Chapter 9 First Lesson
Lilith stood in the centre of the training courtyard, acutely aware of every eye on her.
Mammon lounged on the balcony above, gold rings glinting as he waved down at her with an infuriating smirk. Sera had claimed a spot on a stone bench near the weapons rack, hands clasped nervously. And Cain circled her like a predator sizing up prey.
“Stop thinking,” Cain said, her voice cutting through Lilith’s spiralling anxiety. “I can literally see you overthinking.”
“I’m not”
“Your left eye twitches.” Cain stopped in front of her, arms crossed. “First rule of combat: get out of your head. Your body knows more than you think.”
“My body knows how to curtsy and pour tea,” Lilith said dryly. “I don’t think that’s going to help me fight demons.”
From the balcony, Mammon laughed. “I like her! She’s funny when she’s terrified.”
“Shut up, Mammon,” Cain called without looking up. Then, softer, just to Lilith: “Ignore him. It’s just you and me right now.”
Easier said than done. But Lilith nodded, trying to focus on Cain’s face. On those volcanic eyes that seemed to see straight through her.
“Good.” Cain moved behind her. “Relax. I’m just fixing your stance.” Hands landed on Lilith’s shoulders, warm and surprisingly gentle. “You stand like someone who’s been taught to take up as little space as possible. We’re changing that.”
Cain’s hands slid down Lilith’s arms, adjusting position. Then to her hips, shifting her weight. The touch was professional, but Lilith’s skin burned everywhere Cain’s fingers had been.
“Feet wider,” Cain instructed, using her own foot to nudge Lilith’s legs apart. “Lower your center of gravity. You want to be rooted, not floating.”
Lilith obeyed, and suddenly she felt more stable. Stronger.
“Better.” Cain came back around, approval in her eyes. “Now. Hit me.”
“What?”
“Hit me.” Cain spread her arms slightly. “Anywhere you want.”
“I’m not going to hit you.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t want to hurt you?”
Cain’s laugh was rough and genuine. “Princess, I’ve been fighting since before your great-grandmother was born. You couldn’t hurt me if you tried.” She tapped her own jaw. “Right here. Put everything you have into it.”
Lilith looked at her fist, then at Cain’s face, then back at her fist. “This is insane.”
“This is training. Now stop stalling and hit me.”
Lilith swung. Halfheartedly. Her fist barely grazed Cain’s face.
Cain didn’t even blink. “That was pathetic. Again.”
“I don’t want to”
“I don’t care what you want right now. I care about keeping you alive.” Cain’s voice hardened. “Every person in this palace is stronger than you. Faster than you. More experienced than you. The only advantage you have is the power you can’t control and the potential you’re too scared to tap into. So stop being polite and hit me like you mean it.”
Something in Lilith snapped. Maybe it was the exhaustion. Maybe it was the fear and confusion. Maybe it was just being tired of feeling helpless.
She swung again. Harder this time.
Cain caught her fist easily, but there was satisfaction in her eyes. “Better. But you telegraphed it. Your shoulder dipped before you moved. Again. Faster.”
They fell into rhythm. Cain calling out corrections, Lilith adjusting, trying, failing, trying again. Her arms started to ache. Sweat beaded on her forehead.
“Stop thinking about form,” Cain said, circling her again. “Feel it. Your body knows how to move.”
“I wasn’t exactly raised to be dangerous,” Lilith panted.
“No. You were raised to be a prize.” Cain moved behind her again, this time closer. “But you’re not a prize, Lilith. You’re a weapon. And it’s time you learned how to wield yourself.”
Her voice was low, intimate, sending shivers down Lilith’s spine.
“Now,” Cain murmured, close to her ear. “I’m going to attack. Slowly. I want you to react. Don’t think. Just move.”
Lilith felt Cain’s arm coming toward her side. Instinct kicked in, she twisted, blocked, her arm coming up to deflect without conscious thought.
“Yes!” Cain’s approval sent warmth flooding through her. “Again.”
Another slow attack. Another instinctive block. And another. Faster each time. Until Lilith wasn’t thinking at all, just reacting, her body moving in ways she didn’t know it could.
“You’re a natural,” Cain breathed, and there was something almost hungry in her voice. “Your parents were warriors. It’s in your blood. You just needed someone to wake it up.”
They were close now, both breathing hard. Cain’s hand was still on Lilith’s arm from the last block. Their eyes met, and electricity arced between them.
“Now we go faster,” Cain said, voice rough. “For real this time. Defend yourself.”
She attacked, not slow anymore, but controlled, giving Lilith just enough challenge to push her without overwhelming. And Lilith met her, block for block, confidence growing with every successful defence.
They moved across the courtyard in a dangerous dance. Cain striking, Lilith blocking. Then Cain grabbed her wrist, twisted, and Lilith found herself spun around, back pressed against Cain’s front, arm pinned.
“What do you do now?” Cain asked, breath warm against Lilith’s ear.
Lilith’s heart hammered. “I don’t know.”
“Yes, you do. Stop thinking. React.”
Lilith threw her weight backwards, using Cain’s own grip for leverage. Drove her elbow back into where Cain’s ribs would be. Cain released her with a sound of approval, and Lilith spun, finding her defensive stance instinctively.
“Perfect,” Cain grinned, fierce and proud. “Again.”
They went at it harder. Faster. Lilith could feel herself improving with every exchange. When Cain swept her legs, Lilith went down, rolled, and came back up. When Cain came at her high, Lilith ducked and countered low.
“Stop apologising every time you hit me,” Cain said after Lilith’s fist actually connected with her shoulder. “This is training, not a tea party. You want to survive here? Stop being sorry for taking up space.”
The words hit Lilith harder than any punch.
Stop being sorry for taking up space.
All her life, that’s what she’d been taught. Be small. Be quiet. Be decorative.
Not anymore.
Lilith came at Cain with renewed fury, and this time she wasn’t holding back. This time, she was fighting like she meant it, channelling every ounce of frustration, fear, and anger into her movements.
Cain met her blow for blow, and the grin on her face was brilliant. “There she is! That’s the warrior I knew was hiding!”
They clashed in the center of the courtyard, moving faster, harder. Cain pushed Lilith back with strikes, and Lilith felt her back hit the wall. Cain’s forearm came up across her throat, not enough to hurt, but enough to pin.
They were both breathing hard, faces inches apart, adrenaline singing.
“If this were real,” Cain said, voice low and intense, “you’d be dead right now. But you know what? You lasted longer than most trained soldiers on their first day.” Her volcanic eyes searched Lilith’s face. “You’re magnificent.”
Lilith’s breath caught. The word hung between them, charged with more than approval.
Then Cain pushed off, putting distance between them.
“Again,” Cain said, but her voice was rougher now. “But this time, don’t let me corner you.”
They squared off. Lilith could feel her muscles protesting, her body begging for rest. But she pushed through, determined to prove, to Cain, to herself, that she could do this.
Cain came at her fast. Too fast. Lilith tried to block, but was a split second too slow. Cain’s leg swept hers, and Lilith went down hard, her back slamming into packed dirt.
Pain lanced through her. For a moment, she was back at the dinner, violence everywhere, her power exploding out of control.
Fear and anger surged.
And her power answered.
Golden light erupted from her body in a pulse that sent Cain stumbling backwards. The ground beneath Lilith scorched black. The air pressure changed. And for just a heartbeat, massive wings of pure light materialised behind her before vanishing.
Silence crashed over the courtyard.
Lilith lay on the ground, gasping, terrified. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to”
But Cain wasn’t angry. She was laughing. Full-bodied, genuine laughter as she pushed herself to her feet.
“Don’t you dare apologise for that,” Cain said, offering Lilith her hand. “That right there? That’s what’s going to keep you alive. That’s the power those bastards are fighting over. And you’re going to learn to control it.”
She pulled Lilith to her feet, and they stood there, hands clasped, both still breathing hard.
“Did you see that?” Mammon called from the balcony, genuine wonder in his voice. “She had wings!”
“I saw it,” another voice said, smooth and sensual.
Lilith looked up to see Asmodeus leaning against a different balcony, watching with hooded eyes.
And in the doorway, Beelzebub stood, his face still bearing faint burn marks.
When had they all arrived?
“Quite the show,” Lucian’s voice drifted from the shadows. “The little Seraph has teeth after all.”
Lilith’s stomach dropped. They’d all been watching. Seeing her fail, succeed, and lose control.
“Ignore them,” Cain said firmly, drawing Lilith’s attention back. “It’s just you and me.”
But before Lilith could respond, heavy footsteps echoed across the courtyard.
Everyone turned.
Azrael walked toward them, golden eyes locked on Lilith. There was something hungry in his gaze.
“I’d like to see what she can do,” he said.
Cain moved subtly, positioning herself slightly between Azrael and Lilith. “She’s had enough for one day.”
“She decides that. Not you.” Azrael’s eyes never left Lilith’s face. “Want to see what fighting a real opponent feels like, little Seraph?”
The challenge in his voice was unmistakable.
Lilith was exhausted. Her muscles screamed. Her power still hummed under her skin, barely controlled. Everything said to refuse, to walk away.
But then she remembered his words from last night. You’re strong.
And Cain’s words just now. Stop being sorry for taking up space.
Lilith stepped around Cain, meeting Azrael’s golden stare.