Page 33 of Scent of Desire
The Tower. The Death. The cards were against us from the start. They’d warned me, but now I couldn’t escape our destiny written by bloody stars.
Fate had predicted she’d be the queen to my hell.
But the prophet also had said that love would deliver me.
I never wanted to be saved.
So which fate will you choose, Lily?
My queen or my tragic ending.
Darkness or light.
My hand brushed against the glass serving as a shield between my creations and the rest of the world.
The red smoke inside the aphrodisiac swiveled across the tube. In the shade, both it and my perfume were a haze of purple breath like forbidden magical elixirs.
The longer I let it macerate, the more the properties of the Devil’s Corpse engulfed the other liquids. The hellish particles similar to a burning fire danced in the vial like fairy dust.
It would only take a drop of pure desire to change humanity forever.
The perfume was magnificent, like a heavenly potion of love. A powerful aroma of the most sophisticated scents. With every shade of pink and purple, it was a masterpiece holding the fantasy of dreams and the power of human passion.
The aphrodisiac was hellbound, a destructive weapon that would submit humanity to its most hidden sins and desires.
I caught sight of my reflection in the glass. My eyes had darkened, contrasting with my rose flower headband. I wore a corset in a bewitching color, halfway between the pink rose and the queen of the night tulip, on top of a white spring dress—with sheer sleeves and fabric so light, this outfit would inspire romance and purity.
I was just as contradictory as my inventions—the perfume was from heaven, the aphrodisiac bound in hell, and I was stuck on a path in between. I was becoming one with the shadows, and the more I stayed inside the cold realm of Radcliff, the more I was losing perspective of my actions.
I needed to win the soul of the Devil in order to make him see the light—but instead, I was enjoying the power of the darkness, the thrill of being by Radcliff’s side, and the freedom to explore who I was without filter.
My gaze drifted from the spell of the perfume, and I exited the lab, ambling through the fresh breeze and the calm of the morning. Even the harsh, raucous call of the ravens was a safe haven to my soul. I entered the greenhouse with only one certitude. Only time would tell which one of our downfalls it would be. Which kingdom would expand. Which one of us would triumph.
I inhaled the odors of the blooming flowers standing like a royal court. I sat below the Devil’s Corpse, feeling the need to hang out with her.
“It’s my birthday today,” I confessed with a smile, celebrating my twenty-second birthday alone with the flowers.
“My mom would be proud of me.” I played nervously with my dress, the intoxicating scents wafting up my nostrils in shades of happiness. “I just wished she was here to see what I’ve accomplished.”
Since she died, I’d never truly celebrated my birthday. I had no reason to. I wasn’t one to celebrate with friends, nor had any of them, apart from Adonis and Uncle. Adonis was usually busy on business with his father, as for Uncle, he simply forgot. Plus, I hadn’t achieved anything worthy. It was just a lost year for me. But this year was different. I had a reason to celebrate, and for once, I craved someone to make this day special. To make me feel special.
“This is stupid,” I snorted. “It’s like, you always want what you don’t have?”Love.
My phone vibrated in the pocket of my dress, as if the ghosts had delivered me a message. It was a text from my uncle, or more precisely a GIF of a cat holding a present, “Happy Birthday” written in glittery colors underneath.
At least he’s trying.I replied with a thank-you and posed my phone on the stone. I jumped abruptly when I heard the motor of a car. The gate was closed; it was coming from the manor. Someone was leaving.
“I need to go.” I rushed to the exit, my heart hammering.
The noise of the screaming engine was from an old-fashioned black car parked in front of the manor. It looked like one of those luxurious cars from the forties. Next to it, Mr. Walton was going back and forth with some luggage. Radcliff was leaving. At the thought, panic rushed to my veins. I would be alone once more. I swallowed my feelings and continued my way through the entrance with fast steps.
Radcliff appeared in front of the main door, adjusting his five-piece tailored suit. Refined and elegant in his usual black, he was definitely going somewhere. He crossed his arms on his chest, his stare hitting me with questioning. He smelled the scent of the candle blown on a birthday, the one you make a wish with.
“You’re going somewhere?” I asked, the pounding of my heart thumping widely like a fleeing horse.
“Yes.” Radcliff passed next to me, and my heart seemed to buzz in my ears. He inspected his car with a deadly stillness before focusing his attention back on me. “So are you.”
My mind thought of a hundred possibilities. The main one included that he had gotten tired of me and that this was my ride back. I dug my fingers into the flesh of my palms.
