The Cursed Demon Prince-Chapter 216: Black Rope

Noticing the muddy footprint smeared against the tiles, Lilith frowned. Who could have done this? she muttered under her breath. For reasons unknown, the sight of it unsettled her more than it should have. She couldn’t understand why. Still, she followed the trail until she found herself standing in front of the prince’s chamber door.

She reached out and twisted the knob. The door creaked open, and Lilith stepped inside slowly. Her eyes immediately landed on the pair of boots beside the door, caked in mud.

How did these get here? Who could have brought them into the prince’s room? Was someone playing a game with me?

Her thoughts spiraled until she froze at the sound of a voice too familiar. Lilith turned her head, and a sharp gasp escaped her lips.

Hades stood leaning against the wall, arms crossed, a teasing smile tugging at his lips as his eyes fixed solely on her.

Lilith’s mind blanked. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. How was this possible? How was Hades here? What happened to Zal?

"How... how are you here?" she whispered.

His brows knit together. "What do you mean by that? I was waiting for you. You’re an hour late."

When he pushed away from the wall and stepped toward her, Lilith’s body instinctively shifted back. Hades frowned.

"Are you alright? Is there something I don’t know about?" Concern softened his voice.

"I..." Lilith dragged her fingers through her hair in frustration. What the hell is going on?

"You don’t seem happy to see me," he said, now standing before her, his hands settling gently on her waist.

"I am... I’m happy to see you. It’s just....I don’t understand what’s happening. How is it possible that you’re here? I..."

Hades pulled her into his chest, one hand caressing the back of her head. "Don’t think too much about it. Just enjoy the moment. Let’s enjoy our time together." He leaned back slightly, his eyes holding hers. "Alright?"

Lilith’s gaze lingered on his face, her heart aching with how much she had missed him. Tears welled in her eyes as she forced a small smile. "Yes... I agree with you."

"That’s good to know." His smile widened. He tilted her chin, his thumb stroking along the corner of her lips. "I want to remain with you for eternity, Lilith."

"Do you promise you will never leave me?" she whispered.

"With my soul and heart, I promise to never leave your side." Hades’s voice remained calm, his breath ghosting her face as he leaned closer.

Lilith’s stomach churned at his closeness, his scent overwhelming her senses. "I’ll hold on to your words, Your Highness."

Hades chuckled softly. "Whatever you want, love."

As he dipped toward her for a kiss, Lilith’s eyes fluttered shut and she leaned into him. But the kiss never came.

Seconds passed. Nothing.

Her brows furrowed as she remained still, the only sound in her ears the frantic pounding of her own heart.

The pungent stench of blood instantly filled the room, almost knocking the air out of Lilith’s lungs. She coughed loudly, twice, before forcing her eyes open. A sharp gasp tore from her lips as she stumbled backward.

The man standing before her was drenched in blood so much of it that it dripped onto the floor, forming a dark, sticky pool at his feet.

"Hades..." Lilith stammered, but the smile that curved his lips froze her in place. It wasn’t the warm, teasing smile she knew. This one was sinister, sending cold shivers racing down her spine. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Terror crept over her skin. Lilith spun around and rushed for the door, fumbling with the knob. She twisted it desperately, but it wouldn’t budge. She shook it, pulled it, shoved it, but nothing happened.

When she turned back, Hades was already there standing inches from her, his presence suffocating.

"Please..." she whispered, her heart hammering so fast she thought it might burst.

"You will die. You will all die!" His voice thundered as his blood-slicked hands closed around her neck, squeezing mercilessly.

"H-Hades... please..." Lilith choked, clawing at his grip, but his strength was unyielding. Her throat tightened, air refusing to pass through. Her face flushed red, her chest heaving in vain for oxygen.

Her vision began to blur. Strength drained from her limbs, darkness clawing at the edges of her sight until it swallowed her whole.

Lilith jolted awake, her hands flying to her throat as she panted heavily. Sweat clung to her skin. She looked around and noticed she was on her bed, in her chambers and safe.

It was a dream. Just a dream.

Relief washed over her. She pushed damp hair from her face, forcing her breath to steady. Reaching for the glass cup on the dresser beside her, she frowned as it was empty.

Her throat felt unbearably dry, too parched to ignore. With a tired sigh, she slipped out of bed and padded quietly into the hall, intending to fetch water from the kitchen. At first, everything seemed normal and nothing out of the ordinary.

But moments later, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed. A man came barreling toward her, eyes wide with panic.

Lilith froze. "What’s going on?" she asked.

"You must return to your chambers, the demon has returned!" he shouted breathlessly, not stopping as he sprinted past her.

"What...?" Her voice trailed into the silence. He had already vanished down another corridor.

Lilith’s hand instinctively grasped the pearl at her neck. She knew what it meant, she had to place it on the demon before it claimed more innocent lives.

She broke into a run, racing down the stairs and into the main hallway. Turning a corner, she froze again.

An injured man was crawling weakly across the floor, a trail of blood smeared behind him.

"Gods..." Lilith rushed to him, crouching by his side. "Can you stand? We need to get you to the clinic, you’re losing too much blood."

The man’s pale, sweat-slicked face turned toward her. He gave the weakest of nods. Lilith slipped an arm around his waist, lifting with all her strength. He slung an arm over her shoulders for balance. Thankfully, he was slim and nearly her height, it made supporting him possible, though still difficult.

She dragged him until they reached the entrance of the clinic. After one loud knock, the door opened to reveal the physician and his assistant. They quickly collected the wounded man from Lilith’s grasp.

"Come inside and stay with us," the physician urged. "It’s dangerous out here."

"I’ll be fine. Just... take care of him." Lilith forced a small smile before turning to leave.

But the injured man’s hand shot out, weakly grasping her arm. Lilith froze, looking down at him.

"Lady Charlotte... she’s with the demon," he rasped, wincing with every word. "I fear for her life..."

Lilith’s blood ran cold. Without another thought, she broke into a frantic run, her feet pounding against the floor as she tore down the hallways.

The echoes of voices reached her ears and she recognized them instantly, it belonged to Viktor and the demon.

Her heart dropped.

Racing into the corridor, she froze at the sight before her. Zal stood by the pillar, one hand gripping a dagger buried deep in Viktor’s stomach. Blood soaked his tunic as Viktor sagged against the stone, his face pale with pain.

"Stop!" Lilith’s cry tore through the hall. "Please, let him go!"

Both men turned. Zal’s red eyes glimmered with amusement as his lips curled into a mocking smile.

"Ah," he drawled, tilting his head, "the little witch has come to save the day."

"Please," Lilith’s voice cracked with desperation. "Stop this madness. You don’t have to hurt anyone else. I’ll do anything you want, just let Viktor go."

Zal smirked. "Fine, since you asked so sweetly." With a cruel twist, he yanked the dagger free. Viktor groaned, crumpling to the ground, clutching his wound. Zal carelessly tossed the bloodied blade aside, his gaze never leaving Lilith. "Now... come to me."

Lilith’s breath caught in her throat. She glanced at Viktor, who weakly shook his head, silently begging her not to obey. But Zal’s burning eyes pinned her in place, hungry and merciless.

I’m sorry, Viktor... but I have to do this, she thought.

She drew in a deep breath, forcing her feet forward. Step by step, she moved toward the demon.

Then suddenly, she broke into a run. Her lips moved quickly, whispering spells under her breath, power heating her veins. Instead of slowing down as she neared him, she pushed herself faster, harder, charging at Zal with all her strength.

The demon’s grin widened with dark amusement. He stood still, arms open as though welcoming her not expecting what was coming next.

Her body burned hot with magic as she collided with him.

The impact was enough to knock him backward. Zal’s body crashed into the window behind him, glass shattering as both of them tumbled out of the building and into the night.

"No!" Viktor screamed, forcing himself toward the shattered window. Shards of flying glass sliced shallow cuts across his face, but he didn’t care, his eyes were locked on the figures plummeting below.

As they crashed to the ground, a deafening thud split the air, sending cracks through the ground and a thick cloud of dust rising around them.

For a long, dreadful moment, silence reigned. Then Lilith stirred, coughing violently as dust filled her lungs. She tried to pull away, but his arms locked around her, keeping her pinned against him.

"Where do you think you’re going?" Zal’s voice rumbled as his red eyes flicked open, staring down at her.

Lilith wrenched herself free, stumbling to her feet. Zal only chuckled, rising slowly and brushing the dust from his coat as if nothing had happened. "I see why that fool was so taken with you," he said with a sly smile, his gaze raking over her. When she only stared back, unmoving, he raised a brow. "Why are you looking at me like that...?"

Zal’s smile faltered. A flicker of confusion crossed his face. He swallowed hard, his hand shooting up to his throat as though something was constricting it from within. He rubbed at his neck roughly, his breathing turning shallow and ragged, sweat already glistening across his brow, "What... what is this?" His voice broke into a hiss. "What’s happening to me?"

"What... what is this?" he rasped between clenched teeth, shoving his hair back with trembling fingers. His eyes widened, a flicker of panic surfacing. "What the hell is happening to me?"

His chest heaved, his composure slipping into fury. "You..." His voice cracked into a scream, "What the fuck did you do to me!?" His eyes, wide and furious, darted to Lilith’s hands.

She opened her palm.The black robe used to tie the pearl around her neck fell to the ground.

"I need Hades back," Lilith said calmly, though her own voice shook. "You don’t belong here. Go back to where you came from."

"No..." Zal staggered forward, his body trembling violently. "You stupid witch..." His lips pulled back in a snarl, but it faltered, his voice breaking as terror seeped into his tone. "No...no, I won’t... I can’t..." He dropped to his knees, clawing at his throat, his gaze wild. "I... I don’t want to..." His words choked into a cry of pain. "Fuck! I’ll kill you! I swear I’ll.."

But his threats fell hollow as his body betrayed him. His hands shook, his breaths came shallow and for the first time, Lilith saw the pure fear burning in his eyes.

She rushed forward before he collapsed, catching him and pulling his trembling body against her chest. His weight sagged into her arms as his strength waned and he went completely still.

"Please..." she whispered, stroking his hair with trembling fingers. "Please let this work. Come back to me, Hades."