LILITH (DEMONOLOGY I)

VIII

I couldn't feel anything at all. My arms, legs, fingers, and toes had no reflex.

I wasn't sure where I was, or how to describe where I was. It was just empty space. Colors flashed around me, all in neon hues. There was no consistency here.

A soothing female voice called out to me. "Just relax," it said. "Don't try to fight it. You're safe here." I couldn't tell if I was moving or not. My vision and thoughts were blurred. Wherever I was, I wasn't sure I wanted to be there. Things seemed a little too relaxing here.

Before me, a woman appeared. She appeared to be older than I was. Black hair ringed her face, making her seem much paler than she probably was. I could have sworn I had read something about this feeling, but I couldn't remember.

The woman circled me, stalking me as if she was a predator and I was her prey. I tried turning around to keep my eyes on her, but something held me in place. As she drew closer, my memories became more and more ambiguous.

"What are you doing?" I managed to wheeze out. I felt like was in one of those dreams where I could barely speak. My tongue was caught in my throat at the most inconvenient of times.

"Liberating you," she said solely. She leaned towards me and sunk her teeth into my neck.

I was jolted awake by screaming. Wynne stood by my bed, watching the window, which was wide open. Someone had just gone through it - I could tell by the footprints on the wall.

"You're bleeding," Wynne said aghast, wrapping one of my bed sheets and pressing it against my neck. "A succubus got in. More and more of them have been getting through gateways all over the world. We've been deploying more and more arrays, but their numbers keep growing." I recognized the word succubus from a book Thalia had given me. The book listed all kinds of monsters and demons. Succubi were described as female demons who seduced and attacked men in their dreams.

"How did they make it all the way here? The gateway leads to the chapel, right? We have to be a few miles from there." I took the sheet from her and ran to the bathroom, where my dad kept medical tape.

"They can smell you. You've got the blood of a high angel. Whoever's commanding them must be telling them to come after you. We have to get you out fast." She helped me apply the tape to my neck and dragged me downstairs. Soon, we were soaring through the air again, headed for the chapel. All around us, angels and demons were engaged in combat. Some of the demons tried to take a swipe at us, but Wynne destroyed them with a sleight of hand.

I spotted Nel and Rhett up ahead of us. They were working with perfect synergy, no demon was able to land a single blow on them. Alec and Thalia were nowhere to be found.

"The rest of the Council have already gathered at the chapel." Nel called to us. "But be careful, there are hundreds of these little assholes surrounding the place." Wynne nodded and nosedived, ready to burst through one of the chapel windows. Which is exactly what the demons expected.

A whole group of them appeared before us, and one scratched Wynne in the face. I punched and kicked at the demons around us. I tried to grab the cross, but Wynne had my arms.

"Drop me!" I shouted. Wynne looked down at me as if I had told her to kill me (which, for all I knew, I had). "You said this cross can keep me safe, right? Then drop me. You can get to the chapel and then find me later."

"You're insane!" she cried. "Dropping down will lead you straight to earth. The cross can open a small gateway, but if you don't do it in time you'll die."

"That's a chance we have to take. If we don't, the both of us are going to die. I'd rather die on my own merit than to these bastards." The demons drew closer and closer. I didn't wait for her to make a decision. With a single shove, I pushed free of her grasp.