Lilith: Destined Angels III

Chapter 6: Scorn

Cain

I look down at Lilith’s sentient form and swallow deeply. I can see why Lucifer fell under her spell. She is so exquisite that it’s difficult to see the killer she really is.

She might be an incredible fighter, but she stood no chance against my Divinity power. As a guard, I have the power to neutralize supernatural powers. Though she did get a hit in. My thigh still stings from her strike. Thankfully, I heal quickly, or I’d have bled to death by now. I should have taken her directly to the Pantheon, but something about cold-bloodedly handing her over makes my gut churn.

Striding down the halls of my fortress, I stop in front of a room that will fit my purpose. As carefully as possible, I lay Lilith on the bed, produce a sacred cuff, and wrap it around her wrist. My fingers brush her ebony hair as I rise and inspect her position. Unable to resist, I slide my fingers across her temple and jaw.

Her eyes flash open at that moment, and a snarl escapes her lips as soon as she lays eyes on me. When she sees that her wrists are restrained, she growls, “Who in the bloody hell are you?”

I try not to smile at her hissing tone. Though I know she can rip my bollocks and stuff them down my throat, I still think she’s adorable in her rage.

“Calm down, Lilith. I just want to speak,” I mutter steadily.

Lilith narrows her eyes and shakes the cuff with a grunt, “What made you think that cuffing me to a bed would be the best way to speak to me?”

I quirk a brow and give her a conceding nod, “Touche, luv. I apologize for such rude behavior, but I can’t risk you running off before I get my answers.”

Chest heaving, she manages to sit up, her eyes gazing intently into mine. “Why would I answer a Divinity Pantheon sod’s questions? I don’t even know your name.”

I consider how to answer for a moment. I don’t want to reveal too much about who I am and risk further alienating her. Lilith would distrust me even more if she learned I’m Adam and Eve’s, progeny.

“I’m Cain,” I reply evenly.

Her expression is glacial as she takes a couple of steadying breaths and mutters, “You should let me go before I run you through with your own sword, Cain!”

I look down at her heaving chest and stifle an inward groan when I see the imprint of her n*****s through her thin top. My c**k stirs within the confines of my jeans, making me ache to lean down and suckle her until she’s a writhing mess beneath me.

“You know I can’t do that, Lilith. However, I can ask the Divinity Pantheon rulers to let you go in exchange for telling me where the Tenebrous is.”

“I don’t even know what the Tenebrous is, you git!” she cries out as she struggles to loosen the cuffs from her wrists. She is powerful, but it’s a hopeless battle because the cuffs are made to withstand powerful supernaturals.

“Seize your struggles. You’ll only hurt yourself. Those are sacred cuffs imbued with the power of every ruler in the Pantheon.”

Her eyes gaze intently into mine, and her lips pull back as she struggles. She reminds me of a wolf I once saw in the forest. The wolf struggled inside the trap and gnawed its paw off until it freed itself.

“Stop!” I call out when I see that her wrists are raw and bleeding. Without a thought, I jump over her, wrap my hands around her wrists and hold her in place. My arousal heightens at our new position. The feel of her breasts straining against my chest and her hot center against my groin is deliciously wicked. “Stop moving, luv. You’re hurting yourself.”

She scoffs in reply, “What does it bloody matter to you? Isn’t that what you’re here to do?”

I shake my head and close my eyes, trying to center myself. My brain feels foggy due to her closeness, and her breath on my lips makes it more difficult to think clearly. My lips linger near hers as I lean close and whisper, “I don’t… I…I don’t like seeing you get hurt.”

She sputters but doesn’t argue. It seems she’s as entranced by the web we inadvertently wove with our intimate position. Her eyes keep gazing down at my lips, and her body shifts against mine as we continue to lay on the bed.

I didn’t plan for it, but suddenly our lips are touching, and we’re kissing. The kiss is slow and carnal as our tongues meet and savor. Goosebumps spread across my body when Lilith’s breasts grind against my chest, and her legs wrap around my waist. As the kiss deepens, I move my hands up her down her chest and caress her naked belly. Lilith mewls and nips my lower lip, moving her hips until her center rubs against my groin. A groan escapes my lips when I rub my c**k against her center.

Though I want nothing more than to slide inside her tight heat, I keep my hands above her waist and continue to love her with my tongue until we moan and sigh in pleasure.

Pulling back, I lean my forehead against hers and take a couple of deep breaths, “f**k, this is wrong,” I growl.

Lilith sinks her heels against my arse, making me groan with bliss as each grind shoots through my synapsis.

Our lips cling as we try to get ahold of our emotions. Eyes closed, I try to calm our harsh breaths and the needy vibrations coursing through our veins. It takes a great deal of effort, but somehow I manage to pull away.

Lilith’s eyes change from desire to anger instantly. “What the f**k are we doing? Get your arse off me!” She moves her foot inside my belly and pushes me off.

Grunting with pain, I roll to the other side of the bed and meet her glare. My side hurts, and my thigh still pains me, but I don’t lose my arousal.

Lilith arches a brow and mutters, “What’s the Tenebrous.”

“Are you telling me you don’t know what the Tenebrous is?” I ask incredulously.

She sneers, “I wouldn’t be bloody asking you if I knew.”

Taking a deep breath, I nod my head, “The Tenebrous is the power of darkness that you held within you for the past thousand years. How could you not know what it is?”

Lilith's expression darkens at my tone, “It’s not like I asked it what it was after it dragged me into a hellish forest after I had experienced my daily dose of rape and beatings,” she spits out.

My breath hitches at her nonchalant reply, “What did you say?” I ask, unsure if I heard her correctly.

She gives me an indifferent shrug, “Thousands of years ago, I was a slave of a now long-forgotten village. Being the rejected bride of the first man, I was sentenced to suffer for merely existing. Every day I was fed scraps and beaten and raped by the men in the village. The women were no better when they’d spit on my fragile form and beat me for tempting their husbands to sin. As I lay in the forest mourning another day of existence, an unknown force dragged me into a fiery forest and infused itself with me until I blacked out and awoke feeling more powerful than I’ve ever felt in my once pathetic life,” she jeers wryly, “At that point, I had the means to put an end to my suffering. So, you have to forgive me for not stopping to ask what it was. Now, do you understand?”

Emotion wells inside my chest at her heartbreaking story. I’ve always known who she was, but I never considered the repercussions of my father’s selfish actions. Knowing that his rejection put Lilith on a path of pain and misery makes me curse my father’s name again.

For so long, I held this bitterness toward my father for what he did to me. Yet, it is nothing compared to what he and the Creator did to Lilith.

Everything that I know turns on its axis at that moment. Rising from the bed, I pace in place. “Where is the power now?” I ask.

Lilith scoffs, “Why would I tell you that when you plan on handing me off to the Pantheon as soon as I do?”

I can see her point. There’s no reason for her to help me when I’m the enemy. I know that if I was her, I wouldn’t help me either.

Rubbing the bridge of my nose, I squat beside her and mutter, “Very well, I won’t ask you where it is. However, since you are ignorant of its composition, there is something you should know.”

She quirks a brow, “And just what do I need to know?”

Taking a deep breath, I slide my fingers through my hair and vocalize my revelation, “The Tenebrous power used to belong to a Norse God named Hod. When Hod perished, the God Erebrus absorbed it and tried to destroy the Creator. Unfortunately, Erebus did not succeed in his feat and was mortally wounded. Seeing that he would not destroy his enemy, Erebus devised a final scheme. He’d place the power on a being who hated the Creator as much, if not more, than he did─you. Unfortunately, the power requires a host to control it and can only be safely removed once the host has passed.”

She scowls, “What happens if it is removed and the host doesn’t die?”

I place my closed hands against my lips and frown, “If the Tenebrous is removed from a live host, it will seek its host and become more unstable the longer it’s away from it. Unfortunately, any living organism standing in its way will have its life force consumed by it until all that is left is a dead husk.”

Lilith’s face pales, “How do you know this?” she asks.

“The Pantheon told me. You would know if you’ve heard about anything like this occurring. Have you?”

Lilith doesn’t answer, which alarms me.

Before I can ask another question, she mutters, “What are you going to do to me?”

At her question, I grow still. I’m conflicted because I know that I’ll only get my redemption if I give her to the Divinity Pantheon. However, there’s the issue of the missing Tenebrous and my reluctance to see her hurt. That’s why I’m not going to tell her that the Divinity Pantheon wants me to slay her. I know I will not gain her cooperation if I do. Either way, if I can find a way to harness the power, I’m sure I can convince Ma’at to let her go. I have to take the chance.

I try not to think about what I’m going to do as I rise from my perch, “I have a proposition for you, Lilith,” I can tell that she’s going to protest when she opens her mouth, but I continue before she can, “If you help me find the Tenebrous power, I will let you go.”

She sneers scornfully, “And why should I believe you will do that? I highly doubt that the Divinity Pantheon Rulers will let me go.”

I nod, “They won’t if you find a way to harness the power and use it as a bargaining chip for your release.”

“What do you mean?” she asks.

Reaching up, I release her from her restraints and take her wrists in my hands to heal her wounds. I don’t release her, and she doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to push me away. I like the feel of her silken skin beneath my fingers and how she trembles at my touch.

“The rulers are more preoccupied with the Tenebrous’ power than they are with having you. They know their existence is doomed if we do not find a way to retrieve the Tenebrous. The Tenebrous is the only thing they really need. She nearly lost the plot as soon as Ma’at discovered that you no longer hosted the power. You are of very little importance.”

“Why would you do that for me?”

Her eyes gleam with confusion. I can tell I caught her by surprise, and she’s not the only one. I don’t know if the honesty ran in her voice when she told me about her hellish existence after my father’s callous rejection or if it’s the deep attraction I hold for her, but I want to help. Something inside me wants to correct the wrongs my family inflicted on her.

I shrug my shoulders, unsure of how to reply. I don’t think the truth would work well in this scenario. If anything telling Lilith that I feel guilty over what my father did to her would do more harm than good.

She must see something in my eyes because she pulls out of my hold and rises from the bed, “I don’t need your pity, and I’m not going to f**k you simply because you spared me.”

Rising to face her, I narrow my eyes and coldly retort, “Don’t be so bloody arrogant, luv. You’re not that good a kisser. No, I’m doing it to save trillions of lives affected if we do not harness the Tenebrous. My life just happens to be one of them.”

Lilith bites her lower lip as she assesses my candor, “Alright, I’ll accept your proposal.”

I nod, “Alright, let’s go and find the Tenebrous.”

Lilith rests her palm against the center of my chest and shakes her head, “No, you’re not coming with me. I can’t trust you will betray me once I lead you to it.”

I look down at her elegant hands, then raise my narrowed eyes to hers, “And I can’t trust you to not run and hide.”

Her nostrils flare as she readies to blast me for my insinuation of her honor. “I would never run away!” she growls.

I shrug, “Well then, it looks like we’re at an impasse. I don’t trust you, and you don’t trust me.”

Lilith huffs loudly and crosses her arms in front of her chest, “That may be so, but I can’t take you with me to talk to the person who has it. Once they see you, they’ll assume I want to take the power back.”

Seeing that we have to find a solution, I pull my magic forward and produce a mirror. I look in the mirror and call to the image that I need.

Lilith gasps as soon as she sees what I’m projecting. “You bloody bastard! You leave my son out of this!” she shouts, outraged.

I look down at the image of her son, then glance back at her and state, “You know what I am. You know that I hold the power of all of the Pantheon’s great rulers within me. Not even Lucifer can kill me. If he tried, he would have to face the ire of the Divinity Pantheon, which would be horrific for him and your son. However, I’ll let you speak to this person alone as long as you heed my warning.”

Leaning close, I lift her chin until we’re standing face-to-face, “If you should betray me, I will find your son, and he’ll be executed in your place.”

Her breath catches, and her face pales further, making a niggle of guilt flicker inside me. But I don’t take it back. She should see how serious I am about this. It’s the only way I can maintain control. Gripping her chin tighter, I move my lips a hairsbreadth from hers and snarl, “Do you understand, Lilith?”

She swallows hard before she gives me a stiff nod and mutters, “I understand.”

I won't release her gaze for at least a minute because I want her to see how grave the situation is for us. Once I feel reassured, I release her and take a step back, “You have until tomorrow evening to get the information we need.”

Her luscious lips tighten with disdain when she asks, “How do I contact you?”

“You don’t. I will meet you at your apartment, and we’ll talk further then.”

I take a step back and run my gaze down her stiff form, giving her a chilling scowl, “Do not even think about betraying me, Lilith.”

With that said, I snap my fingers and flash her back to her apartment. As I lie back on the bed, I can’t help but smile because I’m sure she’s probably cursing my name now.

Is it odd that I can’t wait for our next encounter?