Chapter 15 - Lilith - Purge With My Demons

“I’m going to go back below, my dear.” Lucifer leaned down and pressed a light kiss to the top of my head.

“Are you sure?” I turned to face him, looking up into his deep amber eyes, the red aura glowing bright, reminding me of a summer sunset on the ocean. He hasn’t been the same since the night a few months ago with Amon and the human, Beatrice.

“Yes, I have some things I want to take care of, and I’ve just got a few things on my mind. Don’t let me ruin your day here, Lilith. Please, enjoy your time above, and I’ll see you when you’re back.” Wrapping me in a tight hug, Lucifer gripped the back of my head with his giant hand. Even in his human form, he was a force to be reckoned with, standing six inches taller than my 5’8”.

I soaked in his warmth, breathing in his burning firewood scent and savoring every bit of it. “Alright, I won’t be long.” I leaned up on my tiptoes to whisper in his ear, “Any requests when I return, Master?”

“You know where I’ll be, pet.” He rang the bell hanging from the necklace around my neck before walking away.

I watched as Lucifer glided away. His teasing kept me hopeful, but I knew he was full of worry. Worry that when the time did come, the ancestor who was now destined to take over his seat in Hell would either be ill-prepared or unwilling. Personally, I refused to believe this. He wouldn’t have made the decision lightly. He felt it was right in the moment, and I trusted his decision with everything in me. My determination to find a way to ease some of his anxieties about it was weighing on me. Strolling along the river in the village, I allowed my mind to wander.

One shitty thing about my premonitions was not being able to will my visions into existence, they just happened out of nowhere. I found a beautiful grassy field along the riverbank and lie down in the cool grass. Hoping that the fresh smell of the earth would clear my senses, and by my own good graces, a vision would bless me.

Lying in the warmth of the sun for a short while did help to clear my mind, but I was still restless. No visions came and no solutions to my dear Lucifer’s troubles crossed my mind either. That’s when my heightened hearing kicked in, and I heard a voice belonging to a demon that had no business being here right now. Our nephew.

Following his voice, I was now at a hut on the outskirts of the village. I slunk around the edge of the hut, doing my best to not make a sound.

A voice I didn’t recognize was shouting, “That’s not the point, you promised me the deal we made would save her!” I now realized this is a human Amon has made a bargain with. I wish so desperately I could jump in and do something, but it was out of my control.

“No. I simply said that the deal would allow her to live longer. There was no specification made as to how long that would be.” Amon and his loopholes. He never treated the humans he bargained with fairly, as much as Lucifer and I have tried to reason with him.

“You tricked me then.” The human sounded defeated—absolutely devastated. “What am I supposed to do now. I have no one left.”

I heard shuffling in the hut before Amon spoke up. “Well, taking the bargain we struck into consideration, now you serve me. You are mine to do what I demand until I no longer require your services.” I immediately saw red. I could not believe Amon did this. A human servant? Lucifer was going to explode, and he’s already on edge.

“What does that mean, though?” I couldn’t help but scoff, quickly covering my mouth in hopes they didn’t hear me. I listened closely, hearing no quick movements, I was in the clear. That was a question he really should have asked when he struck the bargain, but I surely was not one to judge. Desperate times called for desperate measures. I knew that all too well.

I could hear pacing footsteps begin. “Well, Owen Alastor, what that means is that you are at my beck and call. When I need you, you come.” There was a rustle in the bushes behind me.

Turning, I didn’t see anything, so I returned to listening to Amon. “As a demon, you will live an immortal life.” He was turning this human into a demon? “You will drink this. It is charmed with Noxen. Noxen is the only thing that will kill a demon. But ingesting it as a human will begin the transformation.”

Backing away from the hut, I found myself in the woods trying to process what I just heard. Trying to shake off the dread that was slithering down my spine. What did he just do?

I waited impatiently at the tree line until Amon left. When he left, he began trekking back in the direction I knew would lead him toward the nearest Gates to Hell. I, however, was still glued to the spot I’d been standing for the last several minutes. Unable to think clearly, let alone chase after him and question what the fuck he thought he was doing.

Taking a few soothing breaths, I closed my eyes and began to roll my joints to loosen my limbs. Finally feeling like I was able to move from my spot, a vision took over my thoughts. Images flashed, and I concentrated taking in all the information.

As soon as the images ceased, I knew what I had to do to help Lucifer.

I emerged from the tree line and made my way to the hut Amon was just in. A man was sitting outside with his head in his hands. I approached him cautiously. The last thing I wanted to do was scare the poor thing when he just had what I could only imagine was a less than thrilling exchange with Amon. The sun was beginning to set, casting a warm golden hue over much of the landscape around us. I hoped that, like me, it provided a sense of calm for the man.

As I approached, I tucked the skirts of my dress under my knees and knelt before him so that I wasn’t towering above his sitting form. “Excuse me, is it safe to assume that you are Owen? Owen Alastor?” He startled, jolting into an upright position. “My apologies, I didn’t mean to startle you. My name is Lilith.” I offered my hand to him and tried to keep my voice calm and steady, even though I had to share this information with him. It was crucial.

Owen stood abruptly. “No. I’m done with demons. I cannot deal with any more of you. Especially tonight.” He began to storm away.

I stood and followed after him. “Owen, I’m so sorry about Amon. I desperately wish there was something I could do to make what he did go away.” He huffed out a breath and began walking faster. His long legs took him several strides ahead of me, I nearly had to run to keep up. “What if I told you that, while his bargain will be unpleasant to deal with, you have a purpose beyond that.”

This caused him to stop but not turn around. “Owen, I know Amon better than most, and I know he won’t make your life easy.” His head dropped. “I don’t know what the details of the bargain you made with him are, but I can tell you that you were made for a purpose beyond serving him.”

He turns around, facing me with a serious but devastated look. “I’m listening,” is all he says.