The carriage was a world of its own.
Outside, the landscape blurred into a streak of grey and green as the shadow-cores pushed the vehicle to impossible speeds. Inside, the air was thick, smelling of expensive leather, Lilith's cherry musk, and the faint, ozonic scent of Seraphine's divinity.
Dante sat dead center, his long legs stretched out. To his left, Lilith had practically merged with his side. To his right, Seraphine sat as stiff as a statue, her hands clasped in her lap, her eyes fixed on the vibrating floorboards.
"You look uncomfortable, Seraphine,"
Dante said, his voice a low, vibrating hum in the small space. "Is the Queen of Heaven afraid of a little travel?"
"I am uncomfortable with... this," Seraphine hissed, finally looking at him.
Her face was flushed, her blue eyes darting to Lilith, who was currently tracing circles on Dante's inner thigh with a slow, deliberate finger. "This is a mission of survival, not a... a brothel on wheels!"
Lilith let out a sharp, mocking laugh. "Oh, calm down, wings. Dante is a Prince of Chaos. His core is literally a furnace. If he doesn't circulate his energy through me, he'll burn your precious 'Astraea Academy' to ash just by breathing."
Lilith leaned up, her lips grazing Dante's jawline. "Isn't that right, My Prince? You're feeling... quite heavy right now, aren't you?"
Dante didn't answer with words. He reached out and grabbed Lilith by the back of her neck, pulling her into a deep, dominant kiss right in front of the Queen of Heaven.
Seraphine gasped, her wings fluttering in the cramped space, hitting the roof of the carriage. She tried to look away, but her body wouldn't obey. She watched as Dante's hand moved with arrogant possession, showing her exactly what "Chaos" looked like when it was unleashed.
"Dante... stop," Seraphine whispered, though her voice lacked any real conviction. "We are in public... someone might..."
"Nobody can see inside this carriage, Seraphine," Dante said, pulling away from Lilith's swollen lips. His silver eyes were dark, focused entirely on the trembling Angel. "And nobody can hear you scream.
Not even your Father."
He reached out his other hand, grabbing Seraphine's chin and forcing her to look at him. "You've spent ten thousand years being 'Pure.' Tell me... when you watch her touch me, do you feel 'Holy'? Or do you feel like you're starving?"
Seraphine's breath hitched. A single tear of frustration—or perhaps desire—tracked down her cheek. "I... I hate you."
"Good," Dante smirked, his thumb brushing over her bottom lip, mirroring what he was doing to Lilith. "Hate is a much better fuel for cultivation than prayer."
Suddenly, the carriage lurched. The temperature inside spiked by twenty degrees. The windows began to fog up from the inside.
"The Burning Peaks," Lilith moaned, her eyes glowing crimson as she felt Dante's power surge in response to the nearby fire element. "The first Gate is close. He's overheating, Seraphine. If you don't help me stabilize him... we all burn."
Dante pulled both women toward him, his massive arms wrapping around their waists, forcing the Angel and the Demon to press against each other with him in the middle.
"Lesson one, Seraphine," Dante whispered into her ear, his breath hot enough to make her dizzy. "In my world, there is no Heaven or Hell. There is only me. Now... give me your hand."
As the carriage crossed into the volcanic wastes, the screams that echoed from within weren't from fear.