The Devil's Lover: The Wish (16 page)

Chevalier clenched his fists to stop
himself from shaking. The thought was frightening.

“
Are you thinking that it
is wrong to separate a child from its father?” Soren chuckled. “You
are so pure-hearted, Chevalier. But the pure-hearted ones always
suffer most. When he comes and takes both of them from you, what
will you have left to live for?”

“
Shut up!” Chevalier
retorted. “I won’t listen to a demon!”

“
You are a demon yourself,
or have you forgotten already?” Soren paused for a second, and then
continued on. “She is everything you ever wanted, is she not? I’m
offering you a chance to live happily ever after. The child in her
belly, I can tell you have grown to love it.”

Chevalier closed his eyes and pulled
in a deep breath. There was a painful expression on his
face.

“
Yes, Chevalier, think
hard. Will you listen to your head or to your heart? But be quick
about it. Lord Lucifer is heading this way,” Soren grinned. He
turned around and walked into the shadows, becoming one with
them.

†††††

Kali turned on the lights to the
apartment. Chevalier was sitting on the sofa, deep in thought. He
smiled when he saw her. The weariness in his eyes was chased
away.

“
You didn’t have to go
work today?” she asked.

“
I came home early. There
was flooding at the office, something to do with the pipes,” he
said, standing up and walking toward her. He took her hand and
helped her sit down on the sofa. “How was your day at
school?”

“
The rumors already have
spread around the school,” she sighed. “The headmaster may expel me
if she finds out.”

“
We should just run away
from it all,” Chevalier said. He leaned his head gently on her
belly, trying to listen to the baby.

“
It’s only four months,”
Kali reminded him. “You won’t be able to hear anything.”

He looked up at her. “Kali, are you
happy?”

“
Well, I was terrified at
first, but I’m fine with it now. I guess the maternal instincts
have kicked in,” she chuckled and rubbed her belly. “Sorry, baby.
Mommy didn’t want to have you at first, but I promise to love you
very much from now on.”

Chevalier softly smiled. “Daddy loves
you too.”

“
Chevalier, your face is
so pale recently,” Kali noticed. “What’s wrong, are you feeling
ill?”

He shook his head. "Kali?"

"Hmm?"

"What would you do if you found out I
had lied to you?"

Kali placed her hand over her abdomen
and the other hand on his forehead. "Everyone lies at one point or
another, Chevalier. Sometimes living with a protective lie is
better than facing reality. I’ll always forgive you, whatever it
may be.”

"What if I don't want your
forgiveness?” he asked in a sad tone.

"If you ever lie to me, I know you
have your reasons, just like I have my own,” she smiled gently,
running her hand though his hair.

"Thank you for keeping your promise,
Kali.”

Chapter 16:
Fragile

“Where is
she
, Soren?” Lucifer slammed Soren against
the stone wall. He’d returned to the human world only to find an
empty apartment. Kali was nowhere to be found. He could not even
pick up her scent. Lucifer glared at Soren, his blue eyes glowing
fiercely. “
Do not play petty games with
me
!”

Soren fell to the ground. Lucifer
pinned his head down with his foot.

“
Why do you want such a
woman, my Lord?” Soren asked, looking up at his master from the
corner of his eye. Lucifer stepped down harder to keep Soren’s head
face pressed to the ground. “She betrayed you! If all you wanted
was a woman, I can find you a hundred, no, a thousand times
better!”

“
I don’t need another
woman! Tell me where she is!” Lucifer bent down and grabbed a
handful of Soren’s hair. “Do you think that I do not have the power
to destroy you? Have you forgotten who I am?”

“
I am well aware, Lord
Lucifer,” Soren replied. “But I will not accept a human to be your
mate.”

“
Did I ever ask for your
acceptance or your blessing?” Lucifer asked. “I am the Sovereign of
Hell. Do you think I need your opinion on what I should and should
not do? I will help you remember your place.” Lucifer called on his
sword. “If you can survive it, that is.”

"Never in my wildest
nightmare did I imagine you would turn your sword against me,”
Soren wriggled his head under Lucifer’s shoe in disbelief. The tone
of his voice grew bitter. "I, who have abandoned everything to
fight by your side. Who shielded you from thousands of piercing
arrows. Who served you with unquestioning devotion for countless
millennium,
and for
what?
”

“
Before I kill you,”
Lucifer added, “let me ask you this. Whose child is Kali carrying?
Is it mine or his?”

“
Do you truly want to
know?” Soren asked mockingly. His turned into a shadow to escape
from Lucifer, slipping out to reappear next to his Master. He stood
proudly, flexing his black wings. His pale green eyes emit a silver
glow. “Very soon, it will not matter.”

Lucifer understood what he meant. He
charged at Soren with his sword. Soren called on his sword and
dodged Lucifer’s attack.

“
I will not fight you,
Lord Lucifer,” Soren said as he fended off the other demon off. He
spread his enormous wings and flew out of the window, calling
behind him. “Very soon it will not matter at all.”

†††††

“Where are we going in such a hurry?”
Kali asked Chevalier as she boarded the plane. “Why won’t you
answer my questions? What’s going on?”

Chevalier sat next to her and gave her
seatbelt a yank to check its latch. “We’re taking a long vacation,”
he said to her, turning his attention to his own belt.

“
Chevalier, why won’t you
tell me what is wrong?” she worried. “Where are we going? What
about school? What about your job?”

“
None of that matter,” he
said with a forced smile. “I’ve saved up some money. We can move to
another city and live in peace.”

She doubted she would ever truly be at
peace again. Kali placed a hand on her belly, rubbing it gently. He
must be coming for it, she thought. “You hear that, baby? We’re
going on a vacation,” she said in a cheerful voice.

Chevalier leaned his head on her
shoulder.

“
You must be very tired,
Chevalier,” she said to him. “Was it worth it?”

He nodded. “It’s worth
everything.”

†††††

Where could she be? Lucifer asked
himself. He stood on the highest building, overlooking the city at
night. A summoning circle drew itself in mid-air. Adria appeared,
her black wings seeming to pop out of the circle like a champagne
cork out of a bottle.

“
She’s not in this city,”
Adria reported. “There is no scent of her or her companion. I’ve
sent the others to different cities to look for them.”

“
Just as I thought,”
Lucifer massaged the bridge of his nose. “Soren will get to them
before I will.”

“
My Lord, what it is that
you want?” Adria asked curiously. “The girl or the
child?”

Lucifer took in a deep breath of air
and then exhaled, the motion painful. “I want them
both.”

“
Forgive me for asking, my
Lord, but what if it is not your blood? The odds are working
against you, not to mention that a conception of such a union is
unprecedented. Will you leave her be?”

Lucifer remained silent.

“
It is because of your
pride? Or it is because you love her so much that you couldn’t
stand the thought of her betraying you? Once you find her, my Lord,
what would you do to her?”

“
Why are you so concerned,
Adria?”

Adria faintly smiled. “I just want to
know if you are capable of loving someone.”

“
It is unlikely that I
will ever fall victim to this plague again,” Lucifer
decided.

“
If that is so,” Adria
bowed to him politely before sinking back into the summoning
circle. “…tend to this plague before it consumes whatever is still
alive inside of you.”

Chapter 17: Something
Sinister

Two months passed quickly in their new
location. Chevalier found a job almost immediately, and they had
rented a two-bedroom apartment by the river. Time went by almost
too quickly; they almost wished it would slow down.

“
Stop kicking your
mother,” Chevalier said to Kali’s belly. “Just wait until you come
out of there, mister.”

Kali giggled. “Chevalier, you sound
more like a dad every day.”

“
I need some practice,” he
snuggled her belly gently. “I don’t want to be a pushover dad. I
want to be the father that I always wanted to have,” he smiled.
“You know, I hated that man. But now, I’m so thankful I had a
father like him.”

“
Why?” Kali asked,
remembering what sort of man Chevalier’s father had been. He wasn’t
a very likable person.

“
He made me realize that I
don’t want to be him,” Chevalier sighed. “I promise I’ll be a good
father, Kali. If I'm good with this one, will you have a second one
with me?”

“
What?” She blushed and
pinched his cheek. “In your dreams, you pervert!”

“
But I really want another
one,” he said in a whining tone. It was so unlike him.

“
No means no,”

“
Then I would just have to
force you,” he smiled mischievously.

She glared at him. “You wouldn’t
dare…”

“
Oh, but I would,” he gave
her playful pecks on the lips. “Maybe a third one, and a fourth
one, and a fifth one-”

“
I’m not a breeding sow!”
she protested.

He held her closer to him. “Once I
save up enough money, we’ll have a decent wedding. On that day, I
hope you confess that you love me.”

Kali remained silent in Chevalier’s
arms. How could I say that to you, Chevalier? Kali thought. My
conscience would never allow me tell you such a shameless lie when
I’m in love with another man. His images keep haunting my dreams.
His voice keeps calling out to me. He’s buried so deep in my heart
that not even that potion could keep him out of my mind for long. I
truly wish the person I love were you. If I knew it was you, I
would never have to cry another day in my life.

†††††

“I've found you,” Soren said with a
grin, staring in the window of their apartment. “And Lord Lucifer
is nearby. I have to act quickly. Such a pity, for I was going to
let you go. If only you hadn't turn Lord Lucifer against me. Enjoy
your last day, Kali, because you won’t live to see
another.”

Kali stood waiting by the mall’s
escalator. She looked to her watch, three more minutes until
appointment time. He had asked her to meet him at the shopping
center, saying he’d be right over after work. Chevalier was so
excited about the baby that would be coming in three months. He
wanted to do all the last minute shopping now so they wouldn’t be
in a panic later. Kali held out the list that Chevalier had made
last night. There must be hundreds of items on it. Kali laughed
softly. Chevalier was much more giddy about the baby coming than
she could be. And he spent so much time thinking about what the
baby would need!

He’ll be a good father, Kali told
herself. She smiled at the thought.

“
Excuse me, miss,” a woman
tapped on her shoulder. She was very old, and tiny. “Could you help
me up this escalator?”

Kali smiled brightly. “Of
course,”

She softly gripped the lady’s hand and
helped her onto the escalator. The old woman’s movements were slow
and stiff. When they had almost reached the top, the old woman
smiled at Kali.

“
It’s good to have young
people like you nowadays, dear Kali,” the old woman
said.

"How did you know my name?" Kali
asked, startled.

The wrinkled face before her suddenly
morphed, becoming much more youthful. Before she could recover from
her shock, Soren was standing beside her, holding her hand. Kali
couldn’t believe her eyes.

Soren kissed her forehead as they
neared the next floor. Suddenly, he pushed her down the escalator.
As she was falling, she saw the wicked smile on his
face.

Chevalier caught her in his arms, his
black wings exposed for all the bystanders to see. Gasps of
disbelief hissed around them. Most obviously thought this was just
a show staged by the mall to entertain the shoppers. Chevalier flew
up next to Soren, who was now firmly standing on the second floor
of the mall’s promenade.

Kali opened her eyes, finding herself
safely in Chevalier’s arms. Chevalier glared at Soren, his golden
eyes full of boiled anger.

“
Very good, Chevalier,”
Soren praised him with a chuckle. “You’re just in time to save the
damsel in distress.”