The Devil's Lover: The Wish by Dahlia Lu Page A

very calmly.
    “ No!” she made it clear to
him. “I never want to see you again.”
    He materialized on the other side of
the door, startling her. Knowing was one thing, but seeing was
another. “That is part of the bargain, unfortunately.”
    She turned away from him. She still
hadn’t gotten used to his grayish platinum hair yet, even though
the color complemented his pale blue eyes. She was convinced that
no one else could pull off such a bold color.
    “ They said you refused to
eat.”
    “ That doesn’t concern
you,” she was being difficult and she knew it.
    He lifted up a lock of her hair and
pressed it against his lips, “I don’t want to see you withered to
nothing. You are mine.”
    “ You’ve deceived me with
your manipulative ways!” she buried her face in the pillow again to
hide the blush on her face. “I hate you,” she muttered.
    “ Shall we sleep?” he asked
as he seated himself on the side of the bed.
    “ Sleep?” She inched back.
“You’re going to stay here tonight?”
    “ Isn’t it customary for
husband and wife to sleep in the same bed?” he pulled her down and
trapped her in his arms. She struggled to get free. When she
realized that she couldn’t, she bit his forearm. He was
unresponsive.
    “ You really don’t want me
to stay?” he asked for confirmation. 
    “ I don’t want to see you,
or your kind!” she sat up and bolted off the bed when he loosened
his grasp. She thought he would be angry with her for her
insolence, but he said nothing and left.
    She lay down on the bed again and
covered herself with the blanket. She scanned the room for anything
suspicious before she closed her eyes. It was amazing how the
exhaustion caught up to her. She felt her tense muscles ease into a
state of relaxation. With several slow breaths, she drifted into a
deep sleep.
     
    Kali awoke sometime later, feeling
refreshed. She must have been tired because she rarely could fall
asleep in a strange place. Hell, no less! She stretched her arms
over her head and let out a yawn. She scanned the room again and
discovered several large golden chests at the foot of her bed. It
was intricately decorated with carvings and inlaid with impressive
cut rubies. She looked around, debating whether she should open
it.
    Curious, she placed both hands on each
side of the first chest and raised the lid. Inside the box was a
collection of jewelry of unimaginable beauty. The pieces were
heavy, and she couldn’t think of anywhere to wear any of them. No
matter how valuable or invaluable they were, she couldn’t imagine
them being worth anything in Hell. With a regrettable sigh, she
closed the chest.
    She opened the second chest and
discovered that it was filled with precious stones: diamonds,
rubies, emeralds, pearls and every other conceivable stone
glistened beneath her fingers. They ranged from pea size to the
size of golf balls. With another sad sigh, she closed this chest,
as well.
    The third chest was filled with
clothing, which she found to be most practical. The fabrics were
cool and unbelievably silken to the touch. She had never felt such
soft fabrics. Kali imagined it would feel lovely against her bare
skin. She picked up an article of clothing that was the color of
butter and found that it was a simple long gown. She pressed it
against her body, finding it to be the right length although a
little loose. Ignoring the other chests, she wandered out of her
room to find someplace where she could bathe.
    It took her about half an hour,
searching room by room, before she found the bathroom, if it could
be called that. The marble tiles from the hallway stretched into
the room and ended at a shallow pool the size of Chevalier’s
apartment. Kali took a moment to admire the structural elements of
the designs before she explored the rest of the room. When she
realized the pool was the closest thing to a bath, she removed her
clothing and lay it aside.
    She tested the clear, not-so-blue and
not-quite-green