Secrets And Sins Part 3: Happy ever after

Chapter 46

***Sorry it's a day late... I'm going away without my laptop for a few days so next update might be delayed as well. Sorry in advance :p***

~Mary~

With a palm pressed into the hardwood door in front of her, Mary again wondered if this was a good idea. She hadn't knocked yet, though knowing who was just inside, her presence in the hallway was known. She hadn't really seen Lilith since tending her injuries after Beatrice's loss of control. Not that she'd had been avoiding her on purpose, no one had seen her. Held up in her room for days, Lilith was putting everything she had into contacting Bael and perhaps, for Mary, that was why it was so hard to do this, she was still struggling to accept relying on Lilith's husband for help.

It's not her fault...

Lilith hadn't asked for this; it wasn't even her idea. She didn't know if it was better or worse that Mary herself had been the one to suggest it. Still, she was here for Lilith, or she would try to be. Whether the other woman would allow her to be was another question.

With a deep, calming breath, Mary closed the hand on her door into a fist and knocked sharply twice. It took Lilith so long to answer that Mary was just about to knock again when the door opened a crack, dark eyes peering tired lying through the gap.

"Hey Lil..." Mary's mouth quirked up in a grin. Despite everything, it was a relief to see her.

"Did Camila send you?" Lilith pushed open the door a little more, revealing an anxious, irritated sort of frown.

She blinked at the harsh reply. "No... I just hadn't seen you in a while. I wanted to check in."

"Oh." The other woman looked genuinely surprised at that.

Mary shifted her weight from foot to foot, nerves roiling through her stomach. "Yeah... so how are you?"

"Fine." The answer was quick, too quick.

Liar.

"Aha, sure." She folded her arms across her chest. "When was the last time you ate, showered or," Mary reached out before she realized what she was doing and traced two fingers over the deep, dark circle marring Lilith's cheekbone, "slept?"

"I'm fine." Lilith doubled down, yanking her head away as her lips drew into a tight line.

Mary sighed; it was clear she wasn't going to get anywhere on that line of questioning, so she changed tact. "Well, what about going for a walk? Or better yet, how about a training session?"

"I shouldn't... I need to crack this." She started to turn away, but Mary quickly grabbed her arm.

"Having the afternoon off won't hurt, Lil. It might even help?" She rubbed a small circle into the delicate underside of Lilith's wrist. "Please?"

Lilith searched her face for a long moment, torn, until finally she surrendered.

"Okay."

~

When Mary felt the blow land, she blinked in surprise and was almost tempted to rush over and check she hadn't hurt her, until she saw the look on Lilith's face. Staggering back, Lilith had a petulant frown firmly in place as she rubbed at a spot just below her left ribs.

Lilith was slow, and it really wasn't like Lilith to be slow.

"Did that hurt?" Mary asked, the hint of a tease mixed into the concern in her voice.