A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL : CHAPTER 161 – 170
In the dim hallway, I clapped my hands once, the sound echoing like a gunshot in the stillness.
And then, she appeared.
The little girl stood before me, her small frame cloaked in shadows that writhed like living things. Her eyes were black voids, bottomless and cold, yet her lips twisted into a smile that could make even the most hardened souls shiver.
“Lucifer,” she said sweetly, her voice dripping with malice.
“Are you enjoying your games?” I asked, my tone sharper than I intended.
Her smile widened, showing rows of too-sharp teeth. “I’m only playing my part.”
I crossed my arms, my gaze narrowing. “And what part is that, exactly?”
“To remind her,” the child said, tilting her head. “Of what was promised. Of what is owed.”
“Careful,” I warned, stepping closer. “You don’t want to overstep, little one.”
Her gaze didn’t waver as I stepped closer, each footfall deliberate. I crouched before her, letting my presence loom like a shadow over her small, unnatural form. She didn’t flinch; she never did.
Reaching out, I tapped her head slowly, my fingers brushing against the top of her dark, wavy hair. “You have no need to play scary games for someone to like you,” I said, my voice a low murmur, firm yet strangely gentle.
Her grin faltered, twisting into something almost pitiful. The shadows around her trembled, curling inward as if retreating from my words. Slowly, the transformation began.
The sharp edges of her smile softened, her black eyes lightened to a deep brown. The shadows peeled away from her frame like smoke dissipating in the wind, leaving behind the fragile form of Anna.
She looked like a child again, not the creature of malice she had been moments ago. Her bottom lip quivered, her small hands clasped tightly in front of her.
“Does she hate me?” Anna asked, her voice trembling.
The question gave me pause. It shouldn’t have—this child’s emotions should have meant nothing to me. Yet the vulnerability in her tone struck a chord I wasn’t prepared for. She is my failed offspring
“Of course not,” I said, forcing a small smile. “She will always love you.”
Her wide, tear-filled eyes searched mine, as though she wanted to believe me but couldn’t quite bring herself to. Slowly, I reached out and pulled her close, her small frame trembling against me.
Her head barely reached my chest as I knelt there, and for a brief moment, I let her believe in the comfort I offered.
But then I leaned down, my lips brushing her ear, and whispered, “If you ever lay a finger on Selene again, I will make you wish for an end that will never come.”
Her body stiffened in my grasp.
“You’ll know pain so profound, so eternal, that even the deepest pits of Hell would seem merciful. Do you understand me?” My voice was quiet, barely more than a breath, but it carried the weight of a promise she would do well to heed.
Anna pulled back slightly, her face pale, her lips trembling as if to respond.
“Do you *understand*?” I repeated, my tone sharper.
Her nod was shaky, her eyes wide with fear. “Y-Yes,” she whispered.
“Good.”
I released her, rising to my full height. She stumbled back, her small hands clutching at the hem of her dress.
“Why do you care so much about her?” she asked after a moment, her voice small but tinged with defiance. “She’s… she doesn’t matter, am your child.”
The question made me pause.
Why *did* I care?
A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL : CHAPTER 161 – 170
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