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LAUDON'S POV

Laudon finally understands why his father had been so adamant about keeping him in Hell.

His second trip to Edreial had introduced him to a human girl named Maggie, and now Laudon can't stop thinking about her and the unusual encounter that they had.

Maggie could see him. She looked right at him and spoke. Why did the invisibility spell not work with her when it had worked perfectly fine on the other humans in the area? What had been so special about Maggie's energy? What made it so damn intoxicating? Is she human or something more? And if the latter, then what type of more?

Laudon has since gone through all sorts of books in Hell's library and not one held any information about whatever the fuck Maggie could be.

Vampires and werewolves are on the verge of extinction, so they rarely stray far from their dens. Their energy is hot but nowhere close to Maggie's. Fairies, however, are mystical beings with the purest of energies. But they primarily reside in Heaven and are easily identifiable by their pointy ears and razor-sharp claws. Heaven is home to the only other being with a sweet and gentle aura despite their savagery during battles. The angels. But rumor has it is that they secretly detest Edreial and are jealous of the human's free will. The angels only visit per God's orders, and these days, he has shown little interest in the upkeep of his sister's old kingdom.

The humans, God's mini replica of his sister's giants, seem hellbent on destroying their home rather than trying to come up with constructive ways to help it flourish.

Early on, God had given the humans a list of commandments to abide by. Many followed them, while others ignored them and lived by their own rules. When the disrespect had become too much, God punished the humans by erasing them with a flood; the wicked were cast to Hell, free souls for Lucifer to torment, while the pure rose to Heaven as a reward for never having turned against God. 

As recklessly as the second generation of humans has been living, it's only a matter of time before God resets Edreial in an attempt to create a third, better, generation.

If it is not perfect, then it is not worth God's time. 

"Unless one of Hell's circles has broken open, please do not enter and disturb me," Laudon mutters after sensing Zul's presence nearby. "Seriously?" Laudon slams shut the book he'd been reading about witches after Zul barges into his office. "Have you suddenly gone deaf, or do my requests mean nothing to you anymore? I explicitly said not to enter."

"My apologies, my prince." Zul bows in forgiveness. "But there is a dispute happening inside the training grounds that requires your attention."

Laudon sighs heavily while standing from his desk. "A dispute between a couple of low-tier demons sounds like something that you can easily handle on your own. Why is my presence required?"

"They are speaking ill of your father," Zul replies. "I assumed you would like to do the honors of punishing and teaching them a lesson, as well as the others around them that sit and listen to their offensive noise. It has been a while since you have done such a thing. I do not wish to tell you how to rule during your father's absence, but lately—"

"Lately what?" Laudon is standing in front of Zul within seconds. The hard scowl on his face is enough to let Zul know he is pushing his luck by speaking so candidly.

"Lately you have been too soft," Zul answers with a straight face, not at all intimidated by Laudon. This is not the first time that he and Zul have butt heads, and it will not be the last. "Too weak. Too lenient. You carry none of your father's callousness and everyone notices. It is why you continue to be challenged for the throne. It is why many—"

"Question my abilities as a leader? Just as they question my father," Laudon finishes. "You think I don't hear the whispers, Zul? You think I don't know that the demons are fed up with my father's frequent 'vacations' from Hell? You think I haven't heard them calling their king a terrible ruler, and how I'm no better because I'm not as brutal as he is?"

"My prince, I meant no harm. I just—" Zul starts.

"I'm not fucking dense. I'm well-aware of other's perception of me," Laudon sharply interrupts. "I don't need you to come in here and tell me bullshit that I already know. Now, who is causing such a ruckus on the training grounds? I will cast them to limbo for having interrupted my reading."

Zul gives Laudon a name and then escorts him to the training grounds to dish out the appropriate punishment.

Apart from ensuring that Hell doesn't implode on itself while Lucifer is away, Laudon is in charge of assigning new souls to one of the ten circles of Hell. He also personally delivers punishment from time to time. But as Zul had boldly criticized, Laudon is much more lenient when it comes to that compared to Lucifer. Zul, like he had done today, occasionally scolds Laudon for it.

Both Lucifer and Zul know, and have known, that Laudon is indifferent about being the prince of Hell. However, because it is all that Laudon has ever known, he deals with it. He can pick a fight every day with Zul about it, but he knows better than to do so towards his father—someone who can permanently end him.

In truth, Laudon would rather be traveling or reading and learning something new than being a temporary ruler over his father's frenzied kingdom. Just recently he stumbled upon a very fascinating book in Hell's library. One about soulmates. Laudon doesn't know much about love because it had been one of the few things that Lucifer had never pushed for him to learn growing up. The book primarily caught his attention after he was reminded of something his father had once said; something about how his mother had been his father's soulmate and that after she had broken their bond and abandoned them, he had never been able to love another.

The book stated that every spirit—human, demon, angel, and all in between—has a match. Excluding humans, mixed matches between the other races can happen, but it is extremely rare. Despite the power that God and Lucifer hold, neither is powerful enough to manipulate fate and destiny. A match is a match, and it can only be broken by an ancient spell that, if done incorrectly, will result in one's death.

Even so, both God and Lucifer made it a law amongst their kind that demons and angels are forbidden from bonding with one another, and with humans, too. As informative as that book had been, for Laudon, it neglected to answer the biggest question on his mind.

How do you know when you have met your soulmate?

Laudon could never ask his father that question in regard to his mother. He has tried many times in the past to learn more about her, has tried to piece together a solid reasoning for why she up and abandoned him shortly after giving birth, or so is the story that Lucifer had told. But, whenever she was brought up, Lucifer would always turn Laudon down.

Lucifer always ran to the excuse that it was too painful for him to talk about his ex-mate. And because their relationship had apparently been kept under wraps, Laudon was unsuccessful in getting any useful information out of Zul.

Perhaps Laudon will remain clueless about who his mother was. Clueless about soulmates. Clueless about love. Clueless about anything that doesn't involve keeping Hell afloat.

"I am very curious to know why you have this book in your possession." Lila, one of Hell's best fighters and also the only woman to have seen the inside of Laudon's bedroom, greets him with a teasing smile from his chair after he returns to his office covered in sweat and blood that is not his own. "Are you trying to figure out whether or not you're in love with me?"

"I don't have time for your mouth today." Laudon walks over to Lila and snatches the book out of her hands, the one about soulmates. "Have you seen my—"

"Yes, darling." Lila produces a small set of keys from her bosom. "If you are heading to your room to clean off, I'd very much like to join you."

On Edreial, the humans would call Lila and Laudon's situationship that of friends with benefits. The two have been on again and off again for years. Nothing serious, strictly casual. At times, they go weeks without seeing or speaking to one another because they each live busy lives, and this is one reason why Laudon is certain they are not soulmates. On a good day, he barely tolerates Lila. Towards her, he feels not an inkling of what he felt when he had been in Maggie's presence. No way is there any love between him and Lila.

And no way is there something more brewing between him and Maggie. He is a demon. She is a human. Not even in the book of soulmates is it noted that their races can, or have ever, successfully bonded. It simply is not possible, so therefore, Laudon's attraction to the girl must be for some other reason. And he will not stop researching until he uncovers what that reason is.

"Maybe another time." Laudon takes his keys from Lila and, after turning back around to leave, catches Zul once again standing in the doorway. "For fucks sake, what is it now?"

"There is a calling coming from Holloway, specifically near Brinton Forest," Zul says. "It is being flagged as a dummy ritual."

Lila laughs. "And another soul bites the dust."

"I believe it is one of Castor's latest tricks against the humans, another means of bringing more souls into Hell," Zul says. "Would you like to go back to Edreial and handle it, or shall I send someone else? You have been quite vocal about desiring a break, so—"

"It's fine," Laudon says. "I'll go right after I get cleaned up."