Menewsha Avatar Community - Tricks are Treats and Other Adventures

So, decided to post some of my shorts from this one world I created in order to get some feedback. I'd especially like input on grammar and some of the technical aspects since I know that my grammar is not that great.

Also, I refer to this particular universe as the Twilight World, but there is absolutely no connection to Stephanie Meyer's Twilight. My world is populated by nephilim (my interpretation of them anyway), demons, angels, and magick workers, not sparkling, emo vampires.

So, I know Halloween is over, but this is the latest original fiction story that I've written, so I thought to post it first.

Tricks are Treats

Lucifer hated Halloween. As he twirled the stirrer in his drink, he wondered what Amaranth would do to him if he stabbed someone in the eye with it. “I’m not liking this Rannie.”

The Lycanthropic witch snorted. “You never like any holiday Luci. You hate Christmas because it reminds you of what you lost - by your own stupidity I might add. You hate Thanksgiving because you hate the schmaltzy family thing, you hate July Fourth because it’s become an excuse to get drunk, and you hate Saint Patrick’s Day because you always thought St. Pat was a total dick. One would think that you’d love Halloween because you could walk around in your true form and people would only think it’s a really rad costume.”
Lucifer thought about it. “Nah. People would know.”

Amaranth looked him up and down. She absolutely adored his Fallen form, but he never wore it, so to speak, because he didn’t like to call upon it. She understood that it did send up a beacon for the entire Twilight World to feel, but the first and last time she had seen it, Amaranth had been enthralled. It wasn’t just his power that had roiled out from him in waves; it had been what he looked like as well. He’d been extremely hot, at least to her. Then again, Amaranth was a member of the Gevudan Pack, and had a rather skewed notion of beauty. “I bet you anything that a normal human wouldn’t know.”

Lucifer was a competitive soul, and this challenge intrigued him. “What exactly would you bet?”

Amaranth thought fast. “Hum . . . What would you like?”

Lucifer leaned close. “A kiss.”

Amaranth cocked an eyebrow. Due to their hairlessness, the lips and the palms of the hand were psychically sensitive areas of the body, and the denizens of the Twilight world generally avoided contact through either area. “You know my kind well Lucifer. A kiss is not something to give lightly. It is not something for a Fallen to give lightly either. Humans trade kisses like they are dollars, but we both know that a touch of the lips can be as precious as gold.”

“And that is why I find it a fitting payment. If I win, I want one kiss freely given.” he stated, “And what do you want?”

Amaranth smiled slyly. “I want you to make me a promise. I want you to promise me that you will not leave Heart-Lies-Bleeding without telling me where you’re going.”

Lucifer nodded. “Done.”

“Ah-ah-ah.” she said, wagging a finger. “I wasn’t done. You also have to take me with you.”

Lucifer took a moment to think. “Why? You’re needed here.”

She shook her head. “I named the bar, but in reality it is the property of the entire clan. If I leave it would be nothing for my brother Titan to take over.”

“Alright.” he said. “I will make that promise.”

Amaranth nodded. “Fine, then it’s a deal.”

Lucifer nodded and then looked around the bar. It was loud and the Halloween party was in full swing. He could see nephilim from Raziel’s clan mingling with humans and other witches. A few demons had come in, but most were the harmless types. Only one was vaguely a threat, but he was a friend of Titan. Lucifer and Amaranth were standing in one of the alcoves that were situated along the edge of the large room. “Stand back.”

Amaranth smiled. “Gotcha.” she murmured.

Lucifer closed his eyes and reached within himself. Deep within him was a well of power that he rarely tapped. It was the power that God had given him so long ago when Lucifer had been first created. It was the power that God could never take from him, and in fact had never wanted to. After the Falls of both he and Man, Lucifer had become their champion because they needed one. It was this well that he used to defend them.

He reached to the power and pulled it up, letting the ball of power flow through him like a river. It branched into every limb, into every cell of his body, renewing them, infusing them with more life. He felt his skin, his hair, his very bones begin to shift and move. He was becoming what he once was, the true face of an angel, even though his was a sullied one.

Amaranth breathed in the power that radiated from his every pore. The power changed his scent from its usually musky cinnamon to a pure scent that she could put no name to. She guessed that this was the scent of asphodel. Even though Lucifer had Fallen, this power was still angelic. She watched his transformation and sighed in appreciation.

Normally, Lucifer was a handsome man with light brown hair and green eyes. He was on the taller side with a slender frame that most angels had. Now, however, all that had changed.

>His hair now reached his mid-back and had turned an opalescent color akin to the sheen on a black butterfly’s wing. His normally light skin had turned to pure gold, and his green eyes turned to the color of a rainbow. Depending on how the light hit them, they were red, blue, green, yellow, or violet. His clothing was the same, but his jacket and shirt were ruined by the immense wings that had sprouted from his back. They were not feathered like a bird’s, but instead were made of light in the shape of a wing. This light was not blinding white as it would have been on a true angel; it was a dark light like coalesced shadow.

He turned to smile at her, and Amaranth nearly swooned from the beauty that shined on his face. She realized that if he had been a true angel, that smile would have burned her to cinders. “You’re beautiful.” she whispered.

Lucifer laughed and walked out into the bar proper. He worked the room, and Amaranth fought the need to smile.

She was winning.

"Cool costume man! How did you do it?”

“Awesome costume!”

“Whoa!”

Marcus, a nephilim, approached. “Impressive. I’ve never seen a Fallen Archangel’s true colors.”

One of the demons approached. “Demons are cooler.”

Lucifer took it all with a smile, but he felt a sinking feeling. He had lost. Completely. He made his way back to a smirking Amaranth. “You win.”

“I knew I would. Humans see only what they want to see.” she answered. “Now, your promise?”

Lucifer held out a golden palm after he took off his right glove. Amaranth touched it with hers, and felt the psychic shock that accompanied the unprotected contact. “Do you promise me that you will never leave this place, Heart-Lies-Bleeding, without telling me where you will go and take me with you?”

“I give you my solemn promise, Amaranth, Lady of the Gevudan Pack.” he answered.

She felt another shock, and then he withdrew his hand. He donned his glove. Amaranth smiled up at him as he withdrew his power and slowly his returned to his normal appearance. “Oh, by the way, if you ever want a kiss,” she said slyly as she leaned up. Lucifer started when he felt the psychic shock from her lips meeting his. “You just have to ask.”

Lucifer watched her sashay away, her ironic little witch costume’s skirt swaying as she walked. “Amaranth!”

She turned as he approached her again. He leaned over to whisper in her ear. “If you ever want to see my true form again, all you have to do is ask.”

Amaranth laughed long and hard.