6 The Mark

Everette.

"Everette dear! You truly honor me with your presence on this occasion. To what do I owe the privilege of your visit, nephew?"

I roll my eyes with a half smile as I receive my aunt's warm greeting.

"You act as if my visits were once in a millennium." I reply with grace.

"But it is very unusual for you to be here so often." she says.

Aisha keeps hiding behind my back with a low gaze, looking at Lilith's hair with curiosity, probably remembering some human legends that are said about her.

"I decided to come and introduce you properly to the new soul under my domain. As you may remember, the last time she was indisposed after being subjected to your salon." I move slightly away so that she can see her. "She is Aisha."

She looks at her from top to bottom, analyzing her, for sure.

"But what a delicate creature." she exclaims in surprise. "There doesn't seem to be the slightest trace of darkness in her. Are you sure it's not a mistake?"

"Completely." I answer with certainty. "Aisha will soon become a demon like us, so powerful that she will belong to the darkness itself."

"Always so ambitious." my aunt smiles, coquettish. "How are you, my dear?"

She looks at her a little intimidated, she relays her lips before responding.

"Perfectly." she assures her. "It is a pleasure to meet you, spectre of the night." she bows slightly.

My aunt smiles in fascination and comes closer to her.

"But how charming!" she shouts. "You have heard of me, I assure you that I am not as the humans relate." a devilish smile "I am much worse."

Aisha swallows nervously and retreats until her arm touches mine, I push it away uncomfortably but allow it to take shelter behind my back.

Coming to Lilith's domain is necessary, before starting her demonic training I have to make sure that her human instincts are completely eradicated, I don't want any weakness in her. My aunt is a cold but charismatic being, despite showing affection for her, I am aware that she feels her humanity even though it is pulsating.

Humans are weak, treacherous and succumb to their desires in an instant, that is why Lilith dedicates herself to embodying the forbidden desires of human men, that is her method of stealing souls. Long ago she does not feel empathy or compassion for humans; that is our closest bond.

"I would love for you to show us around, I need her to familiarize herself with the new surroundings. Many times she refuses to let go of humanity." I explain.

Immediately she grimaces in disgust.

"Humans! Ridiculous creatures, always prey to their desires, selfish and evil." she says immediately, succeeding in snatching a smile of satisfaction from me. "Why would you want to belong to such an inferior race?"

"Humans are not so bad." she answers nervously. "I was one myself and I became worthy of becoming one of you."

"Very few have that privilege, very few humans have really become what we are." her look goes straight to Aisha's neck and I see the surprise on her face when she looks at the necklace on it. "But what a lovely necklace..."

Aisha caresses it and smiles as she gives me a quick glance.

"It was a gift from Everette." she announces.

"But nephew, it is your mark..." she murmurs in wonder.

"Aisha, go and wait for me at the entrance, I will join you soon." I order her quickly.

"Why must I go?" she asks confused.

"Because I have just ordered you to." I smile in sarcasm.

She rolls her eyes, but says nothing else. Once outside, I turn my attention to Lilith.

"I didn't know that you had already found a companion to your existence." smiles with evil.

"I assure you that it is not what you think." I roll my eyes annoyed thanks to her assumption.

"There is no other way to interpret it. When a demon gives his mark to a being, it is because he has chosen to be with him for all eternity."

"I cannot even tolerate being next to her for more than twenty minutes without wanting to banish her." I plead displeasure. "I only gave it to her because she was afraid and I needed to leave for a moment, so that she wouldn't make a scene, I actually did it without thinking."

Lilith laughs mockingly.

"My dear nephew has fallen in love, it's a shame." she pouts.

Trying to control myself I approach her with determination.

"It is an insult that you even insinuate that I feel love." I declare in anger. "Love is a weakness to which I will never be bound."

She sighs and denies.

"I myself felt love, nephew, you must not feel self-conscious." Her expression changes to one of mockery. "Love for evil, obviously."

"She is mine, I cannot help but feel possession of everything that includes her, you have more than three hundred souls under your control, you better than anyone know how possessive that link is."

Lilith materializes a silver necklace with a moon pendant.

"And no matter how much possession I feel towards each one of them, my mark is still under my power." she shows it to me before making it disappear.

"This discussion doesn't make any sense, you are more stubborn than anyone else, that's why my father has no tolerance for you." I claim.

She laughs.

"That old devil fell into the clutches of love so long ago." she says gracefully.

I grimace, knowing that she is right, my father, who makes fun of humans who do stupid things for love, is someone who does them anyway.

"My father and mother are prisoners of love, they suffer so much because of it."

"However, thanks to that love you are here now. Let me tell you the eternity is more enjoyable with someone who despises humans as much as I do." she flatters me.

I laugh and can't help it.

"I trust that you will help me turn Aisha into a being full of darkness."

My aunt's eyes are watching me with perverse amusement.

"The simple idea of seeing a soul corrupt into a creature full of evil is delicious." She walks towards me and puts her hand on my arm. "I had forgotten to mention a detail."

"What is it?"

"Ammon is here."

I raise my eyebrows in surprise.

"I thought he was in the maze of lust."

"Apparently it wasn't good enough to keep him there." she shrugs.

Ammon is the demon of force and violence, he chooses to take the form of a huge wolf and moves only through the darkness of the night. Five hundred years ago he decided to go and explore new hellish pleasures and for that there is no better place than, the labyrinth of lust, where your darkest desires consume you in an addictive and sadistic way.

Simply delicious.

"It will be good to see him." I conclude. "Has he communicate with you?"

Lilith's wide smile and her hungry look manage to wrench a mischievous smile out of me.

"Naturally, he came to ask me for a place to stay."

"Have you had enough passion?" I know that the encounters with Lilith and Ammon are so lustful that fornication itself can't be compared to what they do.

"We both possess the same curse." she sighs.

"What would that be?"

"We can never get enough of each other." she winks at me.

I laugh underneath.

"Speaking of love... " I hint.

"Love and desire don't go the same way." she reminds me.

"Desire can be satiated with any being. Love demands only one creature, only she or he can make us feel satisfied in totality."

She squints her eyes and turns around with her arms crossed.

"As you said yourself, it is an insult that you even insinuate that I feel love."

"I don't think this conversation will get us anywhere. The moment my dark self feels anything remotely similar to love, I assure you that you will be the first to know."

"How will you know what love feels like?" inquires in a distant voice. "We have never loved beyond the bonds that unite us as a family."

I scowl at her question. The truth is that I had never thought about it before, love is something for the weak, even though it includes my father, who fell in his own trap when he fell in love with my mother, I do not consider myself someone capable of love. But if the king of darkness himself has fallen into it, nothing assures me that I will be immune.

The idea of falling in love seems so distant, both Lilith and I enjoy the pleasures and solitude, we have not needed more.

"The moment my thoughts stop being mine and my sighs escape unavoidably, I will know that I have fallen in love." I declare.

She turns around and gives me a tired smile.

"I suppose it will be like that. I promise you, dear nephew, that if at any time my soul finds refuge in someone else, you will be the first to know."

"So be it." I assure her.

(...)

"I truly hope you have enjoyed your stay in my domain." says Lilith.

After the grand tour of all her lands, we headed for my home, which Aisha does not yet know.

"I thank you very much for your hospitality, great spectrum of the night." she smiles.

I raise an analytical eyebrow, in front of the others she is so calm and docile, but when she addresses me she is defensive and dominant.

A perverse smile lands on my lips as I know she hides her true darkness. I know it is there and I will delight in it once it takes over both of us and consumes us until we lose our minds.

"Nephew, I look forward to your next visit." she looks at me " May the darkness be in your path."

"And guide my destiny."

Aisha pays careful attention to the traditional farewell used here in hell, it is something she should use naturally in the future.

We walk away and I allow myself to enter my thoughts.

While my father is in the heavenly realm, I must make sure that each of the leaders in hell do their jobs in the most efficient manner, the fallen kingdom needs to report back soon, so I need to communicate with Azazel.

"Your aunt is..." says Aisha after a few minutes.

"A complete psychopath." I complete.

She laughs.

"She's quite eccentric." rephrases. "And quite affectionate."

"What I said, a psychopath." I shrug. "But I guess I trust her."

"Isn't it usual for you to trust someone?" she raises an eyebrow in my direction.

"Trust gives others a chance to know your weaknesses."

"I trust you." she says. "Which is odd considering that I hate you."

I laugh perversely.

"You don't hate me, you desire me. It's very different."

Her expression is a poem, I make a supernatural effort not to laugh in her face.

"Desire you?! You're wrong!" she's making a proud and indignant face.

I stop and take her arm in a demanding way, she is startled to feel my voluntary touch. Her blue eyes collide with mine and I use all the power of my gaze to persuade her, gently pushing her against a nearby wall and bringing my lips close to her neck to leave a slight, but wet kiss on it.

"Don't I provoke you at all?" I murmur this time against her hair.

"W...what...?"

"Your body knows who its owner is, but your mind seems to resist it." I make a pout.

"I am not yours." she whispers, swallowing.

I raise my face and brush her nose with mine, her eyes stay fixed on mine and I smile slightly.

"I don't understand why you resist me."

"You are only mocking me." she squints her eyes, glaring at me.

"Unfortunately, you haven't noticed something yet."

"I don't want to know anything that has to do with you." she assures.

"Are you absolutely sure? If you tried to be nice to me, I'm sure we'd get along just fine."

"So I have to change? What about you? All you do is tell me that I'm a pain in the ass."

I get a little closer as her breast hits mine.

"I assure you that I am trying to treat you in the best way, it has been a long time since I have been in constant company with someone else, my attitude has nothing to do with you. It's more about what you are."

"I can't change what I am, Everette."

"But I can." I smile in a sinister way.

I leave a kiss on the edge of her lip, tempting her. She opens her mouth instinctively and I laugh with pleasure.

"You are the worst." she whispers, holding back.

"For you are bound to me, for all eternity."