Lilu's POV
The knife balanced on Esmond's fingers. Blood glistened like ruby pearls off the steel edge. Workers surrounded Cosmo, Ash and Eden in red cloaks. The dull screams of death erupted from the speakers of the security room.
When I summoned forth all hatred towards San to justify my actions, I couldn't. His lips were ambrosia, tasted of the sunlight Icarus kissed before he fell. San's celestial light scorched my soul and when I stabbed his back, I rejected his love with all I had.
Silly angel, should have known there was a demon in my chest, my heart belonged to darkness, married to the darkest parts of the infernal, to Hell. He should have known I'd bite into his heart and chew with vampiric satisfaction.
Power vibrated my soul. I felt the power of a god. My body glowed extraterrestrial light.
"You did well, my love."
Esmond kissed me fiercely, lips tasted of blood and whiskey and I felt subdued, drunken off his touch. Our foreheads touched. Maybe this was what I deserved: to be tangled with a psychopath who wanted to burn the world down with me in it.
"We are meant forever," he whispered against my lips, "It's always going to be us; Lilu and Esmond for the whole fucking world to see."
His arms around me felt like home. His hand on the back of my head guided me to his shoulder. I saw across from it Ash's jaw locked up. Cosmo's eyes were grey storm clouds. Eden stared from the corner of the room, teeth sharp and waiting to bite off Esmond's flesh from just a single command.
A smirk against my cheek, Esmond plunged the knife into one of the fleshy strings strung up in his surveillance room. White light sank into flesh then travelled into one of the screens.
"What about Krishna? You promised me vengeance," Ash interrupted, and I raised my brow. "So, we know where Krishna is. Are you sure this plan will work?"
Cosmo snorted.
"You are the literal antiChrist, so I assume so."
My skin prickled with goosebumps at the rage in Ash's eyes, a man who severely desired retribution. He was a man sick of staring at his wounds all day, trapped in a prison, he was serious about this. Was he really going to commit deicide?
Esmond took out the knife, wiped the blood off on my shirt before presenting it to Ash.
"Trap him here. We're going to have a lot of fun." Esmond smiled at Eden, "You could help him. Lilu told me about your bloodlust, that you destroyed everyone who wronged you."
"Stop it," I told him, but the smile on his face showed his mind was made up.
"Yeomna was it? The name of your wife?"
"What about her?" Eden whispered.
"Don't you want to see her?"
"She's right beside me."
"No, the real her."
My eyes widened as he waved his hand and the screen changed. There came an ink painting of snowfall on a cobble road, trees in the background along with a shrine. The painting is done in a Korean style as I have purchased many paintings in my day.
What struck me is the woman in the image, her facial expression, her dark hair, the way she clutched a peacock to her chest, her elegance as she moved through the painting. Her dark eyes were haunted by the ghosts of her past winters.
My heart leapt.
"Yeomna!" I shouted, covered my mouth and hot tears rolled down my face. Esmond clutched my arms. I sobbed and pressed my head against his chest. "Why didn't you tell me you had her?"
"I needed her. She's a death goddess in control of the Jeoseung. They collect spirits after their death. I needed their assistance, to lead the appropriate souls away to the other side, while collecting and incarcerating the blood thirsty ones here. Her Jeoseung collected most of the souls you see in this machine."
I hugged Eden who was in shock. It was her, down to her pet peacock. He did not dare cry, but something in his face shifted before he clutched his head. He bowed his head down to the ground, fangs elongating, nails digging into his head. I followed him down.
"I want her," he growled, lime eyes flashing, "Give me her."
"Help Ash and you get her back," Esmond answered with a smirk, "A god for a goddess, I think that's fitting. That is, if you don't have any reservations, Lilu."
I clenched my teeth and nodded, "Go with him."
Ash clamped Eden's shoulder and nodded. Esmond teleported them to the location where I stabbed San. He came back and the screen switched to that area, shown through the vision of one of the police officers.
"Let's get comfortable."
Esmond ushered us all into his private cinema painted in red accents and chairs enough to seat a thousand people. We sat at the back and his arm draped over the head of my seat.
"Wine, Wrath?" Esmond offered loudly and the Sin of Wrath stepped forward from the ground level.
His being was wisps of night peeled away from the sky. Onyx hair flowed down to his waist, glowing eyes vampiric red, piercings on his lips and a handsome pale face with sharp features. Darkness was so potent, like death, I felt myself shivering before him and I bowed my head in respect.
He vanished with a fissure in the air before appearing right beside me. He extended a hand to Esmond who shook it. He shook Cosmo's and then turned to me.
"Now, tell me what am I to do with you?"
"Don't kill him. He only seduced San so he could bring him here."
"He still slept with the enemy," Wrath said in disapproval.
"Whoa, wait, I never slept with him," I interrupt, shooting Esmond an incredulous look, "What rumours have you been spreading about me?"
"He's the Sin of Lust," Esmond ignored me and continued to pitch me to Wrath, "To prove his allegiance, he's going to decide how San dies."
"What?"
He waved a hand and on the screen was an image of San tied to a chair. The image of him was translucent as though staring at his soul. It was clad in white light with black on his lips; where I kissed him.
"I appreciate the games," Wrath told us, "But I need to see Lilu kill him personally before I believe this was all planned. Lilith is distraught. We all feel betrayed. That's why I invited her here and the rest of your children, Lilu."
There were fissures in the air and my children appeared in the seats. Their heads were turned towards me as though they had a thousand questions each. My mother appeared beside us, eyes heavy with heartbreak.
"Mother, I didn't betray you—"
She raised her hand.
"Destroy him, my son."
Leo sits in one of the seats, resenting my presence. Whatever Ash did in my body was enough to enrage everyone.
I gripped my seat, hating myself for putting San in this position.
The kiss we shared still spun in my mind. It was different from Esmond's bruising lips, and how they burned like hard liquor pouring down my throat. But San—his touch felt holy, like petals dressed in light.
I kissed a thousand lips. None of them made me feel like divinity and Esmond knew it.
"Not while he's tied up," I stated, realising to kill him was my only option, "I want the fight to be fair, but please, release my children. Where are they?"
The screen changed and my deceased children were translucent, their energy pitch black like shadows with sharp claws and canines which could rip out a throat. They had a thousand eyes, thousands of tongues, and dark wings.
"Father," they hissed as though they could sense my presence, and tears rimmed my eyes when I saw what my children became.
"Don't worry, I'm here. Everything is going to be ok," I promised even though they could not hear me.
I wondered what my children thought of me now, helpless, I wanted to hug them all. My throat clogged up and I squeezed my eyes shut.
I make a pathetic father. No matter how hard I tried, they still suffered.
"Fine. Put me in the machine, just release my children."
"The infestation they will bring about humans will change them. Parasites your children will become. Are you pleased with that?"
"I don't care, I want them alive."
My heart ached, my chest hurt and I didn't want to think of the consequences.
"Very well," Esmond said before getting down on one knee.
Everyone gasped, but no one seemed happy when he opened a small box.
My stomach sank when he opened. A ring shaped like a snake glimmered, and the thought of spending eternity with him made my head dizzy. He slid it onto my finger, then kissed the back of my hand. His lips then pressed against mine in a flurry of passion.
"Destroy him, my love."