You are mine and only mine

Apollyon leaned back, his gaze locked with Lilith's burning gaze. Paralyzed by his magic, she struggled to move or speak, trapped within the intensity of their confrontation. Lilith desperately wished to break free from his hold, but her body remained unresponsive. All she could do was meet his unwavering gaze, unable to look away.

"You cannot kill me with the small strength that you possess," Apollyon spoke after a prolonged silence between them. His icy fingers brushed against her temple, causing a shiver to run down her spine. Lilith recoiled from his touch, repulsed by his cold, unwelcome hands.

"Don't touch me," she managed to utter her defiance. "Marry you? You must be delusional! As I've said, if I can't kill you, then I'll die trying," she pronounced without a hint of fear.

"You offered your blood to me that day. Hence, you are my chosen bride," Apollyon asserted, his fingers grazing the flower tattoo on the left side of her neck. "We are bound by blood. You became mine the moment you awakened me," he declared with conviction.

Lilith could no longer tolerate his words. Without hesitation, she tightly pressed her hand against his cheek, delivering a resounding slap.

Yes! She slapped the Devil Lord with all her might.

Lilith's mind was occupied with only one thought: to kill him. Grabbing a nearby brass vase in her hold, she swung it forcefully, connecting with his forehead in a powerful blow.

"I am your demise, Apollyon. You destroyed my life and I will do yours," she declared, poised to strike again with the brass vase. But her assault was abruptly halted as Apollyon caught her wrist in mid-air.

Blood trickled down the left side of his temple, evidence of the impact she had made. Lilith fought against his strong grip, striking his chest with her free hand.

"You're making futile attempts," Apollyon remarked, his voice filled with a chilling calmness. In an instant, the force of his power shattered the table behind Lilith, filling her with terror. Before Lilith could escape, she found herself pinned to the wall, her hands held firmly above her head.

Fear gripped Lilith, causing her chest to rise and fall rapidly. She turned her head away, closing her eyes, as Apollyon's face drew closer.

His fingers gently gripped her chin, forcing her to meet his intense gaze. "Open your eyes if you're not afraid of me," Apollyon challenged her. Lilith complied, meeting his gaze with a defiant stare. She refused to show any fear.

Yet, one fear persisted within her.

What if he overpowered her and violated her in some terrible way? If Apollyon used his magic to restrain her to the bed, she would be powerless to resist.

"You have a fear, Lilith. However, I do not force women to my bed," Apollyon said. Lilith was astonished to find that he read her thoughts. 

Attempting to pull away from Apollyon's touch, disgusted by his presence, Lilith encountered a force that kept her in place. An eerie silence fell between them. Lilith found herself once again captivated by his golden eyes, sensing that they held a message meant for her.

"I cannot harm you since you are the one who woke me up. Also, that day my body absorbed your blood drops. So, you become mine from that day onwards. However, I waited for you to grow up. The wait was agonizing," Apollyon's voice softened. No matter how ruthless, cold, and harsh he appeared to others, Lilith couldn't help but notice a different side of him when they were together.

Quickly, she washed off that thought from her mind. 

"That is my greatest regret. If I hadn't given in to curiosity, I wouldn't have lost my father. But I will rectify that mistake," Lilith stated with determination.

"Immortals don't die. They are only sealed, Lilith," Apollyon affirmed. His fingers were no longer on her chin and now had moved to the left side of her neck. His fingers left her chin and gently traced the flower-shaped mark he had bestowed upon her on the left side of her neck.

"Removing off the black flower isn't easy. It blooms once in a hundred years. You were indeed curious that day, picking the black flower," Apollyon revealed. Lilith regained her composure. Her gaze focused on the bleeding wound on the left side of her forehead.

As the daughter of a renowned medical doctor, her late father had instilled one principle within her: to treat anyone, friend or foe, who was injured.

Yet, she ignored that principle as if the wound didn't exist and demanded Apollyon step back.

"Don't you want to know the truth behind why you cannot burn us with your gaze?" he inquired, leaving Lilith stunned. How did he know about it? She hadn't confided in anyone, not even Zoey.

"No magic works on devils," she arrived at a conclusion.

"I am the one, who gave you that ability to protect you from the evil eyes," Apollyon revealed the truth to her. "This flower mark isn't an ordinary one. This shows that you are mine and mine alone. This shows that the Devil Lord claimed you. It is not a mark of jinx, but a mark that protects you. Men look at women with the wrong eyes too. You must have felt that too. Because I could not be with you, I wanted something which could protect you. That's why whenever any man saw you wrongly, he was burned into ashes."

Lilith instinctively brought her hand to the right side of her neck. She couldn't believe it was Apollyon who had provided her with that mark of evil. How could he speak of it so casually? It was because of him that she had been labeled a dark witch. People cursed her and her late father for ten years because of that mark.

Anger surged within her, turning her eyes red. Her blood boiled with rage, and once again, she struck him with a powerful slap, even harder than before.