Darkness Borrowed, Sorrow Traded
The demoness drifted silently in the darkness of the forest, her feet leaving no imprint on the snow. The shadows soothed her, softening everything around so that only the slightest sliver of moonlight reflected on the snow made any sense of land or sky.
How long had it been? She knew not. When her dwelling became unbearable she'd go out as if to hunt, but had neither the appetite nor the interest. Why would she? With her mate gone now, there was no sense of direction to any of her actions. His loss had made her so angry at first, but even ripping apart his killer did not fill her emptiness. Nothing would save her from it. In death he had left her alone once again, now to spend eternity alone between the circles of Hell and Earth.
Though she had in fact inherited all from her long-lived mate, she had eschewed the jeweled palaces of Hell for a small spot of Earth where she could live without attention. Eventually, yes, she would have to go back and fulfill his role to the courts, but none had bothered her yet, and she suspected none would for some time. A thousand years of solitude, it wouldn't be unheard of for their messengers to avoid her that long, though it seemed hardly enough to mourn properly.
She paused in her aimless journey, sensing the presence of another. Not beast. Not human either. Immediately she frowned.
"Would you have no shame, calling upon me so quickly?"