The Fallen Queen of Eden Ch. 06

Whatever options Lilith and Eli hoped to find to help her escape the Midwest and the stalker's grip, quickly disappeared. The first thing that they looked at was getting her a seat on a greyhound, but if he could keep her from getting on a plane then how hard would it be for him to stop or sabotage a bus. Elijah offered to drive her to one of the airports in either Kansas City or St. Louis. They were only three hours away and he would be back in plenty of time to get enough sleep before work tomorrow. If they used his touring bike then they would easily be able to outrun anyone following them. While Lilith certainly liked the idea, she pointed out that it wouldn't be hard to figure out where they were headed and he would have plenty of time to work his magic.

As the day wore on they soon were upstairs in the computer room with Lilith sitting on the balcony and Eli searching the internet for options. Eventually, sweltering summer temperature drove her in and she put her hair up in a loose bun that was held in place by decorative chopsticks. Going to the bathroom, she took out a washcloth and ran it under the cold water then wiped her face and all around her neck in an attempt to cool off. Satisfied, she returned to the computer room and sat down next to Elijah to see what he had found. The only option they hadn't explored was chartering a private plane to get her out of the city. This seemed the most implausible option they had come up with yet. The demoness was confident that paying off a pilot so they would refuse to fly her would be the easiest thing in the world for the 'wicked old screw'. They didn't even bother looking up rental cars.

Frustrated, Lilith went downstairs and sat down on the couch next to Mr. Jingles and absently started to stroke his back. The cat purred and beamed a happy whiskered smile at her before rolling over and granting her access to his elusive soft white belly. This was a special spot reserved only for those the feline deemed worthy of the honor. Looking at the animal, Lili couldn't help envying him. What worries did he have beyond food and water levels, or the cleanliness of his litter box?

The pair were content sitting in this fashion when Eli came down the stairs to join them. He smiled at the pair then looked out the window at the thin strip of orange in the west. The entire day had been a waste and it seemed like they were further behind than they had been that morning. At least in the morning they had felt optimistic. What they needed was to step away and clear their minds. Given the hour, Eli suggested they go get some dinner. Lilith really didn't have much of an appetite, but she eagerly welcomed the distraction.

Elijah was hungry enough for both of them and knew that the best steaks in town were at Hog-eye's Roadhouse. Pulling into the parking lot, neither were surprised that it was full to the brim with people all hungry and looking for good food. The two exchanged very little conversation through most of the meal. Lili mostly sipped her tea and picked at her food absently. Eli, on the other hand, had cleaned his streak down the bone. At his prodding, he managed to get her to eat a couple of fries and a bite of her chicken tender, but not much else. She wanted to get out of town, or out of state . . . out of the country would be better. Anything to be rid of Levi Sethos.

The waiter came over and refilled their ice tea glasses and Eli thanked him before asking for the check and a to-go box. He understood her lack of appetite, but he really wished Lili had eaten more if only to keep up her strength. He tried asking her if she was ready to leave, but she never noticed or even looked up. He wasn't even certain if she remembered he was there. She just sat there staring into space while fidgeting with that large bejeweled ring on the third finger of her left hand.

"Have you ever had that cleaned or at least inspected to make sure the settings are still in good condition? I'm not sure they can do anything about the tarnish, but I doubt you want to lose any of the stones." Judging by the patina, he guessed it was made of copper, but the gems he wasn't sure about. Their sparkle was gone and they were hard to discern from the oxidized metal.

"I'm afraid there is nothing a jeweler could do for this ring," she answered, looking down at the bauble on her finger, then added with a half-laugh "They couldn't even take it off my finger." He looked at her confused, but she didn't elaborate other than to assure him the stones wouldn't fall out.

She looked back down at the large signet ring that was inextricably woven into the fabric of who she was. It bore her symbol and with it, she could possess the soul of any human she desired by burning her brand into their flesh just above their hearts. Unfortunately, right now it was little more than a trinket on her finger since she was stuck in human form. Frustrated, she softly mumbled something under her breath in the same language Eli had heard her speak when she was leaving TSA earlier that day.

"Mind me asking what you're saying?"

"I'm sorry, I was lost in thought and I guess I didn't realize I was speaking out loud."

"What language is that?" he asked.

"A long forgotten one,' she informed him. He had noticed her unique accent the first time they met and remembered her saying that she had been all over the world. Hearing this language, he was curious just how extensive her vocabulary was.

"Translation?"

"Nothing much," Lili answered with a slight shake of her head. "Just a few choice words to let off some steam."

"Just how many languages do you speak?"

"All of them." The corner of her mouth began to curl in a smile. "If you can name the language, then I can speak, read, and write it."

"Is this something you studied?" he asked, taking a drink of his iced tea.

"No, I picked it up as I went. I'm something of a quick learner." Being a demon had given her the ability to pick up the speech of whatever place she went within minutes. A skill that was very useful when passing from one civilization to another.

"So which countries have you visited?"

"Everywhere you can imagine and some that no longer exist."

"No." He shook his head, doubting her assertion. "I'm not buying that. There is no way you're old enough to have traveled to almost two hundred countries," he contended, making her laugh. "I will concede that you've traveled a lot, but that's it. I'm also guessing you've got some pretty wild stories too."

"Well I wouldn't do anything for an ice cream bar, but I have been known to do some sketchy stuff for bourbon and chocolate."

Lilith had plenty of tantalizing stories, but where would she begin and what would he believe? There was no way she could tell him that she had once danced before Gilgamesh or slept with Alexander the Great. She was once even summoned by Delilah so she could teach the beautiful Philistine how to beguile Samson into revealing the source of his strength. These were the very same techniques she would later teach to the infamous Cleopatra so she could ensure the favor of Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. These particular vixens would not be the last to seek the aid of Hell's dark seductress. Lilith could boast having a hand in changing the fortunes of Queen Elizabeth Woodville, Catherine the Great and even Marilyn Monroe.

Unfortunately, the demoness found that while humans want the ability to seduce for gain, none could wield it for long. Perhaps the exception to that was Catherine the Great. The others she had instructed had either grown careless, died young, or the hands of time had simply caught up with them. Sometimes it was a combination of these things. The ancient text that detailed her origins, spoke of how to summon her, as well as a way to take her power, was currently lost, as far as she knew, and she hoped it remained that way.

"I bet you used to sneak out of your room," Eli suggested.

"What?"

"When you were a teenager, I could see you breaking curfew, sneaking out of your room and pissing off your parents. I'm guessing you went to a lot of high school parties with lots of alcohol, drugs and . . . God knows what."

"Actually, I never had parents . . . or a curfew, come to think of it. I do like to drink and I've tried plenty of drugs. As for the 'God knows what', well . . ." Here she winked at Eli leaving the rest to his imagination.

"So you grew up in foster care?"

"No. The only person who ever took care of me was me," she responded in a cold exacting manner.

This was something Lili firmly believed. It was practically her religion. Why wouldn't she? Who had ever helped her or defended her in all her long existence? No one. Even when she was brought before God for her disobedience, she had been on her own. All but one member of the angelic host was watching and none stepped forward to advocate for her. It was not as if she had expected the entire mass of seraphim to come to her aide, just one and he was nowhere to be seen. After that, she depended on nobody except herself. For thousands of years, she had kept that policy without wavering. Although she found herself relying more on Eli more than she had anyone.

"Haven't you ever had any family?" He asked, suddenly feeling sorry for her. He had grown up in a home with loving parents and a happy childhood. Oh, it wasn't perfect to be sure, whose was? He had gotten into plenty of trouble growing up, there were school fights, sneaking out, underage drinking, and the usual adolescent shenanigans. He also had plenty of memories of his parents arguing over finances, health matters, and sometimes over imagined flirtations. Overall though, they have been a loving team that had raised him with a sense of decency and basic respect for others. It seemed to him that Lilith had never been given the basic foundation for life and it showed in her cynical humor and what he assumed were amusing but outlandish tall tales. "So, no foster siblings . . . or anything?"

"I was married once."

"You . . . were married?" Eli was a bit stunned.

"What, you don't think anybody would have me?" Lili asked, a bit offended. Her companion immediately started to stammer and try to backtrack while she calmly sipped her drink. "I have news for you, men have fought to the death over me before."

"You just didn't strike me as the type to settle down, that's all."

"Well, it wasn't exactly a marriage of my choosing."

"What?" This didn't make any sense at all. She had already stated that she had no parents and now she was talking about arranged marriages. The two just didn't fit. "I don't get it. Were you kidnapped at birth and raised in a cult?"

"Some have called it that, yes." Lili swished the ice around her glass with her straw, thoughtfully. Eli could only laugh. Her stories might be outrageous but the certainty with which she told them made them even better.

"Ready to get out of here?" he asked, throwing enough cash to cover the check as well as a decent tip into the black folder and leaving it on the table.

"Yeah."

Lilith went over to the bar and waited patiently while Eli used the men's room. She tossed some cash at the bartender then ordered a shot of bourbon which he poured and handed to her. She had just drained the glass when a familiar beat began to resonate from the jukebox followed by the sound of Roy Orbison's voice singing the first lines of 'Oh, Pretty Woman'. A deep pang of fear went through her causing her to shake as she put the glass on the counter. Hastily she scribbled out a note for Elijah letting him know she was outside then asked the bartender to give it to him when he came out of the bathroom. She then hurried out the door intent on escaping.

Stepping out into the parking lot, she started to breathe a sigh of relief, only to have it snatched away as a hand suddenly seized her arm and forcefully led her towards a black Porsche Panamera. She turned to see who it was but didn't recognize the man as he pulled the chopsticks from her hair releasing the long dark strands. She tried to wrench herself free, but this only made him hold tighter. The man opened the back door of the car and shoved her inside causing her to fall against the hard center console and grunt in pain. Lili started to pull herself up, but before she could, Levi stuck his head in the door and a certain familiar scent of cologne met her nose. It was expensive, with a lively blend of citrus, spices, woods, amber, and musk. She might have enjoyed the fragrance, but the association of the smell and the Preacher-man were etched in her mind and it made her almost physically ill.

"You'll have to forgive Dennis. He tends to be rough when he handles people, but he's an excellent driver." Quickly Lilith started to scramble for the other door, but before she could he was on top of her, trapping her beneath his weight. The driver closed the door then after a moment, the overhead light went out bathing the backseat in darkness. Even so, she could feel his ink-black eyes watching her with lurid fascination. Now she knew why the chopsticks had been taken from her hair. Levi wanted no potential weapons between them. "Don't worry, Dennis will be back in a little while after we have . . . talked."

"You son of a bitch!" As hard as she could she tried to push him off of her, but his weight was too much and he used it to press her harder into the console forcing her to stop struggling, at least for the moment.

"So beautiful," he breathed, then taking full advantage, he forced his lips against hers, relishing the feel and taste. She felt his other hand start to move up the inside of her cut-off short towards a paradise forbidden to him. Lilith lashed out, jabbing her fingernails into his cheek and with every ounce of her strength, she pulled on his beard, scratching him and pulling a tuft of hair out. He gave a cry of pain, but he caught her hands and pinned them down against the leather seat. "Claws in you cat!" He looked at the plaid shirt she was wearing and fire seemed to flash in his dark eyes. "I offer you the world and yet you put another man's clothes on your body and lay in his bed. You deny me then play the whore to some . . . nobody!"

"There is more honor and decency in that 'nobody' than there will ever be in you," she hissed before jabbing her long nails into this hand making him rear back and briefly release her. Seizing the opportunity, she reached out to grab the door handle just above her head and open it so she could at least scream and call for help. She gave it a pull, but nothing happened.

"The child locks are on. You didn't think I'd make it that easy, did you?" Lilith glared at him, her eyes filled with hate. Instead of appearing victorious that his trap had worked, Levi looked almost sad, as though he were the one being tormented. "If you would only give me a chance you would see how generous and loving I can be," she could feel his hand in her hair and she tried to push him away, but he remained steadfast. "Hair like silk. Flower soft face," he whispered as his fingers played in her dark locks. For a moment he caught hold of her breasts, feeling the soft, round form in his hand. Without hesitation, she lashed out and slapped him across the face.

"Get your disgusting hands off of me!" she shrieked. In retaliation, he once more brought his weight down on her and pinned her by the forearms rather than her wrists so she couldn't scratch him again.

"Stop fighting this!" Even in the darkness, she could see him looking her over like a ravenous dog. "I know God has intended you for me."

"I assure you God's plan for me has been quite clear!" she snarled. Frustrated at her stubbornness he sighed deeply. There had to be a way to get her to see that he was the man she was meant for. Inside he was sure they belonged together. He looked at her pleadingly and softened his voice.

"Open your heart to me, Lilith. I can offer you so much. You'll live in comfort and have everything you desire. Just love me." He started to force his lips on hers, but she shoved him back.

"How can you honestly think that I would ever accept you after everything that you've done?!" she protested. Before the Preacher-man could answer, the door above Lili's head suddenly opened and Elijah stood there, his hand resting in the pocket where he kept his gun. The two men stared at each other coolly as Levi slowly sat up, releasing his captive. Relieved that she was free, Lili took Eli's hand and quickly got out of the car.

"I don't think she's interested in you," he pointed out. The gaze of the two men was fixed as they sized each other up.

"You're Elijah Asher. You work for Rawlings, don't you?" He smiled his cocky grin and straightened his shirt.

"I've worked for a few machine shops."

"You just made a big mistake," his black eyes stared at his rival with cold calculation as his driver, Dennis, approached the vehicle in case his boss needed assistance. Instead Levi simply ordered him to drive him home. Eli watched as the driver closed the car door then got in and drove away.

When they were out of sight, Eli hurried over to his car where Lilith was waiting. She never looked at him, just stared out the window in silence as he got into the car. She felt weak and humiliated and couldn't bring herself to look at the man next to her. Never had anyone had to swoop in and save her. She always took care of herself. Always. She was Lilith, dammit, she had crushed men who dared to so much as brush a finger against her without permission. It was inconceivable that she should ever be at the mercy of such a man as Levi Sethos. Deep down she had this feeling that all of this could only end badly.