30

Beelzebub

I spent the past two weeks really considering Wally's words, his curiosity, and who I wanted to be seen as moving forward. Thankfully, since setting up Mora's private city required blowing the villa to hell, I kept busy packing away everything deemed worthy of preserving. According to Walter, that included just about everything he could pry from the walls and floor. It was actually surprising he didn't attempt taking the walls and floors—especially the ones crafted from golem hides.

Flying outside, I carried a stack of overstuffed boxes bound together by telekinesis and dropped them into a cramped storage unit. A gorgon's eyes rested on the flick of my tails, slithering through the snow in a similar pattern with theirs. Carefully, I locked my gaze with his, watching his scales shiver at the mere presence of a Diabolic, likely intimidated by my crimson eyes. It could be the cold, yet the incantations thrown about by mages to offer pockets of warmth made me doubt the chill got to the serpent. A pair of harpies whispered to each other, commenting on the added depth of gray to my contour feathers and at the length of the flight feathers. If they only knew the flight feathers weren't the largest appendage I had to show off. I winked, showing zero hesitation.

Thanks to Mora's highly specialized construction team, the Alaskan wilderness now swarmed with Mythics of all kinds and misfit mages looking for reprieves from Collective oversight. She'd assembled quite a mass of willing souls to offer assistance in the creation of this city. All the same, I didn't want any of them getting ideas over the belongings from the villa. I used a tail to pull down the rolling door, then lay one of Wally's premade incantations to seal it.

Soon, they'd know the truth of things. My heart thumped and my hands shook. This wasn't anxiety swallowing me, but elation creating a buzz at all the possible reactions, hopeful for something good and okay if it wasn't. I was okay because I had Wally for each step, each choice, each new experience in figuring out who I was again. Who I ever was.

Weather trudged through the snow, playing and sniffing everyone who crossed his path all while investigating the trailers set up for lodging. He yapped at the goblins posted by the trucks packed with supplies. Stormy growled at a few werewolves on a smoke break, proudly asserting himself as he should. With Antoninus perched atop Sunny's head, the young Cerberus wouldn't have anything to fret. That fiendish familiar had become quite protective—and bossy, using the hound as personal transportation through the snow.

A minotaur took heavy breaths, the fiery coals in his chest burning hot, and turning the snow his hooves stepped through into sloshy muck. He directed golems of stone and steel to lay the foundation for Kell's contraption, the one which would redirect the villa's energy. Mages kept our presence glamoured from any passersby, which seemed unnecessary, but apparently satellites had become quite popular. Nymphs frolicked through the snow, whispering to the wildlife, encouraging them to explore further out, at least until the cloak was up and the land would return to them as the city remained hidden behind a veil.

Mora snapped her fingers, proudly displaying her Diabolic abilities as she zipped about continuing to issue directives for all those in attendance.

I didn't know if I wanted to live in a city of magical beings escaping the oversight of the Collective or Mythic Council, but I liked the idea of a private world to share with Wally. One where he could study to his heart's content, learning anything, meeting anyone, and mastering the essence I'd gifted him without fear of jealous demons, hateful mages, or curious Fae like the dead baron.

These were all thoughts I could contend with another day, for now I'd gladly stay on task. I returned to the villa to gather more boxes.

"Kell, I saw you drop that book into your hat," Wally said, carrying a box down the stairs.

"Come on, you won't miss one silly book about plant life, will you?"

"Was it actually about plant life?" Wally raised his brows.

Kell adjusted her witch's hat. "Would I lie to you?"

Yes. Yes, she would.

"Just make sure to give me the title of your plant book so I can properly log it as borrowed in the inventory list."

"Borrowed? Wait. You made an inventory list?" Kell pursed her lips, somewhere between a frown and surprise. "For everything here?"

"Of course." Wally beamed.

He'd hardly slept since recovering, his body buzzing with essence, and showing great strides early on in these many changes.

"Can't have you taking what we properly pillaged and plundered," I teased.

"Exactly." Wally winked, playful, light-hearted, and for the first time in a long while without the weight of the world or its many demanding pressures pressing down on him.

We finished packing everything from the library and moving it into storage, to which Kell attempted to slip another artifact in her hat unseen. I used a tail to pry it from her hands. She'd gotten better about lifting things, something undoubtedly learned from Mora's influence, but as the best thief among these fools, I wouldn't let anyone deprive Wally of his wants. Once the pocket dimension had been created, he'd nominate himself to account for everything, creating the perfect cataloging system, which Kell would definitely tweak. Mora wouldn't care because she clearly had bigger goals in mind, and I could enjoy the humor of their bickering.

Speaking of bickering, Kell had begun to call Wally's inventory system into question, so I took the opportunity of a deserved break and drifted toward Mora who instructed witches to set up preparations on conduits that'd funnel and disperse the Four Corners.

"Why the witch magics?" I asked. "Thought this was Fae and Diabolic workings."

"Had to make alterations on Kell's behalf," Mora said, flipping the blonde bangs from her face. "Plus, the Diabolic essence will end up eradicated. It's merely the match to spark the creation. Fae magic from the villa and witch magic will remain the kindling that keeps this place safe and empowered."

"And how will that work?"

Mora sauntered toward a case, unfazed by the knee-deep snow around her host's exposed skin in a short skirt. Opening the case, she revealed Agatha's Heart. A stone artifact strong enough to magnify any beings power to challenge an army if they so foolishly sought, such as the arrogant Ian who used it and myself to challenge the Collective.

"That's the artifact Wally gave you back in Seattle."

"Quite astute," Mora said, delicately centering it in the freshly laid foundation.

"How long have you been planning this?"

"A few centuries." She shooed the working golems. "The world's a big place but everyone seems to have already laid their claim. Fighting over limited territory seems wasteful, so I thought I'd make my own. I could visit the splendors I enjoy and have someplace lovely to lay my head."

"Hence why you needed this particular artifact."

Mora crinkled her brow, almost confused by the accusation. "I've collected a lot of wonders over the years, knowing any one of them might be the key to giving me the kingdom I always wanted. It's mere happenstance the artifact you and Wally retrieved is the one I'm using."

"We ready to flip the switch?" Kell asked, delighted, and approaching with Wally at her side.

"I thought you said it was a button?" he asked.

"It's a figure of speech."

"With you, you never know." Wally stared at the switch that'd ignite the secret city Mora dreamed up for a kingdom all her own. "So, this is the button? The one that'll blow up the villa and set everything into motion?"

"Yes," Kell said, adjusting her hat.

"And everything's ready?" he asked, almost hiding that perfect minxy expression.

"Just about, but—"

I smirked at the glint in Wally's lovely hazel eyes and the joy on his face as he jabbed the big red button reserved for Kell.

"What the fuck, Walter?" Kell snapped. "You didn't even let me finish what I was saying."

Agatha's Heart thumped.

"I thought you were done." He shrugged. "Your explanations are usually quicker."

Kell glared, visibly infuriated; her pulse beating almost as loudly as the slow drum of Agatha's Heart.

"Sorry." Wally had the cutest, coyest, fakest apologetic expression. "I thought this was one of those ‘we do it together' things like with the lever."

"Lever?" Kell's expression twisted, probably unable to recall her own chaos of throwing the villa from gods-only-know-where to this secluded wilderness. "It wasn't. And we didn't."

"My bad. Guess I got excited."

"This was my big moment. A once in a lifetime opportunity and you pushed the button. My button to push. Without me."

"You should've joined in then, instead of rambling about all the rules and steps and precautions."

"When, Walter? You pushed the button and didn't even give me a chance to—"

The villa exploded, bright and beautiful. Black flames engulfed the snowy tundra, replacing it with blades of grass, gravel, and fresh soil all around for miles. The night sky above lit up, replaced by comets burning in every color of the rainbow. The icy wind was replaced by a perfect autumn breeze. The crunch of snow beneath our feet vanished because we no longer stood in the Alaskan wilderness. We were now in a private dimension, cloaked from all prying eyes, a single step away from the mortal world but a thousand hidden dimensional layers from it.

Black tendrils of essence stretched high overhead, alongside us, and deep in the earth below, weaving all over like tangling spiderwebs pulled tight. Colors of every kind illuminated from the essence, not reflective from the flurry of comets, but representative of the lingering traces of demons that dwelled, fractured and broken, still existing despite total loss of awareness.

Kell knelt in the grass, holding Agatha's Heart and muttering a spell. The sorcery spilled from her lips in waves, calling out to the tendrils. Essence latched to the heart. It beat, slow and steady like a drum announcing a great change.

And change it did. Every trace of Diabolic essence withered and faded, vanishing entirely, yet leaving behind a power tethered to the artifact and held in check by the vast amount of Mythic residue in the air.

Every breath held the taste of magic in it.

Wally held wonder in his expression, eyes curiously studying the trees sprouting all around, fields of flowers blossoming, hills and valleys stretching tall and wide, and riverbeds burrowing into pathways almost as intricate as the Diabolic webs. Finally, Wally rested his gaze on the essence, watching the spark of life fizzle away as every thread vanished. His smile lit up his entire face when the demons died, truly fading away to oblivion. Wally had explained how lost and trapped they'd all been thanks to Baron Novus' experiments. Even if we could've released them all, killed them all, I doubted Wally would want to keep the tainted villa. Admittedly, I enjoyed the serene sight of the home burning to rubble ash among the flourishing forest around it.

"This is the city you wanted to create?" I asked.

"First steps," Mora said. "That's why I've assembled a quality team to knock down this default Fae setting and make room for the growing kingdom we'll have."

"Deforestation on day one?" Wally shook his head. "Seriously?"

"Don't worry. As the kingdom expands, so will the life." Mora grabbed Kell's hand, leading her witch toward a gaggle of Mythics. "Come along, love."

"She seems really at home here." Wally leaned on my shoulder, watching Mora usher orders.

"You know what they say, you can take the demon out of the monarchy but not the monarch out of the demon."

"They also say you can take the researcher out of the repository but not the…" Wally furrowed his brow, pensive and confused. "Okay, sort of lost myself in the pun on that. Whatever. Let's go check things out."

Wally dragged me deep into the forest exploring, pausing to examine every single thing we crossed, while I spent the time studying him and the eagerness he had.

"The plant life here is amazing," Wally said, leading us further down a trail. "It must be a Fae preservation tactic. You know they keep every form of life preserved in their realms, even extinct life. I should probably make a list of off-limit areas for Mora's construction."

"Why?"

"This place is huge; I'd hate for her to bulldoze everything, even if the dimension expands, we can't be certain that means the same unique vegetation will return."

"Well, that can wait." I grabbed his arm, pulling him close. "Why don't we explore for the time being, find the perfect place with the perfect view to plant our flags?"

Mora might've laid out where and what this city would look like, but if I planned on making it a home for Wally and myself, then I wanted to ensure we had the best spot to lay our heads each night.

"I can think of one flag you can plant and where you can plant it."

"That's a terrible pun."

"You're a terrible pun." Wally turned, leaning in close.

"That doesn't even make—"

Wally kissed me, rough and with teeth and tongue, trailing his fingertips between the waist of my slacks. I savored the bite on my lower lip, the graze of his knuckles against my abdomen.

I went to grab him by the hips, but he zipped away.

"If you want to plant your flag," he said, hidden by the trees. "Then you'll have to catch me first."

I grinned, noticing his voice echoed from one direction but the light giggle that escaped his mouth came from a different one. "Gladly."

I chased Wally, unable to track his mana hidden by the essence, unable to track his essence hidden by the magic of this dimension, leaving me to rely purely on my senses. It didn't take long to locate him, even with the coverage of the forest. He lacked finesse in his movements, his feet pattering a bit too loudly against the soil, the "oomph" he let out when he bumped into a tree, and the instinctive scratch of his claws slashing bark defensively.

Still, I relished the delight in his giddy breaths—air he didn't require, yet craved out of habit or perhaps some uniqueness to being a living mortal fueled by true devil essence. We had time to figure it out, all of it.

We had forever.

Always.

Him and me.

And as such, I wanted to enjoy this game, take my time.

"There's a chance I'm too fast for Bez now, and I should—" He bit his lower lip to cover his whisper aloud, but it was too late. If his words hadn't been enough, the harder press of his teeth against his lip released a single blood drop before essence mended the wound. Even so, I tasted it in the air above every other lush aroma in the forest.

"Too fast for me?" I asked, having weaved in between the foliage, appearing behind a startled Wally.

I wrapped my arms around his waist, scooping him up before he could flee, and spinning him in circles. The laughter he released and the reddening of his ears made me smile.

"Guess I get to plant my flag now." I released him, only momentarily, before pinning him against a tree.

"Looks like it." Wally eyed the obvious bulge in my slacks.

My skin vibrated, preparing to vanish in a blur. "But perhaps you should have to catch me first."

"Come on, Bez." Wally grabbed me by the wrist, yanking me toward him, putting up far more resistance than I realized as I pulled free of his clasp.

Or attempted, anyway.

My footing wavered and I stumbled backward when trying to balance the weight of his incoming body, the buzz of darting away playfully, and the need to catch him. We spun into each other, crashing onto the ground.

"You said something about coming?" I smirked at him, laying atop me.

He huffed. "I hope that thud on your ass hurt."

"That's not very nice," I whispered, licking his ear.

As expected, Wally leaned closer nuzzling my neck. He bit my tie and pulled it, tugging me forward as he rose, and arched his back, straddling my hips.

"Yanking everything of mine but the one thing I want you to." I slapped his ass with both hands, squeezing them tight.

"Securing your cake?" he asked with a mouth full of fabric, which gave me a hundred different ideas for the evening.

"Always." I kissed his neck and ran my hands up his back, under his shirt to feel the full warmth of his body.

It didn't burn as hot as mine, but the magnitude of power radiating inside him sweltered in comparison to the mage I'd met.

He dropped the tie, preparing to kiss me.

Using one of my tails, I unknotted my tie and stuffed it back into his mouth. "Not yet."

He grumbled, playful, but glaring.

"You've got to earn it." I rolled on top of him, full of zeal and control, until something wrapped around my throat and pulled me back.

I lay flat on the ground; Wally slipped off my slacks in a single motion. My body tingled at the rush his assertive yearning created. He spit out my tie, then repositioned himself on top of my hips, grinding against my throbbing erection as he kissed me deep and passionately. His eyes were wide and fully black, a matching, slender forked tail waved behind him.

"My misfit mage has grown so much." I caressed his face.

"Huh?" His expression turned quizzical. "I was never really a misfit mage."

"You were mine. You always will be my misfit mage, no matter what the future brings."

"And you'll be my darling demon." He bit his lower lip, nervous hazel eyes returning to full form. "I mean, if of course, you want to be known as a demon. I'm still not sure how you feel about that. I know what you've said, what you've skirted around saying, what you've said without saying—and sure you think I don't realize that, but I totally catch the unsaid subtext you give off. Especially with deflective humor or horny antics—"

I planted a heavy, wet kiss on his lips. "I want to be known as a demon. The demon Bez, a trickster who fooled a billion beings into believing he was a devil."

"The demon who bested the devil, too." Wally rubbed my shoulders.

"I wouldn't go that far."

"I would. And hoping you can best one more right now."

I released all my tails.

"Question, though," Wally stated, completely lost from the moment and in one of his trains of thought. "Why the demon Bez and not, well I never asked because you never seemed interested in divulging, and it was really none of my business…"

He rambled on, in the cutest little way searching for the polite way to understand why I wanted a name of a devil who so cruelly taunted and terrorized and destroyed me for eons.

"I'm no longer that demon from Hell," I said. "I'm not sure I ever was. The name never fit me. I hated it, hated him, and I wanted to become someone new. I have. I've earned the name Bez. It's who I am. It's who I love to be. It's the name I relish making you scream as I plow you."

"Bez," Wally whined.

"Not quite the pitch I'm going for, but we've got time." I coiled one of my tails around Wally's, and wrapped the other two around his wrists, pulling his hands close to my chest.

His face was close enough to lick and so I did, tasting the sweet mortal man I loved seeped in essence.

A gust whirled around us.

"They're cute." I tilted my head past Wally's frazzled expression, staring at the small, black feathered wings that sprang out of his back. "Not very big, though. Doubt they'd carry a cherub."

He tried to catch a glimpse, unable to crane his neck that far.

"Trust me, they're adorable."

"Wasn't it you who said size doesn't matter?" He pushed forward.

The two of us rolled on the ground; I unveiled my gray-feathered wings, wrapping us each tight in the embrace, as I lost myself in Wally's lips, his touch, the quiver of his body as I stripped his clothes off. He moaned, aching for more, and I gladly delivered, thrusting into him.

THE END