Page 83 of The Demon Mark

She wanted to tell him that she hadn’t been all that afraid. She’d seen in multiple people’s futures that she would still exist for many years to come. There could always be something to change that, of course, but she could feel deep in her gut that nothing would.

But he was right to say that their lives would remain difficult if her old master was still hunting her. That, at least, she understood.

“If you’re sure,” she said quietly, grabbing his hands and lifting them to her lips. “Then I will draw the hunters out.”

“All you have to do is what you do best,” he replied.

Sloth snorted behind them, clearly disappointed with this sickening display between the two of them. But she also knew some of that sound was jealousy. He remembered what it was like to have someone who was so near and dear to his heart. Seeing the two of them together? It must have burned something deep inside of him.

And she refused to stop just for Sloth. He had a chance to go and find the woman who had made him so happy in another life and here he was, helping them.

Not that she minded the help, but... He had other priorities that he was avoiding.

So she scooped her hand behind Envy’s neck and drew him down for a kiss. She lingered on the plush softness of his mouth and the way he made every part of her body shiver as he kissed her back. He grabbed onto her hips, dragging her closer until their bodies were practically coiled together.

Now that he’d had her body, he kissed her like he never wanted her to forget that. Every touch, every kiss, every lingering glance reminded her of what he looked like when he was buried deep inside her.

Finally they drew away from each other, breathing hard, and it had only succeeded in making her wish to linger with him for a few moments longer. Maybe they could run upstairs one last time, just for good luck, and then she could wander out into the streets of his home. It didn’t even have to take them a long time. They were getting rather good at being quick?—

“Lilith,” Envy murmured, his voice deep and low. “I need the oracle now.”

And just like that, something snapped inside of her. Or rather, tightened. Coiling in her body until it grabbed onto her lungs and forced her to use the power that was always bubbling just beneath her skin.

Mist rose, and the coiling tendrils wrapped around his wrists for a moment before they released him. There was no future to see.

The power focused on Sloth for a moment before he batted the mist away. “You’ve seen enough of my future. Off with you.”

And then it was easier. Because all she could hear was Envy’s voice in her head, telling her to do what she was best at.

And she was good at telling people’s futures. Not only that, she loved it. Not just because she liked to escape into their worlds, but because she enjoyed knowing where their story would end up. She loved people. She loved hearing their stories, talking to them, learning about where they came from and where they would go.

Lilith might not be the most extroverted person in the world, but she so enjoyed that other people were alive. So she wandered down the street away from Envy and Sloth, knowing that this time she would be alone. There were still people in this city that might want to kidnap her, more so than just the circus master and the other people she used to live with. But somehow, that didn’t matter.

None of it mattered when she could already sense the stories that were waiting for her to find them. So many stories. All the histories that had happened and so many more that would.

The people in this kingdom were brimming with futures. She could taste each one of them on her tongue. The ashes of sadness and sweet pops of happiness. All she had to do was reach out and find the right person, the one who... who...

Lilith turned her head toward a town square. She had no idea how long she had been walking. Considering the aching in her feet, it had been a while. Normally, her power was too excited to find someone, and it latched onto whoever was right in front of them. She didn’t mind, although sometimes that was a little tedious when she was going through the futures that were more mundane than they were interesting.

But with the tea coursing through her veins, and the spells that heightened an oracle’s power, she knew exactly who she wanted to talk to. There was a young boy here who was very powerful. If he wasn’t careful, then Envy would set his sights on him and that child would never be able to do what he was meant to do. Which meant she had to warn the little boy that he was supposed to keep his powers very hidden for a long time. But soon enough, he would know... Something.

She needed to know the rest of the story. So she followed the sense of that being like a hound dog on a trail until she walked right up behind him. It was market day in the square and there were a lot of people here. Countless foods and vegetables, all grown with magic in a world without a real sun. They smelled so good, and the little boy had strawberries in his hands.

Unlike the other children here, the boy didn’t have the sticky red mess all over his face or his fingers. Instead, he carefully chose the perfect strawberry from his mother and nibbled at them until they were gone.

Lilith vaguely recognized when his mother looked at her. There was the echo of a gasp, and then a quick shake of the boy’s shoulder, as though to pull him away from Lilith.

“Can I help you?” his mother asked, her voice a little sharp.

But then Lilith turned her gaze to the woman, and there were no other words to be said. Prophecies spilled from her tongue as her magic casually slid along the woman’s arms.

“You need to watch what you eat. There is a man in this kingdom who wishes you dead. He doesn’t like that you kept the babe when you had both told each other that you wouldn’t. He thinks it’s your fault that his line will continue and he will try to poison you.”

The woman turned paper white, ghostly in her fear even as her hand trembled on her son’s shoulders. But it was the boy that Lilith was far more interested in.

Bending at the waist, she looked into the little boy’s eyes and noted that he didn’t tremble or shy away from her. Instead, he looked his future in the eyes with a gaze of bravery and understanding.

“You can heal anything you touch,” she murmured. “Can’t you?”

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