Chapter 179 : Lilith 2

Chapter 179 : Lilith 2
Rayline. 

Anger washed over me as I thought of Jesse. How could Lilith be so cruel, so deceitful? 

"And then, she. Threatening to take everything, everything that was supposed to be mine. Because she had something that I never had." Lilith's eyes met Cole's straight-on, the burning hatred clearly visible in her eyes. "Love." 

"So why me?" Cole asked, his voice sounding desperate, filled with pain and pent-up anger. "She is dead, and I don't want anything to do with your husband." 

"You." Lilith seethed as she stepped closer to him, but Cole did not move an inch. "You are the embodiment of everything he did. You are a living reminder that he sneaks out at night and fucks an angel." 

Cole's eyes flashed a fiery red at her sharp words. His anger radiated so clearly, and I could feel his hatred deepening. 

"And I'm supposed to sit and smile as a pretty wife like that?" Lilith burst out laughing like crazy, a laugh that made my hair stand on end. "No... I'm going to make you suffer. I want to make you feel everything I feel. His precious son." 

Lilith took a step back and began to walk along the wall, her steps leading to the silent Jesse. She stopped right in front of him, and Jesse jerked back against the wall, terror clearly depicted on his face. 

"And you dare drag my poor flesh and blood into this..." Lilith knelt beside Jesse, and I saw Jesse try to move away, but there was nowhere for him to run. 

"Don't touch him," Cole barked at her, his voice full of menace, and I saw his eyes glance over at Jesse, worried. 

"They really have poisoned your mind, haven't they?" Lilith quipped. 

"It was not them who poisoned me," Jesse retorted, his tone filled with a venom he could barely control. 

"Now what happened to this obedient child I raised?" Lilith chuckled, yet there was a striking falseness in her voice. 

"If you think I'm going to support you after this. Against father—" Jesse tried to speak, but Lilith cut him off with a sharp sneer. 

"This is why I told them not to involve you in this." Lilith leaned her body closer toward Jesse, and I could see Jesse trying to back away further, but he was cornered. "Don't worry, with that weak mind of yours, we will just erase this memory. Maybe even erase the memory of that mutt completely." Lilith brushed Jesse's hair aside before running her fingers over his cheek, her movements slow and full of contempt. Taylor thrashed against the chains that bound him, trying to get Jesse away from Lilith. 

"You have to kill me," Jesse said, his voice shaking with electrifying boldness. 

"No," Lilith sighed in a tone that sounded so calm yet threatening. "But I'm going to bring you very close to it." 

"Over my dead body," Cole snarled, his voice full of terrifying wrath. 

Lilith smiled a cold and sinister smile, then stood up gracefully. "That can be arranged," she said in a casual tone as if the threat was just part of the game she enjoyed. 

I felt the dread churning inside me, and as if she could sense it, her dark eyes met mine. She then smiled, a smile filled with cold satisfaction, and she calmly walked back to her throne. 

"All this is just for revenge?" I whispered to her, my voice barely audible, it was hard for me to believe in everything that had just unfolded. "All because he did not love you?" 

"In the beginning, yes," she replied as she sat gracefully on her throne. "But now, everything is much bigger than that." She crossed one leg over the other, looking so calm and calculating. "I want to maintain my power, and the demons want to see change." She said as she dug her long nails together, her voice echoing with a sinister resolve. "I want his crown." 

The crown. His crown. She wanted the ultimate power in the demon world. 

"He is weak. Merciful... Changed." Her voice sounded mocking as she tilted her head slightly, watching our reaction. "He is just a shell of what he used to be." 

"So you want the crown," I started to guess, trying to get the point of all this, "and you want Cole dead to keep his threat of power gone." At my words, Cole's head snapped back to me, his expression shocked. 

"Of course, if I wanted that, I would have let you kill him... or should I say, he killed himself for you," she laughed darkly, her voice echoing with such an eerie tone. "But that is not why I wanted you here." 

"Then start talking. I'm getting sick of hearing your voice," Cole barked at her, his voice sharp, full of suppressed rage. 

Lilith's eyes glinted fiercely at Cole, but she relaxed back into her chair, her demeanor seeming to dismiss the threat as a passing thought. "I have a deal for you. Instead of killing you, I think I will use one of his tactics." Her eyes narrowed sharply, a sly expression on her face. "I want you to use your power to help me. You help me control the demon world, and in return, I will remove the runes from your lover." 

"No," I said flatly, rejecting her offer outright. Her lips twitched in annoyance, clearly not used to rejection. 

"Or I will kill you, her, your friends, and I will take my son away," she threatened, her voice turning icy and merciless. 

Cole's lips clenched tightly, and he let out a frustrated breath. I could see the tension growing on his face, the choice he was facing was overwhelming. 

"No," I say once more, more strongly this time. All eyes are on me as I turn to Cole, and I see his eyes flash blue. I know what's going through his mind... his father, everything he has been forced to do, everything he hates about himself. He can't be forced to do it all over again. "You can't just use him like that." 

"There must be something else you want. Another way," I said, trying to find a way out, while Cole shook his head silently as if signaling that there was no other solution. 

Lilith hummed casually, yet there was a sinister tone in her voice. "I think there is... You know what? I have an idea. Instead of accepting my offer, perhaps you would like to accept a challenge from me." 

"We are not here to play games," Cole replied in a snappy tone, his eyes full of suspicion. 

"Oh, but I do love games. And besides, I have something else you need." Lilith raised her hand, and my eyes widened at the sight. The Cintamani stone, twinkling in a faint bluish light, was in her hand. 

"What is this?" asked Cole in a low voice, his eyes wary. 

Lilith put on a malicious, triumphant smile. 

The stone started to hover in the air, moving slowly towards one of the stone pedestals across the room. Then I watched Silas step forward, holding the sacred blade in his hand, and he threw it to Cole, who caught it with a puzzled look on his face. 

"All you have to do is pick up the stone, and it's yours," she said in a taunting tone. 

"What are the conditions?" asked Cole, his voice sounding calm even though I knew his mind must be racing for a way out. 

Lilith's smile widened slyly, her gaze full of deceit. "You have to fight for it." 

Cole's eyes then shifted towards the demons that were now roaming at her side, ready to attack at any moment. And yet, the corners of his lips curled up, as if feeling assured. "I can take your demons." 

"Not with them." Her smile started to fade, and the sly expression on her face was replaced with cold solemnity. 

Cole frowned, clearly sensing that something was wrong. He opened his mouth to speak but stopped when his instincts told him to turn around quickly, and that was when I found him— 

"Cole!" Taylor shouted out as Cole raised his sacred blade, blocking the incoming attack. The blade veered to the side, slicing through the skin of his cheek, blood running thinly down his face. 

Cole gasped for air, his eyes wide as he looked back... at me. I know what he sees. My current eyes... my pitch-black eyes stare at him intensely, as I stand in front of him. Not me— this rune started acting up again. 

"Ray..." he whispered, his voice full of worry and dread.