ELEVEN
The luxuriousness of Lazarus Morelock’s apartment did nothing to quell the boredom Lilith felt as she sat cross-legged before the six-foot fireplace in the living room. She quietly nursed a glass of champagne as she gazed into the flames of the hearth, a bearskin rug crushed between her white Louboutin’s and the marble floor.
They’d been in Crystal Haven for little more than a month and that crass little bitch kept constantly evading them. If it hadn’t been her father’s wish to have Phoenyx brought to him alive, Lilith would have ripped open her throat herself, and laughed as she watched the blood spill from her body. Crystal Haven being a hub for the supernatural only spurred her urges forward.
“Lily?”
Lilith’s pupils dilated at the sound of her father’s voice. “Yes, Daddy?”
Lazarus Morelock strolled into the grand living room smiling. He looked every bit the part of a dashing, wealthy businessman. A beautiful illusion for the monster that lay hidden beneath the expensive clothing and charming facade. He was as ugly on the inside as he was beautiful on the outside––just one of the reasons Lilith worshiped him as she did.
“Darling,” Lazarus beamed, leaning over to kiss her cheek before strolling to the plush, white leather sofa opposite Lilith, and taking a seat. He stretched his arm casually over the back and leaned into the softness, his softly greying hair shimmering in the firelight. “You look positively radiant this evening.”
Lilith smiled, or at least what could somewhat pass for a smile, and pinned Lazarus with her eyes. “Daddy, we need to talk.”
“About what, my pet?” Lazarus murmured, staring into the roaring fire as he stroked the stubble of his beard.
To the average human, Lazarus Morelock was a fit, middle-aged man, who’d gone prematurely grey. His skin was that of a forty-year-old man’s, his body bulging with musculature, his youthful green eyes shining like emeralds, and a sexuality that melted women’s thighs. He looked every bit the part of a wealthy socialite, sharing a nightcap with his spoiled daughter. It would hardly cross anyone’s mind to even consider he was nearing two thousand years of age, but he was.
Lilith pressed her red lips together thoughtfully, unsure of how to proceed with the thoughts that had been circulating through her head all day long. For the last one hundred years, she’d stood by her father’s side, loyally. Most people died for speaking out of line, but if anyone could get away with it, it was her.
She smiled, the emotion never quite reaching her cold, blue eyes. “Daddy, it’s been nearly a month. She has made it evidently clear she will not go easily. Don’t you suppose it’s time to perhaps, reconsider bringing her in––alive?”
Laughter boomed throughout the room, echoing off the marble walls as Lazarus threw back his head, the sound tapering off into a low, slow chuckle. When he’d finally finished, he smiled thoughtfully at his daughter, a hint of mischief behind it, and clasped his hands to his chest. The look he gave her was all-knowing, chilling. “Lily, if we kill her, that would completely defeat the purpose, wouldn’t you agree?”
“I suppose,” Lilith began cautiously, aware that although she was his daughter, she was not immune to his wrath. “But I don’t understand what it is about her that’s so damn important. You’ve lived the last twenty-years without her, couldn’t you go another twenty-five without needing to know anything more than that she lived––a comely, ragged existence on this hellish plane?”
Lazarus leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and stared at his daughter hard. “She’s approaching The Nearing. It shouldn’t be much longer now, and once her true nature has taken over, it will make an approach from me much easier to accept.”
“And what if her true nature isn’t what you want it to be?” Lilith snapped, turning her head around sharply to gaze back into the flames, her blond hair like spun gold in the firelight. “What if she goes––the other way?”
Lazarus moved to sit beside Lilith, his movements so quick she’d almost missed it. His eyes were riveted intensely on the back of her head, yet she refused to look at him. The sigh he expelled was an icy blast on her skin. “She won’t go the other way, Lily. Grimshaw has been honing her––stupidly I might add, to be a murderer, since she was a young child. Had he raised her in the way of her mother, Rebecca, I might have done as you asked and moved on. However, there is a chance, and a very strong one at that, that her true nature will be exactly what I expect it to be. And once that happens, we will welcome her into the fold with arms wide open. Do you understand me?”
“But, Daddy!”
“Lily,” Lazarus roared, his usual calm façade twisting with anger. He instantly took a deep breath to calm himself, before continuing with words that made Lilith’s skin crawl. “She’s my daughter.”
She hated the words. She hated how they left his lips so confidently, so softly. She hated that there was nothing she could do to change the past and make it not so.
Daughter. It made her stomach turn.
Lilith scoffed. “I am your daughter, Father, and already on your side.”
“Yes, but Jane…”
“Jane!” Lilith spat. “A common name for a common girl. You named me for your mother.”
Lazarus brushed his knuckles across her cheek and smiled tenderly. “And you’ve lived up to it. You haven’t disappointed me––yet.”
The threat was unmistakable, yet she couldn’t hide the resentment she felt. It was humiliating, but her father’s obsession with the child he’d never known sent her mind careening.
“She’s not one of us, Father. She was raised by that imbecile, Grimshaw. She knows nothing of our kind. She doesn’t even know what she is, or what she’s capable of.”
Lazarus stood and strode toward the fire. Thrusting his hands deeply into the pocket of his beige, front-pleated slacks, he stared hard into the licking flames. As an afterthought, he tossed a gaze over his shoulder, his eyes meeting Lilith’s before he bowed his head and sighed.
“She was born of both good and evil. Her mother died when she was very young, unlike yours. Jane was never given the proper education of her history, so as to be able to choose her side. But as I said before, The Nearing is approaching for her, as it did for you. Jane’s true nature will take over then. We leave it to natural selection.”
The reality of the situation hit Lilith like a ton of bricks. This wasn’t just about bringing someone new into the fold, strengthening their numbers. This wasn’t even about Jane, Phoenyx, whatever the hell her name was. This was something more sinister. Something I’d never even fathomed before.
“You loved her,” Lilith whispered in awe.
“Hmm?” Lazarus hummed absentmindedly, picking at an invisible speck on his vest. “Who? Rebecca?”
“Yes,” Lilith hissed. “That half-brats mother. You loved her.”
Lazarus fell silent for a long moment, a faraway look in his eyes before he turned and beamed at Lilith. “We need to prepare for her arrival. Those two troglodytes we hired to begin with, couldn’t capture her. Now we must depend on Spider and his filthy band of miscreants to bring her to me. Oh, how the other half live.”
Rising elegantly from her perch, her long legs encased in wide-legged linen pants carried her gracefully to her father’s side, where she rested a cool palm lightly on his strong arm. “We don’t need her, Daddy. You and I can rule this spineless dimension together. Imagine the havoc we can unleash.”
Patting Lilith’s hand gently with his own, he turned stern eyes on her. “I want Jane here, Lily. I want her to be a part of that. My word is final.”
Wordlessly, he bent his head and kissed her lightly on the forehead before turning on his heel and leaving the room as quickly as he’d come.
Volcanic anger began bubbling to the surface of her icy exterior, and before Lilith could stop herself, she’d crushed her champagne flute in the palm of her hand. Drops of blood pitter-pattered down onto her white designer shoes and smeared into the bearskin rug.
A sister was the last thing she wanted, and if it was the very last thing she did, she would convince her father that this was an ill-conceived idea. Until she could successfully do that, she would have to come up with another way to take Jane out of the equation.
She slipped her hand into the soft fabric of her pants pocket and pulled out her cell phone. Searching her contacts, she smiled wickedly when she spotted the name she was looking for. The phone was ringing before she’d even brought it to her ear.
“Hello?”
Lilith’s heart raced wildly. “Mr. Spider? This is Lilith Morelock––I have a proposal for you.”