When Satan Claimed His Wife

Life felt meaningless to me. I experienced an overwhelming sense of solitude, and my mind seemed constantly on the verge of falling apart. I wish I could understand exactly what was happening to me. But I never know. I find myself bouncing from one relationship to the next, and I still cannot seem to find fulfillment or content with any of these relationships or flings, no matter how many I seem to enter. It feels like there are only two types of people in this world. Some people are great at relationships, while others are only good at sex. I struggle daily to remain faithful in a relationship when the love and care are on point because, in some sense, the sexual aspect of it all lacks. Whenever I attempt to be open to polyamorous relationships, I find myself struggling with overwhelming feelings of jealousy and possessiveness towards my partner, and I find that it also makes it more challenging to nurture meaningful and satisfying relationships with those I am close to. However, this consistent feeling of absolute emptiness continually drives me further into a void that makes me never want to experience physical feelings toward others.

As my days pass farther into my isolated state, I find it harder not to fall into this cycle of curiosity about demons and summoning contracts. But to what end would that lead me? My self-confidence is so low that I could accidentally summon someone I shouldn't mess with, and that, all in itself, causes me to be hesitant toward the idea of summoning and contracts. Each day, I find myself miserably alone and isolated from human society. And I hold no interest in getting close to anyone outside of the realm of my imagination. I cannot count the times that I have heard someone tell me to seek a therapist. And I have. But even therapists tell me that I am too hyper-aware of everything for them to be able to help me unless I have the will to help myself. And although that is fantastic advice for neurotypical thinking people. I am not neurotypical in thinking.

While my days seem to blend and the pain of being alone seems all-consuming, I look around my surroundings to see all of these happily in-love couples, and the only feelings I can muster up are envy over their love. While I struggle to understand what that feeling is. With my mind made up, I stand from the park bench where all the couples have started to gather for a walk date. With a sense of self-deprecation and a desire to no longer feel alone, I make my way toward the magical shops to pick up the supplies I need for this summoning.

Just so you know, I'm a druid specializing in healing others, but my magic doesn't seem to work on me. Healing others is a massive undertaking, knowing that I may never be able to heal myself, no matter how hard I work at it. And even though I can curse others, I do not enjoy cursing others. What most fail to understand is that curses and hexes take a severe toll on the life expectancy of the person casting the spell, especially if the reasons for the curse are not satisfactory to the Gods a witch or druid prays to. Which inevitably can result in dire consequences for the caster. The actions I plan to take this night, with all the items needed for this pact, are also considered a curse in the eyes of all the Gods. With this, I need to understand that taking these actions out of self-interest could lead to summoning something too powerful or incurring the wrath of the Gods for my deeds.

After ensuring I had all the necessary ingredients and items for the summoning, I also purchased a set of sweatpants and a matching graphic hoodie for comfort before I set off toward my home to set up the summoning circle and the required items to perform the summoning. And I hope the one summoned tonight will not be too much for me to handle.

After returning home that evening, I began preparing for the ceremony. I closed my blinds, and all the doors had been closed and locked while also turning my attention to the windows, double-checking that they were locked and sealed tightly before I headed to my room to set up the summoning circle. As I prepared for the ceremony, I closed my third eye to the universe, so my actions would not be easily detectable by the Gods I prayed to. I carefully arranged and lit the necessary candles, positioning them at the designated spots within the summoning circle. After that, I carefully placed the items for summoning and offering at the specific points of the pentagram inscribed onto the hardwood floors. With timid movements and shaking hands, I undressed myself before placing a silk robe over my naked form and then returned to the summoning pentagram on my floor. With graceful movements, I lowered myself to my knees before the circle and began the ceremony.

The room remained silent as I began my incantations to call forth a demon to make a pact with me. I was not expecting much from this ceremony, for I felt I was still just a beginner witch, even though I have been subconsciously practicing magic since childhood. The air in the room was warm, and there were no electronics on while I enacted the ceremony for summoning, but it was not long before I had caught the attention of a demon, as the demon caused the candles to flicker in their holders. The stagnant air around me began to smell heavily of sulfur while simultaneously dropping the temperature of the air in the room as I continued with my incantations. As the temperature in the room continued to plummet, a chill ran down my spine while an overwhelming sense of fear began to consume my soul at the figure that began to form before me from smoke and ash. My heart hammered in my chest as I began to fear my actions and who I had caught the attention of. Then, suddenly, a bright flash of light enveloped the room, causing me to shield my eyes from its intensity.

After lowering my arms as the blinding light faded, I came face-to-face with the image of the demon I summoned. The monstrous entity stood tall before me with horns, cloven hooves, unusually hairy legs, and a tail. I recognized the entity almost instantly, for I have had dealings with them in the past, and this was not the person I had wished to see.

"Satan?!"

I exclaimed in shock as I gazed at the demon before me. A long, heaved breath left Satan's lips, expelling a cloud of smoke and sulfur from his lungs. Satan's lips curled into a malicious smile as his gaze came to rest on my body, kneeling before him and the summoning circle where he stood.

"Hello, kitten. Have you missed me so much that you couldn't resist causing me the inconvenience of your presence again?"

Satan sneered at me before taking a step forward with his cloven-hoofed foot. His clawed, muscular hand swiped out and grabbed my arm within his grasp, drawing me toward his tall, muscular, and naked frame.

"Although I must admit, kitten. Seeing you in such revealing attire before me is not something I had anticipated. But I do enjoy the sight nonetheless."

His words growled out from his throat as his eyes ran over my voluptuous figure, barely covered by the silk robes I had adorned before the ceremony.

"Unhand me this moment!"

I shouted in rage and defiance while I tried with all my might to free myself from his grasp. Out of all the demons I had thought to summon, it was not the demon lord Satan who presided over all wrath. To make a complicated history simple. Satan and I have a permanent beef with each other.

"Now, now, kitten. You know I can't let that happen. You summoned me, and you, I know for a fact, don't have the nuts to banish me back to the nether realms."

Satan mockingly chuckled as he watched me with enthusiasm at my attempts to free myself from his clutches. Satan tightened his hold on my bicep while I struggled harder to become free, and due to my frustration over the situation, I began smacking at his hand. Regrettably, rather than offering assistance, this only fueled my nemesis's persistence in mocking me and the extraordinary predicament I found myself in.

"That's it, kitten. Keep struggling against me. You know I love how much you test my patience with you."

Satan growled next to my ear, prompting me to still all movements, which seemed to draw a low chuckle out of him. The deep and rumbling sound filled my ear, eliciting a shiver to run down my spine, whether it was out of lust, desire, or fear. I could not put my finger on it, but it was unsettling even more so than if he had just tried to kill me, like most demons have tried to do in my past.

"You're stuck with me, kitten. Get it through that thick-ass skull of yours."

He mocked in a low tone that rumbled from his chest. I couldn't believe the luck I had at this moment. My pear-shaped figure, covered in the silk robes I adorned for the summoning, was nearly at the mercy of Satan, who had none. An overwhelming sense of distress filled my core as I stared into Satan's eyes with frustration on my facial features.

"If you are a good little kitten. I may be lenient with you. However, if you keep pushing my patience for your bullshit, you'll soon wish you hadn't."

He growled in a low and threatening manner as he pulled my body flush to his. When my body pressed against his, I felt his large member pressing against my stomach, which shocked me because even in its flaccid state, it was still quite large.

"I have conditions, Satan."

I angrily addressed him while I retained eye contact with his monstrous form. I waited with bated breath for his response to my statement of conditions. My eyes, still glued to his features, noticed the slight twitch in the corner of his lips, hinting at his displeasure.

"And, what, pray tell, would those be?"

He asked me in a sarcastic and sneering tone filled to the brim with his mockery of my words.

"Condition number one, which I understand will be difficult for a monster of your nature. You will not abuse me. Condition number two: I will not be a pawn in some fucked up scheme you have set in mind for me. And, lastly, condition number three, no making fun of me for why I summoned you to me."

I firmly stated my conditions to him while I watched his features for the slightest hint of lies or deception. With a glare from his ethereal, glowing eyes, he scoffed at me.

"And, what, precisely, was the reason you were performing this summoning ceremony hidden behind the veil of your Gods, where even they could not see you do this?"

His question made me feel vulnerable, causing me to shuffle my feet and fidget with my fingers in a bashful and nervous manner. My gaze lowered from his while a blush of a soft pink hue crested my cheeks, to which I did my best to hide from his sight as I lowered my head slightly to do so.

"I... I was lonely, and humans did not make me feel all the things I wished to feel. And since keeping relationships of any form is quite difficult for me. I had hoped that a pact with a lust demon would have helped me with my overwhelming sense of isolation and longing for physical connection and intimacy." I shyly confessed my reasons.

I had not expected what happened next. Satan's clawed hand came to rest tenderly under my chin, lifting my gaze and features to meet his. And when our gazes met, I witnessed a hint of what I can only assume is conflict within his emotions. I swore I saw a hint of sympathy, followed quickly by empathy, and then a mocking sneer. I felt my stomach churn at the mocking sneer and the quirk of his lip curling up into a smile. With the history Satan and I have had, I shouldn't be surprised that he would take any opportunity he could to poke fun at my expense. Seeing the emotions flashing quickly over his features and my uncertainty about their meaning, with the final emotion in his eyes being a mocking sneer, I scowled at him. And I started pushing at his chest to gain some semblance of distance from the infuriating monster before me.

"Fuck you! Fuck all of you!! Your family, your friends, curse them all! I voice my genuine and honest feelings about why the matter is at hand, and you wish to mock me!"

I shouted through tears that started spilling from the rims of my eyes while my temper flared higher than before at the shame I felt in the moment after confessing to Satan. I am an absolute fool, was all I could silently think. My emotions began to overwhelm me due to the raw intensity of how they struck me. My quiet sobs did not go unnoticed by Satan, who almost seemed to be warring with himself over how to act. On one side of this, Satan took great pleasure in seeing me suffer before him, knowing all the while that the power to ease this feeling was within his grasp. And on the other side of it, Satan empathized with me on such a deep level of wanting and needing to feel as if someone could love and let him belong in a light that he had never known before.

Without thought or hesitancy, Satan lifted my chin and brought his lips harshly down upon mine in a fierce and passionate kiss as I felt the pact binding our souls. His lips moved roughly against mine with such a passion that I felt as though I was suffocating under the weight of his kiss. I felt his tongue force its way past my lips and into my mouth, exploring and tasting me on his tongue. I could feel my body slowly melting into his at the intimacy he was giving me just with a kiss. That was until reality decided to clock me in the face and bring the harsh reminder that he was my enemy. That all this is just for his sick pleasure, and that he fed off this raging war within me and found a sickening delight in the torment that it caused me. But deep down, I could feel the pact tying us together in matters that were unspeakable as he continued his passionate onslaught against my lips. I began to struggle trying to get away from Satan with the realization that he found enjoyment in torturing me.

"Stop."

I meekly commanded him in a whispered breath against his lips, but to my misfortune, he didn't. His grip on my arm tightened while his hand that had lifted my gaze to his slid down from my shoulder to my hip, leaving a fire of need and want in its wake. I felt Satan pull me closer to his body, pressing me flush against him. Our lips continued to move in sync with each other's in a passionate tasting and exploring of the other. A low growl rumbled from Satan's chest into my mouth while his tongue swirled around mine in a show of dominance as he began to impose his body on mine.

The next instant, I felt my back pressing against the hardwood flooring of my home and my silk robe getting torn away from my body to expose my naked and soft flesh to his hungry gaze and urgent touch. I was not keen on how he looked at me with such a hunger that felt all-consuming. Almost as if I did not play my cards carefully. I could be worse off than if I had allowed it to happen. My pulse quickened in my veins while my breathing rushed from my lungs, causing shivers to run down my spine, making me tremble under him in fear and anticipation. I quickly try to cover myself with my hands, doing my utmost to retain some modesty before this beast.

Satan let out a low and primitive growl from his throat that caused his chest to vibrate from the force of it. His hands shot out, grasping mine in his large palm before harshly taking them in one clawed hand to pin them above my head, forcing me into a position of more vulnerability. With my hands pinned above my head in his one large hand, I struggled against his grip, trying to break free, but to no avail. When I cast my gaze on him, all I could find behind his eyes was desire and lust for my body and to complete the pact that had formed upon his summoning.

Satan dipped his head down, sticking his tongue out past his lips to slowly trace the tip of it around the areola of my nipple before taking the slightly peaked bud into his mouth, suckling and nipping at it a bit harshly. The feeling of his warm, wet mouth around my nipple, sucking and tugging at it with his grossly sharp teeth, caused me to take a sharp, inhaled breath with a mix of pleasure and pain. While he continued to restrain me with his hand holding mine above my head and his body weight pressing down on me, I felt his free hand travel down my sides, causing waves of electrical fire to travel over my nerve endings. My back arched on its own accord off the floor of the room in my home, causing my hips to rise and press deeper into his. Soft gasps left my throat in a strangled sound as I tried not to enjoy what Satan's touch was doing to me. I know this was wrong and that we have had so many issues in the past, but at this moment. I didn't care. I felt wanted and needed, even if it was by my enemy.

As Satan's hand reached my hip, I felt his grip tighten, causing his claws to dig into my soft skin easily.

With his hand on my hip, Satan began to grind his hips above mine, humping my folds that were starting to become slick due to the friction and heat created by his forceful exploration. The sensation of his undulating hips against mine, with his rough touch as he pinned me down with his hand and body, caused a sense of fear to fill my body while my panic skyrocketed from my lack of understanding of why this was affecting me in such a way. My body was responding to his on its own, showing him interest and willingness, while my mind struggled to grasp what was happening to me. I had never felt this kind of primal energy from anyone before, and that alone was intoxicating to me, causing my mind to cloud over with lust and need to feel him claim me in a way no one had ever claimed me before.

Satan released my nipple from his mouth once he was satisfied with how hard the nub had become before turning his attention to my other nipple, sucking and nipping it into a hardened peak as the other one had become. An audible gasp left my throat at the sensation of his mouth around my other nipple. My back arched off the floorboards, pressing my breast into his mouth further.

"Fuck~."

I groaned out between clenched teeth while my body responded to Satan's mouth and touch, while the feel of his hips humping mine sent my mind over the edge, causing me to surrender to his physical demands.

The sound of my moaned, groaning tone sent a wave of pleasure through Satan, making him reach between us to angle the head of his rod at my entrance.

"Of course, kitten."

He growled into my ear before he gave one powerful thrust of his hips, slipping his length deep inside my core. A strangled cry left my lips while my head leaned back, pressing hard against the wood floors of my room. The walls of my entrance stretched painfully around his shaft, causing them to grip him like a vice. I heard a strangled grunt of pleasure leave Satan's lips. The sound hit me differently, this time for an unknown reason, causing my body to respond to the noise of his grunting. I could feel myself pulsing hard around the width of his erection as he penetrated deeply into my wet core.

Satan's control quickly slipped from him as my walls pulsed and milked him almost instantly, causing him to move in and out of my channel in harsh, pounding, and quick thrusts. The sound of their hips colliding in the fast-paced rhythm filled the confines of the room while mixing perfectly with their moans and grunts.

"You're so fucking tight, kitten. Your little walls are milking me so hard. I thought you hated me. Where is that fire that you had before?"

Satan mocked in a degrading tone as he continued his forceful pounding deep into my taunt channel, making my body quiver under him as I quickly approached my climax. More grunts and groans of pleasure left Satan's throat as he saw the spark of anger flash in my eyes as I glared at him.

"Fuck you."

I shouted before I spat on his chest. A deep rumbling growl left his throat as he slammed harder into my wet, pulsating core.

"There it is."

He mockingly growled as his hips slammed harder into my womb, bouncing against the lining of my cervix, causing it to pop back, allowing for more accommodation within my channel. I screamed out in pleasure as my climax hit with an intensity that felt like a freight train. My release washed over his length as he continued pounding mercilessly inside of my hole, creating a sickeningly satisfying gushing sound to come from our connecting flesh as it spurted from my hole and over the remainder of his length that could not fit within my sheath. The force of my climax causes my already taut channel to tighten further around Satan's cock, milking him harshly until he also tumbles over the edge of his release.

With a howl of pleasure, Satan thrust into my channel one last time before I could feel his seed filling my core to the brim, filling my hole with his essence. His body collapsed over me, and I unwillingly accepted his weight on top of mine, pressing me harder against the floorboards of my home to a painful extent. We collectively tried to calm our breathing from the intense sexual session between us. My body uncontrollably convulsed under him as I came down from my high with Satan on top of me. Then I felt something unexpected and completely out of character for the monster over me. His touch turned from harsh and unforgiving to an almost feather-light caress of comfort and soothing. My heart pounded behind my breast at the onslaught of confusion I felt at his gentle touch. Shocked by the unexpected gesture, I stiffened slightly before finally relaxing and returning the tender caresses to his back and shoulders while mirroring his actions.

"You were fantastic, kitten."

Satan whispered to me in the sweetest and most genuine tone of affection I had ever heard from his lips. There was a sudden burning that formed on our bellies just above our navels. The ultimate way to seal the contract involves a symbolic gesture representing the union of the parties through a shared physical act, signifying their lifelong and eternal bond.

I'm struck with horror as I fully comprehend the magnitude of what transpired. Satan had claimed me not as his master for just this pact. But he instead had contracted my marriage to him through force.

"What did you do?!"

I exclaimed in shock as I stared up at Satan as he lay over me. I squirmed and moved under his body, pissed at Satan for forcing a marriage pact with me without my consent.

"Mmm, I told you, you were stuck with me, kitten. I meant what I said. And trust me when I say that if any other so much as looks in your direction, those will suffer a fate far worse than even your little rebellious and rage-filled heart could muster up. And if I find you so much as look in the direction of someone else, then I will have to remind you who now controls your body."

Satan growled in a low and deep threatening tone while his massive clawed hand grasped my throat and began to squeeze. Panic flashed over my features as my PTSD kicked in, and the images from a similar situation in my past flashed in my vision.

"You son of a bitch!"

I ground out through clenched teeth with his hand still slowly suffocating my lungs by closing my airways. I fought off the tears that threatened to spill from the corners of my eyes. There was something I couldn't understand. I know I set everything up right just before I performed the ceremony. How is Satan able to have such sway over me, and how is it that this monster was able to force a marriage pact without the proper setup?

"Your anger at this situation is turning me on, kitten. If you don't want another round of fun, how about you settle down a bit, hmm?"

He spoke to me in such a condescending tone that I took a deep breath before his hand squeezed harder around my throat, causing slight pain and blocking the air from escaping my lungs. As my face began to turn a shade of red from his hand wrapped tightly around my neck, restricting my airways, he quickly withdrew from my walls. He also released my neck from his grasp simultaneously, causing me to cough and push our combined fluids from my hole while I rolled onto my side and curled into a ball against the hard floors of my home.

Satan stood over me with a justified smile before he spoke with such malice in his tone to me.

"Now, I have a few things to take care of. How about you clean yourself before I return for you later?"

And with a puff of ash and ember, he disappeared from the room. Feeling disgusted with myself over this ordeal, I stood up from the floor before I moved toward the bathroom in my home to shower and change into some comfortable clothes. I showered away the remnants of our encounter. I was unable to wrap my mind around the reality that my nemesis signed his life to me like this. What was he planning? Did he have some horrible torture idea to put me through for all those years I fought against him? Why am I mildly excited about this? All these questions screamed through my head, begging for answers, and I had none to give them that would be remotely satisfying.

As I waited for Satan's return, I sat on the couch in my living room, stuck inside my head for hours, trying to close the open-ended loop of questions that circled inside my head as the minutes ticked by like hours at such a slow pace for me, while enraptured inside the confines of my turmoil. By the time night had fallen over my home near the city, I noticed that Satan still had not come back. And that was when my thoughts began to sour over this. I sat waiting while the hours passed, and instead of feeling anger and indifference, I started to feel worry and sadness.

'Was I not good enough?'

'Why do I care?'

'Did I upset him?'

'Again, why do I care?'

'But what if he is hurt?'

'Yeah, what of it?'

'He doesn't deserve to be alone or in pain.'

'Why do I care?'

'Because I do care.'

'Why? So we can be let down by an emotionally unavailable sociopathic demon spawn from hell who is practically a god in their eyes? What benefit will this give us? You know he only cares about wrath, the suffering of others, and the rage he can stir within the mortal soul. And, you fucked with god's way. You know what will happen once they find out. So still, I ask. Why do I care?!'

"Because I love everyone! No matter how much it pains me! I can't help but build attachments quickly, especially after such a sexual encounter, even if I had no other fucking choice but to accept it! Because I am fucked up! Because I know how it feels to be the one who is always misunderstood, tossed outside, and forced to look in from a mail slot! Because it's fucking painful, and I can't stop myself from fucking caring!"

I shouted at myself externally, finally having had enough of the internal monologue, trying to get it to stop. My breath left my parted lips in soft pants as I tried to figure out how I should handle this and figure out what the hell was going on with me. My anger swelled to a breaking point within me, causing me to rise from my seat on the couch to grab the first throwable object I saw and throw it at the nearest wall to watch the object fly across the room to shatter into pieces before cascading down to the floor of my living room. A scream of frustration ripped from my throat as I started grabbing anything within reasonable reach before throwing them across the room, releasing every bit of my pent-up confusion and anguish that I had no other way to release in such a quick time, trying to think straight again.

"SON OF A BITCH!!!"

I screamed at the top of my lungs, cursing every bit of my actions and the mess I had created for myself. My mind scrambled for answers on how to fix this, but none came to me as I proceeded to calm myself down from the intense and raw passion and confusion I had just experienced. The voices inside my head were right. Why do I care so much? Why is this affecting me in this way? What am I going to do about this? I know that as soon as the gods find out, there could be dire consequences for my actions, but there is no guarantee that I will be given leniency for my actions by summoning Satan, even if accidentally. It appears that I am left, yet again, with more questions I have no answers to.

Leaving the shattered pieces of glass and whatever else that was within easy reach on the floor of my living room, I clambered over the couch to walk into my kitchen and began to prepare tea in hopes that it would help me calm down. As the tea finished brewing, I pondered how the gods would react if I sought their forgiveness for my potentially offensive actions.

Little to my knowledge did I realize that Satan was watching my episode from the safety of his palace within hell through a glowing orb. His duties required him to be away, even with the pact in place. He smirked at seeing me have a fit and break the things I purchased for myself with my mortal finances. He didn't like seeing me like this, which was odd even for the one that everyone assumes is the monster of the nine hells. But he also liked knowing that this was causing me an extended amount of turmoil over my actions and the guilt over the current situation.

He chuckled darkly to himself as he watched me make tea to calm myself before going to clean up the shards of broken glass from my carpet in the living room.

'Let her suffer for a bit. She needs to understand the consequences of her actions. Besides, I enjoy watching her suffer a bit.' Satan thought to himself as he continued his silent surveillance over me through the orb that allowed him visual access to my world. After a few minutes, he stopped watching me and focused on the tasks that required his attention for his kingly duties.

Satan ruled over hell with an iron fist and tolerated no nonsense. The women of his realm desired him with a passion that would make normal humans assume they were obsessed stalkers. One particular was a flirtatious imp named Gwendolyn, who had her eyes on him from the beginning, and had taken to extreme measures to eliminate anyone who would threaten her possible chance at being his queen. In some form, it brought a wicked smile to his lips at the thought of the two interacting with each other. The idea of one demonic imp against a druid would be one hell of a show to watch.

While his day continued as he pored over documents in his study, his mind wandered to what his little mortal wife was doing and how he could make her life more miserable than it already was.

My day was already shit. Project deadlines were piling up, and my workload became heavier because my coworkers dumped it all on my shoulders. It wasn't even noon, and I felt like my day was too stressful for me to handle.

'What is the honest point to living, when all human impulses stem from emotions? None of my coworkers sees that I am drowning because of the masks I wear in public, and they always assume I am "so put together" when really, I am falling apart and dying on the inside. Why are humans so careless and disingenuous? Why is it so hard to show consideration for others?' I silently ponder to myself as I work through lunch to meet deadlines for projects and other tasks involving my workday.

By the end of my day, I was sore from being slouched over my desk and focused on my workload. My shoulders ached from being hunched over my desk all day. After leaving my office building, I rolled my shoulders and stretched a bit before making my way back towards my home.

Satan was in the mortal realm as I got out of work, since he has dealings in all sorts of places. Unbeknownst to me, he had been having his men keep tabs on my daily activities, even to the point of bathroom breaks and schedules. To anyone who believes that Satan is doing it out of protection would only be half right. The thing with Satan is, he doesn't let go of the past transgressions against him. His forcefully binding me to him was only part of the game he had planned for his little mortal wife. He still remembered the conditions that were in place on the pact before he forced it to be a marriage, but to think that this demon would suddenly grow an attachment to a human that he despised with a passion was highly overrated. The beef between him and the mortal was greater than anything most would know.

While in his sleek black sports car, Satan tailed the mortal at a distance. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it while still seated in his vehicle, taking a drag from it before breathing out through his nostrils to let the smoke plumes curl around him as he continued following his mortal wife.

As I walked the same path home, there was a sudden chill down my spine. And I knew it was not from the chilly fall air that I was traversing through to get home. Someone, somewhere, was watching me. The sensation caused me to become alert to my surroundings, which had me watching the ground for any object that I could use to defend myself if I were to be attacked by an unforeseen group of thugs. My stomach twisted into knots of worry as I tried to keep the same pace and not let on that I was aware of being followed. While walking, I casually lift my head to glance at my surroundings to see if I notice anything suspicious about the area.

Cars passed by my peripherals, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. I didn't notice the black car five blocks behind me, tailing me due to my eyes not being that good in the first place, but I was aware of a few men keeping pace with me across the street from where I was on the opposite side of the street from them.

My stomach nearly dropped as I began running through every worst possible scenario that could come about from being followed by the possible thugs.

Her panic was causing Satan to feel both pleased and uneasy. The dual feelings were wreaking havoc on his psyche, even if he wanted her to suffer; a possessive feeling consumed him. 'No one makes my human suffer, except me.' The thought passed through his mind, causing a low demonic growl to emanate from his chest as he drove a little faster to intervene. He pulled off to cut her off and rolled down the window, exposing his human form.

"Get in." He sternly commanded while simultaneously using his compulsion ability, even though it was not guaranteed to work on me, but it was better than doing nothing at all.

I stared at the man, dumbfounded when he commanded me to get in like he knew me. Something in me at that moment wanted to refuse his command, but then I remembered the thuggish people following me and chose to climb into the man's car. I barely had time to buckle up before the man drove off, and my panic only increased. While the man in the impeccable tailored suit drove, I snuck glances at him, trying to figure out how I knew him or even why he was being kind. He seemed to notice my unease and reached over to put his hand on my thigh, intending to bring me comfort, but my reaction expressed anything but comfort. The tension in my body radiated off of me in waves as I internally panicked over his touch on my thigh.

Apparently, my reaction to his touch was amusing. He may have tried to hide the slight curve in his lip, but I noticed that he thought this was funny.

"Look, you can drop me off at the next block. You already helped me out enough, and I don't want to owe you anything since I don't know you." I stated in not the most friendly or appreciative tones, but that was because I was already panicked over the situation that had happened mere moments ago, which had already set my senses on high alert. There may not be any clear danger now, but I still felt threatened by the man next to me.

It clicked inside of Satan's head that his mortal wife did not know that he was the demon she had made a pact with last night. The thought of her oblivious nature brought a deep sense of delight to him, as he figured out a way to use this to his advantage.

"Easy, baby girl. I don't mean anything by my touch. Only trying to give you some comfort." He remarked and pulled his hand away from my thigh. He knew this was going to be a fun way to play with his little mortal wife, and he was excited at the prospects of ruin he could leave in his wake. The suffering he had planned for this mortal was absolutely enticing to him.

"I am not your 'baby girl' and do not appreciate you placing such a claim over me with your careless tossing around of those words in the presence of a stranger." I clapped back at him by voicing my strong opinions of his disrespectful usage of words, with his assumptions that I would be okay with it.

A twisted sense of pride and irritation swelled inside his chest at the mortal's words. It almost caused a possessive growl to rise in his throat that he quickly cleared away by coughing into his fist.

"Noted..." He casually voiced while continuing to focus on driving. "What is your address?" Satan didn't need that information, but to keep up the charade, he had to keep to social pretenses.

"I told you to drop me off at the next block." I chided him while crossing my arms over my chest in the passenger seat of his sleek black sports car.

"Not happening, princess." He growled back, showing that he was not budging on taking me home. I grumbled and did everything to direct him to my house without giving him my address directly. And even with all my roundabout directions, he followed them until we reached my home.

I unfastened the seatbelt around me and quickly tried to flee his car, but he reached out and stopped me by grabbing my wrist in a firm but gentle grip.

"Hey, hold your horses. I want to know if I can see you again?" Satan asked, while giving a charming smile at his unsuspecting mortal wife.

I paused and looked back at the man in shock and disbelief. The expression on my face showed disbelief and near mortification at his question. "You're joking, right?" I narrowed my eyes to look at him suspiciously.

The reaction I received from him was not what I was expecting. A deep belly laugh escaped him as he shook his head at my skepticism.

"No, I am not joking. Why do you have someone already?" A sly smirk formed on his lips as if challenging me silently to goad me into an answer that benefits him.

My intuition screamed at me that this was a trap of some kind, and I refused to fall for it.

"My schedule is too full, so there is no way I can have a dating life at the present moment. Come back in fifteen years." I quipped with the partial truth and removed my arm from his grasp and exited his car before closing the door and hurrying to my home by taking the back way in, so he did not know which house on the block was mine.

Satan smirked to himself as he watched me flee from the car. He didn't need to stay since he already knew which house was his mortal wife's home, so he pulled away at a normal pace. The demon king, naturally, was tempted by the idea of manipulating his human wife into being a puppet, but knew that it would go against the conditions she set on the pact. Those same conditions applied to their marriage pact. Working around those conditions was going to be a hassle, but as far as he could see. Nothing stopped him from making his wife's life hell for now.

With that thought in mind, he was going to force his wife into his arms even if it meant being in his mortal form for a while. And then began to plan each step carefully.

A few days have passed, and everything seems to have settled down for me. I was able to finish the projects before the deadlines. I had to pull a few overnights to keep on top of changes and minor notes in patches that needed to be refined and edited before the final send-in. Of course, I received no acknowledgment for taking care of all the finer details within my dead-end job and what feels like a non-existent life. These were the exact reasons I had even attempted the summoning of an incubus in the first place. I had initially thought that if I fucked something and got my synergy out, I would feel better, but what happened instead was that I summoned Satan, and now I am fucking married to him.

When his name fluttered through my mind, I realized that he hadn't come by to see me in a few days. By this time, I have smoked three joints in the comfort of my home while also sipping on a dry wine.

'Was I that shitty at sex?'

Again, my inner monologue picked up on my inner turmoil.

'Does it matter?'

"Mildly," I answered aloud to myself.

'Oh, this is going to be good. Pray tell, why does it matter?'

"Well, it sure is one hell of a hit to the ego, especially if a demon thinks I am horrible at sex."

'Are you fucking kidding me?!? You are so stressed out because you think you were bad at fucking?'

"Look, inner me. I outward me, do not have the self-righteous confidence of a fucking toddler on crack like you do."

'That is the sweetest thing... Back to the point. WHY DOES IT MATTER IF HE DOES NOT COME BACK?!' I inwardly screamed at myself.

"How hard is it for me to understand that me is tired of being lonely!"

'Surely you remember-'

"Yes," I cut my inner monologue off and continued. "We are all just lonely people swimming in a fucked up fish bowl of other lonely ass mother fuckers just trying to get a gasp of breath before being forced back under, just for the next lonely mother fucker to breathe by standing on our backs." I finished voicing my own conscious thoughts.

With a heavy sigh, I add my final thoughts. "It doesn't take away from the loneliness I still feel in a world that is nothing but lonely." And turn in my seat on the couch within my living room to roll another herbal cigarette to smoke to help me relax once more, since my mind turned against me in the middle of my vibe.

"I don't want to be this pathetic," I muttered while taking a deep breath, inhaling the smoke.

Unbeknownst to her, Satan was again keeping tabs on her, even while he was taking care of his duties within his kingdom through the same glass orb he spied on her with before this use. And he had heard her; her inner monologue and her outbursts were as clear as day to him. But this time, there was no delight in seeing her at this point in her mental state. The druid he had dealt with time and time again was on the verge of snapping, and for some reason, it did not bring him the joy he expected to feel. He wanted to be happy, or overjoyed by her suffering. But something in him felt an odd sense of concern over his mortal's mental health.

He stood from his throne in the middle of one of his court appearances and began pacing the room, setting the courtiers on edge due to the sudden shift in their king's demeanor.

The orb that Satan used to spy on his mortal was only visible to him due to his magical capabilities and hierarchy status in the realm. None of his advisors or courtiers knew why he suddenly shifted in his mood, and not one of them dared to ask about it.

"Hurry up with this god forsaken meeting!" Satan roared in frustration as a deep-seated need to go to his human became overwhelming to him. Neither of them knew that her bond to him was calling out in her inner distress. That her subconscious was silently wishing for him to come to her in her time of need and distress.

When Satan finally arrived at my home, I was a crying ball on the sofa. The scent of smoked herbs and incense permeated the area. An empty wine glass was on the end table next to where I sat, draped over the armrest of the furniture, quietly sobbing to myself. Whatever emotion he had been feeling before he arrived disappeared as if it had evaporated. His demonic features softened for a moment before he quickly schooled his features to a mocking expression.

"Aw, did the witch have a bad day?" He sneered, unwilling to let the mortal see that he actually held a slight empathy towards the misery she was suffering, but would never state such feelings out loud.

My head snapped up, and my anger instantly spiked. I turned my head to give Satan a cold glare before voicing in the most demonic tone I could muster and vocally yelling at him.

"I do not need your bullshit right now!" I then pushed myself up, trying to hide my misery, and quickly wiped the tears in my eyes away. I would not allow him to see me weak again. There was always the underlying knowledge that the king of hell does not accept weakness, and if he sees it, he is at liberty to make a point in expressing that he saw it. With my emotions already in a tizzy because of the turmoil I put myself under, I needed all my strength to deal with whatever he throws at me this night.

Unexpectedly, Satan felt the sting of rejection at her words, which caused him to feel angry. And his temper was not something for him to easily tame. But some part of him knew that right now, his anger was the last thing needed this night. Through gritted teeth, he muttered.

"Why must you be so fucking stubborn?" And then proceeded to stomp his way over to the sofa I was seated on at one side. I squeaked in surprise when he lifted me from my position on the opposite side from where he sat and placed me in his lap.

"What do you think you are doing?!" I cried out in surprise after being placed on his lap with his clawed hands firmly holding my hips in place.

"Damn it you pervert unhand me!" I shouted and tried to get out of his grasp, but he held firm.

"Do you want to fall face-first into the coffee table in front of you?" He growled from behind me, which caused me to still my movements almost instantly. My eyes widened in horror at what I could have done to myself, which made me lean back and curl against his broad chest, trying to avoid being in pain as much as possible. A deep rumbling chuckle vibrated his chest against my palm and shoulder.

"There is my little kitten." He growled low and next to my ear after he leaned down. I could feel my embarrassment rising as my cheeks heated to the point that the tips of my ears were a bright pink. For some reason, this signaled to Satan to continue his torment over me by nipping at the shell of my ear.

I flinched and leaned away, causing Satan to wrap his arms tighter around my waist to hold me firmly in place against his massive chest.

"You are not getting away from me that easily." He growled low in his throat, a warning that I had better behave or he would punish me. It was not just a threat but a promise, and I understood immediately. I may be willing to tap-dance on the patience of others, but I also knew when it was time to stop with the dancing and realize the danger I could be in. Although I love pushing people to their limits, this was the king of all demons, an entity that no mortal fully understood, and one wrong move could have his powder keg barrel exploding on you. The real question is whether you can survive the initial blast radius. And to the dismay of most, none were able to exit the blast without being hurt drastically in the process. I, for one, would like to avoid being within the blast zone.

But again, we are dealing with Satan, and he has always been a bit temperamental if you believe in what ancient biblical lore says about him. There was one thing that I did not understand about his unexpected visit to my home tonight, and that was the implication of why he chose tonight of all nights to show up. And as if he was reading my thoughts right then and there, he grumbled low in his throat.

"Don't read into it. I just happened to show up." He stated with a dismissive tone that hinted toward his annoyance at coming here to see me like this. His large, clawed hand came up to rest on the back of my head before pulling me towards his chest for me to rest against him. It was uncharacteristic of the king of hell, and it almost made me question if I should be grateful to receive this kindness from such a feared deity. There was a stirring within my stomach where the pact mark rests above my navel, causing my chest to flutter. I could feel my cheeks heating up as something stirred inside me that I was not willing to name or admit to. It was insane to me that I was getting flustered in the arms of a demon king who is known for his ruthless nature, and somehow found comfort in being held by him. While sitting in silence across his lap on the sofa in my living room, I contemplated what I should do. There was a surprising urge to lean up and kiss his cheek, but then my doubts would play havoc with my mind, which made me second-guess my choices and wayward thoughts. The inward struggle I faced must have been palpable because Satan's claws started to lightly scratch at my scalp in a massaging manner to provide comfort and still my doubts.

Against my better judgment, I lean into his touch as I find some comfort within the gentle scratches against my scalp. My actions caused a smirk to form on his lips as he decided to tease me by slowly pulling his hand back to watch me lean my head back further to follow his hand and expose my neck to him. A dark gleam flashed across his eyes as they darted to my exposed neck. He licked his lips hungrily as he continued to manipulate me through touch to lean my head back further. I was enjoying the scalp massage, unaware of his intentions or the hunger in his gaze as he stared down at my exposed expanse of flesh.

He leaned down, letting his hot breath fan against my skin, to which I barely noticed as I basked in the head massage. For a moment, my worries were gone. There was no stress over being lonely or any fretting over my life and how bleak it looks from my point of view. There was only this bliss of feeling like I was cared for, even if it was by a monster. Goosebumps prickled the hairs on my arms, causing them to stand on end due to the unexpectedly good feeling his scratching on my scalp was. I was still basking in the simple pleasure that I did not realize until it was too late, that Satan's mouth was on my neck, licking and suckling on my flesh with his free hand traveling up my thigh in a possessive and dominant touch. A warmth spread through my belly as our bond activated, expressing his intentions with his actions. The unwanted warmth clouded my mind as a soft gasp left my lips, as the sensation of his tongue caressing my flesh where his teeth once scraped and left marks behind, to soothe any lingering pain, sent shivers down my spine.

"Damn it. Satan, this is not what I wanted." I breathlessly chided him as his clawed hand crept further up my thigh against my skirt, slowly inching the material higher as he moved his hand upward.

"Accept it, kitten." He growled low against my flesh as if he was giving me a gift, and I didn't even realize it. My thoughts warred with my responsive body as I tried to stop myself from enjoying his touch as much as I was. 'Kitten' was starting to become the normal pet name I hear spill from his lips. In a weird sense, it sent a thrill through me when he growled it against my flesh like he did. The sensation of his growl both scared me and made me feel that I was at my safest when held against him like this. That his hands were the only warmth that could shelter me from every storm I faced within the confines of my mind. For some unexplainable reason, his touch did not feel mocking. And it doesn't hold its normal malice behind each touch as if trying to point out the very weakness I hide daily.

My breath hitched in my throat as I felt the dual sensation of his claws grazing my skin through the fabric of my skirt, as well as his teeth nipping at my neck, plus the added touch of his claws gently massaging my scalp. An involuntary moan left my lips as my body leaned back in a relaxed state to lean harder into his touch, even as he touched my body with his mouth and other hand.

Satan growled low in his throat at her reaction to his stimulations, so that to her ears it would sound like a purr. Both sensations seem to cause her great pleasure mixed with fear, which caused her heart to speed up under his lips. A grin spread across his lips as he could practically smell her arousal and fear mixing in the air around her. Tonight, it drove him crazy in a different sense. Instead of hating the idea of being attached to this mortal for the rest of his days despite her, he was excited. He wanted to be the one to make her moan, to make her scream in pleasure, to hurt her in the best of ways that made her climax so hard that she felt like she was gagging over his massive rod. The thoughts alone made his member twitch against her thigh. Of course, in his monstrous form, he was covered by a simple loincloth, but her skirt still prevented their flesh from fully touching. He growled, preparing to shred the fabric off her body.

"Stop... I will take it off. I cannot afford more clothes." I whispered to keep him from tearing my clothes apart in his haste to have intercourse with me.

"I can buy you an entire new wardrobe." He growled back in response to my hesitancy. His claws dug deeper into the fabric in preparation to rip it away from her figure.

As I try to rebuke his statements, his features hardened before he growled low in warning. "I am buying you a new wardrobe." Before ripping the fabric from my flesh. Tiny scratch marks remained in the wake of removing her skirt and laced panties from her waist, before doing the same to her bra and shirt.

A loud gasp of surprise left my lips as I was suddenly and unceremoniously stripped bare in his lap on my sofa. Before I could reach up to cover myself and provide respect to my being, his free hand reached out to gather my wrists in his hand and transferred them to his hand that was initially scratching my scalp with his claws. I tried to struggle, but his grip was too tight for me to break free on my own. And my struggle only seemed to excite him more to a sense of sick pleasure.

His large hand came up to palm my breast so he could pinch my nipple between his index and forefinger. While doing that, he also leaned forward with his long demonic tongue sticking out before connecting with my nipple so he could swirl the tip of his elongated tongue around my free nipple. I moaned and struggled slightly, but it only excited him further when he felt me trying to break free. His member was almost fully erect by this point, and even his tip was leaking a bit of pre-cum from his excitement and anticipation. My body continued to involuntarily respond to his touch as my belly warmed further, where our bond marking rests.

"Fuck, you are so responsive, kitten." He practically purred out before taking my nipple into his mouth to suck on it until it was a hardened peak. My back arched of its own accord, pressing my breast deeper into his warm mouth as if begging for him to take her whole breast into his mouth to suckle on.

"Hyung~" I barely hold back a moan as his warm, wet mouth encircles my nipple. His touch became bolder still as his hand shifted to a mortal hand without his claws before sliding a digit between my folds to see how ready I was. My hips unintentionally buck into his touch just before he palmed my sex to force me to remain still.

"Somebody is needy," Satan growled low from the sides of his mouth to cause a vibrational sensation around my areola. Another loud gasp of pleasure left my throat as I felt one of his digits probe my heat. When his middle finger finally penetrated my entrance, my walls gripped the digit greedily. My moan was strangled out of my throat as I started to become overwhelmed by him and his touches. The intense response of my body to his touch was driving me to the brink of mental sanity. How could he make me feel this way? Why does this feel like he wants me? I silently knew those were questions that would go unanswered. Not only because I refused to let them be voiced, in an attempt to keep whatever was happening between them from ending.

But, as life often has it, the unexpected tends to come around at the most inopportune moments in one's existence. A persistent buzzing sensation in an odd area by my rear caused me to wiggle and try to get away from it. Satan growled and tightened his grip on me until he noticed what was causing the interruption and discomfort in his mortal wife. With a frustrated growl, he fished his pager from his hidden pocket to see what the urgency was about before his grip tightened on the device.

"I have to go."

That was all he said before he disappeared, leaving me in a hot mess on the sofa, still bare.

"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!" I screamed from the top of my lungs into the void of space within the four walls of my home.

The next few days were hell for me. Cock blocked by a damn demon. Wait, since I am a female, wouldn't that make it a beaver dam? Anyway, besides the point. My coworkers noticed my grumpy mood, which did not help my case at the office where I worked daily. There were a few times I almost bit at one of my coworkers' throats metaphorically with a snarky comeback, but I quickly bit my tongue to hold back my vile mood since it was not their fault I was in this mood to begin with.

My anger remained in check so I could throw it in the appropriate direction, mainly for the asshole who started something that he couldn't finish. The next time I see the king of all nine hells, I swear on all that I control within my power, I will give him a stern piece of my mind. Surely, as a man in some semblance, he understands the detrimental toll a blue anything feels. And I am fully aware that he gets off on that stuff, but at least talk to a girl first before you dip out in the heat of the moment.

With the past few days to simmer over and stew on the events that transpired, I was beyond any logic and reason at this point. My insecurities have seen their opening and have instantly latched on to the chance to make me feel lower by my own self-brainwashing and manipulative tactics from my self-conditioning habits stemming from my own internalizing coping skills. And my insecurities are scripting scenarios that don't make sense, but because of the high emotional state I was in, they make sense in the moment.

"When I see him," I muttered angrily to myself as I paced my office during one of my breaks.

'You will what? Pull his ear? Nag him? Please tell me that you are smarter than that.' My inner monologue responded. Now was not the time for me to be having an episode of talking to myself in the midst of a busy workday.

To prevent one of those from happening, I take a slow, deep breath in through my nose and out through my mouth. Apparently, it did nothing to help hide my distress as an unusually nosy female coworker, who I feel has had it in for me since the day I started, came sauntering up to my office door so she could lean against my doorframe. God, the scent of her overpriced hooker perfume gave me such a headache.

"Hey, Suga. What has you in such a mood, huh?" The coworker chirped in an annoyingly high-pitched tone that felt like nails on a chalkboard to my already frazzled state. And the accent she used was like she got it from a horrible western movie. The combined stimuli were only causing me to be more irritable than before, and that was not good for anyone.

"Nothing of great work importance, Mary-Sue." I quipped, hoping that would get her to go away. To my dismay, however, that only caused the woman to feel the need to correct the name I inaccurately used.

"Mhmm, cute. My name is actually Michelle." As she corrected me, she encroached on my space as if trying to intimidate me in some fashion.

"Mhmm, forgive me if I don't remember your name. Good with faces, horrible with names." I made mention in the same high-pitched chirp she used before entering my office without permission. Another thing that irritated the fuck out of me, but not something I can take up with management.

'Yeah, hi. Can you fix the human inconsideration mentality in the whole population?' Because that would blow over well with HR. I can only imagine the way that conversation would go. The fact that this woman was not leaving my office when I had clearly shown that I was in no mood for conversation, through my condescending tone and my 'do not approach me' body language, seemed to be more than challenging by the time she reached my desk.

"Aw, come on. Miss sunshine and rainbows has a frown on her face and doesn't expect us at the office to ask about it?" She spoke in that sweet tone that you knew was a mockery of what she was really trying to achieve here. The bitch wanted dirt, plain and simple. Any response given to her at this juncture could cause me future issues. I know I have to tread carefully, which is very hard for me in my current emotional state.

"I don't have a reason to smile today. No reason comes to mind as to why I cannot smile; I cannot muster the energy to smile today." I chose a more diplomatic and clinical response to her probing question. Of course, I understood this was an unsatisfactory answer for the woman, yet I could not bring myself to care. This woman has given me no reason to trust that anything coming out of her mouth is in my best interest.

The main issue I have with women in a blanket general sense is their double standards, high expectations, and little effort given in return. When someone approaches me like Michelle does, it causes me to be on high alert around them because I expect something to drop on me out of nowhere. And Michelle is pressing on every one of my red flags with the way she walked into my office at the company, like she owned it.

"Well, then. How about you come out with me and the other coworkers tonight? Maybe that will help put a smile on your face." Michelle suggested, which only caused me to raise an inquisitive eyebrow in her direction.

"I have prior engagements." It was a straight refusal. If the woman doesn't get the hint, then she is fucking dense.

"Aw, you can't reschedule?" The bitch was fishing and goading me, trying to get me to fall to peer pressure, and that made my resolve all the more solid in this situation.

"I cannot. Now, if you please, I need to get back to work. My break has ended." I chide the woman to leave my office so I can return to work. Sadly, I knew this clearly was not over between us.

Satan, who has been keeping tabs on his mortal wife, growled low in his throat at the little vixen that was trying to fuck with his mortal. He was currently in the mortal world in his human form. In a business dealing with his group. While he listened to the droning's of his advisors and corporate members, he remembered that he owed his mortal a new suit since he tore the other one up. He delved into his thoughts, remembering every curve of his mortal's body, every dip and crevasse, before he started planning the perfect tailored suit that would accentuate her figure and make everyone envious of her.

He played with colors that would look good on her with her complexion, what hairstyle would make her cute features even more beautiful, and how the locks of hair should curl around her cheeks to make her appear as if she stepped out of a fairy tale.

Satan had to mentally shake himself from his thoughts of dressing up his wife, before a smirk could appear on his lips in the middle of this meeting. He had a reputation of being ruthless to uphold, and smiling about dressing the mortal up like a doll was not a weakness he was willing to let the corporate members see. But he was willing to revisit those thoughts later.

The day seemed to drag on for both of them. I was still dealing with work documents because, 'surprise, surprise', my coworkers wanted to dump everything on me again, even knowing that I was in a foul mood. As for Satan, the meetings felt never-ending with the number of company and corporate meetings that came in one day. Each one seemed more and more like nonsense. And his night did not get better. He was out late doing his secretive business while in the mortal world. Fully aware that his mortals' frustrations were damn near their breaking point. The agitation for him was also getting to a high point. The memory of having the woman he bound to him as his wife persistently floated to the surface in his mind. With the way her back arched, pushing her nipple further into his mouth, her moans. All of it was affecting him in a way he did not want to acknowledge. It was like he was counting down the hours and seconds when he could have her again, under him, struggling. A smirk formed on his lips, but his cock was also starting to grow at the thoughts swirling in his mind. With a grunt, he adjusted himself through his pants and huffed a disgusted snort before carrying on with his business.

After a few blocks, he noticed a familiar figure exiting a building later in the evening than usual.

"My mortal." He growled low in his throat as a plume of smoke curled up from the corners of his mouth where he exhaled, creating a devilish grin across his handsome human features. Still in his suit and tie with his large trench coat resting on his shoulders, he appeared to be every bit the stylish mafia boss. He stalked forward with his cigarette towards his human wife.

"Fancy running into you again," Satan commented in his mortal form with a charming smile and a low purr as he approached her.

I flinched when I heard a familiar voice that I could not quite place. With a turn of my head, I eye the person who was approaching me. He seemed familiar, but there was no recognition of him.

"I am sorry. Have we met?" There was a skeptical look of recognition on my face, as if needing something to spark a memory of who he was. But this only made the man smirk and scoff.

"You really don't remember me? I suppose you forget those who save your life." He commented with a feigned indignation as if to make me feel guilty for not remembering him.

I raised a confused eyebrow before the memory clicked into place. "Oh! The man in the sleek black sports car who wanted my address." I chirped as if pleased with my ability to remember him. Satan's face, however, flashed with bewilderment before he quickly schooled them into a charming smirk.

"That's the impression I left on you that day, huh?" He inquired with a scoff as if he literally took offense at my remembrance of him before he added. "If that is how you remember me, then why did you get into the car with me, princess?"

I look taken aback by his direct question. I remember that day, the thugs who were following me. I, to this day, still do not know if they were actually thugs or if they were just people who 'LOOKED' suspicious since we all have stigmas and stereotypes placed on us by others. With a quick turn of my head, I let my gaze drift away from him.

"Well, I..." Pause, I really had to think of a reasonable enough answer to give this man. "That day was a bit hectic for me, and I thought some shady shit was going down. You pulled up and told me to get in, so I assumed it wasn't just me who saw it. And at the time you." I shrugged before continuing with my explanation, a blush that expressed my embarrassment at having to explain this to a stranger, and I pushed through. "You seemed safe." I finished and wrapped my arms around my midsection, in an expression of my discomfort at admitting that I was having some troubles that day, and in some way expressed my gratitude towards the kindness he showed me that day.

A flash of surprise crossed Satan's mortal features before he schooled them to appear charming and confident that almost bordered on arrogance. "You felt safe with me, princess?" He nearly purred as another plume of smoke was exhaled from the corners of his lips, making him appear sinister to a degree. He leaned closer, practically invading my personal space with his broad shoulders and tall frame towering over my shorter frame.

"At the time we first met, yes. Now you are acting a little creepy." I replied while leaning back to keep him out of my personal space, still unaware that this was Satan in his mortal form in front of me.

"Well, then, let's make it less creepy. How about we go out for dinner? My treat." He says with a charming grin.

My senses were ringing bells that I couldn't pin down to understand what the supposed warning was that my intuition was screaming at me to run from. The idea of going to get food was nice, and at this man's expense, it sounds nice in theory, but one question came to mind.

"What is the catch?" I inquired while narrowing my eyes at him, showing my skepticism at the intentions behind his offer.

A smirk appeared on his lips. "Only the pleasure of getting to know a beautiful woman." He commented with charm that would make any other woman putty within his grasp. But for his mortal, it seemed to make her scoff in dissatisfaction at his response.

"Even I know that is a load of bullshit." I chided while crossing my arms over my business suit-clad chest, the last one I had no thanks to that asshole Satan.

He scoffed with a hint of humor at her witty sarcasm. "Not everyone has an agenda, princess." He reproached his mortal with a cold glare and a narrowing of his eyes at her comment.

The shift in his aura instantly set off my back-down warning bells. "Poking fun at myself and my appearance is what helps me get by. It is a defensive coping skill." I explain, hoping to ease the tension I unintentionally caused. I am sure that he was referring to his intentions behind asking me to have dinner with him, but I did not want to blatantly state that I thought he was trying to get into my pants. There were too many times when I have personally experienced a man wanting to go out, say it was his treat, and then they have either dipped out before the bill came, or forced me into feeling obligated to have sex with him. So, the odds at this point were not in favor of this man.

"Do you have a name, or am I just supposed to call you random guy from the street who saved me?" I inquired, trying to shift the conversation to safer grounds.

The man thought for a minute while staring down at me from his height. "Mason." He answered after a pause.

I nod my head and politely introduce myself in return.

"Well, since we have passed the introductions. Let us grab some dinner, but I suggest that we split the bill." And then quickly added. "So, cheap is always best."

"And what if I refuse to split the bill, plus take you home tonight without expecting anything in return?" Mason, who was really Satan in his mortal form, challenged while falling into step beside me with his hand resting on my lower back in a territorial display of his intentions towards me to others. It was his silent way of expressing that he planned to make me his property without my knowledge.

'Never look a gift horse in the mouth.' My inner monologue reminded me, even when my intuition was saying that 'I needed to proceed with the utmost caution' in this situation. Something about this all felt odd, but to say whether that oddness was in a good or a bad place was far from me to say. There was a mixture of feelings swirling in the pit of my stomach at this moment. I felt a mix of nervousness, anxiety, excitement, giddiness, happiness, thrill, skepticism, and many more. I almost overwhelmed myself by the onslaught of emotions. In my head, I was running down every possible scenario that could produce an outcome to the end of the night while contributing added factors of consideration towards budgeting for the meal tonight, and any possible mental barriers needed in case sex were with tonight's after-hours events.

"Fine, but I refuse to rack up a huge bill." I voiced my self-imposed limitations on tonight's dinner expenses.

A flash of something that looked almost like endearment crossed his features, with his eyes briefly softening at the self-imposed limitations that his mortal wife placed on herself when encountering this situation, before he quickly turned them back to his arrogant smirk.

'A mortal with mannerisms, how peculiar.' Satan thought to himself with a tiny quirk in the corner of his lip, which got quickly masked by his usual stern and stoic expression that commanded the attention of others. He didn't understand the endearing feeling he felt towards the mortal for her consideration; that was something he had not received from others. It stirred an odd sensation of pride within him, causing him to silently chide himself for feeling a sense of pride over this mortal's consideration, even if they were together due to the marriage pact he forced; the demon in him still wanted her to suffer.

"Fair enough." He indirectly acknowledged her boundaries and chose to respect them for the time being. But he fully intended to get under his mortal's skin. The night was pretty chilly, and Satan seemed to notice that the woman beside him did not have a coat or anything to protect her from the elements. He pulled me closer to his side and rested his hand on my waist, causing me to settle under his arm while he shielded me from the elements under the trench coat resting over his shoulders.

"Why do you not have a proper coat, princess?" He grumbled while pulling me tighter against his side to keep me warm.

A slight flush crept over my cheeks at the sudden proximity to this man. I felt my heart flutter in my chest, but quickly gave myself a mental shake to stop the feelings in my heart and stomach over a simple act of kindness. It was just a dinner, nothing else, but no matter how much I reminded myself not to look deeper than the surface, a part of me hoped that things could shift for me. That, and the persistent reminder that I am technically married to the demon king, was a real downer on this night to begin with. Yes, I intended to make the most out of this night within the respected ground rules that would prevent any misinterpretations from arising with tonight's dinner.

Hell, at this point, I was fully prepared to start acting like I was obsessively in love with the man if it felt like he was trying to get back to my place for a night of 'fun', which we all knew meant sexual implications. Not just because it was a safeguard, but also, this man does not need to be brought into the middle of shit between me and Satan. Although a part of me was willing to bet that he was still fucking every demon in hell, since he wished to be such a cock-blocking prick a few nights ago. I was still stewing on the fact that the demon king left me naked, needy, wanting, and requiring to take one hell of an ice bath in an attempt to calm my raging hormones after he worked me up to disappear when things were getting good.

To the point at hand, he had asked me a rhetorical question, which I, for some ungodly reason, could not prevent myself from giving an honest answer based on his appearance in his tailored suit.

"I have a coat. I was not expecting the night to get this chilly." I tried to explain with a lame ass excuse that wouldn't hint towards the struggles I have with buying myself new clothes. I also did not want to admit that I financially struggle while living off a week-to-week paycheck.

We continued walking with the pedestrian traffic on the sidewalk towards a destination that would serve us a healthy meal, or at least a restaurant's standards in healthy food requirements. Our conversation had stalled, and we continued moving in silence that wasn't uncomfortable, but it still caused my nerves to fray further. And I was too shy even to sneak a look in Mason's direction, as if afraid that my look would cause things to turn south before they even had a chance to lift off. Instead of delving into my introspective and internalizing process to analyze where I could be going wrong too early in the night, I instead focus on my surroundings and where he is leading me to eat.

Satan silently refused to acknowledge the warm feeling spreading in his chest at his mortal wife being this close to him. 'This changes nothing.' He internally growled a reprimand at himself. The king of the nine hells does not fall in love. And not with the stupid mortal he despised and took on as a wife despite her wants. But even he recognized the possessiveness stirring within his chest when he caught other mortals staring at his woman. To satisfy his thoughts and prevent them from delving further, he attributed the possessiveness to the bond of the marriage pact he had placed when agreeing to her summoning.

Even while he silently lectured himself, the softness of her body against his hard side was causing his focus to shift. He glanced down at her profile and studied her features for longer than necessary as they approached a restaurant he was willing to eat at.

"This will do." He casually mentioned while leading her inside the establishment.

It was made clear to me in that moment just the type of sway this man beside me had over people.

"Mr. Star! Fantastic to see you! Your table is ready for you..." The host paused as they finally noticed me standing beside him. "You have a plus one?! Marvelous, we will add an extra plate to your booth." After which, they hurried to show us to the seat that Mason obviously had reserved for any stop by appearances.

His hand moved to my lower back to usher me forward, to follow the host to the booth that remains reserved for him alone. As I followed the host to the private booth in the back, I took in the stunningly elegant interior of the restaurant before taking my seat in the booth and waiting for Mason to slide into the booth across from me.

I fumble nervously with the menu the host hands me before they walk away. This place made me feel underdressed for the dinner occasion, even if it was a spontaneous moment. The booth we sat in had a linen cloth covering it, with fabric napkins. Most corporate franchised restaurants, most commonly found in the northwest, have them on their tables. It is something the poor society would consider a wealthy luxury. My anxiety only spiked when I realized that I had no understanding of the language used in the details of the menu.

As if on cue, Mason remarked with an inquiry. "So, what are you going to have, princess?" I swore he was asking because he picked up on my inner struggle of trying to decipher this menu without embarrassing myself.

"I'm not sure yet," I uttered, loud enough for him to hear me, but not confident enough to hide my distress over not being able to understand, comprehend, or interpret the menu to place an order. I could almost hear the derisive laugh leave his nostrils in a scoff, which he cleared away with a cough into his fist.

"If you are feeling adventurous, I can order for you." He taunted while adding a hint of playfulness to his tone; he wanted her to suffer with him, not drive the woman mad, yet.

"Yes!" I practically shouted and then covered my mouth with my hand as I realized how loud my voice rose inside a restaurant. "Yes, please," I responded in a lower register that was proper etiquette for an eatery, with an embarrassed flush creeping over my cheeks.

For possibly the first time in a millennium, Satan took pity on a mortal who was now his wife. He found her reaction to the suggestion of ordering food for her endearing. Maybe even a little cute, but still not something he was willing to acknowledge out loud. That same annoying warmth started to growl within his chest, which he mentally shook himself to get rid of the feeling inwardly. He raised his large, veiny hand to signal for the waiter to come over and take their order. Mason ordered the shrimp and scallops with broccoli in a creamy pasta sauce over linguine noodles for the mortal, while he ordered the Cacio E Pepe for himself. Of course, I had no idea what he ordered for me because I did not speak the language the menu was in, and there were no pictures to help me see what the dish would look like.

After the waiter left the table with our orders and menus in hand, I turned my gaze to study Mason. He is unexplainably attractive, handsome, with almost pretty features, dark locks, a strong jawline, a muscular neck, broad shoulders that would make any woman want to be a sack of potatoes just to be rested over them, an expanse of chest that fits with his strong mafioso figure, the man looks like he lives in the gym or has been in the field under fire before. The way he leaned back to unbutton his single button on his suit before relaxing further into the booth at the restaurant, with one arm resting on the back of the booth. And for some reason, I wanted to be the girl nestled against his side. My curious mind crafted scenarios of what it would be like to be in the arms of a man who exuded such a threatening aura. Would the risk be worth the reward? Or is he one of those unloyal types? As I thought to myself, my gaze traveled down to the well-defined abs that were barely visible through the fabric of his button-down white shirt, tucked into the waistband of his suit trousers, and no further because of the blasted fucking table blocking my eyes, from exploring the man further as he sat across from me.

There came a point where I had to mentally shake the shit out of myself inwardly to stop my thoughts from going down darker paths, which caused a soft pink hue of a flush to creep across my cheeks. He must have noticed because I saw the smirk form on his lips before quickly being covered with a charming smile.

"So, princess. Want to tell me why you are still walking around without anyone to watch you, at night no less, when you had those creeps following you that one time?" Mason probed as the waiter brought over an expensive wine and two glasses. When the waiter left after pouring two glasses of wine and setting one in front of both of us at the booth, I lowered my gaze, trying to come up with a good answer, but I did not have one. So, to respond to his question and acknowledge him in some way, I shrugged my shoulders to express that I have no answer to give him.

"Don't you have friends to walk you home? Or a partner of some kind?" Satan asked as Mason, wondering why this mortal did not walk home with someone after that day he saved her, basically, from the creeps.

I seemed to shrink into myself.

"It isn't like I don't have friends. I don't like bothering people over something that I may have been blowing out of proportion due to the day I was having." I simplify the reason why I don't trouble any of my acquaintances over something that may be a misinterpretation of the situation.

For an inexplicable reason, Mason's heart clenched at the excessively considerate mortal that sat across from him. 'Does she really consider everyone or everything? Or is this just another human manipulation tactic?' He silently asked himself before studying her over the rim of his wine glass. As he studied her, he noticed that she looked uncomfortable talking about her acquaintances, as if the lie was that she had friends. 'Does my mortal even have friends?' he silently asked himself while he continued to keep his casual and stoic emotional masks in place. He noted how she avoided eye contact, but still held a confidence that seemed out of place on her.

"How many friends do you have, princess?" He asked and studied her response.

I was taken aback by his candidly voicing that question. I collected myself as quickly as possible to place a faux smile on my lips before answering with my crafted answer that was vague and omitted the facts.

"Enough to say a small but close circle of friends." My eyes glanced up at him before looking at my wine glass, as I reached for it to bring the rim to my lips for a small sip.

"So, none." He stated that with such a frank manner that I nearly choked on the sip of wine I took from my glass, and almost shot the liquid back into the cup through my nose, before setting my glass back on the surface of the table a little louder than necessary and by accident due to my shock and surprise. I quickly covered my mouth and nose as I sputtered at being called out so casually.

"I have some!" I quickly defended before adding in a softer register. "They just don't live close by." I came up with an excuse to explain why I cannot just call them over. Unfortunately, that made my life quite isolating because I don't feel connected to the people around me who are obtainable.

"Any that are close by?" He probed once more.

I blushed out of embarrassment at his probing question, which made me even more uncomfortable than being at this fancy restaurant in my business suit. With a heavy sigh, I subtly shake my head no to reply to his question.

His eyes widened slightly in shock before he covered them with a thoughtful expression.

"I was not expecting your existence to be so...isolating." He murmured, a bit heartbroken for the mortal he claimed as his wife. This revelation shook him a bit; the demon king of the nine hells became unsettled by the admission that the one he had a grudge against for years had suffered a great, isolating life.

I scoffed humorlessly and lowered my head.

"Please, don't pity me. I don't want to feel that from you." I remarked and kept my head lowered, as if afraid of what expression was on his face or which emotion would be present in his eyes.

That was when Mason reached out using his thumb and the crook of his index fingers of his left hand to raise my chin. When his fingers guided my eyes under my chin to look into his, it almost brought me to tears with all the emotional distress I was holding back at the thought of being pitied by this man.

"Kawaii akachan." He muttered to himself, while I noticed his features softened. "I do not pity you because it would diminish you, and all you have accomplished," Mason spoke in a tender tone that I haven't heard from him during our two interactions with each other.

The only thing that saved me in that moment was the waiter coming by with their orders. After the dish was in front of me, I inspected it with a critical eye. Opening my other senses up to experience what he ordered for me while taking on an analytical and observant demeanor before picking up the fork to my right. After placing the utensil into the pasta dish to swirl some of the noodles around the prongs in the fork, I then raised it to my lips to take a bite. The tears that were in my eyes prior to the dish being in front of me were now dried up, and I focused on the taste and texture of the pasta dish.

My delight was evident when I recognized the flavors and tastes of the dish.

"Delicious," I remarked happily from behind my hand as I displayed proper table etiquette, before swallowing my bite to express my appreciation with my words. "Thank you. I appreciate that you didn't pull some prank on me and force me to eat something gross."

The warm feeling started spreading throughout Satan's chest at his mortal wife's appreciation for such a minor thing. It was endearing in a sense, since there has been no record of a mortal thanking him for anything. It brought a slight curl to the corner of his lips at the sensation of being appreciated for the first time in his existence. With an imperceptible nod, Mason started eating his Cacio E Pepe.

He noticed the mortal's happiness at having a simple but delicious meal. It was confusing to him how this mortal was able to create happiness over the small pleasures of life.

"Koneko, tell me something." He started before pausing briefly to collect his thoughts to ask what he wished to know before continuing. "How are you able to find happiness with something as small as a meal?" Mason gently probed with his inquiry.

I flinched at his question; it's bound to come up. Everyone wants to understand why a person can find joy in small things. With quick precision, I closed my mind and gave a vague, glossed-over response to his question.

"Life has its ups and downs. And everyone goes through them. It would be foolish to assume that I have never experienced a moment of hard times."

With that, I take another bite of my pasta before falling silent.

A flash of recognition crossed Mason's features as understanding dawns on him. He let the topic drop for a portion of their meal, letting things fall into a slightly awkward silence. To make matters worse, as they ate their dinner, Michelle and my ex-boyfriend Tod entered the restaurant.

Tod is that typical narcissistic person. He lacks empathy; every relationship is superficial, and he will drop you as soon as he has no use for you anymore. And for Michelle to be there with him when she is borderline narcissistic as well did not make sense since they were both using each other at this point. But they apparently had a plan. When the pair's vainglorious eyes landed on my booth, where I was eating with Mason, they smiled at each other and made their approach.

"Well, I haven't seen you in a while." Tod greeted me as they reached my table with Michelle hanging all over his arm, acting as if she were his arm candy.

I, however, nearly choke on a linguine noodle when I hear my ex-boyfriend's voice and Michelle's giggle. I raise my cloth napkin quickly to cover my mouth before I nearly spew the chewed-up bits in Mason's face, which, let's face it, would be terrible since he is a great guy, so far. After sputtering into the napkin, I regain my composure and clear my throat.

"Yes, that was the purpose of the break-up." I retorted with my quip, without turning my head to acknowledge them, since I was here with Mason. Of course, Michelle would see him. It was like I could feel her hormones kicking into overdrive, as if the woman was hoping to get with the man, only to have his kids and steal his money. There was a stirring of jealousy swirling within the pit of my stomach, but I mentally shook it away with an internal shove. Mason was not my man, and technically, I am married to the king of all the hells. Not that EVERYONE needs to know that, but it does put a damper on trying to date anyone past just a casual dinner here and there as friends.

"And what if I said that I missed you?" Tod smirked as if he believed I still wanted him.

"I would then ask why you brought Michelle with you. Doesn't that seem counterintuitive when you are courting a woman of similar standing?" I voiced my inquiries as my eyes continued to focus on Mason, who was in the same standing, focused solely on me. To say that I was so self-confident that I believed no man would look away from me was completely inaccurate. The exact opposite, to be frank. My eyes were watching and observing his every move at this point, looking for any signs that he had any intention of flirting with Michelle. I know that it shouldn't bother me this much for some unfathomable reason, but the thought that he would want someone like her did. It was as if I were getting jealous over nothing at all, and I wish it would stop.

"Who is the handsome man with you? Is he your boyfriend?" Michelle piped in with her two brain cells' thoughts.

Mason could feel his mortal's growing jealousy and was quite perturbed at the interruption. He had half a thought to ignore the question, but to save the woman across from him in the booth, he spoke up with his introduction.

"Mason." He stated, as if it should have been common knowledge by now, and was irritated that he even had to lower himself to an introduction. The other woman hanging over his wife's ex-boyfriend gasped in a dramatically loud sound.

"Mason Star?!?! The Mason Star?" Michelle practically squealed as she started putting on a sultry and flirtatious air.

"The one and only. And if you don't mind, you are disturbing my dinner date." He retorted with a displeased tone, and a cold expression formed on his facial features. A tiny flick in the corner of his lips that was imperceptible to Michelle or his mortal, as he watched a deep red blush form over the woman cheeks who sat across from him just before she nearly choked on her wine.

"Princess, are you going to survive over there? You keep on choking on everything. It makes me wish it was my dick instead." Satan boldly declared, with a devilish grin spreading across his lips as his mortal wife's face became a vibrant and flamboyant red hue. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for water on land.

"You're not missing much." Tod quipped and scoffed in a mutter under his breath just barely loud enough for the mortal wife to hear, but she did. And Mason knew it when she looked utterly deflated and no longer as flabbergasted at his bold words as she previously was. That pissed Satan off more than anything.

"What did you say?" Mason growled as he turned his head, with a cold, murderous expression on his facial features. The tone in his voice dropped, and the air around them felt like it was dropping considerately.

"Nothing, nothing." Tod tried to back-track with a nervous chuckle while rubbing the back of his neck.

"Maybe you should go," Mason stated in a deadly calm tone of voice that would send a shiver down anyone's back, due to the underlying threat hidden within the words he spoke. Michelle seemed to have taken the hint and tugged on Tod's arm sleeve to get him to move away from their booth to their table, where the hostess was waiting for them.

Satan followed their path with a cold glare before he turned his attention back to his mortal wife.

I am silent, still feeling disgusted that Tod would even say what he said to Mason. My eyes were downcast as I avoided Mason's gaze, too afraid of what I would see.

"Sorry about that. Tod did not need to do any of that, I -" But Mason cut me off.

"Don't you dare apologize for the actions of others, princess. They started something they can't finish." He sternly chided me for accepting blame on behalf of others. The lecture made me feel embarrassed since we were in public and having dinner. And to prevent any more drama from happening, I nod my head subtly and gaze at my partially eaten meal, no longer having an appetite.

He must have caught on that I no longer wanted to be in the restaurant because of those two and signaled for the waiter to bring the check. After settling the bill, we walked outside into the cool night air, sending a shiver down my back. The next moment, I felt Mason's arm around my waist with his trench coat around me, pulling me closer against his side without warning. But I did not try to pull away from him; it felt nice, as if he was protecting me from not just the cold night air, but the past that was sitting in the restaurant we had left behind.

"Thank you," I whispered while holding back my overwhelming emotions over tonight's encounter with my ex.

"You're welcome, hana." He murmured and walked with me back to my place. The walk back was silent but not uncomfortable. His hand rested on my waist with his thumb tracing soft, soothing circles on my hip like he was trying to comfort me. And my instincts had my body pressing closer to his warmth and side as we continued through the city, traveling alongside other pedestrians walking on the same sidewalk in the same direction as the duo.

"Hey, Mason?" I finally speak after a few blocks of silence, as we draw closer to my residence.

He grunted in acknowledgement of my calling his name in inquiry, prompting me to ask my question.

"Why did you say that we were on a date?"

There it was, out. What I felt was an elephant in the room was finally in the open.

And as soon as the question left my lips, Mason stopped walking, causing me to turn and face him as I also stopped wondering how he would answer my direct question. I assume it caught him off guard, probably thinking that I wouldn't ask this question, but it had been bugging me since we left the restaurant behind. Not that it was in any means a bad thing, it was just persistent in its request to get answered. A thoughtful expression crossed his usually stoic features that appeared colder than an Arctic winter, before he glanced at me and gave me a flirtatious smirk.

"Wasn't it?" Mason teased me before placing his hand on the small of my back to continue guiding me back to my home. A rapid fluttering struck my chest when I felt his hand on the small of my back, prompting me to continue forward without verbally telling me to do so.

I could feel my cheeks flush red as I directly avoided his gaze now that I was flustered. 'How the hell is he so casual about this?!' I inwardly screamed at myself, which has not happened for a minute. But would that simple thought stop at just that, a simple monologue that would lead to nothing further? Fuck no.

No sooner did I step onto the porch of my house than the inner monologue started its ridiculous scripting bullshit.

'Would you like to come in? Fuck no, you can't do that? Why, because of your stupid ass summoning call with the king of hell himself! How fucking stupid could you be? Then again, this is just my fucking luck.' My inner monologue started in on me, adding more pressure to my already awkward situation of not being able to handle saying goodbye without appearing foolish.

I put my key into the door with my thoughts swirling. Mason stood beside me as if waiting for something, but as soon as my door was open, I quickly said 'thank you' to him before slipping inside as if I was in a panic, which wasn't far from the truth, because I was. And to avoid seeing any disappointment at not being invited in, I almost slammed the door in his face.

Satan, disguised as Mason, stood at his mortal wife's front door with wide eyes before he inwardly started laughing at her panicked and flustered state. The bond of their marriage pact pulsed with her flustered thoughts and fluttering sensations within her chest. When he stepped back from her front door, a rumbling sensation formed in his chest as he continued chuckling to himself over her reaction.

After leaving the mortal's porch and walking a few blocks away from her house, he spotted his men with his sleek black SUV waiting for him. Mason's cold mask was back in place before his men noticed his approach, and he glared at them with a stern expression.

"I want tabs on her every move. And if you get caught, consider yourself dead." He growled his orders as he entered the SUV before the door closed with him and his men driving off into the night. A predatory smile graced his lips as they pulled away from his mortal wife's home.

'This is becoming interesting.' Satan thought to himself as the black SUV drove through the city streets with the neon lights passing by outside as the car traveled back to his massive estate at the edge of the city.

With the car parked outside, and he was up the steps that led to the front entrance of his grand estate, the double solid-oak ornate doors parted as they opened to grant him entry into his mansion. Servants and his mafia members greeted him by lining up along the entry hallway with their heads bowed in respect. Those who worked for Mason Star knew they were working with the devil himself, or at least that was the image they had in their heads of him. He dominated his domain with an iron fist and did not keep possible loose ends. Mason held on to his tyrant-like persona as a badge of honor, since he ran a tight ship within his ranks and home.

Once his foot crossed the threshold of his home, he began barking orders to his servants and men. He was going to prepare his mansion for that mortal wife of his, because he was about to push her into a corner where she was going to need him. And when he had her under his roof and further under his control than she is now, he was going to crush her, once and for all.

Planning was going to take a few months for it to work out perfectly in his favor, and until that moment was ripe for the picking, he would come in like a gallant knight to sweep the damsel out of danger, only to throw her into his gilded cage. The mental struggles he planned for his little human to endure were going to be well worth the agonizing patience it would take to make this perfect encounter happen. It would start simple, as Satan would make it appear as if he was not interested, while weaseling his way into her heart as his mortal disguise, Mason Star. And when his little wife felt safe, and that nothing could tear down her happiness, thinking she got out of a marriage to him because of his lack of attention, he would shatter it into pieces.

Mason entered his study with a dark, predatory smile on his lips and a wicked gleam in his eyes at what he had planned for the mortal woman.