Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

L eviathan watched the woman intently, unable to shake the way he was drawn to her.

Her strikingly beautiful face held captivating features that were like no other he’d seen in his realm. Long red hair flowed in gentle waves down her back, framing porcelain skin that looked soft to the touch, full lips painted a deep shade of red that matched her hair. Her eyes were what caught his attention the most. They were ice blue almost white, hinting at an inner strength he couldn’t ignore. He wanted to know more about this intriguing creature who seemed indifferent to the luxuries surrounding them.

A plain ring threaded around a thin gold chain dangled from her neck.

Those piercing eyes darted back and forth, never settling on Leviathan.

“I assure you, you are safe from him while in my presence.” He paused, deciding it would be best not to tell the curious female who he was. The better to ascertain how she truly feels and acts.

“I don’t feel there is anywhere safe here.”

The words were the first she’d spoken and her voice held a quality to it that both soothed his nerves and sounded like that of an angelic chorus.

His small chuckle set her shoulders straight with tension. Belial was known for damaging those he won in a contract. Leviathan would have to learn what this human envied so much in her life that she gave it up.

He lifted his elbow, extending it to her. Though she was clearly out of her element, he couldn’t help but feel that at one point, this woman held a grand position.

“Your name?”

“Ashe,” she glanced away from him then, clearly knowing her name gave him power.

Leviathan ran his fingers through his short black hair with a sigh. “To level the field, I am Levi.” It took everything he had not to wince at extending his hated moniker to her. With it, she would hold no power over him but would feel as if she did. You should have let her envy the power you held over her.

Leviathan watched Ashe carefully, his piercing eyes fixed on her as they walked. She took small breaths, her eyes scanning over every corner and around each doorway they came to as if expecting something to harm her. Or perhaps aid her.

She was either too curious for her own good or so badly damaged in a short time that fear controlled her every move.

Ashe lifted her head and caught him staring, those piercing eyes meeting his own with a question in them. He felt an unfamiliar heat rise within him as she swallowed hard and looked away quickly, focusing on her food once again. He could feel himself drawn to her like a moth to flame, unable to shake off the need for more attention from her. It was unlike anything he had felt before—a strange vulnerability mixed with powerlessness that made him uneasy yet excited at the same time.

His steps were deliberate and calculated as he took in every inch of her responses. The scent of fear mingled with something else emanating from her—something unique that made him want to know more about what secrets lurked beneath her beautiful, but dirt. covered, exterior.

The courtyard gate swung inward without a sound, revealing one of the only places in his realm - in the entirety of Terra Daemoniums where flowers grew. Wilted attempts at growing crimson roses and purple pansies lined a path toward a white marble fountain. He could have told her that only a special gift from one of the realm’s princes could allow earth flowers to bloom, but that would give too much away.

Leviathan still had so much to learn.

“Sit,” his tone did not leave room for argument. He was pleased when she took a seat along the fountain’s edge.

“It’s … blood.”

He nodded. “Quite lovely if you ask me.”

Her delicate features contorted with disgust, but she quickly masked her true feelings from him. Her expression became a blank canvas, carefully crafted to hide the revulsion that filled her every fiber. As much as she obviously wanted to reveal her true emotions, she knew it was wiser to keep them hidden, at least for now. With a deep breath, she composed herself and put on a facade of indifference, hoping he wouldn’t see through it.

Belial has trained her well.

“Tell me, what deal did you make with Belial?”

It was not my deal, the bite of anger snapped out with her words.

He raised an eyebrow, intrigued by her sudden outburst. “Then whose deal was it?”

She hesitated, unsure if she should reveal anything to this stranger who already seemed to know more about her than she seemed comfortable with. Leviathan closed his eyes and focused on his power of projection, forcing his presence to make her want to trust him. Envy him.

“It was my stepmother’s,” she finally admitted, looking away as she spoke.

“Your stepmother?” He had never heard of anyone making a deal with Belial on behalf of their child before. It was usually the other way around with parents sacrificing their own lives for their children’s health, power, or riches.

“Yes,” she confirmed, still refusing to meet his gaze.

“And what did this deal entail?” he pressed further, sensing that there was more to this story than she was letting on.

“I assure you,” she locked her eyes on him. “If I knew, I would not be here.”

“So, this woman who raised you made a deal with Belial for you to receive something, and you do not know what?”

Her bark of a laugh shocked him. As did the sneer that slipped over her lips.

“There is not a shot in hell that woman made a deal for me. No, whatever she did she traded my soul to get what she wanted.”

Leviathan didn’t hear an ounce of envy in the words, only fury.

His eyes flashed, emotions whirling as he took in the rage and hurt she felt towards her stepmother. He’d never heard of human parents behaving in such a manner, though he would bet at least one of the other princes had.

“That woman. . . She didn’t care about me,” Ashe continued, her voice barely above a whisper as if sharing a secret only he could hear. “I was just a burden to her.” Her fists clenched tightly in her lap, and she looked away again. “She cared more about maintaining her lifestyle than about my well-being.”

He leaned forward, devouring every word, watching her lips move as if they held him under some spell. Ashe was something rare and wondrous, something he had never encountered before. In this room full of debauchery and sinful passions, she was a flower growing from the cracks in the concrete, pure and untouched by the filth that surrounded her.

Envy creeped out.

His envy.

An envy whispering to steal her from Belial and make her his so that all would worship him and the prize he’d acquired.

Leviathan knew the sensation well, but had never bothered to learn how the recipient of it felt. A part of him wanted to snuff the stepmother out of existence purely for her poor choices.

This human, sold into slavery by her own stepmother, had no idea why she was there or what kind of demon had purchased her. She was a mystery to him, a puzzle he needed to solve - and keep close, if only for his own amusement.

Leviathan leaned against the cold marble wall, his black wings spreading out behind him he contemplated the strange desires merely listening to this female brought. His sharp features betrayed a mix of curiosity and possessiveness, unable to believe what he was hearing.

“And if you could go and make her live out her own bargain?” he asked, already knowing the answer from the pure anger radiating on the air around Ashe.

“Absolutely,” Ashe’s single word sliced through the air like knives as she spoke of the woman who raised her with such venom.

A shiver ran down his spine at the thought that such innocence could harbor such darkness within herself. “And what became of this stepmother? Shall we drag her here?” he asked softly, unable to hide the hunger in his voice now.

“I don’t know if she is still alive or not,” anger slipped into sadness as the glimmer of tears formed in her eyes.

Her words hung heavy in the room and filled him with an overwhelming sense of guilt. It was his sin that drew her here, and it was clear she could offer his realm nothing in the way of power. Even though he had no intention of hurting her, his envy grew stronger with each passing second. He couldn’t resist tracing a claw down her cheek gently before placing it on the back of her hand.

Her small intake of breath was enough to fill him with an emotion he didn’t take lightly.

Lust.

Her pulse quickened under his touch as Leviathan drew his fingers around her wrist. He leaned in closer, his dark eyes locked on hers as he spoke in a low, gravelly voice. “Tell me, little one, what is it you truly desire?”

Ashe’s breath hitched a second time at his words. He didn’t deal in desires, but at the end of every day, what a person desired most is what they envied in others. The ends were the same.

“I. . . ” she trailed off, allowing him to sense her confusion and hesitance.

He wasn’t known for being patient when it came to getting what he wanted. With a flick of his wrist, he pulled her off the chair and into his lap, his body stirring with her weight on him.

“Now,” he said firmly, turning to face her with an intensity in his gaze that made her visibly shiver. “Tell me your deepest desires.”

Ashe swallowed nervously and gazed into his eyes. Leviathan knew she would find herself lost in the depths if he willed it to be so, but he didn’t want that. Not yet, at least.

“I want. . . freedom,” she finally admitted in a small voice.

Leviathan arched an eyebrow in surprise at her answer. He had expected something more materialistic or self-serving from such a young woman placed in such circumstances.

“Freedom?” he repeated incredulously. Of all the things she could have chosen, he should have expected this one, but hadn’t.

“Yes,” Ashe nodded firmly now that she had said it out loud.

“And what would you do with this so-called freedom?” Leviathan challenged, his tone slightly mocking.

With a determined glint in her eye, she continued, “I will make sure that no matter where my stepmother may be, she finds herself here, even if it means sacrificing my own freedom in the process.” The words were spoken with a fierce determination and a sense of justice as if Ashe was willing to do whatever it took to bring retribution upon their oppressor. The air seemed to crackle with an energy of vengeance and resolve.

“I see,” Leviathan loosened his grip on her wrist.

Ashe leaped up, separating herself from him even though the look in her eyes gave away the desire she clearly felt.

“Very well, then. Perhaps one day Belial will allow you to make your own deal.” He rose, purposefully letting his wings stretch wide and graze her arm as he tucked them back against himself. Envy isn’t just for the living.”

Leviathan smirked, enjoying her attempt to hide her true thoughts from him with his little morsel of information. He was not fooled by her facade, but it amused him nonetheless. Still, if he were going to demand Belial sign over this creature’s soul, he needed to see if she ever felt envy.

Reaching out with his powers to touch the back of her mind, Leviathan poked around for what she truly desired most. A smile marked his handsome features when he found it—this human woman envied anyone who was close to him, anyone he chose to notice them. Her thoughts were filled with desires to please him, to gain his favor and win his attention. It was intoxicating. This realization made him chuckle darkly, the sound echoing through the garden.

“Such an innocent thing to envy,” he mused aloud, watching as she reacted to the sound of his voice with a startled jump. “To be noticed by me. I’ve clearly noticed you, you’re here with me. Do you know who I am?”

Leviathan leaned back against the cool marble wall of the garden fountain, crossing one ankle over the other as he regarded her carefully. His long fingers traced idle patterns in the air around them while he waited for her answer. The blood from the fountain splashed gently against its sides, creating a soothing rhythm that matched his internal clockwork of sinister thoughts. But even as they sat there together under the starry sky, surrounded by velvet night, something niggled at him—an itch under his skin that needed scratching.

He found himself enjoying the game they played together. It made him feel alive, intrigued by her. With a gentle wave of his hand, envy overtook the air around them - entwining itself with their breaths, sparkling on the surface of the water in the fountain, and painting everything around them in a crimson tint, not green as the old saying went.

“It’s time for you to learn more about us now,” Leviathan began, his voice deep and hypnotic as he spoke. “This world you’ve been thrust into is cruel but not without its charm.” His voice echoed off the stone walls surrounding them, causing a chill to run down her spine despite the warmth given off by the fountain’s waters. “Each demon prince represents one of the seven deadly sins,” he explained while extending a clawed finger toward himself gently, tracing along one of his dark wings that he kept tucked behind him only half out. “I am envy,” he purred softly. His voice dropped low as he moved closer to Ashe, letting his scent wash over her—a seductive musk mixed with burning embers that only seemed to make her shiver more. “Your master is one of my servants. I could make him grant your freedom.”

Leviathan could see the fear in her eyes, the way she trembled ever so slightly at his words. He sensed her hesitation, her internal struggle between wanting freedom, and the unknown consequences of defying her master. But he also knew she was just a mortal, easily swayed by temptation and desire. And he was the embodiment of envy, skilled in manipulating these emotions to his advantage.

He leaned even closer to her, almost close enough to touch her, but not quite. His lips curved into a knowing smile as he whispered in a low voice, “You don’t have to be bound by his chains any longer. You can be free with me.”

Ashe’s icy eyes went wide, her pupils dilated with both fear and curiosity. Leviathan knew her heart raced from the rapid thumping only a demon could hear. It was a faint pulse that echoed in sync with his own dark desires.

“But at what cost?” she spoke up, her voice shaky.

Leviathan chuckled again, enjoying this game of cat and mouse. “Just say yes,” he said softly. “And I’ll take care of everything else.”

The woman hesitated for just a moment longer before shaking her head. “The devil I know, because I won’t be here forever.”

The sound of clinking chains echoed through the courtyard as Belial stalked towards them, his gaze cold and calculating. He smirked at their small gathering, his eyes lingering on Ashe for just an instant too long. She shrank away from him instinctively, her red hair flickering in the twilight like a fiery halo around her head.

“You’ve had more than enough time,” Belial snarled, his fangs extended like he may do something foolish.

“I was merely taking an interest,” Leviathan said calmly, challenging the other prince’s authority without provoking him directly. “Perhaps you should consider being more lenient with your new acquisition.” A sardonic smile played at his lips as he watched Belial’s face darken further. “She has potential.”

“I’ll decide what she can handle,” came the gruff reply before Belial turned on his heel and disappeared back into his chambers, leaving behind a trail of discomfort and fear.

“It would seem to me you’ve made a poor choice.” All the better to create delicious envy. A part of him balked at leaving this magnificent creature here for Belial to torment, but she’d had her chance. “Another time, then.” he gave a mock bow and transported himself to his palace.

Leviathan paced restlessly the instant his feet touched the floor. The image of the fiery-haired human woman haunted his thoughts despite leaving her behind. He had never felt such a pull to any creature before, and it unnerved him. With a growl of frustration, he punches the wall, fracturing the stone.

“Master?” A timid voice asked from the shadows.

“I, I’m fine, Ignis,” Leviathan said, composing himself. “I’ll be in my chambers. Inform me of any developments.”

“Yes, My Lord.” The decrepit imp bowed before scurrying away.

Alone, Leviathan allowed his mask of indifference to slip. His chest constricted at the mere memory of her face, the way her eyes had pleaded for mercy. A dangerous emotion surged within him, one he’d long ago thought dead: compassion.

“Damn it all,” he muttered, running a hand through his short black hair. “Why her?”

Cursing his traitorous thoughts, Leviathan left the study in search of a drink.