Self-Discovery

Lillian woke with a start as she felt her mattress tip over. “Waaaahhh!” she screeched as she dropped to the floor, the sound of laughter sputtering around her. Jolting upright, she grabbed her covers and quickly made sure she was completely covered up as her groggy vision saw five masses standing around her. What were they even doing in here?! The door was locked! So how the hell did they did they get in? “What are you doing here?!” she hollered as her grip tightened around her to make sure that nothing was in view. She was freaking naked here! This was ridiculous! Jumping to her feet, smaller than all of them, she glared up at them, “Well?!”/p>

“You wanted to see the King. We’re here to help you get in touch with him,” Corum spoke up first. He wasn’t much of the talking type to begin with. Actually, that wasn’t entirely true. Rakka was more the strong silent type of the group, but Corum was...He was certainly a special one. “The Crying Devil, he frequents it quite a bit. We’re going. You’re going to pretend to be a stripper.” Lillian froze. Was he being serious right now? They wanted her to play stripper? She didn’t even know where to begin with that! She was supposed to be working on fixing her mistakes, not corrupting herself even more. They were insane. Plain and simple. Plus, to make it worse they wanted her to do something she couldn’t do even if she weren’t in the precarious situation she was in. She swore they just wanted to see her in skimpy clothes; if they even allowed any.

She’d never been to The Crying Devil before. Heard about it. But never been. It was basically the unholy church, where sins of all kind take place. The seediest place in Underworld. It was a strip club. She’d never been to one before and she never wanted to go to one. Lysander went enough for the entire world. Slumping in her spot on the floor, she could see the mattress being put back in its place on the bed frame but her gaze was fixed on a spot on the floor. Lysander, please don’t be a complete dick if and when you talk to him. Her once angered stare quickly dropped to a somber one, which caused the five older demons to ponder what she was thinking about. Perhaps that boyfriend of hers. Was she going to be stuck on him the entire time? If she was, she needed to find a way to block it out or she’d screw everything up. This was her plan, her idea. If she wanted to see the King and find out what they’d already told her, then she needed to get her head in the game!

With a heavy sigh through her nose, Lillian slowly got to her feet, using the wall as leverage to help herself up. With one hand still gripped onto her cover, she picked up the end so as not to trip over it and waddled her way to the bathroom. Thankfully she had left her duffle bag in the bathroom so she could easily get changed. Closing the door behind her, she knelt down and grabbed some new clothes for the day, until she heard a knock at the bathroom door. What did they want now?! They were already taking her to a strip club with the intention of her degrading herself in front of demon men like a slab of meat, what more could they want? Holding her cover around her body, she unlocked the door and opened it a sliver to see pupilless white eyes staring at her. “What?” she asked as she looked up at the towering figure who seemed to have a ridiculous grin on his face.

Without a word, he held up a hanger that instantly drained all color from the blonde’s face. Oh no...She wasn’t wearing that! That...That was ridiculous! They were insane to think that she would be wearing something so...She didn’t even know how to describe it. Seriously, why couldn’t she just talk to him like a normal conversation? Why did this have to include her acting like a complete fool? This was just...Ugh, it was just insane! Looking up at Mhemna and that dumb grin on his face, she glared, still pale faced. “No way. I’m not wearing that. I have my own clothes thank you,” she hissed.

“If you want to get near the King, you have to put it on,” he replied as he thrust it at her through the crack in the door. Grunting, she took it with no other choice. “Don’t worry. We’ll make sure no one else touches you until we get there,” Ananta added over his shoulder as he watched the outfit be shoved in her direction. They all watched the evil look she gave them as her fingers curled around the outfit before the door was slammed in their faces. They weren’t lying! He was a reclusive guy and only let a select few get near him. He was just a little paranoid that someone might try and kill him. The key word being try. He was the very first. He was the one that created all demon after him. The King was the most powerful of them all. Even if all demon were to combine their power, it wouldn’t come close to rivaling his own.

Lillian turned her back to the door after closing it, holding out the outfit they were making her wear. What was wrong with her own clothes? This was just embarrassing! She didn’t want to go walking around in this! Let alone- She gave a disgusted shudder. Dancing. They were going to make her act like a stripper and it repulsed her. Plus! This was supposed to be the seediest place. So why was she being put in such, conservative clothing, that didn’t even show anything? You’d think they’d want her in as little clothing as possible for something like this. Hanging it up and staring at it a little longer, she made a reluctant face before letting her blankets fall to her ankles and grabbing it off the hanger. This was such a bad idea. So very, very bad.

Turning to the mirror, she pulled the corset around her chest, clasping it into place, feeling her lungs cave in from how tightly it was laced and how big her breasts had gotten thanks to having a child. Jesus! She hadn’t fully realized until right now. Adjusting her chest to be more comfortable within its confine, she took a deep breath before slowly letting it go. She might pass out at some point tonight if she was forced to wear this all day long. Looking back to the hanger for the next item, she whined to herself. This was so very bad! Holding the cream colored, lace panties up, she shook her head. She couldn’t do this! There was just no way. This was...It was just wrong on so, so many levels. She was supposed to be becoming a better person, not becoming a worse one! This was like taking ten steps backwards just to take one measly step forward. Closing her eyes tight, she put them on without looking and shuddered at the feeling of knowing that everyone would be looking at her dressed like this. Everyone. It sent another disgusted shiver down her spine.

Taking a look at herself in the mirror, she had to admit, she did look pretty damn sexy. Still, she didn’t want to flaunt it to anyone else. This was the kind of thing that only one man should be able to see. Lillian sighed heavily, hanging her head a little. She shouldn’t be allowed to think like that when she let another man be with her in the same way only that one man had ever been. There was no love behind it, but physically it was the same. Her heart gave a painful twist in her chest before she tried shaking off the feeling. Trying to divert her attention, she went back to putting on the last little bits of the ‘outfit’ they wanted her to wear. God this was terrible. What time was it anyways? Shuffling over to her duffle bag, she rifled around a little before finding her phone. Unlocking it, she looked at the signal bars to see them nonexistent. Of course they wouldn’t be, she was well out of range of any human radio signal. Her eyes flickered to the time. It was still early morning...WHAT?! She was going to have to be stuck in this piece of crap all day long! Dropping the phone back into the bag, she dropped her head in irritation again. This was going to be the third worst day of her life. Or maybe her forth. She had a lot of bad days it was hard to keep track of them all.

Standing back on her feet, she took in a deep breath and tried to calm herself from the anxious feeling gripping her being. Other people were going to see her like this. Demons were going to see her like this. That wasn’t what scared her the most about it though, surprisingly. What if someone tried to touch her? She already knew her reaction would be to rip out their beating heart, but would something else happen? Like, would she have flashbacks? Would she think about what she did wrong and how she broke the only man that ever loved her despite her crazy brother and flaws. A hand came up to cover her left shoulder, the somber fragility shining in her eyes. No! She had to put on her game face! If she was going to do this, she had to have nerves of steel. Like the steel viper she was! Swinging open the door, she took in a deep breath of poison before feeling all her nerves shattering. Dammit, she couldn’t do this! The door slammed shut. No, this was important. She was trying to make herself a better person...Well, just a person in general.

Taking another deep breath, she opened the door and walked out and the two steps it would take for her to reach the landing of the stairs. Different sets of eyes looked over at her as she timidly tugged at one of her silken gloves. God she felt so awkward walking around in this. And seriously! Now that she was out of the bathroom, she didn’t think anyone but Ty should be seeing her like this. It was just weird. Okay her brother maybe, but he’s seen her naked a thousand times before; but he was the only exception. Why was she doing this again?

“Here,” Corum muttered as he thrust a black, silk robe at her. Looking up at him, she blinked a few times before turning her gaze down to his large hand stretched out to her. Why was he being so kind to her? He was playing advocate for her and she had no idea why. Corum had to be one of the more ruthless and merciless killers she had ever known; that wasn’t her father of course. And he wasn’t psychotic, from what she could tell. He just didn’t care about things. He was the strong silent type most of the time. Was that her type or something? Jason sure wasn’t the type. He was more the possessive and maybe even controlling type. But Ty certainly was. And she did have a crush on Kaito for a little bit in high school. Maybe this was dangerous if that really was her type.

“Uhm…” she hummed as she wrapped her silken fingers around the silk. “Thanks.” At least she wouldn’t have to walk around outside in this. Taking the robe from him, she threw it around her scarred shoulders, looking up at them through the netting of her hat. This was still way beyond weird and creepy. It was times like these that she felt like the little sister needing her big brother’s rescue. Even though she could take them, she couldn’t take them all at once and she felt a little vulnerable. And even though she was clothed, every part of her was exposed. All it really took was a snap at this lung constricting corset she was wearing would come off...And don’t get her started on the panties! How many times was she going to say this was awkward?

“Alright! Let’s get the going,” Mhemna exclaimed once Lillian had put the robe on. What?! They were leaving? Now! The other four got up and quickly ushered out of her room before she even had the chance to protest. What the hell?! Her heart began to pound away at her chest, even as the five of them stood around her like bodyguards. This stuff wasn’t like her. Yeah, she liked dressing sexy under her clothes, but that was as a self-esteem kind of thing. She wanted to know that she could still look good even after becoming a mother.

Lillian’s gaze fixated on her feet as she walked in tandem with the five of them. How was her daughter doing anyways? She’d been gone a day. She wasn’t there to see her wake up in the morning. To tuck her in at night. Get hugs whenever she wanted. Hear that beautiful voice when it called her ‘Mommy’. Even the cries would be missed. The never-ending questions. Playing dress up, or getting her to dance to music. She was so cute when she danced~! Cuddle up with her when she was feeling sad and tell her everything would be alright. God, she missed her daughter immensely and she’s only been gone a day. She just hoped she was missed by her daughter. Ty wouldn’t be so spiteful as to try and turn their daughter against her...Would he? She shook her head. No way. He may hate her, but he wouldn’t be that low. She bit into her lip in uncertainty. He did drastic things when his emotions were tested, like when his mother died.

She heaved a heavy sigh. Somehow she was seeing more of her father in her everyday. How could she spend her life trying not to end up like him and still end up like him? Only her father liked to screw with people’s emotions. She remembered her mother going on tangents about him, often having her children take his place in her fits of rage. She gave another sigh. She hated who she was. Ever since high school. She’s hated everything about herself, she just never showed it. It was one of those things you keep to yourself; like a silent killer. It wasn’t anyone else’s problem the kind of person she was, or how she felt about herself. Nothing about her was good. That was made obvious by the fact that she could so easily hurt the man she claimed to love. Was it pathetic of her to want to do nothing else but gather him in her arms, tell him over and over again how sorry she was, and that everything was going to be okay?

Wrapping her gloved hands around her arms, she glared at the ground. He’d never let her do something like that. He’d never even want to be near her again because that meant she’d touch him and he more than likely thought she was disgusting. Like she was a leper and push away any attempts she might make. The thought stung deep; well into the depths of her heart. She had no idea how she was going to scrub that image from his mind. She wanted to- Oh god did she want to. But she didn’t even know where to begin.

Did he think he was the only one hurting and alone? She was feeling just the same as him. What made her pain worse? She was the one saddled with all the guilt because it was all her fault. She was the one that had to live with knowing she betrayed everything he gave her. Every ounce of love. Every plea he ever gave. Every piece of his soul. Her chest gave another painful twist. There was no way of repairing this, was there? Her silk covered hands covered her face to hide the tears that wanted to fall again and stifle the screams that wanted to burst out. She was exactly what everyone thought she was. A disgusting, cheating, whore.

“We’re here,” Zareion said, alerting Lillian to the fact that they had arrived at their destination. When had they gotten here? How had they gotten here? She didn’t remember any of the journey at all. Perhaps it was because she was too lost in her painful thoughts. The Crying Devil. The name was displayed in neon lights and accurately described what she was right now. She was a crying devil. However, she knew this place was not a place to forget your troubles. In fact it was the place troubles were made. Lillian felt her heart begin to race in nervousness. She shouldn’t be here, let alone do what she was going to do. From outside its doors, she could hear the concussive trance music playing and see the strobe lights from under the door. It reminded her of the raves she used to go to as a kid, when she was still part of the Diamonds.

The door was opened for her and instantly the sound of the music got louder. She was hit with the smell of sweat, sex and booze, and boy was it disgusting! Have you ever smelled a demon sweat? Especially one that doesn’t bathe. Her face contorted in disgust for a moment before she was ushered inside by the five demons. Standing there, in the middle of the club, she felt stiff as a board. This is so wrong on so many levels. Her garnet eyes wandered around the dimly lit strip club, There was a stage a few feet in front of her, red and orange lights dancing all over the place as succubus was hanging onto the singular pole in the middle of the stage, grinding against it. All manner of demon women were dressed in skimpy clothes, or none at all, sitting in laps whispering dark nothings or...Lillian cringed as she looked away. It was cool, if you needed sex, great. Take it where you get it. But for the love of god! Go someplace else to do it, not out in public for the rest of the world to see.

A cocktail waitress went by with a tray of drinks and Lillian quickly grabbed two, one in each hand. Just to calm her nerves. The liquid inside the glass was red, not like wine, and not like blood; just red. She didn’t know what it was and she didn’t care right now. Her face contorted. It burned on its way down and tasted almost like that cherry cough syrup they make for kids. That stuff was disgusting. This was a thousand times worse than that. Quickly, before she changed her mind, she downed the other one and set the stacked glasses aside. Her lips thinned as she tried to swallow what was left on her tongue before she finally relaxed. Bleck! Looking around once again, she took notice of the bar to her right, closer to the stage, sets of tables and chairs that lined the floor all the way up to the stage. None of which she wanted to sit at, knowing something gross had taken place on them all. Off to her far left, she noticed a set of metal stairs spiraling upwards. At the top of the stairs stood a revenant[ in front of a thick red curtain. It must be acting as a bodyguard. Revenants weren’t particularly strong, but they were terrifying and tricky. Is that where the King was? A kind of V.I.P room. Was she going there, or staying out here? Oh god, she didn’t want to stay out here.

“That way,” Rakka said as his burning eyes looked down at her and pointed towards the curtains behind the stage. The chains around him rattled with the action, but the sound was deaf to the music. Lillian swallowed hard. This was really happening. Her heart began to pound against her chest like it wanted to burst. She couldn’t believe she was about to do this! If Ty saw her...No! She shook her head as she nervously made her way to where he had been pointing. Don’t think about him. It’ll just make everything that much harder to do. It already hurt enough as it was, and what she did here didn’t correlate to the surface. She could be free here. There was nothing holding her down here. Everything was just chaos. Everything was accepted and nothing was wrong. Biting into her bottom lip, she stretched out her hand towards the curtain, inhaling deeply as a way to calm her nerves, and walking through.

Behind the curtain, there were demon women of all kinds walking around getting ready for going on stage, or so she assumed. As she looked around, she was startled by a hooded figure coming towards her. The tattoos on his body made it look like they were holes carved into him in intricate designs. Looking up at him, she stared at him as he said nothing but pointed towards a narrow hallway not too far away from the vanities that were being used to help the women getting ready. She was just being led all over the place! Following his direction, she took another deep breath and walked towards the beginning of the narrow hallway. Placing a gloved hand against the wall, she peered down the dark hallway with apprehension. She had never met the King before; not in person anyways. She was possibly the only general that never had, but that’s because she wasn’t really a general. She bared the mark, but that’s because she refused to give it up to anyone else. It was almost like a ‘screw you’ to him. A spot that couldn’t be filled unless she died or passed on her rank herself. A whole thirty-six legions of demons, lost to him. This was such a bad idea. He probably was the type to hold a grudge.

As she moved into the darkness, she couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of fear and certain death. Anxiety gripped her heart causing her breaths to come out short and ragged. Was she going to live through this? Perhaps all of this was a bad idea. Being here, she honestly didn’t know if she’d survive, she just brushed of Sinclair like it was an everyday thing for her to do. Her hands came together as if grasping for some sort of support and comfort that wasn’t there. Her stomach lurched painfully. She missed her daughter horribly already. Two days, that was too long. She’d never been away from her baby this long; not even in the hospital. Only after they had cleaned her up and taken all her stats down did they put her in that little plastic bassinet and have her laying right beside her. Lillian could remember lying in her hospital bed, head turned to look at her baby. It was her baby! One created between her and Ty. She felt immeasurable loneliness and sadness knowing that Ty would never be there, but at the same time, there were no words to describe just how happy she was. Her perfect little baby. Her daughter. Her eyes weren’t even open yet and Lillian was already madly in love with her. This tiny person created between her and the man she loved with all her heart. Even though she was accidental, she wasn’t meant to be, Lillian couldn’t see her life without her in it. She so desperately wanted to hold her baby again.

Even if Ty hated her, she had a part of him that didn’t. She knew Sela could be no substitute for her father, but the moment of fake comfort would be enough. She could pretend that her world was alright. That it wasn’t crumbling around her because of the stupid mistake she made. Her anxiety was rising, pulse racing and blood pumping in her ears. She just wanted her life back! Why was that so hard to ask for? Why?! If Ty had never left in the first place...If they had done all the things they had planned from the start. None of this would have happened! They’d be getting mar- Lillian choked out a sob. She was going to have to stand by and watch the man she loved move on without her. With someone new wrapped in his arms. The thought made her physically sick. Was that how he felt? Did it make him sick to know someone else had touched her like he had? That someone had been in a place that only he ever had. Lillian stopped walking, a hand resting against her lips as if a realization struck her. She turned her back against the wall and wrapped the other around her midsection. She was the absolute-

“Hey!” a harsh voice called to her from down the hall. Lillian jumped in surprise, turning her gaze to them. A woman stood in the shadow of the light, four pairs of hands on her hips. Pushing off the wall, Lillian slowly turned towards them. “I hear some newbie is taking my spot!” the woman hissed venomously as she took a couple of steps into the darkness and wrapped two sets of hands around one of Lillian’s arms. Being pulled out of the darkness, she felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her heart. Coming out of the darkness, her eyes were met with a pair feral violet orbs surrounded by locks of white. She looked angry.

“Wha-” Lillian grunted as she was thrust forward. “What are you talking about?” She knew she was supposed to...Well, do what these women did, but she didn’t know she was supposedly ‘taking someone’s spot’. Would it have made it any better to let her know that she didn’t want to do this? The look on the demon’s face said otherwise. Suddenly she felt a sting across her cheek. Hissing in pain, she brought her gloved hand to her face and touched her cheek before bringing her fingers into her line of sight. Blood. Lillian’s eyes lit up with rage. She didn’t like being hit or touched! Without warning, she lunged at the demoness and tackled her to the ground. Straddling her waist, Lillian drew her fist back and began throwing punch after bone shattering punch at her. The demoness, with her four arms was able to throw Lillian off her, sliding into an opposite wall. Her back hit the wall causing a small grunt to fall from her lips before she looked up to see the woman towering over her. Her claws were long on all four of her hands, and her feet, and she had a defined grooves in her skin from her muscles. This would probably be a tougher fight than expected. But Lillian didn’t come here to fight. She came for one thing and then she’d be gone.

“...” Lillian didn’t get the chance to try and speak before three sets of claws were being hurled her way. Ducking just out of the way, some of her hair being caught, she watched the strands fall to the floor from the corner of her eye. Note to self: Don’t get caught by her razor sharp claws! Four arms was difficult to dodge, especially because she doesn’t actively train for fights anymore. She stopped that after college. She was in her college’s Judo club for a while, but once she graduated, that all ended. She had more important things to worry about then keeping her body up to snuff for a fight. Her heart sank when she saw the claws coming at her again. Sinclair was right, she wouldn’t be coming back from this. She wasn’t scared, but she wanted to see her daughter again. She didn’t want to leave that little girl without her!

Lillian gasped as she felt something hot flash by her face. There was a wisp of black smoke, embers flying everywhere and a low, feral growl to accompany the feeling. Her head snapped to the side to follow the black cloud. A hellhound?! As the animal emerged from the smoke, it shook its head and bared its teeth at the demoness. Acid like drool dripped from its teeth, claws poised and ready to strike. She’d never seen a hound like this one before. Where fur should have been, only burning scales sat, warping the air around it from the intense heat. Its snake like tail twitched around wildly, body posed low, showing that it was about to lunge. Most hounds were made of fire, but this...Lillian blinked as she heard a death filled bark erupt from its throat. “Mmm~” a voice hummed in delight to the sound. Garnet eyes moved to look at the body holding the voice. “Good boy.” Oh god. Not her. Anyone but her.

The clacking of her heels echoed around them, even over the trance music playing. The long train of her skirt fell behind her as her hips swayed in tandem with her stride. Upon her red painted lips, a smirk tugged, one of satisfaction and the want to inflict pain. Her ivory white skin glowed in the light, giving her an almost ethereal beauty against the backdrop of black, red and purples. Her black eyes swam around, taking in the scene with mild amusement, her enormous black wings giving a flutter. What looked like black hair, shimmered purple in the light. Mastema. She wasn’t a demon, but a fallen angel; the one who created black magic. She was extremely powerful and a woman who enjoyed nothing more than raping and killing people. It didn’t matter who, as long as it got her jollies off, she was fine with it. It was widely known that her favorite target was her own cousin; who was actually one of the King’s many children.

Lillian watched, in silence, as Mastema walked passed her, casting a side glance to her. Her long skirt dragged along the floor, a small piece touching Lillian’s bare feet. The fabric was soft. She didn’t know what it was, but it felt nice against her skin, almost like silk but not quite. “I think…” she began, her voice as dangerous as a viper and as smooth as a siren. “That your time here has ended. Your services are no longer required~” A hand, lit ablaze by purple fire, reached out and grasped the demoness by her chin. The fire seemed to do something to the demoness, something Lillian couldn’t really describe even if she wanted too. Her veins began to turn black, weaving all throughout her body and slowly eating away at her flesh. The screams that followed were so horrific that Lillian actually had to cover her ears. Even she had never heard such sounds before.

“Allll done~” she cooed as she moved in front of Lillian. Slowly the blonde dropped her hands, sitting up straight and pressed her back against the wall as the fallen angel leaned in close with her soulless black eyes. “What do you want?” she asked, chewing on her inner cheek in apprehension. Mastema tilted her head as she crawled her bloodstained fingers along her jaw, smearing the crimson color all over her creamy skin. Oh her skin was so soft~. Was this what human flesh felt like? She didn’t play with humans too much, they broke so easily. Such simple, fragile creatures. A Cheshire like smirk tugged at her lips. What did she want? “Your creamy white skin for starters,” she purred as her hand lit up once again. Lillian’s eyes widened, thinking that she was going to be turned into that pile of goo not too far away from them.

Lillian gasped as the robe she was wearing was suddenly ripped from her body. Mastema’s eyes widened in lustful hunger as she gaze upon the outfit the demoness was wearing. “How wonderful! It suits you’re beautiful skin~” she purred again, smearing more blood along her smooth, soft skin. The decaying angel leaned in, ghosting her lips along her neck, her hot breath sending a shiver down her spine. Lillian squeezed her eyes shut tight as she reached up and pushed the woman away, “Get away from me!” Her heart beat wildly in her chest, the idea of someone being so close to her...She would never do things like this! She wouldn’t!

“Oh!” Mastema slammed against the opposite wall by the force of the push, coming to her feet and chuckling seconds after. “Get away from you? Why should I, when you so desperately want to become human? A fragile little thing that can be easily squashed under my finger,” she hissed in amusement as she made her way back to the still downed blonde. How did she know?! “Ahn!” Lillian screamed as black chains suddenly wrapped around her throat and jolted her forward, onto her knees. Instantly her hands came up to claw at the metal choking her. “I can help you, but, you have to help me~” Mastema cooed with a twisted chuckle as she looked down at the blonde forced to her knees. She always loved seeing creatures in that position, it made them more subservient.

Lillian’s garnet gaze jumped up to the woman as she mentioned helping her. She could turn her human?! Please. Please. Please! She’d do anything for it! Anything. She just didn’t want to be a demon anymore. Lillian dropped her head, her eyes started to sting from her tears. Please… “What do I have to do?” “Oh I like compliance~” the fallen angel replied with a grin. “All you have to do- It’s quite simple really...” She knelt down to Lillian’s level, taking the woman’s chin into her hand and making her look up. “Is give me your body.” She laughed as she watched the blonde’s eyes widened.

“No!” she shouted as she began to struggle against the chain around her neck. Mastema scowled at the sudden act of defiance. How dare she! And even after she was going to help her become the human she wanted to be. Wrapping the black chain around her wrist, she hurled Lillian into another wall, and then another, and another. Finally she threw the blonde through a red curtain and onto a stage. Sitting at the front of the stage was a man: fair skinned, black, wild hair and deep, evil red eyes. Lillian rolled onto the stage, grunting and huffing for gasps of air. Her vision was blinded by her blonde locks, hearing only the chain rattling in her ears. She could feel the slack tightening, pulling her along with it. Grasping at the links around her neck, she watched herself being dragged along the floor until suddenly she felt herself being hung from something. Her head drew back, eyes widening as the chain tightened around her neck, choking the life out of her.

“Disobey me...Filthy little bitch,” Mastema spat venomously as she yanked on the chain, pulling it tighter. Lillian gasped, her nails clawing at her skin to try and loosen the chain anyway she could. The blood vessels in her eyes began to pop, creating a spider web effect in the whites of her eyes. This was it. This was how she was going to die. And all because she refused to let someone like this crazy fallen angel use her body. How ironic is that? She got into the mess by cheating and it’s her refusal to do it again that was going to kill her. Although, now it wouldn’t be called cheating; it’d just be sex. That still stung deep. But it didn’t matter. She’d become a celibate if it meant that she could have Ty back in her life; and as more than just Sela’s father.

The ability to breathe was failing her. Her chest was starting to burn and ache with much needed air. Her dangling feet were starting to slow and her arms were starting to go limp, losing strength. As her world began to go blurry, her thoughts lingered on her day at the beach with her family. There was a painful beat of her heart. The first, and only, day she got to spend with her broken family. It was the best memory she had. It was the second happiest day of her life. To know that the only two days in her life that she considered so happy revolved around her family. The day her daughter was born and having them all spend a day at the beach. I love you… Her world went dark. “Alright Matt, put her down,” the man sitting in the cushy chair spoke up, a brow quirked. Black eyes looked to his red ones, a distasteful huff leaving her red lips. She let go of the chain and with a snap of her fingers, it disappeared altogether. Lillian’s limp body dropped to the stage like a sack of potatoes. Getting up from his seat, the man sauntered over to her and leaned against the stage as he stared at her face. This woman…-

Lillian gasped for breath, inhaling as deeply as her shriveled lungs would allow her. Another few deep inhales and she was coughing, and hacking as she rolled over. Her hands slowly pushed her upper body off the stage, one hand coming up to rub her throat with the silken glove that covered her hand. Air. Precious air! Even if it was poisonous, she could still feel it fill her lungs and tell her that she was alive. Continuing her coughing fit, her bloodshot eyes slowly looked over to see the form leaning next to her. Was he? She had no idea. She had never met the man before. “Well, well, look who’s finally up,” he chuckled as he smiled at her. Through her hazy vision, she looked at him with a confused look. Why was he smiling? This wasn’t funny! She just almost died! “Don’t give me that look. You’re fine.” He waved a dismissive hand at her with a sputter of his lips. “Cute thoughts though. I always admired that you were able to make such cute and happy memories, despite yourself.” What...What was he talking about? Her ears began to burn in realization. He had seen her thoughts. Her memories. Those were personal! They were near and dear to her black heart. Without even thinking, she reached out and slapped him across the face. His head snapped to the side as his cheerful look was soon wiped from his face, while a new one replaced Mastema’s scowl.

With a snap of his fingers, the club was gone, along with all its patrons, and they were in the middle of a cushy looking office. “Are you-” Lillian’s throat hurt. Her hand came up to rub her neck as she cringed from the pain. “Am I? I am,” he replied as he pushed himself to his feet and meandered to the desk. Flopping down into the large chair, he threw his feet up onto the wood and leaned back to look at her with a smug look. “I can’t believe that little rumor worked though! I was sure you’d turn it down and just come storming up to me.” He laughed as his red eyes looked her over. Watching her get up off the floor, his smug look turned into one of amused interest, watching the way the light danced along her pretty human skin. Although...His expression turned into one a little less than amused at seeing those marks on her otherwise perfect body. Even for a woman who had a child, she was in good shape. And her larger breasts only complimented her further. With a subtle wave of his finger, the scars on her shoulders were gone. Well, more like they were hidden. Even he couldn’t break a connection like imprinting, even with his vast powers.

As she slowly, painstakingly, got to her feet, Lillian caught sight of the scar on her right shoulder disappearing. What? How...Her eyes slowly began to widen. Quickly her gaze turned to her left, a hand quickly coming to her shoulder as panic set in. No! It...It was gone! Her throat tightened and she felt pain surge through her from wanting to instantly burst into tears. The sound of skin slapping against skin echoed in the large, empty office as she tried desperately to try and get the mark back. No! Ty...Ty, please don’t go! It felt like he was walking away from her. Like her thoughts were telling her he was moving on and ripping her heart out along the way. Her knees buckled, dropping her back to the floor. Crossing her arms across her chest, one hand on each shoulder, she hung her head and choked out painful sobs. “Give them back…!” she cried, screaming at him even though her voice was too damaged.

He uncrossed his legs and sat forward, hands resting on the arms of his chair, “Why?” Pushing himself up and out of his chair, he walked around the large desk and over to her, stopping a few feet in front of her. “It’s not my job to keep your family together. You’re the mother, it’s your job to do that and look how well you’ve done,” he taunted, poking her tear stained face. “You finally get the last missing piece to your family puzzle and you go fuck another man!” He leaned back and laughed, the situation being highly amusing to him. Standing, he shoved his hands into his pockets and brought his foot up before slamming it against her chest, forcing her onto her back. Hearing that squeal of pain brought a smile to his face. Towering over her, he climbed on top of her and stared down at her. “Ya know, adultery is one of those sins that’s pretty high up there. Almost like murder...But you know all about that don’t you?” he chuckled as he watched her face contort with a swirl of emotions. He liked that look on her face. It was the look of agony. “You wanna be human so you can be fragile, and sympathetic...Everyone thinks demons are the worst things in the world when it’s really humans. We only whisper in their ear. Suggest they do something bad, they’re the one that have the option to follow it or not. They’re the ones that take things above and beyond what we suggest. Humans. I hate them more than demons.” With a snap of his fingers she disappeared from his office.