Maddox Kane.

The Maddox Kane.

The fucking demon lord of all demons.

I blinked slowly, trying to breathe as I put together the pieces. So all of those times that Natanya and I talked about her father, she wasn't actually talking about a random fool who lost his fucking mind, but the actual lord of Hell? All of those times that I saw her eyes changing colors, it wasn't just me flipping my shit? SHE WAS HIS DAUGHTER?

God damn.

I was in some deep shit.

"Are you speechless?" The man spoke with a mere taunt in his dark voice as he stepped down another level, his eyes boring into me as I fought his compel. "You have no need to be. You wanted my attention," He chuckled, the dark and ominous sound filling my ears as if he was standing right next to me, whispering into my ear. "And you got it," The smirk fell promptly, his face stone cold and rigid as he glared at me. He wasn't intentionally glaring, but the fierce look in his eyes made it appear as he was. 

The area was silent as everyone shivered, looking away from me. To them, I had finally got what I was asking for: the demon lord to bring his ass up to No Man's Land. "Wow," He cracked his neck, flicking his tongue across his fangs. "These are some of my people," Maddox ran a hand through his black hair. "Good to see you all. This will be the last time you ever see me," He boomed, his exotic voice shaking the trees. Wow, I was so special. He came all this way just to get me. 

My airways were starting to tighten and I was grappling with the invisible cord around my neck. If this was how I died, I was going to be extremely upset in the afterlife because I had two unopened boxes of Lucky Charms hidden under my bed. 

"Nya."

All he said was one word and one word only, and that was enough for a green beam ball to wrap around me, levitating me into the air. "What!?" I screeched, unable to move. "Put me down!" Adrenaline surged through my fearful body as a woman stepped out behind the man deemed the demon lord, her hand up and directed at me. I struggled to move, but it was no use as my body was just lethargic. "Troy!" I heard a familiar scream and I could tell that it was Jade. 

Stay calm, Troy. You knew one day that this would happen. You knew it in the back of your mind, so there is no need to be scared.

I closed my eyes as the swirl of the wind flew up my nose, threatening to suffocate me. Within the span of a millisecond, my body was swirled forehead and before I knew it, I was entering the dark cave of the saucer. I kept my eyes closed, hearing the panicked screams of people outside, most importantly, Jade. I could sense that she was immensely terrified for me and how did I know that? After all, she was my best friend, my remaining family. Her emotions were tethered to mine, even if they weren't. 

"Haeaet s'oq la sowa sabbia."

I heard a gloomy voice from above me and I peeked an eye open, seeing yellow eyes in the dark abyss. I couldn't see anything else, but I heard a loud slam, indicating that the saucer door was closed. This was it. This was really happening. I didn't know if it was me or not, but the intensity of the situation was not registering within my brain. Maybe I was still in shock, or maybe I just didn't care. 

"English, please," I muttered quietly, eyes frantically looking around to see what that dreadful sensation was. It felt like there was a million on me. I mean, I understood why. Have you seen me? I was a fine piece of the male specimen and I wasn't ashamed to say it. There was a snort as footsteps sounded in the dark cave, golden eyes following a silhouette as it made its way over to the farthest part of the room. It sat down and within a blink of those eyes, the beam ball around me vanished and before I crashed to the ground, my body was moved closer to those eyes and thrown on a plush surface. 

Before I knew it, there was an invisible chain around my wrists and feet, binding me. Yea, they should take precautions because I wouldn't hesitate to throw some hands. "Lexica," A voice sounded and I frowned, trying to see in the darkness. "Begin the descent," That tone said once again and it made realize that it belonged to the king of Hell. I felt warmth all around me and it dawned on me that I wasn't alone. I bit my lip, constantly examining my surroundings. I should've been scared, but I finally had a way to get some answers.

Such as why would you do such a cruel thing to people who have done nothing to you?

With a clap of hands, the lights began to twinkle in one by one, revealing the white and black walls of the circular room, filled with plush red couches, an A.I merged into the ceiling, and a bunch of red demon cops surrounding me and the mysterious man, who hadn't taken his eyes off of me. 

I gasped in alarm as the sound of crumbling began to fill the silence, that dreadful ringing burning my ears. "Ah, humans," One of the demon cops clenched his gun. "So fragile," He chuckled and I clenched my teeth, shooting him a glare. Human or not, I had more balls than the rest of these shitheads. The saucer began to descend, a tense pressure pushing on my chest. I had no idea what was happening, but I was sure I was going to Hell.

Literally.

I mugged the cops looking at me as I turned to look at the man who hadn't said a word. Wow, he wasn't what I pictured at all.

Up close, Satan was actually a lot more attractive than I pegged him for. I have expected him to be old, bald, and wrinkly, but he was the total opposite. He seemed to be incredibly tall with thick and taut muscles all over his body. His shoulders were broad, clad with the suit encasing them, hands big and clean with the exception of a marking on the interior of his palm with rings donning his fingers, tan sculptured face with stubble outlining his jawline, a clean-cut mustache that made him look more devious yet beguiling, a nose that led up to those piercing gold eyes that bore into my soul, and black hair that sat atop his head, framing his face.

He was nothing I had in mind. 

His lips were quirked up, and it made me wonder if he was thinking about how he was going to murder me. He seemed like the normal business mogul who worked dirty like they did back in Kansas, but he had an aura that was calm and collected. 

"Troy Victorino Morelli," I gulped, eyes furrowing at the sound of my name coming out of his mouth. "You have caused so much trouble and it was only when it was brought to my attention by my dear daughter Natanya," I narrowed my eyes at the mention of her. I should've known. "Did I come to rectify and assess the situation." He sounded so proper with that exotic voice of his, some unknown accent tricking his words. I forget, he was the demon lord. 

And here he was, in front of me.

I gritted my teeth, looking at him. He looked to be of average age but that didn't mean it was the same for demon years. "Yea well, if you ask me, those dumb ass laws were just begging to be broken," I raised a brow, his eyes morphing to a cerulean blue. Aw, was he angry? "Mind your tone," A cop next to me growled as he clutched his gun. I grimaced as I looked at his face. "Shut up. You look like a walking scary movie," I retorted, watching his eyes light up in anger. Oops, I did it again.

I shot him a glare, wishing that he would touch me. Didn't he know I wanted to die?

I grumbled, looking back to the demon lord. The man I hated for four years of my life, the man who was the reason why I was angry, the man who was responsible for my endless sadness was sitting across from me and there was nothing I could do about it. He had me pinned to the seat with a stare. 

There was a woman next to him, staring daggers into me. Boo!

No one said anything that would indicate what was coming for me, and I couldn't stand silence. I needed some source of noise or else, I was going to drive myself crazy.

"Maddox," I called out in a bored tone, completely playing with fire. People always said to address him formally and here I was, talking to him as if he was my friend. Man, I really wanted to die. The demon lord clenched his jaw as he turned to me, a vicious leer in his eyes. Yikes, guess someone really didn't like his name. 

All of a sudden, the short and pale woman by his side came floating over to me, holding my collar in her grasp. Her black nails turned clear as she narrowed her blue eyes menacingly, her black hair levitating behind her. "You will address him as Sir Alistair and nothing else!" She snarled and I let out a yawn. "Please keep talking," I yawned once more, in need of a bed. My wrists were aching and I could feel them chafing. "I always yawn when I'm interested."

I stared into the demon's blue eyes, her nails digging into my neck as she yanked harder on my collar, wanting to rip it. "Hey," I smirked as I chuckled. "If you wanted me naked, all you had to was ask," I winked and her blue eyes gradually darkened, red seeping into her pale skin. Oh, did I strike a nerve?

"Nya." With one call of her name in a sharp tone, Nya stopped her tight grip on my neck. "Okay," I bucked my head at her, moving away from her hands. I didn't want her demonic hands touching me. I rolled my eyes, playing a game with the devil as I turned back to him, seeing a hint of amusement on his lips. "As I said, sir Maddox," I didn't know what they thought was going to happen. It was true that everyone had to address him by one of his aliases, but I wasn't just anyone. I was Troy Victorino Morelli, and they better not have forgotten it. 

Nya growled lowly, taking a step forward, but the demon lord held his hand up. He frowned, his jaw clenched once more. "Do not ca—

I glanced at him with a bored expression. I heard him the first time. "Did I fucking stutter?" I asked incredulously, wondering if I really did and that was why he couldn't comprehend. Demon lord or not, he needed to get up on the A-game and stop playing with me. His eyes narrowed sharply as they darkened to a bright shade of red, his neck cracking as he snarled quietly. All of the demon cops surrounding me fixated me with their pee eyes, surmising my death. 

I could already hear Jade screeching at me to stop antagonizing people, especially when they had the power to kill me. I couldn't. It was just too funny. Would I die or would I not: a game of Russian roulette with Maddox Kane. 

He all but cracked his knuckles, tilting his head. He seemed peeved, but not upset. Good, because I didn't really care what he was. "What are you going to do with me?" I asked in a slight tone, the man's golden eyes never leaving me. He crossed his legs, taking a sip of the clear red liquid in his glass. A small smirk came to his full lips as he raised a brow. "Should I kill you or should I have you tortured endlessly in the black hole?" He shrugged and a sliver of small fear shot through me, though he didn't see. "I haven't made a concise judgment yet," His face remained calm and stoic despite the mere amount of emotions he let come through. He put his hand up, looking at his as it turned black, white and red markings allotting the skin as a small pink beam filled his palm. 

"I must admit," He spoke in that proper tone of his. "I am a bit intrigued by the person who managed to escape the grasps of my underlings every single time. Surely," He shrugged. "You should be dead." He stated casually and I snorted. Them demons did a piss poor job at making that a reality. That, and the fact that I was too good to leave this world.

"Well, your underlings' balls haven't dropped yet, so it's understandable why they're still pussies." I offered in a matter-of-fact voice, pursing my lips together to make it seem like it was a serious moment. I didn't care if I was insulting his people, his land, whatever. He deserved it. He took away the only family I knew and not to mention, he took away important people from the citizens of No Man's Land. 

"Watch what you say," The other demon, a male, warned me. Just then, my face contorted into mere anger. "Why?" I shrugged venomously. "Why should I watch what I fucking say when this motherfucker killed my parents?" I pushed my head at the god damn lord. "You want to play that game with me?!" I could feel my eyes twitching as Maddox studied me carefully.

"Oh?" He raised a brow, an unknown emotion coating his eyes. His smirk was gone and he appeared stoic. "Did I?"

My face twitched maddeningly, trying to figure out if he was fucking with me or not. "Don't you dare play stupid with me!" I spat coldly, feeling hot anger creep up my veins. "You know damn well what you did!" Troy, do not cry now. Do not let this bastard see your tears. 

Maddox said nothing, but he just kept those eyes on me, void of emotion. "You better know your place, human!" The cop next to me hit me with his gun and I snorted, pain flaring through my body. "I'll know my fucking place when he tells me why he killed my parents," I cut my eyes at him, my heart throbbing as I thought of my parents. They had to have been so scared. I wasn't even there when they were killed, but when the demon cops sent the notice in the mail the second day I came into No Man's Land, it put the pieces together.

"...I see," That was all the king said as he turned his gaze away from me, a red beam emerging from his hand as the saucer came to an abrupt stop. He stood up and I was taken aback by his true height. "Lexica," A demon floated in from the anterior of the saucer, a red demon with black hair and brown eyes looked at me with a scornful gaze before turning to Maddox. "Please take Mr. Morrelli to one of the cages," She nodded and soon, I was floating in the air once more, the stairs opening a path for us as we exited the luxury plane.

Hell was nothing like my imagination had made it out to be. The sky was a swirl of red and gold, no clouds in sight. There was no fire or people burning to death. It was just black grass, an immense array of flowers dotting along. There was a river separating parts of the ground, a drawbridge leading across to an extensively large black castle. There was no barking from the three-headed dogs, and it made me question if they were inside. It was oddly peaceful here, the sound of chirping cracking the air.

"...wow," I mused in awe as we floated across the bridge, a series of demons guarding the exterior of the castle. The demon lord really went all out. I looked at his broad back as he sauntered in front of me, wondering why he seemed like a man who held a lot of secrets. I looked around at the soldiers as we entered the castle.

"Woah," I muttered as I took in the grand interior of Maddox's house. It truly looked like a castle that one would see on television and I wished that it didn't take so much for me to see this. I wished that I came on better terms.

Oh well.

The demon lord snapped his fingers and within an instant, he was gone, the demon dubbed Lexica dragging me down a dark hallway, away from everyone else. This hallway seemed abandoned, secluded even. We entered a room that was empty, save for the chains that hung from the ceiling. "Aw, ya'll gonna keep me here?" I playfully pointed as she started to bind me in place, the door shut on her command.

"Oh, your name is Lexica?" I looked at the name tag on the woman dubbed the first commander of the demon code enforcement. She narrowed her eyes, looking at me suspiciously as she tightened the reins around my wrists, making sure I had nowhere to go. "...what's it to you, human?" She growled lowly and I smirked, not feeling the slightest threatened. "What's your last name?" I questioned, feeling sweat trickle down the side of my temple. Was it hot in here or was it just me? "I don't have one." Her reply was curt and straight to the point.

That was kind of odd, but I wasn't going to push it, considering I had no idea how long I was going to be here. Jade must've going out of her mind now. "Listen, human," Lexica narrowed her dark brown eyes at me, an aura of a killer radiating around her. "You're lucky that I haven't been ordered to kill you because I would enjoy it immensely," Her gaze darkened. "But you better do well to lay low if you don't want to pay a visit to Zero." Her red and clammy skin then lightened, revealing the tanned skin of her regular form. 

Zero? Who was Zero?

Before I could even ask her, she tightened the reins once more as a knock on the door pierced the silence. "Yaeza," Lexica bowed her head and the steel door opened on its own, revealing the calm nature of the demon lord. "Thank you, Lexica," He uttered in his low, hypnotic voice as Lexica nodded, giving me a warning glare before she left. 

When it was just the two of us, one human and one king of Hell, the silence filled the air as we stared at each other. I had no idea how severe this situation was. I was literally in the same room with the man of all of Earth feared, a man who had the power of the seven seas and the elements in his hands. 

And here I was, acting like it was nothing major.

"You are going to stay here until I figure out what it is that I want to do with you," He rubbed the small amount of stubble on his jawline, seemingly thinking about something, "Why don't you just let me go?" He shook his head. "What kind of leader would I be if I let someone who causes as much trouble as you go?" He chuckled. "I'm afraid I won't let that happen." His voice was dark and demonic, letting me believe that he had something alarming up his sleeve.

Everyone said that he was so terrifying and intensely blood-curling, but I had yet to see that side of him. What was I talking about? There was no way that I was going to ever see it. I had figured that he would kill me before that even happened. He seemed like the type of guy to analyze a situation and pretend that he was cool with it before striking when I least expected it. 

"I would say I would make you into my personal slave," He cracked a grin and it dawned on me as to what he was suggesting. Was he out of his god damn mind!? "But unfortunately for you, I'm not." Maddox stepped closer as I tugged on the chains, not liking the way he was looking at me.

"I'm not going to screw you like I should, a way of punishment," He whispered in a sensual tone and I blinked, unsure of how to feel. Was this bastard serious? He tilted his head, grinning as if he could read my thoughts. "One day, you're going to beg me to ravish you against this wall, fill you up with my cock," I furrowed my brows, my body stirring in a manner that I couldn't distinguish. I frowned, looking at his lips as Maddox leaned in closer, his cologne swirled around him taunting me, his voice darkening as he stared at me with gold eyes. "Giving you so much pleasure, you can't stand it." I stared at him boldly before screwing my face up.

"No, the fuck I won't." I spat in reply and his eyes narrowed into slits at the vulgar term, an evil smirk curling his lips up as he backed away, heading for the door.

"Oh, but you will."