Vandel

I lounged lazily over the pit Sir Ridley had disappeared into, my legs dangling over the ledge. I was on my second glass of wine by now, and honestly, I was getting rather bored. So bored, in fact, that I'd taken to writing dirty words in the sky using fire magic. Tuttle would be disappointed in me for wasting my powers on something so stupid. Luckily, he was neither here nor in charge of my actions, no matter how ill-thought-out most of them might be.

I snickered at one particularly nasty word I had just written. Then I quickly waved my hand, making it disappear, as I heard the sound of Ridley climbing up the rope. “Eww! What the fuck happened to you?” I asked as his blond head poked up from the pit.

Ridley dragged himself out, his entire body plastered in slime. He sighed heavily, tossing me the garment which he had somehow managed to keep dry. “It’s a long story.”

My fingers curled around the fabric as I stared down at the cloak, excitement washing away the disgust. I had awaited this day for a long time! With a grin, I flung the cloak over my shoulders, the fabric fluttering out behind me dramatically. 

Ridley grimaced. “Do I even want to know what that thing does?” 

“It makes me look fabulous!" I answered with a wink. 

Ridley shook his head. “No. I mean, what power does it posses? Does it make you stronger or enhance your magic or what?”

I blinked. “Oh, it does none of that.”

Ridley furrowed his brow. “You’re lying.”

“I assure you, I'm not." For once, I was actually telling the truth. 

Ridley's eyes narrowed. “Then why were you so desperate to get your hands on it that you were even willing to let me live?”

“That’s because it does this!” I had waited fucking forever to do it. With a flourish, I twirled around, causing the cape to shimmer and sparkle, as if woven from thousands of stars. Ridley's eyes widened as he stared at the spectacle before him. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” I smirked. “That’s why it’s called the Cloak of the Heavens.”

“But…” Ridley sputtered, “if it’s not a powerful item, then why did that warlock put the curse on it?”

“Oh, he was just an asshole,” I stated, matter-of-factly. “He used to be a consort between the humans and the demons in the years when we still had some form of communication. His name was Forsworth, but every time he came to the palace, I called him Fartsworth, and he really didn’t like that. So just to spite me, he made a beautiful article of clothing, dangled it in front of me, and then put a curse on it so I couldn’t get it!” I stuck out my tongue, staring up at the sky. “Well, guess who the real winner is now FARTSWORTH! Don’t fuck with Vandel, cause he was always come out on top.”

“Did you just refer to yourself in third person?”

“Nope.”

“Yes you did.”

“No I didn’t.”

“Yes you did. I heard you.”

Damn, I loved messing with this kid. It was like teasing a lost and overly trusting puppy.

Ridley glanced at me now. “So the bonding spell is broken?”

“Yeah, didn’t you feel it?”

He nodded slowly, looking down at himself. “I should find a place to wash off before heading home.”

“There’s a river literally right there.” I pointed straight ahead.

Ridley’s eyes widened. “How did I miss that?”

I could answer that question right here and now. Ridley (despite his promise) was oblivious as fuck.

As Ridley made his way towards the river, I trailed behind him, my wine glass still in hand. He removed the demon armor he had taken from one of my unfortunate guards, dropping each piece onto the grass with a dull clunk, forming a growing pile. Soon, he was left in only a loose white shirt. Well, I supposed it had been white before all the slime seeped in. Yuck. He peeled it off before unfastening his sheathed sword, placing it carefully beside his other belongings. My gaze caught on its diamond studded hilt, and my heart skipped a beat. 

“Where did you get that sword?” I asked.

Ridley’s ice-blue eyes narrowed. “The king gave it to me. Not that I owe you any kind of explanation.”

He waded into the river now. Taking a deep breath, he submerged himself in the cool, babbling water. When he finally burst through the surface, the slime had been washed away. Suddenly, I became painfully aware of the way the droplets clung to his hair and dripped down his bare chest. I grinned, bringing the wine glass back to my lips, my gaze taking in his shirtless form. I might hate the young man, but at least I could still appreciate his packaging.

Ridley ran a hand through his wet hair, clearly unaware of how he looked, which only made him appear all the more appetizing. I bit my lip. Damn, if only that body belonged to someone I could actually stand.

But then he turned around. My grin froze as my gaze locked onto the long scars running up his back. They appeared painfully fresh. “How did you get those?" I asked.

“I gave them to myself,” Ridley stated bluntly.

 My brows snapped together. “Why?” 

“Because I kissed you," Ridley said, as if it were obvious. "I had to punish myself for it.”

I quirked my glass. “I was that good, huh?”

Ridley frowned. “It’s forbidden. I needed to punish myself for doing such a thing, even if it was a necessary evil.”

“That’s pretty fucked up.”

“It’s reasonable.”

Well shit. I decided that I'd probably never understand Alterians.

“Hey,” Ridley said suddenly. “I saw something strange down there.”

I smirked at him. “You mean besides whatever covered you in slime?”

He ignored me, continuing on. “There were some weird glowing drawings on the wall, something about a... Demon Eater? What’s that about?”

I stiffened at the name, despite myself. Frantically, I tried to play it off. “Eh, he was a creature that caused a lot of suffering and pain a long time ago. But there’s no need to talk about it. He’s gone. Now that thing is nothing more than a story mothers tell to their kids to keep them in bed at night.” I chuckled under my breath as the slight crease that had appeared between Ridley’s brows. “What? Never thought that demons have mothers? Cause we do. This might surprise you, but demons and humans aren’t as different as you think.” I finished the statement with a long sip of wine.

Ridley’s mouth tightened into a hard line. “I obviously knew demons have mothers. Yours is famous.”

I smiled slyly. “True, and she really is as infamous as the stories say.”

Ridley stepped from the river, water glistening off his obnoxiously chiseled muscles. “I suppose this is where we part ways.”

I nodded, staring only at his abs. “I suppose it is.”

“Thank you for not killing me.”

I laughed, extending a hand. “Well, thank you for getting me my cloak.” When Ridley reached out to shake it, I immediately yanked it back and snickered. “Ha! Psyche. Try to be a little less gullible next time I see you.”

Ridley’s eyes narrowed. “Hopefully there won’t be a next time.”

“Oh, I assure you, there will be. You've heard of the Haunting Ball, haven’t you?”

A look of recognition flashed across Ridley’s face. “The Haunting Ball...of course. I forgot it was coming up so soon.”

I smirked. “So, I’ll see you then?”

Ridley sighed heavily. “Unfortunately... yes.”