CHAPTER TWO
LILLITH
Sitting cross legged on the hard floor, Lilly had travelled with her mates to the dragon territory weekly to speak with her sister. Even if it were just a one way conversation, it helped her. It let her feel closer to the only family she had left and gave the fairy some form of connection as well.
“I miss you. It’s been whe -eeks, Genevieve. Can’t you come out yet? Can’t you come and say something to me?” Reaching over to press her hand against the rigid surface of the cocoon, Lilly did her best to control her emotions, though small flowers still sprouted. Small bluebells to represent her sadness that she was so close yet so far away from her sister.
“My wedding is soon. I know, you thought I’d be married already right? The boys are bound to be getting restless now. I keep pushing the date in hopes that one of these mornings, you’ll just be here. That I’ll be able to have you beside me when I’m walking d -down the aisle. So you can hear me stumble over my vows. My stammer is getting better. It’s almost gone completely now. You’d be proud of me for it.” A familiar burn started behind her eyes. A rush of tears and swelling of emotion as her fingers dug into the surface a little. A pitiful laugh escaped her. “What a mess we’ve got ourselves into, Ginny.”
Lilith had grown a layer of moss over the hard stone flooring in the otherwise empty room, as if it might make them both more comfortable. Hellion, King of the dragon race, had kindly informed her that he’d had Gen’s cocoon moved to the window to give her some sunlight though they worried the cold temperatures of their territory was an issue to her emerging.
Like a chick needing to be grown in heat, the dragon race had claimed a piece of land that was far beyond the clouds in the sky. They were up so high in the mountains nobody rational would travel there by foot. It was by portal, or flying only to safeguard themselves against intruders.
It snowed nearly constantly there, the sun shining but no real heat coming through. Even now as light crested into the window and shone against the other side of the large oval cocoon, throwing Genivieve’s resting body into a silhouette within itself, Lilly’s skin was still covered in goosebumps.
“Maybe I should take you home with me instead. It’s warm in Hell, though not in the way you think. You’d have your own big room. A bath. A bed you could sink into. All kinds of things we never got to have before.” Swiping beneath her eyes quickly, Lilly sniffed her tears away. “Please.”
Shuffling herself up onto her knees, Lilly pressed her hands against the surface, resting her forehead there and closing her eyes. Small vines grew over the surface, flowers and thick leaves cushioning around the cocoon as Lilly tried to reach out as she always did in search of something. Anything. “Just show me that you’re still there.”
The knock that came was gentle against the door as it creaked open. “Ms Serpentine? Your mates are asking if you’d like to go home now. We have a blizzard rolling in and you don't want to have anything disrupting the portal door when you’re trying to move away.”
Lilly didn't answer. Not because she was ignoring the other male who spoke quietly to her, but because something happened. Maybe it was a trick of her own imagination. Maybe she was just wanting Genivieve back so badly that she would take anything as proof but…
Something happened.
“Ms Serpentine?”
Reaching her hand to the side, Lilly kept her eyes closed, the large wings on her back fluttering a little as she clung to the tiniest thread of something happening.
Since the tree, she could feel life. She could feel it everywhere, all around her like light soaked into the pores of every plant. Every creature. The cocoon had been a muted sense of life, a muted light for weeks. Every time she came, nothing changed. Yet when the male with her right now spoke, Lilly swore she felt a pulse of something.
Something was better than nothing.
Waving him closer, Lilith reached blindly for his hand, her fingers closing around his thick wrist and dragging him forward. Though drag was generous. Given the size of dragon males, the male very generously was doing as she asked without question though she could sense his curiosity.
“We’re not supposed to touch it, that's why she’s kept in this room in peac–”
“Shh. Wait.” Planting her hand over his, Lilly let her senses find that little pulse of light. Like a firefly searching in the dark for somewhere to go, she slid the male’s hand along the surface until it happened again. The pulse of light, of life that was so delicate she worried it could dwindle if not handled properly. “She’s reacting to you.”
“Maybe it's the heat. I run a little hotter than most others.”
Every time the male spoke, the light shone brighter, the flowers and moss that had grown over the surface perked up at the sign of life there.
“No. No, it’s you. She’s reacting to your voice.” Lifting her head from the cocoon, Lilly stared up at the huge male who had crouched beside her. He was handsome, all dragons were. Strong and sturdy. Muscles for days that rivalled Orian’s.
His skin was a little darker, tanned from the sun and snow. Auburn hair fell in long silky lengths past his broad shoulders. His eyes held her the most. A wonderful beaten gold, like a sunrise trapped within them, glowing gently as he watched her with his oddly shaped pupils. Not reptilian like she was used to, they were more like an elongated diamond shape.
“Who are you?”
“Calix. My name is Calix.”
Something thrummed within the cocoon enough that both their heads whipped to where they touched the surface. “Oh my gods. She’s listening. She’s listening to you.”
A flurry of flowers burst over Lilly’s hair and over the ground as she stood quickly, almost tipping over in her haste. “Keep talking to her! I need to get the others.”
“What do I tell her?” Gods love the dragon, he looked like he’d just been asked to dance naked in a pool of piranha.
“Everything. Tell her everything you can think of, it doesn't matter. Just keep talking to her!” The fairy rushed for the door, her large wings propelling her forward with a flap now and then nearly throwing her off balance.
“Why do I have to do it?”
For a second, Lilly paused with her hand on the door handle, her lilac eyes clashing against the unusual gold of his own, her heart beat in her throat. “Because I think you might be my sister's mate. And the key to waking her up.”
Ignoring the way the dragon’s face paled, Lilly was far too excited at the prospect of what she had stumbled upon. Ignoring the snow that had begun to flutter in the air and the wind whipping an icy chill around her, Lillith searched through the small huts until she found the right one.
Compared to the mansion at home, all the dragons had their own spaces.
Their own cabins made from slate and stone constructed together reminded her of private villages out of civilization. She had watched a program about it all on the TV before they had begun travelling to the territory to ensure she didn't do anything wrong. The biggest cabin, of course, held the King. If that wasn't glaringly obvious enough, it helped that Hellion had a series of small charred bones inlaid into the frame of his doorway.
Evidently he had a similar way of decorating to the head of the Serpentine family as well.
Pressing her hands into the hard panelled door, it took a little bit more than just shoving the heavy thing out of her way, Lilly stumbled into a wall of heat. Her fingertips burned with how sudden the change in temperature was inside.
Hellion’s living space was nothing she would call luxury, but it was beautiful in its own way. An open room with a huge wooden table in the middle as though it was used for meetings more than relaxing in. Two huge sofas to accommodate the sheer size of the males walking around here. The corner had a wonderful open planned fire that was stacked with coals.
There was, however, something lacking about it. Maybe it was the fact that no pictures graced the walls or the comfort there felt orchestrated, she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
Or maybe it was the way three sets of eyes were staring at her waiting for something to explain her sudden burst inside.
“You ready to go, girlie?” Lennox was already reaching for his jacket, his eyebrows raised.
“I think I know how to fix it.”
Orian tapped the ashy end of the hand-rolled he was smoking into an ashtray in front of him, blowing the smoke in the opposite direction from her. His scar was looking softer, his expressions less severe thanks to the herbal cream she had put together to help ease it for him. “Fix what, stardust?”
“I think I know how to wake up Ginny. That male, the one you sent in?” Her attention turned to Hellion who was nursing a steaming coffee of what she could only gather was some kind of strange tea from the smell of it.
“Calix.”
“Yes, him. I think he could potentially be her mate.”
The moment the words left her, Lilly watched Hellion’s white brows lower into a severe scowl. “That's not possible.”
“Of course it is. Everybody has a mate don't they?” He was being ridiculous.
“Calix can't be her mate. You’re mistaken.” The dragon was brushing her off like it was just a silly thought she had. He’d pay her attention if she grew a tree up his rear end, she bet.
“It’s not a mistake! He spoke to her, he touched the cocoon and she reacted to it. I’m telling you I’m right. Just come and see it for yourself.”
“It’s not possible-”
“Why wont you just come and see–”
“He already has a mate!” Hellion took a step towards her, a split second movement that had both her demons on their feet and in front of the dragon. The sudden aggression filling the room wasn't safe.
The fire flickered back and forth, moving as though breathing, maybe even in debate of who’s side to take as it waved from left to right. A dragon of a demon of Hell.
“Calix already had a mate.” Hellion amended. “He was rejected and denied. Once a dragon is rejected, there's no going back. There’s nothing new. That’s it. That’s the one time it can happen. The bond never comes back.”
“Take a breath, dragon. And take a fucking step back yeah?” Lennox was the voice of reason between the twins for now. Orian had little wisps wafting from the tips of his horns like he was smouldering inside. Her dark haired mate had yet to look away from the dragon king, his shoulders clearly tense and ready to swing if he needed to.
“Please.” Lilly softened her tone a little. “Just come and see.” She was desperate, couldn't he see that? “Please, Hellion.”
“ Lillith .” Orian’s voice could cut through stone as he kept his attention forward. “You don't beg anyone for anything, fairy. You’re a princess of Hell. He’ll go and look. Won't you dragon.” Implication clear in his voice.
“And then what, demon. When she’s wrong. When you’re dangling the idea of that in front of a person who lost everything before? You’re happy to do it just to indulge her?”
“Whatever makes her happy. Something you’d understand if you had a mate.”
The temperature in the room shot up until Lilly’s cheeks turned pink. “Nox?”
“It’s not me, I promise.” Her mate said, holding his hands up. “Orian stepped on a landmine.” Lennox took a step back towards her, his hand outstretched. “Tell you what. Why don't me and you go and look while these two have a dick measuring contest huh?”
Hellion's eyebrow quirked as if he already knew.
“Mines bigger.”
“Mine is bigger.”
Both of them spoke at the same time like children squabbling. Lillith would never get used to male egos and their unspoken things no matter how many of them surrounded her.
Linking her fingers with Nox’s, she all but hauled her fiery mate out into the cold with her and towards where she had come from. “I’m not being st -stupid Lennox, I know I felt her. The moment he came into the room, it was like, this thing happened. Like her energy changed? It’s hard to explain.”
Ignoring the way the winds were strengthening, whipping her hair everywhere and beating against her face with little pellets of ice, they pushed into the other cabin.
Calix was still sitting on the floor where she had left him, his big frame turned away as he talked quietly into the silence of the cabin.
Steelwork was a funny topic of conversation for him to choose though Lilly supposed she had said to say anything he could. The dragon shifter was so deep in the one sided conversation about how to temper particular types of metals into melting point that it took him a second to notice the pair of them had come in. When he glanced over his shoulder, his cheeks were a little redder than before.
“Ms Serpentine, I think you should see this.”
Wandering closer, Lillith peered over his broad shoulder, the heat of Lennox close to her.
Calix had both his hands spread out, his hands pressed into the surface. Between his touch and the cocoon, there were hands. Two smaller, feminine hands mirroring his.
“Holy shit.” Lennox breathed.
It was like looking through a fogged mirror. They could make out hands, the hint of wrists. But it was her face that Lilly could almost make out. The curve of a pointed ear, a murky jawline and floating golden hair. She had turned her body to Calix’s as if she were listening to him. Her body was reacting to him.
“I was right! Oh my moons, I was right. This is working.” They were all staring in shock at it. She was right there. So close Lilly could reach out and touch her if she pushed the surface hard enough.
“Why isn't she breaking out?” Nox asked, coming around to the other side to look it over. “This side is solid, the surface isn't as clear as that side.”
“It’s like a butterfly I suppose.” Calix said, his hand moving a little to the left and watching as Genevieve mirrored the shift slowly, sluggishly. “When they’re ready to, they break out. That’s what’ll happen right?” His gaze met Lilly’s wide eyes and the fairy could do nothing but nod her head.
He was entirely right. While they could see no more of her sister than the part she wanted to show the dragon, Lilly knew how things worked. She knew how nature worked most of all. “She needs a connection to pull her to the surface. It’s like a deep sleep. I’m just her sister. But you might be more than that. You’re something to her.”
The door opened once again behind them as Orian and Hellion stepped inside as Lilly spoke up. “I’m taking her home. I want you to come with us.”
Calix looked over his shoulder at her, his gaze moving past to stare at his King instead. There was a beat of silence as they stared at one another. “I’ll go. But only with my King’s permission.”
Her heart clenched. It all hinged on if Hellion would let it go. If he would let them at least try. The large shifter took a deep breath and Lilly’s hopes rose a touch. Maybe?
“You don't need my permission. You want to try? You’re sure?”
Calix's mouth twisted into a sad smile. “What is there to lose?”
~
The reality of moving Genevieve’s cocoon was a lot more difficult that Lilly had at first considered. It took three dragons to help manoeuvre the large egg from the cabin to the portal door they guarded so carefully.
If Lilly didn't know the reasoning behind it, she would have thought the large shifter creatures as them would manage it well enough. Males would always be males and whenever Lilly offered to help, they waved her off claiming they had it taken care of.
So instead, the fairy stood back watching as Hellion carved a final rune into the stone portal that opened the gateway.
The storm was only a few minutes away in the way the wind hurled snow around them and thick grey clouds blacked out any light from above. The place was nearly dark with how much volatile weather was approaching.
As the stone portal took shape, a gossamer thin veil moving of its own accord within the archway.
“Lilly, you go first. You’d be better off out of this weather, waiting at home.” Orian had to yell over the howling wind and rumble of the blizzard coming. Steam rose over Lennox’s shoulders as he helped heft the cocoon forward.
Tucking her coat tighter around her body, Lilly shuffled towards the portal. Her gaze moved over the faces around them until she found Calix standing with his king, their heads bent closely together as they discussed something. Hellion clearly wasn't happy about this, but if things had been on the other foot, she bet he would do anything he needed to protect his siblings. If he had any.
The fairy dipped past the others, her hand lingering against her mate’s back for a moment before stepping through the veil. Frigid cold was quickly replaced with the wonderful rush of cosy heat and scent of fresh baking filling a huge hall. Fritz was on a baking high now he had discovered Lilly’s joy of croissants and baked goods. He had yet to not make them fresh every day for her. Staff swarmed forward, ready to help them with whatever was needed.
Lilly couldn't be more grateful for them all when it came to this.
“Mistress, I have tea for you. The shifter territory is cold, this should do nicely.”
Bless the Gods for Fritz. The little demon butler was everywhere all at once and Lillith would never know the secret to how he did it - he just did. Offering her a steaming cup of herbal tea, Lilly thanked him, instantly taking a sip of the rich liquid, a slice of orange floating by filling her lungs with the scent of boiling citrus.
Everything in the fairy instantly relaxed, the tension draining from her shoulders and relaxing the ache of holding her wings up.
Patiently, Lilith watched the others manoeuvring the cocoon inside the main entrance, the hairs on the back of her neck prickling slightly.
“What’s happening here then?” The air hadn't so much as moved yet the Demon King himself stood beside her, pristine as always and watching the action as the portal closed behind. Turning her head for a moment to give him a nervous smile, Lillith could feel her heart thumping loudly within her chest. She was never going to get used to the way Valerian did that.
“I wanted to bring Genevieve home with me. It seemed like the best option after everything that happened and now things are happening. If that’s okay?”
“Of course she should be at home with the rest of us. And the dragon hiding out of my view?” The corner of Valerian’s mouth was twisted in a small smile like he was used to people shying away from him.
“Calix has an… effect on Ginny’s cocoon. I think he can wake her. Or at the very least, get some reaction from her.” She took another sip of her tea, sucking back the little secret she was keeping.
Not that it did anything giving the hum from the King that could either have been I know you're hiding something or if she was lucky, was more of a oh really? That's interesting .
“Dragons need plenty of room.” Valerian was watching the others before he lifted a hand, motioning at the cocoon as if simply lifted from the others grasp in an invisible wave. Lillith nearly choked on her orange slice. All that weight and the King had just flicked his fingertips to lift it effortlessly. “And your sister I suppose will need to be nice and cosy?”
The fairy nodded, still amazed at the sliver of power he was displaying.
Valerian laughed, a dark amused sound. “You need to work on your secret keeping. I know just the spot for them then. Your sister never had an issue with heights did she?”
Lilly shook her head as her mates wandered over, brushing any remnants of snow from their shoulders and hair.
“Oh sure, we do the heavy lifting and you swan in and look like the benevolent ruler to help.” Lennox scowled, shoving a hand through his now soaked hair. Not a bit of snow touched him, rather he looked like he’d been rained on.
“That's what fathers do, little man. Or would you rather carry them up to the tower all by yourself?”
Orian was watching the cocoon as if it might drop any second and was prepared to catch the entire thing, bless him. “Why the tower?” He asked.
“You want to put a dragon in a bedroom like yours? Do you have an issue with the tower, dragon?”
Calix stepped forward, his backpack slung over his broad shoulder. “No, Sir. I have no issue with it. Any space offered is perfectly fine.” He bowed his head in respect, his gaze hitting the floor and it struck Lilly once again that while she might be nervous of Valerian, he was her father in law. He had never shown her anything other than kindness and patience.
To the rest of the realms, he was the Demon King of Hell and the respect that came his way was earned through centuries of rule. If not longer.
“I like you already.” The King brought Genvieve to float closer as if on a leash nobody could see. “Come on then, we have stairs to climb. Your mother is going to love dressing that room up.”
The twins groaned in unison as Lilly laughed at their dismay before falling into step.