Chapter 60
“There are three things I have learned never to discuss with people: religion, politics, and the Great Pumpkin.”
—LINUS VAN PELT “IT’S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE brOWN!”
T he first place we took her was the orchard. Shem wanted to check on the pumpkins, and I knew for a fact that Lilith loved pumpkin patches, so it felt like a natural first stop.
Lilith squealed when we arrived.
“Oh my G — ” I smacked a hand over her mouth with a growl.
“Careful, Lilith,” I muttered into her ear. She shuddered, and I smirked against her, nipping the side of her neck just above her collar. She nodded, and I released her, smirking as she glanced back at me apologetically.
“Oh my fuck!” She corrected herself and gazed with sparkling eyes out at the patch before us. The pumpkins in Hell were not orange. They grew in varying shades of blacks, creams, and purples, which made them look hauntingly beautiful when we carved them and filled them with green flames. The patch itself was several acres and sat beneath the open night sky. The greens, reds, and violets from the nebula that endlessly churned reflected off the gleaming surfaces of the gourds spread before us .
“Go pick one to carve,” I told her, and she glanced back at Shem and me like she couldn’t believe we were allowing her to have free range of the patch. We had made sure no one else would be here while we were showing it to Lilith so she could wander and stretch her legs as much as she wanted.
Shem nodded at her, smiling at how excited she was. “Go ahead, sweetheart. Pick one for me too.”
“Eeek!” she squealed and bounded away from us. We watched, amused, as she carefully inspected each pumpkin, her mossy green eyes twinkling with happiness.
“As much as I like tormenting her, her fucking smile makes my insides feel all fuzzy,” Shem muttered to me, sliding his hands into his pockets and rocking back on his heels.
I smirked at him, nodding. “I know what you mean,” I agreed. It gave me a sick sense of satisfaction to force her to bend to my will. I loved controlling her and feeling like I had the power to make her do whatever the fuck I wanted, but I also loved this.
Giving her a taste of freedom was almost sweeter when it was a reward after we had taken it away from her first.
She didn’t understand, but the version of Lilith that had access to her memories would. Everything was better if there was contrast. The light was brighter if you were coming from somewhere dark. Life was more precious if you had once feared you might lose it. Freedom only felt like a gift if you knew what it was to be a prisoner.
Watching Lilith play within the bounds of the freedom we had just granted her made me feel lighter, and my rotten heart swelled with joy as we waited for her to make her selections.
Finally, after what felt like hours, she bounded back to us, beaming.
“Okay, I found our pumpkins! They’re too big for me to carry, so you have to come help.”
Shem and I exchanged a smirk and nodded.
“Lead the way, deathtrap,” I agreed, and she grabbed my hand, tugging me into the patch.
“This one’s for you, Ramel,” she said, pointing to a massive wine-colored pumpkin. It was tall and oval and had a perfect spot for a carving. I smirked at her. I didn’t usually participate in the pumpkin carving contest, which is why I hadn’t told her to choose one for me, but she was looking at me with so much excitement in her eyes that I couldn’t deny her.
“It’s perfect.” I grinned. I snapped my fingers, and the pumpkin disappeared. Lilith giggled and grinned at me.
“Where did you send it!?” she asked, and I laughed.
“Don’t worry, just back to our room. ”
She nodded, looking very serious. “Good. I don’t want it to get mixed up with all the other ones.”
She grabbed Shem’s hand next and dragged him farther into the patch. I followed close behind, unable to wipe the smirk off my face.
“This one is for you!” She beamed. Shem’s was all black and rounder than mine had been. He shot her an amused look.
“Why is mine so squat? ” he asked incredulously. “Are you trying to tell me something?”
Lilith laughed. “No, of course not. It’s just kind of what you look like when you curl into a little cuddly ball in your cat form.”
Shem’s green eyes twinkled, and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into him and dropping an affectionate kiss on the side of her head.
“It’s perfect, sweetheart,” he purred before snapping his fingers and transporting it back to the room.
“Where’s yours?” I asked, and she grinned, leading us to an ivory-colored pumpkin. Hers was rounder as well and had an almost cheerful feel to it.
“I’m surprised you didn’t pick a black one for yourself,” Shem said, eyeing the little ivory gourd thoughtfully,
She shrugged. “I’m so different from the two of you. I wanted mine to stand out.”
I slid my hands around her waist and pulled her back into me, kissing her temple softly.
“You are not as different from us as you might think, deathtrap. You made us who we are.” She wrinkled her nose at that but didn’t comment.
I chuckled, knowing she was keeping her mouth shut because she didn’t have anything nice to say and didn’t want to risk a punishment.
“Still. This one is mine. Can you send it back to the room for me?” She leaned her head back and gave me a pleading look. I smiled down at her and hummed.
“In exchange for a willing kiss, I will send it back to the room.”
She scoffed, but it was playful. Spinning around, she threw her arms around my neck and slid her fingers up into my hair.
“Lean down,” she demanded, her eyes dropping to my mouth. I watched her lick her lips in anticipation and did as she asked.
I brushed my lips against hers and waited for her to come to me. She didn’t disappoint. I felt a shot of adrenaline ignite in my chest as she pressed her plush little mouth against mine. My excitement increased as she took it one step further and traced her tongue against my mouth, begging for access.
I opened for her, and she made a small moaning sound as she slipped her tongue against mine. I tightened my grip against her hips and tugged her in closer to me, forcing myself to allow her to lead .
My whole body was on fire. I wanted to fucking devour her as she tentatively explored my mouth and allowed me to explore hers in return. Finally, she pulled away, and we were both out of breath. My heart was hammering in my chest, and I wondered for a minute if I was going to be able to make it through the rest of the day without fucking her like I had originally planned.
Without looking away from her, I snapped my fingers, misting her pumpkin back to the room.
“Thank you,” she breathed, and I couldn’t help but run my finger down her jaw. I pressed another soft kiss against her lips before letting her go. I fucking loved her so much that my heart suddenly felt like it was breaking.
“What?” she asked, cocking her head to the side.
“What do you mean ‘what’?” I asked, chuckling.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Shem laughed and shook his head. “He’s got it so bad for you, sweetheart. Haven’t you been paying attention?” Her little cheeks flushed red, and I ran my thumbs over them tenderly, loving how warm and pink they were when she was flustered.
She pulled away, and I let her, only to slide my hand to the small of her back and lead her forward to our next destination.
“Where to now?” she asked as Shem slipped his hands into his pockets, following us out with a grin.
“The Fountain of Death,” he said, and Lilith’s eyes shone with interest.
“Sounds morbid.”
“You’re going to love it.” Shem smirked, touching her chin gently.