Chapter 47.
Those sensations that she had dismissed, of someone watching her, weren’t unfounded. There was someone following close behind. Nick had been watching her for a few days now. He liked watching her. Noticing the tiny details. He liked the way that she gave the top of her coffee a full coating of cinnamon and the way her nose wrinkled in response before she stirred it up, completely engulfing it in the foamy liquid. And the look of satisfaction on her face after the first mouthful. He liked the way that she looked around to see if anyone noticed when she caught herself singing along with the music in a shop as she was browsing. He found her intriguing and he wanted to know more.
Ultimately, he wanted to see how close Lillith was to returning. He knew it wasn’t prudent to move too hastily. If he spoke with her too soon, her current human form wouldn’t be receptive enough. No, he would have to wait until closer to the time, when the pull towards release would increase, before he introduced himself. The proximity to so many of her children would stir her soul. She would feel them drawing her out. He desperately wanted her on his side, but she was not going to be easily seduced.
A few weeks before her disappearance, he had tried. He asked her to be at his side as he returned the world to chaos. His vendetta against heaven and his father was within her grasp. Together, they could watch all that he prized so highly burn. He was sure that she would join him, but Lillith hadn’t been very welcoming to his advances. She laughed at him. Told him he was foolish to think that she would ever stand by his side. She found it incredibly amusing to think that he believed her ever capable of submitting to anyone, let alone the ‘Father of Lies’.
If she had been anyone else, he would have been furious. But there was nothing he could inflict upon her that she would view as punishment. She was untouchable. And that made him want her all the more. He had been following Caine’s progress over the centuries, waiting for the time when she would return. Better to let Caine do all the heavy lifting. That way, should God decide to actually care about anything, Caine would be the one to incur his wrath.
He knew that Caine would only have until the day after Halloween, All Saints’ Day to bring her back and therefore would be planning something big for that night. Some clause in the curse meant that with each reincarnation her soul had humanised, forgotten its origin. She would lose the will to return. Her connection to this world had weakened to the point that it was barely a flicker. And whatever they brought back, beyond that night, would be unrecognisable. Nick would have to keep a close eye on Caine, he didn’t want him getting too far ahead in the game. But he also knew that this was their last hope.
Rebecca was an attractive woman and there were remarkable similarities between this twenty first century version of her and the original. He appreciated the hard work that she put into keeping herself looking so good. Her body was naturally well sculpted and she was strong, well-toned and physically fit. He imagined that her endurance level would be a good match for his insatiable appetite. He imagined how she would look, naked and vulnerable in front of him. That image made him smile. He thought about how it would feel tracing his hands over her body, exploring all of her dips and curves, every crevice, as she was now, human. He thought about the way her skin would taste underneath his tongue, the saltiness of her sweat. And how receptive would she be to his touch? The warmth of her skin, watching the flush rise in her, the pleasure he would ring from her body, over and over. These things were different with vampires. They don’t behave the same way towards each other. Their lovemaking is on a very different level, a limitless perversion of intimacy without consequence or repercussion. And whilst Nick’s depravity knew no bounds, undoubtedly, he had sexual experience to fill tomes, but he had never actually been with a vampire. They were not easy to walk amongst. The older ones, the ones with her blood, the strongest, they were all mated. Those of the new world, the younger vampires, any that would be likely to welcome him, lacked the sense of sophistication that he desired. He wanted to taste from the oldest of them, her, the source of all their power. And the only way to do this was to convince Lillith to be with him.