Lilith by Willow Aster

Author:Willow Aster [Aster, Willow]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Published: 2017-12-26T05:00:00+00:00

Next week will be July fourth and two months since we got married. We’ve decided to throw a party to celebrate both. Turns out, the universe has only momentarily shifted on my behalf and I am living a dream.

Soti kisses me goodbye and JT groans. “You’ll see her the minute we get back.”

They have a meeting across town and I’m helping Miss Christine all morning, so we won’t see each other until this afternoon.

“I miss you already.” I stand on my tiptoes to whisper in his ear.

He gives me one more lingering kiss and bops JT on the back of the head when he keeps griping. JT bops him back. I used to worry they’d hurt each other, but now I laugh and back up before they wrestle each other to the ground.

They’re gone maybe twenty minutes when someone knocks on my door. I’m putting my shoes on and don’t get to it right away.

“I know you’re in there, Lilith,” my mom says, pounding. “Let me in.”

My hands start shaking. Zed’s security team is supposed to keep visits like this from happening.

“I don’t want to see you, Alexis. You need to go.”

“I’m not leaving until I’ve seen you, so we may as well get it over with,” she says.

A wave of hatred passes through me, and I don’t try to fight it the way I did growing up. I open the door and she rushes in, already spewing her nonsense.

“There’s a way out of here without anyone seeing you and you need to take it. Tonight, Lilith. It has to be tonight. If you have to break cameras doing it, whatever it takes … I can’t wait any—”

“I’m not going anywhere,” I break her tirade. “You need to get that through your head and leave me alone, Mother.”

The look she gives me feels like a stake in my back.

When she speaks, her voice is low and deliberate. “If you want this community center to keep standing, and all the people in it, you’ll leave. Now. Otherwise, your husband,” she spits the words, “will go up in flames just like Maison D’amour.”

I gasp and she grabs my arm, shoving me toward the bedroom. My phone starts ringing in the other room.

“Figure out a way to make it believable. If you tell anyone you’re leaving, we’ll come and get you out ourselves. But it won’t be as pretty that way, someone will get hurt.” She looks in my eyes and when she sees the fear, she lets go of my arm. “I’m glad you’re listening. You’ve wasted too much time as it is.” She looks around my room with contempt and then sets something on my bed.

I have to hold onto the dresser when I see what it is. “Get that gun out of here! Are you crazy?” Of course, she’s crazy. How have I never fully seen her madness before now?

“I’m leaving it. You might need it to leave.”

“Take the gun. I won’t need it. Or maybe I should just use it on you.

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