CHAPTER TWELVE :A Knife Behind the Smile
Lilith had felt it all morning.
The shift in the air.6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡma3GTvBjcy
The way shadows leaned toward her.6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeEukwA04qu
The way the city felt too still.
She didn’t trust it.6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ8c5M0kBSw
And she was right.
The knock on Daniel’s apartment door was polite. Too polite.
And when he opened it, he saw a man—maybe his age, maybe not.6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDmWFiDoISX
Hair the color of lightning.6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjvdjCrRnrs
Eyes like polished steel.6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEQcWUhItPW
Smile that felt carved out of charm and calculation.
“Hi,” the stranger said.6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSMT1CBYWL6
“I’m Caden. New neighbor. Power went out next door. Mind if I charge my phone?”
Daniel blinked.
But Lilith—hidden behind the bedroom wall—knew.
Her blood turned to smoke.
Caden stepped in.
He smelled like incense and ambition.
And something older.
Something holy.
He passed by the bookshelf and his finger grazed a photo of Daniel and Lilith.
“Cute couple,” he said smoothly.6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqLgRkAh00o
“She around?”
Daniel hesitated.6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOL3hoKy1ZB
“She’s… sleeping.”
“Right.”
Caden smiled wider.
Lilith emerged from the shadows.
Her eyes burned.6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU66tkZMJby
Her wings shimmered beneath her skin, almost surfacing.
“You’re not here to charge anything.”
Caden turned, no surprise on his face.
“No. I’m here to offer you mercy.”
In a blink, his charm vanished.
A halo of gold flame erupted behind his head.6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAdWPxRhFc7
From his back—wings made of light and bone unfurled.
Daniel stumbled back.
“Who—what the hell are you?”
“Heaven’s contingency plan,” Caden said coldly.6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsfS1kHimxe
“She was supposed to burn. She didn’t. Now I clean the mess.”
But Lilith didn’t flinch.
Instead, she smiled.
“You're late. I've already chosen my war.”
Caden lunged.
A blade appeared in his hand — etched with Heaven's language, forged to pierce even divine flesh.
He aimed for her chest.
But Daniel screamed her name—6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGoPRLlq5Xy
And that scream gave her speed.
She moved faster than she ever had before.
The blade sliced across her arm—but missed her heart.
She kicked Caden through the wall.
Smoke and dust filled the air.
Lilith stood panting, golden blood dripping from her arm.
Daniel ran to her.
“What the hell was that?!”
Lilith didn’t answer.
She turned toward the hole in the wall.
But Caden was gone.
Not defeated.
Just… watching.
Waiting.
And worse—
He now knew what Daniel meant to her.
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