Chapter Twenty
God Save Meᴇʟᴏɪꜱᴇ ʙʀɪᴅɢᴇʀᴛᴏɴ'ꜱ ᴘᴏᴠ
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The rain hammered against the stained-glass windows, a relentless drumbeat echoing the frantic rhythm of my heart. A month. It had been a month since I'd last seen Lilith, a month since her lips had tasted like moonlight and sin on mine. A month of craving her eyes on mine.
Her voice, a low, seductive purr, had invaded my mind. It was a constant whisper, a haunting melody that made the blood run cold in my veins. I felt like I was losing my sanity, each echoing phrase a torment.
"Eloise... my little raven... do you miss me?"
I stumbled into the cathedral, the cool stone beneath my slippers a welcome contrast to the feverish heat of my skin. I sank to my knees, the dampness seeping through my skirts.
"God, forgive me" I choked out, my voice ragged. "For i have laid with a creature of the night...please, save me"
Lilith's voice grew louder, more insistent.
"Eloise darling...are you terrified?"
Panic clawed at my throat. I spun around, eyes darting from shadow to shadow, searching for her, for Lilith.
"God please! Make her go away a-and.." I cried, my voice a desperate plea. "And i will never sin again!"
My eyes snapped shut, squeezing out the tears that blurred my vision. I prayed, with a fervor born of desperation, for release. For silence. For anything to make the whispers cease.
Then, I weakly pushed myself to my feet, turning away from the altar. And there stood a woman, her eyes the color of a winter sky, both piercing and breathtakingly beautiful. The rain water streamed down her pale face, clinging to her dark hair, and yet she seemed unbothered by it all.
"Lilith" I breathed, my hand reaching out instinctively, a desperate hope blooming in my chest.
Her gaze fell on my outstretched hand, a flicker of something dark and unreadable crossing her features. I withdrew my hand, a sudden chill replacing the warmth of hope. I stumbled back, fear filling my bones as she began to move towards me.
"Continue begging your god for help" she murmured, her voice like velvet edged with frost.
I fell back onto the cool steps of the altar, my breath coming in ragged gasps as I stared up at her, towering over me with a cruel smirk dancing on her lips. "Go on. Keep praying, like a good woman of god"
The words choked me. I couldn't speak, couldn't utter another prayer. Nothing. I just stared, shocked to see the woman whom i loved endlessly.
Then, she was beside me, kneeling between my legs, her gaze fixed on the painting of heaven above us.
"Dear God" she drawled, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "Free Eloise from her sins of fucking me"
"Stop" I whispered, the word barely audible.
"Stop what?" she asked, her eyes meeting mine, a spark of something fierce flickering within them.
I said nothing.
She leaned down, her lips grazing my jawline, while her cold hands slid up my arms."Beg him to save you"
"Must you be so crass?" I choked out, swallowing the moans that so desperately wanted to escape my mouth.
She pulled back, her pupils dilating to pools of inky night, and I saw the obsession in her eyes, the same kind that mirrored my own. "Must you continuously pray for forgiveness as if our love is wrong?" She spat.
I sat up, my heart pounding against my ribs. "It is wrong. In this world it is!" I shouted, my voice trembling. "You know how they treat people like us"
Tears swelled in her eyes, a golden ring shimmering around her enlarged pupils. "Are you choosing the world over...me?" she whispered, her lips quivering.
"Lily" I sobbed, reaching out to grab her face.
She stood, her back stiff as she began to walk away.
I quickly rose from the steps, frantically grasping her arm. "I'll give up everything for you! My place in Heaven. My family. The world. My soul! I'll throw it all away for you" My fingers tightened, the desperation clawing at my throat. "Just...promise to never leave me again. Being without you felt worse than sinning"
Lilith turned, her face pale in the dim light of the cathedral, tears rolling down her cheeks. She moved closer, her expression softening as she looked into my eyes."You are the only person i have loved more than myself. All of the love in this cold body of mine belongs to you. You are its keeper. I'll never leave you, and i promise to continue looking at you as if you put the moon in the sky. I love you, Eloise" she whispered, her voice barely audible. "You are the missing part of me that i've been searching for my entire life. So Marry me, and make me whole again Miss Eloise Bridgerton"
The words were caught in my throat, all i could do was cry as her proposal sank into my mind. "I-"
Lilith smiled, one that could light up the sky. "All you have to do is nod that pretty little head of yours"
And i did just as she said. I gave her a single nod, telling her how much i wanted her in my mind. I knew she was listening, because she pulled me closer, her fangs grazing the delicate skin on my neck. It was a gentle pressure that sent a jolt of electricity through my body, yet she never broke the skin. A soft moan escaped my lips, a sound of surrender and longing.
She scooped me up, her arms strong and comforting. "Look into my eyes my love" she murmured, her crystal eyes piercing mine. "Don't look away, not ever"
And I didn't. Not at first. But then the shadows around us seemed to deepen, to stretch and twist, the familiar world dissolving into something... other. The sensation began to overwhelm me, i felt myself slipping, losing consciousness, overwhelmed by the sheer power of it all.
The last thing I saw before the darkness claimed me was Lilith's face, her expression a mixture of love and something softer, more genuine, as she held me close, guiding us further into the night, into the shadows.