"This is the last time, Phoenix. I mean it." Lilith purred as she lazily traced circles on Phoenix's chest, her fingers moving with an almost hypnotic rhythm. "This can never happen again."
"That's what you said last time and yet here we are." Phoenix replied amusingly.
The large bedroom was a testament to grandeur and antiquity, a space where every detail spoke of a bygone era. Hight, vaulted ceilings arched overhead, their dark wooden beams intricately carved with floral motifs. Heavy, crimson drapes framed tall, arched windows, the fabric rich and velvety, cascading to the polished floor.
At the centre of the room stood an imposing four-poster bed, it's canopy draped with dark, silken curtains that pooled luxuriously at the corners. The headboard was a masterpiece of gothic artistry, ornately carved with intertwining vines and mythical creatures, each detail painstakingly rendered. The bedding was a rich tapestry of deep burgundy and gold, the fabrics plush and inviting.
The soft glow from the candles casted gentle shadows on their faces, creating an intimate cocoon of light. Lilith's head rested on his shoulder, her perfectly manicured hand splayed on top of his broad chest, while Phoenix lay on his side, his hand lightly tracing patterns on her hip. Both of their legs were tangled together in the sheets after a night of harmonious bliss.
Lilith laughed lightly, the sound like music in the quiet room. "But this time I really mean it. I cannot have Alexander thinking that I have continued being unfaithful after I said that it was over between us."
Phoenix groaned his disapproval. "Fuck Alexander and what he thinks! His name is really beginning to get on my nerves."
Her body had stiffened with tension as she said. "Phoenix, do not utter such words. I know your feelings for him are...complicated, but remember he is still your friend."
Phoenix gently took her hand, brought it to his lips and kissed her tenderly. "Alexander and I do have a complicated relationship, and do not see eye to eye most of the time, but you heard him tonight, Lil, he gave us his blessing. Therefore, I think we should continue what we've been doing until otherwise."
"I can't Phoenix!" Growling with frustration, she snatched her hand back and sat up from the bed. "I need to win his heart again if I am to become Queen one day, and I cannot do that while I'm still breeding with you."
He tightened his embrace, his voice steady and reassuring. "And I have told you several times that I will make you Queen. My Queen."
"With what title?"
He swallowed hard.
Lilith lifted her chin. "You are no Royal, Phoenix, thus I cannot believe your words or your empty promises."
He regarded her for a long moment, then shook his head. "Your words wound me."
"Phoenix...." She moved closer towards him as though to comfort him, but he moved away from her.
"I understand your meaning, but the truth still hurts." He uttered.
"I did not mean to offend." She placed her hand on top of his, reassuringly. "It's just that you know yourself that you cannot make me Queen now that you've been cast aside by your family."
He stared at Lilith, and then he snorted. "I brought shame upon my family because I did not want to go to war, and that's my fault?" He scoffed, angrily throwing off the covers and began to change into his clothes. "Apologies for wanting to live and not die shamelessly by the hands of a human."
"Are you talking about your brother?" Lilith asked him. "But he died a hero."
"No." A wash of rage passed over Phoenix's face. "My brother died pursuing something that doesn't even exist. It's almost embarrassing that he died believing in an object that might not even be real."
Lilith frowned as he rambled. "Wait, what are you talking about? What object are you speaking of?"
He waved her off. "An amulet of sorts. My brother kept saying how it has the power to destroy the lives of thousands or something... it's complete nonsense."
Her heart jumped at his words.
"No!" Lilith rushes from the bed and over to Phoenix, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "Please, tell me more! We must find this amulet."
Phoenix threw his hands up in exasperation. "It doesn't exist, Lilith!"
She moved closer, her voice rising. "You don't know that! For all we know, your brother could've been onto something, and this amulet could be buried somewhere near."
"Even so, I cannot believe the words of a madman." Phoenix uttered, shouldering past her.
Lilith shook her head, her face a mix of disbelief and disappointment. "But what if your brother was telling the truth?"
He stopped in his tracks and slumped his shoulder's, his voice lowering. "The war drove my brother insane. All this nonsense about a powerful amulet is made up. If you ask me, they're lies made up by the humans to create hope that one day they will win this war."
"Then, it's a more of a reason to find this amulet. To seek the truth of its existence."
"Stop." Phoenix's swirled around to face her, his expression softened slightly. "Let it go, Lil."
She shook her head. "I can't. Not now."
"Why not?" Phoenix asked, a pained expression on his face.
She released a heavy sigh. "Because this war has gone on for far too long. Our kind have been massacred and we deserve retribution. Wether or not this amulet exists, it does not matter because I will find out the truth. I will stop at nothing."
"Even if it did exist, what would be your intentions with it?" Phoenix asked.
"I will use it to my advantage."
He arched his brow. "Meaning?"
"Meaning..." Lilith smirked. "That with the amulet in our grasp, we could wipe out the entire human race and end this war. Together."
His gaze slowly hardened. "Do not jest. Once you are made Queen, you will discard me just as you do with your blood servants."
Her jaw dropped. "Is that what you think of me?" She asked, her voice trembling with a mixture of anger and hurt as she stood with her arms crossed tightly over her chest.
Phoenix ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "Lil..."
Lilith's eyes flashed with indignation. "That I'm a heartless, cruel bitch that has no love for you at all?"
He sighed heavily, the sound spilled with exasperation. "But you do not love me though, do you? Not when your betrothed is already a Prince."
Lilith's voice cracked with emotion. "I am doing my duty."
He grabbed her chin roughly and leaned close into her face. "Fuck duty and fuck everything it stands for!"
"Phoenix..."
He released his hold on her and gazed intently into her eyes. "You could choose not to marry Alexander and live with me, but you'd never choose somebody who has nothing to give you; like a title or status. It would be beneath you."
Lilith's shook her head, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Do not question my love for you, Phoenix."
He stumbled back a step, then surged forward, grabbing her wrists. "Then, tell me I'm wrong! Say that you love me more than Alexander and that you wish to marry me instead, regardless of my status!"
Lilith pushed at his chest with both hands. "I am your future Queen! I don't answer to you or anybody else for that matter!"
"So you do intend on marrying Alexander?"
"I did not say otherwise." Lilith muttered.
The room seemed to shrink around them, the air charged with their anger. Phoenix's eyes were wild, his breathing ragged. "I have loved you since the moment I met you, and would do anything for you, kill for you if necessary, but I know deep down that you would never stoop so low as to marry a has-been like me, but still I hope that you will change your mind."
"It has been decided. I intend to marry Alexander and rule beside him until death do us part." Shouldering past Phoenix, she stops in her tracks and gazed longingly back at him. "There will be no more visits between us. There will be nothing more between us. It is over. You can see yourself out."
Dismissing him, Lilith saunters into her lavatory, locked herself inside, uttered a pained cry all the while smirking to herself in the mirror.