Hellbound Heart

Kyle's smile remained, undeterred by her hostility. "Fool you? Never, my queen," he purred. 

"Who are you?" Lilith's voice was now laced with frustration and incipient rage. Her fingers clenched hard around the hilt of her sword, turning her knuckles so white.

Kyle's smile widened. "Ah, you wound me, love," he replied.

"Shut it and tell me who you are," Lilith retorted, her words edged with a sharpness that cut through the tension like a blade. "Or I will slash your neck this instant."

She pressed the blade of her sword against his throat until a tiny rivulet of blood trickled down his skin. Still, Kyle's smile remained.

"Go on, then," he challenged softly. "My heart and soul are yours anyway, so why not take my life too?"

Lilith's eyes widened. Her icy exterior shattered for a heartbeat.

Suddenly, Kyle moved leaned forward, aiming to meet the gleaming edge of the blade with the tender flesh of his neck. 

But Lilith's instincts kicked in, and she reacted with the swiftness of a striking serpent, retracting her weapon just in time before her blade pierced his throat. 

Before the relief of her swift action could sink in, her anger and fear manifested in a different manner. Her free hand, clenched into a tight fist, rocketed towards Kyle's face, connecting with his chiseled jaw with an audible thud. His head snapped to the side, and for a split second, time seemed to stop.

Kyle's head turned back slowly, his cheek adorned with a crimson mark where Lilith's blow had landed. Kyle's tongue darted out, a slow and deliberate movement, as he tasted his own blood that had pooled at the corner of his lips. His once gentle and playful gaze transformed into something sinister.

"You little..." his words were suspended, an incomplete threat that was cut short by the sudden surge of movement. Lilith seized Kyle by the neck and forced him down to the ground.

Kyle's eyes, once a striking shade of grey, now burned with a malevolent crimson. He fought against her grip, his muscles straining as he attempted to break free. But an invisible force seemed to bind him, preventing any retaliation.

His attempts to resist were met with an unyielding power that emanated from Lilith. 

"So it seems you can feel the pain that is inflicted onto your host," Lilith said. 

The vampire's surprise only deepened, his eyes widening. 

Lilith's smirk was both smug and calculated. "Let me ask you, whoever you are," she continued, her voice dripping with a knowing edge, "of all vampires out there, why did you choose Prince Kyle to be your host?"

When the vampire remained unresponsive, a triumphant smile curved Lilith's lips. "It seems he fooled you real big," she remarked, her voice laced with a touch of amusement. "As expected of him."

The vampire's features contorted. 

Lilith's head shook slowly. "Did you know that the Prince Kyle I know never knew how to make such a face? At least, not in front of me? Of course, you don't."

The vampire bared his teeth. 

"It seems you didn't even bother studying your host's character before taking over them," Lilith taunted, her tone dripping with condescension. "Now, I can't help but think that you are just such a lowly ghost or nameless something."

"Bitch..." the vampire hissed. He struggled against her grip, but it was futile.

Lilith's smile only grew wider. "Stop trying," she told him, "It's futile."

As her words settled in, Lilith continued. "Let me tell you a secret, little ghost," she drawled. "When Kyle and I were young and crazily and foolishly in love, this vampire prince bound himself to me through a powerful spell. In short, he gave me the power to completely subdue him, and unless I release him from my spell, his body will be fully under my control, literally."

The vampire's face contorted once again, though this time, it was due to shock. 

"You chose him because you thought you could use him for his power," Lilith's expression turned serious. "But are you really sure he actually simply let you take over his body without a plan?"

"You bi –"

"Sleep, Kyle." Lilith commanded and just like that, the vampire's crimson eyes immediately dulled and shut closed. His consciousness slipped away and his body slumped limply into the ground.

Lilith stood there as she watched his form now peaceful and unguarded in sleep.

She clenched her fists, swallowing a lump in her throat. She had chosen to put him to sleep because she could no longer bear to look at him wearing those expressions, she knew the real Kyle would never make. She could no longer bear hearing those words she knew Kyle would never spout, at least not to her. 

Slowly, she sank next to Kyle's unconscious body. Her hand reached out to touch his face when she suddenly retracted and quickly stood up once again. 

As soon as she turned around, Lilith's heart skipped a beat at the sight of Ezekiel. She straightened her posture, masking the emotions that had swirled within her just moments before.

"I... I only put him to sleep," Lilith said, her voice steady, "But I can wake him up if you want me to."

"No, you did the best move, Lilith." His acknowledgement caught her off guard, and she couldn't help the surprise and pride to stir within her.

Ezekiel crouched next to his brother. When he touched Kyle's hand, there wasn't any dramatic flash or display, but a keen observer might notice the minute tremble in the leaves or the slight shift in the air's temperature. She could sense the silent energy exchange between the brothers and knew better than to interrupt. Her fingers twitched, betraying her impatience, but she waited, her gaze fixed intently on Ezekiel.

Until Ezekiel finally put down Kyle's hand. 

"Do you have any idea who's the one that possessed him?" Lilith inquired. 

Zeke nodded, still not taking his eyes off Kyle. "Yes," he replied with voice measured.