As her training progressed and she got better with the katana, Mina found herself with too much time on her hands and little to do. She couldn’t go to work since leaving the mansion grounds had been forbidden by the High Queen of Hell and NYU had been forced to grant her a sabbatical leave for the rest of the semester. So that ruled out distracting herself with the planning of her classes and the bustle of the university.

But there was one thing she could do even within the confines of her gilded cage. Someone needed to take a look into those papyruses that almost cost the lives of her and Vergil.

Let’s go, Mina. No one else will do this for you.

Going through a set of doors that connected Vergil’s spacious bedroom to his office, the brunette quickly saw her leather scroll case lying over her husband’s large, expensive desk. Once she made her way to grab her belongings, she found her laptop beside the case with a sticky note attached to it.

Thought you would need this.

She smiled while caressing the ink traces that she bet were from her demon prince and sat down before opening the machine. Once the computer lit up and the system finished installing a last-minute update, she began the process of scanning every one of the five papyruses so she could e-mail them to Gabriel. Then it would be his job to run them through their translating program and send the results back to her.

Sighing, she tied her long hair into a high ponytail before texting Gabriel, giving him instructions without explaining anything about her situation. In the meantime, she would try to translate what little she could on her own to pass the time.

The days went by without her even noticing.

****

«And so the Father’s favorite one fell from Grace, like a ball of fire to the earth. Long years he walked, ashamed and cursing all who adored the Lord. Now his name wasn’t Lucifer—the shining one—it was Satan, the adversary.

With this new name he seduced Lilith, making her his bride and thus transforming her into the very first demon. From their union legions were born, an army of darkness at Satan’s command. The dark ones challenged the light ones and—with a word—a fierce battle unfolded.

Time slipped away but the battle still endured; so the Father gave an order: “Banish them all to the depths of the earth. Let the light escape from their eyes and be replaced with darkness. Because they lost their divine place darkness will now be their home, damned forever in the eternal sheol.”

But before the prison could ever be born, a Key had to take form. A feather was taken from each of the seven archangels and mixed with the Firstborn’s heart. For even sinners as they were, humanity held the power of keeping the darkness at bay.

With the Key created, the prison could be born. Taking up from his endless creation, the Father gave damnation a physical manifestation.

Now the holy seven could unleash all the fury they kept within and in a last clash between brothers, only the light emerged victorious.

Buried deep beneath the earth the demons were so creation could flourish again. But there at the end, the demon lord swore: “No matter if eons pass, I will come back! Bringing with me the herald of your demise.”»

M

ina bit the pen in her hand as she finished reading the translation of the second papyrus for the fourth time since Gabriel e-mailed it to her. She had been trying to decipher the meaning of the metaphors and had been successful in all except one. The herald of the last sentence still puzzled her. Could it be a human, a creature, or an object? It should be something powerful, as Satan claimed that it would be the end to the light … or had he simply made reference to his legions of demons?

“Still in front of the computer?” Vergil asked as he entered the bedroom, sat in his bed, and started taking off his shoes. He didn’t even get a reply. “You know I could tell you all that history without you having to hurt your brain like this, right?”

Tucked in bed and with the laptop over her crossed legs, Mina lifted her gray eyes from the screen. “Are you calling me stupid?”

“At least you’re alive. For a moment I thought you had died watching that infernal machine.”

“Very funny, Vergil Larsa. Very funny.” Her stormy irises blazing with flames, she stuck out her tongue to him and turned to the screen again. “Could you help me with this? Here it says that when your father was cast to Hell, he swore to return with the herald of the light’s demise at his side.” She looked up to his face when her demon came beside her and leaned to gaze at the document’s translation. “What is the herald?”

“I don’t have the slightest idea,” he said, shaking his head. “Bet he doesn’t know either. I was born much later, so my knowledge of these early events is limited to what Mother told me.”

She made a face and turned to her computer, whispering under her breath.

“Hey, that isn’t fair!” Sighing, he changed the subject. His lips came close to her ear as he whispered in a seductive voice, “Have you found the thing you were looking for in those scrolls?”

She inhaled deeply but managed to shake the goosebumps away. “Darling, wasn’t it enough all the times we did it two days ago? I need to work right now.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Of the day we returned here.”

He burst out laughing. “That was a week ago!”

She opened her eyes and looked at the computer’s clock. There, beside the hour was the real date. Her husband was right. An entire week had passed since they returned to New York! How could she have lost track of so much time? “Oh my God.”

“Oh my God indeed.” Vergil chuckled. “Did you find the thing you were looking for?” he asked again while he closed her laptop and pulled her out of bed.

“Not really. There’s still one scroll left to decipher,” Mina answered, closing her eyes as his hands trailed down her neck. “But the real problem is that I don’t know what I’m looking for.” Her brow creased with worry before feeling his lips there, trying to soothe her. “I mean that I don’t know how the Key looks.”

“It’s not a key, it’s a medallion,” he whispered, raining soft kisses over her lovely face.

She opened her eyes and held his blue gaze. “A medallion? Have you seen it?”

“Only in a drawing Suti left behind, but it doesn’t exist anymore.” His answer was accompanied by more kisses that trailed down her neck, making her gasp. “Mother destroyed it.”

“Why?” One of her hands fisted his short, platinum-white hair while the other clung to his shoulder.

“The reason isn’t important.” He sucked the curve of her neck as his hands traveled over her breasts and down to her flat belly.

“Wait.” She was trying so hard to think straight but it was getting really difficult. On one hand, she wanted to satisfy her curiosity and ask all the questions she had since the start of her investigation, but on the other, she just wanted to feel Vergil’s skin against hers. “Are you saying you met Suti?”

“Yes. Mother was the one who killed him.” He licked and graced her skin with his sharp fangs, ripping a soft moan out of her. “And ate him,” he finished, nibbling her ear.

Her eyes widened, but before she could say a word, he traced her lips with the tip of one finger and leaned forward, stopping almost a breath away from kissing her.

“Do you want to keep talking or do we finish our little game?”

Her body felt so hot that she just gave in to her needs and kissed him hungrily. Yep, even if her brain hadn’t registered the passing week, her body did, making her crave Vergil’s touch more than anything else in the world. As his caresses grew bolder and love sounds filled the room, her mind forgot all about priests, demons, or keys and just focused on feeling the passion that her white-haired demon could create inside of her heart. The rest of the questions could wait another day.
 
****

The next morning went by with the same routine Mina had become accustomed to. Vergil woke her, trained her in that weird place between dimensions, and then left for work. Normally, she would just stay in the mansion going through the papyruses and waiting for the last translation to be e-mailed to her but this time she had something else in mind.

She came out from the bathroom toweling her hair dry when she felt a dark presence beside her. To her total dismay, it was her new bodyguard.

Thank God I’m fully dressed already!

“What are you doing inside your prince’s room, Mister Dittrich?”

The blond smiled wickedly as he stepped closer to her. “I was given strict orders to keep a close watch on you, my princess,” the demon murmured in a gravelly voice as he took a dark lock between his fingers and smelled it, relishing in the fragrance of fresh lavender.

“I didn’t give you permission to touch my hair,” she stated through gritted teeth and hit his hand away from her.

“I like the feisty ones.” His eyes turned silver—irises and pupils disappearing—as he licked his lips and extended his hand to her again. “But we are past these formalities, Mina. You can call me Yaellan, as that is my true name.”

She grabbed the hand before it reached her face. Fire ran through her veins until flames licked at her hands and eyes, burning hot with rage. “Never touch me again. Do you hear me, demon?” she warned with an icy voice while increasing the heat in her hands.

He cried out in pain but made no attempt to get away from her while his skin burned under her palm. “Yes, mistress! Please hurt me more,” he pleaded, torn between a moan and a whine.

Those words snapped her back from the vice-like grip anger had on her and she released him with haste. “I could have killed you, moron! Don’t make me angry again or next time I may not be able to control myself.”

He didn’t answer as his eyes returned to their clear green with a thin brown line around the pupil before he cast his gaze to the ground. “I’m sorry, mistress. My needs got the better of me.”

“If you need to fuck just grab a maid and do it; it shouldn’t be that difficult for a Lilu. But don’t assume I will betray Vergil just because I opened my legs for you at my bachelorette party!”

His eyes shot to her face, surprise filling all his handsome features. “You don’t know of our ways yet?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

He paled, realizing his mistake, and lowered his gaze to the ground again. “It won’t happen again, ma’am.”

“Good. Then go take care of your needs, I will be okay for a couple of hours.” But just when he was about to exit the room, she called out to him, “Wait.”

“Yes, Miss Larsa?”

“Is …” She paused, trying to remember the name. “Gaap! Is Gaap still in the mansion? There is something I need to ask him.”

“No, ma’am.” Yaellan shook his head, standing in the doorway. “Lord Gaap returned to Hell three days ago. Things in the south were getting dangerous for his consort to handle alone.”

The brunette thanked him and quickly dismissed him before the incubus got any other brilliant ideas. Finally alone, she took her purse and the scroll case, creeping out of the bedroom before her bodyguard caught up with her.

She crossed the hallway, praying that Lilith wouldn’t notice her absence when she bumped with a young maid carrying fresh bedsheets. The girl apologized profusely and started to leave, but Mina stopped her, asking for directions to the garage. Repeating the maid’s instructions in her head, the brunette headed to the rose garden and found her 2010 VW Beetle patiently waiting for her, parked in front of the enormous garage. She was almost sure the thing could hold at least a dozen automobiles inside.

Why the hell do they need so much space for cars when they can teleport to anywhere on the planet?

Sighing because of their eccentricities, the young woman got into her car and drove away, planning on paying a visit to Gabriel at the university. Her assistant needed to explain to her why the translation of the last papyrus was taking so long.

The traffic to NYU was a little heavy that Monday so her mind began analyzing all the things she had learned since her marriage eleven days ago.

First of all, she had a supernatural power that apparently could burn things … or dark creatures at the very least. Her husband was an actual demon, son of Lucifer and Lilith, so she was married to Hell. Literally. Half of the mansion’s staff was composed of demons that served Lilith, Vergil, and now her. And finally, the Greek God of Death wanted her dead for who knew what crazy reason. Yeah, her life had suddenly turned upside down. Not that it was perfect to begin with, but at the very least no one wanted to kill her.

That made her remember her stupid bodyguard, and in a sudden impulse, she dialed Vergil’s number, the one he had saved on her cellphone the moment they were officially engaged.

She almost immediately regretted calling, but the phone only rang once before it was answered.

“What happened?” Her husband’s voice sounded worried, making her bite her lip in regret.

“Nothing, darling,” she said, trying to dismiss his worry.

“That’s a lie. You called me for a reason, Mina. What is it?”

She sighed, knowing very well he wouldn’t give up until she spoke up. “I want a new bodyguard.”

“The stripper wasn’t enough?”

Her face flushed and she had to slam the brakes since the car in front suddenly stopped. “N-No! I mean yes! But … h-he tried to seduce me today. But, please, don’t try to kill him! I already burned his hand.”

“The lucky bastard got what he deserved,” her demonic prince said, chuckling softly.

“Wait. You’re not mad or at least jealous?”

“No.”

“You got furious thinking I was betraying you with Mister St. Claire but now you just laugh?” Her voice took a harsh tone while she gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white.

“That was different. St. Claire was human, a lowly creature only fit to lick my boots.”

“I’m human, too, you know! Was I only made to lick your boots as well? Of course not, you prefer I suck your dick instead.”

“Mina, listen to me.” Vergil’s voice grew serious and commanding, just as expected of his royal status. “You’re special to me. It doesn’t matter that you’re human, I will always lo— care a lot for you.”

“Well, it doesn’t seem like it.”

She heard a muffled curse in the background before he spoke in a calmer tone to her. “Mina,” he whispered, trying to appease her anger, “our moral code isn’t the same as yours. For us, sex outside of marriage—and I use the term marriage loosely—is completely normal. In fact, demon couples normally have more than one lover to play with. What we consider infidelity is procreating with our lovers instead of our consort.”

“So you wouldn’t care if I slept with whomever I wanted?”

“Not as long as they aren’t human.”

“Great! Thanks for being so thoughtful!” Tears ran down her face as she parked inside of the university garage. “You’re a son of a bitch, you got that?” she screamed at the phone and hung up the call. More tears came to her eyes as she tried to control her broken heart. It wasn’t so much the words he used that hurt her but the way he said it. His cold and uncaring tone made her feel so small and unimportant … so replaceable.

A dark presence appeared in her passenger seat, but she refused to look at him. She refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing how much he broke her heart.

“Never hang up on me again. Do you hear me?” He tried to control his temper but still some anger seeped into his words. Had she been any other mortal, she would already be dead, but he couldn’t bring himself to hurt her, not his precious dove.

“I’ll do whatever the hell I want because you don’t care.” She turned to him and poured all her anger into her gray eyes.

“That’s where you’re wrong.” Even with her eyes shining golden he leaned over and kissed her forcefully. His dove resisted at first, but he grabbed her chin and softened his approach. Tenderly, lovingly, Vergil caressed her lips as if she were the most delicate of flowers. Not long after his wife finally gave in and kissed him back. There was sadness in her usual sweet taste, and it tore at his soul because he kept hurting her time and time again.

The sudden realization that her demonic husband could change her heart so easily got Mina angrier than before and she leaned away from him. A slap sounded inside of the car a second later, leaving her hand burned in his cheek. “Kisses don’t solve everything, Vergil Larsa!” Mina yelled and got out of her Beetle in a hurry.

He was in front of her in an instant, not caring that his cheek was mending itself in a public space. “I bled for you,” he whispered with a serious tone while he held her stormy gaze. “I fought with Thanatos to save your life and almost died in the process. Do you still think you aren’t important to me?”

“Maybe I’m just an important tool.”

Losing his temper, Vergil grabbed her by the arm and his blue eyes shifted to red for a second. “You will never be just a tool, Mina! You are the only woman I have ever—”

“Is that man bothering you, Doctor Larsa?”

A young human male came to them and looked defiantly at him. The boy with Asian features and long, red hair—cut close to the scalp at the sides of his head—seemed to be analyzing how much of a threat he meant for Mina.

“It’s all right, Gabriel,” she told her assistant while holding Vergil’s gaze. “My husband and I already finished our little conversation.”

“Release me now,” she thought loud enough for the demon to hear her.

The hellish prince growled but unhanded her, projecting his thoughts to her. “This isn’t over, darling.”

Without another word, she turned and walked off beside that Goth male, leaving Vergil seething with anger in the parking lot.

***********
A/N (Updated): I really hope the chapter will be of your liking since, for some stupid reason, it was a lot harder to write than the others. Well guys, this will be my last update of 2016. The next I expect to have it done by January 8 but only time will tell.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you, my lovely readers of Tied to Darkness.

I tried to make Vergil wish you happy holidays but he's too angry so I will leave you with Mina. Go all Spanish on them, girl! ;)

Pd: Vergil is angry because he can't find his wife 😂😂😂