The Devil Bowed To Her

The first time Seraphina Vale saw the Devil, she was holding a knife to his throat. She would later realize that was probably the worst possible way to meet the heir to Hell. At the time, however, she had bigger problems. Like the fact that he had appeared inside her bedroom without opening the door. Seraphina tightened her grip on the kitchen knife. "Don't move." The stranger didn't. He stood several feet away, dressed entirely in black. Not ordinary black. The kind of black that seemed to swallow the candlelight around him. His coat was long and perfectly tailored, silver clasps running down the front. A strange black stone hung from his neck, and a thin scar curved from the corner of his left eyebrow toward his temple. But it was his eyes that made Seraphina's heart stumble. Gold. Not hazel. Not amber. Gold. They glowed faintly in the darkness. Seraphina swallowed. "Who are you?" The stranger tilted his head. "You really don't know?" "No." "Interesting." She hated the amusement in his voice. "How did you get inside?" He glanced toward the locked window. "I walked." "Through the window?" "No." "Then how?" He looked directly at her. "Through the wall." Seraphina stared at him. Then she looked at the wall. Then back at him. "You expect me to believe that?" "No." "Good." For some reason, that answer irritated her more. Seraphina stepped closer, raising the knife until its tip rested against his throat. "If you're here to rob me, you've picked the wrong house." "I'm not here to rob you." "Then what?" The man's gaze dropped briefly to the knife. "You should put that down." "Why?" "Because if you keep holding it against my throat, you're going to hurt yourself." Seraphina frowned. "Are you threatening me?" "No." His eyes lifted to hers. "I'm warning you." A chill crawled down her spine. There was something terribly wrong with him. Not because he was in her bedroom. Not because he claimed to have walked through walls. It was the way the air seemed to bend around him. The candle flame beside her bed leaned in his direction despite there being no wind. Seraphina took a small step backward. The stranger took one forward. She immediately raised the knife again. "Stay where you are." He stopped. For a moment, neither spoke. Then he said quietly, "My name is Lucien Draven." The name meant nothing to Seraphina. "Should I know you?" His expression changed. Barely. But she saw it. Surprise. "You truly don't know." "Know what?" Before he could answer, something exploded outside. BOOM! Seraphina screamed. The window shattered. Glass flew across the room. Lucien moved faster than human eyes could follow. One moment he was standing across from her. The next, he was in front of her. His hand came around her waist and pulled her against him as shards of glass struck the wall behind them. Seraphina froze. His body was unnaturally warm. No. Hot. Like standing beside a fire. "What was that?" she whispered. "Stay here." Lucien released her. "Absolutely not." He glanced over his shoulder. For the first time, the amusement disappeared from his face. "Seraphina." Her heart stopped. She had never told him her name. "How do you know my name?" He didn't answer. Instead, he walked toward the broken window. Outside, screams echoed through the village. Then came another explosion. And another. Seraphina rushed to the window. Her stomach dropped. The village was burning. Black smoke rose into the night sky. People were running through the streets. Shadows moved between the houses. Too fast. Too large. One of the creatures stepped into the moonlight. Seraphina's blood turned cold. It looked almost human. Almost. Its skin was gray, its eyes completely black, and two curved horns rose from its forehead. "What the hell..." Lucien's voice was cold. "They found you." Seraphina slowly turned toward him. "Who?" He looked at her. "The people who have been hunting you since the night you were born." Her mouth fell open. "What?" Before he could say anything else, the bedroom door exploded inward. Three creatures rushed inside. Seraphina screamed. Lucien didn't. He simply raised one hand. Darkness erupted from his palm. The creatures were thrown backward as if struck by an invisible force. One crashed through the opposite wall. Another slammed into the floor. The third stopped inches from Lucien. He grabbed it by the throat. The creature began to hiss. "Where is the girl?" Lucien's eyes flashed gold. "You came to the wrong kingdom." The creature laughed. "You can't hide her forever, Prince." Seraphina stared at him. Prince? Lucien squeezed his hand. The creature dissolved into black smoke. Silence filled the room. Seraphina stared at the empty space. Then at Lucien. "Prince?" He turned toward her. She pointed at him. "You." He said nothing. "You're a prince?" "Yes." "Of where?" He hesitated. "That's complicated." "No, it isn't!" Seraphina's voice cracked. "You broke into my bedroom, destroyed my wall, killed some kind of monster, and apparently you're a prince! I think you owe me an explanation!" Lucien looked almost impressed. "You haven't changed." "What does that mean?" He stepped toward her. Seraphina stepped backward. Again. And again. Until her back touched the wall. Lucien stopped inches away. His gaze traveled over her face. There was something strange in his expression now. Almost recognition. Almost disbelief. "Do you have any idea who you are?" Seraphina's anger faltered. "I'm Seraphina." "No." His voice was softer. "That's the name they gave you." Her pulse quickened. "What are you talking about?" Lucien reached into his coat and pulled out a small black envelope. He held it toward her. Seraphina didn't take it. "What is that?" "Your death sentence." She stared at him. Then laughed nervously. "You've got to be joking." "I'm not." He placed the envelope on the table. "Open it." Seraphina approached slowly. Her fingers trembled as she picked it up. There was no name written on the front. Only a symbol. A crescent moon surrounded by flames. The moment her fingers touched it, the symbol glowed. Seraphina gasped. The envelope burned away. A sharp pain shot through her palm. She dropped what remained. "What the—" The room suddenly became freezing cold. Then hot. Then freezing again. Her vision blurred. A sound echoed inside her head. Not a voice. A whisper. Come home. Seraphina clutched her head. "Make it stop!" Lucien grabbed her shoulders. "Seraphina." "I don't understand!" Her knees weakened. Lucien caught her before she fell. And then something happened that neither of them expected. The mark on her palm began to glow. Red. Brilliant red. The floor beneath them cracked. A gust of wind exploded through the room, extinguishing every candle. Lucien's eyes widened. For the first time since he had entered the house... He looked afraid. "Impossible." Seraphina looked at him through the darkness. "What?" He stared at the glowing mark. Then at her. His face had gone completely pale. "No." "What is it?" Lucien slowly lowered himself. Not because he was falling. Not because she had forced him. He deliberately dropped to one knee. Seraphina stared at him in confusion. Then he bowed his head. The heir to Hell. The man who had walked through walls. The prince who had killed monsters with a single hand. He bowed before her. Seraphina's breath caught. "Lucien?" His voice came out barely above a whisper. "Your Highness." Her eyes widened. "What did you call me?" He looked up. And for the first time, the terrifying Devil's son looked at Seraphina Vale not as a helpless orphan... But as something far more dangerous. "The last queen of the Forgotten Kingdom." Seraphina's heart stopped. "I don't have a kingdom." Lucien's gaze darkened. "Not anymore." Outside, thunder shook the sky. And somewhere beyond the burning village, thousands of supernatural creatures suddenly dropped to their knees. Because after nineteen years of silence... their lost queen had awakened.