The Fallen Queen of Eden

After taking some time to think, he had stopped by his home and picked up his gun as a precaution. He wanted to be prepared for anything. Momo's was completely packed when Eli returned to the bar. Stepping through the door, he immediately became concerned when he found both his friends sitting where he left them, but Lilith was nowhere to be seen. Wynne and Kaleb had their backs to the bar counter, drinks in hand, and their eyes were focused on the other side of the bar. He couldn't believe that they had lost her! They didn't even seem the least bit concerned that she was gone! It was a simple task! All they had to do was watch her for a few short hours and they failed! True, Lilith could be a handful and she seemed to enjoy a good time as much . . . well, probably more than the next guy, but surely they could have kept track of her better than that. He reached out and took the glass from Wynne, the look on his face making it quite clear that he was not in a joking mood.

"What the fuck? I thought I asked you to keep an eye on Lili?"

"We are," Kaleb answered, putting down his beer and joining in the conversation.

"Oh really, and where is she?" In response, both men pointed to the other side of the room where most of the crowd was gathered. Turning around, Eli's eyes got wide as he found the demoness performing a perfect Chinese flag move on a stripper pole that was set up. He couldn't believe it.

"I asked you to watch her, as in keeping her safe and out of trouble, not 'watch' her," he made a motion as though he were grabbing a woman's breasts to emphasize his point.

"I don't know if you've noticed or not, but your girlfriend is very tenacious. . ." Wynne explained, trying to be somewhat delicate in his description.

"Strong-willed," Kaleb added.

"And stubborn," Wynn concluded.

"She also enjoys drinking." Both men nodded at this and Eli couldn't deny any of it.

Elijah immediately started heading to the other end of the bar to get Lilith down off the pole with both of his friends following close behind. As they moved through the crowd they passed a group of ladies engaged in a bachelorette party, drinking, giggling and commenting over the various novelty 'toys' they had given the bride-to-be. Kaleb was the only one who noticed the man seated at one of the corner tables with his head down and a cowboy hat pulled low over his face. He knew who it was and said nothing as he continued to follow his friends to the pole and the half-dressed beauty spinning on it.

The Preacher-man had arrived at Momo's about an hour after Eli had left. He chose that particular corner table because it afforded a view of everything that was happening and particularly the dark-haired beauty. He had watched her sitting there between Eli's friends for some time, wishing he could get closer. When they announced the amateur stripping contest, he had been surprised to see her join in and relished seeing her remove various articles of clothing and sensuously move, teasing the audience. Now that Eli was fast approaching her, he knew that the show was soon to be over and he took a pen and a scrap piece of paper from his pocket and began to write. Lili was spinning like a top upside-down when Elijah finally reached her and took hold of her leg, stopping her momentum and turning around her to face him. Still hanging upside-down on the pole, her head fell back and she smiled at him.

"'Eṉ itayam'!" she exclaimed, happily. Eli had no idea what she had just said and wasn't concerned about right now. "Have you come for the show?"

"No," he answered, looking at the demoness. He could see redness in her eyes and smell the unmistakable smell of alcohol on her breath. "Are you drunk?" He had seen her take an occasional drink before but never had he seen her completely inebriated.

"Definitely . . . maybe," she answered, giggling. "I really didn't have that much. I only drank a couple of bourbon shots. Both Wynne and Kaleb held up fingers indicating she had drunk far more than she realized. With serpentine fluidity, she started to move back up the pole only to be pulled off by Eli.

"No, no, shows over."

"Haven't you ever heard that old adage 'if you've got it, flaunt it'?" Lili asked as her feet hit the floor.

"I have, but have you ever considered just laying low. I should think that having a delusional minister stalking your every move would make you want to keep a low profile." His argument was sound, but the demoness didn't seem to pay much attention as she turned to Wynne with her hand out.

"Told you I could do it, now pay up." Sheepishly Wynne reached into his pocket and pulled out a twenty-dollar bill and handed it to her which she quickly stuffed into her bra. Elijah was thunderstruck and stared at his friend in disbelief.

"I honestly didn't think she would do it."

Elijah bent down and picked up her jean shorts from the floor along with her red lace camisole top and shoved it towards her. She barely got them on and one of the ladies from the bachelorette party strolled up to the group and Eli in particular. She ran her hand along his chest and she smiled seductively up at him. The woman asked him if he would like to join her for a drink but Eli politely declined. Not willing to take no for an answer, the lady continued her advances much to the annoyance of Lilith who was watching the whole thing through glaring eyes.

"Are you deaf or just stupid?" The demoness cut-in after the woman's third failed attempt at getting Eli's attention.

"Excuse me?" The woman asked, noticing Lili for the first time.

"He already said 'no' quite clearly, so again I have to ask if you're deaf or just stupid?"

"None of this concerns you, go back to swinging on your pole." The girl started to turn around, but Lilith caught her by the arm and held it tightly as she turned her back to face her. Her emerald eyes burned like fire.

"Oh but it does concern me because he is here with me, not you. I suggest you go back to your table and play with your toys." To emphasize her point, the demoness pulled the woman within inches of her face, "No one takes what is mine."

The girl jerked her arm free then shoved the demoness back, but instead of going down, Lilith came back with a hard right that connected with the woman's jaw knocking her to the ground. The other girls at the bachelorette party shrieked in both horror and surprise. The Bride-to-be got up to defend her friend and caught hold of Lili's hair, pulling as hard as she could. The demoness got her foot around the woman's ankle pushing it forward and knocking her off balance, freeing herself. Now that she was fighting two ladies, she turned to grab something for a weapon, but the only thing she saw handy was a novelty gift from one of the bridesmaids laying across the table.

Lilith took hold of the seventeen-inch silicone double dong and began swinging it as though it was a Japanese nunchuck. When the bride-to-be tried to grab it, she swung it hard and nailed her across her nose, breaking it. She then swung it back the other way, clocking the woman who had started it all. The demoness stood there ready to take on either woman, but neither got back up. The bride-to-be was too busy crying and holding her nose which was bleeding into her hand. The gal that had flirted with Eli was sitting there tired and a tad dazed, the outline of a rubber cock emblazoned on her cheek.

Both Wynne and Kaleb were wide-eyed and trying hard to stifle their laughter at the entire scene. Eli wasn't laughing, in fact, he didn't know what to think. The entire scene was absurd and nothing he had ever expected to witness, let alone be the cause of. He was also a tad embarrassed since he was a frequent customer here and the woman wielding the double dong like a ninja was actually with him. The strangest thing was that Lilith was a woman with a clear detachment disorder, of that he was certain. Yet somehow she had developed feelings for him, or else she wouldn't have fought these two women. That surprised him more than anything.

"Okay, warrior princess, drop the double dong and let's go." Eli softly commanded as he tried to move her towards the door.

Before they left, Elijah stopped by the bar to pay any drinks bills that had accrued. As he did, a waitress handed Lilith a folded piece of scrap paper. She opened it and her heart froze. The few words scrawled in ink before her had more power to sober her up than anything else could have. 'I loved watching your body move tonight, L.S.' He had been there the whole time. A woman never ashamed of her body, Lili suddenly felt exposed and violated. She was so tired of fighting him. Without telling Eli about the note, she wadded up the paper and let it fall from her hand as he led her to the parking lot.

Wynne and Kaleb caught up with the pair outside just as Lili was getting in the car and stopped their friend. Both wanted to know why Eli was out of work early. He glanced down at Lili and saw the way she was staring into space and assumed she was too drunk to pay attention to what he was saying, but she heard every word. She heard him talk about the offer of fieldwork in California and then the write-up and threat of disciplinary leave. She felt that gnawing sensation in her stomach as he explained that the business agent had to come down and fix everything. When he spoke of his suspicions regarding an underhanded deal between the Preacher-man and the company owners, her heart felt as though it were aching. Why did this feeling keep coming back? Not only did it keep returning but each time it felt worse.

Before she could give it any more thought she noticed in the rearview mirror a large burly man approaching the car. The man looked like a mountain with hard fits and a steely gaze that screamed to anyone looking at him that he was up to no good. Lilith tried to get Eli's attention but he was too engrossed in his conversation to notice. Eventually she called out his name louder and he finally turned around, but it was too late. The man grabbed Eli by the shoulder and spun him around then after announcing that he had a message for him, he punched Eli in the gut causing him to drop his keys and double over. Lili was horrified and shrieked at the sight before opening the door to get out of the car to try and stop it. For a few moments Elijah couldn't even breathe and the thug wasn't going to give him a chance to try. She started to rush over to him, but the hulking stranger caught him by the left arm and putting his boot against Eli's shoulder blade, he shoved him hard against the ground and caused Lilith to cry out again. The pressure of the stranger's foot and the hard surface of the parking lot worked like a hammer and anvil causing his shoulder to be dislocated.

Wynne started to try and help his friend, but Kaleb held him back and told him that it wasn't their fight. Despite the pain, Eli managed to reach into the holster clipped to his waistband with his right hand and get his gun without being seen. When the man started to grab for him again, Elijah rolled over and stuck the nose of his Glock 19 against the man's chest causing him to stop. The hulking stranger looked down at the black muzzle pointed directly at his heart and slowly began to back away, putting his hands up in surrender. He had been paid a lot of cash for this job, but not enough to risk his own life for some lust-filled hypocritical minister.

"Well, mother fucker I have a message for you and it travels at 1100 feet per second. Did he pay you enough to take it?" Eli watched as the man shook his head and backed away. Neither took their eyes off the other as the hired thug slowly made his way toward a black SUV that had several dents in the side and got in.

As soon as he drove off, Elijah reholstered his gun while Lilith helped him to his feet and asked if he was okay. He didn't answer her and he didn't have to. His handsome face had some light scrapes from when he had landed on the asphalt and his clothes were dirty. That knot in her stomach felt like a one-ton boulder tearing her apart inside and she was beginning to understand what it was. It was guilt. She was the cause of all his misery and she hated herself for it.

"Let me take you to the hospital," she offered.

"I'm fine," he answered through gritted teeth.

"No, you're not. You've been punched in the gut, your shoulder is dislocated . . . " She started to help him stand better but at the touch of her hands on his chest, he gasped. "and I would say you have a broken rib."

"Hold that thought." No longer able to wait, he felt his shoulder and found where the joint should be, then using his weight ran full force into the brick wall that surrounded the bar patio and popped it back in. "There, cross that one off your list." His show of sarcasm was only a mask as he tried to ignore the small trickle of piss running down his leg from the pain. "I think it's time to go home."

"Are you sure you can drive?" Lilith asked genuinely concerned. She could tell he was trying to hide it, but there was no masking the pain he was in. It showed in his eyes, his walk, and even in his voice.

"I'll make it."

The demoness was skeptical, but he picked his keys up from the ground and got into the driver's seat. Lilith got in on the other side and neither of them spoke as they drove back to the house. Trying to take her mind off of the guilt she felt, Lilith began to sing softly to herself. Eli glanced over and could see her sitting there with her head against the window, her eyes focused on the sky above. He listened to what she was singing and it was beautiful. It reminded him of a lullaby, although he couldn't understand what she was saying. The words were a language he had never heard before and yet the beauty of the music made him wish he knew what it was about.

"What are you singing?"

"Just an old song. It came to me in a dream a long time ago . . . back when the world was new. Sometimes I just feel like singing it. I don't know why," Lili answered, never turning her gaze from the sky above. Elijah imagined her as a small girl making up that song to try and distract from an unhappy childhood in foster care, although he was baffled by the language. It wasn't the babble of a child's made-up dialect but sounded very real even if he couldn't place it.

"What's it about?"

"Oh, it just talks about the great Tree of Life and how one taste of its sweet fruit can cure all ills forever. It can banish the darkness from a soul and pave the way for a greater light to enter." If she was telling the truth, then it seemed like an awfully deep meaning for a small child to make up.

Pulling into the driveway, Lilith immediately got out of the car and came around to help him. Eli politely but firmly pushed her off and told her that he could take care of himself. He wasn't broken and he didn't need a nurse to wait on him and carry him into the house. That she would act like he was feeble was almost as aggravating as all the other bullshit he'd endured over the day. Lili watched him and followed as he unlocked the front door and went inside. She knew damn well he didn't need her assistance, but she wanted to help. She wanted to somehow make up for all the misfortune he had endured throughout the day. It was all her fault, after all.

She watched him go up the stairs, then went into the kitchen and got a quick swallow of bourbon then went back and sat down in the living room. Lilith waited for quite a while, but he didn't come back down. Hesitantly she went up the stairs, certain that he probably didn't want to see her at all. When she reached the landing she noticed the soft flickering light of the television coming from his bedroom. She was certain he was still awake since she could hear the channels changing rapidly.

She stood there in the hall, that feeling of guilt and shame still as strong as it had been when that thug attacked. She couldn't understand it at all. For countless millennia she had watched men offer up everything they had to her or walk away from everything that was of value to them just for a single kiss from her. She never felt anything but dark gratification watching a soul sell itself to her. She wasn't feeling like that now. She hated seeing Eli suffer because of another man's obsession, both physically and emotionally. The demoness was at a loss as to how she could fix it all for him. She didn't understand her own new budding sensations so it was impossible for her to try and assist him. Eli's physical pain was a different matter entirely. That was something she was confident she could fix.

Lilith went into the spare bedroom and took out the same leather kit that she stored her vials and scrying mirror in. She carried it downstairs to the kitchen, then taking out a bowl began to mix up a thick paste. From one vial she poured an orange powder then mixed it with a small amount of dried leaves. She then took out another vial and added a pinch of powder that was a dull yellow. She mixed it up then reaching into her leather pack she pulled out a clay container that was larger than the others. Popping the cork on it the air became infused with a scent reminiscent of lemon and eucalyptus. She poured a liberal amount of a purplish-black oil into the bowl then began to stir the oily, pasty mess.

There was nothing about this concoction that seemed appealing except perhaps the smell, but the demoness knew very well the power of what she had made. Hoping to loosen and even numb that knot of guilt in her stomach, Lilith once again took up the bottle of bourbon and started swallowing it like it was water. After only a few moments she started to feel a tad dizzy around the edges and a smidge tipsy, but that pesky remorse seemed to have abated.

Picking up the bowl, a few paper towels, and the bottle of bourbon she started singing a slowed and slightly slurred rendition of Don't Dilly and Dally on the Way as she went up the stairs. She actually managed the ascent better than expected since she only fell against the wall twice. When she reached Eli's bedroom, she knocked on the door then walked in without waiting for him to acknowledge her.

In the light of the television, he watched her walk into the room. Strange how he had only known her for a few days and yet they were as comfortable as two people who had known each other forever. He asked her what she needed and was answered with a quick 'nothing'. Instead, she held out the bowl and towels and explained that she was going to help him by fixing his shoulder. Eli told her it wasn't necessary. He had already put the shoulder back in its socket so the worst he had to endure was a day or two of soreness. Lilith was insistent and he really didn't have the energy to fight her and quickly caved.

Lili climbed on the bed and gently helped him remove his shirt. She dipped her fingers into the bowl, scooping up a small amount of the salve, then tenderly she began to massage it into his skin around the joint. At first, the mixture felt cold and the fragrance of citrus mixed with eucalyptus filled the room. Her fingers worked the muscle with great care and yet her hands also possessed the skill of a baker kneading bread dough. Eli fully expected to be in pain, but there wasn't any. All of the discomfort he had felt in that joint vanished and he couldn't understand it. He had used over-the-counter topical creams for pain before, but none of them worked remotely as good as Lilith's homemade remedy.

"What is that stuff?" he asked, amazed at how well it worked.

"Some basic herbs. A pinch of Boswellia, a hint of Cat's Claw, a sprinkle of Willow's Bark, but mostly I use Eshmun. That particular plant does amazing things for pain, just don't ever eat it."

"I don't think I've ever heard of that one."

"I'm not surprised. It's a flower that is black and looks like a bat's wings. It's stamen had the appearance of vicious teeth but they really are quite fragile. I simply make an oil from the seeds and it comes in quite handy from time to time." Lilith's hands moved along the muscles of his back working out every tiny bit of tension he had from the day's events. In the past, girlfriends had given him massages before, but this one was by far the best he had ever received. Every part of him was more relaxed than he had ever felt before in his life.