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.
He took a moment to straighten himself a little, letting his eyes flicker to the glass in his hands as if he was suddenly too shy to hold my gaze as he said, "I think it suits you," the comment admittedly taking me by surprise.
"Did you run out of insults?" I asked, frowning a little as I studied him, "Or is it the wine? You're not usually one for compliments."
"I still have a couple up my sleeve, but I think I would rather hold onto them for another time," Hongjoong said, at last turning back to face me, but not before quickly glancing down at my leg where the wound from our tumble into the river posed a stark contrast to the white of my dress.
He had checked at least a dozen times by now, and I suddenly regretted not dressing it after my bath earlier.
I watched the look in his eyes change, guilt suddenly painted across their dark depths despite how well it was healing considering the state my leg had been in when he had helped me treat it yesterday.
Greed. I felt greedy for wanting a smile instead, hating how the slight frown creased the skin between his eyebrows as they pulled closer together, tugging a little at the skirt of my dress and folding my legs underneath me so that he wouldn't be able to see it, clutching the white fabric as I raked my mind for something to say that would lighten the mood.
"I don't know whether I should find it funny or slightly tragic that it's either one or the other when it comes to us. I like this better, though. Although I do believe you need to be humbled as to not let all of that," I gestured at his face, about to call him handsome before thinking better of it, "power and darkness get to your head, I think I prefer compliments over arguments."
"Then give me one as well," Hongjoong said, watching me with those midnight eyes as he angled his head enough to let a couple of cerulean blue locks dance across his forehead.
The sudden urge to brush them away, to run my hands through the endless sea of them atop his head, immediately overcame me, but his eyes, those eyes, were so powerful I almost found myself frightened at how easily they enticed me, how easily I got lost in them.
And as the sun continued to set and the colours of the skies grew richer and more vibrant, I realized that I had gotten completely lost in him and that it was the kind of lost that was exactly like being found.
"I think you look good in white," I said, feeling silly and embarrassed as soon as the words left my lips, but I wanted him to know, wanted to give him what he had asked for, "But I think silver is my favourite colour on you. It makes your eyes look darker, more like Odeion."
"Do you like my eyes?" the son of Lilith asked, his voice soft and silky in the sunset.
I did. I loved his eyes, and yet all I could say was "I like Odeion. I think it's beautiful."
"I like you in black."
"Why?" I mumbled.
"Because everyone in my kingdom wears black," Hongjoong said, pausing for a moment, "And because it's beautiful. It makes me feel like you're a part of my world, mine."
"Do you want me to be yours?" I asked, shocked by my own bravery as the question slipped effortlessly past my lips and I watched a flicker of hesitation, of nervousness in the depths of the demon's nocturne eyes.
"Do you want me to lie or to be honest?"
"Is it the alcohol talking now?" I chuckled, trying to hide my surprise but failing to hold myself back nonetheless as I finally gave in to my desires and reached out to touch him, "Because your cheeks are flushed and I feel like-" I continued, running the back of my hand gently across the skin only to pause as he grabbed my wrist.
"Dahlia," Hongjoong said, nothing more, just my name, and yet it was more than enough to make my heart skip a beat.
The answer that lingered at the tip of my tongue at the sound of my name on his lips disappeared as a shaky breath left mine.
"Can I kiss you?" the son of Lilith asked.
The question brought back memories of last night; what we had done in secret in my room, how we had broken vows and laws and every moral code established after the war, how he had held me close as we plummeted from the roof of the palace.
And all I could do was nod because I had never been looked at the way that he stared at me right then and there. No one had ever looked at me the way Hongjoong did.
Because the son of Lilith looked at me as if he wanted to be my undoing and remedy all at the same time. He looked at me as if he wanted to be the reason for my downfall and the one who healed me afterwards.
And I wanted all of it, because I had never felt less alone.
I wanted all of it, because I had never felt more needed.
I wanted all of it, because I so deeply wished that he would stay here with me, and knowing that he couldn't only made my desperation grow, my want grow.
I would have given him anything had he simply asked, and so, as Hongjoong slowly pushed off the wall and moved closer, letting go of my wrist to cup my cheek instead, his hand cold as it brushed against the flushed skin, I followed his every move, my eyes flickering to his lips.
My heartbeat quickened as every inch of my body suddenly became sensitive to the way his other hand trailed to the back of my neck, the feeling sending a shiver down my back as my breath caught and I finally gave in to the urge of running my hands through that ocean of cerulean blue locks.
We were close enough to share breath, eyes slowly flickering shut, when, suddenly, a sharp sound pierced the silence, and the son of Lilith and I froze before immediately breaking away, wide eyes and rosy cheeks as we dusted ourselves off and quickly got to our feet.
I was unsure as to whether I should be embarrassed, disappointed, or worried, but Hongjoong was at the door in a matter of seconds, checking, making sure that we weren't being watched, both of us waiting in silence before he, at last, caught my eye and nodded at me.
I cleared my throat, glancing at the skies outside only to realize that the sun had already disappeared behind the heart of Heaven waiting in the distance like nothing more than a shadow against the still darkening canvas looming over Illenium.
Reminding myself that we were on borrowed time, I was about to head into the night only to halt Hongjoong suddenly materialized in front of me; flushed features and dark eyes and every little imperfectly perfect detail suddenly becoming my entire world as I took him in.
"You already know what I want," the son of Lilith said, pausing for a moment as I furrowed my brows a little in a silent question only to remember what I had asked him earlier.
"Deep down, you know exactly what's hiding behind all of the lies just as I know what's hiding behind yours."