- 44 -

Everything the humans thought about her was true; Lilith was a monster. Wasn't Pandora supposed to be important to her? Hadn't she meant to let her know her secret anyway? And yet, the second Pandora found out Lilith had betrayed her; slept with her despite knowing it would kill her.

She ran through the halls without purpose. She had no idea of where she was heading. All she knew was she couldn't be anywhere near Pandora. Couldn't watch her die, especially knowing it was her fault. She should have; she owed Pandora at least that much, but she was too selfish to take the pain. Just one more way that she was a monster.

She rushed up the main stairs until she ran out of steps, then burst through the nearest door. She emerged onto the main deck and, seeing where she was, wrapped herself in a hug. Her nails dug deep crescents into the flesh of her arms. This spot; she had been here before. It was where Pandora had taken her to stargaze.

The memory pushed bile into her throat. The image of a shooting star streaking across the sky. They had both wished on it. "I wished you would be my girlfriend," Pandora had said. Even though there were a few days of turbulence after that confession, Lilith had eventually accepted. Pandora's wish had come true. So what of her own wish?

Lilith stumbled over to the railing, leaning against it as she looked out over the ocean. "Who's to say my wish didn't come true? That I didn't find the one person who would love me unconditionally, even knowing who I am?"

Her eyes opened like floodgates and her words came fractured and strained. "A-and I, I fucking killed her."

Lilith's grip tightened. The cold steel of the railing burned against her hands. It pulled her memory back to that night beneath the stars. Pandora had pulled her off that very railing, fearing she might fall into the sea.

"She should have let me drop. It would have been better that way. Then she never would have slept with me." Lilith let out a puff of air that bordered on a laugh. "Hell, maybe I should do the world a favor and jump."

"I'm afraid you're far too valuable for that."

The slimy voice set her hair on end. She spun on her heels to find Gamal looming over her, his scarred face only inches away. When had he gotten so close? His hot breath struck her in a series of low snickers. She tried to step away, create distance, but her back pressed against steel.

The railing.

Lilith swallowed. She was cornered. Would she need to fight her way out like a wounded animal? If it came to it, she would. Maybe that was strange, considering how dark her thoughts had turned only second prior, but she had found her resolve. She couldn't die here; not by his hand. She might be a monster, but he was far worse.

Gamal had set the kotengu loose, killed Allister, and framed her for murder. And those were only the things she knew about. Pandora seemed to imply he was responsible for even more than that, though she hadn't shared the details. Compared to him, Lilith was a saint. And yet, he walked free while she was hunted. Another of God's cruel jokes.

Imagining all the ways this scenario could play out, Lilith took a deep breath. Her voice wanted to tremble as she asked, "Can I help you with something?" but it held firm. Her heightened calm had returned to suppress her fear just enough for it to be useful. Lilith wondered if she was getting better at controlling her emotions, but it still didn't feel intentional.

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Her eyes darted around as she waited for his response. Intuition told her he wasn't about to let her leave freely, so she was looking for a way out. The beginning of a plan formed in her mind and she tensed her muscles, anticipating an escape attempt.

"Let's cut the bullshit, little Lilith."

His response ran down her spine like a wave, making her shutter. Her gut feeling had been right. Though in hindsight it was obvious. She didn't know exactly when he had figured her out, but the only reason he would create a fake succubus attack was because he knew. He had come to hunt.

Lilith threw her hand forward, intending to shove him away and run, but his hand snapped around her wrist. "I overheard you say you slept with Pandora. That means she won't be coming to save you."

Her heart twisted around the reminder of her sins. He was right; she was alone in this. She would have to find her own way to escape. Pushing against his grasp proved ineffective. Even with all her weight behind it, she couldn't break free. Thinking it was a matter of leverage, Lilith lifted her foot to rest on the middle rung of the railing. She jumped and let her other foot land alongside it then, with newfound mechanical advantage, pushed against him once more.

This time, something did give way. Unfortunately, it wasn't his grip but, instead, her knees. They creaked under load until Lilith heard a popping sound. Pain shot up her leg like lightning and she screamed. For all her trouble, Gamal hadn't moved an inch. It was like lying on the ground and trying to push the world away.

He yanked her arm, ripping her down from her high ground. Her feet landed unsure on the deck sending another excruciating wave through her leg. The pain threatened to drop her to her knees, but somehow she kept her footing. There was a low crack, Gamal crushing her wrist in his hand. His lips turned up at the sound, then he twist her arm until something tore.

Lilith's thoughts raced. In less than a heartbeat, she had jumped from being sure he had dislocated her elbow to briefly wondering if elbows could even dislocate or if it was a different injury complexly, before, finally, the pain flooded in and stole her ability to think at all.

She felt her body hit the ground but couldn't see it. The world beyond her eyes had shifted to a white void. She might have though it was heaven had she not known how much God hated her. She was vaguely aware of moisture tracing her cheeks, but guessing at its source was beyond her mental capacity.

The fight was over. One shot knee, a broken wrist, and possibly a dislocated elbow and she hadn't even managed to make him flinch. Her vision slowly faded back in as Gamal retrieved a small glass vial of red liquid. He pinched the cork between his thumb and pointer finger and pushed it back and forth until it wiggled free.

Once her brain processed the image she began to struggle, desperate to pull herself free. "What's that!?" she asked, but he was silent.

Her answer was meant to come through experience, as she felt the blood's effects ripping through her body. She couldn't let that happen. If she swallowed that blood she was doomed. As he brought the vial to her lips she closed her mouth and tightened her jaw.

Gamal released his grip on her wrist and snapped his hand around Lilith's face. Her arm fell helplessly to her side. The elbow refused to lift the ruined limb up to fight back, so only one of her hands pulled helplessly at his grasp. His fingers pressed in, forcing her mouth open.

For the second time that day, her mouth filled with blood. She held it there, careful not to let a single drop slip through. No matter what, she knew she couldn't swallow. Realizing what she was doing, Gamal took his free hand and pinched her nose shut. Lilith held out as long as she could, but she was slowly running out of oxygen. Panic overpowered her calm and her body betrayed her. She gasped for air, which sent her choking and sputtering on the blood. In the end, she was forced to drink it down to keep from drowning in it.

All that was left was to wait for the effects to take hold. She wondered what horrible way the blood would kill her. Would she catch fire? Maybe her organs would all fail. Whatever he had in mind for her, she doubted it would be pleasant. He would want to bask in her misery.

Before long, the changes set in. She felt her vision slipping in and out of focus. Felt the moisture drain from her eyes. Her body grew sluggish, each movement coming seconds after its intention. Then the light started to fade; night overtaking day hours ahead of schedule. Before her consciousness wink out, her last thoughts were ones of regret.

God, even after all you've done to me, I'm begging you. Please, if you truly are merciful, let me meet Pandora just once in the next life so that I might get to apologize.