An Immortal Kiss

Chapter 4

What kind of power was this? Why was this ability locked away for so long? Why did it want to come out now? Lilith hadn't a clue of what the power was or where it came from, or even why it was within her. It seemed that an investigation of her mother's whereabouts was in order.

Lilith moved back upstairs to her room and made sure that Stephan was unable to receive her services for the rest of the night. She thought about where to start, about what she would say. She had so many questions for her mother and so little time to find her. The business was very dangerous, every worker at risk of being picked up by a serial killer or a rapist. You never knew if your customers were deranged or normal. What was normal anyways? She hadn't a clue.

Alerting the owner of the brothel, Lilith took a temporary sabbatical so she could focus on nothing but finding the woman who abandoned her. She started with the other prostitutes her mother supposedly worked with, finding a dead end. She asked about people she had frequently serviced and caught a few names she recognized from her brothel. She visited each man the fellow courtesan's spoke of and came up with a single lead. Her mother had been seen with her only family, Stephan. What had he been doing with her mother?

Enraged and upset, Lilith returned to find Stephan waiting for her at her room. "Where've you been, my little peach? You've gone off schedule and left me to find other, less worthy prostitutes to relieve me of my lusts. I should punish you for such travesties." He moved close to her and took her by the waist, letting his lips grace her neck with their usual roughness.

Lilith snarled and pushed him away. "You've been sleeping with my mother, haven't you?" Sheer anger coated her voice, her eyes void of the adoration they had just weeks before.

Stephan scowled. "And who, may I ask, told you that?" He didn't like that she was questioning him. In his mind, she had no right to question him about any thing. She was an insignificant whore that was only worth what someone would pay for her.

"The prostitutes she knew and the men she pleasured! Why would so many people name you as a customer of hers if it weren't true?! You're lying to me and you know it! I see it in your eyes!" Lilith took a risk and gave him a good slap to the face.

This set Stephan off. He grabbed her by the throat and threw her against the wall. "You bitch! How dare you strike me?! I own you! I can kill you this very moment if so desired it! You will be punished." Stephan threw Lilith into her room and beat her for about half an hour before he tried to rape her as he had so many years earlier. Oh, he had no idea of what he was getting himself into.

The same thing that happened to the other man happened to Stephan, but worse. The clothing he had left on burst into flames and a shriek of pain escaped the rapist's throat. He leaped off of Lilith and tried to put the fire out, fear in his eyes. When it was out, he looked at her to see that her eyes were glowing red and she seemed ready to kill. "What the hell are you?!"

"I don't know," Lilith replied. She then snarled, "Where is my mother?!" Her voice boomed, and Stephan was lifted off of the ground as if by the neck.

Stephan struggled to get out of her grip. "I don't know where she is *choke*!"

"Liar! Tell me where she is!"

"She's hidden at my home! I'll show you to her! Just put me down, freak!" He then fell to the floor, rubbing his neck as if she some large man was choking him.

Not long after Stephan had redressed, he led her to his castle outside of town. You could see ravens circling the castle's towers, the smell of death tainting the air. An eerie glow gave Lilith the impression that Stephan's home didn't have many visitors.

"In here, Cherie." Stephan led her upstairs into a bedroom where Lilith's mother was lying in.

The woman was tied to the bed, a blindfold cutting off her sight. She was nude and gagged, showing that Stephan had been torturing her for God-knows how long. Muffled groans of pain escaped her lips. She was frail and decrepit, as if she weren't fed for weeks.

Lilith felt little sympathy, but knew this was completely wrong. She moved over to her mother and removed the gag and blindfold. "What am I, Mother? Tell me."

The woman looked up at her and whispered, "A witch….the book…. Grimmerie .." At that, she passed on and took all her secrets with her.

Lilith didn't stir. She didn't care. She turned and left the room, returning to the brothel posthaste. She was now the last of her known family, and Stephan was no longer in it. Her world, once again, was shattered into little pieces and she was left to pick them up.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" The owner of the brothel asked as she saw Lilith walk in. Even though she hated her employees, she still wanted them to be in good shape for work.

"Don't let Stephan in my room ever again." Lilith slammed the door to her room and rammed her fist in to her mirror, watching the shards slip from her clenched, and now bloody, fist. "Damn him to hell!" Like she had with her mother, she stayed in her room most of the time and serviced very few men.

Around 3 years later, her manager walked in and barked at her, "Someone has bought your contract."

A young looking man with slicked back, chocolate brown hair and piercing green eyes walked into the room. He was around 6'3 and probably weighed around 200 pounds because of his chiseled muscles. His skin was paler than usual and his smile revealed abnormally large canines. He, like Stephan, was an immortal. Elegant black and white clothing covered his flesh, a white top hat dawned his head. His smile was easy and soothing. "Good evening. My name is Maximillion Maridion, but you may call me 'MM'."