The Night Creature at Storne Hope by Catherine Coulter

Author:Catherine Coulter
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Catherine Coulter

CHAPTER TWELVE

Lilith, the queen of the succubi, evil spirits who took over women, seduced men, ruled them, made them slaves. Which meant Prithius was an incubus, Lilybeth was right about that. Had Prithius wanted this child because he’d sensed magic in her? Because he wanted to raise her to be Lilith? Because—why? Didn’t Lilith want him? “You said Prithius drank the green potion three times a day?”

She nodded. “Maybe more times, but I think it was three.”

Grayson said, “I think the potion allows him to keep control over your uncle, allows him to pass as human as your uncle. If so, we must find out what his powers are, then we can figure out how to defeat him.”

Max said, “I don’t believe I’ve ever known a real demon. I wonder how many ladies in Holland Square he’s—” He shot a look at Lilybeth’s upturned face, at the bruised innocence too young to be destroyed, the intelligence and determination, and changed course. “Lilybeth—a beautiful name, it rolls off the tongue like smooth chocolate. No, not chocolate, it’s more like a song, a song about flowers and springtime. It sings on my tongue.”

“Everyone called me Lily. My aunt said my name tasted like ice cream.” She looked like she’d burst into tears, but she got hold of herself. She was eight years old. It was amazing.

“Max, I don’t want to be Lily or Lilybeth, I want to be Crispin. I know it was Lilybeth who brought the monster here, and he took over my uncle and killed my aunt.”

Max took her face between his hands, looked her in the eye. “Lilybeth, you had nothing to do with it. I don’t want you ever to say that or think that again.”

She looked at him for a very long time. “My aunt told me my mama called me Lily.”

“Then I shall too,” Max said.

Suddenly, Lily whirled around, stared at the door, flung out her hands. “No, no!” Her eyes rolled back in her head, and she fell against Max.

Max yelled, “Grayson!”

Grayson felt a wild turbulence in the air, not here in the drawing room, but close, and he felt the incubus Prithius searching, searching. He sensed the essence of an evil he’d never encountered before. He felt Lady Hilda beside him, felt a cloak of warmth, heard her voice, a faraway echo of sound. “I can feel him. He’s searching, Grayson, he’s searching. For Lily.”

Then the air was empty, everything was still. Max pulled Lily into his lap, rocked her. When she opened her eyes there was a moment of blankness, then she frowned up at him. “Why are you holding me, Max? What happened?”

Grayson said matter-of-factly, “Prithius is near, he’s searching, but he didn’t find you. When I felt him near, I cloaked all of us. I’m going to teach you how to cloak yourself, so he can never find you. You’ve already done it without realizing it—those times you said he didn’t find you—but now you’ll learn how to do it whenever you need to.

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