Chapter 24

Kindergarten ended and first grade began without Nikola realizing it. Sadik was now a stable part of his life and he didn’t even falter when he called the Turk father anymore. Sadik kept training him no matter the weather and Nikola looked well-muscled for a six year old.

School had ended for the day and he took Vasilisa, who was the envy of all of the girls, to the tailor for a new dress. Seeing as he didn’t complain about it at all he was allowed to stand outside of the shop and wait to be called back in to pay.

He kicked his feet while sitting on a bench and wondered what plot of land he should buy next in order to support Vasilisa’s ruinous spending when something small pricked the back of his neck.

Nikola thought it was a mosquito and tried to swat it when he found out that he couldn’t move his arm. He suddenly felt very sleepy. He fell on the bench and felt hands grip his torso. The last thing he heard was the wheels of a car as it drove off.

The first grader was kept sedated throughout the whole trip. The climate began to change the further away his captor took them. It became warmer, unbearably warm, during the day. But during the night it was so cold that Nikola had thought more than once he would die from it.

Soon they were travelling by foot and his captor was carrying him. Nikola was tired and filthy from the long journey. Still he noticed how his captor’s boot stepped on something soft. And it was windy and quiet here.

The man put him down yet again and put a water bottle to his lips. Nikola drank greedily but was allowed only a couple of sips before the bottle was taken away. Nikola didn’t try to talk to the man. He had tried to plead and bribe him in the beginning but had received only silence.

When he wasn’t picked back up he began to wonder why. Was this the end of the road? Was he going to die again? But why would his captor bring him so far away only to do it here?

 He wiggled a little and a hand was suddenly on his head. Someone was petting him and tugging at his blindfold. When it was off Nikola looked up and saw a man in an Arabian robe and with a turban on his head. He was smiling down at him.

The ropes on him came off next and Nikola tried to stand up but fell on the sand. He looked around him and saw sand dunes. It was night and there were cave formations up ahead.

He then turned his head towards his captor to see he was a giant of a man with dark skin and a bald head. The man in the turban tapped his shoulder three times to get his attention.

“Nikola Asenov, you were judged guilty of bringing about the destruction of my very own Assamite clan. My verdict was death before it came to pass for all of the diableries you did. By all accounts it should be death again.”

Nikola looked the man over. Malkav had said that only Haqim remained from the Assamites apart from Sadik. So this is how it felt like to be hunted down by an Antediluvian. Figuring out he was going to die anyway he faced Haqim with as much dignity as his six year old face could muster.

“So why isn’t it? Never mind, I know why. You want to trade me with Malkav for a peace treaty, don’t you? You hope to restore your assassin cult back to it’s glory with your blood alone, right? Well from one dead man to another I’ll tell you this: We are both going to burn in Hell, but you will be send there in a much more painful way than I.”

Haqim’s expression remained calm as he picked Nikola by the scruff of his neck and carried him towards the caves.

“I had to give up the Eagle’s Nest because an angel flew over it and fire fell from his wings, you know? For someone so insignificant you play around only with the top players. I could have remained in this desert for centuries and no one would have found me. Yet I am not going to do so. My life’s work is in ruins and I should punish the one responsible. Yet I am not going to do so. What do you think I will do with you then, child?”

“How should I know what you have thought up in your sick brain?”

Nikola was rewarded for his words with a hit to the head. Stars were still swimming in his vision when Haqim continued to talk.

“I will mold you into a true weapon. Sadik is a good trainer, but I have watched your training with him and he is soft on you. That won’t do at all. I will train you using my ghouls and you will grow up in the desert surrounded by despair. And if among this despair you still have hope for survival then your choice will be to either to attack me or serve me. But you are a rebellious little thing, so I know you will choose the former.”

Haqim set him down in one of the caves and made to leave. Nikola crawled towards him and yelled after him to get back. He received a kick and was send further into the cave for his effort.

“A true assassin does not have the luxury of rest and a full belly, boy. Nor of mercy. You wanted Sadik to embrace you into my clan? I don’t allow such presents. But you can earn your place. In this cave I have put live animals. There are also little pools with sweet, cool, water. If you wish to get to them before the animals do then I suggest you get up. Or remain down and become food. I will come to check on you in three days to see if you are still alive. I will bring with me more animals, ghouls and more water. Water for which you will have to fight for with my other gifts. Don’t try to follow me as I will bury myself deep in the dunes and think about all of my childes that have perished because of you.”

Haqim jumped off the cave’s entrance and down into the sand. Nikola tried to track him down but couldn’t find him in the dark. He stood up on shaky legs and looked for any traces of the water that was promised. He didn’t find any so he moved deeper into the cave.

It was dark and so he had to touch the walls to figure out where he was. He kept sending out signals with his powers to check for the animals that were within. He found a slight emotion, fear, and immediately attacked the source. He heard a loud yell and something fell not far from him.

Walking was getting hard but he kept going. He tripped on something soft and his face landed in a puddle. It was the water! He drank until there wasn’t any more to drink and then out of curiosity he touched whatever it was he tripped in. It had horns and a shaggy pelt. A sheep maybe?

His stomach gave a loud rumble at the prospect of food. He knew how to skin animals from all of his hunts with Sadik. Now he only needed to find something sharp and start a fire somehow.

Feeling up the walls he found sharp rocks and as he was searching for them he found wood! So Haqim had left him tools near the first animal and the water? Well, he would make use of them!

He went to the other side of the cave and found more wood as well as another puddle. He left the puddle for after he was done eating. Next he went back to the animal, and it had been hard considering he didn’t see anything, but took his threadbare shoes off and began feeling up the stone underneath to find his way back. He tried to search for his shoes after that but couldn’t find them.

Giving up on his shoes Nikola began to skin the animal. He didn’t bother skinning all of it and he cut himself more than once during the process as he simply couldn’t see. As soon as enough of the beast’s coat was removed he used the rock to get to the soft flesh underneath. He cut out a generous cut of meat and then began to build a fire.

He used the shaggy coat as fire starter and soon light illuminated the cave. The animal was indeed a sheep. He inspected it and found that it’s horns were nice and sharp. The meat was sizzling over some rocks as Nikola broke off the two horns. He then used them to pierce the flesh of the sheep and was surprised at how deep they went in.

Sweet aroma tickled his nose and he took off the meat from the rocks with the help of the horns and waited for it to cool on the floor. He looked around but found that there was precious little firewood left. There was no way he could stay here. It was a great pity for the wasted meat.

The meat cooled down and he ate it gladly as he stood by the fire. He considered making some more but then he would be sluggish and sleepy. There was no way for him to afford being in such a state. Besides he hadn’t had enough to eat ever since he was kidnapped. If he overate he would surely throw up and then he wouldn’t even have as much as he had now in his belly.

As the fire began to die Nikola stood up, grabbed the horns, and began walking further in. The body of the sheep will attract predators. There was no telling just what Haqim had filled the caves with.

Nikola kept sending out signals and killing the animals in his path. He would stop every so often to search for firewood and if he found any he stopped to light a fire and search for puddles. Soon he got angry again and he skewered a lizard on a stick to cook it slowly. He ate the lizard as he kept moving.

He send yet another wave of headaches in the direction of an emotion but this time he didn’t hear a thud. Rather the owner of this emotion got angry and there was an inhuman roar coming from the darkness. The sound of bat like wings followed and saliva fell down on Nikola’s head. He stared up to see two golden orbs in the dark.

Whatever this was it was angry. It picked him up but Nikola didn’t struggle at all. Just as he was at eye level he plunged the two horns into each of the eyes. The being screamed but Nikola kept cutting it’s face with the horns. It dropped him and he dropped the horns.

He then used telekinesis to put the horns through the being’s legs, which he knew where they were as he was clutching at them. He kept sending out the horns at the thing blindly and while some times they hit air most of the times it was flesh.

Finally, after one last roar, the tall being toppled on top of Nikola and the boy crawled from underneath it. He then began touching his way blindly but felt fabric. The thing was wearing clothes! And if there were clothes there could be something useful on it too!

Nikola found out that the being had a leather jacket on. It had holes from where it’s wings had been but it was a nice one with pockets. Deep ones and not the decorative type. He rummaged through them as he put on the jacket and found out a cigarette box, which he threw away, a lighter, which he gave a good shake to in order to see how full it was. Some paper, which was a great boon indeed, and a pocket knife which fit into Nikola’s hand perfectly.

Nikola pocketed the horns and then went to check if the thing had pockets on it’s pants. It did and there was a pack of gums in there, from which he took one and ate it, and another, albeit smaller knife.

The boy was just about to continue walking when he fell to the ground and onto the corpse. It was bony and felt leathery, but he couldn’t move away from it, he used it as a sort of bed and tucked himself into the jacket.

He tried to sleep lightly, really, he did. But he was soon snoring softly on top of the corpse. When he awoke an idea hit him. Vasilisa was a demon, right? And he still remembered how to draw pentagrams from his time as the Devil’s secretary. The only thing he needed was blood and he had a whole corpse underneath him.

He took out the bigger knife and the lighter and began carving the thing’s chest. They were grey but he couldn’t see any ribs so the being must have been well feed before it died. When he was done he placed a small hand on the circle and began listing passwords that he remembered from long ago hoping he could reach anyone at all.

The cave was bathed in red light after he called “strip club” and his face lit up thinking it could be Vasilisa but then a familiar voice answered.

“Hey there, kiddo. Back from the dead and on the way to being dead, I see. What are you doing using gargoyles as drawing boards? They were created by vampires, you know. What if Baba Yaga had answered, saw how small you are, and came over to eat you up? You have no instinct for self-preservation at all!”  

Nikola hesitated before scratching his nose and addressing his unholy overlord.

“Hey there, Satan. I need help. Could you perhaps tell Vasilisa where I am so he can come pick me up? It’s a matter of life and death.”

“No can do, kiddo. I have no idea where you are apart from it being in some cave in the middle of nowhere. If you can drag the corpse’s heart around I can at least light your way. That is if you are not squeamish…”

“You’d do that for me?”

“Anything for my favorite and only prophet. But, kiddo, you should have done something for me when you returned to the land of the living. Anything at all. The only thing I heard from you was some weird attempt to tell grace. How did you like your indigestion, by the way? You little shithead.”

Nikola laughed at that. It had been so bad that his mother had nearly taken him to the hospital. But he got better as he slept so there hadn’t been any need. That’s what he got for thinking that Satan wasn’t listening to him.

“I’m sorry for trying to joke around with you, boss. Won’t happen again.”

He then used the light to carve out the heart from the gargoyle’s chest. The cave got even brighter and something in the distance gave out a wail and a thud was heard.

“Think of this heart as your holy, well unholy in our case, grail. I’ll light your way, kill everything that moves and cook your meals for you. Now what do you have to say, kiddo?”

Nikola laughed and gripped the heart to himself he moved it towards the corridor of the cave. With as much gratitude as he could muster he said:

“Thanks, Satan. You are the best supernatural entity there was, is or it will ever be!”

Satan cackled madly at that and Nikola continued to go further into the cave. Now food and light weren’t a problem but water still was and so he spend his time staring down on the ground for puddles. Upon finding each he sat down by it and rested while talking with Satan about Baba Yaga and Lucifer.

Baba Yaga, who had been fed up with shearing Satan with Lucifer, had left the big bad but remained his left hand woman in Hell. Lucifer, who had been fed up with Satan brining more people into the relationship, left him too and actually managed to beg his father’s forgiveness and returned to Heaven.

Satan kept complaining that Lucy was leading Heaven’s legions with great gusto against the demons who were led by Baba Yaga. When Nikola asked Satan why he didn’t lead his own armies the answer was simple.

“Only stupid Emperors lead their own legions, kiddo! What if the big boss finds out I left my bunker and starts throwing fireballs at me? Do you think he would care about collateral? You don’t know him at all if you do. And you don’t know me either. But I am sick and tired of you taking naps every hour or so. Bite down on the heart and grow up already!”

Nikola stared down on the heart and thought. Did he need to grow up slowly again? His mother would be devastated that she couldn’t baby him anymore but he could protect himself better and thus protect her better too. If his limbs had more strength in them when he was kidnapped maybe he would be home by now.

He bit down on the heart, forced himself to chew, and slowed the chunk he had beaten off. Pain shot through him and he fell down dropping the heart on the ground. His bones began to grow and his skin stretched to accommodate them. His hair was growing too and it reached past his shoulders when he had finally grown up. He felt his arms and found out they were muscled but not overly so. He heard angry mutterings as he tried to cover himself with the jacket.

“I said bite down, not bite off and eat, you dense motherfucker! Now look what you did? Try lighting a fire in your hand. Go ahead, I’ll wait.”

Nikola concentrated on his hand and imaged it covered in soft warm flames. He imagined the smell of the smoke and the color of the flames and just like that his whole arm lit up. A man in a suit with red hair, red eyes and a fedora appeared out of nowhere and hit him upside the head.

“Why do you have to screw up everything, kiddo? Why can’t you follow simple instructions? Well congratulations, you are not a human anymore! But you are not one of mine either. Do you want to sit down and think up a new fancy word for what you are? Oh, what am I saying? You are going to change again when you diablerie the Antediluvian! And don’t try to defend yourself! I know you simply won’t resist!”

Nikola was indeed ready to defend himself but he found out it was a lie. He could feel his muscles and found out his muscle memory worked fine. His legs weren’t shaky at all when he got up and he took out his knifes and twirled them in his hands. His reflexes worked fine.

He looked towards Satan and found out the demon was staring at his groin. Nikola blushed and covered his lowered half with the jacket. That left his chest exposed and Satan was staring at them next and licking his lips.

“You know, kiddo, you were born again so you are technically a virgin.  I can’t have a virgin prophet! That’s the big boss’ fetish. But I waited for you to grow up because I am not a priest. But now that you are nice and shapely…”

Nikola backed away while holding the jacket to himself but Satan was suddenly behind him and patting his behind gently. Nikola gave a girlish shriek and fell down on the ground. Satan went to stand over him and he put his groin area next to Nikola’s face.

“I’m married!” Nikola yelled on the top of his lungs. Satan put a finger on his lips to stop him from talking further.

“So? You are a cheater, or else you would have stuck to Dimitri. And three is a very lucky number when it comes to cheating. Put on him one more set of horns and he will find the end of a rainbow or something. Now put out or I will leave you in this cave by yourself for mister pissed off assassin to find. When he sees he can no longer train you to send you against Samyaza or Malkav he will find other uses for your naked body. And then you will be a cheater again anyway. Unless rape is your fetish? You keep falling in love after it…”

Nikola tried to speak but the finger got in the way. Satan continued.

“And let’s face it I am not the best or anything. While I was scared of Baba Yaga you got a very wrong impression of me, sweetheart. I am a selfish bastard who got left behind and my Lucy is probably eye fucking Yaga at the battlefield and getting scolded by Michael for it. I am lonely, darling. And you are here naked and blushing like the virgin you are. I’ll tell you what I am. I am a dog without a leash. I am a beast without a tamer. I am a lonely soul without a lover. Be all those things for me and no one needs to know about it. Unless you want to add one more to the delicious foursome you have waiting for you at home? Because I’m all for it, dear heart.”

Satan removed his finger and kneeled down and smirked at Nikola. Nikola’s green eyes were as big as saucers at that smirk. He had thought of Satan as a sort of weird creepy friend until now! Not of someone who would want in his pants! And that was even when Nikola didn’t even have any pants!

“I thought you were better than this! What happened to the my philosophy is all about self-love and forgiveness crap? Didn’t you try to appear better than God? Because twisting hands behind the back for sex is what he did to Lilith when she wouldn’t be with Adam!”

Satan leaned in closer and placed a hand on Nikola’s shoulder and pushed him on the ground. Nikola couldn’t believe what was happening. He had been a child mere moments ago and now he was going to be… His mind went blank on that and he whimpered. Satan stopped trying to be sexy and got out of his personal space.

“What’s with you and always searching for the good in others even when it’s not there, huh? But, nah, I’m not going to rape you so stop whimpering. I have actual virgins throw themselves at me every day. And you are well used. You don’t want me? Then don’t call me anymore. Simple as that. Have fun getting cut up while being ridden like a bitch in heat.”

The Devil made to snap his fingers and go home when Nikola screamed “Wait!” He turned towards the brunet and grinned evilly.

“What was that, doll?”

Nikola blushed even harder and took the jacket off of himself.

“Fine, you win. I’ll have sex with you. But just once!”

Satan ran his hand through his hair and gave a laugh at that. He shook his head no and was about to snap his fingers again when Nikola yelled after him again.

“Fine, fine! Don’t go away, Satan. I’ll have sex with you for as long as you want me to but it stays secret! What are you doing? Don’t snap your fingers, you bastard! Fine scream it to the world if you want to! What do you want to lower your darned fingers from me? My soul? Vasilisa has it so there is nothing I can do about it!”

The Devil snapped his fingers and Nikola grumbled in disappointment. Then he took a good look around and he found out he was in a big room of some sort. And he felt freshly bathed. Steam was raising from his skin and he was on the bed and tied down. Oh, so that was why Satan was snapping his fingers for after he had agreed. And he had offered more than required. Stupid.

The redhead approached him and then stopped. He got a thoughtful look and snapped his fingers again and Nikola was dressed up in a suit, his hands were untied and his hair was in a lose ponytail.

“We are going to do this right since you sweetened the deal so much. We are having dinner with candles and romantic music to put you in the mood and then I am taking you back to bed.”

Satan reached out a hand and pulled Nikola out of bed. He then led him out of the bedroom and into a dining room. He sat them right across from each other, cut up the steak in Nikola’s plate, and used the fork to bring it to Nikola’s lips.

“Eat up, lovely.”

Nikola ate the steak and found out it was nice and medium rare just like he liked it. Satan winked at him and gave him another piece. The stake was all gone and so were the mashed potatoes. Then Satan took out a crepe from somewhere. Put some strawberry jam in it and rolled it up and brought it to Nikola’s lips. Nikola was eating the crepe just fine until he reached the part with Satan’s fingers. He reached out to take it out of the demon’s hands but he just got it out of reach.

“Give me a couple of licks when you take the crepe, candy man. Show me what you can do or I am sending you back to the cave. If you perform well tonight, and tomorrow, I will come back with you and help you bag the assassin without a fuss. Then I will take you home to your mother and father and little wife.”

This was all the incentive Nikola needed as he slowed Satan’s fingers together with the crepe. He did to him what Dimitri had done to him while they had played bait for the Nosferatu creep years ago. He finished eating the crepe and licking Satan’s fingers like a lollipop and pulled back.

“Satisfied?”

“Very! Blondie thought you well! Now that you are fresh and watered it’s bed time! And please don’t hold back on me! I like nails on my back and bite marks on my tights. Deal as much damage as you like without outright trying to turn this into domestic violence. Because if you hit me even once for being a bit demanding you are losing the hand you used. Understood?”

“Yes, boss.”

Satan snapped his fingers again and Nikola was back tied to the bed. He was also naked again. He gave Satan a dirty look as the demon undressed slowly. The redhead crawled between Nikola’s legs and parted them. He gave Nikola’s cock a kiss and then lifted the legs on his shoulders.

“Before we start I need to make one last thing clear. Baby I need passion. And only passion. And when it’s gone so am I. So relax and enjoy losing your virginity for a second time.”

Nikola was seeing stars and moaning by the time he came. Satan was something else. And he had had Dimitri on the blonde’s best behavior before. His heart was racing as he finally snapped the ropes with which he had been tied and pulled the Devil down on him for another go.

He didn’t know how long they fucked each other’s brains out but Nikola ended up asleep with his new lover still inside of him and taking his pleasure. When Nikola woke up it was to being gently rocked while his dick was played with slowly. Just for how long was this going to go? He voiced this question to Satan and the demon smirked at him and flipped him so that now he was laying on his stomach with his ass being held up.

“Oh, you can take another nap. I am used to lovers just spacing out on me. I’ve missed having a warm body beneath me. And before your nap you were so good to me…I know! I forbid you from becoming a vampire again. I’ll give you my heart to eat and you will become an immortal, better than your average demon as it will stamp from me personally. Young and fuckable forever. And I will be your dirty little secret, dear. I don’t mind, babe, it adds to the allure. I only need for you to give me rights over your soul. And before you say anything know that when you sold your soul to pretty it was just words. But when you sell to me it would be very real.”

Nikola gripped a pillow and bit it as Satan pushed deeper inside of him at the last word. Oh why the fuck not? He would be able to eat food and still do diablerie to vampires. And if he gets more sex like this in the future…Then he got guilty at his thoughts. What about his spouses? It was one thing to cheat on them out of desperation, but to actually want to do it again?

If they ever find out they would leave his ass. And it won’t be pretty. They had killed off an entire vampire clan for him. He wouldn’t stand a chance. He was just about to push Satan out of him when the demon put a hand on his back and pushed him further down into the mattress.

“I can bring you back here to Hell every time you wish to have a go at me. Who is going to rat you out? No one is allowed in my personal home anymore now that Yaga and Lucy are out of it. Come now, dear, don’t you want to be bad for a change? Or do you want to be stuck as a ghost again? Because I’ll have you know that God is probably watching us right now and regretting letting you off the hook while he had you on it. This is the last time I ask. Do you want my heart or nah? Will you give me your soul or nah?”

Nikola collapsed on top of the bed panting as he had come again. God darn it but was he easy. He didn’t deserve his spouses. He deserved a bastard like Satan who would cheat on him with everything that moved as well. And they were both so greedy and complete selfish pieces of shit and darn it, fuck it! This time he wasn’t even drugged and he wanted more!

And if this continued knowing his track record with sex maybe he will… He shook his head violently and Satan flipped him back to face him.

“What? Was I so good that now the butterflies in your stomach are singing love, love, love on the top of their nonexistent lungs? Well I don’t want it, keep it for your three saps. I want only one thing from you. Well maybe I won’t say no to the occasional conversation either. It is very hot when you call me boss to my face. Now give me an answer! Do I have your soul or not?”     

“What do you want it for anyway?”

“Let’s just say I need it for a project and leave it at that. I won’t damage it. I only need a little of it’s power. You had so many souls tied to you thanks to Vasilisa that maybe I can tear down Heaven’s gates with your soul. The soul of an Antediluvian. And this is what you are, dear. You offed Absimiliard and got to third generation. Antediluvians don’t sell their souls so this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me too. Come now. Say yes already so I can start fucking you again. My dick is hard from all of this talking.”

Nikola bit a pillow in frustration. Was this ever going to end? Was he going to keep agreeing to unfair deals? And the Devil was going to get the sweeter deal, Nikola wasn’t kidding himself about this. Still immortality that didn’t depend on killing. A chance for eternity with his spouses while enjoying the benefits of humanity. And all he needed was to sell something he hadn’t known he had anyway.

“Yes. I will take your heart and you will take my soul and this can continue too but no one can know!”

Satan tore out his heart with the one hand and took something silvery out of Nikola’s body. Nikola marveled at how shining it was. Satan noticed him and chuckled.

“Ya, for all of the killings you kept your soul in a good condition. Which made it even more powerful. Now that it’s mine I can do anything to you. Now eat my heart so you can do the same to me.”

Nikola bit down at the organ and licked his lips. It tasted just like Dimitri’s blood sorbets. Guilt suddenly filled him but he continued to eat until there was nothing left. Satan put Nikola’s soul in the empty space where his heart used to be and sealed the wound. Just as the flesh was knitting together Nikola saw that the soul had taken the shape of a heart but kept it’s color. It was beating just as the flesh closed itself up. Satan leered at him and changed his skin to a caramel hue. His red hair turned black and curly and his build became more slender. He lowered himself back down and smirked at Nikola. His eyes remained the same red hue.

“Now where were we? Put horns on the redhead with this body, babe. I am any cheater’s ultimate fantasy. Now let me take care of you.”

And he did, until Nikola fell asleep in his arms and afterwards when he woke.