Page 43

"Shh. These walls are thin." Lilith teased him once more running her tongue along the underside of his shaft. She opened her mouth and took him in, swirling her tongue around and then sucking deeply to the tip. She found a steady pace, each time taking more of his impressive length in .

"Lilith, I'm not going to last much longer," Demetrius said through gritted teeth.

She took him all the way, hitting the back of her throat and hummed.

That broke the remaining threads of his restraint and he started moving his hips.

Breathing through her nose, she held on to his thighs as he moved under her.

His hands weaved through her black hair.

She moaned, which took him over the edge and he spilled in her mouth.

He watched her swallow and lick her lips.

He just about came a second time from that look alone.

Pulling her into a spoon, he kissed the back of her head. They said nothing, but they could feel each other's heartbeats. Lilith listened to his breath even out and drifted off to sleep.

Lilith woke covered in sweat. The prince’s arm and leg were draped over her.

She quietly shifted her body to get out of bed.

Locke faced away from her and let out a soft snore.

After putting on her clothes and shoving her bare feet into her boots, she opened her room and tiptoed to the nearest washroom.

It was a smaller space with a large silver basin on the floor.

Next to it was a large steaming barrel of hot water.

She basically drooled at the sight. She found a small wrapped up square bar of soap and gave a silent thanks to the gods for this prized find.

No inch of her was left dirty after she was through.

She lathered her hands with the soap and aggressively worked it into her hair.

She found a small bowl inside the barrel to wash off the suds.

Bliss, s he thought to herself. Feeling her clean skin felt as euphoric as what the prince had done to her.

She changed back into her wrinkled clothes and gently knocked on Felicia’s door.

After a few moments, Felicia let her in.

She looked thoroughly worn out. Dark bags circled under her eyes.

“I want to alert you that there is hot water in the washroom. I advise using it before it cools and then get use of the other room to get some rest. I can take over the watch.” Lilith sat at the chair that was pulled close to the bed.

Felicia didn’t say a word but grabbed her bag and headed out.

Silver looked a little better. His skin had a little bit of colour and he was dry to the touch.

On a nearby small table, Lilith spied a washbasin with a rag.

Felicia must have washed his skin. “You better not die,” she whispered to Silver, and leaned back in the chair.

Several minutes later, she heard a knock at the door. Locke pushed the door open and strode in. His long blonde hair was a tangled mess, but he looked rested.

“You need me to take over?” he asked her.

Lilith shook her head. He nodded. “Felicia just finished with the washroom. I’m going to clean myself up and then I’ll check in downstairs to sort out our transportation.

” He excused himself and left her by herself.

She unpeeled part of Silver’s bandage on his leg.

It looked red and the lines of black had spread further.

She figured Felicia must have changed his bandage somewhat recently, because the oozing fluid had not seeped through the bandage yet.

She got up and looked out the room’s tiny window.

It was just after dawn. The sky was beautiful hues of light peach and periwinkle.

This town would no doubt be consumed by the Void and its darkness, reaping those that remained behind.

She quietly left the room and ventured downstairs in search of food.

The innkeeper wished her good morning and inquired about Silver.

Lilith didn’t spot Locke; he must still have been washing.

The young girl from last night approached her with a bowl of porridge.

She thanked her and took the bowl back upstairs.

Silver showed no sign of regaining consciousness.

Sitting in the chair she ate her fill of hot oats and lost herself in thought.

It was the first time she had taken someone’s life.

The black eyes of all those villagers stared at her.

Could they see her? Or were they already gone?

There must have been children in the mob.

Dread pooled in her belly and she felt overwhelmed with nausea.

She ran to a bucket and threw up her breakfast. Kneeling on the floor she sobbed quietly.

She was no better than the monster. She cried until there were no more tears.

Locke returned to the room after some time. “It looks like the innkeeper and the healer have arranged for us to be picked up soon. They have a wagon that will take us to your place. If that’s still where you think we should go?”

Lilith had her back to the prince, and was sitting on the end of the bed looking at Silver.

He needed help and neither her father nor brothers were great healers.

“We can head for the capital directly. I will send a letter to them explaining our situation.” She paused and closed her eyes. “Thank you. I will get Silver ready.”

Locke excused himself again to update the plan with the innkeeper.

In the meantime, Lilith changed Silver’s bandage and changed him into fresh clothes.

She kept the boot off of his bad leg, but doubled up his socks.

She left the room to wake Felicia, who looked drained, but a little better than before .

“We’re heading out soon. I’ve prepared Silver, so you can head straight down to grab a bite to eat. Our plan to stop at my house has changed with Silver’s need for a proper healer. We make for the capital.” Lilith waited to hear what Felicia would say.

“Good. I think it wise to head straight there instead.” Felicia sat upright on the bed and looked distantly out, her eyes unfocused and lost to her thoughts.

“He murmured in his sleep. It was not his voice that spoke out. He whispered of a promise to find us.” Lilith scowled.

The Void was taking hold of Silver, but she still hoped they could find someone in time.

Felicia turned to face Lilith, taking in her puffy red eyes. “You’ve been crying.”

Lilith shrugged, her voice breaking as she replied, “I don’t want to talk about it.

” She left Felicia and found Locke to help them move Silver downstairs.

She returned to their rooms for their bags.

They waited outside for the wagon to appear, laying Silver on his blanket and covering him with one of theirs.

A large horse and wagon halted in front of the inn.

A shabby looking man shook hands with the innkeeper and Locke.

The wagon had other people seated in it, holding their belongings.

Lilith assumed they were townspeople looking to escape.

They carried Silver into the wagon and sat him upright to lean on Lilith’s shoulder.

She covered him with blankets. The other passengers eyed them suspiciously, until Locke explained what happened to them.

“Strange times we’re living in,” spoke a tired looking man seated next to his family. “Young folk getting attacked so close to town. In all my days, I would never have thought I’d live to see us driven from our home. ”

“I’m sorry to hear that you are forced to leave. We've been trying to return home ourselves since the schools closed, but we’re running into never ending issues,” Felicia spoke with the family. They gave them sympathetic looks.

“Are you all going to the same place?” another passenger, this time a woman with a child, asked.

“Initially, we were headed in different directions, but some of us have learned that our homes are gone. We were going to stay with my family, but with our friend needing a healer, our best chance is in Vanguard,” Lilith replied to the woman.

Their story seemed to pacify any sense of the suspicion they felt earlier.

They silently rode down the quiet road. Felicia nodded off shortly after the conversation had died.

Lilith looked around her, keeping an eye out for any signs of distress.

They stopped at the next town, dropping off a few passengers, and pressed onwards.

The sunny disposition of the townspeople was a stark difference to what they had witnessed in Glattonshire.