Pretty Spelled by K.A Knight

Lilith

When we wake up again, Atlas is standing at the window. His arms are crossed behind his back, it’s the same way he would stand when surveying his troops. His eyes are focused outside, seeming miles away, yet he must feel us wake because his low rumbling voice splits the air.

“Why did you choose her?” He looks over at me—her. “Why her? Why my mate?”

Sitting up, she crosses her legs and tilts her head as she watches him. She knows we aren’t getting out of here, not easily anyway and not yet, so she’s happy to play with him to hurt him and torture us both.

“Why not?” When he doesn’t reply, she laughs. “I felt her strength behind the suffering and the oh so sweet screams. I thought she was a human at first, but then I felt her soul. Her pure, innocent soul. It was so easy to corrupt. Usually, they are weak, but she was not. She had such strength. In those flames, I saw what she had endured, and I knew she was the one I had been waiting for—the one who would free me. The one I could make mine. I did not anticipate that her strength would mean she would remain with me though. Your little wildflower is determined. Those who I have possessed before faded after a day, even a week…yet years later, she is still here.”

“So she is in there,” he murmurs, sounding both happy and sad about that. The darkness closes around me, and I ache for him to hold me, to touch me. I want to chase away the shadows lingering in his eyes as he turns to us, the moon shining across his handsome face.

“Of course. She’s hurting, struggling to stay alive.” She laughs. “She’s trying so hard to get back to you and your family.” He flinches, and she laughs harder. “She will give up, they always do when they realise it’s hopeless. It’s fun to break her spirit though. She hates it when my men fuck me. I wonder how much she would hate me fucking you.”

He steps back as if he’s shocked, and she presses closer, almost to the bars as I struggle not to cry. “You want this body, always have, so why not have it? May be your last chance.” She giggles before running her hand across my skin and cupping my sex. “To taste.” She licks her lips. “To fuck and feel this cunt.”

“Shut the fuck up,” he snaps in disgust, and she snickers and sits down. “You are not her, you’re simply wearing her skin. I will get rid of you if it takes a thousand years. Listen to me, Wildflower, I won’t give up. Don’t you listen to her. You are stronger than she can ever imagine, so keep being strong, baby.”

“Oh, Wildflower,” she mocks and then lies down. “Pathetic, all of you. You won’t have time to save her. Before long, this world will end, and your precious wildflower will be at my side as we destroy it. My temple will run red with your blood, and that of your brothers. She will watch all of you suffer and die, and then she will as well. That is her destiny, god, not you, not happiness. It has always been and always will be.”

“Her destiny is what she makes it. You may have her body, you may have stolen some of her memories, but you will never know her. Never know the depths of her stubbornness, the light in her heart, her determination to save others…her strength to speak of it,” he challenges, his eyes boring into me. “You know nothing of strength. You rely on pain and fear, while she inspires loyalty out of love, out of sacrifice. Her strength is what will save her, and so will we. She has the seven strongest gods in this world, my family, searching for a way to save her. Your blindness to see that will be your downfall. Make no mistake, goddess of death, my mate will be free, and you will die alone and scared like your victims.” He turns away and heads into the kitchen, leaving us staring after him. I feel her hesitation born of fear before she turns it inwards and takes it out on me.

“You will lose her, god, and you will both die alone!” she yells after him before I feel her scorn.

I’m going to fuck your mate,she snarls, and let him taste the ecstasy of your body…then I’ll kill him while you watch.

You won’t touch him,I retort. He’ll kill us first.

Watch me.

* * *

When Atlas returns, he’s calmer, but during that time, she has concocted a plan—one to seduce and tease my mate. She wants to hurt him and offer him everything he has always wanted…me.

He flinches and closes his eyes in pain as he turns away, refusing to look at my naked body. “Stop,” he demands. “It won’t work.”

“No?” she asks, rubbing herself against the bars. I curl into myself in embarrassment and shame as she cups her breasts and rolls them in her hands with a fake moan before dragging her hand down my body and playing with herself. “What if I told you I was wet?” she purrs, and I curl around myself tighter as he sneers and looks away again.

“You disgust me,” he snarls. “It was never just her body I wanted, but her heart and mind, and you are not her. You’re a pale imitation, like a virus using her body.”

“No? Then I’ll fuck myself while you stand here.” She lies back, and he snaps.

With a roar, he turns, and magic explodes from him and hits the cage, melting through it and smacking into us. It throws us back into the bars, and she cries out as we lie sprawled on the floor before she pushes up on her elbows, her head hanging down as she pants. I watch in horror, wondering what she will do in retaliation. She won’t let him get away with that.

“Attie, why?” she cries, using my voice, mocking him and me. He falters, his eyes widening as he watches me worriedly. “Why would you hurt me like that?” she whimpers.

“Wildflower?” He gasps and falls to his knees, gripping the bars as whimpers leave our lips. Our hair hangs down and obscures my face as I feel him panic, but then her taunts fade into laughter, and she lifts her head and he flinches back.

“Guess again, god.” She laughs. “Oh, Attie, why?” she mocks, and he stands before turning away, his fists clenched.

His back shaking.

“Atlas,” Khalid murmurs, and we both jerk around to see him watching us from the bottom of the stairs with a frown. He throws her a glare and rushes to his brother’s side, touching his arm, but Atlas throws off his hand.

“I’m fine. You watch her, I need air,” he orders, and then he rips open the front door and storms out, slamming it behind him as we stare. Khalid sighs, his eyes sad as he gazes at it before he notices her watching. He flinches and then his face hardens.

“Don’t try any shit with me. I love Lilith, but I will not let you destroy my brother,” he warns, and I almost cheer. Good. Don’t let her. Don’t let her hurt him anymore.

Remi comes down then, and they sit side by side, silently watching me. Remi twirls a knife between her knuckles as they observe me before she leans forward, her mismatched eyes showing her confusion. “So you’re evil, huh? What’s that like?”

“How about you come closer and find out?” she snarks at Remi, who grins and points her knife at her.

“I’m good here. I gotta admit, I’m disappointed. To say you are the destroyer of worlds… You are underwhelming.” She nods. “Giving us evil bitches a bad rep, ain’t she, babe?”

Khalid smirks but doesn’t speak as Remi carries on, and eventually, she grows sick of it. “Silence, stealer!”

“Wow, someone has anger issues.” Remi nudges Khalid. “A bit like you.”

“You puny, unworthy—”

Remi carries on. “Atlas says I can’t use you for throwing practice, but I can annoy the shit out of you.” She pulls out her phone, her expression serious, and a moment later, a song blares through the speakers. She begins to sing loudly and off key. “I’m a Barbie girl—”

Oh God, I can’t help but laugh for the first time this century.

I sing along to the songs I know—you pick up a lot after years of being trapped inside your own body—until the door opens and Atlas comes in. He narrows his eyes on me and turns his back, jerking his head at Khalid and Remi. They nod and stand, and all of them troop into the kitchen where they can see me as they lower their heads together and whisper. We don’t even bother trying to listen, instead she slides her hand across the bars, hissing in pain as she searches for a way out.

She might be the mother of demons, darkness and evil incarnate, but even she has weaknesses, and it seems Atlas has managed to find one and use it to trap her here. I don’t know how long it will work, but the selfish part of me wants to stay here forever, just so I can see my family and my love.

While they conspire, she looks in on me.

You will never be with them again, human, and even if you are, they will never trust you. Look at them.

I do, and I see them throwing me considering looks.

They will always wonder if you could have stopped me, wonder if the darkness is still in you. You will never be one of them.

Shut up, I snap, and she laughs.

It is the truth, human. They see what they want to see, and they couldn’t possibly believe someone who they think is as strong as you could not escape or help. They will believe you are weak or a part of this.

They know the truth, I see it in their eyes. It’s you doing this, and they are smart enough to know that, but you should know something about my family.

What’s that, human?

They will never give up. You think of them as nothing but immortal old gods, but they’re so much more. They are leaders, lovers, and warriors, and what they set their mind to, they accomplish. You will fail and fall, and it will be by my family’s hand.

Really? she scoffs. They couldn’t save you. They can’t be that strong.

There was no saving me. I was damned since birth. And it’s the truth. I’ve had a lot of time to consider my human life and everything that happened to me. Everything in life occurs for a reason, and I have to believe that even if it hurts, even when it’s hard, I died for a reason. I was possessed for a reason. I burned for years in the fires of Hell for a reason. I just have yet to find the purpose, but I know it has something to do with my family and this world. It doesn’t matter what she thinks, I know the truth. They never could have saved me. This was always where we were supposed to be. I have faith, and I have love, even if it has changed and morphed over the years, grown and matured with me and my experiences.

The conversation silences, and we sit back as they all come into the room. “We have a plan, Wildflower, just hold on.”

“Oh, we are waiting with rapt anticipation.” She laughs. “Going to cut me? Torture me? Fuck me?” She grins. “Bring it on, I will enjoy it all.”

Atlas snarls and turns away, exiting the room. I’m left with Khalid and Remi again. “Now, where were we?” Remi asks, and then she starts to sing again.

A smile curves my lips as I sit up. Excitement and hope blooms in my chest before I catch the shimmer of my hands. They have an invisible tinge to them. Whatever they are going to do, they need to do it fast, and I pray to the old gods that it works.

I’m running out of time.