Chapter 23 – Lilith
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
LILITH
Clutch walks along the main wall by Velmora. “What are you looking for?” I ask.
“Silas’s phone. Aha! Here it is.” He bends down, holding out Silas’s phone for me to take.
I look from the phone to him. “Why would I want it?” I ask.
“Well, you two are, you know…” He shrugs. “Feeding the kitty, checking the oil, riding the bony pony,” Clutch gestures, thrusting his hips while wiggling his eyebrows at me.
“You were dropped on your head as a child, weren’t you?” Evelynn comments beside me.
“Alright, jeez, doll, no need to be so mean. I’ll keep hold of it for your man,” he says, sliding it into his back pocket.
“He isn’t my man,” I counter.
“My bad, I read the room wrong,” Clutch says, holding up his hands.
“If you have all stopped plaiting each other’s hair, can we please make our way inside this hell to get our brother out before we lose him for good?” Lucian snaps. “If it’s not too much trouble,” he adds sarcastically.
Clutch makes a swipe across his mouth, as if fastening a zip. I roll my eyes and shake my head. Even in the most desperate of situations, he always manages to make light of things.
As the castle looms before us, the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
We are walking into hell with no plan, no backup, nothing but ourselves and our basic weapons.
I don’t have any of mine with me. Thankfully, Cain gave me one of his blades.
But there must be hundreds, if not more, vessels in there that could tear us limb from limb at Morbius’s command.
The huge doors open before us, creaking loudly, old and ancient.
Evelynn grips my hands firmly in hers. “In the hall to the right,” I instruct.
We move, not at speed, but in slow, measured steps.
Their eyes graze over every inch, inspecting every possible threat.
My gaze is fixed on the doorway ahead, knowing what’s around that corner; what I ran from.
Leaving him trapped and in agony, my mind mentally chastises.
I tense, bracing for it, bracing for seeing him.
We hear him before we see him; the roar he releases tears through me.
Evelynn flinches as we come to a stop. I know the moment her eyes land on him.
“Oh god,” she whispers, the horror cracking in her voice.
The room is now bathed in candlelight, with a large banquet table in the centre.
Morbius sits at the head, casually sipping his blood wine.
I lurch forward, rage exploding at the sight of him so smug.
Evelynn’s grip on my hand tightens, holding me back.
My furious gaze snaps to her; she gives the briefest shake of her head.
I grind my teeth in an effort to regain control.
Lucian and the rest of the club stand there, a look of boredom etched on their faces, as if this was just any other day and their brother wasn’t chained up like some animal, thrashing and hissing in agony.
“Please, take a seat. I’ve had the chef prepare a meal,” Morbius instructs, pointing to the chairs.
“What does he mean by meal?” Evelynn whispers beside me.
“A human,” I answer. “And prepare yourself, it will be one to provoke our emotions,” I mutter.
We walk to the table, and my eyes slide to Silas. He isn’t looking in my direction, his head still cast down. We sit, Lucian positioning himself at the opposite end of the table, his murderous glare pinned on Morbius.
“Well, isn’t this nice?” Morbius grins. He claps his hands, and suddenly a sea of vessels scurry in, carrying a screaming human, bound and gagged.
A young girl, no more than eighteen. Her eyes are wide with fear as she looks at us.
They roughly drop her onto the centre of the table like some trussed-up pig.
Her pleading, desperate gaze locks onto Evelynn and me, searching out the only women visible to her. I swallow.
“You know we don’t feast on women or children,” Lucian snarls.
“Oh no, that’s a shame. More for me, then, I guess.
” Morbius shrugs, grabs her, and yanks her down the table to him.
Her muffled screams and cries will haunt me for eternity as he sinks his teeth into her flesh.
I keep my focus on a spot on the table, never before willing someone to hurry up and die, to silence the horrific sounds.
Evelynn and I grip each other’s hands tight, taking everything in us not to react. It’s what he wants.
Soon, the only sounds are those of Morbius’s feasting. I close my eyes, willing my strength to carry me through this. Praying there is a way to get Silas out of here. Then I am going to pack up and leave, leaving behind the horrors that haunt me.
Morbius finishes his feasting and discards her body on the floor like a piece of trash.
He wipes the corners of his mouth delicately with a white napkin.
“That’s better. I always find I think more clearly and feel more alert after a good feed, don’t you?
And there’s just something about virgin blood that dances across your palate. ”
Oh God, the poor girl was so young. My gut lurches.
“What do you want, Morbius?” Lucian asks, his patience wearing thin.
“Always direct, straight to the point.” Morbius grins. “A real straight shooter,” Morbius mocks, using his thumb and forefinger to impersonate a gun.
“Cut the bullshit act, Morbius, and just say what you want. It will save us all a lot of time and hassle,” Lucian sighs.
Morbius’s jaw ticks, irritation at Lucian’s disrespect. Glaring at Lucian, the tension rises; this is all going to go very badly if someone doesn’t calm the situation soon.
“May I remind you, where you are, Lucian. It would do you well to show me some respect,” Morbius grinds out through his teeth, his temper hanging by a thin thread poised to snap at any moment.
“I am well aware where we are, Morbius. Respect goes both ways, as you have entrapped my VP. And it appears to me that he is in significant pain,” Lucian states calmly, but the undertone of threat is there. One wrong look, word or move, and he will end him.
Morbius huffs a dismissive laugh. “I believe your VP is my brother, by blood. Not just by some vow and a little patch sewn on a jacket.”
“It’s called a cut,” Clutch interjects. “You remember, right? You did wear one for a while. You just never made it to a patched member. Is that what this is about? You upset that you didn’t become a member?”
“Clutch,” Lucian growls in a low and foreboding tone.
Morbius snaps to his feet, both palms slamming down on the table; the wood splinters from the force. “You really think I’d want to join? That I ever wanted to join?!” He throws his head back, an insane cackle tearing from him.
“Alright, Mr Burns.” Clutch snorts.
Morbius’s laughter ceases instantly, his violet eyes blazing with fury. “Fuck sake, Clutch. You had to provoke the crazy,” Cain mutters beside me.
“What are you doing?” I hiss.
“You are dead, there will be nothing left of you but ash and dust. You will all cease to exist. And your precious VP won’t be able to do anything apart from watch,” Morbius sneers, his eyes alight with amusement. Enjoying the thought of ending us all.
I chance a look at Silas, my eyes colliding with his, swallowed by his onyx pools.
His eyes plead with me. He mouths the words, careful not to say them aloud or let Morbius hear.
I squint, trying to read his lips. Kill me, and he will die.
My lips part, and I shake my head no. He nods slowly.
It’s the only way. No, it can’t be. Evelynn squeezes my hand.
I turn my attention to her, her worried eyes searching my face.
I’m not sure if she can read minds, or if it’s just the utter despair on mine. She blinks.
“Absolutely not,” she whispers, her eyes flicking to Silas. Knowing he will hear her, too. “There is always another way,” she says with a certainty I don’t feel.
“I’m growing tired of your dramatics, Morbius. Now, just let your brother go, and you can go about your life ruling Velmora. Alone with your vessels for company.” Lucian stands as if he’s done with this conversation.
“When I say, you run to Silas,” Cain whispers so quietly I question whether I heard him or imagined it.
He gives me a pointed look. Right. Okay, didn’t imagine it.
The room goes eerily silent, Lucian and Morbius staring each other down, waiting for the other to make a move.
I watch like a hawk in anticipation. If my heart were alive, it would be pounding against my ribcage.
Then I spot it. Lucian taps his index finger to his thumb in quick succession, the tiniest of movements, but a signal to those who know to look for it.
“NOW!” Cain bellows. Evelynn and I leap from our chairs and sprint across the room, skidding to a halt in front of Silas. Evelynn wrestles with the chains.
“You won’t be able to remove them. You need a key,” I point out.
Silas groans, his body coated in a sheen of sweat, his muscles tight, his face now completely distorted in agony. My fingers reach out, delicately gliding his damp hair from his face. His Onyx eyes looked to mine, begging, pleading with me to end his life. To end his pain. his suffering
“You… must… kill me.” Each word drags out of him like it’s tearing him open from the inside. “It’s the only way you’ll be safe. The only way the club won’t have this at its door.”
He rushes the last part, breath hitching, his face twisting like even thinking is agony.
My fingers hover, then barely brush his cheek, too afraid to touch him, too afraid that if I really hold him, I’ll shatter all over again.
He grits his teeth and lifts his chained hand to my face.
The metal clinks, echoing around us, but the sound fades, everything fades, until there’s only him.
And his eyes. God… how did I miss it? The love.
The quiet, unwavering devotion every time he looked at me.
I was so lost in grief. In anger. In longing for his brother…
I never saw the man right in front of me, the one who gave up everything. For me. Even now. Even like this.
Still choosing me.
His hand trembles against my skin, the effort nearly breaking him.
Tears spill freely down my cheeks, and he gently wipes them away with his thumb, as if he isn’t the one dying.
“I’m so… so sorry,” I choke out. The words feel worthless.
Too small. They’ll never be enough. “All the lies, all these years. You could’ve had me. If you’d just told me the truth.”
I lean forward, pressing my forehead to his.
For one fragile moment, the world disappears.
No chaos. No monsters. Just us. People spend lifetimes trying to prove their love with words, promises, vows, and empty declarations.
Silas never needed words. He proved it by giving up his life.
A sharp clang shatters the moment. Clink.
Clink. I pull back, turning to see Evelynn driving her blade into the chain.
Sparks fly, and this time, I see it. It’s cutting through. My breath catches.
“Evelynn, it’s working!”
“Of course it is!” she yells over the chaos. “I’m a badass with a magical dagger!” she winks.
The world crashes back in. Screams. Steel and Death.
I turn, and my stomach drops. The brothers are being overrun. Dozens, no, hundreds of vessels pour through the doors, a writhing mass of claws and teeth and hollow eyes. A sea of death.
“Help them. Go. Now,” Silas forces out. Evelynn hesitates, looking between us, something breaking in her expression. “Sorry, I can’t -.”
“Go!” I snap, desperate. “They need you!”
She runs, a battle cry ripping from her throat as she disappears into the fight.
I turn back to Silas, and there it is. The truth in his eyes. The one I’m not ready to face.
“Even if you free me…” he pants, his voice thinning, “you can’t save me. I’m already turning. That doesn’t stop. It doesn’t reverse.”
His skin is pale now. Lips are draining of colour. No. No, no-. I grab him and crash my lips to his. The kiss is desperate. Broken. Everything I never said, everything I never let myself feel, I pour it into him.
Then I pull back, breathless. He stares at me, confused. I let out a weak, shaky huff. “Just… checking. Works in every fairytale, right?”
A faint smile touches his lips. “This isn’t a fairytale,” he murmurs. “Too many monsters.”
My chest caves in. “There has to be something I can do.”
“There is.” His gaze locks onto mine. “You just won’t do it.”
My voice breaks. “After everything… You can’t ask me to kill you.” I curl into him, pressing my face against his chest, trying to memorize the feel of him. He strains against the chains, trying and failing to hold me.
“I wish…” His voice cracks into my hair. “I wish I could hold you. Just once more.”
I wrap my arms around him tighter, as if I can make up for it. As if I can keep him here. Then he jerks. “Get back!” he snarls suddenly. I spin, my heart lurching.
A vessel approaches. Slow. Wrong. Not just any vessel. “Cara…?” I whisper. She moves strangely, crouched low, glancing over her shoulder. Then she reaches out, hand closed. I extend mine without thinking.
“Don’t,” Silas warns. “You don’t know what she-.”
“She won’t hurt me,” I say softly.
Her cold fingers brush mine, and something presses into my palm.
A key. My breath catches. “Thank you.” She’s gone before I can say more.
I don’t hesitate. I unlock the chain. It falls away with a heavy clang, and Silas collapses forward.
I catch him. He’s so weak, but he still wraps his arms around me, pulling me in with what little strength he has, burying his face in my neck like he’s trying to memorize me.
“You’ve given me more than you’ll ever know,” he whispers, voice raw. “I held you while you were dying once… I can’t survive that again. All I ever wanted… was for you to be happy.”
My brow furrows. “What do you mean?”
He leans back just enough to look at me, that sad, broken smile on his lips. “Love…” His voice falters. “Love isn’t a strong enough word for what I feel for you.” His body trembles. “I can’t exist… not like this. Not without my mind. Without my memories of you. I can’t-.”
He chokes as black ichor spills from his lips.