Am I a bad kisser?

Apollyon remained in the study room where Lilith immersed herself in reading the first book on
sorcery. An hour had passed, and Lilith seemed lost in thought. Her silence unsettled him,
prompting him to clear his throat to regain her attention.
"Lilith, you don't have to read everything today," Apollyon suggested.
"It's a complex book on sorcery, Apollyon. You won't believe every sort of magic is given here. I
am even able to understand a few things. However, whatever I read till now was sorcery on
non-living beings," Lilith said and lifted her eyes to gaze at him.
Apollyon asked her if she didn't find any blood-related rituals in the non-living beings.
Lilith shook her head. "No mention of blood usage as of yet," she replied.
"You won't find it in a day," Apollyon mused, appearing right behind the leather chair on which
Lilith sat. Leaning in, he gently closed the book she was holding, his cheek almost brushing
against hers.
Lilith opened the book again, flipped its first three pages, and said, "You should do the work. A
lazy King isn't appreciated."
Her eyes fell on the names imprinted on the fourth page and her brows creased. "Apollyon, the
book has mentioned the names of the five people," she muttered.
"What do you mean?" Apollyon asked as he glanced at the page, which was blank for him.
"Cedric, Alistair, Nathan, Draven, and Aria," Lilith enunciated. "Could these five be the
sorcerers?" she wondered, tilting her head to look at Apollyon. "And could they be the ones who
sealed you away?" she added.
"I don't remember," Apollyon replied.
"I think these five are related to sorcery. Also, I don't think they are humans," Lilith asserted as
she lowered her gaze to the enigmatic page. Except for their names, nothing was mentioned
about them.
Apollyon stood upright, stepping forward to sit at the front edge of the desk. He slightly turned
his body to the left to look at Lilith. "Nathan reminds me of my friend," he stated and Lilith
stopped flipping the pages.
"But it's not the Nathan whom you used to know, I believe," Lilith replied.
"I know," Apollyon stated. "Read it before going to bed. Now, I want you to spend time with me,"
he urged.
Lilith gazed at him before closing the book. "As the King, you have lots of work to do. Don't fool
me. You have postponed your entire work today because of me," she stated.
"I didn't ask you to scold me," Apollyon said and watched her leave her seat.
"I never scolded you," Lilith clarified as she walked past him. Before she could go any further, he
gently grasped her wrist and pulled her back, twirling her around. With his arms encircling her,
he held her close.
"Say something romantic for me," Apollyon requested, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"Sadly, I don't know any such lines, King Apollyon," Lilith replied.
"Then, allow me to teach you one," Apollyon said. "Say, 'I love you,'" he whispered huskily, his
lips close to hers.
Lilith smiled at him and shook her head.
"Umm... Say, I like Apollyon," he proposed, hoping for a different response.
Lilith hesitated once again, her hands resting on his shoulders. "I can't say that," she replied
firmly.
"Alright, then how about this? Say, I want Apollyon to love me," he asserted, hoping she would
give in.
For a brief moment, Lilith paused, considering her response, before shaking her head in refusal.
"Really?" Apollyon squinted his eyes. "You don't want me to love you, to coax you," he again
asked to confirm. His thumb gently brushed her lips and then traveled to caress her left cheek.
Slowly, he lowered his face towards her neck, his lips tantalizingly close to her skin.
"It is strange, Lilith. You're not giving me a quick answer," he whispered, his fingers tracing
through her hair as he gently pushed it back.
Lilith leaned back slightly, locking her gaze with his. "I just need some time to rest. You should
go and attend to your duties as a King. We'll meet again in the evening," she calmly declared,
requesting him to release her.
"I won't let you go unless you give me something beautiful," Apollyon insisted, his desire evident
in his eyes.
"I have nothing to offer you," Lilith asserted.
"Oh, but you do," Apollyon emphasized, his gaze lingering on her lips. "I wonder how they would
taste," he mumbled, his thoughts clearly straying in his eyes.
Lilith pursed her lips together, surprised by his boldness. "I will consider that when and if I
develop feelings for you. But at the moment, I feel nothing for you," she asserted after a moment
of thought.
"Should I help you then?" Apollyon asked; a hint of mischief in his tone.
"Help me with what?" Lilith asked, confused by his suggestion.
"In understanding your own feelings," Apollyon answered, pulling her closer with his hand gently
guiding the back of her head. The suddenness of the moment caught her off guard, and before
she knew it, his lips landed softly above hers, initiating a tender kiss.
Lilith's breath caught in her throat, her eyes widening in surprise and uncertainty. She was torn
between the impulse to push him away and the overwhelming desire to stay still, experiencing
the unexpected intimacy of the moment. Her heartbeats quickened the rhythmic thumping
echoing in her ears, drowning out all other sounds.
This was nothing like their first kiss. The initial nervousness and curiosity were replaced by an
intense rush of emotions in her. Lilith felt her body responding, her defenses crumbling as her
mind struggled to process the sensations flooding through her.
No! She couldn't feel this way and pushed him away as soon as she got hold of her mind.
Apollyon bore his gaze at her, expecting a response from her while she breathed heavily.
"I need to go," Lilith murmured in a flurry and dashed out of the study room.
Lilith didn't stop even for a second until she reached her chamber. She shut the doors behind
her and leaned against the door. Bringing her hands close to her chest, she felt the rapid
rhythms not because she ran but because of what she experienced earlier.
"It cannot happen. I don't feel anything for him," Lilith told herself, biting her bottom lip.
~~~~~~
"Did I do something wrong?" Apollyon muttered as he signed the documents that Karin
presented to him.
After kissing Lilith, Apollyon headed to work reluctantly. However, even while working his mind
was on Lilith.
"What did His Majesty do?" Karin asked, but Apollyon didn't answer him as he couldn't hear him.
He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he could only hear his own voice and inner thoughts.
"Am I a bad kisser?" He mumbled.
Karin tried to hear what Apollyon was mumbling in his mouth.
Apollyon looked at the text on the scroll. "Humans want to be a part of the palace
administration," he read.
"Yes, Your Majesty. The Council Head sent this proposal two days ago," Karin asserted.
"Send him the reply that in the next council meeting, we will discuss it first before I give my final
reply on this," Apollyon gave the command to Karin as he put the scroll away.
"Sure, Your Majesty," Karin replied.
Apollyon couldn't focus on his work anymore, but he didn't want to make Lilith upset if she would
ask him about his work. He quickly finished the work, which took almost an hour, before making
his way to see her in the chamber.
However, when he reached there, Zoey informed him Lilith was sleeping. He went inside to
check on her and found Lilith on the bed without the blanket. Seeing her sleeping posture made
Apollyon smile. He walked closer to her and sat beside her.
He placed his hand on her head and gently caressed it. "I think I scared you with my move. I
could not control myself at the moment," he said in a low voice. "I am desperate to see love in
your eyes." His fingers stroked her hair tenderly before pausing for a moment as he saw
movements in Lilith's eyes. He didn't wish to disturb her sleep.
Lilith gradually opened her eyes before meeting his gaze. "Why am I dreaming of you?" she
mumbled and her lips parted. "It feels real," her eyes glued to his. Apollyon didn't utter a single
word because he could see the admiration in her eyes for him and he didn't want this moment to
end.
However, after a few minutes, when Lilith closed her eyes she felt something odd. Prying her
eyes open, she placed her hand on Apollyon's chest. "You are real!" She looked shocked and
betrayed too.
"Why didn't you tell me I wasn't dreaming," Lilith complained as she pulled her hand back.
"Because you were admiring me," Apollyon replied. "It was the first time you looked at me with
affection," he added, his eyes lit with desire.
Lilith recalled their kiss in the study room earlier and felt the fluttering in her heart.
"I didn't–" Her words didn't come out of her mouth as he placed his pointer finger on her lips.
"Shhh. Let's just look at each other," Apollyon said, lowering his finger slowly.