Hypnotic

Fourteen

He held me against his body, his lips pressed against my forehead. My fingers traced patterns on his chest, and an easy air of comfort enveloped us both. We stayed that way for an hour or longer, before he finally spoke. "It's going to be late soon," he murmured against my skin. "We need to get you something to eat." I nodded lazily, whining softly in protest when he rolled away from me and started getting dressed.

He laughed, throwing my t-shirt at me. "Come on, baby," he cooed as he slipped his belt on. "I'll get you a milkshake." Instantly perking up, I scurried to redress myself, letting Damiar help me shrug on his leather jacket. I ruffled his hair up, pressing my lips against his. We broke apart, a silly smile on both of our faces.

I waited in the car as he gave the key card back to the receptionist, deciding to make a quick TikTok since it had been a few days since my last update. It was a simple dance video, but it was quickly crashed by Damiar practically throwing himself in front of me. The fifteen second timer ended with both of us laughing our asses off. "Meanie!" I snapped, posting the video. "Do you have any idea how many 13 year old fangirls you've just made angry?"

Damiar snorted, starting up his Mustang. "Let them be angry. They'll find another crush soon enough." I snickered, fastening my seatbelt and connecting my phone to the car's Bluetooth. "Noen or Caleb. Bet." He let out a genuine laugh, glancing over to me as we pulled into McDonald's. "I have a feeling you speak from experience." "Not true!" I defended myself after he ordered us our lunch. "I thought Caleb was cute, but he was most certainly not a crush."

Damiar raised his brows at me as he ate a nugget. "Aviva?" I almost choked on my milkshake. "What?" "I know everything about you." He shrugged, sipping his drink. "I know that you're pansexual and I know that you're attracted to Caleb and Aviva." I laughed weakly, watching him warily as we finished our food and headed back to the car. Why did I feel so uneasy?

The silence might have been to be expected, but I felt compelled to apologize. But apologize for what? For finding other people attractive? That's stupid... I let out a loud huff and crossed my arms, gazing out of the passenger window. Soon it was nightfall, and I was struggling to keep my eyes open. "Go ahead and sleep," Damiar muttered as he turned down the music. "I'm going to keep driving."

I simply nodded, laying the seat back and curling into his jacket. "I love you..." I mumbled uncertainly. A few seconds passed before he answered. "I know." A red flag waved in the back of my mind, and a cold chill raced down my spine. I couldn't shake the feeling that something awful was going to happen. It was the same feeling from last night.

I must have dozed off, because the next thing I knew, I was awakening to the sun beating down on my face. I was still in the car, and Damiar was asleep in the driver's seat. I sat up and looked out, only to find that we were in the middle of nowhere, parked in the middle of a dirt road strangled out with grass and weeds. After a long moment of watching Damiar sleep and recalling last night, I made up my mind.

I left the door loosely latched so the loud clang wouldn't wake him, and I started walking, putting more and more distance between me and the man I had fallen hopelessly in love with.

By the time I saw the church, it was 12 pm, and I was parched. The building was surrounded by a lush clearing with what appeared to be freshly mowed grass. The church itself was made of stone and seemed old, but it was still gorgeous nonetheless. It was much smaller than I had imagined, but held a peculiar aura surrounding it that seemed to beckon me closer to it.

A woman with long, dark brown hair opened the doors and stood in the doorway. Her maroon dress hugged her curves almost deliciously, and a sultry smirk adorned her lips.

"Welcome home, Venus."

The sound of a roaring motor and squealing tires racing our way made Lilith's smirk vanish, and her voice hardened slightly. "Come inside," she demanded, taking a hold of my wrist. "I'll take care of him." "Wait!" I jerked my arm out of her grip and almost tripped as she shoved me inside the church. It smelled like melting wax and lavender, and my eyes landed on the beautiful throne in the pulpit.

His honey colored eyes lit up as a genuine grin graced his face. "Venus.." My heart was beating erratically as I took a cautious step forward. "L-Lucifer?" He nodded once, his eyes never leaving mine. "You can call me.. Father," he returned, his voice warm and welcoming. I found myself smiling softly, and as my hand reached out to his, the doors flew open, the hinges groaning as they snapped.

Damiar glowered at Lucifer, pure hate in his golden orbs, tinted a dark yellow. Blood dripped from his claws and stained his fangs and shirt, and cold horror replaced the shock on Lucifer's face. "My wife," he whispered. "Did you..." "Venus!" The ravenette snarled, his heated glare making my stomach drop. "Why the fuck would you leave like that?!"

"Enough!" Lucifer stood from his throne, his six kaleidoscope wings flashing in the candlelight. "You come into my territory, kill my mate, and threaten both me and my daughter." He sneered at Damiar, four fangs shining proudly. "Father was right about you. You're an abomination." Damiar bristled angrily, his feathers ruffling up. "That's a joke, coming from you," he retaliated.

A low growl rumbled in Lucifer's throat, his eyes flashing crimson. "You don't want to challenge me, boy..." A cruel laugh erupted from Damiar's lips, and I watched, transfixed, as his form shifted into something far from human. His tail smashed the pews to splinters, and he grinned down at my father, who, without batting an eye, shifted into something just a little larger and more terrifying than Damiar.

And then they lunged at each other.

Damiar:

Lucifer: