Chapter 21
1040 Words
21
“Lalalala, I’m so good at singing,” Lilith slurred as she swayed along the path leading up to Sam’s front door. The cab ride home had proven that she was in fact, not good at signing.
Sam followed with a worried look. She still didn’t know what had put Lilith in this mood but she feared for the worst.
The two reached the door and automatic lights sprung on to illuminate the dark facade of the house.
“Aww, so cute!” Lilith hiccuped.
“What is?”
“Your little lights.” She bent down and tickled one of the lanterns. “Hello, little one. Aren’t you hard at work?”
“Ummm…” Stunned, Sam unlocked the door as she watched Lilith talk to the lights like they were pets. She shouldn’t be surprised to see her so wasted, she drank two bottles of whisky all by herself, but it was unsettling. Sam was always the mess, never the carer. That had been Melissa’s job.
A strange emotion took grip of her as she ventured into the empty hallway. Before she could examine her feelings, clicking paws sounded on the floor and Shadow appeared from the dark.
“Hey, girl!” Sam crouched down to greet her. “I missed you.”
The hellhound nuzzled into her, eager for attention. For such a young dog, she was unusually independent. Sam had been surprised to learn she could leave her alone at this age without a problem.
She tickled Shadow’s tummy and with a happy bark, the markings on her body lit up, casting a blue glow throughout the house.
Sam chuckled to herself. Then again, this wasn’t a normal dog.
“Demon Bite!” Lilith slurred. She managed to stumble over the threshold, almost tripped over her own feet, and gripped the wall to progress further in the house.
“Why don’t you take off your heels?” Sam suggested, slightly baffled why the other woman hadn’t done that yet.
Lilith paused in the middle of the empty hallway with an adorable frown on her face. “I can’t reach.”
“What?”
She bent down, waving her hands at the straps of her heels. “Can’t reach.”
Her position gave Sam a great look down her cleavage and she quickly looked away. As much as she couldn’t deny how stunning Lilith was, the Nox woman was a dangerous rabbit hole she was going to avoid as long as possible.
“I’ll make you some coffee,” she said, returning to lock the front door.
She still reached the kitchen before the other woman. She gathered the necessary items to make a good brew while keeping half an eye on Lilith.
The coffee machine gurgled as she fed it beans and for a couple of minutes, the domestic noises of porcelain mugs and clattering cutlery drawer fooled Sam into forgetting the new, hectic life she was living. No crazy murders and glittering bodies, no hellhounds with blue markings, no supernatural race of hidden Nox living alongside them. For a moment, they were just two regular women in a kitchen making coffee.
She placed a saucer on the kitchen island and placed a steaming cup of coffee in front of Lilith. “Here, this’ll sober you up.”
“Hmmm.”
The two women fell silent again as they sat opposite each other. Sam studied the hunched figure at the island, hands wrapped around a hot mug and eyes set to a thousand miles. Some of Lilith’s giddiness had worn off and left a somber and silent shell in its place.
After an eternity of silence, she spoke. “Life is strange sometimes.”
Startled, Sam frowned. “What do you mean?”
The Nox fiddled with the silver ring around her finger, twisting it round and round. “Do you believe in fate?”
“Fate?” Sam scratched her neck. “No, not really. But then again, I didn’t believe in magic and here you are.”
“Hmmm…” Lilith slumped down on the kitchen island, her long hair cascading down her sides.
Sam waited for a moment before she spoke again. “You okay?”
“Do you have more booze?” Lilith asked, ignoring her.
“What?”
“You have a whisky cabinet, don’t you?” She rose from her chair and unsteady like a newborn fawn, swayed towards the hall.
“Hey, hey! Be careful!” Sam hurried after her, barely catching the drunk woman before she tripped over a cardboard box.
“Oops,” Lilith chuckled.
“Let’s sit you back down. You don’t need more whisky, you need more coffee.”
Lilith stuck out her bottom lip. “I don’t want more coffee.”
Sam’s breath hitched, only just realising just how close she was. With one arm wrapped tightly around her waist to steady her, she’d captured her in a tight embrace. Lilith was so close, Sam could feel the heat she radiated.
She blinked slowly, trying to remember why she was supposed to stay away from the Nox. She averted her gaze and dragged Lilith through the hall into the living room. She seemed too drunk for the chairs so one of the leather couches would suit her better.
Shadow jumped up and curled herself against Lilith’s legs. Her blue markings shimmered as she growled happily.
“Good girl,” Sam said. “Stay.”
“Good girl?” Lilith’s eyes opened again. “Stay?”
Samantha chuckled. “I was talking to Shadow, but you stay too. I’ll get you some water.”
On her way back to the kitchen, she lingered in the doorframe to make sure the other woman was okay. After a rollercoaster of emotions, Lilith had fallen into a quiet depression. Her head sank down and before her chin hit her chest, she was asleep.
Instead of getting her some water, Sam returned to lay her down in a more comfortable position and took off her killer heels. Careful not to wake her, she put the shoes next to the couch and draped a blanket over the sleeping figure.
Lilith hummed appreciatively and pulled one of the couch pillows under her head.
With a smile, Sam watched the other woman. She realised how creepy that was, but she couldn’t stop. Just from looking at her, her heart sparked with affection and compassion. She still didn’t know what upset Lilith so much, but she wanted to take that pain away. If only she knew how to do that.
“Goodnight,” she whispered.
Shadow tweaked one ear, but didn’t budge. Instead, she curled up tighter against Lilith’s legs. Not that Sam minded. In fact, she felt relieved Lilith wouldn’t be down here on her own.
She clicked the light off and made her way upstairs, feeling more settled than she had in a long time. The empty house was no longer empty.
- Writer
