Hand of the Goddess ✔️

Chapter 6: Let me comfort you

**Author's note: This chapter is the reason why I rated this book as mature. 18+ only. Read at your own discretion. **

"Nicole, are you there?" whispers a lovely, feminine voice. "Can you hear me?"

"I can hear you," she said. "But who are you?" It was dark and she couldn't see anything. She walks forward blindly and feels herself trip and land on her bum.

The voice laughs. "Just open your eyes, dear. Don't be a stranger."

She did as the voice said and found herself in a beautiful garden facing Lillian. They were sitting on a marble bench near a fountain, barefoot with the grass soft beneath their toes. The sound of the running water, the perfume of the flowers, and Lillian's familiar face soothe her. But it wasn't enough for her to forget the events of last night.

"How did I get here?" The last thing she remembers was Aaron locking her in the interrogation room.

"We're in a dream. Your dream, to be exact," Lillian said. She plucks a flower from a nearby bush and tucks it into her silvery hair.

Once again, she found herself mesmerized by the goddess's beauty. But she quickly snaps out of it once she remembers the conundrum she was dealing with. "You told me that I only had to kill one demon," Nicole said. "Why are there two of them?"

Lillian's brows furrowed in confusion. "There's only one demon. Who's the other one?"

Nicole recounts arriving at the manor and living in the secret room until she was caught by the Lord and the butler. She describes the way the key vibrated in both of their hands and how it was taken from her so she had no way to kill either of them. She leaves out the part where she hesitated to kill Cedric. She was too ashamed to let Lillian know about the real reason she failed her quest.

By the end of Nicole's story, Lillian was rubbing her temples. "You've gotten yourself into quite a mess. But we can salvage this."

"How? They know I'm lying," Nicole said.

"They want you to speak, right? Then talk. The best lies are mixed with truth," Lillian advises.

"What do I say? I already messed up so badly." She buries her head in her hands. What started as an easy quest was becoming an overwhelming task.

"Hey," Lillian said, taking her hands, "look at me. It's going to be ok."

Nicole looks at Lillian's beautiful face, taking in her glittery cheeks and perfectly shaped upturned eyes. How did someone so ethereal exist? Her eyes travel down to Lillian's lips, drawn to how pink and full they were. Before she could think, she finds herself leaning into the goddess and pressing her lips against hers.

Lillian makes a small noise of surprise, but she doesn't pull away. She grabs Nicole's face and deepens the kiss, tangling her fingers in her hair. Nicole wraps her arms around Lillian's torso, lost in the bliss of their lips melting together.

Kissing her was like biting into a ripe peach, but infinitely sweeter and softer. Lillian gently bites on Nicole's bottom lip, asking for entrance into her mouth. She opens her mouth, letting the goddess's tongue dance with hers. Even though she had initiated the kiss, it was clear that Lillian had taken the lead, pressing deeper into her. The goddess straddles her and they tumble onto the grass.

Nicole pulls away from beneath her, disoriented. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to kiss you like that. I don't know what came over me."

Lillian caresses her cheek. "It's ok. These last few days have been rough on you."

"I didn't ask you for permission," she said. "You didn't want me to kiss you." Shame floods her brain. She didn't deserve to touch someone as beautiful as her. It almost felt like a sin to push what she wanted onto someone so perfect. Almost.