THE LETTER FROM THE DEMON KING (2)

At her door stood a man cloaked in shadow. His midnight blue hair fell in soft waves to his shoulders, and his eyes were a pair that were a shade of amber yellow that stared at her unblinkingly. They were unsettling and reminded her of a serpent's eyes. He was tall, much taller than Arella, who was already much taller than many men she knew. His features were sharp, almost inhumanly so, with a dark beauty that she had never seen before.

"Who are you?" Arella demanded crossing her hands over each other.

The man did not smile; however, his gaze flicked down to the Shadow Hound that hovered behind Arella. "I am here to deliver a message to Arella of the House of Camael." His words sent a chill down her spine.

Her eyes narrowed at him. "From whom?"

"The Demon King." His voice was deep, "His Majesty King Varziel."

Arella's heart skipped a beat upon hearing his name. She swallowed, forcing herself to remain composed even though she was anything but. Of course, she knew that men usually sent proposal letters to the families of the female they intended to take as their bride. She was not sure if the same customs applied to demons, though. 'Why would the king send a message to me directly?' she was tempted to shut the door at the demon's face.

 "Is it not to be delivered to my family?" Her voice was steady, and for that she thanked the lands.

"This letter was written with explicit instructions to deliver it to you personally, my lady." That revelation made it all even more personal, intimate even. She could feel her fingers tremble, but she stepped aside, allowing the tall man to enter.

He was no celestial messenger, but Arella knew she had to give him respect if he worked directly for the Demon King.

The man's eyes scanned her small cottage, lingering for a second longer on the Shadow Hound. Echo was now growling very lowly at him, its hackles raised. He met the creature's gaze with one akin to amusement but made no move to engage.

"Relax, pup, I am not here for you." He said, his tone dismissive as he reached into his cloak and withdrew a scroll sealed with dark wax.

Arella's pulse quickened as the man handed her the scroll. His gaze lingered on her face, assessing her reaction. She took the scroll, her fingers trembling ever so slightly, as she broke the seal. The message inside was brief.

To Arella, the daughter of Camael,

Your presence has been requested in the Demon Realm. I shall come and collect you in the heavenly realm in four days. Our union shall be discussed in person. I hope you are amenable. Make your preparations quickly.

Yours,

Varziel.

The fact that he had not signed off with his title made the left side of Arella's chest itch with something she did not understand.

However, his words hit her like a physical blow. It was as if the letter had now solidified that he was an actual living being that she was going to be married to. The weight of it all threatened to crush her. Varziel was real, alive, and she was being pulled into his orbit.

"I assume you have no intentions of denying this invitation?" the man asked. His voice was smooth and sounded mocking.

His words caused her to snap out of the blow. Instead, her fury rose. "You have no idea what you are asking."

"Actually," a small smile now graced his lips, "I believe I understand it very well."

For a long moment, they stood in silence, the tension in the room thick enough to suffocate. Then, his expression softened ever so slightly: "I believe the king may be expecting a reply, my lady. One that shows you accept to meet with him."

"And if I refuse?" Arella's defiant tone surprised even herself. She was not sure if she was speaking to him or saying what she wanted to tell the council. The words had left her lips before she could think better of it.

His smile dropped. "You know that you will not, Miss Arella. You might not have chosen this, but," his eyes looked up at the halo dangling above her head, "I am aware that you angels take responsibility very seriously. You angels never shirk responsibility, no matter how much one may wish to."

Her teeth ground together as she struggled to keep her composure. His calm demeanor certainly grated at her nerves. However, she could not deny the truth that his words held. With a sigh, she turned away from him and searched for a quill and some paper.

Finding them in a drawer, she scribbled her response to the demon king.

To Varziel, the Demon King,

I appreciate you taking your time to write the letter, though it was unnecessary. I shall be awaiting your arrival four days from now. Do try to avoid wreaking havoc between now and then. Our union may very well fall through if you do.

Yours,

Arella, the daughter of Camael.

She rolled up the parchment, sealed it, and then handed it over to the tall demon. Her patience had stretched thin and reached her limit. "See yourself out." She spat, "Tell your king that I will not be going anywhere until I have made my preparations. I refuse to be rushed."

The demon's gaze was unwavering, but he nodded very slowly. A large smile graced his lips, and his eyes glinted with some semblance of respect. The action was so surprising that it temporarily blinded Arella. "Very well, I shall give your words to the Demon King." He bowed ever so slightly at her. "I do hope you know that there is no way for you to escape the inevitable. The fate of all three realms rests in your hands, whether you accept it or not."

With that, he turned and left her cottage, back out into the quickly approaching night.

Arella slammed the door shut, her heart racing. Her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts.

The demon king, King Varziel, wanted her. Not just in theory, not just as a faceless bargaining chip, but as a real being. If she was going to survive, as Solan said she could, she needed to learn all she could about her future husband. What better way than to meet the person in real life?

Echo whined softly at his position near the hearth. "I do hope he is good-looking though," she spoke up, addressing the creature that would not answer her.

Echo looked up at her before for a second, his gaze conveying disbelief, as if he were saying I thought you were thinking of running away.

"I know I know. That damn demon was right; angels do take responsibility very seriously. Ugh. What a conundrum." 

Resigned to her fate, she returned to her packing. Four days was not a lot of time. She thought she would at least have enough time to smack her brother and ignore her father's obvious apologies. However, she was her mother's daughter; a small hiccup like this was not going to put her down for too long.

"Prepare yourself, Echo. This angel is back in business."