Chapter 129 - An Owed Favor

When the beast cried, the lynx cried too. She held him in his arms as Leo followed after the truck where Jake was in. It was hours as the three of them sat in the waiting room with grim eyes. Prisana's eyes was full of hope as Dane's was washed away to despair. He couldn't even look Prisana nor engage in the devil's aimless talks.

It was heartbreaking watching the man she loved go through such pain even after anticlimatically finding the truth behind the Golden Deer. Giovanni had confronted his father one last time before sending him off to where he belonged. Again, the media was in chaos. What's left of the battle were remains which weren't worth the little showdown.

Prisana wished to hell Jake was okay. If he wasn't, then she wasn't sure how else to comfort this hurting beast of hers.

She squeezed his hand and tenderly whispered, "Everything will be okay."

The doors to the emergency room bursted open. The three looked at each other and Prisana swore she could see a spark of concern laced in the devil's eyes but it soon disappeared.

Dane practically rose to his feet and shook the doctor, "Please...Tell me you saved him!"

Leo had to pry Dane's hands off of him. "Relax, beast. Give the poor man some space."

The doctor took a step back and nodded in gratitude toward the devil. "...The bullet that was fired was inches away from piercing through his heart..."

They all waited patiently until the doctor nodded at them with a reassuring smile.

"I'm glad to inform you all that your friend is doing just fine. He's still severely injured but he's breathing and slightly responsive. You can visit him shortly before we give him medication to sleep."

She couldn't believe her ears. Prisana looked to her beast and sighed. He nearly toppled onto the ground but both his lynx and the devil steadied him to his feet. They rushed to the room where Jake was in. And there he was on the hospital bed, hooked onto all sorts of tubes and breathing through the clear mask.

"...Dane...Prisana...Leo..." Jake slowly uttered as he spotted them walking into the room.

Dane briskly made his way through and gathered Jake into his arms before any other words could be uttered. Jake coughed at the sudden outburst of emotion through his hug. The nurse tending at his side gave Dane a chiding look, as if to handle him with more care. And he loosened his hold to search through Jake's alive widened eyes.

"Jake! You're alive...God, I was terrified," he took a deep shattering breath to compose himself and then laughed bitterly. "I-I'd resent you forever knowing you died to save my life."

"...I told you, you're like a son to me and I'm an old man who's lived a somewhat fullfilling life of at least making up with my daughter," he then coughed and turned away. "Though I'm a bit embarrassed. I thought I was going to die and spewed some nonsense back there..."

Leo walked over and chuckled, "Dane should be the one embarrassed. After all, he was cry...mmph!"

Dane covered the devil's mouth and glared at him. "I had something in my eyes. Dust, that's all it was."

"Why can't you just admit that you were worried to death about Jake?" the devil teased him. "He wouldn't let go of you. Only when the missus there showed up."

Jake slowly but surely reached out to Dane and stroked his head, instantly warming even Prisana's heart. "...To think you'd show such concern over an old failure of a man like me, I feel honored."

The nurse glanced at her watch, "I'm sure the doctor informed you we'd only allow you all to see him for a quick moment. I'll have to transfer him to another room and give him more medication..."

Before they had to leave Jake, Prisana made sure to hug Jake as they walked out of the room. Her heart that was once heavy felt like the burden had been lifted. Jake was alright. He was still alive and now everything felt alright with the universe again.

That is, until the devil chuckled like a madman and stepped in front of Dane. He faced him with glowing eyes. So bright that it eluded the end of the universe.

"Out of one hell and into another hell..." he looked at Dane closely while smiling devilishly. "Our contract has ended. I think we both know what this means, eh?"

"Dane, what is he talking about?"

Dane took a deep sigh and grasped both of her hands into his, "I lost everything years ago when my parents were killed in that fire. To exact my revenge, I found the devil who offered me riches and resources in exchange for losing all of what he's given to me and what I've build up to until my revenge was satiated...Prisana, I sold my soul to the devil."

Leo eyed Prisana and grasped her arm, watching as her beastly husband nearly growled and pounced on him.

He tested Dane by leveraging Prisana like some kind of goods at the market. "...Or, I could release you of all your debts in exchange for her. You see, I don't believe in this intangible lie called love. In the end, people will betray the ones they love for their own selfish desires. Just give her to me and admit that you're just like me."

Dane quickly pulled Prisana back into his arms and shook his head as he lovingly looked into her eyes. "That's where you're devilishly wrong! We're different. I'm a man consumed by love so much that I'd willingly die and sell my soul to the devil a hundred times over. I love her and would never let your wicked self use her to your advantage. I'll do your bidding but you promised I'd slave for a year."

Prisana shook her head frantically. "W-What will you be doing?"

He kissed her forehead. "The devil's work. You could live with Bailey and wait for my return."

"Are you kidding me?"

The lynx stepped forward and grabbed the devil by the collar. She really took the time to look at and evaluate this man called the devil. He had the most borderline unique shade of hair between black and blue. And dark eyes that truly did stare down into one's soul. She didn't know his true nature or why he helped string them along just to bring chaos at the end.

But, she still had one last trick up her sleeve to truly bring everything to an end.

"...I thought..." she tried to gather her thoughts up as she held the devil by the collar and searched his dark bottomless eyes for truth. "I thought you were a friend."

It seemed to reach some part of the devil's soul as he blinked at her and was caught speechless. Those dark bottomless eyes warped to a moment of weakness she could almost reach out and grasp at.

She continued, "Was I wrong to not believe my husband's words that you were a friend instead of a foe? Some part of me believed that you truly cared for Dane. You went out of your way to see him when I'm sure all you had to do was watch him from afar by other devilish means. I was beginning to think you cared for him and even this is just another way of caring and showing Dane that you want him to be free of love, perhaps something painful you've experienced? I know the truth. You're damn afraid of admitting you care for someone hmm?...Hah, I guess I was wrong. All along, you were a foe..."

He had to look away, as if afraid she was seeing right through to him.

"If the devil drafts contracts then I would take it you never go back on your word?"

"...I never go back on my word."

"Then that favor you owe me...I want to ask for it now. Please devil I beg of you, to free my husband."

Both men widened their eyes. The lynx was relentless and determined as she was ordering the devil himself for a simple favor he owed a while back. It wasn't anything significant but this truly was the last trick inside of her sleeve to reach happiness.

"Lynx, get away from him. There's no reasoning..." Dane trailed off angrily as Leo grabbed Prisana's hand and kissed it.

He was boiling at this point but before he made a move to punch the living hell out of the devil, Leo spoke those magical words, "Dane, I'm setting you free."

Prisana's heart was pounding so hard that she couldn't contain her happiness. This meant he did care for the beast. He just needed some form of reasoning to stop this and the favor was enough to do the job. Prisana then leaped into the devil's arms and hugged him, "...Oh thank you! You're not such a bad devil and foe after all."

"Woah there, careful or I might just fall in love with you."

"...You just said you didn't believe in love."

"That was a joke m'dear. Of course, I'd never fall in love."

"You...What?" Dane looked at him questioningly, as if not believing any word and too thankfully distracted to even think about murdering the man.

Leo quickly seperated himself from Prisana and began to walk away as he waved a hand in the air goodbye. "I owe your wife a favor. That's all there is to it..."

Mad laughter echoed down the halls. "Catch you around, friend."

"...Foe."

At last, the beast and his lynx were alone. Prisana looked his way and uttered, "...Dane, you're free! And everything is finally over..."

It only took him a few strides to reach her side. He pulled her into his arms in the most loving of truths and kissed her. She responded by melting into his beastly arms and kissing him back in front of an audience that gawked at their open displays of affection.

After pulling back, he whispered, "Lynx!...You're truly my lynx and shining armor! I don't know why the devil set me free but it must be because you are so brave yet kind when standing in the face of danger. You know...Now that the universe is aligned, why don't you say we go on that honeymoon I vowed to take you on?"

Her eyes lit up like fireworks in the night July sky, "Really? I would love that very much! When?"

"Right now. We could go anywhere in the world. Tell me, where would you want to go?"

She thought about it for a moment but sweetly whispered, "Anywhere with you, I'd be happy."

As if on cue, he bent down and picked her up into his arms like a princess as they walked down the hospital aisle.

He placed his forehead against hers, "Get ready, hmm? All has been conquered except for you. I'll be whispering unending vows and loving you every second, hour, and day."

She chuckled and kissed him on the lips again as they reached the double white doors to outside, "Unsatiable beast! I've been prepared from the moment I became yours."