The Virgin Priest Pt. 05

"Sweet Shynra, you never lost your wings, we made you think you had. You are such a disgrace to the demon family, that even as a princess you couldn't make up for it. We were hoping that you would gain power without them, but it seems that you only gained a human. Imagine my disappointment." He looked at Lily with disdain.

"You would do good to remember exactly who I am, Uncle," Lily spat. She gathered all the power she could muster, and it swirled with ferocity around the cottage, "My father is your king."

"Your father is my king, Shynra, but you are an abomination. Your parents should never have let you survive infancy. Your show of power is weak at best. I could cripple you with one sweep of my hand," the demon looked over to Luke, "As a matter of fact, why don't we show your little priest what real demon power feels like?"

"If you touch him, I will make sure you don't live to see morning," Lily warned. She was unsure of where her threats were coming from. They were baseless, she didn't have the power to take him down. He would kill them both before she got enough juice to knock him off his feet.

"I'd like to see you try," Venom coated his words, "But, I find this dynamic intriguing. Which one of you is the stupid one? Who will get killed first?"

"I'm warning you," Lily growled.

"Go ahead, I'm not afraid of you," the cool breeze of his power whipped around Luke and Lily, low but immediately threatening. "You both will survive tonight, but only because I will it. Your father, stupid as he may be, would have my head for killing you. Enjoy your mortal lifetime, niece."

With those words, the demon disappeared from the cottage. Luke let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. He watched as Lily's shoulders slumped. He didn't want to reach out for her, but he couldn't stop himself. He was behind her in seconds. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. She stiffened in his grasp, but she also didn't try to pull away. Luke had the distinct feeling that she was trying to cover up her tears. He felt them falling on his arm. He chose to ignore it and rested his chin atop her head.

"I can't protect you against the other demons, Priest," she said, "He's right, they're too strong for me. You can never go to my realm. They would kill you to get rid of me."

"Lily," Luke started, "Why would they want to kill you?"

"Because, Luke," She took a deep breath, "I'm my father's only child. Tradition dictates that his kingdom will get passed on to me when he dies, or more likely when or if he's killed. The demons are only as strong as their ruler. Me being in power would weaken them. They all want my uncle to ascend when my father dies."

"Isn't your father immortal?" Luke questioned.

"Even immortality has its limits. We all have a weakness, and you are mine. They will use you to get to me, if only to secure my uncle's rule."

"Is that why you've stayed here in our world for so long?"

"Put simply, yes. If I stayed with my father, I risk being crushed by a lesser demon who is also much stronger than I am. I stay out of sight here." Lily wrapped her hand around Luke's forearm. "What you felt from my uncle is only a fraction of his power. He could have ripped your release from you without touching you, he only wanted to taunt me. You're in danger with me, Luke. But I will keep you safe."

"Your touch is so much lighter than his," Luke said, "Why is that?"

"I can't answer any more questions tonight, Priest," Lily said, "Can we just go to bed?"

She turned to look at him, the question pleading in her darkened eyes. Luke sighed. He supposed that his demon princess had been through enough for one night. He nodded. She took advantage and led him into the bedroom that he hadn't been in yet. There was a large bed in the center. Suddenly, his body was weary with the stress of the last couple days. He walked over to it, mesmerized by the promise of a truly restful sleep.