Pray for the Wicked | ATEEZ

30.

I could hear the frown lacing Hongjoong's voice as he grabbed a fistful of the white shirt he was wearing, mumbling a small complaint about the colour which probably would have gone unnoticed if he hadn't held my undivided attention, and studied the fabric for a moment before letting it fall back against his chest with a sigh.

I quickly averted my eyes as he tilted his head and turned to face me from where he was sitting next to me, propped up against the wall amongst hundreds upon hundreds of old wooden barrels and bottles of wine.

My mouth went dry as I felt my breath catch, hoping, almost desperately, that he hadn't noticed me staring.

I shook my head a little, twirling the wine glass between my fingers for a moment before angling my head back and letting the last drops of alcohol flow across my tongue, washing down my throat like a gentle wave of warmth and summer notes.

The taste of it lingered as I carefully placed the glass on the ground next to me, the sound of it scraping against the worn-out stones like a crisp song as I turned my focus to the scene which was spread out in front of the demon and I instead, admiring the view from the spot we had chosen as our hideaway for the rest of the day.

Through the open gates of the wine cellar and past the endless rows and mazes that made up the vineyard at the back of the palace grounds, the canvas that was the skies was slowly turning from its usual brilliant blue into soft hues of blush, coral, lilac, and amber gold as the sun began to set and the last minutes of daylight seeped away like grains of sand trickling to the bottom of an hourglass.

The warmth of it all; the air, the colours, and the wine soothing my mind and making my cheeks flushed with colour, made me let out a deep breath of pure content before closing my eyes for a second, reveling in the freedom of it all.

At that very moment, the son of Lilith looked just like me with his white clothes, the intricate silver details sewn into the fabric catching the light of the setting sun and turning almost gold in the warm glow

Stolen as they were; a reminder that he wasn't, and would never be, an angel, he truly looked like one right then and there.

I would have believed the illusion as well had it not been for the fact that only hours before, it had been a devil's grin that had tugged at the corners of his lips as he ran through the vineyards, tripping over vines and tumbling through piles of leaves and grapes as I finally caught and tackled him to the ground.

The sweet smell of ripe berries clung to us, almost sickeningly strong in the warmth of the late afternoon, and burned my nostrils with every breath until I, at last, broke the silence and mumbled, "What do you want?" a question I had asked the demon several times before without ever getting an actual answer in return.

An unsuccessful attempt at breaking the tension.

Because as Hongjoong said, "You're still wearing the necklace," I finally gave in and let my eyes flutter back open, turning my head toward him only to realize that he was already looking at me.

A soft silence settled over us for a moment as we simply took each other in, staring, studying.

"Do you like it?" the son of Lilith added. I did. And yet I couldn't help but feel that giving in would offer the demon too much satisfaction which is why, like always, I decided to lie.

A sigh escaped my lips as I pouted them a little and glanced down at the piece of onyx dangling from the gilded chain around my neck, "I'm not sure," I mumbled, a mischievous smile tugging at the corners of my lips as I watched the son of Lilith frown at my answer before whispering, "Liar," under his breath.