Let It Slip

Part XII

"Yes." Zelda stood tall with the finality of her words and she gently guided Lilith aside so that she could look Baron Samedi in the eye, "Yes...my answer is no. I wish to remain in Hell, if Lilith will have me."

The gede loa's face fell and his body tensed as if he were to spring into action but one glance at Lilith, her flaming form the Sovereign in this domain, and he knew he didn't stand a chance against her. Nor would it be prudent to make an enemy of the Queen of Hell. WIth a heavy sigh and one last look at Zelda, he bowed as low to the ground as possible without falling over, an almost ironic sight, then he straightened once more.

"My darling Zelda, I never should have lied to you but would you have had me if I had come in my true form?" A slight twinkle lit up his eyes as he winked, "Non....je pense pas. Perhaps in a few years, you'll grow bored of Hell and I will seem like a new adventure. Until then...a bientot!" In a swirling mix of tobacco and rum-scented smoke, Baron Samedi vanished.

Zelda released the breath she'd been holding, anticipating more of a fight from the Baron and relieved that he had accepted that she had never been his to begin with. In that same moment, she felt her body tense as she was left alone with Lilith. Despite the heat emanating from the witch beside her, Zelda shivered in her slip and crossed her hands over her chest, wishing she were wearing the ridiculous gown Baron had put her in. The realization that she had just condemned herself to a life in Hell settled heavily on her shoulders.

"Did you mean what you said or did you ask for forgiveness so that I would feel compelled to release you from your cage?" Lilith, too, seemed frozen in place, her voice quietly intense as both women stood shoulder to shoulder, staring ahead, neither one of them moving.

"I asked you to forgive me because I was wrong and I hurt you without intending to. You've always been so....confusing to me Lilith...I never once felt that it was appropriate to get too involved with you. You have always been just beyond my reach. Beyond even my wildest dreams, if you'll pardon the cliche - and I suppose that led to me dismissing you entirely." Zelda lowered her chin in shame, staring at the smattering of freckles on her arm, keenly aware of how vulnerable she was.

She decided to take it one step further, "Very little frightens me...but you and the unpredictability that surrounds you...scares the Hell out of me." Zelda grinned at that and whispered softly, "I'm used to being wound up so tight - you threaten to untether me and I don't know how to survive that."

Lilith was quiet for so long Zelda began to regret having splayed herself so passionately at the witch's mercy but then she chuckled softly, "It would appear that you haven't....survived that is."

The redheaded now-mortal threw her head back and allowed herself the freedom of unbridled laughter. Her emotions exhausted, she reached out without thinking and rested her hand on Lilith's arm to steady herself. The grip of Zelda's fingers on her slender arm propelled the Queen of Hell into a soft spin, coming to face the eldest Spellman, the flames of her gown throwing beguiling shadows across the sharp angles of her face as her free arm slid around Zelda's hips and drew her closer. The laughter caught in Zelda's throat as she was pulled into Lilith's circle of influence, expecting to be burned by the flames she was surprised to find them an almost soft warmth against her. Bending to the Queen's will, Zelda's emerald gaze met the azure one and they held a quiet moment together.

Zelda felt the sharp pinch of Lilith's dagger-tipped nails against the small of her back, an intriguing warning, and she arched her back in response, swallowing thickly, "Well?"

Lilith arched a brow, "Well, what?"

"Can you forgive me?" Zelda's rose-stained lips twitched as she tried not to smile, "...will you have me?"