Make Me

A shocked silence settled in the room, as Lucifer and I were glaring at each other. I stood his evil gaze without a flinch, not letting myself be threatened by his sadistic grin. People started whispering and muttering, and it was easy to hear since neither he nor I spoke. Lucifer slowly made his way to me, stopping only when he was uncomfortably close to me, but I didn't step back, I just raised my chin a little, so I could meet his eyes from up close too.

"I must apologize for Seth's terrible humour, Lucifer. He obviously didn't mean what he said" I heard Jude's voice fill the room, as his steps slowly caught up to me. He placed his hand on my back as a friendly gesture, I suppose while forcing a smile on his face.

"He didn't seem like he was kidding, to be perfectly honest" Lucifer remarked with a sly smile, glancing from Jude to me again.

"Ha-ha, well he was, to be perfectly honest." Jude let out the fakes laugh I have ever heard while wearing his signature "fuck yourself with a chainsaw" smile.

"You sure? I was about to pick him"

"Would be quite a fatal mistake" I shivered as the room suddenly lit up. Every candle's flame in the room could've reached the ceiling judging by how violently they started burning. Lucifer glanced to his side, noting his surroundings, and he smiled coolly, as his gaze found my demon again. Jude stepped even closer to him, shielding me from his sight mostly.

"I presume you wouldn't threaten me, Judas" he retorted with an arrogant smirk creeping up his lips.

"Me? Never. But I also presume that you can understand that it's in your best interesting to keep your palms off what is mine." his voice was civilized as always, yet there was something darker and eviller about him now... his aura changed, or maybe just the aggressive orange lighting of the flames made his sharp features even more cut-throat.

"Well, to be precise, Judas, he is not yours yet. He is still alive, and that means his soul is only bound to yours, but here in hell, he does not qualify as your pet. Which means, he has free will, to an extent... So... Do you still wish to volunteer as my gift, Seth?" the fallen turned to me now, taunting me with every little movement his face made. Jude slowly walked back to me, taking his place at my side, and putting his hand on my lower back as usual.

I was already decided, I couldn't let those barely teenagers go through such a thing without interfering... It can take a shot for them, and, back off now would be most of all, humiliating. How bad can it be really? Well... probably very bad, but this wasn't the point. I can take it. My eyes glanced over the devil, meeting the little girl's frightened look, and I instantly knew I won't be able to give up in this.

I clenched my jaw, standing Lucifer's evil and ill-intentioned gaze. He might've looked like an angel, but he couldn't be further from one. My stomach turned from the disgust and anger that boiled within me. What kind of man hurts children? What kind of anything hurts children for that matter?

I knew I couldn't back off... not now, even though I could tell Jude was one wrong word away from burning this whole palace to the ground.

"Ye--" my words broke off into a silent scream, as I gaped from the sudden pain that erupted from my back. I couldn't breathe, as Jude's claws sank deeper into my flesh, and my hands reached for something to hold onto in the gawkiest way possible. My fingers grasped the very end of Jude's suit, but he didn't react. He kept his hand on my back as if he would just support me, but of course, everyone in the room could probably see that this wasn't the case.

"I'm sorry, didn't quite catch that" Lucifer grinned watching as I trembled in agony, but wasn't willing to fall to my knees right in front of the whole room, so I had to keep flexing and using the muscles that the demon's claws had cut through. My eyes were burning with hatred, yet I couldn't find the power to speak up, because each time my mouth trembled open to give my answer, Jude applied more pressure. He pulled me closer, and to an outsider, it could've looked like that I just decided to lean against his chest, but he just moved me like a ragdoll in my frozen state.

"As you can clearly see, he had changed his mind, Lucifer." Jude explained calmly as if he wasn't trying to rip my spine out from its place.

"I figured... All bark, but no bite" he sighed as if he was deeply disappointed, and I attempted to march at him, but Jude held me tightly with just one hand, so I barely even moved.

Luc studied my face for a long while, observing as I tried to look as okay as one could possibly be in the current situation. My heart slowly filled with blind hatred and frustrated desperation, as I watched the devil's smile widen. He slowly walked away from us, back to the small girl I was trying to save in the first place, grabbed her by her locks and began dragging her across the room, presumably so the crowd would have a better view of the scene.

I struggled against the claws, but with that few movements, I caused such immense pain to myself that I soon gave up.

"What's your name, love?" Lucifer asked the girl in a fake-endearing tone.

"Li...Liza" she breathed out unsurely, looking up at the fallen angel before her with pure fear and horror in her Bambi-eyes.

"LIZA" Lucifer shouted, to let everyone else know too like a cheap showman would "Aren't you just honoured, Liza? The infamous Chaos himself... The one... the only Seth, is worried about you... Aren't you just shaking from excitement, dear?" the crowd slowly let out a low, amused chuckle as Lucifer kept mocking me and the small girl. I gritted my teeth, moving again, but it didn't end any differently than before. I arched my back under the dizzyingly painful touch of the demon, not that it helped.

"Let me go" I hissed, looking at my side, to meet Jude's eye.

"No" came the stern, and surely displeased answer from the demon. As my frustration grew, I could hardly notice blood slowly wetting my dress-shirt and soon my suit too. I saw red, and all I wanted was to beat Lucifer to death, even though I knew I would most likely break all the bones in my fist if I were to hit him.

"Chain her to my throne. Why don't we make a little show?"

I helplessly watched as two demons grabbed the girl by her arms, and within a few minutes, chained her up to the golden thrown, spreading her arms, making her back face Lucifer and ultimately the crowd that watched her suffering. "Jude... Jude let me go. We can't let this happen" I begged now, though I was still furious, I was probably about to pass out and my voice came out desperate and weak.

"Yes, we can, and we will..." the sharp answer didn't shut me up this time. I gathered all my strength, to speak up a little louder:

"Lucifer" my voice was nowhere near shouting, but the devil turned to me nonetheless, a cunning smile on his lips as if he wasn't surprised at all.

"Yes?"

"Are you that scared of Jude?" I mocked with all my might, now ignoring the increasing pain in my back.

"Seth shut up" Jude growled quietly, so only I would hear it, but I didn't pay much attention to him, I was staring into Lucifer's eyes. I could tell I managed to get to him with my words, as he slowly looked me from head to toe, probably wondering why I hate myself enough to anger Jude and him that much, especially at the same time.

"You stepped back from you volunteering, there is nothing I can do" he threw his hands in the air with a theatrical gesture as if he was helpless.

"Oh, come on now... She's already crying. How is that even fun for you?" I kept on pushing the limits, gritting my teeth as Jude tightened his painful grasp.

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"Okay, that's quite enough" Jude muttered under his nose and began escorting me out of the room, in the most violent way possible (mostly because I was struggling against him). He ended up grabbing a good chunk of my hair and forcing my head to face away from Lucifer and the small girl.

A high-pitched scream echoed through the Hall, followed by smaller whimpers of agony, and my mind began helplessly racing for a solution, scanning myself for anything that Lucifer could've wanted enough to have mercy on the girl. "I'LL OPEN A DOOR" I yelled suddenly, probably making everyone in the room even more confused than they were before. I'm pretty sure even Jude didn't realize what I was talking about, but judging by the silence of the small girl, Lucifer stopped in his tracks. He knew.

"I offer that as a gift. Any door that you'd like. I'll let you see it" confused, muttering surrounded us, as most of the demons noted that I'm probably insane, (which wouldn't be a completely wrong assumption).

"What have you done?" Jude asked in a low voice, suggesting that he hated the idea of whatever I just offered to Lucifer.

"Nothing fatal" I reassured him quietly, before using his minute of a shock to straighten up and look back at Lucifer.

"Deal?" I continued to push the matter before he would have much time to think it through. I knew he wanted it, he wanted to get a hint of my weaknesses, but that's a small price in this case. And it's just one door... I suppose it's one memory

or so.

We stared at each other for a small while, but soon after Lucifer cautiously glanced at Jude, as if he was trying to figure out will the demon leash out if he accepts. In the end, he slowly walked away from Liza, until' we were close enough for him to offer his hand for me to shake.

"Deal" he smiled at me, which ultimately (but quite late) reminded me, that I was about to make a deal with the devil. Learning from the stupid folks-tales I've read when I was a child, I cleared my throat, clarifying the circumstances again: "One door. Whichever you'd like, and not gifts this year"

He chuckled condescendingly, tilting his head to the side.

"Sure, love, sure. I won't twist your words, don't you worry" he reassured me, which did exactly not help one bit. His smile screamed "do not trust me", but it wasn't like I had any other choice. If I leave or back off now, Liza will get the worst of it, not to mention, that all my dignity will be gone... If demons think I'm weak, they'll eat me up.

I can't rely on Jude always. He had already endured quite enough of damage because of my stupid behaviour, and I'm quite sure if I would let Lucifer toy with me, he would use me to hurt Jude as well... so there is not much to choose from, to save both him and the gifts.

I accepted his hand, and he shook mine at first gently, but then he gripped it tighter and tighter while staring into my eyes. Knowing that I will heal almost immediately, I tried to keep a straight face, though my mouth was bleeding from how hard I bit down on my bottom lip, to stay quiet. I heard something crack in my hand, but before Lucifer could've continued his childish bullshit, flames broke out between us, making both of us stumble back and let go of each other. "Very classy, Jude"

"Can't say the same... If you'll excuse us now, we'll have our rest." the demon stated without leaving much of a place for an argument.

"Sure. I trust that Seth will seek me out to complete his part of the deal. As for mine..." the fallen continued, now turning away from us, and making a lazy gesture towards first the chained Liza, then the rest of the gifts, who were silently sitting at their assigned table.

"They are free to go... I mean, as free as a pet can get." he chuckled darkly, before making his way back to his throne.

"Mindy will escort you up to your room. Have a nice rest of your night"

And with that, I grabbed my walking-stick and Jude escorted me out of the room, keeping me closer to his body than usual. The crowd parted, even more, when the silver handle got into my hands once again, but I had no energy left to enjoy their fear. I've made enough mistakes for this night, I just wanted to sleep, and low-key get a kiss from Jude, so I could know he doesn't hate me after I defied him before all the aristocrats in hell.

Of course, knowing me, I'll only ask for the sleeping part.

I cautiously glanced at him, but he didn't seem angry... However, his features held a certain gloomy darkness, suggesting these thoughts have driven him away from the present moment. "You'll let him read you?" He questioned after a short while, but I couldn't tell from his voice, what were his thoughts on my decision.

"Partially, yes."

Silence settled between us, that made me nervous, but I couldn't break it without sounding too desperate.

Mindy didn't dare to say anything the whole way up to our room (it appeared so that we got the same one as the last time we slept here). As the door shut behind us, I felt like I couldn't take the atmosphere anymore. It was overwhelming, almost like the night that I first saw Jude go out with Suzanne... I was afraid he was disappointed, that he lost interest, that he was just done with me, which he would have every reason to be.

"Are you going to say anything? Just hit me with it, stop giving me the silent treatment, it's immature!" I growled, annoyed. This is... not how I planned to word this apology...

"Let's talk about this tomorrow." he said gently and before I could've turned to him, I felt a pair of arms wrap around me from behind. Jude's head dropped to my shoulders, and I just stood there, frozen by his actions, and I didn't know whether to breath or not.

"I want to cuddle, Seth"

"Excuse me but what the fu--"

"That's the price of my forgiveness." I couldn't really believe my ears, but in the end took a few steps, with him, still hugging me like a sleepy bear (or at least how Imagined a sleepy bear to be like). Sitting down at the edge of the bed, I got my torn suit off, and he let go of me for a short while too. I had the feeling, that he acted all clingy to calm me down, and I greatly appreciated that he didn't leash out me after what happened. I guess he was just used to this at that point. We both dressed down to an appropriate level for sleeping, and as soon as that came, he just grabbed me again like a plush toy and fell into a laying position dragging me with himself between the soft pillows.

We both knew that there will be many things to get through tomorrow... But for now, I was more than grateful for him pretending, as if nothing had happened.