Alex's muscles were all tight, his body filled with a rush of adrenaline.
He tried to feel around for something—a rock, some dust—anything to mess with her sight! But the room was crazy clean. The floor was spotless; not even a single hair could be found.
No time!
Just as Lilith was about to open the closet door—
"BANG!"
With a loud thud, Alex used all his strength to punch through the weak closet door. Wood splinters flew everywhere.
Without even looking, he reached into the pile of soft clothes, grabbed something, and threw it at Lilith's face!
It was a fancy black lace bra! It flew open and landed perfectly over Lilith's beautiful face!
"Whoa?!"
Lilith was not ready for an attack like this. She froze. A short, panicked sound came from her as she tried to pull the private clothing off her head.
A red blush quickly covered her pale face, going all the way to her ears.
Now!
Alex jumped out of the broken closet like a wild animal, aiming for her neck!
He planned to use a simple choke hold to take down the succubus Saintess, who probably didn't have much fighting experience up close, and then run!
But he was very wrong about her strength, and he also thought too highly of his own new power.
Just as his arm was about to wrap around her neck, Lilith, even with her vision blocked, still had her senses!
In her embarrassment and anger, she instinctively swung her arm back—
"SMACK!"
A loud slap. Alex felt a huge, unstoppable force hit him. He flew back, landing hard on the carpet, his head spinning, seeing stars.
He sat on the floor, dazed, and watched as Lilith ripped the annoying underwear from her head. Her perfectly neat silver hair was a little messy now.
The blush on her face hadn't gone away, and her eyes were now frozen with anger. She looked at the broken closet door and the clothes scattered everywhere.
It made her even more mad.
She quickly grabbed the most private clothes and held them close, then turned to Alex, walking toward him.
"SMACK!" Another loud slap made Alex's head snap to the side, his cheek burning.
Then, she shot out a few dark purple magic threads from her fingers. They instantly wrapped around Alex's arms and legs, tying him to the floor.
"Rude! Gross! You dirty savage!"
Lilith's voice shook with anger.
"You break into my room, and then you have the nerve to... break my closet and steal my underwear! You deserve to die!"
She took a deep breath, trying to calm her chest, and raised her hand again. Magic power gathered at her fingertips. Her eyes were cold and set.
"I'm calling Mother and the guards right now! A dangerous guy like you has to be..."
Alex felt his heart race. He was about to be a prisoner again. Just in time, a thought flashed in his mind. He looked up fast.
"Is this really the life you want?!"
Lilith froze. The light at her fingertips flickered and went out. Her eyes, sharp as ice, stared at Alex.
Alex saw she hadn't made her move yet and felt a bit of hope. He ignored the pain in his face and the ropes on his arms and legs, and spoke quickly.
"Not being truly free, only doing what your family and people want you to do, isn't that sad? Like a tool, doing things you hate just to be powerful and for your bloodline!
Even if you become unbeatable, will that person still be you? Or just a pretty doll who does what they want?"
Every word was like a hammer, hitting Lilith's defenses. She remembered being forced to learn tricks she didn't like.
She remembered her mother's unbreakable orders. She remembered the romance novels on her shelf that showed a totally different life.
She remembered her secret need for "real love" and "purity"...
Her eyes shook, a mix of coldness, anger, and confusion. Her raised hand trembled, unable to strike.
Call Mother? Then what? Be forced to do the disgusting thing she hated?
Alex saw her wavering and gave his last idea:
"I can help you!" He stared into her eyes. "Didn't your mother give you one month to find a guy and do the ritual? How about me?"
Lilith's eyes showed deep disgust, and she took a half-step back.
"Don't get me wrong!" Alex quickly added. "Not for real! Just pretend! You can tell everyone I'm the guy you found to finish your mission!
You can say you drained me. That way, you'll be fine, and you can save your... purity. You'll also shut your mother up and get more time to wait for the man you really like and want to be with!"
"What do you say?" Alex's voice was tempting.
"We help each other. You hide me from the guards; I help you with your problem and give you the freedom you want. It's a deal, a win-win!"
Lilith was totally stunned. This idea was crazy. Lie to her mother? Fake the ritual? Work with a human guy? It was too wild! Too wrong!
But... this crazy plan was like a seed. It took root in her heart, which had been tied up for so long, and bloomed with "hope" and "maybe."
She stood there, stuck in a huge inner fight. Her clear eyes flickered.
On one side was her family's hopes, her mother's power, and her years of training.
On the other was a dangerous runaway, a wild plan, and a... maybe a chance to catch a far-off dream.
The magic at her fingertips flickered, and then slowly, slowly faded. The room was only filled with their fast heartbeats and a heavy silence.
Lilith slowly sat down against the wall, as if all her strength was gone. She looked up and closed her ice-blue eyes, taking a deep breath.
After a long time, she opened her eyes. She looked at Alex, who was still tied up, with a mix of feelings.
Her voice was cool again, but now it had a hint of tiredness and giving in.
"Okay. I'll take your... offer."
Alex was overjoyed. He was about to speak, but Lilith's cold stare cut him off.
"But!" she warned, her voice strong. "You dirty little bug, listen up! This is just a deal! You are not allowed to touch me!
Any physical contact, any bad moves, or any gross thoughts, must have my permission!
Or I will break this deal and make sure you have a worse ending than with Octavia!" She narrowed her eyes.
"Of course! Of course!" Alex nodded. As long as he could live, being a gentleman was nothing.
"I swear on my bloodline that I will respect your wishes! We're just using each other... no, we're partners helping each other!"
Lilith frowned and started giving him rules:
"First, you can't leave this house without my permission, and you can't be seen by anyone from our people."
"Second, you have to help me make it look like I've used and controlled you. I will tell you what to do."
"Third, once this is over, or if I find a better way, our deal is off. You have to leave right away and be gone forever!"
"Fourth, you have to tell me everything about your bloodline and powers when I need to know. It's important for fooling my mother."
Alex listened carefully. The rules were tough, but they were okay. His life was in her hands.
"No problem! I agree to all of it! Now, can you untie me? It's hard to talk like this." He twisted his numb body.
Lilith looked him over for a few seconds. Then, she waved her hand. The dark purple magic threads came undone and went back into her fingertips.
Alex let out a long breath and got up from the floor. He rubbed his swollen cheek and the red marks on his wrists. "So, happy to work with you? Lilith... Miss?"
Lilith just snorted and turned her head, agreeing to their temporary team.
But then, a surprised and flirty voice came from the doorway:
"Ooh~~~! My dear Lilith! What kind of good thing have you been hiding here?"
A sexy, grown-up succubus stood in the doorway, wearing a bold red dress.
Her curly brown hair was messy, and her eyes sparkled with gossip.
She was touching her red-painted lips with a finger, her eyes looking from the messy Lilith, whose face was still red, to Alex, who was just getting up from the floor.
Her look made it seem like she was making up a whole crazy story in her head.
She was clearly someone Lilith knew, maybe a best friend, who just walked in without knocking and saw this very private moment!
Lilith's face went red. She moved to the side to try and hide Alex, but that only made it look more suspicious to the other woman.
Alex's heart jumped into his throat. A gossipy grown-up woman was way harder to fool than a kid!
"Shana!" Lilith yelled, but her voice shook a little. "Who said you could come in without knocking! Get out!"
The succubus, Shana, didn't leave. She swayed her hips and walked in, a "I caught you" smile on her face. She walked around Alex once.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. No wonder you kept making excuses not to hang out lately. You had a little 'private collection' hidden here?"
Shana's voice was long and teasing. "Good for you, Lilith! You act like you're not into men, but you have such unique taste? You like the... ahem... wild kind?
Were you playing a 'capture game' just now? It looks like it was intense~" She looked at the broken closet door and the clothes on the floor.
Lilith's face went bright red. Even her neck was pink. She was so mad she almost passed out. "Shana! What are you talking about! It's not what you think!"
"What do I think?" Shana giggled, getting close to Lilith and bumping her with her elbow. "Don't pretend with me! Look at this guy. He's a bit of a mess, but he's got good stuff.
Look at those muscles. That strong male scent... I could smell it from a mile away.
It's making me all excited~ How was it? Is it good? You know, sharing is caring. Tell me about it!"
Her words were so direct and a little dirty that they made Alex feel weird, and Lilith was shaking with anger. She wanted to sew Shana's mouth shut.
Just as Lilith was about to lose it, and Alex was wondering if he should pretend to be dead again, Shana winked and lowered her voice, as if she understood.
"Ohh~~ I get it! You were too shy to find one outside, so you brought one home for 'practice'?
You should've said so! Your sister here can teach you a few things! I'll make sure you... ahem~" .
This misunderstanding... seemed to be a perfect excuse for them! Lilith grabbed onto this lifeline. It was embarrassing, but better than being caught with a runaway!
She took a deep breath. "It's… none of your business! Once I'm done with my practice, I'll… get rid of him! Don't you dare say a word!"
Shana's face showed a look of "I knew it!" She promised,
"Don't worry, don't worry! My lips are sealed! But..." She took another greedy sniff, her eyes on Alex.
"Before you 'get rid' of him, can your sister here... hehe, get a lesson too?"