Dreaming of the Devil

19

"It's time, Adeline" she spoke, taking my other hand in hers and transporting us to the forest outside. The pathway had been illuminated with light on either side, and in the distance I could see rows upon rows of creatures seated in the hollow tree trunks on both sides of the isle. There were hundreds in attendance; Fallen angels, witches and wizards, pixies flittering in the air, along with many other creatures I did not recognize. Black flowers lined the ends of the chairs and the isle itself was coated in black petals. Serena had disappeared from my side, and I saw her up further sitting with her sisters. No one had noticed me, and I took a moment to breathe.

"You look like a true vision" Serilda spoke from beside me. Dressed in a tight black dress, she looked stunning, although she looked like she was headed to a funeral instead of a ceremony. I frowned.

"Am I doing the right thing?" I whispered.

"Adeline, you were born to fulfil a destiny. The Old One himself set a task, and this is just one step in his plan" she said, placing a hand on mine before walking forward and taking her place amongst the other beings I did not recognize.

Soft music started and I took it as my queue to step forward. Once I reached the end of the isle, all eyes turned to look at me, a silence falling over the crowd. Holding my hands together, I stepped onto the isle and began my walk to Lucifer. My heart stilled when my eyes landed on him. Dressed completely in black, his usually tousled hair had been styled to perfection and my eyes made their way up to his face. Completely spellbound was the only way to describe his expression. His eyes roamed over me and the dress that clung to my body so softly.

As I began to walk along the isle, a golden light illuminated around me, the diamonds and silk woven into my dress shining and sparkling with each step. The black flowers along the outside of the seats began to bloom, bright colours flourished forward in bursts. The witches fingers swirled, and the petals below my feet changed from black to gold as my dress train glided over them. I was the golden soul, and the witches had made that clear to everyone here. Some creatures stood completely still, some bowed their heads, and others whispered and gasped as I passed them.

If I was supposed to be the light to Lucifers dark, why did our joining have to be a dark coronation? Could it not just simply be a joining of two souls? The thought momentarily stopped me in my tracks. This whole event was planned for Lucifer, for his people and his kingdom. What about me? Just because I would remain a pure soul, didn't mean I'd still suffer at the hands of the darkness.

I'd been standing still for too long. The crowd began to whisper. Lucifer's eyes narrowed slightly at me; his hand beckoned me forward to him. To a future I wasn't entirely sure I'd wanted. My heart pounded heavily in my chest. I swept my gaze across the crowd to find Serilda. Her mouth tugged up into a smile that set me on edge.

Something was wrong.

I stepped backwards, just one small step. But it was enough. I felt the doubt, and I knew others could see it now. Lucifer began to descend down the alter towards me, but halted right at the moment something sharp pressed itself against my throat.

"Hello darling" Hades crooned from behind me. One hand wrapped itself around my waist, the other held the sharp edge of his dagger against the soft spot at my throat. I held my breath as he leaned in to place a chaste kiss on my cheek.

"While you do look heavenly tonight love, but not even your beauty could overshadow my plans" he whispered against my ear. My eyes shot to Lucifer, who still remained at the foot of the alter. Even from this distance, I could see his eyes set in a deep black. His eyes were entirely focused on the blade against my throat. He could easily remove the weapon without so much as a second thought. Why was he hesitating?