"Love." Lilith's eyes flared a livid yellow. "What is a man's love? It is nothing. Less than a word, less than the dust from which he was made. A mother's love—that is everything. I gave her life—and I will take it back tonight."
"Why do you want the necklace? Why does it mean so much to you?"
"Enough."
The force of her fury whipped all around me. Her hair sprang into the air like a thousand angry snakes. Hissing, slashing, frenzied for blood. As I stood there, paralyzed with fear, her white hands waved in a circle; a gleaming black box appeared, suspended magically in the air. As its lid flipped open, I could see an alien script rippling along the box's scarlet innards.
"Put it in," her voice boomed. "Give me back what is mine—or perish a slow and painful death."
Against my will, my fingers twitched against the delicate chain. A deep, instinctive part of me lurched, eager for her command. Poised for it, as a babe's lips before her mother's breast. Swallowing, I slowly shook my head. "I will not give it you. At least, not without something in return. 'Tis an exchange I wish to discuss."
"An exchange?" I did not think her rage could grow, and yet she seemed to inflate with it. All the shadows flew to her. Her aura spread, surrounding me in a whirlpool of darkness. She loomed over me, her gleaming lips stretched into a terrifying smile. "You think to bargain with me? Me, who gave you life, who with less than a snap of my fingers could take it away?"
Heart hammering, I slipped the chain from my neck and let the amulet dangle from my fingers. Her eyes latched upon the swinging cross. "If I give this to you, I want your vow not to harm any more people. I want you to swear you and your Lilin will leave this earth and not hurt Hux nor anyone else so long as you live. All of this I want on your word as a goddess."
"You dare to name terms with me? I am Queen of the all the dark forces, and you are a lowly mortal. You are nothing."
Raging winds whipped around me, stinging me with debris, but I did not flinch. "I am Abigail Jones," I said, "and I come from love."
"Insolent girl! I will kill you," Lilith snarled, "and then I will take back what is mine."
Taking a deep breath and more than a gamble, I met her scorching gaze. "Go ahead, then. Do your worst."
Her scream rose to the rafters, shaking the wooden planks. The stones shook in their mortar, and all the candles extinguished at once.
But I remained unharmed. I knew then that my hunch was correct. She could not hurt me. No as long as I had contact with the necklace.
"You cannot take it from me, can you?" I held it up higher, pushing the tiny golden cross up toward her. She cringed, a small instinctive movement that told me everything. "You cannot even touch it. That is why you want me to put it in there." Jerking my chin at the floating box, I guessed, "That writing, on the inside. It's some sort of magic, isn't it? Some sort of protection to guard you from the cross."
As I spoke, I felt the kindling aura of the necklace. Its golden glow began to seep into my skin and radiate from my palm. Lilith shrieked, her darkness fading. The winds began to die, and she shrank into her original form, her eyes darting to and fro. The light filled me, sparkling from within my skin, spilling radiance into the gloom. The gilded waves lapped against the demon's skirt, and I saw the fabric curl and wisp into nothingness.
"Get it away," Lilith cried, retreating a step.
"You know the necklace's power," I said, following her. "For you wore it once. You bear its mark."
"The cursed thing!" Lilith's beautiful eyes brimmed with tears, and one hand fluttered to the small, pink mark at the base of her throat. "'Twas a slave's collar snapped around my neck. He used it to enslave me—he used it to dim my power. Our power, my dearest daughter. He tried to take it all away."
"Who?"
"Who do you think?" Lilith's gaze directed heavenward, then narrowed. "He's afraid of me, of the Goddess' strength. Don't let his holiness fool you—he wants to control you, control all of his creation. You are nothing but an underling to him."
"That is not true. God is loving and kind," I said.
Lilith's lips curled. "If that is true, why did he let your mother die alone and despised in an asylum for the insane? Why did he let you grow up a bastard? Why did he let your Aunt Agnes die, without knowing the freedom of living in her lover's arms?"
Her words pelted me with uncertainty. I felt my outstretched arm growing heavy; the cross trembled with my fatigue. "He ... he works in mysterious ways."
"Mysterious." Lilith laughed, her voice a silken caress down my spine. "Dear child, don't tell me you still believe that old line. Men have been using it for centuries. To oppress us, my daughter. To justify their fear of us."
"Wh-why would men fear us?"
Her sweet, seductive scent snaked around my senses. "Because we are the True Creators. We are the ones to bear life. That is why they want us on our backs, to use us as submissive animals to breed at their will. But we are not. We are Goddesses, and we will take our own pleasure. We will be the ones to dominate."
"I don't want—"
"Don't you?" Her lashes lowered coyly. "Don't you want to make love to your beloved Hux? Don't you want to have that succulent body at your bidding?"
Her voice slithered into my head, releasing intimate images. The muscles of Hux's back gleaming in the sunlight. The hollowed leanness of his hips. And between his thighs, the turgid abundance, that fleshy shaft made to fit perfectly inside ...
"Ah, you like to have that in your quim, don't you? You like to take your pleasure from his cock. That is your Lilin fire, my darling, your Mother's gift. Pleasure without shame. Ecstasy without restraint. No one to tell you what you can and cannot do."
My intimate muscles fluttered, my breath quickening with arousal. To have Hux whenever I wished, however I wanted, mine forever ...
"Freedom is your birthright," she purred. "Claim it, take it."
I felt Hux, large and quivering beneath me. I saw myself climbing atop him, my hands spanning over tough sinew, hard muscle and flesh designed for my pleasure. Rubbing myself against him, I moaned with delight. I leaned over to kiss him, his blue eyes melting into mine, and then I plunged him inside me. I gasped, the thrill of it beyond anything. The pure joy of taking him, of slaking myself in unfettered rhythm, of directing our passion. Harder, faster, no limits at all ...
Lilith's face glowed with a mother's pride. "All you have to do is rid yourself of the wretched chains. Free yourself from submissive morality, and together we will create a new world."
Floating beneath my hand, the open box beckoned like a hungry mouth. Give it me, it whispered. Let me relieve you of your burden.
The cross was so heavy, my arm so tired.
I felt my hand lowering, my grasp on the necklace slackening.
"Abigail, no!"
Hux's voice snapped me back to reality. Snatching back the cross, I whirled to see him running toward us. The sword glowed white silver in his hand.
Lilith growled, and the box vanished into black smoke. "Insolent little flea! You dare to intrude upon a mother's tender reunion? I will take care of you once and for all."
She flew at him, a rage of darkness pitching against light. Screaming, I ran after her, only to see the two of them collide, the power of that crash blasting the air with energy. I flew backward and landed on my side. Black lines danced before my eyes. Dazed, I struggled to sit up. I saw Hux and Lilith facing off between the pews. He slashed at the hair hissing through the air; he deflected the fiery beams of her eyes with his mirror-bright blade. Her face veined with rage, Lilith let loose a howl that sent Hux flying backward into a pillar.
"You test my patience," she snarled. Ropes of hair lashed around his torso, binding him to the stone post. Struggling, Hux tried to raise his sword, but he could not move his arms from his sides. Her hair imprisoned him, blood trickling where the strands garroted his flesh.
Lilith advanced toward him, her hands raised. "I should have killed you years ago. I let you li
ve so that I could enjoy your suffering, but now you have become a nuisance. Now it is time for you to die."
"You first, bitch."
With a sudden blaze, the sword in Hux's hand lit a glowing blue. Spikes of light catapulted outward from the blade, striking Lilith in the face and chest. She staggered back, her yowls shattering the glass in the windows. Coming to my senses, I ran toward them.
Lilith raised her head. Dark rivulets oozed where the light had pierced her, and her eyes burned yellow in her torn face. "You will pay for that," she purred.
Holding up her arms, she chanted syllables of an ancient language. A dark ball grew between her hands; the swirling smoke and black energy pulsated and crackled with malevolence. As if in slowed time, I watched that fatal missile fly from her palms. I saw the spreading smirk upon her red lips as death hurtled keenly, inexorably toward my beloved.
"No," I shouted.
Love is the most powerful protection of all, Abigail.
My aunt's voice broke through my panic. Guided by instinct, by the necklace burning in my hand, I ran toward Lilith. I flung the golden chain over her head.
The cross landed at the base of her throat, upon the scar. There was a clicking, like a key inserted into a lock. Lilith's eyes widened; the flame within them suddenly extinguished. Pulse pounding, I saw the black ball vaporize into nothingness just inches from Hux. All around, the demonic aura began to fade, absorbing into the still stones of the Abbey.
Lilith screeched as she looked upon herself. The injuries upon her skin closed as she shrank to a form purely human. Her hair fell to her sides, long and limp and harmless.
"What have you done to me?" she cried.
I was already racing toward Hux.
"Are you alright?" The words flew from our lips simultaneously.
Shaking, I clutched at his arms, his face, afraid to believe that he was unharmed.
"God, Abigail," he rasped, "Don't you ever scare me like that again. If I have to, I'll chain you to my side, but you are never leaving my sight again."
Overjoyed to hear that familiar arrogant tone, I buried my head into his chest. His fingers tangled fiercely in my hair as I listened to his thundering heartbeat. Too soon, he pulled away.
"There is something I must finish first," he said.
He advanced toward Lilith, who stood still wailing, her hands wrapped around the tiny gold chain. Try as she might, she could not remove the cross; it clung steadfast beneath her throat, bolted there by some holy force. She ran her hands over her mortal form as if she could not believe it real. She tore at her hair, her expression frenzied with rage.
He raised his sword.
"Wait, Hux!" He turned as I put a staying hand on his arm. "You cannot do this."
"Stay out of this, Abigail," he said with barely suppressed rage. "She has caused me a lifetime of pain. Now justice will be done."
Lilith's eyes were wild, crazed. "Go ahead, kill me. Run me through with your man's sword; do as your kind has been doing since the dawn of cursed Adam."
"Hux, please. Listen to me." Even as his dark blue gaze burned into mine, I tightened my grip on his arm. His powerful muscles vibrated beneath my fingertips. "If you kill her now, you will kill the body she inhabits. You said so yourself: you can only destroy the demon when she is surfaced. Lilith is trapped; the cross binds her power. She cannot escape her human form so long as she wears the necklace. And look—you see she cannot remove it."
Tearing out of my grasp, Hux aimed the sword at Lilith. "I do not care who I kill so long as Lilith dies too."
"You do not mean that," I said. "You would not take an innocent life out of a need for revenge. Come away, Hux. Let her go. She is destroyed already."
His ravaged voice ripped into my ears. "Wait for me outside, Abigail."
"I will not go." With a fierce breath, I moved to stand between him and Lilith. "I will not let you harm an innocent soul. One that still lives inside the body that Lilith occupies. I will not have that sin upon your head."
"You don't understand. I have to kill Lilith. If I don't—" Hux broke off into an anguished whisper. "It is the only way to save my brother's soul."
"John is gone. Murdering another will not save him," I said gently.
There was a flash of silver from the altar. A demanding brightness that had all three of us turning our heads. 'Twas like the sun had descended into our midst, and all the candles burst into a welcoming flame. I blinked, unable to discern the details of the small form that emerged from the heart of that brilliance.
Beside me, I heard Hux's choked breath. The spots cleared from my eyes, and I saw who had come before us. He was a small boy, ten years old mayhap, with a head of golden curls. He wore a navy jacket and red muffler. His blue eyes glowed with serenity, his entire being lit with angelic radiance.
"You have done well." His voice washed through me, rich and soothing, filling me with tranquil contentment. "You have done all that has been asked of you. Our bargain is complete."
With moisture-bright eyes, Hux stared at that small figure. I saw his throat ripple, before rusty words emerged. "John is ...?"
"He is home," the boy responded. "He is at peace."
Hux gave a rough nod, and I went to him, wrapping my arms around his waist.
"As for you, Abigail Jones," the angelic voice continued, "worry no longer about your soul. It has shown itself as valiant and pure. Like your ancestor, you have proved your strength against the dark."
"'Twas the necklace," I said humbly. "Its power helped me to defend against Lilith—"
"What is a symbol without its meaning? So is that cross without your love. It is the wearer who decides his fate, not the necklace," the boy intoned. His shining gaze travelled to Lilith, who stood with her arms crossed and expression sulky. "As for Lilith, you may give her over to me. I will see that she stays out of trouble and plagues mankind no more."
To my surprise, Lilith smirked and sashayed over to the diminutive angel. She reached down and twirled a blonde curl around her finger. With a bit of her old spark, she said, "Plan to do a better job with me than you did the last time, Michael?"
"My mistake will not be repeated," the boy said calmly, though I thought I saw pink tinge his cherubic countenance. "Time for us to go now, Lilith, and leave these people in peace."
He waved his hand. Ribbons of the silver light appeared, spiraling around him and Lilith's petulant form. When the dazzling intensity grew too much to bear, I turned my head into Hux's chest. There was a sound like a thunderclap, and then nothing.
After a few moments, I felt my chin being tipped up. I looked into Hux's eyes; they were the clear blue that follows a passing storm.
"Is it over?" I asked.
Hux smiled at me, a look so tender that my heart squeezed.
"No, love, it's just beginning," he said and kissed me.
EPILOGUE
Reader, I married him.
Two weeks later, in the same Abbey where we had fought and defeated the Queen of Demons, Hux and I exchanged our vows. We had invited only the staff and so expected a small ceremony. But the pews were brimming. Curious villagers, mostly, come to witness the scandalous wedding of an earl and a maid. Hux and I did not care. We had eyes only for each other. As we walked together down the aisle, joined in name now as well as love, I heard a cheerful whistle. I smiled at a waving Ginny. Beside her was a sturdy young man whose eyes kept darting to the pinched-faced matron flanking his other side.
Hux and I exited into the sunshine with the peal of bells spilling through the air. A gleaming carriage awaited to take us to Portsmouth. Tomorrow, we were to board a ship for France, the start of a long honeymoon on the Continent. Pausing a moment, I looked behind at the excited faces. I saw one eager figure, in particular, jostling for position. Everywhere around her people glared as her skinny elbows jammed right and left. I heard grunts of Damnit, Pickled Peg, get out o' the way and a snide comment of Ain't no 'ope for you, Maggie, so best leave the catchin' to the othe
r girls.
Taking aim in my mind, I let loose the bouquet.
"I got it! Me! I got it!"
Grinning at Maggie's stunned face, I let Hux hand me up. The carriage rolled into motion, and my new husband took my hands and kissed them each in turn.
"Still soft," he murmured, a gleam in his eyes.
Remembering, I wrapped my arms around his neck. "I thought you were so wicked back then."
His wandering lips skimmed, warm and sure, along my neck. "And now?"
"And now," I sighed, "I know you are."
Pulling back, he aimed that slow, knowing smile at me, the one I was certain would curl my toes for the rest of my days. "Ah, but I think you have a taste for the devil, my sweet. After all, you knew the rumors about me, you read those licentious letters,"—his breath teased over my ear, and I shivered at the naughty nip that followed—"and you still couldn't keep away."
Though I would have gladly followed this train of thought, his words prodded a sudden memory. A lingering question. "Speaking of rumors," I said, "there is something I've been meaning to ask you."
"Yes, love?"
"'Tis about Mrs. Beecher." Thinking of my dear friend, I felt a bittersweet pang. I was certain both she and Aunt Agnes had watched over us this day. "She told me once she owed you a debt. That you took her on when no one else would."
Hux regarded me with a steady gaze. "Yes."
"Did you know about her ... relationship with my aunt?"
"There were rumors about Rebecca," he said after a moment. "About an incident at her prior post. The scandal had apparently cost her the position."
"And yet you hired her?"
As his knuckles grazed my cheek, he said simply, "Who am I to judge love?"
The perimeter of my heart stretched to contain all that I felt for this extraordinary man. My husband. "I love you so much," I whispered and leaned up to kiss him.
But he halted me with two fingers placed upon my lips. "Come to think of it," he said, "there is something I've been meaning to ask myself."
"Oh?"
His brow arched in question. "When I found you with Lilith in the Abbey. What was she saying to you to make you give up the necklace? What did she use to try to sway you, to seduce you to the dark side?"
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