LAILAH
TWENTY-NINE
As the pain became my only existence, I instinctively reached out through my Bonds to the guys.
In a small part of my brain, I knew this would hurt them as well, but once I grasped onto them I couldn't let go.
Lilith's energy was like claws digging through my brain, trying to climb inside.
I was taking the biggest risk of my life, but I knew deep in my soul that it would work not because I was Synergy-- no it had everything to do for the men I knew were trying to do everything within their power to get to me.
Without them or my family, then there was nothing left in this world to save, but right now I was the only one who could do this and we wouldn't get another chance.
A gust of calming wind swirled around me like a warm hug and I knew Jay was trying to tell me to hold on.
He was going to be so mad when he figured out what I was doing, but the way he felt about me was exactly how I felt about all of them.
There was no way I would let them get turned into puppets to be used against this world we’ve been struggling to protect.
No, I was going to take Lilith down, but to do it she had to let down her guard and having her within my body was as perfect a moment as I could ask for.
Clinging to that feeling Jay sent me I tried to relax, open up my mind, and draw her in.
"Yes, that's it. Welcome me with open arms, Lailah, we will become one and do great things together," Lilith purred.
In an effort to calm my mind, I let my body sag against hers, wrapping my arms around her waist and letting her hold me up.
Doing this, I could feel Phoebe's heart slowing much like my own was ,until they started to beat in sync.
Lilith's power flooded me, but this time it felt more like slippery oil trying to sneak in every crack it could, trying to blanket me so nothing remained that she didn't cover.
Finally, I was able to take a deep breath and that's when I felt her leave Phoebe completely, but she hadn't fully transferred to me.
Now was my chance.
I delved deeply and grabbed hold of my powers and yanked it free to flood my body, encasing Lilith's power in my own, then layered over it with each of my Bonded lovers.
It was just like we'd done with the barrier around the house, only I used my own powers as the foundation instead of all of us, knowing it would be far stronger since it was coming from the source.
I could hear her screaming in my head as she fought against my hold, but I held on tightly with an iron fist.
"Mother, I have returned."
Hearing Mozog's voice, Lilith thrashed within me like the snake she was, trying to get even a tendril of power free to contact her first born.
It didn't matter, I'd locked the chains in place, keeping her well and truly trapped.
Slowly, I opened my eyes and found Phoebe's lifeless body laying in my lap.
Everything in me wanted to weep for her, to show how sad I felt about the whole situation, even if she'd meant to hurt my brother and Parker.
The poor woman had been a victim as much as any of us, costing her life at the end of it all.
Now she was free, never to be used again and I only hoped that she would find peace.
Languidly, I looked up from where I was on the floor to Mozog, once again dressed smartly in a suit. I reached a hand out to him and he dropped the bags he was holding to help me to my feet. "You're late."
"I'm sorry Mother, the knights seem to have caused a disturbance in the other section of the factory.
With how wounded they are, it shouldn't be too much trouble to get them back under lock and key," he explained, watching me with a critical eye.
"You were supposed to wait for me before you made the switch.
It was reckless of you to make such a move without protection. "
Even locked away, I could feel Lilith's anger at being scolded in such a way.
If I was going to make sure Mozog believed I was being controlled by his Mother I needed to be convincing.
Yanking my hand out of his, I slapped him in the face and without meaning to, I drew on her powers turning my nails into claws.
Three deep slashes showed up on his cheek, making him hiss jerking back from me.
"You dare to speak to me that way?! I am the one who knows what is best with my own body and the puppet I choose to rule," I snapped. Kicking out at Phoebe's body, I sneered. "She was failing faster and you were late, do not make this my problem, Mozog."
Clutching his cheek, he dropped his head in submission. "I'm sorry, Mother, I didn't mean to question you, but we knew there was a chance she would fight you. It won't happen again."
"See that it doesn't," I commanded, brushing the dirt off my body. "Did you get what I asked for? It seems those idiots that were sent to do the job damaged her more than we originally thought. You know how much I detest feeling things in these meat puppets."
Picking up one of the bags he dropped, he pulled out a pill bottle and a bottle of some sort of coffee drink.
As much as I detested coffee, if it was her favorite thing in the world to drink, then I would be more than happy to guzzle it with a smile.
Yet like anyone, we can't help but give a reaction to things we don't like.
"That better not be for me," I stated, looking at the bottle with disgust. "Don't you know anything? To think you were my first born."
"No Mother it was for me, I got you your favorite and it should help settle you in this body as well," Mozog said, pulling out a bottle of red wine.
Why couldn't it have been the coffee? Other than the few times I've gone out with Cami, I don't drink or handle my liquor well. "Lucky for me, I won't have to adjust to a new body ever again, soon we'll win the war and I'll have my own back."
"Speaking of which, I need to reach out to the Dark Lord and let him know that we no longer need the knight's mother. The less loose ends we have, the better."
It was an odd feeling to have Lilith's consciousness lurking in the back of my mind feeding me emotions and information. The more my power latched onto her it created a stronger bond with us as well, giving me clues. Then I found the perfect reason to have to drink the wine.
"Indeed," I mused. "I want to clean up and change before the wine, this girl had such a terrible sense of fashion. Before all that, we need to make sure that her boy toys have been dealt with. There's no way I could relax without knowing they are safe in a padded room, I can't lose this body."
The sound of a scuffle was coming from the other side of the large room we were in and when I checked my connection, I knew it was the boys.
"Seems they are coming to you," Mozog pointed out. "Once they see you own this body, I believe they will fall in line easily."
"Don't count on it, I doubt they're very bright… she wasn't."
Mozog let out a huff of laughter at that, as the doors to the room burst open and there stood my four boys. They were bloody, battered, and bruised but they were alive before my eyes. What more could I ask for?
"You're too late knights," Mozog called out to them. "Your Synergy has been taken from you and now serves Lilith as her conduit."
The look of fury on their faces as they hobbled their way over to us made my heart ache.
"Like we would believe a fucking demon," Micah growled. "How do we know you aren't lying to keep us from attacking?"
"Our connection to her is still strong, I can't even feel Lilith in her," Hudson added, talking more to Micah than either of us.
"Foolish knights, she isn't dead. Lilith has just taken over control and we need you alive because of that connection you have with her." Mozog said as he shoved his hand into his pockets, completely relaxed.
My plan had been to hold the ruse up long enough to find them so we could fight Mozog together, but seeing them told me they wouldn't be strong enough.
This left the matter to me. Lilith was more than able to take on her son, but I wanted to make sure the bastard couldn't come back in another body.
He needed to be dead for good, just like Dantalion was now.
Demon puppets poured into the room ready to capture my men, but I thrust out with Lilith's power and knocked them all away. "Don't touch them!" I snarled. "If you kill one of them you risk my safety, we will deal with this, since you clearly can't handle the simplest of tasks."
Lilith tried to use that moment to wriggle free from my hold, but I drew from the guys slamming another chain around her prison.
When this happened, they all snapped their heads to look at me, eyes wide with confusion and fear.
They believed that now Lilith could use their powers just like I could, causing Brayden to lose that glimmer of hope he'd had in his gaze.
Oh, I was going to be in so much trouble when this was over.
"Mother you need to trust they won't let them get killed or you'll never be able to use them in the war," Mozog cautioned as the lesser demons left the room.
"It hasn't even been a half hour since I took over her body, don't you think you could give me a little time to adjust? I've been waiting for this since you and your brothers locked me away all those years ago. Forgive a mother having some caution," I snapped.
Mozog actually looked pained about the fact he'd locked his mother up. "You know I didn't help them, I tried to warn you, but you didn't listen."
"Enough," I said, tossing up a hand. "Let's not fight in front of the mortals."
Then a thought came to me from Lilith that I wasn't expecting. "Did you find the fifth one?"
"He got away, I don't know how he found us to begin with, but he's proved to be quite irritating," Mozog grumbled.
Turning to him giving the guys my back, I let out a heavy sigh. "Must I do everything myself?" With my back turned I gave them all a thumbs up and the okay hand gesture, hoping they would understand what it meant. "Remind me why I keep you around?"
"I suppose now that you have a permanent body, I will have to find a new purpose along with supplying bodies for the army."
Reaching out I placed my hand on his shoulder and ran my hand along it as I walked around behind him. "Yes… a new purpose."
Grabbing his head, I pulled on Lilith's power and snapped his neck, dropping him to the ground as I manifested my Sai and stabbed him in the heart, pouring my power into him.
Now that I was Bonded to four of the five, my level of power had quadrupled so it didn't take as much out of me to send it right into the heart of the demon he was a conduit for.
Even though the human part of him was dead, his eyes flew open and he grabbed my wrist, trying to pull the weapon out of his chest.
"How?" he gasped looking at me, realizing that the real me was in charge, not Lilith.
Leaning down, I whispered right in his ear. "I'm mother fucking Synergy and you attacked my family, for that you are not allowed to live in this word or any other."
With a final surge of power, I felt the connection sever as the demon died wherever he was in the depths of Hell.
Lilith screamed in my head, fighting with everything she had to get free of my prison and rule over my body.
She had every intention of killing my men in revenge, which would in turn kill me ,but her rage was so blinding she didn't care.
A strong blow tossed me onto my back, gasping as I desperately kept my hold in her chains but without all five of them it might not be enough.
Then as if I was dreaming, Parker's handsome face appeared over me, fear bright in his eyes. "What do you need? How can I help?"
Unable to speak, I lifted a hand up hoping he would know what to do.
Right away, he clasped mine with both of his and bent his head over it as if he was praying.
Since we didn't have a connection any longer, touch made it far easier to draw on his power, giving me the upper hand on sealing Lilith away.
Calling the guys through our Bonds, I soon felt them all touching me in some way, allowing me the ability to delve inside myself to deal with Lilith once and for all.
This time, I was the one who pulled her into the darkness of the in-between, where the Dark Lord and I talked when he needed me.
"So, Lailah's not so dumb after all," Lilith mused from where she stood, bound in chains made from our combined powers. "What do you plan to do now, use me like I planned to use you?"
I can't deny the thought crossed my mind when I felt the connection I had with her in my own mind, but I also knew she would fight me forever. She'd waited thousands of years to get out. Dealing with me would be a piece of cake and I couldn't risk her taking me over.
"No Lil, I plan to end you for good," I announced.
Lilith tossed back her head and cackled like I'd told her the best joke she'd ever heard. "Oh, really now? How do you plan to do that? You aren't strong enough without your bond to Parker to manage killing the Dark Lord, let alone me."
"See I don't plan on killing you," I corrected.
Reaching to her powers, I brought us right down into Hell where we stood next to the altar and where her body lay.
"Now, the only good part about sharing a brain with you has been the fact that I could pick up on a few things.
See, the Dark Lord is actually one of the Princes of hell and you're right, I don't have the power to kill him or you, but you know who does?
The other Princes of hell, and they warned you that if you pulled shit like this again you would be killed, as an example of trying to overthrow them. "
"You won't survive an encounter with the Princes of Hell," Lilith sneered.
"Which is why I'm going to sever our connection and leave you here with a lovely beacon of the pure power of Synergy.
Nothing gets their attention faster than that of an angel, and I'm the closest thing to an angel as you can get in the bowels of Hell," I explained as I drew a ball of my power to place over her.
It was at this moment that Lilith started to panic. "Wait, we can come to some sort of deal, I know we can. See how useful I've been to you? Think of all we could do together."
"If our time together has taught me anything, it's to never trust the word of a demon… they always lie." With that, I tossed my ball of energy right in her face, severing the connection she had with me in my mind.
"This isn't the end, Synergy, I will find a way to take everything you have from you.
The Dark Lord won't let this slide, with me gone there is no more use for you to him, I was the reason he kept you alive!
" She screamed as I grabbed my Bonds and yanked myself back to the world of the living, leaving her trapped to face the consequences of her choices.
Karma's a bitch, and even the mother of demons has to pay for what she's done in the world.