Poison

Blood.

The gun Lily pointed at Aziel fell from her trembling hands. Her eyes wavered as fought between the lines of consciousness and unconsciousness.

The tall trees spun around her and her knees weakened. The pace of her breathing increased and her sight became blurry.

Her knees gave in and she collapsed on the floor.

"I'll kill you..." She muttered, stretching out her hands at Aziel who squatted in front of her. With the fall of her hand, she lost all consciousness.

***

Lily opened her eyes to a well-lit room. She lay on a bed, covered in a quilt with no one in sight.

Her eyes wandered around the unfamiliar room as she pondered on the last thing her memory served her.

Road of Oax, killing, Simon, blood... Aziel.

At the thought of Aziel, she immediately sprang up from the bed and looked around defensively. When she caught no sight of him, she gently closed her eyes and exhaled in relief.

She opened them back only to find Aziel seated on the bed, in front of her.

"Were you looking for me, Lily?" Aziel asked with a strange smile etched at the corner of his lips.

"Where am I?" Lily whispered. As if she was possessed, her eyes widened and she grabbed the hem of Aziel's coat. "Where is Simon? Where did you keep him you monster?!" She yelled hysterically.

Aziel's face turned cold at the word monster and he stood up from the bed to pace around the room. He came to the end of the bed and stood opposite Lily staring at her deeply with no emotions visible on his face.

"Why are you worrying about someone else when you should worry for yourself?" Aziel sneered.

"Is he alive?" Lily whispered.

"That would depend on how you behave." Aziel placed his hands on his back and began pacing slowly around the room.

"If you follow my orders, your friend will be spared but if you don't..." Aziel sighed deeply, "his bitter blood will be served as wine for dinner."

"You monster!" Lily yelled.

Even though Aziel could not see, he could already feel the weight of hatred her spiteful glare held.

"Rest some more," Aziel coldly said and walked out of the room.

***

Lily was finally left alone in the room and she now had enough time and space to think.

She stood up and walked to the window. She spread open the thick curtains revealing the dark sky.

Judging from the height she was at, she will probably die if she dared to jump.

She searched the room to see if she could find anything and that was when it hit her again...she was in an unfamiliar place.

She plummeted to the floor hopelessly and stared into nothingness.

The door opened with a creak and a teenage girl walked in dressed in a maid uniform and carrying a tray with a jug of medicine and a small bowl beside it walked in.

She looked around but didn't see Lily and was shocked to find her in a disheveled state on the floor.

The girl dropped the tray on the bed and ran to where Lily was.

"Please get up milady," The girl's tiny voice sounded.

Her voice brought hope to Lily and she held both hands of the girl, "Get me out of here please. He wants to kill me....get me out of here" she repeated hysterically.

"I don't understand milady, please get up, you need to take your medications," The girl said as she slowly raised Lily to her feet with great effort.

Lily sat on the bed with the help of the teenage girl, "what is this?" She asked when the girl tried to feed her the concoction.

"Are you trying to poison me?" Lily accused and swatted the bowl of medicine away causing it to spill on the rug.

"Milady..." The teenage girl was almost in tears as she found it difficult to serve Lily. She bent down to pick up the bowl and poured another jug of medicine.

She tried giving it to Lily but Lily repeated her earlier action and yelled to be left alone.

"I'll get in trouble if you don't drink this milady..." The girl pleaded and Lily almost gave in at how pitiful she looked but she also couldn't rule out the possibility of being poisoned.

"I'm not drinking that. I don't know where it came from, it could be poisoned for all I care," Lily remained adamant about her decision.

"Mi–"

"So you chose to be difficult, eh?" Aziel casually came down from the window he had been sitting on.

Lily and the maid both gasped in shock when Aziel suddenly jumped in from the window.

"Leave us," Aziel ordered and the teenage maid bowed her head and left the room.

"Drink it," Aziel ordered Lily.

"No."

Aziel briskly walked to Lily and poured her another bowl of medicine. He held it to her mouth and spoke, "you won't have any energy to kill me if you don't drink it."

"Anything that comes from you is clearly poison, why should I drink it?" Lily scoffed.

"You underestimate me," Aziel bent down on one knee, exactly at Lily's eye level. His pale grey eyes stared at her almost as if he could see into her soul.

"If I wanted you dead, the poison would never be an option. Your limbs will be slowly torn from your body and as pure fresh sweet blood escapes from your open wound, my delightful dinner would be served." Aziel inhaled Lily's scent as he spoke. From how sweet she smelled, he could already tell her blood would taste the same, probably even better.

"Drink this or..." Aziel brought his face closer to her neck. "You smell so sweet," He hummed.

Lily stiffened when Aziel drew his face closer to her neck. Her whole body shivered lightly for the fear of what Aziel might do to her. She pictured him tearing her head apart like he did to her members in the forest and was instantly consumed with fear.

She nervously took the bowl from Aziel and brought it to her lips. Her eyes moved from the brownish-black liquid to Aziel before she closed her eyes tightly and drank all the bitter content of the bowl.

"Even if I die today, I'll be reborn and come for you and your family. I promise you," Lily said as she felt her eyelids getting heavier.

She fell back with her head almost hitting the metal headboard when Aziel stretched his hand to hold her head from the back.

He gently laid her on the bed and covered her with the quilt.

"There was no need to scare her like that..." A mysterious female voice sounded in the room.