December 4th, 1990

New York City

St. Jude’s Hospital

On a cold winter’s night, a light dusting of snow falls from the heavens blanketing the entire city. I sit in the driver's seat of my newly rented porsche and stare out the windshield at the ambulance that just pulled to the emergency room. A team of paramedics rush a healthy young woman on a stretcher inside as her husband follows, holding her hand.

A cigar rests between my index and middle finger as I bring it to my lips and inhale slowly. When I exhale, a dense cloud of smoke billows out turning into a name of my newest mark: JASON. I step out, drop the cigar, and crush it beneath the heel of my Italian loafer before going inside. The automatic doors open upon my entry as the once busy trauma center became utterly silent like a ghost town.

All eyes are upon me as I approach the counter. A seemingly beautiful female nurse with long blonde hair, green eyes, and a set of full lips that are swimming in red. My absolute favorite color. Drops her pen that dangles from her mouth once she sees me dressed to the nines in a suit with a top hat and cane.

“H-Hello.” She stammers. “C-Can I help you?”

I lean forward slightly, turning up the heat behind my supernatural gaze. She fidgets in her seat. Tiny beads of sweat break out across her forehead as she wipes them away and fans herself. I enter her mind and see that she has a darkside to her. Her sexual fantasies come flooding to the surface. Some are more raunchy than others. I smirk as she blushes.

“I’m looking for the pregnant woman and husband that just came rushing through here.”

She checks the computer. “They’re in the delivery room at the moment. Are you a family member?”

“Something like that. May I have the room number please?”

“I’m sorry sir. I don’t see one listed. The doctor will assign a room once the baby is delivered and the mother is in stable condition. Would you like to wait in the waiting room?”

“No.”

I turn on my heel and head for the double doors leading further into the hospital’s interior. I pass by doctors, nurses, family, friends all the while following the wispy blue trail that is my mate. When I arrive on the ninth floor via the elevator, the trail growls brighter. I’m getting closer. A large window to my left looks into a room filled with carts containing both boy and girl babies.

In the middle is boy born exactly a few minutes ago. The card above his head reads: Jason Hale. I press my hand against the glass and see his eyes open. My God. Enchanting, flawless, mesmerizing, those icy blues stop my undead heart from beating. I go to the door and wave my hand over the computerized system as it unlocks.

The door swings open with an eerie creak as I cross over the threshold and feel the temperature drop dramatically. An overhead air vent spins wildly, I can hear the screws holding the blades together becoming loose over time. I head straight for my little bundle of joy nestled like a bug in a rug wrapped in blue blanket. A door opens to my right as a nurse enters carrying a clipboard in her hand.

She walks over to a cabinet containing tiny empty vials and grabs a couple along with a syringe. She heads for my direction and applies the latex gloves to her hands before grabbing Jason’s arm and pointing the tip of the syringe into his skin. I grab her wrist as she winces and stares at me. I stare deep into her hazel eyes and see the angel that surrounds her soul.

“What do you think you’re doing?” I ask, my voice turning ice cold.

“We need the baby’s blood for our records. It’s standard procedure.”

“Then when you’re done. I would like a vial of this baby’s blood. Is that understood?”

“Yes.”

I release my vice grip and watch like a hawk as the needle pierces his creamy smooth skin. Good boy. Doesn’t make a sound or cry. Afterwards, I collect my tiny sample and put it in the secret compartment inside my cane as I leave the room and head for the parents room. Mr. & Mrs. Hale smile and kiss at the thought of their first born child being brought into this world.

I clear my throat and instantly get their attention. “Good evening. I want to extend my heartfelt thanks on seeing your beautiful baby boy. He is a treasure.”

“Who are you?” Mr. Hale asks. “What do you want?”

“Mr. Hale, I can assure you that I mean your family no harm. I only wish to off protection.”

“What do you mean?” Mrs. Hale replies. “What kind of protection?”

“One that would protect yourselves and little Jason from certain death. My proposal is simple. I will allow Jason to have a long and happy life with you, but when he turns twenty-five he is to be mine. And in so doing, whatever kind of accidents happen, I will see to it that you walk away without so much as a scratch.”

“Get out of here you psychopath!” Mr. Hale demands. “Or I will call security.”

I smirk. “Mr. Hale I can assure you that won’t be necessary. Besides, how else are you going to pay for the delivery, hospital tests and room? I know working a dead-end job doesn’t pay much nowadays, but I can fix that. All you have to do is sign on the dotted line.”

I reach into my suit jacket and pull out a vanilla envelope containing the contract.

“Who are you?” Mrs. Hale whispers.

“I’ve been called many things in my time ma’am, but you may call me, Lucifer.”

Both parents stare at me dumbfounded. I reach for a calligraphy pen and hand it to the couple along with the binding contract. They read word for word until they come to the last page and the double lines that show their full names and where they need to sign. The husband stares at me for a moment. I know about the growing debt he secretly hides from his loving wife. If only she knew the truth.

He signs the contract with a flourish before handing the pen to his partner. When it is done, I tap my cane into the floor as lightning strikes the night sky and the contract disappears into thin air. An evil chuckle rumbles within my chest as I tip my hat to them and exit the room without a backwards glance. I pay the costly hospital bill in the form of cash before looking in on Jason one last time.

I blow him a kiss and snap my fingers as I picture my signature mark appearing on the back of his neck. From this day forward, I will watch over him. Never staying too far away but always within an arm's reach should he ever need me. And when the time comes, I shall come to collect and make him my husband.

Jason

At six o’clock in the evening on a cold Friday, I finished shutting down the bar and locked up the place. I took the ring of keys and left them in the usual spot behind the filing cabinet in the manager’s office. I switched off the open sign and stepped out into the night, locking the door. A gust of wind circled around me shaking me to the bone as I shivered and bundled up my jacket.

The night sky was clear and all the stars were out. At the corner of Brisbane and Narrow, I waited until the light changed from a red hand to a green man before crossing the street. But the instant my foot touched the pavement, a black SUV came rushing at me. I didn’t even have time to get out of the way. The right side of my body slammed into the grille, causing my head to ran smack into the glossy black hood.

The force from the impact was so great that I flipped over the roof and hit the ground with gooey thud. I know I should be dead. But I’m not. Over the course of my life, I’ve had a secret that I couldn’t tell anyone about until now. I’ve stabbed, shot, had my throat slit and I’ve still survived. Am I immortal? I do not know. But I believe I’m cursed.

Flashing lights of blue and red creep out of the corner of my eye followed by the sound of screeching brakes. A team of cops and a corner appear at my side as they begin an investigation. It doesn’t take long before reporters and news cameras show up to get an up close shot of mangled bloody corpse. Assholes. A thin white line traces along the outside of my body before a man puts me inside a body bag.

Afterwards, I’m loaded into the back of a van like a slab of meat and transported to the county morgue. Instantly, my body begins to mend and heal itself from the inside out. Pops and cracks are the least of my worries. The blunt force trauma to the right side of my head hurts even worse as my skull bone regrows, the skin reattches, my hair grows back.

I’m able to wiggle my fingers and toes by the time the van arrives at the medical examiner's office. A cart transports me inside as a two-man team lifts me up and sets me down on a cold metal slab used to perform autopsy. The bag unzips revealing a harsh white light and an old guy that clearly shouldn’t be holding a scalpel anymore.

He signs the forms and tells the men that he’ll put me on ice and do the autopsy in the morning. Thank God. I’m placed in a freezer that closely resembles the height and width of a casket. Though I’ve never been in one before, that’s just how I imagine it. The door clicks into place and the cold sets in. I listen to the departing footsteps until I hear nothing but silence.

Time to get out of here.

Sticking my finger through a small opening in the body bag, I unzip it the rest of the way and get my legs free. I press the soles of my shoes against the door and kick as hard as I can. Three kicks later and the door swings open. I breathe a sigh of relief and slide out, dropping to the floor with a thud. Ugh. Damn. Who knew dying and coming back to life each and every time could be a real bitch.

I exit the morgue through the double doors and come face to face with a member of the cleaning crew. Wearing a headset and smoking a cigarette, the middle aged mexican man stops the floor waxer and stares at me in shock. I guess from my bloody clothes and bruised face, I probably look like a real life zombie. I step around him and head for the outside world.

A pulled muscle causes me to crack my neck. I hail a taxi and give the woman my directions. I arrive home at exactly 10:30PM. I pay the driver and make the short walk up my parents driveway. I put my key in the lock and turn the knob. Inside, the house is silent. I call out to my parents but they don’t answer. I find them in the kitchen quietly whispering to each other until they see me looking like a rag doll.

“Oh, my God!” Mom cries. “Honey. What happened to you?”

“It’s nothing to worry about, Mom. I’m just a little banged up. I’ll be fine.”

“Well, we got you a cake for you birthday.” Dad replied. “It’s in the fridge and it’s chocolate.”

“Ah, that sounds so good right now.” I stare at my parents and see the pained, sadden look on both their faces. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing, sweetie.” Mom says. “Go upstairs and take a shower. We’ll have cake when you come back down.”

“Okay.”

I turn and head for the stairs that lead to the second floor of our house. Located down the hall and to the left is my room. Four plaster walls coated in white paint while seemingly decorated with posters of my favorite movies and music artists. I take off my clothes and throw them in a pile next to my trash can. I enter my walk-in bathroom and turn on the shower while staring at myself in the mirror.

A round shape face with thin lips and icy blue eyes. My hair is brown but cut short in a style known as the fade haircut. Shorter in the back but longer in the front, gives guys the impression to turn and look back at me as I walk by them. Guess they like what they see. I run my hand under the gentle stream and hop in the shower.

The hot water does wonders to my bruised skin as I wash my body with soap. I finish early and stay immobile for a few more minutes just because the water pressure in this house is amazing. When it’s time to get out, I shut off the valve and grab a towel that hangs on the wall next to the tub. I dry myself off and go in search of fresh clothes.

I slip into a dark navy pair of jeans, a black T-shirt with the picture of female biker designed as a vampire wearing a cross, and my black knee high boots that zip up the sides. When suddenly a cold chill shoots down my spine followed by a knock at the front door. I both my parents go to answer it as I leave my room and walk down the stairs.

A commotion between my mother and father quickly escalates by the time I round the corner and stand in the foyer. Dressed in a suit and crimson red tie, the mysterious visitor locks eyes with me and doesn’t let go. He wears a top hat and stands with the help of a cane. Dad helps mom over to a nearby chair as she sobs uncontrollably.

“What’s going on here?” I ask.

“Jason…” Mom sniffles. “Honey, your father and I love you very, very much.”

When Mom can’t continue, Dad takes control. “The man you see before you is Lucifer. He came into the hospital on the night you were born and offered to pay off our debt in exchange for you when you turned twenty-five.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“I’m afraid not,” Lucifer said. “As of tonight you’re mine.”

I shot him a glare but didn’t respond. I went to my parents as they gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. However, Lucifer was impatient. He grabbed by the shoulder and pulled me to my feet as I swung around and popped him square in the jaw. The force of the blow didn’t faze him one bit nor did it leave a cut on his perfect lips. What it did leave behind was my hand throbbing in pain.

“Let’s go!” Lucifer snapped. “Now!”

“Get away from us right now. Or I’m gonna call the cops.”

I ran for the phone next to the living room couch but Lucifer was much faster. He threw me over his shoulder in one move and carried me out of the house like a sack of potatoes. I witnessed my parents holding each other tight as they watched from the front steps. I was thrown into the passenger seat of a fancy sports car and strapped into my seat before I could utter anything else.

The next thing I knew Lucifer was sitting next to me. He jabbed the start button with his thumb and gunned the engine. Before we raced down the street, I placed my hands upon the glass window and took one last look at my loving parents. I feared that I would never see them again after tonight. The smell of four burning tires was enough to make me sick as we took off like a bullet from a loaded gun.

I struggled with the ejector on my seatbelt but it wouldn't budge. I pulled at the straps across my chest and waist but they grew tighter. I gripped the armrest next to me as if I was holding onto it for dear life. I glanced at the speedometer and saw the red arrow reach speeds of two hundred miles per hour. Lucifer ignored the red stop lights as he zig-zagged in-between traffic.

“Please, please, just let me go.” I said. “I’m nothing to you if not purely breakable.”

He smirked. “I find that hard to believe. I’ve seen you die and be reborn over a hundred times over the course of your life. So to say that your purely breakable is bullshit.”

I caught the headlights of a police cruiser, but Lucifer was gone and around the next corner before the cop could doing anything. After a few minutes, or what seemed like an eternity trapped in a car with a man who says he owns me, we arrive at John F. Kennedy airport. As he brings the car around to the back, a lonely hanger sits off to the side away from everyone else.

He slams on the brakes and cuts the engine off before stepping out and walking around to collect his luggage, than me. Pulling me from the car with a viper grip, I wince at the strength the man unleashes. He tips the pilot a five hundred dollar bill before dragging me along inside the private jet. I’m slammed into a seat and strapped in once again as Lucifer sits across from me.

A female flight attendant quickly brings him a scotch before dashing off to the front of the plane. The door shuts, locking into place. The pilot’s voice comes over the intercom announcing the flight time along with this evening’s weather report. I glance around and search for anything sharp that I can possibly use to stick it in him and make my escape before takeoff. But I find nothing. Shit.

“Where are you taking me?” I ask. “I believe I have a right to know.”

Lucifer sips his scotch. “L.A.”

“You mean...Los Angeles!?”

He nods. “Welcome home, baby.”

Lucifer

Bound on a six hour flight from New York City to Los Angeles, and already I was starting to get bored. Sitting across from me with a tearful expression on his beautiful face was Jason Hale, the love of my life. I sipped what remained in the glass and set it down on the small table next to me. Than the next thing I knew it was gone and refilled in the blink of an eye.

But my eyes never left Jason. A pretty boy a man might say at first glance, but to me, Jason was elegant. A cute button round face with thin pink lips and those chilling icy blues made me rock hard before the first word uttered out of my mouth. I narrowed my eyes at the thin black strap holding him in place as it unlocked and watched as he jumped to his feet.

He was short, about five-two, with a nice and smooth body that should have had me down my knees, crying out to touch it. I sniffed the air and growled softly at the subtle fragrance of his cologne. It was sweet like him, woodsey, with a touch of sunlight and rain in the afternoon. I gripped the armrest instead of reaching out to him. I’ve scared him enough for one night.

But as luck would have it, an air pocket known as turbulence, rocked the plane from side to side as he lost his footing and fell right into my lap. Mmmm. Perfect fit. Jason froze like a statue once he realized where he was and who he was sitting on. I bit my lip as my cock twitched between my trousers, becoming hard in an instant. Fuck me.

Jason scrambled to his feet. “Don’t fucking touch me!”

Hearing that broke my undead heart. Did he really see me as a cruel being who only came to collect what was his? Maybe. But I wouldn’t let that faze me in the slightest. In time, I would win him over, and make him see me as more than just the man who runs the Underworld. I opened my mouth to speak but quickly snapped it shut as the brunette flight attendant reappeared and asked if Jason would like a drink.

He nodded and asked for a Coke with ice and something to eat. When she returned, I leaned slightly forward and rested my arms upon my knees as I watched with great intent. The bag of peanuts ripped open as dozens of them went flying across the cabin. He cursed underneath his breath as he lowered his head and sniffled quietly, a tear streaming down his cheek.

“Jason,” I say softly. “Look at me.”

He does as more tears fall. “What do you want? Can’t you see I’m a fucking wreck!? Leave me alone.”

“I cannot do that. I’m sorry for what happened tonight but I did what I had to do. Jason, the night you were born I created a mark that would make you mine. I’ve never done with this with another living soul, but seeing see you in at the hospital, I don’t know, something changed, something happened that told me I had found the one for me.”

“I am not yours, and I never will be! I will kill myself before I let that happen.”

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair as I got up and went to the restroom. I locked the door and began to grow hot. I quickly loosened my tie and undid the first two buttons on my dress shirt. I waved my hand under the faucet as cold water splashed across my face. I looked at myself in the mirror and saw the whites of my eyes, my iris’s turning a darker shade of red.

The real me was starting to come out. It took every ounce of control to push him back down again and lock him in his cage. I closed my eyes and took slow, deep breaths and that seemed to help. After a while, I flipped the sign from occupied to vacant and stepped into the cabin once again. I looked around for Jason and found him curled up on the couch fast asleep.

I snapped my fingers as a blanket appeared and laid it over top of him. I bent down and stroked his cheek while being careful not to wake him. Such a beauty. The urge to kiss his forehead goodnight was growing on me by the second but I resisted and retired to the onboard bedroom in the back of the jet. I closed the sliding door behind me and took off my jacket, flinging it over on a chair in the corner.

Next came my shirt and trousers as I left them in a pile on the floor at the foot of the bed. While crimson velvet sheets shined in the pale overhead lighting. The last of my garments came off and before I knew it I was standing stark naked in the middle of the room.

I flexed my muscles and pulled the sheets back as I got into bed. I stared at the door in front of me and imagined what it would be like if Jason came walking through and wanted to sleep with me. My cock that was trapped earlier had now been freed, standing tall and proud like the devil it was. I closed my eyes as I grasped the shaft firmly and moaned in response.

The soft, swift, jerking motion of my hand grew more intense the more I picked up speed. Harder, faster, my cock was aching painfully as I fought back a yell and a curse at the same time. I pictured Jason between my legs, my cock in his hand as he teased me innocently, licking the tip. I growled softly and brought him up to kiss me as I shot my tongue into his mouth for a long, sloppy kiss.

“Say it baby,” I said deeply. “Tell me you love me.”

“I love you, Lucifer. Please, make me yours.”

I rolled him over onto his back and slid inside him in one quick thrust that had us both seeing stars. With his legs wrapped around me I grabbed the headboard in front of me in a tight grip that caused the wood to groan and snap loudly. Jason giggled as I smirked. You’re going to break the bed, he said as much as I kissed him again.

My so-called wet dream turned me on even more the longer I held in my earth-shattering orgasm. Lying on my back with my hands behind my head, Jason rode me like a champ. Up and down, rolling his hips in a circular motion, the boy knew just how to drive me wild with ecstasy. With a grunt, I reached for his waist and shot into him like a jackhammer.

His cries of passion were like music to my ears. Who knew that such a tiny body would tremble like that. But my release wasn’t even close to being done. Hell no. I quickly pulled out and grabbed the shaft as I arched my back and yelled at the top of my lungs. Jason was there in an instant, his face was pressed against my abs as my essence sprayed across his face.

When it was over, he sat up and licked the evidence from his fingers. Ooooh, fuuuck! If that wasn’t a turn on than I don’t know what. Afterwards, he laid in my arms as I held him tight to me and sung him to sleep. I kissed his forehead and watched over him until the early hours of the morning. Now this was a dream that I never intended to wake from.

But sadly I opened my eyes and returned to reality. A warm gooey mess coated my entire hand as I unwrapped my fingers from the shaft and wiped the come with a handkerchief out of thin air. I cursed quietly but smirked after a minute. Jason said he loved me. Now came the long, grueling task of making him say it for real this time, however long it takes.