first location are we?" Ben asked.


    Alastor shook his head. "Nah, I wouldn''t waste my breath on that. We already know what their answer will be anyway."


    Ben didn''t say anything else because he didn''t need to. Ben and Alastor knelt down behind the bushes in front of the front gates and waited for the signal.


    One of their warriors went through the front gates after being shrunk by a witch that cast a spell on him. He went through the front gates by way of a drain that was sticking out of the brick wall next to the gates. The warrior scurried through the drain as if he were a rat.


    When he got inside the gates that shrinking spell that had been used on him wore off and he went back to his original size. The guards didn''t notice him because they had had a long shift and it was almost time for them to get off work so a couple of them were nodding off a little while trying to keep their eyes open.


    "I don''t understand why we''re working such long shifts now," One of the guards whined.


    The other he was talking to rolled his eyes. "Did you hear about what happened to the other two headquarters? We need to be on guard at all-"


    The guard didn''t get to finish his sentence as the warrior snuck up behind him and slit his throat. Before the other guard could sound the alarm the warrior slit his throat too.


    There were a total of five different guards stationed at the front gates and once the warrior killed them all he shouted, "Kaw! Kaw! Kaw!" He shouted while mimicking the sounds of a crow.


    Alastor and Ben smiled at each other because that was the signal.


    "Let''s go," Alastor ordered.


    Ben and the other warriors with him nodded and followed Alastor into the headquarters. Once they got inside, the warriors spread out to different areas. The Fifth''s headquarters looked like a small village. It had a police station, a small school building, and a row of houses lined up across each other on one street. In the center of the village was a huge temple.


    Ben rolled his eyes when he saw the temple. "Do they really need a temple? What, do they want God''s forgiveness while committing their crimes?"


    Alastor scoffed, "That''s exactly why only 2% of humans get to go to Heaven! Like L would forgive them for something like that? Unless they kiss his ass in order to get into Heaven¡­"


    Ben snorted. "So where to go first?"


    "Let''s start with the police station just like Satan when he let himself get caught," Alastor said. He smirked. "Maybe we can have some fun with the little baby police officers."


    They didn''t have to worry too much about the other places at the headquarters because they had warriors stationed at every exit possible so there was no chance of escape. Then shouts and screams started.


    Alastor''s smirk turned into a sinister smile but then he rolled his eyes when a siren went off. "Oh for fucks sake! Oh it doesn''t matter because no one is safe here anyway."


    People started running out of the buildings going to the shelters that were designated safe places in case of some type of attack. They didn''t get very far because the demon warriors that were waiting for them flew up in the air shooting their arrows. There were demon warriors with arrows in the air fighting and there were demon warriors on the ground fighting with swords and knives. The warriors targeted the women and children first and for the most part taking them out was easy.


    The demon warriors in the air were having fun shooting their arrows at the women and children on the ground because to them it was like shooting fish in a barrel. The women and children were pretty much sitting ducks because they didn''t have anywhere to hide; they were just out in the open.


    Alastor laughed as he saw his warriors having fun killing people because he knew they hadn''t seen battle in a while. So this was a nice change of pace for them.


    When Alastor and Ben got to the Police Station they were disappointed to see that all of the police officers were gone.


    "Seriously? What, did all of the police officers get the day off?" Ben said.


    "I have no idea. Maybe they''re trying to get as many people as they can to the shelters?" Alastor said.


    Ben shrugged and then he spotted something on the floor of the station at the lobby entrance. It was a piece of wood that had been moved off to the side that led to a secret passageway.


    "Hmm, it feels like we''re walking into a trap. This just looks waaay too easy," Ben said.


    Alastor nodded in agreement. "If these humans want to play games before they die, let ''em. This should be fun. It''s not like they could really kill us anyway."


    They went down the stairs and found a room that had the police officers waiting for them.


    One of the police officers smirked. "I can''t believe you fell for it!"


    Ben looked at Alastor with a look that said ''I told you so.''


    Alastor chuckled and rolled his eyes. "We didn''t ''fall for it'' as you say. We just came down here to have a little fun. We knew it was a trap coming into this."


    The officer scoffed, "Uh-huh sure you did."


    Alastor crossed his arms and taunted. "Well, go ahead with your silly little attacks. I''ll stand still for you. But when you''re done I''ll kill you."


    The officers in the room snickered as if Alastor had told the funniest joke ever.


    "Just let you know, we''re stronger than the officers at the first two headquarters. Yeah we know what you did and what you''re doing now. Which is why our kidnapping your children is completely justified! You guys are monsters! So in order to tame a monster you need to turn them into a human!" The lead officer snarled.


    Alastor laughed, "Sometimes I wonder if humans are the real demons here. You humans commit all sorts of heinous crimes in the name of justice. The rich humans are even more corrupt and they get away with commiting crimes all the fucking time! All they have to do is pay the right person in the justice system and everything gets swept under the rug. Tsk, tsk. But okay I''m a man of my word. I''ll stand still and then when you''re done attacking, I''ll attack back."


    Alastor stood still and held his arms behind his back while Ben shrugged and did the same thing. The officers in the room shared a sinister look. The officers open fired with their weapons and the summoning squad was already in the room with the officers.


    They cast their spells in an effort to stun Alastor and Ben so that their leader could cast a spell in order to send them back to Hell. Ben was starting to weaken but Alstor was just standing there with a sinister smile on his face.


    After a half hour of the officers firing their weapons and the summoning squad casting their spells, the officers and summoning squad were starting to lose steam. Ben was weaker at this point he stood there taking attack after attack. Normally he had great endurance but with the constant attacks his endurance was starting to give out.


    One of the witches of the summoning squad noticed how weak Ben was getting and took that as an opportunity to attack him and send him back to Hell. They charged at him and he blocked their attack with his sword.


    They kept attacking him and he easily dodged and blacked their attacks despite being weak at the moment. One of the officers in the room also attacked Ben by throwing a couple of daggers and one of them grazed his shoulder. Ben let out a yelp of pain but kept going with the fight.


    Alastor rolled his eyes as he stepped in between Ben and the witch and the officer attacking him. "Like I said, sometimes I wonder if humans are actually demons and not the other way around."


    Alastor drew his swords and started deflecting the last of the attacks from the officers and the witches. He didn''t realize that one of his warriors was waiting in the shadows to help out on stand by. When the warrior saw that Alastor didn''t need any help he retreated and went to another location to help others carry out their attacks.


    Alasor went through and killed the officers one by one by beheading them with his swords. He laughed a sinister laugh as he killed them.


    The witches however, were not stopping with their attacks. Ben managed to kill five of them by slitting their throats as he deflected their attacks. Alastor took care of the rest of the officers and the witches by beheading them. Once the smoke from the attacks settled, Alastor looked around and laughed, "It''s too bad this fight didn''t last longer." He looked at Ben. "But you seemed to be getting tired so I had to stop this."


    Ben stopped to catch his breath. "I''m fine Your Highness¡­"


    Alastor rolled his eyes. "Oh I''m sure you are. That''s exactly what all of my Generals say after a long battle. Don''t be too hard on yourself okay? At least-"


    He stopped talking and looked in front of him to see an altar and sitting on it was the last box that Victoria''s powers were sealed away in. Ben frowned when Alastor stopped talking. "At least what?"


    Alastor smiled and pointed to the altar. "Well no wonder why the summoning squad was here along with their stupid police officers! They were trying to protect the box." He looked around the room to see the heads of the dead officers and witches just scattered around the room. A couple of the heads were lying a foot away from their bodies. "This was fun, now let''s get the box and get out of here so we can finish burning this place down. I bet you that the smaller branches of the Fifth are going to go into hiding now. But as I told His Majesty Satan that I''ll have no problem tracking every single one of them down."


    Ben fell over suddenly because Alastor used his powers to knock him out so he could rest. He called one of his warriors over and handed Ben to him.


    "Escort General Ben home, he needs to rest after this battle," Alastor commanded. He took a compass out of his pocket and handed it to the warrior. "This should guide you to his house as well as give an invisibility spell so no one can see you until you get General Ben''s front doorstep. There''s a chance that a woman named Delilah might greet you. If she asks what happened, tell her that he was involved in a fight with another mafia and leave it at that."


    The warrior nodded. "Yes, Your Highness."


    With that the warrior walked upstairs and flew off with Ben in his arms. After the warrior left Alastor turned his attention to Victoria''s box. He took Victoria''s box off the altar and carried it with him up the stairs. He turned and looked down at the stairs that he just walked up and said to himself, "Hmm, it''s a shame I wasn''t allowed some of you alive to play with. I hear humans feel a lot more pain from torture when they''re still alive. Oh well¡­"


    He snapped his fingers and summoned a lit torch and he threw the torch down the steps and the fire started in the room where he killed those police officers and witches.


    When Alastor and the rest of his warriors left the third headquarters of the Fifth that day, every person there died. The buildings there were burned to ashes to send a message to the smaller branches of the Fifth. The message was: Even if you weren''t at the three headquarters of the Fifth we will find you¡­ and we will kill you¡­ The High Ruler has sent her judgment and you will meet the same fate¡­

 Chapter 43: Why do You care?

    {Ben}


    The next time I opened my eyes I was in my bed and changed into my night clothes. My clothes that I sleep in at night are mostly just sweatpants and a t-shirt. I sat up and my body protested in pain. My muscles were sore and I felt like I had got hit by a bus. At least the effects of the spells the witches cast wore off. I was determined to see that battle to the end.


    I couldn''t believe that Alastor felt the need to knock me out when I was perfectly capable of walking out of the location myself.


    "Oh thank goodness! You''re awake!" I heard Delilah say.


    I looked over at her. "What are you doing here?"


    "You had me worried sick! You''ve been out for a whole day. I mean guess that makes sense considering you did look pretty beat up when one of your coworkers brought you home," Delilah said.


    "What did he say happened?" I asked.


    "He said you got into a fight with another mafia," Delilah answered.


    I couldn''t help but laugh. Of course Alastor would tell his warrior to say that! Delilah won''t know the truth about me until she''s dead.


    Delilah blinked. "What''s so funny?"


    I shook my head. "It''s nothing."


    "Okay, um does Victoria ever have to deal with getting into fights with another mafia?" Delilah asked.


    I gave her a look of disbelief. "Seriously?"


    Delilah nodded. "I''m serious."


    "Okay, think about what you just asked," I said. "Victoria is leader of the most powerful mafias ever. So, what does that tell you?"


    Delilah paused and then frowned. "Well that sucks and she''s dealing with seizures now? What happens if she has a seizure while she''s dealing with conflicts?"


    "She just deals with it. And hopefully she has enough cover to keep her safe through it," I answered. I paused. "Why the fuck do you care anyway?"


    "Honestly, I don''t know. I just do," Delilah said.


    I rolled my eyes. "If you don''t know why you care then stop asking about her. If you ask me, Victoria''s doing a great job as a leader so far. She''s shut down a couple of conflicts with other mafias stepping onto her turf."


    "And she''s having seizures," Delilah said. "Glad I''m not the leader."


    "But you still have to learn your place as the Don''s spouse," I said.


    Delilah nodded. "I know."


    I was getting ready to get off the bed when my cell phone rang. I reached over on the nearby nightstand and picked it up. "Hello?"


    "Hey there, it''s Walter," Walter said. "I need you at the house again."


    "Why? What''s going on?" I asked.


    "I''ll tell you when you get here," That was all Walter said when he hung up.


    That phone call made me panic because Walter sounded panicked and I knew it had something to do with Victoria.


    Delilah frowned. "What? What''s wrong?"


    "Something''s going on with Victoria. I need to go over there and see what''s happening," I said.


    "Seriously? You just woke up! Can''t you stay and rest for a while?" Delilah said.


    I shook my head. "No, I''m good. If Walter needs me to help out with Victoria and he sounded panicked. So something big must be going on."


    "I see," Delilah said. "Can I-"


    I cut her off, "No. She clearly doesn''t want to see you at the moment. And you''re walking on thin ice with her, so it''d be best if you didn''t come. Besides, you''d be wasting your time over there anyway."


    "Fine," Delilah pouted.


    I chuckled. "You''re cute when you pout like that. I got to get dressed. I don''t know when I''ll be back today."


    I gave Delilah a kiss and she left the room so that I could get dressed.


    ***


    "So what''s going on?" I asked. As soon as I got to Victoria''s house Walter greeted me at the door


    "Come with me," Walter said.


    I followed him down the hallway to a place that looked like a study room. Much like the room that I have in my house for when I need to sit down and do long hours working on paperwork.


    I stopped short when I saw that on top of the desk sat what looked like a mini altar. It was made of gold and had a small bowl on it and sniffed it only to find that it was full of blood.


    I gagged. "Okay seriously, what''s going on with Victoria?"


    Walter took a seat on one of the couches in the room and sighed, "Her power surges seem to be getting worse. She''s been taking the medicine that''s required which is what''s in that bowl. It''s the blood of her parents and my blood mixed in. The scary part is she keeps half-shifting during her power surges."


    My eyes went wide when I heard. "Half-shifting? Did I hear that right? That''s not good! Not good at all!"


    "That''s exactly what Satan told me," Walter said.


    Half-shifting happens when a supernatural being that needs to shift doesn''t completely shift into their natural form. Victoria''s a demon and if she''s half-shifting that means her demon form is trying to separate itself from her original body before its time.


    "That''s gotta be painful! That means, her demon form is trying to separate itself from her original body before its time. If that''s happening now, it''ll be even worse when she finally does get rid of her original body," I said.


    Walter frowned. "Yeah that''s why Satan''s come up with an idea but it involves locking Victoria up and I don''t like that idea. Not one little bit. I''m pretty sure Victoria might panic and try to escape not knowing what the fuck is going on. I just don''t want her to get hurt."


    "And she won''t get hurt," I heard Satan say and I just about jumped a foot in the air because it startled me that he just popped up out of nowhere.


    "Your Majesty! Sorry it''s just startling that you can just pop up out of nowhere," I said as I bowed to him.


    Satan rolled his eyes. "You may rise. It''s important for a ruler to be able to sneak up on their enemies when needed. And to be light on their feet so to speak." He looked at Walter. "She won''t get hurt because she''ll be lightly sedated, she won''t know what''s going on."


    Walter''s eyes went wide. "What! That''s even worse!"


    "Do you have any other ideas? Besides, it won''t be forever. It''ll just be until we can get her to stop half-shifting. It seems her demon form is rejecting her original body," Satan said. "It makes sense considering her original body is being kept alive through magic."


    "How long do you think we''ll have to keep her sedated?" Walter asked.


    Satan shrugged. "I have no idea. Until then you''ll have to be the stand-in for Victoria."


    "But I don''t know what she does," Walter started.


    Satan rolled his eyes. "She has a second in command for a reason. I will have William talk to you and guide you through it just like he does with Victoria."


    He sighed, "Fine."The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "I can do it," I said. "I can help take care of the Royals while Victoria''s out of commission."


    Satan looked at me. "Are you sure? Because you''re already leading Satan''s Crew."


    I nodded. "I can do it at least to help Walter out because he never received any training for this type of situation. And there''s no way I''m letting Delilah lead the mafia. Nope that''s not happening. She''s the type of woman that once you give her an inch, she takes a mile!"


    He nodded. "Alright then. For now follow me because we need to get Victoria moved to the room where her treatment will begin. And once we get her situated we''ll have to brief her other mates on what''s going on with her."


    Walter and I nodded in agreement and followed Satan to Victoria''s room.


    ***


    {Delilah}


    I''ve been feeling so worried about Victoria lately. Jenny seems even more on edge about Victoria than normal and it''s making me worry because that means something big is going on.


    I called Jenny to see if she had any updates about Victoria''s condition and she surprised me by asking me to visit with her at her house. This is the first time in years that I''ve been in her house. She left home the day after her birthday. I asked where she was going to live and she said she was living at a friend''s house and left because she couldn''t stand being around Howard.


    When I got to her house she ushered me inside and she had me sit at the kitchen table.


    "Would you like anything to drink?" Jenny asked.


    "Water please," I said.


    She went into the kitchen and grabbed two glasses of water and came back with them. After she sat down at the kitchen table only then did I notice that she looked tired.


    "I''m worried about Victoria," Jenny said. "Every other time I go over to her house she''s having some sort of seizure and it looks painful. Not only that I''m also busy working with David to raise our son-"


    My jaw dropped. "You have a son? I have a grandchild?"


    Jenny nodded. "Yep you have a grandchild. No, I''m not letting you see him because I don''t trust you around him."


    "So why am I here?" I asked.


    "I needed someone to talk to because everyone else is busy. And that includes Jaxon," Jenny said.


    "Oh," I said.


    There was an awkward silence between us when Jenny''s cell phone rang. She answered it, "Hello?" She got up and walked out of the room. I got up and followed her and just stood around the corner trying to pick up on what the conversation was about.


    "What do you mean she''s being moved to the hospital? Is it that bad?... Seriously?... But I thought the medicine was working¡­ Is it okay if Delilah and I come visit?... Only when she''s sleeping? Why? ¡­. An induced coma! Is that really necessary?... Okay, okay we''ll be there soon, alright then bye," Jenny hung up the phone and rolled her eyes. "Delilah I know you were listening."


    "Yes I was but why are they moving Victoria to the hospital?" I asked.


    "It seems that her seizures are getting worse and she''s being moved for other treatment. At least that''s what I''ve been told. Honestly, I can''t help but feel that there''s something more to this story and we''re being kept in the dark for whatever the reason," Jenny said.


    "You are correct!" I heard someone say.


    Jenny and I just jumped a foot in the air in surprise when we saw Walter''s father standing in the doorway.


    "When did you get here?" Jenny asked. "I didn''t even hear you knock on the door!"


    Alastor smirked. "Oh I have my ways. Jenny, before you go to the hospital I need to have a conversation with you."


    Jenny nodded. "Sure." She looked at me. "You can go ahead without me. I''ll be there in a little bit."


    I nodded and said goodbye. When I got in my car, I drove to the hospital.


    ***


    {Jenny}


    Once Delilah left I looked at Alastor. "I think we need to have a discussion about you not fulfilling your end of the bargain yet. Do you know how hard it is for me to not put poison in that bitch''s drink?"


    Alastor snorted. "Well thank you kindly for holding yourself back. Don''t worry Delilah will be dealt with in due time."


    I raised an eyebrow. "When?"


    "The end of year after Victoria''s birthday," Alastor said.


    "What! But that''s like three months away! No fair," I whined.


    Alaster smiled. "Yeah I know. Life isn''t fair but she''ll get her just desserts so be patient. Victoria made a deal with her father that she would lead the Royals for one year and after that she''s free to do whatever she wants."


    "But why?" I asked. "Why does her father want her to lead the Royals so bad?"


    "Isn''t it obvious? Her father was the previous leader and it is her duty and her birthright to lead with her being the firstborn," Alastor explained.


    "And can she refuse to be leader of the Royals?" I said.


    "Well at the moment no because she and her father made a deal. If her father had his way she''d be the leader of the Royals for the rest of her life," Alastor said. He shrugged. "He might require her to be leader for longer even after the deal is finished. But as I just said, be patient. Things  will happen in due time."


    I sighed, "Fine. It''s not like I have a choice but to wait anyway."


    Alastor suddenly changed his posture towards me and smiled a flirtatious smile. I felt somewhat uncomfortable as he looked at me from head to toe. At the same time I felt a delightful shudder down my spine. That made me pause because I''ve never felt that way about anyone looking at me like that before. Not even when I was David and when David would give me that look, I didn''t feel anything by it.


    "Well, well, well! I never thought that in my old age that I''d find another mate!" Alastor said.


    I paused. "Huh? A mate? Me?"


    He nodded while still keeping his flirtatious smile. "You''re coming with me because you and I have a lot to talk about."


    I went to say something but I didn''t get a chance to because he snapped his fingers and I instantly passed out.


    ***


    {omniscient}


    Once Delilah got to the hospital where Victoria was at she rushed to the receptionist. The lady paused from her work and looked up at her. "Yes?"


    Delilah was going to respond when she heard Ben say, "Delilah follow me."


    Delilah nodded and did as she was told. But once they rounded the corner to Victoria''s room, they heard Victoria scream bloody murder. Three Doctors and two nurses rushed into Victoria''s room.


    Delilah frowned. "What''s going on?"


    Before Ben could answer Victoria''s scream turned a roar as if she were a beast. That happened because Victoria was half-shifting again. Ben''s face went pale as if he''d seen a ghost. He turned to Delilah. "Wait here."


    Delilah was going to object but one sideways look from Ben told her to keep her yap shut.


    While Delilah waited outside Ben rushed into Victoria''s room. One of the doctor''s stopped him. "Name?"


    "Oh, I''m Ben. I''m one of Don Victoria''s mates," Ben said.


    The doctor nodded and sighed, "She half-shifted again."


    Ben looked over at Victoria in horror to see that her horns were sticking out of her head and looked like they were trying to go back in. The same thing was going with her wings and half of her fingers on hands were claws.


    "Where''s Walter?" Ben asked the doctor.


    "He''s on his way at least that''s what we were told. He wants us to give her the shot now. It will take some time before it kicks in and it''ll leave her confused and scared. So she needs someone that she knows, preferably one of her mates to keep her calm before the medicine kicks in," the doctor responded.


    "I can do that. She''ll be fine with me," Ben said.


    "Alright then, take a seat beside her bedside. We''ll be giving her the shot now," the doctor instructed.


    Ben did as he was told and one of the other doctor''s in the room pulled out a huge needle. His eyes went wide when he saw that. He grabbed Victoria''s hand and made her look at him.


    She looked at him and whimpered. "What''s going on? I don''t know why but I feel scared. Why am I scared?"


    "Shhh, it''s okay. You''re at the hospital, the doctor''s are going to help you to stop half-shifting," Ben explained, trying to stay as calm as he could. He thought he was being silly because he''s a demon and he''s afraid of a stupid needle. "Victoria, look at me and don''t look around. Just look at me, okay?"


    Victoria nodded but once the needle went into her arm she screamed bloody murder.


    "Shhh," Ben said, while trying to console her because she started to fight the nurses who were holding her down.


    "Make them stop!" Victoria cried.


    "Victoria, open your eyes and look at me," Ben pleaded.


    Victoria opened her eyes and they were red from her crying from pain. She looked over to see Delilah standing out in the hallway staring at her. "What''s Delilah doing here?"


    Ben sighed, "She wanted to come visit you. I don''t know why but it seems that she actually cares about you now."


    Victoria scoffed. "Oh I''m sure she does. She only cares because her actions have caught up to her. If I had been a normal child with no special background then she would''ve just done whatever she wanted and not been punished for it."


    "True. Let me guess you don''t want her to come inside?" Ben asked.


    Victoria grit her teeth. "Nope. She can watch me from outside the room. There is a window. So just open up the curtains for a little bit."


    "When?" Ben asked.


    Victoria looked at him and frowned. "What?"


    "When do I get to show her my betrayal?" Ben said.


    "In two months¡­" Victoria said as she started to get sleepy. "That''s one month before the wedding¡­"


    Shortly after that she fell asleep and once Walter arrived he sat down beside Victoria''s bedside.


    "She just fell asleep," Ben said. "And Delilah''s outside watching."


    Walter scoffed. "Of course she''s outside, that woman just doesn''t know how to take no for an answer. And why does she care so much anyway?"


    Ben shrugged. "I have no idea. Hell, Delilah told me that she doesn''t know."


    Walter rolled his eyes. "Wow, that lady is something."


    "You can say that again," Ben said.


    While Walter and Ben talked about what was going on with Victoria, Delilah sat outside in the hallway watching. She felt frustrated and jealous that the one person she hated up until now is doing just fine without her.


    She tried to figure out exactly why she hated Victoria to begin with but couldn''t. At this point she wanted Victoria''s forgiveness and she was feeling jealous more than anything because everyone else around her could talk to her like a friend. While everyone else could go in and visit with her Delilah had to stay outside and watch from a distance and that hurt to know how much she was hated by Victoria.


    After thinking about what was going on for a while she smiled and made a resolve to gain Victoria''s forgiveness no matter what.


    "Mark my words Don Victoria," Delilah muttered to herself. "I''m going to gain your forgiveness and I''ll be by your side like everyone else is. And if I can''t be by your side¡­ Then no one else will¡­"


    She started planning on how to gain Victoria''s forgiveness as she walked out of the hospital and went home. But little did she know that her plans would backfire on her big time.

 Chapter 44: The Betrayal

    Two months later¡­


    {Alastor}


    "I see that your new mate is adjusting. It''s happening slowly but she''s adjusting," Karma said.


    I didn''t say anything in response. I just sat down on the edge of the bed staring at Jenny. Now that I got a closer look at her she was beautiful.


    I finally looked up at Karma and frowned. "Why? Because I know you had something to do with this!"


    She smirked. "Of course I did! Why are you not happy with your new mate?"


    I shook my head. "No that''s not it. I''m happy with my mate. And as of now she has a strong appetite for sex. Which is a good thing. But does she need an old man like me as a mate?"


    Karma chuckled and shook her head. "I talked to the High Ruler about this because you know only she can assign a God a mate. And since you''re Satan''s second in command you''re pretty much in God status just like Satan is. I also did it because I was bored. I figured that if you had a new mate it might shake things up a bit."


    I blinked and gave her a look of disbelief. "You''re kidding right? You got me a new mate because you were bored? Am I not spending enough time with you? If that''s the case I''ll make more time then I-"


    "Nope, that''s not why I''m bored, Alastor," Karma said. "You''re spending plenty of time with me and I''m happy about that. But there''s nothing eventful that''s been going on lately. Other than what''s been happening with Princess Victoria. The High Ruler seems to be heavily invested in her at the moment. And all I can do is sit on the sidelines and watch. At least now that you have a new mate, I can talk to her. I''m glad I can help her. She''s going to need to know all about becoming a Princess just like Princess Victoria will be learning about how to become a Queen."


    I did a facepalm and groaned, "You are something Karma."


    She chuckled, "Thank you for the compliment."


    I groaned again, "You''re welcome."


    Jenny stirred and opened her eyes. "Alastor?"


    "I''m here baby. How are you feeling?" I asked.


    She smiled. "I''m feeling great. A little sore from last night but other than that great."


    I felt my face heat up and Karma burst into laughter. "Oh yeah my dear, Alastor''s really good bed."


    Jenny looked at Karma and frowned. "Who''s she?"


    "Jenny, meet Karma, my seventh wife and you''ll be my eighth wife when the time comes," I said.


    She made a face that told me that she didn''t like the sound of what she just heard. "You have seven wives already? That''s not fair! First my sister has more than one boyfriend and a girlfriend on top of that, now the guy I''m with has more than one wife!"


    "Come on, don''t be too upset. It''s a normal thing in this world," Karma said.


    Jenny tilted her head. "In this world? What do you mean?"


    "Have you ever heard tales about demons and whatnot?" Karma asked.


    Jenny nodded. "Yes. But that''s just it. They''re stories that were meant to be told around the campfire to scare little kids to keep them in line."


    Karma snorted. "Well, I hate to break it to you but those tales are not just tales. They''re real stories about ancient demons. Ever heard of the one about Alastor?"


    "No, that one I haven''t heard¡­" Jenny paused. "Wait, you mean to tell me that my new boyfriend is a demon?"


    "Yup! And we''re in Hell! The place that your sister Princess Victoria should''ve grown up in. But don''t worry once she gets finished with her assignment on Earth she''ll come back here and complete her training," Karma said.


    "Yes my dear, I am a demon and to be more correct, I am one the Princes of Darkness, Satan''s second in command and the future uncle to the future Queen of Hell, Prince Alastor!" I said proudly while puffing out my chest.


    Karma rolled her eyes. "Seriously? You could leave off the future uncle bit. Princess Victoria and Prince Walter haven''t even gone through with their marking ceremony yet! Geez!"


    "Marking ceremony?" Jenny asked.


    Karma smiled. "You my dear, have a lot to learn about this world! Wait until you get your demon form!"


    Jenny raised an eyebrow. "My demon form?"


    I gave Karma a sideways look. "Karma, one thing at a time okay?"


    I looked down when the brooch on my suit jacket started glowing. "Excuse me, I need to take this call."


    I stepped outside and pressed the button on my brooch. Satan''s face appeared in front of me on a holographic screen.


    "Yes, Your Majesty?" I said.


    Satan sighed, "Victoria seems to be doing better. She just woke up after the doctors took her out of her coma. She''s stopped half-shifting at least."


    I paused. "Okay? That''s a good thing right?"


    "Yeah but she''s having the same trouble I had when my powers awakened," Satan said. "She''s having trouble controlling her powers especially when she''s angry."


    I chuckled. "Let me guess, she''s causing power outages?"


    Satan nodded and I laughed. I''ve known Satan ever since I was a kid. He always had issues controlling his powers until he turned Victoria''s age. Every time he got angry there would be a small power outage and once he calmed down the lights would come back on and order would be restored. Sometimes he would accidentally break lightbulbs when the power outages would happen. I think that''s where the whole overused movie trope of lightbulbs breaking whenever a demon is around came from?


    I just know that every time Satan was summoned to Earth light bulbs would break and a small power outage would happen.


    "And light bulbs are breaking?" I laughed.


    "Yep, but at least it''s only isolated in her room at the hospital. Good thing is she''ll be released from the hospital tomorrow if all goes well and she''ll finish her recovery at home," Satan said.


    "Well that''s good news!" I said.


    "How''s your new mate doing?" Satan asked, changing the subject.


    "She''s doing fine and she just found out that demons are real thanks to Karma," I said, rolling my eyes. "That''s fine. I mean I was going to tell her soon anyway. Apparently Karma thought it was a good idea to ask the High Ruler to give me a new mate because she was bored."


    Satan burst into a fit of laughter about that. When he composed himself he said, "Honestly, I don''t think having a young mate is a bad thing. Why is there something wrong with her?"


    I shook my head. "No, there''s nothing wrong with her. She''s perfect for me, I just find it a little weird that I got a mate so young in my old age."


    "Seriously?" Satan said. "Nonsense! You have a mate, a young mate at that, you should feel honored by it. Even if it happened because one of your wives was bored."


    "The interesting part is that she''s Victoria''s sister!" I said. "On the bright side, at least she doesn''t have to be apart from Victoria as much."


    Satan nodded. "Oh yeah, I think she''ll enjoy that one. Once things are settled that is. Make sure that she attends the marking ceremony and the wedding will be a week after that."


    "Then we deal with Delilah after the wedding?" I asked.


    "Yup! Honestly, I can''t wait to see how she''s going to react to her husband''s betrayal," Satan said.


    I nodded in agreement. "This is going to be fun to see."


    True I couldn''t wait for Victoria to finally have her revenge on that evil woman. In the meantime I had a young mate to educate on what goes on in the supernatural world.


    ***


    {Victoria}


    "Are you kidding me! This has to be a joke! Another one? Seriously?" I said.


    Ever since I got home from the hospital I''ve been getting these weird letters from Delilah. She sounds so unhinged I think she has lost her damn mind!


    The letters went like this:


    Don Victoria,


    I know I will never gain your forgiveness. I respect that now but let me prove it to you that I can spend the rest of my life serving you until the end of your days. I will be your loyal servant and I''ll do whatever you want me to do. Just let me be by your side like everyone else is.


    I know I failed you as a mother when I had that title. But I won''t fail you as a servant. Please let me serve you.


    Sincerely,


    Delilah


    I looked up at Ben who was smirking at me as I read the letter. I rolled my eyes. "You''re having waaay too much fun with this!"


    I insisted on going back to work even though Satan was against it. I convinced him that since I''d be sitting in my office looking at paperwork all day he shouldn''t be worried. That''s when the letters started coming and the letters weren''t just from Delilah. They were my secret not so secret admirers. They somehow found out that I had more than one boyfriend and a girlfriend on top of that and wanted to go out with me.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    I also kept getting letters from people that wanted to be my servants. I have yet to put a notice that I''m hiring because I''m not hiring anyone at the moment. Ben told me a couple of those letters are from other demons wanting to pledge their loyalty to the Royals.


    But the letters from Delilah are some of the creepiest letters I''ve ever received! Oh sure this one seems innocent enough but the fact that a woman who hated my guts now wants to serve me is just plain creepy.


    Even Cody who was chilling out on the ground next the desk could sense my distress. Although he didn''t know what my distress was about, he went up to me as I sat down on the couch in the office and laid his head on my lap. I gently petted his head even though it didn''t do much to ease my distress.


    "So what do you want to do about her? You said I could show her my betrayal a month before the wedding," Ben said.


    "Do you have the divorce papers ready?" I asked.


    He nodded. "Yup. The only thing they need is Delilah''s signature. And if she refuses to sign¡­ Well I won''t let that happen because I''ll make sure that she signs it."


    "Good. We''ll take care of this once and for all, tomorrow," I said. "Tell her that I need to see her in my office at 2pm tomorrow and you come here at 10am. That way we''ll have plenty of time to set the stage."


    He raised an eyebrow. "Set the stage? What do you mean by that?"


    I gave him a mischievous smile. "You''ll find out tomorrow."


    ***


    The next day Ben came to my office right on time. He seemed eager to get rid of Delilah. He had already met with his lawyer and had the divorce papers along with who gets what. He opted to have Delilah get the house because he would be moving in with me and my other mates. He had no idea if Delilah noticed that over the last two months when I was in the hospital that he was slowly packing his stuff and sending it over to my house.


    Knowing Delilah, she probably didn''t notice because of being so self absorbed in her own feelings and her own situation to care about how Ben was doing. From what I saw, over the years she didn''t care at all about what her partners were doing. It was always about her and only her. Even with her letters begging me to become my servant, she didn''t care about how I felt.


    Well today I''m putting an end to her being in my life for good. I have no idea what''s going to happen to her after this and I really don''t care.


    When Ben arrived at my office I closed the door. I pulled him into my arms and kissed him. After he kissed me he pulled back and smiled. "Is this what you meant when you said you wanted to set the stage?"


    "That''s part of it. The other part is when Delilah walks in on us fucking each other and then we make her wait outside for a few minutes while we get dressed. Then you tell her that you never loved her and you want a divorce," I said.


    "I like the sound of that," Ben said.


    I looked down at the bulge in his pants and said, "I can see that. Let''s get started and get Delilah out of my life once and for all."


    ***


    {Delilah}


    I was super excited when Ben told me that Victoria had requested an audience with me. Finally! I was going to get the answer that I craved. I decided that I wasn''t going to take no for an answer. Even if she clearly told me no, it''s going to take a lot more than that to keep me away. I realized that I care because I''ve been horrible to her and I want to make it up to her.


    Once I got to the floor of the building that Victoria''s office was on I walked down the hallway and noticed that the door was open. As I got closer I heard moaning and not just any type of moaning. It was the type of moaning that happens during sex.


    My eyes went wide when I heard Ben calling out Victoria''s name. No! No that''s not possible! He said he loved me no matter what I did. Why would he sleep with Victoria of all people?


    "Oh yeah, just like that Ben!" Victoria screamed.


    I walked towards the office slowly and when I opened the door I saw Ben on top of Victoria and they were fucking each other as if their lives depended on it. They stopped once they climaxed together.


    To say that I was shocked was an understatement. This can''t be real! Ben forced himself on Victoria just like Howard did! What is with the men that I''m with having ill intentions for Victoria? At least Frank didn''t do that.


    After Ben and Victoria climaxed that was when Victoria noticed me.


    "Uh, Ben?" Victoria said. "Delilah''s here."


    Ben paused and then looked at me. "Oh fuck!"


    He got off of Victoria and started gathering up his clothes. Victoria stopped him and turned her attention to me. "Delilah, wait outside. We''ll be with you in a minute."


    I nodded slowly and paced back and forth out in the waiting room. My mind was reeling and I had so many questions. How could I have not noticed that Ben was cheating on me? How did I miss the signs on that? Victoria was in a coma for two months, when did they get together? How long has this been going on?


    After a moment Victoria opened the door fully clothed. "Come in."


    I did as I was told and took a seat on the chair across from the couch. There was no way that I was going to sit on that couch that my cheating husband had just had sex on.


    I blinked. "You''re¡­ Cheating on me? I thought you loved me! You said-"


    Ben rolled his eyes. "It''s sad that you actually think that I would love a vile and hateful woman like you."


    "But you said that you loved me! You said you loved me no matter what I did! To think that you would take those words back and force yourself on Victoria-" I ranted.


    Victoria cut me off, "Excuse me? When you walked in here did it look like I was being forced?"


    "I know forced because you looked the same way when Howard fucked you!" I growled.


    Victoria''s right eye twitched. "Excuse me, but I remember that a lot differently! You knew Howard and Wyatt had me locked up in that goddamn basement and you did nothing to stop it! If anything, you encouraged it!" She took a deep breath and composed herself, "This time around when I saw you were very happy and starting to fall in love with Ben I saw this as a means for revenge. From the way I see it, you don''t deserve to be happy!


    "You are the most evilest woman I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. You make me sick. I''m glad that Ben accepted my advances. You''re no saint either considering you cheated on Frank with him. And as far as being my servant goes, the answer to your question is an absolute no! I don''t need you in my life! I don''t want you in my life! With the way you treated me up until now do you really think that I would let someone like you serve me? Ha! In. Your. Dreams!"


    "You little bitch! If you think for one minute I''m taking no for an answer you''ve got that one wrong!" I roared. I shot a deadly glare at Ben. "And I''ll deal with you-"


    Ben laughed, "Deal with me? You seem to be forgetting that I''m the mafia boss here and not you! If anything, I''m going to deal with you! Today!"


    I shrank back fear and mentally kicked myself. Of course in the heat of the moment I forgot that I had zero power here. I was in no position to make any demands or threats.


    Victoria handled a file from off her desk to Ben and he handed it to me.


    "What''s this?" I asked.


    "Divorce papers," Ben said. "And you will sign them and this will all be over today."


    "If I don''t want to sign them?" I said.


    "You''ll spend the rest of your days in a nice little prison cell," Ben said.


    I gasped, "You can''t just throw me in jail! You''re not a judge and that''s against the law!"


    Ben laughed a wicked laugh, "Oh I don''t think so. You wanna know why? Because I have enough evidence of your crimes to land you in jail for a long time!"


    "Crimes? What crimes?" I asked, giving him a look of confusion.


    Ben smirked. "What crimes do you think I''m talking about?"


    My face went pale. I had no idea how Ben found out about what I had been doing. What I''ve been doing is not only a taboo, it''s also highly illegal.


    However I do know for a fact that I won''t be charged for anything that I did to Victoria because the time frame for that has long passed.


    "How¡­  Did you find out about that?" I stuttered.


    "Did you really think you were hiding it well?" Ben said. "And as far as loving you goes, I don''t love you. I never did love you. I had a job to do. I did it and thankfully it ends today. My job was to get you away from Frank and keep you away from Frank. If you ask me it was waaay too easy!"


    "But why? Why go through all that trouble?" I asked.


    "It''s simple¡­ It was for me to get my revenge," Victoria said. "It''s kind of funny because after you let Howard beat me half to death and let him hand me over to another abusive asshole I swore to have my revenge on you. But as the years passed and I got free of Wyatt''s clutches I worked on moving past my thirst for revenge. Here I was thinking I was going to be okay as long as you stayed away from me, I was good.


    "But fate seems to love playing tricks on people. Especially those that are the most vulnerable. Because we crossed paths again and the first thing you did was assault me. You truly thought that my place in your life was to be crushed underneath your shoe so to speak. You made me feel small and pathetic.


    "You made my issues so bad to the point where I had to get a service/guard dog. Because I knew it would help especially once my artwork started to take off and I needed to be out in public more often.


    "Imagine my surprise when I found out that my real parents were mafia bosses! I started setting my plan in motion the day they kidnapped me."


    "Huh? But how?" I asked.


    "Remember when you came to rescue me?" Victoria said, while smirking.


    I nodded. "Yeah you were getting beaten by Alastor!"


    "Do you wanna know why it was so easy for you to walk in and save Walter and I?" Victoria asked.


    That''s when it dawned on me. "That was a setup wasn''t it? But how is this your revenge? You know I could just go to a media source and post about Ben cheating on me with you."


    Victoria snickered. "Oh really? And what evidence could you provide for that? Not like it would do you any good anyway. You really should''ve been put in jail a long time ago. Tsk, that''s what happens when rich people can pay off the police. Now, you''ll sign the divorce papers or go to jail. The choice is yours and you''d better make it quick or I''ll make the choice for you."


    I took one look into Victoria''s cold eyes and that told she meant business and wouldn''t hesitate to throw me in jail if I didn''t comply. I sighed and when Ben handed me a pen I signed the papers.


    "Oh and one more thing," Victoria said.


    I looked at her. "What?"


    "I''m getting married at the end of this month. Even though I hate your guts you''re invited," Victoria said.


    I hesitated. "Um, who are you getting married to?"


    "Walter of course," Victoria said.


    "And he knows that you''re cheating on him?" I asked.


    "It''s not cheating since Ben''s considered a part of the arrangement of who I can sleep with. On paper Walter will be the one I''m married to but I''m getting married to Ben too. As a matter of fact, it''s going to be Walter, Louis, Ben, Riley and Ross. And Walter has another girlfriend besides me so he will be marrying me, Louis, Ben and Rose," Victoria answered.


    My eyes went wide and I looked at Ben. "You slept with Walter! But you''re not gay!"


    "I''m bisexual just like Victoria is," Ben said. "Of course you would know that if you actually cared enough about me to get to know me. So your selfishness worked in my favor and helped me do my job of playing the loving husband until Victoria finally got her revenge."


    Even though I was hurt by what Ben did, it confirmed to me that being in love will only lead to your detriment. That''s when I realized that I did love Ben. But I decided I wasn''t going to take my revenge but I did make a resolution that I was not taking no for an answer from Victoria.


    I smiled. "Don Victoria, if you think this is going to get rid of me, you are sorely mistaken."


    Victoria scoffed, "Yeah you''re very delusional Delilah. From now on there will be constant surveillance on your house and you are on house arrest. You''ll only be allowed out to attend the wedding and that''s it."


    "Isn''t that just like putting me in jail?" I asked.


    "Actually when you think about it, it''s not. You can do what you want, when you want to. You can eat whatever you want and not have to wait on a schedule for meal time. You won''t have gay suitors coming after your homophobic ass," Victoria answered.


    Ben chuckled, "I doubt they would go after her even in prison. They''d probably beat the shit out of her instead and give her a taste of her own medicine."


    Victoria looked at Ben with a flirtatious smile. "Now I think we''re done talking about this. The security guards will see you out."


    Once Victoria started to straddle Ben''s lap I took that as my cue to leave. "Don''t worry Don Victoria, I''ll see myself out. But mark my words I will do whatever it takes to prove myself worthy enough to be by your side."


    She wasn''t paying any attention to me as she started kissing Ben. I left the office and as I was driving home I couldn''t stop reeling from the betrayal that Ben. It surprised me that I was more angry at Ben than Victoria for the betrayal. Probably because of how much he told me that he loved me. He even made a declaration of love so that I wouldn''t get kicked out of the mafia!


    All this time Victoria was keeping me around in order to get her revenge. I had to hand it to her, she''s smarter than what I thought she was and that made me determined to prove myself worthy of being by her side.


    Once I got home I sat down on my bed and said to myself, "Just you wait Victoria. I''ll be by your side. And if it means that we won''t be together unless it''s in the afterlife, then so be it."


    That last thought made me smile. I knew in this world I wouldn''t be worthy. But if I could start over in the afterlife then I would make sure that she would be there with me.

 Chapter 45: I will be by Your side!

    {omniscient}


    Finally it was the day of the marking ceremony and Victoria was nervous as hell. Walter could feel the nervous coming from her in waves through the mate bond.


    Ever since Walter found out about what a mate bond was he could tell exactly how she was at all times. He was also told that he could put up a barrier to stop being affected by how she was feeling but he preferred not to. Mostly because he was worried about Victoria not being able to control her powers yet.


    Every time Victoria got angry there would be a small power outage in the house and once she calmed down everything would go back to normal. He certainly hoped that a power outage wouldn''t happen today. That would be way too much stress and today had to be perfect. Or at least he was hoping today would be perfect.


    He waited outside Victoria''s dressing waiting for her to finish getting dressed.


    "Oh hell no!" He heard Ross growl.


    He turned and looked at him. "What?"


    "Grooms are not allowed to see the bride until they get to the altar," Ross said. "It brings bad luck to the marriage."


    Jaxon came up from behind Ross and laughed, "Hate to break it to you but I think Ross is right. Besides, she''s with Rose and Riley right now. She''ll be fine. And I am curious to see how this ceremony is going to go because I heard it''s different from a normal wedding."


    Jaxon and Ross grabbed Walter and dragged him away from the bride''s dressing room towards the groom''s dressing room so he could finish getting ready.


    Meanwhile in the bride''s dressing room Victoria was having trouble sitting still. That was annoying the people helping her get ready.


    "It''s going to be fine Victoria, calm down," Riley said.


    "I can''t help it! What if something goes wrong? What if I lose control of my powers again? I don''t want to ruin this day!" Victoria exclaimed.


    Riley put a reassuring hand on Victoria''s shoulder. "Victoria, take a couple of deep breaths, you''re fine."


    Victoria did as she was told and settled down as much as she could. She did settle down a little bit but not much. Finally, the maids who were helping Victoria get dressed finished helping her get ready.


    The wedding was simple, there were at least a total of fifty people there and that was fine by Victoria and the rest of her mates. Of course there were some cameras and news media there to record the event. A couple of the people recording the event were YouTubers that had been given special permission to record and use the footage for content on their channels.


    In this wedding there was no walking down the aisle as the grooms and brides were already there. The person who was overseeing the wedding was Alpha Maxwell and he was there with his mate and now Luna of the pack Sami. Sami found it in her heart to forgive him a lot sooner than he expected. She became the rightful Luna to his pack. Now the pack absolutely loves Sami because Sami is a kind and patient Luna. She learned to be humble and kind during her days of serving as a maid to the pack.


    While Sami sat in the audience, Alpha Maxwell was overseeing the wedding. The first main focus was on Victoria. She would sit on the altar and her mates would come up one by one to mark her. Victoria would in turn mark her mates. Once that was done Walter would sit on the altar next and the same thing would happen with him.


    The main focuses of the wedding were Victoria and Walter because they were the main mates in the arrangement and everyone else came along after.


    As Victoria sat on the altar Alpha Maxwell turned to the audience. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, today we are before you the marriage of Victoria Lee and Walter Hawkins. I¡¯m not allowing anyone to reject this union because once a bond has been set there¡¯s no going back. Today Victoria and Walter will claim each other along with their other mates.¡±


    He turned to Victoria and Walter and motioned for him to step up to the altar and stand in front of Victoria.


    ¡°Walter, repeat after me. I, Walter Hawkins, accept you Victoria Lee as my mate. With this mark I claim you as mine for the rest of my life,¡± Alpha Maxwell said.


    ¡±I, Walter Hawkins, accept you Victoria Lee as my mate. With this mark I claim you as mine for the rest of my life,¡± Walter repeated.


    Alpha Maxwell nodded. ¡°Victoria, repeat after me. I, Victoria Lee, accept you Walter Hawkins as my mate. With this mark I claim you as mine for the rest of my life.¡±


    ¡±I, Victoria Lee, accept you Walter Hawkins as my mate. With this mark  I claim you as mine for the rest of my life,¡± Victoria repeated.


    Alpha Maxwell nodded again. ¡°You may now mark each other.¡±


    Walter approached Victoria and she tilted her head to the side exposing her neck. He found the spot he was looking for and bit down on her neck. He held the bite for a couple of seconds and then when he released it he licked it clean. Then he pulled back and tilted his head to the side exposing his neck for Victoria to bite.


    Victoria reached over and found the spot she was looking for and bit him. She held the bite for a couple of seconds and then licked it clean. This process was repeated for the rest of her mates. Once she marked Louis, Ben, Riley and Ross, Walter sat down on the altar and marked Louis, Ben and Rose.


    Once that was done Alpha Maxwell said, ¡°I now pronounce the mate bond complete!¡±


    Everyone in the audience clapped and cheered for the newly formed union. After that everyone went to the reception venue.


    It was time for Victoria''s and Walter''s first dance and shortly after they started dancing Louis, Ben, Riley, Ross and Rose joined in. After the first dance Victoria, Walter, Louis, Ben, Riley, Ross and Rose took their seats at the wedding party table and waited for their meal to be served. While they were waiting for their food it was time for the toasts.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Alpha Maxwell was the first to go. He stood by the stage and grabbed a microphone. "Is this thing on?" He tapped the microphone making it squeal in the protest and that definitely got the audience''s attention.


    "The microphone''s on!" Sami called out. That earned a chuckle from the crowd.


    Alpha Maxwell took a deep breath and let it out. "First of all, I give my congratulations to the bride and groom. Victoria and Walter, may you two have a happy marriage! And to your companions I wish them happiness too. And Victoria I would like to thank you for knocking some sense into me and making me go fight for the love of my life Sami. If you hadn''t done that I might''ve missed out on something important and special to me."


    There was a chorus of the word "awww" around the room. He stepped aside and handed the microphone to Jenny.


    Jenny cleared her throat. "Victoria, I can''t believe that you''re all grown up! I never thought this day would come! You''ll always be my baby sister and I wish you a happy and long marriage!"


    There were two more toasts after Jenny''s. Aiden and Aiden told a couple of stories from Walter''s childhood that had Walter''s face turning red from embarrassment. Victoria couldn''t help but laugh at his reaction.


    Aiden told a story about the time Walter thought he was still small enough to fit into a child''s toy car and when he tried to drive it down the street he got stuck. He told another story about how Walter accidentally rolled down a hill to get away from a dog that was chasing him.


    Jaxon was the last person to toast and he gave Victoria a surprise by bringing out her baby pictures. A few people in the crowd commented on how cute Victoria was as a baby and Victoria''s face turned red. She wanted the ground to swallow her whole.


    "I can''t believe he brought out my baby pictures!" Victoria exclaimed.


    "Aww! But you were so cute as a baby!  And I can tell your future children will be adorable!" Louis gushed.


    At this point Victoria''s face was as red as a tomato!


    Once the crowd calmed down from gushing over Victoria''s baby pictures it was time for food. Right on cue Victoria''s stomach grumbled. It was loud enough for some people in the audience to hear as they turned to look at Victoria with a raised eyebrow. That reaction caused Victoria more embarrassment.


    "What? I haven''t eaten anything all day! I can''t eat much when I''m nervous," Victoria said.


    Walter gave her a look of concern. "Yeah but I''ve never heard someone''s stomach growl that loud before. But I guess that means we need to get some food in you and you''re eating until you''re full."


    Victoria rolled her eyes. "Yes Dad."


    "That was hot. But unfortunately since public sex isn''t allowed, I''ll have to wait until later," Walter said.


    "Damn I can''t wait until my night with you guys," Louis said.


    Victoria''s eyes went wide. "Yeah, I''ll just focus on eating first."


    Walter nodded. "Good."


    When their food came Walter made sure that Victoria started eating right away. Halfway through their meal a gunshot rang out amongst the crowd. Someone in the audience screamed.


    Victoria dropped her fork and grabbed her gun that she had hidden on a small belt around her waist underneath her dress. She was grateful that the people who helped her pick out her wedding dress knew who she was and offered wedding dresses that were easy to move and easy to conceal her weapon  in case she needed it.


    A masked person entered the room. They were dressed in all black from head to toe. They wore a tacky black ski mask on their face and at least they were smart enough to have a voice changing device underneath their mask so Victoria couldn''t tell who they were.


    The masked person pointed their gun at Victoria and Victoria pointed her own gun at the masked person.


    "Don Victoria," the masked person said. "Put the gun down. If you don''t want anyone to get hurt, put the gun down!"


    Victoria narrowed her eyes. "Who are you and what do you want?"


    "Fine then, you won''t put the gun down and talk like a civilized person then I''ll just get straight to the point. I''m a messenger from someone who really cares for you," the masked person said.


    Victoria rolled her eyes. "Okay, if this person wants to be my suitor then no thanks! I have plenty of mates, I''m good."


    The masked person shook their head. "Oh they just want to be by your side. I''ll give a hint. This person has already told you that she won''t take no for an answer."


    Victoria cocked her head to the side and gave the masked person an amused look. "I won''t take no for an answer? Is that all you got? I''m sorry but that''s just not enough. I get people that tell me that all the time."


    The masked person shrugged. "That''s all I got for you. I''m not planning on killing anyone today or hurting anyone. So you should think wisely-"


    The masked person didn''t get to finish their sentence when the security guards were on them. They tackled the person down to the ground and managed to grab the gun out of their hands. Once the masked person was handcuffed they were dragged away.


    The rest of the security guards stayed behind and Victoria put her gun away and managed to restore order in the room. "Everyone, calm down! I''ll make sure that my security team searches the parameters and make sure that there''s no other masked intruder. If you want to leave I understand but at least wait until my security team gives the all clear. That should take at least a half an hour."


    There was some grumbling amongst the audience but they did as they were told. Walter stared at Victoria in awe. She looked at him. "What?"


    "That was so badass what you just did. Damn I''m so ready to cut the cake and get out of here so I can fuck you," Walter said.


    "Well I am a Don of a mafia, I kind of have to be badass. It''s my job," Victoria said in a matter of fact way.


    The leader of the security team approached Victoria. "Don Victoria. we''ll make sure the parameters are secure as fast as possible. We''ll also be holding the prisoner in the dungeons at the mansion so you can worry about them when you get back from your honeymoon."


    Victoria nodded. "Alright then."


    Some of the people at the reception left saying that they didn''t feel safe and Victoria understood that. She wasn''t going to be the type of Don that held their partygoers hostage at the party just so she could have a good time. When she first became the Don of the Royals she heard of other Don''s doing stuff like that.


    The rest of the reception went off without a hitch. One of the photographers at the wedding stepped out for a bit to place a phone call to Delilah.


    Delilah didn''t go to the wedding because she didn''t see a point to it. She knew Victoria was trying to send her message by doing that. So Delilah sent a message of her own. She picked up on the first ring. "Hello?"


    "Boss," the photographer said. "The job is done. Charles is being dragged away by Don Victoria''s guards as we speak."


    "Good. I thought that would happen. Even if Charles tells them that he was working for me that won''t give them much to go on. I''ll just feign ignorance. Charles is on his own now and he knew that was part of the deal. I''ll pay for his brother''s surgery regardless. He did his part of the deal so I''ll do my part," Delilah said.


    As Delilah hung up the phone she let out an unhinged cackle. "Don''t you worry Don Victoria! We''ll be together. I will be by your side whether you like it or not. If I have to kill you in order to do that, then so be it!"


    Delilah paused at that last statement puzzled as to why she thought that way. "Wait¡­ What''s happening to me? I mean sure I want her to acknowledge me but no matter how hard I try the urge to kill her has come back tenfold! Should I get help?"


    After a moment of confusion over her own thoughts she shrugged. "Nah, the plan has already been set in motion. So there''s no turning back now."


    She didn''t realize that the reason why her thoughts turned so dark even though she wanted to be good, was because she was possessed by a demon that Alastor had planted in her. The demon was dormant for the most part but even with being dormant it still had enough power to influence her thoughts. It was just waiting for an order from Alastor to execute the final stage of what would be her downfall.

 Chapter 46: You still have a long way to go…

    {Victoria}


    It''s been a week after the honeymoon and for the most for Walter and I a lot of the honeymoon was spent having sex with each of our mates. I''m not complaining about that, not one little bit.


    But once we got back from the honeymoon everything went back to business as usual. The first thing I did when I got back I confronted the prisoner who dared to raise a gun at me at my wedding! I was able to get information about the guy. His name is Charles Bradly and the main reason he did what he did was that his brother was in the hospital in need of an important surgery. He made a deal with whoever hired him that he would deliver the message and his boss would pay for the surgery.


    Sure enough I was able to check about the surgery and it had been paid in full. This pissed me off to no end. The message wasn''t even delivered fully!


    I went down to the dungeon to talk to Charles and he was already tied up in a chair. It looked like the guards already used him as their punching bag and that was fine by me. The guy would be dead soon but I wanted to deliver the killing blow. I prefer to execute people quickly and painlessly. Afterwards I have my men chop up the person and send their body parts back to their family.


    I''m pretty sure those families will want to seek vengeance for their loved one. But their loved ones should''ve known what they were getting into when they got involved with a mafia.


    Vengeance against a mafia hardly ever happens for one reason. If a family member that got involved with someone in a mafia and got themselves killed, seeking vengeance on a mafia was asking for a war. The Royals have been known to wipe out entire families and entire mafia''s for daring to try and get their warped sense of justice.


    I''m going to be kind and let Charles'' family live. But I will issue a warning when I send Charles''s body parts to them. They''ll get the warning or they''ll be stupid and live with a chip on their shoulder.


    "So exactly why did you think it was a good idea to point a gun at a mafia boss? You''re lucky no one died that day," I snarled when I saw Charles.


    "So?" Charles said. "I did my job and I didn''t kill anyone. Please take that into consideration. I have a family!"


    I paused and scoffed, "Family?" I pointed to one of my guards standing behind me. "He has a family." I pointed to another guard. "He has a family." I pointed to myself. "I have a family. Having a family does not make you special. It is not a get out of jail or a get out of a death sentence card. Don''t worry I''m allowing the rest of your family live when I can just go hunt down every single family member and execute them. I''m being generous by doing this because the previous mafia boss wouldn''t have thought twice about murdering an entire family just because one of their family members did something stupid."


    He opened his mouth and shut it. I''m assuming he was trying to come up with some objectionable comment but couldn''t figure out anything.


    I walked over to him and squatted down so that I was at eye level with him. "On the bright side, after you die, you''ll still exist. Just you won''t exist in this world. You''ll be existing in Hell."


    Charles scoffed, "Hell''s not real. I''m not surprised you said that. You are a mafia boss after all."


    The guards behind me snickered because they knew that I was telling the truth. I shrugged. "Oh well, whether you believe or not you''ll find out soon."


    I stood up and walked over to one of my guards who handed me a gun. "Don''t worry, I''m showing you mercy by giving you a painless death."


    I cocked the gun and didn''t give Charles a chance to respond to me when I put a bullet in his head. His body went limp and I could tell from his lifeless eyes that he was dead. One of my guards handed me a cloth and I used it to wipe my hands off. I nodded. "You guys know what to do with the body."


    Without another word I left the room.


    ***


    As I walked down the hallway to the kitchen I ran into Riley.


    "My goddess Victoria! What happened? Where''d all the blood on your shirt come from?" Riley gasped.


    "It''s not my blood. It''s just business as usual," I said with a shrug.


    She looked at me in awe. "Wow! I''m glad I''m not a mafia boss, there''s no way I could handle having to kill someone on a regular basis! Alpha Maxwell''s had to kill people before and he''s always in a foul mood afterwards. I don''t blame him either."


    My second in command William came running up to us. He looked pretty excited for whatever the reason.


    I raised an eyebrow. "What is it Will?"


    "Oh, um His Majesty Satan wants an audience with you," William said. "He said that he has something important that he wants you to see."


    I nodded. "Okay then tell him on my way."


    He paused. "You might wanna change your clothes first. You''re covered in blood."


    I shrugged. "Alright then."


    Riley grabbed my hand and dragged me to my room and had me strip. I chuckled. "Gee if you''re horny all you have to do is ask."


    Riley blushed and shook her head. "No it''s not like that. Although I would love to do that to you but right now you reek of blood and your clothes are stained. More than likely you''ll have to wear your Royal Attire when you meet up with the King. I think it would be an insult to the throne if you go to your father reeking of blood."


    I snorted. "Okay mom, I''ll do as you say."


    Riley blushed again. "Please stop tempting me or you''ll be late."


    I pecked her on the cheek. "I can''t help it, you''re so cute when you blush like that."


    At this point in the conversation Riley was about as red as a tomato.


    "Alright, alright I''ll take a shower and get dressed," I said.


    Riley nodded and practically pushed me into the bathroom and closed the door. I chuckled to myself, "Silly woman. I''m glad she''s my mate."


    I got dressed and headed to Hell where my father was. He greeted me at the gate where the portal was. "Victoria, while I''m glad you came in your royal attire I probably should''ve told you to dress in your training outfit instead. My bad. Don''t worry we''ll stop at the castle so that you can get changed. We''re going to meet someone very special today. She wants to test you to see how well you''re doing on your training."


    "Oh," I said.


    We made a pitstop to the castle and I changed into my training clothes. Then we headed towards the portal and traveled to another realm. I gasped when I saw whose realm it is. It was none other than the High Ruler''s realm! Stolen story; please report.


    "Um, Dad?" I asked. "Why are we here?"


    "I told you, we''re going to meet someone special," Satan answered. "She''s going to test you on how well you''re doing with your training."


    "I see," I said. I walked alongside Satan as we got closer to the training area, I heard the sound of swords clanging.


    When we got to the training area I looked in awe as I saw a woman who looked like she was in her late thirties. She stood strong and tall and fought against three different people and had two swords in her hands. The fight ended so quickly that you''d miss it if you blinked.


    All three opponents were down on the ground in pain because of being struck so hard.


    "Oh come on! You guys are pussies!" The woman taunted. "All that trash talk and you can''t even last two seconds against me. Tsk, tsk, that''s just sad."


    I covered my mouth to stifle a laugh and that was when the woman turned around and saw us. Satan bowed to her and since Satan bowed to her I copied the action.


    "Your Majesty, High Ruler Trinity, I present to you my daughter, Princess Victoria," Satan said.


    "You may rise," High Ruler Trinity said.


    We stood up and High Ruler Trinity looked at me and smiled. "Ah, Princess Victoria! I''ve heard so much about you from your father." She looked at Satan. "Your Majesty Satan, you may go now."


    He nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty."


    When he left High Ruler Trinity turned to me and said, "Now I want to test you to see how you''ll be able to handle the power of your three boxes."


    I paused. "Three boxes? I thought there was only one?"


    She shook her head. "Nope. There''s three of them that the Fifth sealed your powers away in. Of course you''ll be getting one of them once the deal that you made with your father is done. Honestly, I think you''ll have a lot to learn about being a leader. I mean running a mafia is one thing. Running a kingdom is another."


    "Running a what now?" I said.


    She rolled her eyes. "Who do you think is going to be ruling over Hell once daddy dearest steps down from the throne? You are the firstborn are you not?"


    I nodded. "Yes I''m the-" Then the reality of what she said hit me like a ton of bricks. "Seriously? A kingdom? Me? Leading a kingdom? I can barely keep up with leading a mafia!"


    "Calm down," High Ruler Trinity said. "It won''t be right away, you still have a while before that happens. Now, let''s get started. First we''ll do hand to hand combat and then we''ll do sword fighting."


    We stood in the center of the training area facing each other. No one moved at first but then I saw what looked like laser beams that told what High Ruler Trinity''s next move was going to be. So before she charged at me I prepared myself to dodge her and I did.


    After a coupled more times dodging her attacks she smiled. "Your defense isn''t bad. You''re pretty quick on that. Now give me your offense."


    I did as I was told and attacked her with all my might. She deflected my blows as if she were shooing away a pesky fly. I have no one idea how long we fought but I was having some fun with this. High Ruler Trinity ended the fight by punching me in the stomach and sending me flying into a nearby wall.


    I got to my feet and dusted myself off.


    "Not bad, still needs work, but not bad," High Ruler Trinity said. "Now let''s continue with sword fighting."


    We did the same thing with sword fighting and High Ruler Trinity ended the fight by knocking me up against a nearby wall.


    She helped me get to my feet and once again I dusted myself off.


    "Your combat skills need some work and you have a long way to go, but not bad. You did manage to land a couple of hits on me. Not bad, not bad at all," High Ruler Trinity said.


    "When you say that I have a long way to go, how long are we talking?" I asked.


    She chuckled. "Probably a couple more years tops. No one gets good at combat training overnight. You''re already good even without most of your powers and I can see that you''re developing fighting techniques on your own. Things will be a lot better when you get rid of your original body. I''ll just tell you this. You''ll be getting rid of your original body soon. VERY soon."


    I tilted my head. "What do you mean by that?"


    She shook her head. "I can''t say."


    I shrugged. "Alright then."


    ***


    {Delilah}


    I have been disturbed by my dark thoughts lately. The thoughts of wanting to kill Victoria have been stronger in my head ever since the wedding. I''m not sure why though. I know I need to talk to someone about it but who could I talk to without being locked up in a mental facility afterward?


    Tonight was no different. I sat in my room next to the window looking up at the night sky. I sighed. "Soon Victoria. I will be by your side. Since I can''t be by your side in this life, I''ll be by your side in the afterlife."


    I paused and tried my best to shake the negative thoughts away. I mean sure I was mad at Victoria for stealing Ben away from me but I don''t want to kill her. But at the same time because of knowing that I won''t ever win her favor this is the only option.


    "Yes that''s right," I said. "This is the only option to be with her. I will have my daughter back one way or another."


    I smiled and took out my journal. In this journal I detailed everything I was going to do when I finally killed Victoria. Everything was there right down to the little speech that I had in mind for her. The date that I had set to put my plan in action was tomorrow. I was so excited and knew that I wasn''t going to get much sleep but that was fine by me.


    ***


    {Victoria}


    I was sitting at my desk in my office going over some paperwork. I actually feel that this part is actually a somewhat relaxing change of pace. I know some people tend to find doing paperwork slow and boring but when you have a fast paced life like I do, slow and boring sounds like a vacation.


    There was a knock on the door. "Come in!"


    Walter came into the room carrying a tray of food with the medicine that I''ve been taking for my power surges. I looked at the tray and made a face.


    Walter chuckled, "Aw come on! It''s not that bad. I have to take the same thing too since I started having my power surges as well. Thankfully mine aren''t as bad as yours yet."


    "Fine. Did you eat anything yet?" I asked.


    Walter nodded. "Yeah I just ate. I got bored so I figured I''d get you your medicine and bug you for a little bit."


    I snorted. "Sure."


    There was another knock on the door. Walter looked at me and frowned. "Are you expecting anyone?"


    I shook my head. "No, I''m not."


    Another knock on the door sounded. I answered it. "Come in!"


    When the door opened my jaw dropped when I saw Delilah standing there with a dagger in her hand.


    "What are you doing here? And how did you get past my security?" I growled.


    She smirked. "I told you. A simple no wouldn''t be enough to get rid of me. I will be by your side. And this is the only way to do that."


    Walter stepped in front of my desk shielding me from Delilah. Delilah walked up to Walter and stabbed him. He stumbled backwards and fell to the ground. To say I was shocked as I watched the life out of his eyes fade was understatement. But I knew he wasn''t dead. He would probably show up in Hell. He would come back once he was healed.


    Delilah laughed as she brought the dagger and licked the blood off it.


    "You''re crazy!" I growled.


    She nodded. "Uh-hmmm. Now it''s your turn."


    I was going to fight Delilah but then I got an idea. I figured that fighting Delilah would be the perfect excuse to get rid of my original body. So I stood up and walked around the desk. I walked towards Delilah and instead of taking a step back she took a step forward and stabbed me in the gut.


    I felt my vision starting to go black when Delilah leaned down and said, "When it comes down to punishing people like you, I enjoy being heartless."


    After that, the world faded away.


    ***


    The next time I opened my eyes I saw that I was in my bed at the castle in Hell. I heard someone breathe a sigh of relief. "Oh good, you''re awake. I thought it was going to take you longer to wake up. Walter''s already awake and ready to go back."


    I looked at Satan and frowned. "How long was I out?"


    "Two days," Satan answered.


    I sat up. "Well that''s good to know that I wasn''t out for too long. What happened to Delilah?"


    Satan smiled. "She was arrested for attempted murder but she''s going on about how she saw you die and shit. Smart move in having her kill you in order to get rid of your original body. Once the time comes you should be able to take the first box of your powers."


    "Yeah, High Ruler Trinity told me that I had more than one box. You think I can handle all of my powers when I went so long without them?" I asked.


    He shrugged. "I don''t see why not. They''re your powers and now that you got rid of your original body you should be able to adapt to them."


    "I hope so," I said. "How long do I have to wait before I can go back?"


    He chuckled. "You can go back today if you want? You just have to get out of bed, get dressed and grab something to eat and you''ll be good to go."


    "Works for me," I said.

 Chapter 47: Destiny Fulfilled! The future is up to you.

    {omniscient}


    A YouTuber named Anything123 sat at his computer desk smiling. This was going to be his most epic video yet! At least that''s what he thought.


    He was one of the ones that had exclusive rights to record the wedding of Victoria Lee and Walter Hawkins. Victoria Lee was the Don of the most powerful mafia in the USA. He made sure to get a recording of the masked person who dared to raise their gun at Don Victoria.


    He turned on his computer and set his YouTube to livestream mode. As soon as his loyal fans realized that he was streaming they popped into the chat. He spent the first five minutes greeting the chat and just talking to them about nothing as he got the video and everything else he would need for his stream because he planned on streaming for at least a couple of hours ready.


    "Alright chat, now that I''ve greeted everyone, I got something for you! Ladies and gentlemen! I present a recording of the wedding that I went to last week. It took a while to get this up and running because there was a lot of footage. And I got paid for covering this. So I''m going to put this content to good use!" Anything123 said.


    That was when he got his first superchat. The user name was sexywink92 and it was for 2$. "Are you going to show more footage of that mafia called the Royals again? I must say the last footage that you showed of them was pretty cool! They are a force to be reckoned with!"


    "Ah yes, thank you for the superchat sexywink92. Yes as a matter of fact I am going to be showing footage of that mafia again! I said I went to a wedding and the wedding was of the current Don of the Royals wedding. It was scary and awesome to be there!" Anything123 said. At this point he couldn''t contain his excitement.


    The chat started to go crazy putting out the same type of excitement that Anything123 was showing. Another superchat came in. The username was aly465 and it was for 20$. "Why was it scary to be there? Aren''t weddings supposed to be happy?"


    "Aly465 thank you for the superchat! It was scary because there was a masked person who decided to try and kill Don Victoria!" Anything123 dramatically exclaimed.


    The chat started crazy saying things like, "OMG! Is Don Victoria okay?"


    "Who the hell would be so stupid as to raise a gun to Don Victoria?"


    "Did this guy have a death wish?"


    Another superchat came in and the username was sadloafofbread and it was for 5$. "I did some research on the Royals. They don''t take too kindly to things like that. I''ll bet that the guy is dead by now."


    "Sadloafofbread, thank you for the superchat. And yes, I agree he''s probably dead by now," Anything123 said. "Alright, let''s get into the main event! Here it is!"


    Anything123 showed the video of the wedding that he recorded. It had highlights on it of Victoria and Walter standing at the isle and them marking each other along with the other people that were standing next them. He explained that the markings meant that those people are included in the relationship as Don Victoria and Walter even though they''re not legally married to them.


    After two hours of streaming showing the wedding videos, he finally showed the video footage of the masked person who dared to raise their gun at Don Victoria.


    The chat went nuts again username after username scrolled across the screen at an alarming rate.


    "Hold on chat! Calm down!" Anything123 said. "I''m going to pause it right here."


    He paused the video and it showed the point where the masked gunman raised his gun and pointed it at Don Victoria. "Right there! That''s the guy who was so bold as to march into the place and raise his gun at Don Victoria!"


    He got another superchat and it was from a username gravestonesspeak and it was for 10$. "Yeah it checks out. The guy''s name was Charles. I knew him. He''s not too bright because he said he was going to the wedding to deliver Don Victoria a message."


    That superchat got his attention. "Interesting. The masked gunman did say that''s what he was there to do. I would like to talk to you after the stream if that''s okay with you?"


    Gravestonesspeak sent in another superchat for 10$. "Yes, that would be great. I''ll message you after the stream."


    Anything123 nodded and played the rest of the clip. After another half hour of streaming he decided to end the stream. "Alright guys, I''m going to call it a day for now. I''ll be back with my regular streaming hours tomorrow and if there are any updates on this situation. Have a goodnight and I''ll see you in the next video! Bye!"


    He ended the stream and looked at his cell phone to see that it was 11pm. He yawned and stretched. "Well I should probably hit the hay."


    Standing up from his computer desk he turned off his computer and went to bed.


    ***


    {Delilah}


    I opened my eyes and looked around after I had dozed off for the tenth time. "Yeah, I forgot I''m in jail now. Maybe Don Victoria and Ben were right?"


    "Yo! Rich lady! Will you shut the hell up and come over and play cards with us? I''m sure you have enough money to pay for us when we win!" One of the inmates said. Her name is Lucy and she''s the ringleader of the bullies here. She and her minions started picking on me once they found out who I was.


    But then again, everyone here is a criminal so who am I to talk about bullying? That''s all I ever did to Victoria. I went extra hard at it when I found out that she was bisexual.


    "Inmate 4405! You got a visitor!" An officer called out.


    I rolled my eyes as some of the girls in here decided to do some cat calls saying they''ll have sex with me for money. I scoffed and thought, They''re nothing but whores and criminals! I know I''m a criminal but I refuse to be a whore!


    The officer escorted me to a room where my visitor came in. I snarled when I saw who it was. It was Alastor. I never liked the guy from the first moment I met him and it was mostly because he orchestrated Victoria and Walter''s kidnapping.


    "My, my it''s so nice to see you again. And you still hate me," Alastor said. He did a dramatic sigh, "You see I only took back what was mine. You stole my child and I took him back. That orange jumpsuit looks pretty on you. It really brings out the beautiful color of your eyes."


    He took a seat at the table across from me.


    "What do you want?" I snarled. "Haven''t you caused me enough trouble already? Face it, if you hadn''t kidnapped Victoria and Walter, Victoria would still be living as a normal human being! She wouldn''t be special like she is today."


    Alastor snorted. "See that''s where you''re wrong. Have you forgotten about her art career before she found out who she was? Or the fact that your ex-husband Frank pretty much adopted her and gave her the rights to the family name? She would''ve been special regardless of what you think. You just think she''s beneath you because you hate her. And you just had to go and kill her! You despicable bitch!"


    My eyes went wide. "What! But I was told that it was attempted manslaughter! Not murder!"


    He laughed a sinister laugh. "Well the officers lied. My poor niece and her new husband died thanks to the likes of you! However, I am here to make a deal."


    "A deal? What kind of deal?" I said while raising an eyebrow.


    "You do realize that once the charge gets bumped up to murder you''ll get the death penalty right?" Alastor said. "Okay, so it''s not really a deal, deal of sorts. It''s more like giving you guidance to weigh your options. Because you''re not getting out of jail if I got anything to say about it. I have plenty to say about it!"


    I rolled my eyes. "Okay so what are my options?"


    "Well once your charge gets moved up, you''ll more than likely go through a long wait time in jail for your trial. And then you''ll go through a long trial and be gawked at by the media and a jury of your peers. And the judge bangs that gavel and gives you your final sentence¡­ Well you know how that goes. So option number one would be to go through with everything that I just stated would happen. Option number two would be to you know off yourself. Don''t worry, I know an officer in this jail and he''ll give you what you need to finally end everything. You killed Victoria because you wanted to be by her side in the afterlife did you not?" Alastor said.


    That last statement caused me to pause. What Alastor was true. "I''ll talk to your officer¡­"


    Alastor smiled. "Splendid! I can''t wait to greet you at Hell''s portal!"


    "Hell''s portal? What does that mean?" I asked.


    He gave me a sinister grin. "Oh you''ll see when you get there."


    He stood up and walked over to the door where an officer was waiting to take me back to my cell. Before he left he patted the officer on the shoulder and said, "She''s ready."


    The Officer nodded and Alastor walked away.


    ***


    Later that day I was sitting in my cell and the lady that manages the books that are checked out from the library came by. "Here''s your book order!"


    She handed me the two books I had checked out. As I flipped through the pages something fell out of the book. I picked it up and paused. This must be what Alastor meant by offing myself. Nah! If I''m going to take myself out I''m doing it my way.


    I waited until the lights were shut down for the night because I know the officers rarely ever check on inmates on the night shift. Not to mention the officer that Alastor knew was on this cell block on the night shift.


    I smiled because I knew exactly what I was going to do. I had to make sure that my plan was foolproof. By the next time the officers did their rounds I would be dead.


    There''s no way that I was going to go through a lengthy trail just to be gawked at. No thanks. I was going to leave this world but on my own and without any help.


    ***


    {Victoria}


    "Was that really necessary?" I asked.


    After Alastor informed me that Delilah was dead I couldn''t believe it. There''s no way that Delilah would take herself out for no reason. She was only going to be charged with attempted  murder and probably given a sentence of 25 to life in prison.


    Alastor nodded. "Yes, it was. More than likely the bitch would''ve done ten or twenty years and be released with good behavior. No way on Earth was I going to let that bitch get off that easily! So what do you want me to do with her after I''ve finished torturing her? So I give her to you as a present? To be your personal slave?"If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    I shook my head. "Oh hell no! That would be giving her what she wanted. She wanted to be by my side in the afterlife. So no, I don''t want her as my servant or anything else for that matter."


    He smiled. "I have an idea as to what to do with her after I''m done torturing her!"


    I tilted my head. "And what might that be?"


    "I''ll send her to one of my generals, the seven deadly sins," Alastor said.


    "Wait, I thought the Seven Deadly Sins were just principles on what you shouldn''t do," I said.


    "Oh no, they''re real. And know just who I''m going to send her to," Alastor said with a sinister smile.


    Normally that type would freak me out but it didn''t because I gave him a sinister smile of my own. "Who are you going to send her to?"


    "Lust!" Alastor said. "I would''ve sent her to Wrath or Greed but it''s too easy of a punishment."


    I paused. "Wait, Lust is a woman?"


    Alastor nodded slowly. "Oh yeah, she is! And Lust is going to have so much fun with Delilah."


    I burst into laughter. "Oh God! I would hate to be in Delilah''s shoes! Not only will she not get what she wanted she''ll be doing the one thing she hates the most! Nice."


    When I finally composed myself there was a knock on the door. I cleared my throat. "Come in!"


    "Hey guys! I brought lunch!" Riley said. She walked carrying bags filled with Chinese takeout and my favorite Chinese takeout. It was Orange Chicken, Fried Rice, Egg Rolls and Crab Rangoon.


    My mouth watered at the smell of the food. I stood up and walked over to Riley and pulled her into my arms. "Did I tell you how much I love you?"


    Riley giggled after I kissed her. "Every time you get a chance to! I knew Alastor was going to be here so I brought enough for everyone! What were you laughing about before I came in?"


    "You heard that? Of course you heard it, you''re a werewolf," I said. "We were just talking about what Delilah''s punishment will be once she gets to Hell."


    "And that would be?" Riley asked.


    "I''m going to be sending her to one of my Generals in the Seven Deadly Sins group. My General Lust will have so much fun with Delilah!" Alastor said.


    Riley paused. "Lust is a woman?  You''re going to make Delilah be a personal sex slave to a woman?"


    "Yup!" Alastor said with a smile.


    Riley looked at me. "Isn''t Delilah homophobic?"


    I nodded. "Yup!"


    Riley burst into laughter. "Oh that''s evil! But then again, it wouldn''t be Hell if it were all sunshine and rainbows."


    "Yup, now let''s eat. I''m hungry," I said.


    I grabbed my food and sat back down to eat. As we ate lunch we talked about other random things until it got late and we went home.


    ***


    {Louis}


    I stood in the bathroom that''s connected to my office admiring my marks that Victoria and Walter gave me during their wedding. When I heard a knock on my office door I left the bathroom to see who it was.


    My right eye twitched in annoyance when I saw that it was Avery.


    "Um, can I come in?" She asked with a sheepish smile.


    I fought the urge to roll my eyes because every time she does that I know she wants something from me. Not to mention, she''s been asking if we can get back together again. It started happening after the wedding. The only thing that she can do to help me out is by co-parenting our son and she refuses to do that.


    I''m the main one taking care of Jordan and he''s already calling Victoria mom. So it looks like Avery has lost that title.


    I nodded and stepped aside so she could enter the room.


    "What do you need?" I asked.


    "Seriously? Can''t a woman visit the man she loves without needing anything?" She said with a flirtatious smile.


    I groaned, "Not this crap again! I made it clear to you that I don''t love you anymore and I won''t ever love you ever again! So stop showing up here just to pester me about this!"


    "But you can''t marry Victoria like I can marry you!" She whined.


    "And why do you want to marry me so badly?" I snapped. "Is it because of my money, is that it?"


    Her eyes went wide and her silence spoke volumes. I sighed, "I can''t give you any money but I can help you find a job but that''s it. The rest is up to you."


    "And you''re okay with the fact that you won''t be able to marry Victoria and that you''re just with her?" Avery asked.


    I nodded. "I''m perfectly okay with that. I''ve been in love with Victoria for a while now. As a matter of fact I liked her from the first moment I laid eyes on her. And when she showed me her true colors I fell for her even more. Unlike you. True, I did fall for you the first time I saw you. I loved you so much it hurt. But then when you found out that you were pregnant what did you do?"


    Avery sighed, "I ran off with my other boyfriend that I was cheating on you with."


    "There''s one thing I never understood. Why did you run off and then come back a year later leaving our son with me?" I asked.


    "Because you could take care of him better than I could. You have money and it would''ve been for our son to grow up in a stable environment. Shouldn''t the fact that I didn''t trap you in a relationship because of a child count for something?" Avery responded.


    "It does but at the same time that was rather selfish of you to wash your hands of your child and run off with someone that you cheated on me with," I said. "I was hurt by that and it took me over a year to get over it. But then I met Victoria. She is the love of my life and now she will always be the love of my life."


    At that statement Avery broke down crying. I rolled my eyes and handed her a tissue.


    "It''s not fair!" Avery said in between her tears. "Why do people like you get to have it easy when people like me have it rough!"


    "Excuse me? You could''ve had it easy too if you''d just told me when you got pregnant!" I snapped. "You knew that in the future I wanted kids. I would''ve married you if I found out you were pregnant. Not because of obligation but because I wanted a family. I worked my ass off to get to where I''m at today. You on the other hand have never worked a day in your life have you?"


    She stopped crying and looked at me. "And why should I have to work? I should have everything handed to me. That''s the way it''s always been for me."


    I grit my teeth. "Seriously? Wow, this is what happens when parents don''t tell their children no. And yes I did a background check on you. Your parents were rich and they probably wanted you to marry someone who was rich like me. I''m glad you showed me your true colors because I wasn''t looking for a trophy wife. And you know what the worst of part of you cheating and leaving me was like?"


    "What?" Avery asked.


    "Right before you left and cheated on me I was going to propose to you," I said. "You could''ve had everything you wanted but you fucked it up big time. But that''s okay because now I have someone better. Oh and get this, Jordan has started calling her mom now. So good luck getting that title back."


    Avery''s jaw dropped. "What trickery did that woman do to my son?"


    "She didn''t do anything to him. He noticed that Victoria and I were spending a lot of time together and he asked if we were together. I said yes and that Victoria isn''t going anywhere and then the next day out of nowhere Jordan started calling Victoria mom. And he absolutely adores her. She shows him the tender loving care that you should''ve shown him a looooong time ago!" I said.


    Avery stood up and started walking towards the door. "You know what? I''m done sitting here being lectured by you. I''m not a child! I don''t know what I saw in you anyway. Goodbye and don''t expect me to pop up and start taking care of Jordan since you''re doing such a good job."


    "Yeah I am. Like I said, I can get you a job but that''s it. I''m not giving you any money and I won''t marry you," I said.


    "Okay then¡­ Goodbye¡­" She slowly walked up to the door and paused. She turned around and looked at me and I knew what that look was about. She was expecting me to change my mind and tell her to stay and we can reconcile or whatever fantasy she has in her head.


    I nodded slowly and waved. "Okay, goodbye."


    She sighed, "Goodbye."


    When she finally left I breathed a sigh of relief. I also knew that was going to be the last time I would ever see her. That was fine by me.


    ***


    {omniscient}


    Two years later¡­


    Once Victoria arrived back at hell she was finally able to accept all of her powers that had been sealed away inside boxes. When that happened Victoria felt so strong and invincible. That''s because she was invincible.


    She was then crowned as the new ruler of Hell shortly after she got her powers back. Satan had introduced her to Lucifer who was proud to see that she was sitting on the throne instead of her father.


    One day she talked to Lucifer while taking a stroll in the gardens behind the castle. "So was there some reason why you wanted me to rule over Hell and not Dad?"


    Lucifer responded. "Because I talked to Karma and she had a vision about the one who would become the greatest ruler of Hell. Shortly after Karma had the vision and I had a vision too about the same thing. That''s part of my abilities but just in case I''m wrong I always consult with Karma. I saw you sitting on the throne with a black box in your hands. When you opened it you grew more powerful so powerful that your abilities would be matched with mine and Satan''s! Your powers would eventually grow so strong that even Hell itself wouldn''t be able to contain you should choose not to keep ruling only over Hell. So I warned Karma not to say anything to anyone about the vision.


    "But when Karma gets bored she''ll do anything to stir the pot. She knew about the organization called: the Fifth and how they claimed to worship my son. But in reality they don''t worship him. They envy his power enough to covet it for themselves. That''s the real reason why they kidnapped you and Prince Walter.


    "Shortly after you and Prince Walter were kidnapped I had another vision. You were still sitting on the throne but because you were newly crowned other demons were challenging your power only to die by your hand. You were focused on ruling over Hell only. However, you do realize that you can keep humans under your thumb by making contracts with them right?"


    Victoria shook her head. "No and why would I want to? I don''t have any interest in dealing with humans for the time being."


    Lucifer laughed, "Thought you might say that because I had a couple more visions one was that you made a deal with a human and the other was that your spouses that are still alive started dying one by one and joining you in Hell helping you with your rule. The vision will start tomorrow with your human spouse named Louis. Prince Walter and Prince Ben are demons so they don''t count as ''dead'' now do they?"


    Victoria shrugged. "I guess not."


    ***


    The next day Lucifer''s vision came true and Louis and his son Jordan were killed by a jealous ex-girlfriend who wanted to be his wife so that she could have his money.


    Two months after that Victoria''s werewolf spouse Riley died by food poisoning because of her jealous parents who didn''t like the fact that was now a Princess. They thought the Moon Goddess had made a mistake in pairing their daughter up with the future ruler of Hell. But that wasn''t the case because Riley was perfect for Victoria and she had a discussion with the Moon Goddess to confirm this.


    Then Ross died from being shot with a silver bullet by some angry villagers who were fed lies about what vampires were really like. They had hunted him down and shot him.


    After each of Victoria''s spouses had died she made it a point to marry them officially and she crowned Louis and Ross as Princess and she crowned Riley as a Princess.


    Twelve years later and Victoria was still ruling over Hell and squashing any disputes that came up in regards to her ruling over Hell. A lot of older Demons didn''t like that she was ruling over Hell because they thought she was a baby even though she was over forty years old now. That is understandable considering Demons are immortal and invincible.


    One as Victoria was sitting on the throne and got a visit from Karma. Karma bowed. "Your Majesty."


    Victoria raised an eyebrow. "You may rise. What brings you here? I hope you''re not here because you''re bored and trying to stir the pot?"


    Karma chuckled and shook her head. "No, Your Majesty. I''m just here to see well you''re doing and from the looks of it you seem to be just fine. Although every once and a while I still have a vision about you opening and unleashing chaos upon Earth. Now that would be a sight to see. But it seems that this vision might not come true. Which is weird because all of my visions come true."


    "Come on, let''s take a walk in the gardens," Victoria said.


    She stepped down from her throne and Karma followed to the gardens.


    "I have part of my powers sealed away in a black box. The reason why I have them sealed away and because I''m considering making deals with humans in order to keep them in line. So they get mysteriously sick then it''s because they didn''t hold their end of the bargain," Victoria explained. "I have made a resolve to never unleash my powers on a whim because of how much destruction they could cause. I''ve made it so that the box can only be opened by me. So no worries I''m pretty sure your visions will come true. Just not at the moment. Was there anything else that you wanted to talk to me about?"


    Karma shook her head. "Nope that was it. I just wanted to confirm something. As it stands your destiny has been fulfilled! Send my regards to Jordan and your daughter Beth along with Prince Walter, Prince Ben, Prince Louis, Princess Riley and Prince Ross and Princess Rose for me. I shall take my leave now."


    Karma snapped her fingers then vanished.


    Victoria smiled and muttered to herself, "Yes the future is up to me."


    In the following years Victoria would have no problem ruling over Hell. She would go on to fight countless numbers of wars in the name of protecting Hell and her subjects adored her for it. She got so good at combat to the point where she actually did finally manage to kick Alastor''s ass if he angered her. Although she swore up and down that Alastor was just messing with her to see what she might do.


    As the years rolled by Jenny was finally crowned Princess by Victoria because Alastor married her making her his eighth wife. Jenny didn''t mind that she wasn''t Alastor''s only wife because had gotten used to how things were done around Hell.


    But just as Karma said, Victoria had fulfilled her destiny by being ruler of Hell and a great ruler. Karma saw no need to stir the pot anymore because of some vision. Even though Karma had visions that she wanted to see come true, she didn''t say a word about them to Victoria or anyone else. Karma decided that the future was what Victoria wanted it to be.


    Yes, the future would be up to Victoria and not Karma. Victoria''s future would be written by Victoria and no one else.