It felt odd holding a book in his hand instead of his tablet. Even his Bible was located inside of the sleek little device. And yet, at the same time, there was something inherently nice about holding an actual book instead of an electronic storage device. Maybe it had something to do with the feel of paper beneath his fingertips. It had a certain charm to it, this feeling, though he couldn’t figure out why.
Members of the Executioners are not allowed to become intimate with others. Or at least, they shouldn’t.
He and Lilith rested with their backs against the tree. They sat with their legs straight out in front of them, their respective left and right thigh almost touching. Another centimeter or two and they would have physical contact.
Intimacy breeds conflict with our creeds and laws.
Christian knew that few Executioners followed this creed anymore. It was inevitable, he supposed. With the increase in supernatural activity, the Church had to recruit people other than those raised in their orphanages. Many of these newer Executioners didn’t believe in God, followed no religion, and therefore didn’t believe that the laws their organization upheld applied to them.
When you fall in love with someone, you’re forced into choosing between your duty to God and the person you love. That’s why romantic relationships are not allowed within the Executioners.
He’d never really thought about romance himself. Having been raised by the Church since he was six years old, the idea of falling in love, of getting married and starting a family, had never occurred to him before.
It shouldn’t be occurring to me now.
“Christian…”
I shouldn’t be thinking about this, especially not about a girl who I just met a few days ago.
“Christian.”
What is wrong with me?
“Christian!”
“Huh?” Christian’s attention snapped over to Lilith, whose frown spoke of concern mixed with mild annoyance at being ignored. “I’m sorry, Lilith, I was distracted by the story. You were saying?”
“I said I was ready for you to flip the page,” she informed him, still looking at him with an odd tilt to her head. “But if you’re not finished…”
“No, no, I just finished.” He flipped to the next page. Lilith stared at him a moment longer before shrugging off his behavior and focusing on the unfolding story. Christian tried to do the same, but his mind remained unable to focus on the words.
Of course, it’s not like I’m in love with her or anything. No. Of course not. This isn’t like some kind of light novel, where the hero and heroine fall in love on their first meeting, but, still… He looked at Lilith, who was focused intently on the story. Her small tongue poked out from between her lips, and her brows were furrowed in a cute gesture of concentration. Shaking his head, he looked back at the lines of text, seeing and yet not seeing them. It’s only been a day, and I’m already beginning to enjoy her presence more than I feel comfortable with.
He had never been in this position before. Even if forming romantic attachments weren’t against the Executioners’ creed and laws, his job as an Executioner didn’t leave him enough time to pursue romance. When he wasn’t on a mission, he was training for missions. That was all his life consisted of. He wouldn’t even know how to go about creating something as important and meaningful as a loving relationship with a member of the opposite sex.
“Okay, now I know something is wrong. You’re not even paying attention to the story anymore.”
Christian’s thoughts were shattered by Lilith’s voice. He looked at her again, at the frown on her face, the open concern in her eyes. He tried ignoring the way his heart felt like it was melting. He really didn’t want to deal with this unusual sensation right now.
“I’m sorry; I guess my mind’s preoccupied with something.”
“Preoccupied with what?”
“Oh, this and that.”
The pout Lilith gave him in response was adorable. Her cheeks swelled like a blowfish and turned an appealing shade of pink. He felt a strange urge to place his hands on her cheeks and push the air in them out.
“That’s not a very good answer.”
He smiled. “I was just thinking about my job. I’m always so busy that I almost never have time to just sit back and relax like this.”
“That reminds me, you never did tell me what your job is.”
“No, I didn’t, did I?”
“Are you being purposely vague with me?”
“Heh… maybe.”
The two stared at each other for a long moment. Several seconds passed in which their eyes never left the others face.
“He-he-he-he …”
“Hahahaha …”
They broke out in simultaneous bouts of laughter. Several older ladies walking past them looked at the two and smiled. Several comments about how cute they looked together were made, but he and Lilith ignored them in favor of continuing to laugh. Light laughter soon trickled into the occasional snicker, before even that died down.
“You know something? I had a really good time today,” Lilith told him.
“Yeah.” Christian’s smile was, much to his surprise, completely genuine. “I had a pretty good time as well.” He paused, and then made a small amendment to his statement. “Except for when we were surrounded by all those guys. That wasn’t much fun.”
Lilith shuddered. “Agreed.”
“Anyway, it’s getting pretty late.” Christian looked up at the sun. It was nearly halfway down the horizon line. An array of colors splashed against the sky; a streak of orange, a touch of purple, and a hint of red, all of which mixed together and made the sky appear reminiscent of multicolored flames. It looked like God had gone all out on this evening’s sunset. “We should probably get you back home.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
Christian looked over at Lilith as she released a breathy sigh. He didn’t know how, but somehow, he knew that she wasn’t looking forward to the walk home.
“I’ll escort you home this time, if you don’t mind. After what happened to us this afternoon, I’m not entirely sure that I feel comfortable letting you make the trip by yourself.”
“I’m not helpless, you know.” Lilith turned her head to the side. Christian thought he saw some color on her cheeks, but it could have just as easily been the light from the sunset playing off her face. “I’ve made the walk home hundreds of times before.”
“I never said you were,” Christian gently told her. “I just don’t feel comfortable with you being on your own after what happened. Even if you can take care of yourself, I would still like to walk you home, for my own peace of mind.”
Lilith regarded him curiously, silently contemplating his request. Christian watched as several cute expressions crossed her face, and then watched as her cheeks turned a captivating shade of pink.
“Well,” she started, her head tilting toward the ground to look at her feet. The heel of her left foot drew circles in the grass. “I guess it would be okay if you walked me home. It’s… it’s not like I didn’t enjoy your company today.”
Christian smiled. “Thank you.”
“D-don’t mention it.”
***
Lilith watched Christian out of peripherals as he escorted her back to her apartment. The young man who’d begun to fascinate her was looking straight ahead, though he would occasionally glance in her direction, as if he could feel her eyes on him. Every time this happened, she would look away and pretend that she hadn’t been staring at him.
They walked down the sidewalk, which was surprisingly empty at this time of day. Only a few people were present, the vast majority being women. She guessed that most of the men had been at the incident this morning, and were likely staying in their hotel rooms, nursing a major headache and wondering what had happened to them. Or maybe they were still unconscious. Christian had smacked them around pretty hard.
As they continued to walk in silence, she thought about how this day had panned out. It was almost odd how, after
spending just a single day with Christian, she already felt comfortable in his presence. She was still deathly afraid of men. She knew this because every time another man came within viewing distance, she froze up and attempted to hide behind Christian. But for some reason, she wasn't afraid of him. She actually felt safer in his presence than she did in Maria’s!
And she couldn’t help but wonder: What made Christian different? What separated him from other men? Why did she feel so comfortable around him? And how did it happen in such a short amount of time?
She didn’t have an answer to any of those questions. She just didn’t know. Lilith couldn’t pinpoint the precise reason she felt this way.
Regardless of that, she wasn’t going to question it. She had finally found a member of the opposite sex who wasn’t affected by her, who didn’t drool over her like some kind of idiot, who could actually hold an intelligent conversation, and who shared in her guilty pleasure.
That last reason was a definitely plus in her book. A true silver lining. Just what were the chances that the only man she felt safe around also enjoyed reading light novels?
***
The trip to her apartment was short, no more than fifteen minutes. When they arrived, Lilith led him up the stairs and to her front door. She reached into her purse and pulled out a set of keys. Instead of opening the door, however, she turned around and favored Christian with a lovely smile.
“Thank you for today,” she said. “I had a really great time.”
“Me too.” Christian answered back. Lilith fidgeted with her keys. Her face was beginning to feel warm, which he seemed to notice. “Is something wrong?”
“Mm-mm.” Lilith shook her head. “I was just wondering if we could… do something like this again?”
Christian shifted uncomfortably. Lilith watched his face flicker through several different emotions. She wondered what he was thinking, but didn’t get a chance to ask as his face cleared mere seconds later.
“I think …” He paused, shook his head, nodded, and then smiled. “I think I would like that.”
“Really?” Relief swept through her. “Okay. Great. That’s great. So, um, I don’t have work tomorrow, but I do have some homework that I need to get done. How about we meet up at The Crema Café again to grab lunch. Say, twelve?”
“Twelve sounds fine,” Christian said. “I’ll be there.”
“Okay.”
The two stood together in awkward silence. Lilith squirmed as she wondered how this day should end. Should she just say goodbye? But most dates usually ended with a kiss, didn’t they? That’s how she figured most of them ended at any rate, but she didn’t really feel comfortable with the idea of kissing him. While she enjoyed spending time with him today, the idea of Christian kissing her was still more than a little frightening. Maybe a simple goodbye would do for now?
“So, I’ll see you tomorrow?” Lilith said unsurely. Christian looked almost as relieved as she felt. His shoulders visibly relaxed.
“Yeah, see you tomorrow.”
Lilith watched as Christian walked down the stairs. When he turned the corner and was out of sight, she unlocked the door and stepped inside the apartment. There she was greeted by the sight of a grinning Maria, who had her hands on her hips and a look on her face that promised nothing good.
“So did you have fun on your date?” she asked.
“I-it wasn’t a date.” Lilith’s face lit up like an oil lamp.
“Of course it wasn’t,” Maria said in a mocking tone. “It was just two people of the opposite sex going out together, having fun, just the two of them and no one else.” She then snapped her fingers, a look of faux realization spreading across her face. “Oh, right. That’s called a date.”
Lilith tried to scowl, but with the way her cheeks felt like they were on fire, it probably wasn’t very effective. “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”
“Nope!” Maria chirped. “I’m going to keep embarrassing you, until you admit that you and Mr. Tall, Dark, and Dual-Eyes were on a date.”
“F-fine.” Lilith walked farther into the room, trying to ignore the way the other woman leered at her. “You can do whatever you want. It’s not like I care.”
Maria’s giggle sent a shiver down her spine.
“Oh, Lilith, you are just too cute.” While Lilith felt her face turn into a miniature nova, Maria continued throwing fuel onto the metaphorical fire. “By the way, I noticed that you washed your bed sheets again. Didn’t you just wash them just a few days ago? Is there something you want to tell me? Perhaps you would care to share the steamy dream you had that stained your sheets with your best friend?”
“Maria!”
Interlude 2
He flew overhead, the moon and stars at his back, while the earth passed by underneath. From his vantage point he could make out all the buildings, streets, and parks that made up Seal Beach. This city appeared much smaller than the one’s he’d visited thus far. He didn’t sense much life in it—maybe a little over twenty-thousand or so humans at most.
That was good. It would make finding her much easier.
He soared through the sky, his large wings flapping and creating powerful gusts that kept him aloft. While passing over a building, his eyes caught sight of something interesting. His wings retracted, and he angled his body down to descend in altitude. This allowed him to get a better look at the sight that attracted his attention.
Several police officers stood in a park that was blocked off by caution tape. They walked around the area, flashlights in hand, as they surveyed what he recognized as battle scars. Gouges from what he guessed was a sword, claw marks from a creature with clawed feet, torn up clods of dirt and grass, not to mention the bloodstains along the ground. The blood was black, dried. Whoever had fought in this place had likely done so some time ago.
How curious.
He swooped down with speeds that rivaled a fighter jet. His silent descent carried him to the nearest police officer, who only had enough time to look in his direction before sharp nails sank into the pliant flesh of the officer’s throat.
The officer gurgled as he was lifted off his feet. His body jerked and twitched several times, and then went still. His arms and legs dangled limply as blood dripped from them and splashed against the grass.
One of the other police officers spun about. He moved his flashlight back and forth, but found nothing.
“Kyle?” he called out. When he received no answer, he shouted again, louder this time. “Dammit, Kyle, this isn’t funny! Stop hiding!”
His shouting drew the attention of the others. The two officers standing beside a large scorch mark—no doubt where the body of whatever creature had fought here was destroyed—looked up from their investigation.
The other officer continued waving his light around frantically, searching for his missing partner, the dead one that the winged being held in its grip.
“Something wrong, Stan?”
“I don’t know,” the officer said with narrowed eyes. “Kyle was right behind me and now he’s gone. He’s probably just being an idiot and hiding to try to freak me out.”
One of the other officers looked around, his flashlight making a sweeping motion of the area. They won’t find anything, the watcher mused to himself, not unless they look up. Humans really were a foolish bunch.
“There aren’t many places to hide. I wonder where he could have gone?”
A malicious grin split his face, and he dropped the corpse in his grasp. It hit the ground and made the other three officers spin around, their flashlights illuminating the cooling body. Their horrified faces amused him. Humans were only good for two things: food and entertainment.
“Shit! Is that Kyle?!”
The officers began running up to the body, but they stopped when he flapped his wings loudly to draw their attention. Their heads swiveled about like owls, searching but unable to find the source. Idiots. He flapped his wings again, and they finally pointed their flashlights into t
he sky.
He wondered: what did these humans think when they saw him? Were they awed by his magnificent presence? Terrified by the feeling of death that he exuded? What thoughts flashed through their mind when his form, wreathed in darkness and cloaked in despair, appeared before them?
Perhaps they believe that I am a fallen angel come to wreak vengeance upon them.
He continued staring at them, watching as they shook, observing as they lost control of their bodily functions. Fear it was, then. They feared him so much that they’d actually pissed themselves.
Understandable. They should fear him. Gazing upon him meant death. The only one among the rabble who need not fear death was her. His beloved Eve. Everyone else was simply food.
Chapter 17
Fire. My entire body felt like it was on fire. Electricity coursed through my veins, and sensations that I never knew existed sent my body into fits of ecstasy.
A pair of lips pressed against my own, kissing me with enough passion that I could feel my toes curling. A tongue filled my mouth, wrestling with mine and nearly sending me over the edge. It pushed and pulled and rubbed against my tongue to create a delicious friction, further fueling the fire burning between my thighs. The moan that escaped my mouth was hampered by this tongue and the pair of lips that claimed this territory for themselves.
Hands explored my body, touching me in places that I had never let anyone touch before, not even myself. The gentle, feather-light caresses left goosebumps on my flesh, as calloused hands glided across my skin. Noises escaped my throat as skilled fingers roamed across my breasts, traveled down my torso and slid across my hips.
One of those hands soon found its way between my thighs. My hips bucked as sensations unlike anything I had ever felt before filled me—like a jolt of lightning traveling up my spine and shooting straight into my brain. My body writhed in rapture. It felt incredible. Unbelievable. A fire burned inside of me, and I knew there was only one way it could be quenched; only one person who could put out the raging inferno that my body had become.
“Please,” I whimpered as the lips left my mouth after giving them a thorough ravishing. A string of saliva connected them for but a moment, before it broke when he raised his head further. I looked into his eyes, red and green orbs that gave me a glimpse into his soul. “Please… I need you… I need you inside of me… right now…”
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