Page 48 of Sinful Obsession

I nod slowly, my chest tightening as I take another step closer. “If this is what you want,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper, “then I’ll follow you. Into the fire, into the darkness—wherever this leads, I’ll be there. But know this, Lilith. There’s no coming back. Not for any of us.”

She turns to face me fully now, her gaze steady, her expression softening just enough to remind me of the woman she used to be. “I know,” she says. “And I wouldn’t ask you to. I need you, Ewan. All of you. Until the end.”

Her hand reaches out, brushing against my cheek, and I close my eyes at the warmth of her touch. It’s brief, fleeting, but it’s enough. Enough to remind me why I’m here, why I’ve alwaysbeen here. I am Death. She is destruction. And together, we are unstoppable.

The others move closer now, their presence grounding me as Lilith steps back toward the portal. Kaua’s fists are clenched, his feral energy barely contained. Nevan’s gaze is sharp, calculating, as if he’s already two steps ahead. Vito’s smirk is gone, replaced by something colder, darker. They’re all ready. They’ve all made their choice.

And as Lilith raises her hands, the portal responds, its energy flaring wildly, filling the room with a deafening roar. The ground trembles beneath us, cracks spidering out from the base of the portal, and the air grows thick with heat and darkness.

This is it. This is the end.

And as the first tendrils of the portal’s energy reach out toward us, wrapping around Lilith like an embrace, I take a deep breath and step forward, ready to meet the darkness head-on.

Whatever happens next, I will stand by her side.

Until the end.

40 - Lilith

The air around me vibrates with energy, heavy and suffocating, like the world is holding its breath. The portal looms before us, its fractured surface bleeding shadows and light in chaotic bursts. I feel it calling to me, pulling at the edges of who I am—or who Iwas. Vienna is still here, clinging to the edges of my consciousness like a ghost, fragile and trembling. But she won’t be here for long.

This is the moment I’ve been waiting for. The moment everything changes.

The horsemen stand at my side, their presence grounding me, yet their power hums like a storm ready to break. Ewan is to my left, quiet and resolute, his gaze fixed on the portal. Kaua is restless, his muscles coiled like a predator waiting to strike. Nevan watches me with sharp, calculating eyes, and Vito’s smirk is gone, replaced by something far darker, far more reverent.

And Asmodeus—my Asmodeus—is here too. He lingers in the shadows, his form shifting between solid and smoke, hispresence an anchor and a promise. His voice murmurs softly in the back of my mind, a low hum of encouragement and devotion.

“It’s time, my love. Say the words.”

The words. The ones only I know. The incantation etched into my very soul, the key to opening the portal and unleashing everything it holds. I feel them burning in my throat, ancient and powerful, waiting for release. But once I speak them, there will be no going back. Vienna will be gone. I will be gone. Only Lilith will remain.

I close my eyes, taking a deep, shuddering breath. In the darkness behind my eyelids, I see her—Vienna. She stands there, fragile and afraid, the girl who fought so hard to survive, who clung to hope even when there was none. She looks at me with wide, terrified eyes, and for a moment, I falter.

“You don’t have to do this,” she whispers, her voice trembling. “You can still turn back.”

I smile softly, sadly, as I step closer to her, my hand reaching out to cup her face. “I have to,” I say, my voice steady despite the ache in my chest. “This is who we are. Who we’ve always been.”

Her lips tremble, her hands clutching at mine. “But what happens to me?”

“You rest,” I say gently, leaning in to press a kiss to her forehead. “You’ve done enough. Let me take it from here.”

She nods, tears streaming down her face, and then she fades, her form dissolving into nothingness. For the first time, I feel the weight of her lift from my shoulders. Vienna is gone. And in her place stands Lilith.

I open my eyes, the portal blazing before me, and I feel the change begin. It starts as a warmth in my chest, spreading out in fiery tendrils that crawl under my skin, searing and unrelenting. The pain is indescribable, an all-consuming inferno that burns away everything I was. My humanity crumbles beneath it, each piece of Vienna turning to ash as the fire spreads.

I cry out, the sound raw and guttural, but I don’t stop. I can’t stop. The words bubble up from deep within me, ancient and primal, spilling from my lips in a voice that isn’t entirely mine.

“Ignis tenebris, ostende mihi regnum tuum. Aperi portas inferni.”

The incantation echoes through the room, reverberating off the walls and blending with the roar of the portal. The pain intensifies, blinding and consuming, and I fall to my knees, my hands clawing at the stone floor as I scream.

I feel everything I was—the fear, the hope, the love—burning away, leaving only raw, unrestrained power in its place. My mortality is ripped from me, torn apart piece by piece, until there’s nothing left but Lilith. Pure, unbridled, and eternal.

When the pain finally subsides, I collapse forward, my breath coming in ragged gasps. The room is silent except for the hum of the portal, and as I push myself to my feet, I feel... different. Lighter. Stronger.

Power thrums through me, coursing through my veins like liquid fire. My skin feels electric, my senses sharper than ever. I look down at my hands, flexing my fingers, and they glow faintly with the remnants of the portal’s energy. My reflection catches my eye in the fractured surface of the portal, and I hardly recognize myself.

My eyes are darker, almost black, with a faint red glow at the edges. My features are sharper, more striking, and my smile... it’s no longer Vienna’s smile. It’s mine. Lilith’s.

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