LILITH

 Although I had heard of angels, I had never seen one. Adam was more than happy to describe them to me because he had seen a few when he met with the creator. He had said they had a frightful appearance but could occasionally take the form of men. However, no words could adequately describe the stunning entity before me.  

I believed Eden was being attacked when I heard the enormous thud coming from the forest beyond the garden. When i went in the direction from where it came, I didn't know what i was expecting but it was certainly not an angel in the form of a man lying in a round ditch.

My appearance appeared to be the focus of his attention, and I felt awkward. I took off Adam's cloak in the garden as I waited for the creator, and I was now wearing the dress I had worn to the fields. It was white and sleeveless, falling down to my ankles. 

The angel looked down at his legs and gently descended. Then, when his feet softly landed on the ground, he folded his wings. He had jet-black hair that was tousled and fell in unruly curls across his forehead. His piercing, dark eyes appeared to be filled with an unidentified emotion as he ran a finger over his lip.

"My name is Samael," he said. His voice was deeper than I anticipated, and it gave me the goosebumps. 

I exhaled a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding and smiled, "it's nice to meet you."

His eyes lit up then, like he was glad i even spoke.

Had my call been heeded, and an angel been sent to me? I wondered if this was really a possibility. Adam claimed that angels often served the creator on some sort of task or assignment. but this one was by himself, and he appeared to be... puzzled? 

Samael took a quick look around before returning his gaze to me. 

"Have you seen a man around here? He has yellow blonde hair and blue eyes? He's also really, really attractive?" He asked.

More attractive than him?

I shook my head. Was he here to find a specific human? 

He gave me a defeated expression before moving so rapidly that I was barely able to utter a faint gasp before his face was mere centimeters from mine. 

"You said you're queen?" he asked, "so you're the first woman?"

I looked at the area between our noses and his eyes as I slowly nodded. Above his dark eyes were incredibly long lashes that curled. He looked at me and examined my features as if he were seeking an answer to his own question all by himself.

My voice was trembling as I asked, "Did the creator send you?" 

Something caused his eyes to flare. Then he leaned away, "yes, yes he did," he tilted his head, "I was assigned to check on how things are here," he said, "make sure everyone is acting appropriately."

Acting appropriately.

There was nothing appropriate about my behavior toward Adam or the thoughts I had. Telling this angel i detested my husband and all that eden's culture stood for would be a mistake.

I quickly replied, "Oh okay," while fumbling with my fingers. "Then I must wake up my husband."

"Why would you do that?"

"Because-" 

"I would prefer not meeting anyone," he said, "I'd like to move through Eden without being noticed."

"But i have to tell my husband."

"Why?"

What did he mean "why?" 

"Because he is the king and reigns over Eden," i replied, "He will know best how to support you with whatever you need during your stay."

"What do you mean he will know best?" Samael blinked at me, "what are you here for then?"

He gazed up into the sky before I could react, muttering, "Honestly, I'm very tired of kings... And I won't be here for long."

The suggestion that I was somehow useless since Adam was the one who made the "better" decisions made me to purse my lips, feeling humiliated. The angel probably didn't mean to say it that way, but I was nevertheless insulted by it. 

"I'm confused," he said, licking his lips as he looked back at me, "If you're the queen and the first woman..."

"Yes?" I answered, tossing the cloak over my head and ignoring how hot his gaze made me feel. 

The crease of confusion on his brow deepened as he inclined his head, "then can I not count on just your support? Do you constantly defer to the king for decision-making?"

I took a strong breath in and out. Did he not know how things went in Eden? It was the first time anyone had ever implied that I was in charge of choosing my own course of action without Adam.

I felt a warm spark go off inside of me. 

The cat from earlier meowed loudly as it approached Samael, who knelt down and took the animal into his arms. He no longer appeared to be as annoyed by the creature. Instead, he rubbed his fingers along its black fur with a small scowl on his face.

"You're not all that bad to look at," he told it, "but I wonder why you can't speak. If you could, that would have been nicer."

I couldn't control the chuckle that came out of my mouth. His gaze shifted to me then and he grinned.

"Well?" He asked, "will  you receive me as your guest, queen of Eden?"

I gulped air. The angel was asking me to take care of him and keep his presence in Eden a secret.

Even while I realized that this was simply because I had always been put down by Adam, there was still a part of me that thought he could have handled this better and that Samael was making a mistake.

But a different part of me believed he was right. I was the first woman and I was also Eden's queen. Adam and I both went through the same process of creation. I received the same authority and power as he did. 

It was what i knew. It was the reason I had been feeling so uneasy for so long, why I had grown weary of Eden and my marriage, and why I believed I was so different from the other women.

Without hesitating, i nodded, "yes."

He smirked proudly, "very well. How do we proceed?" 

I had to think of something. He needed me to. 

I glanced around and then back at him. He was safe here in the garden, away from everyone else, but if he wanted to move across Eden unnoticed, it couldn't be with his wings spread out in the open.  

I stroked my chin with my fingers, "we need to hide your wings."

He looked up at them, as if he was just realizing that he had them, "oh, you're right. We do."

"Then we can search for the man you're looking for," i said, "what's his name? Perhaps i can-"

"He's my brother, Lucifer," he said as he went back to stroking the cat, "he came before me but I'm not sure where he landed."

"Oh..."

He wasn't looking for a man. He was looking for another angel that resembled a man. If his brother had arrived someplace in Eden, we had to track him down right away before anyone else did. 

Before Adam did.