Page 25 of 1001 Dark Nights: Bundle Forty-Seven

“Know what? I swear, if Alex did this all as a prank…” We both know he’s just being sarcastic, but I smell no fear on him, only acceptance. Which makes it so much harder to do what I need to do.

I lightly dig my fingers into his temples. “You know I’m the first, and the first was blessed with the power to see things. But because of the wars I caused, because I did not do whatI was created for, I was cursed to be guided by the rest of the goddesses. Eris didn’t like it and got into trouble, so was basically linked to me—to constantly be imprisoned to whatever power I get from immortals. Every year, for two days, I feed. And when I do, I go for the most powerful source to seduce, only to wait until it’s time for her to wake me up again. Pitiful existence. And I only gain memories when I drink from that source. But I also gaintheirs. And yours were not what I expected. So, before I kill you, do you want to know?”

I sense his hesitation as his head lolls to the side. “What if it’s depressing? I really don’t want to be depressed before I die. Hey, speaking of, you should show me more boob. I can’t even touch you. I should at least get to see, right?”

My smile is sad. It’s painful, it feels horrific, and yet I share it with him because he needs something good to look at before the end.

“I don’t know…am I part badass?” He chuckles and strains against the handcuffs again. “Maybe I have blood from a poet in me. Maybe I’m part demon. Maybe I’m just like you.”

“No.” My eyes burn as I see flashes of Pompeii, holding hands with other children being saved. The ash hurts as memories go in reverse to one of the angels at the banquet.

The angel who said he wanted to help feed the humans.

“He asked for sacrifices.” I could barely keep my tone even as I saw the vision of a man in all black walking slowly through the banquet hall, encouraging the orgy already taking place. His smile was cruel. Cassius was there, trying to stop him—no, he’d been sent to stop him.

I bite into my wrist and hold it to Tarek’s lips. “Drink and watch.”

He opens his mouth, the rich mixture of his blood—like the rawness of the Earth—mixes with the pureness of mine.

One who was first created.

Tarek’s eyes go black like mine as the first drop of our mixed blood falls onto his tongue. He doesn’t need much. Black eyes widen, and then I’m synced with him.

The Fallen Archangel continued to walk down the banquet hall, his hood heavy over his head, his smile still cruel and all-knowing.

I didn’t like it.

I didn’t like any of it, but I could feel myself holding someone’s hand. When I looked over, I saw a small boy close to my age.

“Are you afraid?” I asked.

He had beautiful, honey-brown hair and dark eyes. “No.” He shrugged. “I don’t remember anything really after…after.” He frowned. “Did they do something to us?”

I nodded. “Yes. Him.” I didn’t point at the dark angel; I just watched him walk until he finally stilled amid the chaos of the party. Slowly, he turned his head and made eye contact with us, freezing us both in place.

“He’s coming.” I gulped. “He’s going to do it again.”

It felt like an eternity until he stood in front of us and then went to his knees, still towering over our small bodies. “Beautiful.” He pulled back his hood. “I never knew you would both turn out so perfect being reborn this way. But it looks…” He tilted my head, then Tarek’s. “It looks like the perfect combination of angelic blood and that of the firsts…”

His white eyes narrowed into tiny slits. “Though we can’t always plan for some things. Can we, Lilith?” He stopped examining us and turned to Tarek. “And others are better than expected. My, my, the age you have in your blood. The wisdom you have in your mind. They’d be smart to keep you hidden from us, for I would feed from you for centuries.”

He laughed. “If I debased myself enough to do so. But still, I’m not fully Fallen yet. I just want you to understand that the Creator doesn’t care. They never did… The stars will fall from the sky because they choose to save immortals and humanity. They choose to fall because that is their purpose given by the Creator. Want to guess yours?”

I started shaking so hard my teeth chattered. Tarek pulled me closer against him.

It’s like I’m inside my small body again, like I’m back in that moment when I thought all would be lost.

“You.” He pointed at me. “Were here in the beginning. You hold the soul of Lilith, the first before Eve—or Eva as some say. And you…” He turned his head to the side. “Are the son of Enoch. Some might say you house one of the only human souls in eternity that never died. Makes you wonder how I was able to do it.”

He leaned in and whispered, “Because, dear child, I was the angel who killed him. I ripped him to shreds in Heaven and then fled, taking that tiny blue remnant of a soul with me and then gifting it to you. You should say thank you.”

“You’re bad,” Tarek said boldly. “And you will be punished.”

Danu walked up behind the angel and laughed. “Playing with children, Phanuel, when you could be playing with me? A goddess?”

Phanuel stood to his full height, his jet-black hair falling down his back. “It’s good that we both like games. Shall we start a new one?”

Danu clapped her hands. “Yes, yes, yes! I’ve been so bored.”

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