The Demon’s Bride

Elise could still see the small boy that continue to walk through the people. As he was going the opposite side of most people, it made him even easier to notice and his bright blonde hair became the tail for her to continue to pursue. 

She had seen William's body, she had seen the blood, the gore, and remembered it all as if it happened yesterday. Here, she sees him again, her precious younger brother who she had been with since he was a small baby. A stiffness run in Elise's hand and sweats dribbled from her forehead even though she barely jog her way to chase after him. William was dead but now he was walking. She didn't have much chance to see him but when he passed by earlier, William appeared to be healthy, his once pallid complexion now appeared to be lovely.

It was one of Elise's greatest wish to see her family again as her separation with them was too quick for her to grasp. But she knew it also in her heart that William's body had been stolen from his grave and with the added news about the resurrection ritual, she knew better that whoever is inside William could not be her younger brother himself.

It must have been someone else... someone who had taken William's body. Elise clenched her hand and when she saw William suddenly taking a right turn, she didn't want to lose her lead and called upon her shadow, "Follow him. Don't lose him."

"Where is she going?!" Esther sighed with frustration, following Elise from behind a few steps further. The time of afternoon had come to the market, causing the street to be filled with more people than it was before. Beelzebub was behind her, his chest pressed on back as there was no enough space for them. Esther ground her teeth, she had been tolerating this no-distance between them but could not bear it any longer, "Stop getting close to me! Move away!"

"Do you think like I wish to do this?" Beelzebub retorted, he didn't like the thought of being pressed in a compact movement either and now he was blamed for things he had no control over. 

"Ugh," Esther grumbled and she pushed herself forward, forcing her way through the people without minding how rude she was as the passengers that were pushed by her shouted in anger. "Move! Move!" she yelled, her hand spreading in front of her to push away the humans on her path.

Esther didn't quite clearly see what made Elise to suddenly be enchanted. It was as if she had seen a dancing fairy and followed it blindly. Was it magic? It would be terrible if it is. She cannot let her fall into unwanted hands of those angels and dark sorcerer who wanted her!

Esther was too hasty with running that she didn't notice she had stumbled and when her eyes met the ground almost immediately she was pulled back to stand up. Her eyes snapped behind her, meeting the deep red eyes that narrowed because his eyebrows were drawn tightly. "Can't you be less nimble than a snake? Loosing that lass is enough if I lose you here too my neck would be on the line."

"Your neck is already on the line as much as mine if we lose Elise here!" Esther yelled back, turning her body. She realized only after a while of staring the red eyes of how then distances they shared was thinned to a paper width. Her eyes widened and she pushed himself with her hands that were pressed between their chest. Despite pouring a lot of her power, the demon didn't budge and she grew both wary and flustered, "Let go of me! Let go!"

"Is this how you thank the person saving you?" Beelzebub inquired. "Say the words and I will be out of your hair."

"Thank you," Esther quickly said, not caring about anything anymore as long as he took off his damned hand from her. "Now hands off!" And Beelzebub released his arms, "I say you are to stiff with being with men. The more you show them that scared side of yours bad man will use you to your advantage."

"I wouldn't let myself be played with you," Esther snipped, turning her eyes to where she last saw Elise. Due to the fall and the time wasted for her to entertain Beelzebub now she had completely lose the sight of Elise's hair. "Damn it," she cursed when seeing that Elise was completely gone.

Beelzebub said, "I am not a bad man, Esther if I am—" Esther turned her head to him and without holding back she raised her leg as if ready to kick him but in a blink, their position was changed and Esther who was in front of him now was pressed to the wall behind them.

"What the hell are you—"

"Shush," Beelzebub stopped her from talking. "The lass is gone right? Don't worry I can still smell that she is near and other than that, can't you feel it?" Beelzebub's brows were both drawn when he asked this question, his eyes looking at Esther but as the latter was shorter than him, she couldn't meet his eyes and only saw his neck and the shape of his lips until his head then lowered, and his question came again, "Can you?"

Esther was stunned. Her eyes wide and her lips gape where words didn't reach her mind and the last question Beelzebub asked echoed in her mind, "You have a sick hobby to do this and ask that kind of question in such a dire moment."

Beelzebub raised his brows and looked at her with his head bend slightly to his left shoulders, "What are you thinking? I was asking if you can feel the stare. I know you are a lesser Demon and they tend to have weaker sense compared to a High Demon but if you take your surrounding well, you must feel it too... there are people following us."

Now told so, Esther's eyes snapped around her surrounding subtly and indeed as Beelzebub had told her she could feel the presence of Angels near them. The presence was different compared to corrupted angels or dark sorcerers, these were true Angels, the ones who came from Heaven.

"What should we do?" Beelzebub asked with a grin.

"You seem to have a better plan. Move away and tell me what you are thinking," demanded Esther. It was uncomfortable to be in this position where her back was deeply pressed to the walls and their face shared no distance. Something crawled in the back of her mind, a memory she so hard tried to suppress then came back to view that she felt her gut wrenching, a spark of anger set ablaze in her eyes as well as disgust. All of this went noticed by Beelzebub. "Move!" Esther shouted again, this time with more force and Beelzebub did what she requested.

She went to the small path created between two building and entering there, she wiped her mouth while leaning her hand to one side of the two walls.

"Did you remember something you don't want to?" Beelzebub asked her and she snapped her eyes at him, the anger was clear on her eyes that only fueled him more to tease her but he decided to stop. He didn't know why either because pushing other's buttons was his hobby except for this time. If one asked him why, maybe it was because he didn't really like it the moment the slight fear flashes by Esther's eyes, something in him hated that look.

"Shut up," Esther cannot get Beelzebub's mind. They were in a hurry and he didn't seem to understand the magnitude of the problem they have right now. There were angels, possibly they came to follow Elise. She remembered that the smell of Angels from Elise had been erased which helped her to live normally without any angels smelling her scent and knowing who she was. The one who had done this was undeniably, her father Leviathan to protect her daughter.

For the past few days, Elise scent grew thicker but only as a Demon, so how do those Angels knew her? Is it possible that the Angels are the one who caused Elise to walk as if her soul had been compelled by something or someone?

She hated so much to be with Beelzebub as this man had pressed her in the most terrible way but Elise was her priority for now, "I would have kill you right now but I don't have time to bother you and your question. Now get me a way to find Elise."

"Not the angels?" Beelzebub asked her and Esther was clearly torn by the two pressing matters. "Bring me to her and take care of the Angels."

"Okay," Beelzebub smiled and he took a step forward to catch Esther by her waist. She tried to fend him off, ready to bite his neck and go feral when his wings appeared from his back, the bat-like wings where the top edge of his wings had a small white horn in it. It looked slightly different than other Demons with a faint hint of red that Esther noticed and wondered why. He said, "Hold tight falling is on your own accord."

Esther rolled her eyes, "Whatever go!"

"You know no one demands me as much as you do," sighed Beelzebub as if he was offended but Esther didn't buy his words because of the wide smile on his lips. Esther was caught with the thought of having to fly with the Demon that she didn't notice Beelzebub whose eyes narrowed while looking behind him, one of the reason why he had been delaying time wasn't to tease Esther but the woman didn't know. 

Without further banter, she closed her lips, trying to be the better one out of the two and let herself be held as they flew to the sky.