2. Dante

Chapter two

Dante

“ A re these real horns?” The guy in my bed giggled and stroked them. I shuddered. Yes, they were real fucking horns, but I wasn’t about to tell him that.

I sighed. “No, they’re implants. A gimmick. I’m supposed to be the devil, remember?”

“Oh, yeah.” He bit his lip seductively, his eyes wide. “You were definitely a devil in the sheets last night.”

And he’d been a fucking saint, despite whispering in my ear all the dirty things he was going to do to me. I’d received a sloppy, half-hearted blow job, and he’d moaned too fucking loud as I’d rammed into him from behind.

It was a wonder I’d got off, but the moment I’d placed my hand around his neck and squeezed, his moaning had stopped as he’d gasped for breath.

Tempted as I was to choke the life out of him, I’d relented, and the moment I’d come, I’d let him go, not bothering to see if he’d finished, but when I’d returned from the bathroom, he lay on his back, his dick limp, a dreamy smile on his face.

Guessed he’d liked the choking after all.

But why the fuck was he still here? I never allowed anyone to stay the night. I must have crashed before kicking him out.

I had things to do today, and I didn’t need him fawning over me, stroking my horns.

“You should go.” I hopped out of bed and grabbed a pair of silk lounge trousers from the wardrobe.

“Aw, can’t we go again?” I turned to him, trying hard not to let my anger show.

“You. Should. Go.” His face paled.

Sometimes, the devil in me slipped out at the most inopportune moment, and this was one of them. I wasn’t trying to scare him, but as he scrambled from the bed and ran from the room, half-dressed, I knew I’d failed.

It didn’t matter. One of the boys would catch hold of him before he left and sort it out. Either wipe his memory or some shit. Either way, he’d forget the night he’d spent here.

I’d forgotten it already.

I hated mornings, rarely rising before midday, but today it was barely ten. No wonder I felt restless. The sex had been disappointing, and I’d only managed five hours of sleep. Hopefully, the day improved.

I brewed some coffee and looked out over the Liverpool skyline from my apartment above the casino. Another wet and dreary day. It was times like this I missed the heat of hell. I could go back, I supposed, but it was no fun there anymore.

All that weeping and wailing and there was nothing to do there.

At least here I could play with the humans. Everyone needed a hobby.

Except boredom was setting in. I had everything I wanted. Expensive cars, jewellery, designer clothes, top-class prostitutes. There was nothing I wanted for.

So why did I feel this way?

The casino was doing well, making me more money than I knew what to do with. Perhaps it was time, time to move on, time to make some changes.

It was worth thinking about.

A knock on the apartment door brought me out of my head.

“Come in.”

My second in command, Conrad, walked in. At six feet ten and three hundred pounds, he towered above everyone. No one messed with him.

“Did you see him out?” Why did I care?

“I did, boss, but you need to stop showing them the other side of you. Makes it harder for us to wipe the memory.”

I shrugged. “He deserved it. He didn’t go when I told him to. What’s on the agenda for today?”

“Nothing much other than the usual running of the casino.”

“You mean we don’t need to torture anyone today?”

“Sorry, boss. Just the usual shite.”

“Well, that’s fucking boring. Can’t we smite anyone today?”

Conrad laughed, a booming sound that rattled the windows.

“We could take a trip to purgatory. That’s always fun.”

I blew out a breath. “Not sure I can be arsed.”

I’d never felt so lethargic and, well, pointless. Occasionally, I longed for the old days of death and destruction.

You’d think being the Dark Lord or Prince of Darkness, things would be far more entertaining than they were, but frankly, it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.

“We could always go cause some mayhem somewhere.”

I smiled wickedly. “Let me get dressed.”

We’d arrived at our destination in minutes. Being the devil had its perks, and I could travel to anywhere in the blink of an eye. Any part of the world, above or below.

Dressing for battle, I’d donned my black cargo trousers, black long-sleeved top, and black Doc Martens.

Conrad wore his suit, and while he didn’t possess as much as me in the way of powers or ability, he was a force to be reckoned with any day of the week.

Chaos reigned in the little-known country in Europe, intent on overthrowing its government. We stood for a moment and observed, imperceptible to the masses surrounding us.

“What do you think?” I asked him. Had we arrived a little late to start the war?

“Looks like they started without us.” He sounded disappointed.

“Yeah, fancy that. We could still have a little fun, though. How about we torch the place?” I watched with glee as men and women alike laid into the government soldiers, knocking them to the ground and swarming them. Death and destruction. That was what this called for.

“What? No. We’re not going to do that today.”

“Such a fucking spoilsport. I suppose you want to pick a side.”

Admittedly, we had no interested parties in this conflict, no allegiance with either side. Did we pick the underdog or side with the government?

“Let’s toss for it.” Conrad took a coin out of his pocket, the one we always used when faced with an impossible decision.

I’d had it specially made, horns on one side, a pointed tail on the other.

“Heads for government, tails for the people.”

Still invisible amidst the sea of people, he tossed the coin high into the air and let it land on the floor.

We bent to see the result, our heads bumping.

“Jeez, watch the horns, boss.” Conrad straightened and rubbed his head.

“It’s tails.” I held the coin for him to see. “Let’s get to it.”

We never actually got our hands dirty. That wasn’t our way, but with the power of suggestion, the tide that had turned in favour of the government slowly ebbed away.

For each government soldier who stood, we infiltrated their minds, instilling the notion that the government was bad, but revolution was better.

As each one looked to the capital and the palace where their president lived, we took that as a victory for the people.

Slowly their numbers grew until a sea of people marched in rebellion, intent on taking back their country and land.

Okay, so this time we were probably doing good here, but it wasn’t always the case. In fact, most of the time, we did it for fun because we could, with no care for how evil we were.

I was the devil, for fuck’s sake.

And those who died? Well, we sent their souls to hell. May they rest in peace.

As much as we’d had fun today, it wasn’t enough.

We’d been here all of two hours, and already boredom was setting in again.

“Do you ever think there’s more to life than this?”

Conrad and I sat atop a hill, watching the revolution unfold.

He shrugged, his wide shoulder knocking into mine.

“Why do you ask that? What’s wrong with you?”

He was my second in command but also my best mate, and we’d been together for the best part of five hundred years. Being the Lord of Darkness was sometimes lonely. Not everyone understood me.

Conrad did.

I’d watched him in battle, a formidable opponent, only to be killed by his betrothed in a cowardly fashion while he slept.

Good old poison.

I’d seen a need for his services, got an idea where he could assist me, and made him an offer he ultimately couldn’t refuse.

The rest, as they say, was history.

I sighed heavily and lay back, my hands laced behind my head, my ankles crossed.

“I’m bored with everything. Nothing excites me anymore. Remember years ago we’d cause wars and disasters? What do we do these days? Fuck all.”

“You have the perfect life. You have money and looks. You live a charmed life, even. No boss to answer to, and don’t get me started on your sex life.” He ticked each one off on his fingers.

It was true. I’d had sex with anyone I’d wanted to, and a few I hadn’t, but sometimes the urge was all consuming, and if it was offered on a plate, who was I to refuse?

I drove the best cars, owned houses, private jets, and yachts. I did what I wanted, when I wanted, where I wanted. Yes, I had no one to answer to, but it wasn’t enough.

“What do you do when you’re not with me?”

“I’m always with you. You’re my boss. I take care of you.”

“No, but when I’m asleep or in the basement or the bedroom, surely you’re not hanging around outside waiting for me to finish.”

“Well, no.”

“So, what do you do?”

“I restore cars and… Nah, I can’t say it.”

“Go on. You can tell me. I’m not gonna laugh.” I was genuinely interested. Maybe it was something I could do too.

“I brew beer.”

I sat up quickly.

“Beer? You brew beer?”

“See, this is why no one tells you things.”

“What? People tell me things all the time.”

“Yes, when you’re torturing them, but how much do you know about any of the staff at the casino?”

I drew my knees up to my chest and rested my chin on them as I watched the scene below us. I knew nothing about anyone, but then I didn’t need to. Did I?

The thing was, no one feared me anymore. People should bow down at my feet like the olden days, except no one did. Devil worship wasn’t outdated, but there was so much more to occupy people these days.

Back in the day, there was no TV, no gaming consoles, and no mobile phones. Now, there were so many more options.

I longed for days gone by. Days where darkness ruled the world. Days where I was worshipped and feared. Days where the mere thought of me struck terror into the hearts of all. It seemed people were immune to the horrors I wrought, seeing it all in movies and TV shows.

At least addiction was still a thing, one I wholeheartedly supported with my gambling business.

Maybe that was my problem. I’d gone soft, but try as I might, the abject terror people used to feel when faced with me didn’t happen anymore.

Those not in the know thought the horns were a marketing ploy. Only my closest staff—most of them handpicked by Conrad—knew the truth.

But those who crossed me felt my wrath, saw a side to me that terrified the skin from their bones, and if they didn’t, I’d make them regret their poor choices over and over again until there was nothing left.

I was the devil.

“I’m not one to mingle, Conrad.”

“Ha. Understatement of the year. No one expects you to mingle. You’re the boss.”

“Do you have a wife? A significant other?”

“Dear God.”

“Don’t say his name. You know we’re not on the best of terms.”

“Sorry, habit.”

The big man and I were not the closest of friends, as you could imagine.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

He gazed into the distance.

“Conrad?”

“I don’t wanna talk about it.” He got to his feet and brushed the dirt from his trousers. “Looks like this is about done. We’d best get back.”

I stood and placed my hand on his shoulder.

“I guess some things you never recover from.”

He grunted, and I activated the portal.

By the time we returned to the casino, it was midday, and we were about to open the doors. Most establishments around here operated twenty-four hours a day, but I couldn’t be arsed with that.

Midday to two a.m. was more than enough. Gamblers flooded through our doors every day of the week, and I made more money than I knew what to do with.

I was fucking rich, and if you worked for me, kept on my good side, you’d never be left wanting either. After all, money was the root of all evil.

“What’s next, boss?”

“For you? Nothing. I’m going back to bed. I want to be up later to oversee. You could take the night off.”

“Nah, I’ll be back later. I’ll grab some shuteye. Be back for eight.”

He walked out of the casino, and I went back up to my apartment.

As I walked inside, I screwed up my nose. I’d need to get rid of the smell of sex and booze. Otherwise, I’d never get to sleep.

A maid came by every day, but I couldn’t wait. Once done, I showered, climbed into bed, and closed the electric blinds until the room was pitch black.

Several hours later, I woke, changed into my usual attire of a black suit and tie, and made my way down to the floor.

I nodded at Conrad, who stood at his habitual place by the front door, and I walked to my favourite spot by the bar.

“Whiskey on the rocks.” Like I needed to ask. It was the same drink I had every night.

I sipped my drink while I observed the floor. Plenty in tonight, including a rowdy bunch of men who’d need keeping an eye on.

I didn’t need to say anything into the comms we all wore. Several of my men already approached them.

We’d not kick them out. Not yet anyway, but at the first sign of trouble, they’d be on their arses out of the door.

And if they resisted, well, some of them might find their way down to the basement. It would depend on my mood and how generous I was feeling.

Or how evil. The two were interchangeable at any point.

But they behaved, and at eleven, most were beyond drunk and left with no incident.

Well, fuck.

There went another chance to liven up my night.

The rest of the evening passed quietly, much to my disgust. No one caught my eye, so no repeat performance from last night.

Something needed to change, something needed to happen, and at this point, I’d settle for anything.