A BOND WITH LUCIFER

Chapter 2

“Can something born of darkness still choose the light?”

I moved around my room quietly, trying to clean up the mess while my mind replayed everything that had happened only moments ago.

The dream.

His voice.

His touch.

The way my body reacted to him.

A shiver crawled down my spine.

I quickly picked up my nightgown from the floor and slipped it back onto my body before walking toward the bathroom. Maybe brushing my teeth and washing my face would help clear my head.

Because there was no way any of this could be real.

Right?

I grabbed my toothbrush from the countertop, squeezed toothpaste onto it, and shoved it into my mouth before looking up at my reflection in the mirror.

Long wavy blonde hair framed my face perfectly, cascading over my shoulders like soft gold. My skin glowed under the bathroom lights while my full lips and bright eyes made me look innocent despite the sinful dreams haunting me every night.

People always call me beautiful.

Sometimes too beautiful.

But right now, I looked exhausted.

Like a girl slowly losing her mind.

Then suddenly—

My breath stopped.

I wasn’t alone.

Another reflection appeared behind me in the mirror.

Him.

Tall.

Dark.

Terrifyingly handsome.

Black clothes clung tightly to his broad shoulders and muscular chest while tattoos curled around his forearms like dark art. His sharp jawline was dusted with light stubble, giving him a dangerous edge that somehow made him even more attractive.

But it was his eyes that froze me.

Red.

Not normal red.

Burning red.

And locked completely on me, A slow smirk spread across his lips, Dangerous, Possessive Like he already owned me.

Fear slammed into my chest as I spun around instantly—

But nobody was there.

My heart pounded violently.

I stumbled backward before rushing into my room, checking every corner desperately.

Nothing.

No one.

The room was empty.

“What the hell…” I whispered shakily.

I slowly walked back into the bathroom again, my heartbeat pounding painfully against my ribs, I tried to calm my breathing down.

Then I froze.

That was when I saw it.

Words were written across the mirror in large red letters.

SOON TO BE MINE, DEVIL’S LITTLE ANGEL.

My blood ran cold.

No.

No, no, no.

This had to be a joke.

My shaking legs carried me closer to the mirror until I stood directly in front of it. Slowly, I reached out and touched the red writing with my fingertips.

Wet.

Sticky.

A metallic scent hit me instantly.

Blood.

The realization made my stomach twist violently.

I screamed and dropped my toothbrush before running out of my room.

“Mom! Dad!”

My voice echoed through the mansion as I rushed down the stairs in panic.

Both my parents appeared almost immediately.

“Lucy?” my mother gasped worriedly. “What happened?”

I threw myself toward her shakily while she wrapped her arms around me.

“Mom…” My voice trembled badly. “There was a man in my bathroom… and there was blood on the mirror… words were written on it”

My father’s expression darkened instantly.

“What man?”

“I—I don’t know!” I cried. “He was there and then suddenly gone!”

Mom rubbed soothing circles on my back while Dad exchanged a worried look with her.

“Come show us,” he said calmly.

Still trembling, I led them upstairs toward my room.

But the moment we entered the bathroom—

Everything stopped.

The mirror was spotless.

Clean.

No blood.

No writing.

Nothing.

I stared in disbelief.

“What…?”

My breathing became uneven again as I rushed toward the mirror.

“No, it was right here! I swear it was!”

Dad frowned slightly while Mom looked concerned.

“Lucy,” Dad said carefully, “are you sure you didn’t imagine it?”

“No!” I snapped quickly. “I touched it! It was blood!”

Then suddenly another realization hit me.

“My toothbrush!” I looked down toward the floor frantically. “I threw it right here!”

But the floor was empty.

Confusion hit me harder.

“B-But it was right here…”

“Dear,” Mom said gently, reaching for the toothbrush sitting neatly beside the sink, “your toothbrush is here.”

I stared at it in horror.

Impossible.

I knew what I saw.

Didn’t I?

Fear twisted violently inside me as I looked back at the mirror.

Clear.

Perfectly normal.

Like nothing had ever been written there.

“Lucy,” Dad said softly, “can you describe the man you saw? We can check the CCTV footage, If someone entered this house, the cameras would have recorded it.”

I opened my mouth to answer—

But froze.

His face.

Why couldn’t I remember it clearly anymore?

I remembered the feeling of him.

His eyes.

His voice.

But the more I tried to picture him, the blurrier he became.

“How is that possible…?” I whispered to myself. “Lucy?” Dad called again.

“I… I can’t remember,” I admitted quietly.

Mom frowned slightly. “What about the words on the mirror?”. My head began aching suddenly. “I can't remember that either.” The more I tried to think about it, the blurrier everything became, like something was forcing me to forget..

I could remember being terrified.

But the actual words felt slippery inside my head.

“I don’t know,” I admitted shakily.

Mom stepped closer and gently touched my cheek.

“Oh, sweetheart…”

“This is probably stress,” Dad sighed. “Your finals are close, and you’ve barely been sleeping.”

No.

This wasn’t stress.

I knew what I saw.

Didn’t I? But standing there now, even I was beginning to doubt myself.

“Maybe you should get some rest,” Mom suggested softly while running her fingers through my hair comfortingly and softly. “There’s no way I’m sleeping in this room again,” I muttered.

Mom sighed softly. “Do you want to stay in your sister’s room tonight?”

I shook my head immediately.

“No. I’ll just use the guest room to get ready for school.”

“Alright,” Dad said gently. “Come downstairs for breakfast when you’re done.”

I forced a small nod before they finally left the room.

The moment the door closed behind them, I exhaled shakily.

Then slowly I turned back through the opened door of my bathroom looking toward the mirror For one horrifying second I thought I saw red eyes staring back at me.

I blinked.

Gone.

My stomach twisted painfully.

“I’m losing my mind,” I whispered.

Quickly, I grabbed a few clothes before leaving my room and heading toward one of the guest bedrooms down the hallway.

The guest room felt warmer somehow.

Safer.

At least safer than my room.

I locked the door immediately before leaning against it and trying to calm my breathing.

“Get yourself together, Lucy,” I muttered.

After taking a quick shower, I changed into a fitted white top and black jeans before drying my hair. I applied light makeup to hide the exhaustion beneath my eyes, but no amount of makeup could hide the fear still crawling inside me.

Every time I closed my eyes—I saw those red eyes, That smile, That voice Soon to be mine. A chill ran through me again.

I grabbed my bag quickly and headed downstairs.

The house was unusually quiet.

Too quiet.

“Mom?” I called out while walking toward the dining room.

Nothing.

“Dad?”

Still nothing.

Frowning slightly, I stepped further into the room.

Then suddenly—

“SURPRISE!”

I screamed loudly in shock as my parents, sister and the maids jumped out around the dining area.

Confetti flew into the air while laughter filled the room.

“Oh my God!” I placed a hand over my chest. “You guys scared me!”

My younger sister, Lily, burst into laughter nearly doubled over laughing while my father grinned proudly.

“Happy early birthday!” she squealed excitedly.

I stared at the decorations hanging around the dining room in complete surprise.

The dining room looked beautiful.

Gold and black balloons decorated the walls while fairy lights glowed softly around the room. My favorite foods covered the table completely. For a moment, all the fear from earlier faded away.

“You should’ve seen your face!”

Mom walked over smiling brightly while Dad held a birthday cake carefully.

“Happy early birthday, sweetheart.”

My eyes widened in surprise.

“You guys did all this for me?”

Dad chuckled deeply. “We wanted to celebrate before you went back to college tomorrow.”

Warmth slowly spread through my chest as I looked around at all of them.

For a moment…

Everything felt normal again.

Safe.

Human.

Far away from nightmares and red-eyes

“You really did all this for me?” I asked softly.

“Of course we did,” Mom smiled warmly. “You’re turning twenty-three tomorrow. That's special.”

The moment she said twenty-three—I don't know why but Something cold crawled down my spine Twenty-three, The number on my chest My smile faltered slightly.

“Lucy?” Mom frowned. “Are you okay?”

I smiled genuinely.“Yeah. I’m fine. Thank you…”

Lily wrapped her arms around me dramatically.

“You’re officially getting old.”

“Excuse me?” I laughed. “And you aren't, You’re literally seventeen.”

“And still younger and prettier.”

“Keep dreaming.”

Everyone laughed.

Mom cut the cake while Dad poured drinks for everyone.

Soon the room filled with conversations and teasing.

But even while laughing with my family, I couldn’t shake the strange feeling lingering in my chest.

Like someone was watching me.

Waiting.

I glanced toward the dining room window.

For a brief second, I thought I saw a tall figure standing outside beneath the trees.

My smile faded.

But when I blinked—

Nothing was there.

“Lucy?” Mom called. “Are you sure you okay dear, you're looking lost dear”

I forced a small smile.

“Yeah. I’m fine.”

Hopefully.

We all sat down at the table together while Lily immediately started talking about random gossip from school.

This was normal.

I needed normal.

“So,” Lily smirked teasingly, “any hot college boys waiting for you?”

I rolled my eyes instantly.

“Please don’t start.”

“Oh come on,” she laughed. “You seriously expect me to believe nobody’s chasing you?”

“She’s there to study,” Dad interrupted firmly.

Lily groaned dramatically.

“You’re no fun.”

I laughed softly for the first time that morning.

But then—The lights flickered just once, My smile disappeared instantly And for one brief second…I heard that deep voice whisper against my ear.

Happy early birthday, little angel, remember your mine alone.

I froze completely but then pretended like I heard nothing. Didn't want them to be worried anymore, let me not ruin this moment.

---

After breakfast, Dad insisted on driving me back to college himself.

“You’ve barely been sleeping,” he said while helping me place my bags into the car. “I don’t trust you driving alone.”

“I’m not a child, Dad.”

“You’ll always be my child.”

I rolled my eyes playfully before hugging Mom and Lily goodbye.

“Call me later!” Lily shouted dramatically.

“I literally talk to you every day.”

“An

d yet I still miss you.”

Dad chuckled before getting into the driver’s seat.

As we drove away from the house, I leaned against the window quietly.

The morning sky was cloudy, matching the strange heaviness inside me.

Everything should’ve felt normal again.