Chapter 33
“Trust is a dangerous game.”
—HENRY HILL, GOODFELLAS (1990)
T here was a crash and the ppprrttttt sound of a cat chirping in the distance. Ramel smiled and laced his fingers through mine.
“Sounds like Hazai has found something.” He smirked, leading me away from the catalog. We found Shem perched in his cat form on top of one of the towering black shelves, licking a paw. A massive ancient tome was splayed across the ground. Ramel picked it up and dusted off the cover.
“ Mesopotamian Origins. ” He read the title and glanced up at Shem with a smirk. “Just a little bit of light reading, I see.”
Shem meowed at him and got up, stalking down the top of the shelf to a stack of books lying on top. He got to work poking the stack until it teetered toward the edge.
Ramel raised an eyebrow, looking amused as Shem poked and prodded the books until they fell with another loud crash to the floor.
“Wouldn’t it be less destructive to do this in your human form?” I asked the cat demon. Predictably, he ignored me and leapt off the bookshelf, landing lightly on his feet by the mess he had made on the floor.
“Shemhazai likes to poke things off surfaces,” Ramel explained, and I snorted .
“Believe me, I know,” I replied, thinking of all the glassware he had shattered at my place. Knowing that he was an immortal demon and not a cat made it a lot less cute.
Shem poked one of the books on the ground, and I moved forward to pick it up. The title of this one said, ‘The Wives of Adam and the Birth of Sin.’
“Charming,” I muttered, wrinkling my nose at the cover. Shem rubbed against my legs and began purring loudly, and for a moment, I forgot how much I hated him. “I like you way better as a cat,” I said, and he trotted off, heading back toward the exit of the library.
Ramel smirked at me and held out a hand. “Let’s go back to the room. I have some reading to do, and I promised you a nap.”
I eyed his hand suspiciously. Going back to the room felt like I was walking into a trap. Ramel’s eyes softened.
“Just as you can trust me to follow through with my threats, Lilith, you can also trust me to keep my promises. I told you I would let you rest, and I meant it.”
“Fine.” I nodded, reluctantly allowing him to lead me out of the library.
We stopped at what seemed to be a little infirmary on the way back to the room, and Ramel had my bruises healed. The demon who fixed me up was a plump, rosy little thing, and I was touched by her kindness. She even gave me a lollipop before sending me on my way.
Ramel and I arrived back at the room, and I hesitated before the bed, taking in the chains that were still strapped to the posts. I glanced back at Ramel, who was standing by the door, watching me with an amused expression on his face.
“Are you going to tie me up again?” I asked, and he raised an eyebrow.
“I don’t know, Lilith. Do I need to tie you up again?”
I held my breath, my eyes darting from him to the chains. Everything he had just told me was ringing through my mind. It was a lot, and I believed him, but it didn’t change the fact that I was a prisoner and he was keeping me here against my will.
Even if I was like them, shouldn’t I have a choice in what I wanted to do, the same way they did? They acted like I belonged to them, not like I was one of them. I still planned to find a way out of here, so convincing him to trust me enough to let me sleep without being chained up was an important first step.
“No,” I replied, hoping he couldn’t hear the lie in my voice. His smile widened, and he put the books down on the table between the two chairs by the fireplace. He walked over to me and tilted my head up, giving me a soft kiss on the lips .
“Let’s try it. I’ll leave them off for now. Show me that you can be a good girl, and maybe they will stay off… unless, of course, we’re playing.” He smiled at me, and I swallowed.
“Is there something more comfortable I can sleep in?” I asked, missing my cozy cotton band T-shirts.
His grin widened, and he shook his head. “No, Lilith. If you don’t like the dress I’ve put you in, you can always sleep naked. I’ll leave it up to you.”
I scowled at him. Fine, I guess I was sleeping in the damn dress. He stalked over to the bed and pulled back the covers, indicating that he wanted me to get in. I obeyed, and he tucked the blankets around me before kissing me on the head. Shem nudged the bedroom door open and trotted in, still in his cat form. He hopped up on the bed as well. I frowned at him, but he just began purring and kneading his paws into my side before curling up next to me. Ramel tugged on my collar gently, leaning forward to give me another tender kiss.
“Be good and rest, Lilith. I’ll see you when you wake up.”
I woke up several hours later to find myself alone. Shem was no longer curled up next to me, and Ramel’s books were abandoned by the fire. I frowned, glancing down at my wrists. I was still unbound.
“Ramel?” I called out.
Nothing.
The only sound was the crackling from the green fire.
Something was off. Why would they just leave me here?
I slipped out of bed and checked the bathroom. That was empty too. I padded over to the door to the room and found it had been left unlocked. I narrowed my eyes.
This had to be a test. It was a trap. If they thought they could trick me, they were fucking idiots. I crawled back into bed and crossed my arms over my chest, waiting for one of them to come back in and say ‘ got ya!’
Nobody came. After what felt like forever, there was finally a soft knock on the door.
“Come in,” I said, feeling even more confused when Art poked his head in. He gave me a friendly smile.
“Hi, Lilith, may I come in?” he asked, and I nodded, still feeling confused.
He opened the door all the way, and I could see he was holding a plate of what looked like some delicious roast beef and gravy-smothered mashed potatoes.
I beamed at him. “Are you the food fairy? I feel like every time I see you, you’re bringing me something to eat.” I laughed as he handed me the plate .
He smiled at me sheepishly. “I’m a big foodie. If I wasn’t so good on the battlefield, I may have run Hell’s kitchen in another life.”
I accepted the food gratefully. Considering how little I had been able to eat at breakfast, I found I was starving. Art handed me a roll of cutlery, and his eyes fell on the chains attached to the posts on the bed. I didn’t miss the way his face fell at the sight of them.
He cleared his throat and gave me another, more cautious smile.
“What brings you to Hell?” he asked, his gentle tone making me pause.
“Ramel brought me here,” I said quietly, taking a bite of the roast beef. It was delicious. I scooped up some potatoes next.
“I see,” Art said, his tone dark. “How are you liking Hell so far?” His eyes darted back to the restraints. It was clear he was uncomfortable with the fact that I was being held here against my will.
“Does it matter?” I asked. “I don’t have a choice. I’m stuck here whether I like it or not.” I didn’t need to play up the sadness in my voice; it was real.
Art looked like he was in physical pain at my admission. “Has Ramel… hurt you?” he asked, and my eyes welled with tears at the way he had phrased it.
“Ramel has hurt me more than anyone I’ve ever known,” I whispered.
I stared down at my half-eaten plate of food and suddenly didn’t have an appetite anymore. Art looked conflicted for a minute. He tossed a look over his shoulder at the door and pursed his lips before looking back at me.
“Lilith,” he said, and I glanced at him, frowning. “Maybe I can help you.”
My heart stopped.
“What do you mean?”
He rubbed the back of his neck nervously and glanced at the door again. I suddenly felt anxious too. I remembered how Ramel had shown me the souls of my foster parents and how he had tormented them.
I didn’t want to get Art in trouble. Ramel hurt me, yes, but I had a feeling he would hurt Art more if he helped me and we were caught.
“Listen, Ramel and Shem were called away to an impromptu meeting with Rafael. Shem asked me to check in on you and bring you some food. I didn’t realize… Well, I mean, I suspected it when Shem said you weren’t allowed to touch me. I wasn’t sure, though. If they’re keeping you here against your will, I can help you get away, but we have to move now . They’ll be back within the hour.” He searched my eyes and bit his lip.
My heart was racing so fast. This was the chance I needed. I would never be able to escape Hell on my own, but if someone with inside knowledge helped me, maybe I would have a chance.
“He’ll find me if I run,” I whispered.
Art shook his head. “There are ways to cloak your soul pattern. He won’t be able to find you, but we have to leave now if you want to do this.”
I stared at him, unable to believe this was really happening.
“Why would you help me?” I breathed. I didn’t understand why this demon would risk Ramel’s fury to help someone he didn’t know at all.
“You’re not the only person Ramel has hurt, Lilith. Helping you escape him will be a drop in the bucket in comparison to the things he’s done to me,” he said darkly. We stared at each other for a long moment, and I nervously chewed on my thumbnail as I weighed my options. Then, finally, I nodded.
“Okay. Let’s go,” I breathed. He held out his hand, and I took it.
“Try and keep up.”