Semiramis The Vessel

by Maya Daniels

  “Come, my love. We must go through or it will be all for nothing. The portal is starting to fade,” he says with his face in my neck.

  “Go, Alexia. I will keep my promise and look after her,” Inanna says, sitting down on her knees and taking hold of Remi.

  “Both of them,” I point numbly towards Philip as Daisy pulls him closer to her.

  “Yes, love. Both of them.” Her voice cracks on the last word.

  “Jez, you go with them. Remi might need you.” I tell Jezzinta and she finally gets animated.

  “No, I’m going with you.” There is desperation in her voice.

  “Sis, I can’t handle it if you get hurt, too, please. Besides, Remi will love to see one of us when she wakes up,” I tell her.

  She bursts out crying and starts walking, hunched, through the portal. I couldn’t stop her since she was right next to it. I’m still in some crazy reality in my head. I know I’m in denial, but I think I want to stay in it forever. I can’t face it otherwise. Everything is happening beyond my control and all I can do is watch. Inanna has her head bowed on top of Remi and I look away because it might bring me back to reality. Lucifer pulls me gently towards the portal, and my feet start moving slowly like I’m walking through a quicksand. As we reach the portal, he stops to let me walk through first. I search his eyes and the sadness in them twists my insides so hard I feel lightheaded. I blink down at my bloody hands. It’s my sister’s blood covering them like paint. Turning my head and looking over my shoulder, I lock eyes with Sin first. There is some emotion there that looks a hell of a lot like respect, but I refuse to think about it. He nods solemnly at me, and I look at Ishtar. She is standing proud and regal next to him with not a trace of remorse about what she did. I look into her eyes for a long moment but there is nothing there.

  “When this is all over, if I live, I’m coming for you!” I tell her evenly. Not a threat, a promise.

  “I know,” is all she says.

  With that clear, I turn around and step through the portal with Lucifer right on my heels. We step into the biggest storm I have ever experienced in my life.

  36

  Lucifer…

  I know why everything played out as it did. What angers me the most is that I played a part in it, unaware of their plans. My heart breaks for Alexia, but I cannot say anything to make her feel better. The sacrifice had to be made and Ishtar, in her twisted way, made it easier on Alexia. She made sure it wasn’t Alexia making the decision of who the sacrifice would be. By acting the villain, she let the sacrifice come on its own. No, it does not make things easier to bear, but I am just like them. Or I was, until Alexia changed me without me knowing it happened. I understand the goddess’s reasoning and how she sees it as though they did Alexia a favor. We do have twisted ideas of right and wrong when it comes to humanity, I see that now. I feel gutted that I cannot do anything to spare her this pain.

  I feel powerless…

  That is a sobering thought for me. How is it possible that I feel this gut-wrenching need to protect her from everything, including herself, yet I cannot do a thing to make it so? She is still in shock, or perhaps she is making sure to stay in denial so she can deal with what is to come. There is no emotion on her face until she looks down at the blood on her hands. I watch her face closely in the hope that I will know how to help her if she lets me. She frowns at them, blinking slowly, like she’s not sure if it is real or a dream. A long time passes, and as I am about to nudge her to go through the portal, she speaks and dread pulls in my heart.

  “When this is all over, if I live, I’m coming for you!” she tells Ishtar with such promise in her voice that my body shivers.

  “I know,” Ishtar answers, and as Alexia turns towards the portal, I see sadness in her eyes. She nods at me.

  As I said, I understand the twisted sentiment in it all, but it does not make it right. At this very moment, I vow to myself and the creator that I shall be all that she needs me to be. I will love her so completely that even knowing I cannot erase her pain and loss, she will have a will to live. She must, or I shall be no more. Not without her.

  After I step behind her through the portal, my wings spring out on their own, keeping me in place in a middle of a storm. Winds with great intensity slam into me. I have to use all I have to remain standing and supporting Alexia as well, since they press her to my front so hard I can feel her heart beating on my skin through her back.

  I look around, trying to see where Jezzinta is. The last thing Alexia could handle at the moment is losing her, too,. I keep twisting and turning while trying to remain standing, but I can’t see anything because of the sand getting in my eyes. I have to keep blinking.

  “I can’t see Jez,” Alexia yells over the winds.

  “I am looking, my love. We shall find her,” I yell back just as I spot a lump in the distance. “Look, she must have taken cover there.” I point towards it, still holding one arm wrapped around Alexia.

  We start moving extremely slowly towards it. For each step we take, we must stop because it feels as though the winds pick up to stop us from moving. The lump disappears and reappears closer to us. I hope I don’t have to fight it whatever it is. That would mean letting go of Alexia, and I am not willing to do that.

  “It’s moving,” she says and I just nod.

  The lump does it again couple of times until it’s easily recognized. A grin splits my face at how smart the witch is. Jezzinta is using her magick and pulling a big rock from the ground to protect her from the winds. Everything else is flat desert, full of nothing but sand. She is yelling something we can’t hear, waving her arms for us to come to her. We start moving again, but as we get closer the ground starts shaking, lowering the rock where Jezzinta is hiding. We stop moving, and the ground stops shaking. Jezzinta’s eyes are wide, and determination is set on her face. She lowers the rock into the ground, crawls as fast as she can and starts pulling it up again. Only this time it’s not coming up and the winds start pushing her farther away from us. Alexia panics and starts pulling away from me but I hold on tight. A rock pops up again when the wind pushes Jezzinta far enough from us. Alexia stops struggling.

  “We cannot get closer; it’s not letting us. If we try, she may get hurt,” I yell over the winds, hoping we will not debate for long because the longer we stay like this, the more tired I get. My shoulder blades ache from the pull of the winds on my wings.

  Alexia looks like she is debating with herself. She looks at Jezzinta with a frown of desperation and I don’t need to be able to read her mind to know that she is debating whether she is fast and strong enough to make it there without harming Jezzinta. I shake my head at her. I can feel the truth, that we wouldn’t make it.

  “We must find shelter and wait it out!” I tell her, my voice getting lost in the howling around us.

  She looks from me to Jezzinta and back. I can see when she realizes that there really is nothing she can do at the moment. Nodding her head, she closes her eyes and lifts her hands in front of her. My skin prickles as her powers surge through them and burst towards Jezzinta. Like a shield, sands lift and block the path of her powers before reaching Jezzinta. Alexia tries couple more times before she stops, sweat beading on her forehead. Jezzinta waves her arms to get our attention and as we watch she pulls two more rocks around her making it like a little cave big enough for her to curl up in and be safe. She pokes her head out, giving us a thumbs up, and Alexia relaxes next to me.

  “She will be safe,” I tell her, only because I feel useless and feel the need to comfort her somehow.

  She nods at me and, turning around so she can lean her back on my chest, she lifts her hands up, making her magick swirl and creating a dome-like barrier around us that looks like frosted glass. Ice. It’s breathtakingly beautiful, just like the one who created it. The sound of the outside is muted and my body sags a little since I don’t have to be tense to stay standing anymore.

  “That should do it, I think,” she says evenly.
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  “Yes, I believe it will,” I tell her.

  “Let’s hope the storm doesn’t last long. We need to get moving so we can get back as fast as we can. I need to check on Remi.”

  “Alexia…”

  “Don’t you dare say a word! I don’t want to hear it right now.” She cuts me off and I swallow the words I was about to say.

  She is still standing with her back towards me, shoulders tense and breathing hard like she is fighting a battle. Well, she is fighting a battle, only I cannot help her with it. I can, however, make her stop thinking about it for a little while. We are stuck here, waiting for the storm to end, after all.

  “Come to me, Alexia. Let me hold you for a while.”

  “Why? I don’t need comforting, Lucifer. I need to kill something. Preferably Tiamat or Ishtar, but anything will do at this point”

  “If you kill me, will that make you feel better?”

  “It might…” She finally looks over her shoulder and smirks at me but there is great sadness in her eyes that rips my heart.

  Without a word I pull her to me and kiss her so deeply my own mind goes blank and all I can think about is the way she tastes on my lips.

  37

  Alexia…

  Lucifer’s presence is all-consuming as it is. His lips devour mine and it’s an experience all on its own. My body responds to his like two magnets do. He acts; I react. It’s the only way to describe such in-tune connection. I like to fool myself that it’s because he’s carrying my soul around his neck, but I’m adult enough to admit it that he managed to wiggle his angel ass into my heart and has no plans of leaving. The worst part about it is that I don’t mind. Not anymore, anyway. I feel dead inside and he can make me feel alive, if only for a short while.

  He angles my head so he has better access to my mouth and tangles our tongues, sucking, nipping, and sipping on my lips, driving me insane. Wrapping one arm around my waist, he pulls me so close to him that it feels like my bones will break, but all I can think about is that bulge that's poking my belly. My toes curl, and my knees go weak so I sag in his arms, unable to stand on my own. Moaning deep in my throat, I tangle my hands in his long dark hair, enjoying the feel of the silky strands sliding through my fingers.

  “You are driving me out of my mind, woman,” he growls, coming up for air and I find it difficult to concentrate on his face. I feel dazed.

  A pathetic whimper passes my lips. I want to kick myself for it, but apparently it’s the correct sound to make, because he gets a gleam in his eyes and goes on kissing me while a rumbling sound comes from his chest. I’m totally on board with this, because obviously I can’t control the sounds I make when he’s not kissing me. I also think I might do something stupid, like begging him to just take my clothes off as well as his own.

  He lifts me up, and automatically, I wrap my legs around his lean hips, locking my ankles behind him. Then, kicking my sneakers off, I pull him closer to where I need him to be. This makes the slits of the dress part, leaving my bare legs around him and he groans as soon as his hand makes contact with my skin. He glides it from my knee slowly up towards my hip, sliding it under my thigh and under the dress so he can grab my ass and pull me onto his erection. He pulls back, away from our kiss and I look at him, wondering what’s wrong, but my words get stuck at the intensity I see in his eyes.

  “I’m not going to let you get away this time. I’m going to fuck you so hard right now that you will feel me between your legs for years even if I am not there.” His deep voice makes goosebumps spring up all over me.

  Heat pools between my legs like a furnace and my wetness drenches my panties from his words alone. My body shivers uncontrollably in his arms.

  “Promises, promises,” I mumble, panting because I feel like I will die if he actually changes his mind.

  “You’ll beg me to stop.”

  With those words, he drops my legs, grabs the top of my dress and pulls it down to my hips. With another jerk of the hand, the dress drops and pools around my ankles. I stand in front of him in my panties, the choker with chains dancing on my collarbone from my panting and my gloves. Slowly and deliberately he reaches for my panties and all I can hear is a tearing sound that makes my heart jump in my throat. He rips them from my body like they were made of paper. The corners of his mouth lift slightly in a triumphant, barely-there smile and he steps back, looking me up and down.

  “You are beautiful, my love,” he says hoarsely.

  “And you are wearing too many clothes,” I point out, making him chuckle.

  “So I am,” he says and pulls his shirt over his head.

  No matter how many times I see him, I can’t help admiring his beauty. He hates it when I call him beautiful, but if I’m honest, not even that word does him justice. Defined arms flex with his movements as he removes his clothes. Broad shoulders lead down to defined pecs and a six pack that makes my mouth water just looking at it. A v-shape points to muscular thighs and calves. Even his feet look beautiful. I realize he is already naked, standing still, letting me take him in. My eyes zero in on the erection that’s pointing up towards his bellybutton and I gulp. I never really paid attention to its size and my knees go weak again. My nipples are so hard they hurt, and my insides shake as I watch it bob up and down as if it knows I’m looking at it. Lucifer makes a pained sound, and my eyes jerk to his face. He does look like he is in pain and I smirk at him. His face changes into a predatory mask and he takes a step towards me. I take an involuntary step back. His erection jerks at that and I gulp. What the fuck is wrong with me? It’s not like I haven’t seen a cock before. I’m no shrinking violet, but with him it’s different. I know everything will be different, and it freaks me out.

  I should’ve thought of that before we were naked. Without warning, he grabs my arm and pulls me into a kiss. As soon as we touch skin to skin, all thoughts fly from my head and only lust floods my veins like an avalanche.

  38

  Lucifer…

  I try to not move and let her take me in. I have always had pride, but never in the way I looked. Seeing her eyes swirl with lust and the breath come out in little pants when she looks at my naked body makes me want to howl; my chest bursting with pride. I can feel that she likes what she sees, and for the first time it’s unguarded. Clenching my fists at my sides, I feel my cock jerk at her appraisal. Her eyes snap to my face, and I grimace. This is harder than any battle I have ever participated in. Seeing her smirk snaps my control and I do my best not to smile. She takes a step back with a panicked look in her eyes, and it throws control out the window. Grabbing her arm, I start feasting on her mouth.

  Husky moans come from her, driving me insane, and I try to devour her. I am making noises I was not sure I was capable of, but I cannot think of that now. She said she was mine once, and I’ll make her understand how true that is now. Pushing her backwards with my body, I press her between the barrier and myself. I lift her up and she wraps her long legs around my hips, leaving my hands free to roam. Leaving her mouth, I start trailing kisses down her neck, and she moves her head to the side, giving me more room. I smile on her skin. I do not think she understands how trusting this position is, leaving her neck bared to me, how submissive. I have no intention of telling her. Not until I’m done. My chest hurts from the emotions she stirs in my heart.

  Stepping back a little, I leave only her shoulders leaning on the barrier. I make her body arch towards me and bring her breasts up towards my waiting mouth. I latch onto her pebbled nipple and she grabs the back of my head, holding me there. I lash her nipple with my tongue relentlessly until she is wild with need and she makes desperate sounds in her throat. My cock pulses, caught between us, but I still have other plans first. She wiggles, trying to get it where she needs it and I slap her butt cheek to make her stop. She gasps and jerks her head up, looking at me with wide eyes.

  “You didn’t just spank me.” She growls at me, and I grin at her.

  To prove a point, I do it again on her
other butt cheek and push two fingers inside her simultaneously. A gasp and a loud moan battle each other from her, and she gushes her juices all over my hand. It makes me groan painfully and pre-cum beads on the tip of my cock.

  “I think you like it, witch.” I smirk at her and latch on her other nipple, biting it gently and lashing it with my tongue.

  The woman in my arms goes wild. I was caught so off-guard that it took me a second to realize what she was doing. One second I was knuckles deep in her, sucking on her nipple, the next I was on the ground on my back, and as I started lifting my head to see what happened, my cock was engulfed in the cavern of a warm mouth. My eyes roll to the back of my head.

  She pushes her pursed lips over the head and as it enters her mouth, she sucks it in as far as it will go. Curses pass my lips out of my control. I reach for her head to pull her away, but she swats my hands away.

  “Ah, ah, ah…bad angel. No touching! It’s my turn now,” she purrs, nipping gently on the underside and making me jerk in her hand.

  “You will be the death of me,” I tell her, fighting for breath.

  “That’s the plan,” is all she says before sucking me into her mouth and all the way into her throat. I see stars .

  My hips jerk involuntarily, and I look sharply at her, worried I might hurt her. Locking eyes with me with a mischievous sparkle in them, she doesn’t look away as I watch myself disappear and pop back out from her mouth. It’s so hot seeing her like this, her hair falling like a curtain all over my thighs and hips and my cock in her mouth. A loud moan passes my lips, and she slowly lifts up and releases me with another pop. While she lifts herself up, she reaches below and starts massaging my balls in her palm, making me shudder. Without missing a beat, she crawls on top of me, and before I have a chance to reach for her, she kisses me and I lose my train of thought.