Whispers at Witching Hour

Chapter 93

Musical inspiration: Crazy – Gnarls Barkley

Zelda was looking at her reflection in the mirror, covering the dark circles under her eyes with make-up and fixing her hair. She barely got any sleep these days, on the one hand because Lilith would wake her at least five times a night to go check if Lucifer had come for her and the baby, on the other hand because the perverse world had brought a lot of things back to the surface, she would rather like to forget.

Twisting her fingers without looking, she opened the little tin she had retrieved from the mortuary and gathered some of the substance on the tips of her middle- and index finger. With her remaining digits, she pulled down the collar of her dress to gain access to her chest, rubbing small circles on her sternum. Once she was done, she washed her hands, taking another look in the mirror at her unmoving face that was lacking life lately.

It should not be this way, of course, newly engaged, a baby with the woman she loved. But somehow it all felt just wrong. Something unsettling was lingering in the air and inside her, draining her energies. Now was not the time to get sloppy or take breaks, the coven, Hecate, the world needed her to be strong now, a confident leader. And so, she would be.

Pausing at the bathroom door, she inhaled deeply and made sure to wear a relaxed smile when she would enter the bedroom where Lilith was feeding baby Adam. They did look adorable and for once, Lilith seemed at peace, hopefully for a little longer this time. It had been a right rollercoaster recently; soft and giggly one time and completely losing her shit the other.

Zelda walked over to them and let her hand brush lazily over Lilith's shoulder, then the baby's head, standing next to them, simply watching. She suspected Lilith had not slept much since she was waking her so often and she had sensed her getting up or shuffling a lot at night.

"A shame you won't let me touch you, I'd love to give these squishy boobs a good squeeze", Zelda commented throatily, earning a low chuckle from Lilith who leaned her head against Zelda's belly, closing her eyes as little Adam was suckling.

Zelda's hand carded Lilith's hair, letting some strands slip through her fingers until she reached her neck, but Lilith tensed and drew away. Zelda took it as her cue to start her day as the Academy's Headmistress, kissed Lilith quickly and left, feeling the demoness' gaze on her back long after she had left the room.

The contentedness that had inhabited Lilith just moments ago left with Zelda, making room for the loneliness to spread. At this point, she felt only safe with Zelda and at the same time, she feared her. Her looks, her affectionate gestures towards Adam. Something in her mind kept telling her she was jealous because he was not her own, because she could never have that bond. Jealousy could turn people into vile monsters.

For some time after Adam had finished his "breakfast" and she had wiped his little mouth with the cloth, she leaned back in the armchair, Adam more on her lap than in her arms. Her face had no expression for it was somehow impossibly hard for her to activate the muscles there and her gaze was just straight forward, looking at nothing in particular, if anything at all.

In her peripheral, she minorly perceived the shadows changing as time passed until Adam grew fidgety and restless, soon starting to cry, causing Lilith to roll her eyes to the back of her head. Sighing, she got up and started rocking and swaying, humming some effortless melodies and cooing. But even after ten minutes he had barely calmed down a little bit while she was on her last nerve.

Then a knock on the door, followed by her name called by sweet Hilda, but Lilith could not even muster up the mental capacity to talk to the kind witch.