“I don’t want a perfect life, I just want you,” Lily whispered vigorously.
Samael smiled, delighted. He turned her aside as he found himself upon her now, and his long brown hair scattered on her face. Lily laughed loudly, trying to free her hands, but Samael’s grasp was too tight.
“You can’t escape from me,” he laughed.
“I wouldn’t even if I could,” Lily replied seriously. The room fell quiet. Only Lily’s breath broke the noiselessness until Samael’s lips covered hers.
7. The Grail
Silence settled into Lily’s room, but this silence was full of happiness. Lily had never felt like this before she met Samael. She was lying on her side while Samael was holding her in his arms from behind. He held her so protectively, as though there might be someone around who would try to steal her from his arms. Lily felt his breath on her skin. It was warm and full of hope for a good future. She still couldn’t believe that the guy lying with her now was real, it seemed to her a wonderful dream of the kind she had had all her life.
Lily still couldn’t escape the thought that Samael had set someone up to follow her. If he ever had done so, Lily thought of letting it go for now. She was too happy to ruin it. She’d question him later, maybe in the morning.
Everything between them had happened so fast that it distracted Lily for a moment. A day ago all she wanted – all she desired – was to forget the gorgeous, unearthly handsome guy who held her now. But now here they were, together in the same bed, and the idea of forgetting him was the last thought in her mind. She wanted to be wrapped in his arms and feel protected. Was she in love with him? Just an expression of his sage eyes had conquered her heart. She wondered whether all these were real. What does Samael see in me? She was questioning herself even while they lay together silently. The answer was deep in a mystical and cloudy room that Lily wasn’t ready to enter yet, therefore, trying to figure out the answer, she fell asleep without realizing it.
*
Samael remained motionless for a while, like a statue, until Lily was deep asleep. He wasn’t tired or exhausted at all. When he sat up, he let her out of his embrace. His green eyes widened and gleamed in the dark room, like a cat’s eyes in darkness. His right hand approached her back slowly, and he traced his finger over her spine to her right shoulder. His eyes were staring at her birthmark which Nancy had called the “Holy Grail.” He froze, examining the birthmark, and time froze with him. It took him some minutes, then he jerked up and off the bed as if he had seen a snake under the covers. He hurried into his jeans and got out the room barefoot and bare-chested. Everything had happened quickly and noiselessly, and Lily heard nothing.
Finding himself in the living room, Samael paused, looking around absentmindedly as though he had seen something strange in the dark, then he rushed toward the door and out of the house. As he got onto the dark street, he started to run. His eyes were unblinkingly fixed ahead. There was no human expression in them, his eyes were filled with malice, like he was a beast pursuing his victim.
There was a moment when his speed increased to an unbelievable rate, and then there was a swish and Samael disappeared in the darkness like smoke. In next to no time, he appeared in an unearthly, beautiful, isolated place surrounded by tall green trees. The ground was covered with dense grass, and rays of sunlight rippled through the leaves like a liquid and stretched around, illuminating the beauty of a nature that couldn’t be found on earth. Birds’ songs floated in the air, making Samael raise his head and look up into the sky through the trees’ branches. The trees withdrew as though they were living things, giving the sunlight enough space to penetrate into the heart of the forest. It illuminated him like a spotlight.
Samael closed his eyes and opened his arms wide. Enjoying the warmth of the sun, two shining things materialized on his back. In some seconds his gray wings straightened out wide.
A man’s voice reached him from behind, interrupting the pleasurable moment.
“Samael,” it said. It was more a whisper, coming from a long way away, but just strong enough to be heard.
The wings folded themselves calmly. Samael’s eyes slid open. He didn’t move, but the corner of his eye twitched nervously. He knew the person stalking close from behind.
“What are you doing here?” Samael asked with a hoarse voice.
The newcomer regarded his surroundings, sighing deeply. “Such a beautiful place, and so soulless.” he spoke with confidence avoiding the question addressed to him. “Who knew it would become an icy reign. Every time walking along this garden I remember the first day it was created. Nothing has been changed,” he said, looking into the sky as a cold grin curled over his lips, “except for the addition of humans.”
“Have you come to tell me the tale I have been witnessing since my creation, Michael?” Samael cut him off stiffly.
“No.” The newcomer’s voice remained kind. He lingered for some seconds. “I’ve come to visit my brother. It’s been a long time since we last saw each other.”
“Almost an eternity, Michael,” Samael attested, turning to face the newcomer at last. He saw two cold, blue eyes locked on him. Michael was a little taller than Samael, and pale white, but the shine of his face in the sunlight could tempt anybody. He wore white clothes which made him look paler than usual, and his brilliance under the sun could blind a normal person looking at him. But not Samael. “Why do I come to your mind only now, brother? What have I done to gain such an honor?”
“Duty brought me to you,” Michael replied, stepping toward Samael, who stood his ground like a stone. Reaching him, he put his hands on Samael’s shoulders. “You were always emotionless and cold, even towards your brothers,” Michael announced. “But I don’t get offended, my brother.”
Samael kept silent, staring into Michael’s eyes with wonder. Perhaps he behaved coldly, but his eyes bore more life than Michael’s. Receiving no answer, Michael took his hands off Samael and turned aside to look at the trees and enjoy the beauty surrounding him.
“I remember this place,” he said, pointing ahead with a grin. “There is a river over there behind that hill, isn’t there? And there is a chairlike stone, where Adam used to sit all day long. He looked so poor in those days.” Michael tilted his head in displeasure, taking a long pause. Then he went on. “What is on your mind, Samael? I doubted my ears at first, when I was told the heir of Eve is alive and that it’s a female.” He peered back surreptitiously. “It means you were exiled for nothing. The line hasn’t been cut. I wonder, why did you choose such a life? You could be in Heaven by now.”
“I daresay you understand everything very well, Michael,” Samael chortled sarcastically. “Sacrificing myself, I gave Heaven one more chance to be protected from Lucifer, didn’t I?”
“Yes, you did,” Michael agreed.
“You followed her, you saw us together and you doubted if I was still devoted to our principles.” Samael passed his hand through his hair, and his serious eyes looked around. “You wonder why I haven’t done anything yet.”
“You did. You told Raphael about her.”
“You’ve got a traitor, Michael. However, you don’t want to admit it,” Samael said abruptly. He sounded too confident, as if he knew who the traitor was.
“And you want to prove me it, don’t you? What if I am the traitor? Hasn’t it ever crossed your mind?”
“You’re kidding with me, aren’t you?” Samael laughed heartily, but Michael remained serious. “You – the angel who learned to love the Father first of all – would never go against Heaven.”
“You’re too certain your theory,” Michael remarked and exhaled, “but you’re right.”
“I’m always right,” Samael said smugly.
There was a little pause, and the archangel Michael gazed into Samael’s green eyes to discover any secrets in them, but soon he was forced to give up.
“What do you need me to do for you?” Michael asked thoughtfully.
“Just support me when I
need it, okay?”
“Deal,” Michael agreed in some seconds. “But don’t try to fool me, Samael, otherwise you will meet my wrath. I didn’t allow Lucifer to destroy our Father’s creation,” he said, inhaling deeply. “Thus be sure, I won’t let anyone else ruin it. Not even you, little brother.”
“It’s already ruined,” Samael sneered, giving a dismissive wave. “You were in such a hurry to beat Lucifer down that you didn’t notice the power he possessed. He’d destroy everything you see around you in the blink of an eye if I don’t keep these gates, brother.” With enthusiasm, he opened his arms wide. “If you don’t stop Lucifer now, then you can never defeat him again, and you know that as well. You’ve got to run the risk–”
“Yeah, I’ve got to run the risk by trusting you again,” Michael remarked harshly. He turned around and slowly walked away into the trees. “We both know who she is, Samael,” Michael stopped for a second, throwing his last words over his shoulder. “She can’t live on. The gates of your reign can’t fall because of her like it happened to Lucifer. Anyhow, you can’t save her and Eden both, you will have to choose between them. The same way Lucifer chose between Eve and Hell.” With this, two bright and smoky wings grew on his back, and in an instant he rose into the air and vanished into the blueness of the sky.
8. Devils
The street was dense with darkness when Lily lazily opened her eyes and turned over in the bed. She yawned, reaching for where Samael should’ve been, but the “prince” of her dreams was gone.
She sat bolt upright, her drowsy expression sliding off her face. Holding her breath, she looked around in search of the guy who had come and conquered her heart several hours ago. She switched on the lantern beside the cupboard. His shirt and shoes were tossed on the floor, and she sighed in relief thinking Samael had just gone to the kitchen or the toilet.
Regaining her sleepy look, Lily slid out under the covers. With another yawn, she stood on her feet, and swaying, and made her way out of the bedroom.
“Samael,” she called out as soon as she was out the room, but the house remained silent and dark. Where could Samael have gone?
The kitchen light was off and the bathroom was empty. There was no sign of Samael in the house at all. Lily shook her head to fully wake herself up. Her stomach had dropped unpleasantly as she realized he had left her. But why he had gone out without his shoes and shirt? She ran back into her bedroom to check whether she had seen them correctly. Samael’s shirt was still on the floor.
Lily knelt down and picked it up, bringing it close to her nose. His smell circled her head and for a moment it seemed to her that Samael was standing behind her with wide open arms. She wheeled around and met nobody.
With rueful eyes she came up to the bed and sat down on it.
“Why did you do this to me?” she whispered to herself, covering her face with his shirt. Tears burst out of her eyes. She thought that the only reason Samael had slept with her was the sex, nothing more. It seemed to be a one night stand. But he meant more to her.
Lily threw his shirt aside angrily and lay on the bed, burying her tearful eyes in the pillow. This is what rich and handsome guys do to girls played in her head, like somebody planted those words into her mind.
Lily muttered something about hating him under her breath. A muffled thud barked back from the living room. Lily tilted her head and stood immobilized, her ears straining for the faintest sound. Somebody was walking around the living room slowly, trying not to make noise. Was it Samael?
With a sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach, she padded toward the door. She put her ear against the door for any sound, but whomever was in the living room seemed to have stopped walking. Nancy had told her that she wouldn’t come home and would stay at Mike’s. Had she changed her mind? Or was it Samael who had come back to her again… maybe for his clothes and shoes?
But Lily’s heart felt trouble coming from the living room. She could reach for her cell phone and call Nancy for help, but neither she nor Mike could come and rescue her soon enough. Mike’s place was far away, about twenty minutes by car. There were two options left: first, stay in the room, keep quiet and wait until whoever was in the living-room leaved, or get out of the bedroom and figure out what was going on.
Lily stepped back to the jeans she had tossed on the floor, put them on as fast as she could, and fished out her cell phone. Texting Nancy that there might be a stranger in the living room, she put it back into her pocket and reached for the door again.
No sound came from the other room. Had she imagined it? No way. It had been clear. Whatever had made that sound was either gone, or standing still behind the door and waiting.
Lily couldn’t stay in the room, in the blackness. Her heart trembled and was ready to burst out of her chest. She wouldn’t survive the fear she felt now.
Breathing deeply, she tried to relax her body, and reached for the knob. As she entered the living room her blue eyes searched around, but the room was covered in darkness. An average person wouldn’t be able to make out anything. She waited while her eyes adjusted to the darkness, then padded ahead. Lily felt a weakness in her legs, but she kept walking slowly, expecting somebody to leap at her at any moment.
“Anybody there?” Lily called out with a shaking voice, but her voice echoed through the room before it was swallowed by the quiet.
The silence didn’t relax her. On the contrary, she felt as if somebody’s presence was playing a scary game with her. Lily edged toward the wall on her right and reached for the switch.
For the first moment her eyes spotted nothing strange as the light came on, but soon the moment passed. Her stomach turned to water when she saw a man with curly hair sitting in the armchair where Nancy liked to sit. He stared at her with enormous black eyes. He wore a black costume and black tie with a white shirt.
Lily leaned against the wall and stood there immobilized, unable to utter a sound. Her throat dried up, turning her speechless. For a second she thought that her heart would stop as she saw those two black eyes that were shining in the light. The man was very handsome, but his expression was full of malice. He was like a beautiful devil walking on earth.
“Who are you? What do you want?” Lily managed to say with a trembling voice. She was stuck to the wall like discarded gum, almost forgetting to breathe. Her mind seemed to stop working, and her feelings betrayed her. “If you want money, it’s in the bedroom,” she pointed to the right, “take it and get out, but please, don’t touch me.” All those words she had heard in films before, and upon finding herself in a situation like this, they instinctively came out of her mouth.
“Please, calm down,” the stranger raised his hand in the air. “I’m not here to rob you. I won’t touch you either.”
“Then why are you here? What are you looking for here?”
“You are Lily Cage, aren’t you?” The stranger asked quietly.
“Yes, do you know me?” she asked, the fear within her squeezing at her throat.
The stranger inhaled, and his eyes found her with some kind of gracious expression in them. Lily peered around quickly, trying to find the shortest way to escape, but the nearest door was her bedroom and it would be no help – it was a dead end.
“Come,” the man said, and motioned to the chair next to him, “take a seat, dear.”
“Not until you tell me who you are and what you want,” Lily insisted.
“Okay.” A cold smile briefly curled over his lips. “My name is Beelzebub. I’m some kind of–” he paused, then, as if he didn’t know how to present himself without being strange or scary.
“What?” Lily pressed.
“Some kind of angel,” Beelzebub went on boldly.
“What?” Lily’s surprise was obvious. She gawked at him. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” she smirked.
None of Beelzebub’s face muscles twitched. With a sharp look, his eyes followed Lily, who in turn seemed to find humor in his words.
“It’s impossib
le,” Lily convinced herself, chortling. “Angels only exist in books,” she said, remembering Nancy’s words.
“I know, it’s a shocking thing. But you’ve got to think straight and accept the truth. As such, you’d better take a seat and listen to me. Please,” he said, and pointed to the chair again.
“But it’s insane,” Lily muttered, dropping her eyes downwards to the floor. “How can you prove it?”
“I needn’t prove it. You know, I’m right.” Beelzebub leaned back into the armchair, crossing his legs. “You saw Samael, you know he isn’t an average man, don’t you?”
Lily froze. She recalled the wings she saw on Samael’s back the day they met in the club, and the dreams with Samael as an angel. She felt a tremble in her legs. Shock ran its way through her whole body. The wall kept her from tumbling to the floor. She leaned against it and slid down to the parquet.
“Yes, you saw his true colors, didn’t you?” Beelzebub sounded confident. “But it seemed crazy, and you acted as though you didn’t believe it. I would do the same if I were a human, don’t worry.”
Lily glanced up obliquely. “Did he send you?”
“Not exactly.” With a wave, a pack of cigarettes and a lighter rushed out of Beelzebub’s pocket autonomously. They hung in mid-air in front of him so he could reach for them easily. It was obvious he did it on purpose to prove to Lily that he was not a typical human. With a distracted look, she followed his motions. “I came to rescue you, dear,” he said, lighting his cigarette.
“Rescue me from whom?” Lily asked rapidly, gazing at the smoke filling the room. Then she found his leering eyes.
“From the life you’re living now, Lily,” he said with a mystical voice. “Didn’t you ever notice there is something strange about you? The life you’ve been living isn’t for you, do you understand me?” Looking on her confused expression, he didn’t let her say anything. “Listen, Lily. It’s hard to explain to you the things you’ve got to know. We’d better go together, and I promise I will show you everything.”
Godforsaken: Book 1 (Shade of Light) Page 9