The Demon Princess and Her Powerful Alpha

Ardenti I sat alone, choking on the thick still air. The putrid stuff clung to my skin like a living thing I couldn't shake. My lungs itched as I attempted to heave the breath in and out of me. The sweat dripped off my brow. I wiped the moisture away, wondering when it started bothering me. I struggled to remember things that happened yesterday, let alone my feelings on a day-to-day basis. Time moved differently in this realm than in other places, and it left me disoriented. Perhaps I didn't understand the movement of time quite like other beings. Fire and brimstone assaulted my senses and left an acrid film on my brain. The screams in the distance played an eternal soundtrack, setting the tone for this place, but the noise sounded louder lately. I concentrated on tuning them out, fruitlessly. I understood the screams in an objective way. They hurt, so they screamed. The inner workings of the human mind that would feed the need for such a dramatic display existed beyond my understanding. I visited many humans over the years; the parts left of them, anyway. Once their bodies lay dead, that magical little spark that animated their corpses made its way to my realm. I talked with them about the human world, their feelings, and their motivations. It interested me when I was in a mood to be entertained. I supposed they made as little sense to me as I did to them. When the haughtiness overwhelmed me, I liked to think my status as crowned princess and heir to one of the most powerful realms in existence made the difference. The truth was much simpler. The spark that made them grew from purity and light. Their fleshy shells helped them muck around in the darkness, but something made of light could never truly understand something born from the dark. The dark certainly birthed me. I was no fleshy puppet driven by a light. My body more closely resembled stone fueled by a raging fire. At least, I used to be. I didn't know what I was anymore. The boredom dominated my days. Exhaustion filled me and sweat dripped down my face, pathetic. The moisture on my hand disgusted me. My magic swelled, heating my fingertips, and it steamed away. I needed a little excitement. A lot of time had passed since I visited the human realm. It never held my interest, but duty called me there occasionally. The human religions got the story wrong. Corrupting and stealing souls did not make my agenda, but reinforcing and defending the gates of my realm proved an issue a few times over the millennia. Talented magic users would occasionally try to seal us in. I nearly pitied them. The pathetic do-gooders did not realize my world was simply a weigh station. Closing the gates permanently would only trap the worthy souls that would eventually fight their way free. Earth's trials were irrelevant things. Their only use was allowing the souls to mature beyond infancy. What was the saying I heard from the party boys before having my wicked way with them? "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas." The sentiment applied to the entire experience. The human realm was a place of lollipops. Their bodies formed the gossamer cradles of their souls. The genuine test lay in my realm, and the reward beyond was a mystery even to me. The more I considered the gates, the more certain I became, it had been too long since I reinforced them. A few long centuries had passed since I'd been topside. I stood, observing my chamber. Who’s idea was it to build the room from blackened, weathered cobbles? They were drabber than I liked. Candles illuminated the space and danced with blood-red flames. My canopy bed dominated the space. It overflowed with black and red feather-filled bedding. Hell had many beasts with vicious talons and silken feathers, slain and plucked so their princess could live in their comfort. The canopy swathed my nest in slippery black silk. I preferred to sleep in my own sensual cocoon. The souls trapped nearby couldn't imagine such luxury existed here. We made their beds of glass and flame, agony served as their pillows. A few mortals had the honor of sharing my lascivious ways over the years, but never here. They intrigued me, at least, but the bedchamber of a princess was far below their station. I let out a wistful sigh. Interest came rarely. I pushed the thoughts of my boring conquests aside and disappeared in a cloud of gray ash. I landed on the other side of my castle, at the enormous stone walls of the great hall. The demons standing guard dropped into a deep bow before me. "Princess Ardenti, how may we serve you?" I silently judged the one who spoke. He had the charcoal gray skin that so many of his kind shared. Short twisted horns sat equidistant on his head. I was almost certain I romped around with him eight or nine hundred years ago. I couldn't be sure. "Open the door." They two shot nervous glances at each other. "Princess, he asked not to be disturbed." My eyes trailed his form, deciding I had slept with him. If memory served, he wasn't worth the argument. I disappeared once again in a cloud of ash. My skin pricked as I pushed past the wards sealing off the chamber. The devil sat on his throne of demon skulls. He did not bother to look up. His shape was close to human. His limbs exceeded their average length and were more densely packed with muscle. He was incredibly tall. His skin glowed red like the flames that raged aimlessly behind him. Long horns broke from his head, twisting and curling toward the sky. His pointed fingers held a pen as he wrote in his book of souls. "I'm going to the human realm to reinforce the gates." I kept my voice firm as I waited for him to glance my way. "The guards told you I did not want to be disturbed." His tone held a clear warning. "I do not heed those below my station." I checked my long, pointed fingernails for soot as I waited for him to speak. "Ardenti, there has been no news of trouble with the gates," his voice held no interest. He couldn't even spare me a glance. "I am going regardless. I will return when I have finished." "They will die for your impatience." He grew predictable in his old age. "I have long since grown bored with who you will and will not kill, father." I disappeared once again, but his voice carried with me. "Do not fret, daughter, it may soon be you." The smoke faded, taking his voice with it. The human world materialized before me. I didn't have the inclination to worry about my father. He may want to kill me, but without an heir, what was a kingdom? The rampant green that saturated everything always surprised me in this unassuming corner of the world. Trees shot into the sky. The bright and the blue unsettled me. My eyes did not need to adjust to the light as human eyes did, but something inside me shrunk away from it. The gates sat several miles apart, twin pillars hidden by immense magic. They both kept my realm hidden and tethered it to the human plane. I did not know what would happen if that connection broke and I had no plans to find out. To my knowledge, no power strong enough to accomplish such a thing existed. I arrived between the two and needed to head west to find the first. Teleporting myself there was easy enough, but I had no urgency to return. I made the journey on foot. I trudged my feet across the ground at an absurdly slow pace. Why hurry back to a place that held no interest? The sun slinked lower in the sky. By the time I made it there, night would fall. I enjoyed the night in the human realm. Darkness intrigued me. The silver light of the moon seemed almost beautiful. I sensed eyes on me, interrupting my thoughts. Something followed me behind the nearby trees. I smiled to myself. The thrill of harming something corporeal made me giddy. I wouldn't go out of my way to harm mortals, whether supernaturals or standard humans. If one stalked me through the forest, they could hardly expect me not to defend myself. I almost laughed at how thoroughly I would defend myself.