Bluffing the Devil

chapter 11



Like a cat on her owner's very favorite black outfit before she leaves the house for an important business meeting, I stretched and rolled and twisted and enjoyed the feel of each of my muscle expanding and contracting across the luscious sheets. Waking up happy was new for me, but not something I would scoff at. I could feel the smile pulling at my cheeks already. I wasn't sure what was making me so happy, but I wasn't going to curse it either. I actually didn't remember falling asleep last night, or dreaming for that matter.

"Well, good morning, kitten. I'm quite pleased to see you are awake and in such a wondrous mood!"

I leapt off the bed in the same cat-like fashion and then pulled the sheet and anything else available to cover my exposed skin. "Rey! What are you doing in my room? How did you even get in here? And where are my clothes?"

"I love to see your bedtime attire, don't be so shy and getting the key was easy," he said with a slight tilt of his head to the Rhea-shaped lump on the floor. "As for what I am doing here, I was checking on you. Stop trying to melt my brain with your anger and relax. Please?"

"She better be alive and unharmed or I will make you wish you were never born," I growled without hesitation.

"Oh my little strawberry, I already wish that almost every day. You don't scare me. We have bigger problems."

"Seriously Rey, did you hurt her?" I tightened my grip on the sheet and blanket toga and scrambled to the floor to check on Rhea. She was covered with a blanket and a pillow had been placed below her head. That saved his life for at least the next minute.

"She's fine. See? I was nice and made her comfy for you. I needed to get in here with you last night without anyone questioning. I saw Rhea heading back to the hotel so I accosted her. It's not a big deal. Now no one realizes you and I were out last night and Rhea got a peaceful night's sleep. All is well in the world. Now, come to the kitchen when you get dressed, I'm starving."

I took my time getting clothes on. Apparently Rey had stripped me before putting me into bed. He didn't know how I sleep, so I guess that was nice, but I also didn't like the thought of a demon seeing me naked. Call me crazy or old-fashioned but I just didn't think that my nudity was for the entire world to see.

I didn't even bother doing anything fancy to my hair. He was lucky I brushed it, to be honest. I threw back on the sweats and t-shirt from the night before and some fuzzy socks and then headed to the kitchen.

Upon arriving, I saw that Rey was in full swing of making breakfast.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Well, the pleasure is all mine, sweet. Coffee? I'm sure you could use a bit," he asked with a twinkle in his eye as he washed dishes. Yeah, like it's not already suspicious that he was cooking something that smelled so delicious, but he was also doing dishes as he worked. Okay, I might be able to tolerate that.

"No, I think I'm all set on the caffeine-rush front, I guess. I am not a wake-up-and-have-coffee sort of girl. You know, I'm high on life and all that. Do you want to tell me just what the hell you are doing here presenting me with French toast, bacon, and coffee at this ungodly hour or do I need to get violent?"

"My goodness, chica. You are becoming so bloodthirsty. I love this side of you, by the way. We will get to that in a moment. But first, finish your breakfast. I have a surprise for you."

"Nah, I'm good. Let's get this over with," I said with a note of finality.

"As you wish," he said. He put down the towel, clicked off the stove reached for my hand, and the kitchen disappeared.

A moment later, I narrowed my eyes and took in the sight before me with as much patience as I could muster.

"Truly? This is where you have to take me? You're joking right? What kind of a*shole monster are you?"

In front of me was something I never wanted to see again in my whole life. Something I had shut out and felt that I had handled. I had gone through the grief process already and used this memory only as a warning. Never drive anywhere in an emotion filled mood.

There, on the ground, was Jamison's lifeless body. Standing above him was someone I'd never seen who lifted Jamison up, and calmly walked away with him. I tried to scream, but I had no voice.

"This is just a vision, you can’t change, or do anything here. Just watch," Rey said in a calm voice.

Then, the person, who I am assuming was God, though he looked nothing like I had always been told God looks like, stopped and appeared to be upset with someone. He shook his head and the other figure, I couldn't see yet, must have shoved him because he stumbled backward and fell to one knee. He stood slowly, got very close to the other person, and spoke, but I couldn't hear his words. Then he calmly walked off into the setting sun with Jamison still in his arms, until I couldn't see him anymore.

There was no floating off to the Heavens or any white light, just a calm walk. I wasn't sure if I should have been happy about that, or still sad. I chose to be happy. If that was, in fact, God, then it meant Jamison was truly in Heaven, and that was definitely something to smile about.

My focus shifted back to the other person and I realized it was the woman from my dream. She looked angry and dejected.

"What is going on here? What kind of a joke is this, Rey? I don't understand why I am seeing this. What is she doing here? What am I doing here?"

"What makes you think this is a joke, sunshine? I am merely showing you what you need to see," he said. I did not miss the hint of sarcasm and tried desperately not to throw it back at him.

"This is an exchange between God and the Devil. They fought over Jamison because if she were able to corrupt him and use him for her side, he would make her stronger. God fought for Jamison and won, you see? Jamison's truly pure soul saved him from her. That means he was going to be made into an angel. That is the only reason she would have wanted him anyway. One sin doesn't give her enough leverage to keep a soul; it must be many sins, many betrayals, many lies," he looked down and the line across his forehead deepened. Sadness fell across his features before he straightened his face and looked back up.

His explanation still confused me, but I had an infinite amount of questions I could use to clear up the situation. Whether or not he would answer them was another problem all together.

"So because Jamison was a good person, she wasn't able to get him, but how could she get you?"

"That is a discussion for another time, churro. Just remember that I am the awful person you think I am, just in demon form now. Let's leave it there, okay?"

"The more I speak to you, the harder it is for me to believe you are this horrible person. Why show me this and tell me that Jamison is, or is going to be, an angel?"

"So you will understand the next thing I must show you a bit better."

He was standing only a few feet from me and slipped his hand around mine and the world faded away again. This time, when we were again corporeal, we were in a strange, tiny room.

I could hear speaking, but couldn't see anyone. The voice was getting angrier by the minute and sounded almost feral.

The door burst open and Devin stalked through the room, slammed his hand on the table I was standing next to, and panted in rage. Behind him, a woman walked through the door calmly.

"If you do as I ask, I will release you," she said with an evil lilt to her voice.

"I can’t do what you are asking me, lady. That is not in my DNA." His beautiful voice was pleading and sincere.

"Then you will die."

"So be it."

She pulled a gun from her purse and shot him in the chest three times. Then she opened her cell phone and made a call, "It's done, time to move."

As she walked out, the woman who I now knew to be the Devil slinked into the room unnoticed. She was always dressed like a model and this time was no exception.

She looked down at Devin and smiled broadly as she leaned down to him. The air in the room shifted, and she was joined by God who again had words with her. I couldn't hear their conversation even though it was going on right in front of me.

"Mortals are not meant to hear what they speak of," Rey explained quietly before I could ask.

Their confrontation went on for some time before the Devil smiled, touched Devin on his forehead, and he rose to stand at her side. The Devil merely tilted her head in a slightly cocky show of victory at God, and walked away with Devin at her side.

"Wait, she won? How can anyone be strong enough to beat God?" My mind immediately started racing. If the Devil won, then that means he's a demon like Rey. Oh my God, I've been having crazy sex dreams about a demon. What would my mother think?

"It's not about winning or losing. Whoever is right, wins. Devin was a bad man in his life. His final act in his life was good, but he did nothing to make the rest right, so he was technically still a tainted soul."

"What was he doing?" I asked nervously.

Rey huffed a bit before explaining. "He was an assassin. His newest target was a child and he refused the job after he was already given details, so the one who hired him had to keep him quiet."

"But he didn't kill that child!" I realized my defense for him was weak, but I had nothing else to go on or say.

"Had he ran from his killer and saved the child, he would have cleansed himself of his previous sins and therefore been worthy of Heaven."

"So your saying Heaven and Hell work on a checks and balances system? You can be the most evil person in the f*cking world and bake cookies for someone, and then be accepted into heaven, but if you forget the cookies in your car, you still go to Hell. Yeah, that seems fair. I've been told my entire life that if you accept God into your heart, that you are forgiven of all of your sins." My voice had started to rise, and I was becoming frustrated more by the second.

"Please try to calm yourself a bit. I assure you, I have a point for this. Watch," he directed my eyes back to the vision. It had changed scenery. Next I saw the Devil screaming and fighting with Devin. He sat in a chair, much like I sat in only the day before looking very uninterested in her antics. She was throwing her hands around and shouting, and he simply looked at her as if she was explaining quantum physics, and he was late for football practice.

"Why is she so upset?" I chuckled seeing how he was acting. The look on his face was priceless, and I'm sure I've looked at people like that a few times myself. "He doesn't want to be her bitch, so she's throwing a hissy fit? Huh, who would have known, even the Devil is a sniveling little she-monster."

"Precisely, he was finished with being a bad person, and had already decided to change his life before the day he died. He had made a plan and had asked God to forgive him for all of his sins. He had apologized to those he could and had plans in place to right as many wrongs as he could, but then he was taken suddenly. She assumed he would just go right to work for her, but he wasn't having any part of it. God gives people free will, the Devil can’t take it away. No matter how hard she tries, she is not stronger than him. Due to their rules and how things have been playing out for the last twenty-something centuries, he has to go along with some of the things she does in order to keep the balance right, but he often has more victories than she realizes. And Devin is one of those victories."

My heart began to swell. Not only did my love go to heaven for being such a good man, my Dream Man had also found a way to thwart the Devil's charm, and still win in some way. My father might not realize it, but I truly did have good taste in men.

"Okay, so if he won the victory, where is he now? I don't understand this part. I see him in my dreams all the time."

"She uses him in a similar way as she uses me. Before I died, I had turned my life around also. I was about to ask the girl of my dreams to marry me, I had stopped being a thief and a petty criminal, and was taking classes to get a business degree. I wanted to make a good life for her and died just as Jamison did, out of pure bad luck and stupidity. The Devil swooped in and used her loophole to trap me, but wasn't thinking about my newfound love of God and goodness. I wasn't planning on letting evil taking hold ever again. I have been doing little schemes, and punishing evildoers for a long time now. I don't see it as a bad thing what I'm doing, which is why when I was tasked with hurting you, I simply had to do something to change it."

"Ok, so then what's Devin's job?"

He paused and his eyes met mine. His hesitation made me more nervous than any of the rest of the conversation. I wasn't sure why, but I was scared to hear the answer.

"He invades dreams."

"So he goes to a lot of people's dreams?" I asked, not fully understanding why my heart was sinking again. Maybe it was his job to go into dreams, give women a good time, and then leave them. Maybe I was just a game or a job to him, and didn't really mean anything. Maybe I'm an idiot.

"The Bible says that God talks to people in their dreams, right? That they are supposed to be premonitions of good things to come, a recollection of memories and happy events, or to help steer you to make better choices. Well, the Devil figured that if He could do it, so could she. So she sends Devin into dreams to push people to do things. When people are stressed out or have bad things going on in their lives, they tend to dream about them. Devin find outs what people are planning, what bad things people are up to, what is going on in the world of evil so she can control more things. Then she can use people like me to exacerbate situations, and push them to their limits. Then, she comes in, earns their loyalty by giving them an easy way out or a quick fix, and continues to grow her army. Typically, she exchanges things for service. Almost like a drug dealer, but with a much higher price."

"What does that have to do with me?" How the Devil could be interested in me was beyond my reasoning. I’m nobody, just a random girl from a little place who decided one day to try something new. I don't have fancy things, a high profile job, money, or anything that I would assume that would get attention from such people.

"You, I'm not sure about. From all I have seen and gathered about you, you’re a pure and good soul who has suffered with loss, but that's about it. The only connection I see is, she wanted Jamison because of his powerful soul and was denied that, so maybe trying to "win" you is a bonus for her or something? That and Devin asked for you."

"He… what?" From all that I had seen and heard, Devin was a real person. I wasn't just imagining him. Not only was he familiar with me on a physical level, which made me blush just thinking about that standing this close to Rey, but he was trapped somewhere and being used. Then I’m just told that he asked for me. Whatever that meant, I didn't even care at that specific moment.

"She sent him into your dreams to plant evil and bad thoughts, suspicion against your friends and family, to teach you how to cheat during poker, and many other things. None of them seem to take hold. So she asked him to woo you and step up his game, but apparently when he touched you, something happened to him. He's getting weaker by the day and refuses to do anything more for her."

"Weaker? Is something wrong with him?"

"No one understands what is going on right now," he admitted. "Usually her anger and rage is enough to keep us all going. It's as if we are connected to her, and she feeds us with her hatred and other negative emotions. He and I have both turned our backs on her though and are trying to find ways to be released from our service. This is why you see me drinking and I am always hungry. The liquor keeps her from being able to control me, and the food is the only thing that keeps me going physically as her power isn't transferred to me while I'm ‘misbehaving’, as she would say."

"Where is Devin now?"

"Trapped, but I don’t know where."

Worry struck me. Trapped and sick? Surely he wasn't suffering and I was just going to leave him there! "I can dream and be with him almost instantly."

Rey's eyes widened. "Oh really, that simple huh, no wonder she is so frantic."

"Yes, it was a shock to me at first, when I thought it was just a dream. If he is real and I can just close my eyes and go there, does that mean something? If she is "frantic" as you say, maybe that's because I can save him?"

"I am honestly not sure, but I think you should find out. I know I’m not a good person and I know there’s no saving me, but there has to be something that can be done to save or protect you from her. She plants people all over the place. You have to be careful. Don't trust anyone new. Stay to yourself also. Don't let anyone change you, or get to you. We’ll figure this out."

"Aww, you said "we", how nice. Does that mean you are my sidekick now?" I asked with a slight giggle.

"That means you are my sidekick, yes. Now, I command you to wear the tightest leather outfit you can find. I would say preferably with sexy heels and a whip, or some other torture device." When my eyebrows quirked up and looked at him, a sheepish grin went across his face.

"Are you almost finished with that inappropriate fantasy you just spit out at me?"

"Well, no, I'm not finished, but I will save the rest for later," he offered with a lecherous grin. "What do you want from me? Have you seen yourself lately? You're sexy and it's been a while."

"So kind of you, truly. "It's been a while" is what every girl wants to hear when someone is coming on to them," I said, and finally burst out laughing. "Wait a minute, why has it been a while? It's not like you're a bad looking guy. You're just not my type."

"What does that mean? That sounded dangerously like "It's not me, it's you," Gee thanks! What's wrong with you, woman? You don't like sexy, dark, tall, Latin, villain-types? I'm bringing my best stuff here."

"That's your best stuff? Ooooh, sorry, no wonder you're lonely. I don't like guys that make me check my purse for a weapon when I see them coming in my direction. You give off this vibe that’s like "Kill ya later!" or something. That's a little bit of a turn off, you know?" I answered honestly. "I’m rather fond of this whole living and breathing thing."

"I guess I see your point. If I weren't chasing a death wish, I might actually try to work on not looking so serial-killer-esque and get you to help me find a date."

"Ha! I am sure we can find an evil genius type of girl that needs a strong, bodyguard type dude in her corner."

"Really, what percentage of the world would be ‘evil genius’ girls that needs someone like me anyway? I want to know my chances," he truly looked hopeful.

"Sure, why not? I'm no love doctor, but I have seen plenty of women swoon when you walk by. You're just too wrapped up in stalking me that you don't see it. I guess I would go with about 1% of the population, give or take."

"This is true. I never notice anyone but you. Geez, really that slim, huh? Well, I have faith in your abilities, at least!"

"Well, that is very sweet, but stop it," I said with a gentle giggle and gave him a half hug. "You were so right. I did need to see this. Now, the question is, what should I do with this new information you are handing me on such a gorgeously decorated platter? And how can we fix whatever this problem is?"

"Aww, you hugged me. First time you ever touched me first, how sweet of you. I feel a little less creepy now."

"Dude, chill. It was a hug between friends. Don't get your panties in a bunch over it, okay? I'm still totally not interested."

"Did you just punt me over to the Friend Zone?" he said grasping at his chest as if it pained him.

"No, hun. I placed you gently in the Bro Zone, on your own padded cushion. Get cozy! Friends have a chance," I said plainly.

"Ouch!" His other hand flew to his forehead, and he acted as if he would faint at any moment.

"Sorry, that's just the way it is," I said with another giggle. "Now, let's get serious. What can we do to fix this shit?"

Apparently my straight talk snapped him back to focus and he simply said, "Well, as with any survival situation, I guess its kill or be killed, simple as that."

"Alright, if those are my only choices, I guess kill it is!"

"Whatever you say, cream puff," Rey joked as he grabbed my hand and we found ourselves sitting on the beach.

"That was by far, my favorite jump, or whatever you want to call that thing you do. I wish I could just close my eyes and be somewhere. That’s so cool!" Ending up on a beach at any moment was heaven to me, and I was feeling very stressed and anxious seeing all of those visions with Rey, so this place was very refreshing.

"I wonder if you have powers, Alexia?"

"Oh wow! You used my name! Gold star!"

"Oh har har, you're hilarious. I'm being serious. Focus, woman!" His intensity finally registered, and I leaned closer to him and we locked eyes.

"What’d you mean when you said you wonder if I have some kind of powers. What part of "regular chick" did you miss?"

"You said you can close your eyes, and get to Devin almost immediately, right?"

"Well, yeah."

"So, he's touched you then, yes?"

"Of course he's touched me," I said before realizing how slutty that sounded. "I mean, yes, he's touched me and I've touched him."

"Seriously, I cannot stress this enough that I just do not want you to elaborate on that. As your new found "bro", I don't want to think of you in such a way with some other dude. It might make me homicidal."

"Before, when you were trying to play your slick game on me, it would be okay because what?"

"At that point, I could plot that guy's death. I couldn't kill Devin for a few reasons, but the major one would be that you would hate me, and I can't live with myself if that happened. That puts us at a crossroads here, so just keep the touchy feely convo at a minimum, please?"

"Oh bro, we gotta get you laid soon! You're getting all daytime talk show emotional on me. I don't know how I feel about this," I said, and tried to contain my chuckle.

"See how you laugh at my pain?"

"Rey, you are not the father!" I fell back onto the sand and completely lost it in a full out laughing fit. He joined me seconds later.

"Something is terribly wrong with you, but I love it." Sincerity was smeared across his face.

"You're not so bad yourself, bro. You're the best creepy stalker a girl could ask for."

"I prefer the term "Researcher". It's only stalking if I am doing it for nefarious purposes. I had nothing but great intentions in mind, I promise!" His smile, suddenly devoid of all scariness and evil, was brilliantly white and beautiful.

"Very well, now you are my sidekick and head-researcher. Your resume grows by the minute!" I said, still chuckling.

"Can you focus please? I think not getting proper rest for a few days has started to wear on you," he said smoothly.

"Okay, fine! What do you want from me now, my first born child? Or perhaps a DNA sample?"

"See, you make me go right back to evil. Shut up. Pay attention, woman. Geez!"

"Okayyyyyyy what!?"

"I am curious if you wanted to see Devin, if you could go there right now. I mean, just lay back, close your eyes and you’d be there. Does it work like that?"

"It's worked that way once before for me. That's when I thought he was a dream though, so I didn’t put too much thought into it at the time. What do you need me to do?"

"Maybe you should try that and see what you can find out from Devin about how she holds him where he is, and if there's a way we can get him out. If we can take Devin out of there, she has no other plays, I am guessing. I'm already out here, too."

"Well, it's definitely worth a shot, and it’s not like I'd be too heartbroken over having to see Devin again," I admitted. It felt like it had been days since I last saw him and could use a few minutes of happy time, with my Dream Man for sure.

"Okay, I will be right here to watch over you so nothing happens, see what you can do."

"Yeah, usually it just minutes that I get with him, so it shouldn't be long. Let's see what I can do," I said with a slight grin. "See you on the flip side, bro!" I said as I lay down on the warm sand and closed my eyes to drift off.