The Fallen Queen of Eden Ch. 16

Eli pulled over to the side of the road across from the ruins of Springlawn Farm and turned off the car. He had been searching for Lili everywhere and found nothing. He had his doubts that she was here, but he didn't want to think of the alternative. His fear was that one of the Preacher-man's goons had managed to abduct her. As a last ditch effort he had driven out to the remains of Springlawn Farm because he remembered her saying something about liking this place because it was a good spot for thinking. If she wasn't here then he didn't know where else to turn except the police and given Levi Sethos connections, they were unlikely to be of much help.

Looking out of his window at the overgrowth, he could just make out the old dirt driveway that led up to what used to be Springlawn Farm. He didn't move, but sat there staring out at the thick foliage and the remnants of a path that had been strategically blocked by a large log. Clearly, whomever owned the property did not want people visiting. There is no family of albinos lurking in the woods to murder me, he silently reminded himself. He had heard the stories growing up and had always dismissed them. Even now, his rational-self found the stories ridiculous and yet there was something in the sight of that overgrown forgotten place that brought back every creepy story.

Taking a deep breath he got out of the car, but still didn't venture across the street right away. Urban legends or not, it was still trespassing and he really didn't want to get shot. Looking towards the nearly hidden road to the farm, his hand lightly brushed the well concealed Smith and Wesson 642 in his jeans to reassure himself. With a sigh, Eli crossed the road and climbed over the log, his sharp eyes taking in every detail of his surroundings. To his left he noticed a foundation that was just below the stone bridge. Given its proximity to the dry creek bed he could only surmise that it had once been an ice house or something. He continued on up the driveway, over a stone bridge then further up a gentle slope. At the top Eli stopped again as out of the greenery appeared a tall brick fireplace and chimney. Near the crumbling monolith were the remains of rock porch columns with brick steps in the middle. He walked over and walked up the stairs to where a porch would have been. All that remained was a large pit that he could only imagine must have been a basement. A series of concrete steps jutted out of the earth as the only trace of a cellar door.

What a strange place for anyone to visit. There was nothing here but trees, brush and the ruined finery of a bygone era that few people truly saw or appreciated. He wondered what the house must have looked like. The only real history he knew about that place was that it had burned to the ground in 1980. Eli turned around and looked across at a fairly clear space that obviously made up the original walkway to the porch with two short stone columns on either side. It was hardly a stretch of the imagination to think of fine ladies and gentlemen from society walking up this path.

Turning south his gaze fell upon a tall stone tower, like a silo that was built up of rocks. It was certainly imposing, but he doubted if anyone really knew what it had been built for any more. There were no windows or doors around it, only a metal ladder leading to the roof that seemed more like a circular battlement. On a whim he climbed all the way to the top, which wasn't easy, then looked around. Surely if Lilith was hanging around this melancholy property he could spot her from there. The view was amazing. On one side, through the trees, he could see a housing development that was built on a portion of the old farm land bearing its name. On the other side, he could just make out a small lake hidden in the trees. He could also see the ghosts of the other remaining buildings peeking out of the brush as if to say 'We can see you too'.

Noticing the unique and dilapidated chicken house, Eli started to walk to the other side of the tower only to have his foot accidently hit a piece of dirty plywood laying on the roof between the rock parapets. This seemed an odd place to find a random board, but then tennis shoes hanging from power lines was weird too. He might have dismissed it, but he suddenly noticed the edge of a metal frame sticking out from beneath the plywood. Eli knelt down and lifted it slightly revealing an opening that led inside the tower. A chill ran through him as he wondered what secrets were lurking within the stone edifice. A breeze swept through the trees that felt like a warning from something unseen and he dropped the plywood and decided it would be best if he got down and left this forsaken place.

Eli's descent down the ladder was probably the fastest he had ever made. Coming here was a foolhardy venture and he had wasted enough time. As far as he was concerned, Lilith wasn't here and he was glad. This was not a safe place for anyone, particularly a woman alone. With so many little buildings half hidden in the brush it seemed like a perfect place for a rapist or a murderer to hide, let alone the Preacher-man. Hastily he came around the ruins of the old front porch intent on getting to his car.

"Looking for someone?" said a familiar voice. Instantly Eli whirled around, his hand ready on his weapon. Sitting on the crumbling steps was Lilith watching him with a half-smile on her face as though she had been there the whole time.

"Where the Hell have you been?" he demanded, relaxing some, but still ready just in case someone else was hiding among the overgrown brush.

"I was just over there," she pointed at the half-hidden path that led through the overgrowth. "Doing some thinking over at the small abandoned lake. It's a rather peaceful place. Staring into the dark waters it's easy to contemplate your troubles and even discover solutions."

"I'm sure it's amazing," he answered, trying to stifle his annoyance. "Can we get going before someone calls the cops on us for trespassing or worse?"

"Go if you want," Lilith sniffed. "I never once asked for your company or help."

"Yes, I'm aware of that," he answered a bit annoyed at whatever game this was she was playing. "Is there a particular reason you decided to trespass here?"

"To pray, I suppose," she answered, looking around at the forgotten and crumbling farm around her.

"Is it working?"

"I don't know. I've never tried it before. I'm not exactly sure what's supposed to happen," Lili looked up at him uncertain. "How did you find me?"

"I remembered you saying something about how you liked to come here and think. I thought there might be a chance you were here, thinking things through or momentarily hiding from the prying eyes of the Preacher-man," He knelt down next to her on the steps, his gentle blue eyes looking at her. "Why didn't you tell me what he had done?"

"Pride. I 'm not accustomed to being vulnerable and . . . well, that night I discovered just how weak I really was. No human has ever been able to overpower me. For God sake, you had to step in and rescue me from the bastard's car. How humiliating is that? I feel like a one-legged cat trying to fend off a rabid pit bull." She sighed in frustration then looked back up at her friend. "Besides, what could you have done?"

"I don't know, but at least I would have known the whole story. I would have listened and been there for you. Punched him that night when he had you in the backseat of his car." The thought of him landing a blow to Levi's face brought a slight smile to Lili's. She couldn't understand why this human man was so protective of her, but he was. Something about Elijah stirred feelings in her that she had never felt before and couldn't figure out. The pastor at the church had dared to say she loved Eli. Maybe he was right. "Did Millie know what that bastard tried to do?"

"Of course not. She would have been angry that I went to see him at all, regardless of my reasons and she probably would have tried to shoot him," Lilith thought of that loud, boisterous, tough talking old broad with her coarse language and frank no-nonsense attitude. How could anyone not be drawn to that bright, friendly smile or her tacky red dye job that she was so proud of. Everyone knew it was fake before Millie ever told them, but the old gal was convinced she had them fooled. Every time someone complimented her she would beam from ear to ear and tell them how she had gotten a good deal on a box of color down at Wal-mart and dyed it herself. God how she missed that old woman.

"I'll never see Millie again, will I?" It was a foolish question and she knew it. There was no doubt in her mind that she had gone to a far better place. One that she would ever know.

"You still have me," he answered gently, brushing a dark hair from her face. Yes, she had him, but she couldn't keep him and she knew it. She had to let him go for his safety and his happiness and it was killing her inside. All she could think of was how Elijah's kindness had led to his motorcycle being damaged and affected his income. For the first time she could see what her 'friendship' was costing those around her and it hurt. She didn't want him to suffer for her sake. She wanted Elijah to reach his dreams and have all his heart desired. He deserved a woman that could help him achieve happiness, and that wasn't her. Pastor Eilish was right, she did love him and the best thing she could do was to make him move on and leave her.

"You are such a fool," she sneered, getting up and stepping a short way down the half buried stone walkway before turning and facing him again. "You don't get it, do you?" she said in frustration. "I'm not like you!" Lilith stared up at him in disbelief. She had been hinting that she was different since they met. How could he not see the truth? "I live an existence where I am never hungry or thirsty, neither hot nor cold, unless I am stripped of my power and trapped in human form." She sighed for a moment, unsure of how to explain it to him. "Lilith isn't just a name for me, it's who I am!! You called me a good person once and I wish it were true, but it's not. I am the demon Lilit also called līlītu. I have stolen the souls of men and dragged them to Hell. They spend eternity in a harem of my design where their longing for me manifests in physical pain and drives them mad. They cry out just for a glimpse of me just to ease their suffering. If they offended me before I laid claim to them then I have a far worse punishment waiting for them."

"No," Elijah said, shaking his head adamantly in disbelief.

"Look around! Do you know why I like this place? I come here because this is all I am capable of creating. I breed destruction . . . castles overgrown with thorns, fortresses of thistles and briers." For a moment she stopped, and closed her eyes pained by her reality. "My soul is dark and inside of me there is a beast that's evil and depraved. I chose to let it take possession of me when I rebelled against God and turned from him. Since then I have relished my demon power and care only about my pleasure and interests. No one else's. I have spent ages feeling nothing, no love, no sadness, just indifference. Humanity to me is nothing more than toys or dolls you play with. If you break it . . . well, there are always more." She wanted the truth to piss him off enough that he would walk away, but he just kept sitting there. Rather than being annoyed or impatient over her attitude and claims, he had pity in his eyes. Pity! No one had ever felt pity for her, no one. What was wrong with him?

"Lili," he began, but was quickly cut off as she approached him and looked down into his face.

"Don't you dare feel sorry for me," she hissed. "I will still exist long after the Preacher-man and the rest of these ruins have become nothing more than dust." She no sooner said this and there it was, the slight look of doubt beginning to cloud his face.

"So, you say you're a demon," Eli raised an eyebrow skeptically. He had heard her comment before about Hell, Lucifer, and all sorts of nonsense, and had always chalked it up to a lonely woman who had simply invented a world and persona where she could feel in control. "Take my soul then."

"What?"

"Take my soul. If you are the demon you claim to be then it should be easy, right?" he challenged, standing up and looking her straight in the eye.

"You think I'm lying," she accused.

"On the contrary, I'm willing to lay my soul on the line so that you can prove what you're saying."

"That's not fair, I've been stripped of my power and then there's that bloody tattoo on your arm . . ." she tried to explain. "Besides I don't want your soul. I couldn't bear it if you fell because of me.

"So that's it." Eli stood and walked over to her. "You're afraid the Preacher-man is going to kill me."

"Yes, but it's more than that." Lili started to look up into his face, but stopped unable to meet his gaze. "You make me realize just how wrong I have been for so long. Because of you I find myself looking beyond my own desires and instead wishing . . . wishing I could make your dreams happen. You smile at me and I almost feel . . . good."

"You are good," he asserted, certain of his own instincts. Lilith shook her head emphatically, but he wouldn't hear it. Eli caught hold of her, cupping her head in his hands and making her look up at him. "I don't know the circumstances, and I don't need to know, but when you were young and just starting your life, someone damaged you. Whether it was because you were abandoned or thought you were, who knows, who cares. To deal with your brokenness you started telling yourself this story of how you're a demon and damned for eternity so you could justify why you shut off your emotions, believe no one could ever care about you and make the choices that you do. You've been telling yourself this tale for so long that you actually believe it. The problem is, it's just not true. Like it or not, someone does care about you." His fingers gently traced the line of her cheek as he looked into her deep green eyes. "I care."

He clasped her hands in his tightly then brought them to his lips. He had meant to kiss her fingers, but instead he brushed against her signet ring. Suddenly and inexplicably he could hear the beat of her heart loud and in rhythm with his own. The cadence grew softer than the sound of Lilith's voice, distant, reverberated in his mind, like an echo. It sounded small and confused. Somehow Eli could feel all of her uncertainty, but he could also feel just how much she loved him too. What he couldn't quite understand was how this was happening when she wasn't speaking. Was his imagination playing tricks on him? Perhaps it was just the ghostly legends of this abandoned farm that was messing with his head. As quickly as the echos and heartbeat had started, they faded and all Eli heard was the normal ambient sounds of nature moving through the overgrowth and ruined buildings. All he felt was his own emotions as well as the singular beating of his heart.

Uncertain of exactly what had just happened he stood there a moment just holding her. He reached up and moved a piece of stray dark hair out of her face and in the process, the eye that hung from his leather bracelet brushed across her forehead. This time every thought and feeling that Eli had began to flow through her. For a few precious moments she felt his confidence and conviction that they were right together. His thoughts filled her mind and as clear as day she could hear him telling her not to be afraid. For all the powerful, mystical and supernatural things she had witnessed, this was one she had never experienced before . She was about to respond to his thoughts, but it all suddenly stopped and only the sound of the wind blowing through the trees met her ears.

Dumbfounded, she started to ask Eli if he had felt that strange brief connection but before she could he roughly took hold of her and crushed her mouth with his. It was deep, passionate and exploring. All she knew was that her body was hot and ready for him, yet she couldn't stop trembling. Why was she trembling? What was she afraid of? This man wanted her just as much as she wanted him, so what was stopping her? Dear God, he felt so good against her. He lifted her with ease, sliding up her skirt and pressing her against the fragment of a stone pillar. Even through the soft yarn of her crocheted halter top she could feel his mouth and teeth against her breasts and nipples making her gasp softly. Everything in her was crying out to have him and yet she couldn't shake the feeling that to do so would somehow be a terrible sin. Lilith wasn't certain she could handle another fall and she certainly didn't want to be the cause of his eternal condemnation, at least not for just a few moments of pleasure. He was fumbling with his belt when against every fiber of her being she managed to pull back from him.

"We can't do this," she managed between heavy breaths.

"What?" Eli asked, confused.

"I'm afraid . . . I'm afraid if I touch you then a greater damnation will be waiting. I don't mind suffering for it, but I couldn't bear it if you lost your soul because of me."

"I'm not afraid of your darkness." Eli pressed her back against the rock wall ruins as the heat between them intensified. He held her in place with one hand while the fingers of his other hand explored the hot, wet cradle of Venus through her long wrap skirt. The clothes on their bodies was beginning to feel terribly confining. It was likely they would have taken each other right there, but before things got too far, they were interrupted by a couple of teenage girls from the nearby Springlawn Estates who had been hoping to explore the ruins. The young ladies quickly left with many apologies and lots of giggles. Lilith and Eli looked at each other and silently agreed that it would be best if they continued this somewhere more private.

The drive back to Elijah's house only took about ten minutes, but it seemed like an eternity for two people desperate to touch. Trying to get up the stairs to the bedroom was made complicated by the fact that neither could keep their lips and hands to themselves. They barely made it inside Eli's bedroom doorway when Lilith began to unbutton his shirt. Her fingers felt the solid wall of his chest and lightly moved through the short blond hairs on it. Slowly she moved her hands down feeling his abs and stomach. As she explored his upper body, Eli quickly unfastened the ties of her halter-top, allowing the crocheted fabric to fall to the floor at their feet. Lilith threw off her charm belt followed by any remaining clothing she was wearing. She then turned her attention to Elijah's pants. With lightning speed she unfastened them and pushed them away from his body. Now there were no impediments between them, just flesh against flesh.

Holding him, Lilith began to realize that she was still trembling. This man made her feel so many things and deep inside she knew she was not worthy of him. Ever since that moment in Eden, when she had coupled with Lucifer by the water's edge, sex had been about nothing more than pleasuring the body. Suddenly, for the first time everything was different and Lilith was at a loss to understand why. It was something that seemed to reach far beyond the simple limits of their anatomy.

In his arms she felt the hellfire inside her burning. It hungered for every taste of this man, to be a part of him forever and never let go. Lilith didn't want her darkness to consume him and yet she couldn't stop her need until it was sated. She watched as Eli got down on his knees and holding her hips began to taste her, taking in the sweet nectar of elysium. Her hands gently held his head and her fingers ran through his thick blond hair as she felt her body climbing to the summit. She mewed softly, certain that no hard candy or sucker could ever boast being savored in such a fashion. She fell back against the doorframe as her body crested and legs grew weak. She tingled inside and out, but it wasn't enough, the demoness wanted more of him.