LILITH

When Samael said he was looking for his brother, I did not imagine the brother to be a blonde angel with the longest eyelashes I had ever seen, a wonderfully welcoming grin, and sparkling blue eyes. His wings were white. When we got there, I had seen them, but now that he had hidden them behind him, it appeared as though he never even had them.

Why couldn't his brother do that?

They looked nothing alike, and it was clear from the way they interacted with one another that they had distinct personalities. Despite Lucifer's apparent excitement to tell his brother about where he landed and how he found Eloise, Samael continued to stare at the child with a suspicious expression in his eyes.

"Eloise here found me when I dropped at the back of her house," Lucifer said, gesturing to the girl.

"What were you doing in the backyard of the house, exactly?" I asked her.

She shrugged without glancing at me and said, "Playing with dogs." 

I sighed and looked up to see  Lucifer and Samael staring at us. Samael's face was cast in an orange glow by the small fire that Eloise had started within the cave, and I could see that he was frowning. In contrast, Lucifer narrowed his eyes as he looked at me. 

"Who are you?" He asked.

"Lilith," Samael and I said in unison.

Lucifer cast a brief look between us as we exchanged glances. 

"She's Lilith, the queen of Eden," Samael explained.

I feigned a smile at Lucifer and said, "It's nice to meet you."

He gasped softly and then walked over to me quickly, taking both my hands in his, "it's nice to meet you too," he said, "I'm the archangel Lucifer. Thank you for helping my brother."

"Oh, it was nothing really," I let out a nervous chuckle.

He looked back at Samael, "how did you two meet?"

Samael answered without looking at him, "I fell in a jungle and she heard the sound."

Lucifer released my hands and a small frown appeared on his face, "What do you mean you fell?"

"I fell from the skies because I couldn't find my balance quickly enough." 

"Are you hurt?"

"No."

"We ought to..." 

"I'm fine, Lucifer."

It seemed Lucifer was caring, a bit too caring and Samael was uncomfortable with affection and care.

Next to me, Eloise yawned and moved over to the fire. Lucifer followed her and sat before she did. Then he took her in his arms and smiled as she snuggled against him.

She grabbed his cheek and murmured, "My angel." 

He beamed, "thank you for helping me hide Eloise," he said, "are you tired?"

She gave a slow nod. 

"It's okay. You've done well."

She closed her eyes and exhaled slowly through her mouth. As he watched her sleep, Lucifer had a soft, amazed expression on his face. I had the impression that during their brief time together, he had grown fond of her. 

"I should get her back to her parents," I said, "She's tired and sleepy."

Lucifer looked up at me, "Of course but I want to talk to you first," he said, " since you're the queen."

I looked up at Samael who seemed focused on a pebble he had discovered on the ground. I approached Lucifer and took a seat in front of him. His brilliant blue eyes seemed to be filled with golden fireflies. 

"How come you can you hide your wings but your brother can't?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" he asked with a chuckle. "Of course, he can," he replied. 

I turned to look at Samael who still wasn't looking at us. How come he didn't do that? Why did he follow me back to the house to get a cloak?

I faced Lucifer again, "you were sent by the creator."

He frowned at me before looking up at Samael. 

The angel behind me murmured, "We were."

"We merely want to know what it's like here," Lucifer remarked, "How do the people feel about my father?"

"We are grateful to him," I answered, "how else are we supposed to feel?"

Samael moved around me now and stood behind Lucifer, his piercing gaze on me. 

"I love living here and so does everyone else," I went on, "We have all we need and need not do anything for it. All we have to do is never break the rules."

"Of course, there are rules," Samael muttered causing Lucifer to look back at him with a glare.

"They are not strict rules. We just aren't allowed to leave Eden or consume fruit from the tree in the middle of the north-facing garden," I said. 

"What tree?" Lucifer asked. 

"It's a tree in the backyard garden of my and Adam's house. Since eating from it is banned, Adam keeps the area off-limits." 

"Meaning?" 

"Only he and occasionally me go there. Usually, we have a private meeting in the yard with the creator." 

"Right..." Lucifer fell back. He turned his attention to Eloise and used his finger to dab away some drool from the side of her mouth.

Everything I had said felt like some type of lie. I didn't think I was being entirely sincere. Yes, the inhabitants of Eden enjoyed their lives as long as they abided by the rules. What about me? Was it possible that I was the only one who felt tired of it?

I also cast a glance down at Eloise. Adam and her parents made every effort to suppress it, but the child was different too. She behaved differently from the other girls. Would she enjoy living in the city later on if she was forced to change?

"Does everyone like it in Eden?" Lucifer asked as he faced me, "do they love my father?"

I wanted to answer, "Yes, everyone but me," but all I could manage was "Yes." 

Then Samael raised his voice, "We have to see for ourselves." I grimaced as he seated himself next to me, "you're not a mind reader. You can't possibly know what every single person here feels," he said.

Would telling them how I felt hurt? Even though I had wanted to communicate with the creator on my own, what if they could deliver the message? 

I dismissed that idea from my mind. I had to demonstrate that I was a queen who could handle her city first. Planning to leave Adam would just have to come later.

"You are more than welcome to join us for worship tomorrow," I said to Samael. We will be praying and making offerings to the Creator." 

His jaw clenched, "will he be in attendance?" 

I shook my head.

He nodded at Lucifer who smiled gently at me, "thank you, Lilith." 

I grinned, "you can count on me while you're here," I assured him, "you'll have to hide out here for the night. I'll be back in the morning." 

"And what do we do about the child who knows we're here?" Samael asked.

"Eloise hid your brother in a cave without alerting anyone," I retorted, "she won't be telling anyone." 

He didn't look like he believed me but he didn't say anything while I took Eloise from Lucifer's hands and stood.

"I should go now," I said, "I'll drop her at home."

Lucifer grinned and said, "Okay, bye Lilith. Thank you again," as Samael got up.

"What are you doing?" I asked him.

He arched one brow and said, "Escorting you home." 

"Oh, no. You don't need to..."

He hissed and strode out of the cave, away from us, saying, "I'm going to regardless." 

I turned to face the still-seated Lucifer "Please excuse my brother. He's not a very conventional angel," he said. 

I took a deep breath, "oh, I'm sure."

***

I went straight home after sneaking into Eloise's house to drop her off without her parents noticing. The moon was brighter than normal, and the air was filled with the sound of crickets and croaking frogs.  

Samael walked slowly next to me. I had a feeling he was used to being a fast walker but had slowed down his pace for my benefit.

I yawned. I felt sleepy and worn out. The entire day suddenly came back to me- spending time on the hill with Cora and the other women, sleeping with Adam, going out to meet the creator only to find an Angel.

When I woke up, would I discover that everything had been a dream? 

"Are you tired?" Samael's question jolted me out of my reverie.  

I nodded.

"Do you want to fly back to the house?" He asked, "it'll be faster than walking."

"Yes," I grinned.

He gave me a startled look as if he couldn't believe I had consented so quickly, which made me laugh and brought a smile to his face. I loved flying. It may have been my favorite thing. I was hesitant the first time, but being so high up was truly unlike anything else. 

Samael didn't take long to remove his cloak and unfurl his wings. With one hand, he gave me the cloak, and with the other, he picked me up by the waist before swooping up into the air.

When I looked down to see my feet hanging, I squealed, "I'm going to fall." 

He raised my thighs and supported his arm beneath them so that he could carry me in bridal style like before.

"Didn't I say I would never drop you?" He asked. 

I felt my face heat up as looked up at him. He was beautiful, not the way Lucifer was, but rather in his own dark, enigmatic way. 

I encircled his neck with my arms and buried my face in the crevice. He had a wonderful scent, reminiscent of rain and fresh water. I stared down at the city below as he gently flew, and it seemed as though his body tightened. 

"Wow," I muttered. If I could, I would have stayed in the air for a very long time to take in Eden's beautiful scenery.

My eyes traveled to the hill behind the entrance to the city, which was off in the distance. Beyond it, a dense fog had descended, making it difficult to see anything. 

What was out there?

"You want to go out there?" Samael asked and I looked up at him. He had an expressionless face.

"What? No, it's against the rules."

"But there's a longing look in your eyes," he observed, "you're looking at it like you want to go."

"No, I don't," I said. I didn't need him reporting me to the creator. For the duration of his stay, he had to think that everything was fine in Eden and that the city's king was supported by a perfect queen.

He dropped in front of me and Adam's house and I instantly released his hold of me and ran toward the door.

I paused and gave him a quick look before saying, "I'll see you tomorrow Samael. It was very lovely to meet you." 

"It was nice to meet you too, my queen," he teased with a smirk and a nod. 

Samael must have heard a sound from inside the house before I could speak again because he dashed into a neighboring bush so quickly that all I could see was his blur. 

With my heart in my throat, I opened the door. Adam was stooped in the doorway, his arms crossed, and sporting a scowl. 

Coldly, he asked, "Lilith, where have you been?"