The Fallen Queen of Eden Ch. 04

The wee hours of dawn soon gave way to mid-morning and the sound of loud banging on his front door roused Eli from his sleep. Still not fully awake, he rolled over and stretched out his arm, fully expecting it to fall against the blankets as it always did. Instead, it fell across someone's body. Instantly his eyes flew open and he sat bolt upright in bed. Looking over, he was stunned to find his house guest lying there beside him. He jumped out of bed and immediately pulled on his pants, forgoing a shirt for the time being. He was about to wake Lili up and find out what she was doing in his bed when the knocking on his front door started up again.

Grumbling to himself he went down the stairs and looked through one of the small windows of his front door. Instantly he recognized his ex-girlfriend Ruby standing on the other side. Just looking at her was enough to make him roll his eyes and utter a few choice 'colorful metaphors'. He couldn't imagine why she had returned, but she couldn't have picked a worse time to do it. He should at least be allowed a cup of strong coffee before having to deal with such a colossal pain in the ass.

Eli opened the door and stared coldly into his ex-girlfriend's face, while she in turn only gave a sad regretful half-smile back. He hadn't seen her in about three and a half months and his life had been much better for her leaving. She looked the same, including the four inches of dark roots that were showing, although perhaps a bit trashier. Nothing says class like a pair of sweat shorts that didn't quite have enough material to cover her rear-end and had the word 'juicy' emblazoned across the back in gaudy sequins. Her shirt might have been okay, except that it was at least one size too small and torn at the neck in a pitiful attempt to make it more low-cut so she could show off her sagging cleavage. The purple bra that could be clearly seen through the white t-shirt was the final and perfect touch to her white trash ensemble. Eli had to hand it to her, Ruby never had self-confidence issues. How could she and dress like that?

"Yes?" He asked, already suspicious of her. He wasn't the only one less than pleased to see Ruby. Strolling in from the living room was Mr. Jingles. He took one look at his owner's former girlfriend and immediately started glaring at her with his ears slicked back.

"C-can we talk?" There was a hopeful look in her eyes, but Eli was convinced it was probably just gas. Still, he was curious to hear what she had to say. It had been a while since he had heard any good stories. Silently he stepped aside and allowed her in. Her large heavily made up brown eyes looked around then back at Eli. "Wow, you're really transforming this place."

"Oh, you like the paint job and the way I stripped and re-stained the staircase and entryway?"

"You did a great job, but then you always excelled at whatever you put your hand to," She answered sweetly.

"I haven't actually done anything to the entryway or the staircase. In fact, the last room I fixed up was the upstairs bathroom about six months before you left. Construction came to a temporary halt after you robbed me and took off," he remonstrated. "Now what do you want?"

"I missed you okay? Leaving you was a mistake and I realize that. The whole time I just kept remembering all the things we used to do together. How we used to snuggle up on the couch to watch television. The way we sometimes would cook together in the kitchen." She reached out and took his hand in hers before continuing. "Do you remember that night when we went out to Curly's catfish restaurant and ate until we thought we were both going to bust then came home and you couldn't wait to get me undressed?" She giggled and sidled up to Eli placing her hand on his bare chest.

"I've never eaten there, but I do recall that Curly's is near where Jimmy lives, isn't it?" He jerked his hand away then moved away from her. "You remember Jimmy, the guy you were having an affair with then left me for. What happened, did he finally get tired of you?" Ruby crossed her arms and she glared at Eli. "Careful, you'll crack the basecoat of your make-up."

"Yes . . . okay . . . Jimmy and I broke up. He was a self-centered ass and to be honest I couldn't stop thinking about you," she explained, trying once more to put on a show of contrition. "I missed that connection . . ."

"Really, I thought he was plugging in every chance he had."

"God you're an ass," Ruby snapped. "You know, we used to care about each other. We used to be something."

"So he dumped you and you're out of money."

"You son of a . . ." she started to say only to be cut off as Lilith came down the stairs dressed in nothing but Elijah's pale blue terry cloth robe.

"I hope you don't mind me borrowing this, but I wanted to come down and explain . . ." Lilith stopped suddenly cognizant of the tension in the room and the added awkwardness of her presence. Ruby was staring up at her in wide-eyed shock while Eli could only pinch the bridge of his nose with his eyes tightly shut in frustration. "Oh I am so sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt," The demoness said, quickly backing up and trying to sneak back up the stairs.

"No, no, you're fine. Ruby was just leaving," He explained, trying to move his ex-girlfriend to the door, but she wasn't ready to leave just yet.

"You act all high and mighty about Jimmy while trying to hide this bitch?"

"It's not what you think . . ." he attempted to clarify.

"Well, aren't we just two scoops of grumpy in a bowl full of bitchy this morning," Lili commented as she adjusted the tie on the robe so it wouldn't come loose and expose more than Eli's ex would want to see. "Actually, I'm the original bitch, if you must know," she continued casually, looking down at the walking white trash glaring up at her. "And I refuse to apologize for it since no one has ever apologized for making me that way."

"Lili is just a friend . . ." He continued, trying to prevent the obvious misunderstanding that was beginning to rise. The demoness could see what he was doing and immediately tried to help.

"Yes, there is nothing between him and me, we just slept together," the words barely left her mouth and Eli instantly face-palmed and managed to mumble 'oh God'.

"We didn't sleep together," he said, trying to clear things up. "We were just in the same bed."

"Riiight and now she's wearing your robe."

"Exactly," Lilith answered brightly.

"If you want to screw around with the first thing that crosses your path then fine, but don't try to make me out to be the whore for running off with Jimmy."

"Oh, no we didn't have sex." Lilith corrected.

"Really?" Ruby sniffed, not believing this for a second.

"I offered, I mean, it was the least I could do since he was nice enough to give me a place to stay for the night, but he turned me down."

"He turned you down?" she really wasn't buying any of this.

"I know, I couldn't believe it either. No one has ever turned me down before, it's like being in the twilight zone of something," The demoness observed, still genuinely befuddled by Eli's refusal. "You know, you look like you have a lot of experience with rejection, how do you handle it?" Lili genuinely wanted to know the answer, but Ruby was not amused.

"Go to Hell," she snapped, then stormed out the door.

"Why would I want to go back there? Czernobog still has a restraining order against me," Lilith responded off-handedly as she watched her leave through the screen door. Eli naturally believed that his houseguest had simply been making sport with his ex-girlfriend and couldn't help bursting out laughing at the entire situation. "I'm sorry if I caused any trouble between you two."

"No, no there was trouble between us before I ever met you," he answered, still chuckling to himself.

"Anyway, I appreciate you letting me stay here for the night. I hope I didn't freak you out too much when you discovered me in your bed."

"That was . . . a little unexpected, yes," he replied, trying to be polite.

"I'm sorry about that. I'm afraid I'm rather accustomed to having someone share a bed with me or not sleeping at all." It sounded like a poor explanation, but it was honest. Until she lost her power she seldom needed sleep and most of the time men and the occasional woman were only too happy to let her spend the night. "If you'll let me grab a quick shower, I'll get my things and get out of your way so you can get back to your life."

"Let me make you some breakfast while you're showering then I'll drive you to the airport. Okay?" He offered, turning towards her. "I assume you're hungry."

"Famished," she smiled.

As Eli turned to go into the kitchen, his right side came into view and Lili's smile disappeared as she noticed the tattoo on his bicep. Usually, body ink didn't garner much attention from her, but this one was different. Etched into Eli's arm was a rectangle bisected in the middle and framed by a primitive pattern with floral-like corners. In the left section of the rectangle were three creatures that possessed traits that were reminiscent of birds and mammals. On the right side were three primitive designs that were distinct in style, but strange to modern eyes. All of it was surrounded by ancient Sumerian writing that this man couldn't possibly understand. It had been ages since Lilith had seen this design, but its power still had its effect on her.

"Your tattoo . . . where did you get it?"

"A couple of years ago my buddies and I went down to Encore Ink and got tattooed. Kaleb got this really detailed coyote on his left shoulder blade and Wynne had an amazing bear inked across his back. I didn't want to do the same thing that everyone else had done and at the time I was reading a book on ancient rites and religion. This particular design caught my eye and I thought it was cool," he explained.

"Do you know what it means?" Lilith asked.

"Not really."

"The figures in each rectangle represent three angels, a set of triplets named Senoy, Sansenoy, and Semangelof. Wearing their mark protects your soul from the 'demon of the night," she explained. What she didn't want to tell him was that the demon in question was her.

"How'd you know that?"

"I know a lot of things," she acknowledged, not wanting to explain any further.

"Heh, I had no idea. That is cool," he commented, looking at the tattoo. He turned and noticed the look of revulsion on Lili's face and was surprised. "I take it you're one of these girls that don't like ink."

"Quite the contrary, actually. I would have some myself if they didn't fade and disappear after a couple of days."

"Wow, you got ripped off," he commented, thinking that her tattoo couldn't have been more than a cheap 'lick-and-stick' for it to fade so easily. Lilith could only shrug. Unless he knew the truth about her, he wasn't going to understand.

Going back upstairs to take her shower, the demoness contemplated the tattoo. What were the odds of her running into someone in this day and age bearing that mark and not even knowing what it means? It had to be astronomical. She thought about the strange faint aura that emanated him. Was it from the tattoo, or was something else at work in him. He wasn't an angel, of that she was certain, nor did he seem to have any celestial power. Whatever it was, it was of no consequence to her. She knew damn well that only God could damn her and no one but God could lift the curse of her punishment either. Not that she had any desire to be saved or forgiven. She liked herself exactly as she was. Well, perhaps 'like' was too strong a word, but she was content at any rate.

Lilith turned on the shower so the water could heat up then went and got her backpack from the spare room. On her way back to the bathroom an idea came to mind and she decided to take a detour through Eli's closet. She opened the door and was surprised to find quite a bit of clothes for a single guy, particularly shirts. She thumbed through Henley's, work shirts and sweaters and numerous flannel shirts, all of which looked as though they had barely been worn. She was about to grab a basic long-sleeved white dress shirt when a pretty turquoise and dark blue plaid top caught her eye. She quickly snatched it from its hanger then ran into the bathroom for a nice hot shower.

Unaware that his closet had been plundered, Eli put on a pot of coffee, then went to his fridge and got out a package of bacon and three eggs. He set them on the counter then got a pan and turned on a burner allowing it to begin heating while he cut open the plastic and took out the first four strips of meat and started frying them. After a few moments, the kitchen became alive with the sounds of popping and crackling as the bacon started to cook. There can be no greater smell in the morning than that of bacon sizzling in a skillet, except perhaps the robust aroma of coffee. Both greeted Lilith's nose as she stepped from the shower and started to dress. If she wasn't hungry before then she certainly was now. Hurriedly she pulled on a pair of jean shorts then took Eli's shirt and buttoned up the front but instead of putting her arms through the sleeves she tied them beneath her pretty breasts and wore the garment like a strapless top.

She was still brushing her wet hair when she came strolling into the kitchen. Elijah looked up as he was cracking the eggs and was pointing out where the coffee pot and mugs were when he suddenly recognized the shirt she was wearing. For a moment he didn't know what to say. He had never met any woman as forward or as bold as Lilith Eden. He wasn't even certain how to address it.

"Um, isn't that my shirt?" he finally asked as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

"Do you like it?" Lili gave a playful twirl to better show herself off. "The color suits me don't you think?

"My mom got that for me actually." Hearing this and seeing the awkward look on his face, the demoness realized that she had been a little too presumptuous. Immediately she untied the sleeves and held the shirt out to him leaving her naked from the waist up. Momentarily stunned Elijah dropped his tongs and couldn't speak. This was nothing that had ever happened to him before and not one of his friends was ever going to believe him. "Uh . . . p-put the shirt back on . . . please," he told her, managing to find his tongue again. Lili shrugged then picked up the garment and started to redress herself. Picking the tongs up off the floor, Eli went over to the sink and began to rinse them off. All the while he couldn't hold back the smile that spread across his face. This woman definitely kept him on his toes, not to mention she also had a very nice set of boobs.

"So, you do construction, welding and cook. Is there anything you don't do?" she asked, retying the sleeves then taking her coffee and seating herself on one of the island stools.

"Plenty. I don't sew, I have bad seasonal allergies in the fall and decent women don't find me attractive," he answered smartly as put the last piece of bacon on the platter with the other eleven pieces, then started to pour the excess grease into a strainer.

"Well I don't sew either so I wouldn't worry about it. I don't know anything about allergies so I have no advice to offer there. As for the women, well, lust is more fun anyway. From my experience love doesn't exist so why bother looking for it." Lilith was supremely confident in her opinion regarding matters of the heart. If the first man and woman to be created on earth could feel nothing but indifference or disdain for each other, how could anyone else feel it? Lust was far more practical. No promises or commitments were required and the feeling was easily sated. Eli just smiled and shook his head as he poured the eggs into the skillet and quickly scrambled them.

When they were cooked he scooped some onto a plate for her then pointed towards the bacon and told her to help herself. To his surprise, she grabbed several crispy pieces of pork and swallowed the first couple of pieces in seconds. Eli wasn't even certain if she had chewed them.

"You're not one to eat like a bird, are you?" he commented, watching the way she dug into the food.

"Sorry, normally I don't need to eat at all unless I just want to, but . . . well, it's the burden of being stuck as a human I guess."

"Yeah, cuz, you know, there are so many other options out there." He was being sarcastic, but his guest seemed completely unaware of it.

"The only thing I had to eat yesterday was a small box of popcorn at the fair," she responded as she practically inhaled another piece. "You have no idea how good this tastes." She scooped up a mouthful of eggs and suddenly realized that he wasn't eating a bite, just drinking coffee. "Aren't you going to have anything?"

"I don't eat breakfast," he explained, going to the sink and starting some water for the dishes. "I'll have some bacon later . . . if there is any left," he teased.

"Well, you're missing out. This is probably my favorite kind of breakfast," she smiled, sipping her coffee. "The only thing that would make it better is pancakes with real maple syrup."

"I'm not wild about pancakes either."

"Oh, I love them," Lilith remarked as she ate the last piece of bacon on her plate. "Mind you, I'm not the worst pancake fiend out there. Lucifer is far worse than I am."

"Lucifer?"

"Yeah, you know, the original fallen angel. A couple of fluffy flapjacks smothered in butter and syrup and he's practically your slave. I once saw him return a man's soul for a plate of the light and fluffy babies covered in pecans and butter pecan syrup. True story." She took her empty plate and coffee cup and set them in the sink as she chuckled softly to herself. "Of course, the poor, spoiled devil never actually gets to eat them. Guess we all have our curses."

"I see, so uh . . . you know the devil," Eli remarked. He wasn't buying her assertions for even a second, but she told the tale with such confidence that he couldn't help but find it entertaining.

"Oh yes," she continued, leaning against the counter. "Now, he's not quite the active participant in damning souls the way people think. He much prefers to send his demons out and let them do all the dirty work. You should hear the way they bitch about quotas and the long hours. I don't know what they expected, I mean, they're in Hell for a reason. Sorry, no banker's hours, pensions, sick or vacation time and certainly no 401(k)." Eli laughed at the ridiculousness of the story as he washed the dishes and put them in the drainer. "You don't believe me," Lilith observed, noting his laugh. She wasn't really surprised. Why would he believe her? To a human, it had to seem terribly outlandish, particularly in this day and age. At least he was kind enough not to call her a liar.

"I never said that."

"Would it help if I described his knob and bollocks for you?" she offered, teasing him back.

"Uh . . . no," he answered firmly. "That's not necessary."

Eli finished putting the dishes in the dishwasher and put the leftover bacon in the fridge before finally going upstairs to take a shower and get ready. Lili also went upstairs and collected her things then carefully put them in her backpack. She then went back down to the living room to wait for Eli and was quickly joined by Mr. Jingles who eagerly wanted his belly rubbed as well as the sweet spot right across the bridge of his nose. She had no trouble obliging him with both. Inexplicably the cat suddenly decided it was time to do some climbing and leaped from the couch to the mantle then once more to the top of one of the bookshelves. Concerned that he shouldn't be up there Lili climbed the shelf and reached back to grab him only to discover something she hadn't before.

Shoved to the back of the shelf was a book. Lili picked it up, curious to know what it was. To her surprise, it was a photo album filled with pictures of Elijah and his ex-girlfriend on vacation in Eureka Springs. The woman looked a little less trashy in the photos, but it was definitely the same one Lili had met that morning. There were pictures they had taken at the wildlife refuge, Thorncrown Chapel, walking through the historic downtown area and so many other places. In all of them, Eli looked genuinely happy with the woman in his arms, so much so that Lilith couldn't help wondering what had made them break up. Eli was slipping his pocket holster into his jeans as he came down the stairs when he glanced up and saw her looking through the album and immediately his jaw set.