Mara

7

VENGEFUL MONSTER

MARA

M en think they have evolved in the time since the fall, but there is no common sense on this Earth. Humans kill for pointless things. Material possessions might preserve an image of wealth or power, but these creations are merely ants below my feet. Easy to crush and erase from the path they have chosen.

I've witnessed the greed that swells in the hearts of God's creation, and I find myself smiling at their ignorance. If they truly wanted power, then they should conjure one of my fellow demons, or Lucifer himself, for that matter. Demons hold all the power. We have strengths that transcend time and we use them well.

Our sins guide us on our paths and we choose them as an anchor for strength. How much do we want that which we chose to hunt? Are we willing to be dragged back into Hell to reach our destination? My plan is to take out as many reckless humans as I can.

Centuries ago, I was trapped in a corner of Hell. Imprisoned for loving a man, an angel that led me away from my home in Heaven. But I made a deal with the Devil the day my heart hardened and the monster revealed herself. One Samael could not walk away from. My freedom from him for his need for souls to grow his army in Hell.

I did not see him in person, but he invaded my dreams that night. According to him, the power that my new form emitted called him to me. When he couldn't find my physical body, he pulled on the tether that still lingered between our minds. Samael was not happy with this situation, but that quickly changed when I hissed at him and fangs pierced my lower lip.

"So, you are becoming like the others, I see," his voice sounded pleased, but weary at the same time. "We can use this to our advantage as long as your sanity stays intact."

"There is nothing wrong with my mind, just my heart," I snarled back. "But don't worry about that little problem. It's being eliminated every second I am near you."

"That hurts, Eisheth…" I stopped him before you could continue.

"My name is Mara now. You destroyed Eisheth with all your lies." My words spewed like venom. The hatred I feel for him burns my throat.

"You will always be Eisheth to me, the lovely bird I've tried so hard to keep safely in a cage." He smiled. Samael's dark eyes shimmered as a ghost light shown behind him, creating a golden outline around him. He was always a beautiful man. Long dark shaggy hair, lean but sculpted body with the right amount of muscle in his arms.

His job in Heaven was to protect. God had appointed him a general of his army, and he was a loyal and faithful soldier. Samael trained many good warrior angels. But somewhere between God's trust in him and the day he stood against his maker, deceit had wormed its way into his head and tainted his love for his father. So, his corruption boiled over and corrupted all of us that chose to follow him. And in the end, his dirtied soul contaminated me until all that lingered within was rotten.

I've distracted myself in the past again, just from looking at a vision of the man I once loved. It pisses me off how easily he can walk into my life and make me feel all of those old debilitating feelings again, and then walk right out and leave all the pain behind for me to swim through. "Just fuck off, Samael. Leave me in peace," I say with false bravado. My insides are twisting and churning into a rare mixture of want and rage.

"Sorry, Eish." He pauses when my eyes promise to gut him. He clears his throat. "Sorry, Mara, but I am never gonna leave you alone. You are mine."

"I don't belong to you. There's a reason I left." He looks at me with his eyebrow raised and the churning in my belly speeds up. I growl, deep and unforgiving.

He makes an expression similar to a frown, but it twists into a smirk before he speaks again. "Well, you've done well so far with keeping yourself out of my claws, but in time, you must know, I will find you eventually." He takes a few steps closer. My hand goes up and he halts any more thought out steps towards me. "Sorry, my dove. I just miss you and seeing you again, even if only in the dream realm, reminds me of just how much."

"You're like a dirty old man looking for gratification in someone you should not even be thinking of." I back away just a step before he speaks again.

"It really hurts, you know. That you think of me that way. After all these years." Samael looks down at the dreamscape's ground. Grass fields surrounding us. Nothing else in sight. Sliding his long fingers into his pants pockets until only his wrists were visible, his gaze lifts and with the eyes of a devil he burns his intentions into me, and I stiffen. "We will have to make a deal then, I guess."

"No, no deal." I shake my head in refusal. "I want nothing to do with you. Just let me go. Just leave. Please." Defeat digs its way into my chest and I can't catch my breath. The world around me begins to spin. I can't focus. A panic attack is threatening to take hold and pull me down into its open maw.

Warm hands hold me so I don't fall to my knees. For a split second, I allow myself to feel the past as Samael pulls me into him. I grant myself permission to pause my hatred for him, because I'm tired of the heaviness. Some days it messes with my mind and I get lost in all of the before and forget that I don't live there anymore.

"Please, Mara. You need to take better care of yourself." He hesitates to let me go, but I leave him no choice when I push him away. "There's a way to get your wish, but you have to do something for me in return for your freedom from me."

"Fine, anything to get you out of my life, for good," I grumble. Looking at him I can see I angered him. He must have thought I would bow at his feet and beg him to take me back. That I would drop whatever power I held in hiding my physical self from him and allow him to bring me back home. But I would never go back to him.

"Bring me souls," he said flatly. No other explanation was added. The fire in his eyes was blazing, even if he was trying to hold back his own rage.

"Okay, I need more clarification on how you would like me to make this happen for you," I demand.

"Simple, with your new form. You get to relieve stress, have some fun, get the revenge you seek and become more powerful through your victim's energy. The only difference is, that you let go of their soul before you consume it completely and give it over to me." His plan is made clear, except for one important aspect.

"Okay, but what is the total for the number of souls you require me to provide?" I ask. "How long do you expect me to be your indentured servant?"

Samael began to pace slowly. Fingers pinching the hairs of his short beard, he contemplates a number that will work in his favor, in more ways than one. Meaning that he gets to hold on to me longer the higher the soul count. "Three thousand souls," he replies without stopping his movement.

"Absolutely not! You are fucking tripping if you think I'm going to settle for that," I bark back. "The maximum I'll collect for you is fifteen hundred. I figure that would be about five years of my life. Which is more than enough."

Samael doesn't answer right away, but I know he wanted to fight with me on this. Holding my breath, and with great effort, I wait patiently for his counter offer. Quicker than I expected, he speaks. And to my surprise, I find it hard to believe that he agreed to my request.

"Fine," he exhaled. "Deal. You lure out their souls with your amazing talents and assets, but only take the energy you need. Leave the soul intact and release it. My minions will sense its release and coax it to Hell."

"I can handle that." I look at him. "What do we need to do to make this arrangement binding?"

"A kiss." He smirked.

"Bullshit!" I study his face, and he chuckles.

"I had to try," he said, smile high on his cheeks. "A blood binding."

With a sharp claw, he slices open his palm and nods for me to do the same. It takes a moment for me to call forth my own. Wincing as the black tipped talons slid from my fingertips I copy his action. Once blood wells up we clasp hands and shake. He pulls me in, not letting go of my hand. Whispering in my ear and then disappearing into nothing. His words continue to echo after he's gone.

"For now, you're still mine, and I'm coming for you."