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Malphas led Lillith to the cracked doorway of the mansion, and she cowered behind him, absolutely terrified of what possibly awaited them just past the threshold.

"What if...what if there are more of them waiting outside?" She asked apprehensively, her voice laced with a tremor as a wave of crawling panic washed over her.

It would make sense for more to be waiting if they had sent at least three to capture her and Tuare, and they only managed to escape with one hostage.

"Then I'll set them on fire," The demon was already prepared with the most extreme solution, "simple as that!" Malphas chuckled.

Lillith laughed weakly, but was still beyond anxious and her nerves were bubbling. Her little hands fidgeted with the hem of her skirt and she sucked her lower lip into her mouth in a blatant display of anxiety. Her lip began to quiver and he could see that she was fighting back tears again. Malphas felt a sensation around his heart like a clock being too tightly wound. She was barely twenty, far too young for this, and didn't deserve any of the Hell she had been put through. It made a heavy stone of guilt settle in Malphas' gut to know that a large part of what she had been put through was largely thanks to his own brother.

"It's all right. No one will touch you as long as I'm here." He promised her, and he fearlessly stepped over the broken door first. Malphas scanned the surrounding area with his piercing sapphire gaze, and breathed deeply, scenting the air. He then canted his head in a gesture to beckon her out. Lillith hesitantly followed him, her eyes straining to adjust to the blinding sun. To her minor relief, the coast was clear, and there was no evidence from the outside as to the traumatic events which had occurred indoors.

"It looks like we're alone. Come, let's get you back home."

Lillith squeaked when Malphas unexpectedly scooped her up in his arms, and she jolted with a start when his wings burst from his back with the sound of canvas sails fluffing in the wind. They were magnificently Draconian; unlike Demiurge's, they were glittery onyx black with small but smooth scales like a serpent's, and webbed with a dark crimson membrane, and spanned to at least fourteen feet.

"I promise not to drop you and I won't let you go. You can trust me." He assured her, and stepped off the porch. He bent his knees and lunged, and with a massive beat of his wings they were suddenly airborne. and Lillith squealed and buried her face in his chest.

"FuckMeshitFuck_WHYYYYYY?!_" She shrieked a muffled stream of obscenities, and Malphas couldn't help but to laugh. She cursed like his brother did when they were alone.

"Sorry, I flew here! I take it you don't like heights?" He shouted over the wind roaring around them, his voice brimming with humor.

"I've never been high up before, so NO!" Lillith shrieked in panic and wrapped her arms around his neck to desperately cling to him.

Malphas quietly hissed through his teeth at the contact with his bare skin, and just because the entire universe was against him today, one of her legs slipped a little from his grasp when she shifted. He was not holding her too tightly, as he was taking care to mind his needle-sharp claws, but his hold was certainly secure enough to where he would not drop her. But Lillith was panicking regardless, so she instinctively locked both of her thighs around his waist, and the demon couldn't stop the low groan that left his throat, so he poorly attempted to mask it with a cough. Malphas would be eternally grateful for the air rushing by their ears which seemingly prevented her from hearing it.

"We'll reach the Tomb soon, don't worry." He said in an attempt to soothe his own distress, as much as hers.

'Hades, help me.'

Malphas couldn't get there quick enough. For the seemingly endless stretch of the flight, the demon desperately tried to push the idea of Lillith out of his trousers; but his hardwired Incubus nature refused to keep an appropriate train of thought, and fuck, he could feel her heat so agonizingly close to his arousal. With Herculean effort, he managed to keep himself just below half mast, and repeatedly replayed being caught with Demiurge by Ulbert in his head to maintain his composure.

He just hoped to Hell she couldn't feel him throbbing between her legs. Because he could.

'I fucking hate myself...'

But this was just the beginning. The most brutal strain on his control was yet to come, when he handed her off to his brother, during the ritual which he was quite sure to follow.

---

When Nazarick was in sight, Malphas was magnanimous in making his descent as gradual as possible, and swooped lower until he finally lighted on the balcony of the Seventh Floor.

While he could just as easily use the front entrance, he could not help but still feel as though he were an outsider. The idea of marching through the front door of Nazarick with a human in tow made him uneasy. Neither of them was particularly popular in the Tomb, him especially now that he had been ostracized to the Bicorn stables, but he knew he would always be welcomed with open arms on the Seventh Floor. He thought it best to bring her straight to Demiurge, anyhow.

"We're here." Malphas said, and she ever so slowly released the tension in her vice-like grip on the demon, and to his relief, unfolded her legs from his waist. He grasped her carefully by her ribs and helped set Lillith down gently, and she stood shakily, her limbs still trembling with adrenaline.

"Listen," Malphas started, and he knelt so he was eye-level with her. "...he IS going to be angry, but I promise I will not leave until I am sure you are safe. He will not hurt you while I am here."

Lillith eyes widened and she swallowed thickly.

"But...why would he-...I-I didn't do anything wrong-" She started, and felt panic welling up again in her throat.

"No, you didn't. You are a victim of this circumstance. It is not you he will be angry with." He adamantly assured her and placed a heavy hand on her shoulder. "Just let him...do as he needs to, and you will be alright. It may be frightening at first, but it is normal."

'Oh shit...what is he going to do?'

Before she could ask, Malphas rose to his feet and pulled open the double doors to step inside.

Lillith clung to the back of his tailcoat like a frightened child the entire time. She anxiously peered around him to see Demiurge storm from his desk over to them, moving with a swift grace like a red wraith; his eyes burned with white fire and he hardly acknowledged his brother. He grabbed Lillith roughly by the shoulders, ripped her away from Malphas and herded her against the nearest wall, his nostrils flaring.

He then did exactly as Lillith and Tuare had joked he would; he crowded her, and sniffed her all over like a bloodhound.

The demon then gave a disgusted huff and his brow darkened.

"You smell like someone else. Why? Did he touch you? WHAT did he DO?" He seethed venomously, and his crystalline eyes smoldered with fury.

Her lips trembled; she was caught between the overwhelming compulsion to answer him and the knowledge that if she did, she would reveal that she had hugged and sought comfort from his brother.

"No-he...he didn't-" She stammered to answer but the demon gripped and immediately began ripping her dress down the center, and she fell silent in shock and cringed in fear.

Demiurge radiated nauseatingly powerful black malice and it rolled off of him in hot waves. He was beyond furious, and Lillith was utterly petrified.

'Oh, no...why did I touch Malphas? His smell has to be all over me!'

Demiurge would tear her limb from limb for this. She was sure of it. He must be ripping her clothes open in preparation to whip her.

_ "WHAT. DID. HE. DO?!" _ The question thundered deep from his chest, his voice oozing blistering scorn and she whined as it made her blood run cold. The air crackled with electric tension and Lillith lost her breath.

"She fought him. He had pulled a knife on her. She was trying to escape when I arrived." Malphas informed him, his voice perfectly steady and level as a blade, and his face calm and passive as if Demiurge wasn't about to unleash all Hell; but Lillith was extremely disheartened when he did not step in to interfere.

It would seem as far as Malphas was concerned, what was happening was natural. He didn't appear to be rattled or concerned in the least.

He may have said this, whatever the Hell this was, is normal, but it didn't make it any less terrifying.

Demiurge's face was dangerously contemplative, his gaze sharp and assessing, and his jaw worked as he measured his brother's words, his searing glare glinted like ice as it flashed from Malphas and back to his servant.

The red clad demon proceeded to tear her dress and he then spun her away from the wall, and laid his hands heavily on her shoulders to push her down onto the floor, forcing Lillith to let out an "Eeep!"

Demiurge followed her down, dropping to his knees, and crawled over her to cage her with his arms and thighs. He leaned back on his haunches and tore her bodice apart, and her breasts bounced out, making her blush furiously. Her heart pounded hard with fear and her cheeks heated with humiliation.

'What the ACTUAL FUCK is happening?!'

The demon lowered his face to her cleavage and inhaled, then flicked his tongue out like a serpent to taste her scent, and she shuddered. He growled, displeased that he could smell another male all over her. She whimpered, unable to stop the melting heat of his mouth from sinking into her at the warm brush of his breath against her skin; and the bold ruthlessness of his possessive handling both terrified and...damn it, of all times, still somehow managed to turn her on.

Lillith's eyes nervously darted to Malphas, who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, completely nonplussed by the escalating situation. He dutifully watched what was unfolding and mouthed the words; "It's okay."

The elder Arch Devil's silent assurance did little to quell her intensifying confusion and anxiety which trickled like ice water over her scalp. Her top half was exposed and Demiurge's brother casually observed as though he were waiting for the sun to set, but she trusted that he was not lying.

Malphas had promised to protect her, and while she was certainly shaken, her Master had not actually hurt her as of yet.

Demiurge hastily shed his outer jacket and tore his own shirt open, as he was too impatient to take the time to unfasten each button. The tiny disks shot in all directions and he peeled the sleeves off of his arms.

He crouched over her like a predator protecting his kill, and she felt his seething breath against her ear as he leaned in, and his tongue swept a searing path on her neck. She shivered in both fear and anticipation as the heat of his mouth and her body's recognition of its Master sent pure fire licking up her spine.

Was he seriously taking things in this direction with Malphas not ten feet away?! She glanced his way again, and was stunned to see that his sapphire gaze had darkened with what could only be construed as heated lust. His tail swayed in unabashed excitement, and it sent electric tingles ricocheting dangerously over her nerve endings.

'Fuck. It's just as Demiurge said. I like to be watched.' But the thrill was far more electrifying this time. This wasn't the nameless prisoner who was basically being forced to observe; there was no illusion, no trickery or the guilt of knowing that this ended with someone dying. This was Demiurge's older, taller, broader brother, and his gaze was blue fire, predatory, and it was clear he indeed liked what he saw. With his wild, long hair, piercings and steel-toed boots, he was the definition of edgy masculinity; Malphas was deadly, attractive, so unexpectedly sweet, and...

...and she was getting wet from this.

Lillith was positive Malphas could smell it, just as Demiurge once claimed he could, and he was looking at her like he wanted to devour her. The worst part was, she couldn't deny that she wanted him to.

'I shouldn't feel aroused right now. Tuare is missing and I was almost kidnapped not an hour ago. This is bad... something is seriously wrong with me. I'm a terrible person.'

But as selfish as it sounded, Lillith was not against forgetting her traumatic experience, if only just for a few minutes. She felt like the foulest kind of monster for it, but she was so overwhelmed by recent events, that she was willing to numb herself with carnal pleasures if it would dull the teeth of her of her stress for even a precious, fleeting moment.

'This is the worst fucking time for my thoughts to be-'

"I can't fucking stand the scent of another human on you." The Arch Devil hissed with vicious possessiveness and his lip curled in a wolfish snarl, his words laced with poison. It snapped her out of her lustful admiration of the elder Devil.

Oh. It wasn't Malphas he was angry with, as she had feared. It was because she smelled like a human man.

So, what Malphas said was indeed true. Demiurge was angry, but not with her.

He scraped his chest over hers, rubbing himself against her skin. He hissed through his teeth at the bare-flesh contact, and she bit back a whine as her nipples tightened and pebbled against his hard and heated pectoral muscles. One of his gloved hands threaded through her hair, gripped firmly at the back of her head to lift her from the floor. He leaned in close until the side of his neck brushed against hers, and he marked her with a soft, masculine rumble of pleasure from the back of his throat. Beneath his towering rage, he felt another sting of jealousy, but it was quickly being overshadowed by relief as his own scent began to soak into her flesh, masking her offender's.

His hostility seemed to die down a bit after that.

"Did he touch you?" Demiurge growled again into the ringing silence, as he continued to tear her dress further with sheer force, his gaze raking her body up and down for evidence that his property had been defiled. The naked possessiveness she perceived in his gaze took her breath away.

"N-no, Master. Not in th-that way. I fought back." Lillith sputtered, finally finding her tongue. "I wouldn't let him t-take me away from you." She added with a nervous swallow. She hoped her words were satisfactory enough to please him, to convince the avaricious Arch Devil that she did all she could, and prayed it would prevent this from escalating to violence.

Demiurge froze, and his lips parted in surprise as his eyes flickered to hers. A fleeting, vulnerable shadow haunted the depths of his gemstone eyes.

"Good girl." His voice whispered over her skin like the brush of fingers--it was almost soft; its normally hardened edge polished.

Only once had he ever spoken to her so tenuously, and it was when she had slaughtered the lamb, which had pleased him greatly.

He was now breathing heavily through his flared nostrils and bared fangs, causing her to tense momentarily. Initially she thought he was angry again, but as she looked into his eyes, the absence of rage surprised her. It was not anger, but raw need shimmering in his crystalline gaze; as though what she had said ignited a fire in him. "Because you're mine, aren't you?"

She eagerly nodded, knowing damn well it wasn't a question, but a declaration of his ownership, and if she knew what was good for her, she had best agree.

"Yes, Master."

Demiurge growled, bestial and hungry, and he reached between her thighs to tear away her underwear.

His heady aroma enveloped her, heavy with dark musk; she felt a low rumble akin to a tiger's purr resound through his chest, and it sent a thrill of foreboding sizzling over her skin, and made the fine hairs at the back of her neck stand on end.

Lillith could see it in his eyes, what he intended. She felt it pouring out of him; jealousy and lust and some dark power that lured her in like nothing ever has. Demiurge licked the side of her face roughly like an animal, and nuzzled her neck, then nipped her with his fangs. She felt the chill of the iron plates of his tail on her flesh as it corkscrewed around her calf.

"Mine..." He murmured avariciously, and bucked his hips against hers.

Lillith gasped and arched against him as she felt the hard column of his shaft jutting into the inside of her thigh. The demon's skin was burning hot, his breath on her neck a gust of flame, and he rolled his hips, ground against her and pinned her wrists to the floor until her head flung back at the exquisite sensation of being taken.

"Master..." She moaned, and snared her lower lip between her teeth and he put pressure where she needed it most.

'I don't want to feel anything but good right now...'

Malphas let out a breath of relief through his nose. The air was buttery thick with his brother's scent, and at last, it shifted from lethal menace to fierce yearning. He would have dipped out earlier, but he needed to ensure the younger demon would not hurt Lillith.

He was all too familiar with how Demiurge's nature could flip on a dime. While he himself could easily hold his own in such a case, Lillith was merely human and utterly helpless against the Hellfire storm which was his brother's wrath.

But it would seem that this time all was well, and what he believed to be happening actually was; Demiurge was driven by primitive demonic instinct to reclaim his female and cover the unwelcome human male's scent with his own. And the fastest, most effective way to do so was to mate with her.

And the fact that he was doing just that, meant that what Malphas had suspected was indeed true.

Demiurge had begun to imprint on her.

"Need to smell like me," Demiurge bit out mindlessly, and he roughly rucked the skirt of her ruined dress upwards. He then hurriedly unfastened his belt and unbuttoned his pants to free himself, and he slid an arm under the small of her back to raise her hips to his. "...drown the bastard's scent."

It was as though a thousand synapses were all firing at once in his mind.

Demiurge stared down at her, and was struck with far deeper and more compelling urges in which he had never experienced with anyone but Malphas--the urge to pin down, the urge to break her flesh with his fangs and mark her for life, the urge to own her as something beyond living property_._

No, an instinct, rather than an urge. An instinct to not just fuck her, but mate her, knot her, breed her.

'My Pet, MY female, mine, Mine, MINE.' His hindbrain overpowered rational thought, and Demiurge was reduced to little more than a beast as he sought relief for the burning, primitive need inside of him.

The Arch Devil let out a savage snarl as he speared into her, hot and hard, not caring in the least that Malphas was still in the room. Lillith let out a strangled cry and strained against his iron grasp as he ground himself in.

Demiurge began crashing into her with all of the the force of a raging storm. He thrust wildly, his testicles slapping heavily against her aching sex and she felt the wide head of his cock slam into her womb deep inside. She struggled to hold on against the onslaught of his brutal thrusts, feeling every thick inch of him as he moved in and out of her.

Demiurge withdrew and roughly flipped her over, determined to cover her entire body in his own scent once more. He swung his hips full force on reentry, and she arched and braced herself on her hands and knees, crying out at the decadent stretch.

Lillith's eyes furtively returned to Malphas', and caught him staring at her hungrily; his tongue swept over his lower lip and she knew at that moment, her every moan and gasp was made solely for his delight. She couldn't fathom why, but she had the indisputable urge to _please him_just as much as she wanted to please her true Master. She watched how his muscles tensed with barely-leashed restraint beneath his clothes as Demiurge fucked her violently from behind, and it absolutely soaked her.

Lillith knew how wrong it was to stare at another man while her Master took her, but for some reason, that was largely what made it so sinfully delicious. She could not help but to wonder how it would feel if Malphas were claiming her instead... would he be just as or even more aggressive? Or would he be soft and slow in taking her as his?

She desperately wanted to find out.

Malphas watched her; avidly, greedily, licking his chops like a hungry wolf. Demiurge hurled himself forward in a particularly brutal lunge, and it tore a gasping moan from her lungs.

Malphas couldn't prevent a low, pleased growl from rumbling through his chest, and the feral sound sent a clenching ache into her womb. Her gaze unwillingly fell to the crotch of his trousers, and-

'Oh, fuck.'

He was rock hard.

---

The scene which rapidly unfolded was nothing short of torture for Demiurge's brother.

Malphas' mouth salivated at the sight of her décolletage when Demiurge had torn her dress open. It was alabaster white; she was like fresh fallen snow, the morning sun on white silk, her feminine swells tipped with rosy pink. An artist could not have painted her more perfectly. What he wouldn't give for the privilege to touch them, to bring them into his mouth and suck them between his fangs.

With her flesh so vulnerably exposed her could smell her even better now, and beneath the sharp scent of lingering fear, he detected burgeoning arousal.

And then she looked-no, locked eyes with him as his brother smeared his scent all over her in a feral attempt to reclaim his female. The first few times, it was innocent; merely for assurance, as she was still scared. But when Demiurge began to rut into her, something shifted; whether it was from her hindbrain flipping on due to the distressed scent of her Alpha, or because Demiurge had trained to fall into a compliant state of mind when he had his way with her, he could not be sure. But what he did not miss was the heat, the raw desire in her gaze...there was no mistaking the glassy sheen of lust.

FUCK.

He let out a shaky breath as quietly as he could, and blood thrummed to his groin in rapacious anticipation.

When he had held her at the mansion, Malphas had (though he was ashamed to admit it) wondered how her breasts might bounce if he were to fuck her, how those full lips would part with pleasure as his thick cock split her open, how she would moan or softly gasp as he drove into her, how her desire would smell...

Now he knew all of these things.

Malphas could not only scent, but feel primal arousal pouring off of Lillith and Demiurge in hot waves, making frantic desire for them both flood his gut, and his cock grew heavy with blood.

His brother rammed into the little female relentlessly, and she cried out in ecstasy, and no amount of control could stop the hungry growl of lust that left Malphas' lips.

Lillith heard his rumble, and looked to him, her gaze falling to appraise the weapon he wielded. She bit her lower lip at the sight of his massive bulge.

'Omega wants it; wants you.' His hindbrain spurred him.

And Gods of Darkness Below, how he wanted to give it to her...

Demiurge sank his teeth into her shoulder in a hard restraint bite, and pounded in faster, taking her with hard, deep strokes. Lillith let out a shuddering cry, and writhed as his brother rapidly brought her to climax. Her back arched as her walls clamped down on his shaft, and he wound his arm under her midsection to keep her hips flush with his.

"Fuck!" Demiurge snarled into her flesh, and slammed in one last time before exploding. He continued to buck as he poured his release into her, and she whined beneath him.

The scent of them both, an Alpha and Omega's release mixed together in the most potent of sensory cocktails drenched the air all around the elder Devil, heavy and thick and so sweet to his nose; it was enough to make him feel nearly drunk.

Malphas was so fucking hard it hurt.

Demiurge then met his brother's gaze, and he flashed his fangs at him in a diabolical grin, and licked his lips. The younger demon could clearly see how riled and envious he was, and no doubt could smell how his member was dripping at this point from the carnal scene.

Demiurge knew that he wanted her; knew how he wanted her in the way that a drowning man wants air, in the way an addict wants a fix.

'Damn it. I need to get out of here.'

Now that Malphas was sure Demiurge's pet was safe and his brother was not going to take his rage at the situation out on her, he used every ounce of willpower that his body possessed to turn away from them, and left the way he came.

---

Demiurge greedily swiped his tongue over the deep bite he left on her shoulder; or rather, his reestablished mark of ownership, and he lapped up the tiny streams of crimson trickling from the wound.

'Mine.' His hindbrain declared.

When the demon and his servant had both caught their breath, Demiurge crawled off of her, and tucked himself away. He quietly redressed himself and smoothed his tousled hair back into place with his gloved hand.

Lillith watched him warily from the corner of her eye. Without Malphas present, would he flip the switch on his hare-trigger rage?

Calmly, he pulled out a cigarette from the pack in his breast pocket and lit it with a flame conjured from his pointer claw, taking a long drag.

A gust of smoke left his lungs on a sigh, and he licked his lips.

"Go take a shower, Pet. Stay in your quarters. I will have have Pestonya bring to you, and I expect you to resume your duties tomorrow." He callously instructed.

"Yes, Master." She answered with robotic obedience, and futilely tried to hold the ragged remnants of her dress together as she shakily rose to her feet. She stumbled towards the doorway, as unsteady as a newborn foal. Her entire body was trembling with adrenaline, which was now running on fumes. Lillith was exhausted, both physically and mentally, and would likely to collapse into bed before she even had a chance to shower, as her Master had ordered.

When she reached the doorway, she paused, and turned to look at him.

"W-will you please tell your brother I said 'thank you'? For s-saving me, I mean." She meekly whispered.

Demiurge narrowed his eyes and his jaw clenched. "Who do you think sent Malphas to the mansion when Sebas failed to respond to my messages?"

'Oh, shit.'

She was careless, and should have worded her request more carefully, but she was in no shape to eloquently say what she meant.

"F-forgive me, Master. I-I didn't know." She apologized with a tremor in her voice, and bowed as deeply as she could manage without losing her balance. "Thank you, Master."

His glare softened, but his mouth was still pressed in a grim line. The Arch Devil then took another drag, and his tail flicked as if he were thinking, and he gave her a curt nod.

"I'll give him your thanks." Demiurge begrudgingly yielded. He was no longer glaring at her, but his gaze remained cold and assessing. "Now, go shower and rest, Om-...Pet." He bit out the last word rather harshly.

Lillith solemnly nodded and obeyed, and closed the door to his quarters behind her.

---

The next day, Lillith made her way to the kitchen for her lunch break. Her mind was nailed to her worry for Tuare's welfare. She desperately tried to keep herself busy in an endeavor to prevent her thoughts from drifting to the worst-case scenario, but it was fruitless.

Was Tuare still alive? Did her captors hurt her? Rape her? Or was she already dead, and Sebas and Demiurge were planning for naught but a mere body recovery at this point?

She gulped down a hard lump of anxiety to try to make room for sustenance. Lillith compelled herself to take a few bites of her sandwich, and managed to chew and swallow with difficulty; she was not hungry in the least. The maid was so wracked with guilt, that it made her borderline nauseous; her plan to save them both had failed in the worst way, and after the previous evening, both her heart and mind were a maelstrom of chaos.

Yesterday's events continued to replay in her head.

Malphas, her angel (or Devil, rather) of mercy, had violently, but valiantly protected her, and when he returned her to his brother on the Seventh Floor, Demiurge acted all sorts of odd; he had rubbed all over her like a great cat, and she surmised that he was marking her with his scent, after finding her assailant's to be extremely offensive. Still, even for him, his overall behavior was bizarre.

Her thoughts then inevitably backtracked to how Demiurge took her with abandon in front of his brother, and the worst part was that she liked it. And Malphas...Malphas didn't pretend to look away, or act even remotely shy about it; in fact, not once had he taken his eyes off of her.

And Lillith had never been more turned on in her life.

His sapphire eyes were so dark with lust that they were almost black, like glittering chips of obsidian, and she could feel the weight and heat of his gaze. And the way he growled and licked his fangs....

'Shit, he is so sexy.'

Immediately following that thought, Lillith then felt the ice of guilt settle heavily into her guts. She felt awful for enjoying even a second of it while Tuare was missing, and it felt strange to look at another man while her Master had his way with her. But Lillith couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to be taken by him-

'No. I shouldn't be thinking about that right now. I need to worry about Tuare.' She scolded herself.

But in all honesty, she really didn't want to think about either at this point. One stone of guilt was just as hard and heavy on her heart as the other.

Her friend had been abducted and now she was wondering how Demiurge's older brother would fuck her?

'I'm a terrible fucking person. They should have taken me instead. I deserve whatever they are doing to Tuare, not her. I should have surrendered. I should have gone with them; at least then I would be with her. Who cares if I die? Tuare has Sebas who cares about her. I have no one. Her life is more valuable than mine.'

Remorse hit her like a sledgehammer and the guilt festered in her stomach.

She force-fed herself a few more reluctant bites, but only out of fear that her failure to maintain her strength and nutrition would displease Demiurge, and she was terrified of what he might see fit to punish her with after her last offense, which had resulted in a week of being practically starved, collared and chained in a basement.

Outside of the dining hall, she overheard Yuri Alpha, one of the Battle Maids of the Pleiades speaking to Lupis Regina. To her shock, she caught her friend's name on the lips of one of them. Lillith practically tumbled out of her seat as she scrambled to the edge of the doorway to eavesdrop, in hopes of hearing even a minor shred of good news; anything which may gave her a scrap of hope to cling to.

"Demiurge has called a meeting. We are to assist him with Operation Gehenna; in the meantime, do you mind fetching Sebas while I find Entoma? He and Solution are assigned in rescuing the human."

'Yes! They have a rescue effort arranged!' Lillith cheered internally.

"The human? She is missing?" Lupis Regina asked in disbelief.

"Indeed. She was abducted from the mansion by the Eight Fingers gang yesterday." Yuri confirmed.

'Because of me. I failed her.' Lillith swallowed hard, willing her eyes to remain dry and her ears focused.

"Who would want to kidnap a human, of all things? Of what use would she be?"

"Petty payback. Sebas wouldn't allow them to walk all over him, and word somehow traveled that we captured and interrogated one of their members. They must have had eyes on us, because when the girls were stationed at the mansion, they broke in. With Malphas' help, Demiurge's servant managed to escape unharmed, but Tuare was captured before he arrived." Yuri replied.

Lillith then realized the prisoner she witnessed Demiurge torture and murder must have been one of their members or lackeys. Her mind grew murky and swam, and her mouth went uncharacteristically dry. Her limbs felt boneless, her muscles as supportive as wet noodles.

'What if this is entirely my fault?' Her knuckles whitened and her face paled. Her thoughts whirled into a carousel of anxiety, guilt and self-loathing, the room spun and she slumped to the floor, trying to make everything slow to something her brain and body could catch up with. She suddenly felt sick.

Lillith was far more involved in the man's death than she had ever admitted to Tuare, and she couldn't help but believe it was because of what she and Demiurge had done.

The panic started out as thin tissue paper, something her fingers could pierce breathing holes in. A minute later, it grew to a deluge of Arctic water surrounding every limb, creeping up her chest and neck until it rose above her mouth and nose. Then the attack became absolute, shutting her body down as quickly as extinguishing a candle's flame.

Lillith began to sob, and she curled herself up into a little ball in the corner as she spiraled down, down, down.

What would she do if the one person she could confide in, her best and only friend was dead, and it was HER fault?

'I'm not okay...I'll never be okay again.'

She needed a hug. She needed sweet assurances. She desperately wished Malphas was here.

Just when she thought she couldn't possibly feel any worse...