Pride

Chapter 7 - Pride

Perseus

I had already seen Lilith once today when Lucifer had stopped her on the sidewalk, too curious for his own good to keep his distance from such a beautiful and familiar face; Lilith's beauty was what had enraptured us the first time we came across the goddess of chaos and destruction. But this Lilith looked even more, captivating up close than the Lilith we once knew.

She was almost a spitting image of the snake who almost ruined me. If it weren't for the missing beauty mark on her upper lip, I would have thought it was Lilith herself.

Though we all knew it wasn't possible, not after what we did to her once Lucifer ripped out her heart all those centuries ago, it still stuck a cord to see this woman before me. Ripping out female hearts had actually become Lucifer's preferred method of killing when he was through with one of his play toys.

Lucifer, who always seemed to lust after emotionally unavailable females, was a savage son of a bitch compared to the rest of us when it came time to lead the lamb to the slaughter. He always insisted that he wanted one last chance to play with the hearts of his victims before damming them to hell.

He was as twisted as he was handsome. It was his curse, just as mine was, to always strive to be the best and have the best, from good looks to the nicest clothes and women; I had to have it all. Or at least I did until I found myself lusting after a woman who used my Pride against me to get what she wanted.

I looked down at Lilith, her emerald green eyes practically glowing in the neon lights. Her cheeks were flushed from the alcohol she had consumed, making her alabaster skin look even paler. It took everything in me not to kill her where she stood, but I forced myself to relax and gave her an easy smile instead.

Lilith wasn't the goddess of our past; she was just a human girl who had the misfortune of looking like the toxic bitch from hell. Though that didn't stop the adrenaline from pumping through my veins at the thought of destroying her life just the same. And with Lucifer out of the picture for the evening, I got the first crack at making her suffer.

I stuck my hands in my pocket and waited for Lilith to move. She gave her friend one last glance before pushing off the wall and making her way toward my room. My magic would conjure up whatever it was Lilith desired.

It was how all our rooms worked.

I followed Lilith into the dark hallway. The music from the club slowly faded, replaced with the sound of Carnival music. I watched her closely as we stepped through the Pride entrance, the red silken drapes separating as we passed through them to reveal a room full of carnival games.

Lilith looked around the room before giving me a questioning look.

"This was not what I expected, especially not from someone with your..." She trailed off, looking at the room again. The corner of my mouth tipped upwards.

"With my?" I prompted. She let out a soft laugh, and a strange sensation filled me, one I didn't like at all.

"Well, you look incredibly stuck up. I would have never guessed you had a thing for carnival games." My jaw tensed at her insult, but I forced myself to relax, not wanting to spoil the mood before our night had even begun.

"You know what they say about judging a book by its cover." I mused, and Lilith gave me a cheeky grin, revealing a beautiful smile. If she was anyone else, I was sure I would have claimed her as my next soul, but I knew even if she wasn't our Lilith, she was still a dangerous woman to get entangled with.

"Ahh, yes, it is true, isn't it." Her eyes lingered on me a little longer than necessary before she looked away again.

"So, what do we say we change the deal a little? If I win three carnival games, you let me off the hook, and I get to visit the other rooms at my own leisure. But, If I don't, then you get to keep me for however long you wish." I didn't usually change my deals, but considering how Lilith couldn't possibly win when I had my own tricks and magic up my sleeve, I allowed it. 

"I guess I'll permit it." I drawled, earning a laugh.

"Okay, well, since you are the one who claimed this room to be the best, how about you pick the first game," Lilith suggested. Of course, I already knew the game I wanted to play, but I didn't expect Lilith to hand over my win so easily. 

"That's a dangerous offer, Lilith. Are you sure you want to gamble any chances of gaining an advantage away?" Lilith shrugged, causing a lock of her hair to fall forward, awakening a long-forgotten memory.

~~~

The sound of the waves crashing against the rock walls filled the cavern. The black water was warm against my skin as I stood in the middle of the lake. The night sky shined brightly above us and made Lilith look even more like a goddess than she already was.

Lilith looked up at me, her eyes stopping my black heart. She gave me a soft smile full of want and desire as she took a step toward me and then another and another until our naked flesh was against one another, sending a wave of need and lust through me.

Her presence alone made me high, but her touch, it left me absolutely breathless. She trailed her fingers down my chest. Her lips parted ever so slightly, begging to be kissed, owned, and bruised in all the best ways.

"You always were my favourite, Perseus." She whispered into my ear, her hot breath fanning across my neck. I licked my lips with anticipation, my Pride swelling in my chest at her compliment. Out of all of my brothers, she chose me.

She pressed her lips softly against my neck, leaving a fiery trail of heat along my skin. Her hardened nipples brushed against my skin, sending a shiver through me.

"You will serve me well." She purred before I could question what she had meant; her lips were on mine. All questions faded from my mind, and the need to sate the sexual craving Lilith had set a blaze within me after months of taunting took over. I lifted Lilith up, her legs wrapping around my waist on instinct, my length rubbing up against her ass.

But before I could truly enjoy her naked flesh being against mine, a sharp pain flared up my spine, pulling me out of my lust-filled haze as I started back at Lilith in confusion. My eyes widened as I took in her satisfied smirk. And the pain spread into my chest. I looked down to find a black spike poking through my chest, right through my heart.

I tried to breathe, but I couldn't. Lilith moved away from me, her smile only widening as she took in my pained expression.

"You indeed are as pathetic as they say, Persues. A few compliments here, a few praises there, and I had you eating out of my hand like a sick little puppy. If I knew killing you would be this easy, I would have done it centuries ago."Lilith mused, her tone bored. I fell to my knees, the water rising to my neck as I struggled to stay above water.

Lilith stepped towards me, placing her lips against mine one last time, her wet hair falling around us like a curtain before she pulled away again.

"It's a pity I couldn't keep you around, Perseus. You would have been one hell of a lay, but I have a Kingdom to take over, and you're just in my way. Please do me a favour and kiss Winston for me when you see him." Lilith said, sending my pride one last blow before she pushed my head underwater, leaving me to drown and die. But as I slowly sunk to the bottom of the lake, the stars and moon faded from sight. I made one last vow. That when I was reborn, Lilith was going to fucking wish she never crossed me.

~~~

I blinked away the memory, my chest suddenly feeling like it was on fire.

"Call me naive, but I'd rather go in blind. Nothing fun ever happens when you get a head start." She said with a shrug. I cleared my throat, pushing the awful memory aside.

"If you insist, but just so we're clear, I did offer, and you declined. So only you can be held accountable for whatever transpires here."

"And what makes you so sure you'll win?" Lilith asked, arching a brow. I gave her a cunning smile.

"Because I always get what I want, Lilith. And tonight, that's you."