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I’m sorry, L.
Did it count? No. Of course not.
It’d been a lie.
Anthony found love. A home. Peace.He didn’t regret what he did to me.Not once did he suffer. He deserves to die.
“I died that first time, and he left me alone. And he didn’t care.”
I wanted to live, so I lived. I wanted top surgery and testosterone, so I got them. Everyone left me. No one believed in me, but I didn’t need them; I needed me. I want something, anything, I’ll tear apart anyone to get it. I’ll do it again, and again, and again. Give me what I want, King.
Lauren?iu will get what he wants. It’s only a matter of time, and he has an eternity.
As if reading his mind, Paimon offers lightly, “I could help you get revenge.”
Taking another inhale of his burning cigarette, Lauren?iu asks the first question on his mind: “Why?”
Nonplussed, Paimon explains, “Hell is awfully boring after thousands of millions of years, and vengeance sounds fun, even if it’s not my own vendetta.”
“I haven’t been here as much as so many...”
“In fairness, with how many souls are here, you’re more experienced than thousands upon thousands of the newer souls.”
“I know all about Hell and its deals.” Lauren?iu’s gaze lingers on Paimon’s impressive horns. Faintly, he wonders how they must feel.
Paimon waves a hand. “We don’t need to make a deal.”
Lauren?iu presses, “But doesn’t making a deal make it even more likely to happen?” He’s heard enough in Pandæmonium from listening instead of speaking.
The King of Hell explains, “We don’t have the power to seal deals over souls. Ultimately, souls are made by the, forgive my gros mot, heavenly pricks above, so what happens to them must be agreed upon by all parties. So yes, the Powers That Be tend to work to ensure that deals are fulfilled by we naughty sinners.”
“Usually, what are the stakes, that those who sell their souls will be tortured for an eternity?”
Paimon smirks. “How can we torture a Falcons fan more than you’ve already suffered?”
Lauren?iu rolls his eyes. “You’re right. I suppose that’s why I’ve acclimated to Hell more and more.”
Mercurial as always, the demon king becomes serious again. “No, I don’t put torture on the table. It’s rather crass to me. You’re already in Hell, which gets into the brain.” He has that right. “Usually, as you’ve experienced, souls get some time on Earth. Not enough to cause mayhem—though with the state of the world above, how could you tell? Often, souls already in Hell forfeit their time going to Earth for more privileges in Hell.”
Lauren?iu considers this. “I don’t mind giving up my time on Earth if it means that I get to kill Anthony. How do I know you’ll keep your word?”
Paimon arches a brow. “Really?”
Yes, really. They aren’t friends, no matter how many times they’ve had pleasant conversations, or how many times he’s seen this King of Hell naked. First and foremost, Lauren?iu must protect himself and survive. After all, the consequences might feel less now that he’s already dead, but they feel higher than ever.
Eternity is a long time.
Lauren?iu shakes his head, gripping the healed armrest. “It isn’t that I uniquely distrust you. You heard what happened to me—you have to understand my wariness.”
Paimon doesn’thaveto do anything, and yet, Lauren?iu can hope.
Paimon shrugs. “I do. Hell doesn’t engender love and trust, after all. You haven’t come this far by being gullible. But so you know, I keep my word. Always. No tricks. When I make a promise, I mean it. It’s something that Lucifer has taught us. Loyalty is important to him.”
“Loyalty, from the angel who betrayed God, who’s the head of the Circle of Treason? It’s important to him, so it’s important to you?”
Paimon hums. “Yes, hard to believe, I know. But Lucifer didn’t betray God to be disloyal; it was his loyalty to us. Hell, he was God’s favorite. If he ever repented, he could go back. But he stays for us.”
A pause. The eye-fire in the room hisses and pops and Lauren?iu looks away to consider Paimon’s words. His intent. Boredom. It isn’t unbelievable. For a King of Hell, Paimon might look pretty doing it, but he wasn’t made to sit in a chair all the time.
