Prince of Astion

Lilith

Dear. God. What is wrong with me? Did I just moan when he whispered in my ear? I leaned against the back wall as panic flooded me. Lilly giggled.

"About damn time you're getting what you want," Lilly sneered. My chest heaved up and down as I stayed pressed against the wall. The scene where he tripped Marie and treated her like trash kept playing in my head. No one's stood up for me like that. Most people just assume, because I'm a weapon, I can handle myself.

My breath hitched in my throat as a flash of his face looking up at Marie, the blood spilling onto him and how aggressive he was for her treating me badly sent a tingling sensation throughout my body.

I was snapped back to reality when his voice called my name. Lilly purred lustfully as the sound slithered through my ears. The way he says my name... I shook my head as I straightened myself up. I smacked my cheeks, "Get it together girl, you're on a mission!"

"Mission to lose your V card!" Lilly whooped. I shushed her aggressively as I headed down the book aisle. Not paying attention, I ended up colliding with Sebastian. I stumbled back, losing my balance.

He quickly placed his massive hand in the middle of my back, pulling me into him. He leaned down, his face inches from mine. His hair fell forward, brushing against my cheek too, causing my eyes to flutter. I noticed his head tilting as he narrowed his eyes onto my lips. I pursed my lips together in a thin line as I caught my footing, shoving him away. Lilly groaned in protest as I stepped away from him.

"Uh... get what you needed?" I stammered out as I tucked a piece of my bang behind my ear. I could see his face drown in frustration as he said through his teeth, "Yes..."

"You've made him work hard girl, just give it to him!" Lilly hissed at me. "He might be our potential mate after all."

"What?" I questioned her, but apparently it was out loud again because Sebastian answered.

"You're just frustrating is all. I can't get a read from you little lamb." He brushed the side of my cheek, causing me to flinch. I chewed my lips. "Do it." Lilly rasped in my ear. Sighing, I turned to him.

"You can ask me three questions. Only three. None involving the practices of my clan though." I placed my hands in front of me as I could see the wheels turning in his head. Lilly sighed as I rolled my eyes at her. The silence that rolled over us was killing me. He looked at me, locking his gaze with mine. He reached out, grabbed my hand and led me out of the shop. I, for once, didn't feel the need to pull away.

"There's a nice little sitting spot over there by the water fountain. Let's go over there." He dragged me behind him as we headed towards the center of the shopping district. We entered a small area. There was a nice fountain located in the center. It was surrounded by stone seats and grass. Children ran around playing as others sat on the grass enjoying the weather.

He guided me to the fountain, taking a seat, he patted the spot next to him. I fidgeted with my fingers as I walked up, taking a seat . I regretted giving him this option.

The water from the fountain sloshed behind us, cutting through the silence that surrounded us. I watched the children play; they were so happy. Something I didn't get to experience. I felt a jolt go through my body as I felt his fingers brush against mine. I snapped my gaze towards him, he was looking up at the sky. I moved my hand away from his.

He turned his head slightly towards me as his lips parted, my body tensed up ready for his question.

"Are you hungry?" he asked as I stared at him in disbelief.

"What is your fascination in feeding me?" I raised a brow at him. He shrugged, turning to face me.

"What's your fascination in not eating?" He snapped back, tilting his head curiously.

I sucked the air through my teeth as I looked away from him. I wrapped my arms around myself, as I whispered out, "Is that a question you want answered?"

There was a long pause before the dreaded words rang through my head. "Yes."

I straightened up, my lip was quivering. I gripped my pant legs tightly as I struggled to find the words. I've never said anything about this to anyone. I've never really addressed it myself, so why am I letting a stranger drag this out of me? I so desperately wanted to keep my mouth shut, but my brain and Lilly demanded that I tell someone. I looked up at the sky as the words ended up flooding out.

"I have been held to high standards ever since I received my guardian. I was put through rigorous physical tests. I was considered.... Prized. My sister was born though, and her looks were more favorable. So, from then on, my mother...." I stopped. Lilly egged me on. My chest was tight, my head was spinning as panic washed over me. If I say this out loud, then it makes it true. If I acknowledged it, that would make everything I endured known to some man who I had just met. I crumbled within myself as I dug my hands into the side of my head. Tears started streaming down my face as I ground my teeth in frustration and anger.

His hand gently cupped my thigh. I looked at him, tears streaming down my cheeks. I stood up, hands tightly balled up. He looked at me with such a soft, caring look. I shook my head.

"No, I'm sorry," I gasped, turning and hastily making my way in any direction but here. I heard him call after me, which caused me to panic even more, and I ended up sprinting in an unknown direction. My vision was blinded by the tears that stung my eyes. I clawed at my chest as I felt the need to turn into my armored form. I at least had some control when I used it.

I choked and hysterically cried as Lilly tried to comfort me. I leaned my back on the cool brick wall as I slowly slid down onto my haunches. I pulled my knees up under my chin as snot dripped from my nose. I swiped it away as I rested my chin on top of my knees.

"Hey, you almost said it, that's a step," Lilly reassured me. I felt her nuzzle me, which helped ease my pain. My eyes darted back and forth as I was processing what happened. I took a shaky breath as I tried to push myself off the ground. I ended up stumbling forward, knocking over a trash container in the process.

A group of men passing by halted to the sound. I heard them whisper as I bent over to pick up the mess I made. Lilly growled. Her growl informed me that these men had bad intentions. I stood up, dusting my hands off on my pants.

"It doesn't matter anyway, Lilly; we'll probably get fired for leaving Sebastian alone again. Let them try something." I inhaled deeply as I turned to exit the alleyway, which was now blocked by the group of men who looked around cautiously as they made their way to me.

"Hey little lady, everything alright?" a short man with a mustache asked me. He was dressed in a suit, along with the other six men I counted. The one who stood out was a slender weasel-like man who sported a spotty beard and stood at around 5'11. He kept shifting his eyes back and forth like his life depended on it. The first thing that crossed my mind was that this asshole was on drugs.

"I'm fine." I took a step forward. Lilly screamed in my head to shift now. She kept saying how she had a bad feeling about this. I for once, listened to her. I released a mouthful of steam as my armor slowly started to wrap around my fingers. The men sneered.

"Ooo, a Lahnust gal," the man with the mustache said as he rubbed his hands together. Someone lunged at me. I grabbed them, smashing their face into the wall as my armor started to move higher. I quickly spun around, kicking a dude clean out of the alleyway as another grabbed my foot. I pulled my leg down as hard as I could, snapping the man downward. I felt a pinch in the back of my neck which caused me to spin around wildly.

Lilly screamed as I felt an intense heat overcome me. I fell to my knees, my armor retreating into my body. I screamed as I clutched my arms, the pain of the metal going back into my body was magnified by whatever they just injected me with. Was this poison? I had to develop an immunity to most of them. Is this new?

My vision grew blurry, my limbs trembled as I tried to stand up. The man behind me grabbed me by my hair and dragged me. He threw me up against the wall, the pain magnified as my throat burned. They all surrounded me, cracking their knuckles as they evilly grinned.

"Like that huh? I heard this turns your kind on." A fist landed on my jaw, sending a ringing through my ears. "This is courtesy of Lady Marie bitch." My world spun as Lilly writhed in pain. I felt completely helpless, for the first time in my life. My eyes snapped open as something completely new, completely animalistic overtook me.